Social News 17/2 Vietnam to launch two new satellites in 2019 Vietnam expects to launch two new satellites in 2019 to help boost agricultural production and minimize natural disaster impact. Deputy Director of the National Satellite Center, Vu Anh Tuan said the US$ 600 million project is expected to save US$150 million per year from disaster resilience activities. “We try to master satellite control technology in natural disaster impact mitigation. We expect to save 10% of disaster costs annually, or US$150 million. Vietnam now only has two telecom and observation satellites,” he added. More OV students in Laos receive scholarships The Vietnam Government granted 62 scholarships to Overseas Vietnamese (OV) students in Laos at a February 15 ceremony in Vientiane. The new scholarships aim to help 92 OV students- the highest number so far in Lao- pursue university and tertiary education courses in Vietnam in the 2015-2016 academic year. The grant signified what the Vietnam Government care for Vietnamese expats in Laos, said Vietnam Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Manh Hung, adding that this will help promote the special ties and comprehensive cooperation between the two nations. Under the bilateral cooperation agreement on education and training for the 2015-2016 academic year, Vietnam will provide 1,000 scholarships for Lao students, including 30 for OV students. During the working visit to Laos last year, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung consented to grant a total of 62 scholarships. 19 injured in 132 fire-related incidents during Tet About 132 fire-related incidents reportedly occurred across the nation during the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday, injuring 19 people and causing a total loss of VND22 billion (US$983,000). This was announced by the Fire Prevention and Fighting Police Department under the public security ministry this morning. Five people were injured in 71 fire-related incidents during last year's Tet holiday. Lai Chau: 56 sites on forest fire alert   The northern mountainous province of Lai Chau is on high alert against forest fires at 56 sites in four districts of Than Uyen, Tan Uyen, Tam Duong and Phong Tho. Nhu Van Cuong, deputy head of Forest Management Department, said the districts had large areas of forest located in Hoang Lien Son Mountain, and therefore, it suffered from strong winds that often resulted in fires . The provincial administration has set up inspection teams to supervise and help locals to prevent forest fires, he said. The local forest rangers were also assigned to be on duty 24 hours a day at the sites with high-alert of forest fire, he said. Statistics from the provincial forest management department showed that eight forest fires, destroying over 15 hectares (ha), were reported to have occurred in the province last year. The forest area which was destroyed last year was estimated to be 163ha lower than in 2014. Early rail ticket buyers get discount Passengers buying train tickets two months in advance of their journey will get up to 50 per cent off from this month, Ha Noi Railway Transport JSC has said. The company said it has launched a promotion for passengers. The period after Tet usually sees low demand for train travel. Passengers who buy tickets from February 26 to April 4, from April 19 to April 27 and from May 4 to May 20, will get a 50 per cent discount if they buy tickets 60 days in advance, and 30 per cent discount if they buy 30 days in advance. The promotion applies to only journeys of more than 1,300km. The ticket cannot be refunded or exchanged and the passengers will have to pay 50 per cent of its value in case of exchange, depending on the route. Passengers buying tickets 60 days in advance for the Ha Noi-central Da Nang City route will get a 50 per cent discount, while those buying 50 days in advance will get 40 per cent off, as well as 30 per cent off for tickets bought 40 days in advance and 20 per cent off for tickets bought 20 days in advance. Cold spell hits northern region A cold spell hit the northern region this morning, bringing down the temperature to 14 degrees Celsius in Ha Noi and to 3 to 6 degrees Celsius in mountainous areas. The National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecast said the temperature would fall to 4 to 6 degrees Celsius in Sa Pa Town in the northern mountainous Lao Cai Province. The temperature will drop to 3 to 5 degrees Celsius, especially in Mau Son in the northern mountainous Lang Son Province. The central-northern and northern provinces will experience significant cold weather, accompanied by some light rain, tonight. The cold weather will last two days. Another cold spell is expected to hit the north this Saturday (February 20), affecting the north-eastern provinces. Experts warn public of potential flu risks Warm, wet weather creates a conducive environment for different kinds of viruses - including the flu - to develop, so people should remain vigilant in order to allow for timely and proper treatment, health experts said. Do Thien Hai, Deputy Head of the Infectious Ward of the National Paediatrics Hospital, said that during the winter-spring season every year, the number of children who came to the hospital for flu checks increased sharply. At times, more than 20 children are hospitalised per week due to serious flu cases combined with side effects such as pneumonia. Le Hong Hanh, Deputy Head of the Respiratory Ward, said that children often went out during the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday, so they caught respiratory diseases easily. Most children recovered from the flu after about one week without antibiotics, but children suffering from the flu often had a loss of appetite, so their resistance