Surge in human trafficking

More than 220 human trafficking cases were reported in the first half of the year, the director of the Department of Social Evil Prevention, Nguyen Van Minh, told a conference on Tuesday.

Minh said the mountainous provinces of Ha Giang, Lao Cai and Lai Chau near the Chinese border were the hot spots.

Police force also discovered 528 cases of prostitution and arrested nearly 1,900 people.

According to the Ministry of Public Security's report, there are more than 171,000 drug addicts nationwide, 12,900 up from the same period last year.

VNA plane lands in China due to bad weather

A Vietnam Airlines flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi yesterday was prolonged as the plane had to land in China due to bad weather.

According to its schedule, flight VN1122 would arrive at Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi at 2:05 pm Wednesday, but the pilot could not land due to thunderstorms that were raging in the capital.

The pilot than decided to fly the Boeing 777 to the Chinese province of Nanning and asked authorities for permission to land.

After normal weather conditions resumed in Hanoi, the plane left Nanning and returned to Hanoi at 6 pm the same day.

The incident was the only problem the firm encountered on the route yesterday, Aug 8, VNA said.

Kuwait funds rural development project in Vietnam

The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development will provide US$14.4 million for the northern mountain province of Hoa Binh to implement a multipurpose rural development project in Da Bac district.

A loan agreement to this effect was signed in Hanoi on August 8 by Deputy Minister of Finance Truong Chi Trung and Vice-General Director of the Kuwaiti Fund Hesham Al-Waqayan.

The project helps support the rural scio-economic development and poverty reduction by improving basic infrastructure in the 10 poorest communes in the district.

It is expected to be completed by December 2016.

So far, Kuwait has given loans worth more than US$140 million to 11 rural infrastructure projects in Vietnam.

Some projects have already been completed and put into operation, including the Dau Tieng water and Van Dinh irrigation works, and the Dac Ta-Ngọc Linh road, contributing to poverty reduction and economic development in localities.

Nostalgic essay on traditional markets

An essay about unforgettable childhood memories of being taken to a traditional market by his grandmother won Phan Han Huu from HCM City's Binh Tan District the first prize at a writing contest.

The contest was part of a programme that seeks to encourage Vietnamese people to use Vietnamese goods.

Launched in March, the contest was organised by the Business Association of High-Quality Vietnamese Goods, Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper and the Viet Nam Diary Products JSC (Vinamilk).

Foreigners run sex rings under legal business: report

A number of foreigners, who appeared to have provided the expat community with legal entertainment services, have actually run prostitution-related activities, according to a report by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA).

At a meeting on August 7, Bureau of Social Evil Prevention under MoLISA, stated that a number of foreigners contributing money towards establishing hotels, karaoke lounges, bars, and night clubs in export processing zones and industrial zones in Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, and Dong Nai have been found running sex rings.

According to the report, there are an estimated 30,000 Vietnamese prostitutes in Vietnam, most of whom work in organized groups or are involved in trans-provincial prostitution rings.

Some even contact tour guides to approach visitors at destinations in and outside Vietnam, it said.

About 30,000 service providers in Ho Chi Minh City and 25,000 in Hanoi operate in sensitive areas and could have secretly run prostitution-related activities, the report said.

In other news, the national number of drug users grew by 13,000 in the first six months of this year, the document added.

Doubt over popular shrimp cakes

An inspection earlier this week showed that the Ho Tay Shrimp Doughnuts Tourist Service JSC had violated the legislation on food hygiene and safety.

The company was found storing 300kg of undefined origin and using unquarantined chicken.

Last year, the company was fined VND32 million (US$1,500) for polluting the environment, but it has still failed to build a wastewater processing system.

Father and son swindle $48 mil in loans

The Ministry of Public Security’s police have detained three men, including the ex-chairman of a company and his son, the former general director of the same firm, in a huge swindling scam in Hai Phong City.

Pham Hai Thanh, 32, former general director of city-based Thai Son Industry and Trading Co Ltd, and his 62-year-old father, Pham Van Thu, former chairman of the company, were arrested yesterday for ‘swindling to appropriate assets’.

The police also held Duong Hoang Son, 32, of Ho Chi Minh City’s District 8 and director of Thanh Son Iron and Steel Co Ltd, on the same charge.

The police searched the homes of the three men the same day.

According to investigators, Thai Son, set up in 1985, signed many contracts with 13 banks in Hanoi and HCMC to obtain loans totaling US$530,000 and over VND750 billion ($36 million).

Thu and Thanh also established eight other companies in the names of their relatives and asked these companies to apply for bank loans totaling VND545 billion and then re-lend the amount to Thai Son.

The father and son have been found using fake sales contracts, invoices and other documents in applying for loans. They also used the same properties as mortgages for different bank loans.

They carried out these schemes with the assistance of Son, the director of Thanh Son.

When the amount of unpaid loans and the interest thereon reached over VND1 trillion ($48 million), Thai Son failed to repay any loans to the banks.

Thu and Thanh have recently transferred their company to other owners in an attempt to evade their liability for debts and claims.

After an investigation, the lenders discovered what Thu and Thanh had done and reported them to police.

Rare birds set free in forest

Twenty red-breasted parakeets were released into Ham Rong forest, the northern central province of Thanh Hoa on Sunday, according to a website by local forest rangers. Rangers also freed 258 doves.

Many of the birds were from illegal animal traffickers allegedly caught by forest rangers and police in Quang Xuong District on July 31.

Youths cycle for environment and Vietnam – Laos friendship

11 volunteers who are students from northern Vietnam’s universities and members of the Hanoi's Cycling For Environment club have recently finished their trip from Hanoi to Vientiane to celebrate the friendship between the two countries as well as raise people’s awareness on environmental protection.

Titled “Dap Xe Moi Truong Huu Nghi Viet – Lao” (Cycling for The Environment and Vietnam – Laos Friendship), the trip is jointly held by the Vietnam – Laos – Cambodia Association For Economic Corporation Development and the Vietnam Association For Conservation of Nature and Environment.

It is part of the program “Cong Dong Viet - Laos Hop Tac Dau Tu Va Bao Ve Moi Truong” (Vietnam and Laos Join Hands For The Environment) to celebrate Vietnam-Laos Solidarity and Friendship Year 2012.

During their 7-day trip, which began on July 29, the delegation including 11 youths visited Ha Nam, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces. At each locality, they held meetings with local youth unions and grew plants as well as organized seminars on the economy and environmental protection.

VNN/VOV/VNS/Tuoi Tre