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Social News 12/2
A taxi service for people with disabilities, the first of its
kind in the country, is scheduled to be launched on March 1 in
The Thanh Cong Taxi Company, which will operate the service,
said that the taxis will be specially designed for the disabled and would
meet their travel needs.
A decision to this effect was announced on February 10.
Having been chosen for their positive rehabilitation
attitudes, the prisoners will receive reduced sentences and be released ahead
of schedule.
The freed prisoners expressed their gratitude to the Party and
State’s clemency policy and thanked prison wardens for assisting them in
their personal growth.
The clemency not only reflects the Government’s leniency
policy, but also encourages prisoners to rehabilitate themselves for
expedient societal integration.
Thach That suburban district to become green satellite area
Thach That district on the outskirts of
The Lien Quan township will be the district centre for
political and economic affairs and trade.
Nguyen Minh Hong, Vice Chairman of Thach That district's
People's Committee, said the development plan will foster the implementation
of the New Rural Model and take advantage of the area's strength.
The National Institute for Urban and Rural Planning, the
planning consultant of the project, said that the future Thach That district
will include areas specified for agriculture, forestry, urban parks and green
spaces between villages.
The project plan also pays great attention to environment
protection in craft villages in the district, while also supporting their
sustainable development.-
Flower villages busy harvesting for Tet
Major flower villages across the nation are busy to harvest
and deliver flowers to markets before the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday
begins.
Gladiolus growers in Hiep An commune, Trong Duc district, the
Central Highlands
Flowers are packed and carried to pick-up points along Highway
20 where trucks are waiting in a long queue before departing to northern and
central cities and provinces.
Gladiolus are currently being sold for between 2,100 – 4,300
VND (0.1 – 0.2 USD) per sprig, half that of last year.
According to the local People’s Committee, the commune grew a
total of 285 hectares of gladiolus this season, 245 hectares of which are
ready for harvest immediately before the holiday with the remaining 40
hectares to be collected afterwards.
Hiep An commune is renowned for having the largest gladiolus
fields in Lam Dong, supplying flowers for cities and provinces nationwide,
particularly
Meanwhile, Sa Dec city in the Mekong Delta
Its 400 hectares of flowers are already almost sold out,
despite prices 10-15 percent higher than last year, generating a profit of
15,000 – 20,000 VND (0.7 – 0.94 USD) per pot.
Many flower and plant species native to other regions have
also been in high demand in the city this year, including the hydrangea,
rhododendron, orchid and strawberry.
Pham Huu Phuoc, Director of the city’s Centre for Advanced
Technology, noted that the centre has successfully multiplied several new
varieties for mass production, including dendrobium and mokara orchids,
campanula, and gerbera.
It plans to work with institutes and enterprises from the
Southwestern poor assisted to have full Tet festival
Tet gifts were presented to social policy beneficiaries and
poor households in the southwest and house construction finances were
delivered to families in border and island areas and members of the fishery
force who were hit by difficulties, totally worth 25 billion USD, on February
10.
It was part of the Lunar New Year (Tet) programme held in the
Mekong Delta city of
The function was attended by Le Hong Anh, Politburo member and
Standing member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat.
Addressing the programme, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh,
who heads the Southwest Steering Board, stated that efforts have been made to
reduce the percentage of poor households in the region to 5.6 percent.
The Board and Government ministries and agencies have worked
closely with regional localities in safeguarding social security for Mekong
Delta people, especially in helping the underprivileged ones enjoy Tet, the
country’s largest holiday, to the fullest, said the Deputy PM.
He took the occasion to call on businesspeople and
philanthropists to continue upholding the tradition of solidarity and sharing
to assist poverty-ridden locals while enthusiastically participating in building
new-style rural areas, preserving cultural identities, and developing the
Mekong Delta.
In recent days, the Board and regional localities co-organised
Tet visits to nearly 1,300 poor households and military units stationed on
Phu Quoc island district.
Spring Press Festival wraps up
The Spring Press Festival 2015 reflected the Vietnamese
revolutionary press’s fresh development and its closeness with the Party and
people, Dinh The Huynh, Head of the Party Central Committee’s Popularisation
and Education Commission affirmed at the festival’s closing ceremony in
Huynh, who is Politburo member and Party Central Committee
Secretary, stated that journalistic products have reported vividly physical
changes in the country, introducing to the world the joint, active efforts
during the ongoing renewal process as well as the nation-building and defense
course.
He expressed hopes that the press agencies and journalists
nationwide will build on the traditions of the Vietnamese revolutionary press
to contribute to the successes of the Party congresses at all levels in 2015
in the run-up to the 12 th National Party Congress.
Earlier on the day, Nguyen Thien Nhan, President of the
Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee and Politburo member, visited the
Festival and toured the display booths, including that of the Vietnam News
Agency, which was awarded Prize A.
Nhan stated that the media brought to people accurate
information relating to national development orientations without delay while
reflecting people’s feedback and aspirations to the Party and State. The
Vietnam Fatherland Front has always relied on the press system to relay its
voice to people and vice versa.
On February 7, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong beat a
drum to open the Spring Press Festival 2015, the largest of its kind so far
with the participation of 65 media agencies.
On 120 display booths were publications, including Spring and
Lunar New Year editions, presenting an overall view on the history of
The festival was to coincide with the 85th founding
anniversary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (February 3), the 125th
birthday anniversary of the late President Ho Chi Minh (May 19), the 70th
anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day (September 2), and the
40th anniversary of southern liberation and national unification.
The media sector is to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the Vietnam
Journalists’ Association (VJA) and the 90th anniversary of the
The event was co-hosted by the VJA, which initiated the
festival in 1991, the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Popularisation
and Education, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the municipal
People’s Committee.
Bus journey brings Tet to students in HCM city
More than 40 special buses left
Each rotation of the wheels lightened the mood of the
hardworking students, as they grew closer to their loved ones and the festive
cheer of the Lunar New Year (Tet).
The buses are part of an annual charity programme to assist
needy, disabled or ethnic minority students. First held in 2002, it has
provided free transportation opportunities to over 34,600 beneficiaries.
According to Quach Hai Dat, Director of the HCMC Centre for
Student Support and head of the programme’s management board, said the 2015
“spring buses” received a warm response from the community including
substantial donations from former student beneficiaries.
The Centre for Student Support organised the meaningful
journey in collaboration with the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, student
union, and the municipal chapter of the Vietnam Fatherland Front.-
Craft villages prepare for upcoming Tet
Craft villages in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue and
garden houses in the southern
Thanh Tien
Village chief Nguyen Hoa said each local household produces
5,000 paper flowers for Tet, earning approximately 2,500 USD.
“Apart from farming, people make paper flowers to earn extra
income. Although the revenue from flower making is not high, we keep doing it
to maintain and honor our traditional craft,” Hoa told VOV.
Meanwhile, people in Sinh village in Phu Mau commune are also
busy making folk paintings for Tet.
These local works, which have been in existence for 500 years,
are used for rituals during Tet and the 1st and 15th days of every lunar
month. Votive paintings are printed with wooden moulds and coloured.
“Sinh paintings are used mainly for rituals, which will then
be burned. The demand for Sinh paintings during Tet is very high. Our
products sell well throughout the central region,” Phuoc said.
Kim Long ginger jams are made from a secret recipe. Gingers grown
in
According to Truong Dinh Thu, who has been making ginger jams
for 50 years, all the ginger jam making facilities in Kim Long are busy at
this time of the year.
“Kim Long ginger jams have a unique flavour. As other places
also produce ginger jams, we have had to reduce our production. My family
made 3-4 tonnes last year but this year we will make less. We can’t just give
up our craft although revenues from it are not considerable,” Thu said.
Luu Chi Cuong and his wife of Tan Phu ward, Binh Phuoc
province, have been trimming and shaping more than 250 kumquat trees for Tet.
He said the trees grow well because of favourable weather by
the end of the year. The trees have born fruits, some of which have ripened.
According to Cuong, it takes them nearly 5 years to grow 1m
high kumquat trees.
“If the price is as high as last year we will make a fortune.
An one-metre high kumquat tree was sold at 150 USD last year. My trees look
good this year but I don’t know about the market demand,” he said.
The family of Do Van Tuyen of Son Giang ward, Binh Phuoc
province, chose to grow sunflowers for Tet this year. Their 500 sunflowers
have developed buds and promise to produce great benefits.
“We began to grow sunflowers three months ago so that they
should bear buds 25 days before Tet. If we want the buds to come out later,
we water a lot. Growing this kind of flower depends largely on the weather.”
Craft villages in Thua Thien Hue and Binh Phuoc and others
throughout
Workers return Tet gifts, company gave them fakes
Nearly 6,000 workers at Chutex Co. at Song Than 2 Industrial
Park in
Workers said the company gave them a gift pack containing a
bottle of cooking oil, a pack of seasoning powder, a pack of sugar and a
packet of Knorr-branded seasoning.
But the Knorr, produced by Unilever Vietnam Co., was
counterfeit.
On February 6,
They confiscated nearly 6,000 Knorr-branded fake seasoning
powder packs worth a face value of VND322m (USD15,333)-- the total value of
the gift packs was VND812m.
Chutex Co. cooperated with the investigation and has asked
authorities to help trace the source of the fake packets.
Casual workers cash in on Tet holiday
Rising living standards in major cities have created a boom
market for casual workers over the Tet holiday, filling a range of jobs from
domestic helper, house sitter, cleaner or cook, to pet minder, salt seller,
first New Year caller or "lover".
A man acts as the first New Year’s caller
Many manual workers stay in the city until the last days of
the lunar year to earn extra money for their families, earning good money for
often minor work.
In the lead up to the Tet holiday, many families in the
capital city of
Phi Thi Loan, a woman from northern
“I can earn from VND500,000 to VND700,000 a day cleaning
people’s houses,” Loan said.
This year, the price of house cleaning services has risen
10-15 percent on last year.
Nguyen Manh Hai, the managing director of Hoan My Industrial
Cleaning Co., said, "Cleaning an apartment of 120 square metres costs
VND1.8m this Tet, compared with VND1.6m as last year.
"Prices on an hourly basis for cleaning services over Tet
have increased to VND70,000 an hour, against the normal rate of
VND50,000," Hai said.
Some students have opted to stay in
Another popular job is banquet preparation, with payments
ranging from VND100,000-150,000 a tray of food.
Then there is the job of being the first New Year’s caller.
Many companies are willing to pay up to VND10m for the service, which fulfils
a special part of the Tet tradition. Families pay students VND500,000 to
carry out the role.
Perhaps the most unusual job is that of "lover". In
order to save face in the eyes of their families and friends, many young people
hire someone to act as their partner during the holiday, at a cost of
VND1.5-2m an hour. Actually being introduced as the person's
"lover" attracts a substantially higher rate.
Another profitable tradition is that of buying salt for luck
at the New Year, and many students have gone into the holiday salt business,
breaking down a VND10,000 kilogram of salt into small, beautifully wrapped
packets that sell for as much as VND20,000 each.
And as more and more people keep pets, luxury facilities have
sprung up pander to the needs of pampered pooches and pussy cats. Prices
range from VND200,000 to VND1m a day for top of the line care, with cheaper
care ranging from VND50,000-150,000.
Department warns of recurrence of Pertussis
Due to recurrence of the Pertussis, also known as whooping
cough, in some nothern province's districts, the Department of Preventative
Medicine, under the Ministry of Health, said that this is a highly contagious
respiratory disease which most commonly affects infants and young children.
People with whooping cough usually spread the disease by
coughing or sneezing while in close contact with others, who then breathe in
the bacteria that cause the disease. Many babies who get whooping cough are
infected by parents, older siblings, or other caregivers who might not even
know they have the disease.
The Department of Preventative Medicine warned parents to take
their children to medical clinics for vaccination Quinvaxem meant to prevent
five common, potentially fatal childhood diseases: diphtheria (D), tetanus
(T), pertussis (P, whooping cough), hepatitis B (HepB), and Haemophilus
influenza type b (Hib).
When a child is infected with the disease, parents should keep
him/her stay at homes then take him/her to medical clinics for timely
treatment.
Fake labels on foreign alcohol flood Tet market
Market authorities are cracking down on illegally labelled
foreign wines and spirits being sold as discounted expensive brands ahead of
the Tet holiday.
Tran Hung, deputy head of the Market Surveillance Agency under
the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said more and more fake products are
being put on sale during the year-end season.
He said certification stamps on fake wines from
"It's very difficult to distinguish fake and real stamps
with the bare eye and consumers could be cheated," Hung said, adding
that shoppers should only use reputable retailers or those authorised by the
maker.
On February 4, the Hanoi Market Surveillance Department seized
shipments of imported wine bearing fake certification stamps.
PM asks to supply rice for residents on Lunar New Year
The Prime Minister has just ordered the Ministry of Finance to
provide 3,077 tons of rice from the state reserves to residents in some
district in the
The amount of rice will be given to poor residents in the
Earlier, the PM also asked the Ministry to supply nearly
10,000 tons of rice to 13 provinces including the northern provinces of Lao
Cai, Tuyen Quang, Yen Bai, Ninh Binh, Ha Nam, the central provinces of Quang
Tri, Nghe An, Binh Dinh, Quang Ngai and the highlands Central provinces of
Dak Lak, Kon Tum on the occasion of Lunar New Year.
In addition, Prime Minister Dung instructed the Ministry
of Agriculture and Rural Development to give 25,000 liter of
disinfectant and 250,000 vaccine against pig diseases to the
HCMC, Lam Dong affiliates to stable goods supply, prices
Deputy Chairwoman of Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee
Nguyen Thi Hong yesterday led a delegation to work with leaders from the
Central Highlands
According to the province’s Department of Agriculture and
Rural Development, Lam Dong provides HCMC with 505,705 ton vegetables and
fruits a year, accounting for 19.6 percent of the city’s market share.
The volume might increase from 70-80 percent over normal in
pre-Tet days and Tet holidays.
At present, Lam Dong has prepared 250,000-300,000 tons of vegetables
and fruits to supply the market.
Deputy Chairman of Lam Dong People’s Committee Pham S said
that HCMC was the province’s main market consuming 65 percent of its
vegetable output and 70 percent flower output.
At the meeting, the city and province’s leaders discussed
building a flower, ornamental fish and plant center at Binh Dien wholesale
market, HCMC, aiming to create a stable consumption source for HCMC growers
and breeders and contributing to develop production and increasing for
farmers’ income.
In addition, it will build foundation for the establishment of
a flower, ornamental plant and fish, and vegetable exchange floor in the
future.
Flowers, ornamental plants converge on HCMC
A mass of flowers, ornamental plants and fruits have streamed
into
Hundreds of Tet flower shops have showcased various types of
flowers and ornamental plants along
The number of people visiting shops to buy flowers and do
price surveys has been increasing. Shop owners said that the market has begun
warming up.
Orchid has been most attracted this Tet season. A moth orchid
plant costs VND200,000-230,000 and a boat orchid plant is priced VND1.7
million.
Yellow apricot blossom prices range from VND400,000-1,000,000
a tree, bonsai yellow apricot is priced VND3-5 million a pot, and big root
types are sold at tens of million dong.
A punch of rose has the price of VND55,000-60,000, a punch of
about 12 prairie gentian and dendrobium orchid stems are priced VND25,000 at
Thu Duc wholesale market and Ho Thi Ky flower market in District 10.
The market this year sees a wide variety of import flowers
such as yellow apricot branches imported from the
Representative from a flower company in HCMC said that the
company had imported 5,000 yellow apricot branches and thousands of orchid
stems. The number of orders has increased far above expectations with prices
rocketing about 20 percent over the same period last year.
The price of an imported yellow apricot branch approximates
VND200,000.
Besides, unique and strange-looking ornamental plants and
fruits have also been displayed at many shops in the city.
Minh Tam shop in Thanh Thai Street sells many kinds of strange
plants such as air plants and finger citron imported from Thailand with the
price of VND2 million a pot.
Many spots in the city have sold watermelons inscribed with
calligraphy scripts wishing people well-off and lucky in the Lunar New Year.
Nguyen Van Thach, owner of a calligraphy watermelon shop in
front of Ba Chieu Market in Binh Thanh District, said that his shop provided
600 kilogram of this fruit type, up 200 kilogram over last year.
Watermelons have been purchased from farms in the neighboring
Customers can ask also the carvers to inscribe words and
designs they want on the peel at the price of VND150,000-200,000 a
watermelon.
Vehicles get jammed on the motorcycle lane of
The auto lanes of
Vehicles on Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, Ton That Dam, Pasteur and Ho
Tung Mau streets cannot cross the boulevard, so they should divert to Quach
Thi Trang Roundabout in front of Ben Thanh Market or
Water supply in HCMC will go up by nearly 50% at the end of
this year when new water plants with a combined daily capacity of 830,000
cubic meters are up and running.
Saigon Water Corporation (Sawaco) said last Friday that its
daily water supply capacity is now over 1.7 million cubic meters and will
expand to nearly 2.6 million cubic meters by the end of this year.
The new water plants includes Thu Duc 3 and Tan Hiep 2 with
each having a daily capacity of 300,000 cubic meters, and Kenh Dong 2 with
150,000 cubic meters per day.
The new facilities will enable the city to better meet demand
of residents in inner-city districts rather than of those in outlying
districts.
Sawaco said as of the end of last year, 94.8% of households in
19 inner-city districts and five urban areas had got access to running water.
The corporation is planning projects to process water from Dau
Tieng, Tri An and Phuoc Hoa reservoirs for supply to citizens to replace the
current water resources from Saigon and Dong Nai rivers which are
increasingly polluted and affected by seawater intrusion.
The corporation plans to lower the water loss ratio to 25% in
2020 from 33% at the moment.
Poverty reduction haphazard
According to the central and local steering committees for
poverty reduction, the country has all sorts of poverty reduction policies
but many have not been implemented effectively due to financial constraints
and a lack of coordination among relevant agencies.
A review report on poverty reduction last year showed that 149
documents about poverty eradication policies covered most of related fields
from loans, healthcare, education, infrastructure development to job
generation for poor people, said Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social
Affairs Pham Thi Hai Chuyen, who is also deputy head of the Central Steering
Committee for Sustainable Poverty Reduction.
However, as most of the policies were mapped out for
national-level projects and programs, they are not suitable for
implementation in rural areas.
On the other hand, as the policies are unclear and
overlapping. Many poor people and localities have been offered various
benefits, affecting the fair allocation of capital resources.
Last year, VND34.7 trillion (US$1.62 billion) was spent on
poverty reduction, including VND12.8 trillion used to buy health insurance
cards for the poor, and more than VND7 trillion to cover tuition fees for
poor school children and give scholarships to ethnic minority students,
according to the report.
By the end of last year, the ratio of poor households
nationwide had fallen from 7.8% to 5.8-6%, but the central steering committee
said the poverty reduction result is not sustainable.
This year, the committee targets to bring the ratio down to
less than 5%.
Source: VNN/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/Dantri/ND
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Thứ Tư, 11 tháng 2, 2015
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