Social News 29/6 Bodies of 8 out of 9 Casa 212 crew members found Eight bodies of the Casa 212 crew that crashed near the Bach Long Vy Island in the northern city of Hai Phong two weeks ago have been recovered, an army official said Tuesday. Vice Admiral Pham Ngoc Minh, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army, said that search teams found two more bodies on June 28 and all eight bodies were taken to shore on late that day. "Now all efforts will focus on looking for the body of the last crew member," Minh said Ealier, the bodies of four other crew members were recovered on June 23 and 24. Two more bodies and the black boxes of the plane were retrieved on June 27, about 20 nautical miles southeast of Bach Long Vi island. Two black boxes of the Casa 212 plane were retrieved on June 27. The Ministry of Defense is working with experts to analyse the black box and debris to find out the cause of the crash. Speaking with DTiNews on June 22, Lai Xuan Thanh, head of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam said that Airbus, the maker of the sea patrol plane, would co-operate with the ministry to identify the reasons behind the incident. "The company will provide human resources, equipment, technical and financial support for Vietnam to analyse the causes of the crash," Thanh said. The Casa 212 carrying nine flight crew crashed on June 16 near Bach Long Vy Island while searching for the pilot of a missing Su-30 Mk2 fighter jet. The defense ministry believes the plane was flying at low altitude when it crashed due to bad weather. Criteria to better Ho Chi Minh City discussed   Experts have raised ideas to build a set of criteria to develop Ho Chi Minh City into a city with a good quality of life, civilisation, modernity and friendliness during a seminar on June 28-30. The criteria will involve socio-cultural, environment-urbanisation, health care-education, political and economic aspects. Tran Anh Tuan, Acting Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Development Studies (HIDS), said the criteria are based on the global comparative base – a strategic policy tool to monitor the progress of meeting the criteria. Nguyen Minh Hoa, Dean of the Urban Science Faculty from the Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Sciences and Humanity (USSH), said the criteria should be comprehensive and flexible in each field. Director of the Hoa Sen University’s Centre for Gender and Social Studies Thai Thi Ngoc Du suggested adding non-discrimination against immigrants, women and those of unusual sexual trends into the criteria. Underscoring the safety factor in people’s lives, Tran Ngoc Them from the USSH said the criteria should be people-centred and develop cultured, honest and law-abiding people. The public voice must be respected and their lives should be ensured in terms of economic and social security, he said. The seminar is co-hosted by the HIDS and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Hanoi cracks down on human trafficking Hanoi police have busted two cases of trafficking six women to China in the first half of 2016, lieutenant colonel Le Khac Son, deputy head of the Hanoi Police Department’s Division of Administration on Social Security said at a press conference on June 28. Traffickers convinced the victims that they would secure stable-income jobs at shops selling clothes or shoes in border provinces, such as Quang Ninh, Lang Son, Lao Cai and Cao Bang. In fact, they were taken to China and forced to work as prostitutes. After escaping to return home, the women reported the traffickers to the police, leading to their arrests. The officer said the fight against human trafficking is facing difficulties due to increasing numbers of migrant workers and entertainment facilities in the capital city. Easy travel between Vietnam and China and among ASEAN member states has also facilitated traffickers, while this type of crime is normally uncovered only after their victims escape and tell the police. Hanoi is implementing a range of programmes for 2016-2020 to boost police capacity and connectivity in combating human trafficking. Hot spots including road and railway routes linking Hanoi to border provinces and international air routes have been constantly on the radar screen. Public security force urged to enhance capacity Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked the People’s Public Security force to focus on enhancing capacity in controlling, analysing and forecasting security situations to give timely advice to the Party and State on policies and measures to protect social security and order serving socio-economic development. Addressing a conference on June 28 to review the force’s performance in the first half of this year, the PM urged police at all units and localities to actively implement plans to ensure security and order, and avoid falling into a passive position during any situation. It is necessary to guarantee security in strategic areas such as the northwestern, Central Highlands, and southwestern regions, he requested. The PM directed the force to hold regular raids on criminals for eliminating social vice hot spots, reducing dangerous crime types and preventing the increase of crimes. Noting the force’s tough tasks in the rest of the year in the context of a complicated world, region and domestic situation, he directed the force to update itself on the new Party’s orientations on security and public security force building stated in the 12th Party Congress resolution. Along with speeding up the judicial reform, the force should apply breakthrough solutions to prevent and combat organised, trans-national, high technology and other types of crimes. The Government leaders also asked for more efforts in improving the effectiveness of State management over security in line with the administrative reform towards openness and transparency. The force should conduct synchronous measures to ensure traffic safety and prevent fires and explosions, while assisting people during natural disasters, and coordinating closely with other sectors and forces to protect security, he said. Particularly, he stressed the need to optimise the operational efficiency of communal police, as well as stronger responsibility of organisations, schools, enterprises and families in protecting social security and order. The PM also requested the Party Committee of the Public Security Ministry to continue realising the resolution on Party building in association with the building of the force. According to Public Security Minister, General To Lam, in the first six months of this year, the People’s Public Security force proposed to the Party and State a number of strategic policies as well as specific solutions to safeguard national security and social safety and order. The force effectively and timely foiled all hostile schemes, while actively resolving emerging social security problems and ensuring absolute safety for the country’s major political events, including the 12th Party Congress and the general election in May, he said. He also noted that the prevention and fight against criminals showed effective signs, with decreased number of criminal cases and traffic accidents, added General To Lam. Efforts made by the force have contributed to protecting the country’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as national security and interests, serving the country’s socio-economic development, he stated.- VFF efforts contribute to May general election’s success Efforts of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) at all levels contributed significantly to the success of the general election in May this year, affirmed Nguyen Thien Nhan, Politburo member and President of the Front’s Central Committee. Speaking at the VFF conference in the central city of Da Nang on June 28, Nhan, who is also Deputy Chairman of the National Election Council, noted that over 99 percent of the voters went to the poll during election of deputies to the 14th National Assembly and all-level People’s Councils for the 2016-2021 tenure on May 22. This showed the strong awareness and political responsibility of citizens in choosing their worthy representatives in the National Assembly and people-elected agencies in localities, he said. According to VFF Vice President and General Secretary Tran Thanh Man, the VFF Central Committee and its bodies in localities worked in close coordination with the authorities and election agencies during the organisation of the election. However, he pointed out that some localities paid inadequate attention to communications on the election, leading to a wide gap among localities in the numbers of voters joining meetings with NA candidates. He asked the VFF bodies at all levels to draw lessons and seek measures to improve their working efficiency at the next elections. According to the National Election Council, on the election day, 67,049,091 out of 67,485,428 eligible voters nationwide, or 99.35 percent, went to the polls. Localities with high voting rate included Gia Lai, Quang Nam, Thua Thien-Hue, Tra Vinh and Yen Bai with 99.99 percent, followed by Hoa Binh with 99.98 percent and Ben Tre, 99.97 percent. As many as 78 members of central and local bodies of the VFF succeeded at the votes, two more people than the previous tenure, accounting for 15.73 percent of the total elected NA deputies nationwide. On the occasion, the VFF Central Committee also presented certificates of merit to 63 collectives and 189 individuals for their outstanding performance in the organisation of the election. Effective measures needed to ensure traffic safety Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh has requested ministries, agencies and localities to work together more closely towards reducing the number of traffic accidents, deaths and injuries in 2016, by 5-10 percent. While presiding over a teleconference in Hanoi on June 28 held by the National Committee for Traffic Safety to review traffic safety and order in the first half of this year and roll out tasks for the remaining months of this year, the official called for greater efforts to ease traffic jams and prevent serious traffic accidents. The Deputy PM stressed that ensuring traffic safety and order requires the involvement of the entire political system. To meet the target, localities nationwide were asked to closely monitor the operation of transport companies specialising in road and internal waterways, especially passenger services. Deputy PM Binh also called for closer coordination between agencies and localities in applying information and technologies in the work, and drawing up projects on road traffic safety for 2016-2020. The committee reported that from December 16, 2015 to June 15, 2016, 10,227 traffic accidents occurred nationwide, leaving 8,939 people injured and 4,362 dead, a drop of only 2.59 percent in the number of deaths. May and June have recorded numbers of deaths caused by traffic accidents at higher levels than for the same periods last year, with the most fatal being a case in the central province of Binh Thuan and another in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong, which together killed 20 people and injured tens of others. Internal waterways also witnessed a number of serious accidents, causing great human and property losses with the latest incident being a boat capsized on the Han river in the central city of Da Nang on the night of June 4, which left three dead. 25pct of communes nationwide expected to be new rural areas Vietnam is striving to have nearly 25 percent of communes nationwide meeting the criteria for new-style rural areas later this year, the Central Steering Committee for the National Target Programme on new rural construction said. During a conference to review the committee’s six-month activities and launch tasks for the remaining months of this year, Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue asked the Ministry of Planning and Investment to examine the programme next month so that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development could refine the set of criteria to submit to the PM for approval. Delayed payment of debts for construction in building new-style rural areas must be dealt with, he said, adding that the criteria should vary in each locality and take into account socio-cultural, security and order, and environment aspects. Ministries and agencies’ working agenda should focus on the effort, contributing to better executing the programme for 2016-2020, he said. At the event, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat urged localities to upgrade infrastructure, particularly in poor and especially disadvantaged communes, promote manufacturing by value chain to ensure hygiene and adapt to climate change, while putting forward mechanisms to improve the rural environment. According to the committee, as many as 1,965 communes nationwide, or 22 percent of the total, have achieved new rural area status, up 4.9 percent from late 2015. Twenty-three wards nationwide have been granted the status. Ten others are preparing documents to submit to the PM for consideration. This year, the country plans to raise more than 263.1 trillion VND (11.95 billion USD) for the programme, including over 7.3 trillion VND from the State budget. As of January 31, 2016, the total debt for basic construction in the programme amounted to 15.2 trillion VND (69 million USD), as reported by 52 out of 62 cities and provinces nationwide. Ethnic, religious policies prove fruitful in first six months Ethnic and religious work was carried out effectively during the first half of this year, according to the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Mass Mobilisation. Thao Xuan Sung, deputy head of the commission, reported at a conference in Hue city, in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue, on June 28 that Party and State policies towards ethnic minority groups have proven fruitful. New-style rural area building, poverty reduction and social welfare in ethnic minority-inhabited areas received due attention, he said, adding that efforts were made to ensure the normal practice of religions as well as political security and social order and safety in these localities. Sung noted that up to 86 out of 496 newly-elected deputies to the 14 th National Assembly belong to ethnic minority groups, up 1.7 percent against the figure recorded in the previous tenure. The religions coordinated with the Fatherland Front at different levels to encourage their followers to go to the polls, significantly contributing to the success of the election of deputies to the 14 th legislature and all-level People’s Councils which took place last May. Religious associations also enthusiastically responded to patriotic movements and partook in social activities. The commission aims to improve its performance in the mass mobilisation work among ethnic minority groups and revamp the operation of the Fatherland Front and organisations in the ethnic minority-inhabited areas, Sung said. HCM City OK’s construction plan for coach station The HCM City People’s Committee has approved a scale construction model for the Miền Tây (Western) coach station on 20ha in Bình Chánh District’s An Phú Tây Commune. It will replace the existing station in District 6. Accessible by both road and waterway, it will lie at the junction of National Highway No.1A, the HCM City-Trung Lương Expressway and Nguyễn Văn Linh Avenue. It is expected to handle 2,500 buses leaving for the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta daily and 50,000 passengers. The station will be designed based on transit-oriented development (TOD) principles, meaning it will have hotel, office, retail, and other commercial developments integrated into it like other public transport systems such as the metro Line No.3a, monorail No.2, and bus rapid transit systems. It was originally planned to be built in Tân Kiên Commune in Bình Chánh, but in 2014 the city sought the Ministry of Transport’s clearance to move it to An Phú Tây. The Saigon Transportation Mechanical Corporation (SAMCO), which will handle the development, has been instructed to complete the detailed construction plan by year-end. The cost and other details are not known yet. The People’s Committee has also approved the 1:500 plan for a new Miền Đông (Eastern) coach station in District 9 to replace the existing one in Bình Thạnh District. The 160,000sq.m facility will cost VNĐ4 trillion (US$179.32 million), according to SAMCO. A fourth of it will actually lie in Bình Dương Province’s Dĩ An Commune. The bus station will include a 26-storey building for parking lots and public facilities, a two-storey building for bus stops, a five-storey building for storing goods and a 15-storey service and commercial building. Book about Prof. Tran Van Khe launched A book featuring well-respected Professor Tran Van Khe was presented to the public Sunday to kickstart the Tran Van Khe scholarship fund, which was established following Khe’s last wish. Khe, one of the greatest masters of traditional Vietnamese music, said in his will made before he passed away in June last year that he wanted all money donations at his funeral to go to a scholarship fund or research projects on traditional Vietnamese music. The book “Tran Van Khe – Tam va Nghiep” (Tran Van Khe – soul and profession) aims to express gratitude to the late professor and start Tran Van Khe scholarship fund with 40% of proceeds from the book’s sales revenue contributed to the fund. Published by Hanoi-based Thai Ha Book Company and Lao Dong Publishing House, “Tran Van Khe – Tam va Nghiep” is a collection of write-ups about Professor Khe by his friends and students on the occasion of his first death anniversary. In his will, Khe said his house on Huynh Dinh Hai Street in HCMC’s Binh Thanh District would be used as Tran Van Khe’s memorial area where visitors can do research thanks to the availability of great volumes of documents, magazines, music discs, movies, musical instruments, recorders, paintings, photos and other items featuring his career. Nguyen Thi Quyet Tam reelected as HCMC People’s Council Chairwoman The new People’s Council in Ho Chi Minh City People’s Council serving in term IX, 2016- 2021 tenure, this morning elected Mrs. Nguyen Thi Quyet Tam as Chairwoman of the Council in the council’s first session which is scheduled to focus on election of chairman, vice chairmen, chiefs and vice chiefs of the HCMC People’s Committee and its departments. Mr. Nguyen Thi Anh was also reelected as Vice Chairwoman of the council. Mr. Pham Duc Hai who was the Editor in Chief of Tuoi Tre Newspaper was elected as the second Vice Chairman of the council. Right after the elections of the leaders of People’s Council, council members will start electing personnel for People’s Committee including chairman, vice chairmen, members of the HCMC People’s Committee in 2016- 2021 tenure, members of departments of the HCMC People’s Committee, Juror of Ho Chi Minh City People’s Court.  HCMC People’s Council will also discuss, vote and promulgate resolutions on regular sessions in 2016. At the meeting, Chairman of Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee in Ho Chi Minh City Nguyen Hoang Nang will also report voters’ ideals, petitions on which the council will outline key programs focusing on issues that voters have raised their voice over. Hanoi pays supervision to private medical clinics To tighten management on activities of private medical clinics in Hanoi, city Health Department yesterday asked these facilities must publicize the practical certificates of doctors and nurses. The list of the private institutes’ doctors and nurses as well as the Department of Health’s hot line (043.998.5765) must be placed in easy-to-see position in the clinics where health inspectors and patients can see. The local health agencies will check how private medical clinics to carry out the Health Department's requirement. Since now on, the department will pay regular visits to these private medical clinics which are located near public hospitals. Additionally, health officials will check private medical rooms in doctors’ house, pharmacies and pharmaceutical companies. Through supervision, health inspectors will address and instruct private clinics to observe regulation in providing treatment and selling medicine. Moreover, inspectors will issue penalties such as administrative fines, revoking practical certificates, business certificates if they detect violations. Director of the Department of Health Nguyen Khac Hien said that currently, Hanoi has 29 private hospitals and 2,736 medical clinics and thousands of pharmacies. These facilities provided treatment to patients accordingly helping reducing pressure on public hospitals. However, last time some of them violated regulations causing threats to patients’ lives. INGOs’ support for health sector discussed in Hanoi A health partnership meeting on the harmonisation of development partners and international non-governmental organisations (INGO) support for 2016-2020 opened in Hanoi on June 28. Organised by the Ministry of Health ,the meeting discussed measures to harmonise assistance. It also introduced an online data base on support of development partners and INGOs for Vietnam’s health sector. Head of the ministry’s International Cooperation Department Tran Thi Giang Huong highlighted the role and contributions of development partners and INGOs to the country’s healthcare, saying their support has contributed to strengthening financial and technical resources for localities in particular and the health sector at large in order to implement the national health targets. According to data from the People’s Aid Coordinating Committee in 2015 the number of INGO projects in the sector were 400 with a total committed budget of 938 million USD, mainly in basic healthcare, clean water and hygiene, maternal and child healthcare. Such support has showed substantial outcomes in improving the health indicators for people, such as average life expectancy, maternal and child fatality rates, as well as child malnutrition, especially in far-flung and impoverished areas. The ministry and development partners have also committed to continuing to maintain gained achievements and implement the unaccomplished contents of the United Nations’ millennium development goals in the most effective way. Nghe An tea growers hit by prolonged drought Hundreds of tea farmers in the central province of Nghe An's Thanh Chuong District are facing difficulties as their tea crops have been destroyed by prolonged drought. The hardest-hit areas by this severe weather phenomenon are Thanh An and Thanh Thuy communes. Tran Van Canh, a local resident in Thanh An Commune, said that over the last year, the prolonged drought has caused many local rivers and streams to run dry. This has resulted in water shortages. Tea is cultivated over 175 hectares in Thanh An Commune and is the main income for 200 local households. Every year, the local farmers provide around 18 tonnes of fresh tea to the Ngoc Lam Company. However, since early this year, households in Thanh An have had only one crop as a large part of the area’s tea plantations were ruined by the hot weather. Meanwhile all rivers, lakes and ponds in the commune have dried out. Football betting is just tip of iceberg in Vietnam Vietnamese football betting rings have continued to operate during the ongoing UEFA European Championship, despite the police’s efforts to stop them, according to the Ministry of Public Security. Since the beginning of the tournament, officers have broken up two inter-provincial football betting rings with total value amounting to VND7.6 trillion (US$339 million) in Haiphong City and Hai Duong Province in northern Vietnam. However, the illicit gambling rackets have remained extremely intricate, police officials from the Ministry of Public Security have said. The UEFA Euro 2016 tournament takes place from June 10 to July 10 in France. According to an owner of one motorcycle shop on Ly Tu Trong Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, his business has been flourishing since the football championship started. “It’s been easy to win. You just have to pick the ‘underdogs.’ Thanks to that, many people have earned enough money to afford expensive rides and smartphones,” the owner explained. Sharing a similar opinion, one police official remarked that many brokers and operators of betting rings have been hiding or temporarily stopped their activities. Results of the matches have been too predictable, resulting in many punters winning big, causing many betting rings to go out of business, the official elaborated. There have not been any suicides recorded as in previous UEFA Euro and FIFA World Cup tournaments, he added. One of the main reasons is that there has been a decrease in the number of amateur gamblers this year, according to the police official. Despite the obvious activities of gamblers and betting rings in the country, dealing with the situation has not been an easy task, said one police officer under the Ministry of Public Security. “We have to figure out the people a bettor gambles with, along with the exact amount of money he gambles in each match and the sum of his wins and losses before concluding if he will be criminally charged,” the officer explained. In reality, many large-scale betting rings have erased all evidence against them by hiring IT experts and placing their servers in foreign countries. Using only the Internet, punters can place their bets without having to contact anyone. Any trace of money transfers have also been covered up, making it difficult for police to deal with. According to the officer, betting rings broken up by police recently were just regular-scale operations. “The ‘big bosses’ have cut off their tails as soon as the smaller units of the syndicate were busted, deleting any evidence that could lead back to them,” he said.    Diverse activities mark Vietnam Family Day Various activities are underway in Hanoi to mark Vietnam Family Day 2016 on June 28. Mobile phone stations were installed at Noi Bai International Airport, Hoan Kiem Lake, and Van Ho Exhibition Centre, at which people could call and express love to their relatives. There will be an art program entitled “There’s a place to return: that’s home” at Van Ho Exhibition Centre. A photo exhibition on Vietnamese families is included in the program. Nguyen Thanh Xuan, a visitor said “I’m impressed with a photo of a Truong Sa naval soldier saying good bye to his family and another photo of 3 generations living in the same family. I think more happy families will make a more beautiful society in which people live in happiness and peace." More than 800 books and documents on Vietnamese families in modern society are on display at an exhibition to raise people’s awareness of family values. HCM City, Hà Tĩnh pocket two golds each at nat’l event HCM City and Hà Tĩnh earned two gold medals apiece during the morning section of the National Youth Athletics Championship at Thống Nhất Stadium yesterday in HCM City. Phan Hoàng Nam of the host team won his title in the boys’ long jump, for boys aged 12-13 years old, with a result of 5.63m.His teammate, Huỳnh Ngọc Mỹ, claimed gold in the girls’ shot put category for girls aged 14-15 years old with a throw of 11.56m. Hà Tĩnh, meanwhile, grabbed two golds in the boys’ category of 15-16 years old, 5,000m, thanks to Lê Đình Tuấn (16min, 8.16min), who also won the 4x800m relay with a time of 8:26.82. Four other cities and provinces - Hà Nội, Đồng Nai, Sóc Trăng and Lạng Sơn - also pocketed titles yesterday. The championship will close on Thursday. FV Hospital offers services to cancer patients HCM City-based FV Hospital is offering check-ups and treatment to nearly 900 cancer patients who hold national health insurance cards in order to ease the burden on the public hospital system. The hospital is the first foreign-invested hospital to offer services for cancer patients with such cards. The hospital received approval from the Việt Nam Social Insurance and Ministry of Heatlh in early July last year to offer the service. The hospital plans to invest US$3 million to $5 million to upgrade its oncology department to accomodate the added patients, according to Phạm Thị Thanh Mai, Chief Operating Officer of the hospital. According to the hospital’s contract with Social Insurance-HCM City, the latter will partly cover expenses for check-ups, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and other services. Medicine used for chemotherapy will be covered at a rate of 30 to 90 per cent by insurance health fund. Moreover, the fund will cover a part of fee for testing and other medical service. Patients with radiotherapy will be covered VNĐ500,000 ($22) each day. With the acceptance of the cards, all 150 hospitals and health clinics in HCM City and all provincial hospitals can transfer patients to FV Hospital. Nguyễn Thị Thương Thương, 60, who was diagnosed with cancer four years ago, recently underwent treatment at FV Hospital by using her health insurance card. “I registered at FV Hospital in July 2015. In one year, health insurance paid for VNĐ700 million, half of the treatment expenses. Before that, I registered for treatment at HCM City Tumour Hospital, but it was overloaded. So I decided to move to FV Hospital,” Thương said. More private hospitals and clinics have signed up with HCM City’s Social Insurance Agency, offering insured patients more options and helping ease the massive load on public hospitals, Lưu Thị Thanh Huyền, deputy director of the agency, said. Fifty private facilities in HCM City, including 20 hospitals, have signed off on agreements so far. The number of public hospitals – 69 -- is not much higher, she said. The private establishments are doing it to attract a larger share of the total number of patients, she said. However, only 75.2 per cent of the city’s population is covered by health insurance, according to figures released by the agency. The Government had targeted covering 76.4 per cent of the city’s population. Since March public hospitals’ fees have risen by 30 per cent, and 60 per cent in the case of those with financial autonomy. The health insurance fund has increased its cover for nearly 1,900 medical services by 30 per cent. Minister of Health Nguyễn Thị Kim Tiến said healthcare subsidies would be cut gradually to enable poor people to buy health insurance. The increase in hospital fees would apply for uninsured patients starting later this year to encourage them to buy health insurance, she added. Hotlines set up for illegal mineral exploitation Hotlines will be set up at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) and the General Department of Geology and Mineral of Việt Nam (DGMV) as well as at localities to receive information on illegal mineral exploitation, said an official. Lại Hồng Thanh, deputy head of the DGMV, said the MoNRE will have a policy to protect and offer rewards to people who provide information relating to illegal mineral exploitation. The MoNRE will propose the Ministry of Finance to issue a circular guiding the budget estimate for the protection of unexploited minerals so that localities can implement it more easily. The move aims to curb uncontrolled mineral exploitation in Việt Nam which has had serious impact on the environment and cause a big loss to State budget. Over the past few years, localities have implemented measures to prevent illegal mineral exploitation. Thus, the number of provinces and cities with illegal exploitation fell from 47 in 2012 to 40 last year. The types of mineral being exploitation in Việt Nam reduced from 27 to 10 in the same period. Vietnamese Community Festival in Daejeon city Under auspices of the Vietnam Embassy in the Republic of Korea, the 3rd Vietnamese Community Festival was held on June 25th and 26th to create the sphere for Vietnamese people in the Daejeon city to enjoy and experience the culture exchange. Through the festival the Vietnamese culture was introduced to Korean people. In the other hand, learning about the Vietnam culture is not only to diminish the discrimination against the Vietnamese but also to develop a happy community. Festival program included special content such as the Vietnamese culture discover contest for multicultural families, art performance contest with very attractive prizes, games and outdoor exercises. Especially, the traditional delicious food was prepared by Vietnamese in Daejeon City throughout the festival. It will bring a dynamic day for everyone who come to the festival. Moreover, the highlight of the cultural festival was the exhibition of the Paracel and Spratly islands of Vietnam before and after the illegal construction, and renovation of China. The exhibition aims to show the most truthful perspective to the Vietnamese community and the Korean people in Daejeon City about the East Sea current situation, to indicate the serious violation to the sovereignty of Vietnam in order to raise awareness of maritime issues, and hence actively contribute to the protection of Vietnam’s sovereignty. In addition, this event is the combination of the 3rd   Vietnamese Community Festival and the 8th ICfood cup. Both are the prestigious annual events and will be held in Chungnam National University. Thus, the attendance of this year event is estimated over 1200 people. While the annual ICfood football championship is the ideal destination for students from all over the Republic of Korea to gather; the cultural festival is a meaningful sphere for the Vietnam community in Daejeon city. The event gave an opportunity to experience the beauty of Vietnam culture. Above all, the biggest aim of both events is to lessen the homesick of the Vietnamese who is far away from home, and to promote the sport- loving, dynamic image of Vietnamese; to promote the unique of Vietnamese cuisine, the kindness and tenderness of Vietnamese women and the diversity of the Vietnam culture. Australia supports capacity building for Vietnamese museums Experts from the National Museum of Australia held workshops on museum management and communications, and exhibition display in Hanoi and HCMC last week. Nearly 40 representatives of museums in northern and central provinces, and 35 representatives of museums in southern provinces participated in the workshops in Hanoi on June 21-22 and HCMC on June 23-24. The Australian experts shared their expertise in exhibition display, especially temporary and traveling exhibitions, as well as communications planning and strategy development for museums. The workshop, which featured many practical exercises, helped enhance the skills, knowledge and networks of Vietnamese museum practitioners. Prof. Dr. Vo Quang Trong, director of the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, said the workshops addressed a great and urgent need among Vietnamese museums which are undergoing a renewal process. Trong said in a statement that exhibition display and museum communications are all essential to modern museum life. He thanked the Australian embassy in Hanoi and the National Museum of Australia for their practical support. HCM City police discover fraud and gambling cases The HCM City Police, in the past three days, have discovered several cases related to fraud and gambling on football pools over the Internet. The city police yesterday detained Phạm Thị Kim Phượng, 30, from the southern province of Tây Ninh, for committing fraud and misappropriating property. According to the results of the police investigation, Phượng was living with his lover, a Nigerian man, in Malaysia. In August last year, Phượng joined a group of Nigerian men to commit fraud. The group struck up friendships with Vietnamese women on Facebook and promised to send them expensive presents. They asked the women to send them money to complete the customs procedures associated with sending these gifts to Việt Nam, and then pocketed the money. For every successful case, Phượng received seven per cent of the money taken from the victim. The group defrauded people of more than VNĐ8 billion (US$355,500). In another development, the police on Sunday destroyed a gambling ring organised by Nguyễn Nhật Trí, 35, Phan Long Giang, 27, Đỗ Minh Luân, 26, and Trần Văn Út, 28, and established in a coffee shop in Nhà Bè District. The police confiscated more than VNĐ50 million ($2,200) in cash, 22 mobile phones and 18 motorbikes. On Saturday, the police destroyed another gambling ring, also based in a coffee shop, in District 3 and temporarily detained 24 people for conducting football pools over the Internet. The police confiscated nearly VNĐ100 million ($4,400) in this case. The gambling ring was led by Mai Hoàng Vũ, 40. The coffee shop had computers that were used by gamblers to access a gambling website. VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri/VNE