Vietnam strives to end AIDS by 2030

The Ministry of Health launched Vietnam ’s efforts to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030 in response to UNAIDS’s 90-90-90 goals at a ceremony in Hanoi on October 25.

At the event, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam stressed that Vietnam, as the first country in Asia-Pacific to respond to the UNAIDS’ call, will undertake maximum efforts to achieve the goals.

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) launched the goals this July, under which by 2020, 90 percent of all people living with HIV are to be aware of their HIV status, 90 percent of all people with diagnosed HIV infection are to receive sustained antiretroviral treatment, and 90 percent of all people receiving antiretroviral treatment will have viral suppression. Hence HIV/AIDS would be eliminated by 2030.

Meanwhile, UN Under-Secretary-General Michel Sidibe spoke highly of Vietnam ’s achievements in HIV/AIDS prevention, saying that this is why the organisation chose Vietnam as the first country in Asia-Pacific to implement its new plans to control HIV/AIDS epidemic.

For the past five years, Vietnam has seen a significant decline in the number of new HIV infections, from 30,000 in 2007 to 12,000 in 2013, while the numbers of AIDS patients and fatalities have also reduced by half.

According to the Ministry of Health, Vietnam currently has around 260,000 HIV-infected patients and just more than half of them know about their HIV positive status.

By June 2014, as many as 86,771 patients of all ages were under antiretroviral (ARV) treatment, accounting for 32 percent of the infected number, far from the UN’s goal.

VFF signs MoU on cooperation with Singaporean partner

The Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee (VFFCC) and the People’s Association of Singapore signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation for the 2014-2016 period in Hanoi on October 22.

The MoU was signed by VFFCC Vice President and General Secretary Vu Trong Kim and Chief Executive Officer of the Singaporean association Ang Hak Seng. The signing followed talks between VFFCC President Nguyen Thien Nhan and the Singaporean guest, during which the two sides updated each other on socio-economic development in their respective countries during the first nine months of 2014.

During their visit to Vietnam from October 21-27, the Singaporean delegation will also hold working sessions with the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) and the VFF chapters in Ho Chi Minh City and the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

Hanoi sets up advisory board for public opinion

An advisory board comprising 11 members was officially established in Hanoi last week with the aim of collecting and analysing public opinion.

The consultative body will conduct opinion polls to gain an in-depth understanding of Hanoi citizens’ thoughts on socio-economic and political affairs. Based on the feedback received from members of the public, the advisory board will present comments, advice and possible solutions to the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Hanoi.

At the inauguration ceremony, Vice President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Le Ba Trinh said Hanoi’s advisory board is the first of its kind and would be multiplied throughout the country if it proves successful.

Public security sector calls for international donors

By the end of 2013, the Ministry of Public Security (MoPS) had implemented 29 official development assistance (ODA) projects worth US$156.7 million funded by donors from France, Austria, Japan and the Republic of Korea (RoK).

The MoPS revealed the figure at a conference held in Hanoi on October 24 to encourage foreign investors to engage in the sector’s development projects.

ODA-funded projects and programmes have helped the public security sector modernise the firefighting and fire prevention, and search and rescue equipment, develop the medical system, civil registration management and ensure traffic safety.

The MoPS needs an estimated US$3.8 billion from now to 2020 to implement its development strategy and plans. It expects to mobilise around US$200 million worth of ODA fund to acquire advanced equipment, facilities and technologies.

Lieutenant General Bui Xuan Son, Deputy Head of the MoPS’s General Department of Logistics and Technology said in the coming period, the ministry will make a needs assessment before proposing a plan for foreign investment attraction in line with international law.

Riot-affected businesses get VND116 billion insurance

Insurance companies paid nearly VND116 billion (US$5.45 million) for businesses that were affected in incidents sparked by workers’ rallies protesting against China’s illegal actions in Vietnam’s waters on May 13-14.

Of the figure, over VND88 billion (US$4.13 million) was compensated for 51 enterprises, while over VND27 billion (US$1.26 million) was advanced to 23 others. About VND11 billion (US$517,000) will be paid for 34 enterprises after they accomplish required documents.

These figures were unveiled by Mai Van Nhon, deputy head of Dong Nai’s industrial zone management board during a working session between the provincial People’s Committee, insurance companies and the affected businesses on October 23.

At the August 20 meeting with the provincial People’s Committee to review the assistance to the affected enterprises, it was reported that among the 205 businesses hit by the disturbances, 114 have reported total property losses of nearly VND377 billion (US$17.7 million), while 82 declined any assistance.

As many as 451 suspects involved in the disturbances have been detained so far for their involvement in the riots. Authorised offices have taken legal proceedings against 164 suspects and 28 cases.

Vietnam Commit project helps improve civilization

The UNESCO Centre for Culture and Education in Ho Chi Minh City last week launched a Vietnam Commit project, aiming to raise public awareness and alter the behaviour of Vietnamese people to act more civilized.

Each phase of the project focuses on the ugly behaviour of the Vietnamese people such as looting, litter, crowds lined up.

And each stage is a propaganda campaign to increase awareness and call for change in creative ways, which combines online and offline activities.

The project sets a target of developing Vietnamese people to live better, said Nguyen Thi My Hanh, UNESCO Centre for Culture and Education Director.

Nanotechnology purification could help access clean water

A water filtration system that uses nanotechnology was introduced at a workshop in the Mekong Delta City of Can Tho last week.

Experts said the technology from the Republic of Korea (RoK) could be an effective solution to water pollution in the Mekong Delta.

Duong Quoc Xuan, deputy head of the Steering Committee for the Southwestern Region, said even though the Mekong Delta is traversed by more than 28,000km of rivers and canals, there is still a shortage of clean water.

Up to 75% of the region’s 18 million inhabitants live in rural areas, and most of them use water from rivers on a daily basis. Meanwhile, water resources are increasingly polluted due to agricultural and industrial production and urbanisation, which is causing an increase in the prevalence of infectious diseases in the community, he noted.

The official said a water filtration system that uses nanotechnology could be an appropriate solution to the problem.

Prof. Dr Hong Sik Byun, President of the Membranes Society of the RoK, gave a presentation on the water filtration system Vikowa, which is able to remove all impurities, heavy metals, arsenic and harmful organic chemicals.

The product is powered by latent energy and can therefore be used in areas that lack access to electricity, he said, adding that first tests on Hanoi’s lakes and underwater reservoirs met the requirements for the application of the purification technique.

Building climate change response capacity in four GMS cities

Vietnam is one of the top-five countries most affected by climate change, which will negatively impact production and the nation’s economy, particularly agricultural production.

The statement was made by Kenneth MacClune, Director of the Mekong-Building Resilience to Climate Change in Asian Cities (M-BRACE) programme, at a seminar to review the M-BRACE programme in Thua Thien-Hue province last week.

The programme is being implemented in four of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) cities: Hue and Lao Cai in Vietnam and Phuket and Udon Thani in Thailand.

MacClune said results and lessons drawn from the implementation of the project will help local authorities devise future orientations and proper plans to cope with climate change.

Phan Ngoc Tho, Vice Chairman of the Thua Thien-Hue province People’s Committee said Hue is one of four Asian cities that have been chosen to build climate change response capacity in GMS.

Hue City and Thua Thien-Hue province are often hit by severe natural disasters – like floods, droughts, flood tide, salt penetration, and landslides – greatly affecting local people’s living conditions and socio-economic development.

It is essential for the local authorities and people to identify the impact of natural disasters in relationship with climate change in order to devise proper measures to restrain its influence.

The experts from the programme have provided significant assistance for the city and the province in making climate change response plans, Tho said.

Based on obtained results, the province will continue to carry out the second phase of the programme to improve its capacity to deal with climate change, Tho affirmed.

US to provide information security training

The Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Institute of Technology (PTIT) and the US University of Arizona on October 24 signed a memorandum of understanding on Information Security Technology (IST) training and research.

According to the MoU, the two sides will hold international conferences on IST in Vietnam to share information and experience in information safety and security management. This will offer opportunity to expand cooperation among universities, business and managers in IST.

The University of Arizona will assist PTIT, which is one of 8 key HR training units for Vietnam’s science and technology sector, in building a learning management system (LMS).

Particularly, PTIT and Arizona will cooperate in conducting Master's programme in IST at PTIT and trainees will be granted Arizona certificate.

Youth Federation sixth congress opens in Hanoi

The sixth National Congress of the Hanoi Youth Federation (HYF) for the 2014-2019 term running from October 25-26 kicked off in Hanoi with a photo exhibition and blood donation drive.

The photo exhibition entitled “October youth” displays 200 photographs on the youth movement highlighting the voluntary spirit of the young people across the capital in socio-economic activities.

Hundreds of young people lined up to donate more than 300 units of blood at three locations at the Hanoi Cultural Friendship Palace and University of Culture and Hanoi College of Electronic and Electric-refrigerator Technics.

A youth creativity festival also opened. On display at 24 pavilions of universities, institutes and units of the HYF are special products such as machines, hand-made embroidery paintings, garment and textile, art and handicraft items.

Int’l seminar discusses building international skills partnership

Around 190 participants from 16 countries from all over world gathered at a “Bringing the Learning Home” international seminar in Hanoi on October 25-26 to discuss building international skills partnerships.

Bringing the Learning Home brings together major industry representatives, including Microsoft, Rolls-Royce Vietnam, Intel Vietnam, Ford South Africa, IDG Ventures Vietnam and Viglacera. Attending representatives from leading vocational training institutions from UK and the region such as People 1st, ProSkills UK, SEAMEO VOCTECH (The Southeast Asian Regional Centre for Vocational and Technical Education) present on their roles in improving the quality of vocational training.

In addition, national and international vocational training institutions and policy makers shared new ideas for skills development and share perspectives on global skills development.

Cherry Gough, Country Director of the British Council Vietnam, said the development of the skills needed for young people to succeed in a highly competitive employment market is a vitally important factor in ensuring national prosperity and security in the 21st century.  This seminar brings together employers, educators and experts in international education, from a diverse range of countries including Egypt, the Philippines, Brunei and South Africa.

They shared experiences of international partnerships in the UK and other countries, and have the opportunity to plan new, exciting international collaborations designed to improve the employment prospects of young people in vocational education and training in Vietnam, the UK and worldwide.

Duong Duc Lan, Head of Vocational Training General Division, said the world economy is now facing an imbalance in supply and demand of skilled labour force. In Vietnam, this challenge is even clearer when the proportion of young population and population of a working age keeps increasing but has limited skills and labour productivity.

Skills training and education, assessment and recognition are priority objectives in the national strategy for workforce, educational and vocational development towards 2020. In this context, the seminar brings opportunities for partners and stakeholders to meet and discusses effective and sustainable cooperation of vocational training and skills development, Lan said.

As part of Bringing the Learning Home, the General Department of Vocational Training, British Council in Vietnam and online newspaper VNExpress announced winners of the 21st Century Skills’ Photo Contest. The contest attracted 253 entries and approximately 10 million viewers with the message "Choose vocational training to develop the country and look towards the future".

VN nurses to benefit from year in Japan

The Department for Overseas Labour Management announced on Monday that it was recruiting 180 nurses and orderlies to work in Japan under the Viet Nam-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).

Selected candidates will take part in a one-year Japanese-language course starting mid-December this year.

All expenses for tuition and accommodation will be covered, while the cost of health checks and passport applications need to be borne by the successful candidates.

Department deputy head Tong Hai Nam said his agency was the only one permitted to partner with Japan in implementing the programme.

He warned prospective employees to be aware that no human resource enterprise or individual is authorised to carry out this programme, and advised them to do their research and only apply to the government-approved programme.

Those applying to work as orderlies need to hold a university degree, while candidates for nurses must have at least two years' professional experience and a certificate of practice issued by the Ministry of Health.

Successful candidates will be able to take examinations for national certificates in Japan, and if they pass, they can find long-term employment in the country.

For more information, prospective applicants can contact the department at No.41B, Ly Thai To Street, Hoan Kiem District, Ha Noi, or online at www.dolab.gov.vn.

Japan has one of the world's most rapidly aging populations. In ten years' time, the country will need up to 600,000 nurses and orderlies to take care of its elderly.

In 2012, 138 candidates were selected to participate in a similar programme to worked in Japanese hospitals and sanatoriums.

Viet Nam is the third country to co-operate with Japan in this field, after the Philippines and Indonesia.

Driver charged for traffic violations

Police in Ha Noi's Cau Giay District plan to prosecute a driver for violating road traffic regulations, causing serious consequences.

Phan Khanh Hoa, 42, was driving a truck at high speed when it collided with a car and three motorbikes last week. The accident killed a woman and injured two others.

Hoa gave himself up to the police immediately.

Under the Penal Code, those violating road traffic regulations and causing serious consequences face between six months and fifteen years in prison.

Ha Noi nurse suspended for serious negligence

Ha Noi-based Quoc Oai General Hospital yesterday suspended a nurse who failed to notify doctors about the condition of a 10-year-old girl who died on Tuesday while being treated there.

The patient died after being diagnosed with meningitis. Her family had suggested moving her to a higher-level hospital the previous day, but doctors did not consider doing so until she developed acute symptoms.

The hospital ordered all doctors and medical staff who treated the patient to write reports.

The nurse, Nguyen Phu Trung, admitted in his report that during his shift on Monday, the patient's relatives had suggested moving her to a higher-level hospital for better treatment. He should have reported their suggestion to the doctor on duty, but didn't. He told the patient's relatives that the case merely needed extra monitoring.

On Tuesday morning, the patient's relatives surrounded the hospital's board of directors' offices, insisting they clearly identify the cause of the patient's death.

The Ha Noi People's Committee assigned health department officials to quickly find out and report back.

The girl was admitted to hospital on Sunday with abdominal pain, according to the Health Department's report. Doctors diagnosed a digestive disorder, not ruling out appendicitis. They gave her fluids and antibiotics.

On Monday, she developed a fever and cough and the abdominal pain around her navel continued.

Around 4.15am on Tuesday, she appeared drowsy. Doctors provided first aid and then held a consultation, diagnosing meningitis. She was treated, but died about three hours later.

Vu Danh Tan, the hospital's deputy director, said that when doctors observed unusual symptoms, they began preparing to move her to a higher-level hospital. But the patient died before being moved.

Health department deputy director Luu Thi Lien said the department would send leading medical experts to help the hospital discover the cause of the girl's death.

Fertiliser manufacturers face increased scrutiny

Fertiliser manufacturers must meet 14 criteria in order to get permission to operate, said Nguyen Van Thanh, director of the Department of Chemicals under the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

After an explosion at Dang Huynh fertiliser company killed three people last Friday in HCM City's District 2, the initial investigation revealed that the chemical substances that the company used to produce fertiliser were also explosive precursors.

The lack of control over fertiliser manufacturing was alarming, Nguyen Kim Lien, deputy director of the department, told the Nong thon ngay nay (Countryside Today) newspaper.

Nguyen Loc An, deputy director of the Department of Domestic Market, said that there were not enough regulations governing fertiliser manufacture and trading.

The country has more than 500 fertiliser manufacturing enterprises and thousands of trading enterprises, both large and small. However, the lack of detailed regulations made it difficult for state agencies to manage them.

To address this problem, the Government issued Decree 202 about managing fertiliser. The Ministry of Industry and Trade also issued Circular 29, which provides guidance about implementing the decree.

Nguyen Van Thanh, director of the Department of Chemicals, said that the circular would provide a legal means to crack down on fake fertiliser manufacturing and trading. Fertiliser quality and manufacturing conditions should be inspected thoroughly, he added.

Some enterprises put substandard fertiliser in containers bearing the logos of prestigious firms, a trick that could cause losses of US$2 billion per year, said deputy chairman of the Fertiliser Association of Viet Nam Nguyen Hac Thuy.

The HCM City police plan to expand their investigation of the explosion on Friday after receiving the preliminary investigation report from the city firefighters.

The company reportedly stored 320kg of potassium nitrate, 25kg of potassium chlorate and some drums containing calcium, sulfur and magnesium solutions at the workshop before the explosion took place.

The city's Fire Prevention Department has blamed the poor management of chemical companies for four major fires that occurred in HCM City this year, leaving seven people dead and six injured.

The most recent fire, in which three people died, occurred in the city's District 12 at the Dang Huynh Production and Trade Limited Company, which trades in chemicals.

Le Hoang Quan, chairman of HCM City's People's Committee, has asked city departments to compile a list of enterprises that produce and trade chemicals. In the future, these companies will be moved out of residential areas.

Tran Thanh Chau, deputy director of the department, said that 140 chemical companies were located in residential areas. Of that number, 51 stores are in the Kim Bien chemical market in District 5.

Some of the companies in Kim Bien market sell chemicals used in dynamite, which are on the list of prohibited chemicals in the country.

Phan Anh Minh, deputy director of HCM City Public Security, said the management of the chemical trade had been poor.

Statistics released from HCM City Public Security said over the past two years the city police had inspected 74 enterprises, and of that number, 53 were fined for committing violations.

Total losses of the four fires were estimated at VND34 billion (US$1.6 million).

Urbanisation turns villages into ‘slums'

Many wards and villages in suburban and developing urban areas required renovation, Deputy Minister of Construction Phan Thi My Linh said at a conference in Ha Noi yesterday.

Ha Noi and HCM City are expected to have more than 10 million residents by 2025, according to the World Bank. However, millions of city residents had to live in "slum areas" created by rapid urbanisation with little long-term planning, Viet Nam Federation of Civil Engineering Association (VFCEA) President Tran Ngoc Hung told participants.

About 50 officials, architects and international urban planning experts discussed this problem at the conference, which was organised by VFCEA.

Originally villages, these areas became part of the city map as wards and districts as a result of urbanisation. However, little thought was given to infrastructure.

"People have to live in a maze of small lanes and alleys built house by house that block all the sunshine. Flooding happens frequently and fire trucks or ambulances cannot approach the place because the roads can only fit two motorbikes," Hung said.

In Ha Noi, several old villages exist like Cuu Lau and Tu Thap in Hoan Kiem District, Ngoc Ha in Ba Dinh District, Xuan Dinh in Bac Tu Liem District and Vong in Cau Giay District. Some were merged into the urban area even before the French colonial period while others did not join the city until the past decade.

In addition to enduring harsh living conditions, residents in the newly urbanised villages were forced to give up most of their farming land so the city could build modern urban areas and industrial parks.

After urbanisation, many farmers could not earn enough from their remaining land and were already too old to work in the factories, said Michael DiGregorio, the Asia Foundation's country representative in Viet Nam.

"That left them with no choice but to sell the rest of the land for some money and hope that their children could take care of them later," he said. "The farmers were scared thinking of their future."

VFCEA Vice President Pham Sy Liem said the main reason for the existence of slum areas in cities was the Government's bias in urban planning.

"We only focus on developing new and modern areas while leaving the village-born urban areas on their own and wait for a chance to demolish and renovate the whole area once and for all," he said. "Yet that chance never comes and the residents have to continue living in inconvenience."

The People's Committee of this central province and the Ministry of Transport yesterday opened a railway flyover bridge in Vinh City's Nghi Kim District.

The VND373-billion (US$17.7-million) bridge, which was partly funded with State bonds, is expected to help reduce congestion and traffic accidents on National Highway 1A and the North-South rail route.

The bridge is 324m long and 20.5m wide and has four lanes for motorised vehicles and two lanes for non-motorised vehicles.

At the opening ceremony, Transport Minister Dinh La Thang said the construction of the bridge played an important role in the development of the province and the entire country.

The opening of the bridge will shorten travelling time for vehicles running on National Highway 1A, he added.

Meanwhile, Thang has released guidelines detailing punishments for organisations and individuals who failed to ensure the quality of construction to upgrade or expand National Highway 1 in central Quang Binh Province.

The move came following the discovery of faulty construction on highway upgrading and expansion projects in Quang Binh Province's Bo Trach and Quang Ninh districts.

The Son Hai Construction Company Ltd., the project contractor, and the Viet Nam Institute for Building Science and Technology, the supervisor, were found to have paved asphalt on the roadbed in rainy conditions, and this reportedly failed to meet quality requirements as the faulty construction may affect project quality.

The Ministry of Transport has asked the contractor and supervisor to take the layer out and pave the road again following the correct process.

The provincial transport department, the project investor, was asked to inspect the construction and impose appropriate punishments on concerned organisations and individuals. All reports on the case are to be submitted to the ministry before October 31.

The project contractor and supervisor may have to pay from VND30 million to VND60 million ($1,400 to $2,800) in fines.

Seminar promotes int'l skills exchange

The British Council held its annual international seminar on building international skills partnerships last week in Ha Noi.

This was the first time that Viet Nam hosted the Bringing the Learning Home seminar. It included 190 participants from 16 countries.

The International Skills Partnership Seminar was held alongside the 10th ASEAN Skills Competition in Ha Noi, with participation of 300 contestants from ASEAN countries.

International partnerships fill the gaps between industry demands and current skills provision, and can help developing countries speed up procedures to reform curricula, programmes and skills development, a British Council press release said.

At the opening ceremony, Cherry Gough, country director of the British Council Viet Nam, said: "This seminar brings together employers, educators and experts in international education, from a diverse range of countries including Egypt, the Philippines, Brunei and South Africa. They will have the opportunity to plan new, exciting international collaborations designed to improve the employment prospects of young people in vocational education and training in Viet Nam, the UK and worldwide."

Dr Duong Duc Lan, head of the Vocational Training General Division at the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, said: "The world economy is now facing an imbalance in supply and demand of skilled labour force. In Viet Nam, this challenge is even clearer as the proportion of the young population and population of a working age continues to increase but has limited skills and labour productivity.

"Skills training and education, assessment and recognition are priority objectives in the national strategy for workforce, educational and vocational development towards 2020."

Bringing the Learning Home represented the biggest-ever International Skills Partnership global call.

The fund will open up opportunities with 14 new partners in China, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Libya, Myanmar, Pakistan, South Africa, Tunisia, Viet Nam and Yemen.

Fishing boats ignore safe anchorage site in Ben Tre

During storms, only a few dozen fishing boats shelter in a safe-anchorage site designed for 1,000 in southern Ben Tre Province's Binh Thang Commune.

The commune has a total of nearly 600 deep-sea fishing vessels.

The safe anchorage site was opened in 2012 at a cost of VND47 billion (US$2.2 million).

Do Van Thuan, owner of two deep-sea fishing vessels, said once when fishing boats tried to enter the canal leading to the site, they were prevented by fishing nets spread across it.

In addition, he said two roads leading to the site were small, narrow and dirt covered, making it inconvenient to access.

He said another problem was that fishermen preferred to anchor their boats near their homes so they could more easily maintain their fishing equipment.

Then there was the problem of alluvium sedimentation at the river mouth, according to Nguyen Minh Tri, vice chairman of the communal People's Committee.

Statistics showed that the propellers of six fishing vessels were broken when trying to cross the sediment last year, he said.

It cost about VND200 million ($9,400) to repair each vessel.

Tri said that the committee had asked the provincial authority to find ways to resolve the situation, but nothing had changed.

A representative from the provincial Agricultural and Rural Development Department said that it would cost VND10 billion to build the roads and that the department would consider this in the future.

Wildlife released in Binh Dinh Province

Forest management officers from Tuy Phuoc District in the central province of Binh Dinh have released endangered animals they rescued from traffickers last week.

Forest rangers rescued the animals from a local in the district.

The animals included a Javan mouse-deer, king cobras, an Indian rat snake and a small Indian civet, and are all listed as endangered or critically endangered species in Viet Nam. They also found weasels, bamboo rats, hedgehogs and grass-snakes.

Illegal gold miners given marching orders in Kon Tum

Illegal gold mining activities in Kon Tum Province's Kon Plong District have been halted with all illegal gold miners being expelled, an official said on Saturday.

Dang Thanh Nam, Deputy Chairman of the district's People's Committee, also informed the press that a team headed by the Hieu Commune Deputy Chairman has been set up to prevent future gold mining in the area.

The team will also raise public awareness among residents about the inadvisability of selling agricultural land to illegal miners, Nam said.

The actions follow reports in the media last month about illegal gold mining activities happening for a long time right under the authorities' noses in the two towns of Kon Plinh and Kon Pieng in Hieu Commune.

The reports highlighted the failure of authorities in curbing the illegal gold mining that was severely damaging the local environment.

According to the Kon Plong District administration, illegal mining has created large holes in a 12.4ha area. The biggest holes have diameters of around 70sq.m and are three to five metres deep.

Dam Van Ngan, one of the illegal gold miners in the area, has admitted that he hired three diggers in June and brought them to the commune.

He hired machines from different sources and paid around VND125 million (US$6,000) per month to rent them.

Media reports have said the mining activities had caused soil erosion and also rendered areas "beyond recovery."

The illegal miners had also tricked local residents into selling their farming land to them for a meagre sums of VND5-10 million (US$240-480).

Vietnamese in Belgium enjoy Family Day

Overseas Vietnamese families living in Belgium gathered in Brussels on October 25 for a festival designed to strengthen the bonds among the Vietnamese community.

Addressing the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg Pham Sanh Chau, who is also Head of the Vietnam Mission to the European Union, praised the festival idea initiated by the General Association of Overseas Vietnamese in Belgium.

According to Huynh Cong My, Chairman of the General Association of Overseas Vietnamese in Belgium, the fest is aimed at fostering the spiritual life of the community and reminding them about traditional culture of their home country.

The event entailed various cultural activities including cooking contest, singing and dancing competitions as well as a fun game to win a return flight ticket to Vietnam as its highest prize.

The festival was jointly hosted by the Vietnamese Embassy and the General Association of Overseas Vietnamese in Belgium.

Khmer ethnic group in Can Tho enjoys better life

The Khmer community in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho is having a better life, with higher income and convenient access to medical support.

Compared to 2013, the annual income per capita is up 1.4 times to 70.5 million VND (3,300 USD) and the rate of poor households falls to 11.7 percent from 14.5 percent, according to Luong Van Tru, head of the city’s Ethnic Affairs Committee.

All Khmer children of elementary school age go to school while the rate of enrolment in secondary and high school is 95 percent and 64 percent, respectively.

The official also reported that 95 percent of Khmer households have access to electricity and 98 percent use safe water.

Since 2013, Can Tho has dished out 55 billion VND in aid and 121 billion VND worth of preferential lending to Khmer people to expand agriculture.

Over 6,000 farmers have received training in cultivation and breeding techniques.

The city also helped over 200 Khmer residents move into new houses and offered vocational training to more than 1,000 workers.

As many as 4,244 copies of Khmer-language newspapers are distributed free each month.

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