Children electrocuted in An Thanh Village

Two boys, ages 11 and 12, died after being electrocuted in An Thanh Village of Ninh Phuoc District in southern Ninh Thuan Province on Saturday.

The boys were playing hide-and-seek near a metal tent frame used for a wedding when the frame came in contact with electricity from a nearby power line. Witnesses did not know at what time the children were electrocuted because they had been hiding in the dark when the electrocution occurred.

It is reported that when the two boys were found they were holding each other.  

1 dead, 2 missing off coast of Phu Yen

Three men from the Binh Dinh provincial Industry and Trade department have drowned while swimming at a beach in central Phu Yen Province on Saturday morning.

Director of Binh Dinh provincial Industry and Trade department, Nguyen Kim Phuong confirmed the deaths with Viet Nam News yesterday, which occurred off Song Cau town.

"One man, who was rescued that morning, died as soon as he arrived at Binh Dinh general hospital, while two others have not been found," he said.

Phuong said the victims were part of a team of 16 on a beach vacation to Xuan Hai commune, 60km south of Binh Dinh province on Saturday.

Firemen tend to blaze at helmet factory

A fire in a Tan Thanh District helmet factory on Saturday destroyed equipment and materials worth billions of dong

Colonel Bui Van Thao, police chief of Tan Thanh District, said workers at Te An Viet Nam Company in My Xuan A2 Industrial Park discovered smoke in the materials area.

After 11 trucks and 70 firemen were mobilised, the fire was extinguished in two hours.

Son My massacre commemorated in Quang Ngai

The 46th anniversary of the Son My massacre (1968-2013) was commemorated at the Son My relics site in the central province of Quang Ngai on March 16.

Cao Van Chu, Vice Director of the Quang Ngai provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, recalled the savage US war crimes against Vietnamese people.

On March 16, 1968, US troops killed 504 unarmed citizens in Tinh Khe commune, mostly elderly, women and children. Hundreds of local houses, stocks of food and herds of cattle and poultry were set alight and destroyed.

Since then, every year on the anniversary of that fateful day the people in Son My, Vietnam and the wider world recall the tragic events that took place.

Unfortunately Son My was not the sole massacre it was one of many showing the US soldiers’ barbaric crimes against the ordinary people of Vietnam, particularly the Quang Ngai people, during the war.

However, Son My has been regenerating strongly over the years as local people have spared no efforts to overcome the harrowing consequences of war to push socio-economic development as contribution to  building their homeland in to a  more beautiful and prosperous place.

Participants offered incense to innocent victims and listened to Mike Boehm, a US war veteran, managing director of Madison Quakers Organisation, playing “The sound of the violin in My Lai” to pray for the souls of 504 victims.

Billy Kelly, another US veteran, sent 504 roses to commemorate the innocent victims. Over the past 20 years, he has devoted much of his time to paying tributes to the victims and survivors of My Son.

After the ceremony, Madison Quakers in coordination with Son Tinh district’s Red Cross granted scholarships worth VND1 million each to 36 disadvantaged pupils of Tinh Khe Primary School.

International seminar discusses education reform

Over 300 delegates from around the globe gathered in Hue city for a March 15-16 dialogue addressing global standards for education reform.

Speakers shared insightful experiences and innovative ideas pertaining to education development and management, education reform, and the latest information technology (IT) applications in the education sector.

Participants elucidated on the need to promote regional education cooperation as ASEAN member countries will establish a united and strong community in 2015, resulting in a labour shift. Therefore, increasing the quality of human resources will become a strategic task in the next decade, they added.

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Education and Training Bui Van Ga emphasized the Vietnamese Government prioritises developing high-quality human resources and science and technology as a prerequisite for achieving more rapid and sustainable development.

Vietnam is concentrating on comprehensive education reform in line with global trends, he added.

Dr. Prawit Erawan from Thailand’s Mahasarakham University said that education reform is essential in order to ensure the ASEAN community will materialise by 2015, and realise the motto of “One Vision, One Identity, One Community”.

Ministry greenlights new bird flu plan

A five-year national plan to prevent bird flu has been approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

The plan, designed to step-by-step curb the spread of bird flu nationwide, is expected to be the foundation to rid the country of the highly pathogenic avian bird flu by 2018, MARD Deputy Minister Vu Van Tam said.

