US universities enhance education ties with VN 

A trade mission comprising of representatives from around 60 universities, four-year colleges, community colleges and English-language programmes kicked off their trip to two of the fastest growing markets in Asia - Vietnam and Indonesia - from April 2-9.

The mission, led by US Department of Commerce's Under Secretary for International Trade Francisco Sanchez, aimed to bring more Vietnamese and Indonesian students to the US, as well as open the door for sharing faculty and research.

The undersecretary said the mission is part of an Obama administration goal to double US exports in five years. "Higher education ranks among the top 10 US exports,” Sanchez said. "I see no more valuable export than education.”

“Vietnam and Indonesia were chosen because these countries show the best growth for sending students to the US to study,” Sanchez said.

During their stay in Vietnam, the mission is expected to hold market briefings, education partnering workshops, and educational fairs where expected attendance should be between 1,200-2,000 people, among other activities in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

With a population of 86 million, a steadily increasing per capita income, and the high value the Vietnamese place on education, Vietnam offers significant opportunities to US providers of education services.

Vietnam now ranks ninth among countries sending students to the US.

 

Gia Lai province builds training school in Cambodia 

The Gia Lai Province authorities have helped to build a vocational training school in Preah Vihear Province in Cambodia.   

Gia Lai Province donated US$350,000 to build the training school along with the participation of the Royal Government of Cambodia.

The Gia Lai-Preah Vihear School is located in Phum Thorm Cheat in Chorm Ksan district. The school built in 8 months on an area of 540 square meters, includes a two-story building, six theory rooms, three practice rooms, labs and an internet room.

It will provide short-term and medium-term skill training in repairing small machinery, radios, tape-recorders, TV sets and wood processing items for souvenirs as well as provide practical training in vegetable growing and fish breeding.

150 students have already enrolled in its first course.

City residents unaware of emergency medical service

Most Ho Chi Minh City residents appreciate the idea of obtaining emergency medical care at home but few know it can be availed by calling 115, a survey by a hospital has discovered.

Trung Vuong Hospital’s two-year survey completed last September polled 2,175 people living in all 24 districts to assess people’s interest in the hospital’s 115 Emergency Care Service.

It found that only 32 percent knew about 115 while 81 percent were highly appreciative of home emergency services.

In HCMC, calls to 115 are routed to Trung Vuong which is both a general hospital and the city’s medical emergency center.

Dr Ha Thanh Ha, deputy head of the 115 service, said only 16-20 calls are received per day, a very modest number compared to the city’s population of nearly 10 million.

There are 10 ambulances standing by and never have all of them been summoned at a time, she said.

At most, four have been requisitioned at a time, she said.

Based on the condition of patients, the 115 team will provide treatment at home or any other place or transfer them to the nearest heath facility or specialized hospital she said.

Immediately after receiving a request, the hospital will send an ambulance to the patient’s location.

It costs VND15,000 (US$0.7) per kilometer and VND30,000 for treatment excluding the cost of medicines and medical supplies.

Hanoi to compensate building collapse victims

18 families will receive compensation from local government for losses caused by the recent five-storey building collapse in Hanoi, announced Phan Hong Viet, deputy chairman of the capital’s People’s Committee Monday.

The building located on Dong Da district’s Huynh Thuc Khang Street suddenly collapsed on March 31, badly damaging an opposite apartment block, destroying 18 apartments before destroying Dang Khoa laptop shop located on the first floor.

As said by Viet, four most-damaged apartments will be paid VND5 million (US$250) each while 14 others will get VND2 million each.

According to Hanoi-based Dong Da district’s People Committee, all these families are trying to look for accommodation elsewhere after the incident.

14 families have asked local authorities for temporary shelters.

Dong Da authorities have proposed Hanoi government help the homeless victims soon come back to normal lives.

According to local experts, it’s possible that the demolition of a wall inside the building caused the incident.

School makes guard work 24/7

Vo Quang Lam, a security guard for a school in Dak Lak Province, has to work 24 hours a day on all seven days of the week according to his labor contract.

