Drug trafficking ring from Son La to Hanoi intercepted

Duong Van Tuan (first, left) and the two other suspects at the police office (Source: http://cand.com.vn)

The police of the northwestern province of Son La, in coordination with Hanoi police and the Ministry of Public Security, have foiled a drug trafficking ring that stretched from Son La to Hanoi.

On January 2, the force arrested three suspects at Van La bus station in Ha Dong district of Hanoi, seizing seven bricks of heroin (over 2.4kg), one pack of crystal meth, and one taxi vehicle.

The arrested are Duong Van Tuan, born in 1985 from Dong Ky ward, Tu Son town of Bac Ninh province; Nguyen Anh Hao, a taxi driver born in 1984; and Do Van Duong, born in 1995, all from Bac Ninh.

Expanding the investigation into the case, the police also arrested Lo Van La, born in 1989 and residing in Nam Ty commune, Song Ma district of Son La for heroin transportation.

Initial investigation results showed that La was hired by an unknown man in Song Ma district to bring the heroin from Song Ma to Hanoi. He packed the drug in a carton package and sent it by bus to Hanoi, while driving alongside it by motorbike.

La then hired Tuan to receive the package for 100 million VND. Tuan was arrested when taking the package and loading it into a taxi which Duong was waiting inside.

The case is now under further investigation.

Fishermen rescued at sea

Illustrative photo. A fishing vessel with ten men aboard encountered high waves at sea off Bình Thuận Province. 

Ten fishermen were rescued off central Bình Định Province on Thursday after their vessel was overwhelmed by high waves at sea, according to the province’s Steering Board for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, Search and Rescue.

The boat, owned by a resident of Hoài Nhơn District in Bình Định, encountered difficulties about 50 nautical miles from the Việt Nam-Indonesia marine border at around 5am.

Immediately after receiving an SOS call from the boat, the committee asked for coordination from the National Committee for Natural Disaster Response, Search, and Rescue; the provincial border guard forces, local fishing boats, and relevant agencies to rescue the sailors.

As of 12.30pm the same day, a fishing vessel, owned by a resident also from Hoài Nhơn District, successfully rescued all 10 sailors from the capsized boat before reaching the coast of Malaysia to avoid storm Pabuk.

In another development, the navy forces of Bạc Liêu Province on Thursday rescued a fishing vessel with eight fishermen onboard which had been drifting at sea for two days due to engine failure, according to the provincial Steering Board for Natural Disaster Prevention and Search and Rescue. 

Science, technology provide impetus for national development

Science and technology must truly become an impetus to the country’s socio-economic development in the face of the fourth Industrial Revolution, heard at a seminar held in Hanoi on January 3. 

Participants asserted that science and technology is the top national policy as it was stated in many Party and State documents.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem underlined the need to have a new mindset in science and technology management, and take science and technology as the leading motivation to make socio-economic changes. 

Heads of agencies at all levels must focus on directing the development of science and technology in a real and drastic manner, he said.

He emphasized the importance of enterprises in promoting the development of science and technology, adding that it is necessary to foster research and application of science and technology in improving the efficiency of production and business, and effectively develop hi-tech zones. 

Proper policies should be designed to attract more Vietnamese intellectuals abroad to contribute to the country's scientific and technology development, he noted. 

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam stressed the requirement to adopt breakthrough solutions to making enterprises the centre of the national innovation system.

There should be a breakthrough in resource allocation policy, especially tax policy, to encourage businesses to invest in science and technology, he said. 

He praised the Ministry of Science and Technology for making progress in implementing policies on State management of science and technology, noting that there is a need for stronger innovation of financial management mechanism for the field.

He urged the Ministry of Science and Technology to promote its important role as a leading agency in researching and giving advice to the Government on breakthrough policies for science and technology development, towards turning science and technology into a driving force of the national development amidst the 4th Industrial Revolution.

Master plan to develop ethnic areas

A class for ethnic and minority students.

Promoting the rapid and sustainable development of ethnic minority groups and mountainous areas is the consistent policy of the Party, State and Government of Việt Nam in the cause of socio-economic development.

That was the message from Deputy Prime Minister Trương Hòa Bình at the national workshop on Thursday on the current plans for ethnic minority group policies in the period of 2021-30.

For many years, the system of mountainous ethnic policy has been continuously improved, in line with the general development orientation, including support for education, health, sustainable poverty reduction, progress and social justice.

In the period of 2016-18, the Government issued 41 documents with priorities given to socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, including 15 national schemes and policies.

"Ministries and State agencies have tried their best to reduce poverty, achieving the national target programme on sustainable reduction," Bình said. .

"They have also implemented policies providing support and social security, ensuring there will be no cases of food shortage."

Speaking at the workshop, Minister and Chairman of the Committee for Ethnic Minorities, Đỗ Văn Chiến, said although the areas have achieved certain results, unemployment, poverty, natural disasters and diseases are still great challenges.

The percentage of poor households remains high among most ethnic minority groups. The rate of impoverished households accounts for nearly 53 per cent of the poverty-stricken households nationwide.

The average income of ethnic minority households is only 40 – 50 per cent of the region’s average income.

There are still about 21 per cent of ethnic minority people over 15 years old who cannot read and write well.

More than 54,000 households lack arable land, 58,000 families don’t have land to build house and 223,000 households need water for daily use, according to Chiến.

He said in order to limit the disadvantages, it is necessary to allocate adequate budget for ethnic minority people in disadvantaged and extremely disadvantaged groups.

Priority should be focused on investment attraction, forest economy, tourism, rural transport, raising cattle, investment in vocational, educational and medical establishments, creating high quality human resources and increasing preferential loans.

At the workshop, managers and experts shared the same view that policies on ethnic minority programmes and projects are unfocused. Moreover, it is difficult to find resources in project implementation and make full use of potential in the region.

The current policies fail to encourage the people to escape poverty by themselves and the co-ordination between ministries, sectors and localities in developing and implementing policies is still limited, they said.

Deputy PM Bình said in order to overcome existing shortcomings and limitations, the Government will integrate ethnic minority policies into a national development programme on the development of ethnic minority and economically disadvantaged areas.

He asked the Committee for Ethnic Minorities and ministries, State agencies, localities, scientists and experts to fully and comprehensively evaluate the national policy system in the period of 2016 - 18.

They were also required to properly analyse the status of life, income, livelihood and the level of access to culture, education and health of ethnic minorities, contributing ideas, suggesting orientations in order to build an ethnic minority group policy system which is comprehensive, synchronous and effective in the future. 

Da Nang debuts cardiovascular healthcare centre

The central city of Đà Nẵng has put into operation its first cardiovascular centre after three years of construction, offering services and treatment for patients from the city as well as the central and Central Highlands provinces.

The 10-storey centre, which was built on an area of 3,560sq.m on downtown Hải Phòng Street with an investment of VNĐ236 billion (US$11.23 million), will provide cardiovascular examinations, treatment and surgeries for in-patients with 200 beds.

Director of Đà Nẵng General Hospital Lê Đức Nhân said the introduction of the centre will provide more chances for heart disease patients in central Việt Nam. Most cardiovascular patients in the region are currently sent to Huế General Hospital – the only premium cardiology centre in the region – for treatment or surgeries.

Nhân said the centre will secure more investment in the second stage for better service and treatment for patients in the near future.

According to the Việt Nam Heart Association, 450 in 1,000 people in the city of Đà Nẵng have high blood pressure, also known as hypertension.

According to the Việt Nam National Heart Association, 25 per cent of the Vietnamese population aged more than 25 years suffers from hypertension and heart disease. It said the elevated level is due to over-consumption of fatty food and alcoholic drinks.

The central and Central Highlands region has been struggling with a lack of understanding of basic cardiovascular health and hypertension in communities, deficient funding for preventive programmes and a lack of up-to-date facilities for treating heart disease.

Đà Nẵng has 11 hospitals, four of which meet international standards, with 1,000 doctors and more than 620 consulting rooms and care centres.

Doctors from Hoàn Mỹ-Đà Nẵng hospital said 57,000 children had received heart screenings at the hospital in 2017 and 2018. 900 were diagnosed with congenital heart disease.

More than 1,600 patients were given cardiovascular surgeries at Đà Nẵng General Hospital between 2013 and 2016. 

Việt Nam National University HCM City to retain focus on scientific research, technology

A research facility at the Institute for Nanotechnology of the Việt Nam National University HCM City. — Photo courtesy of VNUHCM

The Việt Nam National University HCM City (VNUHCM) will continue to allocate funds for key scientific and technological activities this year.

At its annual conference to review its activities in 2018 and discuss plans for 2019, the VNUHCM said it would also continue to focus on technology transfer and commercialisation of research outcomes.

Since 2013 it has earned VNĐ200 billion (US$8.6 million) a year from such transfers.    

It has patented 155 inventions and published 3,675 articles in international journals, including 2,198 in the Science Citation Index and Science Citation Index Expanded journals.

This year it will focus on upgrading its stem cell lab into a key national lab.

It has 45 training programmes accredited by the ASEAN University Network-Quality Assurance (AUN-QA), which is the ASEAN quality assurance network for higher education. AUN-QA has the responsibility to promote quality assurance in higher education institutions, raise the quality of higher education and collaborate with both regional and international bodies for the benefit of the ASEAN community.

Nine of the VNUHCM’s training programmes meet European and US standards.

The VNUHCM plans to increase the number of programmes and majors for bachelor degrees to 197 in this year from 189 last year.

Its University of Social Sciences and Humanities will have two new majors, information administration and Vietnamese studies for Vietnamese students. It already offers a degree in Vietnamese studies that is open only to foreigners.

The university plans to begin a new “high-quality” training programme in tourism management.

Its School of Medicine will set up maxillo-facial and nursing faculties. 

Its branch in the Mekong Delta province of Bến Tre will have three new faculties offering courses in infrastructure works monitoring and maintenance, quality assurance and food safety and renewable energy.

An Giang University in the delta province of the same name is expected to become a member of the VNUHCM this year.

Hospital’s branch clinics reduce overcrowding

The Linh Trung General Clinic 1 is expected to open in the first quarter of the year at Linh Trung Export Processing Zone No 1. It will be able to provide a daily average of 1,000 outpatient examinations. — Source http://www.medinet.hochiminhcity.gov.vn

Public district-level hospitals in HCM City are opening their own clinics in wards and communes to reduce overcrowding and to serve patients who do not live near their hospitals.

Củ Chi District Hospital, for example, opened its own general clinic, named Tân Quy, in the district’s six communes of Tân Thạnh Tây, Tân Thạnh Đông, Trung An, Hòa Phú, Bình Mỹ and Phú Hòa Đông.

The six communes are home to a large number of residents and the industrial parks of Tân Quy, Trung An and Đông Nam.

The clinic, which has 16 doctors from Củ Chi District Hospital, whose services are provided 24/7, has new machines that meet demand in emergencies, surgery, obstetrics, paediatrics, otorhinolaryngology, and other medical specialties.  

The district’s People’s Committee allocated funds to upgrade the clinic from its status as a preventive health centre in the past.

As a “small-scale Củ Chi District Hospital”, the clinic offers improved healthcare services to local residents, according to the city’s Department of Health.

“Local residents no longer have to travel for a long distance and can save costs,” the department said..

When it opened, the clinic saw about 45 patients each day, and now sees 180 patients daily.  

Thủ Đức District Hospital has also seen a reduction in the number of patients because of its own clinics that were set up at health stations in wards and residential areas with export processing zones.

The hospital followed the Ministry of Health’s general requirement to reduce the number of patients at high-level hospitals and to increase the number at health centres.

The hospital now conducts 4,000 examinations per day, compared to 6,000 per day in previous years.

It has also employed more doctors and nurses, raising its total to 453 doctors and 751 nurses. 

Each clinic at its health stations in the district has one to four doctors from its main hospital.  

This year, the hospital plans to open four more clinics in residential areas that have industrial parks.

Because of the opening of its own clinics, it has been able to reduce the number of daily patient examinations to 3,000.

“The clinics have helped reduce patient overcrowding,” Dr Nguyễn Minh Quân, director of Thủ Đức District Hospital, told Việt Nam News.

“This overloading affects quality and can damage the brand name that took years to build. Hospital-acquired infections can also more easily occur because of overcrowding,” Quân added.

The Linh Xuân General Clinic, which belongs to Thủ Đức District Hospital, is located in the district’s export processing zone, has 18 doctors and 15 nurses, providing 750 examinations each day.

The clinic is located in Linh Xuân Ward, 10 kilometres from the hospital, and in an area with high traffic density and large trucks on the roads. 

Construction on Metro Line No 4B1 to start this year

HCM City plans to spend US$296.9 million on Metro Line No 4B1 (Hoàng Văn Thụ Park-Tân Sơn Nhất Airport). 

The HCM City Urban Railway Management Board has completed the feasibility study for Metro Line No 4B1 which will extend from Hoàng Văn Thụ Park to Tân Sơn Nhất Airport.

Construction is expected to start in the first quarter, with completion in 2024, the Tuổi trẻ (Youth) reported. 

The metro line will be 1,894m long, with 1,455m of the line built underground.

The line will have two stations with three underground floors each.

The stations will be located in Hoàng Văn Thụ Park, Tân Bình District and the international terminal at Tân Sơn Nhất Airport.

The station at the airport will be connected to the domestic terminal via a tunnel.

The line will connect with Metro Line No 5 (Bảy Hiền Intersection- Sài Gòn Bridge) and Metro Line No 1 (Bến Thành- Suối Tiên)

The total investment for the line is US$296.9 million, including some $229.4 million for construction and the remaining for site clearance and compensation. 

Art performance promotes Vietnam-Laos special friendship

Vietnamese art troupe performs on the occasion of the 70th founding anniversary of the Lao People’s Army. 

An art troupe from the Military Region 5 on January 3 performed in Vientiane on the occasion of the 70th founding anniversary of the Lao People’s Army (January 20).

The event was attended by Lao Deputy Minister of National Defence and head of the General Department of Politics of the Lao People’s Army Thongloi Silivong, Major General Saisamone Salapseng from the General Department of Politics, Vietnamese Military Attaché in Laos Tao Van Thai, and many soldiers and residents in Vientiane.

In his opening remarks, Saisamone Salapseng stressed that the two armies and people have enjoyed traditional solidarity, and supported each other in the fight against mutual hostiles.

Describing the special friendship and solidarity between the two countries as invaluable heritage, he said that the performance by the Vietnamese art troupe has significant meaning, helping foster the comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos, and their armies.

Management plan for My Son relic site receives approval

My Son Sanctuary comprises eight groups of 71 monuments built throughout the 7th -13th centuries. 

The People’s Committee of the central province of Quang Nam has recently approved a management plan for the My Son Relics – a World Culture Heritage site, in the 2018-2020 period, with a vision to 2030.

The plan is designed to protect the authenticity, as well as outstanding cultural and archaeological values of the large complex of Champa religious relics.  

It will also launch activities to clear unexploded ordnance and conduct technical research and studies on original building materials in a bid to restore the complex. 

Once the religious and political capital of the Champa Kingdom, My Son Sanctuary is located on a hilly landscape in Duy Phu commune of Duy Xuyen district, about 70km southwest of central Da Nang city and 40km from Hoi An city. It is comprised of eight groups of 71 monuments, built throughout the seventh to 13th centuries.

The first construction of My Son dates back to the 4th century under the reign of Bhadravarman for the worship of God Shiva-Bhadresvara. But later on, the temple was destroyed. 

At the beginning of the 7th century, King Sambhuvarman had it rebuilt and rebaptised Sambhu-Bhadresvara. Each new monarch came to My Son after his accession to the throne for the ceremony of purification and to present offerings and erect new monuments, which explains why My Son is the only place where Cham art flourished without interruption from the 7th to 13th century.

Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Day held in Hai Phong

The Indian Embassy held the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Day in the northern port city of Hai Phong on January 3. 

Speaking at the event, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Van Thanh said India has trained 30 local officials in the fields of foreign language, information technology and others, who have served as a bridge between the two countries. 

He expressed wish that the Indian government would continue providing scholarships for trainees in Vietnam and Hai Phong in particular. 

Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Parvathanesi Harish said ITEC programme is a successful joint work between Vietnam and India, covering agriculture, information technology, communications, insurance and finance. 

Harish wished that India would acquire trainees’ demand to design more suitable training programmes. 

ITEC is an overseas scholarship programme for State officials aged from 24-45 who have at least five years of experience and are yet to study in India. It will last from 2 to 52 weeks. 

Those interested could learn about the curricula and submit their documents at www.itecgoi.in.

Ethnic culture and tourism village offers diverse activities in January

A traditional festival of Thai ethnic group at the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism 

Various cultural and art activities are set to be held at the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism throughout January, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said on January 3.

The events are designed to introduce festivals and customs at the beginning of the year, as well as the traditional activities during Tet (Lunar New Year) of various ethnic groups. They will feature nearly 100 members of 14 ethnic groups at the village.

The Tay-Nung group will introduce the “Lau Then” ritual to visitors. “Then” singing (Hat Then) is a distinctive musical genre of the Tay, Nung, and Thai ethnic groups in northern mountainous provinces of Vietnam, such as Ha Giang, Cao Bang, Bac Kan, and Lang Son. 

Closely linked with the spiritual life of ethnic minority groups who often use ceremonial offerings to treat illnesses, Then singing is seen as therapeutic to go alongside medicine, helping to ease the worries of patients and their families.

Meanwhile, houses of ethnic groups in the village will be decorated in accordance with traditional customs to celebrate Tet.

In addition, cultural and art performances themed around the “Spring Festival” will be staged on weekends.

Traditional dishes of ethnic people will also be served at the village, including sticky rice, chicken with bamboo shoots, and grilled fish, among others. Visitors can participate in an array of activities like harvesting tea; weaving fabric; making musical instruments, liquor, and herbal medicine; as well as joining numerous folk games.

A photo exhibition on activities in the village will also be held on the occasion.

Ninh Binh welcomes over 7.3 million visitors in 2018

Visitors at Trang An in Ninh Binh

The Red River Delta province of Ninh Binh welcomed over 7.3 million visitors in 2018, grossing 3.2 trillion VND (138 million USD) from tourism services, a year-on-year increase of 19.2 percent.

The province successfully organised a series of events to attract visitors, such as Hoa Lu festival, Trang An festival, and Ninh Binh Tourism Week.

According to statistics, during the last month of 2018, Ninh Binh province received 337,862 visitors, up 1.8 percent year-on-year. The figure includes 261,729 domestic visitors and 76,133 foreign tourists.

In 2019, the province expects to welcome a total of 7.5 million visitors, including 940,000 foreign tourists.

Tourist attractions in Ninh Binh include Trang An Landscape Complex, Bai Dinh pagoda, Tam Coc-Bich Dong, Thung Nham bird garden, Van Long lagoon, and Phat Diem stone cathedral.

The Trang An Complex was recognised by UNESCO as a Cultural and Natural World Heritage Site in 2014.

“Border spring-Island Tet” programme launched in Khanh Hoa

The “Border spring-Island Tet 2019” programme was launched at the Cam Ranh military port in the south central coastal province of Khanh Hoa on January 3 

The “Border spring-Island Tet 2019” programme was launched at the Cam Ranh military port in the south central coastal province of Khanh Hoa on January 3.

The launching event was co-held by Brigade 146 of Naval Zone 4 and the Youth Club for Homeland Sea and Islands. 

The ceremony drew the participation of nearly 200 soldiers who are about to leave for the Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago.

According to a report of Brigade 146, alongside gifts prepared by the Ministry of National Defence and Naval Zone 4, the Fund for Truong Sa-Hoang Sa donated 700 million VND (about 30,000 USD), and the Youth Club for Homeland Sea and Islands raised 150 million VND. 

The money was used to buy necessities for officers and soldiers who are safeguarding the country’s islands.

Vice head of the Youth Club for Homeland Sea and Islands Ho Liem said that this is the fourth year that the club has joined the event to support Truong Sa soldiers and people. In addition to gifts, the club will send 20,000 letters and New Year cards of people across the country to the soldiers, he noted.

Thousands of gifts and hundreds of tonnes of essential goods have been prepared for soldiers and people in the Truong Sa archipelago and other islands on the occasion of the upcoming Tet (Lunar New Year) festival. 

The central province of Khanh Hoa as well as many organisations and individuals contributed gifts, essential goods, rice, and confectionery to ensure that the soldiers and people on the islands do not miss out on enjoying the year’s biggest traditional festival.

Leaders send Independence Day greetings to Myanmar

The national flags of Vietnam and Myanmar 

Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong on January 3 sent greetings to President of Myanmar U Win Myint on the 71st anniversary of Independence Day of Myanmar (January 4, 1948-2019).

On the day, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc cabled a congratulatory message to State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh sent greetings to State Counsellor and Minister for Foreign Affairs Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and Minister of International Cooperation U Kyaw Tin on the occasion.

Vietnam and Myanmar set up diplomatic ties on May 28, 1975.

The two countries elevated their ties to a comprehensive cooperative partnership during a State visit to Myanmar by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong in August 2017. 

Bilateral trade hit 828.3 million USD in 2017, up 51 percent from 2016. 

The two countries are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).