Annual blood donation event held in Hanoi

Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan beat a ceremonial drum to officially launch an annual blood donation drive, known as the Red Spring Festival, in Ha Noi yesterday.

Addressing the gathering, Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Thi Xuyen highlighted the remarkable achievements of the blood donation movement in Viet Nam over the past two decades, with more than 8.2 million units of blood collected and the number of donors increasing every passing year.

According to Dr Nguyen Anh Tri, head of the festival's organising board, in addition to easing blood shortages after the Lunar New Year holiday, the event, with its message of "Sharing red blood, giving hope," will help raise public awareness about the need to donate blood.

This year's drive is expected to collect between 6,000 and 7,000 units of blood from 10,000 donors.

It is being held in almost all localities nationwide until March 15.

Fog, rain disrupt normal life in Ha Giang

The Northeast monsoon showers have brought the temperatures down in the northern province of Ha Giang during the past few days, said the provincial Hydrometeorology Centre.

According to the centre, several border communes in Dong Van, Meo Vac, Xin Man Districts saw both fog and frost with very low temperatures that might go down further to minus 1 degree Celsius.

Such harsh weather conditions have reportedly affected the lives of the ethnic people there.

Low temperatures of one degree Celsius were recorded yesterday in Lung Cu and Pho Bang communes in Dong Van District, and LungPu, Xin Cai and Thuong Phung communes in Meo Vac District. These areas also witnessed heavy fog and rain, worsening the cold weather.

To tackle the bad weather, the Ha Giang Province authorities have asked its ethnic people to take protective measures during the cold weather and to ensure the well-being of people, livestock and other animals and plants.

Rabid dogs kill two persons in Thanh Hoa

Two persons have died after being bitten by rabid dogs in the northern Thanh Hoa Province since the beginning of this year, according to the province's Preventive Medicine Centre.

Eight others who were also bitten by rabid dogs are being treated in local hospitals.

Le Hong Son from the epidemic department of the centre said that nearly 1,800 dogs which could carry the risk of rabies were vaccinated immediately in a bid to prevent the disease from spreading in the province.

Meanwhile, a bird flu outbreak has been reported in Tinh Gia District. It has reportedly killed nearly 200 poultry in a farm in Anh Son Commune.

15 people injured in truck-coach crash

Fifteen people were injured when a coach and a truck collided early yesterday morning on National Highway 1 in Cam Tan Commune, central Khanh Hoa Province.

The victims were hospitalised with injuries to their heads, necks, arms and legs, according to the province's General Hospital.

The accident also blocked traffic for four hours. The drivers have yet to be identified.

DNST team beats tough competition to win SIC contest

Vietnamese university students of DNST team from Queen Mary University, London School of Commerce and  the University of East Anglia came first in the third ever Student Investment Challenge (SIC) in London.

The event was co-organised by VietSoc City University and Vietnamese Professionals in the UK (VietPro) and only five teams made it through to the final round.

VietPro President Nguyen Huu Phuong Thao said that the third SIC was competed by 59 teams from 35 UK universities.

The SIC is the only virtual stock investment competition for Vietnamese students living in the UK.

Le Quoc Tri, a member of DNST said that all DNST members want to learn and share experiences at the contest to help improve their knowledge and it is a great honour for DNST to achieve such excellent results.

Tran Quang Thach, a financial expert from Barclays Bank and a SIC jury member said he was impressed by the five teams’ knowledge and efforts.

He was particularly pleased to see that the younger generation have ambition and the desire to experiment, especially in the fields of banking and finance.

Vietnam to purchase Austrian helicopter

Vietnam has shown its interest in purchasing Austria’s Camcopter S-100 rotary-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) at the ongoing 2014 Singapore Airshow.

Representatives of the Vietnam People’s Navy (VPN) and Austria’s Schiebel Corporation discussed the possibility of an UAV supply deal in Singapore, according to Jane’s Defence Weekly Magazine, quoting Andrew Byrne, regional sales director for Asia-Pacific at the Austrian firm.

Byrne said potential Asia-Pacific customers were informed of the platform, and Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam expressed their keen interest in it.

The S-100 on display at Singapore was fitted with the L-3 Wescam MX-10 EO sensor, an unidentified SIGINT sensor and the Selex ES PicoSAR AESA surveillance radar.

Byrne described the S-100 as having a 200 km operational radius, within which the sensor range was 40 km at an altitude of 2,000 m. It is also fitted with a C-band datalink.

If purchased, the S-100 would be deployed from the VPN's two new Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding (DSNS) Sigma-class (Type 9814) corvettes, Byrne said.

DSNS said in August 2013 it had agreed to sell the ships to Vietnam, the second contract of its kind after the first with Indonesia.

New bridge to mark Hanoi Liberation Day

The Nhat Tan Bridge that links downtown Hanoi with Noi Bai International Airport will open to traffic on October 10 this year, the 60th anniversary of the capital city's Liberation Day, according to the Ministry of Transport.

The 8.95-km long bridge, which has an investment of VND1.3 trillion (US$63.4 million), has five A-shaped concrete pylons, representing five gates that enter Hanoi.

The bridge will be the longest cable-stayed bridge in Vietnam. With a width of 33.2m, the bridge will have four lanes - two for buses and two for cars, trucks and motorbikes. Funding for the project has come from Japanese Official Development Assistance (ODA) and the Vietnamese Government.

The bridge, one of seven to span the Red River, will shorten travel time from the city centre to the airport, as well as to industrial zones and urban areas such as North Thang Long-Van Tri, Dong Anh-Co Loa and Gia Lam-Yen Vien.

Mekong Delta plans to create thousands of jobs

Mekong Delta authorities will start creating jobs for 371,000 workers this year, including 110,000 from rural areas and ethnic minority groups.

The Steering Committee for Southwestern Region said that to achieve the target, regional provinces would focus on building educational infrastructures and facilities to raise the number of vocational schools throughout the region.

By the end of 2014, it expects that the region will have 21 vocational colleges and schools and 119 district-level training centres.

Regional vocational schools will offer training in new fields such as agricultural food processing, seafood farming, rural water supply and drainage, plant protection and motorbike maintenance. The Steering Committee for the Southwestern Region said highly skilled engineers and artisans would be mobilised for training, while connections between businesses and trade villages would be enhanced.

Boosting job placement and consultation services to expand the labour-export market, restoring trade villages and developing agricultural services in rural areas to create more jobs for rural workers will be among the main measures taken.

Viet kieu integral to development

Overseas Vietnamese are an important component and a source of internal strength for the nation, Chairman of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front Central Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan confirmed.

Meeting a group of over 400 expatriates, many of whom are living in HCM City and southern provinces, on Saturday, Nhan acknowledged the contribution of overseas Vietnamese to the country's socio-economic development, citing their remittances worth US$11 billion in 2013.

He hailed the expatriates for acting as cultural ambassadors in their host countries and bridging economic, scientific and technological ties with the fatherland.

HCM City has 24 overseas Vietnamese liaison committees and more than 2.5 million expatriates, including 9,000 who have registered for long-term stay.

According to the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese, more than 4.5 million Vietnamese live in over 100 countries and territories worldwide.

Evicted land users need higher compensation

Compensation for evicted land users must be increased, said Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Nguyen Minh Quang.

Speaking at a conference last week, Quang said that increasing evictions of farmers to develop industrial zones had resulted in many complaints, 70 per cent of which were about inadequate compensation.

"The compensation amount, which is determined by State and Government bodies, must be closer to the market land price," Quang said.

Nguyen Duy Thang, an expert from the Asian Development Bank, said that people evicted from their land needed to buy new property and build houses, so the compensation they received should be sufficient to allow them to do so. He suggested that those determining the amount consult the public.

Nguyen Cong Hong, vice general director of the Ha Noi-based Viet Hung Urban Development and Investment Joint Stocks Company, agreed that when province and city People's Committees developed their land price frame, they should consult land users to ensure transparency.

Chairman of the northern Lao Cai Province People's Committee Doan Van Huong said that farmers should receive a different amount of compensation than other types of land users.

The current Land Law was approved last November and will take effect in July.

PM urges action against avian flu

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on February 14 sent a dispatch to ministries, top-level agencies and localities, asking them to make every effort in the fight against avian influenza.

In the dispatch, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development who is also the head of the National Steering Committee for Bird Flu Prevention and Control was requested to offer guidance to localities throughout the struggle.

There is an urgent need to establish inspection teams to promote anti-bird flu efforts at localities, especially those vulnerable to the disease in the northern region, the dispatch said.

PM Dung also requested the Health Ministry to closely check the implementation of preventive measures against A/H7N9 bird flu and other types of flu viruses.

Ministries, branches and localities were asked to promptly devise plans in preparation for the outbreak of new strains of avian flu viruses while spreading information about the danger.

Poultry breeders and traders should be well aware of hygiene requirements, disinfection procedures and safety breeding models in order to lessen the risks of infection and virus outbreaks.

The leader urged competent agencies to take samples of poultry at markets to detect avian influenza in a swift manner, while also closely inspecting poultry trading in each locality.

He further noted that the transportation and marketing of untreated poultry and poultry products of Chinese origin are prohibited.

Meanwhile, it is a must for media agencies to inform the population about the development of the disease in a timely and accurate manner, he said.

According to the World Health Organisation, A/H7N9 avian influenza struck 147 people in mainly China and Hong Kong and Taiwan in 2013, leading to 47 deaths. Vietnam’s neighbour China has, so far this year, reported 190 new cases, including 19 deaths.

In Vietnam, A/H5N1 hit several localities, killing two persons in the southern provinces of Binh Phuoc and Dong Thap.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations has warned there is a high risk that A/H7N9 would penetrate Vietnam through northern provinces and those that market illegally imported poultry of unidentified origin.

Famous physician duo commemorated

The southernmost province of Ca Mau on February 14 held a ceremony to commemorate the nation’s two most well-known physicians, Tue Tinh and Hai Thuong Lan Ong.

The event offered a chance for local physicians to remember the great contributions made by the duo to founding and developing Vietnam’s traditional medicine.

Tue Tinh (14 th century) is considered the saint of Vietnamese herbs and the progenitor of Vietnamese traditional medicine. He wrote many famous books including ‘The Miracle Vietnamese Pharmacy’ and ‘Great Morality in the Art of Medicine’.

Following Tue Tinh, Le Huu Trac (1720-1791) - a colourful character who nicknamed himself ‘Hai Thuong Lan Ong’ (lazy old man in Hai Thuong) - wrote a 66-volume encyclopedia of Vietnamese traditional medicine titled “Medical origins with morality and skill.”

He dedicated his life to documenting and passing on the precious heritage of Vietnamese traditional medicine. He also set a fine example for medical ethics and is considered the most famous physician in Vietnam’s history.

On the occasion of 250th anniversary of his birthday in 1970, UNESCO recognised him as a world cultural celebrity for his contribution to both Vietnamese and world medicine.

Vietnam attends Global Health Security Agenda

Vietnam joined 26 other countries and international organisations in Washington D.C on February 13 to review the Global Health Security Agenda.

The agenda was drafted to encourage the early detection of and response to infectious disease outbreaks before such outbreaks escalate to pandemic levels.

Vietnam and Uganda have been selected to run pilot projects under the agenda’s framework.

Over 2013–2014, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (USCDC) have helped Vietnam’s Ministry of Health improve dangerous disease testing capacity at Hanoi’s National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE) and Ho Chi Minh City’s Pasteur Institute.

Both institutes can now test for viruses including the A/H7N9 avian flu and the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV).

The USCDC also helped Vietnam establish an Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) with responsibility for directing responses to potential epidemics and coordinating with interdisciplinary units and international organisations on matters of public health .

The USCDC’s Ugandan pilot project focused on improving testing for cholera, multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, and dengue fever.

The USCDC and the US Department of Defence plan to invest US$40 million in similar projects in 10 other countries. Assuming congressional approval, total investment will rise to US$45 million in 2015. .

The countries participating in the Global Health Security Agenda are Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, China , Ethiopia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, India, Indonesia , Italy, Japan , Kazakhstan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, Uganda, the UK, and Vietnam.

First A/H1N1 death in Khanh Hoa province

Doctors at Khanh Hoa’s General Hospital confirmed on February 13 the first patient infected with the A/H1N1 influenza died on the same day.

The patient, Huynh Thanh Tuan, 30, living in Vinh Thanh commune, Nha Trang city, was hospitalised on February 5, with flu-like symptoms such as coughing, breathing difficultly, seriously respiratory inefficiency and viscera failure.

He was given continuous dialysis treatment at a quarantined intensive care room.

The Oxford University Clinical Research Unit in Vietnam (OUCRU), based at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City, reported on February 11 Tuan’s blood samples tested positive for the deadly flu strain A/H1N1.

The Nha Trang Pasteur Institute and HCM City Pasteur Institute also produced similar testing results.

The provincial General Hospital is currently treating four other A/H1N1 patients.

Int’l seminar discusses developing low-carbon cities

Leading Vietnamese and Japanese scientists gathered at a February 14 seminar in Ho Chi Minh City to discuss the development of low-carbon cities.

The seminar is part of a cooperation program linking HCM City and Osaka.

The low-carbon city development programme between HCM City and Osaka has already resulted in a memorandum of understanding covering energy efficiency, public transport, sustainable water management, solid waste treatment, urban and industrial waste treatment, urban planning, clean water supply, irrigation, flood prevention, and applying information technology (IT) managing harmful waste.

The two cities have also collaborated on research into recycling energy via solid waste treatment.

Dao Anh Kiet, Director of the HCM City Department of Natural Resources and Environment, noted the programme is helping HCM City minimise its carbon emissions.  

Seminar delegates used the lens of low carbon emissions to consider issues in water, waste water, transport, energy, and food.

They also discussed innovations in fuel, public transportation infrastructure upgrades, promoting electric motorbikes, powering electricity using waste, and environmentally friendly industrial waste water treatment in HCM City.

A Japanese Ministry of Environment representative introduced HCM City authorities to the programmes the ministry runs that encourage and support low carbon emission city development in Asia.

German charity funds school in Quang Nam

Batschka Stiftung, the German Children's Future Fund, has donated more than VND8 billion to fund the construction of a school in Duy Xuyen district, Quang Nam province.

Phan Chau Trinh Junior Secondary School’s February 14 groundbreaking ceremony was attended by Batschka Stiftung Founder Rudolf Walther, World University Service President Kambiz Ghawami, and Quang Nam provincial leaders.

District and provincial budgets provided the rest of the school’s VND20 billion construction bill.

The two-storey building contains 14 classrooms and a multi-function block. It will serve more than 650 pupils and become especially useful during annual flood seasons.

The project is expected to begin operation in August 2014.

Duy Chau village lies in lowlands of Duy Xuyen district. Around 60% of the village is regularly submerged each wet season, badly disrupting daily life, production, and study.

The project was designed to fulfill local education demands, as well as to function as a safety shelter for local residents against floods.

Construction ministry unveils energy-saving plan

The Ministry of Construction has issued a draft circular to provide guidance on management, saving and efficient use of energy in buildings.

The draft is expected to be an important step towards improving standards and reducing energy consumption for public and private buildings, such as offices, hotels, hospitals, schools with more than 2,500 square metres of total floor space.

The number of buildings such as houses, shopping centres and hotels has increased rapidly in recent years. In these buildings, poor energy efficiency measures have led to huge energy waste.

"The building sector is one of the large energy users, accounting for 25% of total national energy consumption. Therefore, applying energy efficiency solutions for buildings is so important," said Nguyen Trung Hoa, Head of the Ministry's Department of Science, Technology and Environment.

To encourage energy saving, the ministry will grant the Building Energy Efficiency Certificates to buildings that successfully meet QCVN 09:2013/BXD standards.

The compulsory technical requirements will be applied to building components such as building envelopes, lighting, ventilation systems and air conditioning, lift and escalator, and heating.

The potential of energy efficiency in constructions including both old and new buildings is very high, experts said.

"Application of energy efficient technologies and materials, architectural designs can save around 30-40% of energy consumption for new buildings," said Tran Dinh Thai, from the construction ministry.

"For renovated buildings, if energy audits and energy saving solutions are applied, about 15-25% of energy consumption will be saved," he added.

However, the amount of energy consumption in buildings remains high because Vietnam still lacks detailed regulations and experts that can promote energy efficiency and conservation, said Nguyen Cong Thinh from the department.

"The consultant units which have capacity in building energy efficiency are still few in number. The most advanced design technology is energy use simulation software for buildings which have are not yet," said Tran Thanh Vu, Energy Efficiency Consulting experts at the World Bank Group's International Finance Corporation (IFC).

The Ministry of Construction will also provide training courses for energy managers and energy auditors to improve the knowledge of energy conservation. In the future, this work should be strongly promoted to meet the needs of human resources of the units engaged in energy efficiency.

Korean counsellor honoured with environment insignia

Counsellor of the Republic of Korea’s Embassy in Vietnam Woo Jun Sohn, was awarded the insignia “For the Cause of Natural Resources and Environment” at a ceremony in Hanoi on February 13.

The insignia is in recognition of Woo’s important contributions to developing and promoting natural resources and environment protection in Vietnam.

Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Nguyen Manh Hien praised Woo for his role in fostering bilateral relations especially in the field of land management.

Starting his work in Vietnam in 2010, Woo Jun Sohn has helped to create links between Korean land management agencies and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, resulting in two ministerial memoranda of understanding for cooperation in environment and land data infrastructure building.

He also served as stint as in bringing about  a cooperation MoU between the Land Polity Bureau under the RoK Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements and the Korea Association of Property Appraisers and the General Department of Land Administration of Vietnam.

The counsellor pledged his best efforts to further strengthen cooperation between the two nations.

Book exploring East-West Economic Corridor published

Danang Publishing House has released a book of travel reportage by Thanh Nien (Youth) newspaper journalist Truong Dien Thang.

The book recounts his 2006 journey along the East-West Economic Corridor connecting Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar.

Dien Thang’s writing explores regional similarities and differences in economics, tourism, culture, lifestyle, and religion.

He visits pepper plantations, Buddhist heritage sites, the Golden Triangle, and the land of gilded pagodas.

The book can serve as a travel guide and how-to for readers interested in studying and exploring the East-West Economic Corridor themselves.

UNICEF supports Ninh Thuan’s disadvantaged children

Chief UNICEF Representative in Vietnam Lotta Sylwander has promised Ninh Thuan leaders the UN Children’s Fund will dedicate greater attention to helping the southern province’s disadvantaged children.

At a February 13 working session with provincial leaders, Ms Sylwander said UNICEF intends to focus on bilingual education, safe water supplies, nutrition, and maternal and child healthcare.

Ms Sylwander praised NinhThuan’s socio-economic development and modern child and maternal healthcare.

She asked the province to support the development of clean water infrastructure and the provision of bilingual education to Cham and Raglai people.

Provincial People’s Committee Vice President Vo Dai expressed gratitude for UNICEF’s assistance and Ms Sylwander’s personal efforts.

Ninh Thuan recently approved support for localities running bilingual Cham-Vietnamese and English-Vietnamese classes. Estimates suggest 85 percent of local residents have adequate access to safe water.

NinhThuan is one of the eight provinces included in the Prime Minister’s 2012–2016 parent and child care project. UNICEF and the United Nations Population Fund provided US$4 million of the project’s US$5 million budget.

Wastewater treatment brings enormous benefits

A recent study has revealed the economic benefits of wastewater collection and treatment systems far surpass their investment costs.

The German-Vietnamese Development Cooperation’s Wastewater Management Programme (WMP) conducted the study in collaboration with partners in Can Tho, Soc Trang, Tra Vinh, Nghe An, Bac Ninh, Hai Duong, Lang Son, Hoa Binh, and Son La.

Wastewater treatment in Can Tho

It shows the cumulative benefits of investing in wastewater and drainage infrastructure exceed economic costs by at least 15%.

The study assessed the economic performance of upgraded wastewater management (WWM) in nine provincial towns and cities, weighed their costs and benefits, and formulated recommendations for the future development of WWM.

A detailed report was prepared for each province considered and the main results summarised. It provides national and provincial leaders with the data-based evidence and analysis they need to set the levels of investment in urban wastewater infrastructure given specific socio-economic conditions.

The study included WWM’s positive impacts on tourism, public health, land prices, and the environment. Programme Manager Hanns-Bernd Kuchta, Programme Manager said: “Our research clearly indicates that investments in wastewater and drainage infrastructure promote tourism, boost land values, and protect the environment.”

“Improved hygiene dramatically reduces water-borne disease infection and mortality rates. Every three dollars of investment in wastewater and drainage infrastructure returns at least four dollars in benefits, so national and provincial leaders can rest assured increasing the wastewater sector’s annual budget allocation will enhance socio-economic development,” he added.

The Germany Government funds the WMP through the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). GIZ conducts the programme.

Its long-term objective is to promote sustainable wastewater and solid waste management in Vietnam.

Measles cases on the rise, 3 dead

More than 240 people have tested positive for measles in 24 provinces since the beginning of the year, including three child fatalities, according to statistics from the Ministry of Health (MoH).

Most of the patients were from Lai Chau, Lao Cai, Ha Giang and Yen Bai provinces in the north.

Among the deaths, one was from Hanoi and the remaining two were from Yen Bai Province.

More than 1,000 people were diagnosed with the disease last year.

MoH's Preventive Medicine Department Director Tran Dac Phu said the situation in the nation's big cities, such as Hanoi and HCM City, was not the reason for worry as patients were not concentrated in particular areas and vaccination rates were high. However, he said the disease was still dangerous.

"The epidemic of scarlet fever, suspected to be measles, has spread across China. The disease spreads via respiratory means so it can be spread with people coming in and out of the two countries," he said.

Phu said vaccinations in remote provinces had encountered difficulties due to geographical challenges limiting access, with a recent survey of the department in Yen Bai Province showing only 20% of the residents had received enough vaccines.

MoH is planning a nationwide vaccination campaign in August this year for under-two-year-olds who did not receive the vaccine against measles. Provincial health departments are currently compiling the list of children for the campaign.

Nguyen Nhat Cam, director of the Hanoi Preventive Medicine Department, said that the city had about 700,000 under-five-year-old children and around 35,000-40,000 facing a high risk of contracting the disease.

The figures came as the number of children hospitalised in Hanoi for respiratory diseases and diarrhoea increased over the past two days, due to cold weather conditions.

Associate Professor Nguyen Tien Dung, head of the Bach Mai Hospital's Paediatrics Ward, said the number of children going to the hospital for respiratory disease checks on February 10-11 increased by 10% compared with previous days.

The National Paediatrics Hospital on February 11 received nearly 3,000 children seeking health examinations for illnesses.

Liquid heroin seized by HCM City customs

Officers of the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department on February 11 seized 4.22 kg of heroin, worth some VND15 billion (US$714,300), being smuggled to Australia via express delivery.

The contraband was liquid heroin contained in 40 out of 140 tubes, hidden in a box weighing 16.5 kg.

Since the beginning of January, the Express Delivery Customs Sub-department of Ho Chi Minh City has seized more than 8kg of narcotics and drug precursors totalling over VND20 billion (nearly US$1 million) in street value.

Meanwhile, on February 10, border guards at the Mong Cai border gate in the northern coastal province of Quang Ninh, arrested Tran Duy Yen from the northern province of Bac Ninh for trafficking 194.92 grams of methamphetamine from China into Vietnam.

Earlier this year, the officers seized 361.5 grams of heroin and 2,778 synthetic drug pills at the same gate.

Poverty reduction policies prove effective

Poverty reduction efforts during the 2005-2012 period produced positive outcomes across Vietnam, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

A MARD report to an inspection team from the National Assembly said from 2009 to June 2013, the country generated jobs for nearly 5 million rural workers with a majority of 96% working at home.

More than 1.4 million people benefited from the Government’s scheme to provide vocational training for rural workers. Nearly 80% of the beneficiaries secured new jobs or maintained their current ones with higher income and productivity.

Many poor households in rural areas have been equipped with farming techniques and a better understanding of the importance of forest protection, the ministry told the inspection team of the National Assembly Standing Committee at a February 12 working session in Hanoi.

Latest statistics showed the poverty rate, under national poverty line, dropped from 58.1% in 1993 down to 14.8% in 2007 and 7.8% in 2013.

Due to its achievements in poverty reduction, Vietnam was among 38 countries honoured by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in June last year.

Ethnic minority students return to school after Tet

Most ethnic minority students have returned to school following the prolonged Tet holiday in the provinces of Dien Bien, Yen Bai and Khanh Hoa.

This was due to the efforts of school management boards and local authorities.

In the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai, a provincial Education and Training Department report made known that 90 per cent of students were back at school after Tet.

The department set up two teams before the holiday to monitor the situation, and teachers were also sent to absentee students' houses to encourage them to return to class.

In the northern mountainous province of Dien Bien, only several kindergarten students were reported absent from school due to sickness caused by the icy weather, said Do Van Muoi, deputy head of the provincial Education and Training Department's Primary Education Office.

