Social News 15/4 National Exhibition of the Republic of Belarus opens in Hanoi On April 13-16, the 26th Vietnam International Trade Fair (Vietnam Expo 2016) will host the National Exhibition of Belorussian Equipment and Industrial Products at the Hanoi International Exhibition Centre. According to information provided by the event organizer, the Belorussian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the exhibition sections will feature products made by 50 transport, housing and utility, agricultural, chemical, and petrochemical sphere companies. In addition, visitors will have an opportunity to taste Belorussian-made food products including meat and dairy goods. Clothing and footwear manufacturers will also present their products at the exhibition. A separate pavilion will tout the economic, export, investment, tourist, and cultural potential of the Republic of Belarus. Additionally, a business forum is planned to serve as an ‘exchange market’ for the representatives of Belorussian and Vietnamese companies to seek business partners, said the organizers. Heat wave to last next 4- 5 days The current dry and hot weather have shouldered over the Central Highlands, mid- central and the southern provinces on the large scale, reported the National Hydrology Meteorology Forecast Center reported on April 13. It is predicted to expand in the north central, mid central and west-north northern region. In next five or six days, both the Central Highlands provinces and the southern region will continue facing with the heat waves at daytime, rains accompanied with thunderstorms in evening on the large scale. At present, water source releasing from upstream in Mekong River  to Mekong Delta region has risen high. Dealing with complicated weather condition, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat asked chairmen of the People’s Committee of provinces and cities should keep close watch on salinity, water levels at irrigational works and water reservoirs; and instruct farmers to water reservation during the dry season. RoK-funded happiness programme proves effective   The central province of Quang Tri and the Korean International Cooperation Agency in Vietnam (KOICA) held a meeting on April 12 to review the progress of the RoK-funded “Happiness program” in the locality. Addressing the event, Director of KOICA Kim Young Mock lauded the effectiveness of the program, and pledged to continue the program with a view to expanding it nationwide. The program, which started in 2015 and will run through to 2018, focuses on human resources, healthcare development, public administration, new-style rural development and the environment. The program is running in seven underdeveloped communes in the province including Thuan, Cam Thuy, Hai Thuong, Mo O, Gio Phong, Vinh Thanh and Trieu Trach. On the same day, KOICA’s delegation visited Vinh Thanh and Hai Thuong in the program’s participating provinces. Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chinh praised the programme’s efficiency and hoped the locality would receive more support from the model. The project was developed under an agreement signed in May 2012 between Quang Tri and KOICA. Third whale found dead within a month in central Vietnam At least three dead whales have been found in the central province of Nghe An over the last month, local media reported. In the latest incident, on April 11 afternoon, some tourists found the carcass of a whale on Cua Lo Beach. The whale measured around one meter in length and 40 kilograms in weight. There were some wounds on its body. Local fishers then held a ritual burial for the whale, which they considered sacred. Three days earlier, a 44-year-old fisher also found a dead whale near the same beach. The whale was around 1.5 meter-long and weighed 80 kilograms. On March 16, another fisher in Nghi Loc District nearby found the carcass of a whale ashore. The body had started decaying. The whale was around 1.5 meter-long and weighed around 50 kilograms. While some local fishers believe that beached whales are signs of good luck, environmentalists are very concerned. They say it is unusual to see several dead whales in a particular place within a short period of time. There have been several media reports and studies linking recent whale deaths around the world to the intense El Nino weather conditions and also to climate change. Former transport minister hands over power to successor Former Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang officially handed over power to new minister Truong Quang Nghia at a conference, hosted in Hanoi yesterday to review the ministry’s performance in the first quarter and missions in the second quarter this year. Mr. Thang said that the ministry had made great efforts and gained many achievements recognized by the Party, State and residents in the first quarter. In the upcoming time, he proposed the new minister to listen to opinions from businesses and residents and instructions by authorized agencies, adding that the new minister should keep talking to transport businesses and solve their difficulties. The new minister should pay heed to investment efficiency and attraction policies, counterpart funds, regional traffic projects and entrance gateways and speed up urban railway projects in Hanoi and HCMC, Mr. Thang suggested. The ministry should have breakthrough mechanisms to step up Long Thanh International Airport and North South Expressway. In the term of 2016-2020, it should make preparations for reporting high-speed rail project to the National Assembly and complete 4,000 bridges in rural areas. Concluding the conference, new minister Truong Quang Nghia said he would instruct related agencies to fulfill tasks in the Resolution 12 of the Central Party Committee, focus on key traffic projects such as expressways, the high speed railway, seaports, airports and international gateways. He also affirmed to promote administrative reform and eye on balancing the interests of residents and businesses. Vietnamese American doctor granted title of honorary professor Ho Chi Minh City Medical University Hospital yesterday organized a grant ceremony to confer Honorary Professor title to a Vietnamese American overseas Dr. Daniel Truong with his outstanding contributions in developing medical knowledge and related treatment technologies to nervous diseases. Earlier, Dr. Daniel Truong successfully held seven international seminars related to neuropathology knowledge with the participation of 86 the world-leading nervous professors and specialists. Through the international workshops on neuropathology, Dr. Daniel Truong shared experiences to diagnostic and treatment for nervous patients, helping Vietnamese doctors and surgeons to be able to integrate international neurology sector. Dr. Daniel Truong is currently the chairman of the educational committee for the International Association for Parkinsonism and Related Disorders, a vice chief-editor of Journal of Neurological Sciences and  Journal of Neural Transmission, a member of editorial board of U.S and international six journal of neurology, and a director of Parkinson's and Movement Disorder Institute - Fountain Valley, CA, United States. Besides, he is the author of more than 140 scientific articles and book chapters. Irish photographer displays photos of Tokyo Irish photographer Ryan Neilan is presenting his photos featuring images of Japan’s Tokyo at a solo exhibition called “Tokyo, Blind” in HCMC, the event’s host DeciBel Lounge said in a statement. Lasting until the end of this month, the show features 14 monochrome photographs that Neilan shot while visiting the Japanese capital. “Tokyo, Blind” represents a return to a primordial state of photography where the immediateness of street photography and the instinctive moment prevail over well-composed and over-conceptualized pictures. The approach of Daido Moriyama, a Japanese photographer, to street photography was a major influence on Neilan, which inspired him to let his subconscious and his film camera capture the hectic life in the streets of one of the most populated cities in the world. Over a five-day period in Japan, the artist shot 40 rolls of film on a camera he had never used before. The results are images that show the high contrast both in terms of composition and the life of Neilan’s subjects, which appear both swallowed by the ultra-modern urban landscapes and yet in a stark isolation. Born in Dublin, Ireland in 1987, Ryan Neilan studied a portfolio course at Sallynoggin Institute of Further Education before going on to complete a Bachelor of Arts in Photographic Media at Griffith College, Dublin. After completing his studies, he lived in Philadelphia, USA, where he worked as a photographic intern for cities2night.com, a large U.S. wide social events company. Later, he moved to Vietnam to continue his photography career. DeciBel Lounge is at 79/2/5 Phan Ke Binh Street, District 1. New rail bridge ready in late June A new Ghenh rail bridge on the north-south rail line could be opened to traffic on June 28 instead of July 15 as earlier scheduled, the Vietnam Railway Corporation (VRC) said on April 11. The new bridge in Bien Hoa City, Dong Nai Province will replace the old Ghenh Bridge, which collapsed after it was struck by a sand-transporting barge on March 20. The collapse resulted in all train services to and from HCMC being disrupted. Doi Sy Hung, deputy general director of VRC, told a meeting with the Ministry of Transport in Dong Nai on April 11 that construction of the new rail bridge commenced on April 1. Besides, site clearance for the project has been completed and steel parts of the bridge are being produced at three facilities in Hue, Danang and HCMC. The steel bridge has three spans, with each having a length of 75 meters, instead of four spans as planned earlier. The bridge will be seven meters above the surface water, three meters higher than the collapsed one, to allow bigger ships to travel underneath. Hung said all the beams of the bridge would be finished on June 3 and other parts would be completed on June 10. The new bridge worth VND298.5 billion (US$13.4 million) will be put into use on June 28. Currently, passengers travel by train from Saigon Railway Station to Song Than Railway Station in Binh Duong province before they are transferred to Bien Hoa Railway Station by bus to continue their journeys to the central and northern regions. Number of tourists to Lam Dong province soars The Central Highlands province of Lam Dong attracted 1.32 million tourists in the first three months of this year, an increase of 10.9 percent from the same period last year, according to the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The number of foreign arrivals reached 66,000, up 25 percent. Revenue from tourism services was estimated at 2.376 trillion VND (about 100 million USD). In March alone, the province welcomed 450,000 tourists, including 22,000 foreigners. The increase in tourism was due to a number of cultural activities held in the province in the period, including Lunar New Year celebrations and the Flower Festival in Da Lat city. To attract more tourists in the summer, the province will focus on developing services, and improving tourist activities’ quality and ask businesses to not raise their prices. Tien Giang: Fresh water to be supplied to over 30,000 households The Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang is speeding up the construction of a water facility to supply fresh water to more than 30,000 households in the drought-hit Go Cong Tay and Tan Phu Dong districts. The project, costing more than 68 billion VND (3 million USD), will install a 10,630 metre water pipeline, running from Dong Tam water plant to Go Cong Tay’s Thanh Tri, Long Vinh and Long Binh communes and the whole of Tan Phu Dong district, according to Huynh Cong Dung, director of Tien Giang Water Company. The system will have capacity of 11,000 cubic metres per day and night. The company has utilised its resources to promptly implement the project, Dung said, stressing that more than 9,600 metres of pipeline had been installed. The project will become operational in July and will help tackle water shortages in localities suffering from drought and saline intrusion. Vietnamese American doctor granted title of honorary professor Ho Chi Minh City Medical University Hospital yesterday organized a grant ceremony to confer Honorary Professor title to a Vietnamese American overseas Dr. Daniel Truong with his outstanding contributions in developing medical knowledge and related treatment technologies to nervous diseases. Earlier, Dr. Daniel Truong successfully held seven international seminars related to neuropathology knowledge with the participation of 86 the world-leading nervous professors and specialists. Through the international workshops on neuropathology, Dr. Daniel Truong shared experiences to diagnostic and treatment for nervous patients, helping Vietnamese doctors and surgeons to be able to integrate international neurology sector. Dr. Daniel Truong is currently the chairman of the educational committee for the International Association for Parkinsonism and Related Disorders, a vice chief-editor of Journal of Neurological Sciences and  Journal of Neural Transmission, a member of editorial board of U.S and international six journal of neurology, and a director of Parkinson's and Movement Disorder Institute - Fountain Valley, CA, United States. Besides, he is the author of more than 140 scientific articles and book chapters. VNSO’s Woodwinds Quintet performs in Hanoi A chamber concert featuring a woodwinds quintet of the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra (VNSO), the “New Wind Ensemble” will take place at the Goethe Institute in Hanoi on April 13. The band, including flutits Nguyen Thi Dieu Quynh, oboist Hoang Manh Lam, bassoonist Tran Minh Duc, hornplayer Ta Tien Dat and clarinetist Nguyen Minh Hoang will play musical works by Strauß, Mozart, Cambini, Farkas and Ibert. The concert will also present to audiences lively Viennese dance music from the 19th century as well as cheerful Parisian tones from the 1930s. The concert is for only visitors from the age of 12 and up. Free tickets are available from April 4 at the Goethe Institute in Hanoi. VN girl wins ‘congeniality award’ in Russia In early April, some 300 singers from Russia and neighbouring countries like Moldova and Armenia descended upon Ekaterinburg, Russia for a prestigious international vocal competition. A few weeks prior to the competition, Bao Yen, a gifted vocalist from Vietnam, heard about the competition and decided to try her luck at competing because she had never before entered a vocal competition in the Russian language. She sang a famous song ‘Memories Liza’ and while her performance wasn’t earth shattering, she did catch the judge’s eye and was selected to receive the congeniality award for the competition. She was presented the award by Professor Chaikovski Vladislav Ivanovich Pianko from the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory. Bao Yen was born in 1990, and is a former student of the Vietnam National Academy of Music. She went to Russia to study for a vocal degree at the Ural Academy of Music, in Ekaterinburg. $4,500 for SHTP tech contest Saigon Hi-Tech Park in Ho Chi Minh City has launched the "Internet of Things Startup 2016" contest to develop a smart city and improve living standards, with cash prizes totaling VND100 million ($4,500). According to the organizers, the contest is targeted to create startup enterprises in the area of the “internet of things”; a mobile trend not only connecting people with people but also connecting all devices. Registration is from April 9 to May 31 and contest is expected to attract around 20 projects. It will be widely promoted in Ho Chi Minh City and nearby areas at universities and research institutes and among the startup community. Participants are not limited in the number of ideas but they must guarantee the commercial potential of their ideas and not break intellectual property laws. Certain topics have been recommended in the contest, such as traffic safety, traffic light control, recharging of electric vehicles, air filtration equipment, equipment for processing polluted water, and air quality control. The first prize is VND60 million ($2,700) while the four consolation prizes are worth VND10 million ($450) each. Saigon Hi-Tech Park will also select three to five of the best projects to help their designers commercialize the project. Free medical exams provided for Cambodian, Vietnamese expats A delegation from Ho Chi Minh City on April 11 provided free medical exams, medicine and gifts to local Cambodian and Vietnamese people living in Phnom Penh on the occasion of the Cambodia’s Chol Chnam Thmey New Year Festival. The delegation included the Ho Chi Minh City Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs, the Ho Chi Minh City-based Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine in co-ordination with the Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia and the General Association of Vietnamese Cambodians in Cambodia. The delegation presented 500 gifts to the locals including 350 gifts to overseas Vietnamese and 150 gifts to the Cambodians including cash, medical exams, medicine, and food with a total value of VND500 million (US$22,500). Vice Chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City's Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hanh said that the gifts are from the Ho Chi Minh City's People's Committee in support of needy Cambodian and Vietnamese people living in Cambodia and local residents affected by the fire on February 8. Hanh noted that the Ho Chi Minh City's People's Committee through the Ho Chi Minh City Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs has annually held charitable activities in Cambodia, particularly on the New Year festival. Earlier on the night of April 10, local residents had a chance to enjoy an art performance by artists from Ho Chi Minh City held at the headquarters of the General Association of Vietnamese Cambodians in Phnom Penh. HCMC hosts 2016 Lac Hong Melody Festival The 8th Lac Hong Melody Festival 2016 themed “Newday Vietnam” opened for students of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. The award ceremony will be held at Ho Chi Minh City Youth Cultural House on April 19. The event aims to mark the 70th anniversary of the day late President Ho Chi Minh sent his letter to the Congress of Southern Ethnic Minority Groups in 1946. On the occasion, the Ho Chi Minh City Student Support Center in collaboration with the Youth Cultural House will offer scholarships to disadvantaged ethnic-minority students who are studying in the city. VND485 billion to overcome droughts, sea-water intrusion PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc has decided to finance VND484.7 billion  from the central budget in 2016 for 21 localities and two agriculture-aquatic companies under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development  to overcome consequences of droughts and sea-water intrusion in the 2015-2016 winter-spring harvest. The benefitted localities include Lao Cai (VND16.2 billion), Phu Tho (VND15.6 billion), Hai Phong (VND 14.2 billion), Thanh Hoa (VND 26.9 billion), Nghe An (VND25.8 billion), Ha Tinh (VND17.7 billion), Quang Ngai (VND10.7 billion), Binh Dinh (VND13 billion), Khanh Hoa (VND17.7 billion), Ninh Thuan (VND47.4 billion), Binh Thuan (VND25 billion), Dak Lak (VND57 billion), Dak Nong (VND18.6 billion), Gia Lai (VND17.9 billion), Lam Dong (VND14.7 billion), Tien Giang (VND14.5 billion), Ben Tre (VND25 billion), Tra Vinh (VND6 billion), Vinh Long (VND20 billion), Can Tho (VND9.5 billion), Hau Giang (VND36.9 billion) and VND 34.4 billion for the two companies. The PM required the People’s Committees of  these localities to use the capital from the local reserves and other legal resources to ensure the effective overcoming of droughts and sea-water intrusion. Earlier in March 2016, the PM allocated VND523.7 billion from the central budget for 34 localities  to tackle consequences of droughts and sea-water intrusion. Vietnam Airlines increases flights during national holidays The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines will launch an additional 136 one-way flights for domestic routes from April 28 to May 4 to meet increasing travel demands during the upcoming national holidays. Accordingly, the carrier will provide some 250,000 seats on the extra flights across nine domestic routes, encompassing 49 flights on the Hanoi-Da Nang route, 22 on the Hanoi-Phu Quoc island route, 14 between Hanoi-Nha Trang, 16 for Hanoi-Hue and 22 for Ho Chi Minh City-Phu Quoc island. The number of seats is 10 percent higher than normal and represents a 35 percent surge against the same period last year. Tickets are available at www.vietnamairlines.com or at the airline’s booking offices and agencies nationwide. Various measures taken to weather drought, saline intrusion Different countermeasures are being employed by many provinces to get through the impacts of drought and saltwater intrusion on local agriculture and aquaculture. In the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang, the phenomena are threatening more than 17,000ha of rice, other crops and fruit trees, including around 3,000ha of starfruit trees along the banks of the Tien River, a branch of the Cuu Long (Mekong) River, in Chau Thanh district. The Vice Chairman of the Chau Thanh People’s Committee, Le Huu Phong, said about 210 irrigation works with a total length of over 180km were created across the district recently to water farming areas. Anti-saline encroachment dams have been built in important locations such as Sau Au – Xoai Hot canal in Binh Duc commune, and Mot canal in Long Dinh commune. Meanwhile, the salinity of water on rivers and canals is monitored regularly to operate culverts and dams in a proper manner. Phong added that authorities have asked farmers to dredge canals to store freshwater and gave guidance in how to tend their crops and fruit trees to mitigate the impacts of drought and saltwater intrusion. In Vinh Long, another Mekong Delta province, the sub-department of fisheries has increased the monitoring of salinity and issued warnings for aquacultural areas where necessary. Adaptive cultivation techniques have also been provided for farmers in some districts like Long Ho and Mang Thit, home to a large number of aquatic farms. The sub-department has also designed orientations for local aquaculture development. Accordingly, farmers will be supported to raise more diverse species in regions susceptible to drought and saline intrusion. Meanwhile, the People’s Committee of the south central coastal province of Phu Yen has earmarked 37 billion VND (1.65 million USD) for anti-drought and saltwater intrusion efforts, along with supplying water for 10,000 affected families this year. It said electricity will be ensured for 135 pumping stations to serve drought prevention activities. The provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development predicts drought will get worse from mid-April, influencing a widespread cultivation area and affecting at least 10,000 families – compared to the 6,500 impacted households in 2015. Ethnic people in Dak Lak receive Gov’t rice support The Central Highlands province of Dak Lak was allocated 500 tonnes of Government rice to support ethnic groups in drought-prone areas on April 13. The rice will be provided for nearly 7,000 households with 29,300 people across 14 districts and towns. Each local receives 15kg of rice. Authorities from Krong Puk district have arranged the means of transport to distribute the rice to communes. Chairman of the People’s Committee of the district’s Cu Pong commune Y Blung Mlo said authorities also reviewed the list of households most affected by drought to distribute rice to them promptly. The allocation of rice to poor ethnic people will be completed on April 15. Dien Bien re-inters 27 sets of soldiers’ remains The northern mountainous province of Dien Bien on April 13 held a burial service for the remains of 27 Vietnamese volunteer soldiers who lost their lives in Laos. The remains were gathered by the Military Zone 2’s search team under support provided by Lao locals. They were re-buried at Dien Bien district’s Tong Khao martyr cemetery. In recent years, local authorities and the Military Zone 2’s search team have made every effort to search for and collect the remains of fallen Vietnamese volunteer soldiers in Laos. Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Mua A Son said that local authorities will enhance coordination with the team and the local army to continue searching for the remains of war martyrs to re-bury in the locality. The province will also pay attention to protecting and upgrading martyr cemeteries, while improving living conditions of families whose relatives laid down their lives in the neighbouring country, he added. Ha Long City to get new international school BIM Group has joined hands with KinderWorld Education Group to build Singapore Mixed Education Development in northern Quang Ninh province’s Ha Long City, aiming to offer high-quality world-class education. The ground-breaking ceremony for the campus was held on April 11. Singapore Mixed Education Development in Quang Ninh, catering to students from kindergarten to pre-university, will stretch across 7.1ha of BIM Group’s flagship project, Ha Long Marina Urban Area, and will have an estimated investment of 270 billion VND (12 million USD). In its first phase, KinderWorld International Kindergarten, the Research Centre for Early Childhood Education and SingaporeInternational School, providing education levels from kindergarten to Grade 3, will be operational in August 2016. In the next three phases, facilities for Singapore International School will be completed, together with a dormitory that can accommodate a total of 2,000 students. On the same day as the ceremony, BIM Group and KinderWorld signed a memorandum of understanding, marking the strategic co-operation between the leading groups of Vietnam in property development and in education, with a commitment to building high-quality intellectual human resources in Ha Long City. HCM City hosts Southeast Asian traditional New Year Ho Chi Minh City on April 13 hosted a festival featuring customs and rituals of Cambodian, Lao, Myanmar and Thai people during their traditional New Year celebrations. The festival brought together diplomats and people from the four ASEAN countries who are living in the city. It recreated Cambodia’s Chol Chnam Thmay, Laos’ Boun Pi Mai, Myanmar’s Thingyan and Thailand’s Songkran with customs like Buddha bathing, water splashing, and tying threads around people’s wrists, alongside a series of cultural performances in a bid to make the expatriates feel like home in the holidays. Speaking at the event, President of the Ho Chi Minh City Union of Friendship Organisations Le Hung Quoc congratulated Cambodian, Lao, Myanmar and Thai people on their traditional New Year. The festival is held annually to enhance cultural exchange and mutual understanding between Vietnam and its four neighbours in the region, he said. Lao Consul General Somxay Sanam-Oune thanked the city for holding the event, contributing to tightening the friendship between countries in the ASEAN Community.