Social News 18/11 New cold spell to cool the north   Another cold spell is forecast to hit the northern region on November 23. Deputy Director of the National Centre for Hydrometeorological Forecasting Le Thanh Hai said that the upcoming cold spell will last until December. Rains will start to fall from November 22. The temperatures at night in Hanoi are forecasted to stand at between 13-15 Celsius and 16-18 Celsius during the day. He also warned that if cold air continues to move southwards, it would cause rain in the central region. The north has experienced changeable weather. When being asked why the temperatures were still so high even though it's the end of autumn, Hai said compared to 2014 and 2015, temperatures this November were only a bit higher than average. "The weather was so hot last November that people had to still use their air-conditioning because of El-Nino phenomenon. The third week of this year November is hotter than previous years' temperatures, but then it will become colder next week," he said. The highest temperature in the third week in November in Hanoi was recorded at 32 degrees Celsius. Luxury cruise brings 2,500 visitors to Halong Bay The luxury cruise ship Genting Dream visited Halong Bay in the northern province of Quang Ninh on November 16, carrying 2,500 visitors.    The luxury cruise ship Genting Dream arrived in Ha Long Bay on November 16. During the stay in the province, the cruise, jointly operated by Genting Hong Kong Ltd. Co. and Malaysia’s Dream Cruise Line, weighed anchor at Hon Gai Port, Ha Long Bay and several other local tourist sites. Genting Dream is 334m long, 40m wide and has 18 floors. It can accommodate 3,500 tourists and 1,900 crew. It has many modern facilities, including cinemas, restaurants, bars, spas, swimming pools and even a nine-hole golf course. From now to March 2017, Genting Dream plans to visit Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Danang and Halong 10 times. Prime Minister advises An Giang to focus on farming, tourism Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc named organic farming and tourism as potential lucrative business for An Giang while working with the locality’s authorities in Hanoi on November 17. Dubbed as the rice bowl in the Mekong delta, An Giang has applied scientific and technological advances on over 90 percent of its rice fields, thus harvesting an output of over 4 million tonnes of rice. So far this year, the province greeted about 6.4 million tourists, earning 2 trillion VND (90 million USD), showing increases of 2.4 percent and 31.5 percent from the same period last year. “Local officials should adopt a new mindset in development and strongly yearn to promptly tackle existing weaknesses and get rich,” he said. They should immediately prepare to launch socio-economic tasks for 2017. In the long run, they should focus on tapping internal waterway, allowing investors to get involved in developing vehicles and ports, he said. In addition to that, An Giang should seek to improve its business and investment environment and spur the creation of start-ups and business of rural young people, he noted. He advised the locality to concentrate on developing the rice-fish farming models to earn higher incomes and advertising its tourism products to keep tourists to stay longer. An Giang also needs to safeguard border security and develop border economy while combating cross-border smuggling, he stressed. Present at the working session, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong said the province should pursue high-tech agriculture and combine it closely with tourism. HCM City suggested to become safe to women, girls Ho Chi Minh City should take intervention measures to build itself into a safe city that prevents women and girls from sexual harassment and other forms of sexually violence in public spaces. The suggestion was made at a seminar on designing a safe city programme held in HCM City on November 17 by UN Women in Vietnam. Laura Capobianco, a representative from UN Women, said sexually violence against women and girls in public places is at an alarming level. Migrant, disabled and young women, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders face a higher risk of sexual violence as they suffer from different forms of discrimination. With the support of the municipal Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, UN Women has conducted a qualitative study in District 3, Binh Thanh and Nha Be districts. The results show that migrant female workers and students are the most vulnerable to sexually harassment. Participants suggested HCM City include the criteria of a safe city in its ongoing programme to build a civilized and modern city. It should have strict punishments on those who conduct sexually harassment, establish organisations helping women that are sexually harassed to overcome psychological shocks, as well as install alarm bells and cameras in public places. UN Women’s Global Flagship Initiative, “Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces,” was launched in November 2010. It is the first-ever global programme that develops, implements, and evaluates tools, policies and comprehensive approaches on the prevention of and response to sexual harassment and other forms of sexual violence against women and girls in public spaces.  It began with founding programmes in Quito, Ecuador; Cairo, Egypt; New Delhi, India; Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea; and Kigali, Rwanda, and now spans more than 20 cities. HCM City will be the next city to implement the programme. Deputy PM directs support to mixed race children The Government Office recently issued a document detailing Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam’s directions on support to children of Vietnamese women who married foreigners returning to live in Vietnam. The Deputy PM asked ministers, leaders of ministry-level agencies, centrally-run cities and provinces to perform tasks assigned at the national conference held on June 6, 2011 on marital and family relationships involving foreigners. The Justice Ministry was assigned to work with the ministries of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs; Foreign Affairs and concerned agencies to deal with issues regarding citizenship and civil status of mixed race children. The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) will coordinate with the ministries of Justice, Public Security, Foreign Affairs, Education and Training, Public Health, the Vietnam Women’s Association (VWA) Central Committee, the Vietnam Social Insurance and relevant agencies to devise measures to enforce policies in this regard, ensuring children’s rights to residence, education, and health check-ups. The MoLISA will work with the VWA Central Committee to provide support for Vietnamese women who married foreigners to return home. Germany keen on climate change projects in Mekong Delta Germany is interested in climate change adaptation projects in the Mekong Delta, Vice President of the German parliament Edelgard Bulmahn said at a working session with the Steering Committee for the Southeastern Region in Can Tho city on November 17. She highly valued the role of the Mekong Delta in food production and rice export, and expressed her impression on the outcomes of coastal management projects. German ministries and sectors pay special attention to climate change-related issues, she said, adding that her government has been determined to develop renewable energy to mimimise factors causing environmental changes since 1999-2000. Renewable energy has accounted for up to 30 percent of the European country’s electricity generation, she said, stressing that Germany is a reliable partner of countries, including Vietnam , in this field, she confirmed. According to Edelgard Bulmahn, the challenges that the Mekong Delta is facing are not only of Vietnam but also the international community, thus requiring the involvement of both domestic and foreign scientists and multiple countries. Lying at the end of the Mekong River , the Mekong Delta has been bearing a lot of brunt from climate change and rising sea level, said Nguyen Quoc Viet, deputy head of the Steering Committee. He noted that the climate change process has become quicker in recent years, causing negative impacts on local agricultural production and other socio-economic sectors, as well as land, water, transport infrastructure, and irrigation. The serious drought and saltwater intrusion in the 2016 dry season raged through 10 out of the 13 Mekong Delta localities, resulting in water shortage for at least 290,000 households and economic losses of over 15 trillion VND (675 million USD), he cited.  The Vietnamese Government has enacted a number of measures to cope with climate change across the country, he said, adding that the Mekong Delta is completing a regional coordination mechanism, especially in planning and building transport and irrigation works, controlling the level of salinity, managing forests, and protecting coastal areas, among others. Through the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), the Mekong Delta is implementing a project on enhancing the climate change resilience, and a programme on general management of coastal areas to support localities in building adaptive models in agriculture. The Steering Committee for the Southeastern Region called on Germany to expand such projects and support the green growth target of the region. Hai Phong strives to become tourism centre Hai Phong city is expected to become a coastal tourism centre in the northern region under a development plan for the 2016 – 2020 period, with a vision to 2030 which was put on the table recently by the municipal Party Committee.  Under the plan, some key tourist sites in the city will be developed to become national and international tourist destinations.  