Fire burns down 12 houses in Ca Mau

A gold shop in Thoi Binh District in the southern province of Ca Mau caught fire yesterday evening (January 6). The fire quickly spread to and burnt down eleven more houses nearby.

At around 6:45 p.m, the fire started from Tan Phat gold shop and then quickly spread to nearby houses at Thoi Binh Market area due to strong wind.

Local police sent three fire engines and many firefighters to the site. The incident caused power loss for Thoi Binh town for a short time. By 8:00 p.m, the fire was controlled.

According to initial statistics, at least two gold shops and 10 houses were destroyed, causing big loss. Luckily, no human loss was reported.

The investigation is being conducted.

Three fishermen die of strange snails

Though border safeguards in the central province of Ha Tinh yesterday rushed to save three fishermen but their efforts have been unrewarded.

As being informed that three fishermen in serious condition after they ate snails, border safeguards in Cua Sot station in Ha Tinh arrived in the boat immediately to take three people for treatment; however, three all died.

When safeguards came to the ship, Tran Xuan Thuc and Tran Van Duong both at 29 year old and Duong Van Tinh, 22 were lying unconsciously. They were taken to the province’s General Hospital for emergency treatment; however, it was too late.

Doctors have confirmed food poisoning cause their death.

Le Kim Thanh, deputy head of Vietnam Expressway Corporation, has been assigned to be acting director general of the Railway Project Management Board after two serious accidents occured with the Cat Linh-Ha Dong flyover project.

Deputy Minister of Transport, Nguyen Ngoc Dong, announced the decision to promote Le Kim Thanh as acting director general of the Railway Project Management Board, under the Ministry of Transport, on January 6.

Thanh was assigned with mission to speed up key projects which are lagging behind schedule such as the Hanoi metro No1 project and Cat Linh-Ha Dong flyover project.

Le Kim Thanh, born in 1973, is an experienced engineer. He worked as director of the Noi Bai-Lao Cai Highway project's management board since May 2013 and deputy director of Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC) since December 2013. Thanh was highly regarded for his performance at the two projects.

Nguyen Manh Hung has recently been demoted from acting director general of the Railway Project Management Board after a section of scaffolding on part of the Ha Dong-Cat Linh project collapsed on December 28 at Ha Dong Terminal, crashing 10 metres on to a passing taxi. The driver and three passengers escaped injury.

On November 6, a steel beam dropped from a crane at the construction site which killed one motorbike rider.

Last year, several railway officials were dismissed or suspended follows the alleged bribes from Japan Transportation Consultants Inc to Vietnamese officials for Hanoi metro No1 project.

Vietnam students to join world youth conference

Three Vietnamese students will be participating in the 61st world youth conference Harvard National Model United Nations (HNMUN) scheduled for February 12-15 in the U.S. city of Boston.

Bui Tuan, Hoang Son Nam and Nguyen Thi Thu Ha are now joining postgraduate programs at UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School in Ireland.

The largest, oldest, and most prestigious conference for youth in the world will be attended by nearly 3,000 outstanding students from 70 nations and territories, reports Tuoi Tre newspaper.

Bui Tuan was quoted by the paper as saying, “We were extremely happy when we were chosen to take part in the conference at the end of last year because there were a lot of applications submitted. We’re also proud to represent the school to join the event.”

Students at HNMUN 2015 will debate and vote on a number of matters related to Qatar and Tonga. At the same time, they will be required to express their views on current global issues.

This is a great opportunity to enhance self-awareness, leadership and teamwork skills by exchanging ideas and information with many international friends,  added Tuan.

Throughout the conference, which was launched in 1955 by Harvard University, students can gain insights into the workings of the UN by joining the resolution of important global issues.

HCM City enhances inspections on fire prevention violations

Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City’s People Committee Le Hoang Quan asked local authorities to intensify inspections on and strictly punish violations of regulations on fire prevention and fighting in the city.

Accordingly, an inspection team with the involvement of the fire-fighting police, departments of Construction, Culture and Sports, Industry and Trade, and Electricity, and market management agencies will be formed, focusing on inspecting risk areas such as petrol stations, restaurants, entertainment centres, and construction sites.

Quan underscored the need to thoroughly abide by standards and regulations on fire prevention and fighting, including those related to safe distance for extinguishing fire, measures for preventing fire-spread and emergency exit.

The Chairman also urged the concerned agencies to strictly and effectively implemented directives of the municipal Party Committee and People’s Committee relating to fire prevention and fighting, and rescue work in the locality, while enhancing state management in the field.

Communication activities should be fostered in the coming time to raise public awareness of the issue, Quan said.

In 2014, nearly 250 fires were reported in HCM City, killing 19 people and injuring 12 others, and causing a total economic loss of about 50 billion VND (2.35 million USD).

Export of traditional Chung cakes begins ahead of Tet

A Dong Nai-based maker of Banh Chung – a type of traditional rice cake for New Year celebration of Vietnam – has shipped abroad 40 tonnes of the cake to serve the Overseas Vietnamese community during the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet).

Besides the cakes, Tran Gia company in Bien Hoa city, the southern province of Dong Nai , also exported 18 tonnes of “dong” (arrowroot) leaves – which are used as the wrapping for the cake – to the US , Canada and some European countries.

Currently, more than 4 million Overseas Vietnamese are living in over 100 countries around the globe. Many of them still keep the practice of celebrating the Lunar New Year, which falls on February 19 this year.

Chung cake is an integral part of the lunar New Year celebration. It is made from glutinous rice, pork and green bean paste, and then wrapped in “dong” leaves, which give the rice a green tint after being boiled for ten hours.

The vacuum-packed cakes can keep for six months.

Hospitals in grassroots, central level less overcrowded

Hospitals from the grassroots and central level have become less overcrowded, which is due in part to a 2011-2016 scheme pursued by the Ministry of Public Health.

Central-level hospitals have added over 4,800 beds, or 24.6% of the total, including Quang Nam general hospital in the central region with 600 beds and the Hanoi-based National Hospital of Endocrinology with 500 beds.

In 2014, the ministry submitted proposals to build second facilities of the Bach Mai, Cho Ray, Vietnam-Germany Friendship, and Ho Chi Minh City trauma orthopedic hospitals, which are major healthcare centres in capital Hanoi and southern metropolis Ho Chi Minh City.

In late 2014, work started on the construction of the second facilities of children’s hospital in Binh Chanh district – Ho Chi Minh City, and the Vietnam-Germany Friendship hospital and Bach Mai hospital in the northern province of Ha Nam with a total capacity of 3,000 beds.

Compared to 2012, when the scheme kick-started, the number of public hospitals has climbed to 115, offering as many as 25,700 beds. Up to 11 satellite hospitals located in the northern provinces of Thai Nguyen, Quang Ninh, Dien Bien, Ha Giang and Ninh Binh have reduced cases of patient transfer.

Under the ministry’s project 1816, provincial-level hospitals in 57 out of 63 cities and provinces sent 4,661 medical staff members to district health care facilities to conduct about 3,300 rounds of technology transfer and nearly 2,800 training courses for over 57,900 of their grassroots peers.

Medical stations in districts also assigned their staff to communal partners to re-train more than 64,700 health workers.

Beyond that, the family clinic model has also become popular, especially in Hanoi, the central province of Thua - Thien Hue and Ho Chi Minh City with 186 doctors, 186 nurses, 74 female midwives, and 201 care workers participating in.

During 2013, they conducted 41,084 medical check-ups and detected 102,588 cases of disease contraction.

Family clinics in 8 cities and provinces numbered 97, equipping themselves with amenities and conveniences at the service of patients.

Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien vowed to build on the past achievements and offer the best services to patients nationwide throughout 2015.

Civet-conservation posters distributed

As many as 2,000 copies of posters and calendars to highlight the importance of Owston's civet conservation in Viet Nam have been distributed to forest protection departments in 63 provinces and cities and 20 offices working in nature conservation throughout the country.

It is part of the Owston's Civet Awareness Campaign organised by the Save Viet Nam's Wildlife campaign.

The campaign aims to raise public awareness and ensure that confiscated Owston's civets and wildlife are transferred to rescue centres.

This is the first time an awareness campaign for Owston's civet conservation has been conducted in Viet Nam.

New university gets approval in capital

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam approved Ha Noi College of Education's decision to become Ha Noi Capital University.

Ha Noi Capital University will be managed by the Ha Noi People's Committee.

The Ministry of Education and Training will approve the quality of the university's education before allowing students to enroll.

The 2502/QD-TTg was put into effect on December 31 last year.

Ship discovered stealing oil

Ba Ria-Vung Tau border guards on Sunday discovered a ship illegally transporting oil on the Vung Tau Sea.

Duong Dong-Sai Gon Joint-stock Company's Duong Dong Ship 18 stole oil from Thai Binh Duong Oil and Gas Joint-stock Company's Hercules Ship M. Duong Dong Ship 18's owner, Tran Dinh Phu, failed to provide any sort of permit for the oil or papers on the goods' origins.

When the border guards discovered it, Duong Dong Ship 18 had taken about 400cu.m of FO oil from Hercules Ship M.

Long An Police seize contraband cigarettes

Duc Hoa District Police in the southern province of Long An yesterday confiscated nearly 21,000 packs of illegally trafficked cigarettes from a lorry in Huu Thanh Commune.

The cigarettes' brands were Hero, Jet and Coff.

On Saturday the provincial market watch also confiscated more than 14,000 packs of cigarettes near the Vam Co Dong River in Hoa Khanh Nam Commune. The traffickers ran away.

An Giang tackles border smuggling

Police and market watch forces in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang have started a campaign against smuggling in border areas.

An Giang Province borders Cambodia, and has become a hotbed for smuggling in recent years. Running until February 22, the campaign focuses on reducing tobacco, sugar and wine trafficking.

Police have taken steps to prevent the illegal practice, but it is becoming more complicated. Smuggling is on the rise as Tet approaches and demand for goods increases. Gold, electronics, wood and wine are some of the most popular smuggled products.

Phan Loi, head of the provincial Market Watch Department, said smuggling has become more prevalent because the region has been more open and integrated in recent years, and local products haven't been able to compete with foreign-made ones.

Smugglers often transport goods in the middle of the night or early in the morning to get them over the border more easily, he said. They also separate products into smaller packages to make them easier to hide, and change locations to make it more difficult for authorised forces to discover them, he said.

More seriously, many smugglers have used violence against authorised forces. Three smugglers recently fought local authorised forces with stones and sticks when they were discovered. They also burned down a house to destroy evidence of illegal goods being stored there, he said.

Mai Thi Anh Tuyet, director of the provincial Department of Industry and Trade, said An Giang Province had both flat and mountainous terrain, and a nearly 100km border with Cambodia. These attributes made it difficult to prevent and control smuggling, she said. Overlapping legal documents on smuggling and trade fraud also hindered the campaign, she said.

Tuyet proposed stricter measures to punish smugglers. Those found smuggling 500 or more packs of cigarettes should face criminal charges, instead of the current 1,500 packs, she said.

Power supply assured for southern region

Several power plants that are set to go on stream in the southern region will ensure there is adequate supply through the dry season, which ends in May, officials assure.

Besides, the Southern Power Corporation said to ensure supply in southern provinces this year and in future, it had expanded the north-south transmission system.

It has increased the capability of the transmission system with the 500KV Pleiku–My Phuoc–Cau Bong, Phu Lam–O Mon, and Vinh Tan–Song May grids.

Cao Quang Quynh, deputy head of the Electricity of Viet Nam (EVN)'s public relations department, said, "Power from the north can fully meet the south's requirement thanks to the grid."

According to the National Power Grid Management Centre, the country's power generation capacity would increase by 11.5 per cent this year though water levels in hydropower reservoirs are only around 65 per cent of last year's.

It expects transmission from the northern and central regions to the south to be around 10.5 billion kWh and 17.1 billion kWh compared to 7.3 billion kWh and 13.7 billion last year.

In case of need, oil-fired plants would also increase output, officials mobilised.

The centre also expects power import from China to reduce sharply because the backup power capacity in the north is quite high and can meet any additional demand in the south.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has instructed EVN to make comprehensive plans to ensure all plants run properly to fully meet demand during the dry season.

The Viet Nam Petrol and Oil Corporation has been ordered to supply the required volume of gas to power plants.

Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated Sai Gon) newspaper quoted Pham Quoc Bao, deputy general director of EVN – HCM City, as saying, "Along with more investment in power generation, awareness of saving power has also increased both among people and companies in HCM City in recent years."

Last year the city saved around 4 per cent power while in recent years foreign investors have been licensed with modern, power-saving technologies in mind, he said.

"I am sure that this dry season power supply will meet the demand".

Designboom features Dong Nai kindergarten

Dong Nai province’s Farming Kindergarten designed by Vo Trong Nghia has been featured by Designboom for its impressive design in the top 10 world educational facilities design category for 2014.

The school features a fully accessible green roof shaped in a triple-ring form, with three courtyards enclosed by a looping structure and accommodates up to 500 local children.

The result provides an aesthetically pleasing and safe learning environment for the students, which allows them to participate in small scale food cultivation, promoting local identity and connectivity to nature.

Three die in vehicle collision in Huong Hoa

Three people were killed and one was seriously injured after a vehicle collided with a motorbike about 7pm on Monday in Tan Long Commune's provincial road 9, Huong Hoa District.

Both vehicles were travelling towards Lao Bao – Dong Ha in Quang Tri Province.

The motorbike was carrying four people of the same family, including a pregnant woman. One of the children was seriously injured in the accident, the rest of the family members were killed.

The other vehicle, a seven-seater, was carrying two persons. It was being driven by 37-year-old Truong Van Anh, a resident in Lao Bao town of Huong Hoa District. The front of the vehicle was badly damaged in the collision.

The case is being investigated further. The car driver was believed to drive under the influence of alcohol.

The People's Committee of Hanoi has kicked off a campaign to make the capital greener, cleaner and more beautiful and control traffic chaos.

Nguyen Quoc Cu, head of Thanh Xuan district's Residential Block 14, welcomed the campaign. He said that a 2010 crackdown on street vendors doing illegal business on the pavement and residents illegally parking vehicles there had been successful until last year.

Director of the city's Transport Department Vu Van Vien said that under the campaign, the city would focus on inspecting pavements to ensure they were not encroached on by local residents or street vendors.

The city had also speeded up the compilation of behaviour codes for Hanoians to be issued this year, he said.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said that Hanoi had been ordered to ensure that all citizens were aware of traffic safety regulations. Additionally, the city's authority was asked to strictly fine people who encroached on pavements.

Chairman of the capital People's Committee Nguyen The Thao said that following the campaign, the city would put all cables underground and arrange places for street vendors to do business to prevent them from illegally encroaching on pavements. The public lighting system would also be improved.

"I called upon all local citizens to promote Hanoians' civilised and elegant characteristics," Thao said.

People were asked to aid in the campaign by following traffic rules and keeping the city clean and green, he said.-

Survey focuses on 53 ethnic minorities’ socio-economic situation

The Prime Minister has signed a decision approving a project to survey and collect information about the socio-economic situation of the 53 ethnic minority groups.

The project aims to systematise the data to serve the State management on ethnic affairs. Authorities of localities where are inhabited by ethnic minority groups and officials working in relevant offices at central, provincial and municipal levels are responsible for conducting the survey on ethnic minority households.

The project will focus on collecting information about the population and population distribution, access to infrastructure and services, social welfare, human resources training and development, health care and rural environmental sanitation, and religion and belief.

The survey will be carried out with five-year frequency, on July 1 of the years that ending number is 4 and 9. The first survey will be implemented in the first quarter of 2015.

Ca Mau rings alert on saltwater intrusion in farming areas

The saltwater intrusion has had an adverse impact on rice farming and aquaculture in coastal areas of the southernmost province of Ca Mau , according to locals.

A report released by the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment revealed that close to 10,000 hectares of agricultural land in the province have been intruded by sea water.

The department blamed such situation to the impacts of climate change and sea level rise, saying that the sea level has risen over one metres in the past decade while local sea dykes have seriously degraded.

In addition, the pouring of sea water into 290,000 hectares of farming land for shrimp breeding was also another reason.

According to Le Van Su, Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the province is facing a shortage of financial resources to tackle the problem.

Of 1.3 trillion VND (61.9 million USD) required for upgrading the dyke systems in the West Sea in general and Ca Mau in particular as part of a project approved by the Government in 2012, the province has been provided with only several dozens of billion VND, which is not enough for it to do the work, he said.-

Ca Mau to build 100 houses for AO victims

The Association of Agent Orange Victims of the southernmost province of Ca Mau said it will build 100 houses for the victims facing housing difficulties this year.

Each house is expected to cost 15 million VND.

The association will raise cash for the programme from governments of districts and towns and persuade local residents to donate land, said Tran Thanh Phong, President of the Association.

Phong hoped the cause will get support from businesses and philanthropists.

The biggest challenge facing the programme is that, according to Phong, the number of victims in need of a home increases to thousands.

The programme was launched in early 2014 and has to date built 35 houses.-

Dong Nai leads new-style rural building programme

The southern province of Dong Nai is among the localities leading the national programme on new-style rural area building with 52 out of 136 selected communes satisfying all the 19 criteria so far, said Vo Van Chanh, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee.

Thanks to the programme, the living standards of rural people have much improved. Notably, the 2014 per capita income reached 37.6 million VND (1,790 USD) and 38.6 million VND (1,830 USD) in Xuan Loc district and Long Khanh town, respectively, making them recognised as district-level new style rural areas, Chanh said.

Last year , as many as 785 communes were estimated to become new-style rural areas. In addition, 1,285 communes were expected to meet 15-18 out of the 19 criteria for new rural development, and 2,836 others to satisfy 10-14 criteria, according to the programme’s steering committee.

More than 157.8 trillion VND (8.5 billion USD) sourced from the State budget, credits, and the community, was spent on implementing the programme.

Building infrastructure, improving production capacity, constructing public works, protecting the landscape and environment, and promoting local traditions and cultural identities are among the criteria of the programme, initiated by the Government in 2010.

The European Trade Policy and Investment Support Project (EU-MUTRAP) on January 6 provided information and technology (IT) equipment to departments and units under three ministries and the National Office of Intellectual Property.

The three ministries are of finance, industry and trade (MOIT) and of planning and investment.

The equipment package includes IT devices for the beneficiaries involved directly in negotiating trade agreements and implementing international economic integration commitments. This is among various technical assistance activities conducted by the EU-MUTRAP Project for line ministries in Vietnam.

Moreover, in order to enhance the capability of the line ministries, EU-MUTRAP also provides policy development consultancy, integration agreement impact assessment studies to suggest appropriate implementation policies and measures, and dissemination of international integration agreements, as well as training on integration-related skills and knowledge.

As part of its trade-related assistance, EU-MUTRAP helped to develop and implement software applications in departments under the MOIT, such as the portals for policy and law on e-commerce and for supporting industry, and to upgrade the information system for management and issuance of e-certificates of origin, as well as hand over 66 imported books on international trade and investment, give support for subscription to get access to the database, and provide online documents on trade and investment to relevant MOIT units.

This is the first equipment and software support package under the first annual work plan of the project. The second one is expected to be delivered during the second annual work plan (between July 2014 and December 2015).

The IT equipment handover ceremony was attended by Tran Quoc Khanh, MOIT Deputy Minister and Head of the Government delegation for international economic and trade negotiations, Ambassador and head of the EU delegation to Vietnam Franz Jessen and representatives of the recipients under MOIT and other ministries, as well as the EU-MUTRAP Project Management Unit.

Leaders and representatives of the MOIT and relevant ministries highly appreciated the significance of such equipment, which will practically and effectively support their trade and investment negotiations, research, policy making and enforcement in the coming time.

Chinese railway group to replace director

The China Railway Sixth Group (CRSG) will replace the director of the Cat Linh-Ha Dong railway project following a series of construction and traffic safety violations, according to Ma Jiang Qian, CRSG's General Director.

Ma Jiang Qian said at the meeting between CRSG and the Ministry of Transport that the company was reviewing the project's procedures to avoid similar accidents in the future.

He also said that the company would send its technicians to monitor, inspect and evaluate construction and traffic safety before allowing the work to continue.

CRSG's General Director promised that the company would compensate the victims in accordance with the contract and conclusions by stakeholders.

VN-China hotline rules set

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung recently promulgated regulations on the responsibility of Vietnamese agencies for operating a Viet Nam-China hotline dealing with unexpected fishery incidents arising at sea.

The Department of Fisheries Resources Surveillance under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's Directorate of Fisheries will be the co-ordinator of the hotline's operation on the Vietnamese side.

Agencies responsible for collecting information include the Directorate of Fisheries, the Border Guard Force, the Maritime Police Force, the Navy, the system of coastal information stations, the Maritime Search and Rescue Centre, the National Committee for Search and Rescue and the People's Committees of coastal provinces and centrally-run cities.

They are responsible for informing the co-ordinator of any incidents at sea within one hour of learning about them. The department must inform relevant agencies in the field within 30 minutes of receiving the information. Incidents related to emergency shelter should be handled within one hour, while those related to fishery accidents should be dealt with within two hours, fishery disputes at sea within 20 hours and incidents of ship and/or fishermen detention within 40 hours.

Baby girl dies of HFMD in Hau Giang

Can Tho Pediatrics Hospital reported on Monday that a 21-month-old in Hau Giang Province's Vi Thanh City died of hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD).

The child was the first HFMD death in 2015 and the second HFMD death in the province since 2012.

Hau Giang General Hospital found the baby infected with HFMD last Thursday and transferred her to Can Tho Pediatrics Hospital, after which her condition worsened.

Vietnam halts air search for sunken Bulk Jupiter, 16 missing sailors

Vietnam authorities on Monday halted using planes to look for the Bulk Jupiter, which sank off the southern city of Vung Tau last Friday, leaving 16 of its 19 Philippine crewmembers missing, the National Committee for Search and Rescue said.

The information was released by Major General Nguyen Van Binh, deputy chief of the committee’s Secretariat and deputy head of the Rescue and Salvage Department under the Ministry of Defense.

Over the past three days, search and rescue forces from the committee and the Vietnam People’s Army have mobilized dozens of ships – including fishing boats – to search for the sunken ship and the missing sailors, with the support of many foreign vessels, the official said.

Immediately after receiving a report about the incident, the committee has since last Friday also deployed many planes to search for the sunken Bahamas-flagged ship and the missing sailors in a vast sea area off Vung Tau.

However, except for saving one crewmember, the ship’s chef, Rojas Angelito Capindo, 43, and recovering two bodies drifting at sea, one of which was the ship’s captain, Andrin Ronel Acueza, 46, while the other was the third Officer, Dinoy Jerome Maquilang, 23, the joint rescue forces have yet to find any more sailors or signs of the sunken ship, the official said.

Meanwhile, bad weather hampered the search on Monday, Pham Hien, vice president of the Vung Tau Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, which is leading the search, told Reuters.

“The weather is very bad with high waves and strong winds,” he said.

The committee has therefore decided to temporarily stop the deployment of planes, Major General Binh said.

Those ships that have been mobilized to search for the sunken vessel and its missing sailors over the past three days have also been ordered to resume their previous normal operations, but they are also asked to continue watching and be ready to take part in rescue and salvage activities when requested, Binh said.

The Bulk Jupiter was in distress about 150 nautical miles off Vung Tau while transporting 46,400 metric tons of bauxite from Malaysia to China last Friday morning.

Chef Rojas confirmed there were 19 crew members on board the missing ship, and all were Filipinos. The accident happened to the ship at about 6:00-7:00 am on Friday morning.

He told rescuers that when the ship suddenly capsized and sank, most of the crewmembers were inside the its holds.

“As it was carrying such a heavy load, it could have sunken rapidly after capsizing, and this may be the reason why the crew had not issued SOS signals,” Major General Binh commented.

The emergency signals the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center (Vietnam MRCC) received on Friday did not come from the crew but from the buoy system on board that automatically sent out signals when it contacted water, the official explained.     

Given the direction of winds and waves in the area where the ship was in distress, if objects belonging to the ship were drifting at sea, they might have moved to the waters of Indonesia, so Vietnamese competent agencies have asked their Indonesian counterparts to coordinate in the search for signs of the ship as well as the missing sailors, the official said.

On Sunday, vessel SAR 413 handed over the role of directing rescue efforts on the scene to the Vietnam Coast Guard’s ship 4034 and returned to Vung Tau, taking ashore the rescued chef and the two bodies.

The two bodies will be sent to Ho Chi Minh City before being repatriated to the Philippines, said Colonel Tran Cong Hieu, a Vietnamese border guard commander.

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