Young people prefer Facebook chat to going out with friends
A recent report from Epinion, a Denmark-based market research company, and OMD, a communication agency, showed that Vietnamese young people prefer to stay home and chat with friends on Facebook than meeting outside.
The survey was conducted with 710 people aged from 13 to 21, a new generation born in a digital world with full access to information technology — 50 percent said their most comfortable method of contact with friends is via chat apps and texting, while 30 percent preferred face-to-face meetings, 52 percent said they often watch news and entertainment programmes on YouTube rather than television.
The relative youth of the population in Vietnam helped to place it among the top 20 countries in terms of connectivity, with 33 percent of the population connected to broadband. Young people tend to be the ones who decide Internet or cable packages for their households.
The survey shows young people deeply care about social and political issues, with the Spratly and Paracel dispute with China identified by 77 percent of respondents as most important topic, followed by universal education and gender equality.
Epinion has various agencies worldwide, including Vietnam while OMD Global Communication Company has been named as the world’s most creative media agency by Gunn Report for Media eight times.
Rare white tigress gives birth to 3 cubs at Saigon zoo
For the first time, a pair of Canada-imported white tigers in captivity at the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden have given birth to three healthy cubs.
Lem and Luoc, the parent tiger and tigress which are being raised at the zoo in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, conceived and were delivered of the three healthy cubs.
Like their parents, the young cuddly tigers boast creamy white coatings with black stripes.
They weigh 3.6-4.1 kilograms almost a month after birth.
In 2009, the parents, aged around two then, were transported to the Ho Chi Minh City zoo from the Elmvale Jungle Zoo, which is located in Ontario, Canada.
The two members of the rare big cat family were not fruitfully bred until now.
The parent tigers and their litter belong to the magnificent Bengal Tiger breed, or Panthera tigris.
The variety, the second largest of all living tiger sub-species, is the only one of the six existing tiger sub-species that occurs in different color variations in the wild, according to cougarmountainzoo.org.
The Bengal Tiger is indigenous to India and Bangladesh and rarely seen in the wilderness.
The white tiger is a Bengal cat that has mutated genes, meaning that it is white in color with black stripes, the a-z-animals.com website said.
The imposing cats are verging on extinction.
The world is currently home to only around 2,300 white tigers, most of which are raised in captivity in zoos.
Earlier, the Ho Chi Minh City zoo had successfully bred Indochinese tigers, or Panthera tigris corbetti, which is another tiger sub-species dispersed throughout the Indochina region of Southeast Asia.
The five young tigers born from the breeding, which don a yellow coating with black stripes, are currently tended to at the Saigon Safari Park in the outlying district of Cu Chi, some 50 kilometers from downtown Ho Chi Minh City.
Cat Linh-Ha Dong railway construction to be expedited
Transport Minister Dinh La Thang has said the construction of the Cat Linh-Ha Dong Railway Project should be speeded up so that commercial operations could begin by June 30, 2016.
Thang said at a meeting, held to review the progress of the urban skytrain project in Ha Noi on Thursday, that the Cat Linh-Ha Dong Railway Project Management Unit and contractors must adopt measures to help road users avoid the risk of accidents.
Le Kim Thanh, general director of the Railway Project Management Unit, said about 58 per cent of the project has been completed so far and 50 per cent of the project’s cost has been disbursed.
However, he said the implementation of the project faced difficulties relating to engineering, procurement and construction contracts, as well as the total estimated cost, the extension of time for preferential loan disbursement, and the setting up and approval of technical designs, manufacture of trains and purchase of equipment.
Deputy Transport Minister Nguyen Hong Truong said the ministry has asked the main contractor to speed up the construction process and make necessary adjustments after a number of incidents occurred on the project. Accordingly, the installment of 806 concrete blocks must be finished before January 31 next year; the construction of 10 stations will be basically completed before December 31 this year; the building of Cat Linh and Belt 3 stations must be done before March 31 next year; and the construction of the model La Khe station must be completed before October 15, 2015.
To speed up the project’s progress, the transport ministry would send a group of people to work with the China Railway Sixth Group — the project’s main contractor — to check the preparation of model trains before transporting them to Viet Nam, Transport Minister Thang said.
The Cat Linh-Ha Dong urban railway project broke ground on October 2011, and was expected to be finished by the end of 2015, with the trial phase set to begin in January 2016. But it has been delayed due to obstacles in site clearance and capital adjustment.
It was originally set to cost US$552 million, but that was revised to $892 million.
The 13km project will have 12 stations and a depot. It will stretch from Cat Linh Street in Dong Da District to Yen Nghia Bus Station in Ha Dong District.
Monorail model to be completed
The model of a monorail for the Cat Linh–Ha Dong urban railway project should be completed before October 15, Thanh said.
When the monorail model is opened to the public, people can view it and give feedback before all the trains are completed.
Comments on the model of the La Khe station, which is one of the 12 stations along the railway lane, are also being welcomed.
Thirteen trains will run on the railway line, with four carriages each. The cost of manufacturing these trains is US$63 million.
So far, 37 train drivers have taken training courses. More train drivers will be selected for the second and third round of training, to meet the demand.
The issues of construction safety and environment sanitation have been dealt with, Thanh said.
The builders were no longer facing problems with site clearance at all stations, and, therefore, the construction could be expected to be conducted as per schedule, Thanh said.
Police seize bullets smuggled on bus
Traffic police team in Thang Binh District seized a box of 478 bullets that was being transported from Da Nang to Binh Dinh Province on Saturday.
Captain Le Minh Man, deputy head of traffic police team in Thang Binh, said the team stopped the 16-seater bus in Dien Ban Town, 30km south of Da Nang.
The driver said he had been given the wooden box by two men in Hoa Vang District in Da Nang, but he did not know what it contained.
Commodities are often sent by shuttle buses from Da Nang to Binh Dinh, crossing through the provinces of Quang Nam and Quang Ngai.
Fines to rise for river mining
The ministry is pondering raising fines to end illegal mining activities along inland waterways, the Ministry of Transport said yesterday.
Under current regulations, violations for exploiting sand, gravel or other minerals will be fined VND10-40 million (US$463-$1,850).
The draft decree suggests that the minimum fine for illegally exploiting sand, gravel and minerals will be VND15 million ($694).
The ministry also proposed penalty rates for companies not following regulations on dredging sand should be lifted to VND20-35 million ($926-$1,620).
Those deliberately creating obstacles within the water lanes or using explosives that affect the safety of waterway transport or other works would be fined VND50-60 million ($2,310-2,780).
Companies violating regulations on mining sand and gravel could have their business licences revoked for three to six months and have their vehicles confiscated as well.
In recent years, although many drastic measures have been adopted by authorities, illegal extraction along Viet Nam’ rivers continues.
The ministry is collecting opinions for the draft decree on its website.
Collapse of illegal tin mine kills two
Police are investigating the cause of the collapse of an illegal tin mine, which killed two miners in this province’s Lac Duong District, Central Highland, the district People’s Committee said.
The mine, located in Zone 140, under the supervision of the Da Nhim Forest Management Unit, reportedly collapsed yesterday, killing Nguyen Thanh Vu, 24, and Le Thuong Thu, 21, from the central Quang Nam Province. Rescuers managed to pull one miner out from under the rubble and retrieved the bodies of the deceased.
Despite the local authority’s efforts to shut down illegal mining operations, more than ten of these mines continued to run. Pham Trieu, chairman of the district People’s Committee, said illegal miners often hid in the forest when the authorities came and returned to their sites later.
The collapsed mine was among the sites that had previously been sealed by the local authority. Miners had recently returned to the site and broken in to dig for tin when the incident took place.
The authority has launched an investigation to determine the cause of the incident.
Vietnam launches portal for transport projects
The Transport Engineering Construction and Quality Management Bureau, under the Ministry of Transport, has launched a portal to better manage transport projects.
The portal will provide information on transport projects, including designs, investment details, the selection of contractors and project management units.
Available at cucqlxd.gov.vn, the sites provide all information on the implementation of projects under construction; the ranking of project management units; and details on contractors and the quality and progress of projects. Work safety initiatives and “green” practices applied during construction will also be recorded on the site.
It also includes the names of people who are authorised to manage and track issues that need to be settled.
Tran Xuan Sanh, Head of the bureau, said besides publicising information, the portal also acts as a forum for information exchange between people and enterprises, or between voters and construction management agencies.
All petitions related to the bureau’s operations will be answered online, he said.
Speaking at the inauguration, Transport Minister Dinh La Thang asked the bureau to operate the portal with a view to meeting people’s demands. The portal should link to the ministry’s other portals to provide accurate and timely information to residents as quickly as possible.
Billboards on Nhat Tan Bridge to be removed
The Ha Noi People’s Committee today said all billboards on Nhat Tan Bridge and on the route from the bridge to Noi Bai International Airport would be removed.
Vice-Chairman of the committee Nguyen Quoc Hung has asked the Ha Noi Transport Department to coordinate with relevant agencies to remove the billboards, including banners and plinths.
The announcement came after the committee’s discussion with a Japanese vice-ambassador.
The Nhat Tan Bridge is of great economic, political and social significance as it connects Ha Noi to industrial parks in the north, helps complete belt road No 2 and reduces the distance between the capital city and Noi Bai International Airport. The funds for constructing the bridge came from the Japan Bank for International Co-operation and the Vietnamese government.
The People’s Committee also asked the Japanese embassy to recommend Japanese or Ha Noi-based advertisement agencies to design new billboards for Nhat Tan Bridge and for the route from the bridge to Noi Bai.
This is aimed at maintaining urban beauty and traffic safety.
HCM City’s rural roads ready by 2020
Ho Chi Minh City authorities plan to complete construction of the rural transport network in five outlying districts by 2020.
Construction of the main roads and bridges in the districts’ communes has been completed, after six years of implementation under the National Programme of Building New Rural Areas.
All commune-level roads in Cu Chi, Binh Chanh, Hoc Mon, Nha Be and Can Gio districts have been either asphalted or cemented.
The remaining roads to be built are in hamlets. They will connect to the larger main roads in the communes.
The road system has greatly benefited local residents and businesses.
At least 100 households, for example, in an area in Hamlet 1 in Binh Chanh district’s Phong Phu commune no longer depend on boats to travel.
They can now use the Xom Go bridge, which was built in 2013. Prior to the construction, the Xom Lo area in Hamlet 1 had been isolated when there were heavy rains, according to a local resident.
The time to travel from Xom Lo to Phong Phu commune’s central area has fallen from an hour to 20 minutes.
Nguyen Van Truong, Deputy Chairman of the Binh Chanh District People’s Committee, said the rural road network would eventually have connections to roads in the central city as well as other outlying districts. In Can Gio district’s Ly Nhon commune, which is HCM City’s farthest rural district, roads have been built to hamlets and fields, facilitating the transport of agriculture produce.
Duong Minh Hoang, whose family produces salt in Ly Nhon’s Ly Thai Buu hamlet, said: “Thanks to the construction of roads that link to fields, vehicles can travel to the fields to transport salt. My family no longer has to carry salt on a shoulder pole.”
Under the national programme to build new rural areas, the city has built and upgraded more than 1,500 rural roads with a total length of more than 1,100km.
It has also built 18 new large bridges and upgraded 512 bridges on district-level roads.
The cost of building roads and bridges came from various sources, including the state budget, investors and local residents.
Le Thanh Liem, Deputy Chairman of municipal People’s Committee, said that HCM City was one of the few localities in the country that had fulfilled all the transportation criteria required under the national new rural area programme.
The city has received warm support from local residents in implementing the programme, he said.
Local residents donated more than 124 ha of land and labour days to help build roads in the five outlying districts.
Hai Phong canal poses threat to residents
People in Dau Vu Commune in Kien An district in northern Hai Phong City have complained that a polluted drainage canal running through the area is threatening their lives.
Part of the main city drainage system, the canal receives a large amount of solid and liquid waste every day.
“This has led to contamination for the past two decades,” a local authority official said.
Chairman of the People’s Committee of Van Dau Commune, Vu Van Phuong, told Hai Phong Newspaper waste water from nearby residential areas of Phu Lien, Van Dau and Tran Thanh Ngo ran into the canal.
One section running through Dau Vu is at the end of the canal so waste water and solid waste deposits gradually accumulate and can escape.
Hundreds of households in the district are living with the stench, he added.
“More seriously, waste discharged from local industrial production and daily life are adding more to the contamination of the canal,” a villager said.
“In Dau Vu village, for example, there are five noodle-making households discharging untreated waste water into the drain, contributing to the sour odor and thick scum. On hot days, the smells is unbearable, people here have to close the doors 24/24″, said Tran Thai Quy, a villager from Hamlet 2.
What worried people in Dau Vu commune the most was the bad effects of the pollution on children’s health.
Nguyen Thi Thuy, a mother of a child suffering from an inhalation disease said the stench was very strong, especially in summer. “We have to evacuate our children to relatives’ houses in other areas when the stink gets too high,” he said..
Hai Phong residents have repeatedly sent petitions to authorities, but the problem remains.
People in the village stretch canvas on the water to keep the smell in or hang nets to prevent flies and mosquitoes from entering houses.
“Hai Phong has currently no appropriate sewerage system,” said Dr. Hoang Ngoc Tuan, former director of Hai Phong Department of Science and Technology.
Urban areas had one common sewage network, collecting and transporting overflows from septic tanks, gray water, rainwater then discharging it all directly into canals. In addition, people’s low awareness also contributes to the destruction of canals in Hai Phong.
Tuan said the city needed to build waste-water collection systems in all channels, lakes and construct waste-water treatment plants. It also needed to dredge, collect sludge and use microbiological methods to improve water quality in canals.
However, sometimes after waste has been collected, people threw their garbage in again, said Nguyen Minh Tuan, general director of Hai Phong Drainage Ltd.
“If people do not join hands, canals will never be revived”, said he.
