Five persons are critical after mushroom poisoning

Five persons from Thai Nguyen Province are being treated at Bach Mai General Hospital for mushroom poisoning and are in critical condition, the hospital said yesterday.

According to Pham Due, director of the Poison Control Center of Bach Mai, the patients, all belonging to one family, have suffered serious damage to their liver and digestive systems and have shown symptoms of vomiting, nausea and a drop in the blood pressure.

The family reportedly collected one kilogramme of mushrooms from the forest. It was unclear what kind of mushroom it was, but it apparently had a sweet taste.

Nguyen Thanh Phong, deputy head of the Vietnam Food Administration, warned that residents should be extremely careful in picking mushrooms, especially in spring, and should not eat them unless they can check the mushroom's origin and type.

Dog fighting rings sprout up in Vietnam

Several Vietnamese have recently become interested in raising fighting dogs despite wide criticism.

Pitbulls are a recent introduction to Vietnam, but have quickly become sought after by dog-lovers and dog fighters alike.

Many unfortunate pitbulls that were imported or bred in Vietnam are forced to undergo a hard life to keep them vicious. One trainer named Minh said, "In order to train a pitbull to be a good fighter, you have to restore their cruelest instincts.

Dog fighting continues to spread in the country. Several members of the public have taken notice of the inhumane treatment of these animals, but it does not seem to have stopped the growing "sport".

Dog fighting brings in a steady flow of revenue for those willing to organise and participate in the cruel activity. Domestically bred pitbulls have become more popular, and can cost as much as VND8 million (USD378.7).

“A dog fight attracts betting worth around VND50 million (USD2,366) and betting even reaches hundreds of millions of VND each in some cases,” Minh noted.

“These games can  bring about no benefits, only encourage violence among humans,” one member of the public commented.

Students turn their backs on social subjects

A teacher from the Hanoi-Amsterdam High School, Vu Quoc Lich, pointed out some of the reasons many students are turning away from social subjects, a trend that has been underway for many years.

Statistics show that, of the students registering for university entrance exams over the past few years, only 5-10% choose social subjects, such as literature, history and geography for the university exam.

Currently, exams for social subjects are carried out in the written form, while the multiple choice method is used for the natural subjects of physics, chemistry and biology. This makes them both easier and susceptible to cheating.

Students who study social subjects often have less chance of being employed than those who study natural subjects.

Many students concentrate on studying natural sciences. This does not mean that they particularly like them, but are thinking to their employment opportunities. Parents often urge their student to study maths, physics and chemistry, not literature, history and geography as top university are only for students who study natural subjects.

Many students complain of being bored by textbooks that do not address the modern way of thinking. These books often teach history as a set of events and dates to remember.

The Ministry of Education and Training planned to ease their restrictions on the content lessons since a textbook reform in 2002. But it seems that the only change has been to add content to textbooks. Just after the reform, the geography textbook for grade 12 was 96 pages. now it is 208.

Vietnam Airlines offers promotional program on local routes

The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines is offering a promotion on some domestic routes starting March 10.

One-way tickets for routes including Ho Chi Minh City-Quy Nhon/Buon Ma Thuot will be priced at VND499,000 and routes from Hanoi-Da Lat/ Buon Ma Thuot will be VND 999,000 (not including tax).

The special rates will be applicable for flights departing from March 15-May 15.

Additional routes to ASEAN countries will also be offered.

These one-way routes are HCM City-Singapore at VND195,000, HCM City- Kuala Lumpur at VND625,000, and HCM City- Bangkok at VND 1.27 million (not including tax).

The special rates are only applicable for flights departing before March 31. Passengers must buy tickets no later from 5-30 days before departure.

Public, private hospitals coordinate to raise treatment quality

Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien held a meeting about coordinating private and public hospitals in Thanh Do Hospital (City International Hospital) in Ho Chi Minh City on March 10.

The collaboration aims to reduce pressure in overcrowded public hospitals in order to raise treatment quality.

The number of private facilities has increased 400 percent in the country in the past 10 years, according to the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment. It currently has 170 private facilities accounting for 11 percent of the total facilities in the city.

The number of people seeking medical treatment in private hospitals remains low with 7 percent outpatients and 6 percent inpatients.

Cho Ray Hospital coordinated with 14 private hospitals to provide skilled physicians for private facilities, transfer stable patients and send samples for testing.

Medicine University Hospital and Hoang Anh Gia Lai Hospital in Gia Lai Province coordinated to build a new hospital that treats 150,000 people a year. Without this hospital, about 30 percent of the province’s patients would have to go to HCMC for treatment.

The hospital spends VND 10 billion for transportation of patients, said Minister Tien. The coordination between public and private facilities is necessary to maximize human resource, brand names, and spacious private facilities.

Ministry re-includes suspended courses

More than 60 major courses will be re-included in university entrance examinations this year, said Bui Anh Tuan, Head of the Department for Higher Education.

Just a month ago, the Ministry of Education and Training suspended 207 courses at 71 universities nationwide due to a lack of qualified full-time lecturers.

After considering reports from nearly 30 universities, 62 of the courses have now been allowed back. Most of them are connected with the arts and the study of languages.

The Ministry has relaxed the rules slightly until 2017. Its main objective is to include more courses - and thus more students - but, at the same time, keep the quality of education high.

The solutions are only short term, Tuan said. If colleges cannot find enough full-time lecturers within three years, they will then lose the major courses.

Since 2010, the Ministry has been holding regular checks on the education quality of Ph.D., graduate and undergraduate levels.

PM approves establishment of HCMC Department of Tourism

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung approved the establishment of the Department of Tourism by the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee.

The department is expected to help the municipal People’s Committee implement state management functions of the tourism industry. Examples include making decisions and suggestions on handling infringements of local and foreign individuals and organizations in the city.

The Department of Tourism will also cooperate with local authorities to launch measures to ensure security and protect public order, hygiene and environmental sanitation.

Bid to smuggle spurious fragrances into HCM City intercepted

Nearly 1000 bottles of cheap perfumes in bottles bearing famous trademarks were detected yesterday by the HCM City customs authority.

These spurious perfumes were hidden amongst goods being imported from China. The trademarked bottles included Lancome, Gucci, Tommy Hilfiger and Dior and had not been declared to the customs officials at Sai Gon Port.

The company that owned these goods has an office in the city. It had declared to the customs authority that the goods weighed 16 tonnes and included women's shoes, foam rubber sandals, yoga mattresses and micros.

The goods, of Chinese origin, were worth US$29,000, and the taxes imposed on them amounted to more than VND155 million ($7,300).

The perfumes, revealed customs officials, were hidden amongst French and Italian perfumes, giving rise to the suspicion that they were counterfeit goods, which would then be sold in Viet Nam.

The customs authority is continuing the investigation.

Remote areas face healthcare shortage

Healthcare in remote areas is still experiencing fundamental problems, including lack of equipment and shortage of doctors and professional staff.

A survey of 63 provinces and cities by the Ministry of Health last year revealed that some district hospitals had only six to seven doctors and medical clinics had from one to four. The doctors are not dispersed rationally, the survey found.

It also showed that most commune medical clinics had only about 60 per cent of the necessary equipment.

Lo Van Khanh, director of the Nam Nhun District Medical Clinic in the northern mountain province of Lai Chau, said that the shortages meant that it could not meet residents' demands.

Nam Nhun clinic was even using workers' houses at Lai Chau hydro-electric plant as its head office. Medical staff had to use old equipment moved from other parts of the province.

Khanh said Nam Nhun District had more than 90 doctors, but there was a need for about 200.

Muong Khuong District in northern Lao Cai Province had similar problems. Po Chin Cui, head of its medical clinic, said the district had 16 commune medical clinics. It also had 100 commune-based medical workers and more than 200 village-based (smaller units) ones, but did not have a doctor.

Doctor Nguyen Van The, director of the Mu Cang Chai District Medical Clinic in northern Yen Bai Province, said that in the past five years, the district had assigned more than 10 medical workers to study for medical degrees, however, only four later agreed to return and work in the district.

The doctors did not want to work at grassroots-level because they felt working conditions and pay were unsatisfactory.

The said that while most districts needed basic equipment, some had such things as ultrasound devices and heart scanners, but they had been placed in storage because no one had been trained how to use them.

Deputy Minister of Health Pham Le Tuan suggested that salaries for medical workers, especially doctors, should be higher because they needed to spend at least six years studying for a degree, whereas other careers took only four or five years.

He also felt that medical workers should also be supported with seniority allowances.

Director of the Lai Chau Department of Health, Nguyen Cong Huan, said that the provincial health sector would invest in upgrading infrastructure and buying modern equipment for obstetrics, paediatrics and mental-health care.

He said the department would also create good conditions for medical workers to study new technology at universities and central hospitals.

MIGA insures rehabilitation of critical road in Vietnam

The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), the political risk insurance and credit enhancement arm of the World Bank (WB) Group, announced on March 10 that it is supporting the rehabilitation and expansion of BT20 National Highway 20, a critical transportation link in Vietnam.

MIGA is providing non-honoring of sovereign financial obligations cover of US$500 million to the project’s lenders for a period of 15 years.

The NH20 is the main route connecting Ho Chi Minh City, the political and economic center of southern Vietnam, with the Central Highlands region of the country. The MIGA-insured loan funds the rehabilitation of a severely deteriorated section of the road, a source of significant transportation bottlenecks and accidents.

“This investment supported by MIGA will help reduce travel time, improve safety, and increase rural incomes in a region where close to 40 percent of the rural population still lives below the poverty line despite considerable tourism, mining and agriculture resources,” said Victoria Kwakwa, WB Country Director for Vietnam.

The project will follow MIGA's environmental and social sustainability policies. “MIGA's standards should ensure that the environmental and social risks of the project are taken into account and mitigated. This approach could have a demonstration effect beyond this specific project,” said Michel Wormser, MIGA Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

“This project will complement the WB’s involvement in the transport sector and will leverage the expertise of our WB colleagues based in Vietnam, thus increasing our impact in boosting shared prosperity in the country”, added Mr Michel Wormser.

Goldman Sachs was the loan arranger and lender alongside Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and a syndicate of other international commercial banks. “The BT20 financing is a landmark transaction. With the support of MIGA and the risk coverage provided, we were able to provide a 15 year financing solution for Vietnam for a major public infrastructure project with significant benefits for the country,” said Tim Leissner, Vice Chairman Asia Ex-Japan of Goldman Sachs.

Programme calls for support for fishermen

A gala night themed “The Heart for Sea and Islands”, with the aim of honouring bravery fishermen and garnering support for them to continue taking part in protecting the country’s sea sovereignty, took place at the Hanoi Opera House in the capital on March 10.

Addressing the event, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh said the programme is a practical activity to realise the sea and island related policies of the Party and State, contributing to consolidating the nation’s determination to protect its sovereignty over sea and islands.

He highly valued the contributions of fishermen, organisations and individuals in safeguarding national sea and islands as well as the development of maritime economy.

Minh expressed his hope that media agencies continue to act as a bridge for the Party and State and fishermen, while proactively publicising policies on sea and islands and maritime economic development.

The event, organised by the Vietnam Journalists’ Association (VJA), also honoured entrepreneurs, businesses, organisations and individuals involved in the protection of sea and island sovereignty and maritime economic development.

“The Heart for Sea and Islands” called for support for fishermen, who suffered great losses during their operation in the waters of Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelagoes of Vietnam, to maintain their business at sea.

Kind-hearted people can also cast their support to fishermen via the VJA website at www.hoinhabaovietnam,org.vn.

Earlier the same day, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam hosted a reception for delegates to the programme, affirming that the Party and State always pay much attention to people in remote and poor areas, especially fishermen who have overcome difficulties to contribute to the country’s development.

Purple heron released into Tram Chim national park

A purple heron was released into the Tram Chim National Park in Tam Nong district, the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap, on March 10.

The bird, whose scientific name is Ardea Furpurea, weighs nearly 1.5kg and measures 0.5m in height. It is among rare wild animals that need to be strictly preserved and protected.

It is also named in the list of birds on the brink of extinction.

The two-year-old bird was bought from hunters by a local and then handed over to the park.

Seminar stresses compulsory all-people health insurance

The implementation of universal health insurance is very necessary to ensure health for all members of the public in the long run, heard a seminar in Ho Chi Minh City on March 10.

More than two-thirds of the people nationwide have engaged in the health insurance since 2010. About 30 percent – mainly low-income earners – have yet to join the network as they cannot afford the fee, said Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Law Committee Dang Dinh Luyen.

He suggested the State increase its budget to support these people with health insurance cards.

Takeshii Kasai, World Health Organisation (WHO) Chief Representative in Vietnam, stressed the importance of universal health insurance, saying it reflects the State’s care for their citizens and social equality.

Compulsory health insurance is the key to taking care of people from all walks of life, said WHO Regional Director in Asia-Pacific Shin Young Soo.

Vietnam is striving to extend health insurance coverage to 80 percent of its total population by 2020.

TV series offers fresh angle on Dien Bien Phu

Audiences can expect to enjoy a new angle on the historical battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954 when a new TV series airs next month.

Unlike most other films about Dien Bien Phu that focus on praising its stirring victory, the upcoming series will centre on humanism as well as the private lives of ordinary people who joined the war.

Filming for the 25 episode series titled Duong Len Dien Bien (Road to Dien Bien) started in January.

The series is about a young man who left Hanoi to fight on the frontline, where he met and fell in love with a beautiful civilian worker. Stories of patriotism, and a love between a man and a woman are all presented through this woeful and majestic love story.

Alongside the Road to Dien Bien, the director of the series, Bui Tuan Dung, had worked on several other war-themed movie productions. The feature Nhung Nguoi Viet Huyen Thoai (The Legend Makers), which he directed, won the Golden Lotus Award at the National Film Festival last October.

"In my opinion, whether the movie is about war or not, it must express the ‘humanism', which can create the value for the movies. In the Road to Dien Bien, the war has been used as a background for the love story. However, their love through the war is different in peace time, and they are bound together through a mutual love for their country," Dung said.

He added: "It doesn't matter what the subject of the movie is, we always want to capture the audiences imagination. In the Road to Dien Bien, we have invested a lot of time and effort to develop the conflict between different characters and create impressive scenes.”

"Our crew also focused on music and special effects – two other important elements that perfect a movie production," he said.

Alongside experienced actor Hoang Hai, who also starred in Dung's award-winning The Legend Makers, the upcoming Road to Dien Bien features talented actresses Huyen Trang and Diem Huong, and young actors Manh Truong and Quach Thong.

The crew includes famous cameramen Ly Thai Dung and Vu Quoc Tuan, special effects expert Phan Trong Bich, and designer Vu Anh Tu.

A production of the Vietnam Film Studio, the series is scheduled to air on VTV1 from the second week of April.

ODA helps Lao Cai reduce poverty

The northern mountainous province of Lao Cai has effectively utilised official development assistance (ODA) to reduce its annual poverty rate by nearly 8% over the years.

The ODA projects management board of Lao Cai on March 10 also reported that roads to all of its communes have been upgraded and are readily accessible by automobile.

The irrigation system has been renovated to ensure water supply for 85% of the province’s cultivation areas. All communes have access to electricity and per capita income has been increased to VND24 million per year, they said.

Meeting with its counterpart from Phu Yen province, they announced that ODA capital has been invested in 70 projects since 2000, including 19 in transport, four in bridge construction, and 25 in irrigation upgrades.

In the coming time, the management board will focus on training, management, and evaluation.

The two provinces shared real experience in ODA management in order to use the funds more effectively, helping to promote local socio-economic development.

Maritime security must meet local, int’l norms

Maritime security should be handled in accordance with national law as well as international law and practices, agreed participants in the second Maritime Security Workshop, held in Hanoi on March 10.

The five-day long workshop, chaired by Vietnam Coast Guard High Command in cooperation with the United States Defense Threat Reduction Agency, included the participation of officials from the ministries of National Defense, Public Security, Foreign Affairs, Transport and Vietnam Customs.

Major general Nguyen Van Tuong, Commissar of the Vietnam Coast Guard High Command, explained that the goal of the workshop was to enhance cooperation and information sharing between maritime forces and other Vietnamese ministries, as well as to raise awareness on maritime security, life-saving practices and law enforcement at sea.

In the workshop, officials focused on maritime monitoring and management, jurisdictions and legal frameworks for resolving relevant issues. They also discussed how forces would coordinate to improve their response capability in various situations.

New transport priorities set

A major restructuring of the nation's transportation sector will see market shares of railway routes and inland waterways increase and that of roadways reduce.

The restructuring plan is contained in the national transportation development strategy (until 2020 with vision extending to 2030) that has recently been approved by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

The strategy targets overall improvements in transportation services, reduced fees, transport order and safety, environment protection, meeting rising transportation demand for goods and passengers, and increased competitiveness.

The plan estimates that by 2030, 4.3 billion tonnes of products and 14 billion passengers will be handled by the transport sector, following an annual growth of 6.7% and 8.2% respectively in the transportation of goods and passengers during the 2021-2030 period.

The opening of new air routes, significant improvements in the quality of taxi services and speeding privatisation of State-run transportation enterprises are also envisaged in the plan.

Transport Minister Dinh La Thang has asked departments nationwide to review health check mechanisms for drivers of commercial vehicles, to ensure that only people of good health are granted licenses. He said the review has to be completed and a report submitted to him before May 31.

Thang has also asked relevant agencies to carry out inspections of bus stations across the country, and announce their findings publicly.

The minister has also asked vehicle registration centres nationwide to improve their operations, requiring that a hotline for receiving public feedback is established before March 30.

Vietnam, China strengthen anti-drug cooperation

Vietnam and China destroyed 1,000 kilograms of illegal drugs in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in a joint anti-drug campaign on March 10.

According to Xinhua News Agency, the burning of the drugs, mainly heroin, was carried out at a square in Ningming County, which borders Vietnam, and was witnessed by police officers and representatives of youth groups from the two countries.

"It's a demonstration of the improvement made by the two countries in cracking down on cross-border drug crimes and safeguarding the harmony and stability in the border region," said Gao Xiong, Chief of the regional public security department.

The move is also to improve public awareness, especially among the youth, of the dangers of drugs, he added.

China and Vietnam launched a joint anti-drug operation along their shared border late last month, vowing to establish an effective information exchange mechanism and work together to crack a number of major drug-related cases.

Luxembourg aids local climate change adaptation

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has agreed to a draft protocol between the Vietnamese and Luxembourg Governments concerning a project on local development and adaptation to climate change impact in central Thua Thien-Hue province.

Accordingly, the Vietnamese Government has assigned the Ministry of Planning and Investment to ink the protocol with the Luxembourg side.

The project, worth a total of EUR10 million (US$13.7 million) with EUR8 million coming from the Luxembourg Government, will be implemented in communes lying along the coast and in and around lagoons in Quang Dien, Phu Vang and Phu Loc districts.

Since 1998, Luxembourg has granted a remarkable sum of non-refundable aid to the central province’s poverty reduction, health care, education and socio-economic development programmes.

There included a project providing equipment to the Hue Central Hospital and Hue Medical University worth EUR1 million, a EUR4.7 million project on rural development in Quang Dien district and one on the establishment of a tourism school worth nearly VND32 billion.

Poverty reduction in urban areas needs due attention

The country should pay attention to slashing poverty in urban areas as it looks to do this sustainably, said head of the National Assembly’s Committee for Social Affairs Truong Thi Mai at a recent workshop in Ho Chi Minh City.

Some cities and provinces that recorded the fastest pace of poverty alleviation include Ho Chi Minh City, the southern province of Binh Duong, and the central city of Danang.

The rate of urban poor households dropped to 4.3% in 2012 from 6.9% in 2010, said the General Statistics Office.

The Vietnamese population is expected to hit 95 million by 2020, with farmers accounting for 30-35%.

Mai said rural laborers are often highly vulnerable when moving to urban areas to work - temporary residency makes it difficult for them to fully benefit from the State policies.

Ngo Truong Thi, head of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs’ National Office of Poverty Reduction, pointed out the fact that city dwellers living in need still find it hard to access housing support, vocational training and technology transfer.

The less well-to-do under the national standard also hardly access basic services such as health care, education and lending.

According to the committee, the 2005-2012 poverty reduction policy offered a new facelift to rural and mountainous areas, but the rate of poverty relapse remains high.

Vietnamese, Russian universities enhance cooperation

The Russian Cultural Centre (RCC) in Vietnam on March 10 launched the “Russian Universities” project, as part of activities to realize the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

Attending the event were representatives from famous Russian universities such as Tomsk State University of Architecture and Building, the National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, Moscow Institute of Electronic Technology, and Pacific National University.

According to Natalia Yurievna, Assistant to the RCC Director, the project aims to establish and develop direct contacts between universities of both countries and encourage young Vietnamese people to study in Russia, while maintaining the relationship with alumni of Russian schools and universities.

The second phase of the project is scheduled to begin in late 2014, she said.

On this occasion, the Russian universities’ representatives will meet with the leaders of Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training and universities to discuss the implementation of joint scientific studies, the organization of seminars and conferences, and student exchanges, she added.

Bird flu breaks out in Ha Giang

The northern mountainous province of Ha Giang on March 10 confirmed the first outbreak of the avian influenza A/H5N1.

The disease was detected on a flock of waterfowl owned by Tran Minh Tri, a resident living in Lang Moi village, Vi Xuyen District.  

Poultry samples tested positive for the deadly virulent strain A/H5N1.

Relevant agencies of Ha Giang province and Vi Xuyen District culled all the poultry, and disinfected Tri’s farm and neighbouring areas.

Quarantine checkpoints were established in the district to keep a tight grip on the transportation and slaughtering of poultry.

New transport priorities set

A major restructuring of the nation's transportation sector will see market shares of railway routes and inland waterways increase and that of roadways reduce.

The restructuring plan is contained in the national transportation development strategy (until 2020 with vision extending to 2030) that has recently been approved by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

The strategy targets overall improvements in transportation services, reduced fees, transport order and safety, environment protection, meeting rising transportation demand for goods and passengers, and increased competitiveness.

The plan estimates that by 2030, 4.3 billion tonnes of products and 14 billion passengers will be handled by the transport sector, following an annual growth of 6.7 per cent and 8.2 per cent respectively in the transportation of goods and passengers during the 2021-2030 period.

The opening of new air routes, significant improvements in the quality of taxi services and speeding privatisation of State-run transportation enterprises are also envisaged in the plan.

Transport Minister Dinh La Thang has asked departments nationwide to review health check mechanisms for drivers of commercial vehicles, to ensure that only people of good health are granted licenses. He said the review has to be completed and a report submitted to him before May 31.

Thang has also asked relevant agencies to carry out inspections of bus stations across the country, and announce their findings publicly.

The minister has also asked vehicle registration centres nationwide to improve their operations, requiring that a hotline for receiving public feedback is established before March 30.

Ministry re-includes suspended courses

More than 60 major courses will be re-included in university entrance examinations this year, said Bui Anh Tuan, Head of the Department for Higher Education.

Just a month ago, the Ministry of Education and Training suspended 207 courses at 71 universities nationwide due to a lack of qualified full-time lecturers.

After considering reports from nearly 30 universities, 62 of the courses have now been allowed back. Most of them are connected with the arts and the study of languages.

The Ministry has relaxed the rules slightly until 2017. Its main objective is to include more courses - and thus more students - but, at the same time, keep the quality of education high.

The solutions are only short term, Tuan said. If colleges cannot find enough full-time lecturers within three years, they will then lose the major courses.

Since 2010, the Ministry has been holding regular checks on the education quality of Ph.D., graduate and undergraduate levels.

Oil curdling spreads to Vung Tau coast

Oil curdling was found to wash up onto beaches in the southern province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau's Vung Tau coastline yesterday morning.

Local authorities collected the oil on the same day. Previously, the same incident appeared along the coastline last Friday afternoon.

Oil curdling has appeared and spread along coastline of the province's Xuyen Moc District and Vung Tau City in March and April for years, according to the provincial Natural Resources and Environment Department.

The cause of the incident has not been identified so far.

Tien Giang families get free fresh water

Nearly 10,000 households affected by salt-water intrusion along the Cua Tieu River in the Mekong Delta's Tien Giang Province received freshwater free of charge yesterday.

The provision of freshwater to residents during this dry season, which lasts from March to May, is expected to cost the province over VND150 million (US$7,000).

Saltwater intrusion occurs in Go Cong Dong and Tan Phu Dong districts every year, causing a shortage of freshwater for local households, according to the provincial Sub-department of Irrigation, Storm and Flood Prevention and Control.

German group offers annual thesis award

The Viet Nam Supply Chain organisation is seeking Vietnamese logistics talents to compete for the annual Thesis Award organised by the German Logistics Association BVL.

The award, created in 2010 for outstanding Bachelor's, Master's and other degree theses, gives prizes to 100 young scientists worldwide every year.

Entries are accepted through the supervising university lecturers, and the thesis may not be more than one year old at the time of submission.

Winners will win a certificate from BVL international, a chance to join the International Supply Chain this October in Berlin, and a free half-year membership in the BVL-German Logistic Association.

According to reports from the logistics sector, there are 300,000 logistics enterprises in Viet Nam.

Visa exemption for foreigners to Phu Quoc takes effect

A policy to grant a 30-day visa exemption for foreign passport holders visiting Phu Quoc Island off the coast of the southern province of Kien Giang took effect on March 10.

Visa exemption is also applicable to those foreigners, who are in transit at an international border gate in Vietnam (including by air or by sea) to Phu Quoc island.

The visa policy is expected to help transform the world-famous tourist Phu Quoc destination into a national and international hi-end holiday heaven.

Phu Quoc is Vietnam’s largest island. The 574 – sq.km heart-shaped island, along with 22 other islands, forms Phu Quoc island district.

Phu Quoc features a monsoon tropical climate. It has two seasons, the dry season from November to April and the rainy season from May to October. The average temperature there is 28 degrees Celsius, allowing visitors to enjoy the island’s beauty at any time of the year.

On February 14, the first international direct flight, run by Russia’s IKAR airlines, with 250 Russian tourists onboard landed at Phu Quoc International Airport, which is capable of catering for modern aircraft like the Boeing 777 and Boeing 747-400.

Meanwhile, passengers hailing from Hanoi, the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho and Ho Chi Minh City are offered a variety of services provided by Vietnam Airlines, VietJet Air and Jetstar Pacific, which operate 25 flights using A321, A320 and ATR72 planes in and out of the destination every day.

The island, dubbed "Paradise Pearl Island", is now included in the eight-day Vietnam voyage itinerary of the luxury Europa II cruise, which services more than 750 customers and crew, mainly German, per tour, Saigontourist has said.

The Ho Chi Minh City-based travel company said the Hapag-Lloyd-operated ship Hanseatic, with around 1,000 passengers onboard, will dock at the island on April 23.

In the meantime, hotels and resorts on the island are having 3,000 hotel rooms, including 2,000 three-star rooms.

In 2013, Phu Quoc welcomed 94,000 foreign visitors out of its total 416,000 arrivals.

By 2020, the year set for Phu Quoc Island to become a special administrative-economic zone, the island is expected to gross 771 million USD from providing hospitality services to 2-3 million tourists annually, 40 percent of them foreigners.-

Dynamics, transparency vital to build new rural areas in Mekong Delta

New rural construction in the Mekong Delta is a big undertaking to meet the expectations of the people, said a weekly magazine of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, adding that the movement has initially created a new look for rural areas.

However, the natural characteristics of the area with many rivers has posed many difficulties for the process of building new rural areas, said the Vietnam Business Forum.

At the preliminary conference on three years of implementation of national target programme on building new rural areas in the Mekong Delta region held by the Steering Committee of national target programme on building new rural areas in Hau Giang on 25th February, many creative ways of mobilising people and power to build new rural area were put forward.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in the past 3 years, the Mekong Delta has mobilised about 121,340 billion VND from different financial resources to build new rural areas. In particular, the budget capital, credit capital, corporate capital and community capital account for 31.2, 47.3, 4.3 and 17.2 percent, respectively.

Thereby, by the end of 2013, averagely, communes in the Mekong Delta reached 9.23 criteria, increasing by 3.19 compared to 2011 (8.36 criteria reached averagely, an increase of 3 criteria).

Compared to 2011, the provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta have increased criteria rate compared to that of the whole country (averagely more than 3 criteria); no communes fail to reach criteria of new rural area. This has shown the efforts of the committees, the governments and the people in the Mekong Delta despite difficult conditions.

However, there are still 62 communes reaching less than 5 criteria, which are located in the provinces of Tien Giang (39 communes), Ben Tre (7 communes), Ca Mau (10 communes), etc. This requires further efforts of the governments and people of these communes. Besides, the inspection and evaluation of performance of criteria in a number of localities has not been fully paid attention to, subjective and tends to chase movement.

Former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) Le Huy Ngo, mentor of the national target programme on building new rural areas noted that the construction of new rural area should focus on improving life of the people. When life of the people gets better, advocating for the remaining criteria will get easier.

Capital for infrastructure is the most difficult thing in the process of building new rural areas. According to calculation, averagely each commune needs investment rate of 300 billion VND to reach 19 criteria of new rural communes. Meanwhile, the current capital of 1 billion VND per commune is too little, said Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Long An province Nguyen Thanh Nguyen.

The Mekong Delta is divided by many waterways and canals while the soil remains soft. Educational level is still low, while economic structure is still largely based on agriculture which is not highly effective. There is still lack of infrastructure, especially that of transport, irrigation, electricity and clean water. The life of a part of the population, especially ethnic minorities, remains low and is frequently affected by floods. Those are the impacts which are slowing the progress in implementing the building of new rural area in the Mekong Delta.

There were proposals that there should be distinguished criteria for building new rural area in the Mekong Delta. There are also comments warning that criteria for building new rural area shouldn’t be pursued rigidly. It was important to understand that the construction of new rural area is changing the lives of the people in the direction of shortening the gap between rich and poor and creating conditions for people in the countryside to enjoy the life.

"People know, people discuss, people contribute, so that the construction of new rural area will be more efficient," said Pham Van Quynh, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Can Tho city. The fact is that the construction of new rural area will get high quality and save more if local people join.

Tran Hoang Duyen, District Party Committee Secretary of Phuong Long, Bac Lieu province shared that people are quite indifferent to works managed by contractor only. When local people get involved in the construction as a partner, they would enthusiastically contribute their thoughts and human capital to the work. For example, a project on the construction of rural roads, if managed by contractor only, is estimated to cost 26 billion VND but will only cost 13 billion VND if the people and officials of those localities take part in. Besides, the quality of construction is very high.

"I wish new rural areas in the Mekong Delta could get high competitiveness," said Le Huy Ngo, former Minister of MARD. In fact, a lot of localities are still trying to figure out ways to increase income for people in the context of limited agricultural output and fragmented production models. Therefore, restructuring agricultural labour in rural areas is vital to increase people’s participation in building new rural areas.

Many suggested that the criteria be divided into "hard" and "soft" in the process of building new rural area. However, former Minister of MARD Le Huy Ngo said that this should be carefully taken into consideration: "Any criterion has to meet the satisfaction of people. The satisfaction level of the people should be considered a measure for the process of building new rural areas."

According to Le Huy Ngo, in the process of building new rural areas, the characteristics of the Mekong Delta people, who are spontaneous, generous, close to nature and willing to share with the community, should be noted.

According to the MARD, the Mekong Delta has so far 18 communes which reach 19 criteria, equivalent to 1.4 percent (1.2 percent in the whole country), the number of communes which reach 15-18 criteria is 4.7 percent (5.7 percent in the whole country), the number of communes which reach 10-14 criteria was 36 percent (28.9 percent in the whole country), the number of communes which reach 5-9 criteria is 53 percent (47.2 percent in the whole country), the number of communes achieving less than 5 criteria is 62, equivalent to 4.9 percent (17.3 percent in the whole country) .

Addressing the conclusion of the conference, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat emphasised: "The most important thing is to gain the trust of the people. The golden principle is democracy, openness and transparency in the process of building new rural areas. Localities have to be dynamic, creative and have appropriate steps and take satisfaction of the people as a measure in the process of building new rural areas.”

Employers focus on training programme to nurture talents

Firms in Vietnam will be focusing their human resources (HR) efforts on strengthening skills and knowledge internally this year, according to the latest annual Global Salary Survey from international recruiter Robert Walters.

Because of the intense competition for talent in the market, companies are expected to be flexible in their hiring approaches and consider candidates with broadly matching skill sets.

Figures from the survey suggest that candidates who switched jobs in 2013 command an average 10-20 percent salary increment, and this trend is likely to continue this year.

Jon Whitehead, country manager of Robert Walters Vietnam, said: "As companies continue to compete for top Vietnamese talent, the shortage of candidates and lack of skills in niche areas pose recruitment challenges.

"Employers are likely to focus on training and development programmes for existing teams in order to nurture talent internally.

"Attracting overseas Vietnamese back home is another viable option as such candidates are valued for their international exposure and expanded portfolio."

Companies seek HR hiring specialists who can fill business-partnering roles and add commercial value.

"Due to acute talent shortage in the market, we saw a strong demand for HR professionals experienced in learning and development as well as organisational development," the survey said.

The entrance of new fast-moving consumer goods businesses in Vietnam could potentially lead to increased demand for sales and marketing professionals.

Hiring of procurement specialists is likely to increase due to growth within industries such as garment manufacturing, electronics/electricals, and FMCG.

Internationally-recognised certifications like ACCA, CIMA, and CPA are gaining value in Vietnam, it said.-

New education model hailed for enhancing learners’ efforts

A new education model introduced by the Ministry of Education and Training has been described as an effective way to enhance learners’ self-education, dynamism and creativity that are important factors to shape their futures.

The Escuela Nueva VNEN model has many plus points such as encouraging students to work in pairs or groups, allowing their self-assessment, and actively voicing their own opinions during the lessons, heard a conference held on southern Kien Giang province’s Phu Quoc island late last week.

In the new model, students play a key role in the class while teachers serve as their facilitators and companions, which is different from the traditional pedagogic method, participants said.

This model has been applied at 1,446 schools across the country. Another 200 schools nationwide are expected to apply the VNEN, according to the ministry.-

Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien has highlighted the significance of a public private partnership (PPP) model in raising healthcare quality and easing overload at public hospitals.

The benefits of patients should be placed on the top of the collaboration, the minister said at a conference in Ho Chi Minh City on March 10.

According to Minister Tien, the ministry is carrying out many projects to reduce hospital overload at central and grassroots levels, including those on satellite hospitals, family doctors and health insurance coverage of total population.

Luong Ngoc Khue, head of the ministry’s Department of Medical Examination and Treatment, said the partnership should be established on the basis of voluntariness, equality, mutual benefit and transparency, and within the legal framework.

It is a must for hospitals to take the initiative in work and for the ministry as well as municipal and provincial People’s Committees to supervise the coordination, the official said.

The ministry said that public hospitals are constantly overloaded with up to 5,000 patients each day while private ones have yet to attract many patients despite their efforts to improve health check-up and treatment quality.

Most of the 170 private hospitals across the country are equipped with modern equipment and qualified medical workers, but only 40-60 percent of their patient beds have been used, it added.

Notably, Ho Chi Minh City-based Cho Ray Hospital has joined hands with 14 private hospitals and gained positive results.

However, unclear mechanisms in patient transfer and human resources have hindered the coordination between public and private hospitals, the conference heard.

Long An declares free from H5N1 virus

The southern province of Long An on March 10 declared that its Que My Thanh and Binh Quoi communes are free from H5N1 virus.

The provincial authorities, however, requested the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Veterinary Sub-department and localities and breeders across the province continue preventive measures.

On February 14, Long An declared an outbreak of H5N1 after the virus was found to kill 300 chickens at a household-based farm in Que My Thanh commune on February 8 and 10. The virus also caused the death of 100 ducks at a private farm in Binh Quoi commune at the same time.

Following the finding, the province carried out vaccination against bird flu in flock at communes vulnerable to the virus.

By March 7, H5N1 virus has hit 24 provinces nationwide.

In January, it killed two persons in the southern provinces of Binh Phuoc and Dong Thap. The victims had reportedly been exposed to ill poultry.

Quang Tri: disabled people get free medical check-ups

More than 200 poor people with various deformities in the central province of Quang Tri on March 10 received free health check-ups by a team of doctors from Da Nang Orthopaedics Hospital, US’s Florida State and Germany’s DEVIEMED organisation.

Among them are also children with cleft lip and palate who will be performed free of charge at Da Nang Orthopaedics Hospital.

Those suffering problems related to bones, joints, articulation or tendon will have their operation fees reduced by half.

Ho Thi Lien, whose four-month daughter has cleft lip, said this is a valuable chance for her child to regain her smile as she cannot afford a surgery.

Quang Tri is one of the localities hit hard during the wars against the French and US troops, with many locals exposed to Agent Orange/Dioxin.