Social News 20/8 Unsafe floating restaurants to be shut down Vietnam Inland Waterways Administration has asked the transport departments of cities and provinces nation-wide to strengthen the supervision of floating restaurants on waterways. According to Tran Van The, the deputy head of the administration, the operation of many unlicensed floating restaurants is risky, affecting the safety of waterway transport. The accident in Vinh Hy Bay in the nearby Ninh Thuan Province’s Ninh Hoi District last month revealed the hidden danger of unlicensed floating restaurants in tourist spots. To deal with the situation, the city and provincial transport department will work with the related agencies and local authorities to inspect and review the current operation of floating restaurants. Unsafe and unlicensed restaurants will be shut down. Restaurant owners will be guided to register and enforce the relevant regulations to ensure safe operations on the waterways. Viet Trì Bridge to be repaired The Viet Nam Road Administration has asked for the Transport Ministry’s permission to use the central road maintenance fund to repair Viet Trì Bridge. Cars with less than seven seats, motorcycles and non-motorised vehicles will be soon allowed to travel on the bridge in the northern Phú Tho Province after the repair work is completed, according to the administration. The cost of the repair work, to be finished before August 20, is estimated to be VNÐ1 billion (US$44,840). Nguyen Xuân Cuong, the deputy head of the administration, said even after the bridge was opened, they would continue to monitor and propose repair plans to be implemented in a timely manner to ensure smooth and safe transportation. Earlier, the investor of H?c Trì Bridge sent a report to the Prime Minister and leaders of the Planning and Investment, Finance and Transport ministries, suggesting that the use of the new H?c Trì Bridge be suspended for a few days to find measures to protect the investor’s interest if people avoided travelling on the bridge. The investor report came in the wake of an incident in which local residents broke the concrete platform being used to block the old Vi?t Trì Bridge. They did this so that they could use the old bridge instead of H?c Trì Bridge, in which case they would have to pay high toll, the BOT Joint-Stock Company, the investor said. The old Vi?t Trì Bridge had been determined to be in very bad condition, the company said. A signboard banning vehicles from using the old bridge had been installed, but the local authorities did not have any method to enforce the rule, it said. According to the company, the toll revenue had fallen sharply after people started avoiding the new bridge from August 1. Under the approved plan, the toll amounted to VNÐ11.5 billion (US$515,600)per month, but the company collected only VNÐ7 billion to VNÐ8 billion ($314,000 to $358,700) per month, the company said. Transport Minister Nguyen Hong Truong said the ministry was studying and reassessing the usability of Viet Trì Bridge and would prepare specific plans regarding the use of both bridges, as well as policies to safeguard the financial plans of the investor. Ðak Nông tackles risk of environmental pollution People living around Ea Dier stream in this central highland (Tây Nguyên) province are concerned about the local environment, as the stream’s water has turned black, smells foul and has left many fish dead. Dân Trí online newspaper reported on the situation in the area. Ngô Bá Gôn, Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee in the province’s Ð?k Nông’s Cu Jút District, yesterday also confirmed the phenomenon after visiting the scene based on the reports of local residents. The authorities also warned residents not to fish in or use the stream’s water, noting it would report the problem to the provincial agency. Many residents suspected a pig farm of Green Farm Asia Co., Ltd, located upstream, is the source of the stream’s unusual condition. On receiving the report, the provincial Natural Resources and Environment Department said it would work with the relevant agencies to inspect the area around the stream and the company. The company revealed its wastewater had overflowed into the stream as a section of its sewage system was broken a week ago. The company said it was trying to collect the wastewater and find a solution for the problem. A department official said the company would be fined and forced to deal with the situation if its wastewater caused environmental pollution. Fishing fleet in Thanh Hoa boosts capacity The fishing fleet in the north central coastal province of Thanh Hoa saw the addition of 18 high-capacity ships during nearly two years implementing the Government’s Decree 67 on measures to develop fisheries. Fisherman Vien Dinh Hien from Quang Cu Commune, owner of the first ship built and launched with preferential loans under Decree 67, said his dream has come true with the 822CV ship which allows him to go on long fishing trips offshore without worrying about safety. Hien’s ship was built at a cost of 12.7 billion VND, with 7.8 billion VND borrowed from banks under preferential conditions. Hien said he earns more than 100 million VND in profit after each fishing trip, adding that he hopes to borrow more to build new ships. Since Decree 67 took effect, Thanh Hoa provincial People’s Committee has approved loans to 83 eligible ship owners. As of the end of June, commercial banks in Thanh Hoa signed more than 391 billion VND worth of credit with 36 ship owners, with 204 billion VND already disbursed. Loans range from 65-95 percent of the new ship’s cost, with the ship being collateral for the loan. However, many fishermen still face difficulties in accessing credit under Decree 67, mostly because they cannot prove their financial capacity, according to Le Quang Tuyen, head of the province’s fishery resource exploitation and protection agency. In addition, many ship owners are slow in completing documents or selecting ship designs. On the part of banks, the official said the processing of borrowing documents usually takes a long time, and banks sometimes require ship owners to have collateral for loans. Tuyen said the province will increase communication activities to help local fishermen understand the requirements and procedures to access financial sources available under Decree 67. Decree 67, which took effect in August 2014, stipulates policies in investment, credit, insurance, and tax incentives in support of fishermen and ship owners, who wish to build new fishing boats, upgrade their existing ones or buy fishing and marine equipment. Its aim is to ensure fishermen can earn higher incomes. Khanh Hoa tackles coastal erosion Authorities of the central province of Khanh Hoa have been preparing to implement shoreline erosion prevention projects, towards ensuring safety for locals living in vulnerable areas and improving the environment. According to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Khanh Hoa asked for funding to implement a project to build a breakwater along the coastal area in Vinh Nguyen ward, Nha Trang city. The project aims to protect residential areas against sea encroachment and improve the environment. Representatives from the Vinh Nguyen ward’s People Committee said more than 500m of coastal line in the locality were eroded, affecting residents’ lives. From 2016-2018, the province plans to spend about 100 billion VND (4.5 million USD) on a similar project in Van Gia town, Van Ninh district. The project is expected to help improve living conditions for nearly 200 households. Last year, local authorities invested 135 billion VND (over 6 million USD) in a breakwater project along beaches in Dai Lanh commune, Van Ninh district. Khanh Hoa boasts 385km of coastal line and hundreds of islands. It is encountering increasing erosion, which directly affects locals’ lives. Local authorities have taken measures to tackle the problem, including building breakwaters and arranging resettlement for locals in vulnerable areas.- 13 percent of urban wastewater being treated in HCMC Ho Chi Minh City has been able to treat 13 percent of urban wastewater so far and a roadmap is underway to handle the rest volume, reported the director of the city Department of Natural Resources and Environment to the Secretary of the city Party Committee yesterday. According to director Nguyen Toan Thang, HCMC now receives and handle 7,500 tons of garbage a day. Of these, 5,200 tons are buried at Da Phuoc waste treatment complex while the remaining is recycled into compost at Vietstar and Tam Sinh Nghia companies. The department is working with investors to gradually modernize solid waste treatment technology, aiming to reduce the volume of buried garbage and increase the recycled capacity. 21 polluting production establishments in residential areas in Dong Hung Thuan ward, District 12 have been completely settled and those built unsuitable with plan have been listed to relocate, he reported. Mr. Nguyen Toan Thang said that the department and investors have stepped up preparations for building and installing of public toilets and rubbish bins, which are short in the city, next year. The department has licensed 1,414,327 house ownership and land using right certificates accounting for 93 percent of the total. Statistics from 24 districts show that 109,251 cases have yet to receive the certificates including 88,665 cases ineligible for granting and 20,586 eligible but residents have no demand. Secretary of the city Party Committee Dinh La Thang required the department to review its 2,000 cadres and employees, consider if the number has suited the volume of works and how many of them are superfluous and in need of layoffs. Decentralization should be intensified to ease the pressure from increasing housing and land documents at the department as well as minimize the excess of the time limit to solve them. The city has made efforts to improve administrative reform index and targeted the country’s top five. However this much depends on how authorized agencies solve petitions of citizens and the rate of their feedbacks to government agencies. The secretary asked the department to reexamine all plans on land use, waste treatment and water resources to step up the agency’s role of inspection and control over its specialized fields. The department should have more specific solutions to obtain the city’s green growth target because they are inappropriate now and quickly auction garbage collection and transport. Mr. Dinh La Thang said that the department’s public announcement of mortgaged housing projects was very good and encouraged the agency to promote that. In the upcoming time, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment should publicize businesses well implementing government regulations and those not. This aims to help citizens take the initiative in working with real estate developers and step by step create a healthy competition environment among businesses. In addition, the agency should foster cooperation with related agencies to build a roadmap for vehicles to consume environmentally friendly fuel to get the city’s target of exhaust fume reduction. Mobilization of social investment is necessary to practice this. If it is well implemented, HCMC will obtain the goal of environmental pollution reduction set in the 10th congress resolution of the city Party Committee, the secretary added. Stating at the meeting, permanent deputy secretary of the city Party Committee Tat Thanh Cang said that the rents of a number of public estates have been valued low. So renters have leased the property out to the third side to enjoy the price difference. Therefore, the department should be proactive to consult for the city to solve the issue. He required the agency to take brave and creative proposals on the city People’s Committee program of garbage sorting, upgrade the system of equipment to collect and transport garbage and standardize the collection process of sorted-out rubbish in wards where have conducted the program. The department should have more synchronous proposals to improve the quality of canal water, he required. Green Market urges people to change their habits A Green Market on the theme of eco-space and recycling will take place in Hanoi on August 21. It will provide information to the community about how to make eco-spaces at home and in the office, how to establish an eco-friendly lifestyle, and how to recycle rubbish into more useful household and handmade products. Besides attempting to change some old habits, this event offers a family-fun-day that everyone will enjoy with a recycling workshop, photo exhibition about the environment and a live music concert. The Keep Hanoi Clean group will host the event. The group was established in May by James Joseph Kendall, an American who has strong feelings for Hanoi’s environment, and wants to collaborate with Vietnamese youths to make the city cleaner, greener and more beautiful. Up to now, the Keep Hanoi Clean group has a member network of around 8,150 people. The activists have already tidied up a lot of trash in local canals, rivers, lakes and streets. The event will take place from 10am to 8pm, at the Mau Dich Restaurant, 81 Xuan Dieu Street. Vietnam starts cracking down on DUI drivers with hefty fines Beware DUI drivers: driving your motorbike after downing a few beers might cost you US$800, in accordance with a new law stipulating stricter penalties for drunk drivers that came into effect this month. Government Decree No. 46 took effect on August 1, raising the financial penalty and establishing a strong legal framework for handling several traffic violations, including DUI (driving under the influence) violations. Earlier this week, police in several big cities, including Hanoi, Da Nang, and Can Tho, simultaneously launched campaigns to reduce drunk driving by imposing the new punishments set forth in Decree No. 46. In Da Nang, the campaign was a success, leaving many of the city’s drunk drivers with a valuable lesson after local traffic police mounted it on Tuesday. Chu Manh, 37, was riding a motorcycle when he heard the whistle from the traffic police. After stopping his vehicle, he respectfully handed all his papers to the officers before walking away and leaving his motorcycle at the scene. Huynh C., who registered a breathalyzer reading of 0.52 mg/l, several times higher than the legal amount, was shocked when police levied a VND17 million (US$762) fine against him. He argued for several minutes before signing the paperwork. Even with the assistance of the new law, catching drunk drivers is still not an easy job for traffic police. Vu Duc V., 62, insisted that he keep his car despite a breathalyzer reading above 0.40 mg/l, grounds for police to temporarily impound his vehicle. V. agreed to sign the paperwork and gave the officers his papers, but pleaded to drive his wife home because his small children were waiting. It took the officers almost an hour to convince V. to give up his plea and take a taxi home with his wife, a solution which cost his children a few minutes of waiting, but might have saved their parents’ lives. Some drunk drivers stopped during the campaign refused to blow into the breathalyzer, while others opted to blow softly into the tube, hoping to trick the high-tech device. Colonel Le Van Luc, deputy director of Da Nang’s traffic police, revealed that officers were patrolling on several of the city’s major roads, including Pham Van Dong, Cach Mang Thang Tam, Nguyen Tat Thanh, and others. “We do not patrol near restaurants or pubs in order to avoid disturbing locals and visitors. I would like to affirm that we will do our best to enforce the law, without relenting under any kind of pressure,” Luc said. Outstanding Vietnam students complete internship at SCG Thailand Fifteen outstanding students of Vietnam have finished their one-month internship at Siam Cement Group (SCG) in Thailand. They beat hundreds of other candidates to join the SCG international internship program 2016 together with 20 other students from Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, and the Philippines. During the program, they joined different activities. Vo Phuong The, a student of HCMC University of Technology, said, “One of the best experiences I have ever had is joining social responsibility activities.” The program selected students in their third and fourth years majoring in technology, business management, social sciences and law. Candidates had to pass a strict screening process by writing essays and doing interviews to show their ability, attitude and vision. The attendees had all accommodation, transportation and daily expenses covered by the company. Moon cake production village detected violation of food safety regulation 8th IT& Communications Awards launched Ho Chi Minh Department of Information & Communications launched the 8th IT & Communications Awards for individuals and organizations operating in IT or having IT applications. This year's contest with theme of "Digital sticks on civilized and modern city" aims to encourage and develop IT & Communications products towards building civilized & modern city contributing develop the city's social economic. Six groups will receive the awards including enterprises have outstanding solutions or software; enterprises have outstanding IT& Communications applications; organizations or individuals have excellent achievements in developing the city's IT & Communication sector; students have good achievements in study and IT research... Representatives from the department said the organization board will receive registration files from now to September 30 and the award ceremony will be opened in November 2016. Hanoi to host autumn book festival Thousands of books in numerous genres will be introduced at the 2016 Autumn Book Festival that will take place at Thong Nhat Park in Hanoi from September 9-13, announced the Ministry of Information and Communication. At the festival, new books, best sellers, and latest publications with diverse themes are expected to meet the demands of different readers. In addition, an area will be used to display e-books as well as for publishing houses to introduce their online books and install free apps for reading books online. Visitors will also have a chance to learn more about calligraphy, as well as read books while enjoying coffee and tea. Moreover, products and achievements in publishing, information, technology and communications will be introduced to readers. On the sideline of the event, numerous talks between famous authors and readers, as well as forums and seminars on topics related to books, culture, politics, history, copyright and translation will also be held, which are expected to attract a large number of book lovers. During the festival, children can take part in various painting classes and fun mini games as well as learn about tangible and intangible world heritages in Vietnam through communication activities. The Autumn Book Festival aims to inspire enthusiasm for reading among the community, particularly younger generations. It also contributes to the growth in production and business of publishing houses as well as development of the information, technology and communication units. Official: No environmental violation detected at Formosa Nhon Trach Dong Nai Province’s vice chairman Vo Van Chanh said the province has not found any environmental violations committed by an industrial estate of Formosa Nhon Trach after one of the tenants there was caught in a pollution case last month. Chanh shared the conclusion at a press conference last week amid mounting concerns over environmental practices at the Formosa industrial park (IP) subdivision within Nhon Trach 3 IP in the southern province. The subdivision belongs to Hung Nghiep Formosa Co Ltd, the Vietnam unit of Taiwanese conglomerate Formosa. Chanh told the press conference on the province’s socioeconomic performance in the first half and tasks for the remaining months of the year that the company had fulfilled the environmental protection obligations and that no environmental breaches had been detected. On July 28, the Environmental Crime Prevention Police Department (PC49) and the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Dong Nai made a snap inspection at Chin Well Fasteners Vietnam Co Ltd (Chin Well). The company, which operates at the Formosa IP subdivision, was found to illegally discharge untreated wastewater and buried industrial sludge. After the violations were brought to light, local media reported local residents had complained about environmental pollution, allegedly caused by the Formosa IP subdivision. Allaying the concern, Chanh said there should be a clear distinction between Formosa and Chin Well as the former is the owner of the industrial estate while the latter is the source of pollution. Chanh said that in 2011 Hung Nghiep Formosa Co Ltd leased 300 hectares in Nhon Trach 3 IP to establish its IP subdivision with a 50-year lease. The company used 158 hectares of the area to build its fiber, plastic and thermal power plants. It developed infrastructure for the remaining 142 hectares for sublease to 16 companies, including Chin Well. Malaysian-owned Chin Well started operation in 2005 on a site of 17 hectares, specializing in producing bolts and screws and employing around 700 workers. Under an agreement between Chin Well and Formosa, the tenant is required to build its own system to treat wastewater before discharging it into Formosa’s main treatment plant with a capacity of 5,000 cubic meters a day. The main facility is responsible for treating the wastewater before emitting it into the environment. However, Chin Well has built another system disguised as an irrigation system to dump its wastewater on site. The illegal system has been suspended. Authorities are conducting an investigation into Chin Well. Related companies from HCMC and Tay Ninh, Binh Phuoc and Tien Giang provinces, which are supposed to treat the company’s waste, will also been probed. Results will be announced later. Chanh explained Chin Well is still operating normally as the company’s violations at this point do not warrant a suspension. He said the province had ordered the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and district and communal authorities to look into environmental problems around the Formosa IP subdivision. So far the province found that waste from nearby residential areas also has caused pollution and thus it could not hold Formosa responsible. The province said it would strictly deal with violators. Silk company fined for discharging untreated wastewater The People’s Committee of the Central Highlands’ Lâm Đồng Province has decided to fine a company more than VNĐ320 million (US$14,400) for violating environment regulations. The Bảo Lộc Silk Joint Stock Company, based in the province’s Bảo Lộc City, was found to have discharged untreated wastewater into the environment at the rate of 10.56cu.m per day. The wastewater was released into a spring that runs behind the company and then flows into Đồng Nai Lake. The company also failed to install and operate waste treatment facilities as it had committed and to abide by other environment protection regulations. The provincial authorities asked the company to immediately stop releasing untreated wastewater and to take measures to deal with the consequences. The company had been fined VNĐ300 million in 2010 for violating environment protection regulations. Infant saved after mother’s cardiac arrest Doctors from two Hanoi-based hospitals have successfully saved the life of an infant born to a mother suffering a sudden cardiac arrest in surgery that was calculated by the second. Associate Professor Ta Manh Cuong, Deputy Head of the National Heart Institute, told the media on August 16 that the surgery - the first ever of its kind at the National Heart Institute, took place a week ago with cooperation between doctors from the institute and Bach Mai Hospital’s obstetrics and paediatric departments. Dr Cuong said the mother was 25-year-old Nguyen Thi Thiep from Cao Bang Province. She was 32-weeks pregnant and suffered from serious congenital heart defects. She was earlier admitted to Bac Giang Province’s Luc Ngan General Hospital and transferred to the National Heart Institute on August 8 with serious pneumonia where she could hardly breathe. Her situation became quickly worse just hours after being hospitalised with respiratory failure and sudden cardiac arrest. Doctors from the two hospitals were mobilised to carry out the operation to save the baby’s life right in the emergency room as they did not have enough time to move the patient to surgery, Dr Cuong said. “The infant was taken out of the mother’s uterus in less than a minute but also suffered from cardiac arrest. The heart was able to function again after being treated. If we were a few more seconds late, we would have lost the baby,” he said, adding that unfortunately they were unable to save Thiep’s life. The baby’s condition has improved after one week being treated at Bach Mai Hospital’s Paediatric Department, he said. According to Thiep’s family, she was diagnosed in 2007 with congenital heart defects, which doctors at the Hanoi-based Viet Duc Hospital said could not be cured. She was then married and became pregnant without her doctors’ consultation due to a strong desire to have children.- Ministry unveils plans to launch ‘online book’ zone The Vietnam Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) on August 16 announced that it will sponsor a four-day Autumn Book Fair this Sep 9-13 at the Thong Nhat Park in Hanoi. The annual event aspires to instil a reading habit in the nation’s youth, said a MIC spokesperson in making the announcement. A highlight of this year’s event is the introduction of an ‘online book’ zone where electronic books can be purchased and traded. The book fair will also see the participation of domestic and foreign publishing houses along with a wide array of seminars, conferences, and dialogues with authors and readers. According to a recent report by the MIC, an estimated 26% of Vietnamese people do not read books, while 44% read books occasionally and only 30% read books on a regular basis. Tien Giang proactive to prevent landslides The Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang has taken measures to prevent and control increasingly severe and unpredictable landslides, according to a local official. Reinforcing landslide-hit areas as well as planting trees to mitigate impacts of wind and sea waves have been implemented to ensure safety for residents and their production. The province plans to allocate over 20 billion VND (900,000 USD) to repair landslide areas. Statistics show that there are 65 landslide sites with a combined length of nearly 2,200 metres, mostly in the districts of Cai Be, Cai Lay, Chau Thanh and My Tho city. Five of the locations along the rivers of Phu Phong, Ba Ray, Cai Be and the Nguyen Tan Thanh canal in the four districts, covering a length of hundreds of metres, are said to pose serious danger. Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Hoi Xuan commune in Cai Lay district Le Van Thon said landslides damaged a road dike section in the western bank of the Ba Ray River. Hundreds of metres of road in Dong Hoa Hiep commune in Cai Be district were also ruined due to landslides. Landslide is unpredictably occurring all year round as affected by climate change. Besides it, there are also sea level rise, saltwater intrusion and flooding. Dong Nai pays attention to taking care of children The southeastern province of Dong Nai approved a programme on protecting and taking care of children in the province from now to 2020. Under the programme, the province aims to manage, give help to and make timely interventions for children vulnerable to harm, violations or exploitation and ensure 100 percent of children under 18 years old with difficult circumstances are granted health insurance cards, taken care of and re-integrated into the community. Meanwhile, education programmes will be implemented for children aged nine and above to equip them with knowledge to shield themselves from exploitation and violations. The province has boosted connection between disadvantaged children and governments at all levels and with organisations to help them gain access to social welfare. It has also implemented many communication campaigns for parents and the community to become fully aware of children rights. In the past few years, Dong Nai established six consulting points for children aged under 18 and six more such points will be formed in two mountainous districts of Tan Phu and Cam My. Besides that, the province will build a community-based preventive and assistance model for children in disadvantaged circumstances. Dong Nai will prioritise the implementation of the programme at remote communes and ethnic minority groups. According to the provincial Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the province currently has 655,000 children aged under 16, including 11,000 disadvantaged ones. From 2011 to mid-2016, the province spent 46 billion VND (2.06 million USD) to assist children with disability and poor children. Despite these efforts, the protection and care of children is still limited and each year dozens of children are seriously harmed and 10,000 suffer from injuries and accidents. Migrants buy settlement certificate, destroy Mường Nhé forest Migrants in this northern mountainous province’s Mường Nhé District have been offered a chance to purchase a household registration certificate, helping them settle down legally. However, local authorities have warned this will worsen the problem of illegal deforestation in the district as most of them lack land for farming and usually chop down trees to grow crops to feed their families. Figures from the district’s People’s Committee showed that almost 300ha of forest land were cleared in 313 cases of illegal deforestation in the last two years. A higher number of migrants flocking to the district was blamed for the deforestation. Some 60 per cent of the households in the district are migrants who moved there after 2005. On average, each household destroyed 3ha of forest for their crops. Local authorities have failed to stop them for years. Thus, last October, Deputy Prime Minister Hoàng Trung Hải required local authorities to force migrants who had moved to Điện Biên Province after 2011 to return to their homeland as a way of curbing deforestation. However, many migrants told Vietnam News Agency reporters that they were offered a chance to pay some VNĐ10 million (US$450) to get a household certificate, which would legalise their stay. Mùa A Lử, a migrant living in Nà Pá Village, Mường Nhé Commune, said he had paid VNĐ2 million ($90) to Tao Văn Pín, head of the communal police office, to revoke his certificate from his hometown. Pín asked him to pay another VNĐ10 million ($450) to get a new certificate based in the commune, but he refused due to a lack of funds, Lử said. Another migrant, who wished to remain anonymous, said he had paid VNĐ7 million ($315) to get the certificate. He was told to stay in the forest and grow crops there. Most migrants admitted they had no rights compared to other local citizens from the village. Migrant Thào A Lâu said homes had not been arranged for him and some other families; they were not invited to local meetings, were not eligible for any supportive policies and were not allowed to vote in the recent election. Head of the communal police office Tao Văn Chi said he had just been assigned to the position, adding that he had not licensed any certificates for households. Chi admitted that as many as 22 household registration certificates for Nà Pán Village were not on the police’s list for household management, suggesting that reporters should meet with officials of the police department in the district for further details. Pờ Pờ Sơn, deputy head of Mường Nhé District’s Police Department, said fake household registration certificates were sometimes discovered. The department has required local police to seize such certificates, affirming that the 22 questionable certificates licensing households in the commune were not on the police list. In Nậm Pố Village, five households were found to have obtained certificates in this way. Currently, there are some 20,000 migrant households living in more than 100 villages in the district. Lù Văn Thanh, chairman of the district’s People’s Committee, said the committee knew about the issue and was working on it by re-examining and seizing illegal certificates. Those who were involved would be held liable according to their actions. Hà Nội stops sale of Neo-Tergynan Hà Nội health department has asked local health services centres to suspend the selling and prescribing of Neo-Tergynan for gynaecological problems, fearing fake drugs. The department on Tuesday also asked public and private hospitals and health clinics, besides drug firms and stores in the city to re-examine their medicine lists and to promptly stop the use of this medicine. It said district health departments would be in charge of supervising the suspension of this medicine’s use by local drug stores. The department’s Medicine Testing Centre was asked to strengthen inspections of distribution of medicines and to inform authorised agencies if it detected Neo-Tergynan being sold in the city. On August 5, the Ministry of Health’s Drug Administration conveyed its doubts about fake Neo-Tergynan, which is manufactured by France’s Sophartex and imported in Việt Nam by Việt Hà Medicine JSC. Hoang Sa, Truong Sa exhibition in Son La Province Son La Provincial authorities have announced that an exhibition showcasing the historical evidence proving Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos will open August 25 at the province stadium. Maps and documents in traditional Chinese, Vietnamese and French languages issued by Vietnamese feudal states from the 17th to the early 20th century, all affirming sovereignty of Vietnam over these islands, are included in the exhibition. During the five-day event, the organizing board introduces a vast amount of evidentiary material by researchers and scholars, including copies of Nguyen-dynasty official documents directly establishing Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa. In addition, the exhibition features photographs of the daily lives of local people and soldiers on the Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago. VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri/VNE