Project to empower rural communities

A new rural community model under which the people play a central role in the way in which their communities operate is taking shape thanks to a pilot programme that has been carried out in 11 communes nationwide since 2009.

The programme was reviewed at a meeting in Ha Noi on Saturday where tasks for this year aimed at developing the model were outlined.

According to the Steering Committee, the 11 communes had benefited from the pilot project and seen improvements in a wide range of areas, including income, economic restructure, labour structure and production.

Fundamental infrastructure had been improved remarkably and production boosted.

More attention was given to cultural and social affairs and environmental protection and the political system were strengthened with personnel work enhanced and security maintained.

Several communes had built models pertaining to developing production, mobilising all resources for development, and establishing a connection between farmers and business, that had caught the attention of other localities, the committee said.

Politburo member and permanent member of the Party Central Committee's Secretariat Truong Tan Sang praised the endeavours of agencies, communes and those involved in the pilot programme.

As the Head of the Steering Board for the pilot programme, Sang asked ministries, agencies and local authorities to develop eight of the pilot communes into new rural areas by the end of this year and the rest by 2013.

He asked the agencies involved to continue disseminating information on the programme's requirements and goals, especially to the people in the 11 target programmes in those communes.

Tet supplies warm up cold-hit island

Shipments of food and other necessities for the approaching Lunar New Year Festival (Tet) were unloaded on the Phu Quy island on January 23.
The multi-hundred tonne supplies, provided and escorted by the naval force of region 4 for the island off the central province of Binh Thuan, have made a breakthrough to the recent sluggish trade between the island and the in-land.
It was reported that biting cold, rough waters and strong winds have stopped normal operation of fishing and cargo ships on the route from Phu Quy island to Phan Thiet township since late December last year, causing a shortage of foods on the island.
A delegation from the regional naval force also visited and presented gifts for poor families on the island.

Health checks at borders tightened

Authorities in the northern province of Lang Son are tightening health checks at border-gates with mainland China ahead of the upcoming Tet Holidays (Lunar New Year).

There has been a sharp increase in the number of people crossing the border recently and that combined with the unexpected cold weather has urged officials to strengthen health checks at the border gates to avoid the threat of an epidemic spreading across the country.

The provincial People's Committee said the measures would help control and prevent the spread of contagious diseases from other countries.

Thermometers have been installed at Huu Nghi and Tan Thanh border gates, Dong Dang Railway Station and other locations have also been supplied with external thermometers to check body temperatures.

People with temperatures of over 38 degrees Celsius would be taken to hospital in specialised cars for further examinations and if necessary, treatment in a quarantined environment.

Police catch Khanh Hoa animal trafficker

Police in the central province of Khanh Hoa have uncovered illegal poaching activities in a house in the town of Ninh Hoa.

Head of the provincial Environmental Police Office Vo Duc Than said that the police had seized one black-shanked douc (Pygathrix nigripes), 19 weasels, 12 porcupines, 13 snakes and two freezers full of frozen wild animals.

Owner of the house Hoang Van Tuan admitted he had been capturing rare animals and selling them to local restaurants for four years. He was subsequently arrested.

The police handed the surviving animals to the province's forest management board for release into the wild.

Rice deliveries to ease tough times for poor

Nearly 34,000 tonnes of rice from the national reserve will be provided to poor people in 11 provinces on the occasion of Tet (Lunar New Year) and the between-crop period, the hardest time of the year for farmers.

Decision No139/QD-TTg, signed last week by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, means the Government would provide needy people in northern provinces of Dien Bien,Son La, Lai Chau and Lao Cai with 5,316 tonnes of rice and central provinces of Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Thanh Hoa, Binh Dinh, Quang Binh, Quang Nam and Quang Tri 28,500 tonnes.

Dung asked the provincial People's Committees to promptly deliver the food aid and report their results to the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

23,000 cattle die in freezing weather

The total number of cows and buffaloes frozen to death in Viet Nam has reached 23,000, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's Livestock Breeding Department said last Friday.

The northern mountainous province of Lang Son topped the list with more than 4,000 dead animals, followed by two neighbouring provinces, Cao Bang and Lao Cai.

Minister Cao Duc Phat has instructed provinces from Thua-Thien-Hue northward to establish working teams to instruct in food and shelter measures to help cattle and poultry cope with the chill and hunger.

Names of hijacked crew revealed

The names and ages of the 24 crew on board the ship Hoang Son Sun which has been seized by Somali pirates on Monday have been announced.

The captain is Dinh Tat Thang, born in 1968 in Hai Phong. Other sailors' ages ranged from 23 to 59.

All of the crew have full insurance; the maximum compensation payable is US$25,000 per person.

The bulk carrier was on its way from Iran to Xiamen Port in China.

The ship has a capacity of 22,000 tonnes. Although it was Mongolia-flagged, it was owned by Hoang Son Company which is based in the northern city of Hai Phong.

Alleged slandering blogger out on bail

HCM City Police on Thursday agreed to release jailed blogger Le Nguyen Huong Tra, also known as Co Gai Do Long, on bail.

Major General Cao Minh Nhan, deputy director of the General Department for Anti-Crime Police said Tra had been arrested for allegedly slandering a senior Vietnamese official.

She was arrested on October 23, at her house in Tan Binh District, HCM City, after allegedly writing an entry about the family of the official based on an anonymous letter she had received.

Tra was sued in 2008 for a posting about famous Vietnamese singer Phuong Thanh based on inaccurate information, but she won the case.

DakDrinh Hydroelectric power plant under construction

Construction of the DakDrinh Hydroelectric power plant started on January 23 in Son Tay district, Quang Ngai province and in KongPlong district, Kon Tum province.

This biggest project along the Tra Khu River is part of the power development plan approved by the Prime Minister.

The plant will have two turbine units and 110kV distribution station with total capacity of 125MW. It will be constructed on an area of 2,000ha at an estimated cost of more than VND4,000 billion. When completed, it will generate around 540KWh annually.

The project will help to increase the supply of water for lowlands in summer and reduce flooding in lower areas in the rainy season. It will also ensure enough freshwater for the Dung Quat Industrial Zone.

The first turbine will operate in September 2013 while the second in December of the same year

The Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group is the project’s chief investor and the Infrastructure Development and Construction Corporation (Licogi) is the chief contractor of the project.

Overseas Vietnamese celebrate New Year in HCM City

Over 600 overseas Vietnamese (OVs) gathered for a meeting in Ho Chi Minh City on January 22 to welcome the Year of the Cat.

The event included dialogues between OVs and municipal authorities on prospects for investment, trade and services to promote the OV community’s potential. The dialogues provided OVs with information on the investment climate, business opportunities, trade stimuli and new policies of the southern economic hub.

Organisers from the municipal association for liaison with OVs said they expected the event would help attract an increasing number of OVs to invest and open business back home.
Overseas Vietnamese with successful business in Vietnam, such as Nguyen Tri Dung from Japan, Do Ngoc Quynh from Germany and Duong Duc from France, shared their experiences with younger generations, dealing with the investment climate and overcoming challenges in doing business in Vietnam.

The OVs were also provided with free consultation on applying for nationality, real estate development, investment, business establishment, tourism and employment.

Southern hub students launch spring volunteer campaign

More than 6,000 students from 34 universities and colleges in Ho Chi Minh City are joining a voluntary campaign that lasts from January 22 to February 3.

The 2011 Spring Voluntary Campaign, run by the HCM City Students Association, will focus on helping the poor in 20 poor communes in the southern provinces of Long An, Ben Tre, Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Binh Phuoc.

Students will deliver 1,000 Tet gifts to poor people and disadvantaged children, make at least 30 books from old calendars for the visually impaired, and send 2,000 cards with Lunar New Year wishes to soldiers who are stationed at the borders and remote islands.

They will also donate 400 units of blood and visit Vietnamese Heroic Mothers and Families that Rendered Services to the Fatherland.

In addition, the association’s grassroots units will organize many other activities for migrant workers on the occasion of the (Tet) Lunar New Year Festival.

Organizations help protect primary schools against natural disasters

New facilities have been presented to five primary schools in four communes in the northern mountain province of Yen Bai with the aim of improving education and safety for their pupils.

Among donors were the international humanitarian organization Save the Children and the Yen Bai Red Cross.

They sponsored the construction and repair works of a 550m² concrete ground for Van Hoi commune’s school, metal roofing for three classrooms of Minh Quan’s school, and a VND570 billion water supply system for Hong Ca commune’s two primary schools.

This is part of the 2010-2011 programme to prevent natural calamities and reduce the risks of classroom accidents for schools in mountainous Yen Bai.

The project makes a significant contribution to ensuring primary school pupils’ health and safety.

VNN/VOV/VNS