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Social News 19/1
Huge fire destroys rattan shop
A huge fire occurred in a rattan shop in district 11 in
The shop was burned out together with a number of motorbikes
parked in it. Nearby houses were also damaged.
Fire fighters came to the scene immediately and the fire was
controlled after one hour.
Court jails 27 for gambling
The people's court in
According to the court reports, on January 10, 2014, the Cao
Bang police raided a guest room in the province and found four people
engaging in illegal gambling. They also seized VND742 million (US$34,500) in
cash from the site.
Further investigations showed that the four persons were part
of a larger gambling network that also organised gambling in the province
from October 2013 to January 2014.
The gambling network comprised 27 people, who received prison
terms varying from one to six years. Several other persons were given
probation.
According to the Criminal Code, gambling is illegal in
Work begins on Ha Noi ring-road link
Construction work on the Trung Hoa-Ring Road 3 intersection in
the capital city, which will include two tunnels, began on Sunday, the Thang
Long Project Management Board has announced.
Vu Xuan Hoa, head of the Board, said on Thursday that the
board, functioning under the Ministry of Transport, has signed contract
package deal No 4 with the contractor-builder group Hanshin-Cienco 4 to build
the intersection of the 30km Thang Long Avenue, the 65km Ring Road 3 and
Ring Road 3 is among the Ha Noi's most important transport
links, running through Soc Son, Bac Tu Liem, Nam Tu Liem, Cau Giay, Thanh
Xuan, Hoang Mai, Gia Lam and Dong Anh districts.
Thang Long Avenue, or the
The intersection, which currently does not allow continuous
traffic flow, is also the last work of Phase II of the Ring Road 3 project,
funded with ODA loans from the Japanese government.
The work, estimated to cost more than VND1 trillion (approx
US$48 million), include two 691.8m-long tunnels of three lanes each that will
allow two-way traffic between Tran Duy Hung and Thang Long Avenue.
On completion, the new intersection is expected to ease
traffic between downtown Ha Noi and the western part of the city.
It will also allow greater connectivity with cities, provinces
and important sites in the northeastern region, including Hai Phong, Lang
Son, Hoa Binh and the Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park.
Binh Duong,
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation was signed
between
On the day, another MoU was inked between their local
enterprises, Investment and Industrial Development Corporation (Becamex IDC
CORP) and Brainport Company.
The signing ceremony saw the presence of Simon Van der Burg,
Consulate General of the
The MoU between the two localities is intended to strengthen
the relationship and enhance cooperation in the fields of infrastructure
planning and development, urban building, trade, science and technology,
health services and education.
Priority will be given to expanding collaborations in science
and technology, trade promotion in addition to bolstering investments in
industry and hi-tech services, education, personnel training and research
centres.
The agreement is expected to contribute to the socio-economic
development of both sides.
Under the MoU between Becamex IDC Corp and Brainport, the
Dutch company has agreed to help its partner research and apply a business
model that nurtures the affiliation between local governments, scientists and
enterprises.
Besides, Brainport pledged to support Becamex IDC Corp in
improving local supply chain and in founding open research centres and local
business incubators which link with major research institutes and
universities in the
Furthermore, Brainport will help Becamex establish connections
with
Both sides also look for cooperation opportunities, notably in
developing urban areas, industrial zones and hi-tech parks.
Binh Duong province has had valid 2,375 FDI projects thus far
with the total investment of 20.38 billion USD.
The
VFF Vice President extends new year wishes to Protestants
Vice President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central
Committee Le Ba Trinh wished Protestant dignitaries and followers a happy new
year while receiving executive members of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church
of Vietnam in
Trinh affirmed that the Party, State and VFF always appreciate
positive contributions by the Church and Protestants to the national great
unity through abiding by laws and actively participating in social and
charitable activities.
He asked the Church’s executive board to continue guiding
followers to follow the teachings “Living the Gospel amidst the nation” and
contribute more to the country’s development.
Pastor Dieu Boi, President of the board, expressed thanks for
the VFF Central Committee’s support, hoping for more assistance for its
operation.
The Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Vietnam was established
in 1968. After interruption since 1975, it resumed operation in 1998.
The Church now has around 17,000 followers who practise the
religion in 22 provinces and cities.
It is essential to review all mechanisms and policies on
sustainable poverty reduction to achieve the set target of reducing annual
poverty rate by 1-1.5% in the 2016 – 2020 period, affirmed Deputy Prime
Minister Vu Van Ninh.
Deputy PM Ninh laid the emphasis at a conference held by the
Central Steering Committee for Sustainable Poverty Reduction in
Ninh, who is also head of the Steering Committee, reported
that in 2014, around VND34,700 billion, including VND6,242 billion from the
State budget, were mobilized for poverty reduction. The fund was used to
provide education and healthcare services for the poor and help rural workers
access vocational training and employment opportunities.
This year, the Central Steering Committee on Sustainable
Poverty Reduction will continue boosting the implementation of poverty
reduction policies and projects to reduce the national poverty rate to less
than 5% as stated in the National Assembly’s Resolution, he said.
Meanwhile, Tran Thanh
Firms pledge price stabilization at Tet
Twenty-two member enterprises of the HCMC Food and Foodstuff
Association (FFA) have promised to stabilize prices of nearly 100 products in
a Lunar New Year (Tet) program, which is being organized by the HCMC
Investment and Trade Promotion Center (ITPC) in collaboration with the FFA.
The items include confectionary, cashew nuts, cooking oil,
spices, fish sauce, soft drinks, tea, processed seafood, spring rolls,
sausage, pickles, rice and instant noodles.
The participating companies are offered free packaging and
delivery within the city. The program lasts until February 10.
Ministry wants better controls on non-communicable diseases
The Ministry of Health has allowed preventive medicine centers
and private clinics in provinces and cities to establish non-communicable
disease and nutritional issue wards to better manage and treat related
diseases.
The decision is part of the ministry’s strategy to improve the
performance of the preventive medicine centers in order to meet the needs of
locals. Earlier, these centers were only responsible for controlling
diseases.
The move is important at a time when non-communicable diseases
are becoming a challenge for the global health sector. From March this year,
the preventive medicine centers will monitor non-communicable diseases and
provide counseling for patients.
Non-communicable diseases, including diabetes, cancer,
cardiovascular and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, are the leading
causes of death and disability cases in the world. There were 36 million
deaths worldwide in 2008 involving these diseases.
The World Health Organization estimated the deaths by
non-communicable diseases will increase 15% in 2020 compared to 2010. In the
next 20 years, the number of people who die of infectious diseases will fall
by seven million, while deaths related to cardiovascular diseases will go up
by six million and cancer by four million.
In
Statistics showed the percentage of patients with
non-communicable diseases grew to 72% in 2010 from 39% in 1986, while the
number of patients with infectious diseases fell quickly.
The health ministry’s move is to enable preventive medicine
centers to conduct early treatments for patients to prevent diseases related
to infection and nutrition. The ministry plans campaigns to raise public
awareness of new health risks.
Nationwide campaign assists rural residents
A campaign to offer free check-ups and basic treatment for 1
million low-income people in rural areas has proven beneficial, improving
community awareness and helping medical staff sympathise with natives’
difficulties, said Director of the Hanoi-based Bach Mai Hospital Nguyen Quoc
Anh.
The drive, taking place from November 2, 2014, to February 15,
2015, was launched by the Vietnam Red Cross, the Ministry of Health, the
General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People’s Army, and the Vietnam
Young Physicians’ Association.
Anh said in early November 2014, the
The
According to the Ministry of Health’s Medical Examination and
Treatment Department, on the campaign’s launching day (November 2), medical
staff from six major hospitals embarked on trips to rural districts to
provide aid to more than 38,000 people and present over 11,000 gift packages.
Additionally, they offered training for local residents in
first-aid, hand washing skills, and communication activities to raise public
awareness of locally produced medicine and organ donation. They also
transferred technology and presented medical equipment to local clinics,
including blankets, clothes, and food to support patients and community
members, said deputy head of the department Nguyen Trong Khoa.
He noted this is the first time such a large-scale medical
campaign has been held in
Seven cities funded to improve urban planning
The United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) and
the Cities Alliance will finance a project with an aim to improve urban
planning in seven cities in
The City Development Strategies (CDS) costs more than
US$619,100 funded by the UN-Habitat, the Cities Alliance. They also provide
technical support for the three-year project to be implemented in Quy Nhon in
Binh Dinh Province, Tam Ky in Quang Nam Province, Viet Tri in Phu Tho
Province, and the cities in Ben Tre, Ha Tinh, Hai Duong and Hung Yen until
2016.
Dinh Thanh Tam, deputy head of the department of planning
management at the Ministry of Planning and Investment, told the seminar on
the CDS project that VND8 trillion (some US$373.8 million) has been spent on
planning nationwide.
However, many planning works are infeasible and overlapping.
This is a waste of national resources, Tam said and noted that such plans
were mapped out by competent agencies only without comments by relevant
communities, enterprises, investors and environmentalists.
The CDS project will be executed with participation of the
parties concerned to improve urban planning of the cities and help them draw
up better strategies to fuel economic growth, eliminate poverty, protect the
environment and enhance the living standards of locals, said Nguyen Quang,
director of UN-Habitat Vietnam.
Robert Mellor, adviser to the CDS project, said it is
important for all relevant parties to participate in planning and good
planning needs a clear financial scheme for implementation.
VietkidzNZ helps spread Vietnamese culture in New Zealand
Vietnamese people living in
The beneficiaries of the VietkidzNZ, which was established in
2014 in
Each group will have its own programme designed with
interactions in the form of “learning through playing”. Classes are held
every two weeks and children are encouraged to use only Vietnamese.
Nguyen Thi Thanh Ha, head teacher of the programme, said
VietkidzNZ is striving to develop more channels as well as organising more
activities to bring the community together, helping creating a favourable
environment as well as opportunities for children to practice Vietnamese and
have a better understanding of Vietnamese unique cultural values such as folk
festivals or games.
During a recent visit to VietkidzNZ classes, Vietnamese
Ambassador to New Zealand Nguyen Viet Dung confirmed the embassy’s continuous
assistance for the organisation to press ahead with activities to preserve
national identity.
A seminar has been held in
According to Nguyen The Nghia, Director of the National Centre
for Strategy and Policy Research, education development poses great
challenges to the region’s sustainable development.
He said that only 32.1 percent of regional labourers aging
from 15 years and above graduated from primary schools. The rates of those
who have yet to attend school and have no qualifications were 7.8 percent and
26.6 percent, respectively.
The Mekong Delta is also facing a reality that the quality of
human resources has not met the region’s socio-economic development
requirements.
A research presented at the event revealed that the region’s
workforce rate accounts for 22 percent of the country’s population, but
almost all lack necessary skills. Around 70-80 percent of local labourers
have yet to join vocational training courses.
The Mekong Delta has a total area of around 40,000 square
kilometres and is home to a population of 18 million. It is a major
aquaculture region and the largest rice producer in
However, the number of students studying agro-aquaculture and
forestry in universities in the region remains low, resulting in a limit in
education of these majors.
Participants said regional localities should build a plan
developing their human resources based on the region’s socio-economic
development targets, focusing on the region’s strengths of agriculture and
aquaculture.
They proposed that training institutions and enterprises need
to enhance cooperation to devise target training programmes suitable with
each regional locality’s demand, while labour export to foreign markets
should be promoted.
Local authorities should pay attention to building practical
and appropriate incentives to attract qualified labourers to return to work
in their hometowns, experts said.-
More funding for rural power expansion
The Prime Minister recently approved additional 3.36 million
USD for a project to develop renewable energy, expand and upgrade power
networks in remote communes funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The funding will be spent on bringing electricity from the
grid to each household under the project, which is worth 208.8 million USD
with 151 million USD loaned by the bank.
Launched in June 2010, the project is set to be completed in
December this year. It includes the building of mini-hydropower plants in
some northern and central provinces and expanding power networks in rural
areas.
About 61,620 families in the 10 provinces of Dien Bien, Lai
Chau, Son La, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue, Quang
Volunteer year illustrates youth enthusiasm for community
activities
The 2014 Youth Volunteer Year proved to be a success, with a
series of activities held across
Voluntary activities towards the country’s seas and islands
were a highlight of the year and were warmly received by youth nationwide,
especially amidst
A programme run by the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh
Communist Youth Union (HCYU) and the Naval High Command mobilised more than 2
billion VND (about 95,240 USD) in donations for residents and soldiers on the
Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago.
Meanwhile, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Students’
Association built eight flag poles on islands using money donated by
undergraduate students across the country. It also called upon businesses to
give lifebuoys and 900 national flags to residents in
The youth visited and encouraged residents and soldiers on the
Truong Sa archipelago as well as the families of coast guard servicemen and
fishery resource surveillance forces performing their duties at sea. A fund
to support fishermen working around Hoang Sa (Paracel) was also established.
In 2014, youth participation fuelled progress on the national
new-style rural area building programme, a Government-launched initiative to
improve and develop
During the summer volunteer campaign, youth teams were sent to
disadvantaged localities in the northwest, Central Highlands, and southwest
regions where they worked together to build infrastructure facilities
including irrigation systems, roads, hygienic toilets, cultural centres, and
playing grounds.
Volunteers advised rural residents about profitable production
models, animal and crop farming techniques, and technology transfer while
disseminating information on laws and encouraging the young to practice
healthy cultural activities.
Also in 2014, a wide range of traffic safety-themed activities
were conducted by HCYU chapters to raise awareness of traffic safety models;
the
Such efforts greatly contributed to the 4 percent decrease in
the number of fatalities and a 13.8 percent reduction in accidents in 2014.
Over 90 percent of about 4,800 rural people completing
vocational training courses in central
Kieu Thi Thanh Trang, head of the department’s vocational
training division, attributed the result to diversified training programmes
that help rural residents to find jobs in line with their capacity.
Over the past five years of implementation from 2010, the
project providing vocational training for rural people has helped numerous
labourers to have stable jobs, contributing to the city’s development, she
added.
As
In addition to courses at vocational training schools, the
city has paid attention to developing on-job training model such as mushroom
and ornamental tree planting in Hoa Vang district, training captains and
mechanics for fishermen and a garment cooperative in Ngu Hanh Son district.
Da Nang plans to help train for 700 rural labourers in 2015
and another 3,000 during the 2016-2020 in a bid to increase the rate of rual
labourers equipped with vocational training to 65-7- percent.
A number of measures will be taken to meet the goals such as
consultations on vocational training and jobs and development of training
models.
Afforestation and the development of wood products for the
domestic market and export has become an effective production method, helping
millions of famers in mountainous areas improve their lives.
The affirmation was released by a delegate from the Vietnam
Central Farmers’ Association at an international workshop on the Forest
Connection Programme which opened in
The event, to last through January 18, draws the participation
of representatives from 22 member countries of the
Experts introduced and shared the initial experiences and
results of business models on forestry products in many countries including
Over the recent years, the Vietnamese Party and State have
issued numerous guidelines and policies to help farmers develop agriculture
and forestry associated with forest protection and development.
The Vietnam Farmers' Association has organised various
programmes supporting farmers in the development of business models to
eliminate hunger, reduce poverty and deforestation, increase the rate of
forest coverage and deal with climate change.
Thousands of farmers around the country have been allocated
land and forests, and have profited from their cultivation.
Initiated in 2007, the Forest Connection Programme has been
developed on a global scale with the participation of partners around the
world to help small-scale enterprises in the field of forestry.
On the occasion, the experts will survey models supporting
small-scale forest enterprises and households with forests in the northern
mountainous
Van Don island district connected with national grid
Nearly 2,100 residents in Van Don island district of northern
Quang Ninh province gained access to electricity ahead of traditional Lunar
New Year (Tet) thanks to a national grid project inaugurated on January 17.
The work, launched by the Northern Power Corporation in April
2014, was completed on schedule after eight months of implementation, at a
total cost of 304.7 billion VND (14.4 million USD).
More than 81km of middle voltage lines, nearly 60km of low
voltage lines and 21 transformer stations were built in the five islands of
Quan Lan, Minh Chau, Ban Sen, Ngoc Vung and Thang Loi.
The project has a significant meaning in the local
socio-economic development and the building of the Van Don special economic
zone, Secretary of the district’s Party Committee Doan Van Chinh said.
Van Don was selected by the Vietnamese government to develop
into a special administrative and economic zone. It is the biggest island in
the north of
A conference was held in January 16 to review the performance
of the educational sector in the 12 Mekong Delta localities during the first
semester of the 2014-2015 academic year.
Deputy Minister of Education and Training Bui Van Ga took note
of the progress in universalizing pre-school education for five-year-old
children in the region, and urged local authorities to try and encourage all
economic sectors to invest in this area.
He said the Ministry of Education and Training (MET) will
invest more in educational infrastructure in the region.
According to reports at the conference, the region currently
has more than 6,600 schools with over 3.2 million students and 2,200 teachers
and school staff.
The school network has been expanded over recent years,
helping encourage children to attend schools, reduce the rate of dropout as
well as facilitating new-style teaching.
The Education and Training Departments have well performed
their consulting role in helping local authorities issue several policies
including incentives for kindergarten teachers working in disadvantaged areas
and measures to attract postgraduates to work in the localities.
Leaders of provincial Departments in the region asked the
education ministry and the Government to grant more funds to the programme on
preschool education universalisation among five-year-olds.
The departments also urged the MET to soon issue the national
regulations on the 2015 high school graduation and university entrance exams.
Can Tho reports big progress in HIV prevention
The Mekong Delta city of
Deputy Director of the city’s Health Department Cao Minh Chu
reported the progress at a conference on January 16, adding that the city is
among 10 provinces and cities nationwide that recorded a reduction in new HIV
infection cases last year.
The medical sector found 273 new infections in the city in
2014, down 19.9 percent from the previous year, while the number of HIV
carriers progressing to AIDS dropped by 4.6 percent year on year to 61. This
was also the first time since 2002 the number of new HIV infections has
dropped to under 300.
Can Tho will push forward with efforts to realise the
Three-Zero target of no new HIV infection, no death from AIDS and no
discrimination against HIV/AIDS carriers.
The locality plans to improve its medical services,
particularly in HIV test, the provision of antiretroviral (ARV) treatment and
the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission.
According to Can Tho Health Department, by the end of 2014,
the city recorded 5,460 HIV carriers, of which 1,800 had developed AIDS. More
than 2,000 people have died from HIV/AIDS in the city so far.
Foreign journalists share experience in covering health care
issues
A delegation of foreign journalists held talk with their
Vietnamese counterparts on January 16 in
During the meeting, the journalists shared the information
they gathered during the trip. The discussions revolved around
They took note of the work of midwives at many local communes
and the use of methadone therapy at detox facilities for drug users.
The journalists, who come from major newspapers in the
The delegation’s visit was arranged by the United Nations.
Energy efficiency solutions in construction and increasing the
number of green buildings were a focus of an international workshop in
Participants chose the 21-floor
Statistics from
Speaking at the event, Deputy Chairman of the municipal
People’s Committee Tat Thanh Cang expressed hope for an early application of
low-carbon city model so that HCM City can become an eco-friendly metropolis.
Participants also pored over projects on turning organic waste
from wholesale markets into methane, promoting energy efficiency in hotels by
the BEMS (Building Energy Management System), and improving environment in
public hospitals, among others.
A representative from the municipal Department of Natural
Resources and Environment also reported on the city’s 2016-2020 scheme to
respond to adverse effects of climate change.
The event was co-hosted by the municipal People’s Committee
and authorities of
Young entrepreneurs vow to support wildlife conservation
Young entrepreneurs on January 16 committed to supporting
wildlife conservation efforts on the fringe of a national young
businesspersons’ conference in
They vowed not to consume products made from endangered
wildlife species and pledge to take actions to change the behaviour among
their own companies.
The activity on January 16 was part of the Ministry of Natural
Resources and Environment’s initiative which aims to involve the business
sector in wildlife conservation.
This initiative will also include a communication campaign in
the lead up to the Lunar New Year holiday appealing to the public to join
hands in wildlife protection. TV broadcast of video clips on the theme and a
workshop reviewing communication efforts will form part of this drive.
Star Pride cruise ship brings tourists to Binh Dinh
Five-star cruise ship Star Pride from
Sixty tourists have visited Cham temple towers in Tuy Phuoc
district and Quang Trung museum in Tay Son district. The remaning 40
travellers toured Quy Nhon city.
The cruise ship then continued its journey to Danang city and
This is the third time the cruise ship has arrived at Quy Nhon
port since December 29, 2014, bringing a total of 327 foreign visitors to
Binh Dinh province.
Star Pride has carried out many sea tours in
In 2014, Binh Dinh received two million arrivals for the first
time. The figure is forecast to increase considerably this year.
Source: VNN/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/ND
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Chủ Nhật, 18 tháng 1, 2015
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