Social News 4/8
Health Ministry checks dengue fever
prevention task in 18 cities, provinces
Due to dengue fever’s complicated development in some
localities across the country, the Ministry of Health (MoH) decided to set up
8 mission teams to check dengue fever prevention task in 18 major cities and
provinces in August.
A report by the ministry showed that the number of
infection cases has increased three fold since the beginning of the year
compared to same last year.
As per the Ministry, by early August, the country has
over 45,000 dengue fever infection cases including 14 deaths in 46 cities and
provinces. Noticeably, the cases of infection climbed by 2.6 times compared
to same period last year. Meanwhile 2015 is considered as peak season
of the dengue fever but the country had nearly 40,000 cases.
Head of the Ministry’s Preventive Medicine Department
Professor Tran Dac Phu said that lately most cases of dengue fever are living
in the four Highland provinces of Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Gia Lai, Kon Tum and
some southern and central provinces such as An Giang, Dong Thap, Ho Chi Minh
City, Khanh Hoa, Phu Yen, and Binh Dinh.
The southern and the highland province have high rate
of dengue fever cases because it enters rainy season which is conducive to
outbreaks of the disease.
Vietnam has suffered harsh weather conditions this year
as the consequences of the longest El Nino spell triggering mosquitoes grow.
El Nino caused drought; consequently households keep water in jugs or water
containers where mosquitoes usually lay eggs into.
Along with it, in many places, families throw discarded
tires around the house which turned out to be water containers where mosquito
larva grows up.
The eight teams from the Ministry will tour to check
prevention task in major cities and provinces including the southern
provinces of An Giang, Binh Phuoc, the Highland province of Kom Tum, Dak Lak,
Dak Nong, Gia Lai, Ben Tre, Dong Thap, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, HCMC, Ba Ria-
Vung Tau, the Central City of Da Nang, the central provinces of Quang
Ngai.
At the same time, Health Minister will remind
chairpersons of People’s Committees in 10 cities and provinces with high rate
of mortality and infection cases because of dengue fever paying more
attention to prevention task.
The Ministry said that dengue fever cases escalated in
many Pacific Asian countries meanwhile there has been no vaccine or specific
medication against the disease.
Program launched to support poor
people in central Vietnam
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development,
Vietnam’s Women Union, and Unilever Vietnam last week launched a program to
support poor households in Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue
provinces.
The program is expected to hand over 50,000 gifts worth
a combined VND7.5 billion to households in the four provinces, which are
vulnerable to natural disasters and were hit hard by the recent mass fish
deaths along the central coast.
Included in the gift bags will be rice, and nutritional
and personal care products.
Authorities in each locality have been requested to
help prepare a list of households eligible to receive the gifts.
The Saigon Union of Trading Cooperatives (Saigon Co.op)
is in charge of making the program known to the public at all Co.opmart
supermarkets nationwide, and providing rice for the program.
Unilever Vietnam has contributed 20,000 gift packages.
For every Unilever’s product worth over VND30,000 sold, the company will
donate VND10,000 to the program, which is scheduled to be implemented in
August.
Lao Cai: Thunderstorm, lightning
leave two deaths
Two people were killed and three others injured as they
were hit by thunderstorm and lightning in the northern mountainous province
of Lao Cai on August 2, according to the provincial Steering Committee for
natural disasters prevention, search and rescue.
The thunderstorm taking place in Bao Thang district at
2:30 pm blew away the roofs of 13 local houses and rooted up a 50-metre
height ancient tree which led to the collapse of one house, hurting 64
year-old woman and killing one year-old child inside.
The same day, heavy rain and lightning struck Lung Khau
Nhin commune, Muong Khuong district, taking the live of one person and
injuring two others who hid in a small hillside cave during their maize
harvest activity.
There will be two to four storms and low depressions in
the East Sea in August this year, one or two of them will affect the mainland
of Vietnam, especially the northern and northern central regions, according
to the National Centre for Hydrometeorology Forecasting.
In August, northern midland and lowland localities as
well as the central region are predicted to suffer one or two very hot
spells, while northern mountainous provinces expect heavy rains that may
cause flash floods and landslides, the centre said.
New riverside road to go up in HCMC
A new road along the Saigon River will be built by
property developer Vingroup to create an alternative route between the city
downtown and Binh Thanh District, thus easing pressure on the busy existing
roads in the area.
The group’s proposal for the road, which will run from
Ton Duc Thang Street in District 1 to the Saigon Bridge underpass, has been
approved by the HCMC government.
Authorities said the riverside route will significantly
reduce traffic on Nguyen Huu Canh, one of the main streets that connect the
two districts at the moment.
The city, which has adjusted its zoning plan for the
930-hectare central area, also told related departments and districts to
evaluate the scope and design options of the new road.
The goal is to maximize connection to existing
infrastructure without affecting the city’s first metro line, currently being
built to link Ben Thanh Market and Suoi Tien Theme Park in District 9.
Vingroup is developing the massive multi-functional
residential area Vinhomes Tan Cang and trying to improve traffic conditions
around the project site. In 2014 it also proposed renovating Nguyen Huu Canh
Street and expanding Ung Van Khiem Street.
AO/dioxin pain, easing efforts
featured at Hanoi exhibition
An exhibition on the pain of Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin
in Vietnam and efforts to surmount its consequences was opened in Hanoi on
August 3.
The event at the Vietnam Military History Museum is
held in coordination with the Vietnam Association of Victims of AO/dioxin
(VAVA), the Chemical Arms, and the Military Library. It takes place on the
occasion of the 55th anniversary of the AO/dioxin disaster in Vietnam (August
10, 1961).
Through the more than 400 items and photos on display,
the exhibition gives visitors an insight into the danger and devastation of
chemical toxins and the process by which the US army caused the AO/dioxin
disaster in Vietnam.
Many of the exhibits show Vietnam’s efforts to address
the consequences of AO/dioxin, along with domestic and foreign support for
the victims.
The AO/dioxin victims and their families’ exceptional
endeavours to weather the difficulties are also featured in the displayed
items.
At the exhibition, books, scientific research and
newspaper articles written by Vietnamese and foreign authors are also
expected to help readers gain a better understanding of the disaster and
remedies to the problem.
Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Rinh, VAVA
Chairman, said the event aims to help visitors learn more about the
consequences of AO/dioxin, thus calling for practical action to assist the
victims and fight for their justice.
From 1961 – 1971, US troops sprayed more than 80
million litres of herbicides, 44 million litres of which were AO, containing
nearly 370 kilograms of dioxin, over southern Vietnam, according to the VAVA.
As a result, around 4.8 million Vietnamese were exposed
to the toxic chemical, about 3 million of them are AO victims. While tens of
thousands of people have died, millions of their descendants are living with
deformities and diseases as a direct result of the chemical’s effects.
Flight delays and cancellations rise
in H1
Local airlines delayed and aborted more flights in the
first half of this year than in the same period last year, according to the
Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV).
Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet and Jetstar Pacific delayed
more than 20,000 flights in the first six months, accounting for 15.8% of
their total services and up 0.8 percentage point year-on-year.
They canceled 772 services in January-June, making up
0.6% of the total number of flights and edging up slightly over the same
period last year.
CAAV said the respective flight delay and cancellation
ratios of Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet and Jetstar Pacific were 15.3%, 16.4% and
20.7% in the period.
These carriers attributed the delays and cancellations
to bad weather, technical issues, operating methods, airport overloads and
air traffic congestion.
However, CAAV director general Lai Xuan Thanh said
passengers did not complain much about weather-related delays and
cancellations but cost reasons such as merging passengers of two separate
flights into one, especially at night. He told aviation authorities to inspect
and promptly stop this business practice.
The worsening overload at Tan Son Nhat airport in HCMC
also resulted in more delays and cancellations. To solve this problem, CAAV
plans to reduce aircraft movements at the busiest airport in Vietnam at peak
hours from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
The aviation watchdog proposed the Ministry of
Transport urge the Ministry of Defense to hand over 30 hectares of land to
Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) to build a new passenger terminal and
expand the aircraft parking area at the airport to cut flight delays and
cancellations.
Vietnam Airlines aims to reduce its ratio of delayed
and aborted services to 12% by end-2016 while Vietjet looks to a flight
punctuality rate of 90% at the end of this year.
Hanoi leader receives Lao president
of trade union federation
Deputy Secretary of the Hanoi Party’s Committee Dao Duc
Toan hosted a reception for Lao President of the Vientiane Capital Federation
of Trade Unions, Kenkham Hotthilath, in Hanoi on August 2.
At the meeting, Deputy Secretary Toan said as a
political and economic hub that attracts many labourers, Hanoi has been
working to develop its trade unions with more than 7,500 locally-based trade
unions.
Toan hoped that the visit of Kenkham Hotthilath, who is
also member of the Vientiane Capital Party Committee, would further nurture
cooperation between the two capitals.
Ken Hotthilath noted that the visit provides an
opportunity for the two cities to discuss future collaboration in trade union
affairs.
He also briefed his host on the recent signing of an
agreement between the Vientiane Capital Federation of Trade Unions and the
Hanoi Federation of Labour for the 2016-2020 term.
He said he looks forward to continued support from
Hanoi in organising trade unions.
Contest seeks community’ poverty
reduction initiatives
A contest with the theme “Community-based Sustainable
Poverty Reduction Initiatives” was launched in Hanoi on August 2.
The contest is part of the Poverty Reduction Policies
and Programme Project (PRPP) carried out by the Ministry of Labour, War
Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA), the United Nations Development Fund
(UNDP) and the Irish Embassy in Vietnam.
It aims to promote the participation of community,
particularly among ethnic minority women in sustainable economic and
environment development activities in their localities.
According to MoLISA Deputy Minister Nguyen Trong Dam,
the event is expected to contribute to developing policies on sustainable
poverty reduction in the 2016-2020 period.
Family doctor model to be expanded
locally
The development of the family doctor model will go
together with the health system at the grassroots level.
This is one of the targets of the family doctor model
expansion plan in Việt Nam in the 2016-20 period, which was launched at a
conference held by the health ministry (MoH) yesterday in the northern
mountainous Lào Cai Province.
During the conference, health experts shared
experiences and thoughts about the development of the family doctor model
with the aim of improving the health system at the grassroots level.
Trần Giáng Hương, director of the International
Co-operation Department under the MoH, said the family doctor model was run in
pilot programmes in eight provinces and cities.
The programmes made several achievements, but still met
some difficulties in operating the model, and in incorporating it with the
local health system effectively.
The country now has 1,200 doctors specialising as
family doctors.
Several participants at the conference said the number
was few compared to the real demand, and so the health sector should consider
assigning more doctors to work as family doctors, and prepare plans to train
family doctors.
Trần Quý Tường, deputy director of the MoH’s Medical
Services Administration, said effective expansion and implementation of the
family doctor model was expected to reduce hospital overcrowding and
improving the workforce for local medical stations.
They were also two out of nine priorities of Việt Nam’s
health sector in the 2016-20 period, he said.
Deputy PM agrees 10-20 percent road
toll cut
Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue has sent a
dispatch agreeing with a proposal by the Ministry of Finance to reduce road
toll by 10-20 percent to some means of transportation.
Trucks with the loading capacity of 10-18 tons, from 18
tons and more; and 20 feet and 40 feet container lorries will see a reduction
of 10-20 percent at tollbooths applying maximum toll levels as per Circular
159.
Similar fee cut rate will be applied to less than 12
seater and 13-20 seater buses, trucks of under two tons and 2-4 tons and
types of buses at five stations with the highest toll level now. This aims to
make toll rates at the fives places equivalent to that at others.
At present, Vietnam has 86 BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer)
tollbooths under the management of the Ministry of Transport. Of these, 45
are placed in highways and expressways. Five out of 29 stations with charge
regulated at Circular 159 of the Ministry of Finance apply the highest rates.
The Deputy PM has assigned the Ministry of Transport to
review all contracted BOT projects to renegotiate with investors about toll
level adjustment and a roadmap to implement each project.
Basing on the negations’ results, the Transport
Ministry will propose the Ministry of Finance to issue a new circular to
adjust and rationalize toll levels, he instructed.
More medical clinic for emergency in
HCMC’s East entrance
The Department of Health in Ho Chi Minh City yesterday
opened a satellite medical clinic 115 for emergency in 800 Dong Van Cong
Street in Thanh My Loi Ward in district 2.
The satellite medical clinic 115 located in Phuc An
Khang hospital in district 2 has three ambulances with specific equipment and
medication. Moreover, medical workers are ready to give first aid to patients
when they are informed of emergent cases. Additionally, the hospital will
provide help when the hot line for public emergency medical services via
phone number 115.
HCMC Deputy Director of Health Department Dr. Tang Chi
Thuong said that the huge volume of traffic congestion commonly occurring at
the city’s east entrance, establishment of the satellite medical clinic 115
has helped to carry patients to nearest hospitals to save “golden time”
patient's chances of survival are greatest if they receive care within a
short period of time after a severe injury.
The clinic admits around 30-40 emergency cases every
day. People can call 115 or 08-73009911, 08-37410033 when they need emergency
care.
So far, the department has set up six satellite medical
clinics in the city. It is the health sector’s great efforts in a bid to
increase survival chance for people. It is scheduled that by the end of 2016,
the department will open around 12 satellite medical clinics for emergency.
VSIP Nghe An lays first brick of
wastewater treatment plant
Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP JV) held the
ground-breaking ceremony for the first phase of its waste treatment plant in
VSIP Nghe An yesterday.
The new plant aims to provide sufficient treatment
capacity to support the park’s tenants and its future needs. The first phase,
slated to be finished in August 2017, will handle up to 6,000 cubic metres of
solid waste a day. Once fully completed, the project is expected have a total
capacity of 20,000 cubic metres per day.
Speaking at the ceremony, deputy general director of
VSIP Nghe An Edwin Chee said that the new plant affirmed VSIP’s commitment to
conserving local environment as well as contributing to the socio-economic
development of Nghe An.
“In particular, the expansion will help VSIP lure more
investors to Nghe An and spread environmental awareness,” he noted.
The park developer is also accelerating construction
works on fire station and office buildings to put them into operation by the
end of this year.
VSIP Nghe An is the seventh park developed by VSIP in
Vietnam, following the success of the ones located in Binh Duong, Quang Ngai,
Bac Ninh, Haiphong, and Hai Duong.
House displaying Hoang Sa, Truong Sa
objects to be built
A house to display objects related to Vietnam’s Hoang
Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes will be built at the Nha
Trang Institute of Oceanography in the central province of Khanh Hoa.
The architecture of the building was discussed at a
meeting held by the provincial People’s Committee on August 2.
With an investment of 50 billion VND (2.25 million
USD), the house will have a total area of 2,000sq.m, and exhibit around
20,000 documents and objects affirming Vietnam’s sovereignty over its sea and
islands, especially the two archipelagoes.
Also at the Nha Trang Institute of Oceanography, an
area to protect and preserve marine creatures collected from Truong Sa
archipelago and other Vietnamese waters will be built in an existing tunnel,
which is 80m long, 4.5m wide and 4.5m high.
The area aims to raise public awareness of the value of
marine creature resources and serve research on and preservation of important
marine creatures.
The project to build the house and the marine creature
preservation area will be implemented over two years.
Association brings HCM City closer to
Lao localities
The Vietnam-Laos Friendship Association in Ho Chi Minh
City (VLFA-HCMC) convened its second congress on August 2 to review its
performance in the 2011-2016 tenure and lay out tasks for the next five
years.
Addressing the event, VLFA-HCMC Chairman for 2011-2016
Phan Xuan Bien highlighted the special relationship between Vietnam and Laos,
as well as the responsibility taken on by the association’s HCM City chapter
to contribute to cultivating the friendship and solidarity between the two countries,
and the Vietnamese southern metropolis’ ties with Lao localities in
particular.
The congress agreed to step up communication work,
especially among the two countries’ young generations, in order to raise
public awareness of the bilateral ties.
The association aims to outstandingly fulfill its role
as a bridge between the two neighbours and constructively partake in their
external activities, thus helping enhance mutual understanding.
In a parallel effort, the association will work to
promote economic cooperation between HCM City and Lao localities along with
supporting Lao students in the city.
During the past tenure, the VLFA-HCMC made pragmatic
and effective contributions to bolstering the collaboration and friendship
between HCM City and Lao localities, the congress heard.
The congress elected a 27-member executive board of the
VLFA-HCMC for 2016-2021 with Huynh Cach Mang, Vice Chairman of the HCM City
People’s Committee, as the new head of the chapter.
US company helps Thanh Hoa locals
improve livelihoods
The US-based Philip Morris International Company on
August 2 launched a project to provide breeding cows for poor locals in Ba
Thuoc district of the central province of Thanh Hoa.
Under the “cow bank” project, the company plans to
present 60 cows totaling 892 million VND (40,140 USD) to poor local
households from now to October, with the purpose of helping them improve
their livelihoods and escape from poverty.
These households will be trained on how to bring up the
cows to have the highest economic efficiency.
In another development, the Red Cross of the southern
province of Tay Ninh is coordinating with volunteer doctors to provide free
medical check-ups and medicines for local people.
Since early July, more than 1,400 poor, old and blind
people and ethnics in Tay Ninh city, Hoa Thanh, Tan Bien, Go Dau and Trang
Bang districts have received check-ups.
From now to the end of 2016, the association targets
5,000 locals, especially those in far-flung and border areas, receiving free
medicines and medical check-ups.
Vice President presents gifts to
Ninh Binh’s AO victims
Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh led a delegation to
the northern province of Ninh Binh on August 2 to present gifts to families
with people affected by Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin.
The Vice President offered gifts and 50 million VND
(2,250 USD) each to help three families in Khanh Thinh and Yen Tu communes of
Yen Mo district and Yen Ninh town of Yen Khanh district.
During the working session with the provincial chapter
of the Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange/dioxin, she hailed the
organisation’s contributions to caring for local AO victims.
Thinh urged the locality to mobilise more resources and
organise practical activities for the targeted group.
According to the chapter, Ninh Binh is home to 35,470
people exposed to Agent Orange, 5,734 of them have received social
allowances.
As of June this year, the province had mobilised over
22.3 billion VND (roughly 1 million USD) to help local AO victims.
Financial support worth over 19 billion VND (855,000
USD) has been provided for over 55,700 individuals, covering house upgrades,
health check-ups, free medicine, and production investment.
Amateur group wins top Dance
Festival prize
The amateur group, HCM City D.N.S. Crew, won first
prize at the Contemporary Dance Group Festival 2016 held by the city’s Young
People’s Committee this week.
The D.N.S. Crew has nine members, including five female
dancers, who choreographed their modern routines based on traditional dances.
They competed with several hundred young dancers from
17 groups in the city.
The organisers plan to hold the festival each year to
promote dance among students at universities and colleges.
Renowned VN science journalist dies
Journalist Hàm Châu, who was famous for writing
profiles of outstanding Vietnamese and foreign scientists, died of a stroke
in Hà Nội on Monday. He was 83 years old.
Born into an intellectual family in the central
province of Nghệ An, he graduated from National Economics University but
chose to become a journalist.
With a high command of three foreign languages —
including Chinese, Russia and English — and a deep knowledge of science, he
was equipped with the skills to connect with and share the stories of
scientists in well-written articles.
During his long career, he worked for several different
publications.
After working as a reporter at the Hà Nội Mới (New Hà
Nội) newspaper, he was editor-in-chief of Tổ Quốc (Motherland) magazine. He
was also in charge of the Nhân Dân newspaper (weekend issue) and
English-language magazine Vietnam Cultural Window.
Even though he wrote about different topics, his most
famous articles were about science and education.
He wrote more than 2,500 articles, published 10 books
under his name and co-published 23 books with other authors, including a
1,200-page book titled Trí Thức Tinh Hoa Việt Nam Đương Đại (Việt Nam’s
Contemporary Intellectuals).
His latest book, which he recently finished, is titled
Ánh Sáng Nhân Văn Trong Thế Giới Các Nhà Vật lý (Humane Light in the World of
Physicists).
This 830-page literary chronicle, rich with interesting
observations and emotion, talks about the important international scientific
meetings he joined in Việt Nam and different countries around the world, as
well as the portraits of scientists who won Nobel prizes and world-renowned
scientists of Vietnamese origin.
Nguyễn Tử Uyên, Hàm Châu’s son, said his father lived
alone in Hà Nội in order to have ideal conditions for finishing his book. He
had planned to move to HCM City to live with his son after publishing his
book.
Hàm Châu was close to Professor Trần Thanh Vân, founder
of Meeting Việt Nam, which held meetings aimed at creating opportunities for
Vietnamese scientists to access advanced science and network with famous
scientists from around the world, as well as encourage young Vietnamese
scholars’ scientific studies and inventions. Hàm Châu also accompanied Prof
Vân to different regions of the country when Vân offered Vallet scholarships
to Vietnamese students, along with the support of Professor Odon Vallet of
France’s Sorbonne University.
“Journalist Hàm Châu became close to us in 1993 when he
was reporting on the first Meeting Vietnam. I never met such a journalist who
was so passionate about science,” Vân said.
“The country lost a devoted journalist who gave himself
to the country’s science development. We will never have such a devoted
journalist who has such profound knowledge of science like him.”
Vân said that just a few days ago, he had discussed
with Hàm Châu a plan to offer scholarships to students. On Monday, when they
sent him airplane tickets, they also received the news of his death.
“I do not know how much this news will sadden Prof Odon
Vallet, because during each trip to offer scholarships to students, Châu used
to sit close to Prof Vallet and tell him stories about the culture, history
and people of different regions of Việt Nam where we passed through,” he
said. “Vallet appreciated Châu a lot and was very interested in his stories.”
Vietnam loses 2,689 hectares of
forest in Jan-July: ministry
Vietnam has lost a total of 2,689 hectares (6,644
acres) of forest so far this year, including 694 hectares cut down illegally,
according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).
The illegally cleared area during the first seven
months was 60% larger than what was lost to deforestation in the same period
last year.
The rest, totaling 1,995 hectares, was destroyed by
fires, nearly three times higher than the damage a year ago.
The ministry did not provide a breakdown on wildfires
and deliberate burning.
Meanwhile, replanting has slowed down, allegedly due to
serious drought in the early months this year.
Nationwide, trees have been replanted on an area of
104,000 hectares so far this year, nearly 8% less than last year.
In June, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc ordered a ban
on clearing natural forests to protect the remaining 2.25 million hectares.
The government was trying to prevent abuse of a policy that allows companies
to clear degraded forest areas to plant commercial trees.
According to a report released by the MARD, between
2010 and 2014, 110,000 hectares were cleared for commercial crops, 37,000
hectares for hydropower plants and roads, and 123,000 illegally.
Tons of fish found dead in Danang
park
Tons of fish have been found dead in a pond at a park
located in the central Vietnamese city of Danang.
Fish from a lake in the 29/3 Park in the central hub
were discovered having died en masse on July 1, releasing a foul smell
upsetting many local visitors.
Most of the dead fish were adult tilapias, some of
which weighed up to two kilograms each. A smaller number of common carp and
shrimp also suffered the same fate.
The incident was noticed by hikers along the lake
during the morning and quickly reported to managers of the venue.
Bodies of dead fish float in the lake at the 29/3 Park
in the central Vietnamese city of Danang on August 1, 2016.
In an interview with Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, Dang
Duc Thu, director of the Danang Green Tree Park Company which manages the
lake, confirmed that fish started dying early in the morning, adding that the
phenomenon had worsened by the end of the day.
The situation was later reported to the Danang Drainage
and Wastewater Company, the firm in charge of supervising the quality of the
pond, according to Thu.
Mai Ma, director of the company, said that his
employees had salvaged the bodies of the dead fish with their weight expected
to total over two metric tons.
The cause of the mass deaths has yet to be determined,
Mai said, adding that the phenomenon was not unprecedented.
A water sample of the lake has been taken for
examination while the lake will be sterilized with lime in the meantime, the
director continued.
He added that the water in the pond could not be
replaced entirely due to a lack of resources.
Three jailed for stealing jet fuel
in Vietnam
A court in Ho Chi Minh City on August 2 sentenced three
ex-workers of Jetstar Pacific to two years' imprisonment for stealing more
than 8,100 liters of jet fuel in 2015.
Four other men were sentenced to suspended sentences of
between 18 months and 2 years for trading the stolen fuel, according to the
ruling by the People's Court of Ho Chi Minh City.
Nguy Nhu Thanh, Do Van Hung and Le Van Hung were in
charge carrying maintenance engineers to Jetstar aircraft at Tan Son Nhat
International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, and fuel taken from the aircraft
to a storage for regular tests.
They stole the fuel, worth nearly VND120 million,
during the delivery between December 2014 and January 2015.
They sold it to Vu The Hung and Vu Van Dung who then
hired Huynh Duc Dung to resell it to Tran Van Suu.
At the trial, a representative of Jetstar Pacific said
the carrier wouldn't demand a compensation since the police had helped it
recover most of the stolen fuel.
Emirates offers big savings on fares
to UK
Emirates Airlines has dropped the price of fares
between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam to the UK, in an exclusive 2016
summer value sale to as low as just US$955 (VND21.3 million) roundtrip.
The sale, which started on August 1 and runs until
August 15, applies to tickets scheduled for departure through March 31, 2017.
The Emirates Summer Value sale includes Economy Class
two-way fares from HCM City to Manchester from US$955 (VND21.3 million).
Business Class fares for the route are also reduced to US$2,865 (VND62.66
million.)
Economy Class and Business Class fares from Hanoi to
London are US$941 (VND21 million) and US$2,856 (VND63.67 million),
respectively while those from Hanoi to Manchester are US$928 (VND20.7
million) and US$2,815 (VND62.66 million).
“One can view the full list of destinations on offer at
the airlines website,” said Emirates, “with an August 15 deadline to book for
the maximum saving.”
“The Emirates Summer Value sale is the perfect
opportunity to start planning this year’s big summer break, taking advantage
of the great savings on flights and accommodation in the process.”
The airline also emphasizes that any customer looking
for cheap and cheerful city break escapes, should take a look at their top 10
destinations and how to travel to it for less.
Vice President presents gifts to
Ninh Binh’s AO victims
Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh led a delegation to
the northern province of Ninh Binh on August 2 to present gifts to families
with people affected by Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin.
The Vice President offered gifts and 50 million VND
(2,250 USD) each to help three families in Khanh Thinh and Yen Tu communes of
Yen Mo district and Yen Ninh town of Yen Khanh district.
During the working session with the provincial chapter
of the Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange/dioxin, she hailed the
organisation’s contributions to caring for local AO victims.
Thinh urged the locality to mobilise more resources and
organise practical activities for the targeted group.
According to the chapter, Ninh Binh is home to 35,470
people exposed to Agent Orange, 5,734 of them have received social
allowances.
As of June this year, the province had mobilised over
22.3 billion VND (roughly 1 million USD) to help local AO victims.
Financial support worth over 19 billion VND (855,000
USD) has been provided for over 55,700 individuals, covering house upgrades,
health check-ups, free medicine, and production investment.
Ha Nam marks 55th Day for Agent
Orange/Dioxin Victims
The People’s Committee of northern Ha Nam province held
a ceremony on August 1 to commemorate the 55th anniversary of the Day for
Agent Orange/Dioxin Victims (August 10, 1961).
The event also marked the 10th founding anniversary of
the Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin of Ha Nam (December 24,
2006).
More than 29,000 people in the province have suffered
the effects of Agent Orange/Dioxin. Today, the effects are still surfacing in
the second and even the third generations of the victims.
Over the past 10 years, the provincial Association for
Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin have helped local victims build houses and
provided them with funding.
Speaking at the ceremony, Senior Lieutenant-General
Nguyen Van Rinh, president of the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent
Orange/Dioxin, called for more support from state agencies, social
organisations and enterprises to victims.
The provincial People’s Committee presented 120 gift
packages, worth 500,000 VND each, to the Agent Orange/Dioxin victims while
more than 700 million VND was donated to the locality’s Agent Orange/Dioxin
fund during the event.
The association and 13 individuals received Certificate
of Merit from the prime minister for their works between 2011 and 2015.
38 Hà Nội buildings lack fire safety
standards
The Hà Nội Department of Fire Prevention and Control
has released a list of 38 apartment buildings that are in use but do not meet
fire safety regulations.
A majority of these buildings are located in Hoàng Mai
and Hà Đông districts, which have nine and 14 buildings, respectively,
lacking fire safety measures.
Many investors and management units were found not
following government regulations on fire prevention and control, the
department said.
As of the end of July, Hà Nội has 1,075 high-rise
buildings, of which 916 are operational. The rest are either under
construction or have temporarily been shut down.
In a related development, the number of fires
nationwide this year has fallen slightly (0.3 per cent), when compared with
last year, according to statistics from the General Department of Fire
Prevention and Control, Rescue and Salvage.
About 1,506 cases of fire occurred in the first six
months of this year, leaving 31 people dead and injuring 181, besides causing
damage to property worth more than VNĐ830 billion (US$37.2 million) and
destroying more than 720ha of forests.
The reasons for the fires in residential areas and
households as well as at businesses were faults of electrical systems and
equipment, accounting for almost 600 cases.
The concerned agencies will continue to carry out
inspections and strictly deal with violations in high-rise buildings. At the
same time, agencies will instruct the building management units to remove
existing shortcomings to ensure the safety of local residents.
First season of Junior MasterChef
Vietnam to be aired in October
The first season of Junior MasterChef Vietnam, the
Vietnamese version of the popular international reality television show
‘Junior MasterChef’ will be broadcast on VTV3 channel starting October 2.
The cooking competition expects to bring viewers
exciting moments in which competitors must overcome many challenges to reach
to the title of Vietnam Junior Masterchef.
The audition round is being held from now until
September 5.
Culinary enthusiasts and cooks aged at 8-14 can get
information about the contest on the website www.vuadaubepnhi.vtv.vn
Junior MasterChef Vietnam is a Vietnamese Cooking Game
Show based on the original British version of Junior MasterChef. The show is
being produced in 30 countries around the world and broadcast in more than
200 countries with a huge number of viewers.
Danang launches tunnel design
contest
Danang City People's Committee has given approval for
an international design contest to be held to develop a tunnel project for
the Han River crossing project.
The winner will bring home VND100m (USD4,500) while the
runner-up and third place are VND50m and VND30m respectively. Other
noteworthy plans will receive VND20m.
The deadline for submission is on September 26.
Submissions must meet requirements about city's traffic
planning, suitable with the current state of the area, structural solutions,
feasible and beautiful design and construction technology.
Ground clearance and people's needs are underlined with
priorities given to submissions with minimum number of residential houses or
other construction being relocated or cleared.
On June 15, Danang Chairman Huynh Thuc Duc held a
meeting with consultants and departments about design plans and funds for the
project. The city have agreed they want a tunnel under Han River from Dong Da
Street in Hai Chau District to Van Don Street in Son Tra District.
The project is expected to be 1.3 kilometres long and
be capable of having six lanes of traffic. Its estimated cost is VND4.08trn
(USD182.14m) and construction should start by the end of the year.
Low salaries blamed for corruption
A report on the results of Hanoi People's Committee’s
anti-corruption work for the first half of 2016 has said that one of the big
challenges is low salaries paid to civil servants.
According to the report, the city's inspection team
recovered VND50.6 billion (USD2.25 million) and over 13 hectares of land, and
issued fines worth VND 41 billion (USD1.85 million) to 42 individuals and 22
organisations.
"39 individuals have been prosecuted in 16 serious
corruption cases in the first six months of this year," the report
noted.
The committee said that the city still faced many
challenges, especially in land use and management, construction investment,
finance, and public security.
The committee also pointed out some shortcomings in
their work including, the quality of the staff, lack of communication
activities, lax management, low rates of detection and low recovery rate of
assets.
However, they also stressed that low payment to civil
servants is also a chief cause of making the committee’s work more difficult.
"The fight against corruption is a complicated and
challenging work," the report explained. "Moreover, the pay and
reward policy for civil servants is still low and violators are becoming more
and more daring and skilled”.
Vietjet to offer 30,000 tickets at
0VND
Low-cost airline Vietjet Air will launch a promotion
from August 3-5 offering 30,000 tickets at 0VND for international flights to
the Republic of Korea and Chinese Taipei.
The promotional tickets will be available for routes
linking Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi with Seoul for travel between August 23,
2016 and March 26, 2017, as well as routes from Ho Chi Minh City to Tainan
and Taipei for the travel from August 6 to October 30, excluding national
holidays.
The programme is open to online passengers who book
tickets between noon and 2pm at www.vietjetair.com, for smartphones at
https://m.vietjetair.com or at www.facebook.com/vietjetvietnam.
Payment can be easily made with Visa, MasterCard, JCB,
and American Express and ATM cards issued by the 24 Vietnamese banks with
internet banking.
Founded in 2007, Vietjet currently has a fleet of 41
aircrafts, including A320s and A321s and operates nearly 300 flights daily.
It has already opened 53 routes in Vietnam and across
the region to international destinations such as Singapore, the Republic of
Korea, China, Thailand, Myanmar and Malaysia. It has carried around 25
million passengers to date.
Overseas VN author releases travel
book
In her latest book, author Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai compares
herself with a grain of salt in the ocean.
Entitled Hạt Muối Rong Chơi (A Wandering Grain of
Salt), the book details her experiences in trips around the world, the
stories she was told and what she witnessed.
Stories in the book include “escaping the by an inch in
Laos”, “on the alert for being shot in Philippines” and “Australian people
falling into oblivion”.
The book was released yesterday at the University of
Social Sciences and Humanities in Hà Nội. Mai talked with the students and
shared her experiences in preparing for her journeys.
Poet Nguyễn Quang Thiều, vice chairman of the Việt Nam
Writers Association, said he realised that whenever Mai travels to a new
land, she doesn’t go as a traveller, or a researcher, she goes there to live
life to the fullest.
“She tells what she experienced infatuatedly as she was
lost in that place and didn’t want to find the way back,” said Thiều.
Mai currently lives in Belgium with her family. She has
written or translated 15 verse and prose books.
Saigonese grow their own greens at
home
Concerned about the safety of vegetables sold at
markets and supermarkets, many Saigonese are now growing their own greens at
home.
Cultivating a plant, however, requires techniques that
most amateurs find difficult. This is where bonsai shop owners step in.
Taking advantage of the new trend, bonsai shop owners
have been selling saplings of high-demand vegetables, which come handily in
pots filled with sophisticated, carefully-chosen mixtures of soil and
fertilizer.
Prices for slow-maturing plants, such as zucchini,
squash, and gourd, are around VND50,000 (US$2.27) to VND100,000 (US$4.55) per
pot, whereas quick-maturing plants, such as cilantro, basil, and chili
pepper, fetch about VND15,000 (68 US cents) per pot.
“Before this, I sold only a handful of pots a day. Now
I’m selling 50-70 daily, and even that’s not enough to meet demand,” a shop
owner said.
80% of customers are mothers raising young children,
another shop owner said.
In order to ensure that their children’s food is safe,
these mothers have been quick to bring such saplings home.
The appeal lies in the fact that these saplings are
grown without chemicals involved.
Furthermore, the ready-made saplings do not require
much effort to be taken care of. The difficult parts of the process, such as
choosing the right seeds, preparing soil, and picking fertilizers, have
already been done by shop owners.
The young vegetables can be harvested 10 to 15 days
after they are bought. Many of them can be harvested multiple times.
“These plants not only provide clean food, but also
create a green space for my family,” a happy customer said.
Thieves targeting foreigners in
Saigon backpackers' area busted
Four men have been arrested in Ho Chi Minh City for
allegedly stealing from foreigners in a park in the backpackers' area, police
said.
Pham Thanh Tai, 21, and Hoang Ngoc Phu, 23, were caught
by the Dist. 1 police of at 1.30 a.m. when they were riding near the 23/9
Park.
They were keeping a backpack which was found to belong
to a 69-year-old Australian national.
They told the police they had stolen the backpack,
which contained VND3.9 million and some personal belongings, an hour earlier.
Phu's wife, identified only as Nhu, had made friends
with the victim and lured him to the park, they said. Nhu is still at large.
The police later arrested two other accomplices, Dang
Lam Phi and Pham Duy Quang, both 30.
The duo confessed to snatching a smartphone from an
unidentified foreign tourist on July 1, also in the 23/9 Park.
They also admitted to helping Tai escape a few days
before by attacking a pursuing victim in the same park.
The police said they are investigating further.
Eight-story construction completed
without permit in Binh Duong
A construction in the southern Vietnamese province of
Binh Duong has been discovered being built without a permit after eight of
its floors had already been completed.
A recent probe by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper has
revealed that the Koncham Binh Duong building, located in Hoa Phu Ward, Thu
Dau Mot City, Binh Duong, had been under construction for several months
without formal permission.
The US$2 million project is owned by Korean-invested
business Binh Duong Koncham, and covers an area of 1,500 square meters.
With eight stories and a basement included in the
building design, the venue is expected to home offices, education centers,
and eateries.
The company registered its business license with a
specialization in commercial real estate services, including offices, retail,
and spaces for lease.
Construction of the building was began on January 15
with a grand ceremony attended by many provincial leaders.
Situated in a prime location of the city, the structure
is only 100 meters away from the administrative center of Binh Duong and can
easily be spotted from the facility.
However, construction had been underway for over six
months with eight floors finished without a legitimate permit or reaction
from local authorities.
During interviews with Tuoi Tre, the Binh Duong
Department of Construction and the People’s Committee in Hoa Phu were still
struggling to determine the individuals responsible for the managerial
oversight.
According to a representative from the Hoa Phu administration,
the project is located in the ward but is managed by the provincial
Department of Construction.
As soon as the building was discovered being built
without formal permission, authorities in the ward made a report with
sanctions to be decided by inspectors from the department, the source
elaborated.
Another official said that all operations must be
ceased whenever a construction is caught being executed without a permit.
However, several employees were still working at the
site on Sunday, according to the observation of Tuoi Tre reporters.
The violation was noticed in early July, a leader of
the Department of Construction said, adding that investors had submitted the
necessary paperwork to register for a permit.
The investors will be granted the formal permission if
all documents are sufficient and valid, the leader continued.
Striker Cong Phuong impresses fans
in Japan
Vietnamese striker Cong Phuong presented his signature
and souvenirs to nearly 100 Vietnamese tourists during an exchange held in
Mito the capital city of Ibaraki prefecture on August 1.
This is part of a tour program designed by Vietnam
travel companies to help visitors, especially football fans get new
experiences.
During the event, Cong Phuong shared his feelings of
the recent match and his induction into Japanese club Mito Hollyhock.
Earlier, the tourists visited the football pitch of Hollyhock club and
discovered interesting destinations in Ibaraki, Tokyo and Nikko.
Cong Phuong likes most the National Hitachi Seaside
Park in Ibaraki. He was the first Vietnamese person selected as the Exchange
Ambassador of Ibaraki and Vietnam in March. Last year, Ibaraki prefecture
welcomed more than 1,500 Vietnamese visitors.
VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri/VNE
|
Thứ Năm, 4 tháng 8, 2016
Đăng ký:
Đăng Nhận xét (Atom)
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét