Social News 19/9 Three people die from power generator fumes Three people died in Hà Nội’s Gia Lâm District and three others are still in hospital after using a power generator while sleeping, police said on Saturday. The victims worked at a clothing store in Ninh Hiệp Market in Ninh Hiệp Commune. They turned on the power generator for cooling after the commune experienced a power cut on Saturday night. The store owner unlocked the victims’ room after none of them showed up for work in the morning.    Formosa-contaminated fish destroyed in Quảng Trị The central province of Quảng Trị will dump about 70 tonnes of fish harvested after Formosa released toxic waste water into the ocean bordering Hà Tĩnh, Quảng Bình, Quảng Trị and Thừa Thiên - Huế late in April. The fish, which tested positive for Formosa-contamination, were stored in warehouse freezers in the province after local fishermen failed to sell them out. The local department of natural resources and environment started collecting the frozen fish and transfering them to designated landfill sites last Saturday in Gio Linh District. Vĩnh Linh and Triệu Phong districts also have a high proportion of contaminated fish to dispose of safely. The fish will be covered with giant plastic bags and buried in pits. Lime powder and Chloramine B will be used to treat the waste during the process. Nguyễn Trường Khoa, deputy director of the department, said the fish were tested for contamination before disposal to ensure less economic losses for fishermen. Quảng Trị expected to dedicate 90 cubic metres of land and VNĐ100 million (US$4,500) for disposal operations. Formosa pollution is expected to have long term impact on fishermen, the economy of the affected province and the ocean environment.  Landslide kills two workers in Lào Cai A landslide killed two workers of a hydropower plant in the northern province of Lào Cai in the early morning yesterday. The two victims were Phạm Văn Cấp, 21 and Phạm Văn Khuyến, 24, both local residents who worked for the Bắc Nà hydropower plant located in Bắc Hà District’s Khu Chu Tủng 1 village. They were sheltering in a shack when rocks and soil fell down from the mountain above during a heavy downpour on Saturday night. Cultural week of Mu Cang Chai terraced field opens   A cultural-tourism week honouring terraced paddy fields was launched with a ceremony in Mu Cang Chai district, the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai on September 18. At the ceremony, about 300 ethnic H’Mong artists performed music featuring the “khen” , a traditional bamboo instrument.  During the week, which runs until September 20, there will be a paragliding festival, goat fighting, local sports and traditional products.  According to the event’s organising board, the festival is aimed at honouring the national landscape of Mu Cang Chai terraced fields and local ethnic groups’ cultural values, as well as boosting tourism development in the locality. Mu Cang Chai has 500 hectares of rice terraces in La Pan Tan, Che Cu Nha and De Xu Phinh communes, cultivated by the H'mong people for centuries. The local terraces are among the 2,500 hectares recognised as national heritage sites in 2007 by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.  The locality is about 1,000 metres above sea level, making it impossible to grow rice the same way as in deltas. Local residents grow rice in terraced fields to prevent water flowing downhill.  Terraced fields in Mu Cang Chai are beautiful all year round. Visitors in March can see glittering ponds before locals transplant rice seedlings from April to May. After May, the hills are covered in green until the fields start to turn yellow with ripe rice in early September.  During the harvest in October, the golden rice fields stand out amidst green forests. Paragliding festival kicks off in Yen Bai Parachutes are flying over ripening rice fields at Khau Pha pass, signaling the opening of a culture and tourism week highlighting terraced fields in Mu Cang Chai district in the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai. The paragliding festival has been held by Mu Cang Chai district in conjunction with the Vietwings Hanoi Parachuting Club and the Northern Aviation Club since 2012. This year’s event sees the participation of nearly 100 paragliders from seven domestic and foreign clubs. Khau Pha, about 1,200 metres above sea level, provides a breathtaking view of stunning natural scenery. It is rated as one of the four most beautiful paragliding sites in Vietnam and among the top five most beautiful flying spots in the world. The Culture-Tourism Week of Mu Cang Chai Terraced Rice Fields 2016 aims to honour and promote the values of the terraced paddy fields and ethnic peoples’ culture in the locality. TV show depicts life of Vietnamese Americans in California A TV series on the life of Vietnamese-Americans in California will air on HCM City Television (HTV) in December this year.  The 30-part series, Cali Mua Hoa Vang (Yellow Seasons in California), was produced by IMC-TodayTV and Hoang Duan, former director of the HCM City Theatre.  The series includes lively scenes in HCM City, Can Tho and California filmed by a professional staff led by veteran director Xuan Phuoc, who has spent time living in the US.  The film depicts the life of Vietnamese-Americans, focusing on challenges and conflicts they faced to reach success in career and love after leaving their homeland.  It also features the thoughts and hopes of the elderly who settled in the United States but left their soul in Vietnam.  "Audiences can learn more about Vietnamese-Americans, who come from different backgrounds but still spread the Vietnamese culture and lifestyle to younger generations,” said Duan, who is also the film’s scriptwriter.  Duan travelled to several cities in the US to talk with many Americans of Vietnamese origin, spending more than six months in California, where 1.3 million of them live.  “I have several Vietnamese-American friends working in music and theatre, who want to discover themselves through traditional Vietnamese art. I shared their dreams and thoughts,” said Duan, in his interview with local media.  "I worked hard to make my screenplay realistic to help audiences understand the life and the ‘American dream’ in the right way," he said.  The films include veteran comedian Bao Quoc and young actors such as Luong The Thanh, Thuy Diem, Kha Ly and Thanh Duy.  “I decided to play a role in Duan’s film because I have experience in living overseas. I understand what older Vietnamese-Americans want from their children. I believe the film’s messages about love and family will help audiences,” said Quoc, who lives in California with his daughter’s family. Prime Minister visits Military Zone 3 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has applauded the Military Zone 3’s outstanding performance as an adviser to the local Party Committees and authorities on national defence. At a meeting with officers and soldiers of the Military Zone 3, which has been tasked with safeguarding security in Red River Delta provinces, on September 18, the PM also hailed the unit’s engagement in flood and storm prevention, and rescue operations. He urged the Military Zone 3 to exert greater efforts to fulfill national construction and defence tasks in the new period. The Party and State always pay attention to and take care of the army to help the military make the best defence performance at all time, he stressed. The Government leader requested the Military Zone 3 to continue staying vigilant, coordinate with other relevant forces to promptly handle problems that may arise and combine socio-economic development with national defence. In the same vein, the unit should work harder to improve training quality and pay more heed to the rear work, mass mobilisation and civil defence forces building. “The Government will make its best to create resources for the army, including the Military Zone 3,” he said, voicing his belief that the unit will take the lead in national defence and fulfill all assigned tasks. UNICEF-funded bilingual education project benefits ethnic pupils The Mother Tongue - based Bilingual Education project funded by UNICEF in Vietnam has proven effective, benefiting teachers, pupils, and education managers in the beneficiary localities, heard a conference in Hanoi on September 16. Addressing the event, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Vinh Hien highlighted the significance of the project, and praised the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF)’s support for Vietnam’s education cause, especially in ethnic minority areas. The ministry encourages localities to expand the project, he stressed, adding that this helps not only teach Vietnamese language to ethnic minority pupils but also improve the education quality and efficiency in ethnic minority areas, contributing to preserving cultural identities of ethnic minority groups. During the event, participants shared experience in implementing the project and discussed future cooperation orientations in the context of comprehensive education reform in Vietnam. The Ministry of Education and Training has successfully implemented the UNICEF’s initiative promoting mother tongue-based bilingual education in Lao Cai, Gia Lai and Tra Vinh provinces since 2008. Mother tongue-based bilingual education is an effective approach to help ensure children have equal access to quality education, empowering ethnic minority groups, assisting in their societal integration and contributing to the country’s sustainable development. Studies and results from the project show that the use of the mother tongue encourages and supports learning of ethnic minority students, encouraging them to remain in school and improve their academic achievements, skills and attitude. Ethnic minority children taught in their native languages have better educational outcomes than their peers learning in Vietnamese. Exchange programme boosts Vietnam-Hungary cooperation The Vietnam-Hungary Friendship Association (VHFA) under the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) organised an exchange programme at the Tuoi Tre (Youth) Park on September 18 on the occasion of the two countries’ National Days. Addressing the event, VHFA Vice President Pham Viet Son expressed his delight at new developments of the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Hungary. The relationship has been expanded and strongly developed across fields over the years, he said, citing the regular exchange of visits by the two countries’ leaders to clarify his view. The two sides will work together to conduct more pragmatic activities contributing to deepening the fine relationship and elevating it to a strategic partnership, he said. Son noted his hope that with endeavours of the Vietnamese and Hungarian Governments and people, the bilateral ties will further thrive, yielding great and tangible results, for the sake of the two countries’ people, and for peace, stability and development in the region and the world at large. Hungarian Ambassador Ory Csaba said Vietnam and Hungary are marking the 66 th anniversary of their diplomatic ties in 2016. The diplomat said he hope that the VUFO and the VHFA will join hands with each other to conduct more activities to promote the bilateral relations. 4 tobacco smugglers caught in killing of market watchdog officer Police in Long An have arrested four suspects in the killing of a market management officer on an anti-tobacco smuggling mission in the southern province on September 16. Nguyen Kim Danh, 46, a member of the provincial market watchdog, was allegedly struck to death by a group of tobacco smugglers when he tried to stop them at the dawn on September 16. Danh was dispatched to the scene on September 16 , when his unit detected a group of tobacco smugglers on a stretch of Cung Canal, located in Binh Hoa Nam village in Duc Hue District. The four-member market watchdog team was divided into two groups, with two officers covering on land while Danh and another officer named Bon ambushed in the canal on a motorboat. At around 10:00 pm on September 15, Danh and Bon noticed a motorboat travelling at high speed on the canal and quickly asked the driver to stop. After checking the motorboat, the officers found and seized approximately 9,000 illegal cigarette packages. The motorboat driver, however, was able to escape. While transporting the seized goods to their headquarters, the team was chased by a group of ten motorboats, with some 20 smugglers on board, who reportedly sought to recover the confiscated cigarettes. The officers accelerated the boat, but one smuggler caught up with them and attacked the team with a stick. Danh was struck in the head and fell into the river. Bon quickly jumped into the river and managed to bring Danh onto the bank. However, Danh was pronounced dead shortly after at around 00:30 am on September 16. Upon receiving the call from the market management officers, local police were quickly dispatched to the area and eventually caught four smugglers in the afternoon of September 16. Officers are currently investigating the suspects to identify the rest of the smuggling gang. Various official agencies have attended the funeral of Danh and paid tribute to his death. Danh’s father was also a hero, who died while serving the country during the American war in Vietnam. Danh had been working as a market management officer since 1997. He held many positions and was assigned to the market management agency in Long An in January 2016. Danh was adamant in fighting against the smugglers and was given many awards for his great contributions. He died leaving behind his 80-year-old mother, his wife and two young children of grade 7 and 3. The provincial government and other local agencies are giving their best help to the family of the deceased hero. Crowds attend whale worshipping festival in Vung Tau A Nghinh Ong or whale worshipping festival is taking place in Vung Tau city, the southern province of in Ba Ria – Vung Tau, attracting crowds of local people and tourists. The “Nghinh Ong Thang Tam Vung Tau” festival, which lasts from September 11-18, includes rituals such as praying the sea gods, a procession of the whale god from the sea to the Thang Tam Temple and hosting a feast to ancestors and heroic martyrs. The event also features a number of traditional performances including folk games, swimming, and fishing and net-making competitions. Vietnamese fishermen believe that whales rescue people in danger at sea and can bring them a prosperous fishing season. Thus, the annual Nghinh Ong festival offers a chance for fishermen to express their gratitude towards the Nam Hai god (a whale) and the sea gods for protecting and supporting them in their daily lives and at sea, while praying for peace and a good harvest. The “Nghinh Ong Thang Tam Vung Tau” festival was recognised as one of the fifteen biggest festivals in the country by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2000. British cyclist raises funds to save Vietnamese children with heart disease British cyclist Scott Kirkham finished his 1,600km cycling tour from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City on September 17 to raise awareness and funds to help Vietnamese children with congenital heart disease. After moving to Vietnam last year with his family, Scott Kirkham quickly realised that he wanted to help disadvantaged children who live a life in contrast to his own, acknowledging he is grateful to have a good life with two healthy and happy kids. Working with international brand activation agency Geometry Global and Heartbeat Vietnam Fund, Kirkham created a campaign called Cyclefor16 that has so far reached over 750,000 people and raised more than US$50,000. There are around 2,000 children who are diagnosed with congenital heart disease every year, of that figure approximately 85% of children with heart conditions die as their families can’t afford the cost of surgery. This is not the first time Kirkham has done charity work in Vietnam. Last year he joined several kitchens to serve food to disadvantaged people in Ho Chi Minh City. Kirkham also plans to produce a photography book on Vietnam after the ride, all proceeds from the book will go towards funding surgeries for children. Failed urban development proves ideal buffalo pasture Buffalo farmers have put the abandoned Kim Chung-Di Trach urban area in Hanoi to good use after it has laid abandoned for years. The 170-ha Kim Chung-Di Trach project in Hoai Duc District has hundreds of houses which were expected to be sold at billions of dong at the height of Vietnam’s property bubble.   Now, the area has been covered with dense grass, offering an ideal place for local households to take their buffaloes there for gazing, bringing good incomes of hundreds of millions of dong a year. Nguyen Thi Nghia who lives some two kilometres from the project, said she takes her family's herd of 30 buffaloes there for gazing every day. "The grass there helps us to save buying buffalo feed. Besides, buffaloes which are raised in such wide land plots often have better meat quality, so, they attract traders," she added. Nghia's family used to live on farm work, but six years ago, when she went through Kim Chung-Di Trach urban area, she decided to sell her rice fields to buy buffaloes to raise on the abandoned real estate site. From the initial few, the herd now numbers 30, worth a total of around VND1 billion (USD47,600).    A small buffalo bought for VND7-12 million can be sold at roughly VND25 million. Last Tet Holiday, her family sold 20 buffaloes to traders, bringing them revenue of hundreds of millions of VND. It’s not only Nghia's family that are making use of the urban development folly, but also several others have taken advantage of Kim Chung-Di Trach urban area's thick grass to raise their buffaloes, cows and goats. Nguyen Trong Hien said his family is also successfully raising eight cows in the area. Ninh Binh province honours students, athletes Outstanding students and athletes of the northern province of Ninh Binh were honoured by the Dinh Bo Linh study and talent encouragement fund on September 18.  Addressing the presentation, attended by President Tran Dai Quang, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Tong Quang Thin commended the 199 students and athletes who made remarkable achievements in studying, scientific research and sports.  Many of them won prizes at national and international contests or entered universities with good marks, others secured medals at regional and international junior sports competitions, said Thin, who is also Managing Director of the fund.  More than 726 million VND (32,500 USD) was presented to award winners at the ceremony.  The fund, set up in March 2012, has granted scholarships and rewards to more than 1,400 students so far.  It is named after Dinh Bo Linh, a national hero who defeated 12 warlords to unite the country and declared himself King Dinh Tien Hoang in the 10th century. He chose Hoa Lu in Ninh Binh province as the capital and named his kingdom Dai Co Viet (Great Viet). Human resource training needed to develop Khmer ethnic areas Human resource training needs more attention in order to improve the effectiveness of socio-economic development policies in Khmer ethnic areas, heard a recent workshop held in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang.  Analysing the outcomes of policies designed specifically for areas with Khmer ethnic communities, participants pointed to existing problems such as the gap in education and poverty between those areas and other areas.  Associate Prof. Dr. Ngo Quang Son, director of the Ethnology Institute, proposed more assistance in preserving the Khmer culture and improving Khmer communities’ cultural life. Traditional handicraft villages should also be revived to create more jobs and increase locals’ income.  In order to help Khmer people to develop economy, Dr. Phan Van Dop from the South Institute for Social Sciences, said it is necessary to enhance education for Khmer people, particularly on economic issues, and guide them towards more advanced production models.  At the same time, programmes and projects for areas with ethnic populations should be continued in combination with national schemes such as the plan on building new-style rural areas, he said.  Deputy head of the Ethnic Affairs Committee of An Giang Province Chau Anne called for more investment in infrastructure and the introduction of effective production models in Khmer areas.  According to Dr. Ngo Quang Son, the Mekong Delta region has more than one million Khmer people, equal to eight percent of the region’s population, who live mainly in the southwest provinces such as Kien Giang, Soc Trang, Tra Vinh and An Giang. WWF, Intel start wetland reforestation project The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Intel Products launched a joint effort to restore habitats in the Láng Sen Wetland Reserve last week, with the goal of planting more than 12,000 native trees this year. The project aims to restore the degraded forests, providing habitats for wildlife and ensuring livelihoods for local residents, whose livelihoods depend on the area’s ecosystem. Recent rapid changes in climatic factors like temperature and rainfall, as well as the hydrological regime of the Mekong River, have led to serious degradation of the forests. The partnership also aims to support the fight against water scarcity in the Mekong Delta, thanks to the forests’ ecological function of storing floodwaters during the rainy season and releasing freshwater into surrounding communities and recharging groundwater in the dry season. In the first phase of reforestation, WWF and Intel have engaged 400 volunteers, including employees of the chip maker and TRG International, to plant trees on September 14 and 17. The volunteers also engaged with local students in Tân Hưng Commune, Long An Province, to raise awareness and encourage the practice of reusing plastic bottles to protect the environment. “The Plain of Reeds, including the area of Láng Sen Wetland, not only has a crucial environmental role in protecting the Mekong Delta’s wildlife, but also provides the fundamental eco-system services for local communities,” Trịnh Thị Long – Fresh Water Practice Co-ordinator, WWF-Việt Nam, said. “Restoring the wetland habitats in Láng Sen goes beyond the conservation of this area’s wildlife, and provides local people with better livelihood opportunities.” Currently only 1 per cent of the Plain of Reeds’s natural wetlands remains intact. To counteract the trend of degraded eco-system integrity, WWF has been delivering a comprehensive ecosystem-based climate change adaptation programme since 2007. WWF started working in Láng Sen in 2010 to improve water management, conserve bio-diversity and establish a monitoring system for the recovery of the natural habitat. As the reforested area within the WWF – Intel partnership significantly contributes to WWF’s strategic plan, it sets a strong foundation for developing further conservation works in the Láng Sen Wetland Reserve in the ever-changing context of climate change. “This is a great opportunity for Intel and its employees to engage in a meaningful project with WWF, directly contributing to both improving long-term livelihoods in local communities and raising awareness among its employees of the importance of ecological preservation, and the negative impacts of climate change at the community level,” Hồ Uyên, public affairs director, Intel Products Việt Nam, said. Officially established in 2004, Láng Sen Wetland Reserve is among the few natural remnants of the Plain of Reeds (Đồng Tháp Mười), and home to almost 300 species of plants and animals. It provides freshwater and fisheries to 9,000 people in the surrounding areas. Vietnam has one of the least powerful passports in Southeast Asia Faring poorly on an international passport index, Vietnam possesses one of the least powerful passports in the region. Ranking 74th on the World Economic Forum's Passport Index, Vietnam, together with Cambodia, possesses one of the least powerful passports in Southeast Asia. Citizens from the two countries can visit 51 other countries and territories without applying for a visa, slightly higher than people from Myanmar, who can access only 42 countries. Singapore and Malaysia have the most powerful passports in the region with the former ranking 4th (visa exemption from 155 countries) and the latter ranking 8th (visa exemption from 151 countries). The other rankings for Southeast Asian countries are as follows: Brunei (20th), Timor-Leste (47th), Thailand (55th), the Philippines (63rd) and Indonesia (69th). Germany and Sweden topped the 2016 rankings, with passport holders having access to 158 countries without a visa. The US and the UK, which shared the top position last year, have slipped to third and fourth place. The world’s least powerful passports come from poor countries mired in political conflicts like Syria, Somalia, Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Passport holders from these nations can only visit from 24 to 31 other countries. Some experts blame Vietnam's virtually toothless passport on the lack of visa reciprocity with many countries. With a poor record of simplifying visa procedures, Vietnam has waived visas for citizens of only 21 countries, far lower than its neighbors. Insiders are expecting little headway to be made in this regard. “This matter is clearly very complex as it involves different ministries whose interests are not always aligned,” said Kenneth Atkinson, former chairman of the Tourism Working Group at the Vietnam Business Forum, a consortium of international and local business associations and chambers of commerce. According to Atkinson, when Vietnam waived visas for five European countries last year, the Tourism Working Group was very upbeat that further exemptions would be granted. "We understood that the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism had submitted a list of a further 19 countries for visa exemption but no further approvals for exemptions were given," said Atkinson, who is also executive chairman of Grant Thornton Vietnam. For some, it may seem difficult to understand why Vietnamese authorities have not bought into the idea that visa waivers are likely to boost tourism, and that scrapping them could cause problems, especially considering the evidence available in neighboring countries. For others, the reason is pretty clear. "I think there are too many vested interests, too many [people] making too much money for them to turn off this lucrative revenue stream," said Nguyen Van My, a seasoned tourism expert in Ho Chi Minh City. "Money talks, but it is killing the industry," My said. But still, changes are afoot. Vietnam is working on a scheme to grant electronic visas for foreign visitors in a bid to lure more tourists to the country and boost the domestic tourism industry. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said last month that the government has allocated VND200 billion (US$8.8 million) to speed up the project so that the e-visa system can be launched on January 1, 2017. While insiders on the one hand welcome this new move, others are less optimistic when it comes to visa waivers. "We do not anticipate any further visa exemptions being granted," Atkinson said. Formosa’s aboard red mud has valid documents: customs division Goods including red mud aboard Ying Rich were imported into Vietnam lawfully with sufficient and valid documents, reported the Customs Division at Vung Ang seaport in the central province of Ha Tinh yesterday. The Hong Kong ship carrying the goods docked at Son Duong Formosa Port on September 15. The division’s leaders were reporting to deputy chairman of the Ha Tinh People’s Committee Duong Tat Thang and a provincial interagency mission, who were present at Vung Ang Economic Zone (EZ) to inspect the goods’ import. According to the division, the consignment comprises refractory bricks and mud imported to serve transportation of liquefied iron and construction of some project items of Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Company. The Ha Tinh Customs Department put the consignment on the yellow line and passed customs clearance. Cargo in the yellow lines means customs officials will supervise the customs clearance process not check the goods. On the other hand, the Ministry of Construction on September 14 last year issued a document confirming that the refractory materials FHS imported have not been produced domestically. Another document sent to FHS by the Ministry of Planning and Investment also confirmed the same content.  After inspecting, Mr. Duong Tat Thang and the mission found that goods in bags are red mud and aluminum powder FHS imported to transport liquefied iron and build some items of its project in Ha Tinh. Mr. Thang required customs forces in the province to categorize, store, manage the cargo and bear responsibility for working with the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the Police Department to take samples for testing and answer public questions and concerns about the bauxite residue import. At first, customs forces are required to coordinate with businesses to unload the consignment, transport to warehouses and keep a close eye on it until there will have testing results and final conclusion of authorized agencies about the consignment. Deputy head of the Customs Division at Vung Ang port Nguyen Minh Xuan said that cargo aboard Ying Rich was in the list of permitted import goods of the industry and trade industry. It had customs declarations with sufficient documents and tax bills. Therefore, the consignment was eligible for normal customs clearance, he said. If customs, police and environment agencies have doubts about the goods, they will take samples for testing and the division will coordinate with them to do so, he added. At a meeting with authorized agencies yesterday afternoon, a FHS representative said that the refractory mud or power would be mixed with water to create a type of mortar. Its main ingredient is aluminum oxide. The mortar was used for gluing refractory bricks to create liquefied iron carriers at an extremely high temperature, the representative added. Ministry breaks ground for Thanh Co Bridge The Ministry of Transport and People’s Committee in the central province of Quang Tri yesterday broke the ground for Thanh Co (Old Town) Bridge and road through Quang Tri Town.  The 311 meter bridge and 5.9kilometer road cost VND670 billion (US$30,042,800) will connect the two administrative and economic centers including Quang Tri Province and Ai Tu Town in Trieu Phong District and Dong Ha Town.  Additionally, the construction develops the province’s infrastructure for its district development and river trafiic in Thach Han River. The bridge is scheduled to open to the traffic on July 27 to mark 70th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs Day ( July 27, 1947-July, 27, 2017) and Liberation Day of Quang Tri Province. HCM City wants to seek bridge investors The HCM City People’s Committee has asked for permission from the government to appoint investors for the Thủ Thiêm Bridge 4 project under the BT (build-transfer) model. The city proposed three investors, Phát Đạt Corporation Real Estate Development, Investment Corporation 620, and 168 Construction Development Investment JSC. The 2.16-km, six-lane bridge connecting District 2 and 7 is expected to have a vertical clearance of 45 metres, similar to that of Phú Mỹ Bridge. The clearance would ensure traffic flow of waterway vehicles. The cost of building a tall bridge is expensive, according to the Ministry of Transport. If Thủ Thiêm Bridge 4 were to have a lower vertical clearance, construction costs could be reduced. But traffic flows from Tân Thuận Đông Port to pier K12, K12A, and K12B of Sài Gòn Port would be negatively affected, it said. According to the zoning plan for ports in the Southeastern region between 2020 and 2030, 11 ports and piers designed for 20,000-30,000-tonne boats on the Sài Gòn River will be relocated. Piers K12, K12A and K12B are not included. The committee has suggested that the government include piers K12, K12A and K12B in the plan and move them to Hiệp Phước Port area because of heavy traffic from vehicles and container trucks carrying goods from nearby ports and piers in District 4 and 7. This would free the “hotspots” such as the Nguyễn Văn Linh – Huỳnh Tấn Phát intersection, Nguyễn Văn Linh – Tân Thuận Bridge 2 intersection, Nguyễn Tất Thành Street and others from serious traffic problems. It would also be more convenient for construction of Thủ Thiêm Bridge 4. Since traffic would no longer travel from piers K12, K12A and K12B, the bridge could be built with a lower clearance, thus saving construction costs. Illegal dumping plagues Lừ River in Ha Noi Piles of rubbish illegally dumped on streets and pavements have been seen along the Lừ River in capital city of Hà Nội.  The problem has attracted attention from the public and local government, and prompted calls for tougher regulations. "I have to hold my breath when I walk by the river, especially on sunny days, because of the terrible smell", said Nguyễn Thị Quyên, 56, who lives in Định Công Ward, Hà Nội’s Hoàng Mai District. "On rainy days, the waste flows on to streets, even near houses," she told Lao Động (Labour) newspaper. According to Nguyễn Quang Sơn, deputy chairman of Kim Liên Ward’s People’s Committee, Đống Đa District, the illegal dumping of household and building waste along the Lừ River was difficult to tackle as the route passed through four wards, namely Kim Liên, Phương Mai, Phương Liệt and Định Công, in four different districts. Some residents have taken advantage of loose management by local authorities to dump illegally, he said. Nguyễn Xuân Quý, from Định Công Ward, said the dumping had been happening along the Lừ River for the past few years. Quý attributed the situation to the fact that the route was under construction. The waste was sneakily dumped by building companies and individuals late at night or early in the morning, he said. "I once saw a truck leave broken bricks and concrete in front of my house late at night. When I screamed, the driver fled," Quý said. Phùng Anh Minh, deputy chairman of Phương Mai Ward’s People’s Commitee in Đống Đa District, said it was hard to locate the source of waste since most of it was dumped at night. He also blamed the situation on low speed of land clearance which resulted in a number of households living at the site.  Earlier in May, Phương Mai Ward’s People’s Committee co-ordinated with the construction unit to transport a large quantity of waste but illegal waste dumping returned soon after. Nguyễn Anh Tuấn, deputy director of Hà Nội Urban Environment One Member Co Ltd’s Đống Đa branch, said the route along the Lừ River was being upgraded. Domestic waste on the route, particularly the section belonging to Đống Đa District, was collected by the company’s staff every day, he said. However, he said, local residents dumped household waste and building waste along the Lừ Riverside illegally. As soon as complaints about piles of waste were reported by local newspapers, the company assigned staff to deal with household waste, Tuấn said. Local authorities had asked competent agencies to speed up the upgrading of the route so that it would become operational soon, Minh said. Kids win ozone preservation painting contest The Department of Meteorology, Hydrology and Climate Change on Thursday awarded top prize to three students at the Olympia Schools in Hà Nội in its outdoor painting contest in celebration of International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone layer. One of the winners, seventh grader Nguyễn Ngọc Tâm, said that he had painted the last penguin crying for the loss of his home, family and friends because of the polar ice caps melting at the North Pole due to global warming. Fifth grader Nguyễn Việt Thục Trang, who also won top prize, depicted a light bulb in the shape of a skull, and 10th grader Nguyễn Nhi Linh, another winner, painted a Mahesh Vara god calling for environmental protection. The contest, which attracted 700 of the school’s students, included paintings and graphic design about the Earth, the ozone layer and climate in different media, such as acrylic, colored wax, markers and pastels. Forty-eight of the paintings were exhibited at a ceremony for International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone layer at the Majestic Hotel in HCM City’s District 1. Vietnamese horror film released nationwide A young girl walks in a heavy rain toward an old mansion. She opens the gate and enters a world of love, torment and revenge from phantoms. That’s the opening of Cô Hầu Gái (The Housemaid), which was officially released nationwide yesterday. The film is based on a true story that director Derek Nguyễn heard from his grandmother. When she was young, she worked as a housemaid for a French landlord and fell in love with him. During his childhood, Nguyễn, who now lives in the US, listened to many ghost stories from his grandmother, and he grew up believing that the spirit world was real. He nurtured a longtime dream of making a horror film to promote the Vietnamese cinema industry, in part because there are very few Vietnamese filmmakers working in this genre. The movie tells a story set in 1953. Linh, played by Nhung Kate, who lost her family in the war, is hired to work as a housemaid at a plantation owned by French Lieutenant Sebastien. Sebastien is mostly at the battlefield, so there are only three people with different character traits who take care of the house and the rubber plantation. Linh gradually feels the presence of the late Madam Camille, Sebastien’s wife. Feeling depressed due to her husband’s regular absence, she had become mad and drowned herself and their one-year-old baby. One night, Sebastien suddenly comes home from the battlefield, wounded. Linh has to look after the master she just met, and the relationship quickly turns to romance. All is not well however, because their new relationship stirs up the other housekeepers, and Sebastien’s new fiancée, Madeline. It is when Linh tries to win Sebastien’s heart and protect her love, the tragic secrets of the rubber plantation and Madam Camille’s ghost unveil. As Linh becomes infatuated with Sebastian, she begins to encounter the secrets and horror of the malevolent mansion. Linh and Sebastien have to fight with vengeful ghost of his dead wife, and rubber plantation coolies’ spirits who are out for blood. Lieutenant Sebastien is played by Jean-Michel Richaud, who was born in Paris and now works as actor in Los Angeles. He dubbed his voice for many films including The Revenant, Frozen, The King’s Speech and Silver Linings Playbook. “I have co-operated with many foreign filmmakers and invested much in this film, so I expect that it will be a blockbuster,” said Nguyễn . Derek believed that the participation of a Hollywood star in the main role would help bring success for the film Beyond the foreign actors, the film was also a production of participation with foreign filmmakers, with music by Jerome Leroy, cinematography by Sam Chase, film editing by  Stephane Gauger, sound department by Franck Desmoulins. Especially noted is the artist who created  Madame Camille’s phantom: Bradley Greenwood, who worked as make-up expert for the film Kong - Skull Island. “Horror films like Dracula and Phantom of the Opera inspired me to create a ghost of Madame Camille who looks haunting, desperate and opulent because she was a part of the upper class,” said Nguyễn. “I worked with Greenwood and we decided to make Camille a bride in black.” The film is released at cinemas nationwide with 2D, 3D and 4DX formats. The 92-minute movie has English subtitles. VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri/VNE