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Social News 5/1
19 localities put on forest-fire alert
Nineteen localities in the country are on high alert for
forest fires due to prolonged dry weather, the agriculture and rural
development ministry's Viet Nam Administration for Forestry warned yesterday.
The alert status in six of these provinces - Bac Giang,
The National Steering Committee for Forest Protection and
Development Plan has ordered the People's Committees of the localities to
take prompt action to prevent forest fires.
Vietnamese gov’t gives premium subsidies for greater family
enrollment
Vietnamese government will give support to family members’
health insurance aiming to expand coverage even further, to at least 70
percent of the population by 2015 and 80 percent by 2020, said Tong Thi Song
Huong, head of the Department of Health Insurance under the Ministry of
Health.
As per an amendment of Medicine Insurance Law which takes
effect on January 1, 2015, it is mandatory to purchase health insurance. In a
bid to encourage people to purchase health insurance, the government will
give premium subsidies for greater family enrollment.
For instance, the first member of a family will buy health
insurance with 4.5 percent of their basic salary, then the second, third and
fourth members of the family will just pay 70 percent, 60 percent and 50
percent of the first’s payment respectively.
Furthermore, the government will buy health insurance for
those who live in disadvantaged districts and islands. The poor, people from
ethnic minority groups and relatives of martyrs will not pay 5 percent of
treatment cost like before. The government will cover all.
Moreover, the new law also stipulates that those who live in
islands and disadvantaged districts will enjoy benefit when they are
outpatients even.
Khanh Hoa gives first aid to foreign fisherman
Rescue ship SAR 27-01 of the Vietnam Maritime Search and
Rescue Coordination Centre (VMRCC) on January 3 brought an injured foreign
fisherman to Nha Trang port, Khanh Hoa province for first aid.
Edward Cupisz, 63, of
136 Vietnamese women freed from prostitution den in
Police raided a night club in
The young women, including those from
Other victims come from the
First members of
Maritime rescue forces from
While in distress on January 2 at 150 nautical miles off Vung
Tau southeastern coast, the
After receiving information, the provincial Vietnam Maritime
Search and Rescue Coordination Centre (VMRCC) mobilised forces and means to
join the search and rescue operation with foreign partners, including
Vu added that the search and rescue efforts are very difficult
due to complicated weather which was believed to wreck the ship.
In the coming time, the centre will send more search workers
and zone off areas that the victims could be drifting to.
1,751 organizations, individuals fined for environment
pollution
Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development said at the
review meeting of 2014 that after 10 year to implement Decision
64/2003/QD-TTg about controling the environment pollution measures, to date
there are 384 out of 439 facilities to meet the environment demands, not
causing serious environmental pollution, accounting 87.5 percent.
However, there are 55 facilicites, not completed the solutions
to treat the environmental pollution, accounting 12.5 percent.
Concerning to this issue, there are 101 out of 435 which have
completed the environmental sollutions, in an attempt to carry out Decision
1788/2003/QD-TTg.
According to the ministry, environment inspector has fined
1,751 organizations, individuals worth VND 141billion; collected taxes for
state budget VND 1.7billion.
'Money trees' popular for upcoming Tet
Decorative trees made from bank notes are becoming an
increasingly popular ornament for this upcoming Tet festival in
There are two main types of tree, the “Tieu Than Tai” (Little
God of Wealth) and the “Dai Than Tai” (Great God of Wealth).
The trees, made from wiring and plastic, have instead of
leaves a combination of bank notes of different values and colours, among
them notes of VND10,000, VND50,000 and VND500,000. The tree's shape is often
curved like peach trees.
Some people use US dollars, for added good fortune. The
banknotes are folded like swans, butterflies, fan wings and hearts.
Growing demand for such trees has opened a market for
experienced artisans, while office staff and students are now making the
trees to raise money.
The practice has prompted authorities to warn of regulations
against defacing or damaging local currency.
Tet coach tickets to be sold from Jan 20
The Mien Dong Bus Station announced that it will sell coach
tickets for trips from Feb 14 to 16 in advance at ticket counter 13 and 14
from 7.30 am to 5 pm starting Jan 20 to Feb 14.
Additional fee level for routes from Ho Chi Minh City to Hue
and northern provinces will be 20 percent on Jan 31 to Feb 4, 40 percent from
Feb 5 to 8 and Feb 19 to 22, and 60 percent from Feb 9 to 18.
Coach fare for routes from HCMC to provinces from Phu Yen to
Quang
Routes from HCMC to Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Dak Lak, Dak Nong,
and Lam Dong provinces will see an additional fee level of 20 percent from
Feb 3 to 7, of 40 percent from Feb 8 to 11 and Feb 19 to 22, and of 60
percent from Feb 12 to 18.
Routes from HCMC to Binh Thuan and Binh Phuoc provinces will
add 20 percent more in ticket fares from Feb 8 to 11 and Feb 19 to 22, and 60
percent from Feb 12 to 18.
Tickets for trips from HCMC to Ba Ria – Vung Tau will have to
add more 40 percent from Feb 14 to 24 while trips from the city to Dong Nai,
Binh
Duong and the Mekong Delta provinces will be 40 percent higher
from Feb 14 to 22.
Gov’t orders to reduce traffic accidents by 5-10 percent
In its monthly session, the government ordered ministries and
people’s committees to reduce traffic accidents by 5-10 percent.
Local administrations were asked to attain achievements and
remedy shortcomings along with pay attention to socioeconomic development.
Local governments should step up efforts to fight against
smuggling, commercial fraud, especially in border crossings.
As traffic accidents increased drastically during first two
days of New Year holidays Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, chairman of
the
National Committee for Traffic Safety, has sent a dispatch to
the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Transport and local
governments asking to strengthen measures for traffic safety.
The deputy PM asked policemen and other forces to conduct
intensive inspections and issue penalties on traffic law violation
especially drunk drivers, overloaded trucks and motobike drivers without
helmets.
34 people died and 38 others were injured in 61 road accidents
nationwide on January 3, reported the National Traffic Safety Committee’s
statistics. In the day, traffic policemen nationwide have handled 4,726
violations and submit VND1,967 million (US$ 92,044) to the state treasury and
seized 14 cars and 1,244 motorbikes.
Tet bonuses seen falling as domestic firms struggle
Workers will likely receive a smaller Tet bonus this year,
according to an official from the Ha Noi Department of Labour, Invalids and
Social Affairs.
The forecast was based on Tet bonus plan reports from a number
of businesses in the city, said Pham Van Thanh, head of the department's
office of Labour and Salary.
The department encouraged businesses to give Tet bonuses, even
if they were low, he added.
While foreign-invested businesses plan to keep Tet bonuses the
same, doling out an average VND3.7 million (US$176) per person, domestic
enterprises will give smaller bonuses, according to the department's survey
of enterprises in Ha Noi.
In
The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs instructed
localities nationwide to submit Tet bonus reports and make sure enterprises
paid their employees, said Deputy Minister Pham Minh Huan.
The ministry is still collecting reports on Tet bonuses from
localities and will release its final report this month.
Last year, labourers' Tet bonuses increased by 20 per cent to
VND4.4 million (US$206) per person. A FDI enterprise in
In 2012, bonuses grew by 10.8 per cent to VND2.8 million
(US$131) per person.
Kumquat trees wilt as peaches flourish
With only six weeks left before Tet, kumquat growers in Ha
Noi's Tay Ho District's Tu Lien Ward are facing losses because many trees in
their gardens have withered. However, peach blossom growers in Nhat Tan Ward
have seen a bumper season.
Nguyen Van Dung said his garden had about 1,000 kumquat trees,
but up to 300 had withered. The same was true in the garden next to his,
where the owner said that 350 of the 700 trees in his garden had withered and
died.
"Our family will lose hundreds of millions of dong,"
he said.
The growers blamed the tree deaths on heavy rain, including
acid rain, during the rainy season. Rainwater pooled at the roots, causing
root rot, they said. The trees then shrivelled and died.
However, Nguyen Thi Binh, head of the ward's
Agricultural-service Co-operative, told An Ninh Thu Do (Capital's Security)
newspaper that the cause was improper planting techniques and indiscriminate
use of pesticides. According to Binh, root rot was just adding to the
situation.
To prevent the same from occurring next year, she advised
local kumquat growers to obey planting techniques and spray pesticides as
instructed.
Binh said that the ward now had about 400 kumquat growers,
with a total area of about 20 ha.
Growers said that due to the situation, the price of a kumquat
tree would increase by VND100,000 – 1 million (US$4.5 – 45) per tree,
depending on size.
A small tree costs about VND300,000-500,000 ($14-23), while a
medium-sized tree costs VND700,000-1.5 million ($32-70) and a tree more than
3m tall costs VND3-5 million ($140-230).
Peach blossom growers get bumper season
Unlike kumquat growers, peach blossom growers in the
district's Nhat Tan Ward saw a bumper season thanks to advanced planting
techniques and warm weather.
Dang Van Manh received nearly 100 orders from companies to
rent peach blossom trees to decorate their offices for the Year of the Goat,
which begins on February 19.
It costs about VND5-8 million ($235-375) to rent a big peach
blossom tree, he said.
Nguyen Thu Huong, another peach blossom grower, said that the
blossoms would be more beautiful than last year because of the warm weather.
"This is a very good year for peach blossoms," Huong
said.
According to growers, a 1m peach blossom tree costs about
VND500,000 ($23), while a larger tree costs VND700,000-1.5 million ($32-70).
Customers who buy a tree that costs more than VND1 million get
free shipping. The prices are the same as last year.
Drivers given new health regulations
A new draft of health regulations for drivers was released by
the Ministry of Health last week, covering both Vietnamese and
non-Vietnamese.
Drivers must pass nine health criteria to be eligible for a
license. The criteria relate to mental health, neurology, ophthalmology,
otolaryngology, cardiology, respiratory, rheumatology, endocrinology and drug
usage. Specific criteria apply to motorbike drivers, car and non-commercial
truck drivers and commercial vehicle drivers (other licenses).
The new draft abandons controversial rules from the drivers'
health regulations proposed in 2008, which the Ministry of Justice later
suspended following a public outcry over rules seen as discriminatory.
The regulations specified that those less than 1.5m tall
should not drive cars and people under 1.45m tall, less than 40kg and with a
chest size of less than 72cm would not be allowed to drive a motorbike.
The new regulations are the first to ban drug and alcohol
users from driving vehicles.
Luong Ngoc Khue, head of the ministry's Medical Examination
and Treatment Department, said that some hospitals were still in the business
of selling fake health test results. The Ministry would closely monitor the
granting of health certificates at all health care facilities, he said.
Health Deputy Minister Nguyen Thi Xuyen asserted that the
development of health regulations for vehicle drivers was a "complicated
and sensitive work" that could affect almost every resident in the
society.
"Therefore, the Ministry is carefully taking it step by
step and will co-operate with the Ministry of Transport to issue the circular
as soon as possible," she said.
Hai Phong man dies in house fire
A 56-year-old man died when his house caught fire yesterday in
Hung Vuong Ward, Hong Bang District, in the northern port city of
Financial losses have not been estimated.
The fire was extinguished after 30 minutes following the
arrival of six fire engines and more than 50 firemen.
Nguyen Van Dong, owner of the house, died when he could not
escape, as he was disabled following a traffic accident. His elder sister,
Nguyen Thi Thanh, 60, who is also paralytic, deaf and mute, was rescued by
firemen.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Transport fares on hold despite fuel price cuts
Transport rates have not fallen along with fuel costs, so
vendors cannot lower prices for products and services as Tet approaches,
according to Thu Duc Market deputy director Nguyen Thanh Ha.
Businesses participating in the Tet price stabilisation
programme such as Vissan said lower fuel costs had only a slight effect on
rates, as the major costs were still electricity and inputs.
Meanwhile, leaders of transport companies and associations
complained that they were having trouble with rate reduction procedures.
Chairman of Da Nang Road Transport Association To Van Hiep
said fuel was not the major cost for all products and services, adding that
vendors were responsible for cutting prices, not transport companies.
Ha Noi Transport Association chairman Bui Danh Lien told Phap
Luat va Doi Song (Law & Life) that his association sent a request to
transport companies on December 25 asking them to reduce rates by January 15.
However, transport rates depended on more factors than fuel
cost and changing the rates cost a lot of time and effort, according to Lien.
Nguyen Xun Thuy, former director of Transport Publishing
House, said that transport companies would make large profits from
maintaining rates while fuel costs declined.
He urged government agencies to take serious action against
enterprises that delayed reducing rates.
Ngo Tri Long, former Director of Institute for Price Studies
under Ministry of Finance, said that by delaying rate reductions, transport
companies were violating the market economy rule and losing consumers'
confidence.
Recently, the Ministry of Finance sent a request to the
Ministry of Transport as well as province and city People's Committees to
tighten control over transport companies reducing their rates to match fuel
cost reductions.
The Ministry of Finance suggested fining companies that did
not reduce their rates VND 5 million-30 million (US$240 to $1430). However,
the specific procedures, deadlines and reduction amounts differed between
provinces.
Disease blight blitzes free cow programme
A corporate programme gifting cows to poor households as a
poverty alleviation measure has done the opposite in four
Just three days after receiving a cow from the programme in
early December, Nguyen Trong Vinh is despondent.
His entire herd of 17 healthy cows has been infected with the
foot-and-mouth disease. Three cows, including the one that he received as a
gift, have died.
The livestock farmer, a resident of
According to the Thanh Hoa Veterinary Department, the
foot-and-mouth disease has been spreading in the
A similar outbreak of the foot-and-mouth disease has been
reported in the northern province of Lang Son, another locality where the aid
programme has been active.
The programme was carried out in Lang Son's Tam Gia Commune
since November 23, giving one free cow to each of its 124 poor households.
All the cows were later found to be infected with the
foot-and-mouth disease. Ten have already died.
"My cow did not eat anything from the day I took it home.
Its mouth hurt pretty bad and there were red ruptures on its feet that made
it lame," said farmer Hoang Van Tien.
"The vets treated it, but the cow died seven days
later."
Another 60 programme cows in neighbouring Dinh Lap District
have also been detected with the disease, bringing the provincial total to
about 200, the local veterinary department has reported.
Apart from Thanh Hoa and Lang Son, two other northern
provinces, Lao Cai and Yen Bai, have also recorded outbreaks of the
foot-and-mouth disease following implementation of the free-cow programme.
The Yen Bai Veterinary Department has so far counted 46
infected cows among those given by the programme to poor households in three
communes - Pa Lau, Hat Liu and Ta Si Lang - and Tram Tau Town.
The Lao Cai Veterinary Department has reported that 33 programme
cows in Muong Khuong District have been infected with the disease.
Veterinary agencies say that the aid programme's cows were
collected from various areas without following disease detection measures.
For instance, the Lan Thanh Trade and Services Company in
Thanh Hoa, tasked with providing cows for Lang Son Province, failed to abide
by quaratine regulations while transporting the animals.
The programme cows had not been vaccinated against the
foot-and-mouth disease or placed in quarantine before they were given to
local households, the agencies said.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has asked
the company that funds the programme to suspend it until the foot-and-mouth
outbreak is controlled.
PM approves new HCM City hospital
The Prime Minister has given the green light for building Cho
Ray Hospital No 2 in HCM City with funding from ODA (official development
assistance) loans from Japan.
The 1,000-bed hospital, to be located on a 7ha area in Le Minh
Xuan commune in Binh Chanh district, is meant to ease the overload on
existing public hospitals.
The hospital, to be also called Vietnam–Japan Friendship
Hospital, is estimated to cost VND4 trillion (US$287.9 million).
The PM has instructed the Ministries of Planning and
Investment, Finance and Health to complete procedures for its construction.
Last September the city People's Committee had ordered
relevant authorities to wrap up formalities and speed up site clearance for
the project.
The city Department of Transport was ordered to develop infrastructure
and connect the proposed location with provincial road 10.
The existing Cho Ray Hospital, founded and named Hospital
Municipal de Cholon by the French in 1900, is located in District 5.
The 2,400-bed facility was renamed Cho Ray Hospital in 1957.
Between 1971 and 1974, with non-refundable aid from Japan, the
Sai Gon regime built Cho Ray Hospital into an 11-storey facility on a
53,000sq.m area, making it the most modern hospital in Southeast Asia at the
time.
Major fire at plastics factory, no injuries reported
A major fire broke out at a plastics company located in the
Tan Duc industrial zone (IZ), Duc Hoa district, in the southern province of
Long An causing extensive damage to the factory and surrounding area.
Large numbers of firefighters and more than 15 fire trucks
were pressed into service at the Pao Yeng Technical Plastic Co. Ltd to douse
the blaze.
Though the building along with huge quantities of raw
materials and finished products were gutted, no injury to anyone was
reported, fire officials said.
The fire, which broke out at around 10am on January 3, was
controlled this evening, they said adding, the fire-fighters prevented the
blaze from spreading.
The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.
Vietnam leads the way on climate change
Vietnam has been applauded by the international community for
the timely submission of its biennial update report to the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The timely completion of the report demonstrates the Vietnam
government’s commitment to responsibly deal with global climate change and
play an active leadership role in giving effect to the global convention.
Pham Van Tan, deputy director of the Department of
Meteorology, Hydrology and Climate under the Ministry of Natural Resources
and Environment (MoNRE) says the country is one of the first three to
complete its report.
The upcoming year, 2015, will be a decisive year for
implementing the global agreement on climate change Tan says adding the MoNRE
has been assigned the task of coordinating with relevant ministries and
agencies by the Prime Minister.
The goal is to be one of the first countries in the world to
finalize the draft of a plan to reduce greenhouse emissions and adapt to
climate change by the end of May and timely submit it to the Secretary of the
UNFCCC.
Orbis Int’l funds eye care projects in Hue
Orbis International – a nonprofit organization dedicated to
saving sight worldwide – is funding several eye care projects in Thua Thien
Hue province, most notably the Flying Eye Hospital project in Hue.
Since early 2015 Orbis has provided more than VND4.4 billion
for the project with an additional VND0.4 billion sourced from the local
budget to improve the practice of medicine in Huong Thuy commune, Hue city.
The project aims to train 160 doctors and 70 nurse
practitioners through seminars and sharing of experiences. Around 15
engineers and technicians will also take part in training courses to learn
how to maintain and operate modern ophthalmology equipment.
Around 140 patients will be provided with vision screening,
diagnosis and treatment guidelines while some 60 patients will receive
surgeries and treatment to regain their eyesight.
Orbis is also funding a VND22.6 billion project providing eye
care for children in the north central provinces of Vietnam, which will be
carried out from now till June 2018 at the Hue Eye and Hue Central hospitals.
Fishing vessel sinks off coast of Thua-Thien Hue
When a fishing boat started taking on water off the coast of
the central province of Thua Thien–Hue province on January 2, search and
rescue crews were dispatched, but it was a group of Vietnamese fishermen who
actually rescued the crew of 10.
The sinking ship, coded TTH95141, of Huynh Van Han in Phu Hai,
Phu Vang district, with a captain and nine crewmembers on board were reported
to be stranded in high winds and rough seas.
As soon as they received the SOS distress signal, a vessel
owed by Truong Vinh La, also from Phu Hai commune immediately approached the
sunken ship and rescued all on board.
The stranded ship, coded TTH95141, sank with all fishing tools
and equipment on board.
Vietnamese people in Japan pray for peace in New Year
The Vietnamese community in Japan has rang in the New Year
2015 with a ceremony praying for peace attended by hundreds of people at
Nisshinkutsu Pagoda in Tokyo.
Venerable Thich Quang Thanh, a member of the Vietnam Buddhist
Sangha (VBS) Executive Council, wished them a happy new year and preached the
meaning of celebrating the spring and praying for fortune in Buddhism.
At the event, he also thanked Most Venerable Yoshimizu Daichi,
head of Nisshinkutsu Pagoda, for supporting the VBS’s activities as well as
Vietnamese people in Japan. He wished the superior monk health and longevity
to further help the Vietnamese community and Buddhist followers here, thus
contributing to the close relations between the two peoples.
In the next days, similar ceremonies will be held at the
monasteries of Kumagaya An Tinh Duong, Hamamatsu, and Phuoc Hue Aichi, which
are run by the VBS and the Vietnamese Buddhist Association in Japan.
The Vietnamese Buddhist Association in Japan made its debut in
Tokyo on October 5, 2014. It came into being under the VBS’s decision No.416
dated November 11, 2013, and was approved by the Japanese Government on
February 28, 2014.
OV in Laos opens largest steel mill
An opening ceremony of a steel mill, the largest of its kind
in Laos was held in Vientiane on January 1.
The mill, owned by an overseas Vietnamese, Mr. Pham Van Hung,
has a capacity of 3,000 tonnes of steel per month and an investment capital
of US$10 million
Hung, whose Lao name is Kham Hung Xay Cha Lon, built the first
steel mill in 2001 with a small capacity of 10 tonnes of steel per day.
Currently, his company owns three steel mills which cover an area of 3
hectares. The mills employ about 300 workers, 200 or 80% of them are
Laotians.
The company has eight sales agents in Vientiane and three
provinces in northern, central and southern Laos.
Disaster-hit localities get financial, rice assistance
The Prime Minister has decided a grant of 117.7 billion VND
(5.52 million USD) to support 11 localities in surmounting the consequences
of a recent drought that wreaked great havoc on their Summer-Autumn crop.
The localities, spanning from the central province of Thanh
Hoa to the southernmost province of Ca Mau, will each get between 6.1 billion
VND (286,700 USD) and 17.6 billion VND (827,200 USD), sourced from 2014’s
State budget reserves.
Scorching heat between March and August in 2014 severely
affected farming activity in the central, Central Highlands and Mekong Delta
regions.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Department,
in the south-central region and the Central Highlands , rainfall levels
dropped 50-90 percent in the first three months compared to that of the
previous year. Meanwhile, water levels in reservoirs reached only 60-70
percent of their designed capacity.
In Dak Lak province, drought caused damage to more than
5,500ha, including 4,000 ha of rice and 450 ha of coffee, causing 93 billion
VND (4.4 million USD) in damages.
In Dak Nong province, it wreaked havoc on 240ha of rice and
1,860ha of coffee and other crops in Krong No district, while seriously
affecting other districts.
In another move, the Prime Minister also assigned the Ministry
of Finance to provide 1,000 tonnes of rice from the national reserves to the
northern province of Lang Son, which was hard hit by Kalmaegi typhoon in last
September, with a massive area of crops devastated.
The storm caused huge economic losses and seriously affected
agriculture and aquaculture farming in the localities it swept through.-
Source: VNN/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/ND
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Thứ Hai, 5 tháng 1, 2015
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