Accordingly, Hai Phong will focus on turning tourism into a spearhead and sustainable economic sector, gradually making itself a key national tourism site.  The city will develop tourism in parallel with protecting the environment, promoting cultural values and local cultural identities, ensuring national security and defense and maintaining social order.  The city is expected to post an average annual growth of 8.2 percent in tourist arrivals and 8.9 percent in tourism revenue by 2020.  The locality’s Cat Ba archipelago will be developed into a world-level tourist attraction where ecological conservation will be boosted.  To achieve the target, the city put forward solutions to create breakthroughs in tourism development, including increasing promotion activities, boosting human resource training and introducing policies to attract strategic investors. Deputy PM urges fish-death compensation Deputy Prime Minister Trương Hòa Bình has urged ministries and agencies to boost efforts to assist victims of the toxic spill by Taiwanese Hưng Nghiệp Formosa Hà Tĩnh Steel Co. Ltd. At a meeting with the ministries of agriculture and finance on Wednesday to discuss compensation for individuals and businesses affected by the mass fish deaths in April, he said the Thừa Thiên–Huế, Quảng Trị and Hà Tĩnh provinces had conducted the first phase of the compensation programme. Under a September 29 decision, the list of individuals and businesses eligible for assistance includes fishermen, owners of fishing boats and their employees, owners of and workers at seafood cold storage facilities, fish sauce and shrimp paste businesses, and fish and shrimp farms.  The official asked the people’s committees of the four central provinces, where fish died en masse due to environmental pollution, to calculate the losses for other victims and report to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Areas (MARD). The MARD and the Ministry of Finance would determine the additional compensation required according to the localities’ reports before submitting their own report to the prime minister for approval. Ministries, agencies and localities were requested to handle stockpiled seafood, while the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment was tasked with destroying unsafe seafood within this month. Its owners would receive financial support equivalent to 100 per cent of the value of the discarded volumes of seafood, he said. The Ministry of Industry and Trade would instruct Hà Nội, HCM City and businesses to sell the safe frozen seafood. Enterprises trading these products would receive support for managing electricity costs and interest rates on existing loans, while those who stockpile seafood would receive financial support equivalent to 30 per cent of the value. He asked the Ministry of Health to take samples of seafood caught within 20 nautical miles of the seabed for testing and announce the results by the end of next month. He also underscored the need to increase communication in seeking public consensus on the government’s compensation efforts. Late in June, Formosa Hà Tĩnh Steel accepted responsibility for the mass fish deaths in the central provinces of Hà Tĩnh, Quảng Bình, Quảng Trị and Thừa Thiên-Huế and pledged to provide compensation of over VNĐ11.5 trillion (US$500 million) to support the local fishermen and help restore the now-polluted marine environment.  The Ministry of Finance has transferred VNĐ3 trillion ($134.7 million) to the localities. Of this amount, Quảng Bình received VNĐ1.1 trillion (49.4 million); Hà Tĩnh, VNĐ1 trillion ($45 million); Quảng Trị, VNĐ500 billion ($22.5 million); and Thừa Thiên-Huế, VNĐ400 billion ($18 million). One killed, one wounded in mountain road accident One person died and another was seriously wounded after a tanker truck suddenly lost control and rolled down the valley off Hải Vân Pass, police have said. The Phú Lộc traffic police have identified the deceased as Lâm Văn Thơ, 50, of Quảng Nam Province and the injured man as Nguyễn Trọng Nghĩa, 38, of Đà Nẵng. Thơ died after being thrown out of the truck’s cabin while Nghĩa was found in it. Phan Bảo Trung, head of the station, said on Wednesday the truck (plate number 43C.078.51 from Đà Nẵng) was traveling from Huế to Đà Nẵng when it veered off the road and plunged about 200 metres down into the valley. He said the accident occurred around 7.30am on a downhill section of the Hải Vân Pass in Lăng Cô Town, Thừa Thiên-Huế  Province. He said the truck could have unloaded in Thừa Thiên-Huế Province earlier, as its tank was empty, but investigators are yet to decide who the driver was.   The cabin of the truck was completely damaged in the accident, which is being investigated further. It’s the second accident occurred on the 24km long zigzagging pass that connects Thừa Thiên-Huế with Đà Nẵng. The pass, which is 500m above sea level, is a favourite site for off-road and adventure tours.   In March, a tanker truck carrying 17 tonnes of liquid gas overturned on road as it was going downhill on the Hải Vân Pass. Hải Vân Pass, which is located on National Highway No 1A, is the only road allowing tankers or road adventurers to travel between Đà Nẵng and Thừa Thiên-Huế since the 6-km Hải Vân tunnel became operational in 2005. Seven-storey parking garage opens at HCM City airport Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport in HCM City on Tuesday opened an 11,351 sq-metre, seven-storey parking garage located outside the domestic terminal. The TCP Joint-Stock Company said the modern parking garage, which has a basement, a ground floor and five floors, can hold more than 6,000 motorbikes and 1,742 cars. The ground and first floors are for motorbikes, and the second to fifth floors are for cars. At least 239 other vehicles such as coaches and taxicabs can park outside the garage. “The new parking garage will help ease traffic congestion around the airport and meet visitors’ parking demand,” an airport representative said. Phạm Văn Châu, vice director of the company, said the garage was equipped with a smart fire system that automatically determines the affected area and discharges water in case of fire. Estimated parking fees are VNĐ5,000 (US$0.22) per eight hours for motorbikes and VNĐ20,000 (US$0.8) per 30 minutes for cars. TV programme to celebrate Teachers’ Day A special TV programme will air live to highlight national Teachers’ Day celebrations around the country on November 20.  The four-hour show, Ngày Thầy Trò (Day of Teachers and Students), will begin at 7:00pm on 20 channels by leading stations such as Vĩnh Long Television, Voice of Việt Nam, MobiTV and VTC.  It will include reports on teachers living in remote districts of Cà Mau, Hà Tĩnh and Hà Giang provinces, who face challenges to educate their students. Featured will be talks by Vietnamese-French professor and mathematician Ngô Bảo Châu of the University of Chicago, winner of the Fields Medal in 2012; shooter Hoàng Xuân Vinh, the country’s first Olympic golden medallist at Rio de Janeiro this year; and historian Dương Trung Quốc. Pop stars Mỹ Linh and Thu Phương, and young singers Đinh Mạnh Ninh, Nhật Thủy and Nguyễn Trần Trung Quân will share their stories on the day. The show will include short documentaries on the life of poor students from ethnic minority groups, who have worked hard to support their parents but still love going to school.     Ngày Thầy Trò was produced by director Trần Đăng Tuấn and his staff, who travelled to many places for filming. “Our programme is like a diary of students and teachers in remote areas who will help depicting the country’s education development,” he said. “It will provide viewers with useful knowledge and images about teachers and their students. It will also encourage people to pay more attention to encourage disadvantaged children to develop their study,” said Tuấn, the show’s general director.  Shuttlecock athletes compete in Bắc Giang The National Best Badminton Players Tournament is underway at the Bắc Giang Province’s Gymnasium, seeing the participation of 45 athletes from 13 teams. Competitors are taking part in five categories: men’s and women’s singles and doubles and mixed doubles.   Organisers expected competitive matches between leading athletes from HCM City, Hà Nội, Bắc Giang and Thái Bình. Final matches are scheduled for November 19. HCM City best in chess and Chinese chess HCM City dominated the National Best Chess and Chinese Chess Masters Tournaments, which closed in Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu on November 15. Two gold medals were won by Nguyễn Thị Thanh An (women’s standard chess) and Đào Thiên Hải (men’s blitz chess). They also grabbed two silvers in these categories. Hoàng Cảnh Huấn of Đà Nẵng pocketed the men’s standard title, while Võ Thị Kim Phụng from Bắc Giang triumphed in the women’s blitz. Hà Nội, without their best masters Trần Minh Thắng and Trấn Tuấn Minh, who are under training abroad, could only grab two bronze medals. In the Chinese chess competitions, HCM City’s Đào Quốc Hưng and Nguyễn Lê Nhật Quang took the first and second position, respectively, of the men’s pool. Uông Bắc Dương of Bình Dương came in third. On the women’s side, HCM City swept all medals with victories by Cao Phương Thanh, Nguyễn Hoàng Yến and Đàm Thị Thùy Dung. Tra Vinh University holds Vietnam-Japan cultural exchange A first-ever Vietnam-Japan cultural exchange was held on November 17 at the Tra Vinh University. The exchange, sponsored by the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Association, drew representatives from friendship associations in Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho, along with many high profile Japanese transnational companies. Most notably, Yazaki EDS, Sumitomo Mitsui Engineering& Shipbuilkling and Takeuchi were among prominent Japanese participants in addition to a large gathering of local companies. The program included performances of traditional music, tea ceremonies, flower arrangements, Japanese paper crafts, demonstrations of Khmer ethnic minority people’s wedding rituals and rural market fairs along with fine arts, handicrafts and photo exhibitions. At the opening ceremony, Nguyen Trung Hoang, vice chair of Tra Vinh provincial People’s Committee said the cultural exchange aims to strengthen the friendship relations between the two countries. RMIT University Vietnam’s Master of Architecture programmes, which can be taken on a full-time or part-time basis, will accept its first intake in 2017. “What we really want is to produce graduates who are design innovators bringing something new, something totally different to the urban landscape here,” said President Professor Gael McDonald at the launch event for the university’s programme on November 15 in Ho Chi Minh City. McDonald stressed the importance of environmental sustainability for the programme as well as for the country. “Now in a country of over 90 million, with rapid urban, industrial and residential development, issues such as sustainable design, and cultural heritage preservation are paramount,” she said. “The durability of buildings, their impact on the environment, the potential for energy efficiency and a focus on using local low impact materials are all considerations that we want top of mind for our students. But we also want those buildings to be ones you’d be proud to live or work in. Buildings with unique design flair.” The launch event was held at the university’s Pham Ngoc Thach campus, and included the attendance of local universities representatives and many of the country’s top architectural firms. “One of the highlights of the programme is our suite of Design Studios, where students collaborate with local architects and international peers on creative and conceptual projects. Students will be working in a dedicated studio space in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City, making it more convenient to collaborate with industry partners or students working in practice,” said Professor Rick Bennett, head of the Centre of Communication and Design. Dr Gretchen Wilkins, acting programme director for the Master of Architecture programme, said that Vietnamese students will be able to extend their local education through an international, design-focused program taught by local and international architects. “Throughout each semester, students will have access to a range of lectures and events led by prominent local and international architects,” Dr Wilkins said. “International exchange to Melbourne or other participating programs is also an opportunity.”  RMIT Australia is ranked as one of the world’s Top 40 Universities for architecture and built environment, according to the 2016 QS World Rankings. Rehahn opens exhibition to raise funds for needy kids An exhibition themed Childhood by French photographer Rehahn kicked off yesterday at the Caravelle Saigon in HCMC’s District 1 to raise funds for needy kids at the Christina Noble Children’s Foundation. Via 15 creations, Rehahn conveys unique images about joy and hope of Vietnamese kids looking forwards to a brighter future despite difficulties and challenges in their lives. Most of the characters in his photos are ethnic minority kids in mountainous regions. The exhibition’s organizers, Christina Noble Children’s Foundation and the Caravelle Saigon, aim to raise people’s awareness on children protection and the development of younger generations in the future. Rehahn told the Daily that he is building a gallery-museum which covers over 200 square meters in the ancient town of Hoi An. The place is expected to display photos, costumes and artifacts of ethnic minority people during Rehahn’s five years of exploration in Vietnam. The exhibition takes place at the Opera II on level 3 of the Caravelle Saigon at 19 Lam Son Square, District 1, HCMC until November 30. Zika mosquitoes found at construction sites Construction sites in districts 2, 9 and Binh Thanh in HCMC have been found as sources of mosquitoes that can spread dengue fever and Zika virus, city health officials said at a meeting of the Steering Board for Zika and Dengue Prevention on Monday. Nguyen Huu Hung, deputy director of the HCMC Department of Health, said three more people had been infected with Zika, with two in District 2 and one in Binh Thanh District, bringing the total in the city to 38. Recent environmental sanitation checks found districts 2 and 9 have the most construction works underway in the city, with rainwater storage facilities identified as fertile places for mosquitoes to live and lay eggs, said Nguyen Tan Binh, director of the HCMC Department of Health. District 2 currently has more than 200 construction projects underway. Four patients were confirmed to be infected with the Zika virus in District 9, with three of them in Phuoc Long B Ward. The area has many housing projects and uninhabited villas, creating a favorable environment for mosquitoes to grow. Therefore, local authorities have requested project owners to join hands with them to kill mosquitoes by cleaning up water containers, mowing lawns and collecting trash, among others. Le Truong Giang, chairman of the Public Health Association, urged project investors in the two districts to spray lime powder around stagnant bodies of water to kill mosquitoes and their larvae. Nguyen Tri Dung, director of the HCMC Preventive Medicine Center, proposed adding VND12 billion (US$537,213) to the fund for Zika control due to a pickup in infection cases. Huge capital needed to cope with climate change Vietnam will need more than VND25 trillion (US$1.12 billion) to cope with consequences of the El Nino weather phenomenon in 2016-2020, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. This year alone, more than VND3.7 trillion will be used to support farmers to acquire varieties, breeds and water purifiers, upgrade water systems, and implement drought and salinity intrusion control projects. The ministry was speaking at a conference on agricultural restructuring and climate change adaptation in Hanoi yesterday. A document presented at the conference said Vietnam is among the three countries most vulnerable to climate change and rising sea levels. Since 2014, El Nino has wreaked havoc on 18 provinces in the south-central, Central Highlands and Mekong Delta regions. Drought and saltwater intrusion have hit some two million people and damaged hundreds of hectares of paddy with losses estimated at VND15 trillion. Besides the State budget, the Government of Vietnam for the first time has sought help from international organizations to back residents in climate change adaptation. By early July, foreign partners and organizations had provided over US$16 million to support Vietnam to deal with extreme weather conditions. Speaking at the conference, Ngo Xuan Kieu of the Vietnam Academy for Water Resources pointed out the inefficient use of natural resources in the agricultural sector. For instance, local farmers need a staggering 140 liters of water to turn out a glass of coffee. According to research, drip irrigation systems can help coffee growers save 45-50% of water, 50% of fertilizer and 90% of labor, and increase profit by 60%. This technology has been applied on flower farming in many parts of Da Lat City in Lam Dong Province. Tran Dai Nghia of the Institute for Policy and Strategy of Agriculture and Rural Development (IPSARD) told the conference that the nation should adapt to climate change by finding ways to adjust production. For instance, salinity-hit soil can be used for fish farming. Project empowers rural communities The Civil Society Empowering Rural Communities project, funded by the European Commission via ActionAid International Vietnam (AAV), has contributed to improving social welfare of people in Quan Ba district, the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang.   Sen Thang Long, Vice President of the Quan Ba district People’s Committee, made the statement at a meeting with representatives of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations and AAV as part of their trip to inspect the project from November 15-16.  The four-year project was launched in four communes and Tam Son town of Quan Ba district, one of the 62 poorest localities nationwide, in January 2013. It cost a total of 2 billion VND (90,000 USD), of which 600 million VND (27,000 USD) was used for community initiatives.  The project has basically met its set targets, especially promoting the involvement of the community in making socio-economic development policies, Long said.  Mong and Dao ethnic groups in the targeted localities raised many initiatives to improve their living standards such as building roads to avoid floods and landslides, and community houses, he added.  According to the official, the project helped maintain the operation of 16 community development clubs where 400 locals discussed farming and accessed information about State policies and laws as well as resolutions issued by all-level authorities. Ly Thi Eng, a member of the community development club in Truc Son village, Quan Ba commune, said through the project, she and many others are now aware of their rights and obligations in the community.  Between 2006-2015, Quan Ba attracted many aid projects from the AAV with total value of 16 billion VND (720,000 USD). Guidelines issued for pollution risk classification at sea The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has issued Circular 26/2016 to regulate the classification of marine areas based on the level of risk of pollution.  Taking effect on November 15, the circular consists of 4 chapters and 17 articles, detailing relevant criteria, regulations and guidelines for provinces and cities nationwide to follow.  Accordingly, the classification must be carried out on rectangular areas in three different zones: coastal, near-shore and offshore zones.  It requires the employment of scientific methods to collect statistics about the pollution level in each rectangle. Statistics should demonstrate the pollution cycle, including origin and transformation progress.  There are four criteria to classify areas according to pollution risks, which are the level of pollution or pollution risks, the scope of pollution, the level of environmental sensitivity, and the threat to human health, marine and island ecology systems and the exploitation of marine and island resources.  The entire process follows three steps – calculation, evaluation and mapping. Island teachers devoted to students, community Seven years ago, teacher Cao Thi Thanh Minh left her comfortable surroundings in the north-central coastal province of Quang Binh and moved to an island commune in one of HCM City’s outlying districts.  The 29-year-old biology teacher was hired by Thanh An Secondary School, the only secondary school in Thanh An commune, which is bordered by mangrove forests, in Can Gio district.  Upon graduation from the Quang Binh College of Education, Minh was told that the commune school was looking for teachers and she applied for a job.  When she first arrived at the commune, located about 70 kilometres to the east of central HCM City, Minh discovered that she to take a ferry to Can Gio district and then a wooden boat to reach the school.  “During the first days of teaching, I was sad and homesick. I thought about giving up teaching altogether, and leaving this place, which had electricity generated from a diesel power station for only 18 hours a day,” Minh said.  Last year, however, the island was connected to the national grid.  “Three years of studying at the College of Education would have been a waste, though, if I had given up. So, I decided to stay. ”  When she saw the smiles on the faces of her students, her mood always lifted.  “Their smiles and their interest motivated me to stay and do a good job,” Minh said, adding that she began to slowly adapt to the new circumstances.  “Now, I don’t want to leave the peaceful life and pure air here, although some of my colleagues say that the City needs teachers and suggested that I apply,” Minh said.  The students in the commune are obedient and virtuous, and the parents, who are often poor, do not pay attention or care about their children’s learning, so the school’s teachers must fulfill that role, according to Minh.  At the school, Minh follows a student-centred teaching methodology recommended by HCM City’s Department of Education and Training.  In her classes, Minh often divides students into teams and assigns tasks according to different topics. In a lesson on roots of plants, for example, each team goes outdoors to identify the kind of root.  Last year, she won a consolation prize for a digital lesson plan she designed on integrating wildlife protection. The contest was held by the city’s education department in co-operation with the non-profit Wildlife at Risk (WAR).  In the 2014-2015 period, Minh was also named one of Can Gio district’s top 38 excellent teachers.  “To attract students, I try to make the subject more exciting. When my students are interested in the topic, they learn well,” Minh said.  Le Minh Nhut, deputy head of Thanh An Secondary School, said that Minh was an enthusiastic, creative and proactive teacher.  She was also elected to the commune’s People’s Council, thanks to the trust and admiration of the students’ parents and other residents.  Minh is one of 13 teachers in the commune who have moved from other provinces to contribute to the area’s educational development.  Thach Thi Thuy, from the north-central coastal province of Ha Tinh, has spent four years teaching in the commune, often taking a wooden boat in fierce winds to the school.  “Living and teaching here has been a valuable experience,” Thuy said. “I was shocked to live in a place with electricity for only 18 hours a day, and a shortage of water. The water supply is cut regularly and, sometimes, even for a week.”  Some of the school’s classrooms are made of corrugated steel sheets and are temporary as a new school is being built nearby.  Despite the hot classrooms and other problems, Thuy said that compared to her hometown, which often experiences threatening storms, living in the commune was better.  Encouragement from her brother, colleagues and the school has also helped her relieve stress.  Like Minh, Thuy is using new methodologies to teach English to help her students appreciate the importance of learning English.  The Ministry of Education and Training has commended teachers like Minh and Thuy for living and teaching on the country’s islands.  The teachers are good role models and need more encouragement and care from the state and community, the ministry has said. VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri/VNE