Authorities order demolition of building

Authorities in Ha Noi’s Ba Dinh District yesterday sent forces to demolish the 8B Le Truc building’s illegally constructed floors after a report criticised slow demolition work from the building’s developer.

Dozens of workers using concrete demolition machines started to destroy the 19th floor of the building under the observation of representatives from administration, local construction inspectorate of Dien Bien Ward and the developer.

Tran Manh Quan, Chairman of People’s Committee of Dien Bien Ward where the building is located, said the demolition was undertaken after a decision by the Ba Dinh District People’s Committee in early January 2016 to implement punishment for violations in the construction process.

The ward asked the building’s developer, Le Truc Garment Joint Stocks Company, to co-operate with demolition forces, said Quan.

It also asked the developer to pay for all demolition costs, he added.

Vietnamese, US doctors offer free surgeries for disadvantaged children

Vietnamese and US doctors are joining in a humanitarian orthopedic surgery programme in Hanoi with a view to assisting less privileged children with deformities.

The programme is being carried out by one Vietnamese and four US doctors from March 5 to 19 at the Hong Ngoc General Hospital.

Doctors will give check-ups to and design treatment plans for children with head, hand, arm and chest deformities or cleft lip and palate. Eligible patients will receive surgeries.

On the Vietnamese side, Dr. Nguyen Nguyet Nha, a former deputy head of the craniofacial department of the Vietnam National Hospital of Paediatrics, is in charge of the programme.

The doctor has worked with many foreign physicians in similar orthopedic surgery programmes in Vietnam such as Operation Smile, the Netherlands’ Interplast, and the Republic of Korea’s Globe Care.

There are about 1.3 million children with deformities in Vietnam, according to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs’ Department of Child Care and Protection.

Non-governmental organisations, along with domestic and foreign experts have carried out a number of free surgery programmes targeting children with cleft lip and palate, which are the most common deformities in the country.

France alumni gather at gala night in Hanoi

A gala night gathering former Vietnamese students in France was held at the French Embassy in Hanoi on March 5.

The annual event, themed “Printemps en ville” (Spring in the City), was the third of its kind held so far by the France Alumni Vietnam Association (UAVF). It also aims to celebrate the International Francophonie Day (March 20).

French Ambassador Jean Noel Poirier said the gala was an occasion for the ex-students to recall their time in France.

He noted that in 2015, the French Embassy and the UAVF liaised with companies, including French firms, in Vietnam to offer employment and promotion opportunities to the former students. The diplomat said he hopes such cooperation will continue in the future.

A highlight of the gala was the awards ceremony of a French cake making contest for amateur cooks, which attracted nearly 30 participants nationwide.

The UAVF, set up in March 2010, hosts gatherings every year for their members to share experience in working in Vietnam and meet with representatives of Hanoi-based French businesses to seek employment chances.

Ceremony marks 30 years of Kovalevskaia Prize in Vietnam

A ceremony was organised in Hanoi on March 6 to celebrate 30 years of the Kovalevskaia Prize in Vietnam, which honours outstanding Vietnamese women in the field of sciences.

The prestigious prize is named after the great Russian female mathematician Sofia Kovalevskaia, and is awarded by the fund of the same name. The fund is operating in eight countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia.

The Vietnamese Kovalevskaia Awards Committee was established in 1985. Since then, the title has been presented to 17 collectives and 44 individuals.

Speaking at the event, Politburo member Truong Thi Mai, who is Secretary of the Party Central Committee and head of its Commission for Mass Mobilisation, affirmed that the research achievements as well as scientific applications in reality of the prize winners have contributed importantly to the nation’s 30-year renewal cause.

On this occasion, the 2015 Kovalevskaia awards were presented to Dang Thi Cam Ha, former chief of the environmental bio-technology department under the Institute of Biotechnology, and Pham Thi Ngoc Thao, Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City’s Cho Ray Hospital.

Ha was honoured for her research works on environmental protection, especially bio technologies to clean up contaminating oil in different eco-environments and treat soil contaminated by dioxin-contained herbicides.

Meanwhile, Thao has numerous research projects in the field of hematology.

On the occasion, former Vice President Nguyen Thi Binh transferred the Chair of the Vietnamese Kovalevskaia Awards Committee to Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan.

