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Social News Headlines 22/2
First
dioxin detoxification centre opens in Danang
The
Danang Association for Victims of Agent Orange (AO)/Dioxin on February 20
inaugurated a detoxification and rehabilitation centre for AO victims, the
first of its kind in the central city of Danang.
Funded
by the US Harris Freeman Foundation with a total investment of nearly VND2.3
billion (US$108,000), the two-storey centre includes steam and rehabilitation
rooms.
Danang
is home to over 5,000 AO victims, more than 1,400 of whom are children.
From
1961 to 1971, the US Army sprayed more than 18.2 million gallons of Agent
Orange onto more than 10 percent of the land in southern
It is
estimated that more than 4.8 million Vietnamese were exposed to AO/dioxin.
Many of the victims have died, while millions of their descendants are living
with deformities and diseases due to its effects.
Entire
hydrofoils fleet unsafe
All
nine hydrofoils operating on the HCM City-Vung Tau route pose a threat to
passenger safety, an official inspection has found.
The
inspection, launched following an accident last month when a hydrofoil
suddenly burst into flames, detected multiple faults in the entire fleet of
nine hydrofoils.
In
operation for over 20 years, all the boats had hulls in "extremely bad
condition" in addition to many other technical problems, inspectors said
in a report.
They
also detected oil leaks in four of the nine hydrofoils and broken fuel pipes
in six. Three vessels were found having water leaks in the cockpit, cabin and
engine compartments, and four of them carried poor quality lifebuoys.
The
hydrofoils operated between
The
inspectors have recommended that the Ministry of Transport carry out a
comprehensive inspection of the hulls and have all technical problems fixed
before the vessels can resume operations. They have also advised
Last
month, a hydrofoil carrying 92 people, 85 passengers and seven crew members,
was travelling from
The
captain of the Vina Express hydrofoil attempted to control it and steer it to
the shores of the
The
accident forced all the passengers to jump into the river to escape from the
fire. Luckily, they were all rescued by passing ships and rescue teams.
The
final conclusions regarding the accident will be announced at the end of this
month.
From
2008-13, there have been two cases in which the hydrofoils have caught fire.
During this period, engine failures, waves breaking glass windows and
hydrofoils running aground have been fairly common occurrences, the
inspectors' report said.
The
hydrofoils have for long carried a reputation for not meeting safety
standards, it added.
One
killed, 5 injured in accident
One
person was killed and five were injured when a coach crashed into a container
truck on Highway 1A before dawn today.
The
accident took place in Xuan An Town in the central province Ha Tinh's Nghi
Xuan District. The coach, travelling in the south-north direction, crashed
into the container
truck
which was going in the opposite direction. The coach was seriously damaged
whereas the container truck hit an electric pole and tilted.
The
cause of the accident is being investigated.
Doctor
faces jail for surgery death
Nguyen
Manh Tuong, director of a cosmetic surgery centre, faces up to 10 years in
prison following a botched operation on a woman patient that led to her
death.
Tuong
has been charged with violating regulations on examination and treatment and
infringing on the rights governing human remains.
The
charges follow an indictment issued on Tuesday by the Ha Noi People's
Procuracy.
Tuong's
accomplice, Dao Quang Khanh, 18, a security guard at the centre, was also
charged for infringing on the rights governing human remains.
According
to the indictment, Tuong, 41, a doctor at Ha Noi-based
Khanh
also admitted stealing an Apple iPhone 5 smart phone, worth VND12 million
(US$560) from the victim's body before wrapping it and throwing it into the
river.
The
two suspects were arrested two days after throwing the patient's body into
the river. Police said that despite extensive searches, the victim's body had
still not been found.
Young
Vietnam,
Nearly
100 young scientists from
The
event, part of a British Council initiative, aims to create a global link
among young scientists and harness their talents to boost international
cooperation.
Participants
examined ways of fostering the relationship between governments, the business
community and universities for sustainable national development.
They
also touched upon issues relating to intellectual property,
commercialization, scientific research, innovation, as well as the
development of science and technology inVietnam.
External
relations and scientific research are essential for a global knowledge-based
economy, said Vietnam-based British Council Director, Chris Brown.
The
reality has is that scientists who are dynamic in the international arena
have proven more proficient in conducting research, he added.
The
“Connecting young scientists” initiative has attracted scientists from
renowned universities and organizations in the world.
It has
selected the Danang University of Polytechnics of
The
Aston University of the
Japanese
aid improves healthcare, education services
The
Japanese Government has agreed to provide US$352,080 in non-refundable aid to
help
Under
a sponsoring contract signed in
A
privately-run elderly care centre in
Additionally,
medical workers at the clinic will be afforded the opportunity in the future
to train in
The
Japanese Government will also provide funding for the construction of Cap
Trang primary school in Khang Ninh commune, Ba Be district,
Addressing
the signing ceremony, Japanese Envoy to Vietnam Hideo Suzuki stressed that
The
three Japanese-funded projects are expected to help Vietnamese localities
improve education and healthcare services, he said.
Environment
police join illegal poultry trade fight
The environment
police nationwide will lend a hand in preventing the dangerous avian
influenza currently striking other nations entering the country.
Bird
flu strains H7N9, H10N8, H5N2, H6N1 and H5N1 are circulating in many
countries and territories in Asia and those neighbouring
In
The
Environment Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security on
February 20 said its force continues to deploy measures to put off the trade
and transport of smuggled poultry and related products.
It
will work closely with other forces such as customs and market management to
reinforce inspections at breeding farms, markets selling live poultry and
areas where a bird flu outbreak could occur to promptly take measures to
prevent the disease spreading.
Earlier,
the northern border provinces were asked to intensify prevention measures
against avian influenza strains H5N1 and H7N9, which are likely to spread in
the coming time.
At an
online meeting with localities on February 18, Minister of Agriculture and
Rural Development Cao Duc Phat said the dangerous H7N9 strain has been
identified in
several
neighbouring countries, requesting ministries and forces to work closely with
border areas to thwart cross-border poultry smugglers.
According
the Veterinary Department, no H7N9 cases have been recorded in
Anti-corruption
initiative introduced in Vinh Long
Anti-corruption
officials in the southern region met and exchanged ideas and information at a
conference in the southern
The
event was held by the Government Inspectorate to introduce the 2014 Vietnam
Anti-Corruption Initiative (VACI) programme themed “More Transparency,
Integrity and Accountability”.
Speaking
at the event, Deputy Director General of the Department for Anti-Corruption
of the Government Inspectorate Ngo Manh Hung said the VACI has had positive
impacts on the effectiveness of the corruption fight.
Delegates
also shared experience on the implementation of projects relating to the
programme’s theme in the education sector in Vinh Long and the neighbouring
The
2014 VACI, jointly co-organised by the World Bank (WB) and the Government
Inspectorate, encompasses an innovation contest and a knowledge exchange
forum. The
best
initiatives will be announced in May.
This
year’s programme is the fourth event of the VACI series. The 24 best
initiatives out of the 130 proposals received last year were selected and
successfully implemented in the 2013 programme.
Poverty
reduction policies to be reviewed
Members
of the Central Steering Committee on Sustainable Poverty Reduction have
suggested policymakers review assistance policies on the issue carefully to
support
The
meeting, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh, was held in
A
report presented by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs
(MoLISA) revealed that the country saw an annual average poverty rate
reduction of 2% and a 5% fall in disadvantaged districts and communes from
2005-2012.
In
2013, 621,000 poor households were provided with preferential loans for
production development, and 13 million disadvantaged and ethnic people were
granted health insurance cards, according to the report.
The
poor had full access to preferential policies, thus helping reduce the
poverty rate and improving their living conditions, it added.
However,
the achievements were unstable, especially in mountainous and ethnic minority
populated regions where the number of poor households accounted for 50% of
the country’s total, said the report.
Deputy
PM Ninh also asked related ministries to reach a common view on making
suitable policies to ensure sustainable poverty reduction and strengthen
people’s awareness on the topic.
The
localities should apply the policies in a creative and effective manner based
on their own socio-economic conditions, he said.
The
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT/AusAID) has committed
AUD200,205 to a climate change project in
The
AUD224,065 project will be implemented over 2014-2015 in
The
project was announced at a workshop in
Vu Thi
Bich Hop, Executive Director of Sustainable Rural Development (SRD) and chief
coordinator of VNGO&CC, said approximately 100 civil society
organisations that are members of the VNGO&CC network in 23 cities and
provinces across
About
20 poor and ethnic minority communities will benefit indirectly from the
project she said.
VNGO&CC
was established in 2008 with the aim of coordinating and complementing the
Government's efforts in assisting poor Vietnamese people to cope with climate
change.
Over
the past 10 years, the US Red Cross (USRC) has helped
Nguyen
Hai Duong, President of the Vietnam Red Cross (VRC) Central Committee,
unveiled the figures at a meeting between the two Red Cross organisations in
Duong
noted bilateral relations have developed significantly, especially since USRC
set up its representative office in
The US
organisation has supported disabled people and Agent Orange victims in 9
provinces and cities, provided nutrition and hygiene knowledge for school
children in 6 provinces, and cared for HIV patients in 4 provinces and
cities.
It has
provided US$3.3 million for a climate change adaptation project in Nam Dinh
and Long An provinces.
For
its part, VRC has actively taken part in movements launched by the
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and assisted
Japan, Laos andCambodia in dealing with the consequences of natural
disasters. Notably, in 2005, the association together with Vietnamese people
supported victims of Hurricane Katrina in the
The
aid projects have contributed to strengthening friendship and relations
between
Duong
stressed
He
expressed hope international aid organisations, including USRC, will provide
additional assistance to help
USRC
Vice President Harold Wayne Brooks shared experiences in carrying out
humanity program. He said the two organisations should further promote
cooperation, especially in natural disaster mitigation, climate change
response and raising public awareness of climate change.
USRC
is committed to further supporting
USRC
delegates inspected two projects on disasters’ risks mitigation and HIV care
services in Quang
Domestic
workers need more skills
Many
domestic workers needed special vocational training to meet the current
demands of the job in big cities, according to experts.
Ngo
Ngoc Anh, director of the Research Centre for Gender, Family and Community
Development, said many workers were from rural areas, unemployed and often
lacked the skills to do housework or take care of the elderly and children.
However,
she said not many career introduction centres had the ability to arrange
training. They usually only handled those who had working experience and
introduced them to prospective employers.
Anh
said some centres had organised quick courses for middle-aged women, but
achieved little because of a lack of know how.
For
example, about 110 labourers took a week-long vocational training course in a
centre in northern Phu Tho Province, but only one-third met the centre's
requirement that trainees have experience with modern machines.
Tran
Duc Day, head of the Hai Phong-based Industrial Career and Tourism Vocational
Training Centre, said the need for facilities to train professional domestic
workers was urgent, but there were no standard curriculum in the field.
"Many
centres, including us, must bear the responsibility for devising a course and
its content," he said.
"However,
the effectiveness of training will be restricted until an official curriculum
is launched."
Day
said that as far as he knew none of the vocational training centres in the
city had courses on the subject.
Tran
Manh Hung, head of a private career introduction centre in Ha Noi's
Hung
said he usually hired students, graduates, retired people and middle-aged
women to do the job, but there were not enough to meet demand. However, he
said only afew could do the work smoothly and professionally.
"These
people prefer going to work in Taiwan, Malaysia or Saudi Arabia as they can
earn up to VND8.4 million (US$400 plus) a month and have all their insurance
paid," he said.
Figures
from the centre show that by the end of next year, the number of domestic
workers would be 63 per cent above that of 2008 – from 157,000 to 246,000.
Most of them will be women. Most employers get their domestic workers from
their acquaintances instead of asking professional centres. There are no
checks on quality or competence.
Nguyen
Thu Trang, from Ha Noi's
"Few
know how to do the housework. It takes them at least a month to get used to
my family's daily schedule and habits," she said.
Experts
in the field said that an official outline of job training and specific
criteria for granting certificates, would help vocational centres build
identical training programmes.
They
agree that this should be done before the Law on Labour is launched in the
near future.
Employees
look for far more than an increase in pay
Apart
from salary, a fair bonus, opportunity for career growth, competent
leadership, and working environment are also major factors in attracting and
retaining talented employees, human resource executives have said.
Speaking
at a forum held last Friday in connection with an awards ceremony to honour
"The 100 Best Places to Work," Bui Thi Thanh Thuy, deputy director
of HR at Prudential Vietnam, said: "Payroll as well as benefits should
be based on fair performance assessment."
Talented
and young employees would consider growth opportunities as important as the
pay, she said, adding that her company has a talent management programme for
promising employees.
Vu
Minh Tri, general director of Microsoft
"Strong
leadership will make profits for businesses, resulting in good salaries and
bonuses."
Truong
Quoc Anh Vu, director of the human resource management department at HSBC
Vietnam, said career growth opportunities and training are factors that make
employees devoted and loyal to their companies.
His
company offers opportunities for employees to work in other countries and
territories where it has operations, Vu said.
An
active and creative working environment where employees can learn from each
other and nurture aspirations for professional growth is also very important,
he said.
Total
rewards, growth opportunity, culture and values, leadership, work and life
quality, and company reputation are the six main criteria for rating employer
brand value, Thanh Nguyen, CEO of Anphabe, a HR company, said.
Anphabe
has created a framework to evaluate Employer Brand, the first of its kind in
It was
used as a benchmark for 100 Best Places to Work survey.
Unilever,
P&G, Vinamilk, Nestle, IBM, Abbott, HSBC, Vietcombank, Microsoft, and
Coca Cola head the list of best employers.
It
also nominated leading companies in 25 industries - like HSBC in banking/
financial services, Microsoft in IT-software, Unilever in FMCG, Samsung in
electronics/ electricals/ components, and Prudential in insurance.
The
online survey was done in October – December with support from global market
research company Nielsen, polling more than 9,000 professionals working in
more than 1,000 companies in 25 industries in
The
survey would be useful to companies in carrying out practical innovations to
create better working places and satisfy employee expectations, Thanh said.
Ha
Noi to upgrade major bus terminal
Ha
Noi's most crowded bus terminal, My Dinh in Tu Liem District, will be
upgraded to ease traffic congestion and chaos, the municipal administration
has decided.
It has
approved a project estimated to cost US$2.47 million that will cover an area
of 13,000sq.m. The project will build new parking lots, internal roads and
service houses, and install new lighting and fencing. It will also plant
trees in the station.
The Ha
Noi Transport Corporation, appointed project investor, will draw funds from
the State Budget. The upgrade is scheduled to commence in the first quarter
of this year.
When
the My Dinh Station opened in 2004, it was receiving about 300 buses a day.
However, sharp increases in travelling demand and urbanisation pushed this to
about 1,200 buses a day in 2009 and 1,300 buses a day last year.
According
to the Ministry of Transport, poor management and application of technology
has led to improper ways of controlling departures and arrivals at the
terminal, leading to severe congestion, especially during peak hours.
Volunteer
doctors sought for poor areas
The
health sector will launch a project encouraging young doctors to volunteer to
work in the country's 62 poverty-stricken districts in the northern
mountainous
This
is part of activities to celebrate the Vietnamese Doctors' Day (February 27)
this year, announced Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long at a press
conference in Ha Noi yesterday.
On the
occasion, it will also hold an online conference on the sector's 2014 tasks
with the participation of leaders and officials nationwide, Long said.
Japanese
firms meet Ba Ria-Vung Tau students
Representatives
from Japanese enterprises provided an overview of their country’s development
and talked about job orientation with students of the southern
Ba
Ria-Vung Tau province and the northern port city of
At the
events, they also discussed issues related to culture, foreign languages and
professional skills with students of the Ba Ria-Vung Tau University and the
provincial vocational training college.
The
seminars enabled the two institutes to better understand Japanese
enterprises’ demand for suitable education and training plans in the future.
At
present, 120 students of the Ba Ria-Vung Tau University are pursuing Japanese
studies. Meanwhile, the provincial vocational training college is offering
training courses following Japanese standards.
Poor
students in Tra Vinh receive support
The
Department of State Reserves in the Mekong Delta region on February 20
presented 146 tonnes of rice to disadvantaged students in Tra Vinh province.
Tra
Vinh is the only locality in the region to benefit from the programme, under
which each of the 2,000 beneficiaries received 75 kg of rice in the first
semester of the 2013-2014 school year.
The
programme forms part of activities launched in the province to assist
students in difficulty.
Last
year, over 32 billion VND (1.5 million USD) was collected from various
resources in order to encourage poor and ethnic students to attend school.
Tra
Vinh has more than 160,000 students, of which 31.4 percent are Khmer and 32
percent belong to poor families.
Red
Cross highlights climate change cooperation
The
Vietnam Red Cross (VRC) and the American Red Cross (ARC) should develop their
cooperation programmes, particularly in disaster prevention, climate change
adaptation and community awareness improvement, Senior Vice President of
ARC’s International Operations Harold Wayne Brooks has said.
Brooks
made the suggestion at a working session with the VRC in
The
ARC pledged to continue its collaboration and assistance to Vietnam together
with boosting relations between the two organisations as well as both Vietnam
and the US in humanitarian activities.
According
to VRC Chairman Nguyen Hai Duong, since the ARC set up its representative
office in
21
provinces with over half a million beneficiaries. It has also provided more
than 3.3 million USD for the
As one
of the countries most vulnerable to climate change,
On
this occasion, the ARC reviewed the implementation of the Disaster Risk
Reduction Expanded Programme in Quang
another
giving support to HIV patients in Thai Nguyen and Son La provinces, Hai Phong
city and
Activities
celebrate Vietnamese Doctors’ Day
A
number of activities will be held to respond to the Vietnamese Doctors’ Day
(February 27), said Deputy Minister Nguyen Thanh Long at a press conference
in
The
health sector will launch a project encouraging young voluntary doctors to
work in 62 poor districts of the northern mountainous
The
sector focuses on bettering its healthcare system and services at all grassroots
level, enhancing medical staff training, and simplifying administrative
procedures while raising the public awareness of healthcare.
In
2013, the United Nations acknowledged
Latest
data from the UN shows that the rate of malnourishment in children under five
is declining by around 1.5 percent a year in
Despite
encountering numerous challenges posed by infectious and new and
unpredictable outbreaks, last year the health sector took swift measures to
prevent the spread of diseases, as well as ensured environmental sanitation
and intensified monitoring work.
Hanoi
takes action against measles, bird flu
The
Hanoi Department of Health on February 20 convened an urgent meeting, calling
on drastic actions against measles, and A/H7N9 and A/H5N1 avian influenza.
As a
large tourism centre, the capital city welcomes about 2,000 visitors from
A/H5N1
bird flu has struck 11 cities and provinces across the country, including
A/H5N1
has so far this year killed two people in the southern provinces of Binh
Phuoc and Dong Thap.
The
municipal health sector has tightened inspections at the Noi Bai
international airport and among the community, detected suspected cases as
soon as possible, strengthened anti-bird flu teams and increased public
awareness.
Regarding
measles, Deputy Director of Health Department Hoang Duc Hanh said the disease
has broken out in the city with 145 cases recorded since December last year.
Most
of them are under-five-year-old children who have yet to be vaccinated or
failed to receive a repeat vaccination, the official said.
In
order to stop the disease from further spreading, the municipal health sector
has conducted environmental detoxification and prepared chemicals against the
disease.
Children
who have not yet been vaccinated will be inoculated this month.-
Environment
police join illegal poultry trade fight
The
environment police nationwide will lend a hand in preventing the dangerous avian
influenza currently striking other nations entering the country.
Bird
flu strains H7N9, H10N8, H5N2, H6N1 and H5N1 are circulating in many
countries and territories in Asia and those neighbouring
In
The
Environment Police Department of the Ministry of Public Security on February
20 said its force continues to deploy measures to put off the trade and
transport of smuggled fowl and poultry products.
It
will work closely with other forces such as customs and market management to
reinforce inspections at breeding farms, markets selling live poultry and
areas where a bir
flu
outbreak could occur to promptly take measures to prevent the disease
spreading.
Earlier,
the northern border provinces were asked to intensify prevention measures
against avian influenza strains H5N1 and H7N9, which are likely to spread in
the coming time.
At an
online meeting with localities on February 18, Minister of Agriculture and
Rural Development Cao Duc Phat said the dangerous H7N9 strain had been
identified in several neighbouring countries, requesting ministries and
forces to work closely with border areas to thwart cross-border poultry
smugglers.
According
to Head of the Veterinary Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and
Rural Development, Pham Van Dong, no H7N9 cases have been recorded in
Abattoirs
cause concern in fight against bird flu
The
management of food markets and abattoirs in the northern border
The
function heard that there are now 136 markets across Quang Ninh. Some 80
percent of slaughtered cattle and poultry are inspected to certify they are
fit for consumption, yet a large proportion of meat on sale is infected with
bacteria.
As
many as 978 private abattoirs are dotted among residential areas and markets,
most not meeting hygienic standards while the province has only three
centralised abattoirs at present.
Vice
Chairwoman of the provincial People’s Committee Vu Thi Thu Thuy said to cope
with the risks of bird flu, it is of critical importance to intensify control
of live poultry, prevent and severely punish those trading smuggled poultry
or selling meat of unknown origin or poor quality.
Localities
also need to overhaul their market and abattoir planning, she added.
As of
February 18, 11 provinces nationwide had reported 24 outbreaks, with more
than 50,000 infected poultry being destroyed.
CanCham
hosts logo design contest
The
Canadian Chamber of Commerce in
CanCham is looking for a logo that is unique and also contemporary and
captivating. As CanCham is a professional business association, the
logo should also convey a related theme. The organizer seeks innovative ways
to capture the brand of
First prize winner will bring home a prize package worth VND15 million. The
top three runners-up will receive recognition and a prize valued at VND3
million.
Online voting will take place on CanCham’s Facebook page with the logo
receiving the most unique “Likes” automatically entered into the final round.
There is a jury of Vietnamese celebrities, designers and Canadians to judge
the winners, including David Devine, Canadian Ambassador to Vietnam, Nguyen
Dang Khoa, vice director of Becamex, Antony Nezic, vice president of CanCham,
actress Mai Thu Huyen, Nguyen Ngan, design director of Caudex Strategies, Le
Hong Thuy from HTV and Tran Van Viet, chairman of DD Group Architecture.
Deadline for registration is March 10. The results will be announced on March
27.
For further information, visit www.canchamvietnam.org.
March
opening for
Hong
Kong Airlines is planning to launch a three day a week route between Hong
Kong and
The
new route will bring the carrier’s weekly flight total in
“The
new service marks an important milestone in our development in the Vietnamese
market, where we opened our first route to
The
flights will depart Hong Kong at 12:20pm, arrive in
Source: SGT/SGGP/VNS/VNA/VOV
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Thứ Sáu, 21 tháng 2, 2014
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