Robotics, high-tech treatment improves medical care in VN

Bình Dân Hospital’s annual scientific conference highlighted the latest high-tech techniques in surgery and medical treatment. —Photo courtesy of Bình Dân Hospital

High-tech treatments have become an efficient coworker for doctors in diagnosis and treatment in Việt Nam, Trần Vĩnh Hưng, the director of Bình Dân Hospital, said at a conference held in HCM City on Saturday.   

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the hospital’s annual scientific conference, Hưng said that progress in treating disease had had a significant improvement on the survival rates and the quality of patients’ life.

The hospital has been a pioneer in Việt Nam in using robots in minimally invasive surgeries to treat 14 kinds of disease and cancer.

Through a magnified 3D high-definition vision system, surgeons can direct the robot’s hands to bend and rotate 540 degrees, far more than a human hand can.

Dr Vũ Lê Chuyên, chairman of the Việt Nam Urology and Nephrology Association, said that 87 patients with prostrate cancer have had surgery with robots assisting since 2016, the year the hospital began using robots for surgery.  

Within one year after implementation, nearly 300 patients had benefited from robotic surgery.

Moreover, many advanced techniques in endovascular intervention, plastic surgery, and endoscopy have been applied in many hospitals nationwide, including Bình Dân Hospital.

“Applying advanced techniques to improve diagnosis and treatment should be done now and in the future,” Hưng said.  

Hưng said that scientific and technological progress had helped doctors and experts in the health sector exchange the latest medical knowledge with local and overseas medical staff.

As many as 106 presentations were given at the conference, including topics related to urological problems, men’s diseases, emergency aid, cancer, and the latest techniques in imaging diagnosis, anaesthetics and recovery.

Khmer ethnic people in Soc Trang enjoy better life

A corner of Soc Trang city 

The living standards of Khmer ethnic people in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang have been improved in recent years thanks to the Party and State’s investment policies to develop the region.

Soc Trang has the largest number of Khmer people in the country with more than 400,000, making up 31 percent of the provincial population. 

In 2017, the province helped more than 5,000 Khmer families escape poverty, reducing the ratio of poor Khmer households to 17.95 percent. About 96.5 percent of Khmer households now have access to hygienic water while nearly 100 percent have electricity.

Soc Trang has nine boarding schools for ethnic minorities and 159 Vietnamese-Khmer bilingual schools with nearly 146,800 students.

Deputy head of the provincial department of ethnic affairs Ly Soc Kha said the quick reduction of poor Khmer households was attributed to the implementation of the Party and State’s policies to support investment in building infrastructure, transferring technology and helping locals develop animal husbandry.

In 2017, the government invested more than 100 billion VND (4.4 million USD) to develop the Khmer ethnic region by providing policies to support land for accommodation and production, change jobs, build electricity and water supply facilities, and help dozens of Khmer households access loans.

Notably, Programme 135, which was launched in 1998, has helped raise living standards of people in remote and mountainous areas, Kha said.

In 2017, Soc Trang supported nearly 60 billion VND for disadvantaged Khmer communes to build roads, irrigation systems and community houses as well as develop production and expand poverty reduction models.

Mai Thanh Cau, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Thanh Phu commune, said thanks to the Party and State’s ethnic policies, especially Programme 135, local lives have changed for the better. 

The programme has assisted rural residents in building houses, roads and irrigation facilities and adopting effective business models, he added.

Head of the Soc Trang department for ethnic affairs Ly Binh Cang said the government has approved total investment of more than 490 billion VND for Soc Trang to support accommodation and production land and water supply for poor Khmer households in the locality in 2018.

Tay Ninh extends greetings to Svay Rieng armed forces on Cambodian New Year

A delegation from the Military Headquarters, Border Guard High Command and Police of the southern province of Tay Ninh visited their Cambodian peers in Svay Rieng province on the occasion of the Khmer community’s Chol Chnam Thmay traditional New Year.

Congratulating the Cambodian officers on their achievements over the past year, the Tay Ninh delegation expressed delight at the strong partnership between the two sides to build a shared border of peace and cooperation.

Cambodian forces have helped search for remains of Vietnamese martyrs in Cambodia, they noted.

The Cambodian side thanked the Party, State, people and armed forces of Vietnam as well as Tay Ninh armed forces for saving Cambodians from the Khmer Rouge regime and supporting Sway Rieng in developing their armed forces and boosting socio-economic growth.

Chol Chnam Thmay is the traditional New Year of Cambodia. It usually lasts three days.

This year’s event will take place from April 14-16.

Co-operatives, clean farming methods help farmers raise the bar

A dragon fruit farm in Tiền Giang Province. More and more farmers are seeing the benefit of working with co-operatives and clean farming. 

More and more farmers in Việt Nam are discovering the benefits of working with co-operatives and export companies and using clean farming methods to ensure high-quality produce.

In places like Tiền Giang and Đồng Tháp provinces there are many agricultural co-operatives that comply with VietGap standards and sell their produce to exporters like Vina T&T.

For example, all 28 large dragon fruit farmers in Tiền Giang are members of co-operatives on whose instructions they use clean farming methods and avoid certain chemicals.

They sell their entire output to export companies and not to traders. They thus have a reliable buyer whereas selling to traders often leaves them at their mercy.

The co-operatives schedule the cultivation and harvest of its members to ensure the harvest is spread throughout the year to ensure supply and thus prices do not fluctuate.

Huỳnh Văn Quyền, a dragon fruit farmer said: “I have been working with the local co-operative and Vina T&T for around five years. I have been learning a lot from other farmers and the co-operative staff, who are very helpful and clear in their instructions. My fruit output, quality and income also saw great improvements.”

Vina T&T and the co-operatives it works with assign area codes for each farmer as required by the US when it imports fruits.  

The dragon fruits are also exported to markets like Germany, and since they meet international quality standards, are very well received there.

Since the co-operatives work closely with their farmers, the product quality is consistent throughout the entire province, making it easier to export.

Longan farmers in Đồng Tháp are also instructed by their co-operative and Vina T&T not to use chemicals to match international standards, which greatly boosts the quality of their fruit.

Lê Thành Lộc, a longan farmer in Đồng Tháp’s Châu Thành District, said: “Earlier Châu Thành farmers would use their own individual methods without caring much for clean farming, so our output was not that high and some were even affected by plant diseases. After working with a farming expert, Dr Nguyễn Đăng Nghĩa, locals have realised the importance of clean farming and changed their ways.” 

Overall, farmers improve quality and output when they join co-operatives and adopt clean farming practices, according to insiders.

In the past they would follow their instincts or simply copy from others, some switching between crops regularly depending on what is popular at the time.

Now more and more farmers around the country have greater awareness and are seeing the big picture, realising the benefits of organised work, clean farming and export.

New health insurance appraising system to be operated

A new health insurance appraisal system will be operated on a pilot basis in five cities and two provinces from May to September this year.— Photo tapchitaichinh.vn

A new health insurance appraisal system will be operated on a pilot basis in five cities and two provinces from May to September this year.

The information was revealed by deputy director of the Vietnam Social Security (VSS) Phạm Lương Sơn in a conference on health insurance held in Hà Nội.

The cities and provinces are Hà Nội, HCM City, Hải Phòng, Đà Nẵng, Cần Thơ, Nghệ An and Thanh Hóa.

Sơn said that the Law on Health Insurance regulated that social security agencies are responsible for appraising work and for appraisal results.

The appraisal results are the legal foundation for social security agencies to pay for medical examination and treatment expenses with health insurance. It is also the foundation to assess medical services’ quality and protect residents’ rights.

However, said Sơn, the number of people buying health insurance had greatly increased and their rights were growing larger, making appraisal work more difficult.

"A change in appraisal work is needed to inspect the health insurance fund," he said.

Since 2011, to meet changes in health insurance policies, which were regulated in the Law on Health Insurance 2008 and the amended Law on Health Insurance 2014, the Vietnam Social Security issued procedures to appraise health insurance in 2011 and 2015.

The problem, Sơn said, was while the number of health insurance documents waiting for payment had increased sharply, the VSS had not hired enough new workers to keep up.

For instance, about 130 million documents were awaiting payment in 2015 to the tune of of VNĐ50 trillion (US$2.2 billion). The number reached nearly 170 million documents and nearly VNĐ90 trillion ($3.9 billion) last year.

The VS estimated that to appraise 30 per cent of the total documents, each worker would have to work on about 63,000 documents per year.

To improve the difficulties, since the end of 2016, the VSS connected the data of all health insurance agencies and conducted electronic appraising nationwide, with some success.

With more than 80 million people buying health insurance and hundreds of millions of documents needing appraising every year, a safe, scientific and effective management system was really needed, said Sơn.

Thus after collecting ideas from experts from different localities, the new system was completed and would run as a trial from May to September.

Modified-release paracetamol products to be suspended

The Drug Management Administration under Ministry of Health has asked provincial health departments to provide information on the safety of modified-release paracetamol products. — Photo baotintuc.vn

The Drug Management Administration under Ministry of Health has asked provincial health departments to provide information on the safety of modified-release paracetamol products.

According to MoH, Tylenol 8 hour produced by the firm Janssen Cilag is the only modified-release paracetamol product granted a circulation permit in Việt Nam and its registration number has expired.

In March, the administration temporarily suspended modified-release paracetamol products from circulation and asked medical facilities to monitor adverse reactions to those products.

Salt prices hit 10-year high

The price of salt in Bến Tre Province has reached VNĐ1,200–1,300 per kg, a 10-year high.

The price of salt in Bến Tre Province has reached VNĐ1,200–1,300 per kilo this year, the highest price in the past decade.

In recent years, the price of salt was just VNĐ500-700 per kilo, and only VNĐ300 in 2015, according to Nguyễn Thị Diễm, a salt maker in Bảo Thuận Commune in Ba Tri District.

Diễm and 1,500 other salt farming households are mostly located in Ba Tri and Bình Đại districts.

“Although this year’s weather hasn’t been good, I’ve earned a big profit,” said Diễm, who sold more than 50 tonnes of salt from her one-hectare field.

Trần Quốc Khánh, head of Ba Tri District’s Agriculture and Rural Development Sub-department, said that for the last few months, unseasonable rain had reduced the supply of salt and increased prices.

More than 20,000 tonnes of salt in the storehouse had sold out, Khánh said. 

However, he said that he was worried that salt making would not bring a stable life for farmers because it would depend on the weather and the needs of fish farmers and dried-fish makers.

“Salt farming in the province in the future could become worse because farmers are not applying modern technology,” he said.

Provincial authorities want to reduce salt farming and develop wind electronic projects, and have encouraged salt farmers to turn to aquaculture. But many farmers have not listened.  

Total salt cultivation area in the province for the 2017-2018 crop is 1,500 hectares, down 110 ha compared to the previous crop, with a production of 70,000 tonnes, according to Bến Tre Province’s Agriculture and Rural Development Department.

By 2020, the area is expected to comprise only 200 hectares, which will likely be used for aquaculture cultivation.

Nghệ An fishing boat and crew rescued

After eight hours drifting at sea, at 5am yesterday a fishing boat and its seven crew members were rescued by Nghệ An Province Border Guard.– Photo antt.vn

After eight hours drifting at sea, at 5am yesterday a fishing boat and its seven crew members were rescued by Nghệ An Province Border Guard.

The boat, captained by Nghệ An-based Lê Văn Hoà, experienced engine failure on Saturday, after which a northeast monsoon hit, bringing heavy rains and high winds. Captain Hoà then sent out a distress signal.

Receiving the signal a ship was mobilised to rescue the fishing boat and its crew.

Kiên Giang tourism sees numbers improve in first quarter

Tourists explores the beauty of Hòn Thơm Island on Kiên Giang Province’s Phú Quốc Island, which is connected to An Thới Town by the world’s longest sea cable-car route. 

Kiên Giang Province welcomed more than 1.5 million tourists in the first quarter of the year, a 3.7 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.

Of the figure, there were 173,000 international tourists, a rise of 5.9 per cent year-on-year.

Tourism is expected to become the province’s key sector, according to Mai Văn Huỳnh, deputy chairman of the province’s People’s Committee.

Authorities are pouring more money into investment, infrastructure and human resource training for the tourism sector.

Phú Quốc Island, which is part of the province, is expected to become an international hub for eco-tourism, resort tourism and entertainment in the country, region and the world.

Thanks to favourable conditions for investors, the province has the largest number of tourism projects in the Mekong Delta.

Phú Quốc is the top place in attracting investment, Huỳnh said.

Rạch Giá City, Hà Tiên Town, Kiên Lương District, and U Minh Thượng District and surrounding areas also have tourism potential.

The province has called for investment in entertainment centres, shopping malls, transport services and sea-going trips for this area.

Nam Du Archipelago, Lại Sơn Island in Kiên Hải District, and Hải Tặc Archipelago in Hà Tiên Town have been recognised as three tourist zones in the province.

This recognition will help build the area’s brand, attract more investment and open new ecotourism sites.

Võ Văn Sáu, deputy director of the province’s Department of Tourism, said the province was calling for investment in 14 projects in the tourism sector with a total cost of VNĐ4.2 trillion (US$183 million).

Paediatric assn to provide guidance on infant skincare

The Việt Nam Paediatric Association plans to issue a guidebook to parents and health staff on skincare and proper sleep habits for babies.

Dr Nguyễn Gia Khánh, chairman of the association, said that pediatric experts had consulted staff at the Asia-Pacific Paediatric Sleep Alliance and Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses, a nonprofit group that promotes the health of women and newborns.

Based on the consultations, the book will describe the importance of proper skincare in protecting babies from disease and developing their sense and nerve systems.  

In tropical countries like Việt Nam, high temperatures and moisture can affect babies’ skin in both positive and negative ways.

Protection from the sun is needed, but limited exposure to the sun can also stimulate the production of vitamin D, which can prevent rickets and other illnesses.

“It is very important to take care of babies’ skin in their first months, especially premature babies. Their skin needs careful care, just as an adult does,” Khánh said, adding that healthy skin can promote good sleep as well.

Cần Thơ, Hà Giang province promote tourism cooperation

A performance featuring the culture of the northeastern province of Hà Giang was held during a tourism promotion conference in Cần Thơ City on April 6. — Photo www.baohagiang.vn

Officials from Hà Giang Province met with their counterparts in Cần Thơ City in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta last Friday to promote the tourism potential of the northeastern province.

Speaking at the conference, Nguyễn Văn Sơn, chairman of the Hà Giang Province’s People’s Committee, said that most tourists in Hà Giang are interested in natural landscapes, cuisine, festivals and the diverse cultures of its 19 ethnic groups.

The “Colours of Hà Giang Province” conference was attended by representatives of the Việt Nam National Administration of Tourism, Việt Nam Tourism Association, and the Mekong Delta Tourism Association, as well as many officials of delta provinces.

In the first quarter of this year, the province welcomed 270,000 tourists, including 60,000 international tourists.

Total revenue from tourism was more than VNĐ226 billion (US$9.9 million), an increase of 17 per cent year-on-year.

By 2020, Hà Giang targets having tourism as one of its key economic sectors. In recent years, the province has created favourable conditions to attract investment, and has reformed administrative procedures in the tourism sector.

The number of tourists from the Mekong Delta region to Hà Giang has increased significantly in recent years. More than 400,000 tourists from the southern region visited the province last year.

However, Sơn said that Hà Giang had yet to meet its tourism potential.

Lê Văn Tâm, vice chairman of the Cần Thơ City’s People’s Committee, said the city would be willing to work with Hà Giang Province to promote tourism in the mountainous province.

HCM City aims to detect and treat remaining 20% of TB patients

Free X-rays for people at high risk of contracting TB are provided by a project administered by the HCM City Public Health Association withIMPACT  Phạm Ngọc Thạch Hospital, the Friends for International Tuberculosis Relief, TB, and the EU. 

The HCM City Department of Health has instructed health officials in all districts to visit households with patients who are at a high risk of contracting TB and offer testing and treatment, Nguyễn Hữu Hưng, deputy head of the department, said at a conference held on Friday in the city.

As part of the national strategy on TB prevention, the conference reviewed the last two years of TB prevention and detection activities in HCM City.  

The city aims to have only 20 patients with TB per 100,000 people by 2030, according to Hưng.

Over the last two years, 16,500 new incidences of TB were detected each year in HCM City, but the figure only accounted for 80 per cent of the real number in the community, he added.

More public-private partnerships on TB detection should be established, he said, adding that private health clinics should be assisted in obtaining vital equipment for TB patients.

To reduce the number of patients who give up on treatment and to avoid drug resistance, more private health clinics should be given assistance in obtaining equipment and medicine, Hưng said.

Dr Nguyễn Hữu Lân, head of HCM City’s TB prevention programme and director of Phạm Ngọc Thạch Hospital, said the city would pilot a programme to reduce the number of TB cases to zero by 2030.

The city now has 14 Gene X-Pert machines which can rapidly diagnose TB at a 90 per cent accuracy rate.

Lân said that investment, however, was still low for TB research and prevention as well as treatment.

He said the government should spend more money, and that co-operation between the TB prevention programme and one on HIV/AIDS prevention should be strengthened.

1 killed, another injured in coal mine accident

Rescue officials at a coal mine. Photo for illustrative purpose only. — Photo tienphong.vn

One worker was killed and another was injured in an accident at a coal mine in the northern coastal province of Quảng Ninh on Saturday, Tiền Phong (Vanguard) newspaper reported.

The deceased was identified as Đoàn Văn Sỹ, 26, from Ninh Bình Province, and the injured victim as Phạm Ngọc Chương, 31, from Hải Dương Province.

The accident occurred at a mining workshop of the VINCOMIN-Hạ Long Coal Company. Initial investigations reveal that the accident was caused by a landslide of coal and rocks, which buried both the workers.

A group of workers found the two victims, administered first-aids and took them to Quảng Ninh General Hospital.

Sỹ died at the hospital, and Chương is undergoing treatment.

The Quảng Ninh People’s Committee compensated Sỹ’s family with VNĐ6 million (US$263) and Chương’s with VNĐ3 million ($132).

Further investigation is underway.

WB offers VN recommendations on social insurance reform

The World Bank (WB)’s experts have suggested Việt Nam promptly reform its social insurance sector to ensure the stable balance between collection and spending in the mid-to long-term future.

The World Bank (WB)’s experts have suggested Việt Nam promptly reform its social insurance sector to ensure the stable balance between collection and spending in the mid-to long-term future.

WB Country Director for Việt Nam Ousmane Dione and other WB experts had a working session with Deputy Prime Minister Vương Đình Huệ, who is also head of the central steering committee for reform of wage, social insurance and allowances for people with meritorious services, in Hà Nội on Thursday.

According to the experts, Việt Nam’s reforms in social insurance policy, which began in 2014, are not strong and visionary enough to deal with ongoing challenges.

They explained that the imbalance between collection and spending in Việt Nam’s social insurance sector is expected to increase from 1.7 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) to 3 per cent in the future, since there will be more beneficiaries.

The total asset of the Việt Nam Social Security (VSS) now accounts for 12 per cent of GDP.

However, the value is forecast to drop to zero from 2036-42.

At the same time, Việt Nam’s retirement system is facing many challenges due to the country’s rapidly aging population.

With this in mind, experts proposed strengthening the State retirement system managed by VSS They also encouraged increasing the involvement of the unofficial sector, as well as developing a fundamental social retirement pension fund for poverty reduction and gradually expanding the private retirement system.

Việt Nam should raise the retirement pension at a rate lower than that of wages and the adjust retirement pension in line with inflation, they said.

The retirement age should be increased and should also be equal between men and women, the experts said, emphasising the need for Việt Nam to reduce the retirement pension gap between the State and private sectors.

The experts also gave recommendations to Việt Nam on ensuring the stability of the financial system.

In reply, Deputy Prime Minister Huệ said the WB’s assessments would help the Vietnamese Government complete a project on social insurance reform which will be submitted to the Politburo during the upcoming seventh plenum of the Party Central Committee.

Huệ called on the WB to assist Việt Nam in training experts in financial forecasting, expressing his belief that with the support of the bank Việt Nam could successfully conduct the reform.

Pulley system is deemed a bridge too far

Cable and pulley is used to carry people and vehicles crossing Pô Kô River in Ngọc Hồi and Đắk Tô districts. 

Residents are putting their safety at risk every day crossing a river using a cable and pulley, even though there are two bridges nearby.

The banks of the Pô Kô River in Central Highland province of Kon Tum are connected by a suspension bridge and a concrete bridge, but some people are still using a 10-year-old pulley operated by two cable lines.

Many say it’s because they have to travel between five and 10 kilometres to use the constructed bridges, wasting valuable time and causing inconvenience.

But there are many risks associated with this type of crossing.

If overloaded, the iron cage stoops dangerously close to the water leaving commuters needing to pull ropes to get to the other side.

Local resident Đặng Trung Tá in Hamlet 3, Plei Kần Town in Ngọc Hồi District said his family installed the cable system to make a shortcut.

Tá said many families live in Ngọc Hồi District but their farming land was in Đắk Tô District on the other side of the river.

“For nearly a decade, local residents in Hamlet 3 use the cable to cross Pô Kô River,” Tá said. "They also used the cable to transport vehicles and farming products.”

Another resident in Hamlet 3, Lương Tám said his family had more than 4ha of farmland in Ngọc Tụ Commune, Đắk Tô District.

Despite being aware of the risks, he said he uses the system because it is a far more convenient way to travel to the field.

Trần Dương Chấn of the Đắk Rơ Nga Commune, Ngọc Hồi District said for a long time, people transported farm products and fertiliser by boats.

But he said during rainy season, boats could not cross the river because of strong water flow.

“If we don’t use the cable, we have to go about five kilometers to use a suspension bridge or even ten kilometers to use a concrete bridge,” Chấn said.

“After crossing the bridges, we drive on a rugged path which costs time and is very inconvenient,” Chấn said.

Locals say although no one has died because of the cable, two people did fall into the water last year after a cable snapped.  

Chairman of Plei Kần Commune People’s Committee Nguyễn Xuân Phượng said residents built and used the river-crossing cable by themselves.

Phượng said the commune was asking local businesses to help by building a wooden bridge.

Using cable and pulley to cross river is not rare in Central Highland provinces in Việt Nam, especially in disadvantaged areas where firm bridges are not available.

In northern Điện Biên Province, in 2014, people from Sam Lang Village in Nà Hỳ Commune adopted an unusual and dangerous way to cross a swollen stream. The 100-metre trip is made by hopping into a large plastic bag and having it pulled by a strong swimmer in his shorts.

Tòng Thị Minh, a kindergarten teacher from the village, filmed a scene showing teachers waiting by the side of the swift-flowing stream. They then take it in turns to climb into a bag until it covers them from head to toe. Male swimmers then haul the "baggage" through the turbulent waters.

The residents, of course, try to stay calm during the trip because if the bags are torn on rocks, they face being swept away. Parents also use the bags to take their children to school.

Residents dream of a suspension bridge, but construction could be costly because of the difficult terrain and muddy roads.

According for Directorate for Roads of Việt Nam under Transport Ministry, this year, Việt Nam plans to build 776 new small bridges and complete the construction of nearly 1,000 bridges in disadvantaged remote areas with total investment of VNĐ 9.2 trillion (US$ 402 million ).

Cà Mau reports first dengue death in 2018

A health official fumigates to kill mosquitoes to prevent dengue fever. One person has been confirmed dead from dengue fever in Cà Mau Province. 

The Mekong Delta province of Cà Mau has reported Việt Nam’s first death from dengue fever this year.

The Health Centre in Trần Văn Thời District confirmed the death of a 15-year-old student, who lived in Sông Đốc Township.

Trần Thị Huyền Như was hospitalised on March 29 and diagnosed with an unknown virus.

On March 31, doctors confirmed she was suffering from dengue fever. By then, her health had deteriorated.

At 9 am the same day, she was transferred to the provincial General Hospital for treatment.

She developed a blood infection and suffered from respiratory failure and coagulopathy. She died at 5pm.

The provincial People’s Committee has directed the local health sector to strengthen measures to prevent the disease, particularly providing information on the epidemic to locals and guiding them on ways to prevent the disease. In 2017, the province reported three deaths from dengue fever.

Last year dengue fever flourished across the country, especially in Hà Nội and HCM City. 

More than 148,260 cases of dengue fever have been reported across the country since the outbreak began in 2017. Thirty people have lost their lives.

Hà Nam northern province was the first province to announce the dengue epidemic.

Dengue is a viral infection transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito. There is no specific vaccine or treatment for dengue. 

Minister says fisheries sector needs restructuring to be sustainable

Fish being bred in cages in the central province of Khánh Hòa. 

The fisheries sector needs to be restructured to develop sustainably and adapt to climate change and the country’s global integration, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyễn Xuân Cường has said.

Speaking at a seminar in Nha Trang City on Thursday, he said fishing, preservation and processing all have shortcomings such as a lack of technology, resulting in low efficiency.

To ensure sustainable development, the sector should establish closed chains for catching fish up to permitted limits and increase processing and diversify products to add value, he said.

The sector should develop aquaculture using advanced techniques and adapt to climate change, he said.

He instructed the Directorate of Fisheries to review and adopt new preservation and processing technologies and instruct companies in their use. 

The sector faces post-catch losses of 15 – 25 per cent, according to the directorate.

Most fishing boats use ice or salt or dry their catch to preserve their catch. More than 90 per cent of catches are preserved using ice.

Most boats have small wooden holds, which affect the quality of preservation.   

Cường urged local governments to restructure their fishing to suit local conditions and ensure the safety of fishermen.

They should identify fisheries products that are popular in the domestic and foreign markets to make plans for fishing and processing based on such demand, he said.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Vũ Văn Tám said the country may not be able to increase its catch in future but has to ensure preservation to reduce post-catch losses to about 10 per cent.

Seminar participants said the fish catches should be suitable for each region, adding that the northen gulf area and the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta region should focus on small open-sea fishes while the central and south-eastern regions should focus on large fishes.

The country had 109,622 fishing boats at the end of last year, according to the directorate.

In the first three months of this year they caught about 740,000 tonnes of fish, up 7 per cent from the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Fishermen have had bumper catches this year because of favourable weather conditions.

The country targets total catches of around 3.3 million tonnes this year and exports of US$3.3 billion worth of marine fisheries this year, mostly made up of tuna, cuttlefish and octopus.

Quang Ninh: land subsidence drills hole in residential area

A hole, as a result of land subsidence, suddenly formed in front of a house in the northern coastal province of Quang Ninh’s Cam Pha city in the evening of April 5.

Located in Cam Son ward, the hole is 3 – 4 metres deep and 200 square metres in diameter. Its sudden formation dragged down a man and two scooters from the surface. The victim was rescued with minor injuries.  

Local authorities have directed agencies to pour earth and cement into the hole to ensure safety for nearby traffic and residents.

 Chairman of the Cam Pha People’s Committee Nguyen Hong Duong said experts will be invited to examine the scene.

 Similar incidents took place in Cam Pha’s roads and residential areas in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017. Local authorities invited experts from the Institute of Geology to examine the previous land sinking in Cam Son ward’s Nam Son 2 area. 

 In September 2016, experts reported the cause of the event was natural subsurface movement of earth materials. Cam Son was said to have enough geographic features to make it highly vulnerable to land subsidence.