Two women in the Central City of Da Nang were fined VND20 million (US$861.8) for spreading falsified Covid-19 test result on social media causing public worry.

Lieutenant colonel Phung Van Hung from the Lien Chieu police agency said that the police decided to issue administrative fines on one woman in Thanh Khe District and one woman in Son Tra District for spreading and posting incorrect Covid-19 test results, triggering public outrage.

After discovering the fake test result in social network on December 2 and several days later, police investigators have jumped into investigation. Twenty people involving in the case were invited to police station for the probe.

According to police investigation results, a female nurse working at the pediatrics department of the Lien Chieu Healthcare Center underwent a Covid-19 test before taking a special course. She received a negative test result on December 2.

However, to tease one of her colleague, she changed the test result from “negative” to “positive” and had it posted on the Zalo platform.

She asked another female nurse named M. to send the test result to her colleague who she wanted to tease.

Female nurse named M. mistakenly sent to a 16-member private group of the pediatrics department and then spread on social media.

Director of the Lien Chieu Healthcare Center Le Van Sy said the nurse in the case was asked to write a letter acknowledging her wrongdoings.

Menstrual women shall take 30-minute break at workplace from next year

Menstrual women shall be allowed to take a rest of up to 30 minutes per day at workplace from February next year, according to the Government latest Decree No. 145/2020/ND-CP.

The total length of breaks for a menstrual woman shall be mutually agreed between employee and employer. Her salary shall not be reduced for taking such kind of break.

A female worker who is raising a child under 12 months of age shall be allowed to take 60-minute break daily at work place.

The decree shall take effect since February 1, 2020.

Under the Labor Code approved by the National Assembly last year, a pregnant woman who obtains a confirmation from a competent health facility which states that if she continues to work, it may adversely affect her pregnancy, she shall have the right to unilaterally terminate or suspend the employment contract.

A female employee is entitled to 06 months of prenatal and postnatal leave, in which the prenatal leave period shall not exceed 02 months.

In case of a multiple birth, the leave shall be extended by 01 month for each child, counting from the second child.

During maternity leave, the female employee is entitled to maternity benefits as prescribed by social insurance laws./.

HCMC announces 3 days off on New Year holiday

According to the announcement of the People’s Committee of HCMC, employees of agencies, departments and organizations will be given 4 days off work on New Year’s Day, from January 1-3. 

Local agencies, organisations, schools, hospitals, military units, businesses and households across the city are required to fly national flags on 1 January 2021.

Agencies, departments, organizations and enterprises that do not have regular weekend breaks must arrange work based on their plans during the holidays to ensure the fulfillment of their tasks and serve the people.

Earlier, the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City also announced that schoolers of kindergarten, elementary schools, middle and high schools and vocational schools throughout the city will have a 9-day Tet break. Schools that currently adapt a five-day-a-week schedule will have 11-day Tet break, from February 6- February 10 (on the 25th day of the last month- the 5th day of the first month of the lunar calendar).

In addition, PM has approved the 2021 Lunar New Year holiday. Accordingly, Government officers and workers nationwide will enjoy a 7-day holiday for the 2021 Tet (Lunar New Year), from February 10 - 16, 2021 (on the 29th day of the last month- the 5th day of the first month of the lunar calendar).

 

HCM City residents flooded by sewage for a month

 

Residents on Dinh An Tai Street in HCM City's District 8 have been flooded for over a month.

51-year-old Nguyen Thu Lan said on December 15 that waste water used to be directed into the Doi Canal. However since the authorities started a dyke project that runs along nearby Phu Dinh Street, the sewage system was blocked and caused severe flooding.

At first, the contractor, Trung Nam Group, used to pump the water into Doi Canal. But as the dyke project was halted a month ago, the pump also stopped working.

"We are deeply flooded when there are high tides. I really want the authorities to have a solution quickly so that our lives can return to normal," she said.

60-year-old Nguyen Hoa said not only their lives were turned upside down, but also many people have had skin diseases. "The smell is unbearable. If this situation isn't dealt with then we may have to move elsewhere," he said.

The build-transfer contract of the contractor and local authorities already expired on June 26. The banks stopped disbursing money so the contractor couldn't continue the project. According to the contractor, they tried to pay for the pump with their own money but it had surpassed their limit.

Phan Duy Nhat, vice chairman of Ward 7 People's Committee, confirmed that the project was halted due to a lack of funds. Pollution has been recorded from the house 5 to 30 on Dinh An Tai Street.

"We have asked the contractor to continue pumping water to Doi Canal to help the locals while District 8 authorities find a solution for this problem," Nhat said.

Remains of volunteer soldiers reburied in Kien Giang

VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES

A service was held at a martyrs’ cemetery in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang on December 17 to rebury the remains of 262 Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who laid down their lives in Cambodia during wartime. (Photo: VNA)

Kien Giang (VNA) - A service was held at a martyrs’ cemetery in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang on December 17 to rebury the remains of 262 Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who laid down their lives in Cambodia during wartime.

The service was held on the occasion of the 76th founding anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Army (December 22).

Speaking at the ceremony, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Nhan expressed his deepest gratitude to the fallen soldiers and his sympathies to the bereaved families.

