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Social
News 28/8
Chinese
counterfeiters sentenced to jail
The People's Court
in northern
Xiong Jie (35) was
sentenced to 17 years, Lin Wei (50) and Lin Li Hua (33) were given 14 years
each while Lin Jia Jun (21) received 12 years.
They were all
convicted on charges of using the computer and telecommunications networks,
the Internet and digital equipment to illegally appropriate assets.
According to the
indictment, between March 16-26 last year, the four suspects and two others
said to have absconded completed 196 transactions using forged cards. They
collected more than US$183,300 from Vietcombank and Vietinbank.
The court asked
police to investigate three Hai Phong-based companies whose directors and
staff are suspected of helping the Chinese commit the fraud.
Worker
suffocates in Quang Ninh mine
A worker is
reported to have died yesterday from suffocation at a coal mine in the
Nguyen Van Tao, 29,
from northern Hung Yen province, was working at a mine run by the Thong Nhat
Coal Company with other miners.
He then went into
an abandoned mine to dig coal, but did not emerge after about 15-20 minutes.
He was later found dead by other workers. An initial investigation said he
died from suffocation.
Vaccination
shipment to ease local shortages
About 30,000 doses
of "five-in-one" vaccine and 200,000 doses of
"six-in-one" vaccine will be imported next month to use in the
nation's immunisation programme, said Nguyen Tran Hien, director of the
programme.
The
"five-in-one" vaccine protects against diphtheria, tetanus,
whooping cough, polio and haemophilus influenza type B. The
"six-in-one" vaccine also protects against hepatitis B.
The importation
would ease a shortage of vaccines since the beginning of this year, said
Hien.
The Ministry of
Health supplies 11 free vaccines, including those against tuberculosis,
diphtheria, polio and whooping cough to the national immunisation programme.
Funds for the
programme come from the State and the ministry's budget.
Immunisation
services also provides vaccines for chicken-pox, flu and
meningo-encephalitis.
Every year, the
country needs about 35-40 million doses of vaccine for the national
immunisation programme and more than three million doses for the immunisation
services programme.
Hien said that low
awareness in some parts of the country and a few reports about negative
reactions had led to a big fall in demand for vaccines.
Many enterprises
imported vaccines last year, but could not sell them all. So they reduced the
amount imported this year.
To ensure a stable
supply for the immunisation services programme, Hien suggested close
co-operation between the immunisation stations and domestic vaccine
enterprises.
Hien said
Dissemination for
residents about the necessary of vaccine was also needed.
Social
associations, for instance the Viet Nam Preventive Medicine Association,
should be encouraged to join the immunisation services programme.
"With
experienced members who have work in the health sector for long time, the
association can give exact annual forecast about disease and help increase
the community's awareness on immunisation-related problems," said Hien.
Information
technology application should also be improved to better manage the
immunisation programme, he said.
Dengue
fever cases fall from last year
The number of
dengue- fever cases so far this year has dropped by 40 per cent compared with
the same period last year.
The turnaround has
been credited to a better flow of information about the disease, said Tran
Dac Phu, director of the Ministry of Health's Department of Preventive
Medicines.
In the central
area, the number of patients fell by more than 70 per cent and in the Central
Highlands by 60 per cent.
Ha Noi had 90
cases, a decrease by 50 per cent compared with the same period last year.
Phu told the Nong
thon ngay nay (Countryside Nowadays) that medical workers kept close watch on
affected areas and gave advice on preventing the disease.
After an outbreak
of the mosquito-borne disease last month in Yen Hoa Commune in Ha Noi, the
city's Preventive Medicine Centre joined hands with medical stations to spray
affected areas.
"We do not
have a vaccine for dengue fever. The only measure to prevent the disease is
to destroy the mosquitoes' reproductive environment," he said.
Director of Ha Noi
Preventive Medicines Centre Nguyen Nhat Cam said residents should clear up
water puddles around their houses.
They should use
mosquito nets while sleeping and wear long-sleeve shirts when going into
mosquito-ridden areas, he said.
