Foreigners enjoy warm Christmas in Vietnam

Foreign tourists who are in Vietnam on Christmas and New Year holidays are enjoying a warm and jubilant festive atmosphere as they have been offered numerous preferential programmes.

On these days, resorts and services facilities at Mui Ne beach in central Binh Thuan have organised a lot of attractive activities, including Asian-European cuisine buffets, bartender performances, cake making competition, and dancing contests.

Mui Ne Bay resort discounted 10 percent of its services and held a Christmas Eve party with various activities like a “village market” serving seafood dishes, Cham cultural performances, and a music programme which drew a Philippine band.

Meanwhile, The Cliff Resort and Residences is offering a 45 percent discount of room prices on December 23-26.

Visitors to the resort can also learn how to make Vietnamese traditional dishes or buy Christmas souvenirs made from waste materials. All of the money collected will be used to buy gifts for poor children.

Kamilla Zhangulova from Kazakhstan said that this year, her family welcomes Christmas and New Year holidays in Binh Thuan. She stated that she feels satisfied like welcoming Noel at home.

Since the beginning of December, Binh Thuan welcomed around 30,000 foreign visitors.

Streets in coastal Quy Nhon city of central Binh Dinh province are decorated with colourful lights.

Main churches in the locality are opening doors to Christians and tourists.

Japanese pearl farmer to raise pearl in Phu Quoc

Tomokazu Tanabe, a 57-year-old pearl farmer from Shima said he plans to revitalize the pearl farming industry by expanding his business overseas through the introduction of pearl farming to Vietnam.

He said Ago Bay in Shima, Mie Prefecture, is a leading place in Japan where pearls can be cultured. However, the number of pearl farmers has declined in recent years due to an aging workforce.

Tanabe is the third-generation owner of Tanabe Pearl Farm Co. Ltd., located in Daiocho. He has been working to improve farming technology ever since he inherited the family business at the age of 21.

Talks to expand his business to Vietnam began in earnest this summer, when he was approached by the Ministry of Planning and Investment of Vietnam via the international division of Tsu-based Hyakugo Bank.

They informed him that “investors are looking for Japanese pearl farmers” to work in Phu Quoc, a Vietnamese island off the coast of Cambodia in the Gulf of Thailand, an area that supports the cultivation of pearls.

According to the Japan External Trade Organization, there is an increase in demand for pearls among Vietnamese consumers thanks to the country’s recent economic growth. Pearl farming is not well-established in Vietnam, however, with most cheap pearls on the market coming instead from China. Japanese farmers are particularly rare.

Hyakugo Bank approached Tanabe, who was their client, asking him to inspect Phu Quoc for its potential. Tanabe discovered on his visit a river running to the sea that contained the minerals essential to the growth of cultured pearls. It was mostly untouched. “This location is perfect for farming pearls,” Tanabe said. As he walked around the island, the idea of expansion began to take root in his mind.

Tanabe plans to begin operating in Vietnam in 2016 — a decision largely influenced by the situation in his home country. Tanabe plans to bring young Vietnamese farmers to Japan so he can train them. After working in his farm in Japan, they will be sent back to Vietnam to help run the farm there.

JICA support modernises agri-sector

The Japan International Co-operation Agency is expanding its support for Vietnam to develop the country’s hi-tech agro-fishery sector through more Japanese agricultural investment projects.

The agency (JICA) will spend US$103 million developing agricultural, fishery, and environmental studies at Can Tho University. These projects will be implemented during 2016-2020 by Japanese universities and enterprises, as well as by Can Tho University and Vietnamese enterprises. The projects will include the construction of greenhouses, laboratories, and aquaculture developments.

JICA will also spend US$10 million helping Vietnam manage sustainable natural resources from now to 2020.

“Japan will continue its support for Vietnam to develop the hi-tech agriculture and fishery sectors through the participation of a growing number of Japanese firms,” JICA Vietnam Office chief representative Mutsuya Mori told VIR.

For instance, Kato Group is co-operating with the south-central province of Binh Dinh in a US$771,000 tuna-fishing project, from now to June 2020. Meanwhile, over the same period, Shudensha Company is implementing an US$820,000 project to improve water quality in the fishery sector.

In other cases, OTA Kaki Company has been co-operating with the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong in a project to develop a high-quality flower market with an effective distribution system. This project will last until 2016. Nikko Foods Company has also been deploying an US$820,000 project in Lam Dong to develop high-quality tomatoes.

Yasuo Matsuyama, general director of Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ in Vietnam, noted that a kilogramme of tomatoes produced by Vietnamese farmers was priced at VND8,000-10,000 (US$0.38-0.47) at the local market, and VND15,000-25,000 (US$0.7-1.17) at supermarkets. Still, the price was VND40,000 (US$1.9) for a kilogramme of Japanese-branded tomatoes made in Vietnam. When this product was exported to Japan, the wholesale price is US$3.04 for a kilogramme.

“The number of Japanese firms aiming to implement agro-fishery projects in Vietnam has been increasing rapidly, with many conducting market surveys to ascertain the full potential,” Mori said.

“Vietnam’s agriculture has huge potential. For instance, under our surveys in Lam Dong, if local farmers replace coffee trees with flowers, their income will increase nine-fold,” he said.

In the near future, JICA will apply a hi-tech agricultural development model in the northern province of Ha Nam. Currently, JICA is collecting information about IT applications in agricultural development throughout the province, including in cultivation, harvesting, processing, and marketing. This project is being conducted under the instruction of Japan’s AEON.

JICA is also supporting Lam Dong and the central province of Nghe An in projects to develop the high-quality agricultural product value chain. At the recent Vietnam-Japan Economic Forum in Hanoi, Kawada Atsusuke, chief representative of the Japan External Trade Organisation in Vietnam, said the organisation would take the leaders of 20 Japanese enterprises to Vietnam this month to seek agricultural investment opportunities here.

In 2014, 37 Japanese enterprises were licensed for agricultural investment projects in Vietnam. However, this number was expected to reach 95 this year, Atsusuke estimated.

Illegal sand mining returns to Tien River

After a period of calm, the illegal sand mining in Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta's Tien Giang province has been running rampant in recent days.

Residents in My Tho City's Thoi Son Islet feared that the reason for the increasing landslides along the Tien River are due to sand mining activities near the shore.

Despite being banned by local authorities, illegal sand mining groups from this province and Ben Tre province are still operating here.

Nguyen Van Tang, a resident of Thoi Son Commune's Thoi Thuan Village in My Tho City, who lives near the Tien River, said a number of large, unknown barges often come there at night and dig up sand near the shore.

He expressed concern over the effect of the activities on the dyke which needed to be repaired each year.

He also suggested to local authorities that they initiate measures to prohibit sand mining and strictly deal with violations.

Illegal sand mining also occurred in other areas along the river such as the coastal dunes in Cai Lay District's Tan Phong-Ngu Hiep, Cai Be District's Tron islet, and an area near My Thuan Bridge.

To cope with the situation, the provincial authorities have asked inspectors from the Natural Resources and Environment Department to co-ordinate with the waterway traffic police and environmental police to step up patrolling and tackle such violations.

Concerned agencies have so far this year organised about 100 unscheduled inspections and detected 56 cases of illegal sand mining.

Tran Thanh Duc, deputy chairman of Tien Giang Province's People Committee, said the illegal exploitation was causing headaches for local authorities and it was becoming extremely difficult to stop.

He said the province would set up task forces to deal with violations and would work with neighbouring provinces like Ben Tre and Vinh Long in coping with illegal sand mining.

Tien Giang Province has 33 sand mines with 1,600ha and a reserve of over 37 million cu.m.

Hanoi to restore city's depleted, polluted rivers

The To Lich, Day, and other such polluted rivers in the city need to be restored in the next fifteen years, according to the People's Committee of Ha Noi.

According to Plan No 221/KH-UBND, these rivers have been seriously depleted and polluted over a prolonged period.

Vice Chairman of the People's Committee Vu Hong Khanh asked all grassroots level groups and relevant departments to propose projects to improve the quality of water and rehabilitation of those rivers.

The People's Committee of the city also asked district-level environment departments and people's committees to prepare plans to renovate and restore underground water reserves, research to build mapping of underground water contamination, restricted areas, and ban the exploitation of underground water sources in the whole city.

To perform these tasks, the People's Committee has allowed renovation projects of lakes to be socialised, which means the private sector is welcome to research and invest if their projects are approved. The committee has encouraged the construction of retention basins - artificial lakes with vegetation around the perimeter to improve water quality in adjacent rivers and lakes – along with parks to reduce pollution in the Nhue and Day rivers.

In addition, the committee also requires all levels and departments to continue to increase co-operation with developing countries in order to receive and transfer new technologies which will help in preventing and controlling waste and pollution, preserving nature and adaptation to climate change, in addition to training of high quality human resources.

According to the national strategy of environmental protection in Ha Noi until 2020 with vision 2030, the funding to carry out the tasks of environmental protection will be raised from the capital budget state, ODA, loans from credit institutions, and local individuals or foreigners.

VNA, KPL sign 2016-2020 cooperation agreement

The Vietnam News Agency (VNA) and the Lao News Agency (KPL) will continue working closely together to improve the effectiveness of their exchange of information in all forms and personnel training between 2016 and 2020.

The consensus was reached by VNA General Director Nguyen Duc Loi and his KPL counterpart Sounthone Khanthavong during their talks in Vientiane on December 23.

The two sides expressed satisfaction at their cooperation during the past five years, meeting the goals set in their agreement, particularly those on diversifying the forms of exchanged information, the VNA’s help in technical equipment and professional training for the KPL, and the KPL’s assistance in bringing the VNA’s television channel to Lao audience through Lao’s cable TV network.

The two news agencies also worked together to publish a book on the history of their close ties over the years.

Speaking at the talks, the VNA General Director called for better coordination between the VNA’s correspondents based in Laos and the KPL, particularly as Laos will assume the role of ASEAN Chair next year.

KPL General Director Sounthone Khanthavong thanked the VNA for its support over the past time, particularly in publishing the Lao Pictorial in 2012-2013, producing and airing news programmes, upgrading technical infrastructure and the capacity of producing multimedia news.

He said the addition of links to VNA’s news websites, including http://vnanet.vn/webdichvu/, http://vietnamplus.vn/ , and http://vietnam.vnanet.vn/lao, onto KPL’s website kpl.net.la and the broadcast of the VNA’s Vnews channel on Lao cable television network have spread VNA’s news to a larger base of Lao audiences.

Host and guest agreed to continue assisting each other in improving the quality of their information in all forms, sharing experience in training, exchanging reporters and visits and broadening coverage of the two countries’ special ties and each other’s country, people and customs, as well as the latest political and socio-economic developments in the region and the world.

The VNA and KPL leaders committed to closer collaboration at regional and global forums to which they are members, and mutual assistance in terms of technical infrastructure and transfer.

They also discussed specific ways to increase professional cooperation as the two countries are to hold major events next year, including the 12 th National Party Congress in Vietnam, the 10 th National Party Congress in Laos, among others.

On the occasion, the VNA presented several pieces of technical equipment to the KPL to help with the production of audio and video programmes.

Concluding the talks, the two leaders signed a professional cooperation agreement for 2016-2020.

VNA General Director Nguyen Duc Loi is in Laos for a working visit at the invitation of his KPL counterpart from December 23-26.

Migrant workers need equitable access to social protection

A workshop was held in Ho Chi Minh City on December 23 on migrant workers’ access to social welfare services

The workshop heard the outcomes of a study on “Legal and Practice Barriers for Migrant Workers in their Access to Social Protection”, which was conducted by the Oxfam Vietnam and the Southern Institute of Social Sciences in conjunction with some non-governmental organisations in the Vietnam Action Network for the Rights of Migrant Workers (M.net) in Hanoi, Bac Ninh, HCM City and Dong Nai from the end of 2014.

According to Nguyen Thu Huong, a representative from the Oxfarm organisation, Vietnam has seen remarkable progress in social protection for migrant workers by expanding the coverage of social welfare network as suggested by the International Labour Organisation.

Between 2011 and 2015, the country has promulgated, adjusted, and supplemented laws and legal documents in the field along the direction of including migrant workers in general and migrant workers in the informal sector in particular among beneficiaries of social security policies.

However, in reality, it is still difficult for migrant workers – who are considered vulnerable groups in urban areas, to gain access to social welfare services, Huong said.

She quoted the study’s outcomes that showed 99 percent of migrant workers in the informal sector are not covered by any kind of social insurance, while more than 21 percent of children aged between 6 and 14 years living with their migrant parents in the city do not attend school.

Meanwhile, 77 percent of respondents said they do not join any community activities in the place where they live and most of them have to live in poor-quality rented rooms and pay twice or three times for the price of electricity and water compared to the locals.

Le Thanh Sang, Director of the Southern Institute of Social Sciences, said surveys in sectors having a large number of migrant workers such as garment, electronics, construction and vendors showed the rate of unemployment among migrants was five times the overall rate.

He said up to 52 percent of migrants in the informal sector have unstable employment and their incomes cannot meet essential living costs. At the same time, migrant workers have to pay more for accommodation, electricity and water services compared to locals.

The study noted problems connected to the allocation of State budget on the basis of the population of registered residents, as are many regulations on social welfare access, which prioritises “registered residents” over migrants.

Given the fact, experts suggested reviewing and removing regulations which hinders the access of migrant workers to social protection.

The State should expand the voluntary social insurance for workers in the informal sector and revise policies such as the minimum wage and voluntary insurance support to enable migrant workers to use social welfare services.

More communication campaigns are also needed to help labourers understand better about their legitimate rights and interests.

HCM City announces additional 38 safe food outlets

An additional of 38 outlets to the Ho Chi Minh City’s safe food chain were announced by the city’s Department of Industry and Trade on December 23.

So far, nine enterprises have participated in the safe food chain with 384 selling outlets in trade centers, supermarkets and traditional markets across the city.

Nguyen Ngoc Hoa, Deputy Director of the department said the city has proactively carried out the safe food outlet chain project and piloted safe food market model.

The department has coordinated with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Health Department to issue food safety certificates meeting VietGAP, GlobalGAP and HACCP standards to local businesses.

Among the newly announced 38 outlets, Vinamilk opened 29 outlets selling dairy products; Queen Land Service, Trade, Investment Limited Company and Pham Ton Ltd Company ran 8 outlets selling vegetable and poultry products with VietGap (Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practices) standards and Thanh Thien Loc Joint Stock Company sold Phu Quoc fish sauce meeting HACCP standard at one outlet.-VNA

Da Nang looks to become competitive city

Da Nang is striving to become a sustainable urban area which has international competitiveness and holds its own identity in comparison with Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, as heard the fourth forum on Da Nang development on December 23.

The target is a part of a trilateral cooperation programme between the city, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Japan’s Yokohama city.

Under the programme, Da Nang will become a driving force for the growth of the key central economic region, and its population will expand from the current one million to 2-3 million.

To that end, JICA researchers suggested Da Nang strengthen regional connectivity, with a focus on increasing international linkages by air, road and sea.

The city should build an attractive investment environment to boost its advantageous economic sectors alongside new ones such as biological business and industry, technology and smart urban industry.

They asked the central city to expand its urban areas to meet the needs of an increasing population and growing economic activities while making more efforts to ensure the living environment, particularly for low-income groups and tourists.

Director of the municipal Department of Planning and Investment Tran Van Son said that a plan of action was approved by the three parties at the previous forums. Accordingly, Da Nang has built strategies to become a green city and develop new industries, while bettering its budget mechanisms, improving its infrastructure and human resources, and strengthening the management of land use.

The plan also focused on improving the environment, developing the port system, including Lien Chieu and Tien Sa ports, and upgrading the public transport system.

At the forum, Da Nang asked for financial and technical assistance from JICA to implement several projects within the framework of the action plan.

NGOs provide Vietnam with 283 mln USD in 2015

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) provided Vietnam with a total 283 million USD in aid in 2015, it was announced at a conference in Hanoi on December 23 to sum up NGOs work and lay out tasks for next year.

The amount of aid was less than the 304 million USD recorded last year as NGOs shifted their priority to humanitarian hotspots worldwide, reports at the conference said.

However, the number of NGOs operating in Vietnam is increasing.

Vice President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) and deputy head of the Committee on NGOs Don Tuan Phong told the participants that NGOs are switching their assistance to the fields of environment, climate change, capacity building and policy lobby, beyond infrastructure and equipment supply.

Reviewing this year’s activities, the committee has worked closely with ministries and agencies to raise domestic and foreign financial assistance via conferences and seminars, built guidebooks on administrative procedures in five languages, and offered personnel training at both grassroots and central levels.

About tasks for 2016, it will continue providing administrative, technical and legal support to foreign NGOs, boosting ties with embassies, development cooperation agencies, the United Nations and international organisations, improving policy consultation, research and personnel training.

Concluding the conference, Deputy Foreign Minister Ho Xuan Son, who is also head of the NGO committee, called for effectively utilising aid and seeking new capital from businesses and foreign funds in Vietnam.

Binh Dinh: Child abuse on rise, police vows greater effort

Child abuse in central Binh Dinh province rose by 51.7 percent to 132 cases over the past five years compared to the 2006-2010 period, according to provincial police.

Director of Binh Dinh Provincial Police Phan Van Thanh said 65.2 percent of the victims were girls.

Approximately 200 offenders have been arrested, the police noted.

Rapid economic development and urbanisation has increased the migration of people from rural areas to cities which has resulted in increased unemployment, family break-ups, parental negligence and shortage of playgrounds for children.

As direct consequences, there are increasing numbers of school dropouts, child labourers and street children who are at high risk of being subjected to maltreatment.

The provincial police said they will work closely with their counterparts at communal and district levels to intensify activities against child abuse and raise public awareness and legal knowledge about the issue.

Perpetrators of child abuse will be strictly punished, they stressed.

Work begins on clean water plant in Binh Phuoc

The Binh Duong Water Supply Sewerage and Environment Co ., Ltd held a ceremony to kick off construction of a plant supplying clean water for the Becamex – Binh Phuoc Industrial and Urban Complex and adjacent zones in the southern province of Binh Phuoc

The project, with a daily capacity of 30,000 cu.m, has a total investment of nearly 420 billion VND (over 18.6 million USD). It is scheduled to be completed within 12 months.

Once operational, it will bring clean water to about 50,000 households and over 1,000 ha in the complex, helping address clean water shortage and improve local living conditions.

The plant’s capacity will be increased to 100,000 cu.m per day in the future.

Programmes for older residents need expanding

As a member of The Elderly Helping the Elderly Club in District 10's Ward 10 in HCM City, Ngo Thi Nam visits people of her own age group each month, inquiring about their family and health.

Each city ward and commune has such clubs, all of which are staffed by volunteers.

Nam, who is 66, provides counselling on nutrition and disease prevention, and encourages people to do physical exercise.

When visiting, she observes whether neighbours have help from their children or relatives, and if not, she arranges social welfare from the ward.

For people aged 80 and above who may be seriously ill, Nam and a doctor of the ward's healthcare centre visit their homes.

In Nam's neighbourhood, there are five people aged 80 and above; two people between the ages of 75 and 79; and 21 people aged 55 and above.

In District 10's Ward 10, many free screening programmes for chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and osteoporosis are provided to people aged 55 and above. Free medicine is also given to people taking part in the programme.

"These programmes help detect disease so that treatment can be given in a timely fashion," Nam said.

She and other club members also raise funds to provide free meals and gifts to older residents every three weeks.

Bui Thi Hong Mao, 67, of District 3's Ward 9, who is a member of the ward's club, said: "Many elderly often feel isolated and have mental stress. They need to talk and have someone listen to them."

Mao said club members visit to chat and to arrange assistance from the ward's healthcare centre, and also help them obtain social welfare payments as well as necessary items to live.

6% of population

According to the city's Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, HCM City had about 500,000 people aged 60 and above in 2013, accounting for 6.26 per cent of the population.

Associations of the elderly in the city's districts, wards and communes have raised funds totalling VND34 billion (US$1.5 million) for monthly allowances to the elderly, visits to neighbours who are ill, and construction or repair of houses.

In addition, as many as 73,556 people aged 80 and above without retirement salaries and 1,888 of the disadvantaged elderly aged 60-79 receive health insurance cards and social welfare, including monthly allowances worth VND380,000 ($17).

Of the city's elderly, 61,013 are 70 to 101 years old, including 208 people who are 100 years old and 371 people 101 years old.

The elderly associations and the Elderly Helping the Elderly clubs also regularly orgainse parties to celebrate the longevity of the very old.

The city has six public social welfare centres that take care of 1,060 older patients and 13 private centres that care for 546. Most of them do not have relatives or children to take care of them.

Under the Law on the Elderly, the city also exempts bus fees for people aged 80 and above.

New city regulations

In HCM City, there are only nine hospitals with geriatric wards, including Nguyen Trai, Nguyen Tri Phuong and Gia Dinh, while 51 hospitals have only examination rooms for older patients.

Vo Hoang Thu, deputy head of the administrative board of the Elderly Association in Binh Chanh District, said the city did not have enough geriatric hospital wards.

In Binh Chanh District, for example, there is no hospital geriatric ward, Thu said, adding that people aged 60-79 are often examined and receive medicine or treatment with patients of other ages, without any priority for older people.

"For some people of that age, an hour of waiting can make them feel tired," he said.

Under national law, priority at healthcare centres and hospitals is only given for elderly aged 80 and above.

Tran Thi Xuan Ha of the city's Department of Health said that many hospitals did not have the space to build geriatric wards.

Pham Quang Menh, chairman of the Elderly Association in Binh Thanh District's Ward 6, said: "The elderly do not want to travel far for health exams and treatment. Our ward's healthcare centre is often their only choice, but there is no doctor for examination and treatment."

Menh said the city should add doctors to ward healthcare centres or hire more doctors at centres that already have them.

Nguyen Quoc Cuong, deputy chairman of the Elderly Association in District 5's Ward 10, suggested that healthcare centres use IT in health management.

He said that social welfare policies should also lower the age of eligible recipients from the current 80 to 75 years old.

The average age of the older population (defined as 60 and above) in the country is 73. More than 70 per cent of the older population live in rural areas with financial difficulties, and need better access to social welfare policies.

Many of them die without ever having received any benefit from such policies, Cuong said.

Nguyen Duc Nhung, deputy head of administrative board of the city Elderly Association, said that bus ticket exemptions for people aged 80 and above should also be reduced to age 60. The number of people aged 60 to 79 travelling by bus is high, he said.

Manh Thanh Hai of the city's Department of Transport said the department had submitted a plan to lower the age to 75 for bus transport to the city's People's Committee. It is expected to take effect next year, according to Hai.

Nguyen Van Tan, deputy head of the General Office For Population Family Planning, said: "Talking about care of the elderly is easy, but it is actually difficult to do. This is an important matter with several problems. Material and physical care is only one of the many issues that need attention."

Students in Laos vow to cement bilateral special relationship

Vietnamese students in Laos will continue strengthening the special ties and overall cooperation between the two countries and people.

This was among the tasks for 2015-2016 of the students’ association in Laos that were announced at a ceremony held in the Lao capital of Vientiane on December 20.

According to a report delivered at the event, 210 Vietnamese students are pursuing different courses at the National University of Laos.

Apart from studying, they have actively been participating in social activities, organised by the local university, the Vietnamese Embassy and the Vietnamese community.

For the 2015-2016 academic year, the students have set that 40 percent of them will achieve excellent and good academic records.

They were determined to work to preserve the special relations with local students, teachers and people as well as foreign peers at the university.

On the occasion, a Vietnamese Embassy representative presented a certificate of merit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Hoang Quy Nham whose entry on the Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam entered the final round of the competition on the same theme.

Canada helps Vietnamese farmers access agricultural financing

Canada will support a development project that will contribute to sustainable economic growth and improve the lives of the poorest and most vulnerable people in Vietnam .

The announcement was recently made by Marie-Claude Bibeau, Canadian Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, reported Sai Gon Giai phong (Liberated Saigon) newspaper.

Accordingly, the Canadian Government will contribute 18.1 million USD over 2016-2021 to a project strengthening the People’s Credit Fund (PCF) Network under the Développement International Desjardins organisation.

The project will provide training and expertise to the financial cooperatives sector with the aim to expand financial products and services that help clients strengthen their productivity and incomes.

Canada pledged to support poverty reduction and sustainable economic growth in Vietnam through improving banking system and increasing access to agricultural financing.

The country also reaffirmed to help Vietnam fight the effects of climate change, especially those on the poorest and most vulnerable people.

Coastal fishermen presented with communication devices

As many as 747 ICOM radio devices have been offered to fishermen from 24 coastal localities nationwide at a ceremony held in the southern central province of Binh Thuan on December 21 under the programme “East Sea connectivity”.

Initiated by the Ministry of Information and Communications, the Vietnam Red Cross (VRC), Radio The Voice of Vietnam and the Vietnam Television, the programme calls for domestic and foreign aid to equip nationwide fishermen with telecommunications devices.

It has raised over 9.5 billion VND (418,000 USD) and 50 sets of ICOM and SeaGateway devices so far.

VRC Vice Chairman Doan Van Thai said the charitable activity is to support fisherman in keeping close watch on the weather, enabling them to contact the mainland as needed during offshore fishing operations, thus ensuring their safety.

Previously, the programme gave 25 SeaGateway and 25 ICOM devices worth 762 million VND (33,500 USD) to fishermen in the provinces of Quang Ninh and Quang Nam and Da Nang city.

Automobile inspection procedures set for revamp

Registered automobiles that have received appointment letters from police offices will qualify for inspection, starting from January 1, 2016, the Vietnam Register said.

Automobile inspection procedures will be simplified from the beginning of next year.

Specifically, only registered automobiles that have received appointment letters from police offices will be inspected.

The appointment letters are not required to have the seal of the registration offices.

The first inspection of the vehicles will not require their owners to present the import quality certification.

Instead, the inspection offices will get that information from the online import – export portals of the government and the department of transportation.

This change in regulation will reduce the number of input documents required and prevent situations where some offices dealing with imported goods deliberately alter the quality certifications in order to gain benefits from the customers.

Nguyen Huu Tri, deputy director of the Vietnam Register, said the automobile inspections would implement more recommendations of the International Motor Vehicle Inspection Committee.

These recommendations will help increase the quality of the inspections, evaluate the vehicles properly and reduce the waiting time for the customers.  

The vehicle owners should register for inspections via 1080, or should directly call the automobile inspection offices to make appointments to avoid waiting on the day of the inspection, the register said.

The inspection offices will give priority to vehicles that have been registered for inspection in advance.

The register also advised vehicle owners to get vehicle maintenance done at credited maintenance factories and to use genuine accessories in order to reduce waiting time and fees at the time of inspection.

Circular makes fire extinguishers in cars mandatory

Vehicles with four to nine seats will have to carry fire extinguishers from January 6, 2016, Circular 57 of the police ministry said.

Vehicles with more than four seats, which are found not carrying extinguishers, will be fined VND300,000 to VND500,000 (US$13-$22).

Traffic police, fire prevention and fighting police and chairman of communal people's committee will have the authority to fine vehicles with more than four seats that fail to carry fire extinguishers.

Drivers should also have their car fire extinguishers checked and maintained every six months, Colonel Nguyen Quang Nhat said.

There were more than 950,000 vehicles with four to nine seats nationwide as of May 2015. Vehicles with more than 10 seats have to carry fire extinguishers.

Vietnamese, Lao Buddhist sanghas look to enhance links

The Buddhist sanghas of Vietnam and Laos should further promote their cooperation in the coming time, thus deepening the relations between the two countries, said Most Venerable Ngon Damlongboun, new President of the Lao Buddhist Fellowship Organisation (LBFO).

The LBFO President made the suggestion during a December 21 working session with representatives from the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) Central Committee who are in Laos to attend a cremation ceremony for the late LBFO President, Most Venerable Phramaha Phong Samaleuk, who passed away on October 7.

The host thanked the Vietnamese guests for their sympathy for the LBFO and Lao Buddhist followers, affirming that this shows a special relationship between the two countries in general and its Buddhist organisations in particular.

Most Venerable Thich Thien Nhon, the VBS’s Executive Council President, said the two nations’ Buddhist sanghas have always cooperated with and supported each other in many fields in recent years. He added that they will work closely to spur their links in the future, contributing to tightening the bilateral ties.

On the occasion, Most Venerable Nhon presented 100,000 USD as a gift from the VBS to the LBFO to build schools.

Vietnam faces population and reproductive health obstacles

Arising hurdles in birth rate and maternity and children death are hindering Vietnam from fulfilling the national goals of its population and reproductive health strategy as well as the UN millennium development goals, stated Health Deputy Minister Nguyen Viet Tien.

He stressed the birth rate gap among different localities. Lower fertility has been recorded in the southeast and Mekong Delta regions, while the opposite trend still prevails in northern mountainous areas, the northern central region, central coastal localities and the Central Highlands region.

Maternity and children death have also varied greatly from mountainous locations to deltas. Maternity death in mountainous areas was triple that of deltas, and within the highlands area, the highest rate of maternity death could be ten times higher than the lowest rate.

Newborns accounted for 70 percent of the mortality among under one-year old.

Meanwhile, the proportion of reproductive infection remains high. A shortage of public funding for the caring of senior citizens amid the current period of aging population also adds to the problem.

The lack of paediatric and obstetric staff, particularly at the district level, has been a pressing issue.

According to Luu Thi Hong, Deputy Head of the Department of Maternal and Child Health, inadequate counselling related to reproductive health prior to marriage and prenatal screenings are also posing challenges to the sector.

She proposed taking proper measures based on each locality’s condition with a focus on quality improvement.

Communication campaigns should involve the entire community and target teenagers, Hong suggested.

Vietnam seeks to lure tourists from Western Europe

The Vietnam National Administration of Vietnam (VNAT) has organised big tourism promotion campaigns in the fourth quarter in neighbouring countries to draw more international tourists, especially those from Western Europe, to Vietnam.

In Malaysia, the tourists were provided with information on Vietnam’s visa policy, new destinations and unique products as well as its acceptance of visitors from third countries and tour connection.

In 2014, around 330,000 tourists arrived in Vietnam from Malaysia and the number for the 11 months of 2015 was 306,000, up 4.7 percent from the same period last year.

Vietnam’s tourism management body held promotion events in Thailand to attract tourists from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Belarus, who are eligible for Vietnam’s 15-day visa exemption policy.

Thailand is one of the key tourism markets in Southeast Asia and among the top ten markets sending tourists to Vietnam. Moreover, Thailand is home to a large number of Western European citizens who boast high demand for short-time vacations in countries near Thailand, including Vietnam.

A similar event was also held in Hong Kong, China to attract Western European holidaymakers living there.

Seminar promotes Da Nang tourism in Sydney

A seminar promoting Da Nang tourism was held on December 18 in Sydney, Australia, which is among the top five countries having a large number of visitors to the Vietnamese central city.

It was the first seminar co-hosted by the Vietnamese Embassy in Australia and Da Nang municipal authorities as the Da Nang - Vietnam team in the Clipper 2015-16 Round the World Yacht Race has landed in Sydney port from December 12-26.

Ambassador to Australia Luong Thanh Nghi, in his speech, praised efforts made by Australian captain Wendy Tuck and Vietnamese crew on the Da Nang-Vietnam yacht, which he said, has fostered friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Australia.

He said Da Nang is gaining popularity among Australian tourists and through the yacht race, more and more Australians will learn more about Vietnam and Da Nang in particular.

Tran Chi Cuong, Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, highlighted Da Nang as a destination for investment and vacation, adding that the seminar is to give foreigners an insight into its culture, services and development.

The 2015-16 Clipper Race marks the first time in its nineteen-year history that Da Nang is featured as a team and a host port on the race's global circuit.

The race started in London in August and takes 11 months to complete. Its 40,000 mile circumnavigation is divided into shorter legs so crew can choose to take part in either the whole race or one or more legs.

Up to 24 crew members, aged 18 to over 70 of various nationalities and backgrounds, live together on board each of the fleet's twelve 70-foot racing yachts. This means crew have to quickly adapt to being part of a diverse team which eats, sleeps and races together in close quarters.

The race participants are expected to arrive in Da Nang between February 17 and 21.

The twelve Clipper Race yachts with over 250 international crew and supporters will stay in the city until the next leg to Qingdao, China, departing on February 27.

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