Social News 17/12 Khanh Hoa to build fisheries centre The Khanh Hoa provincial People committee has approved the construction of a major fisheries centre for the coastal south central region. Covering 65 ha at Da Bac fishing port in Cam Ranh City, the 1.2 trillion VND (52.9 billion USD) centre is set to be biggest and most modern in the central region once operational. About 276 billion VND (12.1 billion USD), which was mobilised from State budget and Japanese loans, will be used to upgrade Da Bac fishing port as a component of the project. Meanwhile, the French Development Agency (AFD) has agreed with Khanh Hoa’s proposal on a loan of 423 billion VND (18.6 billion USD) to build a dynamic fishing port as part of the province’s proposal. The centre is expected to house 120,000 tonnes of seafood via seaports when it becomes operational in 2018. It will also accommodate vessels with capacity up to 2000CV and provide storm shelter for over 2,000 fishing boats. Quang Binh solar power project makes adjustments   The Prime Minister has approved adjustments to the solar power project in the central province of Quang Binh, which is funded by official development assistance from the Republic of Korea. The project’s main focus is to provide solar power to hamlets in communes which the national grid has not reached. The project will be carried out in eight border communes – Ngan Thuy, Kim Thuy, Truong Xuan, Truong Son, Thuong Trach, Tan Trach, Son Trach and Trong Hoa - and will be completed on July 1, 2018. The goal of the project is to install solar panels for households and administrative buildings in more than 40 hamlets, supplying electricity to about 1,200 households. Forum on sustainable development held in Vinh Phuc Hundreds of international experts and businessmen gathered at a forum in the northern province of Vinh Phuc on December 12 to seek ways to promote sustainable development. The event was organised by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Participants joined discussed measures to promote economic development while protecting the environment and realising sustainable development goals. Deputy Minister Vo Tuan Nhan underlined the achievements Vietnam has made in international integration, particularly in creating jobs for Vietnamese labourers, promoting poverty reduction and hunger eradication. Vietnam is an attractive destination for foreign investors, which presents opportunities for domestic enterprises to expand their operations and join the value chains of multinational groups, Nhan added. Nhan also pointed to the environmental effects of international integration, and attributed the issues to a lack of attention to sustainable development strategies among enterprises. Deputy Director General of the Ministry’s Vietnam Environment Administration Hoang Van Thuc said Vietnam wishes to encourage green lifestyles and production. Therefore, enterprises have to invest in environmentally-friendly production technologies. Pham Van Loi, Director of the Ministry’s Environmental Science Institute called on businesses to better observe the Law on Environmental Protection 2014 on disclosing information about environmental issues. Relevant management bodies and communities also need to strengthen their supervision of the matter. Representatives from businesses suggested the State develop more regulations on environmental protection and supervision. HCMC strives to improve rural living condition Ho Chi Minh City officially implemented a project to improve living condition for residents in outlying districts including Cu Chi, Hoc Mon, Binh Chanh, Nha Be and Can Gio. The project will be carried out in the period 2016-2020, aiming to reinforce available achievements in five above-mentioned districts and greatly improve standards of the government’s rural development plan to higher sustainable level. City leaders confirmed that localities strived to perfect standards as per the government’s plan in five past years yet the highest target is to improve material and spiritual lives of inhabitants in countryside regions narrowing the living condition gap between urban and countryside. In the first phase of the plan from 2010 to 2015, the gap was narrowed considerably. Before 2010, income of people in outlying district is equal to 55 percent of their counterparts in urban, yet in 2012, the income rose by 76 percent and in 2014 it soared by 79 percent. After five year implementation of the government’s rural development plan, income of outlying districts increased by 1.8 time averagely compared to time before (around VND40 million per capita per year, higher than the country’s standard) The achievement resulted from the city’s right policies and determination of people in the country thanks to the government’s infrastructure investment to offer favorable condition for production. The target for the period 2016-2020 is to build proper socioeconomic structure and production methods connecting agriculture growth with industry, services; countryside development with urban and environment protection. The plan for the next period will focus on raising income to over VND63 million (US$ 2,816) per person per year; fighting poverty access to medical insurance and training; eliminating environment pollution, planning residential quarters with scenery. For the period 2016-2020, the city will invest in over VND40,600 billion to raise standard quality in rural regions. Of the amount, 40.3 percent comes from state budget or equal to VND16,300 billion and the remain comes from social contributions. It is estimated that each commune will spend VND726 billion in improving quality to bring new face to rural areas. National assembly deputies said at a meeting with administrators of Nha Be District that it needs to re-structure production with vision of building production system or chains through cooperating farmers and cooperatives or cooperating between farmers and enterprises to apply high techniques in agriculture production; accordingly, it will raise product value and competition and then build brand names later. The city should have more proper policies for each period to give incentive to farmers and attract investors to pour capital in rural areas. Individual producers made most of stimulus packages in last time but the next time, the plan will concentrate on expanding cooperatives and other models. Locality administrators have learnt lessons from building rural development plan during five year to better the second period. Additionally, implementation of the plan must base on specific features of each district, commune and village from which each locality can have major products aiming to raise inhabitants’ income sustainably.  For instance, District Cu Chi is suitable for planting ornamental tress and followers, fishes as well as ecological tourism and river tourism. Moreover, the district should develop handicraft to create specific tourism products. The district should pay attention to traffic connection for investment attraction and environment protection. HCMC pilots to offer overtime care service for workers’ kids in two districts The Department of Education and Training in Ho Chi Minh City has sent its guideline on the plan to offer overtime care service for workers’ children in industrial and export processing zones from 2016 to 2020 approved by the city People’s Committee on August 17, 2016. As per the department’s guideline, the city will set up eight extra-classes in districts Binh Tan (with two classes) and Thu Duc (with six classes) for this academic year. In District Binh Tan, preschool 30/4 in Vinh Loc Industrial Park will take care of around 60 children of workers during daytime. In District Thu Duc, a preschool in Export Processing Zone Linh Trung No.1 and a preschool in Export Processing Zone  Linh Trung No.2 will receive approximately 180 kids overtime. The three schools plan to welcome children until 5.30 PM from Monday to Saturday. It is scheduled that two more districts will keep children overtime in the new school year 2017-2018. A preschool in Export Processing Zone Tan Thuan in district 7 and a preschool in Tay Bac Industrial Park in Cu Chi District will keep workers’ children late. As per the road map, in the academic year, 2018-2019, all preschools in industrial and export processing zones in 24 districts will keep toddlers. The city will use state budget to subsidise half of expenditure for overtime care service and half will come from contribution of enterprises and parents. Overtime payment for teachers will be VND33,000 an hour from Monday to Friday and VND44,000 an hour for working on Saturday. The number of students in a overtime class in will be 35 as per the regulation. Preschools will keep children aged between three and five.  Nga, Tú triumph in table tennis tourney Hanoians Nguyễn Thị Nga and Nguyễn Anh Tú won the titles of the National Best Table Tennis Players Tournament, which wrapped up on Sunday in Hải Phòng. Nga overthrew defending champion Mai Hoàng Mỹ Trang of HCM City in the women’s singles category with a 3-1 win on the last day. It was Trang’s only loss in the tournament, but dropped her to the second position. Nga topped the podium as she won all 11 matches. Phan Hoàng Tường Giang of Public Security won the bronze. On the men’s side, Tú played outstandingly, defeating senior, experienced players such as Đinh Quang Linh, Trần Tuấn Quỳnh and Đoàn Bá Tuấn Anh, to defend his men’s singles gold medal. Linh of Military was second, while Nguyễn Đức Tuân of Vicem Hải Dương was third. Nation to celebrate 70th Resistance Day A documentary on General Võ Nguyên Giáp, a film week, exhibitions and other events will be held in various locations across the country to mark the 70th National Resistance Day (December 19, 1946). An exhibition of 300 photographs, documents and several objects opened yesterday at the Việt Nam Military History Museum. Titled The Grandiose Song of Winter 1946, the exhibition will help people, the youth in particular, learn more about national resistance and the role it has played in the nation’s history. It is also expected to inculcate patriotism among the youth. This exhibition is jointly organised by the Việt Nam Military History Museum, the Police Museum in Hà Nội and the Military Logistics Museum in HCM City. A film week will be held in many localities nationwide, starting on December 19. The films, screened for free, will help the public to have an opportunity to watch a series of film highlight the efforts and sacrifices of Vietnamese soldiers to win national independence. The documentary, Giọt Nước Giữa Đại Dương (A Drop of Water in the Ocean), featuring the life of General Võ Nguyên Giáp, will be screened at the opening ceremony of the film festival. Also on December 19, several arts performances including concerts of patriotic songs will be held at the Lý Thái Tổ Flower Garden on Đinh Tiên Hoàng Street  and the park  in front of the Mỹ Đình National Stadium in Hà Nội. An essay contest on the significance of the 70th National Resistane Day is being held for junior high school and high school students. National Resistance Day marks the call by President Hồ Chí Minh in 1946, urging the entire people of Việt Nam to resist the French colonial rule after the success of the 1945 August Revolution and establishment of the Democratic Republic of Việt Nam. "The more concessions we make, the more the French colonialists encroach upon our rights, for they are determined to re-conquer our country," the President said.  People’s Police Academy inaugurates e-library The People’s Police Academy inaugurated its e-library – a joint project with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), during a ceremony in Hanoi on December 12.  Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Public Security Bui Van Nam thanked the Republic of Korea (RoK) government and KOICA for assisting Vietnamese police in many fields, especially in the project, which started on January 12, 2015.  He expressed his wish that the Ministry of Public Security and the People’s Police Academy would continue receiving support from the RoK government and KOICA in the future.  Minister and Consul General Park Sang-shik said over the past three years, the Korean government has worked to improve information use by the Ministry of Public Security and the People’s Police Academy in particular.  The RoK government always treasures ties with Vietnam and will offer continued support to the country’s economic development, Park affirmed.  The project costs 2.3 million USD in non-refundable aid from the RoK government and 3 billion VND (130,000 USD) from Vietnam. Guidelines needed for smart cities: PM Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked concerned ministries to develop a set of standards for the development of smart cities and implementation guidelines. Smart city is a new concept in Vietnam and needs careful research so that it is compatible with the national and global focus on sustainable development, the PM said recently. A smart city refers to the incorporation of technologies and solutions in managing cities, including for housing development. PM Phuc has asked the ministries of information and communications and construction to work together and develop a set of standards to ensure that implementation is practical and investment is efficient, depending on the financial capacity of the region. Currently, urban areas in Vietnam are classified into ix categories: types 1 to 5 and special urban areas. Special, type 1 and type 2 are areas recognized by the Prime Minister, types 3 and 4 by the construction ministry, while type 5 has the nod of the provincial People’s Committee. There are two special urban areas in the country, Hanoi and HCM City; 17 are type 1, 25 are type 2, 42 are type 3 and 90 are type 4. Almost 36 percent of the population lives in urban areas, and this figure is expected to rise to 40 percent by 2020, according to statistics from the construction ministry’s urban development department. Economic growth in urban areas is doubling the country’s average growth rate. Experts said the need to develop smart cities has arisen because of rapid urbanization, which has put a lot of pressure on traffic and transport, air quality and health care. In recent year, several areas in the country have initiated plans to become smart cities, including Hanoi and HCM City. Measures urged to minimise agricultural pollution   Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong has asked agencies under the ministry to roll out urgent measures to minimise and end environmental pollution and degradation due to agricultural activities. The minister instructed more communications activities to raise public awareness of environmental protection laws and their own responsibilities, as well as more training courses for environment officials. At the same time, it is necessary to focus more on environmental preservation during the consideration, verification and implementation of projects, along with more careful environmental risk reports for major projects. The minister requested agencies to tighten the supervision over water quality in irrigation works to ensure unpolluted water for production, and issue more guidelines to farmers in using organic fertilizers and the recycling of agricultural auxiliary products into fertilizer. The ministry will expand sustainable production models which are adaptive to climate change and reduce green house gas emission. Minister Cuong also requested for stricter inspection of the trading and quality of pesticide, fertilizers and animal feed.  The discharge of waste and wastewater in aquaculture will be subject to closer monitor to ensure they do not pollute the water environment.  According to the ministry, the agricultural sector is employing 70 percent of the country’s population, but its growth is accompanied by increasing pollution in farms and rural areas due to the abuse of fertilizer and pesticide and a lack of legal framework for waste treatment. The ministry attributed the problem to poor awareness of people in environmental protection, inadequate investment in the work as well as low effectiveness in law enforcement in the field. Some environment criteria in the new-style rural area building programme have yet to suit specific conditions of each region, while environmental inspection has received little attention. Company warns of fake websites selling train tickets Sài Gòn Railway Transport Joint Stocks Company, a subsidiary of Việt Nam Railway Corporation, has warned passengers about fake websites offering train tickets, particularly those for trips on the occasion of the Tết (Lunar New Year) celebration. Lê Quốc Trung, vice director of the company, said the fake websites usually offered tickets that were four or five times more expensive than the authentic fares. People who buy e-tickets via fake websites would be barred from boarding trains, he said. Trung highly recommended people use authentic websites to purchase train tickets, including vr.com.vn, saigonrailway.com.vn, vantaiduongsathanoi.vn or dsvn.vn. The Hà Nội Railway Transport Joint Stock Company (HARACO), another subsidiary of Việt Nam Railway Corporation, has decided to add 21 train trips on the Hà Nội-Vinh, Hà Nội-Hải Phòng and Hà Nội-Đà Nẵng routes. It will operate more trains on the Hà Nội-HCM City, Hà Nội-Vinh, Hà Nội-Lào Cai and Hà Nội-Yên Bái, as well as Hà Nội-Hải Phòng and Yên Viên-Hạ Long routes, to accommodate more people just before and after Tết. VNR said it would run these additional routes from January 17 to February 12, 2017. This year, state employees and workers will get Tết holidays from January 26 to February 1. They will get two more days off – January 31 and February 1 – as compensation for the previous weekends. Centre fined for wastewater violation A branch of the Vietnam National Textile and Garment Group (VINATEX) in Hưng Yên Province was fined for violating regulations on environmental protection. The centre for wastewater treatment for the Phố Nối textile industrial park, located in the province’s Yên Mỹ District, was asked to pay a fine of VNĐ550 million (US$24,300) for discharging wastewater that exceeded the national technical regulation on industrial wastewater. The exceeded technical specifications include biochemical oxygen demand (1.9 times) and wastewater colour (1.32 times), according to the wastewater analysis conducted by the centre for environmental monitoring portal under the province’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment. Apart from imposing fines, the province’s People’s Committee requested the centre to address the issue and conduct proper treatment before discharging wastewater into the environment. In December 2014, the centre was fined for discharging untreated wastewater, which was foul-smelling and black in colour, as discovered by the Việt Nam Environment Administration during an unexpected examination visit, along with other wrongdoings. The centre began operations in 2005. Locals said it continuously discharged untreated wastewater into the Trần Thành Ngọ canal over the years, causing serious environmental pollution. Int'l culinary festival opens in city A culinary festival featuring Vietnamese and international dishes was opened at Le Van Tam Park in district 1, Ho Chi Minh City last night.  International culinary festival takes place at Le Van Tam Park in the city. The international cuisine festival runs until December 18. Within the three- day festival, the Vietnamese and international dishes, traditional culinary village, coffee booths and others will be displayed at 100 pavilions from 20 countries and territories worldwide. The Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Department and the City’s Tourism Association co- organized in the event with its target of advertizing Vietnamese tourism, culture and cuisine to international friends.  The city’s tourism department reported that the city has received five million tourists this year. Of these, the number of domestic arrivals increased 10 percent compared to the same period of last year. PM asks young people to lead in start-up activities The Government and the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union should work together to create the most favorable environment for young people to take the lead in renovation and start-up activities and in tackling pressing social issues, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has said. He chaired a working session between the Government and the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union in Hanoi on December 15 to review the implementation of the coordinating regulation between the two sides and discuss their future tasks.   He hailed young people’s contributions to the country’s socio-economic development, giving special emphasis on their part in maintaining social order and stability at a time when the Formosa-caused environmental pollution incident occurred. He noted the outcomes of the implementation of the coordinating regulation between the Government and the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, especially in the generation of jobs for young people. However, he pointed out that the youth union was slow in carrying a number of projects assigned by the Government, such as the one on supporting worker young people, and the other on developing young people-managed islands. In the coming time, the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union needs to pay heed to educating and encouraging young people to take a more active role in promoting socio-economic development and safeguarding security, defence, and social order. “Young people should lead in making renovations and launching start-ups to address employment issue,” he said. The Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee was assigned to work with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to map out a project on young people’s involvement in protecting the environment and responding to climate change.- Prime Minister urges Tet traffic preparation Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked ministries, provincial and city people’s committees and relevant offices to strengthen traffic safety works during New Year, Tết (Lunar New Year) and the Spring Festival. The PM urged the Transport Ministry to set up detailed plans and measures for organising transport vehicle systems, selling tickets through the internet to serve the best travelling of people. The transport ministry is responsible for checking publicized ticket prices and penalising illegal ticket price increases and passenger transfers. The ministry will regulate traffic lanes comfortably and suitably on key and high-vehicle traffic routes, strengthen safety measures at black spots (places with high rates of road accidents) and manage the domestic waterway. The ministry must ensure security and safety at airports, railway stations, ship and bus stations at tourism sites and festival grounds.   The Ministry of Public Security was asked to strengthen patrolling and penalties for traffic and order violations during the new year holidays. Policemen will focus on fining violations related to speeding, drunk driving, vehicles driving over capacity, riding motorbikes without wearing helmets and racing motorbikes illegally. The police force is also asked to take strict measures for preventing illegal transport of flammable and explosive substances and materials. The ministry will co-ordinate closely with transport inspectors to arrange police force on shifts at key routes and black places on traffic jams. In addition, the ministry’s hotline has been publicised on mass media in order to field traffic punishment complaints from local people. The Ministry of Information and Communications has been asked to re-enforce dissemination of traffic safety information during holidays. In particular, the people’s committees of Hanoi and HCM City are responsible for setting up plans to organise festivals, regulate traffic lanes and arrange workforce on shifts at main gates.- Vietnamese ministry, Swiss institute boost links in security management Representatives from the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security and the Malik research institute in Switzerland met on December 15, focusing on cooperation between the two sides in security management and technology application in fighting security challenges in many fields.  Visiting Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Public Security Nguyen Van Thanh and Professor Fredmund Malik, Head of the Malik research institute  discussed great challenges facing the Vietnamese ministry in the context of international integration. They discussed non-traditional security challenges like water and energy security, food security, climate change, high-tech crime, and challenges related to the ongoing fourth scientific and technological revolution, which requires the Vietnamese ministry to reform and apply new technologies and smart solutions in management and training, towards meeting requirements to ensure  security and orders.  The two sides also discussed orientations to enhance partnership in applying the “systems-cybernetic” solution in works relating to the fight against crimes, especially high-tech and environmental crimes, transnational crime and new crimes.  As scheduled, the solution will be piloted in the People Police Academy of Vietnam with the aim of improving the training quality.  The application of the solution in strategic forecast and professional research was also debated during the working session. In Vietnam, the Hai Phong city People’s Committee has coordinated with the Malik research institute to build a project to develop Hai Phong into a sustainable development city through the systems thinking-based management model.  The Malik research institute, founded by Professor Fredmund Malik in 1984, is one of the world’s leading organisation for holistic general management, leadership and governance solutions.  Professor Fredmund Malik is an acclaimed international management expert and scientific thinker. He  applies systems theory and cybernetics to analyse and design management systems.  He was Professor of corporate management and governance at the University of St.Gallen, Switzerland, and at the Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria. HCM City looks for Japan’s support in environment protection Ho Chi Minh City hopes to receive support from Japan, including the country’s Ministry of the Environment, in climate change adaptation projects, said Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Le Thanh Liem.  In a reception for visiting Japanese Deputy Minister of the Environment Shigemoto Kajihara on December 15, Liem said the city expects to be supported in technology transfer, capital assistance and human resources training in the environment field.  Regarding investment projects funded by the Japanese Government, he suggested expanding cooperation between the two sides in projects to treat waste water and save energy, saying that the city is calling for investment in these domains.  The municipal authorities are very interested  in measures to protect the environment and improve the quality of life of locals, Liem stressed, hoping that the Japanese side will continue  assisting and cooperating with the city to well perform the work.   For his part, Shigemoto Kajihara said he hopes HCM City and Japan will work more closely on environmental protection.  Japan is willing to share its experience as well as technology  in treating wastes and tackling environmental pollution, he affirmed.  He also underlined  the need to expand more cooperation models  between HCM City and Japanese partners, which are similar to those between the city and Osaka prefecture, in the coming time. Campaign helps raise public awareness of gender equality A series of activities were organised nationwide during an action month for gender equality and fight against gender-based violence, contributing to raising public awareness of gender equality, an official has said. Speaking at conference to review the implementation of the month in Hanoi on December 15, Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Hong Lan said the campaign helped spread a strong message calling for gender equality and the termination of violence against women and girls.  Lan called for more enduring efforts, especially commitments on budget for the work She stressed the Ministry will continue joining hands with domestic and international organisations to fine-tune policies and laws, and perform programmes and projects on gender equality and fight against gender-based violence, towards building a civilised, progress, equal and safe society. Shoko Ishikawa, Chief Representative of the UN agency on gender equality and empowerment of women (UN Women) in Vietnam highlighted the significance of the activity, expressing her hope that the United Nations in Vietnam will continue the partnership with the Vietnamese Government, civil social organisations and development partners in the work, thus bringing justice to victims of violence.  At the conference, representatives from several ministries, sectors, localities, non-governmental and international organisations shared experience in implementing the campaign.  On the occasion, a number of organisations and individuals were presented with insignias for their good performance and contributions to activities during the month. Girl children are not only the victims of domestic violence but also human trafficking, sexual abuse and violence from outside the family. A national survey on domestic violence against women and children reported that there was an average of 1,000 cases of girl child sexual abuse every year. Themed “Joining hands to remove violence against women and girl children”, the month-long campaign, starting from November 15, aims to encourage the involvement of agencies, organisations and people in efforts to ensure gender equality and prevent violence against women and girl children. Children-oriented disaster risk mitigation strategy to be built   A strategy and programme on children-oriented disaster risk mitigation for 2017-2021 with a vision until 2030 will be built, as heard a national conference held in the central province of Ninh Thuan on December 15.  The strategy will develop mechanisms to better coordinate units concerned in mitigating impacts on children and enhance the capacity of children, families and community.  More than 160 officials and experts from Vietnam, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and international partners attended the event, the first of its kind co-organised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the UNICEF Vietnam.  Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Hoang Van Thang said disasters have left 171 dead and 30 missing since early 2016, causing a loss of more than 37 trillion VND (1.6 billion USD).  In the central region alone, 27 were killed, including 10 children from November 28 – December 12.  The UNICEF pledged to work closely with Vietnam and domestic partners to outline effective plans for disaster adaptation, prevent child schooling disruption and protect children in case of crises and pressures. Participants suggested orientations to children-oriented disaster mitigation activities within the framework of the Law on Disaster Risk Management and the government’s global and regional commitments on emergency relief and disaster management.  They summed up lessons drawn from emergency relief programmes, shared experience and mapped out orientations to future cooperation in the field.  Since August 2016, the UNICEF and the Vietnamese Government have provided emergency aid for children and women hit by drought and saline intrusion in 10 provinces of the Central Highlands, the coastal south central region and the Mekong Delta sourcing from 2.5 million USD funded by the Japanese government.  Nearly 140,000 Vietnamese people have benefited from the effort. Over 1,000 job seekers attend RoK - Vietnam placement fair Over 1,000 people attended a career fair co-organised by the Korea Trade Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) and the Korean Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City on December 15. Forty-five businesses including such leading RoK enterprises and groups as CJ Group Vietnam, Lotte Cinema, E-Mart Vietnam, Taekwang Vina, Keb Hana Bank took part in the event. They offered a wide range of vacancies, including positions in the fields of foreign languages, economics, marketing, finance, banking, telecommunication electronics, designing, chemicals, and garment-textile. Kim Jae Hyun, HR & Admin Director at Lotte Vietnam, said his company wants to recruit a lot of employees, including HR staff, salespersons and sales team leaders. Most of the candidates are inexperienced and need further training, therefore, those with dedication and commitments will be selected, Kim added. Director General of KOTRA HCM City Park Sang Hyup said the number of RoK investors in Vietnam is expected to rise, therefore their demand for recruitment will increase accordingly, for both unskilled workers and senior managers. He suggested Vietnamese labourers be equipped with foreign languages, communication skills, and technical knowledge in order to work for RoK firms. Currently, around one million Vietnamese labourers are working in nearly 4,500 RoK firms in Vietnam. Binh Dinh distributes rice to natural disaster victims The central province of Binh Dinh will distribute rice aid to families affected by natural disasters this year, with an average 15kg of rice for each person.  Vice Chairman of Binh Dinh provincial People’s Committee said the province will deliver 1,108 tonnes of rice provided by the government to 11 districts and towns hit by floods and droughts.  The provincial People’s Committee assigned the Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs to coordinate with the relevant agencies to receive and distribute rice to households under regulations. Four consecutive floods over the past months killed 17 people, injured five others and caused an estimated loss of 800 billion VND (36 million USD) in Binh Dinh. The province has asked the government for 300 billion VND (14 million USD) in aid to restore transport infrastructure and irrigation works, helping local people resume production. VAVA conference reviews association’s 2016 performance The Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/dioxin (VAVA) Central Committee convened a conference in Hanoi on December 15 to review its performance in 2016 and set tasks for 2017. Addressing the event, VAVA President Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Rinh said that in 2016, the association marked the 55th anniversary of Agent Orange/dioxin (AO) disaster in Vietnam and improved its operations. It implemented support policies for victims, while raising nearly 270 billion VND, building 529 houses for victims, granting 786 scholarships, supporting employment and presenting gifts to thousands of victims, noted Rinh. He underscored that in 2017, the association will focus on reforming the organisation and operation at all levels. The association will advise and coordinate with relevant agencies to implement the Party Central Committee Secretariat’s Decree 43-CT/TW on strengthening Party leadership in overcoming consequences of chemicals sprayed by the US army during the war in Vietnam. It will also work to increase resources for supporting AO victims, said Rinh. During the conference, the VAVA selected an additional four members to its Central Committee, while presenting 29 certificates of merit to individuals and collectives with outstanding performance in supporting AO victims in 2016. HCM City doctors give eye surgery to Lao patients A delegation of doctors from HCM City in collaboration with doctors of an eye hospital in Laos performed free eye surgery using Phaco technique on cataract patients in Vientiane from December 14-16.  The surgery is part of the cooperation programme signed between the HCM City Eye Hospital and the Lao Central Eye Hospital in 2003. Under the programme, 200 cataract patients will receive surgery each year. However, Vietnamese doctors decided to provide surgery for additional 100 patients at the request of the Lao Ministry of National Defence, bringing the total beneficiary patients to 300 this year. The patients also receive free medications, lodging and travel cost and other consultation services. Besides, the HCM City Eye Hospital doctors also trained their Lao colleagues on the Phaco technique.  In 2016, the hospital has helped trained six Lao eye surgeons. It plans to transfer the operation technique to nine more in 2017. Vietnam coast guards grow own veggies on high-tech farm Coast guard officers in the southern Vietnamese city of Vung Tau are now able to harvest their first batch of fresh produce from their high-tech vegetable farm following several months of hard work. Officers from the 3Rd Regional Coast Guard, stationed in the southern beach city, have been growing the clean veggies at the high-tech garden which they built by themselves. Covering an area of 1,000 square meters, the farm is different from those at other armed force units in Vietnam thanks to its automatic watering system, which helps preserve water resources. The vegetables are covered with multi-layered nets imported from Israel, which protect them from heavy downpours and many types of pests. The greenhouse is equipped with a special system that can reduce temperature by four to five degrees Celsius compared to the outdoor atmosphere and a set of gutters, which are designed to store rainwater for use. In order to prevent bees and other bugs from piercing through their cucurbits, the officers hung several plastic bottles with small holes on their surface and sugar inside to lure the insects away from the veggies. The coast guards invested over VND500 million (US$22,224) in the purchase of materials and equipment and spent over 300 days setting up the farm. According to Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Van Ha, logistics manager of the 3rd Regional Command, building the farm was a challenge as the soil was muddy while the weather was also unpredictable. However, commanders of the coast guards agreed on establishing the high-tech vegetable farm to provide necessary food for daily consumption. Harvested produce from the garden is also used to supply those onboard the vessels of the coast guard unit, allowing officers to be more proactive during their missions at sea. VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri/VNE