Two killed in motorbike accident

Two women were run over by a truck on crowded Dien Bien Phu Street in central Da Nang City yesterday.

The women were travelling from Da Nang on a motorbike when they were struck from behind by a light truck. They died instantly.

Police are still investigating the accident.

According to the city, 158 accidents occurred in the first nine months this year, leaving 90 dead and 130 injured.

Viet Nam works to prevent H7N9 spread

After another two people in China were found infected with H7N9, the flu virus strain that spreads via poultry, the General Department of Preventive Medicine on Sunday issued an urgent request to health departments nation-wide to prevent the spread of the virus.

The departments were asked to tighten surveillance on all passengers, vehicles and goods travelling through border gates, report any severe acute respiratory cases and increase patrolling for infected poultry.

According to Doctor Tran Duc Phu, Director of the General Department, China saw 139 H7N9 cases, killing 45 people, since the end of March this year.

Hai Phong to select rector via exams

Northern Hai Phong City will for the first time choose a rector for Tran Nguyen Han High School by means of an examination, said Do Van Loi, representative of the city's Education and Training Department.

There are three candidates for the position: Dong Hoang Hung, vice director of Nguyen Duc Canh High School, Nguyen Minh Quy, vice director of Hai An High School and Nguyen Minh Tien, vice director of Tran Nguyen Han High School.

The candidates will create development plans for the school for the 2013-18 period and to 2023.

Free cleft lip surgeries for children

Operation Smile Vietnam launched a free surgery programme in Ha Noi and south-central province Binh Dinh for Vietnamese children with cleft lips and palates.

All surgery and medicine expenses and part of travelling and meal costs during hospitalisation will be covered by the programme, which will take place in November and December.

The organisation can be reached by calling (08)22221008 (HCM City), (04)39365426 (Ha Noi) or 0904885555 (national hotline).

Ministry moves to restrict addictive cough medicine

Health and educational experts proposed that the Ministry of Health (MoH) place the cough medicine on its list of addictive substances, which would restrict sales to adults with a doctor's prescription.

They made the proposal after learning that students at many junior secondary schools in HCM City were caught using Recotus for recreational purposes.

About 50 students at Khanh Hoi A School in District 4 were caught overdosing on Recotus last school year. Some took six or seven tablets at one time, although the highest recommended dose is four tablets per day.

It was the first of several such busts. In September, a teacher at Tang Bat Ho Junior Secondary School in District 4 found seven female students with 20 tablets. The students said that a stranger advised them to drink the medicine to feel good.

The following month, an administrator at Lu Gia School in District 11 discovered a group of students in grade eight with glassy eyes and speech difficulties. After checking their bags, the supervisor seized the medicine.

Deputy chief inspector from the MoH Bui Duc Phong said an overdose could cause serious side effects, delusions and sudden death.

However, many students were attracted by the cheap price, VND7,000-8,000 (US$0.33-0.38) for 10 tablets, and the prospect of feeling "comfortable and excited," as deputy director of the municipal Department of Education and Training Tran Thi Kim Thanh put it.

"The medicine creates a desirable feeling, so they use it, although they do not understand its consequences," she said.

Director of the Ministry of Education and Training's Department of Student Affairs Ngu Duy Anh said that there was not enough management of private drug stores, while representatives from various schools blamed the problem on the shortage of medical workers in schools.

Only 940 out of nearly 1,700 schools in HCM City have medical workers and only 50 per cent of them are qualified based on MoH regulations.

Principal of Lu Gia School Thai Minh Phu said that the school had distributed information about the medicine's proper usage and joined hands with local police and drug stores to prevent students from buying the medicine.

MoH has issued a circular guiding the use of addictive medicines, although it does not mention children as potential drug abusers.

Revoked land used for social housing

HCM City will use land revoked from suspended projects as well as State-owned land for which transfer-use permission has already been obtained to build more social housing projects, municipal officials have said.

Speaking at a talk show on HCM City Television last Sunday, Nguyen Van Danh, deputy director of the city's Department of Construction, said demand for social housing among the State employees in the city is estimated to rise to at least 17,500 apartments by 2015.

"The city could now meet only 30 per cent of this demand," he said.

The pressure to build social housing will continue to increase as the number of people eligible for it has expanded under new regulations, he said.

Nguyen Thi Quyet Tam, chairwoman of the HCM City People's Council, said situation regarding State-owned land in the city needs to be reviewed.

She said there is no real shortage of State-owned land for social housing projects, but the problem is its management.

There are two additional land sources for social housing projects - land from 150 suspended investment projects; and 100 State-owned land lots which have been granted transfer-use permission.

The administration is reviewing the latter source, Huynh Van Thanh, head of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment's Land Use Management Division, said.

In the first quarter of next year, the department will consult the municipal administration about land lots that can be used to build social housing projects, he said.

Nguyen Thanh Toan, deputy director of the city's Department of Planning and Architecture, said his department, in collaboration with other relevant agencies, will suggest that the People's Committee petitions the Government to order that all investment projects will have to use 20 per cent of their allotted land for building social housing.

Currently, this stipulation only applies to projects that have an area of more than 10ha.

The city will also petition the Government to allow social housing projects to go beyond the current height of six floors, Toan said.

Participants in the discussion noted that current policies have not succeeded in attracting investment into social housing projects. Difficulties in accessing preferential credit and low profits were discouraging factors, they added.

They also noted that most people wanting to buy social housing units are not able to make a down payment of 20 per cent of their apartments' value because they are not able to get long-term soft loans.

Many participants petitioned the Government to reduce interest rates on loans for social housing projects to lower than the current 6 per cent.

Tran Dinh Cuong, deputy director of the State Bank of Viet Nam's HCM City branch, said it was difficult to reduce the interest rate further because the State Bank has carefully considered the issue before making its decision.

The city plans to build more than 20,000 social housing apartments in 2013-15, according to the Department of Construction. This year, the target is to complete building 11 projects with a total of 3,000 apartments.

In the 2006-10 five-year period, the city completed building 46 social housing projects with a total of about 8,000 apartments, according to the municipal construction department.

Steel flyovers ease HCM City traffic

A number of steel flyovers built recently have helped reduce congestion in HCM City and proven an effective measure to cope with traffic jams.

To date, six steel flyovers have opened to traffic in the city, all of which are located at serious congestion-prone areas, especially during rush hours.

Among those, the Thu Duc flyover, built in July last year, is 570 metres long and 16 metres wide. The four-lane flyover is designed for automobile access only with a maximum speed of 60km per hour.

Another one is Hang Xanh intersection flyover that is located on the existing Dien Bien Phu Street in Binh Thanh District.

The four-lane flyover, which is 390m long and 16m wide, has a designed speed of 40km per hour.

Those two flyovers opened to traffic on the same day, January 27, 2013, one to two months earlier than planned.

The Lang Cha Ca steel flyover was the third opened to traffic on April 30, the Liberation Day.

The flyover is 244m long and 6.5m wide. It has two lanes: one lane for motorbikes and the other for automobiles of under 10 tonnes, both running from Cong Hoa to Hoang Van Thu streets.

Two more steel flyovers opened to traffic on the same day, on August 27.

The two-lane Feb.3-Nguyen Tri Phuong–Ly Thai To flyover in District 10 is more than 388m long and nearly 10m wide, while the two-lane Cong Hoa-Hoang Hoa Tham flyover is 268m long and nearly 10m wide.

The two steel flyovers were finished one month earlier than planned after four months of construction.

The longest steel flyover that opened to traffic most recently, on October 19, is the Cay Go roundabout flyover on Feb. 3 Street.

The Y-shaped flyover is formed by two branches – one branch is 350m long and 12-15.5m wide, connecting with Hong Bang Street, and the other branch is 230m long and 6.5m wide linked to Feb.3 Street.

The Cay Go roundabout flyover was built in five months at a cost of VND339.3 billion ($16.1 million). It plays a key role in reducing traffic as the roundabout is an important gateway that connects the city centre with the southwestern region.

The HCM City Department of Transport said it had thought carefully in choosing the locations for building those six steel flyovers in order to clear major congestion-prone areas in the city.

The department said there would be more steel flyovers built in the future to cope with traffic congestion.

However, many experts have said the steel flyovers are just a temporary solution.

They recommended that besides steel flyovers at intersections, the city develop public transport such as a metro and monorails to deal with traffic congestion, a serious problem in large cities like HCM City and Ha Noi.

Vietnam, Cambodia work to foster religious ties

Deputy Interior Minister and head of the Vietnamese Government’s Committee for Religious Affairs Pham Dung had talks with Cambodian Minister of Cults and Religions Min Khin in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on November 11, agreeing to further their religious ties.

At the event, the two sides exchanged opinions on each country’s religious affairs, reviewed their past cooperation and mulled over measures to enhance their links.

They also put on the table amendments and supplements to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) inked in 2007 that will be submitted to the Governments for approval.

Under this MoU, Vietnam and Cambodia agreed to maintain their cooperation in religious management; give spiritual, material and technical assistance to each other in order to improve the two managerial bodies’ operations; foster delegation and information exchanges while joining hands to build religious ties with other countries.

During its stay until November 15, the Vietnamese delegation is scheduled to have meetings with King Norodom Sihamoni, Deputy Prime Minister Sar Kheng, Great Supreme Patriarch Tep Vong of the Mohanikaya sect and Supreme Patriarch Bour Kry of the Thomayut Tekanikaya sect.

Justice Index introduced to southern provinces

The report themed Justice Index: Assessment of Distributive Justice and Equality from a Citizen-based Survey in 2012 was introduced to officials from people’s councils and lawyers' associations in southern provinces and cities at a workshop in Can Tho on November 11.

The report is a result of cooperation between the Vietnam Lawyers' Association, the Centre for Community Support Development Studies (CECODES) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The index was built on actual experience of over 5,000 people from a cross-section of society living in 21 provinces and cities across the country. The index captured people’s opinions and assessment of State institutions’ performance in ensuring justice and fundamental rights for citizens.

The Index 2012 looks into five dimensions of the administration of justice and rule of law as perceived and experienced by the people, in particular accessibility, equity, integrity, reliability and efficiency along with a guarantee of fundamental rights.

At the workshop, participants discussed the application of the index in activities of the people’s councils.

Electricity sector overcomes most incidents

Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) on November 11 repaired two 220kV power lines No. 272 and 273 of the Cam Pha Thermal Power Plant, and regenerated electricity to thirteen 110kV lines and one transformer station in the northern province of Quang Ninh, which were damaged by Storm Haiyan.

In the central region, the Central Power Corporation also repaired most power incidents and resumed electricity supply to customers. The remaining 63 transformer stations in Quang Trach and Bo Trach districts in Quang Binh province and five others in Nui Thanh district in Quang Nam province are scheduled to be repaired on November 11.

According to initial reports, 208 transmission lines in the northern provinces of Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Nam Dinh, Thai Binh, Ha Nam , Hung Yen, Lang Son, Bac Ninh and Bac Giang were damaged during the storm. Companies under the Northern Power Corporation (NPC) directed their working groups to check and repair storm-damaged power lines to recover the electricity network as soon as possible.

In Hanoi , 12 damaged medium-voltage power lines were also repaired in the morning of November 11.

NPC said total costs for the repair are estimated at 1.6 billion VND. The corporation has mobilised all workers and means to repair all electrical incidents caused by the typhoon in order to resupply electricity to customers as soon as possible.-

Search launched for missing sailors in Quang Ninh

The border guard force and marine police in the northern coastal province of Quang Ninh are searching for three sailors who went missing in the Bai Tu Long Bay after their ship sank on the night of November 10.

Due to a broken anchor, the ship drifted away from Van Don island where it was taking shelter from typhoon Haiyan and sank. Among four sailors on the ship, only one managed to swim to shore.

Search and rescue force of Cam Pha city also rescued 25 people at sea when their barges anchored at Ben Do wharf were swept away by the typhoon.

Typhoon Haiyan made landfall on Quang Ninh’s shore on early November 11, bringing strong wind and torrential rains.

According to initial reports, nearly 500 houses in the province were unroofed and collapsed, mostly in Van Don, Hai Ha, Tien Uyen and Hoanh Bo districts.-

Russian academician awarded friendship medal

Russian Professor and Academician Nikolai Severtsev has received a Vietnamese Friendship Medal for his contribution to developing science, technology, education and training in Vietnam.

At the presentation ceremony in Moscow on November 11, Bui Thi Thanh, Vice Chairman of Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee handed the medal over to Severtsev with sincere thanks from Vietnamese leaders and people.

Severtsev has engaged in many activities to help tighten Vietnam-Russia ties, especially in national defence. He said he believes bilateral cooperation will continue to develop and flourish in many fields.

His institute has established close ties with Le Quy Don National Technical University to train many Vietnamese experts.

Severtsev has been awarded many noble Russian orders, medals, certificates of merit and many other titles.

He has visited Vietnam for 16 times to help train Vietnamese military technicians, especially the missile and naval fields.

ASEAN Youth Day opens

The 19th ASEAN Youth Day opened in Hanoi on November 12 with the participation of leaders from ASEAN organisations and outstanding youth from ASEAN countries.

The event is under the framework of the ASEAN youth cooperation program taking place in Hanoi and Ha Long City in Quang Ninh province from November 11-15.

Duong Van An, Vice Chairman of the National Committee on Youth of Vietnam said this year’s theme is youth’s solidarity for the prosperous ASEAN community. It highlights the close solidarity within ASEAN and the role of youth in building the ASEAN community by 2015.

An asked the Filipino delegation to convey deep sympathy to their people over the huge losses caused by HaiYan storm. Vietnamese youth always stand by Filipino friends to help them overcome difficulties and hardships, An affirmed.

The event provided a good chance for youth from ASEAN countries to share information, experience and initiatives to promote mutual understanding and cooperation.

A ceremony will be held in the evening of the same day to present the ASEAN Ten Accomplished Youth Organisations (ASEAN TAYO) awards to outstanding organisations and invidividuals.

First invention contest winners named

Winners of the first Vietnam Invention Contest have been announced, with top prize going to a rice combine harvester invented by Pham Hoang Thang from the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho.

Second prize was presented to the Ba Ria-Vung Tau Drainage and Urban Development Co. Ltd. for its wastewater treatment system, while third prize was awarded to Nguyen Vinh Son from Ho Chi Minh City who invented the upside-down ball bearing for motorcycles.

The winning inventions were innovative, widely applicable, socially and economically effective.

The contest was jointly organised by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the World Intellectual Property Organisation and the Vietnam Books of Record Organisation.

It received 146 entries from 100 individuals and teams from southern cities and provinces.

No Vietnamese deaths in Philippines after typhoon Haiyan

The Vietnamese Embassy in the Philippines has not recorded any Vietnamese deaths caused by super typhoon Haiyan, which has almost flattened the country’s central Tacloban city.

According to the embassy, there are currently 1,000 Vietnamese citizens living in the Philippines, with most residing in the capital city Manila, Palawan and Batangas provinces, Luzon and Cebu islands.

Right after the typhoon swept through the country, the embassy began to work with local authorities to check the status of Vietnamese people living in the country.

A working group was formed to connect with the Vietnamese community to keep track of the situation and promptly provide aid and assistance such as essential commodities to distressed Vietnamese people.

On receiving information that Vietnamese people were facing difficulties in Tacloban city, Leyte island province, the embassy did its utmost to contact these persons so as to provide them with relief.

Earlier, it sent diplomatic notes to the host country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Coast Guards and Naval Force to provide information and help Vietnamese fishing boats shelter from typhoon Haiyan.

Haiyan, the most powerful storm of its kind this year in the world, made landfall over central Philippine localities on November 8. Government sources say the typhoon has claimed at least 1,700 lives mostly in Tacloban city and left millions homeless.

Haiyan on early November 11 landed in northern Vietnam, causing heavy rains and strong wind in the region.

Da Lat hosts annual ActionAid meeting

The ActionAid International in Vietnam (AAV) held an annual 2013 partnership meeting in Da Lat City, Lam Dong province, on November 11.

Present at the meeting were representatives of the organization’s long-term partners from 17 provinces in the Northwestern, Central Highlands and Mekong Delta regions.

Operating in Vietnam in 1997, the non-governmental organization has established 19 long-term strategic partnership regions across the country.

With an average budget of £3 million each year, ActionAid Vietnam has carried out projects to improve people’s livelihoods, support sustainable agricultural development, promote gender equality, and mitigate the impact of natural disasters and climate change.

AAV Country Director Hoang Phuong Thao said that in the future her organisation will prioritise reducing the poverty rate in urban areas, adapting to climate change, and increasing the leadership role of youth and other people’s organizations, especially taking into account the role and position of women and girls.

BIDV supports Cambodian flood victims

The Vietnam Bank for Investment and Development (BIDV) has donated US$130,000 as relief aid to help Cambodian people overcome the devastating aftermath of recent floods.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia Ngo Anh Dung, Chairman of BIDV Board of Directors cum Chairman of the Association of Vietnamese Investors in Cambodia (AVIC) Tran Bac Ha, and Cambodian Delegate Minister Sry Thamrong attended a hand-over ceremony in Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh on November 11.

Accordingly, the Bank for Investment and Development of Cambodia (BIDC), a BIDV affiliate, presented US$100,000 to Sok Chenda, Secretary General of the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC), and another US$30,000 to Chau Van Chi, President of the Vietnamese Community Association in Cambodia.

So far, BIDV has donated a total of US$200,000 to Cambodian flood victims.

CDC Secretary General  Sok Chenda thanked BIDV for its assistance, saying that the relief aid contributes to strengthening solidarity and friendship between the two countries as well as giving respite to hundreds of Cambodians in need.

Codex conference on food hygiene and safety

About 250 delegates from international organizations are gathering in Hanoi for the 45th conference of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene.

The November 11-15 agenda includes technical issues relating to the control of epidemics, and in particular parasitic diseases, transmitted through the human consumption of contaminated meat.

Delegates will also discuss trichinosis and the general hygiene standards on spices, dried dill, low-moisture food, and fresh fruit and vegetables.

They will examine new ways to implement more stringent food industry standards and set a date and venue for next year’s conference.

In his opening speech, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long emphasised the importance of food hygiene and safety and reiterated that Vietnam, along with the rest of the world considers it the number one priority within the food industry.

Vietnam, a member of Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH), appreciated the organisation’s activities in protecting consumer health and ensuring the fairness in food trade.

The conference provides an excellent opportunity for Vietnamese and international experts to share information and their experience in establishing food hygiene standards to protect public health, Long said.

The event was organised by the Vietnam National Codex Committee, the Ministry of Health, the Codex Alimentarius Commission, and the Codex Office under the US Department of Agriculture.

Source: VOV/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/Dantri