Social News 9/10 Accurate asbestos-related information required for health protection Several scientists and epidemiologists participated in the “Information exchange on the usage of chrysotile” conference, hosted by the Hà Nội Union of Science and Technology Associations (HUSTA) on Friday. Speaking at the conference, Bùi Thị An, deputy head of HUSTA, stressed upon the significance of accurate asbestos-related information in public health protection and national sustainable development. Chrysotile, like other forms of asbestos, is a hazardous substance widely used in the fibro cement sheet industry in Việt Nam. Several research projects have indicated that chrysotile causes asbestosis, mesothelioma and cancer of the lungs, larynx and ovaries. According to Nguyễn Văn Sơn, deputy head of the National Institute of Occupational and Environmental Health, asbestos exposure is the leading cause of death from occupational cancer. There is no safe level of asbestos exposure, which means any exposure to asbestos can result in asbestos-related disease. “With annual consumption of 60 to 70 tonnes of asbestos, since the establishment of the first fibro cement sheet factory in 1963, it is estimated to have two million tonnes of asbestos used in Việt Nam,” Sơn said. Despite its impact on human health, there is no official research or report on asbestos-related diseases in Việt Nam. All information cited in the conference was from research issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO), Finnish Institute of Occupational Health and other international agencies. According to WHO, until July, 2017, 124 countries had banned the use of asbestos. In 1998, Việt Nam officially adopted a legal ban on brown and blue asbestos and placed chrysotile under strict control. In 2001, the Prime Minister issued a regulation to ban the use of chrysotile in 2004. However, this ban has not yet been enforced. On this occasion, Đỗ Quốc Quang, a specialist of the Institute of Technology under the Ministry of Science and Technology, presented an asbestos-free corrugated roofing sheet. He emphasised the superiority of this product over fibro cement sheet since it was environment and health-friendly. The conference, besides providing information of chrysotile and other types of asbestos, aims to advocate for a ban on chrysotile usage for health reasons. Former Vietnam News Agency Director passed away Đỗ Kim Phượng, former member of the Central Committee, Vietnam News Agency general director and the first editor-in-chief of Việt Nam News, passed away on October 8. He was 87. Born in 1930, Phượng joined the Communist Party when he was 17 and served in many positions from the central agencies to the local governments, a first-hand witness to the tumultuous history of Việt Nam in the 20th century. In 1966, at the age 36, he was entrusted with the position of deputy editor-in-chief at the Vietnam News Agency. During his six years (1990-1996) there, Đỗ Phượng together with the board of directors implemented renovation efforts to help the national news agency keep up with new demands for journalism in the time of international integration. In the introduction to his book “Journalism – Unforgettable Memories” (published in 1998), Phượng wrote, “No matter what era, a journalist must be dedicated, righteous, and brave.” His life and works have stayed true to these words. The wake and the funeral will be held on October 12 from 7:30 to 9:30am at the National Funeral Home at No 5, Trần Thánh Tông Street, Hoàn Kiếm District, Hà Nội. The burial ceremony will be held in his hometown, Vĩnh Bảo District, of the northern port city of Hải Phòng. First festival promoting Ha Nam’s tourism held       A first-of-its-kind festival to promote local tourism, traditional crafts and cuisine took place in the northern province of Hà Nam and ended on Sunday (October 8). The festival was held in keeping with the theme of the 2017 National Tourism Year, which aims to develop tourism into a key economy. Speaking at the opening of the event, Vice Chairman of the Hà Nam Province’s People’s Committees Bùi Quang Cẩm stressed that the tourism, traditional crafts and cuisine festival, this year, aimed at introducing to visitors local tourism products of not only Hà Nam Province but also provinces within the Red River Delta. The three-day event was also expected to open up venues for a tourism cooperation among regions within the Hà Nam Province and other provinces, nearby. The festival showcased 70 booths of 50 units from six districts and the city of Hà Nam Province, the local Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the local Tourism Promotion Information Centre and the Tourism Promotion Centres of nine provinces in the Red River Delta and its vicinity.  All the booths were designed with themes to introduce the cuisines, cultures and traditional crafts of each participating province. The exhibition was interspersed with performances from artisans and on-the-spot introductions of guides, which attracted a huge number of visitors to the festival. Bears raised for bile in Vietnam get second chance at life After years of being held captive at illegal facilities in Vietnam for their bile, hundreds of bears have been rescued and given a second chance to live thanks to the tireless work of local sanctuaries. Around ten years ago, bear bile became a hunted-for item on the black market in Vietnam due to its rumored medicinal properties. The craze for the digestive fluid – produced by the liver and stored in the bear’s gallbladder – led to the mushrooming of bile bear farms across Vietnam, many of which were household facilities with poor hygiene and upkeep. The plunge in bile prizes a few years later meant thousands of such bears have since faced deteriorating living conditions and been left to starve in their cages, or even killed for their meat, teeth, claws and skin. Since then, the arduous fight to rescue bile bears in Vietnam has been going on with the support of international non-governmental wildlife protection organizations. Bear sanctuaries, such as one in Tam Dao District in Vinh Phuc Province, have sprung up to accommodate the increasing number of bears being rescued from their captivity. “The hotline of Tam Dao Bear Sanctuary is available 24/7, and animal protectors are ready to respond at any time to reports of bears that need rescuing no matter how far away they are, for we know that any second of delay could spell death for these animals,” said Dr. Tuan Bendixsen, country director of Animals Asia in Vietnam. Animals Asia Foundation is a Hong Kong-based charity that seeks to end cruelty to animals in Asia. As of early 2015, there were only a few hundred wild bears left in Vietnam, while 1,245 were held in captivity at 430 facilities across the country, according to reports by Vietnam’s Forest Protection Department. Their bile is harvested using several invasive techniques that may leave a permanent fistula. Many have died due to stress or infection from the unskilled surgeries. Some bears are permanently disabled at the time of rescue, and can never be released into the wild again. Sao Mai Contest winners announced Đỗ Tố Hoa, a former student at the Military University of Culture and Arts who is currently studying in China, won the chamber music award of the prestigious Sao Mai (Morning Star) singing contest on Saturday. Hoa’s soft emotional voice and attractive manner in performing Vũ Khúc Mùa Xuân (Spring Dance) won over the judges and audience. The highest prize for the contest’s folk music genre went to Sèn Hoàng Mỹ Lam, a Nùng ethic contestant with her performance of Tiếng Hát Trên Đỉnh Hoàng Liên Sơn (Singing Voice on Hoàng Liên Sơn Mountain Peak); the pop genre prize was awarded to Nguyễn Thị Thu Thủy, who impressed the judges with her unique voice in the mashup Rũ Cánh – Thăng Hoa (Fallen Wings - Sublimation). The striking feature of this year’s Sao Mai contest, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary, was its all-female finalists selection. The singing contest, first conceived as the National Television Singing Festival, is held every two years since 1997. Well-known Vietnamese singers of chamber music, folk music and pop have emerged from the contest. Award-winning director announces new serial Director Lưu Trọng Ninh announced that his latest TV serial Hoa Cỏ May will be broadcast on October 11 on VTV1 channel. Hoa Cỏ May was the most beloved TV serial when it was broadcast 16 years ago. Now it’s back with a third part entitled Stormy Days. The film gathers new faces such as singer Hạnh Sino and model Nguyễn Hà. It also brings back familiar actors from previous episodes such as Hải Anh and Quyết Thắng, though they haven’t acted for years. The film, produced by the Việt Nam Television Film Centre (VFC) praises the friendship of a group of young people though they have different origins and grow up in different conditions.  Ninh won the Golden Kite award in 2011 for best director with his film Khát Vọng Thăng Long (Thăng Long Aspiration). Festival helps promote northwestern community-based tourism A northwestern region community-based tourism village festival concluded in Mai Chau district of Hoa Binh province on October 9 after three days. According to the organising board, visitors to the festival were impressed by the cultures of ethnic minority groups. Along with preserving and promoting cultural identities of the groups, the festival also helped strengthen national unity. Twenty collectives with outstanding contributions to the organisation of the festival were honoured as part of the event. Within the framework of the festival, a conference was held in Mai Chau district to seek enhance the sustainable development of northwestern region community-based tourism. With its natural landscapes and diverse ethnic cultures, northwestern localities can tourists with unique and fascinating tourism products. However, the number of visitors to the region has yet to meet its potential due to poor infrastructure and ineffective tourism promotion, along with poor human resources quality and a worsening environment. At the conference, participants focused on boosting community-based tourism growth to ASEAN standards, building a code of conduct for community-based tourism, and preserving ethnic minorities’ culture in developing community-based tourism. They also discussed other issues in the region’s community-based tourism, including costumes, cultural spaces and accommodations. Reviving Vietnam’s folk art of Dong Ho woodcut painting A Vietnamese youth has given up stability to venture into the unknown with her ambitious project to revive the young generation’s interest in her country’s folk art of Dong Ho woodcut painting. The idea of founding INGO, the stylization of the Vietnamese words ‘in go’ (woodcut), came to Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai by chance during her time studying mechanical engineering in Singapore. Bringing along some Dong Ho paintings as a gift from Vietnam, Mai recalled how she had felt so embarrassed when she could not explain to her foreign friends their origin or meaning while attending an international student fair. “It was a bugging feeling of incompetence not to be able to give foreign friends information on Dong Ho paintings,” Mai recalled. “I kept asking myself why I hadn’t bothered to learn about the art of my own country.” The thought prompted Mai to make a trip to the northern province of Bac Ninh, home to Dong Ho Village, where the art originates, upon her return to Vietnam. The art of printing paintings using woodblocks dates back to 15th century, when these affordable paintings were fondly bought and hung in the house of many Vietnamese, rich and poor alike, and were believed to bring good luck to their family. The prints are made from natural materials, with the paper coming from the bark of the Rhamnoneuron balansae tree, red ink from red gravels, yellow from sophora flowers, green from the leaves of the indigo plant, and black from the ashes of bamboo leaves. The colorful paint is applied onto woodblocks and printed on the tree-bark paper, creating lively paintings that depict human lifestyle and illustrate children’s folk stories. “Those are the basics of Dong Ho painting that I share with everyone who wants to get to know the art and even create one for themselves,” Mai said. The Da Nang-born girl has set out to target children between six and ten years of age as the audience of her INGO project. Instead of the traditional Dong Ho woodblocks, which are too big and complicated for children to operate on, Mai has designed simpler, more modern-looking blocks with the aim of introducing young kids to the folk art. The INGO project currently has four woodblock kits featuring animals and children, which Mai said had received positive feedback from primary schools in Ho Chi Minh City that use the kits in art lessons to teach students about Dong Ho painting. Mai estimates that around 1,800 children have been introduced to the art since the launch of her project, but she is far from satisfied. “I may be biting more than I can chew, but I want my project to reach even Vietnamese adults so that the unique art is understood and remembered by as many as possible,” Mai said. HCM City proud of contributions to Vietnam-Cambodia ties: official Ho Chi Minh City is proud to have contributed to the growth of Vietnam-Cambodia relations in all fields, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan told a Cambodian delegation on October 8. The visiting delegation, led by Deputy Prime Minister and Chairwoman of the Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Association Men Sam An, was in HCM City to attend the fourth Vietnamese-Cambodian people’s cooperation and friendship meeting, held in HCM City and Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau provinces from October 7 – 12. Nhan said the meeting marked the 50th founding anniversary of the countries’ diplomatic ties this year. The Party, State and people of Vietnam, including HCM City, are committed to nurturing the traditional friendship with Cambodia, benefiting the two peoples and contributing to peace and development in the region and the world, he noted. He said his city has enhanced cooperation with sectors and localities of Cambodia through delegation exchanges, tourism, trade and investment promotion programmes, and charitable activities supporting low-income people in Cambodia. Deputy PM Men Sam An said under the two countries’ agreements, the Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Association has carried out several cooperation activities with Vietnam. She pledged to join her association in stepping up people-to-people diplomatic activities and educating younger generations on the time-honoured solidarity between the two nations. Meanwhile, Chairman of the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Association Vu Mao asked HCM City to continue cooperation activities with Cambodia, including assisting Cambodian students in the city and increasing friendship exchanges between youths of the two nations. Festival highlights north-western community tourism villages A festival highlighting the unique traditional culture of community-based tourism villages in the north-western region was held in Hoa Binh province on October 7-8. Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Van Chuong said the event aims to introduce community-based tourism models of ethnic groups and honour outstanding community tourism villages in the region. The festival offers a good chance for Hoa Binh to promote its community attractions, especially in Mai Chau district, for both domestic and foreign visitors. Implementing the national tourism development plan and strategy through 2020 and with a vision towards 2030, north-western provinces have enacted a number of measures to promote tourism with the establishment of 12 tourist sites and four national ones. The two-day festival featured numerous activities, including art performances, an exhibition on tourism products, an ethnic costumes stage, a cooking contest, and a scientific workshop on sustainable development of community-based tourism in the northwest. The north-western region consists of eight provinces, namely Lao Cai, Hoa Binh, Son La, Dien Bien, Lai Chau, Yen Bai, Phu Tho and Ha Giang. It boasts great cultural values, especially cultural tangible and intangible heritage of ethnic minority groups such as Thai, Muong, Mong, Dao, Tay Nung among others. HCM City alley suffers around-the-clock flooding An alley in a Ho Chi Minh City neighborhood is always inundated, no matter whether it rains or not, causing hardship and frustration for local residents. The situation has been present for the past week along the alley at 183 Cay Tram Street in Go Vap District. The 300-meter-long alley is always submerged under water as high as 30 centimeters, even during sunny days. Houses of local citizens are flooded around the clock, while motorbikes often break down traveling in the area. Le Thi Tuyet Lan, 53, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper while scooping floodwater out of her house that she had to move her furniture to higher spots in the house. Local people stated that this alley has always been flooded whenever it rains in the past three years, causing many challenges to their daily lives, adding that the weak sewage systems are to blame. Vietnamese, Malaysian firms share experience in regional integration Vietnamese and Malaysian businesses shared experience in regional integration at a conference and a forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on October 8. The conference on ASEAN business connectivity and the forum themed “ASEAN Economic Community: Opportunities and Challenges to Vietnamese businesses” were attended by more than 300 Vietnamese enterprises and a number of Malaysian counterparts. Speaking at the event, Dr. Doan Duy Khuong, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), talked about changes in the business environment in ASEAN and the world at large. Such changes have generated both challenges and opportunities for the business circle, including those from Vietnam, he said, expressing his hope that Vietnamese firms would learn experience to overcome the obstacles and make the best use of the opportunities at the event. Vietnamese Ambassador to Malaysia Le Quy Quynh described the ASEAN member countries, including Malaysia, as promising markets for Vietnamese enterprises. The diplomat promised to do his utmost in order to support and connect Vietnamese and Malaysian enterprises together, contributing to enhancing the bilateral economic and trade ties. On this occasion, representatives from state management agencies, scholars and scientists cleared up questions raised by the participating firms, helping them gain an insight into economic integration. The event, held by the Asian Management and Development Institute under the Vietnam Ministry of Science and Technology, is expected to come to Indonesia and Singapore in the next few days. Vietnam, Cambodia hold people’s cooperation, friendship meeting The fourth Vietnamese – Cambodian people’s cooperation and friendship meeting kicked off in Ho Chi Minh City on October 7, part of activities to mark 50 years of bilateral diplomatic ties this year. Addressing the audience that included the two countries’ officials, veterans and people, Chairman of the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Association Vu Mao highlighted the significance of the diplomatic ties establishment five decades ago, which marked a new chapter in their relations. The two countries’ relations have entered a new stage of development, flourishing in all spheres, especially in friendship and cooperation programmes with effective activities of the Vietnam-Cambodia and Cambodia-Vietnam friendship associations, he noted. Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Men Sam An, who also chairs the Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Association, thanked Vietnamese people for sending volunteer soldiers to help Cambodia defeat the Khmer Rouge genocidal regime and rebuild the country. The Cambodian people never forget the wholehearted assistance and enormous sacrifice of Vietnam’s experts and volunteer soldiers, who contributed to Cambodia’s happiness and development nowadays. She asked the two countries’ friendship associations to better fulfil their role as a bridge linking Vietnamese and Cambodian sectors, localities and people. They should enhance educating younger generations on the bilateral solidarity, friendship and neighbourliness. The fourth Vietnamese – Cambodian people’s cooperation and friendship meeting will last through October 12. It features arts programmes, a meeting between Vietnamese and Cambodian businesses, and friendship exchanges in HCM City and nearby Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau provinces. On October 8, the two friendship associations held a conference to share their experience and review the two-year implementation of their cooperation agreement inked in 2015. Vietnamese youths follow labor export trend, seek opportunity in Japan An increasing number of youths in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta are seeking job opportunities in Japan for a better future. Local authorities have supported the trend by providing free Japanese lessons, loans with special interest rates, and visa fees for poor residents. Instead of enrolling in college like others, Nguyen Thi Thuy Mai, 18, who lives in Ben Tre Province, decided to attend Japanese classes at an education center. Mai is waiting for her chance to join a program to bring workers to Japan, despite her good grades in high school. The young girl lives in a family of five, in which her parents have to work various seasonal jobs to provide for everyone. “I have planned to seek an overseas job ever since I entered high school. I want to help my parents and siblings, and save some money for the future,” Mai stated. She is among 210 youths who are taking free Japanese lessons at education and job centers throughout Ben Tre. According to Le Thi Bong, a teacher at one of these facilities in Giong Tom District, 20 out of 60 learners of the Japanese language here are high school students. More young people in Dong Thap Province are also following a similar trend. Tran Thi Hong Dao, 18, is one of them, despite her high scores on a recent university entrance exam. “I have nurtured an intention to work abroad after graduating from high school since I was in eleventh grade. It is more stable as I can earn some experience and secure a job at Japanese companies,” Dao said. Over 100 high school graduates enrolled in Japanese classes at the Dong Thap Province Job Service Center in 2016, Nguyen Thi Minh Tuyet, director of the venue, said, adding that this year’s number has risen to 400. After working in Japan for three years, Le Nhat Truong, 26, hailing from Tam Nong District, Dong Thap, has managed to save nearly VND1 billion (US$43,905). Truong currently works as a Japanese teacher in Vietnam and plans to run a business. “Laborers who have worked in Japan are always welcome at Japanese-owned companies in Vietnam. After completing your labor export program, someone will contact you to discuss a long-term job,” he elaborated. Meanwhile, Son Hoang Xuan, 33, residing in Vinh Long Province, said he had been able to renovate his home, buy a good motorbike and other valuable items with the money he earned from his three-year employment in Japan. After returning to Vietnam, Xuan was introduced to work at Japan’s Logitem Company in Binh Minh Industrial Park, Vinh Long. In late 2014, authorities in Dong Thap re-started its labor export program by offering local labor forces a series of policies and advantages, including loans, free language lessons and job consultancy, financial support for health check-ups, and others. Thanks to the efforts, Dong Thap has been the top labor supplier for businesses in Japan and the Republic of Korea in the past three years. According to Nguyen Van Duong, chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, labor export has been one of the top priorities as it provides a stable income for locals, helps improve the province’s competitiveness and attracts more foreign investment. More local laborers have been aware of the benefits and are willing to sign up for the program, said Tuyet, the director of the Dong Thap Province Job Service Center. VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri/VNEVET