US naval ships to visit Danang next week

Two US naval ships, including the USS John S McCain and USNS Safeguard, will begin their six-day exchange activities with the Vietnam People’s Navy in Danang on April 7.

The US Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City has announced that a welcoming ceremony and press conference will be held upon arrival and provide details about the visit.

The two navies will exchange expertise in health, diving training, search and rescue, and disaster relief.

A series of activities including sports friendlies and music performance are also scheduled for April 8-9.

Previously, the USS John S. McCain paid a friendly visit to Danang in 2010 within the framework of cooperation between the US’s 7th Fleet and the Vietnam People’s Navy.

Vietnamese woman found hanged in Moscow

A Vietnamese woman has reportedly committed suicide following the discovery of her body in a dormitory in Moscow.

Russian media on March 30 quoted local police as saying the 40-year-old woman was found hanged inside the room of the dormitory near a market, south of Moscow.

Initial investigations show the victim suffocated to death and the police assumed the women had committed suicide.  

Moscow police are investigating the case, according to Interfax news agency.

Hanoi conference seeks to improve workforce

How to improve the quality of human resources in Vietnam was the focus of a workshop held in Hanoi on April 1.

Jointly organised by the Centre for Socio-Economic Information and Forecast (CSEIF) under the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Irish Embassy in Vietnam, the event is part of a programme funded by the Government of Ireland, which aims to discuss and introduce studies on the labour market in Vietnam.

At the workshop, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung said Vietnam has reaped remarkable achievements in economic development in recent years and the country is integrating intensively into the regional and international economy.

However, Vietnam needs to raise the quality of human resources to establish a labour market that can meet common requirements, Dung stressed.

Fiona Quinn from the Irish Embassy said data introduced at the conference will help policymakers revise and update specific information, thus taking measures to develop a real labour market in Vietnam.

According to the CSEIF, with 83% of employees untrained in vocational skills, it seems improbable that Vietnam’s workforce can work with model production lines.

Participants said Vietnam should be determined to reform its education system and vocational training in order to improve the quality of human resources in the future.

Health Minister explains cause of sector’s deficiency

Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien has pointed out primary objective and subjective reasons behind the deficiency of the health sector, underlining limitations of health workers and the overloading of hospitals.

At the April 1 question-and-answer session of the ongoing National Assembly Standing Committee meeting, Tien held that collecting feedback from people nationwide via hotlines is an effective way to improve the situation.

The hotlines have been made available at hospitals, local health departments and the Health Ministry, and received more than 2,000 calls, she noted.

The minister also stressed the importance of strengthening supervision and inspections of doctors and health workers, which require the close coordination of patients and their families.

Strict punishments will be given to those who fail to perform their responsibility and duty, she added.

The minister proposed that more investment should be poured into healthcare clinics at local levels in wards and towns to reduce overcrowding in central hospitals.

In particular, healthcare stations in mountainous and remote areas should be upgraded and expanded with more equipment and staff, she said.

Tien also mentioned family doctors and the expansion of private clinics as another way to enhance the quality of healthcare services and increase people’s access to the services.

She underscored that besides creating favourable conditions for private, foreign-invested clinics and beauty shops to develop, the ministry will tighten its management over them.

Closer supervision and control over advertisement of medicine, functional foods and cosmetics will be implemented, she added.

During the session, Tien also explained a number of issues related to food safety, medicine prices and pharmaceutical tendering.

No new bird flu outbreaks detected

Bird flu has been basically brought under control, with no new outbreaks reported across the country for the past two weeks, according to the National Steering Committee on Bird Flu Control.

The committee said at an April 1 meeting in Hanoi that the disease has now spread in a scattered scale in Khanh Hoa, Vinh Long, Binh Thuan and Ben Tre provinces in the south, and Ha Giang province in the north.

Nearly 15,000 birds have been culled, the committee said.

Epidemiological tests showed that the 1.1 variant clade of the deadly avian flu strain H5N1 was detected on a chicken flock in Long An, Kien Giang, and Ca Mau provinces, while birds in other localities were infected with clade 2.3.2.1C.

Dam Xuan Thanh, deputy head of the Animal Health Department, said his department is sequencing detected bird flu genes in circulation across the country and sending virus samples to international laboratories for additional analysis.

