Social News 4/7 Torrential rains claim two lives in Thai Nguyen   Heavy rain-triggered flash floods killed two men in the northern province of Thai Nguyen on the night of July 1 and early July 2. Many main streets in Thai Nguyen city were inundated 35-70cm under water. Lightning also hit a chicken farm in the city’s Cao Ngan commune, leaving about 8,000 chickens dead. On the evening of July 1, a rockslide at a quarry in Phu Nghiem commune, Quan Hoa district, the central province of Thanh Hoa, killed one person and injured another, who were said to use mines to destroy rocks. The body of the dead was found on the morning of July 2. Lang Son cracks down on drug crime Police in the northern province of Lang Son discovered 145 drug cases in the first six months of 2016. The police arrested 232 suspects and collected 15kg of heroin and over 72kg of synthetic drug. Notably is the case of Hua Van Khen residing in Dak Lak province. On June 20, Lang Son police busted Khen who was smuggling 30 cakes of heroin from the Central Highlands to Lang Son. All of the heroin cakes will be trafficked to China for sales. Ngo Tien Dung, a policeman from Cao Loc district - a hotspot in drug crime, said the competent forces have regularly coordinated with all-level authorities to raise public awareness of narcotic harms as well as legal regulations on the punishment of drug trafficking, trading and producing activities. Additionally, the police also encouraged locals to detect and report violations. Congratulations to US on 240th Independence Day President Tran Dai Quang and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc have extended their congratulations to President Barack Obama on the occasion of the 240th Independence Day of the United States of America (July 4, 1776-2016). National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan also cabled her greeting message to President of the US Senate Joseph Biden and Speaker of the US House of Representative Paul Ryan. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh conveyed his congratulations to US Secretary of State John Kerry. Condolences to Bangladesh over heavy losses in terror attack Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh offered condolences to Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali over the heavy loss of life in a terror attack in Dhaka capital city. The attack on late July 1 killed over 20 people and injured more than 40 others. Le Hai Binh, Spokesman of the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry, said on July 3 that Vietnam condemns terror activities under any form and considers the attack on civilians at the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka on July 1 barbarous and unacceptable. “Vietnam sends heartfelt condolences to the Government and people of Bangladesh, the countries having their citizens killed, and families of the victims. We believe that the instigators will soon be punished appropriately,” he noted. He added that there hasn’t been any information about Vietnamese citizens affected by the incident. Staff members of the Vietnamese Embassy and the FPT company in Dhaka, located about 200 metres from the scene of the attack, are still safe. They were advised to restrict their movements for a period of time and avoid crowded places after 6 pm every day, Hai said. Forest development farmed out to Kon Tum province Kon Tum province must develop and protect forests while strictly handling the destruction of natural forests, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc told provincial officials on July 3. At the working session in Hanoi, he asked the Central Highlands province to speed up agricultural restructuring by fostering the farming of livestock and crops it has strength in, along with applying high technology. While Kon Tum, home to a large number of ethnic minorities, has to expand educational coverage to improve local intellectual level, it is necessary to ensure political security, and social order and safety in all circumstances. Pointing out shortcomings the province has to deal with as soon as possible, the PM requested the local administration take measures to increase State budget revenue and boost poverty elimination. It must proactively gear up resources for building infrastructure, especially transport facilities which have yet to be on par with local development demand. The PM also told Kon Tum to well enforce the Government’s resolutions on business support, and to raise local residents’ material and spiritual life. He highly valued its efforts to protect forests and cultivate rare herbal plants like Ngoc Linh ginseng, which is indigenous to this province, and profitable industrial plants such as coffee. The province has also well implemented the Party and State’s guidelines and policies on ethnic minority and religious affairs. In the first half of 2016, local GDP was estimated at 4.23 trillion VND (nearly 190 million USD), a year-on-year hike of 5.03 percent. Industrial production was valued at 2.13 trillion VND (95.6 million USD), while total retail sales of goods and services were 6.82 trillion VND (306.3 million USD), respectively up 8 percent and 12.4 percent from a year earlier. The province raked in 32 million USD in export revenue, representing 49.2 percent of the annual target. Notably, Kon Tum has successfully grown almost 74,780ha of rubber trees, 180ha of Ngoc Linh ginseng, and about 50ha of winter vegetables and flowers. However, drought between January and June caused water shortages on over 4,190ha of rice, other crops and industrial trees, resulting in damage worth over 157 billion VND (7 million USD). More than 12,640 families lacked water for daily use. At the working session, PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc agreed on the construction of a highway linking Bo Y border gate (adjacent to Laos), Ngoc Hoi district (bordering Laos and Cambodia), and Pleiku city to boost transport capacity and economic growth. Vietnamese pagodas in Thailand help preserve culture Khanh Tho and Long Son pagodas of Vietnamese people in the western province of Kanchanaburi, Thailand, have been attached with the plates bearing Vietnamese names. Kanchanaburi’s Vice Governor Bunyaphan Chanthanauray said the move makes the pagodas become more popular among Buddhists and tourists. He also hailed remarkable contributions of Vietnamese residing in the province to promoting the cultural values of Buddhism in the host community. Minister Counsellor Pham Thanh Nam thanked the Thai Government and people for supporting Vietnamese expatriates and Thais of Vietnamese origin to preserve their cultural and spiritual values. The attachment of the plates of Vietnamese names to pagodas in Thailand aims to mark 40 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries (1976 – 2016). It helps increase the role of Vietnamese pagodas in the religious and cultural life in Thailand. Khanh Tho pagoda was constructed in 1834 and named Thavorn Wararam in 1896 by King Chulalongkorn. Meanwhile, Long Son pagoda was established in 1883 by King Chulalongkorn. Khanh An pagoda in the northeastern province of Udon Thani has become a destination frequented by overseas Vietnamese. It hosted ceremonies to pray for peace for fallen soldiers in Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes. It has also organised classes to teach Vietnamese language to children of overseas Vietnamese. Dong Nai: New Ghenh bridge officially inaugurated The Transport Ministry officially inaugurated the new Ghenh bridge spanning the Dong Nai River in southern Dong Nai province on July 2, three months and 11 days after the man-caused collapse of the old bridge. The new bridge replaced the over-100-year-old French-built bridge that collapsed on March 20 after a barge crashed into its pillars. The old Ghenh Bridge was used by both trains and vehicles. Therefore, the accident caused disruption to north-south train services. Construction of the new bridge began on April 1 at an estimated cost of 13 million USD. The new bridge is three metres higher than the old one, thus it can allow ships with bigger deadweights to pass through. The bridge was opened to traffic on June 25 as builders worked round the clock without any days off, said Doi Sy Hung, Deputy Director General of the Vietnam Railways Corporation. On the occasion, the Transport Ministry and the Dong Nai People’s Committee presented certificates of merit to individuals and teams stood out in the construction of the bridge. Public policy tackles risks for rural mountainous people Public policies to develop infrastructure systems in the northern mountainous regions should be paid due attention to address the vulnerabilities facing small-scale famers and the rural poor, as a result of analysis from the project: “Pro-Poor Policy Approach to Address Risk and Vulberability at the Country Level.” Tran Van The, Deputy Director of the Institute for Agriculture Environment, made the statement at a workshop held in Hanoi on June 30. From the project’s evaluation of climate change impacts, irrigation facilities, fresh water supply systems and rural traffic should be branched out in the region, he said, noting that they will ensure food security and improve livelihoods for local people. Regarding farm produce market development, he underscored that mountainous localities should receive support to re-arrange their consumption markets to increase profits for the farmers. Participants at the workshop also presented studies on Public-Private Partnerships for Vietnam’s sustainable agriculture development while sharing information and experience learnt from the projects with relevant agencies and partners. According to Nguyen Song Ha, a representative from FAO Vietnam, the project’s result will have significant contributions to building long-term policies in Vietnam. The project, implemented in four countries – Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Nepal, aims to improve the institutional capacity of government agencies and assist the formation of policies that reduce risks for farmers and strengthen agricultural productivity and income. The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) funded the project from 2012 with a total estimated budget of 1.96 million USD. Another 200,000 USD has been contributed by the four participating countries.- Lao Vice President welcomes Vietnamese youth delegation Lao Vice President Phankham Viphavan welcomed a delegation of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCM CYU) Central Committee in the Lao capital city of Vientiane on July 1. Welcoming his guest, the Lao Vice President highlighted the key role of Vietnamese and Lao youths in developing each nation as well as cementing their traditional ties and comprehensive cooperation. The head of the Vietnamese delegation, First Secretary of the HCM CYU Central Committee Le Quoc Phong reported on joint programmes between the youth unions of the two countries. The two unions have exchanged visits and shared experience in youth affairs and training, with more specific plans to strengthen their ties in the future, Phong said. He informed his host that the HCM CYU has six million members, who have been encouraged by the Party and Government to be active in building and protecting the country as well as cooperating with international youths, particularly those from Laos. HCM City urged to hold the key to national development Ho Chi Minh City needs to come up with new, breakthrough models and solutions to deservingly be a key driver of the national economy, said President Tran Dai Quang. The State leader gave the suggestion at a ceremony held in the city on July 2 to mark the 40th anniversary of the day Saigon-Gia Dinh city was officially named after the late President Ho Chi Minh. He highlighted great achievements made by the city over the last 40 years, especially in economic growth expansion, investment attraction, and urban management and development. He praised efforts of the city’s Party organisation and authorities in fostering creativeness, and taking measures to overcome difficulties and challenges to reap important successes across the board, importantly contributing to the national reform, construction and defence. According to the State leader, the municipal authorities have always attached importance to keeping a balance between economic growth and cultural development, while promoting social advancement and equality. The city also made remarkable improvements in education-training, health care, sci-technology, social security, and the administrative reform. He asked the city to fully tap its creativeness and initiatives in order to build the strong Party organisation towards creating a synergy between the whole political system and people. He also underlined the need for the city to enhance international cooperation and intensify scientific research and technological applications. In his speech, Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Dinh La Thang spotlighted the city’s huge achievements in economic development. The city’s economic scale has expanded strongly, reaching 975 trillion VND (over 43.8 billion USD) at present from over 2.5 billion VND (112,500 USD) years ago. Citizens earn an average per capita income of 5,538 USD per year by the end of 2015, up 73 percent compared to the level reported in 2010. The gap in the standard of living among population groups has been narrowed to 6.6 times in 2014 from 10 times in 1992. Thang pledged that the authorities will proactively propose appropriate policies and mechanisms for its development targets as well as generating a driving force for the development of the entire southern region and the whole country as well. He added that the city will strive to become a major centre of economics, finance, commerce and sci-technology in Southeast Asia by 2020.- Vietnam hopes to receive more WB assistance Vietnam hopes the World Bank (WB) will continue to support the country to cope with challenges, especially climate change adaptation, renewable energy development, education, healthcare, and youngsters’ startups. Politburo member and Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan made the remark at a farewell reception for former WB Country Director Victoria Kwakwa, who is serving as new Regional Vice President for East Asia and the Pacific. He congratulated Victoria Kwakwa on her new post and highly valued her remarkable contributions during her working tenure in Vietnam, particularly in the fields of policy consulting, financial support, education-training, agriculture, production and exports, thus improving local living standards. The official expressed his pleasure at the comprehensive and pragmatic cooperation between Vietnam and the WB, confirming that Vietnam attaches much importance to the effective use of loans from the international community, especially the World Bank (WB), for socio-economic development and poverty reduction efforts. The guest thanked the Vietnamese Party, State and people for supporting the WB programmes and hailed achievements that the Southeast Asian country has gained over the past years, notably macroeconomic stabilisation, climate change resilience, social welfares policy and private economic development. She said she hopes Vietnam will build on these attainments and exert more efforts to gain better outcomes in the aforesaid fields. Vietnamese, Lao youths vow to strengthen ties The youth unions of Vietnam and Laos agreed to strengthen ties during a meeting of their two delegations in Vientiane on July 2. The delegation of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCM CYU) Central Committee, led by First Secretary Le Quoc Phong, held talks with their peers from the Lao People’s Revolutionary Youth Union (LPRYU) headed by First Secretary Sonthanou Thammavong during which they took an overview of what have been done as part of their cooperation agreement between 2012 and 2017. The two unions have organised high-level delegation exchange visits on a regular basis and worked closely in voluntary missions over the past four years. Vietnam has offered training courses for LPRYU officials at the Vietnam Youth Academy annually while the construction of the youth friendship village in Lao central province of Bolykhamsay is underway. The two sides affirmed their continued support for each other at regional and international forums and agreed to work together in educating young generations on the history of the two countries’ special relations. They will also ramp up sharing of experience and business opportunities between the two countries’ young entrepreneur associations and organise more cultural exchange events for their members. Additionally, they considered to scale up effective models for cooperation between youths of the two nations, such as start-up youth villages, and to co-organise events to pay tribute to those who rendered services to the nation. Drought-affected Raglai group in Ninh Thuan receive support As many 300 gift packs were handed over to poor families from the Raglai ethnic minority group in the central province of Ninh Thuan on July 2. The gifts were donated by Buddhist monks and followers from Thanh Long pagoda of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha in southern Long An province in coordination with the Youth Unions of the central province of Ninh Thuan and Ninh Thuan Newspaper. Together with the gifts, worth 250,000 VND (11.3 USD) each, they also presented clothes to the needy and organise entertainment activities for children in Ninh Thuan Bac district. According to the Ninh Thuan Bac People’s Committee, local residents have seriously suffered from a pro-longed drought over the past time. They have also faced water shortages that remarkably affect their production and lives. Belarusian national day celebrated in Hanoi The Vietnam-Belarus Friendship Association (VBFA) on July 2 hosted a ceremony in Hanoi to celebrate Belarus' National Day (July 3) and the 25 th anniversary of Independence Day (December 27). In his speech, VBFA President Nguyen Thai Lai highlighted the significance of the event to the friendship and cooperation between the two nations and people. The VBFA serves as a bridge to further promote the bilateral ties, he stressed. Belarusian Ambassador to Vietnam Valery Sadokho affirmed that Vietnam is one of the major partners of his country in Asia. The time-honoured friendship between the two countries has formed on the basis of mutual respect, trust and support, he said. Bilateral relations have developed in various fields, especially in politics, economics-trade, and culture, he noted. In 2016, the two foreign ministries have reached a consensus on the simplification of visa procedures for both sides’ citizens, which helps expand links and attract more Belarusian tourists to Vietnam. Valery Sadokho expressed his belief that the Vietnam-Belarus relations will be stronger in the future, thus bringing more benefits to the two peoples. On the occasion, the VBFA and the Belarusian Embassy in Vietnam launched a contest “Learning about Belarus and the Vietnam-Belarus relations”, which aims to promote cultural and tourism exchanges between the two nations.- Timely relief to affected people in environmental incident: report The Government’s support for residents effected by the mass fish deaths in the four central provinces has been delivered in a timely manner and to the right people, the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee said. The VFF Central Committee noted four supervisory teams were sent to the impacted central provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue to monitor the settlement of the incident’s consequences from June 23 – 29. The teams reported that 40,043 families there were given more than 4,309 tonnes of rice, while 8,111 ship owners whose marine activities were suspended received 53 billion VND (2.38 million USD) in aid. Over 9.8 billion VND (439,400 USD) was also provided to help affected fish breeding farms. Aside from the Government’s assistance, some provinces also offered their own support. However, the handling of environmental consequences is still slow, inspectors noted. People nationwide and abroad also supported Vietnam with over 45 billion VND (over 2 million USD) and 149 tonnes of rice through the VFF and its member organisations. All the rice aid and some 42 billion VND have already been delivered to the targeted residents. The supervisory teams pointed out problems that have arisen while implementing the support policies and have asked the Government for more assistance for fishing and fish farming activities. Census surveys rural areas, agriculture, fisheries nationwide A month-long general census on rural regions, agriculture and fisheries across Vietnam began on July 1 amidst numerous difficulties facing these areas this year. The general census covers rural households; families engaging in agricultural, forestry, salt production, and fishery activities in urban areas; and agro-forestry-fishery farms. It will also survey communal People’s Committees, management boards of workers’ housing in rural areas, provincial-level coordinating offices for the national target programme on new-style rural area building, and provincial-level departments of agriculture and rural development. It will collect information about agricultural production and support activities, along with data on rural areas such as structural changes of the rural workforce, rural socio-economic infrastructure, climate change impacts and environmental hygiene. Information about rural residents will also be gathered, including their living conditions, access to bank loans, vocational training and their job demand. Director General of the General Statistics Office Nguyen Bich Lam said the census takes place as an array of difficulties were predicted for 2016 such as unsustainable economic growth, fierce domestic and international competition, environmental pollution and people’s low living conditions. It is to serve the design of plans and strategies for developing agriculture and rural areas and raising rural residents’ living standards nationwide. It also helps assess outcomes of the national target programmes on new-style rural area building, and the industrialisation and modernisation of agriculture and rural areas. The survey will help compare criteria on agriculture and rural areas between Vietnam and other countries. Its outcomes will also provide a foundation for building a database for in-depth researches in the future, Lam noted. Workshop seeks to develop social housing for worker in IPs Around 70-80 percent of workers at industrial parks (IPs) nationwide have housing needs, an official from the Ministry of Construction has said. Trinh Truong Son, Vice Director of the ministry’s Housing and Real Estate Market Management Department, gave the estimation at a workshop in Hanoi in July 1, which aimed to announce results of a study on how to improve living conditions for workers in IPs in Vietnam. Son mentioned a fact that only 20 percent of workers in IPs have their own houses, while a majority of workers have to rent houses from local residents, often small spaces with poor sanitation, which then badly affects their health. Kenichi Hashimoto, an expert from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), said the situation causes obstacles for enterprises in IPs to retain skilled employees. He cited outcomes from a survey of 100 IP across the country that showed and very few investors are interested in building housing for workers, while planning for such housing projects does not suit real needs. The study on how to improve living conditions for workers in IPs in Vietnam was conducted with the support of JICA, according to Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Van Trung. JICA committed to supporting Vietnam in investigating issues related to living condition of workers in IPs and piloting a social housing project in My Hao district, the northern province of Hung Yen. Through the project in Hung Yen, JICA proposed many measures to better living conditions for workers in IPs in the country. JICA suggested giving preferential interest rate, land use fees and several other incentives for social housing developers, while employers should give workers housing allowance or rent housing quarters to re-lease to their workers. Vietnam should also devise new policies on planning and designing social housing infrastructure projects for workers, and promoting public-private partnership models in the field. Housing areas for workers should be located between 300-500metres from IPs and share social and technical infrastructure facilities with other local residential areas to facilitate workers’ travel and daily lives, Kenichi Hashimoto said. Vice Chairman of the Hung Yen province People’s Committee Dang Ngoc Quynh affirmed that the results of the study will serve as a foundation for the local authorities to conduct follow-up plans for the project. Vietnamese cuisine promoted in India A Vietnamese cuisine promotion event was held by the Embassy of Vietnam at Trident Gurgaon Hotel in Haryana State, India on July 2. Present at the event were Vietnamese Ambassador to India Ton Sinh Thanh and diplomats from the Philippines, Thailand, Myanmar and India. Addressing the event, Ambassador Thanh said the dishes seen in Vietnamese cuisine are extremely diverse. They demonstrate the brilliant harmony and balance of ingredient selection and flavours that promote a healthy lifestyle, he added. He said he hopes that it will bring Vietnamese cuisine closer to Indian people as well as international friends. Chefs Doan Van Tuan and Nguyen Huy Hoang from Furama Resort Danang introduced to the guests a wide range of Vietnam traditional foods, including “ga cuon la lot” (chicken with piper lolot leaves), “pho cuon” (rice noodle rolls), “nem ran” (spring rolls), and “pho”. Chef Doan Van Tuan revealed that all the ingredients were imported from Vietnam and he and Chef Hoang will stay in India for ten days to teach chefs at Trident Gurgaon Hotel how to cook Vietnamese dishes. The hotel has already designed a handbook to introduce Vietnam’s most popular dishes alongside the country’s landscapes and people. It also included Vietnamese foods in its menu. Preventive measures advised amidst JE peak season The General Department of Preventive Medicine under the Health Ministry has warned the community to take active measures against Japanese encephalitis (JE) which reaches its peak season in June and July. According to the World Health Organisation, JE is a fatal disease spreading through mosquito bites. Its symptoms include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, disorientation, coma, seizures, spastic paralysis and ultimately death. The first JE case was documented in 1871 in Japan. JE virus is the main cause of viral encephalitis in many Asian countries with an estimate 68,000 clinical cases recorded every year. As many as 24 countries in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific region have endemic JE virus transmission, exposing more than 3 billion people to risks of infection. In Vietnam , JE has been reported in many localities, mostly in the northern lowland and midland regions. As many as 20 percent of encephalitis cases in Vietnam are JE related. But the number of JE deaths have been remarkably reduced since the vaccine against the disease was put in the national expanded immunisation programme in 1997. The department has advised parents to get their children aged above one vaccinated against the disease, while using mosquito nets while sleeping. It is necessary to build livestock cages far away from houses, while eliminating mosquito larva nests and maintaining good environmental sanitation, it said. The department also warned people who show JE symptoms such as high fever to immediately go to healthcare stations for diagnosis and treatment. Technique building unveiled at big hospital in Thai Nguyen A medical technique building was unveiled at the Thai Nguyen National General Hospital in the northern province of Thai Nguyen on July 3. The 15-storey building, covering 1,570 square metres of ground, accommodates the departments of image analysis, biochemistry, microbiology and pathology, operating rooms, and the surgical emergency ward with 250 patient beds. The inauguration marked the completion of phase I of a project on upgrading the hospital. The project was approved by the Ministry of Health in 2009 and carried out at a cost of over 498 billion VND (22.4 billion USD) funded through Government bonds. At the ceremony, Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said she hopes the new building will improve local healthcare services, helping to ease the overloading at hospitals in big cities and reduce patients’ medical expenses. Following the inauguration, the health ministry’s officials visited patients and planted commemorative trees in the hospital campus. Poster design contest for environmental protection launched A photo and poster design contest for environmental protection was launched in Hanoi on June 30. The contest, organised by the Vietnam Environment Administration (VEA) under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) in collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF), is open for children aged 10-15. Speaking at the launching ceremony, VEA deputy head Hoang Van Thuc said the contest is aimed at improving the public’s awareness of protecting the environment through 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) measures. The contest includes two categories, a photo creation themed “Open burning affects health and environment” and poster design themed “3R for a brighter future”. There will be two first prizes worth 10 million VND (430 USD) each, four second prizes worth 5 million VND (215 USD) each, and three third prizes worth 3 million VND (130 USD) each. The contest’s winners will have a chance to display their works at an exhibition to be held in Vienna, Austria.- Vietjet Air opens Thanh Hoa-Nha Trang route Low-cost carrier Vietjet Air on July 1 launched a new air route linking two famous coastal tourist destinations, Thanh Hoa province in the central region and Nha Trang city in the southern province of Khanh Hoa. The air route, which takes about one hour and 45 minutes, is part of Vietjet Air’s plan to expand its flight network from Thanh Hoa. There will be return flights in Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, which take off from Nha Trang at 10:25 am and reach Thanh Hoa at 12:10 pm and return from Thanh Hoa at 12:45 pm. On the occasion, the airline also presented 200 health insurance cards to the poor in Thanh Hoa. Currently, the firm boasts a fleet of 40 aircraft, including A320 and A321, operating nearly 300 flights each day. It has opened over 50 routes in Vietnam and from the country to international destinations such as Singapore, the RoK, Taiwan (China), China, Thailand, Myanmar and Malaysia, carrying around 25 million passengers to date. Awards honour leading Vietnamese tourism firms A ceremony will be organised on July 9 in Hanoi to present the “Vietnam Tourism Award 2016” to tourism businesses with the best performances in 2015. According to General Director of the Vietnam National Tourism Administration Nguyen Van Tuan, the event aims to encourage tourism firms to improve their service quality and competitiveness and diversify products towards expanding their business. As the most prestigious award of the sector, it helps promote responsibility and creativity among tourism enterprises to contribute to the country’s tourism development. It also contributes to fostering international integration in the field and promoting the image of Vietnam’s land and people to international friends. Part of activities to mark the56th founding anniversary of the tourism sector, the event will honour tour operators, enterprises operating in the hotel and restaurant trade and tourist transport, golf courses and tourism sites. The awards have been organised every year since 1999. Illegal sand exploitation must stop: Deputy PM Ministries must intensify their actions to prevent all kinds of illegal river-bed mining and strictly punish those found to be illegally exploiting sand across the country, said Deputy Prime Minister Trịnh Đình Dũng. Deputy PM Dũng has made a request to the Ministry of Public Security to strengthen their co-operation with local authorities in directing and supporting local police and people to take out effective measures against all acts violating river protection regulations. The Ministry of Transport (MoT) should mobilise all efforts in implementing the Prime Minister’s Directive No 03/CT-TTg dated 30/03/2015 on enforcement of policies and legislation on sand mining, according to the Deputy PM on Friday. The MoT was also assigned to co-ordinate with and steer local authorities in evaluating the implementation of PM’s Decision No 73/2013/QĐ-TTg on a pilot river-dredging and transport management programme. It should report to the Prime Minister before the end of December this year, said the deputy PM. Dũng assigned the ministries of Construction, Industry and Trade, and Natural Resources and Environment to work with, guide and urge city and provincial People’s Committees nation-wide in evaluating and reviewing all mineral mining plans for the 2016-2020 period that needed to be submitted to the Government for adjustment or changes. Illegal mineral exploitation, especially of sand and gravel from river beds, has caused the erosion of most rivers across Việt Nam and has damaged farms and gardens along riverbanks for about a decade. These activities have not been properly controlled by the Government and local authorities, a report from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment recently revealed. The situation had turned into an extremely complicated trend causing loss of resources, environmental pollution and adversely impacting socio-economic development and public security, the report said. Environmental experts blamed the situation on the large number of miners who lacked knowledge of environmental protection laws. Many who saw the large profits that could be earned from illegal sand mining were willing to ignore legal regulations. Police said violators used various underhanded techniques to hide from the law, such as working at night, employing poor labourers and even creating fake exploiting licenses. Many exploiters planned their sand mining operations in rivers on a large scale. They built wooden ships with a capacity of up to a 100 tons and installed powerful pumps to suck sand from the bottom of rivers. According to a recent police report, within a couple of hours at night, a ship can be filled to capacity and moves to a private port along the riverbank to sell its cargo. In some cases, ships can even approache riverbanks and directly sucked up sand with high powered pumps. If detected by authorities, offenders often will deliberately sink their ship to destroy the evidence. Painting contest set for 70th national resistance day Vietnamese painters at home and abroad are encouraged to create posters for the 70th anniversary of National Resistance Day on December 19. The Ministry of Culture launched the painting contest yesterday in Hà Nội. Both amateur and professional painters can join the contest. Entries will be used to celebrate the anniversary and on exhibition. National Resistance Day marks the call issued by President Hồ Chí Minh in 1946, urging the people of Việt Nam to mount national resistance against the French, after the success of the 1945 August Revolution and establishment of the Democratic Republic of Việt Nam. "The more concessions we make, the more the French colonialists encroach upon our rights, for they are determined to re-conquer our country," the President said. Answering his appeal, the Vietnamese people united to defend the country’s independence and sovereignty. Biên Hoà to take emergency flood measures Authorities in Biên Hoà, the capital of Đồng Nai Province, must ensure canals and streams are dredged by next month to prevent flooding, the province Party Secretary has said. Speaking at a meeting with representatives of more than 300 households seriously affected by rain-triggered flooding last week, Nguyễn Phú Cường said authorities should work with relevant agencies and companies to stop the flooding of roads. They should immediately take action against construction works that have illegally encroached on canals and drainage systems, he said. The city has 28 flooding-prone spots where traffic jams routinely affect the lives of people living there during the rainy season, according to the city People’s Committee. Lê Văn Mừng, a resident of Hoá An Ward, told the meeting that more than 100 families live in his neighbourhood, which has been severely flooded in recent years whenever it rained. “If it rains heavily at night, we have to stay up through the night to move furniture.” There is also the grave risk of electrocution and falling into manholes, he said. Authorities in Biên Hoà, the capital of Đồng Nai Province, must ensure canals and streams are dredged by next month to prevent flooding, the province Party Secretary has said. He urged local authorities to immediately take flood-prevention measures to mitigate the misery caused by flooding. Many residents in Long Bình Tân Ward said after the surface of the National Highway No 51 was raised, many rivers and streams along it were narrowed by soil and rocks, causing flooding. Vũ Đức Hạnh of Trảng Dài Ward’s Residential Area No 1 said his house is a half metre higher than the street, yet is completely flooded when it rains.       “Flooding causes damage to our things and seriously affects our lives,” he lamented. The area is flooded because the stream which helps drain water is blocked by rubbish and silt, he said. Nguyễn Văn Toàn of Trảng Dài Ward said blockage of the sewage system by litter is also a cause for flooding. Cường said authorities should urge the public not to litter and fine those caught littering. The city should regularly hold the “Green, Clean and Beautiful Saturdays Movement” to collect rubbish and dredge sewers to reduce flooding during the rainy season, he said. The province would give priority to flood-prevention projects in Biên Hoà, he promised. Rapid urbanisation and a shortage of funds to improve water drainage systems are the major reasons for flooding in Biên Hoà. The erosion of a 100-metre stretch along the Đồng Nai River from Rạch Đông Bridge to the old boat station in Tân An Commune, Vĩnh Cửu District, on Monday damaged many houses. Lê Văn Hoàng, chairman of the Tân An Commune People’s Committee, said 18 houses, the Hamlet 1 Culture House and Bà Temple have developed cracks and could collapse at any moment. Illegal sand mining is the major reason for the erosion, Mai Văn Trên, deputy head of the district People’s Committee Office, said. Besides, heavy rains in recent days have softened the soil and caused it to tip into the river, he said. Local authorities have helped affected households move their things and people to safer areas. Two vermicelli producers fined for river pollution The Tây Ninh Department of Natural Resources and Environment imposed administrative fines yesterday on two rice vermicelli producers for discharging untreated waste water into the Vàm Cỏ Đông River. The department has also completed procedures to fine three other enterprises for the same violation. The enterprise owned by Trương Thị Thảo, 43, of Châu Thành Town, was fined VNĐ30.3 million (US$1,300). The enterprise owned by Nguyễn Thị Thao, 69, of Châu Thành District, was fined VNĐ20.6 million ($900). The two enterprises discharged waste water exceeding national regulatiory limits by five to ten times. On May 26, a two-kilometre stretch of the Vàm Cỏ Đông River in Trí Bình Commune, Châu Thành District, was covered with a foul smelling black liquid. Inspectors from the department checked waste water and waste treating systems of several nearby plants and collected waste water samples from five. They found that had discharged waste water with pollution exceeding legal levels by 1.2 to 26 times. VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri/VNE