USAID supports farmers to understand land rights

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has launched a first-of-its-kind project worth US$800,000 in Vietnam to empower farmers, especially women, to enhance their access to land by increasing their awareness of existing land rights under current legislation.

The two-year pilot project will help set up and train teams of grassroots community volunteers to assist farmers, particularly women, in the northern province of Hung Yen and the Mekong Delta province of Long An in improving their knowledge of land rights.

In addition, the project will support the work of researchers to better understand documents and gender-specific barriers to realizing the land rights in rural areas.

This project combines commune-level legal rights counseling and education with advocacy efforts with a focus on increasing the capacity of social and mass organizations to advocate for gender equitable implementation of land regulations, as well as legal revisions when necessary to achieve this.

USAID Vietnam Mission director Joakim Parker said the project would help Vietnam understand inconsistencies between laws and their implementation as well as increase women’s access to land and the economic opportunities that come with it.

“Lack of awareness, by both men and women, of Vietnam’s property rights laws as well as lack of resources to enforce women’s property rights at the provincial level has often obstructed access to land titles,” Parker said.

The centerpiece of the program is the mobilization and training of 60 community volunteers for gender equality from four communes across the two provinces. The volunteers will conduct land rights awareness-raising activities as well as provide legal counseling to individuals, mitigate land disputes and offer referrals to navigate the existing legal structures.

Researchers are currently conducting a household-level survey to assess knowledge of land rights and perceptions about gender equality in the four communes as well as determining what kind of barriers women face when trying to exercise their rights with respect to land ownership.

The project is being implemented by the Institute for Social Development Studies (ISDS) as the local partner of the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), which is sharing its tools and lessons learned from a similar, previously implemented community-based approach in Uganda.

HCM City wants PPP for wastewater treatment, transport projects

The HCMC Department of Planning and Investment has proposed the city government approve at least three wastewater treatment and transport projects to be executed under the public-private partnership (PPP) format.

The projects involve development of wastewater collection and treatment systems for the basin areas west of HCMC and of Tan Hoa-Lo Gom Canal, as well as a tram project in this economic hub of Vietnam.

The PPP format will help HCMC find investors for these projects at a time when the city faces budget constraints while the Government has a policy to stop implementing projects under the build-transfer (BT) format and funded by the State budget.

Moreover, paying contractors of the BT projects by land lots has turned unattractive to investors as the local property market has shown little sign of recovery. The number of land plots managed by the city government is limited.

Water quality at canals improves

* Water quality at major canals in HCMC has improved significantly in the past two years, according to the HCMC environmental protection agency.

Cao Tung Son, deputy head of the agency, told a conference on pollution and water quality at rivers and canals in HCMC on December 18 that improvements have recorded at Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe, Tan Hoa-Lo Gom, Tau Hu-Ben Nghe and Tham Luong-Vam Thuat canals.

According to Son, the high pollution seen at Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe Canal in 2005-2011 has been reduced gradually since 2011. The biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) concentration measured at Tau Hu-Ben Nghe Canal has declined this year while the microbial contamination level at Tham Luong-Ben Cat has fallen since 2011 and met permitted levels at all surveyed locations.

Son credited water quality improvements at canals to the city’s big spending on the clean-ups at canals in recent times.

The city is now investing in construction of concentrated wastewater treatment systems for the basin areas of main canals until 2018.

HCMC has more than 3,200 rivers, canals and streams with a total length of over 5,000 kilometers. Most of these rivers and canals are polluted by 1.2 million cubic meters of untreated wastewater from households and 109,000 cubic meters from factories every day, as well as wastewater discharged from livestock farms and toxic liquid from dumpsites in residential areas.

Vietnam’s ODA to Laos to increase by 30%

Vietnam will increase its official development assistance (ODA) to Laos by 30% in support of localities with tremendous difficulties, said Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc while receiving a Lao delegation in Hanoi on December 19.