dropped and could lead to other dangerous diseases such as pneumonia, bronchitis and otitis, said Hanh. Associate Professor Tran Dac Phu, Director of the Preventive Medicines Department under the Ministry of Health, said the flu virus was contained in people's saliva, tears and nose mucus, so it could spread quickly. The virus could last two to eight days, he said. Nguyen Trung Cap, head of the Emergency Ward of the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases, said the hospital often received serious A/H1N1 flu cases with respiratory complications. "People often think that the flu is a simple disease, so they treat themselves and ignore some symptoms such as tiredness and difficulty breathing," said Cap. "They go to hospital when suffering from respiratory complications, and the treatment will be very difficult." Associate Professor Phu said that hundreds of millions of people suffered from the flu per year worldwide, and about 250,000 to 500,000 of them die. Economic losses were uncountable, and to date there was no specific remedy, he said. However, flu vaccines could prevent the disease by 95-97 per cent, so residents should receive the vaccine, said Phu. Hospitals cope with Tet patient influx More than 250,000 people were brought to hospitals for emergency aid during the Tet holiday (February 6-14), according to the health examination and treatment department. Traffic accidents, explosives, and digestive disorders were reportedly the major causes for emergency admission. In HCM City's Cho Ray Hospital, the number of hospitalised people for emergency aid increased by 1.7 per cent compared to last year. Of these, 45 cases died, a drop of 16 compared to last year during the holiday period. About 141 people decided to return to their hometowns because of serious medical conditions. The hospital saw a drop in injuries sustained from traffic accidents, as accidents fell by 15.3 per cent compared to the same period last year. Hospital directors had planned for emergency epidemics and natural disasters during the period. Doctors, nurses and staff were on alert for such occurrences, and medicine and other materials were available for treatment. More than 6,000 blood units were prepared for the Tet holiday. Of the number, 732 units were used, an increase of 131 compared to Tet last year. Several hospitals were busier than usual. The Paediatrics Hospital in Dong Nai Province, for example, treated more than 40 children for injuries from traffic accidents in the first four days of the new year. Of these, 19 had head injuries. On February 7, the hospital's emergency aid ward admitted one child with a bellyache and vomiting caused by a streptococcus suis infection acquired through exposure to contaminated pig blood pudding. The Viet Duc Hospital in Ha Noi admitted 170 cases daily for emergency aid during the period. Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum records over 63,000 visitors during Tet More than 63,000 people visited the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi during the recent lunar New Year (Tet) holiday from February 6 to 14. Over 20,000 foreigners joined the locals to pay respect to the late President. The number of visitors peaked on February 13, at 14,162, including 5,264 international tourists. The mausoleum was open throughout the Tet period, except for February 12. Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is an important landmark of the capital city and stands integrated to the political and social history of Vietnam. After his death on September 2, 1969 from cardiac failure, Ho Chi Minh was embalmed and put for view in this granite mausoleum. The mausoleum, modelled after Lenin's Tomb in Moscow, was built in two years, from 1973 to 1975, with materials donated by people from all over the country.- Ben Tre fights salt intrusion Authorities in the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre are mobilising resources to address drought and saline intrusion, which have severely affected the local economy and living standards. The provincial People’s Committee estimated that salt water has entered around 6,878 hectares of newly seeded rice fields, causing different levels of damage. Some localities are seriously suffering, with between 70 and 100 percent of local fields contaminated by salt. The intrusion, which started earlier this year, has also polluted clean water sources causing difficulties for residents. Ben Tre city has implemented several measures to ensure water supplies for households. It has also sent water trucks to coastal areas affected by saline intrusion and drought. Due to the early saline intrusion and lower than expected annual flooding, which usually brings much-needed water to rice fields, farmers in the Mekong Delta are facing losses. More than 600,000 hectares of winter-spring rice, or about 40 percent of the delta's winter-spring rice crop, will be affected by the intrusion that is expected to creep 60-70 km inland, according to the Plant Cultivation Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Visitors pay tribute to General Giap during Tet Nearly 100,000 local and foreign visitors flocked to central province of Quang Binh to offer incense to late General Vo Nguyen Giap during nine days of the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday. On February 10 (the third day of the first lunar month) only, about 15,000 people paid tribute to the Vietnamese legendary general at his tomb in Vung Chua-Dao Yen Island in Quang Dong commune, Quang Trach district. General Vo Nguyen Giap, real name Vo Giap (alias Van), passed away in Hanoi on October 4, 2013 at the age of 103. Giap, the first general and Commander-in-Chief of the Vietnamese People’s Army, was born on August 25, 1911 in An Xa village, Loc Thuy commune, Le Thuy district, Quang Binh province. He directly led large campaigns during the Vietnamese wars against the French and the US. His name is closely linked to the historic victory at Dien Bien Phu in 1954, which put an end to the French colonialism in the country. He was also instrumental in fighting the Americans who replaced French troops. As an eminent student close to President Ho Chi Minh, General Giap was loved and respected by the people and international friends and a pride of generations of officers and soldiers nationwide. NA Chairman pays Tet visits to legislative agencies National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung has lauded collectives and individuals working for the legislature for their outstanding fulfillment of large tasks in 2015 – especially in lawmaking. While paying Tet visits to deputies and staff of the Office, the Council for Ethnic Affairs and other NA committees on February 15, the chief legislator called for their greater efforts to successfully organise the election of deputies to the 14th NA and People’s Councils at all levels for the 2016-2021 tenure while completing codes and laws to actualise the 2013 Constitution. He noted his hope that the lawmaking body’s decisions over the past 13 tenures will create a firm foundation for the next legislature to fulfill its tasks and deserve the confidence of the Party and people. The agencies were urged to take an active part in realising the 12th National Party Congress’s Resolution and focusing on organising the 13 th NA’s last meeting, which is due to outline targets for national socio-economic development in the next five years. President praises museum of former revolutionary prisoners President Truong Tan Sang has hailed the significance of the museum of former revolutionary prisoners in Hanoi to educating the public, especially young generations, about the country’s revolutionary traditions. Attending the new year meeting of former revolutionary prisoners in Hanoi on February 14, the President said each of them is an example of revolutionary spirit and a real communist, serving as a reliable support of local Party organisations. The museum of former revolutionary prisoners was set up 10 years ago at Nam Quat Village, Nam Trieu Commune, Hanoi’s Phu Xuyen District, at the initiative of a former prisoner, Lam Van Bang. The museum is run all by former revolutionary prisoners. Thousands of delegations visit the museum every year. Members of the liaison board of former revolutionary prisoners also engage in various political-social and humanitarian activities, such as writing books on their experiences, collecting documents and artefacts on other formers prisoners and building houses and providing assistance to war veterans who are in disadvantaged circumstances. Army greatly contributes to VN-Laos border marker increase, upgrade Vietnam and Laos have recently finished increasing and upgrading border markers along their shared boundaries, an achievement attributed to Vietnam People’s Army forces. The two countries share a border of over 2,337km that runs across 10 Vietnamese provinces and 10 Lao ones. They signed a number of important legal documents on border and territory, including a treaty on delimitation of national boundaries in July 1977, which serves as a political and legal foundation for the settlement of border-related issues. To build a regular, modern marker system that meets their respective conditions and border protection demands, the neighbours launched a project to increase and upgrade border markers in 2008. In May 2008, the Ministry of National Defence issued a directive on the project’s implementation. Its steering board for the border demarcation and marker planting foresaw challenges such as underdeveloped infrastructure, inaccessible locations and unexploded ordnances (UXO) in border areas. Lieutenant Colonel Phan Thanh Hong, head of marker planting team No. 2 in the central province of Nghe An province, said his team was responsible for 39 markers along the 155 km border between Nghe An and Laos’ Bolykhamsay province. The border areas there have complex terrain and a harsh climate. Most of the border markers are located in remote places. Border residents’ living standards are also low, affecting the pace of the marker planting in the field, he noted. Braving those challenges, the team worked with its Lao counterparts to complete the planting of all 39 border markers and seven stakes, Hong added. The steering board said the project attracted great attention from the countries’ leaders and support from border communities. It was carried out with close coordination among ministries, sectors and localities. To address difficulties, the board closely liaised with the Foreign Ministry’s National Border Committee and relevant agencies to seek ways to solve emerging issues. Border guards worked closely with local UXO clearance forces to ensure the progress and safety of the project’s implementation. Training was also provided for marker planting teams, the board added. During almost eight years, the bordering Vietnamese and Lao provinces completed the field planting of border markers with 834 markers at 792 positions and 168 stakes at 113 positions. The two sides also negotiated and finalised a draft protocol on the border and markers, along with attached documents so as to recognise the outcomes of the border demarcation, and marker increases and upgrades. Efforts to ensure safe Tet hailed Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc hailed efforts made by ministries, sectors and localities to ensure a safe and warm Tet (Lunar New Year) festival at a conference in Hanoi on February 15. According to reports from ministries and sectors, during the nine-day holiday, social order and security were ensured. No cases of food poisoning were recorded. Prices of commodities were stable, while many cases of smuggling and counterfeit goods were uncovered. Localities paid attention to policy beneficiaries by visiting and giving them Tet gifts. For major tasks after Tet, the Deputy PM asked ministries, sectors and localities to outline specific action plans to strive for a growth rate of 6.5 percent in 2016. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development was asked to carry out measures to boost agricultural and forest production, and prevent drought in the central region, salt intrusion in the South and severe cold in the North. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism was urged to manage festivals to ensure thrift, safety and efficiency. Meanwhile, the National Committee for Traffic Safety and the Transport Ministry were required to strictly punish traffic violation cases. Cao Dai followers celebrate annual festival The Cao Dai Church (Caodaism) held a grand ritual on February 15 dedicated to its Duc Chi Ton (Supreme Being) in Hoa Thanh district of the southern province of Tay Ninh. The service was attended by tens of thousands of Cao Dai dignitaries and followers as well as representatives from the Government’s Committee for Religious Affairs and local leaders. The ritual, held annually on the eighth day of the first lunar month, is one of the two biggest religious services of the year for followers of the Cao Dai Church . Devotees worship heaven and earth and pray for good weather and bumper crops for the religious community. Founded in 1926 in Tay Ninh province, Cao Dai is one of the major religions in Vietnam with over 2.5 million followers, 10,000 dignitaries and 1,000 places of worship. The religion worships the Divine Eye, known as the eye of heaven and a symbol of its supreme being. Cao Dai’s doctrine honours the Divine and the miraculous quality of supreme spirits, and considers them a means for humans to unify with God. Hospitals treat more than 267,500 during Tet holiday More than 267,500 people were treated across the country during the eight-day Lunar New Year festival, according to the Medical Services Administration under the Ministry of Health. During the period from February 6 to 14, 123,153 patients were sent home for family reunions. The administration also said 23,436 children were born in hospitals during the holiday. On the first eight days of Tet, 43,787 people were injured in traffic accidents, 224 of whom died. Hospitals also treated 96 persons injured in firework accidents and 43 injured by other types of explosives. Fights during the holiday sent 5,121 people to hospital across the country and killed 13. Meanwhile, 1,468 people were admitted to hospital for food and rice wine poisoning. Two died. There were 936 deaths out of 11,425 people hospitalised for other causes. Food prices return to normal after holiday Food prices began returning to normal on Sunday, the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, at markets in Ha Noi, due to abundant supply. A bundle of water dropwort cost VND15,000 (60 US cents), just a half from its price during Tet while the price of carp fell from VND130,000 ($5.8) during Tet to VND100,000 ($4.4) a kilo after Tet. During the Tet holiday, vegetable prices increased remarkably, up double or triple compared to pre-Tet prices. For example, a kilogram of lettuce cost VND100,000 ($4.4) on the third day of the Lunar New Year whereas pre-Tet it was between VND30,000-40,000. Traders attributed the increase to the prolonged cold weather before Tet, which affected the growth of vegetables and the scarcity of supplies at wholesale markets. A similar situation was seen with aquatic products as their retail prices increased due to limited supply but high demand. A kilo of carp cost VND130,000 ($5.8) during Tet, an increase of 44 per cent compared to before Tet. Pork and beef prices saw little change due to low consumption. In HCM City, the price of fresh food increased by between 20 and 30 per cent compared with normal prices. Traders blamed the price hike on the high cost of transportation during the holiday. According to the domestic market department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, there was an abundant supply of commodities during the Tet holidays. Many stores and markets near residential areas reopened on the second day of the Lunar New Year and most supermarkets and convenience stores began operations on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year. Commodity prices at supermarkets remained stable or rose slightly compared to the pre-Tet period due to abundant supply. Farmers and businesses earned good profits from organic rice, vegetables and fruits, as demand spiked during Tet last week. Pham Minh Thien, deputy director of the Co May Agriculture Company based in Dong Thap Province, told Tuoi Tre newspaper that his firm sold nearly 500 kilogrammes of straw mushroom worth VND80 million ($3,600) in just one day. The company grows the mushrooms to VietGAP standards that safeguard the soil and eco-system and consumers' health, he said. "We have invested in research into the technology of seed production and separation. We do not use fertilisers or plant protection chemicals to grow our products." Since demand for organic vegetables is huge, his company plans to expand the area of cultivation though the task is difficult, he added. Dam Van Hung, owner of the Huong Mien Tay Farm in Ben Tre Province, said that in the future farmers would switch to organic farming to meet demand. "We need more training in growing organic vegetables as well as resources to expand cultivation areas." Hung's farm produced 100 tonnes of green-skin grapefruit to VietGap standards for supermarkets like Co.op Mart, Citi Mart and Big C in HCM City, and they were sold out a week before Tet. "I got many orders from supermarkets and dealers in Ha Noi and Mekong (Cuu Long) Delta provinces, but I did not have products to offer them," Hung said. He is set to sign contracts with co-operatives and distributors in Vinh Long Province to sell organic vegetables and fruits this year. "My output is not enough to offer organic products to big markets like HCM City and Ha Noi. I think local agricultural authorities should support farmers with funds to develop their farming. They should also help farmers and enterprises propagate information about organic vegetables so that they can take their produce to customers." In HCM City, a five-year plan to expand the cultivation of organic and safe vegetables was approved by the People's Committee last year. It envisages expanding the area under organic and safe vegetables from 15,000 hectares now to more than 16,300ha by 2020. "Local authorities should provide low-interest loans and launch promotion campaigns for safe vegetables and attractive packaging to meet the market's high expectations with regard to quality," Nguyen Lam Vien, general director of Vinamit Joint Stock Company, said. "They also should promote research, as well as transfer and apply new technologies to production of organic and safe food products". ENV calls for better wildlife protection in Vietnam More than 5,500 local youths have engaged in a voluntary network for wildlife protection established by Education for Nature – Vietnam (ENV), Executive Director Vu Thi Quyen said during her interview with the Vietnam News Agency. ENV carried out a range of activities last year to boost awareness on wildlife conservation in Vietnam, particularly among younger generations, Quyen said. These include a drawing contest that received more than 155,000 entries and a run for rhinos attended by more than 500 people. As of the end of December 2015, information boards on endangered animals were put on display at the headquarters of over 104 public agencies and 54 markets in 15 major cities and provinces. ENV held 126 exhibitions and produced six short films for their campaigns, which were broadcast on 70 domestic channels. Meanwhile, a voluntary network for wildlife protection was set up, consisting of 15 groups in Hanoi, Hai Phong, Thai Nguyen and Ho Chi City, among other localities. Each group was trained to organise its own projects, and volunteers from across the country reported thousands of violations by businesses. Addressing wildlife poaching and smuggling in Vietnam requires a comprehensive strategy comprised of campaigns to lower domestic demand, and improvements in legal framework and law enforcement, Quyen stressed. In 2016, the organisation plans to boost its connections with communications agencies and expand the volunteer network. It will also call for more support to end pangolin trafficking. HCM City to upgrade National Highway 22 The Prime Minister has authorised the people's committee of HCM City to invite investments and carry out upgrade work of National Highway 22 on a build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis. The committee will collaborate with the transport ministry and the people's committee of Tay Ninh Province to implement the project. The 58km highway is the arterial road that plays a crucial role in boosting the south's economic growth, as well as in the transport of goods from provinces in the south-east to Cambodia and other ASEAN countries. The committee said it was essential and urgent to upgrade the highway, since its lanes were not wide enough to accommodate an increasing number of vehicles, which resulted in frequent traffic jams during rush hour on several stretches. The progress of the development projects for HCM City Ring Road No. 3, Ring Road No. 2 and Tay Bac urban area are also partly responsible for excessive traffic on Highway 22. Previously, the transport ministry had agreed with the committee to select only one investor for the project in order to avoid the installation of more than one toll station on the 58km-long stretch. Police seized car accessories of unclear origin Ha Noi Police and the market watchdog department have seized more than 1,000 car accessories of unclear origin from shops in Hai Ba Trung District. The accessories, seized from Hoa Binh Market that is locally known as Troi Market, include windscreen wipers, car logos and mirrors. Nguyen Van Thanh, deputy head of the market watchdog team number 5, said the seizure was aimed at curbing trade in car accessories of unclear origin. More inspections would be conducted in the market in the near future, he said. According to the police, shops selling car accessories in Troi (Open) market and in the streets of Do Ngoc Du, Dong Nhan and Le Gia Dinh have been "famous" for trading in stolen goods in the city for a long time despite a lot of efforts to stop it by the local administration. Colonel Duong Van Giap, head of the police department of criminal investigation in social order (PC45) under the Ha Noi Police Department, said in an attempt to curb the situation, the police had asked owners of car accessories' shops not to sell goods of unclear origin before the Tet (Lunar New Year) holidays. Giap said the police were informed about three stolen car accessories during Tet. Giap advised car owners to park their vehicles in parking lots, especially at night, to prevent theft. Car owners should notify the nearest police station if their vehicle accessories were stolen, he said. People can report theft by calling 04.39396500 or by directly calling the head of the anti-theft team Mai Van Thuan at 0913536473. VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri