Social News Headlines 24/2 Paying US visa fees via post office The US Embassy in Hanoi and its Consulate General in HCM City announce the launch of a new visa processing service for the US at post offices nationwide from Feb. 22. Those applying to the US can pay the visa fees at the post office when they provide their CGI-Reference Number. The post office will then transfer the visa fees to the relevant US agency involved in granting visas. Applicants do not pay the transfer fee. The new regulation is applied for non-immigrant visa (DS-160) and finance visa (K). Visa applicants can get further information at the official website of the US Embassy in Vietnam and complete procedures online before paying the visa fee at the post office. As from April 1, all visa applications must be sent through the post office service. 3rd person dies from rabies in Thanh Hoa Three people have died after being bitten by rabid dogs since the beginning of the year in north central Thanh Hoa Province, according to the province's Preventive Medicine Centre. Authorities have warned residents about the outbreak of rabies. The 3rd victim, a 52-year-old man from the province's Quan Hoa District, was reportedly bitten by a dog last December and hospitalised early in February after exhibiting symptoms that included a high fever, fear of water and wind, and delusions. Authorities have also reported that a 55-year-old man and 4-year-old boy died last month after being infected with rabies. The province's Agriculture and Rural Development Department has urged local authorities to tighten controls and conduct preventive measures, including seizing all street dogs and cats and banning the sale of dogs. The province's Animal Health Department also delivered 1,000 doses of vaccines and chemicals to be used to decontaminate the area. Traffic accident leaves two dead in Hung Yen Two people were killed and five others, including two children, were injured yesterday after a truck carrying sand collided with a coach transporting 16 persons. The accident occurred along a stretch of National Highway 39A in northern Hung Yen Province. The vehicles collided as they were traveling in opposite directions, causing the coach to plunge into a canal near the road. Local police are investigating the accident. Gov't helps with flood-proof housing As many as 40,000 families in central provinces will receive financial assistance to build flood-proof houses under a Ministry of Construction proposal approved by the Government on February 20. To qualify for assistance, households must be located in remote flood-prone villages in the 13 provinces that include Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh and Da Nang City. The programme will help 15,000 poor families in 2014, using VND156 billion (US$7.4 million) from the State budget. Another 25,000 households will receive support in 2015, Tuoi Tre (Youth) reports. Each household will receive VND10 million ($480) each, while families living in remote areas that face great difficulties will receive VND12 million (nearly $600) each. They will also be able to apply for preferential loans of up to VND 15 million ($700) from social policy banks. The project costs some VND1 trillion ($48 million), much less than the cost of repairs in the aftermath of floods the Government allocated to four central provinces recently . Smuggled goods seized in HCMC HCM City's Sai Gon Port Customs Division yesterday seized two consignments carrying over 27 tonnes of goods, worth about US$12,000, including banned items being smuggled into the country from China. According to the division, Trung Hai Import-Export Co Ltd was the owner of the consignments. The company was charged with falsifying the names of many of the goods. In the consignments, customs officials discovered plastic baby dolls for children under the age of 3, gumball candy and anaesthetic drugs instead of the printing papers, gift boxes, and suitcases listed on the registration documents. The company had previously been caught illegally importing a large amount of goods in early January. No Vietnamese deaths reported in Ukraine violence No Vietnamese casualties have been reported after the latest violent clashes in Ukraine, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed. Violence has increased in recent days as anti-government protestors have fought with police on the streets, leaving many dead. There are about 10,000 Vietnamese nationals residing in the European country, mainly in the major cities of Kharkov, Odessa, Kiev, Donetsk and Kherson, according to the ministry. When the violence escalated, the foreign ministry asked the Vietnamese Embassy in Ukraine to inform Vietnamese communities of unsecure places to avoid. The embassy is closely following the situation to protect Vietnamese citizens. Vietnamese people in Ukraine can contact the embassy through the hotlines +380503320535/ +380503359097, and their relatives in Vietnam can contact the Hanoi-based Consular Department at +84918370497 to receive immediate assistance in case of emergency. Taiwan employment services suspended Some 14 companies were suspended from sending labourers to Taiwan, for 45–60 days since Thursday, by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs' Department of Overseas Labour. The suspension came after these companies collected brokerage fees higher than the permitted amount and deducted a higher deposit from labourers' wages than regulated. The companies include the Viet Nam General Import–Export and Technological Transfer