Over VND33 billion raised for poor children

More than VND33 billion was donated from individuals and organisations at an art performance themed spring for poor children in Hanoi on December 26.

The event was organised by the Vietnam Sponsorship Fund for Children and Vietnam Television and live broadcast on VTV1 channel.

On this occasion, Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, presented the insignia “For the cause of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs” to eight individuals and seven certificates of merit to four collectives and three individuals for their great contributions to taking care of disadvantaged children in recent times.

In January, 2011, the fund will visit and give gifts to 33,000 poor children in 8 provinces such as Tuyen Quang, Thai Nguyen, Hai Duong, Thai Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Quang Binh.

Since its establishment 18 years ago, the Fund has received over VND2,600 billion, including VND90 billion in this year alone, from individuals and organisations to support children.

Vietnamese fishing ships take shelter in China’s island

Photo: VOV
Facing strong monsoons and a low pressure at sea, 28 Vietnamese ships with 272 fishermen on board have taken shelter on the Chinese island of Hainan, according to the Central Highland Centre for Preventing Floods and Storms.

Four other vessels with 40 workers on board are on the way to Hainan to take shelter from the monsoons.

The central province of Quang Ngai still has about 1,000 fishing ships with nearly 9,000 workers aboard out on the sea.

The border guard posts were instructed by the provincial authorities to forbid vessels from going to sea from 1am December 25 and to inform ships at sea about the winter monsoon.

Previously Danang and Quang Ngai requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to send diplomatic notes to its Chinese counterpart and the government of Hainan island, asking them to provide the ships with shelter until the current monsoon spell ends.

Two Agribank employees arrested in alleged loan scams

HCM City police arrested last Friday two officials of the Viet Nam Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development's (Agribank) HCM City Branch No 3 in District 3 for allegedly violating regulations on lending activities of credit institutions.

The officials are Dao Phuong The, head of the Branch No 3's Business Planning Division, and Huynh Trung Hieu, a loan document inspector of the branch.

According to the city Investigation Police on Economic Crimes, in April 2009, Hieu was assigned to inspect a loan document of the Xuan Lan Real Estate Trade and Services Company.

Hieu knew that Xuan Lan did not meet Agribank's borrowing conditions but he still proposed that the bank lend Xuan Lan VND39 billion (US$2 million) for a 12-month loan.

When Hieu transferred the loan document to The, The also knew that Xuan Lan did not meet Agribank's borrowing conditions, but still approved the loan document and proposed that the bank lend to Xuan Lan.

Similarly, in June 2010, Hieu and The continued to approve a loan document of the Trong Bang Transport Trade and Services Company to borrow VND40 billion although they knew that Trong Bang did not meet Agribank's borrowing conditions.

Then Trong Bang was provided the loan, which was used to pay back Xuan Lan's loan, as the two companies have a close relationship.

Unity houses handed over to the poor in Kon Tum

The Vietnam Fatherland Front chapter in the central highland province of Kon Tum, together with the local border guards and a subsidiary of Petro Vietnam group, presented 13 houses to Sa Loong Commune, Ngoc Hoi District.

Each house is about 32-50m2 large with three rooms, brick walls and metal roofing.

The houses were built by border guards, with capital coming from the oil and gas corporation and local people.

Kon Tum Province will hand over another 87 houses to poor people in Ngoc Hoi, Dak Glei, and Sa Thay districts between now and the end of 2010.

The ‘Great Unity’ houses are expected to replace dilapidated huts or houses where the local poor live currently and to help improve their living conditions, especially during the current winter.

Rach Chiec (first phase) and Thu Thiem Bridges open to traffic

The HCM City’s People’s Committee held a ceremony on December 25 to inaugurate the first phase of Rach Chiec Bridge and Thu Thiem Bridge in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai.

In his speech, Deputy PM Hai emphasised that the inauguration of the two branches of Rach Chiec bridge is of great significance as it will help ease traffic congestion in urban areas, especially when the Lunar New Year festival is coming near.

These major transport projects will also help develop infrastructure, contributing to the socio-economic development in HCM City - one of the country’s key economic regions.

The two branches of Rach Chiec Bridge are 735 - metre long and 10-metre wide while Thu Thiem bridge is 150-metre long and 8-metre wide, with two lanes. Total investment is VND346 billion for Rach Chiec Bridge and VND1,500 trillion for Thu Thiem Bridge.

VNN/VOV/VNS