Social News 11/11 Vietnam sees record number of HIV patients receiving ARV treatment Up to 100,000 people living with HIV nationwide are currently being treated with antiretroviral (ARV) drug as a result of the on-going effective HIV/AIDS prevention and control programme in Vietnam, a Health Ministry official said in a conference on November 9. Dr. Nguyen Hoang Long, head of the HIV/AIDS Department for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control attributed the result to the efficient interference measures and communications methods of the programme.  The HIV/AIDS prevention system that has been set up across levels has helped reduce HIV infections to the ratio of 256 per 100,000 people, keep 400,000 people away from HIV virus and save 150,000 others from AIDS in the 2001-2015 period, he noted.  As of September this year, 7,054 new HIV cases were discovered, with 4,257 AIDS patients, he said, alerting that the ratio of woman catching the virus is rising. Up to 80% of the carriers are aged between 20 and 40.  The official also pointed out that a lack of resources and a cut in financial sources are affecting the HIV/AIDS prevention and control service coverage since HIV/AIDS treatment is no longer covered by health insurance.  During the conference, the Ministry of Health also launched a national action month for HIV/AIDS prevention and control in 2015, targeting 90% of HIV infected people knowing their situation, 90% of people living with HIV getting life-long and non-stop ARV treatment, and 90% ARV-using patients keeping HIV virus density under the recommended level.  The action month also aims to eliminate discrimination against people living with HIV, strengthening the assistance provided by families and society as a whole as well as the responsibility of people living with HIV/AIDS themselves towards their families and society.  The coverage, quality and access to HIV/AIDS prevention and control services will also be improved.  During the month, a number of practical activities will also be oragnised, including a meeting and march at national level, and a fund-raising event to support people living with HIV/AIDS. Work begins on 2nd dredge for Rosmorport On November 9, an official of the Song Thu Shipyard Corporation based out of Danang announced the start of construction of the second of four new hopper dredgers on order for Russian state owned Rosmorport. “The ship is a versatile combination of a trailing suction dredger and hopper barge with a capacity of 1,000m3, commonly used to maintain navigable waterways,” said the official. The official said the keel laying ceremony for the first in the series was held in November 2014 and it is currently on schedule for delivery in early February 2016. The ship named the Severnaya Dvina has been designed by Damen Shipyards Gorinchem after the name of the river in the north of European Russia which flows into the Dvina Bay of the White Sea near Arkhangelsk. End of bird flu announced in Nam Dinh Deputy Chairman of the Nam Dinh People's Committee Nguyen Viet Hung on Saturday signed a declaration that the A/H5N6 bird flu epidemic was over in two communes. In the past 21 days, the two communes, Hien Khanh Commune in Vu Ban District and Truc Phu Commune in Truc Ninh District, have not seen any sick poultry or deaths attributed to bird flu. To prevent the spread of the epidemic to other places, the provincial people's committee has asked districts to supervise the breeding situation in their areas. It has also asked the animal health unit to give guidance to local residents about safe breeding. Reports from the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development showed that from October 1 to 10, the A/H5N6 bird flu struck four households in the two communes. More than 2,600 poultry died or were culled.  Online public services in health sector announced today The health ministry today announced a list of 14 online public services related to management work of chemicals, insect repellents and sterilisation products for domestic and health use. The online public services include two procedures related to official circulation registration, seven procedures related to complementary circulation registration, and two related to re-circulation, apart from two related to imports, and one related to advertisement confirmations. The online public service level 4 system would facilitate transactions of businesses and make administrative procedures transparent, Health Deputy Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said. In efforts to renovate the administrative procedures to the satisfaction of patients and businesses, the Health Environment Management Agency co-ordinated with Information Technology Agency, under the Health Ministry, and the software development unit to complete the launch of these online public services, Head of Health Environment Management Agency, Nguyen Thi Lien Huong said. Using online public services would help businesses to save time and money in comparison with the traditional practices, Huong said. The database of these online public services would allow locals to check the products with circulation registration numbers to make sure that products met quality standards. The online public service system would also facilitate the inspection work of the authority in information collection.  Levels of public service registration Level 1: Procedures to fill in the required forms and information about time and service cost are available online. Level 2: The service allows the user to download the required forms to be printed out and filled in later. Level 3: The applicant can fill in and submit the forms online. Level 4: Service payments can be settled online. Transaction results are available either online or by post, on request. The online registration service level 4 will allow people, businesses and management units to perform administrative formalities, submit required forms, handle documents and payments and receive results using only a computer connected to the Internet.  HCM comes closer to $31m bridge The HCM City Department of Transport has sought approval from the People's Committee for an offer by a property developer to build the Rach Dia Bridge on Le Van Luong Street at a cost of VND700 billion (US$31.2 million). Le Van Luong Street is one of the main roads running from District 7 to Nha Be, and the bridge will replace an existing one, one of four on the street all of which are only 3 to 3.3 metres wide each and with no sidewalks. Even as demand for transportation is rising in the area, the existing bridges can only take vehicles of 3.5 tonnes and hinder both land and waterway traffic to Hiep Phuoc Port in Nha Be. The offer has been made by HCM City-based Tai Nguyen Co., which will fund land acquisition as well as construction in return for land elsewhere. Tai Nguyen Co. has a housing project on Le Van Luong Street. A spokesman for the company said the proposal is in line with the city's plans to privatise development of transport infrastructure.  Relocation of 100 Da Nang families halted by committee The People's Committee of the central city of Da Nang has ordered a halt to relocating some 100 families who were affected by the rebuilding of the city's Con Market. Officials said they would review outstanding issues relating to compensation. This decision came after many households sold their property at prices double or triple the compensation offered by city authorities to purchase land at other areas, the Tien Phong (Vanguard) reported. Most of the families were small traders in the market. They all lived in small or rented houses, many of which were dilapidated, in four residential areas in Hai Chau District's Hai Chau Ward 2. Nguyen Van Minh, head of residential group No 10, said the selling and buying of land became a hot topic among residents in the area during the past few months. Minh said some households complained that the compensation being offered was too low, compared to the actual amount they had spent to buy land in resettlement land areas. Because most homeowners at Con Market are poor, they easily agreed to sell their houses when offered double or triple the price, compared with compensation offered by city authorities, even if the house was less than 10sq.m in size, Minh said. Ngo Thi Thu Huong, who resided in residential group No 11 of Hai Chau Ward 2, said her family had just sold their house for over VND700 million (US$31,600). As the house is 10.8 sq.m, her family was given a resettlement land lot and VND221 million (US$10,000) in compensation, Huong said. Huynh Duc Tho, chairman of Da Nang City's People's Committee, said the actions of some households that are affected by the rebuilding of Con market were unacceptable. These sales went against the city's determination to demolish slums and create a better neighborhood for the city, and also help people have a better place to live, he said. He added that the city had created favourable conditions for affected households by arranging to relocate to an apartment building in Hai Chau District or granting land lots for those with areas of even 3 sq.m, though most people wanted to receive land lots. The fact that relocated households hurried to sell their land for immediate profits would likely make the city's social policy for poor people fail to deliver their planned results, Tho said. Brokers take advantage of high value government compensation for the original house owner, in a bid to make profits for themselves, said Nguyen Dinh Lan, an estate expert in Hai Chau District. Tho added that the municipal People's Committee would work with local authorities to raise awareness among residents about the policy. In May, the Da Nang People's Committee approved resettlement plans for 101 families who would be affected by rebuilding the city's Con Market. Under the plan, households with fewer than 50 sq.m will be provided with an apartment on Hai Chau District's Dong Da Street or a resettlement land lot. Those with over 50 sq.m. area will receive an apartment and a land lot. A resettlement land lot is sized between 75 and 100 sq.m.  Ministry launches national action month for HIV/AIDS The Health Ministry yesterday launched the national action month for HIV/AIDS prevention and control that runs from November 10 to December 10 annually. The theme for this year's action month is "Towards 90-90-90 target to end AIDS epidemic in Viet Nam". Last year, Viet Nam was the first country in Asia to commit to the HIV treatment targets 90-90-90. The ambitious targets aim that by 2020: 90 per cent of people living with HIV will know their HIV status, 90 per cent of people who know their status are on HIV treatment and 90 per cent of all people on treatment will have undetectable levels of HIV in their body (known as viral suppression). Viet Nam's commitment to these targets puts the country on course to end its AIDS epidemic by 2030. According to the Department of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control under the Health Ministry, the nation action month for HIV/AIDS fights will see activities promoting HIV/AIDS prevention and control. The department also planned to organise conferences, marches and fund raising events to help people living with HIV/AIDS. The activities aimed to reduce discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS and increase support for them, the department director Nguyen Hoang Long said. He said that so far 100,000 people living with HIV/AIDS received antiretroviral (ARV) treatment. There were only 500 patients receiving ARV treatment in 2004 when HIV programmes were introduced in Viet Nam. This statistic proved Viet Nam's commitment to the fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic, he said. Since the first HIV carrier was detected in Viet Nam in 1990, the country reported almost 230,000 people living with HIV, while 70,000 of them died of the disease. Viet Nam has seen a significant decline in the number of new HIV infections, from 30,000 in 2007 to 12,000 in 2013, while the numbers of AIDS patients and fatalities have also reduced by half to about 3,000 people. Viet Nam has faced challenges in the HIV/AIDS fight including a lack of publicity for HIV/AIDS services, treatment costs not being covered by health insurance and reduced international support since the country was classified as a middle income country.  Dak Nong's forest at risk of wildfire As many as 126,000ha of forest in the Central Highland province of Dak Nong are at risk of fire, concentrating in the districts of Dak G'Long, Tuy Duc, Dak R'Lap, according to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. The Department said it was working with relevant agencies to focus on forest fire prevention and fighting. It warned that special concern should be paid to this activity since this dry season came earlier than usual and was predicted to be more severe since Dak Nong province has nearly 254,000ha of forested land, including more than 220,000ha of natural forests. Forest fighting has met difficulties due to the fact that forests are widely dispersed all over the province and many areas are in complex terrain. Migrants from other regions have also destroyed the forest and living near the forest has also intensified the fire risk. To cope with the situation, the province has set up more than 103 steering committees for forest fire prevention and fighting at localities including those with large areas of forest with high risk, forestry companies, conservation centres and non-state companies. It has also established 115 forest fire prevention and fighting teams from provincial to grassroots level to enhance the sense of vigilance on forest fire prevention as well as timely responses when incidents occur. In order to improve the effectiveness of forest fire protection in 2015 to 2016 dry season, the province has installed thousands of fire warnings and forest fire forecast billboards at areas with high risk of fire. Inspection teams from Forest Management Unit will co-ordinate with localities to supervise the forest owners in their implementation of regulations on forest fire prevention. They will also intensify their communication so that more and more people understand about the importance of the activity. Nguyen Ngoc Tai, head of Dak Nong Forest Management Unit, said organisations and individuals that violated the regulations on forest fire prevention would be strictly punished. The unit has coordinated with local authorities to strengthen monitoring in key areas, especially in the peak month of the dry season, namely January, February and March of next year.  First Vietnamese course for Lao labour ministry staff opens The first Vietnamese language course designed for staff of the Lao Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare (MLSW) opened in Vientiane on November 9.  The three-month course will train 55 individuals in the basic skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing Vietnamese.  The activity is to realise an agreement signed between the Vietnamese Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and the MLSW.  Lao Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Welfare Baykhame Khathiya, who was present at the opening ceremony, said the course is to help Lao ministry staff communicate with their Vietnamese counterparts and businesses operating in Laos.  The second course of its kind will begin in April 2016, enrolling 56 registered trainees.  After graduation, they will have a chance to take a brief field trip to Vietnam.- Vietnam eyes cooperation in food safety with Denmark Vietnam wishes to receive Denmark’s help in improving food safety and hygiene in animal husbandry, said Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat at his talks with Danish Minister of Environment and Food Eva Kjer Hansen in Hanoi on November 9.  Phat affirmed that Vietnam wants to import good breeds of pig from Denmark and learn from the country’s advanced technology relating to animal husbandry.  He suggested Denmark create conditions for Vietnamese officials to visit to the country to study its management experience as well as technologies and policies to develop sea aquaculture.  Minister Eva Kjer Hansen, in turn, asked for Vietnam’s consideration of allowing Denmark to export beef to the country.  According to her, there are more than 130 Danish investors in Vietnam, most of which want to expand their scale.  She also showed her interest in the Vietnamese market’s potential as well as he hope for the early signing of the Vietnam-EU free trade agreement.  Denmark has to date provided assistance for several important programmes involved in agriculture and rural development in Vietnam, including the programme to develop agriculture and rural areas during 2007-2012, the other one to support aquaculture in the 2005-2012 period, and the 2011-2015 water supply and rural sanitation programme. At the meeting, the two ministers witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the Rural Technology Development JSC and the Danish Farm Concept.  Trade between Vietnam and Denmark is expected to reach 500 million USD in 2015, a record rise of 57 percent against last year. “Five localities-One destination” promotes Mekong Delta’s provinces  A tourism map themed “Five localities-One destination” featuring detailed information about five Mekong Delta’s provinces has been released. The travel guide is part of the tourism cooperation plan among provinces Vinh Long, Tra Vinh, Ben tre, Tien Giang and Long An in 2015 and next years. The plan aims to introduce main tourist spots, routes and local typical products. The region’s localities have actively invested in tourism development, contributing to attracting more international and domestic visitors as well as establishing sample tours for Eastern provinces of the Mekong Delta.  Access to HIV-related health services for gay men, transgender people Experts have gathered at a forum in Ho Chi Minh City to seek ways to help local men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people access HIV-related health care services. The event was jointly organised on November 7 by the Centre for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control under the municipal Department of Health, the Vietnam Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in southern region (VNP+) and the PATH-funded Healthy Markets Project. The forum, part of activities to mark the 25th anniversary of the HIV/AIDS prevention and fight work in Vietnam in general and in the city in particular, aims to reduce discrimination against MSM and transgender people. Doctor Tieu Thi Thu Van from the Centre called on the community to eliminate stigma and discrimination against MSM and transgender people, and help them integrate into the society and access HIV-related health care services. Changing attitudes towards MSM and transgender people would contribute to implementing commitments on HIV/AIDS prevention and fight Vietnam has made to the United Nations, looking towards an end of HIV/AIDS by 2030, Van said. A number of real stories heard at the forum showed that discrimination prevents them from approaching health care services. Nguyen Anh Phong, a representative of the VNP+ said MSM and transgender people themselves should have a healthy lifestyle to eliminate the discrimination among their families and the society. According to the VNP+, the city is home to roughly 30,000 MSM and transgender people, who are highly vulnerable to HIV infection. The infection rate in the urban area is estimated at 16 percent in MSM, and 18 percent in transgender people. HCM City ceremony marks Cambodia’s Independence Day A ceremony was held in Ho Chi Minh City to celebrate Cambodia’s 62nd Independence Day, with the participation of many municipal officials, Cambodian Consul General to the city Sim Sokhom and the Cambodian community there.  Addressing the event, Chairman of the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Association’s Ho Chi Minh City chapter Truong Minh Nhut congratulated the Cambodian people on the important event as well as significant achievements they have gained so far under the reign of King Norodom Sihamoni.  Vietnam and Cambodia have boasted close neighbourliness, traditional friendship and sound cooperation as well as solidarity and mutual support during their past struggles for liberation and current national construction, he stated.  Over the past years, the bilateral ties have been growing strongly with regular visits of senior leaders and many important agreements reached, he said.  Nhut affirmed that together with the country, Ho Chi Minh City will continue successfully promoting the Vietnam-Cambodia ties in the spirit of good neighbourliness, traditional solidarity and friendship, and long-term stability.  Meanwhile, Cambodian Consul General Sim Sokhom expressed deep gratitude for the great help that Vietnam gave to Cambodia during the country’s national struggle for liberation and defence.  The Cambodian people always bear in their mind the warm sentiments and priceless support of the Party, Government and people of Vietnam, he stressed.  Noting with pleasure the flourishing Vietnam-Cambodia relationship, Sim Sokhom said the traditional friendship and mutual support have become a valuable treasure of both peoples.  The two nations’ leaders and people have exerted efforts to consolidate and preserve that relationship for younger generations, added he. Vietnam attends Seoul Int’l Charity Bazaar Vietnam’s traditional costumes and handicraft products impressed visitors to the 53rd Seoul International Charity Bazaar, which aims to raise funds for disadvantaged people, in the Republic of Korea on November 9.  Together with Vietnam, the event attracted the participation of 52 foreign diplomatic offices and international organisations in Seoul, and various charity organisations, businesses and music bands from around the world.  President of the Seoul International Women’s Association Anne Choe said that thanks to the support from diplomatic representative offices and international organisations, the scale of the bazaar has been expanded.  In addition to the fund-raising purpose, the annual event offers a venue for participating countries to promote the image of their land and people as well as their handicraft products and cuisine.  Established since 1970, the Seoul bazaar draws more than 5,000 visitors each year. The total money raised through the bazaars amounts to over 2 billion won (1.72 million USD) which has been used for social and charitable activities. Humanitarian blood donation, free treatment launched Vietnam Red Cross Society (VRCS), the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion and Insurance Company Prudential November 7 launched a festival named “Ngay hoi hien mau” ( Blood donation festival) in Hanoi. Mrs. Dao Thi Thanh Tam, deputy head of VRCS said that though there is an increase in donated blood units, it just meets 60 percent of the emergency and treatment demand in the country. Accordingly, shortage of blood takes place in some cities and provinces especially in Tet holiday and summer vacation when students come back their fatherland (students are major forces to donate blood) Noteworthy, the festival is also an activity to start campaign “Pru-Tinh nguyen” (Pru-Voluntary) and the program “Blood donation and humanitarian acts” co-organized by Vietnam Red Cross Society and Prudential Vietnam. The program will be launched in Hanoi and 16 cities and province with the aim to collect 5,000 blood units, provide free treatment, healthcare consultation and medicine to 2,000 people in poverty line.  The festival has seen the participation of nearly 700 members of VRCS and 50 volunteers of Prudential. Cambodia cultural week fosters bilateral ties Taking place in Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang from November 8-14, a Cambodia culture week is offering an opportunity to both nations to stimulate their traditional bond.  Meeting the HCM City People’s Committee Vice Chairman Hua Ngoc Thuan on November 9, Cambodian Secretary of State Menh Kossony, leading a delegation from the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts (MCFA), appreciated Vietnamese authorities’ assistance for the organisation of the event. She lauded the city’s strong growth as well as comprehensive cooperation between the locality and its Cambodian partners.  Thuan said the cultural festival will help locals gain better understanding of Cambodia’s traditional art.  He also congratulated the nation on the 62nd anniversary of its National Day.  Under the rule of King Norodom Sihamoni, Cambodia has recorded significant achievements that will be spread to Vietnamese people through the cultural week, stated Thuan. Disabled people receive free vocational training The Ho Chi Minh City Sponsoring Association for Disabled people and Orphans has mobilized over VND40 billion (US$1.7 million) to take care and provide vocational training to 104,000 disabled people and orphans. The association announced at the 25th annual congress to review the association’s activities with the participation of 302 representatives from sponsoring center in HCMC and cities and provinces. The association verified that vocational training plays an important role in order to help disabled people and orphans overcome their present harsh condition and have better life; accordingly, they will integrate into the community well. For 5 past year, the association used the fund to run vocational courses for 1,500 people. Of them, 1,000 graduated and 767 employed in companies. The association offered 9,500 scholarships to disabled students; 16,400 needy blind people’s eyes operated; provided over 2,600 wheelchairs, bicycles... In the congress, the association also gave medals and certificates of merit to 172 individuals and organization that joined hand with the association to take care of disabled people and orphans. HCMC Film Festival for Students launched Vietnam Student Association in Ho Chi Minh City held a press conference to launch the second HCMC Film Festival for Students on November 8. This year’s film festival under theme of “Meaningful stories” includes short film, short news report, music video clip and trailer. Students can participate in the competition follow individuals or groups. The award ceremony will be held at HCMC Youth Culture House on December 20. All winning works will be screened respectively at Galaxy Nguyen Du Cinema in district 1 on December 11- 15. Total prize is worth VND 200 million. The winners will receive a gold, silver and bronze medals. The event is considered as a useful playground for students in city’s universities and colleagues to explore their creativity in film and video sector. 60% heart patients come to hospital late: experts Most people with heart problem come to hospital for treatment late, said Dr. Pham Manh Hung, General Secretary of Vietnam Heart Association at the National Congress of Cardiology held in the northern province of Ninh Binh on November 8. More people are suffering heart diseases nowadays. However, by statistics of the Vietnam Heart Association, nearly 2 percent of people with symptoms of heart go to hospital at early stage for treatment. Moreover, only 40 percent of people suffering myocardial infarction come to medical clinics within 12 hours since they have pain in chest. 60 percent of them come to hospital late; as a result, doctors’ efforts to save them are unrewarded or they suffer heart failure; accordingly their life quality reduced. Scientific researches showed that it is deal that patients must be hospitalized within 2 hours after suffering pain in chest; yet it is difficult to do in the condition in Vietnam. On the occasion, the fund for Vietnamese heart health conducted many activities to provide people more understanding of heart disease. A program to walk themed “ For a healthy heart” attracted more than 1,000 participants. The organizer also gave medicine and gifts to 500 needy residents in Ky Phu Commune in Nho Quan District of Ninh Binh Province. Vietnamese students compete in Japanese fashion competition Young Vietnamese designer Vuong Khang won grand prix at the final round of the 2015 Japanese fashion design competition – Sakura Collection that took place in Hanoi on November 8. Ten winners of the qualifying round, including Nguyen Thuy Nien, Nguyen Tuan Anh, Nguyen Thi Lan, Bui Thi Minh Thao, Vuong Khang, Dinh Hoang Huy, Pham Thi Minh Hien, Luu Thi Huyen Trang, Pham Vi Han and Nguyen Thi Yen Nhi, entered the final round with their most outstanding collections. Vuong Khang’s collection themed ‘Samurai’ was inspired by the armor worn by Japanese samurai warriors. Through his creation, the young designer showed his profound inspiration taken from the noble way of life of the samurai. He will receive a free trip to Japan and attend the Sakura Collection Show in Yokohama city in early 2016. The second prize went to Phan Vi Han for her collection themed ‘Women’; meanwhile Dinh Hoang Huy won third prize for the collection ‘The future of the Samurai’. Two collections ‘Unique elegance’ and ‘Touch the soul of the warrior’ helped Nguyen Thuy Nien and Nguyen Tuan Anh, respectively, to pick-up consolation prizes. Sakura Collection is an annual contest for non-Japanese students and amateur designers in Asia to create fashion collections inspired by Japan. In addition to Vietnam, this year’s competition was held in Thailand and Malaysia. The jury for the Sakura Collection 2015 in Vietnam comprised of Japanese calligraphy artisan Aoyagi Bisen, Editor-in-chief of the Adventure Japan magazine, Miss Vietnam 2012 Dang Thu Thao and famous designers Ha Linh Thu and Le Ha. The qualifying round of the competition took place between June and October, attracting more than 500 collections by 70 competitors. Inspired by the land, culture, history, life and people of Japan such as Phu Sy mountain, Japanese cherry blossom, Koi fish, traditional Kimono dress, Samurai and Ninja warriors, as well as the development of modern industry, the collections expressed the competitors’ personalities and aesthetics as well as their love and knowledge of ‘the land of the rising sun’. Addressing the final round, a representative of the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam said that the event aims to offer an opportunity for students in Asian countries to show their creativity in fashion design as well as their knowledge of Japan. He also expressed hope that through the competition, Vietnamese students will learn more about Japan, significantly contributing to enhancing the traditional friendship between the two countries. Growing number of toll booths annoy drivers   A growing density of toll booth on Vietnam's highways has stirred complaints and frustration from drivers. Hundreds of people in Hoa Binh Province surrounded a booth on Highway 6 and blocked traffic on November 7 in protest against high tolls, which charge VND25,000 for small cars. "They only upgraded the road and the booth divides the town in half," said Nguyen Van Phuong, a local in Luong Son Town. "We have to pay the toll to go to the market or visit relatives on the other side." National Assembly deputy Duong Truong Quoc's car was blocked when it reached the toll booth. He was only allowed to go through after promising to bring the issue to the Ministry of Transport and the National Assembly. Hoang Trung Hai, deputy minister of transport, has asked authorities of Hoa Binh and investors to quickly deal with the problem. There are 96 toll booths planed for new highways nationwide, 45 of which have opened and a further 51 to be completed with new road works by 2018. Car drivers have been complaining both about the high number of toll booths as well as the tolls. There are concerns that the cost of transporting produce to market will mean higher prices. Those toll booths are operating under Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) contracts, under which tolls collected are retained by the building contractor until the project is paid for, after which revenue goes to the state. Due to the high density of existing toll booths and future projects, the government asked the Ministry of Transport and localities to review the procedures, the fees and to make sure that the distance between stations be at least 70km. The Ministry of Transport proposed to relocate two toll booths in Ha Tinh Province and Danang City because of the violation of the minimum distance. Under circular 90 issued in 2004, two-wheeled motorcycles pay VND1,000 at each toll booth, with four-wheeled vehicles paying VND10,000 to VND80,000, depending on size, but the toll charged can be twice the regulated fee. Hanoi museum to host handicraft exhibition in mid-Nov Craft Link, a Hanoi-based organization which helps traditional handicraft producers to revive their culture and improve their livelihoods through production and marketing, will put on an exhibition of handicraft products made by ethnic people at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi on November 14. The “Craft Link’s Handicraft Bazaar 2015” show will gather ethnic minority peoples from different parts of Vietnam who wish to sell their exotic products, Craft Link said in a statement. Select artisans from around Hanoi and disadvantaged groups will showcase their wares as well. The event will feature a raffle, craft-making demonstration and dancing performances. The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology is on Nguyen Van Huyen Street, Cau Giay District. Admission to the exhibition costs VND40,000 (US$1.79) per person excluding museum entrance fee. InterContinental Asiana Saigon recognized as Asia’s leading city hotel InterContinental Asiana Saigon was honored as Asia’s Leading City Hotel 2015 for the second consecutive year and Vietnam’s Leading Conference Hotel 2015 for the fourth consecutive year, at the prestigious World Travel Awards ceremony in Hong Kong in late October. Hailed by worldwide media for its role in identifying and rewarding excellence in the travel and tourism sector, World Travel Awards celebrates its 22nd anniversary in 2015. Representatives of InterContinental Asiana Saigon receive World Travel Awards. The hotel, which opened in 2009, has made other achievements this year including Top 25 Best Hotels in Vietnam presented by 2015 TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice, ranking 1st in the Top 10 Best Hotels in HCMC 2015 and Best MICE Hotel 2015 by the HCMC Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Best Luxury Hotel Spa in Vietnam 2015 by World Luxury Spa Awards and Luxury hotel with Best MICE services in HCMC by The Guide Awards 2014-2015. Incham to hold biggest festival for Indians in Vietnam The biggest festival for the Indian community in Vietnam, DIWALI 2015, will be hosted by the Indian Business Chamber in Vietnam (INCHAM) at GEM Center in District 1, HCMC on November 14. According to INCHAM, DIWALI, the festival of lights, will bring joyful moments to participants with Bollywood performances and authentic cuisines from the ethnically diverse Indian sub-continent, free flow of drinks, and exciting raffle prizes to win. On this occasion, Abhijeet Sawant, the first Indian Idol, will come to Vietnam to perform in the festival. Sawant, together with Desi Swagg duo Danielle Rebello & Silvina Fernandes along with the band, is expected to give a different experience with a gorgeous venue, and electrifying live performances, and to make it an enjoyable and memorable night. The event is expected to lure one thousand plus guests (expats and Vietnamese), officials from government departments, foreign missions and an association of reputed corporate and business houses in HCMC. Long Thanh Golf boss picked as Iceland’s honorary consul Le Nu Thuy Duong, general director of Long Thanh Golf Investment and Trading JSC, has been appointed as Iceland’s honorary consul in HCMC. Iceland President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, other Icelandic officials, and HCMC authorities attended a ceremony for introduction of the honorary consul in the city last Friday.    Duong is seen as an outstanding businesswoman who is active in the real estate, golf course, tourism, infrastructure and mining sectors in Vietnam and Laos. At present, Long Thanh Golf has over 15 member enterprises which are operational in Vietnam and foreign nations.  Vietnam and Iceland established diplomatic relations in August 1973. However, two-way trade between the nations remains small. Speaking at the ceremony, HCMC vice chairman Le Thanh Liem said the city expects the honorary consul to contribute to strengthening cooperation between HCMC and Iceland and between Vietnam and the European nation. The Icelandic President on Thursday came to visit HCMC chairman Le Hoang Quan, who said potential of economic cooperation between the city and Iceland is huge and proposed Iceland set up a commercial office in the city. US Business Insider praises beauty of Ha Long Bay ‘No trip to Vietnam would be complete without seeing it’, says the New York-based news website Business Insider in its article featuring Ha Long Bay in the Northeast of Vietnam. The website notes that according to local legend, the bay’s islands were formed when a dragon charged from the mountains towards the coast. Its tail carved out valleys and crevasses until the dragon hit the water, flooding the area and leaving nothing but peaks visible. Ha Long Bay is cited in the list of most stunning attractions on the planet thanks to its incredibly serene emerald waters, multiple small limestone islands, a broad array of caves and grottoes, and evergreen rainforest ecosystem. ASEAN Roadshow travels through Republic of Korea The “ASEAN Roadshow” is taking place in the Republic of Korea (RoK) from November 5-11 to increase Koreans’ understanding of ASEAN member countries’ culture and tourism.  As scheduled, ASEAN buses depart from the capital city of Seoul and travel through the major cities of Busan and Gwangju. At each stop, cultural activities and mini games are organised, with tourism promotion videos screened and leaflets distributed.  About 150 students were selected to take part in the programme. They are all from bloc members and currently living and studying in the RoK. As representatives of their hometowns, they are presenting cultural and tourism features to local people.  At the launching ceremony held in Seoul ’s Cheonggyecheon square on November 5, Kim Young-sun, Secretary General of the ASEAN-Korea Centre, said the journey would help Koreans know more about popular cultural and tourist destinations in ASEAN.  Vietnamese Ambassador to the RoK Pham Huu Chi noted that boosting local understanding of ASEAN’s lifestyle, culture and beauty is vital to the development of ties between the bloc and the RoK, particularly as the formation of the ASEAN Community by the end of 2015.  The diplomat believed the roadshow will provide local residents with an exciting experience about ASEAN’s “unity in diversity”, especially in culture and tourism. HCM hotel awarded for sustainability Caravelle Saigon is the first property in Viet Nam to receive an EarthCheck Gold Certificate 2015, making it a leader in the worldwide group of sustainable  tourism operators. The hotel has over the years made many efforts to create distinctive records, such as resource-saving and recycling as well as Corporate Social Responsibility   (CSR) projects that call on the public to keep the place we live in clean and green. EarthCheck is the world's leading certifier of sustainable travel and tourism businesses with an internationally recognised standard, benchmarking and  certification programme. The EarthCheck Gold designation is conferred after five years of continual assessment by a third independent auditing party that adheres to EarthCheck  Company Standards.  Anti-poaching comic book published The non-profit organisation Wildlife At Risk (WAR) in coordination with the HCM City Department of Education and Training has published a bilingual comic book   Gab's Story to educate young students about wildlife protection in Viet Nam. The story in Vietnamese and English is based on facts about illegal poaching, trading and consumption of endangered wildlife in Viet Nam. It is about a journey  of a yellow-cheeked crested gibbon named Gab. Gab is hunted by poachers and suffers great misery when the gibbon is held in captivity and witnesses other endangered wildlife being traded and killed. Gab is  finally rescued and released back to the wild. The book's author, Do Thi Thanh Huyen, who is WAR's wildlife education manager, said the book was dedicated to all children in hopes they will "say no" to  illegal wildlife products. The book has been distributed to secondary school students in HCM City and is available at http://wildlifeatrisk.org/new/public/books.  VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri