Social News 12/5 HCM City needs VND2 trillion for flood control projects this year   The Steering Center for Flood Control of HCMC (SCFC) has said the city will need at least VND2 trillion (US$89.8 million) to fund flood control projects this year. The center said that of the 56 projects planned for dealing with flood-prone streets in the city, a dozen projects would get underway this year and three would be completed by 2017. Eight projects were completed in 2015. Projects expected to reduce flooding at hotspots in the rainy season last year included a drainage system for Do Xuan Hop Street in District 9, improvement of a drainage system for the Kinh Duong Vuong Street section from Phu Lam to An Lac Roundabout, dredging Dong Tien Canal in District 12, the first phase of a drainage system improvement and pollution reduction project for Tham Luong-Ben Cat-Rach Nuoc Len Canal. SCFC said dredging of a drainage channel from Tan Son Nhat airport to Nguyen Kiem Street, construction of a drainage system for the An Duong Vuong Street section from My Thuan Bridge to Phu Dinh Berth, and improvement of a drainage system for the National Highway 13-Dinh Bo Linh-Nguyen Xi-Ung Van Khiem area would be finished in 2017. The other projects will be up and running in 2018. In addition, HCMC is in talks with Trung Nam Construction Investment Joint Stock Company over a project worth nearly VND10 trillion (US$44.9 million) to build six sluices to control tides as well as embankments along the Saigon River section from Vam Thuat River to Kinh River to reduce flooding in a 550-square-kilometer area in 13 central districts of the city. SCFC said flooding has prolonged in many areas as local drainage systems have not been renovated to meet higher demand for water drainage. The city will need VND97.3 trillion (US$4.37 billion) for flood control and climate change adaptation projects in 2016-2020. Of the total, the city has arranged nearly VND23 trillion (US$1.03 billion) for projects now under construction, and the remaining VND74.35 trillion (US$3.34 billion) will come from the city’s coffers, the central State budget and other sources. The city has about 31 sites hard hit by floods, including those on the streets of Nguyen Van Qua, Kinh Duong Vuong, Me Coc, Nguyen Huu Canh, Pham Van Dong and Hanoi Highway. The center said earlier that flooding could only be solved by 2018. Hà Nội to build 87ha eco resort Chairman of the People’s Committee of Hà Nội Nguyễn Đức Chung has given the green light to prepare a plan to build an eco resort in Đông Anh District. The resort, spread over 87ha of land, will be located in the two communes of Vân Nội and Nam Hồng. Chung assigned Mefrimex Investment and Technology Development Joint Stock Company to compile the plan within six months. The capital’s Planning and Architect Department has been asked to verify the plan before it was submitted to the committee, he said. Chung said the verification should be conducted carefully but quickly to attract investment from individuals and organisations sooner. The eco resort is expected to provide more green areas for the local people. Đắk Nông hit by heavy rainfall, whirlwinds Heavy rainfall and whirlwinds blew away the roofs of tens of houses and severely damaged high-tech agricultural cages in the Central Highland province of Đắk Nông. The loss is estimated to run into billions of đồng. The provincial Irrigation and Flood Prevention Department said on May 8 and May 9, Krông Nô and Đắk Glong districts and Gia Nghĩa Town experienced bad weather, such as heavy downpours and whirlwinds. Dozens of houses and hi-tech agricultural cages in the two communes of Đắk Ha and Đắk Nia in Gia Nghĩa Town were damaged and their roofs were blown away, resulting in a loss of nearly VNĐ1.5 billion (US$67,300). In Đắk Nia Commune, a 2,000sq.m. area where vegetables and flowers were planted was completely destroyed. Some 1000sq.m. glass houses, homes for officials, public employees and a greenhouse nursery for seedlings at Nguyễn Tất Thành University also collapsed. In Đắk Ha Commune, the local authority estimated the natural disaster resulted in a loss of some VNĐ200 million ($8,974) for the residents. K’Sem, vice chairman of the communal People’s Committee, said the rainfall that lasted for one hour caused serious damage for residents in ward 6, 4 and 7. The committee has sent staff to help local residents repair their houses and clean up the area. The province has witnessed heavy rainfall and whirlwinds four times from late March until today, destroying hundreds of houses, schools and agricultural production facilities. The total loss is estimated to be nearly VNĐ10 billion ($448,700).  Vietnam launches most modern platform supply vessel Ha Long Shipbuilding Company launched the most modern platform supply vessel (PSV) 3300 in QuangNinh on May 10. PSV330 coded YN 552044 is a ship specially designed to supply offshore oil and gas platforms. With 80x16.2x7.5m measurement, it has 1,500 ton deadweight and an average speed of 13.5 nautical miles. In normal conditions, the ship can operate at sea for 28 consecutive days. The ship was built, designed and supervised by Dutch Damen group. After a trial run, it is expected to be handed over to client in September this year. The successful launching of PSV330 has contributed to promoting the domestic shipbuilding’s prestige in the international map.  Thanh Hoa: remains of martyrs reburied A ceremony was held on May 10 at a martyr cemetery in Ba Thuoc district of north-central Thanh Hoa province to rebury remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who died in Laos and Lao soldiers and students who died in Vietnam during wartime. Nineteen sets of remains of Vietnamese soldiers and experts found in Laos and six sets of Lao soldiers and students and one of the Vietnamese martyr collected across the country were laid to rest at the cemetery. The reburial ceremony aimed to honour the great contributions of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives to the national liberation cause and when undertaking international missions. Nearly 35,000 Vietnamese soldiers died on Lao soil and 60,000 others returned home as war invalids.- Vietnam’s reform achievements introduced in France Vietnam’s open-door policy and its achievements during the 30-year reform process were introduced to participants at an international dialogue held by the authority of France’s Reims city on May 9. In his speech, Vietnamese Ambassador to France Nguyen Ngoc Son said that Vietnam has established its diplomatic relations with 185 nations and is a member of numerous international organisations such as the United Nations, the World Trade Organisation and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum. Regarding the Vietnam-France relationship, the diplomat stated that France is one of Vietnam’s most important European partners. Two-way trade hit 4.07 billion EUR in 2015, while France’s investment in Vietnam exceeded 4 billion EUR. The two countries set up their strategic partnership in September 2013, and have worked to expand the ties, he added. The dialogue was part of the “International Days in Reims” event held from May 7-9. Earlier, the Vietnamese ambassador had a meeting with Reims Mayor Arnaud Robinet, who said that Vietnam’s economic development has received increasing attentions of authorities and businesses in France and in Reims. Learning about Vietnam’s development experience and expanding relations with the country is one of the priorities of Reims city as Vietnam with its growth rate of 6.7 percent is one of the most dynamic economies in the world, the mayor affirmed. Bến Tre seeking int’l NGO help The Mekong Delta province of Bến Tre has called for greater support from international NGOs in areas like healthcare and education and combating the impacts of climate change. Speaking at a conference in HCM City yesterday on soliciting assistance from foreign NGOs, Nguyễn Hữu Phước, deputy chairman of the Bến Tre People’s Committee, hailed the assistance provided by NGOs to the province in past years. “NGOs have greatly assisted Bến Tre Province in many fields, and we need more support to deal with many emerging problems.” Bến Tre is one of the provinces in the delta with modest socio - economic conditions and limited infrastructure. Besides, it is one of the few that have been seriously affected by climate change and rise in sea levels. In the first quarter of the year, the effect of climate change on the province was severe, damaging 19,500ha of rice (94 per cent totally damaged), 5,750ha of orchards, more than 500ha of other crops, 45ha of oyster farms, 27ha of clam farms and a number of livestock. The worst affected have been poor and near-poor households, who are the most vulnerable to climate change. At the end of last year the province had 61,000 poor and near-poor families, equal to 16.5 per cent of all families. There have been 75 international organisations from 10 nations and territories visiting the province and implementing socio-economic programmes since 2010. The total value of aid they have provided is estimated at US$16.2 million and focused on health care, education, agricultural and community development, water supply, environment and climate change, reduction of disaster risks, microfinance and rural transport. “The programmes, projects and NGO aid are properly implemented, effectively targeting beneficiaries, gradually improving infrastructure, promoting socio-economic development and mitigating poverty,” Châu Văn Bình, deputy director of the provincial planning and investment department, said. In addition, most people in NGOs’ project areas have changed their traditional mindsets, he added. Many NGOs said their projects have received active support from the provincial government and often finished quicker than in other places. “We have projects in four provinces and Bến Tre is the best,” Trần Đình Hoàng of the East Meets West said. “Local and related authorities have greatly supported us.” The organisation has carried out a VNĐ7 billion ($320,000) project in Bến Tre to improve the quality of rural water supply. Bình said, however, that the economic situation had hit NGO funding, making it difficult for them to raise money. “The number of NGO projects and the areas where they work have increased over the years, but the availability of money is still low and does not meet the province’s requirements.” The province would focus on areas such as capacity building in healthcare, education, green growth and sustainable development; poverty reduction and job creation; reducing environmental pollution; and capacity building for climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. Incidents indicate industrial waste management failings The recent massive fish deaths and waste water discharge in the central coastal region have demonstrated that industrial waste management is a worrisome problem, an official told a workshop held yesterday in Hà Nội. Addressing the Industrial Waste: Weaknesses in Management and Policy Recommendations workshop organised by PanNature, former Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Prof. Đặng Hùng Võ, cited the case related to the Formosa Hà Tĩnh Steel Corporation (FHS) in the Vũng Áng Economic Zone in the central Hà Tĩnh Province. Even within a similar management body, there existed different judgments about whether FHS should have been permitted to release wastewater through underground pipes, Võ said. “In this case FHS was allowed to do so, so what happened if the management body failed to oversee the waste dumped into the environment?” he said, quoted by Vietnamplus. “It was projected that wastewater from the project would flow into the Quyền River, but later it was released into the sea. Did the Hà Tĩnh Department of Natural Resources and Environment supervise the plant construction?” Prof. Võ noted that though the official cause of the mass fish deaths had yet to be released, the public suspected that steel and thermo-electricity projects based next to the sea would have a direct impact on the sea water. “I fear that we think more about economic development than we do about environmental protection. We may have thought of the latter, but we haven’t paid adequate attention to it,” he said. “The serious fish death incident has raised an alarm to monitor the country’s environmental protection.” Deputy head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Chemical Department, Nguyễn Xuân Sinh, who joined an inter-sectorial study tour examining the environment in Vũng Áng Industrial Park, said legal regulations and tools to supervise the environment were highly available, but the actual work remained limited. Sinh said the investment into the waste treatment system was costly and its operation was complicated, so certain plants operated the waste treatment system during day time and then released wastewater secretly at night. “In the case related to Formosa, I think we need the environment police or local people to act as intermediary,” he said. In regard to environment planning, Sinh said quite a few localities were ignoring approved planning to sign and approve projects that are not included in the planning.   From the perspective of an environment management body, former deputy head of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment’s Pollution Control Department Trần Thế Loãn said the environment-monitoring tools failed to assess the environmental capacity in each region. “A region might be able to accommodate a plant, but the addition of one more plant might damage the environmental capacity thereafter," Loãn said. He added that the illegal and stealthy discharge of waste was true and the cases detected were lower than what actually occured. “The practice depends on business ethics and responsibility towards the community.” Fire damages cars, garage in HCM City A fire that broke out at noon today damaged three cars and several pieces of machinery at Tam Tiến Garage in Tân Bình District. The fire started in the garage’s paint room and soon spread, according to initial reports. The garage’s employees tried to put out the blaze with fire extinguishers, but it continued to spread. At that time, there were four cars in the garage. One of them was removed to a safer location. Six fire trucks along with dozens of policemen came to the scene to help. Thirty minutes later, the fire was extinguished. Authorities are continuing their investigation. Nghệ An to hold series of folk song concerts Free shows featuring folk songs in the central province of Nghệ An will be held for visitors at Kim Liên Village throughout the summer. The shows aim to promote the local ví and dặm melodies, along with pop songs praising President Hồ Chi Minh and the nation. The shows will last 30 minutes. A large crowd had gathered at the programme, which was first organised last September. The people visited the historical relic at Kim Liên Village, the nativeland of President Hồ. HCM City to host three-cushion carom billiards World Cup The world’s top five players in three-cushion carom billiards will be among 149 players from 19 countries and territories competing in the World Cup to be held in Ho Chi Minh City from May 16 to 22. They are Torbjörn Blomdahl of Sweden, Sanchez Daniel of Spain, Jaspers Dick of the Netherlands and Frédéric Caudron and Eddy Merckx of Belgium. Last year’s champion Tayfun Tasdemir of Turkey, ranked sixth, will defend his title at the Nguyen Du Stadium in downtown HCMC, where he beat Torbjörn Blomdahl 40-34 in 17 frames in last year’s final. World Union of Billiards president Farouk Barki was eager for the World Cup to be held for a second year in a row in HCMC, a city with a population of 9 million and more than 1,000 billiards clubs. “I saw the best audience in the world in the World Cup last year,” he said. “The Vietnamese are real billiards lovers, they are nice and warm and known for their great hospitality.” Vietnam’s best player, Quyet Chien Tran, received an automatic entry since he is ranked in the world’s top 12. Two other home players, Duong Anh Vu and Ly The Vinh, were awarded wild cards. Vu, six times national champion and twice Asian champion (2007 and 2008), owns two billiards clubs himself. “We all look forward to the HCMC World Cup, which was a huge success last year,” Vu said. “The stands will be filled up to watch the world stars shining in this tournament.” Organizers are hoping that the event will also promote tourism. “The country is a paradise for tourists, which is more or less the reason for a bigger interest among billiard players from many countries. They heard the stories and want to visit the country,” Barki said. The semi-finals and the final are scheduled for May 22. Most of the matches will be broadcast live on HTV The Thao. This year’s event will carry prize money worth 40,000 euros (US$45,520), including 5,500 euros for the champion. Sailboat race takes place on Vietnam’s Phu Quoc Island for 1st time A sailboat race was held for the first time on Phu Quoc Island off Vietnam’s southern province of Kien Giang. The race kicked off on Thursday at Dinh Cau Beach in Duong Dong Town. Jointly organized by the Kien Giang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Thien Vu Advertisement Joint Stock Company, it was part of the activities to celebrate the 2016 National Tourism Year. Closing on May 6, the sailboat race attracted 27 teams with a total of 54 local and foreign athletes. Contestants sailed Catamaran, a type of boat consisting of two hulls joined by a frame, manufactured by the Vietnam - Czech Joint Stock Company. According to the organizers, the event was intended to promote sailing in not only Kien Giang but also other coastal cities and provinces. It was also seen as a chance for amateur and professional athletes to meet and share their personal experience in practicing the sport. Nearly 1,000 people came to the kickoff event to watch and cheer the contestants. Naval officers & fisheries surveillances start Election Day The Election Council of Vung Tau city held early voting day of deputies to the 14 th National Assembly and all-level People’s Councils in the 2016-2021 term at the main seaport of Naval Brigade 171 yesterday. More than 120 staffs and soldiers attended in the first Election Day of the 14th National Assembly and local People’s Councils. Colonel Nguyen Trong Ai, political commissar of Naval Brigade 171 and team leader of the polling station No. 12 reported that there are over 1, 500 voters from Naval Brigade 171, Battalion DK1, Fisheries Surveillance Platoon No.2 and the High Command of the Naval Region 2 at the polling station No. 12. They would vote for comrades who are going to undertake duty at sea, islands. Charity program for child cardiac patients started The annual charity program called ‘Scar of life’ raising fund for children with heart defects has been kicked off in Ho Chi Minh City. The 6rd edition of the event will see ambassadors, including singer Hong Nhung, Meritorious Artist Linh Nga and actress Tang Thanh Ha. The program is part of ‘My life’ project which supports children with congenital cardiac disease in the country with participation of many celebrities starting in 2010, according to the project director, actress Ngo Thanh Van. An auction gala will be held on May 27, with the attendance of around 600 supporters including Vietnamese artists and businesspeople, to raise money for the Heartbeat Vietnam Fund to help children with cardiovascular diseases. The program also includes activities, such as “1,000 photos of mothers and their children” campaign, “Story of mother”, and a project of a film titled “10 steps” telling about a boy with congenital cardiac disease. The “Scar of Life ″ program has helped save more than 1,000 children with cardiovascular diseases so far over the past 5 years. 423 tons of safe fish bought by traders in Quang Binh Secretary of Quang Binh Party Committee Hoang Dang Quang affirmed the province has been striving and making all efforts to help fishermen settle their lives after the mass fish deaths occurred in the province. Earlier, the provincial leaders visited Nhan Trach, Duc Trach communes in Bo Trach district and Quang Phuc in Ba Don district and asked local authorities to aid effected fishermen timely. Mr. Le Van Loi, Head of the Aquatic Resource Exploitation & Protection sub Division in Quang Binh said to date 423 tons of safe fish have been sold, helping offshore fishermen overcome difficulties and feel secure about catching fish. Safe food chain to be expanded in city The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development promised to make favorable policies aiming to open more stores to supply safe food and agricultural products to people. The Ministry said at the meeting held in Hanoi yesterday over the multiplication of safe food and veggies. As per the National Agro-Forestry-Aquatic products of Quality Management Department, by April, 2016, supply chains to provide safe food with 280 stores to sell veggies, fruits, meat, eggs rice and seafood have in 35 cities and provinces across the country. Lately, the  Ministry has announced 69 stores to sell food which were certified to be safe. Deputy Agriculture Minister  Vu Van Tam said that there would be more stores to sell safe agricultural products, adding that the Ministry will encourage more enterprises to provide safe food to consumers. To supervise safe food chains, the Ministry will pay more visits to these stores and growing procedures. Da Nang has new-style rural district Hoa Vang district in the central coastal city of Da Nang has been recognised as a new-style area. Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Thanh Nam granted the Prime Minister’s decision to the district’s authorities during a May 10 ceremony to review the implementation of the National Target Programme on New Rural Development in the city from 2011 to 2015. Hoa Vang is the only district in Da Nang carrying out the national target programme. During the past five years, 10 out of the 11 communes in the district achieved all the 19 criteria under the programme. By the end of last year, the district’s annual per capita income reached 27.4 million VND (nearly 1,200 USD) and its poverty rate dropped to only 2.3 percent. About 93.9 percent of the population had health insurance. The district strives to have all of its communes recognised as new-style rural areas this year and raise annual per capita income to 40 million VND (1,740 USD) by 2020. In order to reach the goals, Hoa Vang will focus on industrialisation and modernisation of agriculture while increasing hi-tech application in production. The district will also prioritise investment in developing tourist sites such as Ngam Doi, Hoa Khuong and Hoa Bac. It is expected that the total investment for the new rural programme in the district from now to 2020 will be 2.13 trillion VND (92.6 million USD). The National Target Programme on New Rural Development, launched in 2010, set out 19 criteria for new-style rural areas covering infrastructure, production, living standards, income, culture and others. A district must have at least 75 percent of its communes meeting all the 19 criteria in order to receive the title of new-style rural district. As of February, as many as 1,761 communes across the nation had met the new-style rural area criteria, accounting for 19.7 percent. On average, each commune met 12.9 criteria, up 8.2 criteria from 2010, and 2.9 criteria from 2015. Meanwhile, 17 districts obtained the status, according to the Central Coordination Office on New Rural Development. Vietnam aims to have 50 percent of all communes nationwide meet all the requirements by the end of 2020. Complete works of Ho Chi Minh translated into Lao A project to translate the complete works of late President Ho Chi Minh from Vietnamese into Lao was kicked off in Vientiane on May 10. Jointly implemented by the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and the Lao National Academy of Politics and Public Administration, the project forms part of a cooperation agreement in economy, culture and science-technology between the two governments. Speaking at the ceremony, Thongsalith Mangnomek, Director of the Lao academy, said that Vietnam and Laos shared a lot of cultural, historical and economic similarities. The Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) was originated from the Indochinese Communist Party (founded by President Ho Chi Minh in 1930), he said, adding that it is the only political force leading the Lao people to victories in the cause of national liberation and on the path to socialism. The Resolution adopted at the 9th National Congress of the LPRP reiterated the study of Ho Chi Minh’s thought is significant to the Lao revolutionary cause, he said. Therefore, the translation of the Ho Chi Minh’s complete works is an urgent need to serve the teaching, learning and researching at the Lao National Academy of Politics and Administration as well as other training facilities, he noted. The finished product will be an invaluable asset for the Lao academy, marking its fulfillment of a political task entrusted by the Lao Party and State, he affirmed. In 2011, Vietnam’s National Political Publishing House launched the third edition of the complete works, which includes 15 volumes containing 3,300 pieces of written works by the President. It is an invaluable asset for the Vietnamese Party and people, reflecting vividly the process of national salvation and the writer’s profound and comprehensive viewpoints on the fundamental issues of Vietnam’s revolution. Among the 800 new documents supplemented in the collection are writings and speeches with quite new points of view from the President, which have never been shown before in his writings. Dong Thap inks cooperation deal with Cambodia’s Prey Veng The Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap and Cambodia’s Prey Veng province on May 10 signed a cooperation agreement for 2016, focusing on five fields. Under the agreement, the two provinces will increase the exchange of information to ensure political security, social order and safety in the border areas while coordinating to protect border markers and designated marker positions. The agreement also aims at facilitate agricultural production and the travel of local residents in border areas, as well as promoting the cross-border trade of goods and trade services. Chairman of Dong Thap People’s Committee Nguyen Van Duong affirmed the signing of the cooperation agreement will contribute to driving social-economic development in both provinces, particularly benefiting residents living along the border and boosting solidarity between the two provinces. In 2015, the cross-border trade value between Dong Thap and Cambodia reached 75 million USD. Dong Thap supplied more than 30 million kWh of electricity to Prey Veng, and organized free health examinations for poor people in Prey Veng. The Vietnamese province has also provided financial assistance to 126 Cambodia students who study at the University of Dong Thap and the Dong Thap College of Health. The two provinces have also completed the planting of border markers with 16 markers in 10 positions. Foreign filmmakers do documentary on HCM City’s ‘backpacker area’ A heart-touching documentary made by two foreigners has shown a hidden aspect of Bui Vien Street in Ho Chi Minh City. “Faces You Forget,” a 30-minute documentary by Will Snyder and Sean Lambe, tells the story of the Vietnamese peddlers in the ‘backpacker area’ in District 1. The film was screened for the first time on May 5 at Saigon Outcast on Thao Dien Ward’s Nguyen Van Huong Street in District 2. Snyder, 26, and Lambe, 27, spent a year filming and producing the documentary. “I found Bui Vien Street an interesting area, as it is where Vietnamese and foreign cultures meet,” Lambe told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper. “Faces You Forget” narrated the sad, untold story of Vietnamese hawkers and young street entertainers in the city’s downtown area, showing the incredible strength of the people who lead hard lives. The 27-year-old Irishman said their filming was initially part of their exploration of Ho Chi Minh City. The more they filmed, the more they were interested in the ‘backpacker area’’s lifestyle. Eventually, they decided to produce a short documentary. Bui Vien Street has long been a well-known area of the southern metropolis, considering its boisterous ambiance at night. Hundreds of foreigners gather there every day, enjoying a wide range of food recipes and partying all night. Both Snyder and Lambe are currently working as English teachers in Ho Chi Minh City. Two years ago, they decided to move to Vietnam to experience the country’s lifestyle and culture. Young Francophones Reporters Vietnam 2016 Competition kicked off Le Courrier du Vietnam (CVN), a weekly French language newspaper under Vietnam News Agency, is calling for young reporters living in Việt Nam who speak French to participate in a writing contest called "Young Francophones Reporters –Việt Nam 2016". This competition, with the theme “The power of words” aims to encourage young reporters in Việt Nam to take advantage of the French language to present Viet Nam to readers of the newspaper. It provides an opportunity for participants to express their feelings about the country, while highlighting the richness and diversity of the French language. The competition is supported by the Asia Pacific Regional Office (RBAP) of the International Organization of the Francophonie (OIF), the Group of Francophone embassies and international delegations to Viet Nam (GADIF) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and others. Candidates may send a maximum of five works in French, which can address the same topic. Each project must not exceed 5,000 characters (including spaces) or 900 words, with one or more pictures, including legends. Photos can be taken either by the candidate or by a third party who authorises him or her to use them. Eligible projects must be unpublished by any media in any country. Applications must be sent no later than midnight on July 10 by email to the following address: jeune.reporter.cvn@gmail.com. Detailed information can be found at http://lecourrier.vn. Doctors urge early screening to catch gestational diabetes As the proportion of pregnant women with diabetes has risen in Việt Nam in the last 20 years, doctors are urging early screening to detect gestational diabetes. Dr Huỳnh Xuân Nghiêm, deputy head of Hùng Vương Hospital in HCM City, said: “The increase is alarming. This is a burden on both families and society. ” He said that women who test positive for diabetes should be closely monitored during their pregnancy. At a recent launch ceremony to open diabetes management division for Hùng Vương Hospital, Dr Huỳnh Nguyễn Khánh Trang, head of the ward for pregnant women with diseases, said that only 2 per cent -3 per cent of 1 million pregnant women who had visited the hospital for routine prenatal care had diabetes 20 years ago. The proportion has increased to 10-15 per cent, Trang said. Diabetes can occur during pregnancy when the pancreas does not produce sufficient insulin. When diabetes is detected, patients are asked to change their diet. Sixty per cent of patients who receive guidance have a stable blood-sugar level. Of the remaining proportion with an unstable blood-sugar level, the patients are hospitalised and eat meals provided by the hospital’s nutrition ward. With such diets, blood sugar levels of 80 per cent of the patients can be controlled. The remaining are given insulin injections. Experts have said that 80-90 per cent of patients with gestational diabetes can control their conditions with diet and exercise. According to the International Diabetes Federation in Western Pacific, the prevalence of diabetes in adults (aged 20-79) in Việt Nam last year was 5.6 per cent, an increase from 2.9 per cent in 2010. Last year, the number of adult mortalities due to diabetes was 53,457. The cost for each patient with diabetes was US$163. Việt Nam’s rate of diabetes in adults aged 20-32 is higher than global rates and countries in the Western Pacific region. At Hùng Vương Hospital, a 28-year-old pregnant woman from Cần Thơ said she was  diagnosed last month with gestational diabetes. When she was 28 weeks pregnant, she was asked to be screened at the Cần Thơ Obstetrics Hospital. The test showed that her blood sugar level was higher than normal. “I then came to Hùng Vương Obstetrics Hospital for treatment. Now the sugar level in blood is controlled. Doctors gave me guidance about my diet to prevent the level from increasing,” she said. Nghiêm said that gestational diabetes can cause pre-eclampsia and hypertension during pregnancy. According to a report by researchers at the University of Toronto published in 2013 in Healthline, pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes and hypertension can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes up to 18 times. Miscarriages, still births and premature babies can occur because of gestational diabetes, he added. “The babies born to these mothers can be fat and ruddy, but not healthy, and have respiratory system problems,” he said, adding that the babies could get diabetes. If they receive good treatment, diabetes will not develop among mothers and babies after delivery, Nghiêm said. He said that pregnant women should exercise and eat food with fiber, and reduce fat and calories to prevent gestational diabetes. More fruit, whole grains and vegetables should be included in the diet. Vine festival kicks off in Bà Nà Hills Mountain Resort The Vine Festival 2016 in the Bà Nà Hills Mountain resort kicked off at the 93 year-old Debay wine cellar yesterday. The wine cellar, which was built from rocks and a mixture mortar of molasses, features different wines and history of wine production in Việt Nam. Visitors are offered a free cup of wine and snack at Le Jardin Garden and the old French villas when visiting the Bà Nà Hills. The garden also hosts a series of performances including street music, magic and dancing from European artists. The resort, which was honoured with a double Guinness World record for the longest and highest non-stop cable car system, hosts more than 1 million tourists annually. The third cable car route of the resort has been listed as one of the world’s 10 most amazing cable car experiences by CNN with four Guinness World records to its credit. VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri