Social News 16/11 PM approves 7-day Lunar New Year break PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc has approved a 7-day Lunar New Year break, which was proposed by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs. Seven days off for the New Year holiday will last from January 26 to February 1, 2017. The PM has asked agencies and organizations to arrange and monitor to ensure best services for people. HCM City issues flood warning   The Ho Chi Minh City Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention is asking residents to prepare for potential flood conditions. Watch for flooding over the next seven days, especially as the water levels of the Saigon and Cuu Long rivers are overflowing their banks, the Committee has announced. The water level is expected to reach peaks of 1.65 metres at the Phu An Station on the Saigon River within the next two days, according to the Central Hydrometeorology Centre. During this same two-day period the rivers are expected to see one of the largest tides of the year, said the Centre. Particularly vulnerable locations include the following districts in the City: Districts 12, Binh Thanh, Thu Duc, Go Vap, Binh Chanh, Cu Chi and Hoc Mon. Crane crash kills one student in Nghệ An A tower crane at a construction site abruptly fell yesterday afternoon into a neighbouring high school in the central province of Nghệ An, killing one student on the playground. The accident happened at around 5pm at Lê Viết Thuật high school in Vinh City. When the crane crashed, a group of 10 students were playing on the playground. The incident happened so suddenly that the student had no time to react. The victim, tenth-grader Trần Văn Hải, died instantly upon impact. One of his friends was slightly injured while some others fainted due to extreme shock and were later sent to hospital. The crane also damaged a part of the school’s roof and at least three electric bicycles parked on the ground. The crane belongs to Trường Thành company, which is building a new shopping mall and housing complex next to the school. The cause of the accident is under investigation. In top urban hospitals, bed-sharing the norm Patients and the broader healthcare system are desperately calling for a solution to a bed-sharing problem that has been protested for years, so far to little avail. Nguyễn Văn Hùng and his wife came to the capital for hepatitis treatment from their hometown in Vĩnh Phúc Province, about 65 km to the northwest of Hà Nội. The wife was admitted to the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases for almost two weeks. But she was not given a bed of her own for a single day during her stay at the hospital. “My wife always had to share the bed with another patient. It was so inconvenient for her to do anything, from eating to resting,” Phúc told the Hải quan (Customs) newspaper. His wife was not the exception. The Hải quan newspaper reported that it failed to spot a bed at the hospital that was occupied by only one patient as it was supposed to be. That patients having to share their hospital beds with one or even two other patients, especially during seasonal disease breakouts, was nothing less than a common sight at even the biggest – and often the best – hospitals in Hà Nội and HCM City. The Hà Nội-based Bạch Mai General Hospital’s National Heart Institute was built with a bed capacity of only 278 beds but was forced to take in some 525 patients early this month, according to Hải quan. At least 264 inpatients were treated at Bạch Mai Hospital’s Department of Neurology, while it only managed to provide 200 beds. The department tried their best to temporarily solve the problem by arranging two lines of beds along the hospital’s corridor walls, leaving tiny space left for doctors, nurses and patients to move around. New mothers who chose the National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology to deliver their babies suffered from the same issue. Nguyễn Thị Hương was forced to stay with another new mother on a bed post-delivery. Hương and her family both complained how inconvenient the bed-sharing was, particularly at a time when the mother needed to rest the most. Bed-sharing is mainly caused by the number of patients who chose not to attend smaller, local hospitals and instead came to big central-level hospitals with better treatment. Many cited weak healthcare capability of municipal-level hospitals that caused such influxes of patients to the hospitals in Hà Nội and HCM City. The Ministry of Health’s Department of the Medical Examination and Treatment Director General Lương Ngọc Khuê put the blame on big hospitals, claiming their leaders “showed little interest” in supporting training in satellite hospitals in order to reduce the overload. The latest report of the Department of the Medical Examination and Treatment shows that a dozen of central-level hospitals were yet to sign the national commitment of bed-sharing prevention. Bạch Mai hospital and the National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology were among those. Bạch Mai Hospital’s Department of Planning and Administration Head Dương Đức Hùng explained that his hospital usually had to stretch their capacity to receive some 4,000 inpatients in serious conditions, while it only had 2,300 beds available. “And it was very difficult to contact other hospitals to make the patient transfers,” he said. Other central-hospitals were also heavily strained. while several municipal-level facilities simply could not meet medical demand to treat seriously sick patients. The solution to bed-sharing has been clear from the beginning: raise the medical capability of municipal-level hospitals to gain trust of the residents who will consequently give up travelling from their far-away hometowns to big hospitals for treatment. Yet the answer to how to do so has already taken much more time than it should and seems unlikely to be addressed in the next few years. In the meantime, bed-sharing at hospitals will, unfortunately, continue to be the hospital norm in Việt Nam. Nghe An protects marine resources The coastal central province of Nghe An has undertaken numerous measures to protect local marine resources and promote sustainable fishing. Specific fishing areas have been zoned off to reduce and eliminate near-shore fishing, particularly the catch of seafood types banned from exploitation. The province also took measures to encourage and help local fishermen build large-capacity vessels, thus promoting off-shore fishing practice. Annually, the coastal areas together with the seafood sector release young prawns and fish into the sea to recreate sea resources. A number of off-shore fishing teams have been established in Quynh Luu district and Hoang Mai town to support one another during their off-shore fishing trips. Nghe An has 82 km of coastline, and its waters are home to 267 fish species and 20 varieties of prawns. U Minh Thuong National Park preserves biodiversity U Minh Thuong National Park in the southern province of Kien Giang is focusing on scientific research to promote its conservation. A new water management solution launched in 2010 has helped the park recover its mangrove forest system and biological diversity, which were damaged by a forest fire in 2002, according to Director of the park Pham Quoc Dan. The park plans to zone off 550 hectares for forest regeneration and cultivate 350 more hectares of forests, and 4,000 indigenous trees on degrading peat land, as well as root out invasive exotic plants. It will also build a water irrigation system to maintain humidity for forests during the 2016 – 2017 dry season. The management board will continue making a list of rare flora and fauna species in danger of extinction, and concentrate on forest fire prevention. The board is also completing a blueprint to protect the environment and preserve biodiversity through 2017, which will serve as a scientific foundation to conserve valuable genes, recover forests, balance the ecosystem, and increase forest coverage. U Minh Thuong National Park was recognised as Vietnam’s 8th Ramsar site in February 2016. The park is the 2,228th Ramsar site in the world. Ramsar, or the Convention of Wetlands, is an intergovernmental treaty that provides a framework for conservation and use of wetlands. Covering 21,107 hectares, the park is home to one of the most important submerged land areas in the Mekong Delta. Workshop discusses ways to cope with storm surge Storm surge was the main topic of a workshop jointly held in Hanoi on November 15 by the Typhoon Committee and the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting. Fong Chi Kong, a representative from the Typhoon Committee Secretariat, said storm surge is the biggest threat of typhoons. Strong winds push sea water into ports and low land, causing tsunami-like flooding. Vietnam is one of the countries suffering from storm surge. He called for immediate actions and better resilience against storm surge to rescue more lives and mitigate social-economic losses. The workshop also mentioned issues relating to storm surge like advances in storm surge and coastal flooding forecasting, storm surge forecast model and its role in making decisions and developing storm surge forecasting systems for coastal localities. Established in 1968, the Typhoon Committee is an intergovernmental body under the auspices of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) in order to promote and coordinate the planning and implementation of measures required for minimising the loss of life and material damage caused by typhoons in the region. Vietnam became an official member of the Typhoon Committee in 1968. The National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting is a national coordinator in cooperation activities with the Typhoon Committee. Mangrove forests protect sea dykes in Quang Tri The growing of mangrove forests in the central province of Quang Tri has proved effective in protecting the local sea dykes. Years ago, local residents in Trieu Phuoc commune, Trieu Phong district, could not help worrying about the sea dyke system being swept away anytime during the rainy season. Now, everything has changed since more than 40 hectares of mangrove forests were grown around the 5km sea dyke, creating a solid belt to prevent salt water from encroaching and flood tides as well, thus protecting water resources facilities, crop fields, and ecological environment and increasing the local biodiversity. Lying between two tributaries of the Hieu and Thach Han Rivers, Trieu Phuoc commune regularly suffers from tides and floods with a large farmland and aquatic breeding zone destroyed. The national target programme provided nearly 20 billion VND (900,000 USD) in 2009 for the commune to reinforce the 5km sea dyke by growing mangroves along it. Over the past seven years, the mangrove forests have brought practical benefits to local inhabitants. Nguyen Van Thanh, a local in the commune, said the forests have saved people and rice fields from floods, adding that such model should be expanded across other areas to prevent salt water intrusion and land erosion. The Trieu Phuoc Commune People’s Committee has organised teams to inspect the protection of forests, thus mitigating the impacts of tides and floods and improving the ecological environment. Chairman of the committee Nguyen Vu Sy said Trieu Phuoc bears a lot of brunt from natural disasters, especially salinity. Therefore, the mangroves growing project has helped the commune protect the ecological system and sea dyke, he added. In October 2015, the Quang Tri department of sea, islands, and hydrometeorology implemented a project for sustainable recovery and development of mangrove forests in a bid to create sustainable livelihoods for local people in the lower part of the Ben Hai and Thach Han rivers on a total area of 63.43 hectares. Mangrove forests develop in shallow water, such as in gulfs and estuaries sheltered by capes, narrow straits or along coasts protected by archipelagos. Although they account for a small part of Vietnam's forests, they provide an important role in the preservation and protection of coastal and estuarine regions, habitat provision, storm protection, erosion control and carbon sequestration, according to National Agriculture Extension Centre. Mangrove forests are present in 20 provinces and cities in the country, mostly in the south, and have diverse species.- Miners breathe again after lung lavage "I’m glad that the cough, as well as the coal dust, has gone after I underwent lung lavage", said Phạm Văn Thành, from Khe Chàm Coal company. Like so many miners who receive treatment at the Coal and Mineral Hospital, Thành said he hoped it would help him return to a healthy life. Being affected with pneumoconiosis, a lung disease, he has often suffered from breathing difficulties over the past four years. "Although I had asked the company management if I could shift to other jobs to avoid frequent contact with coal dust, my cough hasn’t stopped," he said, adding that he worked as a miner for 36 years. "Thanks to lung lavage, my health became much better," Thành said with a bright smile. Phan Văn Độ, another worker from Dương Huy Coal Company, said he used to suffer with a persistent cough due to inhaling coal dust. “Slight changes in the weather could also cause difficulties for my breathing. Tiredness and exhaustion were very common for me,” he said. Độ said he hoped doctors could revive his “black lung” and he would return to work in the mines of Quảng Ninh Province soon. Le Quang Trung, deputy director of the hospital, said lung lavage, commonly called "lung washing", was the most effective way to treat the disease, which is still not curable. The procedure involves doctors circulating around 9-12 litres of fluid through each lung on average, with the liquid starting out very dark but becoming clearer as the process continues. It takes between 15 and 25 days to conduct a complete lung lavage procedure for a patient. Tens of thousands of coal industry workers have already worked in extreme conditions, but once they are exposed to silica dust, symptoms such as chest pains, breathing difficulties, persistent coughs or fever would follow them for the rest of their life if they didn’t undergo the lung lavage procedure. Pneumoconiosis, caused by inhalation of crystalline silica dust, could lead to a limitation of air flow in and out of the lungs, causing shortness of breath. The disease usually worsens over time, he said. Đỗ Tiến Sĩ, head of the Occupational Disease Faculty, said before the "lung washing" technique was applied in Việt Nam in 2004, doctors at the hospital were worried about potential occupational diseases for thousands of miners who worked underground. Their anxiety grew after conducting medical check-ups on the miners. At that time, the Việt Nam national Coal-Mineral Industries Holding Corporation Limited (Vinacomin) had to send miners suffering from pneumoconisis to China for lung washing. A group of doctors from the Coal and Mineral Hospital, including Sĩ, then suggested the corporation let them go to China to learn the technique for themselves. Returning home, they started treating domestic workers at a much lower cost than VNĐ60 million (US$2,700), the estimated cost of sending a worker to China for treatment. The record of patients had shown positive results, Sĩ said, as most of them had improved respiratory function after between 6 and 12 months and go on to gain weight (2.18kg on average). A study on 83 patients who worked as miners for 25 years and above revealed that the frequency of coughs and chest pains reduced by 9 per cent after receiving lung lavage. For those who worked in the occupation less than 15 years, lung lavage could be a tremendous relief, particularly in eliminating problems relating to breathing difficulties. Over 2,000 workers have had their lungs washed since 2004, and the hospital is the only medical centre in Viet Nam that is authorised to conduct the technique by the Ministry of Health. Si told Quang Ninh newspaper, however, the number of people undergoing lung washing was still small compared with those who worked underground and were exposed to silica dust. All people who experienced dust for about 3 years, and have suspected symptoms should have their health evaluated to detect occupational diseases and receive timely treatment, he said. Thus, the hospital has proposed that the Ministry of Health include miners who worked in the field for 3 years to the list of miners subject to lung lavage, to improve the effectiveness of preventative treatment, as the younger the workers are, the more efficiently they are cured and vice versa, he said. The Ministry of Health has revised the regulations to offer lung lavage treatment to miners with 5 years experience in the field. This is an improvement on previous regulations, which allowed only miners with over 15 years working in mining industry, to under go lung lavage. No blue-ear pandemic in Thừa Thiên – Huế The central province of Thừa Thiên - Huế is not having a blue-ear pig pandemic, said Nguyễn Văn Hưng, head of the provincial Branch of Livestock Production and Veterinary. Hưng yesterday refuted rumours spreading in the province over recent days about a pandemic, which worried many consumers. The baseless rumours have already caused economic damage to pig rearing and slaughtering households, as well as pork traders across the province. Thirty-two livestock slaughter houses in the province used to slaughter 2,300 – 2,400 pigs per day. However, the figure has reduced by an average of 25 per cent, or even 39 per cent some days, since the beginning of November. The live weight pork price decreased from VNĐ40,000 (US$1.8) per kilogram to VNĐ36,000-38,000. Nguyễn Thị Thương, a retailer at An Cựu Market in Huế City, said while the price of pork at the market had reduced to VNĐ60,000 – 65,000 per kilogram from the normal VNĐ90,000 – 95,000 per kilogram, it was still difficult to sell. Consumers were reluctant to buy pork due to concerns over the blue-ear pandemic, although pork sold at the market had obtained quarantine stamps from authorities. According to Nguyễn Văn Hưng, the rumour probably stemmed from wholesale traders aiming at reducing the live weight pork price. He advised consumers not to believe the rumours. The provincial Branch of Livestock Production and Veterinary would continue to intensify inspections to ensure food hygiene and safety in the province, he said. Since October, the province has supported its livestock slaughtering establishments to apply clean technology to ensure food safety and protect the environment. Nam Kỳ Khởi Nghĩa bike race to start on Nov 19 The 19th Nam Kỳ Khởi Nghĩa Cycling Tournament will kicked off Saturday (Nov 19), with riders from 15 teams participating The five-stage tournament will span 752km from HCM City to neighbouring provinces and close on November 23. The first stage is the 123km stretch from HCM City to Trà Vinh. It is the last national tournament of the year, and it will feature many of the most renowned cyclists from HCM City, Đồng Tháp, An Giang and Hà Nội. The racers will vie for a total bonus of VNĐ300 million (US$14,500) for winners of the yellow, green, white and team categories, next to other side awards. Organisers will give presents to local teachers and students on the Teacher Day on November 20. Hoàng finds new home at FLC Thanh Hóa Midfielder Nguyễn Trọng Hoàng has signed a contract with FLC Thanh Hóa before leaving with the national team to Myanmar for the AFF Cup. Hoàng, who left former champions Becamex Bình Dương, earlier this month has signed up for three years at his new club. The details of the move have not yet been publicized. “Hoàng is a quality player who is at the peak of his career. In Thanh Hóa we are looking for a player like him who will collaborate to push us to a high position in the V.League 2017," said coach Hoàng Thanh Tùng. Hoàng is the third signing for the team for the new season. In the 2015-16, Thanh Hóa finished fourth, although they spent a lot of money preparing for the tournament. Tides break dyke A stretch of the Sài Gòn River Dyke in HCM City’s Thủ Đức District was broken yesterday morning by high tides. The tides reached their peak at 1,63 metres and broke 5 metres of the dyke in Hiệp Bình Phước Ward, The waters flooded several houses and drowned some 50,000 yellow ochna trees, which were grown by 10 households to sell during the celebration of the Lunar New Year in two months’ time. The trees will die if the water is not completely drained in the next few days. Water overflowed from fish ponds and took several fish out of the ponds, leading to a major financial loss for farmers. Seminar debates financial solutions to natural disaster risks Building financial solutions to natural disaster risks is a must in order to lessen the burden on the State budget, said Vice Minister of Finance Nguyen Huu Chi. Chi told participants at a seminar co-organised by the Ministry of Finance and the World Bank (WB) in Hanoi on November 15 that Vietnam suffers from various natural disasters which cause losses of up to 40 trillion VND (around 1.8 billion USD) each year. Vietnam ranks 22nd in the world in the number of deaths left by calamities, he added. Sebastian Eckardt, Lead Economist for the World Bank in Vietnam, shared Chi’s view, saying that an estimated 60 percent of the country’s areas and 71 percent of its population endure storm and flood risks. Total damage due to storms and floods is equal to 0.8 percent of Vietnam’s annual gross domestic product (GDP), pushing it to third place in terms of losses among the ASEAN member countries, just behind Myanmar and the Philippines, he noted. Since 2013, with the support of the Swiss Government, WB has assisted Vietnam in improving financial solutions and natural disaster insurance by exclusively building a calamity risk model for the country. The WB economist said this model will help the Vietnamese Government and organisations to evaluate the possibility of occurrence and losses caused by natural disasters and work out financial plans for the possible consequences. According to the WB, Vietnam now has different tools to ensure financial resources for coping with calamities and overcoming their aftermaths. However, WB experts suggested Vietnam build a financial strategy to cover all losses left by natural disasters and it should be part of the country’s natural disaster and climate change management master plan. Thai Nguyen to host culture week, prep underway It has been unveiled that a Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam Culture Week will transpire December 6-11 at the Museum of the Cultures of Vietnam Ethnic Groups in Thai Nguyen City. The event will feature exhibitions on Vietnamese Ao Dai, traditional costumes of Malaysia and Indonesia, an Indonesian Batik painting performance, Vietnamese embroidery performance, and Malaysian food competition. The Vietnamese delegation, according to the Ministry of Culture Sports and Tourism, includes 30 artisans comprised of representatives from the six ethnic groups of the Mong, Dao, Thai, Cham, Tay and Pa Then. Anti-people smuggling conference held in HCM City The fourth law enforcement Joint Management Group (JMG) on People Smuggling meeting was opened on Tuesday in Ho Chi Minh City, aiming at fostering regional co-operation and anti-people smuggling efforts across Asia. The three-day meeting is being co-hosted by the Ministry of Public Security and the Australian Federal Police. Law enforcement officials from Australia, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, will attend the event to discuss emerging trends. The fourth meeting of the JMG will focus on the links between organised crime and people smuggling, and the effects of global displacement. The need for greater capacity building for law enforcement officers in source and transit countries to pursue offshore disruption of criminal syndicates will also be discussed. Speaking at the opening of the conference, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Public Security, Senior Lieutenant General Pham Dung emphasised “transnational organised crime and people smuggling syndicates have been established and are running people smuggling activities with many sophisticated and unpredictable modus operandi. This situation presents potential serious dangers and challenges to the public safety and socio-economic stability, etc. requiring the law enforcement agencies of countries to co-operate, work closely and join hands to combat and prevent this problem.” Along with each country providing an overview of its current efforts, presentations by INTERPOL, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and the International Organisation for Migration will also feature. Key statement from Australian Consul General Karen Lanyon echoed the importance of deterring people smuggling to save lives. The JMG reinforces people smuggling is an organised crime that exploits the most vulnerable of people. The socio-economic impacts are felt by those exploited, as well as the source, transit, and destination countries. AFP Commander of the Operation Sovereign Borders Disruption and Deterrence Task Group, Lesa Gale, recognised Vietnam’s efforts to support a regional approach to countering people smuggling. “This multilateral crime forum is an excellent example of law enforcement collaboration, fostering regional cooperation to progress the holistic disruption of people smuggling and transnational crime across Asia,” Commander Gale said. The Joint Management Group was established in 2014 as a regional law enforcement partnership dedicated to preventing the exploitation of vulnerable men, women and children by people smugglers. The meeting supports the Australian Government’s anti-people smuggling strategic communication campaign to counter rumours and misinformation being marketed by criminal people smugglers. A unique showcase of contemporary Vietnamese art Parallel Contemporary Art in collaboration with AIA Vietnam Life Insurance and Saatchi Gallery, has launched Vietnam Eye: Contemporary Vietnamese Art, a publication featuring 56 Vietnamese emerging contemporary artists in Hanoi. Of those artists, 19 will take part in the exhibition that was also kicked off yesterday Hanoi. The launch of the book and the exhibition is under AIA Vietnam Eye project that was started in Vietnam in June this year. “We believe that art has an important impact to education, the economy, and the health and wellbeing of our society,” Wayne Besant, CEO of AIA Vietnam said. “It enables us to become more imaginative, innovative, and better connected.  Through this initiative, AIA hopes to develop a thriving arts ecology that offers Vietnamese the chance to enjoy, participate and create, for more fulfilled lives.” AIA Vietnam Eye is a celebration of Vietnam’s vibrant contemporary art scene and is the eighth project in the Global Eye Programme, which was established in 2009 by David and Serenella Ciclitira in collaboration with Saatchi Gallery in order to nurture artistic talent across Asia’s emerging art scenes. The initiative is sponsored by AIA and supported by the Italian Ambassador to Vietnam, and the British Ambassador to Vietnam. Together the book and the exhibition will offer an overview of one of the newest and most exciting scenes in the global art world. Vietnam has developed rapidly in the last ten years with a new generation of contemporary artists who balance cultural and social issues with a contemporary outlook. This is a generation of artists who are aware of both the history of Vietnamese art as well international art world. “There’s no doubt that interest in Vietnam’s art scene is growing. This exhibition and the publication will offer the art world a chance to really get to know what’s going on in one of the most exciting art scenes that is emerging right now,” Serenella Ciclitira, the book’s editor said. Alongside the main exhibition there will be a series of satellite exhibitions, which will take place in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The satellite exhibitions will combine artist presentations and educational workshops for children and families. Sing My Song’s Vietnamese version to kick its first season off The first season of Vietnamese version of the reality talent show, Sing My Song will be aired on VTV3 channel starting November 20. “Sing My Song" is a studio-based music contest. Musicians perform in front of a panel of four accomplished singer-songwriters who offer expertise as producer-judges, providing feedback and guidance to the contestants. The judges are also scouting for songs to be part of their own original music album. Participants in "Sing My Song" render their original composition rather than doing song covers by other artists. It is not a singing competition. What matters most is the musical creativity of the contestants, the mass appeal and market potential of the song. The singer’s and songwriter’s vocal skills and stage presentation are only a small part of the whole package. This season’s judges consist of musicians Duc Tri, Le Minh Son, Giang Son and Nguyen Hai Phong. Musician Hoai Sa is music director of the competition. The series consists of four phases, The short-list, The Recording, Composing and Battle, and live performance. The Vietnamese version of Sing My Song has been bought the distribution originally from British ITV network. HCMC focuses on safe food projects As per the People’s Committee in Ho Chi Minh City, one of major duty of agencies and departments is project implementation of pilot markets to sell safe food and safe food chains aiming to provide a closed food supply chains from farm, slaughter to processing and selling. During three recent years, the Department of Industry and Trade in the city insisted in working out pilot markets to provide safe food in a bid to satisfy consumers’ demand of clean food. Along with the project plan, the department liaised with relevant agencies to rate food safety in some markets in the city. Based on the survey, the Department was given the green light to the implementation of piloted markets including Ben Thanh Market and Hoc Mon agricultural produce wholesale market. One of major duties of the plan is to trace back the origin of pork. As per the plan, the Department will officially launch the project on December 10 to ensure safe pork for consumers. In addition, the city will work out the project safe food chains for the period 2016-2020, through issuance of decision No.26 which will issue and withdraw the certificates of eligibility to partake in the chain. In other side, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development encouraged individuals and organizations in the chain to have VietGap certificates. So far, 401 organizations and individuals applied for chain registration including Co.opmart, Saigon supermarket chains, Vissan chains, Big C supermarket, Lotte  Mart, An Ha Company and other businesses. The implementation of projects has helped the city set up models to control food by chains and cooperate with province in monitoring food from raising to consuming. Based on , it set up programs to open production models as per VietGap model and helped consuming products in supermarkets, stores as well as establish traditional markets to sell safe food. Thanks to it, the city has no deaths because of poisoning for years. Yet it has shortcomings during on the way. Therefore, the steering board for the project petitioned the government to propose the National Assembly to address law to satisfy the reality. Additionally, the government needs to have policy to support farmers and encourage production cooperation  and cooperatives which connect farmers and enterprises. HCM City leaders congratulate senior teachers Ho Chi Minh City’s leaders went around town yesterday congratulating and praising senior teachers for the National Teacher’s Day on November 20. A delegation led by Chairman of People’s Committee in Ho Chi Minh City Nguyen Thanh Phong yesterday had a meeting with Professor Le Quang Vinh, former director of the municipal Department of Education and Training to express his admiration and society’s thanks for their contributions to education sector. In the meeting, Mr. Phong mentioned to the education growth, focusing on renovation, training more teachers and curriculum reduction. Currently, the People’s Committee asked the department to prepare a project with the aim of improving teaching and learning quality in the context of integration. On the same day, the delegation paid a visit to Professor Nguyen Tan Lap, who is a former director of Economy University. Once more, Mr. Phong spoke of the project for training more teachers, stressing that city leaders want to listen to senior teachers’ opinions. More young Vietnamese people have diabetes More young Vietnamese people have diabetes, said experts at a meeting held by the Ministry of Health and the National Endocrine Hospital yesterday in response to the World Diabetes Day themed “Eyes on Diabetes”. The year’s activities and materials will focus on promoting importance of screening to ensure early diagnosis of type 2 diabetes and treatment to reduce the risk of serious complications. Because the number of people having diabetes increased drastically in the country and more young people suffered the disease, Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long called for the support of all sectors, the government and the community in preventing the disease as well as increasing information to relatives, friends and people around them. A representative from the World Health Organization pledged to help Vietnam in fighting the non-communicative disease in general and diabetes in particular. The Vietnamese government should focus on controlling consumption and trade of tobacco, wine and encourage people to have proper diets and activities to keep fitness. The hospital said that as per a recent survey, the proportion of diabetes people in Vietnam accounts for 6 percent of the whole population, a doubled increase compared to early 2000s. additionally, the rate of undiagnosed people is high, accounting for 65 percent and more young people getting the disease because they consume too much food but they are lazy to practice physical exercise. Worse, diabetes can go silently undetected for a long time without symptoms. Many people first become aware that they have diabetes when they develop one of its potentially life-threatening complications, such as  blindness, heart disease, blindness or nerve disease. There are two main types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes usually occurs during childhood or adolescence. Type 2 diabetes, which is the most common form of the disease, usually occurs in people who are 45 years of age or older. However, medical experts said that type 2 diabetes can be preventative if people live healthily, have proper diets and take regular physically exercise. Ho Chi Minh City to host Japanese Festival The 2016 Japan Festival to be held from November 18 - 20 in Ho Chi Minh City  is a cultural activity that strengthens the traditional bilateral ties between the two countries, said a city senior official. Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong spoke highly of the event, confirming the city will facilitate any of the components required to make the event a success. Takebe Tsutomu, a special advisor to the Japan-Viet Nam Friendship Parliamentary Alliance, and head of the organizing committee said he expected the number of visitors to the upcoming festival to reach 180,000. Last year, the event attracted about 150.000 visitors. The Japan Festival was organised for the first time in 2013 on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and Japan. Effectively combating illegal wildlife trade An international conference on the illegal wildlife trade (IWT) is set to take place in Hanoi on November 17 with the participation of national-level delegations, delegations from international organisations and representatives from media agencies both at home and abroad. This will be the third event of its kind and the first time Vietnam has been the host country. As reported by international organisations, thousands of elephants, pangolins and rhinos are poached each year. Elephant ivory and rhino horn trafficking activities not only take place within one country but also see the involvement of international crime organisations. Without timely action, many wildlife fauna and flora populations will become extinct. Since becoming a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1994, Vietnam has exerted a great deal of effort to join the international community in responsibly executing the convention. Alongside completing policies and laws relating to the management of the wildlife trade, authorised Vietnamese agencies have discovered, investigated and handled dozens of cases of transporting and trafficking elephant tusks, rhino horns, tiger bones, pangolin scales and freshwater turtles. Most recently, on November 12, the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in collaboration with relevant ministries and sectors, incinerated over two tonnes of elephant ivory, 70kg of rhino horns and some other items such as bear and tiger bones, which were the result of illegal wildlife trade cases in Vietnam, in the presence of responsible agencies, representatives from embassies, international organisations and media correspondents both domestic and foreign. The move, which took place ahead of the IWT conference, has reflected Vietnam’s determination to responsibly implement its international commitments on combating illegal trade in wildlife, garnering the appreciation of the international community and contributing to enhancing Vietnam’s position on the international arena. Together with joining CITES, Vietnam has been completing its legal system with strict regulations, making effective contributions to combating criminals trading in wild fauna and flora, calling for the joint efforts of the entire community to protect natural resources, and raising public awareness of the necessity of safeguarding nature and wildlife by way of practical actions, including minimising the demand for wildlife products, changing behaviours and strictly enforcing the relevant laws. Japanese, ASEAN youths impressed with HCM City hospitality The Ship for Southeast Asian and Japanese Youth Program’s 328 delegates left HCM City on November 14 after a four-day stop in the city. Despite their stay in the city, Japanese and ASEAN youths enjoyed the warm hospitality from HCM City locals. During the visit, the delegates participated in many activities and cultural exchanges and explored cultural characteristics through homestays in ‘adopted’ families. Besides experiencing different cultures in the region, they also organised activities to introduce Vietnam to international friends. Vietnam has 28 delegates on the ship. The ship, named the Nippon Maru, is a programme between ten ASEAN governments and Japan boosting friendship between Japanese and ASEAN youths. The programme began in 1974 and Vietnam joined the programme in 1995. Ministry intensifies fight against smuggling The Ministry of Industry and Trade has intensified the fight against smuggling, trade fraud and fake goods as cross-border smuggling has increased in border areas ahead of the year-end holiday season. The ministry’s Market Management Department has conducted 145,000 inspections since the beginning of November, detecting 88,000 violations of law, including more than 13,890 cases in the field of food safety. Fertiliser and tobacco are among goods most prone to faking and smuggling. The department has dealt with 1,522 cases of illegally importing or trading in poor-quality and fake fertiliser, seizing hundreds of tonnes of low-quality fertilisers of all kinds. Market control forces also detected 4,859 tobacco-related law violations, confiscating 966,000 packs of cigarettes and transferring 103 cases to investigation agencies. According to the department, the fight against cross-border smuggling faces difficulties due to the rough mountainous terrain in border areas while the anti-smuggling forces are understaffed. In addition, many local residents consider transporting smuggled goods as their livelihoods, thus they do not cooperate in fighting smuggling. The Industry and Trade Ministry said it will coordinate with the police to crack down on trafficking rings and their leaders, while promoting educational campaigns to increase public awareness. At the same time, anti-smuggling and market management forces will be strengthened to increase efficiency of the work. Customs sector prioritises trade facilitation The customs sector has identified implementing the Trade Facilitation (TF) Agreement of the World Trade Organisation as a priority in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Year 2017. The Vietnam Customs and the US Agency for International Development organised a workshop in Hanoi on November 14 to prepare for Vietnam’s hosting of the APEC forum next year. Nguyen Duc Dung, a representative from the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said trade facilitation should focus on encouraging customs agencies, service suppliers and business associations to exchange information. Participants suggested strengthening transparency and improving the legal system while accelerating goods inspections since a lot of Vietnamese exports have to undergo stringent customs procedures that waste time and money. Strong connectivity between the 21 APEC member economies will improve import-export activities, experts said, adding that Vietnam needs assistance from other nations to be more involved in international treaties, especially the TF agreement. The supply chain framework and the national single window mechanism are also among top priorities, heard the workshop. Attendants agreed to place a high premium on customs cooperation in information technology and risk management, intellectual property and cross-border e-commerce. Contemporary Vietnamese art on show in Hanoi Vietnamese contemporary artworks by 19 artists are being showcased at an exhibition in Hanoi from November 14. A photo book featuring 56 Vietnamese contemporary artists was also introduced on the opening day of the exhibition. The book, published by the Italian Skira publishing house has articles about each artist and the development of art in contemporary Vietnam. The exhibition is part of activities in the framework of the AIA Vietnam Eye Project launched in June this year, which will take place until January 14, 2017. A number of other exhibitions and workshops will be held during the period. World Bank project improves Can Tho climate resilience A delegation from the World Bank (WB) met with local authorities in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho to discuss a project to help the city reduce flood risk. The WB’s project manager Marc Forni, who led the delegation to the city on November 14, said this is the third project in which the WB provided official development assistance (ODA) to the city and hailed the efforts made by the city to accelerate the implementation of the project. Vo Thi Hong Anh, Vice Chairwoman of the municipal People’s Committee attached significance to the project on reducing flood risks in downtown Can Tho and improving connections between downtown and new urban areas. She called for more support from the WB for the city in human resource training, enhancing the city’s administration in natural disaster management. According to Deputy Manager of the ODA project management unit Tran Minh Phat, a number of the project’s contracts have been appraised, including the building of flood sluices, and several bridges. According to the municipal People’s Committee, the project has a total investment of 322 million USD, of which 250 million USD is sourced from ODA from the WB and 10 million USD of non-refundable assistance from the Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs. The project, to be carried out from now until 2021, is expected to benefit nearly 430,000 residents in Ninh Kieu, Binh Thuy and Cai Rang districts. Nearly one million others in the areas will be protected from floods during high tide. Nghe An intensifies tourism development The northern central province of Nghe An has been channeling more resources into developing tourism, towards the sector becoming a driving force in the local development. The province attaches importance to planning, tourism infrastructure development and encouraging investment in tourism, boosting the quality of promotion activities and managing the environment and tourism resources. In recent years, some new tourism projects went into operation like Lan Chau – Song Ngu ecological tourism area, the Lam river ecological tourism area, the Ru Giam spiritual tourism area and the Dien Hai sea tourist area. Since 2011, 275 new hotels and guesthouses have been built with a combined capital of 2.2 trillion VND (98 million USD). The north central province’s tourism sector, however, still faces various problems like a lack of breakthrough changes and local typical tourism products. The province targets 5-5.5 million tourists a year by 2020. Southwestern region, US’s Riverside city foster cooperation Authorities of the Southwestern Steering Committee discussed cooperation with the delegation from the US city Riverside, led by Mayor William Bailey III, in Can Tho city on November 15. Vice Head of the Committee Le Hung Dung introduced to the guests the regional potential, particularly in agriculture and seafood production, with Can Tho city as a regional economic, educational hub. Dung expressed his wish that in the coming time Riverside will continue nurturing the fruitful cooperation with Can Tho and strengthening its cooperation with the Mekong Delta region in education, healthcare to boost export of regional key products to the city. He also called on the US city to provide support for the regional localities in response to climate change and sea level rise while facilitating exchanges and connection between the two nations’ enterprises. Sharing the view with the host on strengthening bilateral cooperation, Bailey underlined huge research potential between the two cities, with the highlight of the cooperation among Can Tho University, the Mekong Delta Rice Research Institute and California Riverside University. He stressed the need for the region to develop infrastructure while preserving their local cultural heritage, such as Cai Rang floating market. In 2015, Can Tho and Riverside signed a cooperation pact and officially set up the twining relations. VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri/VNE