Seminar discusses transparency in construction activities

A mid-term conference on the construction sector transparency initiative (CoST) project was held in Hanoi on September 27.

The conference was organized by the Ministry of Construction, the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the World Bank.

Vietnam issued Construction Law, Bidding Law, the Law on State Budget and many other related documents with detailed guidance, Deputy Minister of Construction Bui Pham Khanh said.

Although they have come into effect, he said, initial results prove to be far from meeting the requirements and expectations of the State and social sections.

Khanh affirmed that the Vietnamese Government is seeking solutions to implement its anti-corruption task with higher efficiency.

Dengue fever cases continue to rise

The Ministry of Health's Preventive Healthcare Department has urged people protect themselves against outbreaks of dengue fever, a disease spread by mosquitoes.

The department has urged people to clean places where mosquitoes and larva may be prevalent, such as bushes, and kill the insects to stop the spread of dengue fever.

According to the Ministry's statistics, 51,000 people contracted dengue fever across the nation since the beginning of the year, and 42 of these cases resulted in fatalities.

Cases of dengue have risen rapidly in recent months. In September alone 13,000 cases were reported, including 13 deaths.

The department warned that August and September were a peak time for outbreaks of the disease, and early rains this season along with urbanisation have exacerbated the situation.

Statistics from Ha Noi's Preventive Healthcare Centre meanwhile reveal 450 cases recorded in the capital city so far this year, a 50 per cent decrease compared with the same period last year.

21 Vietnamese workers return home ahead of time

Twenty-one out of 41 Vietnamese workers had to return home on September 27 because a Topla Hitech Company in Malaysia had to close down.

These were guest workers from the Vietnam Forest Corporation (VINAFOR) and the Hydraulics Construction Labor Supply Services Joint Stock Company (Hycolasec).

Established in July 2010, Topla Hitech Malaysia specializes in manufacturing equipment for Panasonic. In recent times, the factory has operated perfunctorily because its products are not sufficiently qualified for export. Anyway, its workers are fully paid under contract.

When it decided to close down the factory in September, 37 out of total 41 Vietnamese workers were asked to return home, only four allowed to remain on the job.

Upon learning about the news, the Vietnamese Embassy in Malaysia already asked the parent company to compensate and ensure all rights for these workers.

The factory management has agreed to provide a full basic salary in eight months for those working for less than a year and in six months for those working for more than one year, and also to pay air tickets for all of them to return home.

Sixteen other workers will fly back to Vietnam on September 29.

Global UGRAD scholarships for Vietnamese students

The US embassy in Hanoi has announced it will begin accepting applications for the 2013 Global Undergraduate Exchange Program (UGRAD) on September 27.

The program is open to undergraduate students in their first, second or third years who possess a good command of English. Candidates with the ability to demonstrate leadership through academic work, community involvement, and extracurricular activities are invited to apply.

For the academic year 2013-14, the program will offer scholarships to approximately 65 students from Asian countries, including six Vietnamese students.   

Scholarships are for either one academic-year (approximately 10 months) or one semester (approximately five months). Those successful applicants who do not meet host institution language requirements will be eligible for two to four weeks of intensive English language training prior to the start of the program.

Candidates must have at least one semester remaining at their Vietnamese universities upon the the completion of the US program.  A good knowledge of English, with a minimum ITP TOEFL score of 550 or iBT TOEFL score of 80, is also required. Successful applicants will have achieved a grade point average (GPA) of at least 7.5 in the previous semester.

Candidates can submit their profiles at the US Embassy in Hanoi or US Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City. The deadline for applications is November 26, 2012.

Vietnamese, Lao youth vow to build peaceful borders

Nearly 100 youth from Vietnam’s Quang Tri province and Laos’ Salavan and Savannakhet provinces have gathered to discuss measures to maintain peaceful and amicable borders between the two countries.

At the conference in Dong Ha City, Quang Tri on September 27, young participants highlighted the importance of information and education, raising awareness of the two countries’ time-honoured ties of friendship and cooperation.

The discussion also noted Party and State policies on defending national sovereignty and protecting mutually beneficial border relations.

Youth from the three provinces have encouraged local residents to support border marker planting as part of the fight against hostile forces subversive schemes detrimental to the traditional bilateral friendship. Locals were also urged to contribute to stability, national defence, and security in the area.

In the recent past, the three provinces have carried out many bilateral cooperative programmes in socio-economic development and border maintenance. Youth from these provinces have regularly exchanged stories and advice concerning their experiences promoting development, reducing poverty, protecting borders, and discouraging crime.

Foreign aid helps northern provinces cope with climate change

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has approved a US$3.74 million project to upgrade climate resilient infrastructure in northern mountain provinces.

The project, funded by the Global Environment Fund (GEF), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), will be implemented in 15 northern mountain provinces from 2012 to 2015.

It aims to introduce effective ameliorating measures against the potential adverse impact of climate change. It also seeks to reinforce the policymaking framework for sustainable development in the beneficiaries.

The project’s purview includes monitoring current regulations related to climate change, proposing ideas for institutional reform, and encouraging the consideration of climate change adaptation as part of the mainstream of rural infrastructure policy and planning.

Provinces will first receive assistance in identifying vulnerable infrastructure projects. Low cost climate change impact minimisation measures will then be modeled in an effort to make the most out of local resources.

VNN/VOV/VNS