Ministry of Construction defends controversial circular

Deputy Minister of Construction has had to explain circular 16, which has been blamed for cheating home-buyers.

At the press conference on February 28, deputy minister of Construction, Nguyen Tran Nam, denied the accusation from the NA's Juridical Committee, who said that their circular was not legitimate and might provide investors with loopholes to swindle customers.

The circular provides for two different measures of an apartment: that of the floor space and that of the area of walls and electrical boxes, elevators and hallways. This provides for two separate measuring systems.

"The investors and customers can still negotiate their own contracts to find the best solutions. Either way, the price of an apartment won't be different. But buyers must know that the investors have not calculated by square metre, but by the number of apartments," said a representative of the ministry.

The deputy minister added that they would scrap a method after receiving complaints that management and maintenance fees would incur losses for the customer in the long-term.

Previously, residents at the Kengnam buildings have complained that they had to pay for areas that they cannot use. One resident of Kengnam said she bought a 206.95-square metre apartment that was really 176.66 square metres in floor area.

"The contracts did not mention anything about measuring walls or hallways. Now the investors went back to South Korea and the management board continues to change their representatives so we brought this issue to court." Trinh Thi Mai, another resident in Kengnam building said.

HCM City launches e-Government

The municipal Information and Telecommunications Department officially launched its Electronic ISO and online business registration programme late last week.

Over the last few years, administrative offices nation-wide, have received investment to install the internationally recognised ISO 9001:2008 management system along with a series of other sophisticated software packages, in a bid to reform the state's administrative management and improve work flow.

However, co-operation between the ISO project and the various administrative offices has been poor, with each office pursuing their own agenda. As such, the results of this initiative are expected to be poor.

So far, the city has standardised the electronic ISO process for 22 administrative procedures in business registration in all 24 districts as well as adjoining districts' economic and tax departments. The goal is to reduce the time it takes to process a file from 8 to 5 working days.

Alongside this, the Information and Telecommunication Department has successfully linked file management systems from the city to 24 districts and 13 departments and industries.

The department has also launched a new pilot project, in which people can apply for business registration online, from home.

In 2014, the Department will switch to the electronic ISO system in five procedures in the labour and salary department; four procedures in urban management, and three procedures for justice and legal.

Fire ravages wood factory

A fire broke out at a wood processing company in Pleiku City in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai on Saturday.

The fire destroyed all of the company's wood products and machines, worth an estimated VND3 billion (US$142,000). No human losses were reported.

It took six fire trucks two hours to stamp out the fire.

Head of the provincial Fire Fighting Prevention and Control Office Duong Thanh Binh warned that there was a high risk of fire during the current hot, dry weather, so people should familiarise themselves with basic fire prevention measures.

Last Thursday, a fire at a private wood processing company in Pleiku caused estimated losses of more than VND300 million ($14,200).

Sleeper coaches found violating safety rules

Transport Ministry inspectors have called for a nationwide inspection of sleeper coaches after finding many safety violations at bus terminals in the capital city.

They plan to submit a proposal to the Transport Ministry that would focus on the quality of equipment installed in the buses, said the ministry's Chief Inspector Nguyen Van Huyen.

He said the massive campaign was deemed necessary after recent random inspections at several bus terminals in Ha Noi found multiple violations in sleeper coaches.

For instance, all five coaches checked at the My Dinh Bus Terminal were found lacking belts, fire extinguishers or emergency hammers.

The owner of Hung Thanh Transport Company, which takes passengers from the capital city to the northern highlands province of Ha Giang, told inspectors that they had not installed the mandatory equipment for fear that passengers would steal them.

Many sleeper coaches travelling to mountainous provinces in the north were also found to carry fog lamps without technical verification certificates issued by authorised agencies, Huyen said.

This was not a mild violations as substandard fog lamps can hurt the eyes of drivers going in the opposite direction, increasing the potential for accidents, he added.

At the Nuoc Ngam Bus Terminal, inspectors found several extra seats installed in sleeper coaches to carry more passengers than permitted.

One bus plying the Ha Noi-Quang Binh route had five extra seats, but its driver, Nguyen Van Tan, said it had still received registration certificates "smoothly" and periodically from authorized agencies in the capital city.

Huyen said the irresponsibility shown by both transportation companies and registration centres can be indirectly blamed for several traffic accidents.

His team will have the registration of substandard sleeper coaches revoked and disciplinary action will be taken against registration centre employees for ignoring regulations, he added.

