Social News 12/10 One dead as ship with 44 on board sinks in Quang Tri   A fishing vessel brought victims ashore after the ship Ngoc Tuan 01 sank off Quang TriProvince. One person has died after a ship carrying 44 passengers from Cửa Tùng harbour to Cồn Cỏ Island in central Quảng Trị Province sank on Tuesday morning. The Ngọc Tuấn 01 cargo ship was transporting construction materials when water flooded the vessel, causing the ship to sink 5 nautical miles from the island. The sea was calm at the time of the incident, but the sky was very dark, according to Lê Minh Tuấn, chairman of Cồn Cỏ island district People’s Committee. Tuấn told local newspapers that 43 people had been rescued from the sinking ship, and were now safe on the island. Related agencies are now investigating the cause of the incident. At the time, a local border guard unit and three fishing boats travelling near the site helped to rescue the victims. The unit head affirmed that a 53 year old female passenger had died, and her body was transferred to shore for funeral preparations. Vietnam seeks crisis response to Chinese border nuclear plants As China operates the first units of three nuclear power plants located as close as 50 kilometers from Vietnamese borders, Hanoi is seeking measures to detect and respond to possible future crises related to the facilities. China currently has three nuclear power plants built near Vietnamese territory, Fangchenggang Nuclear Power Plant in Guangxi, Changjiang Nuclear Power Plant in Hainan Province, and Yangjiang Nuclear Power Plant in Guangdong Province. Fangchenggang is located only 50 kilometers from the northern Vietnamese province of Quang Ninh, while Changjiang lies 100 kilometers off Vietnam’s Bach Long Vi Island in the Gulf of Tokin. The farthest among the three, Yangjiang, is 200 kilometers from Vietnamese borders. As of 2016, portions of these plants have already begun commercial operations with a total generation capacity of 5,100 MW. Upon completion, these three nuclear power plants alone will have a total of 18 reactors. According to general safety requirements published by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the area surrounding a nuclear reactor with a capacity from 1,000MW must be prepared for a nuclear radiological emergency. Some of Vietnam’s northern provinces, including Quang Ninh, are located within the extended planning distance (EPD) (30-100 kilometers from a reactor) and ingestion and commodities planning distance (ICPD) (100-300 kilometers from a reactor) as defined by the IAEA. This means arrangements shall be made in these provinces to conduct monitoring and assessment of the radiological situation off the site and to take response action to protect the food chain and water supply, according to IAEA guidelines. According to Dr. Nguyen Hao Quang, vice president of the Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute (VINATOM), a plan to establish a radiation monitoring network was widely discussed in Vietnam a few years back. The plan includes a control center and four regional centers run by the Ministry of Science and Technology, 16 monitoring stations run by local administrations, and one military radioactivity reconnaissance system run by the Ministry of National Defense. However, Quang said, the total investment capital for the plan would amount to VND1 trillion (US$44.64 million), which has been holding the plan back from being carried out. The vice president added that VINATOM would begin work on the monitoring network as early as 2017, the construction of which would be divided into two phases, 2017-2020 and 2021-2025. “Radiation is invisible and knows no border. Even if Vietnam doesn’t have any nuclear power plants of its own, we still need to establish a national network of radiation monitoring and warning, considering the fact that we are neighbors of countries that already have or is planning to have nuclear plants such as China, Thailand, Indonesia, and Cambodia,” Son explained. Calculations by Vietnamese nuclear experts based on climate cycles showed that the Vietnamese localities most vulnerable to a radiological emergency from the Chinese nuclear plants are Quang Ninh, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Hai Phong, Nam Dinh, Nghe An, and Hanoi. These provinces and cities would be prioritized when it comes to the construction of monitoring stations, Quang said. Vietnam has been a signatory to the IAEA’s Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident since 1987, and therefore would receive early notifications in case of a nuclear emergency, according to Vuong Huu Tan, director of the Vietnam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety (VARANS). In addition, the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology has joined bilateral talks with its Chinese counterpart to discuss the issue of nuclear safety, Tan said. An agreement on exchanging nuclear information will soon be inked between VARANS and China’s National Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA), according to the Vietnamese director. HCM City mulls prohibiting smoking at workplace The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Home Affairs has proposed banning all local public servants from smoking and consuming alcohol at workplace. According to the proposal, local officials and public servants are prohibited from smoking in the workplace, offices, meeting rooms, and conference rooms. Use of alcoholic drinks is not permitted during business hours and breaks on working days. Gambling in any form is also prohibited, according to the document. Authorities at district and department levels are responsible for supervising the behavior and attitude of local public servants on duty. Citizens also have the right to look over public servants’ behavior and attitude. Support centre for migrant workers opens in the RoK Vice President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) Nguyen Van Ngang attended a ceremony to inaugurate the Support Centre for Migrant Workers in Seoul, the Republic of Korea (RoK) on October 10. The activity part of a bilateral cooperation programme between VGCL and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) signed on June 22 to protect Vietnamese workers in the RoK, Lao dong (Labour) newspaper reported on October 12.  Speaking at the event, Ngang hailed collaboration between VGCL and KCTU in a wide range of areas, especially in the sharing of information and experience in protecting the rights of young, old, female and migrant labourers; promoting social insurance coverage and social welfare; boosting the minimum wage and labour hygiene and safety.  To enhance bilateral ties, he said the KCTU will protect the rights of nearly 75,000 workers in the country under the Employment Permit System programme.  He expressed his hope that Vietnamese guest workers will stay united, abide by law and integrate into the host society. Centenary congratulations to Hanoi Evangelical Church Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Hoang Trung Hai visited Hanoi Evangelical Church on October 11 in celebration of its centennial. On behalf of municipal leaders, he sent his best wishes to the Church and the Protestants in the city. He recognised the contributions of Catholic followers and the Church to local social, economic, and cultural development over recent years. The Hanoi Evangelical Church is expected to work with local agencies and departments to build a civilised and modern capital, he said. Priest Bui Quoc Phong affirmed the Protestants always strengthen solidarity to serve God and the homeland, and pray for Hanoi’s prosperity. Vietnam is home to more than one million Protestants, who belong to over 60 separate Protestant organisations, sects and groups. The Evangelical Church of Vietnam (North) has 15 chapters and more than 100,000 followers, and is the largest Protestant organisation in the north. Vice President welcomes overseas Vietnamese teachers Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh received 40 former Vietnamese teachers in Thailand on October 12. At a reception in Hanoi, the Vice President hailed the expatriates’ efforts to preserve Vietnamese culture and language in Thailand. She said the Party and State value the contributions of overseas Vietnamese in Thailand to teaching and to the development of friendship between the two countries. The Party and State will continue to strengthen national unity with the Vietnamese community abroad, she said, adding that she hopes the former teachers will instruct youths to maintain Vietnam’s culture and language. She asked the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs to hold more meetings and exchanges for youngsters to build a strong community abroad. During their stay in Vietnam from October 6-13, the former Vietnamese teachers in Thailand visited various sites including President Ho Chi Minh relic site and Thang Long imperial citadel in Hanoi, General Vo Nguyen Giap’s tomb in Quang Binh, Hoa Lu ancient capital in Ninh Binh, Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh, Hanoi Old Quarter, and Hanoi Temple of Literature. An Giang, Cambodian provinces sign MoU on youth external affairs The southern province of An Giang and the Cambodian provinces of Takeo and Kandal sealed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in youth affairs for 2016-2018 on October 11.  Vice Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCMCYU)’s provincial chapter and Chairman of the Vietnam Youth Union’s provincial chapter Lam Thanh Si, Deputy Governor of Takeo province Ouch Phea, and Deputy Governor and Chairman of the Youth Union of Kandal province Kim Rithy all signed the MoU.  Per the MoU, both sides will continue sharing experience in youth affairs, build legal regulations on youth campaigns, raise public awareness of friendship in border areas and enhance youth exchanges and voluntary activities, which are also part of the biennial action plan by the An Giang provincial HCMCYU chapter.  Over past years, the An Giang HCMCYU chapter has prioritised training young entrepreneurs and leaders and conducted voluntary activities for community development, environment protection, climate change response and new rural construction.  In 2014-2016, the HCMCYU’s district chapters held cultural exchanges and offered free medicine to 2,000 residents.  An Giang University trained 37 Cambodian students, seven of whom graduated while others are pursuing studies in agriculture, aquaculture, environment and food technology.  All of them receive monthly financial aid, health insurance and visa fee, accommodation and tuition. Man killed by metal sheets in Hue A 55-year-old man fell on the road and died after being pierced by metal sheets while trying to steer his three-wheeled vehicle to avoid a semi-truck in central Huế City yesterday. Nguyễn Khoa Toán was travelling on Huế City’s Tôn Thất Cảnh Road at 1pm, transporting 20 metal sheets on his motorbike, which was connected to a three-wheeled vehicle, through Lòn Bridge, when he saw a semi truck trying to turn around. Toán braked to avoid a collision, which made all the metal sheets move forward, stabbing him in the back. The impact was so strong, it made him fall on the road, resulting in his death. The accident site has been cordoned off for investigation. This is the third fatal accident caused by steel sheets. On September 24, a nine-year-old boy in Hà Nội’s Hoàng Mai District died after his throat was slashed when his bicycle crashed into a parked cyclo carrying steel sheets. A day later, a 64-year-old woman died after her throat got cut in a similar manner when she was hit by a three-wheeler transporting sharp steel sheets in Hà Nội’s Hà Đông District. Programme to help vulnerable kids A children’s protection programme will try to lower the proportion of disadvantaged children and those who are identified as vulnerable under the current rate of 4.3 per cent from now to 2020, according to goals set by the HCM City Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs. Nguyễn Thành Phụng, head of the department’s division in charge of the programme, said the People’s Committee had approved the programme two months ago. Phụng spoke at a workshop on the programme held yesterday (Oct 11) in the city. Disadvantaged children include those from families who are poor, near poor or from  migrant families. They also include children with physical disabilities and HIV. Vulnerable children are those who have a high risk of falling into poverty, which could lead to an increased risk of abuse or exposure to crime. The children’s programme is also trying to lower the proportion of abused (defined as physical or sexual abuse) children in the city. Last year, the rate was 0.04 per cent of all children. Although the rate had fallen by 40 per cent compared to 2011, the proportion was still too high, Phụng said. As of the first quarter, the city had more than 1.4 million children, including 18,000 considered disadvantaged and more than 57,000 identified as vulnerable. From now to 2020, the programme will continue focusing on juveniles who have violated or are at a high risk of violating laws. Speaking at the seminar, Ngô Thị Thùy, head of the Worldwide Orphans Foundation in Việt Nam, said she was impressed by the the city’s vocational training and education centre for adolescents, which has provided jobs to homeless children in not only the city but also neighbouring provinces. She said the foundation would work with the Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs to carry out the 2020 children’s protection programme. Tô Thị Kim Hoa, deputy chairwoman of the city’s Children’s Rights Protection Association, said that it was urgent to set up fast-response teams at communes or wards to provide timely assistance to children when they are abused or subjected to violence. “One time, the association’s hotline received calls from a mother of Bình Chánh District to ask for help when her child was hit at school and treated at hospital. At that time, we could not provide timely assistance. We only sent the information about the case to the department’s Children Protection Division and suggested that the legal association help,” Hoa said. An Giang female artist wins HCM City TV cải lương contest Nguyễn Hồ Như Tuyết Nhung of  An Giang Province won the 2016 Chuông Vàng (Golden Bell) Award in the annual cải lương (reformed opera) contest organised by HCM City Television.   The talented Nhung captured the hearts of the judges and audiences by singing excerpts from Bức Ngôn Đồ Đại Việt (Vietnamese Map) and Hồn Quê (Sould Of Country), two famous historical plays written by Trần Hữu Trang and Viễn Châu, at the final  round last week at the HCM Television Theatre. She competed with 11 other singers to bring home the Golden Prize, garnering 43 per cent of the audience vote.  Twenty-five-year-old Trịnh Thị Ngọc Huyền of Trà Vinh Province was the runner-up, while her closest competitor, 32-year-old Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Châu of HCM City, finished third. The contest’s final round was broadcast live on HTV9 and attracted more than 50,000 viewers in the city and southern provinces.   “I have learned many lessons in singing and performance skills from my father, People’s Artist Ngân Vương, who gave me everything he had,” the 33-year-old Nhung said.  Nhung offered something new in her role in the two plays which have catapulted many artists to fame. "Nhung combined traditional and modern styles," said Meritorious Artist Minh Vương, a member of the jury.   Nhung began learning singing from her father when she was a child and performed in cải lương clubs while at school. “My father wanted me to finish my studies before getting involved in theatre. He believes that knowledge can help you develop your art,” she said. In 2000, Nhung won the first prize at a professional contest called Cải Lương Contest for Supporting Young Talents launched by the HCM City Theatre’s Association. She later worked for the An Giang Art Troupe and Long An Cải Lương Theatre. Nhung has worked with veteran artists such as Lê Tứ and Thanh Hùng to improve her voice and dance skills. “After winning the Chuông Vàng prizes, winners have opportunities to develop our career professionally. We also better understand why it is important for us to preserve and develop cải lương,” she added. The Chuông Vàng contest was held over a three-month period in HCM City, with 900 artists aged 16 to 35 from amateur and professional troupes around the country competing. Derby to boom in city’s basketball community The leading HCM City Wings will play Saigon Heat in a city derby today in the Việt Nam Basketball Associational League. The Wings who, have four wins in a row to top the table, will visit the second-placed Heat on away ground at Canadian International School Arena. This will be their fourth meet in this first season. Previously, the Heats won two and lost one. Both teams, with large and rowdy fans, are home to two best foreign players. Miller Darrell has scored an average of 24 points per match for the Heat, while Jaywuan Hill had made it 17 for the Wings. Darrell, however, is a little more praised due to his successful blocking that prevent other players from scoring. He will be supported by local Việt Arnold and Trần Đăng Khoa, who brings crowds to their feet with their technical throws. On the other side, Hill will receive support from Vietnamese-American Justin Young and local outstanding talents, such as Nguyễn Huỳnh Hải, Ngô Tuấn Trung and Lê Ngọc Tú. In another match today, the Danang Dragon will play the Hanoi Buffaloes on their home turf of Military Zone 5 Gymnasium. The hosts are seeking their second win against the Buffaloes to equal their result in the fourth meet. The Dragons are currently at the bottom of the ranking, and their only advantage this match is their home fans. Meanwhile, the Buffaloes are always appreciated for their effective and precise playing style, which is proved by their third place position. Both teams suffered narrow losses in previous matches. V.League side Quảng Ninh Coal have confirmed signing a contract with former national midfielder Dương Thanh Hào. Hào moves to the club after his deal with champions Hà Nội T&T ends at the end of this season. He will train for three years under coach Phan Thanh Hùng who quit Hà Nội T&T last year. The 25-year-old used to be a regular member of the U23 squad before he was called to the national team in 2015. This year, Hào did not compete much because of injury. Apart from the new contract, Quảng Ninh Coal also extended their deal with left fullback Trịnh Hoa Hùng for the new season. Quảng Ninh Coal failed to triumph at V.League 2016 but for the first time lifted the National Cup. They are targeting the League’s trophy in 2017. VTV to launch reality TV show to promote clean agriculture products National broadcaster VTV is planning to launch a reality TV show in November that aims to promote clean Vietnamese agricultural products, famous agricultural zones and evolving production chains throughout the country. The programme is being made in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and will be put on the air from November 1 this year. Nguyen Thien Nhan, President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, said that producing and exporting clean products would be an inevitable trend for Vietnam’s agriculture. He expected that in the time ahead Vietnam would make greater leaps in agriculture, producing clean vegetables and fruits to meet domestic demand, and for export. The clean agriculture programme is deemed an effective instrument to realise the agricultural restructuring plan that aims to increase added value and sustainable development. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong said Vietnam’s agriculture had recorded significant achievements over the past 30 years, but was facing great challenges from fragmented production, low quality and climate change. He added that the question now was how to help key agricultural products, specialities, organic products and those with clear geographical indications establish their position and enhance their competitiveness both at home and abroad. The minister stressed that this was what farmers and the entire society were expecting and it required the efforts of media agencies. The Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, commonly known as Agribank, said it would provide VND50 trillion (US$2.25 billion) to finance the programme and help Vietnam to develop clean agriculture. Cargo ship sunk near Con Co Island A cargo ship Ngoc Tuan 1 carrying 35 crew members, soldiers and labors was sunk around five nautical miles from the Con Co Island.  Cargo ship Ngoc Tuan 1 was sunk at five nautical miles from the Con Co Island this morning. Chairman of the Quang Tri province’s People’s Committee Mr. Nguyen Duc Chinh said that by this afternoon, the ship's crew members and workers were rescued and taken to the mainland. Accordingly, the ship got accident and was sunk on the sea at 10: 20 am today as it was travelling from the Cua Tung beach of Quang Tri province to the Con Co Island.  As soon as receiving the information and its position, the Quang Tri province’s Border Guard Command quickly was present at the location to take the victims out of the damaged zone. Six disabled couples get dream wedding in HCMC Six disabled and disadvantaged couples in Ho Chi Minh City finally got their dream wedding when the Youth Union Committee in District 10 held a group wedding at the Kim Thanh restaurant yesterday. The couples offered incense and flower in the Uncle Ho statue in Ho Chi Minh Museum in District 4. At the wedding ceremony, the couples were provided wedding rings craved their names, flowers, photography services by the organizers. Additionally, couple Nguyen Van Bien and Nguyen Kim Cuc, the most difficult disabled couple, was given two wheelchairs. To help couple Truong Han Long and Khuu Truc Phuong start new life after the weeding, the organizers offered them a sewing machine. The wedding is aimed to take care of disable and poor couples who are too difficult to hold a wedding. This activity has received assistance of sponsors, benefactors and enterprises in the city. Binh Thuan damages VND 37bln due to rain & flood The Binh Thuan province’s Steering Committee on Natural Disaster, Search and Recue yesterday reported that the record-breaking rain and flood caused a damage of over VND 37 billion in Bac Binh district. The weather phenomenon of heavy rain and water increase experienced in Bac Binh from October 7- 10 being considered as  the historical record natural disaster in the district since 1998. More than 1, 000 hectares of vegetable crops and 800 houses were sunk under 0. 2- 1. 5 meters of water. In addition, the strong wind blew up ten house roofs, even one man was swept away as he was travelling across very fast water flowing. The local authority and functional forces moved more than 200 households to safer places, and helped the local residents repair their houses to stabilize quickly their life and production. VNese people with heart diseases upward trend One or two out of every four Vietnamese adults are at the risk of having heart diseases, said Chairman of the Vietnam Heart Association Professor Nguyen Lan Viet at the national convention on October 10 in Hanoi. As per the Vietnam Heart Institute’s study, the number of people suffering from heart disease is on the upward trend. Worse, in 2000, the country had around 16.3 percent adults having high blood pressure yet in 2009, the rate of adults with high blood pressure leaped to 24.5 percent and this year, it is 46 percent, an alarming level. Professor Viet warned that the death toll due to heart diseases in developed countries has been on a downward trend meanwhile it has growing in developing nations including the Southeast Asian nation. Furthermore, consequences of heart disease are burden not only for patients but also for the society. Taxis drive drunk customers home A taxi firm in the southern province of Kien Giang’s Rach Gia City has co-operated with local restaurants to take their drunken customers home for free.  The Phu Quoc Taxi Company in Rach Gia City has launched the service from October 10. The company and restaurants and bars in the city have held joint training courses for staff. Restaurant owner Kieu Xuan Cuong said drunk customers could ask the restaurant staff for the free taxi ride. The restaurants and bars will look after their vehicles until the next day.  Picture books encourage children to imagine Kim Đồng Publishing House showcased a collection of picture books without text for preschool and primary students yesterday. The books featured included: Where is the Cake? and The Birthday Cake Mystery by Thé Tjong Khing; The Adventures of Polo by Regis Faller; and Sidewalk Flowers by JonArno Lawson and Sydney Smith. The featured books by Khing, a children’s book illustrator based in the Netherlands, won a Golden Brush award and a Golden Owl Prize. “Picture books bring children more stories than books with words," Nguyễn Thị Kim Dung, a Publishing House editor, said. “When we introduce these books at Liễu Giai Primary and Pre-school, we receive good response from the students and teachers. The students find different ways to tell their own stories based on the paintings.” Samaritans recognised for helping stranded motorists during downpour Nguyễn Thị Thảo was on her way to English class last week when the heaviest rainfall in 40 years hit HCM City. Her motorbike immediately stalled. After pushing her bike for 15 minutes, she noticed a “Free Rescue, Repair Services” sign on the sidewalk set up by three young men. “After they repaired my bike, I offered them some money. But they turned it down and told me to have a nice trip,” said Thảo, a 23-year-old resident of Tân Bình District. In recognition of their help to Thao and many other drivers, the Union of Vietnamese Youth Association on October 4 awarded certificates of merit to the men who had offered services on Phan Huy Ích Street in Tân Bình District. Two of the men, Phạm Như Thắng, 35, and Nguyễn Tài Dũng, 28, are both natives of Quảng Ngãi and work as marketing agents for garment firms, while Nguyễn Mạnh Cường, 25, works for an auto company. “Seeing all the drivers struggle and desperately looking for repair shops, we just wanted to help them,” Dũng said. Rainfall late Monday afternoon and evening of October 3 caused many motorbikes to break down, many of them submerged 50 - 60cm under water. Farmer releases huge turtle back to environment An old turtle, estimated by locals to be about 50 years old, lost its way home last week. A neighbour in Bạc Liêu Province found the huge turtle in his shrimp-breeding pond on September 23. Farmer Qúach Tấn Lực, 45, of Bạc Liêu City, said the turtle was living near the sullage pit of his pond. For a freshwater turtle, it was unusually large: 50cm long and 40cm wide, weighing 9 kilos. Locals said the turtle must have lived in a nearby river that had recently been dredged. The change in the living environment, they surmised, caused the turtle to “evacuate” and head toward the shrimp pond. News about the size of the turtle spread fast. A trader from HCM City contacted Lực, asking to buy it for VNĐ50 million. But Lực refused. He took it to a nearby pagoda in Trà Kha Hamlet where the turtle was cared for before being released to its normal habitat. On September 25, the pagoda officials released the turtle to the environment, thanks to Lực and his neighbours. SCG supports young people to explore leadership potentials The ASEAN leading conglomerate has continued to offer the excellent leadership training program SCG Young Leaders 2016, gathering 50 outstanding students from Ho Chi Minh City. Under the topic of “Meet The Leader in You”, this year program has been designed to help participants recognize, evaluate and motivate the leadership in each individual, through interesting lessons from top experts, as well as effective team building activities during 12 hours. Moreover, this is the occasion for the students to get access to career opportunities in SCG.  “As an ASEAN’s sustainable business leader, SCG has always put human in the center, as well as focused on individual training, especially in leadership. SCG Young Leaders program is a part of our HR development strategy, aiming to support young people to unlock the leadership potentials, therefore give them confidence and dynamism to make a positive change for individual, organization and society", said Mr Praween Wirotpan, General Director of SCG Vietnam.  This is the 4th consecutive year for SCG Young Leaders to take place in Vietnam. This year, under the theme of “Meet the leader in you”, the program has given participants a challenge to become a Real Leader in 12 hours. Accordingly, the students have 12 hours to discover important aspects in leadership skills, starting from lead themselves through concepts like EQ, leadership styles, model of a future leaders….as well as communications skills, teamwork skills, goal setting and decision making skills…At the end of training, the students are requested to make a presentation in English to solve a practical problems in working environment or social environment, using what they have learnt throughout the day.  Especially, youngsters who join the program have had opportunities to listen to valuable sharing from SCG executives in Vietnam as well as in Thailand besides updating about SCG career opportunities in 2007. Nguyen Thanh Mai Huong, senior from University of Economics – Law shared: “SCG Young Leaders is a wonderful chance for young people like me to understand the strengths and weakness of myself, therefore be able to define the career goals and orientation in the future. Moreover, with the persistent guidance from SCG experts, we understand better about the importance of leadership skills for individual, thus we could make a plan to improve ourselves to be able to join SCG family one day”.  SCG Young Leaders is held by SCG since 2013 in Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia, attracting attention from students in the region. Besides this initiatives, SCG has also brought to Vietnam other human development programs including SCG International Internship, SCG Sharing The Dream scholarship, SCG Green Dream project…amongst others.  Chinese woman arrested for abducting pregnant Vietnamese 12-year old A total of 14 Vietnamese women and girls have been abducted and sold in China's Yunnan Province since 2011. Police in East China's Jiangsu Province confirmed the arrest of a woman for abducting a pregnant 12-year-old Vietnamese girl after doctors discovered her real age, Chinese Global Times reported on Saturday. Police in Quanshan district came to suspect the young girl had been abducted after receiving a call from a local hospital. China National Radio reported that a woman named Xie from Central China's Henan Province abducted the girl and sold her to a Xuzhou man surnamed Liu. Xie and Liu initially told doctors they were the girl's relatives on October 4. Doctors found the girl, whom Xie and Liu claimed to be 20, was three months pregnant. The girl, who lacked any identification, told doctors she was a foreigner, The Beijing News reported. A total of 14 Vietnamese women and girls have been abducted in China's Yunnan Province and sold since 2011, CCTV reported. SOS Vietnam seeks help filling its Jar of Love SOS Children’s Villages Vietnam is calling for donations to the “Jar of Love - No children should grow up alone” campaign. SOS Children’s Villages Vietnam helps to raise orphaned, abandoned, and disadvantaged children in 17 SOS villages based in cities and provinces across Vietnam. The ‘Jar of Love’ campaign is calling for a donation of VND200,000 ($10) per child, per month. The organisation also hopes to find donors who commit for the long term to help raise the children. At each SOS village in Vietnam, one house is a home to between eight and ten children of different ages, and one ‘mother’ who volunteers to take care of them like a family. Each month the carer receives a sum of money from the SOS Vietnam fund and decides on how to use it effectively.  With the message “No children should grow up alone”, and the image of the jar of love, SOS Children’s Villages Vietnam wants potential donors to know that a small contribution may not be much in isolation, but combined, the jar of love will always be full. Each VND200,000 ($10) contribution is an encouragement to the mothers at the SOS villages. Do Tien Dung, national director of SOS Children’s Villages Vietnam, said that the money coming into the fund is going to be divided fairly among the mothers working for SOS. “The mothers are going to turn the money into love and material things that will help raise the children,” he said. Since 1987, SOS Children’s Villages Vietnam has been providing a loving home to children at risk due to poverty, illness, natural disasters, and deaths in the family. The organisation enables children who have lost the care of their parents to become part of a family again, and guides them on their path from childhood to adulthood. At the same time SOS Children’s Villages Vietnam supports families in difficult circumstances so that children are not abandoned and can go to school. 12 feature-length, 30 short films compete at 4th Haniff As many as 12 feature-length films will compete November 1-5 at the fourth Hanoi International Film Festival (Haniff). The final list includes ten films from Canada, India, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Iran, Russia, Japan, France, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and two Vietnamese films, according to HANIFF’s web portal. The featured films include Remember (Canada), Birds with Large Wings (India), One Way Trip (ROK), Inadaptable (Iran), The Green Carriage (Russia), Blossoming into a Family (Japan), among others. Haniff will also introduce 30 selected short films. Among them are ten Vietnamese films directed by artists Pham Huyen, Pham Ngoc Tuan, Phan Le Dzung, Dao Thanh Hung, and Nguyen Hong Linh, among others. Vietnamese, Chinese youths foster exchanges Youths in Vietnam’s northern border province of Ha Giang held talks with their peers from Wenshan prefecture in China’s Yunnan province on October 10, agreeing to work together to realise common perceptions reached by the two countries’ leaders. The talks form part of an exchange programme between young people from Ha Giang and Wenshan from October 10-11. During the meeting, the two sides committed to sharing information and experience in youth volunteer campaigns, while educating young people about the traditional friendship between Vietnam and China. They agreed to organise the annual exchange programme alternately from 2017. Vu Manh Ha, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union’s Ha Giang chapter, said that the talks will contribute to consolidating the trust of the two Parties and States in young generations of both sides. The Vietnamese side introduced their youth union work, including youth volunteer movements, saying they hope that young entrepreneurs of Wenshan prefecture will share their experience in start-ups with their Ha Giang peers. Ha’s views were shared by Guo Min, Secretary of China’s Communist Youth League in Wenshan prefecture. Within the framework of the programme, Vietnamese and Chinese young people engaged in an art exchange and environmental protection activities. Call for Vietnamese firms to reach global standards Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on October 11 launched a patriotic emulation movement themed, “Vietnamese business towards integration and development “ at a ceremony held in Hanoi on the occasion of Vietnam Entrepreneurs’ Day (October 13).  He affirmed the Government’s determination in improving the business environment, urging firms to be active in grasping opportunities to make breakthrough amid rapid international integration.  At the conference, the PM presented Thanh Giong Cup, a symbol of the strength and aspirations of the Vietnamese business community, to 100 prominent entrepreneurs of 2016.  Vu Tien Loc, Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), said that 2016 would be the first year to have a historic 100,000 newly-established firms. Loc said at the Vietnam Businesspeople Forum 2016 held on the same day that the global technology revolution coupled with the Government’s hastened efforts in improving the business climate are enabling Vietnamese firms to reach global standards.  Loc said the role of businesspersons in the socio-economic development had a new dimension, which was different from traditional concepts. “Advantages are no longer in the hands of the traditionally strong, but with those who own innovation, technology and digital resources”, he said.  “The technology revolution is an opportunity for Vietnamese businesspersons to make breakthroughs”, Loc said, adding that reaching global standards is critical to keep up with the world’s development trends and build a community of one million efficient businesses by 2020.  Vietnam now has about 900,000 registered businesses but only 520,000 of them are actually operating.  In the next phase, the picture of the business community will be painted by strong entrepreneurship and innovation, as traditional disadvantages such as cheap labour and resources would be gradually getting exhausted.  “I see a new trend developing in which businesspersons are more adaptive to an innovative economy”.  Speaking at the forum, Ray Sanket, CEO of Coca-Cola Vietnam, said the secret for the success of the global beverage company, serving its products to billions of consumers in more than 200 countries every day, was innovation.  “Vietnamese entrepreneurs need an ecosystem in which their innovations are promoted,” Loc said, adding that this would require the government making efforts to hasten improvement of the business climate.  Firms are not as worried about competition as much as they are about a mechanism which lacked transparency and unstable policies, according to Loc.  “Businesspeople are those who understand the market trend better than anyone. They do not need the government to tell them what to do. What they need is a stable and favourable environment where they don’t have to rely on a relationship to do business,” Loc said.  The Government of Vietnam has hastened efforts to overhaul the business environment and building an upright government.  “Chances are there for businesses, but greater efforts are needed to build a development-friendly government and promote a business community with high competitiveness.”, “Knowledge will be the core, innovation will be the engine to drive business,” he said. Hanoi-Binh Duong non-stop cargo railway service debuts The Hanoi Railway Transport Joint Stock Company (Haraco) on October 11 launched the first ever non-stop cargo railway service between Hanoi’s Giap Bat station and Song Than station in the southern province of Binh Duong. The non-stop service will help shorten the time for transporting cargo between the two stations to only 51 hours instead of nearly 70 hours at present. According to Haraco Deputy General Director Nguyen Van Hoan, the pair of HH7/8-coded trains, which will serve on the route, comprise 18 carriages each with a total capacity of 800 tonnes. The launch of the service is part of Haraco’s effort to regain transport market share through improving its service quality. The non-stop train runs three times a week and is expected to run all weekdays from later this month. Speaking at the launching ceremony, Tran Ngoc Thanh , Chairman of the Vietnam Railway Corporation 's Member Board highlighted the significance of the service. He said the such service can be a key to promoting the development of the railway sector in general and railway transport enterprises in particular, including Haraco. VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri/VNE