Vocational training highlighted in new rural development

As many as 660,000 rural workers received vocational training in the period 2010-2013, mainly in husbandry and fishery, as part of the national new rural development program.

Vietnam now has approximately 25 million rural workers, of whom just 5 million have received vocational training. As farm land shrinks due to rapid urbanisation and modernisation, vocational training plays an increasingly important role because it boosts farm incomes.

Nguyen Minh Nhan, head of the personnel department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the ministry has devised rural programmes that provide both agricultural promotion and vocational training for rural labourers. They also helped farmers sell their products and services.

"The model of household production is still common in Vietnam’s rural areas, which means rural labourers are mostly involved in farm work,” Nhan said, adding the percentage of rural laborers with vocational training who have shifted to other trades remains very low.

Since 2010, the number of rural workers with vocational training has significantly increased and surpassed the ministry’s set target.

These workers have been provided with skills and advanced technologies which have increased their productivity and income.

According to Le Trong Quang, Deputy Chairman of the Lai Chau provincial People’s Committee, trained rural workers should be certified so they can sign work contracts with agricultural businesses.

Vocational training for rural labourers should be carefully planned to meet real needs and save money. Businesses and rural workers understand what kind of vocational training is needed to improve their productivity, Quang said.

HCM City may allow battery-powered vehicles on downtown streets next year

The government of HCMC is weighing a pilot scheme to allow battery-powered vehicles to transport passengers on the downtown streets from April 30 next year as a measure to ease environmental and noise pollution.

The Department of Transport has submitted the scheme to leaders of the city and proposed two options for translating it into reality.

According to the first option, battery-powered cars will run around the clock on certain main roads and around tourist sites, restaurants and hotels. For the second option, they will run on fixed routes linking September 23 Park, the backpacker quarter covering Pham Ngu Lao, Bui Vien and De Tham streets, Me Linh and Lam Son venues, and Saigon Zoo and Botanic Garden, Le Loi, Nguyen Hue and Le Duan boulevards and some other parts in the city.

The transport department said such vehicles are environmentally friendly.

However, municipal leaders told the department to gauge demand of local commuters and visitors for the service and collaborate with the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to work out and propose the best option.

Duong Hong Thanh, deputy director of the Transport Department, told reporters on the sidelines of a seminar on green transport in the city last Tuesday that the scheme is now planned for vehicles to run distances of 7.5 kilometers.

The city will call for companies in different economic sectors to offer battery-powered car services from April 30 next year when the upgrade of Nguyen Hue Boulevard is completed as this road will be then opened to pedestrians and battery-powered vehicles only.

Hanoi now uses battery-powered vehicles for tours around Guom Lake (Sword Lake) and other parts of the capital city. Danang put into service the first route for battery-powered vehicles to serve visitors to the central city two years ago.

Barriers to natural disaster adaptation in mountainous region

The mountainous region, which accounts for three quarters of the country’s total land area, benefitted from numerous initiatives to reduce the risks of natural disaster, be it from the Party and State or national and international organisations over the past three decades.

However, natural disasters such as landslides, flash floods, droughts and forest fires have become more unpredictable in recent years, reversing socio-economic development and hampering poverty reduction efforts.

Rapid population growth, increasing malnutrition, and a limited understanding of the issues are limiting the impact of natural disaster adaptation measures.

Furthermore, deforestation and the overexploitation of natural resources have also contributed to environmental pollution and ecological degradation.

The difficult terrain of the mountainous region, coupled with poor infrastructure and transport, prevents local residents from accessing information on natural disasters, failing to promptly take adaptation measures.

According to the Central Committee for Flood and Storm Control, 250 flash floods and landslides have occurred in Vietnam since 2000, leaving 646 dead and missing, 351 injuries, and economic losses of more 3.3 billion VND (145,000 USD).

The northern mountainous areas have been experiencing unusual frost and icy weather in recent years, whilst provinces in the Central Highlands, centre and south of Vietnam are increasingly affected by serious droughts as a result of environmental change and population growth.

The mountainous region is home to approximately 12.3 million people, representing 14.27 percent of the nation’s total population.

Le Van Tam Park underground carpark project to resume next year

Investment and Development for Underground Space Corporation (IUS) has plans to resume work on a long-stalled underground parking lot project at Le Van Tam Park in District 1 in the second quarter of next year.

Le Tuan, general director of IUS, told the Daily that issues related to fire prevention in the project have been addressed and that the investor is in the process of negotiating a build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract and technical design.

After the technical design is completed, the developer will submit it to the Ministry of Construction for consideration and then the HCMC Department of Construction.

The project has ground to a halt since its groundbreaking in August 2010 as changes to the fire prevention outline forced the investor to adjust the original design of the project.

Tuan said it took IUS one and a half years to make things clear with relevant agencies before the firm secured approval for land rent exemption for the project although Decree 108 regulates this exemption for the investor. However, IUS spent much time making explanations which took authorities four months to assess.

The five-storey underground carpark will require investment capital of more than US$100 million and have floor space of over 72,000 square meters which is enough to accommodate over 2,000 motorbikes, 1,250 cars, and 28 buses and trucks. The project will comprise a three-storey commercial center covering 30,904 square meters.

The exits of the parking lot will be on Vo Thi Sau, Hai Ba Trung and Dien Bien Phu streets.

The city has three other underground parking lot projects - Trong Dong Outdoor Theater, Hoa Lu Stadium and Tao Dan Stadium.

Poor management caused Dak Nong deforestation

Poor forestry management and illegal logging have been blamed for the loss of more than 4,500 hectares of forest in Truong Xuan Commune in the province's Dak Song District.

The Tai Nguyen Moi Truong (Natural Resources and Environment) online newspaper cited the results of an inspection tour of the Dak Nong People's Committee which showed that Truong Xuan Forestry Company Ltd., which was assigned to monitor and protect the forest, failed to protect it from illegal deforestation activities of residents.

According to the People's Committee, residents illegally chopped down trees to build houses and plant cassava, sweet potato, coffee and pepper on the 4,500-hectare area in the past five years, and Truong Xuan reported that during that time, only 181 hectares of natural forest were destroyed.

The company also failed to take back the deforested land, of which 3,500 hectares were natural forest, from the residents.

Nguyen Huu Khanh, vice chairman of the People's Committee of Dak Song District, said financial difficulties compelled the company lay off 20 of its 40 forest rangers from 2010 to 2013, and this led to poor forest protection.

Vu Minh Khoi, deputy director of the provincial Natural Resources and Environment Department, said shortcomings in land management policies also worsened the problem.

But he also said the company must take responsibility for allowing the deforestation and failing to make timely and accurate reports on the situation to concerned government agencies that would have brought the situation under control. He added that the head of the company should be strictly disciplined.

The provincial People's Committee assigned the management of more than 8,200 hectares of forest to the company in 2008, but it revoked the company's authority to manage 1,800 hectares in late 2013 because of poor forestry management.

At present, the company is monitoring more than 1,700 hectares of forest in the basin of four major streams of Dak Nong, Dak Rung, Dak Rtih and Dak Bukso.

The provincial People's Committee has ordered concerned government agencies to co-operate with the company in setting up forest management stations to prevent residents from further acts of illegal deforestation.

It would be difficult to achieve the target of universalising pre-school education for five-year-old children by the end of next year, agreed educational experts at a conference yesterday.

Tran Thi Tam Dan, former chairwoman of the National Assembly's Committee for Culture, Education, the Youth and Children, said that remote areas had not made any progress towards this goal.

Additionally, many localities faced fund shortages, according to Hoang Duc Tham, deputy director of the Quang Tri Department of Education and Training.

Experts recommended that the State join hands with parents, private enterprises and organisations to invest in pre-school education.

"If school fees are too low, children cannot be taken care of well," Dan said.

Former National Assembly deputy Nguyen Minh Thuyet said that the MOET should build more private kindergartens so that more five-year-olds would attend school.

This was also a good way to create more work for residents, he said.

Deputy chairman of the education sector's trade union Pham Van Thanh suggested localities implement supportive policies for kindergarten teachers. He cited the example of the southern province of Binh Duong, which provided teachers who lacked accommodations with VND700,000 (US$33) to rent homes.

When the State built public houses for teachers, priority should be given to kindergarten teachers, he added.

HCM City cracks down on ad flyers, billboards

Outdoor advertisements written exclusively in a language other than Vietnamese must be taken down by the end of September, HCM City authorities have said.

According to statistics from HCM City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the city has more than 175,000 advertising signs, but more than 8,640 of them are illegal and violate the Advertisement Law.

There are 1,507 advertisements written exclusively in foreign languages.

Under guidance from HCM City's People's Committee, the department has handed down administrative penalties to enterprises that have committed violations, collecting VND2 billion (US$95,200).

Nearly 3,000 illegal advertisements have been removed, Nguyen Van Minh, deputy director of HCM City Department of Cultures, Sports and Tourism, was quoted as saying in Viet Nam Investment Review.

Illegal advertising on the city's 126 roads will also have to be taken down.

Many commercial advertisement panels cover the front area of buildings, which could cause problems in case of a fire.

According to Viet Nam's Advertisement Law, all outdoor advertising must be written in Vietnamese, except brands and trademarks in foreign languages which cannot be translated into Vietnamese.

Le Thanh Ton and Thai Van Lung streets, where there is a large Japanese expatriate community and many foreign tourists, have many signs in other languages.

New proposal tackles rural poverty

Chairman of the National Assembly Council of Ethnic Affairs, Ksor Phuoc, has proposed re-arranging people to eliminate sparsely-inhabited and poverty stricken areas in the North by 2020.

Vuong Dinh Hue, Head of the Party Central Committee's Economic Commission pledged to devise a plan to re-allocate the workforce at the national level, while ensuring the country maintained sustainable development.

This was revealed at a workshop yesterday where Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc called on authorities to provide support for rural migrants, especially those settled in poor areas.

The event was held to address the challenges of increased migration within Viet Nam, particularly from the poverty stricken north-western mountains to the Central Highlands.

Phuc said rural migrants may be able to qualify for new farmland, water and accommodation, as well as improved infrastructure and poverty reduction schemes.

He added that co-ordination between local authorities and agencies would be necessary to help migrants to rapidly developing urban environments stabilise their lives.

He acknowledged that migration was cyclical and inevitable during the industrialisation process.

Phuc said migration helped supplement human resources in localities where they settle, but problems were also significant, including poverty, lack of access to basic services and overloaded infrastructure.

Bui Sy Loi, Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly Committee for Social Affairs, proposed that more investments be made in infrastructure and training in rural areas as well as adjusting policies on labour and income.

Education authority issues new regulations on private tutoring

According to the Department of Education and Training in Ho Chi Minh City’s regulation on private tutoring outside of regular school hours at the teacher’s home, public school teachers are not allowed to run extra classes at their home

Under the new regulation on tutoring outside regular school hours, teachers of public schools can only be taught outside schools in registered centers.

The city’s Department of Education and Training will grant practicing certificates to individuals and organizations that open teaching centers for senior high school students while the Sub-Department will grant certificates to those who provide teaching to junior high school students.

Teachers are not allowed to provide private tutoring outside schools to preschool students; senior and junior high school students who have studied a morning and afternoon classes in schools.

Teachers who provide private tutoring to students following their parents’ demand must report the managers. Teachers must undertake to obey regulations of tutoring outside schools.

A survey revealed that 80 percent of students of all grades pursue private classes outside schools. More than 90 percent of primary students register to take private classes at their teachers’ houses.

School management boards are responsible for checking whether teachers force students to take private classes in their houses.

Educationists said that private tutoring outside schools should be banned in primary schools; however, the government should increase teachers’ wages so that they can feel secured to continue their career.

Night school for Mong adults in Yen Bai Province

Special night classes for adults from the Mong ethnic minority group are being held in Yen Bai Province in order to increase the literacy rate there.

La Pan Tan, a commune in the mountainous district of Mu Cang Chai, was selected as the focal point for the initiative. Attendees of the classes so far have ranged widely in age, and include both men and women.

This is a poor commune where all population are Mong ethnic minority people. Nearly 80% out of total 685 households there are below or just scraping above the poverty line. Illiterate people aged 15 to 60 account for one fifth of the population in the commune.

Huyen, the teacher responsible for the classes, also teaches at La Tan Pan Primary School. Every night she cycles alone across rocky terrain and mountainous paths to teach the class, regardless of weather.

She starts the class at 8:30pm, but often has to wait for students who come late, so sometimes does not start until 9pm. The class usually runs until about midnight.

Ly A Seng, a 40-year-old student, said, “After just a few days attending the class I'm happy to be able to write my name."

Men in La Pan Tan are normally busy earning a living and getting married in their younger years, while the average marrying age for girls is 13 or 14, leaving them with responsibilities that preclude the option of going to school. Many of the adults in the class have never even held a pen.

Hang A Cho, 43, said, “I decided to attend these classes because I feel ashamed in front of my children who can read and write well."

Giang Chu Ly, the communal Party Secretary, said, “We’ve given top priority to illiteracy eradication. We’re aware that this is a long-term process that will require great effort and patience.”

According to Ly, many Mong people quickly forget what they learn in school because Vietnamese is not their first language. When official documents need to be signed, many just press an inked finger on the signature line.

In 2013, five of these classes were organised for a total of 159 people aged between 15 and 50. Those who finish are provided with a certificate.

This year two more classes were added in Trong Tong and Trong Pao Sang villages, attracting 60 students. In order to increase attendance, the maximum age was increased to 60.

“Usually around 20 students show up for each class. Sometimes there are only a few. It takes months to read and write. Those who can read and write would be taught about simple maths as well," said Huyen.

She added that she is very happy to see progress.

Hanoi pilots e-ticket system for buses

Hanoi authorities will issue 200,000 monthly cards for bus passengers free of charge as part of a pilot programme to implement new e-ticket system in October.

On September 16, the local Department of Transport and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) cooperated to implement the pilot programme for bus route No. 06. This is a part of the Project for Improving Public Transportation in Hanoi (Trahud 2). The e-ticket system is expected to improve public transport services, and includes both the bus system and the metro in the future.

Kubo Yoshitomo, a representative of JICA in Vietnam, said about 70% of passengers chose monthly passes. The old system takes up a lot of time and provides the possibility of forged tickets. He said that the e-ticket system will be much more efficient.

All relevant agencies are making efforts to speed up the training of employees and the installation of equipment necessary for the pilot programme, which will start on October 6.

Vu Van Vien, director of Hanoi Department of Transport, said Trahud 2 will be carried out in two phases. The Japanese experts helped in designing the plans to modernise the public transport. "The second phase is to pilot the e-ticking system. This project's success will greatly improve our bus system," he said.

Vien has asked Hanoi Public Transport Management and Operation Center to work with JICA and Hanoi Transport Corporation to deal with any potential problems.

Bird flu could spread by bus

The agricultural ministry has ordered a crackdown on the widespread practice of sending poultry products and live birds by buses in an effort to stop the spread of bird flu.

In recent months, many buses have been found to be carrying live poultry, particularly those travelling on the north-south route.

This made it easy for the bird-flu virus to spread, said Minister Cao Duc Phat at a meeting of the National Steering Committee for Bird Flu Prevention and Control on Tuesday.

He said local authorities should work regularly check bus stations with police and market watch staff.

Authorities in the northern province of Lang Son have reported more than 50 violations of the rule since July. They have seized 143,000 birds used for breeding, more than three tonnes of rejected chicken - and one tonne of pigeon meat.

The A/H5N6 virus has spread to five localities after being detected in central Ha Tinh and northern Lang Son and Lao Cai provinces in mid-August. It was then found in the central provinces of Quang Ngai and Quang Tri.

The steering committee for preventing disease in cattle and poultry in Quang Ngai Province culled 1,000 infected birds on Tuesday.

The birds were traced back to a farm in Tinh An Dong commune, Quang Ngai city. This is the fourth H5N6 bird flu virus case in the province.

The 40-day old flock had been vaccinated, but dozens of them later died and tested positive for the virus.

To prevent the outbreak spreading, authorities destroyed the infected birds and sterilised the poultry farm. They also told residents not to eat infected meat.

They also plan to provide supplementary A/H5N6 bird-flu virus vaccination for unvaccinated birds.

Quang Ngai destroys 1,000 A/H5N6 infected ducks

The central province of Quang Ngai’s Steering Committee for cattle and poultry disease prevention, together with the Veterinary Sub-department, culled 1,000 A/H5N6 infected birds on September 16.

The infected birds were traced back to a poultry farm in Tin An Dong commune, Quang Ngai city. This is the fourth H5N6 bird flu virus case in the province.

The 40-day old flock had been vaccinated, but dozens of them died suspiciously and tested positive for the virus.

In order to prevent an outbreak spread, local authorities promptly destroyed the infected birds and sterilised the poultry farm to contain the virus. Furthermore, they informed residents not to consume infected poultry products.

According to the vice director of the Quang Ngai’s veterinary station, Nguyen Duc Kieu, the station has called upon the 23 localities to conduct supplementary A/H5N6 bird flu virus vaccination on their unvaccinated birds.

To date, local authorities have implemented a number of measures to prevent the outbreak of the virus and prevent poultry-to human transmission.

Dong Nai Bridge project falls behind schedule

The new Dong Nai Bridge project whose completion time had been rescheduled to August could not be accomplished on time, and the contractor has now proposed an extension to November.

The Dong Nai Bridge Investment and Construction Joint-stock Company reported that 30 households located in the road section between Vung Tau Intersection and the old Dong Nai Bridge have declined to move, citing low compensation rates. In addition, eight other houses from the foot of the flyover to Vung Tau Intersection have not been dismantled.

Although the construction of toll booths for Dong Nai Bridge has been finished, the investor cannot start collecting toll fees because two approach roads have not been completed yet.

Under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract with the Ministry of Transport, the project to build the new Dong Nai Bridge in parallel with the existing one should have been fully completed by June 30.

However, the investor had proposed extending the deadline to August, but the new schedule has been missed again this time due to slow site clearance.

The investor has now given an assurance that work on the remaining works could be sped up to finish the project in November if land has been cleared by October.

Work on the project to build a new Dong Nai bridge and two approach roads invested by Construction Corporation No. 1 (CC1) started in June 2008 with total capital of VND1,877 billion. The main bridge was completed in 2009, and a steel overpass at Vung Tau Intersection was opened to traffic in mid-January this year, but other components are still under construction.

Traffic congestion usually occurs in the Dong Nai Bridge area due to the two narrow approach roads.

Since the HCMC-Long Thanh Expressway was opened to traffic in early 2014, traffic to Ba Ria-Vung Tau has shifted there, reducing traffic jams in the Dong Nai bridge area.

However, minor congestion may happen on holidays or weekends when vehicles from the North, Central and Central Highlands regions flock to HCMC.

Suspension of works affecting drainage systems proposed

The steering center for flood control program of HCMC has proposed the city government suspend works that obstruct drainage systems as many parts of the city can be heavily flooded after heavy rain.

Three hours of torrential rain a week ago flooded 29 streets in the city. Besides, there were 15 streets in districts 2, 6, 12, Binh Thanh and Go Vap facing severe flooding and 14 others slightly submerged.

The center said four streets in District 6 including An Duong Vuong, Tan Hoa, Phan Anh and Road No. 26 had become flood-prone as the contractor of a Tan Hoa-Lo Gom canal rehabilitation program blocked water drainage but failed to make an alternative way for discharging rainwater.

In addition, the steering center proposed the HCMC government take punitive measures against individuals and organizations encroaching on 44 irrigation canals and ditches.

The city has 88 sewer systems, 82 sewer grates and 62 discharge sewers that are being obstructed.  

It has only 3,200 kilometers of sewer and needs 6,000 kilometers more to deal with flooding caused by rain and flood tides.

Based on a master plan for drainage systems in HCMC already approved by the Government, the city can only ensure rainfalls of up to 95.91mm. However, rainfall reached 103.6 mm in Go Vap District and 122.3mm in Binh Thanh District during the recent rain.

According to Ho Long Phi, director of the HCMC Center for Water Management and Climate Change, the city needs US$9 billion to build its drainage systems but it just has nearly US$2 billion for flood control projects.

Contractor’s irresponsibility causes congestion in city’s gateway

Traffic congestion has gone from bad to worse in recent days at the western gateway of the city due to the dereliction of duty on the part of a contractor who did not build a temporary bridge after closing two bridges for upgrade, an official said.

The HCMC Department of Transport in a report just sent to the municipal government said both the project owner and the contractor had failed to reroute traffic flows and built a temporary bridge as ordered, causing traffic jams on District 6’s Hong Bang Street.

The HCMC Urban Upgrading Investment - Investment Management Unit as the project owner and the contractor had been told to take prompt preparations to ensure good traffic circulation before closing Ong Buong 1 and Ong Buong 2 bridges to traffic.

Therefore, the transport department proposed that the city’s government ask the project owner to speed up construction pace so as to reduce the traffic jams in the area.

Ong Buong Bridge over Tan Hoa-Lo Gom Canal on Hong Bang Street was dismantled last Saturday so as to construct a new one. Thus, the department prohibited vehicles from traveling to the area and set up an alternative route via Tan Hoa and Dang Nguyen Can streets to replace the banned section on Hong Bang Street.

However, serious congestion still occurs due to a construction work of Tan Hoa-Lo Gom project. In addition, the fact that local people have not updated information related to the ban on the streets leads to the worsening congestion in the area.

Cat Lai ferry services resume

The management of Cat Lai Ferry Station resumed services on September 17 morning after the successful fixing of a movable approach span which was deflected by strong winds on Tuesday afternoon.

Nguyen Thanh Tuan, director of Cat Lai Ferry, told the Daily that motorbikes and cars have been allowed on Cat Lai ferries and people have been able to commute between HCMC and Dong Nai Province as usual since 1 a.m. on September 17.      

Heavy rain and strong winds derailed the movable span at Cat Lai Ferry Station on Tuesday afternoon, forcing the management of the ferry station to call off all services for hours to ensure safety for passengers.

The temporary shutdown of the ferry station during rush hours prevented thousands of people from going home via the ferry. There were thousands of people and vehicles stranded on both ends of the station in HCMC’s District 2 and Dong Nai Province’s Nhon Trach District as observed by the Daily.

Those people who were able to walk to the ferry station were allowed on the ferry from 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. However, car drivers were guided to take other routes, including HCMC-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway to escape the crowds.

Cat Lai ferries help shorten the travel distance from HCMC to Dong Nai and Vung Tau provinces by nearly 20 kilometers compared to the route comprising of national highways 1A and 51.

In March last year, the HCMC government approved in principle a plan by the Department of Transport to expand the ferry station to enable it to handle vehicles of 30 tons and ferries of 60-200 tons.

Health ministry orders recall of Taiwanese tainted products

The Vietnam Food Administration (VFA) under the Ministry of Health on Monday asked the HCMC-based company Cuu Huong to recall its products imported from Taiwan, which is suspected of containing recycled waste oil.

Cuu Huong Trading and Service Co., Ltd. was immediately forced to stop distribution of two products after the administration got the information about the incident from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Hanoi, said VFA.

The suspected products included canned picked cucumber with pork of 170 grams a can and canned minced meat with chili measuring 150 grams a can.

The company had imported 240 boxes of each product, which has three-year shelf life from May this year.

According to a report of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, the tainted products were shipped via Taiwan-based Wei-Chuan Food Corporation, a company that was accused of using recycled waste to produce canned food.

VFA also proposed that the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office and Taiwan’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continue to check and provide necessary information related to the food scare.

Earlier, local and international media reported that Taiwanese products containing tainted cooking oil have been exported to 12 countries and regions around the world, including Vietnam, the United States, France, Australia and China.

Draft amendments to housing law remain controversial

National Assembly (NA) deputies, administering agencies and businesses were still at odds over draft amendments to the Housing Law at a seminar in HCMC on September 16 though the draft is due to be submitted to the legislative body by the end of this year.

Many delegates expressed objections to article 156 in the draft law which stipulates only foreigners who live, work and study in Vietnam are eligible to buy homes in the country.

Le Hoang Chau, chairman of the HCMC Real Estate Association (HoREA), said the regulation would limit and even invalidate the Government’s policy to loosen foreign home ownership rules in the country.

If the draft amendments with such an article are passed, only foreigners obtaining Vietnam visas from six to 12 months would be allowed to purchase homes.

In fact, many foreign experts and businesspeople who really need homes in Vietnam usually stay in the country from just several days to a couple of weeks as they have to work in many other countries, Chau said.

Therefore, Chau suggested that foreigners should be permitted to buy houses upon arrival in the country.

Nguyen Tan Hao from the HCMC People’s Prosecution Bureau said in support of the proposal, saying that this is in line with current laws and would help attract foreign currency inflows to Vietnam.

Delegates were also concerned that the rule on land funds for low-cost house development remained unclear. The draft law requires investors to set aside part of the land allocated to their housing projects to build budget condos but fails to clarify a specific ratio.

Chau of HoREA said the Government earlier asked investors to reserve 20% of the land fund for budget homes but the draft law does not mention a specific ratio.

Phan Truong Son, head of the house and real estate market development unit of the HCMC Department of Construction, said resettlement house development should not be included in the draft law.

Resettlement houses should not be regarded as a special kind of home. Houses serving the resettlement purpose could be budget and commercial houses or houses for public services.

Meanwhile, Vu Ngoc Nam from the HCMC Department of Justice said the Government should have a separate section for resettlement house development in the draft law to protect legitimate interests of residents.

Delegates at the seminar also spend much time debating house ownership transfer time. Some said it should be when sellers and buyers finish transactions while others argued that the time should be when transactions are registered at relevant agencies.

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