Social News 26/7 Japanese anti-Vietnam war advocate passes away Philosopher and peace campaigner Shunsuke Tsurumi died of pneumonia at the age of 93 in Kyoto on July 20. After graduating with a degree in philosophy from Harvard University in the US in 1942, Tsurumi became a professor at the Kyoto University. In 1965, he established a citizens’ movement with influential writers Makoto Oda, Takeshi Kaiko and others called the Japan “Peace for Vietnam!” Committee, known by its Japanese acronym Beheiren, to seek peace in Vietnam where US forces were waging war against Vietnamese people. Beheiren continually staged a wide range of activities to protest the war in Vietnam. On June 15, 1969, it organised the biggest anti-war rally in Tokyo, drawing over 70,000 to the streets. The movement expanded and eventually had 350 groups across Japan. Beheiren’s operation had a huge influence on later civil movements and became a model for anti-war movements. Shunsuke Tsurumi left the academic life in 1970, resigning as professor from Doshisha University, and devoted himself to writing about philosophy and other subjects. Russian cosmonaut talks to Hanoi children Russian cosmonaut Sergei Krikaliov, who holds the world record as the person spending the most time in space with six space flights and 803 days, shared his routine in outer space during an exchange programme with children in Hanoi on July 23. He recalled that he flew with groups of two-three, saying they were busy with experiments on medicine, biology and technology. It took the cosmonauts just one hour and a half to travel one circle around the Earth, seeing the continents and other breathtakingly beautiful scenes, he said. Krikaliov also talked about the difficulties of living in outer space. He said he spent most of his waking hours on maintaining the operation of the space station and conducting experiments. What is simple on Earth can be extremely difficult in the outer space due to the lack of gravity. Every activity was complicated, he said, sharing he exercised to stay healthy and had to creep into the sleeping bag – tied down to the floor or hanging from the ceiling – to avoid floating into things in his sleep. He explained that to become an astronaut, it is essential to have good health and study hard. Sergei Krikaliov was born in 1958 in Leningrad, Russia. His first space flight was conducted in 1988 and the last in 2005. He was the first Russian cosmonaut to conduct a space flight on the space shuttle of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The exchange programme was held by the Russian Centre of Science and Culture and the Hanoi’s Children Palace on the occasion of 65 years of Vietnam-Russia diplomatic relations and 35 years of Vietnam-Soviet space flight (July 24, 1980).- US doctors offer free medical examination to poor people A group of American volunteer doctors carried out medical examinations on 3,500 poor people during their 11-day stay in the northern mountainous province of Cao Bang. The doctors, who come from the Good Samaritan Medical organisation, also helped build three classrooms, presented gift to the poor and medical equipment to the province, worth a total 11 billion VND (504,000 USD). This is the sixth time a group of doctor from the Good Samaritan Medical has offered medical examinations to the poor in Cao Bang. This year, beneficiaries were examined for all kind of medical problems from tooth, jaws and face to cardio illnesses. The doctors also carried out surgeries on 52 patients having problems of eyes, lips, or tumours and provided training classes for local medical staff. The organisation has completed a three-year training course for 26 local doctors and plans to send two teachers to the province to give English lessons to Cao Bang medical workers. Good Samaritan Medical was established in the United States in 1999 by American Vietnamese, who called for donations to organise trips to Vietnam to give free medical examinations to the poor. Hanoi donation festival hopes to collect 2,000 blood units A blood donation festival was held in Hanoi on July 25 as part of the “Hanh trinh do” (Red Journey) campaign, with a hope of collecting 2,000 units of blood. A number of activities were organised during the festival, including a programme to review the 2015 Red Journey. Before arriving in the capital, 120 volunteers to the journey had stopped at 21 cities and provinces to encourage locals to join the drive and raise their awareness of thalassaemia – a genetic blood disorder that can lead to heart failure and liver problems. The journey has so far received 17,937 units of blood, which is expected to be 20,000 after July 25. Particularly, the campaign had come to Ly Son island district in central Quang Ngai province, which helped locals build a bank of blood to serve the sea and island heath work. Director of the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion Nguyen Anh Tri said the programme received warm response from localities, departments and the community. The 2015 one-month Red Journey drew 120 volunteers to tour 22 cities and provinces across the country. Power line in Central Highlands set to finish in Q1 next year Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has asked the People’s Committees from the Central Highlands provinces of Gia Lai and Kon Tum to monitor and push forward the Xekaman 1 – Pleiku 2 220-kilovolt power line project, which is expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2016. The 120-kilometre power line project, spreading across the two provinces, is designed to transmit electricity from the Xekaman 1 hydropower plant. The localities were urged to provide land clearance support for the project contractor and speed up compensation procedures. An Giang reinters remains of 205 fallen soldier The An Giang Fatherland Front reinterred 205 sets of remains of war martyrs at the Doc Ba Dac cemetery in Thoi Son commune, Tinh Bien district of the Mekong Delta province of An Giang on July 24. The remains were identified as those who fell during the war. The event is one of many activities to mark the Vietnam War Invalids and Martyrs’ Day on July 27. Of 205 remains, 170 were unearthed by the 9th Military Zone and the remaining was excavated by the K93 team from the An Giang Military Command.- Business circle honoured for donation to rural development Vietnam’s countryside has gained a facelift during the five-year implementation of a national target programme on building new-style rural areas, an achievement greatly contributed by businesses and entrepreneurs nationwide, said Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh on July 25. At a Hanoi ceremony, the official said the programme, initiated by the Government in 2010 to boost rural regions of Vietnam, has become a strong movement with the participation of all-level authorities and people. It has helped cut the household poverty rate down by 2 percent annually and increased income of rural residents twice compared to the first year of the progamme implementation. Up to 889 or about 10 percent of the total communes and five districts have been recognised as new-style rural areas. Those outcomes were reached partly thanks to businesses and entrepreneurs’ contributions, which were their funding for road, school and hospital building as well as promotion of agricultural production and job creation, Ninh said. He noted an array of challenges to increasing the rate of new-style rural communes to 20 percent by the end of this year as targeted. Localities will be unable to tap into their agricultural potential and improve local material and spiritual life unless concrete actions are made. He asked ministries, sectors and localities to seriously review the implementation of the programme and propose measures to attract business investment in agriculture and rural areas. The official also expressed his hope for more practical contributions by companies and entrepreneurs to rural development and the national industrialisation and modernisation. Also at the ceremony, the Prime Minister’s certificates of merit were presented to 65 companies and 31 entrepreneurs to honour their efforts to carry out the rural development programme. The national target programme sets 19 criteria for new rural areas covering infrastructure, production, living standards, income and culture, among others. A district must have at least 75 percent of its communes meeting all the 19 criteria in order to receive the title of new-style rural district.- USAID video contest highlights Vietnam’s development challenges The US Agency for International Development (USAID) on July 24 announced awards of a video contest it launched in January 2015 to encourage Vietnamese youth’s engagement in addressing the country’s development challenges. The competition received more than 50 entries of students from 36 universities across the nation. The videos highlight a number of social issues, ranging from environmental pollution, education, transport, orphans and street children, urbanization, agricultural development to the conservation of historical relic sites and traditional arts. The first prize went to a video clip calling for environmental protection through recycling of Nguyen Quang Co, Do Huy Tao and Le Thi Thu Thao, while the second prize was presented to Hoang Trieu To with his work on education for ethnic minority children. Vo Thi Minh Ngoc’s video that encourages people to ride bicycle to protect the environment won the third prize. Through the contest, USAID wants to understand more about Vietnamese youth’s ideas and approaches in addressing development-related issues, so that it can design projects that better support them and help them become part of the solution to today’s development challenges. Tu An Hieu Nghia sect convenes second Congress More than 100 dignitaries and followers of “ Tu An Hieu Nghia ” (Four debts of gratitude) sect convened their second Congress for the 2015-2020 tenure in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang on July 24. As a locally-originated religion, Tu An Hieu Nghia was founded in 1867 by Ngo Tu Loi in the Bay Nui region of An Giang province. The religion has so far attracted tens of thousands of followers, not only in An Giang but also from neighbouring localities, grouping followers into 24 units called “ ganh ”. During the 2010-2015 tenure, its followers set up a charity board, raising about 3 billion VND to build houses, bridges and roads in poor areas. From 2015-2020, they set the goal of continuing to contribute to the new rural development cause, do charity for the sake of the community and abide by the Party policies and State laws as well as teachings of its founder. Addressing the Congress, deputy head of the Government’s Committee for Religious Affairs Tran Khanh Hung called on dignitaries and followers to stick to its tenets and contribute more to the homeland. The congress, on the occasion, elected a 22-strong representative board led by Nguyen Huu Nghi to take charge of its 2015-2020 activities. Tu An Hieu Nghia’s tenets are the combination of the principles of three religions – Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism. The followers live and practise under the principle of learning from Buddhist to cultivate virtue and morals and paying four debts of gratitude, to one’s parents, country, three refuges - Buddha, Dharma, Sangha – and fellow citizens and all mankind. During its inception, most of the followers were patriotic feudal intellectuals during the past resistance against the French colonialists. Since being officially recognised by the State in 2010, the religion and its authorities have strengthened its system and helped the Party and State improve social welfare for followers and people living in the region. Major art programme to mark War Invalids and Martyrs’ Day An art programme titled “Khat Vong Doan Tu” (An aspiration for reunion) will be held at the Defence Ministry’s Hall in Hanoi on July 27 evening to mark the 68 th War Invalids and Martyrs’ Day. The programme will be broadcasted live on the Vietnam Television’s VTV1 channel and the Vietnam National Defence Television channel (QPVN). Major General Tran Van Minh, Director of the Department of Policy under the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People’s Army, said at a press conference on July 24 in Hanoi that the show is organised by the Steering Committee for the Search and Repatriation of Remains of Fallen Soldiers to pay tribute to war martyrs, invalids and revolutionary contributors. It will also honour teams, individuals and organisations who have been working tirelessly to search for and repatriate the remains of fallen soldiers. Many Party and State leaders are expected to attend the event together with Heroic Vietnamese Mothers and war invalids. Protestantism directive helps ensure regional stability The implementation of a prime ministerial directive on tasks regarding Protestantism in northwest Vietnam over the past ten years has helped stabilise the situation in the region and the country as a whole. A conference reviewing the implementation of Directive No. 01/2005/CT-TTg on tasks regarding Protestantism, issued by then Prime Minister Phan Van Khai on February 4, 2005, was held in northwest Yen Bai province on July 24. It was attended by officials of ministries, central agencies and 14 provinces covered by the Steering Committee for the Northwest Region. A report at the function revealed that the 14 provinces, including central Thanh Hoa and Nghe An, house more than 1,300 Protestant groups with over 193,000 followers. Participants said the ten-year implementation of the directive has proved that related Party guidelines and State policies regarding Protestantism are righteous, timely and in line with the specific context in the northwest, contributing to regional stability. The directive has stimulated Protestants’ engagement in poverty elimination activities, improved their relationship with secular communities and promoted local State agencies’ management of religious affairs. Attending officials agreed on the need to continue encouraging local residents to comply with Party guidelines and State policies and laws, especially those concerning socio-economic development. Regional provinces will ask the Party and State to support the increase of Party membership among Protestants, especially the ethnic H’Mong people. They will also consider the establishment of boards for religious affairs under the provincial People’s Committees to improve management of the issue. Local authorities will strictly punish schemes and actions that take advantage of religious matters to mar national solidarity while working harder to provide jobs, reduce poverty and raise awareness of ethnics in general and Protestants in particular, the officials added. Market info provision to remote areas falls short The provision of market information to people in ethnic, mountainous and border areas – a pivotal task during integration – is falling short of expectations, conceded Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai on July 24. He said seeking consumption markets for Vietnamese agro-forestry-fishery products is an important task effectively carried out through communication efforts. Vietnam has joined in eight bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements at different levels and its economy is expected to profit from the extensive integration, said Deputy Minister – Vice Chairman of the Government’s Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs Hoang Xuan Luong. However, such integration will make the production and sale of agro-forestry-fishery products in ethnic, mountainous and border areas more vulnerable if local residents lack access to market information, he warned. Luong stressed that market information must be regarded as a special production tool which not only creates products and their added value but also helps enforce State policies expeditiously and efficiently in those areas. At the workshop in northern Quang Ninh province, participants underscored the significance of market information to ethnic, mountainous and border areas and pointed out flaws in existing related policies. Many opinions urged the Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs and the Ministry of Industry and Trade to propose policy amendments and socio-economic development facilitation programmes for the targeted areas to the Government. The initiatives will need to be in line with the current integration period as well as local identities. Vietnam is home to more than 130 districts located in mountainous and remote areas and over 200 others have mountainous and remote communes. More than half of the national population, about 48 million people, reside in the areas where the household poverty rate is more than three times the national average and economic and infrastructure development is limited.- Thai SCG grants scholarships to needy students Thailand’s group SCG in coordination with Tuoi Tre newspaper on July 23 granted 400 scholarships to poor students with good marks in school as part of its annual programme “ Sharing the Dream”. The scholarships were given to students in Ho Chi Minh City and the six southeastern provinces of Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Binh Phuoc, Ba Ria –Vung Tau, Tay Ninh and Binh Thuan. Fifty student s in Hanoi will receive their scholarships next week. Apart from 3 million VND (137 USD), they also received learning tools and a gift from SCG. A one-day living skill session was also provided to help improve their self confidence and creativity. “As a leading sustainable business in Southeast Asia, we always actively contribute to the environment and local community where we operate, and we are committed to supporting Vietnam’s youth with better study opportunities,” said Piyapong Jriasetapong, General Director of TPC Vina Plastics and Chemicals, one of SCG’s affiliates in Vietnam. Quang Ninh launches photograph competition on climate change A photography competition on climate change and its potential impacts was launched in Ha Long city in the north-eastern province of Quang Ninh on July 24. Organised by the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment and the Centre for Climate Change Adaptation Technology under the Centre for Hydrometeorology and Climate Change, the event aims to increase community awareness of climate resilience. Addressing the event, Deputy Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Dang Huy Hau incited locals, officials and union members to actively implement environmental protection and mitigate the effects of climate change. All Vietnamese citizens working and living in the country are encouraged to submit their images to the competition from now until August 20, 2015. Quang Ninh is considered one of the most vulnerable regions to the onslaught and subsequent backlash of climate change. It is forecast that by the end of this century, sea water levels could rise by one meter, submerging 131 square kilometres of the province. On the occasion, a parade to encourage local participation in activities to cope with climate change was also held. Dong Thap: Over 62.5 billion VND raised for charitable activities The Vietnam Red Cross Society chapter in the southern province of Dong Thap has mobilised 62.5 billion VND (2.9 million USD) since the outset of this year to help the impoverished, the disabled and Agent Orange/dioxin victims in the locality. Nearly 46,700 presents and cash totally worth 15 billion VND (697,700 USD) were distributed to those in need during the campaign “Tet for the Poor and Agent Orange Victims”. The provincial Red Cross Society also hired land to cultivate rice for fundraising, which was then used to build houses for the poor and support general hospitals in Lap Vo and Sa Dec districts. It also provided free medical checks-up and medicines to over 500 poor households and more than 2,400 families in Cambodia’s Preyveng province, with a combined sum of 309 million VND (14,372 USD). The provincial Red Cross Society also effectively popularised blood donation campaigns through the Xuan Hong (Red Spring) Blood Donation Festival and the Red Blood Summer campaign which attracted substantial community participation. Some 18 cows worth 292 million VND (13,581 USD) were donated thanks to the “cow bank” project implemented in the province. In addition, 511 houses were presented to the poor and 70 bridges were built, facilitating local livelihoods. Nguyen Phuoc Vinh, Vice President of the provincial Red Cross Society, said charitable activities will be accelerated to further support the needy in the coming time. Improved living conditions for rural Ca Mau residents Living conditions of local residents in 79 rural communes across the southernmost province of Ca Mau have been improved as a result of projects carried out from 2010-2015. So far, as many as 179,000 wells have been drilled across rural areas, supplying clean water for 83 percent of households, 36 percent of which have water that meets Ministry of Health standards. Hygienic toilet facilities have been installed in 89,000 rural households, representing about 41 percent of the community. Publicity campaigns have been organised to raise community awareness of a healthy lifestyle to protect community health and the environment. Meanwhile, Chairman of the Tan Hung Dong People’s Committee Nguyen Van Han said local authorities are the pioneers of environmental protection activities, setting a good example for local residents. The Department of Agricultural and Rural Development attributed the effective project implementation to the practical benefits for local residents and the active involvement of local authorities. By the end of this year, 86 percent of local rural households are expected to have access to clean water and 50 percent will have hygienic toilet facilities in their homes. Herbalife Family Foundation helps disadvantaged children The Herbalife Family Foundation has recently announced that it will fund more than 1 billion VND (45,000 USD) for its Casa Herbalife programme this year to help disadvantaged children. Under the programme, the Huong Duong Orphanage in the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang and the Dong Tam Social Sponsorship Centre in the southern province of Binh Duong will each obtain a financial aid package of over 512 million VND (22,500 USD). Huong Duong and Dong Tam received funds for the second and third time, respectively. The money will be used to improve meals for children and ensure food hygiene and safety during processing. It will also be used to support sporting and cultural activities such as martial arts classes and libraries. Harbalife Family Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of children by helping charitable organisations provide healthy nutrition to children in need. It also often supports relief efforts in response to catastrophic natural disasters around the world. The foundation has introduced Casa Herbalife since 2005 and has supported 120 programmes in 50 countries and serves the daily nutritional needs of more than 100,000 children daily. Satellite hospitals stem the tide Nearly 40 percent of provincial satellite hospitals have reported a decrease in the number of patients being transferred to higher-level hospitals for treatment, helping to lift the burden on central hospitals that has been weighing them down for decades. The figure was released at a conference on the development of satellite hospitals held by the Ministry of Health in Hanoi on July 24. Representatives of more than 30 central and satellite hospitals together with health officials and city and provincial leaders attended the one-day conference to discuss solutions to the obstacles satellite hospital development is facing. The project, approved by the Ministry of Health in 2013, aims to reduce overloading at big hospitals. In the first stage of the project, 14 central hospitals were chosen by the Ministry of Health as ‘core hospitals' responsible for transferring advanced medical techniques to 46 satellite hospitals across 38 provinces and cities in Vietnam. The technical transfer focuses on cardiology, oncology, exterior injuries, obstetrics and paediatrics. The transfer rate to higher-level hospitals of patients suffering from brain trauma at Ninh Thuan Provincial Hospital, one of the satellite hospitals chosen for the project, reduced dramatically by about 88 percent, from 104 cases in 2013 to 12 last year. Phu Tho Provincial Hospital said that the number of patients that underwent radiation treatment and tumor removal surgery at the hospital rose from 2875 cases in 2013 to 5535 a year later. This was thanks to the excellent technical transfer from central hospitals, said Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien. The Ministry would speed up technical transfers and expand the network of satellite hospitals to all provinces in the country, she said. "The Ministry will also invest more in the infrastructure of ‘core hospitals' to further facilitate training and technical transfer in lower-level hospitals," she said. Telemedicine, in which telecommunications is used to provide remote healthcare, will also be applied in training and used for joint medical consultations between central and provincial hospitals, she said.- Diphtheria outbreak blocked in Quang Nam A recent diphtheria outbreak in Central Quang Nam province has been successfully contained with no new cases reported and those who had suffered from the disease recovered. According to the Department of Preventative Health under the Ministry of Public Health, this is the first outbreak in many decades in the mountainous Phuoc Loc commune of Phuoc Son district, claiming three lives. The province has zoned off the area and carried out disinfection procedures, intensifying precautionary measures and launching intensive treatments for patients. The local Health Department teamed up with the Nha Trang Pasteur Institute to organise a vaccination programme for all locals living in the vulnerable locality. Communication campaigns were arranged to educate residents on diphtheria and basic hygienic practices. Phuoc Loc commune is home to 23,635 people, 70 percent of whom are Bh’noong ethnic minority members who subsist primarily on nomadic farming and have limited access to health services. Diphtheria is a dangerous respiratory disease caused by a potent toxin produced by certain strains of the Corynebacterium diphtheria. It is extremely contagious through coughing or sneezing. Risk factors include crowding, poor hygiene and immunisation gaps. The disease can be treated and cured successfully with antitoxins and antibiotics if begun early enough. Diphtheria can be prevented through vaccinations. The Ministry of Public Health has advised the entire community to complete the vaccination programme against diphtheria on schedule. Personnel hygiene practices and environmental sanitation efforts are also recommended to effectively prevent the disease. Efforts needed to eliminate leprosy by year-end Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Thi Xuyen has urged the five remaining localities where leprosy still exists to carry out more drastic measures towards a Vietnam free from leprosy-related issues by the end of 2015. Speaking at a conference in central Thua Thien-Hue province on July 24 to review the five-year implementation of the National Leprosy Eradication Programme, Xuyen spoke of the achievements of the programme, especially in improving public awareness of the disease. As of June 2015, 58 out of the 63 provinces and centrally-run cities had eradicated leprosy. The remaining includes Ho Chi Minh City, central Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan provinces and the Central Highlands provinces of Gia Lai and Kon Tum. The number of new lepers discovered annually reduced from 374 in 2011 to 187 in 2014 and 86 in the first half of 2015. All patients have received accurate treatment and non-judgmental care. Yet neglect is being seen in several localities that have already eradicated leprosy. As such, Xuyen requested they maintain their results by mobilising resources to prevent the disease. Looking forward, the health sector will continue leprosy prevention efforts, speed up communications on healthcare, intensify health check-ups, provide health insurance for lepers and people with disabilities caused by leprosy and maintain international cooperation and scientific research. The National Leprosy Eradication Programme is also expected to be included in the National Target Programme on Health to affirm the Party’s and State’s diligence and monitor achievements.- Gender equality changing in Vietnam The inequality between men and women in education and work as well as social prejudices causes women around the world to experience difficulties and obstacles in their daily life. In a country like Vietnam, discussions about gender equality (or inequality), gender roles, and gender-based violence are also not likely topics of discussion, particularly among young adolescents. Students entering adolescence rarely have the opportunity to discuss and therefore develop an adequate understanding of gender-related issues because of the sensitive nature of these topics compounded by shortcomings in the educational system. Aware of the deficiency, We Talk Gender a series of summer workshops in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City were established with the aim of being a positive influence for changing the perception of Vietnamese youth on gender- related issues. The workshops, held July 14-18 in Hanoi and July 22-26 in HCM City, were the brainchild of four Vietnamese students who are currently studying overseas – Nguyen Hoang Ngoc Diep, Duong Manh Hung, Huynh Thu Giang and Nguyen Ha Phuong. They offered upper-middle school, high school and newly enrolled college students (age 14-19) an opportunity to familiarize and talk about gender issues through discussions and activities that encouraged them to think critically and multi-dimensionally about gender issues while respecting the long-lived, diverse culture of Vietnam. The five-day bilingual workshops were 100% free for all participants and officially sponsored by Educational Programs for Vietnamese Students (EPVS Vietnam) in partnership with Save the Children Vietnam and enormous support from ICS Vietnam. Conflicts rise about shared living areas Conflicts about commonly owned areas in apartments in HCM City have reportedly been increasing, but officials attending a conference yesterday in the city said the number of disputes had not risen dramatically. Do Phi Hung, deputy director of HCM City's Department of Construction, said that overlapping regulations had contributed to the conflicts. "Sanctions are not strong enough to prevent violations," he said. "Penalties should be strengthened to prevent violations in apartment management." According to Hung, only 16 out of 63 apartments among the city's 1,244 apartments had a common space dispute. "There are many apartments following regulations well," he told media, while refusing to disclose names of the 63 apartments. He said that inspection results should be submitted to the city government prior to publication. Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper quoted sources as saying after inspecting 30 apartments, city officials found that eight had disputes about commonly owned areas. All of the inspected apartments had some kind of violation of electrical safety. Nineteen out of 30 apartments had violations on construction; 10 out of 30 inspected apartments had not released certificates to residents; and eight out of 30 apartments did not have maintenance funds. Dengue fever cases higher The capital city of Ha Noi has been increasing its efforts to prevent the spread of dengue fever. Head of the Preventive Healthcare Department Dr Tran Dac Phu said 362 cases of dengue fever had been reported in the city since early this year. The number was three times more than in the same period last year, Phu said. Most of the cases have been reported in the districts of Ha Dong, Hai Ba Trung and Thanh Tri. Ha Dong District has recorded 40 dengue cases. The municipal authority has asked localities and relevant offices to co-operate with the healthcare sector to take measures to prevent the spread of the disease, such as by cleaning the living environment, spraying mosquito repellents, and asking people using to mosquito nets while sleeping. The healthcare sector should closely monitor the situation for quick detection of infections. In Ha Dong District, where the epidemic is spreading, the local authority and people have been taking preventive action. The disease is reportedly under control. However, there does not seem to be any fall in dengue cases in the district. Healthcare workers in Ha Dong District said the risk of a new wave of the disease was still high. The main reason for the situation was the low awareness of the people about the epidemic, Vu Van Len, a doctor, said. In Tan Trieu Commune in Thanh Tri District, there are 35,000 residents, 100,000 of which are migrants. As the number of migrants changed regularly, it was difficult to control the disease, Len said. Most of the migrants thought they were living there only temporarily and were also not aware of the need to keep the environment clean, he said. This allowed infectious diseases such as dengue fever to break out, the doctor said. Cultivators face more instability The cultivation sector's output is believed to account for 73.5 per cent of the agricultural sector's gross output, but its growth remains unstable. Minister of Agricultural and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat said this at a meeting on Wednesday while opening a two-year prog-ramme to restructure the sector. Phat said that the sector's growth reached 3 per cent in 2013 and 3.2 per cent in 2014, but was less than 2 per cent in the first six months this year. Unpredictable weather conditions and complicated market developments were to blame for the instability, he said. Ma Van Trung, head of the ministry's Cultivation Department, said that the quality and productivity of Vietnamese farm produce remained lower than in other countries. The price of a tonne of Vietnamese rice, one of the nation's key exports, was US$20-30 lower than Thai rice in the international market, he said. Post-harvest technologies were limited, causing an estimated loss of 12 per cent of farm output after harvesting, he said. Nguyen Anh Son, director of Lam Dong Province's Agricultural and Rural Development Department, said that restructuring the cultivation sector should be linked with market demand. Authorised agencies should boost trade promotions and market forecasts in the near future, he said. Phat said farm produce such as tea, vegetables, fruit and rice would be selected to become key farm products for different parts of the country depending on their climate and conditions. "This is the direction for the restructuring of our cultivation sector from 2016-20," he said. High supply, low demand for taro Farmers in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang, which farms the most taro in Viet Nam, are despairing over a recent fall in prices and the resulting oversupply. Earlier in 2014, taro prices reached VND18,000 ($0.8) per kilo, driving farmers in mountainous and flat areas alike to cultivate them. A taro grower in Cho Moi District's Hoi An Commune, who wanted to remain anonymous, said that last year he received a lot of orders for taro seed from the south, central and north, in addition to supplying products for traders in HCM City. "Last year I sold dozens of tonnes of taro seed per week, but this year all my products are waiting for buyers," he told Nong Thon Ngay Nay (Countryside Today). Farmers in Tri Ton and Tinh Bien districts saw the high sales and also rushed to cultivate the plant, despite warnings from the agricultural sector. A farmer in Tri Ton District said last year he invested hundreds of millions of dong in 2ha of taro on Dai Mountain. "I was very interested in planting it because farmers in Tinh Bien district's An Cu Commune earn a lot of money growing taro," he said. However, over-cultivation led to a fall in prices this year to about one fifth of last year's. Nguyen Van Sanh, head of the Agricultural and Rural Development Office of Cho Moi District said farmers should not expand their taro fields anymore. Since few traders have bought the already abundant taro in the area, farmers have had to use it as food for fish, he said. According to the agriculture office, farmers need traders to buy about 250ha of harvested taro. Bac Giang earns millions from lychee The northern province of Bac Giang has earned around VND2.7 trillion (about US$123.8 million) from lychees so far this year. Domestic consumption for the 190,000 tonnes harvested accounted for about 55 per cent, which was the first time local consumption surpassed exports, said vice chairman of the provincial People's Committee, Duong Van Thai. "This shows the domestic market still has a lot of potential," he added. This year was also the first time Luc Ngan lychees have been exported to the US, Japan, Australia and some ASEAN countries. Luc Ngan is a district in Bac Giang well known for its delicious lychees. Thai said that fresh lychees had already sold out, leaving only dried and processed lychees available until the new season next year. Can Gio to focus more on seafood The chairman of the HCM City People's Committee Le Hoang Quan has asked Can Gio District to better exploit its marine potential and resources as well as tourism to develop a marine economy. Speaking at the opening of the 11th Party Congress of Can Gio District on Thursday, Quan said Can Gio should continue restructuring its economy toward urban agriculture and tourism services with advanced technologies. Can Gio accounts for one-third of the city's total area and is surrounded by large rivers and sea waters. The district has achieved economic growth of 10 per cent a year over the past five years, according to the district's People's Committee. The district's agriculture sector accounts for 35.3 per cent of its economy; industry, 24.1 per cent; and services, 40.6 per cent. The fisheries sector is the district's key economy sector. Last year, the district's aquaculture production, mostly shrimp, crabs and oysters, yielded value of VND2.1 trillion (US$100 million). Salt output also reached 110,000 tonnes last year. Besides developing aquaculture, mostly shrimp breeding, the district has had policies to diversify the cultivation of various kinds of crops and animals. The development of infrastructure such as roads, electricity and clean water has helped improved the lives of local people in recent years. The district has no dilapidated houses. Quan said Can Gio was still the city's poorest district and its development had not met its potential. The effectiveness of production models had not been stable and the application of technologies limited, he said. Offshore fishing facilities and seafood processing technologies were still outdated, he said. Quan said Can Gio should create policies to call on investors to invest in mangrove forests, good river land, and water for fish farms to develop a sustainable agricultural economy. The district should focus on producing traditional products served for tourism, he said. He also told local authorities to create conditions for the Ben Luc – Can Gio – Long Thanh expressway to be implemented soon. Can Gio's submerged forest, which is an UNESCO recognised Biosphere Reserve, covers more than 38,000ha. The submerged forest is considered HCM City's "green lung" and is an attractive tourism destination. The district receives about 430,000 tourists a year.  Source: VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri