Social News 24/10 Lachrymae – an unmissable dàn bau concert French artist Sylvain Streiff, Canadian guitarist Alex Formosa and Vietnamese pianist Phúc Phan will team up for a dàn b?u (monochord) concert at Manzi Art Space tomorrow night. The Vietnamese dàn b?u, ubiquitous across a wide range of Vietnamese folk music genres, is remarkable for its eerily vocal timbre, its wide three-octave range, and above all its ghostly glissando and pitch bends. The programme’s title – Lachrymae, Latin for tears – refers to the instrument’s hauntingly plaintive tone. This experimental chamber music programme at Manzi uses dàn b?u for a collection of late-19th, early-20th French and German art songs. The instrument lends its natural expressivity to the romanticism of early Berg and Richard Strauss, the jazziness of Satie and Roussel, and the poetry of Debussy. Streiff, originally a jazz artist, started to learn Vietnamese folk music instruments, including dàn b?u, dàn nguy?t (moon-shaped lute), in 2013. The special concert will start at 8pm. Manzi is at 14 Phan Huy Ích Street. Surcharge: VNÐ200,000/person. Join the zumbathon to fight breast cancer The first ever annual Breast Cancer Zumbathon aiming to raise money for disadvantaged women fighting breast cancer will be held on October 30. A fun and energetic afternoon of zumba with prizes for the winners, the event will also include a raffle. More important, through the event, the organiser expects to raise awareness of the cancer. Every year over 1.7 million women are diagnosed with breast cancer worldwide and currently it is the most common cancer amongst women in Vi?t Nam. In 2012, over 11,000 Vietnamese women were diagnosed, with 30 per cent already in the advanced stages of the disease, meaning mortality rates are high. Organised by International SOS Hanoi in partnership with Intercontinental Hotel Hanoi, Yury Rockit and La Zum3, the event will last from 2pm until 5pm in the Grand Ballroom of the Intercontinental Hanoi. Tickets cost VNÐ500,000 per entrant (including entrance pack. Free for kids under 10) and are on sale at International SOS Vietnam, 51 Xuân Di?u Street. Film about single motherhood screened in HCM City Actor, singer and director Hoàng Minh Phi screened a second short film he made based on the parenting concerns of single mothers in HCM City on Tuesday. A rural woman in the heart of Saigon screened at the Café Nest in the Bitexco Tower, was also meant to mark Vietnamese Women’s Day, October 20, and the launch of a project called "Let me go around the world with my child!" to provide  education for children and women through travelling. Phi had made the successful Mother’s heart last year. The new film is about a woman who chose single motherhood after she could no longer tolerate the lack of respect from the man whom she wholeheartedly trusted. It focuses on the struggle of the woman to raise her daughter alone. The woman is played by Truong Ng?c Minh Ðang, a beauty queen, entrepreneur and the founder of the educational project. The film was inspired by her real-life true story. The husband is played by journalist Nguy?n K? Nam. Facebook gambles US$40,000 on crossing the streets in Vietnam Vietnamese Road, a mobile game that trains people how to survive the crazy traffic in Vietnam, has just received a US$40,000 grant from the Facebook start-ups fund. The grant will be offered through tools and services provided by the social network and its partners. The Hanoi-based app company HanelSoft co-developed the game with Japanese company Hiropro and has had more than 7,000 downloads since its was launched in June. More than 75% of players are foreigners. Vietnamese Road is mostly about crossing the streets in Vietnam, which can prove to be quite a challenge even for locals, especially in crowded cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh. Many tourists in Ho Chi Minh City lament that there are basically no rules for crossing the streets and they have to watch out for drivers who jump red lights. Players try to cross the street while avoiding various vehicles common on Vietnamese roads, including vehicles that take up a lot of space like vending carts, bikes that transport pigs or balloons, and those that drive too fast or too slow. Enomoto Kaori, a 30-year-old Japanese woman and a game designer for Hanelsoft, came up with the idea after living in Vietnam for more than a year. Kaori, who arrived in Vietnam in July last year, said she has not seen many games about Vietnamese life and culture, so she decided to do something. The game is based on Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, the central city of Hue and the southern resort island of Phu Quoc, all places that she has been to. She plans to design a game about Vietnamese food which could hit the market next year. Free bus service connects industrial zone-packed provinces A free high-quality bus service has recently been put into operation for commuters traveling on National Road No.13 between Binh Duong and Binh Phuoc provinces in southern Vietnam. The fleet of 11 50-seater buses, owned by Binh Phuoc Infrastructure Construction Investment JSC, is piloted to serve passengers for free until the end of this year. This is also the first high-quality bus service in the province. The buses are scheduled to carry passengers between 5:00 am and 5:30 pm in two routes: one from Bang Lang-Bau Bang intersection in the southern province of Binh Duong to An Loc Plaza in Binh Phuoc, and the other from An Loc Plaza to Loc Ninh Intersection in Binh Phuoc. Featuring Wi-Fi access and other modern highlights, the buses provide passengers with safe and relaxing experience of traveling. “The goal is to ease travel experience for workers to work in the industrial zones along the street and surrounding areas and for local residents,” Huynh Thanh Chung, director of the construction company said at the inaugural ceremony on October 18. He also hoped that the bus service can greatly contribute to traffic accident reduction and boost the economic growth across districts along the street. HCM City police break up prostitute ring involving models, singers Police in Ho Chi Minh City have discovered a prostitution ring involving several local models and singers. The illegal operation led by Nguyen Thi Cam Giang, 25, from the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu, was broken up on October 13, the municipal Department of Police affirmed on October 18. Giang and her accomplices, namely Mai Thien Trang, 25, Nguyen Hong Nhung, 22, and Luu Thi Truong Thanh, 24, have been arrested for brokering prostitution. Officers also arrested 28 people and confiscated evidence after carrying out administrative checks on four hotels in District 3, 10, Tan Binh District, and Binh Chanh District. Preliminary information showed that Giang was previously a contestant of a singing competition, held in the Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long this year, and currently worked at a restaurant in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. According to the suspect’s statement, she started the prostitution ring in 2015, which mainly offered the services of female servers of karaoke bars in the city centre with prices ranging from US$200 to US$500 per session. Giang would receive between VND500,000 (US$22.1) and VND2 million (US$88.7) whenever she made a deal with a client. The woman claimed that she had also introduced several models and singers to her customers, earning between VND500,000 to VND5 million (US$221) per deal. The offender was caught red handed receiving her commission after arranging two sex workers for two of her clients at a hotel in District 3. Trang, Giang’s accomplice, was previously a winner of a local beauty pageant in 2012, stating that she had been one of the prostitutes in the illegal ring before becoming a sex broker over a month ago. Similarly to Giang, she received about VND3 million (US$133) from each of her sex workers after they were paid VND7 million (US$310) per session. Meanwhile, Nhung and Thanh claimed that they had been selling sex and arranging deals between other prostitutes and their customers. An initial investigation also revealed that Giang’s illicit organization also provided ‘sex tours,’ which included a weekend vacation with the prostitutes for between VND20 million (US$887) and VND30 million (US$1,330) per trip. Two of the sex workers detained at the police station had tested positive to drugs, officers added. Central city to build new sea dyke The central coastal city of Da Nang has approved a 2.1km sea dyke project in the Lien Chieu District with a total investment of 200 billion VND (nearly 9 million USD) in an effort to prevent coastal erosion due to rising sea level and climate change. The city-funded project is designed to protect a pristine beach section of Xuan Thieu-Nam O Village, along Nguyen Tat Thanh Street, that is the most vulnerable to erosion during the annual rainy season (between October and April). It is one of 11 beaches in Son Tra, Thanh Khe and Lien Chieu districts developed by the city. Between 2005 and 2010, the city invested 1.3 trillion VND (58 million USD) to build and upgrade a 24.5km sea dyke system in the most disaster-affected areas. But in 2013, a 110m section of the sea dyke in the Son Tra District was washed away by sea water during Storm Nari. Vietnam’s 3,260km coast line is under threat of rising sea levels due to climate change and the sea dyke system is thus of great importance.  The Government has urged further development of the dykes - to mitigate natural disasters, protect people and the environment and create an integrated transport system.  Since 2006, a programme to upgrade sea dykes has been implemented from Quang Ninh to Quang Nam Province along the country’s northern coast.  To date, the 13 provinces involved have reinforced nearly 300km of sea dykes, renovated or built sluices and planted hundreds of hectares of wave-blocking trees. Vietnam pays due heed to sustainable development The Vietnamese Government always considers sustainable development a goal in the national development strategy, said President of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS) Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quang Thuan. The country has enthusiastically partaken in relevant seminars and committed to translating sustainable development goals (SDGs) by 2030, the official said at an international workshop on SDGs in the Mekong Sub-region in Vientiane, Laos, on October 20. Vietnam is one of the countries that have actively implemented the Agenda 21 on sustainable development and the country adopted a sustainable development strategy for 2011-2020 he said. Thuan added that the country has also been praised for its successful realisation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), creating marked changes in reducing poverty and raising people’s living standards. Participants at the workshop discussed smart agriculture as well as specific measures to implement actions and projects combined with the 2030 Agenda and SDGs in the Mekong Sub-region countries, with attention paid to a smart agriculture in the context of climate change, poor technologies and limited capital. In his speech concluding the conference, President of the Lao National Institute for Social Sciences Soukkongseng Sayaleuth stated that participants have worked effectively despite restricted discussion time. They exchanged ideas and solutions to smart agriculture development and the realization of sustainable growth goals, he said, adding that upbeat outcomes of the event will open future cooperation opportunities in smart farming for sides involved. Representing Cambodia – the host of the next conference, President of the Royal Academy of Cambodia Khlot Thyda announced the 2017 theme as food security and water resources management in the Mekong sub-region. 84 kids hospitalized with food poisoning after lunch at kindergarten Scores of young children from a nursery school in the southern province of Vinh Long were hospitalized with food poisoning after having lunch at school on October 19. The children started vomiting and experienced stomachaches and diarrhea. The school called parents to pick their children up but the situation quickly worsened with dozens of them falling sick. A public hospital in the area had to arrange extra beds to receive 84 children between three and five years old, nearly a third of the school’s 273 students. Doctors at the hospital said nine serious cases were put on drips. More than half of the children had been discharged by October 20, and the rest are stable. Authorities in Vinh Long have taken food samples and are investigating the cause of the problem. Mass food poisoning occurs multiple times every year in Vietnam, mostly due to poor management of canteens and quality, but legal action is not often taken. In March, Ho Chi Minh City fined Korean fast food chain Lotteria Vietnam VND146 million (US$6,500) for a mass poisoning case that put 60 workers from a Danish company in hospital. The city also fined Tam Tam Company, a local lunch provider, VND48 million (US$2,200) after its food poisoned 44 primary school students in the city. Survey finds 76 pct of Vietnam's security cameras hackable Three quarters of Vietnam's private security cameras employ default usernames and passwords, inviting hackers to take them over. BKAV, Vietnam’s leading cyber security center, reported the figure as a result of a survey conducted in the third quarter of 2016. “Security cameras with default account settings invite hackers to access the devices and track users,” BKAV said. The company explained that the majority of Vietnam's security cameras are vulnerable to hackers since many manufacturers and service providers never bother to advise their customers to create custom passwords. The securigy firm suggested users also turn off features that allow remote access to their camera feeds. The BKAV survey also revealed that about 7,000 new mobile phone malware programs get distributed each day around the world. The malicious lines of code get hidden in downloadable games and applications by hackers hoping to steal mobile user information like contacts, text messages, photos and even banking details. Users often find it difficult to detect the code since their phones continue operating normally even after they've been compromised. BKAV advised its users to be cautious about installing any new application and equip their phones with antivirus software. Vietnam aims to double farmers’ income by 2020 in ambitious plan In one of its most ambitious anti-poverty plans yet, Vietnam has set the target of lifting the income for farming communities by the year 2020, as it tries to improve living standards for rural areas. Under the plan, those working in the agricultural sector will see positive changes in their lives over the next four years, with the average income rising to VND45 million (US$2,020) a year. The plan, to be implemented in December, encompasses a wide range of measures, including improving infrastructure, providing better access to clean water and promoting education. If everything goes smoothly, farmers in northern mountainous regions and some central provinces, who are often in the lowest income bracket, will be able to earn at least US$1,600 annually on average.  Farmers in more prosperous regions can expect at least US$2,245 a year. Vietnam has a labor force of around 54 million and nearly 70% of them are in rural areas working mainly in farming. The new income targets for farmers are nearly twice the levels seen at the end of last year, according to data from the agriculture ministry. Another important goal in the new plan is to bring the poverty rates down to 6% for all rural areas by the year 2020. Vietnam has been universally praised for its efforts to tackle poverty over the past decades.  But even after the economy has expanded and achieved the middle-income status, hunger and poverty continue to hurt many. A new policy effective later this year will redefine poverty as earning less than VND8.4 million (US$374) a year per person.  This new threshold is expected to raise the ratio of poor families in the country to 10%. Vietnam raises level of warning of Zika virus, dengue Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien yesterday urged departments of health and health institutes under the Ministry to continue launching campaign to kill mosquito and its larva as well as implement prevention measures against diseases caused by Zika virus and dengue. Additionally, health workers must ask residents to destroy water containers to erase places where mosquitoes can lay eggs into and raise public awareness of prevention diseases.  Local administrators will issue penalties on individuals and organizations that did not carry out anti-mosquito campaign The Minister also ordered to monitor ill people and quarantine medicine at border gates and airport. Samples must be sent to epidemic institutes and Pasteur institute for tests. Dau Tieng reservoir water release not to affect HCMC The week long water release starting October 22 at Dau Tieng irrigation reservoir will not affect Ho Chi Minh City for occurring during low tide, announced Mr. Le Van Dung, director of Dau Tieng-Phuoc Hoa Irrigation Exploitation Company yesterday. The country’s largest irrigation reservoir release aims to lower its water level which is near the design level of 24.4 meters and one meter higher than the same period last year. At present, water flow to the reservoir increases 10-15cm a day on average. The water discharge of 100 cubic meters per second will start from 7a.m. today and end at the same time on October 28. The HCMC Steering Board for Natural Disaster Prevention has proposed the company to seriously abide by flood release process and regulations. In addition, the company should regularly supervise meteorological and hydrological conditions in the area to regulate the reservoir’s water level efficiently, the board suggested. Although the water release will be unlikely to impact HCMC, the board still advice Districts 12, Go Vap, Binh Thanh, Hoc Mon, Thu Duc and Cu Chi to prepare for unfavorable situation. The Steering Board of the Urban Flood Control Program and the Irrigation Management and Exploitation Company should also join hand in preparation work, it suggested. Vietnam must do more to protect girls’ rights: report Vietnam is recording the highest proportion of young people in its history, with people between the ages of ten and 24 representing nearly 40 percent of the total population. This was one of the findings of The State of World Population 2016, released on October 21 in Hanoi by the United Nations Population Funds (UNFPA) in collaboration with the Centre for Youth and Adolescents of the Vietnam Youth Union. The so-called “demographic window of opportunity” presents Vietnam with a unique opportunity in its history to make this golden period the driver for socio-economic prosperity and for Vietnam’s efforts towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, according to the report.  The report said that forced marriage, child labour, female genital mutilation and other practices undermining girls’ health and rights threaten the development agenda in the world. Practices that harm girls and violate their human rights prevent them from realising their full potential as adults and from contributing to the economic and social progress of their communities. Ten is a pivotal age for girls everywhere, as puberty approaches. In some parts of the world, a girl at this age enjoys limitless possibilities and begins making choices that will influence her education and, later, her work life. But in other places, a girl who goes through puberty is suddenly seen as a commodity that may be bought, sold or traded, the UNFPA report showed. She may be forced to marry, pulled out of school and expected to start bearing children and begin a life of servitude. The report notes that of the 125 million ten-year-olds today, 60 million are girls who are systematically disadvantaged at the global level as they move into adulthood. Girls are less likely than boys to complete formal schooling at the secondary and university levels, are more likely to be in poorer physical and mental health, and will find it harder to get paid work. The range of proven policy options available to governments has grown over the past decade. These include banning harmful practices, such as child marriage and providing cash transfers to parents of girls in poor households to help defray costs of schooling. They also include providing life-skills training and age-appropriate sexual education to girls approaching puberty. The challenge now, UNFPA’s report says, is to scale up these interventions to reach more girls, especially the poorest and most vulnerable, by age ten. Addressing the event, Ritsu Nacken, UNFPA Acting Representative in Vietnam said that today’s ten-year-old girl will be 24 when the deadline for the United Nations’ new development agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals, comes in 2030. “That development agenda aims for a world where every single person has an opportunity to fulfill her or his potential – a world that leaves no one behind. With support from family, community and nation, and the full realisation of her rights, a ten-year-old girl can thrive and help bring about the future we all want,” she said. Both UNFPA and the Vietnam Youth Union call on the Government of Vietnam and international community to enhance efforts to ensure that every young person is well educated and healthy with the chance to make their dreams come true.- Denmark fetes 45 years of bilateral relations with Vietnam The Embassy of Denmark in Hanoi has announced a series of cultural activities to take place in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in connection with the 45th Anniversary of bilateral relations between Vietnam and Denmark. “Our bilateral partnership has developed into a broader based relationship building on trust and mutual respect under the framework of our Comprehensive Partnership Agreement”, said Ambassador Charlotte Laursen, at a press conference on October 21 unveiling the activities.  “The presence of Danish businesses, and Danish as well as Vietnamese artists at this press conference exemplifies our commitment to enhancing bilateral ties between the two countries’ governments, businesses, and people.” On October 21, the Danish band Saveus performs at the Monsoon Music Festival by Tuborg in Thang Long Citadel, Hanoi. The Embassy has supported this festival since its debut in 2014. In addition to bringing Saveus to Vietnam this time, the Festival also includes a performance slot for young uprising Vietnamese artists called Lucky Duck, inspired by Danish fairy tales. On October 25, the Danish Embassy hosts a Gala Performance at Hanoi Opera House directed by artist Quoc Trung, for the embassy’s counterparts and the Danish Community in Vietnam. At the event, renowned Vietnamese and Danish artists such as Thanh Lam, Tung Duong, Le Cat Trong Ly, S.I.N.E., Saveus and UpperCut, will perform. From November 19-25, Danish Film Weeks in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City introduces the Danish contemporary film industry to the Vietnamese public. Denmark has created a vast amount of talented actors and film makers with worldwide reputation. A competition will launch on the Embassy’s Facebook in November providing an opportunity for the audience to win tickets. On November 26, Danish Footprints, a community event for Danish companies, their counterparts, employees and families follows in Ho Chi Minh City. At this event, Danish companies will showcase their CSR initiatives and engage in a series of activities, including jogging/running and a street art workshop. The events in celebration of 45 years of bilateral ties are sponsored by Danish companies – Carlsberg, Copenhagen Delights, Danmon, DHI, Julie Sandlau, Jysk, Lego, Mascot, and Novo Nordisk – the Ambassador noted. Charity performs landmark 5,000th heart surgery for Vietnamese kid The VinaCapital Foundation’s Heartbeat Vietnam, a charity meant to help children with cardiovascular diseases, has recently marked its 5,000th surgeries after the program was initiated in 2006. Three-year-old girl Trinh Phuc Gia Nhi from the south-central province of Ninh Thuan has become the 5,000th child who underwent heart surgery thanks to the program, the foundation said in a press release. The surgery was conducted last week under the sponsor of Hearbeat Vietnam and the Cycle for 16 campaign by Scott Kirkham, a British man who cycled from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City in 16 days to raise fund for children with cardiovascular diseases. Since 2007, Heartbeat Vietnam has worked with reputable cardiovascular doctors to conduct screenings at remote areas to identify children with congenital heart that has not been diagnosed. According to Robin King Austin, CEO of VinaCapital Foundation, more than 65,000 children have been screened and more than 8,300 among them have been discovered in need of heart surgeries. “Our target is to early detect children with congenital heart disease, and take them to treatment before the disease takes away their childhood,” she said. Meow. Hanoi to have Hello Kitty theme park The world’s most famous feline character from Japan will soon meet its Vietnamese fans. A new indoor Hello Kitty theme park will be built in Hanoi, aiming to tap the huge demand for family entertainment in a country that has become increasingly affluent in recent years. The character, produced by the Japanese company Sanrio in 1974, will appear alongside other kids’ favorites such as My Melody and Little Twin Stars. Vietnam’s BRG Group announced the project after signing an agreement with Sanrio Wave Hong Kong to develop the park, the first theme park under an international brand in the country. Sanrio Global Asia Ltd.'s CEO and Chairman of Sanrio Inc. said: “This will certainly be a very special gift for children in Vietnam, both for boys and girls.” No further details about the cost, location and timeframe have been provided. Despite Vietnam’s impressive economic growth in recent years, family entertainment options in the country are generally limited, unable to meet the demand. Many children in affluent families are often brought to theme parks in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. Nearly $900,000 worth of illegal ivory seized in Vietnam Customs in Ho Chi Minh City on Friday caught more than VND20 billion (US$892,857) worth of ivory hidden in two timber containers imported from Africa to the city's Cat Lai International Port. On October 21, officers of Cat Lat Port in Ho Chi Minh City checked two containers from Africa and found a large amount of illegally imported ivory and pangolin scales. The ivory was covered in a special kind of glue and hidden inside the wooden trunks, according to customs officers. With those trunks placed randomly among normal ones, the consignments managed to pass detection by scanners. However, the seasoned customs officers cast suspicion on the shipment and decided to check the containers manually. As of 6:30 pm on Friday, they had searched a quarter of one container and found 50 kg of ivory. Officers estimated that there must be some 500kg of illegal ivory, whose market value is approximately VND20 billion, hidden in the two containers. The consignee of the shipment is Ho Chi Minh City-based Dao Gia Co. Besides the ivory, officers also found numerous bags of pangolin scales concealed inside the wooden trunks. Cat Lai port customs officers are currently working with other responsible agencies to further investigate the case. Previously on October 7, officers at the port also seized more than two metric tons of ivory, estimated to worth hundreds of billions dong (VND100 billion = $4.48 million). Promoting Vietnam’s lacquer to the world A delegation of Vietnamese artists on October 20 attended Malaysia Art Expo 2016 to promote Vietnam’s lacquer paintings, Vietnamplus reports. According to Vu Tuan Anh, director of Viet Art Space, a representative of Vietnam to the event, this is the first time Vietnam has participated in the art expo in Malaysia. The delegation has taken long lacquer paintings by contemporary artists Tran Phi Truong, Ngo Hai Yen, Hien Nguyen, Nguyen Duc Viet and Vu Tuan Dung with their themes about daily life in Vietnam currently. Anh also shared that Vietnam’s lacquer artworks have been researched and collected but not many people have known about it. Especially, there are humble numbers of art-lovers in the world who have been acknowledged about this kind of art. Rina Tengku Ahmad, a Malaysian spectator, showed her interest in lacquer paintings of Vietnam at the show. She highly evaluated the unique features of lacquer as well as passion and devotion of artists to create such meticulous artworks. Malaysia Art Expo is an annual large-scale art fair in Asia. This year’s event will be open until Sunday, featuring 60 booths from 30 countries. The opening day attracted hundreds of Malaysian and international visitors to the event. HCMC authority honors 83 valedictorians Vietnam Student Association in HCMC yesterday opened a ceremony to honor excellent students for the third times. The event was held with the participation of Deputy Standing Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City Party’s Committee Tat Thanh Cang who extended congratulations to the valedictorians. 35 of them came first in university and college entrance examinations and 48 are best new graduates from universities. They have not only overcome their difficulties and passed the exams with excellent results, but also well undertake activities in movements in schools. Speaking at the vent, Mr. Cang believed that students will continue have more achievement in studying, master the knowledge and participate in activities of the Youth Union. He added that the good students should contribute more to the development and integration of the country. Mr. Cang hoped that youth communist union members who are also good students apply their skills and knowledge into real life. Additionally, the students need to foster spirit of volunteer contributing to build up a civilized, modernized city. VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri/VNE