Social News Headlines 27/4 Hydrogen balloon explosion injures 13 Eleven 12-year-old students and two teachers of Suoi Day Secondary School were injured after about 100 hydrogen balloons exploded yesterday afternoon in the southern Tay Ninh Province's Suoi Day Commune. The victims received burn injuries on their faces and hands. The incident occurred after a ceremony to recognise the school's implementation of the national standards on education ended. The students had then asked the teachers to allow them to take the balloons. Three of the injured students were discharged from the local health centre after being treated for minor burns, while eight students and two teachers were admitted to the Tay Ninh General Hospital. The local police are investigating the case. Whirlwind injures 4 in An Giang province A whirlwind sweeping across the Mekong Delta province of An Giang on Tuesday injured four people, according to local authorities. The whirlwind, which battered Hoa Binh and Hoa An communes, also inflicted damage to 172 houses and tens of hectares of crops. Vice Chairman of Hoa Binh Commune's People's Committee Nguyen Xuan Nhiem said local authorities visited the affected areas to assist local people with recovery efforts. Ha Noi authorities seize 1 tonne of pork The capital city's quarantine officers and the traffic police have seized nearly one tonne of pork breasts which were being transported to the southern provinces. The meat was rotten and stinking, according to the officers who seized the cargo today at the crossroads of Phap Van, Hoang Mai and Ha Noi. The meat, of unidentified origins, was being carried in 14 sponge boxes which had Chinese seals. The driver, Chu Van Khiem, 32, told the police that he had collected the meat from unknown sources for sale in the southern region. He had no documents to show for his cargo, which is now set for incineration. The illegal transportation of undocumented animal and poultry products has become more complicated of late with traders finding new ways of smuggling them across the border for the domestic market. The Ha Noi Veterinary Department has registered 400 such cases so far this year, and has incinerated 400 kilograms of meat and 700 kilograms of poultry. A new decree had been issued on December 31, 2013, to increase the fines for food safety violations. The fine is now between 2 to 5 times higher than the previous one, amounting to VND100 million, or nearly US$5,000, for individuals who break the law, and VND200 million, or almost $1,000, for organisations.   Vietnamese American gets death sentence for drug trafficking The HCM City People's Court sentenced a Vietnamese American to death yesterday for transporting drugs illegally. Dinh Jason, 41, was found trying to smuggle over one kilogram of heroin from Viet Nam to Australia on June 12 last year. The court said that the police found three plastic bags containing the drugs in Dinh's underwear while he was completing procedures to board a flight to Australia at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport. He was arrested immediately. At the investigation agency, Dinh said that he was sent to Viet Nam to raise money in order to pay a US$20,000 gambling debt to a US-based man. However, when arriving in Viet Nam in June last year, Dinh was told to meet the man in HCM City and he said that he was unable to find a job for Dinh. He requested Dinh to visit Australia for a short period and carry the drugs with him. The man promised Dinh that if the drugs were brought to Australia successfully, he would absolve Dinh's gambling debt and pay him an additional $10,000. Hanoi, Fukuoka boost all around cooperation Chairwoman of the Hanoi People's Council Ngo Thi Doan Thanh held a reception in Hanoi on April 25 for a Japanese delegation from Fukuoka Prefectural Assembly led by its Chairman Matsuso Tosho. At the function, Thanh expressed delight with the evolution of Vietnam-Japan relations, noting that the relationship was elevated to a strategic partnership in March, opening the pathway for enhanced relations in the coming time. Roughly 520 Japanese companies are now operating in Hanoi, she said, adding they have invested more than US$4.6 billion in the Vietnamese economy, accounting for 22% of the nation’s total foreign investment. The Japanese companies have generated 135,000 jobs in Vietnam, significantly contributing to boosting the local economy, she continued. Chairwoman Thanh also voiced her desire that relations between the two cities will be further developed by both high-level exchange visits and Japanese investment in such fields as infrastructure development, cultural exchange and tourism. Chairman Tosho Matsuo, in turn hailed the achievements in the cooperative relations between the two nations and the two cities. He extended an invitation to a delegation from Hanoi municipal People’s Council to visit Fukuoka in the future to strengthen solidarity, friendship and mutual understanding among the peoples as well as sharing experiences in all fields. Tosho Matsuo said that the environment is an important issue which has directly affected people’s lives in Fukuoka. He said he has high expectations that Fukuoka and Hanoi can join hands in addressing environmental pollution. On the occasion, the Hanoi municipal People’s Council and the Fukuoka Prefectural Assembly agreed to sign an agreement on promoting exchange and friendship to contribute to the cultural and economic development of the two cities based on mutual trust and respect. Under the agreement, they will conduct exchanges in such fields as economics, culture, transport and the environment. Quang Ngai reports another case of skin disease A new patient of the skin disease known as foot and palm dermatitis has been admitted to the General Hospital of the central province of Quang Ngai. The 21-year-old patient, a resident of the Ba To Commune in Ba To District, is the first reported case of the disease in the commune. She was admitted with high fever and was found to have several spots on her palms and feet. She has been examined and has undergone tests for further diagnosis. Since the beginning of the year, the Quang Ngai Province has reported three new cases of the skin disease. The Ministry of Health's Department of Preventive Medicine has started its investigation in the areas where the disease broke out this year to find its origins. Workers Month to kick off in May Trade unions nationwide are organising a variety of activities to mark the annual Workers Month in May. In Ha Noi, the city's Labour Union has provided free health check-ups and medicine as well as legal advice to workers in Bac Thang Long Industrial Park. It will also hand out gifts and organise music performances. In Binh Duong Province, the Labour Union said it would inspect enterprises' implementation of labour laws and policies on labourers' rights, and will honour workers with excellent performance as well as enterprises that engage in local communities and follow labour regulations. HCM City's Labour Union will also launch Workers Month on April 27 at the Labour Cultural House in District 1, with over 1,000 jobs available for the unemployed. Ministry asks health centres to maintain vaccine supplies The Pharmacy Management Department under the Health Ministry has asked all private health centers offering measles and chicken-pox vaccination to implement back-up plans and have enough supplies of vaccines. In a document sent yesterday to the Department of Preventive Medicine, deputy head of the Pharmacy Management Department Nguyen Tat Dat said that according to the Government Ordinance issued in November 2013, these vaccines are allowed to be imported in unlimited supply and do not need to get permission from the Health Ministry. The Pharmacy Management Department only requested that the buying-in price of these vaccines must not exceed the price submitted earlier to the department. According to officials, the number of people going to private health centres for vaccinations against measles has increased by 30 per cent in recent days. Hospitals to use HPV testing for cervical cancer screenings Tu Du Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital in HCM City will begin to use HPV testing for screening of cervical cancer. The virus is the second leading cause of cancer among Vietnamese women after breast cancer, with incidence rates of 9.5-13 per 100,000, according to health officials. "HPV16 or HPV18 genotyping are the riskiest types that account for 70 per cent of cervical cancer cases," said Le Quang Thanh, director of the hospital. Besides Papanicolaou screening (Pap screening) and liquid-based cytology, the hospital will use human papillomavirus (HPV) testing for cervical cancer screening this year. "HPV testing is more sensitive and less specific than Pap testing," said Philip E. Castle, executive director of the Global Cancer Initiative and CEO of the Global Coalition Against Cervical Cancer. The Ministry of Health is working with Roche Vietnam Co. Ltd., and three major hospitals, including the National Hospital for Obstetric and Gynecology, Tu Du Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital and Hung Vuong Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, to develop a new cervical cancer screening programme with HPV testing. HCM City led the country in cervical cancer incidence rates, with 14-16 per 100,000 women, Thanh said. "More than 5,100 new cases of cervical cancer are reported nationwide and 2,400 women die from the disease every year," he said at a conference held on Tuesday. This means seven women in Viet Nam die from cervical cancer every day, most of them are aged 40 to 75. A Pap screen is done every year to three years, with the interval between tests depending on the age of the woman. Financial qualifications give edge to female execs Women with certified financial backgrounds should find it easier to win positions on the boards of big corporations, a recent seminar held by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) was told in Ha Noi. According to VietnamPlus e-newpaper, Martin Turner, president of ACCA Global, said finance was a springboard for women. The financial sector has created a clearer path for career advancement for women, especially in companies that provide professional services. Citing the report titled Women in Finance: A Springboard to Corporate Board Positions, he said women seemed to be more successful in corporate executive positions if they had experience in the financial sector. According to the report, 45 per cent of corporate female executives have a functional background in finance and 65 per cent have experience in the financial sector. The comparable rates for male executives are 26 per cent and 44 per cent. The report also shows that finance is the language of the boardroom and the ability to communicate financial information establishes and builds credibility. Turner said that financial skills were not enough. Women needed to stretch their social connections and make themselves known to the places they want to work. The seminar, which was held last week, was told that Viet Nam had achieved encouraging progress in gender equality, evidenced by high rate of girl students at schools and female workers in the labour force. In the country, about 30 per cent of corporate boardroom members are women, higher than the world average. However, the gender disparity in leadership positions remains quite large. According to the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce's Business Forum magazine, recruiting talented female leaders is becoming more competitive around the world. Speaking at the seminar, Nguyen Vinh Ha, deputy director of Grant Thornton Viet Nam, said the percentage of women in business leadership was increasing, especially in the financial sector. Nevertheless, the rate of female workers is relatively low. Up to 66 per cent of enterprises surveyed said their female employees made up less than 50 per cent of their workforces. Ha said women still faced a lot of barriers to leadership. They still did most of the housework and had little time for career development. This meant they sometimes lacked confidence or clung to outmoded thinking. Moreover, their earlier retirement age also limited the accumulation of experience and skill. Health forum talks non-communicable diseases strategy Senior experts from the Government, public and private hospital administrations, civil society, and academia gathered for a discussion on the state of non-communicable diseases in Viet Nam on Tuesday. Moderated by Dr Ha Anh Duc and Dr Vuong Tuan Anh, both senior researchers at the Institute of Population, Health and Development, Viet Nam, the roundtable discussed how Viet Nam's healthcare eco-system needs to adapt to meet challenges in the face of rising NCD rates. "Southeast Asia is no doubt struggling with the challenges of successfully managing the NCD burden," Duc, who is a founding member of the ASEAN NCD Network, said. NCDs account for 60 per cent of global deaths, with 80 per cent of these deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries, making them a major cause of poverty and an urgent growing issue. In Viet Nam, the overall NCD morbidity and mortality rates have been rising rapidly in the last two decades. The mortality rate from NCDs is four times higher than from infectious diseases. Cardiovascular diseases are now the leading cause of death in the country, killing three times more people than infectious and parasitic diseases, and accounting for nearly a fifth of the total disease burden. But the risk of many NCDs can be lowered with concerted efforts by all stakeholders to drive behavioral change, the workshop heard. "The ASEAN NCD Network is taking the first big step towards helping the countries in the region to find plausible, long-term solutions," Sanjay Bapna, head of SEA, Philips Healthcare APAC, said. "Some of the ideas and solutions shared through the session in Ha Noi today might be further developed into working policies and initiatives to help with the burden of non-communicable diseases on the local and national healthcare systems." The ASEAN NCD Network has undertaken a bloc-wide study on innovations in NCD Management with a core focus on Viet Nam. City hosts fair on education reform Curricula with cutting-edge technology and advanced schooling models are being showcased at the HCM City Education Development Fair that opened yesterday at the city's Independence Palace in District 1. The three-day event, themed "Renovation- Integration- Development", promotes the implementation of the city's policies on education reform. During the fair, a series of workshops will be held on education investment policies, advanced curricula, consultancy on enrollment, career orientation, and application of modern equipment and devices. Textbook suppliers, colleges, universities, vocational high schools and foreign language centres have set up 150 booths at the fair. In addition, a photo exhibition on the city's education achievements features research work of students, modern schooling models and design examples of buildings. Milk producer confirms compliance FrieslandCampina Viet Nam on Tuesday said it was "responsibly" cooperating with regulatory authorities in testing samples of its products after reports of suspected poisoning in Nam Dinh. The Directorate for Standards, Metrology (science of measurement) and Quality has taken samples of milk products for testing after 12 pupils in the northern province of Nam Dinh were rushed to hospital after drinking Dutch Lady brand milk last Friday. The results are expected by next Monday, according to makers. The affected children were among nearly 700 pupils at My Tan primary school in My Loc District who drank the milk during a company promotion programme. French universities eye links with Vietnam partners Representatives from French universities gathered for “Vietnam Day” in Paris on April 24 to seek joint opportunities with Vietnamese partners. The event was hosted by the French national agency for the promotion of higher education, international student services, and international mobility, known as Campus France. Vietnam is launching education cooperation at both government and school-levels. It has agreed major projects with the German, French, British and Japanese governments, noted Campus France General Director Antoine Grassin in his opening remarks. Jacque Frere, Attaché of Science and Universities from the French Embassy in Vietnam, cited the international-standard University of Science and Technology of Hanoi (USTH), a key partnership between Vietnam and France, as a success story. He said hundreds of French professors, researchers and lecturers have assisted USTH in teaching and science studies. Deputy Head of the Ministry of Education and Training’s International Cooperation Department, Nguyen Thanh Huyen, said France has the largest number of partnership programmes with Vietnam in university education. According to the Campus France, over 6,300 Vietnamese students enrolled in French universities in 2012-2013. Vietnam is now among the top 10 countries with the highest number of students in France. From the Asian region, only China sends more. Meanwhile, France is the third most common destination chosen by Vietnamese students, after the US and Australia. HCM City plant trees to mark Dien Bien Phu Victory Sixty bauhinia trees have been planted at a park in Ho Chi Minh City to mark the 60 th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory, which falls on May 7. The trees were presented by the Vice Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People’s Committee of northern Dien Bien province, Mua A Son, during his working trip to the southern city. Son also joined the planting of the trees on April 24, representing a close relationship between Dien Bien and Ho Chi Minh City . Earlier on the same day, an exhibition showcasing more than 100 photos, 40 artefacts, 12 battle maps and 82 books on the southern soldiers and people’s assistance during the Dien Bien Phu Campaign opened at the Southeastern Armed Forces Museum in the city. The event will run till May 24. Dien Bien Phu was a complex of strong fortresses with 16,200 French troops, the most seasoned in Indochina , stationed in 14 fortifications of three sub-divisions. At 3:00 pm on May 7, 1954, the Vietnamese army launched a massive attack on the headquarters of General Christian De Castries. The French commander at Dien Bien Phu was captured and the campaign was won. The victory was a vivid manifestation of the quick growth of the Vietnamese army, then only ten years old, under General Vo Nguyen Giap. Remains of fallen Vietnamese war heroes returned home A ceremony was held at a war cemetery in Do Luong district, central Nghe An province on April 25 to rebury the remains of 31 volunteer Vietnamese soldiers and advisors who died on the battlefields of Laos. Speaking at the event, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Le Xuan Dai expressed his deep gratitude to the heroes who laid down their lives for the national independence as well as the fraternal solidarity and friendship between the two nations. He thanked the authorities, armed forces and people of Laos ’ Xiengkhouang, Vientiane and Xaysomboun provinces for their whole-hearted support and assistance. Earlier, the authorities and people in the three Lao provinces held a requiem for the fallen Vietnamese before their remains were brought back to their homeland. World Bank offers financial aid for Hanoi clean water station The Hanoi municipal People’s Committee has approved a project on building a clean water supply station for Huong Son commune, My Duc district. The construction of the station, with a designed capacity of 3,500 cubic metres per day, will be kick-started this year. The total cost of nearly 90 million VND (4.23 million USD) for the work has mainly been sourced from the 2013-2015 National Rural Water Supply and Sanitation National Target Programme funded by the World Bank(WB). Of the money, approximately 54 billion VND (2.53 million USD) or 60 percent of the total cost is covered by the State budget through the programme and nearly 27 billion VND (1.26 million USD) is from Hanoi’s loan from the WB. The remaining cost will be donated by local people. Once finished in 2015, the work will benefit nearly 23,000 local people as well as promote the socio-economic development of the locality. An Giang enhances remains search and repatriation efforts The southern province of An Giang is working hard to promote the search and retrieval of soldiers’ remains, both at home and abroad, in the period of 2014-2020. Under the direction of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, the provincial People’s Committee has set up the Steering Board for the search and repatriation of remains from now and beyond 2020. Accordingly, the board will focus on directing and managing agencies, organisations and localities in collecting information in a bid to locate more remains in the province. It will also be responsible for the search and repatriation of remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and advisors who laid down their lives in Cambodia. The locality plans to find the remains of nearly 500 fallen soldiers in the next six years, including 168 at home and 300 others in Cambodia’s Kampong Speu and Takeo provinces. His Eminence Drukpa prays for peace in Vietnam His Eminence Drukpa Kyabje Thuksey Rinpoche and a Buddhist delegation from India have been hosting public teachings and prayers for peace in Vietnamese localities from April 22 to May 6. They are touring Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, the northern province of Vinh Phuc, central Da Nang city and the southern province of Dong Nai. Requiems for war martyrs and disaster victims will be also held during this time. Thuksey Rinpoche was born in Chushul, India in 1986. In July 1987, he was recognised as the reincarnation of 1st Thuksey Rinpoche (Drukchen Dungse Rinpoche) by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and His Holiness the 12th Gyalwang Drukpa. He is the chairman of Druk Padma Karpo School . He has been given the responsibility of overseeing the Drukpa Buddhist Centers in Europe by his spiritual teacher, His Holiness the 12th Gyalwang Drukpa. Thai Nguyen works to improve lives for ethnic people The northern province of Thai Nguyen is exerting every effort to improve the living standards of Mong ethnic minority people and ensure their safety and social order. The Mong community is spread over 47 hamlets in Vo Nhai, Phu Luong, Dinh Hoa and Dong Hy districts. Nine of these contain over 70 percent of poor households, while 20 others are home to 40 percent of families living under the poverty line. The statistics were revealed at a conference on April 23, where participants discussed the problem and its solutions. They said the low economic starting point, out-of-date manufacturing techniques and geographical distance from trade centres were to blame for the high ratio of people suffering from poverty. The ethnic group has yet to receive much assistance from businesses and organisations in and out of the locality, they added. It was suggested that training courses should be opened for the Mong people to be updated on science-technology and cultivation techniques, while traditional cultural values of ethnic minority groups should be promoted through festivals. On the occasion of the conference, local authorities presented 17 gifts for Mong ethnic people who made great contributions to local poverty reduction efforts. Thai Nguyen is home to seven ethnic minority groups residing in 1,985 hamlets with over 660,000 people, making up nearly 60 percent of the total provincial population. Officials share joy over Buddha’s birthday A delegation from the Central Highlands Steering Committee on April 23 visited the Buddhist Sanghas of Gia Lai and Kon Tum provinces on the occasion of the Lord Buddha’s 2558th birthday. Lu Ngoc Cu from the committee confirms that the Party and Government always take care of and carry out policies promoting religious freedom. He hailed the great contributions by Buddhist monks, nuns and followers to the cause of national construction and defence, adding that he hopes they will continue to advance with the nation on the road to build a wealthy and happy country. Most Venerable Thich Tam Tuong, President of the Gia Lai Buddhist Sangha’s Executive Council, said local Buddhist clergy and followers raise an average of 2 billion VND each year for charity activities to support poor people. In Kon Tum, Most Venerable Thich Quang Hanh, head of the Dharma committee of the provincial Buddhist Sangha said the province has granted 20ha of land to build a pagoda in Mang Den, Kon Plong district. The province is now home to 25 pagoda worshipping Buddha. Buddhism has accompanied Vietnam for over 2,000 years. Vietnam has more than 12 million Buddhist followers, over 40 thousands of monks and nuns and almost 15,000 temples, monasteries or places to worship Buddhist. Ho Chi Minh City needs 25,000 extra workers in May Businesses in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s largest economic hub, will need 25,000 more employees, mostly skilled ones, in May. According to the city's Centre for Human Resource Forecasts and Labour Information, industries with high recruitment needs require specialists in marketing, services, information technology, accounting, real estate and garment-footwear production. Next month, the demand for jobs is expected to increase by 30 percent from this month, as a number of probationary students and new graduates will enter the job market. The city has recorded double-digit economic growth for nearly 20 years now. Its annual income per capita has reached 5,000 USD. More schools benefit from Samsung computer project The Samsung Life Insurance Co. Ltd. (SLI) on April 22 handed over classrooms equipped with computing devices to two secondary schools in Hanoi’s suburb districts of Dan Phuong and Thanh Oai. Each of the two classrooms consists of 30 sets of computers with sufficient support devices. The total facilities are worth more than 500 million VND (23,800 USD). The activity was part of a project providing schools with computing facilities, agreed by the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations, SLI and the Global Civic Sharing organisation (GCS) from the Republic of Korea . Bui Thi Hoa, Director of the GCS’ Vietnam-Korea Cooperation Centre, said the project, funded with 1.44 million USD by SLI, aims to improve disadvantaged children’s access to better learning conditions. In 2013, it presented such classrooms to 11 schools in Hanoi. Nine more schools in the capital and Vinh Phuc and Hai Duong provinces are expected to benefit from the project this June. Russian experts visit Hoa Binh province A delegation of Russian experts visited the northern province of Hoa Binh on April 22 to look at how they can work the locality in culture, tourism, and vocational training for people with disabilities. At the working session with local authorities, the Russian guests showed interests in education-training issues and partnerships in culture and socio-economic development with the province in particular and Vietnam as a whole. Standing Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Bui Van Cuu held out hopes that the experts will help boost the two sides’ exclusive, wide-ranging partnership, as will further cement the two countries’ bilateral ties. Following the meeting, the delegation had a fact-finding tour of the locality’s tourism potential visiting caves in Cao Phong district. They had a working session with the Hoa Binh city vocational training centre for disabled people. Forum talks non-communicable diseases strategy Senior experts from the Government, public and private hospital administrations, civil society, and academia have gathered in Hanoi for a discussion on the state of non-communicable diseases (NCD) in Vietnam. Moderated by Ha Anh Duc and Vuong Tuan Anh, both senior researchers at the Institute of Population, Health and Development, the roundtable discussed how the country’s healthcare eco-system needs to adapt to meet challenges in the face of rising NCD rates. "Southeast Asia is no doubt struggling with the challenges of successfully managing the NCD burden," Duc, who is a founding member of the ASEAN NCD Network, said. NCDs account for 60 percent of global deaths, with 80 percent of these deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries, making them a major cause of poverty and an urgent growing issue. In Vietnam, the overall NCD morbidity and mortality rates have been rising rapidly in the last two decades. The mortality rate from NCDs is four times higher than from infectious diseases. Cardiovascular diseases are now the leading cause of death in the country, killing three times more people than infectious and parasitic diseases, and accounting for nearly a fifth of the total disease burden. But the risk of many NCDs can be lowered with concerted efforts by all stakeholders to drive behavioral change, the workshop heard. "The ASEAN NCD Network is taking the first big step towards helping the countries in the region to find plausible, long-term solutions," Sanjay Bapna, head of SEA, Philips Healthcare APAC, said. "Some of the ideas and solutions shared through the session in Hanoi today might be further developed into working policies and initiatives to help with the burden of non-communicable diseases on the local and national healthcare systems,” Sanjay Bapna added. The ASEAN NCD Network has undertaken a bloc-wide study on innovations in NCD Management with a core focus on Vietnam. Project reduces cement sector’s greenhouse gas emissions The Ministry of Construction and the Nordic Development Fund (NDF) on April 24 launched a project aiming to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Vietnam’s cement sector. Minister of Construction Nguyen Tran Nam said as of the end of 2013, there were 71 cement plants using rotary kilns in the country, with a total design capacity of 73 million tonnes. The industry released about 57 million tonnes of CO2 into the environment in 2013. Meanwhile, its design capacity is expected to top 100 million tonnes of cement in the 2016-2020 period, he noted. The NDF-funded project will be carried out in two years starting from February 2014. It will assess the potential amount of GHG released by cement factories, and build a standard emission level, a measurement system and a nationally appropriate mitigation action for this industry. National forum examines community forestry A national forum on community forestry was opened in the northern province of Thai Nguyen on April 23, looking at the practice that has proved effective in forest management. The two-day event, the first of its kind so far, drew nearly 100 Vietnamese and foreign experts in the field. The Vietnam Administration of Forestry (VAF) said many community forests have been piloted across Vietnam in the past years. More than 5,000 households of 10 provinces joined a national project in the first phase from 2006-2009, bringing some 16,800 hectares of forests under their supervision. At present, nearly 4 million hectares of forests are being managed by local communities in Vietnam. At the forum, participants discussed the legal framework on community forestry, benefits that this practice brings about, sustainable forest management, and wood processing. They said that the implementation of the model helps improve local people’s awareness of the importance of forest protection and development and brings about profits to those who join it. The forum is held by the VAF, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, the Center for People and Forests, and the Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry. Attempts made to conserve Bach Ma Park’s biodiversity Managers of Bach Ma National Park in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue are taking all possible measures to conserve the area’s biodiversity, which is being threatened by human activities. Established in 1991, Bach Ma Park has a core zone covering 37,487 hectares in Phu Loc and Nam Dong districts. It boasts 2,373 mushroom and flora species. Among them, 73 plants are listed in the Vietnam Red Data Book of endangered species, while more than 500 others are rare herb plants. The park also harbours 1,715 fauna species, including 363 types of bird - one third of the number of bird species in Vietnam . Sixty-nine animals named in the Red Data Book and 15 indigenous species have also been recorded here. Despite such biodiversity, the number of fauna and flora species in the park has fallen significantly, with some even becoming extinct. This has been attributed to illegal activities by people residing in Bach Ma’s buffer zone. Many live impoverished lives, and they cut wood and poach wild animals to satisfy the growing demand and high prices for rare species in big cities. To cope with the problem, the park’s managing board and local authorities are increasing education to raise people’s awareness of protecting forests and encouraging the development of eco-tourism. They also plan to give intensive training to conservation staff, help local households grow plants that have high economic value and build infrastructure facilities serving the conservation. More attention will also be given to maintaining the protective function of deltas surrounding the Truoi, Ta Trach, Cu De and Con rivers so as to provide a stable environment for agricultural and industrial activities in the region. Children most vulnerable to climate change Children are the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change so they must have a voice in limiting the risks, attendees declared at a conference in Ho Chi Minh City on April 23. Natural disasters, droughts and rising sea levels have exposed children to water-borne diseases caused by viruses and bacteria, said Jamin Burgess, a United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) expert on climate change. Ho Chi Minh City ranked fourth in the world in terms of exposure to climate change risks in the 2013 UN findings, she added. Vu Thuy Linh, Vice Manager of the municipal bureau for climate change, also spoke about environmentally-friendly projects across the city, such as a recycling festival, forestry projects and a master plan on water resource management. Participants called for the public involvement in the endeavour. They suggested the effective use of renewable energies, forestation and higher standard of hygiene in crowded residential areas. The event was co-hosted by the Children’s Friend project management board and UNICEF. Wildlife farming comes under scrutiny A forum centred on the conservation and sustainable use of wildlife resources was held in Hanoi on April 22 by the Biodiversity Conservation Agency under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. At the function, participants discussed conservation models suitable for Vietnam, the farming of endangered animals and things that can be learned from other countries’ experience. They warned that breeding wild animals for profit is increasingly common in Asia, raising the question of whether these farms will help protect wild species. Some attendees suggested banning farming of endangered animals and strict punishment for violators of wildlife protection laws. According to a recent survey of 78 farms in Vietnam, conducted by the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Vietnam Forest Protection Department, there are 22 species being raised, including 12 which are nationally endangered and six others which are globally in danger of extinction. Source: VNN/VNA/VOV/VNS