US grants $1m to fight HIV/AIDS

The US is providing nearly US$1 million for a two-year project to combat HIV/AIDS in southern Viet Nam, including HCM City.

The programme, launched yesterday by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), focuses particularly on HCM City, Can Tho, and An Giang, where there is a high rate of HIV carriers and at-risk populations.

Managed by NGO Centre for Promotion of Quality of Life, Community HIV Link will seek to strengthen the ability of local organisations to reach vulnerable populations and link them with appropriate HIV services.

The centre said the programme sought to deliver community-based HIV/AIDS services to 4,000 high-risk people like injecting drug users, women sex workers, and men who had sex with men and to 2,000 people living with HIV.

Rena Bitter, the US's consul in HCM City, said at the launch ceremony that in the past 10 years the US had provided financial and technical support to control HIV/AIDS across Viet Nam.

In HCM City alone 25,000 people had been provided with anti-retroviral treatment, she said.

The US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which is funding the new programme, focused on technical support and so co-operation from community-based organisations was necessary, she said.

Tieu Thi Thu Van, chief officer at HCM City's AIDS Prevention Committee, said since December 1990, when the first HIV infection was detected in HCM City more than 59,000 other cases had been found.

Last year the number of new cases was 1,733, down from almost 5,000 in 2008, and Van attributed the fall to the city's efforts with support from international organisations.

But with the epidemic remaining a threat and government and international support dwindling, it was important to strengthen the ability of community-based organisations.

HCM City hopes to prevent new infections by 2030.

Together with civil society and non-governmental and mass organisations such as the Women's Union, USAID helps deliver prevention, care, and treatment and advocates policies to improve access to and the quality of HIV/AIDS services.

Alleged fake beer kegs seized in Ha Noi

The Ha Noi Market Surveillance Agency and Hoai Duc district police seized nearly ten allegedly fake beer kegs with labels of Ha Noi beer and Viet Ha beer on Monday.

There were three 30-litre beer kegs and 12 bottles with the labels of Ha Noi beer along with five 30-litre beer kegs of Viet Ha beer, which were seized.

The manufacturer of the beer kegs, Hoai Duc-based Dai Viet Chau A Ltd., Co, denied that these were fake beer kegs, but claimed they had been bought from unknown sources.

The company also argued that their keg valve caps were different from those of Ha Noi Beer and Viet Ha beer kegs.

Dai Viet Chau A Ltd., Co has its own beer brand of Starbeer Ha Noi.

The case is being investigated further.

Three die in coach accident

Three people died and 14 others were injured after a coach crashed into the edge of a mountain in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong yesterday.

The 45-seater coach was carrying 40 tourists from Nha Trang City in the central province of Khanh Hoa to Da Lat City in Lam Dong province.

The dead victims include the driver and two tourists. The injured are being treated at a local hospital.

The case is under investigation.

Scaffolding collapse kills 2 workers

A scaffolding that collapsed at a construction site in the northern province of Dien Bien's Dien Bien Phu City yesterday killed two workers.

The collapse occurred at around 8 am at the construction site of a house in Tan Thanh Ward.

The victims were rushed to a local hospital but died soon after. They were found not wearing any labour safety tools.

The case is being investigated.

Diarrhoea cases blamed on water

Incidents of acute diarrhoea in Le Minh Xuan Commune in Binh Chanh District, HCM City, has been blamed on the water supply, Minister of Health Nguyen Kim Tien said on Monday.

Tien made the revelation as the head of an inspection team that visited the commune where the disease broke out on July 8.

To date, two adults and seven children have contracted the ailment.

One 10-month-old child died after being hospitalised for treatment on July 16.

He had a high temperature and was diagnosed with gastro-intestinal sepsis.

The inspection team found that the environment at the commune was polluted. Most residents live in shanty houses surrounded by stagnant ponds and grass fields. Some even discharge untreated waste directly into the ponds.

There are 30 homes in the area housing more than 100 people.

Residents have started paying carters high prices to bring in clean water.

Tien asked local authorities to persuade local residents not to use water from the ponds for daily use and to treat the environment to prevent dengue fever and Japanese encephalitis.

She said water for daily use needed to be treated with Cloramin B.

Bridge needed in Dak Lak

To cross the Krong Ana River, more than 100 households in Hoa Le Commune must use a cable and a pulley, as the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak cannot afford to build a bridge.

Commune resident Truong Cong Ly said that while his house was on one side of the river, his 2.7-hectare field was on the other side, so he had no choice.

"I've used this cable system to carry pesticides, fertiliser and my harvest across the river for a dozen years," Ly said.

He said the cable cost several million dong to install, work that several households in the commune had done together. When they wanted to cross the river, local residents carried their own pulley.

Vo Thi Hoa, another commune resident, also has three hectares of coffee, maize and rice fields on the other side of the river. Each day, she and her husband cross the river using the cables at least four times.

"I know this is a risky action," Hoa said. "I fell into the river one time when the pulley suddenly broke. I was lucky, as the water was quite gentle and not very deep at that time. Now it's the rainy season, and the flow of the river has become so fierce. But we have to do it to earn a living."

Figures from the communal authority showed that there were about 300 hectares of cultivated land on the other side of the river.

Previously, local residents used boats or rope bridges to cross the river. However, all of these were swept away in flash floods, while boats were not safe during flooding seasons.

Vo Chau Thang, representative of the communal Traffic and Irrigation Office, said that there were nearly 20 cables along the 10km riverbank.

Some residents built an iron bridge with a plank, but Thang said this was just a temporary measure as it could be submerged or swept away when flooding occurred.

Nguyen Minh Son, vice chairman of the communal People's Committee, said that frequency of use had led to many cables snapping. People often fell into the river, although they had all been rescued, he added.

About 1,550 Vietnamese workers in 15 localities in Libya are in safe places and have contacted Vietnamese diplomatic and labour management and agencies, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on August 5.

The Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and 12 companies sending labourers are preparing to bring the Vietnamese workers in high-risk areas home. In case the situation worsens, all Vietnamese citizens will be withdrawn from Libya.

Vietnamese representative agencies in Libya, Turkey, Egypt and Algeria have been asked to keep an eye on the situation and closely work with companies sending and using labourers to ensure safety for the Vietnamese workers.

Those agencies in Turkey, Egypt and Algeria have called for the three countries to create favourable conditions for the Vietnamese workers to transit.

By August 5, 209 Vietnamese workers had returned home and 182 others left the clash areas of Tripoli and Benghazi.

Empowering educators on climate change

Eighteen top educators from three of the nation’s leading universities are attending USAID’s LEAF Asia international training workshop on climate change ongoing in Petaling Jaya Malaysia from August 4-8.

Addressing the event, USAID LEAF Director David Ganz spoke admirably of the Vietnam Government’s decision to incorporate climate change issues into its primary, secondary and tertiary school curriculum.

Vietnam Forestry University’s Science, Technology and International Cooperation Department Head Bui The Doi, said by August 2014, 15 university educators have participated in training courses and seminars on climate change, equipping them with broader knowledge and raising their teaching and scientific research capacity in this field

This is the sixth of a series of workshops initially launched by USAID LEAF in October 2012 and it has attracted more than 100 preeminent educators from 14 universities and institutes throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

200 visually impaired children get free eye surgery

The Prudence Vietnam Foundation on August 5 donated VND600 million to the National Fund for Vietnamese Children (NFVC) to provide free eye surgeries for 200 needy and disabled children.

The programme entitled "For children's eyes 2014" will be launched at the Vietnam National Institute of Ophthalmology (VNIO), Hanoi Eye Hospital, and other local hospitals.

Along with eye surgery, Prudential Vietnam will also sponsor eye exams, teach 1,200 children from four northern provinces on how best to protect and prevent themselves from eye diseases. This is the third time the Prudence Vietnam Foundation has funded the significant programme.

During the 2012-2013 period, all surgeries were carried out successfully, helping children recover their eyesight and regain confidence in their life.

Since 2000, the Prudential Vietnam Foundation has cooperated with NFVC to carry out a wide range of activities to support poor children, earning community plaudits.

Vietnam Red Cross delegation visits Laos

A delegation from the Vietnam Red Cross Central Committee led by its Vice President Tran Thi Hong An was received by Lao Deputy Prime Minister Asang Laoly in Vientiane capital city on August 5.

The delegation’s August 4-8 visit aims to review the results of cooperation between the two Red Cross organisations, and share  humanitarian operations experience.

She hailed the effective coordination in improving personnel capacity, providing medical treatment and assisting disaster-affected people.

The two Red Cross organisations will continue to exchange delegations, intensify volunteer campaigns, share experience in fund raising and support each other at international forums.

The Lao Deputy PM greatly valued the bilateral partnership as well as the support the Vietnam Red Cross has provided to the Lao counterpart.

He expressed his hope that the two organisations will expand practical collaborative activities, thus making greater contributions to Laos-Vietnam special friendship and all-round cooperation.

Company places second in ASEAN Energy contest

Metro Hiep Phu Centre of Metro Cash & Carry Vietnam has placed second in an energy efficiency management competition organised by the ASEAN Centre for Energy.

The company received the award in the small and medium industry category for the Southeast Asian region.

Metro Hiep Phu Centre uses an advanced solar lighting system which amplifies light from the roof by light pipes using natural light.

By applying the technology, the centre saves more than VND300 million in electricity bills per annum and reduces nearly 220 tonnes of CO2 emissions into the environment.

It also applies a range of integrated solutions for its food preservation systems and air conditioning systems, creating a friendly and healthy shopping environment.

Vietnam, RoK cooperate to manage hazardous waste

Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK) on August 5 met to discuss the possibility of constructing a modernised waste facility in Vietnam utilising the hazardous waste electronic manifest system (“e-Manifest”).

Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Bui Cach Tuyen said, the project would aim to implement a hazardous waste control system and integrate online services for agencies, organizations, businesses and communities, helping improve  the effectiveness of management on environmental protection and sustainable development.

Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) Representative Chang Jae Jun confirmed that the two sides achieved successful cooperation results, adding that KOICA will assist Vietnam in other fields.

A seminar focusing on issues relating to safe labour migration and the role of the mass media in the field took place in the central province of Quang Binh on August 4.

Co-organised by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Vietnam Journalists’ Association (VJA), the event drew a crowd of journalists from domestic press agencies.

Addressing the seminar, VJA Vice Chairman Ha Minh Hue underlined the vital role of the mass media in providing information about and monitoring the implementation of state policies on migrant labourers.

Experts from ILO and other organisations shared their experiences and knowledge in the field at the event, including the trend and causes of labour migration, major issues related to migrant labourers and international labour standards for these workers.  

Data of the General Statistic Office (GSO) in 2013 show that almost all Vietnamese migrant labourers come from rural areas and are between 15-29 years old. The number of female migrant workers is on the rise.

The End Exploitation and Trafficking (MTV EXIT) organisation reported that about 1 million forced migrant labourers were reported in Asia.

Most Hoa Sen University board members removed

Shareholders of Hoa Sen University voted for removal of most board members at an extraordinary general meeting on Saturday, saying they had caused serious violations in operation and financial issues of the university.

The meeting was called by a group of shareholders who held a combined stake of over 30%. It was chaired by Nguyen Trung Duc, a board member of the university and representative of this group.

Duc at the meeting accused Bui Tran Phuong, rector of Hoa Sen University, of making many mistakes regarding training, lecturer team organization and tuition collections.

For instance, Phuong established Vinh An Travel Hotel and Restaurant Co. in 2012 and let the firm manage all education and training activities as well as tuition collections. Vinh An had always reported losses equaling to what was collected from Hoa Sen University students, Duc was quoted by Lao Dong newspaper as saying.

A shareholder identified as Binh said Phuong’s violations were unclear and the board should bring the case to court.

Meanwhile, shareholder Nguyen Thi Hoa said each and every shareholder wanted some profit from their investment in the university. Before the violations, shareholders sought to discuss the matter with the board but board members declined to cooperate.

Meanwhile other shareholders were also skeptical about the legality of the meeting.

Shareholder Nguyen Dang Hung said the meeting focused too much on financial issues and dividend payment for shareholders. “The non-profit goal of the university is very important. So, I want the extraordinary meeting to find ways to help Hoa Sen University become a pioneer in education reform in Vietnam.”

Tough penalties against environmental violations pay off

The number of environment rule violations in the first seven months of this year has fallen sharply owing to tough penalties against violators provided for in Decree 179/ 2013/ ND-CP.

The General Statistics Office showed 2,500 cases out of 3,900 detected violations were subject to fines with the total amount of up to VND470 billion. The number of violations thus has fallen by 400 cases against the same period last year.

The National Environment Police under the Ministry of Public Security said common violations related to waste treatment at industrial and export processing zones, craft villages, river basins and urban areas. Hazardous waste treatment and management regulations are also infringed.

According to the decree effective at the end of 2013, an environment rule violation will carry a maximum penalty of VND2 billion for organizations and VND1 billion for individuals instead of VND500 million as regulated in previous rules.

When the new decree was issued, many environmental experts said the new regulations would help stop enterprises discharging untreated water and toxic gas into the environment.

HCMC-Phnom Penh expy weighed

A project to build a 55-kilometer expressway of four to six lanes connecting HCMC and Cambodia’s Phnom Penh is under consideration as it would meet the rising demand for passenger and cargo transport between the two cities.

Tran Minh Phuong, deputy director of the Ministry of Transport’s Planning and Investment Department, was quoted as saying on the ministry’s website that the expressway would run from Belt Road No.3 on the city’s outskirts to Tay Ninh Province’s Moc Bai Border Gate and to Cambodian capital Phnom Penh.

Work on the project might start after 2020. However, the ministry said Vietnam is ready to work with Cambodia so that construction work could begin as soon as possible.

The two countries’ transport ministries should ask their governments for approval first, the Vietnamese ministry said. The two sides have also signed a memorandum of understanding on this project.

At the moment, National Highway 22 stretching 58 kilometers and having four lanes is the only road link between HCMC and Moc Bai, so traffic often gets congested at rush hour.

The HCMC-Moc Bai expressway project is considered one of the six highways to facilitate the southern socio-economic development in line with a master plan on the city’s transport development approved by the Government last year.

Transport Engineering and Design Inc. South (Tedi South) in May suggested the HCMC-Moc Bai expressway should have at least four lanes by 2020 to respond to growing passenger and cargo transport demand on this route.

Tedi South predicted the daily number of vehicles on the HCMC-Moc Bai expressway would reach its highest rate of 62,000 PCU (passenger car units) by 2040, not to mention the strong increase in cargo transport between the two cities.

Together with National Highway 22, Ho Chi Minh Road, and belt roads No.3 and No.4 in HCMC, the HCMC-Moc Bai expressway is expected to form a well-connected transport system for southwestern provinces.

Microchips used for smart locks

Viet Nam National University in HCM City's Integrated Circuit Research and Education Centre and the Sai Gon Hi-Tech Park announced late last week that they had begun to install two microchips for use in smart locks.

The chips were installed in the container tracking system. Ngo Duc Hoang, the director of the centre, said they would also be used in electricity meters and GSM modems.

SG8V1 has been used in more than 30 commercial products, including itinerary surveillance devices for vehicles and goods inspection.

ICDREC and SHTP's laboratories are working with HCM City-based Tan Cang Corp to apply advanced technologies in transport surveillance and management.

National population database to be set up

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has passed a project proposed by the Ministry of Public Security on building a national database system that is dedicated to population management.

According to the Government Office, the data will be constantly updated to serve the State management of the population and their civil status meeting requirements for national socio-economic development.

In another move, the Deputy PM assigned the Government Office to work with Ministries, sector and localities to set up a unified information portal system connecting state administrative agencies at all levels to make it easier for the guidance and management of the Government, ministries and sectors.

The Ministry of Defence, the Government Office and the Ministry of Information and Communications will work together on constructing technical infrastructure for the unified information portal system as well as a national database system in service of the Government’s operation.-

Quang Ngai ensures assistance to guest workers

Chairman of the National Assembly Committee for External Relations Tran Van Hang on August 5 held a working session with authorities of the central province of Quang Ngai on policies for their residents living and working abroad.

In recent years, Quang Ngai sent 1,400-1,500 people to work abroad on average a year. At present, 4,500 of the local residents are working in 12 countries and territories, mostly the Republic of Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, Laos and Cambodia.

Those workers in distress at work and those affected by political crisis in their host countries have been assisted by the provincial Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs in coordination with the Department for Overseas Labour Management, reported Vice Chairwoman of the provincial People’s Committee Dinh Thi Loan.

Loan also briefed the NA officials of the province’s socio-economic situation in January-June, including its collection of over 16 trillion VND (752 million USD) for the State budget, up 31 percent year-on-year.

Quang Ngai has four coastal cities and districts, and an island district. It has a fleet of 5,500 offshore fishing vessels, which is one of the largest operating in traditional fishing grounds in Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos.

Road aims to lessen Phu Ly pollution

The Ministry of Transport is working with the Ha Nam Province People's Committee to create a road detour around Phu Ly City, which has been heavily polluted by traffic from National Highway 1.

At a meeting on Monday, the investor, design consultancy unit and local leaders discussed ways to do this, as well as shorten the project duration and save capital.

The 23.3 km road would start from the Gie Bridge toll station in Duy Tien District and end at the National Highway 1 intersection in Thanh Liem District.

Vehicles driving along National Highway 1 would use this road instead of city roads in Duy Tien, Kim Bang and Thanh Liem districts.

Currently, the segment of National Highway 1 passing through Phu Ly City sees regular traffic congestion and accidents, especially in the T-junction between the National Highway 1, National Highway 21 and the railroad.

Dust, emissions and noise pollution from vehicles have also seriously affected people's health and the environment.

Building the road under the BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) model requires more than VND2 trillion (US$94.3 million).

Construction will kick off at the end of next month. The road is scheduled to open for traffic in 2017.

Mai Tien Dung, chairman of the provincial People's Committee, asked local authorities to finish site clearance by the end of this month.

Endangered rare turtle released into wild

A rare leatherback turtle, known scientifically as Dermochelys Coriacea Linnaeus, has been released into the sea in the central province of Quang Binh.

Truong Thanh, a fisherman in Dong Hoi city, found the 80 kilogramme turtle stuck in his net while fishing near the shore on Tuesday.

After learning that the turtle belonged to a rare species which is listed as critically endangered in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the fisherman released the giant reptile back into the sea.

Last year too, fishermen in Le Thuy district found a turtle of the same kind weighing over 300 kilogrammes and sent it back to the sea.

Vietnamese people in Czech donate to fund for fishermen

The association of Vietnamese people in Ostrava and North Moravia, the Czech Republic, on August 4 presented 4,800 USD in cash to the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour to aid fishermen working at sea.

The confederation has been running a fund-raising programme named “Nghia Tinh Hoang Sa-Truong Sa” to assist fishermen as well as the coast guard and fisheries surveillance forces who are safeguarding national sovereignty over sea and islands.

The programme also delivers assistance to relatives of soldiers who laid down their lives to safeguard the national sovereignty in battles in Hoang Sa (1974) and Truong Sa (1988).-

Vietnamese in Mozambique asked to keep watchful eye on Ebola

The Vietnamese Embassy in Mozambique has alerted the Vietnamese people living the south-eastern African country to Ebola, the deadly virus reaping panic across West Africa and likely spreading to other areas in the continent.

The death toll from the Ebola outbreak on August 4 reached 887, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Most of the cases were in four western African countries of Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.

Through online talks with the Vietnamese people residing in 10 provinces in Mozambique, Ambassador Nguyen Van Trung urged the community to keep themselves constantly updated with the latest developments of the outbreak and promptly take preventive measures.

Early this month, the Preventive Medicine Department of the Vietnam Ministry of Public Health has issued a warning of Ebola, advising people to ensure personal hygiene and avoid direct or close contact with infected patients and animals, particularly with their bodily fluids.

According to WHO, Ebola spreads in the community through human-to-human transmission, with infection resulting from direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and indirect contact with environments contaminated with such fluids.

As a severe acute viral illness, Ebola is often characterised by the sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding.

No licensed vaccine for Ebola is available. Several vaccines are being tested, but none are available for clinical use, according to WHO.