Vinasat satellite services still run normally

The Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) said that its Vinasat satellite is operating normally, denying claims on social network and other sites that it “decided to interrupt supply telecommunication services for China” on May 14.

There were reports that the company had cut off services to Chinese nationals in Vietnam. VNPT said this was untrue and hurt its business.

Vinasat is Vietnam's first satellite and was launched in 2008.

Coast guard and fishermen to be honoured at ‘Vietnam Glory’ programme

Coast guards, fisheries surveillance forces and fishermen who have been working day and night to protect the country’s sovereignty over its seas and islands will be honoured at the ninth ‘Vietnam Glory’ programme, scheduled in Hanoi on May 23.

The event will praise 19 individuals and nine collectives who have promoted creativity in their work and contributed to national construction and development.

Prominent among those are Nguyen Trong Nghia, a worker from the Ha Lam Coal Joint Stock Company, who created initiatives to save energy and improve productivity for his colleagues; and Tran Thi Cuc Hoa, a researcher from the Mekong River Delta Rice Institute, who developed new rice breeds and advanced technical procedures for gene transfer in plants.

For the first time, the event will honour a diplomat, Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc, for his contributions to the country’s foreign affairs.

First initiated by Lao Dong (Labour) Newspaper in 2003, the event has become a special cultural and political event, designed to acknowledge and honour labour heroes in the Doi Moi (Renewal) process, heroes of the People’s Armed Forces and businesspeople and role models in patriotic movements who have contributed to national construction and defence.

Military ups fight against forest fires

The Military Command in the southern province of Dong Thap has deployed nearly 100 soldiers to prevent and fight forest fires in Tram Chim National Park during the dry season.

The force will increase patrols in places prone to wildfires and illegal trespassing, in addition to building fire belts and raising awareness about forest protection.

Located in the province's Tam Nong district, the park boasts rich biodiversity and was chosen as the world's 2,000th Ramsar site in 2012.

Established in 1985, the 7,313-hectare Tram Chim became a national park in 1998 and the fourth Ramsar site in Viet Nam in 2012.

Tram Chim is home to 198 bird species, including 16 rare ones such as red-headed cranes, black-faced spoonbills, black eagles, great-billed herons and spotted-billed pelicans. It is recognised as an important bird sanctuary in Viet Nam.

Drug addicts sentenced to jail for fighting during escape

Nine men from Ham Thuan Bac District in the southern province of Binh Thuan Province were sentenced by a district court on Thursday for "acting against law enforcement agencies" when they tried to escape from a rehabilitation centre.

The district court of Ham Thuan Bac sentenced Nguyen Ngoc Long, alias Long Rong Do (Red Dragon), a 37-year-old resident of Khanh Hoa Province, to four years in prison for acting against law enforcement agencies, plus 18 months in prison for not following the rules of a rehabilitation centre where he had been taken for drug addiction treatment.

The court also handed down sentences to eight other defendants who were all residents of Binh Thuan Province for "acting against law enforcement agencies", using knives and scimitars to fight security guards.

10 people poisoned after eating jellyfish in Thua Thien-Hue

In the last one month, 10 people have been hospitalized with food poisoning after eating jellyfish in Quang Dien District in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue.

Tran Oanh of Sia town was brought to the local general hospital May 12 exhausted and dehydrated after massive bouts of vomiting.

It is not known what species of jellyfish he and the others consumed, but many are venomous.

It is now breeding season for jellyfish.

17 scientists, organizations honored on Science and Technology Day

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Science and Technology on May 15 honored 17 organizations and individuals for their contributions to the development of science and technology.

At a meeting held to mark National Science and Technology Day, May 18, Science And Technology Minister Nguyen Quan said the day is meant to honor scientists and give them an opportunity to explain what they have done for the country.

On the occasion, universities and research units open their doors to young people to carry out experiments and show their passion for science.

At the meeting, city authorities praised the Biotechnology Center of Ho Chi Minh City, National Institute of Medical Materials, Nguyen Thi Kim Dung of the Pasteur Institute, Dr Nguyen Minh Tien of the Children’s Hospital No.1, and Dr. Iftikhar Ahmed, director of the semi-conducting lab at the Sai Gon Hi-Tech Park.

Fate of old hydrofoils undecided

The Government has told the Ministry of Transport and local authorities to review legal documents and inspect the technical safety of hydrofoils, meaning HCMC-Vung Tau hydrofoil services will not resume any time soon.

The Government Office said in a statement on Monday that the hydrofoils failing to meet technical and safety requirements are banned from service. The Ministry of Transport should review and supplement regulations to clarify responsibilities of enterprises and crewmembers for their involvement in operating hydrofoils.

The ministry has been told to coordinate with other ministries and local authorities to improve regulations on waterway transport and propose time limits for high-speed passenger boats in the country.

Earlier, the ministry and the HCMC government set up two teams to inspect the hydrofoils plying between HCMC and Vung Tau City after a hydrofoil caught fire en route from HCMC to Vung Tau in January.

Enterprises said they had fixed technical problems with their hydrofoils but had not been allowed to resume their services that have been suspended since the fire took place.

Earlier, hydrofoil operators proposed administering agencies announce a clear road map for this service resumption so that they were able to make necessary preparations, including investments in new hydrofoils.

Bui Cong Trung, chairman of Vina Express, complained that a prolonged suspension could make enterprises bankrupt.

Japan to receive Vietnamese agricultural trainees

Prefecture Ibaraki will receive and equip Vietnamese trainees with basic knowledge and farming techniques, to help improve the quality of the Vietnamese agricultural sector’s human resources.

A document to this effect was signed in Japan on May 15 by representatives from the Vietnamese Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) and Japanese prefecture Ibaraki’s Livestock Agricultural Association (ILAA).

This is the first cooperative agreement on agricultural human resource between Vietnam and Japan, opening an opportunity for promoting bilateral cooperation in the field.

Under the agreement, the MoLISA’s Department of Overseas Labour (DOLAB) and ILAA will periodically exchange information on sending and receiving agricultural trainees, and essential measures to deal with related issues.

The same day, MoLISA Deputy Minister Nguyen Thanh Hoa and Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Doan Xuan Hung held talks with Ibaraki Governor Hasimoto Masaru.

Governor Masaru noted Ibaraki and Vietnam have huge potential for agricultural cooperation, reasoning that the prefecture is the second largest agricultural locality in Japan, which supplies major farm products to Tokyo and adjacent areas.

Hoa said the signing of the agreement is to realise Vietnam’s commitment to Japan by providing agricultural human resource for Ibaraki. He affirmed that agricultural cooperation will be further promoted in the future.

Hoa made a fact-finding tour of ILAA and a number of Japanese farms that are receiving Vietnamese trainees.

VND12 billion for AO victims in Vietnam

The War Veterans Association of PetroVietnam Gas Joint Stock Corporation (PV Gas) and Thanh Cong Sanitation Cooperative have donated VND12 billion to Vietnamese Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin victims.

At a ceremony on May 16, Senior Lieutenant-General Nguyen Van Rinh, Chairman of the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA) said that the aid will contribute significantly to the construction of a Social Protection Centre for AO Victims in Vietnam.

Founded in 2000, Thanh Cong Sanitation Cooperative is, the first unit promoting environmental sanitation socialization in Vietnam,. It is currently employing  nearly 1,800 staff and employees.

In recent years, the cooperative has participated in numerous charitable activities, aiming to share difficulties with social policy beneficiaries, including the poor.

On the occasion, the cooperative announced the donation of 500m2 of land to build the Social Protection Centre.

PV Gas currently has over 3,600 officials and employees, including many veterans who lived and fought at the Truong Son Mountain Range during wartime.

The corporation spends VND500-600 billion annually on social welfare and charitable activities across the country.

Shellfish breeders hatch winning strategy

Farmers in the southern province of Ca Mau have found that raising blood cockles and shrimps in the same salty and marshy ponds leads to higher profits.

The technique also allows them to take fuller advantage of the ponds.

Last year Dam Doi district resident Nguyen Van Dung invested VND20 million (US$950) to buy 100 kilos of blood cockle seeds to put in with his shrimps. Each kilo of the breeding stock contains 250 to 300 seed.

After six to seven months, he harvested nearly two tonnes of cockles, which brought him more than VND80 million ($3,800) in net profit.

"The combination is very profitable with low initial investment, simple raising technique and low feeding costs as cockle do not need much care or feed," Dung said.

"Raising shrimps alone is quite risky due to disease and unstable prices, but raising the two together has really opened a new way of farming for locals," he said.

This year, Dung has decided to double the size of his ponds to exploit the combination.

Many other farm households in Ca Mau have benefited from the technique, which has been developed in the province since 2008.

Before 2008, people in Ca Mau mostly raised blood cockles on marshy plains and among mangroves. As this required special permission from local authorities, farmers were not interested.

The number of combination farms has grown to more than 500 and the raising ponds expanded to thousands of hectares in Dam Doi, Phu Tan, Nam Can and Ngoc Hien districts.

And, according to agricultural experts, there is much potential to expand the model as more than 60 per cent of the province's 290,000 hectares of aquacultural areas are salt-marsh.

Le Van Su, director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the province would support farmers wanting to enter the industry.

"We will also encourage farmers to co-ordinate into groups to support each other and search for markets," he added.

Tourism helps orchard owners' incomes grow

Farmers who grow high-quality fruits in Can Tho City's Phong Dien District are seeing their incomes rise by adding tourism activities at their orchards.

Under a new model developed by the district, farmers are growing more high-quality fruits to attract more sales, including purchases from tourists.

With a cultivation area of 6,015 ha, Phong Dien is one of the largest fruit-growing areas in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta city.

Farmer Tran Van Lien, who owns a 2.5-ha orchard with 30 kinds of fruit in Phong Dien Town's Nhon Loc 1 Hamlet, said visitors enjoyed the rural experience of visiting the orchard, walking on dirt paths and crossing streams over narrow bamboo footbridges.

At the end of the tour, they gather at long tables outdoors to eat meals made with local fruits and other ingredients.

Lien said local authorities had given him tourism training and taken him to neighbouring provinces to learn about similar activities.

"Many tourists have visited my orchard in the last year since we began the service," Lien said. "They like the fact that I use no chemicals."

Nguyen Van Nhung, who has a 2.5-ha orchard of special durian in Tan Thoi Commune's Truong Trung B Hamlet, said he had also seen a rise in sales because of the tourism activities.

The district has more than 6,000ha of fruits and most of them are speciality fruits like durian, mangosteen, rambutan, longan, 5 Roi grapefruit, sweet orange and Burmese grapes.

Many fruit orchards in the district have seen profits of VND150-200 million (US$7,100 -$9,500) per ha a year, according to the district's Agriculture and Rural Development Bureau.

Besides encouraging farmers to plant high-quality fruits, the bureau has also educated farmers in cultivation techniques to grow off-season fruits.

Tran Thai Nghiem, the bureau's head, expects more farmers to take part in the model programme.

However, to avoid oversupply at markets in the peak harvest season, the district said it needed more support from the city and agencies to solve problems in post-harvest preservation and fruit processing, he said.

Lemongrass solves dry season woes for farmers

Farmers in coastal communes of southern Tien Giang Province are earning more from growing lemongrass, which thrives on saline terrain, than from rice.

Nguyen Van Hai, head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Unit of Tien Giang Province's Tan Phu Dong District, said that currently the district had 500 hectares of lemongrass, more than any other area in the province.

Farmers can harvest 17 to 20 tonnes of lemongrass per hectare and earn some VND100 billion (US$4,700).

"This means farmers earn three times as much as they do when growing rice," Hai said.

Pham Van Hung, a farmer of Phu Thanh Commune of Tan Phu Dong District, who owns two hectares of lemongrass, said he earned much more from growing lemongrass than rice.

"Each year, I earn more than VND200 million (US$9,500) from growing lemongrass. I have been able to build a house and buy necessary stuff," he said.

Hung added that lemongrass was suitable for the soil of Tan Phu Dong District.

"In my experience, lemongrass can grow well on salty, dry land and encounters fewer diseases than other plants," he said.

Nguyen Van Sang, a farmer in Phu Dong Commune in the same district, said lemongrass adapted well to the dry season.

In Tan Phu Dong District, located on the East Sea, the dry season lasts five to six months. Agricultural production land is severely impacted by saline water and local residents struggle to find enough water for daily use, let alone for crops.

Luong Cong Phu, vice chairman of Phu Thanh Commune's People's Committee, said lemongrass was a "surprisingly" suitable plant for local farmers.

"We need the price of lemongrass to remain VND5,000 (US$0.2) per kilogram so many farmers in the commune can escape poverty," he said.

Head of the district's Agriculture and Rural Development Unit Nguyen Van Hai said the district's Farmers Association is co-ordinating with a company from HCM City to purchase lemongrass from farmers in the district.

Legendary Truong Son trail receives national heritage recognition

The Truong Son trail, which played a vital role in Vietnam’s past military victories, has been recognised as special national heritage.

The certificate recognising the route, better known as the Ho Chi Minh trail, was presented at a ceremony hosted by the Ministry of Defence on May 16 in Hanoi to mark the 55th anniversary of the historical route and the Truong Son Soldiers’ Day (May 19).

Addressing the event, Senior Lieutenant General Ngo Xuan Lich, head of the General Department of Politics, reiterated that on May 19, 1959, a “special military mission” with an initial 500 members was assigned the task of opening the route and transport military supplies to assist the southern battlefield during the US war.

The team later became Communications Squad 301, also in charge of transferring officials, soldiers and documents from the north to the south and vice versa, he said.

After half a year, the Truong Son route has become an important bridge linking the great northern rear and the southern front line. Millions of soldiers travelled the route to reach the battleground, he said.

General Lich stated that during 16 years of resolute struggle against uncountable hardships and difficulties, Truong Son soldiers recorded many resounding victories and the route became one of the decisive factors in the final victory of the nation, completely liberating the south and reuniting the country.

At the ceremony, Le Hong Anh, Politburo member and standing member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat, presented the Military Exploit Order, first class, to the Army Corps 12, which was formed on the basis of the Truong Son engineer forces, in recognition of its excellent contributions to national construction and defence.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam also handed over the special national heritage certificate for Truong Son trail to the Army Corps 12 and representatives from the 11 provinces along the route.

On the occasion, former Party General Secretary Do Muoi, former President Le Duc Anh and Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyen Sinh Hung also sent floral greetings to Truong Son soldiers on their special day.-

Vietnamese fisheries association opposes China’s illegal acts

The Vietnam Tuna Association has raised its voice in protest against China’s illegal placement of an oil rig in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone.

A document issued by the association read that China on May 2 stationed the drilling rig Haiyang Shiyou-981 at 15 degrees 29 minutes 58 seconds north latitude and 111 degrees 12 minutes 06 seconds east longitude, deep in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone.

China has deployed many ships of various kinds to the area, harassed Vietnamese coast guard and fisheries surveillance ships, and obstructed Vietnamese fishermen when they were working normally in waters of Vietnam’s sovereignty, it said.

The association condemned this as a violation of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea, and agreements reached between high-ranking officials of the two countries, jeopardising the regional peace and stability.

It demanded China to immediately completely withdraw the rig and all escort ships from the area unconditionally, not conduct similar actions, and solve disputes through negotiations with Vietnam.

The organisation added that the Vietnamese people always want to maintain peace and friendship between the two countries for long-term interests of both peoples, as well as for the sake of regional and international peace, stability and development.-

Logistics service supports fishing vessels in Hoang Sa waters

Many ships from Da Nang’s Fishery Logistics Service Team No 1 made trips to the Hoang Sa (Paracel) fishing grounds to support local offshore fishing vessels when they were operating there, a local newspaper reported.

The logistics service ships supplied fuel and necessary provisions to the fishing vessels, as well as involved in buying the seafood directly from the fishermen, said the Da Nang Today online on May 15.

On May 14, a family in Hai Chau d istrict’s Thuan Phuoc w ard launched the DNa 90611-TS support ship, the second such ship of t he family. The 3.2 billion VND, 850 horsepower and 24m-long ship can operate at a maximum speed of 12 nautical miles per hour, and can store 50 ton ne s of goods or fish products.

The launch of the large-capacity mother ship has brought happiness to the family and the offshore fishermen who are fishing in the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa (Spratly) waters.

On May 15 afternoon, a group of logistics service ships and offshore fishing vessels from Thuan Phuoc w ard began their trips to the Hoang Sa waters. Meanwhile, the authorities of the districts of Son Tra and Thanh Khe encouraged local fishermen to make their next fishing trips to Vietnam’s territorial waters.

Hoang Sa is an island district of the central city of Da Nang.

More social housing built in Hanoi

Viglacera Corporation on May 16 started the construction of a social housing and school project in Hanoi.

The project covers 6.2 hectares in the Dang Xa II urban area, providing 1,500 apartments and schools. It will cost 793 billion VND, equivalent to almost 37.3 million USD.

Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony, representatives from the Ministry of Construction and the municipal People’s Committee praised the contributions and efforts of the investor in developing social housing in the city.

They also suggested that the investor should work together with the municipal sectors and authorities to set up a policy managing the city’ social housing fund in the coming time.

Viglacera’s low-price housing accounts for one-third of the number of homes of this type being constructed in Hanoi.

On the occasion of the launch, the corporation inaugurated 1,100 apartments in the area, which were constructed from August 2013, to meet people’s high demand for low-cost housing.

According to Viglacera General Director Nguyen Anh Tuan, all apartments have been sold out, providing accommodation for about 2,300 residents in the city.

Apart from apartments, Viglacera has also invested in constructing other infrastructure facilities, such as kindergartens, sport grounds, swimming pools, restaurants, super markets and parks in the area to serve the essential demands in the lives of people in Hanoi, Tuan said.-

Remains of volunteer soldiers returned home from Cambodia

The Central Highlands province of Gia Lai on May 16 held a ceremony to rebury 55 sets of remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers who died in Cambodia during wartime.

Participants at the ceremony showed their gratitude to the heroic martyrs, who laid down their lives while undertaking international service, contributing to the friendship and solidarity between Vietnam and Cambodia .

The remains were gathered by Gia Lai’s search teams during the 2013-2014 dry season in Cambodia ’s Rattanakiri, Preah Vihear and Stung Treng provinces.

Since 2001, the provincial search teams have coordinated with the three Cambodian provinces’ forces to repatriate a total 1,230 remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers.-

Better policy for climate change adaptation needed

Vietnam needs better policies to cope with climate change in the context that it is recognised as one of the 30 countries in the world most vulnerable to the impacts of this global issue.

The country’s Mekong Delta region, which groups 12 provinces and one centrally-run city, is particularly prone to environmental changes, a symposium heard in Hanoi on May 16.

The function was held by the National Assembly’s Committee of Science, Technology and Environment to review how policy in the field has panned out.

Experts were told that the Party, State and Government are acutely aware of environmental issues, and have thus enforced a lot of policies. These include the national target programme on building breakwaters in the southern and central parts of the country and raising public awareness of the detrimental impacts of climate change.

They agreed that ministries and localities should gradually create a favourable legal environment for the development of a green growth economy, while increasing investment in developing systems of hydro-meteorological stations and natural calamity warning centres.

Local authorities are advised to encourage organisations and individuals in and out of the country to raise money and spread further models helping mitigate the impacts of climate change.-

VNN/VNA/VNS/VOV/ND