Social News 6/9 Bird flu spreads to new areas The A/H5N6 bird flu virus has been found in the central provinces of Quang Tri and Quang Ngai, raising the total number of affected localities to five, confirmed the Department of Animal Health. The department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said the virus was detected in a poultry farm in Quang Tri province's Trung Hai commune late last month. Around 350 out of 1,500 infected ducks have died. The virus has also killed 200 out of 1,100 infected poultry that tested positive for A/H5N6 in Quang Ngai province. Head of Quang Tri province's animal health department Le Thi Nga said local authorities had promptly destroyed infected birds and were sterilising poultry farms to contain the virus. However, there was a high risk of the virus spreading with the infected birds in Quang Ngai province coming from Dai Xuyen market in Ha Noi – the biggest poultry market in the country. Director of the Zone 1 Animal Health Office Le Minh Son confirmed with the Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper that the infected poultry in Quang Ngai province had been bought from Dai Xuyen market. However, the virus was detected in Quang Ngai a month later after the birds had been taken from the market, he said. "We are working with Ha Noi's authorities to test samples of poultry suppliers to keep this disease under close supervision," he said. "Currently, poultry varieties are healthy and show no signs of flu," he said. Deputy Director of Ha Noi Department of Agriculture and Rural Department Nguyen Huy Dang said that the department on Wednesday took samples from poultry businesses that had supplied duck to a farmer in Quang Ngai whose ducks had been infected with the virus. Test results would be available in the coming week, he said. The strain A/H5N6 of the influenza virus was detected for the first time in Viet Nam in central Ha Tinh, and northern Lang Son and Lao Cai provinces in mid-August. The A/H5N6 virus showed a 99 per cent similarity to the bird flu virus that killed a man in China's Sichuan province in April 2014. It has also been detected in poultry in Laos. The virus is a highly pathogenic strain, but there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission yet, according to the World Health Organisation. Ministry wants to ban beer sale via machines, websites The Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade has finalized a draft beer decree which bans selling beer on the sidewalk and via websites or through vending machines, with an aim to minimize harmful effects of alcoholic abuse. The ministry is collecting opinions for its the draft decree, which was prepared to guide the implementation of Decree 244/QD-TTg dated February 12, 2014 by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on the national policy on preventing harms of abusing alcoholic beverages by 2020. Beer will be banned from trading at different locations, including schools, hospitals, public offices and the pavements. Beer is prohibited to be sold to people under 18 years old, people with signs of being under the influence of alcohol, pregnant and lactating women, and people with diseases caused by alcoholic abuse. Under the proposal, beer is not allowed to be sold online or through automatic vending machines. Also according to the decree, all beer products, whether domestically produced or imported, must be stamped to show their legality. All producers of beer must obtain licenses for production and are required to show on the product labels the ingredients and the alcohol concentrations, and even the possible effects of beer abuse. Article 16 of the draft law document stipulates cases of violation of the regulations. They include producing beer without a license, trading beer produced by unlicensed producers; transporting or consuming beer products without labels or with improper labels; not registering declarations of conformity or declarations of compliance with regulations on food safety, or not stamping products, among other acts. Good management of beer production, trade and consumption will bring a lot of benefits to the society, including more jobs generated, more health effects if beer is moderately taken, and more tax revenue to the State budget. According to calculations of the ministry, the above new regulations will help strengthen control over production, trade and consumption of beer, bringing to the State budget an additional revenue in tax of about VND3,150 billion (US$148.6 million) per year. In addition, the decree will contribute to limiting the randomly opening of beer outlets, fighting fake or poor quality of beer that are harmful to health, driving back domestic violence caused by abuse of beer or alcoholic drinks, and reducing public disorder disturbances and road traffic accidents caused by people under the influence of alcohol. Efforts to gradually ease traffic jam in HCMC Twenty traffic works have come into operation and reduced traffic congestion in several areas in Ho Chi Minh City since early this year. The city authorities now strive for completion of a number of other key projects by the year-end for clearer traffic. Hanoi Highway is the main road in the city’s eastern gateway. It used to face permanent traffic gridlock with the worst congestion being in front of Suoi Tien Park. Vehicles waited in long lines for three to four hours before getting out from the city in holidays. A section of HCMC-Long Thanh-Day Giay Expressway stretches from the belt road No. 2 to Highway 51 has recently opened for traffic cutting the distance and time from the city to surrounding areas. For instance, it takes only 22 minutes instead of one hour to travel from HCMC to Long Thanh district in Dong Nai because the distance is now shortened from 45 kilometers to 22 kilometers. Inner the city, three steel flyovers have been built at VND1 trillion (US$47 million) to tackle constant traffic jam in the Nguyen Tri Phuong-3 Thang 2-Ly Thai To intersection in District 10, Gay Go Roundabout in District 11 and Hoang Hoa Tham-Cong Hoa Crossroads in Tan Binh. The first phase of 13.7 kilometer Pham Van Dong Street, the widest in the city center with 30-60 meter width, has been done. This has helped abate traffic gridlock in front of Mien Dong Bus Station and Dinh Bo Linh Street. The second phase stretching from Binh Trieu Bridge to Linh Xuan Intersection in Thu Duc is expected to be built by the end of this year. After completion, the Pham Van Dong Street will connect HCMC with satellite towns in the neighboring provinces of Binh Duong and Dong Nai, said the HCMC Department of Transport. Forty percent of vehicles entering HCMC from Binh Duong Province will travel on this route. A 9.4km road with seven bridges has nearly been built to make the eastern belt road thorough from Phu My Bridge in District 7 to Rach Chiec Bridge in Hanoi Highway in District 9. The route will facilitate cargo transport in and out from Cat Lai Port as vehicles will not have to make a detour on Road 25B as present. Other two key projects in the city’s western gateway, the 8km Highway10 and 6km 10B, have been behind schedule for the last several years due to site clearance. The Transport Department said that the city determined to complete them by the end of this year to connect HCMC with Long An, and other provinces in the Mekong Delta. The two roads will reduce traffic pressure for the National Highway 1A in Binh Chanh District and shorten cargo transport time between industrial zones in HCMC and Long An. Besides, the city is also struggling to open for traffic two small but important works as soon as possible. They include the 700m Kinh Bridge, the only one connecting Thanh Da Island with other districts in HCMC, and a 1.8km road link up the National University in Thu Duc District with Dong Nai Bridge. Mong Cai Checkpoint simplifies crossing procedures The Mong Cai City's People's Committee in the northern province of Quang Ninh has approved a new policy that will reduce the time to apply for entry and exit procedures when crossing the Mong Cai Checkpoint. Beginning this month, visitors coming to the checkpoint will not have to pay much time for these procedures. Instead, they can assign a tourism company or an individual to contact border officials. Visitors can receive a visiting card at the border gate every day from 9-11am and from 2-4pm. Mong Cai Checkpoint is one of several important checkpoints in Viet Nam. It is next to Guangxi Province in China. Through this point, visitors will be able to easily visit sites in China, especially when immigration procedures become easier. Driver caught with timber in Quang Ngai The Market Management Department of central Quang Ngai Province caught a truck driver illegally transporting four cubic metres of timber along National Highway 1A in Truong Quang Trong Ward yesterday. Tran Trung Hieu, 29, of coastal central Phu Yen Province, failed to show legal documents to prove the origin of the timber, which was found covered by hundreds of beer and shrimp packages. Authorised agencies identified the type of timber and are investigating the case. Rubbish treatment plant opens The central province of Binh Dinh opened a rubbish treatment plant in Hoai Nhon district yesterday, the first of a planned series. Built by a private company with investment of VND7.2 billion (US$343,000), the 1.2ha plant will process up to 50 tonnes of garbage a day, half the total produced in the district. The plant will recycle the rubbish into fertiliser, bricks and plastic. The province has also invested VND64 billion ($3 million) to build a 28ha dump in the same district. Mooncakes fail to meet food safety regulations Ha Noi food safety and hygiene inspectors have found violations at some mooncake manufacturers during their inspection on Wednesday. The inspection was aimed at checking the quality of cakes for the Mid-Autumn festival which, despite all the cake stalls and lion dancers over the past two weeks, actually falls on next Monday. They found three bakeries selling mooncakes of dubious origin after inspecting 18 producers. Tran Ngoc Tu, director of the Ha Noi Food Safety and Hygiene Department, told Kinh te&do thi (Economy and Urban Affairs) newspaper that the inspectors also found three without appropriate water testing certificates. Seven cake samples have been sent to the National Institute for Food Safety and Hygiene for tests. As part of the city's inspection plan, the Ha Noi Department of Industry and Trade has checked 19 manufacturers and 62 traders. It fined 17 a total fine of VND54 million (US$2,500) for violations relating to trademarks and quality. Inspectors also found evidence showing that the Huu Nghi Food Joint-stock Company in Hoang Mai District was copying names of famous brands of the goods. Deputy director of the Viet Nam Food Administration Nguyen Thanh Phong said at a working session with Ha Noi inspectors on Wednesday that additives and other ingredients without clear origin were often sold in Hang Buom Street and at Dong Xuan Market in Hoan Kiem District to make mooncakes. Ha Noi authorities therefore needed to increase inspection, he said. If additives and other ingredients have no proof of origin, inspectors can immediately issue punishments without holding further tests. And the violations must be declared on multi-media, said Phong. Last month, the National Steering Committee on Food Safety and Hygiene established eight inspection teams to check the quality of big moon-cake producers in 16 major provinces and cities throughout the country, including Ha Noi. The month-long campaign started from August 20. Lao Cai donates rice to Chinese city The northern border province of Lao Cai gave 100 tonnes of rice to residents of Ludian county, Zhaotong city in the Chinese province of Yunnan yesterday to help them overcome the consequences of a recent earthquake. Vice Chairman of the provincial People's Committee Dang Xuan Thanh conveyed his sympathy on behalf of the province to those affected by the quake in Ludian. He hoped the gesture of support, reflecting the tradition of friendship and neighbourliness between Lao Cai and Yunnan, would help quake victims overcome hardships and rebuild their lives. The 6.3-magnitude quake on August 3 killed at least 150 people and destroyed many houses in Ludian. Few workers have social insurance Less than one-quarter of the population had social insurance, meaning that the national target of achieving 50 per cent participation by 2020 would be difficult to realise, experts cautioned. Only 23.3 per cent of the workforce was participating in the social insurance programme at the end of the second quarter, a tiny increase from the first quarter's figure of 23.2 per cent, according to the Viet Nam Social Insurance Agency. The primary reason for the lack of coverage was that enterprises frequently sought to evade making compulsory social insurance payments, according to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA). About 300,000 companies failed to pay their employees' social insurance fees during the quarter. Enterprises currently owed more than VND7.79 trillion (US$357.5 million) in such payments, an increase of nearly 5 per cent compared to last year's first quarter. Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Pham Minh Huan pointed out that economic woes in recent years had led to the creation of more jobs in the informal sector, where workers cannot enjoy insurance benefits. While the Government encouraged informal workers, including farmers, to sign up for social insurance, only a minuscule proportion of them could afford to do so. He recommended that the Government provide support to informal workers to participate in the policy, but noted that this was difficult considering the limited budget. Without insurance, informal workers are forced to depend completely on their children when they retire. Director of the Institute for Labour Science and Social Affairs Nguyen Thi Lan Huong hoped the new Law on Social Insurance and the revised Employment Law would improve the situation. As of July 1, more than 51,600 people received social insurance benefits, a drop of 4.7 per cent against the same quarter of 2013, according to the Viet Nam Social Insurance Agency. However, over 3.16 million people enjoyed sickness, maternity and health recovery benefits, an increase of 26.3 per cent from the same quarter last year. While social insurance coverage remained low, participation in unemployment insurance increased, MoLISA noted. By the end of the second quarter, there were 8.8 million people with the policy nationwide, equal to 78.5 per cent of those participating in compulsory social insurance. This was an increase of 5.5 per cent compared to the same period last year. Gia Lai opens school for minority students The Central Highlands province of Gia Lai opened a boarding school for ethnic minority students from remote areas yesterday. Built in An Khe town with investment of over VND 80 billion (US$3.81 million), the senior high school has enrolled 300 students from the Bahnar ethnic group for the 2014-15 school year. The students will receive free textbooks, clothes and accommodation at the school, the second such institution in the province. The first school can accommodate 400 students. Central Highlands provinces have so far built 55 boarding schools for children from ethnic minority groups. According to the steering committee for the Central Highlands, 1.4 million students throughout the region have registered for the 2014-15 school year, with 461,000 students belonging to ethnic minority groups. Smuggled goods seized in Hung Yen The Viet Nam General Department of Customs in co-operation with police from Hung Yen Province have seized eight trucks for illegally transporting 100 tonnes of smuggled goods from Lang Son and Quang Ninh to Ha Noi. The goods included cosmetics, household appliances, second-hand computers, electronic goods, eggs and children's toys, worth dozens of billions of dong. The truck drivers failed to show legal documents to prove the origin of the goods. The case is under investigation. Minister warns of sleeper bus risks Transport Minister Dinh La Thang has declared that sleeper buses must not be allowed to run on steep and tricky routes in mountainous areas. "Sleeper buses have a very high chance of overturning on that kind of route," he said. Thang was speaking at an urgent meeting held in Ha Noi on Wednesday following a tragic bus accident on Monday. Altogether, 12 people died when a bus plunged into a ravine in Bat Xat District in Lao Cai Province. Another 40 or so passengers were taken to hospital with injuries. Thang urged authorities to draw lessons from the tragedy and ensure stricter checks on vehicles to make sure they followed the rules. At the same time, he ordered the Directorate of Roads to check all the railings along the section of National Highway 4D that runs through Lao Cai's Sa Pa Town because they "looked fragile and too low". "It looks like the railings were constructed without consideration for people's safety," Thang said. Tran Ky Hinh, head of the Viet Nam Register said that in the past two years, there had been 22 traffic accidents involving sleeper buses throughout the country, most of which occurred overnight. He said 30 per cent had occurred on steep roads in mountainous areas. Most of the others occurred on the National Highway 1A that runs through central Viet Nam. Minister Thang also told authorities to revise regulations for sleeper buses to make sure manufacturers equipped them with seat belts. He also called for detailed specifications on the operation and control of night rescue work. Nguyen Trong Hai, director of the Lao Cai Transport Department, said there were strict punishments for buses that strayed from set routes. He said the department would co-operate with the police to check that this was done in future. Deputy Minister of Transport Le Dinh Tho said that since Monday night's tragedy, the Ministry had checked 650 of the nation's 4,500 sleeper buses. He said to prevent further incidents, buses would be assigned specific routes and be told to restrict luggage and other goods to specific limits. The wrecked bus was towed from the ravine on Wednesday after more than 10 hours' work. It was sent to provincial police for investigations. To date, 20 victims of the accident have been discharged from hospital. Fifteen others are still receiving treatment at Lao Cai General Hospital. Six of them are suffering from severe injuries while two are in a critical condition. Canon continues social engagement in Vietnam Canon Vietnam Co. Ltd opened the new academic year 2014-2015 at Tan Yen High School 2 in the northern province of Bac Giang and launched its bicycle donation programme. The programme, called “Canon - With you to school”, aims to support outstanding disadvantaged students through the donation of 140 bicycles, worth VND154 million (US$7,700) in total. Of which, 100 bikes will be distributed to four schools participating in the programme for the first time, while the rest will be given to four schools that joined last year. On September 5, the company continued its donation programme in the northern province of Bac Ninh by giving 100 bikes to four schools, bringing the total number of bikes donated to 480 at a cost of more than VND500 million (US$23,000). On the same day, Canon Vietnam also launched its “Light up the countryside” project, which oversees the installation of street lights along more than 9 kilometers in disadvantaged areas in Bac Giang. The lighting system, which costs nearly VND200 million (US$9,400), will help maintain social security in rural areas. Since the project commenced in 2013, the company has invested VND600 million (US$28,500) in lighting up over 28 km of roads in four districts in Bac Ninh province and two others in Bac Giang province. Economic study paints positive GDP and jobs forecast Vietnam’s GDP is forecast to jump up by 14.5% and employment growth by 10.5%, according to the latest study of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the ASEAN Secretariat. However, the report cautions the benefits won’t be evenly distributed among the work force and those who lacking necessary skills and experience will most likely experience difficulties locating a good paying job. The results of the study were announced at a national policy dialogue entitled “ASEAN Community 2015: Managing Integration for Better Jobs and Shared Prosperity” held in Hanoi on September 4. The Asian Economic Committee (AEC) which is expected to be officially established by late 2015 plays an instrumental role in the expansion of the nation’s GDP and employment outlook.  The formation of AEC will allow highly skilled workers its 10 member countries to freely move in the region. Yoshiteru Uramoto, ILO Director in Asia-Pacific region, said the new study showed that Vietnam will be one of countries benefiting most from regional economic integration as its economy depends highly on foreign trade. It forecast that fields- construction, transport, garment and food processing should witness strong growth. The study indicated that economic integration should generate an additional 14 million jobs in ASEAN and improve living conditions for 600 million people. In the 2010-2025 period, demand for average skilled workers is projected to grow at an average rate of 28% per annum. The study warns that two-third of new jobs may be low quality and vulnerable work. Despite strong development, nearly half of Vietnamese labourers might still work in agriculture and sectors having lower productivity, income and working conditions compared to other ASEAN economies. Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Pham Thi Hai Chuyen said Vietnam is fully cognizant of opportunities and challenges brought about by the AEC and the Government has made every effort to prepare for deeper international integration to ensure all people have the opportunity to benefit from the process. Experts proposed that Vietnam implement measures to raise productivity and the quality of jobs in agriculture and diversify jobs in new manufacturing industries. The nation should expand unemployment insurance mechanism and improve high school education and vocational training systems to meet the increasing demand for average skilled workers. Vietnam should also promote legal regulations for the protection of migration workers to best utilise their skills, they said. Vietnamese spend millions on luxury bicycles There has been a trend among the rich in Hanoi and HCM City to buy push-bikes for prices reaching as much as VND560 million (USD26,660). Tu, the owner of a high-end bike bicycle shop in Hanoi, said that many rich people want something unique to set them apart and show they are "connoisseurs". Customers tend to either commission ready-made bikes or get them from foreign manufacturers. High-grade bikes often weigh less than 13kg, the more expensive ones being lighter. Bikes sold for around VND200 million can weigh as little as 7kg, the frame built from carbon fiber. Some can cost USD2,000-4,000. Shops also profit from accessories, such as gloves, helmets, heart monitors, knee and elbow pads and other protective gear. Even bike clothing is a boon for these businesses. After the news that the auto producer McLaren plans to launch a new but limited model, named McLaren S-Works Tarmac, for which one would have to pay VND560 million, there were lists of customers willing to make the purchase. In 2012, a Vietnamese-American living in HCM City bought a bike designed by Albert II, the prince of Monaco, at USD35,000. It is expected that well-known bike brands, such as Audi, Porsche, Fuji, Oval Concept, Sigma, Ibera, Prowell, Chepark, Exustar and others will gain prominence in Vietnam. Vietnam Airlines offers 30 percent discounts on int'l flights The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines is offering a 30 percent discount off ticket prices for a number of flights to selected countries in the Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia. The special rates will be applicable for first 1,000 passengers who buy tickets on Saturday and Sunday in September and make a payment with Techcombank card or at vietnamairlines.com. Accordingly flights to benefit from Vietnam to the Southeast Asian nations will depart from September 15-December 31; and flights from Vietnam to Northeast Asian countries will depart from October 24 to December 24. HCMC supports VND21 billion to vocational students Ho Chi Minh City will allocate nearly VND21 billion (US$991,267) to support 12,000 students in two academic years 2012-2013 and 2013-2014. The sum will be used to support students in learning vocational education and search for jobs. According to the city’s Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies and the department have instructed colleges to provide credit aid packages to students in vocational training colleges for many years. Thanks to the program, over 47,500 students have so far received the support. Five leading vocation training schools plan to invest VND10 billion (US$ 472,032) in training programs for most in-demand jobs Five districts in HCMC have supplied vocational training to more than 6,700 residents including 612 young men. Nha Be and Can Gio districts are two districts carrying out the program well, training needed jobs and helping local laborers seek jobs in the districts. However, while demand of free learning foreign languages and IT is increased, the supply is poor. The program has not mobilized contribution from economic and social organizations to help young people in vocational training and searching jobs. Hundreds of students drop out due to poverty The Department of Education and Training in Nghe An Province reported that 660 students did not re-register for classes in this new school year. As of August 25, 28 primary school students, 416 secondary school and 216 high school students dropped out. When asked about their reasons, 560 students attributed it to their academic records, while 314 said it was because of financial difficulties. Many of the remaining complained that their schools were located too far from their homes. Educators in Nghe An have begun collaborating with local authorities and parents to persuade students to stay in school. The schools' administrators and teachers are also trying to pinpoint the reasons for large dropout rates and improve the quality of education given at their facilities. In the meantime, there has been much progress between private philanthropists and the public education administrators to help alleviate dropout rates due to financial troubles. This year schools will open courses for students who are unable to keep up with mainstream curriculum. As for the long-term plan, authorities will have to build dormitories to aid students from disadvantaged areas. Programme launched to improve Vietnamese people’s stature A programme targeting at improving Vietnamese people’s stature was launched in Hanoi on September 4 by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET). The programme aims to produce a generation of Vietnamese youngsters full of physical strength, good spirit and sound mind. The event is part of the ‘Milk for School Children’ programme, which was implemented under a Prime Ministerial project on developing physical strength in the 2011 -2030 period. Accord to a survey conducted by the Health Ministry in 2010, the average height of Vietnamese adolescents in lower than an international standard set by the World Health Organisation and lower than their peers in other countries in the region. Moreover, the country is facing dual forms of nutrition issues, as many children in remote and mountainous regions are undersized, while many in big cities are now suffering from obesity. These disadvantages can have a major impact on the country’s future human resources. Speaking at the launch, Politburo member and President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan called for a joint effort from Party committees and local authorities at all levels, as well as businesses and the whole community, to realise the project. He also presented one million cups of milk, sponsored by the TH True Milk Group, to a MoET representative to deliver to poor children. Fewer flight delays and cancellations in August The number of flight delays and cancellations last month plummeted to 14.3% of all flights versus 22.1% two months ago, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) reports. Statistics from CAAV showed more than 14% of nearly 15,000 flights operated by local airlines were delayed while the percentage of canceled services was a mere 0.5% last month. In the period, Jetstar Pacific reported the highest rate of delayed flights at 25.1%, followed by VietJetAir with 19.9%, Vietnam Airlines with 10.4% and Vasco with 4.5%. Following an incredibly high percentage of delays and cancellations two months ago, airline representatives had pledged to the Ministry of Transport to cut the number of such incidents. The two low-cost carriers, VietJetAir and Jetstar Pacific, vowed to halve the numbers of their delays and cancellations in July and last month. Jetstar Pacific promised to bring down the number of postponed and cancelled flights to 5% in November this year while VietJetAir pledged the rate at only 10% this month. HCM City in dire need of vaccines for children The scarcity of vaccines for children has widely occurred at a number of hospitals, worrying many parents in HCMC. Highly-demanded vaccines such as Infanrix Hexa and Pentaxim have been in short supply, especially this month. Representatives of some hospitals said they do not know when these vaccines are imported. A source said hospitals in the city may have vaccines in mid-September with a small quantity, from 150 to 200 doses that are enough for one day, while the demand is so high. The lack of such types as five-in-one and six-in-one vaccines used to prevent diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio, hepatitis B and a bacterial infection called haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) has turned more acute since early this year. Previously, a number of hospitals said that there would be enough vaccines in late August and early September while the Drug Administration of Vietnam under the Ministry of Health had officially announced the shipments of Infanrix Hexa and Pentaxim vaccines would be imported early last month. However, many children have yet to get vaccinated until now. Source: VNN/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/ND