Easy Taxi expands presence in Asia, now Vietnam

Easy Taxi, the world’s leading free mobile taxi application is now available in Vietnam, starting with Ho Chi Minh City.

Available to download on popular mobile platforms such as Android, iOS, Blackberry and Windows operating systems, Easy Taxi allows users to book and track for the nearest available reliable taxi for any trip.

With one simple click on their phone, passengers can interact directly with taxi drivers, and gain access to additional details such as phone number and car model.

All trip records and drivers’ data are saved in the app, which could be helpful in case passengers need to retrieve their forgotten belongings.

“Easy Taxi is designed to simplify how people commute by taxi in a quick, convenient and safe way. Easy Taxi saves you the time and effort, and enables a more active scheduling of your trip” said Alexander Le, Easy Taxi Vietnam’s managing director.

Taxi drivers, on the other hand, can also benefit from the GPS-based application by being able to locate the desired addresses instantly and connect to commuters while making their way to the pick-up point.

Available in Ho Chi Minh City now with major taxi companies, Easy Taxi will soon expand its operation to other big cities including Hanoi.

“We believe Vietnam can grow into one of our big markets in Southeast Asia for its young and growing tech-savvy population. Our team is continuously looking at improving the application’s features to better suit the lifestyle and demands of both the locals & tourists visiting Vietnam,” said Le.

Starting in Brazil in 2012 and backed by Rocket Internet, the world’s largest Internet incubator, Easy Taxi app has garnered over 5 million downloads, registered over 100,000 taxi drivers worldwide, and completed millions of rides each month.

Besides gaining great success in Latin America, Easy Taxi has also seen success in Asia where it is present in eight countries, including Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Korea, and Vietnam.

New City ring road to be named after former PM

The 12.2-kilometre Tan Son Nhat- Binh Loi Outer Ring Road in HCM City was named after former Prime Minister Pham Van Dong on the occasion of the late leader's 108th birthday last Saturday.

Pham Van Dong Street runs from the Nguyen Thai Son intersection in Go Vap District to the Linh Xuan intersection in Thu Duc District.

The city decided to name the major ring road after the former Prime Minister Pham Van Dong, to show their deep gratitude to the late leader, said Le Hoang Quan, chairman of the city's People's Committee, at a ceremony held last Saturday.

"It will help people from every walk of life, especially the younger generation, learn a bit more about the late Prime Minister, and hopefully encourage them to follow his example," Quan said.

The ring road, starts at the airport in Tan Binh District and runs all the way to Thu Duc District at National Highway 1, passing through Tan Binh, Go Vap, Binh Thanh and Thu Duc.

It has been praised for its contemporary design and urban landscaping, and will connect Tan Son Nhat International Airport with Binh Duong and Dong Nai provinces as well as provinces in the Central Highlands.

It is scheduled to cost nearly US$495 million, of which land and relocation accounts for $281.3 million.

Construction began in 2008 and is expected to be finished by the end of the year.

In September last year, a 4.7-kilometre section of the ring road from Nguyen Thai Son intersection to Binh Trieu intersection, opened to traffic.

It has been built in collaboration with a foreign partner, the South Korea-based GS E&C Company, as part of the Build Transfer project.

Son La residents in need of water

Villagers in Hua La Commune from the northern province of Son La are having to use increasingly contaminated wells and mountain water sources, which are also running low.

The commune is located only five kilometres from Son La City, but just three out of its 15 villages are able to have access to clean water. The remainder of them, including the commune centre zone and public service buildings, such as the communal clinic and schools, have to cope with unhygienic water sources which might be harmful to the public's health.

Pham Thi Thang, a teacher in Hua La kindergarten, said the only water for the teachers and students in the kindergarten was from a well, which has been giving off a foul smell since October 2013. Later tests of the well's water showed that it was seriously polluted and unusable.

Unfortunately, water pollution has spread across the commune. According to Leo Van San, Secretary of Hua La Party Committee, household trash, along with untreated waste from the breeding industry and the hot spring businesses located in the upper course, are to blame for the pollution, as all waste is disposed of in the stream, which provides water to the commune.

Most of the households have been using dirty well water for their daily needs, without running it through a filter system. Those families that can afford to, purchase filtered water, but save every drop just for drinking and cooking.

Yet, not using the wells is not an option. All of Pong villagers still have to take water from polluted wells, as sources of mountain water have dried out since the beginning of the dry season.

"All we hope is that the Government finds a way to bring clean water to the villages as soon as possible. We are so worried about having to use such dirty water", said Ha Son Tinh, a Pong villager.

Chairman of the commune's People's Committee, Lo Van Doi, said local authorities could not afford to build a facility to provide safe water for local residents, and have proposed to higher level authorities that they support construction of such a facility to help ensure the health of local residents.

Two workers die in fall from scaffolding

Two workers died on Thursday after falling tens of metres from scaffolding at an apartment building under construction in the southern province of Binh Duong's Thu Dau Mot City.

The incident occurred when a cable used to transport bricks to the building's eight floor broke, striking the scaffolding and causing the three workers to fall. One of the workers was saved, while two others fell to the ground and died on the way to hospital.

The investor of the project, the Binh Duong Construction Consultant Investment Joint-stock Corporation (Biconsi), pledged to provide assistance to the victims' families.

The case is under investigation.

Programme helps cut power use

Nearly 696,000 households in HCM City cut power consumption by 476.87 million kWh in response to the city's Household Energy Savings Programme last year, according to the HCM City Power Corporation.

More than 389,500 households managed to reduce consumption by at least 10 per cent.

The city saved more than 519 million kWh last year, or nearly 3 per cent of consumption.

It saved VND893.5 billion (US$42.5 million) and reduced carbon dioxide emission by an estimated 324,500 tonnes.

The corporation plans to promote power saving by domestic and commercial users through various means, including free cleaning of air conditioners at government agencies, Earth Hour campaign, reality shows on power saving, and installing LED lamps.

Forum discusses green development strategy

Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Nguyen Linh Ngoc explained the Government's policies to develop a green economy at a two-day forum that ended on Saturday.

Last September, the Government approved a national strategy on green growth in order to show that Viet Nam prioritises sustainable development. The strategy aims to change the country's economic development model in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and form an effective economic structure, following the current trend in much of the world.

The phrase "green economy" refers to a low-carbon economic model that uses natural resources efficiently and aims to achieve social equity, resulting in improved human well-being while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities.

Most participants at the forum said that a green economy would bring about long-term benefits for Viet Nam. They suggested the country invest more in major green economic sectors such as organic agriculture, eco-tourism, recycling and bio-energy.

As Viet Nam is on the path of industrialisation and modernisation, they highlighted the significance of building sustainable residential and industrial zones, which could ease environmental pollution and conserve natural resources.

As part of the forum, a televised exchange among businesses was held in which managers, experts, scientists and businesspeople discussed measures to boost green economic development.

Dak Lak hosts camp for Vietnamese, Cambodian youths

Young people from the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak and its neighbouring Cambodian province Mondulkiri are gathering at a camp held in the Vietnamese locality from March 1 – 4.

It has attracted more than 400 youngsters from colleges and military and public security agencies in Dak Lak and some 40 others from Mondulkiri.

The camp is held for young adults to share their experiences in youth drives for local development, while also strengthening their solidarity.

At the event, they will engage in a host of activities, such as arts exchanges, folk games and traditional fashion shows.

It will also include visits to relic sites in Dak Lak.

Lam Dong pins hope on high-tech agriculture

The Central Highlands province of Lam Dong is active in applying modern technology in agriculture, which helps raise its average production value per hectare of land to 120 million VND (over 5,700 USD), the highest in the country.

Local farmers show a preference for new plant varieties, which can be seen in statistics that show new varieties make up 95 percent of all vegetable and flower varieties being cultivated in the province, 90 percent of food crops, 46 percent of tea varieties.

At the same time, advanced farming technologies have been used on 35,000ha of land, with 14,850ha under coffee, nearly 12,000ha under vegetables, 2,400ha under flowers, and nearly 2,500ha under high-quality tea.

Lam Dong also leads the country in the production of tree sapling using invitro technology. The 58 businesses operating in this field in the province produce 28 million saplings per year of various kinds of plants, accounting for three quarters of the national capacity.

In addition, Lam Dong is among the few localities in the country being successful in raising cold-water fish, particularly trout and sturgeon, with an average annual output of 400 tonnes, half of the national output.-

RoK helps Vietnam deploy radiation tracking project

Representatives from both Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK) have presented letters to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to announce the two sides’ pilot project on tracking radioactive sources in the country.

The papers were submitted on February 26 by Nguyen Thiep, head of the Vietnamese Permanent Delegation to the International Organisations in Vienna, and Hyun Cho, head of the RoK Permanent Mission to the International Organisations in Vienna.

The movement aims to execute the Radiation Source Location Tracking (RADLOT) project in collaboration with the IAEA agreed by the two nations at the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit held in the RoK. It also helps reiterate Vietnam’s commitment to reducing the risk of nuclear terrorism.

Under the project, the RoK will provide and install the system in Vietnam with assistance and consultancy from the IAEA, in order to help the nation enhance nuclear security and prevent illegal access to radioactive materials.

The RADLOT system allows real-time tracking of radioactive sources based on GPS satellite signals and mobile telecommunication networks. The results and lessons learned will be made available to other countries interested in the system to help enhance national and global nuclear security.-

Ca Mau works hard to prevent forest fires

The southernmost province of Ca Mau is undertaking extensive measures to prevent fires in the U Minh Ha National Park with the dry season in for a while.

The Park, with 8,527 hectares, has been put on the high alert of large-scale forest fires.

Prolonged dry weather and sunshine creates drought in forests and hinders firefighters from extinguishing blazes.

The local authorities have requested the building of two dams and installed more water pipes to facilitate supply for stamping out fires. They have also invested money to equip more fire fighters.

Fire watch teams and emergency response units have been arranged at the park, especially in dry season, to keep track of potential forest fire areas and detect fire outbreaks swiftly, thus stopping them from getting out of control.

The authorities of U Minh, Tran Van Thoi and Thoi Binh districts, which have most area of forest coverage, have organised campaigns to teach local people the procedures they need to stop fires spreading.

Thanks the locality’s efforts, no forest fire has been reported in the U Minh National Park in recent years.

MOSWC contest launched

The 2014 Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship (MOSWC) launched on March 1 in six of Vietnam’s cities and provinces.

The cities and provinces include Hanoi, Thai Nguyen, Hai Phong, Da Nang, Thua Thien – Hue and Ho Chi Minh City.

The contest uses Microsoft Word 2010, Microsoft Excel 2010, and Microsoft Power Point 2010 with three rounds, including Qualifying Round, Country Champions and Final Round – Worldwide Champion. All the tests will be done online under the control of international supervisors.

Country Champions must be available to travel to and attend the 2014 Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship on July 27 – 30, 2014 in Anaheim, California, the US.

Participants must be students currently enrolled in an approved academic institution recognised by the state or country. To compete in the final round of the Championship, students must be between the ages of 13 and 22 (as of June 15, 2014).

The competion aims to create a competitive and healthy playground for students all around the world to show their skills of using Microsoft Office application skills; and to be recognized by Microsoft and other prestigious organisations for their talent.

Bird flu in Mekong delta remains complicated

The bird-flu situation in the Mekong Delta remains complex.

Poultry in the region was recently found infected with H5N1 virus. Farmer Tran Thi Kim Tuyen of Cu Lao Dung District, Soc Trang Province lost 185 chickens. Farmer Hua Van Truong in Nga Nam District also lost 500 chickens.

All poultry found infected were disposed of by veterinarians.

Van Hai Duong, 33, in Tho Hoa Dong Village lost 100 chickens to unknown causes.

Authorities in Can Tho City announced that the outbreak originated from Long Hoa Ward, Binh Thuy District and Truong Lac Ward, O Mon District.

The People’s Committee asked concerned agencies to create additional regulations to curb spread of disease in accordance to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s guidelines.

Man survives open heart surgery

Cao Thanh Cuong, 38, survived open heart surgery after being crushed by a crane to the electricity post in Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province on March 1.

The man was rushed to the emergency room after the incident, said Dr. Nguyen Dinh Huy. Doctors performed a two-hour open-heart surgery to remove clotted blood to restore part of the crushed heart.

Cuong stayed in stable condition after the surgery.

Workers get food poisoning in Hau Giang

Many workers in Lac Ty No.2,Tan Phu Thanh Industrial Park in Chau Thanh A District, Hau Giang Province in the Mekong delta were hospitalized for food poisoning on March 1.

The most prevalent symptoms were stomachaches, vomiting, diarrhea, and headaches, said hospital staff.  They believe the cause is due to the food at the worksite cafeteria.

The General Hospital No. 10 received an additional 44 workers with the same symptoms at 2 p.m.

The meals at the cafeteria cost VND 11,500 each and are provided by another company, said Chief Accountant of Lac Ty Company Phan Kim Thi. Bread and milk was provided that day because rice was undercooked due to electrical difficulties.

Doctors are still investigating the cause of food poisoning, said Hospital Director Dr. Nguyen Van Thai.

Deputy Chairman of People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Nhon visited the sick workers and gave each VND 300,000.  The company also compensated VND 300,000 for each individual infected.