He said the people and armed forces of Vietnam and Cambodia stood side-by-side during the wars against colonialists and imperialists, noting that Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts also sacrificed their lives to help the neighbouring country escape from the Pol Pot genocidal regime.

Kien Giang will continue with its social welfare work, thus bringing a better life to war invalids and the families of martyrs, Nhan promised./.

Thai Consulate General presents aid to flood-hit people in central region

Thailand’s Consulate General in HCM City on December 17 presented 50,000 face masks along with and 108 million VND (4,670 USD) to flood-hit people in the central region through the Vietnam Fatherland Front in the city.

The gift was handed over to the VFF HCM City chapter by Thai Consul-General Apirat Sugondhabhirom and representatives of Thai businesses and community in Vietnam.

The same day, the Power Generation Corporation 2 (EVNGENCO 2), a subsidiary of Vietnam Electricity, together with Binh Dinh Power Company donated 40 desktops to three elementary and secondary schools in the central province of Binh Dinh.

EVNGENCO 2 previously presented 40 desktops to schools in Phu Yen province. The aid totaling 800 million VND was given to those which were hit the hardest during recent storms and floods.

Earlier, the power company presented 2.2 billion VND to the two central provinces of Quang Tri and Quang Nam to help local people overcome losses caused by natural disasters. Staff members also joined blood donation drives and supported various agencies and localities in battling COVID-19./.

Safe housing under Green Climate Fund proves effective

Safe housing was hailed as one of the successes of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), a project to improve the resilience of Vietnam’s vulnerable coastal communities to climate change-related impacts, a conference held to review project implementation this year and discuss plans for 2021 heard.

The project is being carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Construction, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and recent storms and flooding ravaging Vietnam’s central region, more than 3,500 safe houses have been built under the project by the end of the year, over 3,300 ha of mangrove forest replanted, and 24 livelihood models successfully rolled out, generating incomes for poor local coastal families and providing training for in excess of 39,000 officials and citizens.

Tran Quang Hoai, Director General of the Vietnam  Disaster Management Authority and head of the project, said that most GCF houses remained safe even during the recent storms and called for the project to be replicated.

UNDP Resident Representative Caitlin Wiesen spoke highly of efforts from the project management boards at both central and local levels to fulfil most of the project’s five-year targets.

The project aims to build a total of 4,000 safe houses, restore 4,000 ha of mangrove forest and give 20,000 residents access to information on climate change and natural disaster.

Next year, the project will devise new safe housing programmes in 28 coastal localities, care for over 3,380 ha of mangrove forest in five provinces, and bolster work in mitigating risks from natural disasters.

The GCF project aims to increase the resilience of vulnerable coastal communities to climate change through safe housing, protect vulnerable coastal communities from increased flooding and storms, provide robust mangrove coverage to establish a natural buffer between coastal communities and the sea, and enhance climate risk information to guide climate-resilient and risk-informed planning.

According to the Ministry of Construction and the UNDP, more than 100,000 safe houses are needed in 28 coastal provinces and cities, and priority must be given to 24,000 in coastal areas./.

More houses designed to resist floods to be built for coastal communities

A house designed to resist floods was handed over to a local resident in central Thừa Thiên-Huế Province. Photo courtesy of the UNDP

 

More than 3,500 houses designed to resist flooding and storms have been built under a project on improving the resilience of vulnerable coastal communities to climate change related impacts in Việt Nam.

The information was released at a conference held on Thursday to review the project results in 2020 and discuss implementation for next year.

The project, funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) through the UNDP, aims at raising the resilience to consequences of climate change in Việt Nam through building safe homes, increasing the coverage of mangrove forests, and providing trustworthy information about climate risks.

Accordingly, it has also helped to plant and regenerate over 3,300ha of mangrove forests and successfully carry out 24 models to help local poor households increase their income.

More than 39,000 officials and local residents have been trained to make plans and assess climate risks.

The projects targets to build 4,000 houses designed to resist flooding and storms by 2021 and regenerate 4,000ha of mangrove forests and provide information relating to climate change and natural disasters for around 20,000 people.

Project director Trần Quang Hoài, who is also Director of the General Department of Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, said historic storms hitting the central region over the past few months damaged tens of thousands of houses in coastal provinces but most houses built under the project were still safe.

“This is one of the successes of the project and it is necessary to multiply this model to increase the efficiency of the project,” he said.

Deputy director of the Ministry of Construction’s Department of House and Real estate Market Management Nguyễn Mạnh Khởi said most of the houses built under the project met construction standards and were very strong.

The project is expected to benefit 28 coastal localities, with the focus on northern Nam Định Province, central Quảng Bình, Thừa Thiên-Huế, Quảng Nam and Quảng Ngãi provinces, and Cà Mau Province in the south.

International support

Thirty-two international organisations have donated some US$25 million for people affected by natural disasters in Việt Nam’s central region this year, heard a conference held on Wednesday.

At the event, which reviewed international support for Việt Nam’s natural disaster risk mitigation in 2020, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyễn Hoàng Hiệp said the due attention given to Việt Nam reflected the humanitarian value in the work of the international organisations and the effective operation of the Disaster Risk Reduction Partnership (DRRP).