Joint Stock Company (Vinagimex) and the Viet Nam Trading Engineering Construction Joint Stock Corporation (Vietracimex). Driver fined for illegal waste disposal An automobile driver received a fine of some VND13 million (US$610) on Thursday for illegally pouring construction waste onto Buoi Street in Ha Noi's Cau Giay District the same day. The driver failed to present his driving licence and vehicle registration certificate to inspectors from the city's Transport Department when he was caught red-handed. In addition, his vehicle's technical safety and environmental protection certificate had expired. He was forced to clean up the waste, and his car was temporarily seized. Anti-smoking campaign launched An anti-smoking publicity campaign was launched on February 22 in a bid to raise people’s awareness on the ill effects the habit brings to both smokers and non-smokers. The initiative, co-organised by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee and the Ministry of Health, hopes to help enforce the Law on Tobacco Harm Prevention by utilising the mass media to spread the anti-smoking message. As part of the campaign, a photo, video and poster contest themed “Life without Tobacco Smoke” opened across social networks encouraging youngsters to creatively promote the message that smoking is bad for health and the environment. Contestants can now submit their work online at facebook.com/Vn0khoithuoc until May 31. An Apple iPad is the first prize in each category. According to Gabit Ismailov from the World Health Organisation (WHO), Vietnam has conducted a lot of effective activities against smoking. However, the country should exert more efforts to build a smoke free environment, especially around youngsters, he said. According to the WHO, smoking is among the top causes of death in the world, killing 6 million people every year. Research shows that raising public awareness is among most effective measures to reduce smoking. It is part of WHO’s strategy to reduce the consumption of cigarettes and cigarette products. According to 2010 statistics, 47 percent of Vietnamese men and 1.4 percent of women above the age of 15 are smokers, equivalent to 15 million people. In additional, 73 percent of adults in Vietnam are exposed to tobacco smoke in their home, while 55 percent of working people are passively affected by the smoke in their workplace. Vietnam is one of 15 countries with the highest rate of cigarette smoking in the world, according to the Vietnam Steering Committee on Smoking and Health. Tobacco use is the cause of 40,000 deaths in the country each year, according to the committee. The Law on Tobacco Harm Prevention took effect on May 1, 2013 as part of the Government’s efforts to improve the situation. The law prohibits selling tobacco to people under 18 years old and bans smoking in public places. It also requires cigarette manufacturers to include health warnings on the front and back of cigarette packages. VN at risk of avian flu attacks   Although no avian flu infections of the new H7N9 strain have been reported in poultry or humans so far, the likelihood of outbreaks in Viet Nam is high, needing utmost vigilance in detection and prevention efforts, senior officials said yesterday. Addressing an online conference, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam stressed the need for close co-operation between the Ministry of Health and other agencies to tackle upcoming challenges from dangerous diseases like the H5N1 and H7N9 strains of avian flu. "Disease prevention would need the involvement of not just the health, agriculture, industry and trade ministries but the entire political apparatus," Dam said. He said that the health sector should step up preparations for preventing the spread and limiting the damage caused by new types of avian influenza like H7N9, despite the fact that the disease is yet to enter the country. He asked relevant sectors and the mass media to improve communication and strengthen public awareness of disease prevention. Tran Dac Phu, director of the health ministry's Preventive Medicine Departmentm warned: "To date, no avian influenza H7N9 case has been reported, both in humans or poultry. However, the country has been facing a very high risk due to the sudden increase in H7N9 infection cases in neighbouring provinces of China." He said the A/H7N9 virus is likely to enter Viet Nam via smuggled poultry, since this is rife in the country's porous border areas, where a lot of cross-border trade takes place in many items including poultry and poultry products. Cross-border tourism further complicates the situation, as people move to and from disease-stricken areas, Phu said. According to the health ministry, two people have died of the H5N1 avian flu strain in the first two months of this year in the southern provinces of Binh Phuoc and Dong Thap, bringing the total number of infections since 2003 to 126, including 64 fatalities, in 41 provinces and cities. The country has also recorded a total of 64 H5N1 infections in poultry since beginning of this year. Ministry officials also called for strengthened disease supervision at border gates, hospitals and main flu surveillance sites so as to detect infections early. This is needed to localise and control outbreaks, preventing diseases from spreading wider, they said. They reported at the meeting that five joint-ministerial teams would carry out inspections in provinces and cities where poultry is imported into the country. Meanwhile, officials in such localities said they are taking additional steps to improve vigilance and action against the avian flu viruses. Ly Quang Vinh, Deputy Chairman of the Lang Son People's Committee, said that the northern province, which shares a long border with China, has established 14 inspection stations working all day and night to check poultry transportation and prevent smuggling. Vinh said that there was very high risk of the H7N9 avian flu strain entering the country through Lang Son's borders due to rampant poultry smuggling that happens through cross-border trade. In the southern province of Dong Thap, People's Committee Vice Chairwoman Tran Thi Thai said that they were facing the challenge of inadequate awareness and knowledge of disease prevention among residents. Many people have continued to eat the meat of sick fowls even after being informed that doing so exposes them to the risk of contracting bird flue, she said. Takeshi Kasai, country representative of the World Health Organisation's office in Viet Nam, advised that the Health Ministry collaborates closely with the veterinary sector in disease supervision, mass communication and carrying out urgent measures for preventing the dangerous disease from entering Viet Nam. Kasai suggested that people should diligently practice basic disease prevention measures such as washing hands with soap, ensuring food safety and hygiene by eating well cooked food and drinking boiled water. They should also not transport, trade in, slaughter or eat sick or dead poultry, he said. Measles vaccination Officials said at the meeting that the health sector will also carry out a supplemental campaign on measles vaccination in efforts to minimise their occurrence in some provinces and eliminate the disease in the country soon. The campaign targets at least 95 per cent of around 200,000 children, aged 9 months to 2 years, who haven't received enough doses of the measles vaccination under the National Expanded Programme on Immunisation. The officials reported that the measles vaccine has been provided free of charge to more than 90 per cent of 9-month-old children under the national programme since 1993. They noted that measles was a benign disease for the most part, but had the potential of causing serious complications and even death. An increasing number of measles cases has been reported recently in the country recently due to low vaccination rates in some provinces, especially mountainous and remote areas, and outbreaks in neighbouring countries, officials said. Since late 2013, measles infections have been reported in 18 provinces and cities of the country, the meeting heard. Localities with a high number of measles infections include Yen Bai, Lao Cai, Son La, HCM City and Ha Noi, officials said. Deputy PM urges concerted fight against measles, bird flu Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has called on relevant authorities to closely coordinate with each other in the fight against measles and bird flu that are plaguing localities nationwide. The official made the order while chairing a teleconference held by the Health Ministry in Hanoi on February 23, during which he called on the Ministries of Health, and Agriculture and Rural Development to put concrete prevention guidelines into place. Highlighting information work, Deputy PM Dam asked State agencies at all levels to promptly provide information to the media in a full and accurate manner. Health experts have attributed the ongoing outbreak of measles to the low rate of vaccinated children in previous years and Dam suggested that the health sector reduce risks in vaccination and raise public awareness of its effectiveness. About 200,000 children will be vaccinated against measles in the time ahead, the conference heard. Regarding bird flu, the official urged the ministries to contain the spread of A/H7N9 avian influenza with strong policies, although no cases of this virus have been reported in Vietnam so far. According to the Health Ministry, there is a high risk that the new strain of avian influenza could enter Vietnam via the border line as the disease is troubling neighbouring China. The number of A/H5N1 human cases will rise in the coming time, the ministry said, adding the virus killed two people in the southern provinces of BinhPhuoc and Dong Thap in the first two months of this year. A total of 126 cases have been reported in Vietnam since 2003 when the first case of A/H5N1 was recorded, including 64 deaths in 41 cities and provinces. Draft project on urban authority model of Danang Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on February 21 chaired a meeting with leaders from central ministries and sectors to discuss the draft of a new urban authority model for the central city of Danang. The new model aims to more comprehensively deal with major issues related to urban development and more effectively bring the role and status of the city and the nation as a whole into full play. It will also have more flexibility and better allow for management to make adjustments to adapt to the specific needs of each specific residential community and territorial administrative unit. The revised 2013 Constitution acknowledged urban and rural administration models in Vietnam. There was general high consensus by participants at the meeting that implementing the new urban authority model is a step in the right direction and consistent with the needs of the city for urbanization. The Politburo has previously adopted the new urban authority model and the new regime has been given effect at district and ward level people’s councils for the last two years, Phuc noted. Japanese aid improves healthcare, education services The Japanese Government has agreed to provide US$352,080 in non-refundable aid to help Vietnam implement three projects on education and health care. Under a sponsoring contract signed in Hanoi on February 20, the aid will be channeled into Bac Kan, Ha Nam and Hanoi – all in the northern region of Vietnam. A privately-run elderly care centre in Hanoi’s outlying district of Dong Anh will receive financial support to purchase medical equipment. Additionally, medical workers at the clinic will be afforded the opportunity in the future to train in Japan as part of a Japan-Vietnam Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) programme. The Japanese Government will also provide funding for the construction of Cap Trang primary school in Khang Ninh commune, Ba Be district, Bac Kan province and Duc Ly primary school in Ly Nhan district, Ha Nam province. Addressing the signing ceremony, Japanese Envoy to Vietnam Hideo Suzuki stressed that Japan gives priority to Vietnam’s education sector. The three Japanese-funded projects are expected to help Vietnamese localities improve education and healthcare services, he said. Cold spell wreaks havoc in north The third cold spell of this year has killed hundreds of cattle and damaged thousands of hectares of rice, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The northern mountainous provinces of Lao Cai and Ha Giang have suffered the greatest losses after temperatures dipped below zero degrees Celsius in some areas. Deputy Director of the Lao Cai Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Van Tuyen said nearly 300 heads of livestock in the province were killed by the cold spell, which has plagued the area since early this month, bringing the total number of dead cattle to 799 so far this year. Freezing weather also damaged many hectares of crops, fruit and rice, he noted. Giang A. Thinh from Sa Pa District claimed he has lost two buffaloes due to the cold snap so far this year. One live buffalo can be sold for VND17-18 million (US$800-860), but a dead one will only fetch VND3-5 million ($140-240), he remarked. According to the ministry's statistics, nearly 2,200 cattle across the country have died due to the cold spell so far this year, including buffaloes, cows, horses and goats. Cold spells have destroyed thousands of hectares of rice in many provinces. Bac Giang and Ha Nam provinces reported some 3,000-4,000 hectares of rice were damaged by the cold weather. Harsh weather conditions have also led to many people being hospitalised, particularly children and the elderly. The deputy director of the general hospital in Ha Giang's Bac Quang District said the hospital had received 150 people each day for health evaluations and treatment, up 10-15 per cent in comparison with warmer days. Common ailments and diseases included sore throats and bronchitis, he said. Vietnamese, Korean language contest winners named Winners of the seventh Vietnamese and Korean Language Speaking Contest were named in Da Nang on February 22. Phan Thi Thuy Dung from the Da Nang University of Foreign Languages won the special prize - a scholarship for a master’s course at the Foreign Language University in the Republic of Korea. Seo Min Young from Ho Chi Minh City’s Social Science and Humanity University became the best Korean student, with a special prize of 2,000 USD. The next biggest prize, worth 1,500 USD, came to Thai Thi Kim Phuong from Ho Chi Minh City’s Social Science and Humanity University, and Jang Hye Jin from the Hanoi University of Teachers’ Training. Launched in 2007, the contest has drawn the participation of Vietnamese and Korean students studying in different colleges in Vietnam. Deputy PM declares open new hospital building in Da Nang Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on February 22 cut the ribbon to inaugurate an 11-storey multifunction building of the C Hospital in the central city of Da Nang. The new building, a key hospital in the region, has a total area of 24,000 cubic metres, 450 beds and was built at a cost of 220 billion VND (10.34 million USD). Addressing the opening ceremony, Deputy PM Phuc praised doctors, nurses and staff of the hospital for their strong performance over many years in making the hospital one of the top of it kind in the region. On the occasion, the Deputy PM presented the Independence Order second class to the hospital. Originating from a field hospital launched in 1975, the hospital later specialised in providing health care services to senior state and Party officials as well as locals in the central and Central Highlands regions. The Da Nang C Hospital now has 800 beds and 42 faculties, with 600 staff. Every year the hospital provides treatment to over 250,000 outpatients and 15,000 inpatients from regional localities.- Youth Union plans big things for 2014 Planting trees, building urban civilization and new-style rural areas are among various activities planned in the 2014 Voluntary Youth Year. At a teleconference on February 21, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee announced that during the year, young people will also participate in work to bring about better social well-being. In the first half of this year, the committee will accelerate the education of traditions among the youth while encouraging them to get involved in socio-economic development and national defence. Discovering how to improve the operation of youth unions at all levels, especially disadvantaged, coastal, ethnic and religious areas, is also one of the year’s main tasks, heard the conference. Over the past 15 years, the voluntary youth campaign has spread widely, with tens of millions of students taking part, during which time they have raised their sense of responsibility for national construction. HCM City, Binh Phuoc to boost partnership across the board Leaders of Ho Chi Minh City and the southern province of Binh Phuoc on February 21 signed a cooperation agreement for the 2014-2020 period, under which both sides will further across-the-board cooperation. The signing took place at a conference reviewing their 2006-2013 socio-economic and cultural connection and set working orientations for the 2014-2020 period. The top priority will be given to agriculture, such as rubber cultivation, forestation, technology transfer and development of safe vegetable growing and consumption areas. They will share ways to implement the national target programme on construction of new rural areas while working more closely together in transport, water supply and drainage, information technology, health care and human resources training. Secretary of Binh Phuoc provincial Party Committee Nguyen Tan Hung expressed a wish for HCM City’s investors to pour capital into the province, saying that they will receive all possible support in infrastructure, policies and administrative procedures. He said he hopes HCM City will also share its expertise in investment, urban management, planning and telecommunications. Over the past 8 years, both localities have seen progress in trade, tourism, agriculture and rural development with various business operations benefiting local residents. On the occasion, the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development signed a memorandum of understanding on animal husbandry and hi-tech eggplant cultivation with the city’s firms. Intelligent transportation system needed for traffic safety The use of intelligent transportation system (ITS) applications in Vietnam in accordance with the global trends is of critical importance, a workshop heard in Ho Chi Minh City on February 21. Experts said Vietnam now has more than 31 million motorcycles and 1.6 million other automobiles of all kinds, with the figures forecast to zoom up in the coming time. They warned that a lack of traffic safety and environmental pollution are very real risks if measures are not taken to ease the situation. As the country has poor traffic infrastructure and commuters are unaware of many road laws, the use of the ITS to control traffic in an effective way is invaluable, they stated. According to the Department of Science and Technology under the Transport Ministry, ITS applications include various items, for example traffic cameras or devices to monitor the weight of vehicles and speed. ITS technology has been put into use on several highways, such as National Highway No. 3, the HCM City – Trung Luong Highway and the Cau Gie – Ninh Binh Highway. However, participants said the application of the smart system in Vietnam has encountered an array of challenges, such as a lack of investment capital and a shortage of ITS workers who meet technical standards. They therefore urged the country to devise standards, train staff, build traffic steering centres for each region and call for investment into the system. ADB unveils grant to aid Asian firms with job creation The Asian Development Bank (ADB) launched on February 21 a grant of 3.6 million USD to assist Asian companies targeting poor and low-income communities. Xinhua News Agency cited the Manila-based lender as saying the grant will help firms develop new business models relevant to the poor and those on low incomes and assess the social impact of such activities. The grant will focus on "inclusive businesses," or enterprises and projects that make both profits and provide goods, services and jobs for those living on less than 3 USD a day. ADB said around 60 percent of Asia 's population live on this small sum. ADB said among the projects that may be supported by the grant this year are a cacao project and seafarers scholarships in the Philippines , spice production in Cambodia and India , and a water project in China . Apart from ADB, the Swedish government and Credit Suisse, an international financial services company, also financed the grant. Vietnam active in sustainable development The Vietnamese Government has become actively involved in many regional and global activities promoting sustainable growth, in line with its extensive national strategy. This was highlighted by Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam at a business forum held in Hanoi on February 21. He said environmental protection, climate change adaptation and social security improvement will always lie at the heart of Vietnam’s sustainable development programmes. Pratibha Mehta, UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam, hailed the Vietnamese business community, represented by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), for their green growth efforts. She underlined the importance of the partnership between the Vietnamese Government and its businesspeople, which helps to put forth specific policies facilitating and encouraging local enterprises to make more contributions to sustainable growth. Participants discussed efficient energy usage, responses to climate change and new business models highlighting social enterprise. Source: VNA/VNS/VOV