Social News 20/5 Two massive bombs defused in Dak Nong province   Two large bombs recently discovered in Gia Nghia town and Krong No District in the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong were defused by bomb disposal engineers from the Dak Nong military command on May 18. Both the bombs are of MK82 type, weigh 227 kilograms each, are 1.33 metres in length with a diameter of 27.3 centimetres and contain 87.2 kilograms of Tritonal explosives. They have a blast radius of 300 metres and were dropped during the Vietnam War. One bomb was found in Gia Nghia town on May 16 by Nguyen Van Chien’s family when they were digging holes to plant pepper trees , while the other was unearthed in Krong No District was discovered by Diep Bach Long in his garden on May 15. The bombs were then moved to Duc Xuyen military drill ground in Krong No District for defusing. According to Lieutenant Colonel Le Duc Chinh from the provincial military command, the bomb density in the province is still relatively high and affirmed the command’s army engineers would coordinate with district military units to detect and dispose of unexploded ordnance. Vietnam’s market fire in Laos costs estimated $8 mln in damage Damage caused by the fire at the Pakse Dao Hong market, a Vietnamese trade centre in the Lao province of Champasak on early May 17, amounted to nearly eight million USD, the Vietnamese Consulate General said, quoting estimated figures of the provincial authorities. Over 10,000 sqm with hundreds of stalls in the western area of the market were engulfed in flame. More than 200 overseas Vietnamese trading at the market have suffered huge losses from the incident. Chairman of the Champasak Overseas Vietnamese Association Cao Dinh Hanh said the association has provided 500,000 LAK (71 USD) for each effected trader in an attempt to help them stabilise their lives and business. The Vietnamese Consulate General in Pakse has held working sessions with local authorities to push for investigations into the fire’s cause and measures to support victims. The fire broke out at 1am on May 17 in the western part of the market, where goods stocked included textiles, dried products and jewellry. Constructed in 1999 at a cost of 5 million USD, the market with 700 stalls opened in 2001. Phu Tho: Catholics eagerly waiting for General Election Day Loudspeakers installed across Ha Loc commune, Phu Tho town, in the midland province of Phu Tho are operating at their maximum capacity to broadcast the significance of the upcoming elections to the 14th National Assembly and People’s Councils at all levels in the 2016-2021 tenure on May 22. As well, information about candidates running for National Assembly and People’s Council seats is being blared from these public-service communication devices, helping Catholic residents in Ha Loc commune get a general overview of their future representatives at State power agencies. Dao Van Chuc, a Catholic resident in Ha Loc, where the majority of the population is Catholic, said he and other residents have spent a lot of time carefully studying the candidates as well as election regulations. Local authorities have, for their part, worked closely with religious clergymen, mostly priests, in communicating the importance of the elections, together with the rights and obligations of citizens, said Tran Ngoc Chi, Secretary of the Ha Loc communal Party Committee. In another commune – Huong Lung, where 93 percent of the population are Catholic followers, material preparations for the elections have been put in place, with the list of candidates posted in public places and election regulations announced daily, according to Nguyen Dinh Xuyen, President of the communal People’s Committee. Xuyen noted that Catholic followers have played a significant part in building a modern lifestyle and spurring production in the commune. More and more Catholics have joined the Party and strengthened the local administration. According to Tran Phu Tieu, President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front’s Phu Tho province chapter, Phu Tho is home to the Hung Hoa and Bac Ninh dioceses with 128,000 followers. Catholic people accounted for over half of the 515 candidates running for the People’s Councils at provincial, district and communal levels. Through consultations and meetings, they have been highly praised by local people for their qualifications. Cooperation programme for people-to-people diplomacy signed Major socio-political organisations signed a 2016-2019 cooperation programme for people-to-people diplomacy and overseas Vietnamese affairs at a ceremony in Hanoi on May 18. The signatories were the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee, the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, the Central Committee of Vietnam Farmers’ Union, the Central Committee of Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, the Central Committee of Vietnam Women’s Union, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Veterans’ Association and the Association for Liaison with Overseas Vietnamese. Addressing the ceremony, President of the VFF Central Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan hailed the involved parties for effectively conducting activities to boost people-to-people external relations with neighbouring countries, traditional friendly nations and strategic partners. He said specific targets should be set out for the organisations, suggesting the mobilization of support for people in the Mekong Delta, the southeastern region and the Central Highlands who are suffering from drought and saline intrusion and residents in the central region who are affected by marine environmental pollution. Signatories will work together in planning for people-to-people diplomatic activities, popularizing information about Vietnam’s policies and promoting images of the country and people. The cooperation programme is also expected to enhance coordination among parties in rallying international organisations and foreign NGOs’ support for Vietnam’s social welfare, sovereignty safeguarding and national development.- Experience in fine-tuning labour standards discussed A seminar to acquire international experience in fine-tuning labour standards in line with the Trans-Pacific Partnership’s (TPP) regulations was held in the central province of Thanh Hoa on May 18. Speaking at the event, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee for Social Affairs Bui Sy Loi said the entry to TPP will help Vietnam improve its market economy regulations, restructure the economy and workforce and shift to a new economic growth model. The TPP’s commitments require Vietnam to meet standards in labour and labour relations in accordance with the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) 1998 Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. Vietnam has so far adopted five out of eight of ILO’s basic conventions and incorporated them into domestic law. The remaining will be approved in the foreseeable future. Through preliminary reviews, the Vietnamese government basically meets TPP’s regulations on minimum pay, working hours and labour safety, he said. Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Pham Minh Huan said the Labour Code’s 13 th chapter should be adjusted to allow the establishment of workers’ organisations, which is in line with the TPP’s terms. At the event, participants discussed Vietnam’s advantages and disadvantages in joining the TPP, opportunities and challenges faced by trade unions and proposed supplements and amendments to the Labour Code and the Law on Trade Unions. The seminar was co-hosted by the NA’s Committee for Social Affairs and the ILO. Vietnamese culture on show in Kiev Vietnamese culture was recently introduced at the Kiev Polytechnic Institute in Kiev, Ukraine. The event was attended by the Vietnamese Charge d’Affairs in Ukraine Nguyen Phan Hong Hai, the Embassy staff, teachers and students from the Institute and the Vietnamese community in the country. Addressing the event, the Vietnamese diplomat hailed efforts made by Vietnamese students in Kiev in organising the event to introduce the beauty of Vietnam to international friends. The exchange will give people in Ukraine a deeper understanding of Vietnam, thus consolidating the friendship and cooperation between the two nations, Hai said. Echoing Hai’s opinion, Valerii Koval and Boris Syganok from the Institute spoke highly of the cultural exchange among students from the two countries. Photo and handicrafts exhibitions, folk games, cuisine and art performances were also a part of the one-day event.- Press updated with information on Zika and summer diseases The General Department of Preventive Medicine and the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Vietnam co-organised a press seminar on the prevention of Zika virus disease and summer diseases, with the participation of reporters from 14 central and Central Highlands localities. Participating reporters were updated on information about the Zika disease in the world and in Vietnam, as well as the developments of summer diseases and preventive measures. According to statistics of the department, from January 2007 to May 2016, Zika virus spread to 70 countries and territories worldwide. In Vietnam, two Zika virus cases were reported in Ho Chi Minh City and Khanh Hoa province in early April. Three weeks later, the country announced the end of Zika virus. However, the department’s deputy head Truong Dinh Bac said that the disease still may occur in Vietnam as the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, the main carrier of Zika and dengue viruses, is common in Vietnam. He asked provinces and cities nationwide to continue preventive measures, such as collecting samples of patient blood and body fluids to test for Zika virus, killing mosquitoes and larvae, and preparing sufficient medicine and equipment to serve patients in case the disease occurs. Statistics from the department also show that in the first four months of this year, the number of encephalitis cases reduced by 41.9 percent from the same period last year, while the number of hand-foot-mouth cases also decreased 23.2 percent. The department predicts that several summer diseases such as influenza, diarrhoea, hand-foot-mouth, dengue and chickenpox will break out, mainly from May to August. The department recommends people ensure food hygiene and safety, wash their hands with soap, drink enough water, and eat more fruit and vegetables to improve their resistance against diseases.- Southern & Central Highlands enter rainy season The National Hydrology Meteorology Forecast Center reported that rains accompanied with thunderstorms have appeared in the areas of the Central Highlands and the southern region during past two days. Total rainfall sweeping through the Central Highlands provinces reached at 30- 80 mm in early May meanwhile at 40- 60 mm in the southern region and at 10- 30mm in the west southern region. The upcoming rains are forecast to occur in the southern provinces from May 19- 22. By May 23- 25, west south monsoon will operate stronger causing medium- heavy rains in the Central Highlands and southern provinces on the large scale. However, the center also warned that the Gulf of Thailand, territorial water from Ca Mau to Kien Giang including Phu Quoc and Tho Chu islands and Spratly Island of Vietnam will suffer bad weather and west south wind of level 4- 5, even gust up to level 6-7 by May 22- 25. The rains bring comfortable and cooler air to the country however, strong wind and heavy rains could cause damage for travelling vessels on sea. According to vice head of the southern region’s hydrology meteorology forecast center Le Dinh Quyet, Vietnam will enter rainy season by the end of May or early June and temperature will drop quickly. The highest temperature in the eastern area and Ho Chi Minh City will be at 35- 37 degrees Celsius, and at 34-36 degrees Celsius in western area. Food inspections having impact in Hanoi Hanoi has fined 6,227 food processing and production businesses a total of $582,660 this year, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Health Hoang Duc Hanh told a press conference on May 17. The capital established 766 inspection teams at the beginning of the year to examine 48,899 food processing and production businesses, with 7,872 found to have broken the law, of which 6,227 were fined. Mr. Hanh said that Hanoi has been focused on ensuring food safety, taking measures to control smuggled poultry and creating 30 food safety supply chains. He acknowledged that although the amount of food being smuggled into Hanoi from other cities and provinces has fallen it is still an issue. Checking the origin of vegetable at markets and retailers also remains problematic. Staff numbers are insufficient in districts to inspect food quality and there are no specialized staff for checking food safety in wards, communes and towns. To improve food safety management Hanoi will combine measures for food safety management with measures for preventing food poisoning. Mr. Hanh said the Health Department has established five inspection teams with members from related agencies to inspect food safety in all districts in Hanoi. The teams not only inspect food safety under plans but also make snap inspections after receiving tips from people or the media about food safety violations. Exhibition highlights Australia’s legendary Canning road An exhibition highlighting legendary Canning road in Australia officially kicked off at the Vietnam Museum of Ethology on May 18, as part of activities to mark International Museum Day (May 18). The exhibition displays 116 pictures, sculptures, objects, documents and videos on historical stories recorded by numerous artists during their journey’s along Canning road in 2007. The exhibits aim to spotlight the impacts of the road on the Australian aboriginals lives as well as the lands that it passes through. Addressing the opening ceremony, Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Hugh Borrowman said that the road was discovered by Alfred Canning in early 1900s. The development of mining and livestock industries required a road to transport cattle from farms in the Kimberley region in Western Australia to markets in the southern region. The 1,850 kilometre road stretches past water holes form which both animals and humans drink from, and passes through the lands of numerous aboriginal ethnic groups. Around 60 artists from different aboriginal communities gathered to paint and discuss the changes in their lives and families caused by the road. It also helped native aborigines to become familiar with white Australian’s. The exhibits in Vietnam were digintalised, introducing visitors to conflicts and survival as well as the culture and customs of aborigines. The exhibition will run until June 18. Scientific, technological awards presented to outstanding projects The Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Organisations organised a ceremony in Hanoi on May 16 to present the Vietnam Scientific and Technological Creation and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) 2015 Awards to outstanding scientific and technological projects. Politburo member and President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Nguyen Thien Nhan attended and addressed the event. Four first, eight second, nine third and nine consolation prizes were presented to 30 prominent projects among 96 entries in mechanical automation; material technology; information technology, electronics and telecoms; bio-technology; environmentally friendly technology and efficient use of natural resources; and energy saving and use of new energy. Four first prize winners received certificates of merit from Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. The WIPO award winners were Tran Van Tra and his associates from the Huong Sen JSC Corporation, Thai Binh province with their project on designing, manufacturing and synchronising an automatic canning line and Le Huu Hoang and his associates from the Salanganes Nest Khanh Hoa Company with a project on raising salaganes and building nests in different localities to develop sustainably salagane raising in Vietnam. Speaking at the ceremony, Politburo member Nhan extended congratulations to the winners and noted that contributions of scientists and technicians with scientific and technological solutions have contributed practically and effectively to the country’s development. He urged provinces, cities, ministries and businesses to enhance creativeness and send further entries to compete for the annual awards next year. He suggested establishing a council to select projects that have won national prizes to introduce in Vietnam’s Creation Golden Book to inspire pride and confidence among scientists. Construction commences on 'green' commercial street in Da Nang A ceremony was held in the central coastal city of Da Nang on May 14 to kick off a project building a luxury commercial street in Tho Quang ward, Son Tra district, Da Nang city with applications of smart housing and using solar energy generated by solar panel roof mounting systems. This is the first green commercial street to be launched in Vietnam aiming to create a green living environment and working towards sustainable development. The project will build 38 three-floor shops designed to be smart, green, modern and luxurious with available rental areas ranging from 224 to 500 square metres. The first floor will be reserved for trade and offices while the other floors will be for living and resort-style accommodation in an environmentally-friendly manner. The street’s three-metre pavements are designed uniquely and luxuriously to maximize shopping along the beach According to Permanent Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Son Tra district Nguyen Thanh Nam, the commercial street will be an impressive architectural imprint on the city’s major arterial road, helping to stimulate the real estate market along the beach of Son Tra district and Da Nang city in general. German consulate general makes first visit to Deutsches Haus A delegation of the German consulate general in HCMC has made a site inspection trip to Deutsches Haus which is described as “a pioneering premium grade office tower” at the corner of Le Duan and Le Van Huu streets in the central business district. The 25-storey building has two blocks linked by a glass slot, and a gross floor area of around 30,000 square meters for retail, trade center, nine apartments, two penthouses, a German club, and a 1,000 square-meter exhibition area, a fitness center, a terrace, a swimming pool, a parking lot and the German consulate general in HCMC. This will become a destination for German and European companies and institutions to do business with partners in Vietnam and ASEAN as a whole, and an ideal trading platform for Vietnamese companies doing business with Germany and the European Union. According to Elmar Dutt, senior director of marketing and communications at the Deutsches Haus Ho Chi Minh Stadt Ltd, this is the first office building in Vietnam and Southeast Asia to apply the most advanced technology of Germany, the double facade which helps turns the construction into a green and energy-saving building. The double facade consists of six layers of glass which is 70cm separated from each other. Some of its advanced features are soundproof, heatproof, UV protection, and light filtering that help ultimately save and regenerate energy. Deutsches Haus has been awarded a Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEDD) Gold certificate for projects which fully meet strict criteria for eco-friendly and energy-saving features. The Deutsches Haus is expected to be completed on August 1, 2017. It is open for registrations of leasing from May 2016. For further information, visit www.deutscheshausvietnam.com. Deputy PM visits Vietnam Buddhist Sangha Supreme Patriarch Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam on May 18 paid a courtesy visit to Most Venerable Thich Pho Tue, Supreme Patriarch of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) on the occasion of the Buddha’s Birthday Festival 2016. On behalf of the Party and the State, Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam wished Most Venerable Thich Pho Tue, dignitaries and all monks and followers of the VBS to be full of health. Placing emphasis on the VBS’s close-knit unity with the nation, the Deputy PM hoped that Most Venerable Thich Pho Tue would continue leading the VBS to accomplish all its missions and make positive contributions to the country’s general development as well as the spiritual life of people. Most Venerable Thich Pho Tue expressed his pleasure at welcoming the Deputy PM and affirmed the VBS would continue standing shoulder to shoulder with the nation, bringing happiness and prosperity to the country and actively taking part in the construction and protection of the country. In HCM City, Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Dinh La Thang visited and congratulated the VBS’ Executive Council in District 3 and the Hue Nghiem Pagoda in District 2 on the occasion. On behalf of the VBS, Venerable Thich Thien Nhon, Chairman of the VBS’s Executive Council, thanked the Party and State leaders in general and HCM City leaders in particular for the attention given to the VBS in past times and affirmed the VBS’s Executive Council, all dignitaries, monks and followers, both local and overseas, would continue preserving unity and promoting the VBS’ tradition as well as taking part in country-building, social and humanitarian activities. President Ho Chi Minh’s birthday marked abroad The Vietnamese Embassy in South Africa held a ceremony in Pretoria on May 17 to mark the 126th birth anniversary of the late President Ho Chi Minh (May 19, 1890). Ambassador Le Huy Hoang along with embassy staff and overseas Vietnamese offered incense to the deceased and expressed their gratitude for the President’s contributions to the national revolutionary cause and independence, as well as his efforts in external affairs. The diplomat lauded groups and individuals for studying and following the exemplary morals of the President. On May 14, the Vietnamese embassy and community in Pretoria held sports and cultural exchanges with officials and people from ASEAN member countries, including Indonesia , Malaysia , Myanmar , the Philippines , Singapore and Thailand . The event formed part of the week to honour President Ho Chi Minh, a hero of Vietnam and a statesman who contributed to strengthening solidarity between ASEAN nations. Meanwhile, the Lao-Vietnamese bilingual school celebrated the 126th birth anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh in Vientiane on May 17. Rector Pham Xuan Phan highlighted the revolutionary life and career of the President, which he said, was an example of patriotism, brainpower, and morals. When he was alive, President Ho Chi Minh attached much importance to education and encouraged students to study hard, he said. He added that the President together with Lao Presidents Kaysone Phomvihane and Prince Souphanuvong founded the special relations between the two countries. He expressed his hope that young generations will continue to promote the Vietnam-Laos relationship. Art performances honouring President Ho Chi Minh and Vietnam-Lao relations were staged during the celebration. 16 people commit petrol fraud Hà Nội Police on Tuesday proposed that the municipal People’s Procuracy begins legal proceedings against 16 people relating to an incident of petrol fraud in the city. The owners of two petrol stations located in Yên Viên Commune and 436 Trần Khát Chân Street and their staff were among those arrested. On December 24 last year, the Market Watch Unit No 14, in co-ordination with the Hà Nội Police’s Division of Economic Security, found that two petrol stations were cheating customers with the help of electronic chips. The two petrol stations used the chips to rig the display of fuel prices and quantities. The petrol station employees controlled the chip from a distance, enabling them to sell less gas than the quantity displayed on the pump screen, and pocket about five per cent of every sale. The police investigation showed that Nguyễn Thị Hồng Hạnh, 50, owner of the petrol station at 436 Trần Khát Chân under the Hà Nội Petrol Fuel Joint Stock Company, conspired with her 11 employees in the alleged fraud. Specifically, two of Hạnh’s employees Trần Thanh Trình, 36, and Nguyễn Mạnh Hà, 33, proposed the scheme of using electronic chips to earn profits in 2014. Other employees at the petrol station agreed to fund the purchase of the chips. Trình then asked for help in buying and installing the chips at the 436 Trần Khát Chân petrol station. Using this method, Hạnh earned VNĐ200 million (US$8,900), Trình made VNĐ191 million ($8,500) and Hà VNĐ152 million ($6,800). Other employees were able to earn around VNĐ150 million ($6,700) each from the fraud. In May last year, Trình was assigned to run the Yên Viên petrol station. He used the same method to earn profits, and here was able to defraud customers of VNĐ120 million ($5,300). The 16 people involved in the fraud collected more than VNĐ1.6 billion ($71,700) between them, and it has been requested that the money from the fraudulent trading be submitted to the State budget. Members of drug ring arrested in HCMC Police from HCM City’s Thủ Đức District yesterday arrested the 27-year-old leader of a major ring selling methamphetamines. Besides the ringleader, Nguyễn Tuấn Vũ of Hà Nội, police officials detained Nguyễn Văn Quân, 30, of Hải Dương, and Nguyễn Thị Lan, 29, of HCM City. Police seized a total of 700 grams of drugs, a K59 gun, a car, an electronic scale and other pieces of equipment used by the ring. On May 14, investigative police found Quân with methamphetamines on his body while he was sitting at a coffee shop in Thủ Đức District. Police found a large amount of drug and other items. At the police station, Quân allegedly admitted that he had received the drugs from Vũ, who was planning to sell it to clients. Based on information from Quân, police arrested Vũ after seeing him driving on Tô Ngọc Vân Street in Thủ Đức District. After inspecting Vu’s unit at a luxury apartment building in Bình Thạnh District, police found 500 grams of drugs, a K59 gun and other items. On the same day, police arrested Lan at her house on Lê Thị Hoa Street in Thủ Đức District. Lan had sold the drugs to Vũ. About 100 grams of drugs were found in her house. At the police station, Vũ admitted to flying to Hà Nội every week and travelling to Tân Thanh Border Gate in Lạng Sơn to order a kilo of drugs. Vũ said he then returned to HCM City where he sold small portions of the drugs to people around the city. Lieutenant Colonel Nguyễn Văn Dũng, head of the Thủ Đức District police department’s investigative team on drug crime, said his team began to investigate the ring in December last year. Vũ is one of the key members of a drug trafficking ring based north of HCM City, according to police. Besides selling a large amount of drugs in HCM City, the men also had a number of guns, police said. Goethe Institute to host a spring recital Soprano singer Hà Phạm Thăng Long, tenor Leo Hiếu Nguyễn and pianist Nguyễn Huy Phương will present song cycles from the Romantic period by the German composer and conductor Robert Schumann. His melodies will be accompanied by poems from Adelbert von Chamisso and Heinrich Heine, amongst others. In line with the spring theme, the evening will highlight the many facets of love. Frauenliebe und Leben, sung by Long, tells the story of a first encounter with love, speaking of desire, sorrow and heartache over the loss of the woman’s husband. The awakening of love in springtime and the accompanying roller coaster of emotions is described in Dichterliebe. The soprano singer and the tenor will round off the evening with duets on love, family and the night. President hopes for scientists’ contributions to national development President Tran Dai Quang has requested the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS) to build a strong, competent staff that is able to address the country’s theoretical and practical issues, thus contributing more to national development. Attending a ceremony to mark Vietnamese Science and Technology Day on May 18 in Hanoi, the President hailed the achievements of the VASS as an important factor helping change the face of the Vietnamese social science sector. The VASS has provided scientific grounds to draw up the Party’s policies and the State’s laws. Social sciences have also helped protect and develop Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh thoughts, as well as the guidelines and policies of the Party and State, while affirming the formation and development of the nation, national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and preserving cultural values, he stated. The State leader asked the social science sector and the academy to successfully carry out the 12th National Party Congress’s resolution, promote the strength of the socialist democracy and great national unity, and continue providing scientific grounds to build a new development strategy for the country. The VASS was also required to intensify studies on social scientific issues in all fields of the society in order to better the role of supplying advisory services for the Party Central Committee, the Politburo and the Secretariat on building the Party’s documents, resolutions and decrees. On this occasion, Nguyen Quang Thuan was assigned to become the new VASS President replacing Nguyen Xuan Thang. Thang, who is President of the National Academy of Public Administration, was honoured with the Labour Order, first class. On the same day, President Tran Dai Quang paid a working visit to the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) on the occasion of the academy’s 41 st founding anniversary (May 20). He affirmed that the Party and State always pay attention to developing and boosting the application of science and technology, considering it one of the motivations for socio-economic development and national safeguarding. The national development cause requires the high consensus of all resources, especially the knowledge and creativeness of scientists, he said. He suggested the VASS focus on developing spearhead scientific and technological fields which are practical to industrialisation and modernisation, and intensifying the application of advanced sciences and technologies in production and daily life. Photo exhibition on langurs opens in Da Nang An exhibition featuring 150 photos on the ‘Life of the red-shanked douc langur (Pygathrix nemaeus) in Son Tra Peninsula' opened on May 17 at Da Nang City’s Science Library. The exhibition, which drew the participation of wildlife photographers from all over Vietnam, including Da Nang, aims to raise awareness for the protection of the endangered langur in the Son Tra Nature Reserve in this city. Many photos of the primates, taken by French wildlife photographer Cyril Ruoso and Vietnamese Nguyen Truong Sinh, and posters were put up at bus stops, hotels, living quarters and the airport, as well as the railway station and on the main streets of Da Nang. Scientists and biologists from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) have agreed to list the red-shanked douc langur as critically endangered (CR) with unlimited protection status in the world. In 2013, IUCN had listed the animal as endangered (EN). The Son Tra Nature Reserve, which is 10km from Da Nang’s centre, is known for its rich biodiversity with 287 species of animals and 985 species of plants. The 2500ha reserve, which is 600m above sea level, is home to 300 red-shanked douc langurs, only found in east-central Laos and Vietnam. The exhibition will continue until May 22. Volunteer soldiers’ remains laid to rest in Kon Tum A burial service was held at a martyr cemetery in Ngoc Hoi district, the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum on May 18 to re-bury the remains of 14 Vietnamese volunteer soldiers who laid down their lives on Lao and Cambodian battlefields during wartime. During the 2014-2015 dry season, those sets of remains were collected by the provincial Military Command’s K53 group with the support from the authorities of Laos’ Attapeu, Sekong and Champasak provinces and Cambodia’s Ratanakiri province. All of the repatriated remains are still unclaimed. In the past few years, the Party and Government have paid much attention to the search and repatriation of remains of volunteer soldiers and experts who died in Laos and Cambodia. During 2013-2015, the K53 group retrieved 90 martyrs’ remains, including 25 sets in Vietnam, 12 in Laos and 53 in Cambodia. VBS’s Central Committee presents gifts to central fishermen A delegation from the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha Central Committee on May 16-17 visited and delivered gifts to fishermen affected by the environmental incident in the central coastal provinces of Ha Tinh and Quang Binh. As many as 1,000 packages worth more than 500 million VND (22,435 USD), including rice, noodles and cooking oil were presented to fishermen in Ky Anh town’s Ky Ninh and Ky Loi communes and Ky Anh district’s Ky Xuan, Ky Khang and Ky Phu communes. The delegation also gave 300 gifts valued at more than 200 million VND (8,974 USD) to people in Hai Ninh commune, Quang Ninh district, Quang Binh province. Fishermen in Quang Binh province’s Quang Ninh and Le Thuy districts also received 1,000 gifts from the delegation on May 5-6. Mass fish deaths were spotted along the coast of the north central provinces in April. Local authorities and relevant agencies are working hard to establish the cause of the incident. Officials scope out salinity, drought in localities Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue on May 17 visited the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang to study saltwater intrusion in the locality. While touring Tan Tien commune in Vi Thanh city, the official hailed the province’s efforts in salinity prevention, particularly its initiative to build temporary barrages. More than 150 temporary dams have been formed across Hau Giang to prevent saline intrusion, which has encroached on more than 80 percent of local farming land, affecting more than 7,000 hectares of rice. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat asked the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong to review its agricultural production in tandem with irrigation development and forestation to cope with the drought. During his fact-finding trip to Dak Nong to inspect the locality’s anti-drought efforts on May 17, the official said shifting crop structures and upgrading reservoirs was necessary. The province should also support those affected by the natural disaster and help them recover their production when the rainy season comes. Phat said that his ministry would consider the province’s request for financial support to construct irrigation facilities. Since the end of 2015, the El Nino-induced prolonged drought, high temperatures and low humidity have dried rivers and streams across Dak Nong with Krong No, Cu Jut, Dak Mil, Dak Song and Dak G’Long districts suffering the worst water shortages. The drought has affected nearly 7,750 local households and 23,000 hectares of trees, mostly industrial trees like coffee and pepper, causing estimated economic losses of 1 trillion VND (45 million USD). To deal with the situation, the province has devised anti-drought plans during winter-spring and summer-autumn crops, monitored water resources, switched over 1,100 hectares of rice to corn and sweet potatoes, built temporary dams and aided affected locals. Viet Minh Front’s role in history spotlighted at Hanoi exhibition An exhibition was opened in Hanoi on May 18 to highlight the role of Viet Minh Front in raising unity for the ultimate goal of national independence. The display at the Vietnam National Museum of History is held on the occasion of the 75th founding anniversary of Viet Minh (May 19, 1941). Viet Minh, full name Viet Nam Doc Lap Dong Minh Hoi (League for the Independence of Vietnam), existed until 1951. At the opening ceremony, Politburo member and Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee President Nguyen Thien Nhan said Viet Minh helped unite Vietnamese people from all social strata during the struggle for national liberation. And the first success was the victory of the August Revolution that gained independence for Vietnam in 1945. Among nearly 200 items on display, many of them introduce the domestic and global historical background for the establishment of the front. Other objects and photos relate to the establishment of Viet Minh and the role of late President Ho Chi Minh, known as Nguyen Ai Quoc then, in the foundation. They include a verse on the 10 policies of Viet Minh written by President Ho Chi Minh to call for people’s solidarity. It was written in “luc bat”, a traditional verse form in Vietnamese poetry that consists of alternating lines of six and eight syllables. Another notable exhibit is the rattan suitcase President Ho Chi Minh brought along when he returned to Vietnam on January 28, 1941, after 30 years of staying abroad to seek ways for saving his homeland. He also used this suitcase during his time in Ha Quang district of Cao Bang province later that year. The exhibition also features objects demonstrating the role of Viet Minh in raising national unity to prepare for the August Revolution in 1945, and the resistance war against French colonialists in the following years. Photos and documents on the great national unity bloc during the Doi moi (Reform) period since 1986 are showcased in the last section of the event, which stays open until August. Hue hosts Asia-Pacific Memory of the World Committee meeting The 7th General Meeting of the Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific (MOWCAP) is underway in Hue City, central Thue Thien-Hue province on May 18-21. Present at the meeting are MOWCAP Chairman Li Ming Hua, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Dang Thi Bich Lien, and delegates from 16 countries and territories across the region. Addressing the event, Deputy Minister Dang Thi Bich Lien said as a country with a diverse and rich culture, Vietnam believes that culture is important to socio-economic and peoples development. The government of Vietnam highly appreciates the role of UNESCO in support of the preservation of cultural heritages worldwide, she noted, stressing the significance of MOWCAP which was founded in 1992 by UNESCO to recognise and protect the world’s documentary heritages from wars, natural disasters and religious disparity. During the meeting, delegates will revise adopted minutes of MOWCAP’s previous general meetings, discuss UNESCO recommendations on documentary heritage and review the Memory of the World guidelines and documents. They will also confer the preservation of documentary heritages of the world and the Asia-Pacific region and consider 16 nominations from ten countries for the recognition as the Memory of the World Documentary Heritages in 2016. Among these is the Vietnamese nomination of “Royal Literature on Hue Royal Architecture”. Foot-and-mouth disease strikes Thanh Hóa livestock The foot-and-mouth disease has spread in the north central province of Thanh Hóa since May 14, local officials said. Some 42 cows and buffaloes belonging to 18 households in Hiềng Village in Bá Thước District’s Kỳ Tân Commune were affected by the disease. The People’s Committee of Bá Thước District has instructed local authorities to temporary halt the transportation, trade and slaughter of cows, buffaloes, pigs and goats during the outbreak. Control stations will be set up to prevent the sale, transportation and slaughter of diseased animals to other areas. Local authorities have been asked to strengthen the management of infected livestock, disinfect farms and issue a warning on the foot-and-mouth disease. Earlier, in March, the foot-and-mouth disease was also reported in Bá Thước District’s Thiết Kế Commune and Quan Hóa District’s Xuân Phú Commune, infecting some 35 animals. VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri