Vietnamese citizen honoured in RoK

A Vietnamese man was honoured with the award “2012 Hero Neighbours” by S-Oil Corporation in Seoul, Republic of Korea (RoK), on December 21.

Prize money, totalling 145,000 USD, was given to 19 brave citizens who had made noble sacrifices and showed great courage to help people in danger.

Tran Dinh Tam from Hai Phong city of Vietnam is a sailor currently working in Mokpo city, Jeolla province. He was awarded for his brave rescue of a 76-year-old Koreanman who fell into the sea on February 23, 2012.

S-Oil has presented "Hero Neighbours” awards every year since 2008.

Sustainable fishing slashes poverty

Thousands of poor people have risen above the poverty line in the last seven years thanks to sustainable fisheries, deputy minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Vu Van Tam said on Friday, Dec 21.

Fishermen sell Mackerel fish in Van Don Market in the northern Quang Ninh Province. Thousands of poor people in the locality have risen above the poverty line in the last seven years thanks to sustainable fisheries.

He was addressing a conference to wrap up the second phase of the Fisheries Sector Support Programme funded by the Danish Government.

The programme aimed to help poor farmers understand how to operate sustainable fisheries, from growing fish to processing and marketing.

"Over 40,000 beneficiaries of the programme have escaped from poverty," Tam said.

The programme's second phase, conducted in 2006 in eight poor provinces including Son La, Dak Lak, Quang Ninh and Nghe An, focused on improving capacity management, diversifying products and improving post-harvest quality control.

Each poor household that participated in the programme saw its yearly income increase from an average of VND5.9 million (US$280) in 2010 to VND8.4 million ($400) this year, he said.

Director of northern Son La Province's Agriculture and Rural Development Ha Quyet Nghi said that people in the mountainous area had previously been unfamiliar with raising fish. But now, the province had six fish-breeding groups and planned to set 40 stations for sturgeon farming.

Danish Ambassador John Nielsen appreciated the two countries' co-operation in developing the fisheries sector, describing the programme as "a success story".

"This provides a foundation for the two countries to move forward to new forms of co-operation based on commercial partnership for mutual benefits," he said.

But although Viet Nam is the third-largest seafood exporter in the world, with $6.1 billion in export revenue, the country still needs to improve its fishery products' quality to meet the stringent requirements of major importers such as Europe and America, he said.

Since 1993, the Danish Government has supported the Vietnamese fishery sector with grants totaling more than $100 million.

Currently, Viet Nam receives over $60 million in grants from Denmark each year through development projects and support programmes.

‘Be Yourself' play tells students of six City universities

For the third time this year, Stereo Woman – Duoc La Chinh Minh (To Be Yourself), an avant-garde play about homosexuals, will be performed free for students from six universities in HCM City this week and two Dak Lak colleges next month.

The play, directed by Bui Nhu Lai, tells stories about homosexuals, bisexuals and transexuals that are intricate and bitter but also moving and imbued with humanism.

It reflects desires and inner feelings of people who are still discriminated against in society.

Using a combination of art, music, contemporary dance and theatre, the play carries the message of "Be yourself as happiness is in your hands".

The play was commissioned by the independent non-profit Vietnamese organisation Institute for Studies of Society, Economy and Environment (iSEE).

It was presented before the public for the first time in May 2012, by the Youth Theatre's Troupe 3, under the sponsorship of the Australian Embassy.

This third tour is sponsored by the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives under the Canadian Embassy.

In HCM City, the play will be performed at FPT University today, University of Theatre and Cinema and on this Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at the University of Foreign Languages and Information Technology, Hong Bang University and University of Pedagogy, respectively.

The University of Transport will host the play next Monday, December 31.

In Dak Lak, the play will be presented at the College of Culture and Arts and the Central Highlands Ethnic Youth Vocational College on January 2 and 3, respectively.

Late Algeria-VN association chairman honoured

Abdelkrim Hassani, late Honorary Chairman of the Algeria-Vietnam Friendship Association, has been posthumously awarded the Friendship Order by the Vietnamese State for his contributions to fostering the two nations’ friendship and cooperation.

At a ceremony in Algiers on December 23, Vietnamese Ambassador to Algeria Do Trong Cuong presented the Friendship Order to Abdelkrim’s wife, Drifa Ben M’hidi Hassani.

He recalled Abdelkrim’s important contributions to developing the Vietnam-Algeria relations since he took in the Honorary Chairman of the Algeria-Vietnam Friendship Association in 2001.

As a politician and a historian, Abdelkrim took advantage of every forum he participated in to introduce Vietnam to Algerian people, lobby for the association and boost the relations between the two countries, Cuong said.

Abdelkrim’s wife thanked the Vietnamese State for presenting the award to her late husband and for its acknowledgment of his merits and efforts to the two countries’ ties.

Meeting with Vietnamese labourers in RoK

The Embassy of Vietnam in the Republic of Korea (RoK) held a meeting with Vietnamese labourers in Seoul on December 23 to welcome in the new year of 2013.

The event was organized in co-ordination with the Overseas Labour Centre under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA), and the Western Union of the RoK.

Present were thousands of Vietnamese labourers working in Anxan city and surrounding areas.

On this opportunity, Director of the Overseas Labour Centre, Phan Van Minh spoke of problems arising from the growing number of Vietnamese workers refusing to return home.

For this reason, the RoK’s Ministry of Labour and Employment has decided to receive no more Vietnamese workers and suspend Korean-language tests for those who want to work in the RoK.

Since late December 2011, the Vietnamese Department of Overseas Labour (DOLAB) has cooperated with the RoK Human Resource Development (HRD) to organise five Korean-language tests for 3,219 workers who have returned home as scheduled and wish to come back for work.

As of July 2, 2012, the RoK has allowed former foreign workers to go back to the RoK within three months without having to take any language tests, Minh said.

Earlier, on December 22, a similar meeting was held, attracting about 1,000 Vietnamese labourers in Daegu province.

Ministry shares anti-human trafficking information

The Ministry of Public Security hosted in Hanoi on December 21 an international conference to share information on human trafficking prevention.

A Ministry report unveiled that o ver 60 percent of all trafficking cases are across the Vietnam-China border, found mostly in northern provinces, like Ha Giang, Lao Cai, Lang Son and Quang Ninh.

From 2004 to 2012, the country has exposed more than 3,000 trafficking cases involving more than 6,500 victims, an increase of 1,300 cases from that of the 1996-2003 period.

In 2012 alone, 437 cases were detected, 719 involved people were arrested and 1,206 victims were rescued.

The Ministry’s key missions in 2013-2015 include enhancing the leadership of the Party and State, promoting the roles and responsibilities of ministries and agencies in trafficking prevention, raising public awareness of trafficking and providing local people with necessary skills to deal with the crime.

Police forces will coordinate with border guards to monitor the situation, especially at the Vietnam-China, Vietnam-Laos, and Vietnam-Cambodia borders.

The authorities will accelerate the implementation of bilateral and multilateral cooperation agreements between Vietnam and international organisations to prevent human trafficking.

Christmas spirit captured in various localities

The jubilant atmosphere of Christmas is overwhelming various localities nationwide together with activities to make this occasion merry and happy.

Vice President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee, Ha Van Nui, offered Christmas greetings to dignitaries of the Evangelical Church of Vietnam (North) in Hanoi on December 22.

Pastor Nguyen Huu Mac, Head of the Evangelical Church of Vietnam (North) informed Nui of its 2012 humanitarian activities that included assisting disaster-hit victims and offering medical check-ups and treatment.

He pledged to lead Protestants in joining emulation campaigns, engage in more charitable activities and actively contributing to the great national unity in the coming time.

On the occasion, authorities and the VFF Central Committee of Nghe An province presented Christmas gifts and congratulations to dignitaries of the Diocese of Vinh city. They also gave presents to orphan children in Nghi Loc district.

At provincial localities with Catholic communities, the authorities held get-togethers with esteemed Catholic dignitaries and presented gifts to poor Catholic families.

Cities and provinces nationwide are also busy with numerous Christmas celebration activities. Main roads, residential areas and churches in Kim Son district, northern Ninh Binh province are adorned with colourful lights and decorations.

Music performances, a ceremony and procession of the Holy Infant will take place at the well-known Phat Diem stone church in the locality. The procession will travel to Be Lem cave for an 8-day public display.

Kim Son is home to 80,000 Catholic followers, accounting for 47 percent of the district’s population.

Earlier, Secretary of the Ninh Binh provincial Party Committee, Bui Van Nam, extended his Christmas greetings to dignitaries and religious followers across the locality.

The Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Tan Hiep district, southern Kien Giang province welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. The district is home to 5,000 Catholics, the largest number in the province.

Trung Thanh Parish in Thach Dong A, Tan Hiep district will offer over one tonne of rice to poor households and 900 gifts to children on the occasion.

The jubilant atmosphere is also prevailing in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai that has nearly 280,000 religious followers, including 200,000 Catholics and Protestants.

Earlier, the provincial authorities visited and congratulated the Evangelical Church of Vietnam (South) and Priest Nguyen Van Thuong at Duc An church in Pleiku city.

More schools presented to Laos

A ceremony took place in the Lao province of Luang Prabang on December 22 to hand over Poongkham secondary school, a gift from former Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh.

The school cost more than 56 billion VND to build and covers an area of 4,778 square metres. It has 14 classrooms and can serve 560 students, according to Colonel Ngo Van Dang, Director of 705 International Cooperation Company of Vietnam’s Military Zone 2, who was responsible for the school’s construction.

Minister of Education and Training, Pham Vu Luan, said the work reflects the special friendship between the two countries, and the special attention of the Party, State and Government of Vietnam to the Lao education sector.

It is one of the practical activities to celebrate the 2012 Vietnam-Laos Friendship and Solidarity Year, he added.

On behalf of the Lao Party and Government, Phankham Viphavan, member of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party Central Committee and Minister of Education and Sports, thanked the Vietnamese side for the gift as well as the support it has given Laos over the past years.

Vietnam has presented Laos with many schools, he said. The invaluable gifts will enable the country’s education and training sector to improve human resource that will serve national construction and development, he added.

He urged the school’s teachers to ensure education quality, helping consolidate the special friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

Quang Binh fishermen rescue stranded whale

Fishermen in central Quang Binh Province's Duc Trach Commune discovered two whales stranded in the coastal area of Duc Trach beach over the weekend.

Ho Dang Bay, a fisherman in the commune, said he found a whale measuring 1.2 metres long and weighing 20 kg swimming ashore as he anchored his boat last Saturday night.

Bay and other fishermen tried to rescue the whale 15 times, but it continually swam back to shore, he said. The whale has now been taken to a man-made lake to be taken care of by wildlife experts.

One day later, another whale measuring 1.5 metres in length and 25kg in weight drifted ashore. Sadly, the whale was already dead.

So far, no action has been taken by the relevant authorities.

Whales are considered a sacred species in the ocean that bring luck to those who take to the water. A burial ceremony for the dead whale took place shortly after it was discovered.

Seamen rescue stranded American

Three seamen in the southern province of Soc Trang rescued a foreign yacht on Saturday, which was drifting in the Soc Trang Sea over 20 nautical miles from the My Thanh Seaport.

Kenneth Putney, an American who works for a company in the Philippines, was the only man on the Ocean - 140471 yacht. He said the yacht left the Philippines for Thailand and was tugged by another boat.

On the way, the yacht was hit with raw sea and strong waves, causing the rope to break and the yacht had drifted on the sea since December 15. When it was discovered, the yacht had ran out of fuel and Putney was exhausted.

Putney is now in a stable condition and the provincial Border Guards contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to inform the Philippines embassy of the case.

ADB grants $251m loans to Viet Nam

Nguyen Van Binh, Governor of the State Bank of Viet Nam and Tomoyuki Kimura, Country Director of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Viet Nam, on Friday signed three loan agreements totalling US$251 million in Ha Noi.

The loans are aimed at helping Viet Nam strengthen education quality, ensuring a reliable electricity supply and improving flood and drought management and mitigation.

"Viet Nam's future growth will depend on a labour force skilled enough to meet the needs of the job market and a reliable electricity supply to meet rapidly growing energy demands," said Kumara. "It also needs funds to mitigate risks posed by floods and droughts."

A $90 million con-cessional loan from the ADB's Asian Development Fund for the Second Upper Secondary Education Development Project will help improve the readiness of upper secondary school graduates for tertiary and vocational career development. This will be achieved by enhancing the quality of upper-secondary education to meet international standards, improving access to upper-secondary education for disadvantaged groups, including girls and ethnic students, and strengthening the management of upper-secondary education.

Another $110.19 million loan represents the second tranche of a $730 million power transmission investment programme to Viet Nam that the ADB approved in December 2011. The loan partially supports the implementation of the seventh National Power Development Master Plan to ensure supply to industrial, commercial and residential consumers.

The project also supports Viet Nam's efforts to improve the operations of the National Power Transmission Corporation. The Agence Francaise de Developpment (AFD) will co-finance the project with 75 million euros (more than $99 million).

In addition, to help Viet Nam improve flood and drought management and reduce economic losses, the ADB provided a loan of $45 million, while the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) offered a grant of $5.9 million.

To improve flood and drought preparedness, the project will link infrastructure upgrades in Dong Thap and Tien Giang provinces in the Mekong Delta with community-based disaster-risk management and enhanced regional forecasting.

On the same day, the Vietnamese Ministry of Planning and Investment and the South Korean Embassy also signed an agreement for South Korea to lend Viet Nam US$1.2 billion, which will be disbursed for projects during 2012-15.

The agreement will focus on boosting the development of the transport and drainage systems as well as recyclable energy, information and technology, health care, capacity building and agricultural and rural development.

Bui Quang Vinh, Minister of Planning and Investment, said the Vietnamese Government appreciated South Korea's growing support despite the global economic difficulties.

South Korea is currently the second largest investor in Viet Nam out of a total of 96 countries and territories with investment projects in the country.

VNN/VOV/VNS