Vietnamese, Ukrainian war veterans foster friendship

The Vietnamese war veterans’ association in Ukraine and the Ukraine-Vietnam war veterans’ association gathered to mark the 73rd anniversary of the victory over fascism (May 9). 

Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Anh Tuan, along with Vietnamese and Ukrainian war veterans and representatives of the Vietnamese community in Ukraine laid wreaths at the Ukraine martyrs monument in Vysgorod city, Kiev province. 

Speaking at the gathering on May 11, Ambassador Tuan lauded great contributions made by the army and people of Ukraine to the World War II, especially those who died for the Victory Day. 

Vietnamese people always keep in mind the support of Ukrainian war veterans and people for their struggle for liberation as well as national construction and defence, he said. 

The diplomat expressed his hope that the war veterans will continue to work as a bridge to preserve and develop the fruitful traditional friendship between the two countries, contributing to boosting the bilateral partnership and comprehensive cooperation. 

On this occasion, Ambassador Tuan presented a certificate of merit of the Vietnamese Embassy to Major General Vladimir Popovich, President of the Ukraine-Vietnam war veterans’ association, and souvenirs to two other veterans to honour their contributions to the traditional friendship between Vietnam and Ukraine in general and war veterans of the two countries in particular. 

Vietnamese food attracts Czech people in festival

Vietnamese booth attracts many visitors at the festival. 

Vietnamese special dishes received appraisals from visitors to a culinary and cultural festival in Prague 6 district in the Czech Republic on May 12. 

The annual culinary and cultural festival drew the participation of the Vietnamese Embassy along with 39 foreign diplomatic corps in Prague 6 district. 

Apart from traditional dishes like “nem ran” (fried spring roll), “tom chien xu” (batter-fried shrimp) and “bun cha” (vermicelli with grilled pork and fresh herbs), Vietnam also contributed several art performances at the festival. 

The Vietnamese Embassy in the Czech Republic has organised diverse activities aiming to promote the land and people of Vietnam to Czech people and foreigners in the country. 

The embassy plans to hold a seminar to introduce Vietnam’s economic potential and call on Czech investors to come to Vietnam in May, and will coordinate with the Vietnam Administration of Tourism in promoting Vietnamese tourism in the Czech Republic in June.

Between July and the year end, many cooperation agreements are expected to be signed between localities of the two nations.

The Czech  Republic is one of Vietnam’s largest trade partners in Central and Eastern Europe, with two-way trade exceeding 257 million USD in 2017, of which Vietnam’s exports to the Czech Republic were over 151 million USD. 

In the first two months of 2018, export-import turnover between the two countries hit nearly 50 million USD, up 31.3 percent year-on-year.

Vietnam’s major exports to the Czech Republic include footwear, garments-textiles, mobile phones, electronic components, farm produce and aquatic products. 

Meanwhile, the country mainly imports machines, equipment, chemicals, and mechanical, pharmaceuticals and crystal products from the Czech Republic. 

By the end of February 2018, the Czech Republic had invested in 36 projects in Vietnam with total registered capital of over 90 million USD, ranking 49th among 126 countries and territories investing in Vietnam. Vietnamese enterprises have also invested in four projects worth some 4.5 million USD in the Czech Republic.

Overseas Vietnamese doctors in Cambodia help poor locals

Director of Chak Angre hospital Le Ba Hung gives health consultation to Cambodian people (Source:vov.vn)

Over 1,000 Cambodian poor people in Kep province and Vietnamese expats living in the coastal locality were given free check-ups and medicines during a charitable programme on May 12.

The event was organised by overseas Vietnamese doctors working in Chak Angre hospital in the Cambodian province, in coordination with doctors from the provincial hospital and a hospital of the Royal Cambodian Army.

Director of Chak Angre hospital Le Ba Hung said the charitable activity was funded by Vietnamese enterprises, Overseas Vietnamese firms operating in Cambodia and the hospital. 

In his speech at the opening ceremony of the event, Governor of Kep province Ken Sotha highlighted the significance of the activity, especially at a time when the local health sector is meeting with difficulties. 

It also shows friendship and mutual support between the two countries’ people, he said. 

The people were provided with services such as blood tests, ultrasound examination, electrocardiogram, general examination. They also received medicines and advice on how to prevent diseases. 

Those with difficult circumstances, who can’t afford intensive treatment, will have their treatment funded by donors. 

In recent years, many delegations of Vietnamese and overseas Vietnamese volunteer doctors, enterprises and donors have provided free medical examination and medicines for disadvantaged Cambodians and OVs living in Cambodia, contributing to enhancing the friendship between the two countries and their people in particular.

Two civil servants on retirement outing killed in Khánh Hoà accident

A passenger bus carrying 31 recently retired civil servants on a vacation trip overturned in Khánh Hòa Province, killing two and seriously injuring 20. — Photo vnexpress.ne

A passenger bus carrying 31 recently-retired civil servants overturned in the morning of Saturday in Khánh Hoà Province, killing two and seriously injuring around 20 of the group.   

The retirees, who are from the northern province of Yên Bái’s Lục Yên District, were travelling on National Road 27 in the province when the bus suddenly overturned near a turn on Khánh Lê mountain pass in Khánh Vĩnh District.

The passenger bus slid for a while before crashing into a cliff. The front part of the vehicle was seriously damaged.

All of the passengers were stuck inside the bus. Dương Văn Thắng and Phạm Văn Nho, both 62, died on the scene, authorities said.

Colonel Nguyễn Trọng Thắng, deputy head of the Khánh Hòa traffic police, said that traffic police and medical forces were sent to the scene and victims were transported to the hospital.

Police are investigating the cause of the accident.

Khánh Lê mountain pass is 1,700 metres high and 33 kilometres long, located on National Highway 27 that connects the cities of Đà Lạt and Nha Trang.

The pass has many severe turns, with high cliffs, and a steep abyss of up to 300 metres. Many serious accidents have occurred there. 

Lý Sơn island district’s garlic onion farmers worried about white sand shortage

A farmer in An Hải Commune, Lý Sơn District in the central province of Quảng Ngãi harvests garlic. 

After the 2017-2018 spring-autumn garlic harvest 15 days ago, farmers of Lý Sơn island district in the central province of Quảng Ngãi are preparing for a new onion crop but there is one thing in short supply, sea sand.

This crucial component is the farming business has been exhausted from the sea bed, while the demand for sand to improve cultivation has seen the price rise. Now it is up to VNĐ200,000-210,000/cu.m, an increase of VNĐ20.000 from two months ago, Thanh Niên (Young People) newspaper reports.

Mai Thị Chi, a farmer at An Hải Commune said: "Due to insufficient supply, sometimes growers have to wait several days to buy enough sand to improve the soil.”

To collect the sand at the bottom of the sea, divers have to go through many difficult stages. In previous years, there was plenty, but not anymore.

Up to three workers head about 400m out from the coastline in boats towing rafts. Then they dive to the sea bed some 30m below using tubes to breath in search of good sand.

It takes around four hours underwater to raise 40cu.m of sand.

Dương Minh Trí, a farmer An Hải Commune also said every year for around 1,000sq.m of garlic and onion, he family needed around 12cu.m of sand.

But because it is in short supply, this year not all of his crop will be covered in sand.

"Each year there is only one garlic crop, so we are willing to invest, but because of the sand shortage, it will be difficult. Lack of white sand is affecting the productivity of onion, garlic but we bear it," said Trí.

At Lý Sơn’s boat-anchoring area, there are 10 sand rafts that can mine 200cu.m of sand a day.

Meanwhile, with 300 hectares of garlic production area, farmers need tens of thousands of cu. m.

“The current source of sand on the island district is exhausted, the supply is not enough to help the local production,” said Trí.

Nguyễn Văn Trương, owner of a sand raft in Đông Village, An Hải Commune said "Every day can only gather around four rafts of sand, with the volume of about 20cu.m, so it is not enough white sand to provide for onion  production.”

Additionally, price increased because of the increase of gasoline prices, labour costs, transportation cost.

Garlic farmers in the island had a 2017 – 2018 spring garlic bumper crop with both high price and productivity.

The island district now has nearly 330 hectares of garlic and onion cultivation land, with an average yield of about 8-10 tonnes per hectare. The total yield was estimated at 3,000 tonnes of garlic. So the amount of white sand used to grow garlic on the island was huge.

Former bank officials charged with inflating house price

The trial of 28 former officials of Đại Tín Bank (Trust Bank) (now Việt Nam Construction Bank) continued yesterday with a focus on how the former senior advisor of the management board of Trust Bank, Hứa Thị Phấn, was able to increase the value of her house at 5 Phạm Ngọc Thạch Street in District 3 in HCM City.

The trial of 28 former officials of Đại Tín Bank (Trust Bank) (now Việt Nam Construction Bank) continued yesterday with a focus on how the former senior advisor of the management board of Trust Bank, Hứa Thị Phấn, was able to increase the value of her house at 5 Phạm Ngọc Thạch Street in District 3 in HCM City.– Photo vietnamn

The officials were charged with allegedly "abusing trust to appropriate property" and "intentionally violating state regulations on economic management and causing serious consequences".

Phấn sold the house to Trust Bank, causing financial damages of over VNĐ1.1 trillion (US$48.5 million), according to the indictment.

The Trust Bank’s Debt Management and Exploitation Company (Trust Asset) had been assigned by Trust Bank to verify the real price of Hứa Thị Phấn’s house in District 3.

Trust Asset, which had registered capital of VNĐ100 billion ($4.4 million), was owned by Trust Bank. Hoàng Văn Toàn, chairman of Trust Bank, was chair of the Trust Asset’s board of managers.

Trust Asset, however, did not have a price appraisal function, and was not included on a Ministry of Finance list of businesses permitted to verify prices when licences are granted. 

During the trial, defendant Toàn said that, besides not having the function of housing price verification, Trust Bank did not have the right to ask its company Trust Asset to verify the price for a property that Trust Bank would like to buy.

Along with Toàn, other defendants on the management board also revealed that they all believed what Hứa Thị Phấn had said about the house, that it would be the headquarters for Trust Bank.

After her request, all members of the management board signed a file agreeing to buy the house, which had been drawn up by Ngô Kim Huệ, Phấn’s niece and deputy general director of Trust Bank.

Asked how they verified the price of the house as VNĐ1,268 billion ($56 million), nearly eight times higher than the market price, defendant Bùi Thế Nghiệp, housing appraisal staff of Trust Asset, said that he had done everything under the guidance of the former director Nguyễn Công Tụ.

He said he received a real estate price verifying certificate after studying for only one and a half months.

Meanwhile, the house was verified by different companies and the price ranged from VNĐ154 billion ($6.8 million) to VNĐ290 billion ($12.8 million), much lower than the selling price of VNĐ1,268 billion.

On February 7, 2012, Phấn bought the house from Lam Giang Real Estate Joint-Stock Company at a price of VNĐ450 billion ($20 million).

Six days later, she sold the house to Trust Bank for VNĐ1,268 billion. Phấn increased the value of her house, causing financial damages of over VNĐ1.1 trillion ($48.5 million).

Phấn and her defendants have been charged with "abusing trust to appropriate property" and "intentionally violating state regulations on economic management and causing serious consequences".

The investigation police concluded that violations committed by Phấn and others caused serious financial damage to Trust Bank, totaling VNĐ6.362 trillion ($280 million), excluding VNĐ5.64 trillion in damages from three other violations, which will be investigated in the second phase of the case. 

The trial is scheduled to last until May 31. 

Trà Vinh to expand super-intensive shrimp farming

Trà Vinh Province encourages farmers to develop super-intensive shrimp farming using advanced techniques. 

Farmers in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Trà Vinh have expanded highly profitable super-intensive shrimp farming using advanced techniques.

The province now has 350ha of white-legged shrimp farms under the model, up 2.5 times since the end of last year, according to the province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The model is called super-intensive farming because the number of shrimp farmed is up to 250 per square metre, compared with 50 in traditional models.

Farmers thus harvest 40 tonnes per hectare per crop, seven to eight times higher than in traditional models.

Lê Văn Hậu, who has close to 20 years’ experience in breeding shrimp in Duyên Hải District’s Long Vĩnh Commune, said he first used the model in a 1,500sq.m pond earlier this year.

He bred 255,000 shrimp and harvested more than seven tonnes, earning a profit of more than VNĐ400 million (US$17,500), he said.

Shrimp bred under the model fetches VNĐ2,000 a kilogramme higher than usual, he said.

He plans to invest in one more pond before the next crop, he said.

“The model helps farmers control the quality of water used for breeding shrimp since water is settled in the resettling pond before being pumped into the main pond.”

But it requires a large investment since a one-hectare pond costs around VNĐ3 billion ($131,000) to build, according to the department.

The ponds are covered with anti-sunshine nets. Plastic sheets are placed in their beds, and fans are installed on the surface, as well as pumps on the beds to oxygenate the water.

Farmers can harvest four shrimp crops each year under the model.

Phạm Minh Truyền, deputy director of the department, said the model offers a lower risk of disease, with 95 per cent of shrimp farming areas proving efficient.

The department encourages farmers to expand their farms, he said.

“Shrimp farms using the model are expected to expand rapidly this year.”

The department has issued guidelines to develop the model sustainably and protect the environment. 

Farmers have to build separate ponds to serve as a nursery, for keeping the shrimp when they grow slightly larger, settling water before pumping into the main pond, and hold wastewater for treatment, and instal oxygenation equipment for the ponds, the department said.

Nguyễn Văn Hiếu, secretary of the Duyên Hải Town Party Committee, said the town has advised farmers to ensure environmental protection and regularly inspects shrimp farms.

Duyên Hải has the largest area under super-intensive shrimp farming in Trà Vinh.

Last year the province produced 45,000 tonnes of brackish water shrimp, white-legged shrimp and black tiger shrimp.

With its 65km coastline, the province seeks to increase its brackish water shrimp output to 70,640 tonnes by 2020.

Ministry proposes changes in regulations on marine resources

Farmers breed fish in cages in Phú Quý Island District in central province of Bình Thuận.

 

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is developing a draft decree to replace Decree No 51/2014/NĐ-CP (Decree 51) allotting sea areas to organisations and individuals for exploiting marine resources.

According to the ministry, since Decree 51, dated 2014, came into effect in 2015, the ministry had received seven applications for marine resources exploitation and use. The provinces of Quảng Ninh, Quảng Trị, Phú Yên, Bình Thuận and Kiên Giang assigned 12 sea areas to private organisations and individuals for this purpose.

The assignment helped boost the marine economy of these localities as well as encouraged organisations/individuals to invest in projects on sea ports and wind energy. The investment is reportedly worth billions of US dollars.

However, after three years of implementation of Decree 51, its shortcomings are starting to surface, the ministry said at a workshop in Hà Nội on Thursday.

Decree 51 fails to clarify authorised agencies that can grant certificates/permissions or investment licences to organisations and individuals so that they can exploit marine resources in the allotted sea areas.

Moreover, many exploitation activities are not included in the current list of activities regulated in the decree, leading to confusion among relevant agencies in granting permissions.

In addition to this, activities such as oil surveillance and exploitation, aquaculture or those for national defence purposes, are regulated by other specific laws, which pose problems in granting permissions.  

Addressing the workshop, acting head of Việt Nam Sea and Islands General Department Tạ Đình Thi said it was necessary to amend Decree 51 to make it suitable to reality.

The ministry hopes to complete and submit the draft decree to the government in October.

Experts discuss safe work conditions for female migrants

Chang-Hee Lee, director of the International Labour Organisation, gives a speech at the conference. — Photo Courtesy of the UN Women

Women migrant workers face the risk of violence and trafficking, discrimination and insecurity while accessing fair and sustainable employment, and supportive services.

Experts agreed on these points during a conference to launch the project "Safety and Justice: The Rights and Opportunities of Female Migrant Workers in the ASEAN Region in the period of 2018-20," held on Thursday in Hà Nội by the United Nations Office on Gender Equality and Empowerment (UN Women), in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

Women migrant workers will have positive experiences and contribute sufficiently when their safety, labour rights and human rights are adequately protected, they noted.

Chang-Hee Lee, director of ILO, said in ASEAN, more women were migrating.

International labour migration has increased in the past few decades to some 10 million people, nearly half the movement being driven by women.

Migration of female workers can be an important source of empowerment for women, as female migrant workers have contributed significantly to economic and social development, emigration and immigration, he said.

He stressed the conference was an opportunity to introduce the project to key stakeholders and identify the specific areas of focus at the national level to ensure the project was in line with national priorities.

Elisa Fernandez, UN Women’s Representative in Việt Nam, said Việt Nam was a source country and not a destination country for labour migration.

At the national level, efforts are needed to assist women access information more effectively and reduce the range of activities and types of violence against women, particularly women migrants, she said.

Việt Nam was one of the first countries to pilot a UN programme on essential services for women and girls suffering from violence at the national level, she added.

During the two-day conference, experts discussed legal and policy priorities, a capacity building approach for partners to implement policies, service support and contact with female migrant workers.

The project is one of the most prominent initiatives of the European Union and the United Nations to eliminate violence against women and girls.

The project provides technical assistance to make labour migration safe and fair for all women in the ASEAN. The project attracts the participation of ASEAN member countries, including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Việt Nam.

SMS campaign to help TB patients

A SMS campaign was launched on May 11 to help poor patients suffering from Tuberculosis (TB) and integrate them into the community of Việt Nam.

A short message service (SMS) campaign was launched on Friday to help poor patients suffering from Tuberculosis (TB) and integrate them into the community of Việt Nam.

The campaign was launched by the Patients Support Foundation to End Tuberculosis (PASTB), in collaboration with the National TB Control and Prevention Programme and the National Humanitarian Portal 1400.

“Every SMS will create more opportunities to treat and cure TB patients and minimise the transmission of TB among the community,” said the National TB Control and Prevention Programme director Nguyễn Viết Nhung.

“Eliminating TB means preventing 13,000 deaths in Việt Nam each year, and thousands of households will not have to worry about their family members,” Nhung added.

Nhung stressed that by investing VNĐ1 in TB prevention, VNĐ46 can be earned for the entire community, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).   

People can support the programme by texting “TB” to 1402, from May 1 to June 29, 2018. Every mobile text message will contribute VNĐ18,000 (US$0.79) to the fund.

Organisations and individuals can also donate by directly transferring money to the fund’s account (Account Number: 16010000288699, Bank for Investment and Development of Việt Nam, Branch 3).

TB is the leading cause of deaths around the world, which total nearly two million people annually. Resistant TB also threatens global health, and the WHO estimates that nearly 126,000 new cases of TB are diagnosed, which resulted in 13,000 deaths in Việt Nam in 2016.

The National TB Control and Prevention Programme has diagnosed over 100,000 TB cases, and an estimated 30,000 cases are yet to be detected.

Hà Nội uses more electricity as temperature rises

Workers from Việt Nam Electricity in Hà Nội check a 110kV substation in Thường Tín District. 

Electricity consumption has surged drastically in Hà Nội with the onset of the first heat wave, power company Electricity of Việt Nam (EVN) said.

The city used some 60 million kilo-watt hour (kWh) of electricity per day on an average during the first week of May when the temperature reached 37-38 degree Celsius, according to EVN.

On May 8, electricity consumption in the city reached 64.8 million kWh, much higher than the highest electricity consumption during the first quarter of the year, which was recorded at 48.56 million kWh on January 5.

It is also 20 per cent up from the highest electricity consumption in April, which was recorded at 50.5 million kWh on April 24.

Since more heat waves have been forecast, EVN Hà Nội has set up hundreds of transformers, electrical lines and substations to avoid grid overload.

It has also prepared several power supply options during the summer, the company said.

According to EVN, it will not cut power for maintenance purposes when the outside temperature is 36 degree Celsius or higher.

More operational staff will be assigned to be on duty to respond to customers’ inquiries during warm days, EVN said.

Experts discuss methods to end violence, harassment at work

Nguyễn Mạnh Cường, director of the International Cooperation Department under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, gives a speech at the workshop. 

While violence and harassment in the workplace has received increasing attention from the public, a convention by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) will serve as a useful tool enabling people to improve the prevention and response to violence and harassment at work.

This was the focus of the discussion at a workshop held on Thursday in Hà Nội. The workshop focused on the ILO Convention on Ending Violence and Harassment against Women and Men in the World of Work, organised by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) and CARE International in Việt Nam.

Speaking at the workshop, Nguyễn Mạnh Cường, director of the International Cooperation Department under MOLISA, said that the workshop provided an opportunity for concerned parties to update each other on the context and progress of the ILO convention.

“It’s also a chance for us to assess the possibility for Việt Nam to join the convention,” he said.

Next month, the tripartite delegation from the Vietnamese Government, workers and employers will attend the 107th annual session of the ILO in Geneva, Switzerland.

During the event, the Vietnamese delegates would participate in the discussion around the convention, he said.

Lê Kim Dung, director of the CARE International Việt Nam, said, “Ensuring a safe working environment does not only enhance economic effectiveness, but also improve workers’ well-being and their right to be free from violence.”

CARE hoped that Việt Nam would make significant contributions to the process of developing the convention, and improve domestic legal regulations towards ending violence and harassment in the world of work, she said.

Andrea Prince, ILO labour law specialist, said violence and harassment violated human rights, affected work productivity and enterprises’ reputations, and

hindered the efficient operation of the labour market.

There was no universal definition about violence and harassment, thus there was no international guidelines on how to deal with these issues, she said.

Therefore, "new standards on how to approach violence and disability in the world of work are needed," she said.

The new convention would provide definitions and implications for key concepts, preventive measures, and methods of supervision and support for victims, she said.

Bikes donated to poor children in Đà Nẵng

Representatives of the Japan-Việt Nam Friendship Association of Kawasaki deliver bikes to poor children in Đà Nẵng. — Photo courtesy Tomo Usuda

The Japan-Việt Nam Friendship Association of Kawasaki has donated around 200 bicycles to underprivileged children in the districts of Hòa Vang, Cẩm Lệ and Ngũ Hành Sơn of Đà Nẵng City every year since 2003.

The association said the bike donation project, which was organised by Haruo Miyahara, director of the association in 2003, has delivered over 12,000 second-hand bikes to school children facing financial difficulties in Đà Nẵng and Quảng Nam.

Volunteers helped collect and package the bikes in containers for shipping from Kawasaki port to Đà Nẵng and delivering them to kids living in Đà Nẵng and Quảng Nam.

Miyahara confirmed that this project would continue and develop to further boost friendship and cooperation in the future.

The Japan-Vietnam Friendship Association was established by the Japanese veterans who remained in Việt Nam after the second world war to fight for Vietnamese independence. It was established on March 19, 1955, when they returned to Japan.

Đà Nẵng and Hội An boost cultural exchange with Japan by hosting the annual Việt Nam-Japan Culture Exchange Festival in August.

Japan plans to open a Consulate General in Đà Nẵng as a way of boosting tourism and exchange between Japan and the central city.

Japanese language teaching has been offered at some junior secondary schools as part of the city’s foreign language teaching programme for 2012-20.

Đà Nẵng also reserved a 1.2ha area for developing the Japan-Việt Nam Culture Centre in Ngũ Hành Sơn District. It has also launched direct flights from Đà Nẵng to Osaka and Narita.

Hotel project fined for illegal construction

The Eden Hotel project in Ngũ Hành Sơn district of Đà Nẵng. The city asked the project owner to dismantle illegal construction items of the hotel, when it developed one more storey and increased the number of rooms from 96 to 226. — Photo courtesy Ngọc Long

The central city has asked the investor of the underdeveloped Eden Hotel project in Ngũ Hành Sơn district to dismantle illegal construction items before May 25.    

The city also fined the project owner, Minh Thùy construction company, VNĐ90 million (US$4,000) for their violations.

According to an inspection team from the city’s construction department, the Eden Hotel, which is part of the Royal Era 1 apartment and trade complex, was planned with 23 storeys (96 rooms) including a basement in 2016. However, the project owner intentionally developed one more storey and increase the number of rooms to 226 by January of 2018.

The construction progress of the hotel project was then stopped by the inspection team.

The project owner submitted adjustments to the design, but the city rejected the revised plan.

Earlier, the city also fined the Empire Group, owner of the entertainment CocoBay complex VNĐ40 million ($1,800) for developing a building without a construction licence.

In 2016, the city also suspended illegal construction at the 42-storey Mường Thanh Apartment project in Ngũ Hành Sơn District when the investor changed designs of a kindergarten and parking area into 104 apartments for sale.

In January of 2018, Đà Nẵng fined the owner of The Song - Đà Nẵng Beach Villa project VNĐ100 million ($4,400) for an illegally enlarged beach resort in Ngũ Hành Sơn District.

The city has been in negotiations with 33 beach resort project owners to make sure they reserve pathways to the beach for the public and tourists.

Đồng Nai to ensure HIV patients do not stop treatment

A patient with HIV receives antiretroviral therapy at a health centre in Đồng Nai Province. — Photo: dongnai.gov.vn

HIV/AIDS patients in southern Đồng Nai Province will be treated at local health clinics to ensure they do not give up treatment, according to the province’s Department of Health.

They would not be transferred to provincial level or regional hospitals because of various reasons, Huỳnh Cao Hải, the department’s deputy head, told a meeting held with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) on Wednesday to discuss its technical assistance toward sustainable HIV/AIDS prevention in the province.

Transferring them to provincial- and regional-level hospitals would ensure they can use their health insurance since some local clinics do not have tie-ups with the social insurance agency. But Hải said it could make some of them give up treatment because of the need to travel long distances or complex about their situation.

The province has set its sights on the UN 90-90-90 goals: 90 per cent of all people living with HIV will know their HIV status, 90 per cent of people diagnosed with HIV will receive sustained antiretroviral (ARV) therapy, and 90 per cent of people receiving ARV will achieve viral suppression by 2020. 

Now 68 per cent of people with HIV in the province know their HIV status, 46.5 per cent of them receive sustained ARV therapy, and 93 per cent of those receiving ARV have achieved viral suppression. 

Hải said USAID could provide assistance in achieving these goals soon.

According to a USAID representative, a programme for this purpose will start in the province next September and go on until 2030.

The province will get assistance in accessing, testing and treating HIV and accessing health insurance.

USAID will also train health staff in identifying new HIV patients and people living with HIV without knowing it.

These people will be counselled on testing and treating for viral suppression to prevent the spread in the community.

According to the local Centre for HIV, the province has had nearly 8,000 patients with HIV/AIDS since 1993, with nearly 4,300 ones under management and more than 1,100 ones not known their trace. The rest have deceased.

Of those with HIV/AIDS receiving treatment, nearly 80 per cent have health insurance. 

The province has seven clinics for treating them. By the last quarter of this year, all of them will be upgraded.

All patients’ treatment is expected to be covered by health insurance by year end.

The Department of Health has instructed all health facilities in the province to send their staff to attend training courses on ARV therapy because soon every district will have at least one facility to treat HIV/AIDS.

1 killed in fire in capital city

Fire spreads from a compound near Vĩnh Tuy Bridge in Hà Nội to a three-story house where an elderly woman was found dead early morning on Thursday. — Photo vietnamplus.vn

An elderly woman was killed when a fire broke out near Vĩnh Tuy Bridge in Hà Nội early morning on Thursday.

The body was found by firefighters on the third floor of a three-storey house behind a bedding store, said Nguyễn Ngọc Phan, chairman of Long Biên Ward’s People’s Committee.

The fire broke out at some 6.30am in the store and spread to an adjacent gas store, eatery and the three-story house.

Witnesses said they heard explosive sounds and saw a high column of black fume coming out of the house.

The fire was extinguished within half an hour.

Majority of goods inside the store room was burnt down.

Further investigation into the cause of the fire is underway.

Another fire broke out on the 25th floor of a building in Hà Nội on Wednesday. No casualties were reported.

The fire started at some 8pm on the top floor of MB Grand Tower, located at No. 63 on Lê Văn Lương Street in Cầu Giấy District.

Eight fire trucks and dozens of firefighters extinguished the fire, while local authorities and police dispersed the crowds that had gathered around the building out of curiosity.

The fire was brought under control within an hour.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire.

According to Lê Chí Cao, head of fire prevention and fighting division No. 3, the fire broke out in a 50sq.m room where an air conditioner condenser was placed.

The building was under construction and uninhabited, Zing online newspaper reported.

Women experience high risk of cardiac myxoma

Doctors perform a surgical removal of cardiac myxoma. - Photo tuoitre.vn

Đỗ Thị Mến, 63, from Yên Phong District, Bắc Ninh Province, suddenly experienced shortness of breath while playing with her grandchild. Her son rushed her to the provincial hospital. The diagnosis results showed she had a tumor in the left atrium and needed surgery to remove it as soon as possible.

Cardiac myxoma, also known as atrial myxoma, is a benign tumor of the heart. About 75 per cent of cardiac myxomas appear in the left atrium of the heart. According to Lê Ngọc Thành, director of Hospital E in Hà Nội, women have a higher chance of suffering and account for 75 per cent of patients. Anyone aged from three years old can have myxoma. The average age of sufferers is 37 and there are more young women diagnosed with cardiac myxoma.

The incident rate of cardiac myxoma is from 0.2 to 0.3 per 1000 people. Meanwhile, symptoms of the disease are commonly vague, even the first symptom can be a stroke which may lead to death.

Fortunately, as Mến’s son works in the medical field, she was transferred to Hospital E to have a surgery. After a week, she completely recovered and was discharged from the hospital.

Speaking to VTC , Lê Ngọc Thành said Mến’s case was serious as the tumor was large and had high mobility. Therefore, it could have broken or detached from the atrial septum, causing vascular occlusion.

According to the doctor, cardiac myxoma develops in the wall which divides the two upper chambers of the heart. The most common symptom is shortness of breath with activity, accounting for 75 per cent. In more serious cases, patients experience difficulty breathing in the upright position or when asleep. Other symptoms include dizziness, chest pain or tightness and fainting.

“A patient with cardiac tumor may have a tumor plop, an abnormal heart sound caused by the tumor’s movement which can be heard through a stethoscope by a doctor during an examination. Electrocardiogram, echocardiography and cardiac catheterization are other ways to diagnosis the disease,” Thanh said.

A patient with a cardiac myxoma must have surgery immediately to prevent any dangerous complications. According to him, to remove a tumor, doctors have to perform an open heart surgery with a long cut of 20 to 25 cm in which a patient’s breastbone is sawed then repaired using wires. The method not only causes pain, leaves bad scars and imposes a threat of breastbone inflammation.

Since 2015, Hospital E has offered 3D laparoscopy to remove cardiac myxoma as a type of a minimally invasive heart surgery.

“After undergoing the surgery, patients will not need to use any painkiller and also can take care of themselves a week after having a tumor removed,” said Lê Ngọc Thành from Hospital E.

However, better prevent than cure. Doctors recommend people to have echocardiography to detect the disease at its early stage