Social News 10/10 Vice President greets former Vietnamese teachers in Thailand   The Vietnamese Party and Government always give attentions to overseas Vietnamese, including those living in Thailand, said Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh. The Vice President made the statement on October 10 at a meeting with 84 former Vietnamese teachers in Thailand, who have been on an eight-day trip to Vietnam. Thinh said the teachers have contributed significantly to preserving and promoting Vietnamese language and culture in Thailand, and expressed her hope that they would continue doing so in the time to come. She asked the Foreign Ministry and the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs to continue organising trips for overseas Vietnamese with substantial contributions to visit the home country. For their part, representatives of the delegation thanked the Vietnamese Government’s support, including the provision of teaching materials and training courses, and construction of schools. They vowed to continue educating younger generations to make contributions to their home country. French education fair lures Vietnam students Huge numbers of Vietnamese high-school, college and university students on Saturday visited a French education fair at the Rex Hotel in District 1, HCMC to learn about the French higher education system and look for scholarships. The annual event, titled “Bienvenue en France,” is an opportunity for local students, parents and others interested in study in France to seek information about undergraduate, postgraduate, pathway programs, domestic programs leading to France-accredited degrees, admission requirements, and scholarship and career opportunities. Consul General of France in HCMC Vincent Floreani told the Daily at the event that around 6,500 Vietnamese are studying in France and every year some 1,400 new students come to France for education. France is endowed with picturesque landscapes, world-renowned architectural works, long-standing cultural values and high quality of life, thus contributing to a strong increase in the number of Vietnamese students to the country, the consul general said. He is pinning high hopes that more young Vietnamese would learn the French language and study French history, culture and lifestyle to open up more career prospects and boost cultural exchanges between the two countries. Le Khanh Hung, an 11th grader at Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted in District 5, HCMC, said that he began taking French courses at the Institute of Cultural Exchanges with France (Idecaf) in District 1 when he was in grade nine as a preparatory step to fulfill his dream of attending France’s Strasbourg University. “The French language is much harder to learn than English but my love for French culture, music, cuisine and ancient architecture has led me to learn the French language over the years,” the 17-year-old added. The fair featured scores of seminars and booths allowing visitors to explore France’s features regarding cuisine, culture, art and lifestyle and understand why France has been one of the popular choices for overseas study among Vietnamese students. Visitors also had the opportunity to meet with official representatives of 45 schools, including prestigious universities, engineering schools, business schools and other specialized institutions from France and receive guidance on visa procedures and scholarship opportunities. Vietnamese alumni and those currently studying in France were present to share their learning and job-seeking experiences, administrative procedures, accommodation and student life in France. The fair was organized by the French Embassy in Vietnam in conjunction with Campus France Vietnam, a national agency for the promotion of higher education, international student services and international mobility under the management of the Embassy of France in Vietnam. A similar event took place at Pullman Hanoi Hotel in the capital on Sunday. History competition launched for senior high schoolers A competition on history and national culture yesterdaybwas launched amongst senior high schoolers in public schools and continuous studying centers nationwide. Tbe competition has been held by the Communist Youth Union and the Ministry of Education and Training. The two part competition includes online tests and video clip making. Online tests focus on the Vietnamese history and culture in the curriculum and dates of historic events, heroes, cultural celebrities, and outstanding Vietnamese in various fields of periods. Total awards are worth at VND378 million ($16,632). In addition to official prizes, the organizer also give prizes to schools with a large number of participants and most video clips. HCMC holds monthly meeting on food safety People’s Committee in Ho Chi Minh city will organize the monthly meeting with 24 districts on food safety in order to ensure the food safety for the community. The meeting aims to review tasks which are carried out and to resolve difficulties in handling food safety, increasing supervisions and impose strict penalties on violations. Moreover, a drill of how to treat and carry out poisoning cases involved in many people will be held, promote information of safe products in the chains as well as help customers to distinguish unsafe food. Additionally, authorities guide businesses and farms use good agricultural practice  and Good manufacturing practices (GMP) to satisfy contractual requirements with retail and food service buyers. Besides, authorities encourage farms not to use banned fertilizers, preservatives and partake in the safe food supply chain. Furthermore, the authorities crack down smuggling and sales of banned chemicals, pesticides, and animal drugs. The city will expand the farms which adopt ( Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practices) or other standards like GlobalGAP, set up safe food chain from production to consumption and continue control of traceable vegetables and meat. Fingerprint painting registers for Vietnam Record title The Northern Power Corporation under the Electricity of Vietnam (EVNNPC) is completing a fingerprint painting themed “Think about safety before taking action” to submit to the Vietnam Record Association for recognition as the painting made with the most fingerprints in the country. The picture was produced using the thumbprints of 5,000 people representing 27,778 executives and employees of the EVNNPC. The thumbprint collection drive was launched on September 18 at the corporation’s headquarters in Hanoi, and will end on October 20 in Vinh city of central Nghe An province. Mai Quang Hung, head of the Safety Board of the EVNNPC, said that safety is key in labour. Therefore, the painting shows the determination of the EVNNPC’s staff to prevent workplace accidents through the message “Think about safety before taking action,” he added. UNFPA helps Vietnam fight domestic violence The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) will help Vietnam fight gender-based and domestic violence under a project recently approved by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. The project will be carried out over the next four years with non-refundable official development assistance worth 3.7 million USD. Accordingly, Vietnam will be assisted to develop laws, policies, programmes and services relating to the prevention of and response to gender-based and domestic violence and prostitution issues, using evidence and a human rights-based approach. A study on behaviour changes in male chauvinism will be conducted as a basis for the revision of the Law on Gender Equality, the Law on Domestic Violence Prevention and Control, and other relevant policies. The project will also develop standards for gender-based violence prevention and control, along with a system to collect online information and data on domestic violence. At the same time, there will be communications campaigns on policy advocacy and behavior changes, in addition to models involving male farmers in the fight against gender-based violence. Scientific evidence will also be gathered to build a bill on prostitution. Capacity in building and implementing policies on gender equality, domestic violence prevention and control, and prostitution issues will also be enhanced through the project. The number of reported domestic violence cases in Vietnam exceeded 127,200 from 2012-2016. Some 83.69 percent of assaulters were men and nearly 80 percent of divorces were due to domestic violence. Up to 58 percent of married women have experienced domestic violence in their lifetime, while 87 percent of those who were abused did not seek any assistance from authorities Children living with violence at home are more likely to have poor academic performance and to bully others and commit offences. Vietnam now has approximately 7,000 support centres for victims of domestic violence. Dengue cases in Hanoi decrease The number of new dengue fever cases in Hanoi continued to drop in the last few weeks, announced the city’s Department of Health on October 9. Hanoi recorded 1,068 dengue fever cases from October 2 to 8, a decrease of 160 compared to the previous week and 2,501 compared to this year’s peak in August. The number of dengue cases has dropped in 24 of the city’s localities. Meanwhile, Soc Son, Cau Giay, Ba Dinh, Phu Xuyen, Gia Lam and Thanh Xuan districts recorded up to eight new cases per week. Currently, there are 271 remaining outbreaks, down 89 compared to last week. However, the city recorded about 150 new dengue cases a day. There were also 97 cases of hand-foot-mouth reported during the week and two cases of Japanese encephalitis in My Duc and Ba Vi districts. According to Hoang Duc Hanh, Deputy Director of the city’s Health Department, this year the country has recorded more than 143,000 dengue fever cases, with 30 fatalities. Though the number of new cases in the city has declined recently, October and November normally see an increase in dengue cases. Vietnam celebrates 30th year participating in UPU contest Nguyen Do Huyen Vi, an eighth grader from central Da Nang city, won the first prize at the national level UPU competition and the consolation prize at the international level this yea. (Photo: VNa) A ceremony took place in northern Quang Ninh province on October 9 to celebrate the 30th year Vietnam has attended the International Letter-Writing Competition for Young People UPU and the World Post Day. The event was also held to call for entry for the 47th edition of the competition, launched by the Universal Post Union (UPU) in 1971. Vietnam became an UPU official member in 1976 and submitted its first entries to the competition in 1987. Each year, the UPU International Bureau selects a theme for the competition, aiming to encourage literacy in children and young people and develop their ability to express their thoughts clearly. Millions of Vietnamese students have sent their letters to the UPU competition at the national and international levels over the past three decades. Vietnam has won 13 international prizes, including three first, one second and three third prizes. This year, Nguyen Do Huyen Vi, an eighth grader from Tay Son Secondary School in Hai Chau district, central Da Nang city, won the first prize at the national level and the consolation prize at the international level for her letter to the UN Secretary-General, advising him on how to solve the Syrian refugee issues. BOT road toll reduced after drivers protest The Ministry of Transport has agreed to reduce the toll for vehicles using the BOT (Build-Operation-Transfer) bypass in Biên Hòa City of the southern province of Đồng Nai. This decision was taken on Sunday following a proposal by the Directorate for Roads of Việt Nam. The toll would be reduced by 20 per cent, as compared to the current rate. Also, vehicles whose owners have residential registration books in the neighbouring areas of the BOT road would be offered the toll reduction. The local government was responsible to make lists of the vehicle owners. Four communes of Trung Hòa, Tây Hòa, Đông Hòa and Hưng Thịnh of Trảng Bom District with a total of 398 vehicles owned by 317 people will benefit from the toll reduction. The toll tax reduction and exemption will begin from November this year. Centre for purchasing medicines, medical equipment dissolved The public assets procurement centre for the city’s healthcare sector was dissolved under a decision by HCM City’s People’s Committee. The dissolution aims at increasing self-reliance of public hospitals and medical centres while purchasing medicines and medical equipment. Under the decision, public hospitals and medical centres will undertake the purchase of medicines and medical equipment as per the Law on Bidding. The centre will transfer its assets, finance, facilties, stamp, debts and related issues to relevant agencies. Nguyễn Tấn Bình, director of HCM City’s Healthcare Department, admitted that the centre had faced many difficulties when organising tenders to purchase medicines and medical equipment for all public hospitals and clinics. This was because there are a lot of items for purchase and demand of each hospital was different, he said. Besides this, depending on the centre’s bidding had reduced the self-reliance of hospitals and pushed hospitals into difficult circumstances if the winners of bids were unable to provide the medicines or equippment on time. In fact, for three years since the centre was set up, the procurement of medicines and medical equipment through the bidding had not been effective, according to municipal People’s Committee deputy chairwoman Nguyễn Thị Thu. Therefore, making hospitals self-reliant while purchasing necessary items was neccessary, she said. Hospitals would take responsibility for the purchase, which would be supervised by the People’s Committe, the decision noted. The centre for public assets procurement of the city’s healthcare sector was established in 2013. Norway helps Thua Thien-Hue develop ethnic written languages Norway’s FARO AS organisation has sponsored a pilot project to develop Co Tu, Pa Ko and Ta Oi written languages for students at primary schools in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue. The 179,609 USD project will be carried out in A Luoi and Nam Dong mountainous districts. In 2017-2022, it will compile documents to teach students from Co Tu, Pa Ko and Ta Oi ethnic groups to write scripts and organise consultation meetings on teaching methods and evaluating pupils’ writing skills. The project aims to contribute to the maintenance and development of written languages for Co Tu, Pa Ko and Ta Oi ethnic groups, thus preserving and developing their cultural values. Earlier, the provincial Department of Education and Training, in collaboration with the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences organised a course teaching Co Tu scripts for Co Tu teachers in Nam Dong and A Luoi districts. Co Tu is one of the ethnic minority groups in Thua Thien-Hue, which plays an important role in the local socio-economic development. Co Tu language is used as their mother tongue. However, like many other ethnic minority groups, Co Tu people do not have a written language, which hinders the preservation and development of their cultural values. Hau Giang needs over 150 mln USD to become climate change resilient Vi Thanh city in the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang is in need of over 3.3 trillion VND (150 million USD) to build infrastructure to enhance its resistance against climate change, said Nguyen Van Hoa, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee. Hoa made the statement at a working session with a World Bank (WB) delegation on October 9. As the administrative and economic centre of the province, Vi Thanh city has been seriously hit by flooding and saline intrusion as a result of climate change. According to Vu Thi Phuong Linh, an WB urban development expert, apart from Vi Thanh, the WB is working with authorities of six other Mekong Delta cities – Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, Tan An, Long Xuyen, and Vinh Long – to build and carry out a project on improving the region’s climate-change resilience. The project will support these localities in accessing their resilience capacity, providing short-term recommendations and long-term planning for urban development, land use, traffic infrastructure, and water management. Nguyen Huynh Duc, Director of the Hau Giang Construction Department, said the province now has 18 urban planning projects, mostly focusing on traffic infrastructure. Hau Giang aims to have a total of 20 urban areas by 2030. However, increasing climate change impacts and limited investment are hindering its urban development and livelihood improvement, he said. Thanh Hóa volleyball tourney this month A volleyball tournament, the PV-Đạm Cà Mau Cup, will get underway on October 25-29 in the central province of Thanh Hóa. The top four female and four male teams from the National Volleyball Championship will take part in the event including Thể Công, Sanest Khánh Hòa, Vietinbank, VTV Bình Điền Long An and Long An. Teams will compete in a round robin format. The winner will receive prize money of VNĐ100 million (US$4,350). Cambodian military delegation visits Hau Giang Leaders of the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang held a reception for a delegation of the Development Department under the Cambodian Ministry of Defence led by Deputy Director Lieutenant General Dong Mao on October 9. The two sides discussed cooperation between the Cambodian agency and Vietnam’s Military Zone 9 and Mekong Delta provinces in the economy and defence. The guests updated the hosts on border security and favourable conditions for overseas Vietnamese in Cambodia. Nguyen Van Tuan, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, highlighted bilateral cooperation between the two nations during the past struggle for national liberation and national building and development at present. He expressed his delight at cooperation in economic development between the Cambodian agency and Vietnamese localities, hoping that it will continue cooperating with Military Zone 9, border provinces as well as Mekong Delta provinces. He proposed the Cambodian army ensure safety and stability in the areas bordering Vietnam to facilitate the two people’s trade activities. He also asked Cambodia to create favourable conditions for overseas Vietnamese in the country. For his part, Dong Mao extended his thanks to local authorities in particular and Vietnamese people in general for their help in personnel training and equipment repairing and facility construction for Cambodia. He spoke highly of sound cooperation between the two armies and peoples, saying that it has facilitated border trade activities of the two countries’ people. He said he believed that the two nations will successfully implement the tasks set for 2017 and 2018. Quang Nam ensures food safety, hygiene for APEC The health authority in the central province of Quang Nam has played an active role in ensuring food safety and environmental sanitation, and preventing disease outbreaks ahead of a series of APEC events held in the province from October 18 to November 11. Quang Nam will host the APEC Finance Ministers’ Meeting and Related Meetings, the APEC Voices of the Future 2017, the Days of the Republic of Korea in Quang Nam and the launch of the “super project” Blue Whale Gas Field. Since the beginning of October, the provincial Health Department has held operations to clean up the environment. It also directed inspection of state management on food safety in local districts, townships and cities where the major events will take place. Samples of water used in foods and drinks served in the events have been tested while hotels and restaurants have been guided to follow strict safety standards. The department will continue intensifying inspections from communal to provincial levels to minimise any risks associated with food hygiene during the APEC activities, said Deputy Director of the department Nguyen Van Van. The local 115 Emergency Centre has set up two teams watching out for any emergency in the province. About 300 international and domestic delegates, including financial ministers, leaders of financial agencies and central banks from 21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation economies, will gather for the APEC Finance Ministers’ Meeting and Related Meetings from October 19-21 in Quang Nam. Established in 1989, APEC comprises 21 economies, including Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, the US, and Vietnam. Can Tho University seek training cooperation with Taiwanese partner Can Tho University hosted representatives of Taiwanese National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) on October 9 to discuss potential cooperation in medical and technological education. Professor Jyh Ching Juang, who led the NCKU delegation, said his university has strengths in the study of health and technology, while Can Tho city is making all-out efforts to improve quality of the local medical sector and to become an industrialised city by 2020. This is the favourable condition for engagements between the two universities in scientific research and exchange of students and teachers, he noted. Ha Thanh Toan, rector of Can Tho University, said cooperation with the NCKU would open up opportunities for boosting the quality of regional workforce in health and technology, which remain small. Joint research projects in pharmaceutical manufacturing and treatment of difficult diseases, as well as in the making of high-tech machines serving agricultural development in the Mekong Delta. As part of the meeting, NCKU representatives introduced the university’s scholarships to students at the Can Tho University. Khanh Hoa: Over 40,000 poor households benefited from credit programme More than 40,000 poor households in the south central province of Khanh Hoa escaped from poverty in the past 15 years thanks to the Government’s credit programme. The programme was carried out under the Government’s Decree 78/2002/ND-CP issued in October 2002 on credit for poor households and policy beneficiaries. In 2017, the transaction office of the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies in mountainous Khanh Vinh district has expanded its coverage to all 14 communes and towns of the locality, creating favourable conditions for poor people and policy beneficiaries to access the credit. So far, more than 6,200 households, or 70 percent of the total households in Khanh Vinh, mostly poor families and those from ethnic minority groups, have benefited from the programme with 168 billion VND (7.39 million USD). Nguyen Thi Ngoc Ly from the office said that the office has coordinated with socio-political organisations to bring the capital to the needy to help them develop their production, thus increasing their income. Among 13 credit programmes that the bank is running in Khanh Hoa, the programme targeting the poor is a focus in an effort to reduce poverty in a sustainable manner. Each household can borrow maximum 50 million VND (2,200 USD). So far, the programme has lent 1.6 trillion VND (70.4 million USD) to more than 11,000 households, raising the total outstanding balance to 267 billion VND. Meanwhile, the programme offering credit to households living close to poverty line have benefited 18,000 households with 425 billion VND. The capital has helped the beneficiaries improve their production, apply new technologies and increase value of their products. The bank’s credit has risen 20 times over that in 2003, reaching over 2.22 trillion VND. It also aims to access all poor households and policy beneficiaries in Khanh Hoa. Overseas Vietnamese assist storm victims in Laos Chargé d’ affaires of the Vietnamese Embassy in Laos Nguyen Thanh Tung presented about 9,550 USD to the Lao side on October 9 to assist local people affected by storm Sonca in early August. The diplomat said both Laos and Vietnam were heavily influenced by recent natural disasters, especially storms Doksuri in Vietnam and Sonca in Laos. In response to the Lao and Vietnamese governments’ call for donation, the embassy’s staff and Vietnamese people and businesses in Laos have donated to support storm victims in the two countries. The same financial aid was also sent to support affected people in Vietnam, he noted. Lao Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Welfare Baykham Khatthiya appreciated the support of Vietnamese people, describing it as an illustration of the two countries’ traditional solidarity and mutual support throughout history. On behalf of the Lao Government and people, she highly valued the role of the Vietnamese Embassy in linking the two countries. She added that the aid will be swiftly delivered to storm victims. Storm Sonca hit Laos in late July and early August, triggering downpours, floods and landslides in 14 provinces, killing 10 people and causing heavy property damage. Phuong into national tennis semis Youngster Nguyễn Văn Phương won his quarter-final match in the the men’s singles of the National Tennis Championships held at Phú Thọ Tennis Club in HCM City yesterday after his opponene tretired due to injury. Phương, 16, of Becamex Bình Dương was leading 6-0, 3-0 against 22-year-old Nguyễn Hoàng Thiên when the HCM City player had to withdraw. Thiên was formely ranked first in the Asia junior rankings and won many International Tennis Federation junior events. Phương will meet his teammate Trịnh Linh Giang, who beat Nguyễn Đắc Tiến of Hà Nội 6-4, 6-1 in another quarter-final, in the semi-final today. In the other semi-final match, Phạm Minh Tuấn of Đà Nẵng will face veteran Đỗ Minh Quân of HCM City. Quân crushed Hoàng Thành Trung of the People’s Police 7-5, 6-2 in the quarter-final, while Tuấn bested Triệu Hoành Hiếu of the Military 6-0, 6-3. On the women’s side, hosts HCM City have three players in the semi-finals, namely Trần Thị Tâm Hảo, Sĩ Bội Ngọc and Trần Thị Thanh Trúc. The other woman left in the draw is Savanna Lý Nguyễn of the Military team. Nearly 83% of road accidents in Saigon involve motorbikes The latest statistics from the municipal traffic safety committee reveal that motorbikes are either responsible for or the victim in 82.9 percent of road accidents in Ho Chi Minh City. Only 7.8% of accidents involve pedestrians, and crashes between cars make up a mere three percent, according to data obtained by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper. Around 70 percent of traffic accidents stem from a lack of concentration by drivers; more than 20 percent are attributed to traffic infrastructure; while in less than 10 percent of the accidents, the means of transportation is at fault, according to the Ho Chi Minh City traffic safety committee. On several streets, motorbike drivers have little space to travel as bigger vehicles including tank trucks or trailer trucks occupy most of the street. On Hoang Huu Nam Street in District 9, for instance, motorbike drivers are forced to travel amongst a crowd of trucks while the road surface remains full of potholes. On a section of National Highway 1 that passes the Linh Trung Export Processing Zone, a number of motorbikes run red lights during rush hour, while Nguyen Tat Thanh Street in District 4 is constantly packed with vehicles of all kinds. “Driving a motorbike [in Ho Chi Minh City] is a tense task and whoever is on the back seat shouldn’t dare to talk to the driver for fear of distracting him,” one local resident said. While motorbikes are proven to be a high risk means of transportation, the vehicle remains the most popular means of transport for most local people. Cars are not affordable for everyone, and the city’s public transportation is still underdeveloped. Photo exhibition features Hanoi’s pace of life A photo exhibition called ‘Hanoi in me’ opened in the capital city on October 9, featuring 80 best photos of the city’s pace of life as part of activities to mark 63rd anniversary of Hanoi’s Liberation Day (October 10). The event was hosted by Kinh Te Do Thi (Economic & Urban) Newspaper, Hanoi Elderly Photographer Club and Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam Cultural and Scientific Centre. The exhibition aims to introduce the public to landscapes, culture, daily life and craft villages of Hanoi and stunning photos of its streets. The photos are taken by members of the Hanoi Elderly Photographer Club, reporters and collaborators of Kinh Te Do Thi newspaper. Nguyen Minh Duoc, editor-in-chief of Kinh Te Do Thi Newspaper, who is also the head of the organising board said this is the 12th year the event has been organised, noting that this year’s exhibition focused on daily lives of Hanoians as well as dynamism, creativity and strong development of the capital city. The event will run through October 13. Sapa to plant 3,000 cherry trees in tourism push Sapa district in northern Lao Cai Province will plant 3,000 cherry trees late this year and early next year in a bid to attract more tourists to the region, said local officials. The district People’s Committee authorized the youth union to root 1,000 trees this year and 2,000 others next year in Sapa town and several villages. In recent years, the cherry blossoms of Sapa’s town centre have become an attraction in their own right, luring many visitors to the beautiful land. Thus, local authorities hope that the planting will enhance the natural beauty of the region, helping to develop tourism in the area. Increase in foreign arrivals to Danang Foreign arrivals to the central city of Danang rose 49% to more than 1.766 million during the first nine months of this year, the municipal Department of Tourism announced today (October 9). The city welcomed more than 5.15 million visitors during this time, up 22.7% against the same period last year. Total revenue from tourism services is estimated at VND15,141 billion, up 24.4% compared to the corresponding period last year and equal to 81.8% of this year’s plan. Over 1.171 million visitors arrived at the central city by air while 11,670 tourists travelled by land. Tien Sa port also received 45 international cruise ships with 52,403 passengers on board. In the same period, the municipal Department of Tourism, in cooperation with Danang International Airport and airlines, opened flights to the city. There have been 29 direct air routes to Danang so far. Project helps Ben Tre women adapt to climate change The project “Building response capacity, recovery and adaptation to disaster risks and climate for men and women”( RADCC)  in Ben Tre province has involved over 17,000 coastal households in changing their environmentally-unfriendly behaviours over four years of implementation in the locality. Tran Thi Kim Chi, from Dinh Trung commune, Binh Dai district, the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre said the project has helped her family understand about disaster mitigation and climate change adaption. After three years, her family has adopted 10 out of 12 recommended behaviors, including saving electricity, classifying waste, treating waste discharge from animal farming, and storing water and food ahead of flood and storm season, Chi said, adding that her family has encouraged neighbours to do the same. Nguyen Thi Dung from Bao Thanh commune, Ba Tri district said after adopting all 12 behaviors, she volunteered to be an activist to persuade others in the commune to do the same. They initially faced a lot of challenges because many households refused to change their habit. Dung and other members of the communal Women’s Association repeatedly visited and talked to each family about the benefits and join. Now most of women in the commune have pledged to the change. Pham Thi Thanh Thao, President of the provincial Women’s Association said the project has helped local women change their habits to better adapt to natural disasters and climate change. The project has ended in the province but the association will continue to promote the practice among locals. The RADCC project has been carried out since 2013 in 15 communes in the three coastal districts of Ba Tri, Binh Dai, and Thanh Phu. Besides encouraging the adoption of environmentally friendly behaviors, the project has also build four livelihood models to support poor women,  one in making eco-bags in Bao Thanh commune and three in raising cows in Ba Tri and Thanh Phu communes with a total combined cost of 917 million VND (40,348 USD). Logo competition for Vietnam-Australia diplomatic ties A competition was launched on October 10 to design a logo celebrating the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Australia and Vietnam (1973-2018). The logo competition, co-organised by the Australian Embassy and University of Industrial Fine Arts, is seeking creative designs that reflect the long-standing and close relationship built over 45 years between Australia and Vietnam. The winner will receive an iPad and a VND10 million voucher to learn English in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, while the most ‘liked’ logo on Facebook will receive a VND5 million English language voucher. Ten runner-up entries will receive a set of IELTS books, a kangaroo helmet and a certificate of appreciation. Australian Ambassador Craig Chittick said “I hope this competition will be an opportunity for all participants to show their talent and creativity as well as to learn more about our two countries.” The relationship between Australia and Vietnam has come a long way since the two countries announced the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1973, and now spans a wide range of cooperation, including economic, security and innovation partnerships. The submission period will run from 10 October to 30 November 2017 and contestants can submit multiple entries online. Logo competition rules and guidance on how to submit logos can be found on the Australian Embassy’s website. The Australian Embassy in Hanoi and Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City will organise a number of activities to celebrate the 45th anniversary. Construction of Hanoi’s new viaduct to commence next month Construction of a viaduct along the length of Pham Van Dong street in Hanoi will be underway in November, announced the Thang Long Project Management Board under the Ministry of Transport on October 9. Starting from Mai Dich flyover to Thang Long Bridge, the new viaduct will measure 4.8km long and is part of the Hanoi’s Ring Road No. 3. According to the plan, construction will be completed within 26 months. By 2020, the project will be officially put into use, helping to ease the load from frequent jams on Pham Van Dong street, as well as supporting the socio-economic development in the west of Hanoi and completing the city’s traffic network. The Mai Dich - Thang Long viaduct has a total investment budget of over VND5.3 trillion (US$233.2 million), sourced mainly from Japanese ODA and domestic counterparts. It will have four high-speed lanes allowing vehicles to travel at a designated speed of 100kph. The project has stirred different public opinions as the consultancy unit Transport Engineering Design Inc. (TEDI) and the investor proposed to cut and remove 1,300 trees on Pham Van Dong street, including 1,000 giant, thousand year-old African mahogany trees. According to the Hanoi Department of Construction, cutting down and moving trees only stops at the kind of a proposal. The issue will be consulted carefully by collecting comments from experts and locals and then submitting the plan to Hanoi’s authorities. Subsequently, the department will make a public notice to the local people. If the above plan is approved by the People's Committee of Hanoi, the construction unit will replace the African mahogany tree line with more than 1,500 Burma padauk, Madagascar almond, and oil palm trees. Since 2012 onward, the Mai Dich - Thang Long project has been reported by the Thang Long Project Management Board to the Ministry of Transport with a projected total investment of nearly VND6.2 trillion. Prior to the project, construction for another viaduct under Ring Road No. 3 connecting Mai Dich - Linh Dam Lake in Hoang Mai district started in June 2010 with a total length of 8.9 km, including a 385m pathway and over 8.5 km of viaduct. The four lane route opened to traffic on October 2012. Drug manager dectects medical salt water without origin The Drug Administration of Vietnam under the Ministry of Health yesterday said that it has detected pharmaceutical shops sell medical salt water NaCl 0.9%, hydrogen peroxide and iodine products without license of registration as per the medical regulations. Accordingly, the Administration asked the departments of health across the country to enhance supervision of the three products in retail and wholesale. Inspectors should issue harsh penalties on violators as well as publicize the names of violators, the ministry said. The Administration also ordered health authorities nationwide and Khai Ha Pharmaceutical Company to suspend the circulation of the company’s brain supplement with registered number VD-24472-16 in the batch of 01.03.17, date of manufactured March 2, 2017 because the drug failed to meet the requirements of Ginkgo biloba Extract and Ginkgo flavonoid. The producer was asked to recall the substandard drug from stores. Why Fredegonde? On October 20 and 21 the HCMC Ballet Symphony and Opera Orchestra will stage a production of Fredegonde at the Opera House. What is it, and why are they doing it? Fredegonde is a rarely seen opera by French composer Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921). It’s so rare that there›s only evidence of a single previous production anywhere - eight performances in Paris in December of the year it was completed, 1895. Saigon is not a major opera center. It has seen six opera productions in recent years – Cavalleria Rusticana, Dido and Aeneas, Die Zauberflote, Carmen, La Vie Parisienne and Die Fledermaus, all of them relatively well-known. Why, then, should it embark on a fully-staged rendition of an almost unknown work for only the second time in that opera’s entire history? The reason is that Saint-Saens completed work on Fredegonde here in Vietnam. He took a break from life in Paris to travel to what was then known as Indo-China, where a friend of his was governor of the island prison of Con Son. Once here, after some time in Saigon, he went to Con Son and used the peace and quiet to work on Fredegonde. “The subject is fascinating,” said French conductor Patrick Souillot at a recent rehearsal. “It’s essentially Shakespearean – about power, families, war, impossible love and death. There are interesting differences, too, between the two composers who were involved. Saint-Saens, for example, added some oriental touches such as the use of a large gong, or tam-tam. You can hear oriental touches, too, in the woodwind at the opening of Act Five.” There are more than a few little-known French operas from the same period, Souillot added. He has just finished work on another, Le Timbre d’Argent (The Silver Bell), also by Saint-Saens, and given it its first ever recording. Fredegonde has so far never been recorded at all. Of course, with all the soloists having learnt their roles, many things are possible, but, said Souillot at the moment there was no project to stage Fredegonde anywhere else. The rehearsal had begun with the male members of the chorus singing under conductor Tran Nhat Minh. The female members then joined them, making for a chorus of some 46 in all. When this work was finished, Patrick Souillot took over the podium and began rehearsing with six soloists, all of them French. Fredegonde is being produced in cooperation with La Fabrique Opera, Grenoble. One important Vietnamese soloist is involved, Dao Mac, as a character called Landeric. The story of Fredegonde concerns dynastic rivalries in France in the sixth century AD, with Fredegonde herself a scheming and malign influence. Further details will be revealed in this column shortly. HCMC edu dept continues staggered school hours to curb traffic congestion Staggered school hours in HCMC will be continued as in 2007 to tackle severe traffic congestion in the city, said the Department of Education and Training. A seminar on revision of the staggered school hour plan in HCMC from 2006-2007 was held last week by the HCMC Institute for Development Studies and the municipal Departments of Transport and Education-Training. An official of the education department said occasional traffic jams occur at intersections and on roads around schools with no or small yards. The HCMC Institute for Development Studies said traffic often gets congested in front of many schools as parents wait to pick up their children, and public transit is poor. Dr. Du Phuoc Tan, head of  urban management at the HCMC Institute for Development Studies, said many parents take their children to schoolnby car which makes traffic congestion worsen in the city. They do not park their cars 50 meters from schools as stipulated in parking regulations. At the seminar, the education department asked schools in the city to arrange staggered schedules depending grades and improve student shuttle services, and proposed the Department of Transport improve the quality of buses. The Department of Transport agreed that it is feasible to apply staggered school hours to ease traffic congestion while commuter buses and traffic infrastructure are still in bad shape. The city has more than eight million private vehicles, excluding those from other provinces, according to the Department of Transport. Le Hoai Trung, deputy director of the HCMC Department of Home Affairs, said other sectors should apply staggered work hours accordingly as parents need to pick up and drop off their kids. Therefore, relevant agencies should ask parents about the plan. School hours have been adjusted in HCMC since the school year 2006-2007. At all schools, excluding kindergartens, classes end in a 15-minute interval. The education and training offices of the districts have asked police for help to regulate traffic after  school. HCMC to ban pork without clear origin at wholesale markets Pork without traceability tags will be banned at Hoc Mon and Binh Dien wholesale markets in HCMC from October 16, said HCMC vice chairman Tran Vinh Tuyen. Tuyen has directed relevant departments and agencies, and the two markets’ management to cooperate closely to continue the pork origin tracking scheme. He has assigned the market monitoring force and police to cooperate with Long An Province law enforcement to compel vendors to comply with the relevant regulations. Heavy sanctions should be imposed on those who transport pigs and pork to the city without licenses and tax payments, and especially those who have had fraudulent practices like pumping water into pigs to increase their weight. The city government has passed a plan to support farmers to cover 50% of the traceability tag cost and cooperatives 100% of the cost until December 31. The municipal Department of Industry and Trade earlier proposed the city government ban the sale of pork without clear origin at wholesale markets in the city. The department on October 3 suggested market stabilization solutions in a document submitted to the city government during the shutdown of Xuyen A Slaughterhouse in Cu Chi District. Competent agencies had caught red-handed two merchants injecting 4,000 pigs with a sedative solution right before slaughtering them. The city required relevant agencies to immediately cull the contaminated pigs and publish 13 vendors involved in the case. The department has worked with large farms in the city and neighboring areas. These farms have pledged to adequately and quickly supply pigs to slaughterhouses in the city. Nguyen Ngoc Hoa, deputy director of the Department of Industry and Trade, said the department has also worked with supermarkets to ensure the supplies and price stabilization. The agency will inspect closely pork supplied to the city in the coming time. Int’l seminar marks 100th anniversary of Great October revolution An international seminar featuring the 100th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution – the past and present experience in socialism building took place in the Indian city of Kolkata from October 8-10. A Vietnamese delegation led by permanent deputy head of the Party Central Committee’s External Relations Commission Tran Dac Loi attended the event together with nearly 100 delegates from communist and workers’ parties from 13 countries worldwide. Participants discussed the significance and great impact of the Great October Socialist Revolution of Russia, saying that it changed the fate of not only Russian workers but also the humankind. They affirmed undeniable value of unprecedented achievements in human history in economic development, social progress and fairness under the Soviet regime, the Soviet Union’s decisive contributions to victory over fascism, socialist countries’ dedication to national liberation movement and world peace after the Second World War. They looked into the causes and lessons from the collapse of the Soviet Union and socialist countries in Eastern Europe. Debating socialism building experience in the 21st century, especially in Vietnam, China, Cuba, delegates shared view that socialism remains the only proper and necessary solution to humankind today, adding that the spirit of the October Revolution continues to be a flag guiding the fight of workers worldwide in the new period. Bac Ninh in dire demands for affordable housing The northern province of Bac Ninh plans to roll out a total 3.2 million square metres of commercial houses to the market by 2022 and develop additional social housing projects to meet diversified demand. The province will work to complete house construction for 3,250 people who rendered services to the country, build houses for over 3,800 poor households and branch out social housing projects with a total area of nearly 700,000 square metres for workers. According to Cao Van Ha, Director of the provincial Department of Construction, the province will review housing development projects and inspect planning and progress of existing projects during 2017-2022. Upgrade will be made to tenement blocks and land will be zoned off for social housing projects, especially houses for workers at industrial parks, Ha said. In 2017, the province has carried out housing construction and review land planning with focus on land for social housing in localities with high demand like Bac Ninh city, Tu Son town and Yen Phong, Tien Du and Que Vo districts. In addition, it has prioritised Build-Transfer (BT) projects while mobilising capital from credit organisations and giving preferential loans to buyers. Construction investors are encouraged to involve in social housing with free-of-charge land use and the use of 20 percent of the land fund to build commercial houses. They will be provided with 30 percent of technical infrastructure construction costs in housing projects for workers at industrial parks. The Department of Constructions said that the provincial People’s Committee has given a nod to build social houses in an area of 44.17 hectares. Once completed, over 19,000 flats with a total area of 1.62 million square metres will be put up for sale. Currently, the province is carrying out five housing projects for students with total land of 96,000 square metres which can accommodate 11,600 students. Three projects have become operational. Fourteen housing projects for workers are being developed in the locality. They are built to serve 85,000 workers at industrial parks, meeting 40 percent of the demand. Six projects have been put into used so far, providing accommodation for 20,600 workers. People of Hà Nội district complain about stench An unbearable stench from a nearby dumping ground has been bothering people in the communes of Phụng Châu and Tiền Phương of Chương Mỹ District’s Sơn Tây Township. The temporary dumping ground has not been cleared for a month, and rubbish has been piling up there each day, reported the online newspaper dantri.com.vn. “The dumping ground has been here for a month. During the rains, the stench makes us sick,” said Đỗ Văn Lũy, a local. The situation is the result of local trucks which stopped carrying garbage to Xuân Sơn dumping ground in Sơn Tây Township to protest against pollution. Since then, the garbage has been left near the township’s park along the National Highway 32. The temporary dumping ground is 2m tall and 3m wide. The municipal authority has asked districts to use Nam Sơn dumping ground in Sóc Sơn Township as a replacement to the Xuân Sơn dumping ground. Musical drama features young performers Choreographer and theatre director Tấn Lộc and his young staff will stage a musical drama for children at HCM City’s Bến Thành Theatre this week. The production, Bé Chịu Chơi (We Are the World), which features songs, dances and colourful images, is about a group of girls and boys and their adventures they encounter in life. It is directed by Lộc and his colleague, dramatic actress Thanh Thủy, who believes musical productions will soon dominate the industry. “I wanted to create a musical play for children and acted by children. My play is built on both traditional and modern styles,” said Lộc, who has more than 15 years of experience in dance and theatre. “We worked hard to make music, costumes, and light and sound effects. Our costume designers and specialists in visual effects have added realistic elements to the play through beautiful clothes, accessories and interior designs suited to the play’s theme,” he said.    Young audiences will be entertained by our new talents Thư Kỳ, Phương Trinh, Ngọc Phụng, who are between 7 and 14 years old and have skills in music, dance and singing.  They will perform with professional dancers and theatre actors such as Khắc Duy and Cát Tường. “We want to promote and develop musical drama among young people, particularly children, who can learn new things about history, culture, music and theatre through our art,” said Lộc, who hopes musical dramas will make waves this year.  There will be a total of four shows on two days, October 14 and 15, at Bến Thành Theatre, 6 Mạc Đĩnh Chi Street in District 1. The show will then move to Hà Nội for four days, on October 21, 22, 28 and 29, at Âu Cơ Theatre in 8 Huỳnh Thúc Kháng Street, Ba Đình District. Tickets are available at box offices. VNN