Vietnam set to update its railway system

Transport officials and experts agree that Vietnam must build new north-south express railways, while upgrading the old ones, in order to meet  market demands.

At the conference about north-south railway development, director of Transport Investment and Construction Consultant Company, Do Van Hat, forecast that by 2020, the demand for rail freight will be 22,000 tons per day and the demand by 2040 and 2050 will be 80,000 tons and 105,000 tons per day respectively.

He further said that rail passenger demand in 2020 will also increase to 27,000 passengers per day. The demand by 2040 and 2050 will be 79,000 and 100,000 passengers per day respectively.

According to the head of the Vietnam Railway Authority, the competitiveness of the railway industry is poor because it has low productivity while the cost is as high as air freight. In addition, most of the infrastructure, including overpasses and underground railroads, have deteriorated. Not only are the stations located at wrong positions, but many sections of railroad run through residential areas.

All these shortcomings plus outdated light signals, have slowed down the speed and productivity of the trains.

"Overpasses and underground railroads will be upgraded. We will add more stations and improve the operating centre. At the same time, we'll buy 67 new engines and 1.000 new cars." Hat said.

Nguyen Dat Tuong, head of Vietnam Railways Corporation, said the speed must be around 80-90 km per hour so we can run at least 50 trips per day instead of the current 36 . Tuong hopes to build a new railroad that, in the future, can reach an average speed of up to 175-320 km per hour.

Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Ngoc Dong agreed with the proposal to build new railroads while upgrading the old ones. Dong also said that they must carry out detailed research about priorities and measures before starting the project. For example, he said the sections from Hanoi to Vinh and from HCM City to Nha Trang should be attacked first.

Project to teach natural sciences in English ineffective

Ho Chi Minh City had implemented a pilot project to teach natural sciences in the English language at high schools, to enhance English speaking skills, which now has proved ineffective.

The program was run by the Ministry of Education and Training, under which more than 1,600 students were taught mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and computers in the English language.

Junior high school students seemed eager to take part in the program because they are not under pressure of learning, headmasters explained.

Moreover, junior gifted students have motivation to study Maths in English to join the annual Asia Pacific Mathematical Olympiad.

On the other hand, senior high school students are under pressure of a stiff curriculum. The number of tenth graders registering for the program was quite high initially but soon the weight of a heavy curriculum took its toll.

For instance, in Luong The Vinh Senior High School, 40 tenth graders pursued the program at first but only 30 of them registered.

Similarly, more than 30 tenth graders of Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Senior High School participated in the program but just 13 continued in the program.

Meanwhile in Tran Dai Nghia Senior High School, 20 students learned Maths in English and eight joined the Physics class.

One headmaster believes that the program is not attractive enough and most students are not interested in the program. Moreover, 11th and 12th graders concentrate on studying the all-important university entrance examination.

In addition, some schools complained of a lack of qualified teachers and standard textbooks.

The Department of Education and Training in HCMC did not provide standard books, and schools themselves contacted foreign partners for proper books and textbooks.

This resulted in each school having their own content and teaching style.

HCMC, Bangkok to set up ‘sister cities’ relationship

HCMC and Thailand’s Bangkok City will set up the ‘sister cities’ relationship to consolidate cooperation in many areas, especially in the tourism and trade sectors, heard a meeting between two leaders of the cities on Wednesday.

HCMC Chairman Le Hoang Quan had a meeting with Bangkok City’s Mayor Sukhumbhand Paribatra at the City Hall on Wednesday. Quan said HCMC had set up such a relationship with several cities worldwide, including South Korea’s Busan, Phnom Penh, San Francisco, Yokohama and Hyogo of Japan, Vientiane and Champasak of Laos, Moscow and Lyon to name but a few.

At the meeting, the Bangkok leader instantly agreed with Chairman Quan about his proposal on forging this special bond.

The Thai Mayor expressed his appreciation for the fact that HCMC had supported Bangkok to host the third conference of mayors of tourism cities in the Low Mekong River region next year. He and his delegation are in HCMC to attend this year’s conference which opened at the Intercontinental Hotel in downtown HCMC on Wednesday.

Salvage of sunken Malaysian ship urged to accelerate

Star Formula Marine Services Pte Ltd of Singapore and the Saigon Shipbuilding and Marine Industry Co., Ltd have been asked to hasten the salvage of the ship Onneskas One and bring it out of the central province of Thua Thien-Hue’s waters.

Chief of the provincial People’s Committee Secretariat Hoang Ngoc Khanh said on September 12 that the acceleration is needed to ensure maritime safety and prevent accidents during this year’s rainy season.

Malaysian oil tanker was found drifting 300 metres off the coast of Quang Cong commune of the province on December 23, 2012. It was being towed to China for repair.

Four Vietnamese workers died salvaging the ship on June 18 after inhaling toxic gas in the hold of the vessel.-

Preparations for 60th anniversary of Dien Bien Phu victory underway

Vietnam will celebrate its 60 th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory on May 7, 2014 with a magnificent programme of special activities.

Vietnamese Government signed a decision on September 9 on planning activities to mark this glorious victory.

The anniversary, to be steered by a national organizing committee, will celebrate the significance and great historical value of the victory, the clear-sighted and wise leadership of the Party and President Ho Chi Minh, the great national solidarity and the strength of the Vietnam People’s Army.

The anniversary, to be held on May 7 , 2014 in Dien Bien, will include an incense offering ceremony at A1 Martyr’s cemetery in Dien Bien city’s Muong Thanh precinct, meetings and parade.

In addition, a seminar on the Dien Bien Phu victory and a special art performance to mark the 60 th anniversary will be held on this occasion. A five-episode documentary film about the victory will be shown and a special book on the battle will be published.

Meanwhile, people are being encouraged to donate objects and documents relating to the fighting at Dien Bien Phu to the province’s Victory Museum .

On December 6, 1953, in Dinh Hoa district, President Ho Chi Minh chaired a Politburo meeting approving the strategic plan to attack French colonialists during the Winter-Spring of 1954.

The attack ended with the historic Dien Bien Phu victory in May 1954, which sent shockwaves reverberating around the world and helped end the nation’s nine-year war of resistance against the French colonialists.

The name of General Vo Nguyen Giap, who was the Commander-in-Chief of the fateful campaign, is also forever attached to the historic victory.-

HCM City marks Mid-Autumn Festival with fun-filled activities

Long Viet Media Development Trading Service Joint Stock Company, the HCMC Union of Business Association, and Anco Food will offer more than 1,800 gifts to children in Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Tien Giang, Vinh Long, and Dong Thap Provinces from September 17 to 19. Earlier, they held a program titled ‘Mid-Autumn for Children’ at Ben Thanh Theater on September 8.

Meanwhile, ‘Vietnamese Sweet Homes- Mid-Autumn Festival Night’ will take place at Military Zone 7 Stadium on September 19.

The show will include a series of exciting activities, such as folk and sports games, lantern design contest, music performance and more.

The event is being co-organized by the HCMC Police Newspaper, Let’s Viet TV, Hoa Sen Group and Ho Chi Minh City Association for the Support of the Handicapped and Orphans.

Additionally,Quang Anh and Phuong My Chi, winners of the “The Voice Kids” 2013 will give a performance marking the Mid-Autumn Fesival at Hanoi Opera House on September 18.

Another art performance at Vietnam-Soviet Union Culture Friendship Palace in Hanoi is expected to attract a large number of children on September 15 and 19.

The coming up Mid Autumn Festival will be also celebrated at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi on September 14-15 with a feisty and colorful event called “Enjoying Mid Autumn Festival and exploring South East Asia”.

The event will present to children the various customs of countries in the region. Visitors will take chances to enjoy traditional games as well as to take part in various actvities.

Headmaster’s violations cause parents to pull their kids out of school

A number of parents in a village in the northern province of Bac Ninh have temporarily stopped sending their children to a local pre-school to oppose various violations of the headmaster.

Although the new school year started one week ago, only 75 out of the total 235 showed up for class at Tuong Giang 2 Nursery School in Hoi Quan Village, Tuong Giang Commune.

Parents have accused the headmaster, Nguyen Thi Hoan, of misappropriating state budget funds given for school infrastructure repair.

Phan Thi Huyen, whose child is studying at the school said, “Many residents were hired for the repair work. We can easily see how these expenditures are spent. They are much lower than what was announced by the headmaster."

According to a number of people in Hoi Quan Village, during the first half of the 2011-2012 school year, Hoan showed signs of corruption, embezzling nearly VND200 million (USD9,600).

According to Nguyen Thi Van Ha, Vice Chairwoman of Tu Son Town People’s Committee, following a number of accusations from parents and teachers, there was a task force set up to look into the dealings of Mrs. Hoan.

The local Department of Education and Training as well as the the locality called on parents to bring their children back to school while the investigation is in progress.

The headmaster has been suspended from September 10, pending further investigation.

According to the official, Mrs. Hoan’s alleged violations may have been due to her limited capacity for financial management. She has been in the position for two years.

Out of anger, many locals actually called for Mrs. Hoan to be expelled from the locality.

According to the reporters, many parents still refuse to allow their children to attend the school because they do not believe the conclusion of inspecting agency.

Central province closes mining sites

The Central Highlands province of Lam Dong will close 22 mineral exploitation sites.

The sites' licences have expired and the owners did not improve the sites' environment as requested.

This year, the province closed more than 70 mineral exploitation sites, most of which produced construction materials such as sand, stone and clay.

Rotten animal organs seized in Ninh Binh

Police in the northern province of Ninh Binh seized 420 kilos of rotten animal organs on Wednesday.

They were found on a lorry travelling on Dong Ho Street in Ninh Binh City's Bich Dao Ward.

The lorry owner, Trinh Xuan Anh, who lives on Thanh Son Street in the same ward, failed to submit legal proof of the organs' origin or their quarantine certificate to the police. Local authorities destroyed all the organs in accordance with the law.

Sai Gon 2 Bridge to open in November

The final span of the Sai Gon 2 Bridge in HCM City was connected yesterday and it is expected to open to traffic by early November.

The bridge will help reduce the severe overload on the existing Sai Gon Bridge next to it connecting Districts 2 and Binh Thanh.

It is 987 meters long and 23.5 meters wide and will have six lanes.

Construction under the build-transfer format began in April 2012 at an estimated cost of nearly VND1.5 trillion (US$71.4 million).

Employer of illegal VN workers apprehended

Moscow Police have arrested the owner of a company illegally employing more than 2,000 Vietnamese and Chinese workers, ITAR-TAS news agency quoted sources from the force as saying.

Police also seized a number of financial documents, more than 200 seals of different companies and fake stamps of state agencies, as well as more than 300 invitation letters and work permits for foreigners plus a large number of passports.

They said the suspect registered more than 2,000 Vietnamese and Chinese workers for temporary residence in Moscow.

Police have started legal procedures against the suspect on the charge of organising illegal immigration to Russia.

Hau Giang patients test negative for A/H1N1

A couple suspected to have the A/H1N1 virus tested negative, doctor Tran Trong Tri from Hau Giang General Hospital in the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang said yesterday.

36-year-old Nguyen Thanh Tuan and his wife, 34-year-old Nguyen Thi Ut, residents of the provincial Phung Hiep District's Thanh Hoa Commune, were taken to the hospital with a low temperature, coughing and breathing difficulties after eating poultry on Tuesday.

The couple was reported to be recovering and may be discharged tomorrow.

Da Nang pilots digital television broadcast

The central city has broadcast experimental, high-definition, digital television (DTV) as a crucial preparation for official telecasts by 2015.

The vice director of the city's information and communication department, Nguyen Hoang Cam, said Da Nang was the first location in Viet Nam to launch digital television. The experimental stage will last until June, 2015, when the city stops using analogue technology.

"It's a new step in television technology. Digital television can provide multiple channels with high definition quality," Cam said.

"However, digital television requires a setter-box to convert the digital signal. We will provide less cashed-up local people with subsidised products," he said.

Van Cong Tuong, deputy director of Viet Nam Television Da Nang, said a digital transmitter had been set up at Son Tra station 639m above the sea level.

"The digital signal can cover 100km. Of course, we will install more digital transmitters in Quang Nam, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen and the Central Highlands region," Tuong said.

"VTV will broadcast free and supply subsidised setter boxes. However, many TV sets on the market now have the device installed during manufacture," he said.

As much as 50 per cent of people in Da Nang and neighbouring Quang Nam Province will be affected by the change to digital technology.

Dinh Quang Hung, former deputy general director of VTV said digital television would only provide services in rural and remote areas, where cable and satellite television service were not available.

"Cable and satellite services are used mainly in cities, while people in rural and remote areas still use analogue technology," Hung said.

The director of Viet Nam Authority of Radio Frequency Management, Doan Quang Hoan, said the use of television digitech would boost competition among television stations.

"Many TV stations have to improve their programmes and service to lure more subscribers," he said.

"As scheduled, Da Nang will stop broadcasting with analogue technology in 2015, while Quang Nam will start the digital television plan in 2018," he said, adding that VTV would set up an analogue transmitter in Quang Nam province for one year before the province starts experimental digital television.

In Da Nang City, VTV Da Nang, An Vien Group Television (AVG) and Vietnam Multimedia Corporation (VTC) are allowed to broadcast using digital television.

Viet Nam will have access to digital television by 2020 under a programme recently approved by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

Under the digital-television transition project, all households will have access to digital TV under different forms by 2020. Terrestrial digital television will account for 45 per cent.

Help needed for busy mediators

Most peacemakers responsible for handling labour disputes in HCM City are working under heavy workloads with, on average, one peacemaker for every 1,000 enterprises – or over 45,500 workers.

The rates were revealed by the Wage Department under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs. Its statistics show that there are currently 108 peacemakers working in 24 districts in HCM City.

However, the distribution of peacemakers among districts is uneven. Sixty per cent of the districts employ 4-7 peacemakers each, while 25 per cent employ 2-3 peacemakers.

The Wage Department also noted that the distribution was not based on the real statistics of labour disputes.

For example, Binh Tan and Hoc Mon districts have only 3-4 peacemakers each, while on average they have 120-150 labour disputes per year on average.

On the other hand, Cu Chi employs 23 peacemakers to handle only about 34 labour disputes per year on average.

Nguyen Minh Hien, deputy head of the Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs for Tan Binh District complained that the district has only two peacemakers to handle as many as 200 cases of labour dispute, according to the Lao dong (Labour) newspaper.

She noted, however, that finding peacemakers who are skilled, experienced and well aware of legal regulations was very difficult.

Le Xuan Thanh, Deputy Head of the Wage Department, said labour disputes did not occur with predictable frequency, but rather, they concentrated in certain areas at certain time of the year.

The Wage Department, therefore, proposed the co-ordination of peacemakers between districts to better handle labour disputes and avoid a waste of human resources.

It noted that the city would need to foster better co-operation among districts in handling labour disputes and between peacemakers and the city authorities in charge.

According to the Wage Department, the total number of labour disputes handled by the city's peacemakers since 2008 has reached nearly 6,300 so far.

The peacemakers have since successfully solved 70 per cent of labour disputes for individuals and 93 per cent of labour disputes for groups.

Labour disputes often occur when employers fail to offer adequate benefits to employees, or they are owed salaries and allowances from employees.

Singapore architecture contest awards Vietnamese students

Vietnamese students have earned first and consolation prizes at the 2013 International Tropical Architecture Design Competition in Singapore.

Students Hoang Van Anh (University of Melbourne, Australia), Pham Huu Loc (National University of Singapore) and Ng Pui Shan (Hong Kong—China) won first prize for their “mushroom-shaped community school”.

The design, combining beauty, utility, and environmental consciousness, was created for a project in the mountainous Lao Cai province’s Sapa district.

Trinh Phuong Quan, currently studying at the Ho Chi Minh City Architecture University, won a commendation for his “green school in flooded area” design. His work was drafted for a new building at RMIT University’s Biology and Environment Faculty in HCM City’s District 7.

Three other prize-winning designs also incorporated input from Vietnamese students.

This year’s competition was themed “Live, Study, Play—Our Green Campus”. Designs needed to be of an educational facility or building tailored to tropical climate.

Involving communities in mangrove forest management

Vietnam must accept climate change as the biggest challenge facing the country and mankind as a whole.

Ho Thi Yen Thu, a representative of the network of Vietnamese non-governmental organisation and climate change, released the warning at a September 12 seminar on mangrove forest management.

Thu emphasised coping with climate change will require united efforts from both the State and local communities.

Vietnam’s more than 3,260km of coastline renders it especially vulnerable to climate change. Mangrove forests play an important role in the ability of coastal areas to manage climate change’s impact, serving as the nursery for a variety of marine life, a source for fuel, material, and a lucrative tourist attraction.

However, Vietnam’s mangrove forest acreage has been downsized to around 155,000 hectares, 60% less than 70 years ago.

Environmental NGOs have actively and successfully campaigned for mangrove forest management models in localities including Giao Thuy in Nam Dinh, Cat Ba in Haiphong, Can Gio in Ho Chi Minh City, and Hau Loc in Thanh Hoa.

The Hanoi seminar’s participants discussed mangrove forest protection and management policies and the achievements of models already applied.

They recounted their experiences of raising the level of community involvement in mangrove forest management at grassroots levels.

Vietnam learns Japan’s experience in natural disaster combat

Japanese experts shared experiences with Ho Chi Minh City in how to cope with natural disasters, laying emphasis on infrastructure development and urban planning as the best solutions to mitigate impact on urban areas.

At a seminar held by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Ho Chi Minh City on September 11, the experts also suggested building observatories using wireless communications and solar energy to ensure their stable operation in emergencies.

Regarding urban planning, they proposed turning HCM City into a nuclear urban area based on its geographic location in the centre of the southern key economic region, the southern east-west corridor and the Mekong region.

The network of ring roads and centripetal roads in the city should be expanded, along with routes linking the city with the Mekong Delta and the south-central regions as well as with Cambodia. At the same time, HCM City should pay attention to building urban railways for the development of its suburbs, the Japanese experts said.

Along this direction, Japan has partnered with the city to carry out several important projects such as the HCM City-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway, the East-West Highway, urban railway routes and a terminal at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport.

At the seminar, Vietnamese experts analysed the scenario for the Mekong Delta region in the face of climate change and rising sea level.

Tran Anh Tuan from the Ministry of Construction said that there are about 55 cities and towns located in flood-prone areas in the Mekong Delta, where over 50% of its acreage and population are living with floods for between 3-6 months each year. He said the ministry will study Japan’s experiences in natural disaster control with a view to applying them to this region.

Illegal Vietnamese worker employer arrested in Moscow

Police in Moscow have arrested the owner of a company illegally employing more than 2,000 Vietnamese and Chinese workers, ITAR-TAS news agency quoted sources from the force as saying.

However, the nationality of the employer, caught in Krylatskye Khomy Street on September 11, has yet been identified.

Police also seized a number of financial documents, more than 200 seals of different companies and fake stamps of state agencies, as well as more than 300 invitation letters and work permits for foreigners plus a large number of passports.

They said the suspect has made registration for more than 2,000 Vietnamese and Chinese workers with temporary residence in Moscow downtown.

Police have started legal procedures against the suspect on the charge of organising illegal immigration to Russia.

Millions of rural workers offered vocational training

About 2.45 million workers in rural areas will be provided with vocational training courses under a national target programme on employment and vocational training in the 2013-2015 period.

Of the trainees, about 115,300 disadvantaged people are either poor or disabled, social policy beneficiaries and those belonging to ethnic minority groups.

Duong Duc Lan, Deputy Head of the Vocational Training Department under the Ministry of Lanour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA), says that priority will be given to improving vocational training and generating jobs for rural workers. By 2015, about 70% of local trainees will be employed, and about 1.8 million rural workers are expected to pass vocational exams of national standards, he adds.

The VND6,959-billion programme will focus on building vocational training models in districts, compiling textbooks and documents, improving teaching tools and facilities, and raising the capacity of vocational trainers and managers.

MoLISA Deputy Minister Nguyen Thanh Hoa, who is also Head of the national target programme, emphasizes the need to boost information dissemination and consultancy among rural workers. It is essential to build district-level vocational training centres and merge small-scale vocational training units into bigger ones to operate more efficiently, he suggests.

Le Quang Trung, Deputy Head of the MoLISA’s Employment Department, says he is optimistic about the effective implementation of the programme as around 10,000 students have already graduated from vocational training colleges and nearly 8,000 trainers at current vocational training centres have met requirements for professional skill standards.

By July 2013, there were as many as 1,375 vocational training units operating with more than 11,000 official and over 8,000 unofficial trainers. More than 11,200 lecturers are also invited from universities and colleges to train at these units.

Over the past two years, over 10,000 rural workers have been trained. Most local officers and managers in charge of labour, invalids and social affairs have also been trained.

The State budget will allocate VND5,779 billion for the 2013-2015 national target programme on employment and vocational training, while the remaining amount of VND1,180 billion will be mobilized from local budgets, international aid, and other social capital sources.

VN hopes to engage coastal communities in climate fight

Efforts to protect coastal regions for people and the environment are crucial in building the resilience of communities, international experts said at the 10th Regional Steering Committee of the Mangroves for the Future (MFF) held in the central coastal city of Hoi An on Wednesday.

"Viet Nam acknowledges MFF's emphasis on regional sharing of lessons and the collective efforts needed to tackle coastal issues," said Pham Ngoc Son, deputy administrator of the Viet Nam Administration of Seas and Islands (VASI) in his opening speech on behalf of the Vice Minister of Viet Nam's Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

"We are committed in our efforts and look forward to increased participation in MFF's activities to ensure that coastal communities in Viet Nam are resilient to climate related impacts," he added.

This is the first time Viet Nam has hosted the meeting since becoming a MFF member country in 2010. More than 100 representatives from nine member countries attended the meeting.

MFF is a regional initiative working to address climate change and developmental effects on Asia's coasts as well as coastal dwellers.

"We need to come to grips with the implications of these dangerous trends and introduce effective ways to manage our natural resources, while also allowing economic growth and securing better lives for coastal communities. This is the reason we focus our resilience initiatives on prevention and planning rather than response," MFF Coordinator Steen Christensen said.

He also applauded the Vietnamese Government for its efforts in coastal ecosystem management.

With more than 3,260km of coastline, 3,000 inshore islands and two offshore archipelagos, Viet Nam has an important role to play in protecting Asia's coasts.

Over the past three years, Viet Nam has been a very active participant in MFF, with more than 15 grants awarded to community-based projects that have helped to protect rich coastal resources.

The MFF Initiative has invested nearly US$1 million in coastal rehabilitation and livelihoods projects in Viet Nam since 2010.

Begun in 2007, the initiative works through National Coordinating Bodies in member countries to provide grants for local project delivery and other activities building resilience of ecosystem-dependent coastal communities.

The initiative is funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) and Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA).

It is co-chaired by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Current member countries include Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Pakistan, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Viet Nam.

MFF activities in Viet Nam range from helping coastal communities improve their incomes through sustainable mangrove-based farming systems in Mekong Delta Ben Tre Province to engaging local people in the management of the Xuan Thuy National Park, while also giving them access to the park's natural resources.

All over the world, and especially in Asia where 60 per cent of the population lives in coastal zones, human activities are increasingly contributing to the vulnerability of coastal communities. This is being exacerbated by climate change.

MFF activities underpin the vital links between humans and natural systems. The initiative also stresses the importance of engaging all sectors in coastal management including governments, NGOs, local communities and, increasingly, the private sector.

It initially focused on the countries worst affected by the tsunami: India, Indonesia, Maldives, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.

MFF member countries now include Bangladesh, Pakistan and Viet Nam. Cambodia is expected to become a member in 2014.

Vietnam lifts substandard imported drugs from market

The Drug Administration of Vietnam on September 12 called for inspection of all consignments of imported medicines, after drug quality control agencies discovered that many foreign drugs had failed to meet national standards.

For instance, Clavophynamox 1000, Nalidixic acid tablets BP 500mg and Piroxicam imported by Pharmaceutical Company No.1 and manufactured by Flamingo Pharmaceutical Pvt. Ltd Company in India, could not meet quality standards. Umedica Laboratories Pvt. Ltd Company from India is said to have exported substandard drugs into Vietnam three times.

In addition, several international pharmaceutical companies have also sold substandard medicines in Vietnam, including Apotex Inc from Canada; Pfizer PGM from France; Denk Pharma GmbH & Co. KG from Germany; Deawoo, Daehwa Pharm and Dae Han New Pharm Company from South Korea.

Nguyen Viet Hung, Deputy Head of Drug Administration of Vietnam, said from January 1, 2011 to August 23, 2013, the administration has detected 37 pharmaceutical companies from ten nations that sold low quality drugs to Vietnam, of which 25 are Indian companies.

Consequently, the administration has asked importers to check the quality of medicines before launching in the market.

After clearance they must be stored in warehouses where drug quality control agencies in districts or provinces will take samples for testing.

Later, the National Institute of Drug Quality Control will conduct further checks.