RoK firm to build waste-to-energy plant in Hung Yen

The Republic of Korea (RoK)’s Hao Group said it plans to invest in a waste-to-energy plant with a daily capacity of 150 tonnes of rubbish in the northern province of Hung Yen. 

At a meeting with local authorities on September 29, the group said it would produce high-capacity batteries and microbiological fertilizer through waste fermentation.

The group called on the provincial authorities to facilitate the early implementation of the project, which aims to provide electricity for the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN), reduce environmental pollution and increase locals’ income.

Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Van Phong affirmed his support for the project, requesting the group to conduct thorough feasibility studies.

He also pledged that the locality will create the best conditions for the investor to successfully implement the project.

Food festival celebrates ASEAN Community

The Ho Chi Minh City Women's Union hosted a Southeast Asian food festival in the city on September 29 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The event features culinary delights and traditional costumes from the bloc’s ten member nations.

Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc, President of the city women’s union, said the event aims to introduce the culture and people of ASEAN nations to local people.

The cultural exchange is among efforts of the chapter to promote the solidarity and friendship between ASEAN nations with Vietnam in general and Ho Chi Minh City in particular, Ngoc said.

Founded in 1967, the 10-member ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The bloc formed the ASEAN Community on December 31, 2015.

ASEAN is one of Vietnam’s leading trading partners and an important driving force in helping Vietnam’s economy maintain its exports and growth over recent years.

PM urges Hanoi to build green, smart city

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has urged the capital city of Hanoi to develop in the direction of a green, smart city based on the rule of law during a working session with the city’s officials on September 29.

The PM hailed the city for improved business climate and administrative reform, and for leading in the new rural development campaign. The rate of poor households in the city has been reduced to 1.7 percent. It also leads the country in human development index in culture, school education, health care and sports. 

He also spoke highly of many innovative ideas and the successful application of scientific and technological advances in management of the capital city.  

According to the PM, the biggest challenge for Hanoi is how to manage a mega urban area, along with those relating to production model transform, workforce training, technological application, resources for infrastructure development, and public services. He particularly singled out the problem in urban construction in the city.

Suggesting several action plans, the PM stressed the need for Hanoi to work closely with neighbouring localities to minimise policy overlapping and fully tapping land resources, while continuing to enhance the management capacity of the contingent of public servants in combination with corruption prevention. 

He required Hanoi to continue to work to meet criteria for a city of peace, especially those regarding social and residential community, and maintain its status as a cultural city representing Vietnamese culture.  

At the same time, Hanoi should push forward with building a transparent and equal business environment, putting the citizens and enterprises at the centre of its services, PM Phuc said, urging the municipal authorities to continue pooling public resources, especially from the private economic sector, to raise capital for infrastructure works such as metro lines. 

In his opinion, it is necessary to issue a decentralisation mechanism for the city in line with the law.

The PM recommended that the city relocate universities, businesses, hospitals out of the inner area to ease traffic jams, which have become a pressing issue for local residents.  

Regarding the problem, Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung suggested Hanoi reduce population in inner areas through building high-quality urban areas in the suburbs and accelerating the progress of urban railway routes to ease traffic congestion.

Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh called for issuing a special mechanism for Hanoi to enable the capital city to develop more rapidly.

Expressing impression over the rearrangement of Hanoi public administrative apparatus, Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue agreed with the city’s proposals and urged all possible policy support to Hanoi and amendments to the Law on the Capital City. 

Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung reported at the meeting that the city collected 146.4 trillion VND (6.36 billion USD) for the State budget in the first nine months this year, or 71.5 percent of the estimate and up 16.2 percent annually. 

The city attracted 398 foreign-invested projects with a registered capital of 2.16 billion USD, 22 others in public-private partnership worth an estimated 60 trillion VND in the period. At the same time, the city recorded 18,685 newly-established firms, up 10 percent year-on-year, raising the total number of operating businesses to 225,700. 

Hanoi ranked third among 63 cities and provinces nationwide in terms of the public administration reform (PAR) index, up 6 places from 2015, and was placed second in terms of readiness for technological application. The rate of business registration online hit 96 percent while tax e-filing and electronic customs procedures reached 98 percent and 100 percent, respectively. 

However, rampant violations of construction and land use rules along with serious traffic congestion are among major causes of public concern.

Lao-funded Ho Chi Minh memorial house inaugurated in Nghe An

The Government of Laos hosted a ceremony to inaugurate and hand over a memorial house dedicated to President Ho Chi Minh in the late President’s home province of Nghe An on September 29.

The Lao Government was represented at the ceremony by Party Central Committee’s Secretary and Deputy Minister of National Defence Vilay Lakhamphong.

The two-storey facility, located in the Kim Lien relic site, Nam Dan district, has four exhibition spaces, featuring the solidarity and the traditional friendship between the two Parties, States, armies and people of Vietnam and Laos; the remembrance of late Presidents Ho Chi Minh and Kaysone Phomvihane; and Lao culture.

During the event, the Lao Deputy Minister presented the Bravery Order, third class, to the Company of Economic Cooperation of Military Region 4 for its contribution to building the President Ho Chi Minh memorial house.

Vietnamese students in Laos receive scholarships from Vietnam Government

The Embassy of Vietnam in Laos held a ceremony in Laos’s capital Vientiane on September 29 to present scholarships of the Vietnamese Government to 40 overseas Vietnamese students in the country.

The scholarships was part of an agreement on education and training cooperation between the two Governments and a cooperation plan on education and human resources development between Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training and Laos’s Ministry of Education and Sports. 

Congratulating the scholarship recipients, chargé d’affaires of the Vietnamese Embassy in Laos Nguyen Thanh Tung said the scholarships demonstrate the Vietnamese Party, State and people’s attention to overseas Vietnamese in Laos. 

Nguyen Van Mui, Vice Chairman of the General Association of Vietnamese People in Laos, described the scholarships as valuable material and spiritual gifts to the students that help encourage the development of the Vietnamese community, which is a friendship bridge linking the two nations.

The number of the Vietnamese Government’s scholarships for children of overseas Vietnamese in Laos has increased from five in 2005 to 40 at present.

ASEAN Food and Cultural Festival held in HCM City

The Executive Committee of the HCM City’s Women Union organised a Food and Cultural Festival to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) today.

The event, held at the Women’s Cultural House in District 7, was attended by the chairwoman of the city’s Women Union, Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Bích, deputy chairman of the city’s Fatherland Front, Nguyễn Thành Trung, and representatives from the Consulate Generals of attending ASEAN members.

In addition to ASEAN fashion and music performances, a competition was held to explore the cuisines of ASEAN members.

Ten teams from 24 provinces and four armed-forces units were required to present a traditional dish of one ASEAN-member country that they had randomly selected.

Each team, which had to dress up in traditional costumes that represented their chosen country, had five minutes to present, according to the organiser.

Some of the dishes included Myanmar’s grilled pork, Singapore’s stir-fried rice vermicelli, Brunei’s rice cake with grilled meat and satay sauce, Indonesia’s fried chicken with turmeric, Thailand’s tom yum soup, Malaysia’s shrimp curry and Việt Nam’s spring rolls, among others.

Training course for journalists reporting APEC 2017

The Ministry of Information and Communications on September 29 opened a training workshop in the central city of Danang to update journalists with an overview of APEC 2017 and the APEC Summit set to take place in November.

In his speech at the opening ceremony, Dang Khac Loi, Deputy Director of the Press Department, highlighlighted the importance of people’s participation in promoting Vietnam, a peaceful country with friendly people and a reliable partner.

Loi said communications play a very important role in reporting on Vietnam’s efforts to make the summit a success, adding that he hopes the training workshop will provide journalists with more information, knowledge, and the skills to produce quality articles on APEC 2017.

Six taxi pick-up stations to be set up in district 1

Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee yesterday approved the proposal from Department of Transport allowing taxis to pick up passengers at taxi pick-up stations within six months starting October 1.

The move aims to solve traffic jam in the city in rush hours.

Accordingly, district 1 will select investors to carry out the pilot installation program of six taxi pick-up stations in district 1.

Department of Transport said six taxi pick-up stations will be set up on the streets such as: Nguyen Du, Han Thuyen, Alexandre De Rhodes…

Ha Tinh receives woodblock about Great Poet Nguyen Du

The National Archives Center No.4 - under the State Records and Archives Department of Vietnam handed over the woodblock about Great Poet Nguyen Du, the World Cultural Celebrity to the Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism of Ha Tinh Province on September 29.

The offering ceremony was held at Nguyen Du Memorial House in Tien Dien Commune, Nghi Xuan District, marking the 197th death anniversary of the great poet Nguyen Du.

The woodblocks reflect Vietnamese history and society from the initial stage to the Nguyen dynasty, including writings about great poet Nguyen Du, said director of the National Archives Center No.4, Nguyen Xuan Hung.

Director of the Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism of Ha Tinh Province, Bui Xuan Thap expressed its deep appreciation and thanked to the National Archives Center No.4 for presenting the valuable woodblock of poet Nguyen Du which is part of the Woodblocks from the Nguyen dynasty (1802-1945) recognized as World Documentary Heritage by UNESCO in 2009.

Nguyen Du, also known as To Nhu and Thanh Hien, was born in 1765 to a noble family in Thang Long ( Hanoi ).

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) chose the great Vietnamese poet Nguyen Du among other world famous personalities at its 37th General Assembly in Paris in 2013. He was also recognized by the World Peace Council as one of the world’s cultural celebrities in 1965.

Poet Nguyen Du has been recognized by UNESCO for his Truyen Kieu (Tale of Kieu), a masterpiece of Vietnamese classic epic poetry.

Truyen Kieu has the most number of translations in more than 30 languages. The classic literature is a unique work containing verses which are divided into hundreds of short poems.

HCMC & Phu Yen cooperate to develop tourism

The Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association and Phu Yen Tourism Association jointly held yesterday the ceremony to review the program to promote local tourism sector 2017.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tam, Chairman of Phu Yen Tourism Association said through the program, the province achieved many successes as tourists traveling to Phu Yen increased sharply up to 30 percent in 2016 and higher than that in the first 9 months of 2017.

Phu Yen with many beautiful landscapes and local cuisines attracted many local and international tourists. The province has made big achievements since Vietnamese movie which filmed in the central coast province of Phu Yen, “Toi thay hoa vang tren co xanh” (I see yellow flowers on the green grass) has been screened and awarded in the country and abroad, added Tam.

Mr. Tam affirmed in the upcoming times, tourists would be provided tours with the stability of prices and high-quality services.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Khanh, the HCMC Tourism Association shared at the ceremony that Phu Yen tourism sector should continue connecting tourist sites between Phu Yen and neighboring provinces and the province should invest infrastructure development to welcome more and more tourists in next time.

She added that the program targets to connect the localities in the country, hoping that the localities would continue luring more and more domestic visitors.

Mr. Le Quoc Trung, deputy chairman of Sai Gon Railway Company said since the beginning of the year to date, Sai Gon Railway has sold over 40,000 train tickets, a threefold increase over the previous years.

When public confidence is lost

To the public, the theft may not seem to be a big one in terms of value, when an official reports the missing of VND385 million from his baggage inside a hotel room in Long An Province this Monday. However, most – if not all – newspapers in the country have given an extensive coverage of the case, and surprisingly still, the story has captured widespread attention, with feedback from readers overwhelming local media.

Nguyen Xuan Quang, deputy director of a Hanoi-based environmental protection agency under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, checked in to a hotel in Long An Province’s Tan An District last Tuesday to begin an inspection of 30 enterprises in the province. This Tuesday, Quang after waking up found that his laptop plus VND385 million, or roughly US$17,000, had been stolen.

The news was quickly alerted to local police. An initial investigation shows that apart from the lost money and the laptop, several envelopes were still in the hotel room, some still sealed and others opened, including U.S. banknotes amounting to the thousands. In the room was also a receipt showing an amount of money had been deposited at a bank the day before, meaning Quang is still lucky as he might have lost a bigger sum if the burglary had occurred one day earlier, according to vov.vn, the news site of the Vietnam Radio station.

The value of the lost money and the laptop is not too big to a public haunted with losses of trillions at State corporations as shown at court hearings these days, but questions stemming from the theft emerge en masse. Instead of sympathizing with the victim, they cast doubt on the origin of the money.

When the incident occurred, Quang and his subordinates had inspected nine out of the 30 enterprises in the inspection scheme, according to Dan Tri online newspaper.

Most feedback from readers in local newspapers suspects that this might be bribe money from inspected enterprises.

Quang asserted in encounters with reporters that such an assumption was baseless, and the lost sum is his personal money he took along from Hanoi to hand over to a family member in HCMC. “This is my personal money taken along to settle a private family business, not the money given by enterprises,” Quang is quoted as saying in Tuoi Tre.

His assertion fails to persuade the public, and newspapers also have similar suspicion.

According to vov.vn, the hotel owner told the police that some guests had come to the hotel to meet with Quang, and some had even been invited into his room, but the nature of their communications was unknown. Also according to the hotel owner, one member of Quang’s inspection team had also asked for the way to the nearest bank.

In an analysis titled “Inspector’s loss of VND385 million: Not just a theft,” Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper wonders why the inspector took along a huge amount of cash from north to south despite increasingly convenient banking services.

In addition, says the paper, “there is a good reason for rumors of corruption given so many suspicious vestiges at the scene such as envelopes and a money transfer receipt.”

In a sarcastic tone, Tuoi Tre quotes a blogger as saying “the case rings a bell of alarm on the property safety for leaders when taking a field trip to inspect environmental issues at enterprises.” The newspaper ponders whether all hotels should have a special safety box service to keep money for officials during field trips.

Thanh Nien suggests a backtracking measure to determine whether it is Quang’s personal money or bribes taken from enterprises by reviewing X-ray machines at the airport of departure to see whether the money was there when he began his trip. The newspaper also reminds readers of a similar incident years ago, when a leader of the Government Office after a field trip forgot a bag on board a plane, with VND400 million inside. The case had prompted the National Assembly to urge the Government to give an explanation.

Back to the case this time, according to Nguoi Lao Dong, leaders of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, aware of the sensitivity of the incident, has ordered Quang to give a full account.

Following the demand of the ministry, Nguoi Lao Dong says that an extensive investigation into the burglary is extremely necessary so as to shed light on the nature of the incident. A well-established outcome of the investigation will be beneficial for society.

If the money is ascertained to be Quang’s personal money, then all the rumors harmful to his prestige will be wiped out and he is proven clean again. Otherwise, if Quang is found to lie about the origin of the money, then the ministry can assure the public that it does not tolerate corruption and is ready to wage a war on such unlawful practices.

If police are hesitant to step in, and all the case is reliant on explanations by the victim to his agency, transparency cannot be obtained, according to Nguoi Lao Dong.

Given numerous cases of corruption in the country, given the worsening environment despite numerous inspections, there are good grounds for the public to doubt the case of theft as reported by the victim. The public confidence has been eroded or even lost, if no tough measures are taken to unveil the real nature.

“The public awaits a conclusion from police, even if there is no theft as declared by Mr. Quang,” says Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper.     

British Council holds education show in three big cities

The British Council Vietnam will organize the UK Education Exhibition 2017 at Lotte Hotel in Hanoi on October 7, InterContinental Asiana Saigon in HCMC on October 8 and at Novotel Hotel in Danang on October 12 from 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., with around 60 UK universities, colleges and high schools taking part.

Those interested in UK education can learn more about information on various undergraduate, postgraduate, pathway programs as well as domestic programs leading to UK-accredited degrees aside from looking for scholarship opportunities.

Visitors can talk with Living Books, known as Vietnamese alumni and students currently studying in the UK, who are willing to share their learning and job-seeking experiences and stories about university life in the UK.

One of the highlights of the event is the UK cultural corner with its theme “Harry Potter”, allowing exhibition-goers to get a glimpse of the UK culture and lifestyle in celebration of the 20th anniversary since the first book in the Harry Potter series was published.

Interested people should register and search for scholarships at https://vn.edukexhibition.org/vi-vn.

Exit and entry procedures for aircraft through national OSS mechanism

The Prime Minister has issued Decision No. 43/2017/QD-TTg regulating the responsibility for carrying out the entry, exit and transit procedures for aircraft through the national One-Stop Shop (OSS) mechanism.

Concerning the responsibility for performing exit procedures for aircraft, the decision stipulates that persons who carry out procedures declare the following information and vouchers electronically via the national OSS mechanism: the declaration of export goods and the master bill of loading as for exit aircraft carrying export goods; the list of passengers as for exit aircraft carrying passengers; and the member list of the flight crew.

Procedure performers must submit the following print vouchers (original) to State management agencies at airports: a general air declaration (including medical declaration) submitted to the border health quarantine organization; a medical declaration on the body, remains and ashes (if yes) submitted to the border medical quarantine organization; a medical declaration on the medical microbiological samples, biological products, and human tissues and organs (if yes) submitted to the border medical quarantine organization.

Procedure performers must present the following print vouchers (original) to state management agencies at airports: passport or valid international travel documents and visa of the passenger; passports or valid international travel papers and visas of the flight crew, which will be presented to the border gate police. 

With regards to the responsibility of the State management agencies at airports, the decision clearly states that the State management agencies are responsible for: receiving and giving feedback on the reception of information and vouchers provided electronically; accepting the print versions of vouchers; conducting checks over the vouchers with print versions; confirming the completion of procedures as for exit aircraft. The reception, feedback and confirmation procedures are carried out automatically through the national OSS portal for both procedure performers and related parties.

The place to receive and process electronic voucher information is the national OSS portal. Those who carry out procedures are responsible for sending electronic data to the national OSS portal as stipulated in the decision, so that the State management agencies carry out exit, entry and transit procedures for aircraft.

The reception and processing of print versions of voucher information are conducted at the headquarters of State management agencies at airports.