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Social Headlines January 1
RoK
recruits Vietnamese guest workers again
The
Visiting
Vietnamese Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Pham Thi Hai
Chuyen and her host Minister of Employment and Labour Phang Ha
The
one-year MoU, effective as of December 31, 2013, will benefit more than
14,000 Vietnamese nationals who either registered for or passed Korean
language tests in 2011 and 2012.
After
a year both sides will review the implementation of the special MoU and
consider extending the programme.
The
signing of this special MoU demonstrates both countries’ efforts in taking
bold measures to reduce the number of Vietnamese nationals residing illegally
in the RoK.
The
RoK suspended its EPS for
The
RoK Ministry of Employment and Labour reports the number of Vietnamese guest
workers illegally residing in the country fell considerably from 49.9% in
July 2013 to 38.2% in October 2013.
Ship
siezed for holding undocumented iron
The
provincial marine police said yesterday that they had seized a ship illegally
transporting more than 3,000 tonnes of iron ore without the authorised
paperwork .
The
ship was on the way to northern
The
ship, Thanh Cong 18, belongs to a company based in Hai Hau district, northern
Nam Dinh province.
Eight
sailors were on board the ship at the time. The iron ore were seized for
further investigation.
Search
for capsize victims continues
Three
people went missing after their fishing boat sank off northern coastal
The
boat was carrying five people when it sank due to strong winds and high
waves. Two people, including boat owner Le Van Sen from central
Yesterday
morning, Viet Nam News Agency's correspondent in Thanh Hoa reported that the
three fishermen were still missing.
Thanh
Hoa's authorities are continuing the search for them.
Kien
Giang frees over 5,000 birds
As
many as 5,000 swifts and swallows were released to the wild in Hon Dat
district of the southern
The
wild birds were caught earlier by Duong Van Minh, Nguyen Thanh Tam, Nguyen
Van Thua, Le Ngoc Quy and Nguyen Trong Tri, all live in Chau Thanh district.
According
to local forest rangers, the birds will be sold to pilgrims at Ba Chua Xu
temple. They will later release them in pray for good luck.
There
are now many kinds of birds living along the 50 kilometre-long coastal
protective forest in Hon Dat district. However, out of unawareness, the
locals hunt down and illegally sell them.-
Con
Dao to have wind power in 2015
Petro
Vietnam Engineering Corporation and Greenmade JSC have signed an agreement on
the construction of a wind power plant in Con Dao district of southern Ba
Ria-Vung Tau province, according to the Thoi Bao Kinh Te
The
newspaper said this is the first independent wind power plant ever built
offshore in
The
4MW plant comprises of two offshore wind turbines and a control centre on
land.
Once
operating in the third quarter of 2015, the plant will help provide
electricity for the socio-economic development in Con Dao island and ease the
dependence on diesel power.
One of
Vietnam’s tourist hot spots and described as a paradise in many international
travel magazines, the pristine nature of Con Dao appeals to visitors, with
beautiful beaches and pure, blue water.
Apart
from its seaside attractions, Con Dao has a national park with rich flora and
fauna. It is home to dugongs, dolphins and sea turtles, which are under
threat of extinction.
The
island also houses a special national relic, the Con Dao Prison, where some
20,000 Vietnamese revolutionaries died during the war against the French
colonialists and American invaders.
Built
in 1862 by the French colonists, Con Dao Prison was once dubbed the largest
“Hell on Earth” in
The
Vietnam Labour Management Office under the Employment Permit System (EPS)
programme officially opened in
Speaking
at the inaugural ceremony, Vietnamese Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social
Affairs Pham Thi Hai Chuyen said that over the past time, her ministry has
cooperated effectively with the RoK Ministry of Employment and Labour in many
fields, contributing to enhancing the relations between the two countries.
At
present, there are 60,000 Vietnamese guest workers in the RoK, including
about 53,000 working under the EPS programme.
The
office, together with the Labour Management Board under the Vietnamese
Embassy in the RoK, will act as a bridge for Vietnamese agencies sending
workers abroad and their RoK partners to manage and support guest workers as
well as encourage them return when their contracts terminate.
Speaking
highly of
He
expressed hope that in the coming time, the two sides will continue working
together to help
Three
Vietnamese rescued from
Malaysian
police raided three massage parlours in Setapak on the outskirts of Kuala
Lumpur late last week, rescuing 35 foreign women, comprising 10 Chinese, 10
Philippine, 12 Thai and three Vietnamese.
The
women were forced into sexual slavery and made to live in poor, unsanitary
conditions for six months, according to The Star/Asia News Network.
They
had been offered jobs as professional masseurs but were forced by their
employers to "service" customers. Their passports and other
important personal documents were being held by the employers.
"Some
women were even imposed with a bondage debt of between RM5,000 -13,000
(US$1,600-4,000) and would only be allowed to leave once they had paid it all
off," said Bukit Aman D7 chief Senior Asst Comm Roslee Chik.
Raiding
the parlours, the 20-member Bukit Aman D7 team also arrested five men - four
locals and one
Boat
sunk in Binh Thuan, leaving four missing
A
cuttlefish boat coded BTh 88190 has got into difficulty and sunk off the
central coastal
This
information was released by the Binh Thuan Border Giard on December 30.
One
person has been rescued, Nguyen Van Linh, born in 1986 from Mui Ne was saved
and immediately sent to Binh Thuan provincial hospital.
The
incident occurred near Mui Ne beach in Phan Thiet city, approximately 24
nautical miles away due to strong waves.
The
boat was said to go fishing on December 27, but was reported not to have
returned on December 28 as scheduled.
The
Binh Thuan Border Guard Station is currently joining efforts with other
relevant agencies and rescue teams to search for the missing victims.
Cities
honour most outstanding young citizens
The
top 10 "most outstanding young citizens" were recently announced
and awarded for their efforts and achievements. Dan Tri newspaper reports.
In
He
also won a gold medal in Maths Asia-Pacific Olympiad, and a silver medal in
the International Olympiad. He then went on to
In
2012, he received awards for his talent from the
More
honours were brought to the country by Nguyen Huu Tien, Nguyen Ha Thanh, Phan
Quang Dung, Truong Thi Ngan Ha, Nguyen Sy Luan, Nguyen Dang Quang, Nguyen Van
Quyen, Can Ngoc Son and Lai Manh Duan.
Gymnast
Nguyen Ha Thanh, who won a silver medal at the Internationaux de France 2013
World Cup C III and two gold medals at World Challenge Cup C III in
Pianist
Nguyen Dang Quang won the first prize in the
Lieutenant
Nguyen Van Quyen, from
The
head of the Hanoi Volunteer Club, Lai Manh Duan, was also honoured for having
contributed to a wide range of charity efforts to help disadvantaged
children, protect the environment and provide aid to students from outlying
provinces who wished to go to
In
Huy
was also recognised for his abilities as a maths student at the
Despite
his family’s economic difficulties, Huy made great efforts in his studies and
earned good results.
Huy
also won the gold medal at the International Mathematics Olympic of 2013 held
in
Other
awardees include Chau Tuyet Van, Dang Hieu Hong, Truong Anh Van, Nguyen Duong
Kim Hao, Nguyen Chi Thanh and Nguyen Hoang Trung.
Dang
Hieu Hong is Vice Chairman of the Young People Union, member of the municipal
Department of Labour, Invalid and Social Affairs’ Trade Union Executive Board
and head of a management board for Duc Hanh medical service centre.
Having
been a security guard, Hong was given credit for his contributions at work,
especially in improving management of trainees at the centre.
Born
to a family with burdening economic difficulties, Chau Tuyet Van, a student
at
Nguyen
Duong Kim Hao, a 12-year-old student at
Truong
Anh Van, of Thong Nhat Rubber Limited Company, was among the most outstanding
young people in the city, known for inventing a packaging machine named
"Deck in 2012", which has made profit of over VND100 million
(USD4,735) per year for the company.
He
also took part in several other initiatives that have brought about profits
worth billions of VND for the company.
Nguyen
Chi Thanh is a staff member of the municipal Department of Firefighting. He
has become well-known as a proactive person at work. In early 2013 he and his
colleagues saved a person who was stuck in debris during a fire in District
3.
Nguyen
Hoang Trung, a member of a young people's association in Phuoc Vinh An
Commune in Cu Chi district, was honoured for his success in improving
agricultural efficiency and incomes.-
Transportation
services put under closer watch
Deputy
Chairman of the National Committee for Traffic Safety Nguyen Hoang Hiep has
highlighted the tightened management of transportation services and vehicles’
capacity as urgent measures to help ease traffic accidents.
He
said over 90 percent of serious traffic accidents are related to drivers’
reckless regard for observing law and regulations on traffic safety,
considering the loose management over transportation businesses the cause
root of the problem.
Therefore,
“tightening the management of transportation services and vehicles’ capacity”
will become the theme of the 2014 national traffic safety year, Hiep added.
Accordingly,
the committee will focus on amending and supplementing legal documents to
strictly put the operations of transportation businesses in compliance with
regulations.
It
will also devise new solutions and increase inspection, he said, adding that
an itinerary supervision centre will be put into service in early 2014,
aiming to make transportation firms take on responsibilities for traffic
accidents, not drivers themselves.
Hiep
also laid stress on the need to enhance the role and responsibility of State
agencies in communications campaigns to promote the safe participation of
road users.
In
2013, the number of traffic accidents in
This
is the second consecutive year the number of traffic fatalities stands below
10,000 since 2001. However, the rate has still fallen short of the National
Assembly’s target of 5 percent-10 percent.
Awards
granted to French language teachers, students
Ten
teachers who have contributed to developing French language at high schools
received Valofrase awards at a ceremony held by the Ministry of Education and
Training and the International Organisation of La Francophonie in
The
awards also went to 50 outstanding students who earned high scores on Group
D3 of literature, mathematics and French language during the 2013 university
entrance exam and won prizes in the national academic competitions as well.
This
was the recognition of the efforts made by the teachers and students as well
as the attention paid by local authorities to the teaching and learning of
French.
The
awarding ceremony was part of the Valofrase project, which helps promote
French language in
Thua
Thien-Hue receives General Nguyen Chi Thanh’s statues
The
family of General Nguyen Chi Thanh on December 30 presented four statues of
the late General to central Thua Thien-Hue province’s Department of Culture,
Sports and Tourism on the occasion of his 100th birthday anniversary.
Thanh,
whose real name was Nguyen Vinh, was born in 1914 in Quang Tho commune, Quang
Dien district, Thua Thien Hue province. He took the post of Director of the
General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People’s Army in 1950 and was
brevetted General in 1959.
During
his 30 years in the revolutionary activities, he established himself as a
talented leader with undaunted fighting spirit, making significant
contributions to the glorious victory of the Party’s revolution cause.
Speaking
at the ceremony, Secretary of Quang Dien district’s Party Committee Nguyen
Quang Vinh said that the presentation of the four statues is a meaningful act
which will help people, particularly the young, further promote the
locality’s heroic tradition and follow General Thanh’s example.
On
this occasion, the provincial Party Committee, People’s Council, People’s
Committee and Fatherland Front offered incense and flowers to General Thanh
at his statue in Sia town, Quang Dien district.-
Ministry
sets farming mechanisation targets
The
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has set a goal of
mechanising every hectare of farm land nationwide to an average of 2.0-2.5
horsepower by 2015, and 3-4 horsepower by 2020.
By
2015, farming machines will be used in 95 percent of land tilling work, 35
percent of cultivation and 70 percent of harvesting work, Doan Xuan Hoa,
deputy head of the Department of Agro-Forestry, Seafood Processing and Salt
Industry, said at a December 30 conference in
Those
figures would be 100 percent, 50 percent and 80 percent, respectively, in
2020.
However,
Hoa also said he worried about high prices of the machines, as most of them
are imported.
To
reach the goals, the department has worked a number of measures, including
better planning of farming areas, improving agricultural infrastructure,
speeding up the application of high technology and attracting investment to
agricultural mechanisation.
Currently,
PM
pledges to back historical science association’s activities
Prime
Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has affirmed that the Government will support all
activities of the Vietnam Association of Historical Sciences (VAHS).
Visiting
the VAHS on December 30, PM Dung praised the efforts and achievements that
the association has made over the past years, especially in history research,
appraisal, consultations, publication and dissemination of historical
knowledge.
He
said he hopes the association will continue promoting what it has achieved
and better performing its functions and tasks, especially connecting the
historian circles and coordinating with relevant agencies to contribute to
developing the history sciences of
The
Government leader also urged the VAHS to stay more active in its operations
as well as in boosting cooperation with international historian circles.
He
listened to proposals and opinions of the association, including those
related to the operation expenditure of the Vietnam History Development Fund.
Established
in 1966, the VAHS is one of the first science associations in
The
5,000-strong association has really become a representative of the historian
circles nationwide.-
Teenage
heroine memorial complex starts to take shape
A
groundbreaking ceremony was held recently for a new memorial area honouring
martyr Vo Thi Sau, a national heroine who fought against the French
colonialists and was executed by them on an island in the Con Dao archipelago
in the southeastern
The
project, which will replace an older one, covers 2ha of land and includes a
memorial house and a park. It will be completed in July on the occasion of
the Day for War Martyrs and Invalids, which falls on July 27.
"This
development is for the well-known heroine Vo Thi Sau, a proud and brave
revolutionary symbol of patriotism, even in front of enemy guns," said
Le Xa, chairman of the district where the memorial will be built. He said Vo
Thi Sau would always remain a bright example for generations of Vietnamese.
Sau
was born in 1933 in Ba Ria and began her revolutionary career at the age of
14. Among her activities was a grenade attack on July 14, 1948, which killed
a French officer and injured 14 soldiers.
She
was arrested in early 1950 when she launched another attack. Sau was then put
in jail and given a death sentence in Chi Hoa Prison in the former Sai Gon.
Feared
for her strong and courageous revolutionary will, the French colonialists
shipped her to Con Dao and shot her on January 23, 1952 when she was 19.
Sau
refused to be blindfolded and sang until her final breath.
The
memorial project is part of a larger one, the Con Dao – Legend and Future,
which promotes cultural, social and economic development.
The
district chairman said the project would also have a talent development fund,
run a social welfare programme for the elderly and children, and upgrade an
existing library.
It
will also train Government employees, army members and then students and
others to become "tourism ambassadors".
Tourism
is a key part of the Con Dao islands' economy, thanks to its revolutionary
sites, the beauty of its beaches, scenic bays, coral reefs and the
Preservation-development
balance a headache to planners
When
architect Le Thanh Vinh returned to Cu Da, an old village located 30km away
from
Rapid
changes from urbanisation had almost completely erased the ancient features
of the village compared with photos he had taken nine years ago. Once a
fusion of French architectural style and rustic Vietnamese living and the
home of traditional soybean sauce, the town is but a shadow of its former
self.
"Anyone
who knows about the village would feel the same way. It's so sad to see
modern structures spoiling the authenticity of the village," Vinh told a
workshop dedicated to the preservation of ancient villages in
"With
the rapid pace of urbanisation, the preservation of ancient villages is
difficult to achieve, especially when we need to balance preservation and
development," said the head of the Institute for Relics Conservation
which hosted the conference on Friday.
Statistics
collected this year indicate that Cu Da is among 60 villages in
However,
conservation experts are concerned that such a "long list" poses a
challenge for policy makers. Many have cited the case of Duong Lam village,
the only village recognised as a national historical site, currently facing
obstacles with conservation efforts.
After
gaining official recognition as a heritage site, households in Duong Lam
signed a joint letter offering to revoke the village's heritage status,
citing the decision prohibiting residents from building houses or requiring
approval to conduct home repairs.
Professor
Hoang Dao Kinh from the National Cultural Heritage Council recognised there
were challenges in preserving
"It's
always a challenge for
However,
Kinh argued that conservation efforts should focus on what he describes as
"real heritage", saying: "We must be careful in recognising
them as a piece of heritage. We have so many relics but fail to preserve our
essential sites."
Dr
Dang Van Bai from the council agreed that
"Preservation
must ensure better living conditions for local residents. Human beings and
their need must be the focal point of this process," Bai said.
Professor
Pham Dinh Viet agreed preserving the villages meant balancing conservations
efforts with the needs of residential areas.
"The
community needs to play a vital role because they are owners of the
heritage," said Viet.
For
now, it appears progress is on the horison. In a bid to strengthen future
conservation efforts, participants at the conference discussed a potential
criteria for ancient villages eligible for heritage status.
In
further progress, participants also agreed that the daily life and
functioning of local communities was an essential criteria in preventing
future conflicts seen with Duong Lam village.
"They
need to benefit from the heritage but at the same time be accountable for its
existence," said Viet.
Importantly,
it appeared that everyone had their eye on the prize to preserve valuable
pieces of Vietnamese culture, said Professor Kinh.
"
Typhoon
victim recalls fight for survival
As
Nguyen Hung stepped foot at the
Along
the 600-km journey from the city to his hometown, the central
He
could have died in the
But
now, he was back in his homeland and on the way to meet his family.
The
former soldier, who used to serve in an artillery unit in 1986, said his unit
defended the Gac Ma (Johnson South) Reef in
But
returning home now had greater meaning, he said. Back then, he was single;
now, his wife and twin daughters were waiting for him.
He
arrived home at three in the morning. His parents, his wife and daughters
were all awake, waiting for their loved one.
He was
unable to stop his tears of happiness at seeing them.
"I
won't be able to forget my near-death experience in Tacloban," Hung
said, recalling the time when the typhoon made landfall.
"I
was sleeping when the house's roof was blown away by the fierce winds. When I
tried to hold on to the stairs, I was lifted up. I fell on the floor and was
injured," he said as he revealed deep cuts on his wrists.
But he
survived thanks to the helmet he wore at the time.
Four
hours later, the storm had passed, but the house had been destroyed, leaving
him and his nephew, Tran Van Quyen, with no food or water.
They
could not go outside because looting was rampant after the storm.
Filipino
neighbours who knew Hung for years eventually came and gave him some water
and biscuits they had received as part of food aid.
"At
those moments, all I thought about was death. And my family," he added.
"I
will never forget that when I had nothing left, it was human kindness that
saved me," he remarked.
After
five days, another Vietnamese found Hung and his nephew and helped them to
reach the Vietnamese Embassy in
As he
recounted his experience, Nguyen Duy Duc said he couldn't believe that he is
still alive. When the Haiyan typhoon struck, he, his son, Nguyen Nhat Duy,
and son-in-law, Huynh Tien Phat, were inside their home in Tacloban. The
powerful typhoon ripped apart the house's roof. They had to hang on to heavy
furniture, and wear motorbike helmets on their heads to protect themselves.
Along
with the winds, torrential waters soon rapidly flooded his house. The three
men were forced to flee outside and climb a coconut tree. But strong waves
started slamming against the tree, which was uprooted. Mountains of debris
slammed into the tree as it fell, and the men were pushed towards a
neighbour's two-storey house, which had also lost its roof. The three men
managed to jump onto the second-floor balcony and clung on for their lives.
For
four hours, they endured winds as fast and strong as a speeding train. They
cried and howled. When the storm passed, they saw that everything around them
had collapsed, except for the two-storey house, which had saved them. Most of
their neighbours had died and there was no clean water or food left.
They
swam through the high waters, crossed piles of debris with their shoeless
feet and navigated their way around hundreds of bodies as they walked towards
the centre of
Like
Hung and Duc, 24 other Vietnamese have also lost everything to the super
typhoon. The situation for them is even worse because many of them had
arrived in the
Nevertheless,
you could say that luck has still been on the typhoon victims' side. The
Vietnamese Embassy in
Officials
from the Vietnamese Embassy travelled to Ormoc and Tacloban to search for
Vietnamese victims and provided them with initial support. The Embassy
quickly issued new passports for those who lost theirs to the typhoon and
lodged applications to request the Philippines Bureau of Immigration to waive
tax and fines for the typhoon victims.
The
Philippines Bureau of Immigration, however, took some time before making its
decision, which added to the agony of the victims, who had nothing left.
But
human kindness shone through even in these dark times. Vietnamese families in
Ormoc, Cebu, Surigao, Tagbilaran and
As an
"eventful" year comes to an end, Nguyen Hung said he plans to enjoy
the New Year with his family.
He
said he would really miss the
He
even recalled one incident when a man ran after him to return the money he
had dropped.
But he
pointed out that he is happy now, since he can be closer to his loved ones.
"I
lost all the money I had earned and saved in the typhoon. Life is certainly
difficult now, but money means nothing if my wife lost her husband and my
daughters lost their father," he said.
"I'm
back. That's all they will ever need. And as a soldier, I will be fine,"
he added, smiling.
VNS/VNA/VOV
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Thứ Ba, 31 tháng 12, 2013
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