Social News 12/6 Toyota Vietnam presents prizes in dream car art contest Toyota Motor Vietnam (TMV) has organized a ceremony in Hanoi to honor 124 excellent artworks in a dream car art contest. There are 10 first, 10 second, 34 third and 70 consolation prizes with a total value of VND218 million. The organizing committee selected the top 9 artworks for participation in an international contest in Japan. The winners of the world contest and their guardians (parents or teachers) will have a chance to join a Toyota factory tour and experience Japanese culture in Tokyo in August 2016. In the school year 2015-2016, the fifth Toyota Dream Car Art Contest took place nationwide from December 21, 2015 to March 10, 2016 and attracted nearly 600,000 entries from children all over the country. The annual contest has been organized by Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) since 2004 to encourage children to show their imagination and inspire their creativity to draw their dream cars, towards the future of mobility, for a civilized, safe and better society in the future. It has attracted more attention from children in over 90 countries in the world. In Vietnam, the contest was launched in the school year 2011-2012. It has since received more than 2.3 million artworks and has become one of the national biggest art contests for children. New rhino protection campaign turns to local youths A new rhino awareness campaign has been launched at 11 international schools in HCMC to call for young people in Vietnam to speak out against the use of rhino horn. The campaign comes after the South African government announced that 363 rhinos had already been poached in the first four months of 2016 in South Africa alone. The “Vietnam, be my hero” campaign is the second phase of the Wild Rhino initiative presented by Wilderness Foundation Africa (WFA) in partnership with Peace Parks Foundation (PPF) and Soul Music Performing Arts Academy (SOUL), and launched in Vietnam in 2014. Through multimedia marketing channels, competitions and first-hand African wildlife experiences, the Wild Rhino Initiative aims to teach Vietnamese youth about rhino protection, and motivate them to become ambassadors for the cause. The second phase of the Wild Rhino campaign has been built based on activities in 2014 and 2015 that saw 15,000 young Vietnamese from 12 international schools in HCMC introduced to the crisis of rhino poaching and invited to enter the Wild Rhino Competition. From more than 1,500 winning entries, 22 young Vietnamese won a trip to South Africa for their first rhino experience, and to learn about conservation and species protection first-hand. Inspired by what they saw and learned, the young people said they would act as ambassadors for the cause. Therefore, the Vietnam, be my hero Youth Awareness Campaign was born. The campaign features messages and thoughts of these youth ambassadors on posters, educational leaflets and other marketing materials strategically provided and positioned throughout the schools. Engagement and interaction is further enabled through the Wild Rhino website, Facebook profile and Instagram feed. Representatives of WFA, PPF and SOUL visited the schools during the week of May 13-20 to launch the campaign and urge participation. The Wild Rhino Initiative forms part of a five-year rolling implementation strategy aimed at curbing the demand for rhino horn in primary user countries. Doctors remove rare fibroid trapped in cervix without surgery Director of International Hospital Phuc An Khang in Ho Chi Minh City Dr. Mai TIen Dung yesterday said that hospital doctors removed rare fibroid trapped in the cervix without surgery The patient is a 22 year old girl in HCMC who was diagnosed to have the fibroid in the cervix two years ago. The fibroid had caused menorrhagia and severe anemia impacting her work and living conditions. She was taken to the hospital because she fell unconsciously; she was soon given a transfusion two units of blood. When her health condition is stable, doctors have diagnosed her to have 5 cm fibroid. Doctors accordingly used high intensity focused ultrasound MRI-HIFU in two hour, the fibroid was totally removed. The girl is recovering and she no more suffers menorrhagia and severe anemia. The hospital covered a part of her medical fee because her family could not pay for her treatment. Vinh Long suggests Israel cooperate in climate change response   Drought hits the Mekong Delta region. The Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long has suggested Israel cooperate in developing long-term programmes on tackling climate change and helping technology transfer for regional drought and salinity prevention projects in the region. Nguyen Van Liem, Deputy Director of the provincial Agricultural and Rural Development Department, made the suggestion at a workshop on Israel’s solutions to agro-fishery enterprises in the Mekong Delta amidst drought and saltwater intrusion, held in Vinh Long city, the same name province, on June 9. Israel was asked to help the Mekong Delta and Vinh Long, in particular, develop fresh water tanks, sea water treatment systems, production technologies adaptable to drought and saltwater intrusion, design drip water systems, and build sea water prevention dykes. Israel’s Institute of Soil, Water and Environmental Sciences and companies introduced their water treatment models and projects, a green-house system, water treatment systems for aquaculture and watering equipment. According to the Southern Institute of Water Resources Research (SIWRR), 185,500 hectares of paddy, and nearly 650,000 households in the region have been seriously affected by the prolonged drought and saline intrusion during the 2015-2016 dry season. The workshop, held by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Can Tho chapter, drew nearly 100 delegates from the agro-fishery processing and exporting companies, water and environmental treatment enterprises, and business associations and trade promotion centres in the region. Man infected with Streptococcus suis saved Leading Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City yesterday said that doctors have saved a man infected with swine Streptococcus suis. 52 year old man from the Mekong delta province of An Giang was transferred from the general hospital in An Giang Province when he was suffering high fever, vomiting, serious headache, and half unconscious. Through initial diagnosis, doctors thought the patient to be infected with swine streptococcus suis; accordingly they took his fluid for testing. Test result showed that he was positive for the Streptococcus suis, doctors soon write a prescription for course of antibiotics. The man again fell into unconsciousness, hence, he had to use ventilator. After two day intensive treatment, the man was recovering. Through survey, the man works for a slaughterhouse. When he was hospitalized in his hometown, he had high fever and headache for three days yet he bought medicine from nearby pharmacy for self-treatment. Medical workers said that people can be infected with S. suis when they handle infected pig carcasses or meat, especially with exposed cuts and abrasions on their hands or people consume undercooked animal products. The rate of fatality due to Streptococcus suis is from 70 to 80 percent. Most traditional medicine in Vietnam imported from China Annually, Vietnam has consumed about 60,000 tons of traditional or herbal medicine of various kinds, and over 80 percent of herbal medicine was imported from China. Total herbal medicinal materials are harvested in Vietnam annually is 5,000 tons, reported experts at a workshop on Sustainable Development of Medicinal Materials in Vietnam jointly organized by the Nhân Dân (People) Newspaper and the Ministry of Health June 8 in Hanoi. According to the Ministry of Health, the country is one of the nations with enormous potential of herbal medicine plants and it has many rare herbs. Moreover, ethnic minority groups in the country possess a vast knowledge of herbs as medicine. The ministry’s Traditional Medicines Department Director Pham Vu Khanh said that of 12,000 plants in the country, nearly 4,000 of them can be used as medicinal herbs and they are seen in everywhere in the country. Many of them can be used for treating diseases and they are of high economic value. Most of them grow in high mountains especially in the North, and in the Highland. Though the country has enormous potential of herbs, the traditional medicine industry in the country is facing difficulties. Additionally, growing these herbs is at small scale; accordingly the country annually harvests only 5,000 tons of familiar varieties. Meantime, traders sell and buy traditional medicinal materials and just some is planted as per enterprises. Worse, there has been a loose management on exploitation of herbs; hence many rare herbs are exported to foreign countries. Mr. Khanh said that because of domestic source of herbs cannot meet the demand, therefore Vietnam has to import a large quantity of herbal medicinal materials from China. Statistic reports show that every year, the country uses approximately 60,000 tons of herbs for pharmaceutical industry and for treatment and over 80 percent of them are imported. Noticeably, most of imported herbs have unclear origin. Lack of personnel to test quality of imported hers in border crossings also causes under standard imported herbs. HCMC sets up working group to remove canal houses The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee has established a ten member working group led by the committee’s deputy chairman Le Van Khoa to remove houses on and along canals in eight districts. The move accords with the 10th congress’ resolution of the city Party Committee on urban planning in the phase of 2016-2020. The group will consult for the committee’s standing board about policies related to compensation and resettlement, employment for relocated households and better organization of their lives. Binh Dinh province helps fishermen locate fishing areas Having the largest fleet of offshore fishing vessels, the central province of Binh Dinh has implemented a line-up of measures to help local fishermen locate fishing areas and avoid violating foreign territorial waters. The province has asked local authorities to encourage local trawlers to continue offshore fishing by equipping them with high-frequency communication equipment integrated with the global positioning system (GPS). Ship owners have been requested to keep contact with the mainland radio stations and turn on the long-haul land mobile communication devices so that the stations can monitor the fishing vessels and stop them from violating foreign maritime sovereignty. Strict punishment will be handed out to individuals illegally fishing out at sea in line with Government Decree No.103/2013/ND-CP, which stipulates the handling of administrative violations in fishery activities. Furthermore, the province has also recommended the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to enhance negotiation for cooperation in seafood exploitation with regional countries to enlarge legal fishing areas. Patrols will be increased among the Vietnam Fisheries Resources Surveillance, the Vietnam Coast Guard and the naval force to protect Vietnamese fishermen and prevent foreign vessels from entering Vietnamese waters. Binh Dinh province has so far provided more than 2,250 communication devices and 4,000 maritime boundary diagrams for local fishermen so far as well as delivered documents related to sea and island sovereignty. Hoa Binh speeds up drainage, sewage treatment system The northern city of Hoa Binh is speeding up the construction of a drainage system and sewage treatment facility given its importance to preventing water pollution downstream of the Da river which a key fresh water supplier for Hanoi. The 23.5 million EUR project has been on-going since late 2015. Its funding has 15.7 million EUR coming from the German government’s Official Development Assistance (ODA); 1.52 million EUR in a non-refundable aid from the government of Switzerland; over 4.4 million EUR as corresponding capital from the State and nearly 1.9 million EUR from the local budget. The project involves construction of a master sewer, 16 wells to separate rain water and sewage; 1,004 catch pits, 4 pump stations and a sewage treatment plant using biological treatment technology with a capacity of 5,120 cubic meters a day. Head of the municipal Urban Managing Department Nguyen Viet Hung said the project has been deployed in five wards of Phuong Lam, Dong Tien, Tan Thinh, Thinh Lang and Tan Hoa and a part of Su Ngoi commune. Two out of the six contracts for the project are being implemented, while the other four will be executed in a timely fashion, he added. Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Xuan Huy said that upon completion, the project will reduce and even prevent the risk of water pollution downstream of the Da river, helping meet the city’s environmental protection, as well as the capital city of Hanoi’s water resource targets. Hoa Binh speeds up drainage, sewage treatment system The northern city of Hoa Binh is speeding up the construction of a drainage system and sewage treatment facility given its importance to preventing water pollution downstream of the Da river which a key fresh water supplier for Hanoi. The 23.5 million EUR project has been on-going since late 2015. Its funding has 15.7 million EUR coming from the German government’s Official Development Assistance (ODA); 1.52 million EUR in a non-refundable aid from the government of Switzerland; over 4.4 million EUR as corresponding capital from the State and nearly 1.9 million EUR from the local budget. The project involves construction of a master sewer, 16 wells to separate rain water and sewage; 1,004 catch pits, 4 pump stations and a sewage treatment plant using biological treatment technology with a capacity of 5,120 cubic meters a day. Head of the municipal Urban Managing Department Nguyen Viet Hung said the project has been deployed in five wards of Phuong Lam, Dong Tien, Tan Thinh, Thinh Lang and Tan Hoa and a part of Su Ngoi commune. Two out of the six contracts for the project are being implemented, while the other four will be executed in a timely fashion, he added. Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Xuan Huy said that upon completion, the project will reduce and even prevent the risk of water pollution downstream of the Da river, helping meet the city’s environmental protection, as well as the capital city of Hanoi’s water resource targets. EVN to meet power demand in June The national power system is able to meet additional power demands this month, according to the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) Group. The group said that the maximum load capacity is close to 28,530 MW while the power consumption in June is estimated at 540 million kWh per day. The EVN has set objectives of exploiting hydropower plants in line with ensuring sufficient water for production in the lower parts of rivers. It will also make full use of gas turbines and coal-fired thermal power as well as mobilise power from O Mon and Ca Mau oil-fuelled plants in the southern region if necessary. The group has asked its subsidiary companies to ensure a sufficient power supply to serve the national high school graduation examination period, as well as implement anti-flooding plans to assure power during the storm season this year. In the first five month of this year, the total electricity output was estimated at 72.6 billion kWh, up 13.1 percent against the same period last year. In May alone, the electricity output was 16.52 billion kWh. Electricity of Vietnam accelerates electricity projects The Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) has stepped up the progress of electricity projects to ensure they are all completed on schedule. The company will put turbine No. 2 with a capacity of 400 MW of the Lai Chau Hydroelectric Plant into operation before June 15, while turbine No. 2 with a capacity of 260 MW at the Huoi Quang Hydroelectric Plant will begin generating electricity before June 20. The installation of the rotor of turbine No 2 in Song Bung Hydroelectric Plant has been completed. Other power projects like the thermal electric plants of Vinh Tan 4, Duyen Hai 3 and Thai Binh, the expansion of the Thac Mo Hydroelectric Plant and Da Nhim Hydroelectricity Plant are all on schedule. EVN has also sped up the pace of work on transmission grid projects such as the Pleiku 2 500kV transformer station, the Ham Tan and My Xuan 220kV transformer stations and the Ba Don – Dong Hoi 220kV transmission line. The National Power Transmission Corporation has focused its efforts on the construction of transmission projects for Hanoi, including the Hiep Hoa-Dong Anh-Bac Ninh 2 500/220 kV transmission line, the Hoa Binh – western Hanoi 220 kV transmission line, and transformer stations in western Hanoi, Dong Anh and Long Bien districts. The project supplying electricity to the Lai Son island commune in Kien Giang province has completed 80 percent of work in installing an undersea 110 kV transmission line. The grid on the island is completed.- Localities asked to take measure to prevent rabies The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has directed localities nationwide to strengthen measures to effectively prevent the occurrence and spread of rabies this summer. Localities are asked to increase communication among the community on the danger and symptoms of rabies as well as preventive measures against the disease, which is transmitted to humans from infected dogs, cats and other animals. Guidance on how to react when bitten by dogs and cats will also be given to people, while animal owners are requested to vaccinate their pets and not let them wander around without a chain and muzzle. The People’s Committees at communes are directed to count the number of dogs and cats in their localities and work with veterinary agencies to hold vaccination programmes for the animals. The Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology reported that last year, 394,000 people were bitten by dogs last year, resulting in 78 deaths in 29 localities. So far this year, 18 people have been killed by rabies in 10 provinces, including Thai Nguyen, Thanh Hoa and Tay Ninh. Particularly, in Thanh Hoa there were 781 cases of people being bitten, 3 of them were diagnosed with rabies. The reason behind the death toll, was the low vaccination rate among dogs in those localities, and a lack of necessary injections for those who were bitten and infected. According to statistics from across the country, in 2015, there were 9 million pet dogs nationwide. However, only 3.89 million of them received immunisation. Expansion of U Minh Ha National Park gets approval The Prime Minister has approved the expansion of the U Minh Ha National Park in the southernmost province of Ca Mau by nearly 250 hectares from the original acreage stipulated in Decision 112/QD-TTg dated January 20, 2006. Accordingly, the enlarged Park will have a total area of 8,527.8 hectares, spreading across Khanh Binh Tay Bac and Tran Hoi communes of Tran Van Thoi district and Khanh An and Khanh Lam communes of U Minh district. More than 2,590 ha are designated as the core zone subject to strict protection, mostly forest on peatland, while 5,190.5 hectares are zoned off for preserving and restoring the cajeput forest biological systems. The remaining area, 743 ha, is used for administrative and support facilities as well as eco-tourism activities. Scientific research conducted in 2010 revealed that the park was home to distinctive flora and fauna including 32 mammal species and 74 bird species. The park is currently home to 700-800 heads of deer, hundreds of wild boars and a variety of precious birds like painted storks and pelicans. U Minh Ha National Park was recognised by UNESCO as one of the three core zones of the Ca Mau World Biosphere Reserve in June 2009. Dong Nai prioritises environmental protection Dong Nai will make environmental protection its top priority, while soliciting investment in its industrial parks. “Dong Nai province is now focused on attracting investment in technology and bio-technology which can limit pollution,” Vo Van Chanh, deputy chairman of the province People’s Committee, told Vietnam News Agency. “Polluting industries, like electro-plating, dyeing and textiles, will not be granted licences any more.” Since 2009 the province and the Ministry of Natural Resource and Environment have regularly inspected polluting companies, blacklisting 157 for serious pollution, fining them, and ordering them to improve the situation. Thanks to these efforts, 146 of them cleaned up their act and are off the blacklist as of May, the news agency reported. Most of the 157 businesses are situated in Bien Hoa Industrial Park number 1, the country’s first industrial park (IP). It was built in 1964 and does not have a wastewater treatment system. All wastewater from the park is emptied directly into the Dong Nai River, severely polluting it. The province has sought Government permission to move its tenants to the Giang Dien IP in Trang Bom district. All of the province’s 29 IPs have wastewater treatment systems, and 20 of them have automatic measurement stations to monitor pollution. “These automatic measurement stations send all information about the quality of wastewater to the provincial department of Natural Resource and Environment every 30 minutes,” said Nguyen Ngoc Thuong, deputy director of the department. "This helps discover offenders and prevents any plant from polluting," he said. The province wants to set up automatic measurement stations at six more IPs this year. It has also instructed relevant authorities to step up inspections to ensure normal and harmful solid wastes are collected and to ensure enterprises link their wastewater systems to their IP drainage system. Three more IPs are under construction in the province. Dong Nai has 1,600 foreign projects funded by 35 nations and territories, with a combined investment total of 29 billion USD. MoH asks to inspect X-ray machines across country The health departments of 63 cities and provinces have been ordered to quickly conduct a review and check on X-ray equipment and equipment used in nuclear medicine and radiation therapy. The order was issued by the Ministry of Health. The request came after local press reported the use of X-ray machines, X-ray computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines in HCM City which failed to meet the safety standards of radiation, causing panic among patients. As reported, the Hoà Hảo Medic Medical Centre, which is located in HCM City’s District 10, installed the magnetic resonance imaging machines and other kinds of scanners right next to the wall of local residents’ houses. Local press claimed the distance was some 1.5 metres. Many private health clinics in the city also reportedly used unlicensed X-ray machines, posing health risks to the people living nearby. A private health clinic in District 12’s Đông Hưng Thuận Ward was cited as an example. In response to the people’s concerns, the ministry asked the director of the city’s Health Department to check the management and use of radiation devices, radiotherapy sources and medical equipment using nuclear medicine in the city. For the two cases of violation reported by the local press recently, the department must report the incident and propose penalties to the ministry before June 14. The ministry also asked the departments of health in other cities and provinces to strengthen measures to inspect health clinics that use similar devices. Violations must be reported to ensure the safety of people. Under the ministry’s regulations, X-ray equipment must be inspected once a year by authorised agencies appointed by the Ministry of Science and Technology. In case these machines are placed in residential areas, they must meet the conditions of radiation shielding to ensure the safety of people nearby. MARD supplies chemicals for seafood disease prevention The Prime Minister has instructed the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) to supply 120 tonnes of aquatic disease prevention chemicals to three provinces. The Mekong Delta province of Kiên Giang will receive 50 tonnes of chemicals, Nghệ An central province will get 20 tonnes, while the the Hà Tĩnh central province will receive 50 tonnes. According to MARD in Kiên Giang Province, the department officials, in co-ordination with local authorities, will guide farmers on technical measures they can adopt to overcome the loss of shrimp breeding areas that were damaged by prolonged drought, saline intrusion and diseases over the months. Besides providing care and disease prevention for shrimp destined for consumption, farmers should also focus on ensuring the safety of new batches of shrimp, the officials said. Last month, more than 328ha of shrimp and crab farms were plagued by diseases in Hà Tĩnh Province. HCM City authorities ban gender selection for unborn babies The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee issued a decision to ban gender selection for unborn babies because there has been gender imbalance at birth. Following the decision, the People’s Committee asked the Department of Health to instruct medical facilities in the city not to provide services relating to gender selection as well as forbid doctors to help couples to select unborn babies’ gender. Health authority must increase information of consequences of gender imbalance and the regulation to forbid gender selection. Health inspectors must pay regular visits to medical facilities to tighten the law. The Department of Communications and Information is responsible for spreading information of gender imbalance to raise the public’s awareness. All departments, districts and health sector tighten control of gender selection and consider it as one of socio-economic growth standard. Millions lost in National Highway 1 upgrade Recent inspections by the Ministry of Finance has shown that the project to upgrade and expand a long section of National Highway 1 has ballooned in cost VND1.8trn (USD81.8m) due to various violations. The cost to upgrade 438km of the highway, running through eight provinces and cities, was set at VND27.8trn. But the inspections revealed a series of violation in all provinces and cities from Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan, that pushed the cost up by VND1.8trn. Approving wrong final accounts and declarations are serious violations to the law on the state budget. This problem has also been put on table from many National Assembly deputies because of the impact on funding through a budget deficit, especially for major projects like upgrading national highways. This is not a new problem and violations have been discovered at many projects. Highway 1 is a huge project and has racked-up huge loss. Though the spending plan was incorrect, the investors didn't cut expenditure in accordance with reality. In addition, even when the project was scaled down, spending stayed the same even though there could have been savings of up to VND545bn. At some localities, investors and project managers even created extra jobs that were not necessary to justify the VND182.6bn price tag. Moreover, the inspectorate discovered a VND5.2trn depreciation reserve fund that was founded on flimsy grounds. The inspectors from the Ministry of Finance successfully discovered the wrongdoings and prevented a potentially huge loss of money. However, the Ministry of Transport alone shouldn’t take responsibility for the case, the Ministry of Planning and Investment and even the Ministry of Finance must also take blame as they reviewed and provided financial consultancy. Yet in the report, the inspectors have only proposed to review and punish officials at the Ministry of Transport. Huge projects like the National Highway 1 upgrade must be scrutinised right from the start so its concept as well as the funding remain realistic. Inspectorate and audit agencies must participate in the project in the early stages to discover violations, instead of waiting for the whole thing to be completed. Vietnamese man creates e-car from bamboo An engineer from the central province of Quang Nam has made electric cars even more enviro-friendly. Vo Tan Tan, 38, the man who has previously wowed visitors to Hoi An City with his bamboo bikes, has now put his passion toward four-wheels, which he has also made mostly from the same material. Testing his electric bamboo car on Cua Dai Bridge, Tan told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters that he had been creating the vehicle for the past three months. “The car is in its completion phase,” Tan said, explaining that he will install some accessories, lights, and external decorations. The car features neatly nailed bamboo sticks, giving it a firm, but aesthetically pleasing look with precise curves at the rear. Running completely on electricity, the vehicle outperforms many of its gasoline-fueled counterparts, according to many pilot passengers. “Eighty percent of the car is made from bamboo,” the 38-year-old said, adding that he only used other materials for parts that are not replaceable with bamboo, as his ultimate goal in developing the car is to protect the environment. Tan said his car can carry six adults and has a maximum speed of 30 kilometers per hour. When fully charged, it can travel from Hoi An City to Da Nang, a central resort city, about 50 kilometers away. The engineer added that he is asking for permission from Hoi An authorities to transport visitors with the car to promote tourism as well as environmental protection. His creation has attracted lots of attention from locals, including one resort manager who has placed an order for two bamboo cars. Nguyen Van Dung, chairman of the Hoi An City People’s Committee, said that the municipal authority is planning a project that would see tourists carried by electric car. Dung said that Tan’s idea is so innovative as his overall concept is to utilize enviro-friendly components to prevent the environment from being polluted. “We [the committee] are totally in favor of Tan’s idea as long as the car meets travel safety requirements,” he said. Flood control brick wall fences off thousands in HCM City Hundreds of households along a main street in Ho Chi Minh City have been fenced off by a brick wall in preparation for a large-scale road surface elevation, the city’s latest attempt to deal with chronic flooding. A three-kilometer brick wall has recently been erected along Kinh Duong Vuong Street in Binh Tan District to make way for an upcoming road surface elevation project. The project is part of the city’s latest attempt to deal with chronic flooding caused by downpours and high tides that affect the lives of millions living in sunken areas in the city. The wall has blocked the entrance to houses on the street, turning ground floors into basements and forcing businesses to close down, with some residents putting up ‘for sale’ signs due to the uninhabitable conditions. Some have made temporary measures to cope with the situation, by either building their own ‘overpass’ to get into and out of their homes, or by completely destroying the ceiling of the ground floor, which has been towered over by the newly built wall. Some stretches of the wall rise as high as over one meter from the ground, the height to which the road surface will be elevated. Tien, a grocery store owner on the street, said construction workers began building the wall about a month ago, leaving only a small gap to access his house. “My house was built to last so it’s very hard to renovate,” Tien said. “I’m worried that my ground floor will turn into a basement once they finish construction.” Many other residents and business owners have also complained about the negative impact the wall will have on their lives and business. In response to the complaints, the Steering Center of the Urban Flood Control Program, the manager of the project, said that it had temporarily put the construction on hold to await directions from the municipal People’s Committee. The project manager’s representative confirmed, however, that the construction of the wall was in line with blueprints approved by the city’s transport department, which specify that the height of the new road would be two meters in the middle and 1.7 meters on either side. The representative added that the wall was built to prevent sand and stones from infiltrating residents’ houses during construction, as well as marking the new height of the elevated road. According to Nguyen Minh Nhut, Vice Chairman of the Binh Tan People’s Committee, the district had held a meeting with local residents to announce the road surface elevation project prior to its commencement, and 90% of households had agreed to move forward. “Perhaps they didn’t anticipate how high the new road surface would be until the wall was actually built,” Nhut said. According to Nhut, over 500 households will be affected by the project, which elevates three kilometers of road surface from 0.4 to 1.3 meters. Bach Long Vi island district promotes biodiversity Holding a significant strategic geopolitical position in the Gulf of Tokin, Bach Long Vi island district in the northern port city of Hai Phong is endowed with rich biodiversity, especially coral reefs and rare flora and fauna. According to former deputy head of the Vietnam Administration of Sea and Islands Nguyen Chu Hoi, the island is home to a species of sea grass, 65 seaweed species, 94 coral species, 110 species of marine zooplankton, 227 species of marine phytoplankton, and 451 species of marine fish. It also boasts 17 species of mangroves and 125 benthic or seafloor dwelling species, he said. Covering around 2.5 square kilometres when the tide is rising and about 4 square kilometres when the tide is receding, Bach Long Vi holds enormous potential, particularly in processing, fishing logistics services, maritime preservation, and seafood breeding. In the near future it is planned to develop tourism, oil and gas services, navigation, and search and rescue on the island. Tran Thi Thuy Nga from the College of Economics and Trade said the re-afforestation on the island is one of the top priorities to prevent land erosion. Recovering coral reefs, which were destroyed by previous fishing activities, is essential alike to maintain and promote the biological diversity, she said. She also suggested enhancing management capacity to address sewage discharged from fishing activities, overexploitation, and oil spills. Apart from encouraging scientific research to discover more aquatic species and devise effective management and protection measures, improving technology to raise valuable and highly-economical species is as important, she said. It is advisable to build eco-tourism development models that are environmentally friendly, she recommended. She also suggested developing the household economy, encouraging locals to join tourism activities and environmental protection, as well as increasing incomes for islanders and diversifying investment sources for biological preservation. The municipal People’s Committee should get engaged in international organsiations on natural preservation to promote the image of Bach Long Vi island to the world and attract foreign tourists, she said. VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri