French doctors to offer free check-ups

Neurologists from Nantes University Hospital of France will offer free health check-ups for people with Parkinson's disease on April 9 at Nguyen Tri Phuong Hospital in HCM City.

Patients are required to take an initial screening examination at the hospital on Wednesday and Friday.

The delegation, led by Professor Jean Paul Nguyen, will hand over deep brain electrical stimulation technology, used to treat patients with Parkinson's disease, to doctors at the hospital during their visit.

NGO helps flood-hit households in An Giang

The International CARE Vietnam has provided assistance for 5,000 households hit by last year’s floods in the southern province of An Giang by the end of this March.
Implemented since the last October, the emergency aid project worth 308,000 USD provided the local flood victims with foodstuff and clean water, restored means of support and repaired toilets in the districts of An Phu, Chau Phu and Tinh Bien.
It has supplied 217 tonnes of rice, 220 boats, over 4,900 water containers and 2,600 life jackets to affected households.
Through CARE in Vietnam, an Australian non-governmental organisation has also channelled 36,000 USD in non-refundable aid to a project on community-based disaster management.
The project will help improve capacity of local disaster prevention systems and raise public awareness of coping with climate change and natural disasters in Chau Phu and An Phu districts from January until June.
The provincial People’s Committee of An Giang has presented certificates of merit to CARE’s two units and four individuals in recognition of their relief efforts during the flood season last year.

Boy, 8, killed by bus while crossing street

The 8-year-old boy died after he was hit by a bus while crossing a street in Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Phu District to allegedly buy toys Tuesday afternoon.

Eyewitnesses said the bus, which was traveling on Doc Lap street at the time of the accident, was not able to avoid the boy when he tried to make it across. Hence, speed may not be a factor in this accident.  

The deceased was identified as Pham Tony Phuc whose house is just about 200m away from the accident scene.

The bus driver Truong Van Ut has been presented at the local police bureau for being questioned.

Korean held for murder of lover’s mom in Vietnam

Police in southern An Giang Province has detained a 37-year-old South Korean man, Lee Sang Jin, for allegedly killing a local woman.
Lee was arrested yesterday after police suspected him of stabbing 65-year-old Duong Thi Bi to death at her home in Hoa Binh commune, Cho Moi District, on Sunday night.
Lee reportedly arrived at Bi’s house that night on a motorbike and sneaked into the house without her knowledge. He then used a knife to stab her many times to death, the commune police said.
Bi’s family members told police that Bi had forbidden her daughter to continue her relationship with Lee after the family discovered that Lee was a married man.
As a result, Bi’s daughter had avoided Lee afterwards. In response, Lee had threatened to kill Bi and other members of her family, Bi’s relatives said.
The police are seeking an interpreter to assist in questioning Lee.

National legendary ancestors commemorated

A ceremony to offer incense to the nation’s legendary father and mother, Lac Long Quan and Au Co, was held at the Hung Kings Relic Site in the northern midland province of Phu Tho on March 27.
The forms part of activities during the national commemoration of Hung Kings and the 2012 Hung Kings Temple Festival.
Participants to the ceremony expressed their gratefulness to the national father Lac Long Quan and national mother Au Co for laying the foundation for the Vietnamese nation.
Legend has it that Lac Long Quan, whose real name was Sung Lam, the son of Kinh Duong Vuong and Than Long Nu, married the daughter of De Lai, fairy Au Co.
Au Co then gave birth to a pouch filled with one hundred eggs, which soon hatched into one hundred sons, believed to be Vietnam ’s ancestors. But soon after, Lac Long Quan and Au Co separated. Lac Long Quan went to the coasts with 50 children, Au Co went to the highlands with the others.
Their eldest son was made the King, who named the country Van Lang and set up the capital in Phong Chau (nowadays Viet Tri city, Phu Tho province), starting the 18 reigns of Hung Kings.
The commemoration of the Hung Kings is sacred to the Vietnamese people, who take the occasion to strengthen national solidarity and the resolve to build a strong and prosperous country.
During the commemoration of Hung Kings and the Hung Kings Temple Festival, there will be a wide range of sport and cultural activities such as a volleyball competition, contest on making Vietnam’s traditional “chung cake” (square glutinous rice cake) and “banh day” (round glutinous rice cake) and folk song performances.

More activities commemorate Hung Kings

A Cultural Camp and Festival of Xoan and Phu Tho folk singing are taking place in the northern midland province of Phu Tho from Mar. 26-31, as part of activities to celebrate the Hung Kings Temple Festival.
With the participation of singing clubs and art troupes from universities and districts in the locality, the festival aims to popularise Xoan singing, which has recently earned the UNESCO’s recognition as the World Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Also in the province the same day, a seminar on preserving and upholding cultural and historical values of Hung Kings worship rituals opened with many historians and researchers taking part.
In addition to talking about the customs of ancestor worship, the participants also discussed measures to complete a scientific dossier on Hung Kings worship rituals, which is seeking UNESCO’s recognition as a World Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Prof. Phan Huy Le stressed that the worship of the Hung Kings is part of the nation’s custom of ancestor worship, which is the source of internal power to foster national solidarity. The practice has survived many ups and downs in history, with thousands of places of worship dedicated to the nation’s legendary founders across the country.
The same day, the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists in collaboration with the Phu Tho provincial Association of Literature and Arts opened the sixth international art photo exhibition in Phu Tho province.
On display during the eight-day event were 542 works by 354 artists from 38 countries and territories worldwide, including 304 photos from Vietnam.

Girl stuck under car as taxi hits soup stall

A Vinasun taxi goes berserk and hits a soup stall in Chu Van An Street in Ho Chi Minh City’s Binh Thanh District, causing a girl to be stuck under the car.
43-year old Nguyen Thi Hong, owner of a noodle soup stall in Chu Van An Street, said many people were eating her noodle on the sidewalk when they saw the taxi came rushing at them. In panic, she and others tumbled out of its way.
One of the customers, 10 year-old Le Kim Ngan, who did not get away in time, was hit by the taxi and dragged on for 5 meters.
She ended up getting stuck under the car.
More than 20 people helped to lift the car to bring her out and take her to the hospital.
According to initial information, the taxi was driven by Dang Hoang Hon (27), a staff at Ngoc Khoa carwash on Chu Van An street. When he was backing the car out to put it into the cleaning area, he lost control of the car and crashed straight into people sitting in front of the house next door.
The car only stopped when it hit the front steps of a neighboring house.
At the scene, plastic chairs, together with bowls, chopsticks and spoons were scattered everywhere. The car’s front was seriously damaged.
Dang Hoang Hon was taken to police station for further investigation.

VNN/VOV/VNS/Tuoi Tre