Highway projects’ costs down

Initial assessments indicate that the actual costs of most build-operate-transfer (BOT) projects on National Highway No.1 and Hồ Chí Minh Highway (the section passing through the Central Highlands) were lower than planned, meaning investors will collect their payback from road users faster than anticipated.

Speaking to Báo Giao Thông (Transportation Newspaper), Dương Hồ Minh, Deputy Director of the Hồ Chí Minh Highway’s Project Management Board, said the board has reviewed and submitted the settlement reports of three BOT projects and all were lower compared to the originally approved total investment.

For example, the original total investment for KM1793+600 – KM 1824+00 (Đắk Nông Province) was VNĐ1,023 billion (nearly $46 million). However, after settlement, the cost was VNĐ 634 billion, in other words reduced by a third, as reported by its investors. 

Post-settlement balance sheets for two BOT projects on National Highway No.1 have also been submitted by the highway management board to the Ministry of Transportation (MoT) for consideration. The actual cost for the expansion project on KM1642-1692 (Bình Thuận Province) was VNĐ142 billion lower than the original projection VNĐ2,608 billion and the cost for road surface renovation for the Phan Thiết–Đồng Nai section came down by VNĐ414 billion, from the initial estimate VNĐ2,085 billion.

Nguyễn Viết Huy, Deputy Head of the PPP Department under MoT, said initial total investment is just an estimated cost of the project. Based on this figure, project owners make plan how to use the investment throughout the project implementation period.

“Total investment figures always includes contingency expenses to cover depreciation or potential workload increases in actual construction. This contingency cost can only be determined after the project is finished,” Huy said.

By law,  the payback period stated in contracts with BOT investors is determined by the settled costs. The actual payback period will be reviewed and adjusted every three years during the concession period.

According to Đỗ Văn Quốc, head of the MoT’s Finance Department, by the end of October, BOT investors submitted settled balance sheets for 30 projects, while settlement for 23 projects is still under way.

Experts: Improving rice quality becomes urgent task

Improving the quality of rice products has become the most urgent task given consecutive reductions in rice exports in recent years, experts said at a conference in Ho Chi Minh City on November 11. 

Chairman of the Vietnam Food Association (VFA) Huynh The Nang told participants that, in the first ten months of 2016, the country shipped abroad a total of 4.2 million tonnes of rice worth 1.9 billion USD, dropping by 21.2 percent in volume and 16.9 percent in value compared to the figures of the same period last year. 

Between January and September, Vietnam’s rice shipments saw drops in a number of major markets. The Philippines topped the list with a 66.4 percent fall, followed by Malaysia and China, recording decreases of 54.8 percent and 21.6 percent, respectively. 

Nang said high-quality products and food safety are demanded in both domestic and international markets, while the Mekong Delta region, the largest rice granary of the country, has been severely affected by saltwater intrusion. 

The VFA chairman pointed to the fact that many exported rice batches have been returned for excessive pesticide residues. 

Therefore, he suggested that the focus should be placed on rice quality and the annual rice output for export should be reduced from the current 7-8 million tonnes to 3 million tonnes of high-quality rice. 

Experts noted a national rice trademark is impossible without rice quality meeting international standards, adding that the application of advanced technologies in the sector is a must. 

Le Van Banh, Director of the Department for Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Product Processing and Salt Production, said the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is prioritizing the building of large-scale paddy fields to serve export. It has also taken solutions to improve the quality of rice varieties and develop post-harvest processing and preserving technologies.

Hanoi, neighbouring localities join hands to ensure waterway security

The Public Security Department of Hanoi on November 11 signed a coordination agreement with public security forces from eight neighbouring localities on ensuring domestic waterway security and order. 

Along with Hanoi, signatories are Bac Giang, Bac Ninh, Hoa Binh, Ha Nam, Hung Yen, Phu Tho, Thai Nguyen and Vinh Phuc. 

A report from the department showed that there are 15 rivers of different sizes with total length of 493.3km, running through the city. Sand exploitation activities are recorded in seven rivers. 

Due to high profit from natural resources in the rivers, illegal exploitation activities in Hanoi’s rivers have remained complicated, especially in bordering areas between the city and contiguous provinces. 

At the same time, the management and monitoring of exploitation activities by licenced organisations have been poor, leading to the abuse of licences to conduct excessive exploitation beyond allowed areas to cause negative impacts to the environment and landslide along river banks, as well as affect the dyke system. 

Under the agreement, the localities will work closely together in handling violations of environment and natural resources protection and domestic waterway traffic or activities harming dyke system.

Ca tru festival for Hanoi young singers opens

A total 97 artists aged between six and 29 from Ca Tru (ceremonial singing) clubs in Hanoi are joining together in the Hanoi Ca Tru Festival 2016 for young singers, which kicked off in the capital on November 11. 

The three-day event aims to seek young talents and promote the traditional art. 

It is also part of efforts to preserve the art, bringing Ca tru off the list of intangible heritage requiring urgent protection and making it part of the intangible cultural heritage of humankind soon. 

Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Culture and Sports Truong Minh Tien said the agency will support the development of the art form through facilitating clubs’ performances in pedestrian streets surrounding Hoan Kiem Lake and the Old Quarter.  

The department plans to outline specific measures to preserve and develop Ca tru, he stated. 

Ca tru is an ancient genre of chamber music featuring female vocalists, with origins in northern localities of Vietnam, including Hanoi, Bac Ninh and Vinh Phuc in the 15th century. It was inscribed on the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in need of urgent safeguarding in 2009. 

Ca Tru is a complex form of lyrical poetry using lyrics written in traditional Vietnamese poetic forms. 

A Ca tru group comprises three performers: a female singer who use breathing tecniques and vibrations to sing, while striking a wooden box, and two instrumentalists who play a three-stringed lute and a praise drum. Some Ca tru performances also include dance. 

The varied forms of Ca tru fulfill different social purposes, including worship, entertainment, singing in royal palaces and competitive singing.

The art fell into disuse in 1945 and was equated to other unhealthy art practices, leading to inadequate preservation efforts, leaving Ca tru at risk of disappearing. 

Over recent years, Hanoi has conducted a number of activities to conserve the art, including expanded Ca tru festivals, conferences and seminars. 

Last year, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism started presenting the title of meritorious artists for artists of intangible heritage, including ca tru singing. Among 39 Ca tru singers honoured with the title, 17 are from Hanoi. 

The city has three venues for ca tru performance every weekend at Bich Cau, Quan De and Kim Ngan Temples, along with 14 Ca tru clubs and groups, which have preserved 30 traditional forms of melody and dances, and composed 18 new melodies. 

Hanoi also has 50 Ca tru singers capable of teaching the art, 220 practitioners and hundreds of learners.

Workers’ housing flawed, overcrowded

Designs flaws in low-cost housing for workers at Hà Nội’s Bắc Thăng Long Industrial Zone are blamed for a high rate of unused apartments and dire need of employee housing.

Trần Anh Dũng of the Low-cost Housing Development and Management Company,  which manages housing in Bắc Thăng Long Industrial Zone, said hundreds of applications for housing rentals have been received, but more than 20 per cent of two five-story apartment buildings were still unused since being made available for rent two years ago.

Companies operating in the industrial zone are also seeking fewer apartments for their single workers, who do not want to live in such unfit conditions . For example, Canon wants to rent six apartment blocks instead of 11 as it did previously, Nissei wants one block instead of five, Panasonic wants one block instead of three.

Dũng said that workers were not interested in such housing. For example, each apartment is deigned to house from 18 to 24 single workers, with only one bathroom.

Workers pay VNĐ120,000 (US$ 5.3) monthly,  meaning that each apartment costs VNĐ 2.2 million ($98.5) to VNĐ2.9 million ($130).

That is far higher than what workers pay for a 48-sq.m family apartment - VNĐ1.2 million monthly - and VNĐ 1.33 million for a 54 sq.m family apartment.

Trần Thị Mai Hoa, a worker for Denso Việt Nam Ltd Company, said she was happy to rent a 54-sq.m apartment in Kim Chung Low-cost Housing Block, paying about VNĐ1.4 million monthly for the apartment with a living room, a kitchen, two bedrooms and a bathroom.

“It’s enough for us – a couple with two children and an elderly relative,” she said. “My husband and I used to pay VNĐ 800,000 ($ 36) per month for a room with area of less than 12 sq.m,” she said, adding that the room was too narrow that they have to send their kid to their parents.

When compared with family apartments, those for single persons are much less attractive.

Dũng from the housing management department said his company was considering proposing to the Hà Nội People’s Committee to redesign the apartments, divide them into smaller ones for families or single workers.

However, extra costs including power lines, water pipes were too high, Dũng said.

Ngọ Duy Hiểu, National Assembly deputy of Hà Nội, said demand for low-cost housing among workers was huge, not only in Hà Nội but across the country.

According to the Ministry of Construction, Việt Nam currently has 2.2 million people working in industrial parks but only 20 percent of them have their own homes. In Hà Nội, there are about 140,000 workers, 70 per cent of whom are migrants needing to rent houses.

Workers have to rent expensive poor-quality accommodations because they cannot access low-cost housing projects which, to some extent, are subsidised by the Government through preferential policies, he said.

“Low-cost housing should not be just a place to sleep. Workers work hard, even take night shifts. Poor quality accommodations surely have a  negative effect on their health and productivity,” he said.

Hiểu said developers usually complain about low profits of  low-cost housing projects, and urged joint efforts by the Government and private sector to ensure better housing for workers.

Ngô Chí Hùng, vice head of Hà Nội Industrial and Processing Zones Management Board, said that low-cost housing projects in Thăng Long Industrial Zone could offer housing for about 23,000 workers, but just 6,000 workers moved there because workers could not afford rental rates. 

For HN gardeners, lilies are beautiful business

More than 100 ha of farming land in Hạ Mỗ Commune, Hà Nội’s Đan Phượng District have been repurposed to grow lilies during winter instead of conventional crops like corn or beans.

For the last few years, the shift has helped flower farmers gain profits of up to VNĐ2 billion (US$90,000) per hectare, in part because each crop lasts from 70 and 90 days.

Farmers, especially those from the Tây Tựu flower village in Bắc Từ Liêm District, flocked to Hạ Mỗ Commune to rent land and grow lilies.

The Tây Tựu village is now considered the biggest flower granary in Hà Nội, providing a variety of flowers such as daisies, roses, purple heart-bells, and colourful carnations. However, urbanisation has resulted in narrowed farming land, making local flower growers seek other areas for growing flowers.

Nguyễn Văn Cúc, a gardener from Tây Tựu village said that he rented more than 3 mẫu (Vietnamese acre, equivalent to 3,600 sq.m) in Hạ Mỗ Commune in neighbouring Đan Phượng District to grow lilies.

He said that he paid land rental of VNĐ2 million ($90) for each sào (equivalent to 360 sq.m) yearly.

He poured about VNĐ100 million for every sào of lilies including labour cost and fertiliser.

“The investment is quite high but each sào of lilies could generate profit of about VNĐ200 million ($9,000) as long as the weather and market are stable,” he said.

Cúc said that on average, each household there usually grew three or four mẫu of lilies and some had flower farms with areas of 15-20 ha.

He said that local farmers did not worry much about farming technique but rather focus on output for their flowers.

Deputy head of Fruit and Vegetable Research Institute, Đặng Văn Đông, said that since 2012, the institute had aimed to promote lily farming in Hạ Mỗ Commune.

The institute’s staff helped transfer technique and instructed local farmers to grow lilies with breeding imported from the Netherlands, he said.

The cool weather in the north of Việt Nam in winter was a big advantage for lily growing, he said, adding that the quality of lilies grown in Tây Tựu and Hạ Mỗ now was competitive with those grown in other specialised flower-growing zones like Mộc Châu in the mountainous northern Sơn La Province or Đà Lạt in Central Highland.

“Some types of lilies grown in Hà Nội’s suburban district are more beautiful than those imported from Europe or China,” he said.

However, the lilies were sold mostly in domestic market, and preferred during Tết (lunar new year) and festivals.

With current growing area, farmers could get profits but if the area was expanded, price of lily would be likely dropped, posing market risks for farmers, Đông said.

“In the long-term, we must engage competent enterprises that will produce and export flowers,” he said.

Rescuers to test skills in Đà Nẵng

Rescuers from central provinces will compete in the Life Rescue in the sea competition in Đà Nẵng’s East Sea Park from 7am to 5pm on Sunday.

The Sơn Trà peninsula’s tourism management board said the competition will draw teams from Đà Nẵng, Sầm Sơn beach in Thanh Hóa,  An Bàng and Cửa Đại beach in Hội An and teams from Cam Ranh, Vinpearl Land in Nha Trang as well as resorts and hotels in the central region.

The competition offers various events including beach marathon, relay marathon-swimming, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and surfing.

Last year, rescuers from Australia, Thailand, the Philippines and Việt Nam took part in the International Sea Rescue Contest on the beach.

Trees cut, path built illegally near waterfall

Trees near Cột Đá waterfall, a tourism spot in the Central Highlands province of Đắk Nông, have been cut down illegally, ruining the scenic beauty, local residents and a company previously licenced to build a resort nearby have alleged.

Nguyễn Văn Trân, director of Trade and Tourism Southern Highlands Ltd. Company, whose licence to build a waterfall tourist resort was revoked in January, said he had reported the matter to Đắk Nia People’s Committee and that the authorities promised to inspect the site.

Five months ago, Trân said, he saw trees being cut down both near the top and bottom of the waterfall. When he approached the loggers, questioning them about permissions to cut trees, they rebuffed him.

“What right do you have to ask questions? Now this area is state-owned. We can do as we please,” Trân quoted them as saying.

The offenders had also built an embankment around the bottom of the waterfall to turn it into a water reservoir for agriculture, he said.

“Previously, this area was untouched, with a charming waterfall, bamboo trees and imposing basalt stone columns. Its beauty attracted many tourists. But now it looks like a hydroelectric reservoir. There are no bamboos left at all. There are just stones lying everywhere, like a huge construction site.”

Residents of Đắk Tân village said such violations had been going on for years and started with the logging of trees in the forest near the top of the waterfall. The current situation was the result of repeated violations without intervention by local authorities.

Speaking to Vietnam News Agency reporters, authority of Đắk Nia Commune expressed surprise that Cột Đá waterfall has been embanked, and promised to look into the matter immediately.

The authority said the embankment was actually a road built to walk across the waterfall and that a company named Tam Nông Gia Nghĩa was responsible for its construction.

The fact was that a decision to build the road was agreed at a meeting between the head of Đắk Tân village, the company’s director and some households. As per agreement, the company would finance the construction as the local authority had not granted a budget.

Đồng Quang Huy, head of Đắk Nia Commune’s People’s Committee, said that after the meeting, head of Đắk Tân village should have informed local authorities about the decision, and that construction could start only once the plan was approved by the committee.

Land administration officials in Đắk Nia Commune said the path could be considered as an encroachment on 3,500sq. m of state-managed land within the Đắk Kút quarry - also teeming with stone mining violations.

The Cột Đá waterfall violations is not an isolated incident, but just one among the many encroachments on natural spots in Đắk Nông Province, according to the Việt Nam News Agency report.

Vietnam-Japan cultural, trade exchange opens in Can Tho

A Vietnam-Japan Culture and Trade Exchange (November 11-13) has opened at the Luu Huu Phuoc Park in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho showcasing the two countries’ culture and trade items in roughly 70 exhibition booths.

Vietnamese exhibitors are primarily showcasing farm and industrial products, tourism services, food, pharmaceutical products, education and employment consultation services, consumer goods and souvenirs.

While the Japanese booths feature agricultural products, seeds, lubricants, automobiles, education, pharmacy, employment opportunities, consumer goods, souvenirs, gifts, hotels and tourism products.

Two important economic events have been planned for the event. A Mekong Delta investment conference transpired on November 11 with the participation of around 80 foreign and 300 Vietnamese organizations.

The foreign organizations represented at the event include those from Japan, Hong Kong, Israel, Australia, the Republic of Korea, China, Taiwan, Singapore, the UK and the Netherlands.

A trade exchange forum takes place on November 12 involving 40 Japanese organizations involved in the agriculture, information technology, hotel, restaurant, production, trade, services, education and health segments.

Visitors to the exchange will also have ample opportunities to gain better insights into the cultural identities of the two countries. An estimated 26 Japanese artists will join 103 Vietnamese artists in 33 planned performances.

The program is expected to solidify the foundation for trade and investment between the business communities of Japan and the Mekong Delta region, according to Truong Quang Hoai Nam, vice chair of the Municipal People’s Committee.

Trucks banned from traveling in Tan Son Nhat area

The HCMC Department of Transport said starting November 12 at 6am, all trucks will be banned from traveling at Hong Ha street and the nearby intersections around the airport including Tan Son Nhat-Binh Loi- VDN (from Truong Son street to Nguyen Kiem) in an effort to reduce traffic congestion on Truong Son street. 

Accordingly, strucks will be able to follow the new route as follows, Truong Son-Huynh Lan Khanh-Pho Quang-Dao Duy Anh-Ho Van Hue-Nguyen Kiem (1st route) and the second route will be from Phan Dinh Giot-Pho Quang- Dao Duy Anh- Ho Van Hue –Nguyen Kiem.

German DJ Till von Sein to perform tonight

Heart Beat Saigon, a HCMC-based group of DJs from different countries, and Goethe Institut in HCMC will host a performance of German DJ Till von Sein at 9 p.m. today at The Observatory in HCMC’s District 4.

Till von Sein will join DJs Ouch! and Heart Beat Saigon’s German founder Chris Wolter and Swedish visual artist Erol. Von Sein will bring a combination of Deep House and Techno with a little  Dub and Acid to his performance. This is the 21st gig of Heart Beat Saigon that offers a free entrance to attendees until 11 p.m. Those who come afterwards have to pay VND150,000 per person.

The Observatory is located at 5 Nguyen Tat Thanh Street in HCMC’s District 4.

Local architects urged to save energy in designs

Experts attending a conference in HCMC on Wednesday shared an  idea that Vietnamese architects lack knowledge on energy saving and need to learn more about advanced techniques that architects in other countries are using in their designs.

Without the Building Energy Modeling (BEM), a tool in which architects use computer software to simulate a building and simulate its energy use, one cannot say how environmentally friendly a building is no matter how much green space it has, said Tran Thanh Vu, a lecturer with the Vietnam Clean Energy Program sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Not many architects in Vietnam understand or even know about the BEM or the Building Information Modeling (BIM), a digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a structure.

“An architect should be a combination of an artist, an engineer and an economist but in most cases, Vietnamese architects consider themselves as artists only,” he said.

Without putting themselves in the shoes of engineers and economists, architects cannot design buildings that bring about high economic efficiency.

If young architects in Vietnam do not equip themselves with BEM and BIM tools, they will fall behind their regional rivals, in the context that the ASEAN Economic Community has been established since last year, allowing laborers of eight sectors, including architects, to freely move and work among countries in Southeast Asia.

American architect Joseph Deringer said 70% of multi-story buildings in the U.S. apply energy-saving solutions and that architects have to be involved in the entire building process.

Meanwhile in Vietnam, not many architects have enough knowledge about ventilation and do not have little or no voice in the installation of air-conditioners in the buildings they design.

Vietnam has a set of criteria for saving energy in building projects but not many investors have fulfilled those criteria, Vu said, explaining that State agencies that grant construction permits for building projects do not usually check the energy-saving standards at those projects.

For projects built by private investors, saving energy is one of their top concerns to help cut costs.

However, to make their buildings friendly to the environment, investors have to spend big on building materials in the first place, which is a problem as most investors do not want to use their buildings for a long time but sell them to others after several years.

HCM City health sector wants to digitize five key areas

Deputy Director Tang Chi Thuong of the HCMC Department of Health during a two-day seminar on smart healthcare that wrapped up this Wednesday expressed hopes of developing five key areas of the municipal health sector.

First, electronic medical records will be made common, now that such a practice is being piloted at Thu Duc District Hospital.

Next, digitization of medical records will be carried out. Currently, many hospitals have to hire external space to keep such records with some of them more than 10 years old rotting, whereas medical records have been long diitized in other countries.

Besides, the HCMC Department of Health will set up an intelligent emergency network since the emergency operation center of the city is now too out-of-date.

The introduction of modern technologies into the preventive medicine sector will also receive attention for close control of diseases, helping the industry leaders quickly learn where epidemics are breaking out and how many cases have been infected to work out effective prevention solutions.

Also, an electronic portal will be developed for the health sector of the city to promptly provide citizens with information on health issues through this channel.

To perform the five tasks above, the municipal health industry will adopt synchronous solutions in terms of policy, finance, human resources and technology, said Thuong. These solutions will be closely incorporated with the programs and plans of HCMC and the Ministry of Health for development of information technology (IT) applications, with an aim towards a smart city and better services for citizens.

The HCMC health department encourages enterprises to invest in IT solutions and applications to meet the demand of the industry and provide for those in need in the form of product-service for lease. The deployment of IT applications will be closely associated with administrative reforms.

Regarding human resources, Thuong said his department would ask the municipal government for preferential policies to attract qualified IT personnel into medical facilities.

The agency will assist those in need in the implementation of IT applications and equip public servants with IT skills. Besides, senior staff and civil servants in charge of IT will be offered professional training.

Project targets child malnutrition among northern ethnic groups

A new project is being carried out to combat child malnutrition among ethnic groups living in the north of the country.

The Northern Mountain Integrated Child Nutrition Improvement project has been signed into effect by Save the Children Fund in Việt Nam (SCIV) and World Bank (WB), targeting Yên Bái and Sơn La provinces for the period 2017-2021.

The project has a budget of US$ 2.82 million funded by the Japan Social Development Fund.

To ensure sustainable and long-lasting results, Save the Children will work with both local community authorities as well as government agencies, specifically, the Maternal and Child Health Department under the Ministry of Health and the provincial Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Dragana Strinic, Country Director of SCIV, praised the growth Việt Nam has achieved in the last 20 years, however, she noted that the country was still struggling with child malnutrition among ethnic groups. 

She stated that H’mông, Dao and Thái ethnic minorities witness “alarmingly high rate of stunted children”, with 40-50 per cent of all children suffering from stunting.

“Addressing child malnutrition is extremely important at a personal level for each child, because it affects their health, brain development, life expectancy and productivity. It is also important from a socio-economic perspective in order to stop the inter-generational cycle of poverty and decrease income disparities in society,” Strinic said.

The project will adopt an integrated approach combining various interventions, such as campaigns to change behaviour, promotion of breast-feeding, improving feeding practices for infants and the young, and offering more diverse diets through the development of home gardens.

Some 142,000 people in 200 villages in the two provinces are estimated to benefit directly from the project, while the entire population of the two provinces (375,000 people) will be indirect beneficiaries.

According to Ousmane Dione, WB Country Director for Việt Nam, the project promisted solid results as it targeted 20 per cent increase in the number of infants from 0-6 months old to be exclusively breastfed, an increase of 30 per cent of pregnant women receiving maternal care (at least three check-ups during pregnancy), and developing action plans for promoting nutrition-sensitive agriculture.

A generation of children with better cognitive development and greater physical productivity will ultimately drive Việt Nam’s economy, in terms of growth and international competitiveness, he added.

Nguyễn Đức Vinh, Head of the Child Health Department, affirmed that the MoH would work closely with SCIV and other bodies to secure the success of the project, in order to “make sure no one is left behind". 

Hà Nội prepares for BRT pilot run

The first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) pilot route in Hà Nội will begin operating next month, according to the People’s Committee.

Vice Chairman Nguyễn Quốc Hùng has urged the Hà Nội Transport and Services Corporation (Transerco) to prepare personnel, facilities and infrastructure for the trial run after December 15 when BRT buses are handed over to the city. The Department of Transport is also required to complete the plan for traffic systems and collect reasonable opinions from experts, scientists and the community, in order to determine the best way to operate the bus system.

Further, the local Department of Transport is working with Transerco to create favourable conditions for BRT operations, and ensure safe and convenient rides for passengers.The pilot route will depart from Kim Mã station in Ba Đình District to Yên Nghĩa station in Hà Đông District through Giảng Võ, Láng Hạ, Lê Văn Lương, Lê Trọng Tấn, Trần Phú and Ba La streets. 

About 21 bus stops were built on the 14.7km route, with the bus departing every three minutes and each carrying up to 90 passengers.

The trip is expected to take 30 minutes to travel the entire route, as opposed to the current one hour or more.

The cost of the project has been set at US$53.6 million (VNĐ1.1 trillion) and financed through the World Bank loans.

The BRT system has specialised designs, services and infrastructure to improve the quality of the system and help reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. 

More agencies to inspect toll stations

Việt Nam Road Administration has asked the Ministry of Transport to allow more related agencies to take part in inspection and supervision of Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) toll stations.

The proposal is to ensure transparency and prevention of negative, anti-tax losses and to avoid fraud charges in the operation.

The agencies that are expected to join in include Economic Security Department under the Public Security Ministry, General Department of Taxation of the Finance Ministry and taxation departments in localities.

Earlier, the Ministry of Transport requested Việt Nam Road Administration to inspect and monitor the toll system of all BOT projects nationwide.

The BOT stations were required to ensure a one-stop toll system, gradually moving to an automatic system.

Investors in BOT projects were also asked to enhance recording all data related to vehicles traveling on the roads and to ensure data and videos were kept for at least one year.

Farms flouting rules forced to close down

The People’s Committee of this southern province has asked local authorities to inspect all farms in the province to ensure they were equipped with standard waste water treatment system.

Those who were found to be discharging waste water into the environment would be forced to close down.

Lê Tuấn Quốc, Vice Chairman of the committee, made the request at a working session with Xuyên Mộc District’s People’s Committee on Wednesday.

Currently, Xuyên Mộc has the most number of farms in the province.

Figures from the district’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment revealed there were 59 farms in the province, of which, 35 were pig farms and 24 were chicken farms.

All the farms were licensed to operate by the provincial People’s Committee. However, some large-scale farms, such as those with more than 3,000 pigs, polluted the environment by discharging untreated waste water into the river, affecting water quality and locals’ health.

At the working session, the inspection team said they conducted an unscheduled inspection on four pig farms in Hòa Hội and Xuyên Mộc communes and found two farms discharging waste into the environment.

A farm of Đặng Thị Yến in Hòa Hội Commune, with capacity of 3,000 pigs, discharged some 30cu.m. of waste water and 1.2 tonnes of solid waste. The farm was only some 5km away from the Sông Hỏa Reservoir, which, according to plans, will supply water to residents in Xuyên Mộc District for the next several months.

In another farm of Nhân Hòa Breeding Co. Ltd in Xuyên Mộc Commune, with capacity of 5,200 pigs, the biogas was out of order. All waste was being discharged into the Cát Spring connected to the Sông Hỏa Reservoir.

The team has taken samples from the two farms for testing.

Quốc asked the departments of natural resources and environment, agriculture and rural development, environmental police and local authorities to inspect the building/repair of the waste treatment system before allowing it to resume operation.

He also directed relevant authorities to revise the planning of farms in the province and stop permitting farms to be located near residential areas.

Saigon airport adopts new navigation method to address air traffic congestion

The new system will help ease overcrowding and reduce pollution at Tan Son Nhat.

Vietnam aviation authorities officially put into operation a new method of navigation designated as SID/STAR RNAV 1 at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City on November 10.

This method enables aircraft to fly on any desired flight course within the coverage station-referenced navigation signal, a huge improvement over conventional methods which are dependent on ground navigation.

RNAV 1 requires little radar navigation aid, therefore decreases navigated distance and eases the amount of communication and workload on air traffic controllers and pilots. Air traffic controllers can also maintain a safer and more accurate standard deviation thanks to restriction on one-point air traffic flows.

Compared to conventional methods, RNAV 1 is 10 to 15 percent more efficient, and also reduces fuel consumption and pollution.

The adoption of RNAV 1 comes at a time when Tan Son Nhat Airport is dealing with severe air traffic congestion with a daily average of 600 flight departures and arrivals. Previously, authorities had to restrict the number of flights during peak hours as a temporary solution.

RNAV 1 will be adopted at airports in Hanoi and Danang in early and late 2017 respectively, before being implemented across the country by 2020.

Tan Son Nhat is already overburdened by the flights and passengers. It received more than 26.5 million passengers last year, exceeding its capacity of 23 million, and the number is expected to increase to around 31 million this year.

The rapid growth of the local aviation market in recent years has overwhelmed airports in major cities and led to regular flight delays and cancellations.

Figures from the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam showed that more than 20,000 flights, or 15.8 percent, were delayed in the first six months this year. That was up slightly from 15 percent a year ago.

HCM City needs 400 new street names

Otherwise, taxi drivers will have a tough time finding their customers.

Ho Chi Minh City authorities are considering a plan to officially rename about 400 streets that are either wrong or duplicate names.

The plan, developed by the city’s Urban Research and Development Center (URDC), is part of a citywide project to rename city streets and public places.

Nguyen Thi Thu, deputy chairwoman of HCM City, said that the project aims to reduce confusion in the city, and is part of a broader plan to establish a clear address system for the southern hub.

According to URDC’s research, HCM City currently has 1,774 streets that are referred to by unofficial names, and about 400 that have duplicate or meaningless names.

However, the city is running out of choices for street names, which are usually named after famous Vietnamese historical figures or places.

The research team pointed out the names of 16 famous people have been used for over 50 different streets.

Other cases involve duplicate names and “not so appealing” names such as Kenh Nuoc Den, which literally means “black canal”.

The team suggested altering the names of those streets or adding signs to reduce confusion for residents and visitors and, at times, make navigation less troublesome for the city's emergency services.

Deputy chairwoman Thu said that some street names will be altered or extra information will added to signs so that people can recognize them more easily.

Thu has also asked the research agency and other related units to come up with a list of new street names.

Korean Culture Centre launches fine art competition

The Korean Cultural Centre in Vietnam has announced the launch of a fine art competition for serious and aspirational artists.

Works themed Republic of Korea culture and people will not be limited by any material or expressive form and will be accepted by the Centre through February 11, 2017 at email address [email protected].

All submitted images will be reviewed by a panel of four established leaders in the art world: Lee Dae Joong, director of the Korean Culture Centre; Vi Kien Thanh, head of the Department of Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibition; Le Van Suu, principal of Vietnam University of Fine Arts; and Choi Bong Sik, a Korean painter.

The panel will select the three top finalists. First place will receive a trip to the ROK to display their works at personal exhibition in 2017. Second place will receive US$200 in cash and a trip to the ROK while third place will get US$200 in cash.

The event is part of cultural activities to mark 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the ROK under the sponsorship of Hansae Group. It also aims to strengthen mutual understanding and cultural exchange among Korean and Vietnamese painters. 

Concert celebrates musician Pho Duc Phuong’s 50-year career

A concert marking the 50-year career of composer Pho Duc Phuong will be held at the National Convention Center in Hanoi on December 29.

The music show titled Tren Dinh Phu Van (On the Peak of Phu Van Mountain), named after the musician’s favorite song will feature around 100 artists, including dancers, instrumentalists, singers Thanh Thanh Hien, Thanh Lam, Tan Minh, Tung Duong, Bang Kieu, Thu Phuong, the 5 Dong Ke band and others.

The event is also participated by one of the leading saxophonists in the country, Tran Manh Tuan.

Pho Duc Phuong is one of the leading veteran musicians in the country. His works is well-known for its contemporary style folk songs of the northern region.

Cost of BOT projects drops: Transport Ministry

The Ministry of Transport yesterday said that by October, cost of most build- operate-transfer (BOT) projects decreased by VND100-500 billion compared to the initial calculation.

Investors of projects have submitted the balance sheets of 30 BOT projects in which cost of these projects reduced much more than the initiate estimation. For instance, the BOT Ho Chi Minh Highway through the highlands province of Dak Nong, it costs around VND634 billion, a drop of VND388 billion compared to the first calculation which was approved.

Similarly, balance sheets of BOT projects of the National Highway N. 1 in the section through the central province of Binh Thuan and the section of Phan Thiet-Dong Nai diminished hundreds of billions Vietnam dong. The Ministry explained the costs fall compared to the estimated investment because the investors did not use reserved expenditure.

Accordingly, the Ministry is reviewing the BOT projects nationwide based on independent auditing. After that, the Ministry will re-calculate the contract and the time for collecting toll. It is expected many projects will have shorter time of collecting toll.

Formosa must complete waste treatment system before production

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will consider permitting Taiwanese steel plan Formosa who polluted sea environment in the central region in April to run production only after the company completes waste treatment and control items.

The company has been required to pay special heed to building the system of bio-reservoirs to control biochemical and industrial wastewater after treatment.

The information was quoted from the ministry's document about Formosa to repair consequences from the environmental pollution it caused in four north central provinces.

According to the document, an inter-agency supervision council has recorded the company’s efforts to implement its commitments to remedy the consequences.

Specifically, the company has transferred US$500 million compensation to the Vietnamese Government and continued carrying out short and long term measures as per requirements by the ministry and administrative penalty decisions.

The company has mapped out a plan to construct and upgrade some other waste treatment items to protect the environment in compliance with international standards.

Wastewater and fume treatment items at the first blast-furnace of the steel plant have basically been built meeting standards by the end of October.

In addition, Formosa has collected about 97 tons of waste mud it discharged a month to store at warehouses before handing over the mud to Ha Tinh Industrial Waste Processing Company for treatment.

The ministry has tasked the Vietnam Environment Administration to work with the Department of Natural Resources and Environment and the Management Board of Ha Tinh Economic Zone to conduct periodical and unscheduled inspections and continuously keep an eye on Formosa operations.

Formosa is located in Vung Ang Economic Zone, Ha Tinh, one out of four provinces comprising Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue that have been badly affected by Formosa environment disaster. 

VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri/VNE