Social Headlines for December 2 Vietnamese students to join world festival in Ecuador   Eighty five Vietnamese students will attend the 18th World Festival of Youth and Students in Ecuador from December 7-12. This is one of the most important events organised by the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY). The Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCM CYU) announced at a press briefing in Hanoi on December 2 that the highlights of the festival will include the opening ceremony, African Days, American Days, Asia-Pacific Days, European Days, Middle East Days, Ecuador Days and the closing ceremony. The Vietnamese delegation will take part in major events, such as organising a forum called “Vietnam youth in the national process of renewal, construction and defence”, and a photographic exhibition on Vietnam and joining the international anti-imperialism tribunal, condemning the use of chemicals during wars, that has caused long-term negative impact on human life. Its presentation will be focused on the role of Vietnamese youth in poverty reduction, protection of the rights of children and gender equality and implementation of millennium development goals. The Vietnamese delegation will give an art performance during the Asia-Pacific Days and participate in other cultural exchanges and sports with other countries. The festival will provide a good chance for Vietnamese students to promote the image of the country, especially the 82-year development of the HCM CYU. Progenitor of Vietnam Buddhism honoured The Vietnam Buddhist Shangha (VBS) held a prestigious ceremony at Yen Tu relic site in Quang Ninh province on December 1. The event, marking the 705th anniversary of the death of King Tran Nhan Tong, the founder of Truc Lam Zen school, which exemplifies Vietnamese Buddhism,is set to last three days. A 9.9m high, bronze statue of meditating Tran Nhan Tong, weighing 130 tons, will be unveiled on December 3. Superior Monk Thich Thanh Quyet, Head of the Executive Committee of the Quang Ninh Buddhist Shangha said King Tran Nhan Tong moved the province to lead a religious life and turned this place into a sacred Buddhist land. Building a statue of him is for all Vietnamese to remember his great contributions to national construction and Buddhist development, he said. President joins Inl't Day for Disabled On December 1, President Truong Tan Sang joined Ho Chi Minh City authorities and over 7,500 local residents in a charity walk in anticipation of the International Day for People with Disabilities. Organizers received more than VND 20 billion from philanthropists to support the poor and disabled children. President Sang presented 12 gifts worth VND 5 million each to 12 outstanding children with disabilities all over the country. Vice Chairwoman of the municipal People’s Committee, Nguyen Thi Hong, called for greater public support of the disabled, to enable them to lead as normal and fulfilling lives as possible. Hong said the government and local authorities always endeavour to ensure that the disabled receive full benefits, in line with the Law on Persons with Disabilities that took effect on November 1, 2011. Independent Businesses also donated money in support of young Agent Orange and cancer victims and generated jobs for thousands of them. The charity walk will come to Hanoi, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho, Tay Ninh and Quang Tri next year. Statistics reveal there are now over 6 million people living with disabilities in Vietnam and 20 per cent of them are dependent on their relatives for care and support. The same day, the General Department of Sports and Physical Training and the Vietnam Paralympics Association hosted a charity art program, honoring contributions made by disabled athletes. Earlier, on November 30, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) coordinated with the Vietnam Federation on Disabilities and Vietnam Television to hold a music show “For a world without barriers” in the capital Hanoi. Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan affirmed the country’s strong commitment to the international community in protecting and caring for the less fortunate, saying that the move has also received overwhelming support from ministries and organizations. Vietnam’s remarkable progress in HIV/AIDS control The United Nations in Vietnam calls for more effective investments in HIV/AIDS prevention and control to achieve the “three zeros” targets- zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS related deaths. December 1 marked the 25th anniversary of World AIDS Day, the UN congratulated the Vietnamese Government on its HIV/AIDS prevention but urged Vietnamese leaders to increase investment in HIV control, in the hope of fulfilling national and international targets. Dr. Kristan Schoultz, UNAIDS Vietnam Country Director, noted the achievements of Vietnam’s strategies for HIV/AIDS prevention and control but also highlighted the huge challenges the country is yet to overcome. Vietnam needs to distribute valuable resources in order to implement the national target programmes in the most effective and efficient way, she added. Recently Vietnam has expanded the HIV drug resistance program and been successful in reducing the incidence of new infections. However, the number of HIV infections in high risk groups in many provinces remains at an alarmingly high rate. By the end of 2012, the number of male drug users in Vietnam stood at 11 percent and more than half of those are HIV infected people in major cities. The national average number of HIV infections among female prostitutes was estimated at 27 per cent. New evidence suggests that the number of HIV infections in homosexual men is on the increase and this demographic is predicted to rise significantly among the numbers of HIV infected people in Vietnam. The country is currently seeking new approaches to engage needy people with HIV services and new initiatives have been set up to encourage earlier HIV diagnosis and initial treatment. The UN encourages Vietnam to expand such initiatives to maximize the efficiency of resources for HIV/AIDS prevention in the context of diminishing foreign aid. Dr Takeshi Kasai from the World Health Organization (WHO) in Vietnam says the national response to HIV is at a crucial transitional stage, requiring the country to broaden new ideas, approaches and innovations to improve HIV/AIDS prevention and control interventions. By intensifying early diagnosis and HIV drug resistance programmes, the country’s new infection rates and AIDS related deaths will be further reduced.   Save the Children offers help to Quang Ngai flood victims Save the Children in Vietnam has distributed 1,500 gifts worth of VND644 million (US$3,000) to flood victims in the central province of Quang Ngai. Packages including clothes, books and other essential commodities after the flood were delivered to single mom, pregnant women, handicapped people, vulnerable pupils and poor households at Hanh Tin Dong and Hanh Tin Tay villages in Nghia Ganh district of Quang Ngai province on November 30. Deputy Head of Save the Children in Vietnam Doan Anh Tuan said his organisation will call for more donations from different sources to help the locals recover their livelihood after the flood hit the province in mid November. The province also received a grant of VND1 billion (nearly US$50,000) from the domestic Sacombank to rebuild destroyed houses for local people. “Orange the Journey” launched in Hanoi The “Orange the Journey” bicycle ride, part of activism to end violence against women and girls, launched in Hanoi  on November 30 with as many as 100 local youth participants. The activist programme includes dance flashmobs, sloganeering, and photography. It has received technical assistance and financial support from the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women in Vietnam. Organising board representative Cao Ho Thu Thuy explained UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon chose orange as the colour of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women in 2008. Violence against women and girls remains disturbingly common throughout the world. Estimates suggest one in every three females is a victim of at least one category of violence. Ending these crimes requires the united effort of society as a whole. Over VND620 million raised for Philippine Typhoon Haiyan victims The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO), coordinating with HCM City’s Red Cross Association, held a November 30 launch for a fundraisinig campaign on behalf of Typhoon Haiyan victims in the Philippines. Around 50 groups including district Red Cross Associations, representative offices, and business associations of various nations have already raised nearly VND620 million. Many local residents and young people have also supported the campaign. According to National Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Council statistics, the death toll from Typhoon Haiyan stands at 5,235 people. A further 1,600 are still missing. Damage to property and crops has thus far totalled US$270 million. Living in a nation regularly struck by typhoons, Vietnamese people are fully aware of the Philippine people’s difficult circumstances and urge international friends to share some of the storm aftermath’s burdens. Le Thi Phuong, the Philippines’ Honourable Consul General in HCM City voiced her organization’s willingness to help its neighbours affected by natural calamities. She believes timely support from Vietnamese and international friends will be invaluable during the Philippines’ recovery. Empowering people with disabilities Nguyen Trong Dam, Deputy Minister of Labour, War Invalids, and Social Affairs (MoLISA), says Vietnam’s support for its disadvantaged citizens—, especially those with disabilities—is demonstrated by policies and laws. He made the statement at a November 30 meeting responding to the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The deputy minister said the Law on Persons with Disabilities, which entered into effect on January 1, 2011, is an important milestone on the road to achieving genuine equality for disabled people. He acknowledged poverty rates for disabled people are still disproportionately high, saying MoLISA is coordinating with relevant agencies to boost awareness about handicapped people’s rights. He thanked domestic sectors and international organizations for helping people with disabilities integrate into the community. US Agency for International Development Acting Vietnam Director Randy Flay noted that since 1989, the US government has spent more than US$60 million sponsoring Vietnamese programmes on improving the living standards of disabled people. The campaign organised around the international day, includes exhibitions, sports events, and cultural exchanges designed to include and inspire local residents living with disabilities. Workforce needs new skills to continue economic modernisation The World Bank’s 2014 Vietnam Development Report concludes the country needs to improve its workforce’s productivity in order to meet the demands arising from its transition towards a modern, industrial market economy. The report, titled “Skilling Up Vietnam: Preparing the Workforce for a Modern Market Economy”, was released on November 29. It emphasises the increasing importance of education and more sophisticated cognitive, behavioral, and technical skills. World Bank (WB) Vietnam Country Director Victoria Kwakwa said, “Vietnam’s adult workforce has above average levels of literacy and numeracy but more skills will be key to Vietnam's successful economic transition.” The current challenge is turning graduates from good readers into critical thinkers and problem-solvers who are well equipped to acquire technical skills in university, vocational training, and throughout their working lives. The report’s analysis shows economic modernisation involves a shift in labor demand from today’s predominantly manual and elementary jobs towards more skill-intensive non-manual jobs, from jobs that largely involve routine tasks to those with non-routine tasks. And these new types of jobs will require new skills. According to the report’s lead author Christian Bodewig, “These new jobs can already be found in today’s labour market, but Vietnam’s employers struggle to find the right workers for them. Equipping its workforce with the right skills will be an important part of Vietnam’s effort to accelerate economic growth and further its economic modernisation in the coming decade and more.” Drawing on a survey of urban area employers in urban areas, the report finds employers rank job-specific technical skills as the most important. They also look for cognitive skills, such as problem-solving and critical thinking, and behavioral skills, such as team work and communication. Reorienting Vietnam’s education system to focus more on teaching these types of skills will help Vietnamese workers to prepare themselves for the future. The report shows despite the Vietnamese education system’s strong track record in foundational reading literacy and numeracy skills, it faces greater challenges in cultivating the advanced skills that will be increasingly demanded in coming years. Its three step skills strategy plan includes promoting school readiness through early childhood development, building the cognitive and behavioral foundation in general education, and improving job-relevant technical skills via a network of employers, students, universities, vocational schools. The report urges the government to take action now as changes in education and training can take a generation to reap results. “Rather than planning and managing the education and training system centrally and top-down”, says Christian Bodewig, “the role of government is to help to ensure better information flows between employers, schools, universities, and students, and to enhance capacity and set the right incentives by freeing up universities to partner more effectively with businesses”. Ultimately, preparing the workforce for an industrial economy is not just the government’s job. It requires a change in behavior by all actors in skills development – employers, schools and universities and students and their parents alike. Railway sector promotes cooperation with France A Vietnam railway trade delegation has attended the French railway trade union’s 42nd congress over November 25–29. Addressing the opening session, Confédération Générale du Travail (CGT) Secretary General Gilbert Garrel reviewed union activities defending workers’ legitimate rights in general and French railway sector workers in particular. French and other European railway trade unions have suffered from the global economic downturn and face challenges in the context of ever-expanding globalisation. Vietnam Railway Trade Union President Mai Thanh Phuong outlined some of his organisation’s successes as Vietnam continues its economic restructuring. Phuong expressed a wish to develop deeper relations with international railway trade unions. Vietnam and France celebrated the 40th anniversary of their diplomatic ties in 2013, signing a strategic partnership agreement during Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s September French visit that incorporates clauses on railways. Representatives from the French branch of the Vietnamese Student Association met with French railway trade union youth representatives. Phuong told the gathering of his wish the two parties will strengthen cultural exchange and cooperation. On the sidelines of the congress, Vietnam Railway Trade Union delegates held working sessions to extend partnerships with trade unions in Belgium, Spain, Germany, the UK, and the international transport trade union. Delegates also worked with the Vienne provincial Council and visited a La Rochelle plant manufacturing Alstom’s high-speed ships.  The congress itself gathered together 1,000 delegates from local French trade unions and 10 delegations from UK, Spanish, German, Moroccan, and Belgian railway trade unions. WB-funded HIV/AIDS prevention project summed up The seven-year “Vietnam HIV/AIDS Prevention Project” has successfully implemented appropriate intervention for high-risk groups, raised awareness and changed community behaviours to better prevent the disease. According to a report at a ceremony summing up the project in the central city of Da Nang on November 29, it has also helped improve the HIV/AIDS prevention assessment and monitoring system as well as raise technical and managerial capacity for staff in the field. The project, funded by the World Bank and the UK Department for International Development (DFID) at a sum of US$75.294 million, also contributed to supporting the Health Ministry in piloting a methadone treatment programme in the northern port city of Hai Phong in 2008. By December last year, the programme was duplicated in seven cities and provinces, providing treatment for 1,888 drug addicts. Launched in June 2005, the project aimed to control HIV/AIDS transmission in the community at less than 3 percent by 2010, while reducing the impact of HIV/AIDS on socio-economic development. It was implemented in 32 cities and provinces nationwide. Canada announces US$7.6 million project to support farmers Canada will provide more than US$7.6 million for a new development project to help improve the livelihoods of Vietnamese farmers through increased financing and knowledge of new agricultural practices. Canadian Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz informed this at a working session with his counterpart, Vietnamese Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Cao Duc Phat, in Hanoi on November 29. This project will deepen Canada’s already strong diplomatic and trade relationship with Vietnam, and demonstrates the close partnership that has been cultivated between both countries over the past 40 years, said Minister Ritz. By improving the productivity of Vietnamese farmers and agribusinesses, Canada is supporting Vietnam’s continued economic growth and helping strengthen two-way trade, he said. Through this investment, Canada will help Vietnamese farmers improve their livelihoods,” said the Honourable Christian Paradis, Canada’s Minister of International Development and for La Francophonie. “Canada is supporting initiatives that contribute to sustainable economic growth in Vietnam, assisting farmers throughout the production cycle from their access to credit, through technical training and best practices, to access to markets and commercialization of their products.” Minister Phat thanked the Canadian Government for continued and valuable support to Vietnam in general and the agricultural sector in particular. This project aims to improve the profitability of thousands of farmers across Vietnam by providing technical assistance and training related to banks and agribusiness. This assistance will increase access to financing and improve agricultural practices. It will also help maintain the value of harvested crops during handling and storage. The investment will span five years and target farmers of export-oriented commodities, such as cashews and coffee, both of which were top Canadian imports from Vietnam in 2012. Canada’s relations with Vietnam are expanding, particularly through rapidly-increasing trade and investment and a prominent development cooperation program. Canada’s exports of agro and seafood products to Vietnam reached US$146 million in 2012, with Canada’s main exports being seafood, soybeans, non-durum wheat and canola meal. Top Vietnamese agro-food exports to Canada in 2012 included cashew nuts, coffee, nuts and seeds. HCM City celebrates Lao National Day A ceremony was held in HCM City on November 29 to mark Laos’ 38th National Day. The gathering was attended by HCM City leaders, Lao Consulate General representatives, Vietnamese veterans who served in Laos, and Lao students studying in the city. Vice President Phan Xuan Bien of HCM City’s Vietnam-Laos Friendship Association reviewed the development achievements in bilateral cooperative relationship between the two parties, states and peoples, as well as between HCM City and Lao localities over the years. He highlighted the successes of the HCM City-Vientiane relationship in trade, agriculture, heath care, education, foreign affairs, and human resource training. Lao Consul General in HCM City Southideth Phommalat thanked the Vietnamese Party, State, and people for their valuable support during Laos’ past struggle for national independence and its ongoing socio-economic development. He hoped the two countries will work hard to boost their cooperation even further. Bilateral trade turnover totalled US$733.5 million in the first nine months of this year, up 11.6% compared to 2012’s corresponding figure. Vietnam is one of Laos’ largest foreign investors, contributing US$5.2 billion to 435 projects. Approximately 5,000 Lao citizens are currently working and studying in Vietnam. Applying IT in foreign language study Danang City on November 29 hosted an international seminar discussing the application of information technology (IT) in foreign language learning and teaching. The seminar provided domestic and foreign experts a forum to share and compare experiences in using IT as a tool for foreign language study. Participants examined issues including language policy and IT application in Vietnam, strengthening cooperation via social media, computers and their relation to language theory, and promoting language learning environments supported by IT. Experts said applying IT is an international foreign language learning and teaching trend. Methods range from learning foreign languages through writing blogs, to online games and animations, to social media interactions on Facebook and Twitter. Vietnam’s internet usage rate is the seventh highest in Asia, an advantage foreign language teacher can exploit to save time and improve fluency. The national foreign language learning plan asserts most students are fluent in a foreign language after graduating colleges or universities. The Government has adjusted the national English curriculum, set national foreign language standards for teachers and pupils, established a national foreign language teaching centre, and increased investment in IT resources for foreign language study.  Source: VOV/VNA/VNS