Traffic sector declares hotlines

The National Traffic Safety Committee has declared 10 hotlines that residents can call to report information on transport and traffic safety during this year's new year festival.

Residents can call the Directorate for Roads of Vietnam at 0916908085, 0913432383 and 0917908085, or leaders of the Ministry of Transport at 0912379753, 0903474737 and 0913209741.

The hotlines of the National Traffic Safety Committee include 0989088719, 0917577777 and 0995918666.

To contact the Road and Railway Traffic Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security, residents can call 06942608.

The announcement followed a request from Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng to ensure traffic safety during the festival.

Dũng asked the Ministry of Transport and local departments of transport to strengthen their management of the safety conditions of vehicles on the road and apply strict penalties for transport violations such as illegally increasing travelling ticket prices and transport fees.

Dũng also asked the Ministry of Public Security to draw up plans for patrols during the festival. Penalties will focus on drunk drivers, drivers encroaching on the wrong lanes and using unsafe vehicles, and illegal automobile and motorbike racing.

The National Traffic Safety Committee required police departments to keep a close watch on roads with heavy traffic, especially main roads leading to major urban areas, seaports, stations and terminals.

Illegal terminals will be shut down, and unsafe vehicles will be confiscated.

Veteran English teacher criticises language teaching in Vietnam

Many English teachers working outside Hanoi and HCM City were unable to communicate in English, and Vietnam needs to improve its foreign language teaching methods, a veteran Vietnamese teacher of English said.

Nguyen Quoc Hung, who is former deputy principal of Hanoi University, spent 25 years teaching English on television, and is now an advisor for the national foreign language teaching project, said 90 percent of the 8,000 English teachers in Vietnam had failed to meet the upper intermediate level.

“We do not provide learners with a standard learning method, so they do not know how to improve their English skills. I’ve received many letters from viewers of my English programme on TV complaining about this even though there has been available a set of books guiding these around the world,” Hung said.

Hung said the ability of Vietnamese teachers of English was substandard. The training of English teachers still focuses on theory instead of practice, and the national foreign language teaching project, which runs until 2020, was aiming to raise the proficiency of all teachers to the upper intermediate and advanced levels.

“There are two breakthrough solutions to the situation: providing standard learning methods for learners and standardising teaching methods for teachers,” he said.

"English tests in Vietnam are inadequate, mainly focusing on vocabulary and grammar and neglecting the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing," he said.

The teaching project has a budget of VND16tr (USD760.27m) and, though half of that has been earmarked for classroom equipment, Hung said it might be ìneffective to apply new software and technologies in foreign luanguage teaching and learning in remote and mountainous areas.

He said hiring foreign experts in teacher training was a good approach.

“It’s really a concern when only 16 percent of high school students chose English as a subject for their high school graduation exam in the 2013-2014 school year,” Hung said.

He said schools use different English curriculums, many of which are developed by foreign countries, but fail to adjust them for Vietnamese learners.

Patients to pay for half of cancer drugs

Cancer patients will have to pay for many drugs previously covered by the State's health insurance fund when the new Law on Insurance goes into effect next year.

These include Erlotinib and Gefitinib, used to treat lung cancer, and Trastuzumab, used to treat breast cancer. Head of the Health Insurance Department Tong Thi Song Huong said these drugs were too expensive for the fund to cover completely.

Under the new law, patients will pay half the cost for 44 drugs, including those used to treat colorectal cancer and early-stage breast cancer, which cost VND200-800 million (US$9,400-$37,000) per month, said Pham Luong Son, head of the Viet Nam Social Insurance's unit on Health Insurance Implementation.

Son said any drugs covered by the insurance fund must meet requirements for cost and effectiveness and must be legally available in Viet Nam.

The fund currently covers the drug used to treat Hepatitis C. Next year, however, patients will have to pay 70 per cent of the cost. Covering the treatment fully would cost VND 90 trillion (US$4.2 billion) each year, according to Son.

"We need to make the adjustment to ensure we balance the effective use of the insurance fund and effective treatment for patients," he said.

Cancer drugs account for a large percentage of insurance expenses. The fund paid a total of VND48 trillion ($2 billion) for cancer treatment in 2013, according to a representative from the Viet Nam Social Insurance Agency.

Viet Nam has 130,000-160,000 new cancer cases and 85,000-115,000 fatalities each year.

Free medical campaign brings joy to the poor in Hanoi

Hanoi’s health sector is carrying a campaign providing gratis medical checkups and treatment for the old and poor living across the capital city until the end of February 2015.

The campaign, an activity marking the 60th Vietnamese Doctors’ Day (February 27), will include surgeries for elderly patients with cataract and children with cleft palate and heart diseases.

On the first day of the campaign, Duc Giang general hospital gave free medical checks up, treatment and medicine to 300 people at Thach Da commune, in Me Linh District.

A similar humanitarian campaign co-organised by the Vietnam Red Cross (VRC) and the Ministry of Health, which aims at benefiting over one million poor people each year in Vietnam, has been underway since November.-

Industrial park development requires housing for workers

A recently amended master plan for developing industrial parks urges faster construction of social housing for workers.

There are currently more than 2.2 million workers in industrial parks, 98.5 per cent of whom are Vietnamese. This number is projected to rise to 7.2 million by 2020 under the master plan, including an estimated 4.2 million who would need housing.

Most migrant workers in industrial parks come from the countryside and pay at least VND200,000-300,000 (US$9.5-14) in monthly rent, according to a Government report. Their average payment is VND3-4 million ($140-190).

These rented spaces are narrow with only 2-3 sq. m per person and sanitary conditions are often poor.

Five years after the Government implemented a plan to build social housing for industrial park workers, there have been 64 such projects nationwide with total investment of VND4.4 trillion ($211.4 million), producing more than 20,200 apartments. Another 59 projects with a total investment of VND18.1 trillion ($861.9 million) are being constructed and will provide nearly 67,000 apartments.

Still, housing remains an urgent need, construction officials said.

"Many industrial parks have not set aside suitable areas for workers' housing. Besides, enterprises are hesitant to invest in housing for workers because it requires a huge long-term investment. The bank interest rate for construction is still high and it takes a long time to recover capital," said Nguyen Manh Ha, director of the Ministry of Construction's Housing and Real Estate Market Management Department.

Ha said that preferential policies to invest in social housing had been largely neglected, adding that the preferential levels also depended significantly on localities' conditions and regulations.

"There have been many Government regulations simplifying administrative procedures, but implementation in some localities is still slow, hindering investors," he said.

Minister of Construction Trinh Dinh Dung said that his ministry had worked with relevant ministries and sectors to submit a decree to the Government last year on developing housing projects.

Under the decree, those investing in housing for workers would be exempt from land-use and land-lease fees, he said. The investors would also enjoy a 50 per cent discount on value-added tax, exemption from corporate income tax, preferential loans for investment and financial support for infrastructure construction.

Additionally, the new decree allows workers in industrial parks to buy houses instead of only renting them.

However, to meet demand by 2020, the construction minister said it was necessary to create favourable conditions for investors by shortening administrative procedures, including those for changing commercial housing projects into social housing projects.

Social work offers graduates little incentive

Job instability and lower incomes compared with other sectors keep young people out of social work even when they graduate in the subject, a seminar at the HCM City Open University heard last week.

Tran Huu Phat, a fourth-year student of social work, spoke about the salary issue as did other students. The Dong Nai native told Vietnam News after the seminar that he applied to study social work at university after carefully researching the sector as a way to challenge himself since this is a newish kind of work.

While at the university he recognised he had a passion for the work, and was so eager to graduate and become a social worker.

But he was disappointed recently to find out that social workers are not paid well — just 4-5 million VND (190-238 USD) monthly. He does plan to apply for a job as a social worker, but if the salary remains low, he will switch careers.

"To be a social worker is my passion, but I cannot afford to do it with a low income since I have to plan for my future and family and support my parents," he said.

"I don't need a high salary. I hope to get enough money to survive. It is unfair that the salary of a social worker is lower than others'."

It is illogical for someone to spend most of their time and energy on worrying about society while not being able to take care their own family, he said.

Other students expresses a similar view.

Huynh Gia Hien, a third year social work student at the university, said: "I am a social worker. If my living condition is not stable when the programme ends, I will quit my job. In preventing corruption, why don't we have a policy of helping social workers achieve better living conditions?"

Phung The Kiet, 22, a new social work graduate from the university who now works as a volunteer at NGOs, said he decided to study social work because he could earn money and also get opportunities to help others.

"I have just graduated. I don't worry about being unemployed. There are so many job opportunities, because recently the government has Scheme No.32 to assist this sector. However, many graduates expect a very high salary. It's hard."

Kiet said he would continue in this sector, pointing out that those with enthusiasm and a kind heart can pursue this career.

But he admitted that out of 25 students in his class, only five want to do so.

He now relies on his family's support but hopes to get a stable job to cover his expenses. Le Bich Phong, a social work graduate from the HCM City Open University who now works for Life Centre, too said that not many of his classmates have entered the field.

"Mine was the first batch at the HCM City Open University's social work department and had 174 students. However, at a recent reunion, we found that less than 10 from my class are social workers."

He explained that in developing countries the condition of social workers is unstable.

But Le Thi My Hien, director of the HCM City Open University's Center for Applied Social Work, said it is the same situation in other countries. With salaries being lower than in other sectors, not many young people choose to be social workers, she said.

Each year the HCM City Open University takes in 80-100 students, and the low salaries do not prevent talented people from studying and doing social work, she said.

She dismissed fears of corruption caused by the low salaries, saying the students are responsible people who know they should set an example for others as social workers.

Only an estimated 10 percent of social work graduates work in social sectors, but the ratio has increased in the last two or three years.

The health sector has realised that social work is necessary, Hien said. 115 Hospital has hired two social work students from the university and the HCM City Pediatric Hospital has taken in two others as interns.

The education sector, industrial parks, vocational training schools, courts, local and foreign charities, and organisations serving disabled and older people need well-trained social workers, Hien said.

But Huynh Minh Thao, communication manager at Information, Connecting and Sharing (ICS), an independent LGBT rights organisation, said none of his 10 colleagues are social work graduates. Instead, they graduated in law, communication, healthcare, and even Oriental studies, he said.

Other NGOs too recruit staff from other streams while only some volunteers are students of social work, he said.

"Social work gives us much benefit, not only money. Universities should teach students to do social work out of just enthusiasm. If they think much about money, it is hard for them to take up a job after graduation."

In his job it is hard to get wealthy, but he earns enough to manage his life and buy a house after working for many years, he said, adding that the biggest reward for a social worker is spiritual.

Soc Trang targets 97 percent of locals to access electricity next year

About 97 percent of residents in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang are expected to gain electricity access by the Lunar New Year holiday in late February next year, said Huynh Minh Hai, Director of the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN)’s Soc Trang Power Company.

Over the past years, the company has paid heed to expanding the power grid to rural areas which are mainly inhabited by Khmer ethnic people, he noted.

Notably, a project worth 305.4 billion VND (14.5 million USD) to develop the power system was completed in 2012, providing electricity for 20,192 households, mostly of Khmer people. All the target households didn’t have to pay any fees for facilities from power lines to meters.

The project’s second phase, costing 212.57 billion VND (10.1 million USD), are near completion as more than 90 percent of the workload has already been done. This phase is carried out province-wide with 16,784 household beneficiaries and hoped to raise the total number of households accessing electricity across the province to 314,866, or 96.9 percent.

Meanwhile, the third phase with an investment of 100.1 billion VND (over 4.76 million USD) will be implemented in 2015 to supply power to 8,575 households.

In the years ahead, the power company will go on with more large-scaled projects to ensure power supply to local resident as well as shrimp farms, Hai said.

EVN plans to bring electricity to almost all rural households by 2020. So far, all districts, over 99 percent of communes, and 98 percent of rural households across Vietnam have had access to electricity.-

Hanoi moves to help the disadvantaged enjoy cosy Tet

The Hanoi Labour Federation has planned support activities to help poor workers and disadvantaged people enjoy a warm Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, which falls in mid-February, 2015.

As many as 3,000 workers in Hanoi’s industrial parks and export processing zones, who have hailed from other localities, will be transported home by buses free of charge.

Additionally, the federation will present Tet gifts to poor workers, disadvantaged children, and policy beneficiary families.

It has guided trade unions at all levels to monitor the payment of wage and Tet bonus for workers, while working with relevant authorities and businesses to timely address difficulties facing them.

Last year, the federation worked with businesses based in the city to provide free travel for more than 2,000 workers to go home in Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Quang Binh provinces.

This form of assistance has become an annual event since 2009.

Tet gifts to come to poor students in HCM City

Gift-giving activities targeting disadvantaged children and students will be held in Ho Chi Minh City in an effort to help them enjoy a happy Lunar New Year (Tet) festival.

A programme entitled “Spring gifts to you” hosted by the HCM Communist Youth Union’s municipal chapter and the centre for supporting pupils and students, will present about 2,000 gifts worth 1 billion VND (47,000 USD) to street children and poor primary pupils in outlying areas.

To support poor students in returning home for Tet, up to 3,000 free bus tickets will be given to those from the central and Central Highlands localities.

From December 15, 2014 to February 14, 2015, a part-time job bazaar will provide chances for students who cannot welcome Tet at their homes to get more money to cover their lives.

During the programme, 350 recruiters are expected offer about 4,000 jobs with an average wage of 15,000-30,000 VND per hour.

According to the municipal youth chapter, its programmes aim to present at least 7,500 Tet gifts and 5,000 free bus tickets to disadvantaged students and workers. A wide range of cultural and art programmes and free medical check-up will be also organised during the occasion.

The northern province of Quang Ninh kicked off the construction of the second State office building under the form of public-private partnership (PPP) model on December 28.

The project worth nearly 500 billion VND (23.7 million USD) is being built on an area of 1,140 square metres, including 23 storeys and two basements.

Once completed in the next two years, the project will ensure office space for 16 provincial departments and sectors.

Local authorities are focusing on infrastructure building projects under the PPP model.

Southern province shares emulation experience with Laos

Vice Chairman of the southern province of Ba Ria–Vung Tau Le Thanh Dung had a working session with deputy head of the emulation and rewards board of the Lao Department of Internal Affairs Ye Lo Chiava in Ba Ria city on December 28.

Dung spoke in length the province’s socio-economic situation over the past few years and introduced the organisational system, functions, and activities of the local board of emulation and rewards.

He also shared experience in building and expanding effective models in the field.

The Lao guest said the visit was to study the provincial experience in promoting the emulation and rewards campaigns in both quantity and quality.

Annual Tet art performance planned to greet Overseas Vietnamese

The annual “Xuan Que Huong” (Homeland Spring) art performance to greet Overseas Vietnamese who come home for the traditional Lunar New Year (Tet) will be held on February 7-8 in Ho Chi Minh City.

The State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said as the country will mark several significant anniversaries in 2015 such as the 70th National Day, the 85 th founding anniversary of the Communist Party, and especially the 40 th anniversary of the liberation of the southern region, the programme will take the theme of “Glorious Homeland”.

The event is expected to see the attendance of high-ranking Party and State leaders and many Vietnamese overseas returning to the country for the Tet holiday.

There are currently around 4 million Vietnamese living and working in 103 countries and territories worldwide.-

Programmes garner support for fishermen

Two programmes launched by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) have collected 143.5 billion VND (6.8 million USD) in donations to help the nation’s fishermen and families of naval soldiers and law enforcement officers at sea.

It was reported at a conference on December 26 that 45 billion VND (2.1 million USD) has been donated to the “Fishing nets of love for fishermen in Hoang Sa and Truong Sa” programme since its launch in September 2011.

The programme has granted a total of 39 billion VND (1.86 million USD) to hundreds of fishermen in central and southern provinces to help them buy new ships, repair old ships and continue fishing at sea.

In addition, more than 100 sets of communication equipment were handed over to fisheries trade unions to assist their members in their offshore trips.

Meanwhile, the “Love for Hoang Sa and Truong Sa” programme raised nearly 98.5 billion VND (4.76 million USD), most of which was spent on financial aid for the families of soldiers who are carrying out missions at sea

Part of the proceedings will be also used to build the Gac Ma memorial park dedicated to soldiers who sacrificed their life to defend the national sovereignty over Gac Ma island in Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago.

The VGCL has issued an appeal to trade union members nationwide to continue donating to the two programmes.

Forest ranger killer faces tough justice

A truck driver who deliberately drove his vehicle into a forest ranger captain on duty, killing him on the spot on Sunday, deserves severe punishment, Minister of Agricultural and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat has said.

In an urgent communique sent to authorities in the Central Highlands Province of Lam Dong on Monday, he asked them to quickly investigate the incident and mete out strict punishment.

He said severe punishment was needed to deter others from acting against officers on duty in the future.

The murder is said to have occurred when Captain Vu Xuan Hai and his team of forest rangers were on patrol in Da Teh District's Quoc Oai Commune.

Suspecting a truck of illegally carrying timber, Hai signaled for the driver to stop for inspection.

The driver ignored the signal and hit Hai with his truck, it was reported. Hai died on the spot. The driver, whose identity has not been released, was arrested by district police soon after the incident.

Hai has been known as a forest ranger captain who has taken strong action against poachers for many years, trying to stop them from destroying local forests.

Minister Phat also sent a letter of condolence to Hai's family on Monday. He said Hai's fighting spirit and bravery has set an example for other forest rangers in the country.

This is not the first time that poachers have intentionally harmed law-enforcement officers.

On March 11 this year, two poachers ignored an order by a group of forest rangers in the Central Highlands Province of Dak Nong and drove their motorbikes right into the rangers. One of the rangers died on the way to a local hospital.

Ministry calls for vigilance to stop flu viruses, diseases

The Ministry of Health has urged provinces and cities nationwide to intensify measures to preventing flu viruses and diseases in the run up to the Lunar New Year holiday, a move triggered by reports of avian flu outbreaks in some localities.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD)'s Animal Health Department said influenza strain A type H5N1 had been recorded in poultry in three communes in the Mekong Delta provinces of Tra Vinh and Vinh Long. The A/H5N6 virus had also been found in Son Tinh District in the central province of Quang Ngai.

Avian flu virus A/H7N9 has been raging in China since 2013, especially in the winter-spring months.

There was likely to be a surge in the demand for food in preparation for the Lunar New Year holiday, which will fall in late February next year, and the trade, transport, and slaughter of unsafe poultry could increase. Respiratory and digestive diseases are also likely to mushroom during that time due to the humid weather, MARD warned.

The Ministry of Health has asked localities to pay special attention to rural and remote areas as well as localities that have previously been hit with the viruses.

Local health departments must tighten supervision in communities and at border gates, and gear up for flu prevention and patient treatment.

They have also been instructed to step up food safety inspections and strictly punish markets, food stores, restaurants and collective kitchens that violate relevant regulations.

Son La smashes 850 drug trafficking cases

In 2014, drug-related crime task forces in northern Son La province arrested more than 1,200 traffickers who were involved in nearly 850 drug trafficking cases.

They also seized 156 kg of heroin, 5kg of opium, 96,000 amphetamine tablets, along with guns and ammunition.

In recent times, drug-related crime along the border with Son La province has become complicated and the traffickers venturesomely used guns and other weapons to resist when being detected.

Colonel Tran Anh Tuan, Director of the provincial Police Department, said drug traffickers often operate along borderlines which require the task forces to devise measures to effectively stop them from transporting drug into the province.

Relevant agencies in Son La province are urged to accelerate prevention and control activities.

VNN/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/ND