Social News 25/10 Tay Ninh seizes 66 turtles smuggled from Cambodia   The Forestry Management Department of the southern province of Tay Ninh has received 66 turtles, weighing a total of 50 kilogrammes, seized by Moc Bai Border Gate customs officers on a coach from Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital city, to Vietnam.  Mang Van Thoi, deputy director of the department, said the owner of the captured rare wild animals failed to present any legal documents proving their origin. The animals are being cared and will be released into the natural environment after the relevant forces completed procedures. According to the customs division at the Moc Bai Border Gate, those turtles were found on October 21 on a coach from Phnom Penh to Vietnam. The driver confessed that he was hired by a Cambodian to transport the turtles to HCM City for selling. Prime Minister launches censuses Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has launched the National Statistical Survey Programme, which consists of three national survey censuses and 11 statistical surveys. The three national censuses are the National Population and Housing Census, the National Rural and Agricultural Census and the National Economic Census. The population and housing census collects data on population, social labour and housing. The purpose is to conduct research and analysis of the population scale, distribution and growth rate as well as the sources of labour and housing. The census takes place on April 1 once every 10 years. The rural and agricultural census collects basic data on rural areas, agriculture, forestry and fisheries for conducting research and analysis of the scale and distribution of rural and agricultural labour. It also collects data on land scale and agricultural production conditions, evaluates the progress of some national agricultural programmes and goals and builds a database on rural areas, agriculture and fisheries for survey samplings and international comparison. The agricultural census takes place on July 1 once every 10 years, in years that are multiples of five. The economic census collects basic data on the number of economic facilities, number and quality of labour working at the facilities and the results of management policies and human resources development projects. Four of the 11 statistical surveys are on land, population, labour and employment. Two others survey National Accounts, State budget, finance and currency. The five remaining surveys also collect data on agriculture, forestry and fisheries but on a smaller scale. They conduct mid-term rural and agricultural investigation and investigations on cultivation areas, yields of short-term and long-term crops and cattle breeding. Huge chilli peppers the talk of the town in Đà Lạt The bigger, the better. That’s what a farmer in the Central Highlands city of Đà Lạt thinks about his unusual chilli plant, the first of its kind to be grown in Lâm Đồng Province.  Each Dutch chilli pepper harvested weighs about 300 gram and is about 30cm long. Farmer Nguyễn Định says it can be used in many kinds of dishes or ground up and added to fruit juice. The chilli peppers, grown on a 500sq.m area in Định’s garden, sell for VNĐ30,000 per kg in Đà Lạt Market, 50 per cent more than the price of other chilli peppers. Định says he bought the seeds from a company specialising in varieties from the Netherlands. The young chilli has a green colour which turns yellow and then brown at the time of harvest. The peppers can be harvested three months after planting. Định has opened his pilot cultivation model to the public for free viewing.  Thieves boost lighting cable from economic zone The loss of 549 meters of underground electrical cables from the Vung Ang Economic Zone has disrupted its operations. Unidentified thieves stole VND186 million (US$8,200) worth of electrical cable from the Vung Ang Economic Zone, which hosts the Taiwanese steel plant Formosa, the culprit behind central Vietnam's massive fish die-off last April. The loss of the 7km of cable disrupted a quarter of the lighting system at the Vung Ang Economic Zone, dealing a blow to businesses there. Police are investigating the alleged theft, which was first reported on October 4. In the meantime, the provincial authorities plan to allocate funds for the loss. The multi-billion dollar Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Plant hit the headlines recently for causing one of the biggest environmental disasters in Vietnamese history. The company admitted to having discharged a toxic cocktail into the sea that caused a fish kill that stretched four provinces and caused untold losses to the region's cottage fishing industry. Formosa has officially apologized to the Vietnamese people and paid US$500 million in compensation that has yet to be fully disbursed. HCMC proposes new metro line worth US$1.84 billion The city is seeking parliamentary approval to implement the first phase of the project with possible loans from Europe. Ho Chi Minh City is seeking the National Assembly’s approval to implement the first phase of Metro Line No.5 with total investment capital of VND41 trillion (US$1.84 billion). The municipal administration recently submitted a proposal to the government for Phase 1 of the urban rail project, according to the city's Management Authority for Urban Railways. As one out of three urban railways that have been given top priority for 2016-2021, Metro Line No.5 would run for nine kilometers and connect Metro Line No.2 at Tan Binh District's Bay Hien Interchange with Metro Line No.1 at the Saigon Bridge Station. The European Investment Bank alongside the German Reconstruction Bank have offered a combined US$381 million loan, while the Spanish government has pledged US$299.38 million, which would cover nearly 40% of the total investment. The remainder will be provided by the Asian Development Bank (US$517.11 million) and Vietnam’s state budget (US$504 million). The Metro Line No.5 is scheduled to open by 2025, and will be able to withstand level-7 magnitude earthquakes. Most of the line will be underground but 1.43 km will be along elevated rail with six trains traveling at maximum speeds of 90km per hour. According to the proposal, this project will require more than 30 hectares (74 acres) of land, including residential areas covering 46,000 square meters and affecting 1,381 households. Site clearance will be completed in 2018 or 2019. Traffic inspector who hit Hanoi airport employee asked to make public apology The Hanoi Party Committee has ordered that one of the two passengers who assaulted a female employee at the city’s Noi Bai International Airport earlier this week issue a public apology to her. The request is among a number of orders the Party Committee has given to the municipal Department of Transport in an urgent dispatch on October 21. The transport department is involved in the case because Dao Vinh Thuan, 37, one of the two men that hit Vietnam Airlines airport service deputy Nguyen Le Quynh Anh on October 18, is an official of the department’s inspectorate. On October 18, Thuan and Tran Duong Tung, 32, were denied boarding their flight due to later arrival at the boarding gate. Anh and her colleague, Ta Duc Giang, then approached the two men, attempting to help them reschedule for another flight, but were met with extreme anger and aggression. The issue quickly escalated when Tung hit Anh several times on her head with his wallet while Thuan restrained her by grabbing her shirt. The incident was filmed by CCTV, with Tung and Thuan later slapped a flight ban of 12 and six months, respectively. The transport department has to make sure that Thuan publicly apologize to Anh and Vietnam Airlines by October 24, according to the Party Committee fiat. The department must also cooperate with its police counterpart to continue handling the case and strictly sanction those with wrongdoings. The Party Committee said the incident between passengers and airport employees has left negative impact on the image of Hanoi’s public servants so the case must be properly handled. While it is unclear when Thuan will follow the apology order, the other passenger, Tung, tried to meet Anh at her house on October 21 but could not find the right address, according to Giao Thong (Traffic) newspaper, run by the Ministry of Transport. According to some Giao Thong photos, Tung is seen carrying a big gift and tries to make a phone call to Anh. “She just did not pick up the phone, and none of the local residents I asked knows of her address,” Tung told the newspaper. Vietnamese expats support flood victims in central region Vietnamese expatriates in Laos and the Czech Republic have donated money to aid people in the central region, which has recently borne the brunt of severe flooding.  Buddhist monks at the Phat Tich pagoda in Vientiane, Laos, initiated a humanitarian campaign for flood victims in central Vietnam on October 20. As of October 22, more than 80million LKP (10,000 USD) and a large amount of clothes were collected.  A support team from the pagoda is scheduled to leave for Ha Tinh province on October 24 to directly deliver 500 gifts to local residents.  On the evening of October 22, 16 Vietnamese artists in the Czech Republic organised a concert and auction in Prague to raise funds for Quang Binh and Ha Tinh provinces, attracting over 200 people.  Funding collected before and after the night amounted to more than 600,000 CZK (24,166 USD).  The event was held in response to an appeal for donations to flood victims in the central region made by Vietnam’s embassy and the Association of Vietnamese in the country. Earlier, the association of Nghe Tinh fellow-countrymen in the Czech Republic also launched a fund-raising campaign for flood-hit victims. More than 400,000 CZK (16,110 USD) had been raised as of October 22. HCM City association brings light to 500,000 poor patients The Ho Chi Minh City Sponsoring Association for P oor Patients on October 22 organised free-of-charge operations for 200 poor patients suffering from cataract at the Nguyen Trai Hospital and celebrated the 500,000th case in the past 20 years.  Most of the patients came from Mekong Delta and southeastern provinces. The operations, which cost 7-8 million VND (358 USD) each, helped many old people see the light again.  Tran Thanh Long, President of the association, said each year, the association offer eye surgery to around 20,000 patients, including those from the neighbouring countries of Laos and Cambodia.  Total cost to cover surgery for 500,000 patients is around 300 billion VND (13.5 million USD), which was donated by many philanthropists across the nation.  Vo Thi Dung, Vice Secretary of the HCM City Party Committee, said this is a significant programme which brings not only the light but also happiness to poor patients.  Dung said the association needs to continue the cause to bring the total number of beneficiaries to 1 million in the next few years.  Besides eye surgery, the association also offers heart and cleft palate surgery to disadvantaged children and gives wheelchairs to the disabled. Seminar talks using rice husk Finding suitable technological solutions to turn rice husk into amorphous silica, a feedstock for many industries, will add huge value to the rice industry, a seminar heard in HCM City on October 21. There is big demand for amorphous silica in the global market, Nguyen Viet Hung, chairman of BSB Investment and Development Co. Ltd, told the conference, titled “Rice Husk Energy and Silica.” It is a high-value chemical used in the production of a range of products such as steel, rubber, paint, glass, heat capturing materials, cosmetics, food, and health care. Vietnam produces around 50 million tonnes of rice a year and around 10 million tonnes of husk, which can potentially generate two million tonnes of ash containing over 90 percent of amorphous silica with suitable technology, he said. Rice husk is currently used for energy production through direct combustion or gasification, and the ash produced is mainly crystalline silica with low value, he said. Dr Nguyen Thi Hoe, chairwoman of KOVA Paint Group, said her company has successfully researched to produce paints using rice husk-derived nano silica materials. It used to import the silica before doing research to turn rice husk into nano silica materials, she said, adding tht its products such as nano fireproofing paint and bacterium-sterilised paint, which is used in kindergartens and hospitals, are exported to dozens of countries. Her company has massive demand for nano silica. Oleg Efisco, Russia-based CEO of Rice High Technologies (RHT), introduced his company’s modern and environmentally friendly technology to process rice husk that produces bio-mass energy in the form of electricity and heat besides silica (silicone dioxide). Nguyen Dang Anh Thi, consultant at the International Finance Corporation, said the technology is popular in the world and adds value since it yields not only power but also high-value silica. But he wondered how small milling plants would find outlets when they produce the substance. The conference was organised by BSB, the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry and RHT.- Vietnam’s image promoted in Argentina Students of the Technical Education School in Tigre district of Argentina’s Buenos Aires province had a chance to understand more about the land and people of Vietnam through a recent talk. The talk, jointly held by the Vietnamese Embassy in Argentina and the Argentina-Vietnam Cultural Institute (ICAV) on October 21, began with screening films capturing Vietnamese history, land and people, the wars and consequences of Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin suffered by the country, its traditional culture and socio-economic achievements. ICAV President Poldi Sosa expressed her admiration for Vietnam during its past struggle for national independence and reunification, as well as the present cause of national construction, regional and international integration.  She highlighted the country’s culture and tourism as well as differences in custom between Vietnam and Argentina. A representative of the Vietnamese Embassy in Argentina recalled Vietnam’s struggle for national independence and point to impacts of AO/dioxin on Vietnamese families as well as introduced the country’s future development trends. Various activities to raise funds for AO victims A range of activities have been organised at the exhibition house No. 45 Trang Tien street, Hanoi, from October 22-25 to raise funds for Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin victims.  The activities, including a photo exhibition, a discussion and art performance, aims to raise the sense of responsibility among young people and the whole society in general for addressing consequences of the AO catastrophe.  They also reflect efforts made by the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/dioxin (VAVA) to struggle for justice for AO victims in Vietnam. The activities also aims to share the will and efforts of AO victims in the journey for justice and show their aspirations for living and devoting to the nation as well as their hope for a green future with no chemical wars.  The “Aspiration Road” photo exhibition displays nearly 100 photos provided by the VAVA featuring the AO victims’ journey to find justice, their forgiveness and will, as well as the responsibility of the community. Meanwhile, the discussion, entitled “Journey for Justice”, focuses on the serious consequences of the US’s chemical war on the environment and people in Vietnam and the victims’ hardships during their struggle for justice. Vietnamese students in UK equipped with start-up skills  Vietnamese students have been equipped with start-up skills during the eight annual workshop of the Vietnam Professionals (VietPro) in London, the UK, on October 22. The participating students were guided to acquire jobs and connect with employers. The workshop also provided the students with information about the labour market and job opportunities in the host country. VietPro members said first-year students can start their businesses if they have sound and realistic choices, adding that many of the world’s leading recruiters have launched start-up programmes for freshmen. Nguyen Hai Anh, VietPro Co-President, said the association gives the top priority to connecting students with the young intellectuals who are working for leading groups and companies in finance, auditing, banking and telecommunications in the UK. VietPro was established following the merger of two Vietnamese Facebook groups with a combined membership of around 650. It aims to become a hub for professional networking and career opportunities. With an increasing number of talented Vietnamese who graduate from UK universities and subsequently work in various professions both in the UK and in Vietnam, VietPro is expected to become a fast-growing community that is diverse and ambitious. India’s Diwali festival lights up Hanoi The Diwali festival took place in Hanoi on October 22, providing local audience with an insight into the land, people and culture of India. During the event, co-organised by the Indian Embassy and the Indian Business Chamber in Vietnam, Hanoians were enthralled by both traditional and modern dances, culinary arts and unique cultural identities such as yoga and traditional handicrafts. Especially, India’s custom of lighting candles attracted many people. This year’s event also saw the participation of famous Indian rock band UDX and violist Aneesh Vidyashankar, who boasts 19 years of experience.  Diwali is one of India’s most important festivals organised at the end of October or the beginning of November to welcome the New Year according to Hindu calendar. The event offers a chance for Indian people to show their respect for Goddess Lakshmi – a symbol of happiness, prosperity, beauty and faith in the victory of the fight between good and evil. The festival has been organised in 13 countries in the world. Vietnam heritage photo exhibition underway in Binh Thuan A photo exhibition featuring Vietnam’s landscapes, daily life and culture opened in the central province of Binh Thuan’s Phan Thiet city on October 23.  One hundred photos displayed were selected from the Vietnam heritage photo competition with five themes – rivers, nature, daily life, tangible and intangible culture.  According to organisers, the photo contest attracted 5,446 entries from 507 photographers, including 14 foreigners.  Head of the jury Hoang Trung Thuy said the submissions were captured throughout the country, with some of them taken underwater. They carry great artistic values, reflecting broader views of contestants this year, he noted.  The exhibition runs until October 28. Similar events will be held in six other destinations across Vietnam.  The Vietnam heritage photo award ceremony will be held in Ho Chi Minh City on October 23.  The competition, organised annually by Vietnam Heritage Magazine under the Vietnam Cultural Heritage Association, aims to raise public awareness of promoting and preserving cultural and natural heritages. HCM City begins 2nd phase of sanitation project HCM City has begun the second phase of an environmental sanitation project at a cost of more than US$524 million, city authorities announced. Under the project, sewer networks and connections to houses will be built in parts of District 2. A pipeline will be installed to carry wastewater from the eastern side of the Sài Gòn River to the Nhiêu Lộc–Thị Nghè wastewater treatment plant in District 2, according to the HCM City Environmental Sanitation Project management board. It will be eight kilometres in length with a diameter of 3.2 metres. With an 8.3km pipeline laid in the first phase, the total length will increase to 16.3km.       The second phase will also see the construction of a wastewater treatment plant. To be built in District 2’s Thạnh Mỹ Lợi Ward, the plant will treat wastewater that is currently being discharged untreated into the Sài Gòn River. With a capacity of 480,000 cubic metres a day, the plant, expected to be finished in 2020, will be the largest in the country. Vương Hải Long, director of the HCM City Environmental Sanitation Project, said the sewer system will play a vital role in carrying wastewater from households along the Nhiêu Lộc – Thị Nghè canal in five districts and those in District 2 to the plant for treatment.  The second phase will cost $524 million, of which $450 million will come from World Bank loans. HCM City will provide $74 million from its own resources. The project is expected to improve the environment by treating wastewater, strengthen institutional capacity to manage sanitation and wastewater treatment and increase public awareness of the benefits of improved sanitation practices. The project will benefit some two million people in districts 1, 2, 3, 10, Phú Nhuận, Tân Bình, Bình Thạnh, and Gò Vấp. It will also provide technical assistance to improve the city’s sanitation and wastewater management practices. In addition, it will help the city prevent flooding since in the first phase a pumping station was built in Bình Thạnh District with a capacity of 64,000 cubic metres per hour. Farms to grow cocoa with cashew trees The southeastern province of Bình Phước, the country’s largest cashew producer, plans to intercrop cocoa with a total of 50,000 ha of cashew trees in an aim to raise farmers’ incomes. The plan aims to increase farmer’s annual earnings to VNĐ120 million (US$5,500) per ha, including VNĐ70 million from cashew and VNĐ50 million from cocoa. The figure would be nearly double the income from cashew cultivation only, according to the province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. In Bù Gia Mập District’s Phú Văn Commune, farmers have intercropped cocoa with more than 29 ha of cashew. The district has 20,400 ha of cashew with annual yield of 31,000 tonnes. Nguyễn Văn Lợi, secretary of the Bình Phước Province’s Party Committee, said each district had been told to identify at least one to two key agricultural products and create a geographical indication for the key products. Priority should be given to cashew, pepper and cocoa, he said, adding that the intercropping of cocoa in cashew orchards should be given top priority. Early this month, the price of cashew nuts increased to VNĐ50,000 ($2.2) a kilo, up VNĐ10,000-15,000 against the same period in previous years. Prolonged drought early this year affected the yield of cashews at a time when there was a high demand for raw cashews for export, resulting in high prices. The drought also caused a decline in yield of cashews by about 40 per cent compared to previous years, according to farmers. Trần Quang Ty, secretary of Bù Gia Mập District’s Party Committee, said most farmers had already sold their post-harvest cashews when prices rose. Võ Hùng Chiến, who plants more than 110ha of cashew in Bù Gia Mập District’s Phú Nghĩa Commune, said “After harvesting cashew nuts this year, many farmers planned to store the nuts and wait for a price increase. However, traders repeatedly asked to buy so they sold their cashew nuts when prices were still low.” Farmers normally harvest their cashew nuts between late February and May. Nguyễn Thị Kim Nga, chairwoman of the Bình Phước Province Cashew Association, said the world demand for cashews was increasing significantly. Consumers prefer Việt Nam’s cashews in general and Bình Phước’s cashews in particular because they are delicious and nutritious.   Bình Phước has about 143,000ha of cashew trees, accounting for more than 50 per cent of the country’s total cashew yield, according to the association. Bình Phước has also encouraged the establishment of co-operatives of farmers who intercrop cashew and cocoa trees. The province will offer co-operatives VNĐ10 million ($450) per ha of cashew. Ethnic minority co-operative members will be provided financial support to invest in drip irrigation facilities to grow cashew trees.  Hà Nội artist contrasts modern and traditional women in new exhibit Hà Nội-based artist Nguyễn Minh Nam, whose works reflect cultural issues, is showing a collection of his latest paintings at the Craig Thomas Gallery in HCM City. The exhibition, Ký Ức Nhạt Nhòa (Fading Memories), opened on Friday, featuring 25 oil paintings of Vietnamese women. The works portray a class of modern Vietnamese women who feel free and confident, in contrast to the images of women in áo dài (long dress) who look more traditional and modest. Nam used bright colours to depict the modern women, and black and white to paint the images of traditional women. “The young women portrayed in my paintings carry the spirit of contemporary Vietnamese life. They are in opposition to the modest women of the previous generation,” said Nam, a graduate of the Việt Nam Fine Arts University. “I do not wish to take a stand between two conflicting cultural paradigms. Both have their pros and cons,” he added. Nam, 38, has taken part in several group exhibitions in Hà Nội. Last year, he had a solo exhibition titled Son Vàng Một Thuở (Golden Time) in Hà Nội. The event showcased works on the contrast between the past and present culture and lifestyle of young people. The exhibition received positive comments from his colleagues and critics. “As a person who witnessed the transitional period of late 20th and early 21st centuries, I have observed and studied changes of the cultural lifestyle of the country’s youth,” Nam said. “In my opinion, traditional and modern culture in Việt Nam has not yet reached a balance. There is still a conflict between them,” he added. The exhibition will remain open until November 12 at 27i Trần Nhật Duật Street in District 1.   PM urges academy to improve political education quality The Academy of Politics under the Ministry of National Defence needs to join in building the army strong politically as this is an urgent, crucial issue in the national defence in the new period, said Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. The PM made the request at a ceremony marking the 65 th anniversary of the academy in Hanoi on October 23. An army with political firmness helps form an elite, revolutionary, regular, and gradually modernising army as determined by the Party and State to defend the country in the new period, he clarified. The academy, therefore, should continue improving the quality of political education, actively conduct theoretical research, and accumulate experience in service of that goal, the leader added. Founded amidst the fierce struggle against US forces, the academy has continuously revamped its operation model, objectives as well as training methods. It has trained nearly 40,000 local political officials and lecturers. Besides, the academy also trained nearly 1,300 officials for Laos and Cambodia, contributing to consolidating the solidarity, friendship and cooperation with the two neighbouring countries. Applauding achievements recorded by the academy’s officers, soldiers and students over the past years, PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc presented the academy with the Military Exploit Order , first class. Tien Giang spends 17 million USD on disaster-resistant projects The Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang has spent 384 billion VND (17 million USD) on building irrigation works for production, preventing natural disasters and protecting lives, according to the provincial steering committee on disaster prevention and rescue.  This figure includes 283 billion VND (12.7 million USD) for a project on canals north of the National Road No. 1 and 34 billion VND (1.5 million USD) for the second phase of the Bao Dinh project.  The two projects boosted irrigation capability, drought and salinity prevention and transformed cultivation in Chau Thanh, Tan Phuoc and Cai Lay districts in Dong Thap Muoi.  The province used capital from official development assistance loans from the Asian Development Bank and its corresponding capital to implement two sub-projects at a cost of 89 billion VND (4 million USD).  The first project is to upgrade the salinity controlling system for 37,000 hectares in coastal districts of Go Cong Dong, Go Cong Tay, Go Cong town, and Cho Gao.  The other project on reducing flood risks in Ba Rai – Phu An region in the province’s flood-prone western area will enhance protection against natural disasters in the flood season and salinity in the dry season, protecting dozens of hectares of dedicated fruit orchards in Cai Lay district and Cai Lay town.  Besies that, the province built four steel dams to protect fruit orchards near the Tien river and solidified temporary dams and completed canal networks to ensure water for irrigation in flood-prone western areas like Cai Lay and Cai Be districts and Cai Lay town.  According to the provincial steering committee on natural disaster prevention and recue, thanks to the measures, Tien Giang has reduced losses caused by salinity and flood. Traditional barns keep treasure of Ba Na ethnics The Ba Na community in An Toan Commune, central Binh Dinh province’s An Lao district, still keep their tradition of storing their most important property – food and rice wine - at barns separate from their houses, without any worry of theft.  Located high on the mountain around 150km away from Quy Nhon city, An Toan Commune is home to Ba Na and Hre ethnic groups. Each Ba Na family here has at least one barn, where they keep rice, other food crops, wine and honey. Well-off families have two or three barns.  When a young Ba Na couple starts their own family, the next thing they do after building a stilt house is to construct a barn. Barns must be erected at least 100m away from the owner’s house and beside a road or a stream to make it easy to respond when a fire breaks out.  Dinh Van Trai, an elderly in Village 1 of An Toan Commune, said the practice stems from the fear that the daily use of fire inside the house for cooking can cause accidents and destroy the precious food.  According to the old man, Ba Na people are honest and never steal, so nobody is worried that their property in the barns will be stolen.  The Ba Na and their traditions are part of the unique beauty of the mountainous region in Binh Dinh. VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri/VNE