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Social News 24/11
Hanoi
to host Asia-Pacific Disability Forum Conference
The 2014
Asia & Pacific Disability Forum (APDF) General Conference will be held in
Hanoi from November 26 to 28 as an appropriate celebration of the
International Day of Persons with Disabilities (December 3).
The
Vietnam Federation on Disability (VFD) told a press conference in
With
three plenary sessions, the conference will offer an opportunity for
Vietnamese disabled people to learn experience from those who share the same
plight in all over the world.
A number
of side events will be organized on November 29, including a walking tour of
Up to
1,500 teachers and students from secondary schools across the central city of
They
excitedly joined painting, postcard designing, photo competitions, folk games
and music performances.
As part
of the “Love Journey” project by Spanish non-governmental organization for
peace and development Paz Y Desarrollo (Pyd) and the municipal Department of
Education and Training, the event was to raise awareness of gender equality
rules in every aspect of social life, the Law on Child Protection, Care and
Education and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
PyD
Programme Director Elena Cristini said the camp is sure to offer helpful lessons
and pave way for the achievement of gender equality and the fight against
gender violation in the future.
In a
survey conducted by the department, 38 percent of students aged 12-13
responded that they had witnessed beatings between their parents while 67
percent had been punished physically by their teachers. Only 6 percent of
boys and 12 percent of girls were aware of gender equality issue.
The
adoption of the Rome Declaration on Nutrition and the Framework for Action
will serve as a direction for the sustainable development of agriculture,
food and nutrition security in
The
Vietnamese government vows to step up poverty reduction efforts in the
country, Long, who is also Vietnam’s permanent representative at the United
Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, told the second International
Conference on Nutrition in Rome, Italy on November 19-21.
Attendants
shared view that nutrition security and poverty are posing challenges to many
countries around the world, with around 805 million being hungry and 162
million children suffering malnutrition and stunted growth.
About 2
billion are living with essential vitamin insufficiency while 42 million
children and 500 million adults are obese and overweight.
The
declaration and framework was reached unanimously by roughly 200 countries
after their consultations with social organizations and private sector
globally.
Homebuyers given assistance
Individuals
purchasing commercial houses worth 1.05 billion VND (50,000 USD) or less in
urban projects that authorities have approved are entitled to financial
assistance from the national real estate bailout program.
This was
under the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV)'s Circular No 32/2014/TT-NHNN issued
early this week to guide lending activities to assist business and market
developments.
Previously,
the Government also required State-owned commercial banks to reserve at least
three percent of their total outstanding loans to help low-income citizens
lease or purchase social or commercial houses measuring less than 70 sq.m and
priced below 15 million VND (714 USD) per sq.m.
According
to the latest SBV circular, package beneficiaries include civilians and armed
forces servants and workers, as well as households and individuals who build
social houses to serve workers and students.
Enterprises
that transform their commercial housing projects into social housing projects
are likewise qualified for support.
While
interest rates for program loans remain unchanged at six percent per year or
lower as designated by the SBV, the maximum term that home buyers or renters
may enjoy such rates has been extended from 10 to 15 years and cannot be
prolonged after June 1, 2031.
For
customers nationwide who build or repair their own houses, each can acquire a
maximum loan of 700 million VND (33,330 USD).
The SBV
is suggesting that joint-stock commercial banks join the program and register
with it for this purpose within 30 days after the circular takes effect on
November 25.-
Quang
Ninh begins construction of China-linked bridge
Work
started on November 22 on the construction of a bridge spanning over the
The
building of the Bac Luan Bridge II was studied in 2006 under the Prime
Minister’s instructions. Accordingly, Quang Ninh was assigned to cooperate
with relevant agencies to work with the Chinese side to implement the project
in line with current regulations.
In March
2012, an agreement on the construction of the bridge was inked by
Up to
now, the two sides have completed the bridge designing and assessment,
meeting mutual technical requirements.
Speaking
at the ground-breaking ceremony, Vice Chairman of the Quang Ninh provincial
People’s Committee Le Quang Tung asked agencies and contractors involved to
closely coordinate with a view to implementing the project on schedule with
required quality.
Together
with the future Ha Long-Mong Cai expressway, the Bac Luan bridge II, with
Vietnam’s total investment of over 336 billion VND (16 million USD), plays an
extremely important role in transportation and trade exchange between two
localities and two countries.
In
addition, the bridge serves as a gateway for ASEAN and
Children
of disadvantaged migrants in four
Education
and health care were basic rights of all children including migrants, and the
program was aimed at ensuring these basic rights, Luong Thi Thuan, the
association's chairwoman, said.
Funded
by the Danish Vietnamese Association, the three-year, US$465,000 project — in
12 wards and communes in Districts Tan Phu, 7, 8, and Binh Chanh — began this
month, she added.
Free
classes would be organized for migrant children who drop out of school,
according to Nguyen Ngoc Phuc, the project co-coordinator.
All
disadvantaged children would be provided with scholarships to cover tuition
fees and money for books and other learning aids, he said.
They
would also get vocational training scholarships and health and accident
insurance, he said.
Young
migrants with unintended pregnancies would get reproductive health care,
while children would be taught living skills and how to prevent HIV/AIDS
transmission and sexual abuse, he said.
Nguyen
Thanh Phung, head of the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs'
children protection division, said that the city's economic development
attracted a large number of people from other provinces and cities, who came
to live and work with their children.
Besides,
a large of children came on their own looking for jobs, she said.
All
these children had difficulty accessing education and health care, she said,
hoping the project would help improve things.
City
leaders had instructed district authorities to focus on creating a safe
environment for children, including migrants, and ensure children's rights,
she said.
The city
had increased the allocation of funds for children's programs, she added.
Huge
explosives haul in Ba Ria-Vung Tau
Anti-smuggling
officers in the southern coastal
Officials
caught Nguyen Manh Quynh, 28, from the southern
Tons
of poisonous puffer fish destroyed
About
1.4 tons of illegal, poisonous puffer fish were destroyed yesterday, after Ha
Long City police found them on a truck on Thursday in the
Pham
Ngoc Thao, 38, from Quang Ninh's Van Don District, admitted to delivering the
puffer fish to fodder producers in Ha Noi.
Police
tests showed that the puffer fish contained natural poison, which means they
cannot be fished, transported, bought or processed.
Thao was
fined VND30 million (US$1,440) for transporting the fish.
Resettlement
slow at hydropower plants
Deputy
Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai called for the prompt resettlement of people
displaced by the construction of hydropower plants in Son La and Lai Chau
provinces.
Son La,
Dien Bien and Lai Chau provinces are already creating resettlement areas, but
are making slow progress on compensation payments for displaced residents, as
well as financial paperwork at the Son La hydropower plant.
By the
end of October, contractors finished 80 percent of the Lai Chau hydropower
plant. However, progress has been sluggish on the road network between Nam
Nhun, Muong Te and Pac Ma, as well as on site clearance, the bidding
procedures for the Son La- Lai Chau 500kV transmission line and
infrastructure development in resettlement areas, according to the State
Steering Board for the Son La and Lai Chau hydropower projects.
In Lai
Chau, resettlement and site clearance procedures for the hydropower plant
were on schedule, with more than 1,380 households relocated and given access
to clean water and electricity. Lai Chau authorities requested permission to
use VND75 billion (US$3.5 million) from the project's budget to renovate
facilities serving displaced residents.
Hai
called on relevant units to finish a financial report on the resettlement
process for the Son La hydropower plant, which is expected to be complete
next year. He also asked the Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development,
Industry and Trade, Transport, Finance and Planning and Investment to help
implement the project.
New
strains to lift maize yields
By applying
more advanced technology, Vietnamese maize farmers could boost yields by 50
per cent by 2020 and reduce money spent on imports, Syngenta Representative
Peter Pickering said at a recent meeting with Vietnamese agricultural
leaders.
The
Swiss company, a global leader in the field of crop protection and
agricultural biotechnology, launched a program last year to transfer maize
cultivation technology to farmers in
In
addition to good seeds, technical advances were necessary to increase yields,
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Quoc Doanh said.
For this
autumn-winter crop, the company worked with Van Nam Agricultural Co-operative
to provide farms with hybrid maize seeds as well as pest management solutions
to improve yield.
The
Asia-Pacific region has the largest corn growing area, but productivity is
often low. In
The
country has to import 9 million tons of maize for feed production annually.
According to predictions, more than US$1 billion will be spent to import
about 4.5 million tons of corn from now until the end of this year. Last
year, the country spent more than $4 billion on agricultural material
imports.
Firms
urged to offer healthcare services
Enterprises
in
Nguyen
Tuan Kiet, an organization and people development consultant, said that
companies should also offer reproductive healthcare services.
The
workshop was held to discuss the report, The Power of 1.8 billion:
Adolescents, Youth and the Transformation of the Future, released by UN
Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Centre for Central Youth and Adolescents.
Kiet
said that his own survey of reproductive and sexual health knowledge showed
that a high number of employees lacked this knowledge.
"Enterprises
see lower labor productivity when employees' health is not taken care
of," Kiet said.
Research
on the Return on Investment (ROI) rate for an 18-month period at factories in
If
provided healthcare, employees work more effectively and have fewer days off
due to illness, and are more loyal to their companies..
Training
for employees to develop their skills and gender equality is also very vital,
according to Kiet.
Vo Tan
Thanh, deputy general director of Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce & Industry
(VCCI) in
To take
full advantage of these "golden" human resources, the country
needed to have programmes to improve their skills, he added.
As of
the first quarter, the country's labor force was 53.6 million, but only 25.6
million of them have received training.
The
country's labor productivity was still lower than other countries in the
region, he added.
The
workshop was held by UNFPA and
Two
business leaders face prosecution for fraud
Ca Maus
Police Department yesterday prosecuted two fishing industry business leaders
for defrauding the Viet Nam Development Banks (VDB) Minh Hai branch in Ca Mau
of VND600 billion (US$28.5 million).
The police
arrested Dang Thi Ngoi, director of the Ngoc Sinh Fishery Import and
Processing Enterprise in U Minh district, for defrauding VDB of VND430
billion ($20.4 million).
Ngoi
closed down her business in 2009, though she had borrowed VND300 billion
($14.3 million) from the bank, plus a total interest of VND130 billion ($6.1
million) that she had been unable to pay earlier.
Ngoi
could not pay her debts because her enterprises value was less than VND100
billion ($4.7 million), the police reported.
The
local police also prosecuted Phan Minh Nhat, deputy director of the Minh Chau
Fishery Processing Company in Cai Nuoc district, for defrauding VDB of VND170
billion ($8.1 million).
Nhat
escaped arrest, however, by running away from his residential area.
The
police are investigating further.
Project
to add Bac Giang’s rural villages to national grid
The
The
target localities are in 24 rural and mountainous communes in Son Dong, Luc
Ngan, Luc
The
province will spend more than 263 billion VND (12.5 million USD) on the
project, which is partly financed by official development assistance.
The
project entails the construction of more than 81.4km of medium-voltage power
lines, 180km of low-voltage lines, and 65 substations, as well as the
installation of 8,721 electricity meters in local households.
It aims
to meet household and business demand for power, helping to foster
socio-economic development and wellbeing in mountainous areas.
Located
50km to the north of
The
Japanese Embassy in
Accordingly,
Vietnamese individuals are able to apply for single tourist visas when they
take part in package tours (with a stay of less than 15 days) organized by
local travel agencies registered with the Japanese embassy and consulate
general located in the country.
The list
of the 56 Vietnamese companies is available at http://www.vn.emb-japan.go.jp
.
Under
the new procedure, the applicants are no longer required to submit documents
that attest to their ability to pay for travel expenses.
Citizens
of
Program
on “100 resilient cities” launched in Danang
The “100
resilient cities” program which is pioneered by the
At the
event, participants discussed the “resilience” concept and the program’s
approach to “resilience” and studied experience that the Institute for Social
and Environmental Transition of the
Experts
also proposed specific orientations and solutions for Vietnam in general and
Danang in particular to deal with problems arising in the four main domains
of urban planning, social security and economic development, the environment
and coping with climate change.
Vice
Chairman of the city’s People’s Committee Phung Tan Viet said the program
gives Danang a good chance to access new knowledge and experience in enhance
the capacity to cope with any shocks or disasters.
The
program of “100 resilient cities” attempts to help worldwide cities to
develop plans and prepare their community for better cope with and recover
from shocks, tensions and disasters in the 21st century.
In late
2013, the program selected Danang as one of the first 33 cities to implement
the program’s foremost phase.
Solutions
for renewal energy promotion discussed
Production
cost is the major barrier for the development of renewable energy in
Dr
Nguyen Anh Tuan, Director of the institute’s International Cooperation
Department, added that new technologies are expected to make wind and solar
energy and bio-fuel more cost-competitive compared to fossil fuel.
He also
pointed out that the lack of support policies and incentives as well as
difficulties in accessing capital are among other obstacles.
Deputy
Director of Green Innovation and Development Centre (GreenID) Tran Dinh Sinh
said the workshop is to introduce forecast of
Hosted
by Green ID, the event formed part of activities by the World Wildlife Fund
in its initiative to promote sustainable energy development in
HIV
treatment technology transfer centre shaping in HCMC
A
project on building an HIV-addiction treatment technology transfer centre was
officially kicked off at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and
Pharmacy in on November 21.
The
project is a joint effort of the Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and
Pharmacy, the
The
centre will conduct research on treatments for addictive substances such as
morphine, heroine, methamphetamine, alcohol and ecstasy.
It will
cooperate with domestic and foreign specialists to open training courses on
addiction treatment as well as to provide treatment to addicts at
detoxification centres.
According
to Ph.D Do Van Dung, Vice Rector of the Ho Chi Minh City University of
Medicine and Pharmacy, the addicts not only suffer from poor health but they
are also vulnerable to HIV infection, which affects their families as well as
the whole society.
He added
that using medical intervention for addiction treatment is one of the
priorities of the medical sector, especially when HIV pandemic is spreading
in the world.
The
project is scheduled to be completed in three years. Earlier, a Vietnam-HIV
Addiction Treatment Transfer Center (VHATTC) was founded at
Workshop
on methadone maintenance treatment
Only
22,000 patients from 38 cities and provinces received methadone maintenance
treatment by November 15, 2014, Nguyen Hoang Long, head of the Ministry of
Health’s HIV/AIDS Prevention Department said in a workshop on the
implementation of methadone maintenance treatment in
The
event, aiming to assess the reality of drug use and access to methadone
programmes, is part of a project run by the Vietnam Union of Science and
Technology Associations (VUSTA) and the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS,
Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Long
said this late implementation was due to local reliance on the Central
agencies’ support, as well as a lack of local concern and human resources
development. He added that relevant agencies should mobilise and encourage
social organisations to get involved.
Administrative
processes should be simplified to create favourable conditions for patients,
he highlighted.
Most of
the interviewed patients spoke highly of the methadone programme; however,
treating addiction faces a number of problems, such as the increasing number
of people using synthetic drugs, and lacking access to methadone programmes
in some localities, a representative from Hai Phong said.
A number
of issues were discussed at the workshop which included the legislative
framework for alternative treatment using methadone, addiction treatment in
the community and barriers in the access to methadone treatment.
Methadone,
primarily used in World War II to relieve pain, is a long acting synthetic
opiate with pharmacological effects similar to morphine. It was discovered as
a treatment to help drug addicts stop using heroin by Dr Marie Nyswander and
Dr Vincent Dole in 1964.
OVs
in
A
working delegation from the Ministry of Science and Technology on November 22
introduced FIRST, a project to foster innovations through scientific and
technological research, to Vietnamese experts and intellectuals working in
the
Addressing
the workshop, Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK Nguyen Van Thao stressed that
the embassy will act as a bridge connecting FIRST’s management board and
Vietnamese intellectuals in the
Participants
at the function expressed their hope for more concrete support for Vietnamese
experts living aboard when they join the project.
FIRST
was launched in October 2013, using a soft loan from the World Bank. Its
long-term objectives are to help improve the productivity, competitiveness
and growth quality of
It also
targets technological innovations in businesses in order to increase added
value to the economy.
Total
supports education charity in HCM City
French
oil and gas company Total and its affiliates in
For the
2014-15 academic year, Total will donate VND500 million (US$23,800) to
PointCom centre in HCM City's Tan Binh District, which offers poor children
free English and IT classes and trains their parents in tailoring and IT.
The NGO
expects 120 children and adults to benefit from the donation. The French
consul general in
Fifteen
outstanding inventions honored
Fifteen pieces
of inventions were honoured at a ceremony in
The
competition was a joint effort between the Ministry of Science and Technology
and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
The
first prize worth 100 million VND (4,700 USD) went to Nguyen Long Uy Bao from
The
second runner-up was the Hanoi-based Blue and Green Environment Company with
a wastewater treatment system while a sewage classification and automation
equipment brought the third prize to the Centre for Environment Technology
Research and Development.
The
remaining were awarded with consolation prizes.
All
finalist items are to be patented by the WIPO, which now stores approximately
80 millions of patents around the world.
Clam
farmers to pay protection fee
Clam
co-operatives have been asked to pay a fee to protect mangrove forests that
play an important role in white-clam breeding in the Mekong Delta.
"Mangrove
forests have reduced tidal erosion for alluvial ground and transformed
organic matter into fresh food for clams. They have also reduced organic pollution
from domestic aquaculture and agriculture," said Professor Hoang Nghia
Son, head of the
"More
than anyone else, farmers who breed clams should bear the responsibility to
protect, plant and take care of mangrove forests," he added.
The
conference, which discussed the linkages between clam breeding and mangrove
forests, was held to build the first stage for Payment for Forest
Environmental Services (PFES) policy, which would require clam co-operatives
to pay an annual fee to protect and develop mangrove forests.
Clam
breeding has yielded a significant income for residents, providing around
VND100,000 (US$5) per day.
There
are nearly 94,000ha of mangrove forest in the Mekong Delta and 150,000ha
around the country, and over 2,100 clam grounds in the delta area.
"Many
farmers don't recognize the benefits from mangrove forests for clams, and
this national conference is necessary to build a policy," said Andrew
Wyatt, Mekong Delta program manager at the International Union for
Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The
conference was organized by the
Attending
were more than 100 delegates, including scientists, representatives from the
clam co-operatives and Mekong Delta provinces' departments of Agriculture and
Rural Development and Science and Technology, and management boards of
national parks.
Solutions
to promote renewable energy in Vietnam
Production
cost is the major barrier for the development of renewable energy in
Dr
Nguyen Anh Tuan, Director of the institute’s International Cooperation
Department, added that new technologies are expected to make wind and solar
energy and bio-fuel more cost-competitive compared to fossil fuel.
He also
pointed out that the lack of support policies and incentives as well as
difficulties in accessing capital are among other obstacles.
Deputy
Director of Green Innovation and Development Centre (GreenID) Tran Dinh Sinh
said the workshop is to introduce forecast of
Hosted
by Green ID, the event formed part of activities by the World Wildlife Fund
in its initiative to promote sustainable energy development in
New
heart technique applied for very first time in Vietnam
Doctors
from the Ha Noi-based
Duong
Duc Hung, head of the hospital’s Heart Surgery Division, said that doctors
performed the operation on patient Nguyen The Duc, 25 in
Dr. Hung
said that the new technique to replace artificial heart valve should be
applied on those who have injury in the root of the patient’s aorta. As the
artificial valve is put in the normal position, it will be easily flaked off;
accordingly the patient will die at anytime. The new technique can improve
the flaking off.
The
operation lasted 13 hours. One day after the operation, the patient has
recovered and his liver and kidney function work as normal.
Over
21,000 drug addicts treated with Methadone nationwide
More
than 21,000 drug addicts are treated with Methadone nationwide, said a leader
of the Vietnam Administration of HIV/AIDS Control under the Ministry of
Health at a forum held in
Up to
date, 38 provinces and cities among 63 have been implementing Methadone
treatment on 21,613 drug addicts. The figure has reached 27 percent of the
target that expects around 80,000 drug addicts being treated with Methadone
by 2015.
The
Vietnam Administration of HIV/AIDS Control said that the Methadone treatment
program was facing difficulties including personnel problem, shortage of
medical workers and lack of funding.
Special
bed for paralyzed patient wins first invention prize
The
Ministry of Science and Technology yesterday held a ceremony to present
prizes to winners of the Invention Competition in 2014. It's just the second
year that the competition has been held.
After
four months, the competition organizer has received 173 entries of invention
from individuals and organizations. These inventions are applicable in
reality and helpful in production and daily activities.
The
organizer decided to bestow the first prize to Nguyen Long Uy Bao in
The
Green and Green Environment Company and the Center for Research and
Environment Technique received the second and the third prizes. In
addition, other inventors were given encouragement prizes.
Source: VNN/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/ND
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Chủ Nhật, 23 tháng 11, 2014
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