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Social Headlines January 14
Gov't
makes plans for pension fund
A
voluntary pension fund will be set up soon, the Ministry of Planning and
Investment has said.
The
Government has ordered the Ministry of Finance (MoF), State Bank of
According
to MoF, it has drawn up a blueprint for the fund and submitted to the Cabinet
for consideration.
If it
is approved, it would not only help improve the social security system but
also the financial market and, especially, help increase the number as well
as quality of giant investors, also known as elephants.
Several
key principles to ensure the fund's effectiveness as well as safety have to
be drawn up – like the contribution ratios by employers and employees,
investment options and oversight of the fund, and benefits that contributors
can enjoy.
Phan
Thi Thu Hien, deputy director of MoF's Banking and Financial Institution
Department, said the ministry is already working on a decree to guide the
working of the pension fund so that the fund can be operated efficiently as
soon as it is approved.
The
decree will spell out regulations on investments and the benefits and
obligations of participants.
According
to the State Securities Commission, there are around 10 mutual funds in the
stock markets.
More
funds including some bond funds are set to be established, providing safe
opportunities to invest in the pension fund corpus, it said.
Analysts
said the early establishment of the pension fund would benefit the mutual
funds sector, thus giving a boost to the capital market and securities market
in terms of both depth and quality.
They
called for tax breaks for the fund during its start-up period to ensure it
has a smooth beginning.
More
Tet gifts to needy people
The
Vietnam Red Cross (VRC) has disbursed VND4.8 billion from its budget to
support families in special difficulty in 37 provinces to enjoy a happy lunar
New Year (Tet) holiday.
The
aid package is in response to the programme “Tet for the poor and Agent
Orange victims” designed for the poor, dioxin victims, and those affected by
natural disasters.
Nine
VRC delegations have fanned out to present Tet gifts to poor families and
families of Agent Orange victims in Lang Son, Cao Bang, Ha Giang, Thua
Thien-Hue, Can Tho, Ben Tre, Dak Lak and Kon Tum. The mission lasts from
January 10 to 27.
To
date more than 10,000 businesses, organizations and individuals have
supported the programme.
As of
January 6, VRC chapters across the country had given 525,000 Tet gifts and
humanitarian works worth over VND 200 billion to needy people.
Since
the programme was launched nearly 15 years ago, VRC chapters have mobilized
more than VND1.77 trillion to support nearly 10 million poor people and Agent
Orange victims nationwide.
More
than 1.5 million poor families and families of dioxin victims received Tet
gifts in 2013 alone.
Thousands
of people join “Red Sunday”
Despite
cold weather, thousands of students took part in “Red Sunday” to donate blood
at the
Over
the past 5 days, the “Red Sunday” program has received a positive response
from thousands of students and people in
On the
first day of the 2014 campaign in
The
program in
According
to the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) which
supplies blood to more than 80 hospitals in Hanoi and 16 northern provinces,
they
need
at least 45,000 blood units during the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet),
they currently meet just 40% of demand. Shortage of blood supplies during Tet
will cause major difficulties for healthcare treatment.
The
program is crucial in overcoming blood shortages and provides an opportunity
for thousands of
“Spring
for Children” raises billions for charity
Nearly
VND150 billion was raised by various organisations and individuals at the
seventh “Spring for Children” program held in
The
program aims to honour benefactors who actively contributed to the Vietnam
Children’s Fund in 2013 and called on domestic and foreign companies and
individuals to further support poor children, especially during the Lunar New
Year (Tet).
Vice
State President Nguyen Thi Doan acknowledged that in 2013, children, the
elderly, disabled people and orphans were paid due attention and she
expressed her hope
that
more benefactors will continue to join hands to help poor children have a
warm and happy Tet.
In
2013, the Children’s Fund raised VND62.763 billion, reaching 125% of the
target, to support 1.5 million disadvantaged children.
To
further support children in the future, the fund also hopes to receive more
donations from benefactors through text messages: MX sent 1408 from January
11 to March 11 and each sms is worth VND16,000.
Fund-raising
programs launched
A
January 10 Ho Chi Minh City Association of Farmers initiative has raised more
than VND26 billion on behalf of poor farmers.
The
funds will help the poor farmers—exemplars of tenancity and persistence—
enjoy a happier Lunar New Year (Tet) Festival.
The
municipal Association of Farmers’last five years of activities have received
wholehearted support from generous donors including enterprises,
organisations, and individuals.
Nghe
An Province hosted a similar event in the evening of the same day,
distributing donations to disadvantaged local families ahead of the Lunar New
Year Festival (Tet).
The
response to the provincial People’s Committee’s fundraising calls a month
earlier totalled VND9 billion, donated by 119 individuals and organisations.
After
running the programme for three consecutive years, the province has mobilised
VND217 billion to assist local people in need.
Deputy
PM presents Tet gifts in
Deputy
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has led a Vietnam Red Cross Society
delegation’s visit to Thua Thien-Hue province, presenting Tet gifts to disadvantaged
local families on January 11.
The
Deputy PM distributed 230 gifts worth VND1 million each and anounced VND 1.6
billion in funding to help the construction of 40 storm-proof houses. The
houses are part of the Luxembourg Government’s natural disaster recovery
project, focusing on poor households, families of social policy
beneficiaries, and AO/Dioxin victims
Phuc
asked local authorities to support social welfare initiatives and facilitate
residents’ active inclusion in local economic development.
Deputy
PM Phuc also visited the Phuc Loc district culture house honouring General
Nguyen Chi Thanh and offered incense at the General’s Commemorative House in
Quang Dien district.
Hanoi
Municipal People’s Committee Chairman Nguyen The Thao described the
importance
In
2004
Thao
said the small gift demonstrates
The
ground-breaking ceremony unfolded the day before Prime Minister Nguyen Tam
Dung's official Cambodian visit.
PM
Dung and his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen are scheduled to attend the
inauguration ceremony of
Reburying
Vietnamese voluntary soldiers lost in Laos
Central
Nghe An Province’s Military Zone 4 High Command, and the provincial Military
Command have held a solemn ceremony laying to rest the remains of 57
voluntary Vietnamese soldiers recovered from battlefields in
Forty-seven
of the remains were recovered in
Nghe
An Provincial People’s Committee Vice Chairman Le Xuan Dai expressed his
incommensurable gratitude for the martyrs’ sacrifice and their contributions
to the special ties of friendship linking
He
thanked Lao officials for their assistance during the search and repatriation
process.
Lao
soldiers and citizens held earlier requiems in Xiengkhoang and
Nghe
An Province has found and repatriated almost 13,000 Vietnamese martyr remains
for reburial in Anh Son district’s
Start-up
contest honours 11 outstanding projects
A
ceremony honoured 11 outstanding projects chosen from 622 entries submitted
to the festival’s start-up competition in 2013. The products of emerging
start-ups were also
on
display, and attendees were invited to invest in a new selection of promising
projects.
Under
the start-up program, nine training courses were conducted for youth,
students, and soldiers during 2013.
Over
the past 10 years, its initiatives have been a major inspiration of the
younger Vietnamese generations’ business ambitions.
BacA
Bank, the program’s sponsor,will invest VND100 million in two advanced
agricultural technology and rural development projects entered into this
year’s contest.
Government
Inspectorate prioritises quality in 2014
The
Government Inspectorate will focus on improving the quality of its work in
2014, ensuring the accuracy and objectivity of its investigations.
At a
recent press briefing in
construction,
land and natural resources management, State revenue collection, and public
procurement.
Inspections
will be more frequent and also unannounced. Luong stressed the need to
monitor inspectors themselves, and publicise the results of the agency’s
efforts.
Luong
said 2014 will begin with the 62 as yet unaddressed complaints still pending
investigation.
The
agency conducted a total of 8,921 administrative inspections last year. It
uncovered the misuse of funds totalling US$15.5 billion and 4,520 hectares of
land. More than
VND25
trillion and 3,653 hectares were reclaimed, and over 1,580 collectives and
2,675 individuals faced financial sanctions for administrative violations.
The
inspectorate passed on 72 cases to colleagues in other investigation
agencies. It pursued 45 cases of corruption involving 99 suspects and VND354
billion. Inspectors
seized
more than VND229 billion. Ten collectives and 104 individuals were fined for
corrupt practices.
Twenty-six
cases of corruption and 39 suspects were forwarded to other agencies for
further investigation.
Australian
Ambassador to
The
Australian Embassy in
The
Endeavour Scholarship Programme included the four catagories of post-graduate
education, the Prime Minister’s Australia Asia Awards, vocational training
and
short-term
study and training courses for managers in a variety of sectors of education,
including IT and economics.
Most
notably, for the third year in a row, Vietnamese candidates won the highest
number of prestigious Prime Minister’s Australia Asia Awards, with ten out of
the top twenty post-graduate applications in the region.
Speaking
at the ceremony, the Australian Ambassador to
He
also said that
two-countries
educational systems will also focus on vocational training, which
The
ambassador also said that education is an important part of the 40-year
diplomatic relationship between
2013
drug statistics a cause for concern
A
worrying rise in drug crime was recorded in 2013 with a growth in the number
of cases, arrested suspects and seized drug hauls, Deputy Minister of Public
Security Senior Lieutenant General Le Quy Vuong reported on January 10.
At a
teleconference in
Statistics
show that there were 181,396 drug addicts in 2013, up 9,396 people from 2012.
Authorised
agencies detected and investigated 21,188 drug cases, detained 32,332
criminals and seized 940kg of heroin, 117kg of opium and 323,772 synthetic
pills, Vuong said.
The
committee reported that in the first 11 months of 2013, there were 11,567 new
HIV carriers and 5,493 AIDS patients while 2,097 people died of AIDS.
Speaking
at the conference, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, who is also the
head of the committee, ordered relevant agencies to intensify investigations
and crack down on organised crime and trans-national drug trafficking rings.
He
also underlined the importance of supporting addicts in their recovery while
enhancing international cooperation and educating people on drug and
prostitution prevention and control.
The
plan was outlined at a January 9 conference reviewing the implementation of
National Criteria on Healthcare between 2011 and 2013.
At the
event, Vice Chairwoman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Thi Bich
Ngoc urged the city’s health sector to learn studiously from violations that
occurred in 2013 and close loopholes in its management of this field.
She
also hailed the sector’s efforts in upgrading its facilities, removing red
tape in the health check-up process, ensuring food safety and curbing
epidemics.
From
2011 to 2013, the capital spent US$2.6 million on building grassroots health
centres and called for investment from society into water supply, sanitation
and waste treatment projects.
The
population and family planning work saw encouraging results last year. For
example, the birth rate in all 29 districts and townships declined, the rate
of the third born children was down 0.88 percent from 2012 to 7.73 percent,
and the gender ratio dropped to 114.5 boys to every 100 girls at birth.
Vice
rector of technology university accused of plagiarism
Dr.
Nguyen Canh Luong, Vice Rector of the Hanoi University of Technology, has
been accused of plagiarism of his dissertation.
A
denunciation was sent by the university to the Ministry of Education and
Training by Nguyen Ngoc Thanh, Lecturer of the Welding Department.
According
to Mr. Thanh’s petition, Luong defended his PhD thesis in 1996 and that
nearly 100 percent of the content of his thesis had been copied from another
dissertation, prepared by Dr. Dang Van Khai 10 years before.
After
reading the two dissertations, a mathematician said in his thesis, Luong made
just some changes in Dr. Dang Van Khai's paper, but the majority remained the
same.
Khai
was among two of Luong's instructors. At the beginning of the thesis, Luong
stated, “I assure that this is my own research and any statistics within the
thesis are correct and original.”
When
Luong defended his thesis the jury recommended that he clarify his sources.
Luong’s thesis was ranked as excellent by the jury in 1996.
Dinh
Van Hai, a spokesman for Hanoi University of Technology, said the university
has cooperated with the Ministry of Education and Training for the inspection
in this case.
In
1996, universities were not responsible for assessing postgraduate research.
The Ministry of Education and Training is responsible for dealing with the
case. The universities responsibility only goes so far as their full
cooperation with the ministry.
AO/dioxin
victims’ association marks milestone
Various
activities took place around the country on January 10 to mark the 10th
founding anniversary of the Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent
Orange/Dioxin.
The
association’s chapter in the central city of Danang inaugurated a centre
which is expected to provide care, vocational training and rehabilitation for
80-100 AO victims and disabled children in the districts of Lien Chieu, Hai
Chau and Thanh Khe.
The
establishment was built with a total investment of more than VND3.9 billion
(US$183,000) funded by the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam.
Danang
is home to more than 5,000 people exposed to AO/dioxin. The city currently
operates three establishments providing accommodation for more than 150,000
children exposed to the chemical.
The
chapter in the central
The
chapter praised 70 AO/dioxin households for their efforts in overcoming
difficulties in their life and presented them with gifts worth VND700,000
(US$33.19) each.
A
similar meeting also took place in the southern
The
Canadian fund Grand Challenges Canada (GCC) on January 10 announced a primary
7.7 million CAD (US$7.2 million) aid to 22 mental healthcare projects
worldwide, including one in
Funded
by the Canadian government, GCC seeks affordable innovations to augment and
amplify relatively the meagre existing help available to mental health and
brain disorder patients across the globe.
The
Vancouver-based
There
is also a longer-term, scalable aim to train primary healthcare providers in
mental healthcare delivery.
Canadian
Ambassador to Vietnam David Devine said he hopes the project will contribute
to enhancing the quality of healthcare services in
The
Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation has funded a project
to help
The
implementation of the project, which was started in 2012, was reviewed at a
conference in
The
project aims to improve strategic national programmes on employment as well
as laws on social insurance and other relevant policies, both nationally and
internationally.
Beneficiaries
of the projects include state management agencies working to build working
conditions and social policies, labourers, employers, enterprises and
non-governmental organisations.
At the
conference, participants emphasised the need to launch a communication
campaign to raise the awareness of beneficiaries in issues related to
equality.
Opinions
delivered at the event will be collected by the Department of External
Cooperation under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affair and
analysed as soon as possible.
Indian
grants 150 annual ITEC scholarships to Vietnam
The
Indian Government has decided to grant 150 scholarships to Vietnamese
students under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme (ITEC)
as of 2012-2013.
Indian
ambassador Preeti Saran made the announcement at an ITEC Festive Day in
She
said ITEC marks technical cooperation efforts between
ITEC,
a bilateral assistance programme funded by the Indian government, was
designed to address the needs of developing countries through innovative
technological cooperation between
Nearly
160 countries in Asia, East Europe, Central Asia, Africa, Latin America, the
ITEC
scholarship recipients are trained in English language, information
technology, media, telecommunications, management, rural development, energy,
water resource management, and labour management.
During
a recent
Vietnam
readies for 2014 int’l Chemistry Olympiad
The 13
members of
The
January 9-12 meeting focused on ensuring security of the exam,
inspecting facilities, reviewing participating countries, and updating
competition regulations.
The
committee has so far prepared 30 practice tests and 100 theory tests.
IChO
2014 is expected to attract 80 country and territory delegations.
Apart
from two days of official competition, candidates will also have
opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities to learn more
about
The
IChO is an annual academic competition for high school students under the age
of 20.
Its
record of success continued with two silvers and two bronzes in 2010, two
silvers and two bronzes in 2011, one gold, two silvers, and one bronze in
2012 and 1 gold and three silver medals in 2013.
Binh
Dinh blossoms on Tet flower demand
Villages
cultivating ornamental ochna trees in central Binh Dinh Province are enjoying
a bumper crop, indicating a robust recovery after the heavy floods of
November last year.
"I
have about 6,000 trees in my farm; it is a bumper crop," said farmer
Phan Van Sau in the apricot tree-growing
Sau
plans to sell 2,000 trees this Tet (Lunar New Year) and expects to receive
about VND 1 billion (US$47,000) in return.
He has
sold hundreds of trees to several localities around the country, including
A
common Tet tradition for the Vietnamese is to use different types of flowers
to decorate their homes to welcome the Lunar New Year. The yellow ochna
blossom is a traditional favourite for most people in the country's central
and southern regions.
Recently,
the residents in the north have also been opting for the yellow ochna
blossom, instead of the traditional peach blossom.
An
Nhon Commune in
Up to
90 per cent of the locals depend on ochna tree cultivation for their
livelihood. Five out of the commune's six villages — Thanh Liem, Hao Duc,
Thuan Thai, Trung Dinh and Tan Duong — are large ochna tree cultivators.
Without
doubt, ochna tree cultivation has eradicated poverty and developed the local
economy. Commercial cultivation of the ochna trees began 20 years ago, and it
has changed the lives of rural farmers. Local residents are getting wealthier
thanks to the yellow ochna blossom, with each farmer averaging an annual
income of VND200 million.
The
ochna tree cultivation also creates seasonal jobs for hundreds of workers
during the two months before the Tet celebrations.
In
1990, the late Dang Xuan Lan, also a farmer, introduced the idea of
cultivating ochna trees. The idea was embraced easily and ochna tree
cultivation has developed strongly since then. Local farmers now plant about
14 different varieties of apricot trees.
According
to No Van Khoa from Hao Duc village, the soil and climate in the commune are
highly suited for growing apricot trees, resulting in increasing productivity
every year.
In
addition to growing yellow ochna blossom trees for Tet, local farmers are
also cultivating bonsai ochna trees, which earn higher profits of up to
VND100 million ($4,700).
The
locals are also trying to cultivate rare and precious ochna tree varieties in
a bid to diversify their incomes.
The
Centre for Technology Application and Transfer of the province is working
closely with local growers of ochna trees for introducing new varieties of
seedlings, as well as techniques for growing more flowers on each tree.
Last
November, heavy floods swept through the province and threatened several
ochna-growing villages with large losses. "Almost all the trees were
affected by the flood waters. However, the floods soon receded in the
commune," added Sau.
After
the floods, the farmers attempted to dry the soil and save the trees several
times, using insights and techniques learnt over 20 years of cultivation.
Those
efforts helped to save the trees, and the commune is currently bustling with
trucks arriving every day to load and transport the trees to different
locations across the country.
An
official from the economic department of An Nhon Commune said the profit from
the sales of ochna trees this year is expected to surpass last year's figure
of VND20 billion (almost $1 million).
Ha
Noi to expedite land use procedures
Ha Noi
will spend nearly VND1 trillion (US$47.5 million) this year to complete a
cadastral survey and expedite the process of granting land-use right
certificates to prospective users.
The
statement was made by vice chairman of the municipal People's Committee Vu
Hong Khanh, who added that the funds would also be used to complete a land
management database.
A
cadastral survey is a comprehensive register of the real estate (including
ownership, location and dimensions of land) in a country.
Of the
funding, about VND900 billion ($42.75 million) will be used to prepare
cadastral maps of the entire city and a land management database, while VND83
billion ($4 million) will be used to review the use of farming/forestry land
and for granting land-use right certificates to eligible users.
Vice
Chairman Khanh said that, last year, the city achieved its target for
granting land-use certificates, also known as ‘red books', to land users who
had applied for the certificates for the first time.
Nearly
1,246 million certificates were granted to households and individuals,
accounting for 99.6 per cent of the total qualified applicants.
With
nearly 19,300 plots of land being used by groups or organisations, the city
has certified nearly 8,100 plots of land, accounting for 42 per cent of the
total land plots. In the past year alone, 1,200 land-use right certificates
were granted to eligible organisations.
Khanh
pointed out that to help prospective land users applying for the red book for
the first time, the city has adopted some administrative reform measures,
including
offering
an online public service for issuing certificates, introducing online
application forms and promoting a one-stop application system.
However,
he noted that difficulties remain in certifying land involved in regulatory
violations or improperly allocated earlier.
"This
year, the city will continue to review and help organisations, individuals
and households to address the difficulties in receiving land-use right
certificates," he added.
This year,
it plans to grant at least 2,000 certificates to organisations and 45,573
certificates to households and individuals.
In
addition, it will examine 144,000 ha for which prospective land users were
denied certificates because of insufficient documents.
Electric
motorbikes popular amid fuel price hikes
Electric
bikes are known to be used by students and older people, but more and more
people in
Nguyen
Thanh Huyen decided to buy an electric bike after the price hike in December.
She said, "I used to go around the city after work but I started to have
to limit my time on the street. To solve this problem, I sold my automatic
motorbike to buy a electric one."
Another
resident of the city said, fuel price hike also increased the prices of many
other goods so that she had to find other ways to save on daily expenses.
Many people have been buying electric bikes because the speed can reach up to
25km/h, and is cheaper and pollute less than other vehicles.
As a
result, the number of electric bike shops has also sharply increased, with
various styles and designs to choose from.
Huu,
the owner of one of these shops, said, "I used to sell motorbikes but
the business had got slow, so I switched to selling electric bikes. The
prices range from VND15 million (USD720) to VND20 million. I can sell around
ten per day. Before, the market only have one Chinese motorbike design that
did not look very appealing. But now we have a better selection of designs
from different places."
According
to the advice of one electric bike lover, customers must pay extra attention
to the battery capacity before buying a bike.
MoH
calls for better supervision of medical device imports
The
Ministry of Health has urged the General Department of Viet Nam Customs to
tighten inspections and supervision of medical devices imported into
The
instruction was made after customs police in Ha Noi discovered two cases of
refurbished medical devices which had been declared as new in customs
declaration forms and sold to hospitals in the city.
Last
Saturday, the department's Anti-Smuggling Investigation Department and
customs officials at
They
explained that the machines were secondhand although the importer, A.N.N.A
Medical Equipment Trading and Manufacturing Co Ltd based on
Last
month, Bao Tran Medical Equipment Co Ltd, which is also located on
Nguyen
Minh Tuan, head of the ministry's Department of Medical Devices, said that
importing out-of-date medical equipment was a serious crime that directly
affected patients.
All
devices imported to
Speaking
at a conference yesterday, Professor Hoang Van Son from the Viet Nam
Association of Private Medical Practices said medical equipment be capable of
catching up with the complicated development of diseases, and some devices
became obsolete in less than two years.
The
healthcare industry has to import 80 per cent of medical equipment because
the country only has 50 medical equipment manufacturers to serve nearly 1,000
hospitals and healthcare centres nationwide.
However,
regulations remain loose. With an investment capital of just VND200 million
(US$9,400), an enterprise could easily import used or refurbished machines to
make a profit.
Bui
Thi Hiep , chairwoman of the Ha Noi Medical Association, said except for
central hospitals, most healthcare centres were using out-of-date medical
devices for check-ups and treatment.
For
example, in Ha Noi, 85 out of 97 healthcare centres were reported to have
purchased or hire old equipment.
According
to experts, a legal base is needed to tighten control over medical products
which stipulated the responsibilities of those involved.
The
ministry should also build a centre in charge of supervising the quality of
foreign-made medical equipment before it's imported into
The
ministry has completed a draft decree to manage medical equipment in the
country which has been released for public feedback before it is submitted
for approval.
Pineapples
boost farmers' income
Nguyen
Thi Tam, who lives in Mekong Delta Tien Giang Province's Tan Phuoc District,
now earns a profit four to five times higher thanks to growing pineapples
than that from cajeput a few years ago.
Tam
said her family's lives have been improved after she switched from growing
cajeput to pineapples on her two-hectare plot in Tan Hoa Thanh Commune.
Nguyen
Van Hoa, who has planted pineapples for many years in Tan Phuoc's Tan Hoa Tay
Commune, said the price of pineapples has been rising to VND3,000-4,000 a
kilo since last year, which has earned farmers a good profit.
Tam
and Hoa are two of thousands of farmers in Tan Phuoc District whose lives
have been improved through growing pineapples.
Tan Phuoc,
which is located in the most flooded and alum-affected area in the Cuu Long (
The
district now has more than 15,000ha of pineapple, becoming one of the
country's leading pineapple cultivating areas.
When
the district was established, local authorities researched the most suitable
plant to grow in alum-affected areas, and found that it was pineapple.
Since
then local authorities have encouraged farmers to grow the fruit.
Local
authorities have also built dykes to prevent floods flowing into pineapple
fields during the delta's annual flooding season and have installed electric
pumps at the dykes to pump flood water out of pineapple fields.
Huynh
Tuoc, secretary of the Thanh Tan Commune Party Committee in Tan Phuoc, said
farmers have applied advanced techniques to grow off-season pineapples and
earn higher profits in recent years.
Farmers
earn a profit of VND20 million (US$950) per hectare for each pineapple crop,
he said.
"We
will continue encouraging farmers to switch from ineffective rice fields and
cajeput to pineapple." Tuoc said.
Huynh
Van Buon, head of the Tan Phuoc Agriculture and Rural Development Bureau,
said the district will strengthen training farmers in advanced farming
techniques to grow high quality pineapples according to Vietnamese Good
Agriculture Practices (VietGap).
The
district will also encourage farmers to grow off-season pineapples, he said.
In
recent years, many farmers have grown more of pineapple varieties called Son
and Phung to sell in Tet (Lunar New Year) festival. These pineapple varieties
are particularly beautiful in appearance and are most in-demand during Tet.
Many
farmers have earned high profits from growing Son and Phung pineapples.
The district
grows about 250,000 tonnes of various varieties of pineapple a year.
The
district's pineapples now have stable outlets as farmers are contracted to
sell pineapples to the Tien Giang-based Long Dinh Vegetable and Fruit
Company, which produces pineapple juice for domestic consumption and export.
The
districts' pineapples are also sold to
Yen
The capitalises on free-range chicken
In the
past, Hoang Van Tuan's chickens often suffered from disease, which put him at
constant risk of losing money.
This
year, the farmer in the northern province of Bac Giang's Yen The District
signed a contract with poultry processor Truong Anh to produce Ga doi Yen The
(Yen The
free-range
chicken), a famous specialty of the district that was granted trademark
status by the National Office of Intellectual Property in 2011.
Farmers
like Tuan must follow strict guidelines imposed by the company when it comes
to feeding and rearing the chickens and treating any ailments they might
have. In
return,
however, they can make significantly more money. Ga doi sells for
VND70,000-80,000 (US$3.3-3.8) per kilo, about VND10,000-15,000 ($0.4-0.7)
more than other kinds of chicken.
Deputy
Chairman of the Yen The People's Committee Thach Van Chung said that the district
was determined to ensure that ga doi was strictly regulated. A plastic ring
with the logo of Yen The chicken would be attached to the legs of every bird
sold so that shoppers could tell whether they were buying legitimate
products.
"In
the long term, we're calling for enterprises to join hands with local
residents to set up a close chain of production," said Chung.
By
2020, the committee plans to co-ordinate with three enterprises to develop
the brand. Pham Tuan Anh, chairman of Truong Anh's board of directors, said
that the
company
was working with Truong Hien Poultry Breeding Farm to supply good breeds for
the district and Nam Thai Poultry Medicine Company to verify product quality.
The
company has signed a distribution contract with Korean-owned Lotte Mart,
which has branches in 20 different countries.
Wild
animals released in Quang Nam
A
large contingent of animals rescued from illegal poaching and smuggling
operations were released on Saturday in central
The
release, performed by the provincial forest management and protection
authorities, set free a collection of snakes, tortoises and a 2.5kg civet
into protected forest areas in Phu Ninh District.
The
animals were recovered by the province's interdisciplinary task force in
operations between January 7 and January 10.
They
were in the possession of local handlers in Tam Dan Commune until their
release on Saturday.
In
response to increases in demand for wildlife ahead of the upcoming Tet
holiday, provincial forces are collaborating to ramp up inspections to stop
the poaching, smuggling and consumption of protected animals.
Vice-President
calls for more support to poor children
Vice
President Nguyen Thi Doan has called for more support from domestic and
foreign organisations and individuals to help poor children enjoy a warm
Lunar New Year at the seventh “Spring for Children” art programme held in
The
programme was co-organised by the National Fund for Vietnamese Children
(NFVC), the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, and Vietnam
Television.
Doan,
who is also NFVC President, thanked donors for their support for children
nationwide. However, she noted that there are still many living in
underprivileged circumstances across the country.
On
this occasion, the fund received about 150 billion VND (7.05 million USD)
from nearly 50 organisations and individuals inside and outside the country.
It
also launched a messaging campaign from January 11 to March 11, during which
every message sent to the number 1408 contributed 16,000 VND (0.75 USD) to
the fund.
In
2013, NFVC collected 62.7 billion VND (2.95 million USD) from donors and
provided help for 1.5 million poor children nationwide.
Earlier,
Vice President Doan also held a meeting to honour organisations and
individuals who have contributed to the fund.-
Phu
Yen supports off-shore fishing
The
southern central coastal
The
assistance came in the form of fuel subsidies and insurance for boats and
fishermen. In addition, the vessels were installed with communication and
Global Positioning System equipment.
Local
fishermen also built and upgraded 425 ships for off-shore fishing thanks to
the financial support of the provincial government.
Over
the past three years, total financial support from the province’s budget to
fishermen has amounted to 108 billion VND.
Phu
Yen authorities are considering another 9.5 billion VND aid package to
fishermen in 2014.
The
province is the cradle of oceanic tuna fishing in
Campaign
delivers 1 million Tet gifts to disadvantaged families
The
Vietnam Red Cross (VRC) is implementing a campaign to deliver 1 million gifts
to disadvantaged families on the occasion of the Lunar New Year Festival
(Tet).
The
VRC Central Committee has just approved a 4.8 billion VND (228,500 USD) aid
package to its chapters in 37 cities and provinces nationwide to purchase Tet
gifts for the poor and victims of Agent Orange/dioxin. These localities
either have a high rate of poverty or have been hit by natural disasters last
year.
The
committee has also sent nine delegations on gift delivery missions in
localities between January 10-27. The Lunar New Year this year will fall on
January 31.
By
Jan. 6, more than 525,000 gifts were distributed to target beneficiaries. Over
10,000 businesses, organizations and individuals both in and outside the
country donated to the campaign.
This
is the 15 th year the VRC has carried out the campaign to deliver Tet gifts
to the poor and AO victims. Nearly 10 million families have received help
from the campaign, including 1.5 million in 2013.-
Vietnamese
in
A
liaison board for the Vietnamese community in
Head
of the board Tran Hong Chung said that the 10-member group will act as a
bridge connecting Vietnamese people with the embassy while also encouraging
them to support each other, maintain their national cultural identities and
abide by the host country’s laws.
It
will also help consolidate and develop the bilateral friendship and
partnership, he added.
The
liaison board has already coordinated with the Vietnamese Embassy to hold a
New Year get-together for the Vietnamese community in
More
than 200 participants enjoyed Vietnamese traditional dishes, joined art
performances and participated in sport activities.-
Over
26 billion VND raised for poor people in HCM City
More
than 26 billion VND (1.222 million USD) was raised for poor farmers in
The
amount will help the poor farmers, all outstanding examples of overcoming
difficulties in life, to enjoy a happier Lunar New Year (Tet) festival.
As
part of activities implemented by the municipal Association of Farmers during
the last five years, the programme received the great support of many donors,
including enterprises, organisations and individuals.
In the
evening of the same day, a similar event took place in the central
One
month since the Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee made an appeal
to people inside and outside the locality to help underprivileged households
better
celebrate
their Tet festival, 9 billion VND (423,000 USD) was collected from 119
individuals and organisations.
This
is the third consecutive year the province has run the programme. Since 2011,
the locality mobilised 217 billion VND to assist local people in need.
Scholarship
programme marks
The
Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme embodies Indian
Government efforts in technical collaboration with the
The
Ambassador made the remark at ITEC alumni function held by the Indian Embassy
in
The
scholarship covers information technology, journalism, management, rural
development, environment, English language training, and accounting, among
others.
During
the Indian Prime Minister Shri Atal Behari Vaijpayee’s official visit to
Vietnam in 2011, India decided to raise the number of ITEC scholarships for
Vietnam from 75 to 150 since the 2012 – 2013 academic year.-
The
Vietnam Rubber Industry Group topped the list, creating more than 130,000 new
jobs including 30,000 positions for ethnic minority people and offering an
average monthly income of 9 million VND (423 USD).
Vietnam
Oil and Gas Group followed closely by generating 60,000 jobs with average
monthly income of 20 million VND (940 USD).
The
Vietnam Post and Telecommunication Group ranked third, offering about 50,000
new posts with average monthly income of 10 million VND (470 USD).
Meanwhile,
the FPT Company ranked first in the private sector listings with 15,000 new
jobs and titled as most friendly working environment.
The
list of 50 and 300
According
to Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the magazine Tran Ngoc Dien, the list of best
recruiters will be announced every year to encourage businesses to design
better employment policies for labourers.
Source: VNA/SGGP/VNS/VOV/Dantri
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Thứ Hai, 13 tháng 1, 2014
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