Worker dies by huge falling rock

A worker was killed on Monday after a rock weighing nearly six tonnes fell on him while he and others were working on ta mining site.

Nguyen Quoc Hung, 31, from Thuan Nam District, worked for the Hung Dai Duong Mineral Exploitation Company. Apparently, the worker and others were trying to lift the rock using a crane and the worker was killed when it unexpectedly fell.

Nghe An works to ensure public safety, order: official

A senior official of the central province of Nghe An stated at a press briefing on September 10 that relevant authorities are working to ensure safety and order in Nghi Phuong commune, Nghi Loc district.

Deputy Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Thai Van Hang said the local police are investigating the disturbance of public order, acts against on-duty officials and illegal detention at Trai Gao parish on August 30 and September 3-4.

Hang said numerous newswire articles and photos have distorted what really happened in the locality, causing misunderstanding among parishioners and inciting them to violate the law.

He also asked the media to cover the situation in a timely, objective, fair and correct manner.-

US backs eyecare for thousands of children About 10,000 primary and secondary students will receive vision screenings with those in need receiving quality eyeglasses under an extended,

U.S.-supported activity launched yesterday in Ha Noi.

Funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development and implemented by Helen Keller International (HKI)-Viet Nam, the project will run through June 2014.

Project staff will also train provincial, district and commune health personnel in vision screening and in the use of necessary equipment to improve eye health.

Denmark helps Vietnam in green growth

Vietnam and Denmark will sign a number of agreements, most of them concerning cooperation in green growth, when State President Truong Tan Sang visits Denmark later this month, Danish ambassador to Vietnam John Nielsen told the Daily last week.

Denmark has been one of the biggest ODA donors to Vietnam in the last two decades with more than US$1.3 billion disbursed to the local areas pertaining to climate change. The non-refundable aid from Denmark however will be terminated by 2015 when bilateral relations are upgraded topolitical and commercial partnership.

Besides signing the agreement on raising bilateral ties to comprehensive strategic partnership, at least 10 other agreements will be struck

during the State President’s visit to Denmark, with half of them determined as trade cooperation agreements in the green growth sector between the two sides’ companies and research institutes.

Vietnam’s economy posts strong growth but lacks sustainability as the country is now facing huge energy consumption demand with poor efficiency and wastewater and waste treatment, Nielsen noted. Therefore, he expects Danish technologies and experiences will help develop

Vietnam’s economy in line with a green growth model.

The application of green solutions to production and consumption will require huge investments, Nielsen said, adding many of the agreements to be signed this time are financial programs aiming to support the Vietnamese Government and local companies with Denmark’s ODA loans.

School projects deteriorating before use

Two costly school projects in Hanoi's Quoc Oai district are lying idle while local teachers are struggling to create classrooms for hundreds of students.

Cong Hoa Secondary School in Quoc Oai district was built in 2010 with a total investment of VND 11.5 billion. However, the school has been left unused for the last three years, while 13 classrooms are showing signs of deterioration, particularly moss-covered walls.

Meanwhile, students here are lacking  study rooms, which means they have to share rooms with other classes, which is annoying local parents and students.

As the new school year starts, teachers here are trying to sub-divide their offices to allow more classroom space for students.

Not far away, Tan Hoa Secondary School is in the same situation. The two-storey school with 10 classrooms which cost VND 4.8 billion to build, was completed  two years ago but is still abandoned, thus serving no students at all.

According to Nguyen Manh Quynh, headmaster of Tan Hoa Secondary School, the project was financed by the communal People's Committee, so they, the school and its headmaster, can only wait.

After investigation, a DTiNews reporter found  that the investors in these two school projects decided not to transfer the schools to teachers because the communal authorities had not yet completed payment of VND 700 million for them.

According to a representative of Tan Hoa Commune's People's Committee, they are still waiting for more money from  Hanoi's central committee to complete payment to the investors.

Tickets abound despite less hydrofoils in service

No undersupply of hydrofoil tickets has been reported even though HCMC authorities have stopped licensing six single-engine hydrofoils to operate on HCMC-Vung Tau route from September 1, according to hydrofoil transportation companies.

Speaking with the Daily last Friday, Tran Quoc Hieu, deputy director of Quang Hung Transportation Co. Ltd (Petro Express), said his firm had seen no ticket shortages since the local authorities banned the operation of single-engine hydrofoils over safety concerns.

The trip departing at 8 a.m. last Friday had only more than 30 passengers on board while on another departing at 10 a.m. there were over 40 passengers, Hieu said.

“The number of hydrofoil passengers has actually fallen since a motor boat accident in Can Gio District last month. Neither passenger overload nor ticket shortage were seen on this year’s National Day holiday like in previous years,” Hieu said.

To check the information, the Daily called Greenlines to order ten tickets to Vung Tau with departure in the morning last Saturday and was told that tickets were still available for departure at 11:30 a.m while the company only operated two trips to Vung Tau on September 7 and 8, one at 7:30 a.m. and the other at 11:30 a.m. as posted on its website.

The Daily phoned VinaExpress to book ten tickets from HCMC to Vung Tau with departure for last Saturday morning and was told by a staff member that the tickets were still available.

There are a total of eight two-engine hydrofoils eligible for carrying passengers on the route and the limited number of hydrofoils has still met local travel demand.

The Ministry of Transport earlier had requested its departments in HCMC, Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Haiphong to suspend granting operating licenses for single-engine hydrofoils from September 1 to ensure waterway transportation safety during the rainy season.

A couple of accidents had happened to single-engine hydrofoils, especially engine breakdowns, according to the transport ministry.

There are three hydrofoil transportation companies in the city operating on HCMC-Vung Tau route with 14 hydrofoils, the city’s transport authority reports. There have been 34 accidents, including two fatal incidents leaving two persons dead. There were 15 incidents triggered by technical failures reported in the first eight months of this year alone.

Aid for Laos

A $3millon boarding school funded by the Government of Viet Nam was handed over to Laos‘s Xieng Khouang Province at a ceremony on Monday. The school includes a laboratory, canteen, multifunctional hall, school headquarters, a dormitory and other amenities. It will help improve the educational infrastructure in Laos.

Seminar discusses corruption fight

Vietnam’s Government Inspectorate, in conjunction with the US Embassy in Vietnam, held a seminar on September 10 to share anti-corruption experience.

Speakers at the event included lawyer Danforth Newcomb, a leading specialist in the field of embezzlement prevention.

Danforth said there are many ways to identify fraudulent actions through emails, messages and other forms of communication, noting that it is extremely important to very carefully collect all the relevant information when investigating corruption cases.

About the need for press agencies to actively join the fight against corruption, the lawyer said that the media must ensure impartiality and take initiative in releasing information related to anti-corruption effort.

They also need to strictly manage their online systems, prevent inaccurate information from being published and establish open forums to correct mistakes and misinformation.

The knowledge and experience shared by Danforth at the event is expected to be a useful reference for the Government Inspectorate in the field.-

Prudential essay writing kicks off in Mekong Delta

The 14th “Prudential - Good Essay, Good Writing” contest was launched in Can Tho city in the Mekong Delta on September 10.

The annual contest is co-organised by the Prudential Life Insurance Company in Vietnam and Sai Gon Giai Phong newspaper with support from the education departments in the delta provinces and cities.

Students from secondary schools in Ho Chi Minh City and 13 regional provinces and cities must get through three rounds of competition in order to reach the final, which is slated to take place in December this year in Tien Giang province.

The contest is recognised by regional educators as a prestigious one as it focuses on nurturing the students’ passion for literature and their love for Vietnam and its people.

Since its debut in 1999, the number of contestants has rapidly increased every year, with over 300,000 taking part in 2012. The figure is expected to be even higher this time around.-

Japanese stomach centre in Hue will help thousands

A Viet Nam - Japan cultural week has been held by the Hue Medical and Pharmacy University in the former imperial city of Hue to celebrate the 40 years of friendship between Viet Nam and Japan.

The highlight of the week, lasting from September 9-14, is the opening of the gastrointestinal endoscopy center in Hue Medical and Pharmacy University.

The centre is expected to benefit thousands of patients in the central region.

Academic delegates from Nagoya University, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Kobe University and Osaka University will take part in events to spotlight the academic cooperation between the two countries.

These also include a photo exhibition, an opening ceremony for a health service centre and two seminars that gather leading Japanese medical scientists and professors.

The seminars aim to promote medical training and research cooperation between the Hue university and its Japanese counterparts.

Japan's Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine has donated four machine systems for advanced diagnosis services: an endoscopic

ultrasound device, a double-balloon endoscope, a gastroscope that can diagnose digestive cancer in its early stages and a trans-nasal endoscopy machine.

These are the newest technologies that "could assist Viet Nam in making its most advanced diagnoses of stomach cancer prevention ever," said associate professor Dr Tran Van Huy, president of the Central Viet Nam Association for Digestive Endoscopy.

Vietnamese doctors have also been sent to Nagoya University for training to run the advanced centres.

Phu Yen TV channel finally up and running

The Phu Yen TV channel launched its official broadcast on UHF channel 37 on Monday to mark the 68th National Day.

It is the last province in the country to have its own local TV station.

In addition to broadcasting national VTV's programmes, Phu Yen TV will also showcase its own programming featuring daily news, features and entertainment with a total broadcasting time of 8.5 hours per day.

The Phu Yen TV channel will use its VND32.6 billion (US$1.5 million) budget to provide information and updates to its people.

RoK provides IT device for Vietnam’s schools

The Global Civic Sharing (GCS) organisation and the Samsung Life Insurance Co., Ltd (SLI) of the Republic of Korea (RoK) will provide computers worth over US$1.3 million for 40 secondary schools in Hanoi and its nearby provinces in a five-year period.

To this effect, an agreement was signed between representatives of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO), GCS and SLI in Hanoi on September 9.

At the signing ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan spoke highly of the RoK companies’ assistance, contributing to training Vietnamese students in information technology in the future.

In his speech, VUFO President Vu Xuan Hong thanked the companies for their support and affirmed that his union will work closely with relevant agencies and localities to effectively implement the project.

Vietnam, Cuba boost broadcasting cooperation

The Cuban Institute of Radio and Television (ICRT) and Radio the Voice of Vietnam (VOV) will increase cooperation in reporter, information, and content exchanges.

A document to this effect was signed in Havana on September 9 (local time) between ICRT and VOV representatives.

Addressing the signing ceremony, VOV Director General Nguyen Dang Tien emphasised the venerable history of Cuban and Vietnamese solidarity.

The Vietnamese people treasure the assistance offered by their Cuban compatriots in their past resistance war for national independence and unification, he said.

Tien recalled ICRT allowed the VOV to use its external broadcasting channel during the fight against American aggressors, reaching an American domestic audience. These programmes were instrumental in revealing the truth of their government’s war to the American people.

Cuban colleagues also helped VOV produce six daily programmes at the height of the conflict.

For his part, ICRT Vice President Guillermo Pavón reiterated his country’s commitment to broadcasting cooperation with VOV, and expressed his belief that the agreement will help deepen mutual understanding between the two peoples.

The VOV delegation, led by its Director General Nguyen Dang Tien, is attending Cuba’s Radio and Television Broadcasting Festival in Cuba over September 9–13.

VOV representatives used their pavilion to introduce Vietnam’s contemporary broadcasting industry.

The delegation also visited the Vietnamese Embassy in Cuba. Ambassador Vu Chi Cong presented VOV representatives with a recorded tape of VOV’s first programme broadcast during the past war and archived with the help of the ICRT.

Int’l pediatric experts provide support to Kon Tum

Kon Tum General Hospital and the International Pediatric Specialists Alliance for the Children of Vietnam (IPSAC) on September 10 signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on children’s healthcare and protection cooperation.

From September 2013 to September 2017, the US-based alliance will help the Kon Tum hospital with pediatric and neonatal surgery, instruct the hospital’s anaesthetists, improve patient care techniques, and conduct further training for hospital staff.

The IPSAC will ensure the General Hospital is properly equipped with surgical instruments, anaesthesia equipment, and care facilities.

Kon Tum General Hospital Director Vo Van Thanh outlined the activities of the IPSAC’s international pediatric experts during their recent visit to the hospital.

Thanh noted 12 pediatric patients have agreed to or requested surgery conducted by IPSAC experts.   

Leader of RoK-Vietnam Friendship Association hornoured

Choi Young Joo, Chairman of the Republic of Korea (RoK)-Vietnam Friendship Association, was awarded Vietnam’s Friendship Order in Hanoi on September 9.

Addressing the event, Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations Chairman Vu Xuan Hong praised Choi Young Joo’s active contribution to strengthening Vietnam-RoK ties of cultural exchange, education, economy-investment cooperation, and charity.

In reply, Chairman Choi Young Joo pledged to do everything possible for the benefit of ever-lasting friendship and cooperation.

Choi Young Joo is now Chairman of the Board of Panko Company located in Binh Duong province. The company has created more than 7,000 jobs for local workers.