Social News 8/11 1 dead, 10 injured after house collapse in Ho Chi Minh City One died and ten people were injured after a house under construction collapsed in a suburban district of Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday afternoon. The victims were taking shelter in the house as heavy rain and strong winds hit Binh Chanh District, according to local residents. The wet and recently added cement did not have enough time to solidify under the weather conditions, causing the house to fall down onto the victims at around 3:20 pm, Nguyen Minh Hien, chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on the night of the accident. Ten of the victims were the construction workers responsible for the building of the house, the other was 39-year-old Quy Van Dung, a deliveryman from a nearby workshop, Huynh Van Khen, the house owner, said. The construction of the house began two weeks ago, he added. Those living nearby rushed toward the collapsed structure shortly after the accident to carry the victims out and provide emergency help, according to a witness. The ten workers were then transported to Binh Tan Hospital, located in neighboring Binh Tan District, and are being treated in the department of orthopedics. Quy Van Dung was taken to the emergency room of Cho Ray Hospital, which is the largest general hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, as he suffered from major injuries from heavy loads of falling bricks. However, at 9:25 pm the same day, Dung passed away. As Ho Chi Minh City is entering the dry season, recent downpours are considered the final rainfall of the wet season, according to the southern hydro-meteorological observatory. The rains have contributed to the city’s traffic jams and flooding in several districts, including the areas around Tan Son Nhat International Airport. Outstanding ethnic minority students commended Politburo member and National Assembly Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong held a meeting in Hanoi on November 6 with 122 ethnic minority students who have achieved outstanding academic results in 2015. According to the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, 105 ethnic minority students won prizes at national contests for students in 2015 including one first prize, 16 second prizes, 30 third prizes and 58 consolation prizes. In addition, many ethnic minority students recorded high scores on the 2015 national entrance exams to universities and colleges with 15 students achieving scores over 27/30 points and two students getting the highest score possible. NA Vice Chairwoman Phong praised ethnic minority students for their excellent academic results, saying that they are bright examples of the spirit of overcoming difficulties in life to achieve good academic results. She affirmed that the Party, State and NA always place trust in younger generations who are always ready to undertake hard work and face challenges to contribute to building the nation. She expressed hope that with the outstanding academic results along with the continuous endeavours, these students would become strong resources for ethnic minority regions, devoted to the cause of national socio-economic development. At the meeting, ethnic minority students also suggested the Party and State pay more attention to improving the learning and teaching conditions for ethnic minority groups particularly in struggling areas. Belgium pledges support to Vietnamese locality in waste treatment Belgium always cares for and supports Vietnam as a whole and Ba Ria-Vung Tau province in particular in a variety of areas, including the field of waste treatment, President of the Belgian Senate Christine Defraigne has affirmed. The Belgium guest, who is on an official visit to Vietnam, made the statement while addressing a meeting with Secretary of the Ba Ria-Vung Tau provincial Party Committee Nguyen Hong Linh on November 6. Linh briefed the guests on Ba Ria-Vung Tau’s potential and advantages for socio-economic development. Relations between Vietnam and Belgium have been growing vigorously since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1973, Linh said, wishing that the bilateral friendship would continued to be fostered and developed to a new height in the time ahead. The local official also affirmed that Ba Ria-Vung Tau would do its utmost to contribute to deepening the friendship and co-operation between the two nations. Defraigne voiced that she was deeply impressed with Vietnam and its people, noting that bilateral collaboration has been growing intensively over the past years, reflected through an increasing number of co-operative projects between both sides. She said she hoped that the friendly relations and co-operation between the two countries as a whole and between Belgium and Ba Ria-Vung Tau in particular would increasingly grow in all aspects in the future. Vietnam plans coastal highway linking Quang Ninh and Thanh Hoa Vietnam is planning to build 550 kilometres of coastal highway to link provinces from Quang Ninh to Thanh Hoa. In addition to the two provinces above, the motorway will traverse the northern port city of Hai Phong, Thai Binh, Nam Dinh and Ninh Binh provinces. The section in Quang Ninh province will be the longest at 250 kilometres, running from the border town of Mong Cai to Bach Dang Bridge. The section in Ninh Binh province will be the shortest at just nine kilometres. The Ministry of Transport will be responsible for the 240 kilometres which overlap with the current national highways, while the localities will build the remaining sections in line with the ministry’s directions. At a conference on November 5, representatives of localities the motorway will pass through agreed that they would work closely to make sure the sections from each province would connect properly with one another. The plan for the coastal highway was approved by the prime minister last June. Erratic driver caught on camera  Footage of an out-of-control Land Rover that injured three people and put a motorbike on fire after crashing into a motorbike showroom here yesterday has gone viral over the last 24 hours. In the video, the Land Rover is seen to suddenly accelerate, injuring three bystanders ahead of crashing into the showroom. The entire incident, which occurred at about 4:30 pm at the Dan Chu roundabout in HCM City's District 3, was captured by a traffic camera. Ly Hue Phuong, 45, was riding on a bike with Nguyen Thi Nha, 41, when the Range Rover smashed into them. They were rushed to the hospital immediately, along with the third victim. Nguyen Thi Le Thuy, 28, suffered a serious head injury when the car crashed into her motorbike, which caught fire and was damaged beyond repair. Some 10 motorbikes displayed in the showroom were also damaged in the crash and ensuing blaze. Vo Phu Sy, 42, turned himself in to the police soon after the incident, saying he had panicked after accidentally hitting the three women and had lost control of the car. District 3 police said Sy's mental state during the incident was completely normal, and he showed no signs of alcohol consumption. Investigations in the case are still ongoing.  Online quiz on international integration held for youth Young people working in centrally-run agencies in the south are encouraged to participate in an online quiz on international integration, which was launched on November 5. The quiz is held as part of the programme on ASEAN integration - Opportunities and challenges for the youth held by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union of the centrally-run agency bloc in the south until November 28. Participants should register through website www.svhanhchinh.vn to join the four-week qualifier round which covers issues on politics, culture, society, and economy in ASEAN member countries and Vietnam’s activities in the organisation, among others. Twelve 12 best contestants will enter the final round with multiple-choice and discussion questions. According to the organising board, the event aims to provide knowledge on the country’s international integration for young people while helping them understand opportunities and challenges offered during the trend. One of highlights of the programme is a forum, where the youth will discuss main contents of the ASEAN economic integration while sharing solutions to promote their roles in the nation’s integration and development.- HCM City hopes for closer ties with Japan’s Osaka Ho Chi Minh wishes to further forge links with Japan’s Osaka City in environmental protection and climate change adaption, said Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Le Thanh Liem. During his reception for Deputy Mayor of Osaka Seigo Tanaka on November 5, Liem spoke highly of results of recent cooperation programme between the two cities as well as assistance provided by the Japanese city for HCM City, especially in environmental protection, stressing that they cooperated effectively and achieved important outcomes in the field. HCM City hopes to receive more support from its Japanese counterpart in dealing with climate change as the City is heavily affected by the matter, Liem said. He added that his city also wants to enhance connection with Osaka in the supporting industry, electricity, IT, processing industry and biotechnology in the coming time, For his part, Seigo Tanaka affirmed his city will continue to bolster multifaceted links with HCM City, especially in training high-quality human resources and conducting projects on environmental protection and climate change response. According to him, the two sides will work together to implement a project on waste treatment in HCM City in the time ahead, which is expected to help improve the environment and create new energy serving daily activities of local residents. VOV holds grand opening for new English radio channel From its studios in Hanoi, Radio the Voice of Vietnam (VOV) aims to reach more viewers with a new radio channel that will broadcast content from ranging from politics, economics, culture, and society to music and entertainment. On November 6, VOV took a new step forward with the grand opening of a 24-hour English-language radio channel named the ‘24/7 English Channel, which has been operating since October 1’. "VOV is well-known, and it is highly regarded for excellence both in television and radio,” VOV Deputy General Director Vu Hai, said at the opening ceremony. “We want to sharpen that image. We believe that integration and the global movement towards free trade have brought more interest in Vietnam. The new channel allows us more scope to meet the increased demand for information from Vietnam," Hai said by offering hourly news and fresh insight into the nation’s cultural scene, the new round-the-clock program in English will significantly expand the current information program VOV offers its audience. In a speech at the ceremony, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Truong Minh Tuan applauded VOV staff for their great contribution getting the new radio channel off the ground. “The new 24/7 English Channel adds a new dimension to VOV’s development of multimedia journalism,” Tuan said, “contributing to its success as one of the government’s major press agencies. RoK wins back Vietnamese tourists as MERS fears ease Vietnamese tourists are returning to The Republic of Korea (RoK) in large numbers as non-stop promotional efforts seem to help dissipate concerns over the recent MERS outbreak. Figures from the Korea Tourism Organization in Hanoi showed that after months of cancellations, the Vietnam market has bounced back with nearly 20,000 people booking tours in October, up 37.2% from a year ago. Le Thi Thu Trang, chief marketing official of the organization, told Saigon Times Online that tourists started to come back in August after canceling tours in June and July. Trang praised Korea’s various promotion efforts, including deep price cuts, gifts, visa waivers on certain tours, and guaranteed compensation in case of infection.  She said many travel firms have reduced the price of five-day tours to nearly VND15 million (US$672). That is down 25%-30% from normal prices. The organization expects that its strong efforts will help the market increase more than 20% in terms of visitors this year. RoK declared it was safe from Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in July, more than two months after the first case was reported, killing 36 people.  The outbreak is the largest outside Saudi Arabia, infecting 186 people and at its peak putting nearly 17,000 in quarantine. It has been traced to a 68-year-old Korean man who returned from a business trip to the Middle East. But the country is not completely safe yet as one patient believed to be cured has been rediagnosed with the deadly virus last month. Cheap tours offered at promotional rates in Hanoi A four-day tour to the central coastal city of Nha Trang is offered for nearly VND4 million. Meanwhile, an outbound tour to the Republic of Korea for four days costs only VND12.5 million.  This was unveiled by the tourism promotion festival which will be held at the Ly Thai To public park in Hanoi this weekend. During the festival, local travel agencies will offer discounts on tours to Ha Giang, Ha Long, Nha Trang, Da Lat, Can Tho and Phu Quoc at the preferential price of VND1-3 million. Especially, the four-day tour to Nha Trang will be offered by Hanoitourist for only VND3.990.000. Tourists can save up to VND5 million when they book outbound tours to the Republic of Korea, Japan, the US and European nations. Particularly, Vietravel will offer discounts of VND5-10 million on tours to South Africa, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. Other travel agencies will offer attractive discounts of up to 30% for luxury hotel rooms in Nha Trang and Phu Quoc. Cheap flights on VietJet  and Jetstar will give discounts at golden hours. Visitors will learn more about Vietnamese culture through diverse activities and receive free vouchers, gifts and services. SNV celebrates 20 years of work in VN The Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV) is working to develop value chains of agricultural products to increase the incomes of thousands of producers across Viet Nam by 20 to 40 per cent. The information was announced at a ceremony held to mark 20 years of SNV's work in Viet Nam in Ha Noi yesterday. SNV projects include the development of tea, cardamom and cassava industries, which will impact 77,000 poor households in the region. In North Central Viet Nam, SNV is helping to develop the acacia value chain and to establish additional sawmills and furniture factories that will raise the average income of smallholders by 50 per cent and benefit more than 70,000 households, Miguel Mendez, SNV country director in Viet Nam, said. One of SNV's typical programmes is the domestic biogas programme, initiated in 2003 with the support of the Vietnamese and Dutch governments. By the end of 2014, the project had supported the construction of more than 142,000 biogas plants, provided training to 953 provincial and district technicians, and 1,505 biogas mason teams, and organised 140,000 promotion workshops and training for biogas users. Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Vu Van Tam appreciated SNV's contribution to Viet Nam during the past 20 years, and said he hoped SNV would continue to join hands with Viet Nam in conducting and expanding agricultural models to cope with climate change, green growth and poverty reduction programmes. SNV Netherlands Development Organisation is a non-profit, international development organisation founded 50 years ago. It is operating in 39 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. SNV has been working in Viet Nam since 1995, and has more than 80 national and international staff. SNV Viet Nam's team works hand-in-hand with communities, government agencies and businesses in some of the remotest and poorest areas of the country, to strengthen their capacity to effectively reduce poverty. SNV's work in Viet Nam focuses on sustainable and inclusive agriculture, water, sanitation and hygiene, besides renewable energy, reduction of emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.  98th anniversary of Russia’s October Revolution marked in Ho Chi Minh City The 98th anniversary of the Russian October Revolution (November 7, 1917-2015) was marked at a ceremony in Ho Chi Minh City on November 6. The ceremony was jointly organised by the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO), the Vietnam-Russia Friendship Association (VRFA) and the liaison board of Vietnamese alumni at Russian universities. Speaking at the event, Chairman of VRFA, Nguyen Huu Thanh, highlighted the great influence of the October Revolution on Vietnam’s revolution and development. The success of the Revolution also created a solid foundation for the valuable traditional friendship between the two nations, he added. VRFA Chairman Thanh affirmed that the association together with Vietnamese people across the country would do their utmost to bolster the relationship between Vietnam and Russia. For his part, Russian Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Alexey Popov expressed his sincere thanks to Vietnamese people in general and people in Ho Chi Minh City in particular for their fine sentiments towards Russia. He added that the two countries are fostering diverse and mutually beneficial co-operative ties. The Consul General also expressed his belief that the Russia-Vietnam ties would continue to grow stronger in the future with co-operation and mutual support in various fields. T’way Air to launch Incheon-HCM City flight The Korean low-cost carrier T’way Air will conduct the first flight between Incheon and HCM Ctiy on December 24, said ‘The Korea Times’ on November 6. The plane will leave Incheon at 11.35am and arrive at HCM City at 3pm on Monday, Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday. The returning flight takes off from Ho Chi Minh City Airport at 4pm and returns to Incheon at 11.35pm. On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, T'way Air's Boeing 737 plane will leave Incheon airport at 10.45am. The return flight will leave Ho Chi Minh city at 3.10pm. The carrier’s spokesperson said the budget carrier has high hopes for the Incheon and Ho Chi Minh City route, saying that it will be one of the company's most lucrative routes. According to T’way Air, HCM City is a popular destination for Korean travellers. With many Korean companies operating offices in the city, the carrier targets both business and leisure travellers. T'way Air currently operates 4 domestic and 14 international routes, with a fleet of 11 Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Low income group demands improved housing Low-income families have inferior housing, and new policies are needed to deal with the issue, heard a conference in Hanoi on November 5.  According to the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) , only 20 percent of workers have proper accommodation. Some 80 percent of workers in industrial zones are exposed to makeshift shelters, where normally two or three people share a square metre. These workers also lack access to recreational activities.  Vu Hong Quang, deputy head of the VGCL 's policy and law department, said more than 110 social housing projects for workers were registered from 2010 – 2015 with an aim of accommodating 960,000 people. However, very few of them were completed.  Construction in industrial parks focused on production facilities, while making light of other social infrastructure such as houses, schools and entertainment centres, he noted.  Regarding the issue, State policies have been developed and implemented, but many need amendments to meet current demands.  Tran Ngoc Hung, chairman of the Vietnam Federation of Civil Engineering Association, pointed to the fact that construction hurdles facing social housing projects included licencing differences, which often take time and make investors lose their interest. Thus, the rate of corporation-funded social housing projects remains low.  Demand for affordable accommodation is expected to reach one million apartments in 2020. Currently, only 10,000 apartments are added to the market each year.  To change the status quo, Hung proposed additional assistance in terms of capital and land, as well as preferential policies targeting private investors.  Meanwhile, developing low-priced apartments for rent and purchase through instalments should be considered a priority, he said.  Concerning pensions provided by families and individuals, which account for up to 80 percent of workers’ accommodation in many cities, a set of criteria on area, amenities, safety prices and others should be established.  Participating officials recommended the Government promulgate regulations stipulating that business owners must take responsibility for assisting their employees in acquiring proper housing. Kien Giang moves to protect blue crab resources More than 2,000 young and productive crabs were released on November 5 into the sea in Ham Ninh commune, in the island district of Phu Quoc in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang.  The ceremony was part of the Blue Swimming Green Crab Day, organised by the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the World Wild Fund for Nature in Vietnam (WWF Vietnam) with the participation from local authorities, and crowds of enterprises and fishermen.  The move aims to help recover blue crab resources, and send a message to the community and fishermen, calling on them to protect marine resources and use them sustainably.  The event included a number of other activities to raise local residents’ awareness about crabs. A number of agreements were signed between enterprises and fishermen on protecting young and breeding crabs.  Addressing the ceremony, Department Deputy Director Le Trung Kien said crab fishing had created jobs for some 20,000 labourers in Kien Giang.  He mentioned the Fishery Improvement Project (FIP), which was started in the province in 2011 by WWF Vietnam, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Processing and Export, and the department.  The project has helped improve the management and protection of local blue crab resources in particular and fishery resources in general, Kien added.  According to a representative from the project, each crab can produce between 180,000 and 2 million eggs. The crabs released into the sea will contribute significantly to the recovery.  The event is expected to develop an annual practice to protect the resources for future generations and the livelihoods of the 20,000 fishermen. Phu Quoc welcomes 750, 000 visitors Phu Quoc island has welcomed 750,000 visitors, 30% of them are foreign arrivals in the nine months leading up to October this year.  Huynh Quang Hung, vice chairman of Phu Quoc island district People’s Committee said 6,000 hotel rooms are currently available in Phu Quoc. The district expects to have a total of 15,000 rooms by 2020 to serve 2.5 - to 3 million visitors per year. According to Phu Quoc John's Tours, the number of international visitors to Phu Quoc has increased significantly in recent years. So far, the island district has attracted more than 200 foreign and domestic invested projects totally capitalised at VND168,000 billion in tourism, services and entertainment. Parallel road to expressway proposed in HCMC Nam Rach Chiec Company has submitted the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee a project for approval on construction of a parallel road to HCMC-Long Thanh-Dau Giay expressway, said the city’s Department of Transport on Thursday. The 3.2 kilometer road will parallel the expressway, connecting HCMC and the neighboring province of Dong Nai, over the stretch from An Phu Intersection to ring road no.2 in District 9, HCMC.  Besides 14-20 meter wide road face, other items will also be constructed including intersections and Ba Dat, Muong Kenh and Ba Hien bridges.  Nam Rach Chiec Company proposed to build the work under BT (Build-Transfer) form within two years to open it to traffic by 2017.  According to the Transport Department, the parallel road will reduce traffic jam and accident especially to Nguyen Duy Trinh street, improve traffic connectivity in the area of the expressway, the ring road no.2 and Mai Chi Tho Street. History online competition launched The Ho Chi Minh City Communist Youth Union and the Ministry of Education and Training launched a competition to study history and culture for students in senior high schools and continuous studying centers in the country. The competition named Tu hao Vietnam (Proud of Vietnam)  includes online games of history knowledge and culture such as milestones in history, national heroes, cultural  celebrities and achievements in reform periods. Participants can partake in the competition through two forms including online tests and clip making. In the online tests, candidates must answer questions including event in the course of history, trips to historical sites, national celebrities and proud of Vietnam.  85 candidates with highest marks will be selected to represent the province in the final. In clip making contest, 5 clips which have been voted most by viewers in the competition website and 10 other selected by jury board will enter the final round. The organizers said the first and second prizes for the final round will be VND15 million (US$ 672) and 10 million (US$448) respectively. Additionally, there are three third prizes each worth VND3 million (US$134); VND5 million (US$224) for online winners and clip making winners respectively and many other prizes. Total cash for prizes is VND450 million (US$ 20,174). The competition is expected to be a useful playing field of knowledge for students to stir their thirst of history knowledge as well as improve teaching and studying history in the schools. Dengue fever cases reduce in Vietnam: Ministry The Ministry of Health yesterday said that the number of dengue fever cases is considerably reducing day by day as a rapid downward trend in dengue cases is being witnessed. However, the disease development is still complicated in the South Vietnam; medical workers said that the infection cases will be able to decrease when the rainy season ends. Since the beginning of the year, the country has recorded over 53,000 dengue fever patients in 54 cities and province including 34 deaths.  Dr. Tran Dac Phu, head of the Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health, said that the disease occurs year-round in the country with 50,000-100,000 infection cases annually. Yet, the number of dengue fever cases in Vietnam is lower than nations in the Southeast Asian region and in previous years.  It is forecast that the disease will develop more complicatedly as the weather changes.  As per the figure of the Center of Preventive Medicine in HCMC, in past week, the city had over 770 hospitalized infection cases. Accordingly, since the beginning of the year, the city has over 13,000 cases. Contest on national history and culture launched for Vietnamese students An online contest on the country’s history and culture was launched on November 4 in Hanoi, targeting high school students nationwide. Entrants should register to create an account to compete at the contest, at http://www.tuhaovietnam.com.vn before selecting one of the two categories: individuals and videos. In the individual category, each competitor will enter four rounds dealing with questions on the country’s historic events, revolutionary locations, Vietnamese men of culture and national heroes, and the country’s achievements during the national Doi Moi (Renewal) process. Meanwhile, the video and clip category is open for individuals or a group of less than five students. Speaking at the press conference to announce the event, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee (HCYU), Le Quoc Phong said that the contest aimed to raise the interest of Youth union’s members on the subject of history, thus encouraging their national pride and responsibility in constructing and defending their motherland. The contest was launched as part of a co-ordination programme between the HCYU and the Ministry of Education and Training in the 2015-2016 academic year. 500 kids take part in chemistry programme Nearly 500 primary students are taking part in the BASF Kids Lab, an interactive chemistry education programme that opened yesterday in HCM City. During the two-day event, students from the city's outlying districts of Cu Chi, Hoc Mon and District 12 are learning about skin protection against ultraviolet  radiation and how vitamins can improve human health. The programme, which is held in more than 30 countries, is designed to help children learn about the fascinating world of chemistry and its important role as an  enabler for a sustainable future. Since 2011, more than 2,000 local school children in Viet Nam have taken part in extracurricular activities organised by the city's Department of Education and   Training and the chemical company BASF.  VN footballers hold S Koreans to tie in Ha Noi Sanna Khanh Hoa rallied to tie defending champions, South Korean student team 2-2 in the first Group A match of the International Football Tournament – Binh  Duong Television Cup yesterday. The South Koreans were in attack mode from the first second of the match and soon set up their domination against the local team who defended strongly and  waited for their chances. Despite a number of attempts, the Koreans only found their first goal in the second half when Kim Geonhee scored in the 72nd minute with a straight shot in the  box. Substitute Jung Jungyu made it 2-0 just six minutes later in a face-to-face with goalie Nguyen Tuan Manh of Sanna Khanh Hoa. Coach Vo Dinh Tan of Khanh Hoa made two changes and that changed the situation. Pale Wally tapped in an easy ball to make it 1-2 at the 83rd mark, and Eliassou Issiaza levelled the result with a strong header four minutes before the final  whistle. In the second match of the group, Luiz Eduardo Purino scored a double to help hosts Becamex Binh Duong defeat Yadanarbon FC of Myanmar 2-1. Sithu Aung narrowed the result with a close-range shootout near the end. The win pushes Becamex Binh Duong to the top of the rankings with three points. The Group B activities will be organised today with Quang Ninh Coal playing Bangu Atletico Clube of Brazil and Dong Tam Long An taking on Japanese student  squad.  Viettel to have friendly vs Japan U19 Viettel will have a friendly match with U20 Japan on Sunday at the Viet Nam Football Federation's Youth Football Training Centre in Ha Noi. The event is part of the Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths Programme funded by the Government of Japan. Most of Japanese U20 players come from Omiya Ardija, who are topping the J-League 2 with 79 points after 39 matches. The Japanese team, who came to Viet Nam on November 2, have had a football exchange with Vietnamese students. VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri