Social News Headlines 20/5 Deputy PM: Don’t get trapped by bad elements Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam late last week called for the public, particularly patriotic workers at industrial parks, to stay vigilant against ill-intentioned elements. “The people of Vietnam should be vigilant and carefully consider when and where they need to express patriotism to produce the best results,” he told scientists at the Ministry of Science and Technology office in Hanoi on Saturday. “We should help workers and other ordinary people understand that they might get trapped by bad elements. Public order and safety must be guaranteed when they display their patriotism and more importantly, the image of a peace-loving country like Vietnam must be protected.” Over the past week a number of improvised protests against China’s illegal placement of an oilrig well within Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf have happened in some provinces but many protestors have violated laws as incited by malevolent elements, he said. Authorities will strictly deal with these violators, he said, advising people should do as instructed by state agencies when it comes to show patriotism in a way that is best for the country. “If we are not on high alert, we will do more harm than good to the country’s image and its current struggle to protect sovereignty.” Dam stressed China’s stationing of Haiyang Shiyou-981 rig in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone is a gross violation of international law. “Party and State leaders have given clear orders that we will resort to peaceful means to protect our sovereignty. Our sovereignty cannot be sacrificed by peace.” Rallies in US protest against China’s illegal act in East Sea Hundreds of Vietnamese people living in Washington D.C and surrounding areas on May 18 gathered in front of the Chinese Embassy to protest China’s illegal placement of the Haiyang Shiyou-981 drilling rig in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf. David Huy Ho, President of the Vietnamese Entrepreneurs’ Association in the US and head of the organising board, told Vietnam News Agency’s correspondents that in addition to the demonstration, the Vietnamese Entrepreneurs’ Association also set up a website in English language spread the word about the illegality of China’s nine-dotted line in the East Sea. The association also plans to collect 100,000 signatures to send to the US Congress to oppose the line, he stated. The same day, nearly 100 overseas Vietnamese and foreigners from New York and Boston (Massachusetts State) attended a meeting in front of the Chinese representative mission in New York to raise their voices against China’s aggressive acts in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf. Merle Ratner, a social activist for peace in the US, said China’s positioning of the drilling rig in Vietnam’s waters violates international law and threatens peace and stability in the region. She affirmed her backing for Vietnam as Vietnam is a peace-loving nation, which always commits to solving disputes by peaceful means. Vietnamese students in the country also sent their letters to President Barrack Obama and the US Senate to call on the US government and international community to voice objection to China’s actions in Vietnam’s waters.- SMS campaign for sea and island protection A text-message campaign to raise fund for soldiers and fishermen on Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spartly) archipelagos was launched in Hanoi on May 19. Activated by the Ministry of Information and Communications and the Vietnam Red Cross (VRC), the programme aims to raise public awareness of defending the nation’s sea and island sovereignty, said Minister Le Nam Thang. People can support the campaign by sending messages “BD” to 1409 (each worth 18,000 VND), or objects and cash to the VRC headquarters at 82 Nguyen Du street , Hanoi or to the account 12010000036656 at the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV). The campaign received 16,660 messages at the launching ceremony. It will run until July 18. Since 2012, the Vietnam Red Cross Society has launched a number of similar programmes supporting soldiers and fishermen at Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos and encouraging them to persistently stay at sea to defend the national sovereignty. New visa application centre to Australia Vietnamese nationals wishing to apply for visas to Australia will find the process easier now a new joint visa application centre has opened in Ha Noi. Australia will share these facilities with the United Kingdom. The services will include extended operating hours with telephones open until 5pm on weekdays, and internet kiosks with an online application tracking facility so clients can view the status of their applications. The centre will be run by VFS Global on behalf of the department, and located at 127 Lo Duc Street, Hai Ba Trung District. Further details can be found on the Australian immigration website at www.immi.gov.au. Fire destroys mahout house in Dak Lak   A fire ravaged a mahout house in the Bao Dai King's private residence area in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak today morning. Four fire engines and 50 firemen took more than one hour to stamp out the fire. No casualties were reported. However, all the wooden pillars, the tile roof and the mahouts' personal things were destroyed. Director of the Dak Lak Relics Management Centre Y Ben Bya said that the house had been the rest house for mahouts who looked after elephants for the Bao Dai King. The house was scheduled to be restored to receive visitors. The cause of the fire is being investigated. 2014 National Skills Competition kicks off The 2014 National Skills Competition kicked off on May 19 in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue with 41 examinees competing in two categories of cooking and restaurant services. The competitors, all under 22, are winners of local competitions held earlier nationwide. Jointly organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Hue Tourism Vocational College, the biennial event aims to honour young and skilled workforce, encouraging them to promote their creativeness and sharpen their skills. According to organisers, winners of the competition, which will run until May 22, will be added to the national team. They will get further training before attending the 10th ASEAN Skills Competition later this year in Vietnam and the 43 rd World Skill Competition to be held in 2015 in Brazil. Hundred-year-old cannons unearthed The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism in the central province of Phu Yen have recovered two cannons that date back to the late 19th century. The two cannons, weighing about 500kg each, were discovered buried 2.5m underground by locals in Song Cau Town. They are made of cast-iron and were found intact. According to experts from the Museum of Phu Yen, the weapons were made in Western countries and transported to Phu Yen via the Vung Lam seaport (now Song Cau) around the end of the 19th century. At that time, Vung Lam was a major seaport in the region. VN Register proposes ban on sleeper bus conversions The Vietnam Register has proposed that the Ministry of Transport ban turning passenger coaches into sleeper buses. Up to 90 per cent of passenger bus accidents this year involved sleeper buses, according to the National Road Safety Committee. A nationwide inspection in March uncovered a series of violations, including safety equipment shortages and improper modifications on buses to install more beds and seats. In the inspections, 630 out of the country's more than 2,410 sleeper buses were found operating without seat belts, fire extinguishers and escape hammers. Chief inspector of the ministry Nguyen Van Huyen said that Ha Noi, HCM City and Thanh Hoa Province had the most violations. In a random check of 414 sleeper buses in HCM City, inspectors discovered that 94 vehicles lacked seat belts, 20 had removed their seats for freight, 18 had installed too many beds, 47 did not have fire extinguishers and 66 lacked escape hammers. Huyen said the inspectors had reported the results to the ministry along with proposals for stricter regulations on these vehicles. "These buses need additional aid kits and buses must be inspected thoroughly before they leave the station," he said. The inspectors also proposed the ministry allow buses travelling on foggy routes to install anti-fog lamps. Sleeper buses have been operating in Viet Nam since 2007. In Ha Noi alone, a sleeper bus departs every 30 minutes. Also included in the Viet Nam Register's proposal are requests that the ministry stipulate the size of truck containers for different kinds of cargo and ban operators from enlarging the size of containers. Additionally, the Register sought to ban goods from being imported in second-hand trucks that modify their engines to carry overweight cargo. Central localities on high alert over forest fire risk   Prolonged hot and dry weather has prompted central localities to brace for forest fire. A fire broke out at Ngu Binh Mountain in central Hue City last Tuesday, destroying thousands of square metres of forest. Another fire ruined around two hectares of natural forest in Tuy Phuoc District of Binh Dinh Province last Wednesday. The Department of Forest Management warned that many areas in the central region had set the highest level of alert for forest fires, particularly in Ninh Thuan and Quang Ngai provinces, where any fire would spread rapidly. Deputy head of the forest management department of Quang Ngai province Nguyen Dai said that in addition to raising public awareness, regular patrols and inspections would also be made. The province is currently home to 250,000ha of forest, while Ninh Thuan province is home to 199,000ha. In Ninh Thuan, the deputy head of the forest management department said more than 100,000ha of forests set Level 5 warnings, the highest level. The department has held three drills this year to strengthen local firefighters' skills, he said, in addition to spreading information about how to prevent forest fires. A new regulation on forest fire prevention and control took effect in Quang Nam province yesterday. The regulation bans activities that can cause forest fires, such as burning fields and lighting fires in certain types of forests. Meanwhile, the National Hydro-meteorological Forecast Centre warned that severe hot weather would continue to hit the north and central regions in the next few days with temperatures soaring to 39 degrees Celsius. Last year, nearly 250 fires were reported across the country, destroying 965 hectares of forest. Oxygen cylinder explosion kills 2 Two men were killed and another was injured after an oxygen cylinder exploded yesterday morning at Vien Nguyen Trading and Service Co Ltd in the Central Highland province of Dak Lak's Tan An Industrial Zone. The victims were the company director and his driver. The injured, Doan Ngoc Nam, 22, who works at the company, is being treated at Thien Hanh Hospital. According to Nam, the explosion occurred when the director was checking the oxygen cylinder. Police are investigating the case. Drowned student's body found The body of a 15-year-old student from Vo Van Kiet Secondary School was found yesterday in Da Rang River after a day-long search by local rescue workers in the central province of Phu Yen. His body was discovered 100m from where he disappeared after he and nine classmates went swimming on Sunday afternoon. A report from the provincial department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs showed that 76 children aged 5-16 had drowned since 2011 in the province. Scientific symposium on Vietnam held in Moscow The Institute for Far Eastern Studies (IFES) under the Russian Academy of Sciences is holding a scientific symposium on Vietnam in Moscow on May 19-20. Opening the symposium, IFES Director Mikhail Titarenko said that this year’s event, the fifth of its kind, focuses on the main theme of “important anniversaries during 2014-15 in Vietnam’s history”. He noted that the symposium takes place in the context of tension in the East Sea due to a territorial dispute between Vietnam and China, adding that experts on Vietnamese and Chinese studies at the institute are concerned about the situation and call on both sides to restrain and solve all disputes by peaceful means. Addressing the event, Prof. Do Tien Sam, head of the Institute of Chinese Studies under the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, said the period from 2014-2015 will see the anniversaries of many major events in Vietnam’s history, which are extremely important to the country’s development process as well as the national liberation movement and the history of the world. During the two-day symposium, delegates heard reports on Vietnam’s political, social and cultural issues, its relationship with other countries as well as its language and literature. The country’s participation in solving international territorial disputes and conflicts was also put on table. On this occasion, IFES introduced a book in English language, which is a collection of scientific reports by Russian scientists on Vietnam. Vietnam, Australia reinforce people-to-people friendship The Vietnam-Australia Friendship Association and the Australia-Vietnam Friendship Association are willing to boost their relations and believe that their intensified ties will benefit both countries. This was included in a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the two organisations signed in Hanoi on May 19. The document also mentions the promotion of exchanges in the fields of education and culture, people-to-people diplomacy, and humanitarian aid for Agent Orange (AO)/Dioxin victims. Addressing the signing ceremony, Chairman of the Australia-Vietnam association Kim Sampson emphasised the need to continue humanitarian assistance for Vietnamese AO victims as they are day and night struggling against serious diseases as consequences of the toxic chemical. Regarding China’s illegal placement of the oil rig Haiyang Shiyou-981 in Vietnam’s waters, he said this act has affected the regional peace and stability. He added his association will ask the Australian Foreign Minister to raise voice to help settle the situation. Mozambique celebrates President Ho’s birth anniversary The Vietnamese Embassy and the Overseas Vietnamese Association in Mozambique held an incense offering ceremony on May 18 to commemorate the late President Ho Chi Minh on his 124th birthday. Vietnamese diplomats, officials and expatriates laid floral tributes at a boulevard named after President Ho Chi Minh in Maputo capital. Ambassador Nguyen Van Trung highlighted the tremendous contributions of President Ho to the national liberalisation cause. President Ho Chi Minh received great applause from the international community, and his ideology has become an invaluable asset for the Vietnamese people, he noted. Trung called on overseas Vietnamese to study and follow Ho Chi Minh’s moral examples and make contributions to the homeland. He also briefed attendees on the outcome of a project to upgrade Ho Chi Minh Square and Ho Chi Minh Statue, in Antananarivo capital of Madagascar, which was completed on his 124th birth anniversary. Ta Thiep, Secretary General of the Overseas Vietnamese Association in Mozambique, gave a speech strongly opposing China’s illegal act in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone, affirming that China’s move has seriously violated Vietnam’s sea and island sovereignty. He asked China to withdraw its oil rig and ships from Vietnam’s waters, and voiced support for Vietnam’s peaceful solutions to protect national sovereignty and the legitimate rights of Vietnamese people. Vietnamese businesses support Lao victims of plane crash The Association of Vietnamese Investors in Laos (AVIL) has donated US$47,000 to support families of victims of a military plane crash in Laos on May 17. The donation was presented on May 19 by Pham Quang Tung, Deputy Director General of the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV). Tung said the aid showed the empathy and  good will of Vietnamese businesses operating in Laos. The plane crash has resulted in huge loss for families of victims, as well as the Lao people, he added. On behalf of the Lao Government, Phetsakhon Duong Aphay, deputy head of the Governmental Office, expressed gratitude for Vietnamese businesses’ valuable support and  their attention to ensuring Laos’ social welfare and providing aid to those in need. Exhibition on Vietnam’s Spratly and Paracel sovereignty On May 19, Lam Dong Museum in the central highland city of Da Lat launched an exhibition featuring photos and documents on Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes. The exhibition introduces over a hundred maps and photographs affirming Vietnam's sovereignty over the two disputed islands of Truong Sa and Hoang Sa. The event also showcases various precious maps of the Southeast Asian region, drawn by Vietnamese and westerners, proving that Spratly and Paracel islands belong to Vietnam's sovereignty. The maps of China drawn by Westerners and by China itself do not indicate Chinese sovereignty over the two islands. A number of images and documents on the process of building and developing Vietnam’s Hoang Sa and Truong Sa islands are also included in the exhibition. Lam Dong Museum Deputy Director Doan Thi Ngo said these documents will continue to be on display throughout the province in the coming time. Vietnamese abroad remember President Ho on his birthday Vietnamese embassies abroad commemorated the 124th birthday of late President Ho Chi Minh (May 19) with a series of activities in honour of his service to national liberation. In Moscow, the embassy staff, overseas Vietnamese together with a group of Russian friends paid a floral tribute to President Ho at a square named after him on May 19. They bowed to the President’s monument in deep respect for the revered leader. While at a May 17 ceremony in Saint-Petersburg State University in Saint-Petersburg’s Neva district, officials of the university and Neva district praised the late President for his personality, morality and revolutionary career, who they said, was instrumental in Russia – Vietnam friendship in the past. They also voiced warm welcome to more Vietnamese students coming there to pursue history, language and culture studies. In Mozambique, representatives of Vietnamese community offered incense at the embassy and laid a wreath at Ho Chi Minh avenue in Maputo capital on May 18. The avenue was named after the Vietnamese President by Mozambique’s first President Samora Machel in 1977 as a manifestation of admiration for the founder of modern Vietnam. Also on May 18, the liaison board of the Vietnamese community in Johor, Malaysia, held a sports and music exchange to mark President Ho’s birthday. A team of Vietnamese students competed in a friendly football match with local factory workers.- Russia honours friendship union chairman Chairman of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) Vu Xuan Hong on May 19 was awarded a Russian insignia for the promotion of peace, friendship and cooperation. The accolade was presented by the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation. According to Alexey Lavrenniew, Director of the Russian Culture Centre in Hanoi, the honour is to acknowledge Hong’s contributions to Vietnam-Russia relations. In response, Hong affirmed that he will exert all his effort to continue fostering bilateral ties. Workers in southern industrial zones back to work Most of the businesses located in industrial zones in southern Dong Nai province, which had to temporarily shut down due to recent disturbances, resumed their operations on May 19. Earlier on May 13, bad individuals used demonstrations against China’s illegal placement of its Haiyang Shiyou-981 drilling rig in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone to incite industry workers to violence, triggering social disorder. The incidents prompted all Chinese- and Taiwanese-invested companies in the locality to halt their activities. Local authorities have quickly responded by publicising widely Party and State policies on sovereignty defence so that most of the workers went back to work, according to deputy head of the province’s industrial zones management board Mai Van Nhon. Chairman of the provincial Labour Confederation Huynh Tan Kiet said that during the disturbances, many workers showed their high responsibility by joining their employers to protect their companies and oppose the extremist acts. Also on May 19, almost all enterprises in the southern provinces of Binh Duong and Binh Phuoc also resumed their operations.- Fishermen show strong determination to fish in nation's waters In recent days, a large number of local offshore fishing vessels, full of fish and squid, have docked at Tho Quang fishing wharf in the central city of Da Nang after their trips to the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa fishing grounds. According to the Da Nang Today online, m any local fishermen said that they felt very happy with their bumper catches, and are grateful for the concern and support they have received from everyone in the mainland areas during their trips. Nguyen Van Bay, a local fisherman, said that he received numerous phone calls from his family and friends whilst his boat was operating near the location where China illegally positioned its drilling rig. He was urged to be cautious of the possibility of China’s aggressive actions, and to keep calm to avoid confrontations with Chinese ships. He was also advised that if his boat was chased or rammed by Chinese ships, he should report the incident to those who are fulfilling law enforcement missions at sea, and other local fishing boats operating nearby, for immediate assistance. Bay said that he and 15 crew members are now busy making preparations for their next trip to the Hoang Sa waters. The city’s Fishery Association has been actively involved in publicising the ongoing situation in the East Sea amongst the general public. The authorised Chairman of the Association, Tran Van Linh, strongly affirmed that the more difficulties local fishermen encounter, the more courageous they are. The strong-willed fishermen always keep in their minds that their fishing trips are conducted for the purpose of earning a living to support their families, and to safeguard the nation’s sovereignty over its sea and islands. On May 15 afternoon, six large-capacity offshore fishing vessels from Hai Chau d istrict left for Hoang Sa fishing grounds. Many of Da Nang’s fishermen said that their next offshore fishing trips to the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa waters could result in dangerous situations. This is due to China’s illegal placement of the drilling rig, and its aggressive actions in Viet n am’s exclusive economic zone. However, the fishermen are maintaining their determined spirit to continue fishing activities in the country’s waters despite the current difficulties.- Nation extends support to Truong Sa islands Delegations from many localities and organisations throughout the country, visited and presented gifts to soldiers and people in Truong Sa island district, the central province of Khanh Hoa, on May 18. The capital city of Hanoi alone donated essential goods, equipment and boats worth 22 billion VND (more than 1 million USD). Vice Chairman of Hanoi People’s Committee Vu Hong Khanh said this is the fifth visit to Truong Sa by Hanoi officials, adding that the city’s authorities and people always have warm feelings toward Truong Sa island district where soldiers and people are safeguarding the country’s sea and island sovereignty. According to Khanh, the city has been organising many campaigns to mobilise more support for Truong Sa, in order to give timely encouragement to officials, soldiers and people on the islands. On behalf of soldiers and people on Truong Sa islands, Rear Admiral Dinh Gia That, Secretary of the Navy’s Party Committee, expressed thanks for the attention and encouragement of people nationwide. He affirmed that soldiers and people on the islands are determined to protect the country’s sovereignty over its airspace, sea and islands.- Source: VNN/VNA/VNS/VOV/ND/SGT/VGP