Social News 8/12
Stent used for treating arteriovenous fistula
Doctors at Bình Dân Hospital have placed an
intravascular stent to treat an arteriovenous fistula, or an abnormal
connection between an artery and vein, in the left arm of a patient caused by
a bullet 40 years ago.
The 46-year-old woman from the Mekong Delta province of
Tiền Giang was brought to the hospital in pain and with severe deformity of
the arm.
Dr Dương Duy Trang, head of the hospital’s
interventional cardiology unit, said her left arm was 40 per cent larger than
her right and could not hold anything.
A CT scan showed an arteriovenous fistula 10
millimetres across, he said.
The fistula caused blood to flow from the heart into a
vein instead of artery, leading to a large swelling in the vein.
Besides, the abnormally large volume of blood from the
vein caused her heart to work overtime, leading to a high risk of heart
problems.
The doctors placed the stent to block the fistula.
The patient has been discharged. She can hold things
normally now and no longer has pain.
The patient also wants the bullet to be removed, but
Trang said since it does not affect other blood vessels, surgery to remove it
is not necessary.
Vascular injuries caused by incendiary weapons are not
common in the country, he said.
People with such injuries are reluctant to go to
hospitals, and only do so in case of severe complications, by which time it
is too late to recover body functions, he said.
Trang said that stent placement to treat arteriovenous
fistula is performed at hospitals that have doctors trained in intravascular
intervention and modern equipment.
New City food safety board
Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has approved the
establishment of a food-safety management board to monitor food quality and
safety in HCM City.
According to the Government Office, the PM approved the
pilot project to set up a food-safety management board over the next three
years.
The Department of Internal Affairs under the HCM City
People’s Committee had previously proposed to the Government to establish a
food-safety management board in the southern region.
Lê Văn Lâm, deputy director of the Department of
Internal Affairs, said the board aimed to punish violators of regulations on
food safety and prevent future offences.
The city has had a system to implement food safety,
including relevant agencies under the Department of Health, Department of
Agriculture and Rural Development, and Department of Industry and Trade.
Lâm said, however, that due to a lack of coordination
and overlapping functions, it is important to establish a board to
exclusively carry out the mission of food hygiene and safety.
Current punishment for violations of food safety rules
was not strict enough, he said. Regular supervision had not been effectively
conducted, and emerging problems were not promptly resolved, he added.
"A separate agency with sufficient authority is
needed to deal with the existing limitations in ensuring food safety across
the city," Lâm said.
Nguyễn Thị Huỳnh Mai, deputy head of the Food Safety
Agency, said food poisoning had become a critical issue in recent years.
Last year, there were 171 cases of food poisoning,
killing 23 and sending some 5,000 people to hospital.
HCM City, which has a population of 10 million,
consumes 287,000 tonnes of meat, 1 billion eggs, one million tonnes of
vegetables and 170,000 tonnes of seafood a year, according to official
statistics.
Food safety remains a major concern since the majority
of farmers and traders still lack sufficient knowledge of the issue, while
others have deliberately engaged in unsafe practices to achieve higher
profits.
HCM City supplies around 20 per cent of its own demand
for food and buys the rest from other localities and abroad, according to the
food-safety agency.
Project helps improving maternal and newborn care
A Save the Children project helped improve knowledge on
maternal and newborn care for thousands of mothers and health workers in Yên
Bái, Đắk Lắk and Cà Mau provinces from mid 2012 to December 2016.
The project helped build three newborn units for
hospitals of Yên Bái Province including those in Trạm Tấu and Lục Yên
districts. Following several training courses, surgeons of the Trạm Tấu
District hospital performed three surgeries with the support of colleagues
from the provincial hospital, although no surgery was undertaken at the
hospital over the past eight years.
Maternal fatality rate has reduced, while many
premature newborns have been saved thanks to the facilities and human
resource support from the project, according to a health worker at Đắk Lắk
General Hospital’s Obstetrics Unit. Project experiences also contributed to
development of the National Master Plan for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health
for 2016-2020 and the National Guidelines for Reproductive Health services.
With a fund of US$3.5 million from the Atlantic
Philanthropies Foundation, the project titled “Scale up of the model of
Household to hospital Continuum of Maternal and Newborn Care" in Việt
Nam, was implemented by the Ministry of Health and the Huế Medicine and Pharmacy
University.
The project aims to improve access to quality maternal
and newborn health services, to increase demand for and utilisation of those
services by mothers and newborns and to strengthen the ongoing management and
policy environment to ensure sustained reductions in maternal and newborn
death and disability.
Over the past decade, Việt Nam has seen extraordinary
advancements in maternal, newborn and child survival due to improvements in
available health services and better access to antenatal care across the
country. Despite significant improvements, there is increasing disparity in
the health status and mortality rates between different regions and ethnic
groups in Việt Nam.
In the 62 poorest districts where most minority ethnic
women live, maternal mortality rates are three times higher than the national
average -- 157 deaths per 100,000 live births. The under-five mortality among
minority ethnic populations was 53 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2014, more
than 2.5 times higher than the national rate, according to the health
ministry.
Preventive medicine ignored: Deputy PM
None of Việt Nam’s provinces are spending as much as
they should on preventive medicine, Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam said on
Monday at a ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the country’s preventive
healthcare system.
“The National Assembly approved a resolution in 2008 to
spend 30 per cent of the national medical budget on preventive healthcare,
but currently none of the provinces have spent more than 25 per cent,” he
said.
“In some highland areas you can travel all day without
seeing a medical centre, while it takes only 10-15 minutes to find one in the
plains,” he added. “Some medical staff have not been assigned jobs to improve
their skills.”
Health Minister Nguyễn Kim Tiến, also speaking at the
event, said the General Department of Preventive Medicine, founded 60 years
ago, had defeated diseases such as smallpox, polio, neonatal tatenus,
cholera, plague and malaria. It was recognised by the World Health
Organisation as the first country to control the SARS epidemic after 45 days,
in 2003, she said.
"Preventive healthcare services have become a
specialised branch with modern technologies and capable personnel, as well as
extensive study and application of advanced preventive healthcare
solutions," she added.
The Expanded Programme on Immunisation covered every
commune in the country, immunising all children under five against
infectious diseases. The national vaccine management system was able to
produce 10 of 12 vaccines for the programme at international standards.
Apart from acknowledging the achievements of the
system, Đam said that in order for preventive healthcare to be truly
effective, the medical sector should revise its human resources training
system and financial mechanism.
He stressed the importance of combining disease
treatment and disease prevention in medical practice, while acknowledging the
challenges of socio-economic development, globalisation, an aging population,
environmental pollution and climate change.
At the ceremony, the General Department of Preventive
Medicine was awarded with the second class Labour Medal. Twenty collectives
and 99 individuals received the Đặng Văn Ngữ Award from the health ministry
for their excellent contribution to the preventive healthcare system.
Transport firms add routes before Tết
Transport firms in HCM City have begun to add more
buses to meet demand during the Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday, which begins in
late January.
The number of passengers travelling from Miền Đông Bus
Station is expected to increase by 3 per cent during the holiday compared to
last year, to 56,000 on a peak day, a representative of the station said.
To ensure better service during the Lunar New Year
holiday, Miền Đông Bus Station has ensured that buses will be parked in an
orderly fashion and they will pick up and drop off passengers in an organised
manner.
The bus station has worked with local police and police
inspectors to resolve the problem of illegal and counterfeit buses operating
outside or near the bus station during the holiday.
Some bus companies operating at Miền Đông Bus Station
have begun to sell tickets for the Lunar New Year holiday.
Phúc Thuận Thảo Company said that tickets for Tết began
selling in late November.
An Thiên Phúc Company said tickets for the holiday,
with surcharges from HCM City to Tuy Hoà, Quy Nhơn and Đà Nẵng, would be
priced between VNĐ320,000 and 575,000 (US$15-25) , effective from January 9
to 27.
Đỗ Văn Quang, director of the Sài Gòn Railway Transport
Joint-Stock Company, said the Sài Gòn Railway Station had upgraded several
high-quality carriages to serve passengers during the holiday.
The railway station began selling a total of 17,500
train tickets for the holiday on November 10.
To meet the demand for goods transport, the Sài Gòn
Railway Station will also run trains carrying goods between Hà Nội and HCM
City during the Lunar New Year.
The trains will depart from Giáp Bát Railway Station
(close to Hà Nội) and Sóng Thần Railway Station (close to HCM City) to
prevent congestion at the Hà Nội and HCM City railway stations.
According to the Public Transport Operation and
Management Centre, the centre will add 1,048 bus trips on 17 bus routes and
reduce the number of bus trips to 844 on other less busy bus routes during
the New Year.
The Miền Tây (Western) Bus Station will add 25 buses on
Friday afternoon (Dec 30) and Saturday morning (Dec 31) to serve passengers
who want to travel to the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta provinces.
Financier goes on trial for embezzlement
The People’s Court in Hải Phòng City on Monday opened
the trial of Lê Minh Quang, 33, head of BBG Financial Group, accused of
appropriating around VNĐ386 billion (US$17.3 million).
Quang, chairman of the managing board and general
director of the group, is accused of abusing trust and appropriating
property.
He was arrested on May 28, 2015, for illegal business
activities, after his attempt to flee to Laos failed.
From May 2014 to 2015, Quang had appropriated around
VNĐ386 billion (US$17.3 million) through his company.
The police arrested two others, Vũ Bình Long and Nguyễn
Thanh Bình for the involvment in the case. Investigators also prosecuted 13
more people linked to Quang.
Police officials had raided the BBG group’s
headquarters in Đà Nẵng City and seized documents that revealed illegal gold
trading activities of the company’s affiliates. They also searched the
offices of BBG’s affiliates across 10 cities and provinces.
The BBG group was established in 2010 and expanded
rapidly, setting up 18 branches and hiring 300 employees across the country.
It operated like a virtual trading floor for gold,
jewellery, foreign currencies and gemstones, and as a financial consultant
and loan provider. To attract investors, it offered very high interest rates.
Quang has admitted to the offence and will defend
himself. The hearing is expected to go on till Friday.
Campaign launched against secondhand smoke
Việt Nam Women’s Union, in coordination with Việt Nam
Tobacco Control Fund (Ministry of Health), officially launched a
communication campaign on the harmful effects of secondhand smoke at a
ceremony yesterday in Hà Nội.
The campaign, titled "Protect yourself and your
loved ones,” with the support of Vital Strategies, is the second stage of the
“Women make smoke-free homes” programme, which was implemented on May 29,
2016.
The three-month campaign includes the airing of three
TV spots based on the true story of Nguyễn Thị Hương, a non-smoking victim of
lung cancer, via online newspapers and popular social networks in Việt Nam.
With the message "Smoking damages your home,"
these short clips are aimed at making millions of Vietnamese smokers who use
social media understand the adverse effects of secondhand smoke on the
health, economy and happiness of each family.
"These three TV spots are based on a true story,
and through this media campaign we want to alert all smokers and those living
in this unhealthy environment to the fact that anyone of us can face a
similar situation of loss and suffering,” Trần Thị Hương, vice chairwoman of
Việt Nam Women’s Union, said at the campaign launch ceremony.
“If someone has doubts about the harmful effects of
second-hand smoke, please watch this story. Stop smoking today to protect
yourself and your loved ones," Hương added.
“Tobacco would claim Nguyễn Thị Hương’s life, but her
story will serve as a reminder of the harm this deadly product can cause and
will encourage many tobacco users to make an attempt to quit,” José Luis
Castro, president and chief executive officer, Vital Strategies, said.
Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer in Việt
Nam. The story of Hương is not “an odd one out" as the proportion of
Vietnamese non-smoking women accounted for 20 per cent of lung cancer cases
and this figure was increasing gradually.
According to a survey in 2015, with 45.3 per cent of
male smokers, Việt Nam was one of the countries with the highest cigarette
consumption in the world. The proportion of exposure to secondhand smoke at
homes reached 62 per cent, at workplaces 42 per cent and in restaurants 80
per cent.
Quảng Ngãi Market becomes operational
The People’s Committee of central Quảng Ngãi Province
has begun relocating all traders from the temporary market on Phạm Văn Đồng
Street to the newly-built market on Nguyễn Nghiêm Road.
The relocation is on from today until December
11.
The newly-constructed Quảng Ngãi Market has been built
in the old market place in a 13,300sq.m. area with 1,617 kiosks. Total
investment capital was more than VNĐ260 billion (US$11.4 million) from the
provincial state budget and other mobilised funds.
The committee has allocated 775 kiosks to traders who
owned a usage certificate for kiosks in the old market and 37 kiosks for
those who signed contract to hire kiosks on a monthly basis.
By November 30, 171 kiosks had been bid for. The
highest bid to hire a kiosk in the new market was VNĐ178,000 ($7.12) per sq.m
per month and the lowest was VNĐ110,000 ($4.4) per sq.m per month.
As planned, 454 traders who sold dry goods in the
second floor of the new market will be allocated kiosks between December 6-8,
316 traders on the first floor will be allocated space between December 9-11
and traders who sold fresh goods will be allocated kiosks in the raw food
area between December 12-18.
The temporary market will be returned to Thiên Tân
Company, a local company, according to the provincial committee’s decision.
Quảng Ngãi Market began construction in 2014 after a
huge fire broke out in the old market in 2012, destroying the entire market,
which had a large number of kiosks, including those selling fabric, garments,
cosmetics, cake and candy. There were no reports of casualties, but total
loss was estimated at some VNĐ200 billion ($9.6 million at that time). -- VNS
Quảng Ninh police destroy 2.8 tonnes of food
Police in the northern Quảng Ninh Province’s Hải Hà
District on Tuesday destroyed 2.8 tonnes of food, including plaice and
oranges, of which origins were unknown.
On Monday afternoon, the traffic police in Hải Hà
District’s Quảng Hà Town stopped a truck transporting 1 tonne of plaice in
foam boxes from Móng Cái City to Hải Phòng City.
However, truck driver Đỗ Ngọc Tình, 28, a resident of
Cẩm Phả City, had no papers to show where the fish was coming from.
On the same day, the police also seized 1.8 tonnes of
oranges from a truck on National Highway 18A that was passing through Quảng
Hà Town. The driver, Ngô Đức Tâm, 32, said he had been hired to transport the
fruits from Móng Cái City to the province, and he did not have any papers indicating
their place of origin.
Landslides paralyse route in Kon Tum
Prolonged heavy rainfall and impact of the strong cold
air over the week have caused serious landslides paralysing the Trường Sơn
Đông route through the Tây Nguyên (Central Highlands) province of Kon Tum,
authority has said.
This is the third time during the rainy season that the
route suffered landslides, with over 25,000 tonnes of rock falling down,
causing difficulties for road users, according to the provincial People’s
Committee.
The rocks and trees drifting from upstream had damaged
the barriers and avalanches had occurred intermittently, due to which
residents in Ngọc Tem Commune were completely isolated.
Đặng Thanh Nam, deputy chairman of the People’s
Committee of Kon Plong District, said local authorities were coordinating
with the road management board to repair the damage.
It was expected that the landslide route would be
cleared today, said Nam.
Measures to actively prevent disasters and deal with
the aftermath of heavy rainfall were also being strengthened, according to
Nam.
Locals were advised not to walk around areas affected
by landslides. Families at a high risk of flashfloods and landslides would be
removed to safer areas, he said.
HCMC court sentences gambling ring
The People’s Court in HCM City yesterday sentenced
dozens of defendants linked to a vast gambling ring.
Tô Công Hưng, 34, head of the ring and former director
of Người Dệt Mộng (Dream Weaver) Online Joint Stock Company, was sentenced to
four years in prison.
Sixty-two remaining accused received suspended
sentences or two years imprisonment.
According to the verdict, under Hưng’s direction, the
ring members carried out transactions worth VNĐ640 billion (US$28.7 million)
through 56 bank accounts.
From February 2012 to January 2015, Hưng colluded with
foreigners and then brought in his older sister, Tô Thị Thu Nhi, and
acquaintances into the ring.
These accused opened accounts at some banks to serve
their website 12bet.com to help gamblers transfer money for football,
basketball, tennis betting and online card games.
In this case, Hưng benefited by some VNĐ4.3 billion
(over $192,000) and other members received more than VNĐ260 million ($11,650)
.
HCM City companies gear up for Tết, promise abundant
supply
The Co.opmart supermarket chain will stock two to four
times more essential goods for Tết (Lunar New Year) next year compared to
this year.
Võ Hoàng Anh, marketing director of the Sài Gòn Co.op
which owns the Co.opmart chain, said more than 110,000 tonnes of goods are
expected to be sold in three months starting a month before Tết, or 15 per
cent higher than last year. The New Year falls on January 28 next year.
Besides selling essential items at 5-10 per cent lower
than the market price under the city’s price stabilisation programme,
Co.opmart, in collaboration with suppliers, will slash the prices on
thousands of other items by 10-50 per cent in the run-up to Tết, he said.
With nearly two months to go most HCM City businesses
have completed stocking plans.
Văn Đức Mười, general director of Vissan Limited
Company, which processes and sells fresh and frozen meat and foods, said the
company started making preparations in June.
The company will supply 3,000 tonnes of fresh meat and
3,200 tonnes of processed foods, 10-20 per cent higher than for last Tết, he
said.
It will also launch three new products for Tết,
including cheese sausage and pork pie mixed with salted egg and vegetables.
There would be no price shocks during Tết, Mười
assured, saying in fact his company would cut prices before Tết to stimulate
demand.
Many poultry and egg providers like Ba Huân and Vĩnh
Thành Đạt also plan to increase supply.
Similarly, most confectionery producers plan to
increase supply and offer many products at a wide price range to meet varying
tastes and budgets.
The Biên Hoà Confectionery Corporation (Bibica) plans
to supply 1,800 tonnes of confectionery, up 10 per cent from the last Lunar
New Year.
Bibica is also set to launch new high-quality cookies
for Tết.
It has products in various segments at prices ranging
from VNĐ45,000 to VNĐ350,000 (US$15.4).
Nguyễn Tô Kiều Trinh, marketing director of Lotte Mart
Việt Nam, said the supermarket would increase supply of confectionary,
coffees and other beverages by 30-40 per cent and fashion products by 25 per
cent compared to last year.
It would also meet the demand for fruits and vegetable
during Tết, which is expected to increase by 20 per cent, he said, adding it
would also offer discounts of 5-10 per cent.
Besides increasing supply to meet the Tết demand, many
producers said they are also focused on improving product quality and
packaging.
According to the city Department of Industry and Trade,
the total value of goods that companies in HCM City will stock during the two
months straddling Tết will be VNĐ17.06 trillion ($765.3 million), around 5 per
cent higher than last year.
The city’s price stabilisation programme will account
for VNĐ6.8 trillion ($307.1 million) of these goods, meeting 30-40 per cent
of demand.
Overall, production to serve the New Year will be 25-45
per cent higher than last year, with focus on poultry and animal meats,
sugar, eggs, processed foods, cooking oil, and rice.
There would be an abundant supply of goods of good
quality at reasonable prices during Tết, the department promised.
Vietnam, Mongolia boost trade union partnership
The Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL)
supports establishing relations between Vietnamese and Mongolian trade union
sectors and localities.
Vice Chairman of the VGCL Mai Duc Chinh made the
statement at a reception for Vice President of the Confederation of Mongolian
Trade Unions (CMTU) Erdenebat Sukhbaa Tar in Hanoi on December 6.
He suggested building ties between the Vietnam Railway
Trade Union and Federation of Mongolian Railway Trade Union and exchanging
information and delegations and coordinating in cadres training.
Erdenebat Sukhbaa Tar said Mongolia is home to over one
million trade union federations with 35 member organisations and 450,000
trade unionists.
He reiterated the CMTU’s policy of maintaining and
developing rapport with traditional friends, noting that the friendship with
Vietnamese trade unions was resumed in 1996 after several years of
interrupted delegation exchanges.
During this visit, the CMTU is interested in Vietnam’s
experience in developing trade union membership, reforming activities, and
training staff, he said.
The Mongolian confederation also hopes to set up
relations between trade union sectors and localities, and seek bilateral
cooperation in tourism and support each other at international forums, he
added.
CD/DVD fair to be held in city
A fair of audio and video CDs and DVDs will be held at
the Labor Cultural Center in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1 on December 8-11.
The 14th event aims to promote consumption of original,
copyrighted products at an affordable price. It features thousands of disks
in various genres of music, movies, and education software, offering 70-80
percent discount for all products.
The fair will include art performances and exchanges
with the participation of popular artists, such as Phuong Thanh, Duc Tuan,
Nathan Lee and others.
The fair is organized by Phuong Nam Cultural
Corporation with participation of the country’s major recording companies
including Saigon Vafaco, Ben Thanh Audio-Video, Viet Tan, Youth Studio, Ho
Chi Minh City Television, Tri Viet, Samco and more.
The event will be also organized in the central coastal
city of Nha Trang on December 15-21 and in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho
on December 21-25.
Fundraising concert for cancer patients
A Winter Night’s Dream concert will be organized at the
Gem Center in HCMC’s District 1 on December 22 to raise funds for child
cancer patients.
The concert program will be directed by famous musician
Duc Tri and attended by popular artists and entrepreneurs including the duo
Cam Van and her husband Khac Trieu, singer Duc Tuan, businessmen’s band Doanh
nhan hat (entrepreneurs also sing), and a choir of MPU music school in HCMC.
Young singers like Nhat Ha, Bich Ngoc, Dao Mac and Duyen Huyen will take the
stage to contribute to the program as well.
All the proceeds from ticket sales will go directly to
“Uoc mo cua Thuy” (Dreams of Thuy) Foundation to fund treatments of child
cancer patients, and scholarships and Christmas gifts for these unlucky kids.
The first such program called “Giac mo dem mua dong”
took place in December 2015 with over 600 businessmen from HCMC and other
provinces attending and nearly VND1.4 billion raised to pay for treatment
bills and gifts for child patients. In the past year, 187 children in Hanoi,
Hue and Danang and HCMC have got support from the program and some of those
kids have been able to get back to school.
Benefactors can buy tickets at the price of VND2
million per person to help raise funds for the program. For further
information, call Ms. Ngoc Tram on 0903 743 553, Ms. Quynh Anh on 0906 660
071 or Ms. Nguyen Huynh Lan Chi on 0938 885 756 or visit
http://giacmodemmuadong.ttt.vn/ or Facebook page of Giac mo dem mua dong.
Stricter visa requirements for Vietnamese travelers to
Russia
Vietnamese wishing to travel to Russia are required to
show up at the Russian visa section for an interview, instead of having their
travel agencies doing everything for them as usual, according to the Vietnam
National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).
The regulation takes effect from this month. A visa
application will be considered in 20 days from the date of the application
being submitted based on the results of the interview.
Travel agents said the Russia visa application
procedures for Vietnamese tourists have so far been simple as these firms
only are required to submit visa applications plus letters of invitation from
travel partners in Russia. Applicants are not required to have an interview
with Russian visa officers.
According to the website of the Russian Embassy in
Hanoi, applicants will pay US$50 for a single-entry visa, and US$55 for
a double-entry visa with a review period from 4 to 20 days.
HCM City voters fear canal blockage due to urbanization
Many HCMC voters are still anxious that rapid housing
development and urbanization would encroach on hundreds of inner-city canals
and lead to many of them disappearing, affecting water drainage in case of
heavy rains or high tides.
This is reflected in the summary of opinions of city
voters before the sixth meeting of the HCMC People’s Council that begins on
December 6.
Voter Cao Trong Tung in Thao Dien Ward, District 2 said
Thao Dien area had recently been heavier flooded during high tides. He
wondered if this was a consequence of rapid urbanization that had led to the
loss of dozens of canals.
Meanwhile, voters in Ward 1, District 5 said the
municipal government should soon figure out the reason why roads were now
more flood-prone.
They wondered if this was a result of the low frequency
of drain dredging, once a year instead of four times a year as before. In
addition, many manholes are not shielded, making it easier for garbage to
flow through when it rains, leading to congestion.
People in Ward 7, District 8 complained there was
currently no drainage system on Le Quang Nghi Street, resulting in severe
flooding which affects their livelihood. A tidal embankment has been put into
operation for only a year here but flooding still persists.
Meanwhile, District 12 residents believed Gia Dinh
Canal was seriously polluted. They proposed the city government soon clean
out the So Ro-Rong Tung River and upgrade Cau Ong Dung Canal.
Under the program of environmental pollution reduction
for 2016-2020 recently approved by the municipal government, the city will
manage the planning and urban architecture of deteriorating residential areas
and those adjacent to canals, the factories and production facilities subject
to relocation for urban revitalization.
Some 20,000 households living on and along the canals
will be resettled. Green and water surface space will be increased, while
canal and river leveling will be restricted.
With this program, the city is determined to restore
the canals that have been leveled or illegally encroached on in a bid to
boost drainage and water storage space.
Statistics of the canal management authorities in HCMC
show that there are now nearly 3,000 canals in the city with a total length
of over 4,300 kilometers. The number of canals responsible for urban drainage
is 849 with a total length of 1,094 kilometers, while the remainder are for
agricultural irrigation and water transport.
Vietnam, Laos news agencies agree on stronger
coordination
Leaders of the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) and the Laos
News Agency (KPL) have agreed to improve the quality of news for exchange,
while strengthening communications on the special ties of Vietnam and Laos,
especially in 2017 when the two countries celebrate the 55th anniversary of
their relations.
During their talks in Hanoi on December 7, VNA General
Director Nguyen Duc Loi and KLP General Director Sounthone Khanthavong
concurred that the two sides should increase media coverage of the respective
countries and their people for stronger Vietnam-Laos relations.
KPL will continue helping VNA publish the Vietnam
Pictorial in Lao language in Laos, while promoting the publication’s online
version as well as the VNA’s electronic newspaper VietnamPlus on KPL’s
website.
The KPL official pledged to support the re-appearance
of the VNA-run television channel Vnews on Laos’ cable TV system in 2017.
Meanwhile, the VNA committed to doing its utmost to
assist the KPL in upgrading its website, while coordinating with and
supporting the KPL to launch the Internet system in KPL’s new headquarters.
The VNA leader also agreed to receive KPL staff to work
as apprentices in the VNA as proposed by his Lao counterpart.
The two sides expressed delight that partnership
between the two news agencies was growing in line with the 2016-2020 cooperation
agreement. In 2016, the two sides jointly held an exchange and professional
training course from June 8-12 in the central province of Nghe An, they
noted.
VNA leader Nguyen Duc Loi thanked the KPL for
supporting the VNA’s representative office in Vientiane to fulfil its tasks.
Following the talks, the two leaders signed the minutes
of the talks.
The same day, the KPL delegation visited and worked
with the Domestic News Department and online newspaper VietnamPlus.
They are scheduled to pay a courtesy call to Prime
Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and visit the northern province of Lao Cai.
The VNA and KPL have enjoyed a longstanding
partnership, which began from the past struggle for national independence and
last till the current national construction. Their close coordination has
contributed to the development of the friendship between the two Parties,
States and peoples.
Vietnam Airlines welcomes 20 millionth passenger
The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines welcomed the
20 millionth passenger aboard the 700,000th flight this year operated by the
Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation (VATM) during a ceremony in Hanoi
on December 7.
The lucky passenger is Mamoru Kato from Japan, the
19,999,999th is Oda Junichi from Japan and the 20,000,001th is Nguyen Thi
Thanh Thuy from Vietnam, who were aboard the flight from Japan’s Narita to
Hanoi.
Speaking at the event, Deputy Transport Minister Nguyen
Nhat urged Vietnam Airlines and the VATM to ensure the absolute safety of
their flights, modernise equipment and improve the workforce quality, towards
becoming one of the leading flight suppliers in Southeast Asia and one of the
most popular carriers in Asia-Pacific.
This year, Vietnam Airlines is expected to transport
20.6 million passengers and successfully operate new fleets Boeing 787-9 and
Airbus A350.
The carrier was also certified as a four-star airline
by the UK-based airline and airport rating organisation SkyTrax and welcomed
Japan’s ANA Holdings as its strategic shareholder.
The VATM estimates to operate more than 742,000 flights
this year, up 16 percent from 2015.
PM instructs responses to downpour, flood impacts in
central region
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has issued a dispatch,
instructing measures to overcome the consequences of floods triggered by
heavy rains in the central region, which caused huge losses of lives and
assets.
In the document, the PM expressed his condolences to
the families of dead victims and the affected communities and localities.
He stressed that the floods have lasted many days and
requested the People’s Committees of central provinces, relevant ministries
and sectors work together to mitigate losses and help local residents resume
normal life.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade is to instruct
supervision of reservoirs and power networks to ensure they operate
effectively and safely while regulating supply of basic goods for residents
in the region.
The National Search and Rescue Committee, the Ministry
of National Defence and the Ministry of Public Security are required to have
their forces ready to help local people to cope with floods and impacts.
Since November 29, heavy rains have hit the central
region, causing widespread floods that claiming nine lives in Quang Ngai
province, six in Binh Dinh and three Quang Nam.
Hundreds of houses were collapsed, thousands of
hectares of rice and crops were submerged, roads and other facilities were
damaged in the hardest-hit provinces of Thue Thien – Hue, Quang Nam, Quang
Ngai and Binh Dinh.
Bac Giang proposes combination of Yen Tu’s east, west
festivals
Holding the Yen Tu festival in Tay Yen Tu in northern
Bac Giang province and Dong Yen Tu in neighbouring Quang Ninh province will
help preserve and promote the cultural values of Yen Tu, said a Government
Committee for Religious Affairs official.
Both Tay Yen Tu (west of Yen Tu) and Dong Yen Tu (east
of Yen Tu) festivals have close relations with Truc Lam Zen Buddhism and
should be combined, said Bui Huu Duoc, head of the committee’s Buddhism
Department at a conference in Bac Giang on December 4.
Prof. Dr. Tram Lam Bien said that the combination of
the two festivals will form a great festival to attract Buddhists. He
suggested the festival be held in early 2017.
However, Prof. Dr. Chu Van Tuan from the Religion
Research Institute said that the combined festival should be postponed to
2018 as currently, Bac Giang has yet to finish preparations and
transportation system for the event.
He also proposed that Bac Giang clarify the value of
Tay Yen Tu relic and the religious value of the festival to promote the relic
site and connect it with regional tours.
Meanwhile, Dr. Pham Hong Trung from the Institute for
the Vietnam Studies and Development Science said that it is necessary to
follow locals’ wishes in organising the festival, while calling for their
engagement in the preservation and promotion of the festival.
In the 13th century, King-Monk Tran Nhan Tong
(1258-1308), the third king of the Tran dynasty (1225-1400), abdicated the
throne when he was 35 and spent the rest of his life on Yen Tu Mountain,
practising Buddhism.
At the end of the Ly dynasty (1009-1225) and the
beginning of the Tran dynasty, Yen Tu was a Buddhist worship venue for many
monks like Hien Quang, Vien Chung, Dai Dang, Tieu Dao and Hue Tue.
When Tran Nhan Tong practised Buddhism on the mountain,
he founded the first Vietnamese School of Buddhism called “Thien Tong,”
Vietnam Zen Buddhism, turning the site into the capital of Vietnamese
Buddhism.
During the past nearly 1,000 years, hundreds of pagodas
and shrines have been built throughout the Yen Tu complex, including
structures which boast thousands of prized statues and artefacts.
Yen Tu is also a museum of architecture and diverse
fauna and flora. It has favourable conditions for research in history,
spiritual culture, tourism potential, ecological environment, bio diversity
and gene protection.
Project on reproductive healthcare, family planning
ends
More than 1,470,000 people in 125 communes of three
provinces have accessed reproductive health and family planning services
during the past four years.
Some 99.7 per cent of them are satisfied with the
services, according to results of the third phase of the project on improving
reproductive health of residents, run by Marie Stopes International in Việt
Nam (MSV), in coordination with the provincial departments of health.
The results were declared on Wednesday in Hà Nội.
The project received financial support from Atlantic
Philanthropies.
The third phase of the project, which began in 2013,
was conducted in the northern province of Yên Bái, the Central Highlands
province of Đắk Lắk and the southern province of Cà Mau.
The first phase, which began in 2007, was conducted in
Khánh Hòa Province and Đà Nẵng City, while the second phase was conducted in
Thái Nguyên, Thừa Thiên-Huế and Vĩnh Long provinces.
Further, under the third phase of the project, more
than 2,000 commune medical workers received training on reproductive
healthcare and providing family planning services.
Over 100 commune medical stations received an upgrade
of infrastructure to set up consultancy rooms with the name “Tình Chị Em”
(Sisterhood).
During the three periods, there were some 250 commune
health stations set up across eight provinces around the country.
The model provides reproductive healthcare and family
planning services, and delivers educational documents on the subject.
Nguyễn Thị Bích Hằng, head representative of MSV, said
meeting the nation’s sexual reproductive health and family planning
requirements remains a pressing issue for the State.
“This is especially in the case of vulnerable
population groups, including rural and ethnic minority communities,” she
said.
“Strengthening health service delivery at the community
level is acknowledged as the key for improving the health of these groups,”
she said.
Nguyễn Đức Vinh, director of the Maternal and Child
Health Department under the Ministry of Health, said the “Tình Chị Em” model
had developed solutions to improve the quality of services.
The model should be advocated, and awareness of the
model should be improved at all levels, especially at policy-making levels,
he said.
“For this purpose, all lesson learnt and documents
should be widely shared within the donor community, creating potential
opportunities for support to further pilot projects in the country,” he said.
The 90 million population of Việt Nam is predominantly
young, with 58 per cent under 25, and includes many women of reproductive age
- some 25 million - according to statistics of the MSV.
The national maternal mortality ratio of 67/100,000
births has remained relatively unchanged between 2006 and 2011. The infant
mortality ratio stands at 15.5/1,000 births, statistics revealed.
The current national contraceptive prevalence rate of
79 per cent represents only use among married couples.
VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri/VNE
|
Thứ Năm, 8 tháng 12, 2016
Đăng ký:
Đăng Nhận xét (Atom)
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét