Transport Minister blames Chinese, Korean contractors for slow projects

Transport Minister Dinh La Thang complained about the slow progress of several transport projects contracted to Chinese and South Korean firms.

The minister recently carried out inspections on transport projects in the Mekong Delta region during his trip to the south.

Thang singled out a number of projects, including Cao Lanh Bridge in Dong Thap Province. He said that, since it is an ODA project, it should be sped up in order to stay on schedule and avoid waste.

The project was contracted to China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) and Vinaconex E&C Vietnam, and financed by ODA from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and a grant from the Australian government.

“All Vietnamese transport projects taken on by CRBC have proven slow in their implementation. Initially, they carried out the projects very quickly, but later the pace grew very slow. We hold no bias against Chinese contractors, but in reality the projects carried out by Chinese contractors are often slow or even stagnant,” he added.

Thang cited the Noi Bai-Lao Cai Expressway as a typical example. A Chinese contractor won the bid for the project. In the beginning the project progressed quickly, but later the contractor had various reasons for delays.

The minister also reprimanded South Korean contractors GS Engineering & Construction and the Hanshin Engineering & Construction for the slow pace of Vam Cong Bridge, linking Dong Thap Province and Can Tho City.

He said that GS Engineering & Construction and Hanshin Engineering & Construction had been behind consistently behind schedule on the Hanoi-Haiphong Highway and asked that they not repeat this mistake for Vam Cong Bridge.

Ha Noi hospital opens new building

The Ha Noi Department of Health, yesterday, inaugurated a new seven-level building, constructed under a project to upgrade Duc Giang General Hospital for VND861 billion (US$41 million).

The building, with a capacity of 500 beds, will be used for the purposes of examination, outpatient treatment, emergency treatment and administration.

The second part of the upgrade project, which includes the construction of another building and other facilities, will be started soon and is expected to be completed by the end of next year.

Duc Giang General Hospital is now one of the five leading general hospitals in the city. It is the first one to apply the Building Management System (BMS) method that controls and monitors the building's mechanical and electrical equipment.

Vietjet disciplines staff over landing error

Vietjet Air has sacked a flight coordinator and disciplined several crew members who were responsible for the high-profile wrong landing incident in June.

Punitive measures include request for re-training, salary reduction, temporary suspension from work and compensation for the damages caused to the airline.

According to Vietjet Air, the flight co-ordinator, who is primarily responsible for the incident, has been fired and requested to compensate the airlines.

The flight, with nearly 200 passengers from Ha Noi, had landed at Cam Ranh Airport in Nha Trang Province, 140 km away from its intended destination of Lien Khuong Airport, in Central Highlands' Da Lat City on June 19.

Nursery school students get free milk

A pilot "Milk for schools" programme, in the northern province of Bac Ninh, has benefited 12,000 local children under the age of six since it was launched last September.

Under the programme, all children in 24 local nursery schools were offered 200 millilitres of milk free, three times a week, nine months a year.

As a result, the rate of stunted children at the schools dropped to 4.37 per cent against the 8 per cent rate reported before the programme, while that of weight malnutrition among the group was down to 3 per cent, reported the provincial Department of Education and Training.

Bac Ninh plans to extend the programme to all nursery schools between 2014 and 2017, with the number of beneficiaries reaching up to 230,000.

The programme, which has run from 2013 through 2017, costs nearly VND178 billion (US$8.39 million), of which 50 per cent has come from the local budget, 25 per cent from the milk suppliers and the rest from children's parents and social funding.

17 companies fined on food safety violation

Vietnam's Food Administration July 21 fined 17 companies for violation in advertising of nutrition supplement drug and food safety in a bid to enhance the management on foodstuff.

The food watchdog fined seven companies which overemphasized and exaggerated the nutrition supplements and ten companies for violating food safety and hygiene regulations. Total fines is VND211 million (US$ 9,917).

Vinh Gia and Ha Tay Pharmaceutical Company; Trung My; Hiep Phong; Giang Hoai; Hanex; Bao Binh An; Thuy Ta; V&T, Rodha Dyechem Vietnam in Hanoi; Viet My Chemical Distributor; An Ky in Hanoi; Brenntag representative office in Hanoi and Connell Bros Vietnam received penalties for violations.

Along with financial fines, the food watchdog asked violators to remove all wrong advertisement in media and to destroy unsafe and expired food and additives.

Regarding to the news that fast food contain cancer-causing ingredients, tests were soon carried out to check these foods. Tests results showed that  no carcinogens like Acrylamide and PAHs were found in samples of snacks and potato chips collected from Nguyen Cao Market, Ba Trieu and Lo Duc streets in Hanoi.

Vietnam stops using three drugs due to bad reactions

Following the National Center of Drug Information and Adverse Drug Reactions Monitoring’s warning of bad reaction of three drugs, Drug Administration of Vietnam ordered hospitals nationwide to stop using them.

Medical clinics in the country should not use Koftazide (Ceftazidime Injection 1g), Klocedim (Ceftazidim 1g) and Samtoxim ( Cefotaxim 1g). Do Van Dong, deputy head of the Drug Administration of Vietnam said that there were reports about bad reactions after injecting these drugs such as anaphylactic shock, breathing difficulty, convulsion fits, and high fever.

Along with the halt of these drugs, the health watchdog also asked  medical facilities to report the injection and preservation procedures to verify skills.

Importers and distributors of these drugs are asked to announce the stop of using the drugs.

Dyke safety zone violations increase across capital

Ha Noi saw an 18 per cent increase in the number of violations of its dyke safety zone in the first six months of this year, according to the municipal Flood, Storm Control and Dyke Management Department.

The 135 safety code violations included the construction of houses, shops, brick-kilns, stores and sand exploitation activities within the dyke safety zone, also known as the "protection corridor," with the largest number of violations, 48, concentrated in Ung Hoa District.

City authorities are still yet to hand down punishments to 124 cases, with some of the accused said to be repeat offenders punished for previous violations.

Violators are said to have discharged construction waste at the Nhat Tan Bridge's lower section in Tay Ho District, with a Kinh te&do thi (Economic and Urban) correspondent reporting the waste had piled up to 6 metres high.

The Nhat Tan Ward People's Committee has since acted to reduce the waste, which now stands between 0.7-1.2 metres, but has struggled to contain illicit dumping activities in the area. Earlier efforts by the district to set up control stations and assign guards have been unable to crack down on the activities.

Yet, district dyke protection units in the city remain committed to limiting the number of future violations. From the beginning of this year, the Thuong Tin and Phu Xuyen authorities joined hands with the Waterway Traffic Police Department to monitor sand exploitation activities along the Hong (Red) River.

Inspections this year saw dozens of ships punished for illegal dredging sand along the river.

Do Duc Thinh, director of the Ha Noi Flood, Storm Control and Dyke Management Department, said that during the remaining six months of the year, the department would ask 18 local protection units to co-ordinate with ministerial bodies to prevent violation and hand down strict penalties.

Thinh has also proposed that the Ha Noi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development seek permission from the municipal People's Committee to build dyke protection corridors.

The Department of Transport would also have to set up signs to limit overloaded vehicles from passing over the dykes, he said.

English teaching experts discuss Asian classrooms

Trainers specialising in teaching English as a foreign language and other experts discussed teaching in Asian classrooms at an annual conference held in HCM City last Saturday.

According to Stephen Faulkner, who has taught English for over eight years in Viet Nam and works for DTP Online, a company providing supplementary programmes for interactive English teaching, using technology in classes ensures that students are both motivated and engaged.

Rapid economic growth in Viet Nam has provided the basis for similar technological growth in the classroom and technology is increasingly seen as the "golden bullet" to solve many of the issues surrounding teaching English as a second language, but without effective use it can become just another distraction.

Technology needs to be introduced into the classroom in a measured and appropriate way to ensure that learning goals are achieved.

The use of technology in an ad hoc, unplanned manner could distract from the learning process and complicate the context, he said.

It should also be clear that technology cannot replace the teacher and teachers are the crucial link between the students and the technology, he said.

Ian Bosiak, a teacher trainer specialising in English as a foreign language and author of English language teaching (ELT) books published by Seoul-based e-future, one of Asia's fastest growing ELT publishers, said not all schools were equipped with the latest technology.

For classrooms without technology, practical in-class activities for motivating students through interactive and collaborative activities could be used, he said.

These activities were a great way to turn traditional, teacher-fronted lessons into environments in which students were taking more control of their learning and having fun doing it, he added.

Latest language assessment trends and techniques and assessment to promote better learning were also presented at the conference.

Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, held by the Viet Nam-USA Society English Centre, attracted nearly 2,000 attendees from Korea, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, and Cambodia.

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Manh Hung said improving the qualification of English teachers was one of the main objectives of a 2008-20 national programme for teaching foreign languages in public schools.

Dalat Hasfarm opens store in Hanoi

Dalat Hasfarm, the leading Vietnamese fresh flower grower and supplier in the Central Highland resort of Da Lat, opened its first retail store in Hanoi to break into this lucrative market.

Dalat Hasfarm deputy director Bernhard Schenke said it’s time to expand operation in the north to fully tap this market.

The company has constantly achieved steady growth in the northern market since it set up a distribution network in 1998, he said, adding that it expects to supply quality products and services to Hanoi consumers.

Besides common varieties, the store, at 73 Hai Ba Trung Street, Hoan Kiem District, markets Dalat Hasfarm’s unique flowers and those imported from the Netherlands and Ecuador.

The company supplies 100 million branches of flower to the market every year.

HCM City to relocate agencies’ offices this year

The HCMC government’s agencies and departments whose offices are currently in the area bordered by Le Thanh Ton, Pasteur, Ly Tu Trong and Dong Khoi streets will be relocated to Building A225 on Tran Hung Dao Street in District 1 this year to make room for construction of a new administrative center.

According to the HCMC government, the new administrative center will cover 18,000 square meters and the old buildings in this area will be demolished in preparation for the construction, except the City Hall structure at 86 Le Thanh Ton Street.  

The HCMC government is organizing an international design contest for the new administrative center.

Nguyen Trong Hoa, head of the HCMC Institute for Development Studies, said as part of the new administrative center, the façade of the City Hall will be extended to Dong Khoi Street while its rear part is divided into two sections for the working offices of leaders of the HCMC People’s Committee as well as departments and agencies.

Hoa said the entire ground floor of the City Hall building will be upgraded into a public area for various activities while offices of the HCMC government will be located on the upper floor and other neighboring buildings.

“This is what leaders of HCMC want in the master zoning scheme for space and architecture of the administrative center,” Hoa said and stressed that architectural conservation is one of the priorities in the scheme.

“More attention will be paid to architectural conservation and close interactions between the city government and citizens than usable space,” Hoa confirmed.

The city government has not announced how much will be spent on the new administrative center project but a source estimated this will cost at least VND1 trillion.

Seminar gives updates on asbestos-related diseases

The Ministries of Health, and Science and Technology, in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO), have held a scientific seminar on asbestos, a kind of mineral used in construction, and its deadly impact on workers’ lives.

The seminar aimed at updating and sharing information about asbestos-related diseases in the world.

Addressing the event in Hanoi on July 17, Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said that WHO and international cancer research agencies have warned that all types of asbestos can cause lung, larynx and ovary cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis.

According to WHO estimates, currently about 125 million people in the world are exposed to asbestos at the workplace and more than 107,000 people die each year from asbestos-related diseases resulting from occupational exposures. One in every three deaths from occupational cancer is estimated to be caused by this toxic mineral.

Vietnam is now among the world’s 10 largest users of asbestos with the import of about 60,000 tonnes every year, of which 95 percent are used for production of roofing sheets.

The Health Ministry has taken a number of measures to ensure the health of workers and on how to prevent asbestos-related diseases.

The WHO and International Labour Organisation recommend that a total ban of using asbestos be the most effective way to eliminate diseases relating to this mineral.

Sewage treatment plant operational in central coastal city

A drainage and wastewater treatment plant was commissioned in Dong Hoi city of the central coastal province of Quang Binh on July 20, as part of the environment sub-project financed by the World Bank.

With a designed treatment capacity of 10,000 cubic metres per day using environmentally friendly technology, the plant will benefit 78,000 inhabitants.

The sub-project, which forms part of the 78.5-million-USD Coastal Cities Environmental Sanitation Project for Vietnam, was carried out from March 2007-March 2014.

It focused on building and upgrading drainage and sewage treatment systems and raising public awareness of keeping the environment green.

Following the success of these two phases, leaders of the World Bank Vietnam have proposed pouring more money into the third phase to improve health and environmental sanitation for city dwellers.

Requiem for heroic martyrs held in Quang Binh

A requiem for heroic martyrs marking the War Invalids and Martyrs’ Day (July 27) was held at Nam Gianh Martyrs Cemetery in Quang Binh Province’s Bo Trach by the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha's Executive Committee on July 19-20.

The requiem aims to honor all those who sacrificed their whole life the country. In Gianh River, 156 martyrs were killed by the US bombing on January 13, 1973, three days  of a ceasefire of the aerial bombings in North Vietnam and seven days before PARIS AGREEMENTS OF 1973.

The Dong Loc T-Junction national historical relic site in Ha Tinh Province received over 1,000 visitors a day in the first seven months this year, according to deputy head of the management board Vo Cong Tru.

A ceremony marking the 46th anniversary of Dong Loc T-junction victory (July 24, 1968) will be held on July 23-24.

The event will include a requiem for war martyrs at the legendary Dong Loc T-Junction, an incense offering, camping, and sport games. A special art program will be broadcast live on VTV2 channel on July 27.

The ceremony will be co-organized by the People’s Committee of Can Loc District in the central province of Ha Tinh; the provincial Department of Culture. Sport and Tourism; and Nhan Dan (People) newspaper, and the management board of the Dong Loc T-Junction national historical relic site.

A ceremony receiving certificate for a section of the Truong Son – Ho Chi Minh Trail running across Dong Loc T-junction will be organized on the occasion.

Dong Loc T-junction played a vital role in transportation of necessary ammunition from north to south during the war. It is famous for the story of 10 female martyrs who sacrificed their lives to ensure transportation of important materials on the Ho Chi Minh Trail on July 24, 1968. From 1965-1968, the US army dropped nearly 50,000 bombs and fired tens of thousands of missiles on the T-Junction in the hopes of cutting off the transport route to the southern front.

The Hai Phong Environment Protection Fund (HEPF) was officially put into operation on July 16 as part of efforts to build Hai Phong into a green, civilised and modern port city.

Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Do Trung Thoai has been appointed as president of the HEPF Management Council, while the vice president position went to Bui Quang San, director of the Hai Phong Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

The HEPF has a charter capital of VND 30 billion (US$1.41 million) allocated from the State budget within five years.

It is allowed to mobilise sponsorship sources and to be supplemented with environmental protection fees imposed on sewage, solid waste and mineral extraction; compensations for environmental damages; and fines for administrative violations of environmental protection.

The fund also includes deposits by mineral exploitation companies, which will be used to address pollution and recover environmental quality after extraction activities conclude.

The HEPF is authorised to provide preferential loans to organisations operating programmes to restore the environment and preserve natural resources and biodiversity in the locality.

The fund will also review and classify the local environment projects that have demands for its financial support based on necessity, effectiveness, expansion prospect, and payback ability. They are then taken under accounts and the suitable forms of financial assistance are decided.

Efforts made to save isolated ethnic minority

Authorities in Ha Tinh Province have agreed to submit a project plan to the government to build a road that would link the Chu ethnic minority group to the rest of the world.

The proposal was made by Tu Van Dien, Chairman of the local Fatherland Front at a recent meeting of the provincial People’s Council.

If the proposal is adopted, a 15-km road will be built to link the village of Chu ethnic minority in to save them from inbreeding which has had a serious impact on the children of the community.

Mr. Dien said that Rao Tre Village, where Chu minority live, at has 45 households with 137 residents. Despite the support of local authorities, living conditions there are still difficult.

The most serious problem for the villagers is inbreeding. Up to 60% of local people suffer from asthma, while the rate of the disabled people has been on the rise.

The construction of 15-km road is expected to give the community access to the outside world and hopefully help solve this problem.

Local authorities have shown support for the project and will submit it to the government for consideration.

The director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV), Lai Xuan Thanh, admitted at a web conference on July 17 that compensation for the passengers affected by flight delays and cancellations is trivial compared to other countries.

While the minimum compensation is 250 euros per person in the European Union, the passengers of canceled flights in Vietnam can get a ticket refund plus a compensation of only VND300,000 (US$14). However, they will get no compensation if they are informed of cancellations 24 hours ahead of departure time.

The reason for modest compensation, according to Thanh, is to ensure the harmonious interests of both airlines and passengers.

Le Hong Ha, chief executive officer of Jetstar Pacific, said currently Decision 10/2007 and Circular 26/2009 regulate compensation for the affected passengers.

In case of flight cancellations, passengers will be compensated with VND100,000 for short-haul flights of under 500 kilometers, VND200,000 for the flights with distances of over 500 kilometers and VND300,000 for the flights of over 1,000 kilometers. However, airlines are exempted from the compensation responsibility if they tell passengers about cancellations 24 hours before departures or fail to reach passengers via the contacts provided.

Regarding compensation for the flight delays, if flights are 20 minutes, more than two hours, three hours and six hours later than scheduled, airlines are required to announce and apologize, serve drinks, food, and provide accommodation for the affected passengers respectively. With the delays for more than 12 hours, airlines have to arrange other flights for passengers.

Leaders of Jetstar Pacific, VietJetAir and Vietnam Airlines said they strictly follow the regulations and actually offer more compensation than required.

At Jetstar Pacific, passengers can claim ticket refunds or change flights if their flights are postponed for three to six hours and get compensation of VND150,000-400,000 depending on flight distances. Besides, with delays lasting over six hours, the airline provides hotel accommodation for affected passengers.

Meanwhile, in addition to compensation ranging from VND100,000 to VND300,000 for domestic flights, VietJetAir’s compensation levels for the passengers suffering from delays and cancellations of its international flights are US$25-150, said Nguyen Duc Tam, deputy general director of VietJetAir.

According to aviation expert Luong Hoai Nam, few passengers know about the regulations on flight delays and cancellations while airlines do not popularize such policies.

Therefore, airlines should publicly announce compensation policies on their websites, transaction points and ticket counters at airports, Nam added.

CAAV director Lai Xuan Thanh said that CAAV has the responsibility for passengers’ unawareness of their right to claim compensation. He added that many passengers do not know whom they should talk to about delays and cancellations.

At the meeting, director of the Transport Department Khuat Viet Hung admitted slowness in drafting the amendments to Circular 26 to clarify sanctions and responsibilities in case of flight delays and cancellations.  

Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang at another meeting on Tuesday told airlines to reduce the number of delayed and cancelled flights by half in the second half of this year and ensure 90% of their flights on time next year. However, airlines responded that having 90% of the flights departing right on schedule is unlikely as flight operations not only depend on them but other relevant units.

Seven bodies found at site of Ha Giang landslide

After a day of search and rescue operations, seven bodies were found at the site of a landslide in the mountainous province of Ha Giang on July 21.

Landslides in the area were triggered by torrential rains from Typhoon Rammasun in the early morning of July 21, killing seven people.

Sen Ngoc Minh, Chairman of Hoang Su Phi District, said that due to long and heavy rains along with the severity of the landslides, rescue workers had a difficult task in finding victims.

The victims bodies were found that afternoon.

Mud and rocks blocked the inter-provincial road 177 traversing Hoang Su Phi, causing serious traffic congestion.

Heavy rains also caused erosion in fields cultivated by ethnic minority people in many communes.

Thousands of people in Thanh Hoa Province have been forced to live in a polluted environment, caused by a large landfill that has been operating there for ten years.

The Con Quan Landfill is located in Phu Son Ward, Thanh Hoa City, around one kilometre from the city centre. The site was put into use in 2001 and has a capacity of 140 tonnes of waste per day.

Residents around the landfill complain that they have had to live with the pollution of the site for years and can no longer stand it.

Initially, the dump included a waste classification area and a fertilizer production facilities. However, after just a short time, the fertilizer production facility incurred losses as fertilizer piled up due to a lack of viable markets, affecting the other works at the site.

In addition, the city saw a sharp increase in population and Con Quan quickly became overloaded. Currently, the city produces around 230 tonnes of waste per day. The increase in volume of untreated wastewater has also become a problem that has affected the lives of residents as well as their natural resources.

Vu Thi Vinh, a woman who lives in Phu Son Ward, said, “We’ve been living with this pollution problem from the dump for years. I know a lot of people have been diagnosed with serious illnesses and some have even died, mostly of cancer or tuberculosis.”

Residents have repeatedly asked for help from local authorities, but no action has been taken. Last September, a group of residents gathered on Tay Son 1 Street to prevent garbage trucks from accessing the land fill.

After their strike, members of the municipal government and the city’s Department of Environment and Natural Resource along with  the chairman of the provincial People’s Committee to arrange a meeting with local residents. They pledged that they would ask the site to close for a thorough cleaning treatment, but the situation has yet to improve.

Since early 2013, residents have held at least three strikes in an effort to prevent adding more waste to the site. The latest strike was on July 1 with and was carried out by residents of Phu Son Ward.

Vu Xuan Nhung, a local man who lives on Tay Son 1 Street, said, “We’ll try to wait until August, but we will continue to organise strikes if the site is still in operation.”

Le Van Hoang, an official from the site’s management board, said they receive around 250 tonnes of waste per day, roughly double their capacity. "We've taken some temporary measures to mitigate the problem, but they are unsatisfactory in the face of such overload," he commented.

In an attempt to address the overload problem, the provincial government issued a decree in November, 2010 approving a project to build another waste treatment complex in Thanh Hoa City. The project's cost is estimated at VND88 billion and is to be located 18 kilometres from Thanh Hoa City. The complex would be able to treat 500 tonnes of waste per day. Construction on the new site, however, remains at a standstill.

Even with new waste treatment facilities, the municipal government will have to deal with piled up waste at Con Quan before it can be closed.

Thieu Van San, deputy director of the Thanh Hoa Urban Works and Environment One-member limited Company, the new waste treatment project's investor, said, “It takes some time for site clearance. But if everything goes smoothly, the complex should be put into use this September.”

People gamble health to augment their bodies

Many people have been hospitalised after trying various home methods of augmenting their genitals.

The Vietnam-Germany Hospital in Hanoi once received a 60-year-old patient who had a ring stuck around his penis. A doctor said, "It affected him psychologically, he was a bit scared. But luckily he came for treatment in time, before it could cause any real damage."

In another case, a man implanted four balls under the skin of his penis. However, the balls had some sharp edges and started to pierce the skin. At first, the man refused to have them removed, but was forced to several days later after infection set in.

Many women hire unlicensed practitioners get silicone injections to various parts of their bodies, despite the dangers. One woman decided to go with an unlicensed practitioner for injections to her breasts, cheeks, temples and various other places. She soon showed symptoms of a blood infection and septic shock. Doctors say that they were unable to save her due to a pulmonary embolism.

Some men, too, choose silicone injections. Recently, 40 men in Ca Mau Province decided to use silicone to enlarge their penises. The silicone was said to be made in Thailand and each person paid only VND300,000 (USD14). A few days later, the men were hospitalised because their genitals showed signs of inflammation and even necrosis.

Dr. Le Thi Kim Dung from Lao Dong Health Centre said, "Many people think that these things are harmless. But you must think that even wearing a ring that is too tight on your finger can prevent blood flow and lead to necrosis. Now just think of what that could do to a more sensitive part. Anything that is inserted under the skin should absolutely have been tested for quality."

Dung went on to say that silicone which is directly injected, will spread to other tissues and trigger an automatic immune defense. White blood cells will seek out the foreign substance and cause inflammation. This can lead to infection and other complications.

Bus advertising seen hard to attract clients

A pilot bus advertising program in HCMC is not expected to pay off as advertisers are tightening their spending in the current tough economic conditions, said industry players.

Talking to the Daily, Nguyen Quoc Dai, general director of Pacific Outdoor Company Limited, said he has no intention to use commuter buses as a medium to reach the public due to the company’s financial constraints.

Nguyen Quy Cap, vice chairman of the HCMC Advertising Association (HAA), told many members of this organization had shown no interest in the new medium for advertising because it has not translated into reality after long-drawn-out debates.

Cap described the Advertising Law and the draft rule on bus advertising as unclear. To attract companies to bus advertising in tough times, he said, it is necessary to set more affordable prices.

“If the city’s Department of Transport keeps sky-high rates, customers will not opt for this kind of advertising. As such, the target of creating a new source of income to subsidize bus operations could hardly be achieved,” said Cap.

Regarding advertising charges on buses, Duong Hong Thanh, deputy director of the HCMC Transport Department, revealed rates would be similar to those in Hanoi. He however noted that advertising rates at bus stops and terminals may triple those in the capital.

Currently, the highest bus advertising rate for one year in Hanoi is VND47 million per vehicle, and the lowest price VND35 million. If HCMC applied the lowest price of Hanoi, some 3,000 buses in HCMC could generate more than VND100 billion in advertising revenue a year.

Meanwhile, if the rates at bus stops and terminals are triple those in Hanoi, it would be difficult for advertising companies to attract advertisers. This price could apply to few terminals at prime locations in the city’s central area. It is definitely unworkable in outlying districts like Tan Binh and Tan Phu.    

HAA suggested the prices be aligned to the actual needs of enterprises in different periods. The authorities and advertising enterprises should sit down together to figure out the most possible solution for mutual benefits.

After years of delay, HCMC approved a pilot scheme to put ads on 156 buses before its expansion.

Dang Van Son, director of Phuoc Son Advertising Company Limited, considered bus advertising a new option for advertisers. Compared to other advertising media, bus advertising has lower cost but greater impact thanks to the widespread presence of this means of public transport on the street.   

According to the HCMC Public Passenger Transport Management and Operation Center, the city had 2,871 commuter buses last year, down 82 units from 2012, and as many as 110 bus routes are being subsidized by the city government.

Subsidies for commuter bus services in HCMC rose from VND1.36 trillion in 2011 to over VND1.4 trillion in 2012 and VND1.47 trillion in 2013. As of last year, public transport had met only 10.7% of commuter demand.

Fishermen to get small loans for fishing trips

The Government has issued a decree on aquaculture development policy, which states fishermen will be provided with working capital for each fishing trip.

Speaking at a meeting with the media last week, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Vu Van Tam said Decree 67/2014/ND-CP would free fishermen from relying on loan sharks. Therefore, the fish they catch can be sold to those offering higher prices rather than to the lender, he added.

In addition to this encouraging credit policy, fishermen will be assisted in building steel boats.

According to Tam, 24 designs of boat have been developed to meet different demands of fishermen. The designs are expected to be available for fishermen by August 25.

To assist fishermen in building new boats without depleting marine resources, the ministry is inspecting the fishing grounds, with results expected to come out late this year, to formulate a fishing boat development plan. In the plan, the maximum catch should be less than 40% of the maximum reserves and the number of fishing boats allowed will be corresponding to the permissible catch.

Any fisherman wanting to take out loans to build steel boats must register with the grassroots authorities first before seeking approval from the provincial governments, according to Tam.

In addition, the State will cover costs for training in sailing, designing and maintenance of steel boats.

Tam added the ministry plans to issue a guiding circular for Decree 67 on August 25.

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