Singaporean naval ship visits Danang city

RSS Resolution naval ship of Singapore docked at Tien Sa port in Danang on March 4, beginning a four-day visit to the central city.

This is the 9th time a Singaporean naval ship has set its anchors at Danang city, and the first of RSS Resolution.

During its time in Danang, RSS Resolution with 250 crewmembers on board will pay courtesy visit to commanders and senior officials of Military Zone 5 and Naval Region 3 before joining training courses on rescue work and relief aid.

They will join exchange programmes with local soldiers and tour some beautiful places in the coastal city.

The visit aims to boost Vietnam-Singapore relationship as well as bilateral military ties, especially when both nations are pushing for a stronger strategic partnership signed in September 2013.

Vietnam honours UNICEF Chief Representative

On March 3, President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO) Vu Xuan Hong, awarded the “For peace and friendship among nations” insignia to UNICEF Chief Representative in Vietnam Lotta Sylwander.

VUFO President Vu Xuan Hong praised the Swedish official’s great contributions to Vietnam’s poverty reduction and development.

The UNICEF official thanked Vietnamese agencies for their effective cooperation and pledged further support for the country’s humanitarian projects and development cause.

During her three-years in Vietnam, Lotta Sylwander made significant achievements in protecting children’s rights, promoting social welfare, and boosting the development of ethnic minority groups and those living with disabilities

She has also exerted tireless efforts in building legal frameworks and policies on child protection and adoption in Vietnam with a total annual budget of approximately US$18 million.

Hanoi busy with 2014 Earth Hour campaign

Hanoi is orchestrating a range of activities to respond to the 2014 Earth Hour campaign, with the key event to be televised live from August Square in front of the Hanoi Opera House at 8pm on March 29.

To be held by the Municipal Department of Industry and Trade, the annual drive is to raise public awareness of saving electricity and alleviating climate change threats, in response to the Year of Urban Order and Civilisation launched by the municipal authorities.

As part of the drive, decorative lighting and neon advertising boards will be turned off from 8:30-9:30pm in Hanoi’s landmark venues such as Ngoc Son temple, Thap Rua (Tortoise Tower), The Huc bridge, Ly Thai To flower garden, Hanoi Opera House, Truc Bach lake and head offices of the municipal government and People’s Council.

Hanoi-based ministries, organisations and people are also urged to join the campaign.

On top of this, the municipal administration will increase communications activities in residential areas, spreading information on the benefits of the economical use of energy and water as well as impact of climate change on each individual’s life.

Many local schools have responded to the Earth Hour campaign by planting trees and collecting second-hand goods for recycling.

Together with artists and celebrities, students from Doan Thi Diem primary school, Viet Duc and Tran Phu high schools will join a waste recycling festival, as part of the “I will if you will” challenge which encourages people and companies to make a real commitment towards the Earth while challenging others to do the same.

Vietnam's support for wildlife protection

Vietnam pledges to support the global effort to protect wildlife and their habitats for the preservation of the earth’s ecosystem.

Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Truong Minh Tuan made the statement at the launch of the Stop Using Rhino Horn campaign in Hanoi on March 3.

Speakers at the event talked about the importance of protecting wildlife and stated a record 1,004 rhinos were killed in South Africa last year.

Elisabeth McLellan, co-director of the World Wildlife Fund International’s Global Wildlife Trade Campaign touched upon the Prime Minister’s directive issued in February urging all ministries and authorities at all levels to maximize efforts to fight the illegal wildlife trade.

The event was co-organized by the WildAid organisation, the Centre for Environment Training and Communication, CHANGE-a Vietnamese non-governmental organization.

Hanoi to clear all traffic accident black spots

Hanoi has set a target of reducing at least 15 percent of its traffic bottlenecks and clear all notorious accident black spots this year in a bid to improve its traffic situation.

Accordingly, the city has asked all management agencies to launch more campaigns to raise transport businesses and citizens’ awareness of traffic order and safety.

The agencies have been asked to rearrange parking lots on main streets in the inner districts of Hoan Kiem, Dong Da, Ba Dinh, and Cau Giay, while keeping a close watch on places where congestions and accidents are easy to occur and dealing with traffic violations.

Additionally, more activities are required to improve officials’ capacity as well as the training and management of drivers. More investment is needed to be poured into the city’s transport system.

This year, Hanoi strives to reduce 5-10 percent of the number of traffic accident cases and related fatalities and injuries as compared to 2013.

Demand for measles vaccine spikes

Around 6,000 children under the age of two will receive the measles vaccine for the first time, as part of an eight day programme that kicked off yesterday in Ha Noi.

Director of the Ha Noi Precautionary Health Centre, Nguyen Nhat Cam, estimated demand for the vaccine would increase 20 per cent due to the programme.

However, Cam said he was confident in the 80,000 strong supply of vaccines the city had stockpiled for disease.

Centres across the city will also increase their working hours to provide the vaccine to more children.

Vietnamese students set sights on Oxford University

The Vietnamese Society in Oxford (VOX)’s exchange called “Open Day 2014” took place at the University of Exeter on March 1.

The VOX’s annual event aims to help young Vietnamese people to achieve their dream of becoming a student at Oxford University by sharing experiences and providing guidance and advice on studying.

During the exchange, students were provided with useful information and the necessary knowledge, skills and experience to select and apply for universities in the UK, particularly Oxford University.

VOX President Hoang Huu Phuc said that this is the fourth time such an event has been organised and each year has seen the attendance of both international and Vietnamese students increase.

It also offers a good opportunity for Vietnamese students in the UK to support each other to achieve higher academic results.

Oxford University ranks first in the UK in terms of the quality of education and research activities.

Oxford now has around 40 additional member universities such as Exeter, Corpus Christi and Balliol.

Decree expands reach of social insurance fund

Contract employees and foreigners authorised to work in Viet Nam would be included in the Government's social insurance program, under a new draft revision to the Law on Social Insurance, compiled by the Ministry of of Labour, Invalid and Social Affairs.

The draft law was discussed at a meeting last Thursday held on the management of the social insurance fund. At the meeting, the head of the ministry's Social Insurance Department Tran Thuy Nga, said that currently employees on labour contracts of at least 3 three months can benefit from the government's social insurance programme.

Under the draft, from 2018 the programme will cover all contracted employees, including foreigners permitted to work in Viet Nam.

By the end of last year, around 10.8 million people (approx 20 per cent of the labour force), joined the compulsory social insurance scheme, with 173,000 also opting for voluntary social insurance.

The low percentage meant that millions of people would not be able to receive the retirement pension in future at their retirement age, placing an astronomical burden on the Government to ensure an adequate safety net for elderly citizens.

In 2011 alone, the Government spent nearly VND3 trillion (US$142.85 million) to support people over 80 years-old who did not join social insurance, Thoi bao kinh te Viet Nam (Viet Nam Economic Times) reported last week.

Labour Minister Pham Thi Hai Chuyen said that it was imperative to make more people eligible to join social insurance. Presently, Viet Nam is aiming to have around 29 per cent of its population or half of its workforce join social insurance by 2020.

The revised Law on Social Insurance is expected to be in the National Assembly's agenda for approval this year.

Ministry defends property circular

The Ministry of Construction has issued a strong response to public queries regarding Circular 16.

The circular was described as providing vague regulations on the ownership of public and private areas in high-rise apartments in disputes arising between buyers and sellers.

At a Government press conference last Friday, Deputy Minister of Construction, Nguyen Tran Nam, denied accusations from the Ministry of Justice, which said the circular was not valid and would provide investors with loopholes to swindle customers.

The circular provides two different definitions for apartments: that of floor space, the area of walls and electrical boxes, elevators and hallways, he said.

"Investors and customers can negotiate to take one of the two measures but are not forced to take both. Either way, the price of an apartment won't be different," he stressed.

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.

"Many homebuyers pay little attention to their rights and responsibilities due to the lack of legal knowledge. As a result, the contracts they sign do not mention the way of measuring apartments," he said.

However, in order to prevent disputes between home buyers and investors, the Ministry of Construction on February 20 issued Circular 30, which stipulated that apartment areas would include only the floor space.

"From now on, all apartments will be measured following this way", Nam was quoted by Thoi bao Ngan hang (Banking Times) as saying.

Workshop targets medical students

A workshop on how to attract students to family medicine was held at HCM City University of Medicine and Pharmacy yesterday.

Professor Nguyen Phuong Hoa, vice director of the Family Medicine Department at Ha Noi Medical University, said that family medicine was not attracting students for a number of reasons.

Most students choose surgery, obstetrics or paediatrics. This is because the course for family medicine is more academically rigorous than other specialisms but after graduating, entry-level jobs in health centres offer poor salaries and unsociable hours.

Hoa suggested family doctors should be encouraged with policies that offer them benefits and compensation, and the need and role of family doctors in communities should be advertised more widely.

Since 2012, Ha Noi has trialed family doctor clinics in Duc Tu, Co Nhue, Cau Dien Town, Tu Liem District communes, and the Dong Anh and Xanh Pon (Saint Paul) Hospital.

The survey showed that patients, who used the family doctor for health examinations, thought the system was a good improvement and experienced less health problems. There are plans to set up more family doctor practices by 2020 and they hope there will be around 80 family doctor clinics, in 7 provinces and cities by 2015.

Dr Tran Van Khanh, director of District 2 Hospital, said that there are currently three clinics in the city – in District 10, Binh Tan and District 2.

The clinics have earned trust among residents, and have helped over-loaded hospitals free-up beds. However, in order for these health-clinics to stay open, we need more staff trained in family medicine, Khanh said.

Drivers eligible for more power

Individuals aged 18 and above are now eligible to sit driving tests for A2 category licences as of March 1st.

Under the old regulation, only certain individuals and organisations were permitted to drive A2 category motorbikes with 175cc of power or more, including the military or police, taxation officers, forestry management forces and market watch agencies.

Deputy head of the Directorate for Roads under the Department of Vehicle and Driver Management, Luong Duyen Thong, told An Ninh Thu Do (Capital Security) newspaper that the new regulation was expected to help meet people's demand for driving larger motorcycles.

However, he said each locality would initially open up to two motorbike training centres for riders interested in entering the high-powered motorbike category, to promote safety and quality standards.

He added that localities would be permitted to open more training centres in future, depending on real demand. Larger localities, Ha Noi and HCM City, have been permitted to open a maximum of five training centres,

The Directorate for Roads of Viet Nam last month organised training courses for trainers and examiners from motorbike training centres across the country to prepare for the new regulation.

The Directorate's Deputy Director, Nguyen Van Quyen, said there would be measures to tighten control over the implementation of the regulation to ensure training centres would mitigate issues pertaining to traffic safety.

Strict driver tests would also be put in place. Motorbike riders would be required to complete a test of between 150 to 365 questions and undergo driving tests at qualified training centres.

Harvard academic promotes critical skills for youth

Dr. Tony Wagner from Harvard University held a seminar for business leaders, educators and parents, on critical skills for young people in 21st century.

The "Leadership for Innovation" event was hosted by Deloitte and ACCA Vietnam.

Jobs and professions in the 21st century require high-level skills that go beyond the classroom and professional knowledge, involving thinking and creative problem solving skills, Wagner told his audience.

He discussed the "Seven Survival Skills" needed for young people today - critical thinking and problem solving, collaboration across networks and leading by influence, agility and adaptability, initiative and entrepreneurship, effective oral and written communication, accessing and analyzing information and curiosity and imagination.

In conventional schools, students learn in order to achieve good grades, but in today's world, the best education, according to Wagner, emphasizes what he calls the three Ps- play, passion and purpose.

"The play is discovery-based learning that leads young people to find and pursue a passion, which evolves over time into a deeper sense of purpose," he said. "Millennials are more passion-driven than achievement driven and their purpose comes from making a difference, rather than having a stable income as in previous generations."

Tony Wagner currently serves as an expert in residence at Harvard University's new Innovation Lab and is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences in the US and is a widely published author.

His most recent book "Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change The World", was recently published by Simon & Schuster to critical acclaim and has been translated into six languages.

Sea route to connect Ly Son, An Binh

The central province of Quang Ngai will launch a new sea route between the Ly Son island and the An Binh islet at the end of this month.

Vice chairwoman of the Ly Son district people's committee Pham Thi Huong confirmed this to Viet Nam News yesterday.

The three-mile-long internal waterway will be a key transport route for the passengers and cargo.

"The route will ease the travel for the local people between the district and the islet. A 30-seat passenger ship will run every day, every 15 minutes," Huong said.

An Binh, which is home to 500 residents, got access to fresh water for the first time two years ago.

"The route will also reduce the cost of fresh water during the dry season as the islet people have to buy water for at least VND180,000 per cubic metre from Ly Son," Huong said, adding that the residents in An Binh travel to Ly Son and back by boat.

The one-square-kilometre islet is yet to get connected to the electric grid or the Internet, while the solar energy system offers enough power for only a few hours.

The new route will boost tourism services in the island which has 100 cultural and historical monuments.

Capital clamps down on illegal underground wells

Ha Noi City's Natural Resources and Environment Department yesterday asked local authorities to strictly enforce the law when residents illegally dig water wells.

The move aims to prevent illegal drilling of wells and underground water use, which recently caused land to shift in the city's outskirts.

"Local residents in outlying districts have, for many years, made a habit of exploiting underground water sources for their daily use, as well as breeding and cultivation. They often hire private drilling firms operating without licenses, which caused land to shift in the area," said Deputy Director of the department Nguyen Trong Le.

Additionally, numerous houses in Le Thanh Commune in the city's My Duc District have had wall crack after Do Van Giang, a local resident, hired a private drilling company to bore a well 40 meters deep at his house on February 18, according to Le.

The cracks measured one centimetre wide and three to four metres in length. The concrete inter-commune road also suffered damage, Le said.

The city's Natural Resources and Environment Department asked the district's People's Committee to evacuate residents of affected households and their property to safety as soon as the incident occurred.

The departments' staffs also conducted inspections to check buildings and keep a close watch on the cracks.

"In accordance with the rule of the city People's Committee, local households must register to be allowed underground water usage. Well drilling must be conducted by organisations or individuals licensed to perform this work," Le said.

My Duc authorities were asked to move quickly to handle Giang's violation and to investigate the private well drilling firm hired by Giang, as well as tighten management of underground water usage to prevent illegal drilling in the area.

This is the third time there has been land shifting caused by illegal water drilling in the district, Le said.

In late 2010, the People's Committees in the city's districts were also asked to strengthen enforcement to halt the illegal drilling of water.

However, underground water drilling is still common in some districts, such as Quoc Oai, Chuong My, and My Duc.

Southern national park faces risk of forest fires following dry spell

The 8,527ha U Minh Ha National Park in the southernmost province of Ca Mau is facing increased threats of forest fires, according to the Ca Mau Sub-department of Forest Protection.

Nearly 6,500ha of the park are currently on a level three warning and more than 1,500ha are on level four. This may even rise to the fifth and highest level, in the coming months of the dry season.

Prolonged heat and strong winds since the start of the year have meant the water in the canals of the park's cajeput forest, have dried up.

Because they grow on peat land, fires in cajeput forests pose a serious threat. Peat is particularly flammable, so any fire would spread quickly and be difficult to extinguish, according to the Ca Mau sub-department.

The park authorities have improved measures to prevent forest fires, which has included building two large dams and 20 sluice gates to hold water for extinguishing fires should they start.

The park has also built and repaired 28 stations and 18 new monitoring towers, 11 fixed water pumps and set up two mobile pumps.

The park has also completed building a 78.8 km road system, including 26.3 km of asphalted roads which give vehicles better access to the further reaches of the forest should a fire occur. Alongside this, they have arranged for staff to monitor the park round the clock.

The board has advised that local people avoid entering the park to collect wood or honey, without permission as they may unintentionally start forest fires.

It has also encouraged more local people to help prevent forest fires by signing forest protection contracts with them, in which locals are expected to manage and tend to parts of the forest.

According to the board, in previous years, this method has proved effective in preventing forest fires.

Quang Binh province bans illegal sand mining

Fourteen signs banning illegal sand and gravel mining have been installed in 14 hotspots along the Gianh River in the central province of Quang Binh.

Earlier Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai asked the provincial authorities to tighten their management of the sand and gravel exploitation along the river.

The signs banning the practice were installed on the riverbank which runs past eight communes of Quang Trach and Tuyen Hoa districts where sand and gravel are being mined, changing the river flow and causing environmental pollution.

Director of the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment Le Minh Ngan said that the sand mining on the banks of the Gianh River and many other rivers in the province was alarming.

Earlier, local residents took the sand and gravel for their household construction only. However, the exploitation has increased recently, he said.

The department has taken measures to curb the mining and to punish the culprits. So, the situation has "temporarily settled down and will gradually become stable," said Ngan.

The local authorities have fined the Duc Toan Co Ltd in Tuyen Hoa District VND440 million, or US$20,900, for illegal mining of sand on the Gianh riverbank. It is the highest fine imposed for the violation so far in the province.

The provincial authorities have also suspended the company's work permit till August this year. If the company does not repair the damage it has caused, its work permit will be withdrawn forever, said Ngan.

Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia promote youth exchange

Youths from the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Area held their 5th forum in Kratie city, Cambodia, with the aim of strengthening friendship and solidarity between the three neighbouring countries.

Cambodian Minister of Education, Youth and Sports, Hang Chuon Naron, emphasized the need to foster cooperation in the triangle area with a focus on economics.

He also highlighted young people’s role in boosting economic growth and reducing poverty as well as attracting foreign investment to the region.

Participants at the forum said the forum demonstrated the solidarity among youths from Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia and contributed greatly to promoting peace, friendship, cooperation and development in the three countries.

Overseas Vietnamese in Ukraine still safe

The Vietnamese community in Kharkov, one of the hot spots in Ukraine, is still safe amid the political tensions, according to Chairman of the Overseas Vietnamese Association in Kharkov Tran Duc Tua.

Talking to a Vietnam News Agency’s correspondent in Russia, Tua said that the community goes about their business as usual, and no one is in danger.

However, he noted that demonstrations by local people and the devaluation of the hryvnia ( Ukraine ’s currency) have more or less affected business in Barabansova market, where there are a large number of Vietnamese traders.

The Vietnamese community has always tried to keep good relations with local people, Tua said, expressing his hope that the crisis will soon come to an end.

Ukraine is now home to about 10,000 overseas Vietnamese, who are mainly living in major cities such as Kharkov, Kiev and Odessa.

2014 Youth Month launched in Hanoi

The 2014 Youth Month kicked off in the capital city of Hanoi on March 2, with the participation of nearly one thousand of students and young people.

The event is to respond the year of young volunteer people 2014 launched in January.

After the ceremony, the young people cleaned To Lich river section in Cau Giay district and collected waste and construction materials. They also popularised transport rules for high school students in the district.

On this occasion, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union’s Hanoi chapter presented gifts to 31 villages of disadvantaged children in the city, and planted trees at Cau Giay high school.

Activities taking place during the month will contribute to making the city cleaner, more modern and civilised.

Sea, island health care services reviewed

Thousands of coastal and island residents have had access to health care services as quickly as they needed thanks to a project on sea and island health care development until 2020 that was launched in February, 2013.

Over 1,600 people were provided with first aid and 31,000 others with check-ups and treatment, and medicines were given free to 13,600 residents, heard a conference to review the project’s implementation over the past year and discuss a plan to continue with it.

In the year, five helicopters were deployed for medical emergencies while 758 surgeries were performed by grassroots health care establishments in coastal areas and islands.

Deputy Health Minister Pham Le Tuan stressed the importance of the project in helping those living and working in coastal areas and islands have their fundamental health care needs met and see visible access to quality services in the future.

However, the implementation of the project is challenged by such difficulties as a shortage of health workers with practical maritime medicine knowledge, emergency services cost and incentives for health workers on the project-benefited areas, according to the ministry.

It has instructed Hue and Ho Chi Minh City medicine and pharmaceutical universities to develop plans to set up maritime health care faculties to provide personnel serving the sea and island health care services.

Health care unit 78 in Navy High Command Zone 5 will be upgraded to people-military hospital 78 and a project on the establishment of a first aid centre at sea will be developed, heard the conference.

Dak Nong moves to protect endangered animals

The Ta Dung Natural Reserve in the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong has implemented a programme to monitor Cha Va Chan Den (black-shanked douc) and several species of the pheasant family as part of efforts to protect rare animals.

This programme aims to count the number of living members and study the habitat and development of these species.

From July to December last year, researchers reported 10 sightings of black-shanked douc inside the reserve with a total of 64 individuals counted. They also said adult individuals outnumbered that of the young.

Black-shanked douc (Pygathrix migripes), a primate found only in eastern Cambodia and southwestern Vietnam, is classified as Endangered in the 2007 Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature

Scientists have also seen several rare species of the pheasant family, including major groups of Ga Loi Van (Lophura nycthemera annamensis) in evergreen forests. They sighted a few Ga Tien Mat Do (Polyplectron germaini) and raised alarm over the drop in number of this species. Several individuals of Ga So Hong Trang (Arborophila brunneopectus albigula) were also spotted.

Scientists warned that illegal hunting by people living in the buffer zone poses a serious threat to these bird species.

The provincial forestry sector was urged to keep a close watch on the exploitation of forestry resources of local people. More communication activities are needed to raise their awareness of resources protection.

Doctors save ten-month-old baby with measles

Doctors at Hanoi’s Bach Mai Hospital on March 3 managed to save a ten-month infant who was in serious condition that resulted from a measles complication.

The measles virus attacked the baby’s lungs at an early stage, causing a serious cough, high fever, rashes, and respiratory distress. In just a short time, the patient had suffered severe pneumonia.

After two weeks of treatment, the patient is now out of danger and is recovering well.

This is the first case of measles with severe complications that Bach Mai Hospital has admitted this year.

Over the past several days, the number of pediatric patients hospitalised by measles has shown no sign of abating.

Since measles recurred at the end of 2013, Bach Mai Hospital has received more than 30 pediatric patients with serious complications, of which over 60% are children under one year of age who have not been vaccinated against the disease.

Dr Nguyen Tien Dung, head of Bach Mai Hospital’s Pediatric Department, said that pneumonia is the most common cause of death in children with measles, which can cause severe manifestations of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

Another complication, less common but dangerous nonetheless, is measles encephalitis, which often leads to convulsions, coma, or death, and can severely affect the mental and physical development of the survivors.

Dr Dung suggested that parents take their children to be vaccinated against measles. If they develop typhus, high fever, fatigue, coughing or shortness of breath, parents should take them to medical facilities immediately.