The DRRP was established under the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Decision No 3922/QD-BNN-TCCB, with the participation of 18 international organisations.

At the event, representatives from DRRP members discussed related matters and pledged their continued collaboration with Việt Nam in the future. 

Conference connects Hai Duong’s health sector with RoK partners

An online conference to connect the health sector of the northern province of Hai Duong with hospitals in the Republic of Korea (RoK) was held by the provincial People’s Committee and the V-Health Social Enterprise for Health Co. on December 17.

In attendance were representatives from the Hai Duong General Hospital, the Hai Duong Lung Hospital, and the Hai Duong Obstetrics Hospital, together with those from leading RoK hospitals such as the Seoul National University Hospital, the Catholic University of Korea St. Mary’s Hospital, the Korea University Anam Hospital, and the Ewha Women’s University Medical Center.

Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Luong Van Cau said the conference is a good opportunity to promote health care cooperation between Hai Duong and medical establishments in the RoK.

It also offers a chance for doctors and medical staff in Hai Duong to learn from the experience of the RoK in the treatment and diagnosis of diseases, thus improving their expertise, he added.

He hopes the conference enabled scientists and medical experts from the RoK to understand more about the province’s health system.

Hai Duong is now an attractive destination for foreign investors in general and those from the RoK in particular.

The country has invested in 185 projects in the province with total registered capital of over 1.2 billion USD, accounting for 14.3 percent of all FDI in Hai Duong and ranking its third among all foreign investors in the province.

Cau expressed his hope that the RoK would continue to invest in Hai Duong, especially in the medical field.

Soo Hun William Kyung, Chairman and Co-founder of the V-Health Social Enterprise for Health Co., said the company currently connects, organises, and operates the deployment of remote consultation and examination systems with experts from leading RoK hospitals and also holds experience exchange activities in training, research, and medical examination and treatment between RoK and Vietnamese hospitals.

At the conference, representatives from RoK hospitals introduced modern medical technologies and techniques, treatment capability, and medical procedures such as hematopoietic transplantation, robotic surgery for uterine fibroids, treatment of blood-related diseases, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular intervention surgery, and surgery for pectus excavatum and artificial lens replacement.

The two sides also proposed forms of cooperation in the field.

50 top Vietnamese brands honoured

Fifty leading brands of Vietnam in 2020 was honoured during a ceremony held in HCM City by Forbes Vietnam on December 17.

Most of the honoured firms have operated for at least more than a decade, including Minh Long I, Vinamilk, Viettel Group, The gioi di dong (Mobile World), VPBank, PNJ, Nutifood and Saigontourist, among others.

During a workshop on brand building amid COVID-19 on the same day, participants said that in 2020, the pandemic has dealt a blow to all sectors, including how firms approach their customers. Along with uncertainties, it also acts as a catalyst for faster digital economic development, requiring enterprises to change their mindset in brand building in the new context.

Nguyen Anh Dung, Executive Director of Retail Measurement Services at Nielsen Vietnam advised firms to identify different groups of consumers as the internet and smart hand-held devices have changed buying behaviours, especially of young people.

Marketing via social networking sites has become more popular in the global market, he added.

Social corporate responsibility also has a great role to play in brand building, said Nguyen Ha Thanh, Public Relations Manager of Viettel Group, adding that it should be considered in firms’ decision-making./.

Hanoi officials congratulate parishioners on Christmas

A delegation of Hanoi administration, led by Standing Vice Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Nguyen Thi Tuyen, visited and extended Christmas greetings to Hung Hoa Diocese in Son Tay town on December 17.

Talking to Bishop Peter Nguyen Van Vien and former Bishop John Mary Vu Tat of the diocese, Tuyen acknowledged the contribution of Catholic dignitaries, priests and followers to the city’s socio-economic development in 2020 despite COVID-19.

She informed that the city has basically completed its socio-economic targets, with its GRDP growing nearly 4 percent, 1.5 times higher than the national average, and its budget collection exceeding the estimate by 0.2 percent.

The official took the occasion to highlight the Catholic community’s engagement in the capital’s pandemic prevention and control work, hoping them to continue their collaboration with the local authorities in 2021.

Bishop Vien thanked the authorities for creating favourable conditions for the diocese to carry out religious activities regularly in the context of COVID-19.

He vowed to continue encouraging Catholics to follow the Party’s guidelines as well as the State and city’s laws and regulations, proactively contributing to the country’s overall development./.

Singapore’s hawker culture listed as UNESCO intangible cultural heritage

Hawker culture in Singapore was officially added to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on December 16.

In virtual proceedings that took place earlier the same day, a 24-member international committee unanimously accepted Singapore’s application. As Singapore’s application fulfilled all criteria, it was decided that there was no need for debate on it at the 15th session of the intergovernmental committee.

The successful nomination means Singapore now has its first item on the intangible cultural heritage list, which currently has 463 entries including yoga in India and Belgian beer.

It is also the country's second entry to any UNESCO list. The first came in 2015 when the Singapore Botanic Garden was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong said Singapore’s hawker culture is a source of pride of Singapore and all Singaporeans. It reflects the nation’s living heritage and multiculturalism, and is an integral part of the daily lives of Singaporeans regardless of age, race or background.

President of the Federation of Merchants' Associations (FMAS) Yeo Hiang Meng said the result will give hawkers' prestige a boost, both locally and internationally.

To celebrate the event, Singapore will organise the SG HawkerFest from December 26 to January 11 next year. Most of the activities held within the fest will go online due to the impacts of pandemic./.

Ninh Thuận looks to forest management to develop economy

 

The south-central province of Ninh Thuận is focusing on strengthening the management and protection of natural forests, afforestation and developing the forest economy in association with building livelihoods for people in the buffer zone.

Đặng Kim Cương, Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said to improve the efficiency of planted forests, the province has planted trees that can adapt to a dry climate and valuable trees like jackfruit, avocado and grapefruit.

The department reported in 2020, it has planted nearly 843ha of forest and cared for 1,294ha of forests under the sustainable forestry development projects.

Ninh Thuận signed contracts to give local households more than 66,587ha of forest under the Government's Decree No 75/2015/NĐ-CP.

On average, each household received 30ha of forest to protect and develop the economy.

Additionally, it has provided rice to households so they could protect the forest with peace of mind, Cương said.

Châu Văn Khúc, who lives in Phước Hữu Commune, Ninh Phước District, said in 2016, the Tân Giang Lake’s Protective Forest Management Board assigned his family 30ha of forest under a forest protection contract for VNĐ400,000 per hectare annually.

The family planted fruit trees and raised breeding cows to earn an annual income of about VNĐ80 million.

"My family has gradually got out of poverty," Khúc said.

The province is building infrastructure systems in difficult areas and investing in clean water supply and irrigation systems to aid people living near forests.

The director said that thanks to protecting and planting forests, the quality of local forests has improved with many poor forest areas restored and forest coverage increased to a rate of 46.8 per cent in 2020.

The management of natural forests is still being closely monitored, the director said, and local authorities have controlled deforestation.

However, forest fires and deforestation prevention has faced many difficulties due to the dry and hot climate, as well as drought.

Dangerous terrain also causes difficulties for forest management and protection, according to the director.

4 HCMC female students win scientific awards

The Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and the Ministry of Science & Technology has just co-organized an awards ceremony for 20 outstanding female students in the field of science and technology. Among them are 4 students from Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh City.

Of all 4 honored students coming from HCMC, 3 are in the field of Information Technology, namely Tran Thi Anh Thu, Nguyen Ngoc Bang Tam, and Nguyen Thi Kim Phuong. They are students in the IT Department of the University of Science.

The other is from the Electrical and Electronic Engineering Department of HCMC University of Technology.

In 2020, the organization board of the Awards received 32 nomination documents from 19 universities and academies nationwide.

The candidates are excellent students with high academic results, having articles published in Scopus and ISI journals. Many of them are leaders in scientific research teams for department, university-, and ministry-leveled projects that are highly practical.

The contest has been held annually since 1999 to honor female students with outstanding academic and research results in the fields of IT, electrical and electronic engineering, and mechanics.

National Highway 5 repaired after 20 years of operation

A road section in Hải Dương City of Hải Dương Province was covered by new asphalt layers.

 

A 800m stretch of seriously degraded road on the National Highway 5 running through Hải Dương Province in the north has been completely repaired, according to the National Highway 5 Management Board.

This was a part of the project repairing and upgrading National Highway 5 after more than 20 years of operation.

The repair of the road started in September and included removing the old road surface and replacing it with two layers of polymer asphalt concrete which is resistant to vehicle wheel traces.

The project to repair and upgrade 30km of roads on the National Highway 5 consists of seven bidding package.

The project is invested by Việt Nam Infrastructure Development and Finance Investment Joint Stock Company (VIDIFI) with nearly VNĐ840 billion (US$36.3 million) and is set to be completed by the end of next year.

“Due to the large volume of vehicles and many large trucks, the road surface of the highway was severely damaged,” said Phạm Việt Sơn, VIFIDI’s vice general director.

“Therefore, our company is realising the packages to repair and upgrade the highway as soon as possible,” Sơn said.

The other packages of repairing and upgrading will be carried out this month and in the first quarter next year, he said.

“In order to speed up the project’s progress, VIDIFI suggested the Directorate for Roads of Việt Nam accelerate the appraisal and approval of the design and cost estimate, and construction permit grant,” the vice general director said.

“Because the repair and upgrade works were done with the road in operation with a very large volume of vehicles, especially trucks and container trucks, VIDIFI really needed the co-operation of agencies to ensure safe traffic,” he added.

Directorate for Roads of Việt Nam urged VIDIFI to urgently speed up the implementation of the repair and upgrade packages and warned toll collection would be stopped if the repair work was not well done.

Meanwhile, Tạ Quang Vĩnh, an expert from the Directorate for Roads of Việt Nam, said repairing and upgrading the whole highway faced many difficulties because there were hundreds of residential areas and industrial zones along the road.

“There were still many cases of traffic safety corridor encroachment on the highway. So, local authorities should continue to have solutions together with management agencies to solve these violations,” said Vĩnh.

The National Highway 5 has a total length of 100km starting from Hà Nộ running through Hưng Yên and Hải Dương provinces and ending in Hải Phòng City.

At present, the number of vehicles on the highway is about 50,000 per day, triple the designed capacity.

That is also the reason why this route is seriously degraded after more than 20 years in operation.

This is the first time this route has been overhauled, upgraded and repaired. 

Central provincial hospitals receive medical equipment donation

South Korean Doosan Heavy Industries Việt Nam (Doosan Vina), in collaboration with Chung Ang University Hospital Korea (CAU) and Community Chest, donated medical equipment packages worth nearly VNĐ1.8 billion (US$78,000) to Quảng Ngãi General Hospital and Paediatrics and Obstetrics Hospital.

The central provincial people’s committee said on December 16 the medical equipment package would be essential for the medical team as well as patients during examination and treatment, contributing to help the province's medical centres improve service quality for patients.

Previously, Doosan Vina and CAU also donated 58 other devices worth $271,370 to Quảng Ngãi General Hospital, and an ultrasound machine to Pediatrics and Obstetrics Hospital in 2019.

Doosan Vina said the two hospitals were sponsoring the training programmes for medical teams alternatively in Korea and Viet Nam for nine years in a row from 2017 to 2025.

The Korean business said it had continuously implemented its community responsibilities with a series of social charity programmes, mainly focusing on three areas including health, education and housing since 2006.

Doosan and Chung Ang University Hospital also implemented a technology transfer programme for the medical team of Quảng Nam Central General Hospital, Quảng Ngãi General Hospital and Hospital for Women and Children, as well as donated medical equipment to other hospitals in the central region.

A series of charity programmes have been organised in the province including free health examinations, free medicine, congenital heart operations, cleft palate, cataract, obstetrics and gynaecology for 25,618 local residents with a total cost of $1.2 million.

Annually, Korean doctors from CAU’s hospital system joined a free programme to supply needed medicines, diagnoses and treatment for residents in rural and remote villages in the province.  

South Korean professors and students from Chung Ang University also participate in a Corporate Society Responsibility (CSR) programme for primary school students and children with disabilities in the province every year. 

Hanoi to host International Friendship Art Festival 2020

The International Friendship Art Festival (IFAF) 2020 is poised to get underway on the pedestrian streets surrounding Hoan Kiem Lake in the heart of the capital, with the event set to run from December 18 to 20.

Tran Thi Phuong, vice president of the Hanoi Union of Friendship Organizations (HAUFO), said the festival is anticipated to strengthen cultural exchanges and friendship ties between the people of Hanoi and foreign friends.

The event is set to see the participation of more than 300 domestic and foreign artists coming from various local arts club, embassies, international organisations, and schools from throughout the capital.

It is being organised by the  HAUFO and is due to feature a wide range of activities, including piano and dance performances, along with an Ao Dai, a traditional long dress fashion show.

Most notably, special corners to display creative arts, local specialties, and tourism products will also be held, whilst visitors will be given the chance to participate in folk games during during the event.

Changing competition format of AFC Cup 2021 could benefit Hanoi FC

V.League 1 runners-up Hanoi FC are set to gain an advantage when participating in next year’s Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup 2021 following organisers moving to change the competition format.

The AFC have decided to change the format of the AFC Cup’s group stage and knockout rounds in an effort to guarantee safety amid the global spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The changes will see the group stage shortened, with teams only playing a single game in each round as opposed to the usual home and away ties.

A similar competition format will also be applied in the knock-out stage, including the final. All matches will therefore be held at centralised venues that will be decided by the AFC.

As a result of the changes, Hanoi FC will potentially only compete in nine matches at the AFC Cup 2021 instead of 14 matches that they did in the 2019 version of the tournament.

 The group stage of the AFC Cup 2021 in the Southeast Asian region is scheduled to begin from June 22, 2021.

The 2019 version of the tournament saw Hanoi FC make it to the final inter-regional match of the AFC Cup.

HCM City-Vung Tau ferry service to be launched soon

The HCM City-Vung Tau ferry route is scheduled to become operational by this end of this month.

 

A ferry route linking Ho Chi Minh City and Vung Tau City is scheduled to become operational by the end of this month.

The information was given by Pham Quoc Chanh, director of Quoc Chanh Ltd. Company, the project investor.   

According to Chanh, almost all the work on the route has been completed. The service’s trial run will last for four days before the official operation scheduled on December 29.

Six ferries will be used for the 15-km route which will take around 30 minutes. They can transport 250 passengers, 100 motorbikes and 20 cars and make 24 return trips a day.

The service will connect HCM City’s coastal suburban district of Can Gio and popular resort city of Vung Tau.

The proposed one-way ticket is VND60,000-70,000 (USD3.04) per person.

Due to Covid-19, the project’s construction pace was slowed instead of being slated on the National Day Holiday on September 2.

Vietnam marks International Migrants Day 2020

A meeting took place in Hanoi on December 17 to highlight the voices of migrants during the Covid-19 pandemic on the occasion of the International Migrants Day 2020.

The event was jointly held by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Vietnam and the General Office for Population and Family Planning (GOPFP) under the Ministry of Health.

It was an opportunity to call on agencies, organisations and all parties concerned to support and protect migrants, who are more vulnerable to the pandemic than local residents.

Risks facing them include not only the loss of jobs and incomes but also discrimination.

More importantly, migrants also face the same risk of contracting Covid-19 as local people but language and culture barriers as well as their economic and social status can limit their access to adequate healthcare services.

Speaking at the event, Head of IOM Vietnam Park Mi Hyung underlined the important contributions of migrants, who are an essential workforce in each country.

She added that in her home country of the Republic of Korea, many migrants are from Vietnam and they have helped produce food, build houses, and take care of both children and the elderly.

For his part, GOFPF Director Nguyen Doan Tu called for joint efforts to support and protect migrants, and the taking of appropriate measures to contain the pandemic for the happiness of each migrant, their family and the community at large.

Hanoi pavements deteriorate despite repair

Poor constructions, materials and parking activities have been blamed for the quick deterioration of the pavements in Hanoi even though they are still being repaired and replaced with new stones.

In 2020, a large number of pavements in Hanoi have been repaired and replaced with new stone. The project costs hundreds of billions of VND.

However, many parking lots still operate on these pavements. While the pavement along Huynh Thuc Khang Street was still under construction, the parking lot was still open and received dozens of cars a day. At some sections, even though the construction workers already blocked off the pavements for the cement to dry, cars could still get inside and park on the area.

Ngo Ngoc Lam, chairman of Thanh Cong Ward, Ba Dinh District, said due to rising demand and lack of official parking spaces, they had issued permits to several parking lots on the pavements. After the pavement was repaired, they had adjusted the plan and reduced the total parking space on Huynh Thuc Khang Street by two-thirds of the previous space. According to the regulations, cars must leave space for pedestrians and trees and flowers. However, in reality, the cars along Huynh Thuc Khang Street park in a chaotic way.

When being asked whether the pavement is damaged by the parking activities, Lam said only poor construction could lead to the damage.

However, architect Dao Ngoc Khiem, vice head of Vietnam Urban Planning Development Association, said, "There are many reasons for the quick deterioration of pavements like vehicles running on pavement or poor construction. Gravel and other materials are not covered up correctly, badly affecting the environment."

The quality of the stone used for the pavement are also being questioned. Duong Van Phong from Hanoi University of Mining and Geology said the quality of the stones were varied and poor. Many stones already had cracks before they were used for the construction. Combined with careless construction work, the stones can break very easily.

Site clearance for HCMC’s metro line 2 behind schedule

Paperwork obstacles and capital shortages are expected to result in a delay in the completion of site clearance for HCMC’s second metro line project, linking Ben Thanh Market in District 1 and Tham Luong Depot in District 12, as scheduled this year.

The completion will be extended until the second quarter of 2021 instead, the Management Authority for Urban Railways of HCMC (MAUR) said in a report on the progress of the second metro line sent to the HCMC Department of Planning and Investment on December 16.

The route, which will be more than 11 kilometers long, will pass through districts 1, 3, 10, 12, Tan Binh and Tan Phu and affect 603 households. As many as 450 affected households have handed over their land, representing 75% of the plan.

MAUR, the investor of the project, said that the site clearance completion has been delayed as many households in District 3 have yet to agree with compensation rates, while funding for compensation has yet to be allocated fully.

District 3 has 113 households affected by the project, with 37 of them handing over their land as of November.

A representative of MAUR said that in early November, the government of District 3 met with the residents of these households and was working on a plan to support them with resettlement. The compensation is set to be conducted in December.

The municipal Department of Natural Resources and Environment has submitted a land price adjustment plan for District 3 to the municipal government.

To date, the total 19 households affected by the project in Tan Phu District have handed over their land, VnExpress news site reported, citing Le Van Khoa, director of the Project Management Board No. 2 under MAUR.

In addition, in Tan Binh District, which is the most affected by the project, 281 of the total 356 households have handed over their land. District 10 has seen 65 of 75 affected households hand over their land while 11 of the total 12 households in District 12 have completed site clearance.

HCM City’s tourism sector issues predictions under pandemic prevention condition

Amidst the current complicated Covid-19 pandemic situation, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism will continue to help travel companies overcome loss and develop their tourism strategies. 

Tourism is one of the most directly affected sectors in the current crisis and an important pillar of the country's economic development, hence the city’s tourism industry issued three outlooks under pandemic prevention and control condition in the upcoming time. 

As for the international tourist market, Vietnam will resume all international air routes from the beginning of the next year, striving to reach nine million visitors if the Covid-19 pandemic is completely controlled worldwide.

For the second outlook, some international air routes linking Vietnam and Covid-19 pandemic safe destinations in several countries could be re-exploited from the beginning of 2021. The city will strive to receive seven million arrivals in case of the global pandemic situation is basically well controlled.

For the rest one, if the Covid-19 pandemic in the world does not come under control in general as well as in Vietnam in particular, the country will continue to cease international flights so international tourists will not be able to visit the city.

Accordingly, the Vibrant Ho Chi Minh City campaign will be the city's  first tourism promotion strategy to domestic and international markets in 2021.

HCMC Director of the Department of Tourism Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa informed normal day-to day tourism activities in the city; however, the department has always reminded travel businesses of applying the criteria on Covid-19 pandemic prevention and control safety in the tourism sector. Particularly, the tourism sector has carefully prepared a roadmap, new products, etc. to attract tourists to HCMC according to the criteria. 

In addition, the tourism industry also continues to launch the campaign “HCMC people travel HCMC” to attract more and more visitors at the end of the year.

HCMC Eye Hospital’s leaders suspended from duties for 90 days

Director and vice director of HCMC Eye Hospital, Nguyen Minh Khai and Vo Thi Chinh Nga were required to immediately suspend work in 90 days from December 15 as the police has launched investigation into their role in violations occurring at the hospital. 

The decision has been issued by the People’s Committee of HCMC on December 16 following the requirement of the Investigation Agency under the Ministry of Public Security, that was sent to the municipal People’s Committee on November 13.

Earlier, the Investigation Agency on November 4 conducted an urgent search warrant at the working place of the HCMC Eye Hospital's leaders.

They are being investigated for violating regulations on the operation management and organization, financial mistakes, bidding violations causing losses and wastefulness, according to the investigation police agency.

Nguyen Duc Khai, former vice director of Nguyen Trai Hospital, was assigned as director of HCMC Eye Hospital in 2017. He has been alleged to select winning bidders who are his acquaintances and has not got career professionalism at work.

Young scientist of National University in HCMC wins Golden Globe Award 2020

A young scientist of the Center for Innovative Materials & Architectures under the Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City has just won the Golden Globe Award 2020 in the field of new material technology.

Dr. Doan Le Hoang Tan, 33, Deputy Head of the Center for Innovative Materials & Architectures is one of ten young scientists was given the honorable award this year.

Dr. Tan has published 26 articles on international science journals and three reports in the document of the international science conference. He is a leader of a scientist group of four projects at the school and one ministry-level project. He is also is a co-author of Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2016.

The Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union in coordination with the Ministry of Science and Technology, launched the Golden Globe Award in the fields of science and technology including IT and media, pharmaceutical-medical technologies, biology technology, environment technology and new material technology. This is an honorable award for those under 35.

HCMC to not organize citywide camp on Vietnamese Students’ Day

Students took part in the 2019 traditional camp. (Photo: SGGP)

 
The Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) Department of Education and Training yesterday released an official document about not holding the annual citywide camp in 8 locations to celebrate the 71st anniversary of Vietnamese Students’ Day.

Before this decision, on November 9, 2020, the HCMC Department of Education and Training approved Plan No.3721/KH-GDDT-CTTT regarding the organization of the 15th traditional camp on January 9 in 2021 to celebrate Vietnamese Students’ Day as usual.

However, due to the complicated development of Covid-19 pandemic lately in HCMC, this Department has to cancel the camp. Instead educational institutes are encouraged to hold an informal meeting on their own for the same purpose.

Accordingly, from January 4-9 of 2021, schools and universities are supposed to host a meeting locally to review the history of Vietnamese Students’ Day and give awards to outstanding students.

These meetings are also to propagandize Instruction No.05/CT-TW, issued on May 15, 2016 by the Politburo, about ‘Observing Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, morality and lifestyle’; to promote the campaign ‘Forming a friendly school with active students’, launched by the Ministry of Education and Training; and to introduce Instruction No.19-CT/TU about the scheme ‘HCMC residents stop littering on streets, channels for a greener city and urban flooding reduction’.

Cold season rears its ugly head, people fall ill

The cold season is starting to rear its ugly head in the North region with lowest temperature of 7 Celsius degree to 13 Celsius degree; as a result, old people and children have fallen ill. 

Though severely cold weather hit the North region for three days, it has seen a surge of hospitalizations in Hanoi. Specifically, the National Children Hospital has admitted nearly 2,000 children a day recently. Most of the children in the hospital experienced fever, coughing, breathing problem and running nose because of viral infection.

Meantime, parents also rushed their children to the children faculties of Hanoi-based Bach Mai and Saint Paul hospitals.

Deputy Director of the National Children Hospital Tran Minh Dien said that prolonged winter season is the time of year when we have more respiratory infections amongst children; therefore, parents must keep children warm.

When a child experiences fever, coughing, parents must keep an eye on children and never self-medicate but take to nearby hospitals.
Cold weather also drove old people into hospitals.

The National Geriatric Hospital and the geriatric wards in Bach Mai Hospital and the National heart Institute have seen an escalation of senior citizens. For instance, the National Geriatric Hospital has lately received hundreds of old patients who have problems of blood pressure, heart diseases, and stroke.

Worse, hospital admission rates also increased in medical centers in mountainous districts such as Cao Bang, Lang Son, Lao Cai, and Yen Bai.

Medical workers advised old people should pay attention to their diet and not take exercise outside.

Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Truong Son yesterday sent an urgent dispatch to departments of health in cities and provinces in the Northern and Central regions ordering to guiding people how to keep warm outside and in closed rooms.

The National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said that temperature in the North region will continue dropping in the next few days. For example, temperature in Lang Son province will be 1.3 Celsius degree while it will be 6 and 6.1 Celsius degree in Ha Giang and Cao Bang.

HCMC to form paid quarantine section in hotels
 
The People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) has just released Decision No.4637/QD-UBND regarding the establishment of a paid quarantine ward in hotels in the city to help fight against Covid-19. These sections will serve people under quarantine as well as the flight crews when returning to Vietnam.

Accordingly, the quarantine wards will be placed in the hotels of Dong Do, Hoa De Nhat, Huong Huong, and Park Royal (located in Wards 2, 4, and 12 of Tan Binh District); New Milano (in Tan Phong Ward of District 7) and Eastin Grand Saigon (in Ward 10 of Phu Nhuan District).

These quarantine sections must ensure appropriate medical facilities and disinfection equipment besides regular hotel-related tasks like food and drink, laundry, room services to serve their customers who are in quarantine time.

These hotels are asked to cooperate with HCMC Center for Disease Control and grassroots healthcare centers to monitor the health status of quarantined people, providing necessary aid when needed or when a positive case is detected.

HCMC People’s Committee requests that Director of the HCMC Department of Health collaborate with the People’s Committees of District 7, Tan Binh, and Phu Nhuan as well as related state units to route passengers needing quarantine right at the airport.

These people will be arranged into and then transported to paid quarantine wards of suitable hotels.

HCMC enhances state management on festival organization

Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee has just issued an official dispatch to direct relevant agencies and 24 districts to seriously implement the state management on festival organization.  

Besides, they have to promote propaganda work to introduce the origins of festivals, relic sites and those who are worshiped by locals and present the values of religious and traditional rituals.

The HCMC People’s Committee has also assigned the Department of Culture, Sports and Department of Tourism to host and corporate with the Department of External Relations and other related agencies to review, do statistics on and classify festivals.

Furthermore, they should strengthen coordination with the Department of Health and other related agencies to continuously update the pandemic situation and step up the propaganda of Covid-19 pandemic prevention measures. Additionally, these agencies have to enhance inspection and supervision before, during and after festival organization. 

Vietnamese workers likely to get lower bonuses for Lunar New Year

Firms in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) are expected to give a low year-end bonus for the 2021 Lunar New Year due to the impacts of Covid-19, as new regulations come out allowing manufacturers to give out commodities as bonuses. 

One-third of all HCMC-based companies can only afford a bonus worth 50% to 75% of that in 2020 or 1 month of regional minimum salary, according to reports from the Ho Chi Minh City Export Processing and Industrial Zones Authority (Hepza).

Several firms in the garment and footwear industry are unlikely to give out New Year bonuses at all due to the lack of orders throughout 2020, said Mr. Huynh Van Tuan, chairman of the trade union of Hepza.

On the other hand, there are a handful of companies that were able to make big bucks, one planning to spend as much as VND48 billion (about US$2 million) on Lunar New Year bonus.

Additionally, companies from January 1, 2021, can give out cash or commodities or other forms of compensation as bonuses after consulting with related workers’ union.

The Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs of HCMC is working with relevant units to monitor the 2021 Lunar New Year payment and bonus situation, as well as labor relations at companies in HCMC.

“Special focus will be reserved for companies severely affected by the pandemic, as well as those with a history of workers’ rights violation”, said Director of the Department Le Minh Tan.

Surveillance cameras to be installed on passenger vehicles as scheduled

The passenger vehicles with at least nine seats, container trucks and tractors must be fitted with surveillance cameras inside to ensure image recordings and storage on the vehicle during their journey before July 1, 2021. 

The Ministry of Transport (MOT) required transport businesses to still comply with the provisions according to the regulations of Decree 10/2020/ND-CP auto transport business and conditions for auto transport business, Circular No. 12/2020 of the Ministry of Transport for organization and management of automobile transport activities and supporting services to road transport.

Besides that, MOT also asked related units to study and propose specific instructions for installing cameras on transport business automobiles to propagate surveillance camera system’s efficiency to transport business units as well as help camera suppliers ensure its smooth operation.

Gov’t targets to reduce road fatalities by at least 5% annually

The Government has set goal to reduce fatalities and injuries caused by traffic accidents by 5-10% annually in the next decade, according to its latest national road safety strategy.

The Government also targets to clear traffic jams that last more than 30 minutes as well as road accident hotspots.

All motorized vehicles with expired registration and self-built three- or four-wheelers will be forced off roads.

All car drivers will be required to pay toll fees and penalties via electronic accounts.

A total of 39,900 people were killed and over 70,000 others injured in more than 94,000 traffic accidents nationwide during 2016-2020 period, according to the National Traffic Safety Committee (NTSC) at a video conference on December 9.

The number of accidents, deaths, and injuries decreased by 70,000, 9,400, and 90,000, respectively, against the previous five-year period, the Ministry of Public Security said last week./.

Source: VNA/VNN/VNS/SGGP/VOV/NDO/Dtinews/SGT/VIR