Vietnam supports international maritime laws

Vietnam has always attached a great deal of importance to promoting international cooperation in the management and preservation of the world’s oceans as well as maritime economies, said Pham Vinh Quang, deputy head of the Vietnamese mission to the United Nations (UN).

On addressing the seminar on oceans, maritime laws and the sustainable development of the fisheries sector at the UN General Assembly on December 7, Mr Vinh highlighted the activities of the International Seabed Authority (ISA), and the international tribunal for the law of the sea (ITLOS) and the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) under the framework of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

He emphasized that Vietnam is a maritime nation and that the Vietnamese government is determined to develop its maritime economy, which is an important part of its development strategy for the 21st century.

To ensure the strategy’s success, the Vietnamese government has placed a lot of importance to maintaining the environment in the East Sea to sustain the sea natural resources in accordance with the UNCLOS.

Under the framework of the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery, Vietnam will make joint efforts with other nations to cope with the issues in the East Sea by sharing information and adhering to international laws.

More Lao students now study in Vietnam

Delegations from the Vietnam National Assembly’s Committee for Culture, Education, Youth and Children and the Lao National Assembly’s Committee for Culture and Society carried out a survey on Lao students studying in HCM City on December 6-7.

According to statistics from 2005 – 2010, HCM City received almost 220 Laotian students. All of them from the capital Vientiane and other provinces including Champassak, Savannakhet, Louangphabang, Attapu, Xekong, and Salavan. They are studying for the economics, banking, finance and information and technology sectors.

Training Lao students in HCM City has been carried out under the regulations on foreigners studying in Vietnam and the universities have provided accommodation and support for their studies.

Most Lao students feel happy and comfortable while studying in Vietnam, said Le Van Hoc, Vice Chairman of the NA Committee for Culture, Education, Youth and Children.

However, most of the students find it difficult to learn and communicate in Vietnamese. Some members of the delegations said they should study Vietnamese for at least one year before taking up courses in Vietnam.

Exhibition on AO victims opens in France

An exhibition of photographs taken by Agent Orange/dioxin victims in Vietnam has been held in Paris for the first time.

The one-month event was co-organised by the Hope Flower Association from France together with photographer Katherine Murray and the Vietnam House in Paris. 

The children attended a photography workshop organised by Ms Katherine Murray. President of the Hope Flower Association Vu Thi Xuan Phuong said that the event has proved that if provided with support such as this training course, these children can do like professional photographers.

Ms Murray said that she was deeply moved by what Vietnamese children have to suffer as the victims of AO/dioxin sprayed by US troops during the war. Therefore, she decided to organize a training course to help these children raise their voice and to encourage thinking.

She said that she plans – together with the Association – to organize similar training courses for AO/dioxin victims in Vietnam.

ASEAN youths enjoy staying in HCM City 

After visiting Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore, some 329 young people from 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Japan, have enjoyed their four-day stay in HCM City since December 5.

The delegates have participated in cultural and sports exchanges with local youth and studied local culture, manners and customs.

Sharing his feelings, Kong Davon from Cambodia , said: “The Vietnamese people are very friendly and hospitable. When I came to stay with them, all members of the family took care of me. Despite the language difference, I felt the care through their gestures. I am particularly interested in Hue beef noodle soup.”

Meanwhile, Buama, a delegate from the Philippines, talked of the deep impressions gained during walks along the streets in the city where there are many beauty spots, wide roads and rows of old trees.

The ship, which left Japan’s Yokohama Port on November 4, is scheduled to return to the Japanese capital, Tokyo on December 8.

The programme is an initiative of the Japanese Government and receives cooperative assistance from the governments of ASEAN nations. It aims to strengthen friendship and mutual understanding between young people from Japan and Southeast Asian countries, and to provide a chance for them to expand their view of the world, develop their creativity and get to know about each other’s culture.

Children’s rights given a hearing 

Participants in a workshop held in Hanoi on December 7 stressed the necessity of setting up children’s voice councils at localities and organising forums and exchanges between local authorities and children to listen to their opinions and proposals.

Regarding a draft document on the participation rights of children, part of the National Action Plan for Children for the 2010-2020 period, they proposed the creation of joint programmes with the participation of relevant ministries and agencies to synchronously implement children’s rights. 

They also suggested the importance of strengthening skills training for parents, teachers and leaders, for children themselves on how to improve self-protection skills, and for social workers on their responsibilities to provide security for children.

Additionally, the Ministry of Education and Training should lessen learning programmes and encourage more children to get involve in social activities.

Participants talked about shortcomings in the implementation of children’s rights, including the limited nature of children’s participation in social activities and the fact that their voices may not have been highly valued in their families. Also, most localities lack entertainment and recreation places for children.

As a result, delegates suggested social organisations work closely with localities to support child-related programmes.

Religion highlighted in central coastal region 

The Government’s Committee for Religious Affairs (GCRA) on December 7 convened a conference reviewing religious work in 12 central coastal cities and provinces.

The GCRA’s Deputy Head Pham Huy Tho asked local religious committees from Thanh Hoa to Khanh Hoa, to closely work with agencies, departments and localities in information and communication work as well as law dissemination, creating favourable conditions for regions activities.

Representatives of these committees said religious activities have helped followers stabilize their lives and uphold the guideline of “good life, good region”.

They asked the government and the GCRA to issue new regulations regarding religion, helping religious organizations and followers improve knowledge about law and raise non-religious people’s awareness of religious practices.

Over 111,000 youths become Party members 

As many as 111,526 young Vietnamese were admitted to the Communist Party of Vietnam in 2010.

The figure was revealed at the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union’s (HCMCYU) Central Committee’s ninth meeting in Hanoi on December 6.

In the reviewed year, the HCMCYU chapters at all levels generated jobs for over 537,000 youths and set up 1,000 Internet-connected computer sites for young people in rural, mountainous and island areas.

Female students counter HIV/AIDS

Many female college students attended a forum in Hanoi on November 17, aimed at providing a chance for them to raise their voice and show their responsibility in the fight against the AIDS epidemic.

The forum was held by the Vietnam Students Association and the Vietnam Women’s Union.

Participants at the forum highlighted the fact that HIV/AIDS is still spreading alarmingly and there has been an increase of HIV infection among young people and women. Meanwhile, women are considered an important force in the fight against the disease because they are often better at disseminating knowledge and information about HIV/AIDS more effectively.

A representative from a college based in Hanoi said that social prejudice against Vietnamese female students causes their parents to discourage them from becoming involved in anti HIV/AIDS activities.

Most female students at the forum said there should be policies for assisting and praising female students involved in HIV/AIDS and anti-discrimination awareness campaigns.

Seminar discusses agricultural labour safety and hygiene 

A national seminar was held in Can Tho city on December 7 to discuss the improvement of labour safety and hygiene conditions in the agricultural sector.

The event was co-organised by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA), the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Vietnam Farmers’ Association.

This is one of the activities under the project to strengthen capacity of agricultural safety and hygiene in Vietnam. 

At the seminar, representatives from relevant ministries, agencies and farming households shared experiences using the “Wind” method to improve working conditions for labourers in agricultural production. 

They also discussed with agricultural volunteers about using the “Wind” method to help farmers improve labour safety and hygiene conditions, and coordinating with local authorities in Thanh Hoa, Hau Giang, Can Tho and Nghe An provinces.

Vu Nhu Van, head of the Labour Safety and Hygiene Department under the MoLISA said localities are very concerned with agricultural labour and safety conditions which has been proven by their involvement in the project.

Linkage to develop Mekong Delta tourism

The total turnover from Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta tourism has reached over VND2,000 billion so far this year, according to the Mekong Delta Tourism Association, an increase of 28.7 percent over the same period last year.

However, some experts say the growth rate of the delta's tourism is still limited when compared to its potential. The reasons for this are poor infrastructure, low quality tourism products, inadequate advertising and promotion, and unqualified human resources as well as, the main reason, the lack of provincial, regional and national cooperation.

The Mekong Delta is a unique network of waterways that are extremely important in both a local and global context.  

Each locality in the region has its own tourism features, for example, Kien Giang is famous for superior beach resorts, and Can Tho is known for the Cai Rang floating market.

Tourism in the Mekong Delta will develop well if it creates a network of cooperation in the region.

Vietnam to promote sustainable forest development 

Vietnam will become active in working towards its goals for coping with climate change by planting forests to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Hua Duc Nhi, deputy minister of Agriculture and Rural Development made this affirmation at a seminar on forestry policies and plans for the 2011-2015 period.

Mr Nhi said that this is an important seminar which has contributed to improving issues and policies related forest protection and sustainable development but there are still shortcomings in the laws regarding forestry, land management, bio-diversity and the management of natural resources.

Dr Juergen Hess, director of the Management of Natural Resources Programme under German Technical Assistance (GTZ), and also co-president of the Forestry Sector Support Partnership (FSSP), said that Vietnam has made major achievements in its forestry sector. However, in the process of implementing forestry policies in the 2006-2010 period, shortcomings were revealed, so it is important to draw up amendments and supplements to these policies for the 2011-2015 period.

The event, co-organised by the General Department of Forestry under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the GTZ programme and the FSSP, has attracted the participation of both foreign and local researchers, policy makers, and representatives from processing industries and private forestry businesses.

HCM City hosts 2010 Vietnam Advertising Festival

The 2010 Vietnam Advertising Festival will take place at the Sai Gon Zoological and Botanical Garden on 2B Nguyen Binh Khiem Street in Ho Chi Minh City from December 9-11.

At the event, the participants will have the chance to view the best advertising works in the world, the most impressive campaigns from Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, the winners of Spikes Asia - Asia's Creative Advertising Festival and Awards and the entries for the final round of the 2011 Vietnam Young Lions event.

Also, a seminar themed “Our Digital Future” will be held on December 10, with representatives from the AC Nielsen Vietnam Company, who will share their experiences on doing market surveys in the digital world.

PV