‘Sovereignty protection’ malware is of Chinese origin: Vietnam antivirus firm

The malware recently spread via email, disguised as a document promoting Vietnam’s sovereignty over its airspace and waters, is being sent from a Chinese company, a local Internet security firm warned Friday.

The malicious software mainly sent to Gmail addresses has the subject line “Protecting airspace and waters in the defending of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,” with a Microsoft Word document attached.

The document, named QTtacchienA-6-2014.doc and titled “Solutions for waters protection,” conceals a remote access trojan, Vu Ngoc Son, deputy chairman of research and development of Hanoi-based Bkav, warned.

The malware covertly opens a backdoor on the victim’s computer, allowing cybercriminals to remotely access it and steal personal data, Son said.

A backdoor is a method of bypassing normal authentication, securing illegal remote access to a computer and obtaining access to plaintext while attempting to remain undetected.

Once executed, the malware will automatically install three files, namely m.exe, msi.dll, and m.dll.mov into the system of the infected computer. The trojan then opens the backdoor and connects the computer with the hacker’s server, hosted at moit.dubkill.com, according to the Bkav expert.

The server is registered with a Chinese company, Bkav asserted.

The infected computer is then put under control of the hackers, who can freely access its data, capture screenshots, and install or remove applications.

“Hackers usually take advantage of recent news to spread malicious software,” Son warned.

“Events such as the tension in the East Vietnam Sea or the recent plane crashes can be exploited for the cybercrime.”

Computer users are advised to install antivirus software or update their existing software to ensure security.

Students gain vital employment skills

Nearly 400 students have benefited from a programme designed to provide students with soft skills like communication and problem-solving.

Co-organised by Nestle Viet Nam, the Industrial University of HCM City and the HCM City University of Technical Education, 45 free courses on soft skills, professional knowledge and work experience were offered during the first programme phase from March to July.

According to the Ministry of Education and Training, 63 per cent of graduates could not find a job. 

Workplace accident kills two in Vung Ang

A workplace accident occurred on the morning of July 27 in the Vung Ang Economic Zone (EZ) in central Ha Tinh province, claiming two lives and injuring three others.

According to initial reports, the incident occurred while a group of workers were building a water plant of a Taiwanese-invested Formosa Project. The victims who died were identified as Bui Viet Thao, 23, from northern Ha Nam province and Nguyen Kim Tuan, 45, from Ha Tinh.

The three injuries are currently in critical condition and receiving treatment at Ha Tinh provincial hospital.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.

Police nab murder suspects

Police in the central province of Ha Tinh yesterday arrested four people on suspicion of murder - Pham Van Nghia, Dinh Van Hoat, Le Van Anh, all 19, and Le Cong Suc, 21, from neighboring Thanh Hoa province.

Police said they were in a boat that became entangled in and and tore off a fishing net from another boat.

A fight broke out between the four and the owners of the fishing net, fishermen Nguyen Van Phuong, 48 and Nguyen Ba Quang, 43.

Quang fell into the sea after being hit by bricks, logs and bowls. His body was found a day after with wounds on the head. Forensic analysis concluded that Quang died from traumatic brain injury and drowning.

Scaffold collapse leaves two dead

Scaffolding at a construction site in the central province of Ha Tinh's Vung Ang Economic Zone collapsed yesterday morning, killing two workers and injuring three others.

The collapse occurred at about 7:30 am at a Formosa project worksite, killing a worker from the northern province of Ha Nam and another from Ha Tinh Province on the spot.

The three injured workers, who suffered brain injuries and broken arms and legs, were immediately taken to Ky Anh District General Hospital and then transferred to the provincial general hospital for better treatment. They are now in stable condition.

Police seize 20 pangolins in Thanh Hoa

Police rescued 20 pangolins that were being illegally transported in a taxi belonging to the Van Xuan Company on a stretch of National Highway No 1A through Thanh Hoa Province on Saturday.

Police caught the taxi driver speeding while transporting the animals.

One man was found in the back of the taxi with the animals.

The pangolins were handed over to the provincial Forest Management Department.

The case is under investigation.

HCM City People's Committee yesterday honoured 4,665 distinguished students who have won international, national and city contests in the 2013-2014 academic year.

At a ceremony organised with the Department of Education and Training, the committee recognised eight students who won international contests, including Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology and Physics Olympiads, and in an International Science and Engineering Fair.

A total of 299 students won prizes in national contests, including internet Mathematics and English Olympiads, and four students who had the highest test scores on the high school graduation examination. The remaining students won contests at the city level.

Le Hong Son, the department's head, told online HCM City Giao Duc (Education) newspaper that the city had paid more attention to investing in students studying to prepare for contests, especially international students.

However, many parents are reluctant to allow their children to take part in contests because they could fear that the time should be used to study material for their exams.

More dropouts in Binh Phuoc

An increasing number of students are dropping out of lower secondary school in Binh Phuoc Province, even though the local Education and Training Department has taken steps to prevent the rising dropout rate.

At a meeting held on Thursday, the provincial People's Council questioned the department representatives about the continuing problem at local schools.

Nguyen Van Hung, the department's head, said the department had asked schools to offer extra free classes for students with poor learning results and given tuition remission fees to families with financial difficulties and to ethnic minority households.

Schools had also been told to require teachers to meet with parents and discuss their children's' problems.

However, many parents did not show interest and even became angry when teachers spoke to them about their children.

In the 2013-2014 academic year, 632 of 57,758 lower-secondary school students (sixth through ninth grades) in the province dropped out. At least 305 high school students dropped out.

The number of students dropping out increased by 100 over the previous year.

The main causes behind the dropout rate were family financial difficulties, and the distance from students' houses to schools.

In addition, some students drop out when their family has a new crop to harvest.

Hung told the council that the department had banned extra teaching at home for primary school students and for students studying during the day.

He said that students at some schools were paying unnecessary fees that are not included on the local education department's list of eligible fees.

Vang Anh Kindergarten, for instance, collects fees for water, phone and allowances, which are then given to teachers, many of them are not on the permanent staff of the school.

The department has ordered schools to stop collecting these unnecessary fees and to fine violators.

Apartment buyers denied land rights

More than 36,000 apartment buyers in Ha Noi have been denied vital land-use right certificates because the sellers have not completed legal documents, said vice director of the city's Natural Resources and Environment Department, Nguyen Huu Nghia.

Without the certificates, owners cannot legally live in their own premises.

According to the department's statistics, 112,150 finished apartments were recently handed to home buyers in the city, but only 36,110 buyers have been granted land-use right certificates.

In a new urban area north of National Highway 32 in Hoai Duc District, 551 out of 784 houses and apartments completed two years ago have been handed to home buyers, but not one has received a certificate.

A similar situation happened in the city's first affordable housing project – CT1 Ngo Thi Nham in Ha Dong District. Although 328 apartments were handed over to buyers in 2011, they have not yet received certificates.

The lack of certificates shows a gap between practice and policy as Ha Noi wants to promote affordable housing projects for low income earners. Accordingly, as soon as home buyers receive ownership certificates from housing developers, they can apply for land-use right certificates.

Vice director Nghia said that some investors refused to give buyers a "contract-completion certificate" or "value- added invoices". This prevented them from being able to complete procedures to obtain a land-use right certificate.

Former deputy minister of Natural Resources and Environment Dang Hung Vo said it was unreasonable for home buyers to be forced to bear the consequences of faults made by developers.

"Home buyers should be granted land-use right certificates as soon as they fulfill their financial obligations," he said.

Housing projects and land-use right certificates should be considered two separate processes, he said.

Previously, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the municipal People's Committee agreed that the responsibilities of sellers and buyers should be kept separate so that buyers did not have to pay for the seller's mistakes or problems.

Vice chairman of the committee, Vu Hong Khanh, said that the city would speed up the granting of land-use certificates and any violations or wrongdoings detected would be punished strictly.

People's Committees at districts were asked to work with investors of housing projects to find solutions to the problems.

The names of investors unwilling to co-operate will be reported to inspectors for further examination.

Violators will have their bank accounts frozen or be prevented from carrying out other projects in the city.

Electricity supply fully resumes in storm-hit areas

Electricity supply fully resumed by late July 25 in the northern provinces which were badly hit by super storm Rammasun nearly a week earlier, the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) group reported.

The group said the storm caused heavy damage to the local power transmission network, cutting supply to 246,853 customers. Total losses and repair costs amounted to 21.4 billion VND (around 1 million USD).

Storm Rammasun swept through the northern mountainous provinces on July 19, unleashing flash floods, landslides and lightning strikes, with Ha Giang, Lang Son and Lai Chau provinces worst hit.

The storm killed at least 27 people and caused economic losses of around 125 billion VND (5.87 million USD), according to the Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention and Control and Search and Rescue.

A total of 7,000 houses were submerged or had their roofs blown down while 4,000 ha of rice and other subsidy crops were inundated.

The ferocious storm also left at least 46 people dead in China, and nearly 100 in the Philippines.

Education experts discuss leadership

Higher education worldwide is in a period of transition affected by globalisation and internationalisation which requires each institution to change or improve its leadership to ensure development, Dr Le Van Hao, head of Nha Trang University's Quality Assurance and Inspection Department, said.

Leadership and management should be clearly separated at some level in the context of higher education in Viet Nam, he told a two-day international conference on sustainable development of higher education that ended yesterday.

At Vietnamese universities, rectors and officials act as both leaders and managers, a mix of responsibilities that forces them to spend most of their time doing management work, according to Hao.

As a result, their devotion to leadership work such as building a vision and goals is often limited.

The separation does not mean that more people should be involved in either, just a proper separation of the tasks.

Ideally, rectors and deans should be seen as "leaders" and vice rectors or deputy deans should be regarded as "managers," he added.

After being affected by the centralised governance system for long, the leadership at most of universities in Viet Nam still appeared like a bureauracy, and this hindered the development of the entire higher education system, he said.

It was very important that leaders should be good communicators and active listeners, incorporate the ideas and thoughts of other members of the institution into a larger overall goal, and "know how to help the team members meet their personal goals," he said.

They should pay attention to the development of the locality where their institutions are situated and co-operation with other domestic and foreign institutions, he said.

There are many reports, papers, and research focusing on the limitations and challenges facing higher education in Viet Nam, especially on leadership and management, and they suggest changes that are possible at the institutional level.

The conference agenda also featured other topics like expectations in learning and teaching and creating links between institutions and communities/enterprises.

It was organised by the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation's Regional Training Centre in Viet Nam and RMIT University Viet Nam.

Authorities order investors to supply clean water to residents

Ha Noi People's Committee chairman Nguyen Quoc Hung asked the investor of Me Tri residential area to provide clean water to the hundreds of households living in the area by the end of this month.

Inspections will confirm that the request was implemented.

More than 700 households in Me Tri suffered clean water shortages since they moved to the area in 2006.

Few water pipelines connected Me Tri to the city's clean water supply system, so these households were forced to buy water from wells built by the Housing Renovation and Development JSC, the investor of the area.

In 2009, Viet Nam Clean Water Investment and Construction Corporation (Viwaco) built pipelines in the area. The city authority asked the investor to let residents use the water.

However, after five years, the investor has done nothing and residents are still drinking well water.

Pham Xuan Khoa, who lives in the area, said that many meetings between representatives of the residents and the investor had taken place, but that the investor had steadily ignored the wishes of residents, claiming it had not yet been decided who would pay the pipeline costs.

So the residents were still purchasing well water at the cost of VND4,000 ($0.18) per cubic metre, he said.

Nguyen Tien Doan, general director of the Housing Renovation and Development JSC, said the company had only signed a contract with Viwaco to supply clean water to the area's water container; residents had to sign their own contracts with Viwaco to get the pipes connected to their apartments.

The committee asked the Department of Construction to review the situation and propose a solution to the committee before August 20.

HCM City bestows “Heroic Mother” title to 182 women

As many as 182 women living Ho Chi Minh City, whose husbands and sons laid down their lives for the country’s independence, were awarded the title “Vietnamese Heroic Mother” at a ceremony in the city on July 26.

The event is part of the activities to mark the 67th anniversary of Vietnam’s War Invalids and Martyrs Day (July 27).

Speaking at the ceremony, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Le Thanh Hai showed his deep gratitude to the women, saying that the title is to honour their sacrifice for the national liberation and reunification.

In recent years, the municipal authorities have taken practical actions to look after heroic mothers.

As many as 3,108 women in the city have so far been presented with the title.

Invalids and Martyrs remembered nationwide

War Invalids and Martyrs Day, held annually on July 27, is a day set aside where we remember and appreciate all the soldiers who were injured or died serving Vietnam and the cause of national independence.

The Hanoi Youth Union, in coordination with other youth organizations in the capital city, offered incense at Mai Dich Cemetery on July 26 evening to mark the special day.

The event demonstrates the younger generation’s deep gratitude for those who sacrificed for national defence.

More than 2,000 youth union members offered incense at the cemetery, the final resting place for many Party, State and Government leaders.

They also visited and presented gifts to heroic Vietnamese mothers, a number of war invalids, and families of fallen soldiers.

The same day, similar events were held at many other cemeteries throughout Hanoi.

An incense offering ceremony with thousands of flickering candles took place at Truong Son Martyr Cemetery in the war-torn central province of Quang Tri, where more than 10,200 fallen rest in peace.

Nearly 1,000 people were present at the event, which also included an art performance in commemoration of fallen combatants.

On the occasion, more than VND850 million was donated to Quang Tri province in support of social policy beneficiaries. About 100 gifts worth VND1 million each were also presented to poor families of war veterans.

Many other activities were held in Quang Tri ancient citadel to celebrate Martyrs’ Day, including a floral tribute, a music programme, a lantern release on Thach Han river.

The Central Highland province of Dak Lak has built thousands of houses for families and people credited with serving the revolution during the past war.

The province has over 48,000 social policy beneficiaries. Since 2009, i thas mobilized nearly VND38 billion for the “Paying debt of gratitude” fund to support needy people.

Vietnamese war heroes commemorated abroad, at home

A delegation from the Embassy and other representative offices of Vietnam in Cambodia on July 26 laid a wreath at the monument dedicated to Vietnamese martyrs, who fell down during wartime in the country, in Phnom Penh.

The delegation offered incense and a one-minute silence in honour of those fallen volunteer soldiers whose sacrifice has contributed to nurturing the fine friendship and solidarity between Vietnam and Cambodia.

During the wars, tens of thousands of Vietnamese soldiers and experts lost their lives while undertaking international missions in Cambodia. Of them, about 5,000 still remain in the neighbouring country, according to a special committee of the Vietnamese and Cambodian Governments.

The two countries are working hard towards the completion of the search, gathering, repatriation and re-interment of the martyrs by 2020.

On the occasion of Vietnam’s War Invalids and Martyrs Day (July 27), many activities have been also organised across Vietnam to show gratitude for the contributions made by war heroes to the nation.

On July 26, leading officials of Ho Chi Minh City laid wreaths and offered incense to martyrs at cemeteries in the city.

Minister of Public Security General Tran Dai Quang visited and presented gifts to war invalids, who are under treatment at August 19 hospital in Hanoi.

Festival reinforces student solidarity in Italy

Large numbers of Vietnamese students in Italy have gathered at Rome-based Unicusano University for a three-day festival to boost student activities in the country.

The annual event, the third of its kind so far, was organized by the Vietnam Students’ Association in Italy (ASVI) with the assistance of the Vietnam Embassy and the Vietnamese Business Association in Italy from July 25-27.

At the opening ceremony, Ambassador Nguyen Hoang Long hailed ASVI’s activities over the past years as a contribution to helping promote exchange and strengthen solidarity among Vietnamese students in Italy.

He also expressed his pleasure at fruitful education cooperation between the two countries. He noted that during a recent visit to Vietnam, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi hoped the number of Vietnamese students in Italy would reach 1,000 in the next two years.

Long also took the occasion to raise funds in support of Vietnamese marine police, fishermen and surveillance forces who are making constant efforts in protecting the country’s sea and island sovereignty.

Since it began operations in August 2007, ASVI has launched numerous significant events for Vietnamese students in Italy and charitable programmes for needy people in the homeland.

Red Journey 2014 volunteers descend on Hanoi

Thousands of youth volunteers from across the nation began arriving in Hanoi on July 26 to join in the final festivities of the Red Journey Campaign 2014 blood donation drive.

The final festival of the blood drive dubbed “Red Journey” aims to mark the 67th anniversary of Vietnam's War Invalids and Martyrs Day (July 27) to commemorate fallen soldiers who sacrificed for national independence.

Diverse activities will be staged during the event such as art performances and camping activities. Around 2,500 units of blood were collected during the first day of the festival.

Last year, the Red Journey campaign was organized for the first time in 15 localities nationwide. This year, the drive has attracted 120 volunteers travelling to 25 provinces and cities.

More than 45,000 units of blood have been collected so far thanks to Red Journey 2014, according to statistics from 25 provinces and cities participating in the journey.

US helps disabled people with community integration

The US embassy on July 25 donated US$40,000 to the Hold the Future Centre to help jump start its operations assisting people with disabilities better integrate into the community.

Addressing the donation ceremony in Hanoi, Ngo Dinh Quynh, a representative from the US embassy in Vietnam emphasized that through the project, the Centre will help people with disabilities overcome difficulties and reap success in their daily lives.

The project aims to help disabled youngsters better integrate and more confidently communicate with members of the community as well as raise public awareness about the obstacles disabled and invalid youngsters face in their daily lives.

It will include a series of events, training courses on making handicrafts for sale, and art performances.

Le Minh Hien, the Centre’s director said that since its establishment in 2002, the Centre has aimed to provide handicapped youngsters with vocational training and necessary life skills to protect their health.

Tests complete at Chemicals Olympiad

Competitors at the 2014 International Chemicals Olympiad (IChO 2014) sat for a five-hour theoretical examination on July 25, following a five-hour practice test on July 23.

After the test, Karol Rzad from Poland said he felt relieved after the test, which is long and rather difficult, adding that he had tried his best.

A Vietnamese competitor, Do Viet Hung from Tran Phu High School for Gifted Students in Hai Phong City said the theoretical test was not as hard as the practical one. The student also shared his thought that Vietnamese students need more training in practice in order to gain better results at IChO events.

The 46th annual International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) opened in Hanoi on July 21 with 291 high school students from 77 countries and territories worldwide taking part. This is the first time Vietnam has hosted the event.

The prizes will be announced on July 28.

At the 45th IChO held in Russia from July 15-23, 2013, all four students of the Vietnamese team won medals - one gold and three silvers.

IFAD funds climate change adaptation project in Mekong Delta region

A climate change adaptation project funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) kicked off in Tra Vinh province on July 25.

The project will be implemented from 2014 to 2020 in 30 villages of 7 districts in the province, benefiting 15,000 poor households.

Its total investment is VND521 billion, of which VND233.5 billion is sourced from an IFAD loan, VND126.5 billion comes from IFAD non-refundable aid, VND79.5 billion is from the Vietnamese Government and VND81.5 billion is contributed by beneficiaries.

The project aims to build sustainable livelihoods for poor rural people in the context of changeable environment and improve their ability to adapt to climate change impact.

Beneficial localities will be assisted in building management mechanism for climate change adaptation in agriculture and rural areas, making socio-economic plan in combination with climate factors, managing natural disasters’ risks and community-based adaptation, developing infrastructure and conducting research on sustainable agricultural production models.

It will set up support funds to help poor households access preferential loans for production to escape poverty sustainably.

Tra Vinh is most vulnerable to climate change in the Mekong Delta region. During the 2011-2013 period, whirlwinds, tidal surges, salt infiltration and coastal erosion caused an estimated property loss of more than VND325 billion.

The province has invested VND10 billion in fortifying its sea dykes and preventing landslides, however, climate change has caused increased saltwater intrusion, coastal erosion, tidal surges, landslides, and droughts, threatening agricultural production and aquaculture.

More fallen soldiers remains repatriated from Cambodia

Tay Ninh province and the Military Zone 7 High Command held a ceremony on July 25 to lay in their final resting place the remains of 206 volunteer soldiers killed in the war in Cambodia.

The remains were located by the K70 and K71 search teams of the Military Zone 7 and the Provincial Military Command during the 2013-14 dry season.

Since 2001, the two teams have unearthed and collected 2,908 sets of remains of volunteer Vietnamese soldiers who laid down their lives in Cambodia and returned them to the homeland for reburial at cemetery Hill 82 in Tan Bien district.

A similar ceremony took place at a cemetery in Hon Dat district, Kien Giang province the same day.

Fifty-eight remains were discovered by K92 team of the Military Zone 9 during the 2013-14 dry season with significant assistance from Cambodian friends.

K92 has collected a cumulative total of 1,803 sets of remains since 2001 and all have been repatriated to Kien Giang province.

The ceremonies express Vietnamese philosophy “When drinking water, remember the source” and the spirit of great national unity epitomized by the nation’s unbending determination to return soldiers who died in battle to their homeland.

Vietnam, Japan localities step up medical cooperation

The Cancer Centre of Japan’s Kanagawa prefecture will assist the Cancer Hospital of the central city of Danang in improving personnel capacity under a cooperation memorandum of understanding inked on July 24.

In three years from now, the Vietnamese side will send its doctors, nurses and technicians to the Kanagawa centre for one-year refresher courses, while the centre’s experienced staff will come to Danang with technical consultancy.

At the signing ceremony in the presence of Kanagawa Governor Yuji Kuroiwa, Chairman of the Danang People’s Committee Van Huu Chien said his city hopes to receive more support from the prefecture in the promotion of medical workforce capacity and the procurement of advanced equipment.

Yuji Kuroiwa voiced his hope that the cooperation between the two establishments will actively contribute to the partnership between Kanagawa and Danang in the future.

Over the past years, Japan has been providing a number of medical help for the Vietnamese city.

Notably, Japanese experts have trained caregivers and midwives of the Danang Hospital for Women and Children under a project of the Asian Urban Information Centre of Kobe from 2012 to 2015. Leaders of the hospital have also made short-term visits to the country to learn their experience.

US$3.9 million for landmine clearance in Quang Binh

The Mine Advisory Group (MAG) – a not-for-profit organisation clearing landmines, unexploded ordnance (UXO) and other remnants – will provide US$3.9 million for a landmine clearance project (5th phase) in the central province of Quang Binh.

The donation was part of a recent memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between MAG and central Quang Binh province.

Under the MoU, the MAG-funded project will be implemented from January 2015 to December 2017, aimed at minimising negative consequences caused by UXO and landmines left over from the war, as well as helping boost the local socio-economic development.

Since MAG’s operation in Vietnam in 2002, the organization has granted six packages of aid to Quang Binh. At present, more than 200 employees, including those from abroad, are getting involved in the landmine clearance project in the province.

From 2003 to 2014, MAG has cleaned up nearly 1.9 million square metres of contaminated land in more than 1,200 hamlets. About 86,000 explosive ordnance and landmines have been removed. Over 1.4 million people have benefitted from the project so far.

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