New era dawns for plastic surgery in Vietnam

SBC Medical Group on November 23 opened a modern centre providing the finest in care and support for patients before, during and after plastic surgery procedures in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City.

The newly constructed innovative SBC Cosmetic Surgery Clinic offers a full range of treatments and services utilizing the latest Japanese technologies, announced Aikawa Yoshiyuki, the director of the centre at its opening.

The unique centre boasts a comprehensive offering of self enhancement services and accommodations in co-ordination with Vietnam’s largest hospitals such as the Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy and the Tu Du Hospital, Yoshiyuki said.

Deputy Consul General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City Yakabe Yoshinori in turn announced plans to construct similar centres in Hanoi and Danang to meet the increasing demand for cosmetic surgeries in the country.

The Japan Business Association in Vietnam, with its 739 members, was instrumental in making the dream of the centre a reality, Yoshinori said, thanking the association for its contributions to the country’s development.

Vietnam leads way in forest protection

Countries that border the Mekong River can learn from Viet Nam's excellent management of its Payments for Forest Environmental Services programme, said Luca Tacconi, Associate Dean of the College of the Asia and Pacific at Australia's Crawford School of Public Policy.

Tacconi made the statement yesterday in Ha Noi at a seminar on payments for environmental services. Enterprises benefiting from unharmed forests fund the programme in Viet Nam, while in Thailand, for example, the government must provide the funding.

The programme creates incentives for individuals and communities to protect environmental services by compensating them for any costs incurred in managing and providing those services.

In 2004, the Government of Viet Nam, drawing on an internationally recognised system, laid the foundations for a nationwide programme set out in the revised Forest Protection and Development Law.

In 2008, a Government decision created support for pilot projects in Lam Dong and Son La provinces, and in 2011, the programme was implemented across the country.

Viet Nam is the first country in Asia to use the Payments for Forest Environmental Services system nationwide.

Thirty-six of the country's 63 provinces have established steering committees to oversee the programme's implementation.

The programme collects up to US$55 million annually.

Three years after it was set up, it had collected a total of US$150 million for protecting and developing forest areas - and helping residents involved protect the environment.

Nguyen Dac Lam, director of Nghe An Province's Forest Protection and Development Fund, said investors and business owners should be responsible for paying for environmental services.

"It's reasonable to pay to protect nature when you benefit from it," Lam said.

7 fishermen saved near Hoang Sa

Seven fishermen whose boat broke down near Viet Nam's Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago were rescued and taken to port in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau yesterday.

The men, from the central province of Binh Dinh, were fishing near the archipelago at the time.

Huge waves and strong winds threatened to sink the boat.

They were rescued by a ship from the Viet Nam People's Navy.

Boat crews arrested for illegal sand mining

Police in the northern province of Bac Ninh have arrested the crews on four boats for illegally exploiting sand along the Duong River, the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment said yesterday.

The owners of the boats admitted the crime, saying they had been doing it for a long time.

Police seized the ships and sand-mining tools.

So far this year, police have detained 21 illegal sand-mining boats. However, their owners were fined a total of only VND200 million ($9,400).

Fire destroys Tien Giang firm's property

A fire broke out this morning in a company that manufactures wrapping material in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang.

The blaze destroyed the company's equipment, machines and materials, causing an estimated loss of about VND1 billion (US$47,600). However, no deaths were reported.

More than 50 firefighters and six fire trucks were sent to the scene and the fire was extinguished after one hour.

The blaze was believed to have been caused by sparks.

Saigon Co.op gives out 97 scholarships

Saigon Co.op, which owns the Co.opMart supermarket chain, has awarded scholarships worth nearly VND500 million (US$23,400) to 97 poor university students across the country.

In the last six years more than 500 poor students in 38 cities and provinces have benefited from the scholarship programme.

Besides the scholarship the retailer also offers students part-time work at its outlets and training to enable them to become future managers of the chain.

Hand-foot-mouth disease hits Khanh Hoa province

Since the beginning of November, hand-foot-mouth disease has struck 7out of 8 communes in Khanh Son district in central coastal Khanh Hoa province, resulting in a sharp increase in infection cases.

Nine hand-foot-mouth outbreaks were reported in Khanh Son district, affecting 176 children – double the figure detected in the same period last year.

It’s worth noting that quarantine measures have not been taken immediately to stop the spread of the disease.

Ngo Thi Truc Linh, headmaster of a kindergarten in Khanh Son district, stressed the need to raise public awareness of the contagious disease and provide timely treatment to the infected children.

Parents should send their children to nearby hospital for medical check up if their children show symptoms of hand-foot-mouth disease, such as fever, sore throat, and skin rash, she suggested.

Le Huu Tho, an official from the Khanh Son district health centre responsible for preventive medicine said local health workers are cooperating with schools to further disseminate relevant information and implement sterilization measures, especially in high-risk areas.

Overseas students join efforts to protect marine sovereignty

Vietnamese students in Australia demonstrated their will to protect their homeland’s sea and island sovereignty during a recent talk at the University of Queensland in Brisbane city.

The event drew the participation of former Vice President Truong My Hoa, Chairwoman of the “For the beloved Hoang Sa – Truong Sa” club, and Vietnamese students at the University of Queensland, the Queensland University of Technology, the Griffith University, and the James Cook University.

Ngo Chi Nguyen, a postgraduate pursuing the political science doctoral degree at the University of Queensland, highlighted the East Sea’s strategic importance and disputes in this waters as well as historical and legal evidence proving Vietnam’s undeniable sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos.

A number of attendees said young Vietnamese people, including those studying abroad, need to actively learn about the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982), documents relating to Vietnam’s sovereignty and its exercise of sovereignty in the islands, and the country’s policies regarding the East Sea issue in order to disseminate precise information to their international friends and support the protection of the national sovereignty.

At the event, Truong My Hoa spoke highly of overseas students’ patriotism and suggested similar events be held to raise their awareness of safeguarding the national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

She also briefed participants about the country’s sovereignty protection and the outcomes of the fund-raising campaign “For beloved Truong Sa students”, which built two primary schools in Truong Sa town and Sinh Ton commune in Truong Sa island district, central Khanh Hoa province.

Concluding the talk, Vietnamese students issued a joint statement voicing their deep concern over recent moves that escalated East Sea tensions, protesting unilateral actions aimed at altering the status quo in the waters, and supporting the Vietnamese Government’s efforts to settle disputes peacefully.

Running event calls for no violence against women

The Vietnam Farmers’ Union and the United Nations Population Fund co-organised a running event in Hanoi on November 23 in response to the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls (November 25).

Domestic violence is a pressing issue in many countries, including Vietnam , said President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front’s (VFF) Central Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan. He cited statistics that showed 178,847 domestic violence cases were reported in the country from 2009 to 2012, of which women were the victims in 106,520 cases.

He noted that the main cause of violence against women is poor awareness about gender equality and a lack of mutual respect.

Over the past few years, Vietnam has built a legal framework on gender equality and domestic violence prevention.

The VFF President urged the Ministries of Justice and Culture-Sports-Tourism as well as relevant agencies and organisations, including the Vietnam Farmers’ Union , to strengthen law enforcement and raise public awareness of the issue.

According to UN research, economic losses caused by domestic violence accounted for 1.5 percent of Vietnam’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2012.

In 1999, the UN designated November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, inviting governments, international and non-governmental organisations to launch awareness-raising campaigns on the issue.

The Nordic Assistance to Vietnam (NAV) has contributed effectively to improving public health and gender equality as well as helped vulnerable Vietnamese respond to climate change during its 20-year operation in the country, heard a ceremony in central Thua Thien-Hue province on November 23.

Addressing the event marking NAV’s 20 th anniversary, NAV Chief Representative Eivind Archer said the non-governmental organisation is part of the Norwegian Church Aid (NCA), which operates in the fields of poverty reduction, gender equality improvement, HIV/AIDS prevention and climate change response in 29 nations around the world.

NAV funds about US$1.2 million for Vietnam each year through its projects and programmes.

It has effectively carried out a programme on HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment at 17 prisons in 12 provinces and worked with the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee to help promote the involvement of religions and religious organisations in the fight.

The organisation has also coordinated with social and religious organisations in climate change adaptation and social affairs.

It has developed an initiative to teach children in the central coastal region to swim as an effort to reduce disaster risks. In 2013, the project was implemented in 30 schools in Thua Thien-Hue and Quang Tri provinces, providing necessary skills for 119 gymnastics teachers and 1,696 primary school students.

NAV vows to continue its support for and contributions to Vietnam’s sustainable development in the time ahead, stressed Eivind Archer.

HCM City offers college training in treating substance abuse

An HIV-Addiction Technology Transfer Centre on the campus of the HCM City University of Medicine and Pharmacy will offer workforce training and technical assistance in treating substance abuse.

The centre will offer mental health services related to drug use and harm-reduction knowledge and skills, in addition to HIV-prevention activities.

The centre is funded by the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration via the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief initiative (PEPFAR) and a co-operative agreement with the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).

The centre aims to contribute to the policy of the government and Ministry of Health to offer methadone treatment for opioid users, Do Van Dung, vice rector of the HCM City University of Medicine and Pharmacy, said.

"With methadone treatment we can reduce the risk of HIV transmission and decrease social evils," Dung said.

In the future, VH-ATTC will work with international and domestic researchers on the development of effective treatments.

A similar centre also was set up in Ha Noi Medical University in 2011.

According to the Ministry of Health, more people in big cities are using amphetamine-type stimulants, such as crystal methamphetamine, ecstasy (MDMA) and ketamine, all of which have long-term harmful effects on people's health.

As of June, the country had 219,163 people with HIV and 67,557 with AIDS.

Despite a significant increase of HIV infection through sex, unsafe injections of drugs remain remains the driver of the HIV epidemic.

Almost 40 per cent of people living with HIV inject drugs. Many others who have HIV are partners of these users.

From mid-1990, the country has carried out intervention models, including community-based and institution-based detoxification, distribution and exchange of clean syringes, and methadone treatment for opoid dependence.

In 2008, two pilot sites in Hai Phong and HCM City were launched. There are now 94 methadone treatment centres for 16,500 addicts in the country.

The Ministry of Health aims to treat by 2015 more than 80,000 heroin addicts with methadone at over 200 health clinics nationwide.

The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs is opening community-based centres for voluntary treatment.

One challenge is to ensure a high quality of workers who can meet the technical requirements of the job, and who have essential expertise in their field and study in continuing education.

In the past, the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with PEPFAR, Global Fund and the World Bank, through organizations such as FHI360 and SCMS, organized methadone maintenance treatment training courses that helped meet programme needs.

However, this needs to be strengthened because of the number of addicts who need methadone, Dung said.

There should be a wider involvement of psychiatric hospitals and academic institutions such as the HIV-Addiction Technology Transfer Centres, he added.

High lipid levels raise alarm

About 44 per cent of Ha Noi and HCM City residents have hyperlipidaemia, a condition where one has an abnormally elevated level of lipids in their blood, according to a recent study by the National Institute of Nutrition.

The number is concerning, as research shows a direct connection between hyperlipidaemia and lethal illness, according to Viet Nam National Heart Association president Pham Gia Khai.

"Up to 90 per cent of heart attacks are caused by cholesterol plaques while about 93 per cent of stroke sufferers have hyperlipidaemia," he said.

Doctor Bui The Hoa from HCM City-based Nguyen Tri Phuong Hospital's Cardiovascular Department agreed with Khai.

"The elevation of the fat or cholesterol level in the blood grows silently. But it can lead to high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes and diabetes," Hoa said.

Nearly six million people in Viet Nam have diabetes, the Ministry of Health reported this year. This number grew by 211 per cent in the last decade, according to Nguyen Thi Khue, president of the Vietnamese Association of Diabetes and Endocrinology. Alcohols, smoking and an unbalanced diet heavy in fat are the most likely causes of hyperlipidaemia. However, the condition can occur in anyone, no matter his or her weight or diet, warned HCM City Heart Association Dang Van Phuoc.

Viet Nam National Heart Association President Pham Gia Khai said the best way to treat the condition was to change unhealthy life habits.

"Patients should avoid fatty food, alcohol and cigarettes and exercise more. Medicine should always be a last resort," Khai said.

Remote areas to get family planning tips

The Viet Nam Family Planning Association (VINAFPA) plans to expand its services over the next five years to poor and remote areas, especially those inhabited by ethnic minority communities.

In a report released yesterday, the association said it has provided advice on reproductive health and family planning to nearly five million people over the last five years.

It has also delivered more than 3.5 million pamphlets and other information documents to residents, including adolescents and workers in industrial zones.

The model of providing pre-marriage consultancy and health-examinations was introduced in the northern port city of Hai Phong City and the provinces of Nam Dinh and Nghe An. More than 500 couples in the three localities benefited from the service.

More than 10 reproductive health clinics were set up across the country.

Nguyen Ba Thuy, chairman of the association, said that the shortage of funds was a big challenge for several provinces and cities.

Without adequate funding, the localities would not be able to buy more medical equipment that they need to continue providing services, he said.

Another shortcoming that continued to affect the association's performance was the lack of co-ordination between different branches of the association and other local relevant organisations made it difficult to learn from each other's experiences and help each other.

Pham Ba Nhat, deputy chairman of the association, said that in the coming five years, the association's activities would be focused on residents in poor, remote areas in the central province of Quang Binh where the Van Kieu and Ruc ethnic minorities reside, and in the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai, home to the Giay and Kho Mu ethnic minorities.

The association would strive to set up reproductive health clinics in all provinces and cities by 2019, he said, adding that they would be equipped with three-dimensional and four-dimensional ultrasound machines.

Training courses would be organised for volunteers and social workers to increase their effectiveness, Nhat said.

The association would also mobilise more support for its work from the State, localities and international agencies, he added.

The VINAFPA was founded in 1993. It is a member of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front and the International Planned Parenthood Federation.

Asian aquaculture diseases discussed

A triennial Asian symposium on diseases affecting aquaculture opened in HCM City yesterday, with 300 local and international scientists, researchers, and business executives taking part.

The five-day DAA9 will discuss issues related to bio-security compliance, parasitic diseases, early mortality syndrome in shrimp, fish viral disease, fish and shrimp immunology, diseases affecting tilapia and catfish, aquatic diseases, and husbandry and management.

"The Asian region as a whole has excelled in aquatic animal health research over the last 25 years and this is illustrated by the excellent collaborations that are being sustained between aquatic animal health professionals of Asia Pacific and reflected in the quality of science outputs from the region," Chadag Vishnumurthy Mohan, Chairman of the Asian Fisheries Society's Fish Health Section (FHS), said.

Addressing the opening session, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Vu Van Tam said DAA9 offered a good opportunity to scientists, managers, and businesses involved in aquaculture and aquatic animal health in Asia as well as around the world to share useful research results and experiences related to prevention and control of diseases.

It was also a great opportunity for businesses to promote aquaculture activities, aquatic and aquatic produce, aquatic feed, aquatic veterinary products and technology related to aquatic animal health, he said.

It offered Viet Nam and its international partners an opportunity to expand research collaboration and market aquatic produce and veterinary products to boost development of the aquatic sector and reduce pollution, he added.

According to recent Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) estimates, considering the potential impacts of global population and income growth on fish consumption, fish demand is expected to reach 261 million tonnes in 2030.

To meet this demand, future fish supply from aquaculture needed to increase significantly, Rohana Subasinghe, senior aquaculture officer of the FAO's Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, said.

From past experience it was clear that producers would always attempt to bridge any demand-supply gap even at the cost of sustainability, he warned.

Historically, disease has proved a major constraint to efficient production in many aquaculture systems, he said.

Major improvements had been made in recent years in the understanding of the aetiology and epidemiology of fish diseases, and aquaculture producers in many countries had dramatically improved their husbandry practices with greater focus now on fish health and welfare, he said.

Many serious infectious diseases had been controlled through new therapeutics and vaccines, but new disease problems were emerging and previously rare diseases were becoming much more prevalent, making continued vigilance and solution development vital, he added.

Mohan from FHS said DAA9 had attracted over 260 high-quality research submissions from the Asia-Pacific and other parts of the world.

The growing interest in emerging diseases, diseases of fast developing aquaculture items like tilapia and catfish and fish immunology was very evident in the DAA9 scientific programme, he said.

The symposium, organised by the FHS in co-operation with the Department of Animal Health, ends this Friday.

Producers, traders blamed for substandard food safety

Though food producers' and traders' awareness of hygiene has improved, their sense of responsibility and adoption of practices to ensure food safety have not, experts have said.

One of the hurdles to ensuring food safety is fraud in indicating origins and the reluctance to obey regulations and authorities, Nguyen Hung Long, deputy director of the Ministry of Health's Food Hygiene and Safety Department, said.

"The main reason is the low sense of responsibility among people participating in food production and trading," he told a seminar in HCM City yesterday.

They are emboldened to continue their fraudulent practices by the shortage of human resources to monitor them, checking equipment, and funds, he said.

The common causes of food pollution are microorganisms; toxic chemicals like plant protection chemicals, growth substances, fungicides, and preservatives; and heavy metals, he said.

The risk of contamination remains huge at every stage of the supply chain and very difficult to prevent in a sustainable manner due to land and water pollution and lack of planning to create safe farming areas, he admitted.

Plant seeds, fertilisers, and plant protection chemicals are mostly supplied by small business, illegally imported, and of unknown origin and poor quality, he added.

Ly Kim Chi, president of the Food and Foodstuff Association in HCM City, said 80 per cent of the agricultural output and food consumed every day in HCM City is of dubious origin, with fraud often involved.

Banned chemicals are still used in agriculture, aquaculture, and seafood processing, while the methods of storing agricultural produce and processing food leave them susceptible to contamination, she said. In the first 10 months of the year nearly 110 cases of severe food poisoning occurred around the country, killing 20 people and affecting 3,800 others, she said.

The seminar, titled "Food Safety: Responsibilities of Manufacturers, Distributors, Retailers", was organised by the American Chamber of Commerce in Viet Nam and Association of Viet Nam Retailers.

It attracted nearly 200 executives from the food and beverage industry, supply chain, and logistics firms.

Workshop teaches football, life skills

Football for Hope Adidas Exchange Programme in Viet Nam, an international workshop on football and life skills, began in Hue city yesterday.

Fifty-four members from 16 non-government organisations in Asia and Australia are participating in the workshop, which ends on Saturday.

The workshop, being hosted by the Football for All in Viet Nam (FFAV), will include two seminars on ‘Development through football in schools' and a coaching seminar on the ‘widely recognised Coerver Coaching method'.

The four-day programme provides organisations an opportunity to exchange and develop expertise and skills that are vital for an effective programme delivery and their overall operations.

FFAV rises above cultural norms to create non-competitive, inclusive football and life skills programmes for children – aged between six and 15 – from disadvantaged communities, including orphans, ethnic minorities and street children, with training sessions and tournaments.

HCM City triumph in national tennis event

The HCM City men's and women's tennis teams won crucial victories in their respective categories during the National Sports Games here yesterday.

In the men's finals, HCM City beat Ha Noi, 2-1 (1-6, 6-1, 6-1), to take the lead while in the women's finals, HCM City defeated Da Nang, 2-0, to win the gold medal.

Athletes take a day off today and resume competitions in five events tomorrow.

Experts seek to improve community learning centres’ effectiveness

Japan’s experience in implementing community-based learning centres (Kominkan/CLCs) was shared at an international workshop in Ho Chi Minh City on November 24 with an aim to improve the effectiveness of similar facilities in Vietnam.

The two-day function was co-organised by the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) and the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation’s Regional Centre for Lifelong Learning (SEAMEO CELLL).

Prof. Dr Teuchi Akitoshi from Japan’s University of Tsukuba said Japan has a widespread system of Kominkan from urban to rural areas, creating opportunities for people to learn throughout their lifetime.

These CLCs also run technical and cultural activities, helping consolidate community solidarity, he added.

Participants at the function said the Kominkan model partly contributed to Japan’s rising from a war-torn country to a global power within 20 years.

Piloted in Vietnam since 1997, the model has been multiplied nationwide with around 11,000 CLCs in 98.77 percent of all communes and wards, serving tens of millions of people.

Director of MOET’s Continuing Education Department Nguyen Cong Hinh said such a rapid expansion of CLCs has proved their role in eradicating illiteracy, universalising primary and secondary education, and supporting poverty alleviation.

However, he pointed out to some problems in CLCs’ operations, noting that only 30 percent of the centres work effectively.

Hinh attributed this fact to limited capacity of centres’ managers, monotonous activities, the shortage of learning material, as well as the lax coordination between universities and CLCs.

Educational experts, therefore, urged the sector to improve the capacity of the CLCs’ staff, adapt learning activities to the local life, mobilise all local resources for the work, and learn from developed countries’ expertise in the field.

In 2013, the Vietnamese Prime Minister approved a project on building a learning society between 2012 and 2020 with concrete targets on illiteracy eradication, educational universalisation, the improvement of workforce’s computer, foreign language and professional skills, and people’s engagement in soft skill training programmes.

Project to improve livelihoods in Ben Tre province expanded

The Seed to Table Programme is providing 75,000 USD to expand its ongoing project to improve the livelihoods of disadvantaged households in Binh Chanh district in the southern province Ben Tre.

Accordingly, two more communes of the district, Vang Quoi Dong and Tam Hiep, will participate in the project from December onwards.

The main objectives of the project are to support the development of environmentally friendly agriculture and to provide local residents with fresh water storage tanks for the dry season.

The project has been underway since July 2012, with 90,000 USD allocated to five poor rural communes so far, namely Thanh Phuoc, Dai Hoa Loc, Phu Long, Chau Hung and Long Hoa.

It has helped change farmers’ behaviour and supported the application of green production methods, including organic vegetable farming.

More funds allocated to flood risk reduction in Binh Dinh

The People’s Committee of the central province of Binh Dinh approved a project to reduce the risk of floods in the lower areas of the Ha Thanh and Kon rivers.

The 476,000 USD project, funded by the Institute for Social and Environmental Transition, will run from the end of 2014 to late 2015.

The project aims to increase the resilience of local residents to cope with climate change, while reducing the impact and risks of flooding.

As part of the project, residents will be provided with up-to-date information on flood conditions on the two river systems and in lower areas, as well as the creation of a flood map network for Nhon Phu and Nhon Binh districts in the city of Quy Nhon.

Additionally, the project aims to make local infrastructure more resilient to climate change and natural disasters, including safe houses and improved access to clean water, as well as improving residents’ understanding of climate change and natural disaster risk management in the community. Four monitoring stations and multi-functional houses will be constructed, and a text message early warning programme will be set up.

The Ha Thanh and Kon rivers traverse the province and often cause floods, threatening the day-to-day lives of more than 40,000 households during the rainy season.

Biogas benefits people in Central Highlands

The application of biogas technology in daily use has been benefiting people in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai , thus contributing to the locality’s news-style rural area building.

Truong Van Minh, a local farmer, said his family has applied the technology since 2012 and can save 400,000-500,000 VND (19-24 USD) per month.

It has also created a healthy environment for not only his family but also his neighbours, he added.

The province has so far constructed over 1,100 biogas plants, each worth 10 to 25 million VND ( 235- 1,190 USD). The plants are not only economically efficient but also environmentally friendly.

The biogas technology is one of the effective measures to create clean energy sources as well as reduce deforestation for firewood and greenhouse gas emissions. Biogas is produced from the decomposition process of animal and plant waste in the absence of oxygen.

With more than 760,000 heads of cattle and 2.3 million fowls, the province should expand the model among people, especially ethnic minorities, in an effort to solve environmental pollution and gradually drive back epidemics.

WB-funded project helps improve social assistance system

A World Bank-funded project aiming at supporting efficiency and enhancing reforms in the social assistance system was launched on November 24 by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs in the central province of Quang Nam.

The social assistance system strengthening project is piloted in the provinces of Quang Nam, Ha Giang, Lam Dong and Tra Vinh and lasts until 2019, focusing on drawing common roadmaps for policies and mechanisms on social assistance.

A national database on social beneficiaries and a modern management system will be developed within the project’s framework.

The project is expected to simplify administrative procedures for social assistance, thus promoting poverty reduction as well as bringing more benefits to vulnerable people.

Workshop aims to promote science, technology and innovation

An international workshop on improving the measurement and assessment of science, technology and innovation kicked off in Hanoi on November 24.

Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Tran Quoc Khanh said the workshop provided a chance for domestic and international experts to share their experience and different approaches, and make recommendations for Vietnam, thus helping to increase its awareness of measuring and assessing science and technology.

Experts from the World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the US, Germany, Finland, and the Republic of Korea shared international experiences in evaluating the efficiency of research and development in the public and private sectors and in analysing the innovation gap in Vietnam.

Victoria Kwakwa, the WB Country Director in Vietnam, stressed the importance of increasing the productivity and quality of Vietnam’s economy by improving the efficiency of scientific research and the application of technology.

To strengthen competitiveness on the world market, Vietnam should help its businesses improve their position in the global value chain by investing in the development of modern technologies, she added.

At the workshop, OECD released its report on science, technology and innovation in Vietnam, which clarifies the country’s strengths and weaknesses as well as the opportunities and challenges for its science and technology sector.

The workshop marks the debut of the FIRST–NASATI sub-project, part of the WB-funded “Fostering Innovation through Research, Science and Technology” project for 2013-2019.

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