Three companies fined for violating advertisement regulations

The Vietnam Food Administration of the health ministry has fined three companies for violating regulations by advertising dietary supplements without permission.

The three companies were fined a total amount of VND65 million (US$3,000).

The Viet Hung Pharmaceutical Co Ltd, in Ha Noi's Thanh Nhan District, advertised the Vieskin Collagen-C capsules on the website collagenvh.com, without taking permission from the competent agency.

The DP Ecofam joint-stock company, in Ha Noi's Nam Tu Liem District, also advertised its dietary supplement on the website http://ecofam.vn, even though the competent agency had not checked the advertisement content.

The Thien Lo Trading Co Ltd, in HCM City's District 5, advertised Vimudium capsules on leaflets, which made customers mistake them for treatment drugs.

The three companies were forced to withdraw their advertisements.

Driver dead, cop hurt as lorry rams van

One person died and one was critically injured in a traffic collision Saturday morning in central Thua Thien-Hue Province.

A lorry was travelling north when it slammed into a police van parked on the same side. The two vehicles fell downhill and lit on fire.

The vehicles were on the Hue Bypass in Huong Tra District. The road meets National Highway 1A and traverses hills to avoid Hue's city centre.

No one was in the van, but the fire killed the lorry driver, and a policeman standing in front of the van was hit and suffered a severe head injury.

Witnesses said the police van was parked without any light signals, and the lorry was travelling very fast.

Transport Minister suspends leave for Vietnam Airlines employees amid safety concerns

Transport Minister Dinh La Thang has suspended leave for employees of Vietnam Airlines, the top airliner in Vietnam, due to concerns about air safety.

The minister asked the Civil Aviation Authority to delay applications for leave and ordered Vietnam Airlines to find ways to improve salaries and bonuses by the end of March 2015.

In October 2014, more than ten pilots submitted letters of resignation, and a large number of employees, including pilots, air traffic controllers and maintenance workers, have also attempted to resign. Salary was a major issue.

According to local pilots, their salary is about VND80m (USD4,000) per month, while equally qualified foreign pilots' with the airline earn from USD8,000 to USD13,000.

Vietnam Airlines argued it did not have to pay to train foreign pilots. It said basic training cost some VND2.5bn per pilot. The airline is the only Vietnamese carrier with the capability of training pilots. Pilots have to commit to work for at least 15 years to cover the cost of their training.

The airliner now has 600 local pilots, who account for 70 percent of cockpit crew.

In 2013, employees at Vietnam Airlines Engineering Company attempted to leave after the budget carrier VietJet Air offered them triple wages.

VAECO drew up a new contract in which employees must work at the company for 10 or 20 years. If they want to leave they would have to repay at least VND500m to cover their training fees.

Thailand celebrates Vietnam Students' Day

Talent shows, sports activities, language contests and home cooked meals were among the many events that took place January 10 across Thailand as part of festivities celebrating the 65th anniversary of Vietnam Students’ Day.

Huynh Tri Thien, head of the Vietnam Student Association in Bangkok, said the events aimed to recognise the contributions Vietnamese students have made to Thailand’s education, culture and economy.

An exchange, attended by students from five major universities dilating on the advantages and disadvantages of forming the ASEAN Community and the impact it has had on their education goals, was also held.

Tri told a VOV reporter that the presence of so many students participating in such fun activities was a perfect way to celebrate what Vietnamese students bring to Thailand’s culture.

Little boy loses arm to bear on family farm

A three-year-old boy in HCM City had his arm bitten off by a bear kept on his family farm on January 11.

The boy, named Đ.T.D, in Tan Hiep Commune, Hoc Moon District, was playing near his house when he got too close to a bear, weighs 100 kilograms, kept in a cage on the farm. It grabbed him.

The boy’s grandmother tried to drag him free of the bear, and neighbours rushed to help, but by then he had lost his arm. He was taken to the local hospital and later moved to HCM City Paediatrics Hospital.

The bear had been on the farm for three years. It has since been destroyed.

Hundreds strike for minimum pay rise

Nearly 800 workers at Carimax Saigon Company in HCMC are in the seventh day of a strike over the company's failure to pass on a mandated pay rise.

The government decreed last year wage would rise by VND250,000-400,000 per month depending on region, from January 2015, with employers barred from removing bonuses.

But on December 27, the board of directors at Carimax said that because of losses, the pay rise would be determined according to each worker's attitude, capability and experiences.

It also declared the Tet bonus would be 90% of a worker's monthly wage, but if workers went on strike, the company would consider cancelling the bonus.

Workers went on strike on January 3, with no agreement reached after 15 rounds of negotiation.

"The company's required output and productivity are impossible to meet," one striking worker said. "It's like outright refusing our minimum wage raise."

Another worker said while negotiations were underway, the company cut off electricity, cancelled Tet bonuses and declared all striking workers would be sacked for missing five consecutive days of work without cause.

Carimax director Hwang Chan Kyung said the company is incurring losses and has no concrete solution to the dispute, but will work with labour and trade unions in Cu Chi District to persuade workers return to work to limit further losses on both sides while a settlement is reached.

Social forum joins state agencies to promote traffic safety

The National Traffic Safety Committee and social forum Otofun.net signed a communication programme to work closely to promote traffic safety, at ceremony in Hanoi on January 11.

Otofun.net, with over 250,000 members, a social forum in Vietnam, joined hands with state agencies to raise public awareness of abiding by traffic regulations.

Otofun.net has many activities to encourage road users to drive carefully and abide by regulations on traffic safety and traffic culture, while also providing information on traffic organisation to state agencies.

The National Traffic Safety Committee will sign the same programme with other social forums such as Otosaigon, a forum with a large number of members in the southern region.

Road accidents kill 1.3 million people every year the world over, a figure which is expected to reach 1.8-1.9 million in the near future.

In Vietnam, 9,000 people die in road accidents every year, almost 25 deaths per day.

Outstanding craftsmen and brands of traditional crafts honoured

A ceremony honouring craftsmen and brands operating in traditional crafts was held in Hanoi on January 11.

The event, the fourth of its kind, was co-hosted by the Nguoi Ha Noi (Hanoians) Newspaper, Health and Environment Magazine and Dedicated Businesses Web Porter.

Addressing the ceremony, Editor-in-chief of Hanoians Newspaper, Bui Viet My said that in addition to honouring collectives and individuals nationwide who have made positive contributions to the development of traditional crafts, the event aims to preserve and promote the country’s long-standing cultural values.

The event also offered an opportunity for the artisans and business to exchange experiences and information while also advertising their products and brands.

The organising board presented certificates of merit to 50 businesses and craftsmen, 30 brands established with sustainable development practices, and 10 long-standing brands.

National council on medical treatment and medication makes debut

The National Council on Medical Treatment and Medication was officially launched on January 9 with 56 members, responsible for consulting with leaders of the Ministry of Health on issues related to drugs and drug treatment, and implementation of national drug policies.

Led by Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Xuyen, the council is also tasked with building criteria for medical prescription and primary drug lists used in hospitals, and analysising issues related to drugs and drug treatment, as well as suggesting appropriate solutions in order to promote the safe and reasonable use of medications.

The body also has the task of monitoring errors in treatment and use of drugs; unifying guidelines for treatment for some diseases that involve many different treatment methods; and providing guidelines to monitor drug resistance.

Activities mark Vietnam Students’ Day

More than 5,000 students from over 60 universities, colleges and academies across Hanoi on January 9 took part in the third Capital Student Festival as part of activities to celebrate the 65th anniversary of Vietnam Students’ Day.

The event provided a venue for students to exchange experience and improve their skills, and helped increase their social responsibility.

During the day, participants experienced numerous social activities, including blood donation and environmental clean-up.

They also had chance to join art performances and sport activities during the festival, which also featured a book fair and a photo exhibition on Hanoi students’ voluntary works.

The same day, a ceremony was held in Ho Chi Minh City to mark Vietnam Students’ Day and honour 200 local outstanding students.

On the occasion, on January 8, 250 students in the southern province of Vinh Long were presented with the “Five-Virtue Student” and “January Star” Awards for their excellent academic performance during the 2013-2014 school year.

Gifts come to poor fishermen in Binh Dinh

As many as 500 disadvantaged fishermen in Nhon Hai commune, Quy Nhon city, central Binh Dinh province were provided with free health check-ups and medicine on January 10.

They also received gifts, each worth 300,000 VND (14 USD), under a charity programme funded by Ho Chi Minh city-based Thanh Cong Group.

In addition, Thanh Cong Group also presented gifts and rice to families of poor fishermen and soldiers, and orphans in An Nhon town’s Nhon Chau and Nhon Loc communes.

Needy Khmer people in Tra Vinh receive free health check-ups

Nearly 500 needy Khmer people in An Quang Huu commune, Tra Cu district, the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh received free health check-ups and medicine on January 10.

This was part of a programme co-organised by the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP) and Ho Chi Minh Institute of Hygiene and Public Health.

Together with free health check-ups for early diagnosis, they were also given advice and skills to prevent common diseases.

According to VPSP Deputy General Director Vo Minh Hiep, the two-day programme covers Tra Vinh and Soc Trang provinces at a total cost of 500 million VND (23,500 USD).

Over the past 10 years, the bank has raised nearly 70 billion VND (3.29 million USD) from its staff for social welfare programmes nationwide, easing difficulties for the poor and those from ethnic minority groups, he added.

German-funded project improves social welfare system

A German-funded project has helped the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs improve its social welfare system, according to a group of independent experts presenting a conference in Hanoi on January 9.

As part of the Vietnam-Germany development cooperation framework under the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, the project to support Vietnam’s social welfare services is run by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ). It began in March 2012 and will run through February 2015.

The project is designed to improve social welfare offerings for poor, elderly, and disabled individuals through assisting with social welfare-related information management systems, monthly State allowance payments sent through the postal service, and capacity building.

The northern mountainous province of Ha Giang has been selected to pilot monthly State allowance payments through the postal service, which will then be spread across other localities under the Social Assistance System Strengthening Project by the World Bank and the UN Children’s Fund.

Delegates agreed that it will require efforts from all stakeholders to ensure society members can access social welfare services as Vietnam’s development strides generate community benefits in the coming years.

Thua Thien Hue: Poor, blind people presented Tet gifts

As many as 100 Tet gifts, each worth 600,000 VND (28 USD), come to the blind in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue on January 9.

The gifts were presented by the Consulate General of South Africa in Ho Chi Minh City and Vien Dong Assurance Corporation as part of their annual charity programme aimed at helping disadvantaged people, especially blind children, enjoy a warm Lunar New Year holiday.

Set up in 1993, the province’s association for the blind has provided career guidance and functional rehabilitation for more than 3,000 members.

State programme helps ease poverty in Central Highlands

The Steering Committee for the Central Highlands said the regional provinces have worked together to mobilise nearly 3.8 trillion VND (177.1 million USD) to improve infrastructure and production in impoverished ethnic-minority communities.

This financial assistance has been sourced from Programme 135, a multi-phase national strategy on poverty alleviation targeting impoverished and mountainous communes which has produced a number of positive outcomes.

As many as 92 communes have elevated their socioeconomic status as a result of their participation and completion of the programme’s first two phases.

Currently, 100 percent of targeted communes have elementary school facilities, including roads connecting to their locations, 80 percent have secondary schools, and 70 percent have a radio broadcast station.

The programme has also established 245 irrigation and 141 electricity projects in disadvantaged areas.

In a bid to improve livelihoods and local household production, 354,502 tonnes of seeds and 17.2 million saplings, as well as 40,264 tools and pieces of equipment for production and processing in the agro-forestry-fisheries sector, were made available in needy areas of the region through this state support.

A major priority of the poverty alleviation efforts has also been to develop effective agro-forestry-fisheries production and organise annual vocational training courses for locals.

Moving forward, the Steering Committee for the Central Highlands has proposed the Government raise the investment dedicated to each impoverished regional commune under Programme 135 from 1.5 billion VND (69,903 USD) to 2.5 – 3 billion (116,506 – 139,808 USD) annually.

The Tay Nguyen Central Highlands region is comprised of five provinces - Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Gia Lai, Kon Tum and Lam Dong.

Japan offers free training for teachers and students

The Embassy of Japan in Vietnam has announced a new programme under which the Japanese Government will provide full scholarships for Vietnamese teachers and students in 2015.

For students, the programme will be for a one year course in Japan starting in October.

To qualify, candidates must be either first or second year students currently studying the Japanese language at a Vietnamese university with high academic achievement.

The interview and writing qualifications are set for early March.

Meanwhile, teachers will have the opportunity to attend an eighteen month training course from October 2015 to March 2017.

Candidates can complete an application at the Overseas Training Department under the Ministry of Education and Training at 21 Le Thanh Tong, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi.

The application period will close on February 10.

For more detailed information visit website http://www.vied.vn.

Smuggler uses bus to traffic drugs into Hanoi

Law enforcement officials in northern Son La province recently arrested a man using the bus service to traffic drugs from Son La to Hanoi.

Nong Van Diep, born in 1990 in Yen Bai province, was caught red-handed at 11pm on January 9 couriering 10 cakes of heroin on a bus travelling from Son La to Hanoi.

He reportedly admitted that he was hired to transport them by an unidentified third party and paid VND20 million.

The case is still under investigation.

Saltwater intrusion has hurt rice farming and aquaculture in coastal areas of the southernmost province of Ca Mau, according to a report released by the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

Seawater has encroached on nearly 10,000 hectares of agricultural land in the province, the report found.

Pouring sea water into 290,000 hectares of farm land for shrimp breeding is a major cause of the sea-water encroachment. The department also blamed the situation on climate change and sea levels rising. They've risen over one metre in the past decade, while local sea dykes have begun to deteriorate, according to the department.

Le Van Su, director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the province is facing a shortage of financial resources to tackle the problem.

The province needed VND1.3 trillion (US$61.9 million) to upgrade the dyke systems in the West Sea in general and Ca Mau in particular, but the Government had only provided several tens of billions of dong – not enough to complete the necessary construction, he said.

HN steps up food safety inspections

Food safety and hygiene inspections should be tightened to prevent food poisoning during the Tet (Lunar New Year) festival which will fall in the middle of next month.

This was stated by chairwoman of the Ha Noi People's Committee Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc at a conference on food safety in Ha Noi on Wednesday.

Ngoc said that inspectors should conduct spot checks in markets and food stores.

Mobile inspection teams should be set up to improve the management of food safety and hygiene, she said.

Director of the Ha Noi Department of Health Nguyen Khac Hien said that inspectors should focus on food manufacturing and processing enterprises to establish where the food came from.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam asked the Ha Noi People's Committee to provide equipment so that tests could be conducted on-the-spot in markets and supermarkets.

However, deputy director of the municipal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ngo Dai Ngoc, expressed concerns about food safety because the city still has illegal slaughter houses.

Authorities did not know where to buy the proper equipment, or how to use it, said Ngoc.

Moreover, if the food tested was found to be substandard, there were no regulations on whether the manufacturer or supplier should be held responsible, he added.

Chairwoman Ngoc said the Ha Noi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development should invest in testing equipment to install in markets and supermarkets, and a mobile unit for markets on the outskirts of the city.

Two men held for snatching foreigner’s handbag in Hanoi

Vietnamese police have arrested two men for snatching a handbag from a South Korean woman in Hanoi late last month, the tenth street robbery the pair had committed within the past few months.

After a week of investigation, police in Vietnam’s capital Hanoi arrested Nguyen Xuan Hoa, 28, and Tran Huu Le, 27, both local residents, on charges of “property robbery by snatching” pursuant to Article 136 of the Penal Code.

The police also detained Phung Quoc Huy, 27, also of Hanoi, on charges of “harboring or consuming property acquired through the commission of crime by other persons” under Article 250 of the Code.

The victim in the case is Noh Hye Yuong, a 41-year-old woman with South Korean nationality, who reported the robbery to police on December 28.

According to the case file, at 1:30 pm that day, Hoa rode a motorbike carrying Le around My Dinh 1 Ward, Nam Tu Liem District, to look for “prey”.

When they were driving down Do Dinh Thien Street, they saw Noh Hye Yuong standing on the roadside buying fruit.

They approached her, snatched a handbag from her arms and sped away from the scene.

The woman then reported the robbery to local police, saying that her handbag contained a Samsung Galaxy Note 3, as well as VND8 million (US$374) and $280 in cash.

The victim also told the police that the snatchers had ridden a Wave-branded red motorbike. She also provided the police with identification characteristics of the snatchers.

Police then launched an investigation and they finally identified Hoa and Le as the culprits and arrested them on Thursday.  

The two pleaded guilty to snatching and confessed that they are jobless and had successfully carried out nine other street robberies before snatching the handbag from Noh Hye Yuong.

Hoa said he had given the woman’s cell phone to Huy to sell. Huy then sold it for VND6.9 million ($323) and gave Hoa VND4.8 million ($224) of the revenue.

Hoa and Le told police they had spent all the money gained from the theft on their personal needs.

Can Tho tackles erosion

The Mekong Delta city of Can Tho planned to move 2,514 households residing in erosion-prone areas to safer places before 2020, said Pham Van Quynh, director of the Municipal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

In 2015, Can Tho aimed to relocate 557 households on the banks of the Hau, Can Tho, Tra Noc, and Phong Dien Rivers, and the Khai Luong Ditch and Bo Ot Canal, he said at the department's meeting on Wednesday. About 390 households would be resettled each year between 2016 to 2020.

Each household would receive VND5 million (US$238) to help them relocate, with the additional option of a VND30 million (over $1,428) loan if needed, Quynh said.

The Can Tho Department of Construction said the city is carrying out 36 housing projects, which will serve about 6,000 relocated families.

It is also spending VND3.5 trillion ($166.6 million) to build anti-erosion embankments, with the largest to be constructed on the bank of the Can Tho River.

Quynh said Can Tho was among the Mekong Delta localities suffering most from river bank erosion. Hundreds of sites along local river banks were currently vulnerable to erosion, posing risks to people and their property, he said.

Dozens of incidents caused by erosion have occurred in the area since 2012. Recently, erosion caused an accident at Long Hoa Market near the Cam Canal, which killed two people and injured five.

To minimise erosion and the damage it causes, local authorities have recommended residents not build houses near riverbanks. They should also grow grass and plant bamboo posts to reinforce the soil near waterways.

The central province of Quang Ngai also approved a VND160-billion ($7.6 million) plan to build storm shelters for more than 3,300 low-income households.

Green energy project launched in HCM City hospital

A project to replace 500 old air conditioners with ones equipped with inverter technology at HCM City-based 115 People's Hospital began on Thursday as part of a green-hospital model in Viet Nam.

The project will also include installation of an energy management system with two control boxes and 10 ventilation systems.

According to a feasibility study by the Energy Conservation Centre of HCM City and Mitsubishi of Japan, the replacement will help the hospital save 498,715 kWh, or VND741 million (US$35,000) in savings. The new equipment would also help cut 310 tonnes of CO2 emissions every year.

The project is part of a Memorandum of Understanding signed between Viet Nam's Ministry of Industry and Trade and Japan's New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization on low-carbon growth passed last year by the two governments, in which a Joint Credit Mechanism would be developed.

The hospital will be the first in Viet Nam to treat HCFC- R 22 refrigerants in the used air conditioners before they are discarded.

According to figures from the Energy Conservation Center of HCM City, the rate of energy consumption for air conditioners accounts for 38 per cent of total power consumption in each hospital.

As a grade-one general hospital under HCM City's Department of Health, the 115 People's Hospital receives and treats an average of 2,000 non-resident patients and 1,800-1,900 resident patients a day.

This has led to a significant increase in power costs for the hospital. In 2013, the hospital consumed over 8.6 million kWh and paid nearly VND12 billion ($571,000) in electricity bills.

Besides the 115 People's Hospital in HCM City, the project will be implemented at Ha Noi's Viet Duc Hospital, and is expected to save 830,261kWh or VND1.2 billion ($57,000), helping to reduce 518 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year.

Viet Duc Hospital's total electricity consumption in 2013 was over 5.8 million kWh, at a cost of nearly VND8.4 billion ($400,000). A study for project implementation at the hospital will be carried out at the end of this month.

Most air conditioners used at the two hospitals are old and inefficient, and do not have inverter technology.

Other hospitals in HCM City, Ha Noi and other cities nationwide will be scheduled to adopt the energy-efficient green-hospital model if the implementation at the two hospitals shows positive results.

Enterprises support VND218 billion to build small-scale suspension bridges

Ministry of Transport organized a meeting to mobilize funds for building up small-scale suspension bridges throughout the country.

As per project, the numbers of small scale suspension bridges which have to build are 4,145 with total investment capital of VND 8,300billion, according to the ministry.

At meeting, many enterprises supported VND 218billion for this project. Of these, the general construction company No.36 under Ministry of Defense supported VND 20billion to build up four suspension bridges in Hoa Binh province; TASCO gave VND 15billion; Thang Long Construction Company donated more VND 5billion; Cienco 5 promised to build three suspension bridges in Quang Ninh, Quang Nam and Quang Ngai while Duc Long Company in Gia Lai agreed to finance for three suspension bridges in the remote areas.

The ministry said it is expected to spend around VND 5billion for building one suspension bridge.

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