Flash flood kills four in Quang Nam

Four people have been reported dead when a flash flood hit Que Loc commune, Nong Son district in the central province of Quang Nam on Novermber 4.

The four victims are Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy (41 years old) and her son Vo Nhat Truong (6), Vo Van Phuc (21) and Pham Van Tanh (28). They were all said to be on their way home when the flood struck.

Rescue teams were sent to the scene immediately but only three bodies have been found so far.

Local authorities decided to granted VND1 million to each victim while various associations in the district have mobilised nearly VND7 million to help them.

Odon Vallet scholarships presented to 15 Vietnamese students

“Study well and return to Vietnam to contribute to the country’s development”, Professor Odon Vallet told Vietnamese students receiving scholarships at a recent ceremony in Paris.

Over the past 10 years, the well-known professor has spent as much as 100 million euro worth of property left by his farther to present scholarships to outstanding students from France, Benin and Vietnam.

Professor Odon Vallet said Vietnam has a studious tradition and many Vietnamese students have won high prizes at international contests. He said he is very happy to grant scholarships to Vietnamese students who are in difficult circumstances but study well.

Since its establishment in 1999, Odon Vallet Fund has provided more than 2,000 scholarships to Vietnamese students, especially those from remote and mountainous areas.

Vietnamese-funded map printing factory launched in Laos

The Lao Defence Ministry inaugurated a map printing factory in Vientiane on November 6, which was built with non-refundable aid provided by the Vietnamese government.

Present at the inaugural ceremony were Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Trung Thu and his Lao counterpart, Major-General Bouasieng Champaphan.

At an investment of VND22 billion (over US$1 million), the factory is equipped with a modern offset printing system.
To promote the factory’s efficiency, the VPA General Staff organised training courses for its managers and workers.

Speaking at the ceremony, Major-General Bouasieng Champaphan thanked the Vietnamese Party, Government, army and people for their assistance to Laos over the past years, citing the factory as a vivid manifestation of the VPA’s effective and timely support for the Lao army.

Vietnam aims for zero new HIV/AIDS infections

The 2011 National Action Month for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control, aiming for no new cases of HIV/AIDS in Vietnam, was held by the Ministry of Health in the northern province of Nam Dinh on November 6.

Over the past two decades, the fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Vietnam has achieved remarkable results and Vietnam is among the countries with the lowest rate of new HIV/AIDS infections in the region.

Vietnam has created policies and a legal environment for extending and improving the quality of prevention, support and treatment for people living with the disease.

However, controlling the disease remains very complicated and the decrease in the number of newly infected people is not sustainable.

Over 10,000 people each year test positive for the deadly virus in Vietnam. The increase in cases of sexual transmission has resulted in the growing number of HIV infections in women and children and HIV/AIDS patients still suffer serious discrimination.

Speaking at the Action Month launching, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc praised the efforts made by ministries, departments and localities and urged them to raise public awareness about the epidemic.

Mr Phuc asked local authorities to encourage people to join the campaign for preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS.

The Health Ministry should also improve the quality of treatment for people infected with the disease and actively contribute to reducing the number of new infections.

Online contest about sea and islands held in HCM City

More than 100,000 entrants have registered to take part in an online contest about Vietnam’s sea and islands being held in Ho Chi Minh City from November 6-December 3.  

The first part of the contest will focus on the historical development, geographical location and natural features of the country’s sea and islands, the Ho Chi Minh sea route and the legal basis for Vietnam's claims to sovereignty over its sea, islands and territorial waters.

The second part will help contestants gain a better understanding on official and scientific information on Party and State policies on the sea and islands and the strategy for maritime economic development as well as Vietnamese and international laws on sea and islands.

The event is joinly organised by the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union, Tuoi Tre (Youth) Newspaper and Ho Chi Minh City Television (HTV).

Khmer Theravada Buddhists appraised

The South-Western Region Steering Committee on November 4 met with Khmer Theravada dignitaries on the occasion of the Okombok (moon) festival which falls on the 15th day of the tenth lunar month.

At the meeting, which took place in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho, the committee’s representatives appraised efforts by buddhists and Khmer ethnic people in upholding solidarity, boosting production and effectively executing guidelines and policies of the Party and State.

Khmer Theravada Buddhists promised to encourage Khmer people to actively participate in revolutionary movements in the locality, further promote the great national unity, fight against hostile forces’ plots of sabotage and accelerate production, contributing to building a prosperous region.

The south-western region is home to 1.3 million Khmer people, accounting for 8 percent of the region’s population.

Vietnam Buddhist Sangha 30th anniversary celebrated

The Buddhist Sangha Executive Board in Danang has organized a ceremony to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) (November 7).

The November 5 celebration drew the participation of representatives from the VBS Central Executive Council, leaders of the Danang People’s Committee and hundreds of Buddhist monks and nuns.

Under the leadership of the VBS Central Executive Council, Buddhist Sangha Executive Board in Danang has taken the initiative to participate in charitable activities. The Board has collected nearly VND2 billion to provide free medicine for poor people and daily soup to patients in hospitals and healthcare centres and VND2 billion to support flood victims, and built 60 “Great Unity” houses.

Most Venerable Thich Quang Tam said the Executive Board has offered gifts to help poor people in flood-hit provinces in the central region.

Vietnamese businesses help Cambodian flood victims

The Nam Sao Fertilizer Company offered relief aid on November 5 to 250 poor families that have been affected by the recent floods in Kien Svay district, Kandal province, Cambodia.

The Vietnamese company, a subsidiary of the Nam Sao International Corporation, also provided assistance to four other Cambodian provinces of Kompong Thom, Takeo, Kompong Chnang and Battambang.

The company donated aid worth US$50,000 including five tonnes of rice, 1,500 barrels of noodles and thousands of notebooks and pens.

The Cambodian government is asking for more sponsors to help people over the next three months as thousands of families continue to face hunger and poverty because of the floods.

More than 400,000 hectares of rice in Cambodia have already been flooded and that figure may increase in the near future.

Savanakhet strengthens cooperation with Nghe An province

A delegation from Savanakhet province in Laos, led by Governor Suphan Keomisay, paid a four-day visit to Nghe An province in Vietnam from November 3-6.

During their stay, they visited Military Zone No.4 to discuss boosting cooperation in national defence and security, coordinating in social economic development, and preventing crime, particularly drug –related crimes, human trafficking and cross-border trafficking.

The delegation also offered incense to late President Ho Chi Minh in his home town.

On November 5, they held talks with Nghe An authorities to discuss ways to enhance comprehensive cooperation in all fields, especially human resources and technological development.

Vietnam, UK ink MoU on education and accounting

A ceremony to sign two Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) on education and accounting cooperation between the UK and Vietnam was held in Hanoi on November 4.

British Ambassador to Vietnam Anthony Stokes and the Director of the British University Vietnam (BUV) Graeme Davies penned a MoU on strengthening tertiary education cooperation between the two countries.

Ambassador Stokes said the signing demonstrates close relations between the two countries, especially when they agreed to establish a strategic partnership in 2010. BUV is one of the key projects in the strategy, which has received significant support from the British Government, said the diplomat.

BUV provides courses from famous British universities, such as London and Staffordshire in the three fields of banking and finance, international business management and marketing management.

The university began recruiting students in October 2010 in Hanoi. It will officially open its main office in Hung Yen province- about 30km from Hanoi- in 2014.

The second MoU was signed between the two countries’ accounting associations. It refers to key areas such as business management, professional ethics, training and certification. The application of international accounting standards in Vietnam is expected to further encourage foreign businesses to invest in the country.

China helps flood victims in Mekong Delta

China has presented US$30,000 to the Vietnam Red Cross Society (VRC) as relief aid to support people in the Mekong Delta who are likely affected by current floods.  

The Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam, Kong Xuanyou handed over the sum to VRC Chairman Tran Ngoc Tang in Hanoi on November 4.

Ambassador Xuanyou said the Chinese Party, State, and people deeply sympathize with flood victims in Vietnam and believe that with the concerted effort made by the Vietnamese Party and State and great support from international friends, the Vietnamese people will soon overcome the havoc wreaked by the disaster.

The VRC Chairman thanked the Red Cross Society of China and the Chinese people for providing their aid to flood victims.

Hanoi to build automatic bus ticket system

The Hanoi Transportation Department has outlined a plan to build an automatic bus ticket system (Q-Ticket), which requires nearly VND271 billion.

The plan was recently submitted to the municipal People’s Committee for approval. If adopted, the project will be carried out from February to August 2012.

The system will be put into test run by the end of 2012 and full operation in early 2013.

According to the plan, VND237 billion out of the total investment will be spent on equipment procurement and services.