Coordination programme to promote insurance coverage expansion
The Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) and the Vietnam Social Security (VSS) should devise a coordination programme to popularise legal regulations on social insurance and encourage people to join the social welfare network, said Politburo member and VFF President Nguyen Thien Nhan.
At a working session with the VSS in Hanoi on August 7, Nhan said he hopes the two sides will hasten preparations towards signing a coordination programme framework as early as mid-September this year.
He said though the target of over 80 percent of the population buying medical insurance is feasible, it will be challenging to have 50 percent of the total labourers join social insurance by 2020.
A VSS report revealed that the number of people applying for social, health and unemployment insurances have been on the rise over recent years. By late June 2015, those covered by health insurance totalled 65.2 million (or 71.9 percent of the population) while unemployment insurance users numbered 9.85 million.
However, only 11.66 million people bought compulsory social insurance, accounting for some 20 percent of those mandated to buy this kind of insurance.
A number of problems are impeding the expansion of insurance coverage, including employers dodging paying employee premiums and insurance fraud at medical facilities.
At the event, VSS General Director Nguyen Thi Minh called for stronger VFF participation in encouraging people to buy social and health insurance and monitoring the implementation of health insurance policies at major hospitals.-
Quang Tri continues World Vision efforts to improve local living conditions
The People’s Committee of Vinh Linh district in central Quang Tri province pledged to continue the World Vision’s efforts to ensure social welfare activities across the locality.
A document to this effect was signed by local authorities and the World Vision on August 7 in Ho Xa town, Vinh Linh district.
The district will continue the organisation’s efforts in reforming teaching methods at nursery and primary schools, facilitating access to education for disabled children, promoting reading activities and improving educational infrastructure facilities.
Publicity campaigns will be promoted to raise community awareness of accidents, child rearing and public health.
The locality also committed to push the application of advanced technology in agricultural production and animal farming while ensuring financial assistance for disadvantaged residents.
The World Vision-funded project, carried out in 11 communes in the district since 2000, aimed to promote agricultural production to raise incomes for local residents in the long run.
The project has benefited more than 25,800 people with total investment of 153 billion VND (7.1 million USD), bringing the poor household rate to 5.64 percent in 2015 from 24.2 percent in 2000.
It has also helped reduce the rate of malnourished children to 9.1 percent from 36.1 percent and ensured water supply for 94.7 percent.
Some 57.9 percent of out-of-school local children aged between 15-18 received vocational training through the project.-
Indian business chamber calls for participation in HCM City blood drive
The Indian Business Chamber in Vietnam (INCHAM) is encouraging both expats and Vietnamese to join the Blood Donation Camp 2015 in Ho Chi Minh City in the middle of this month.
The event, to be organized in cooperation with the Ho Chi Minh City Red Cross, will take place from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm on August 16 at the Youth Culture House, at 4 Pham Ngoc Thach Street, District 1.
The INCHAM is a body that represents Indian businesses in Vietnam.
Besides business promotion activities, the INCHAM also holds various charity and cultural exchange events in the Southeast Asian country, such as the Blood Donation Camp.
“By organizing the blood drive, we are trying to contribute our bit and to spread the positive message to donate blood. We consider donating blood is a social responsibility; it is a healthy practice and a profound gesture, wherein one can make a difference between life and death,” the INCHAM said in a recent press release.
“We realize that every moment someone in distress needs blood. She or he may be a cancer patient, someone who needs the vital fluid after childbirth/surgery, or a victim of an accident. Unfortunately, many such patients are not lucky to receive blood in time, with potentially fatal consequences,” the release reads.
The Ho Chi Minh City Red Cross says that those eligible to donate blood must be in good health, weighs at least 45kg, and is 18 years or older.
A foreign donor holds a donor card after donating blood at the INCHAM Blood Donation Drive 2014, which was organized in Ho Chi Minh City on August 17, 2014.
Donating blood has many proven health benefits, as it is linked to a reduction in heart attack rates and cholesterol levels, and regular blood donation also reduces the risk of cancer, according to the Ho Chi Minh City Red Cross.
Besides these, it also offers the donors a chance for free health screening and blood testing for some major maladies, which are potentially fatal, the society said.
The Ho Chi Minh City Red Cross will issue a donor card and undertake to give an equal amount of blood donated free of charge in a situation where the donor needs it, and this card does not have any time limitation.
The INCHAM said that to make this important humanitarian initiative a great success, both expats and Vietnamese should participate in it and persuade their colleagues, friends and family members to donate blood as well.
The 2014 blood drive, also held by the INCHAM in collaboration with the Ho Chi Minh City Red Cross, was attended by over 300 donors, including Indians, other expats, and their Vietnamese friends.
Disabled kids in Son La receive free surgery
About 200 children with disabilities in the northwestern mountainous province of Son La have benefited from a five–day free operation programme that runs through August 8.
Their surgery has been performed by leading doctors from the Son La General Hospital and major central hospitals such as Vietnam-Germany, Saint Paul and the national institutes of burns and ophthalmology.
The programme is sponsored by the Medical Committee of the Netherlands-Vietnam’s Disability Programme and the Son La Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.
Ceremony marks VN’s 15-year presence in Berlin beer festival
In the framework of the Berlin International Beer Festival, a ceremony to mark 15 years of Vietnam’s participation in the festival was organised in Berlin on August 7.
Addressing the event, Nguyen Xuan Hung, Director of the Asia Sky Tours JSC – the organiser, said – this year is the 15th consecutive year Vietnamese beer producers have brought their products to the festival.
Trade Counsellor of the Vietnamese Embassy to Germany Nguyen Huu Trang underlined the significance of the event, which was held on the occasion of the 40 th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Eberhard Schollmeier, who always backs the promotion of Vietnamese beer at the festival, said he values Vietnam’s specialities, especially beer, introduced in the recent festivals.
On the occasion, Asia Sky Tours also coordinated with a number of units in organising a progamme introducing Vietnamese cultures to international friends.
The three-day festival, which began on August 7, is expected to lure around 800,000 visitors.
Finance Ministry learn asset management experience
A delegation from the Ministry of Finance led by Deputy Minister Nguyen Huu Chi visited Australia and New Zealand from July 31 to August 8 to learn State asset management experience.
During the visit, the Vietnamese delegation and Australian and New Zealand agencies exchanged experience in the management of transport and social infrastructure.
They discussed the way the private sector takes part in developing health and education infrastructure as well as incentive policies to encourage the sector to involve in private-public projects.
Decentralisation in asset management, public procurement and the construction of administrative areas were also tabled.
Deputy Minister Nguyen Huu Chi told the Vietnam News Agency that information from the trip would serve as a foundation for Vietnam to draft a law on State asset management in upcoming time.
State leader pays working visit to Nghe An
President Truong Tan Sang has requested Nghe An province to accelerate the application of science and technology in industrial production, and develop concentrated agricultural production models in order to become an economic centre of the northern central region.
While meeting with local authorities on August 8 as part of his visit to Nghe An, the President acknowledged the province’s socio-economic development achievements, with per capita income expected to reach 29 million VND (1,329 USD) in 2015.
The new-style rural area building campaign has been implemented widely, with infrastructure facilities improved. In the first half of this year, Nghe An granted and adjusted investment licences to 107 projects worth over 33 trillion VND (1.52 billion USD).
However, the State leader asked the province to maintain focus on vocational training to develop a skilled workforce, as this is an important element during the industrialisation process.
It is necessary for Nghe An to efficiently use official development assistance (ODA) loans and avoid inappropriate investments and wastefulness, and connect more closely with other localities and businesses to make it strong enough for integration.
As a border locality, Nghe An should also pay more attention to improving the lives of locals and preventing migration, he added.
The same day, the State leader attended the second congress of the Nghe An association of former revolutionary prisoners, during which he requested local authorities to continue assistance for the families of former revolutionary prisoners, who are living in disadvantaged circumstances.
On August 7, the State leader joined National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and NA Vice Chairman Uong Chu Luu to attend the inaugural ceremony of the Truong Bon historical site in My Son commune, Do Luong district.
Addressing the ceremony, President Sang recalled unforgettable events from the war time in Truong Bon, a key transport hub from the north to the south where over 1,200 officers, soldiers, volunteers, transport workers and militia sacrificed their lives to ensure the transportation of aid to the southern front, contributing to the liberation of the south and national unification.
He noted the relic site’s significance in paying tribute to the fallen heroes for national independence and freedom and educating young generations on the nation’s patriotic and resilient tradition for the country’s prosperity and immortality.
He also offered incense at the Kim Lien relic site in Nam Dan district, which is late President Ho Chi Minh’s hometown.
PR training workshop for Ha Long Bay preservation project
A public relations training workshop for the Ha Long – Cat Ba alliance project was held in Hanoi on August 7-8.
The event was to provide public relations skills and knowledge for the project, which is operated by the Centre for Marinelife Conservation and Community Development (MCD) from 2014-2017.
Funded by the United States Agency for International Development, the project aims to involve the public, business community, local authorities and non-governmental organisations in initiatives promoting cooperation in preserving and sustainably tapping values of Ha Long Bay, said MCD Director Nguyen Thu Hue.
According to a 2014 report that Quang Ninh provincial People’s Committee submitted to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, Ha Long Bay is being threatened by tourism overload and water pollution due to mining and aquaculture activities in coastal areas.
Initially, about 100 locals living in need were chosen to pilot an eco-friendly livelihood method and involve in a sustainable aquaculture value chain. They later shared their experience with about 300 others to improve their livelihoods.
Around 90,000 local residents have been informed about the project via media campaigns.
The project is to realise a comprehensive master plan on Quang Ninh socio-economic development, aiming to turn the province into an industrialised, service and international tourism centre by 2020.
HIV/AIDS efforts save 150,000 people
On August 7 the Vietnam Administration of HIV/AIDS Control (VAAC) under the Ministry of Health held a conference entitled “Communication on HIV-AIDS Prevention in 2015″.
Deputy General Director of VAAC, Mr. Hoang Dinh Canh, addressed the conference on the prevention and fight against HIV/AIDS in 2015. Since the first HIV case was identified in Ho Chi Minh City in 1990, by June 2015 the number of people who were HIV-positive was 227,144, of which 71,115 people developed AIDS. There were 74,442 fatalities from disease. Some 260,000 HIV-positive people are now living in the community.
Mr. Canh also highlighted that the care and treatment of HIV/AIDS has seen major achievements over the last ten years. By June 2015 the number of HIV-positive people who had been treated with antiretroviral (ARV) drugs reached 96,000, a significant increase from 500 people in 2004. The care and treatment of HIV/AIDS has been actively expanded and integrated into the general health system and decentralized to local health care facilities to ensure sustainability, increase accessibility, and reduce travel costs while enhancing treatment adherence among patients.
Fifty per cent of districts in the country have treatment facilities for HIV/AIDS and 500 medical aid stations have allocated ARV for patients. ARV treatment not only significantly reduced the number of AIDS deaths annually but also decreased the possibility of HIV transmission to others to approximately 95 per cent. Activities in Vietnam prevented nearly 150,000 people from dying from AIDS in the 2001-2015 period.
To further curb the disease local authorities and related departments and ministries need to direct and organize the implementation of HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention programs.
Work starts on kindergarten in Ly Son island
Work started on the construction of a kindergarten in Ly Son island district, central Quang Ngai province on August 8.
The project, including a two-storey building with four classrooms, was built at a total cost of 5.3 billion VND.
Of the amount, some 2 billion VND (91,700 USD) was sponsored by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) via the programme “Nghia tinh Hoang Sa, Truong Sa” (Love for Hoang Sa, Truong Sa archipelagos) and 2.2 billion VND (100,500 USD) was sourced from the People’s Committee of central Quang Ngai province while the remaining was donated by lecturers of Ton Duc Thang University in Ho Chi Minh City.
Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony, VGCL President Dang Ngoc Tung said the project aims to offer children on Ly Son island better childcare facilities and helps grow them into good citizens.
Tung also presented the Ly Son kindergarten an audio system and an electronic organ, worth 26 million VND.-
Security guards skate for faster patrol in downtown Ho Chi Minh City
Security guards for the Nguyen Hue pedestrian street, a new get-together destination in Ho Chi Minh City’s downtown area, are now rolling along on wheels, astonishing and intriguing both domestic and international tourists.
Members of the security team tasked with ensuing safety for the walking street in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City now travel to and fro on roller skates for faster patrol.
Robert Sura, 32, and his family from the UK was very impressed seeing the security guards in skating shoes.
Sura has previously police rollerblading in Europe, but this is the first time he saw security people skating in an Asian city, the tourist said while asking to take photos with the guards on roller skates.
Members of the security team in Ho Chi Minh City’s Nguyen Hue pedestrian street for faster patrol
While it normally takes around five minutes to cover the 600m area he is in charge of, Vu Minh Truong, 22, now needs much shorter time thanks to the skating shoes.
His teammate, Nguyen Tan Thai, said he would never forget the first time he practiced the sport, when his legs suffered terrible pains.
“But I got improved after two weeks, and can now perform fluent moves,” the 27-year-old confidently said of his ability to quickly handle such situations as robbery or pickpocket.
Truong and Thai are among 15 members of a team, including two women, who have practiced roller skating for nearly two months before officially using the skating shoes for patrol, Nguyen Thanh Tuyen, head of the city’s tourist protecting force, revealed.
The patrol team can handle situations faster and more effectively when skating than they do when walking, he said.
Those with advanced skating skills will conduct patrols in other places in the downtown areas such as the Ben Thanh night market, the Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica, the Saigon Central Post Office and the Reunification Palace, the official added.
Support activities for AO victims nationwide
A detoxification house in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai has treated 33 Agent Orange/dioxin victims and members of the public after two months of operation.
The first facility of its kind has two rooms that seat 24 clients and uses imported equipment.
Before and after each treatment session, which lasts 21 consecutive days, clients are offered health check-ups and vitamin and mineral drinks.
On August 9, the Association for Agent Orange/Dioxin victims of the central city of Da Nang held a number of activities to mark the Day for Vietnamese Agent Orange/Dioxin victims (August 10).
These included performances, folk games, and culinary activities. The organising board presented gifts and financial support for five families of Agent Orange/dioxin victims.
On August 6, the Ho Chi Minh City War Remnants Museum, the Peace Committee and the Cultural Heritage Association met and presented gifts to 100 AO suffers in the city.
In the northern province of Thai Binh, which 34,000 AO victims call home, authorities have provided welfare support for 22,000 of them.
The provincial AO/Dioxin victims association has recently opened vocational training courses for victims and their relatives.
This year, it opened industrial sewing and weaving classes in Thai Thuy and Tien Hai districts, attracting 270 trainees.
Additionally, a project to improve the health of AO/dioxin victims by the Hubbard method has benefited numerous sufferers.
On the occasion, more than 19,000 AO victims have received gifts, each worth 200,000 – 300,000 VND (9.17-13.76 USD).
Since late 2011, 1,200 victims in Thai Binh have undergone the detoxification process, lasting 22-24 days.
In the southern province of Dong Nai, the provincial Association of Victims of AO/dioxin donated over 300 million VND (13,800 USD) to 630 victims in need living in 11 districts and communes.
Since its establishment, the association has raised almost 40 billion VND (1.84 million USD) for house construction, capital and scholarships for those affected by the toxic agent.
About 1,800 war revolutionaries and their relatives exposed to the toxic chemical are entitled to monthly State subsidies.
Dong Nai was the hardest-hit by AO with 13,000 exposed to the chemical, more than 8,000 of which are sufferers.
Areas around Bien Hoa airport and its vicinity are still contaminated with the toxin.
On the occasion of the Day for Vietnamese AO/Dioxin victims, the Vietnam Association for Agent Orange/Dioxin Victims held medical check-ups and treatment, presented gifts and financial support for the victims in Dong Ha city, Quang Tri province.
Nam Dinh province received more than 20,000 USD donated by individuals and organisations in and outside the province to support the livelihood of 158 victims and their families.-
ASEAN Economic Community boosts labour growth in Vietnam
Vietnam will be one of the countries benefiting greatly from the ASEAN Economic Community, scheduled to be formed at the end of this year, in terms of employment growth and labour productivity improvement, an official said at a recent workshop in Hanoi.
Thai Phuc Thanh, deputy head of the Bureau of Social Protection under the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA), said that once the community is established, ASEAN may become the most dynamic economic area with fast growth and strong economic structure transformation, which leads to a change in employment structure towards a decrease in the percentage of the labour force in agriculture and an increase in the percentage of the labour force in industry and services.
The number of additional jobs generated in Vietnam is predicted to rise, around 6 million of jobs by 2025 or 9.5 percent of the total jobs created in ASEAN.
The country is also forecast to see a rise in labour productivity. However, Thanh said, the increase rate is not fair, focusing on the industrial sector.
Vietnam will also face a high risk of brain drain when qualified workers go elsewhere for better working conditions and payment, he added.
Experts stated that the formation of the ASEAN Economic Community will cause a severe competition in labour. Vietnamese workers cannot compete with others in the region unless their professional qualification, foreign languages and soft skills are improved.
According to deputy head of the Institute for Vocational Studies Nguyen Quang Viet, at present, most of Vietnam’s vocational training certificates are not recognised in the region and the world.
As such, MoLISA is working with the Ministry of Education and Training in designing a national vocational qualification framework, based on the ASEAN Qualifications Reference Framework and other frameworks of developed countries around the world.
The framework will help mutual recognition of professional qualification between Vietnam and other ASEAN member countries and the international community, facilitating the transfer of labourers and students.
At the workshop, participants also discussed how to fine-tune laws on labour, employment, migrant workers, and social welfare, and to connect information on labour market with other countries in the region.-
Millennial development goals for improved wellbeing
Active implementation of UN millennial development goals (MDGs) in Vietnam has significantly raised local living standards, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen The Phuong said at a consultation workshop held in Hanoi on August 7.
Despite economic difficulties, the Government and relevant agencies have dedicated substantial resources to enhance education and health care in the last 15 years, especially for women and children, and to alleviate poverty.
Accordingly, Vietnam realised the poverty alleviation target ahead of schedule with the population rate living below the poverty line reducing to 14.5 percent in 2008 and to 9.8 percent in 2013 from 58 percent in 1993.
The nation has universalised primary education and is striving to gain similar results with secondary education.
Vietnam has demonstrated its continual support for gender equality with the highest number of female national assembly members in the region.
The country has also made the MDGs part of its socio-economic development master plan from 2011-2015, focusing on assisting impoverished localities, upgrading infrastructure and adapting to climate change, among others.
Vietnam’s progress in fulfilling the goals can serve as a model for other nations, said UN Resident Coordinator Pratibha Mehta.
Through accumulated experience, Vietnam ought to enhance coordination with different organisations and partners as well as boost collaboration between implementation agencies and local residents, and between domestic and international experts, she noted.
Vietnam helps Cambodia build army camp
The Information and Communications High Command of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) inaugurated a Vietnamese-funded army camp at its headquarters on August 7.
The camp is built on a 1,000 square metres land plot and includes facilities to serve local personnel’s training and daily life.
At the inauguration ceremony, RCAF Deputy Supreme Commander General Mok Sarun said he appreciates the Vietnam Defence Ministry’s assistance towards the Cambodian military force.
According to him, the newly inaugurated building reflects the friendship and close cooperation between the two countries’ armies and contributes to cementing the two nations’ traditional ties.
Under a protocol signed between the Vietnamese and Cambodian defence ministries, Vietnam will continue to assist Cambodia with military capacity building, technological equipment, and 4 million USD for basic construction in 2015.
Mass mobilisation commission head meets OVs in New York
Ha Thi Khiet, Head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Mass Mobilisation, worked with the Vietnamese permanent delegation to the United Nations and met with representatives of the Vietnamese community in New York on August 6.
Khiet lauded efforts of the Vietnamese permanent delegation to the UN and Vietnamese representative agencies in New York for performing tasks, including community work.
She urged staff to further disseminate guidelines of the Vietnamese Party towards overseas Vietnamese.
Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN said that close to 29,000 overseas Vietnamese are earning their livelihoods in New York. The number of Vietnamese settling in the US city has been increasing over the past 10 years.
Younger Vietnamese have also established a youth association in New York to host various programmes to connect Vietnamese students in the society.
She said community work will be step up to encourage Vietnamese expatriates to contribute to national construction and development.
Hoa Binh preserves Vietnam-Laos friendship relic site
The People’s Committee of northern mountainous Hoa Binh province hosted a workshop on August 7 to discuss ways to preserve a relic site proving the Vietnam-Laos friendship located in the locality.
The relic, located in Cham Mat ward, Hoa Binh city was where political training classes and preparations for the second Congress of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party took place in 1971 and 1972.
It has been recognised as a national relic site for its outstanding historical values related to the Vietnam-Laos relationship.
At the event, the committee urged relevant bodies to plant markers to protect the relic site and erect a stele introducing it.
It is also necessary to collect documents determining the size and architecture of the site while maintaining its original values, the committee stressed.
The workshop, which drew the participation of the Lao envoy to Vietnam and experts, aimed to raise awareness among the younger generations of the traditional friendship and solidarity between Vietnam and Laos during their past struggles for liberation and the current nation building.
Rural road lit up in Bac Ninh
Once dark and dangerous, a rural road in the northern province of Bac Ninh’s Hoai Thuong commune is now equipped with a lighting network.
With costs exceeding 200 million VND (9,216 USD), 10.5 kilometres of the road have been lit up, contributing to safer transportation in the locality, which is attributed to a project initiated by Canon Vietnam Co. Ltd.
Michio Motohashi, Deputy Director General of the company, shared that the village road lighting project is part of Canon Vietnam’s social activities to support traffic safety and enhance rural development.
Implemented over three years, the project has thus far covered 30 kilometres of street lamps across the province’s Que Vo, Tien Du, Thuan Thanh and Gia Binh districts.
Local residents are donating to extend the lighting system.
Bridge built to reach flood-isolated Dong Nai
The construction of Dac Lua Bridge, expected to help locals stranded over floods, began in Dong Nai on August 6.
The 360-metre bridge will link the southern province’s Dac Lua commune in Tan Phu district and Quang Ngai commune in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong.
According to Ngo Sy Bang, Chairman of the Tan Phu People’s Committee, Dac Lua is an impoverished mountainous locality. Local trade with the outside has long been carried out via a small ferry port. During the rainy season, 1,000 households here are frequently isolated due to floods and a lack of transportation infrastructure that connects the commune to other locations.
Build at a cost of 40 billion VND (1.84 million USD), the long-awaited Dac Lua bridge will become operational in 2016. About 9.5 metres wide, it can accommodate two lanes of traffic.
An Giang spends big on restructuring agricultural sector
The Mekong Delta province of An Giang will spend over 2.3 trillion VND (105 million USD) from now to 2020 to implement a project to restructure the agricultural sector.
The project aims to maintain a yearly growth rate of 3.35 percent for the sector from 2015-2020, increasing effectiveness and competitiveness via productivity, quality, efficiency and added value to better meet the demands and tastes of consumers and for export.
The first phase of the project will be implemented from now to 2017 with a cost of more than 1 trillion VND (45 million USD) and the second from 2018 to 2020 with 1.3 trillion VND (60 million USD).
The restructuring will focus on increasing the proportions of the fishery and livestock sectors and reducing the portion of farming. The forestry sector is intended to be kept stable.
It also aims to develop the service sector in rural areas and increase incomes and living standards for rural residents, contributing to stabilising the political system, ensuring national food security and fulfilling poverty alleviation goals.
Under the project, the province will zone off 22,000 ha of land for rice variety production in an effort to become the largest provider of rice varieties in the Mekong Delta region and the country.
Nationwide expanded vaccination campaign reels in success
The nationwide measles-rubella vaccination campaign for eight months from September 2014 to May 2015 has provided free-of-charge immunisation shots to nearly 20 million children aged 1-14 years, or 98.2% of the child population, as heard at conference in Hanoi on August 7.
The campaign has contributed to containing the measles outbreak in Vietnam and reinforcing the trust of local residents about immunisation, including those from remote areas, Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said.
She recalled that with the motto “prevention is better than cure”, Vietnam has carried out a national expanded immunisation programme since the early 1980’s which helped reduce the rate of communicable disease infections and fatalities.
The ministry hopes to receive further assistance from the Government and relevant ministries, departments and socio-political organisations in persuading parents to take their children to vaccination sites to prevent dangerous communicable diseases.
Director of the ministry’s Preventive Medicine Department Tran Dac Phu reported that all districts across the country achieved the target vaccine coverage of 95%. However, 23 communes in the five mountainous provinces of Binh Phuoc, Dak Lak, Lao Cai, Lai Chau and Cao Bang are still below the target rate.
The largest-ever campaign was carried out in over 66,000 sites nationwide, including mobile sites in mountainous and remote areas. More than 325,000 health workers and 645,000 volunteers have been involved in the campaign, Phu reported.
He noted that no serious incidences occurred during the vaccination campaign. A mere 0.08%, or 15,000 vaccinated cases, had slight reactions such as fevers or headaches.
The Ministry of Health is setting up a science council to address the psychological reaction reported in some groups of children in localities such as Lao Cai, Thanh Hoa, Ho Chi Minh City and Ba Ria-Vung Tau.
Representatives from the World Health Organisation in Vietnam congratulated the country on its successful vaccination campaign and suggested the Government and Ministry of Health prepare necessary budgets and human resources to ensure vaccines are always made available for all children.
Vietnamese bank supports Myanmar flood victims
The Vietnam Bank for Investment and Development (BIDV) has provide aid in cash and in kind worth US$50,000 to help the people of Myanmar overcome the devastating aftermath of the recent floods, reported Lao Dong newspaper.
Heavy seasonal rain, which has pounded the Southeast Asian nation since late June, triggered severe floods that affected over 210,000 people in 12 regions and states, killing 60 people and evacuating approximately 6,000 households to emergency camps.
It is estimated that nearly 344,500 hectares of farmland were damaged by the floods.
Domestic tourism promotion programme proves effective
Over 34,000 visitors have registered for tours to popular destinations across the country so far this year under a domestic tourism promotion programme launched by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) late last year.
According to statistics from the ten southern travel agencies joining the programme, as many as 68,392 tourists have booked their all-in-one tours to Phu Quoc, Con Dao, Da Lat, Nha Trang, Quy Nhon, Danang, Hue, Hanoi and Haiphong.
According to Tran The Dung, Deputy Director of the Young Generation Travel Company – a member in the promotion group in the south, the figure shows signs of recovery.
Southern travel firms are using various advertisement methods to attract tourists and prepare to serve visitors, Dung said.
Ho Chi Minh City earned more than VND53 trillion (over US$2.4 billion) from tourism activities in the first seven months of this year, a year-on-year increase of 4.4%, reported the municipal People’s Committee. It welcomed 2.49 million foreign tourists during the period.
In July alone, the city raked in estimated revenue of VND7.5 trillion (US$345 million), up 5% from the same period last year.
To maintain its tourism growth, HCM City’s tourism sector will focus on improving the quality of tourism services and products, developing inner-city waterway tourism and promoting the programme “Ho Chi Minh City – 100 exciting things “.
Municipal authorities will also enhance links with those from other localities nationwide to intensify tourism promotion activities and boost service development in the field.
Popular central Vietnam beach reports surge in Chinese tourists
The number of Chinese visiting Mui Ne in Binh Thuan Province has increased sharply, and they now outnumber Russians who used to be the main foreign tourists in the area.
Binh Thuan has attracted more than 2.3 million visitors so far this year, a 7.4% increase over last year, including 258,200 foreigners.
According to an official report from province authorities this week, Chinese tourists accounted for 20% followed by Russians at 16.5%.
Other visitors came from the Republic of Korea, the UK, the US, France, Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Canada and others.
Revenues from tourism topped VND4.2 trillion (US$193 million), an 18.5% increase.
Tran Van Binh, deputy chairman of the Binh Thuan Tourism Association, said Chinese tourists stay in all categories of hotels, from unranked to five-star.
“They also visit Mui Ne during weekdays instead of only on weekends like most local tourists. That is good for the province’s tourism.”
But many Chinese came to the province for sightseeing rather than relaxing on the beach, he said.
“Many of them visited Mui Ne for the first time and it is important to make them return.”
The Binh Thuan Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has announced plans to organize many tourism activities in the second half of this year when it also celebrates the 20th anniversary of Binh Thuan Tourism Day.
The province is also applying for recognition of Ham Tien – Mui Ne as one of Vietnam’s key tourist destinations.
Vietnam welcomed more than 593,500 international visitors in July, a 12% increase over June.
But the number of international visitors so far this year has reduced to 4.4 million, a 9.4% drop from last year.
Ca Mau farmers ditch sugarcane for ginger
Sugarcane prices have fallen for the past three years, prompting farmers in the southernmost province of Ca Mau’s Thoi Binh District to plant ginger, a more profitable crop.
The mass shift from sugarcane to ginger has local authorities worried about uncertain future output.
Thoi Binh District used to be a main collection area for Thoi Binh-Ca Mau Sugar Factory which could close down due to low profits and a lack of environmental protection measures.
“In recent years the prices of sugarcane came down, while sugar factory’s production has become sporadic,” said Phan Chi Cong, chairman of the district’s association for farmers.
“Due to the uncertain income from sugarcane, many farmers have spontaneously destroyed their sugarcane fields and started cultivating ginger.”
Cong said nearly 200 hectares of ginger were being grown, mostly in Bien Bach Dong and Tri Luc communes.
“Last year the farmers had a bumper harvest of ginger,” Cong said. “Some households even earned billions of dong, so others gravitated towards it.”
Nguyen Trang Nghiem, chairman of Bien Bach Dong Commune’s People’s Committee, said the area for ginger cultivation increased from 50 hectares in 2004 to 100 hectares in 2015, while sugarcane decreased from 160 hectares last year to nearly 90 hectares now.
Farmer Pham Van Ua in Bien Bach Dong Commune’s 6 La Cua Hamlet, who started growing ginger in 2011, said in March he made VND1.6 billion (US$73,400) from his two hectares of ginger, bringing him VND1 billion ($45,800) in profit.
According to Nguyen Minh Chu from 6 La Cua Hamlet, sugarcane prices have fallen to between VND500 and 800 per kilo, so many farmers would rather see their crops die than hire labourers for another profitless harvest.
“To harvest a tonne of sugarcane, farmers have to spend around VND200,000 to 500,000 ($9.10 to $23), and then they can just sell the sugarcane at VND500,000, not to mention extra expenses like pesticides and seeds,” he said.
Chu cut down his sugarcane and switched to ginger. He purchased another 0.1ha of land and aims to make ($320) a year.
While farmers remain optimistic about ginger, local authorities caution the mass shift could lead to unstable prices and uncertain output.
Nguyen Van Sinh, a longtime ginger farmer, said diseases spread quickly among the roots and couldn’t be stopped in the event of an outbreak.
Farmers must make relatively high investments to start growing ginger – VND30 to 40 million ($1,300 to $1,800) per 0.1 hectare – so the line between “rich” and “bankrupt” was very narrow, he said.
Su Quoc Hung, chairman of Bien Bach Dong Commune’s Association for Farmers, said most farmers just saw those around them gaining short-term benefits from growing ginger and immediately got rid of their sugarcane.
“Ginger prices have been unpredictable and unstable in recent years, so we do not encourage farmers to increase their growing areas and we don’t hold training courses for them,” he said.
He added that the locality would warn farmers and teach them about planning their cultivation to avoid sudden losses when prices fall.
Poor control leads to fever outbreak
Local districts’ ineffective management of dengue-fever preventive activities has contributed to the rise in the number of dengue fever cases in HCM City, the city’s Health Prevention Centre said.
At a meeting with the city’s Department of Health on Wednesday, Dr Nguyen Tri Dung, the centre’s head, said that dengue fever outbreaks had occurred nine weeks earlier than last year. The peak is expected in October.
The city’s outlying districts of Thu Duc, Binh Thanh, Binh Tan, Cu Chi and Nha Be have had high incidences but the inner districts of 1 and 3 had seen a rise in the number of cases as well.
Since the beginning of the year, 6,104 people have been hospitalised.
In June, only 583 people contracted the disease, increasing to a total of 848 in July.
Dung said that the centre’s inspections showed that the larvae index was still too high.
“That is why the disease has spread and not under control,” he said.
He told localities to sign a commitment between health agencies and authorities as well as residents there on ending dengue fever outbreaks.
He said that teams should be created to kill larvae in certain areas.
Areas with high risk should be checked once every seven to 10 days, he said.
After the second check, if these areas still have larvae, they will be fined.
BIDV okays funds for new bridge
The Bank for Investment and Development of Viet Nam (BIDV) on Thursday signed a contract to lend real-estate developer Dai Quang Minh Corporation VND4.2 trillion (US$193 million) to build the Thu Thiem 2 Bridge and a project on Mai Chi Tho Street in the new Thu Thiem urban area.
The Thu Thiem 2 Bridge connects the new urban area to the centre of District 1. Scheduled for completion in 2019, the bridge will play an important role in the development of the city’s socio-economy and help reduce traffic congestion.
Last year, Dai Quang Minh was appointed to implement the project under a Build-Transfer (BT) model.
Also on Thursday, the property developer signed a contract with BIDV’s South Sai Gon branch to provide financial guarantees to Dai Quang Minh’s customers who buy houses and apartments in the Sala Urban Area in District 2.
The signing follows the recently amended Housing Law, which requires real estate developers to have a bank guarantee in case projects are not handed over in time.
Dai Quang Minh is a pioneer in the development of the Thu Thiem Urban Area. The company is building the Sala urban area and surrounding infrastructure.
Insects destroy sweet potatoes in Vinh Long
Insects are damaging sweet potato crops in Binh Tan District in the Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long.
Le Van Trung, head of Thanh Loi Safe Vegetable Co-operatives in the district’s Thanh Loi Commune, said that a strange insect that local farmers called “tan mat” was first detected in the district in 2012.
It is difficult to find because it is very tiny and able to move fast, he said.
Farmers usually found it after it pierced part of a sweet potato.
By this time, it was too late to spray chemicals to kill the insect, Trung said.
He said that wholesalers paid only VND 400-850 (US1-2 cents ) per kilolgram of damaged sweet potato.
Earlier this year, sweet potatoes were priced up to VND680,000 ($31) per 60 kilos or 50 cents per kilo.
Huynh Van Giau, a local farmer, said that the breakeven price for each kilo of sweet potato was about VND 6,000 (27 cents).
Giau said that he grew about 5,000 sq.m of sweet potato and would probably suffer a loss of VND50 million ($2,300).
Another farmer Vo Van Manh said that his family would switch to growing another crop.
Tonnes of sweet potato have been left abandoned in local fields as farmers don’t want to harvest. Vice director of the province’s Agriculture and Rural Development, Nguyen Van Liem, told Nong thon ngay nay (Countryside Today) newspaper that the department had worked with a research institute to seek ways of killing the insects.
The department’s officers have started instructing farmers how to combat the pest.
The department is also applying Vietnamese Good Agriculture Practices (VietGap) in sweet potato cultivation in Thanh Dong Commune.
Forty-three households have joined the scheme.
Director of Thanh Dong Co-operative, Ngo Van Tua, said farmers grew potatoes all year round, but didn’t treat the soil well, leading to crop diseases.
To deal with this problem, the local authorities have encouraged farmers to grow different crops, improve soil quality and eliminate disease after each harvest.
Tua said that sweet potatoes grown with VietGap standards sold at a higher price.
Binh Tan District has about 9,000 ha, or about 90 per cent of sweet potato farm in the province.
The Binh Tan- Vinh Long sweet potato has been registered with the National Office of Industrial Property and Trademarks Protection in Viet Nam.
Tra Vinh supports production models adaptive to climate change
The Climate Change Adaption in the Mekong Delta (AMD) project in Tra Vinh will finance the multiplication of 28 production models deemed adaptive to climate change from now until end of 2015.
Director of the project’s coordinating board Huynh Nghia Tho said at a meeting on August 4 that the assistance is line with the project’s goal of improving local capacity to adapt to climate change and developing sustainable livelihoods for rural agricultural communities.
Among the selected production models, 13 are in farming, 7 in animal livestock and eight in aquaculture.
Organisations and individuals who wish to adopt the verified production models will be assisted with non-refundable aid worth up to 50 percent of the total production or business costs under the conditions of the Climate Change Adaption (CCA) fund.
Households will be provided with maximum assistance of 30 million VND (1,375 USD) each while maximum aid for groups or teams reaches up to 750 million VND (34,387 USD).
The AMD Tra Vinh project is being implemented from 2014-2020 in 30 communes in seven districts, benefitting 15,000 households living under or just above the poverty line.
The total investment capital of the project is 521 billion VND (23.88 million USD), a blend of a 233.5 billion VND (10.8 million USD) loan from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a non-refundable aid package of 126.5 billion VND (5.86 million USD) and 79.5 billion VND (3.68 million USD) in corresponding capital from the Vietnamese Government, while beneficiaries are to contribute 81.5 billion VND (3.77 million USD).
Nationwide vaccination campaign stops measles spread
The nationwide measles-rubella immunisation campaign for all children aged 1-14 has helped Vietnam prevent the diseases from spreading, as few new cases of measles were reported in the first seven months of this year, said Director of the Preventive Medicine Department Tran Dac Phu.
He added that the Ministry of Health will review the largest-ever vaccination campaign on August 7 in Hanoi .
The campaign, which took place from September 2014 to May 2015, aimed to reduce the incidence rates of measles-rubella in Vietnam by offering free vaccinations to over 20 million children, or about 98.2 percent of the child population aged 1-14 including those from ethnic minority groups in far-flung areas.
A report by the Preventive Medicine Department unveiled that all districts nationwide achieved vaccine coverage of 95 percent. The country targets to bring all communes to the same rate by August this year, requiring focused efforts on the 23 communes in remote areas below the target rate.
Over 325,000 medical workers and 645,000 volunteers including teachers were involved in the campaign, the report said.
Vinacomin to tackle Quang Ninh flood aftermath
The Vietnam National Coal-Mineral Industries Group (Vinacomin) will take several measures to deal with the worst rainstorm and floods in four decades in the northern coastal Quang Ninh Province.
The record downpour from July 26 to 31 in Quang Ninh – with rainfall of 800mm in Ha Long and Cam Pha cities on July 26 and 27 – severely affected the state-run group’s production and business activities.
Vinacomin halted all coal production in Quang Ninh, which is known for its large coal reserves, to focus on prevention of floods and post-flood recovery.
In the next few days, the firm will focus on ensuring the safety of vulnerable dams, mines and tunnels and draining of flood waters from its facilities to resume operations as soon as possible.
It will repair roads and railways meant for coal transport to ensure supply, especially to power plants. Meanwhile, the company will also reinforce the walls in coal storage sites, dredge drainage systems and prepare personnel for emergencies.
Vinacomin is also deploying forces to help Quang Ninh address the consequences of the floods, by evacuating residents, accommodating evacuees and donating money.
Incessant rains and floods have claimed at least 17 lives and left eight injured in Quang Ninh.
The National Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Control said on July 31 that the costs of flood damage exceeded 2.2 trillion (US$109 million). The coal sector in Quang Ninh suffered losses of up to VND1.2 trillion ($55.8 million).
Thai Nguyen: Over 1 trillion VND for new-style rural area building
The northern mountainous province of Thai Nugyen has allocated over 1 trillion VND (46 million USD) from the State budget so far this year for its new-style rural area building.
Of the sum, 100 billion VND (4.58 million USD) comes from Government bonds and 226 billion VND (10.36 million USD) has been sourced from the provincial coffers.
Thai Nguyen is striving to have 42 communes, or 29.4 percent of its communes, fulfil the new-style rural area criteria this year.
Hoang Cuong Quoc, Head of the provincial Coordination Office for the new-style rural area building programme, said the implementation has involved the participation of agencies, localities, local residents and businesses.
The province has also mobilised different resources for the programme, he said, adding that capital from credit institutions, enterprises and the community worth over 6.4 trillion VND (293.3 million USD) has been rallied over the past three years.
This year, 81 communes in difficult circumstances will receive double funding. Capital sourced from Government bonds will be prioritised for building headquarters of communal People’s Committees.
According to the steering board of the provincial new-style rural area building programme, Thai Nguyen will integrate programmes and projects in the locality from 2015-2016 to bring their effectiveness into full play with special heed paid to production activities.
The province will also focus on building brand names for local products to raise their competitiveness, expanding large-scale production facilities and trade promotion.
Thai Nguyen has also suggested disbursing the Government’s aid package worth 15 trillion VND (687.5 million USD) for new-style rural area building and increasing investments in agricultural production models.
The national target programme on building new-style rural areas, initiated by the Vietnamese Government in 2010, includes 19 criteria on socio-economic development, politics and defence, with the objective of boosting Vietnam’s rural regions.
The criteria include infrastructure development, production capacity improvement, environmental protection and cultural value promotion.
The country aims for 20 percent of all communes nationwide to fulfil the requirements by the end of 2015, reaching 50 percent by 2020.
VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri
Social News 10/8 Related image(s)
0 comments:
Post a Comment