Social News 25/5 Hydro-meteorological cooperation with China essential Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Chu Pham Ngoc Hien called for continued cooperation and information sharing with China in the hydro-meteorological field, with the focus on the works at border areas. At a working session between the ministry and the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defence in Hanoi on May 24, he assigned the Department of Water Resources to study the Red River planning and ask for China’s provision of hydro-meteorological information for the upper course of the river. He requested the Department of International Cooperation to work with the offices involved to propose specific contents before conducting negotiations and information sharing with China. According to Nguyen Van Tue, head of the Department of Hydro-meteorology and Climate Change; from October 10-12, 2015, unexpected floods from Chinese rivers flowing down into Vietnam showed the passivity of forecasting agencies in providing warnings related to cross-border rivers, thus making the response of Vietnamese localities more difficult. Therefore, to actively respond to floods related to cross-border rivers, on October 21, 2015, the Central Steering Committee on Disaster Prevention and Control sent an official dispatch requesting the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to prepare negotiation contents to exchange with the Chinese side. Based on proposals of the MoNRE, on January 19, a representative from the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi announced that China was willing to cooperate with Vietnam in sharing hydro-meteorological information and wanted to receive information about several big and important reservoirs along the Red River basin. Southern fruit festival to shine in June The 12th southern fruit festival is scheduled to take place in the Suoi Tien area of Ho Chi Minh City’s District 9 from June 1 to 9. The annual event will feature a Vietnam fruit week to promote local specialties in supermarkets, shopping malls and hotels across the city. Its highlight is a floating fruit market selling more than 150 kinds of fruit at discounts of between 20 and 30 percent. The market with its 50 boats will be open for three months. Other activities include a fruit parade, a collection of rare and giant fruits, and a fruit safety contest. Began in 2004, the festival has become a popular cultural tourism event, promoting the agricultural values of Vietnam and the southern region in particular. Fruit cultivation spans 415,800 ha of land in the southern region and produces around 4.3 million tonnes per year, accounting for 53.2 percent and 57 percent of the country’s area and output. PM gives nod to hi-tech biotechnology park in Dong Nai   The Prime Minister has approved the establishment of a provincial level Hi-Tech Biotechnology Park in the southern province of Dong Nai. The park, which will cover an area of 207.8 hectares in Cam My district, will carry out research, incubation, development, application and transfer of high-tech biotechnology and train related human resources. The Dong Nai People’s Committee will work with the Ministry of Science and Technology to draw up operation regulations of the park to submit to the PM for approval and issue mechanisms and policies on attracting investment capital. The province is also responsible for the planning, construction and state management of the park, including forming a management board and appointing the head of the board.- Hanoi honours over 1,100 outstanding students Hanoi honoured 1,160 outstanding students who achieved top results in the international, regional and domestic competitions in the 2015-2016 school year at a ceremony on May 24. Addressing the event, Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Hoang Trung Hai highlighted the city’s policy on facilitating the development of the education and training sector. He urged the sector to continue drastic and comprehensive reform in a bid to improve the quality of teaching and management in the future. The sector needs to focus on building capacity for teaching and managerial staff as well as promoting a learning society, the municipal Party Chief said. In the 2015-2016 school year, Hanoi’s students at all educational levels grabbed hundreds of prizes at international, regional and national competitions, leading the country in terms of prize numbers. Currently, there are 2,622 educational institutions across the city, with over 1.7 million students. School facilities have been upgraded along with efforts to renew the method of teaching and learning to improve the quality of education and training at all levels. North’s winter-spring crop yields 7.2 million tonnes Farmers in the northern region had bumper winter-spring crops with rice output estimated at 7.2 million tonnes thanks to prompt crop schedule adjustments. The information was heard at a preliminary conference held on May 24 in the northern province of Ha Nam to review the 2016 winter-spring crop and implement the 2016 summer-autumn crop in the northern region. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), the cultivation of high-quality rice varieties increased in northern provinces while effective farming techniques were applied to reduce seed and labour costs. Thus, the localities had an average yield of more than 5.7 tonnes per hectare although cold waves and prolonged drought hit the region. However, Deputy Director of the Department of Crop Production Tran Xuan Dinh noted that localities need to pay heed to crop protection due to complicated plant diseases. He also recommended local agricultural officers instruct famers to spray pesticides in a suitable period. MARD Deputy Minister Le Quoc Doanh asked the Department of Crop Production to join hands with relevant agencies to instruct provinces to outline a plan for crop production amid unfavourable weather conditions while ensuring sufficient seed for the farmers. Participants at the conference underscored that due to the critical impacts of climate change, harvest of winter-spring crops should be sped up for summer-autumn crop cultivation. Localities need to focus on short-term rice strains and map out solutions to prevent inundation and reduce damage caused by rain and floods. The northern region will cultivate 1.32 million hectares of rice during the summer-autumn crop, decreasing 12,000 hectares from the same crop last year. The average yield is calculated at 5 tonnes per hectare while productivity is expected at 6.62 million tonnes. Workshop seeks to develop renewable energy in Vietnam The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the General Directorate of Energy under the Ministry of Industry and Trade jointly held a workshop on the development of renewable energy (RE) in Vietnam in Hanoi on May 24. Director of the Department of Renewable Energy Pham Trong Thuc highlighted the RE development strategy in Vietnam, which aims to reduce 25 percent of the greenhouse gas emission and provide reliable, sustainable, modern and reasonable energy services for households by 2030. Focus shall be given to proven technologies in the RE field, including hydropower, wind power, solar power, biomass energy and biogas, he said. The strategy encourages all resources from society to develop RE with reasonable prices, gradually increase the RE share in national energy production and consumption in order to ensure less dependence on fossil sources and contribute to better energy security, mitigating climate change, environmental protection and sustainable socio-economic management, he added. Bakhodir Burkhanov, UNDP Deputy Country Director, said the national renewable energy development strategy of Vietnam is a right move as it reflects the country’s commitments to lower carbon development and its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The strategy also supports the implementation of the Paris agreement on climate change that Vietnam along with over 175 countries signed at the UN headquarters last month, he said. Participants said the renewable energy market in Vietnam holds enormous potentials for development, hence the country needs to devise proper policy to optimise the benefits. Scientific research also indicates that solar energy, in particular, has little negative impact on the environment, health and livelihood of locals, and it could enable small- and medium-sized enterprises to improve the provision of electricity to people in remote and island areas with reasonable prices. ‘Obamania’ in Vietnam When it comes to public attention, it would be hard to find any other world leader that can fascinate Vietnamese people with how he travels, what he eats, or where he stays as much as Obama has done so far. As US President Barack Obama makes his first trip to Vietnam, which began May 22, local media have been in a frenzy to put every detail of the president’s trip under scrutiny. Air Force One, Marine One, and The Beast, the three transportation vehicles used by President Obama during his visit to Vietnam have been closely inspected by the media, as major newspapers have carried detailed descriptions of the vehicles’ security features. ‘obamania’ in vietnam hinh 0 Articles about where the president will be staying and what he will eat on his three-day visit, as well as security preparations in those places, have also been continually published by the Vietnamese press. Headlines about the president’s activities flooded the homepage of many online newspapers on May 23, as Obama commenced his official working agenda, including the online version of Vietnam’s largest daily Tuoi Tre (Youth). After the end of the American war in Vietnam in 1975, the foes-turned-friends are now observing “complete normalization of bilateral relations,” as Vietnamese State President Tran Dai Quang said on the full lifting of a US embargo on lethal weapon sales to Vietnam promised by President Obama during the visit. The sight of Vietnamese people crowding street sides to look on as Obama’s motorcade passes by perhaps serves as concrete evidence that the Vietnamese are now looking at a US president not as the head of a rival nation, but as a bridge of cooperation.   President Obama will continue his stay in Vietnam until May 25, during which time he will visit senior Vietnamese leaders, talk with businesses in Ho Chi Minh City, and speak in front of Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) representatives. The president will leave for a G7 summit in Japan in the afternoon of May 25. Endangered douc langur handed over to national park The forest management authorities of Ba To district in the central province of Quang Ngai on May 23 handed over a grey-shanked douc langur to the Endangered Primate Rescue Centre in the Cuc Phuong National Park. The three-week-old animal, weighing roughly 0.4 kilogramme, was found in a forest in Ba Xa commune by a local from Ba To district. He then handed over the monkey to forest protection authorities on May 22. Since 2015, three grey-shanked douc langurs from Ba To have been handed over to the rescue centre. The grey-shanked douc (Pygathrix cinerea) is native to the central provinces of Quang Nam, Quang Ngai and Binh Dinh and the Central Highlands provinces of Kon Tum and Gia Lai. It is listed in Vietnam’s Red Book of threatened and endangered species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Primate Specialist Group rates the grey-shanked douc as one of the world’s 25 most endangered monkeys. HCM City men’s health clinic opens A privately owned medical centre for men’s health with some of the country’s leading urologists, endocrinologists, and cardiologists opened last Saturday in HCM City’s District 10. Men’s Health Centre said in a release that environmental factors and occupational stress cause various serious diseases in men, but men are reluctant to get themselves examined and treated. The centre has promised to co-operate with ICS, an organisation that works to empower and protect the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in Việt Nam, to treat them if they are sick. Đồng Nai wants City to pick bridge to replace Cát Lái ferry Đồng Nai Province authorities have urged their HCM City counterparts to choose one of two cost options offered with respect to the construction of a bridge to replace the Cát Lái ferry by its builder. The three-kilometre-long bridge will connect the city’s District 2 with Nhơn Trạch District in Đồng Nai, and be built as a build-operate-transfer project by 194 Construction Investment Corporation. The corporation has proposed two alternative plans, one to cost VNĐ5.7 trillion (US$ 228 million) and the other, VNĐ4.4 trillion (US$176 million). But no more details are known. The city People’s Committee has instructed relevant agencies to consider the two options and make recommendations. Work is expected to begin in the first quarter of next year. The Cát Lái ferry carries an average of 50,000 passengers a day and 100,000 on peak days. Vietnamese films to be screened at CGV cinemas Various Vietnamese films will be screened at CGV cinemas until May 31, aiming to promote the national film industry. The films with English subtitles include Điệp vụ chân dài (High Heels’ Mission), Gái già lắm chiêu (The Last Egg), Lật mặt (Face off), Taxi, em tên gì? (Taxi, What’s Your Name?), Vòng eo 56 (Small Waist Size), Bao giờ có yêu nhau (When Will We Love), Nữ đại gia (Big Boss). The films range across all genres, from comedies to thrillers, so should cater to all tastes. Dong Won-kwak, director of Việt Nam-based CJ Entertainment and Media Company, says the company always focuses on Vietnamese films in its development strategy. "We expect that this event will help promote the national film industry and encourage Vietnamese filmmakers to produce more work," he said. Audiences can buy tickets at a special price of VNĐ50,000 per ticket or VNĐ120,000 for four tickets. French pianist to perform with Vietnamese artists in HCM City French pianist Jean-Louis Haguenauer of Indiana University (US) will stage a chamber concert at the French Institute in HCM City on Thursday, accompanied by four Vietnamese musicians from the Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO). Haguenauer will perform classical pieces by French composer Debussy. The event will feature violinist Tăng Thành Nam, violist Phạm Vũ Thiên Bảo, pianist Trần Ngọc Nguyên Trinh and percussionist Mai Thanh Sơn, who studied music at the French Music Conservatory. Born in 1954, Haguenauer graduated from the École Normale de Musique in Paris and the Geneva Conservatory, with Germaine Mounier, Louis Hiltbrand, and Jean Fassina as his principal mentors. He has performed with famous orchestras in the Europe and US and participated in dozens of music festivals, including La Roque d’Anthéron, Radio-France Montpellier, Jacobins de Toulouse and Library of Congress Summer Chamber Festival. The concert begins at 8pm on Thursday at the French Institute in HCM City on 31 Thái Văn Lung Street in District 1. Tickets, ranging from VNĐ100,000 (US$5) to VNĐ300,000 ($15), are available at the theatre’s box office. Hà Nội win to top national champs Hà Nội 1 thrashed Sơn La 6-0 to top the National Women’s Football Championship yesterday in Hà Nam Province. The team dominated this fith round fixture but only opened the score in first half stoppage time with a strike from Nguyễn Thanh Huyền. Experienced striker Nguyễn Thị Minh Nguyệt made it 2-0 for Hà Nội 15 minutes after the interval. Nguyễn Thị Muôn bagged her double before Nguyệt completed her hattrick with two goals in the 69th and 71st minutes. Hà Nội 1 and Phong Phú Hà Nam have 13 points but the capital side rank top due to their better goal difference. In the later match yesterday, TNG Thái nguyên beat Hà Nội 2 3-2. Teams will have some days off before matches resume on Thursday and Friday. Beach destinations are the stars of Vietnam's tourism industry: report Favorite beach destinations Danang, Khanh Hoa and Phu Quoc performed very well in the past five years, together accounting for 30% of all tourist arrivals to Vietnam, according to a Savills report. The three places, famous for their long beautiful beaches and sunny weather most of the year, have seen an average annual increase of 23% in the number of foreign tourists, the real estate services provider said in the new edition of its annual Asian Cities Report. The report highlighted the arrival of international hoteliers, an improved visa policy and investment into key infrastructure as drivers for the growth. Vietnam has waived visa requirements for short trips taken by tourists from key European markets and recently passed a new rule allowing US visitors to stay up to one year, with multiple entries. Savills' report said in the last decade, more than 70% of international visitors to Vietnam spent their holidays along the coast. Most of these visitors hailed from temperate climates like China, Europe and the US who visited central and southern coastal cities with year-round warm weather. An increase in the number of tourists from prosperous markets have led to more demand for rated accommodation, especially upscale hotels. In 2015, five-star rooms increased 37% to more than 24,000 units, 30% of which were in Danang, Phu Quoc and Khanh Hoa. The last of the trio is known for its resort town Nha Trang, very famous among Chinese and Russian tourists. According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, the country attracted nearly 8 million foreign visitors in 2015. The number of international visitors reached 3.25 million in the first four months this year, up 18% over the same period last year. Vietnam has been named by the United Nations World Tourism Organization in the top five ASEAN countries for the highest international visitor volume, with a compound annual growth rate of 9% over the last five years. US Peace Corps to set up English teaching programs in Vietnam The US and Vietnam have reached an agreement to allow the Peace Corps volunteer organization to set up English-language training programs in the country. US Peace Corps Director Carolyn Hessler Radelet (L, front) and Vietnamese ambassador to the US Pham Quang Vinh (R) exchange document after signing a document on Peace Corps Operation in Vietnam. Photo by REUTERS/Kham After a decade of discussions, Vietnam and the United States have finally signed an agreement that will bring the Peace Corps to Vietnam and allow the volunteer organization to set up English programs in the country's two biggest cities, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. US Peace Corps Director Carolyn Hessler Radelet and Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Pham Quang Vinh signed the Peace Corps Operation agreement in Vietnam on May 24 witnessed by US Secretary of State John Kerry, US Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius and Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh. According to the agreement, the first group of about 20 Peace Corps volunteers will come to Vietnam next year. The program is expected to expand to more cities in the following years. The Peace Corps was established by President John F. Kennedy. Kennedy urged college students to dedicate two years of their lives to helping people in developing countries. More than 220,000 Americans have served in the volunteer program in 140 host countries. As President Barack Obama continues on his historic three-day visit to Vietnam, he meets young Vietnamese people on May 24. Members of inter-provincial drug ring arrested in HCMC HCM City’s Criminal Investigation Police arrested eight people suspected to be involved in inter-provincial drug smuggling ring, a source has said.     Police have also seized 10kg of methamphetamine, some heroin, two luxury cars, VNĐ2.5 billion (US$119,000) and $52,000 in cash, three guns and 15 bullets. The arrests were the result of a joint investigation from the Ministry of Public Security, Lâm Đồng Province and city police, a HCM City senior police officer said on Monday. Among the arrested were the suspected ringleaders of the group, Nguyễn Duy Hùng, 46, who lived Thái Nguyên northern Province, and Nguyễn Tiến Khanh, 35, from Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu southern Province. Hùng, was imprisoned for seven years for drug possession and smuggling in 2003. In 2010, he became owner of an individual garage in Thái Nguyên Province that aimed to hide his drug smuggling. Police began the investigation in early 2016 when they arrested two drug transporters in HCM City, seizing two kg of methamphetamine hidden in a lorry transporting fruit. On May, 18, Nguyễn Duy Hùng was arrested in HCM City’s Bình Thạnh District with 6kg of methamphetamine, a K59 pistol, 15 bullets, $50,000 and VNĐ2.1billion in cash and a luxury car. After questioning, Hùng said he bought methamphetamine for VNĐ200 million per kg from a Chinese man at Lạng Sơn northern province’s Tân Thanh border gate. He transported the drugs in his car to HCM City and sold them to Nguyễn Tiến Khanh for VNĐ350 million per kg. One day later, police captured Khanh and two accomplices in the Central Highlands province of Lâm Đồng, seizing 1kg of methamphetamine, one gun and a car. After further investigations, police arrested three more people suspected of involvement in the ring in HCM City, seizing heroin, methamphetamine and cash. Police are preparing documents to prosecute the suspects for illegal sale of narcotics and illegal firearms possession. Ha Tinh launches city development project using ADB loan A project on development of Ha Tinh city in the central province of same name was launched on May 24, using official development assistance (ODA) loan from the Asian Development Bank. Chairman of the Ha Tinh city People’s Committee Ha Van Trong, the project, which has a total investment of 31.67 million USD, is aimed at strengthening flood control by building a drainage system, as well as improving the environment and developing the urban landscape. It is expected to contribute to socio-economic development of the city and surrounding areas, thus turning Ha Tinh into second-tier city by 2018, he added. The programme is part of the Secondary Cities Development Project which is implemented with official development assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The project which targets the three cities in central Vietnam has a total investment of 121 million USD, of which 95 million USD is sourced from the ADB. It aims to better locals’ living conditions. VFF leader welcomes Lao lawyer delegation Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Nguyen Van Pha on May 24 held a reception for a delegation from Laos’ Bar Association (LBA), who are on a working visit to Vietnam. At the meeting, the VFF leader noted that the Lao delegation’s visit to Vietnam will promote cooperation relations between the two countries’ lawers circles, making contributions to enhancing the special solidarity and friendship between the two nations. He also briefed the guests about the VFF organisation and its outstanding activities such as promoting its supervision and social criticism as well as carrying out movements for national economic development. As a VFF member, the Vietnam Bar Federation (VBF) has joined hands with the VFF to provide free legal consulting for local people and contribute to building regulations, he noted. For his part, LBA President Khamsay Soulinthone, who led the Lao delegation, informed the Vietnamese official about results of a working session with the VBF. He said that both sides shared experience in law practice as well as address difficulties that they are facing. He hoped to receive further support from the VFF to enhance the special friendship between the two nations. Youngsters’ preparation for ASEAN Community highlighted The Vietnam Academy of Social Science (VASS) on May 24 held a conference to help the youth get a deeper understanding of the ASEAN Community, and receive information so that they can better integrate into the community. At the end of 2015, the ASEAN Community made its debut, setting out three foundational pillars of a Political-Security Community, Economic Community and Socio-Cultural Community, marking a new level of growth for the grouping. According to Dr. Vo Xuan Vinh, Secretary of VASS’s Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, the ASEAN Economic Community poses great challenges to the association’s newer member countries, including Vietnam, in terms of production and skilled workforce. The free movement of skilled labours among ASEAN member countries may cause Vietnamese workers to lose skilled jobs to their competitors from other countries with a higher development level, he held. Meanwhile, Le Thu Trang, a representative from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the youth should understand their position and the social situation better, in preparation for a larger and fiercer playground. Youngsters should equip themselves with higher professional and foreign language skills, she said, pointing out that Vietnam should reform its vocational training process as well as education system to meet the ASEAN market’s requirements. Young people’s viewpoints on the East Sea Issue was also highlighted during the event. According to Dr. Pham Xuan Hoang from the Institute of Social Sciences Information, no study has ever been conducted on this matter. As ASEAN citizens, young scholars of the VASS should update their information of the East Sea issue, while sharpening their foreign language skills to argue on the issue at international forums, he said. He also proposed that young researchers write articles for international magazines and make more of a presence at international forums, thus raising their voices on national sovereignty and the common interest of the ASEAN Community in settling the East Sea issue. Vietnamese expats hold requiem for naval martyrs A requiem has been held in Truc Lam pagoda in Kharkov city, Ukraine for Vietnamese martyrs who died in the fight for the country’s sovereignty over islands and territorial waters. The event took place on May 20 in conjunction with Buddha’s 2260th birth anniversary celebration. Present at the requiem were General Secretary of the Vietnamese Association in Ukraine Vu Huy Duong, Vietnamese expats in Ukraine as well as Ukrainian scholars and residents. The event reminded attendees of the soldiers’ brave sacrifices in the battles to defend Gac Ma and Colin islands in Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelago in 1988. Organised by the Vietnamese community and Truc Lam pagoda in Kharkok city, the event aims to not only pay tribute to the martyrs but also bring overseas Vietnamese societies together and call them to voice their objections to China’s violation of Vietnam’s territorial sovereignty in the East Sea. A ceremony was held by the Vietnam Buddhist Association in Prague, the Czech Republic to celebrate Buddha’s 2260th birth anniversary with representatives from the Vietnamese Embassy, Vietnamese expats in the Czech Rep. and more than 300 Buddhists and followers across the country in attendance. At the ceremony, Most Venerable Thich Duc Tien delivered this year’s message from the Patriarch of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) which calls all people to protect the environment and cope with climate change. President of the Association of Overseas Vietnamese in the Czech Republic said the annual celebration of Buddha’s birth anniversary is intended to bring Vietnamese expats closer and educate the younger generation on their homeland’s culture and tradition. Danish-funded project provides solar power to Ben Tre waterworks A Danish-funded solar energy project was inaugurated in the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre on May 21, providing power to two local waterworks and contributing to ensuring a sustainable clean water supply to 4,200 households in seven communes. The 4.7 billion VND (211,000 USD) project, which was put into operation earlier this month as part of a climate change response programme, includes two power supply systems for waterworks in An Phu Trung commune in Ba Tri district and Phu Duc commune in Chau Thanh district. The solar power systems help the waterworks save electricity and reduce emission, thus helping protect the environment. Also on May 21, Ben Tre province also put into operation a shrimp farming project adapting to climate change. The project, begun in September last year at an overall cost of 20.4 billion VND, has received 18.4 billion VND and farming technology from the Danish Government and the rest from Ben Tre province. The pilot project aims to develop a closed shrimp farming, a modern clean farming method in which water and shrimp diseases are well-controlled. It is also expected to be applied widely in the province.- Highway 1 upgrade causes damage to local houses The project to upgrade and expand National Highway 1 in Đông Hòa District of this central province has damaged thousands of houses here, the residents and local authority have complained. Võ Đình Tiến, vice chairman of the district’s People’s Committee, said the project, which was completed seven months ago, was still having a serious impact on local living conditions. Tiến said some 1,800 households around the project area had petitioned the local authority for relief, complaining that their houses were developing cracks and showing signs of subsidence. The petitioners said they had asked the project investor for an explanation and compensation when the project was still under construction but had received no reply even seven months after the completion of the project. Nguyễn Thị Thu, whose house had sustained a 5m crack in the concrete ceiling, said she still remembered the conditions she suffered as the construction work took place nearby. “My house would shake and the furniture would topple over throughout the house whenever a roller passed by. Every day, four or five rounds would be made with the rollers. It was like a series of earthquakes,” Thu said. Another local resident, Nguyễn Kim Ngọc, said his house suffered the same annoyance, pointing out several cracks in the walls. Both residents are among the locals demanding compensation. The local official said the district’s People’s Committee had also sent three reports to the provincial People’s Committee and Department of Transport, briefing them on the situation, but they had received no response other than an order to await the approval of the Transport Ministry. Nguyễn Thành Trí, director of the Phú Yên Department of Transport, revealed they had received a reply from the investor – Thăng Long Project Management Unit – saying the company had provided compensation worth VNĐ5 billion (US$224,000) to a total of 990 households, noting that this was the limit of their insurance allowance. Currently, the investor said, the company had no further financial sources to provide additional compensation, adding that many of the 1,800 households were not located within the project’s planned clearance zone. However, a representative from the investor, Nguyễn Hoàng Khánh, said a separate petition had been presented to the government, seeking a financial supplement to provide the additional compensation. University students experience European football culture Vietnamese university students studying in the Czech Republic are getting an exciting exchange experience playing in a football tournament, reports the Vietnam Youth Union in the Czech Republic. The event drew the participation of teams from Czech Republic, Vietnam and 14 other European countries. They were divided into four groups for a round robin competition with the four winners advancing to the semi-finals. The FC Song Lam team won the championship title and will now have the opportunity to compete at the Czech Senate football competition this coming June 18 in Prague, the Czech Republic. “Every second on the team, from the practices to the games, was an amazing and memorable experience for the Vietnamese students,” said Le Minh Phuong of the Youth Union. Now they are not only part of a team but part of one big family, said Phuong, and many of the guys from the FC Song Lam squad are best of friends and they are always going to be from now on. Drug ring busted in Ho Chi Minh City Police in Ho Chi Minh City and the central Highlands province of Lam Dong have jointly smashed a drug ring, arresting eight people and confiscating 10 kg of crystal meth and two bars of heroin (700 g). Other items sized included three guns, 15 bullets, two cars, nearly 2.5 billion VND (112,025 USD) and more than 52,000 USD. Ringleaders were identified as Nguyen Duy Hung, born in 1970, and Nguyen Tien Khanh, born in 1981. In 2003, Hung was sentenced to seven years in prison for illegal possession of drugs. After being released, he opened a garage in the northern province of Thai Nguyen as a cover for drug deals. In early 2016, Ho Chi Minh City police caught two men red-handed carrying 2 kg of crystal meth hidden inside a fruit box. Their testimonies led the officers to Nguyen Duy Hung. On May 18, Hung, Khanh and their accomplices were arrested after a meeting near the Long Thanh - Dau Giay highway. Hung admitted buying the drugs from a Chinese national at the Tan Thanh border gate in the northern mountainous province of Lang Son at 200 million VND (8,962 USD) per kg. He then used his private car to transport the goods to Ho Chi Minh and sold to Khanh for 350 million VND (15,683 USD) per kg. Thua Thien-Hue: Aid for fishermen affected by fish deaths The central province of Thua Thien-Hue supported local fishermen with 630 tonnes of rice and 9.4 billion VND (421,200 USD) who have been affected by the recent unusual mass fish deaths. Accordingly, rice aid will be given to the owners and labourers of coastal and inshore fishing vessels with a capacity below 90CV as well as households providing logistics services in Phu Loc, Phu Vang and Phong Dien districts and Huong Tra town. Fishermen in those localities will also receive 9.4 billion VND in emergency aid. In addition, the Vietnam Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Agribank) offered 25 tonnes of rice in support for fishermen in Phu Vang, Phong Dien and Quang Dien districts, who are forced to temporarily stop going out to sea due to the unusual fish deaths. The bank also gave financial aid worth 5 billion VND (224,000 USD) to farmers raising caged fish in Phu Vang and Phu Loc districts and Huong Tra town. For now, the province will continue its prompt supports for local people affected by the incident. Coastal localities are asked to check and estimate the damages caused by the mass fish deaths. Meanwhile, commercial banks are requested to offer rational credit policies such as charge-off and preferential loans, helping local fishermen, businesses and logistics providers recover their operations and stabilise their lives.- VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri