Accommodation to be offered to additional 200,000 students

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan has called for a greater effort to build dormitories for 200,000 students in the first quarter of 2011 with a total investment of VND8 trillion sourced from government bonds.

The Deputy Prime Minister made the request at a recent meeting to review last year’s work and discuss plans for this work in 2011.

He asked the Ministry of Construction to develop its housing projects for college and vocational school students in the next five-year period and submit them to the Prime Minister before November 10.

He also urged the Ministry of Construction to join the Ministry of Finance and relevant agencies in supervising the disbursement of capital for housing projects in the past two years.

Seven prosecuted for slandering journalists

 

The Ha Noi Police have decided to prosecute seven men for assaulting and slandering three journalists of the Environment & Health Journal.

The suspects include Nguyen Huu Tuan, 39, director of Thang Long Export-Import Joint Stock Company and six company employees.

The offence occurred at the company headquarters in the Chuong My Disitrict when the journalists were there investigating the company's infringement on environmental regulations following complaints made last Thursday.

Outraged by the journalists' investigation, Tuan tried to give the journalists money, accusing them of trying to extort his company.

Missing fisherman's body recovered

Southern Ca Mau Province's Rescue Team discovered the first body of the eight missing crew members in the fishing boat BT97866TS, while the team retrieved the boat on Monday in Rach Goc sea mouth in the province's Ngoc Hien District.

The victim was Luu Minh Tam, 19, of Ba Tri District in southern Ben Tre Province.

The provincial border police found the boat overturned in the sea mouth last Saturday.

Slipped disc surgery goes without a hitch

Doctors from the Viet Nam – Germany Hospital and Korean experts have successfully performed four slipped-disc surgeries without making any incisions.

The doctors used a needle 1.5mm in diameter to absorb the substance in the discs. The patients were able to leave the hospital within one to three hours.

These are the first surgeries of their kind performed in Viet Nam.

Panama-registered ship sinks in East Sea

A Panamanian-registered ship carrying iron ore from Malaysia to China has reportedly sunk in the East Sea, 89 nautical miles east of Cu Lao Cham Island in Quang Nam Province, according to the Centre for Maritime Search and Rescue Region 2 in Da Nang.

The ship Jian Mao 09 was apparently hit and destroyed by 4m high waves and strong winds. The 27-member crew abandoned ship.

Rescue crews were called from Da Nang, but the result of rescue efforts was still unknown. Upon being notified, Hai Phong's coastal information centre sent an urgent announcement to other ships operating in neighbouring areas to watch for and attempt to rescue crewmembers.

Japan seminar probes VN's investment environment

A workshop to introduce Vietnam’s investment environment to Japanese investors was held in Tokyo on Nov. 9, attracting 200 local representatives. 

Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen The Phuong highlighted the socio-economic achievements Vietnam has made since the beginning of the renewal process which have turned the country into an attractive destination for foreign investors and financial institutions.
He underlined Vietnam’s potential in oil and gas exploration, mining and tourism as well as its high demand for infrastructure development, which will offer chances for foreign investors, especially those from Japan.
Deputy Minister Phuong spoke highly of Japanese investors’ business in Vietnam, revealing that over the past 20 years, Japanese enterprises have invested in 1,258 projects worth US$20.5 billion, ranking third among foreign economies investing in Vietnam.
The Head of the Foreign Investment Agency, Do Nhat Hoang, introduced Vietnam’s investment encouragement policies, investment procedures and incentives for foreign investors.
He encouraged Japanese investors to pour funds into Vietnam’s top priorities such as hi-tech, energy saving, agro-forestry-fishery production and processing, infrastructure, and education and information technology, affirming that the investment cost in Vietnam was lower than in many other economies of the same level. 
Director of Kirin Beverage Fumiaki Furuya told the workshop about his experiences of doing business in Vietnam. Vietnam’s stable politics, low-cost production, increasing demand and young and educated human resources made him decide to invest in the country, he said. 

VN, Cambodia to boost human resource training

Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan is on a working visit to Cambodia from Nov. 5-10.

On Nov. 7, Minister Ngan had a working session with Cambodian Minister of Labour and Vocational Training Vong Sauth.

The two sides agreed to continue exchanging experiences and cooperating in improving mechanism for labour, vocational training, social welfare and human resource development.

The Vietnamese Minister paid a courtesy visit to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who praised the effectiveness of cooperation between the two ministries and asked them to boost cooperation in human resource training, especially for the agriculture sector.
Minister Ngan also paid a courtesy visit to Cambodian Standing Deputy PM Men Sam An and work with the Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation Ministry.

Vietnam, RoK cooperate in developing social sciences

The Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, in coordination with the Republic of Korea (RoK)’s Northeast Asian History Foundation, held a seminar on developing social sciences in Hanoi on November 9.

The event was attended by experts in such fields as economics, family and gender, history, Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia, and northern, central and Central Highland regional development.

The seminar focused on cooperation in these fields and proposed some research projects.

Since 1992, Vietnam-RoK diplomatic relations have made great progress, and now it is necessary to develop comprehensive economic cooperation, push cultural exchanges, and research the history of the two countries to discover positive points, limitations, and challenges.

PhD. Nguyen Van Nhat said Vietnam and RoK historians need to research the differences and similarities between the two nations, as well as issues related to national unity and reconciliation, and the relationship between the RoK and Southeast Asia.

VNN/VOV/VNS