Fire at HCM City shop causes traffic jam

A huge fire broke out at a massage shop at No 48 Cach Mang Thang Tam Street, Ward 6, District 3 in HCM City, early this morning.

The on-line newspaper VietnamPlus reported that a large amount of dark smoke rose high from the ninth floor of the shop. Authorities blocked the street to allow firefighters to reach the scene of the fire.

The blaze caused temporary traffic jams at the neighbouring intersections of Vo Van Tan-Cach Mang Thang Tam and Nguyen Thi Minh Khai-Cach Mang Thang Tam.

The blaze was extinguished after two hours, thanks to the efforts of the firefighters.

The authorities are investigating the cause of the fire.

Road safety committee holds first-aid course in Hanoi

The National Committee for Road Safety in co-ordination with the Red Cross, the social forum Otofun and Ford Vietnam organised an event in Hanoi on February 8 giving first aid training to taxi drivers and fans of adventure tourism.

Experts from the International Red Cross provided participants with the basic skills necessary to handle common situations such as unconsciousness, fractures and bleeding so that they can give proper first aid to victims of transport accidents.

According to the committee’s Vice Chairman Khuat Viet Hung, Hanoi will pave the way for similar training models to be conducted in Hai Phong, Nghe An and Ho Chi Minh City later this year.

The National Committee for Road Safety intends to produce documentaries and promote campaigns to raise awareness of life-saving medical interventions.

Four face murder trial in Ha Noi

Ha Noi Police will prosecute four men for the murder of a 53-year-old man who was stabbed to death on Pham Van Dong Street in Cau Giay District last August.

The accused include Nguyen Kim Binh, 43, from Cau Giay District, Hoang Anh Tuan, 35, from Soc Son District, Le Hong Thuan, 23, of Thanh Xuan District, and Le Trung Kien, 44.

Kien is the former deputy head of Cau Giay District's organisation department.

Investigations by the police found that Kien agreed to let Binh hire people to beat up victim Kieu Hong Thanh due to a money-related dispute. Binh then hired Tuan and Thuan to beat up Thanh for VND30 million (US$1,440).

Tuan and Thuan used a motorbike to stop Thanh's car on Pham Van Dong Street, where Tuan stabbed him twice, leading to his death. Following this, Thuan gave himself up to the police.

Tet donations provide hope to less fortunate

Activities have been organised for underprivileged people across the country prior to the traditional Lunar New Year (Tet), the biggest holiday in Viet Nam.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc visited Phu Loc district of central Thua Thien-Hue province on Saturday and presented 100 gift packages, each worth VND1 million ($47), to poor households and Agent Orange/Dioxin victims.

He said the Party and State were consistently focused on the impoverished and suggested local authorities take concrete measures to help the disadvantaged escape poverty.

The same day, President of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan distributed 190 presents, each worth VND1 million, to fishermen in Tuy Hoa City in central coastal Phu Yen Province.

The VFF leader encouraged fishermen to continue safeguarding the sovereignty of the nation's sea and islands.

Meanwhile, the Viet Nam Youth Union in HCM City presented 300 gift packages to the disadvantaged and those with disabilities yesterday. The young volunteers will wrap up 200 ‘chung' (square glutinous rice) cakes for low-income or homeless people and raise funds for the poor in northwest provinces as part of the union's spring programme.

The same day, the Youth newspaper, in conjunction with the municipal Hospital of Haematology and Blood Transfusion, launched a blood drive for children diagnosed with cancer.

The organisation board also visited and presented gifts to 800 child cancer patients being treated at hospitals in HCM City, Ha Noi, Thua Thien-Hue and Da Nang.

Customers boycott Vietnam drink producer over fly in bottle scandal

Thousands of people are calling for a boycott of a popular soft drink after a consumer complained of finding a fly in a sealed bottle and was arrested for attempting to extort compensation for keeping it a secret.

Pages have been opened on Facebook to generate support for the boycott of "Number One" and other products made by the Tan Hiep Phat company, with thousands of "likes" to date.

Tan Hiep Phat contacted police when a customer demanded the company pay VND500m in compensation to keep quiet after finding a fly inside a bottle of "Number One" soft drink.

Vo Van Minh, 35, was arrested on January 27 by police in Cai Be District, Tien Giang Province, for attempted extortion.

Minh, a restaurant owner, told the company he spotted the fly inside the bottle when serving a customer on December 3. A member of the company was sent to check the claim.

At that meeting, Minh allegedly asked for VND1bn, threatening to go to the media if he was not paid. A final sum of VND500m was agreed after negotiations.

The company then informed the police and Minh was arrested at a café as the money was handed over.

Several Facebook sites alleged customers who attempted to seek redress from Tan Hiep Phat for problems with its products have ended up in jail.

Vu Van Dung, of the Hanoi Lawyer Associaiton, said aggrieved customers are entitled to inform the media or complain to a producer to seek compensation if a product can be proven to be defective.

Whether Minh's actions, and the amount of compensation he demanded, constitute a crime will be up to the courts to decide.

HCM City's Disability Research and Capacity Development Center held a workshop for 30 disabled people on the recently ratified United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

After holding the two-day workshop that ended yesterday to speed up implementation of the convention, the centre expects the trainees to train others in turn to spread the message rapidly.

Luu Thi Anh Loan, the centre's acting director, said it was very important for people with disabilities to understand their rights and responsibilities so that they can raise their voice and make suggestions to policymakers to protect their rights.

The ratification of the convention by Viet Nam last November was a good omen for ensuring equal rights for people with disabilities in the country, she said.

It would help achieve the target of providing vocational training and jobs for 550 working-age people with disabilities by 2020, she said.

The Government also plans that by that year all public offices, bus and train stations, health facilities, schools, sport stadiums and other public facilities throughout the country will be accessible to disabled people.

The accessibility is low now.

The centre did a study on access in HCM City, surveying 1,800 buildings in Districts 1 and 3. It found a mere 78 accessible to wheelchair users.

"The country has laws safeguarding the rights of people with disabilities but enforcement is poor," Loan said.

"For instance, the law's provisions on employment for disabled people only encourages employers to recruit them and does not make it mandatory."

A 2010 report from the city Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs said only 6,000 out of 18,000 disabled people of working age had jobs.

Viet Nam has around 6.7 million people with disabilities, accounting for 8.7 per cent of its population.

The workshop was organised by the centre in co-operation with International Labour Organisation.

Company yet to pay for dam breach damages

Resident who suffered damage after the dam at the Ia Krel 2 Hydroelectric Plant in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai ruptured five months ago were still waiting for compensation, said Vo Thanh Hung, chairman of the district People's Committee.

Compensation was owed by Bao Long Gia Lai Company, the plant's investor, he said.

The breach damaged farmland and hundreds of households in the district.

Siu Chuyt from Ia Dom Commune said the resulting flood swept away two hectares of cassava and two pigs belonging to her family.

She has since been forced to take out a loan of VND10 million (US$470) to pay for her children's school fees and daily life.

Nguyen Huu Thien, chairman of the Ia Dom Commune People's Committee, told Nong thon ngay nay (Countryside Today) newspaper that Gia Lai Province People's Committee had assessed the losses caused by the dam, and set compensation at VND12 million ($570) for each hectare of damaged farmland.

Local residents agreed with the sum.

A total of 232 households suffered losses in the incident, and the total compensation is likely to be about VND5 billion ($238,000).

But Vo Thanh Hung, chairman of Duc Co District's People's Committee, said that Bao Long Gia Lai had only paid out VND1.2 billion ($57,100) so far.

The district has urged the company to pay up on a number of occasions, but it claims not to have enough money.

If the company was unable to pay all the compensation before Tet, the district would use the local budget to pre-pay the poorest households and help them enjoy the holiday, said Hung.

Government aid curbs starvation in Lao Cai

Authorities in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai have distributed a state aid packet of 162 tonnes of rice to targeted local districts and communes.

The rice is expected to help ease hunger for 2,790 impoverished households with 10,800 people across the locality.

Lao Cai bore the brunt of an 11,000-tonne food supply loss in 2014 due to a mid-year drought.-

New bridges ease traffic in An Giang

Seven bridges in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang became operational on February 7 after seven months of construction.

The structures, part of Highway 91, were built through a loan worth 180 billion VND (8.4 million USD) from the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

Each bridge is 8 metres wide, the longest of which is 50 metres.

Highway 91 plays a prominent role in the flow of commodities from Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta region to Cambodia, generating roughly 1 million USD in export revenue annually.

The improved flow of traffic across the bridges is expected to boost tourism and ease regional traffic.-

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung attended a ceremony in the southernmost province of Ca Mau on February 7 to inaugurate Nam Can bridge, the last bridge on the Ho Chi Minh Highway.

The bridge covers a length of over 800m and a width of 12m, spanning over the Cua Lon river and linking Nam Can and Ngoc Hien districts.

Built at a cost of nearly 650 billion VND (30.9 million USD), it is a key part of the second phase of the Ho Chi Minh Highway that runs from the northeastern province of Cao Bang to the southernmost Ca Mau province.

On the occasion, an 8.1km stretch starting from Nam Can township to the bridge, accommodating the newly-built Kenh Cai Tat, Sau Nan and Trai Luoi bridges, was technically opened to public.

Slated for completion in the next 10 months, the stretch is designed for a maximum vehicle speed of 80km per hour.

Addressing the event, the PM requested the Ministry of Transport, the Ho Chi Minh highway project’s management board and units concerned quickly conclude the construction of the stretch later this year as scheduled.

He also asked Ca Mau authorities to optimise the use of capital inflows into infrastructure, which is one of the strategic breakthroughs on its way forward.-

Overseas Vietnamese pay tribute to fallen soldiers

Nearly 100 Overseas Vietnamese on February 7 paid tribute to fallen soldiers at Ben Duoc memorial temple and visited the Cu Chi tunnel historical site in Ho Chi Minh City , as part of the Homeland Spring programme.

Ben Duoc temple is a cultural historical work dedicated to soldiers and people who laid down their lives in the Saigon-Gia Dinh region during the wartime.

Meanwhile, Cu Chi tunnels have an immense network of branches connecting to underground hideouts, shelters and entrances to other tunnels, which were used by Vietnamese soldiers during wars against France and the US as living quarters, hospitals, supply routes, food and weapon caches.

The Homeland Spring programme on February 7-8 in Ho Chi Minh City was launched by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the municipal People’s Committee in celebration of the 40 years of the Southern Liberation Day (April 30) and the 70 years of the National Day (September 2).

An art programme will be televised on the night of February 8 at Nha Rong Wharf , during which President Truong Tan Sang will extend New Year wishes to the expatriates.

There are approximately 4.5 million Vietnamese living and working in 103 countries and territories. They form an indispensable part of the nation and play an important role in intensifying cooperation and friendship between Vietnam and the rest of the world.

OVs in Argentina celebrate Tet

The Embassy of Vietnam in Argentina on February 7 held a get-together to celebrate the 2015 Lunar New Year festival (Tet) which attracted the participation of a large number of overseas Vietnamese (OVs) including students who are studying in the country.

At the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Argentina Nguyen Dinh Thao reviewed major achievements recorded in 2014, and stressed that 2015 is a meaningful year with a number of major anniversaries, including Vietnam’s 70th National Day, and the establishment of the ASEAN Community.

The Ambassador affirmed that the Party and State always consider the Vietnamese community abroad an integral part of the nation.

He spoke highly of the fruitful relations between Vietnam and Argentina with two-way trade turnover of US$1.92 billion in 2014, a year-on-year increase of 20.6%.

In the cozy atmosphere, participants had a chance to sing together and enjoy Tet traditional cuisines such as Banh Chung (square cake) and Nem (spring rolls).

Japan, Turkey, US celebrate Lunar New Year

The Vietnam Embassies in Japan, Turkey and the US held separate ceremonies on February 6 to celebrate the Lunar New Year (TET) holiday.

Speaking at the event in Japan attended by former Prime Ministers Yasuo Fukuda and Yukio Hatoyama, Ambassador Doan Xuan Hung highlighted the significance of the traditional Tet festival.

Hung said for him it was most importantly a time to gather with family and friends and to look back to the homeland and be thankful.

He briefed the guests on Vietnam’s achievements for 2014 in all fields – underscoring the GDP growth rate of 5.98% and stable macro-economy. Inflation has been contained inflation he said, adding export revenues were a record US$150 billion.

This year Vietnam aims to obtain a GDP growth rate of 6.2% and continue to accelerate international integration and strengthening relations with other countries, protect national sovereignty and actively contribute to maintaining regional peace and security.

Hung stressed that in recent years, Vietnam-Japan relations have developed strongly noting that a deep and extensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity was established in March 2014 during State President Truong Tan Sang visit’s to Japan.

Japan remains a leading development partner of Vietnam, Xuan said adding that he hoped bilateral cooperation, especially in agriculture would be further promoted in the future.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Nguyen The Cuong took time to meet with the OVs community in Ankara Turkey on the occasion of upcoming Tet and conveyed his best wishes for a prosperous new year.

He thanked OVs for their donations for island soldiers and flood victims at home over recent years.

Around 300 Vietnamese living in the US gathered in Washington, D.C., on February 6 in celebration of the coming Lunar New Year (Tet).

In his speech to the gathering, Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh thanked them for humanitarian deeds and voices to safeguard national sea and island sovereignty over the past year, adding that the embassy laid down community work as its top agenda for the coming time.

He also briefed them of progresses in various fields at home, with the economy growing higher than expected for the first time, by 5.98 percent versus the targeted 5.8 percent.

Sizing up the status of the Vietnam – US trade, Vinh said it soared 70 times to more than US$35 billion in 2014 against two decades ago.

Over 16,500 Vietnamese students are pursuing studies in the US, the highest number among Southeast Asia countries and the eighth globally.

Both countries take steadfast position on concluding the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations expeditiously, thus opening the door to more opportunities in trade and other fields, he said.

In 2015, Vietnam and the US will co-host a series of activities celebrating the 20 th anniversary of diplomatic ties, including the “Vietnam Days in the US” in Washington.

Budapest school celebrates Vietnam culture

International students at the ELTE Radnóti Miklós School in Budapest celebrated – Vietnam Cultural Day – on February 6 for the second time on the campus.

Speaking on the occasion, Vietnam Ambassador to Hungary Nguyen Thanh Tuan said he appreciated the effort of the organisers to introduce the Vietnamese language and its culture at the school.

The school places great emphasis on the teaching of foreign languages and culture and Vietnam is honoured for the celebration coming on the 65th anniversary of diplomatic ties, Tuan added.

Students had a chance to exchange with friends and their parents about matters pertaining to language, music, and architecture and watched short films about Vietnamese culture.

Tay Ninh cherishes cooperation, friendship with Cambodia border provinces

Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy, Chairwoman of the Tay Ninh People’s Committee, said that Tay Ninh had always cherished the tradition of cooperation and friendship with Cambodian border provinces to the benefit of the people of the two countries.

Thuy made the remark at a friendship meeting on February 6 between the Tay Ninh People’s Committee and officials from the Cambodian government and four Cambodian provinces of Svay Rieng, Tbong Khmum, Pray Veng and Kompong Cham.

She underlined that Tay Ninh and neighbouring Cambodian localities have carried out many cooperation programmes, which covered a wide range of fields from commerce, education, health, transport to border marker planting, crime control and search and repatriation of Vietnamese soldiers’ remains. The cooperation has helped build a peaceful and friendship border, she said.

The official affirmed that Tay Ninh wants to continue implementing cooperation programmes basing on the equal and win-win principles to strengthen the unity and friendship of the two neighbouring nations.

Cheang Am, governor of Svay Rieng, on behalf of the Cambodian delegation, confirmed the long-established tradition of unity, friendship and cooperation between the Cambodian and Vietnamese people in general and between the people of border provinces in particular.

He noted that Svay Rieng and Tay Ninh have been coordinated well in the field of border security on the principles of respecting each other’s independence and sovereignty, together ensuring security and order at the border areas.

The governor also expressed his thanks for the help of Tay Ninh to the Svay Rieng province such as repairing roads, building bridges, providing medical treatment for poor patients, and training agricultural and industrial experts and medical students in the past years.

Success in Dien Bien’s universal preschool programme

The northern mountainous Dien Bien province announced the achievement of its goal to provide universal preschool education for five-year-old children on February 6.

The locality has implemented its universal education plan through 2020 since April 2011. Its four-year effort paid off, as its universal preschool education was recognised for meeting national standards by the Ministry of Education and Training on December 31 last year.

The plan has made positive changes in the local preschool sector and expanded the network of kindergartens across the province.

There are currently 167 kindergartens operating across 769 campuses in all 130 communes, and 64 of the kindergartens were recognised as meeting national standards.

The province also focused on developing school infrastructure with 51 percent of classrooms deemed stable and well-constructed.

The number of children attending preschools was also on the rise with nearly 44,600 enrolled between 2014 and 2015 compared to 30,000 from 2009-2010. All of whom received two classes a day for a full school year and 94 percent were day-boarders.

The number of qualified teachers also increased with about 43 percent of 1,450 kindergarten teachers holding university degrees with another 28 percent holding associates degrees.

Deputy Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Pham Xuan Koi said preschool education lays a solid foundation for the success of universal primary and secondary education efforts.

Dien Bien province is committed to maintaining preschool quality along with encouraging the establishment of private kindergartens as it aims to have 50 percent of local children below 2-years-old and 98 percent of 3-5 year-olds attend school. It hopes to have 60 percent of its preschools meeting national standards by 2020.

Tet donations continue for needy people

A variety of activities have been organised to warm the hearts of underprivileged people across the country on the occasion of the quickly-approaching traditional Lunar New Year (Tet), the biggest holiday in Vietnam.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc visited and presented 100 gift packages, each worth 1 million VND (47 USD), to poor households and Agent Orange/Dioxin victims in Phu Loc district of central Thua Thien-Hue province on February 7.

He said the Party and State are consistently focused on the impoverished and suggested local authorities take concrete measures to help the disadvantaged escape poverty.

The same day, President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan gave 190 presents, each worth 1 million VND (47 USD), to fishermen in the Tuy Hoa city of central coastal Phu Yen province.

The VFF also provided 300 million VND (14,150 USD) to four families to support the construction of high-capacity fishing vessels.

The VFF leader encouraged fishermen to continue safeguarding the national sea and island sovereignty.

On February 6, the Hanoi Chapter of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations and representatives from the Mexican and Romanian Embassies in Vietnam held a programme to present gifts to underprivileged residents of remote My Duc and Hoa Kiem districts.

The Vietnam Youth Union in Ho Chi Minh City presented 300 gift packages to the disadvantaged and those with disabilities on February 8. The young volunteers will wrap up 200 ‘chung’ (square glutinous rice) cakes for low-income or homeless people and raise funds for the poor in northwest provinces as part of the union’s spring programme.

The same day, the Youth newspaper, in conjunction with the municipal Hospital of Haematology and Blood Transfusion, launched a blood drive for children diagnosed with cancer.

The organisation board visited and presented gifts to 800 child cancer patients being treated at hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Thua Thien-Hue and Da Nang.

Elsewhere in the central province of Quang Ngai, the PetrolVietnam Insurance Corporation (PVI) sent 1,000 Tet gifts to poverty-stricken households in Quang Ngai city and Tu Nghia district, worth a combined 500 million VND (23,500 USD).

A festival was held in the northern province of Bac Ninh to teach children about wrapping ‘chung’ cake and the art of calligraphy, while calling for social engagement in protecting, caring for and educating children, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Danang, Kunming become sister cities

Agreements have been signed establishing sister city relations between Danang City and Kunming City, the capital and largest city in the Yunnan Province in Southwest China.

Speaking at the signing ceremony on February 6 in Kunming, leaders from the two cities said sister city relationships promote people to people cultural exchange, business connections, tourism and a sense of shared history.

They are also a better way to share appreciation for the arts and cuisine.

Kunming City is often called the spring city due to its weather. The city is home to several universities, museums, galleries and other important economic, cultural, and educational institutions.

RoK-funded happiness programme launched in Quang Tri

The central province of Quang Tri and the Korean International Cooperation Agency in Vietnam (KOICA) jointly organised a ceremony to kick off the “Happiness programme in Quang Tri” on February 6.

he event was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Deputy Foreign Minister Ho Xuan Son, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea (RoK) to Vietnam Jun Dae Joo and KOICA Chief Representative Chang Jea Yun.

The “Happiness programme”, which targets human resources, healthcare development, hunger elimination, poverty reduction and green growth, has a total investment of US$11.6 million, of which the RoK will offer US$9.6 million in non-refundable aid.

The four-year programme, following the successful rural development model of the RoK’s New Villages Movement (Saemaul Undong), will benefit 7 underdeveloped communes in Quang Tri.

The project was developed under an agreement signed in May 2012 between Quang Tri and KOICA.

Back in 2001, KOICA piloted the Saemaul Undong model at Hien Luong Village in Vinh Thanh Commune with great success.

New Year celebrations for overseas Vietnamese

A crowd of overseas Vietnamese in the US’s New York City on February 7 (local time) were brought together to celebrate the upcoming traditional Lunar New Year (Tet), the most important holiday in Vietnam.

Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations, highlighted the significance of the founding day of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) to the cause of national construction, liberation and development.

She underlined remarkable achievements made by Vietnam in the Doi moi (reform) and international integration process.

The Ambassador also extended her sincere appreciation for the contributions of the Vietnamese community abroad, including those from New York and the US, to Vietnam’s development.

Despite challenges over the past year, Vietnam expanded its foreign affairs and elevated its position in the global arena. Looking forward, the nation pledges to continue being an active and responsible member of the United Nations, contributing to global peace, security and prosperity.

Event guests enjoyed traditional cuisine and music programmes.

The same day, the Vietnamese Embassy in Argentina held a gathering for Vietnamese expatriates in the host society.

Ambassador Nguyen Dinh Thao highlighted 2015 as a significant year with major celebratory events, including the 70th anniversary of the National Day (September 2) and the formation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC).

He reiterated the Party and State’s policy regarding overseas Vietnamese as an indispensable part of the nation.

He also underlined the deepening cooperation between Vietnam and Argentina, with a record-setting trade value of 1.92 billion USD in 2014, up 20.6 percent from the previous year.

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