ADB, JICA to support 20,000 smallholder farmers

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on Wednesday signed $163 million in loan agreements with Olam International Limited (OIL) and Café Outspan Vietnam Limited (COVL), a subsidiary of OIL. The loans will help improve inclusive and sustainable agricultural value chains, directly benefiting up to 20,000 smallholder farmers in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.

ADB’s assistance includes a $83 million loan to OIL and a $5 million loan to COVL. The project is ADB’s first nonsovereign assistance directly cofinanced by JICA, which will lend $75 million to COVL.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, ADB Investment Specialist Juhyun Jeong said that developing formal value chains is essential for farmers in Asia and the Pacific to integrate with the global economy and increase the value of their products.

“ADB and JICA’s partnership with OIL and COVL will help smallholder farmers expand their production and operations, improving livelihoods by promoting inclusive and sustainable development, he said”

“Olam’s comprehensive and grassroots approach to improve agricultural value chains brings significant positive impacts to farmers and the agribusiness industry,” said JICA’s Investment Officer Gyo Shibata. “For the partnership with ADB’s private sector operations, we are excited to ink the first direct cofinancing deal and explore further collaborations.”

“This loan agreement underpins the mutual aims of Olam, ADB, and JICA to support the economic prosperity of farmers as well as help them become stewards of the environment—essential for the future of agricultural production,” said Prakash Jhanwer, Regional Head for South East Asia at Olam International. 

The Agricultural Value Chain Development Project will support OIL’s $211 million investment plan until 2019 by financing an expansion in the firm’s processing of midstream products, while providing permanent working capital investments for smallholder farmers, particularly in Indonesia (coffee and cocoa); PNG (coffee and cocoa); Timor-Leste (coffee); and Viet Nam (coffee, cashew, and pepper). The assistance will also help OIL develop processing plants to create a more seamless integration of farmers, markets, and customers, adding more value in local markets and improving agricultural value chains.

The project includes $3 million in technical assistance (TA), partially financed by the Canadian Climate Fund for the Private Sector in Asia, to provide capacity building training to about 20,000 smallholder coffee farmers across the project countries. The TA includes training in avoiding deforestation and increasing productivity through climate-smart agriculture practices, including water harvesting and soil management.

Captain Sidewalk returns to combat fire safety violations in Saigon

Months after the sidewalk cleanup in Ho Chi Minh City's District 1 lost steam, the man behind the revolutionary campaign has returned with a new mission to tackle fire safety violations in the downtown district.

Doan Ngoc Hai, vice chairman of District 1, led an inspection team to check up on fire safety systems at apartment buildings built before 1975 across the district on March 28.

At an apartment building on Nguyen Thi Nghia Street in Ben Thanh Ward, the team found it emergency exit had been blocked by wooden furniture, with tarpaulins and lines of clothes hanging right next to electric wires. The building was also found to have no automatic fire detection system.

"This is too unsafe, if something happens, how could anyone escape in time?" Hai said. He said the residents tipped him off. He has ordered the ward officials to remove the obstructing furniture and install metal stairs outside the building to serve as emergency exits.

The emergency exit of another apartment building on Ly Tu Trong Street in the same ward was also found obstructed by paintings and wooden frames belonging to a painting workshop. The team removed the objects and issued a fine for the violator.

Further inspections at other old apartment buildings in the district also revealed that many of them do not meet fire safety requirements. Most of the buildings' fire detection and firefighting systems failed to work, while many emergency exits were found to be used as warehouses, garbage dumps or packed with flammable objects.

"Fire safety at these old apartment buildings is terrible," Hai said.

"The fire at Carina just killed 13 people, but everyone here is still unconcerned and irresponsible," Hai said, referring to the apartment fire that occurred in the city's District 8 last Friday.

District 1 currently has 86 apartment buildings built before 1975, nearly half of which are in serious disrepair.

After the deadly Carina Plaza fire, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have been stepping up efforts to inspect and tackle fire safety issues. Hanoi has discovered that 38 of its apartment buildings failed to meet fire safety requirements, while inspection teams in the southern metropolis are also dismantling structures that violate fire safety regulations.

Before heading District 1's fire safety campaign, Hai was known for his campaign to cleanup the district's sidewalks. He started the revolution in early 2017 with a pledge to turn the central district into a “Little Singapore.”

His team put up barriers and deployed police officers to stop motorbikes from driving on the sidewalks. During the crackdown, vehicles, including government and foreign diplomatic cars, were towed, and invasive constructions that spilled out onto the street, some of which belonged to five-star hotels, were dismantled.

But he asked to step down from the work last January, saying that his campaign had collided with businesses that had million-dollar interests on the sidewalks, and a large number of officials backing them.

The mission needed the support of the entire political system, which he did not receive, he said.

Jail-breaking prisoners prosecuted

Nguyễn Văn Tình and Lê Văn Thọ. - Photo vov.vn

Hà Nội Police have asked the city procuracy to prosecute two defendants for breaking out of prison.

The defendants, Lê Văn Thọ and Nguyễn Văn Tình, broke out of their cells in September last year and were recaptured five days later.

Tình, 28, was sentenced to death by the Hà Nội People’s Court in April for his involvement in a narcotics ring.

Thọ, 37, received the death penalty in May when the Hà Nam Province People’s Court found him guilty of dealing with narcotics, murder and theft. His past convictions included murder, kidnapping, illegal use of firearms, bribery, robbery and theft.

The two prisoners broke their shackles while correctional officers were distracted and tunnelled their way out of the cell at midnight.

The other four accused who were brought to the court are Nguyễn Thị Phương Lan, residing in Chí Linh Township of Hải Dương Province; Nguyễn Văn Việt; Nguyễn Văn Ba; and Nguyễn Việt Hùng, living in Kỳ Sơn District of Hòa Bình Province.

The accused were prosecuted for hiding knowledge of a crime under the Criminal Code in 2017. 

Landslides threaten lives of Bình Minh Town residents

Scores of households living along the Hậu River in Thành Phước Ward, Bình Minh Town, in the southern province of Vĩnh Long have faced the risk of landslides for years.

The threat to residents’ lives has grown increasingly serious, according to the residents.

They said the ward has seen a number of landslides in the area, including one that was some 10m deep and 100m long on August 22 and 23 last year. The landslides razed two houses and damaged many others.

After the incident, local authorities moved residents to safer spaces and helped them resettle, but the landslides reoccurred.

The hazard has become more common since February, leaving deep potholes in the roads in its wake.

To limit these landslides, residents use simple tools such as timber, sandbags and steel wires.

Phạm Văn Nhàn, a resident, said funds to buy the tools were contributed by the residents, but after a few days, the road suffered more damage from landslides.

Chairman of the Bình Minh Town People’s Committee Nguyễn Văn Dân said the committee had allocated new living spaces for 31 households.

However, the landslides were becoming increasingly complicated to handle, so the committee instructed the Thành Phước Ward authorities to supervise and support the people.

If conditions worsen, the committee will let residents travel on another safe road and ask for guidance from the provincial authorities.

Dân said the town did not have the necessary funds to build a strong embankment in the area, so support from upper-level authorities is needed.

Criminal proceedings begin over Carina Plaza fire

HCM City Police have started criminal proceedings in the case of the Carina Plaza apartment building fire in HCM City’s District 8 which killed 13 people and injured 27 on March 23.— Photo vietnamnet.vn

HCM City Police have started criminal proceedings in the case of the Carina Plaza apartment building fire in HCM City’s District 8 which killed 13 people and injured 27 on March 23.

Detailed information on the upcoming criminal proceedings will be released at a press meeting to be held today by the HCM City People’s Committee, according to Colonel Nguyễn Sỹ Quang, chief of staff of the city police.

He said on Tuesday that the proceedings were in line with Article 313 of the 2015 Criminal Code that deal with violations of fire safety regulations.

At least 150 motorbikes and 13 cars parked in the basement where the fire originated were destroyed by the blaze.

Located at 1648 Võ Văn Kiệt Street, Carina Plaza complex includes three buildings of 15-21 storeys each and a total of 736 apartments. It opened six years ago.

Quang said the investigation at the scene showed that a malfunctioning motorbike was the cause of the fire, and that arson had been ruled out as a possible cause.

The blaze started at 0:30 in the basement located between buildings A and B of the apartment complex.

The city’s Fire Fighting Police Department sent 34 fire trucks and 200 firefighters to the site to control the blaze and rescue hundreds of people who were trapped inside. An hour after arriving, the fire was under control.

On March 26, a delegation from the Central Committee of the Việt Nam Fatherland Front, led by Deputy President Trương Thị Ngọc Ánh, visited injured residents at Chợ Rẫy Hospital.

The delegation also visited the family of Trần Văn An, a guard at Carina Plaza who died in the fire. 

The Fatherland Front’s central committee plans to offer a total of VNĐ200 million (US$8,820) for families affected by the fire.

Bình Định, neighbours cooperate on tourism

Travel experts and firms discussed strategies to develop the tourism industry in the central coastal province of Bình Định during a seminar held on Wednesday in Hà Nội.

The province’s highlighted destinations and tour options were presented at the seminar. These  included Cù Lao Xanh Island, vestiges of the ancient Champa kingdom, beautiful beaches such as Kỳ Co, considered the Maldives of Việt Nam, and Eo Gió Pass.

Nguyễn Thị Xuân Lan, vice chairwoman of the Bình Định Provincial Tourism Association, said the local authorities and travel agents had focused on co-operating with partners in the Central Highlands and southern central regions to connect destinations in their regions and create new tour packages for visitors.

Lan suggested that instead of buying flights directly to Quy Nhơn city in Bình Định Province, tourists can save money by flying to Tuy Hoà city in Phú Yên Province, then driving to Quy Nhơn and Pleiku city, Gia Lai Province and departing from Pleiku Airport.

“That’s a convenient way to have extraordinary experiences because tourists can travel to different destinations in the route,” she said.

Trần Thanh Thuỷ from Fidi Tour Company pointed out the fact that in the high season, travel companies struggle to book hotels for large groups of tourists. Lan suggested that as a solution tourists can book rooms at new hotels which will offer favourable prices during their soft opening periods this summer.

“Some 2,000 rooms at hotels and 1,500 rooms at resorts will be available to serve tourists this summer,” said Lan.

“Customers often book rooms at famous hotels which have been already operating for a long time, leading to those properties being over-booked and more expensive. I suggest that tourists can book rooms at new two-star hotels whose quality can be compared with old three-star hotels.”

Bình Định Province’s tourism industry has been building special tours for older people, creating opportunities for elderly travelers to make friends with each other and relax.

“The tour is designed especially for the old people with separate rooms at hotels and resorts to provide a relaxing time and tranquility,” said Lan.

“The customers will have the chance to enjoy food and meditate following the guidance of experts.”

Quy Nhơn is an attractive destination for both domestic and international tourists, especially those from Japan and France. In recent years, the average number of tourists coming to Quy Nhơn has increased 20 per cent annually. 

ADB loan helps HCM City resume flood-prevention projects

Several flood-prevention projects will resume thanks to funds from ADB. Photo: thanhnien.vn

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) plans to give a US$350 million loan to the city for flood-prevention projects, according to the Steering Centre for Urban Flood Control (SCFC).

For phase 1, the funds will go toward flood-prevention projects in districts 12, Gò Vấp and Bình Thạnh, and for the Tham Lương-Bến Cát canal cleanup and drainage project.

These projects were supposed to receive funds from the World Bank, but due to problems related to compensation and site clearance, the bank decided in November last year not to loan the money.

Nguyễn Ngọc Công, director of the Steering Centre for Urban Flood Control, said that, after the WB’s decision, the city had to apply to ADB for the loan.

Police bust transnational drug trafficking ring

A transnational and provincial drug trafficking ring was busted by the police of southern Tây Ninh Province, online newspaper Vietnamplus.vn reported.

Earlier this week, the police arrested two Cambodian nationals—Buy Bunly, 51, and Lim So Thea, 34, residents of Tbong Khnum District in Cambodia—while they were transporting 5kg of synthetic drugs by car in Tân Biên District.

Upon searching the vehicle, the police also found a gun and six bullets.

After further investigation, the police arrested six more locals involved in the ring, including Phan Thị Mộng Cầm, 18, and Phùng Ngọc Tân, 22 (Hòa Thành District); Phạm Hồng Thái, 25 (Gò Dầu District); Trần Quang Khánh, 19 (Trảng Bàng District); and Nguyễn Hoàng Sang, 25 and Huỳnh Hàn Song, 26 (Hòa Thành).

The accused told the police that they were waiting to get drugs from the two Cambodian nationals for the purpose of re-selling.

The Tây Ninh Police had cooperated with HCM City police to arrest another eight traffickers.

They include a couple—Phùng Hồng Huy and Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Thủy—residents of District 11 in HCM City; Nguyễn Thái Sơn (Hóc Môn District); Ngô Quốc Anh (District 11); Nguyễn Minh Thuận (Hóc Môn District); Lê Quốc Trung (Ô Môn District in Cần Thơ City); Lê Thị Khánh Trâm (Buôn Ma Thuột City in Đắk Lắk Province) and Huỳnh Kiều Nhi (An Phú District in An Giang Province). 

The police seized 6kg of drugs, VND5 billion in cash, four motorbikes, a gun and other tools from them.

Phùng Hồng Huy admitted to running the ring in HCM City.

The case is under further investigation.

Yesterday, police in northern Điện Biên Province foiled an attempt at trafficking 135 bricks of heroin and 500,000 pills of synthetics drugs.

This is the largest quantity of synthetic drugs seized in the country so far.

Charity programme to turn orphans’ dreams into reality

A charity programme called Giving Mother’s Love has been launched in HCM City to help orphans express their dreams and turn them into reality.

Starting yesterday Phụ Nữ (Woman) Online newspaper and New Zealand goat milk formula maker DG, the organisers, are visiting children at 10 social welfare centres to hear their stories and dreams and write about them in the newspaper in the next few days.

The centres will receive a donation of VNĐ5 million ($222) each from them.

The newspaper is also accepting submissions from orphaned children around the country at chocontinhyeuthuong2018@gmail.

Each article chosen to be published will be awarded a prize of VNĐ3 million (US$131.6).

The programme will conclude with the newspaper collaborating with other donors to make the three “best” wishes come true on International Children’s Day, June 1.

According to the Department of Child Care and Protection, 156,000 out of 29 million children aged under 16 in Việt Nam are orphans.

U19 Việt Nam beat U19 Hoàng Anh Gia Lai

The U19 Việt Nam team won its latest round at the International U19 Football Tournament 2018 by beating U19 Hoàng Anh Gia Lai 3-1 on Wednesday at the Pleiku stadium in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai.

The result helped U19 Việt Nam, coached by Vũ Hồng Việt, grab nine points to match the U19 Seoul team.

Việt Nam scored the first goal at the 18th minute with a penalty near the dark zone by Hồng Sơn, whose strong kick landed the ball decisively in the opponent’s goal.

The first half was closed up after Hoàng Anh Gia Lai scored, setting up an exciting second half.

The second goal was claimed in the second half by Việt Anh of Việt Nam who hit the ball with his head into the rival’s goal at the 63rd minute.

Hoàng Anh Gia Lai then put forward their best struggle with continuous attacks against the Việt Nam, seeking to equalise the score, but the host team constantly faced fierce resistance from its rival.

At the 88th minute, Văn Công of the U19 Việt Nam caught the ball from his team mate Văn Toán to score the third goal, the last of the match.

The match had been previously been predicted as a challenge for Hoàng Anh Gia Lai coach Guillaume Graechen and his players, but few expected the team to play so weakly and make so many mistakes.

Accordingly, U19 Hoàng Anh Gia Lai will have to face U19 Chonburi in the final round for fourth place on Friday.

On Monday, Coach Vũ Hồng Việt of U19 Việt Nam said his team would seek to continue their winning streak after his players defeated FC Seoul 2-1 in the second round match.

The team will face Mito Hollyhock tomorrow.

Coach Việt praised his players after their earlier defeat of FC Seoul.

“I feel good when my players strictly follow my tactics and win the match. Prior to the tournament, we thought Seoul would be the team who could vie for the winning trophy with us. We will defeat them both in the two last matches to defend our title,” Việt said.

Digitalisation to drive agriculture in a sustainable way: Eurocham experts

Digitalization is the engine that would drive the future of agriculture, “Agriculture in Việt Nam: Can innovation push Việt Nam to the top of the global market?”, a meeting organised by Eurocham in HCM City this week, heard.

Agriculture around the world, and especially in Việt Nam, faces many challenges in meeting demand by 2050 — like increasing population, increase in demand for quality food, loss of produce along the food chain, falling yields due to climate change, limited arable lands, weed and pest resistance, dwindling innovation, and depletion of ground water.

“The challenge requires a new approach that helps improve farming for the farmers and for the environment,” Dr Thomas Wegmann, head of product development, APAC region, Singapore, Bayer Crop Science, said.

The event heard that digital farming paves the way for a new agricultural revolution that makes farming quicker, more precise, efficient and sustainable.

According to information released there, most new farm machines are equipped with precision agriculture features.

New tools help farmers optimise inputs such as fertilisers and crop protection agents with corresponding improvements in yields and quality. Digital farming solutions also help meet society’s rising requirements in terms of transparency and sustainability.

To meet the growing demand, many inventions have been rolled out globally to enable farmers to optimise the amount of crop protection.

For instance, a Bayer representative said his company has applied digital solutions in more than 60 countries and is aiming at Vietnam..

He said that these new technologies, which have huge potential not only in developed countries but also for small-holder farmers in developing countries, helps famers tackle challenges and support a sustainable intensification of farming. Thanks to innovation and new technology in seeds, crop protection and services, farmers are enabled to produce food without harming the environment and putting the health of humans or animals at risk, promoting and advancing sustainable agriculture for customers and society

Recently the company launched new digital farming solutions called Field Manager and Scouting App which help farmers produce more efficiently and profitably while reducing the impact farming has on the environment.

Speaking about the Vietnamese market, experts at the event said agriculture and fishery exports topped a record US$36 billion last year.

But Vietnamese agriculture faced plenty of challenges such as limited arable land and natural resources, a shortage and rising costs of labour, increased market volatility, limited credit availability for small farmers, resistance issues and ongoing quest for increasing sustainability.

Việt Nam’s agriculture still has enormous potential, but a lot of applied research and development, tailor-made advice and training are needed, according to participants. Then farmers will catch up fast, as Việt Nam farmers are hard working and very entrepreneurial.

Participants said many digital farming products have been released and with positive results. They also said there would be closer co-operation between agricultural research companies, farmers and the government.

FrieslandCampina to help Bình Dương with environment protection communication

FrieslandCampina Việt Nam yesterday signed with Bình Dương Province’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment and the Hồ Chí Minh Communist Youth Union an agreement for carrying out communication and other activities to improve awareness of environmental protection among young people including students this year.

They will organise training for teachers in communication on and adaptation to climate change from April 2 to May 31.

In June and July there will be a video contest on this issue for young people, who will attend activities held to mark World Environment Day on June 5.

Nguyễn Hồng Nguyên, deputy head of the Bình Dương Province Department of Natural Resources and Environment, said the activities for improving awareness of environmental protection would help the province develop sustainably.

The agreement is part of programmes for enabling partners within a community to work with each other to reduce negative impacts on environment.

FrieslandCampina Việt Nam seeks to ensure “green” growth, which contributes to the country’s sustainable development.

Ba Ria-Vung Tau eyes high-tech facilities for solid-waste treatment

Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu Province is soliciting investment in high-tech treatment facilities to treat solid waste. — Photo enternews.vn

Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu Province is soliciting investment in high-tech treatment facilities to treat solid waste, its leader has said.

Nguyễn Hồng Lĩnh, secretary of the province Party Committee, speaking at a meeting on March 26 to discuss plans to create solid-waste treatment facilities from now through 2020, said categorically the People’s Committee should not issue licences for plants that use outdated technologies.

Industrial solid waste transported from other provinces for burying in Bà Rịa- Vũng Tàu should be carefully managed, he said.

The People’s Committee should continue to “control pollution” at the Tóc Tiên landfill in Tân Thành District and wastewater leakage from rubbish dumps, he said.

The province generates around 1,489 tonnes of industrial solid wastes including 204 tonnes of toxic wastes daily, according to its Department of Construction.

The solid wastes pose an environmental threat, it said.

The province also generates around 2.9 tonnes of medical wastes daily. Public hospitals treat their solid wastes by burning but some of them do not have standard waste treatment facilities.

The 700 tonnes of household solid wastes generated daily are buried at the Tóc Tiên landfill.

The burying again threatens the environment but some household solid waste treatment projects are progressing too slowly, according to the department.

However, with the cost of incinerating household solid wastes being high, the method is not used in the province, it said.

Lĩnh called on relevant agencies to research into new ways of treating household solid wastes and consider ways to quickly set up waste recycling facilities.

The province is willing to pay for sophisticated technologies in waste treatment and would not accept plants that cause pollution, he said.

The plans to set up solid waste treatment facilities would not include new ones that treat waste oil and packaging or bury normal industrial wastes, tasks that existing facilities can perform, he said.

Experts discuss gender equality during workshop

Experts agreed on the definition of gender equality at a workshop, "Communication on gender equality of state agencies," held here on Wednesday. 

The concept of gender equality suggests that men and women, including the gay and lesbian community, should receive fair treatment in all aspects of socio-economic life and human rights.

The workshop was organised by the Research and Development Centre (RED) under the Vietnam Union of Scientific and Technological Organisations (VUSTA) in collaboration with the Department of Gender Equality under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.The workshop is part of the project "Media Co-operation to Improve Economic Policy", supported by the Government of Canada Global Issues. Participants discussed various issues, including how the media implements eight sectors in the Law on Gender Equality, and how to do the work well.

Education on gender and gender equality should not include gender bias, should not create gender-based prejudice and should eliminate all gender discrimination. Phạm Ngọc Tiến, director of the Department of Gender Equality, said this was still a new issue for many state agencies, although the Gender Equality Law and Decree 48/2009/NĐ-CP has regulations on this subject. Over the years, education on gender equality has been fully adopted in the Tuyên Quang and Long An provinces and in HCM City. The MOLISA organised a number of activities to provide education on the issue.

However, some of the objectives of the national strategy for gender equality in the period 2011-20 were unsuitable and needed more time to complete, he said.

Education on the issue still focuses on women, and gender stereotypes persist in media products. For instance, 80 per cent emphasise the role of women in the family, 83 per cent of women appear as a housewife.Trần Thị Kim Thanh, director of the Division of Child Care and Protection under the HCM City Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, highlighted the current difficulties in communication on gender equality.

Thanh mentioned the overly broad topics on gender equality and the lack of instruction from the concerned ministries. Moreover, the staff of gender equality departments in provinces have not been trained on the Law on Gender Equality.

In seeking a solution, the participants of the workshop believed that education on gender equality was not only the duty of the MOLISA but should also be considered in the management and planning of policies of all state administrative agencies.

Education activities require the coordination of specialised agencies and state agencies, political and social organisations and personnel networks.

Remains of 17 fallen Vietnamese soldiers found in Laos

The remains of seventeen fallen Vietnamese soldiers have been recovered from caves in the district of Pack U, Luang Prabang province in Laos during the first three months of the year.

According to Senior Lieutenant colonel Nguyen The Giang from the Search and Collection of Martyrs’ Remains Team under the Military Zone 2, local people said that Vietnamese soldiers were fighting in the caves during the past war.

He said that once former volunteers and military experts involved in the past war in Laos and Luang Prabang province learn of the news through the Voice of Vietnam, they will then be able to provide information about their military units and identify the fallen soldiers.

During the first days of 2018, the Search and Collection of Martyrs’ Remains Team coordinated with agencies in Oudomxay province to hold a memorial service and repatriate the remains of nine martyrs to Dien Bien province.

Vietnamese youth take on no-plastic-straw challenge

A number of young Vietnamese people tend to forgo the use of plastic drinking straws in a collective effort, NoStrawChallenge, to alleviate negative impacts on the environment.

Several environmentally-minded groups wishing to reduce the popularity of plastic straws have appeared, although such a commitment has not developed to a massive scale, according to the Vietnam Green Generation Network, an organization of Vietnamese youth spreading eco-friendly messages.

Many beverage shops have begun using non-plastic straws, including The Organik House, Pilosa Garden, which are in Ho Chi Minh City; To Chim Xanh (‘Blue Bird Nest’), and Reng Reng Cafe, located in Hanoi.

Adopting the NoStrawChallenge attitude, Minh Huong said followers of this trend should maintain discipline in order to eschew indulgence.

“Initially it’s very hard to do NoStrawChallenge, because I used plastic straws habitually. In a moment after using a drink from a cup, I found myself unconsciously throwing away the plastic straw, cup lid and nylon bag that went with the cup. It’s unnerving to know how harmful such unnecessarily wasted plastic items I dispose of automatically are to the environment,” she said.

She observed that bubble milk tea and smoothies have been sold in plastic cups as take-aways so often that the containers have been inextricably associated with the drinks.

“I don’t want to see NoStrawChallenge as a sort of fashion, since fashion is only short-lived. Reducing the amount of plastic trash, though at a personal level, is still meaningful and brings about long-term benefits for human life and the environment,” she added.

​Quynh Nhien, a sophomore at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Sciences and Humanities, has developed a liking for the straw challenge after she was given a stainless steel straw.

“If the restaurant fails to avoid straws, visit that place many times, and ask it to give you no straw each time you order drinks,” she said, mentioning her awareness-raising tactic.

Materials to replace plastic in producing straws may be bamboo, stainless steel, glass and silicon, according to Dang An, owner of Hanoi-based Sap Hang Chang Sen (‘Kiosk of a Lad Named Sen’), which only provides various non-plastic products and has risen to great popularity amongst eco-friendly consumers in Vietnam.

“I’m really happy to see the no-plastic-straw practice becoming increasingly widespread. Non-plastic straws were strangers to people a year ago,” he said.

In the past he was reluctant to introduce this type of product for fear that customers might feel displeased, but now he has received orders from multiple users.

He said this tendency heralds a positive change, sharpening general awareness of potentially enormous environmental detriments caused by small objects like straws.

Vietnamese martial artist dares Chinese MMA fighter to showdown

A Vietnamese Wing Chun martial artist has challenged a Chinese Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter to a fight via a Facebook post.

The provocation stems from the former’s claim that the Beijing-based fighter insulted Eastern traditional martial arts after defeating several practitioners.

Nam Anh Tuan issued the challenge to Xu Xiaodong on March 24 via the Facebook account of Pierre Francois Flores, Tuan’s fellow Wing Chun practitioner.

Tuan’s letter stated that Xu Xiaodong had “belittled” and “insulted” Eastern traditional martial arts and as a Wing Chun practitioner, Tuan’s duty was to preserve such arts through a public sparring with Xu.

The challenge follows 38-year-old Xu's victory over so-called Tai Chi master Wei Lei in just 10 seconds in Chengdu last April, which triggered debates on whether traditional martial arts like Wing Chun and Tai Chi can be effective in real-life combat.

“Yes, I am planning for a future fight with Xu Xiaodong. However, everything’s still pretty much undecided, and I don’t want to comment further on this upcoming duel,” said Tuan.

Xu Xiaodong has yet to comment on this public challenge on social media.

After his 10-second victory over Wei Lei went viral, Xu Xiaodong issued a challenge to all traditional Chinese martial arts masters, saying they are outdated and only good for keeping the body fit, while freestyle fighting and boxing are more effective when it comes to actual combat.

Just recently, Xu triumphed over Ding Hao, who is considered a distant disciple of Ip Man, a Chinese Wing Chun master, in a duel in Chengde on March 18. Ding Hao later claimed that the video of the fight was edited, and the actual result was a draw.

Wing Chun is a Southern Chinese martial arts specializing in close combat. The self-defense discipline emphasizes the balance between ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ techniques.

MMA is a full-contact body sport using techniques from different combat sports and martial arts. The first Ultimate Fighting Championship took place in November 1993, launching the sport into mainstream consciousness.

Where lies the responsibility for the Carina Plaza fire?

Despite holding 95 per cent of Hung Thanh Co., Ltd., 577 Investment Corporation has refused responsibilities as Carina Plaza’s developer. Meanwhile, Hung Thanh Co., Ltd. has violated numerous regulations while establishing the management board of Carina Plaza, preparing the construction design, and maintaining the building’s fire prevention and fighting system.

Four days after the Carina Plaza fire, which killed 13 people and injured nearly 100, 577 Investment Corporation (NBB) has just sent a letter to the State Securities Commission of Vietnam (SSC) and the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange (HSX) to explain its role in the project.

In the letter, chairman of NBB Doan Tuong Trieu confirmed that Hung Thanh was the sole developer of Carina Plaza, according to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction’s decision approving the project. Accordingly, NBB is only a shareholder with 95 per cent of capital contribution in Hung Thanh.

Meanwhile, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction has just specified the violations of Hung Thanh. The department recommended the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee to handle the violations, as well as requested Hung Thanh to quickly fix the apartment building.

Carina Plaza was put into operation in 2012. The Ho Chi Minh Fire Department approved the fire prevention and fighting tests of the apartment building, but the developer has yet to submit the test results to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction.

In October 2015, residents sent a letter to provide feedback on establishing the management board as well as poor security and hygienic circumstances. Thereby, the Department of Construction asked District 8’s governance and Carina Plaza’s developer to hold a meeting, elect a management board, and handle violations. Up to date, the department has yet to receive any report on these issues.

In December 2016, Hung Thanh rented Saigon Real Estate JSC (SEJCO) to manage and operate Carina Plaza. However, there were no terms on the regular maintenance of the elevator system, fire alarms and firefighting system or firefighting equipment.

When the fire started in Carina Plaza several days ago, the fire alarms did not go off, the automatic sprinklers in the building did not start and the emergency lighting did not turn on during the fire.
According to newswire plo.vn, between 2012 and 2017, Ho Chi Minh City’s firefighters checked the fire safety of this apartment building 21 times and three times detected that the automatic fire alarms were not active, the firefighting water supply system and the fire hydrant outdoors were not working, and emergency lights did not turn on.

At the end of 2017, when firefighters checked the building, no violations were detected. However, when the fire started in Carina Plaza several days ago, the fire alarms did not go off, the automatic sprinklers in the building did not start and the emergency lighting did not turn on during the fire. The fire doors in the building had also been wedged open with bricks, allowing smoke to billow up to residential floors, causing the deaths of most of the 13 victims.

Therefore, the Ho Chi Minh City Fire Department has been appointed to check and review the entire fire prevention and fighting system and test the fire safety of Carina Plaza. The police in Ho Chi Minh City have just launched a criminal investigation into alleged violations behind the fire.

Construction of Vam Sat No.2 Bridge starts

The Urban Traffic Management Board No. 4 under the HCMC Department of Transport yesterday started the construction of Vam Sat No.2 Bridge spanning Vam Sat River in Ly Nhon commune of outlying Can Gio district, HCMC.

The bridge project includes the 432.7-meter bridge, roads to the bridge and light system and other subsidiary construction.

The bridge has width of 10 meter, and the path to the bridge is 647 meter long.

Total spending for the construction is VND342 billion ($14,985,171) taken from Ho Chi Minh City’s state budget. It is planned to build the bridge in 580 days; however, the management board promised to beef up speed.

Before, in 2005, the Vam Sat No.1 was built and open to the traffic yet it has low loading capacity and it is just 4 meter wide with one lane only; accordingly, it can’t satisfy travelling demand of residents in Ly Nhon commune only.

Over 3,000 students join Olympic Run Day parade

More than 3,000 school children from 67 primary schools in HCMC on Sunday morning joined an outdoor gymnastics parade in Nguyen Hue pedestrian square in downtown area in response to the Olympic Run Day for Public Health 2018.

The parade is part of the “Active Vietnam” initiated by Nestlé’s Milo brand in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Training and Vietnam Sports Administration to improve the physical fitness among primary students nationwide.

Ganesan Ampalavanar, managing director of Nestle Vietnam, said this was the first year that Nestle’s Milo brand had participated in the Olympic Run Day, with an aim to build a healthy and active lifestyle for younger Vietnamese generations.

The Olympic Run Day has become one of the annual sporting activities in HCMC and saw the participation of more than 5,000 local residents in this year’s event.

New Zealand raises US$30,000 to support poor girls in HCMC

The New Zealand Food and Wine Festival which took place at the RMIT University campus in District 7 late last week raised US$30,000 from ticket sales, and the New Zealand Embassy in Vietnam has announced the money will be used to help less fortunate girls at Ba Chieu Girls Shelter in HCMC.

The festival has become one of New Zealand’s annual activities with the goal to showcase its strength in the fields of food and beverage and further foster economic ties between Vietnam and New Zealand.

New Zealand Ambassador to Vietnam Wendy Matthews said the bilateral ties have ascended in recent years which can be obviously witnessed in various fields such as education, economics, trade and tourism.

Two-way trade between the two countries last year totaled US$1.5 billion, a 33% year-on-year pickup against 2016. Both countries are well on track to achieve the target of US$1.7 billion in two-way trade by 2020, Wendy added.

The shelter, which was founded in 1996 by Celia Caughey, former New Zealand Consul General in HCMC, is now home to hundreds of abandoned and orphaned girls and has gained support from the Kiwi community in Vietnam over the past years.