- Banned agricultural substances rampant Measures to stop the use of banned substances and overuse of antibiotics in animal husbandry were discussed at a forum organised in Bình Dương Province on Tuesday. Chu Đình Khu, head of the Animal Husbandry Department’s Animal Feed Division, said the rampant use of banned beta-agonist substances and antibiotics in animal feeding to stimulate growth and prevent diseases has made consumers feel insecure when using meat products. Vietnamese laws allow 46 kinds of antibiotics and chemicals to be used in animal feed, with 24 having maximum dosages. Inspection teams have found antibiotics being overused at many animal feed production plants as well as at pig and poultry farms, he said. In addition, since last year, 58 out of 1,893 animal feed production plants inspected were found to be using banned substances. Banned substances were found in 17 out of 1,239 animal feed samples and 257 out of 3,972 pigs, he said. Improper use of antibiotics causes antibiotic resistance in animals, and residue in meat results in drug resistance in humans when it is consumed, he said. Lê Thị Hồng Hảo, director general of the National Institute for Food Control, said consuming meat with industrial dyes to colour food and banned beta-agonists (salbutamol, ractopamine and metoprolol) to stimulate growth in animals and make them lean could affect human health, including causing acute and chronic poisoning. Salbutamol residues can speed up the heart rate and cause dizziness, headaches and anxiety in humans, especially in those with heart diseases and hypertension, she said. Nguyễn Văn Việt, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development chief inspector, said intensified inspection by relevant agencies has “basically controlled” the import, distribution and use of banned substances in animal freeding. The ministry would further intensify checks of animal feed producers and distributors, pig farms, and slaughterhouses to eradicate the use of banned substances and overuse of antibiotics, he said. Phan Huy Thông, director of the National Agriculture Extension Centre, said awareness of the adverse effects of these substances on human health and on the image and competitiveness of the husbandry industry should be strengthened among farmers, slaughterhouse operators and consumers. Authorities should publish the names of violators and tightly control the import of banned and harmful substances, he said. Việt said following changes to the law in July, the use of banned and harmful substances in animal farming can lead to severe punishment, including prison terms of 20 years. Together with better monitoring by relevant agencies, this is expected to eliminate the use of banned substances in animal breeding by the end of this year, he said. Dr Nguyễn Văn Bắc of the National Agriculture Extension Centre said to develop the livestock industry in a sustainable manner, the agriculture sector needs to conform to VietGap standards and develop closed breeding chains to help reduce costs and control quality better. The industry should teach farmers how to use organic methods to prevent diseases and use advanced technologies in animal farming, he said. Many poultry and pig breeding models following VietGap standards have enabled farmers to be highly efficient and ensure food safety, he said. At the forum, representatives of animal feed producing companies and farms in Bình Dương Province signed commitments to not use beta-agonists and not overuse antibiotics and co-operate with inspection agencies. Vietnam Airlines hosts VITM promotion The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines is offering several promotion deals at the Việt Nam International Travel Mart (VITM) 2016, which is taking place at the Giảng Võ Exhibition Centre. As the diamond sponsor of the mart, Vietnam Airlines will offer preferential airfares on flights departing from now to October 31, excluding holidays and peak hours. One-way tickets will start from VNĐ199,000 (US$9) for local routes, while return tickets for international flights will cost VNĐ649,000 and above. The airline will also introduce tourism packages for customers, with discounts of up to 50 per cent and 30 per cent for domestic and international tourr, respectively. During the four days of the mart, Vietnam Airlines and low-cost carrier Jetstar Pacific will jointly organise interesting games and special promotion programmes for customers. The carrier will also present customers 100 promotional codes with 50 per cent discount on domestic routes and 50 promotional codes with 75 per cent discount on international flights. Meanwhile, Jetstar Pacific will provide customers with 50 coupons worth VNĐ1 million ($44.7) each and 100 coupons worth VNĐ500,000 each. Meeting marks Vietnam - Chile diplomatic relations A meeting was held in Hanoi on April 12 to mark the 45th anniversary of Vietnam-Chile diplomatic relations (March 25, 1971 -2016). Addressing the meeting, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ha Kim Ngoc stressed the event is a significant milestone in the two countries’ overall relations. He also reviewed the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Chile over the past 45 years. He hoped the ties will continue flourishing for both countrys’ interests, contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the two regions and in the world Meanwhile, Chilean Ambassador to Vietnam Claudio Quintana lauded the remarkable development of Vietnam in recent years together with its proactive integration and collaboration with many countries, including Chile. Along with 10 other countries, Chile and Vietnam signed the Trans-Pacific-Partnership (TPP) agreement which is expected to create new opportunities for trading goods, generating value chains and opening new markets, he added. The Ambassador said that Chile shares many mutual goals with Vietnamese people, and wished that the Southeast Asian country will continue to obtain fruitful achievements in its development process. The Vietnam-Chile Free Trade Agreement (FTA) came into effective from January 1, 2014, helping boost bilateral trade turnover by 70 percent, reaching nearly one billion USD in 2015. Vietnam and Chile will have more opportunities to cooperate in numerous fields such as economy, energy, agriculture, telecommunication and national defense under the umbrella of the TPP, of which the two countries are members. Remains of US serviceman repatriated A set of remains believed to be of a US serviceman who went missing in action during the Vietnam War was handed over to US officials at a ceremony at Da Nang International Airport on April 12. The remains were discovered during the 122nd joint field activity between Vietnam and the US, which was conducted from February to April 2016, Quan Doi Nhan Dan (People’s Army) newspaper reported. The remains will be sent to Hawaii for further examination. Addressing the ceremony, a US Government official praised the humanitarian policies, goodwill and cooperation of the Vietnamese Government and people. Searching for the remains of US servicemen in Vietnam is part of humanitarian cooperation between the Vietnamese and US Governments. This is the 137th transfer of American servicemen’s remains since 1973. The two-decade long Vietnam War claimed the lives of 58,000 Americans and at least three million Vietnamese. Vietnam is still looking for the remains of hundreds of thousands of its own dead and missing. Vietnam’s renewal achievements introduced to Mexico Achievements in Vietnam’s foreign policy, Doi Moi (renewal) and international integration were analysed at a seminar held by the Vietnamese Embassy at the National Autonomous University of Mexico on April 12. In her speech, Ambassador Le Linh Lan briefed participants on major milestones in Vietnam’s regional and international integration, especially the country’s role in the formation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The Vietnamese diplomat highlighted achievements in external relations and socio-economic development during the 30-year renewal process, citing the country’s average annual GDP growth of 6.7 percent over the last two decades. She said that Vietnam has joined regional and global mechanisms and forums to adapt to integration trends in the world. The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, which Vietnam and Mexico are both members of, will help promote bilateral trade exchange between the countries. The ambassador also expressed her joy at strengthened cooperation between the two countries, especially in economics. Two-way trade reached a record in 2015, hitting 2.23 billion USD, up 55.7 percent year-on-year. In the first two months of this year, the figure was 320.46 million USD, up 32.17 percent over the same period last year. Participants of the seminar lauded Vietnam’s foreign policy and socio-economic achievements and its efforts to build a peaceful and prosperous nation.- Labour Confederation official greets Australia guests Vice President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) Nguyen Thi Thu Hong received a delegation from the Australian Political Exchange Council (APEC) in Hanoi on April 12. The delegation led by Eleni Petinos, an MP from New South Wales, comprises six other Australian young political leaders and is visiting Vietnam from April 9-15. The VGCL Vice President briefed the guests on the labour force of Vietnam, highlighting employment rates among women and young people. She also informed the delegation of Vietnam’s policies on gender equality and training for young labourers. Eleni Petinos lauded Vietnam’s achievements in gender equality and labour, saying that the rate of unemployment among young labourers in Vietnam is low compared with the rest of the world. The APEC is a political exchange programme that arranges fact-finding visits of young political leaders between Australia and other nations. It was established in 1981. VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri