Vice President receives children’s fund donors

Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan held a meeting in Hanoi on January 26 with more than 50 National Fund for Vietnamese Children (NFVC) donors.

Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan met donors for National Fund for Vietnamese Children. (Source: VNA)

At the event, Doan, who is also Chairwoman of the NFVC, praised businesses, organisations and individuals for their contributions to Vietnam’s social welfare and the care of disadvantaged children.

She said she hoped that the donors will continue to work with the Party and State to implement meaningful and effective programmes to protect and educate children.

The Vice President also asked the NFVC to propose new measures to attract more donors in 2013.

Since its establishment in 1992, the NFVC has raised more than 4 trillion VND, helped 28 million children in difficult circumstances and tens of thousands of children with disabilities.

Deputy Minister of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs Doan Mau Diep said that the fund raised more than 71 billion VND in 2012 alone, helping nearly 1 million disadvantaged children. The “2012 Spring for Children” programme raised 24.5 billion VND to finance eye surgery for 675 children and heart surgery for 185 children.

As many as 2,500 poor children were awarded scholarships, and thousands of children in difficult areas enjoyed the benefits of school building and water resource programmes.

Flyovers to cut traffic congestion

HCM City yesterday, Jan 27, opened two flyovers, aimed at easing traffic congestion at Hang Xanh and Thu Duc crossroads.

Traffic crosses the Hang Xanh flyover on opening day yesterday, Jan 27. The flyover was built at a cost of $9 million to connect Dien Bien Phu Street and Ha Noi Highway in HCM City.

The Hang Xanh flyover, built at cost of VND188 billion (US$9 million), connects Dien Bien Phu Street and Ha Noi Highway, with four lanes at 40kph. The 390m-by-16m flyover is closed to motorbikes and vehicles weighing more than 10 tonnes.

The four-lane Thu Duc flyover, built at a cost of VND277 billion ($13 million) is 570m-by-16m and has a speed limit of 60kph. The flyovers were completed within 3-4 months.

Speaking at the opening ceremony yesterday, Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Van Cong said: "Flyovers built in a short time and harmonising with their surroundings are a smart choice to reduce traffic congestion."

Nguyen Huu Tin, deputy chairman of HCM City People's Committee, said more flyovers would be built to ease traffic congestion.

The city Transport Department had plans for others at Tan Binh District's Hoang Van Thu-Cong Hoa Crossroads, District 6's Cay Go Intersection, District 10's Nguyen Tri Phuong-3/2 Crossroads, and Hoang Hoa Tham Intersection in Tan Binh District.

1,000 students participate in spring volunteer campaign

Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union launched the 2013 Spring Volunteer Campaign on January 27, attracting 11,000 students from 8 local districts.

This year’s campaign targets the city’s five suburban districts, new rural areas, hostels, student accommodation, worker residences, railway and bus stations, and markets.

Students will take part in a diverse range of activities to help the disadvantaged to enjoy a happy and safe Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday.

Total funding for the campaign is estimated at VND1.5 billion.

The campaign will last through to February 9.

Rural areas urged to be poverty-free

Building a new style rural area must be coupled with efforts to eliminate poverty and promote production, according to President Truong Tan Sang.

The leader made the statement during his working visit to inspect the building of new rural areas, economic performance and poverty reduction in Bac Quang, Quang Binh and Xin Man districts, northern Ha Giang province on Saturday.

He confirmed that the building of new style rural areas is a big policy for the Party and the State. The programme had previously failed to meet requirements so efficient ways to make it productive are being sought.

Sang was reported as saying that Ha Giang is piloting the growing of rubber plants on 1,000 ha in Bang Lang Commune, Quang Binh District as part of its efforts to help ethnic minority people generate wealth.

The province has invested in building electricity facilities, schools and healthcare centres in Xin Man District, which has been selected for the new rural area building programme.

In 2012, Xin Man District attained a GDP growth of 13 percent.

On the occasion, President Sang presented 100 gift parcels, 100 blankets and 20 buffalos to poor households and wished them a happy New Year.

Sang also visited staff and soldiers at the Military-Economic Group 314 and Border Police Station 219 located in the area yesterday.

The Military-Economic Group 314 is tasked with the goals of national defence and promoting economic opportunities for eight border communes in Xin Man and Hoang Su Phi districts. The area's terrain is extremely difficult to reach for vehicles and experiences adverse weather conditions.

The soldiers and staff at both locations have been making efforts to maintain security here and supporting ethnic residents in raising cattle and growing plants.

The president applauded the efforts of the residents, authorities and staff here and called on the staff to continue raising local awareness of economic development and building new rural areas, while finding new ways to reduce poverty.

Globefish poisoning kills one, sickens 10

One person died on Saturday at Binh Thuan General Hospital after suffering from globefish poisoning.

According to reports, 11 people were sent to Binh Thuan General Hospital and An Phuoc General Hospital at midnight Friday after eating globefish.

Most of them had just returned from fishing in the sea and lived in Tien Thanh commune of Phan Thiet City.

The group developed symptoms such as dizziness, nauseous and numbness in the tongue and hands and feet.

Big C, Unilever give Tet gifts to the poor

The Big C supermarket chain has co-operated with Unilever Viet Nam to implement a series of community activities as part of a programme to help poor families celebrate the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday.

Under the programme, which runs from January 18 to February 6, around 2,100 gifts with a total value VND630 million (US$30,200) will be given to poor households in 21 localities where Big C supermarkets are located, including HCM City, Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Can Tho, Ha Noi, and Hai Duong.

Population passes 88-million mark

Viet Nam's population has reached 88,78 million people, according to the latest statistics released at the year-end conference held last week in the capital by the General Office for Population and Family Planning.

The agency estimates that 920,000 babies were born in 2012. Currently, the country is facing an imbalance sex at birth ratio, with 112.3 boys for every 100 girls.

The agency is also planning to suggest to the Government that families that only have girls would receive financial support.

German support for vocational training in Dong Nai

The Government of Germany is committed to providing US$20 million for its technical and financial cooperation program with Vietnam.

This was announced by German ambassador to Vietnam, Jutta Frasch, after the program was signed in HCM City on January 27 by representatives of Bosch Vietnam and Lilama Technical and Technology Vocational College 2.

Vo Quang Hue, General Director of Bosch Vietnam, said the cooperation program between Bosch and Lilama 2 aims to train highly skilled workers for the company’s hi-tech factory in the southern province of Dong Nai.

Martin Hayes, President of Bosch in the South East Asia region said this is the first German-standard training program, aimed at transferring hi-tech skills to Vietnamese workers.

In the first two years, Bosch will provide US$2.3 million for training workers for Bosch’s automobile factory in Dong Nai.

Bosch Vietnam will give priority to those finishing the three-year program with certificates granted by the German Industry and Commerce (GIC) and Lilama2.

Disease prevention pays dividends

Last year was reported a positive year for Viet Nam's preventive healthcare with fewer cases of dangerous and new infectious diseases compared to the previous year.

The latest report from the Ministry of Health's Preventive Medicine Department showed that no cases of cholera or bubonic plague were reported in 2012.

The said diseases usually occur during the summer and dry season in the country when bacteria, rats and fleas are abundant.

Deaths caused by hand-foot-mouth disease decreased 73.5 per cent, while the number of people infected by rubella and meningococcal meningitis also fell by 99.7 and 49.4 per cent respectively over the 2011 figures.

The number of dengue cases fell by 15 per cent while the death rate caused by the disease reduced 24.6 per cent.

The healthcare sector has set up systems to supervise hotspots of hand-foot-mouth disease, cholera and flu. Software to monitor infectious diseases and vaccinations has been piloted in seven cities and provinces.

Head of the Preventive Medicine Department Nguyen Van Binh said that infectious diseases were developing and mutating in many countries including Viet Nam.

Dengue fever, flu, rabies and hand-foot-mouth had the highest rates of infection and death, he said.

In 2013, the healthcare sector would enhance its monitoring of these diseases to limit the potential for epidemics, Binh said, adding that the software monitoring infectious diseases would be applied nationwide to ensure more than 90 per cent of children under the age of one were vaccinated.

Minister attends Global Health Conference in Beijing

Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien attended the Global Health Conference in Beijing over the weekend. The event was jointly organised by the Chinese Ministry of Health and the Rockerfeller Foundation on the occasion of the US-based foundation's 100th anniversary.

Around 150 delegates discussed healthcare and sustainable development, changing epidemiology and demography, health outside the scope of the healthcare system, and global health. They also discussed healthcare innovations and the role of leaders in the sector's future.

At a plenary session yesterday chaired by Tien with the Lao Minister of Health and the Thai Minister of Public Health, delegates discussed macro development trends in the health sector in the course of establishing national healthcare development plans. They also discussed ways to enhance the Vietnamese healthcare sector's ties with the international community and accelerate its integration to improve the quality of public health.

Stricken cargo ship brought ashore

A stricken 3000-ton cargo ship was brought ashore yesterday in the area of Hoang Truong Commune, Hoang Hoa District after fishermen used 15 boats to pull the cargo ship to safety.

The cargo ship had one hole in the bottom and water had submerged the entire engine cabin. No one was inside.

The fishermen had notified authorities upon receiving the cargo ship, which appeared carrying starch used for cattle food.

Enquiries are taking place to establish the owner of the cargo ship.

VNN/VOV/VNS/VNA