Social News 20/10 Tri An reservoir faces water shortage   The Tri An reservoir's level in Dong Nai has fallen dramatically low, triggering fears of a power shortage this year, Tri An Hydropower Company Director Nguyen Kim Phuc said. Due to the low water levels, the company has scaled down its operations, he said. The reservoir can hold 62m of water, but the current level is 58m. The reservoir in the southern province has usually been full in the month of September in previous years, but this year the water levels are lower than usual. Phuc said the reserve water at the reservoir should be 2.7 billion cubic metres to ensure power supply next year. As the hydrometeorology station in the south has forecast that the drought during this dry season would be very stressful, the company was taking measures to conserve water, Phu said. Due to limited water supply, consumers including residents should make plans to conserve water. The Tri An reservoir is the largest reservoir in the south. In addition to producing electricity, it also supplies water for daily use, agriculture and flood control in the Dong Nai river system.  Hanoi building developer fined for exceeding permitted height Hanoi authorities have announced a fine of VND100 million (US$4,486) for the developer of a building near the President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum which was found exceeding the permitted height. Ba Dinh District said Le Truc Garment Company violated construction regulations with Discovery Complex II, a commercial and office project that is almost completed. The building is now 69 meters, while the height in the approved design is only 53 meters. It is located at 8B Le Truc Street, around 500 meters from the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, which is only 21.6 meters high. The project attracted public attention after local media reported about its towering height. According to authorities, projects near the historic Ba Dinh Square should not be taller than and overshadow the mausoleum. Ba Dinh District also ordered the developer to stop construction and pull down the parts that have exceeded the permitted height, as required by the city government. Singaporean students join local peers to develop Vietnam’s craft industry More than 50 students from the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City and Singapore Polytechnic have finished a program to improve craft villages in southern Vietnam. The 2015 Learning Express program, which began on October 4, focused on finding solutions to support and develop local communities and craft villages that make lacquerware and ceramics in Binh Duong Province. The solutions created by participating students were displayed at an exhibition at the Vietnamese university in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City on October 15. According to the organizers, Learning Express was designed to help students exercise their thinking ability, research skills, and apply new learnings through the Design Thinking method which includes 4 steps: sense and sensibility, empathy, ideation, and prototype. Beginning at step 1, students observed the daily activities of local people, and through group interviews learnt more about the people and culture there. Then, students were directly involved in the implementation of some stages of the actual works, and performed in-depth interviews, putting themselves in the position of local people to gain greater understanding. In step 3, the program’s participants applied their knowledge learned at school, alongside their creative thinking abilities to propose solutions that were specific, feasible and cost-effective. In the final step, after reaching an optimum solution, the students designed models and demonstrated solutions to local people so that they could easily see the benefit of the project in a way that was intuitive, vivid, highly reliable and highly persuasive. Initiated by Singapore Polytechnic in 2011, Learning Express aims at educating and preparing students for international integration, especially in the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). According to the organizers, Learning Express is a multinational, multicultural and multidisciplinary program that aims to solve a specific problem in a particular locality through innovative ideas and the application of knowledge gained at school. Students participating in the program have the opportunity to develop academic and real-world skills, and contribute significantly to the sustainable development of local communities. Annually, Singapore Polytechnic’s students will be taken to ASEAN countries to immerse and practically apply what they have learned to a specific project in a local community. Budget train tours to link HCM City with four south-central spots A Ho Chi Minh City-based railway firm and travel association will team up with tourism authorities in four south-central Vietnamese provinces to offer low-cost train tours between the metropolis and these localities. Representatives of the Saigon Railway Co. and the Ho Chi Minh City Travel Association (HTA) will work with tourism officials from Binh Thuan, Khanh Hoa, Phu Yen and Binh Dinh to study the feasibility of such a plan. The HTA said 20 of its company members will