Russian sailor saved onshore

A foreign sailor aboard M/V Brirholl-Lucky was saved at the general hospital in central Khanh Hoa province on June 5 thanks to the swift actions of the Zone 4 Maritime Rescue Centre.

The ill man, born in 1970, is a Russian citizen.

At 23:20 of June 4, the centre was informed that a sailor had shown symptoms of acute appendicitis.

The captain asked for emergency aid from the Vietnamese authorities. At that time the ship was 195 nautical miles off Nha Trang coast while travelling to Singapore.

The centre deployed vessel SAR27-01 for the rescue mission.

Police cracks down on taxis for illegal parking

The Ha Noi police is cracking down on taxis that violate parking rules and drop off passengers in undesignated areas, thus causing traffic chaos near major hospitals.

According to the police, the crackdown this month will focus on taxis operating near hospitals on streets such as Phu Doan, Tran Hung Dao, Hai Ba Trung, De La Thanh.

The police say many taxi drivers inform one another about the presence of traffic police, and in many cases, even leave the taxis unguarded in the street to escape inspection.

However, the drivers have complained that there are not enough taxi stands in important pickup areas, forcing them to halt in the streets.

Senior lieutenant colonel Dao Vinh Thang, head of the citys transport police department, said that the relevant units will increase inspection from 6am to midnightdaily, adding that the Department of Transport should consider building and designating new taxi stands in important pickup areas, especially near major hospitals.

Vice President addresses 24th Global Summit of Women

Vice State President Nguyen Thi Doan on June 5 delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of the 24th Global Summit of Women (GSW) in Paris, in which she stressed that diffidence is one of the main challenges women have to overcome to reach real gender equality.

Barriers in national laws, as well as misconceptions about the role of women in family and society also lead to inequality, Doan said, adding that societies cannot gain sustainable development without the efforts of women.

She also highlighted the great contributions of Vietnamese women to the country’s socio-economic development, especially in economic restructuring and growth model change.

The GSW, held annually since 1990, aims to strengthen international awareness of gender equality and boost women’s role in all aspects of life, particularly in economic affairs.

This year’s largest-ever event has attracted the participation of more than 1,300 delegates from 81 nations and territories worldwide.

On this occasion, Vice President Doan led the Vietnamese delegation to pay floral tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at his monument in Montreuil city, where he lived during the early years of the 20th century.

Doan also met Montreuil Governor Patrice Bessac, who expressed his hope to further strengthen connections between the two countries, and between Montreuil and Vietnamese localities, and join efforts to surmount Agent Orange/dioxin consequences in Vietnam.

Bessac, who is also Secretary of the French Communist Party said he hopes current issues in the East Sea, following China’s illegal placement of a giant State-owned oil rig in Vietnam’s waters, will be solved through peaceful negotiations on the basis of international law.

Global Digital Security Forum 2014 held in Hanoi

The Global Digital Security Forum was held in Hanoi on June 5 to introduce the latest technologies, applications and solutions in the security equipment market.

The security gathering is an ideal opportunity for Vietnamese experts in the field of security, fire prevention and safety to share practical experience, seek future cooperative opportunities and discuss application research and new ideas from the world’s leading experts.

The best security solutions are introduced for airports and urban areas, transport systems, offices and factories, apartments and houses, smart homes, banks, and office buildings.

The annual event has been organised in Taiwan, China, for ten years and has expanded to other countries such as Japan, Thailand, India and Vietnam. Vietnam hosted the event for the first time in 2011.

The forum is also part of activities in the lead up to the seventh International Security, Fire & Safety Exhibition to be held in HCM City from August 20-22.

Positive response to environmental protection efforts

Environment protection, natural resource management and climate change adaptation are decisive factors behind national sustainable development and also a challenge for humankind in the 21st century.

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai made the remark at a meeting in HCM City  on June 5 to mark  World Environment Day themed “Raise your voice, not the sea level”, attended by 1,500  people.

Vietnam is one of countries which are most vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. According to latest forecasts, climate change will adversely affect Vietnam and cause huge losses in terms of socio- economic development, lives and the environment, Hai said.

This poses a big challenge to the realisation of the Millennium Development Goals, requiring the country to put forward timely and practical solutions, he added.

Deputy PM Hai asked ministries, localities and citizens to take more practical actions to protect natural resources and the environment and cope with climate change. He also underlined the need to raise public awareness on exploitation, economical use of natural resources as well as the protection of the environment, sea and islands.

UN Resident Coordinator to Vietnam Pratibha Mehta said the UN hails Vietnam’s comprehensive implementation of environmental programmes on building strategies and scenarios to respond to climate change and sea level rise.

Tong Viet Ky, Chairman of War Veterans’ Association of Binh Tan district, said that climate change is exerting its negative impact on the living environment of humankind, and regular communication campaigns will help increase people’s awareness of environmental protection.

This year’s event emphasised the significance of protecting the environment and coping with climate change, particularly in vulnerable areas such as islands and coastal regions.

Second Telefilm opens in HCM City

HCM City launched the second Vietnam International Exhibition on Film and Television Technology (Telefilm) on June 5, to help local and international television companies seek cooperative opportunities, market their products and services, and access new trends.

The event centred around hundreds of trade-stands showcasing the latest, major products and technologies in the television broadcasting industry such as copyright, advertising, image and sound effects, digital equipment, cable and satellite television services.

Vietnam Television (VTV) General Director Tran Binh Minh said despite challenges, the organising board – VTV aims to develop Telefilm into the most effective networking forum for film and television in the region and the leading option for international film and television companies.

The event, the second of its kind, has drawn the participation of 50 businesses from 15 countries and territories, including France, Canada, Denmark, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Thailand and Singapore.

It has also attracted the leading local companies in the field of film and television technologies and equipment such as Cat Tien Sa, Song Vang, BHD, Multi Media, Dien Quan, Viet Ba, Motion and VietCom.  

AirAsia resumes Kuala Lumpur-Danang route

Malaysia’s budget airline AirAsia has announced that it will resume the air route between Kuala Lumpur-Danang, flying on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.

It will offer a discount on single airfares from Kuala Lumpur to Danang, starting from RM99 between August 29, 2014 and July 31, 2015.

Ticket booking lasts from June 5-15, 2014.

AirAsia launched a direct flight between the two destinations on December 16, 2011, but terminated the route as of June 10, 2013 to rearrange the schedule.

Besides Danang, AirAsia is conducting flights to HCM City and Hanoi of Vietnam.

Targets to be set for methadone therapy

Representatives from 20 provinces and cities struggling with large numbers of drug addicts gathered at a conference in Ha Noi on Thursday, debating the expansion of methadone therapy.

Piloted in April 2008 in Hai Phong and HCM City, the methadone treatment programme has since been expanded to 32 out of the country's 63 provinces and cities, with more than 17,500 drug addicts receiving treatment at 92 clinics.

The Ministry of Health's Administration of HIV/AIDS Control reported that after a 24-month course of methadone treatment, only 15 per cent of patients still used drugs but in lesser amounts compared to before receiving treatment. In particular, quality of life was improved for most patients, with more people gaining employment and fewer committing crimes.

Nguyen Khac Dinh, from the National Committee for AIDS, Drugs and Prostitution Prevention and Control, said the committee had set the goal to provide the drug replacement therapy to 80,000 addicts by 2015.

However, the programme's coverage is still less than expected, particularly in localities with HIV/AIDS hotspots, he added.

Dinh also asked the Health Ministry and the 20 cities and provinces to set targets for each locality's clinics and patients treated in 2014 and 2015.

At the conference, participants scrutinised shortcomings and proposed measures to remove obstacles preventing treatment goals by 2015.

Migrant workers call for nursery schools

Phan Thi Kieu Nuong, a worker at Pou Yuen Company in Binh Tan District, paid tuition of VND2 million (US$95) last year for her four-year old son to attend a private kindergarten.

The fee accounted for 20 per cent of the total income that she and her husband earned every month.

"We could hardly have any savings or send money to help aging parents due to high living costs in the city as well as high tuition," she said. "I could not work overtime as no one could take care of my son after school."

Despite high tuition, she was worried about the quality of private schools where facilities, teaching methods and nutrition are not strictly supervised.

Her concern was resolved when she sent her son to Mat Troi Nho Nursery School that Pou Yuen Co., Ltd. opened in Binh Tan District in June last year.

She paid only VND700,000 (US$34) per month as the company supports part of the tuition for workers.

The school was built at a cost of more than US$2.5 million by Pou Yuen Company, and teaching activities are provided by the Binh Tan International Nursery School.

The 5,000sq.m school with more than 20 classrooms can receive 700 children aged two to five.

Thai Minh Chi, the company's deputy general director, said that workers found it convenient as the school is located at the company and the schedule suited their work shifts.

"It will make workers be more loyal to the company as their children have a good place to learn," Chi said.

Migrant female workers accounted for 81 per cent of the total employees at the company, he said, adding that most of them could not take care of their children and had to send their children back to their hometowns.

The demand for preschool education among children of workers is enormous, said Tran Cong Khanh, chairman of the Federation of Trade Union of HCM City IPs and EPZs.

More than 1,050 enterprises are operating at 15 IPs and EPZs in HCM City and employ more than 287,600 labourers, according to the HCM City Export Processing and Industrial Zone Authority.

Of that figure, female workers account for 61 per cent and migrant workers 70 per cent.

"With an average income of VND4-5 million (US$190-240) per month, workers at IPs and EPZs still have a tough life and fail to make ends meet," Khanh said.

The number of nursery schools in industrial parks and export processing zones account for only 2.1 per cent of the total 13,700 schools nationwide, according to a research issued in March by the Viet Nam General Confederation of Labour.

The research was last year conducted in seven cities and provinces, including Ha Noi, Hai Phong, Da Nang and HCM City and the provinces of Thanh Hoa, Dong Nai and Binh Duong.

A total of 184 industrial parks and export processing zones are operating nationwide, employing nearly two million labourers.

Because of the shortage of nursery schools in HCM City, most of the workers' children stay in their hometowns in other provinces.

Falling concrete block kills worker

A worker was killed yesterday when a concrete block weighing several tonnes fell from the Tan Van road intersection, which is now under construction.

The junction is located in Binh Thang ward, Di An town in Binh Duong Province

The worker was identified as 48-year-old Le Van The from Soc Trang Province.

According to initial reports, about 10 workers were working throughout the night on pouring concrete. The accident happened after they finished the work and were about to leave the site.

Investigations continue.

Minimum wage should reflect bigger picture 

The Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) has recommended that the regional minimum wages be increased by 10-12 per cent next year, lower than the 15.2 per cent adjustment this year.

The recommendation was made public at a workshop held yesterday to discuss employers' attitudes towards minimum wages for 2015.

The chamber also said the minimum wage should be carefully adjusted, taking into account the financial burden on employers during economic downturns.

Apart from the chamber, others at the function included the Viet Nam Co-operative Alliance, Viet Nam Association of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, Viet Nam Garment and Textile Association.

Vi Thi Hong Minh, deputy director of the Employers' Bureau at VCCI, said the recommendation to raise wages by up to 12 per cent was based on Viet Nam's GDP growth, inflation and the average living standards of the people.

According to VCCI, the growth rate of regional minimum wages was equivalent to that of Consumer Price Index (CPI) in 2010-2011, but three times higher than CPI growth since 2012.

Regional minimum wages grew on average by 9.9 per cent in 2010 and leapt by 30.1 per cent in 2012. However, Minh said this was not reasonable and placed huge burdens on struggling companies.

The increase in minimum wages, however, was more carefully adjusted this year at 15.2 per cent on average.

Minh said some employers struggling to cope with low growth still had to find the money to pay workers' demands. She said this often meant cutting investment in material resources.

Increasing minimum wages by 10 per cent could lift running costs by more than 17 per cent due to increased allowances and other social benefits, said Minh.

She said many companies that wanted to expand could not afford to pay for extra wages at the increased rate.

She added that labour productivity was still too low to keep pace with the demand for salary increases. This was reflected in the fact that labour productivity grew by only about 3.3 per cent since 2013.

Phung Quang Huy, director of the Employers' Bureau of VCCI said minimum wage adjustments mostly affected the garment, footwear and fishery industries, in which companies usually hired a large number of workers, many with limited training and skills.

"The increase of minimum wages for 2015 should ensure both the actual salaries of workers and the production of enterprises," said Huy said.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) agreed, saying that negotiations for minimum wages should look into the needs of workers and the ability of employers to pay.

Gyorgy Sziraczki, director of ILO Viet Nam, urged decision-makers to go beyond the economic factors and take into consideration the need for social-insurance payments and improving work safety and vocational training.

He urged the parties to look at the larger picture before adjusting minimum wages.

Regional minimum wages in Viet Nam are now deliberated on by the National Wage Council, which was established in 2013. They give an equal voice to the Government, employers'organisations and trade unions.

The Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Viet Nam Co-operative Alliance, Viet Nam Association of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, Viet Nam Leather and Footwear Association, and Viet Nam Textile and Garment Association represent employer organisations at the National Wage Council.

Minimum wages for 2014 range from VND1.9 million (US$90) to VND2.7 million ($129) per month depending on regions. 

Gov’t asks for active response to super storms

Deputy PM Hoang Trung Hai has assigned ministries, agencies and localities to take a series of measures to prepare for and minimize impacts of super storms.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is responsible for early publicizing researches on storm regions as well as wind and sea level forecasts. These data aim to support other ministries, agencies, localities and people to actively prevent and respond to storm consequences.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is in charge of composing flood maps in coastal and estuarine areas and adjusting regulations and guidelines for vessels to seek shelter.

The Ministry of Construction works with related agencies to update and adjust regulations and guidelines on construction of houses and projects in stormy regions with a view to minimizing consequences of super storms.

According to the National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting, Viet Nam may face with around 10-12 storms this year.

Hanoi to name highway after General Vo Nguyen Giap

It has been proposed that the highway connecting Noi Bai Airport to Nhat Tan bridge in Hanoi, which is currently under construction, should be named after the legendary General Vo Nguyen Giap.

The idea was put forward by the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and has been waiting for approval from the municipal Party Committee and People's Council.

According to Director To Van Dong of the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the road-naming project was carefully studied based on the expectations of local people. The 12km-long highway is 70m to 100m wide and features solid infrastructure and beautiful landscape. It is scheduled for completion in October of this year, he added.

The Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism also proposed the establishment of 32 new streets including two streets named after late Chairman of the Council of State Vo Chi Cong and late Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet.

The proposals are expected to be approved at the 10th session of the Hanoi People's Council, which is slated for July 7-12.

183 entries fall into the final round of National Press Awards

The board of organization of the eight National Press Awards will select 183 outstanding entries in the final round after meeting at Hanoi capital on June 1.

The board of organization includes 39 members from central press agencies. This year’s award attracted participations of 151 domestic press agencies, 271 freelances and 45 individuals.

This year, the organizers received total of 1, 665 entries.

The organizers will select the best entries to award on Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day (June 21).

Smoking kills 40,000 Vietnamese people every year

40,000 Vietnamese people died of tobacco every year, reported by Ministry of Health on World No Tobacco Day (May 31).

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that Vietnam is one of 15 countries with the highest number of male smokers across over the world. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health showed that out of two Vietnamese people are adult, one is addicted to tobacco. Around 21 percent of 16- 24 years old male smokers are addicted to tobacco.

Because the number of smokers is increasing rapidly every year, around 40,000 Vietnamese people will be died from diseases related to stroke, coronary artery, and lung cancer.

Smoking causes not only significant health damage but also national economic damage.

89 mothers awarded title of Vietnamese heroic mother

Eighty nine mothers were awarded the title of Vietnamese heroic mother on May 31 in Ho Chi Minh City.

Attending in the award ceremony was Secretary of the Party Committee of Ho Chi Minh City Le Thanh Hai and representatives of the awarded mothers' families.

Mr Hai congratulated and expressed deeply his gratitude to mothers with their great devotions for national revolutionary career.

On this occasion, Hai also asked local authorities as well as relevant agencies have to often visit and encourage vietnamese heroic mothers.

46 out of 89 awarded mothers on this occasion were dead. Currently, there are 2, 095 Vietnamese heroic mothers living in HCMC. Each mother also has been supported VND 1-1, 5 million per month. Besides, Department of Labor-Invalids and Social Affairs of Ho Chi Minh City coordinates with local authorities have often repaired and upgraded houses for mothers every year.

English writing contest officially launched

Saigon giaiphong Newspaper launched officially an English writing contest on SGGP Online (English version) themed  'Describe Your Experiences with Festivals and Travel Destinations in Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City' at Liberty Central Saigon Riverside Hotel on May 31.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, Vice Editor in chief of Saigon giaiphong Newspaper Ly Viet Trung said that this is the first time that SGGP Newspaper held  English writing contest aimed to popularize culture, festivals, attractive destinations of Vietnam as well as beauty of Vietnamese people to international readers in the integration period.

Vietnamese readers or foreigners can participate in the English writing contest. Submissions should be 300-500 words written in English.

Attending the ceremony was General Manager of Liberty Central Saigon Riverside Hotel Mr. Dang Trong Tan, Head of Marketing Dept of Vietjet Air Mr. Nguyen Quoc Viet Nam, representative of Binh Dien Fertilizer Joint-stock Company, Vice Editor in chief of Saigon giaiphong Newspaper Ly Viet Trung , Deputy General Managing Editor of SGGP Newspaper Nguyen Khac Van, and crowded press agencies and students from city universities.

Health sector launches comprehensive review

The 30-year review of Viet Nam's health sector reforms should result in more policies for non-state hospitals, general director of Vinmec Hospital, Professor Do Tat Cuong, said yesterday in Ha Noi.

During a half-day conference hosted by the Party Central Committee's Commission for Publicity and Education and the Ha Noi Medical University, health experts discussed research methods and the review on the country's 30 years of health sector reform, which will run until 2016.

Cuong said that non-state hospitals were playing an increasingly important role in the health sector and helping reduce overcrowding in state hospitals. They were also contributing better services for patients, he said. However, non-state hospitals were not receiving any support from the State coffers, while in need of priority policies, extra staff and training.

"The review should define clearly and exactly the role of non-state hospitals and then develop proper rights and policies for the hospitals," said Cuong.

Professor Le Vu Anh, chairman of the Vietnam Public Health Association, proposed the review to focus on preventive medical services.

The preventive medical sector has helped to reign in epidemics at the grassroots levels and helped alleviate overcrowding at big hospitals. However, preventive medicines had not receive much attention, he said.

Nguyen Kim Phuong, representing Vietnam's chapter of the World Health Organisation, said the review should not focus on the status quo and that it needed to define the health sector's model for the future, and develop a roadmap for implementation.

The health sector model should have detailed information on the services, funding for the services and policies supporting lower socio-economic groups, said Phuong.

The review should also determine challenges that the model will cope with and measures to resolve the challenges, she said.

Ho Chi Minh City welcomes 1.8 million foreigners

Ho Chi Minh City welcomed 1.8 million foreign visitors in the first five months of the year, an increase of 9.7% over the same period last year, according to the city’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

This brought the city’s tourism sector revenue of VND 37.08 trillion, up 8% compared to the same period last year, which amounts to 41% of the target set for 2014.

In May, the number of international visitors to Ho Chi Minh City reached 310,000, up 8.3% over the same period in 2013. Out of the total number of international arrivals, the number of tourists who arrived by air was 248,400, up 18%, and those who arrived by other means of transport numbered 61,820, up 10%.

In order to develop its tourism industry, Ho Chi Minh City has recently focused on promoting its more popular sites and improving the quality of tourism products and tourism event such as the Tourism Festival, the Southern Land Cuisine Festival and the Southern Fruit Festival.

Ho Chi Minh City is considered a safe, attractive and friendly destination for international travelers. During the first days of New Year aloine, Ho Chi Minh City welcomed a large number of international tourists to the city.