Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh presented first-class Labour Order to the SOS Children’s Villages Vietnam at a ceremony held on January 9 to mark its 30th anniversary.

At the event, Do Tien Dung, Country Director of SOS Children’s Villages Vietnam noticed that SOS Children’s Villages International has provided Vietnam with nearly 120 million USD to develop infrastructure in SOS villages in the past 30 years. 

Among 6,000 children nursed in 17 villages across the country, 2,800 have grown up and landed stable jobs and some 3,100 others are being brought up in SOS villages, he said.

The organisation has 12 SOS youth facilities, 12 Hermann Gmeiner vocational schools, 16 kindergartens, four vocational training centres and one medical centre. Each year, its kindergartens and vocational schools receive about 13,000 students. 

Particularly, its family strengthening programmes have offered financial support for families to nurture and take care of orphan children while prevent children from being abandoned and falling into social vices.

Hailing the sound cooperation between Vietnam and the SOS Children’s Villages International in the past three decades, Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung, who is also Honourable President of SOS Children’s Villages Vietnam, affirmed that Vietnam always creates favourable conditions to carry out projects sponsored by the SOS Children’s Villages International.

He asked the Vietnamese SOS village to seek effective measures to better off healthcare for children living in special circumstances and equip them with necessary skills and knowledge so that they can easily integrate into society.

It should work to further financial support for orphan children in society and raise fund from businesses, organisations and individuals, he highlighted.

In 1967, Vietnam became one of the first outside Europe to receive the SOS Children’s Villages International programmes on care and support for children, young people and families. The programmes were halted in mid-1970s and resumed in December 1987 after an agreement to that was reached.

Fatherland Front aids disaster-hit residents in Yen Bai

A delegation from the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) held a working session in the northern province of Yen Bai’s Tram Tau district on January 9 to discuss a house building programme for local residents affected by natural disasters.

President of the VFF Central Committee Tran Thanh Man presented 2 billion VND (88,000 USD) to local authorities to finance the construction of 50 houses for flood victims.

Man expressed his sympathy to affected residents over their damage and urged local authorities to allocate the funding to right people and stabilise local production.

He asked the Fatherland Front of Yen Bai to close supervise the construction of houses for people that lost their home during floods and take care of needy households, helping them enjoy the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday.  

Man also visited and presented 20 gift packages worth 1 million VND (44 USD) each to poor families in Tram Tau’s Hat Luu commune. He also handed over 120 million VND (5,280 USD) to three households to help them build new homes.

Last year, Yen Bai bore the brunt of 21 natural disasters, including two flash floods in Mu Cang Chai, Tram Tau and Van Chan districts, and Nghia Lo town, which caused damage worth 1,855 billion VND (81.7 million USD). 

Statistics showed that these disasters left 86 people dead, missing and injured, 3,471 houses collapsed and swept away, and over 2,814 hectares of paddies and vegetables damaged. 

The province had received almost 80 billion VND (3.52 million USD) and more than 457 tonnes of rice donated by individuals and organisations to affected residents.

HCM City, Osaka youths enhance friendship cooperation

The youth of Ho Chi Minh City and Japan’s Osaka prefecture should promote friendship cooperation in cultural exchanges and science-technology, thus further strengthening relations between the two localities, said HCM City official.

Vice Chairwoman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Thi Thu made the suggestion during a reception for a visiting delegation of students and pupils from Osaka in HCM City on January 9. 

Thu spoke highly of the Japanese youths’ visit, saying that it contributes to tightening ties between the two localities’ residents and bringing benefits to people of both nations.

Osamu Kitamoto, a representative from Osaka’s department of culture and citizen, highlighted the importance of youth connections between the two localities in boosting bilateral relations across fields, such as economy, trade, culture and education. 

He suggested more support and facilitation from HCM City’s authorities for stronger cooperation and friendship exchanges between the two localities’ youths, thus bolstering the traditional friendship between the Vietnamese and Japanese people.

“Colours of Japan” to bring unique experiences for Vietnamese audience

The programme “Colours of Japan”, which will be aired on VTV3 of the Vietnam Television (VTV) from January 19, is expected to bring unique experiences for Vietnamese audience on the early days of 2018.

The programme is jointly produced by the VTV and the Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) as part of the activities to celebrate the 45th anniversary of Vietnam-Japan relations.

Tourism will lie at the heart of the programme, the third of its kind, according to head of the VTV international cooperation department Ho Kien.

The six-episode programme, lasting 30 minutes each, will take the audience to Japanese prefectures of Chiba, Shizuoka, Oita, Nagasaki and Yamanashi to explore breathtaking natural scenery and world-class architectures such as the biggest stone Buddha statue in Chiba, the largest tea-growing area in Shizuoka, and the longest stone bridge in Oita.

Addressing an introduction event in Hanoi on January 9, the Envoy of the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam Nagai Katsuro said the programme aims to further deepen the cooperative ties between the two countries.

The Government of Japan wants to cooperate with Vietnam, including the VTV, to host activities to mark the 45th anniversary of the bilateral relations, he added.

He hoped more Vietnamese people will come to Japan to explore its cuisine, culture and natural landscapes.

The programme was first held in Vietnam in 2016, featuring land and people of Japan, while the 2017 show focused on the theme of Vietnam-Japan gastronomic exchanges.

Celebrations of Vietnam-Japan diplomatic ties launched

The Japanese Embassy in Vietnam held a ceremony in Hanoi on January 9 to launch activities celebrating the 45th founding anniversary of Vietnam-Japan diplomatic relations in 2018.

The ceremony was attended by Deputy Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung, President of the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Association To Huy Rua, former Ambassador to Japan Nguyen Phu Binh, and Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Kunio Umeda.

Participants at the event showed delight at the development of the extensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Japan. They shared the belief that the bilateral ties will be reinforced and develop for the sake of the Vietnamese and Japanese people.

On the occasion, the Japanese Embassy also presented an Order of the Rising Sun to former Ambassador to Japan Nguyen Phu Binh.

Efforts made to care for the needy ahead of Tet

The central province of Nghe An has decided to support the needy in the locality with 50.5 billion VND ahead of the Lunar New Year (Tet).

In the upcoming holiday, the province will not let off fireworks to save money for the poor.

Currently, Nghe An has over 80,000 poor households, mostly residing in mountainous and border areas. In 2017, the province built 541 new houses and upgraded 299 others for the poor.

Meanwhile, the central province of Quang Tri has also launched a number of activities to ensure a warm festival for all poor workers in the province.

This year, Tet bonus for local workers in the locality varies from 200,000 VND to 72 million VND. Many small firms have no plan to offer bonus for workers.

Along with keeping a close watch on businesses’ implementation of salary and bonus regulations, local authorities have also held dialogues with the firms to deal with difficulties facing them and the workers.

Last year, the provincial Trade Union supported over 4,000 workers with underprivileged circumstances with over 2 billion VND, while building 45 new houses worth 1.79 billion VND to the needy.

Quang Tri now has about 35,000 labourers, many of whom face difficulties.

At the same time, the Management Board of the southern province of Binh Phuoc reported that more than 100 enterprises have announced Tet bonus for workers at average 5.2 million VND each.

Trade unions at all levels have built plans to support workers, including free travel assistance and Tet gifts.

Vĩnh Long’s high-tech agriculture pays off

High-tech urban models of agriculture in the Mekong Delta province of Vĩnh Long are yielding high profits for farmers.  

Nguyễn Văn Sua, a farmer in Long Hồ District’s Phước Hậu Commune, said in 2016 he got good results from his 1,000 sq.m net house where he grew vegetables.

The output in the net house was two to three times higher than vegetables grown in open-air fields, he said, adding that the survival rate is also higher.

“After more than one year, I now have a second net house with an area of 2,000 sq.m for cultivating vegetables,” he said.

With advanced farming techniques and environmental friendly production, urban agriculture needs less land area than traditional farming.

The province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has helped farmers in Vĩnh Long City and Bình Minh Town develop 37 orchid cultivation models with a total of 37,000 pots of orchids.

Last year, Lâm Quốc Hưng in Vĩnh Long City’s Trường An Commune was provided 1,000 pots of orchids by the city’s Agriculture Extension Centre.

Hưng increased the number of orchid pots in his garden to 2,200 and earned revenue of VNĐ20 million (US$880) every three months. 

“I plan to grow an additional 1,500 pots of orchids,” he said.

Advanced farming techniques, including automated irrigation systems, have helped orchid farmers reduce the number of workers and amount of water for growing orchids, according to farmers.

Last year, the city developed more than 10 models of urban agriculture that grow clean vegetables, hydroponic vegetables and other products.

Nguyễn Hoàng Khải in the city’s Tân Hòa Commune, for example, grows 400 cucumber plants in a 300 sq.m net house and earns a profit of VNĐ30 million ($1,320) per three-month crop.

Khải said he offered cucumbers for sale at supermarkets, which asked for about 50 kilos of cucumbers a day.

“To meet the request, I’m building five more net houses with a combined 2,000 sq.m to grow cucumbers,” he said.

Lâm Thị Thảo Trang, deputy head of the Vĩnh Long City Economic Bureau, said many urban agriculture models had been successful, including safe vegetables, hydroponic vegetables, orchids, frogs and fish.

The method has increased value, met market demand, and reduced the need for pesticides and labourers, she said.

However, there are still difficulties, including a limited State budget and farmers’ shortage of capital, Trang said, adding that there is also a lack of investment from companies for processing.

From 2015 to 2020, the province, located between the Tiền and Hậu rivers, tributaries of the Mekong River, has been moving toward high-tech agriculture.

Last year, the provincial People’s Committee approved a plan to apply high-tech techniques from Israel in agriculture.

Nguyễn Thị Mai, director of Vĩnh Long Province’s Agricultural Seedling Centre, said that additional training of human resources and more investment were needed to support high-tech agriculture.

Fire destroys kindergaten in Bình Dương

Fire destroyed a child English centre and a separate kindergarten in Bình Dương Province Monday morning, forcing dozens of teachers and children to evacuate. No one was hurt.

The fire also burned down several houses, but again, no injuries were reported. 

The fire reportedly started in a scrap yard in a neighbouring shoe-sole maker in Lê Thị Trung Street in Thuận An Town at about 9.15 am.

Nearby residents noticed the smoke and tried to use water and fire extinguishers to put out the blaze, but failed. The flames quickly spread to the English centre and a kindergarten. Smoke rose hundreds of metres into the air.

Dozens of children at the centre ran from the classes aided by their teachers. 

Firefighters managed to contain the fire at noon after hours fighting heavy winds that fanned the flames.

Police are investigating the cause of the incident.

HCM City targets completion of 22 transport projects

The HCM City Department of Transport aims to complete 22 major transport projects by the end of the year, according to a report in the Người Lao Động (Labourer) newspaper.

At Mỹ Thủy Intersection in District 2, the Kỳ Hà Bridge No.3, an overpass on the Belt Road No. 2 and a tunnel under the Belt Road No. 2 to Cát Lái Port will be built. The project is worth VNĐ837 billion ($36.8 million).  

The project is expected to reduce traffic congestion at Cát Lái Port area and nearby roads such as the Belt Road No. 2, Đồng Văn Cống and Mai Chí Thọ, according to the department.

A road from Bà Chiêm Bridge Intersection to Hiệp Phước Industrial Park in Nhà Bè District will also be built this year.

The project, worth VNĐ412 billion ($18 million), will connect the city’s inland container depot system with the Soài Rạp deep-water seaport via Nguyễn Văn Linh, Huỳnh Tấn Phát and Nguyễn Hữu Thọ streets.

Other transport projects include a new overpass on Hoàng Minh Giám Road at Gia Định Park, and the upgrading and widening of Hoàng Minh Giám Road in Tân Bình District.

A new road under the Bình Triệu Bridge in Thủ Đức District and a new Rạch Gia Bridge in Bình Chánh District will also be built.

The city’s transport infrastructure has not kept up with urbanisation, especially in densely populated areas, according to the department.

Bùi Xuân Cường, director of the department, said the department had met its goal last year of completing 106 km of new roads and 21 new bridges, which helped reduce congestion in four of 37 traffic-heavy sites in the city.

This year the department will speed up investing in zoned transport infrastructure and will give priority for transport projects in the Cát Lái Port area and Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport this year.

It will also invest in public transport projects at the city’s gateways to serve bus passengers, he said.

The city will also give investment priority for waterway transport projects on the Sài Gòn and Đồng Nai rivers this year.

Farmers yet to comprehend co-op model

Most farmers in HCM City have not taken to the co-operative model because they do not understand its functions and benefits fully, officials say.

Trần Ngọc Hổ, deputy director of the municipal Agriculture and Rural Development Department, said the model has helped develop farming households since the 2012 Law on Co-operatives came into force.

While it "has attracted only 15 per cent of farmers, their income is higher than households who don’t take part in co-operatives," Hổ told the Nông Thôn Ngày Nay (Countryside Today) newspaper.

However co-operatives are still small-scale, focusing mostly on the supply of inputs for members. They do not have proper production and sales plans, he said. In several cases, members have not contributed their dues because they still don’t know how to make the co-ops work effectively, he added.

Võ Thành Dũng, deputy director of the Trường Thịnh Agriculture Co-operative, said that many co-operatives were unsuccessful because they lacked capital and assets as collateral for securing loans.

The application of science and technology was also limited the investment costs were too high, he said.

While the household as a production unit has contributed greatly to the agriculture sector’s successes, the predominantly small-scale operations were not efficient, not benefiting from economies of scale.

Hổ also said that limited knowledge and skills under household farming made it difficult for them to approach banks, exploit post-harvest technologies, and sign contracts with enterprises.

“Currently, some 77 per cent of agriculture production in the city is carried out by households but it cannot be the main model for the future," Hổ said.

Other models like large scale farms, joint ventures and enterprises were also struggling to expand because they lack land and investment.

 “Co-operatives must focus on solving farmers’ failures rather than replacing farmers in production and business. Farmers in co-operatives will benefit more than people outside the group,” said Associate Professor Nguyễn Văn Ngãi at HCM University of Agriculture and Forestry.

Although many agricultural co-operatives have been established, many have not developed, and some have even closed despite many supportive policies.

However, the co-operative model was still necessary as a key part of the country’s economic development, he said.

Dr Võ Thị Kim Sa of the Agriculture and Rural Development Staff Management School said as the agriculture sector became more competitive, small farmers would fail.

“Co-operatives can help them, but first they should know the role and benefits of this model. Transparency of assets under collective and private ownership when farmers participate in co-operatives is a big issue. And the co-operative needs a good business manager to gather farmers,” he said.

According to the agriculture department, the city currently has 41 co-operatives with 2,235 members.

HCM City signs MoU with VNPost on improved admin services

The HCM City People’s Committee and Việt Nam Post Corp (VNPost) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Monday on improving  processing of administrative forms and tasks.

The aim is to limit face-to-face contact with government agencies, according to Trần Vĩnh Tuyến, deputy chairman of HCM City People’s Committee.

Residents will now take their forms to a post office which will forward the forms to the respective agencies. The agencies will then process the forms and return the results to the residents’ home address.   

Nguyễn Minh Hồng, deputy minister of Information and Communications, said that HCM City had 3 million administrative forms or requests processed through the post office, which was much higher than in the past. This compares to a total of 9 million in the entire country.

Icy weather hits the North

People in the northern mountains shivered yesterday as temperature dropped to freezing point - and snow is likely to blanket Sa Pa Township this morning.

On Lạng Sơn Province’s Mẫu Sơn Mountain, the thermometer yesterday dropped to minus 0.3 degrees Celsius

“Yesterday was the coldest day since the beginning of  winter,” Lê Thanh Hải, deputy director of the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting said.

Data from the centre showed by 6am yesterday morning, the temperature fell to 3.2 degrees in Vĩnh Phúc Province’s Tam Đảo District; 3.4 degrees Celsius in Hà Giang Province’s Đồng Văn District; 4.2 degrees Celsius in Lào Cai Province’s Sa Pa District; and 4.8 degrees Celsius in Sơn La Province’s Mộc Châu District.

The centre warned that extreme cold weather was predicted to last until Saturday . It said the temperatures would be 8-11 degrees in delta localities, 5-8 degrees in mountainous provinces and 3 degrees in high mountains. Hải added that the Mẫu Sơn area was in the centre of the cold spell. 

Lưu Minh Hải, director of Lào Cai Province’s Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting, said snow was expected to fall on Fansipan Mountain and nearby Sa Pa Town early today.

Hà Nội is also experiencing the coldest weather since the beginning of winter with temperatures of  8-11 degrees predicted until Saturday.

Officials in Lạng Sơn Province yesterday allowed students to take a day off from school due to the extreme weather.

The provincial People’s Committee ordered relevant agencies to assist local breeders to keep their cows and buffaloes warm. The measures include providing shelters and deep straw  and even lighting fires to keep the animals warm.

The provincial agriculture sector dispatched teams to villages to help local farmers protect their crop from the cold.

In Lào Cai Province, chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, Đặng Xuân Phong, sent an urgent message to all units to help minimise damage to animals and crops.

Phong told the chairmen of People’s Committees to delay all non-urgent meetings to focus on helping residents.

The Hà Nội’s Education and Training Department yesterday said that parents should allow their children to take a day off from primary school if the forecast was for temperatures below 10 degrees. If temperatures fell  lower than  7 degrees, secondary school students should stay home..

Local schools were told to contact parents to inform them about extreme cold days.

Hải Phòng plans 4 big transport projects

The northern port city of Hải Phòng plans to implement four main transport projects in the period 2016-20, with foreign direct investment (FDI) totalling nearly US$500 million.

The information was announced by the Hải Phòng Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion Centre on Monday.

The four projects include construction work on the subway from Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm Road to Vũ Yên Island, the Hồ Sen Cầu Rào 2-Nguyễn Văn Linh intersection, the Hải Thành Bridge and the Bến Lâm Bridge.

The biggest project is the Bến Lâm Bridge, connecting two districts of Hồng Bàng and Thủy Nguyên. The bridge will be 1,300m in length and have 10 lanes. The cost of the project is estimated at $160 million.

The project starting first, scheduled for this year, is the Hồ Sen Cầu Rào 2-Nguyễn Văn Linh intersection in Lê Chân District. The project will cover 6ha of land with total investment of $17 million.

Last year, Hồ Sen-Cầu Rào 2 Road connecting the city centre with Lê Chân District and Dương Kinh District was completed. Thus, the Hồ Sen Cầu Rào 2-Nguyễn Văn Linh intersection project is important as it will complete the city’s traffic system, creating a main road connecting the city centre with Highway No 5 and the Đồ Sơn Tourism Site, according to the Hải Phòng Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion Centre. It will also help reduce heavy traffic on the Cầu Đất-Lạch Tray-Cầu Rào route.

The Hồ Sen Cầu Rào 2-Nguyễn Văn Linh intersection project is part of the city’s scheme for 2025 with a vision for 2050, to attract more investment and promote socio-economic development in Lê Chân District and the city, according to experts from the centre.

The project of building the subway from Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm Road to Vũ Yên Island is in Hải An and Thủy Nguyên districts. The subway will be 350metres in length and have four lanes. It will cover an area of 8.1ha with total investment of $180 million.

Once it is completed, the subway is expected to shorten travel time from the city centre to Vũ Yên Island, contributing to the city’s strategy of socio-economic development.

The last project is the Hải Thành Bridge in Dương Kinh and Hải An districts. The bridge will be 5km in length and have 12 lanes. It will cover an area of 40ha with funds of $35 million.

PM hails science-technology’s role in nation’s economic development

Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has stressed the important role played by science and technology in promoting production value and economic growth, and asked for more effort to effectively develop the sector in the future.

Speaking at a conference held by the Ministry of Science and Technology in Hà Nội yesterday to review scientific and technological activities in 2017, the Government leader praised state management of science and technology at all levels in the year.

"It is necessary to continue creating breakthroughs in improving the innovation index and consider enterprises a centre of innovation," he said.

Attention should be paid to building laws related to science and technology development and policies on using human resources, as well as increasing investment in the sector, he noted. 

PM Phúc also pointed out shortcomings that must be solved in order to promote the application of science and technology in production and business activities, and commercialisation of science-technology products.

Minister of Industry and Trade Trần Tuấn Anh said the sector served as a driving force for the nation’s socio-economic development.

The year 2017 witnessed great efforts in renovating state management and effective collaboration among ministries and sectors to foster the development of science and technology, he added.

Minister of Science and Technology Chu Ngọc Anh said the ministry would continue fine-tuning legal regulations; encourage the implementation of science and technology tasks in connection with enterprises’ development and promote the application of high technologies in agriculture development, especially for key farm products for export.

Villages for orphans celebrate

SOS Children’s Villages Việt Nam, which provides homes for thousands of orphans and abandoned children nationwide, on Tuesday celebrated its 30th birthday. 

In a message of congratulations, president of SOS Children’s Villages International, Siddhartha Kaul, said SOS Children’s Villages Việt Nam was "a fine example of a partnership between an international organisations and a government, where both parties have given their best efforts to serve children who have no one."

SOS is an independent, non-governmental international development organisation that has been protecting the interests and rights of children since 1949. It was founded by Hermann Gmeiner in Imst, Austria.

The Việt Nam operation was established in December 1987 under an agreement between Việt Nam’s Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs and the SOS Children’s Villages International.

The two first villages were opened in HCM City and Hà Nội. After 30 years, there are now 17 villages across the country. 

Each village has about 12 to 16 families and each family has eight to 10 children looked after by women. The women are single and voluntarily devote  their lives to be "mothers" to the children in the villages.    

Director Nguyễn Tiến Dũng told Tuesday’s anniversary meeting that for 30 years, the mothers had devoted their lives to not only nurture, but also compensate for the lost affection experienced by the orphans and abandoned children.

Today, there are 17 villages nation-wide nurturing more than 6,000 children. More than 2,800 have grown up and left the villages to integrate into normal life. Another 806 got married.

The children are looked after on a family model based on the principles of mother, brothers and sisters, home, and village.

Most of the children in the villages are provided educational or vocational training.

Besides, the SOS Villages Việt Nam has carried out a programme of providing financial assistance to families who adopt orphans to help the children continue their education and avoid early work and social evils.

At present, 1,634 orphans have been adopted by 1,556 families.

Hermann Gmeiner Schools have also been funded by the SOS Children’s Villages, International.

At present, there are 12 SOS Herman Gmeiner Schools in Việt Nam from kindergartens to high-schools.

Every year, the schools enroll about 13,000 students, 7 per cent of whom are provided full scholarships.

Besides, the SOS Vocational Training Centre in Việt Trì City in Phú Thọ Province provides training for more than 1,500 in carpentry, plumbing and electrics.

Every year, SOS Villages Việt Nam and SOS Herman Gmeiner Schools grant monthly scholarships of VNĐ2 million to VNĐ4 million (US$90 to 180) to children to learn in schools or vocational training centres.

During 30 years of operation, the international organisation has given Việt Nam’s villages a total of $120 million. More than 20 per cent is spent on building facilities and equipment, and the rest on nurturing children and daily expenses.

At present, the villages and other SOS entities nation-wide have 1,300 staff, excluding 500 lecturers and short-term employees.

To mark their success, the SOS Children’s Villages Việt Nam has been given a Labour Order, First Class.

Along with funds from the SOS Children’s Villages International, SOS Villages Việt Nam also receives money from the State Budget, localities and community.

Since 2010, the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs has granted VNĐ18 billion (US$800,000) to the villages to help the programme strengthen families in Bến Tre, Cà Mau, Lâm Đồng, Quảng Nam and Nghệ An provinces, and Đà Nẵng City. 

In a message of congratulations, president of SOS Children’s Villages International, Siddhartha Kaul, said SOS Children’s Villages Việt Nam was a fine example of a partnership between an international organisations and a government, where both parties had given their best efforts to serve children who had no one.

Flyover bridge to reduce traffic jams

Work on the 5.3km-long Mai Dịch-Thăng Long Bridge Flyover has started and is expected to be finished by 2020, according to the Thăng Long Project Management Board under the Ministry of Construction.

The flyover will have four lanes and total investment of more than VNĐ5.3 trillion (US$232.8 million). It will be built with official development assistance (ODA) from the Japanese Government and funds from the Vietnamese Government. It will enable vehicles to move at a maximum of 100kph.

The management board said when the flyover was completed, it would play an important role in reducing traffic jams, completing the capital city’s traffic system for the present.

The section from Mai Dịch to Cổ Nhuế will be built by Sumitomo Mitsui Construction Co Ltd, while the section from Cổ Nhuế to Nam Thăng Long will be built by the Tokyu Construction Co Ltd under the Taisei Corporation.

In October 2016, the widening of Ringroad No 3 from Mai Dịch to Thăng Long Bridge was started as part of the project. It will cost VNĐ3.1 trillion ($136.6 million) and be paid for from the Hà Nội budget. The project is expected to complete by the end of March.

The ringroad is the main road connecting the city centre to Nội Bài International Airport. The widening will help reduce traffic jams on connecting roads, including Phạm Văn Đồng, Hoàng Quốc Việt, Cổ Nhuế and Nguyễn Hoàng Tôn.