Social News 5/5

Vietnam announces national winner of UPU letter-writing contest

 

Ninth grader Nguyen Thi Thu Trang won the annual Universal Postal Union (UPU) letter-writing contest in Vietnam, Ha Noi Moi newspaper reported on May 4.

The student from Nguyen Trai secondary school in the northern province of Hai Duong topped 900,000 other entrants.

This year, the competition asked writers between 10 and 15 years old to write a 1,000 words or less letter to their 45-year-old selves.

Trang’s letter will be translated into French and English to compete at the 45th UPU International Letter-Writing Competition for Young People in Switzerland.

Last year, Truong Hai Nam, an eighth grader from Nguyen Huu Loc secondary school in Thanh Hoa province, won the consolation prize in the international round.

Early poll held for drilling-platform workers

Hundreds of engineers and workers casted their votes for the deputies to the 14th NA and the People’s Councils at different levels for the 2016 – 2021 tenure on May 4, just before setting sail to work on drilling platforms at sea.

The poll has been held in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau’s Vung Tau city prior to the general election slated for May 22.

The municipal election council and Vietsopetro – a joint venture between Vietnam and Russia – have arranged two polling stations at Vung Tau airport and on a Vietsopetro barge that is docked at the company’s port.

The stations will open until Election Day, allowing approximately 2,000 people to vote perform their citizen rights.

On May 2, two naval ships left the wharf of Brigade 171 in Vung Tau city and sailed for the southern continental shelf to help forces and fishermen working there cast their votes.

With the support of the navy, early elections will be organised at 47 locations from the waters off the coast of central Binh Thuan province to those of southernmost Ca Mau province.

Hanoi restores Morocco Gate

Hanoi has carried out restoration work on the Morocco Gate in Tan Linh commune, Ba Vi district in an effort to boosting friendship between Vietnam and Morocco.

According to Truong Minh Tien, Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Culture and Sports, the restoration was requested by the Moroccan Embassy in Vietnam and the Party Central Committee's Commission for External Affairs.

During the war of resistance against the French in Vietnam (1946-1954), thousands of African legionnaires, including Moroccans, deserted their French troop and joined the army of Vietnam.

After the Great Dien Bien Phu Victory, late President Ho Chi Minh instructed the establishment of a Vietnam –Africa plantation in the district, receiving hundreds of former legionnaires and locals. Many of the former legionnaires married local women and settled down in the area.

The three-door-temple gate was built in 1963 by Moroccans who strived to maintain their culture, architecture and religion, calling it the “ Immortal Gate”, or the “Permanent Gate” .

The last African soldier was allowed to leave Vietnam by 1970. When they returned to their homeland, they brought their wives and children with them.

The gate was restored once in 2009 by the Moroccan Embassy.

Two men arrested for arousing demonstrations over mass fish deaths

Police in the central provinces of Ha Tinh and Quang Binh have arrested two men for conducting anti-state propaganda and inciting public demonstrations over mass fish deaths in the central coast waters.

The men are Truong Minh Tam, 36, from Hanoi’s Dong Anh District and Chu Manh Son, 27, in Nghe An Province’s Yen Thanh District.

On April 26, Tam came to the area near Taiwanese-invested Formosa Steel Plant in Ha Tinh’s Ky Anh District blamed for untreated toxic discharge, causing the mass deaths of fish in the four central provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue to collect news on the demonstrations there.

On April 30, Son and some other people used their mobile phones to take photos of the public gatherings on National Highway 1A in Quang Binh Province. While, they were caught by police while trying to publish the photos online.

At the police station, Tam admitted that he had been paid USD400 per month by ‘an anti-state organisation located in the US’ for gathering sensitive political information to serve an anti-state campaign. He interviewed some people who opposed the government.

High-speed craft service launched on HCMC-VungTau route

Greenlines DP Technology Co Ltd on Saturday launched a high-speed boat service between HCMC and the southern beach city of Vung Tau.

Tran Song Hai, general director of Greenlines DP, said this is a catamaran worth over US$1 million and that it is the first catamaran model in Vietnam to be designed and manufactured locally.

The catamaran uses the same route as the current hydrofoil services, shuttling between HCMC’s Nha Rong Wharf and Cau Da Wharf in Vung Tau City.

The ticket price for a single trip is VND250,000 but senior people aged over 62 and children under 11 pay VND180,000 and 120,000 respectively. Children under six can travel free of charge.

Greenlines DP’s boats are equipped with wifi and air-conditioners and have an in-service speed of 55-60 kilometers per hour. The travel duration is around one hour and 15 minutes.

In celebration of the service launch, Hai said, his company is running a promotion from April 30 through May 3 in which passengers can travel free in two trips a day, with one departing from HCMC at 9:00 a.m. and the other from Vung Tau at 1:00 p.m.

There were three hydrofoil service firms operational on the HCMC-Vung Tau route until January 2014 when a hydrofoil fire accident on the Saigon River led to a suspension of all hydrofoil services over safety concern. Petro Express and Vina Express have resumed their services after a long hiatus.

British expat aims to be Saigon's cider provider

Hannah Jefferys joked with her friends about opening her own cider bar in HCMC. But it was no laughing matter when they told her how tasty her homebrew was.

The native of Somerset, England is from an area known for making cider, but she didn’t know it would grow into a business for her in Vietnam.

“I grew up with an orchard for a back garden,” Jefferys said. “We used to climb the trees, pick the apples and my mother would cook with them.

“Or sometimes my brother and I would just throw them at each other.”

Craft brewing has really taken off in HCMC, with beers like Fuzzy Logic, Phat Rooster and a variety of others at Biacraft pub in District 2 and Quan Ut Ut’s locations around the city. Pasteur Street has also generated considerable buzz, but Jefferys is spearheading the growth of locally made cider in the city.

“I rapidly went from two liters to 160 liters when I boldly said “Yes” to having a stall at an Outcast event back in 2013 and we have gone on to selling out at almost every event after that,” she said.

She takes pride that her products are Vietnamese made and use locally sourced ingredients.

“We’ve been using delicious ginger from Dong Nai Province, sweet hot chillis from Lam Dong Province, sweet vanilla grown in Phan Thiet and cinnamon from Quang Ngai Province,” she said.

The range of flavors turns heads as well with Saigon Cider’s Original Apple, Fresh Ginger, Cinnamon and Vanilla, Hot Chilli and the unique Cashew Apple varieties.

Saigon Cider is now available in select outlets in HCMC, Hanoi, Hoi An and Nha Trang, with a growing list of bars, restaurants, resorts and retailers waiting to join the cider revolution.

For more information, visit the Saigon Cider page on Facebook.

Girl with big tumor discharged after free treatment

A 10 year old girl with a big tumor was discharged from hospital after she had surgery to remove the tumor on the coccyx, said Deputy Head of the National Children Hospital in Hanoi Professor Tran Minh Dien yesterday.

VTC News reported a story about the girl, Ly Thi Lua with her giant tumor on her body but her family is too poor to afford an operation on April 8th. Lua had the tumor since she was born. After ten years, the malignant tumor grows bigger causing her legs shrivel; consequently she cannot stand normally

After the news, Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien asked the hospital to conduct a free operation for the kid.

The hospital also took care of her health.

After the operation , Lua has to undertake rehabilitation so that she can walk normally

Professor Dien added that the health insurance fund covered all the girl’s treatment cost. The hospital provided free meals and accommodation for her and her relative during the time in the hospital.

Food poisoning cases increase because of hot weather

The Poison Control Center of Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi yesterday said that though the North Vietnam just entered the hot weather, the case of food poisoned patients increased.

In the past week, the center receives over 10 patients with poisoning symptoms a day, four and five times higher than in the cold season. Through investigation, most of patients were poisoned because they ate contaminated food which caused by microorganism. Along with this, the center also admits some case of poisoning because chemical residues still maintain in food.

The Ministry of Health showed a statistics that in four months of 2016, the country reported nearly 30 serious food poisoning cases 30 hospitalizing over 1,386 people including two deaths. In April alone, nine food poisoning drove 375 people to hospitals. Accordingly, the Vietnam Administration of Food said that because of scorch, there is a severe lack of fresh water for cooking, processing food and consumers buy much of food without clear indication of origin.

To prevent food poisoning, Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen from the Poison Control Center warned that consumers should buy food with clear origin with names of suppliers and address of company. Additionally, people must cook food well and food should be preserved in refrigerator yet just in short time. People should never use spoiled food and food out of date.

PM asks to tighten control over banned chemicals

In the upcoming time, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc will approve a decision which will enhance  management, improve the quality of food safety and controlling banned chemicals.

The decision is hoped to raise local authorities and agencies’ responsibility in managing food safety and hygiene because there have been rampant violations of food safety regulation.

As per the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, under the food hygiene campaign launched from October, 2015 to February, 2016 in 42 cities and provinces nationwide about pesticide residues in vegetables, banned chemicals in meat and aquatic animal, inspectors reported that of 7,593 veggies samples, 393 samples are contaminated with banned chemicals and pesticide residues exceed allowable limits.

Testing of 5,450 meat samples, inspectors detected that the content of banned chemical and antibiotic in 104 samples exceeded standards.

Additionally, of 5,433 meat samples, inspectors discovered 834 samples had Salmonella - a bacteria that can cause food-borne infection including sudden onset of fever, headache, diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea and sometimes vomiting.

Furthermore, tests of 4,963 aquatic samples, 361 samples had the content of banned chemicals, antibiotic over the standard.

The Ministry said that violations of food safety decreased slightly in the country.

Public concerns have lately been raised about the use of banned chemicals in husbandry, the Ministry decided to launch another campaign. Accodingly, the Vietnam Administration of Drug  under the Ministry of Health  has sent its document to the sub-divisions asking to stop import Salbutamol.

During the campaign the Ministry of Public Security's environmental police unit, known as PC49 in cooperation with inspectors from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development paid unscheduled visits to 17 animal food processing companies; five out of 17 including Minh Anh Pharmaceutical Company in the southern province of Binh Duong, Khoa Nguyen Animal Health Company in Ho Chi Minh City, Phuong Dong International Pharma in Hanoi, Truong Phu Animal Health Company in the northern province of Hai Duong and Seabird Fish Company in HCMC were detected to sell and use Salbutamol in husbandry.

As per reports, inspectors have paid visits to 1,129 breeding farms and detected 24 companies violated the regulation, accounting for 2.2. percent; additionally inspector detected 12 out of 649 animal feeds were positive for Salbutamol.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development petitioned to the government to soon take quick testing kits to facilitate inspection mission. Moreover, the Ministry suggested the government to add Salbutamol into the list of special chemical which are under close observation to prevent people to use for the wrong purpose.

Tourist numbers soar in big cities during national holiday

Many big cities recorded a large number of tourists during the National Reunification Day and May Day holidays.

Nearly 228,000 tourists, including 42,640 foreign visitors arrived in capital city of Hanoi during the period, a year-on-year increase of 14 percent. The sector earned 646 billion VND (29 million USD), 14 percent more than the same period last year, the municipal Department of Tourism reported.

Popular attractions included the Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam (Temple of Literature) , the Thang Long Royal Citadel, the capital’s old quarter, the Hoan Kiem lake and Ngoc Son Temple.

Between April 30 and May 2, about 224,230 tourists came to the central city of Da Nang, including 44,229 foreigners, up 25 percent compared with the same period last year.

According to the Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Tran Chi Cuong, the city launched several programmes to ensure safety for beach activities amid concerns over poisoned fish.

HCM City level hospitals open more satellites to support district hospital

The Department of Health in Ho Chi Minh City and People’s Committee in Cu Chi district April 29 signed an agreement to open more satellite hospitals to support the hospital.

Director of the Department of Health Professor Nguyen Tan Binh said that in the first phase, the department will send 40 medical workers of big and prestigious hospitals to Cu Chi Hospital for examination and treatment as well as transference of techniques of maternity, pediatric, traditional medicine, eye, ear-nose- throat, dento-maxillo-facial and intensive care.

Additionally, big hospitals will provide medical equipment to Cu Chi Hospital to ensure examination and treatment task.

This time, medical workers of 10 hospitals including Children Hospital No.1, Gia Dinh People Hospital, Tu Du Maternity hospital, Binh Dan Hospital, will give examination and treatment for people at Cu Chi Hospital.

Since the date, 13 satellite medical clinics including two pediatric rooms, 4 rooms for usual diseases and one room for maternity, ear-nose-throat, dento-maxillo-facial began operation. From May 5, seven more clinics will operate.

To increase personnel for hospitals in districts, the department and Pham Ngoc Thach Medicine University continue sending young doctors who have practice license to small clinics which are short of personnel.

Additionally, the department will propose the city People’s Committee to issue a policy on supporting young doctors who volunteer to work in district hospitals.

Speaking at the agreement signature meeting Deputy Chairwoman of city People’s Committee Nguyen Thi Thu said that opening satellite hospitals is needed because  Cu Chi Hospital with 300 beds, built on the area of 4 hectare did not operate and as a result, residents in Cu Chi have to come to big hospitals.

It caused a big waste, she said.

First infection case of bird flu A/H1N1 in HCMC reported

The Department of Preventive Medicine in Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday reported the first infection case of bird flu H1N1  this year.

The 58 year old patient in Thu Duc district was being treated in the Tropical Disease Hospital. One week ago, the patient experienced high fever, cold, pain in body, diarrhea and breathing difficulty. Consequently the patient was taken to the district general hospital.

Doctors soon carried out medical tests for the patient. The tests showed that the patient was positive for the bird flu virus and the lung was damaged.

After that the patient was transferred to the Tropical Disease hospital for further treatment. The patient was recovering.

Underground walkway inaugurated in Da Nang

An underground walkway beneath Vo Nguyen Giap Street, running along My Khe beach in the central coastal city of Da Nang was opened yesterday.

The walkway was built by the investor, Holiday Beach Danang Hotel & Resort.

The underground walkway covering on an area of more than 500 square meters also includes a children’s entertainment sector, 50-seat 4D cinema, library, and handicraft shops.

The new service called “Holiday Beach-Subway” linking the pavement in west to the Holiday Beach Club gives a safe way for local people and visitors in the city because of the vehicle overloading on road.

HCM City targets illegal wet markets on 110 streets

All wet markets in Hồ Chí Minh City are likely to be cleared if the People’s Committee approves a proposal by the Department of Health.

The department has written to the administration to also set up an agency to manage food safety that will have the authority and human resources to oversee all stages of the food production process from the farm to the dining table.

The department wants the government to draw up administrative criteria for food safety to prevent unsafe food from being sold.  

According to the Department of Industry and Trade, there are around 110 streets in the city with unlicensed wet markets and street vendors selling food whose origins and quality are unknown.

The markets are found mostly in the districts of Gò Vấp, Bình Thạnh, Thủ Đức, Bình Chánh, Bình Tân, and Tân Phú.

Traffic accidents kill 111 during holiday

A total of 152 traffic accidents occurred across the country, leaving 111 dead and 138 injured during the four-day holiday from April 30 to May 3, according to the National Traffic Security Committee (NTSC).

149 accidents on roads killed 108 and injured 137 while the remaining accidents occurred on railroads, killing three, and injuring one.

The figures represented a significant decrease from the same period last year, down 25.8 percent in number of accidents, 4.3 percent in fatal accidents and 11 percent less injuries.

Ministry of Health maintains high vigilance for Zika virus

Updated information on the latest development of Zika virus and response measures suitable with the situation was the focus of a meeting of the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) held by the Ministry of Health on May 1.

According to the representative of the World Health Organisation (WHO) at the meeting, as of April 28, Zika virus has existed in 68 countries and territories and Zika infections passed by mosquitoes have been reported in 55 countries and territories.

In Vietnam, according to reports from the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE) and localities, no new Zika cases have been discovered following the reporting of two cases in Ho Chi Minh City and Khanh Hoa province.

Health experts, however, said in the near future there is a high risk of new Zika cases, especially in regions prone to dengue fever, so the number of cases may increase during the upcoming dengue fever season this summer.

The General Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health confirmed that at the moment Vietnam is applying a Level 2 warning alert according to the action plan on preventing Zika virus and to fight against the disease.

Agencies under the MoH will maintain high vigilance, and continue to take test samples with a view to early detecting and dealing with any emerging cases as well as to intensify public communications campaigns on killing mosquitoes and larvae.

The MoH will continue working closely with the WHO and international organisations to update expert instructions in the supervision, prevention and response to the Zika virus.

The WHO and the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention earlier scientifically agreed that Zika virus is one of the reasons causing small brain in babies.

Martyrs’ remains repatriated from Laos

The Vientiane Special Task Board held a ceremony on May 3 to hand over three sets of martyrs’ remains of Vietnamese volunteers and soldiers who died in Laos.

The remains were found in the capital city of Laos by the Ha Tinh provincial Special Task Board in cooperation with the Special Task Board of the Vientiane Military Command.

Addressing the ceremony, Vice Mayor of Vientiane Sihun Siththilusay acknowledged the support Vietnam provided for Laos during its revolution.

Vice Chairman of the Ha Tinh provincial People’s Committee Dang Quoc Vinh expressed his hope that the Government, Military and people of Laos will continue working with the province in the search for Vietnamese martyrs’ remains.

The Vientiane Special Task Board has found as many as 117 sets of remains of Vietnamese martyrs.

Visitors flock to tourist attractions during holiday

More than 63,000 visitors, including 6,660 foreigners, visited the President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Ba Dinh historical and cultural relic site in Hanoi during the National Reunification Day and May Day holidays that began on April 30, the mausoleum management board reported.

During the holiday, more than 10,500 people visited the Da Chong (K9) historical relic site in Hanoi ’s outlying Ba Vi district, where the body of President Ho Chi Minh was preserved between 1969-1975.

Between April 30 and May 2, about 160,000 tourists came to Cua Lo beach in the central city of Nghe An per day. Many of them were from Laos and Thailand.

Meanwhile, the southernmost province of Ca Mau received over 10,000 visitors during the holiday, doubling the figure in the same period last year.

Among the key sites in the province were the Dat Mui and Khai Long beaches in Dat Mui commune, and Hon Da Bac in Khanh Binh commune, Tran Van Thoi district.

Ninh Binh to multiply incinerator waste treatment model

The environmental authorities in the Red River Delta province of Ninh Binh said that it would multiply the waste incineration model as a way of dealing with the growing amount of garbage.

After more than one year of operation, the waste treatment facility using Losiho 500 incinerators in Khanh Thien commune, Yen Khanh district, contributed to effectively dealing with the local garbage issue and improving the lives and environment for local residents.

Due to the adverse impact of landfill on the environment, since the beginning of 2015, the province’s Centre for Scientific and Technological Information and Application under the Department of Science and Technology has implemented the project “Building a waste treatment model using Losiho 500 incinerators”.

The goal of the project, which costs 1.2 billion VND (52,000 USD), is to complete new-style rural goals in Phong An hamlet in Khanh Thien commune, and to treat garbage in Khanh Thien, Khanh Tien and Khanh Loi commune in Yen Khanh district.

Nguyen Minh Tuan, Deputy Director of the Centre, said the Losiho 500 incinerator needs only two people to operate on an area of 200 sq.m. Tests showed smoke emitting from the incinerator and air surrounding it meet Vietnam’s criteria on industrial fumes in terms of micro-dust particles and inorganic substances.

Pham Minh Sanh, chairman of Khanh Thien commune’s People’s Committee, said due to a big population and strong commercial and service development, the commune produces a huge amount of waste.

Waste collection is carried out three times a week and each month 50 tonnes of waste is disposed of at an open-air dumpsite, which is already full after just two years, Sanh said.

Ninh Binh presently dumps up to 450 tonnes of garbage each day, of which 65 percent is from rural areas, or equal to 300 tonnes, but only 5-10 percent of that waste is collected.-

Ninh Bình to continue incinerating trash

Environmental authorities in the Red River Delta province of Ninh Bình said they would use a waste incineration model to deal with garbage piling up.

After more than a year, the waste treatment facility using Losiho 500 incinerators in Khánh Thiện Commune, Yên Khánh District helped locals deal with trash pollution.

Due to the adverse impact of landfills on the environment, since the beginning of 2015, the province’s Centre for Scientific and Technological Information and Application under the Department of Science and Technology has been building a a waste treatment model using Losiho 500 incinerators.

The goal of the VNĐ1.2-billion (US$52,000) project is to complete new-style rural area goals in Phong An Hamlet in Khánh Thiện Commune, and to remove garbage from Khánh Thiện, Khánh Tiên and Khánh Lợi communes in Yên Khánh District.

According to Nguyễn Minh Tuấn, the centre’s deputy director, the Losiho 500 incinerator needs only two people to operate on an area of 200 sq.m. Tests showed that smoke emitted from the incinerator and air surrounding it met Việt Nam’s criteria on industrial fumes in terms of micro-dust particles and inorganic substances.

Phạm Minh Sanh, chairman of Khánh Thiện Commune’s People’s Committee, said that due to a big population and strong commercial development, the commune produces a huge amount of waste.

HCM City seeks to promote technology

District-level authorities in HCM City must promote scientific and technological activities in order to modernise production, a seminar heard in HCM City last week.

Nguyễn Việt Dũng director of the city Department of Science and Technology, said under a city plan for 2016 –20, each district has to draft at least three models for applying technology to improve the quality of the operations and services provided by State agencies, with priority given to the use of IT to achieve administrative reforms.

Each district has to have at least three organisations, enterprises or economic agencies supporting the use of technology to improve administration\.

All craft villages must adopt technologies for production, and 50 per cent of high schools must have creative activities.

Nguyễn Thị Thu Hoài, head of the Science and Education Division at the city Party Committee’s Propaganda-Instruction Department, said the public had recognised the benefit of application of technology in several cases: the use of IT to achieve administrative reform in District1; use of technology in health care services in Thủ Đức District and animal husbandry and agriculture in Củ Chi, Hóc Môn and Cần Giờ; and establishment of brand names “Phú Hoà Đông Rice Paper” in Củ Chi, “Củ Chi Cow Milk”, Safe vegetable Coop in Hóc Môn, Phước An Coop in Bình Chánh, Châu Tống Ornamental Fish in District 12.

Trần Văn Lan, deputy chief of the Củ Chi Propaganda-Instruction Division, said technology helped restructure the district economy and enabled it to grow at 18.96 per cent.

Its agriculture changed to focus on high-value livestock and plants like milch cows, ornamental fish, safe vegetables, and orchids, he said.

Co-operatives in Củ Chi have registered “Phú Hoà Đông Rice Paper” as a traditional craft product, developing a brand for it in the local and international markets thanks to technology application.

Meanwhile, District 1 is a model in using technology for administrative reform.

Between 2010 and 2015 it accomplished tasks like using electronic devices, perform a public poll on the work done by local cadres and officials, and informing officials about meetings using SMSs.

The poll gathered over 95,000 comments about the work done by cadres and officials, 98 per cent of which were positive.

Nguyễn Thanh Đoàn, head of the District 4 Propaganda-Instruction Division, said the district’s scientific and technological efforts were focused on waste treatment and medical waste management in residential areas.

These projects helped improve the environment, he said.

But the application of scientific and technological achievements still faced many challenges including shortage of funds at the district level, Hoài said.

Dengue fever surges in Ninh Thuận, HCM City

The number of dengue fever cases has soared in the southern province of Ninh Thuận and HCM City, although the disease often peaks in the rainy season.

Nguyễn Nhị Linh, director of Ninh Thuận Province’s Preventive Health Centre, said it was not yet an epidemic, but 287 dengue fever cases had been recorded since the beginning of this year, compared with just 10 cases reported in the same period last year.

Phan Rang-Tháp Chàm City had the highest number with over 100 cases, followed by Ninh Phưóc, Ninh Sơn and Ninh Hải districts.

Health officials blamed the rise in infections on relaxed prevention efforts.

Inspections conducted at some localities in the province have found that up to 46 per cent of households have water containers with plenty of mosquito larvae. This is a convenient environment for mosquitoes to proliferate and infect humans.

Normally, dengue fever outbreaks occur in Ninh Thuận Province during the rainy season, from June to November, as the weather is favourable for mosquitoes to thrive in containers with stagnant water, swampy areas and buckets containing rainwater around homes.

Vaccines and treatment for the dengue virus are not yet available, so Ninh Thuận Province’s Preventive Health Centre has worked with local authorities to raise residents’ awareness of dengue fever prevention.

Meanwhile, in HCM City, the number of dengue fever cases was also reportedly on the rise.

Doctor Nguyễn Hữu Hưng, deputy director of the HCM City Health Department, said 6,116 cases required hospitalisation at the end of April, an increase of 88 per cent compared with the same period last year. One fatality has been reported so far in Hóc Môn District.

Most dengue fever hotspots in the city have been controlled, he said.

The number of infections in March reached 250 cases a week, on average.

Hưng blamed the rise of hospitalisations on the fact that dengue fever reached its peak late last year.

The city plans to continue its media campaign to eliminate mosquitoes and larvae.

For efficient monitoring of disease prevention and control in the city, the municipal Preventive Health Centre has co-ordinated with the Department of Science and Technology to implement a global positioning system to chart infectious disease outbreaks on a map. This helps to quickly locate the outbreak and plan timely measures to curb the epidemic. The project has been piloted at health stations in six wards.

Dengue fever infects between 50,000 and 100,000 people in Việt Nam every year, killing nearly 100 annually, according to the Ministry of Health.

Last year, about 82,000 cases of dengue fever were recorded in the country, including 52 fatalities.

Health experts have warned that dengue fever would continue to rise.

Urbanisation, which is occurring at an alarming rate, coupled with poor sanitation and an increase in the quantities of waste and stagnant water, is one factor that contributes to the problem.

In addition, as a result of the El Nino phenomenon, severe drought in many areas has led people to store water at their homes, which creates a favourable environment for mosquitoes to breed.

Vietnam’s national plan of action for children affected by HIV

Vietnam’s national plan of action for children affected by HIV/AIDS for the 2014-2020 period targets giving 90% of these children access to health care, education, consultation, nutrition, physical development, and entertainment.

According to the plan, they will be given schooling opportunities by all schools in Vietnam.

Implementation of the plan requires the involvement of political and social organizations and the community in protecting and caring for children affected by HIV/AIDS.

The Vietnam Association for the Protection of Children’s Rights has played a leading role in this effort. It has carried out communications campaign on protecting children’s rights with a particular focus on HIV/AIDS-affected children.

It has trained a number of journalists to work with HIV/AIDS-affected children and cooperated with its local branches to help disadvantaged children.

Vu Kim Hoa, Deputy Director of the Department of Child Care and Protection, said the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Education and Training, and provincial People’s Committees have established a coordinating committee to implement the national plan of action for children affected by HIV/AIDS.

The committee will review and recommend policies on the protection and care for HIV/AIDS affected children, build an environment friendly to this group of children, and work out measures to eliminate discrimination against them. Ms. Hoa said: “Discrimination will hinder state policies on those children affected by HIV/AIDS.

If the children’s families keep them away from association workers, the children won’t be able to take advantage of state incentives. Discrimination in the community will take away their chance to attend school.”

The Vietnam Association for the Protection of Children’s Rights plans to step up communications activities calling for greater social support for children affected by HIV/AIDS.

It will establish “parents and HIV/AIDS affected children” clubs to let them share experience and help each other in daily life. The Association will also incorporate the national plan of action for children affected by HIV/AIDS into projects being carried out by its members nationwide.

Vietnamese in Czech Republic raise fund for homeland’s sea, islands

The Vietnam Culture and Art Association in the Czech Republic organised a music performance towards the fatherland’s sea and islands and national sovereignty in Prague on April 30 on the occasion of the national reunification day on April 30.

The event, the second time after the first one in 2014 and under the auspices of the Vietnamese Embassy in the Czech Republic, was held to raise money for the fund for the homeland’s sea and islands.

Pham Gia Hau, Vice President of the association and director of the event, said the association chose best songs on sea, islands and soldiers to remind all Vietnamese in the Czech Republic of their responsibility towards the national sovereignty.

Hoang Dinh Thang, Chairman of the Vietnamese People Association in the Czech Republic, took the occasion to call for contributions from the Vietnamese community to the fund for the homeland’s sea and islands.

In the first event on May 20, 2014, the Vietnamese community donated VND1.4 billion (US$61,670), which was sent to soldiers in the Truong Sa Lon island of the Truong Sa archipelago to build a culture house.

Vietnamese Ambassador to the Czech Republic Truong Manh Son appreciated activities relating to the homeland by the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic.

HCM City plans stronger food safety checks

Consumers drawn to shops advertising “clean” vegetables and fruit are beginning to question if the stores’ claims are valid.

A woman from HCM City with a two-month-old child, for example, often buys produce at a store in her district that sells safe food. But she is unsure about the quality.

“I’m confused about whether the food is clean and safe. I also want to know how the municipal authorities manage and check food at such stores,” she said.

Other consumers in the city are becoming increasingly worried, especially after many reports of food containing banned chemicals or grown with excessive pesticides.

At a roundtable on food safety and hygiene held recently by Phap Luat (Laws) newspaper, Huynh Le Thai Hoa, head of the city’s Food Safety and Hygiene Division, said more shops, both online and traditional, had emerged to meet the demand.

“Many owners of these stores, who have a genuine conscience, will access sources of food meeting safety and hygiene regulations to buy and sell it to consumers. But some store owners take advantage of consumers’ fear of unsafe food and advertise their food as being safe,” Hoa said.

The city plans to strengthen surveillance and inspection among these stores, he added.

According to a representative of the city’s Department of Industry and Trade, about 200 stores sell safe food in the city.

The designation is based on enterprises’ registration, he said, adding that the remaining were not registered at the department.

Nguyen Thi Huynh Mai, deputy head of the Food Safety and Hygiene Division, said that consumers should buy food with a logo of a safe food supply chain provided by the division.

Nguyen Thi Le Thoa, head of the office for management of food safety at the city’s Plant Protection Division, said the division would enhance surveillance at these stores besides all three wholesales markets, as well as farmers’ fields.

The division has a team that looks for advertisements of shops or people selling “clean” vegetables published on Facebook and other websites, Thoa said.

The team visits the places to ensure that the food is safe, she said, adding that the team provides guidance on food safety and hygiene regulations.

“We create conditions for anyone who wants to sell safe food,” Thoa said.

After guidance, store owners will be given time to correct their shortcomings, she said, adding that the division would then recheck at a later date.

In case of violations, the shops and owners will be fined and even shut down.

VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri