Truong Sa, Hoang Sa not included in China’s old stamps

A Vietnamese has made public a collection of stamps bearing the Chinese map, which does not include the Truong Sa (Spratly) and Hoang Sa(Paracel) Archipelagos.     

Nguyen Van Anh’s six stamps were made in Taiwan (China) in 1957 during the Republican Era of China (1912-1949) when Chiang Kai-shek wanted to seize control of China’s mainland.

Similar stamps can be bought on www.artww.com/29257/Auction/Show-115302... or seen on some websites such as blog.sina.com.cn, bbs.artxun.com, www.artww.com, www.artdb.cn, tupian.hudong.com, www.gucn.com,  www.chinau.cc...

In the Republican Era of China alone, 1,300 different kinds of stamps were issued.

Another hunter arrested for shooting rare monkeys

The investigative agency of the High Command of the 3rd Corps today announced that they have arrested the second suspect who allegedly shot two rare douc langur monkeys and sold them to soldiers.

The police have previously held huntsman Ha Van Tu, 37, in Krong Pach, Dak Lak in custody for the same crime.

A senior official of the 3rd Corps told newswire VnExpress that Que, 37, was arrested in Ia Grai district in Gia Lai central highlands province.

Que and Tu are said to join others to use matchlocks to open fire at the two primates in a forest in Sa Thay district in Kon Tom central highlands province, they said.

They then sold them to serviceman Nguyen Van Quang, 20, and two other soldiers at VND1.2 million (approximately $60).

Local police have previously filed criminal charges against Tu and issued wanted notice for four others including Que over charges of “violating regulations of protecting endangered wild animals”.

Meanwhile soldier Quang who has taken photos of the slaughtering of the monkeys and uploaded them on Facebook, triggering widespread public outrage, and two servicemen have been sacked from the arm.

Eight other servicemen have been given warnings for their involvement in the case.

Dangers inside elevators at apartment buildings

It’s really a shocking alarm for elevator goers in high rise buildings in Vietnam if they know that many of the machines are of low quality, mostly made in China. Many people have been killed and seriously injured by falling elevators.

Many others were luckier as they survived a kind of ‘terrorism’ when elevators suddenly stopped running and got stuck halfway.

A fact is that these hazards have become more common recently, especially in major cities where there are many highrise apartment buildings.

In September last year, an elevator of the building CT3 in Yen Hoa Ward of Hanoi’s Cau Giay District fell from the fourth floor to the ground, killing one inside. Ten days before in a karaoke restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 10, a technician had been crushed and beheaded by a falling elevator that he was checking for maintenance.

In 2010 in Quang Vinh Hotel in the central city of Nha Trang, an elevator fell down from the seventh floor, breaking the leg of a foreign tourist inside. In 2009 in Ho Chi Minh City, 13 party attendants were badly hurt by a falling elevator inside the An Lac high building in Binh Tan District.

In recent months, residents of the new apartment building Hoa Hiep 2 in Lien Chieu District in the central city of Da Nang have kept on complaining about their poor-quality elevators as the machines regularly have problems like getting stuck halfway and shaking. Many people were locked inside for hours before the problems were solved.

Ironically, residents have to pay a steady sum monthly for the maintenance of these machines.

The problems result in some residents choosing to walk down the stairs for safety.

A resident named Nguyen Huy Tam of the Vuong Hai apartment building in district 12 in HCMC admitted, “The elevators have problems every two or three days. I was confined in it a dozen times.”

Similar troubles happened to other apartment buildings as Gia Phu in Binh Tan District and Mieu Noi in Binh Thanh District in HCMC.

Most of the faulty elevators have cheap machine parts manufactured in China, said Hoang Thanh Dien, a marketing officer of Hung Phu company majoring in elevators.

Such a low-quality elevator for a 7-8 floor building is sold at only VND350 million (US$16,800) including installment costs – a third of the price of qualified one, Dien admitted.

Ha Noi Youth Union to build 100 suburban playgrounds for kids

The Ha Noi Youth Union started to building playgrounds for children in the suburban districts of the capital city yesterday, Aug 2.

The union plans to renovate or build 100 children's playgrounds in the capital city's suburb areas by 2017 in a programme worth an estimated VND30-80 million(US$1,400-3,800) each.

According to the union, one month after launching the programme, they have collected donations of VND632 million($30,000).

Funding for the programme was mobilised from the union's braches and other sources.

The programme will initially have playgrounds built in the city's 11 most neglected districts this year. While more playgrounds across the city will be built during the next four years.

Due to the lack of playgrounds, many children face the threat of injury by placing in dangerous places, such as near passing traffic.

More donations for Truong Sa, Hoang Sa islanders

A total of VND18 billion has been raised by individuals and organisations to support Vietnamese people living on the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes.

Lao Dong (Labour) newspaper’s Golden Heart Fund alone has received more than VND15 billion from philanthropists.

The Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) and the Golden Heart Fund have recently launched a fund-raiser to support fishermen on these two islands.

The campaign has received wide support from people from all walks of life across the country, and by July 31 more than 208,000 text messages had been sent to mobile service providers, donating over VND2.9 billion.

By texting an SMS to 1407, a person can donate VND14,000 to help the disadvantaged fishermen buy much-needed boats and fishing equipment.

AO/dioxin to be cleared from Da Nang airport

A seminar on the technical design of the In-Pile Thermal Desorption technology, agreed to be used to decontaminate the Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin still present at Da Nang airport, was held in the central city of Da Nang on August 2.

The event was part of the project to deal with the dioxin-contaminated environment at the airport, sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and managed by the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence.

The project includes two missions, with mine clearance having already been completed in late 2011. The second is to gather the dioxin-contaminated soil for treatment starting on Aug. 9, witnessed by representatives of both the US and Vietnamese governments.

A board of assessors will be set up to appraise the technology and progress made in October 2012.

Don’t let the poor suffer from high health fees: official

New fees on health services at hospitals must be based on people’s living conditions to make them reasonable and affordable, said deputy head of the Tra Vinh Province Health Department Nguyen Van Thang.

While many other provinces and cities have applied their new fee rates at over 90 percent of the caps regulated by the Ministries of Health and Finance in February, Tra Vinh authorities have yet to announce local rates, though they will be much lower, Thang said.

The provincial Social Insurance Agency has allowed for current fees to be raised to 80 percent of the ceiling, but the provincial health department and other relevant agencies have decided the rate will be just 53 percent, which they consider appropriate with people’s living conditions.

“Tra Vinh is a poor province, so if we suddenly raised the fee rates too high, poor people would not be able to afford them,” Thang said.

Phan Thanh Dung, Thang’s deputy and the director of the Tra Vinh General Hospital, said, “Increasing a fee by two times is already too much, so if that fee were raised tenfold, then many patients, especially the poor, would likely die from diseases for which treatment costs have become unaffordable to them.”

Unlike many other localities, where higher fees have been imposed on the health services that are most common, for instance, sickbeds, Tra Vinh will apply increased fees mainly for technical services that are less frequent.

With the expected new fees, revenue from 25 percent of the total number of services will not be enough to cover cost, but local authorities said they would fill the gap by using part of the revenue from high-priced services.

The local authorities have also outlined a roadmap for increasing health fess from now to 2015. Accordingly, at times when the local economic strength is better, the fees on certain health services will be increased to improve hospitals’ revenue, Thang said.

As previously reported, 33 provinces and cities have applied their new health service fees since August 1. Of these localities, four will have fees that are over 90 percent of the ceiling allowed by the two ministry’s schedule, which covers 447 health services.

Under the schedule, most prices will rise 2 to 10 times current costs, but some may jump 20 times.

Asked if such low new fees can affect the quality of health services , Dung said, “Even when we do not increase fees, we still serve patients in accordance with relevant regulations by the Health Ministry. We do not serve patients only on the basis of how much they pay for health fees.”

The province’s health sector pledges to ensure the quality of medical examination and treatment, Dung said, adding that treatment procedures, patient wards, medical equipment and facilities, and other items will meet required standards.

“With the new fees to be applied, hospitals will face difficulties in balancing their revenue and spending, but we will not loosen management over quality or limit the use of advanced medical techniques,” Dung said.

He emphasized that “hospital fees are not a gauge for quality. Quality should be measured through the results of treatment.”

He also said hospitals’ management should use the additional revenue earned from higher fees in proper ways. “This extra revenue must be spent mainly on improving medical examination and treatment conditions.”

Whirlwind injures five, destroys 100 houses

Five people were injured when heavy rain and whirlwind hit Tam Binh district in the Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long before dawn on August 3.   

More than 100 houses were destroyed and the roofs of the Binh Phu Kindergarten and Loan My B Primary School blown off.

The calamity is said to cause total damages of VND1.5 billion.

The Tam Binh district Party Committee and People’s Committee have decided to provide each household with VND3-6 million depending on the extent of the damage they suffered.

 Netherlands help Hai Duong people access clean water

The Facility for Infrastructure Development program (ORIO) funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs will provide more than €2 million for construction of a clean water supply project in Gia Loc and Tu Ky Districts, Hai Duong province.   

The agreement, signed by Dutch Ambassador to Vietnam Joop Scheffers and Nguyen Trong Thua, Vice Chiarman of the Hai Duong Provincial People’s Committee on August 3, aims to help the province effectively deal with shortages of clean water in daily life.

Ambassador Scheffers emphasized the significance of the project, which is aimed at providing enough clean water for 55.000 people in rural areas in the province by 2020.

 Hanoi, HCM City host workshops on US education

University students will be kept abreast of the latest information, including changes in the educational system, and opportunities to study in the US at workshops in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City on August 5.

The workshops You can do it 2012 provide prospective students with information about necessary administrative procedures, paperwork preparations, training courses, scholarships and life skills in the US.

Vietnamese alumni and those who have just graduated from leading US universities and are holding key posts in various areas will share experience in studying in the US and finding good jobs upon graduation.

The workshops will be jointly held by USGuide, Fulbright Scholarship Program, EducationUSA and the Vietnam Education Foundation (VEF).

Workshop organisers will invite professionals from well-known US education institutions such as Harvard, Chicago, Columbia, Emory, and George Washington to share experiences with prospective students.

 40 passengers survive bus fire in Nghe An

As many as 40 passengers managed to escape a bus when it caught fire in Quynh Luu district, Nghe An province, on August 2.
    
Passengers said the bus was travelling en route from Vinh to Hanoi when they heard a big explosion from the combustion chamber at 04.00am. It was close to Quynh Hong filling station in Quynh Luu district.

The driver quickly stopped the bus, and together with his assistant, opened the door and broke windows, making it easier for passengers to escape.

Without fire prevention equipment available, the roaring fire licked the whole bus and burnt it down in just 30 minutes.

The driver, born in Nghe An province, suffered minor burns.

Local police rushed to the scene to deal with the case and look into the cause of the incident.

Abnormal drought damages Dak Lak crops

A rare drought damaged nearly 25,000 ha of crops in the central highlands province of Dak Lak, said the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Over 6,201ha of maize, rice and beans were reported completely destroyed.

According to the department, the districts of Krong Bong, Krong Pak, and Ea Kar suffered most from the disaster.

Pham Phu Thien, head of the agriculture and rural development office of Krong Bong district, estimated that the district would lose VND80 billion(US$4million) from the disaster. In the neighbouring Krong Pak district, out of 18,179ha planted for the summer-autumn season, more than 6,000 ha were reported too dry or completely unsalvageable.

Nguyen Minh Loan, a local agriculture staff member, said that in his 32 years living in the area, this was the most severe drought he'd seen during a rainy season.

The department said most of the reservoirs and dams in the districts had run out of water. Even those that retained water had too little to feed the damaged plants.

Farmer Phung Van Thang spent over VND 10 million ($500) on seedlings and fertiliser for his crops of maize and rice, with the hope of making a profit of VND40 million($2,000). But the drought destroyed these aspirations. "I lost my rice in the field, my maize in the hill. What can we eat now?" he said.

In order to cope with the problem, Dak Lak Province directed all its forces to dredge ponds and canals to save as many crops as possible. They also gave much-needed support to seedlings so poor and ethnic farmers might be able to make it through the dry season.

Dak Lak is one of many central cities and provinces that often suffer severe drought.

Health Ministry wants insurance to reach more people

The Ministry of Health and Vietnam Social Insurance held a joint conference on August 2 in Hanoi to discuss the status of the project ‘Health Insurance for Citizens until 2020’.
 Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien

Reports presented at the conference showed that at the moment, only 55.9 million people have signed up for health insurance programs, accounting to 63.7 percent of the population.

This is because of neglect by the government to encourage citizens, as also to poor quality of services in hospitals, plus complex procedures when applying for treatment. All these factors greatly reduce interest in people for health insurance programs.

According to the project ‘Health Insurance for Citizens until 2020’, the number of citizens taking part in health insurance programs should reach 75 percent in 2015 and more than 90 percent by 2020.

Statistics confirm that the number of workers paying for health insurance through social insurance, which is aided from the national budget, have already reached 96 percent.

As stated by Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, Minister of Health, in order to fulfill the task, concerned agencies should try to focus on other groups of people such as employees of private companies, poor people, students, etc. when they implement any propaganda campaign.

Minister Tien also announced that the Ministry of Health is planning to provide many financial support packages as incentive for people participating in health insurance programs. For example, social insurance will pay 70 percent of health insurance costs for lower income people and give them insurance cards. The other 30 percent can be paid by participants themselves or through charitable groups.

Social insurance will increase its support for students to 50 percent of the health insurance cost, and for medium-income households in the countryside from 30 percent to 50 percent.

Accordingly, the estimated increase in national budget, in order to help pay avail health insurance, will be VND6 billion per year (approx. US$288,100), adding to a total of VND107,529 billion ($5,162.22 million) during the period 2012 until 2015.

Fifth national dental congress opens in Hanoi

The 5th National Scientific Dental Congress and International Dental Exhibition opened in Hanoi on August 2.

The annual event, held jointly by the Vietnam Odonto-Stomatology Association and the National Hospital of Odonto-Stomatology, with support from the World Dental Federation (FDI), attracted over 1,000 domestic and international experts.

During the three day congress, delegates will present and discuss 39 special subjects including orthopaedic jawbone surgery, orthodontics, dental implants, and periodontal treatments.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Deputy Minister of Heath Nguyen Thi Xuyen said that Vietnam’s odonto-maxillo-facial sector has made many important advances in recent years. The dental network has developed strongly at all levels and it is now more convenient for people to access dental services, she added.

The Deputy Minister also said that the congress provides a good opportunity for odontologists to exchange and update their knowledge, skills and techniques, and also helps Vietnamese dentists gain access to advanced methods to improve and enhance the quality of dental care and treatment in Vietnam.

An international exhibition with more than 60 exhibition booths featuring advanced odontological equipment, technologies, and products from internationally known dental companies is also taking place during the congress.

Vietnam-Laos special relations contest winners honoured

Thirteen first, 13 second and 72 consolation prizes were presented at a ceremony in Hanoi on August 2 honouring the winners of the multiple-choice contest on the history of the Vietnam-Laos traditional special relationship.

Addressing the ceremony, Deputy Head of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Commission for Communications and Education Truong Minh Tuan praised the effective co-operation of the organising agencies and the enthusiastic involvement of individuals and collectives, saying that the contest should be further promoted to attract more participants.

The contest was launched in Hanoi, Vietnam in April and in Vientiane, Laos in June by the Politburos of the CPV and the Lao People's Revolutionary Party to celebrate Vietnam-Laos Friendship and Solidarity Year 2012, the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries and the 35th anniversary of the Vietnam-Laos Friendship Treaty.

Contestants could either take part in the multiple-choice or essay competitions, focused on 11 specific topics related to the establishment and the development of the Vietnam-Laos relationship in wartime and during the national construction of the two countries, as well as the close-knit ties between the two Parties and States and other significant events in their mutual history.

The multiple-choice test attracted the participation of people from all walks of life, including with wartime experience, soldiers, young people and Lao students studying in Vietnam. The contest's website was accessed by 150,000 entrants and tens of millions of people went to the website to study the time-honoured friendship between Vietnam and Laos.

A closing and awards ceremony for the contest will be held in Savanakhet province in Laos on December 12.

 EDCF Chief Rep honoured for transport development

Chief Representative of the Republic of Korea's Economic Development Co-operation Fund (EDCF), Lee Young Seob, was awarded the Vietnamese Prime Minister's Certificate of Merit and a medal from the Vietnam Ministry of Transport for his contributions to the development of transport in Vietnam.

Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang presented these awards on August 2 to Lee Young Seob, who was in charge of EDCF operations through the Export-Import Bank of RoK (Keximbank) in Vietnam.

Minister Thang said that the awards represent the Vietnamese people's gratitude towards the Chief Representative for the contributions he made to Vietnams development during the time he worked in the country.

Thanks to his support, capital for many transport projects was disbursed and they have been completed, which is very significant to Vietnam's socio-economic development.

 National youth informatics contest winners announced

The winners of the 18th National Youth Informatics Contest were announced at an awards ceremony in Da Lat city, Lam Dong province, on August 2.

One hundred and eleven contestants received awards including five first prizes, 14 second prizes, 25 third prizes and 57 consolation prizes.

The five first prizes went to Nguyen Quang Huy from Bac Ninh, Nguyen Quang Huy from Hanoi, To Huu Quan from Thua Thien – Hue, Nguyen Duong Kim Hao from Ho Chi Minh City and Nguyen Trung Nhan from Hau Giang. They also received the ‘Creative Youth’ badge from the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union at the ceremony.

The organising board awarded the team prize to Thua Thien – Hue and presented them with a certificate of merit. Other awards were also given to the youngest competitor and ethnic minority contestants.

This year's contest attracted 232 pupils and students representing 51 teams from 49 provinces and cities and two sectors, and 112 outstanding software programmes were submitted for judging.

The annual event was co-organised by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union; the Ministries of Education and Training, Information and Communications, and Science and Technology; the Vietnam Association for Information Processing and Vietnam Television.

The 19th National Youth Informatics Contest will be held in Nghe An province in 2013.

 VND18 billion raised for archipelago fishermen

A total of VND18 billion (US$1million) has been raised by organisations and individuals across the country to support fishermen on the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes.

As of July 31, the campaign has received VND2.9 billion (US$140,000) from more than 208,000 SMSs, each worth VND14,000 (US$0.67), through switchboard 1407, and VND15 billion (US$720,000) contributed directly to the campaign by 80 other benefactors.

The program, launched by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) and the Lao Dong (Labour) newspaper’s Golden Heart Fund, aims to support fishermen and encourage them to help protect Vietnam’s sovereignty over its sea and islands.

There are currently 28 coastal cities and provinces in the country with nearly four million workers in the fisheries sector, 1.3 million of whom work on 130 offshore fishing boats.

Outbreak of dengue fever in Dong Nai, Ben Tre Provinces

The Preventive Medicine Center in the southern province of Dong Nai has reported an outbreak of dengue fever in all Communes and Wards of the Province, with a recorded 3,000 cases and five fatalities already.

In July alone, four deaths were reported in Dong Nai Province. So far, Bien Hoa City has recorded 800 cases of dengue fever, Trang Bom District has 500 infectious cases and Xuan Loc District has more than 400 cases.

Meanwhile, the Mekong delta province of Ben Tre is also currently reeling under an outbreak of dengue fever, with 1,069 recorded dengue fever cases including 105 that are in critical condition. Districts in the province reporting the most number of cases are Ba Tri with 216 cases, Binh Dai with 158 cases and Giong Trom with 142 cases.

Nguyen Van Thang, deputy director of the Department of Health in Ben Tre Province, has warned that the disease will devastate the province in the future if local authorities do not adopt prevention measures urgently.

On his part, he said that the health sector will do its best to stamp out this plague.

Clinic at Truong Sa Lon Island saves seafarer’s life

On August 2, fisherman Ngo Van Mau left Binh Son District in the central province of Quang Ngai for the   Spratly Islands on his usual trip for squid fishing, carrying on his boat 30 seafarers.

When entering the waters of Truong Sa Lon Island in Truong Sa  District in the central province of Khanh Hoa, 18-year-old seafarer   Nguyen Du, from Binh Chanh Commune in Binh Son District, suddenly felt intense abdominal pain. Mau immediately called for medical help from the island.

Despite the harsh weather, local authorities from the island responded   to the urgent call and sent a team of doctors from 175 Hospital to the pier and safely transferred the patient to a local clinic for diagnosis and treatment.

Upon learning that Du was suffering from appendicitis, a team of doctors, namely Phan Dinh Mung, head of the clinic, Phan Dinh Van,deputy head, Nguyen Van Binh, Ngo Van Nhat and Nguyen Van Giap, performed an emergency operation.

The operation took four hours, and was very successful, with Du’s health now quite stable. At the moment, he is recuperating in the clinic under the good care of both doctors and islanders.

France, EU-funded programmes prove efficiency

As many as 85 percent of urban population in six Mekong Delta localities have access to clean water thanks to a programme funded by the French Development Agency, according to the Steering Committee for the Southwest.

The provinces of An Giang, Ben Tre, Dong Thap, Tra Vinh, Vinh Long and Can Tho city have all seen successful second phase completion at a cost of 32 million Euros. The credit has been distributed to 7-15 water supply projects in these localities.

A previous 3 million Euro investment also benefited the Mekong Delta provinces to prevent environmental pollution. The programme helped the provinces train personnel and provided them with equipment for environmental management and other related works.

To date, the water supply system in the Mekong Delta region has not met the demand for daily life or industry and trade activities.

Every year, people in urban areas release as much as 102 cu. m of untreated waste water, 600,000 tonnes of solid waste and 47 million liters of liquid waste, worsening the water pollution in the localities./.