Social News 30/6 10 martyrs who died in two military aircraft accidents honoured The Prime Minister has decided to grant 10 martyrs who died during the SU 30MK2 and CASA 212 aircraft accidents certificates recognising their contributions to the nation. The martyrs are pilot Tran Quang Khai of the SU 30MK2 and the nine crewmembers of the CASA 212. The Su 30MK2 aircraft with two pilots lost contact at 6:50 am of June 14 during a training session in the area of Hon Mat Island, about 40km off the coast of Nghe An’s Vinh city. Pilot Nguyen Huu Cuong was then rescued by fishermen, while pilot Tran Quang Khai went missing. When searching for Khai, the CASA 212 lost communication at 12:30 pm on June 16. It was then located at 5 nautical miles south-southeast of Bach Long Vi island near the northern city of Hai Phong. The body of pilot Khai was found on June 17, near Hon Mat Island. As of June 28 afternoon, the search and rescue forces have found eight out of the nine crewmembers of the CASA 212. A memorial service for the deceased will be held in Hanoi on June 30. Relevant agencies are working closely together to decode the black boxes of the CASA 212 to find out the reasons for the aircraft crash. Vietnam mass fish deaths: gov't to reveal cause on June 30 The government will make public the cause of the mass fish death in central Vietnam in April on June 30 afternoon, the information minister has said. The "culprit" will be named at a press conference held by the Government Office in Hanoi, Minister of Information and Communications Truong Minh Tuan said. The government would also explain why there has been a delay in revealing the cause and what steps it plans to take next, he said. In what was described by the government as "unprecedented environmental pollution," tons of dead fish and other marine life began washing up on central shores for around three weeks in April. It devastated local fishing and hit tourism in the area. Earlier this month the government said it had cracked the mystery and promised to reveal the cause within this month. Tuan then said that the government agencies involved in investigating the incident needed more time to "collect not only scientific evidence but also legal evidence" against the culprit. Vietnam invited experts from Germany, Japan, the US, and Israel to participate in the investigation. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc promised to "not shield anyone found causing the pollution." Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corp., a subsidiary of Taiwan’s Formosa Plastics, which is building a steel plant in the area where the fish died, was questioned. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment said in late April, following a preliminary probe, that the fish deaths may have been caused by "toxins discharged by human activities" and algal blooms known as a red tide. It said it had not found evidence of Formosa's culpability. Many Vietnamese scientists, however, are not convinced. Lawmakers in Taiwan earlier this month urged their government to investigate Formosa's possible role in the fish deaths in Vietnam. HCM City ramps up activities to boost governance capacity   Ho Chi Minh City has begun the implementation of far-reaching programmes to push up the Provincial Governance and Public Administration Index (PAPI) and Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI). These measures are set to reach all-level authorities by mid July in a bid to boost local living standards and the business climate. The move follows negative 2015 index rankings, posted in early 2016. Last year, HCM City’s PAPI was ranked 47th out of 63 cities and provinces. Its 2015 PCI dropped from 4th place in 2014 to 6th place, pulling the southern hub out of the list of localities with “excellent performance.” Of the PAPI criteria, the “involvement of the grass roots” and “authorities’ accountability” were scored less than five out of ten points, while the “transparency” and “public corruption control” gained just slightly above five points. Meanwhile, a range of PCI criteria, including “markets participation,” “transparency” and “human resources training,” saw lower scores compared to 2014. Tran Vinh Tuyen, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, said the ultimate goal of the measures is not an immediate increase of PAPI and PCI rankings but the improvement of each criterion. It also looks to build an administration that works for the people and businesses whole-heartedly and for the smooth operation of all types of markets towards sharper competitiveness for the city’s economy. The city will speed up its administrative reform as part of efforts to create a driving force for investment attraction and business development. Strategic measures needed to solve population ageing: Deputy PM Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam urged strategic and balancing measures to cope with the speedy population-ageing problem during a conference in Hanoi on June 29 to review population and family planning work in the 2011-2015 period and design plans for the next five years. The Deputy PM noted that the population is still on a rising trend, with high at-birth gender imbalance, especially in the northern region. Alongside this, in the past five years, the percentage of birth control use has been dropping, while population ageing is on the rise, he added. Dam emphasised that Vietnam’s population work is eyeing dramatic changes, requiring greater efforts of population workers as well as the engagement of all ministries and sectors from central to local levels. He asked for the implementation of thorough research on important issues related to population work in the future, with focus on seeking measures to improve population quality. According to Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, in the context of rapid population ageing, the ministry is building action plans and specific measures on health care services for the elderly. Meanwhile, it has continued strengthening pre-birth and newborn screenings, as well as pre-marriage consultation, while minimising the at-birth gender imbalance, calling for society’s engagement in providing birth control methods and reproductive health care services and improving population quality. According to deputy head of the General Department of Population and Family Planning Nguyen Van Tan, population and family planning work in the past five years saw a number of achievements. The fertility rate was maintained, while the ratio of screened mothers and children increased, with fewer children born with disabilities and better health care services for teenagers, youth and elderly, he said. However, he also noted that several targets have not yet been fully reached, including the continuous increase of total fertility rate, which reached 2.1 in 2015 from 1.99 in 2011. The Arowana gender index dropped slowly, while unwanted pregnancy and abortion among teenagers still saw a slight fall.- Many countries offer scholarships to Vietnamese citizens Many countries are offering scholarships under agreements to Vietnamese citizens to pursue undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate education this year, according to the Ministry of Education and Training. The Lao government gives 60 scholarships to Vietnamese to study in language, literary, politics, history, and geography; while Poland grants 10 scholarships. Cambodia will give 15 undergraduate scholarships and 20 short-term scholarships to study Khmer, while Morocco grants 10 full scholarships. More information can be obtained at https://tuyensinh.vied.vn or https://moet.gov.vn. Prisoners nearing sentence expiration receive legal aid A project is being carried out in Vietnam to disseminate law and give legal advice to prisoners nearing the end of their sentences, helping them re-integrate into society. A workshop on the project, implemented by the legal advice centre of the Ho Chi Minh City University of Law and the UN Development Programme (UNDP), was held in Hanoi on June 29. Scott Ciment, UNDP Policy Advisor on Rule of Law, said prisoners closing to the end of their incarceration encounter different problems relating to identification cards, criminal records and household registration. Many of these matters can be solved if prisoners access legal aid services, he noted, adding that the project involves law students, lecturers and lawyers who will provide prisoners with basic law information. Duong Hoan, Deputy Director of the legal advice centre, said the project has been piloted in five prisons in the provinces of Long An, Tay Ninh, Binh Thuan and Thanh Hoa in the first half of 2016, with the participation of 50 students of the HCM City University of Law. To ensure effective legal assistance, a list of questions about legal aid demand is given to prisoners before law students, lecturers and lawyers analyse and forecast problems that prisoners may ask about at consultations. Information in legal aid sessions will be recorded. Particularly, those finishing their sentences can seek for more assistance at the legal aid centre, Hoan added. Lieutenant Colonel Pham Thi Minh Hai from Long Hoa prison in the Mekong Delta province of Long An applauded the project, considering legal assistance necessary to help prisoners nearing the expiration of prison terms prepare for re-integration into society. Canada awards scholarships to Vietnamese students Canada’s Consulate General in HCM City on June 29 presented the first scholarships of the Canada-Vietnam Youth Development Scholarships to four Vietnamese students. Those students are Bui Duc Sinh, Doan Minh Chau, Nguyen Dac Nhan Tam and Le Thuy Tuong Vi. Each student will receive 13,000 CAD (9,992 USD) per year for up to four years to cover expenses while pursuing study in universities in Canada. The scholarship programme, sponsored by Dan-D Foods and managed by the Canada-Vietnam Alumni Association, aims to develop benefiting students into future leaders. Vice President visits disadvantaged children in Da Nang Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh visited and presented gifts to disadvantaged children at the Da Nang Women and Children’s Hospital in the central city of Da Nang on June 29. At the hospital, Vice President Thinh praised efforts by the health sector and the hospital’s staff in particularly to care for child patients, so that they can go home with their families soon. She said together with the Party, State and social organisations, the hospital will make the maximum efforts to help the suffering children. On the occasion, the AIA Insurance Group granted 100 million VND (4,500 USD) to the Da Nang Centre for Children Protection. Da Nang is home to over 2,700 disadvantaged children and over 23,000 others at risk of joining this vulnerable group. Can Tho takes care of Agent Orange victims The Association of Victims of Agent Orange/dioxin of the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho has carried out many significant measures to support victims of Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin. In the 2011-2015 