Social News 26/9 Australian Naval Ship visits HCM City HMAS Larrakia - Armidale class patrol boat of the Royal Australian Navy – docked at a Ho Chi Minh City port on September 25, beginning a four-day visit to Vietnam. During their stay, Australian officers and crew will lay a wreath at President Ho Chi Minh’s Monument and visit the High Command of Military Zone 7, Vietnam’s High Naval Command and the municipal Department of External Relations. They will play friendly volleyball with staff and students of the Naval Technical College and visit some tourist sites in the city. VN joins Global Alliance for Climate Smart Agriculture Vietnam fully supports the establishment of the Global Alliance for Climate Smart Agriculture (GACSA), Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Ha Cong Tuan has said. In his speech delivered at the inaugural meeting of the GACSA in New York on September 24, Tuan said that Vietnam is one of the countries most affected by climate change. Its agriculture production, specifically dependent to natural conditions, is the main living source of 70 percent of the country’s population who will be worst hit by the phenomenon. Being aware of the serious impacts of climate change and the vital importance of responses, Vietnam is actively joining hands with international communities to apply the Clinical Skills Assessment (CSA) practices, he said. Series of CSA-oriented projects are being implemented in Vietnam such as low carbon agriculture, system of rice intensification, low carbon rice farming, crop diversification from ineffective rice land, he added. According to the Deputy Minister, despite many recent efforts in climate change adaptation and greenhouse gas emissions mitigation for agriculture, Vietnam is facing with many difficulties and challenges such as limited scientific foundations; insufficient public awareness of climate change impacts and weak climate change response capacities. Therefore, the GACSA establishment is a very crucial initiative to assist developing countries like Vietnam to undertake their green growth strategy, ensure food and nutrition security, protect the environment and adapt to climate change, he noted. The joining of the alliance will help Vietnam promote its technological research and development to make agriculture adaptive to climate change, Tuan told Vietnam News Agency correspondents in New York. Vietnam, Laos enhance energy cooperation An energy cooperation working group between the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade and Laos’ Ministry of Energy and Mines will be set up to promote connection between the two countries in the field. The establishment was reached at a working session in Vientiane on September 24 between Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Cao Quoc Hung and Minister Soulivong Daravong. The group will create a close coordination mechanism, helping the two sides update and exchange information on energy policies and propose new projects and programmes in energy. During their session, host and guest said they believed the group would help promote effective energy cooperation between the two countries, contributing to fostering traditional friendship and special solidarity between Vietnam and Laos. Deputy Minister Cao Quoc Hung was in Laos to attend the 32nd ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM). Vietnam-Singapore education cooperation progressing Education is one of the bright spots in the multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and Singapore. Nearly 10,000 Vietnamese students are studying at Singaporean universities, colleges and schools. Many Vietnamese officials, doctor or master degree holders have graduated from renowned institutions in the island nation, particularly at the Lee Kwan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP) and Civil Service College   (CSC). Around 1,500 Vietnamese students have studied at the LKYSPP and most of them are currently holding key positions in Vietnamese state agencies. LKYSPP Dean Kishore Mahbubani said he is very proud to hear that many Vietnamese students have embarked on successful careers in their homeland after graduation. He hoped that the school will have closer and tight relations with Vietnam in the coming years. Since 2001, CSC has recruited Vietnamese students with the aim of introducing Singapore’s practical experiences and helping them enrich their knowledge to support future careers. CSC representative Flynn Ong said the school wants to share experience with Vietnamese officials, contributing to the country’s development. Singaporean experts spoke highly of Vietnamese students’ qualifications and suggested Vietnam should continue to reform its educational system to meet the requirements of globalisation. France shares fire-fighting experience with Vietnam Highly trained fire fighters and public awareness campaigns are crucial to preventing and fighting fire, a French public safety expert said. Fire fighters need to be extremely well equipped and skilled for the job, Colonel Ulliac Bruno told a French-Vietnamese conference on public safety and security in Hanoi on September 24. Vietnamese emergency services responded to more than 2,000 fires and 40,000 fire-related incidents last year, the Department of Fire-Fighting and Rescue Police reported. French experts also shared their experience in supplying clean water in emergencies, conducting search and rescue missions at sea and training emergency services’ staff. The Vietnamese side briefed participants on the country’s disaster management and crises response strategies. The event was organised by UBIFRANCE Vietnam, the French Ministry of the Interior and Vietnam’s ministries of Public Security and Agriculture and Rural Development. Improved migration policies increase climate change resilience Policy-makers and domestic and international scientists attended a workshop in Hanoi on September 24 t to review migration policies in a bid to increase community resilience to climate change. The function was held by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Department of Cooperatives and Rural Development under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Vietnam is particularly vulnerable to climate change’s negative impacts, both Bakhodir Burkhanov, UNDP Deputy Country Director, and Ma Quang Trung, Director of the department, agreed. The Vietnamese Government has carried out a number of strategies to minimise the impacts of extreme weather phenomena and environmental pressures, with a focus on households affected by tsunamis, floods, flash floods, and landslides, they said. In response to growing economic and environmental pressures, many people have been forced to alter their livelihood strategies or migrate. As a global trend, migration possesses a number of opportunities to mitigate the risks of climate change, address vulnerability, and improve economic opportunities, they added. Bakhodir Burkhanov said Vietnam needs to enhance its resettlement programmes and eradicate barriers to the movement of people in order to improve the country’s resilience to climate change, facilitate the implementation of poverty eradication policies, and maintain human development progress. UN reports urged Vietnam to reform its climate change-related policies and improve the effectiveness of migration and resettlement. Meanwhile, national and provincial programmes need to improve living conditions, diversify income-generating activities, and boost the resilience of migrated and resettled communities. Additionally, authorities were called to improve their capacity to make sure target groups are benefitting from social support programmes and raise public awareness of climate change resilience. During the workshop, participants also discussed the building of climate change-resistant houses and social support programmes. Int’l experts discuss solid waste management solutions More than 70 foreign delegates are gathering in Binh Dinh province to examine ways to manage solid waste in a pro-poor, environmentally sustainable and economically viable manner in secondary cities and small towns in the Asia-Pacific region. They represent international organisations, financial institutions, development partners, and communities from Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Vietnam. During the September 24-26 seminar, international experts share experiences and lessons in promoting the Integrated Resource Recovery Centre (IRRC) model designed to turn waste into resources. They look at barriers that developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region face in realising the model and make relevant proposals. Dr Vu Thi Vinh, Secretary General of the Association of Cities of Vietnam (ACVN), pointed to the fact that rapid urbanisation and economic development in Asia-Pacific region over the years has led to high-level waste in urban areas. Besides, waste treatment is one of the most expensive services in developing countries as it accounts for between 20-50% of local budget expense. To support Asia-Pacific cities in dealing with the problem, the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) has coordinated with Waste Concem to carry out a project “Pro-poor and Sustainable Solid Waste Management in Secondary Cities and Small Towns”. The project aims to help local governments manage solid waste through establishing IRRCs which turn waste into resources. Since 2007, the project has been carried out in some Asia-Pacific countries, including two Vietnamese cities. Promoting the rights of disabled people Vietnam has the fourth highest disability rate in the Asia-Pacific region with the cumulative number of disabled people accounting for 7.8% of the population, or 6.7 million people. Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Trong Dam made the announcement at a seminar in Hanoi on September 24 introducing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). In recent years Vietnam has undertaken great effort to complete the legal system to ensure disabled people’s rights, helping them improve their quality of life and better integrate into the community, Dam said. The Chairman of the National Assembly Committee for External Relations (CER) Tran Van Hang in turn said the UNCRPD is the most comprehensive international convention to protect the rights of disabled people. As of September 2014, there are 158 signatories and 147 parties to the convention. Vietnam signed the convention on October 22, 2007 but has yet to ratify it. As Vietnam is accelerating international integration and building a law-governed socialist state with a goal of becoming an equitable, democratic and civilized society, a ratification of the UNCRPD is of paramount importance to the country, Hang said. It shows respect and protection of the legitimate rights of disabled people, which are enshrined in the Constitution and other legal documents the NA has issued such as the Law on Disabled People, Labour Code, Civil Code, Marriage and Family Law and Health Insurance Law. The seminar aimed to prepare for CER inspection on the ratification of the convention and help the NA Standing Committee and NA deputies gain a better understanding of the basic contents of the UNCRPD. Hanoi students to attend Int’l Junior Science Olympiad Six Hanoi high school students will compete in the 11th International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO) in Argentina from December 2-11. The municipal Department of Education and Training announced the six contestants on September 23. The students, from the Hanoi-Amsterdam and Chu Van An High Schools, were selected after passing a two-round competitive examination organised by the department. This is the fifth year the department has been tasked with setting up a national team participating in the annual event, which offers a playground for students good at natural science subjects such as physics, chemistry and biology. Last year, the Vietnamese team won one gold and five silver medals at the competition. Vietnam joins global efforts to fight intellectual property violations The 2014 International Law Enforcement Intellectual Property (IP) Crime Conference is taking place in Hanoi from September 23-25 to seek closer cooperation in the field. Organised by the Ministry of Public Security of Vietnam, the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol), and the Underwriters Laboratories (UL), the three-day event provides an opportunity for participants to share their experiences in combating IP crime, thus contributing to global peace, stability and development. At the opening ceremony on September 23, Deputy Minister Senior Lieutenant General Le Quy Vuong explained that trans-national IP crime not only harms enterprises but also can directly impact on consumers’ health and rights. Therefore, the prevention of IP crime required close and effective cooperation between law enforcement agencies as well as the proactive involvement of businesses and customers, not just at the national level, but at the regional and global level, he said. In Vietnam, the idea of IP protection, mainly copyrights, was featured in the country’s first Constitution in 1946. The National Assembly adopted the Law on Intellectual Property in 2005, which came into force on July 1, 2006. Over the past few years, the country has joined and signed a number of international treaties on copyrights and other IP rights, the official noted. Head of the ministry’s Department of Anti-Crime Police Lieutenant General Phan Van Vinh confirmed that the Vietnamese police will closely work with Interpol and domestic and foreign partners to fight international IP crime. Deputy Minister Le Quy Vuong met with former President of Interpol and Singapore’s Deputy Secretary of Home Affairs Khoo Boon Hui on the sidelines of the conference. He called on the Singaporean department to assist Vietnam in training personnel and share its experience in crime prevention. In a meeting with UL President Keith Wiliams, Deputy Minister Le Quy Vuong said the intellectual property issue is relatively new to Vietnam, and that the country hopes to receive advice and assistance from the UL to ensure product safety and protect consumers’ health. Event discourages use of coal Thousands of foreigners and local residents took part in "September Black Day" held last Sunday in HCM City to raise awareness about the negative impact of coal on human and environmental health. At the event, the organiser worked with artists to make statues of human bodies painted in black, wearing coal masks and standing in the cities' busiest public places, including April 30th Park, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Saigon Central Post Office. The event, launched by 350.org - an international environmental organisation. aims to mobilise public support for the use of renewable energy to ensure the sustainability of both the environment and humanity. Similar events were organised on the same day in Da Nang, Ha Noi and Can Tho. Ministry told to make sure schools don't overcharge Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has ordered the Ministry of Education and Training to make sure schools don't charge additional fees when the new school year begins. The move follows reports in the media that parents often had to pay for uniforms each year, even if the existing ones were in good condition. They could also be asked to pay for building toilets, cleaning classes, drinking water, electricity, class computers - and even desks, seats and class television sets. Dam told the ministry to work with people's committees to quickly bring the situation under control. Le Thu Ha, of Ha Noi's Ba Dinh District, said that on top of tuition fees and lunch fees for her nine-year-old son, she had to pay many other fees, including a class fund, drinking water - and for new uniforms for summer and winter. Nguyen Manh Hung, father of a high school boy in Ha Noi's Xuan Dinh Ward, said that the school often collected all the fees at the first meeting with parents at the beginning of a school year. At the meeting, a teacher would give parents a note setting out all the fees to be paid, he said. After parents made their payments, teachers immediately took the notes back to avoid unnecessary questions, he said. In response to the situation, deputy director of the city's Education and Training Department, Pham Thi Hong Nga, said that the department had set up five teams led by five deputy directors of the department to check on the situation. Parents can phone complaints to department officials. Their numbers are published in http://hanoiedu.vn/danhba/ . Tax breaks may attract investors to develop parking lots for City buses A shortage of space to park buses drove HCM City People's Committee to propose tax incentives and fee exemptions for companies investing in parking lots. The proposed measures include exemptions from land-use fees and tax incentives to encourage the private sector to invest. Vice-chairman of the municipal People's Committee, Nguyen Huu Tin, said that while the Government expected the private sector to invest, regulations actually did not support the idea. "Companies that build rest centres will get exemptions from the land usage fees, but it is not the same with the parking-lot businesses," he said. He said it was also doubtful if investors would be interested in underground parking lots, as the banks did not offer preferential interest rates for these projects. Only 20 bus parking lots are in operation in the city, but the transportation system needs another 60, according to the city's Public Transport Management and Operation Centre. The lack of parking at the beginning and end of bus routes has left the drivers with no choice but to park on the streets, on vacant land or drive around waiting for a place to open up. Buses continually driving around with nowhere to go have been blamed for traffic jams in the city centre. The lack of space makes frequent maintenance at bus parking lots difficult, decreasing the quality of service for customers. HCM City plans to build more than 191 hectares of parking for public transportation by 2020. Four approved underground parking lot projects are awaiting implementation. Quang Ninh busts drug trafficking ring Police in the northern province of Quang Ninh caught two men in the act of transporting over 3,000 synthetic pills, more than 700g of crystal methamphetamine and 34.1g of heroin in the early hours of September 24. The two detained men are Nguyen Hoai Thanh, born in 1974, from northern mountainous Lao Cai province, and Le Duc Thang, born in 1972, from northern Ninh Binh province. Nguyen Hoai Thanh, director of a tourist agency in Lao Cai was found to be the head of the ring, which transported drugs from China to Vietnam. He was caught with more than 1,000 synthetic pills, weighing over 321g, and 280.5g of crystal methamphetamine. Meanwhile, Le Duc Thang was caught with 2,325 synthetic pills, weighing 697.67g, and 428.83g of crystal methamphetamine hidden inside a computer speaker. Later, local police arrested another five men in Thanh’s network and seized 34.1g of heroin, 40.92g of methamphetamine and 160 million VND (7,619 USD). Authorised agencies are investigating the case further. Vietnam discusses ratification of UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Vietnam is home to 6.7 million people with disabilities, accounting for 7.8 percent of its population, Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Trong Dam told participants in a Hanoi conference on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on September 24. The convention, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 13, 2006, aims to promote, protect, and ensure full and equal rights and freedoms for people with disabilities, and to find ways to help them lead dignified lives. Spanning 50 articles, the convention’s eight main principles include respect for inherent dignity and individual autonomy; non-discrimination; full and effective participation and inclusion in society; respect for difference and acceptance of persons with disabilities as part of human diversity and humanity; equality of opportunities; accessibility; equality between men and women; and respect for the evolving capacities of children with disabilities and respect for the right of children with disabilities to preserve their identities. Vietnam signed the convention on October 22, 2007 but has yet to ratify it. Globally, 158 countries signed the document and 147 others approved it. Co-hosted by the National Assembly Committee for External Relations, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and the United Nations Children’s Fund, the conference looked at the possibility of adopting the convention and weighed up its pros and cons. Vietnam to build youth development index The building of a youth development index (YDI) and a national database on young people and related affairs was discussed at a workshop in the central city of Da Nang on September 23. Participants included representatives from the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), municipal and provincial Departments of Home Affairs and Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union chapters of Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai and Dak Nong provinces. According to the project on building the Vietnam YDI, the index will comprise 11 categories and nearly 130 indices. It will be built from now to 2020. Addressing the event, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs and Head of the central steering board for youth development strategy, Nguyen Tien Dinh said when completed, the YDI will provide full and accurate data for the making of policies and development plans targeting young people. Dialogue highlights youth reproductive health A policy dialogue held in Hanoi on September 24 focused on sexual and reproductive health for the young generation. The event provided an opportunity for young people and policy makers to discuss the issues in a bid to improve the youngsters’ access to information and services. The youth participants raised their concerns over limited policies and regulations, while expressing their wishes to be more involved in the process of making and implementing policies. Additionally, they also spoke of their difficulties in accessing reliable information, and reproductive and sexual health services. The event was jointly organised by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee, the National Committee on the Youth of Vietnam and the United Nations Population Fund.- Clean Up the World 2014 campaign observed in Vietnam The 2014 Clean Up The World campaign was launched on September 24 in the northern province of Thai Nguyen. This year’s event, themed “Let’s take action for a waste-free environment”, is co-organised by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment and the Australian Embassy in Vietnam in an attempt to enhance the public’s awareness of the importance of protecting the environment. Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Minister Bui Cach Tuyen called upon relevant authorities and members of the public to implement practical measures to jointly protect the environment, including the mobilisation and diversification of resources. The campaign was first held in Australia in 1993 and scaled-up by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Organised in the third week of every September, the programme is now an annual international campaign, attracting hundreds of millions of participants from 130 nations. Vietnam joined the campaign in 1994 and, in response, has devised a number of practical and effective action plans. According to the World Bank’s latest data, each year Vietnam suffers losses of 5.5 percent of its GDP, approximately 800 million USD, due to illnesses caused by environmental pollution. On this occasion, the People’s Committee of Thai Nguyen province awarded certificates of merit to nine groups and four individuals for their outstanding contributions to environmental protection. After the launch ceremony, participants took part in cleaning up the local environment, including Song Cau park and roads in the city of Thai Nguyen.- More heart patients waiting for operations Doctors of Heart Institute in Ho Chi Minh City are currently being overloaded with around 3,000 patients annually who are waiting for their operations. Mrs. H from the central province of Phu Yen was bursting in tears, saying that her child was suffering from congenital heart disease and because of long wait for the operation, the child died of the disease. Around 10,000 inpatients stay in the institute for their surgery. Head of the institute Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Chieu said that the number of heart disease patients has increased fourfold compared to 1998. 77 percent of them can cover an operation charges while the remaining is expecting the assistance of benefactors. 10,000 patients are waiting for the operation, 25 percent of them are from Ho Chi Minh City while the remaining is in other provinces, he said Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Chieu said that the institute’s doctors had to carry out operations in Saturday to reduce the waiting people. Along with this, the institute has transferred the techniques to other hospitals that have conducted around 5,000 heart surgeries. For instance, the Children Hospital No.2 has performed around 300 surgeries, the Central Hue Hospital has operated 2,000 open heart cases. In addition, the Institute has assisted to build Tam Duc Heart Hospital with capacity of nearly 1,000 cases a year. Doctors of Tam Duc Hospital have performed 250 operations so far. Though the Heart Institute in HCMC conducts around 1,250 operations a year, it can’t meet the increasing demand. Dr. Vu Minh Phuc, chairman of Heart and Congenital Heart Disease in the city, said that the country has had around 8,000-10,000 babies with inborn heart diseases and half of them needed a surgery soon. The Children Hospital No.1 has around 2,000 infants with congenital heart diseases waiting for an operation. Similarly, the Children Hospital No.1 also performs 6-8 operations coronary artery bypass grafting surgeries a week and 2-3 open heart operations a week. Around 2,000 infant patients are waiting in the institute for an operation. Medical experts said that heart disease children might die during long waiting for a surgery to save their life. Vietnam to be one of top ten nations hardest-hit by climate change Vietnam is expected to be among the top 10 countries in the world most affected by climate change, according to the United Nations. Each year, Vietnam suffers loss estimated at USD780 million due to public health and environmental problems related to climate change. The UN report shows that the Mekong Delta would be extremely vulnerable to any rise in sea level. According to the most recent models, if the sea level were to rise 1m, more than 20% HCM City would be flooded. This would directly impact 10-12% of the Vietnamese population and cause losses of 10% of the GDP. In the scenario on climate change put forth by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE), by the year of 2100, if sea levels rose by 1m, the Mekong Delta region and HCM City would lose the equivalent one fourth of the country’s total rice output. Trung Duc Tri, deputy head of Climate Change Department under MONRE, said that a national programme in response to climate change has been piloted in a number of localities. The programme is aimed to help coastal farmers turn into growing crops which could better adapt to increased salinity. Coastal mangrove forest systems, a natural barrier for fresh water systems, have been attempted in 29 coastal localities. Poor mother struggles to save son with leukemia A poor mother in the northern province of Bac Giang is in desperate need of help to save her son from leukemia. Pham Thi Nhung said that her son Truong Van Tu has been living with the disease for many years. Once his condition got to the point that he could not walk, she took him to Bach Mai Hospital for the treatment. His legs are now totally paralysed. Now, in order to move him, his mother has to carry him on her back. Tu, 12 years old, said "I feel like a baby when I she has to put me on her back." He told of times his mother had to carry him along with luggage while travelling, and that it pains him to see his mother cry when she is unable to borrow enough money for his treatments. Tu has been suffering from leukemia for many years Nhung has had to quit all her jobs to take care of the son, adding to her family’s financial burden. Her husband, Truong Van Tuan, does not have a stable job. He said “I love my  mother very much, but I don’t how to help,” Tu said. Despite all, he still has hopes of studying someday. The editor-in-chief of Dantri/DTiNews, Pham Huy Hoan, has donated VND10 million (USD476) from the newspaper’s Compassionate Hearts Charity Fund to help Tu and his family pay for his first round of treatment. But they are still in need of support. Southern superstitions cause massive sparrow hunting There has been a marked increase in sparrow hunting in the Mekong Delta region after rumours spread that the bird meat increases vitality and can cure some sicknesses. Recently, sparrow has become a favourite dish in the Mekong Delta because of popular beliefs about its health benefits, giving rise to more and more bird hunters. An experienced hunter said there was no need to go deep into the forest to catch birds. They only need to lay traps along highways, residential areas, schools and especially orchards to take home a large catch. Hunters normally use bamboo sticks coated with glue, which they place in trees along with a recording of bird sounds to attract the real thing. He said that different sounds will attract different birds. "Normally, a recorded distress call from one type of bird will attract other birds of the same type," he said. Some trappers will use real caged birds to attract their prey. An average hunter can collect between 100 and 200 birds a day. Some hunters in Can Tho City can reach numbers as high as 300 to 500. Sparrows are not the only species that are sought after. Several kinds of birds, such as the flowerpecker and olive-winged bulbul are also trapped. But the sparrow and olive-winged bulbul fetch the highest prices, going for around VND4,000-8,000 per bird, so a hunter who catches 200 sparrows might make around VND1 million (USD47) a day. Some people in Hau Giang Province use large nets instead of traps, also earning in the millions of VND per day. Because of the easy money, more and more people are using mass trapping methods that have a chance of driving some species into endangerment or even extinction. Source: VNN/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/ND