HCM City launches new bus route

HCM City’s Transport Department and the Southern Airport Transportation Joint Stock Company (Satsco) have launched bus route 119 connecting Tan Son Nhat Airport and Mien Tay coach station.

Route 119 is expected to continue the success of routes 49 & 109 in reducing traffic jams at Tan Son Nhat Airport. Photo vnexpress.net

The route runs between the airport and the station, without requiring passengers to transfer buses.

It passes a number of major hospitals in the city, such as Cho Ray, Thong Nhat, Nhan Dan 115 and Hung Vuong.

“Route 119 will continue the success of premium bus number 109 and shuttle bus number 49 and help solve the constant traffic jams at the airport,” said Bui Xuan Cuong, director of the city’s transport department, on Thursday.

Each bus on route 119 can transport 60 passengers. All buses on the new route are equipped with modern safety systems, such as automatic anti-jamming doors, pneumatic shock absorbers and anti-slip floor mats.

The route 119 staff is well-trained, friendly and able to communicate in English.

Buses on the new route run from 14:00 to 21:00 daily. Buses come every 15 – 30 minutes. The fare for trips under 5 km is VND12,000/passenger. The fare for trips over 5km is VND20,000/passenger.

Route 119’s outbound journey covers: Tan Son Nhat Airport’s international arrival terminal – domestic arrival terminal – Truong Son – Tran Quoc Hoan – Lang Cha Ca - Hoang Van Thu - Xuan Dieu – Xuan Hong – Truong Chinh – Ly Thuong Kiet – Bac Hai – Thanh Thai (extended) – Nguyen Tri Phuong – Nguyen Chi Thanh – Nguyen Thi Nho - Hong Bang – Kinh Duong Vuong – Mien Tay coach station (15.1 km).

Route 119’s return journey covers: Mien Tay coach station – Kinh Duong Vuong – Hong Bang – Nguyen Thi Nho - Nguyen Chi Thanh – Nguyen Tri Phuong – Thanh Thai – Thanh Thai (extended) – Bac Hai – Ly Thuong Kiet – Hoang Van Thu - Phan Dinh Giot – Truong Son – Tan Son Nhat Airport’s international arrival terminal (15.1 km).

Vietnam’s achievements in ozone layer protection hailed

Vietnam has achieved significant results in implementing the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

The remark was made by delegates to a ceremony held in Ho Chi Minh City on September 16 by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources to celebrate International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer (September 16).

According to the delegates, Vietnam has cut the consumption of CFC, Halon, and CTC since January 1, 2010 and completely excluded 500 tonnes of HCFC-141b and 500 tonnes of Methyl Bromide since January 1, 2015.

On the occasion, the event’s organising board presented awards to student winners of a drawing contest on ozone layer protection.

The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of substances believed to be responsible for ozone depletion.

It came into force on January 1989 and has been ratified by 197 parties, including 196 states and the European Union, making it one of the first universally ratified treaties in the United Nation’s history.

Former deputy chief inspector prosecuted for taking bribes

Police of the Mekong Delta City of Can Tho have decided to prosecute an official from the city’s transport department for allegedly accepting bribes.

Police searched Tam’s house on Thursday as part of investigation into the bribery case. - Photo thanhnien.vn

Duong Minh Tam, 36, former Deputy Chief Inspector of the city’s Transport Department, was placed in temporary detention during the ongoing investigation.

He was arrested as part of a ring of inspectors who are believed to have received protection money from businesses.

In late July, the city’s police decided to prosecute and detain some inspectors from the department, accusing them of receiving bribes.

According to the initial investigation by the police, these inspectors took bribes worth nearly VND3.5 billion (US$157,000).

They were believed to force many businesses, coach owners and owners of construction material shops in Can Tho to hand over money worth VND1-3 million ($45-134) each month if they wanted their businesses to operate without difficulties.  

The bribery case is under further investigation.

228 fishermen arrive home safely from Indonesia

Up to 228 Vietnamese fishermen, who were released by Indonesia on September 14 after caught for illegal fishing in its seas, arrived in Vung Tau city in the southern coastal province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau safely on September 16.

The fishermen were transported by the fisheries surveillance vessel KN 490, and then delivered to representatives of the localities hosting them, according to the Foreign Ministry.

This is the largest number of Vietnamese fishermen to be released by the Indonesian side.

Previously, upon Indonesia’s announcement on returning the fishermen in September, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc assigned related ministries and localities to actively work together to bring the fishermen home as soon as possible, ensuring their safety.

The Foreign Ministry, related ministries, and Vietnamese representative offices abroad have joined hands to protect the legitimate rights and benefits of the fishermen when they were caught or put into trial.

The agencies have been working to strengthen management and monitor fishing activities of Vietnamese fishermen to ensure that they abide by international laws.

Official killed by cigarette smuggler

A market management official was killed last night by a cigarette smuggler, while being on duty near Vam Co River in Long An Province.

The case was reported this morning by Nguyen Anh Viet, manager of the province’s market management branch.

The deceased official was identified as Nguyen Kim Danh, age 46, a member of the branch.

While waiting for smugglers on a stretch of Vam Co River in Duc Hoa District, Danh and three other inspectors stopped a motorboat which was carrying approximately 9.000 smuggled cigarette packages, according to officials. The motorboat’s driver, however, was able to escape.

The team was returning the cigarettes to the market management branch’s headquarters when a group of 10 motorboats appeared. Twenty smugglers chased the officials, seeking to recover the illegal cigarettes.

The officials’ boat accelerated and they called for support, however, one motorboat driver caught up with the officials and attacked the team with a stick. After being struck in the head, Danh fell into the river and died.

The case is under investigation.

Smuggling has been a serious problem in Long An Province. As of last month, the province had collected fines of VND75 billion (US$2.55 million) from more than 2.200 smuggling and fraud cases this year.

Tobacco and sugar were the most commonly smuggled items, according to provincial authorities.

VN tops Asian garment sector wage compliance

Viet Nam’s rate of non-compliance with the minimum wage in the garment, textile and footwear sector is the lowest among seven garment-exporting countries in Asia, at 6.6 per cent, according to a new report by the International Labor Organisation (ILO).

This rate is far better than the second lowest country on the list – Cambodia at 25.6 per cent, and almost nine times lower than the top-ranked violator – the Philippines, at 53.3 per cent.

The rate of extreme non-compliance in Viet Nam, which means wageworkers are paid less than four-fifths of the minimum wage in the country, is 3.8 per cent and moderate non-compliance (workers paid between 80 per cent and less than 100 per cent of the minimum wage) is 2.8 per cent.

In contrast, the Philippines, India, Thailand, Pakistan, and Indonesia each have a large proportion of garment sector workers who are paid far below the minimum wage. The extreme non-compliance rate in the Philippines and India is 38.8 and 34.9 per cent, respectively. About one fourth of Indonesian garment workers also earn far below the minimum wage.

“The depth of non-compliance is an important dimension because a worker being paid 99 per cent of the minimum is in a very different situation to one receiving only half of the minimum,” said Matthew Cowgill, ILO chief technical adviser on labour standards in the global supply chain, who is the lead author of the report.

In all the countries, women are more likely than men to be paid below the minimum wage in the garment sector. Again, Viet Nam is among the nations with the smallest male-female gaps (at 5.7 percentage points), behind Cambodia and Indonesia, whereas the largest male-female non-compliance gap is found in Pakistan (60.4 per cent).

According to the report, the design of minimum wage systems, including the minimum wage rate and the complexity of the wage structure, are important considerations for improving compliance.

Viet Nam has four regional minimum wages, ranging from VND2.4 to 3.5 million (US$108–157) a month. The minimum wage levels are decided annually by the National Wage Council that includes representatives the Government, employers’ and workers’ organisations.

While praising the compliance rate in Viet Nam’s growing garment, textile and footwear sector, ILO Viet Nam Director Chang-Hee Lee warned that data should be interpreted with caution.

The Viet Nam data used in the study dates back to 2013, whereas minimum wage had significantly increased in the previous three years. New data is needed to see if the high compliance continues even with the significantly increased minimum wages, he said.

Viet Nam’s regional minimum wages increased by about 12-15 per cent on a yearly basis between 2014 and 2016 and will go up by 7.3 per cent next year.

VN bans antibacterial soaps with triclosan, triclocarbon

The Ministry of Health’s Drug Administration will withdraw registration numbers and stop selling antibacterial soaps on the market if they find them unsafe or if warnings about the soap are issued by international organisations.

The ministry has instructed manufacturers and importers in the country to report about the use of any of 19 ingredients, including triclosan and triclocarbon which the US Food and Drug Administration banned in over-the-counter consumer antiseptic wash products on September 2.

Viet Nam is a party to a common agreement on the management of cosmetics in ASEAN countries. A conference to be held in November will discuss the solution for products with these ingredients that are sold in ASEAN countries.

Several domestic manufacturers of washing products have reported that these ingredients were replaced in 2014.

According to a press release from the US FDA, the rule which it issued does not affect consumer hand sanitisers or wipes, or antibacterial products used in health care settings.

“Consumers may think antibacterial washes are more effective at preventing the spread of germs, but we have no scientific evidence that they are any better than plain soap and water,” said Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “In fact, some data suggests that antibacterial ingredients may do more harm than good over the long-term.”

Can Tho urged to become a smart city in 10 years

The Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee has called on the Can Tho Party Committee to pass a resolution to develop the city into a smart city in the next 10 years.

Speaking at a seminar held in the Mekong Delta city earlier this week, the committee’s Chairman, Nguyen Thien Nhan, said the resolution would identify 10 tasks, including developing a common data base for use by the public, businesses and State agencies.

There are 17 sectors for which the data should be developed - population, labour and family, water supply, investment, industry, agriculture, construction and housing, trade, tourism, transport, environment, education and training and human resources development, science and technology, health, social and health insurance and social security - he said.

It would be used to draft the city’s smart zoning plan, he said.

The city has to review and upgrade zoning plans once in six months, and by doing this it would have forecasts for its development for the next five years, he said.

It should focus on improving its economic efficiency and developing indexes for provincial competitiveness, labour productivity, water resources, human resources and culture, he said.

Last year Can Tho ranked third behind HCM City and Hanoi in labour productivity among the country’s five centrally administered cities.

It ranked 14th in the Provincial Competitiveness Index.

But the city’s dynamism and competitiveness – two of the most important criteria in a market economy – ranked below the national average.

This year the city’s economy has grown at 7.5%, according to its People’s Committee.

VNS/VNA/VOV