$2b credit for poor students

The Viet Nam Bank for Social Policy will set aside VND45 trillion (US$2.16 billion) for a credit programme for poor students between 2013 and 2017.

The bank said they expected overdue loans to account for less than one per cent of the total loans.

After five years of implementation of the student loan programme, more than 2.8 million disadvantaged students had received outstanding loans of VND35.8 trillion (US$1.72 billion). Of that figure, overdue loans accounted for 0.47 per cent.

The programme has been beneficial to more than 2.3 million students coming from a total of 1.9 million households.

Students of families living under and near the poverty line, families having unexpected financial difficulties due to illness, accidents and natural disasters, and orphaned students are among the beneficiaries of the programme.

Large bus station relocation proposed in Hanoi

Many people who live near My Dinh Station in Tu Liem District have proposed that the station be relocated due to chaos it has caused.

The station, which was put into operation more than 10 years ago, receives over 1,000 vehicles per day. Situated in one of the most developed areas in Hanoi, the station has quickly come to play an important role in traffic and shipping, connecting Hanoi and the northern region.

However, many coach drivers often pick up passengers along Pham Hung Street which is runs by the station, forming illegal stops and often blocking the bus lane, leading to traffic jams.

Hygiene and security has also become an issue in the area around the station. Many people openly relieve themselves in public, and reports of theft are quite high. Authorities seem to be unable to deal with these problems so far.

Tran Trung Dung, who lives near My Dinh Station, said it was quite normal to see traffic jams here, adding that buses often block intersections to pick up extra passengers.

Vu Ngoc Bich, a student, who often goes through the station, said, “Police seem to only pay attention to the station gate, not the areas surrounding it. Taxis and motorbike taxis also scramble to the parking lot looking for fares, causing a lot of congestion."

My Dinh Commune has witnessed rapid urbanisation in recent years with a number of new high-rise buildings, residential areas and trade centres, increasing the traffic seen at the station.

The Hanoi People’s Committee has plans to move My Dinh Station to a new location, but the plans have yet to be initiated.

Increase in retirement age proposed

A five-year increase in the retirement age may help prevent a deficiency in the country’s pension fund, according to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA).

MoLISA's Department of Social Insurance has proposed two options to retirement age increases at a recent seminar on the issue. The first would be to increase retirement ages for both men and women, while the second would increase it for only women.

The proposals have attracted much of public attention, stirring some controversy.

According to Vietnam Social Insurance Agency, the real retirement age is 53.2 on average, which is lower than the regulated 60 for men and 55 for women. On average, men currently retire at 55.1 and women at 51.6.

Meanwhile, Vietnamese people have been living longer. The result is an increasing disparity between pension funds and the needs of retirees.

The department has proposed two alternative plans for increasing the retirement age. The first would increase it by five years, while the second would make gradual increases beginning January 1, 2014.

Ha Thi Thanh Van, Deputy Head of the Vietnam Women’s Union’s Department of Policy and Legal Issues, said the increase in retirement ages for both men and women could counteract policies to ensure gender equity.

“The current five-year disparity in retirement ages between men and women is creating disadvantages for women in terms of employment opportunities, training and income," she said.

Many others said that it would be necessary to have more detailed and careful studies on the possible impacts of these proposed policies on both employees and employers.

Concerning the timing, many have suggested that such changes be applied when new Labour Code takes effect, on May 1 this year.

Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalid and Social Affairs Pham Minh Huan, said even though the Labour Code addresses retirement age, regulations remain vague.

“The government has given MoLISA the task of drafting a decree to guide the implementation of regulations concerning the retirement age. The ministry will gather public opinion to find the best way forward,” he added.

Mekong Delta ensures against spread of disease during Tet

The health sector in the Mekong Delta is bracing to tackle the spread of diseases during the Tet festive season, implementing several countermeasures in the process.

The Department of Health in Can Tho City has asked its subdivisions to implement measures to prevent the spread of influenza. Medical facilities and people have been alerted against people travelling from abroad who can carry the infection. Any cases should be timely treated to curb transmission to others.

Hospitals must prepare enough drugs, beds and other necessities to tackle any emergency situation.

Ca Mau, Bac Lieu and An Giang Provinces have been asked to prevent diseases in poultry and cattle and vets have been asked to maintain their facilities. They must keep all vaccines ready, especially to cope with roaming water-fowl.

An outbreak of infectious diseases in the South can develop into a bigger pandemic situation. For instance, the region has more than 75,000 hand-foot-mouth patients with two reported deaths already.

Dengue fever has broken out everywhere in the region affecting 70,000 people and killing 61 so far.

Bus companies plan to hike festival fares

Bus firms propose to raise fares by 43-60 per cent for 10 days before and after Tet which starts on February 10.

The plan, revealed by Ha Noi Bus Station Management Company director Nguyen Hoang Trung, was to improve services and make up for losses when buses return nearly empty after taking people home for Tet.

Trung said he warned bus firms the rise was too high and could discourage passengers from using their services. The numbers of passengers were already forecast to be equal to only 40 per cent of last year's figure, he said.

Deputy director of the Viet Nam Road Administration Nguyen Van Quyen said it was legal for bus firms to increase fares during Tet to make up for low passenger numbers. The State did not set a cap.

However, the municipal transport department should make sure that price hikes were reasonable and justified by the service, Quyen said.

Tran Van Hai from northern Ninh Binh Province said he and his peers in Ha Noi would have no choice but to accept a fare increase.

"Even if we know the quality of the service will not be as good as they promise, we can't miss Tet," Hai said. "It is the rare occasion in the year to reunite with our families."

Vietnam responds to World Wetlands Day

A wide range of activities marking 2013’s World Wetlands Day were organised in Hanoi on February 2.

Department of Biodiversity Conservation Deputy Head Hoang Thi Thanh Nhan, stressed the importance of Hanoi’s wetlands and lakes and their close links to water resources.

The activities, themed Wetlands Take Care of Water, help raise public awareness of wetland protection, she said.

Centre for Environment and Community Research’s (CECR) Deputy Director Nguyen Tram Anh noted its extensive research on Hanoi’s lakes over the past three years.

It has also published books profiling 120 of the city’s ponds and lakes, launched a website, and organised various domestic and international conferences on the sustainable use of Hanoi’s lakes in the context of urbanisation and climate change.

The centre plans to conduct further research on ponds in the Quang An, Nhat Tan, and Hoang Van Thu wards, and create a lake management model with the participation of the Quang An community.

Hanoi University of Natural Resources and Environment (HUNRE) students from the volunteer club distributed leaflets on environmental protection earlier in the day, encouraging locals to avoid polluting lakes with waste—especially when celebrating the Kitchen Gods Festival.

Overseas Vietnamese pay tribute to ex-Cambodian King

A 130-member delegation of the Vietnamese community in Cambodia joined other mourners at a procession on February 1 to move the body of the late Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk from the Royal Palace to a crematorium in a city park.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia Ngo Anh Dung was present at the procession.

Among the mourners were Sihanouk's wife Queen Mother Norodom Monineath and his son King Norodom Sihamoni, President of the Senate Chea Sim, President of the National Assembly Heng Samrin and Prime Minister Hun Sen.

The cremation for the ex-Cambodian King will be held on February 4, which will be attended by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, among other foreign leaders, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

Born on October 31, 1922, Sihanouk came to the throne for the first time in 1941, and the second time in 1993. In 2004, he abdicated in favor of his son, the current King Norodom Sihamoni.

He died of a heart attack in Beijing in October 2012, aged 89.

Deputy PM offers Tet gifts to poor people

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan visited the southern province of Bac Lieu on February 1, presenting Tet gifts to 200 social policy beneficiaries, poor households, and Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin victims.

Representatives from the Government Office and Vietnam Red Cross accompanied the Deputy PM.

Bac Lieu province has spent VND22 billion from its budget assisting its poor during the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday.

Each household receives between VND300,000–400,000 in aid, depending their classified poverty level.

In total, 21,000 social policy beneficiaries, almost 24,000 poor households, and 14,000 near-poor households in Bac Lieu province will all receive Tet gifts from the Party and State.

Deputy PM Nhan also visited and presented Tet gifts to a number of war martyr families and victims of Agent Orange/dioxin in Bac Lieu City.

Nhan laid wreaths at Bac Lieu province’s war martyrs’ cemetery on the same day. It is the resting place for 4,000 soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the fatherland in the two struggles against American and French invaders.  

He also offered incense at Chau Thoi commune’s President Ho Chi Minh Temple in the province’s Vinh Loi district.

Hanoi reduces jail terms for 386 prisoners

Hanoi has decided to reduce prison terms for 386 inmates on the occasion of the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival.

According to its decision on January 31, two hundred and twenty six will have their terms reduced by 3-10 months and 160 others will be let out on parole ahead of time.

There is no amnesty granted to prisoners who have committed robbery.

Vocational training for rural workers

A VND25,980 billion project to train 1 million rural labourers annually during the 2010-2020 period  has had to lower its initial target after two years of operation.

Statistics from the Directorate of Vocational Training showed that in the first half of 2012, the country only trained about 130,000 rural workers, (27.1 percent of its yearly target) and 485,000 trainees later, of whom more than 350,000 finished their courses by the end of the year.

At a recent conference on the project’s implementation, participants raised questions as to whether some localities were just focused on the quantity rather than the quality of vocational training.

Some argued that the vocational training has not paid off well as expected after three years of implementation.

They said many rural workers are now capable of farming as required, have decided to quit their jobs for lack of outlets for their produce.

Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Ngoc Phi said there is no doubt that vocational training has failed to cater to market demand. So he insisted that the training of rural workers should meet their own requirements in the long run.

In addition, local authorities should reorganise production areas and markets for rural workers and service providers.

Phi admitted that vocational training is not yet focused on developing bio-and high-tech agriculture or traditional crafts.

In some provinces, not a few rural workers just register for training allowances, often skip classes, he said.

An inspection team from his Ministry recently found the training of rural workers involved in growing coffee, fixing agricultural machines and raising silkworms in Lam Dong province has been reduced from three months as scheduled to one month.

To achieve the target of training 600,000 rural workers, Phi stressed the need to improve the quality and quantity of enrolments, especially when many students prefer to go to university or college.

Therefore, it is necessary to raise public awareness about the importance of training rural workers in the process of international integration as they all need special skills or knowledge to work in the agricultural, traditional crafts and services sectors.

Japan needs more guest workers

More Vietnamese workers are expected to work in Japan this year, according to the Department of Overseas Labour Management.

The department approved labour contracts for 1,900 guest workers in October, 1,999 in November and 1,720 in December last year.

Pham Do Nhat Tan, deputy chairman of the Vietnam Association of Manpower Supply, said over the past few months, Japanese partners have placed large orders for guest workers, (50-100 employees per order).

Hoang Van Hung, general director of the Tourist, Trade and Labour Export Joint-Stock Company, said Japan is a demanding market for high-skilled workers.

On average, only 10 to 15 Vietnamese workers are qualified to meet job requirements from each Japanese company order.

Hung estimated that some 200 Vietnamese workers would be sent to Japan this year.

Last year, Japan recruited 8,775 workers from Vietnam.

Kon Tum Church opens

The Kon Tum Church under the Communion Evangelical Episcopal Church of Vietnam officially opened on January 31 in Kon Tum city, capital city of the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum.

With its Headquarters in the city, the Church will operate in the locality and the province’s districts of Dak Ha, Dak To, Ngoc Hoi and Sa Thay.

Together with Dak Glei Church, Kon Tum Church was established with the provincial People’s Committee’s approval and will comply with State law and the regulations of the Communion Evangelical Episcopal Church of Vietnam, which has more than 13,000 followers in Kon Tum province.

Food poisoning raises alarm bell in Da Nang

The central Da Nang City reported that it had 30 people suffered from food poisoning last year, an alarming figure compared to none the year before.

The report was released by head of Da Nang's Food Safety Department Nguyen Minh Tiet on Thursday, who added that these cases resulted in no deaths.

"Inspections uncovered 710 violations of food hygiene and safety regulations at food processing centres and restaurants, lower than the figure of 732 in 2011, but the number of people hospitalised with food poisoning surged," he said.

The worst case occurred in November when 26 people were admitted to hospital after eating meat pies from Dong Tien bakers in Hai Chau district.

Earlier in the year, four people fell ill after eating noodles at the Sandy Beach Resort in Ngu Hanh Son District.The city issued VND150 million in fines to punish the guilty parties.

According to a report, the city's food safety and hygiene agency destroyed 6.6 tonnes of rotten internal organs and 700kg of puffer fish – a fish that can be poisonous to humans.

The city also shut down 11 substandard food processing centres at Tho Quang seafood market in Son Tra District.

Also last year, 14 of 25 vegetable samples taken were found to have an excess of common bacteria including salmonela, coliform and Ecoli which are the most common causes of food poisoning.

Traces were also found in pork on sale at street stalls and markets. The city of 950,000 consumes 70,000 tonnes of seafood each year and 80,000 tonnes of vegetables.

Bigger fines tipped for labour breaches

Labour violations including delays in paying employees' salaries could attract fines of VND20-50 million (US$960-2,400) under a new draft decree introduced by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) this week.

The proposed fine is much higher than the current fines of VND2-10 million ($96-480) stipulated by Decree 47 issued three years ago.

The draft decree, currently open for public discussion, also proposes the VND20-50 million fine for those paying lower than minimum wages fixed by the Government.

This is also a considerable increase over the current fine of VND300,000 - VND30 million ($14-$1,400).

A fine of VND5-7 million is proposed for violations like cutting salaries of employees without prior notice or prior discussion with the trade union.

Cutting employees' salaries by more than 30 per cent and paying lower than the regulated overtime wages will also attract similar fines.

While not denying the importance of larger fines for labour violations, especially with regard to salary payments, some experts have questioned the draft decree's feasibility.

Nguyen Van Binh, a national project co-ordinator with the International Labour Organisation (ILO)'s office in Viet Nam, said cases of employers being fined was very low in comparison with the actual number of violations committed.

Natsu Nogami, ILO Vietnam's Technical Officer on International Labour Standards and Labour Law, said that to enforce the regulations and reduce the burden on administrative authorities in handing down sanctions, employers and employees must be made responsible for their own contractual relationships.

"The enforcement should be made through court verdicts, not through administrative sanctions," said

Nagoya, adding that it was very important that workers have the opportunity to seek redress from the court for their grievances.

Child vaccination programme success

A combined measles-rubella vaccine is expected to be available for children aged nine months to 14 years within a year or two, according to the HCM City Pasteur Institute.

Another vaccine, which is only for measles, was already available for children aged nine months. At 18 months, they receive a booster shot.

The news were released by Nguyen Thi Minh Phuong, head of the institute's Disease Control Ward at a workshop on the national vaccination programme in the southern region held on Thursday in the city.

All children at least nine months old got their first measles vaccination last year, but not every child in the country received the booster shot, Phuong said.

The national vaccination programme provided 987,366 measles vaccine shots to babies last year, including two separate injections. Last year, as much as VND12.2 billion (US$580,952) were allocated for the national vaccination programme for young children in the southern region.

The programme provides free vaccines for the following: tuberculosis, hepatitis B, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, poliomyelitis, pneumonia, meningitis caused by haemophilus influenza type b (Hib), Japanese encephalitis, cholera, typhoid and measles.

Last year, the programme covered 170 districts and gave vaccines to prevent all of these diseases from 1.5 million babies.

Hai Van Tunnel to be open 24/7 during Tet

The Hai Van Tunnel in central Da Nang City would be open 24 hours per day from yesterday until February 8 and from February 14 to March 5.

The move aims to meet increasing travel demands during and after Tet, the Hai Van Management and Development Company announced yesterday.

Trains added to Thanh Hoa–HCM City route

More trains will be added to the Thanh Hoa – HCM City route to meet increasing demand after Tet, according to Ha Noi Railway Corporation deputy director Nguyen Van Binh. Nine Thong Nhat (north-south) trains will be added to the current roster of five.

Four trains carrying Samsung Electronics Company workers from Bac Ninh to Thanh Hoa will also be added on February 6 and 7.

Police seize fake seasoning powder

More than 4,300kg of fake seasoning powder has been seized in central Da Nang Province's Ngu Hanh Son District, the local economic and environment police announced on Thursday.

Nguyen Van Long, 31, admitted that the product was transported to the province from China to be sold in neighbouring areas. The police also found 40.8kg of fake washing powder at the scene.-

Child recovers after glass shard stabbing

A five-year-old patient whose lung was pierced by a piece of glass was discharged from Can Tho Children's Hospital on Thursday in stable health.

Nguyen Xuan Mai, from Hau Giang Province's Chau Thanh District, had undergone an operation two weeks ago, according to the hospital's director Le Hoang Son.

The kid was hospitalised in a critical condition after being stabbed with a 6cm-length piece of glass.

The patient was operated on by local doctors before being sent to the children's hospital for further treatment.

Kidnapped infant rescued at border

Northeastern Quang Ninh Province's police yesterday rescued a nine-month-old boy as his alleged kidnapper was attempting to cross the border into China.

Le Thi Mo, born in 1981 and originally from the central province of Thanh Hoa, admitted that she intended to sell the baby to a relative currently residing in China. She has been placed under arrest pending further investigations.

Mo kidnapped the child from his home in Trang Bom District in the southern province of Dong Nai on Tuesday.

The boy's disappearance was reported to local police who then asked Quang Ninh police to intercept Mo near the border.

The child is being cared for by police before he is reunited with his family.

Coach fares up 50% for Tet

Bus firms propose to raise fares by 43-60 per cent for for 10 days before and after Tet which starts on February 10.

The plan, revealed by Ha Noi Bus Station Management Company director Nguyen Hoang Trung, was to improve services and make up for losses when buses return nearly empty after taking people home for Tet.

Trung said he warned bus firms the rise was too high and could discourage passengers from using their services. Numbers were already forecast to be 40% of last year's figure, he said.

Deputy director of the Viet Nam Road Administration Nguyen Van Quyen said it was legal for bus firms to increase fares during Tet to make up for low passenger numbers. The State did not set a cap.

However, the municipal transport department should make sure that price hikes were reasonable and justified by the service, Quyen said.

Tran Van Hai from northern Ninh Binh Province said he and his peers in Ha Noi would have no choice but to accept a fare increase.

"Even if we know the quality of the service will not be as good as they promise, we can't miss Tet," Hai said. "It is the rare occasion in the year to reunite with your family.

VNA/VNS/VOV