Since July 2009 that has been his schedule at Tran Van On high school in Krong Pak district, and for that he gets paid VND1.1 million (US$55) a month.

The school did build him a house to live but he still thinks it is “unreasonable to work all the time.”

Asked about the unfair contract, the school pleaded lack of money. “The district Department of Home Affairs gives us money for only one security guard. If he just works eight hours a day as stipulated in the Labor law, who will protect the school at night?” Nguyen Xuan Nguyen, the principal of the school, asked.

The school has, since, begun to raise money from students’ parents and hired another guard named Y Lua.

“Lam can take Fridays off and Lua, Sundays”, Nguyen added.

“We have to protect the school’s property. So we need Lam to work all day. If we have more money, we will recruit more guards to let them work in shifts, or to pay overtime wage.

Tran Duc Lanh, head of Krong Pak District’s Department of Home Affairs, said the Department told the school to sign labor contracts based on labor laws.

“It’s unreasonable to force workers to work all the time. The school should amend the contract.”

Nguyen Van Hau of the Ho Chi Minh City Association of Lawyers said the school has violated the Labor Law.

The contract needs to be amended and Lam can take the school to court for compensation, he added.

Vietnam consumes more electricity than neighbors

The electricity consumption in Vietnam is still higher than other countries in the region, according to Minister Vu Huy Hoang at an online meeting of the Ministry of Industry and Trade in a quarterly conference last Monday.

Vietnam has been buying electricity from outside with the amount bought from China rising 40.8 percent compared to last year, said Duong Quang Thanh, deputy director of the Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN).

Hoang also added Vietnam needs almost double the electricity amount compared to neighbor countries for economic development.

“As electricity is insufficient, we need to create favorable conditions for independent [private] electricity projects that are capable of supplying power for the whole country,” Hoang urged EVN to seek more supply sources.

Gasoline issue was also brought up at the quarterly conference.

Dam Thi Huyen, deputy general manager of Vietnam National Petroleum Corporation (Petrolimex) said they managed to meet market’s demand despite difficulties. However, it has yet to be able to collect taxes and produce profits.

Petrolimex has lost VND2,650 billion (US$127 million) in the first quarter while the fund to stabilize prices is in the red. Although petrol prices have risen earlier this month, the deficit still remains at VND703 billion ($34 million).

In response to this problem, Hoang said the Prime Minister previously held a meeting with the central bank governor, ministers of industry and trade, and of finance to discuss ensuring foreign currencies for gasoline imports while maintaining market prices.

Minimum wage up to $39.8 per month

The Government yesterday issued Decree No. 22 to raise the common minimum wage level from VND730,000 (US$35) per month to VND830,000 ($39.8) per month starting May 1.

This minimum level is applied to civil servants, armed force personnel, and employees of state-owned enterprises.

According to Decree No. 23 issued by the Government the same day, pension, social insurance allowance, and monthly allowance will also be raised by 13.7 percent for six types of beneficiaries.

Thousands flock to stock petrol on false rumors

On false rumors that petrol and diesel prices could rise by VND6,000-8,000 per liter, thousands Monday afternoon in central provinces of Nghe An and Thua Thien Hue lined up at pump stations to wait for their turn to purchase petrol.

In Nghe An’s Vinh City, numerous people brought cans, bottles and others objects to hold the petrol.

At the Cua Dong station on Nguyen Phong Sac Street, dozens of cars and hundreds of motorbikes lined up.

“I hear that this evening the price will rise so I will buy all I can. Better something than nothing”, a woman told Dan Tri.

At 5:45 pm, all stations in Vinh City were packed with customers, many of whom were carrying huge, 20-liter cans.

This caused a big traffic jam as it was also the rush hour when people returned home from work.

Petrol stations in districts like Nam Dan, Hung Nguyen, Thanh Chuong, Nghi Loc, Con Cuong, Yen Thanh.. also suffered the same problem.

The situation also happened to Hue city.

In only 20 minutes, hundreds of motorbikes came to fill up their tanks and for storage purposes at one station on Hung Vuong Street in Hue.

Locals claimed that prices will rise by VND5,000 per liter as of 9pm Monday.

However, the rumor is false, according to Phan Van Minh, head of business department of Nghe An Petrol Company.

A representative from the pricing department under the Ministry of Finance also affirmed that the ‘news’ is just incorrect.

Deputy minister losing $14,000: drifter arrested

Headquarters of the Ministry of Justice where the thief broke in and stole cash from the room of the deputy ministerHanoi police Monday arrested Vu Huy Bao, 36, for allegedly stealing nearly US$14,000 in cash from an incumbent deputy minister of justice at the ministry headquarters.

According to police, Bao has admitted the crime.

He is also suspected of other thefts at six ministry-level offices in Hanoi, according to Nguoi Lao Dong.

Police have seized his motorbike and VND36 million. Bao has 8 previous criminal records and is a drifter.

On March 18, police received news that the office room of Mr. Hoang The Lien, standing deputy minister of justice at floor 2, block N1 at 60 Tran Phu Street, Dien Bien Phu ward had signs of a break-in.

Police found that thieves (thief) took away VND245 million (US$11,759) and US$2,000 in cash from Mr. Lien’s room.

The above sum is Lien’s personal savings and money entrusted to him by his relatives, Thanh Nien reported.

According to Thanh Nien, security staffs guard the headquarters of the justice ministry 24/7. The building also has a security camera system.

Dead 3-ton whale found in central region

A dead huge whale washed ashore was found at a beach in Bai Xep resort based in the central Phu Yen province at 2:00pm today, local source said.

The creature, whose body had been decomposed, is roughly 8 meters in length and weighs around 3 tons, according to Vo Van Nam, head of My Quang Bac hamlet.

Curiosity-seekers had flocked to the beach to see the fish.

The whale will be taken to a shrine in My Quang Nam hamlet where locals often worship dead whales.

5 wild elephants killed in 7 yrs in Quang Nam: report

At least five wild elephants have been killed over the past five years at three districts of Bac Tra My, Tien Phuong, and Nong Son based in Quang Nam central province, local authorities said Monday.

In 2003, a big elephant was found dead in Cao Son village in Bac Tra My for its tusks.

In June, 2004, two others were killed also on their tusks. Bullet traces were discovered on their skulls.

In late 2005, an elephant, which allegedly did not fit in with the environmental conditions, strayed from his herd and got lost in Bac Tra My. It was later driven away by locals and found dead at the edge of the forest.

The rotten bodies of two elephants were recently discovered at Na Lau area in Nong Son.

The latter is the fifth elephant to have been found dead in Quang Nam province since 2003.

Earlier in 1999, two dead wild elephants were discovered at the area between Bac Tra My and Tien Phuoc.

There are now only 20 wild elephants left in Quang Nam, according to the province’s Forest Management Agency.

Police busted street racers in HCM

On early morning Sunday, hundreds of bike riders in Ho Chi Minh flocked to Binh Thanh district to put on a speed show on its spacious streets.

At a point when there was hardly any traffic left, the young crowd automatically moved aside, leaving the main roadway for the speed battle.

Groups and groups of young men on motorcycles honked loudly and roared past the hysterical audience amidst their deafening cheers to claim a new speed record.

Suddenly, when someone shouted “Police!”, the crowd started to speed up and dispersed right away.

More than 100 bikes forming a large group thundered toward the Red Bridge to flee, not knowing the district’s police were ambushing there.

Caught by surprise, the group fled back, taking small nearby alleys to escape.

However, more than 10 racers were arrested there.

At the end of the night, police managed to round up another 40 racers.

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Dinh Vinh told Vnexpress that these street racers were very young and reckless.

“When we cut off their retreat, they did not hesitate to crash into us, or kicked and trampled our bikes down to escape,” he said.

Not as “lively” as Binh Thanh, District 4 is still another hot spot in the city where bike racers assemble to showcase their skills every weekend.

Places that attract hundreds of bikers every weekend nights like Tan Thuan 2 bridge in the district are now heavily patrolled by police to drive away the speed lovers.

Losing their favorite racing lanes, hundreds of bikers forming a large group weaved and roared past nearby streets such as Ton That Thuyet or Hoang Dieu.

20 of them were arrested during the night.

Publisher’s executives charged with piracy

Two deputy directors of Vietnam Book Publishing and School Equipments Joint Stock Company have been charged with piracy.

The police have found the two brothers, 27-year-old Do Duc Thanh and 33-year-old Do Duc Tho authorizing the publication of 20,000 prints whose copyrights are owned by Vietnam’s Education Publishing House and Oxford University Press.

Nguyen Duy Long was hired by Vietnam Book Publishing and School Equipments Joint Stock Company in early 2009 to run its printing house.

 

Truck hits bus, injuring 9 passengers

Nine passengers were injured when a truck crashed into a bus on National Highway 1A in Nghi Yen commune, Nghi Loc district, Nghe An province, this morning.

At 9 a.m. while the bus was running on the National Highway towards the province’s capital city of Vinh, it was crashed at its side by the truck that traveled in the unauthorized direction.

The accident caused injuries to nine passengers on the bus, three of whom were in severe conditions.

They all were taken to the 115 Hospital in the province for emergency treatment.

The district traffic police were called to the scene right after the accident occurred.

Police considering responsibility for quarry collapse

Nghe An Province Police Department are investigating the causes of the quarry collapse at Len Co Mountain on April 1 and will prosecute those involved, said Colonel Nguyen Huu Cau, deputy head of the Department.

The collapse killed 18 workers, including 11 women, and seriously injured 6 others after they were buried by about 1,000 cubic meters of rock.

The police are considering the responsibility of Chin Men Co., Ltd. that began its rock exploitation at Len Co Mountain in Nam Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district, in 2007.

At the time of the quarry collapse, the company had 5 rock mining areas operational at the foot of the mountain.

The quarry collapse might be caused by the company’s exploitation team’s technical faults that weakened the structure of the mine, according to the investigators.

Those who are held responsible for the collapse will be indicted soon, the police department said.

Uni selection ratios misleading, say experts

University selection ratios in Vietnam could be misleading because many applicants do not actually take the entrance exams, experts said.

Can Tho University in the Mekong Delta, for instance, received 65,000 applications in 2010 and announced a 10:1 selection ratio, meaning only one out of 10 candidates would be admitted.

But only 53,800 candidates finally took the exam, bringing the actual ratio down to 8.7:1.

Saigon University in Ho Chi Minh City last year announced a 19.3:1 ratio after receiving 44,300 applications but only 37,800 took the exam.

Only around 80 percent of applicants normally take the entrance exam, official numbers show, though at some universities in Hanoi, the number is as low as 50 percent.

However, the experts told Tuoi Tre that despite low selection ratios, high scores are required to enter established universities.

To get into the Ho Chi Minh City-based University of Technology, which has a 3:1 selection ratio, for instance, candidates often have to score above 17 out of 30, a challenging task.

Some universities in the capital even require more than 20 though the ratio is only 2:1.

At less demanding universities in the southern region like Can Tho University, Saigon University, Ton Duc Thang University, Nong Lam University, the grade required for admission would be dependent on the number of people applying.

Entrance exams require candidates to generally take tests in three subjects.

Those applying to universities that offer courses like sports, architecture, preschool education, and others will have to take some extra tests.

Childcare facilities mushroom in Ho Chi Minh City

Childcare facilities have recently become popular in Ho Chi Minh City since many parents cannot pick up their children after school.

Nguyen Thi Thong Nhat, a mother of a seven-year-old child, has been using the services of Happy Back Home center in Tan Binh District for the last several months.

The center picks up her child at 5 pm daily by taxi and gives it a shower and some snacks. The teachers at the center help the child finish the homework while waiting for Nhat who comes at 8 pm after finishing her work.

“My husband and I have more time with our kid at home since he has finished the homework by then,” she said.

She pays VND1.6 million (US$77.4) a month for the services, a bargain she explained because hiring a tutor for the child for three days a week once cost her VND1.5 million a month in addition to transport and food.

Phan Minh Anh, who uses a similar service provided by a retired couple, said: “I have no other choice since my husband and I finish work at 7 pm while our child’s school is over far earlier.”

She pays VND600,000 a month to the couple but is worried her child might not be well cared for since they have many other kids too to take care of.

But that seems to be the best option at the moment because few schools look after students waiting for their parents to pick them up.

Hau Giang police officer punished for misdemeanor

A senior police officer in Hau Giang Province is set to be punished for assaulting a taxi driver in a drunken state two weeks ago and threatening police officers investigating the case.

Major Bui Minh Thang, deputy chief of the provincial road and rail transport police (PC67), will be expelled from the department Party committee.

Thang will also be deprived of the deputy chief’s post before being transferred to the personnel section for management.

On the night of March 20 Thang had reportedly scolded and hit Do Quoc Thai, a Mai Linh Corporation taxi driver, and later threatened to shoot traffic police at Cua O Station in Can Tho city.

Since the Hau Giang and Can Tho police were unable to determine if Thang had told the taxi driver to jump red lights, he was not penalized, authorities said.

Vietnam finds no radiation in food from Japan

Vietnam has to date found no radiation contamination in food imported from Japan, the Ministry of Health’s Food Safety and Hygiene Department (FSHD) said on April 6.

A FSHD representative said the department will continue to keep an eye on the nuclear battle in Japan and keep consumers updated on the situation if there is any case of food radiation contamination discovered.

After a nuclear crisis occurred in Japan in the wake of the devastating earthquake and tsunami, Vietnam has stepped up radiation testing on food and foodstuff imported from Japan and required these products to be certified for radioactive safety by the Japanese authorities.
The Ministry of Health has cooperated closely with the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Foreign Ministry in monitoring radiation safety levels in food imported from Japan.

Minister refutes fuel price rise rumours

Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang has denied rumours that an additional increase in petrol prices was imminent, prompting many people throughout the country to buy petrol for reserve.

The ministry had instructed provincial departments of industry and trade to work with local authorities to determine the sources of the rumour and appropriately punish those began to circulate it, Hoang said.

Global oil prices had been increasing dramatically and were having an impact on the country's economy, so the Prime Minister had issued a decision requiring efforts to curb inflation and ensure social security, he added.

However, he reaffirmed that domestic petrol prices would continue to be set according to market prices to ensure supply and demand.

Measures to maintain stable production at the Dung Quat Oil Refinery, as well as ensuring sufficient supplies of foreign currency for petrol importers, were key, Hoang said.

A representative from the Dung Quat facility said that the refinery resumed production at 100 per cent of capacity on Tuesday and was expected to produce 430,000 tonnes of petroleum products this month to supply the domestic market.

Germany helps mines clearance in central region

Germany has supplied US$1.12 million to Vietnam to defuse land mines in 2011.  

This is the 13 successive year the German government has helped Vietnam overcome the aftermaths of wars and improve the living conditions for its people in the central region.

The charity programme has been organised by Solidarity Service International (SODI), a German non-governmental organisation (NGO) with the close cooperation of the Vietnamese army and local authorities.

Since 1998, SODI has helped defuse land mines for over 1,000ha in Quang Tri province and 500ha in Thua Thien-Hue province to turn them into settlement areas and agricultural land.

Lao Cai strives to improve its competitive edge

Provincial Competitiveness Index (CPI) in 2010 demonstrates Lao Cai’s efforts in economic management.

The Lao Cai provincial People’s Committee and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) held a seminar on provincial competitiveness index (CPI) in Lao Cai on April 6 with the participation of nearly 200 businesses.

In 2010, Lao Cai ranked second in CPI after Da Nang. This year, the province will strive to improve its competitive edge and continue to cope with challenges, such as improving the investment environment, the quality of infrastructure, administrative reform, the fight against corruption and developing human resources.

The province directed relevant agencies to check and adjust regulations to create the favourable conditions for businesses. More than 1,800 businesses, including 55 groups and corporations, are currently operating in the province.

Lao Cai granted investment licences to 78 projects with a combined capital of VND8,300 billion in 2010, including 29 foreign investment projects with total registered capital of nearly US$500 million.

According to VCCI’s survey, Lao Cai is one of the pioneers in applying a one-stop door policy and information technology in management.

Vu Tien Loc, VCCI Chairman said the province has taken good initiatives and has made great effort to improve its competitive edge and online development.

WHO calls for action against drug resistance

The World Health Organisation (WHO)called for collaborative action from all sectors to prevent antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Viet Nam at a meeting this morning on the occasion of World Health Day April 7.

"The danger posed by AMR demands urgentaction," said Acting Country Director of the WHO in Viet Nam Graham Harrison at the event.

AMR is the ability of a micro-organism to stop anantimicrobial medicine from working against it. Micro-organisms that can develop resistance include viruses, bacteria and some parasites. When antimicrobial resistance develops, standard treatments become ineffective and infections persist and may spread to others, according to the WHO.

"The WHO calls for all key stakeholders, including policy makers and planners, the public and patients, health practitioners, pharmacists and the pharmaceutical industry, to act and take responsibility for combating AMR," said Harrison.

The WHO estimated that there are 5,900 cases of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, causing 1,800 deaths per year in Viet Nam.Surveillance of transmitted HIV drug resistance in HCM City in 2008 reported anestimated 5-15 per cent of people are already resistant to antirestroviral medicines, even before starting the life-saving therapy.

"Drug resistant bacteria are increasing and becoming a big challenge in the treatment of infectious diseases in Viet Nam," said Health Minister Nguyen Quoc Trieu.

Trieu said in order to prevent AMR, the health sector should establish a national surveillance network to monitor bacteria resistant to antibiotics in Viet Nam; strengthen activities at infection control departments in hospitals and control the use of antibiotics in the community, focusing on controlling the sale of prescription drugs.

PM orders checks on mine, quarry safety

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has ordered that safety checks be carried out at mines and quarries in the country following a fatal disaster last week.

Dung said inspectors should focus on issues relating to design, extraction procedures and labour safety.

Officials from the Ministry of Industry and Trade plan to work with representatives from provincial People's Committees and city authorities when carrying out the checks.

Dung said that mines and quarries found to break labour safety rules would be temporarily closed.

Meanwhile, central Nghe An Province police on Tuesday decided to prosecute Phan Van Chin, owner of Len Co quarry, for violating labour safety rules. A rockfall at the quarry in Yen Thanh District killed 18 workers and injured six others.

The local authority has received over VND1 billion (US$48,000) in donations for the victims' families.

German group seeks to boost Delta productivity

Germany-based Bayer CropScience, a leading crop protection and science company, has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Cuu Long Rice Research Institute to create a research platform for sustainable crop solutions for the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta in the face of climate change.

The signing on Tuesday coincided with the visit of Sandra E. Peterson, Bayer's chairwoman, who was in Long An Province that day to inspect the results of Bayer's Much More Rice programme in co-operation with local farmers.

The programme, launched four years ago and expanded two years later, seeks to improve rice yield and quality and farmers' incomes through the integrated application of seed treatment and insecticides.

Peterson told the media that the world would require a 30 per cent increase in rice production to feed itself by 2020.

She pointed to the implications of climate change, population growth, and declining arable land to demonstrate the need to significantly increase agricultural productivity. "We need a second ‘Green Revolution' in agriculture that requires all the tools available, including crop protection, better seeds, and advanced breeding technology," she said.

Rob Hulme, country head of Bayer CropScience Viet Nam, said more than 320 separate trials have testified to the efficiency of the Much More Rice programme both in terms of reduced inputs and increased productivity.

"Productivity and profit have increased by 10 per cent and 20 per cent respectively," he said.

The programme has also thrown up Arize, a hybrid rice variety developed by Bayer which is resistant to pests, diseases, and extreme climate and has high yield potential, and provided training to farmers in new agricultural techniques.

Enterprise fined for ripping off workers

A packaging company in the northern province of Thai Nguyen's Pho Yen District was fined VND15 million (US$710) for stealing from employees, according to the provincial Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

The Ha Anh Joint Stock Company, was found to have extorted deposits worth VND270 million from workers before their recruitment. It also paid workers a monthly wage lower than Government's minimum rate, while asking them to work overtime.

The company was also forced to return the deposits and end their flagrant abuse of 17 labour law regulations within 75 days.

Free legal hotlines set up for labourers

The Labour Federations of District 12 and Cu Chi District in HCM City have established hotlines to offer free-of-charge legal consultation for labourers.

Workers seeking legal advice on their labour rights can phone the hotlines to ask for consultation or support for their claims.

Quality at water supply station to be upgraded

Thanh Tri District People's Committee intends to improve the quality of six water supply stations in six local communes.

The upgrade will cost VND8 billion (US$36,700) from the district and communal budget, and Japanese aid.

The plan will be implemented from the second quarter of this year until the end of 2011.

Gas-tank explosion kills two, injures five

A gas tank explosion occurred at a machinery factory in the northern city of Lao Cai on Tuesday.

The explosion killed two workers and injured five.

The case is under investigation.

International career day organised by French

The French Chamber of Commerce and Industry will organise the 10th International Career Day in HCM City on April 16, with 12 enterprises from France and other countries taking part.

New graduates, experienced employees and foreigners who wish to work in Viet Nam are invited.

The participating companies will introduce more than 500 job opportunities in the fields of tourism, hospitality, retail, real estate, banking, information technology, textiles and garments and market research.

Major Vietnamese and international employers, including Diageo, Big C, CBRE, K+, Maritime Bank, Nielsen, and Habubank, will take part.

Connecting young volunteers across the globe

A programme themed “Global Volunteering Fiesta” was held in Hanoi on April 5, drawing the participation of 100 municipal young people and others from 10 countries across the world.

The event was organised by the Volunteers For Peace Vietnam (VPV) Club with the aim to convey a message about a unified world and closer connections between young people around the globe.

Vietnamese young people had opportunities to have exchanges with leaders of non-governmental organisations from Japan, France, Estonia, Taiwan (China) and India.

Throughout the event, VPV Club introduced the “International Volunteer Campaign” programme, which sends its members to work as volunteers in foreign countries, helping them gain a widen vision of a world without distances and barriers.

Online conference on animal disease prevention

Main cause for epidemic spreading is subjective behavior of farmers and local authorities.

An online conference on poultry and cattle disease prevention was held in Hanoi on April 6 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

According to the National Steering Committee for Avian Influenza Control and Prevention, foot-and-mouth disease, blue-ear pig disease and bird flu occurred in many places across the country in the late months of 2010 and first months of 2011. Noteworthy, 39 localities in 63 provinces and cities have reported foot-and-mouth disease.

The main cause for the wide spreading of diseases is the behavior of farmers and local authorities who have not strictly controlled transportation of ill poultry and cattle nor has vaccination been implemented strictly. Changeable weather has also reduced poultry and cattle’s resistance to diseases, causing epidemics to spread widely.

Participants at the conference agreed that foot-and-mouth disease is reducing, however if there is not a strict management measure it will spread in the future.

Phu Yen assists VND1.5 billion to Japanese victims

The south central coastal province of Phu Yen is scheduled to raise VND1.5 billion by April 15 to support Japanese victims of the quake and tsunami.

So far, 46 units, organisations and individuals have donated nearly VND1 billion to Phu Yen province’s Red Cross Association.

In particular, the provincial Party Committee, People’s Committee and Fatherland Front, Saigon Oil and Gas Company and Tien Dat Company provided over VND100 million each.