SC Bank provides US$1 million for eye care program

Standard Chartered Bank Vietnam has offered US$1 million for the fifth phase implementation of the eye care project.

The offer was announced at a meeting to mark World Sight Day held in Hanoi on October 11 by the SC Bank, Fred Hollows Foundation and Hanoi Eye Hospital.

The fifth phase of the project will be implemented from 2013 to 2016 with the aim of helping local medical centres to improve the quality of eye care services and providing medical facilities for remote and mountainous areas.

It will also help reduce the number of diseases which cause blindness but can be avoidable.

The project is within the framework of the global campaign “Seeing is Believing” initiated by SC Bank.

Since 2004, the SC Bank-funded project has contributed to providing eye care services for millions of Vietnamese people and reducing the number of blind people.

Festival for ophthalmology sector

The Vietnam Ophthalmology Association (VOA) and the Vietnam National Institute of Ophthalmology (VNIO) have co-organised a Vietnam National Congress of Ophthalmology in Hanoi.

It coincides with meetings to mark the 95th anniversary of the first eye care centre in Vietnam, the 55th anniversary of the VNIO, and the 5th anniversary of the National Steering Committee of Blindness Prevention.

It is considered a scientific forum for participants to share their experiences in applying advanced technology in recent times.

The two-day event (scheduled for October 12-13) has attracted more than 600 delegates who are eye doctors, surgeons and technicians across the country and experts from France, the US, Japan, Germany, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, and Laos. They will present 102 reports on blindness prevention and research projects on a number of important issues such as refraction treatment, cataract surgery, glaucoma, eye trauma, plastic surgery, and cornea transplants.

The ophthalmology sector will launch a program in response to Global Vision 2020: "the Right to Sight" to mark World Sight Day and Asia-Pacific Eye Care Week.

During the congress, there will be an exhibition to introduce advanced ophthalmologic technologies in the world.
On this occasion, the VNIO will receive the Prime Minister’s Certificate of Merit, its Director Do Nhu Hon will be awarded with the Labour Order (third-class) and several individuals and units with certificates of merit for their contributions to the national blindness prevention program.

National seminar on journalism ethics

The ethics of building relationships with news sources became the major theme of a national seminar held in Hanoi on October 11.

The event, jointly held by the Vietnam Journalists’ Association (VJA) and the Academy of Journalism and Communication (AJC), attracted media managers, leading experts and outstanding journalists from around the nation.

VJA Deputy Chairman Ha Minh Hue said that a number of journalists have abused their positions of privilege for commercial gains. Several others, who were perhaps not fully aware of the sector’s missions and obligations, have violated regulations on press and ethics.

This has negatively effected the prestige of journalists, as well as the reputation of Vietnam’s press circles, he said.

To avoid violations that normally occur during news production, journalists must adopt occupational morals and a firm political stand, improve their professional skills and strictly follow the regulations on journalism, Hue said.

Dr. Nguyen The Ky, Deputy Head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Communication and Education, pointed out several violations by media in recent years, mostly in overseas-targeted information and social affairs.

He stressed the need to focus on the quality of recruits and training courses for journalists.

Delegates examined case studies, identified the reasons behind violations by journalists, and proposed effective measures to manage press activities.

HCM City flyover planned to alleviate traffic chaos

The HCM City Department of Transport launched a new project on Wednesday to construct a steel flyover worth VND183 billion (US$8.7 million) in the Hang Xanh Intersection in Binh Thanh District.

According to Urban Traffic Management Zone No. 2, the 390-metre steel bridge was built for buses, cars with less than 9 seats and two-wheel vehicles.

The project is expected to be complete by early February next year.

Earlier in July, HCM City placed another steel-made flyover worth VND227 billion (US$10.8 million) in Thu Duc Intersection to ease traffic congestion.

The city plans to construct two other flyovers in Tan Binh District's Lang Cha Ca Intersection and District 6's Cay Go Roundabout.

Girls to have more support from Plan International

Vietnamese girls will receive more support from Plan International (Plan), an international humanitarian organization operating in Vietnam, via a programme “Because I am a girl” between now and 2016.

The programme was launched on the occasion of “ Girls’ International Day” endorsed by the General Assembly of the United Nations on October 11 in 2011, said Glenn Gibney, General Director of Plan International Vietnam at the launch ceremony on October 11.

Under the five-year programme, the oganisation will join hands with local authorities to encourage Vietnamese girls, especially those in the mountainous and urban areas, to get involved in making decisions, while further financing education from pre-school to secondary degrees.

The programme also aims to reduce the number of girls getting married at early age as well as factors that can make negative physical and spiritual impact on female juveniles while attending school.

Officials disciplined for using fake degrees

Seventeen commune officials were disciplined for using fake high school diplomas, according to Ly Thanh Gioi, head of the People's Committee of Giong Rieng district in the southern province of Kien Giang.

All of them admitted to the violation.

Sixteen officials received warnings while the head of Hoa Thuan Commune's People's Council was dismissed.

Vietnam backs plans for intellectual property

Vietnam backs the compulsory public release of information on genetic resources and traditional knowledge on patents. It also agrees with the introduction of mechanisms to allow public access to information and enable the prosecution of offenders.

The Director General of Vietnam’s National Office of Intellectual Property, Ta Quang Minh, is currently leading a Vietnamese delegation to the 50th meting of the World International Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva, Switzerland.

During the proceedings, Vietnam hailed the achievements that the WIPO development programme had made with projects that benefited Vietnam. They included a database access project for WIPO development research, a project to create trademarks for Ba Vi tea, Phu Yen fish sauce and Da Lat flowers and a course on intellectual property rights in the Vietnamese language.

A spokesperson for the Vietnamese delegation said that Vietnam is keen to continue receiving assistance from the WIPO to run advanced training courses on trademarks and patents.

Vietnam was pleased with the outcomes of the negotiations within the framework of the Inter-governmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Cultural Folklore (IGC).

However, it stressed on the need to reach legally binding international agreements to prevent bio-piracy and the illegal use of genetic resources, traditional knowledge and folklore.

The sustainable use and protection of genetic resources, traditional knowledge and folklore can only be guaranteed by agreeing on regulations and responsibilities that are in line with the Convention on Biodiversity and the Nagoya Protocol, said the Vietnamese delegation.

Vietnam will support future meetings within the IGC, as well as those at the ministerial level to adopt these draft documents.

On the fringes of the event, the Vietnamese delegation met with several of its partners to lobby for more cooperation with other ASEAN member countries.

Four cars collide on National Highway

A car crash occurred at Km 684+500 on the section of 1A National Highway going through Gia Ninh Commune in central Quang Binh Province's Quang Ninh District late Wednesday.

Although no casualties were reported, the accident left the four vehicles badly damaged.

A van heading south crashed into the car ahead, after which two cars behind them collided consecutively.

The authorities are investigating the case.

Earlier in the same day afternoon, a motorbike accident took place in the district's An Ninh commune, resulting in one fatality.

Anti-TB poster contest launched

A contest was launched in Hanoi on October 11 to develop public awareness posters that promote the eradication of tuberculosis (TB) in 2012.

The contest aims to mobilise public involvement in TB prevention activities, reduce discrimination against TB patients, raise awareness of TB and call for support policies for TB prevention.

At the launch ceremony, Le Thi Phuong, deputy head of the Steering Committee of Population, AIDS and Social Affairs said that to fight TB effectively, there needs to be joint efforts from society at large. She expressed hope to create useful educational communication products to raise public awareness of the disease.

The awards ceremony will be held in December at the Opera House, Hanoi.

Hydropower plant ready for full throttle

Son La hydro power plant, the largest power plant in Viet Nam, is expected to officially come into operation next December. All six of its turbines were successfully linked with the national grid last month.

By early this month, the plant provided 11.4 billion kWh to the national grid, adding about VND1.14 trillion (US$55 million) to the State's budget, according to Electricity of Viet Nam (EVN).

Working with the State Steering Committee for the Son La-Lai Chau Hydropower Plant Project early this week, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai urged EVN and agencies to complete work on the plant.

He also asked them to finish designing and implementing new infrastructure in the resettlement area by the end of this year, and to help displaced residents by speeding up the processes of land allocation and land-use certificate granting.

The plant's construction started in 2005 and displaced tens of thousands of people, the largest single resettlement in the country's history.

Up to 10,000 households resettled from the site of the plant have been supported to the tune of VND185 billion (US$8.8 million) to help defray agricultural production expenses, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The fund is reportedly backed by northern Son La, Dien Bien and Lai Chau provinces which have received the households. Son La took the lead with VND130 billion (nearly $6.3 million).

The ministry said most of the households grew maize, cassava, arrowroot, soy, tea, coffee, and rubber trees, and raised pigs, chicken, buffaloes and cows. They have been resettled about 24,000ha of agricultural land, or 0.82-2.25ha each.

Training has been offered to help the families improve their living standards. Thousands of farmers have attended farm training courses to boost their production.

In addition, about 4,000 households have been shown new methods in planting rubber, which is expected to help them create more jobs and increase incomes.

It was reported that VND14.2 billion ($700,000) had been spent to compensate and resettle households from the plant construction site, reaching 95 per cent of the plan.

Bloodsucking bugs found in HCM City

Residents living in Ward No 17 of HCM City's Go Vap District have been finding bloodsucking bugs in their houses.
Resident Do Van Quyet said that about seven households in his area were infested with the insects. The district's Preventive Medical Centre is co-operating with the ward's medical station to remove them.

When the bugs appeared in the district over a year ago, they were initially identified as kissing bugs (Triatoma infestans). Their bite causes irritation and itching in humans.

VNN/VOV/VNS