Lord David Puttnam: Teamwork a key to success

Lord David Puttnam held a dialogue on January 29 with more than 300 students and teachers from Le Hong Phong high school in Ho Chi Minh City.

At the talk, the UK Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Burmashared his experiencesandknowledge about economics,andthe importance of teamwork as a key to success.

Puttnam then stressed that young students should be faithful to their ideasand should not underestimate the importance of creativity in the learning process.

Puttnam was chairman and CEO of Columbia Pictures from June 1986 until September 1987.His films have won 10 Oscars, 25 BAFTAs and the Palme d'Or at Cannes.

Puttnam was awarded knighthood in 1995 and was appointed to the House of Lords two years later. He has also received more than 40 honorary degrees from universities in the UK and other countries.

No Rubella cases recorded in HCMC

Ho Chi Minh City has not recorded any outbreaks of rubella though it has many workers in industrial and processing export zones, said Pasteur Institute in HCMC on January 28.

Following the news that of nearly 150 workers in a company in the southern province of Binh Duong’s Ben Cat District have suffered fever and 20 of them tested positive with rubella on January 28, the Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health sent its warning to cities and provinces on the disease.

Accordingly, local authorities must raise people’s awareness of the disease through public media as well as the benefit of vaccination against the disease and encourage parents to take their children to medical units for immunization.

Medical units in coordination with schools review to inject all children in the age of one to 14 as per plan. The massive free vaccination campaign held by the Department of Preventative Medicine has administered vaccine to more than 12 million children in 50 cities and provinces achieving 95 percent of the plan.

Police find 48 dead monkeys, arrest trader

Environmental police in central Nghe An Province have arrested a local man for illegally trading wild and rare animals after a raid that uncovered 48 dead monkeys inside freezers.

Working with provincial police, environmental police raided the house of Tran Gia Ngu in Tuong Duong District and discovered the dead animals.

Two monkeys were found alive in Ngu's basement, but both had suffered serious leg wounds and were weak from ill health. Dozens of weasels were also found, as well as four Sunda flying lemurs, and wild boars.

Ngu told police he bought the animals from local people and was planning to sell them.

Police are expanding their investigation.

The Forest Protection Department says Vietnam is a trafficking hotspot for wild animals and a major transfer point in the global illegal animal trade.

Police have seized an increasingly large number of wild animal in the central and central highlands regions in recent months.  

Consumers confused of nutritional supplements due to advertising

A seminar on management of nutritional supplement was held by the Ho Chi Minh City of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee, yesterday.

According to the municipal Department of Food Safety, related agencies discovered violations in sales and advertising of nutritional supplement.

35 percent of violation was that the labeling is not matched with what stamped at registered document; 17 percent of nutritional supplement importers boasted of nutritional supplement use.

Dr. Nguyen Thi Huynh Mai, deputy chairwoman of the municipal Department of Food Safety, said that advertisings of nutritional supplements on websites or newspapers are capricious and loosely managed causing misunderstanding among consumers that they are medications.

670kg of gunpowder seized at Laos border

Border guards in the central province of Quang Binh yesterday seized 670kg of gunpowder brought from Laos through the Cha Lo Border Gate.

The smugglers admitted had been working for a ring to bring dynamite into the province.

Border guards also stopped a lorry carrying 382kg of firecrackers on Tuesday, which are prohibited in Viet Nam.

Firms fined for trade in untreated waste

Tay Ninh Province's People's Committee has decided to fine two businesses in Trang Bang District VND100 million (US$4,700) each for dealing in untreated solid waste, contrary to environmental regulations.

Tran Hiep Thanh Textile Corporation, located in Trang Bang Industrial Zone, worked with Thu Ngan One Member Co.,Ltd in An Tinh Commune to store 51,880 tonnes of mud. However, Thu Ngan was unable to cope with the large amount of waste, causing pollution in the surrounding environment.

The committee instructed the textile corporation to sign a contract with a waste treatment company, and Thu Ngan has been given 30 days to treat the waste to avoid environmental pollution.

Gasoline tanker explodes, injuring two

A gasoline tanker exploded yesterday in the southernmost province of Ca Mau, injuring two people and damaging some of the surrounding homes.

The injured victims, identified as the driver and a local woman, are being treated at HCM City's Cho Ray hospital and the Ca Mau General Hospital, respectively.

An eyewitness said the tanker exploded suddenly while a welder was working at the back of the tanker.

The reason behind the explosion is being investigated.

HCM City seizes stolen aviation fuel

The Public Security Ministry and HCM City police department on Wednesday seized 8,000 litres of stolen aviation fuel at two warehouses.

They also arrested seven suspects for allegedly stealing the fuel from Jetstar Pacific and selling it illegally.

Le Tien Binh, Deputy Head of the Property Infringement Investigation Division under the Public Security Ministry, said that the gang, including three Jetstar Pacific drivers working for Jetstar Pacific's Technical Department, stole the fuel from tanker trucks while servicing planes at Tan Son Nhat Airport.

He said that the drivers pumped the stolen fuel into jerry cans and carried them to a warehouse at the airport.

The drivers there allegedly shared the fuel into 30-litre cans and transported them to a warehouse owned by 39-year-old Tran Van Suu in District 7, he said.

The drivers later allegedly sold the gas to Suu for VND350,000-390,000 (US$16.6-18.5) each gas can, he added.

Suu is said to have mixed the fuel with diesel oil and distributed the mix to various cities and provinces, including HCM City, Dong Nai and Long An for higher prices, he said. The gang is said to have operated for two years and stolen a total of 600-900 litres of aviation gas each day, he said.

Ho Sy Tien, Director General of Criminal Police Authority, said that the case had shown a lack of management by the Technical Department of Jetstar Pacific.

He said that the criminals had mixed the fuel with diesel oil without permits or licences, making it dangerous for those who used it.

Ha Noi to raise smuggling fines

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has approved Ha Noi's proposal to increase administrative fines for smugglers and manufacturers of fake products.

He asked the Ministry of Finance to study the proposal and provide funding and equipment to Ha Noi to implement the plan.

The proposal was made at a meeting held on Wednesday to discuss ways to tackle trade fraud, smuggling and fake products this year.

Ha Noi Police Department Director Nguyen Duc Chung also said the city should auction seized goods to prevent losses or damage. At present, authorised agencies have to wait until trials are finished to sell the assets.

Vice chairman of the municipal People's Committee, Nguyen Ngoc Tuan, who is also chairman of the city's Steering Committee on Trade Fraud, Smuggling and Fake Product Prevention and Control, said Ha Noi was a hot spot for consumption and production in the northern region.

To deal with this, the city has carried out inspections at wholesale markets, major storage facilities, train and bus stations, ports and the airport. Inspections have also been carried out at key transport routes linking Ha Noi with Lang Son, Mong Cai, Hai Phong, Lao Cai, Cao Bang and HCM City.

Last Friday, Market Watch forces and police stopped a car transporting four tonnes of cosmetics and 3.1 tonnes of spices of unknown origin.

In 2014, the city handled nearly 21,000 cases of smuggling and fake product production and trade, and prosecuted 154 people. The total administrative fines and the value of the seized products amounted to more than VND3.6 trillion (US$171 million).

However, Chung said police still faced many difficulties in the fight against smuggling and fake goods.

For example, smugglers make use of a policy that allows people living along the border who are exempt from import taxes for products worth less than VND2 million ($95) per person per day to smuggle goods, causing difficulties for authorised agencies.

Other participants at the conference also pointed out a shortage of manpower to carry out regular checks, especially when smugglers use the cover of night or rainy days to illegally transport goods.

Deputy PM Phuc said Ha Noi had made progress in this fight, but more was still needed, particularly with Tet approaching.

Apart from increasing inspections at high-risk areas such as wholesale markets and transport hubs, a mechanism was needed so members of the public could provide information about smugglers and counterfeiters, he said.

Labour relations better, but problems persist

Employers using "sophisticated" ways to take "revenge" on union officials and the latter's poor negotiation and communication skills were among labour relations problems highlighted at a workshop on Tuesday.

However, recent years have seen a marked improvement in the situation, workers' union and labour federation officials asserted.

Union officials said that industrial workers were continuing to use work stoppages and strikes as a first option to make their claims because current legal procedures are cumbersome and time-consuming.

Mai Duc Chinh, vice president of Viet Nam Labour Confederation said at a workshop held in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) on Tuesday that workers were not following the two-step procedure they are supposed to.

He said workers were required to take their problems to district level labour arbitration councils first and their provincial counterparts next before corporate unions can organise a strike.

"But, in fact, over the last nine years, the Labour Arbitration Council of HCM City has only worked on a single case," he said.

However, Cu Phat Nghiep, president of the HCM City-based Pou Yuen Company Workers' Union, which has 83,400 employees, said: "Workers are aware of the strike procedure, but it takes too long and too many levels of management for them to have their voices heard.

"By the means of a spontaneous strike, they can get to meet the top management of their company immediately."

Despite the "unlawful" practice, labour relations have improved in the country, participants said at the workshop that focused on "Unions' Involvement in Prevention and Resolution of Labour Disputes and Strikes, Current Situation and Resolutions."

Chinh said that the incidence of collective labour disputes and strikes had reduced in recent years by 25 per cent, from the peak of 993 in 2011 to 293 incidents in 2014.

He attributed the reduction to authorities, unions and employers working hard to implement instructions issued by the Party Secretariat on improving labour relations.

He noted that labour disputes resulting in stoppages often occurred around the Tet holiday, surrounding the issue of salaries, wages and Tet bonuses.

None of the work stoppages and strikes were political in nature, and did not involve any damage to property or life, he said.

Typically, it was the employers' violations of the Labour Law that caused the disputes, he added.

Statistics compiled by the Viet Nam Labour Confederation show that between 2009 and 2014, there were 3,120 work stoppages and strikes. Of them, 959 (30.74 per cent) related to worker's rights; 1,272 (40.77 per cent) pertained to worker's interests; 832 involved both rights and interests; and 57 were triggered by other reasons (1.83 per cent).

Le Trong Sang, head of the Confederation's Labour Relations Department, said that from a practical standpoint, labour disputes can be seen to arise from both the employer and the employee.

"The employers fail to pay due attention to their employees and violate regulations on employees' rights and interests in terms of wages, work hours and vacations.

On the other hand, due to poor education, traditional work habits and low awareness, employees are often ignorant of the terms of labour contracts that they sign," Sang said.

He added that collective labour disputes occurred most in foreign-invested enterprises, partly because of language barriers that led to misunderstandings. Chinh urged corporate unions to act as a bridge between the employer and the employee.

"They (the unions) should take the initiative in working with employers to organise regular dialogues and meetings with employees, which are not only opportunities for both sides to exchange information but also for employers to clear claims and solve complaints of employees, contributing to better labour relations."

However, there are some serious challenges facing unions, the workshop heard.

One member of the Dong Nai Labour Federation who did not want to be named told the Lao Dong (Labour) newspaper that union officials worked part-time for the most part, and did not have enough time for proper union activities.

"Worse still, their negotiation and communication skills are so poor that they are unable to fight for or protect the employees' interests," he said.

Lao Dong also cited other unnamed delegates from Binh Duong and Bac Ninh provinces who said in several cases, employers took revenge in "sophisticated fashion" on unionists involved in stoppages and strikes.

The workshop was organised by the National Labour Confederation in collaboration with the German Frienrich Ebert Foundation.

British surgeons help ‘children of Agent Orange’

Though the Vietnam War ended nearly 4 decades ago, the casualties continue as birth defects plague the country due to the 20 million gallons of Agent Orange sprayed by the United States.

Top plastic surgeons affiliated with the UK charity – Facing the World –  have conducted regular missions to Vietnam over the past six years to perform surgeries on children with consequential horrific facial deformities.

The charity’s invaluable support has changed the lives of hundreds of severely disfigured youngsters and their families and contributed to improving Vietnam’s medical treatment of them. Da Nang in central Vietnam is thought to have the highest level of congenital deformity in the world.

Since 2008, the charity has established a relationship with the Da Nang hospital by sending top British plastic surgeons on their unpaid mission to perform surgeries at no charge for the children.

So far, the programme has provided successful surgeries to more than 90 Vietnamese youngsters.

It has also provided the hospital three 3D printers and training courses for medical staff on their use as well as training on the use advanced equipment in the craniofacial surgery field.

Dr Kirkpatrick, a consultant plastic surgeon and medical director of the charity said doctors from Da Nang hospital are top tier and it has been a pleasure working with them on such a vitally important project.

In the future, FTW plans to expand the model to Hanoi and the Vietnam-Germany Friendship Hospital.

National human vaccine programme commences

The national human vaccine programme got off the ground with the signing of contracts between the programme office and four vaccine makers at a ceremony in Hanoi on January 28.

Speaking at the event, Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said the signing marks the beginning of a new age in Vietnam where human vaccines become a national trademark.

The national programme, implemented under Decision 2441/QD-TTg issued by the Prime Minister on December 31, 2012, aims to ensure the availability of domestic supply for the country’s extended vaccination programme to deal with common diseases.

Accordingly, by 2020, Vietnam targets to produce on commercial scale seven vital vaccines using advanced technology, namely combination vaccine and those for hepatitis A, rabies, typhoid, Japanese encephalitis, rotavirus and influenza. Its goal also includes improving the performance of relevant domestic establishments in terms of research and quality monitoring as well as exporting the products to other countries.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has extended his deep condolences to families of military officials who died when their helicopter crashed during training in Ho Chi Minh City on January 28.

The Prime Minister directed the Ministry of National Defence to work with relevant agencies, units, and localities to quickly examine the cause of the accident.

Lt. Gen. Vo Van Tuan, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army said the cause of the crash is being investigated but it could be confirmed that it is only an accident with no connection with sabotage.

The UH-1 helicopter crashed in the morning of January 28, killing all four people on board.

The victims are Sen. Lt. Col. Tran Van Duc, senior pilot; Sen. Lt. Col. Do Van Chinh, engineer; Major Le Hong Quan, pilot and navigator; and Lt. Nguyen Viet Cuong, pilot.

The chopper, which was on a training mission, departed from the southern city’s Tan Son Nhat Airport at 7:15 a.m. and disappeared from the radar just eight minutes later, Tuan said.

It was found going down in hamlet 4 of Pham Van Hai commune, Ho Chi Minh City’s outlying Binh Chanh district, which is about 15km west-south west from the airport.

RoK national praised for cultural exchange activities

Chairman of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) Vu Xuan Hong presented the insignia “For Peace and Friendship among Nations” to Hwang Geum-Chu, Chairman of the Republic of Korea- Vietnam Cultural Exchange Association in Hanoi on January 29.

The decoration recognised the Korean national’s contributions to boosting cooperation between the RoK and Vietnam via cultural exchange activities.

In recent years, Hwang Geum-Chu has supported the organisation of academic workshops on “Nhat ky trong tu” (President Ho Chi Minh’s Prison Diary), Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos, and an international workshop on poet Nguyen Du and Truyen Kieu (The Tale of Kieu).

He has given assistance to Vietnamese brides and students who are living and studying in the RoK.

Speaking at the event, VUFO Chairman underscored that Hwang Geum-Chu’s contributions have brought the two peoples closer.

Hwang Geum-Chu expressed his honour to receive the award from VUFO.

He said his association’s purpose is sharing experience with Vietnam in the construction of new style rural area as well as organising cultural exchange activities to help promote bilateral relations.-

Over 33 million USD for poverty alleviation in Ha Giang

Thirty communes in five districts in the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang will benefit from a 33 million USD poverty reduction project, according to Nguyen Minh Tien, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee.

The Commodity-oriented Poverty Reduction Programme will receive 20 million USD in Official Development Assistance (ODA) capital provided by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), while the Vietnamese Government will provide 9.5 million USD and the beneficiaries will contribute the remaining 4.2 million USD.

The programme, to run from 2015 to 2020, aims to sustainably improve income and reduce the risk of economic losses for poor households in the target communes in the districts of Hoang Su Phi, Xin Man, Vi Xuyen, Bac Quang and Quang Binh.

One of the specific goals of the programme is to reduce the rate of poor households by half and malnutrition among children by 30 percent by 2020 in beneficiary communes.

At the same time, the programme also seeks more balanced income between women-run households and men-run households.

Hoang Su Phi and Xin Man are among six districts of Ha Giang listed among the nation’s 61 poorest.

The rate of poverty in those six districts is over 50 percent and the annual average income per capita is 3.6 million VND (around 170 USD).

Hanoi celebrates Indian Republic Day

The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations and the Vietnam-India Friendship Association co-hosted a get-together in Hanoi on January 29 celebrating the 66th Indian Republic Day (January 26).

Addressing the event, President of the Vietnam-India Friendship Association Hoang Van Phong talked about immense, crucial accomplishments recorded by Indian people and India’s significant position and influence on the global stage.

He noted that the two countries’ people have been bonded by friendship, solidarity, and support before and now. In recent years, bilateral cooperation has been growing across politics, trade, investment, security, defence, agriculture, education, and healthcare.

The two countries are working to achieve a 10 billion USD two-way trade value this year and bring the figure to 15 billion USD by 2020.

Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Preeti Saran said the celebration of the Indian Republic Day is meant to remember national heroes who won back freedom for India and those leaders who laid the foundation for the friendship between India and Vietnam.

Built on their support in the past struggle for national liberation and current economic development effort, the two countries will move forward their strategic partnership and bolster connection across the board, the Ambassador said.

The diplomat expressed the hope that the Vietnam-India Friendship Association continues working closely with the Indian Embassy to launch various cultural exchange activities for the two people.

The Vietnamese and Indian officials shared the belief that greater cooperative achievements will be reaped by the two countries for their people’s practical benefits and for peace, stability, cooperation, and prosperity in the region and across the world.

Workshop on parliamentary cooperation in cyber war prevention

Vietnam applauds the 132nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU-132)’s intention of adopting a resolution on cyber warfare – a serious threat to world peace and security, said National Assembly Vice Chairman Huynh Ngoc Son.

Son addressed a workshop themed “Parliaments in the prevention of cyber warfare’s threats to world peace and security” in Hanoi on January 28.

Speeches delivered at the event focused on discussing issues relating to information safety, network security and cyber warfare.

Participants proposed Vietnam ’s State agencies, international organisations and parliaments boost cooperation in combating cyber warfare, which has become a common concern of any nations and organisations.

They also gave opinions on the content of the cyber warfare resolution.

In Vietnam, in recent years, thousands of websites, including those belonging to State agencies, have been attacked intentionally, causing total losses of up to thousands of billion VND.

The 132nd Assembly of the IPU is scheduled to take place from March 28 to April 1 in Hanoi under the theme “Sustainable Development Goals: Turning Words into Actions”.

Central, southern localities asked to use water efficiently

Localities in the central, Central Highlands and southeast regions have been urged to intensify measures to prevent drought impacts and control saltwater intrusion to ensure adequate water supply for irrigation during the Winter-Spring rice crop.

At the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s conference in Ninh Thuan province on January 27, Deputy Minister Hoang Van Thang suggested relevant agencies design plans to provide water for production and daily use in the event of water shortages.

He also asked locals to consider planting new crops that require less water, intensify the clean-up of canals, ponds and wells, and build dams to prevent seawater encroachment.

The regions facing water shortages should manage the resource strictly, using it sparingly and effectively to avoid losses, and promote the application of advanced technologies in irrigation, he added.

The official requested the General Department of Irrigation, the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecast, the Electricity of Vietnam, and local Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development to well operate hydropower reservoirs and irrigational facilities.

On this occasion, the General Department of Irrigation and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development co-organised an exhibit to introduce outstanding irrigation technological products that increase the efficiency of water use and the quality of farm produce while reducing labour and fertiliser costs.

Gifts to impoverished households in Yen Bai

As many as 200 gift packages worth about 100 million VND (4,700 USD) were given to impoverished households in Luc Yen and Yen Binh districts of the northern province of Yen Bai on January 27 and 28.

The drive was organised by the Steering Committee for the Northwest Region on the occasion of the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival.

Deputy head of the Steering Committee Truong Xuan Cu lauded families who made significant contributions to the struggle for national independence.

He also requested relevant authorities implement policies to improve living conditions for impoverished households that focus on economic development and anti-hunger initiatives.

The Steering Committee for the Northwest Region will continue distributing gift packages and 40 television sets to impoverished households in other districts of the province before the annual Tet festival which falls on February 19.-

HCM City to upgrade workforce's skills

Ho Chi Minh City will implement measures to improve the quality of vocational training and raise the number of trained workers to 72 percent of the city's total employees this year from the rate of 68 percent in 2014, according to the municipal Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

Vocational training schools will recruit about 401,000 students this year, Nguoi Lao Dong (Labourer) newspaper quoted the source as saying.

Last year, vocational training schools recruited more than 443,500 students and provided training for 2,000 poor labourers, 1,090 people with disabilities and 611 ethnic minority youth.

Int’l hydro-meteorology cooperation projects implemented

The National Hydro-Meteorology Centre will fortify its collaboration with foreign organisations and countries such as Japan, the Republic of Korea (RoK), Italy and the US to deploy technological potential in forecasting and monitoring hydrological meteorology.

The centre has actively joined international cooperation activities, especially in forecasting natural disasters in the Southeast Asian region and operating the World Meteorological Organisation’s (WMO) website.

It is implementing numerous projects funded through foreign aid and loans in strengthening weather forecast systems and early warning systems for natural disasters, as well as the Swiss funded Capacity Building and Twinning for Climate Observing System (CATCOS) project.

Meanwhile, the centre has proposed modernising the early warning system in the Northeast region to the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources through assistance from the RoK, as well as fortifying the second phase of flood forecasting system in Vietnam using by the Italian government’s loans

A number of projects were also submitted for the ministry’s approval to build the efficacy of the country’s hydrological meteorology initiatives.

Support for disadvantaged, war veterans for upcoming New Year

Localities across the country are working to provide for local disadvantaged individuals and war veterans on the quickly-approaching Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday.

The Mekong Delta province of An Giang set aside more than 47 billion VND (2.2 million USD) to cover activities in celebration of the holiday.

Accordingly, the province will offer 350,000 VND (16 USD) to around 70,000 people covered by social security, and 600,000 VND (28 USD) to nearly 34,000 individuals and families who served the nation in wartime.

As many as 271 local poor households will be able to enjoy the upcoming holiday comfortably in donated new homes, thanks to contributions from the Vietnam Commercial Bank and the An Giang Lottery Company.

The provincial Fatherland Front Committee also plans to give gifts worth at least 300,000 VND (14 USD) to every household below the poverty line, or about 46,000 families.

Similarly, thousands of gifts worth billions of Vietnamese dong have been offered to impoverished individuals in central Quang Binh province.

Another 200 gifts, each worth 300,000 VND (14 USD) have been presented to poor households in the Truong Xuan commune of Quang Ninh district.

More than 200 ethnic minority elderly and children in the district have also received free health check-ups on the occasion.

Meanwhile in central Quang Ngai province, more than 660 million VND (31 million USD) donated by teachers and students at the Republic of Korea’s Chung Ang University and Doosan Vietnam – Doosan Vina Company will be spent on activities to support residents in Ly Son island district, among others.

The activities include hygiene demonstrations, making handicrafts, drawing, and art performances, which take place from January 26 to February 6.

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