The department is carrying out the FAO-funded H7N9 monitoring programme and increasing the testing capacity of regional animal health agencies, he said.

Thanh warned Vietnam faces a high risk of avian flu infection unless effective prevention measures are put in place. He proposed localities continue sterilising farms with chemicals and early detecting and dealing with outbreaks.

HKI provides eye care for Vietnamese pupils

Helen Keller International (HKI) in coordination with Hanoi’s healthcare sector is carrying out an awareness campaign on eye refraction defects throughout Quoc Oai district, Hanoi.

From March 10 to April 5, a wide range of extracurricular activities are being held for teachers and students alike at primary and junior secondary schools throughout the district aimed at equipping them with basic knowledge of the importance of identifying and preventing eye refraction defects.

Over the years, HKI Vietnam has established a “children’s eye care” programme in Kon Tum, Nam Dinh, Son La and Hanoi, providing free eye care check-ups and glasses for thousands of students.

It has also organised training courses on eye care for teachers and medical staff, as well as promoting communication programmes to extend basic knowledge of eye refraction defects.

A recent survey on using glasses conducted by HKI Vietnam in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City shows that 80% of students fail to wear glasses even they have to wear them to see properly and 30% of students do not inform their parents about problems they experience with their vision.

Meanwhile, half of glasses in Vietnam do not meet minimal required quality standards, which cause bad corollaries if not dealt with properly.

At present, around 3 million of students aged 6-15 suffer from eye refraction defects, two-third of them are short-sightedness.

Ophthalmological doctors warn that if eye refraction defects are not timely treated, they will lead to squint-eyes, detached retina and even blindness.

Hanoi, Vientiane boost educational cooperation

The Vietnamese capital of Hanoi and the Lao capital of Vientiane have outlined an educational cooperation programme in the coming years, including increasing visit exchanges to share experience in teaching and management.

They aim to turn the Vientiane-based Laos-Vietnam High School into an exemplary role model to create qualified human resources for Laos in its integration process.  

The agreement was reached during a visit to Vientiane from March 29 to April 1 by a Hanoi Department of Education and Training delegation led by its Director Nguyen Huu Do.

Do held a working session with the Director of the Vientiane Department of Education and Sports, Somphu Keopanya, on March 31.

They expressed their high level of satisfaction with the positive results of cooperation in education between the two capitals in recent years.

The Laos-Vietnam High School and the Hanoi-based Kim Lien High School signed a cooperation agreement, creating favourable conditions for teachers and students of the two schools to strengthen mutual understanding and exchange experience in teaching and learning quality.

Hanoi has also supplied teaching aid and sent teachers to the Laos-Vietnam High School and other schools for children of Vietnamese expatriates, bringing practical results for Vientiane’s education.

Workers affected by food poisoning discharged

All 22 workers who had suffered food poisoning in the northern province of Lao Cai's Bat Xat Districton Mondaywere discharged from the hospital this morning.

All are in good health. The investigative report on the cause of the poisoning is yet to be released, but the victims said that they had consumed horse's blood pudding in a local canteen. Health experts said that the horses blood might have been contaminated.

The local authorities have found that Cao Quyet Thang, the owner of the canteen, violated food safety laws. Thang reportedly might be penalised with a fine of VND10 million, or US$480. He has been asked to clean and disinfect the canteen immediately.

Hue reports first A-H1N1 case

The Preventive Health Centre in the central Thua Thien-Hue Province yesterday (April 1) announced that the first case of A-H1N1 virus infection in the area has been detected.

The 26-year-old woman patient is in critical condition at the Hue Central Hospital.Tests have confirmed the virus infection, which the patient reportedly contracted after consuming a duck egg.

The patients 32-week-old baby is also receiving special medical care.

Soc Trang repairs damaged dykes

The Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Soc Trang has allocated VND2.5 billion ($118,750) to fix a part of sea dyke damaged last month in the province's Vinh Chau Town.

Nguyen Trung Hieu, chairman of the provincial People's Committee, said that local authorities would continue to reinforce other dyke sections to prevent further breach incidents.

He urged local authorities to intensify afforestation and construct sea walls to reduce the damaging effect of waves and high sea levels caused by climate change.

On March 17, flood tides, strong winds and big waves blew off 10 metres of a dyke in Vinh Hai Commune in the province.

The dyke section is now heavily eroded at its foundation, and the protective forest outside it was also swept away.

Since last August, the town has reinforced the dyke section four times but this has proved ineffective.

Phan Thanh Hieu, chairman of Vinh Chau Town's People's Committee, said the town had 52 kilometres of dyke, of which seven sections faced a high risk of collapse.

The town had reinforced them with stone as a temporary solution and the authorities should upgrade the dyke system to ensure safety for residents in the area, he said.

One person goes missing after boat flips over

One person went missing when a barge turned upside down at Son Duong Port in the central province of Ha Tinh early yesterday morning.

Provincial Marine Administration Director Truong Minh Tuan said that the cause of the accident and the number of casualties had not yet been established.

The administration sent a team to salvage the barge, owned by the Korean company Samsung C&T Corporation. Eight ships were also sent to search for the missing person.

The company is building a sea dyke in Son Duong.

New rural area programme helps to improve local life

The living standards of people in HCM City's suburban areas have improved significantly thanks to the "new rural areas" national programme, delegates told a review meeting on Sunday.

In Xuan Thoi Thuong commune in Hoc Mon District, infrastructure and people's livelihoods have improved, with many transport projects, healthcare and cultural facilities, schools, and others operating there, Van Thi Bach Tuyet, chairwoman of the district People's Committee, said.

Xuan Thoi Thuong Commune is one of six communes in the city chosen to participate in the programme, the others being Tan Thong Hoi and Thai My in Cu Chi District, Tan Nhat in Binh Chanh District, Nhon Duc in Nha Be District, and Ly Nhon in Can Gio District.

The programme seeks to develop infrastructure and production, improve livelihoods, protect the environment, ensure social security, culture, and other aspects by creating jobs, providing loans, and training people.

Speaking at the meeting, Nguyen Phuoc Trung, director of the city Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the six communes have fulfilled all of the programme's 19 criteria related to transport, irrigation, housing, poverty mitigation, and political and social security among others.

The average per capita income in these communes has risen significantly, he said, adding that in Xuan Thoi Thuong Commune for instance it increased to VND32.2 million (US$1,524) from VND29.5 million ($1,396) a year earlier.

Huynh Cach Mang, chairman of the Can Gio District People's Committee, said living standards have improved and every house has access to the power grid as well as clean water.

Last year the city expanded the pilot programme to 50 other communes. Trung said it carried out more than 1,500 traffic, irrigation, electricity, and educational works and rebuilt 730 dilapidated houses at a cost of VND3.9 trillion ($184.7 million).

Besides, more than VND7.4 trillion ($355 million) was invested in agricultural development to improve people's income and reduce poverty, he said.

The poverty ratio – households with a yearly average income of below VND12 million ($568) are classified as poor — has fallen from 5.77 per cent in 2010 to 1.15 per cent now, he said.

This year the city would ensure that at least 17 other communes fulfill a minimum of 17 of the criteria, and all other communes meet at least 15, he said.

Le Thanh Liem, deputy chairman of the city People's Committee, said the city also targets replacement of all dilapidated and temporary houses this year as part of the programme.

Trung said the city needs around VND9.78 trillion ($463.2 million) to invest in basic infrastructure, restructuring production, education, healthcare, and cultural activities in these areas this year.

Can Tho builds water pumping stations

The Can Tho Centre for Clean Water and Sanitation in Rural Areas is building eight pumping stations that will be finished by the middle of this year to supply water to 5,830 households.

The World Bank is funding them as part of a programme called "Water supply and sanitation in Mekong Delta" targeted at increasing the ratio of households getting water to 100 per cent by 2020. It was 92 per cent last year.

To achieve the goal, 182 pumping stations with a total capacity of 112,000cu.m per day will be built, 2,800km of pipelines will be laid and another 300km improved, and thousands of wells will be dug.

Hanoians receive new 12-digit ID cards

Ha Noi police began to issue new identity cards to local citizens yesterday.

The 12-digit ID cards provide each citizen with a unique identification number, replacing the current 9-digit cards. The Government aims to provide new cards throughout the country by 2020.

More than 106,000 Hanoians have already received cards under a pilot programme that started in 2012.

Provinces lack weigh stations

Provinces and cities across the country were scheduled to start checking automobiles' loading capacity yesterday, but few were prepared to do so, according to the Directorate for Roads of Viet Nam.

Only 16 of the country's 63 provinces and cities have set up automobile weighing stations, while 26 have plans for the stations and the remaining ones lack reports on their preparation.

From the beginning of January to March 27, the 16 provinces and cities with weighing stations weighed 5,000 automobiles and imposed fines on more than 2,000 overloaded ones.

Binh Thuan bans mollusc collection

The central province of Binh Thuan has imposed a three-month mollusc gathering ban as part of efforts to protect and regenerate dwindling marine resources.

The ban, taking effect immediately, restricts fishermen from gathering molluscs – a local seafood specialty that includes scallops, Ark clam and Undulating venus clam.

The province's Agriculture and Rural Development Department, Border Guard and People's Committees at coastal districts and communes have been asked to strictly inspect and punish violators of the ban.

"Those who are found to violate the ban have to pay fines of VND1.5 million to VND20 million (US$70-950)," said Huynh Quang Huy, head of the province's Fisheries Department.

Huy told Viet Nam News that the restriction had been imposed very year since 2000 during the reproductive season.

He said that in the beginning, there had been opposition from a group of fishermen to the move as it reduced their income during the ban period.

Local authorities and relevant agencies had to work hard to raise public awareness of the need to protect local marine resources and help them reproduce.

In 2012, the ban was applied for a whole year, and molluscs in the local sea were seen to grow to their highest numbers in the last 70 years, Huy said, adding that the result was "vivid evidence" that convinced local fishermen.

He noted that the restriction would not affect fishermen much as they could do other jobs besides gathering molluscs.

Binh Thuan, home to molluscs of high economic value, is also one of the biggest fishing grounds in Viet Nam. At present, the province has about 8,000 fishing boats, of which nearly 1,000 are used to collect molluscs.

The annual yield of scallops in the province is nearly 9,000 tonnes or 50 per cent of its fishing output; while that of the Ark clam is nearly 2,000 tonnes.

In the last few years, marine resource reserves in the province had been declining due to the deployment of illegal and unsustainable methods including catching fish fry, fishing during the reproductive season and using explosives, Huy said.

Hence, it was imperative that the province takes protective measures like fishing bans, he added.

Red Cross societies help central city cope with climate change

How to help Tam Ky city in the central province of Quang Nam effectively respond to climate change was the focus of a workshop jointly held by the provincial Red Cross and the American Red Cross (ARC) in the city on April 1.

At the event, Rod Snider, senior advisor to the ARC, said that climate change-related calamities are responsible for 50 percent of the total damage caused by disasters in general.

The influx of people to cities and urban areas is increasing, he noted, adding that if cities have no effective response measures, disasters will push back their development, he noted.

Featuring urban, rural and coastal areas, Tam Ky city is suffering direct impact from climate change with annually increasing floods, salt water intrusions and temperatures.

According to Tran Van Cu, head of the city’s Division of Natural Resources and Environment, residential areas along rivers in Tam Ky are being hardest hit by climate change.

In an effort to ease climate change impact, Tam Ky has completed a project on assessing the impact of climate change and sea water level rise, built storm and flood shelters for residents, and disseminated information on this phenomenon to locals, he said.

It has also defined priority projects in climate change adaptation, focusing on raising public awareness and response capacity, he added.

At the seminar, the two societies agreed to implement a pilot project on improving climate change adaptation capacity for urban residents in a ward of the city.-

HSBC donates mobile school to Mekong Delta

A mobile school, to be towed by a truck, one of the two schools of its kind funded by the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC), has been launched in the Mekong Delta.

The second school, to be built on a boat, will be launched early next year.

The mobile schools project, which is part of the bank’s flagship education programme Future First that has donated 339,500 USD to the country, will benefit around 150 local teachers and 18,000 disadvantaged students.

The Mekong Delta is one of the three most vulnerable to the onslaught and subsequent backlash of climate change in the world.

It is forecast that by the end of the century, sea water levels will rise by one metre – submerging 40 percent of the Mekong Delta, 11 percent of the Red River Delta and 3 percent of coastal provinces.

Swiss-funded project benefits Hoa Binh people

A Swiss-funded project to improve public services for agricultural development has been performing well in the northwestern mountainous province of Hoa Binh, heard a conference in the province on April 1.

The Programme on Public Services Provision Improvement in Agriculture and Rural Development (PS-ARD), funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and non-governmental organisation Helvetas, aims to help reduce poverty and improve living standards for local people.

Participants at the meeting discussed the implementation of the project in 2013 and an action plan for the project in the 2014-2015 period.

Funded with a total investment of 4.06 million USD, the programme intends to enhance communal-level capacity in making socio-economic development plans and better public service systems and processes in agriculture and rural development.

Through training courses held within the framework of the project, 100 percent of financial staffs in Hoa Binh’s communes are able to make projections for small-scale infrastructure projects, and 60 percent can effectively manage investment capital.

Noi Bai-Lao Cai highway section opens to traffic

A 27.62km section of the Noi Bai-Lao Cai highway through the northern border province of Lao Cai was opened on a trial basis on April 1.

The section, traversing Van Ban and Bao Yen districts, was built at a cost of over 1.6 trillion VND (76.2 million USD). Construction started in January 2010.

The 245km Noi Bai-Lao Cai highway contains eight sections, two of which are in Lao Cai.

The newly opened segment is the last in Lao Cai and the third of the whole route to see traffic.

The highway links Hanoi and the northern provinces of Vinh Phuc, Phu Tho, Yen Bai and Lao Cai. Its construction started in 2009 with a total investment of over 1.2 billion USD.

As an important project in the Kunming-Lao Cai-Hanoi-Hai Phong road corridor, the Noi Bai-Lao Cai highway is part of a cooperation programme among six countries in the Mekong Sub-region, including Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar and China.

National Technological Innovation Awards presented to 88 projects

The 12th National Technological Innovation Awards were granted to 88 projects in Hanoi on March 31.

The honoured projects were selected from thousands of projects across IT, electronics, telecommunications, mechanical and automation engineering, construction, transportation, materials, chemicals, energy, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, forestry, fishery, natural resources, environment, education and training.

The organising board presented first prizes to five outstanding projects while 11, 24 and 48 other projects received second, third and consolation prizes respectively. Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang city and Thanh Hoa province are among localities to have won the most prizes.

Addressing the awards ceremony, Politburo member and President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Nguyen Thien Nhan congratulated the winners and praised the organisers, including the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee (CYUCC) and the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL), for their efforts in organising the event over the past 24 years.

He called for the promotion of creativity and technical and technological application to improve product quality in order to meet local demand and export requirements.

On this occasion, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung presented certificates of merit to 14 individuals who carried out first-prize projects and the VGCL honoured leaders of projects winning first, second and third prizes with certificates for creative work. Young winners were also presented the CYUCC’s certificates of merit and badges honouring their work.

The next biannual awards were launched at the ceremony for 2014-2015.

On the same day, 124 outstanding and prize-winning projects were exhibited at the Ho Chi Minh Museum in Hanoi.

HCMC launches price subsidization program 2014

The HCMC People’s Committee started implementation of the Price Subsidization Program 2014 on April 1.

The program will continue to subsidize commodities including food products, milk products, school supplies and medicines.

Seventy six companies will attend the program this year, an increase of 12 since last year.

Banks have registered to provide VND 8.3 trillion (US$ 394 million) in loans to businesses in the program, an increase of VND 6.34 trillion (US$ 301 million) since last year.

VND 2.8 trillion will be short-term loans at a 5.5-6 percent increase per year and VND 2.15 trillion will be medium and long-term loans at a 7-10 percent interest rate per year.

VND3.35 trillion will go to farm cooperatives with the interest rate of 7-8 percent per year.

Goods in the program will be required to ensure quality and food hygiene. They must meet consumption demand of citizens preventing a scarcity, said Deputy Chairwoman of HCMC People’s Committee Nguyen Thi Hong.

The program will launch a campaign to raise awareness.