Japan to help set up centre for women’s healthcare

The Japanese government will give an additional non-refundable aid grant worth 331,980 USD to setting up a centre for women’s healthcare and improving the capabilities of midwives at grassroots level.

The aid agreement was inked between the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam and the Japan Organisation for International Cooperation in Family Planning (JOICFP) in Hanoi on March 4.

The project, in its second year of implementation, will continue providing training courses to improve the capabilities of midwives, said JOICFP project manager Amaike Naomi.

Members from the centre will be able to run more educational activities in the field of healthcare and implement more mobile services.

In the first phase of the project, the JOICFP in collaboration with the Vietnam Midwives Association on March 1 established and put into operation a women’s healthcare centre in the central city of Hue .

The project has also provided training courses for midwives in remote areas of the central provinces of Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Tri, and Quang Binh.

Ho Chi Minh City to demolish seven potentially perilous disused water towers

A water supplying firm confirmed on Saturday that it will knock down some old water towers in Ho Chi Minh City to spare people from possible accidents caused by the dangerous structures.

Saigon Water Corporation (Sawaco) is devising plans to remove seven out of eight mushroom-shaped water reservoirs in the southern metropolis which have been marooned for over 40 years now, according to company leaders.

Such attempts are made to prevent imminent dangers posed by the reservoirs to the locales, they underlined.

In 2009 Sawaco dispatched units to study these concrete works, with the final conclusion suggesting that all such reservoirs appear to be in bad condition, and thus might threat city’s dwellers with hidden perils.

The water towers have since been abandoned as they do not meet sufficient standard in structure, elaborated the firm.

The seven to-be-removed reservoirs are located one each in District 4, District 5, District 6, District 11, Go Vap District, Phu Nhuan District, and Binh Thanh District, respectively.

After the removal, the areas will be converted into underground water reservoirs for supplying water with safety, extinguishing fire, and chloride filling stations to enhance water sources’ quality, according to Sawaco.

The reservoir near Ho Con Rua (Turtle Lake) in District 1 is the only one eligible to be undestroyed.

Record pollution in Hanoi instills fear in locals

An air quality reading on Tuesday by the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi recorded a ‘hazardous’ air quality index at one point during the day, causing worry among local residents.

The embassy had earlier announced on their official site the installation of an air quality monitor to measure PM2.5 particulates as an indication of the air quality at its building at 7 Lang Ha Street, Ba Dinh District.

PM, or Particulate Matter, is the term for a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air. PM2.5 particulates are fine particles with diameters that are 2.5 micrometers or less.

PM2.5 readings are converted into an Air Quality Index (AQI) value, which shows the level of pollution the monitored air suffers on a scale from 0 to 500, with 500 being the most polluted.

An AQI level of 388 was recorded at 9:00 am on March 1 in Hanoi, which means the air quality was ‘hazardous’ and could lead to serious health effects on those living in it.

The alarming number sparked concerns among Hanoians, who were worried that pollution in the capital was getting as bad as that in Beijing.

“It’s not precise to say Hanoi is as badly polluted as Beijing, though the pollution level recorded in the Vietnamese capital has exceeded safety levels by 1-1.5 times,” Hoang Duong Tung, deputy general director of the Vietnam Environment Administration, told Tuoi Tre on Friday.

“Some people used the air quality reading recorded at the peak hour in Hanoi to compare with the average reading monitored in 24 hours in Beijing, which led to the misunderstanding,” Tung explained.

The recorded PM2.5 concentration was also three times the safe level recommended by the National Technical Regulation on Ambient Air Quality, and seven times the World Health Organization’s recommended level.

Tung said there could be various reasons, such as a big wind carrying large amounts of dirt, which could have caused the peak, and such factors were not consistent throughout the day.

The U.S. Embassy also noted that the data only provides an accurate measurement of the air quality in the part of Hanoi close to the diplomatic mission, and that citywide analysis cannot be done with input from a single monitor.

The AQI level recorded at the embassy over the course of March 1 and 2 fluctuated between 114 and 388, consistently staying above 150 during the day, a level categorized as unhealthy by AUI standards and that can cause detrimental health effects.

According to deputy general director Tung, the air quality in Hanoi is being monitored on a daily basis, with excessive PM and ozone concentrations named leading factors that are polluting the capital’s atmosphere.

Pham Van Khanh, deputy director of Hanoi’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment, asserted that air pollution in Hanoi has not seen much improvement, answering a question from Tuoi Treabout the solution to the contamination issue.

According to Khanh, a series of comprehensive methods which include emissions control, vehicle inspection, and congestion reduction must be applied in order to battle worsening pollution.

City officials are also increasing the coverage of trees to improve local air quality, Khanh said.

Ministry launches campaign against disease caused by Zika, dengue fever

The Ministry of Health and People’s Committee in Ho Chi Minh City yesterday launched a campaign to call on residents to kill mosquitoes and its larvae for prevention of disease caused by Zikavirus and dengue fever.

Speaking at the launch ceremony, Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien stressed that every people should spend half an hour a week to do activities such as putting fish into containers of water so that they kill mosquito larva; turning upside down all containers of water when not in use; changing the water in flower vases every day; putting salt or oil into water-containing objects placed underneath the feet of larders, and disposing waste such as bottles, vases, coconut shells, used tires and tubes, broken parts of utensils such as water jars, and others to prevent them from containing water where mosquitoes can lay eggs.

Health Ministry leader said that prevention of disease caused by Zika virus and dengue fever could be totally done with voluntary spirit of ach resident and each household.

At the lauching campaign, leaders of the city Department of Health and in the Mekong delta province of Long An signed agreements with people’s committees in districts to implement the campaign “Inhabitants kill mosquitoes and its larvae to prevent diseases and caused by Zika virus and dengue fever all at once.

Right after the launching ceremony, leaders of the Ministry of Health and city People’s Committee and related agencies supervised dengue fever prevention in Tan Tuc Commune in Binh Chanh District.

Family doctor model not developed as expectation

The Ministry of Health  held a meeting on family doctor model aiming to develop this more in the period 2016-2020 on March 4 in Ho Chi Minh City.

Though the family doctor model is considered as a service for a comprehensive health care yet there is less support and criterion and training; subsequently just 5 cities and provinces adopted the model from 2013.

Being the first city to implement the model, currently,  Ho Chi Minh City has  20 hospitals in district and 136 district medical centers with family doctor examination rooms.

A hospital in district 10 was selected as two first hospitals to adopt the model in the city. At present around 400-500 people come to the hospital everyday; most of them are health insurance card holders with normal and simple diseases.

Dr. Le Thanh Tung, director of the hospital said that family doctor ensures two things including keeping continuous track on your medical histories. The hospital in district 10 has had software which allows doctors to examine and give consultation to patients through internet.

As per the municipal Department of Health so far thousands of people come to hospitals that have family doctor units. Yet, family doctor unit just focused on examination and treatment of chronic diseases such as diabetes, blood pressure and heart problems meanwhile they have not developed other activities namely giving first aid, emergency treatment for incurable diseases.

In the Mekong delta province of Tien Giang, it has developed two family doctor units in hospitals and one in medical center in district. For the past three years, these units have provided 1,255 emergency treatment and 80,988 normal treatment as well as 577 small operation. Activities of examination and treatment which are conducted in the hospital unit can be paid by the insurance company.

Additionally, family doctor model has not attracted the participation of private medical clinics. HCMC has just had 4 private clinics including Thanh Cong in Tan Phu District and General Clinic in Binh Thanh District which agreed to set up family doctor units and two others in districts 6 and Tan Phu. While in Tien Giang Province only one private clinic Dan An partake in family doctor model.

Medical experts said that private clinics have not been interested in family doctor model because cost of treatment and examination service is different from hospitals to hospitals and complicated insurance payment procedure and vague law

In general, a few people come to family doctor units though demand of treatment is buoyant. On one hand that family doctor units were set up in district hospitals which people disbelieve in; on the other hand, the model has not attracted good physicians to work. Moreover, just 700 medicine students were trained to become family doctors. Doctor Nguyen Van Tien, vice chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee for Social Affairs said that in order to attract patients family doctors must be highly skilled ones and service costs are proper.

Speaking at the meeting, the city’s Party Committee Secretary Dinh La Thanh said that as of 2020, 80 percent of cities and provinces should have family doctor units in hospitals. There has been no detailed criterion and quantity of units and doctors; accordingly Mr. Thang asked to have specific number of doctors, family doctor unit and patients in each city and province.

Additionally, he wanted a roadmap for synchronous policies and training as well as facilities. To complete these targets, he supposed to have particiaption of health related agencies and local and central governments.

As per the plan to develop family doctor model in the Southeast Asian nation for the period 2016-2020, in 2017, most of medicine institutes must established training family doctor faculty and by 2020, most of family doctor units must use computer software to store patients’ medical history. Most of all, at least 80 percent of cities and provinces across the country must have family doctor units.

ASEAN Family Day 2016 in Mexico

On March 6, representative agencies of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states hosted ASEAN Family Day 2016 in Mexico aiming to tighten the ties of friendship and cooperation and enhance regional connectivity.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Thai Ambassador SurasakChuasukonthip, who is also the rotating President of the ASEAN Committee in Mexico (ACMC), underscored the importance of friendship activities 2016, especially after the formation of the ASEAN Economic Community.  He called on diplomatic agencies in Mexico to further reinforce regional solidarity and mutual support to promote the spirit of ASEAN.

Diverse activities were launched during the event while Vietnam’s folk games and traditional food like spring rolls, stir-fried vermicelli noodles with shrimp were greatly appreciated. 

Vietnam Embassy will assume the role as the ACMC Chair in the second half of the year.

Hai Duong calls for help to extract stuck ship

Hai Duong Province authorities are urgently looking for ways to rescue a ship that is stuck under a local bridge.

The 3,000-tonne Thanh Luan 28 ship was travelling on the An Thai River from Hai Duong to Hai Phong City when it hit An Thai Bridge and became trapped.

No loss of human life was reported, but the crash caused a girder of the bridge to crack, affecting traffic near the site. The police had to ban people and vehicles from using the bridge.

A delegation from the Ministry of Transport arrived at the site on March 7 to inspect the accident and discuss measures to extract the ship.

Initial inspection found that the collision had caused serious damage to the bridge with a quarter of the girder broken. Further inspection on the damage will be carried out today before a detailed plan to fix it is announced.

Hai Duong Police is also investigating the actions of the ship’s captain.

Zika virus yet to enter Vietnam

Vietnam has so far recorded no cases related to Zika virus, which is now affecting 54 countries and territories worldwide, the Ministry of Health’s Preventive Medicine Department announced on March 7.

However, taking into account the virus spread in regional countries, such as Thailand, Cambodia, the Philippines, and Laos; Vietnam is facing a high risk of an outbreak.

As such, an anti-mosquito campaign urging each individual to adopt self-protection measures has been launched.

The Ministry of Health warned women, who are pregnant or expect to enter pregnancy in the next six months, not to travel to Zika-hit countries, which are listed on the ministry’s website: www.vncdc.gov.vn .

People coming from these countries should keep an eye on their health for the first 12 days after their arrival in Vietnam. They are recommended to go to medical facilities if they begin to experience unusual symptoms.

The ministry has also set up a helpline on the virus – 0989671115.

Zika is mainly transmitted through the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, which also carries dengue fever. The virus has been linked to microcephaly, a condition that causes babies to be born with unusually small heads and, in the vast majority of cases, brain damage. Currently there is no vaccine or specific medicine to treat Zika.

Fishermen claim attack by Chinese coast guard ship

Fishermen in Quang Nam Province said they were attacked and robbed by a Chinese coast guard ship near Paracel Islands on March 7.

Colonel Dinh Duc Lien from Ky Ha Port Border Gate said the incident occurred at half past midnight. The fishing boat directed by captain Vo Quang Thai and 10 other crew members was at latitude 16.55N, longitude 111.50E near Paracel Islands when a Chinese coast guard ship, numbered 46101 arrived.

Thai said their food and fuel were stolen while their equipment was damaged. Thai and his crew safely returned home at 10pm on March 7.

Nguyen Tin, party secretary of Tam Quang Commune, said they received reports about the case and the crew's losses.

Central Highlands examines election work, drought combat

The Central Highlands steering committee held a conference to examine preparation for upcoming elections of the National Assembly and all-level people’s committees, as well as work to address local drought.

Chairing the session, head of the committee Tran Dai Quang , who is also Politburo member and Minister of Public Security, stressed the need of ensuring rural security and handling local residents’ difficulties.

Authorities across the region are responsible for widely disseminating information and documents related to the elections as well as organising relevant political consultations, he said.

Concerning a serious drought in the region, Quang said sustaining water supply for households and farm-production is the most important task, particularly in highly populated areas.

He also underscored other measures including upgrading decayed irrigation facilities, watching out for forest fires, and implementing forest replacement programmes.

According to the minister, in the long term, regional provinces are required to complete their plans for developing their irrigation systems and re-structuring farmed animals and plants. Solutions to improve water resources are also needed.

As heard from the conference, provinces in the Central Highlands have properly spread directions from the Party and Government on the organisation of the election across their administrative systems.

They also carried out their first political consultation conferences, which reflected the quality of local candidates and the proportion of female and ethnic representatives, among others.

By the end of February, due to early drought, farming stopped across 2,865 hectares of rice fields in the region, with over 1,100 hectares facing high risk of being completely ruined. Meanwhile, more than 40,000 hectares of plantations, mostly coffee and peppercorn trees, lacked water.

The drought is forecast to get worse in the next two months, causing a water crisis in local hydropower plants, farming areas and houses. Forest fires are also very likely to occur, particularly in Yok Don national park, Dak Nong and Lam Dong provinces.

Vietnamese women promote traditions

During the country’s multi-thousand year history of national foundation and defence, Vietnamese women always played an important role and made great contributions to creating the glorious traditions of the nation.

In the renewal and integration period, in addition to taking care of their families, women nationwide affirmed their activeness and creativity in all aspects of life, contributing to successfully realising socio-economic development goals, maintaining political stability, expanding international relations, and strengthening national defence and security.

They have also asserted their increasingly important role in society, proven by the huge number of female politicians, leaders, managers, scientists and entrepreneurs.

In the political arena, the position of women has continually improved. Females account for 24.4 percent of total deputies of the 13 th National Assembly and 31 percent of employees at State agencies. Many women have undertaken high positions in Party and State agencies.

Vietnamese women have significantly contributed to the national construction. At present, they make up more than half of the country’s workforce. They are a high proportion of the workforce in the sectors of processing, garment, footwear, trade and services industries; as well as engaging more and more in economic sectors that require high professional knowledge and technology.

Over the past year, many women have bravely set up collective economic models that meet the needs of themselves and the market. As many as 1,224 cooperatives and groups of cooperatives have been established with the involvement of nearly 18,000 female labourers, helping the national programme on rural area building come to a finish soon.

Businesswomen now account for 25 percent of total Vietnamese entrepreneurs, and they are trying their best to develop the country.

Females have also made great contributions to other fields such as education, health, science-technology, and poverty reduction. In the 2010-2015 period, close to 600 women were conferred with professor and associate professor titles, while more than 2 million others received training to apply scientific and technological advances in farming and animal breeding.

Assessing the role of Vietnamese women, the 10 th Politburo’s Resolution No. 11 – NQ/TW concerning women’s affairs during the period of stepped-up national industrialisation and modernisation, affirmed that women play a very important role in society’s development. During the history of national foundation and safeguarding, women always made great contributions to socio-economic development and the building of an independent, self-strengthening country that was ready to fight foreign invaders to safeguard national independence.

It can be said that Vietnamese women have always been a pride of the nation as President Ho Chi Minh stated: “The country of Vietnam becomes more and more beautiful and brilliant thanks to the tireless efforts by women of both young and old ages”.-

More opportunities for women needed, conference hears

Although the proportion of women in leadership roles and management in politics and the economy in Vietnam has increased in recent years, it is still insufficient compared to their potential, Ton Nu Thi Ninh, Vice Chairwoman of Vietnam’s Peace Committee, has said.

Ninh spoke at an international conference held on March 5 in HCM City by the HCM City Association for Women Executives and Entrepreneurs (HAWEE) to mark International Women’s Day.

She said that Vietnam now has three women in the Politburo.

“How heartening the progress is,” she said, however, adding that the percentage of women in the Party Central Committee still remains only at 10 percent.

The proportion of female members in the 13th National Assembly is 24.4 percent, higher than the world average of 22.5 percent. However, it has declined over the last four terms of the legislature.

The Government should have more policies to give opportunities for women to raise their representative proportion, she said.

“More women should be in leadership positions to manage the country because they are worthy. Moreover, they have the capacity but they lack one thing. That thing is a chance,” she added.

Ninh said there were already chances in politics, which is why they were focusing to develop leadership and management in the field of economics.

In 2014, 24.9 percent of enterprise and farm leaders were female, an increase of 0.5 percent compared to 2013.

Ninh said that women should be given a chance to prove themselves.

Men should be “unbiased” towards women, she said.

The conference, which attracted more than 300 foreign, domestic and enterprise leaders, most of them women, heard discussions about women in technology, innovation and the sciences, as well as talks about leadership capacity training for women and social values for female enterprises.

The proportion of women working in technology and science is lower than for men.

Dr Nguyen Thi Hoe, Chairwoman of KOVA Group, said that female students whom she had taught in universities often achieved better learning outcomes than male students.

However, after graduating they do not gain promotion at work because they are in charge of housework, she added.

Hoe said that enterprises and the Government should have proper bonus policies for good female employees so that they will be loyal, work a long time and contribute to research.

Sherry Boger, General Manager of Intel Products Vietnam, said that they should negotiate with their spouses about housework duties.

Because of impediments such as these, they do not have much time to build professional and social networks that could help them be passionate about their work.

She cited one global research study on women in technology, engineering and science, which showed that women in these fields were isolated due of a lack of networks.

Intel Vietnam is providing scholarships to female students at technical vocational schools to encourage more women to learn and work in the field.

Astrid Tuminez, Microsoft regional director of legal and corporate affairs in Southeast Asia, said that women who take advantage of technology in their daily lives and jobs could gain success.

At the conference, HAWEE and the Australia Consulate General signed an agreement on cultural and educational exchange and cooperation in female leadership and enterprises.

Vietnam’s Da Nang to upgrade streets in preparation for 2017 APEC

The People’s Committee in the central Vietnamese city of Da Nang has approved a project to improve several major roads in preparation for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in 2017.

The roads will be upgraded to welcome the heads of the forum’s member nations as well as the anticipated hundreds of presidents of international businesses and corporations who will participate in the event next year.

The project includes renovations to 34 streets including Nguyen Van Linh, Vo Van Kiet, Ngo Quyen, Ngu Hanh Son, Bach Dang, Tran Phu, and others, with total capital estimated at VND243 billion (US$10.9 million).

The investment will be funded by the city’s budget as well as the private sector.

The construction of the international passenger terminal at Da Nang International Airport, which broke ground on November 15, 2015 with investment capital of VND3.5 trillion ($157 million), has also had March next year confirmed as its completion date.

The APEC is a regional economic forum established in 1989 comprising 21 member states, including Australia, China, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, the United States, and Vietnam among others.

The forum is aimed at creating greater prosperity for the people of the region by promoting balanced, inclusive, sustainable, innovative and secure growth as well as accelerating regional economic integration.

The 21 member economies are home to around 2.8 billion people and represented approximately 57 percent of the world’s GDP and 47 percent of global trade in 2012.

Vietnam joined the forum in 1998 and successfully chaired APEC 2006 and the sixth APEC Human Resources Development Ministerial Meeting in September 2014, both in Hanoi.

This year’s APEC forum will take place in Peru’s capital city of Lima in November, while the 2017 meeting is scheduled to be convened in Da Nang.

State Bank Governor pledges assistance to fishermen

Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam Nguyen Van Binh has pledged that the banking sector will assist fishermen by facilitating their access to credit to build modern boats for offshore fishing, thus ensuring fishermen’s livelihood and contributing to the marine economy.

In opening an event for fishermen in the central coastal province of Quang Ngai on March 7, Governor Nguyen Van Binh, who is also a Politburo member, stressed that the Party and State will try to create the best possible policies and mechanisms to support fishermen’s operation at sea.

He urged related ministries and agencies to continue refining legal regulations on the management, investment in and exploitation of marine resources towards the goal of promoting socio-economic development with safeguarding national security and defence.

According to the Governor, commercial banks have lent nearly 4 trillion VND to fishermen for the building and upgrading of around 400 high-capacity boats under the Government’s Decrees 67 and 89 on support for fisheries.

The banking sector also granted more than 5.3 trillion VND to social security programmes targeting fishermen between 2011-2015.

On the occasion, the SBV Governor presented 735 sets of communication equipment to 28 coastal cities and provinces.

Decree 67, which took effect in August 2014, stipulates policies in investment, credit, insurance, and tax incentives in support of fishermen and ship owners who wish to build new fishing boats, upgrade their existing ones or buy fishing and marine equipment. Its aim is to earn fishermen higher incomes

Meanwhile, Government Decree 89, valid from November 25, 2015, addresses roadblocks in fishermen’s ship building process regulated in Decree 67.

Vietnamese consumer rights day to be launched

The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) is preparing for a ceremony to announce March 15 as Vietnamese Consumer Rights Day.

The ceremony, organised with help from the Hanoi municipal People’s Committee and the national broadcaster Vietnam Television (VTV), will be held on March 12 at the International Conference Centre in Hanoi and will be broadcast live on VTV2.

In line with the programme, the MoIT will launch a campaign for Vietnamese Consumer Rights Day this year.

The campaign’s activities, themed “Consumer rights to safety”, will be held throughout March nationwide.

Chosen under the Prime Minister’s decision No.1035/QĐ-TTg, the Day aims to enhance public awareness of protecting consumers’ rights.

It will contribute to creating a healthy consumption environment and encouraging participation of people from all walks of life in protecting the interests of consumers.

Workshop discusses gender equality in Vietnam

The United Nations in Vietnam organised a workshop concerning the youths’ role in boosting gender equality in Vietnam in Hanoi on March 7.

The event gathered embassy representatives and 50 local students.

The students were divided into two groups, discussing the issue and proposing their initiatives.

Speaking at the workshop, UN Coordinator in Vietnam Pratibha Mehta noted gender equality should exist in government policies and their implementation.

The most important thing is to change these backward ideas on what women can and cannot do, or else all efforts will have little impact on society, she said.

According to her, UN programmes, including a satire drawing competition and a film-making contest, have helped eliminate several gender stereotypes in Vietnam.

Improving education-training key to labour productivity: Deputy PM

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam pushed for improving the quality of education and training in order to raise productivity while chairing a seminar in Hanoi on March 7 promoting vocational training amid the changing labour landscape.

Over the past two years, Vietnam has carried out comprehensive reform of the education-training system, of which vocational training is an important aspect, he said.

Statistics showed that among 53 percent of the trained workforce, only 20 percent underwent training for three months or longer. Meanwhile, university graduates fall short of employers’ expectations.

He proposed continuing to study labour incentives, attracting investment in education and vocational training, and improving ties between employers and trainers.

Given the recent birth of the ASEAN Community and Vietnam’s entry into new-generation free trade agreements, the country must overcome manpower challenges amid widespread globalisation and integration, he said.

By 2030, the world needs an additional 50 percent of energy, 40 percent of water and 35 percent of food, heard the seminar. Nearly two thirds of the world population is above 65 and more people are moving to cities.

Reports delivered at the event showed that globalisation, new technologies and longer working times are changing the global labour landscape, which requires each country to devise flexible vocational training development strategies.

Participants also discussed how Vietnam could grasp chances to develop until 2020 and beyond.

Deputy Prime Minister Dam and Lord David Puttnam, special envoy of the UK Prime Minister in charge of trade and culture in Vietnam , co-chaired the event, which was hosted by the Embassy of the UK and Northern Ireland and the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

Within the framework of the International Skills Partnership, the British Council will host a seminar on March 8 and 9 to establish training quality assurance mechanisms and tools up to UK standards.

Bac Lieu builds 460 dams to protect agricultural land

Farmers in the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu have constructed 460 dams at a cost of over 3 billion VND (130,000 USD) to prevent seawater intrusion for about 46,000 hectares of winter-spring rice crop.

Due to El Nino effects, Bac Lieu is facing drought and seawater intrusion. Saltwater has intruded upstream 30-40 kilometres into the mainland.

So far, about 11,300 hectares of rice and 12,000 hectares of shrimp farming have been damaged.

About 8,600 hectares of winter-spring rice crops are forecast to be badly impacted due to a lack of water.

To deal with the problem, the province has proposed the Government invest in a project worth 650 billion VND (28 million USD) to build 24 salinity-control sewers and a project worth 455 billion VND (19.8 million USD) to upgrade the Cau Sap-Ninh Quoi canal system.

Bac Lieu has also announced a need of over 20 billion VND (870,000 USD) to repair the Ganh Hao sea dyke and another 22.8 billion VND (nearly 1 million USD) to support local farmers who suffered from damaged rice crop.

Vietnam, Finland to intensify cooperation in education

Discussions to develop educational affiliation between Vietnam and Finland are necessary, Minister of Education and Training Pham Vu Luan said at a forum held in Hanoi on March 7.

The cooperation will bring enormous benefits in both sides’ development of trade, science and technology in the future, he stated.

Vietnam stresses human resources training – particularly increasing the number of competent personnel, Luan noted.

Domestic efforts to achieve the goal require support from international communities, including Finland , that have developed their education systems to an advanced level, he added.

According to the minister, Vietnam is overhauling its education sector with the introduction of training programmes learned from different countries.

Finnish Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Lenita Toivakka lauded the educational reform, calling it a wise selection and good investment for the future.

As Vietnam has become a low middle-income nation with ambitious development plans, it is time to deepen the two nations’ relations between Finland and Vietnam, she said.

She said she hopes the forum will be a good start to boost collaboration between Vietnamese and Finnish educational establishments.

The Ministry of Education and Training and Finland Embassy in Vietnam organised the forum, which saw exchanges of experience and development strategies in the field of education.

Vietnam and Finland expect to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on educational cooperation this year.

Vietnamese women spotlighted on Argentine media

Vietnamese women were featured in the Argentinean newspaper Clarin on March 6 on the occasion of the International Day of Women (March 8).

In her article, Alicia Diaconu, who made a recent visit to Vietnam, highlighted the role women have played in Vietnam’s national protection and nation building, hailing the Trung Sisters (Hai Ba Trung) who led the uprising against the Han invaders from China in 40 AD.

She expressed her admiration of the two elephant-riding female generals, who have been depicted in numerous pictures, sculptures, paintings and publications.

There are more than 200 temples built across the nation to commemorate the Trung Sisters, the article said.

The article also honoured Ba Trieu (Lady Trieu) or Trieu Thi Trinh, a female warrior of Vietnam in the 3rd century, who raised a rebellion against Ngo (Wu) invaders, along with the many other Vietnamese women involved in the resistant war against the American invaders in the 20th century.

The author also praised the beauty of Vietnamese women in traditional long dresses (ao dai) she met throughout the nation and highlighted their participation in the socio-economic development of Vietnam.

Female photographers exhibit work in HCM City

The HCM City Photography Association has opened an exhibition featuring the work of its female members in celebration of International Woman’s Day on March 8.

The event displays 50 black-and-white and colour photos of 15 professional and amateur female photographers. Its underlying theme is “The Country through the Eyes of Female Photographers.”

The works capture landscapes, daily life and ethnic minority women and children.

"We toured the country to capture the most beautiful and meaningful images of the country, people and their daily life,” said 71-year-old Đao Hoa Nu, a member of the club, who has won several top prizes in competitions at home and abroad.

Established in 1981, the photography association has organised regular activities for its members. It has also supported women in photography.

The exhibition is at the HCM City Photography Association, 122 Suong Nguyet Anh street, District 1. It will close on March 12.

HCM City works to ease hospital overload

Reducing hospital overloads was a focal point at a working session between the Ministry of Health and the Ho Chi Minh City’s People’s Committee on March 5.

Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Dinh La Thang asked the health sector to review its development strategy for 2015 to 2020 in terms of infrastructure, service quality and administrative reform.

Building a mechanism for the field is important in order to serve local demand, he added.

The city will speed up the construction of the Pediatrics Hospital so it can be put into operation three months sooner than expected, he said.

He suggested changing the investor for the building of the Hospital for Traumatology & Orthopaedics if progress is too slow. The health sector also needed to pay more attention to medical workers’ living standards.

Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien proposed that local authorities support public investment, including the use of official development assistance (ODA) funds, in healthcare.

The two officials toured hospitals in the city to collect information.

Pop star’s live show celebrates rise to stardom

Popular pop singer Le Quyen will stage a solo performance at Hà Nội’s National Convention Centre tonight, singing songs that led to stardom.

The live show called Le Quyen 2016 will highlight love and women on International Woman’s Day.

Quyen will perform 20 songs in pop and R&B with support from her friends, male singers Le Hieu and Tuan Hung and Vietnamese-American Quang Le.   

Immortal songs written by talented composers Ngo Thuy Mien and Nguyen Anh 9 will be featured.

Quyen worked with fashion designer Duc Hung for the show.  

Born in Hanoi, Quyen began her professional career in 2000. With a strong and sweet voice, she has won acclaim from audiences at home and abroad.  

She has released 13 albums and dozens of single CDs, and has travelled to perform in the US and Europe.   

"I hope my new show will be a party for my female fans,” the 35-year-old singer said.

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