Deputy PM visits disaster-hit localities in Bac Lieu

Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung had a working session with authorities in the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu on April 27, concerning the condition of drought and saltwater intrusion at present.

According to Duong Thanh Trung, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, thanks to precautionary measures, Bac Lieu saw a relatively low impact from the disasters despite its coastal location.

The province has thus far recorded no fishery damage, and residents have yet to face water shortages. However, saltwater intrusion and drought have taken their toll on more than 14,500 hectares of local rice paddies, some of which were ruined by as much as 70 percent.

Trung said the main concerns at the moment are baking weather and increasing salinity, which will harm summer-autumn rice crops and shrimp farming.

Salinity measured in local shrimp farms, covering 130,000 hectares of water surface, now surpasses 35 ppt. Shrimp cannot live in water where salinity is higher than 40 ppt.

Without enough fresh water, the operation of these farms is likely to be halted altogether, he noted, adding that the planting of summer-autumn crops has been rescheduled to begin at the end of May.

Trung proposed State support in the swift implementation of projects on building the Ninh Quoi canal lock and a sluice preventing saltwater on the Cai Lon River.

These projects will benefit several regional provinces apart from Bac Lieu, such as Kien Giang, Hau Giang and Soc Trang, but the provincial budget cannot afford the costs, he added.

Deputy PM Dung requested the province ensures water supply for locals’ daily use in the dry season, overhauls the irrigation system, and restructures local production to match the current situation.

He tasked Bac Lieu with urgent dredging of irrigation ditches, closing the sluice system, and calculating the exact number of disaster-hit households for prompt support.

The same day, the Deputy PM toured affected localities in Hong Dan district’s Ninh Hoa and Ninh Quoi communes, presenting gifts for five disadvantaged local families.

The occurrence of saltwater intrusion and drought in the Mekong Delta is forecast to last until June.

'Mercury found floating in Hanoi’s air' a misquote: environment deputy

A deputy of Vietnam’s environmental administration has confirmed that there was no evidence of mercury pollution in Hanoi, following public confusion over an earlier news article claiming otherwise.

Hoang Duong Tung, deputy general director at the Vietnam Environmental Administration under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, denied on April 26 having said that mercury had been found floating in the air above the capital city.

Earlier, a local newswire had cited Tung as saying monitoring equipment had recorded levels of mercury in the air over the locality.

According to Tung, the news was inaccurate and was a misunderstanding of what he had intended to say.

After receiving observational information from the US Embassy about particle pollution in Hanoi, Tung explained, he had said that mercury pollution was an emerging problem that the world and Vietnam were at risk of exposure to.

“I confirm that no observation result has found mercury floating in the air, and thus there is no warning about the issue,” Tung underlined.

Nguyen Kim Son, former deputy director at the Poison Control Center of Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi, said mercury can appear in the air as a result of the greenhouse effect, industrial wastes, automobile emission, and others.

According to Son, mercury, or quicksilver, is a heavy metal that can cause adverse health effects in humans.

If found in the air, Son said, mercury could lead to different levels of intoxication in humans depending on its concentration, with reactions in severe cases including respiratory irritation, shortness of breath, or adverse skin conditions.

“About the particle pollution in Hanoi observed by the US Embassy, it usually occurs during rush hours. Therefore, my advice is to pay attention to weather forecasts, avoid dusty areas, wear face masks when going out, turn off your vehicle’s engine when stopping at red lights for more than 15 seconds, and stop burning thatches in the open air,” Tung said.

Earlier, an air quality reading on March 5 by the US Embassy in Hanoi had recorded a ‘hazardous’ air quality index at one point during the day, causing concern among local residents.

Taiwanese firm axes executive over flagrant statement about mass fish deaths

The executive of the subsidiary of Taiwan’s Formosa company in Ha Tinh province, who made a bold remark about a trade-off between marine life and the steel industry that has met with strong criticism from the public since April 25, has just been sacked.

Chou Chun Fan, head of the Hanoi office of the Formosa subsidiary, confirmed to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that he had been fired by the company on April 27.  

Chou said on the phone that his dismissal stemmed from his making a shocking statement that triggered fierce opposition from Vietnamese citizens, adding that he deserved the axe.

“I have to take responsibility for my action. I hope that Vietnamese people will excuse me for my statement. Once again, I sincerely apologize to you,” Chou said.

He was scheduled to arrive in Hanoi on Wednesday afternoon to prepare for his flight back to Taiwan, according to Chou.

Formosa has been under fire from the public following Chou’s remark during an interview with local media on April 25, amid doubt that the firm’s wastewater discharge is to blame for mass fish deaths along the central coast.

Chou said that the Vietnamese authorities must decide whether to “catch fish and shrimp, or to build a modern steel factory.”

“You win some, you lose some. Even if you are the prime minister, you cannot choose both,” Chou said.

A meeting with media was organized by the Formosa subsidiary on April 26 to address the remark of the head of its Hanoi office.

The conference was chaired by Truong Phuc Ninh, the company’s CEO, along with other high-ranking managers, and attended by nearly 100 reporters, all eager to report on the matter for their readers.

According to Ninh, Chou's statement was wrong and did not represent the viewpoint of Formosa.

“We would like to extend our sincere apology to the Vietnamese government and people,” the CEO said.

The incident happened amid the mass fish deaths that have been discovered along coastal areas in the central provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, and Thu Thien-Hue, with authorities having failed to identify the exact cause so far.

According to a Tuoi Tre source, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is expected to convene a meeting with relevant agencies on April 27 to make a comprehensive report on the case, as well as announcing the reason for the mass fish deaths.

Saigon Railways to cut fares to beach towns for long weekend

Saigon Railways said it will cut prices for train tickets to central resort towns by 60% during the upcoming long weekend.

Train journeys from Bien Hoa, which is 35 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City, to Mui Ne will be reduced to VND52,000-VND72,000 (US$2-US$3) a person on April 29.

Passengers board a train at Saigon Railway Station in Ho Chi Minh City.

Tickets between Mui Ne and Ho Chi Minh City on May 3 will go down to VND78,000-VND120,000 (US$3.50-US$5.40), and tickets between Ho Chi Minh City and Nha Trang on May 3 and 4 to VND110,000-VND203,000 (US$5-US$9).

Journeys between Hanoi and Thanh Hoa in the north-central region, known for Sam Son Beach, will be halved to VND35,000-VND75,000 (US$1.50-US$3) on May 1 and 2.

The company said it will add around 30 train trips to serve passengers during four-day holiday, between April 30 and May 3.

Da Nang meeting responds to occupational safety day

Communication should be fostered to raise public awareness and knowledge related to occupational health and safety at work, said Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Doan Mau Diep.

Diep joined around 200 participants from 10 ASEAN member nations and representatives from the International Labour Organization (ILO), and enterprises with outstanding performances in ensuring occupational health and safety at a meeting in response to World Day for Safety and Health at Work, held in the central city of Da Nang on April 27.

In his speech, the deputy minister affirmed that Vietnam and ASEAN in general will promote links with international partners, the ILO and the World Health Organisation, in devising measures to create safe and friendly working environments and prevent psychological risks for labourers.

He said ASEAN states are making every effort to boost reform, improve the quality of human resources, and build healthy working environment for labourers, thus increasing labour productivity.

However, an increase of stress and work pressure can cause serious effects on workers’ health, spirit and mentality, he noted.

He stressed the need for enterprises and labourers to thoroughly know the importance of ensuring safety and health at work places and consider this as a regular practice, Diep stressed.

Vietnam pays due attention to ensuring occupational health and safety at work, he said, adding that the National Assembly official approved the Law on Occupational Safety and Hygiene, and many programmes and campaigns are being arranged to raise awareness of the issue for employees and employers.

Vietnam commits to enhancing resources, as well as synchronously implementing measures to protect the health of labourers, Diep stated.

Statistics from the WHO show that about 2.3 million people die due to occupational accidents and diseases every year, including 700 in Vietnam .

On the occasion, the ASEAN Occupational Safety and Health Network (ASEAN-OSHNET) Coordinating Board honoured 14 enterprises within ASEAN, which made great achievements in ensuring occupational health and safety .-

Disadvantaged people get better access to welfare services

The beneficiaries of social assistance have gained better access to basic welfare services such as health care, education, clean water and legal support, it was reported at a conference in the northern province of Lao Cai on April 25-26.

Director of the Department of Social Assistance Nguyen Van Hoi highlighted the improvement at the conference, which was co-held by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) and UNICEF.

He attributed the progress to the synchronous implementation of relevant policies. Meanwhile, some provinces have raised their monthly allowances for the needy to higher than the national average. They have also called for donations to social work.

Data show that about 28 percent of Vietnam’s population need welfare services. They include 8.6 million old people, 6.7 million persons with disabilities, and 1.4 million children with disadvantaged backgrounds.

MoLISA has proposed to build a law on social work.

Ha Dinh Bon, Director of MoLISA’s Department of Legal Affairs, said existing policies that support social workers have not met the reality’s demand. Current legal regulations on social work are also unable to address shortcomings.

He called for the issuance of better legal documents to develop the number and capacity of social workers. Social work must become a professional job that helps the disadvantaged deal with difficulties on their own.

Red Cross activities integrated into climate change response

More than 15,000 households in 14 cities and provinces who announced natural disaster status, have received initial support from the Vietnam Red Cross Society (VRC).

Vice President of the VRC Central Committee Tran Thi Hong An told an April 27-28 event, that by April 24, 2016, the organisation had mobilised over 25 billion VND (1.1 million USD) donated by people from all walks of life to aid natural disaster victims.

The conference, jointly held by the VRC, the German Red Cross (GRC) and the VRC’s chapter in Quang Binh province, aims to assess the risks and impacts of climate change and how red cross activities can work in response to climate change.

As part of the GRC-funded “Community-based disaster risk management” project, the event is due to create an opportunity for the VRC, and relevant agencies, to promote the integration of climate change adaptation into the management of risks and disasters in Vietnam.

It is expected to enhance coordination between ministries, agencies, localities, organisations at home and abroad, and partners of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent, in disaster mitigation and climate change adaptation.

Delegates will focus on practical activities and solutions to deal with the problem in the context that climate change is becoming a headache to Vietnam.

Vietnam is one of the countries hardest hit by climate change globally, with the most obvious evidence being the severe drought and saltwater intrusion in the central, Central Highlands and Mekong Delta regions.

The Southeast Asian nation has to grapple with up to 15 storms and floods each year, which have in recent years seriously affected half of the land and over 70 percent of the population in disaster-prone areas.

In 2013 alone, a total of 14 storms and floods swept through the country, affecting more than 4 million people – the highest ever recorded in the past decade.

According to the Central Steering Committee on Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, the rainfall in the Central Highlands and south central region from late 2015 to the present is very low, with hydropower reservoirs containing much less water than their designed capacity, and some small reservoirs even being dried out.

The drought has effected some 70 percent of the cultivation areas in these regions, with Dak Lak, Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan being the hardest hit.

Saltwater has intruded as far as 90km inland in the Mekong Delta, about 10-25km farther than usual.

Up to 11 out of the 13 cities and provinces in the delta were affected by salinity which caused serious water shortages and damaged agriculture production.

As of April 13, 2016, more than 390,000 households in the Central Highlands, Mekong Delta and south central region were faced with water shortages. Drought and saltwater intrusion damaged over 232,000 ha of rice, 61,992 ha of fruit, and 4,052 ha of seafood. The total economic loss was estimated at over 5.1 trillion VND (229.5 million USD).

Tra Vinh loses 49.5 million USD due to drought, saline intrusion

Long-lasting drought and saline intrusion has caused a total loss of nearly 1.1 trillion VND (49.5 million USD) in the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh.

According to the local Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the disaster damaged over 29,000 hectares of rice, affecting 41,000 households.

The total rice output of the 2015-2016 Winter-Spring crop decreased 161,500 tonnes from the same period last year, with an estimated loss of 881 billion VND.

Besides this, about 700 hectares of other food crops, 285 hectares of fruit trees, and 181 hectares of aquatic farming were also damaged, affecting thousands of households.

Head of the department Tran Trung Hien said that affected households will receive 1-2 million VND in aid per hectare for rice and food crops, 2-4 million VND per hectare for fruit plantations and 5-10 million VND per hectare of aquatic farming.

The provincial agricultural sector has synchronously carried out measures to cope with drought and saltwater intrusion, including irrigational works and channel dredging.

UNESCO, ILO funded tourism project benefits locals

The responsible and sustainable tourism development project, sponsored by UNESCO and the International Labour Organisation (ILO), has helped promote poverty reduction and improve livelihoods for locals in the central provinces of Quang Nam and Thua Thien-Hue.

The assessment was made at a workshop in Quang Nam’s Hoi An city on April 26 to summarise the two-year implementation of the project.

The 900,000 USD project began in January 2014, equipping tour operators and locals with skills needed to raise their incomes while preserving their cultural values. It has focused on remote, rural areas and ethnic-inhabited areas in the two localities.

The project has also developed environmentally-friendly tourism products, improved human resources for the sector and strengthened the role of culture and heritage in sustainable development.

Tour operators and localities where tourism is being developed agreed that it is difficult to expand responsible tourism in accordance with each locality’s characteristics, as they have different tourism resources and their communities have different levels of awareness of social responsibility.

Therefore, the development of responsible tourism should be planned thoroughly, based on each locality’s demands. Local people should also improve their awareness of preserving and promoting cultural values and protecting the environment.-

Female labourers urged to prepare for international integration

Nguyen Thi Thu Ha, President of Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU), called on female labourers to prepare their skills and knowledge for international integration as well as to take advantage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement.

She said this at an international conference entitled “Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) – Opportunities and Challenges to businesswomen and female entrepreneurs and labourers,” organised by the VWU in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Ha said in the past few years, the VWU has organised many activities to assist women’s businesses through influencing policy, offering training in entrepreneurship and business administration, how to approach financial and credit resources, developing a network of businesswomen, and vocational training for female labourers.

Regarding how women can benefit from the TPP, Ha said that the TPP would create more opportunities for women as well as a better working environment, but advised that businesswomen need to be proactive in developing unique products to maintain a competitive edge.

HCM City: 201 women awarded “Heroic Mother” title

Ho Chi Minh City authorities presented the title of “Heroic Vietnamese Mother” to 201 women during a ceremony held in Cu Chi district on April 26.

Among them, only eight are alive.

Speaking at the event, Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Dinh La Thang expressed his gratitude for heroic Vietnamese mothers and fallen soldiers for their sacrifice to the national revolutionary cause.

He asked relevant organisations to implement preferential policies for people who rendered services to the country, while calling on young generations to take care of both the material and spiritual lives of these heroic mothers.

After the recognition, Ho Chi Minh City has a total of 4,776 heroic Vietnamese mothers.

Across the country, more than 59,000 women have been awarded the title, given their husbands or children laid down their lives for national liberation.

Mỹ Tho named first-grade urban area

Mỹ Tho City in the southern province of Tiền Giang has been named a first-grade urban area under the province’s management.

A ceremony was held yesterday following the prime minister’s decision.

Covering an area of more than 80sq.km, the city has a population of 270,200 people living in 17 wards.

The city has undergone significant development in its 335-year history. Not only is it one of the province’s central cities, but also is a key entrance to the Mekong River Delta.

Mỹ Tho City’s average economic growth last year was 15.5 per cent. Annual average income per person, at present, is VNĐ95 million (more than US$4,200). Living conditions have also been improved.

It is the first city in the Mekong River Delta to meet the standards of a first-grade urban area, including standards based on population scale, population density, labour rate in non-agricultural sector, infrastructure and scenery.

The city was recognised as a second-grade urban city in 2005.

Khanh Hoa halts cultivation due to water shortage

Central Khánh Hòa Province People’s Committee will halt cultivation of the summer-autumn rice crop on 2,000ha in the province to spare water for daily use.

This is one of the responses of the province to the record drought that has hit central and Central Highlands provinces of Việt Nam.

According to the committee and relevant agencies, more water released from upper Cái River is just enough for people’s daily use. So, seventeen pumping stations along Cái River, which provide water to riverside crops, would be stopped from operating.

Instead, the water would be used to meet the demand of residents for their daily use in Nha Trang City and neighbouring districts of Diên Khánh and Cam Lâm.

Khánh Hòa Water Supply and Sewerage Joint Stocks Company also planned to reinforce a dyke to prevent saline intrusion on the Cái River and implement measures to store water.

It also planned to strengthen inspection and overseeing of waste water treatment in local plants and factories to ensure the quality of river water.

In case the drought continues to be severe, the province would release 6 cu.m of water from Suối Dầu Reservoir to Cái River to ensure water supply for local residents.

According to the province’s Natural Disasters Prevention and Control Steering Committee, during the winter-spring rice crop of 2015-2016, the province lost VNĐ90 billion (roughly US$4 million) due to the drought. Rice was not cultivated on about 1,400ha because of water shortage.

The province asked the government for aid worth VNĐ66 billion ($2.96 million) to cope with the drought, VNĐ10 billion ($448,500) to buy water for daily use, and 2,000 tonnes of rice. In the third quarter of this year, the province planned to give 15kg of rice every month to each of the 44,500 residents.

Hanoi, Jakarta may launch direct air route

Indonesia’s new ambassador to Vietnam, Ibnu Hadi, proposed establishing a direct air route linking Jakarta to Hanoi in the near future.

In his meeting with Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung on April 26, the ambassador said the route could encourage tourism between the two countries.

Chung agreed that the air route would accelerate tourism development in the two countries.

Chung hoped the ambassador introduce more Indonesian investors to Vietnam as well as help Vietnamese enterprises seek investment opportunities in Indonesia.-

HCM City, US eye hi-tech agricultural cooperation

There is room for agricultural cooperation between Ho Chi Minh City and the United States, especially in high-tech agriculture, according to municipal Party Committee Secretary Dinh La Thang.

In his meeting with visiting US Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack on April 26, Thang said t he two sides can cooperate in qualityverification, seedling development, food safety and human resourcestraining.

He said he hopesVilsack will accelerate agricultural cooperation programmes with the city and create favourable conditions for Vietnamese agriproductsto reach more Americans as well as help the city restructure its agricultural sector.

For his part, Vilsack said when the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) comes into effect, it will open cooperation opportunities, particularly in agriculture, for participating countries, including the US and Vietnam.

He said he would make efforts to tighten collaboration between the two countries in agriculture, help Vietnam increase its agriproduct share in the US market, and promote the sharing of experience in the use of water and land resources, husbandry, and vegetable and fruit farming.

The US official also affirmed that the US is willing to share experience with Vietnam in coping with climate change, in light of the difficulties Vietnamese farmers have suffered from drought and saline intrusion.

HCM City district gets two more subsidised buses

The HCM City Public Transport Management and Operation Centre on Monday began operation of two more subsidised buses in Cần Giờ Island district.

In 2011, the centre and the district People’s Committee launched the two buses without a subsidy. However, the bus routes could not turn a profit.

Đậu An Phúc, the centre’s head, said the buses would help meet the travelling needs of residents in An Thới Đông, Lý Nhơn and Tam Thôn Hiệp.

With 40 seats each, buses No. 127 and 128 transport passengers on the routes of An Thới Đông Commune - Tam Thôn Hiệp Commune, and Lý Nhơn Commune’s Tân Điền Hamlet - An Nghĩa Commune at prices of VNĐ5,000- VNĐ6,000 (US$0.2-0.26).

About 190 buses operate in the district daily, transporting on average 3,900 passengers.

Thai woman, 3 Vietnamese sentenced to death for drug trafficking

A court in Hanoi sentenced three Vietnamese and a Thai woman to death on April 25 for drug trafficking.

Investigation found Nguyen Thi Thuy Trang, 53, from Ho Chi Minh City, learned about the illegal trade in late 2011 and started hiring several people to help her transport drugs across regional borders.

Police in Hanoi, Quang Ninh Province and HCM City busted the ring in October 2012, seizing 24 kilograms of heroin and more than two kilograms of methamphetamine.

They arrested Trang and three of her smugglers Le Xuan Phu, Phan Thi Lien, and Pornpirom Upapong from Thailand, local media reported.

The members told police Trang was the mastermind and hired them to transport drugs across regional countries including China, Cambodia, Nigeria, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines.

Police said the gang also hired some Africans who used money to lure poor Vietnamese women, who had little knowledge about drug laws, into the illegal business.

They are still looking for these suspects.

Vietnam has some of the world’s toughest drug laws. The production or sale of 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal narcotics is punishable by death.

Those convicted of possessing or smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kilograms of methamphetamine also face the death penalty.

2016 Tourism Season launched in Thai Nguyen

The northern mountainous province of Thai Nguyen has launched its 2016 Tourism Season with the purpose of promoting local tourist potential, resorts, and religious culture.

The province has over the past years offered the best possible conditions for enterprises inside and outside the province to invest in local tourist infrastructure and develop new tourist products to attract domestic and foreign tourists.

Famous tourist sites in Thai Nguyen include Nui Co Lake tourist site, the Museum of Vietnamese Ethnic Cultures, the Dinh Hoa ATK Special National Historical Relic Site, and Thai Hai Ecological Houses on Stilts Village.

Police chief suspended following wrong prosecution of Saigon café owner

A police chief in Ho Chi Minh City has been suspended from work for his responsibility to be reviewed after he ratified wrong charges against a café owner.

Lieutenant General Le Dong Phong, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Police, signed a decision to suspend Colonel Nguyen Van Quy, chief of the police bureau in Binh Chanh District, on Monday.

The suspension was imposed on Col. Quy so that competent agencies could clarify his mistakes regarding the controversial legal proceedings against Nguyen Van Tan, owner of the ‘Xin Chao!’ (Hello!) coffee shop opposite his station.

Lt. Gen. Phong slapped a similar penalty on Nguyen Hoang Tuan, a police official at the Binh Chanh police unit, for being involved in the misconduct.

Senior Lieutenant Colonel Le Van Hai, deputy chief of police in District 8, was appointed on the same day to the position of deputy chief of police in Binh Chanh District.

Col. Quy has admitted his errors, asserting that they stemmed from his misunderstanding of the law but not from any personal motive during an interview with Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper after his suspension.

“I have acknowledged my mistakes. I was hasty and conservative in my job, leading to the wrongful charges,” the police official said.

He also extended his apology to Tan, hoping that the café owner would forgive him and his subordinates.

Regarding several rumors that Col. Quy took legal action against Tan so that he could purchase the land on which the café is located, or eliminate its potential competition with the cafeteria run by his wife at the Binh Chanh police station opposite, the policeman insisted that such accusations were false and baseless.

“I hope that the public will understand the true nature of my errors and will not make any groundless presumption, as it would affect the image of police officers and the people’s trust in authorities,” Col. Quy said.

“This is a lesson for me to learn from and an example for my colleagues to note down,” he stated.

He advised his fellow officers, in the event that he cannot continue working at the unit, to be more careful not to make the same mistake again.  

On August 8, 2015, Tan opened his coffee shop in Binh Chanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, with a business license scheduled to be granted on August 19 and a food safety certificate on September 29.

Just a month into the opening, the café selling breakfast, lunch and coffee was inspected by officers from the police station opposite twice for lacking such documents, leading to them probing the case against Tan on September 25.

On March 11, 2016, the district’s procuracy issued an indictment against Tan for “conducting business illegally” and he was later prosecuted.

The case was officially canceled on Sunday following the directions of the Supreme People's Procuracy, as Tan was considered not guilty.

"2016 Youth Journey for National Sea and Islands" program attracts 200 youngsters

Nearly 200 representatives of outstanding Vietnamese youth across the country departed from the Cat Lai port in Ho Chi Minh City on April 25 to sail to Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago.

The delegation will visit and offer gifts to local people and soldiers in a number of islands in Truong Sa archipelago and the platform DK1.

The "Youth Journey for National Sea and Islands" program has been organized by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and Vietnam's Naval High Command consecutively for 8 years.

The program aims to raise awareness of young people of the country's sovereignty over sea and islands, promote patriotism, and call people to join hands to protect the nation’s sacred sovereignty.

HCMC encourages service for taking care of senior people

Ho Chi Minh City has around 500,000 elderly people. The city in particular and the country in general are facing the growth of aging population. Married women expressed they do not want to live with husband’s family; as a result, who will look after elderly people?

Thi Nghe Center for nurturing old people under the management of the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs is taking care of 134 senior people including 57 people of policy beneficiaries who enjoy exemption.

Additionally, the city Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs has opened the two other social sponsoring centers Chanh Phu Hoa and Thanh Loc to look after senior people gratis. The number of senior people in these centers is 549.

The city has 14 facilities to take care of senior people including three public centers; three private houses and 8 others set up by religion units and individuals to take care of 453 homeless and disabled elderly people without cost. Public Thi Nghe center has service to look after special people.

The center director Nguyen Quoc Uy said that the numer of elderly people at the center is growing yet center facilities can not meet the increased demand. Accordingly the center has so far received 77 old people at the cost of VND2.7 million (US$121) a person per month.

Le Chu Giang, head of the HCMC Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Issues' Social Services Section, said that as many as young people having no time to take care of their old parent want to send their parents to center. Senior people themselves want to reside in center for old people where they can talk to their peers.

HCMC authority also encourages enterprises to open more centers for these people yet a very few businesspersons invest in this model. Three private centers  are taking care of 130 old people with different cost; for instance Phuoc An Center in HCMC’s Binh Tan District receives old people with the cost of VND2 million per person a month; Binh My Center in Cu Chi District where 100 old people are residing with the cost ranging from VND3- 10 million per person a month while Kinh Dong  Center collects cost of VND15-25 million per person a month.

The Youth Social center in HCMC in coordination with three social sponsoring centers has launched a special service for old people since April, 2016. Every weekend, volunteers will come to center to teach old people in Chanh Phu Hoa and Thi Nghe how to sing a song and exercise with the aim to improve old people’ mental health.

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