participate in the project, which aims to bring tourists to the three provinces and Nha Trang, the capital city of Khanh Hoa, on a high-quality, fully serviced train. Saigon Railway Co. is expected to turn a standard 64-seat train car to have only 44 seats, thus creating more space and convenience for passengers, in the survey trip between October 17 and 21. Such a special rail car will also feature free Wi-Fi access and dining services, according to the train operator. Local tour operators currently do offer train tour packages, but only at a modest number as the train service is not good enough, HTA deputy chairwoman Nguyen Thi Khanh said. “After this survey trip, HTA members can offer more train tours with cheaper prices, thanks to support from the railway operator,” she said. The prices for the train package from Ho Chi Minh City to the four south-central destinations will be competitive as the HTA will also receive preferential prices from tourism service providers in these localities, Khanh added. “We will announce the official prices after this study trip finishes,” she said. The HTA has been cooperating with local airlines to offer discounted domestic tour packages for years. More than 100,000 people have booked packages whose prices are slashed 20% to 40% in the first nine months of this year, and the association is hoping it can achieve similar success with the train tours. Traders to be compensated for fire damage Traders who were affected by the blaze that broke out at midnight on September 15 in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue's Tu Ha Town will get a total of nearly  US$20,000 as compensation. The province's People's Committee this morning decided to allocate VND447 million ($19,900) from the local budget to help 64 traders whose goods and properties were destroyed in the fire, which caused damage worth VND18 billion ($800,000). The traders will receive compensation as per the losses they suffered. A trader who suffered damages worth VND400 million ($17,800) or more will receive VND20 million ($890), while those who suffered damages worth VND300 million ($13,300) or more will receive VND15 million ($670), for instance. Earlier, the town gave the affected traders VND200 million ($8,900) in all. Local Phu Hoang Thinh, a taxi firm, gave each trader VND1 million ($45) as aid three days after the fire. An investigation report released by the local police said a spark was the main cause of the fire. The police halted the work of the market managers to conduct further investigation. The affected traders sent a petition, demanding prosecution of the managers because as per regulation, the power supply had to be cut at night after the market's closure, but the managers did not comply with the rule.  International hospital constructed in Hai Phong Vingroup JSC commenced the construction on the Vinmec General Hospital in Le Chan District, Hai Phong yesterday. The hospital would provide high quality health services at international standards, said deputy chairman of Vingroup, Nguyen Viet Quang. The hospital will have 14 specialised departments with 400 beds, and will treat up to 200,000 patients a year. Vinmec is investing VND2 trillion (US$9 million) and the hospital would cover a total of 40,000 square metre. Hai Phong Vinmec joins other five hospitals in Ha Noi, Ha Long, Phu Quoc, Nha Trang and HCM City. Hai Phong city was being offered huge development opportunities with a host of projects that had been implemented by big investors including Vingroup, said Hai Phong People's Committee's Chairman Le Van Thanh.  Workers beaten in Algeria discharged from hospital Two Vietnamese men assaulted by Chinese workers at a Dongyi Jiangsu Co. Ltd construction site in Algeria’s Khenchela city on September 16 were discharged from the hospital on October 18.  The men – Dau Hoang Anh and Dao Ngoc Cuong – said that their only wish is to return home and reunite with their families.  Do Van Hai, a representative of Simco Song Da – the Vietnamese company that sent the workers to Algeria, said the two are recovering and resting at the Dongyi Jiangsu’s headquarters in Alger. Hospital costs, worth nearly 4,000 USD, were paid by the Chinese employer.  The Chinese side also announced that it will complete procedures to repatriate the two workers in at least 3-4 days as well as cover their airfare.  Hai also said that his company is working hard with the Chinese side to seek optimal measures to support the two workers.  On October 5, Vietnamese workers in Algeria called for help as they were beaten by the Chinese employer.  