Social News 8/3 Measures against bird flu stepped up   Locales across the country are strengthening efforts to prevent the outbreak of bird flu and other strains of influenza viruses from penetrating into Vietnam. In the southern province of Binh Duong, the prevention and control of avian influenza A/H5N6 and avian influenza strains are extremely urgent. As many as eleven quarantine checkpoints, including the Vinh Phu animal quarantine station and the Thu Dau Mot veterinary station, are operating at full capacity. All means of transportation carrying cattle, poultry and animal products must show proof of origin when going through these quarantine stations. In the complicated situation created by avian flu, Ba Ria–Vung Tau Province’s agricultural sector has organised vaccination and disinfection activities, while increasing inspections of abattoirs and poultry-trading points, in addition to propagandising and mobilising livestock producers to monitor and report on the disease situation for prompt handling. Currently, veterinaries in Long Dien District are organising the vaccination of about 170,000 poultry in the locale. Ba Ria–Vung Tau has a total of over 3.6 million poultry. In the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak, local authorities have provided 5,000 litres of Benkocid chemical to localities in the province to implement disinfection to prevent bird flu. Functional agencies closely inspecting and supervising key areas of poultry farming, slaughtering and trading in local areas. There are more than 14 million poultry in Tien Giang Province. During March, local veterinary services have opened a peak movement for environmental disinfection phase 1–2017 to limit the persistence of dangerous pathogens at units related to livestock and poultry production. In Kien Giang Province, there are nearly 5.3 million poultry. During the last two rounds of environmental disinfection, local authorities allocated more than 4,000 litres of chemicals for spraying disinfectants in accordance with regulations. The northern province of Thai Nguyen, the Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Sub-Department has provided over 3.6 million doses of vaccines in its first vaccination programme this year, while also distributing 4,000 litres of chemicals to locals at areas where there is a high-risk of avian influenza. As planned, from March 10 to April 10, locales in Thai Nguyen will carry out the simultaneous vaccination of cattle and poultry. Contaminated pepper seized in Binh Phuoc Police in the southern province of Binh Phuoc has just raided a local pepper trader found mixing chemicals into their product. Police came to an agricultural trading centre at Bu Gia Map District's Da Kia Commue for a sudden check on March 4. Two workers were found mixing and cooking different kinds of flour in two large pots. One of the workers, Le Dinh Le, 43, told police that he cooked a mixture of corn flour, sticky rice flour and an unidentified red-coloured powder and then mixed with imperfect pepper grains. These grains would then be dried and have better shape and colour and weigh more. According to a report by the centre's owner, Du Thi Toan, they usually buy bad-quality pepper from local farmers at cheap prices and then turn into high-quality product using this way. "We produce about 360 kilos of perfect pepper from 300 kilos of lower quality pepper grains every day. And we’re earning a profit of VND900,000 (USD40) on each 100 kilos," the report said. Toan said that she bought the red-colour powder from a shop in HCM City but did not know about its name or ingredients. "The shop owner in HCM City told me that this substance was often used in food processing and would cause no harm to people's health and I believe in her,” Toan explained. The centre's owner also added that her pepper is being distributed at local markets. After the check, police seized 500 kilos of yellow-colour powder, 15 kilos of white-colour powder and a box of red-colour powder for testing. Over 1.122 tonnes of processed pepper were also seized for further investigation. This poses another problem for Vietnamese pepper, in addition to its problems with pesticides. A report released last month by the Vietnam Pepper Association (VPA) showed that Vietnamese pepper will face stricter scrutiny this year following excessive use of agricultural pesticides, especially in the EU and US markets, according to the Vietnam News Newspaper. The VPA report identifies quality control in pepper production and processing as a major problem, which becomes more difficult to solve when a mind-set of favouring quantity over quality persists among farmers and traders. A majority of farmers use unnecessary amounts of fertilisers and pesticides, weakening natural resistance and requiring even higher doses of the chemicals for subsequent crops, resulting in diminishing returns. The EU and the US have been major buyers of Vietnamese pepper at about 40,000 tonnes a year each, 46 per cent of total annual pepper exports. According to VPA, pepper export to these two markets will face challenges this year as they set to issue new rules on the quality of imported agricultural produce, including pepper from Vietnam. Binh Thuan cracks down on illegal sand mining Following the efforts of authorities of Ham Thuan Bac district in the central province of Binh Thuan, illegal sand mining in Ham Liem commune has stopped, Radio the Voice of Vietnam (VOV) reported. After VOV’s report on illegal sand mining, which caused outrage among residents last year, a supervision team was established by the district’s People’s Committee. The nine supervisors are officers of the district’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment, police officers, leaders of the commune’s People’s Committee and the army. Nguyen Thanh Giang, commander of the Ham Liem commune’s army, said the supervisors regularly patrolled areas of illegal mineral exploitation in the commune and were often threatened by sand miners covertly driving trucks into the mining area at night. According to the report, the path leading to the commune centre is now free of sand miners. Sand dredging vehicles have also been moved. Although sand mining has ended, the supervision team is still patrolling round the clock to ensure it does not resume, Le Thanh Cuong, Chairman of Ham Liem communal People’s Committee, said. Ham Liem commune is home to a huge amount of high-quality sand right next to Phan Thiet city. The demand for sand in Ham Thuan Bac district and Phan Thiet city is relatively high, posing a high risk of sand mining resuming in the future. Pregnant woman suffers brain death after treatment in private infirmary Inspectors from the municipal Department of Health in Hanoi yesterday liaised with the 168 Hanoi Polyclinic in Thanh Tri District to clarify the case in which Tran Thi Thu T. who suffered brain death after being treated at the facility. Chief Inspect of Hanoi Health Department Nguyen Viet Cuong said he was informed the case and the department convened a meeting with the infirmary after that. The victim’s relative said that 29-year-old pregnant Tran Thi Thu Tr. from the northern province of Quang Ninh, arrived in the infirmary on March 5 for prenatal check-up; however, in the same evening, her relatives were informed that she was transfered to Bach Mai Hospital while in a deep coma, with doctors diagnosing her with cerebral edema and brain death. Before, Tr.'s health was good, therefore, the family filed a letter of complaint to the police station in Thanh Tri District. In the meeting with the woman’s relative yesterday, Dr. Phuong Van Soan, who is in charge of the infirmary, said that Tran Thi Thu Tr. was diagnosed to have 21 week pregnancy yet she had vaginitis; accordingly, doctors suggested to have tests. Dr. Trinh Tuc Vinh, a Chinese doctor, said that she was treated with vibration therapy. After three minutes into the treatment, the patient showed symptoms of seizure and had difficulty breathing. Soon, the infirmary took her to Bach Mai for emergency treatment.. Noticeably, within three years, the infirmary has been fined many times for violations in treating and illegal advertisement and employing Chinese doctors without license. NA mission group takes heed to origin for food safety   A mission group from the National Assembly February 6 in Ho Chi Minh City held a meeting to review the implementation of food safety for 2011-2016. Phung Quoc Hien, vice-chairman of the law-making National Assembly, said that food safety is a hot issue which people and the National Assembly pay often much attention to. The group has liaised with leaders in 19 provinces and listened to reports of food safety regulation from relevant departments and agencies. In the period 2011 - 2016, the health sector inspected over 3 million businesses detecting 20 percent of them to violate the law. In 2016, inspectors paid more visits to businesses and issued harsh penalties to violating ones. The number of violators increased from 17.6 percent in 2015 to 23.4 percent in 2016; moreover, violators paid more fines for violations. However, Deputy Health Minister Truong Quoc Cuong said that inspectors must trace back the origin of food. Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Deputy Chairwoman  Nguyen Thi Thu said that the government has had policies to support farmers such as land lease reduction, preferential tariff and loan as well as encourage cooperation in agricultural production and aquatic breeding; connecting farmers and enterprises and other partners in consuming of produces. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, 61 cities and provinces built up 519 agricultural, aquatic supply chains including 224 chains being accredited to be safe for consumers. Secretary of HCMC Party Committee Dinh La Thang attended the event. Free eye examination for 40,000 students 40,000 students from six cities and provinces will receive free eye examination sponsored by Rohto- Mentholatum Vietnam from March to April. To improve eye health and provide knowledge of eye care to students, the company has planned to carry out eye examination and give free consultation to students. The program will be conducted in six cities and provinces with the participation of doctors from Phuong Nam Eye Hospital and Eye Hospital in Hanoi. Students in Ho Chi Minh City will receive eye examination on March 6-10, in the Mekong Delta City of Can Tho on March 13-17, the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak on March 20-24, the central province of Binh Dinh on March 27-31, Hanoi on April 10-14 and the northern province of Thai Binh on April 17-21. HCMC gets first food safety chief Pham Khanh Phong Lan, ex-deputy director of the HCMC Department of Health, has been picked as head of the city’s newly established Food Safety Board. HCMC chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong yesterday handed over an appointment decision to her with a term lasting until December 6, 2019. Le Minh Hai serves as her deputy. He was formerly deputy director of the Rehabilitation and Occupational Disease Hospital in HCMC. The second deputy head is Huynh Thi Kim Cuc, deputy director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. This is the city’s first agency responsible for food hygiene and safety. Voters had repeatedly proposed the health and other agencies of the city carry out regular inspections into wholesale markets to prevent the trading of food of unclear origin. Statistics show the demand for meat citywide ranges from 1,000 to 1,200 tons a day. Imports of frozen food amount to around 264,000 tons a year. City residents annually consume one million tons of vegetables and 170,000 tons of seafood. The management of food safety in the city involved different agencies but their responsibilities were unclear, leading to poor food safety control. Data indicates the city had six food poisoning cases with 512 victims but none of them were life-threatening. To prevent food poisoning, a major scheme for pork management, identification and traceability at Hoc Mon and Binh Dien wholesale markets has been carried out on a trial basis. The municipal authorities also have plans to organize training courses this year to equip food producers and traders with best food safety practices. Friendship associations work to boost Vietnam-Laos relations The Vietnam – Laos Friendship Association (VLFA) will continue to work closely with the Laos-Vietnam Friendship Association (LVFA) to promote friendship exchange activities, thus enhancing mutual understanding and tightening the bilateral relations, said VLFA Chairman Tran Van Tuy. The VLFA Chairman made the pledge during his meeting in Hanoi on March 7 with visiting Lao National Assembly Chairwoman Pany Yathotou. He asked the Lao side to continue creating favourable conditions for the two friendship associations to expand cooperation in the coming time. He took the occasion to inform the Lao top legislator of operation plans of the two associations in 2017, especially activities to celebrate the 55th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties and the 40th anniversary of the signing of the bilateral Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation. The Lao legislative leader stressed that the pure and loyal relationship between the two nations was based on the sacrifice of Vietnamese voluntary soldiers and nurtured by generations of leaders of both countries. She vowed to do her utmost to promote the special bilateral ties. The same day, the Lao NA Chairwoman met with representatives from the National Liaison Committee of Vietnamese voluntary soldiers and military experts in Laos. She also visited former Vietnamese NA Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung. Documentary film commemorating musician Tran Lap to debut in Hanoi A documentary film commemorating musician Tran Lap will make its premiere in Hanoi on March 17. The performance titled “Fire lighting hands” featuring the rock band, Buc Tuong (The Wall) and its founder, composer and vocal Tran Lap take place at the Vietnam Exhibition Fair Center in Hanoi last January. The film titled “Yesterday story” celebrating the 22nd anniversary of the establishment of the rock band, Buc Tuong (The Wall) will be screened at National Cinema Center, and at the film studio, 465 Hoang Hoa Tham Street in Ha Noi. The 75-minute long movie is directed by Dang Linh and Hong Thang, and produced by the Viet Nam National Documentary and Scientific Film Studio. The documentary tells about 20-year long-term voyage of the rock band, and outstanding moments and the living of the group’s members. Proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to child patients with cancer at Tan Trieu National Cancer Hospital. As plan, the film will also be presented to the public in Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho, Da Nang and Hai Phong. Famous rocker and songwriter Tran Lap died in Hanoi in March last year after a courageous 5-month battle with cancer. The iconic singer whose real name is Tran Quyet Lap was born in 1974 in the northern province of Nam Dinh. He was founder of the Buc Tuong (The Wall) rock band that was formed in 1995. The rock band includes three members, musician Tran Lap, guitarist Tran Tuan Hung and Nguyen Hoang. The band grew up from musical movement of students. The band is regarded as a leading rock band in Vietnam. Lap was author of many ballad rock songs, favored by generations of students over the past 20 years, such as Bong hong thuy tinh (The glass rose), Dung nhu hon da (Don't be like a stone), Nguoi dan ba hoa da (The woman turned into stone) and more. The most popular song, Duong toi vinh quang (Road to glory) is used as a theme song for several editions of the popular "Road to Mt. Olympia's Peak" quiz show organized by national broadcaster Vietnam Television. He was one of the four judges of The Voice of Vietnam 2012 program that was aired on VTV3. Nghe An strives to have 225 new-style rural communes by 2020   The central province of Nghe An has set a goal of having 225 communes and three districts recognised as new-style rural areas by 2020. In 2017, building new-style rural areas has been set as a focus of all provincial departments and sectors. Nam Dan district, along with three communes of Kim Lien, Son Thanh and Quynh Doi have been chosen to become new-style rural area models in the province. Each commune categorised as a new-style rural area will be presented a welfare facility worth 500 million VND (21,930 USD) while each new-style rural district will have a facility worth two billion VND (87,723 USD). The national programme on building new-style rural areas, initiated by the Government in 2010, includes 19 criteria on socio-economic development, politics and defence, aiming to boost rural areas of Vietnam. The criteria cover infrastructure development, production capacity improvement, environmental protection and cultural value promotion. Ireland, Da Nang to cooperate in education The central city of Da Nang and the Irish Embassy in Vietnam have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on high quality human resources education, management skills for the city’s personnel and start-up programmes for students in the central city. The MoU, which was signed on March 3, will also include a master education programme, education exchanges among Da Nang’s Economics College and Irish universities and a humanitarian programme supporting disabled citizens of the city. Cait Moran, Ambassador of Ireland to Vietnam, said the MoU aims to boost the relationship between Ireland and the central city and strengthen cooperation between Da Nang with locals and cities in Ireland. In 2014, Ireland and the city also signed a MoU for the project of Strengthening Capacity and Sustainability On Early Childhood Disabilities Detection and Intervention with total 302,500 EUR (377,278 USD) through Irish Aid. The project aims to help screen prematurely-born babies and help with 9,000 children with disabilities and 120 kids that need intervention surgeries from 2013-20. In 2012-14 the Irish Aid also supported the ’Enhancing the Capacity of the Healthcare Network in the Prevention and Early Detection of Children’s Disabilities’ project in the city’s Cam Le District. Military doctors in Truong Sa Island District Military doctors and nurses in Truong Sa Island District, Khanh Hoa province, must fulfill two missions at the same time: provide health care to islanders and soldiers living there and provide first aid and emergency medical treatment to fishermen engaged in offshore fishing. In such a remote place, the military doctors cope with environmental hardships and shortages of supplies and equipment. Early this year, the Nam Yet Island infirmary was informed that Pham Hoa, a fisherman working on fishing boat QNG 90927-TS, was in distress after an accident. The infirmary’s chief and several island soldiers immediately went by speedboat to the spot of the accident, administered first aid, and moved the patient to the island for surgery and further treatment. Hoa recalled that while pulling in his fishing nets, he was struck by an eel and received a severe injury. He was later diagnosed with a broken tendon, a dislocated thumb, and broken blood vessels and nerves, and underwent an emergency operation. Hoa says he was very lucky to have received prompt treatment and excellent care from the doctors and nurses on Nam Yet Island. “I feel better now. The doctors have given me careful treatment, so I’m not worried any more. When we go offshore fishing and sustain any injuries, we fishermen have long been accustomed to getting treated on the island. We are very grateful for the whole-hearted assistance of the military doctors on the island. Despite difficult conditions, they are always ready to go out to the fishing boats to give first aid and necessary medical treatment to ill or injured fishermen,” he said. It took 2 hours to complete Hoa's surgery. Coming out of the operating room, Doctor Nguyen Dinh Thanh, chief of the Nam Yet infirmary, said the surgery was a success, adding that some fishermen who sustain soft tissue injuries simply bandage their wounds and continue working. Those wounds can become inflamed or infected. Doctor Thanh said, “We have sufficient equipment to perform both minor and major surgeries, including setting broken femurs and abdomenal and thoracic surgeries. We have a surgeon, an internist, and nurses for various medical specialties. We are fully trained. Previously, we were general practitioners, but now we are specialists. Before starting to work here, we attended a 6- to 12-month course to learn how to deal with emergency situations, so we are very confident about emergency cases.” Song Tu Tay (Southwest Cay) island commune in the northern Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago is home to a drylock and fishing logistics area that supports commercial fishing vessels working the Truong Sa fishing grounds. The Song Tu Tay infirmary has been well-equipped for internal medicine and surgery. It even has ultra sound scanners. Last year, the infirmary provided medical examinations and treatment for more than 1,300 cases. Hoang Chi Trung, who has worked on the island for 4 months, recalls one industrial accident - an emergency case in which all the doctors and nurses had to take turns caring for the patient.                       “On the mainland, the patient could have been put on a respirator. Here we had to take turns manually operating a resuscitator to give the patient oxygen throughout the night. The patient had a serious accident and couldn’t breathe. It wasn't until noon the next day that a helicopter could reach the island to transport the patient to the mainland for intensive treatment,” according to doctor Trung. Doctor Dang Dinh Dung, chief of the Song Tu Tay infirmary, says the daily work on the island is very different from that on the mainland. Every doctor and nurse must be prepared to treat all kinds of injuries and illnesses, from broken limbs to appendicitis. “When we decided to work on the island, we all made up our minds to do our best. Being so far away from home, we, of course, miss our families, our wives and children. But we always encourage each other to be strong and fulfill our duties here”, Dung noted. Over 2 mln households in disadvantaged regions get preferential loans More than 2 million households have received loans totaling 44.2 trillion VND (1.95 billion USD) from aprogramme designed to help business households in disadvantaged regions as of February 28, 2017, according to the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP). Currently, 640,000 households are borrowing 16.4trillion VND (722 million USD), of which the rate of overdue debt is only 0.35 percent. According to statistics from the localities, the demand for capital from business households by 2020 will be at least 6.6trillion VND (290.7 million USD). The programme was launched on March 5, 2007, aiming to assist business households, including those running farms, with maximum assistance of 50 million VND (2,250 USD) at an interest rate of nine percent per year. Because commercial banks do not have transaction offices in remote areas, the VBSP, with its nationwide network, was entrusted to help those households access capital. The VBSP now has 11,000 transaction points across the country.  Programme honours Vietnamese women A programme called “Proud Vietnamese women” was held in Hanoi on March 7 as part of activities to mark the 107th International Women’s Day (March 8) and the 12th National Women’s Congress. The event aims to honour women who have a big influence on the community and make significant contributions to national building and development. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and former Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan presented the 2016 Kovalevskai award to female scientists from the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology and Professor, PhD Nguyen Kim Phi Phung, a lecturer of chemistry at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Science. The award, named after the great Russian mathematician Sofia Kovalevskaia, was established in 1985 to honour outstanding female scientists. Some 100 women with contributions to science, education, health, economics, agriculture, and charitable activities received certificates of merit from the Vietnam Women’s Union. Speaking at the programme, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said addressing gender inequality is a crucial part of the millennium target programmes. It’s necessary to build a national action programme on gender equality along with enacting the Law on Gender Equality, he said, adding that the Government has requested the Ministry of Labour, Invalid and Social Affairs to work with the Vietnam Women’s Union to implement this programme. Improving the legal system and promoting communication on gender equality at all levels is also important, he noted. The Government is preparing a bill for submission to the National Assembly to approve the law on developing small-and medium-sized enterprises, focusing on female entrepreneurs, he said. The PM noted that Vietnam had more than 110,000 businesses in 2016, but only a small proportion of them are owned by women. The Government has designed a programme to help women run small-and medium-sized businesses, he said. In Vietnam, nearly 50 percent of workers are women and the start-up programme was launched for both men and women, but the Government will pay special attention to small-and medium-sized enterprises run by women, he affirmed. He hoped 35 percent of small-and medium-sized companies will be owned by women in 2020. The PM also pledged to approve a project supporting female entrepreneurs of the Vietnam Women’s Union. Epic tale staged in Hà Nội to celebrate Women’s Day Vietnamese writer Nguyễn Du’s classic Tale of Kiều will be performed at the Việt Nam National Drama Theater until March 10 to celebrate International Women’s Day, which falls today. The theatre, located at 1 Tràng Tiền Street, is staging the play from March 1-10 at 8pm.  The play - directed by People’s Artist Anh Tú - tells the Tale of Kiều in a new way, combining singing, dancing and body art. However, he respects the story’s original content:  the injustice of Vietnamese feudal society and the emotional suffering of people, especially women. The work, which debuted November of last year, celebrates kindness, filial piety, and loyalty. The Tale of Kiều, an epic poem written by Nguyễn Du (1765–1820), is widely regarded as the most significant work of Vietnamese literature. It depicts the arduous life of Thúy Kiều, a beautiful and talented young woman who had to sell herself into prostitution to save her father from prison. Nguyễn Du overcame harsh social prejudice to praise Kiều’s physical and soulful beauty, as well as her talents and personality. VN celebrates female nation builders Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng yesterday praised the significant contributions made by Vietnamese women in the past struggles for national independence and the current task of nation-building. Delivering the opening address at the 12th National Women’s Congress in Hà Nội, he said women, accounting for more than half of the population and 48 per cent of workforce, have been active in every field. They have actively responded to patriotic emulation campaigns and abided by Party guidelines and State laws, he said. He also congratulated the women’s movement and the Việt Nam Women’s Union (VWU) for their past achievements. The Congress for the 2017-2022 tenure, themed “Solidarity – Renovation – Equality – Integration,” attracted 1,153 delegates representing women from all walks of life across the country. The Party leader also praised the Women’s Union for continuing to play a crucial role in promoting the cause of gender equality cause and performing better its tasks of representing and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of women. The VWU has served as a bridge connecting the Party and women, contributed to strengthening national unity and building a strong and transparent Party and political system, he said. Trọng noted that the presence of female leadership in the political system was growing, with 25 per cent of legislators being women. Women working in the science and technology sector account for nearly 40 per cent, he added. He said the VWU needs to fully grasp the Resolution adopted by the 12th National Party Congress and take specific measures to implement its provisions. The leader urged further improvement in the quality of emulation campaigns, combining it with those launched by the Việt Nam Fatherland Front to support the poor and following the moral example set by President Hồ Chí Minh. VWU chapters at all levels should continue assisting women in implementing policies related to marriage, families, healthcare for mothers and children, and environmental protection, he said. He said the VWU chapters should adopt uniform measures for advancement of women in terms of brainpower, innovation capacity and sense of civic responsibility while building a contingent of qualified staff with political firmness and virtue. They should introduce capable women to Party committees, local authorities, ministries, agencies and sectors from the grassroots to the central level, he said. Trọng asked the VWU to seriously implement the Resolution on Party building and rectification passed by the fourth plenum of the 12th Party Central Committee. It should encourage its members to engage in the tasks of social supervision and join the fight against corruption, wastefulness and other negative phenomena, he said. Trọng also urged Party committees, local authorities and sectors to devise specific plans to improve the efficiency of women’s work and the operations of VWU chapters, and raise public awareness of gender equality. VWU Chairwoman for the 11th tenure, Nguyễn Thị Thu Hà, said the Congress will review past activities, discuss orientations and goals for the 2017-2022 tenure, adopt amendments and supplements to the union’s regulations and elect an executive board for the VWU Central Committee. A highlight in the past tenure was support for women in economic development, she said, adding that VWU chapters had helped more than 2.4 million poor households led by women. With funding from Vietnam Bank for Social Policies and the Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development 430,000 of them have escaped poverty, she added. The VWU raised over VNĐ1 trillion (US$43.4 million) to assist policy beneficiaries and families of soldiers tasked with safeguarding sea and island sovereignty. It helped repaired about 20,000 houses and successfully proposed 119 policies. During the 2017-2022 tenure, VWU will continue improving the material and spiritual lives of women, build a strong and professional women’s union and continue emulation campaigns to promote gender equality and women’s advancement. It will focus on three key tasks of assisting women in building a happy family, in engaging in start-ups, and in protecting the environment. Members would contribute to Party-buidling and step up people-to-people diplomacy, she said. VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri/VNE