Social News 13/4 Telegraph on traffic safety for National Reunification Day released The PM has issued a Telegraph on serving people’s travel demand and ensuring traffic safety and order on the National Reunification Day (April 30) and International Workers' Day (May 1). The PM asked ministries and agencies to strengthen measures to guarantee the safety and quality of transport services to meet the increasing travel demand on the festival, especially on traffic routes connecting Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh City and other large tourism and entertainment locations. He required checking the signaling system and the traffic lights at disadvantaged areas, ensure traffic clearance and take prompt measures when there are incidents. Patrols must be strengthened and violations causing traffic accidents must be strictly punished.   Ministries and agencies have to enhance communications of traffic laws and skills for people to increase of their awareness when using roads. The People’s Committees of cities and provinces and other authorized agencies have to prevent local people to set fire or smoke which may restrict the visibility of drivers.  A hot line on transport and traffic safety must be announced publicly to receive information about traffic accidents.  Rice relief for Dien Bien, Hoa Binh The PM has assigned the Ministry of Finance (MoF) to supply rice from the national reserves for two northern provinces of Dien Bien and Hoa Binh in the crop-between period. Specifically, the MoF will provide 1,301,085 kg of rice for these two provinces, including 1,172,595 kg for Dien Bien Province and 128,490 kg of rice for Hoa Binh Province.  Drug administration warns of fake Zinnat drug   The Drug Administration of Vietnam warned fake drug named Zinnat 500 mg film tablet as per the report of inspectors from the Department of Health in Hanoi. Through examination, the administration verified the drug with label “Sefuroksim aksetil 20 film table” and subsidiary label assuming the name of manufacturer Glaxo Opertione UK Ltd-British and importer Armephaco in 118 Vu Xuan Thieu, Hanoi’s Long Bien District as fake medicine. To protect patients’ safety, the administration asked departments of health nationwide to inform pharmacies to about the fake medicine. Pharmacies are not allowed to sell the fake one. In addition, departments of health were ordered to enhance supervision to early detect import, production and sales of fake medicine or medicine without clear indication of origin, banned drug. Harsh penalties will be issued on violators. Apart from this, the health sector should work with media to inform people about the fake drug with such above- mentioned feature. The departments of health received information of business and residents should work with relevant agencies to trace back the origin of fake drug to impose punishment on violators. Preferential loans should be accessible to disabled: seminar   At the seminar Delegates at a seminar in Hanoi on April 12 suggested preferential loans should be accessible to people with disabilities as well as businesses employing the disabled.  They explained that preferential loans exclusively for disabled people have remained limited.  Over the past three years, vocational training and job generation for the disabled have met a range of difficulties, they said, pointing to the loose coordination among competent agencies in this field.  The delegates called on the Government to continue to complete legal documents on the disabled and create conditions for them to benefit from the State’s policies.  Besides, all-level Party Committees and authorities should allocate resources from local budgets and other legal funds to the disabled, they said.  According to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Vietnam has about 8 million people with disabilities aged 5 years and over, with the majority of them (82.27 percent) living in rural areas. Of the total, only 30 percent are working, mainly in the agro-forestry-fishery sector, with low income. Of note, up to 41.01 percent of the disabled aged from six years and above are illiterate and only 6.5 percent of them have certificates or degrees.  The seminar was jointly held by the ministry, the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies and Japan’s Nippon Foundation. Within the framework of the event, there were pavilions displaying products and services of the disabled. Greetings to Khmer people on traditional New Year   Vice President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Nguyen Huu Dung presents a gift to Most Venerable Duong Nhon.   Vice President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Nguyen Huu Dung on April 11 visited the Patriotic United Buddhist Association in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang on the occasion of Khmer people’s traditional New Year festival, Chol Chnam Thmay - which falls on April 14-16. The official stressed the important role played by Khmer people, who make up more than 30 percent of Soc Trang’s population, in previous wars and the current development.  Khmer people have significantly contributed to socio-economic development, security, stability and cultural conservation in the locality, Dung said.  He urged the association and Khmer Buddhist dignitaries, monks and nuns to set good examples in building national unity, contributing to the development of Soc Trang and the country.  