Construction sector revamp

A pioneering human resource scheme has been given the green light as the Government seeks to improve staff quality in the rapidly expanding construction sector.

Approved by Minister of Construction Trinh Dinh Dung, the programme is the first of its kind in Viet Nam and will run from now until 2020.

Under the scheme, the ministry will implement nine projects including those related to training facilities and techniques, quality of teachers, managers and civil servants at urban management bodies.

According to the ministry, there was an urgent need for a long-term human resource outlook plan in order to meet demand during the country's industrialisation, modernisation and international integration.

From 2005 to 2010, the number of people working in the construction sector rose more than 50 per cent from nearly 2 million to over 3.1 million people, accounting for 6.34 per cent of the country's total workforce.

But only 41 per cent of the workers were properly trained.

The number of skilled workers only makes up around 17 per cent, while few others underwent training at colleges, and a large proportion are untrained manual workers.

Meanwhile, Viet Nam expects the number of construction workers to pass 5 million in the next three years and reach 9 million by 2020.

The newly-approved scheme aims to raise the percentage of trained staff to 60 per cent by 2015 and 65 per cent by 2020.

Of all trained staff in 2020, about 68 per cent are expected to have graduated from job training schools, 24 per cent from vocational schools and 3 per cent from colleges, while 5 per cent will have undergone higher education.

The ministry also hopes to encourage and support enterprises establishing training centres of their own. Moreover, they will boost the co-operation between training institutes and enterprises to help students practise, satisfy quality requirements and obtain jobs.

Mobilising resources from the domestic and international community is another option to improve capacity and quality of construction human resources, according to the scheme, which will also offer incentives for enterprises to set up new training centres, including legal assistance for land rent and tax reductions.

Lang Son steps up patrols against poultry smuggling

The border guard forces have increased patrols to catch smugglers bringing uncertified poultry from China to Viet Nam.

Patrols have been stepped up since July in the northern border province of Lang Son in a bid to curb outbreaks of bird flu, said chief of the Tan Thanh border post, Senior Lieutenant Colonel Pham Quoc Huy.

Six units are responsible for the patrols and work on curbing outbreaks, including the border guard, customs, police, market management forces and commune and town authorities.

Huy said that poultry smugglers prefer to transport small amounts of goods, as it's easier to avoid detection.

The districts of Van Lang, Cao Loc and Loc Binh are hot spots for smuggling, he said, with Loc Binh seeing greatest levels of smuggling thanks to its remote terrain.

"Therefore border guard forces in the district have to work round the clock," he said.

"Poultry and poultry products are often smuggled into the province by vans and motorbikes at night. It's hard for us to clamp down on this illegal trade."

Provincial authorities have also directed the agricultural sector, People's Committees of communes, towns, and especially People's Committees of border communes, to raise people's awareness of bird flu while implementing prevention measures against the disease.

According to provincial reports, forces in the province since July have caught over 30 smugglers and seized around 12,000 chickens and ducks, and over 500kg of pig organs.

Gathering of Vietnamese-trained Cambodian military personnel

Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defence held a gathering of Vietnamese-trained Cambodian military personnel in Phnom Penh on September 20, as an activity celebrating the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Year and the 45th anniversary of the establishment of the two countries’ diplomatic ties.

The event, chaired by Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister General Tea Banh, brought together 500 officers, representing more than 12,000 Cambodian military personnel who used to study in Vietnam.

General Tea Banh stressed that over the past 45 years, the two countries’ solidarity and friendship have been nurtured by patriots of both sides, helping the two countries overcome all difficulties and build the great unity bloc.

Tea Banh expressed his thanks to Vietnam’s Party, Government, Army and people in general and the Ministry of National Defence in particular for their support for the Cambodian Defence Ministry.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia Ngo Anh Dung spoke highly of the meaning of the ceremony, saying that the veterans, soldiers, military officers and experts are living witnesses to the solidarity between the two countries’ armed forces.

On behalf of Cambodian military personnel trained in Vietnam in the 1979-2012 period, General Nieng Eng said that they will work hard to reinforce and develop the solidarity, friendship and close co-operation between the two armies and peoples.

On the occasion, the Cambodian Ministry of National Defence opened a photo exhibition on the friendship and co-operation between the Royal Cambodian Army and the Vietnam People’s Army. It is on process to establish an association for Vietnamese-trained Cambodian military personnel, of which General Tea Banh will be the Honorary President.

Laos honors Vietnamese donor

Labour Hero Le Van Kiem, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Long Thanh Golf Investment and Trading Joint Stock Company, was awarded with a Labour Order of Laos in Vientiane on September 20.

At the event, Bounpon Buttanavong, Politburo member, Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party Central Committee and head of its office, presented the honor to Kiem and thanked him for his donation to the Laos 9th Party Congress.

Over recent years, Kiem and his family conducted several charitable activities in Laos.

Speaking at the ceremony, Kiem pledged to develop the Long Thanh-Vientiane Special Economic Zone into a model zone, aiming to create jobs for Lao people and contribute to promoting the special friendship, solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos.

Hand-Foot-Mouth disease outbreaks in southern province

Hand-foot-mouth disease (HFM) and dengue fever outbreaks have been recorded in almost all districts of the southern province Binh Dinh, according to the province's Health Department's deputy director Le Quang Hung.

More than 110 new cases were detected during this week, an increase of 28 cases compared with the previous week.

Despite efforts of local health authorities to sanitise living areas and increase public awareness about disease prevention, the number of HFM patients has increased to 2,294.

So far, two fatalities have been recorded and 70 others are being treated at district healthcare centres.

The districts with the highest number of patients include Phu My, An Nhon, Tuy Phuoc and Phu Cat.

About 30 further cases of dengue fever have also been recorded recently, bringing the total number of dengue sufferers to 417 people. Two patients have so far died from the disease within the first eight months of this year.

Statistics from the Health Ministry revealed that 76,000 people had contracted HFM disease nationwide since the beginning of this year, resulting in 41 deaths. Meanwhile more than 38,000 people have been infected with dengue fever, resulting in 29 fatalities.

The ministry also says the number of dengue fever cases has also increased in the central and southern regions. Hot and humid weather is said to be a contributing factor for the outbreak of the two diseases.

Authorities ban sale of stomach medicine

Viet Nam Drug Administration has suspended circulation of Indian-made Omepro capsules due to their sub-standard quality.

According to a test carried out by HCM City's Institute of Drug Quality Control, Omepro, which is used to treat stomach ulcers and some other gastroenteric diseases, failed to dissolve properly and did not contain a sufficient quantity of medical ingredients.

Omepro capsules are made by the Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited Company in India and imported by Ha Tay Pharmaceutical JSC.

VNN/VOV/VNS/ND