period, the association implemented the “Actions for Victims of Agent Orange” programme and mobilised nearly 26 billion VND (1.14 million USD) for the victims. It presented gifts worth 10 billion VND and 350 wheelchairs to local AO victims while building and repairing 280 houses for them at a total cost of 5 billion VND. According to Tran Lien Kieu, Chairwoman of the association, Can tho is now home to nearly 4,400 AO/dioxin victims, with 2,900 of them receiving allowances and social insurance. Singapore-based fund awards scholarships to Vietnamese students A charity foundation established by a group of Vietnamese expats living in Singapore has presented scholarships to nearly 120 disadvantaged students with excellent academic results, aged 15-18, across Vietnam over the past three years. Speaking at the annual fundraising event last week, President of the Orchid Scholarship Foundation Luu Quang Hung said the scholarships, worth 2 million VND (90 USD) each, aims to inspire the students’ passion for learning and their will to overcome difficulties. The Orchid Scholarship Foundation is an initiative to encourage Vietnamese students and lecturers in Singapore to share opportunities with underprivileged children and contribute to changing Vietnam’s education for the better, noted Prof. Phan Thien Nhan, a lecturer from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and one of the main sponsors of the foundation. Last year, the foundation awarded scholarship for 50 students from gifted schools in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Thua Thien-Hue and Thanh Hoa. Additionally, it has organised a number of seminars to share experience as well as opportunities in studying abroad, and to cooperate with the PDG Trust Fund to grant scholarships for undergraduate students. Health Ministry: Pink-eye disease spreads in localities The number of people suffering from pink-eye disease has increased rapidly in many localities in Vietnam due to the unpredictable pattern of weather, particularly the prolonged heat, said the Department of Preventive Medicine under the Health Ministry on June 29. In order to prevent the disease, the department warns people to keep personal hygiene by washing hands with soap and clean water or avoiding sharing personal objects, such as towels, glasses or masks. Pink-eye sufferers should reduce contact with others and come to medical stations for treatment. Viral and bacterial pink-eye (conjunctivitis) are contagious and spread easily, particularly between summer and autumn in high humidity. The disease has typical symptoms including redness in the eyes, swelling, itching or a burning feeling in the eyelids. Currently there is no vaccine or specific medicine to treat the disease. Hanoi takes steps to improve healthcare services Hanoi’s healthcare system needs thorough plans for infrastructure and human resources, or it will lag behind other modernised cities, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Chung said. Chung chaired a recent meeting with the city’s Health Department, representatives of local public hospitals and foreign health experts to discuss goals to improve heath services in the city. Participants agreed that healthcare services in Hanoi have inadequate “hardware”, or infrastructure and technology, and “software”, the human resources. Yamamoto, a Japanese health expert, said Vietnam lacks healthcare facilities with only 2.9 beds per 1,000 people and 0.7 doctors per 1,000 patients. Patients in Vietnam overcrowd upper-level hospitals because they have better-quality doctors. As a consequence, two patients have to share a bed and beds can even be seen placed in hospital hallways, he said. According to Director of Hanoi’s Health Department Nguyen Khac Hien, there are currently 41 public hospitals and 29 private hospitals in Hanoi. Only four of them, including Gia Lam, Duc Giang, Dong Anh and Soc Son hospitals, have been rebuilt. The construction of new hospitals is limited due to a lack of funding. "The most urgent thing is to apply information technology to avoid waste and errors in the medical sector," Director of Hanoi Heart Hospital Nguyen Quang Tuan said. He said he hoped the city would invest in a joint healthcare management system for all hospitals in the city to thoroughly manage health staff and improve the city’s health sector. Yamamoto suggested clarifying the function of each healthcare unit to avoid overcrowding in central level hospitals while enhancing the capacities of health workers, which is most important in improving examination and treatment quality. Chairman Chung asked the city’s Health Department to compile a report to thoroughly review the operations of local hospitals. Local authorities would invest in a citywide technology system in both Vietnamese and English to not only link domestic hospitals, but also connect them to healthcare centres in the region and the world, he said. The city would also invest in a high-tech medical centre at Saint Paul Hospital, standardised by Europe, and then expand that network to connect the centre and domestic and foreign hospitals. Tourist arrivals to Hanoi surge More than two million international visitors have entered Hanoi so far this year, a 34 percent surge year-on-year, according to the municipal Department of Tourism. Of which the number of overnight stay tourists reached over 1.5 million, rising 38 percent from the same period last year. The City has seen double the number of visitors from China and remarkable increase from other key markets, such as the Republic of Korea, Japan, Australia and the US. The increasing trend has also been recorded from countries enjoying the visa exemption policy of Vietnam, namely France, German, Spain and Italy. Along with upgrades made to tourism infrastructure, the city has paid attention to improving tourism quality and services while promoting its tourism potential at international markets. Attracting investments for the tourism sector is also among the city’s top priority. In the reviewed period, the city has also received nearly nine million domestic visitors, up six percent from the same period last year. The sector has generated 31.64 trillion VND (1.42 billion USD), a 25 percent year-on-year increase. Hanoi was listed by the Lonely Planet – the world’s most popular travel guide book publisher – in the Top 10 best-value destinations for 2016. The city was also named among the top 5 best cities for low-budget vacations in 2015 by DrPrem, a renowned travel and tourism website.- Ten arrested for organising online gambling Police in the northern city of Hải Phòng have broken up an online gambling ring, according to the Ministry of Public Security’s Hi-tech Crime Prevention Police Department. Ten people suspected of involvement in the gambling were arrested, the police said. The arrested persons are Lương Quốc Khánh, 24, Mạc Thị Hương, 23, Trần Đình Xuân, 24, and Đặng Thanh Tuấn, 26, as well as Đặgn Tuấn Tú, 22, Nguyễn Công Dương, 22, and Nguyễn Túng Dương, 22, all of whom reside in Hải Phòng City. The others, who are from Hà Nội and HCM City, are Nguyễn Minh Tuấn, 34, Nguyến Quang Hà, 33, and Băng Tử Mạnh, 29. The police reported that the ring organised the gambling through the websites http://cmd368.com and http://cmd368.net, which have their servers placed overseas. During the investigation, the police found that some people overseas had cooperated with the arrested persons to organise gambling in Việt Nam, with the host named cmd368. The gamblers set up accounts at cmd368 and then transferred money to the banks designated by cmd368. To escape detection by the police, the ring heads used many devious methods, including transferring money to many different intermediary banks. The gamblers would use the money to bet with the host. The websites lured thousands of gamblers with total money worth hundreds of billions of đồng. Upon searching the houses of those arrested, the police also reportedly confiscated 51 ATM cards, nine mobile phones, two computer hard discs, more than dozens of telephone SIM cards and other documents related to gambling. The case is under further investigation. Singapore-based fund awards scholarships to Vietnamese students A charity foundation established by a group of Vietnamese expats living in Singapore has presented scholarships to nearly 120 disadvantaged students with excellent academic results, aged 15-18, across Vietnam over the past three years. Speaking at the annual fundraising event last week, President of the Orchid Scholarship Foundation Luu Quang Hung said the scholarships, worth 2 million VND (90 USD) each, aims to inspire the students’ passion for learning and their will to overcome difficulties. The Orchid Scholarship Foundation is an initiative to encourage Vietnamese students and lecturers in Singapore to share opportunities with underprivileged children and contribute to changing Vietnam’s education for the better, noted Prof. Phan Thien Nhan, a lecturer from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and one of the main sponsors of the foundation. Last year, the foundation awarded scholarship for 50 students from gifted schools in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Thua Thien-Hue and Thanh Hoa. Additionally, it has organised a number of seminars to share experience as well as opportunities in studying abroad, and to cooperate with the PDG Trust Fund to grant scholarships for undergraduate students. Hà Nội to build six new coach terminals Hà Nội will build several new interprovincial coach terminals based on the transport scheme of the city by 2030, with a vision for 2050. Specifically, the city will build the Yên Nghĩa Terminal in Hà Đông District across 7ha of land, the North-eastern Terminal in Gia Lâm District on 10ha, the Southern Terminal in Thanh Trì District on 11ha and the Đông Anh Terminal in Đông Anh District on 5.3ha, as well as the Western Terminal in Quốc Oai District on 7ha and the Northern Terminal in Sóc Sơn District on 7ha. Besides, several other new terminals will be built in the city’s satellite urban areas, including the Phú Xuyên Terminal in Phú Xuyên District on 5ha, the Xuân Mai Terminal in Xuân Mai District on 5ha, the Nam Hòa Lạc and Bắc Hòa Lạc terminals in Hòa Lạc District on 5ha each, the Sơn Tây 2 Terminal in Sơn Tây District on 5ha, the Nam Sóc Sơn and Bắc Sóc Sơn terminals in Sóc Sơn District on 5ha each. The city will also upgrade several terminals, including Mỹ Đình, Nước Ngầm, Giáp Bát, Gia Lâm and Thường Tín. The lorry terminals will gradually be moved beyond Ring Road No. 3 in the city, which runs through Sóc Sơn, Bắc Từ Liêm, Nam Từ Liêm, Cầu Giấy, Thanh Xuân, Hoàng Mai, Long Biên, Gia Lâm and Đông Anh districts. The old terminals will then be used for public transport services. As planned, Hà Nội’s five satellite cities will accommodate one lorry terminal each. Man sentenced for fraud The Hà Nội People’s Court yesterday sentenced a 60-year-old man to 30 years’ imprisonment for misappropriating properties and making fake seals of State organisations. According to the indictment, Nguyễn Văn Hạ, who lives in the northern province of Nam Định, lied that he was a high-ranking official of the Government Office, had a close relationship with a number of competent state organisations and could obtain permission for large construction projects. Enterprises would get permits after giving Hạ some money to offer to leaders of the state organisations. Believing Hạ, Đỗ Xuân Năm, director of the Hải Minh Trade and Construction Investment Joint-stock Company, called for 13 enterprises to sign contracts with Hạ. Hạ made fake decisions of the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Planning and Investment, the State Treasury and several project management boards and gave these to Năm. From October 2010 to July 2013, Năm collected more than VNĐ13 billion (US$577,700) from the 13 enterprises and gave the money to Hạ so that he could get permission for the enterprises’ projects. It was only when Hạ was arrested that Năm realised he had been cheated. Fishermen to get new jobs after fish deaths The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) will propose a new project to Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc in connection with the recent fish deaths in four central provinces. Under the project, vocational training and jobs will be provided to hundreds of thousands of labourers affected directly and indirectly by the mass fish deaths. MoLISA Minister Đào Ngọc Dung made the statement yesterday while working with local authorities in central Quảng Trị Province, one of the four provinces suffering huge losses following the fish deaths in April. The other provinces that are affected are Hà Tĩnh, Quảng Bình and Thừa Thiên-Huế. The natural disaster reportedly washed up more than 100 tonnes of fish ashore, disrupting the life of the locals with fish sales, tourism and other seafood-related services being severely hit. Nguyễn Văn Hùng, Party Secretary of Quảng Trị Province, said more than 7,000 workers in 16 coastal communes in the province lost their jobs in the months after the fish deaths. The local authorities expect the government to help female workers, who worked as fish sellers or made fish sauce and salt, to be trained in sewing. The province currently has three sewing industrial factories that can hire workers, he said. It is also expected that the fishermen will be given loans and land for cultivation and taught science and technology methods to be used in planting and breeding. The local authorities also proposed MoLISA assign higher number of workers to go abroad to enable local fishermen to go overseas. The minister said the MoLISA would create conditions for fishermen to work overseas in Japan and South Korea and would train workers before they go abroad. However, these conditions will be limited to those districts in Quảng Trị Province which have a high number of illegal workers in South Korea. The ministry will order specilised agencies, such as the National Co-ordination Office on Poverty Reduction, the General Directorate of Vocational Training and MoLISA’s Finance and Planning Department, to study specific measures for vocational training and job creation projects, he said. Hanoi, Vientiane women look to forge business partnerships The women’s unions of the Vietnamese and Lao capital cities of Hanoi and Vientiane are expected to help with the creation of cooperation opportunities and partnerships for their members. The opinion was expressed by Standing Deputy Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Ngo Thi Thanh Hang during her reception for visiting President of the Vientiane Women’s Union Khamphay Latsamy in Hanoi on June 29. She also affirmed her support for the initiative to open a Lao restaurant in Hanoi and vice versa, describing it as a practical activity of the two capital cities’ women. Hang expressed her hope that the two unions will act as a bridge for the businesswomen from the two countries to work together for respective economic and cultural development. Khamphay Latsamy briefed her host of the outcomes of her visit to the Hanoi Women’s Union. She said the two unions signed a five-year agreement in which the Hanoi’s union will support the Vientiane’s and share experience in leading a happy family with progressive lifestyle and promoting gender equity. Infrastructure connection to be improved in central region The Prime Minister has approved an infrastructure project to improve regional connection in the central region with the focus on the central coast province of Quang Nam. The 4-year project will build about 36.32 kilometres of roads with a total investment of 32.92 million USD sourced from the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF), an ODA loan programme of the Government of the Republic of Korea. Its objects is to improve transportation linkages between central and Central Highlands provinces and connect the Bo Y Border Gate in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum with Ky Ha Port, Chu Lai International Airport and Chu Lai Open Economic Zone in Quang Nam province, and Dung Quat Economic Zone in the central coast province of Quang Ngai. It will also support the socio-economic development around the project areas and boost non-agricultural and industry sectors in the region. US servicemen’s remains handed over A ceremony was held at Da Nang International Airport in the central city of Da Nang on June 28 to repatriate remains of US servicemen who died during the war in Vietnam, the Quan Doi Nhan Dan (People’s Army) newspaper reported. The ceremony saw the presence of representatives from the Board of Directors of Vietnam Office for Seeking Missing Personnel (VNOSMP), the US Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, the US Defense Attache Office, the Defence POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), and the US MIA Office in Hanoi. Two sets of remains found during the 123rd Joint Field Activities from May to June this year were handed over to the US side. The remains had been jointly reviewed and concluded by Vietnam and US forensic specialists that they might be associated with the US servicemen missing during the war in Vietnam and were recommended to bring to Hawaii, the United States, for further verification. Speaking at the ceremony, the US Government representative appreciated Vietnam’s humanitarian policy, good-will and the effective collaboration of the Vietnamese Government and people. The search for the remains of US servicemen missing during the war in Vietnam is humanitarian cooperation between the Governments of Vietnam and the US. This is the 138th hand-over of American missing servicemen’s remains since 1973. Hà Nội takes steps to improve healthcare services Hà Nội’s healthcare system needs thorough plans for infrastructure and human resources, or it will lag behind other modernised cities, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyễn Đức Chung said. Chung chaired a meeting last weekend with the city’s Health Department, representatives of local public hospitals and foreign health experts to discuss goals to improve heath services in the city. Participants agreed that healthcare services in Hà Nội have inadequate “hardware”, or infrastructure and technology, and “software”, the human resources. Yamamoto, a Japanese health expert, said Việt Nam lacks healthcare facilities with only 2.9 beds per 1,000 people and 0.7 doctors per 1,000 patients. Patients in Việt Nam overcrowd upper-level hospitals because they have better-quality doctors. As a consequence, two patients have to share a bed and beds can even be seen placed in hospital hallways, he said. According to Director of Hà Nội’s Health Department Nguyễn Khắc Hiền, there are currently 41 public hospitals and 29 private hospitals in Hà Nội. Only four of them, including Gia Lâm, Đức Giang, Đông Anh and Sóc Sơn hospitals, have been rebuilt. The construction of new hospitals is limited due to a lack of funding. "The most urgent thing is to apply information technology to avoid waste and errors in the medical sector," Director of Hà Nội Heart Hospital Nguyễn Quang Tuấn said. He said he hoped the city would invest in a joint healthcare management system for all hospitals in the city to thoroughly manage health staff and improve the city’s health sector. Yamamoto suggested clarifying the function of each healthcare unit to avoid overcrowding in central level hospitals while enhancing the capacities of health workers, which is most important in improving examination and treatment quality. Chairman Chung asked the city’s Health Department to compile a report to thoroughly review the operations of local hospitals. Local authorities would invest in a citywide technology system in both Vietnamese and English to not only link domestic hospitals, but also connect them to healthcare centres in the region and the world, he said. The city would also invest in a high-tech medical centre at Saint Paul Hospital, standardised by Europe, and then expand that network to connect the centre and domestic and foreign hospitals. Football festival to open for all kids Over 4,000 children, coaches, managers and referees from 344 football teams will join Football for All in Việt Nam (FFAV) in the central province on July 28-31. Châu Hồng Tịnh, head of the FFAV project’s communications, said 207 teams in the under-11 age category and 128 teams in the under-15 and under-9 categories, featuring disabled children, will take part in the annual festival for children. FFAV said the teams, whose players come from SOS villages in Bến Tre, Lâm Đồng, Gia Lai and Đà Nẵng, as well as Quảng Trị, Quảng Bình, Nghệ An and Thanh Hóa, along with Điện Biên, Thái Bình and Thừa Thiên Huế, will compete in football matches and joint life skills activities during the four-day festival across six pitches.   The FFAV project, funded by the Football Association of Norway, was established to help build up the central province as a model for community football development in Việt Nam. The project covers the establishment of a women’s football team in the province, improving the capacity of staff of the provincial football federation and organising football festivals for children. The city has constructed 12 artificial turf pitches to meet the demand for football amongst young people in the city. It also promotes football as a means of engaging children and the youth in a fun activity and as an educational tool for teaching life skills, while using the project as a model for developing more football clubs in the future. The Huế football club were promoted to the First Division in 2013. VNA offers cheap flight tickets to Bangkok, Yangon The national flag carrier, Vietnam Airlines has officially launched new direct route from Da Nang to Bangkok, starting June 26. The new service will be operational with four flights per week on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, using Airbus A321, The flight will take off at 10.55 p.m. in Da Nang and leave Bangkok at 1.45 p.m. The trip takes 1 hour 35 minutes. On the occasion of commercial launch of Da Nang- Bangkok route, the carrier is offering a promotional program from June 6-July 10. Accordingly, a round trip Economy Class airfare per person will be VND669, 000 (US$29$); business class ticket will cost VND5, 499,000. The special prices are applied for flights on June 26-December 31 The above prices that exclude taxes and other additional fees are selling until July 10. The  new air route makes  the total number of 46 flights linking Vietnam  to Thailand a week. In addition, the national carrier has announced that passengers arrived/departed Myanmar’s Yangon International Airport will make all necessary procedures at the new terminal T1 which was put into use from June 28. The carrier will support passengers to move from the old terminal T2 to the new one. Vietnam Airlines is also offering a promotional program on flights from Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City to Yangon until August 1. Accordingly, a return tickets for HCM City-Yangon route will be VND429,000 (US$19$); and Hanoi-Yangon at VND1,329,000 (59$). These special rates will be applicable for flights which will be departing from now until March 31, 2017. First job fair for sightless people A job fair for sightless people was held for the first time in Ho Chi Minh City yesterday, aiming to engage and empower disadvantaged young people in the city to realize their role as factors of social change. The fair held by Job for Blind Group is a part of UPSHIFT launched by UNICEF and Viet Youth Entrepreneurs (VYE). In the fair, blind job seekers met and directly talked with employers about positions and enterprises’ demand through reading Braille document. Company recruiters such as Computer Institute, Minh A Company, Bach Hue Flower store, Hakio’s House are seeking staffs who will work in customer care service unit, sale staffs and IT staffs. Also at the fair, the organizer introduced a tool to help visually impaired people to search for jobs in the website for the sightless people, the first of its kind, made by a group of visually impaired staffs of UPSHIFT, www.jobforblind.com According to the organizer, Vietnam has over one million blind people but only 20 percent of them are employed while the rest must live on others, becoming a burden for families and the society though they can work as translators, consultants, teachers, computer programmers… Through the fair and the website, the organizer expects enterprises and employers to understand more disabled people’s ability to recruit them in proper positions. Land with encroachments to be reclaimed for forests Locals in this southern province have been asked to return the land on which they have illegally encroached to forestry projects, the provincial Agriculture and Rural Development Department said. More than 1,000ha from the two projects of Dầu Tiếng Preventive Forest in Tân Châu District and Chàng Riềng Cultural and Historical Forest in Tân Biên District still need to be reclaimed from the total land encroached upon since 2009. The locals have used the land for growing rubber trees, cassava and developing orchards. The department has asked the provincial People’s Committee to make a list of encroachers that need to be dealt with under the Law on Forest Protection and Development. In cases where encroachers ignore the directive to return the land, the local authority will destroy the orchards or trees to return the land to its purpose of growing forests. Since 2009, the provincial authority has reclaimed more than 3,000ha of preventive forests from the local people. Disney entertainment portal opens in HCMC A new Disney entertainment and information portal was introduced to the public by Walt Disney Company Southeast Asia Pte. Limited and Mobifone Telecommunications Corporation yesterday. Activated on the Mobifone network, the portal provides access to copyrighted digital content from Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars, including popular content such as games, applications, ebooks, wallpapers and especially copyrighted images and sounds. Further, the portal’s content has been styled to suit the tastes of the domestic audience. It also contains a large number of popular, educational and entertaining games for mobile phones, such as Where Is My Master and Frozen Free Fall, and English–Vietnamese ebooks, such as Finding Nemo and Beauty and the Beast, designed for both adults and children. This is Mobifone’s first entertainment and information portal providing digital content from Disney in Việt Nam. The fee to use this service is VNĐ2,000 per day or VNĐ10,000 per week. For more details, users can visit http://disney.mobifone.vn. Reformed drama revival in HCM City A renewal programme, titled Tôi Yêu Cải Lương (I Love Reformed Drama), has been introduced to audiences by the HCMC Stage Artists Association, IDECAF theatre and Bến Thành theatre. Starting this August, selected pieces of cải lương (reformed drama) will be continually performed for four nights each month at Bến Thành theatre. “It has been a long time since reformed theatre had a dedicated stage, so we have had to perform in restricted and unequipped sites. This has had a negative effect on our scenery construction and on the quality of our performances. Bến Thành is one of the best theatres, given its stage size, perfect sound and lighting equipment and comfortable seats. For the privilege of acting here, all our artists will deliver their best performances, and the audience will come to treasure cải lương even more,” director and people’s artist Hoa Hạ said. Kicking off the programme is Trung Thần (Loyal Subject), telling the tragic story of soldier Lê Văn Duyệt. It will be performed at Bến Thành theatre on August 26 and 27 and September 2 and 3. French films shown at IDECAF in July Five French feature films, including three comedies, one drama and an animation, will be presented at the Institute of Cultural Exchange with France (IDECAF) during July. The comedies include director Michel Hazanavicius’s OSS 117: Rio ne répond plus (OSS 117: Lost in Rio) about a French secret agent named OSS 117, Aki Kaurismäki’s Le Harve about the story of a shoeshine boy who tries to save an immigrant child in the French port city Le Havre, and Arthur Benzaquen’s Les Nouvelles Aventures d’Aladin (The New Adventures of Aladdin). They will be shown on July 2, 9, and 23, respectively. Drama Vandal by Hélier Cisterne, about a rebellious teenager who finds his place in the graffiti-tagging scene will be screened on July 16, while the famous animation Le Petit Prince (Little Prince) by Mark Osborne will be shown on July 30. All films will be screened at 3 pm with Vietnamese subtitles. The institute is at 28 Lê Thánh Tôn Street in District 1. Tickets cost VNĐ50,000 and VNĐ40,000 for students. Innovative bamboo paper art displayed An exhibition showcasing artworks made of trúc chỉ (bamboo paper) will be opened to the public starting at 6pm tomorrow at the Goethe Institute. The production of paper made from bamboo has a long tradition in some Asian countries, but the process is usually completed with the moulding of the paper. But this is just the beginning for trúc chỉ – a new form of art in which artists interact with the wet structure of the paper in the frame and use water pressure and other techniques to change the surface. Unique images are created this way. Some artists process the resulting images further, using brush or collage techniques. The person behind the new discovery of bamboo paper for Contemporary Art is artist Phan Hải Bằng, who developed new techniques for the treatment of the material. The Trúc Chỉ – Listen To The River exhibition is open through July 15 at 56-58 Nguyễn Thái Học Street. Two workshops on the techniques and process of making trúc chỉ will be held on July 2 at 10 am and 2pm. Artist Bằng will also present a public talk at 7pm that day. Quảng Ninh to head to semi-finals Quảng Ninh Coal booked a semi-final berth in the National Football Cup after drawing 2-2 with Long An in the quarter-final second leg game at Long An Stadium yesterday. Quảng Ninh, who drew 1-1 with Long An in the first leg, qualified for the semi-final due to the away goal rule. Tài Lộc and Tấn Tài took Long An to lead the game 2-0, but Quảng Ninh scored twice in the last two minutes to draw the game and secure a semi-final berth for the northern team. On home turf at Tam Kỳ Stadium, QNK Quảng Nam crushed Hải Phòng 3-0 in the quarter-final to qualify for the semi-final with a 4-1 win on aggregated goals. Hoàng Anh Gia Lai also booked a semis berth after beating Bình Dương 3-1. In the first leg game, Gia Lai won 5-3. Hosts Hà Nội T&T cruised to a 3-1 win over Nam Định at Hà Nội’s Hàng Đẫy Stadium to sail to the semi-final. Hà Nội held a goaless draw in the first leg game. Liên Việt Postbank triumphed Military Open Liên Việt Postbank defeated Vietinbank 25-18, 20-25, 25-14, 23-25, 15-7 to win the Military Volleyball Open tournament’s women’s side on June 28 in Hà Nội. It was sweet revenge for the winners after they lost 0-3 to Vietinbank in the group round. On the men’s side, Military Corp 4 came from behind to beat Tràng An Ninh Bình 21-25, 22-25 và 20-25 for the bronze medal in an earlier match. The tournament will wrap-up with the men’s final between Biên Phòng and Thể Công and women’s third-place play-off between PVD Thái Bình and Tiến Nông Thanh Hóa at the Biên Phòng Gymnasium. HCM City win national chess championship HCM City topped the National Team Chess Championship, which ended on June 28 in Bắc Giang Province. HCM City pocketed five gold medals in the men’s team blitz, rapid and standard chess, women’s team blitz and mixed doubles’ standard events. Bắc Giang came second with two titles in the women’s team rapid and standard categories and a silver in the women’s team blitz. Cần Thơ finished third, bagging two golds in the mixed doubles’ rapid and blitz chess classes. More than 200 athletes from 18 cities and provinces participated in the annual event. Nam, Thắng join Sài Gòn FC team Striker Nguyễn Xuân Nam and midfielder Hồ Ngọc Thắng found their new home just several hours before the Việt Nam’s transfer market closed yesterday. Nam of Hà Nội T&T and Thắng from SHB Đà Nẵng decided to move to Sài Gòn FC for the second period of the V.League. Nam has been widely known ever since he played in the young squad. He later played in the Lao League’s SHB Vientiane, where he was a shining star. He ranked second in the league’s scoring table before Hà Nội T&T recalled him for the V.League. But he could not find a permanent position in the front line against foreigners Hoàng Vũ Samson and Gonzalo. Now he will play for Sài Gòn under a loan contract. Thắng did not compete in the first period because of injury. The former U19 and U23 player was part of the national team at the Southeast Asian Games in Singapore last year. He plays well as both winger and forward. The second half of the V.League begins on July 3. After the first half, Hải Phòng are on top, with 29 points. Thanh Hóa and Đà Nẵng come second and third, respectively. Sài Gòn are in eighth place, with 19 points. VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri/VNE