In this file photo, passengers get aboard a Vietnam
Airlines plane at
Two near-collisions, a hijacking scare caused by a pilot
pressing the wrong button, and loss of contact with air traffic control are
among the most prominent incidents Vietnam’s civil aviation sector
experienced in 2014.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV), the sector suffered 311 incidents in total last year, 129 cases more than in 2013, due to a variety of reasons. Tuoi Tre News presents a flashback of six such occurrences. Contact with air traffic control lost On May 14, Vietnam Airlines flight VN1601 left Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City for Buon Ma Thuot in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak. When preparing to land at Buon Ma Thuot Airport, the crew contacted the local air control station to ask for weather information, but there was no response. The plane, therefore, had to circle above the airport while waiting for contact to resume. Ten minutes later, the pilot was able to contact the station and safely land. A similar incident happened to a Jetstar Pacific plane when it was about to land at While the plane decreased altitude for landing, the crew contacted air traffic control repeatedly on the emergency frequency but there was no answer. The crew therefore had to climb while waiting to land. Contact was then resumed and the plane landed safely. In both cases the air traffic control staff had made a mistake and lost contact. Planes are seen standing on the tarmac at
Plane brings passengers to
wrong destination
Instead of carrying about 200 passengers from
Cam Ranh and Da Lat are about 97km as the
crow flies.
The flight crew, the flight attendant group, the coordinator of VietJet Air
and the section in charge of flight procedures at Noi Bai had failed to
comply with the proper flight operation process.
This was the first time that such an incident had occurred in the history of
the Vietnamese aviation sector.
For the incident, the Czech captain and Vietnamese crewmembers of the flight
were suspended from duty, according to the CAAV.
Passengers are
shown getting aboard a VietJet Air aircraft in this file photo. Photo: Tuoi Tre
Two near-collisions
Incorrect flight instructions were behind a serious incident that took place
at
That day an intern air traffic controller named Truong Nguyen Quynh Anh
instructed a Jetstar Pacific Airlines plane to take off from a runway on
which a Vietnam Airlines airplane coming in from
The pilot of the Vietnam Airlines plane concurrently informed the air traffic
control station that his plane was still on the runway.
Anh then canceled the take-off order for the
Jetstar Pacific Airlines airplane four seconds later when the two aircraft
were about 350 meters apart.
For her mistake, the intern would not be granted an air control license for
at least one year, the CAAV said.
Meanwhile, Truong Nho Quang, the chief air traffic controller, who let an
intern supervise the runway, had his aviation license and certificate
revoked, according to the aviation authority.
A similar case happened on October 29 when two Vietnamese aircraft, an Airbus
A321 of Vietnam Airlines and a Mi 172/423 helicopter, narrowly avoided
colliding with each other over
At 11:41 am that day, when the Airbus was at an elevation of 1,000 feet
(304.8 meters), the pilot detected a Mi 172/423 helicopter flying
horizontally at the same height. A collision did not take place.
According to the CAAV, the military air traffic controller had not complied
with flight safety procedures and failed to coordinate with the civil traffic
air controller at the airport when directing the helicopter’s flight path.
A Vietnam Airlines
plane about to take off is seen in this file photo. Photo: Tuoi Tre
UPS failure causes airport
blackout
The unprecedented power outage that hit
The power cut lasted for over an hour, from 11:05 am to 12:19 pm, and
disabled the radar system that controls air traffic at the airport.
The incident affected 92 flights, of which 54 were
within the city’s Flight Information Region (FIR), when it began, according
to the CAAV.
Some of these flights landed at a nearby airport, while others had to continue
circling while waiting to land. Meanwhile, a number of flights scheduled to
take off during the outage had to be delayed.
Four officials and a staffer considered responsible for the incident were
suspended then.
Civil Aviation
Authority of Vietnam chief Lai Xuan Thanh (C) is pictured at a media meeting
in
Pilot presses wrong button,
prompting hijacking scare
Anti-terrorism measures were deployed at
After detecting that the pressure inside the plane had suddenly dropped,
Czech captain Pechanec Marek of Flight VN1266, which was flying from Ho Chi
Minh City to Vinh Airport in the central province of Nghe An, decided to make
an urgent landing at Noi Bai.
But instead of pressing the button for the
emergency code (7700), he mistakenly pressed the button for the hijacking
code (7500).
As a result, units at the airport deployed measures to cope with a situation
in which a plane had been hijacked by terrorists.
The plane landed safely at the airport at 7:15 pm the same day amid the
deployment of the airport’s security forces and facilities.
The CAAV launched an investigation into the case, and on December 27, Lai
Xuan Thanh, the aviation authority’s head, confirmed to the media that the
Czech captain had made the mistake.
It has yet to take any action against the captain as the aviation authority
has not reached a conclusion on the incident, Thanh said.
Passengers on Flight VN1266 are
shown wearing oxygen masks when their plane flew to a lower altitude
following a sudden drop in cabin pressure on December 16, 2014. Photo: Tuoi Tre
Engine failure disrupts
flights in Melbourne
Flights were disrupted for about 40 minutes at Melbourne Airport in Australia
on May 6 after an engine failure hit a Vietnam Airlines plane on the runway.
At 10:50 am that day, when flight VN780 was preparing to depart the airport
for
The pilot immediately suspended the flight and the aircraft was towed back
from the runway to its parking area for inspection.
All 180 passengers and the 13 crewmembers on board remained safe throughout
the incident. Flights at the airport resumed at 11:30 am.
TUOITRENEWS
|
Thứ Tư, 31 tháng 12, 2014
Cruise
operators try to fight possible closure of
Restaurant boats on the
Cruise operators in
On December 24, the city’s transport
department met with several cruise operators to inform that they will close the
waterfront in the city downtown to tourism in the new year, news website Thoi
bao Kinh te
An official from the department claimed that
the closure was meant to make way for improvements.
After that, the city will decide whether to
let the tourism boats return or not, the official said.
An Son Lam, director of Indochina Junk
Company, told the news site that the announcement caught the businesses off
guard.
“We are really shocked and confused. We don’t
know where to put our boats now or how we are going to fulfill the contracts
we've already signed with our customers,” said Lam, who owns three restaurant
boats and seven pleasure cruise ships docked in the wharf on the Saigon
River.
Lam said the news came during an informal
meeting and hadn't been laid out in an official statement.
He said the city should have give them more
time to adjust their business plans and find a new place to operate.
Lam said his company would lose around
VND100 million (US$4,680) for every day that they are prevented from
operating.
Around
40 boats currently operate along the wharf, which sees thousands of tourists
a day.
Many boat owners have already signed
contracts with the city for the coming year.
Lam and four other companies operating in
the wharf (My Canh, 168, Song Xanh and Vina Express) have signed a petition
with the HCMC People’s Committee, the municipal administration, seeking
permission to continue operating.
They warned that the sudden closure would
force them into bankruptcy and leave hundreds of their workers out of a job.
As of press time, the city hall has not made
any further announcement.
Thanh Nien News
|
Art & Entertainment News 1/1
VN receives UNESCO certificate for Vi Dam folk singing
The Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism in cooperation of
the Nghe An Province People’s Committee will organize a ceremony to receive
the UNESCO certificate recognizing Vi-Giam folk singing as an Intangible
Cultural Heritage of Humanity at the province’s
Nghe Tinh’s Vi-Giam folk singing was officially recognized by
UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity at the 9th session of
its Inter-governmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural
Heritage in
Deputy Head of the Department of Cultural Heritage Nong Quoc
Thanh said Vi-Giam folk singing has history of hundred years in
Vietnamese Ambassador to the Czech Republic Truong Manh Son on
December 30 announced the logo for the Vietnam Cultural Year in the Czech
Republic 2015 and activities to mark the 65th anniversary of diplomatic ties
to journalists and socialists in
As scheduled, the opening week will attract the participation
of
A wide range of cultural activities will be held in this
occasion, including exhibitions on
Ambassador Son revealed that the embassy will submit a
proposal to relevant agencies in
Nguyen Anh 9 live show celebrates golden wedding
Toi dua em ve is a special music show designed to commemorate
the 50th anniversary of his marriage life with two nights of performance on
January 10-11, 2015 in
The great love for his wife is a major source of inspiration
for him to write many popular love songs such as Ai dua em ve, Buon oi chao
mi, Khong and Co don.
In this event, audiences will meet the couple, learn about the
anecdotes of romance between the musician and other famous singers, and
witness the gold wedding celebration on stage.
Many of his immortal songs will be performed by young vocalists
including Minh Chuyen, Hoai
Top 100 hundred-year-old architectural works released
The Vietnam Records Organisation (Vietkings) has announced the
top 100 well-known hundred-year-old architectural works in
The list aims to popularise the works’ beauty to both domestic
and foreign tourists, thus providing them with a more thorough view of the
country’s cultural and historical values and encouraging them to join
conservation efforts.
Among them are a number of pagodas and temples which have
belief and religious significance and are related to renowned
Vietnameselegends, including Mot Cot (One-pillar) pagoda in Hanoi, Thien Mu in
central Thua-Thien Hue province and Giac Lam in Ho Chi Minh City.
Hanoi Opera House and the municipal Theatre and Ben Thanh
market in
Vietkings had conducted a tour of the country to look for the
worthy works.
Vietnam Folklore Arts Association confers
Folklore Artist on artisans
Nine artisans received the Folklore Artist title from the
Vietnam Folklore Arts Association at the presentation in
The title marks outstanding contribution of artisans in preserving,
teaching and promoting the values of folklore in various fields, including
hat Dum (Dum singing), hat Then (Then singing), dan Tinh (Tinh lute,
one of
ritual praying for harvest and national peace; manufacturing
traditional musical instruments; the ancient language of Thai ethnic
minority and folk music singing; sewing and embroidery; casting agricultural
tools and bronze drums.
More than 400 artisans nationwide have been conferred with the
title "Folklore Artist".
Vietnam Folklore Arts Association awarded members’ folklore
works in 2014. The A prize went to teacher Vo Truong Ky from Long An Province
for his research on the don ca tai tu Nam Bo (Southern amateur folk music).
Two books recounting history of
Two books, entitled ‘Lich Su Quan Su Viet
The former, ‘History of Vietnam’s Military’, has 14 volumes
while the later includes five volumes.
True to their titles, the two books review the history of
The works give readers a comprehensive and indepth look into
the country’s military activities. Events highlighted are presented with a
full background, account and resulting lessons learned.
The two books were published thanks to joint contributions of
the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Communication and Education, the
Vietnam Institute of Military History under the Ministry of Defence, and the
National Political Publishing House – Truth.
The books are valuable and trustworthy reference documents on
the national history of revolutionary struggle under the clear-sighted
leadership of the Vietnamese Communist Party as well as the Vietnamese
people’s strength, from wartime to national construction and development.
The publications also contribute to educating Party members,
officers and people from all walks of life, particularly younger generations,
on the revolutionary tradition of the military.
According to information released by the National University
of Vietnam, two out of three of
The exhibition attracted inventions by more than 1,000
students from 26 countries and territories throughout the world, with members
of the jury from the World Invention Intellectual Property Associations
(WIIPA).
Inventions to be awarded medals must be innovative, practical,
commercially viable and environmentally friendly.
The event was jointly organised by the WIIPA,
This is the third time the International Youth Invention
Exhibition has been held in
Source: VNS/SGGP/SGT/VNN
|
Government News 1/1
Cooperation with ASEAN reviewed
The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a meeting on
December 30 to review the country's cooperation with ASEAN in 2014 and set
out its tasks for 2015.
In 2014,
The bloc continued efforts in realizing the roadmap of
building an ASEAN Community by 2015 and achieved important results; enhanced
internal solidarity and consensus; boosted relations with dialogue partners
and promoted its key role in regional forums; and promoted its central role
in the forming regional structure, particularly coping with arising
challenges in the region.
To prepare for the next ten years, ASEAN launched the
construction of the ASEAN Community’s post 2015 Vision to seek ways and
measures to boost the bloc’s connectivity, improve its adaptability, role and
position to face complicated and unpredictable developments of the regional
and international situation.
The meeting highlighted the importance of 2015 to bring the
bloc to a new phase in establishing the community and building its post 2015
vision when regional and international situation is posing challenges for the
bloc’s solidarity, consensus and central role in the region.
In 2015,
The country will also make contributions to boosting the
bloc’s external relations, continuing fulfilling the country’s coordinating
role in the ASEAN-EU dialogue relationship and preparing for its coordinating
role in the ASEAN-India dialogue relationship.
In addition, coordination among relevant agencies of
PM Dung checks premier transportation projects in Hanoi
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on December 31 visited work
sites of Nhat Tan bridge,
PM Dung stressed the importance of the country’s largest and
most modern projects, which have been implemented in accordance with the
Party’s direction on breakthroughs in building socio-economic infrastructure.
He praised efforts of the Ministry of Transportation (MOT),
The Government leader asked the MOT to fulfill audit and
financial procedures after the projects are completed, continue completing
sub-projects to ensure the projects’ effectiveness and hand over Nhat Tan
bridge and the Nhat Tan-Noi Bai route to Hanoi as planned.
He required the ministry and the capital to prepare human
resources to operate the facilities effectively, particularly the T2
terminal, which will make impression on visitors when entering the country.
The aviation development not only brings profits to the
sector, but also boosts other fields, particularly tourism and services, thus
further attention should be paid to ensuring aviation security and safety to
promote the aviation development, PM Dung said.
On behalf of Hanoi authority and people, Secretary of the
Hanoi municipal Party Committee Pham Quang Nghi expressed his gratitude to
the Party and State to the capital and promised to operate the handed over
facilities effectively.
Nhat Tan bridge, Nhat Tan-Noi Bai route and the T2 Terminal
are key national projects funded by the Japanese Government’s official
development assistance and the Vietnamese Government’s counterpart capital.
They have been completed on schedule and ready for the launching on January
4, 2015.
The facilities are significant to improving the capital’s
transportation and contributing to socio-economic development of
Nhat Tan bridge is one of three bridges with the largest number
of suspension spans in the world, built by
The
The T2 Terminal, when put into operation, will be the
country’s most modern terminal on a 139,300 square metres with four floors.
The terminal can serve approximately 10 million passengers per year, easing
the overloads at T1 Terminal and ensuring transportation at the present and
in the future.
Press urged to bring Party and State documents to public
Politburo member Le Hong Anh has urged press agencies to focus
on bringing Party and State documents to the public while reflecting their
opinions on Party draft documents in preparation for the upcoming 12th
National Party Congress.
Politburo member Anh, who is also permanent member of the
Party Central Committee (PCC) Secretariat, stated the requirement at a
national press conference held in
While speaking highly of significant contributions of the
press over the past years, he stressed that the press should encourage
emulation movements and resolutely fight against false information and
allegations by hostile forces to sabotage our Party and State.
Press agencies are requested to be a consultant to the Party
and State to complete regulations in this field, particularly those relating
to management of websites, internet services and means of mass media, and
contribute ideas to the revision of the Press Law.
It is also important to increase training for officers,
editors and reporters to raise their political virtue, professional
qualification and morality, he added.
Touching upon the task of speeding up external information, he
said that press agencies should actively and closely co-ordinate with Party
committees and embassies to advertise the culture, land and people of Vietnam
to international friends while promptly providing Vietnamese communities with
updates on their motherland’s situation.
He asked the press to beef up reporting news on the country’s
sea and islands, land border demarcation and marker planting, and increasing
awareness of people in border provinces in order to build a friendly and
peaceful borderline with neighbouring countries.
The conference, held jointly by the PCC Commission for
Communication and Education (CCE), the Ministry of Information and
Communications (MIC), and the Vietnam Journalists’ Association (VJA), were
also attended by Politburo member and CCE Head Dinh The Huynh; PCC member and
MIC Minister Nguyen Bac Son; and PCC member and VJA Chairman Thuan Huu.
According to a report read by Deputy Minister of Information
and Communications Truong Minh Tuan, most of press agencies have fulfilled
their role as the voices of Party organisations, State agencies, social and
political organisations, and an open forum for the public.
The press has provided people with quick, full and
comprehensive information on domestic and international news.
Many outstanding faces in the national construction and
development have been discovered and honoured while many corruption and
wastefulness cases have been disclosed thanks to efforts made by press
agencies.
The press has also been active and positive in reaffirming the
national sovereignty over its sea and islands.
Judicial Reform Steering Committee convenes 17th meeting
The Central Steering Committee for Judicial Reform (CSCJR)
held its 17th meeting in
The draft report showed the serious, democratic and
responsible implementation at all levels, improvements in the awareness and
actions of most Party members, people from all walks of life in boosting
judicial reforms.
The judicial reform strategy has been put forth actively by
Party organisations from the grassroots to central levels. The awareness of
officials, Party members and people of the position and role of judicial
offices, rights and activities has been increased significantly.
At the meeting, CSCJR members also discussed key tasks in
judicial reform work in 2015, including completing projects, amending and
supplementing a number of laws or penal code and civil code.
Speaking at the meeting, President Sang praised deployment
results in implementing Conclusion No. 92 by the Government Party Committee
(GPC), saying that the GPC in a short period of time has conducted a large
amount of work on various aspects of judicial reforms, particularly
institutionalisation, law construction, and the approval of a large number of
projects related to judicial reforms.
The Party committees under the GPC has continually enhanced
and improved the quality and effectiveness of criminal prevention, law
enforcement and propagation and training of judicial officers, as well as
further strengthening of international co-operation in the fields.
Deputy PM urges measures to reduce land-related complaints
Deputy PM Hoang Trung Hai has asked the Ministry of Natural
Resources and Environment (MONRE) to work out effective measures to reduce
the number of complaints related to land.
The Deputy PM made the request at a meeting on December 31
reviewing the performance of MONRE in 2014.
Hai said he evaluated highly the efforts by MONRE in the past
to in strengthen State management of natural resources and environment,
notably the formulation and promulgation of documents guiding the
implementation of the 2013 Land Law.
He also praised MONRE for its effort to tackle the unplanned
exploitation of natural minerals.
The Deputy PM said MONRE and local authorities should find
more appropriate and effective solutions to addressing land seizure, site
clearance, compensation and resettlement in order to minimise land disputes.
Hai also called for the ministry to develop projects and
programmes to mitigate the impact of climate change in the Mekong River
Delta.
Leaders send greetings to Cuba on National Day
Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, State President
Truong Tan Sang, and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung sent greetings to Raul
Castro Ruz, first Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, President of the
Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers on the 56th
anniversary of Cuba’s National Day (January 1).
On the occasion, National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung
also sent a message of good wishes to his Cuban counterpart Esteban Lazo.
A congratulatory message was cabled to Cuban Foreign Minister
Bruno Rodriguez Parilla by his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Binh Minh.
NA Chairman extols close ties with Denmark
National Assembly (NA) Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung hailed the
ties of the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between
“Vietnamese people always bear in mind and are grateful to
Regarding parliamentary cooperation, the top legislator
expressed his delight at the bourgeoning ties between the two nations as well
as closer cooperation in sharing legislative and executive experience.
Hung spoke glowingly of Ambassador John Nielsen’s
contributions to fostering the friendly relations and cooperation between the
two countries over the past years.
The Dannish diplomat said he is impressed by
John Nielsen said his nation would continue to provide ODA for
Congratulations on 50th anniversary of Palestinian Revolution
State President Truong Tan Sang on December 31 extended his
congratulations to Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine and
Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation, on the 50th
anniversary of the Palestinian Revolution (January 1).-
Source: VNA/VOV/ND/VNN
|
Social News 1/1
The Saigon Railway Passenger Transport Company is scheduling
additional trains to meet the increased travel demands for the four-day New
Year holiday from January 1-4, 2015.
Accordingly, the Saigon Railway Passenger Transport Company
will add more trains to the SN4 Sai Gon–Nha Trang and SQN4 Sai Gon–Quy Nhon
on December 31, 2014; SPT4 Sai Gon–Phan Thiet on January 1,2 and 4; SN5 Nha
Trang–Sai Gon, and SQN3 Quy Nhon–Sai Gon on January 3, 2015; SPT3 Phan
Thiet–Sai Gon on January 1,3 and 4, 2015; SN3 Nha Trang–Sai Gon on January 3
and 4, 2015.
The trains along the Saigon-Hanoi route will also have
additional carriages.
In additional to additional trains, the Vietnam Railways (VR)
and the Saigon Railway Passenger Transport Company will offer a 10% discount
on rail fares between midnight on January 1, 2015 to 12.59pm on February 1,
2015.
Foreign students enjoy New Year gathering in Hanoi
The Vietnam National University- Hanoi (VNU) held a pre-New
Year get-together for its international students in
As many as 800 students from different parts of the world are
studying at the VNU, according to Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Kim Son, VNU
Vice President.
They have helped building bridges between their nations and
He hoped that the students keep doing their best while
studying in
Enticing music and dancing performances characterising various
cultures fostered mutual understanding and solidarity among fellow students
at the event.
VNU is one of the two national universities in
Cuba’s National Day marked in HCM City
A ceremony was held in
Addressing the event, President of the Vietnam–Cuba Friendship
Association (VCFA)’s
Recalling the fine relationship between Vietnam and Cuba since
they set up diplomatic ties in 1960, Cuban Consul General to HCM City Bernabe
Garcia Valido affirmed that the two peoples will work together to further
develop the friendship, fraternity and comprehensive cooperation in the
future.
The event was co-hosted by the Vietnam Union of Friendship
Associations and the
Police arrest drug trafficker near Chinese border
Cao Bang provincial police have arrested a Chinese national
for illegally transporting four kilograms of methamphetamine across the
Chinese border in the north of
The young man, 23, from
The
Microsoft Office contest kicks off
Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship (MOSWC), the
world's largest such contest, has been launched at Ho Chi Minh's Social
Sciences and
In the first round, local authorities and educational
institutions will identify the top contestants to send to the national
knock-out round.
In this round, participants will take the MOS exam – a test of
skills in using Microsoft Office software, with the 15 best performers in
each category securing a berth in the national finals.
The top three scorers in the finals will be selected as
The event is jointly organised by the Ministry of Education
and Training, IIG Viet Nam, military telecom company Viettel, and Tuoi Tre
(the Youth) newspaper.
Hospitals provide free checkups, treatment
Ha Noi's health sector will carry out a campaign providing
free medical checkups and treatment until the end of February.
The campaign, which marks the 60th Vietnamese Doctors' Day
(February 27), includes surgeries for elderly patients with cataracts and
children with cleft palates and heart disease.
On the first day of the campaign,
Private sector tapped for canal work
The Ministry of Transport has approved a plan to solicit
investment from the private sector for developing infrastructure for inland
waterways.
In 2015 – 20, the ministry hopes to mobilise VND12.7 trillion
(US$595 million) from non-state players for 45 projects that require nearly
VND15.8 trillion ($741 million).
In 2015 the Ministry seeks investment in two pilot BOT
(Build-Operate-Transfer) projects to upgrade inland waterways. These are the
second phase of the
To enable investors to make returns, the ministry will allow
them to collect fees or sell items like sand and pebble collected from
dredging canals and rivers.
The Government has pledged all support to ensure all their
investments financially effective.
Food safety inspections increased ahead of Tet
The ministries of Health, Agriculture and Rural Development
and Industry and Trade will increase joint food safety inspections as Tet
approaches, focusing on big cities and border provinces like Lang Son, Quang
Ninh and Lao Cai, Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said on Sunday.
"The number of food samples examined will be increased by
10 per cent compared to last year," Tien said while speaking to the
audience on the weekly VTV programme "People ask, Ministers
answer".
Manufacturers found violating food safety regulations will
face fines up to VND200 million (US$9,600) or revocation of their circulation
permits. Their names will also be publicised by the Ministry of Health.
The ministry submitted a plan to the Government this year that
would establish food safety inspection teams at sub-district levels,
including wards and communes.
"The Ministry believes that those measures will be
effective in improving the food safety situation," Tien said.
Regarding the amended Law of Health Insurance, which will go
into effect on January 1, the Minister said the new regulation of compulsory
insurance was a "big political effort" towards the future target of
universal health insurance coverage.
The new law also provides support for poor residents and
ethnic minority groups in disadvantaged areas, as they will have all their
medical fees covered by health insurance rather than only 95 per cent.
Meanwhile, near-poor households will have to pay only 5 per
cent of the total fee, a fourfold decrease from the current law.
"Another important work of the Ministry was to improve
the quality of medical services as well as the overloading problem at hospitals,"
Tien said.
The average waiting time for examinations at hospitals has
decreased by 50 minutes while 150 medical officers were fined for bad
behaviour after a national hotline was established this year.
Association actively supports Vietnamese in Cambodia
The General Association of Vietnamese Cambodian People held a
meeting to review its performance in 2014 and map out orientations for next
year in
The association proposed Cambodian authorities continue to
take care of and give assistance to the Vietnamese Cambodians, especially in
terms of legal status and material facilities, said Chairman Chau Van Chi,
who was elected as a member of the 13th tenure of the Vietnam Fatherland
Front Executive Board.
It received support from authorities of southern cities and
provinces of Vietnam such as Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Tay Ninh, Long An,
Dong Thap and An Giang in building schools, granting scholarships, and
opening vocational training courses for Vietnamese expatriates.
The association was also active in cultural and educational
work, illustrated by supporting natural disaster victims, providing free
health check-ups and medicine, and presenting gifts to underprivileged
Vietnamese and Cambodian people.
In 2015, the association will continue to develop its
apparatus by establishing new executive boards at grassroots levels,
increasing its membership, and guiding the Vietnamese expatriates to register
for the foreigner’s legal status implemented by the Cambodian Ministry of
Internal Affairs in July 2014.
It will also expand operation in the Cambodian provinces of
Preah Vihear, Oddar Mean Chey, Kep, Pailin, and Tbong Kmmum.
Coast
Guard seizes smuggled cigarettes
The Viet Nam Coast Guard seized 1,300 smuggled cigarette packs
from a motorboat coming from
The coast guard unit seized the goods when the smugglers
jumped into the water after a one-hour chase.
A coast guard officer said that smuggling was increasing at
the border in
The coast guard unit handed over the case to local authorities
for further investigation. Better quality, prices to turn local products into
consumers’ first choice
Domestic businesses need to focus on applying cutting-edge
technologies to improve their product quality and cut down prices so that
made-in-Vietnam products can truly become the first choice of Vietnamese
consumers.
So said participants at a workshop held by the
Duong Duy Hung, Deputy Director General of the Ministry of
Industry and Trade (MOIT)’s Domestic Market Department, pointed out to
numerous weaknesses of domestic production such as the monotony of product
design and diversity, uncompetitive prices, businesses’ neglect of goods
promotion and consumer services, the lax connection between manufacturers and
sellers, and the slack market watch.
Raising competitiveness must be conducted regularly,
continuously and on the long-term base, said VPBA Vice Chairman Ngo Van Diem,
adding that
He suggested the country help enterprises increase their
competitiveness while companies also need to partner with one another,
abolish the mindset of hunting for short-term profits, and invest more in
personnel training.
According to a recent survey on outcomes of the five-year
implementation of the campaign “Vietnamese people prioritise the use of
Vietnamese goods”, 92 percent of questioned consumers were interested in the
drive, 57 percent of them recognised the campaign’s communication efforts,
and 63 percent prioritised using domestic products. This survey was carried
out by the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Communication and
Education.
The amount of textile and garment materials imported from
There is also an increasing trend, especially in cities, that
local consumers buy domestically made apparel although smuggled products are
dwarfing local ones.
While some foreign brands are dominating the market of formula
milk, most of other products such as yogurt and condensed and fresh milk on
sale are made by Vietnamese companies like Vinamilk and TH True Milk, the
report shows.-
Front launches tasks on new-style rural building for 2015
Vice Chairwoman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central
Committee Truong Thi Ngoc Anh presided a meeting in
In 2015, the committee continues its collaboration with the National
Steering Committee for New Rural Development in disseminate the Party and
Government’s policies on the new style rural building programme while
mobilising sources among the people to implement the programme.
Over the past year, the front at all levels made every effort
to carry out the national target programme on new style rural development in
localities nationwide.
It worked closely with local authorities and relevant agencies
to implement criteria on new style rural building along with the “All people
unite to build a cultural life in residential areas” drive.
The front encouraged people to provide mutual support in
building a better life and fulfill the programme’s goals in terms of housing
and income.
At a
Therefore, the goal now is to fix the current policy’s
shortcomings to gradually ensure people’s right to basic social services in
the coming time, he said, affirming that the MDP approach will be the best
choice.
Participants agreed that the application of MDP measures in
This new approach needs to achieve three objectives, including
measuring poverty dimensions, controlling poverty and identifying policy
beneficiaries, they said.
The MDP framework was originally developed by the Oxford
Poverty & Human Development Initiative (OPHI).
With the UN support,
Youth federation to launch “I love my homeland” movement
The Vietnam Youth Federation (VYF) will launch a movement
dubbed “I love my homeland” with a view of encouraging youngsters to act
practically for national development, said VYF President Nguyen Dac Vinh.
The movement will be observed from 2014 to 2019 as the first
and only one of its kind, said Vinh, who is also first Secretary of the Ho
Chi Minh Youth Union Central Committee, at events held on the sidelines of
the VYF’s seventh National Congress in
It looks to rally youngsters to following an honest, responsible,
and energetic lifestyle and to standing ready for the homeland if necessary.
According to historian Duong Trung Quoc, patriotism is a core
value of development and should be handed down between generations.
Participants focused on how to boost the youths’ vanguard role
in the country’s international integration.
They pointed to the need for youngsters to sharpen their
foreign language, IT skills and enrich their knowledge of culture, national
history and international exchange in the integration process.
Local youth unions nationwide shared their experience and new
solutions to fostering solidarity with Vietnamese youngsters living abroad
and mobilising international resources for the growth of the youth.
Discussions sought support for youngsters who want to develop
entrepreneurial career.
Over the past 20 years, the Vietnam Young Entrepreneurs’
Association members have created jobs for 2.5 million labourers and provided
a great deal of financial assistance to social activities annually.
The same day, a televised music and art performance was
organised, featuring the youth’s determination to protect the nation’s sacred
sea and island sovereignty and make the country prosper.
Preparations for
A conference was held in Can Tho City on December 27 to
prepare for the Mekong Delta Green Tourism Week which will be co-hosted by
the Steering Committee for the Southwestern Region in coordination with Can
Tho authorities from April 26- May 2, 2015.
In his speech, the Deputy Head of the Steering Committee said
the event is to be held in place of the annual Mekong Delta Economic
Cooperation Forum, featuring a broad array of conferences and seminars on
promoting the region’s tourism potential, calling for investment in green
tourism, and seeking solutions to increase regional cooperation in this area.
The Mekong Delta, comprising Can Tho city and 12 provinces
with a population of 18 million, boasts huge potential for tourism
development.
The region welcomed nearly 11 million visitors, including more
than 800,000 foreigners for the first five months of this year, up 8.9%
compared to last year's same period, reports the Mekong Delta Tourism
Association.
France-Vietnam Friendship Year under review
The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) and the
Vietnam–France Friendship and Cooperation Association co-hosted a meeting in
Nguyen Huy Quang, Chairman of the association, and French
Ambassador to Vietnam Jean Noel Poirier highlighted the
As many as 270 events transpiring during the year, notably in
the areas of education and culture have captured the public attention and
deepening mutual understanding.
On the occasion, the association launched a special edition on
Vietnam’s agriculture in Vietnamese and French featuring articles by
Vietnamese and French authors on bilateral relations, agriculture, farming
and rural development.
Youth union elevates nation’s image in int’l arena
The seventh youth union congress – an important political
event of Vietnamese youth – officially opened in
At the congress, students and young people shared their
viewpoints on key issues related to career orientation, employment and
lifestyles for youth. They expressed confidence the event would elect young
talents to the Vietnam Youth Union Central Committee to elevate Vietnamese
youth’s status in the international arena.
There was unanimity among the delegates that in the context of
international integration, the VYU, as the biggest youth organization in
Vietnam, should become the vanguard for young people.They also expressed
their hopes that the event would become a political forum for young people
nationwide and put forth practical proposals to raise young people’s
awareness about lifestyles in the integration period.
In addition, they underscored the importance of renovating
educational activities and vocational training at schools, adding that youth
union organizations should serve as a bridge helping young people get access
to labour market
In the next term, the VYU’s future tasks should focus on
career orientation and employment programs for young people.
Young representatives also expressed optimism that the VYU
will become a place where they can share their aspirations, ambitions and
difficulties and receive enthusiastic support to cope with challenges in
life.
OVs in
2014 marked a successful year for Overseas Vietnamese (OVs) in
the
Over the past few years,
Fortunately Vietnam Airlines along with numerous other
businesses in the
Earlier, the association’s first mid-autumn festival for
Vietnamese children has helped them learn more about Vietnamese culture.
Thanh expressed hope that the association would build a
Friendship table-tennis tournament connects OVs in
A friendly table tennis tournament held in
The friendship table-tennis tournament 2014 was co-organised
by the Berlin Table Tennis Club, the Vietnamese embassy and the Association
of Vietnamese in
Addressing the opening ceremony, President of the Berlin Table
Tennis Club Nguyen Huu Tho believed that the event will help connect overseas
Vietnamese (OV) in
Meanwhile, Vietnamese ambassador to Germany Nguyen Thi Hoang
Anh highlighted the initiative to organize the tournament and hoped that
similar events will be held across
After six rounds, table tennis player Ngo Tuong from
In the team category, the first prize went to the one from
Workers return from Saudi Arabia
Seven of 20 workers stuck for months in
They were among 38 workers sent to the country as part of a
poverty reduction programme.
The workers, mostly from northern
The Vietnamese Embassy in
A road in the Lao
A contract to this effect was signed in
The road will stretch as far as 67km from Houaphanh’s Xam Tay
district to Tha Lau in the border area between
Once completed, the road will connect Houaphanh as well as
On the occasion, BIDV announced to consider funding for the
implementation of a road from the Lao districts of Xam Tay to Thong Thu. The
30km road has an investment of 26.84 million USD.-
NGOs offer 300mln USD-plus aid to
The number of foreign non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
active in
During 2014, the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations
(VUFO) welcomed 1,860 guests from 760 NGO delegations coming to launch
development projects.
A series of conferences and workshops were held to appeal for
aid in and outside the country as well as connect sponsors and NGOs with
Vietnamese partners.
The committee released a code of administrative procedures in
five languages in support of NGOs while enhancing personnel training at both
central and local levels.
Besides NGOs, it also raised funding in embassies, United
Nations bodies, development cooperation agencies and business community.
VUFO Vice President and General Secretary Don Tuan Phong, who
is also deputy head of the committee, said NGOs are shifting their development
assistance to the fields of environment, climate change, capability building
and policy lobby.
Next year, the committee will further provide NGOs with
administrative, technical and legal assistance while enhancing ties with
development partners and promoting personnel training in ministries, agencies
and localities.
Concluding the event, Deputy Foreign Minister and head of the
committee Ho Xuan Son urged involved agencies to work harder to make NGOs a
channel that supports
Microsoft Office contest kicks off
Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship (MOSWC), the
world's largest such contest, has been launched at Ho Chi Minh's Social
Sciences and
In the first round, local authorities and educational
institutions will identify the top contestants to send to the national
knock-out round.
In this round, participants will take the MOS exam – a test of
skills in using Microsoft Office software, with the 15 best performers in
each category securing a berth in the national finals.
The top three scorers in the finals will be selected as
The event is jointly organised by the Ministry of Education
and Training, IIG Viet Nam, military telecom company Viettel, and Tuoi Tre
(the Youth) newspaper.
Quang Ninh province starts work on PPP office building
The
The project worth nearly 500 billion VND (23.7 million USD) is
being built on an area of 1,140 square metres, including 23 storeys and two
basements.
Once completed in the next two years, the project will ensure
office space for 16 provincial departments and sectors.
Local authorities are focusing on infrastructure building
projects under the PPP model.
Southern province shares emulation experience with Laos
Vice Chairman of the southern
Dung spoke in length the province’s socio-economic situation
over the past few years and introduced the organisational system, functions,
and activities of the local board of emulation and rewards.
He also shared experience in building and expanding effective
models in the field.
The Lao guest said the visit was to study the provincial
experience in promoting the emulation and rewards campaigns in both quantity
and quality.
HCM City facilitates the blinds to access IT
The event drew contestants from 15 blind associations across
the city, performing their tests through special software which is designed
for sight-impaired people.
Addressing at the event, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City
Blind Association Nguyen Dinh Kien said the competition aims to encourage the
blinds to have access to and apply information technology into their study
and work, thus helping them integrate into the community and improving their
working capacity.
Ho Chi Minh City Blind Association now has 1,381 members
living in 24 districts.-
At a press conference on December 29 to review the combat of
crime in the city in 2014 and plans for the next period, the officer said the
crackdown will focus on criminal organisations, burglars and robbers,
smugglers, traders of banned goods such as drug and firecracker.
A host of measures to ensure public order and traffic safety
will be deployed, he added.
Reports reveal that the municipal police brought to light as
many as 4,248 criminal cases in 2014, destroying 879 criminal gangs and
arresting about 2,142 criminals.
Restructuring on right track, securities commission says
The State Securities Commission (SSC) said the restructuring
of securities companies is keeping in the right direction, taking in cautious
steps with respect for market rules.
The move reduced the rate of loss-suffering companies from 60
percent to 20 percent with loss slashed remarkably from 4,200 billion VND to
200 billion VND.
Meanwhile, the profitability rate increased 1.5 times and the
average index of the financial safety expanded by 15 percent, the SSC said.
As of the end of the third quarter, 43 fund management
companies were in operation, of which 23 companies ran profitably with a
joint sum of 132 billion VND while 20 others suffered a combined loss of 64
billion VND.
The companies took responsibility for a total asset of 109
trillion VND.
According to the commission, the open-end funds, which
replaced the closed-end funds, are operating in a more flexible and
transparent manner with mechanisms to better protect investors.
As of December, 2014, the market saw the presence of 25 mutual
funds with two of them being Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF), 15 open-end funds
and eight member funds. Their total mobilisation value is over 7 trillion
VND.
The SSC said that it has to date issued all mechanisms and
policies related to the organisation and operation of securities businesses
in line with international practices, especially using BASEL II financial
safety criteria, CAMEL early warning criteria and international-standard risk
management system.
In 2015, the SSC said it would work with other relevant
agencies to develop standard accountancy criteria applied to organisations
which trade securities, and an accountancy system used by securities companies.
The SSC will also amend circular 210 on organising the
operation of securities companies and take measures to keep the securities
market operating stably, safely, and effectively.
Source: VNN/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/ND
|
Đăng ký:
Bài đăng (Atom)