EVN, MOET to sponsor personnel for study of nuclear technology 

Viet Nam Electricity (EVN) plans to sponsor students with a monthly stipend of US$200 per month to study nuclear technology in Russia.

This is part of a commitment between EVN and the Ministry of Education (MOET). Both sides signed a cooperation agreement for training personnel in the field of nuclear technology on April 6 in Hanoi.

Under the agreement, MOET and its associate agencies will annually select 30 capable staff members and students to study for the master training in atomic energy in the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute (MEPhI).

EVN will pay a monthly stipend of US$200 monthly to each student who will sign a contract to work for EVN after graduation. This course will provide future jobs at every level in the field of nuclear energy. It will also be valid in other countries across the globe.

MOET Deputy Minister, Bui Van Ga, affirmed at the signing ceremony that MOET would work closely with EVN to train a highly skilled workforce to serve the country’s future nuclear power plants.

In related news, the Under Secretary of Commerce and 56 American colleges and universities visited Ho Chi Minh City on April 6 and Hanoi on April 7-8, according to the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam. The purpose of the mission is to promote education exchange between Vietnam and the United States.

Francisco Sanchez, Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade arrived at the laboratories of the University of Technical Education in Ho Chi Minh City. Entrepreneurs from the USA sponsored the laboratories.

Mr. Francisco Sanchez said that staff and students have utilized the laboratories effectively to serve their target for enhancing their practice skills.

As part of their visit, the U.S. Commercial Service in partnership with the Institute of International Education (IIE), will organize Education Fairs on April 8 in Ho Chi Minh City at the Rex Hotel on141 Nguyen Hue St. in District 1 and in Hanoi at the Melia Hotel on 44B Ly Thuong Kiet St.

OVs return home to pay tribute to nation’s founders

Forty outstanding overseas Vietnamese from 13 countries and territories worldwide will attend the national commemoration of Hung Kings, the legendary founders of Vietnam , in the northern province of Phu Tho on the 10th day of the third lunar month .

According to the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs (SCOVA), the OVs have greatly contributed to the homeland’s development in the fields of investment, trade, culture, science and humanitarian activities.

During their “back to root” trip from April 8-11, they were due to meet with the Party General Secretary and authorities of the northern provinces of Phu Tho, Lang Son and Hai Duong.

They will offer incense to the Hung Kings at their temple in Phu Tho.

On the occasion, they will make a tour of the Huu Nghi border post and Tam Thanh cave in Lang Son, and Chu Dau porcelain village and Con Son-Kiep Bac historical site in Hai Duong.

The trip is the fifth of its kind organised by SCOVA.

Illicit Chinese eggs, MSG seized in border town

Market control authorities in Lao Cai town on the Chinese border yesterday caught a local woman smuggling in 9,800 eggs and 250 kg of seasoning powder from China.

Nguyen Quang Hieu, head of the Market Management Team 7A said the woman, Phan Thi Dinh, did not have invoices for the goods.

The MSG was packed in 20 sacks and the eggs were hidden in 13 cartons containing vegetables and fruits, he said.

Dinh, a resident of the town’s Duyen Hai Ward, said she had traveled to Hekou town in China’s Yunnan Province to buy the goods and had brought them back by bus.

She had planned to take them to neighboring Lai Chau Province for sale.

The team has seized the goods pending an investigation.

Businessman arrested for attacking public officials

Police in Vung Tau yesterday arrested a businessman for allegedly hiring hoodlums to assault two local land administration officials and make it look like a mugging last January.

They took in Nguyen Van Thanh, 28, and four hoods -- Nguyen Thanh Liem, 42, Bui Thanh Son, 30, Thoang Xuong On, 23, and Duong Quoc Hung.

They are hunting for two others thought to be involved in the case.

Last January Thanh ordered his employee to hire gangsters to assault Pham Kieu Thanh Lan, who is in charge of land in the city’s Ward 10, and Nguyen Ngoc Tuan of the Vung Tau Urban Greenery Development Company to avenge their “interference” in his affairs.

After slashing the two with knives, the hoods also grabbed her handbag and mobile phone.

The officials were seriously injured but recovered after treatment.

Thanh reportedly paid VND30 million (US$1,430) to Son, the boss of the gang.

Earlier, in November, Thanh, the director of Nguyen Thanh Co Ltd and Song Nguyen Tourism Investment Co Ltd, illegally bought a lot of forest land in Ward 10.

He then divided the land into several parts and built houses and foundations to sell them.

Local agencies discovered this and forced him to raze the buildings and restore the land to its original state.

After arresting Thanh, the police searched his house and office and found many documents, with some related to land and housing appearing to show signs of fraud.

The police are investigating further.

Students get one more shot at high-school exams

Candidates who failed to qualify for high-school graduation exams last year can register this year at schools in their neighborhood, according to the Ministry of Education and Training.

Under new regulations it has issued, they also have the choice of going back to their old school.

Those with poor academic records in 12th grade must however first take an end-of-year exam.

Candidates not allowed to take last year’s exam due to inadequate attendance are not required to take this exam.

For those who were debarred owing to bad conduct at school, local authorities need to certify their conduct has improved since.

Old HCMC apartment buildings to be dismantled

This building in Hanoi was pictured prior to its collapseHo Chi Minh City authorities are planning to relocate over 7,880 families and to pull down their 30 apartment blocks as they are too old and in danger of collapse.

According to a plan submitted by the local Department of Construction for 2011-2015, the city will build over 21,780 new apartments.

This year, it will start constructing 14 new apartment blocks including those at 72-86 Trương Quyền, tenement No 2 Nguyễn Gia Thiều, 148 Nguyễn Đình Chiểu - 125 Pasteur (District 3), Trúc Giang block, Ngô Văn Sở (District 4), 489-509 Gia Phú, 73/18G/17 Hồng Bàng (District 6), K-L-M-N-O Nguyễn Kim, A-F-G Ngô Gia Tự (District 10), Thanh Đa apartment block (Binh Thanh District), 350 Hoàng Văn Thụ (Tan Binh District), and 231/9 Lê Văn Sỹ (Phu Nhuan District).

The city will also knock down 7 apartment buildings: 128 Hai Bà Trưng (District 1), 206/1-34 Trần Hưng Đạo, Nguyễn Văn Sửu (District 5), block A-B-C Phạm Thế Hiển and Bình Đông (District 8), 319 Lý Thường Kiệt (District 11), and 40/1 Tân Phước (Tan Binh District).

By 2013, relocation will be completed at two apartment buildings 481 Lê Văn Sỹ and 18 Phạm Văn Hai (Tan Binh district), to make way for their demolition.

Just last month, a five-storey building – located on Huynh Thuc Khang Street in Hanoi completely collapsed, partially demolishing the opposite five-storey apartment block.

The building earlier had tilted and showed up cracks.

Fortunately, no human casualty was reported.

3 dead, 2 missing in Quang Nam ship collision

3:10am yesterday, two ships collided on the Cu Lao Cham sea area off the central province of Quang Nam, sinking the Binh Minh cargo ship with 11 crewmen on board.

At 4:14am, local forces mobilized the Sar 412 ship to carry out rescue activities.

According to rescue forces, at 3:10am, Phuc Hai 05 was en route from Indonesia to the central city of Da Nang when it and the Binh Minh 28 crashed into each other.

Binh Minh 28 was from en route from Thanh Hoa to An Giang province.

Bad weather with thick fog hampering view is suspected to be the cause of the accident.

Several hours after searching, a rescue boat found two lifebuoys with 6 crewmen from Bình Minh 28.

At 7am, the rescue boat SAR 412 rescued two others drifting near the Phúc Hải 05.

By 9:30, eight crewmen have been rescued and safely brought ashore but due to severe injuries, Le Ngoc Kien and Nguyen The Tuyen have died.

Later, the body of Ha Van Dong of Binh Minh 28 was found 5 km from the accident site, taking the total toll to three.

Two are reported missing (Nguyen Van Gioi, Ha Van Nghia) and are feared dead.

It is suspected that Phuc Hai 05 had an engine failure.

According to crewman Nguyen Van Dien, 58, of Binh Minh 28, the boat was transporting 1,880 tons of clinkers from Thanh Hoa to An Giang when it was crashed head on by Phuc Hai 05.

Bus crashes into house, 4 injured

Four people were seriously injured when a bus crashed into a wood processing facility in Hoa Loi Commune, Ben Cat District, Binh Duong Province at 2 pm today.

The bus carried 52 passengers at the time of the accident.

Driver Tran Van Ton and three workers who were sleeping inside the facility were severely injured and immediately taken to a nearby hospital.

The facility collapsed.

The bus was driving from Binh Duong to Binh Phuoc when the driver lost control of the wheel and crashed into the house.

The Ben Cat district police are investigating the case.

Nha Trang to host biggest group wedding underwater

10 couples will hold their weddings underwater as part of this year’s Nha Trang Beach Festival from June 11-15 in what may be considered the biggest event of its kind in Vietnam.

The ceremony, to be organized by Vietnam Dive Center (Vinadive), which held its first underwater wedding for one couple in 2007, will obey the rules of a traditional Vietnamese wedding above water such as ring exchanging and kissing.

The wedding, to take place on June 15 at Mun Islet, Nha Trang, will be captured by a professional photographer team.

The package costs VND6 million per couple, which includes a wedding night at a five-star hotel in Nha Trang, couple T-shirts and a dinner for two at Con Se Tre Restaurant.

Couples need to register between April 1 and June 13.

For more information, contact Vinadive at 23D Biet Thu Street, Nha Trang City or visit www.vietnamdive.com.

90 craftsmen join kite festival in Vung Tau

The two-day kite festival of the Southeastern region officially opened in Vung Tau City on April 6.

The event attracted 90 craftsmen from 6 clubs in Dak Lak, Khanh Hoa, Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai and Ba Ria-Vung Tau with a total of more than 100 colourful kites of different shapes and sizes.