Phuc affirmed the high-level delegation of the Lao Central Steering Committee on Rural Development and Poverty Reduction that the aid aims to help Laos reduce poverty rate and implement major projects.

The Vietnamese Party, State and Government always attach importance to strengthening special solidarity and time-honoured friendship between Vietnam and Laos, he noted.

The Deputy PM stressed the need to educate young generations about the two countries’ glorious traditions and boost bilateral comprehensive cooperation in various fields for mutual benefits, particularly in poverty reduction and rural development.

Phuc asked Vietnamese functional agencies and the Central Steering Committee on Rural Development and Poverty Reduction to make proposals on poverty elimination and rural development efforts in both countries.

Dire need for flood-proof clusters in Tien Giang

A house submerged by flood waters in Tan Phuoc District, Tien Giang Province. Local authorities have failed to provide enough flood-proof housing for vulnerable residents.

Residents in the southern province of Tien Giang's Tan Phuoc District need more flood-proof housing than local authorities can supply, district People's Committee chairman Nguyen Thanh Phuoc said on Thursday while working with an inspection delegation from the Ministry of Construction led by Minister Trinh Dinh Dung.

The delegation also visited households in Tan Phuoc and Cai Be districts as part of an inspection of eight provinces in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta often hit by floods.

After the inspection, the ministry would suggest the Government create proper policies for different localities, said Dung.

"Localities still meet difficulties in lending local residents funds to build flood-proof housing," he said.

Tran Phuong Nam, deputy director of the Tien Giang Department of Construction, said that the province had completed more than 514 flood-proof residential clusters with essential infrastructure such as roads, clean water and electricity. More than 400 households had already moved to the clusters.

The provincial authorities suggested the Government provide financial support to the province to build the clusters in 40 flood-prone spots.

Vu Xuan Thien, deputy director of the Real Estate Market and Housing Management Department, said that besides arranging land to build flood-proof residential clusters, the localities should ensure the existence of traffic, healthcare and education services in the clusters.

Minister Dung asked the Tien Giang authorities to pay more attention to speed up the clusters' building progress, set up dumping grounds and move local residents to the clusters.

Master scheme launched seeking to develop Vietnamese stature

The master plan to develop physical strength and height of Vietnamese people in the 2011-2030 period (the 641 scheme for abbreviation) was officially launched in Hanoi on December 19.

The scheme, approved by the prime minister on April 28, 2011, seeks to develop Vietnamese stature to improve the human resource quality for the cause of national modernisation and industrialisation and gradually enhance the Vietnamese’s race quality and longevity.

With a total investment capital of roughly VND6 trillion (US$282 million), the 641 scheme will be among the top important goals of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in the coming time.

The project will be implemented via four major programmes including identifying factors influencing Vietnamese people’s height growth; nutrition care combined with relevant population quality activities; boosting physical education for students aged 13-18, and raising common awareness of Vietnamese physical fitness and stature development. Pregnant mothers, infants, children and the under-18 youth will be among the scheme’s top beneficiaries.

One of the scheme’s specific targets is to raise the average height of Vietnamese men to 167cm by 2020 and 168.5cm by 2030. The target heights for women are 156cm by 2020 and 157.5cm by 2030.

Health is vital to each individual and the whole society, and protecting and improving people’s health also means the direct protection of human resources for national construction and defence, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh said at the launching ceremony.

On the occasion, the 641 scheme’s steering board also presented prizes to the winners of the contest to design logo, slogan and song for the project.

Fisheries centres to be built to boost seafood quality in VN

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has planned to build five fisheries centres nationwide in the 2015-20 period.

The fisheries centres will be located in Khanh Hoa, Ba Ria – Vung Tau and Kien Giang provinces, Da Nang and Hai Phong City.

Each centre will work with major fishing areas to improve the quality and value of fish and other aquatic species.

The fisheries centre in Khanh Hoa Province, for instance, will work with south-central provinces and Truong Sa (Spratly) islands.

Speaking at a seminar held in Kien Giang Province on Tuesday, Nguyen Ngoc Oai, deputy head of Ministry's Directorate of Fisheries, said priority would be given to the building of the Khanh Hoa fisheries centre next year.

The Da Nang fisheries centre, which will work with fishing grounds in the East Sea and the Hoang Sa (Paracel) islands, would be built next, he said.

The remaining fisheries centres would be built between 2016 and 2020.

The fisheries centres each would have an administration building, a wholesale market, a parking lot, a refrigerated fish-storage area, a fresh fish storage area, a fishing port and other facilities.

The ports of fisheries centres would be able to accommodate fishing boats weighing up to 20,000 tonnes and have a storm shelter for fishing boats.

Participants at the seminar said over the past the country's investment in fishing ports and storm shelters had been low, especially in the central region, which has a high number of storms.

Between 2010 and 2014, about VND850 billion (US$40 million) was mobilised from various sources, including the State budget, and been used to upgrade 83 fishing ports nationwide.

The 83 fishing ports serve about 82,000 fishing boats.

Between 2002 and 2014, the country has invested in 70 storm shelters for fishing boats. Of those, 42 have been completed, for a total of 31,150 fishing boats.

The country has about 127,000 fishing boats, according to the ministry.

In the first 11 months of the year, the country's fishermen caught about 2.7 million tonnes of fish and other aquatic species, up 5.5 per cent against the same period last year, according to the Directorate of Fisheries.

Major fishing provinces like Kien Giang, Ben Tre, Khanh Hoa, Binh Thuan and Binh Dinh have seen an increase in the quantity of fish and other aquatic species caught this year.

Mai Anh Nhin, deputy chairman of the Kien Giang Province People's Committee, said Kien Giang had a large fishing ground and high potential for developing a sea economy.

Kien Giang had caught more than 462,000 tonnes of fish and other aquatic species this year, the highest quantity in the country, he said.

Kien Giang has more than 10,000 fishing boats.

VN agriculture needs to breed independence

Viet Nam needs to pay more attention to the plant and livestock breeding sector in order to make its agricultural products more competitive in the global market, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat has said.

He told a recent meeting in Ha Noi that one of the biggest problems in the country's agricultural sector was the high dependence on imported seed varieties and animal breeds.

Statistics compiled by the ministry show that Viet Nam currently imports more than 90 per cent of its chicken breeds and about 65 per cent of hybrid rice seeds.

While the import benefits Viet Nam in terms of improving quality, the ministry is planning to set a time limit for importing foreign seed varieties and breeds.

"We are asking companies to begin domestic production of the seed varieties and breeds after three years of imports," Phat said.

Commercial imports, or imports for sale in the domestic market, were very high for products like hybrid rice and tilapia fish, he added.

Pham Dong Quang, deputy director of the Department of Cultivation, said existing policies needed to be reviewed and amended to encourage enterprises undertake more breeding research.

The private sector should invest more in R&D because the application of bio-technology in plant breeding was still in its nascent stages in Viet Nam, experts said at the meeting.

Drought-resistant corn varieties and genetically modified soybeans that are pest-resistant were recent advancements in the country, the meeting heard.

Other advances could be seen from the fact that 58 per cent of cows were raised just for beef this year, up from 45 per cent in 2011. The number of disease-free shrimp farmed nationwide also rose from about 52 per cent in 2011 to 65 per cent this year.

Stronger copyright protection for new breeds was essential to encourage further R&D by the private sector, said Tran Manh Bao, director of the Thai Binh Breeding Co.

Viet Nam faces forestry restructuring hurdles

Viet Nam needs to tackle several major challenges in order to restructure its forestry sector, said Nguyen Xuan Quat, a professor at the Research Institute for Sustainable Forest Management and Forest Certification.

Main problems to be addressed include a lack of diversity in seedlings and not enough research team leaders, Quat said on Thursday at a workshop in Ha Noi. The workshop aimed to bring policy-makers, scientists and experts together to identify priorities for restructuring the forestry sector.

Forestry business owners should use more advanced technology to try out new seedling types, while the sector should build a modern national laboratory system so it can research new seedling varieties, he said. Another priority should be training research team leaders.

Nguyen Quang Duong, head of the Viet Nam Administration of Forestry's Planning and Finance Department, said the administration should set technical standards to help industry leaders select seedlings, and work on creating new genetically modified breeds.

Nguyen Hoang Nghia, from the Vietnamese Academy of Forest Sciences, said the country should produce more non-timber forest products. Non-timber includes any product or service, aside from timber, that is produced in forests. It includes fruits, nuts, vegetables, fish and game, medicinal plants, resins, essences, and a range of barks and fibres such as bamboo, palms and grasses.

Science and technology would play key roles in improving the forestry sector, said Ha Cong Tuan, deputy minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. They would help Viet Nam improve its seedling diversity.

"It takes time to create new breeds," he said. "It might take scientists up to ten years."

Therefore, scientists in Viet Nam should take advantage of international scientific achievements and apply them effectively here, he said.

Community oversight of anti-poverty work discussed

A workshop was held yesterday in Ha Noi to discuss ways to complete the legal framework to enhance the community's monitoring of poverty reduction and hunger eradication projects.

Participants recommended relevant bodies to seek ways to raise the community's awareness about the benefits of the projects, as well as the significance of their role in monitoring the implementation process. The workshop was conducted as part of the efforts to eradicate corruption.

The recommendations were made based on the survey results on the issue, which was conducted by the Government Inspectorate and the Irish Embassy in Viet Nam in four localities representing the northern mountains, central and Mekong Delta regions. There were 864 questionnaires distributed for the survey.

The survey results revealed that 80.1 per cent of the interviewees would report corrupt activities they discover to relevant bodies, while the remainder chose to keep silent. This indicates that many wrongdoings are not reported and dealt with properly.

In addition, 74.7 per cent of those surveyed said that the community's supervision helped detect wrongdoings in the implementation of poverty reduction and hunger eradication projects. The most common misconduct identified by survey participants was the implementation of ineffective and wasteful projects.

The survey also indicated that 28.9 per cent of the complaints and petitions were accurate, while 71.1 per cent were partially correct. This reflected the proper performance of the community supervision bodies in collecting public opinions and reporting these to authorised agencies for investigation.

Also, the Viet Nam Fatherland Front chapter at the communal level was cited as the community supervision body by 69.7 per cent of the survey respondents, while 61.3 per cent said supervision was handled by the communal inspection body set up under the national programme for poverty reduction composed of 135 people-elected representatives.

Approximately 60,000 holidaymakers from South Korea visited the central province of Khanh Hoa's Nha Trang city so far this year, double the 2013 number, the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism reported.

The visitors typically stayed at three- to five-star hotels and resorts and used high-class services and products such as golf and mud baths, according to travel agencies.

From November, Cam Ranh International Airport had two direct flights from Seoul to Khanh Hoa per week, each bringing about 120-130 visitors. This is a good signal for the local tourism sector, especially as the number of Russian tourists shows signs of decline.

Craft villages earn recognition

The central province of Quang Nam has recognised three villages as examples of traditional craft villages: Thanh Ha pottery village, Cua Khe fish sauce village and Porning brocade weaving village.

In Thanh Ha village in Hoi An city, where the pottery trade developed from the late 15th century, there are many busy pottery workshops catering to visitors.

Cua Khe Village in Thang Binh District, home to 200 households producing fish sauce, has been famous for the trade for several centuries.

Porning village in Lang Commune in the mountainous district of Tay Giang has preserved brocade weaving for generations. The village of 500 Co Tu ethnic people has also continued wood carving, an art that began 500 years ago.

The provincial department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said the recognition aimed to preserve traditional culture and craft villages.

Four expressions of cultural heritage in the province were recognised as national intangible heritage: the art of hand-made brocade, the dance of the Co Tu, gu (the Cor ethnic art of festive decorations of wooden poles) and the procession of the goddess of the Cham people.

Foreign non-governmental aid reaches 300 million USD in 2014

Foreign non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have provided about 300 million USD in aid for Vietnam in 2014, it was reported at a ceremony to honour the assistance of NGOs held in Hanoi on December 19 by the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO).

The aid focused on helping the country deal with social issues, improve health care and education, promote social economic development and protect the environment.

At the annual event, VUFO presented certificates of merit to 33 NGOs and one individual in recognition of their significant contributions to poverty reduction and sustainable development in the country.

The union and the People’s Aid Coordinating Committee (PACCOM) have vowed to further enhance information sharing with the NGOs and seek new forms of collaboration in order to improve the efficiency of non-governmental aid in the future.-

Vietnam-Philippines Friendship Association set up Can Tho chapter

The Can Tho City chapter of the Vietnam- Philippines Friendship Association held its founding congress on December 19 in an attempt to boost ties between the Mekong Delta city and the Philippines.

Addressing the event, Deputy Chairman of the city’s People’s Committee Truong Quoang Hoai Nam said the association was set up in the context of expanding international cooperation, particularly that between Can Tho and the ASEAN’s country members.

The same day, the deputy chairman welcomed a delegation of Filipino investors who expressed hope to collaborate with Can Tho in fields of hygiene water supply and fast food.

Meanwhile the city’s rice and fertilizer manufacturers wished to expand their market to the Philippines.

The Filipino Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Le Thi Phung said with a purchasing power of 3.3 billion USD per year, after only Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City , Can Tho is a potential market. In addition, the city has become a more attractive destination for foreign investors thanks to improved transportation, the construction of numerous industrial parks and recent reforms in administrative procedures.

The Vietnam-Philippines Friendship Association (VNPFA) was founded at a congress in Hanoi on October 29, becoming the 111th member of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO).

Lao Bao border gate ready for “one-stop-shop” customs model

Necessary infrastructure has been basically completed for the launching of the “one-stop-shop” customs model at Lao Bao border gate in the central province of Quang Tri, slated for January 1, 2015.

The model is expected to cut by half the time taken to clear customs procedures at the pair of Lao Bao – Densavan border gates between Vietnam and Laos.

The Lao side has also finished preparations for the change at the Densavan border gate.

Vietnam and Laos inked a memorandum of understanding on the implementation of the “one-stop shop” model at the Lao Bao-Desavan border gates in 2005 in line with an agreement on facilitating people’s travel and goods transport across border signed by countries in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS).

Under the MoU, the model would be deployed in four steps, starting with one-stop shop customs check for goods, then expanding to the process of all customs procedures and examination. Next the model would also cover quarantine and health checks and finally be completed with the inclusion of migration control.

In 2012, the countries agreed to take a short cut from step one to step four, but little progress was made in realising the model due to a lack of relevant official documents and a mismatch between regulations of the two sides. The incomplete infrastructure at the two border gates also hindered the implementation. Vietnam and Laos held a meeting at deputy foreign minister level over this issue in February 2014 and agreed to strive to begin a trial run of the “one stop shop” model at Lao Bao border gate on January 1, 2015.

The “one-stop-shop” model is expected to remarkably shorten customs clearance duration, thus saving time and reducing cost for enterprises. This is considered a breakthrough in the reform of customs administrative procedure.

Ha Giang poor families receive breeding cows

As many as 144 cows were given to poor ethnic minority households in the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang on December 18-20.

The gifts were presented under the programme “Breeding cows for the poor in border areas”, initiated by the State President and carried out by the Border Guard High Command in coordination with the Vietnam Fatherland Front, the Vietnam Red Cross, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the State Bank of Vietnam, the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies, the Military Telecom Group Viettel and the People’s Committees of 11 northern border provinces.

Viettel has so far handed over 629 cows, worth 15 million VND (715 USD) each to poor households in 34 border communes in Ha Giang province.

Workshop to enhance community engagement in corruption prevention

A workshop was held on December 19 in Hanoi to discuss ways to complete the legal framework for enhancing community’s monitoring of investment in poverty reduction and hunger eradication projects, in a bid to prevent corruption.

Participants recommended relevant bodies seek ways to raise community’s awareness of the benefits from the projects and the significance of their role in monitoring the implementation process.

The recommendations were made on the basis of the result of a survey on the issue conducted by the Government Inspectorate and the Irish Embassy in Vietnam in four localities representing the northern mountainous, central and Mekong Delta regions with 864 questionnaires.

According to the survey, 80.1 percent of the interviewees said they would report to relevant bodies when they know about any corruptive activities while the rest chose to keep silent. This means many wrongdoings are not reported and dealt with properly.

In addition, 74.7 percent said community’s supervision did help detect wrongdoings in the implementation of poverty reduction and hunger eradication projects, with the most common one being ineffective and wasteful investment.

The survey also showed that 28.9 percent of complaints and petitions are completely accurate and 71.1 percent are partially right, reflecting the good performance of community supervision bodies in collecting the public opinions and reporting to authorized agencies for investigations.

The Vietnam Fatherland Front chapter at the communal level was cited as the community supervision body by 69.7 percent of the survey respondents, while 61.3 percent said it was the communal inspection body set up under the national programme for poverty reduction 135 or people-elected representatives.

Better infrastructure for 2.5 million urban residents in Vietnam

The urban upgrading project funded by the World Bank (WB) has improved the infrastructure in more than 200 low-income areas in the four cities of Hai Phong, Nam Dinh, Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho over the past 10 years, directly benefiting 2.5 million urban poor.

The data was reported at a review conference held in Ho Chi Minh City on December 19 by the WB and the city’s People’s Committee.

Under the project, about 500km of drains and 580km of roads have been constructed or upgraded, helping reduce flooding, and improve the environmental conditions in poor neighbourhoods.

A total of 30,000 households have been connected to clean water supply and 550,000 had their drains connected to sewer systems. Narrow, dirty and flooded alleys are now paved, becoming wider, cleaner and safer. Nearly 30km of canals and ditches were dredged and connected to the drainage system.

Besides, nearly 100,000 loans were given for poor households in an attempt to help them improve housing condition and their livelihoods.

To execute the plan, the WB provided 382 million USD, the Vietnamese Government invested 140 million USD, and local people contributed 30 million USD.-

Central Highlands ethnic groups helped better living standards

Living standards of ethnic minority groups in the Central Highlands region is being improved gradually thanks to assistance from businesses and the authorities.

VinGroup, one of the leading firms in Vietnam , donated 5,000 breeding cows to poor households, while a number of businesses, such as the Vietnam-Russia Oil and Gas Joint Venture, the Vietnam Military Telecommunications Group, Vietcombank, and Vietinbank, invested in building schools and medical centres and providing schooling aids and medical tools worth billions of Vietnamese dong for the region.

In 2014, the Vietnam Red Cross and its chapters in the region carried out a series of humanitarian activities with a sum of 83 billion VND (3.88 million USD) to aid more than 475,700 needy people.

Apart from calling for more support to the region, the Central Highlands Steering Committee visited and presented gifts worth 8 billion VND (374,707 USD) to needy people in the region and 29 nearby mountainous districts.

In 2015, the committee will continue mobilising donation to social security programmes in the region.

VinGroup plans to assist the building 1,000 houses in the Central Highlands and nearby mountainous districts.

Covering over 54,400 sq.km, the Central Highlands groups the five provinces of Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Lam Dong, Gia Lai and Kon Tum, with a population of over 5.4 million people, 25.7 percent of them ethnic minorities.

Better infrastructure for 2.5 million urban residents in Vietnam

The urban upgrading project funded by the World Bank (WB) has improved the infrastructure in more than 200 low-income areas in the four cities of Hai Phong, Nam Dinh, Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho over the past 10 years, directly benefiting 2.5 million urban poor.

The data was reported at a review conference held in Ho Chi Minh City on December 19 by the WB and the city’s People’s Committee.

Under the project, about 500km of drains and 580km of roads have been constructed or upgraded, helping reduce flooding, and improve the environmental conditions in poor neighbourhoods.

A total of 30,000 households have been connected to clean water supply and 550,000 had their drains connected to sewer systems. Narrow, dirty and flooded alleys are now paved, becoming wider, cleaner and safer. Nearly 30km of canals and ditches were dredged and connected to the drainage system.

Besides, nearly 100,000 loans were given for poor households in an attempt to help them improve housing condition and their livelihoods.

To execute the plan, the WB provided US$382 million, the Vietnamese Government invested US$140 million, and local people contributed US$30 million.

Anti-corruption demands community engagement

A workshop was held on December 19 in Hanoi to discuss ways to complete the legal framework for enhancing community’s monitoring of investment in poverty reduction and hunger eradication projects, in a bid to prevent corruption.

Participants recommended relevant bodies seek ways to raise community’s awareness of the benefits from the projects and the significance of their role in monitoring the implementation process.

The recommendations were made on the basis of the result of a survey on the issue conducted by the Government Inspectorate and the Irish Embassy in Vietnam in four localities representing the northern mountainous, central and Mekong Delta regions with 864 questionnaires.

According to the survey, 80.1 percent of the interviewees said they would report to relevant bodies when they know about any corruptive activities while the rest chose to keep silent. This means many wrongdoings are not reported and dealt with properly.

In addition, 74.7 percent said community’s supervision did help detect wrongdoings in the implementation of poverty reduction and hunger eradication projects, with the most common one being ineffective and wasteful investment.

The survey also showed that 28.9 percent of complaints and petitions are completely accurate and 71.1 percent are partially right, reflecting the good performance of community supervision bodies in collecting the public opinions and reporting to authorized agencies for investigations.

The Vietnam Fatherland Front chapter at the communal level was cited as the community supervision body by 69.7 percent of the survey respondents, while 61.3 percent said it was the communal inspection body set up under the national programme for poverty reduction 135 or people-elected representatives.

Jetstar Pacific offers cheap tickets on domestic routes for Tet

The low-cost carrier Jetstar Pacific is offering cheap tickets starting at just VND99,000 on local routes from 11:00 am of December 19 to 21.

One-way tickets for Buon Ma Thuot/Phu Quoc-Ho Chi Minh City routes will cost VND 99,000; Da Nang/Hue-Ho Chi Minh City costs VND 280,000; Nha Trang-Ho Chi Minh City will be VND 290,000; Hanoi/Hai Phong/Vinh/Thanh Hoa-Ho Chi Minh City of VND 380,000.

The special rates will be applicable for flights departing from February 5-18 (December 17-30 of the lunar calendar).

New expressway cuts HCM-Vung Tau travel time by more than half

A new expressway between HCM City and Vung Tau City to open this weekend will cut vehicular travel time by more than an hour.

The Ho Chi Minh City-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway, which opens December 20 and will cut average travel time from 150 minutes to just over an hour.

It was constructed by Civil Engineering Construction Corporation No. 4 under a VND2.4 trillion contract and the final section was completed five months ahead of schedule.

The final section, connecting Beltway 2 to National Highway 51, cuts 25 kilometres from the journey and will greatly reduce congestion on the old route.

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