Beauty services bloom at year's end

Various kinds of service have been opened and attracted a large number of customers to beauty salons.

Since early November, many discount programmes for lip tints or full body care have been offered. Vouchers worth VND500,000 (USD24) to VND5 million have been being handed out to attract more customers.

Anh Hong, a HCM City local, said she often bought long-term service this time around because it was cheaper. "At the end of the year, beauty salons are often crowded, but their services are more diverse," she said.

These shops attract not only domestic customers, but also overseas Vietnamese who return for beauty services, especially around Tet. Nguyen Thanh Van, director of Thanh Van Cosmetic Surgery Hospital, said the number of overseas Vietnamese customers could increase by 30-40%.

South Korean technology is especially sought-after. An American-Vietnamese said her favourite procedures are facial treatments. "Previously, surgery was required to tighten the skin, but now, non-surgical face lifts are available."

A Canadian-Vietnamese woman also said she chose "V Lift", a non-surgical skin tightening and face-lift technology, because the cost in Vietnam is about one-tenth of than in Canada. Many beauty salons even act as conduits to connect customers with doctors. Customers often pay double to ask a South Korean doctor to come Vietnam.

The director of one beauty salon said that non-surgical treatments are becoming increasingly popular. He predicts that the number of customers would surge by the end of the year.

New campaign fights violence against women

Ministries and the UN in Viet Nam launched a national campaign yesterday in Ha Noi asking the public – especially men – to take action to end violence against women.

The initiative's timing marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on Nov. 25. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the UN in Viet Nam and other development partners organised the campaign, which will host workshops, exhibitions, runs, street dances and other activities between Nov. 18 and Dec. 16 in 12 provinces and cities across the country.

Huynh Vinh Ai, the deputy minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said Viet Nam had a solid legal framework in place to address gender equality and gender-based violence.

However, more needs to be done to ensure that the Law on Domestic Violence Prevention and Control is further reinforced and implemented, he said.

"Let's work together to ensure that Vietnamese men and boys ‘raise hands to hold, not to hit,'" he said.

The National Study on Domestic Violence Against Women, released by the General Statistics Office and the UN in Viet Nam in 2010, found that 58 per cent of married women experienced at least one form of violence – physical, mental or sexual – at some point in their lives.

About 50 per cent of victims did not tell anyone about the violence they endured, and 87 per cent did not seek help from public services.

Gender-based violence cost Viet Nam nearly 1.5 per cent of national GDP in 2012, in out-of-pocket expenditures and lost earnings, a recent UN study found.

"If we want to reduce violence, we have to socialise boys and girls differently, and we will have to rethink the idea of what is male and what is female," said Pratibha Mehta, resident co-ordinator of the UN in Viet Nam. "We will have to develop partnerships between men and women."

Teachers in disadvantaged areas honoured on traditional day

Teachers and educators nationwide, particularly those who are working in disadvantaged areas, were honoured in an exchange on November 19 on the occasion of the Vietnamese Teachers’ Day (November 20).

Officials from the Ministry of Education and Training and many central agencies joined outstanding teachers at the event.

The exchange gave viewers an insight into the hard work and devotion of teachers in remote and poor areas, where economic hardship and long distance discourage many children from going to school. In order to get the children to go to school, the teachers spend a lot of time and efforts to persuade children and their parents and try to find the best teaching way to stimulate students’ interest in learning.

Deputy Minister of Education and Training, Nguyen Vinh Hien affirmed the Vietnamese Party and State always value the key role of teachers in the success of education, adding that teachers should be the role model for students.

The Vietnamese Teachers’ Day (November 20) officially came into being in 1982.

Motorcycle driver killed in Son Tinh

A motorcycle driver was killed after he was hit by a train in Son Tinh District's Tinh Tho Commune last Monday.

Local police said Le Van Cuong, 25, a district resident, was driving a homemade motorcycle across the North-South Railway near Dai Loc Railway Station in the district when the train rushed by. Cuong failed to see the train in time and died after suffering from a direct hit.

Pham Tien Dung, head of the Dai Loc Railway Station, said there was no barrier at the spot where the accident happened, and large trees also blocked people's view of the railway, making it quite dangerous for those who have to cross.

HCM City clinics need more doctors

The head of HCM City's Committee for Cultural and Social Affairs has urged the Health Department to increase the number of doctors at ward and commune's health centres, many of which have only one doctor.

Huynh Cong Hung, head of the committee under the city's People's Council, said that only 13 out of 318 health centres in wards and communes have two doctors, and the remaining have only one.

"One doctor is not enough," Hung said at meeting of the committee and Health Department.

Each ward and commune health centre should have at least two doctors, he said.

To ensure health care and disease prevention, the wards and communes should be given priority to invest in facilities, equipment and human resources, he added.

Nguyen Tri Dung, head of the city's Preventive Health Centre, said the health centres had few doctors for several reasons, including low salaries.

"Even a few doctors have left some centres," Dung said.

The department has recruited doctors from the city University of Medicine and Pharmacy to work in the ward and commune health centres, he said.

"But we are worried they will work for just a short time," he said.

It is estimated that the city needs at least an additional 1,015 healthcare employees, including doctors for health centres at wards and communes, according to Le Minh Hung, deputy head of Health Department's Medical Affairs Division.

He said the department needed VND178 billion (US$8.5 million) to build and upgrade substandard health centres at communes and wards next year.

Of 318 health centres at communes and wards, 282 meet building and equipment standards.

Thi Thi Tuyet Nhung, deputy head of the Committee for Cultural and Social Affairs, has asked the department to give funding priority to substandard health centres.

Hung said the Preventive Health Centre was also seeking ways to eliminate dengue fever and hand, foot and mouth disease in districts 8, Binh Chanh, Binh Tan and Thu Duc, where there is a high incidence of the diseases.

Japanese entrepreneurs plan to teach Vietnamese farmers advanced farming technologies so they can enter export markets with strict food-safety standards and improve the value of their produce.

During a seminar held last weekend in HCM City about the cooperation potential between Japan and Viet Nam, entrepreneurs and experts from both countries discussed how Viet Nam could improve the quality of its produce.

The Vietnamese agricultural sector includes mostly small-scale, households that generally produce an unsatisfactory quantity and quality of farm products, which has created a hurdle for farm produce to enter the strictly regulated market of Japan.

Japan, which is experienced in hi-tech farming, exports farm produce such as beef and apples to Viet Nam, while the amount of Vietnamese farm produce exported to Japan remains limited.

In Da Lat, two Japanese farmers began working with a local company to produce vegetables in November last year.

According to the investors, they face three challenges in the city: a long rainy reason, outdated equipment and low quality of human resources.

Takaya Hanaoka, general director of An Phu Lacue Limited, said the company wanted to use high-tech equipment and send Vietnamese to Japan to learn how to use advanced technologies.

"Viet Nam has nice weather and people, but we cannot buy advanced technology equipment and materials here. We can buy them easily in Japan. Vietnamese farmers don't know how to use Japanese farming technology. I want to teach them. I hope to bring young students to Japan to study," he said.

In the past, several Japanese enterprises in Viet Nam have visited the country to strike deals to export local products to Japan and to other countries with strict standards.

Nakajima Satoshi, Consul General of Japan in HCM City, told local media on the seminar's sidelines that Viet Nam, for example, was now delivering tuna to Japan.

"Leaders of some provinces in Japan have also visited Viet Nam to seek partners in the agro-forestry-fishery sector," said the consul general.

Nguyen Trung Dung, trade counselor for the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan, said Vietnamese vegetables were in high demand in Japan but food safety rules were hindering entry.

"It's good to export Vietnamese mango to Japan, but we have to improve the strains as well as cultivation and processing technologies. In Japan, I visited a greenhouse encased with glass with mangoes planted inside, and outside was thick snow. A 350g mango sold for US$50," Dung said.

The trade official urged Vietnamese enterprises to cooperate with Japan in acquiring technologies and different strains.

Bringing the equipment to Viet Nam is prohibitively expensive, but Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) has promised that it would ship some equipment to Da Lat.

Nguyen Huu Dat, director of the Post Import Quarantine Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said better technologies would open doors to Vietnamese exports, but approval for export entry takes time.

Between 2008 and 2009, Viet Nam began exporting dragonfruit to the US and Japan. Now, the country has exported roughly 1,400 tonnes of dragonfruit to the market every year, according to the centre.

Yasuzumi Hirotaka, managing director of JETRO's HCM City Office, said in order to attract more investment in Japan, Viet Nam should further reform administrative procedures.

Only two Japanese companies have successfully invested in agricultural sectors in Viet Nam, he said. The others have been reluctant to do so because of cumbersome administrative procedures and the quality of human resources.

Endangered animals rescued from traders

The Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is caring for six endangered animals seized from illegal traders in the central province of Quang Binh, its management board said.

The animals – three stump-tailed macaques, two Assam macaques and a reticulated python – are in bad health, having suffered various injuries.

All the rescued animals are listed as endangered species in the Viet Nam Red Book, which means they require strict protection.

Cement factories leave residents covered in dust

Thousands of people in Kien Luong Town's Tam Thuoc Ward in this Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang have been suffering from the severe dust pollution of five cement factories for years.

The factories are Kien Giang Cement Factory, Ha Tien-Kien Giang Cement Factory and Ha Tien Cement Factory, each with a capacity of 82,000 to 200,000 tonnes per year; and Kien Luong Cement Factory and Holcim Cement Factory, each with a capacity of one million tonnes per year.

Most of the factories apparently failed to comply with environmental protection regulations.

"Dust can be seen everywhere. It even sticks to our bodies and creates much discomfort," said resident Nguyen Thi Ha.

She admitted having to repeatedly wash her face to remove the cement dust that kept sticking to her nose.

La Nhu Ty, another resident said: "I often collect about 300 to 400 grammes of cement dust on my house floor every night."

Cement dust was also blamed for the health problems of numerous residents, added Ty.

A representative of the ward agreed, noting that many residents; most of them cement factory workers, had died of cancer of either the lung, skin or nasopharynx since 2003.

Resident Tong Quang Quyen said all people at the ward were expecting concerned agencies to quickly solve the problem by either building a system to treat cement dust or doing something to restore the fresh air there.

Truong Minh Sang, head of the district natural resources and environment office, revealed that he had submitted a proposal for solving the problem to the provincial natural resources and environment department and Viet Nam Environment Administration.

Germany supports forest protection in Viet Nam

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the German Development Bank (KfW) yesterday signed a financial agreement to support the project titled "Protection and Inclusive Management of Forest Ecosystems in Quang Nam, Kon Tum and Gia Lai".

The seven-year project, worth about EUR11.3 million (US$14 million), included EUR8 million in official development assistance.

The project will focus on maintaining the ecological integrity and biodiversity of natural forest ecosystems in Viet Nam's central and central highland regions while raising local living standards.

The project will cover 28,000ha of natural forests in Quang Nam, Kon Tum and Gia Lai.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Deputy Minister Ha Cong Tuan said the two countries had co-operated effectively in many fields in previous years.

The German Government via the German Development Bank had contributed EUR120 million ($150 million) to Viet Nam to plant forests and manage natural resources since 1995, he said.

Tuan said the projects had helped to increase the rate of forest coverage, sustainably develop the ecological system and raise incomes for thousands of households in mountainous and rural areas, especially people from ethnic groups.

The rate of forest coverage had increased from 28 per cent to 41 per cent since 1995, he said.

Christine Heimburger, director for East Asia and the Pacific for KfW, said she highly appreciated the Vietnamese Government's commitment, and looked forward to long-term co-operation with Viet Nam.

Issue of child abuse requires greater attention

The Vietnam Woman’s Union hosted a workshop on the role of parents in preventing child abuse on November 18, discussing relevant facts and figures as well as practical measures to address the pressing issue.

Participants considered neglect, limited social responsibilities and low levels of self-defence as the main reasons for violence against children.

Speaking at the event, representative of the union Pham Thi Tuyet Mai said despite playing a crucial role in raising and protecting the next generation, many parents did not properly understand children’s rights, while others used physical violence to discipline their children.

There is therefore an urgent need for more awareness raising programmes and parenting forums, she added.

According to Pham Quoc Nhat, an official from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, a recent research conducted by the ministry revealed that in Vietnam mothers were more likely to abuse their children than fathers.

He also noted that the government was implementing a programme against domestic violence this year in an effort to tackle the issue.-

Friendship association promotes Vietnam-Hungary ties

The Vietnam-Hungary Friendship Association (VHFA) will continue its people-to-people diplomacy mission along with promoting bilateral cooperation between the two countries, especially on economy, trade, culture, education and science technology.

The association’s task for the 2014-2019 tenure were agreed upon at its fourth national congress in Hanoi on November 18.

Addressing the event, Vice President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) Nguyen Thi Hoang Van hailed the VHFA’s achievements in developing Vietnam-Hungary ties during the previous tenure.

She also urged the association to continue enhancing its connections with Hungary-based friends, partners and Vietnamese communities, acting as a bridge between the two countries and their peoples.

Hungarian Ambassador to Vietnam Torda Eszter said the embassy will actively work with the VHFA to develop relations between the two peoples.

The congress elected a 46-member executive committee, with former Vice Chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee for Science, Technology and Environment Nguyen Dang Vang as President.

On the occasion, several VHFA units and individuals were honoured for their active contributions to people-to-people diplomacy.

Studies related to the observation of industrial waste water discharged from industrial zones (IZs) in Vietnam through mobile analysing stations were introduced at a seminar in Hanoi on November 18.

Prof., Dr. Bui Duy Cam said this is the first time the country has had observation stations designed as mobile laboratories, which help analyse immediately all toxins and dangerous agents in waste water such as acidity, alkalinity and conductivity, thus drawing appropriate treatment measures.

Vietnam sees the increasing number of industrial parks, and almost all fail to have sustainable solutions to industrial waste water, he said.

In order to meet the demand of treating waste water in IZs, a pilot project has been carried out in Tra Noc Industrial Zone in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho , which is expected to pave the way for upcoming projects in other zones nationwide.

Scientists and management agencies will be responsible for assisting enterprises operating in IZs in applying waste treatment technologies, Cam said, adding that businesses should focus on upgrading infrastructure facilities for the work.

Studies presented at the seminar are part of a 2.5 million EUR project aimed at promoting waste water treatment for industrial zones in Vietnam, which was jointly funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and Vietnam’s Ministry of Science and Technology.

The project has been implementing by eight German research institutes and nine Vietnamese partners from 2010-2015.

Mekong Delta builds climate change adaptation irrigation system

The Mekong Delta localities have planned to build irrigation works in a bid to better respond to climate change in the coming time, according to the Steering Committee for the Southwestern Region.

Nguyen Phong Quang, deputy head of the committee, said from now to 2020, the localities will focus on developing and upgrading infrastructure facilities to protect vulnerable urban areas from flood, while reinforcing breakwater and embankment systems.

They will also build drainage and irrigation works, and take non-structural measures to deal with climate change.

Projects to control salt intrusion and store fresh water for aquaculture, and others to ensure the safety for farming areas shall be developed and upgraded.

Immediately, anti-flood measures will be implemented in major cities in the region such as Can Tho, Ca Mau and Vinh Long, Quang said.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Mekong Delta has five water reservoirs and a great number of irrigation stations and canals capable of watering 3.1 million hectares (80 percent of the region’s farmland area).

In addition, it also boasts nearly 26,000 anti-flood embankments and 460 km of breakwater.

Comedian Cong Ly expressed his displeasure after a publishing house issued a law book using a photoshopped picture of him, nearly in the buff, on the cover.

The newly-published book, Civil Code and Implementation Guidelines 2014, was issued by Labour Publishing House with 1,000 copies. The cover is a curious image of a smiling man in his underwear holding what appears to be the balance scales of justice. In reality, the man is a comedian named Cong Ly.

"I've heard the news, but haven't seen the picture yet. I don't think it's right for a publisher to use a picture of me without my permission. They are using my image to sell their products without consideration on the impact to my image. Some might get the impression that I sold that picture for money," said Cong Ly.

He went on to say that he would appreciate a cooperative attitude from the publisher in resolving the issue, such as a public apology. "I want to know how many copies of this book have been withdrawn and what their plan is for buying back the rest," he said.

On November 17, Nguyen Huy Chanh, a representative of Labour Publishing House, said they discovered the mistake several months ago and immediately attempted to recover the copies. However, for some reason, some are still being sold in bookstores in the South. "Most copies have been recovered, but after hearing the story in the media, we'll do our best to comb through store inventories to get back any missing copies," he said, adding, "We apologise and have assigned employees to oversee this process."

Chanh said that the company would have to review the printing before giving any further public statements.

The Labour Publishing House has now claimed that their partner, Labour Bookstore, added the photoshopped picture of comedian Cong Ly without his consent or their agreement.

Vu Anh Tuan, deputy head of Labour Publishing House, said the book, Civil Code and Implementation Guidelines 2014, is the product of a collaboration between the publishing house and Labour Bookstore in HCM City. They noticed the mistake with the cover only after the books are printed. On July 22, they issued a recall on the copies.

Tuan said, "The Labour Bookstore was responsible for submitting the legal deposit copy. We found out later that the Labour Bookstore changed the approved content."

In addition, the original name of the book was supposed to be Learning about Civil Code and Implementation Guidelines 2014. According to Tuan, they asked permission to print 1,000 copies but in reality, only issued 500. As of November 17, only 270 copies had been recovered.

Tuan admitted that they had been careless for not overseeing the printing process carefully and would work with Labour Bookstore to locate and recall the remaining copies.

Upon learning that his image of him wearing only underwear was used for the cover of a law textbook, comedian Cong Ly voiced his displeasure and asked for more cooperative attitude from publisher.

Teacher’s small survey indicates lack of extracurriculars education

An unofficial survey of 45 students in Ha Tinh Province carried out by a teacher suggests that Vietnamese students may spend too much time studying and not enough learning real life skills.

Tran Dinh Tro, is teacher of the 12th grade at Huong Son High School. After questioning his students, Tro recorded all the answers and learned that most of them were unable to perform a shocking number of everyday things, such as cooking. None of them regularly read anything but textbooks, even though Tro keeps a free library for them. In fact, the two students who did borrow books were made to stop when their parents found out.

Their general goals were all similar - to graduate university and work for the state.

Tro's explanation was that parents keep such strict control over their children in order to give them better career options in the future. Many schools hold extra classes to better prepare them for this path, but they take away time for students to socialise and develop other healthy interests.

“I’m very surprised that parents would prevent their children from reading books in order to force them to study only textbooks. Parents try to do as much as they can for their children, but this may prevent them from learning life skills," said Tro.

He added that this is a really warning sign for the education system in Vietnam and that unemployment among university grads could continue to rise unless real efforts are made change the situation.

Small classroom nurtures high hopes

Doong Village, Quang Binh Province is an area that only has seven students and special teachers.

The head of the village said that before the class was set up, the first teacher stayed and lived in the village for two years. The villagers only knew him as Vinh from Nghe An Provinc.

"It's lucky that we met him because the nearest school is very far from our. We pooled money together and paid him VND700,000 a month. But he spent most of the money on books and school supplies for the students," he said.

After two years, literacy improved in the village, but after Vinh's health did not allow him to travel, he returned to his hometown.

Until 2012, a small classroom with just a blackboard and two long tables was set up. Currently, there are seven students, including one in the first grade, two in the third grade and four fifth grade. In order to provide for the needs of all the children, the Ethnic Boarding School Tan Trach assigned two teachers.

Sau, one of the teachers, said, "In the village, there is no phone signal, electricity, clean water or clinic. In addition, the roads are difficult. It takes me several hours to reach the village."

Both teachers and students are hardworking but the classroom is still quite run down. The head of the village said, "Next year, we will have secondary and high school students and maybe even university students. Even though the living conditions are harsh, I want the children to have a proper education."

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