On the occasion, the VFF Central Committee presented gifts to the association and outstanding monks and nuns in the province.  The same day, a delegation of the VFF’s branch in Ho Chi Minh City also granted gifts to Khmer people in difficult circumstances in District 3 and Tan Binh district.  Additionally, the Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long held a meeting with representatives of Khmer people who number 24,000 in the locality.  Truong Van Sau, Deputy Secretary of the provincial Party Committee, stressed that Vinh Long has always paid attention to training Khmer officials and preserving Khmer culture and education in Khmer communities.  He called on Khmer officials, soldiers and people to play a more active role in production and the building of new-style rural and urban areas.  A similar event was held in the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang, which is home to more than 24,500 Khmer people, on April 11.  At the meeting, 220 gifts were given to Khmer Buddhist monks, nuns, retirees, social policy beneficiaries and prestigous people in the locality.  In 2017, Hau Giang invested more than 16 billion VND (704,000 USD) in infrastructure, production, housing and job generation for Khmer people.  Chol Chnam Thmay is one of the most important festivals of Khmer people. It usually lasts three days and is celebrated mostly in pagodas. The festival is a demonstration of Khmer people’s aspirations to move on from the previous year and look forward to a promising new year. Seminar talks education for disabled children    A seminar took place in the central province of Ninh Thuan on April 11 to share experience in educating disabled children. Organised by the provincial Department of Education and Training and the United Nations Children’s Fund, the event attracted scientists, managers and teachers specialised in early intervention and integration education for disabled children.  They discussed zoning off support centres for integration education and specialised education establishments, raising public awareness of the effort, improving services for disabled children and overseeing enforcement of policies targeting them.  Participants agreed that integration education for disabled children in centres in Vietnam and Ninh Thuan in particular basically meet parents’ expectations, helping them integrate into school life.  Speaking at the event, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Le Van Binh said effective models should be further spread, adding that suggestions at the event will serve as reference to report to the government to issue proper policies, helping children living in special circumstances access education. Student exchange marks New Year festivals of Laos and Cambodia   Lao Bunpimay festival and the Cambodian Chol Chnam Thmay festival are celebrated in HCM City.   The Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union in Ho Chi Minh City on April 11 celebrated the Lao Bunpimay festival and the Cambodian Chol Chnam Thmay festival. The event featured traditional art performances of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, as well as Laos and Cambodia’s rituals like thread tying on wrist and water-splashing to wish for a year of happiness and prosperity. Nguyen Huu Hiep, head of the municipal Party Committee’s mass mobilistion board, delivered New Year greetings to Lao and Cambodian students who are studying in the city. He affirmed that city leaders always pay attention to organising student exchange events, creating opportunities for students to better understand cultural tradition in each nation and the history of the friendship among the three countries. Hiep expressed his hope that the students will continue to treasure the ties, making contributions to building prosperous countries toward an ASEAN Community of peace, cooperation and development. Currently, there are some 500 Lao and Cambodian students in Ho Chi Minh City. The Bunpimay and Chol Chnam Thmay festivals fall on April 14 to 16, with several ritual ceremonies praying for good weather, an abundant harvest and a prosperous New Year. Australia helps Vietnam with agricultural development    Australia’s cooperation and sharing through the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) in Vietnam has helped Vietnam improve its research capacity in the agricultural field, contributing to reducing poverty and raising farmers’ income. The remark was made by Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Quoc Doanh at a fair in Hanoi on April 11 marking the 25th founding anniversary of the centre (1993-2018).  He described the ACIAR as a special partner of Vietnam in the field of agricultural research and development.  Meanwhile, Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Craig Chittick said agricultural cooperation forms an important part of the Vietnam-Australia relationship, under the coordination of the centre.  Australia’s support to Vietnam through agricultural cooperation projects is within the country’s official development assistance programme, the diplomat added, expressing his delight that the assistance greatly contributed to Vietnam’s development, especially noted changes in the farming sector.  Professor Andrew Campbell, ACIAR CEO, said the Australian side has shared its experience in production, marketing, food safety and quality control, water conservation, forest management and aquaculture with Vietnam over the past time. According to the Australian Embassy, over the past 25 years, the Australian Government has invested 100 million AUD (77.5 million USD) in 170 agricultural research projects in Vietnam, helping improve capacity for many local researchers.  A wide range of agricultural products of cooperation projects between Vietnam and Australia were displayed at the fair, jointly held by the Australian Embassy in Vietnam and the ACIAR. Mural paintings stir quiet valley in Da Nang   The first fresco valley along alley No.75 on Nguyen Van Linh Street in Da Nang city opens to public after four months of implementation   The first fresco valley which has been relived with glamorous mural paintings in the central city of Da Nang has opened to public after four months of implementation.  Mural paintings depicting cultural life, natural landscapes and people of Da Nang painted on the walls along alley No. 75 on Nguyen Van Linh street in Hai Chau district have attracted a large number of visitors to the place.  A group of artists from Da Nang city’s Fine Arts Association and the Architecture University participated in the art project worth over 2.5 billion VND, since January.  The images of Da Nang’s signatures, such as the red shanked douce langur, Da Nang beach, Dien Hai temple, Son Tra mountain and the whale worshipping festival are showcased in the paintings.  Apart from enjoying the beauty of the paintings, visitors also have a chance to take part in cultural activities, including folk games, held at weekends. Cuban doctors to aid Vietnamese peers in Quang Binh   The Vietnam – Cuba Dong Hoi Friendship Hospital will invite Cuban experts to help train local doctors in the next two years.   The Vietnam – Cuba Dong Hoi Friendship Hospital in the central province of Quang Binh has signed a contract to invite Cuban experts to work here and help train local doctors in the next two years. Selected Cuban doctors are experts in cardiology, oncology, neuropathology, and traumatology – orthopedics, among others. Part of the financial source for the contract is sponsored by the provincial authorities. Duong Thanh Binh, Director of the hospital, said Cuban experts will join doctors at the hospital in providing health check-ups and treatment. A group of interpreters has been set up to facilitate the collaboration and technical transfer, Binh added. The Vietnam – Cuba Dong Hoi Friendship Hospital was established with Cuban funding on September 9, 1981as a symbol of the two countries’ solidarity. The general medical facility accommodates 900 beds, serving patients in provinces from Ha Tinh to Quang Tri in the central region. HCM City marks traditional New Year festival of neighbouring countries   At the ceremony to celebrate the traditional New Year festival of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand   A ceremony was held at Pho Minh Pagoda, Ho Chi Minh City, on April 11 to celebrate the traditional New Year festival of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand. The event was organised by the HCM City Union of Friendship Organisations (HUFO) and the board for international Buddhism of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS)’s chapter in HCM City.  It saw the presence of the four countries’ consuls general to HCM City, Vice President of the VBS Central Committee’s Executive Council Most Venerable Thich Thien Tam, along with entrepreneurs and students of the countries in HCM City. Addressing the event, HUFO Chairman Huynh Minh Thien said the ceremony to mark the traditional festival, known as Chol Chnam Thmay in Cambodia, Bunpimay in Lao, Thingyan in Myanmar and Songkran in Thailand, aims to enhance mutual understanding between Vietnam and neighbouring countries, along with the nations’ cultural exchange and multifaceted cooperation. He stressed that Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand are members of the ASEAN Community, and they have had much cooperation and mutual support over the past years. People of the five countries have stood side by side in the fights for national independence in the past and national development at present. They have also been striving together to build an ASEAN Community of peace, stability, cooperation and prosperity. Thai Consul General to HCM City Ureerat Ratanaprukse shared the importance of the traditional festival to people of the four countries, adding that the ceremony helps demonstrate solidarity among the five nations. The event featured the Buddha bathing ritual and performances of traditional songs and dances of the countries. Upward trend in number of dengue cases in southern Vietnam   A medical worker sprays chemical to kill mosquitos and its larva  Dengue fever cases are creeping up again as Vietnam enters summer with heat which is conducive for mosquito development. The Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health this morning announced from the beginning of the year, there had been 14,000 reported cases of dengue so far with three deaths; one in the Mekong delta province of Ca Mau , two in the southern provinces of Binh Duong and Binh Phuoc. Through study, most infection cases are in the southern provinces. Head of the Department Tran Dac Phu said that despite upward trend of dengue cases, it is lower than same period last year. However, hot weather is favorable condition for mosquito development, it is highly likely that the disease will be able to break out. Along with this, people habit of storing water maintain unchanged and polluted environment are to contribute to outbreak of dengue. The Department head warned that the disease occurs in many countries in Asian region. Travelers and exchange between nations make the disease spreading and uncontrollable.  Accordingly, to prevent the disease, the Ministry of Health warned people to conduct hygiene measures by covering all water containers to deter mosquitos laying eggs. Moreover, residents should kill larva by removing water items, remove water from flower pot plates on alternate days, turn over all water storage containers and wear long-sleeved clothing. Fishing boat rescued at sea   The fishing boat was found to be in good shape after it was tugged ashore.   The Quang Binh provincial Border Guards High Command has successfully rescued a fishing boat with a 9 crew members, which was drifting due to a broken engine, in the central province of Thanh Hoa. Earlier, at 6:30pm on April 10, the boat’s crew were reportedly fishing 47 nautical miles northeast of Gianh port, in the central province of Quang Binh, when its engine broke down. The crew could not fix the problem and the boat was adrift for several hours. After receiving the information, the Quang Binh provincial Border Guards High Command sent Flotilla No.2 to coordinate with a Coast Guard ship to the location to deploy the rescue mission. The fishing boat was found to be in good shape after it was tugged ashore. All of the crew members have recovered and are in good health. Ancient imperial city ready for 10th Hue Festival    The 10th edition of the Hue Festival will open on April 27.   The ancient imperial city of Hue in the central province of Thua Thien – Hue has completed preparations for the 10th edition of the biennial Hue Festival, which is slated to open on April 27. Thua Thien - Hue Vice Chairman Nguyen Dung said the programme aims to promote art exchanges among cultures and introduce unique values of the culture of Vietnam and Hue, thus boosting tourism growth and the local economy. So far art troupes from 21 countries have registered to perform at the week-long event alongside domestic art delegations. The festival this year will direct the spotlight on the city’s five world heritage items, namely the Hue Monuments Complex, Hue Royal Court Music, Woodblocks of Nguyen Dynasty, Nguyen Dynasty's imperial documents and literary works on Hue imperial architecture. As Hue served as the imperial city under the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945), the festival will re-enact royal celebrations and events such as Royal Night, Orient Legends and the Nam Giao ritual. Many side events will also be held, such as the International Food Fair, a beer carnival, an international trade fair, a traditional boat race on Perfume River, a kite festival, and the Hue Poetry Festival. Several exhibitions will introduce to visitors the poetry on Hue imperial architectural works inscribed on truc chi (bamboo pulp) paper, the beauty of orchids and bonsai, and cultural heritage with integration and development. The Hue Festival has been held every two years since 2000, bringing together excellent arts companies with unique performances from across the world. People with disabilities need exclusive source of low-cost loans   Vocational training for people with disabilities  Millions of working-age people with disabilities who have the ability to work are in need of help to access soft loans to pursue vocational training and employment but there is an absence of a source of soft loans exclusively designed for them. The problem was brought to light at a workshop on policy and credit solutions to develop vocational training and employment for persons with disabilities and promote their products in Hanoi on April 12. The workshop was co-held by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) and Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP). Statistics by the MoLISa show that Vietnam is home to about 8 million people with disabilities aged above 5 years old, most of whom (87.2 percent) are living in rural areas. Of the disabled population, some 65 percent are at working age; about 40 percent have the ability to work; but only 30 percent are actually working to earn a living for themselves and their families. Dinh Thi Quynh Nga, a disabled woman and director of a Hanoi-based handicraft cooperative which employs dozens of workers with disabilities, said the workers there have acquired necessary working skills but they all experience financial difficulties.  “People with disabilities who want to take part in the cooperative must make a contribution to the charter capital, but all of them are living under difficult circumstances and dependent on their family,” she said, adding that it is the reason why it is hard for the cooperative to expand.  The VBSP is providing people with disabilities and businesses who employ people with disabilities with loans sourced by the National Fund for Job Assistance and the Nippon Foundation of Japan but there is yet a source of low-cost loans exclusively designed for people with disabilities, said MoLISA Deputy Minister Le Tan Dung. Echoing Dung’s view, VBSP Deputy Director General Nguyen Van Ly noted that there is an absence of a special mechanism to give soft loans to people with disabilities; as a result, very few people were able to access low-cost loans. The VBSP reported that last year, the banks offered soft loans to four new projects employing a large number of persons with disabilities and some 2,360 projects run by persons with disabilities, which provide employment to a total of 2,540 people with disabilities. Its disabled clients were estimated at more than 11,000 people. Ly suggested the government to review legal documents on people with disabilities, increase annual funding for the National Fund for Job Assistance and set up a special fund providing low-cost loans to people with disabilities and employers of people with disabilities. He also advised the local governments to allocate funding for such type of loans and closely work with the VBSP to improve the quality of social quality credit services for disabled people. HCMC speeds up construction of Rach Chiec sports complex   The design of Rach Chiec sports complex in district 2  The People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City has asked the Department of Culture and Sport to complete legal documents and detailed plan at 1:2000 scale for Rach Chiec sports complex in district 2 before May 31. The city’s government has also asked the People’s Committee of district 2 to delegate the project construction investment management board of the district to finish site clearance and compensation payment for the affected households for the sport complex project soon. The city’s authorities has conducted the Department of Investment and Planning to coordinate with relevant departments to call on investors into deployment, and operating and investing works in the complex. The Rach Chiec Sports Complex following the international modern standard will be built in district 2 of Ho Chi Minh City.  The construction covers over 180 hectares of land with total investment capital of VND 34,000 billion, aiming to serve sport and culture activities of the city and the country, contributing to boost the city's economic, society and culture development . it can be called the two-decade project because it has been launched since 1994 but just approved until now.  Rach Chiec National Sports Complex is to serve the city’s plan on organizing the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in 2021. Fifth grader honored for returning $1,052 Fifth grader Vo Hong Hieu who returned a sum of VND24 million ($1,052) was honored yesterday by managers of Thinh Loc Primary School in Loc Ha District of the central province of Ha Tinh. Before, on the way home, the student noticed a plastic bag with VND24 million and an ID card. He waited for a long time with expectation that the person who dropped the bag will come back but it turned hopeless. Later, the boy asked his relatives to return the sum. The sum was then given back to a woman in the same district. The boy is a good student despite his poverty. His good deed is a shining example for his peers to follow, said school managers. 7th Southern Folk Cake Festival returns to Can Tho    The 7th Southern Folk Cake Festival will feature 200 display booths of local businesses, according to the organization board on April 8. These booths include more than 100 stalls featuring more than 200 traditional cakes and specialties. Participants come from cities and provinces throughout the country, such as Hanoi, Lam Dong, Yen Bai, Cao Bang, Tien Giang, Ben Tre, Tra Vinh, Bac Lieu, An Giang, Hau Giang, Vinh Long, Soc Trang, Kien Giang, Can Tho and others. There will be a series of cultural activities, such as cake exhibition, folk cake making contest, calligraphy and don ca tai tu (Southern folk music) performances, Miss Mekong Delta pageant, street festival, traditional games and others. The cake show aims to preserve and promote traditional cuisines and cultural activities of the Vietnam’s South. It will be also a chance to promote tourism and cultural potentials of Can Tho city. The 2018 Southern Folk Cake Festival will take place at the Investment & Trade Promotion Center in the Mekong delta city of Can Tho from April 25-29. Last year’s event attracted over 500,000 visitors. Cyber security becoming urgent issue in Vietnam Just like other countries in the modern world, Vietnam is significantly affected by complicated and rapid changes of cyber security. These changes have posed risks and challenges to each individual, organization, and company. They even issue dire threats to national security. At the Security World 2018 Conference held in Hanoi on April 5 with the theme of ‘Increasing data and cyber security in the connected world’, Director of the Cyber Security Department under the Ministry of Public Security, Lieutenant General Hoang Phuoc Thuan said that each year his department discovered tens of state information leaks on the Internet, but the truth might be more than that due to the anonymous nature of the network environment. According to Lt. Gen Hoang Phuoc Thuan, the Fourth Industrial Revolution is happening in a large scale and has created new opportunities for Vietnam to rapidly integrate into the world, to upgrade its technology level as well as manufacturing and competitiveness capacity. Industry 4.0 has also been a means for a major change in formations of the service sector; for new chances for innovative startups. It has provided a lucrative and promising investment environment in the field of digital industry and Internet as well as a golden opportunity for industrial manufacturing which can successfully apply advances in science and technology. Vietnam is one of the 20 countries with the fastest Internet development and implementation speed in the world. It has nearly 60 million Internet users, accounting for 62 percent of the population, and is striving to become the second in ASEAN to build a smart city so that it can deliver a better living environment to citizens while boosting the positive effects of sustainable economic and social development. However, just like other countries in the modern world, Vietnam is significantly affected by complicated and rapid changes of cyber security. These changes have posed risks and challenges to each individual, organization, and company. They even issue dire threats to national security. According to Lt. Gen Hoang Phuoc Thuan, one of the grave risks is that at the moment, personal information leaks of Internet users is escalating worriedly. The most scandalous event recently has been the case of illegal sharing of 50 million Facebook accounts to Cambridge Anlytica Company for commercial and political purposes, forcing the US and EU to conduct an urgent investigation. At the same time, unhealthy and disturbing information on the Internet also seriously harms many organizations and individuals. Aside from receiving benefits and positive information, Vietnamese Internet users, especially the young and students or even children, are negatively affected by thousands of pieces of information and images which have obscene, decadent, and violent content to terrorize their mind. These have been freely distributed on the network, and some are used to offend public security. This has been a thorny issue which directly affects social safety and security as well as legal rights of all citizens. Head of the Information Safety Department under the Ministry of Information Nguyen Thanh Hai stated that the development of the Internet and Internet of Things (IoT) has promoted the connection process among domestic information systems and international ones, leading to various advantages in different aspects of life. However, it is this process that has created new risks of information leaks. Recently, there have been more and more cyber-attacks on confidential information, many of which are shifting their aim from individuals to major international corporations or even important governmental information systems. “The lack of human resources in the field of information safety as well as the insufficient individual and organization awareness has accidentally created information weaknesses for cyber attackers to take advantage of. Experts have claimed that more than 90 percent cases of information leaks are due to human faults. Therefore, the task of ensuring information safety is becoming more and more challenging”, affirmed Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hai. Microchip development program to be purposely implemented in HCMC To take full advantage of the Resolution No.54/2017 of the National Assembly, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) People’s Committee Tran Vinh Tuyen has just insisted on the need to attract talents, experts, and scientists for the city's microchip development program. The Resolution No.54/2017 of the National Assembly concerning pilot implementation of special mechanisms and policies for development of Ho Chi Minh City should be made the most at the moment, and the announcement on focusing on microchip development is a suitable aim. Accordingly, related agencies have to boost their cooperation with Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group (VNPT), Military Industry and Telecoms Group (Viettel), the Board of Governmental Essential Services, Saigon Hi-tech Park (SHTP), Quang Trung Software City. They also need to increase other partnership within the frame of the program. Vice chairman Tuyen stated that the common aim of this program is to contribute to the sustainable growth and development of HCMC economy. Therefore, to boost the commercialization of microchip products, the HCMC Department of Information and Communications (DIC) have to build a strategic plan for the manufacturing of microchip for governmental use, supplying Vietnamese businesses, and export goals. The DIC also needs to summarize all received suggestions, makes a report on results of activities related to the 2017 microchip development program in HCMC, and prepares an implementation plan for the 2018-2020 period as well as a detailed working schedule for 2018. Guidance documents regarding the program from the Central Government, the Standing Committee of HCMC, and the HCMC People’s Committee must be timely supplemented. Japan’s Kosen model in workforce training introduced   At the event  A seminar took place in Hanoi on April 12 to introduce Japan’s Kosen model to vocational training establishments.  The model has been applied in Japan since the 1960s, connecting high-quality workforce training with enterprises to ensure that all graduates will land jobs.  Participants shared the view that the Vietnamese Government always pays attention to high-quality human resources training to meet demand for economic development and global integration.  Vietnam now has three universities and three colleges that adopt Kosen model. Since 2016, they have learned about the model and improved curricula in a systematic way.  This year, the model will offer support to pilot schools and expand to other vocational training establishments under the management of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.  The four-year project aims for safety and innovation training, active study and technical design education.  Participating training establishments also connect with local and Japanese firms to generate jobs for graduates. Japanese-funded projects improves health care services to elderly    The General Office for Population and Family Planning under the Ministry of Health on April 12 launched a Japanese-funded project to provide preventive health care services to the elderly to cope with population aging in Vietnam. The project, which has been carrying out from July 2017 to March 2020, is funded with 91,750 USD from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and over 1.4 billion VND from the Vietnamese Government. It aims to build a standard model on caring the health of the elderly in the community before multiplying it across the country, contributing to meeting the demand of long-term care for the elderly. The projects has five components, including building specific projects and plans for each year, popularising preventive medicine programmes through communications and consultations, enhancing officials’ capacity on managing and guiding the elderly on exercise to avoid falling, preparing equipment and facilities for the maintenance of exercise activities of elderly, and giving supervision and technical support to the project. According to deputy head of the General Office for Population and Family Planning Nguyen Van Tan, the project is being piloted in Xuan Phuong ward of Hanoi’s Nam Tu Liem district. At the event, Japanese delegates shared experience on building a comprehensive health care system for the elderly as well as providing nursing services at home. Dialogue focuses on labour safety, hygiene   At the dialogue   The National Council on Labour Safety and Hygiene held its 2018 dialogue in Hanoi on April 11 in response to World Day for Safety and Health at Work (April 28) and preparation for the national action month on labour safety and hygiene in May. Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Le Tan Dung stressed the necessary to hold regular dialogue on labour safety and hygiene policies in order to share information and intensify mutual understanding between employers and employees. The dialogue was also a chance for participants to contribute ideas to the making and revision of laws and policies so as to make them conformable to business and production activities. According to estimates of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), every day, the world records 6,400 deaths due to work incidents and occupational diseases and 680,000 people injured at workplace, which requires a satisfactory investment in labour safety and hygiene at both international and national levels and in businesses. In Vietnam, over 1 million youths enter the labour market each year, with the number of labourers aged from 15-24 accounting for 15 percent of the country’s workforce. The rate of work incidents involved in young people is 40 percent higher than that of other groups. ILO Vietnam Director Lee Chang-hee said that the target of improving labour safety and hygiene is reached only when State management agencies, employers, employees and organisations representing business owners and workers exert joint efforts. Participants at the dialogue discussed issues related to newly-promulgated policies, and proposed measures to solve shortcomings in implementing State laws and regulations on the field as well as initiatives on administrative procedure reform. VN Permanent Mission to UN extends Bunpimay greetings to Laos   The traditional dance of Lao people Ambassador Duong Chi Dung, head of Vietnam's Permanent Mission to the UN, WTO and other international organisations in Geneva, Switzerland, on April 11 led a delegation to visit and extend greetings to their Lao counterparts on Bunpimay Festival, the traditional New Year of Laos. Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Dung sent his best wishes to Lao Ambassador Khan-Inh Khitchadeth and Lao officials in Geneva and their families a New Year of happiness and prosperity He reiterated the close relationship between the two missions in Geneva, reflecting the special ties between Vietnam and Laos at the UN and at multilateral forums as well. He expected the two missions will maintain and develop the traditional relations in professional work and cultural exchange. Lao Ambassador Khan-Inh Khitchadeth, for his part, thanked the Vietnamese diplomats for their congratulations, bringing them joy and luck on the new year of Buddhist calendar 2561. He and other Lao diplomats splashed water on their Vietnamese guests and tied threads on their twists, which are among Lao traditional rituals on the Bunpimay Festival. He underscored that the two countries’ governments and people need to continue stay united each other as expected by their former leaders. He thanked Vietnam for always supporting and providing help for Laos, particularly at many multilateral forums. VNN