Lord Buddha’s birthday celebrated in Hanoi

A ceremony to mark the 2,556 th birthday of Lord Buddha was held at the Ly Trieu Quoc Su Pagoda in Hanoi on May 2.

Illustrative image. (source: Internet)

On behalf of Vietnam’s Buddhist Sangha (VBS), the most venerable Thich Thanh Nhieu, Vice Chairman of the VBS’s Executive Board, read a message from the Patriarch of the VBS, which expressed his best wishes to Buddhist dignitaries, monks, nuns and followers on the occasion.

The message also reviewed the many achievements that Buddhist monks and nuns at all levels have made in religion, national issues and foreign relations.

The most venerable Nhieu said that the Vietnamese Party, State, Fatherland Front and the community highly values the VBS for its contributions to national construction and development in recent years.

Vietnamese, Lao women strengthen cooperation

The Vietnam Women’s Unions (VWU) and its Lao counterpart (LWU) signed a cooperative agreement for the 2012-2017 period in Hanoi on May 2, during a current visit to Vietnam by a LWU delegation, led by its chairwoman Sisay Leudethmounson.

The visit demonstrates the solidarity, traditional relations and close cooperation between VWU and LWU.

Under to the agreement, the two unions will strengthen the exchange of visits and information about Party and State policies and the situation of women from both countries.

The VWU will help LWU train female officials, share experiences and coordinate with its Lao counterpart to organize joint activities and cooperate at regional and international forums.

Earlier, the two unions held talks to discuss the situation of women in both countries and review the results of the cooperative agreement for the 2007-2010 period.

After the signing ceremony, State Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan conferred the Friendship Order on Chairwoman Sisay Leudethmounson.

Nguyen Thi Thanh Hoa, VWU Chairwoman, also presented insignias “For the development of Vietnamese women” to some leaders of the Lao Women’s Union.

Laos presented the Labour Order (second class) to the National School for Female Officials and insignias to some VWU officials. 

Prison officer hangs self at home

Lieutenant Colonel Tran Dinh Vo, head of the Protection Police Unit at a detention center in the central province of Binh Dinh, was found dead, hanged on a rope, early this morning at his house on Can Vuong Street.

Local police have requested an autopsy report to determine the cause of his death.

In other news, on April 30 many inmates were involved in a clash with wardens and demolished prison rooms at the A2 Dong Gang prison in Khanh Hoa central province.

As of the evening of May 1, Colonel Nguyen Son, a warden at the prison, told Tuoi Tre that the situation was under control. He also claimed that a rumor about a prisoner committing suicide on April 30 was not true.

Earlier, on April 28, two officers at A2 Dong Gang prison, Nguyen Van Khoa and Nguyen Thanh Phuong, beat a 35-year-old HIV prisoner with to death batons after he refused to undergo medical treatment.

Central Highlands girls quit school to get married

Five schoolgirls from the Mang But secondary school in Kon Plong district, in the central highlands province of Kon Tum, have quit their studies to get married, said Hoang Van Dam, the school’s principal, last Tuesday.

Upon learning that these students had suspended their studies to get married, teachers and the school managing board cooperated with local authorities, who came to their houses and encouraged the girls to go back to school. However, their attempt did not succeed.

These girls are 14-15 years old and are not eligible to register for a marriage certificate. However, they have to stay at home with their parents and give birth to babies.

Northern, central regions to sizzle during May

This month the northern and central regions will experience two or three extremely hot spells, says the National Meteorological Forecasting Center.

The country’s northern and central regions are being hit by the hottest weather since the start of this year’s summer.

The temperature reached 39 degrees Celsius in Hanoi on Reunification Day on April 30 and May Day and the Quang Hoa District of central Thanh Hoa Province even recorded 39.5C from April 28-May 1.

The central province of Thua Thien Hue is forecast to see temperatures as high as 42C on May 2.

The National Meteorological Forecasting Centre says the hot spell is abnormal for this time of the year.

As a consequence of hot weather, forest fire has broken out in some central localities.

Submarine cable to be installed between Ha Tien and Phu Quoc

An engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to install the 110kV submarine cable was signed between Vietnam Electricity’s Southern Power Company (EVN SPC) and Italian Prysmian PowerLink SRL on May 3.  

This is the first contract of its kind in Vietnam and Southeast Asia region that costs EUR66.885 million and capable of transmitting 131MW from Ha Tien town to the Phu Quoc island of southern Kien Giang province.

The project is scheduled for completion in 2013 with a total capitalisation of VND2,467 billion, sourced from the World Bank and  EVN SPC.

VNN/VOV/VNS/Tuoi Tre