The plan, given the thumbs-up on March 13, calls for reducing the number of bird-flu prone areas nationwide.

Under the plan, about 80% of the provinces and cities throughout the country will become areas with a low risk of being struck by the bird flu virus by 2018, while the H5N1 bird flu virus will be completely eliminated in all localities in the south-east region by 2018.

Tam said the State budget for the plan is estimated to be greater than VND132 billion (US$6.2 million), with local budgets adding about VND583 billion ($27.4 million).

The ministry assigned its Department of Animal Health to closely work with localities to carry out the plan, he said.

Statistics from the department showed that 14 provinces and cities have reported outbreaks of bird flu so far this year, including Ca Mau, Dong Nai, Hai Duong, Hung Yen, Quang Nam, Khanh Hoa and Soc Trang.

The department said that local authorities discovered and took prompt actions to control the outbreaks.

A large number of poultry were destroyed after contracting the bird flu virus in Khanh Hoa and Tra Vinh, the department said.

Teams from the department were sent to the localities to assist in controlling the outbreaks.

Cuba, Vietnam beef up court cooperation

Vietnam is willing to share experience with Cuba to enable their court sectors fine-tune their legal systems.

Chief Judge of the Supreme People’s Court Truong Hoa Binh told his Cuban counterpart Ruben Remigio Ferro at a recent meeting as part of his working visit to Cuba from March 10-15.

Binh thanked the Cuban people for their valuable support and assistance for Vietnam during the past struggle for national independence as well as the current national construction and development.

He also briefed his host about the Vietnamese court sector's operations and a road map for judiciary reform.

Ferro highlighted Vietnam’s experience as valuable for Cuba as his country is in the process of reforming its legal system.

He affirmed that like Vietnam, Cuba always respects citizens’ fundamental rights and comply with international conventions and the country is determined to combat law violations and educate its people to abide by the law in the national interests.

The two sides agreed to support each other in personnel training and exchanges of delegations and documents.

During his stay in Cuba, Binh also met with President of the National Assembly of People’s Power Esteban Lazo and head of the International Relations Department of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee Hose Ramon Balaguer.

PTE Academic English test introduced in Vietnam

The first two PTE Academic testing centres are due to start operations in Hanoi and HCM City in mid-March.

This is the result of cooperation between Duc Anh Company of Vietnam and Pearson - world's leading international education company – to launch such tests in Vietnam, said Lu Thi Hong Nham, CEO of Duc Anh Company.

PTE Academic is an effective tool for evaluating English skills of Vietnamese learners, she told a press briefing in Hanoi on March 16.

Matthew Lampkin, a representative from Pearson Company, said with the PTE Academic test, local students will have a chance to assess their English comprehensively.

The PTE Academic test of English offers more favourable conditions for test-takers with fast and reliable results and time flexibility, he added.

Pearson has set up PTE Academic testing centres in many countries and territories in Asia, such as Malaysia, Thailand, China, Hong Kong (China) and Taiwan (China).

Francophone Secretary General meets Hanoi students

Secretary General of the International Francophone Organisation (OIF) Abdou Diouf on March 15 attended the opening ceremony of “Francophone Festival” and met with Hanoi students.

Afterwards, at a meeting with leaders and students of Hanoi University, he emphasised that people in the 21st century should master two important languages in international communication.

He called upon the young generation to act for a future of solidarity and strive to become relevant and an important factor in the human journey in the 21st century.

Diouf cut the ribbon to open the fourth Francophone Festival, kicking off a wide range of festive activities.

The festival includes the introduction of French language training courses, cultural and arts performances, along with a number of language games and contests.

Embassies of France, Switzerland and Canada and many universities are also participating in the event.

Vietnamese women role, food introduced in Australia

The Consulate General of Vietnam in Perth, Australia, organised a ceremony on March 15 to honor Vietnamese women’s role and introduce the country’s culinary art.

Consul General Le Viet Duyen highlighted Vietnam’s achievements in enhancing women’s role in national construction and development, and expressed hope participants will work together to further develop the comprehensive partnership between Vietnam and Australia.

Former Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Susan Boyd recalled her office term in Vietnam where she saw with her own eyes local women’s significant contributions to national development.

She acknowledged the government’s efforts in increasing women’s role in society and said she was proud to be a female ambassador to Vietnam at that time.

Catherine (Kate) Esther Doust, deputy leader of the Labor Party of Western Australia, echoed Susan Boyd’s view saying she was admired by Vietnamese women’s contributions in recent times.

At the ceremony, participants sampled some of traditional Vietnamese dishes prepared by Southern Star restaurant’s chefs.

They also enjoyed songs in praise of Vietnam composed by David Morgan during his previous stay in the Southeast Asian nation.

Photo exhibition spotlights HCM City-Lyon relations

In excess of 300 photos and 3D images shedding light on sprawling urban development in HCM City and France’s Lyon City are on display in HCM City.

Visitors to the March 16-23 exhibition are afforded a unique opportunity to take in panoramic views of ongoing projects related to urban development, environment protection, and heritage preservation.

Coinciding seminars are also being held to discuss measures related to traffic congestion and traffic accident reduction in both HCM City and Lyon City.

The exhibition and seminars are part of the Vietnam-France Year (2013-2014) marking the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties.

Similar events will be held in Lyon City during HCM City Days in the Rhone-Alpes region in June 2014.

Traditional hospitals to be upgraded

A project approved by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung will see upgrades to more than 70 traditional medicine hospitals across the country, from now until 2020.

The project aims to deliver a nationwide upgrade in hospital infrastructure and ensure the use of modern medical equipment. The project would also see oriental and western methodologies combined to enhance treatments and reduce overcrowding.

Under the project, 24 hospitals will be given priority for investment between 2014 and 2015, while a further upgrade has been foreshadowed for the 2016-2020 period. The project will also deliver improvements to 48 other hospitals.

Director of southern Binh Phuoc Traditional Medicine Hospital , Cao Duc Cuong, welcomed the project saying it would help overcome difficulties in upgrading infrastructure.

The hospital, which is expecting an upgrade in the 2014-15 period, was built in 1995 and has struggled to cope with increasing demands, said Cuong, adding that the hospital was expected to add 50 beds to it's 100-bed facility.

According to Cuong, additional investment will help address a range of challenges affecting the hospital, including a lack of space in the hospital's physiotherapy ward which struggles to accommodate proper machinery.

"The patients must wait for a long time for their turn to practise on these machines, which affects their recovery and the effectiveness of treatment," said Cuong, adding that a lot of patients were suffering from hemiplegia.

Cuong also pointed out that while the hospital had enough doctors to open a pharmaceutical ward, pollution in the surrounding environment from the hospital waste treatment system had rendered the move unfeasible.

"If the system is repaired and the pollution is reduced, we can not only open the pharmaceutical ward but also a nutritional ward to improve our treatment capacity," said Cuong.

Currently, the size of provincial hospitals is determined by population, local demand and service provision. A locality with a population under one million will typically require a provincial hospital with up to 150 beds, and as many as 200 beds to service between 1.5-2 million people. Provinces with more than two million people are usually equipped with up to 350 beds in a hospital.

Traditional hospitals under the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Public Security, are typically designed in line with plans developed by these ministries.

Labour Safety-Fire Prevention Week kicks off in Hue

The 16th annual National Week on Labour Safety and Hygiene and Fire and Explosion Prevention was launched in Thua Thien-Hue province on March 16.

In an opening speech the Minister for Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Pham Thi Hai Chuyen urged all ministries, sectors and employers must adhere to fire safety regulations and implement strict measures to ensure labour safety and hygiene in the process of industrialisation, modernisation and international integration.

Departments and localities are responsible for the effective dissemination of information on labour safety and fire prevention and should pay more attention to training for businesses and workers, as well as combining labour safety with climate change adaptation and environment protection programs.

Every business should stay active in enforcing laws and labour safety regulations to avoid unnecessary risk or harm.

Last year’s more than 6,600 labour accidents killed 626 people and injured more than 1,500, causing a total loss of VND71.85 billion.

Nearly 2,700 fires occurred, over 900 more than in the previous year, killing over 100 people and injuring nearly 200 others with total damages of up to VND1,700 billion.

These figures are largely attributed to employers not developing safe working processes or providing adequate training and preventative equipment for their employees. In addition, employees often violate working regulations and inspections and the authorities are still slow to deal with serious labour accidents.

The organising board presented certificates of merit to various organisations and individuals for their major contributions to improving labour safety and fire prevention.

ADB helps improve Central Highlands' rural infrastructure

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) kicked off a project on rural infrastructure development in the Central Highlands at a March 15 conference in Dak Lak province.

The US$87.58 million project, including US$80 million financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), aims to reduce the number of poor households and push the sustainable development of the five Central Highlands provinces - Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Gia Lai, Kon Tum, and Lam Dong.

It will focus on upgrading irrigation works and constructing rural roads to link production areas.

In his statement, MARD Deputy Minister Hoang Van Thang highlighted the region’s advantages in developing high added-value farm produce such as coffee, rubber and pepper. However, he pointed out its shortcomings in land management, water resources, and irrigation works.

Thang suggested these provinces accelerate ground clearance for the construction of their essential facilities to implement the project effectively.

When finished, the project will help local farming households increase their income by 20%, reduce the rate of poor households in the region to 25%, raise businesses’ revenue from farm produce by 30% and generate 255,000 local jobs, Thang said.   

Green Earth Hour campaign launched

More than 1,000 volunteers gathered at a ceremony to launch the “Green Earth Hour” Campaign in Ho Chi Minh City on March 15.

Since 2009, the Earth Hour Campaign has become an annual activity which positively affects the community at large.

With the slogan “green earth depends on your action”, this year’s campaign includes a host of light-hearted, enjoyable and practical activities.

More than 1,000 volunteers are riding bikes throughout the streets in 24 districts and precincts to beckon citizens to switch the electricity off at least 1 hour.

Green residential areas projects are also being staged on 4 streets in Tan Phu district, calling for energy conservation and urging people to turn off electricity for an hour as a symbolic measure of their commitment to energy conservation.

Volunteers are also hoisting billboards along city streets and thoroughfares, urging motorbike drivers to turn off engines when waiting for more than 20 seconds before red lights to reduce gas emissions.

The organising board will closely coordinate with CoopMart supermarket system to barter for milk box covers, high energy consuming bulbs and plastic products. Revoked products will be recycled into bio-diesel oil to be sold to raise funds for patients of fatal diseases.

Ho Chi Minh City, Mongolian capital boost ties

Ho Chi Minh City will do its best to bolster ties with the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar, Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee Le Hoang Quan told the visiting Chairman of the Ulaanbaatar City Council Dashjamts Battulga at a March 14 meeting.

Quan said he hopes the two cities will offer each other favarouble conditions to share their experience and increase cooperation in areas of common concern.

Over the past six decades, the two countries have maintained a fine relationship which is seen as a firm foundation for them to further improve their cooperation in various fields such as economics, trade and education and training.

Battulga, in return, expressed his admiration for the strong development of Ho Chi Minh City over the past years, adding that his visit aims to further enhance ties between the two cities, especially in urban planning and education.

The Mongolian guest suggested the two cities should organize more business forums to create opportunities for businesses to strengthen their connectivity.

Battulga also pledged his capital’s tireless efforts to launch activities for the celebration of the upcoming 60th anniversary of Vietnam-Mongolia diplomatic ties.

He said his capital will hold cultural exchanges to help the people in the two cities promote their mutual understanding.

Traffic accidents kill 134 in a week

The country reported 251 traffic accidents over the past week, resulting in 134 deaths and 141 injuries, according to the Railway and Road Police Department.

Of the total, 244 motorized vehicle accidents claimed the most lives (130 deaths and 137 injuries), followed by rail accidents (7 cases with four deaths and four injuries).

This is the second time this year, rail accidents inexplicably spiked.

Over the week, transport police dealt with roughly 61,000 violation cases, seizing 109 cars and 6,588 motorbikes. They detected 25 smuggling cases, confiscating 4,200 foreign cigarette packets, 42,000 bolts and more than 2,000 kg of aluminium and many other goods.

Traffic order and security measures continue to be taken to contain traffic accidents on highways and intensify supervision and monitoring to handle violations.

Vietnam praised for mine action efforts

Domestic and foreign experts have highly valued the Vietnamese Government’s efforts in introducing mine action policies, especially its initiative to establish a mine action partnership group, according to Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen The Phuong.

He made the remark at a press conference on March 14 to announce the outcomes of a development partnership conference on mine action in Hanoi on the same day.

Phuong, who is also member of the National Steering Committee for the National Action Plan on Overcoming Bomb and Mine Aftermath, added that partners and non-governmental organisations have expressed their willingness to give technical assistance to Vietnam to overcome consequences caused by bombs and mines left over from wars.

Meanwhile, Bui Hong Linh, Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, said a good grasp of unexploded ordnance density is needed to better understand the gravity of the situation and support those affected.

At present, there are about 800,000 tonnes of UXOs across 6.6 million hectares (20.12 percent of the country’s land area) in Vietnam.

Incomplete statistics show that UXOs have killed more than 42,000 people and injured 60,000 others nationwide, equivalent to 1,500 deaths and nearly 2,300 injuries every year.

Vietnam has cleared hundreds of thousands of hectares of UXOs. Between 2012 and 2013 alone, more than 100,000 hectares of land were demined.

Japan provides assistance to Hanoi police

Japan will equip the Hanoi police with new generation cars, a mix of hybrid and electric, worth US$4.85 million.

A document to this effect was signed in Hanoi on March 14 by Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen The Thao and Minister - Counsellor of the Hanoi-based Japanese Embassy Suzuki Hideo.

The project will help the Hanoi police to ensure security, prevent air pollution, and protect the environment for the capital.

Suzuki emphasised that Japan wants to promote its new cars in Vietnam to contribute to reducing gas emissions, lessening their effects on the environment.

For his part, Thao spoke highly of Japan’s assistance for Hanoi in recent times and vowed to use the country’s ODA effectively.

Japan and Hanoi have successfully implemented many cooperative projects.

Hanoi has received 23 Japanese ODA-funded projects worth US$2.9 billion (accounting for 58% of its total ODA projects) and 520 Japanese–invested projects worth US$4.6 billion (making up 22% of total its FDI projects).

Development partners commit to landmine clearance

Development partners at a March 14 conference were resolute in their commitment to provide Vietnam technical and financial assistance, share experiences and support victims of post-war unexploded ordnance (UXO).

To this end, they expect in return, to receive Vietnam’s close cooperation in information exchange, data provision, and international experience sharing on matters related to the disposal of bombs and mines.

They acknowledged Vietnam’s valiant effort in overcoming the consequences of leftover bombs and mines, and in fulfilling international commitment in the field.

The partners pledged to work closely with the newly established Vietnam National Mine Action Centre to speed up mine clearing efforts.

Addressing the Hanoi conference, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung called on the US to make greater and more practical contributions to searching, cleaning up and overcoming the consequences of bombs and mines left over from the war.

He noted though the war ended nearly 40 years ago, it continues to cause heavy consequences in Vietnam. Unexploded ordnance has been found in almost all provinces and cities, affecting socio-economic development and human life.

On average more than 1,500 people die and nearly 2,300 others are seriously wounded from bomb and mine explosions every year. Many of the victims are children

The PM said the Vietnamese government has paid special attention to research, finalised the management system, and poured more investment into UXO removal.

A national programme of action on settling the consequences of unexploded ordnance (programme 504) has been established to guide the work.

As a result, Vietnam has cleaned up tens of thousands of hectares of contaminated land, drawn a national map on UXO, and implemented a number of UXO clearance projects.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, and Committee 504 have jointly developed negotiation plans and signed cooperation agreements with the governments and organisations of foreign countries, to mobilise aid for programme 504.

The PM called on donors to support the Vietnamese Government and Committee 504 in settling the consequences of war aftermath, as well as in mobilising and utilising foreign aid effectively.

“Let’s stand and work together to build trust, maintain peace, and strengthen friendship and development cooperation to bring safety and happiness to all people,” Dung said.

“Let’s join hands to prevent wars and armed conflicts so that all countries and people will no longer suffer the horrendous consequences caused by leftover bombs and mines.”

To date Vietnam has signed memoranda of understanding on UXO disposal and support for victims with the US, the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) and the International Centre.

It has also worked out cooperation programmes with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA), as well as within the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+).