According to them, the work contract they signed with the employer regulated that they were paid monthly. However, when working in Algeria, they were paid on piecework. After objecting, they and others were assaulted on September 19 with Dau Hoang Anh and Dao Ngoc Cuong being the most seriously injured. Macaque released into the wild The central city's forest protection department released a stump-tailed macaque or Macaca arctoides into the wild in Son Tra Nature Reserve. Head of the mobile ranger team under the department Tran Minh Triet said a resident of Cam Le District handed over the monkey, weighing 0.7kg, to the team after a long captivity at home. The animal is listed as vulnerable species in Viet Nam's Red Book by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Last year, forest rangers and police in the city rescued 12 wild animals from a cafe in Cam Le District. Some species of monkeys and birds, listed as endangered and critically endangered species in Viet Nam, are often kept in cafes or by families as pets. The Son Tra Nature Reserve, known for its rich biodiversity, is home to 300 red-shanked doucs, a kind of langur that was declared endangered by the IUCN in 2013. Son Tra –Ngu Hanh Son's Forest Protection Department filed a criminal case in March over the illegal killing of three red-shanked doucs (Pygathryx nemaeus) during a hunting trip in the reserve for money. Last month, a red-shanked douc was found dead in the reserve with gunshot wounds.  VietJet Air offers “golden” deals Low-cost carrier Vietjet Air is offering nearly 250,000 promotional tickets just from 0 VND for a number of domestic routes. The promotion will run on three “golden” days, from October 20 to 22, for travel from November 1, 2015 to February 29, 2016. The deals are part of the Hanoi promotional month and are celebrating the newly-opened air route from Hanoi to Chu Lai in the central province of Quang Nam. The promotional programme is being applied to domestic routes from Hanoi to Chu Lai, Ho Chi Minh City, Quy Nhon, Buon Ma Thuot, Pleiku, Nha Trang, Da Lat, Phu Quoc and Can Tho; and from Hai Phong to Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City. Currently, Vietjet Air uses 28 Airbus A320 and A321 planes and operates about 190 flights daily. The carrier has so far flown about 18 million passengers to 35 domestic and international destinations, including Singapore, the Republic of Korea, Taiwan (China), China, Thailand and Myanmar. Looking forward, VietJet Air plans to expand its network in the Asia-Pacific region. Ministry announces petrol price cut The domestic retail price of petroleum was reduced by 136 VND, bringing it to 18,003 VND (80 US cents) per litre as of 3pm on October 19, the Ministry of Industry and Trade said.  The price of E5 RON 92 biofuel has also fallen by 26 VND to 17,618 VND (78 cents) per litre. However, the diesel price increased by 222 VND to 13,945 VND (61 cents) per litre. The price of kerosene also rose by 279 VND per litre, bringing it to 13,004 VND (57 cents), while the price of mazut has increased by 445 VND per kilogram to 9,887 VND (43 cents) per kilogram. The ministry said the prices have been reassessed because the base price was lower than the selling price. It also decided to keep the stabilisation fund stable at 300 VND per litre. The global petroleum price has been falling over the past two weeks with unpredictable changes. The petrol price in the world market surged from 45 USD to 50 USD a barrel and fell again. This is the 14th revision of the petrol price this year. Vietnam attends Global Gathering Festival in Busan Vietnam left a strong impression at the 10th Global Gathering Festival recently held at the Songsanghyeon Square in Busan city, the Republic of Korea. With eight booths displaying cultural products and traditional food such as pho (rice noodle soup) and nem (spring roll) along with photos available with Vietnamese girls in traditional Ao dai (long dress), Vietnam received significant attention from local residents and the organisers.  In a direct dialogue with the city’s Mayor, Suh Byung-soo, Chairwoman of the Association of Vietnamese in Busan Nguyen Tuong Vy, represented over 30,000 women living in the city to deliver suggestions on how the city could provide better support for Vietnamese women in particular and the Vietnamese community in general. The 10th Global Gathering Festival, which took place on October 17, drew the participation of 30 countries and more than 100 local and international organisations. The annual event is part of the host nation’s efforts to increase understanding among countries with citizens living in Busan, thus creating cultural diversity and harmony among communities.  This year’s event featured more than 150 booths and attracted around 30,000 visitors. Six-year implementation of Biodiversity Law reviewed A workshop on the implementation of the Biodiversity Law in Vietnam over the past six years took place in Hanoi on October 19.  It was organised by the National Assembly’s Committee for Science, Technology and Environment and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE).  Opening the workshop, Deputy Head of the Committee Nguyen Vinh Ha said that since the Biodiversity Law went into effect in 2009, biodiversity in the country has been preserved more effectively, with a biodiversity management system established at the central and local levels.  According to MONRE, 166 protected areas have been established, covering a total area of 2.1 million hectares across the country. This includes 134protected areas of the special-use forest system and six marine protected areas alongside two World Natural Heritages.  However, the Government has seen some challenges, including a delay in the issuance of documents to assist in the implementation of the law, overlaps in current regulations on biodiversity preservation and a lack of capable human resources.  Pham Anh Cuong, an official with the Vietnam Environment Administration (VEA), said most of the work to manage and protect biodiversity was completed by central-level agencies. But there was lack of co-ordination between government bodies in the natural resources and environment, agriculture and rural development sectors.  Attendees stressed the need to re-examine and amend laws that also regulate biodiversity protection, such as the Law on Forest Protection and Development and the Fishery Law, to avoid overlaps.  Additionally, the VEA asked for an increase in state funding for biodiversity management and preservation. Vietnam attends international pre-school conference in Mexico Vietnamese Ambassador to Mexico Le Linh Lan attended the 15th International Pre-school Education Conference in Monterrey city, Nuevo Leon state from October 15-18, drawing the participation of over 1,500 representatives from 28 countries worldwide. At the event, the Vietnamese Ambassador underscored the essential role of kindergarten education as laying a solid foundation for the physical and mental development of children. The Vietnamese Government is responsible for managing and providing investment for the pre-school education sector, prioritising early childhood education in remote and island regions with difficult socio-economic situations, while creating mechanisms and policies to encourage all economic sectors to invest in the field, Lan highlighted. She also emphasised the need to enhance parents’ knowledge about education methods used in early child schooling. During her stay in Monterrey, Ambassador Lan also met with General Secretary of the Mexican Labour Party Alberto Anaya Gutierrez and Director of the Centres for Child Education (CENDI) Maria Guadalupe Rodriguez. Winter and spring voluntary campaigns launched The Vietnam Youth Federation held a ceremony to launch the Winter Volunteer Campaign 2015 and Spring Volunteer Campaign 2016 in the northern province of Lang Son on October 18, with the participation of 2,000 local youth members. The voluntary campaigns, in response to the “I love my homeland” movement, will run across the country until the end of next February with the aim to support and help people in need and those living in disadvantaged regions such as mountainous and border areas. At the event, charity organisations and individuals handed over three houses for local impoverished households and presented water cans and tableware for some kindergartens in the border commune of Tam Gia, Loc Binh district. Philanthropists also donated 15 bicycles and 30 scholarships to local poor students. After the launching ceremony, about 1,000 volunteers participated in such activities as cleaning roads, providing free health care and blankets to the disadvantaged people, and cooking free meals to about 500 poor students. TalentBiz German Job Fair slated for Saturday The TalentBiz German Job Fair 2015 will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Hoa Lu Stadium in HCMC’s District 1 on Saturday. Participants will have the opportunity to meet and learn from HR experts from over 35 leading German companies in Vietnam, get advice on how to write a compelling application form, and listen to success stories from Germany alumni. Besides one-on-one meetings with employers, jobseekers can come to explore different panel discussions, presentations and workshops. The event is jointly organized by the Alumniportal Deutschland within the “Trained in Germany” initiative, the German Business Association (GBA) in Vietnam, and the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce Vietnam (GIC/AHK Vietnam). The organizers expect 1,000 jobseekers to come to the event. For more information about the participating companies, program and application procedures, visit www.trained-in-germany.com/vietnam-en or www.talentbiz.com.vn, tel: 0934 798 922, e-mail: info@talentbiz.com.vn. Vietnam, Laos boost press cooperation Vietnamese and Lao press officials held working sessions in Vientiane on October 19 to boost press cooperation between the two countries.  Associate Professor Dr. Luu Van An, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Academy of Journalism and Communication (AJC), met some institutes and the press agencies in Laos to specify cooperation in the press in the event of the formation of the ASEAN Community at the end of 2015.  In the meeting with the Laos Institute for Information, Culture and Tourism (LIICT) under the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, the Vietnamese delegation agreed to frequently exchange working groups and students.  The AJC agreed to help Laos to improve its managerial capability in the press, increase the skills and knowledge for Lao reporters and editors according to the agreement signed on December 22, 2011.  Both sides will encourage their lecturers, reporters, and scientists to implement joint studies and scientific projects of the two sides’ shared interest, the implementation of studies, scientific information and co-organise scientific conferences in Vietnam and Laos.  In the working session with the newspaper Vientiane May, one of big newspapers in Laos, the two sides agreed to exchange and train reporters and editors for Vientiane May. VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri