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Social
News 21/9
Vocational
training highlighted in new rural development
As many as 660,000
rural workers received vocational training in the period 2010-2013, mainly in
husbandry and fishery, as part of the national new rural development program.
Nguyen Minh Nhan,
head of the personnel department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development, said the ministry has devised rural programmes that provide both
agricultural promotion and vocational training for rural labourers. They also
helped farmers sell their products and services.
"The model of
household production is still common in
Since 2010, the
number of rural workers with vocational training has significantly increased
and surpassed the ministry’s set target.
These workers have
been provided with skills and advanced technologies which have increased
their productivity and income.
According to Le
Trong Quang, Deputy Chairman of the Lai Chau provincial People’s Committee,
trained rural workers should be certified so they can sign work contracts
with agricultural businesses.
Vocational training
for rural labourers should be carefully planned to meet real needs and save
money. Businesses and rural workers understand what kind of vocational
training is needed to improve their productivity, Quang said.
The government of
HCMC is weighing a pilot scheme to allow battery-powered vehicles to
transport passengers on the downtown streets from April 30 next year as a
measure to ease environmental and noise pollution.
The Department of
Transport has submitted the scheme to leaders of the city and proposed two
options for translating it into reality.
According to the
first option, battery-powered cars will run around the clock on certain main
roads and around tourist sites, restaurants and hotels. For the second
option, they will run on fixed routes linking September 23 Park, the
backpacker quarter covering Pham Ngu Lao, Bui Vien and De Tham streets, Me
Linh and Lam Son venues, and Saigon Zoo and Botanic Garden, Le Loi, Nguyen
Hue and Le Duan boulevards and some other parts in the city.
The transport
department said such vehicles are environmentally friendly.
However, municipal
leaders told the department to gauge demand of local commuters and visitors
for the service and collaborate with the Department of Culture, Sports and
Tourism to work out and propose the best option.
Duong Hong Thanh,
deputy director of the Transport Department, told reporters on the sidelines
of a seminar on green transport in the city last Tuesday that the scheme is
now planned for vehicles to run distances of 7.5 kilometers.
The city will call
for companies in different economic sectors to offer battery-powered car
services from April 30 next year when the upgrade of
Barriers to
natural disaster adaptation in mountainous region
The mountainous
region, which accounts for three quarters of the country’s total land area,
benefitted from numerous initiatives to reduce the risks of natural disaster,
be it from the Party and State or national and international organisations
over the past three decades.
However, natural
disasters such as landslides, flash floods, droughts and forest fires have
become more unpredictable in recent years, reversing socio-economic
development and hampering poverty reduction efforts.
Rapid population
growth, increasing malnutrition, and a limited understanding of the issues
are limiting the impact of natural disaster adaptation measures.
Furthermore,
deforestation and the overexploitation of natural resources have also
contributed to environmental pollution and ecological degradation.
The difficult
terrain of the mountainous region, coupled with poor infrastructure and
transport, prevents local residents from accessing information on natural
disasters, failing to promptly take adaptation measures.
According to the
Central Committee for Flood and Storm Control, 250 flash floods and landslides
have occurred in Vietnam since 2000, leaving 646 dead and missing, 351
injuries, and economic losses of more 3.3 billion VND (145,000 USD).
The northern
mountainous areas have been experiencing unusual frost and icy weather in
recent years, whilst provinces in the
The mountainous
region is home to approximately 12.3 million people, representing 14.27
percent of the nation’s total population.
Le Van Tam
Park underground carpark project to resume next year
Investment and
Development for Underground Space Corporation (IUS) has plans to resume work
on a long-stalled underground parking lot project at Le Van Tam Park in
District 1 in the second quarter of next year.
Le Tuan, general
director of IUS, told the Daily that issues related to fire prevention in the
project have been addressed and that the investor is in the process of
negotiating a build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract and technical design.
After the technical
design is completed, the developer will submit it to the Ministry of
Construction for consideration and then the HCMC Department of Construction.
The project has
ground to a halt since its groundbreaking in August 2010 as changes to the
fire prevention outline forced the investor to adjust the original design of
the project.
Tuan said it took
IUS one and a half years to make things clear with relevant agencies before
the firm secured approval for land rent exemption for the project although
Decree 108 regulates this exemption for the investor. However, IUS spent much
time making explanations which took authorities four months to assess.
The five-storey
underground carpark will require investment capital of more than US$100
million and have floor space of over 72,000 square meters which is enough to
accommodate over 2,000 motorbikes, 1,250 cars, and 28 buses and trucks. The
project will comprise a three-storey commercial center covering 30,904 square
meters.
The exits of the
parking lot will be on Vo Thi Sau, Hai Ba Trung and
The city has three
other underground parking lot projects - Trong Dong Outdoor Theater, Hoa Lu
Stadium and Tao Dan Stadium.
Poor
management caused Dak Nong deforestation
Poor forestry
management and illegal logging have been blamed for the loss of more than
4,500 hectares of forest in Truong Xuan Commune in the province's Dak Song
District.
The Tai Nguyen Moi
Truong (Natural Resources and Environment) online newspaper cited the results
of an inspection tour of the Dak Nong People's Committee which showed that
Truong Xuan Forestry Company Ltd., which was assigned to monitor and protect
the forest, failed to protect it from illegal deforestation activities of
residents.
According to the
People's Committee, residents illegally chopped down trees to build houses
and plant cassava, sweet potato, coffee and pepper on the 4,500-hectare area
in the past five years, and Truong Xuan reported that during that time, only
181 hectares of natural forest were destroyed.
The company also
failed to take back the deforested land, of which 3,500 hectares were natural
forest, from the residents.
Nguyen Huu Khanh,
vice chairman of the People's Committee of Dak Song District, said financial
difficulties compelled the company lay off 20 of its 40 forest rangers from
2010 to 2013, and this led to poor forest protection.
Vu Minh Khoi,
deputy director of the provincial Natural Resources and Environment
Department, said shortcomings in land management policies also worsened the
problem.
But he also said
the company must take responsibility for allowing the deforestation and
failing to make timely and accurate reports on the situation to concerned
government agencies that would have brought the situation under control. He
added that the head of the company should be strictly disciplined.
The provincial
People's Committee assigned the management of more than 8,200 hectares of
forest to the company in 2008, but it revoked the company's authority to
manage 1,800 hectares in late 2013 because of poor forestry management.
At present, the
company is monitoring more than 1,700 hectares of forest in the basin of four
major streams of Dak Nong, Dak Rung, Dak Rtih and Dak Bukso.
The provincial People's
Committee has ordered concerned government agencies to co-operate with the
company in setting up forest management stations to prevent residents from
further acts of illegal deforestation.
Schools will struggle to meet enrollment target
It would be
difficult to achieve the target of universalising pre-school education for
five-year-old children by the end of next year, agreed educational experts at
a conference yesterday.
Tran Thi Tam Dan,
former chairwoman of the National Assembly's Committee for Culture,
Education, the Youth and Children, said that remote areas had not made any
progress towards this goal.
Additionally, many
localities faced fund shortages, according to Hoang Duc Tham, deputy director
of the Quang Tri Department of Education and Training.
Experts recommended
that the State join hands with parents, private enterprises and organisations
to invest in pre-school education.
"If school
fees are too low, children cannot be taken care of well," Dan said.
Former National
Assembly deputy Nguyen Minh Thuyet said that the MOET should build more
private kindergartens so that more five-year-olds would attend school.
This was also a
good way to create more work for residents, he said.
Deputy chairman of
the education sector's trade union Pham Van Thanh suggested localities
implement supportive policies for kindergarten teachers. He cited the example
of the southern
When the State built
public houses for teachers, priority should be given to kindergarten
teachers, he added.
HCM City
cracks down on ad flyers, billboards
Outdoor
advertisements written exclusively in a language other than Vietnamese must
be taken down by the end of September,
According to
statistics from HCM City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the city
has more than 175,000 advertising signs, but more than 8,640 of them are
illegal and violate the Advertisement Law.
There are 1,507
advertisements written exclusively in foreign languages.
Under guidance from
Nearly 3,000
illegal advertisements have been removed, Nguyen Van Minh, deputy director of
HCM City Department of Cultures, Sports and Tourism, was quoted as saying in
Viet Nam Investment Review.
Illegal advertising
on the city's 126 roads will also have to be taken down.
Many commercial
advertisement panels cover the front area of buildings, which could cause
problems in case of a fire.
According to
Le Thanh Ton and
Thai Van Lung streets, where there is a large Japanese expatriate community
and many foreign tourists, have many signs in other languages.
New
proposal tackles rural poverty
Chairman of the
National Assembly Council of Ethnic Affairs, Ksor Phuoc, has proposed
re-arranging people to eliminate sparsely-inhabited and poverty stricken
areas in the North by 2020.
Vuong Dinh Hue,
Head of the Party Central Committee's Economic Commission pledged to devise a
plan to re-allocate the workforce at the national level, while ensuring the
country maintained sustainable development.
This was revealed
at a workshop yesterday where Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc called
on authorities to provide support for rural migrants, especially those
settled in poor areas.
The event was held
to address the challenges of increased migration within
Phuc said rural
migrants may be able to qualify for new farmland, water and accommodation, as
well as improved infrastructure and poverty reduction schemes.
He added that
co-ordination between local authorities and agencies would be necessary to
help migrants to rapidly developing urban environments stabilise their lives.
He acknowledged
that migration was cyclical and inevitable during the industrialisation
process.
Phuc said migration
helped supplement human resources in localities where they settle, but problems
were also significant, including poverty, lack of access to basic services
and overloaded infrastructure.
Bui Sy Loi, Deputy
Chairman of the National Assembly Committee for Social Affairs, proposed that
more investments be made in infrastructure and training in rural areas as
well as adjusting policies on labour and income.
Education
authority issues new regulations on private tutoring
According to the
Department of Education and Training in
Under the new
regulation on tutoring outside regular school hours, teachers of public
schools can only be taught outside schools in registered centers.
The city’s
Department of Education and Training will grant practicing certificates to
individuals and organizations that open teaching centers for senior high
school students while the Sub-Department will grant certificates to those who
provide teaching to junior high school students.
Teachers are not
allowed to provide private tutoring outside schools to preschool students;
senior and junior high school students who have studied a morning and
afternoon classes in schools.
Teachers who
provide private tutoring to students following their parents’ demand must
report the managers. Teachers must undertake to obey regulations of tutoring
outside schools.
A survey revealed
that 80 percent of students of all grades pursue private classes outside
schools. More than 90 percent of primary students register to take private
classes at their teachers’ houses.
School management
boards are responsible for checking whether teachers force students to take
private classes in their houses.
Educationists said
that private tutoring outside schools should be banned in primary schools;
however, the government should increase teachers’ wages so that they can feel
secured to continue their career.
Night
school for Mong adults in
Special night
classes for adults from the Mong ethnic minority group are being held in
La Pan Tan, a
commune in the mountainous district of Mu Cang Chai, was selected as the focal
point for the initiative. Attendees of the classes so far have ranged widely
in age, and include both men and women.
This is a poor
commune where all population are Mong ethnic minority people. Nearly 80% out
of total 685 households there are below or just scraping above the poverty
line. Illiterate people aged 15 to 60 account for one fifth of the population
in the commune.
Huyen, the teacher
responsible for the classes, also teaches at La Tan Pan Primary School. Every
night she cycles alone across rocky terrain and mountainous paths to teach
the class, regardless of weather.
She starts the
class at 8:30pm, but often has to wait for students who come late, so
sometimes does not start until 9pm. The class usually runs until about
midnight.
Ly A Seng, a 40-year-old
student, said, “After just a few days attending the class I'm happy to be
able to write my name."
Men in La Pan Tan
are normally busy earning a living and getting married in their younger
years, while the average marrying age for girls is 13 or 14, leaving them
with responsibilities that preclude the option of going to school. Many of
the adults in the class have never even held a pen.
Hang A Cho, 43,
said, “I decided to attend these classes because I feel ashamed in front of
my children who can read and write well."
Giang Chu Ly, the
communal Party Secretary, said, “We’ve given top priority to illiteracy
eradication. We’re aware that this is a long-term process that will require
great effort and patience.”
According to Ly,
many Mong people quickly forget what they learn in school because Vietnamese
is not their first language. When official documents need to be signed, many
just press an inked finger on the signature line.
In 2013, five of
these classes were organised for a total of 159 people aged between 15 and
50. Those who finish are provided with a certificate.
This year two more
classes were added in Trong Tong and Trong Pao Sang villages, attracting 60
students. In order to increase attendance, the maximum age was increased to
60.
“Usually around 20
students show up for each class. Sometimes there are only a few. It takes
months to read and write. Those who can read and write would be taught about
simple maths as well," said Huyen.
She added that she
is very happy to see progress.
On September 16,
the local Department of Transport and Japan International Cooperation Agency
(JICA) cooperated to implement the pilot programme for bus route No. 06. This
is a part of the Project for Improving Public Transportation in
Kubo Yoshitomo, a
representative of JICA in
All relevant
agencies are making efforts to speed up the training of employees and the
installation of equipment necessary for the pilot programme, which will start
on October 6.
Vu Van Vien,
director of Hanoi Department of Transport, said Trahud 2 will be carried out
in two phases. The Japanese experts helped in designing the plans to
modernise the public transport. "The second phase is to pilot the
e-ticking system. This project's success will greatly improve our bus
system," he said.
Vien has asked
Hanoi Public Transport Management and
Bird flu
could spread by bus
The agricultural
ministry has ordered a crackdown on the widespread practice of sending
poultry products and live birds by buses in an effort to stop the spread of
bird flu.
In recent months,
many buses have been found to be carrying live poultry, particularly those
travelling on the north-south route.
This made it easy
for the bird-flu virus to spread, said Minister Cao Duc Phat at a meeting of
the National Steering Committee for Bird Flu Prevention and Control on
Tuesday.
He said local
authorities should work regularly check bus stations with police and market
watch staff.
Authorities in the
The A/H5N6 virus
has spread to five localities after being detected in central Ha Tinh and
northern Lang Son and Lao Cai provinces in mid-August. It was then found in
the
The steering
committee for preventing disease in cattle and poultry in
The birds were
traced back to a farm in Tinh An Dong commune, Quang Ngai city. This is the
fourth H5N6 bird flu virus case in the province.
The 40-day old
flock had been vaccinated, but dozens of them later died and tested positive
for the virus.
To prevent the
outbreak spreading, authorities destroyed the infected birds and sterilised
the poultry farm. They also told residents not to eat infected meat.
They also plan to
provide supplementary A/H5N6 bird-flu virus vaccination for unvaccinated
birds.
Quang Ngai
destroys 1,000 A/H5N6 infected ducks
The central
The infected birds
were traced back to a poultry farm in Tin An Dong commune, Quang Ngai city.
This is the fourth H5N6 bird flu virus case in the province.
The 40-day old
flock had been vaccinated, but dozens of them died suspiciously and tested
positive for the virus.
In order to prevent
an outbreak spread, local authorities promptly destroyed the infected birds
and sterilised the poultry farm to contain the virus. Furthermore, they
informed residents not to consume infected poultry products.
According to the
vice director of the Quang Ngai’s veterinary station, Nguyen Duc Kieu, the
station has called upon the 23 localities to conduct supplementary A/H5N6
bird flu virus vaccination on their unvaccinated birds.
To date, local
authorities have implemented a number of measures to prevent the outbreak of
the virus and prevent poultry-to human transmission.
The new
The Dong Nai Bridge
Investment and Construction Joint-stock Company reported that 30 households
located in the road section between Vung Tau Intersection and the old
Although the
construction of toll booths for
Under the
build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract with the Ministry of Transport, the
project to build the new
However, the
investor had proposed extending the deadline to August, but the new schedule
has been missed again this time due to slow site clearance.
The investor has
now given an assurance that work on the remaining works could be sped up to
finish the project in November if land has been cleared by October.
Work on the project
to build a new Dong Nai bridge and two approach roads invested by
Construction Corporation No. 1 (CC1) started in June 2008 with total capital
of VND1,877 billion. The main bridge was completed in 2009, and a steel
overpass at Vung Tau Intersection was opened to traffic in mid-January this year,
but other components are still under construction.
Traffic congestion
usually occurs in the
Since the HCMC-Long
Thanh Expressway was opened to traffic in early 2014, traffic to Ba Ria-Vung
Tau has shifted there, reducing traffic jams in the Dong Nai bridge area.
However, minor
congestion may happen on holidays or weekends when vehicles from the North,
Central and
Suspension
of works affecting drainage systems proposed
The steering center
for flood control program of HCMC has proposed the city government suspend
works that obstruct drainage systems as many parts of the city can be heavily
flooded after heavy rain.
Three hours of torrential
rain a week ago flooded 29 streets in the city. Besides, there were 15
streets in districts 2, 6, 12, Binh Thanh and Go Vap facing severe flooding
and 14 others slightly submerged.
The center said
four streets in District 6 including An Duong Vuong, Tan Hoa, Phan Anh and
Road No. 26 had become flood-prone as the contractor of a Tan Hoa-Lo Gom
canal rehabilitation program blocked water drainage but failed to make an
alternative way for discharging rainwater.
In addition, the
steering center proposed the HCMC government take punitive measures against
individuals and organizations encroaching on 44 irrigation canals and
ditches.
The city has 88
sewer systems, 82 sewer grates and 62 discharge sewers that are being
obstructed.
It has only 3,200
kilometers of sewer and needs 6,000 kilometers more to deal with flooding
caused by rain and flood tides.
Based on a master
plan for drainage systems in HCMC already approved by the Government, the
city can only ensure rainfalls of up to 95.91mm. However, rainfall reached
103.6 mm in Go Vap District and 122.3mm in Binh Thanh District during the
recent rain.
According to Ho
Long Phi, director of the
Contractor’s
irresponsibility causes congestion in city’s gateway
Traffic congestion
has gone from bad to worse in recent days at the western gateway of the city
due to the dereliction of duty on the part of a contractor who did not build
a temporary bridge after closing two bridges for upgrade, an official said.
The HCMC Department
of Transport in a report just sent to the municipal government said both the
project owner and the contractor had failed to reroute traffic flows and
built a temporary bridge as ordered, causing traffic jams on District 6’s
Hong Bang Street.
The HCMC Urban
Upgrading Investment - Investment Management Unit as the project owner and
the contractor had been told to take prompt preparations to ensure good
traffic circulation before closing Ong Buong 1 and Ong Buong 2 bridges to
traffic.
Therefore, the
transport department proposed that the city’s government ask the project
owner to speed up construction pace so as to reduce the traffic jams in the
area.
However, serious
congestion still occurs due to a construction work of Tan Hoa-Lo Gom project.
In addition, the fact that local people have not updated information related to
the ban on the streets leads to the worsening congestion in the area.
Cat Lai
ferry services resume
The management of
Cat Lai Ferry Station resumed services on September 17 morning after the
successful fixing of a movable approach span which was deflected by strong
winds on Tuesday afternoon.
Nguyen Thanh Tuan,
director of Cat Lai Ferry, told the Daily that motorbikes and cars have been
allowed on Cat Lai ferries and people have been able to commute between HCMC
and
Heavy rain and
strong winds derailed the movable span at Cat Lai Ferry Station on Tuesday
afternoon, forcing the management of the ferry station to call off all
services for hours to ensure safety for passengers.
The temporary shutdown
of the ferry station during rush hours prevented thousands of people from
going home via the ferry. There were thousands of people and vehicles
stranded on both ends of the station in HCMC’s District 2 and
Those people who
were able to walk to the ferry station were allowed on the ferry from 5:30
p.m. on Tuesday. However, car drivers were guided to take other routes,
including HCMC-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway to escape the crowds.
Cat Lai ferries
help shorten the travel distance from HCMC to Dong Nai and Vung Tau provinces
by nearly 20 kilometers compared to the route comprising of national highways
1A and 51.
In March last year,
the HCMC government approved in principle a plan by the Department of
Transport to expand the ferry station to enable it to handle vehicles of 30
tons and ferries of 60-200 tons.
Health
ministry orders recall of Taiwanese tainted products
The Vietnam Food
Administration (VFA) under the Ministry of Health on Monday asked the
HCMC-based company Cuu Huong to recall its products imported from
Cuu Huong Trading
and Service Co., Ltd. was immediately forced to stop distribution of two
products after the administration got the information about the incident from
the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in
The suspected
products included canned picked cucumber with pork of 170 grams a can and
canned minced meat with chili measuring 150 grams a can.
The company had
imported 240 boxes of each product, which has three-year shelf life from May
this year.
According to a
report of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, the tainted products were
shipped via Taiwan-based Wei-Chuan Food Corporation, a company that was
accused of using recycled waste to produce canned food.
VFA also proposed
that the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office and
Earlier, local and
international media reported that Taiwanese products containing tainted
cooking oil have been exported to 12 countries and regions around the world,
including
Draft
amendments to housing law remain controversial
National Assembly
(NA) deputies, administering agencies and businesses were still at odds over
draft amendments to the Housing Law at a seminar in HCMC on September 16
though the draft is due to be submitted to the legislative body by the end of
this year.
Many delegates
expressed objections to article 156 in the draft law which stipulates only
foreigners who live, work and study in
Le Hoang Chau,
chairman of the HCMC Real Estate Association (HoREA), said the regulation
would limit and even invalidate the Government’s policy to loosen foreign
home ownership rules in the country.
If the draft
amendments with such an article are passed, only foreigners obtaining
In fact, many
foreign experts and businesspeople who really need homes in
Therefore, Chau
suggested that foreigners should be permitted to buy houses upon arrival in
the country.
Nguyen Tan Hao from
the HCMC People’s Prosecution Bureau said in support of the proposal, saying
that this is in line with current laws and would help attract foreign
currency inflows to
Delegates were also
concerned that the rule on land funds for low-cost house development remained
unclear. The draft law requires investors to set aside part of the land
allocated to their housing projects to build budget condos but fails to
clarify a specific ratio.
Chau of HoREA said
the Government earlier asked investors to reserve 20% of the land fund for
budget homes but the draft law does not mention a specific ratio.
Phan Truong Son,
head of the house and real estate market development unit of the HCMC
Department of Construction, said resettlement house development should not be
included in the draft law.
Resettlement houses
should not be regarded as a special kind of home. Houses serving the
resettlement purpose could be budget and commercial houses or houses for
public services.
Meanwhile, Vu Ngoc
Delegates at the
seminar also spend much time debating house ownership transfer time. Some
said it should be when sellers and buyers finish transactions while others
argued that the time should be when transactions are registered at relevant
agencies.
Source: VNN/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/ND
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Thứ Bảy, 20 tháng 9, 2014
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