Three transnational drug traffickers face death penalty

The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Court on September 25 sentenced three members of a drug trafficking ring to death.

Following a three-day trial, Nguyen Van Binh, born in 1970, from Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, Le Hoang Hoi (1954, An Giang province) and Tran Dinh Tam (1971, Ho Chi Minh City) were given the death sentence.

Four others of the ring Nguyen Tan Duy (1972, Quang Nam province), Nguyen Thi Ngoc Nga (1976, Ca Mau), Truong Quoc Thang (1974, Ho Chi Minh City) and Duong Ngoc Canh (1985, Dong Nai) received the life imprisonment sentence, while eight others were sentenced to from more than 3 years to 30 years behind bars.

According to the indictment, the accused together formed a trans-national drug trafficking ring. Some also smuggled military weapons from Cambodia to sell in Vietnam.

Nguyen Van Binh trafficked 4,605 grams of heroin and 10.15 grams of synthetic drugs, while Le Hoang Hoi illegally traded 3,817 grams of heroin and 391.35 grams of synthetic drugs, and Tran Dinh Tam smuggled 1,650 grams of heroin.

From July 22, 2007 to August 21, 2008, all members of the ring were arrested by Ho Chi Minh City’s police.

Religious heritage values under discussion 

Heritage values of religious diversity and their contributions to the Vietnamese society were discussed at a September 25 international workshop in Hanoi hosted by the Government Committee for Religious Affairs and the EU delegation to Vietnam.

The event is part of the comprehensive Vietnam-EU partnership and cooperation agreement to deepen mutual understanding in religious affairs and further strength bilateral ties.

Delegates analyzed Vietnam’s achievements in promoting and ensuring religious freedom, legal framework on beliefs and religions, and the country’s commitments to protecting and promoting human rights, including religious freedom.

Deputy Head of the committee Nguyen Thanh Xuan said Vietnam is home to major religions such as Buddhism, Catholicism, Islam and Caodaism whose heritages are enriching the Vietnamese culture.

Ambassador and Head of the EU delegation to Vietnam Franz Jessen stated that religious freedom is a fundamental human right and a topic of mutual concern for both Vietnam and the EU.

Up to 80 percent of the Vietnamese population exercise religious and belief practices. 24 million of religious followers come from 40 State-recognized religious groups, accounting for 27 percent of national population.

Vietnamese, Thai media work for ASEAN journalists’ interests

Being official members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Press Federation, Vietnamese and Thai press have contributed to building an ASEAN for peace, stability and development.

The statement was made by the President of the Vietnam Journalist Association (VJA), Thuan Huu at a September 25 ceremony marking 20 years of cooperation between the VJA and the Thailand Press Federation (TPF) in Hanoi.

VJA President Huu Thuan said since its establishment in 1954, the association has attracted nearly 20,000 members working for more than 800 media agencies nationwide. It has also expanded the ties of friendship and cooperation with regional and international press agencies especially with those from Asia and ASEAN including Thailand.

Thuan expressed his wish that cooperation and friendship between the two media agencies will further develop thereby strengthening ties between the two nations in the interests of journalists.

TPF President BandhitBajavatanAdhanin said he hopes the two media organizations, as members of the ASEAN Press Federation (APF) will do all they can to contribute building a united regional community.

Over the past 20 years, both sides have exchanged journalists delegations, fact-finding tours to learn more about each nation’s people and socio-economic and cultural achievements.

Vietnamese and Lao Trade unions talks

A delegation of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) led by Vice President Nguyen Thi Thu Hong on September 25 held talks with representatives of the Lao Trade Union Central Committee.

During the talks, both sides informed each other of the two trade unions’ activities, reviewed cooperation over the 2008-2013 period and affirmed their determination to further boost cooperation as a contribution to deepening the special relations between Vietnam-Laos.

The two organisations worked closely in providing technical assistance and training staff, as well as sharing experiences and supporting each other at international forums throughout the review period.

Both parties signed a cooperation agreement for the 2013-2018 period with a focus on providing refresher courses for Lao officials and strengthening information exchange between Vietnam’s Lao Dong (Labour) Newspaper and Laos’ Hangngan Newspaper.

They also agreed to continue to organise high-level meetings and boost delegation exchange and cooperation between local trade unions.

