Ha Noi plans monorail system to ease congestion

Ha Noi is planning to build a monorail system to ease its traffic congestion and connect the existing railway routes.

The municipal People's Committee, in collaboration with the Ministry of Transport, is working on a detailed plan. A pilot route will be built with the funding expected to come from the build-operate-transfer investment.

Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang has assigned the Transport Engineering Design Incorporation to take charge of the planning.

A plan to build a monorail route in the capital city was first proposed in 2010 by the Viet Nam Construction and Import-Export Corporation (Vinaconex). It aimed to build a 38-kilometre monorail route in western Ha Noi with the initial aim of serving 60,000 passengers daily.

Under the new plan, there will be 14 stations and the trains will run 4.5 metres above the ground at an average speed of 70 kilometres per hour.

The fares will be affordable for low-income earners, according to Vinaconex.

Two injured as taxi collides with train

A taxi collided with a running train in the central province of Nghe An's Vinh City early this morning, causing train delays and traffic jams for two hours.

The train was going from Da Nang to Ha Noi. The taxi's driver and a passenger were injured and were sent to hospital immediately. The taxi was badly damaged.

The traffic was cleared after two hours.

The local authorities said that according to initial investigations, the taxi driver was carelessly crossing the railway line which didn't have any barrier or guard, causing the accident.

Children need to learn risks of climate change

It is essential that children should actively participate and contribute to decisions and plans concerning climate change, said Plan in Viet Nam at a conference in Ha Noi on Tuesday.

Experts from different non-governmental organisations shared their experiences and measures taken to cope with climate change at the conference.

Nguyen Cong Nhue, Plan in Viet Nam's climate change adaptation specialist, said that while children are often more vulnerable than adults, they have low awareness and limited capacity to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

They also have limited access to assets, information and government resources, he said.

Over 90 per cent of those killed in the 2011 Mekong floods were under 16 years of age, according to statistics released by the organisation.

Besides the risk of fatalities, children can suffer from diseases related to the shortage of clean water and hygienic conditions, he said.

Manager of the Agriculture and Forestry Research and Development Centre for the Northern Mountainous Region Ho Ngoc Son pointed out that climate change still remains low priority among the local agencies.

"There are no guidelines and sources of funds for climate change activities at the local level, schools and the community," he said.

Nhue said that adults should give children a voice, document good practices and incorporate them into government processes.

More research on children and the impact of climate change should be implemented.

Schools needed to have training tool kits, story books, cartoons and animations on the issue.

Communities, schools and youth club projects to demonstrate solutions to strengthen community resilience to climate change should be given small seed grants, he said.

Ta Thi Thanh Huong, a policy officer of the climate change section of the United Nations Development Programme, added that the State should develop action plans in localities to ensure that migrants and poor vulnerable residents, including old people and children, get climate change information.

Vietnam to attend Asian Physics Olympiad in Singapore

Eight Vietnamese students will compete at the 15th Asian Physics Olympiad 2014 (AphO) in Singapore from May 11-15, according to the Department for Testing and Education Quality Accreditation under Ministry of Education and Training.

They come from Vietnam National University in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi Amsterdam Gifted High School, Luong Van Tuy Gifted High School in Ninh Binh province, and Phan Boi Chau Gifted High School in Nghe An province.

Last year, all eight members of the AphO Vietnamese team were awarded, including two golds, two silvers, one bronze and three certificates of merit.

The two gold medals went to Bui Quang Tu from Hanoi Amsterdam Gifted High School and Ngo Phi Long from Son La Gifted High School, both in the 12th grade.

Noi Bai air terminal 2 due for completion in 2014

The Ministry of Transport has announced it wants construction of a second terminal at Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport put on the fast-track and completed by the end of the year.

Contractors, Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) and Vietnam-Japan joint venture Vinaconex-Tasei, were asked to accelerate construction and actively cooperate with relevant agencies to ensure the terminal is fully operational by December 31.

The four-story passenger terminal T2 covers an area of 139,216 square metres. Once completed, it will be able to serve up to 10 million passengers annually.

Construction costs are estimated at JPY75.56 billion (US$968 million), including JPY12.6 billion (US$161 million) sourced from the Japan International Cooperation Agency loans.

Currently, construction on the project is approximately 70% complete.

More than 40 overseas Vietnamese from 20 countries and territories across the world on April 9 offered incense in tribute to General Vo Nguyen Giap at his grave in the central province of Quang Binh’s Quang Trach district.

Dinh Vuong Ty, 74, who came from Thailand, could not hold his tears when standing in the front of the grave of the hero. He said he was satisfied with the visit as he was able to directly pay tribute to the General.

Meanwhile, Tran Huu Khue, 63, from Bulgaria, expressed his gratitude to Party and State leaders for helping OVs make the meaningful journey.

The delegation, which represents millions of Vietnamese living abroad, is in Vietnam to attend the commemoration of the legendary nation founders Hung Kings and the Hung Kings Temple Festival 2014.

As scheduled, from April 15-28, they will visit and present gifts to officers, soldiers and people in Truong Sa Archipelago and join a requiem to commemorate Vietnamese soldiers and people who laid down their lives protecting the country’s sea and island sovereignty.

General Vo Nguyen Giap passed away in Hanoi on October, 2013. He was born in Quang Binh’s Le Thuy district on August 25, 1911.

He served as a Politburo member, Secretary of the Central Military Commission, Standing Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of National Defence, Commander-in-Chief of the Vietnamese People’s Army and a National Assembly deputy from the first to seventh tenure.

He led the Vietnamese people to victories over the French army and later American forces.

Run in Hanoi helps disadvantaged children

As much as 45,000 USD raised at the 2013 Hanoi Run for Children has been delivered to the VinaCapital Fund, which will use the money to treat poor children at the Hospital of Pediatrics, the Hanoi Heart Hospital and the Heart Beat Vietnam Programme.

A ceremony was held in Hanoi on April 8 to hand over donation to the fund.

The run was organised by the Canadian Embassy in Vietnam, the Vietnam-Canada Friendship Association, t he Canadian Business Association, the Manulife Insurance Vietnam company and Sofitel Metropole Hotel in November 2013. It took place at the South Thang Long urban area (Ciputra Hanoi) and drew about 5,000 people.

Speaking at the ceremony, Canadian Commercial Counsellor in Vietnam Francois Lasalles said the annual event has, over recent years, collected a large amount of money to support the treatment for Vietnamese children with heart diseases and cancer, especially ones from poor backgrounds.

Established in 2000 (when it was known as the Terry Fox Run Hanoi, before a change of format in 2009), the event is recognised as a popular corporate team building and family activity that promotes social responsibility while raising awareness about healthcare issues in Vietnam.

The 2012 event was attended nearly 7,000 people and raised 1.2 billion VND (57.100 USD).-

City hospital gets quality accreditation

A microbiology laboratory at the HCM City Children's Hospital No.2 has received the ISO 15189 quality certification.

ISO 15189 is awarded by the International Organisation for Standardisation after a lengthy process and requires a medical laboratory to meet specific international quality requirements related to services, collection of patient samples, testing accuracy, turnaround time, and training of healthcare staff.

The laboratory is the eighth in Viet Nam to get the accreditation, be supported under the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, and get technical guidance from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Coal mine collapse kills miner

A coal mine collapsed in the northern Ninh Binh Province on Tuesday, killing a miner, the Nho Quan District's People's Committee said.

Two other miners managed to escape by running out of the mine.

The mine belongs to the Sinh Phat Loc Company in Nho Quan District, Thach Binh Commune.

The company has paid more than VND100 million, or US$4,700, as compensation to the family of the victim.

The People's Committee has asked the concerned authorities to investigate the cause of the mine collapse.

NGO donates refuge to flood-hit residents

NGO Habitat for Humanity Viet Nam on Tuesday handed over a safe house meant for residents living in areas affected by seasonal floods.

The 40sq.m house built at a cost of US$5,000 was gifted to a poor family in Tien Giang Province's Hau My Bac B Commune whose house is situated near a canal and a dyke and is often affected by floods.

The house was built based on the winning design in the "Sustainable Shelter in an Age of Climate Change and Disasters" competition organised by HFHV and Siam Cement Group in 2012-2013.

District seizes land for railway project

The Ha Dong District authority in Ha Noi has seized the lands of 21 households in Phu Luong Ward for the construction of the Cat Linh-Ha Dong urban railway project.

Last week, the authority approved the seizure of the lands by force after trying to persuade and negotiate with the 21 families several times.

More than 290 households have been relocated in the ward in order to acquire 50,000sq.m of land for the project. The 21 households didn't accept the compensation amount and refused to move.

The Cat Linh-Ha Dong urban railway project is a key national project to be built at a cost of VND8.8 trillion, or US$419 million.

21st Regional Conference of Dermatology opens

Nearly 1,000 dermatological experts and scientists from France, Canada, the US, Australia, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, India, the Republic of Korea and ASEAN member nations gathered at the 21st Regional Conference of Dermatology, held in the central city of Da Nang on April 10.

Organised by the Central Dermatology Hospital, the Southeast Asian Dermatological Association and the Asia-Australia Dermatological Association, the conference helped participants gain more knowledge about dermatology.

Participants discussed and shared experience on issues related to dermatological diseases, which are difficult to diagnose and treat such as sexually transmitted diseases (syphilis, gonorrhoea, HIV/AIDS ), leprosy and others.

Vietnamese scientists presented about 60 scientific subjects among the 300 heard at the conference.

Organised for the first time in Singapore in 1972, the biennial conference aims to update participants on the latest know-how in treating dermatological diseases, especially unfamiliar ones.

According to Tran Hau Giang, President of the Vietnamese Society of Dermatology, this is the first time Vietnam has hosted the event, which offered a good chance for Vietnamese doctors to better their understanding of the field, thus actively contributing to healthcare for people in the future.

The day before, there were three training courses on dermatology organised in the city with the participation of about 100 domestic and foreign health staff working in the field.

