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Social News 21/12
USAID supports farmers to understand land rights
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has
launched a first-of-its-kind project worth US$800,000 in
The two-year pilot project will help set up and train teams of
grassroots community volunteers to assist farmers, particularly women, in the
northern province of Hung Yen and the Mekong Delta province of Long An in
improving their knowledge of land rights.
In addition, the project will support the work of researchers
to better understand documents and gender-specific barriers to realizing the
land rights in rural areas.
This project combines commune-level legal rights counseling
and education with advocacy efforts with a focus on increasing the capacity
of social and mass organizations to advocate for gender equitable
implementation of land regulations, as well as legal revisions when necessary
to achieve this.
USAID Vietnam Mission director Joakim Parker said the project
would help
“Lack of awareness, by both men and women, of
The centerpiece of the program is the mobilization and
training of 60 community volunteers for gender equality from four communes
across the two provinces. The volunteers will conduct land rights
awareness-raising activities as well as provide legal counseling to individuals,
mitigate land disputes and offer referrals to navigate the existing legal
structures.
Researchers are currently conducting a household-level survey
to assess knowledge of land rights and perceptions about gender equality in
the four communes as well as determining what kind of barriers women face
when trying to exercise their rights with respect to land ownership.
The project is being implemented by the Institute for Social
Development Studies (ISDS) as the local partner of the
HCM City wants PPP for wastewater treatment, transport
projects
The HCMC Department of Planning and Investment has proposed
the city government approve at least three wastewater treatment and transport
projects to be executed under the public-private partnership (PPP) format.
The projects involve development of wastewater collection and
treatment systems for the basin areas west of HCMC and of Tan Hoa-Lo Gom
Canal, as well as a tram project in this economic hub of
The PPP format will help HCMC find investors for these
projects at a time when the city faces budget constraints while the
Government has a policy to stop implementing projects under the
build-transfer (BT) format and funded by the State budget.
Moreover, paying contractors of the BT projects by land lots
has turned unattractive to investors as the local property market has shown
little sign of recovery. The number of land plots managed by the city
government is limited.
Water quality at canals improves
* Water quality at major canals in HCMC has improved
significantly in the past two years, according to the HCMC environmental
protection agency.
Cao Tung Son, deputy head of the agency, told a conference on
pollution and water quality at rivers and canals in HCMC on December 18 that
improvements have recorded at Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe, Tan Hoa-Lo Gom, Tau Hu-Ben
Nghe and Tham Luong-Vam Thuat canals.
According to Son, the high pollution seen at
Son credited water quality improvements at canals to the
city’s big spending on the clean-ups at canals in recent times.
The city is now investing in construction of concentrated
wastewater treatment systems for the basin areas of main canals until 2018.
HCMC has more than 3,200 rivers, canals and streams with a
total length of over 5,000 kilometers. Most of these rivers and canals are
polluted by 1.2 million cubic meters of untreated wastewater from households
and 109,000 cubic meters from factories every day, as well as wastewater
discharged from livestock farms and toxic liquid from dumpsites in
residential areas.
Phuc affirmed the high-level delegation of the Lao Central
Steering Committee on Rural Development and Poverty Reduction that the aid
aims to help
The Vietnamese Party, State and Government always attach importance
to strengthening special solidarity and time-honoured friendship between
The Deputy PM stressed the need to educate young generations
about the two countries’ glorious traditions and boost bilateral
comprehensive cooperation in various fields for mutual benefits, particularly
in poverty reduction and rural development.
Phuc asked Vietnamese functional agencies and the Central
Steering Committee on Rural Development and Poverty Reduction to make
proposals on poverty elimination and rural development efforts in both
countries.
Dire need for flood-proof clusters in Tien Giang
A house submerged by flood waters in Tan Phuoc
District,
Residents in the southern
The delegation also visited households in Tan Phuoc and Cai Be
districts as part of an inspection of eight provinces in the Cuu Long (
After the inspection, the ministry would suggest the
Government create proper policies for different localities, said Dung.
"Localities still meet difficulties in lending local
residents funds to build flood-proof housing," he said.
Tran Phuong
The provincial authorities suggested the Government provide
financial support to the province to build the clusters in 40 flood-prone
spots.
Vu Xuan Thien, deputy director of the Real Estate Market and
Housing Management Department, said that besides arranging land to build
flood-proof residential clusters, the localities should ensure the existence
of traffic, healthcare and education services in the clusters.
Minister Dung asked the Tien Giang authorities to pay more
attention to speed up the clusters' building progress, set up dumping grounds
and move local residents to the clusters.
Master scheme launched seeking to develop Vietnamese stature
The master plan to develop physical strength and height of
Vietnamese people in the 2011-2030 period (the 641 scheme for abbreviation)
was officially launched in
The scheme, approved by the prime minister on April 28, 2011,
seeks to develop Vietnamese stature to improve the human resource quality for
the cause of national modernisation and industrialisation and gradually
enhance the Vietnamese’s race quality and longevity.
With a total investment capital of roughly VND6 trillion
(US$282 million), the 641 scheme will be among the top important goals of the
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in the coming time.
The project will be implemented via four major programmes
including identifying factors influencing Vietnamese people’s height growth;
nutrition care combined with relevant population quality activities; boosting
physical education for students aged 13-18, and raising common awareness of
Vietnamese physical fitness and stature development. Pregnant mothers,
infants, children and the under-18 youth will be among the scheme’s top
beneficiaries.
One of the scheme’s specific targets is to raise the average
height of Vietnamese men to 167cm by 2020 and 168.5cm by 2030. The target
heights for women are 156cm by 2020 and 157.5cm by 2030.
Health is vital to each individual and the whole society, and
protecting and improving people’s health also means the direct protection of
human resources for national construction and defence, Minister of Culture,
Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh said at the launching ceremony.
On the occasion, the 641 scheme’s steering board also
presented prizes to the winners of the contest to design logo, slogan and
song for the project.
Fisheries centres to be built to boost seafood quality in VN
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has planned
to build five fisheries centres nationwide in the 2015-20 period.
The fisheries centres will be located in Khanh Hoa, Ba Ria –
Vung Tau and Kien Giang provinces,
Each centre will work with major fishing areas to improve the
quality and value of fish and other aquatic species.
The fisheries centre in
Speaking at a seminar held in
The
The remaining fisheries centres would be built between 2016
and 2020.
The fisheries centres each would have an administration
building, a wholesale market, a parking lot, a refrigerated fish-storage
area, a fresh fish storage area, a fishing port and other facilities.
The ports of fisheries centres would be able to accommodate
fishing boats weighing up to 20,000 tonnes and have a storm shelter for
fishing boats.
Participants at the seminar said over the past the country's
investment in fishing ports and storm shelters had been low, especially in
the central region, which has a high number of storms.
Between 2010 and 2014, about VND850 billion (US$40 million)
was mobilised from various sources, including the State budget, and been used
to upgrade 83 fishing ports nationwide.
The 83 fishing ports serve about 82,000 fishing boats.
Between 2002 and 2014, the country has invested in 70 storm
shelters for fishing boats. Of those, 42 have been completed, for a total of
31,150 fishing boats.
The country has about 127,000 fishing boats, according to the
ministry.
In the first 11 months of the year, the country's fishermen caught
about 2.7 million tonnes of fish and other aquatic species, up 5.5 per cent
against the same period last year, according to the Directorate of Fisheries.
Major fishing provinces like Kien Giang, Ben Tre, Khanh Hoa,
Binh Thuan and Binh Dinh have seen an increase in the quantity of fish and
other aquatic species caught this year.
Mai Anh Nhin, deputy chairman of the Kien Giang Province
People's Committee, said Kien Giang had a large fishing ground and high
potential for developing a sea economy.
Kien Giang had caught more than 462,000 tonnes of fish and
other aquatic species this year, the highest quantity in the country, he
said.
Kien Giang has more than 10,000 fishing boats.
VN agriculture needs to breed independence
He told a recent meeting in Ha Noi that one of the biggest problems
in the country's agricultural sector was the high dependence on imported seed
varieties and animal breeds.
Statistics compiled by the ministry show that
While the import benefits
"We are asking companies to begin domestic production of
the seed varieties and breeds after three years of imports," Phat said.
Commercial imports, or imports for sale in the domestic
market, were very high for products like hybrid rice and tilapia fish, he
added.
Pham Dong Quang, deputy director of the Department of
Cultivation, said existing policies needed to be reviewed and amended to
encourage enterprises undertake more breeding research.
The private sector should invest more in R&D because the
application of bio-technology in plant breeding was still in its nascent
stages in
Drought-resistant corn varieties and genetically modified
soybeans that are pest-resistant were recent advancements in the country, the
meeting heard.
Other advances could be seen from the fact that 58 per cent of
cows were raised just for beef this year, up from 45 per cent in 2011. The
number of disease-free shrimp farmed nationwide also rose from about 52 per
cent in 2011 to 65 per cent this year.
Stronger copyright protection for new breeds was essential to
encourage further R&D by the private sector, said Tran Manh Bao, director
of the Thai Binh Breeding Co.
Viet Nam needs to tackle several major challenges in order to
restructure its forestry sector, said Nguyen Xuan Quat, a professor at the
Research Institute for Sustainable Forest Management and Forest
Certification.
Main problems to be addressed include a lack of diversity in
seedlings and not enough research team leaders, Quat said on Thursday at a
workshop in Ha Noi. The workshop aimed to bring policy-makers, scientists and
experts together to identify priorities for restructuring the forestry
sector.
Forestry business owners should use more advanced technology
to try out new seedling types, while the sector should build a modern
national laboratory system so it can research new seedling varieties, he
said. Another priority should be training research team leaders.
Nguyen Quang Duong, head of the Viet Nam Administration of
Forestry's Planning and Finance Department, said the administration should
set technical standards to help industry leaders select seedlings, and work
on creating new genetically modified breeds.
Nguyen Hoang Nghia, from the
Science and technology would play key roles in improving the
forestry sector, said Ha Cong Tuan, deputy minister of Agriculture and Rural
Development. They would help
"It takes time to create new breeds," he said.
"It might take scientists up to ten years."
Therefore, scientists in
Community oversight of anti-poverty work discussed
A workshop was held yesterday in Ha Noi to discuss ways to
complete the legal framework to enhance the community's monitoring of poverty
reduction and hunger eradication projects.
Participants recommended relevant bodies to seek ways to raise
the community's awareness about the benefits of the projects, as well as the
significance of their role in monitoring the implementation process. The
workshop was conducted as part of the efforts to eradicate corruption.
The recommendations were made based on the survey results on
the issue, which was conducted by the Government Inspectorate and the Irish
Embassy in
The survey results revealed that 80.1 per cent of the
interviewees would report corrupt activities they discover to relevant
bodies, while the remainder chose to keep silent. This indicates that many
wrongdoings are not reported and dealt with properly.
In addition, 74.7 per cent of those surveyed said that the
community's supervision helped detect wrongdoings in the implementation of
poverty reduction and hunger eradication projects. The most common misconduct
identified by survey participants was the implementation of ineffective and
wasteful projects.
The survey also indicated that 28.9 per cent of the complaints
and petitions were accurate, while 71.1 per cent were partially correct. This
reflected the proper performance of the community supervision bodies in
collecting public opinions and reporting these to authorised agencies for
investigation.
Also, the Viet Nam Fatherland Front chapter at the communal
level was cited as the community supervision body by 69.7 per cent of the
survey respondents, while 61.3 per cent said supervision was handled by the
communal inspection body set up under the national programme for poverty
reduction composed of 135 people-elected representatives.
Korean
tourists flock to Nha Trang
Approximately 60,000 holidaymakers from
The visitors typically stayed at three- to five-star hotels
and resorts and used high-class services and products such as golf and mud
baths, according to travel agencies.
From November, Cam Ranh International Airport had two direct
flights from Seoul to Khanh Hoa per week, each bringing about 120-130
visitors. This is a good signal for the local tourism sector, especially as
the number of Russian tourists shows signs of decline.
Craft villages earn recognition
The central
In Thanh Ha village in Hoi An city, where the pottery trade
developed from the late 15th century, there are many busy pottery workshops
catering to visitors.
Porning village in Lang Commune in the mountainous district of
Tay Giang has preserved brocade weaving for generations. The village of 500
Co Tu ethnic people has also continued wood carving, an art that began 500
years ago.
The provincial department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said
the recognition aimed to preserve traditional culture and craft villages.
Four expressions of cultural heritage in the province were
recognised as national intangible heritage: the art of hand-made brocade, the
dance of the Co Tu, gu (the Cor ethnic art of festive decorations of wooden
poles) and the procession of the goddess of the Cham people.
Foreign non-governmental aid reaches 300 million USD in 2014
Foreign non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have provided
about 300 million USD in aid for
The aid focused on helping the country deal with social
issues, improve health care and education, promote social economic
development and protect the environment.
At the annual event, VUFO presented certificates of merit to
33 NGOs and one individual in recognition of their significant contributions
to poverty reduction and sustainable development in the country.
The union and the People’s Aid Coordinating Committee (PACCOM)
have vowed to further enhance information sharing with the NGOs and seek new
forms of collaboration in order to improve the efficiency of non-governmental
aid in the future.-
Vietnam-Philippines Friendship Association set up Can Tho
chapter
The Can Tho City chapter of the Vietnam- Philippines
Friendship Association held its founding congress on December 19 in an
attempt to boost ties between the Mekong Delta city and the
Addressing the event, Deputy Chairman of the city’s People’s
Committee Truong Quoang Hoai Nam said the association was set up in the
context of expanding international cooperation, particularly that between Can
Tho and the ASEAN’s country members.
The same day, the deputy chairman welcomed a delegation of
Filipino investors who expressed hope to collaborate with Can Tho in fields
of hygiene water supply and fast food.
Meanwhile the city’s rice and fertilizer manufacturers wished
to expand their market to the
The Filipino Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Le Thi Phung
said with a purchasing power of 3.3 billion USD per year, after only
The Vietnam-Philippines Friendship Association (VNPFA) was founded
at a congress in
Lao Bao border gate ready for “one-stop-shop” customs model
Necessary infrastructure has been basically completed for the
launching of the “one-stop-shop” customs model at Lao Bao border gate in the
central
The model is expected to cut by half the time taken to clear
customs procedures at the pair of Lao Bao – Densavan border gates between
The Lao side has also finished preparations for the change at
the Densavan border gate.
Vietnam and Laos inked a memorandum of understanding on the
implementation of the “one-stop shop” model at the Lao Bao-Desavan border
gates in 2005 in line with an agreement on facilitating people’s travel and
goods transport across border signed by countries in the Greater Mekong
Sub-region (GMS).
Under the MoU, the model would be deployed in four steps,
starting with one-stop shop customs check for goods, then expanding to the
process of all customs procedures and examination. Next the model would also
cover quarantine and health checks and finally be completed with the
inclusion of migration control.
In 2012, the countries agreed to take a short cut from step
one to step four, but little progress was made in realising the model due to
a lack of relevant official documents and a mismatch between regulations of
the two sides. The incomplete infrastructure at the two border gates also
hindered the implementation.
The “one-stop-shop” model is expected to remarkably shorten
customs clearance duration, thus saving time and reducing cost for
enterprises. This is considered a breakthrough in the reform of customs
administrative procedure.
Ha Giang poor families receive breeding cows
As many as 144 cows were given to poor ethnic minority
households in the northern mountainous
The gifts were presented under the programme “Breeding cows
for the poor in border areas”, initiated by the State President and carried
out by the Border Guard High Command in coordination with the Vietnam
Fatherland Front, the Vietnam Red Cross, the Ministry of Agriculture and
Rural Development, the State Bank of Vietnam, the Vietnam Bank for Social
Policies, the Military Telecom Group Viettel and the People’s Committees of
11 northern border provinces.
Viettel has so far handed over 629 cows, worth 15 million VND
(715 USD) each to poor households in 34 border communes in Ha Giang province.
Workshop to enhance community engagement in corruption
prevention
A workshop was held on December 19 in
Participants recommended relevant bodies seek ways to raise
community’s awareness of the benefits from the projects and the significance
of their role in monitoring the implementation process.
The recommendations were made on the basis of the result of a
survey on the issue conducted by the Government Inspectorate and the Irish
Embassy in Vietnam in four localities representing the northern mountainous,
central and Mekong Delta regions with 864 questionnaires.
According to the survey, 80.1 percent of the interviewees said
they would report to relevant bodies when they know about any corruptive
activities while the rest chose to keep silent. This means many wrongdoings
are not reported and dealt with properly.
In addition, 74.7 percent said community’s supervision did
help detect wrongdoings in the implementation of poverty reduction and hunger
eradication projects, with the most common one being ineffective and wasteful
investment.
The survey also showed that 28.9 percent of complaints and
petitions are completely accurate and 71.1 percent are partially right,
reflecting the good performance of community supervision bodies in collecting
the public opinions and reporting to authorized agencies for investigations.
The Vietnam Fatherland Front chapter at the communal level was
cited as the community supervision body by 69.7 percent of the survey
respondents, while 61.3 percent said it was the communal inspection body set
up under the national programme for poverty reduction 135 or people-elected
representatives.
Better infrastructure for 2.5 million urban residents in
Vietnam
The urban upgrading project funded by the World Bank (WB) has
improved the infrastructure in more than 200 low-income areas in the four
cities of
The data was reported at a review conference held in
Under the project, about 500km of drains and 580km of roads
have been constructed or upgraded, helping reduce flooding, and improve the
environmental conditions in poor neighbourhoods.
A total of 30,000 households have been connected to clean
water supply and 550,000 had their drains connected to sewer systems. Narrow,
dirty and flooded alleys are now paved, becoming wider, cleaner and safer.
Nearly 30km of canals and ditches were dredged and connected to the drainage
system.
Besides, nearly 100,000 loans were given for poor households
in an attempt to help them improve housing condition and their livelihoods.
To execute the plan, the WB provided 382 million USD, the
Vietnamese Government invested 140 million USD, and local people contributed
30 million USD.-
Central Highlands ethnic groups helped better living standards
Living standards of ethnic minority groups in the Central
Highlands region is being improved gradually thanks to assistance from
businesses and the authorities.
VinGroup, one of the leading firms in Vietnam , donated 5,000
breeding cows to poor households, while a number of businesses, such as the
Vietnam-Russia Oil and Gas Joint Venture, the Vietnam Military
Telecommunications Group, Vietcombank, and Vietinbank, invested in building
schools and medical centres and providing schooling aids and medical tools
worth billions of Vietnamese dong for the region.
In 2014, the Vietnam Red Cross and its chapters in the region
carried out a series of humanitarian activities with a sum of 83 billion VND
(3.88 million USD) to aid more than 475,700 needy people.
Apart from calling for more support to the region, the Central
Highlands Steering Committee visited and presented gifts worth 8 billion VND
(374,707 USD) to needy people in the region and 29 nearby mountainous districts.
In 2015, the committee will continue mobilising donation to
social security programmes in the region.
VinGroup plans to assist the building 1,000 houses in the
Central Highlands and nearby mountainous districts.
Covering over 54,400 sq.km, the Central Highlands groups the
five provinces of Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Lam Dong, Gia Lai and Kon Tum, with a
population of over 5.4 million people, 25.7 percent of them ethnic
minorities.
Better infrastructure for 2.5 million urban residents in
Vietnam
The urban upgrading project funded by the World Bank (WB) has
improved the infrastructure in more than 200 low-income areas in the four
cities of
The data was reported at a review conference held in
Under the project, about 500km of drains and 580km of roads
have been constructed or upgraded, helping reduce flooding, and improve the
environmental conditions in poor neighbourhoods.
A total of 30,000 households have been connected to clean
water supply and 550,000 had their drains connected to sewer systems. Narrow,
dirty and flooded alleys are now paved, becoming wider, cleaner and safer.
Nearly 30km of canals and ditches were dredged and connected to the drainage
system.
Besides, nearly 100,000 loans were given for poor households
in an attempt to help them improve housing condition and their livelihoods.
To execute the plan, the WB provided US$382 million, the
Vietnamese Government invested US$140 million, and local people contributed
US$30 million.
Anti-corruption demands community engagement
A workshop was held on December 19 in
Participants recommended relevant bodies seek ways to raise
community’s awareness of the benefits from the projects and the significance
of their role in monitoring the implementation process.
The recommendations were made on the basis of the result of a
survey on the issue conducted by the Government Inspectorate and the Irish
Embassy in Vietnam in four localities representing the northern mountainous,
central and Mekong Delta regions with 864 questionnaires.
According to the survey, 80.1 percent of the interviewees said
they would report to relevant bodies when they know about any corruptive
activities while the rest chose to keep silent. This means many wrongdoings
are not reported and dealt with properly.
In addition, 74.7 percent said community’s supervision did
help detect wrongdoings in the implementation of poverty reduction and hunger
eradication projects, with the most common one being ineffective and wasteful
investment.
The survey also showed that 28.9 percent of complaints and
petitions are completely accurate and 71.1 percent are partially right,
reflecting the good performance of community supervision bodies in collecting
the public opinions and reporting to authorized agencies for investigations.
The Vietnam Fatherland Front chapter at the communal level was
cited as the community supervision body by 69.7 percent of the survey
respondents, while 61.3 percent said it was the communal inspection body set
up under the national programme for poverty reduction 135 or people-elected
representatives.
Jetstar Pacific offers cheap tickets on domestic routes for
Tet
The low-cost carrier Jetstar Pacific is offering cheap tickets
starting at just VND99,000 on local routes from 11:00 am of December 19 to
21.
One-way tickets for Buon Ma Thuot/Phu Quoc-Ho Chi Minh City
routes will cost VND 99,000; Da Nang/Hue-Ho Chi Minh City costs VND 280,000;
Nha Trang-Ho Chi Minh City will be VND 290,000; Hanoi/Hai Phong/Vinh/Thanh
Hoa-Ho Chi Minh City of VND 380,000.
The special rates will be applicable for flights departing
from February 5-18 (December 17-30 of the lunar calendar).
New expressway cuts HCM-Vung Tau travel time by more than half
A new expressway between
The Ho Chi Minh City-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway, which
opens December 20 and will cut average travel time from 150 minutes to just
over an hour.
It was constructed by Civil Engineering Construction
Corporation No. 4 under a VND2.4 trillion contract and the final section was
completed five months ahead of schedule.
The final section, connecting Beltway 2 to National Highway
51, cuts 25 kilometres from the journey and will greatly reduce congestion on
the old route.
Source: VNN/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/ND
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Thứ Bảy, 20 tháng 12, 2014
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