Social News 7/4 HCM City names May as occupational safety and health month    HCM City plans to launch action month on occupational safety and health in May.  HCM City plans to launch an action-month for occupational safety and health in May as part of the city’s effort to raise public awareness about the issues. Speaking at a meeting held in the city on April 5, Nguyễn Quốc Việt, a representative of the city’s Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, said an opening ceremony would be held on May 6 with an exhibition displaying 80 photos on Nguyễn Huệ Pedestrian Street in District 1 from May 6-15. The department plans to create 10 videos on occupational safety, health and will strengthen labour safety and hygiene training at local businesses. Enterprises have been asked to reduce workplace pollution and the incidence of occupational diseases. They have also been asked to undertake inspections of explosion-prevention methods at their workplaces. Conferences and seminars on improving working conditions and healthcare for employees, especially those working in high-risk sectors, will be organised during the action month. At the meeting, the department has guidance on a decree issued on September 20 last year on occupational accidents and disease insurance. The department also called for donations for activities during the action month. Last year, the city held 18 action weeks and one action month on occupational safety and health. A report from the city’s Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs said that over 1,490 work-related accidents occurred last year, which dropped by 15.35 per cent compared to 2016. More than 100 people were killed in labour accidents in the city last year. The report said that employers caused more than 13.6 per cent of occupational accidents, while workers were responsible for more than 42.5 per cent, and other causes, 43.9 per cent. Phu Yen: More than 120.5 billion VND for sustainable poverty reduction    Providing rural areas with sufficient power to ensure production   The central coastal province of Phu Yen recently allocated more than 120.5 billion VND (5.3 million USD) from the State budget to help its localities carry out the National Target Programme on Sustainable Poverty Reduction in 2018. The money will be used to develop infrastructure and production and expand poverty alleviation models in two mountainous districts of Dong Xuan and Song Hinh, 11 special difficult communes, 29 special difficult communes and 11 coastal impoverished communes. According to Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Phan Dinh Phung, the money will be used for important projects in each locality, with priority given to special difficult and ethnic areas. In addition, nearly 26,200 poor and near poor households and those just escaping poverty will benefit from the province’s preferential credit programme worth more than 615 billion VND (27.06 million USD). The locality is striving to reduce more than 5,400 poor households and 610 near poor households compared to the outset of the year and bring poor and near poor rates to 5.65 percent and 8.69 percent, respectively. Construction of Cat Linh-Ha Dong railway accelerated in June    Cat Linh-Ha Dong railway  The equipment installation of Hanoi’s Cat Linh-Ha Dong elevated railway line is expected to be done by May 30 and basic construction of its stations will be completed a month later, according to the contractor. The railway is set to be put into commercial operation in December 2018. To date, 95 percent of the basic construction of the railway line has been completed while 60 percent of the equipment is ready for installation. The installation of lighting systems, elevators, ventilation, as well as drainage systems and fire prevention is underway. More than 600 workers are taking part in the project, double the figure before January 2018. The Cat Linh-Ha Dong elevated railway project with 12 stations and one depot area has investment of 868 million USD sourced by official development assistance loans from China. The railway project has 12 trains, including 48 carriages. Each train with four carriages can carry 1,200 passengers. The 13 kilometre railway is set to operate trains with carrier frequency of every two minutes and a maximum speed of 80 kilometres per hour. Construction on the project was meant to start in 2008 but was delayed until October 2011. The line was originally supposed to start running in November 2013. Association strives to imbue community with learning spirit    Chairman of the VFF Central Committee Tran Thanh Man shakes hands with President of the Vietnam Association for Promoting Education Nguyen Thi Doan. (Illustrative photo: VNA)  About 18.44 percent of the Vietnamese population are members of the Vietnam Association for Promoting Education (VAPE), which has spread its operation nationwide in the past decade. The information was reported at a meeting in Hanoi on April 5 between the VAPE and its superior – the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF). The meeting reviewed VAPE’s performance to date and set out its future tasks. The association has worked to build a society of learning, contributing to boosting workforce quality and building new-style rural areas. It has also prevented thousands of students from dropping out of schools. VAPE President Nguyen Thi Doan attributed the success of her association in its learning society promotion campaign to effective coordination with the VFF and other VFF member groups. She said the coordination will focus on boosting learning spirit in adults, which she considered a key factor for national development. To help the campaign spread further, she proposed the VFF Central Committee direct its members at different levels to work with VAPE in implementing the Government’s Resolution 29 – NQ/TW on comprehensive educational reform. Chairman of the VFF Central Committee Tran Thanh Man lauded efforts made by the association in growing its membership. He said he believes with dedication and experience, VAPE will contribute more to national construction and development. Ben Tre works hard to curb illegal fishing    The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre recently held three training courses to raise public awareness of the necessity to stop illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. According to Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Huu Lap, local authorities have worked hard on the monitoring and inspection of fishing activities at sea as part of efforts to tackle the European Commission's IUU “yellow card”. The local agriculture sector has examined regulations on the management of fishing ships, tightened the management of shipbuilding enterprises and issued rules on technical dossiers for the registration of fishing ships. The efficiency of inspection offices at fishing ports will also be improved, towards stopping local ships from fishing illegally, and facilitating the certification of seafood origin, Lap said. Communication work will be enhanced to popularise laws via various forms, he added. Nguyen Van Buoi, Vice Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said the locality would continue equipping modern long-distance communication devices on offshore fishing boats.  Vietnam was served with a yellow card warning by the EU in September for failing to progress in fighting IUU fishing and has been offered the opportunity to rectify the situation within six months.  The "yellow card" is followed by a "green card" if issues are resolved or a "red card" if they aren’t. A “red card” can lead to a trade ban on fishery products. The EU plans to assess Vietnam’s efforts to fight IUU fishing in April. On December 13, 2017, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc issued Directive 45/CT-TTg on urgent tasks following the warning. The whole political system, from the central to local level, and fishermen of Vietnam have taken actions to combat IUU fishing. There have been an array of solutions, including supplementing anti-IUU fishing regulations to legal documents, enforcing issued regulations, disseminating solutions to fishermen and relevant parties, enhancing cooperation with coastal and island countries to prevent IUU fishing and holding dialogues to update the EU on Vietnam’s efforts to improve fisheries management. As a result, illegal fishing in foreign waters by Vietnamese boats has declined considerably, said the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development at a press conference in March. Vietnam, WHO enjoy fruitful ties in over four decades   Since Vietnam and the World Health Organisation (WHO) set up their partnership in 1976, the WHO, as the world leading technical consultation body in health care, has helped Vietnam’s greatly improve its health sector. Over the past four decades, the WHO has helped improve the quality of health care services and public health in Vietnam. The organisation helped Vietnam eradicate polio and neonatal tetanus, and build standards for public health care. More than 90 percent of babies under a year old in Vietnam have received vaccinations, while 80 percent of pregnant women get tetanus shots. Thanks to the WHO’s assistance, Vietnam has showed strong performance in implementing Millennium Development Goals, reducing the maternal and infant fatality, malnutrition, enhancing people’s access to clean water, preventing HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and implementing universal health coverage. Vietnam is also striving to have more than 85 percent of the population joining health insurance, while rolling out measures to cope with epidemics and urgent public health problems. In January 2018, the Ministry of Health worked with the WHO in Vietnam to launch the health cooperation programme for 2018-2019 at a cost of 21 million USD. Under the programme, the ministry and the WHO will work together to enhance the capacity of the health care system to provide high quality and equal services to the community, especially poor people and vulnerable groups. Alongside, the two sides will raise the quality of the local health care system and the efficiency of finance resources for the sector, while tightening regulations related to pharmaceuticals, vaccines and health care products.  Established in 1948, the WHO has played a key role in controlling and fighting diseases as well as giving health care standards and guidelines, and assisting countries in dealing with public health issues. Over the past 70 years, from 53 founding members, the WHO now has 193 members and six regional offices around the world. With its efforts, the WHO has made important achievements such as erasing smallpox in 1979, issuing the framework convention on cigarette control, reducing 99 percent of polio cases in 2006 and preventing and controlling dangerous communicable diseases such as SARS, bird flu and Ebola. As an active member of the WHO, Vietnam has joined all meetings and forums on international cooperation in health care. The country was elected as a member of the Executive Board of the WHO for 2003-2005 and 2016-2019. Vietnam has also contributed to ensuring health security in the region and the world by working with other countries to control global epidemics, training health care workers for neighbouring countries and sending its experts to regional and African countries. The country has also hosted conferences and events in the health care sector. Central Highlands develops long-term industrial crops    Central Highland provinces are expanding the cultivation of long-term industrial crops to promote socio-economic development and improve the living standards of ethnic minority people. Statistics showed that the region has 1.12 million hectares of long-term industrial plants, making up more than 53 percent of total crop growing area, including 582,149 hectares of coffee, 251,348 hectares of rubber and 85,000 hectares of pepper. Dak Lak accounts for nearly 29 percent of the region’s long-term industrial crop area, followed by Lam Dong, Gia Lai, Dak Nong and Kon Tum. The Central Highlands is considered a key region of coffee nationwide with Dak Lak making up more than 40 percent in the region and 30 percent in the country.  Annually, the province harvests about 450,000 tonne of coffee or more. Coffee also accounts for 86 percent of the total export turnover of farm produce, contributing more than 20 percent to the local budget. The coffee industry in Dak Lak has generated jobs for hundreds of thousands of local workers. However, the development of coffee and pepper has led to overexploitation of land and water resources and the abuse of fertilisers and pesticides, threatening the sustainable development of long-term industrial crops. The high production cost of key farm produce such as coffee, pepper, rubber and cashew makes the products uncompetitive. At present, Central Highland provinces are building a planning scheme to improve the quality of products and ensure the sustainable development of industrial crops. By 2020, the provinces aim to zone off 530,000 hectares of coffee. Dak Lak will reduce the area to 190,000 hectares, Lam Dong 150,000 hectares, Dak Nong 115,000 hectares and Gia Lai 75,000 hectares. The localities will adopt intensive farming to ensure annual output of 1.2 – 1.3 million tonnes of coffee. They will also call for investment to build processing factories for export staples like coffee, pepper, rubber, cashew nut and tea while enabling businesses to seek partners and expand export markets. Michelin-starred chef to cook at Sơn Trà resort   The legendary chef Pierre Gagnaire will have a cooking demonstration for gourmands at the award-winning La Maison 1888 at InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort on April 10th.  The legendary chef Pierre Gagnaire will give a cooking demonstration for gourmands at the award-winning La Maison 1888 at InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort on April 10. All visitors are invited to enjoy an evening of delectable culinary arts featuring an extraordinary collaboration between the Michelin-starred Pierre Gagnaire and a premium selection from one of the world’s finest wineries, Vega Sicilia, at the restaurant on Sơn Trà Mountain 600m above sea level. Đà Nẵng is a regular destination for Pierre’s annual world cooking tour. With its aristocratic history, Vega Sicilia symbolizes one of the great Spanish classics. Amidst the richly appointed settings of La Maison 1888, the extravagant menu by chef Pierre Gagnaire is exquisitely paired with the exceptional Vega Sicilia wines to pamper all diners in an unrivalled epicurean experience. La Maison 1888 restaurant, which opened in 2012 by the legendary three-star chef Michel Roux was recognised as one of the 101 best restaurants in Asia by the Daily Meal, a US food website, and one of the world’s top 10 most beautiful restaurants by Architectural Digest in 2014. Rubber latex processing plant suspended six months for causing pollution   The wastewater treatment area of the rubber latex processing plant of Thanh Thủy Ltd Company in Bù Đăng District, Bình Phước Province. — baobinhphuoc.com.vn A rubber latex processing plant in the central province of Bình Phước has been suspended from operation for six months because its wastewater tank leaked and contaminated local underground water. The plant belonging to Thanh Thủy Trade, Manufacturing, Import and Export Ltd Company is located in a residential area in Đức Liễu Commune, Bù Đăng District. The plant is just 200m from the nearest house while according to regulations; the minimum distance must be 2km. Early this year, the province’s Environment Department fined the plant VNĐ70 million for causing pollution after local residents reported the smell and contaminated water in the wells. Late last month, residents complained again about the water pollution, asking for the issue to be solved.  Magnitude-2.5 earthquake shakes north-central Vietnamese province A low intensity earthquake struck a north-central Vietnamese region on April 4, reportedly causing no damage to the area. The tremor hit Phong Dien District of Thua Thien-Hue Province at around 12:33 in the afternoon, said Nguyen Xuan Anh, director of Vietnam’s Institute of Geophysics. Measuring 2.5 on the Richter scale, the earthquake was considered as minor, posing no harm to local residents, Anh added. The epicenter is reported to be at the depth of ten kilometers. The Hanoi-based Earthquake and Tsunami Warning Center, part of the institute, has been monitoring possible ensuing seismic developments. The quake followed ten other moderate tremors recorded in Vietnam this year, with the most powerful magnitude-4.3 one striking Muong Ang District in Dien Bien Province on January 9. Another area of Dien Bien has been rocked by five consecutive tremors until now. Earthquakes in Vietnam typically occur in the northwestern region and the offshore area near the southern city of Vung Tau since these places sit adjacent to geological faults or underground fractures. Vietnam Day in Moscow - cultural rendezvous of Vietnamese and international students  The fourth ‘Vietnam Day at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO)” held on April 5 with various activities, drawing a number of Vietnamese and international students of the MGIMO and other universities in Moscow. The program opened with a roundtable talks on the role of youth in enhancing Russia-Vietnam relations with the participation of famous researchers in Vietnam and ASEAN, MGIMO lecturers as well as Vietnamese and international students. Discussions were focused on new global challenges facing Vietnamese youth and Russia-Vietnam cooperation, social and demographic changes in Southeast Asian countries and the role of Vietnam, and youth – the key force in the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Vietnam and Russia. Visitors were attracted to Vietnam handicraft products sold at a souvenir fair, the photo exhibition “Vietnam through youth’s eyes”, art performances and an introduction of Vietnamese traditional dishes. The Moscow annual event is a cultural rendezvous of Vietnamese and international students. It has left a deep impression on international friends about Vietnamese students who are studious and active in promoting Vietnam’s land, people and culture. They also serve a bridge to help international friends gain a better understanding about Vietnam, consolidating friendly ties between Vietnam and the international community. Kien Giang ensures warm Chol Chnam Thmay for Khmer people   The Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang splashed out over VND2 billion (US$88,000) on supporting impoverished Khmer as their New Year Festival- Chol Chnam Thmay nears. Along with delivering greetings to Khmer pagodas, policy beneficiary families, dignitaries and formal Khmer officials, the provincial authorities will organise various cultural and sport activities during the festival. Priority will be given to popularisation work to raise public awareness of the Party’s policies and the State’s laws, promote emulation in building new style rural areas and accelerate the study of President Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, morals and lifestyle. In addition, the province will work to remind the ethnic group to stay vigilant over the hostile forces’ sabotage schemes and activities to drive a wedge in the great national unity bloc.  In the past years, Kien Giang has carried out numerous programmes and projects to improve livelihoods of Khmer families. Last year, poverty rate among Khmer people was 10.3%, down 3.3% from 2016. Chol Chnam Thmay, which falls on April 13-16, is one of the most important festivals for Khmer people. It usually lasts three days and is celebrated mostly in pagodas. The festival is a demonstration of Khmer people’s aspirations, like many other ethnic groups, to move on from the previous year’s misfortunes and look forward to a promising new year. Baggage handler nabbed at airport for stealing passengers' phones A baggage handler was arrested at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City on April 5 for stealing two smartphones from passengers. Tran Quang Du, 20, was unloading luggage from a Hong Kong Airlines plane that touched down at Tan Son Nhat two days ago. Du admitted to police that he had noticed a smartphone in a suitcase that was slightly open, so he took it, and then proceeded to open a second case and steal another phone. After finishing his shift, Du hid the cellphones in his jacket and was about to leave when he was stopped by guards at the airport. Vietnamese airports, especially the large ones, are notorious with baggage thefts and extortion complaints. Last October, an employee at Tan Son Nhat had to return US$1,400 he pinched from a Japanese passenger's bag after the act was exposed by security. Aviation authorities have pledged to fix the problem by installing more cameras and enhancing security checks. Tan Son Nhat is the biggest airport in Vietnam. It currently handles 36 million passengers per year, which is way above its design capacity of 25 million. Vietnam has settled on plans to expand the airport and is also planning to build Long Thanh Airport in the neighboring province of Dong Nai to handle the 60-70 million passengers per year Ho Chi Minh City is expected to receive in 2025. Police capture armed bank heist suspects in HCM City Two out of three suspects in an armed robbery at an office of An Binh Bank (ABBank) in Ho Chi Minh City have been arrested, police say. ​Nguyen Truong Khai, 35, and Dao Ngoc Nam, 28, are being held by police of Tan Phu District in Ho Chi Minh City for investigation. Their accomplice, 31-year-old Nguyen Ngoc Khue, is still on the run. According to Tan Phu Police, the trio had made preparations for the robbery on March 30, when they bought backpacks, coats, sneakers, gloves and a handgun to be used in the crime. They also installed a fake license plate on a motorcycle to fool security cameras and witnesses. At around 10:00 am on March 31, Khai and Khue rode the motorcycle to an ABBank office on Luy Ban Bich Street, where Khai entered the bank first and threatened a security guard with his gun. Khue entered the bank moments later, and the duo told bank employees to put all available cash into a backpack. The security guard then managed to attract the attention of passers-by by screaming ‘robbers’ at the top of his lungs, causing a crowd of onlookers to gather outside the bank. Worried that police officers would soon arrive at the scene, Khue and Khai ceased the crime and got away on their motorbike. After their failed attempt, the trio replaced the fake license plate with the real one and threw away their gear to get rid of evidence. Police were able to capture Khai and Nam on April 5 and are calling for Khue to turn himself in to authorities in order to be granted leniency during prosecution. HCMC urges districts to hold tenders for waste collection   Garbage is dumped into a canal in HCMC in this file photo. HCMC discharges some 7,500 tons of garbage a day  he HCMC government has told authorities of districts to promptly select firms to collect and transport solid waste to landfills via tenders to cut costs as the city annually spends trillions of Vietnam dong on this job. Speaking at a meeting on collection and transport of solid waste on April 4, HCMC vice chairman Tran Vinh Tuyen assigned leaders of 24 districts across the city to hold tenders for garbage collection and transport starting from this quarter. The city can save much on this sanitation work, as evidenced by trial operations in some districts.  At the meeting, a representative of Tan Phu District said the district used to spend some VND250 billion (US$11 million) a year on garbage collection and transport. Since tenders were invited to do the job, the district has saved VND25 billion, or 10%. A report delivered by the municipal Department of Natural Resources and Environment at the meeting showed that only five districts have held biddings to select enterprises responsible for garbage collection and transport, namely Tan Phu, Binh Tan, Thu Duc, and districts 4 and 12. Such tenders will not only help avoid losses for the city’s budget but also create a level and transparent playing field for enterprises. Businesses have to invest in equipment and vehicles to compete with others and win tenders. Nguyen Thi Thanh My, deputy director of the HCMC Department of Natural Resources and Environment, said many districts have yet to put garbage collection and transport up for tender as district-level authorities do not have the power to determine prices of waste collection, and do not have allowances for workers and management costs, among others.  Upon the point, vice chairman Tran Vinh Tuyen urged leaders of 24 districts across the city to hold tenders for garbage collection and transport. Tenders should be transparent to attract enterprises, Tuyen said. In order to remove obstacles for districts, Tuyen approved the delegation of power for districts to set starting prices and decide tenders’ results with the support of relevant agencies. Solutions to avoid more dead fish in Nhieu Loc- Thi Nghe Canal implemented Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) People’s Committee Tran Vinh Tuyen has directed related agencies to focus on implementing proper methods to prevent, cope with, and remedy the alarming situation of dead fish in Nhieu Loc – Thi Nghe Canal at the beginning of the 2018 rainy season. Vice Chairman Tuyen on April 3 directed HCMC Departments of Natural Resources and Environment, Agriculture and Rural Development, Transport, HCMC Steering Center of Urban Flood Control Program, Urban Environment Company Limited, the People’s Committees of District 1, 3, Binh Thanh District, Phu Nhuan District, and Tan Binh District to concentrate on applying effective solutions to prevent, cope with, and remedy the alarming situation of dead fish in Nhieu Loc – Thi Nghe Canal at the beginning of the 2018 rainy season. In particular, HCMC Department of Natural Resources and Environment has to pay more attention to its task of monitoring the fluctuation of water quality in Nhieu Loc – Thi Nghe Canal in order to timely announce and cooperate with related agencies in case of problems. The Department also has to collaborate with the People’s Committees of Districts 1, 3, Binh Thanh District, Phu Nhuan District, and Tan Binh District to encourage citizens not to directly throw litter or sewage into the Canal. The Vice Chairman directed the Branch of Fisheries Quality Assurance and Protection to frequently observe the status of fisheries in the Canal so that they can timely implement methods to cope with negative cases to avoid similar situations of massive fish dying from happening in the future. HCMC Steering Center of Urban Flood Control Program has to increase work on dredging the sewage system near the basin of Nhieu Loc – Thi Nghe Canal so that they can pick up waste at combined sewer overflow (CSO) areas. They must also frequently examine the stable working status of one-way valves. Activities of sewage pumping (with the capacity of 64.000m3 per hour) after heavy rain have to be increased to reduce the amount of toxin in the Canal. Operation on Nhieu Loc – Thi Nghe flood-tide control sewers has to be monitored to regulate water levels in the rainy season to improve the water environment for the whole Canal. HCMC Urban Environment Company Limited needs to increase the task of picking up litter, especially after heavy rain or dead fish situations and from Bridge No.1 to Bridge No.5. It has to ensure the availability of sufficient human resources and equipment at all time to destroy dead fish if existing. Local authorities in district levels need to encourage citizens not to directly litter into the Canal or pick up dead fish for consumption. The task of checking sewage of manufacturing facilities must be focused on more to ensure sewage is properly processed before being released into the environment. Medical workers who mistakenly give abortion drug must receive harsh punishment Following newspaper article on medical workers providing three pregnant women with abortion drug mistakenly in the southern province of Tien Giang, the Ministry of Health yesterday sent its urgent dispatch to the local health authority asking to have punishment on those involved. Additionally, local health authorities and those involved in the incident must write letter acknowledging their wrongdoings. Reports of the incident must be sent back to the Ministry before April 5. Infirmaries in the province must review procedure of medicine prescription and learn lesson from the case. Before, a 32-year-old worker Huynh Thi Cuc in her two months of pregnancy was taken to the medical clinic in Tan Phuoc District in Tien Giang. Doctor diagnosed that she was at risk of miscarriage; therefore, she was asked to stay at the clinic three days. Later, prior to her discharge, doctors prescribed her Miprotone, a type of embryo-nourishing medication. Later in the day Cuc was rushed back to the clinic because she was bleeding from the consumption of two Misoprostol pills. Yet, a staff member at the dispensary provided her with Misoprostol, used for abortion purposes. As doctors at the clinic said they needed to continue watching her conditions, the family immediately took her to the Tien Giang Gynecological Hospital, where they were told the fetus had died. In addition to the above woman, two other pregnant women were given the abortion medicines by the medical clinic of Tan Phuoc District; however, they did not take the medicine. Upon the case, managers of the clinic have suspended three medical workers from work to wait for further punishment. Two bank robbers detained, one on run    Two out of three suspects in an armed robbery at An Binh Bank (ABBank)’s branch in Luy Ban Bich Street in Tan Phu District in Ho Chi Minh City have been arrested, police said yesterday . Two robbers, Nguyen Truong Khai, 25, and Dao Ngoc Nam, 28, are being held by police of Tan Phu District in Ho Chi Minh City for further investigation meanwhile their accomplice, Nguyen Ngoc Khue, 31, hailing from the northern province of Thanh Hoa, is still on the run. Initially, Khai and Nam confessed in the police station that they were short of money, Khai talked to Nam and Khue the plan of bank robbery on March 30. Accordingly, they bought backpacks, coats, sneakers, gloves, a fake license plate on a motorcycle to fool security cameras and witnesses and a handgun to use for the crime. They decided to robber ABBank’s branch in Luy Ban Bich Street because just one security guard was on the duty at that time. Khai and Khue rode the motorcycle to an ABBank office on Luy Ban Bich Street, where Khai entered the bank first and threatened a security guard with his gun. Khue entered the bank moments later, and the duo told bank employees to put all available cash into a backpack. However, because the security guard then managed to attract the attention of passers-by causing a crowd of onlookers to gather outside the bank, the robbers were quick to flee away from the bank. They destroyed their backpacks, coats, sneakers, gloves, and replaced the fake license plate on a motorcycle. Using their skills in tracking criminals, police arrested Khai and Nam as both of them were trying to run away from the city. Hundred-thousands gift vouchers to be offered to visitors at Tourism Day   Visitors will have a chance to receive hundreds of thousands of gift vouchers and discounted gift cards during the 4-day tourism festival in Ho Chi Minh City.  The event called Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Day 2018 themed "Exploring Summer" will be organized at the September 23 Park in district 1 from April 12-15. The travel show is expected to attract around 150 display booths of travel agents, hotels and representatives from tourism promotion agencies of cities and provinces nationwide to publicize their brands and offer tourist products to local and international travelers. Around 60,000 local and international tours will be on special offer and discount  during the event. Various activities will be held during the festival, such as the award ceremony honoring 100 outstanding tourist brands, singing contest, cultural exchanges between localities throughout the country. Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Day is one of the city's annual largest tourism events. This year’s travel fair is expected to draw 400,000 visitors. PM congratulates Khmer people on traditional New Year festival    Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has conveyed his best wishes to the Khmer ethnic minority group in the southern region on the occasion of their traditional New Year festival - Chol Chnam Thmay - which falls on April 14-16. In his message of congratulations, PM Phuc said the Vietnamese Party and State always pay special attention to ethnic minorities and socio-economic development in their areas.  Over the past years, the material and spiritual lives of ethnic groups have improved while the great national unity bloc has been strengthened, he said, adding that together with people nationwide, Khmer monks and people have made important contributions to the common development of the nation.  The PM noteed the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat has issued Directive No.19-CT/TW dated January 10, 2018 on strengthening work in the Khmer ethnic-inhabited region while the Government issued Resolution No.120/NQ-CP dated November 17, 2017 on the sustainable development of the Mekong Delta in response to climate change.  The leader hoped that with the support of the Party and State, Khmer monks and people would continue building on the past achievements to contribute to socio-economic development and upholding traditional culture. In conclusion, PM Phuc wished them a warm and happy New Year. Chol Chnam Thmay is one of the most important festivals of the Khmer people. It usually lasts three days and is celebrated mostly in pagodas. The festival is a demonstration of Khmer people’s aspirations, like many other ethnic groups, to move on from the previous year’s misfortunes and look forward to a promising new year. VNN