Vietnam-Myanmar
Friendship Association outlines tasks
The Vietnam-Myanmar
Friendship Association (VMFA) will seek to strengthen bilateral friendship
and help the two countries’ business communities establish partnerships
through participation in trade fairs and exhibition, trade promotion, and
market development.
Newly-elected
president of the association Chu Cong Phung, who is also Vietnamese
ambassador to
He said the VMFA
will assist the business communities in sharing experience and expanding
mutually beneficial cooperation in such areas as industry, services, and
construction.
Addressing the
congress, President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisation (VUFO) Vu
Xuan Hong noted that the Party and State of Vietnam attach importance to
boosting relations with Southeast Asian nations, including
The inception of
the VMFA is a milestone in the ties of friendship, cooperation and people’s
exchange between
He expressed hope
that the association and other
Russian
passenger arrested for carrying cocaine into Vietnam
A Russian citizen
has been detained for carrying 2.8kg of cocaine into
Arriving in
The Russian
passenger, 28, also hid another two nylon bags of white powder, weighing
0.93kg, inside a magazine.
Later examinations
found the white powder contains cocaine.
The case has been
transferred to the drug-related crimes investigation unit under the HCM City
Police Department for further investigations.
Roads lit
up in Bac Ninh’s disadvantaged communes
Canon Vietnam Ltd.
on August 25 handed over the street lighting systems along nine km of rural
roads in poor communes in three districts of the
Addressing at the
event, Michio Motohashi, Deputy Director General of the company, shared that
the lighting-up-village road project was part of Canon
A resident in Giang
Lieu, a village benefiting from the project, said: “Previously we seldom
ventured out at night as there was no light. However, now we can walk outside
safely.”
The two-month work
to install the lighting systems in the four communes cost some VND200 million
(US$950).
Canon
The company has
carried out a number of projects such as building schools, planting trees and
granting scholarships, contributing to
Tourists
from Ebola risk areas under strict observation
Almost 23,000
tourists, including one from
Moc Bai health
workers and immigration officials requested the Liberian national to complete
a medical declaration form and informed the health department in Ho Chi Minh
City, where the visitor will remain under strict observation for three weeks.
The provincial
health department has also been keeping a close eye on the health status of a
Nigerian national - residing in Trang Bang district - since his arrival at
Director of the
provincial Centre for International Health Quarantine Tran Phuoc Doan said
suspected Ebola cases will involve quarantine at border gates’ isolation
wards and referrals to the nearest medical centres for blood samples and
further tests.
In addition to
equipment for taking body temperature measurements, the border gates have
also been equipped with personal protection gear and sterilisation chemicals.
Ebola is spread
through the exchange of bodily fluids, such as sweat and blood, between an
infected and non-infected person. Currently, no cure or vaccine is available,
according to the World Health Organisation.
The virus has
spread relentlessly throughout
To date,
NEU bestows
honorary doctorate on EC President
European Commission
President José Manuel Durão Barroso was given an honorary doctorate from the
esteemed National Economics University of Vietnam (NEU) on August 25.
Speaking at the
presentation ceremony, Director of NEU Pham Manh Hung said the honorary
degree is in recognition of the exemplary lifetime contributions of President
Barroso to the development of cooperative and friendly relations between the
EU and
For his part,
Barroso said he was very grateful for the award of the honorary doctorate
certificate from NEU – the leading university in
He said he
appreciated NEU’s vision which focuses on building and developing
international training and research cooperation.
“Making full use of
educational cooperative relations between
During his working
term as EC President (2007-2014), Barroso was instrumental in negotiating the
Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) and Free Trade Agreement (FTA)
between the EU and
Vietnam
Airlines to increase flights on National Holiday
The national flag
carrier Vietnam Airlines plans to increase an additional 147 flights on key
domestic routes from August 29 to September 3, to meet passengers’ increasing
demand for travel during the upcoming National Holiday.
The carrier will
offer approximately 106,400 more seats available for passengers to select
during the peak time for holiday, up 30% compared to normal days and 22%
against the same period in 2013.
Increased flights
will apply to such routes of high demand as Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City-Danang/Nha
Trang/Da Lat/Phu Quoc and Hanoi-Dong Hoi.
Vietnamese people
celebrate National Day on September 2 and there is a sharp increase in the
number of air passengers on this occasion.
International
visitors to
August alone saw
approximately 618,600 international arrivals, up by 9.5 percent compared to
the previous month.
The number of
tourists from almost all
The number of
domestic holidaymakers for the same period peaked at 30.1 million, up 6.9
percent compared to last year’s data. The country raked in a total of close
to 159.8 trillion VND (7.5 billion USD) in tourism revenue, 20.4 percent
higher than for the same period in 2013.
Many localities
reported that they have seen the return of Chinese tourists.
According to
Vietravel, one of
the travel agencies active in the Chinese market said the firm had taken up
promotional activities again and relaunched its portfolio of tours on offer,
adding that a large number of Chinese tourists had booked tours to
Saigontourist
Travel Services Company welcomed the Malaysian cruise liner SuperStar Virgo
to the northern city of
Deputy Minister of
Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho Anh Tuan has reminded localities with high
tourism potentials and travel agencies throughout the country to actively
forge links and improve the quality of services and products to meet the
customer service requirements of international guests, including those from
Since the
Campaign
launched to promote use of motorcycle helmets
A media campaign
has been launched in the capital city to prevent road accidents by promoting
the use of helmets among riders of motorcycles,
The Ho Chi Minh
Communist Youth Union Central Committee and the National Traffic Safety
Committee launched the month-long campaign, from August 23 to September 23,
last Saturday. It includes participation in a standard helmets programme and
a songwriting contest about "young people with a transport culture."
Figures showed that
accidents involving motorcycles still accounted for 70 per cent of the 30,000
road accidents that happen every year. Of these, an estimated 30 per cent
result in death due to traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Studies have shown
that wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle or electric bicycle, a
traffic regulation carried out in
But a part of the
population, including the youth, have been found to be wearing poor quality
or fake helmets or doing without helmets when riding motorcycles or electric
bicycles.
Khuat Viet Hung,
Deputy Chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee (NTSC), said that in
response, his office issued National Plan 69 / KH-UBATGTQG dated April 18,
calling for a propaganda campaign on helmet use and deployment of inspectors
authorised to arrest manufacturers and users of fake or poor quality helmets.
Since July 1,
inspectors from concerned government agencies have joined traffic police in
apprehending manufacturers and users of fake or poor quality helmets.
VN's
health-information system lacks sufficient, reliable data: deputy minister
A comprehensive
assessment of Viet Nam's health-care sector is necessary to improve the
quality and trustworthiness of its information databases, the Deputy Minister
of Health said at a two-day workshop held yesterday (August 25) in the
southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau.
Pham Le Tuan said
that most of the sector's information was derived from periodical reports,
rather than from actual examinations.
In addition, the
quality of the information lacks precision and is not trustworthy, he added.
He explained that
information collected on one issue from different sources varied too much
because it was not conducted at the same time or with the same method.
Moreover, the use
of information technology to collect, analyze and disseminate information was
still limited.
The ministry, with
support from the EU's Health Sector Capacity Support Project (HSCSP), has
issued a master plan for health-information system development in the 2014-20
period with a vision toward 2030, as well as statistical indicators to
support health planning, monitoring and supervision of healthcare activities,
and the country's regional and global integration.
"The ministry
is striving to create important reforms of the health sector, and the
contributions made by HSCSP in improving and strengthening the health
information system is highly sensible.
"These
contributions will, at the macro level, help
The workshop was
jointly organised by the ministry and HSCSP with an aim to disseminate and
replicate solutions to improve and strengthen the quality of the health
information system.
More than 250
statistics officials from the Ministry of Health and departments of health
are expected to benefit from the workshops, as well as another one planned in
the northern city of
During the two
workshops, statistics officials will have a chance to study the set of health
statistical indicators and master plans, as well as hear the experiences of
local health departments on collecting and compiling statistics.
Since 2009, HSCSP
has supported
Medical
workers work around clock to be ready for Ebola prevention
Medical experts are
always ready for Ebola prevention, especially mobile teams will be set up
soon to treat Ebola virus disease.
No one is
quarantined in the
The Department of
Health in
Nguyen Huu Hung,
deputy director of the Department of Health in HCMC, said that those who were
discharged from the
Once, there is any
abnormality, medical workers will soon report to the department for consultation.
Even relatives of these people experience fever or any symptoms including
fever, headache, muscle pain, they will call for medical centers for help.
Medical workers are
trained to treat the disease. Nguyen Van Sau, director of the Center for
International Health Quarantine in
However, Mr. Sau
added that it is difficult to discover Ebola-infected people as in reality
some passengers are in incubation period; accordingly the most important is
to raise passengers’ awareness of the disease.
People who used to
travel to the
Nguyen Van Vinh
Chau, director of the
Phan Trong Lan,
head of the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City, said that six mobile
medical worker teams have been set up, aiming to prevent the disease in
community. The health sector also pays attention to other provinces which
closed border gates with others countries.
Ebola virus disease
can quite penetrate into
In addition, the
plane which carried infected passenger must be disinfected.
The Department of
Preventive Medicine said that some Vietnamese workers are living and
working in Ebola-hit countries. For instance, 34 Vietnamese workers are in
Nhat
Tan-Noi Bai link to open up new urban area
Construction on the
Nhat Tan - Noi Bai road is nearing completion, and once it comes into
operation major opportunities are expected for developers.
In a meeting held
last week in the capital, Hanoi Party Secretary Pham Quang Nghi said that the
road was expected to become a driving force for the development of the city’s
northern region.
Nghi also confirmed
that there would be special policies to woo investors to participate in
developing urban areas along the road. Those policies, Nghi said, should be
simple, attractive and feasible to attract private investment.
The Hanoi
Department of Planning and Investment was assigned by the local people’s
committee to draw up the proposed incentives for submission this year.
Meanwhile, chairman
of Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen The Thao said that the future investors
who wanted to participate in sub-projects to develop those areas would have
to remain engaged throughout the project’s life. This precondition was aimed
at preventing investors who wanted to register in a certain project, from
building houses and quitting after the houses were sold.
Nghi also stressed
that the future sub-projects would need to be modern,
environmentally-friendly developments. He also ruled out tall apartment
blocks, favouring low-rise developments with plenty of green space.
“The people’s
committee authorities must be very careful in choosing future investors that
are capable of developing such projects,” Nghi said.
Nghi’s comments
were set against a backdrop where Dubai Global Sphere last year proposed to
build a $30 billion urban development project in this area. The so-called
Hanoi Wall Street was expected to consist of 70 high-rise residential towers.
However the project was not submitted because the investor failed to prove
its capacity.
Both Thao and Nghi
stressed that future and current constructions located along the new road
must be followed by a comprehensive plan which can harmonise existing and new
developments
According to an
already agreed Hanoi People’s Committee plan, the urban areas located along
the Nhat Tan - Noi Bai axis would cover more than 2,000 hectares over 12
kilometres of Dong Anh and Soc Son districts, which already have a total
population of 140,000.
The urban areas
would consist of a gateway focusing on industry, trade and agriculture, a
riverside urban zone, and an ecological urban area. An ASEAN ‘cultural
village’ and exhibition centre and a financial tower will be also
constructed.
The Nhat Tan - Noi
Bai extends from the Nam Hong intersection to National Highway 12 and the
North Thang Long-Noi Bai intersection. IT is expected to become operational
later this year, linking
Apples
still imported from Australia, U.S.
Head of the Plant
Protection Department Nguyen Xuan Hong ascertained that apples are still
being imported from
As of last month,
“With such figures,
Chinese apples accounted for as much as 58.3% of apple imports,” Hong said.
Earlier, there was
information that fruits imported into
An office worker
identified as Thuong in HCMC’s District 1 said she dared not buy apples for
fear of unclear origins. Imported fruits with clear origins despite higher
prices are preferred, she added.
Nguyen Thi Thu
Trang, director of HCMC-based Dai Kim Phat Co. specializing in importing
fruits from Australia, also rejected the rumor, saying prices of Australian
apples range between VND190,000 and VND230,000 per kilogram.
Trang also showed
the Daily apple import documents like import declaration forms, documents on
fruit origins and quarantine certificates as proof. The company’s fruit store
on
Similarly, Binh
Thuan Fruits and Vegetables Private Enterprise has imported
“From March, we
started importing apples from the
With false
information, not all enterprises can be as calm as Dai Kim Phat or Binh Thuan
Fruits and Vegetable. Many vendors at traditional wet markets in HCMC like Ba
Chieu in Binh Thanh District, Pham Van Hai and Vo Thanh Trang in Tan Binh
District and Phan Van Tri in Go Vap District have complained about sharp
falls in sales.
A fruit trader at
Phan Van Tri market said she could sell nearly 20 kilograms of
To prove origins of
fruits, stallholders selling imported fruits have labels certifying their
origins and quarantine certificates to reassure consumers.
Linh added that
many customers have called his firm to demand explanations on the fruit
origins while many traders have scaled down their orders.
According to Linh,
with the naked eyes, consumers can still tell
Crowds pay
tribute to General Vo Nguyen Giap on his birthday
Thousands of people
from across the country flocked to pay tribute to General Vo Nguyen Giap on
what would have been his 104th birthday on August 25.
Crowds of people
visited General Giap’s tomb in
Captain Le Van Hai,
a member of the team in charge of protecting the tomb, said that since he
passed away, nearly 1.2 million people have come to pay tribute, including
1,600 just on August 25.
General Vo Nguyen
Giap, former commander-in-chief of the Vietnam People’s Army, passed away in
Giap, the first
general in
His name is closely
linked to the historic victory at
Quang
The tourism
industry of central Quang
According to
Chairman the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Dinh Hai,
the province aims to develop sustainable tourism through the creation of
favourable conditions for enterprises and localities to diversity and improve
the quality of their products.
To encourage
visitors to extend their stay in Quang Nam, a range of activities are on
offer, from trips to sea, islands and handicraft villages to homestays and
nature experiences. Promotions will run all year round, not just over
traditional holiday periods such as New Year, with many attractive packages.
Quang
Thanks to numerous
measures to stimulate demands, create a friendly tourism environment and
improve the quality of products and services, the number of tourists who
stayed in the province has remarkably increased, with more than 702,000
holidaymakers in the first eight months of this year, a year-on-year rise of
12 percent.
The province earned
approximately 3.3 trillion VND (115 million USD) from tourism during the the
Jan-August period.
New schools
built in poor areas in Quang Binh
The Cam Ly-Cua Mec
school in Ngan Thuy commune, Le Thuy district, Quang Tri province was opened
on August 26 by the Prudential Group’s charitable organisation, the Prudence
Fund, together with Plan
Construction on the
school began in May 2014, marking the 4th school to be opened as part of the
project “Built a future together” in the province this year.
The school cost
80.033 USD, with a 75.193 USD donation put forward by the UK’s Prudential
Group, and the rest covered by Plan Vietnam, a non-governmental organisation
active in the region.
The school has 2
classrooms, a library, a playground, a sterilized water supply system, and a
kitchen, as well as providing all the necessary teaching facilities for
staff. All in all, the school will be able to take in 60 children from the
locality.
The mountainous
commune of Ngan Thuy is one of the poorest of the district’s 26 communes with
60 percent of households in the locality living under the poverty line. The
commune has one central kindergarten and five schools, with schools often
having to pack 70 children into only 2 classrooms. Many children therefore
cannot be accommodated by schools due to a shortage of classrooms.
On this occasion,
the school’s staff and students received gifts from the donors and local
educational authorities. The commune’s poorest households will additionally
receive bicycles, desks, school supplies and any other commodities required
to support the children’s education.-
Telecoms
workers enjoy protected legislative rights
Trade union leaders
from the Asia-Pacific region came together in a meeting in
The event also
aimed to enhance working styles and equip staff with the necessary skills and
knowledge for playing an active role in trade unions.
Chairman of the
Vietnam Post Trade Union Bui Van Hoan said Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has
agreed on the restructuring plan of Vietnam Post and Telecommunications
(VNPT) between 2014 and 2015, with the aim of improving operational
efficiency and competitiveness, and developing the market in a sustainable
manner.
In particular,
trade unions need to put forward concrete measures to help telecoms workers
benefit fully from the group’s incentives, he added.
Participants shared
effective operational models and developed initiatives to enhance the quality
of customer service and telecoms activities in the region.
The event was
jointly organised by the VNPT and the UNI Global Union Asia-Pacific Regional
Organisation (UNI Apro).
772 tonnes
of rice to be provided for Ninh Thuan drought victims
Deputy Prime
Minister Vu Van Ninh on August 26 signed a decision to allocate 772 tonnes of
rice from the national reserves for the central
The rice will be
provided for local people who were affected by recent droughts.
The provincial
People’s Committee was entrusted to deliver the aid to those needed.
If locals continue
facing difficulties, the committee is responsible for reporting the situation
to the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and
Social Affairs so that they will propose further assistance to the Prime
Minister.-
Source: VNN/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/ND
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“We strongly
welcome moves by VRG to improve communication with communities affected by
its plantations in Cambodia
and Laos
Rubber is a booming
trade in the Mekong region, but is one of
the least regulated land-based commodities globally. This legal vacuum is
fuelling a land grabbing crisis in Cambodia
and Laos
VRG is a
significant player in the region. According to company data, its land
concessions in Cambodia
cover nearly 150,000 hectares – an area almost as large as London
or Manila Laos
Since the release
of Rubber Barons, VRG and its member companies have been piloting a community
consultation scheme which has seen a number of communities receive money for
farmland or trees lost to the companies’ plantations. VRG is now rolling this
scheme out across all of its twenty-one plantations in Cambodia and Laos
The company’s most
recent announcement commits it to resolving the issues raised in citizen’s
complaints or enquiries, and responding directly within 30 days. Individuals,
communities or groups representing them can submit these either in person or
via post at VRG’s local offices or at company headquarters in the capitals Phnom Penh and Vientiane
“The test now will
be whether communities receive a fair resolution to their complaints. This
should include financial compensation as well as alternative livelihoods to
those lost as a result of VRG’s operations,” said MacInnes. “These new
measures are a step in the right direction but we remain deeply concerned
about the continued illegal logging and land clearance taking place in and
around VRG’s plantations. We will continue to watch the company closely.”
New
oilfield located offshore Vietnam
Japanese Idemitsu
Kosan company on August 21 announced that it has struck oil at its fourth
oil-well at plot 05-1b and 05-1c offshore southern Vietnam
The company said
the oilfield was first identified through testing carried out in May and
August.
Idemitsu plans to
complete further testing in the near future to identify the full extent of
reserves of the new oil field.
Two Japanese
companies - Idemitsu and JX Nippon – each own 35% of shares in the oil plots
while another company – Inpex Corp – holds the remaining 30% interest.
Vietnamese-language
domain names hit record high
The Vietnam
Internet Network Information Centre (VNNIC) under the Ministry of Information
and Communications on August 25 celebrated the issuance of the 1 millionth
Vietnamese domain name.
The achievement is
attributable to VNNIC’s free registration of domain names in the Vietnamese
language, which was first initiated in late April 2011.
So far, almost
1.006.306 domains in Vietnamese language have been licensed by VNNIC.
According to VNNIC
Tran Minh Tan, Deputy Director, domain names in Vietnamese language belong to
internationalized Domain Name (IDN). It is used for non English-speaking
countries, helping local people use their own languages when accessing
theInternet.
The
Vietnamese-language domain name is aimed at protecting ideas, product names,
services and trademarks of Vietnamese enterprises on the global internet.
Hanoi hosts
Post & Logistics Committee Meeting
Trade union leaders
from the Asia-Pacific region and the UNI Global Union Asia Pacific Regional
Organization (UNI Apro) met in Hanoi
The annual meeting
gave international trade unions the chance to gain a better understanding
about Vietnamese trade unions’ activities as well as the country’s land and
people, helping enhance people-to-people diplomacy.
At the opening
ceremony, Vietnam Post’s Trade Union (VPTU) Chairman Bui Van Hoan said his
organization became a pro-active member of UNI Apro since 2008.
VPTU has
implemented a score of measures to support workers and will continue to promote
initiatives to improve income and working conditions for themand raise the
role of trade unions.
Participants
discussed issues related to real situation and future of Vietnam Post,
privaterisation, liberalisation and commercialisation of post and telecommunication
activities, relations between the Universal Postal Union (UPU) and
Asian-Pacific Postal Union (APPU) in global post services and new services to
protect public postal services.
They shared
information and experiences in boosting postal services as well as trade
union activities in regional countries.
Ha Noi to
auction sand-mining rights
The Ha Noi People's
Committee will auction sand-mining rights in the riverbed of the Hong (Red)
River in the city's Long Bien District starting in the fourth quarter of this
year.
The mining area is
about 50ha with estimated reserve of 500,000 cubic metres of sand.
Expected to add at
least VND450 million (US$21,200) to the city's budget, the auction is part of
a city plan approved by committee vice chairman Vu Hong Khanh that aims to
create a legal base for granting exploitation licences and ensure fair
competition among investors.
Inadequate
management at district, ward and commune levels made illegal sand mining a
recurring problem in city rivers. In many cases, local authorities signed
land-rent contracts with violators and collected rental fees for years,
making it difficult to remove illegal storage sites. Fines for such
violations also fail to deter miners.
The city's People's
Committee said that illegal sand mining could cause landslides and change
river flow, in addition to endangering the dyke system.
The municipal
People's Committee has granted mineral mining licences at 31 sites, of which
16 are operational and 15 are completing land-renting procedures and other
relevant documents.
Major minerals
including stones, sand and peat are being exploited on Hong, Day, Tich and Ca
Lo rivers in Soc Son, Me Linh, Dong Anh and Gia Lam districts.
Vietnamese
tiles falling behind imported products
Made-in-Vietnam tiles
are in an uphill fight against imports, which have more diverse designs and
price scales, consistent quality and better marketing.
Most large real
estate projects prefer imported products. Hoang Thi Le, head of the material
procurement department of a leading real estate firm with two high-rise
apartment buildings east of Hanoi said all the
tiles used in the building were made in China
Meanwhile,
middle-income individual customers are also choosing imported tile for their
homes. Most building material shops clustered around Cat Linh, Hoang Quoc
Viet, Thanh Nhan and An Trach streets in Hanoi
“The market looks
good for Chinese-made tiles in Vietnam
Quach Huu Thuan,
manager of Viglacera Corporation’s subsidiary Viglacera Tien Son (HNX:VIT),
said 60 per cent of tile in Vietnam
is imported, mostly from China
and less so Thailand
Domestic firms such
as VIT, Prime, Dong Tam and Taicera have been working on developing new
products and improving their quality, but most admit that it is difficult to
compete with imported products. As a result, they have been boosting exports.
Statistics by
Vietnam Building Ceramic Association shows that Vietnam
Prices
of small spring onion increased causing farmers excited
Traders in the
Mekong Delta proposed to buy the vegetable at VND650,000 – 700,000 per quintal
(US$30.69-32.98 per quintal) much higher prices fixed in the beginning of the
year. Farmer Nguyen Thanh Tung in Vinh
Long Province
Some places are
submerged; consequently, farmers cannot plant the vegetable, leading to
supply is lower than demand, he added.
With the price of
onion increasing over the past few days, a farmer earns net profit of
VND15million (US$707) a 1,000 meter square. Farmers earn much profit from
planting onion than other vegetable.
Meanwhile price of
sweet potatoes in provinces Vinh Long, Dong Thap, Can Tho dropped
dramatically. It fell to VND320,000-340,000 per quintal.
Farmers in Vinh
Long said that it was due to Chinese market shrink. In other side, farmers
have seen a crop failure and low sweet potato quality leading to the falling
in price. They suffered losses around VND50 million (US$ 1,889) per hectare
as selling prices have dropped to throwaway rates.
Source: VEF/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/Dantri/VIR
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