Social News 26/4 Minister tours drought-hit Binh Phuoc province The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will consider allocating the World Bank’s loans for the southern province of Binh Phuoc in order to help the locality upgrade its lakes and dams to deal with the ongoing drought, said Minister Cao Duc Phat. During his field trip to Binh Phuoc on April 23 to examine local agricultural and rural development as well as the severe drought facing the province, the minister stressed the need for the provincial competent agencies to review their planning to use water resources economically. Phat explained that the drought in the locality is at a serious level, which could affect plant growth in a long term. The official also hailed the province for their efforts in actualising the Government’s guidelines on drought combat. By April 20, the water shortage had affected as many as 32,088 households and nearly 28,000 hectares of crops in the province, causing an estimated economic loss of 670 billion VND (30.1 million USD). About 45,600 hectares of forest are now at a high risk of fire. The provincial leaders have called for an emergency aid of 120 billion VND (5.4 million USD) to cope with the problem. While in Binh Phuoc, Minister Phat toured Bu Dop district – the hardest hit by the drought in the province, where 5,656 households and 4,600 hectares of trees are struggling with water scarcity. In Tan Thanh commune alone, the water shortage has affected 342 households and 423 hectares of crops, of which multiple areas of pepper have withered. Vietnam News Agency organises run for Mother Earth Day The Vietnam News Agency Television Centre (VNews) organised the first-ever run for a Clean-Green-Beautiful Life on April 24 in response to the International Mother Earth Day. The event drew the participation of nearly 3,000 Hanoians, the Vietnam New Agency’s officials and staff as well as representatives from ministries, branches and organisations. They ran around Hoan Kiem Lake in an ebullient atmosphere. Addressing at the event, VNews Director Nguyen Thien Thuat said that in addition to encouraging people to exercise regularly for better health, the run is a practical activity to help disadvantaged people nationwide with the support from Bodykey by Nutrilite Shake under Amway Vietnam Co., Ltd. The company handed over about 500 million VND (22,450 USD) collected from selling T-shirts for the run to the Vietnam News Agency’s Fund for Victims of Agent Orange/dioxin (AO) and a fund for needy people in the central region. It also presented 1.3 billion VND (58,370 USD) in support for the National Institute of Nutrition. VTV launches new press office in US Vietnam Television (VTV) officially opened another representative office in Los Angeles, California at a ceremony on April 23. Addressing the event, VTV General Director Tran Binh Minh said the new office is expected to enhance the coverage of socio-economic and cultural situation in the US western coast as well as in the overseas Vietnamese community in California, and thus contribute to stronger bilateral cooperation between the two nations. Vietnamese General Consul in San Francisco Ho Xuan Son noted the significance of the establishment of the office, saying that it will serve as a bridge connecting Vietnam with the socio-economic and cultural hub of Los Angeles, as well as the whole West Coast of the US. The overseas Vietnamese community in California with nearly 700,000 people account for more than 30 percent of the total number of OVs in the US, Son said, adding that the VTV office will help with the preservation of the Vietnamese language, identity and tradition for the community. This is VTV’s 11th overseas press office and now its third bureau in the US. The other two are located in Washington D.C and New York City. Vietnam, China complete joint survey of waters off Gulf of Tonkin Vietnam and China has recently completed their joint survey of waters off the mouth of the Gulf of Tonkin. The survey was conducted by the Vietnamese Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment’s Department of Survey and Mapping, and the Chinese Ministry of Land and Resources’ Geological Survey Department. The survey aims effectuate the common perception reached by the two countries’ high-ranking leaders. Its resu lts will serve the delimitation of the boundary of the continental shelf and exclusive economic zone off the mouth of the Gulf of Tonkin between Vietnam and China as well as their cooperation for mutual development in the area. Sustainable use sought for Mekong water resource The worst drought ever recorded in Vietnam has prompted the government and the public to brainstorm strategies on using water sources intelligently for food security and poverty reduction. At a conference titled “Sustainable Uses of Mekong Water Resources” organised at Can Tho University on April 22, leading agricultural expert Professor Vo Tong Xuan said that saline intrusion affected agricultural production in the lower Mekong River basin, putting paddy production at risk. However, he said the challenges should be turned into opportunities by restructuring agriculture in the country, thereby improving farmers’ incomes. Drought and saline intrusion could be seen a silver lining in the dark cloud, pushing the country to reorganise its irrigation system. “The government needs to restructure its agricultural and food production in the Mekong Delta to make good use of limited fresh water and opportunities with marine water,” said Xuan. “We have been successful in building irrigation systems bringing fresh water to paddy production for decades. Now, the government should have a comprehensive plan for farmers using saline water in shrimp cultivation,” Xuan said. He said that if farmers continue with rice cultivation on saline farmland, they will continue to face poverty. Areas not affected by marine water such as An Giang, Dong Thap provinces should be arranged for paddy cultivation with advanced technology, meeting requirements of food security. He said the government should also develop irrigation systems for shrimp cultivation. “If we see marine water as the enemy, it will be our true failure,” Xuan added. Kenichi Yamamoto, deputy chief representative of JICA Vietnam, who helped establish the Centre of Excellence in Can Tho University, where information related to the Mekong River is exchanged between related countries, said that drought and saline intrusion not only affect food production in Vietnam, but other riparian countries along the Mekong River. Iain Menzies, senior water specialist of World Bank, who attended the conference, said that riverside countries should manage the trans-border water source and related resources in a cooperative and equal manner. He stressed that cooperation and good will are essential to the effective use and protection of trans-border water resources. The World Bank announced that it would provide a concessionary loan of 300 million USD in mid-2016 to Vietnam for the Mekong Delta Climate Resiliency and Sustainable Livelihoods Project. Participants at the conference also discussed issues related to hydro power dams on the Mekong and development scenarios for the Mekong basin. All speakers stressed the importance of reaching sensible common awareness among all concerned parties for effective cooperation in the Mekong basin. Vietnamese food festival opens in Venezuela The Vietnamese food festival in Venezuela is underway at the Eurobuilding hotel in the capital city of Caracas, running from April 20-24. The event is organised by the Vietnamese Embassy in Venezuela in an attempt to bolster cultural exchanges between the countries. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Ambassador Ngo Tien Dung said he believed the festival is an auspicious opportunity for local and international friends to have a deeper understanding of the Southeast Asian country at large and Vietnamese gastronomy in particular. Several Vietnamese traditional dishes such as Pho, spring rolls, grilled meat and mango salads have received warn responses from guests, helping to disseminate the image of Vietnam’s country, people and cuisine. Mountainous provinces suffer from extreme weather events Extreme weather events took a heavy toll on many northern mountainous provinces during the night of April 21. Yen Bai province recorded heavy rains and whirlwinds which impacted about 1,730 houses and destroyed seven. Nearly 60ha of maize and rice, along with dozens of hectares of industrial crops were ruined. Total asset damage is valued at 3 billion VND (134,600 USD), according to the provincial steering board for disaster prevention and rescue. In Cao Bang province, a strong whirlwind accompanied by a torrential thirty minute rainstorm unroofed nearly 1,270 houses, demolishing two and damaging 1.2ha of crops, preliminary data show. Damage there is estimated at 1.8 billion VND (over 80,700 USD), said Hua Van Kien – the standing head of the province’s water resources division. The provincial steering board for disaster prevention said the hardest-hit areas are Trung Khanh and Quang Uyen districts and some remote localities. Meanwhile, whirlwinds, lightning and hailstorms in Lai Chau province damaged 820 houses, 14 classrooms and over 24ha of crops, resulting in a combined loss of more than 1.2 billion VND (over 53,800 USD). Similar weather events in Lai Chau on late April 18 and 19 killed one person and injured two others. The extreme weather also affected over 1,200 houses, causing damage of 3 billion VND. The provinces’ authorities are delivering aid to local residents. Press urged to bring 12th Party Resolution into life The press are responsible for disseminating the Resolution adopted at the 12th National Party Congress to bring it into life, heard a conference in Ho Chi Minh City on April 22. Present at the event were head of the Party Central Committee’s Information and Education Commission Vo Van Thuong, Secretary of the HCM City Party Committee Dinh La Thang, Minister of Information and Communication Truong Minh Tuan, Editor-in-Chief of Nhan dan (People) Newspaper Thuan Huu, and Director General of the Vietnam News Agency Nguyen Duc Loi. Thuong said the national press conference 2016 underlines the key task of popularising the 12th Party Resolution and action programmes to realise the Resolution, Thuong said. He hailed the significant outcomes that the Vietnam Journalists Association (VJA) achieved in 2015, especially in external affairs, press agencies’ activities and charitable events. The successful organisation of the 10th Congress of the VJA holds significant meaning in the association’s performance in the 2016-2020 tenure, he said. He noted that the VJA’s activities must ensure solidarity and legitimate rights and interests of its members, adding that the association should focus on training and building staff with firm political will to serve the Party, State and people. The development of technology, particularly information-technology, creates both challenges and opportunities for the press to grow stronger, he said. He urged the VJA to actively get involved in the implementation of the national press development plan till 2025 and the revised Law on Journalism recently adopted by the National Assembly. In 2016, the VJA defines its action theme as realising effectively the Resolution passed at its 10th Congress while continuously building the association’s organisation and increasing the ethics of journalists to meet requirements in the new period. Khanh Hoa: Zika outbreak is over at communal level A recent Zika virus outbreak is officially ended at the commune and ward level in the south central coastal province of Khanh Hoa from April 20. The declaration was issued by the provincial People’s Committee on April 22. The Zika outbreak at the commune and ward level was declared on April 5, shortly following the Ministry of Health’s announcement of the first two Zika cases in Vietnam, including one in Khanh Hoa. The Zika-positive patient there was a 64-year-old woman residing in Phuoc Hoa ward of Nha Trang city. She contracted the virus through mosquito bites and began to show signs of fever on March 26 with the symptoms of headache, skin rashes and conjunctivitis. According to the health ministry’s regulations, a Zika outbreak is declared over when there are no further cases within 24 days since the last patient started showing Zika symptoms. Ho Chi Minh City also declared the end of its Zika outbreak at ward level on April 21. It recorded a Zika-infected patient in Thanh My Loi ward in District 2. The pregnant woman, 33, was hospitalised on March 29. Zika is mainly transmitted through the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, which also carries dengue fever. The virus has been linked to microcephaly, a condition that causes babies to be born with small heads, and in the vast majority of cases, brain damage. Currently there is no vaccine or specific medicine to treat the disease. HCM City outstrips national average in gender equality promotion Ho Chi Minh City has outpaced the national average in terms of several gender equality-related criteria, taking the lead in efforts for the advancement of women. At a conference on April 22, Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Trong Dam said 35.1 percent of the members at local commune, ward and town-level Party Committees for the 2016 – 2020 tenure are women. About 91.7 percent of the district People’s Committees and 87 percent of the People’s Committees at wards, communes and towns have female key officials. Women also own more than 30 percent of the businesses in the southern municipality, higher than the national average of 24.9 percent, he noted. He said HCM City’s accomplishments over the last five years illustrate its activeness and creativity in enforcing relevant laws and policies. To carry out the national gender equality strategy, the municipal People’s Committee issued a plan of action by 2020, with seven targets and 26 criteria, four criteria more than the national strategy. This shows the city’s determination to promote gender equality, Dam added. Local officials said from now to 2020, they will enhance communication activities to raise public awareness of gender equality. The campaigns will target media outlets, officials and public servants. Deputy Minister Dam said HCM City should do a good job on communications to help raise the number of female deputies to the National Assembly and all-level People’s Committees, which will be elected on May 22. More training should be offered to improve women’s capabilities, thus increasing their presence in authorities and enterprises’ leadership in the future, he suggested. At the conference, participants pointed out challenges and proposed solutions to gender inequality. They also underlined the role of businesses, families and society in gender equality promotion and women’s empowerment. Association promotes Vietnam-Algeria relations The Vietnam-Algeria Friendship Association (VAFA) reviewed its operation over the past five years and charted orientations for 2016-2020 during its third congress in Hanoi on April 22. VAFA President Nguyen Tran Nam reported that during the 2009-2016 tenure, the association fulfilled its set tasks, contributing to enhancing and expanding the friendship, solidarity and mutual understanding between Vietnamese and Algerian people. He listed an array of activities organised by the association over the past five years like painting contests, photo exhibitions and workshops on Vietnam-Algeria cooperation. Nam noted that the association will focus on strengthening its organisation and increasing its coordination with relevant agencies to organise exchanges in the next five years. Addressing the event, Vice President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations Bui Khac Son underlined the need for the association to further raise public awareness of the fruitful friendship between the two countries as well as their mutual support during past struggles for national liberation and the present efforts towards national construction and development. The VAFA should carry forward its role as a bridge promoting bilateral economic and trade ties, particularly in areas of the two countries’ strengths such as oil and gas, household goods, food, education and health care. The congress elected the association’s new 22-member executive board for the 2016-2020 tenure with Deputy Minister of Construction Le Quang Hung named President. Vietnamese, Lao youths enhance links Young people from the northern mountainous province of Son La and the Lao provinces of Luang Prabang and Luang Namtha gathered at an exchange in the Vietnamese locality on April 21-22 to foster their collaboration. The delegates held talks and cultural and sports activities with the aim to maintain and promote the special friendship and solidarity between Vietnam and Laos as well as between Son La and the Lao provinces. At the event, the Lao side suggested the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union’s Son La chapter organise more delegation exchanges and send experts to train Lao youngsters in the field of science and technology. On the occasion, the two countries’ youth union members visited the Vietnam- Laos revolutionary historical site in Lao Kho village, Phieng Khoai commune, Yen Chau district. Lao Kho village witnessed revolutionary activities of late Lao President Kaysone Phomvihane and the Northern Lao Voluntary Team during the 1948-1950 period. Quang Ngai’s Ly Son commemorates Hoang Sa sailor-soldiers The annual “Le khao le the linh Hoang Sa” (Feast and Commemoration Festival for Hoang Sa Soldiers) ceremony took place in An Vinh communal house, Ly Son island district, the central province of Quang Ngai on April 22. The event, held annually in the second lunar month and on the 15 th and 16 th days of the third lunar month, is to pay tribute to the sailor-soldiers who sacrificed their lives over the centuries guarding the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes. The event has been observed through hundreds of years by communities in Ly Son Island and many coastal areas in Quang Ngai. It is recognised as a national intangible cultural heritage by the State. During the rituals, paper boats with effigies of sailors are launched into the seas and respects are paid to the lost sailors’ symbolic tombs. According to Vietnam’s feudal state history, the Hoang Sa Flotilla was set up when the Nguyen Lords began their reign in the south of the country. Thousands of sailors overcame roaring waves and storms to survey sea routes, plant milestones and erect steles affirming national territory in Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes, and mine marine resources under the order of the Nguyen Lords. Their missions were full of dangers, and many of them never returned to land. Therefore, before the soldiers left for their missions, a feast was held for them, hence the beginning of the tradition. Ly Son Island covers an area of less than 10 sq.km but it has nearly 100 relics, most of which are related to the Hoang Sa Flotilla, such as the sacred temple, the empty graves built for those Hoang Sa soldiers who never returned, the communal houses of An Vinh and An Hai Villages, the chambers worshipping Pham Quang Anh and Vo Van Khiet who were captains of the Hoang Sa Flotilla, the showroom displaying the items of the Hoang Sa Flotilla who also controlled Bac Hai and Ba Ri Lagoon. Waste treatment plant on Ly Son Island goes into operation An upgraded waste treatment plant was put into operation in Ly Son island district, the central province of Quang Ngai on April 23. The plant uses a modern incinerator with a capacity of 20-25 tonnes of waste per day, tenfold higher than the old equipment, significantly contributing to ease environmental pollution caused by daily waste on the island. It was built in 2013 but failed to deal with the increasing amount of garbage, so the island authorities decided to allow private businesses to invest in renovating its technology. Ly Son has an area of 10 sq.km and a population of around 20,000 people who discharge 10 tonnes of waste each day. The plant will help the island create a green and clean environment to lure tourists. Hanoi responds to Earth Day 2016 Winners at Earth Day's competition on environmental protection. The 2016 Earth Day was marked in Hanoi on April 23 with the message of “clean water resource – a strong economy”, attracting the participation of nearly 1,000 volunteers from enterprises, unions, youth groups and universities. The annual event is aimed at bolstering the involvement of relevant parties in monitoring and preventing water pollution, as well as changing the behaviour of environmental protection in general, and the protection of water resources in the community in particular. Deputy General Director of the Vietnam Environment Administration (VEA) Hoang Van Thuc asserted that the involvement of the community in environmental protection and monitoring is crucial and is institutionalised in the Law of Environment Protection. Several activities were held at the event including a bicycle parade, games and competitions and then waste collection, in order to increase awareness of environmental protection. The event was jointly organised by the Vietnam Environment Administration (VEA), under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE), the Centre for Environment and Community Research (CECR), the Coalition for Clean Water and the Hanoi Lake Club. PM orders help for Lai Chau to develop infrastructure Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc requested relevant ministries and sectors to help the northwestern province of Lai Chau develop its infrastructure and economy, ensure defence-security and social welfares, during his fact-finding tour of the province on April 22. Speaking at a working session with key local officials, he said Lai Chau has a significant position in security and defence, and it is home to many ethnic minority groups. He extolled the provincial Party Committee, authorities and people for sparing no efforts to overcome difficulties and reap remarkable socio-economic achievements, gradually improving local income, now at a current level of 18.2 million VND (819 USD) per year. The PM hailed the effective local methods in developing agriculture, forestry and building new-style rural areas, which creates a foundation for poverty reduction. Lai Chau is also effectively implementing the forest coverage criteria and environmental protection plan as well as the settlement of hydropower plant construction, investment attraction, and strengthening the friendship, solidarity with foreign shared border localities, he said. He also recognised the province’s excellent preparation for the upcoming elections of deputies to the 14th National Assembly and People Councils at all levels. Regarding some provincial proposals, the Government leader directed the Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Planning and Investment to accelerate the implementation of the project connecting Hanoi-Lao Cai Higway with Lai Chau city. He urged the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to pay more attention to agriculture production and rural modernisation in Lai Chau, especially local living standards. Vietnam supports Laos’ military hospital with telemedicine system A telemedicine I.T. system was presented to the Lao army’s Hospital 103 in Vientiane on April 22 as a support from the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence. The telemedicine system was built by Vietnam’s Central Military Hospital 108 under strict technical standards and with modern components. Major General Do Nang Tinh, deputy head of Vietnam’s General Department of Logistics, said the telemedicine system will help swiftly transfer medical advances and experiences of the top doctors in the Vietnamese army to their counterparts at Hospital 103. He said he believes that the new facility will help the Lao side improve examination and treatment quality. It is also a contribution to the special solidarity between the two armies. Khamphet Sisanone, deputy head of Laos’s General Department of Logistics, thanked the Vietnamese defence ministry and the doctors of Central Military Hospital 108 for producing the telemedicine system. He considered it a meaningful gift as Hospital 103 is upgrading its infrastructure and equipment. Cuba-backed Vietnamese hospital opens 17,600m² health care facility A major hospital backed by Cuba in north-central Vietnam has inaugurated a new health care facility as part of its upgrade project. The Ministry of Health and Vietnam-Cuba Dong Hoi Friendship Hospital, located in Quang Binh Province, announced on April 24 the opening of the facility. Covering 17,600 square meters, it features six surgery rooms and 160 beds to treat in-patients in departments like emergency, medical image analysis, diagnosis, blood transfusion-hematology, microbiology, and more, the hospital said. The building is part of an upgrade project worth over VND450 billion (US$20 million), raised by issuing government bonds, according to the hospital. Doctors at the infirmary said that the newly opened facility is equipped with state-of-the-art devices and machinery, namely the digital subtraction angiography (DSA). According to the Seoul-based Hanyang University Medical Center, DSA is a procedure to examine blood vessel diseases using the X-ray. The facility has a PhoenixTM automated microbiology system for identification and antimicrobial susceptibility, as well as other medical devices imported from the U.S., Japan, Germany, and the Netherlands, the hospital said, noting that the building is expected to serve 700-800 people per day. The building is thought to reduce crowding in the in-patient and diagnosis sections, the hospital said, adding that it will offer medical treatment to patients from Ha Tinh and Quang Tri, two neighbors of Quang Binh. The Vietnam-Cuba Dong Hoi Friendship Hospital is a first-class general hospital under the administration of the health ministry, according to the hospital’s website. Cuba provided aid to establish the hospital on September 9, 1981 that includes 32 departments and subdivisions, featuring 600 beds to serve patients. HCM City applauded for gender equity gains HCM City has obtained significant progress in gender equality and empowerment of women and girls in the last five years, Nguyễn Trọng Đàm, deputy minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, said at a conference held on Friday in HCM City. Women hold 35.1 per cent of the seats in the State apparatus in the city and 84.6 per cent of positions in departments, State agencies and people’s committees at all levels, Đàm said. The city has made significant improvement in increasing the participation of women in managerial positions in order to narrow the gender gap in the political field, he said. HCM City is one of two localities in the country that has officials who are responsible for gender equality tasks in district-level State agencies. The city narrowed the gender gap in the economic, labour and employment opportunities over the last five years. It is one of six localities in the country with a rate of more than 30 per cent of female entrepreneurs, higher than the country rate of 24.9 per cent, according to a report released by the city’s People’s Committee. Between 2011 and 2015, more than 171,100 enterprises were newly established, including 52,830 enterprises owned by women. More than 619,100 new jobs were created over the period, of which 50.2 per cent were filled by female employees. The city has also offered preferential policies for women to participate in vocational training to ensure equal participation in education and training. By the end of 2015, the rate of literate men and women aged between 15 and 40 in five outlying districts reached 99.82 per cent, higher than the target of 95 per cent. The gender ratio at birth stands at 106.5 male infants/100 female infants, exceeding the target of 112 male infants/100 female infants. In addition, the maternal mortality rate in the city has fallen to 3.29/100,000 live births by 2015, higher than the target of 6/100,000. The percentage of pregnant women having access to services of medical care and prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission is 98.24 per cent. A total of 465 domestic violence cases were reported in the city between 2012 and 2015, with 442 female victims (accounting for 85 per cent of domestic violence victims) and 190 perpetrators involved. All detected domestic violence victims and perpetrators received legal and heath counseling. “The city’s achievement in gender equality and women’s empowerment will contribute significantly to the success of the national strategy on gender equality for the 2011-2020 period,” said the deputy minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs. “The city should allocate sufficient funds to ensure effective activities in the gender equality programme between 2016 and 2020,” he said. A gender equality and domestic violence prevention month is scheduled across the city between November 15 and December 15. Central Vietnam gets heavy hailstorms amid crushing drought Several provinces in the central region were hit by the worst hailstorms in many years on April 22-23, which damaged houses and destroyed large areas of farmland. A hailstorm of half an hour on April 23 damaged dozens of house roofs and more than 100 hectares of plantation. It also pulled down more than 50 utility poles. Kon Tum Province in the Central Highlands also experienced around one hour of downpour with ice balls as big as four centimeters in diameter in the afternoon. Tay Giang mountainous district in Quang Nam Province meanwhile received a hailstorm that poured for two hours, combining with strong winds to damage at least ten hectares of rice fields and more than 70 hectares of other plants. Road and drainage erosion has been reported. Locals said ice balls of around five centimeters in diameter fell constantly on their roofs. “They said they have never seen such a heavy hailstorm,” Le Hoang Linh, the district vice chairman, told news website VnExpress. Another hailstorm on April 22 damaged 700 hectares of rice and sugarcane fields in Thua Thien-Hue Province after pouring for half an hour. A local official said it was the worst in more than 40 years. No one was injured, according to initial reports. The hailstorms, while bringing a little cool air, have only raised to the severe agriculture damage the region is dealing with amid the record dry weather. Vietnam is going through the worst drought in 90 years. Some 70% of agriculture land in the Central Highlands and south central provinces, which are the main producers of the country’s prime exports of coffee and pepper, have been destroyed. Earthquake hits Dien Bien Province An earthquake measuring a magnitude of 4.7 on the Richter scale was recorded on Saturday morning in Mường Nhé District, northern Điện Biên Province, according to the Điện Biên Phủ Seismic Observation Station. The temblor lasted about four seconds, rattling houses and other structures, but local residents said no damage has been reported. Head of the station Nguyễn Thái Sơn said the temblor is the third of its kind in the province, following one in Tuần Giáo District on January 13 and a second one in Điện Biên District on January 21. Vietnam’s adaptation to climate change On April 22, Vietnam and more than 100 other countries attended the signing ceremony of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change in New York 4 months after it was approved in Paris. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment reported complicated developments of climate change in Vietnam in 2015. Many localities recorded a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius, the highest in many decades. The effects of climate change have been detrimental to Vietnam’s socio-economic development. In 2015 natural disasters killed 154 people and caused property losses of US$400 million. In early 2016 the El Nino phenomenon, the longest so far, caused severe drought and saltwater intrusion in the south central and central highlands regions and the Mekong Delta. As climate change is happening faster than predicted Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has called for more effective response. He said Vietnam should improve its ability to analyze and forecast climate change and its effects and increase coordination between sectors and regions, taking into consideration their strategies, plans, and projects. Prime Minister Phuc said, “We should focus on climate change response and adaptation. Natural resources management and environmental protection should be included in socio-economic development plans. Economics, society, and the environment should be interrelated.” Prime Minister Phuc urged continued fine-tuning of laws and policies on climate change, economic restructuring, green and low-carbon growth, and greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. He said resources for climate change response should be diversified with priority given to projects to build and upgrade reservoirs and dykes and prevent land erosions. Prime Minister Phuc asked the National Committee on Climate Change, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Planning and Investment to increase international cooperation and call for international assistance in climate change response. In particular, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is required to incorporate climate change into irrigation and agricultural development plans in key areas. Prime Minister Phuc said areas affected by climate change should be supported and climate change effects should be studied for better solutions. Concerning the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Prime Minister Phuc said, “The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment should coordinate localities and sectors in preparing a scenario of climate change and rising seawaters in Vietnam. To this end, it is necessary to accelerate forecasts and studies of the immediate and long-term effects of climate change on key sectors and areas, particularly rural areas.” Effective response to climate change will not only contribute to Vietnam’s socio-economic development but also to the implementation of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.    Campaign to promote road safety launched A national social media campaign that will begin on April 25 will promote social change by giving parents a forum to discuss road safety and helmet use. The four-week campaign, which will be held by the National Traffic Safety Committee in co-operation with Asia Injury Prevention Foundation and the UPS Foundation, will focus on parents with children between the ages of six and 11 in Hà Nội, HCM City and Đà Nẵng. In the campaign, parents will be required to submit a photo showing their children wearing high-quality helmets and displaying a sign with a message about road safety or helmet use. Prizes will be awarded every week of the campaign to photos that deliver the most powerful testaments of parent engagement in their children’s well-being on the roads. “This effort is crucial because the Vietnamese people are becoming increasingly connected through social media. We are hopeful that this type of campaign can have a broad reach and show people across the country the importance of prioritizing safety,” said Mirjam Sidik, CEO of AIP Foundation. The effort is part of a three-year public awareness programme with the title Love Your Child-Provide A Helmet. To participate in the campaign, submit a photo to facebook.com/Aipvietnam/. Tuan wins over-18 title Đà Nẵng’s Phạm Minh Tuấn claimed the top position in the National Men’s Tennis Championships’ over-18 category yesterday in Huế. Tuấn defeated injured Hoàng Thành Trung of the People’s Police 6-2, 6-4 in the final match. In the U18 event, Nguyễn Văn Phương of Bình Dương won 6-4, 6-3 over Lê Trung Tính of Military to earn his title. In the over-18 doubles class, Huỳnh Chí Khương and Trần Thanh Hoàng of Military came from behind to defeat HCM City pair Lê Quốc Khánh and Lâm Quang Trí 5-7, 6-2, 10-8 in the final. Earlier, Huỳnh Minh Thuận and Nguyễn Văn Phương triumphed in the U18 doubles finale. The annual tournaments also saw champions in the U12, U14 and U16 categories. Heat wave hits elderly people, children in HCM City The number of people who visit hospitals in HCMC for medical checkups and treatment, especially elderly people and children, has gone up in recent weeks due to an ongoing heat wave. Data of HCMC Children’s Hospital No. 1 showed 6,000-8,000 children are brought to the hospital for medical attention a day and two-thirds of them have respiratory and diarrhea problems. Doctor Le Hoang Phuc, head of the hospital’s digestion department, said the number of children with digestive disorders has grown 10% in the past three weeks and that 16-17 patients are hospitalized each week compared to a dozen previously. Doctor Dang Thi Kim Huyen, head of the health examination department at HCMC Children’s Hospital No. 2, said 6,000-7,000 children are taken to the hospital a day, up by 1,000 against previous weeks. Of the total number, the hospital gets 190-200 patients with respiratory diseases a day compared to the previous 150-160. Huyen said abnormally hot weather allows bacteria to develop, so it is easy for children to get sick if their parents let them go in and out air-conditioned rooms with low temperatures. The University Medical Center of HCMC estimated the number of people coming for health checkups at 5,000-5,800 a day, up 10% over the period before the heat wave struck and 6% against the same period last year. Most of them are elderly people having high blood pressure, and cardiovascular and other chronic diseases. People’s Hospital 115 reported growth of 10% from the average of 3,500-4,000 patients it received previously. Hospitals in HCMC saw a strong increase in dengue fever patients in the first three months of this year. Over 6,100 dengue fever patients were hospitalized in quarter one, soaring 88% year-on-year, Nguyen Tri Dung, director of the HCMC Preventive Medicine Center, said at a news briefing on disease control on Wednesday. One of the patients died of the disease. According to the center, there were 3,895 dengue fever patients in the first three months of 2015, up 42% over the same period of 2014. The number of dengue fever patients in the city is forecast to keep rising in the coming time due partly to hot weather. VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri