Many Tet programmes for the poor

Many activities have been planned in Ha Noi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City to help the poor, mountainous residents, Agent Orange victims and others enjoy a warm Tet.

A delegation from The Ho Chi Minh City Fatherland Front visited Da Nang and offered VND300 million ($ 14,300) to help poor residents in the area. The delegation also visited Ca Tu ethnic people in Hoa Bac Commune, Hoa Vang District to present 200 gifts, each worth VND500,000 ($24), to poor people who were struggling after being hit by natural disasters.

The Hoa Vang District People's Committee also said it would spend VND1.076 billion ($ 51,300) helping its people to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

To help disadvantaged students studying at universities and colleges in Da Nang, Student Unions at all levels campaigned for a donation of more than 1,500 bus tickets, each worth VND200,000 ($10).

In addition to the trip to Da Nang, the Ho Chi Minh City Fatherland Front delegation also visited Thanh Hoa Province to present 200 gifts worth a total VND120 million ($5,800) to families who suffered heavy losses in floods and other natural disasters.

In Ha Noi, many businesses and individuals have offered to help the poor for Lunar New Year, especially people in mountainous and remote areas.

Through the Cam Lo District Red Cross, organisations and businesses offered tens of millions of dong to Agent Orange victims and the disabled in difficult living conditions. The Cam Lo District Red Cross presented 120 Tet gifts, each worth VND200,000 ($10), to people in need.

In Ho Chi Minh City, a program called the 7th Charity Walk – Lawrence S Ting attracted more than 13,500 participants. The programme raised more than VND2.37 billion ($113,000) to help poor people in District 7, District 8, Nha Be District and Binh Chanh District.

Last Sunday, the Ho Chi Minh City Confederation of Labour presented free bus tickets and Tet gifts to 6,252 workers before they returned to their homelands for the holiday.

Men throw grenade after karaoke row, injuring 6

Police in Mong Cai Town, Quang Ninh Province yesterday arrested two men for throwing a hand-grenade towards a police team, injuring a major and five local residents.

The weapons seized by the police at Tran Phuoc Hung's house. (Photo: Tuoi Tre)

On the evening of January 7, Hung and Thang went to a karaoke shop owned by Nguyen Thanh Binh, 52, in Hai Hoa Ward and asked the owner to provide them with some female attendants.

When Binh refused their demand, the two young men swore heavily at him and left. They later came back with a hand-grenade, and continued to ask Binh for girls.

Binh’s family called local police and when a police team came, Hung undid the safety pin of the grenade and threw it towards the squad.

The grenade exploded, injuring Major Nguyen Van Bien and five other local residents.

The other officers of the team seized Hung and Thang immediately and took the victims to hospital for emergency treatment.

On searching Hung's house, the police seized three explosive items and four bullets.

The police are continuing their investigation to identify the origin of the weapons.

VFF’s activities in 2011 under review

The seventh conference of the Presidium of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee opened in HCM City on January 10 to review its work in 2011 and work out an action plan for 2012.

Over the past year, the VFF launched emulation movements and campaigns far and wide with practical activities such as visiting soldiers in Truong Sa island district, Khanh Hoa province, disseminating information about protecting the sea and islands, building new rural areas, encouraging Vietnamese people to use Vietnamese goods and bringing the Party and State’s guidelines and policies to life.

The front also persisted in people-to-people diplomacy for peace, solidarity and cooperation to strengthen Vietnam’s friendship with traditional friends and important partners.

However, the VFF’s work still reveals some limitations and weaknesses in renewing its operational methods.

Regarding the action plan for 2012, VFF Vice President and General Secretary, Vu Trong Kim said, the front VFF will fully grasp the Party’s guidelines and policies and Ho Chi Minh’s thoughts on the great national unity and the Vietnam National United Front, and effectively carry out the” Study and follow Ho Chi Minh’s moral example” campaign among all Party members and State employees. 

Severe weather disrupts daily life

Nearly one week of severe cold weather has caused disruptions in the daily lives of residents in the country's northern and central regions.

Around 80 children were being seen at Hoa Binh Province's General Hospital daily with symptoms such as coughs, fevers and even convulsions due to the cold.

Peach blossom growers in Ha Noi were worried that their 300 ha of trees would not flower during Tet (Lunar New Year) as scheduled because of the prolonged cold weather, according to the Ha Noi Agriculture and Rural Development Department.

Local growers are now attempting to warm the trees using a number of measures including covering them with nylon, watering them with warm water and using light bulbs to help open their gorgeous red or pink flowers for the upcoming holiday.

Growers of yellow apricot blossoms are experiencing a similar situation in central Thua Thien Hue Province.

Nguyen Thi Linh, a flower grower in Ha Noi's Me Linh District, said that fewer flower buds were opening than expected on his farm.

The department reported that the cold weather was causing 10,000 ha of vegetables to mature slowly in the city's suburban districts.

Breeders in northern mountainous Ha Giang Province, where daytime temperatures were below 10 degrees Celsius, are also taking active measures to prevent the cold from harming their cows and buffaloes.

The temperature has dropped to below freezing in Meo Vac and Dong Van districts.

Court cuts sentence for girl who slaps policeman

An appeals court in Ho Chi Minh City today cut prison sentence of Pham Thi My Linh, born in 1993, convicted of slapping an on-duty traffic policeman last July from 9 months to 6 months. 

Linh has been charged with ‘acting against on-duty officers”.

The court cited her cooperation with police and limited knowledge of laws as reasons for the decision to reduce her jail term.

Although the teen girl has prison sentence reduced, she still cried a lot.

She and her mother, therefore, tried to plead for a suspended jail term so that she could continue school but the court declined, citing that her behavior is deemed to offend “honor and dignity” of law enforcement officers and have a negative impact on public order.

According to the indictments, Linh slapped a traffic policeman hard on the face and head and assaulted another cop after being caught breaking traffic violations on July 2 on Le Van Khuong Street in District 12.

The whole commotion was videotaped by a bystander and posted on YouTube, triggering a wave of protests from netizens and sympathy for the two policemen.

As shown by the video, at that time, two traffic officers stopped Linh and her mother who were traveling on a motorbike in the wrong direction without wearing helmets.

When requested to park their bike on the sidewalk, Linh shouted “Keep off” and pushed one policeman away, brushing his hand off the vehicle.

She then turned to shove another officer. When the cop persisted, she unexpectedly slapped him hard on the face and head.

The two young policemen stayed calm and continued to ask the older woman to move the bike which was still on the road and obstructing traffic.

Suddenly, Linh fell down on the street and writhed as if in pain.

Most YouTube watchers commented she feigned faintness in order to evade the law.

Germany grants EUR400,000 in aid to Mekong River Delta

On January 9, the Vietnam Red Cross (VRC), in co-ordination with the German Red Cross (GRC), announced a EUR400,000 project to assist flood victims in the Mekong River Delta.

The project, which is sponsored by the German Government, will last from December 2011 until April 2012 and will be carried out in An Giang and Dong Thap provinces.

The project beneficiaries are flood victims, including poor households, people with disabilities, the elderly, pregnant women and children under five-years-old.

GRC Representative in Vietnam, Frank Kupper, said the project aims to increase the community’s capacity to cope with climate change in the future.

Young leaders discuss Asia's challenges

A group of prominent young student leaders from seven regional countries have gathered in Ha Noi at the 11th Hitachi Young Leaders Initiative (HYLI) to discus Asia's challenges.

The five-day event sponsored by Hitachi Ltd began today.

HYLI is a Corporate Social Responsibility programme which has hosted 11 events in the last 16 years. This year, its main theme is the New Stage for Asia – an Asian Perspective on Managing Sustainable Development and Economic Integration. Sub-themes including Energy and the Environment, and Economic Partnership and Integration are also scheduled for discussion.

Students under 28 years of age from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Japan and Viet Nam were put through a rigorous selection process based on their academic achievements, participation in extra-curricular activities, awards achieved, fluency in the English language and knowledge of current regional issues. Four Vietnamese students were selected to represent the country in the event.

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai attended this morning's session as the Guest-of-Honour.

Hai said: "The Government of Viet Nam especially cares about training and developing young human resources. Viet Nam has issued a human resources development strategy for the 2010-20 period aimed at sustainably developing the country and integrating internationally. This event is a good opportunity for students to show their talents, knowledge and social responsibility."

Vietnamese-American actress sues Amazon

Junie Hoang, a Vietnamese-American actress in Hollywood is suing Amazon for US$1 million for violating her privacy by publicizing her real name and birthday.

In late November 2011, the 41-year-old actress filed an anonymous complaint to the Washington court accusing Amazon’s Internet Movie Database (IMDb) of accessing her IMDb account to get her personal information and then show it on its database, Dat Viet Newspaper reported.

IMBd reveals her real birthday, July 16, 1971, and her Asian name Huang Hoang (“Hoàng Hương” in Vietnamese) and such a revelation has been detrimental to her movie career, Junie Hoang said in her accusation.

However, the court on December 23 announced that if the plaintiff did not provide her real name and other necessary personal information, her compliant would not be considered as valid.

Junie Hoang, therefore, on January 6 renewed her sue with a new complaint including all of her personal information required by the court.

Hoang said that her Vietnamese name “Hoàng Hương” was very hard to pronounce, so she always used her American name.

IMDb’s disclosure of her real name and age makes her vulnerable to discrimination in Hollywood, she said.

Hoang’s lawsuit has received support from many artists, especially those who have similarly fallen victim to IMDb.

Hoang has played a number of supporting roles in such films as Gingerdead Man 3: Saturday Night Cleaver and Hoodrats 2: Hoodrat Warriors.

Amazon, which owns IMDb, has yet to comment on the suit. It has once settled a similar case in which another Hollywood actress, Eriko Tamuro, sued it for disclosing her name and age.

Hoang, who was born in HCMC, began to learn dancing when she was 16. She has graduated from Texas AM University and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

She is proficient in both English and Vietnamese and can speak Spanish and French.

4 die in head-on car crash in Ha Long City

Four people were killed in a head-on crash between two cars yesterday on National Highway 18A passing through Bai Chay Ward, Ha Long City in northern Quang Ninh Province.

The cars were travelling in opposite directions at the time. The dead were all local men. Medical staff said they were killed instantly.

Police are investigating the cause of the crash.

Duy Hai eats and breathes by himself

32-year-old Nguyen Duy Hai from Da Lat, the man with tumor and now without it is recovering well three days after the 12-hour surgery on Thursday, France – Vietnam Hospital’s spokesperson announced Saturday.

Asked how he felt after the operation, Hai smiled and said “I feel so much lighter now but it still hurts a little bit,” adding that his mother and brother had come to see him twice.

At 14pm on Friday, Hai regained his consciousness although his wound was still bleeding. The doctors in charge then decided to transfused more blood into the patient, stopped the bleeding and brought down his fever.

The anesthesiologist Dao Thi My Van said Hai was able to talk, and breathe by himself at 8pm the same day and even asked “to see his mom”.

“She burst into tears when she saw me wake up and talk normally,” Hai shared.

On Saturday morning, he could eat soup and all of his respiratory, circulatory and kidney function was normal.

As his fever and bleeding was getting better, Doctor Van said he can be discharged from the Intensive Care Unit on Monday, if he continues to recover well.

She added that the team in charge of Hai was really worried on Friday, as Hai got a number of fevers during the day, the highest of which reached 39 degree Celsius.

The patient said movingly that to him, American doctor McKay McKinnon who performed the surgery was like a second father. “I will never forget what he did for me.”

“I also wanted to thank Tuoi Tre Newspaper, FV Hospital, Tuoi Tre’s readers and others who have joined hands to make my wish come true,” he said.
Related to Hai’s surgery, at least 215 articles of more than 50 media agencies from Europe, America, and Australia including popular newswire like Thu Sun, CNN, CBS or BBC have covered the story.

Many of their readers have shared their happiness over “the miracle” and commented that they wished Hai all the best in his new journey.

New year party to be held for returning Vietnamese

A programme to welcome overseas Vietnamese will be held in Ha Noi later this month by the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

This year, the event, named Xuan Que Huong (Spring in the Homeland), will be held at the President Ho Chi Minh relic site and Ba Dinh Square on January 15, eight days before Tet (Lunar New Year) Festival, said Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Thanh Son at a press briefing yesterday.

The programme will include cultural activities and traditional festivals, with the aim of entertaining and sharing stories with overseas Vietnamese who return for the Tet holiday.

"The programme not only helps overseas Vietnamese understand more about their motherland but to also pursue investment opportunities via conversation and sharing," Son said.

"It has become a traditional springtime activity to call on overseas Vietnamese support and enhance national solidarity, especially in the first year of implementation of the 11th Party Congress' Resolution and the socio-economic development plan for 2011-2015," he added.

A party for the visitors will be held at Ho Chi Minh Museum as part of the programme, which is expected to draw nearly 2,000 people, including more than 1,000 overseas Vietnamese.

Vietnamese living abroad are encouraged to register for the event at Viet Nam's representative offices in their resident countries while those staying in Viet Nam can register at the committee's office at 32 Ba Trieu Street in Hoan Kiem District, Ha Noi.

Last year, nearly 1000 overseas Vietnamese from different parts of the world gathered at Thang Long Royal Citadel.

Dr. McKinnon performed 3rd surgery in Vietnam

American plastic surgeon McKay McKinnon performed a surgery on Thach Thi Sanh Ly, whose whole body is covered in tumors at Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh on Saturday.

Ly, 35 from Tran De, Soc Trang suffers from neurofibromatosis, the same disease with Duy Hai and My Dung’s, two patients whose operations were carried out by the American doctor on Thursday and Friday.

After Hai and Dung, Ly’s surgery which was led by McKinnon with a team of more than 20 doctors from Cho Ray was considered an initial success.

Unlike the large size tumor that both Hai and Dung had, Ly had a countless number of tumors of different sizes covering her from head to toe, a case that was rarely seen even to Dr. McKinnon and other experts at Cho Ray.

After the 6-hour ordeal, a total of 3 kilogram of tumors was removed from the patient.

Doctor Le Hanh, a member of the surgical team said all of Ly’s tumors could not be taken out in only one operation, and the team managed to remove Ly’s biggest tumors or ones that grew in her back, buttocks, hands and faces.

After removing them of her face, the team used skin from her inner thighs and leg where there were less tumors to replace her facial skin.

Cho Ray Hospital will carry out a knee operation so that the patient could walk again, the doctor said, as more than ten years of lying in a curling up position has stiffened her knee joints. The y will also take out the rest of her tumors, he added.

Thach Thi Sa Phai, Ly’s mother said she was born with a tumor in her back and more of which appeared and kept growing on her body later on.

When she was 5, they brought her to a provincial hospital but it said it was unable to treat her. The family gave up their hope then as they were too poor to afford bringing her to other places for treatment.

For 15 years now, Ly was confined in her bed, and no one, except for her family members dared to look at her, the mother said.

VNN/VOV/VNS/Tuoi Tre