Building new-style rural areas essential: Deputy PM

Building new-style rural areas has been underlined as a key strategic measure to realise a Party Central Committee’s resolution on agriculture, farmers, and rural areas.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh pinpointed this at a recent conference in the Central Highland province of Lam Dong, reviewing how the three-year-old national target programme in the field has been carried out in the Southeastern, South Central and Central Highland regions.

He asked local authorities to pay great attention to improving infrastructure for goods production, expanding new and effective production models and securing links between businesses and farmers.

He also highlighted a number of issues pertaining to education, culture, political security and environmental protection, as well as the strengthening of the Party’s leadership and the Vietnam Fatherland Front’s role in the rural community.

The Southeastern, Southern Central and Central Highland regions comprise of 19 provinces with 1,896 communes. At present, 42 communes have met all the 19 new-style rural area criteria, 102 others satisfy 15-18, and 380 have fulfilled from one to five.

Building infrastructure, improving production capacity, constructing public works, protecting the landscape and environment, and promoting local traditions and cultural identities are among the criteria of building new-style rural areas agenda initiated by the Government in 2010.

Improved labour relations expected to curb strikes

The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) is drafting a six-year plan beginning this year to improve labour relations and curb illegal strikes.

The draft, which is expected to be approved in June, will be carried out in Hanoi, Haiphong, HCM City, Dong Nai and Binh Duong.

The plan is aimed at developing and strengthening labour relations in line with the revised Labour Code 2012 and the Law on Trade Unions 2012.

The model focuses on improving co-operation between Government bodies and trade unions to promote negotiations and labour agreements.

MoLISA Deputy Minister Pham Minh Huan said that there have been more than 5,000 strikes since 2006.

The strikes did not follow legal guidelines, he said, emphasising the need for a plan to improve labour relations.

Nguyen Manh Cuong, Director of the Ministry's Centre to Support the Development of Labour Relations said that trade union officials are not equipped with the skills to negotiate labour disputes between employers and employees.

"As a result, employees go on strike to put pressure on their employers to improve working conditions," he said.

He said that in many cases, trade unions fail to put forward a representative to negotiate with employers.

Talks and collective labour agreements have failed to work as effectively as expected.

Cuong said that State labour agencies have not fulfilled their role of guiding, managing and improving labour relations.

However, he remains dubious about the feasibility of the draft that is designed to create stable labour relations within six years without detailed measures.

He urged more specific activities to improve the quality of trade unions.

An official from the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, Nguyen Ngoc Son, agreed with Cuong, saying that it is important to find effective measures to improve trade unions models.

He noted that the work would take time and effort, citing a pilot programme in Binh Duong Province to improve trade unions.

He said that they have instructed workers to establish a trade union and officers to protect workers' rights, negotiate with employers and settle labour disputes.

However, only a few companies have managed to do so.

Son said that trilateral talks between employers, employees and local authorities are needed to change labour relations on a larger scale, and the responsibilities of each party need to be specified.

Canada charity supports poor child patients

A Canadian charity programme dedicated to supporting disadvantaged children has donated more than US$45,000 to young Vietnamese patients suffering from cancer and heart-related diseases.

Canadian Trade Counselor Francois Lasalle and Vice Chairwomen of the Vietnam-Canada Friendship Association Nguyen Thi Hoi handed over the funds to Rad Kivette, a VinaCapital representative in Hanoi on April 8.

VinaCapital will distribute the sum, raised from Charity Run for Children Hanoi 2013, to the Central Pediatrics Hospital, Hanoi Heart Hospital, and Heartbeat Vietnam to support disadvantaged children battling cancer and heart diseases.

More than 5,000 people attended Charity Run for Children Hanoi 2013, formerly known as Terry Fox Run, jointly organized by the Canadian Embassy in Vietnam, the Vietnam-Canada Friendship Association, the Canadian Business Association (CanCham), Manulife Vietnam, and Sofitel Metropole Hanoi Hotel.

Hoang Thi Ngoc Huong, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Heart Hospital, thanked the Canadian organization for its invaluable support for poor children.

“The proceeds from the annual Charity Run for Children have been used to cover up to 70% of the cost of heart surgeries for the recipients, truly life-saving assistance”, she said.

Ministry approves Mekong Delta rural development plan

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has approved a plan on agriculture and rural areas in the Mekong Delta up to 2020 with a vision to 2030, which provides a response to climate change.

Accordingly, the region should produce 24.5 million tonnes of rice and 3.5 million tonnes of seafood annually while raising its average per hectare production value to VND130 million (US$6,100) and ensuring 3.25 million hectares of agricultural land by 2020.

By 2030, rice production is expected to reach 23–24 million tonnes annually, and fisheries are to produce 4.2-4.3 million tonnes per year. Average per hectare production value should increase to VND180–200 million.

It is estimated that 30,000 hectares of agricultural land will be flooded due to rising sea levels. Paddy farmland will reduce by about 15,000 hectares, while aquaculture areas will increase by over 550,000 hectares.

The plan also proposed several measures to help Mekong Delta localities forge closer linkages among themselves and intensify trade and investment promotion to further the development of agriculture.

VNS/VNA/VOVND