Social Highlights for November 21 $59 million metro line 3 in Ha Noi gets nod Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved on a US$59 million project on strengthening sustainable urban transport for Ha Noi Metro Line 3 with loans from the Asia Development Bank (ADB) and the Clean Technology Fund (CTF). The investment for the project includes US$53.2 million from official development assistance of ADB and CTF and US$5.8 million from Ha Noi’s People’s Committee budget. The 4 year project, which will start from 2014, aims to develop an eco-friendly public transport system and encourage passengers to change from individual transport means to public means with a vision of the city’s development towards an ecological, civilized and modern urban. The Ministry of Finance has been assigned to work with relevant agencies to implement the project’s financial structure. Hydropower plants accountable for damages to residents Even as floodwaters continued to rise drastically in Central Vietnam, many of the hydropower plants released water from their reservoirs causing even more damage to people and property. For this reason, the Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has said that hydropower plants must be held accountable for discharging unscheduled water. In the sideline of the National Assembly on November 18, Deputy PM Hai told a Saigon Giai Phong Newspaper reporter that stakeholders, including hydropower investors and local authorities, must be held responsible for discharging water in the flooding season. The discharge of water in large quantities from hydropower plants has worsened the current flooding situation in the central and highlands provinces and caused intense public outcry. Deputy PM Hai said that related agencies and people’s committees must tighten control of the operations and discharge of water from hydropower plants in their localities. Deputy PM Hai also said the National Assembly has mulled over the hydropower development master plan. Under the decision of the National Assembly, the government has agreed to delete about 400 hydropower projects from the national plan. Hai added that the government is very determined to stop such hydropower plants whose investors are irresponsible. In future, the government will continue to check on all hydropower plants and any plant found to discharge water in large quantities will be held responsible. Carbon-di-oxide inhalation kills worker in Ha Noi factory Carbon dioxide inhalation killed one worker and injured another in Ha Noi's Me Linh District on Sunday night. The accident happened at the Xuan Hoa Co Ltd based in Trang Viet Commune. During a late shift on Sunday night, Nguyen Duc Nhan, 28, was working with a brick oven while his co-worker, Le Quang Sinh, 34, was processing the coal. The next morning, both were found unconscious on the floor and rushed to the hospital. Nhan later died of serious carbon dioxide inhalation while Sinh is still under treatment at the Bach Mai Hospital. According to Dr Nguyen Kim Son from the Poison Control Centre at Bach Mai Hospital, Sinh is recovering gradually. The accident is being investigated. Road, railway violation regulations drop penalty levels The government has just issued a new decree on road and railway violations that has caused public concern, as the new decree proposes reduced penalties for different violations. The new decree reduces penalties for different violations. For instance, an individual automobile driver will be fined VND1-2 million (US$47-95) and an automobile driver of an organization will be fined VND2-4 million ($95-190) for not having paperwork proving automobile ownership, instead of the current VND6-10 million ($284.5- 474). Similarly, an individual motorbike driver will be fined VND100,000-200,000 ($4.7-9.5) and a motorbike driver of an organization will be fined VND200,000-400,000 (US$9.5-19) for not having paperwork proving their motorbike ownership instead of the current VND1 million. Moreover, from January 1, 2014, the new decree also proposes a lighter fine level for passenger vehicles without black box, over-speeding and entry into one-way roads on highways. In addition, the new decree also delays the time for penalty. It will take effect from January 1, 2015 for automobiles and from January 1, 2017 for motorbikes. The new decree will also be without the proposed fine for drivers wearing substandard helmets, automobile drivers who use drugs and for over-speeding electric vehicle drivers. Vietnamese labor to Korea must deposit VND100 million The Department of Overseas Labor Management under the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs will from now on expect all Vietnamese laborers working abroad to make an initial deposit of VND100 million as of November 20. As per this decision approved by the Prime Minister on August 21, 2013, all Vietnamese laborers travelling to Korea for work must deposit collateral of VND100 million, effective November 20. The decision has been implemented in accordance with the Employment Permit System launched by Korea. In case a laborer absconds from work, or does not return home after expiry of contract, choosing to stay on illegally in Korea, he/she will lose deposit, which will then be donated to the local employment fund for the poor. Hospital director denies rumour of wrongful spleen removal The Ha Dong Hospital. A spokesman of the Ha Dong General Hospital yesterday rejected a rumour that the hospital's doctors mistakenly removed the spleen of a pregnant woman after conducting a caesarean section. Hospital director Nguyen Gia Thuc said that the removal was not erroneous and was done to save the woman's life. Thuc said that after the caesarean section, the doctors discovered unusual bleeding from the woman's abdomen because her spleen was double the normal size and had ruptured. They consulted among themselves and got agreement from her relatives to remove the spleen, he said. The woman was doing well after surgery, he added. Earlier, the woman of Hoai Duc District, 40 weeks pregnant, had been brought to the hospital on November 7 with symptoms of premature rupture of membranes, he said. Based on her condition, doctors decided to conduct a caesarean section and delivered a 3.9kg healthy, female baby, Thuc said. Viet Nam cranks up for regional robotics contest Viet Nam will send 24 teams of primary school students to compete at the International Robotics Competition in the Philippines on Saturday. The teams, all from Ha Noi, HCM City and Da Nang, excelled in the junior and senior divisions at the National Robothon (Robot) Competition in Da Nang early this month. Vietnamese primary school students will challenge 46 teams from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines in the annual competition. All participating teams will have to programme an automatic robot. Robotics programmes have been introduced to over 3,000 primary school students in Ha Noi, Da Nang and HCM City since 2011. Passengers fined for using fake IDs The Aviation Security Centre of Da Nang International Airport fined 13 passengers from HCM City for using fake personal identifications on a flight from Da Nang to HCM City. Deputy director of the centre Ha Huu Hoang said that the central city penalised the passengers with VND13 million (US$619) fines and cancelled their flight. Hoang said the passengers had bought tickets from an agent in HCM City, but were caught using different IDs to board the flight. Agency staff had booked cheap tickets from budget airlines with their signatures to resell the booked tickets to customers. It is the first case of using counterfeit personal ID discovered at Da Nang Airport. Rare, precious wood found on a lorry Police in central Thua Thien Hue Province have discovered an illegal cargo carrying roughly one tonne of rare and precious wood that is prohibited from being exploited, traded and transported in Viet Nam. The haul included Burmese rosewood (Dalbergia oliveri), rose wood (Dalbergia cochinchinensis) and Burmese padauk (Pterocarpus macrocarpus). These trees are listed as vulnerable and endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Police stopped a lorry on Saturday for traffic violations and found the sliced wood in a container covered by electronic cargo boxes. The lorry driver told police he had been hired to transport the wood from Phu Bai industrial park to Ha Noi. He failed to show police permits for transportation of the wood. The province's Bureau of Forest Rangers is holding the wood, the driver and his lorry while the investigation continues. VietJetAir flies relief cargo to Philippines Budget airline VietJetAir yesterday flew its first relief cargo of five tonnes of food, blankets and nets to the Philippines for those struggling to overcome the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan. The first relief cargo flight took off from HCM City's Tan Son Nhat at 4am yesterday morning and the second is expected to leave on Thursday, the airline said. VietJetAir will receive all goods at City Plaza in Truong Son Street in HCM City and office number 32 Tran Hung Dao Street in Ha Noi before noon Wednesday. For more details, donors can contact 19001886 or email. Free rubella vaccines for 23 million children in 2014 As many as 23 million Vietnamese children aged from nine months to 14 years will receive rubella vaccines as part of the expanded immunisation programme in 2014. The figure was announced at a conference, co-organised by the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organisation in Hanoi on November 19. The vaccine will be provided free of charge to all children in the age group throughout Vietnam. According to the World Health Organisation, around 30,000-45,000 children in Vietnam are born with congenital defects every year due to various reasons. Expecting mother infected with the rubella virus during pregnancy is a common cause. As many as 90% of children born to women who catch the virus in the first three months of pregnancy will have defects, the organisation added. At the meeting, the Health Ministry’s representative said the immunisation programme has provided free vaccines against 11 infectious diseases for several million women as well as children under five years old since 1985. The rate of vaccination in the under fives has recently reached 90%. US, Vietnam universities cooperate in improving first aid services A delegation of American medical experts from the University of Utah has arrived in HCM City to help train 50 Vietnamese doctors in a first aid course. This is part of a cooperative program between the University of Utad and HCM City Medicine and Pharmacy University. Marta Ackers, Vice Director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in HCM City said the program aims to improve the capacity for Vietnamese doctors in providing first aid services and promote university cooperation between the two countries. Dr Stephen Hartsell, Director of the Global Medical Training under the Emergency Medical Devision of the University of Utah said his staff want to provide technical support for Vietnam universities to improve the quality of first aid services in the country. Their visit will open new opportunities for clinical research cooperation between the two universities, said Vo Tan Son, Director of HCM City Medicine and Pharmacy University. Early this year, CDC technical experts in Vietnam and lecturers of HCM City Medicine and Pharmacy University visited Utah University and developed an educational curriculum on testing techniques for students. Medical clinic handed over to Lao hamlet The Lao Bao International Border Gate Border Guard Post in central Quang Tri province on November 19 held a ceremony to hand over a medical infirmary to Ka Tup hamlet, Se Pon district in Laos’ Savannakhet province. Covering an area of 180 sq m with four consulting rooms, a kitchen and toilet, the infirmary was built at a cost of 500 million VND (23,500 USD). The building is expected to help Lao people improve healthcare. It is part of a hamlet twinning project between the two provinces, contributing to further consolidating and tightening the Vietnam-Laos special friendship and solidarity.- Vietnam joins ASEAN Plus bazaar in Venezuela Many visitors expressed their wish to visit Vietnam some day to explore the country’s land, people and culture for themselves when visiting its booth at a recent ASEAN Plus bazaar in Caracas, Venezuela. Vietnam joined Indonesia and Malaysia, members of the ASEAN Committee in Caracas (ACC), together with India , the Republic of Korea and Japan at this event. Opening the bazaar, Vietnamese Ambassador to Venezuela Ngo Tien Dung said that the fair aimed to boost cultural exchanges and intensify mutual understanding, friendship and cooperation among the countries’ people. The organising board was set to donate a part of the proceeds to needy individuals and organisations, he said, considering the event’s success as a good example for similar activities in the years to come. Director General of International Relations of the Venezuelan Culture Ministry Katiuska Rodriguez valued the ACC’s initiative to hold the bazaar to strengthen the countries’ linkage. She affirmed the Culture Ministry’s support for exchanges of activities, and cultural, arts and tourism cooperation to bolster multifaceted ties between Venezuela and Asian countries, including ASEAN members.- Khanh Hoa’s poor patients receive free arthroplasty Fifty-one poor patients in the central province of Khanh Hoa received free arthroplasty (joint replacement surgery) from November 11-19. The charity programme was conducted by experts from the US Operation Walk Chicago. Each surgery costs around 60-100 million VND (2,800 – 4,700 USD). This is the fourth time the organisation has come to Vietnam to carry out such a humanitarian activity, giving free treatment to 240 local patients with serious arthritis. Earlier, the Department of Orthopaedic Trauma and Burns of the provincial General Hospital received the transfer of the techniques to replace a hip without using cement by German experts. Khanh Hoa is one of the three Vietnamese localities, after Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City , to receive this high technology. Vice President calls for HCM City’s education improvement Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan made a working visit to Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training on November 19 on the occasion of Vietnam Teachers’ Day (November 20). The Vice President said that education means helping students absorb not only good merits but a firm future career orientation. The connection among schools, families and society plays a key part in ethical education for students, she said. She urged the city authorities to improve the quality of education and training, taking families as a crucial factor in educating students. The same day, Vice President Doan called on Nguyen Ngoc Ky, a prominent teacher with paralysed arms, who has triumphed over destiny to become the first author using his feet to write in Vietnam. Hanoians run to raise money for poor children The 2013 Hanoi Run for Children, which took place at the South Thang Long urban area (Ciputra Hanoi) in Tay Ho district, on November 17, raised nearly 1.5 million VND (70,000 USD) to help underprivileged children. All the money will be donated to children with heart diseases and cancer. This year’s run drew over 3,000 residents of the capital. A similar event will also be held in HCM City’s Crescent Area in Phu My Hung Urban Area in District 7 on November 24. Organised by the Canadian Embassy in Vietnam, the Vietnam-Canada Friendship Association (VCFA), and the Canadian Business Association, the event marked the 40 th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries. Establish in 2000 (formerly known as the Terry Fox Run Hanoi before a change of format in 2009), the event is recognised as a popular corporate/family team building activity that promotes social responsibility while raising awareness about healthcare issues in Vietnam. The 2012 event was attended nearly 7,000 people and raised 1.2 billion VND, which was used to treat poor children at the Hospital of Pediatrics, the Hanoi Heart Hospital and the Heart Beat Vietnam Programme.- HCM City wants to cooperate with Francophone universities A delegation consisting of 14 heads of universities from the Network of Excellence in Engineering Sciences of the French-speaking Community) (RESIF) led by Professor Aebisher, President of the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne in Switzerland has visited HCM City. At a working session on November 19, Le Hoang Quan, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, spoke highly of RESIF’s selection of HCM City as a place to organise its second conference and inaugurate the Asian Water Research Centre at HCM City Polytechnic University. Quan said Vietnam and its Ho Chi Minh City in particular have been seriously affected by climate change, like rising sea levels and other water-related issues. The establishment of the centre will help HCM City cope with the impact of climate change. He said RESIF is a well-known network of universities in Switzerland, Belgium, Canada and France, which provide a good chance for universities in HCM City to exchange experience in scientific research and application to upgrade the transport system and treat water resources in response to climate change. Professor Aebisher said Vietnam is the sole representative of Asia in RESIF which is focused on settling issues related to climate change, water treatment, energy, food safety and urban planning. He emphasised that water is very important for Vietnam and HCM City as well, especially in the context of climate change and rising sea levels. Ha Noi proposes funds for dyke upgrades The Ha Noi Administration has asked the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to approve a project worth VND16 billion (US$ 762,000) to regularly repair and strengthen the dyke system in the year ahead. The project aims to prevent erosion on 281-metre long dyke in Day River in My Duc District, upgrade the 1,000-metre long dyke in Phu Xuyen District, build a 379-metre long road corridor in Dan Phuong District and build a 345-metre long road in Gia Lam District. The funds will be taken from the State budget. In addition, they asked the ministry to provide money to improve part of the dyke on the Hong (Red) River, which will cost VND5 billion ($238,000). Vietnam seeks to lure talent into key sectors Domestic scientists have appealed for a legal framework that lures more talent into key sectors, especially modern technology and natural sciences. They made the call at a workshop hosted by the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations (VUSTA) in Hanoi on November 19. Participants discussed the draft Decree on incentives designed for Vietnamese residing abroad and foreign experts involved in Vietnam’s science-technology innovations. They shared the view that the framework should gear towards equal and transparent cooperation, with clear responsibilities of all concerned. According to them, remuneration should be dictated by the market, under which, those with quality research findings will be rewarded with a higher salary, equivalent to the level they are earning overseas. Dr. Tran Tuan, Director of the Research and Training Centre for Community Development, said what matters most is how to create a favourable environment for foreign specialists to conduct studies, or find creative and scientific solutions to specific problems in Vietnam. Former VUSTA Vice President Tran Huu Tang said the incentives should target professors, associate professors and PhD holders working in universities abroad, researchers in fields of high demand and young promising scientists. Czech Republic helps Thua Thien-Hue’s green energy Over the past three years, 700 biogas facilities have been built in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue under a project funded by the Czech Republic. The outcomes of the project called “Sustainable energy at the grassroots level in Thua Thien-Hue province” were announced at a seminar in the province on November 19. The 457,000 USD project that started in 2011 has been implemented in Huong An, Huong Toan and Huong Xuan wards in Huong Tra town, and Phong An, Phong Son and Phong Xuan communes in Phong Dien district. It has organised 29 training courses for 700 households, during which farmers were equipped with knowledge on clean husbandry to ease environmental pollution. It has also provided local farmers with pig breeds and constructed two solar power facilities for clinics in Phong Thu commune in Phong Dien district and Huong Chu ward in Huong Tra town. Le Truong Huu, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said under the project, farmers were taught how to treat waste and turn it into clean and sustainable energy, thus helping curb environmental pollution. Annually, each household saves between 2.1 million VND and 2.5 million VND on fuel, he said.- Conference seeks better care for elderly An ageing population and care for the elderly were discussed at a conference in Hanoi on November 19. The event was co-organised by the Ministry of Health, the Hanoi University of Public Health and Umea University of Sweden. In her speech, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Xuyen noted caring for the elderly is among the top concerns of the Party, State and the whole of society, to ensure old people enjoy healthy and happy lives. She said Vietnam’s population has reached 90 million with rapid ageing in recent years. The country is one of the ten countries expected to experience the fastest ageing rate from now to 2050. The official stressed that scientific and practical research should be undertaken to design effective healthcare models for the elderly. The country’s current average life expectancy is 73, almost doubling the figure half a century ago. From 1979 to 2009, Vietnam’s elderly population grew by one million people every decade. Now it rises by 1.2 million every two years, bringing the total number of the elderly to 8.65 million. Despite improved healthcare services, access is still inadequate for vulnerable groups such as women, the poor and illiterate people, especially those in rural areas. The healthcare system and necessary resources needed to care for the elderly are still limited. During the two-day event, researchers and experts introduced a number of new initiatives to shape the healthcare strategy and model for the elderly. They also suggested measures to improve the healthcare system and policies to meet the need of public healthcare services in Vietnam, strategies on mental health care for the elderly, as well as the role of healthcare services and technical support for geriatrics. Both Swedish Deputy Ambassador to Vietnam Maria Selin and Chief Representative of the Sweden International Development Cooperation Agency said Sweden is willing to share its experience with Vietnam in providing healthcare services for senior citizens, while supporting and cooperating with the country in the work. Vietnam attends ASEAN-India-RoK-Japan Fair The ASEAN Committee in Caracas, whose members include Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam, has coordinated with the Venezuelan embassies of India, the Republic of Korea, and Japan to organise a people’s fair in the South American capital. Vietnamese Ambassador to Venezuela Ngo Tien Dung explained the fair is intended to strengthen cultural exchange, promote mutual understanding, and develop ties of cooperation and friendship between the participating countries. Dung said the organising board plans to donate a portion of the fair’s profits to individuals and organisations in Venezuela. He added the fair’s relatively modest product range still offers a valuable glimpse into the cultural traditions of the countries represented. Katiuska Rodriguez, General Director of the Venezuelan Ministry of Culture’s International Cooperation Department, commended the ASEAN Committee’s initiative and promised his Ministry would step up its cultural, arts, and tourism exchanges with ASEAN regional bloc and Asia as a whole. The Vietnamese Embassy’s stall was a crowd favourite, with Vietnamese cuisine available to sample and traditional handicrafts—such as ceramics, lacquer, conical hats, and silk—available to buy. Bac Ninh targets HIV/AIDS eradication The northern province of Bac Ninh is deploying education and monitoring programmes to control the number of HIV/AIDS carriers and deaths, heading to its goal of eradicating new infections. According to Deputy Director of the provincial centre for HIV/AIDS prevention and control Dinh Mai Van, training courses have been organised to educate risk groups on the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS. Local authorities have directly talked with over 47,000 at-risk people and provided HIV tests for more than 4,700 people and another 8,000 pregnant women. Working groups have delivered over 64,000 condoms, 60,000 disposable syringes and thousands of flyers, books, and magazines on HIV/AIDS prevention, and care of HIV/AIDS carriers, he said. The most effective measure now is enhancing education programmes on media on the ways to prevent the fatal disease among at-risk groups, including drug users, women with HIV/AIDS infected husbands, pregnant women infected with HIV/AIDS and freelance labourers working away from home. Moreover, in response to the National Action Months of HIV/AIDS control 2013 and World AIDS Day (December 1), the province will organise meetings and a parade to raise public awareness on the issues. By October 2013, Bac Ninh province had 2,355 people with HIV, 866 of those developed AIDS and 660 died. The fatal disease is present in all eight districts and towns of the province. Among them, Bac Ninh city has the highest number of HIV/AIDS carriers with nearly 1,300 cases, accounting for more than half of the province’s total figure.- ANMC 21 parties sign Hanoi Declaration Under a joint declaration signed in Hanoi on November 19, all 13 members of the Asian Network of Major Cities 21 (ANMC) agreed to boost cooperation and share experience in urban management and socio-economic development. They agreed to meet energy challenges for sustainable development, undertake new initiatives and evaluate joint projects, connect and share experience in finalizing policies on trade, investment and tourism promotion. They pledged to support businesses of ANMC members in exchanging information and seeking opportunities for cooperation. They welcomed Russia’s Tomsk city as the host of the next plenary meeting of the ANMC 21 at an appropriate time in 2014. At the closing ceremony on November 19, Nguyen The Thao, Chairman of the Hanoi Municipal People’s Committee, said delegates reached consensus on a project to build foundations for technology and industry. ANMC members will organize expert-level meetings, exchanges and trade fairs in line with the 2010 Tokyo Declaration. A seminar on trade, investment and tourism promotion was held within the framework of the plenary meeting, drawing the participation of investors and businesses from ANMC members. Hanoi Mayor Nguyen The Thao and Tokyo governor Naoki Inose signed a cooperation document, under which Tokyo will assist Hanoi to address haze, traffic congestion, and water supply management, and run training for athletes and apprentices.   A Seoul representative said the RoK capital will provide continued support in information technology for Hanoi. Through the two major panel discussions, Hanoi shared experience in surmounting difficulties in urban planning and energy policy formulation. Promoting women’s role overseas More than 200 delegates gathered at a November 19 meeting in Hanoi to discuss how best to involve and harness the talents of overseas Vietnamese women in national development. The meeting reported OV women are some of the most influential in expatriate Vietnamese communities. Female politicians of Vietnamese origin have won elections in the US, Australia, and Canada. OV businesswomen are creative and dynamic; they have generated thousands of jobs, and many female scientists have returned home to lecture, conduct research, and fundraise for a variety of scholarships. OV women have managed to preserve traditional cultural identities within their families and bridge younger overseas generations with their homeland. Vice State President Nguyen Thi Doan recalled the heroic contributions of Vietnamese women during the past national liberation struggle and ongoing construction and renewal. She commended expatriate Vietnamese women for acting on their faith to the homeland through practical charitable activities supporting less fortunate compatriots. She noted Vietnam is integrating internationally, requiring Vietnamese women abroad to further their qualifications and stay competitive. Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee President Nguyen Thien Nhan encouraged more OVs—especially younger expatriates—to return home and experience native Vietnamese culture firsthand. He said future plans include a programme promoting Vietnamese culture and language in OV communities that emphasises the importance of women to prosperity in Vietnam as well as their countries of residence. Food, money donations support flood victims in Central provinces Deputy PM Hoang Trung Hai yesterday visited the southern central province of Binh Dinh which has been hardest hit by floods to guide recovery tasks. Eighteen people in Binh Dinh died and another was injured after floods swept through central and central Highlands regions over the past few days, causing the province estimated losses of more than VND1.5 trillion (US$71.4 million). The floods killed a total of 41 people in the region and injured 74 others, while five people were still missing, according to yesterday's updated report by the National Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Control. The Deputy PM visited and presented relief aid to families of the dead in Binh Dinh and those whose homes were destroyed by the floods. He inspected some damaged transport infrastructure and water irrigation sites. Working with local authorities, Hai conveyed his condolences to the families of the dead, and all those affected by the floods. He asked localities to mobilise all available forces to overcome the floods, focusing on upgrading transport infrastructure, helping locals to rebuild and repair houses, deal with environmental pollution and prevent flood-born diseases. He acknowledged their requests to get aid to enable the local people to resume production. People across the country and foreign friends have raised funds to help the flood victims in Thua Thien Hue, Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Kon Tum and Gia Lai. Ha Noi authorities have decided to provide VND6 billion ($285,000) in aid for people in the six hardest-hit localities to help them overcome the aftermath of the floods, which have also submerged more than 420,000 houses and damaged more than 4,000 hectares of rice and crops. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Federation yesterday presented 400 packages of aid to victims in Quang Nam Province, each worth VND2.1 million ($100). The packages include cash and tools to help locals repair houses. The Red Cross Association of Dong Nai province on Monday received VND623 million ($29,600) in aid from foreign direct investment enterprises. Authorities in Binh Dinh have sent thousands of boxes of instant noodles together with milk and water for people in areas isolated by floods. The families of those killed by the floods have received VND5 million in aid from authorities. Work has been started to repair roads damaged by the floods and treat environmental pollution. In Quang Ngai Province, the local People's Committee has set up five teams to go to different districts and communes to assist flood victims. Provincial military forces on Monday reached the hardest-hit communes in Tu Nghia and Mo Duc Districts to provide free health checkups and treatment for more than 1,000 people. Free health checkups and treatment will continue in other communes over the next few days. Soc Trang raises climate awareness Soc Trang is now ready to join four other provinces in the Mekong Delta in a climate change adaptation programme. The programme, conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) with support from the Australian and German governments, will be implemented from 2014 until 2017. Local and foreign environmental experts who attended a conference yesterday said their evaluation of pilot adaptation practices in Soc Trang showed promising results that can be applied elsewhere in the region. The project, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Development and Cooperation and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit, began in the province six years ago. Klaus Schmitt, Chief Technical Advisor of GIZ Soc Trang, told local media on the sidelines of the conference: "The project will wrap up by 2014. We can take those solutions that work and upscale them to all five provinces in the Mekong Delta including An Giang, Kien Giang, Ca Mau, Bac Lieu, and Soc Trang." It's reported that silt deposition has begun at eroded areas and mangroves have grown again after several T-shaped bamboo break-water fences were installed near Soc Trang's coastline. Besides, propagation activities were carried out to enhance people's awareness of the need to adapt to climate change as well as measures that could be taken. "We need to raise awareness among people, telling them the benefits they get from mangrove. We carried out roadshows to do this. We went from village to village to inform people about mangroves and climate change, as held knowledge competitions about climate change among children who would go back and tell their parents," he said. It's hard to say what the result of these activities are, but people who live near the coastline and depend on mangroves for their lives do not have to go far from the resource, he said. Le Thanh Tri, deputy chairman of the Soc Trang People's Committee, noted that Viet Nam is among five countries judged most vulnerable to climate change and rising sea levels, and the Mekong Delta was among three deltas that would suffer the biggest climate change impacts. Soc Trang and other coastal provinces in Viet Nam have been facing difficulties in applying their new knowledge and experience and lack the funding to do so, Tri said, adding that the conference was a great opportunity for the province to discuss issues with international organisations and scientists. As Viet Nam's rice basket, the delta needs to have an effective strategy to adapt to climate change and to ensure sustainable natural resource exploitation, Tri said, adding that there have been achievements in restoring mangrove forests. The T-shaped fences have helped prevent erosion he added. The conference, titled Adaptation to Climate Change in the Coastal Zone of Soc Trang Province, was attended by more 200 participants from Vietnamese ministries, government agencies, academics and national and international NGOs from Viet Nam, Germany, the Philippines and Fiji. They were keen on sharing experiences and lessons learnt from six years of project implementation in Soc Trang. Deputy director of the MARD's Irrigation Department Nguyen Van Tinh said that he hoped the result of this pilot project would be multiplied nationwide. The two-day event focused on four key topics of mangrove rehabilitation, mangrove management, Integrated Coastal Management and erosion protection through bamboo wavebreakers. An extra session on environmental awareness was also held. On Monday, a day prior to the conference, experts from the Vietnamese-German technical cooperation project handed over a geospatial database with historical information to the administration of Soc Trang province. The geospatial database not only compiles data from different sources in Viet Nam, but also contains maps which date back to 1904 and were only available in France. As shoreline changes can only be understood over long periods of time, the availability of long-term information has special value. The database now provides decision-makers with historical maps that help chart the historical development of the coastline and to identify suitable and site-specific measures for coastal protection. Water studies centre opens in HCM City The Network of Excellence in Engineering Sciences of the French-speaking Community (RESCIF) yesterday opened an Asian Centre for Water Research (CARE) at the HCM City University of Technology. The 200-sq.m centre, a flagship research centre in Southeast Asia, aims to contribute to sustainable management of water resources in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta region by undertaking research and training. CARE will research issues on the Delta and the Sai Gon River, as well as offer support on topics related to global challenges linked to climate and human-induced changes, based on the most innovative technologies. It will also develop tools tailored to environmental monitoring, and assessment of environmental changes and the associated risks while adapting international discoveries to regional characteristics. Under its action plan, it will also carry out international research projects and exchange programmes with a focus on fundamental water resources issues such as industrial and domestic waste treatment, regulation of saline intrusion, estimation of flows of sediments and contaminants, urban development plans and urban networks of water distribution. Only 50 per cent of industrial waste water and 10 per cent of domestic waste water is treated in Viet Nam, said Phan Thanh Binh, director of the Viet Nam National University-HCM City at the opening ceremony held during the second meeting of RESCIF members on November 18-19. The Mekong Delta region faces unprecedented challenges related to climate change, Binh said. "Building research capacities and training on technologies and management of water resources is urgent and essential to address these challenges," he said. Established in 2010, RESCIF implements partnerships between 14 francophone technological universities in 11 countries in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. It focuses on issues of water, energy and nutrition. HCM City boosts cooperation with Lao localities Ho Chi Minh City has paid attention to promoting its cooperation with Lao localities, thus contributing to fostering the traditional friendship and solidarity between the two nations. Vice Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Thi Thu Ha made the statement at a November 19 reception for a visiting delegation from the Lao National Academy of Politics and Public Administration led by its director Kikeo Khaykhamphithoun. She briefed the guests on the city’s socio-economic development situation and congratulated the Lao people on the achievements they have reaped over the past time. For his part, the Lao official said he is impressed by HCM City’s strong development, adding that his visit aims to exchange management, leadership, and scientific research experience with the Vietnamese side. Hailing the special relationship between Vietnam and Laos, Kikeo Khaykhamphithoun said that over the past time, the two countries have always supported each other in training officials. New decree on Vietnam’s maritime zones issued A new government decree has prescribed fines of between 800 million VND (38,000 USD) and 1 billion VND (47,000 USD) for violations of Vietnam ’s territorial waters, islands and continental shelf for tourism purposes. The government has just issued Decree 162/2013/ND-CP on sanctioning administrative violations in the sea areas, islands and continental shelf of Vietnam , which will officially take effect on January 1, 2014 , and replace Decree 137/2004/ND-CP issued in 2004. Under the new decree, the installation of cables and pipes without permission in written form by authorised Vietnamese agencies, or the illegal exploitation of water currents, wind power and other non-biological marine resources will also be subjected to the same level of fine, from 800 million VND to 1 billion VND. Any violations which disturb the normal operation of legal cables and pipes in Vietnam’s territorial waters, islands and continental shelf will lead to a fine of 400-500 million VND (19,000-23,000 USD). Fines of between 5-10 million VND (238- 476 USD) will be imposed on foreign boats or submarines not flying the national flag and the Vietnamese flag or flying the flags incorrectly when operating in Vietnam’s internal waters, as well as on foreign boats not flying national flags when operating in Vietnam’s territorial waters.- Source: VOV/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/Dantri