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Social News 14/1
Three big cities launch English Champion 2015
The Vietnam Central Study Encouragement Association,
The contest will kick off on April 1, 2015, for students from
the 4th to 8th grades in
Contestants will compete in three rounds to show their
listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. Competition will follow the
knockout format, examining the competitors’ communication and presentation
skills.
Last year, English Championship 2014 drew the participation of
thousands students from more than 20 primary and secondary schools in the
three big cities.
Awards include scholarships and cash (VND6.2 million or US$294
for the winner of the English Championship 2014).
Pilot issuance of Criminal Record Cards by post approved
The Prime Minister has approved a project on piloting the
issuing of Criminal Record Cards by post and the on-line acceptance of
applications for the card.
Under the project, the National Centre for Judicial Record and
the Justice Departments of five centrally-run cities of
Meanwhile, six other provinces will conduct on a trial basis
the issuing of the card by post. These provinces are Lang Son, Nghe An, Kien
Giang, Bac Lieu, Tien Giang and Binh Duong.
The project, to be implemented in three years, from 2015-2017,
allows citizens in the target localities to send their application and
receive the Criminal Record Card by post.
The application forms are available at post offices and on the
websites of authorised agencies.
The process of applications is also made public on the
websites of authorized agencies.
Dak Lak works to prevent forest fires
The Central Highlands
The province has more than 507,000 hectares of forest, nearly
300,000 of which are particularly vulnerable to bushfire attack and require
special attention.
Dak Lak has established 82 forest development units and 580
forest protection teams at the local level, as well as educated ethnic
minority families living near or inside the forests on how to prevent
wildfires, remove flammable objects and stimulate forest growth.
Hundreds kilometers of fire prevention lanes, a number of fire
watch towers, and fire prevention signs were established and reinforced.
Watchers have also been posted on 24-hour lookout duty.
Furthermore, inspection teams were sent to examine district
and forest owner capability in preventing wildfires.
No wildfires have been reported in the locality thus far this
season.-
Quang Ngai to send farmers to study agricultural development
abroad
From 2015 to 2018, the central
The statement was made by Le Viet Chu, chairman of Quang Ngai
provincial People’s Committee when talking about the VND4.7 billion plan on
sending farmers to study experiences of farming, building trademark and
buying agricultural products.
Farmers will study high-technology agricultural production
techniques, large-scale farming management; apply modern mechanization in
agriculture, policies on rural and agricultural development; study
experiences in commercial promotion; associate agricultural products with
product consumption from production, preservation to package design and
trademark building in order to improve the economic value for each
agricultural product.
Earlier, in October 2014, the province invited Prof. Dr.
Nguyen Lan Dung, president of Vietnam Society for Biology to localities to share
experiences in agricultural re-structure to managers and farmers.
1,000 bicycles to be offered poor children
The National Fund for Vietnamese Children (NFVC) has just
launched a program under title of “Real Life Journey” with aiming to raise
fund to buy bicycles for poor children throughout the country.
This is the second year that “Real Life Journey” program has
reached to local underprivileged children. This year, the organizational
board targeted a minimum of 1,000 bicycles to present for poor children in 25
provinces and cities nationwide.
On this occasion, the organizational board also launched a
writing contest for those who being given bicycles from the program.
So far, the organizational board donated 770 bicycles worth
VND 1, 3 billion to underprivileged children in 22 provinces and cities
nationwide.
HCM City to build road through Gia Dinh Park
The HCMC government will build a road section through
The city’s Department of Transport said the road section is
part of Tan Son Nhat-Binh Loi-outer ring road, which is now called
A 60-meter-wide section of
Therefore, the city government decided to build two
20-meter-wide road sections with the former crossing
Site clearance along
Around 3,900 households have relocated to pave the way for
construction of the Tan Son Nhat-Binh Loi-outer ring road, which stretches
13.7 kilometers from Truong Son Intersection near
Tan Son Nhat-Binh Loi is an important road connecting HCMC
with satellite urban areas and neighboring Binh Duong and Dong Nai provinces.
Few industrial clusters have wastewater systems
Statistics from the Ministry of Industry and Trade showed
wastewater treatment systems have been built at a mere 42 of 639 industrial
clusters nationwide.
Although 639 industrial clusters with nearly 10,800 plants
have created jobs for more than 555,000 workers, they have posed a big threat
to the environment.
One of the reasons, according to the ministry, is that
financial support from the State for technical infrastructure developments
including wastewater treatment facilities is much lower than needed. Total
funding for this purpose in localities was VND290 billion in the 2011-2014
period, or VND72.5 billion a year.
So far, only 25 of the country’s 63 cities and provinces have
issued policies to support development of industrial clusters, including
construction of central wastewater treatment systems.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment estimated
that some 240,000 cubic meters of untreated industrial wastewater is
discharged into rivers a day.
The number of industrial parks and zones has kept increasing
in the past decade but investments in waste treatment plants are low.
Consequently, a large amount of untreated waste is illegally dumped into the
environment.
Can Tho to lift 3,000 poor families out of poverty
The Mekong Delta city of
To achieve this goal, Director of the municipal Department of
Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Thanh Xuan said the city will
foster economic development with the aim of generating approximately 202.5
trillion VND (9.47 billion USD) from trade and industrial and agricultural
production in 2015, an 11.5 percent increase from 2014.
The city also plans to create 50,000 employment opportunities
alongside vocational training courses for 40,000 local residents, raising the
city’s rate of trained workers to 50.7 percent, the highest in the region.
Besides, Can Tho city will raise funds to build houses and
clean water supply systems for the poor, in addition to extending health
care, education, and bill payment support.
In 2014, the locality invested some 38 trillion VND (1.78
billion USD) in and granted another 48 trillion VND (2.24 billion USD) as
loans to industrial and agricultural development. The capital flow, in turn,
helped the city generate over 181 trillion VND (8.48 billion USD), up 12.5
percent from the previous year.
It also provided 5,500 local poor households with 30 billion
VND (1.4 million USD) worth of loans and offered vocational training to
38,000 people.
Last year, more than 50,000 jobs were created, helping nearly
3,250 families escape poverty.
Can
Tho to train over 28,000 rural people with jobs
Over 28,000 rural people in the Mekong Delta city of
The information was revealed at a conference on vocational
training for people living in rural areas in the city to 2020 by the
municipal Steering Committee for Vocational Training project on January 9.
Le Van Tam, Vice Chairman of the municipal People Committee,
said nearly 14.5 billion VND (700,000 USD) has been mobilised from local and
State budgets to improve farming techniques, create jobs, and generate income
for rural people in 2015-2020.
Chau Hong Thai, Deputy Director of Can Tho’s Department of
Labor, Invalids and Social said vocational schools should join hands with
businesses so as to generate workers needed by the market.
Additionally, the city should intensify labor export market
and restore traditional craft villages, Thai added.
In 2014, more than 23,000 rural people received vocational
training, and 75 percent of them were recruited.
Can Tho and other 12 provinces form the Mekong Delta region,
which covers a total area of around 40,000 square kilometres with a
population of 18 million and is a major aquaculture region and the largest
rice production hub of
It aims to raise the proportion of the industry and trade
sectors to 97.5 percent of its economy by 2019, up 4 percent from 2014, in an
effort to become an economic hub of the Mekong Delta by 2020.
More than 30 delegates from
Participants heard reports on the results of the second
preparatory conference held from December 11-12, 2014 in
They also gathered comments and opinions of the organisations
on the draft Forum Statement, which is expected to be approved at the third
preparatory conference in
Delegates also agreed to set up specialised groups based on
four main pillars, namely peace and security, equality in the development,
democracy and human’s basic rights, and discrimination and injustice.
Since the first version of the conference was held for the
same purpose on October 2, 2014 in
Children, elderly in Tien Giang equipped with swimming skills
As many as 350 children and elderly persons in the Mekong
Delta
This is the fourth year members of the AWSOM volunteering
group have opened classes of this kind in Tien Giang, with the help of
province’s Union of Friendship Organisations and relevant agencies.
The classes, running from January 4-9, are also part of a
programme on preventing and reducing drowning on
Bev Chrismas, founder of the AWSOM Group, said the learners
are taught how to swim properly and react if falling into water.
The right way to save a drowning person is one of topics
discussed in the classes along with skills for children to survive in a
region with many water bodies and rivers.
The volunteers also held workshops for parents and My Tho
city’s Association of the Elderly on why it is necessary to have swimming and
rescue skills.
Drowning is one of the leading child killers in
Child Friendly Programme benefits disadvantaged children,
mothers
The care and protection of children and mothers in the coastal
central
The 5.3 million USD project, which is being implemented for
the period 2012-2016, has five components covering education for children;
children protection; children’s survival and growth; social policies and
administration; and the health of mothers.
Vu Minh Tuyen, deputy director of the project’s management
board, said some initial results have been achieved in devising, supervising
and assessing child-friendly social-economic development plans.
Authorities at grassroots level have become more active in
establishing a safe environment for children, helping reduce negligence,
abuse and exploitation of children, particularly those from disadvantaged
backgrounds, the disabled, the poor and ethnic minority children.
The project has to date completed 133 out of 164 planned
activities, reducing the rate of malnutrition among under-five children to
18.8 percent. The rate of drop-out in three target districts has dropped to
0.3 percent.
At the same time, outdated marriage practices such as child
marriage has decreased remarkably among local ethnic minority community,
especially the Raglai.
Pesticide market lacks thorough supervision
Many pesticides currently sold are fake or smuggled, as the
granting of licences to pesticide dealers has not been properly supervised,
Plant Protection Department head Nguyen Xuan Hong said at a recent
conference.
"Many dealers spent only one week studying to get a
licence to sell pesticides," Hong said. "Those dealers did not care
about the quality of the products, but only profits."
"Even worse is that the dealers have the most direct
impact on farmers' decisions to buy pesticides. About 70 per cent of farmers
listen to the dealers' suggestions," Hung said.
Nguyen Thi Cuong, a farmer in the central
"The market now has so many brands and it confuses me. I
just buy any pesticide that the dealers suggest," Cuong said.
Seven per cent of pesticide samples sold in
Pesticide Association chairman Hung added that
"A Government support policy is essential to develop the
network of pesticide manufacturers in
Rubber farmers switch crops in southeast
Many rubber farmers in the south-eastern region, the country's
main rubber growing area, have cut down their trees and switched to other
crops like pepper and coffee following losses caused by the relentless fall
in latex prices.
Nguyen Thi Le, who grew rubber trees on 4ha in 2005 in
In 2014 the price of latex declined dramatically from
VND30,000-40,000 (US$1.4 -1.9) a kilogramme to VND10,000, she said.
"The income from selling latex is not enough to hire
workers to tap rubber trees. So I decided to cut about half of my rubber
trees.
"To earn profits from the remaining rubber trees, my
family has to tap [them] and not hire workers."
In neighbouring Binh Phuoc and Tay Ninh provinces too, many
farmers have switched from rubber to crops like coffee, pepper, cassava, and
sugarcane.
In Tay Ninh, for instance, farmers cut down 1,749ha of rubber
trees in the first 10 months of last year, according to the province's
Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Of the figure, 218ha had trees less than five years old while
the rest were above 10 years old.
A significant increase in global prices of latex in 2009-13
persuaded many farmers to plant the trees as the area under rubber trees in
the country increased from 454,100ha in 2004 to 955,600ha in 2013, exceeding
the Government's plans by 12 per cent, according to the Plant Cultivation
Department.
Authorities in Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, and Tay Ninh provinces
encourage farmers not to cut down rubber trees but instead wait for prices to
recover.
Nguyen Tan Binh, director of the Binh Duong Department of
Agriculture and Rural Development, said farmers had been cutting down rubber
trees on hundreds of hectares despite authorities' warnings.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat has
instructed competent agencies to ensure sustainable development of rubber
farming by focusing on improving yields and reducing costs.
An agriculture extension programme for rubber farmers and a
programme to improve management of rubber seedlings would be established
soon, he said.
Provincial agriculture departments should give priority for
training farmers in cultivation and tapping techniques, he added.
Individual farmers and companies grow half each of the
country's rubber.
Tet gifts for impoverished workers
The Dong Nai province Labour Federation has planned support
activities to help disadvantaged workers and their families enjoy the Lunar
New Year (Tet) holiday, which falls in mid-February, 2015.
As many as 1,040 labourers in Dong Nai will be offered bus
transport to their hometowns free of charge.
The group will also present nearly 5,000 Tet gifts to the
families of impoverished labourers, valued between 400,000-700,000 VND (19-33
USD), said Nguyen Phuoc Manh, Vice Chairwoman of the Federation.
They will organise art performances, trade fairs, and other
events for families who cannot afford to return home for Tet, as well as
offering free health check-ups, Manh added.
In a similar move, the Da Nang City Labour Federation will
offer material and spiritual gifts to local disadvantaged workers in honour
of Tet.
They have also guided trade unions to monitor the payment of
wage and Tet bonus for workers, while working with relevant authorities and
local businesses to address any concerns in a timely fashion.
Efforts to expand health insurance coverage to HIV patients
These measures are part of efforts to gradually shift the
payment of treatment fees from foreign-funded project and programme resources
to the country’s health insurance fund.
The health sector is encouraging people living with HIV to go
to local medical facilities where health insurance cards cover all of their
treatment costs, instead of outpatient clinics.
Unfortunately, many patients are still avoiding visiting
medical facilities near their homes over concerns that relatives, friends and
neighbours will become aware of their HIV status and stigmatise them, posing
a significant barrier to covered health insurance treatments.
To widen the health insurance coverage, experts propose
applying health insurance card payments in outpatient clinics and HIV test centres
under the Health Ministry’s Preventive Medicine Department, the preferred
access sites for people living with HIV.
According to the Director of the general
Currently, 415 out of the 542 known HIV/AIDS patients in the
district have insurance cards, or an impressive 76.5 percent. Health
insurance has also helped Tinh Bien reduce international project spending by
roughly 60 million VND (2,820 USD) on check-ups and treatment.
Looking forward, the health sector plans to mobilise resources
from the State budget to simplify access to insurance for people living with
HIV, including subsidising part or all of the insurance card fees for those
living near or below the poverty line.
Development project to boost Ly Son island tourism
A socio-economic development project worth 2.839 trillion VND
(132 million USD) in Ly Son island district in the central
The 330ha project will provide various services to meet
diversified standard-to-luxury demands. The island is also expected to have
beaches, villas, entertainment complexes and civil aviation services, besides
a dock for yachts, among others.
The state budget will contribute 4 percent of the total
investment, equivalent to 120 billion VND (5.5 million USD), and the rest of
the capital will be mobilised from investors.
The project will be divided into two phases. The first phase
will run from 2015 to 2020, while the second phase will be between 2021 and
2025.
It is estimated that 40,200 tourists will arrive in Ly Son
Island district this year. The number is expected to increase following the
completion of the project, with the opening of new services such as resorts,
seaplane services and entertainment parks.
Host recruitment for Fulbright English teaching Assistantship
Program 2015
The
The deadline to submit application is by 17:00 pm on February
28th.
Aiming to support English teaching and learning at Vietnamese
educational institutions, this program invites gifted high schools,
universities, and colleges outside
ETAs responsibilities include teaching English through
listening and speaking lessons, as well as cultural exchange programs.
First launched in
ETAs are US college graduates eager to teach English overseas
and serve as cultural ambassadors of the
Promoting overseas Vietnamese's resources to develop the
country
The number of overseas Vietnamese, especially businessmen,
intellectuals, returning to
It is necessary to have breakthrough mechanisms and policies
to effectively exploit the resources in social-economic development of the
country.
There are over 4 million Vietnamese people in countries and
territories across the world. They are young, dynamic people, who have great
potentials in investment, business, management, science-technology and work
in speciality fields and spearhead sectors such as electronic industry,
information, machine manufacture, cybernetics, biotechnology, nanotechnology,
economic management, banking, securities.
According to the Central Institute for Economic Management
(CIEM) under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the total remittance of
Therefore, besides removing obstacles on mechanisms and
policies, it needs to promote the strength of the national origin of each
Vietnamese person living away from the fatherland.
Contributions of the overseas Vietnamese to socio-economic
development is not small, especially in fields of investment, technological
application, scientific research and training. Many overseas Vietnamese
intellectuals, scientists are invited to participate in domestic activities
such as Professor Ngo Bao Chau has been invited to be the head of the Vietnam
Institute for Advanced Study in Mathematics, Professor Truong Nguyen Thanh as
the head of the Ho Chi Minh city Institute for Computational Science and
Technology.
However, the process of overseas Vietnamese entrepreneurs and
intellectuals working in
Many overseas Vietnamese experts and intellectuals have
reflected that they lack research conditions such as laboratory,
international relations, strong working team, difficulties in research grant,
meritocracy and remuneration.
They also want to be provided full information about
socio-economic development situation of the country; being supported in
fields of cooperation, investment, exchange with administrations; ensuring
the legitimate and legal rights of overseas Vietnamese in the country;
creating favorable conditions for them to buy house in Vietnam; implementing
the "one-door” mechanism for resolving the administrative procedures for
overseas Vietnamese; amending and supplementing a number of provisions on
recruiting overseas intellectuals to management positions of domestic
agencies.
To solve the above problems effectively, overseas Vietnamese
desire the government to build a breakthrough mechanism to meet their
legitimate and practical aspirations to attract their affection,
intelligence, economic resources, positions and influence to contribute to
the development of the country and international integration.
The overseas Vietnamese, especially businessmen and
intellectuals, always foster the patriotic spirit, national self-esteem so
they are willing to contribute their talents and energies to the homeland.
Therefore, the government should have specific mechanisms, policies to invite
investment, creating interesting working environment and meritocracy to
attract them.
Source: VNN/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/ND
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Thứ Ba, 13 tháng 1, 2015
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