Virgin sex ring busted in Ho Chi Minh City

Police Wednesday arrested a 42-year-old woman for running a prostitution ring procuring virgins at $1,000 per encounter after local police raided a Ho Chi Minh City hotel and caught three couples in the act.

Nguyen Thi Be was taken in when her three prostitutes were busted at Ai Quynh Hotel in District 6.

According to police, Be would recruit virgins from poor rural families in the southern Mekong Delta. She would falsely promise them good jobs and accommodations in Ho Chi Minh City.

But she later forced them to become sex workers. For virgins, she would charge VND20 million (US$1000) per encounter and pocket a “fee” of around VND3 million.

For other sex workers, she would charge VND 4 million - 10 million.

In 2005, Be left Dong Thap province for Ho Chi Minh City to work as a marriage broker introducing Vietnamese women to South Koreans. But, her job was lost when the ring was busted earlier this year.

Prostitution in any form is illegal in Vietnam.

State hospital officials can work for private clinics overtime 

According to the Law on Medical Treatment, medical officials are allowed to establish private clinics and work overtime at these clinics, which operate in line with the Unified Enterprise Law and the Cooperatives Law. 

The Ministry of Health has announced the new law which will take effect as of January 1, 2011. Medics, however, must be licensed to practice the business.

According to deputy health minister Nguyen Thi Xuyen, the highlight of the Law on Medical Treatment is to increase the medical workers’ professional skills and to meet the increasing demand for medical check-ups and treatment.

A previous regulation on medical examination and treatment stated that individuals and organizations in public hospitals are allowed to work in private clinics until December 31, 2010.

The regulation aimed to prevent medical workers from neglecting their duties in public hospitals.

HCMC: road accidents drop, toll down, congestion up

According to the latest statistics, the number of traffic accidents in Ho Chi Minh City has dropped by 969 cases, a 7.7% decrease so far this year.

Compared to the same period last year, the number of traffic-related deaths is also down (788 deaths or an 8% decrease) with 404 injuries (9.8% decrease).

However, traffic congestion incidents have not been tackled successfully.

Local authorities will try to reduce traffic death toll by 5% next year by increasing street patrols and improving infrastructure, assured Nguyen Ngoc Tuong - deputy chairman of the city Traffic Safety Committee.

In related news, so far this year, city police have succeeded in breaking up 270 racing gangs.

Officials arrested for stealing VND4 billion from farmers

A senior official in Ca Mau was arrested 24 Dec for embezzling and turning a blind eye to wrongdoings causing a loss of VND3.9 billion ($200,000) to a state budget meant to assist poor farmers.

Nguyen Thong Nhan, former director of the province’s agriculture department and manager of a Vietnam-Denmark fisheries project, is charged with taking VND55 million and allowing his deputy Nguyen Trung Chanh to take more than VND120 million ($6,100) for personal spending from the project.

They misappropriated the sum by faking receipts for expenditure on non-existent training courses for farmers in Ca Mau, Vietnam’s southernmost province.

In total, VND3.9 billion ($ 200,000) is estimated to be illegally spent from the VND7.5 billion ($384,812) project meant to assist farmers in fish and shrimp cultivation.

Nhan was expelled from the Communist Party of Vietnam in October.

Worker detained for mixing oil with water

Police have detained an employee for selling adulterated diesel oil mixed with water in Ho Chi Minh City.

Police checked the QD Trading & Oil-Gas Transport Co., Ltd. in Ho Chi Minh City and discovered two oil trucks containing more than 30,000 liters of diesel oil in which 20-30% is pure water.

Do Van Thinh, the arrestee, confessed he had removed part of the oil and replaced it with water.

They also found about 10,000 liters of oil without clear origin.

Last month, police arrested Nguyen Truong Son, Nguyen Huu Quyen and Co Thanh Phong for selling two truck loads of some 30,000 liters of diesel oil in the southern province of Dong Nai.

This oil was found to contain water after being checked. The arrestees said the oil came from QD Trading & Gasoline and Oil Transport Co., Ltd., which is located in Phu Xuan Commune, Nha Be District.

$169 million to renovate Hanoi streets

According to the Ha Noi Construction Department, 174 roadwork projects worth about VND3.3 trillion (US$169 million), are planned for the next five years to renovate and fix the capital’s streets.

The first 40 projects, which cost VND602 billion (more than $30 million), will be commenced next year, followed by more than 100 projects costing VND2 trillion ($100 million) starting 2012.

Parks to be renovated include Van Bao (Ba Dinh district), Dam Trau, Tao Dan, Co Tan (Hoan Kiem district), Bac Co (Dong Da district), and a park on Mai Xuan Thuong street (Ba Dinh district), followed by Thong Nhat park (Hai Ba Trung district) in the second phase.

These are within a master plan for urban development from the Hanoi City People’s Committee, with focus on street renovation activities such as laying wires underground, upgrading sidewalks, and filling up potholes.

The single most expensive project will cost VND70 billion or $3.5 million, which is to install underground electricity wires along the Tran Khat Chan Street.

Improvement on public lighting system for better traffic security is also a high priority.

Rach Chiec side bridges open to traffic

Two smaller bridges leading to the Rach Chiec Brigde in Ho Chi Minh City opened to traffic Saturday, and builders broke ground for the main span of the bridge on the Hanoi Highway that connects the city with neighboring provinces.

The opening of the two bridges will make access to Cat Lai Port smoother and reduce congestion on the highway.

The main span is expected to be built in 22 months at a cost of VND585 billion (US$30 million). It will have six lanes.

The Rach Chiec Bridge project is expected to cost a total of VND1 trillion ($51.3 million).

3 arrested for trespass at Ho Chi Minh City airport

Tan Son Nhat International AirportSecurity officers at Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat Airport apprehended three more people Saturday for trying to climb over a wall and on to the tarmac.

The three intruders, all young and reportedly from An Giang Province in the Mekong Delta, have been handed over to the Tan Binh District police for further investigation.

It was the second such occurrence in just two days after a 22-year-old man was arrested for a similar act Friday night.

In the past people have been arrested for stealing landing lights.

Martial arts training kills man in Ho Chi Minh City

A 34-year-old man died in Ho Chi Minh City Sunday after consuming just water for two months as part of a training regimen for qigong, a Chinese practice that involves physical postures, breathing techniques, and meditation.

Doctors at Trung Vuong Hospital’s emergency ward identified fasting as the cause of N. H. V.’s death. After receiving a phone call from V’s family at midnight, they hurried to give emergency aid, but were unable to save him.

Fasting is said to be one of the methods for “energy cultivation” in qigong by helping cleanse the blood and organs of toxins. Qigong is considered to be the foundation of both kung fu and tai chi.

Though he was just skin and bones when he died, his family said he had been healthy and showed no sign of any sickness.

Hanoi suspends “annoying” roadworks before Tet

Road upgrading in Hanoi has been suspended until to Lunar New Year (Tet) which falls in February 2011, aiming to ensure safe traffic and a cleaner environment for people, according to Hanoi Transport Department.

The department said it had already stopped licensing road projects and has required all on-going street works be completed no later than December 30.

Regular inspections will be carried out to deal with any violations.

In a related move, the municipal People's Committee Deputy Chairman Nguyen Van Khoi asked the Lighting and Urban Equipment Company to light up streets with new decorative lighting from December 25.

Flower decorations and panels welcoming the upcoming Party Congress will be put up at the Party's National Headquarters, and Presidential, Government and National Assembly offices, and other public sites.

PV