Social News 7/1 Vietnamese contemporary photos exhibited in India   An exhibition of contemporary Vietnamese photography opened on January 5 at the Indira Gandhi National Centre in New Delhi, India.  It is the first among activities held by the Vietnamese Embassy in India and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations in 2017 to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic ties (January 7, 1972 - January 7, 2017) and 10 years of their strategic partnership (2007-2017).  The exhibition displays 45 artworks and 45 photographs by 20 Vietnamese artists, featuring the beauty, culture and people of Vietnam.  The event and other activities in India will boost cultural relations between the two nations, one of five pillars in the partnership between Vietnam and India, said Vietnamese Ambassador to India Ton Sinh Thanh at the opening ceremony.  The exhibition runs from January 5-10. Institute of Natural Resources and Environment established The Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) held a ceremony on January 5 to announce the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 2218/QĐ-TTg dated November 17, 2016 on the establishment of the Institute of Natural Resources and Environment under the VNU. The institute was established on the basis of upgrading the VNU’s research centre for natural resources and the environment, with the functions of facilitating the conduct of scientific research and technological applications in the fields of natural resources, environment and sustainable development; organising training activities in relevant branches in line with current regulations; and provide relevant consultations and services in the fields of natural resources, environment and sustainable development. Addressing the event, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Kim Son, President of the VNU, highlighted the significance of the establishment of the institute, hailing the facility as a central national agency that gathers forces to facilitate intersectoral researches on the preservation of natural resources, environmental protection, adaptation to climate change and sustainable development towards green growth. He urged the institute to focus on completing the organisational structure with a staff of competent, specialised, creative and wholehearted officials; implement topics for basic research, applied research and technology transfer; and develop models for preserving natural resources, protecting the environment and promoting sustainable development in the current globalisation context. The institute also needs to implement PhD training programmes on environment and sustainable development; work with the VNU’s member units in providing intersectoral PhD training and capacity building programmes for different subjects across the country; and expand domestic and international cooperation, Son said. At the ceremony, the VNU also announced the decision to appoint Hoang Van Thang, director of the VNU’s research centre for natural resources and environment, as the first head of the Institute of Natural Resources and Environment. In his speech, Thang pledged to do his best to join officials and scientists in developing the institute into a leading intersectoral research institute in Vietnam on environmental protection and biodiversity preservation, serving sustainable development and community-based policy making. Artists provided with favourable conditions to produce quality works Politburo member and Secretary of Ho Chi Minh city People’s Committee Dinh La Thang has stressed that city authorities always create the most favourable conditions for artists to produce high-quality works. Speaking at a meeting with over 300 artists in the city on January 5, he spoke highly of the achievements made by the city’s artists over the past year, which have contributed to the country’s development of culture and arts. He expressed his hope that the artists would work harder to preserve and uphold the glorious tradition of Vietnamese revolutionary arts. Artists should attempt to portray the good as well as the bad witnessed in all fields of socio-economic life, bringing them into their works in a frank and sincere manner in order to meet the recreational and entertainment demands of Vietnamese people, he said. He also asked the city’s departments and sectors to attach more care and provide more support to the artists so that they can enjoy quality of life in this occupation. At the meeting, the guests contributed their opinions to improving the quality of the city’s cultural and arts activities. The city’s literature and arts saw encouraging progress over the past year. The city union of literature and arts associations has been active in organising field trips for its members, training younger members, and supporting them in releasing and advertising their works. Needy people ensured warm Tet holiday Taking care of people, especially the needy and vulnerable, during the Lunar New Year (Tet), is the responsibility of all-level Party Committees and local authorities, an official has said. In November 2016, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs directed localities to use local budgets to support needy households during Tet, Deputy Minister Nguyen Trong Dam told the press in Hanoi on January 5. He revealed that 40 provinces had submitted Tet preparation plans for needy people, noting that natural disasters, including long-lasting floods, harmed agricultural production, especially in the central and Central Highlands regions. The official said 67,000 tonnes of rice have been provided for people affected by saltwater intrusion and marine environmental incident in the central region. Nearly 431 billion VND (19 million USD) will be used to assist people with significant contributions to the national revolutionary cause. The Vietnam General Confederation of Labour will encourage businesses to give Tet bonus to workers and facilitate their travelling, Dam said. The Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee promulgated a plan to ensure a warm Tet for low-income households, especially in remote, border, island and natural disaster prone areas. The Committee will present more than 6,000 gift packages worth 3.5 billion VND (154,315 USD) to support poor families and centres taking care of orphans and the disabled. 4,500 gifts worth nearly 2.3 billion VND (101,407 USD) will also be presented to impoverished families in the northern, central, southwestern and Central Highlands regions./. Natural disasters across Vietnam left over 250 dead in 2016 More 250 people were killed by natural disasters throughout Vietnam in 2016, the government said in a recent announcement. The wrath of mother nature claimed more than 250 lives in Vietnam and dealt a VND39 trillion (US$1.7 billion) blow to Southeast Asian country’s economy last year,  Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong said at a press conference on January 5. The number of casualties, over 10% higher than the ministry’s reported yearly average of 226 deaths, was unfortunately unsurprising. 2016 was a year of extreme and abnormal weather phenomena for Vietnam – beginning with the worst drought and salt water intrusion the country has seen in decades and ending with heavy downpours pummeling the central region and Central Highlands throughout November and December. Damage to the economy was about three times higher than the VND13 trillion (US$571.7 million) yearly average typically seen in the Southeast Asian country, Minister Cuong said. In a recent announcement, the weather forecast center in Thua Thien- Hue, a north-central Vietnamese province commonly hit by floods, stated that last year’s total rainfall in the locality hit a record high compared to the past four decades. Torrential rains caused three separate waves of flooding in the province during December, the center reported, adding that weather forecasts were inaccurate due to strange weather patterns, resulting in a serious impact to the provincial economy, particularly the agricultural sector. Vietnam's human trafficking victims rise 13% in 2016 Police received reports of 1,128 victims last year, but only rescued around half of them. The Vietnamese government has reported nearly a 13% increase in the number of human trafficking victims in 2016. The Ministry of Public Security said its forces detected 383 cases of human trafficking in 2016, which was down 6% from the previous year, but the victims involved was up a staggering 12.8% to 1,128. Police managed to rescue 600 victims last year and provide them with healthcare and legal and vocational support, according to a statement from the National Committee for AIDS, Drug and Prostitution Prevention. Most of the victims were uneducated women and children from poor areas, including many from ethnic minority groups in Vietnam’s northern highlands. They were sold to men seeking wives in China, Malaysia and South Korea, or just to bear children or work as prostitutes in these countries. Many of the children were approached through social networks such as Facebook and Zalo, Vietnam's popular messaging app. Besides financial difficulties, police also blamed negligence, easy immigration procedures and gender imbalance in destination countries as the major reasons for the increase. Rapid economic growth in Southeast Asia has also created more opportunities for criminals to dupe workers, Mimi Vu of the Pacific Links Foundation, a counter-trafficking NGO, told Reuters last year.  The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations' shift towards a formal community with freer movement of trade and capital would increase trafficking risks, she said. According to the United Nations, nearly 21 million people are lured into forced labor every year worldwide and 1.2 million children are trafficked. A third of trafficked women and children are from Southeast Asia. UK newspaper dubs Vietnam a safe place to visit Vietnam was named among nine countries with a 'low' terror threat by the Telegraph but didn't do so well in terms of road safety. U.K.-based newspaper the Telegraph has classed Vietnam as a pretty safe country to travel to in a recent survey, but highlighted the risks traffic accidents pose to visitors. On Tuesday the newspaper released a series of graphics that remap the world in a wide range of perspectives, from gun ownership, energy consumption and criminal executions, to happiness, obesity and Miss World competitions. Vietnam was one of the few countries listed as "safe to visit”. Asian neighbors such as India, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Thailand were considered "not completely safe", with the U.K.’s Foreign Office advising against traveling to parts of these countries. The report named Vietnam, together with Japan, Bolivia, Ecuador and five European countries, as destinations with a “low” terror threat. More than 30 countries received a "high" terror threat rating, including holiday favorites such as Spain and France, as well as popular Southeast Asian countries such as the Philippines and Thailand. According to the Institute for Economics and Peace, there are only ten countries in the world that are free from conflict right now, and Vietnam is one of them. However, that changes when you decide to walk down the street in Vietnam. Vietnam is listed among the more dangerous country in terms of road deaths. The Telegraph ranked the countries based on the number of road fatalities per 100,000 inhabitants per year, and the ratings range from 1.9 in Maldives to 40.5 in Libya. The report did not mention the figure in Vietnam, but according to new statistics from the National Traffic Safety Committee, it would be 9.4. The committee said road crashes killed 8,685 people in Vietnam in 2016, which means one every hour. Traffic in Vietnam seems to either puzzle, impress or annoy outsiders, and even locals sometimes. The seemingly chaotic streets have even inspired Enomoto Kaori, a 30-year-old Japanese woman and game designer who arrived in Vietnam in July 2015, to create a mobile game called Vietnamese Road that trains people how to cross the streets. The game has become so popular that last October it received a US$40,000 grant in the form of tools and services from a Facebook start-up fund. But thanks to other strengths such as its delicious food and beautiful beaches, Vietnam is becoming an increasingly popular destination, with foreign visitor numbers hitting a record high of more than 10 million in 2016, up 26% from the previous year. Nearly 255,000 of them arrived from the U.K., up 20% from 2015. Tourists from the U.K. can now visit Vietnam for 15 days without a visa. In Hà Nội, the Tết peach blossom gives reason for cheer Though Tết (Lunar New Year) is still three weeks away people are making a beeline to gardens to place orders for their favourite kumquat trees. Gardeners in Nhật Tân and Tứ Liên wards in Hà Nội’s Tây Hồ District are taking special care of their peach blossom and kumquat trees to get good prices during the Lunar New Year. The areas are bustling as a result. “Due to this year’s abnormal weather, we have to take very good care to make the flowers blossom in time,” Tuấn Việt, owner of a peach blossom garden in Nhật Tân, told the media. A three-metre peach blossom tree at Nhật Tân would be priced at VNĐ25 million (over US$1,100) to VNĐ30 million if it blossoms in time, while kumquat would cost VNĐ500,000 for a small tree and VNĐ2.5 million for a big one, a farmer in Nhật Tân said.  Quảng Nam to launch bamboo conservation project The central district Điện Bàn--in cooperation with the Korea International Co-operation Agency (KOICA)--has kicked off a local bamboo conservation project that will run from 2017-25. Vice Chairman of Điện Bàn People’s Committee Phan Minh Dũng confirmed the project to the Việt Nam News on Thursday, saying that it will help conserve and develop an area of 1,800ha or 1,900ha bamboo area. Dũng said the project also aims to create a sustainable development livelihood for 15,000 rural Điện Bàn residents, with jobs in bamboo crafts and eco-tour service. The vice chairman said the bamboo conservation project will create a ‘green dyke’ to protect banks of many rivers in the district as well as living quarters along river system. He said the bamboo conservation and craft project will be connected with craft villages including bronze casting in Phước Kiều, rice cakes in Phú Chiêm, sedge net weaving in Triêm Tây, fish sauce in Hà Quảng and fine arts in Đông Khương along the Thu Bồn River in the district. Điện Bàn bamboo is a major material for craft villages in Hội An, in serving for eco-tourism. Last year, the district also agreed to reserve 2.6ha to build the Việt Nam-Korea Cultural Exchange Centre with a fund of US$5 from the Việt Nam Veterans Association of Korea (VVAK) in Hà My Đông village near Hội An city. Girl group’s first-ever show set for a major stage The Con Gái all-girl music band will perform their first live show, Điều Ngọt Ngào (Sweet Things), this Sunday at Hà Nội Opera House. “It is such a pleasure for us to perform on the occasion of the New Year and we are thrilled that a large number of people have booked tickets for the show,” said singer Xuân Nhị, one of the band members. Nhị said their first album, Lời Chim Đỗ Quyên (Asia Koel’s Song), was well-received and that has been a huge motivation for the band to perform live. The girl band will perform songs of well-known artists, including Thanh Tùng, Dương Thụ, Trần Tiến, Giáng Son and Nguyễn Vĩnh Tiến, and a new song, Tuổi 20 (At 20), that Huyền Trung has written for them. Singer Tùng Dương and music band Oplus will also perform in the show. Nguyễn Anh Dũng, who is directing the show, said: “With a meticulous stage plan, the first live show of Con Gái will bring the best art performance to the audience.” HCM City export zone reports outbreak of chickenpox An outbreak of chickenpox has been reported at Gunze Việt Nam Co Ltd in HCM City’s Tân Thuận Export Processing Zone, with 30 people contracting the disease since November 17, according to the HCM City Preventive Health Centre. The centre warned that the current weather is favourable for the spread of chickenpox. Dr Nguyễn Trí Dũng, the centre’s head, told Việt Nam News that the company was on Wednesday provided with disinfectants for its premises to avoid a further spread. It also advised the company’s staff to maintain hygiene, wear masks, and wash their hands regularly to avoid transmission, he said. It also told workers not vaccinated against the disease to immediately get a shot, he said. The city Department of Health has urged the HCM City Export Processing and Industrial Zone Authority to take preventive measures against contagious diseases at export processing and industrial parks. Companies there are required to report to district preventive health centres within 14 days when two workers become ill. When a disease breaks out, they are required to co-operate with health officials to prevent further spread. Trương Hữu Khanh, head of the infection and neurology ward at Paediatrics Hospital 1, said the chickenpox season lasts from December to May or June. People who have not been vaccinated could get the disease, Khanh warned, saying that when one member of a family is infected the remaining members could be too. It spreads easily in crowded environments, he said. “The virus can be transmitted from patients to other ones through tiny droplets when they have not had blisters or red spots.” The disease is more virulent in adults than in children, he said. It affects the foetus when a pregnant woman contracts the disease within the first three months, he said. A person who contracts the disease could develop skin infection and encephalitis and even die, he added. Journalism contest for poverty reduction launched The Ministries of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Information and Communications and the Việt Nam Journalists Association launched a writing contest on poverty reduction on Thursday. The contest aims to offer journalists the opportunity to work with ministries by writing about poverty alleviation plans from 2016 to 2020, promoting information on State policies and laws that could help in reducing poverty. It also provides a chance for journalists to praise outstanding locals, teams, individuals, households and organisations involved in sustainable poverty reduction. Outstanding examples and experiences, initiatives and models that help effectively end poverty will be praised and developed. The contest also aims to raise public awareness and heighten the responsibility of people and authorities at all levels in implementing poverty alleviation policies and programmes. Speaking at the launch in Hà Nội, Deputy Prime Minister Vương Đình Huệ said, “The State is continuing to promote works on sustainable poverty reduction as well as building the new rural model.” “Hunger eradication and poverty reduction after 30 years of đổi mới (renewal) is the bright spot in the country’s millennium goals programme,” he said. The contest is also a measure to achieve targets in reducing poverty and to raise the will of residents, especially the poor, to emerge from poverty, he noted. Minister of Information and Communication Trương Minh Tuấn also called on people to join hands and work for the poor so that no one is neglected. “Poverty reduction is an important point in the overall programme of social development,” he noted. The contest will be held annually from now to 2020. Hải Phòng begins dismantling vast water music project Workers have begun dismantling a water music project in the centre of this northern coastal city after more than a year of ineffective operations and being criticised for wasteful expenditure. The dismantling work was undertaken following a resolution approved by the city’s People’s Council last year, which ordered it to be complete before January this year. Documentary procedures for the dismantling started in the middle of last month but official work just started on Thursday, the local authority said. The VNĐ200 billion (US$8.8 million) project in the city’s Hồng Bàng District’s Tam Bạc Lake was inaugurated in May 2015 on a steel foundation of 120m length 12m width. Sơn Lâm Tourism Ltd. Company which used to be the major investor and operator of the project was now also responsible for dismantling it. The project, covering about 48,000 square metres of Tam Bạc Lake’s surface area, faced public criticism as a waste of public funds due to the vast investment capital and irrelevant goals of usage. A report from the city’s People’s Committee revealed the cost of maintenance of the project was nearly VNĐ2 billion ($88,000) per year. Some locals even complained of corruption but investigations by the Party Central Committee’s Inspection Commission showed nothing except some violations in budget expenditure. The commission thus imposed penalties on the violators, three of whom were from the city’s previous leadership.  New plants to bloom across terrace fields in Mu Cang Chai Mu Cang Chai district of the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai, well-known for its impressive terrace fields, is looking to planting rapeseed (Brassica napus) as a new way to raise local incomes while boosting tourism. The terraced fields in the district attract large crowds of tourists during the rice harvest season in mid-September, but during the other time of the year, local residents still rely on farming as their main livelihood.  Due to cold weather and a lack of water, the local Mong people only cultivate one rice crop a year, leaving the fields empty the other time of the year.  Last year, the district experimented with planting rapeseed on two hectares of land with optimistic results, according to Luong Van Thu, deputy head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Division of Mu Cang Chai District. Therefore, Mu Cang Chai encouraged farmers to grow rapeseed on 500 hectares out of 1,600 hectares of agricultural land in the district this year. The area is usually left uncultivated during the winter-spring crop.  The plant is expected to bloom across the terraced fields in February and March, creating a new face of the region, attracting tourists to the mountain land.  Locally-grown rapeseed also produces two tonnes of oil per hectare, bringing additional income to locals. New Year book festival coming to Le Thach Street in Hanoi The Hanoi municipal government will host a New Lunar Year Book Festival on January 30-February 5 on Le Thach Street, reports Tuoitre online newspaper. Ngo Van Quy, vice chair of the Hanoi municipal People’s Committee recently gave is stamp of approval for the event to move forward. A wide array of activities will take place within the framework of the festival including exchanges with authors, poetry readings and art performances. Various Publishing Houses will offer new and old editions at discounts.  Victory over genocidal regime marked in HCM City A get-together was held on January 5 in Ho Chi Minh City to mark the 38th anniversary of the victory in the southwestern border defence war and the joint victory of Vietnam and Cambodia over the Khmer Rouge genocidal regime (January 7). Cambodian Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, Im Hen, highlighted the event as a chance for the Cambodian people to express their deep gratitude to Vietnam’s volunteer soldiers for helping them to defeat the brutal regime.  He thanked the Vietnamese Party and Government and Ho Chi Minh City for supporting Cambodia in its difficult times and in the current period of national development. The get-together was a curtain raiser to 20 events to be held by the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Association in Ho Chi Minh City in 2017 to mark the 50th anniversary of Vietnamese-Cambodian diplomatic relations. Chairman of the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Association in Ho Chi Minh City Truong Minh Nhut said January 7, 1979 marks a historic milestone in the pure, faithful and special friendship between Vietnam and Cambodia and the victory over the Khmer Rouge regime saved Cambodia from the genocidal catastrophe, taking it into a new era of independence, freedom and revival.  He affirmed that the association's willingness to further ties with Cambodian fellows as a contribution to enhancing Vietnam-Cambodia traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation.  Reigning from 1975-1979, the genocidal regime killed nearly 3 million Cambodian civilians in only 3 years, 8 months and 20 days, destroyed all social facilities and pushed the Cambodian nation to the brink of perdition. The regime also distorted the history of Vietnam and mobilized most of its military strengths, including dozens of divisions and many local regiments, to launch an invasion into the southwestern border of Vietnam. They ravaged villages, brutally killed local people, including the elderly, children and women, and seriously violated the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Vietnam HCM City sentences Malaysian to life imprisonment for killing US citizen An argument between two former friends led to a murder that made headlines two years ago. A district court in Ho Chi Minh City has sentenced a 32-year-old Malaysian to life imprisonment for murdering an American citizen. The court ruled that Chuah Chow Fay stabbed Alexk Kwork, 46, to death on May 21, 2015 at a hotel on Tran Phu Street, District 5. Fay admitted that the two men had started arguing after Alexk asked to borrow money for an air fare back to the United States. After Fay refused to help him, the row escalated and Alexk picked up a paper knife and threatened Fay. The court heard that the Malaysian swiftly fought back, grabbing the knife and stabbing his victim in the neck. Following the incident, Fay swapped his blood-stained clothes and threw the knife and his clothes into a river before trying to make his escape. Soon after Fay left, the hotel receptionist found Alexk lying on the floor with blood all over his body. He was then rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Fay was apprehended later that day in Tay Ninh Province at the Cambodian border. Fay initially denied his involvement in the murder at the first trial but confessed to murdering the American at the second hearing, saying it was an accident. According to police, the Malaysian has a criminal history. Six years ago, he was sentenced to three years for forgery by a criminal court in Ho Chi Minh City. Danang transport department opens Facebook page to receive public tip-offs The Department of Transport in the central Vietnamese city of Danang has unveiled its official Facebook page intended to receive feedback and reports from local residents on traffic situations. The Facebook page was opened on January 3 and had received tips from about 800 members by January 4 afternoon. According to the transport department, the page was designed for local citizens to air their opinions about matters regarding traffic in the central hub. It will also provide residents with information relating to necessary procedures, such as vehicle registration. Le Thanh Hung, chief of the office of the transport department and head of the page’s administrator board, said that it is set public to maximize interaction with net citizens. Alongside the official website of the department, this Facebook page will feature the latest information and announcements provided by the agency and also give answers to all relevant questions, Hung noted. He added that the board of administrators includes 18 members who are high-ranking officials of the transport department. “After [two days] of operation, we have received reports about traffic congestion and accidents as well as proposals to improve traffic and ensure safety for travelers,” the official said. “We will respond to questions and requests in a prompt manner. All posts on the page reflect the official position of the Department of Transport,” he continued. In early December 2016, the Traffic Police Division under the municipal Department of Police also launched their own Facebook page to receive updates on traffic from local residents. Based on tip-offs provided by Facebook users, police will investigate and deal with offenders as well as making any necessary adjustments to ensure traffic safety in the central hub. Government funds sought for reservoirs in Phu Quy island The south central coastal province of Binh Thuan has proposed the Government allocate investment to build two reservoirs in its island district of Phu Quy to ensure water supply for the daily life and production and provide fishery services. The construction of the two reservoirs on six hectares is estimated to cost 100 billion VND (4.4 million USD). The projects are part of a water source planning scheme in Phu Quy district, which had been approved by the Government. The province requested the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to submit to the Prime Minister for approval of an investment sum of 80 billion VND (3.52 million USD). The rest will be sourced from the local budget.  Phu Quy district has an area of 17 sq. km with a population of 27,000. Its population density reaches 1,542 people per sq. km, which is nearly 10 times higher than the province’s average figure. Without rivers, springs, or irrigation works, the water supply for the daily life and production has mostly relied on underground water sources. However, the district has recently seen stronger socio-economic development, particularly in tourism, fishery, national defence and security, leading to a higher demand for water. The fresh water supply for the district falls short of some 800 – 1,000 cu. metres per day, particularly in the dry season. Around 1,000 hectares of agricultural land depend on rain water.- Thua Thien – Hue races to pay compensation to fishermen prior to Tet Nguyen Van Phuong, Vice Chairman of the Thua Thien – Hue People’s Committee, ordered that the first phase payment of compensation to residents affected by the marine environmental accident should be completed before the Lunar New Year (Tet), which is due to fall on January 27.    The central province has so far distributed more than 260 billion VND (11.44 million USD) worth of compensation to over 14,000 coastal residents affected by the mass fish deaths caused by waste disposal by Formosa Ha Tinh steel company last year. The sum is equivalent to 65 percent of the money local authorities received for the first phase of compensation. Along with payment, local authorities have guided residents in how to use the money to restore fishing or switch to other occupations. The provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has examined additional damages in line with the Prime Minister’s Decision 1880/QD-TTg. To date, the amount has reached approximately 270 billion VND (11.88 million USD). The volume of unsold seafood products across the province between April and August, 2016, were nearly 490 tonnes, of which 22 tonnes were considered unsafe and destroyed. In late June 2016, Taiwan-invested Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Limited Company admitted responsibility for the environmental incident, which affected the central provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue. It pledged 11.5 trillion VND (500 million USD) in compensation. The Ministry of Finance transferred 3 trillion VND (134 million USD) to the localities in the initial phase. Of the amount, Thua Thien-Hue got 400 billion VND (17.6 million USD), Quang Binh 1.1 trillion VND (48.5 million USD), Ha Tinh one trillion VND (44.1 million USD), and Quang Tri 500 billion VND (22 million USD). Symposium reviews int’l human rights-related covenants in Vietnam A symposium was held in Hanoi on January 5 to review 50 years of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and their implementation in Vietnam. The event was held by the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and the Government’s Steering Committee for Human Rights. The covenants, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in December 1966, along with the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, are considered international codes of human rights and the cornerstone of international law on human rights.  Participants at the symposium noted that Vietnam joined the two covenants on September 24, 1982 as it realised the importance of the international principles and standards stated in these documents although it had to deal with heavy war consequences at that time. Since then, the Vietnamese Party and State have made efforts to implement the covenants. The country is fully aware of its responsibility and obligations in respecting, protecting and promoting human rights, considering them as a target and a driving force for social development. For more than 30 years of realising its commitments, Vietnam has obtained a number of economic, social and cultural achievements. Many new regulations and principles on ensuring human rights have also been created and aligned with the current situation. Participants said to improve the covenant implementation, it is necessary to continue internalising the Party’s viewpoints on human rights, perfecting a law-governed socialist nation, and overhauling the legal system. Notably, it is important to turn courts into a strong tool in protecting justice and human rights. Communication activities, especially external information, along with international cooperation also need to be promoted to raise public awareness of human rights, they added.      Quang Nam provides allowances, gifts for residents to enjoy Tet The People’s Committee of central Quang Nam province has urged all departments and localities to help local residents enjoy the upcoming Lunar New Year Festival (Tet). Over 230 billion VND (around 10 million USD) was disbursed to provide January and February allowances and Tet gifts to individuals and families who rendered services to the nation.  The provincial Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs urged its subordinate divisions to allocate the allowances to the beneficiaries before January 22. As many as 1,952 tonnes of rice will be given to 46,242 poor households with 130,189 people across 15 districts and towns. Up to 45,400 households will also receive allowances of 300,000 VND (14 USD) each. An additional 120,000 gift packages will also be presented to disadvantaged families and social welfare beneficiaries during the Tet holidays. The provincial authorities have also encouraged local enterprises to give Tet bonuses to their employees to enjoy Tet. Accordingly, over 14,000 local workers have received Tet bonuses, ranging between 320,000 VND (14.8 USD) and 7.1 million VND (312 USD). Get-together marks southwest border defence war victory A get-together took place in Ho Chi Minh City on January 5 celebrating the 38th anniversary of the victory of the southwest border defence war and the joint victory of Vietnam and Cambodia over the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime (January 7).  Addressing the event, Chairman of the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Association in Ho Chi Minh City Truong Minh Nhut said January 7, 1979 marks a historic milestone in the pure, faithful and special friendship between Vietnam and Cambodia and the victory over the Khmer Rouge regime saved Cambodia from the genocidal catastrophe, taking it into a new era of independence, freedom and revival.  He affirmed that the association, together with the people nationwide, will continue boosting ties with Cambodian fellows and contribute to reinforcing Vietnam-Cambodia traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation.  Cambodian Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Im Hen, for his part, emphasised that Cambodia’s progresses in all aspects are indispensable to close-knit ties between the two Parties, governments and peoples.  He expressed thanks to Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City in particular for providing support for Cambodia in the past as well as the current nation-building cause.  Co-organised by the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations and the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Association in Ho Chi Minh City, the event is the start of a series of 20 activities celebrating the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties (June 24), including friendly exchanges and charity events for the poor Cambodians and overseas Vietnamese in Cambodia. National press contest on anti-corruption 2017 announced The 2017 national press award on the fight and prevention of corruption and wastefulness has been launched by the Vietnam Journalists’ Association (VJA) and the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee.  Both professional and amateur Vietnamese journalists in Vietnam and abroad can participate, with each author/group of authors submitting a maximum of 5 press works.  The works should be published on Vietnamese media between January 1 and November 30, 2017.  They must be submitted during the year until November 30, with the award ceremony scheduled for December 30. More details on the contest can be found on the VJA’s website at http://www.vja.org.vn or the VFF’s website at http://www.mattran.org.vn. The award will be held annually. Thua Thien – Hue races to pay compensation to fishermen prior to Tet Nguyen Van Phuong, Vice Chairman of the Thua Thien – Hue People’s Committee, ordered that the first phase payment of compensation to residents affected by the marine environmental accident should be completed before the Lunar New Year (Tet), which is due to fall on January 27.    The central province has so far distributed more than 260 billion VND (11.44 million USD) worth of compensation to over 14,000 coastal residents affected by the mass fish deaths caused by waste disposal by Formosa Ha Tinh steel company last year. The sum is equivalent to 65 percent of the money local authorities received for the first phase of compensation. Along with payment, local authorities have guided residents in how to use the money to restore fishing or switch to other occupations. The provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has examined additional damages in line with the Prime Minister’s Decision 1880/QD-TTg. To date, the amount has reached approximately 270 billion VND (11.88 million USD). The volume of unsold seafood products across the province between April and August, 2016, were nearly 490 tonnes, of which 22 tonnes were considered unsafe and destroyed. In late June 2016, Taiwan-invested Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Limited Company admitted responsibility for the environmental incident, which affected the central provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue. It pledged 11.5 trillion VND (500 million USD) in compensation. The Ministry of Finance transferred 3 trillion VND (134 million USD) to the localities in the initial phase. Of the amount, Thua Thien-Hue got 400 billion VND (17.6 million USD), Quang Binh 1.1 trillion VND (48.5 million USD), Ha Tinh one trillion VND (44.1 million USD), and Quang Tri 500 billion VND (22 million USD). Binh Thuan province struggles to tackle coastal erosions The south central province of Binh Thuan is struggling to tackle coastal erosions caused by recent strong tides. During his inspection trip to the affected areas on January 5, Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee Pham Van Nam urged localities to work with the Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development, and Planning and Investment to build temporary sea dykes and consolidate damaged dyke sections in landslide-prone areas to ensure safety for local residents to enjoy the traditional Lunar New Year Festival (Tet). In the long term, he requested the departments and localities work together on measures to prevent landslides in the areas affected by sea encroachment and erosions, including the construction of solid dykes. According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, landslides and sea encroachment have occurred along a 9,000m coastline in the communes of Vinh Hao, Phuoc The, Binh Thanh, Hoa Phu, and the towns of Lien Huong, Phan Ri Cua in Tuy Phong district. In December 2016, strong winds and high tides caused landslides, pulled down or damaged more than 10 houses in Vinh Tan commune, and eroded 300 metres of coastline in Lien Huong town, threatening the safety of over 150 households. Since 2010, erosions have occurred along 800 metres of coastal areas in Duc Long ward and Tien Thanh commune in Phan Thiet city, affecting the lives of 46 local households. To date, 1,000 out of 1,550 metres of the local sea dike has been completed, helping to prevent sea encroachment and erosions in the areas. Meanwhile, sea encroachment has also swept away 20-30 metres of land along the 1,000m coast in Tien Thanh commune since 2013, affecting the daily life of over 200 local households. 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