To encourage students to go back to school, free lunches and warm clothes for students had been provided in the districts of Muong Cha and Dien Bien, he said.

In the central province of Khanh Hoa, the ratio of students returning to school after Tet was higher than in previous years, said director of the provincial Education and Training Department Le Tuan Tu.

The local education sector had implemented five methods to lure ethnic-minority students back to school, having nearly 8,000 primary students each provided with VND200,000 (US$10) per month for school lunches, he said.

The department had also opened Vietnamese classes for around 1,500 ethnic minority pre-school students, and granted scholarships for outstanding students of all ages, he said.

The province has invested VND56 billion (US$2.6 million) to improve the facilities in two primary schools in the mountainous districts of Khanh Son and Khanh Vinh.

The per capita gross domestic product (GDP) income of the Southern Economic Zone will reach US$5,000 by 2020, and the region is to be developed with a focus on high quality and sustainable growth, according to the regional master plan for socio–economic development.

Under the scheme approved by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on 13 February 2014, the Southern Economic Zone will be developed at 8.5–9 per cent annually.

HCM City will be built into one of the biggest services centres in Southeast Asia, providing financial, banking, commercial, tourism, telecommunication and shipping services for the region.

Vung Tau City in Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province will become a national and international tourism and oil and gas service centre while Bien Hoa City in Dong Nai and Thu Dau Mot in Binh Duong Province will be big service centres for industrial development.

Avian flu breaks out in border province

The mountainous northern border province of Lao Cai declared an outbreak of A/H5N1 avian influenza in its Bao Thang District last Saturday.

The disease was spotted at a farming house in Phu Tinh Village.

Bao Yen, Bac Ha, Bat Xat, Van Ban, Sa Pa and Muong Khuong districts and Lao Cai City were placed on alert. An urgent request was promptly issued asking other localities to intensify inspections at areas prone to the disease.

Hepza establishes job placement centre

The HCM City Export Processing Zones and Industrial Parks Authority (Hepza) has set up a job placement and assistance centre for companies operating in the export processing zones, according to a source from Hepza.

Ho Xuan Lam, Hepza office manager said the centre will provide labour for companies as well as organise training courses for labourers. It will also conduct surveys and provide information on the labour market for the businesses.

Many garment enterprises in HCM City are now experiencing a high demand for workers because of the increasing number of orders placed by foreign customers.

Nguyen Vo Minh Thu, head of Hepza's Labour Management Division, said garment and packaging companies in the export processing zones are now seeking to employ around 8,000 labourers.

Railway sector urged to tighten operations

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh has asked the State-owned Viet Nam Railway Corporation, the country's largest railway operator, to improve its railway infrastructure and operations and improve management of State funds.

Speaking on Thursday at a meeting on the company's restructuring plan, Ninh asked the corporation to identify key investment areas and offer incentives to attract private investors to contribute to infrastructure development.

According to the Ministry of Planning and Investment, rail transport possesses unique advantages in carrying goods compared with other means of transport, in addition to easing congestion on roads.

"If trillions of Vietnamese dong are invested in building roads only, they would be degraded in five or seven years because of overloading. However develping railways will help prevent money being wasted on constantly fixing roads or building new ones," said deputy minister Dang Huy Dong.

Deputy Transport Minister Nguyen Ngoc Dong said that it was necessary to develop railways because of the leading role it played in transporting goods.

Viet Nam's railway sector saw a yearly increase of 11-15 per cent in the amount of goods transported. Conversely, market share of train freight fell from 2.56 per cent to 0.8 per cent during the past ten years.

Improving the nation's railway system would require huge investments at a time when the country is tightening spending and imposing strict limitations on State funds. It is estimated that each kilometre of railway would cost more than US$20 million, said deputy PM Ninh.

"So, the sector has to determine its development strategy carefully to step by step modernise it," he said.

The corporation has made plans to wind down State contributions at 13 of its subsidiaries, in addition to selling its stake in 13 joint stock companies in the next quarter. The move is expected to help the entity focus on core activities.

Under its restructuring plan during 2013-15, approved by the Prime Minister last year, the corporation also developed a human resource plan and established a steering committee to oversee the restructuring process.

The corporation intends to cater to at least 1-2 per cent of the country's passengers and 3-4 per cent of the goods transport market by 2020.

Source: VNA/VOV/VNS