France assists gastric cancer treatment

France’s Medical University, Hue Central Hospital and the French Embassy in Vietnam held a course on oesophageal and gastric cancer treatment in Thua Thien–Hue province on December 5.

The course aimed to update knowledge and improve cancer treatment skills for doctors in central and provincial hospitals in both the central and Central Highland areas.

Director of Hue Central Hospital Bui Duc Phu said the course, taught by French professors and Hue Central Hospital’s leading professors, includes five levels and a certificate will be awarded for each level. Doctors who complete all five levels will receive a specialized diploma.

After completing the course, doctors under 40 years of age will be considered for the training programme in French hospitals.  

Two dead projects frustrate communities

Two projects in Quang Ngai Province that were licensed in 2007 have yet to be developed, affecting more than 300 people in a commune and frustrating the authorities of another district, where 2,600 hectares of land have not been used as planned.

One of the projects is the planned construction of a steel plant with a total investment of US$3.3 billion from a Taiwanese investor on 300 hectares of land in Duc Pho District.

The investor later increased the estimated investment to $4.5 billion, and the construction area to 480 hectares, with a goal of raising the capacity of the future plant from 5 million tons to 7 million per year.

However, Le Van Dung, deputy head of the Dung Quat Economic Management Board, said the project has not been developed since banks in Europe and the US have refused to finance it.

“The investor is introducing the project to Chinese banks, but has yet to receive feedback from them,” Dung said.

Numerous households have had to be relocated, and a main road leading to Dung Quat Port has also been blocked for the development of the project.

All vehicles that want to get to the port from Doc Soi on National Highway 1A have to travel through a bypass, which costs them 18 percent more in fuel consumption.

Meanwhile, more than 50 households, home to over 500 people, have yet to be relocated and have been isolated since the investor fenced in the area belonging to the project.

Moreover, they have also suffered from pollution, as wastewater from nearby factories has flowed into the area, since the waste’s route out of the community has been blocked, said Bui Thi Minh, 82, a resident of Binh Dong Commune.

The idle project has driven locals to proclaim three “Nos” of their lives; namely no relocation, no land for cultivation, and no convenience in daily activities.

Truong Thi Xuan Hong, standing deputy chairman of the Quang Ngai Province People’s Council, said that if the investor continues to fail to find a financial source for the project, it will have its license revoked.

The other delinquent project is Vina Universal, a $50 million studio-tourism area that broke ground in 2007 and brought excitement to the authorities and people of Duc Pho, who believed that the project would help exploit 2,600 hectares of uncultivated land in the district.

However, shortly after construction began the project came to a halt because of a lack of capital and three years later, in early 2011, the investor, Tan Tao Group, told the provincial authorities that it would stop developing the project.

“The authorities have handed over the project to the local investment promotion center, which willl call on other investors to take up it,” Tran Em, deputy chairman of the Duc Pho People’s Committee, said.

Vietnam links economic growth with social protection

Vietnam is consistent with its policies of associating economic growth with social protection, says Minister of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs (MOLISA) Pham Thi Hai Chuyen.

Ms Chuyen made the affirmation on December 5 at the plenary session of the ongoing 15th Asia and the Pacific Regional Meeting of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Kyoto, Japan. She said the Vietnamese Government has introduced various policies and programmes such as the national programme on poverty reduction and others to support poor women, people with disabilities, and disadvantaged children.

The country has also implemented national programmes on employment and vocational training which have created jobs for one million people every year.

Pointing out shortcomings in the Vietnamese labour market and social welfare network, The Minister said the country’s 2011-2020 socio-economic development strategy should focus on the domestic labour market, improving the quality and competitive edge of human resources and creating steady jobs for people.
 
Vietnam aims to reduce the number of labourers in the agricultural sector to 30 percent of the total workforce and increase salary earners to 50 percent by 2020, Ms Chuyen said, adding that Vietnam will continue helping disadvantaged groups integrate into the labour market.

Vietnam will also take the initiative to build a policy framework for social protection in the 2011-2020 period, complete a legal corridor through amendments to its Labour Code to submit to the National Assembly in 2012, and build laws on employment and minimum wages.

The Minister thanked the ILO for its cooperation and technical assistance in the past and reaffirmed Vietnam’s commitments to work closely with its social partners to maintain and develop effective coordination between the ILO and its partners in Vietnam.

Vietnam joined the ILO in 1992 and was elected an official member of its governing body at the 100th ILO General Assembly session in Geneva on June 6, 2011.

On the same day, ILO General Director Juan Somavia presented a report on “Building a sustainable future with decent work in Asia and the Pacific’, which is focused on devising measures for a better future and reviewing the achievements and challenges of the 2006–2010 period.

S. Korea recruiting Vietnamese fishermen

Through Vietnamese labor exporters, the Korea Fishery Trade Association (KFTA) is recruiting Vietnamese workers for its near-shore fishing boats, Vietnam’s Department of Overseas Labor Management (DOLM) reported.

Candidates for the jobs are not required to attend a competitive examination, but they must have at least three years of experience working on sea fishing boats, the center said.

They must be men who are between the ages of 21-35, free from social diseases and congenital anomalies, not vulnerable to seasickness, and without any previous convictions.

Once admitted by KFTA, workers will be trained for two months before being sent to South Korea to work under three-year contracts at a basic salary of about 900,000 won, or US$830, per month.

South Korean employers will pay the cost of food, accommodation and insurance for the workers they receive, said Nguyen Tri Dung, deputy general director of the Tourism, Trading and Labor Export Company (TTLC), one of the seven Vietnamese companies appointed by KFTA as recruiters.

“Workers who perform well at work will be given a two-year extension of their contracts,” Dung said.

The six other recruiters include the Transport Investment Co-operation and Import - Export Corporation (Tracimexo), the International Manpower Supply and Trade Company (Sona), the Labor Export - Trading and Tourist Company (Sovilaco), Hoang Long Human Resources Supplying Development Corporation (Hoanglong Huresu), the Labor Supplying and Training Cooperation (Letco), and Sao Viet Co Ltd, said Nguyen Ngoc Quynh, head of DOLM.

The total expense every qualified candidate must pay before they leave Vietnam is about US$8,500, including US$4,000 as deposit, $1,500 for the brokerage fee, $1,250 for half of the service charge, roughly $1,000 for the management fee, $250 for training, $450 for airfare, and $50 for visa, DOLM said.

When the workers return to Vietnam after their contracts are terminated, the above companies will repay them the deposit, together with an amount of accrued interest, the agency added.

First garbage-based fertiliser plant underway

The Binh Duong Water Supply, Sewerage and Environment Company started construction of the garbage-based compost fertiliser plant, the first of its kind in Vietnam, in the southern province of Binh Duong on December 5.

The EUR6.7 million plant was financed through official development assistance from the Finnish Government.

The plant, with a daily capacity of 420 tonnes, is part of a waste treatment system in the Nam Binh Duong waste treatment complex.

Tran Thanh Liem, Deputy Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said that the project aims to make full use of garbage for recycling and fertiliser production for the local agroforestry sector, while dealing with a large quantity of garbage in the locality.

The Nam Binh Duong waste treatment complex receives over 700 tonnes of garbage and over 80 tonnes of hazardous waste from industrial production a day.

Man with 90 kg tumor awaits another chance

Nguyen Duy Hai’s only wish now is to get the 90-kilogram tumor on his right leg removed as soon as possible.

The 31-year-old man from Da Lat (Lam Dong) told Tuoitrenews that he is now staying in a rented house in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 2, waiting for a final decision from FV Hospital and Cho Ray Hospital to admit him and perform the surgery.

American doctor McKay McKinnon, who is known worldwide for successfully treating similar tumor cases, has been instrumental in using his personal contacts with these hospitals to give Hai another chance.

McKinnon was expected to lead a Vietnamese- American surgeon team with doctors from the Ho Chi Minh Oncology Hospital to carry out the operation for Hai on November 18.

However, the procedure was cancelled after the hospital discovered that Hai had a pleural effusion, which is a buildup of fluid around the lungs, further weakening his health condition and making it too dangerous to perform the surgery.

Le Hoang Minh, head of the Oncology hospital, said the effusion would complicate procedures and likely kill Hai during the operation. He added that the hospital’s staff would be willing to contribute to a future operation if another hospital decides to take Hai in.

“I am praying everyday now that a hospital will agree to take me in and cooperate with Mr. McKinnon to perform the surgery for me,” Hai said.

He left the Oncology Hospital on December 2, and has been staying in District 2 with his mother ever since.

In an earlier interview with Tuoitrenews, Dr. McKinnon said that there was little time left for Hai, and that his body could hardly withstand the growth of the tumor for another year, while adding that an operation is the only hope for Hai and his family.

He also added that the initial pulmonary function test that revealed Hai’s pleural effusion was not exact, and that the chance of success for the surgery could be as high as 50 percent if it were carried out.

Funding is another problem for the patient and his family, who have been struggling for years with the illness, as a surgery of this scale will cost tens of thousands of USD, a source close to one of the hospitals said.

Two dead, six injured in industrial accidents

Three serious industrial accidents occurred in Hanoi, Hai Phong and Ca Mau yesterday, killing two people and injuring six others.

At 6 am yesterday morning, 54-year-old Nguyen Van Khi of Ward 9 in Ca Mau City, the deputy foreman of the Minh Phu Seafood Corporation, fell from a floor of the corporation’s plant in Ward 8 when he was checking the operating valves of a product conveyor system.

He was taken to the Ca Mau General Hospital for emergency treatment, but died soon after due to severe injuries.

The same morning, a large steam boiler suddenly exploded at the My Huong Paper Joint Stock Company in Hai Phong City’s An Lao District, seriously injuring six workers -- four men and two women -- who were later admitted to a local hospital in critical condition.

The US$143,000 boiler, which was totally destroyed, was certified to meet technical qualification standards in March 2010, said Vu Khac Long, the company director.

The local police have examined the scene and are investigating the cause of the explosion.

At 3 pm later that day, a male construction worker, whose name was not announced, fell from the scaffolding on the sixth floor of a building in Hanoi’s Cau Giay District and died on the spot.

He was taking sand bags from a pulley that carried them up from the ground when the scaffold collapsed, his workmates said.

PM urges mobilising all resources for mine clearance

Together with mobilising domestic resources to the maximum level, the Vietnamese Government wishes to receive continued cooperation and support from the international community to help the country clear unexploded ordnances (UXO) left by the war.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung made the statement while attending a talk hosted by the State Steering Board on the National Action Programme on settling consequences caused by UXO (or Steering Board 504), in Hanoi on December 5.

PM Dung, who is Head of the Steering Board, thanked foreign countries, international organisations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for their support for Vietnam in settling UXO consequences over the past years.

Participants at the event, including foreign ambassadors and representatives of international organisations in Vietnam, assessed the current situation regarding UXO in Vietnam as well as put forth measures and plans to implement projects to clear bombs and mines left by the war and help UXO victims reintegrate into the community.

They also discussed how to mobilise and use effectively domestic and foreign resources in addressing UXO consequences in the country.

US Ambassador to Vietnam David Bruce Shear stressed that the US wants to cooperate more closely with the Vietnamese Government, NGOs and international organisations in overcoming war aftermaths, including explosive remnants of war, in Vietnam.

Incomplete statistics showed over 42,130 people had died and 62,160 others injured by post-war bombs and mines, placing more burdens on many families and the whole society.

The UXO contaminated land area accounts for over 20 percent of the country’s area, causing difficulties for production and people’s life.

Since the war ended, the Vietnamese Government has paid special attention to settling the consequences of bombs and mines left by the war by issuing many mechanisms and policies as well as spending thousands of trillions of VND (or hundreds of millions of USD) on the work each year.

Thanks to efforts made by all ministries, localities and the entire society plus the valuable support and assistance of international friends, Vietnam has recorded remarkable achievements in dealing with UXO.

The country has removed millions of unexploded bombs and mines, recliaming hundreds of thousands of hectares of land, helping ensure safe conditions for production and people’s life.

On the occasion, a ceremony was held to announce a decision on the establishment of the Steering Board 504 headed by the Prime Minister and a national action programme on settling the consequences caused by UXO for the 2010-2025 period.

The programme aims to complete and surveys for a map on UXO contamination areas throughout the country, and educate people on ways to prevent accidents caused by bombs and mines.

The programme sets the target of clearing 800,000 ha from UXO and implementing more projects to support UXO victims.

HCMC confronted by oversupply of taxis

While Ho Chi Minh City is restricting the expansion of its taxi fleet, taxi from other places are flocking to the city to fill up the room.

In mid 2010, HCMC authorities were startled to see the number of operating taxis soar, exceeding the target for 2015 and even equal to 2020.

It then restricted taxi expansion by stopping to register new taxi cabs. And according to the new rule, in case a taxi is taken out of circulation, only a new one is allowed for registration as a replacement.

But the number of taxis operational in the city is still rising since many taxi companies in other localities, such as Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Khanh Hoa and even Hanoi, have sent their cabs to HCMC to compete with locally based taxis.

Tai, a taxi driver of HCMC’s Vinasun said, since early this year, many taxis owned by companies from other localities outside HCMC had been operating in the city.

“At first, I saw only a small number of them and thought they were simply dropping off passengers from other provinces, but they remained here and the number is increasing,” he said.

Sai Gon Tiep Thi has conducted a survey and confirmed this situation. For example, for the past two months, reporters have seen taxis with number plates registered in Khanh Hoa (code 79) and Dong Nai (60) operating almost every day in downtown HCMC.

Yesterday, within 15 minutes, reporters found 4 Mai Linh taxis, two of which have number plates 79N0852 and 79D7774 from Khanh Hoa. The other two, numbered 60A02722 and 60V6869 from Dong Nai, were picking up passengers on Le Van Sy Street in District 3 and Hai Ba Trung Street in District 1.

Talking with Sai Gon Tiep Thi, Ta Long Hy, Chairman of the HCMC Taxi Association, said many companies had also taken their cabs registered in other provinces to HCMC to replace those taxis that could have been registered but for the ban.

Hy said Mai Linh Taxi might have accounted for the largest number of taxis registered outside HCMC.

However, this doesn’t violate any rule, so the association has only asked the company to stop this move voluntarily to comply with the spirit of the city’s ban, Hy said.

On the other hand, he said, this situation has created an unfair competition between companies that are operating outside of HCMC and local ones.

He said he would thus ask local authorities to take necessary measures to ensure the interest of local taxi companies.

Waste treatment station contaminates environment

The Tho Quang wastewater treatment station at the Tho Quang Industrial Park in Son Tra District, Da Nang City, has repeatedly released untreated wastewater into the environment for 15 months, seriously affecting the life of locals, who have strongly voiced their opinion that the station be shut down.

On November 3, hundreds of local residents flocked to the station asking the management to cease operations immediately, as it has long failed to seek solutions to the pollution problems it has caused since beginning operations in July 2010.

In July 2011, the Da Nang environmental crime investigation police fined the station VND150 million (US$7,300) for causing pollution.

The station, which is in charge of treating wastewater from 13 producers in the park, was designed to have a treatment capacity of 2,500 cubic meters of wastewater per day, since engineers calculated the total volume of the waste from those stations would be 2,300-2,400 cubic meters.

In fact, at 3-4 pm every business day, Tho Quang discharges the untreated waste directly into the environment, as it fails to keep up with the wasterwater released by the plants surrounding it. The stinking odor from the waste covers a large residential area, seriously affecting the health and daily activities of locals.

It is important to note the station’s owner, Quoc Viet Co. Ltd, had earlier asked the authorities to allocate it more land to expand operations, in order to increase the treatment capacity to 6,000 cubic meters of wastewater per day.

It also applied for a soft loan of VND5 billion to invest in treatment facilities and asked the authorities to allow it to increase the unit price of wastewater treatment.

Shortly after the company’s request, the city government granted 5,000 square meters of land to Quoc Viet, and last October, it also permitted the company to raise the treatment fee from VND4,900 to VND6,000 per cubic meter.

However, the company has yet to resolve pollution problems. Phan Trung Tien, deputy head of the station, admitted that the plant has been overloaded, especially during rainy days, when the station receives as many as 4,700-5,800 cubic meters of wastewater mixed with rainwater.

Nguyen Dieu, director of the Da Nang Department of Natural Resources and Environment, said the station has not only failed to treat wastewater, but that the plant was also built negligently.

Just a few days after it began operation, its reservoir broke, requiring an overhaul, he said. “In general, its construction structure is not sustainable. During a recent inspection of the facility, I asked Quoc Viet to continue consolidating the reservoir.”

Quoc Viet also failed to equip its station with a standby generator, so whenever the power is cut off, the station goes idle, Dieu said.

Vietnam to negotiate climate change loan with WB

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved the establishment of a delegation to negotiate with the World Bank (WB) about a donor agreement and relevant legal documents relating to a loan for development policy on climate change.

Under the decision, signed on December 5, the delegation will be led by Doan Hoai Anh, Deputy Head of the International Cooperation Department under the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV).

It includes representatives from the Government Office, the State President Office and the Ministries of Natural Resources and Environment, Planning and Investment, Finance, Foreign Affairs, Agriculture and Rural Development, Industry and Trade, and SBV.

Earlier, the PM approved the first loan for development policy on climate change by the WB, to fund the Support Programme to Respond to Climate Change.

2nd National Volunteers Summit held in Hanoi

Voluntary activities have a long tradition in Vietnam and have greatly contributed to the country’s development and resolving many global issues. 

This statement was made  at the 2nd National Volunteers Summit held by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union  (HCMCYU) and the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) in Hanoi to mark International Volunteer Day (IVD) (December 5).

The UN report on global volunteers announced at the summit recognized the important role of voluntary activities and their contributions to national development, bringing people closer together working towards peace and development.

Allen Jennings, UNV Deputy Chief of the Development Division for the Volunteer Programme and Management Group, said the Vietnamese Government and people should be fully aware of voluntary activities’ importance in the country’s development. Vietnam is developing fast but it still needs the contributions of volunteers to maintain steady growth.

Also at the summit, the 2011 Volunteer Awards were presented to 10 organisations and individuals.

One of the award-winning international volunteer organizations, SJ Vietnam, was established in 2004 and has expanded its activities in many environmental, educational and social projects while receiving hundreds of youth volunteers from around the world.

SJ Vietnam Director Do Thi Phuc, said the effectiveness of volunteer work is not only calculated by the number people involved, but also by the changes the volunteers bring about in the community.

Over the past decade, more than 47 million Vietnamese volunteers have joined many effective programs for socio-economic development, poverty reduction and storm and flood prevention.

HCMCYU Secretary, Phan Van Mai, said voluntary activities in Vietnam have obtained remarkable achievements in recent years and created close links with many international voluntary organisations. The country has also created volunteer forces in foreign countries.

Mexican party supports Vietnamese AO victims

President of the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA), Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Rinh, on December 5 received 120 wheelchairs handed over by Jose Benavides, a member of the Mexican Labour Party Central Committee.

The donation was made by General Secretary of the Mexican Labour Party Senator Alberto Anaya, and other Party officials, as well as the Mexico-Vietnam Parliament Friendship Group.

General Rinh expressed his gratitude for the gifts from the Mexican officials, which express deep sympathy and strong support for Vietnamese Agent Orange (AO) victims.

Mr Benavides said that Vietnam War wound has not been properly healed and that millions of Vietnamese people are still suffering from the effects of the toxic chemicals today.

He emphasized that the Mexican Labour Party will continue supporting Vietnamese AO victims in their struggle for justice.

Localities urged to boost crime prevention

Local authorities should consider combating crime a key political mission that requires drastic measures for the 2011-2015 period, says Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Mr Phuc, who is also Chairman of the Steering Committee for National Crime Prevention, made the request at a December 5 online conference to review the Politburo’s Directive on enhancing leadership in preventing and fighting crime in the new context. The conference was also attended by Minister of Public Security Tran Dai Quang and leaders of provinces, cities, and related ministries and agencies, as well as the mass media.

The Deputy PM highlighted the involvement of all sectors, the Vietnam Fatherland Front, political organizations and the entire population in the battle against crime.

He also pointed out some shortcomings such as the increase in complex crimes and new types of dangerous crimes that have arisen.

Crime prevention measures in many localities have proved ineffective due to poor communication of the laws and inadequate forecasting of crime.

Deputy PM Phuc asked provincial and municipal Party Committees and authorities to mobilize people to take part in crime prevention campaigns focused on key areas.

He urged the Ministry of Public Security to launch a peak campaign to fight crime, especially organised crime.

All related agencies should strengthen communication to raise public awareness of crime fighting and improve people’s living conditions, said Mr Phuc.

According to a report presented by Deputy Minister of Public Security Pham Quy Ngo, his ministry has played an active part in implementing the directive while the People’s Procuracy, People’s Court and police forces at all levels have coordinated well with each other in investigations and prosecutions in accordance with the law.

It was reported that about 71.3 percent of cases were investigated while 4,000 professional gangs were broken up and nearly 60,000 criminal cases were prosecuted.

Also at the conference, the Ministries of Public Security and Information and Telecommunications, Vietnam News Agency, Vietnam Television, and Radio the Voice of Vietnam signed an agreement to jointly communicate the National Target Programme on Crime Prevention for the 2011-2015 period to the public.

New flood warning in central region  

The current cold spell in the northern region may bring in medium to heavy rainfall in the central region on Monday which might cause more flooding.

According to the national weather bureau, rivers along Quang Tri to Binh Dinh Provinces will swell and flood waters might reach alarming levels of 2-3. Mountainous areas have been warned to keep watch of flashfloods.

The Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention and Control have sent an urgent dispatch to the central provinces, asking them to keep an eye on the weather conditions and prepare to minimize damage triggered by flooding.
 
Pagoda opens on Con Dao Island  

The People’s Committee of Con Dao District off Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province compeleted the restoration and opened the over 100-year-old Nui Mot pagoda on December 4.  

The restoration work costing nearly VND100 billion (US$4.5 million) was financed by Vincom Corporation’s Thien Tam Fund; the People’s Police Newspaper; the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology and supported by the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha and ancient temple of Vinh Nghiem.

The restoration work will revive the glory of the ancient pagoda and add it to the list of must-see tourist destinations.

Earlier, representatives of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, executive committee of the Ho Chi Minh City Buddhist Sangha and Vinh Nghiem temple co-organized a requiem for heroic martyrs, and for national peace and prosperity on December 3.
 
Authorities crack down on unhygienic food

Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are facing an avalanche of unhygienic food as the Lunar New Year nears.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Market Control Department, in the third quarter of this year, the department and inter-disciplinary inspection teams detected 979 violations of veterinary quarantine regulations, mainly focused on the trade of poultry lacking clear points of origin. They also discovered 241 food safety violations.

On November 29, Thu Duc District’s veterinary quarantine station seized 280 kilos of tripe being transported from Dong Nai to Ho Chi Minh City. On November 27, they also intercepted a large amount of poultry products brought from Quang Nam, Quang Ngai and Dong Nai provinces to the city, including over one tonne of pork, 577kg of tripe, 30 chickens, and unidentified animal fat and skin.

Binh Dien Wholesale Market’s veterinary quarantine force also uncovered the transportation of 80 dead pigs, including 17 already in the process of decomposing.

In the first ten months of this year, the Hanoi Market Control Department and other agencies dealt with 500 food safety violations. Most recently, on November 27, the municipal police seized a truck carrying nearly 1.5 tonnes of pig intestines that had not been previously checked.

Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City market control forces also warned consumers of bad quality sweets and jams that were on sale for the Tet Lunar New Year celebrations. Many of the items lacked clear points of origin.

The Hanoi Market Control Department seized nearly one tonne of unsafe confectionery, oyster and soy sauces from Hang Giay Street. They also detected the transportation of 3,650kg of buckwheat and 200kg of sugar nearing their expiry date along with four tonnes of fake wheat used for beer production.

Hoang Dai Nghia from the Hanoi Market Control Department said that from now until near the Lunar New Year, the department would enhance food inspections.

The Central Steering Board for Food Safety and Hygiene was cited by Tuoi Tre Newspaper as saying that the board will set up 10 inspection teams to examine food safety and hygiene regulations in 21 provinces and cities.

Inspections will be carried out from December 12, 2011 to January 30, 2012. The inspection will focus on the origin, quality, authenticity of products and food safety and hygiene.

Vietnam’s forest coverage reaches 40%

December 06, 2011 06:17 AM..The forest coverage of Vietnam in 2011 has reached 40% as a result of activities in responding to the 2011 International Year of Forest launched by the United Nations.

The activities were carried out both inside and outside the country, aiming to highlight the role of forest in preserving the environment, coping with climate change, developing the economy, eliminating hunger and reducing poverty.

Among the activities, the 40th letter writing contest co-organised by Minister of Information and Communication and Forestry Department of Forestry attracted nearly one million children and school pupils under 15 years old nationwide.

Other remarkable activities included the “ Vietnam’s Forest ” photo contest, the competition of “Discovering the environment and ecosystem of Can Gio mangrove forest” and the first National Festival of Forest Products.

Vietnam also held a national meeting marking the World Environment Day and the 2011 International Forest Year, organised conferences and launched forestation projects in the northern mountainous province of Bac Kan.

In particular, Vietnam cooperated with 9 members of ASEAN to organise a forest exhibition on the occasion of the 33rd meeting of ASEAN Agro-forestry Ministers in Jakarta, Indonesia .

Vietnam’s forestry development strategy, achievements and major policies were also introduced at the second Asia Pacific Forestry Week in Beijing, China.

Hanoi to have automatic public bus ticket system

Authorities in Hanoi are mulling over plans to invest VND271 billion (USD12.9 million) to build an automatic public bus ticket system.

The municipal government has requested the city’s Department of Planning and Investment to consider a recent municipal Department of Transport’s recent proposal.

Under the proposal, the system will be built under two phases. The first phase, estimated to cost VND69 billion (USD3.2 million), will cover 17 bus routes.

Under the second phase costing nearly VND202 billion (USD9.61 million), the system will be expanded to the entire public bus network.

If approved, construction on the system will range from next February to December.

The system is expected to become operational in 2013.

Send-off held for ASEAN ParaGames disabled athletes

A ceremony was held at the Ho Chi Minh Museum in Hanoi on December 3 to send off the Vietnamese disabled sports delegation to the sixth ASEAN ParaGames that will take place in Indonesia from December 12-21.

The traditional ceremony, held jointly by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Vietnam Paralympic Association, aimed to raise the athletes’ spirits and confidence before they compete in the region’s biggest sporting event for the disabled.

Addressing the ceremony, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Le Khanh Hai, praised the training of the Vietnamese squad, encouraging them to be confident and play fairly to bring glory to their homeland.

Also at the ceremony, Vu Van Xoan, member of the table tennis team, represented the other athletes to express their deep gratitude for the support and encouragement from the Party and State, and pledged they will do their best to achieve top results in the upcoming ParaGames.

Vietnam will send 124 athletes with disabilities to compete in seven events including track and field, swimming, badminton, weightlifting, table tennis, chess and tennis, aiming to finish among the top three countries competing at the 2011 ParaGames.

At the fifth ASEAN ParaGames in Kuala Lumpur two years ago, Vietnam took home 73 gold, 57 silver and 45 bronze medals, and ranked third in the medal tally behind Thailand and the host, Malaysia.
 
Better career guidance on offer next year

A new career guidance programme aims to help students between the 9th and 12th grades gain better access to information about career paths and job opportunities.

The programme, to be available next year, will support students in making well-considered decisions on selecting suitable vocational schools or universities in north central Nghe An and south central Quang Nam provinces.

The Flemish Association for Development Co-operation and Technical Assistance from Belgium (VVOB) is set to run the programme in partnership with the local departments of education and women's unions.

Details on the programme were offered at a workshop held in Hanoi on Dec.3, which brought together teachers and educational officials at provincial levels and stakeholders involved for discussion and planning.

The new programme is integrated into VVOB's existing teaching programme for the 2008-13 period, which supports the Government's policy of student-centred learning by co-operating with the local departments of education, women's unions and teachers training institutes in the five provinces of Thai Nguyen, Quang Ninh, Nghe An, Quang Nam and Quang Ngai.

"Career guidance is somehow ignored in Vietnam and many other countries, including even Belgium , despite it being a very important part of education," said Wilfried Theunis, the programme's manager from VVOB.

Theunis said this was the reason for VOOB's decision to launch the programme in Vietnam . He pointed out that so far only limited efforts have been directed to developing career guidance, which is an important factor in linking the education system to the labour market.

According to Theunis, the new programme aims to make information on professional opportunities readily available to teachers and educational experts to equip them with sufficient skills in career guidance, while also offering more information on career options to students.

The planned activities include development of an information database at the provincial level, training and development of training materials for career guidance and activities at the communal level to raise awareness about career guidance, including the value of technical and vocational education and training.

"Students should know that going to university is not the only option they have in pursuing a successful career," said Theunis.

By 2013, the programme is expected to be extended to other provinces if successful in Nghe An and Quang Ngai.

Japan rewards students of Hue University

The Business Association and Economic Association of Japan awarded scholarships, worth 200 USD each, to 24 excellent students of Hue University on Dec. 5 in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue.

The rewarded students had the average score of over 8.0 or took the lead in the university entrance examination of Hue University in the 2011-2012 school year.

Director of Hue University , Dr. Nguyen Van Toan said the Japanese Business Association and Economic Association have given scholarship to Hue University students since 2000. In the past 11 years, more than 200 Hue students have been honoured for their good academic results.

UN expert praises Vietnam’s healthcare work

A UN envoy in health rights has applauded the Vietnamese Government for addressing the health care needs of the poor and vulnerable.

“I would like to highlight Vietnam ’s commendable work over the last two decades in improving the health system,” UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health Anand Grover said at a press briefing in Hanoi on December 5 at the end of his 10-day survey trip to Vietnam .

The Vietnamese Government pays serious attention to issues relating to people’s right to health care and recorded admirable progress in improving its health services.

However, the UN expert said health insurance only covered basic health services and that more than 30 percent of households had to make huge out-of-pocket payments.

While underlining the Government’s efforts to generate more resources for the health sector, he warned that the strategies on issuing Government bonds and encouraging foreign and private investment in the health sector, especially through the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, might push up the cost of medical goods and services, thus limiting the poor’s access to health care.

After this trip, Grover will build a report on Vietnam to be submitted to the Human Rights Council in June 2012./.

Vietnam joins int’l science competition

Six Vietnamese students will compete at the eighth International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO-8) which opened in George Campbell School of Technology in Durban , South Africa on Dec. 5.

All the Vietnamese contestants come from the Hanoi-Amsterdam High School .

The five-day competition attracts the participation of 46 teams, with nearly 600 students from 45 countries and territories worldwide.

The annual event, for students up to the age of 15, consists of three separate tests, including theoretical and experimental examinations, in the fields of physics, chemistry and biology./.

Authorities seize fake Tet goods
 
Customs authorities would keep close watch for smuggled and fake products that usually flood the market in the months before Tet (Lunar New Year) and throw the book at offenders, the Anti-smuggling and Investigation Department has said.

The import and trading of counterfeits were at worryingly high levels, with Chinese products accounting for 90 per cent of them, Tran Viet Hung, deputy head of the department's team No.4, said.

Cosmetics, mobile phones and parts, alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, and engine oil were among the most counterfeited, he told a conference held in HCM City yesterday.

Many counterfeits and serious violations of intellectual property had been discovered this year, including 14,400 bottles of fake Stolichnaya, the Russian vodka.

Other fakes had included 14,280 cosmetic products and 1,690 mobile phones.

Businesses were unwilling to co-operate in the investigation of and fight against intellectual property violations and counterfeits because they feared the negative effects on their reputation and profits.

Phan Minh Nhut, chairman of the Viet Nam Anti-counterfeiting and Intellectual Property Protection Association of Foreign Invested Enterprises, said: "If co-operation between customs and businesses is improved, the fight against fakes will be more efficient."

Hung and Nhut's agencies yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding for comprehensive co-operation in education, information support, consultancy, and seizing and destroying counterfeits.