Vietnam Airlines present VND800m to Japan 

 

Vietnam Airlines presented nearly VND800 million to the representative of the Japanese Red Cross Society (JRCS), Takashi Tanaka on April 11 to support citizens in the quake-hit northeast of Japan.

Speaking at the meeting, Director of Vietnam Airlines’ branch in Japan , Nguyen Minh Hai sent condolences to victims of the devastating earthquake and tsunami and expressed hope that they would soon overcome difficulties and stabilise their lives. He affirmed Vietnam Airlines is willing to take part in transporting aid cargo from Vietnam to Japan as well as assisting JRCS in other humanitarian activities.

The JRCS representative Takashi Tanaka thanked Vietnam Airlines staff and Vietnamese people for their assistance to Japan .

Additionally, the Vietnamese Youth and Students Association (VYSA) donated 500,000 Japanese yen to assist people in northeast Japan . The association’s fundraising campaign will last till April 14.

At least 28,000 people were left dead or missing after the most powerful earthquake and ensuing tsunami in Japan's history ravaged its northeastern region on March 11.

Vietnamese in Ivory Coast remain safe

Vietnamese people in Abidjan , Ivory Coast , are still safe and none were reported to be injured or robbed, the Vietnamese Embassy in Morocco , which is also in charge of Ivory Coast , has said.

The embassy said French forces in Ivory Coast on April 9 used military vehicles to evacuate the first eight Vietnamese people to a safe place in an area controlled by French forces.

On April 11, five other Vietnamese people were brought to the shelter of the first group.

The embassy has contacted a number of Vietnamese families in unsafe areas, advising them to prepare for evacuation once they are picked up by French forces.

According to the embassy, around 60 Vietnamese people and several French of Vietnamese origin were living and working in Ivory Coast , all in Abidjan city, when the civil war broke out in the African country.

To support and ensure safety for the Vietnamese community in Ivory Coast, the embassy had contacted the French Embassy in Abidjan and local authorised agencies asking for support for Vietnamese citizens.

Two schoolgirls mysteriously disappear

Two 14-year-old schoolgirls from the central province of Quang Ngai’s Duc Pho district are reported missing since March 30.

Their mothers were told that a strange man advised Luong Thi Thanh Thoi and Vo Thi Vi to go to Tam Quan town in Binh Dinh province.

They allegedly sold their bicycle(s) and cell phone(s) to a woman known as Lap, and got on a passenger car on the Sa Huynh – Duc Pho route to continue their trip.

The car’s driver was contacted. He said that an unknown man had ordered tickets for the missing girls and that their destinations would be at the Hoai Tan T-junction in Tam Quan town.

Thanh Nien reported that the two got off the car at 3:00 am at a T-junction in Ta In Commune, Duc Trong District in the central highlands province of Lam Dong.

Earlier, Tran Thi Ngoc Quyen, a 10-grade schoolgirl studying in Tam Quan high school, also disappeared inexplicably. One month later she came back in a state of panic.

Thanh Nien did not report any further.

Authorities warn of toxic soy sauce 

The Department of Food Hygiene and Safety has warned people not to consume Dong Co soy sauce as it contains high levels of 3-MCPD (3-Mono Chloropropane Diol), a cancer causing toxin.  

According to the department, which is under the Ministry of Health, Dong Co soy sauce contains 3-MCPD at 200 times higher than permitted levels, as per tests conducted by the city Institute of Public Health and Hygiene.

Most of the manufacturing is done in Hoa Thanh District of Tay Ninh Province in neighboring HCMC.

Huynh Thi Mai, deputy head of the HCMC Sub-department of Food Hygiene and Safety said that last year, relevant authorities had seized and destroyed over 2,300 kilograms of soy sauce due to high levels of 3-MCPD as well as for poor quality standards.

After strict inspections conducted in HCMC in 2007-2008, most of the soy sauce production moved to neighboring provinces like Long An, Binh Duong and Tay Ninh. However, their main consumption market has still been in HCMC.

Thieves stole VND7 billion worth gold in Lam Dong

Kim Ngan Gold Shop in Bao Loc City, Lam Dong Province yesterday reported a loss of nearly 200 taels of 24k gold worth around VND7 billion (US$350,000).

Dang Huu Quy, owner of the shop told police his family woke up to find all the gold gone.

He said someone pried open his shop from the second floor, sneaked into the first floor and took away all the gold in the glass display window.

Local police are investigating

 

Poor quality medicines suspended 

The Drug Administration of Vietnam has decided to suspend circulation of several medicines that do not meet with required quality standards.  

 

The administration also ordered the producers and importers of such medicines to withdrawn their products immediately.

On the list of suspended medicines is eyewash Neodex 5ml, from lot number 0401010 with manufacturing date October 11, 2010 and expiry date of the same day in 2012. The medicine produced by the Pharmaceutical & Medicine Public Company, has been found to be sub standard in quality.

Camedol 7.5 (meloxicam tablets 7.5mg) from lot number 3601 and manufacturing date August 27, 2009 and expiry date August 26, 2012 does not meet with required standards.  Manufactured by Holden Medical Ltd. from Cyprus, the tablet is imported by Ho Chi Minh City Medical Export Import Joint Stock Company.

The administration also suspended circulation of oriental medicine named Hoàn cứng Bá đã sơn quân hoàn 20g, from lot number 010810 and expiry date August 2012. Rang Dong Unit in HCMC manufactures the medicine but failed to meet the quality standards required for bacterial contamination.

In related news, the Hanoi Department of Health has ordered authorized organizations to step up inspections and supervision of medicine manufacturers, cosmetic producers and businesses on implementation of state regulations.

The inspections and supervision will focus on health clinics and units producing, trading, exporting and importing medicines and cosmetic products in Hanoi.

District authorities must do a monthly inspection of at least 10 medicine retailers, five wholesalers, two health clinics and two cosmetic trading basics.

The inspectors will look at the origin, quality and price of the products, as well as the implementation of regulations on trading addictive medicines. They will also examine advertising content of cosmetic products.

 

A/H1N1influenza on the rise 

According to the Vietnam Administration of Preventive Medicine, there have been 425 cases of positive A/H1N1influenza virus, resulting in 11 deaths since the beginning of the year. 

The Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases alone has received 235 cases of A/H1N1.

Up to 43 percent of deaths were of pregnant women. Besides a majority of the people infected were found to be working people who communicated the disease to other family members.

The administration has also reported 9,400 people with dengue fever since the beginning of the year. These cases were reported in 40 provinces and cities, with seven resulting in death.

Compared to the same period last year, the number of people infected with dengue fever has soared by 4.4 percent with four reported deaths.

 

Ha Long-Fangchenggang sea route reopens 

 

The sea tourism route from Ha Long city in the northern province of Quang Ninh to Fangchenggang city in Guangxi province, China reopened on April 11.

Director of provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ha Quang Long said the inauguration ceremony of the route is expected to take place on April 12 at Hon Gai Vinashin Port in Ha Long city.

Tourism promotion conferences will also be held to create favourable conditions for the two cities to introduce their potential, strength and tourism cooperation opportunities.

The resumption of the sea route, initially scheduled for Dec 2010 but delayed until now, embodies development in the two cities’ multifaceted cooperation, especially in sea tourism.

Chinese air passenger held for carrying gun

Customs officers in Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat Airport Monday found a shotgun in the checked-in luggage of a Chinese national Lu Chun Hsien flying to Taiwan.

They fined him for exporting forbidden goods and detained him for further investigation.

Hydrofoil nearly crashes into forest

On the way to coastal Vung Tau City, a hydrofoil departing from Ho Chi Minh City suddenly rushed towards mangrove bushes and caused panic among passengers before the boat captain managed to stop it in time.

The hydrofoil, operated by Dong Song Xanh Joint Stock Company, departed from its quay in HCM City at 15:30 p.m.

One hour after, the hydrofoil’s driver lost control over the boat as the hydraulic system of the steering wheel was out of order.

Without being controlled, the boat rushed towards a coastal mangrove forest amidst the terrified shouts of passengers.

Fortunately, the captain managed to stop the boat as soon as it touched the mangrove bushes.

After some repairs, the hydrofoil continued its journey and landed at Vung Tau safely at 17:10 p.m. the same day.

Hand, foot and mouth disease outbreak worsens

More and more children in Ho Chi Minh City are contracting hand, foot and mouth disease, doctors said.

While in March 60 cases were reported a week, it has risen now to 80, and will continue to increase until the beginning of June, Dr Nguyen Dac Tho of the Department of Preventive Medicine said.

Pediatric Hospital II admits four to eight patients daily with the disease compared to one or two earlier.

Most of the victims are aged under three.

The disease spreads very quickly and in some cases can cause death, doctors warned.

Parents should ensure their children’s personal hygiene by washing their hands before meals and after using the toilet and by cleaning their toys and places where they usually play, Tho said.

Farmers offered unknown substance as fertilizer

Some traders in the southern Tien Giang Province are selling an unknown solution as a cheap fertilizer to rice farmers but local authorities are warning farmers against buying it and are trying to tracking down its origin.

In the past few days many farmers in My Tan, My Trung, and Hau My Bac B Communes in Cai Be District have bought the “fertilizer” which is sold in plastic tanks of 1-2 cubic meters, Nguyen Kim Lien, head of the District’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said.

It has no name, specifications, or directions for use and is transported in by the traders in small boats.

They then instruct the farmers to pump the liquid directly into their paddies, Lien said.

The substance has a smell similar to those found at molasses and seasoning powder plants, farmers said.

Traders claim that by using the product, farmers can restrict their expenditure on fertilizer to just VND400,000-450,000 per hectare for the entire crop and do not have to use any additional fertilizers.

There are signs the liquid has contaminated groundwater, Lien said.

The local people’s committee has sought the media’s support to persuade farmers to stop buying the substance until relevant agencies complete their investigation, she added.

Thousands flock back to HCMC after holiday

On the National Highway 1A in district 9, Ho Chi Minh CityDozens of thousands of people started to flock back to Ho Chi Minh City to resume work, resulting in slow traffic on Tuesday after spending the national holiday in their hometowns or on tour trips.

26,000-28,000 passengers went through the West-bound bus station on Tuesday, up 25-35% compared to normal days, said a station representative.

As for the East-bound station, there area 5,000-7,000 more passengers, said station’s deputy director Thuong Thanh Hai.

On Tuesday afternoon, a line of passenger coaches, cars and motorcycles slowly moved into the city.

Traffic moved slowly through major entry gates like Hanoi Expressway, National Highway No 13, and Dinh Bo Linh Street.

At 3:30pm, a motorbike broke down on the Hanoi Expressway opposite Suoi Tien Tourism Park, causing a 30-minute jam, said Lieutenant Colonel Tran Van Thuong, head of Rach Chiec traffic police team.

Yesterday is the national holiday commemorating the death anniversary of Hung Kings, considered the founders of Vietnam, that falls on the 10th day of the third lunar month every year.

Bac Lieu court official arrested for taking bribe

Tran Kim Long, 58, head of the Inspection and Supervision Department at the southern province of Bac Lieu’s People’s Court, was arrested yesterday for taking bribe.

Earlier, on the afternoon of April 11, the provincial police caught Long taking VND5 million (US$240) from Thai My Linh at her home on Cao Van Lau Street, Dau Lo Hamlet, Nha Mat Ward, Bac Lieu City.

Linh offered the money to Long to ask for his help in a land dispute she was involved in.

The police are further investigating the case.

French-era building hired out to birds

An old French mansion in Tien Giang’s Go Cong district has been turned into a farm to breed swiftlets, a bird species known to make edible nests that fetch very high prices.

The building used to be the headquarters of the provincial government.

From a distance the building inside which hundreds of swiftlets nest looks as magnificent as it probably did in 1885 when it was built to serve as the main office for the highest French official in the area.

Every brick was imported directly from France to build it.

However, it is now dilapidated inside and is filled with bird droppings, dampness, and moss.

Since 2006 the local government has leased the building to Yen Go Cong company which uses most of the space to breed the birds, leaving just a small portion left for Hai, the guard.

“I have worked here since 2006,” he said.

“The company rents this building at VND 30 million (US$ 1,400) a year from the local government.”

Hoang Ngoc Hung, a researcher, told Tuoi Tre that the building is the largest built by the French colonialists to remain in southern Vietnam except for those in Ho Chi Minh.

“It has historical and cultural significance.

“People think it deserves a better fate since if it is kept in good shape, it will certainly be a major tourist attraction.

“The swiftlets prefer a humid environment which quickly damages construction materials, not to mention those droppings.”

More surprisingly, despite leasing it out, the local government has applied for the building to be recognized as a provincial historical heritage.

But the plea has been turned down, with cultural authorities saying the lease has to be ended for such recognition.

Fire burns down votive paper factory in Binh Duong

A fierce fire yesterday broke out at votive paper producer Dai Phuc Co., Ltd. in southern Binh Duong province’s Thuan An town. It burned down a 2,000 square meter factory of the company but no casualty was reported.

The fire broke out at 7:45 pm and spread rapidly as the factory was storing a lot of inflammable materials.

Moreover, supported by strong wind, the fire soon became violent and posed a big threat to tens of households located near the company, local residents said.

The local fire prevention and control police department sent 29 fire trucks and hundreds of firemen to the scene but it was not until 23 p.m. that the fire was put under control.

The town police are investigating the cause of the fire.

Woman hides VND500,000 fake notes in helmet

While purchasing clothes at a shop in Hanoi’s My Duc District, a woman was examined by local police and caught carrying 79 VND500,000 counterfeit banknotes.

Le Thi Trinh, 33, hid 76 of the fake notes under her helmet and the remaining three in her wallet, the police said.

After local experts confirmed that the banknotes were fake, the police immediately detained Trinh and seized all the ‘money’ worth VND39.5 million (US$1,900).

At the police office, Trinh said she bought the fakes from a woman named Thuy in Hanoi at an exchange rate of VND3.5 million ($168) in real cash against VND10 million ($481) in fake notes.

She also confessed she had spent VND30 million ($1,440) of the fake money on purchasing goods in some central provinces.

My Duc District police have decided to indict Trinh for trading, using and trafficking fake money.

Chemical explosion kills one at Deawoo Vietnam

At 8:30am, April 12, a big chemical explosion occurred at Deawoo Vietnam electronic company in Binh Duong province, Tan Dinh commune, killing one worker.

Nguyen Huu Phuoc, 19 years old, was rushed to hospital and died there.

The company said Phuoc was opening a steel tank containing MIPK industrial chemicals to pour into a 20-liter plastic one when the explosion occurred.

Phuoc was thrown nearly 10 meters away from the site.

Authorities said the victim could have been smoking when he opened the tank and a cigarette end could have fallen into the liquid.

Smoking is banned at the site.

Police are investigating.

Ambulance transporting coffin hits truck, 4 dead

At 2:30 a.m. today, an ambulance crashed into the rear of a truck in Tinh Gia District, Thanh Hoa Province, killing four people and injuring two others.

All the four dead had been in the ambulance before the accident, including Nguyen Van Nam, 41; Tran Dang Kieu, 40; Tran Huu Can, 42; and Phung Van Hung, the driver, said police.

The former three were from Do Luong District, central Nghe An Province, and the latter was of northern Tuyen Quang Province.

The two injured, also having been carried by the ambulance, were taken to Tinh Gia District Hospital for emergency treatment.

The ambulance reportedly departed from the Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi, carrying the six above people and a coffin that had been sent from abroad to Nghe An for burial.

According to witnesses at the scene, both the vehicles were traveling southwards and when they reached a section of the National Highway 1A in Tinh Gia District, the ambulance suddenly hit the truck hard from behind.

The ambulance’s driver reportedly lost control as he either was driving at a high speed or falling asleep behind the wheel.

The accident caused a serious traffic congestion that lasted until 8 a.m.

Police are investigating the accident.

Chairman faces dock for conning $54,000

The Ministry of Public Security’s investigators have proposed the Supreme People’s Procuracy prosecute Ha Duc Dung, chairman of Ho Chi Minh City-based Dat Viet Mineral Exploitation JSC, for swindling to appropriate assets.

According to the investigation results, Dung, 36, of Ho Chi Minh City, swindled two persons out of US$54,000 in total by deceiving them into believing that he could help them get rid of prosecution pending against them.

His first victim was Nguyen Minh Tuan, director of Loc Binh Phu Tourism JSC, who used a fake contract for a deal worth tens of billions of dongs and was then prosecuted for “counterfeiting documents and seals of agencies” in last October.

Dung promised Tuan that he would help mitigate the sentence Tuan would be given if Tuan could pay him VND480 million ($24,000) as expenses for his interference into the case.

Tuan paid him the money but Dung later did nothing to help him, so Tuan denounced Dung to the police.

In another case, Dung received $30,000 from T.T.K.T, of HCM City’s Phu Nhuan District, after he promised her help to get T.’s brother out of a case of gambling in southern Dong Nai province.

Like Tuan’s case, T. reported Dung to local authorities after he failed to help her.

The Procuracy said it did not impose criminal accountability on Tuan and T. as they have actively reported Dung’s swindling acts to the police.

Hanoi bus burnt to bare bones; pilgrims saved

At 5pm Monday, a 16-seat passenger car suddenly caught fire while traveling on Tran Phu Street in Hanoi and was burnt to bare bones. Luckily all 12 exited the vehicle in time.

Passenger Khuc The Cong said there are 12 on the vehicle including the driver. The car was transporting pilgrims from the Huong Pagoda Festival to Bac Giang province.

When the car was traveling into inner Hanoi in Ha Dong district, a motorbike driver passed by and shouted that the car was on fire.

Driver Pham Ngoc Tu stopped and rushed outside to see the vehicle’s front billowing smoke.

He borrowed a fire extinguisher nearby but failed to save the car.

The fire spread from the front all the way to the back to the helplessness of all, Cong recalled.

Though firefighters were mobilized, they arrived late due to a traffic jam.

One hour after the fire was detected, what remained of the car were only bare frames.

Tran Phu Street suffered congestion for kilometers as a result.

Police are investigating into the cause of the fire.

Old man tries to rape 11-year-old, stabs heart

A 53-year-old man has been hospitalized after stabbing his own heart with a knife when he was busted trying to rape an 11-year-old girl in Nha Trang tourism town Sunday.

At 2:30 pm, locals saw Ly Pha taking N.T.N. V, born in 2000, to a deserted house in Phuoc Son hamlet, Phuoc Dong district.

Suspicious as Pha has a bad reputation, neighbors secretly followed him and saw him lock the door after he and the girl went inside.

Through a slit in the window, they saw Pha naked on the floor.

The neighbors smashed open the door and rescued the girl.

On the floor, they saw a thin mat spread out, a packet of instant noodle, a mango fruit, a bottle of water and some candies.

A Mifestad contraceptive pill was also found

While people were calling the police, Pha took a knife and stabbed it into his own belly.

When people tried to hold back his hand, Pha persevered and the knife was thrust into his chest.

Pha was rushed to Military Hospital 87. His left ventricle was found pierced by 1.5 cm.

The victim told police Pha made her drink a yellow pill, after which she felt normal.

Pha is married with children.

His wife has given the victim’s family one tenth of a tael of gold and VND5 million as compensation.

Neighbors said Pha frequently had arguments with his wife and often talked to young girls and invited them out after performing some magic tricks.

Shrimp project discharges untreated wastewater to sea

A coffee and cocoa firm’s shrimp breeding project in the central province of Quang Ngai has been discharging untreated wastewater into the sea in the past two years, readers told Tuoi Tre.

The 18-hectare project is being developed by Quang Ngai Coffee-Cocoa Trading and Service Company at Duc Minh Commune, Mo Duc District.

Tuoi Tre found that the company’s waste sewer system is installed underground and consists of 2 plastic pipelines for discharging untreated wastewater, which was black and very stinky.

According to the project, such wastewater must be treated before being released into the environment, said Tran Nhu Hiep, chairman of the Duc Minh Commune People’s Committee.

However, due to insufficient financial conditions, the company failed to implement wastewater treatment, Mr. Hiep said.

Teacher forces 8 kids to eat paper

A female teacher at B Vinh An elementary school in Mekong Delta’s An Giang Province is facing a formal warning from authorities after forcing 8 third graders to swallow paper on March 18.

VnExpress cited Bui Van Son, vice head of the education board in Chau Thanh District as saying it has suggested local authorities issue the warning to Huy.

Huy, over 40 years old, has admitted at a meeting with the board to asking those 8 to eat all the papers they were using to fold into airplane models during a class session.

She explained the strange penalty stemmed from her uncontrollable anger resulting from the kids’ making continuous noise, according to Son.

One of the eight poor children recalled he felt sick after swallowing the papers and wanted to vomit them out but was afraid to do so, fearing more punishment from Huy.

Huy had gone out, slamming the classroom door moments earlier.

She has made apologies in person to parents of the kids shortly after.

Forcing mischievous pupils to eat paper is by no means education, Son protested.

More trains to connect Hanoi, Danang

Hanoi Railway Passenger Transport Company will launch 2 more trains to serve passengers between Hanoi and Da Nang on April 12.

The SE19 train will depart at 2:30 p.m. from Hanoi and arrive in Danang at 7:50 am while the SE20 will depart from Danang at 4:50 pm. and arrive in Hanoi at 11:25 am.

From April 12 -27, passengers on this route will also be offered a 27 percent discount on one-way tickets, which will cost from VND228,000 to 588,000.

Tourists can buy tickets directly at the stations or by calling: (04) 394 239 49.