Social News 19/4 Labour inspection campaign in electronic sector launched   A labour inspection campaign targeting the electronic sector was launched in the northern province of Vinh Phuc on April 18. The campaign is co-hosted by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA), the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry under the auspices of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). It aims to promote compliance with labour regulations for the sustainable development of electronic enterprises. The campaign aims to increase the number of firms and buildings subject to inspection to at least 500 during April-December and looks to raise the awareness of employers and workers of labour law as well as safety standards and labour hygiene in the sector. The inspections will focus on compliance with labour regulations, social insurance in enterprises, detecting and addressing violations, and collecting feedback for revising legal documents. The activity also aims to review the outcomes of the previous campaign, thus making better plan for the next. The Ministry is developing a strategy on promoting compliance of labour regulations in the sector. Accordingly, all enterprises in the sector are expected to observe labour regulations and labour hygiene and safety by 2020, thus contributing to sustainable development of enterprises and the sector. Competition on Vietnam-Laos relations history launched The Party Central Committee’s Information and Education Commission launched a competition on history of the Vietnam-Laos relationship at a press conference in Hanoi on April 18. As part of activities to mark the 55th anniversary of Vietnam-Laos diplomatic ties (September 5, 1962-2017), the move aims to promote popularisation and raise public awareness, especially that of young people, of the Vietnam-Laos special friendship. Deputy Head of the Commission Pham Van Linh said this is a practical activity to respond to the Vietnam-Laos Friendship and Solidarity Year 2017, contributing to tightening the bilateral ties and fighting hostile forces’ acts to distort the history of the Vietnam-Laos special solidarity and friendship. The organising board said multiple-choice questions will be available on the website: http://dangcongsan.vn, while questions for writing will be given by the Information and Education Magazine under the commission. The multiple-choice questions will be conducted every week, beginning from May 2 through December 22. Meanwhile, the time for the writing contest will be from October 1-31.  Overseas Vietnamese and Lao, and foreigners are encouraged to join the contest. The awarding ceremony was slated for December this year. HCM City orders improved emergency treatment Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Health has instructed general hospitals to improve emergency aid treatment in an aim to reduce overcrowding at Cho Ray Hospital. These so-called first-category hospitals are health facilities with highly professional staff, specialised departments and modern medical equipment and facilities. The hospitals include Gia Dinh People’s Hospital, Nguyen Tri Phuong Hospital, 115 People Hospital and Trung Vuong Hospital, among others. The hospitals have been told to develop specialised treatment for serious burns, multiple organ failure and snake bites. Last year, general hospitals were required to set up one ward for treatment of stroke, as required by the Health Ministry. Patients with serious diseases and conditions needing emergency aid are often brought to Cho Ray Hospital from province- or district-level hospitals in the city and other southern provinces. At a meeting held last week to review medical treatment in the first quarter, Dr Pham Thi Ngoc Thao, Deputy Director of Cho Ray Hospital, said the hospital treated 28,000 patients with emergency aid in the first quarter, including 14,455 from the city’s district-level hospitals. During holidays or Lunar New Year (Tet), the hospital’s emergency aid department was overcrowded, Thao said. The department has the capacity to perform 150 surgeries a day, but around 30 patients usually have to wait because of overcrowding. Many of them wait for up to 12 hours, but still cannot be served, she said, adding that the risk was too high for some patients. Of district-level hospitals, Cu Chi District Hospital has the highest number of patients transferred to Cho Ray Hospital, according to the Department of Health. Dr Ho Hai Truong Giang, Director of Cu Chi District Hospital, said that patients taken to Cho Ray Hospital had serious brain injuries or coronary problems that cannot be treated by doctors at his hospital. He said that relatives often ask doctors to transfer the patient to Cho Ray Hospital because they trust the doctors there. Cho Ray Hospital’s doctors, however, have told Cu Chi District Hospital not to transfer patients. In a related matter, Deputy Director of the Department of Health, Tang Chi Thuong, said that HCM City Orthopaedics and Trauma Hospital should develop a ward for brain injuries. In addition, hospitals, especially district-level, should co-operate with higher-level hospitals to carry out emergency aid called Red Alerts to avoid transfers. In the procedure, emergency ward doctors can evaluate the patient’s condition and then activate a Red Alert to seek help from doctors at another hospital, he said. Doctors at Cho Ray Hospital and University Medical Centre are ready to provide assistance for doctors at lower-level hospitals, Thuong said. Assistance offered to more than 30 million children    The National Fund for Vietnamese Children (NFVC) has mobilised more than 5.5 trillion VND (243.3 million USD), goods and volunteers to support some 30 million children across the country. The information was released by NFVC Director Hoang Van Tien at a meeting with press on the organisation’s 25th anniversary in Hanoi on April 18. Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Hong Lan underlined the remarkable contributions the organisation has made to Vietnamese children. The fund has served as a bridge connecting the community, society, international organisations and children, encouraging the community to protect and educate children. Over the past 25 years, the fund has organised numerous activities, including the 15-year “For children’s hearts” programme funding heart surgeries worth nearly 80 billion VND (3.54 million USD) and a functional rehabilitation programme for children with disabilities, particularly victims of Agent Orange/dioxin. Since 2001, 34 rehabilitation centres have been established in 24 provinces and cities nationwide, benefiting more than 23,000 children. Since 2000, the fund has also provided long-term financial assistance for thousands of orphan students or those whose parents are disabled or unable to work, giving each about three-six million VND per year, worth a total of 6.6 billion VND (292,000 USD). The Deputy Minister urged the fund to improve their operations and methods to mobilise resources and donations while promoting its activities to draw attention from organisations and individuals. According to Tien, the fund aims to provide long-term assistance for children, so they can continue their education and have a better life. The organisation will also build schools in mountainous, border and sea-island areas and provide eye check-ups for students. By 2020, the fund aims to mobilise 80 billion VND (3.54 million USD) per year. A ceremony will be held in the Hanoi Opera House on May 4 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the fund (May 4). Hanoi woman kicked off plane faces no-fly ban A Hanoi woman who claimed to have bought "thousands of air tickets" after she was kicked out of an airplane over improper behavior earlier this month seems to be unable to afford an administrative fine of less than US$200. Tran Thi T., hailing from Hanoi’s Thanh Xuan District, is likely to be banned from flying for up to six months for ignoring the sanction. The 44-year-old was asked to leave the Hanoi-bound Vietjet flight VJ134 from Ho Chi Minh City on April 3 when she made a scene shortly after boarding. A video showed T. repeatedly yelling at the flight attendants and verbally attacking a passenger who attempted to stop her. The woman repeatedly said she had “bought thousands of air tickets” from the airline, and that “[her] seat is in business class, not economy.” The quarrelsome woman was eventually taken off the flight, which was forced to take off 50 minutes later than scheduled. Airport security officers later slapped her with a VND4 million (US$180) fine. More than two weeks later, T. has failed to pay the fine, which may earn her a flight ban, the Southern Airports Authority said on April 17. “We have asked local authorities in her registered residence to help her to pay the fine,” the Southern Airports Authority deputy director Nguyen Minh Tuan told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper. “If she continues to ignore it, we will report the matter to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, which will impose a limited no-fly ban on her.” Tuan said while it is not clear how long the aviation watchdog will ban T. from traveling by air, “similar violations like hers are normally subject to a six-month ban.” T. disturbed flight VJ134 because she had missed the boarding gate change announcement and was unsatisfied with her allocated seat upon boarding. Besides verbally attacking flight attendants, she also ignored an order to leave the plane by the captain, and refused to sign the case record prepared by airport security officers. Subsidence ‘more urgent’ than rising sea level in southern Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City and provinces of the Mekong Delta region in southern Vietnam are sinking at an alarming rate, posing grave danger to the local economy and livelihoods, experts have warned. Alarming numbers about land subsidence in Ho Chi Minh City have been published in a study by a group of scientists at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Van Trung. The scientists looked at remote sensing images of the area taken between 1992 and 2010, with updates added in 2016, to observe changes in land level over the years. The results were shocking – the districts of Binh Chanh, Binh Tan, 8, 7, 2, 12, Thu Duc and Nha Be in Ho Chi Minh City are all suffering from complete or partial subsidence at a rate of 5-10 millimeters per year. The sinking of land was attributed to excessive extraction of groundwater, as well as rapid urbanization that has placed tremendous pressure on the ground. Its consequences include the expansion of areas affected by high tides, as well as the salinization of water stored at different levels underground, threatening farming and sustainable agriculture. According to Dr. Trung, land subsidence has been warned of by local and foreign experts for years, though the situation is not yet “frightening” enough. To give a comparison, Trung said that China’s Shanghai had subsided by 2.4 meters since experts began tracking, while Ho Chi Minh City had subsided around 0.4 meters in total. Trung warned authorities not to be comforted by those numbers. “We need to come up with a solution to the problem now, or some parts of the city will submerge once our subsidence gets as bad as Shanghai’s,” Trung said. In some areas of the southern metropolis, the consequences of land subsidence had already become apparent. At the foot of a pedestrian bridge on Vo Van Kiet Boulevard in Binh Tan District, the ground has sunk by up to 20 centimeters, revealing parts of a bridge that were previously underground. At the residence of Nguyen Van Ut in the same district, walls have been damaged by the constantly shifting foundation. “It’s not hard to notice the subsidence,” Ut said. “My house was the most solidly built in the neighborhood, but you can see it’s clearly leaning if you look down from the roof.” Four years ago, Ut’s house was 0.5 meters above ground level, but has since sunk to the same level as the street. The study led by Dr. Trung also looked at land subsidence in the Mekong Delta region, where they said it was most noticeable in the districts of Ninh Kieu, Binh Thuy and Cai Rang in Can Tho City. According to Dr. Le Xuan Thuyen from the Ho Chi Minh City University of Science, Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta provinces are built on soft geological layers, causing the area to sink faster than other regions. Excessive and illegal sand mining on southern rivers has also played its part in accelerating the process, Thuyen said, citing a statistic saying that the reserves of sediment in the Mekong River had dropped by half since 1984. According to Nguyen Huu Thien, an independent expert on the Mekong Delta ecosystem, land subsidence was a more urgent threat in southern Vietnam than rising sea level. Sea level is rising at the average rate of three millimeters per year, Thien said, while land subsidence is occurring up to ten times faster. Culture festival starts Apr. 19 in Hanoi The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has announced it will hold a culture festival April 19-23 at the Vietnam Ethnic Group Village in the capital city of Hanoi. The opening ceremony of the festival will broadcast live on the Voice on Vietnam (VOV) and Vietnam Television (VTV) channels. Events planned during the festival include handicraft exhibitions, art shows, music and dance performances, sporting events, parades and cultural events. South African Honorary Consulate donates five houses to Navy South African Honourary Consul Đỗ Thị Kim Liên and VASS Assurance Corp today donated five houses worth VNĐ350 million (US$15,418) to social welfare beneficiaries of the Navy. The donation was made via the Vừ A Dính Scholarship Fund and The Club for Beloved Hoàng Sa and Trường Sa, with former Vice President Trương Mỹ Hoa the chairwoman of the fund and the club. Also on Monday, the South African Honorary Consulate held a ceremony to celebrate the 23rd anniversary of South African Freedom Day. Liên said South Africa has high demand for Vietnamese goods. The country has imported a large volume of products in which Việt Nam has advantages, including footwear, garments and textiles, coffee, rice, gemstones and metals, timber and timber products. Badminton teams vie for title in Thái Nguyên The National Team’s Badminton Championship is in progress in Thái Nguyên Province with the participation of nearly 90 players. Among 14 teams, eight are competing in the men’s category. All the nation’s strongest players such as Nguyễn Tiến Minh of HCM City, Vũ Thị Trang and Nguyễn Thị Sen of Bắc Giang, Lê Thu Huyền and Đỗ Hồng Nam from Hà Nội are taking part in the tournament. The first round of the event saw Hà Nội beating Đà Nẵng 4-1 in the women’s category. On the men’s side, Public Security won 4-1 over Hải Phòng and Bắc Ninh defeated Thái Nguyên 3-2. The third championship will have a purse of VNĐ400 million to decide to winner. Semi-finals and finals will be aired live on VTV6 from 2pm on Friday and Saturday. Track-and-field athletes compete in Thống Nhất Speed Cup The Thống Nhất Speed Cup athletics tournament kicked off yesterday at the HCM City’s Thống Nhất Stadium. Nearly 500 athletes are taking part in the event which is divided into two stages, one for seniors and one for the youth. The senior athletes will compete in 12 disciplines each for men and women, while the juniors will vie for success in nine disciplines. Nguyễn Trung Hinh, deputy chairman of the Việt Nam Athletics Federation, said this year the tournament had seen a huge number of participants. He hoped that new talents would be discovered at the event, who could strengthen the national team that will be taking part in many international and regional tournaments later this year. The tournament will end today. Traffic accidents in Hanoi slightly decrease   Traffic accidents in Hanoi killed 129 people and injured 274 others in recent months, a decline compared to the same period last year, announced the Hanoi Department of Transport. The number of dead and injured dropped by 8.5 percent and 7.7 percent respectively, from mid-December 2016 to mid-March 2017. There were 338 accidents, a decrease of 1.7 percent. The outcome was attributed to measures local authorities deployed to prevent traffic jams and accidents. However, there was a rise in railway accidents in the first three months of 2017, with seven accidents claiming seven lives, an increase of three cases year-on-year. In the first quarter of 2017, the city traffic police handled more than 11,700 cases of traffic violations, with total fines of about 22.3 billion VND (981,000 USD). Nearly 160 vehicles were seized and 1,587 drivers had their driving licences revoked.- Quang Binh tourism recovers from sea environmental incident Despite it only being the beginning of the travel season, the central province of Quang Binh has welcomed numerous tourists, showing signs of recovery from last year’s Formosa-caused sea environmental incident. According to data from the provincial tourism sector, local three – star and above hotels received considerable numbers of bookings in the first quarter of this year. The number of tourists who booked rooms for the April 30 – May 1 holiday filled 70 – 90 percent of capacity of the hotels by mid-April. Quang Binh province has taken measures to attract more visitors, with a Dong Hoi – Quang Binh culture and tourism week taking place during the April 30 – May 1 holiday with various activities such as street festival, cuisine festival and boat racing. HIV, tuberculosis services continue in districts, communes An HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis (TB) integrated treatment model has continued to be piloted at district and communal clinic centres in 18 provinces with high and medium rate of HIV this year, according to the Vietnam Administration for HIV/AIDS Control (VAAC) under the Ministry of Health. VAAC Deputy Director General Bui Duc Duong said that TB is the most common opportunistic infection associated with HIV and a leading cause of death among people with HIV. Persons infected with HIV are 19 times more likely to develop TB than those without HIV. HIV-infected people also face the emerging threat of drug-resistant TB. In 2015, some 390,000 people died of HIV-associated TB in the world, accounting for 25 percent of global HIV deaths. There are an estimated 5,500 HIV-associated TB cases in Vietnam, Duong added. HIV/AIDS and TB services are being provided separately at numerous district clinic centres, inconveniencing patients. The integrated model has been introduced at district and communal clinics to enhance management and provide comprehensive service for HIV- associated TB patients, he said. The model was piloted in Nho Quan district in Ninh Binh province and Hung Ha district in Thai Binh province during 2013-2015. It was enlarged to other 12 provinces in 2015-2016. According to the Vietnam National Hospital of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases, after two years of the model, the rate of detection of TB for HIV patients increased while rate of HIV-associated TB patients receiving treatment also rose. In addition, people with TB received consultations and HIV tests at the integration clinics and those with HIV were treated at the same centre. The integration model also helps reduce costs at local clinics and enhances quality of diagnosis and treatment. Child abuse cases prompt VN province to install cameras in kindergartens Education authorities in Vietnam's central province of Thua Thien-Hue have ordered local nursery schools and kindergartens to install surveillance cameras in classrooms and toilets to protect kids following recent child abuse scandals that have caused public uproar across the country. Pham Van Hung, head of the province's Education and Training Department, told the education ministry he had made the request and also asked local educational establishments to improve walls and fences. Hung said parents of small children are dismayed over the rising number of child sexual and physical abuse cases recently exposed in Vietnam. "The installation of cameras in classrooms and toilets aims to monitor teachers and detect any ill-intentioned strangers attempting to break into schools," said Hung. It was not immediately clear if the policy has been approved. A number of pre-school establishments in Thua Thien-Hue have installed surveillance cameras in classrooms. Ton Nu Luc Ha, headmaster of Hoa Mai Kindergarten in Hue, said her school has installed 28 cameras in 24 classrooms and function rooms. "Images of the classrooms and the function rooms are recorded and transmitted to a large screen with a regular observer," Ha said. "The system will help our school to monitor teachers and prevent abusive behavior towards kids." In Vietnam, more than 8,200 cases of child abuse were brought to light between 2011 and 2015, including 5,300 cases of sexual abuse, according to official figures released last year. In most cases the perpetrators were people with authority over the children, like teachers, school security guards and relatives. Experts said at a recent conference that sexual abuse cases in Vietnam tend to be prolonged or even buried due to legal loopholes that require evidence of serious physical effects on the victims. In March, intensive mainstream and social media reports angered the public and prompted top government officials to intervene following the exposure of several child sexual abuse cases. Police have arrested two male suspects, namely a 76-year-old accused of molesting seven girls at an apartment building in the southern beach town of Vung Tau, and a 34-year-old Hanoian for assaulting his 8-year-old neighbor.     Assistance offered to more than 30 million children The National Fund for Vietnamese Children (NFVC) has mobilised more than VND5.5 trillion (US$243.3 million), goods and volunteers to support some 30 million children across the country. The information was released by NFVC Director Hoang Van Tien at a meeting with press on the organisation’s 25th anniversary in Hanoi on April 18. Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Hong Lan underlined the remarkable contributions the organisation has made to Vietnamese children. The fund has served as a bridge connecting the community, society, international organisations and children, encouraging the community to protect and educate children. Over the past 25 years, the fund has organised numerous activities, including the 15-year “For children’s hearts” programme funding heart surgeries worth nearly VND80 billion (US$3.54 million) and a functional rehabilitation programme for children with disabilities, particularly victims of Agent Orange/dioxin. Since 2001, 34 rehabilitation centres have been established in 24 provinces and cities nationwide, benefiting more than 23,000 children. Since 2000, the fund has also provided long-term financial assistance for thousands of orphan students or those whose parents are disabled or unable to work, giving each about three-six million VND per year, worth a total of VND6.6 billion (US$292,000). The Deputy Minister urged the fund to improve their operations and methods to mobilise resources and donations while promoting its activities to draw attention from organisations and individuals. According to Tien, the fund aims to provide long-term assistance for children, so they can continue their education and have a better life. The organisation will also build schools in mountainous, border and sea-island areas and provide eye check-ups for students. By 2020, the fund aims to mobilise VND80 billion (US$3.54 million) per year. A ceremony will be held in the Hanoi Opera House on May 4 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the fund (May 4). Vietnamese aviation authority close to all clear for direct flights to US Vietnam’s aviation authority is likely to have its safety credentials approved by the US next month as part of the process to allow Vietnamese airlines to open direct flights to the US, a Vietnamese aviation official said. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is expected to grant its approval in May for the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) to get its Category 1 (CAT1) rating, which recognizes the CAAV as having the capacity to ensure safety on Vietnamese airlines. “Pending further good results, the FAA will give official recognition this year,” CAAV director Lai Xuan Thanh told VnExpress. The CAAV currently follows standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization, but in order to earn the CAT1 it has to make certain improvements, including completing a new set of regulations, ensuring a sufficient number of staff and improving its supervisory capacity. Thanh said Vietnam is prepared for the overall assessment on aviation safety supervision and US evaluation. After receiving the CAT1 rating, the CAAV will supervise airlines based in Vietnam and ensure they are eligible to operate direct flights to the US. Vietnam and the US signed an air transport agreement in 2003 to allow airlines to operate direct flights between the two countries. In 2004, national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines sought permission from the US to provide direct services. However, the request was denied because the CAAV did not meet safety supervision requirements set by the FAA. The airline said it has reapplied to the US Department of Transportation to launch direct flights, and if Vietnam gets the CAT1 rating, Vietnam Airlines will start offering the service in 2018.     Thanh Hoa’s Sam Son town becomes city Sam Son town was promoted to a city in the north central coastal province of Thanh Hoa at the ongoing ninth session of the 14th National Assembly Standing Committee in Hanoi on April 19. Deputies also agreed with the establishment of four wards, namely Quang Cu, Quang Chau, Quang Tho, and Quang Vinh in Sam Son town. The move aims to meet the local urbanization process and develop Sam Son into a national tourist city. It also looks to create a development triangle area, encompassing Thanh Hoa city, Sam Son city, and Nghi Son Economic Zone, which will be an important momentum for economic growth in the province and the north central region generally. With the establishment of four wards and one city, Thanh Hoa still keeps the number of administrative units at 27 at the district level and 635 at the communal level. The province is now home to two cities, one town, 24 districts, 34 wards, 28 townships, and 573 communes. Sam Son city will cover 44.94 square kilometers with a population of 150,902 and 11 communal administrative units. Deputies suggested the province devise measures to ensure defense security and social order and safety as well as pay attention to eco-environmental protection and cultural preservation and changing jobs for locals. Metropole Hanoi to host Michelin-starred chef The Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi is set to welcome Christophe Lerouy, a French Michelin-starred chef, for two unique culinary experiences on April 28 and 29 at the hotel’s French fine-dining restaurant, Le Beaulieu. “This meeting of culinary masterminds brings passionate foodies together in both the kitchen and dining room, offering an unforgettable dining experience,” said Mr. Franck Lafourcade, the Metropole’s General Manager. “We are excited to have Chef Christophe Lerouy with us and we’re looking forward to two special evenings of excellent food and wine.” Part of the Metropole’s annual Les Arômes Festival, the dinners will see Chef Lerouy bring his eclectic Asian-inspired French fare to Hanoi for the first time. True epicureans can look forward to a four-course dinner on April 28, which will include such mouthwatering dishes as warm oysters, torched foie gras, apple wasabi puree, and Iberico ham stock. The sensory explosion is set to continue the following evening, when Chef Lerouy teams up with the Metropole’s Chef de Cuisine, Olivier Génique, to cook a five-course feast. Both will prepare two courses, featuring such imported delicacies as seared Hokkaido scallops and Argentinian striploin, before joining forces for the final act: a surprise chocolate-infused dessert. The dinner will also welcome Mr. Basile Guibert, owner of the widely-celebrated Languedoc wine estate, Daumas Gassac. For many, this estate needs no introduction. Brought to Hanoi by Red Apron, the world-famous red is an intriguing blend of Cabernet Sauvignon along with a mix of indigenous and more unusual varieties from the south of France, such as Grenache, Cinsault and Tempranillo. Mas De Daumas Gassac Blanc is a similarly fascinating blend of grape varieties, with Chardonnay and Viognier taking center stage. With more than 20 years of experience in various Michelin-starred restaurants around the world, including Amador in Abu Dhabi and Jardin des Sens in Montpellier, Chef Lerouy was awarded his first Michelin star at Alma by Juan Amador in Singapore where he was Chef de Cuisine. After leaving Alma last year, 34-year-old Christophe launched his own restaurant, DSTLLRY par Christophe Lerouy in Singapore, serving French cuisine with subtle infusions of Asian techniques and ingredients. Now in its eleventh year, the annual Les Arômes Festival has become one of Vietnam’s most anticipated culinary events, with a range of taste-bud tickling events, including gourmet dinners, wine tastings and auctions, as well as bread and chocolate-making classes. Open to both hotel guests and non-hotel guests, each dinner is priced at VND1,800,000++ ($79) per person.   ICAP's delegation visits HCMC Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City Union of Friendship Organizations Huynh Minh Thien yesterday received a delegation form the Cuban Institute for Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP). Deputy Chairwoman of Vietnam- Cuba Friendship Association Marta Rojas Rodrigues led the delegation. Attending in the welcome ceremony was Chairwoman of Vietnam- Cuba Friendship Association in Ho Chi Minh City Truong Thi Hien, Deputy Chief of ICAP Alicia Corredera Morales and Vice ambassador of Cuba in Vietnam Nancy Coro Aguiar. At the meeting, Chairman Huynh Minh Thien announced activities of HUFO to the delegation. In the previous time, HUFO and the Vietnam- Cuba Friendship Association closely collaborated with Cuba General Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City to kick off meaningful activities that contributed to strengthen friendship relations between Cuba and Vietnam, including Ho Chi Minh City. On behalf of the ICAP delegation, Ms. Marta Rojas Rodrigues thanked Ho Chi Minh City for its meaningful activities and contributions in enhancing solidarity and friendships with her country. Surgeons in province hospital remove 6kg ovarian tumor    Teams of surgeons in the Maternity Hospital in the northern province of Quang Ninh were successful in removing 6kg ovarian tumor for a woman yesterday. The woman was hospitalized when she suffered pain in belly and her abdomen was big abnormally. Through examining, doctors discovered a big tumor in her ovary; accordingly they asked the woman to stay in hospital for treatment. Scan and MRI results showed the woman has a tumor measured 35x25x35 cm. An hour surgery was performed to remove the tumor. She recovered after the operation. Audio books on law for blind people launched The Department of Justice in Ho Chi Minh City and Library for Blind People yesterday jointly organized a meeting about a program to introduce audio books on law for visually impaired people. The program aims to increase information of law to people in the city especially people with visual impairment, people from ethnic minority groups, elderly people, housewives, fishermen, prisoners, people in rehabilitation centers and others in and outside the country who have demand to understand Vietnamese law. The book program is under two forms; via the website of the library for blind people and CD-ROM named “Book on law” provided to associations and schools for disabled people who find reading a strain and others. The Library for visually impaired people was set up in 1998. Until now, it has had over 1,300 books of various kinds to serve 90 centers for visual impaired or partial sighted people across the country and schools for special disabled people in HCMC. From 2009, the library acttracted one million people who are difficult in reading and normal people. It is scheduled in 2017, four audio books on law ( or four CD ) will be published on justice, law of Birth, Marriage and Death; law of Marriage and Family, and Law for Disabled People, Civil law, Labor law, Social Insurance law, Labor Safety law, National Defense – Security, Islands and Sea law. In 2018, the program will further introduction of documents of law and the government’s policies. Deputy Head of the municipal Department of Justice Le Thi Binh Minh presented 30 CD-ROMs to the association of the Blind to distribute to its sub-departments. Poet Xuan Quynh bestowed Ho Chi Minh Prize Vietnam's most famous modern woman poet, Xuan Quynh was awarded the Ho Chi Minh Prize in Literature and Arts, the highest prize of its kind in Viet Nam. The decision No.602 was signed by President Tran Dai Quang on March 30 to present the title for her collections of poems, “Loi ru mat dat” (The lullaby of the earth) and children's poetry book “Bau troi trong qua trung” (The sky in an egg). Poet Xuan Quynh (1942-1988) was born in the northern province of Ha Tay.Her husband is Luu Quang Vu, a poet and famous playwright. She is well-known for romantic poems, such as Song (wave), Thuyen va bien (Boat and sea), Tho Tinh Cuoi Mua Thu (Love Poem for End of Autumn). Hot weather continues covering HCMC in next three days The National Hydrology Meteorology Forecast Center yesterday issued the weather forecast news for next three days that the highest daytime temperature in Ho Chi Minh City will be up to 35- 36 degrees Celsius. However, thunderstorm and lighting are warned to occur in the area of Ho Chi Minh City in the evening. At present, a low depression zone appeares in the center East Sea. Its eye is at 16 degrees north latitude and 117.1 degrees east longitude, at around 560 kilometers of southeastwards. The maximum wind speed near the center is below 40 kilometers an hour. The low depression zone is forecast moving the north- northeastwards at 15 kilometers per hour towards the Philippines’s Luzong Islands which will cause showery weather over the southern region. ASEAN Community exhibition to be held in Da Nang Central Da Nang city will host the ASEAN Community Exhibition from May 19-25 to mark the 50th founding anniversary of ASEAN. The Da Nang Museum, which covers 3,000sq.m, is home to 2,500 objects, photos and documents on culture of Da Nang and neighbouring central provinces. In addition, the activities will be held in the city and the provinces of Ninh Binh and Thanh Hoa to celebrate ASEAN’s establishment (August 8, 1997) through May and June. The museum, which was built on the old location of the Dien Hai Citadel under the Nguyen Dynasty in 1802-1860 in the 19th century, also preserves a collection of 11 cannons unearthed at the citadel from 1979-2008. The exhibition, held in Viet Nam in 2015 and 2016, will feature 300 photos and 100 films and documents on land, people, environmental protection, climate change and nationalities in the ASEAN community. Ministry implements seriously policies for revolutionary contributors The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs has been implementing seriously the preferential policies designed for people who made significant contributions to the cause of national revolution. Minister Dao Ngoc Dung made the remarks at a hearing at the ninth meeting of the 14th National Assembly Standing Committee in Hanoi on April 18, which is the first time a Question-&-Answer session has been held by the current NA Standing Committee. He said the ministry has coordinated with relevant ministries and departments to promulgate documents guiding the implementation of preferential policies on revolutionary contributors, under the Government’s Decree No.31/2013/ND-CP dated April 9, 2013. The country has confirmed over 9 million revolutionary contributors, making up nearly 10 percent of the total population. More than 1.4 million of revolutionary contributors and their families are receiving monthly allowances, he noted. The ministry reviewed the list of revolutionary contributors in 2014 and 2015, and found around 28,500 cases when self-claimed contributors have not received benefits. However, Minister Dung said the verification of those cases faces difficulties due to lack of documents as evidence, which is also the biggest problem in this field. According to the minister, inspections so far also revealed the misapplication of preferential policies in 1,872 cases. Regarding the preparation for the 70th anniversary of the War Invalids and Martyrs Day (July 27), Dung said various activities will be held to mark the event, including a meeting in Hanoi, a national conference to honour people who rendered services to the revolution,  and commemorative and incense-offering ceremonies at cemeteries of fallen soldiers nationwide. Seminar promotes introduction of ASEAN Community The Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted a seminar in Hanoi on April 18 to discuss measures to promotes the role played by communications agencies in popularising the ASEAN Community. The event updated press agencies with ASEAN-related information, making it easier for them to have feature stories on specific benefits brought by the ASEAN Community, towards raising public awareness of the importance of the community. In his opening remarks, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung emphasised the role played by the communications circle in the work, saying that this is a crucial tool to introducing benefits of the ASEAN Community to the public. Ministries and sectors should consider ASEAN cooperation promotion as a priority, and need to enhance links among various sectors in the process, he noted. Representatives from a number of ministries mentioned issues concerning intra-bloc economic and tourism cooperation, incentives from tariff commitments; transport links within ASEAN; ASEAN integration initiatives; mutual recognition agreements in ASEAN’s sectors; and migrant labour in ASEAN. The seminar heard that ASEAN member nations achieved hundreds of agreements and commitments to almost fields, especially those that bring direct interests to the people such as commitments to tariff and technical barrier removal; investment liberalisation and facilitation; agreements facilitating passenger and commodity transport, labour movement, and tourism, and education cooperation programmes. On the occasion, speakers from ministries also gave reply to press agencies’ queries about the significance of free trade agreements within the bloc, and what Vietnam does to take advantage of opportunities in the integration process.   VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri/VNE