Three young children drown in lake

Three sixth-grade students drowned in a lake yesterday, according to the Tan Hiep Police Department.

Four students were reportedly playing near the lake and three of them, a boy and two girls, went swimming later.

The fourth student saw his friends drowning and called for help. However, the three children had died by the time people came to rescue them.

The three children, namely Tran Thi Ngoc Kieu, Ly Son Kim and Nguyen Dai Huu, were students of Tan Hiep town's Lower Secondary School.

The local residents said that the lake is two to three metres deep, and that it's quite easy for swimmers to collapse because the landowner is filling up the lake with dirt.

Local students often swim in the lake even though the government has warned the people of the dangers there.

Fake skin cream seized in capital

Division 14 under the city's Market Watch Department seized 500 fake boxes of Gentriderm Cream on Wednesday at HAPU medical centre in Thanh Xuan district.

The department seized the boxes while investigating three medical stalls run by several companies, including Van Phuc Commercial and Pharmaceutical Company and Hau Giang Pharmaceutical and Medical Equipment Company.

Phu Yen Pharmaceutical and Medical Equipment Company, which imported the cream, confirmed that the boxes were fake.

Health experts discuss advanced techniques

More than 1,000 health experts gathered at the eighth congress of the Asia - Pacific Society of Thrombosis and Hemostasis, which opened yesterday in Ha Noi.

Hosted for the first time by the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion, the three-day event offers a chance for participants to discuss advanced techniques in stem cell collection and preservation and treatment of blood diseases such as blood cancer and Thalassemia.

EVN: More than 85 pct of communes connected to national grid

More than 85 percent of communes nationwide have been connected to the national electric power grid by the end of September, according to Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) group.

The group said electricity has been supplied to all districts across the country either via the national grid or by local sources, adding that the national grid has reached five out of the 12 island districts, namely Van Don and Co To in the northern province of Quang Ninh, Cat Hai in the northern port city of Hai Phong, Ly Son in the central province of Quang Ngai and Phu Quoc in the southern province of Kien Giang.

Also according to the group’s statistics, 24,373,000 out of the total 24,760,000 households in the country, or 98.44 percent, have been connected to the national grid.

The group reported that it has completed 97 percent of the workload of the project on upgrading and expanding the electricity grid in remote and hard-to-reach areas funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB)’s loans, bringing electricity to 56,000 households in the four provinces of Dien Bien, Lai Chau, Tra Vinh and Soc Trang. The project will supply electricity to an additional 36,000 households by the end of this year.

More than 9,600 households have benefitted from another project to expand the national grid in the northern mountainous province of Son La, which is slated to complete at the end of this year.

EVN said it has put into operation four new turbines with a total capacity of 1,622 MW since the beginning of the year, which are turbines No. 1 and 2 at Vinh Tan 2 thermal power plant, turbine No.2 at Hai Phong 2 thermal power plant and turbine No. 1 at Song Bung 4 hydro power plant.

In the meantime, the group started construction work on three power plants – the 600 MW Thai Binh thermal power plant, the 1,200 MW Vinh Tan 4 thermal power plant and the 75 MW expansion of Thac Mo hydro power plant.

Total power output in the nine-month period reached 108 billion kWh, up 10.29 percent year on year.

Telecom devices presented to Tien Giang fishermen

As many as eight telecom devices using satellite technology have been given to fishing groups in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang to facilitate their offshore activities.

According to Nguyen Trong Tuy, head of the provincial Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, local authorities planned to earmark over 1 billion VND (47,600 USD) from the local budget to equip more 38 satellite devices for fishermen in 2013-2015.

The move aims to encourage fishing boats to work in group for higher efficiency and mutual assistance in natural disaster prevention and search and rescue efforts, he said.

Tien Giang is now home to such 11 groups, with 60 fishing vessels and 423 fishermen.

Recently, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung approved a national scheme to provide fishermen with modern communication equipment to 2020 with orientations towards 2030.

The equipment is to support search-and-rescue operations, maritime safety and environment protection as well as serve defence and security tasks and sea-based economic development.

Free measles-rubella shots given to 757,000 children

As many as 757,000 children under 14 in 26 provinces and cities across the country had received measles-rubella shots by October 6 under a free vaccination campaign run by the Ministry of Health (MoH).

Tran Dac Phu, Head of the Ministry of Health’s Preventive Medicine Department (HPMD) reported the figure at a meeting of the National Steering Committee of the campaign held on October 8.

More than 27 million doses of measles-rubella vaccines will be supplied for the drive, splitting into four deliveries in August, September, October and December, Phu said.

The official hailed the preparations made by localities for the campaign, with smooth coordination between the health care and education sectors under the close instruction of local governments.

During the meeting, Health Deputy Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said Vietnam is one of 39 countries implementing free measles-rubella vaccination, adding that this is the biggest scale drive of this kind so far launched by the ministry.

The Deputy Minister also called for a close cooperation among ministries, agencies, localities while emphasizing the active involvement of citizens and foreign nationals living in Vietnam.

He suggested that the Ministry of Education and Training and Ministry of National Defence take practical measures to facilitate the campaign’s activities in their fields.

The free vaccination campaign was prompted by a measles epidemic that erupted in Vietnam in the first quarter of 2014, with outbreaks reported in 61 out of 63 cities and provinces.

The three-phase campaign is expected to benefit 23 million children aged 1-14, increasing the vaccination rate for children of this age group to 95 percent.

Vaccination was proven to be the most effective response to the outbreak, bringing the disease under control in May.

The ministry has assigned four review missions to supervise implementation of the vaccination drive at all levels and localities, who reported that safety has been ensured throughout the vaccination process and n o post-vaccination side effects recorded so far.

Donors praise Vietnam’s climate change adaptation efforts

International donors highly valued the Vietnamese Government’s efforts to improve policy on climate change adaptation, and pledged their continued support for Vietnam, representatives from the Support Programme to Respond to Climate Change (SP-RCC) announced in a meeting in Hanoi on October 8.

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai said Vietnam greatly appreciated the support from international partners and hoped they would assist the country in the long run.

In addition to international funds, Vietnam persuaded a number of private businesses to invest in adaptation measures, he added.

He confirmed that the Government would earmark approximately 3 trillion VND (135 million USD) for climate change adaptation, with a special focus on afforestation.

He urged relevant ministries and sectors to work with international donors to accelerate the implementation of the SP-RCC programme in Vietnam post-2015.

Vietnam is implementing the National Strategy on Climate Change, the Green Growth Strategy and the Law on Environmental Protection.

The SP-RCC programme has been implemented in Vietnam since 2009 with more than 200 relevant policies adopted by Vietnamese ministries and development partners.

Bac Lieu tackles climate change

The Southern province of Bac Lieu are implementing 16 projects worth 3.3 trillion VND (166.9 million USD) during the 2012-2020 period in an effort to address climate change.

The province is involved in numerous scientific-technological projects to reduce green house gas emission and cope with sea level rises, such as expanding the production and use of biogas and wind energy, building dykes, and increasing forest coverage. Furthermore, the province called for additional investments in this field to be able to expand its efforts.

Bac Lieu’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development expects the government to invest in the province’s long-term infrastructure development plans, such as Ganh Hao embankment, and provide financial assistance to purchase advanced natural disaster early warning systems and technology.

According to climate change scenarios, as sea levels continue to rise, residential areas will shrink, especially in Dong Hai District, Hoa Binh District and Bac Lieu City.

Estimates reckon that a 30cm sea level rise in the province could displace 553,000 residents.

Three students from the University of Communications and Transport in HCM City have been suspended from school for sexually harassing a female classmate.

The suspension of the students, majoring in automobile engineering and aeronautics, will last for one year. During this time, they must leave the school and submit assessment by the local authorities where they live in order to resume studying after the suspension.

Tran Quang Hai Bang, an official from the university said, the decision was made following an incident that occurred on the morning of September 13, when three first-year male students goaded each other on to harass the girl.

One lecturer discovered what was happening after noticing the female student crying. The lecturer referred the three students to university administrators.

After the male students admitted to having made cash bets in order to encourage the harassment, the disciplinary board decided on their punishment. The three students have since apologised. A number of students at the university complained that it was too strict, saying they should have got off with a warning.

“We don't think the suspension is draconian. This type of conduct is unacceptable in an educational environment. We need to create a deterrent,” Hai emphasised.

He went on to say that the students should be mature enough to take responsibility and the female student has yet to come back to school due to the situation.

Ho Chi Minh City invests US$524 million in environmental protection

The Ho Chi Minh City Municipal People’s Committee has approved the second phase of a project on environmental hygiene worth over VND11,132 billion (US$524 million), including US$450 million official development assistance funded by the World Bank (WB).

The second phase, which aims to build an eight-kilometre sewer system in District 2 and construct the Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe sewage treatment plant, will be constructed between 2015 and 2020.

According to the Committee, when completed, the sewage in the Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe basin and District 2 will be treated before being discharged into the environment, helping improve residents’ health and awareness about environmental protection, and restoring the eco-system in Sai Gon River and Dong Nai River’s downstream basin.

The project’s first phase was completed in 2012 with a total investment of VND8.6 trillion (US$404 million) from the WB’s ODA and the city’s budget. The work has helped improve the Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe Channel and living environment for millions of residents, contributing to a gentrified urban landscape in the city’s central area.

Irregularities detected at Saigon 2 Bridge project

Though Saigon 2 Bridge was opened to traffic almost a year ago, irregularities in the process of implementing the project have been found recently.

Irregularities were also detected at the Inter-provincial Road 25B project (phase two). Both projects were developed by HCMC Infrastructure Investment Joint Stock Company (CII).

According to the conclusions recently announced by inspectors of the Ministry of Transport, the assessment and approval of the projects’ designs and construction cost projections were not carried out properly at some components, resulting in wrong calculations of workload. As such, the costs had been pushed up by over VND18 billion at the former and over VND4 billion at the latter.

In addition to incorrect workload calculations, the management of construction quality was loose, as seen in the absence of bidder capacity testing papers and quality certificates for some suppliers of construction materials.

Other irregularities include the lack of blueprints for some construction works, and short supply of equipment for construction. Besides, the people in charge of managing construction work at the Inter-provincial Road 25B project failed to meet qualification requirements.

Therefore, transport inspectors have told CII to learn from such shortcomings to prevent similar irregularities in the future as well as closely follow regulations on cost projections and management of construction works to avoid causing losses for the State.

Saigon 2 Bridge worth nearly VND1.5 trillion was constructed under the build-transfer (BT) format and opened to traffic last October, three months ahead of schedule. It is a major bridge in HCMC’s east area leading to southeast, central and northern provinces.

Meanwhile, the second phase of Inter-provincial Road 25B stretching 5.3 kilometers was also constructed under the BT format at a cost of VND624 billion. The road was opened to traffic in September 2012.

Health experts discuss advanced techniques

More than 1,000 health experts gathered at the eighth congress of the Asia - Pacific Society of Thrombosis and Hemostasis, which opened yesterday in Ha Noi.

Hosted for the first time by the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion, the three-day event offers a chance for participants to discuss advanced techniques in stem cell collection and preservation and treatment of blood diseases such as blood cancer and Thalassemia.

Top cardiologists to take part in national congress

More than 2,000 doctors, including nearly 100 heart experts and surgeons from all over the world, will be participating in the 14th National Congress of Cardiology beginning October 11.

Pham Manh Hung, the Viet Nam's Cardiology Association (VCA) general secretary, told a press conference here on October 9 that 1,000 reports and researches on hypertension and heart surgery were scheduled for presentation at the four-day biennial conference, which ends on October 14.

Some participants will be coming from the United States, France, Japan and China while others will be coming from Singapore and Malaysia, as well as Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Viet Nam.

The event aims to achieve an exchange of information and experiences among participants regarding updated technology on cardiology and heart surgery. It also includes free heart and hypertension check-ups for 400 ethnic minorities in Da Nang, a "Mass walk for a healthy cardiology community" and online heart surgery.

According to the VCA, an estimated 25 per cent of the Vietnamese population aged more than 25 years are suffering from hypertension, and another 20 per cent are expected to have cardiovascular diseases and hypertension by 2017.

According to Population Service International (PSI), stroke is a leading cause of death among adults in Viet Nam. A survey of the Ha Noi-based Public Health School also revealed that two-thirds of the Vietnamese population suffer from high blood pressure but are unaware of their condition.

The Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) launched the 44th Universal Postal Union (UPU) National Letter Writing Contest in Hai Phong city on October 9.

The contest is open to Vietnamese children between 10 and 15 years old. Contestants must write a letter in prose with the prompt, ‘Tell us about the world you want to grow up in.”

The handwritten entries must not already be published in any newspaper or book and they should be under 800 words. Those written in English or French must include a Vietnamese version.

Participants should submit their writings to Thieu Nien Tien Phong (Vanguard Teenagers) Newspaper at 5 Hoa Ma street in Hanoi by no later than March 8, 2015.

Thirty-nine prizes will be presented to the best entries and the contest’s awardees will be acknowledged as winners of the national literature contest and will receive extra marks on graduation examination.

The top entry will be translated into English or French to be submitted to the international round.

Also at the launch ceremony, the MIC presented first prize of the 2013 event to Pham Phuong Thao, a seventh grader at Chu Van An secondary school in Hai Phong.

With the prompt, ‘Write a letter about how music can touch lives’, Thao described a violin whose owner was a blind boy. He loved learning to play the violin however his mother rejects his hobby and hates the musical instrument as his father left her for a violinist.

Thao, speaking as a violin, wrote a letter to the woman asking her set aside her personal history depriving her son of playing violin.

Thao’s letter was translated into French and sent to the Swiss-based UPU winning the consolation prize at the international round.

Hanoi fixes plaque to first Green Building

The Ministry of Construction has attached the first Green Building sign to the Thang Long Number One residential unit in Hanoi. The project is to mark the 60 th anniversary of Hanoi’s Liberation Day (October 10).

The project has a total investment of 3.7 trillion VND (231 million USD) by Vigacera Construction. It comprises two residential tower with 40 floors, three basement levels and three swimming pools.

The investor paid particular attention to providing a green environment, and planted trees and built a lake within the complex.

The project has a total investment of started in April 2010 and is expected to be completed by the end of this month.

Viglacera aims to create the best possible conditions for residents by using energy- and resource-efficient technology and sustainable building practices. Each stage of construction, from the foundation to the electricity network, was researched carefully in a bid to use environmentally-friendly and efficient solutions.

Addressing the ceremony on October 9, Minister of Construction Trinh Dinh Dung highly valued the project’s quality and efficiency. He affirmed that green buildings should become a norm in times to come due to their energy saving potential and environmentally-friendly design.

He asked Viglacera to research ways to integrate green aspects into social residential projects to meet the demand of the low and middle income real estate market.-

Ly Son Islanders enjoy reliable supply of electricity

The official operation of the national grid system on Ly Son Island in central Quang Ngai province in September finally met the generation-spanning expectations of islanders and opened an opportunity for making a great breakthrough in the island district’s socioeconomic development, the Vietnam Economic News reported.

The island district has a very important strategic position in terms of national defence, security and economic development. It is not only a key outpost in the eastern belt of the country but also a gateway of the key economic zone in the central region. Therefore, the Party and State are much interested in infrastructure investment for the island district, including the power system.

Deputy Director of the Central Power Corporation Nguyen Thanh said previously, the local islanders only used power from diesel generators for 5-6 hours a day, from 5pm to 11pm. The electricity price was dozens of times higher than that one in the mainland. Activities in agriculture production, storing and processing of seafood relied on generators.

The power supply project for Ly Son island district by underground cables was approved by the Ministry of Industry and Trade on October 14, 2013, with total investment of 678 billion VND, including 8.7km of middle voltage transmission lines in Binh Son district and 26.2km of 22kV undersea cables.

After nearly four months preparing all the necessary conditions, works started on February 24, 2014 including construction of the transmission lines in the air through Binh Son and Ly Son Island. On August 26 undersea cables were laid and after 14 days they were pulled to the island. On September 28, the project was completed and officially put into operation.

Ly Son island district’s Party Committee Secretary Nguyen Thanh said Ly Son's two islands have an area of about 10.4sq.m and are home to 22,000 islanders who earn their livings by catching seafood around Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos and growing garlic and onions.

In the district’s GDP structure, fish-breeding and agriculture account for a big proportion while the revenues from trade, tourism and services are not much, partly due to the lack of power.

In the first nine months of this year, the island district attracted around 18,000 tourists, equivalent to the district's tourist numbers in 2013.

Exhibition raises awareness of sea and island sovereignty: Minister

Exhibitions on maps and documents affirming Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos have contributed to promoting patriotism, solidarity and sense of responsibility of the Vietnamese people at home and abroad in safeguarding the nation’s sea and islands.

Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Bac Son made the statement at the opening ceremony of a exhibition held in the northern province of Quang Ninh on October 10.

He stressed that the exhibitions, which have been organised in many localities across the country in recent time, is part of the state’s communication efforts to raise public awareness of the nation’s sovereignty.

Nearly 100 maps and a great number of documents and publications are on display at the five-day event.

All of them are important historical and legal evidence asserting that the Vietnamese states have explored, exploited and exercised sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa and others waters since the 17th century in an uninterrupted and peaceful manner.

Along with the ongoing exhibition in the provincial Museum, a similar event will also be opened in Quang Ninh’s Co To island district.-

Outstanding female dignitaries honoured

The Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU) and the Government Committee for Religious Affairs organised a conference in Hanoi on October 10 to honour 98 female religious dignitaries and sub-dignitaries who have made outstanding contributions to the national building.

The honoured were selected from over 490 religious women who are members of the VWU’s executive committees at all levels.

Speaking at the event, VWU Central Committee President Nguyen Thi Thanh Hoa hailed efforts made by the female dignitaries in encouraging followers of their religions to abide by the policies of the Party and the law of the State as well as build a better life.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam stressed the important role of women, including religious followers, in the national construction and development.

He expressed his wish that the VWU will launch more practical action programmes and movements that aim to draw more participation from these people in social development.

Vietnam is now home to 13 religions with nearly 24 million followers (accounting for 27 percent of the country’s population), including 83,000 dignitaries and 250,000 sub-dignitaries.

Buddhism, Catholicism, Protestantism and Caodaism are the major religions in the country.-

BIDV, Laos-Vietnam Bank continue to aid Laos

The Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV) and the Laos-Vietnam Bank (LVB), a joint venture between BIDV and a Lao partner, have presented a social welfare package to the Lao National Assembly.

The package worth 300,000 USD is to support the Lao National Assembly’s activities for 2014 and 2015, including construction of clean water tankers and provision of medical equipment for ethnic minority people in the newly-established province of Saysomboun.

Speaking at the hand-over ceremony on October 9, President of Lao National Assembly Pany Zathotou thanked the two banks for their assistance to the Saysomboun province and Laos in general in recent years, saying that the substantial help has contributed to the country’s socio-economic development and fostered the special solidarity and friendship between the two countries.

BIDV and the LVB have so far supported nearly 11 million USD for Laos’ social welfare activities, focusing on health care, education, and poverty reduction.-

Can Tho seeks more WB loans for climate change response

Authorities of the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho have proposed the World Bank (WB) provide more credit loans for the locality to implement an ongoing project on upgrading urban infrastructure to adapt to climate change.

Representatives from the two sides met at a working session on October 9 to review the implementation of the project and scrutinise Can Tho’s proposal for additional financial assistance.

Vice Chairwoman of the municipal People’s Committee Vo Thi Hong Anh said the project focuses on constructing inner-city anti-flooding works, upgrading urban infrastructure system, increasing environmental protection efforts, building resettlement areas and improving the local authorities’ management capacity.

The seven-year project has a total estimated investment of around US$321.5 million, with US$250 million coming from the WB’s International Development Association (IDA).

Once completed in 2020, the project will benefit around 200,000 people in the districts of Ninh Kieu, Cai Rang, Binh Thuy, O Mon, Thot Not and Phong Dien.

WB officials praised the project, suggesting that it should focus on developing infrastructure works to help the city better respond to flooding, climate change, urbanisation and migration to urban areas.

They said they will submit Can Tho’s proposals to the WB for approval in the future.

The WB earlier approved US$90.4 million loan for Can Tho to implement the project. Its first phase is underway with a focus on upgrading infrastructure in low-income residential areas, water supply and drainage systems, and transport, electricity and lighting works in Ninh Kieu, Binh Thuy, Cai Rang and O Mon districts.

The project is part of the Mekong Delta Region Urban Upgrading Project, which aims to improve living conditions of the urban poor in selected regional cities.

Vietnam hosts Asian-Pacific thrombosis conference

The 8th Asian-Pacific Conference on Thrombosis and Hemostasis, is taking place from October 9-11 in Hanoi for the first time, drawing participation of more than 700 domestic delegates and nearly 200 international experts.

The event was co-organised by the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion under the Ministry of Health, the National Hematology and Blood Transfusion Society and the Asian-Pacific Society on Thrombosis and Hemostatis (APSTH).

Addressing the conference, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Xuyen hailed the progress in the field, particularly in thrombosis-hemostasis disorder treatment, which effectively supports other areas such as organ transplant, obstetrics and surgery.

She added that the event provides opportunities for international and domestic participants to share expertise and improve knowledge in the field.

The biennial event will hear over 250 domestic and foreign research reports in this field.

A number of activities will be held as part of the event such as honouring outstanding individuals in the field, presenting insignia “For the people’s health care” to foreign experts, and an exhibition on latest technologies and products in hematology and blood transfusion treatment.

HCM City delegation meets OVs in Belgium

A delegation from the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee in Ho Chi Minh City led by its Chairwoman Vo Thi Dung on October 9 had a meeting with overseas Vietnamese (OV) in Belgium as part of their tour of France , Belgium and Germany from October 5-10.

Dung affirmed that the overseas Vietnamese community is an inseparable part of the Vietnamese nation and OV intellectuals serve as a valuable resource for the national construction and development.

The meeting will provide the delegation with a deeper insight into the life of OVs in Belgium, thus contributing to building suitable policies for them, she said.

Overseas Vietnamese in Belgium expressed their hope for polices destined for them and confirmed that they always look towards the homeland.

During their October 9-11 stay in Belgium, the HCM City delegation plans to attend the opening ceremony of the Vietnam Culture Week in Silly, about 50 km from Brussels.

World Disasters Report to be launched in Vietnam

The 2014 World Disasters Report will be announced in Hanoi on October 16 as chosen by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IRFC).

The report studies the impacts of disasters on culture and vice verse and how societies respond and adapt to climate change and improve post-disaster livelihood for residents.

Four Vietnamese and foreign speakers will make presentations at the launching event, Chairman of the Vietnam Red Cross (VRC) Nguyen Hai Duong said on October 10.

Vietnam is one of the countries most vulnerable to natural calamities, with 70 percent of the population to bear the brunt of disaster risks due to climate change impact.

The Vietnamese Government has been implementing adaptation measures such as introducing new legal documents, enhancing resilience capacity, and establishing a national programme on the community-based disaster risks management prior to 2020.

According to the Hydrometeorology and Climate Change Department, over the past 15 years, natural disasters, including storms, floods, droughts and landslides, have killed and injured more than 10,700 people, while causing economic losses of about 1.5 percent of GDP each year.

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