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Social News 31/3
National goals set for IT sector by 2020
The programme requires the sector to achieve an annual growth
of at least 15 percent in software, digital content and IT services and
attract around 5 billion USD in foreign investment into the electronic
hardware industry.
The industry is also tasked with developing its core products,
focusing on software used in State agencies and enterprises as well as those
in great demands in society such as mobile phone and web applications.
Building capacity and improving the competitiveness of IT
organisations and enterprises are also top priorities.
Hai Phong fosters tourism development
The northern city of
According to the department’s director, Doan Duy Linh, the
city aims to become the tourism hub of the northern coastal region by
diversifying its tourism products and improving its services.
Deputy Chairwoman of the Cat Hai district People’s Committee,
Vu Thi Kim Bich, said a fund to promote Cat Ba’s tourism in 2015 was launched
to develop material facilities and enhance service quality.
The district will soon hold several activities to kick start
its tourism season, including a volleyball competition, a football match and
artistic performances.
Meanwhile, Do Son district aims to become an international
entertainment and tourism centre serving the city’s open door economic
development policy. Local authorities hope that the city will receive 2.5
million tourists in 2015.-
More and more patients have been diagnosed with peripheral
arterial disease (PAD) at HCM City University Medical Centre.
Dr Le Thanh Phong, head of the centre's surgery ward for blood
vessels, said that after Tet (Lunar New Year that fell on February 19), the
hospital admitted 23 patients with PAD.
A 61-year-old patient of
The patient had a painful ache in her legs for years and her
right leg was numb. She did not visit a doctor until her big toe became
inflamed.
The centre's doctors said the problem was PAD.
According to the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention,
peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in the legs is a narrowing or blockage of
the vessels that carry blood from the heart to the legs.
PAD can occur in any blood vessel but it is more common in the
legs than in the arms.
The doctors performed surgery to help her legs receive enough
blood and to prevent the development of necrosis.
Phong said the elderly, smokers, diabetics and people with
high cholesterol and high blood pressure were at risk of developing the
disease.
New advanced technologies for screening and diagnosis at
hospitals have helped more patients with PAD, he said.
According to a study published in Lancet in 2013, researchers
from the
Of these, 54.8 million were in
Oncology centre opens in Quang Ninh
An oncology centre at the
The eight-storey centre, worth VND336 billion (US$156
million), has 200 sickbeds.
Hospital Director Tran Viet Tiep said the centre would help
deal with increasing demand for cancer treatment in the province.
Five firms fined for improper advertising
The Ministry of Health's Viet Nam Food Administration fined
five companies VND107 million ($5,000) for violating regulations on
advertising and labelling functional food.
The companies include HCM City-based Ky Phong Trading, Import
and Export Co Ltd; HCM City-based Nhom Thien Minh Co Ltd; Ha Noi-based
Pharmaceutical Manufacturing and Trading Co Ltd. Authorities found they were
improperly advertising their functional foods and had improperly labelled
them.
The administration also ordered the firms to recall the
advertisements and products.
One patient, one bed, 30 hospitals promise
As many as 30 hospitals have committed to providing a sickbed
for each patient under an agreement with the Ministry of Health.
Under the commitment, hospitals would reduce overcrowding and
patients would no longer need to share sickbeds. The hospitals include the
National Hospital of Endocrinology,
Insurance to cover traditional medicines
Health insurance will cover about 350 types of traditional
medicine starting May 1 under a circular signed by Deputy Minister of Health
Nguyen Thi Xuyen.
The medicines help patients detox, boost their energy, or
nourish their blood.
The traditional medicines used for treating health-insurance
users will be of high quality and planted in
The
If residents discover any enterprises, such as restaurants,
hotels, coach companies and parking lots, increasing their service charges,
they can contact deputy director of the municipal department of industry and
trade Lu Bang at 0913414909, the market watch at 05113624191, the department
of culture, sports and tourism's inspectors at 05113886761 and the finance
department's inspectors at 05113825946.
Earlier, the Da Nang People' Committee asked individuals and
organisations providing accommodations during the holiday not to increase
their charges by more than 50 per cent, compared with the rates on normal
days.
The rate list must be put up in public so that residents and
inspectors can keep track of them easily.
Restaurants and food stores have been banned from increasing
their prices, and have been asked to put up their price lists.
Parking lots must charge regulated rates, which is VND2,000
(US$0.09) for each bicycle, VND5,000 ($0.23) for a motorbike, VND30,000
($1.4) for a vehicle with less than nine seats, and VND50,000 ($2.3) for a
vehicle with less than 30 seats, as well as VND70,000 ($3.3) for each vehicle
with more than 30 seats.
Bang said those who violate the rules would receive
administrative fines based on the city regulations, and would have their
business permits withdrawn and their names publicised.
Earth Hour campaign makes a difference in VN
About 520,000kWh of electricity, worth VND850 million
(US$40,400), was saved during the Earth Hour campaign held over two days, the
National Load Dispatch Centre said.
The campaign was held in Ha Noi on March 22, and in other
provinces and cities nationwide on March 28.
After the launch of the campaign in Ha Noi on March 22, it
quickly spread to other localities through the country, with several
activities being held in Hai Phong, Quang Ninh,
The message of the campaign, 'Saving Energy – Responding to
Climate Change,' was conveyed to the community through various activities,
including cycling, a parade, leaflets and posters, among others.
Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang said the ministry
would continue to actively participate in the campaign and coordinate with
other relevant agencies to participate in the campaign.
The industry and trade ministry called on all organisations,
individuals, households and enterprises to contribute to the fight against
climate change by simply turning off lights and electrical equipment that are
not in use throughout the year.
The Earth Hour 2015 campaign not only contributed to saving
electricity, but also helped to raise people's awareness of using energy
economically, effectively contribute to sustainable socio-economic
development and environmental protection, and actively respond to climate
change.
The annual event was held by the industry and trade ministry
in coordination with the Danish Embassy in
Speaking at a conference on March 26, Vice Chairman of the
municipal People’s Committee Tran Xuan Viet asked relevant departments and
sectors to improve policies to facilitate business investment in clean-water
projects in the city.
Viet said the municipal Department of Agriculture and Rural
Development needs to examine and evaluate the current capacity and operation
of water supply stations and plants as well as the efficiency of
communication initiatives that aim to raise public awareness of the necessity
of using clean water.
He stressed that shortcomings in the implementation of clean
water projects should be addressed, thus designing appropriate plans for
improving the efficiency of water-supply work in rural areas.
According to reports from the Hanoi rural water and
environmental sanitation centre, as many as 99.21 percent of the rural
population have access to hygienic water, 33.78 percent of which use clean
water meeting Ministry of Health standards, as of 2014.
There were 106 water-supply stations in 16 rural districts in
2014, with only 78 operating currently supplying water to 286,000 people.
To that end, the city has focused its resources on building
inter-communal clean water supply systems, communal and district level clean
water supply stations and expanding the urban clean water supply network.
April 30 Victory marked with workshop in Argentina
The event was held by the Confederation of Workers of
Argentina on the 40th anniversary of the victory.
President of the Argentina-Vietnam Culture Institute Poldi
Sosa recalled the days in the 1960s and 1970s when Argentinian people along
with millions of people around the globe closely followed
She highlighted the victory on April 30, 1975 as the most
glorious triumph since
She stressed that for the victory, more than 3.4 million
Vietnamese people laid down their lives while 2.6 million people suffered
from injuries, and millions of others were exposed to Agent Orange/Dioxin
sprayed by the
Vietnamese Ambassador to Argentina Nguyen Dinh Thao noted the
war against the
Since the liberation,
Over the past decade, its poverty rate was cut down from 30
percent to 8 percent while the annual economic growth was posted at 5-7
percent during the last 15 years, the diplomat said.
Research programme on sustainable development in southwest
region
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh has allowed the Vietnam
Academy of Social Sciences and the
The Mekong Delta has yet to develop sustainably due to slow
economic re-structuring and limited cooperative ties between the region and
other provinces across the country, necessitating the plan, said Deputy PM
Ninh, who is also Head of the Steering Committee for the southwest region,
while chairing a workshop in Kien Giang province on March 27.
He pointed out that the rate of impoverished households in the
region remains high, especially in remote and ethnic minority inhabited
areas. Additionally, the lack of skilled workers and the impacts of climate
change have posed enormous challenges to the delta, he added.
The research plan should find solutions to turn the region
into a driving economic force of the country, he said.
The programme will be carried out in two stages, the first
from 2015 to 2017 and the second between 2017 and 2019.
In 2015, the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS) will
collect proposals from domestic organisations and select 15
science-technology tasks to carry out. Some possible tasks include building a
database for the region’s sustainable development, devising mechanisms and
policies for regional connection, and researching issues relating to
grassroots political system, education-training, and religion.
From 2017-2019, the VASS will focus on studying scientific and
technological solutions to local urgent socio-economic issues in specific
fields and in respective cities and provinces in the region while building
business production and connection models and solutions to develop key
products, as determined by the advantages of each locality.
Participants at the workshop also proposed measures to
implement coordination between the VASS and the Steering Committee for the
southwest region together with universities and research institutes
nationwide.
The southwest region comprises 13 provinces and one city,
accounting for 27 percent of the national GDP and 90 percent of
Armed forces play critical role combating crime: Deputy PM
Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc hailed the role of the
army in combating smuggling, trade fraud and crime in recent years, helping
ensure political security, social order and safety during a teleconference
held on March 27 by the Defence Ministry.
The event was to review operations to fight drug trafficking,
smuggling and trade fraud before, during and after the Lunar New Year (Tet)
holiday.
In the last three months, the armed forces detected and
handled 3,942 cases involving 6,780 suspects, a drop of 652 cases and 855
suspects from the same period in 2014. Legal proceedings also commenced on
445 cases against 500 suspects, a rise of 190 cases and 178 suspects.
The forces also applied administrative fines on 980 cases and
collected over 10 billion VND (460,000 USD) as well as razed 44 drug
trafficking cases, seizing 67.3 kilograms of heroin and 40,702 kilograms of
meth.
Nearly 1,200 smuggling and trade fraud cases were detected,
804 cases more than the same period in 2014.
However, Deputy PM Phuc, who is also Head of the Steering
Committee for Prevention and Control of Smuggling, Trade Fraud and Fake
Commodities, said the results remained modest as armed drug transport in
border areas remains high, especially on the Vietnam-Laos border.
Illegal transport and trade of wine, beverages, cigarettes and
wood along border areas passing Quang Ninh, Lang Son, Quang Tri and An Giang
provinces continue, as does illegal fuel trade.
He also pointed out that coordination between armed forces and
security forces has been poor.
The Deputy PM urged for increased determination,
organisational restructuring and human resources training to enhance the
capacity of soldiers and officials in fighting criminals.
He also asked the Defence Ministry to strengthen its
supervision over entry and exit activities at the border, as well as closer
cooperation between the ministry, other forces and localities.
Vietnam, Japan discuss hi-tech agriculture,
environmentally-friendly technology
The fourth meeting of Vietnam-Japan Joint Committee on Science
and Technology was held on March 29 in
Addressing the event, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Science
and Technology Tran Quoc Khanh spoke highly of joint research projects
between the two countries, especially within the framework of the “Science
and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development” (SATREPS)
and the East Asian Science and Innovation Area Joint Research Programme
(e-ASIA JRP).
During the discussions, the two sides conducted a
comprehensive review of their opportunities and challenges for collaboration
and sought solutions to expand their cooperation.
Inked in 2006, the Vietnam-Japan Agreement on Science and
Technology has facilitated joint initiatives in the field and produced
positive outcomes, including biotechnology projects between
Other institutes and experts from both countries in the field
have worked closely to exchange information and undertake research studies on
topics of mutual interest.
Health care urged for female workers
Huynh Cao Hai, deputy head of the
"This is very vital to ensure their health," he
said.
Speaking at a workshop held on March 27 on empowering female
migrant workers, Hai said a project initiated in 2013 by the NGO, Marie
Stopes International Vietnam, had benefited women working in five footwear
factories in the province.
The main objective of the three-year project was to "advance
the social and economic empowerment of female migrant workers" through
gender-sensitive initiatives in Binh Duong and Dong Nai provinces, where many
factories are located. The pilot programme also emphasises corporate social
responsibility of Vietnamese factories.
The women have been offered check-ups, healthcare for pregnant
women, information about reproductive system diseases and contraceptive
methods. Information about labour and equity law has also been provided to
the women. At some factories, obstetricians and midwives were recruited to
work at health clinics in order to provide better sexual and reproductive
healthcare to their female workers.
Hai said that he will encourage other factories with a large
number of female workers to hire obstetricians and midwives for their health
clinics.
The project is also being carried out at four factories in
After two years of implementation in the two provinces, more
than 230,000 workers have had access to essential sexual reproductive
healthcare services. Workers have also received family planning information
and services via group communication activities, mobile clinics at factories
and the Marie Stopes' programmes.
Nguyen Tuan Kiet, a certified CSR expert at the UN's
Industrial Development Organisation, said more female workers have used
reproductive healthcare services and received gynecologic examinations than
before the project began. More than 96 percent of pregnant woman have also
shown interest in prenatal care now. Huynh Duc, a specialist at the HCM
City-based representative office of New Balance Athletic Shoes Ltd, said that
labour productivity of female workers at the shoe factories has increased and
the rate of work absences due to health problems has fallen.
National efforts tackling natural disasters scrutinised
Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai presided over an online
conference on March 28, reviewing the outcomes of natural disasters
prevention and search and rescue efforts nationwide in 2014 and initiating
2015’s tasks.
Hoang Van Thang, Deputy Minister of Agricultural and Rural
Development, reported that natural disasters occurred in a fewer number and
smaller scale in 2014, compared to that of recent years.
Overall, the disasters left 133 people dead and missing as well
as 145 injured, causing a total damage of 2.83 trillion VND (131.8 million
USD). The Government aided affected localities with more than 1.5 trillion
VND (70 million USD), 2,000 tonnes of rice and some 1,700 tonnes of seeds.
Rear Admiral Pham Ngoc Minh, standing vice head of the Vietnam
National Committee for Search and Rescue (VNCSR), took note of the timely and
effective search and rescue operation across the country under his agency’s
instructions and monitoring.
More than 153,000 people and 5,000 vehicles were mobilised,
delivering prompt services to save over 3,800 lives, he said.
This year, weather conditions will be further complicated with
at least nine tropical storms expected to hit the East Sea, including four to
five strong storms directly affecting the mainland, informed Hoang Duc Cuong,
Director of the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.
According to Cuong, there will be additional floods and
landslides striking the
Participants pointed to weaknesses, such as poor weather
forecasts and impractical preparedness in a number of provinces, outdated
communication facilities in remote mountainous areas, and limited investments
in prevention and logistics work.
Deputy PM Hoang Trung Hai, who heads the National Steering
Committee on Calamity Prevention and Control, agreed with those setbacks,
urging local agencies to prioritise raising public awareness and devising
precaution plans.
Focal 2015 tasks include completing relevant legal framework
as well as scrutinising the national strategy on preventing natural disasters
in the context of global climate changes, among others, he declared.
Ministries urged to improve care for the elderly
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has urged the Ministry of
Health to establish additional geriatric wards in hospitals and coordinate
with the Vietnam Social Insurance to intensify healthcare access for the elderly
– who currently number 9.4 million, accounting for 10.45 percent of the total
population.
Under
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism ought to encourage
the operation of exchange clubs and reduce entrance fees to visit historical
and cultural relic sites for the elderly to assist with their spiritual and
cultural life, requested Dam, who is also Head of the National Committee for
Elderly People.
The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA)
is responsible for expanding the network of social support facilities and
raising public awareness of such facilities’ benefits to the elderly
themselves and their families.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Finance is to work with relevant
ministries, sectors and localities to review policies relating to the elderly
for timely adjustments and supplements.
According to the MoLISA, nearly 2.8 million people are
currently receiving retirement pensions and social insurance benefits and over
1.5 million benefit from monthly social allowance, nearly 1.4 million of whom
are 80 years old and above.
Geriatric wards have been established in provincial-level
hospitals in 49 out of the 63 provinces and cities nationwide. Nearly 5,600
hospital beds have been prioritised for the elderly and over 2.3 million
elderly are currently receiving periodic medical check-ups.
Health care urged for female workers
Huynh Cao Hai, deputy head of the
"This is very vital to ensure their health," he
said.
Speaking at a workshop held on March 27 on empowering female
migrant workers, Hai said a project initiated in 2013 by the NGO, Marie
Stopes International Vietnam, had benefited women working in five footwear
factories in the province.
The main objective of the three-year project was to
"advance the social and economic empowerment of female migrant
workers" through gender-sensitive initiatives in Binh Duong and Dong Nai
provinces, where many factories are located. The pilot programme also
emphasises corporate social responsibility of Vietnamese factories.
The women have been offered check-ups, healthcare for pregnant
women, information about reproductive system diseases and contraceptive
methods. Information about labour and equity law has also been provided to
the women. At some factories, obstetricians and midwives were recruited to
work at health clinics in order to provide better sexual and reproductive
healthcare to their female workers.
Hai said that he will encourage other factories with a large
number of female workers to hire obstetricians and midwives for their health
clinics.
The project is also being carried out at four factories in
After two years of implementation in the two provinces, more
than 230,000 workers have had access to essential sexual reproductive
healthcare services. Workers have also received family planning information
and services via group communication activities, mobile clinics at factories
and the Marie Stopes' programmes.
Nguyen Tuan Kiet, a certified CSR expert at the UN's
Industrial Development Organisation, said more female workers have used
reproductive healthcare services and received gynecologic examinations than
before the project began. More than 96 percent of pregnant woman have also
shown interest in prenatal care now. Huynh Duc, a specialist at the HCM
City-based representative office of New Balance Athletic Shoes Ltd, said that
labour productivity of female workers at the shoe factories has increased and
the rate of work absences due to health problems has fallen.
Tra Vinh, Ben Tre accelerate implementation on ADM project
The Mekong Delta provinces of Tra Vinh and Ben Tre have
undertaken great efforts to push forward the “Adaptation in the Mekong Delta”
(AMD) project, said Henning Pedersen, Country Director of the International
Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
He made the statement at a meeting to review the results of
the AMD project implementation in two localities held on March 26 in Tra Vinh
province.
An inspection group from the IFAD conducted its first project
supervision from March 9-26 to evaluate its initial efficiency and orient its
subsequent activities in line with the project’s sustainable development
goals.
Pedersen highlighted that Ben Tre needs to integrate poverty
reduction into the project’s strategies alongside its climate adaptation
goal.
Meanwhile, he said that the project coordinating board in Tra
Vinh province should enhance the capacity of the local women development fund
for prudent capital management.
The AMD programme in Ben Tre and Tra Vinh is being implemented
in 30 communes in each province between 2014 and 2020.
The total budget is over 1 trillion VND (approximately 48
million USD), including a 426 billion VND (over 20 million USD) loan from
IFAD, a 252 billion VND (nearly 12 million USD) grant from IFAD and 159
billion VND (7.4 million USD) from the State budget.
Its main objective is to develop sustainable livelihoods for
the rural poor in the face of a changing climate and to enhance the target
communities’ capacities to adapt to climate change.
Work to start on belt road next year
Construction of a 17.8-kilometer belt road connecting HCMC and
neighboring Binh Duong Province and passing through Dong Nai Province will
start in the first quarter of next year.
According to Cuu Long Corporation for Investment, Development
and Project Management of Infrastructure, the Belt Road No. 3 project will be
appraised within this month so that the Ministry of Transport can pass it to
the Government for approval in May.
Credit contracts could be signed in June to implement
Component 1A of the project in the first quarter next year.
The Transport Ministry on Wednesday discussed the project with
Lee Young Seob, head of the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF)
under the Export-Import Bank of Korea (Korea Eximbank) in Vietnam.
Nguyen Ngoc Dong, deputy minister of Transport, described the
road as an urgent project, which has got the green light from the Government.
The project consists of components 1A and 1B with the first
stretching 8.7 kilometers and at a cost of some US$200 million, and the
second 9.1 kilometers. When opened to traffic, the investors can collect
tolls to get back their investment capital.
According to Cuu Long Corporation, the road will start at the
interchange of Ben Luc-Long Thanh Expressway and end at Tan Van-My Phuoc
Expressway in Binh Duong Province.
Ceremony to commemorate late President Ton Duc Thang
A delegation of municipal authorities and sectors have offered
incense to commemorate the late President Ton Duc Thang on the occasion of
the 35th anniversary of his death (March 30, 1980) at his museum in Ho Chi
Minh City.
At a ceremony on March, Director of the Ton Duc Thang Museum
Tran Xuan Thao said the late President Thang devoted his life to national
liberation, independence and the happiness of the people.
She also stated that he was a symbol of the national
solidarity cause and international cooperation.
During the event, the museum received nearly 150 items and
documents related to President Ton from the Ho Chi Minh Museum and
individuals.
The same day, an exhibition themed “Uncle Ton with the South”
was held at the Ton Duc Thang Museum, showcasing more than 100 documents and
objects demonstrating his devotion to the revolution of the Party and the
people.
The exhibition will run through August 2015.
New rural development movement sees strong progress
The new-style rural building programme has made strong
progress last year, bringing about positive changes in socio-economic life in
rural areas, it was reported at a recent national meeting in the northern
province of Lang Son in late March.
The event, organised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development, was attended by the ministry’s senior officials and leaders of
provincial-level coordinating offices for the programme nationwide.
Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural
Development Tran Thanh Nam said it aims to review achievements in 2014, and
establish orientations for 2016-2020 of the National Target Programme on New
Rural Development as well as to adjust criteria for new-style rural areas.
According to a report of the National Coordination Office, the
progress can be seen in the improved people’s awareness, upgraded
infrastructure and increased income of people in rural areas thanks to the
introduction of various production models.
Despite having considerable achievements, there are still
shortcomings in the movement implementation such as low ratio in obtaining
basic criteria. Only 36.4 percent of the total communes nationwide met the
criterion on poverty rate among households. The rate was 23.3 percent
regarding the criterion on transportation, 17.9 percent in terms of cultural
infrastructure and 26.8 percent in terms of environment.
The northern mountainous region lags behind others in
fulfilling new style areas criteria, recording the lowest rates of completion
for 12 out of the total 19 criteria.
The goal is to have all communes across the country build 6
crucial infrastructural works by 2020 including transportation, electricity
and clean water supply systems, schools, medical stations, and cultural and
sport facilities in order to improve people’s living condition.
Eighty percent of all the communes should meet the criteria on
income and poverty rate by 2020, according to the programme.
The National Target Programme on New Rural Development,
launched in 2010, sets 19 criteria for new-style rural areas, covering
infrastructure, production, living standards, income and culture, among
others.
Rice aid supplied to poor people in Dien Bien
The Prime Minister has requested the Ministry of Finance to
provide 1,174 tonnes of rice aid for poor people in northern Dien Bien
province who are suffering from food shortages in the between-crop period.
The provincial People’s Committee was asked to distribute the
rice amount free of charge to eligible beneficiaries without delay.
Earlier this year, national stockpile supplied rice to
provinces in need across the country.
Source :
VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/Dantri
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Thứ Ba, 31 tháng 3, 2015
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