Vietnam, RoK enhance trade union cooperation

A delegation from the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) led by Vice President Nguyen Van Ngang is on a five-day visit to the Republic of Korea (RoK) for a round of cooperation talks.

The delegation held high-level discussions on September 23 with representatives from the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) led by President Moon Jin Kook.

At the talks, Moon informed the guests of FKTU’s current performance and future strategies, in which the RoK Government and employers will be asked to reduce working hours and raise salaries for workers, while improving working conditions and taking more care of the country’s part-time and short-term workforce.

On September 28, Korean President Park GeunHye will participate in a working session with FKTU leaders to discuss the unions’ proposals. The FKTU will hold its congress in November in front of Seoul’s City Hall, demonstrating the body’s strength and determination to fight for labourers’ interests.

Nguyen Van Ngang briefed the hosts on the situation of Vietnamese employees and RoK workers in Vietnam and suggested the RoK provide more support for Vietnamese workers in the country.

The two sides explored potential joint activities in the tourism sector and discussed establishing bilateral cooperation between the trade unions of provinces and cities.

During their stay in the RoK, the Vietnamese delegation also worked with the RoKLabour Foundation and visited FKTU’s centre for training Vietnamese guest workers in Yeoju city.

Immigrants to suffer tighter visa controls

Under Article 36 of the draft Law on Immigration and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam, currently being discussed by the National Assembly Standing Committee, foreigners working in Vietnam must have a work-permit issued by Vietnam’s authorised agencies before they are granted a visa to enter the country.

Article 7 of the draft law, which will replace the existing ordinance on immigration and residence of foreigners in Vietnam issued in 2000, also stipulates that visa holders are banned from changing their visa purposes in Vietnam, except for special cases stipulated by the government.

Article 3 also noted that foreigners entering and residing in Vietnam must be invited or guaranteed by an agency, organisation or individual, and their residential address must also be named.

These new regulations received a big thumbs from the committee’s members who said the regulations would help Vietnam better monitor the activities of foreigners working in Vietnam.

At present, the ordinance enables foreigners wanting to work in Vietnam to obtain a visa before they apply for a work-permit in the country, if they work for at least three months. The ordinance also allows foreigners to change the purpose of their immigration upon request. Besides, it has no specific regulations about the responsibilities of any agencies, organisations or individuals in guaranteeing foreigners working in Vietnam.

“These are porous regulations that have enabled foreigners to enter Vietnam under the guise of travelling, in reality to do other things such as illegally working and even doing unlawful activities,” said Deputy Minister of Public Security Bui Van Nam.

“For example, many Chinese workers are now illegally working in Vietnam’s construction projects. This is a very complicated problem that local authorities are trying to solve,” Nam said.

According to a government report on the draft law, since 2000, immigration authorities have discovered and punished 74,441 cases involving foreigners violating immigration regulations, with the hubs of immigration violations being Hanoi with nearly 4,300 cases and Ho Chi Minh City at close to 16,900 cases, while Quang Ninh and Binh Duong provinces saw approximately 4,500 cases each.

Late last month, south-central Binh Thuan province’s Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs found that four Chinese contractors had been illegally using 720 Chinese workers in the construction of the Vinh Tan 2 thermal power plant in the province. Some 554 of the illegal Chinese labourers had no labour contracts, while 224 workers did not have work-permits.

The Vietnamese government reported that thousands of foreign manual workers were illegally working at Vietnam’s many construction projects, especially those built by Chinese contractors, such as thermal power plants in Quang Ninh, Haiphong city and Ca Mau province, as well as in cement plants in Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa and Tay Ninh provinces.

Ly Son island rescue station launched

The Border Guard High Command of central Quang Ngai province on September 24 opened a new research and rescue station worth 83 billion VNA (3.9 million USD) on Ly Son Island, aiming to improve search and rescue missions at sea.

The station includes modern communication devices and essential equipment for search and rescue activities and regular patrols to protect sea and island sovereignty.

It has also been provided with a brand new 1,600 tonne rescue vessel, which will help local fishermen, particularly on the island, feel secure going out to sea.

This move is hoped to contribute to the development of the sea-based economy and ensure national defence and security on both waters and land.

Nghi Phuong incident from the angle of faith and truth

The rice is ripening on paddy fields and the church bell jingles every day in Nghi Phuong commune, Nghi Loc district, the central province of Nghe An. However, the local peaceful life was suddenly disturbed by extreme parishioners.

The incident began on May 22 when priest Dang Huu Nam in charge of Binh Thuan parish, Nghi Thuan commune, gathered hundreds of Catholic parishioners from different localities at Trai Gao church to pray for eight persons who were about to stand trial at an appeal court held by the Supreme People’s Court in Vinh city on May 23 on the charge of conducting subversive activities.

Several parishioners stopped five policemen who were sent to look into the situation and beat them up, then illegally detained three of the officers for more than two hours. Hundreds of parishioners surrounded the house of Dau Van Son, the communal official in charge of military affairs in Nghi Phuong, destroyed a lot of property in his house, and even set fire to live chickens.

Seeing the injuries on the three policemen, Bishop Nguyen Thai Hop did nothing to stop the parishioners but indifferently watched them force the officers to sign a “record” slandering that the police “hinder parishioners from conducting religious rituals”.

According to the investigation agency, the three policemen who were assaulted on May 23 suffered from a 20 percent damage of their health, while total economic loss to Son’s family amounted to over 94 million VND (4,450 USD). Particularly, Son’s wife and his four-year-old daughter suffered from serious psychological trauma following the incident.

Nghe An police conducted an investigation into the incident and started a criminal case on four charges of “causing public disorder”, “illegal detaining people”, “deliberately causing injures” and “deliberately vandalising citizens’ property”. They also launched legal proceedings against Nguyen Van Hai and Ngo Van Khoi, both in Nghi Phuong commune, and detained the two men in line with legal procedures on the charge of “causing public disorder”.

Recalling the nigh of May 23 when they, together with several parishioners, beat and illegally detained the three policemen, surrounded and vandalised Son’s house, both Hai and Khoi showed repentance. Hai confessed: “I now realise that I was wrong when shouting “Beat him to death” because it incited other people. Previously, I did not think much when acting, but now I understand that it was right when I was accused and temporarily detained for causing public disorder. Please show clemency to me and reduce the punishment.” For his part, Khoi admitted that he had shouted “Beat! Beat” which incited others to assault officials and the policemen. He wrote on his self-declaration: “My acts have violated the law. If I am let out pending trial, I will abide by the law...”

On August 30, the People’s Committee of Nghi Loc district and provincial police invited Bishop Hop to the headquarters of Nghi Phuong commune People’s Committee to persuade the crowd who were surrounding the headquarters to disperse. He stated in front of over 300 parishioners: “You all can go home now, I have voiced my opinion to the authorities about the incident. After five days, if the authorities do not release the detainees, it’s no longer my responsibility and you are free to do what you want.”

At a working session with Nghe An police on September 1, Bishop Hop again requested that the police release the two detainees. To this request, Colonel Nguyen Huu Cau, Deputy Director of Nghe An Police, said the incident in Trai Gao parish violated the law, and the arrest of those persons by the police is in line with the law.

He said if the bishop’s office acts as guarantor of those persons, the police will free them, noting that they must show up when summoned.

However, Bishop Hop and three accompanying Catholic priests did not agree to act as guarantor for the detainees but continued to demand their unconditional release.

On August 30 and September 3 and 4, hundreds of parishioners in My Yen parish and nearby localities gathered to surround the headquarters of the People’s Committee of Nghi Phuong commune. They held provocative banners and posters and caused social order disturbance in attempts to produce pressure as a way to demand the release of the arrested parishioners.

Some extreme Catholics even stormed into and occupied the office of the Vice Chairman of the communal People’s Committee. They beat six officials of Nghi Loc district and Nghi Phuong commune in order to force Nguyen Trong Tao, Chairman of the communal People’s Committee, to write a document asking the provincial People’s Committee and Police to free Khoi and Hai before 4pm on September 4, 2013. They also forced Nguyen Huu Lam, Vice Chairman of Nghi Loc district People’s Committee, to write a confirmation by the district People’s Committee before releasing the six officials and dispersing.

In the afternoon of September 4, 30 parishioners, including the wives of Hai and Khoi, stormed into the office of the People’s Committee of Nghi Phuong commune to demand the release of the arrested parishioners as written in the paper that the Chairman had been forced to write.

Meanwhile, hundreds of parishioners continued to surround the office and insulted the on-duty police.

At 3.30pm the same day, My Yen parish church suddenly tolled alerting bell, inciting thousands of Catholics to rush to the commune’s People’s Committee office. The extremists fought and threw stones at the police, injuring six officers.

In response to the situation, the competent forces on duty at the site had to apply measures in accordance with the law to disperse the crowd, stop the extreme acts and re-establish the order. At the same time, as a local bishop appeared to talk to the parishioners, the situation was basically stabilized at about 5.30pm. At 7.00pm the same day, the crowd dispersed.

On the basis of the findings from the investigation, Nghe An police on September 7 announced decisions on starting a criminal case against the incidents in Nghi Loc district’s Nghi Phuong commune on August 30, September 3 and 4 on the charges of causing public disorder, illegally detaining people, and resisting on-duty officials.

According to Colonel Cau, all those who give themselves up and admit their law-breaking actions will be released, and all those who deliberately violated the law and refused to give themselves up will be investigated, prosecuted and arrested for trial in accordance with the law.

It should be noted that 54 percent of the households in Nghi Phuong commune are Catholics. Under the Party and Government’s policies on socio-economic development and improvement of living conditions for locals, the local government has conducted various specific activities to help the parishioners improve their income and lead both good secular and religious life.

Like Nghi Phuong, Yen Thanh commune, which used to be a poor locality, has now also become one of the richest in Nghe An with hundreds of billionaires, many of them Catholics.

Another case in point is Catholic Hamlet Three in Nam Loc commune where half of the households were poor in 2007, but now it has only 10 poor households.

New rural areas are taking shape with many positive changes in the homeland of the beautiful melody of “Vi dam” songs.

For this reasons, the disorder in My Yen parish has caused outrage among Vietnamese people, both religious and non-religious, as it harmed the bonds among people living in the same village, affecting the social order as well as the local community’s tradition of solidarity.

Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Thai Van Hang affirmed: “In the Vietnamese revolution’s history, the Catholic community (in Nghe An) has made numerous contributions to the defence and construction of the country as well as of the home province of Nghe An.

“The law-breaking incident in Trai Gao parish was caused by only a number of people who lack understanding of law and were incited by some organisations and individuals inside and outside the country through several religious dignitaries that led them to misunderstanding the situation and committing law-breaking acts”.-

Vietnam strives for complete social welfare system

The people’s low participation in social and health insurance systems, a risk of pension funds shutting down in a decade, an aging society and social insurance management incompetence have posed pressing issues to state agencies in time of building a complete social welfare system in Vietnam.

These issues were also debated at a seminar held in Hanoi on September 24 during which Japan’s social welfare experience was shared with Vietnamese researchers, ministry and National Assembly officials.

The event was jointly held by the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

Addressing the function, VASS Deputy Director Dr. Nguyen Giang Hai described social welfare as a core policy that is decisive to stable and sustainable development of a country.

It also contributes to reducing inequality and harms caused by risks in the daily life for each individual and the whole community, Hai added.

Participants agreed that in Vietnam health and social insurance coverage still remains low.

Prof. Hiroi Yoshinori from Chiba University of Japan suggested the formation of local funds covering medical check-ups and treatment for local people and the funds should be managed by provincial authorities or mass organisations.-

Dien Bien helps Lao localities train border officers

The Border Guard Command of northern Dien Bien province on September 23 opened a training course in the locality for 55 officers from the Military Commands of Lao provinces of Phongsali and Udomxay.

The course aims to provide participants with knowledge on politics, military and border protection, thus helping the Lao side better implement its border management.

It is also expected to contribute to strengthening cooperation between the two countries’ forces in particular and the special bilateral friendship in general.

During the course, which will run until October 22, trainees will study history of the Vietnam-Laos traditional relations, get updated information on schemes by hostile and reactionary forces.

The course also helps raise participants’ awareness of the two countries’ national border and territory and the Vietnam-Laos Treaty on Delimitation of National Boundaries.

Dien Bien province has four districts with 29 communes bordering Laos’ Phongsali and Luang Prabang provinces along a 360-km borderline.

In recent years, border guards of Dien Bien worked closely with those from Laos to ensure defence and security in border areas, contributing significantly to the safeguard of both nations’ national border sovereignty, thus building a peaceful and friendly border area between the two countries.-

Rhino horn isn’t magic, but saving is

At a recent conference in Hanoi, experts delivered a message that rhino horn is not a magical medicine or a status symbol, and called for efforts to save the endangered wild animals. Report by the Nhan Dan Online.

Speakers at the event, timed to coincide with the World Rhino Day (September 22), included Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Committee for Science, Technology and Environment Vo Tuan Nhan, deputy chief of the Hanoi Environmental Police Nguyen Viet Tien, well-known environmental journalist Do Doan Hoang, and famous actor and comedian Nguyen Xuan Bac.

They shared their experiences and findings of a ten-day visit earlier this month to South Africa, where they directly witnessed the consequences of the increasing international illegal rhino horn trade.

The trip to the world’s main source of illegal rhino horns was made to raise public awareness among Vietnamese people on the increasingly destructive global trade and to call for joint efforts to protect the remaining rhino population on Earth. It was co-organised by the Vietnam wildlife conservation organisation – Education for Nature Vietnam (ENV) and the South African non-profit Rhinose Foundation.

The insatiable demand for rhino horns is the main cause for the species to fall into danger of being killed by hunters and their parts illegally traded, said journalist Hoang, adding that Vietnam is one of the three major markets where many people still believe that they can use rhino horn as a magical traditional medicine and consider it a status symbol.

He called on policy makers, relevant authorities and his colleagues in the media and the public to try their best to work for the conservation of rhino, not following an absurd reason to deplete rhinos.

“At Kruger National Park in South Africa, we saw a terrible scene – a rhino that had been shot dead for its horn only one week earlier,” said Nhan revealing that there are over 28,000 rhino individuals left in the nature globally, 25,000 of them (90%) living in South Africa.

However, the number of rhinos killed by poachers in the country has increased rapidly in recent years. So far this year, up to 635 rhinos have died at the hands of poachers in South Africa and nearly two-thirds of them killed inside Kruger, Nhan said, adding this posed the risk of disappearing forever for rhinos if effective measures are not taken to protect them.

The last rhino in Vietnam was killed in 2010, which is a tragic lesson in conserving wild species on the verge of extinction. Protecting the endangered species is not the sole issue of any country but needed the joint efforts by the entire world, Nhan suggested.

He also stressed that with the joining of Vietnam in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1994 and the implementation of the Vietnam Law on Biodiversity, Vietnam has proven its strong commitment and willingness to collaborate with other country in protecting the rhinos.

Newly ENV’s Rhino Ambassador, comedian Xuan Bac recalled his heartbroken memories in South Africa: “We visited the carcass of a dead rhino and all that remained was skin and bones. The horn had already been taken by poachers.”

“People who consume rhino are being fooled and wasting their money”, Bac said, urging for strengthened efforts to raise public awareness of rhino conservation and reinforce the enforcement of laws to prevent the illegal trade in rhino horns.

The demand from countries like Vietnam must end, said Andrew Paterson, director of the Rhinose Foundation. “We hope that the influential delegates’ experiences on the severity of the problem in South Africa will make a difference here,” he added.

In another move in response to World Rhino Day, “I’m a Little Rhino” , a book written for Vietnam children by Humane Society International (HSI), has been delivered to hundreds of schoolchildren from across the country as part of HSI’s work with the government of Vietnam to reduce demand for rhino horns.

The book aims to educate children about endangered rhinos, the poaching threat and the need to stop rhino horn consumption to save them from extinction.

Four hundred copies of the book were distributed to children during the mid-Autumn Festival organised by the Youth Union of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Another 700 copies have been given to children at Viet Bun Kindergarten School in Hanoi’s Hai Ba Trung district and those at Le Quy Don Primary School in Tu Liem district.-

Methadone treatment deemed a success

The capital city of Hanoi is aiming to widen its methadone treatment programme for drug addicts, as it is seen as an effective method in preventing HIV/AIDS.

The municipal Department of Health commented that after three years of implementation, methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) has helped reduce patients’ heroin use and the risks of HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis B and C infections.

The programme has also reduced the number of drug-related crimes and increased employment prospects for patients after treatment, it added.

In addition, positive changes have also been seen in behaviours that pose risks of HIV infections among patients engaging in methadone treatment.

Among those who were under treatment of between 12-24 months, only 2.5 percent continued to share their needles. No patient did the same act after they were treated for two years.

Especially, the rate of patients who got jobs after treatment ranged from 71 to 76 percent.

The municipal health sector is designing a master plan on MMT until 2020, with the aim of having 32 clinics providing treatment to 8,000 patients in the next seven years.

The MMT programme is being piloted on 1,453 patients in six districts across the city. There have been no reported deaths from side effects or overdosing from the treatment. The rate of patients still tested positive to heroin is low, at 2.4 percent.

Hanoi now has more than 21,000 controlled and about 10,000 uncontrolled drug addicts. The numbers of living HIV-infected people and AIDS patients are over 20,500 and nearly 5,300 respectively.

Friendship Train makes final trip

A regular Ha Noi-HCM City train dubbed the Viet Nam – Japan Friendship Train since May 8 when it began its first trip started its final one from the southern city on Saturday.

The train, which has so far made 68 trips, is a "symbol of the strong relationship between the two countries," Hida Harumitsu, the Japanese consul in HCM City, who flagged off the train at Sai Gon railway Station, said.

Ishida Yukio, chief representative of the Japan International Co-operation Agency in HCM City, said the north-south rail route, the mostly heavily damaged during the war, has been rebuilt with support from the Japanese government in the last 20 years.

Forty eight out of the 63 bridges on the route have been upgraded or replaced at a cost of more than US$455.7 milion, shortening the travel time to 30 hours from the earlier 36 hours, he said.

Once the remaining bridges are completed, it would be shortened further to just 24 hours, he said.

Works on upgrading Highway No 1 start in central region

Two projects on broadening National Highway No 1 in the central province of Quang Binh started on September 25.

The projects, worth 3.94 trillion VND (185.6 million USD) sourced from government bonds, is expected to be completed by 2015 for 83 km of the road, allowing vehicles to run at speeds up to 80 km per hour.

On the same day, the Transport Department of central Quang Ngai province also kicked off a project on upgrading and expanding the section of National Highway No 1 running through the locality.

The work on the 98-km stretch needs an investment of 2.7 trillion VND (127.3 million USD), and will be finished by 2016.

When completed, the projects will help meet the demand for transport, bolster the economic development of the central region and the country at large, and gradually realise Vietnam’s 2020 road development plan.

Drug plan benefits Vietnamese firms

Local pharmaceuticals producers will have a chance to expand their market share in Ho Chi Minh City thanks to a new programme designed to stabilise prices for essential drugs in the southern economic hub.

Deputy director Pham Khanh Phong of the city's Health Department said that consumption of locally produced medicines has greatly increased in the city's market.

"The city's health sector will continue to mobilise more pharmaceuticals companies and to join and expand the programme by providing a wider range of pharmaceuticals to the city, especially the outskirts and remote districts," said Phong.

City statistics show that locally manufactured drugs, especially those already in the programme aimed at stabilising prices for essential pharmaceutical products, are increasingly being used for clinical treatment month by month.

As many as 13 companies have joined the programme, providing 392 products from 21 categories, which accounts for 50 percent of the city's demand for essentially needed drugs.

Retail distribution networks have increased six fold, from 400 to 2,336 stores, including 1,686 private stores, 107 hospitals and 543 pharmaceuticals companies, and account for 55 percent of the city's retail sales.

Locally produced drugs are between 5-10 percent cheaper than other similar drug brands on the market, which accounts for the 20 percent increase in output for companies involved in the programme.

The Deputy Director of the Phu Yen Pharmaceutical Company (Pymepharco), Nguyen Huu Nien, told Nhan Dan (The People) newspaper that the company's drugs that are part of the price stabilisation list have seen increased usage, between 10-20 per cent in the city's hospitals and between 20-30 percent in district hospitals.

The programme, encouraging Vietnamese to use locally manufactured drugs, was created to inform the public and doctors about the availability of locally produced pharmaceuticals.

The programme was supported by many hospitals, where doctors were encouraged to fill prescription with locally produced drugs for patients with general diseases in an effort to promote the use of drugs manufactured locally, Phong said.

The Ministry of Health launched the programme in March, aiming to increase the use of home made drugs in medical treatment to 60 percent of the country's demand by 2015.

In order to achieve the programme's goal, all pharmaceuticals and trading companies will have to meet the Good Manufacture Practice (GMP), Good Store Practice (GSP) and Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) standards by 2015.

These requirements aim to encourage and create favourable conditions for local drug companies to improve the quality of their products and the competition within the local market.-

Source: VEF/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/