Social News 12/11 Vietnamese student receives APEC 2017 VOF’s leadership award   Twenty-year-old Nguyen Cam Tu from Vietnam was the only delegate to receive the leadership award at the APEC 2017 Voices of the Future (VOF) for her outstanding contributions to the freshly-ended event held in the central city of Da Nang. Tu, who is currently a student at the Academy of Finance, told a Vietnam News Agency reporter after receiving the award, which is a surprise to her. She will receive funding from the award to attend the APEC VOF next year in Papua New Guinea. She said she will make greater efforts to gain more knowledge and better her English to accomplish her task at the VOF 2018. “I hope to raise a voice to contribute to the development of APEC in particular and the world in general,” said Tu. Within the discussions during the APEC 2017 VOF, the Vietnamese delegation proposed the establishment of an APEC university meeting APEC standards, Tu said, expressing her hope that APEC leaders will consider and realise the initiative. She also highlights the importance of youth contributions to the APEC vision beyond 2020, saying she hopes APEC leaders will review young people’s suggestions regarding APEC’s future development and make them come true. Vietnam promotes aquaculture, fishery at Algeria’s int’l fair Vietnam’s aquaculture, fishery industry and seafood are on display at the seventh International Exhibition of Fishing and Aquaculture (SIPA 2017) which is underway in Oran, Algeria from November 9-12. At the biennial fair, Vietnamese Trade Counsellor to Algeria Hoang Duc Nhuan gave local companies an overview of the Vietnam-Algeria trade and prospects for future cooperation and introduced Vietnam’s major exporters. Vietnam and Algeria signed a Memorandum of Understanding in aquaculture and fishery in 2010, Nhuan said, adding that since then, seafood has been among Top 5 export earners of Vietnam to the African nation which brought home 9-10 million USD annually. But the export revenue dropped to 6.8 million USD last year. According to the ambassador, some Algerian firms looked for Vietnam’s experience in aquaculture, particularly prawn and tra fish farming, while others were seeking Vietnamese investment partners and sources of fish feed and fishing nets in Vietnam for import. This year’s SIPA is held to promote aquaculture and fishery as a way to achieve sustainable development and economic diversity. The event features 77 domestic booths and 35 booths run by foreign exhibitors working in different areas of the industry. It also hosts a wide range of side activities, including seminars, business forums, and B2B meetings. Defence law needs updating: Minister A new constitution in 2013 featuring several new guidelines and views of the Party and the State, made it necessary to introduce amendments to the law on national defence to “match the present reality,” said Minister of Defence Ngô Xuân Lịch in an address to the National Assembly yesterday during its fourth meeting. The law on national defence was approved by the National Assembly in June, 2005, and started to take effect in 2006. Lịch said that in the last 10 years, implementation of the law had made numerous important achievements, helping to ensure the country’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and national security and order, which ultimately contribute to the country’s socio-economic development. However, the defence minister said that the 2013 constitution’s principles regarding national defence had not been institutionalised, and some content of the 2005 law was not compatible or synchronised with the existing system of legal documents. He said the demands of new reality, in which besides traditional forms of war there had emerged several new forms – unconventional warfare, proxy warfare, cyber warfare, information warfare; and hi-tech weapons together with electronic warfare would be the primary tools deployed from the beginning and during the war. On the other hand, the world had been witnessing increasingly unpredictable changes in the manner, size, scope, space, time, environment, forces and warfare tactics involved in war-waging, he added. “In order to effectively prevent wars and have winning responses in all possible scenarios in all forms of warfares, there needs to be amendments introduced to the law, which would create a higher legal corridor for national building and defence, ensuring a peaceful and politically stable environment to serve the country’s development,” the defence minister said. The defence minister also told the NA that the draft law was built as a framework law, only providing essential over-arching guidelines and policies, while allowing for more flexibility to adapt to changing practical conditions. Võ Trọng Việt, chairman of the NA’s National Defence and Security Committee, reporting on the committee’s assessment of the proposed draft law, said the committee agreed the defence law would need to be amended. The committee also noted that the draft law had been built and presented in line with existing regulations on legal document promulgation and was eligible for submission to the National Assembly. However, the lawmaking agency should make clear the issues and obstacles, giving assessments of new policies such as military zone defence, and add regulations on martial law and curfew,” Việt said. Mông villagers in Đắk Lắk access solar electricity and clean water More than 190 households from the Mông ethnic group in Ea Rớt Village, in the Krông Bông District of Central Highlands Province of Đắk Lắk have gained access to electricity and clean water thanks to a solar energy system supported by the Green Innovation and Development Centre (Green ID). The electricity and clean water supply system using solar energy was transferred to the local community on Friday. The system has an installation capacity of 6.24 kWp using solar panels to generate electricity for domestic use and electricity for a Reverse Osmosis water filtration system. The design enables the system to generate 20kWh per day, meet the lighting demand of about 20 households and supplying 700 to 1,000 litres of clean water per day for the villagers. It needs about four sunlight hours, from 10am to 2pm, to generate electricity for the water filtration system. The remaining generated electricity will be saved in battery accumulators used for lighting at night. The electricity generating capacity will increase when the electricity demand is high. The electricity and clean water supply system using solar energy will function for the next 20 years. It received investment worth VNĐ500 million (US$21,700) by the McKnight Fund, within the framework of a project that supports the engagement of stakeholders and sustainable energy solutions in Việt Nam’s energy development plan. The project has been conducted by Green ID and Đắk Lắk Province’s Department of Industry and Trade between January 2016 and December 2017. To ensure the fiscal sustainability of the project, locals will pay VNĐ2,000 ($0.09) for 1kWh and about VNĐ7,000-8,000 ($0.3) for a 20-litre fresh water bottle. The money will be used for operation and maintenance. Nguyễn Văn Tâm, Chairman of Cư Pui Commune’s People’s Committee said that Ea Rớt Village did not have access to electricity, so the villagers are happy with this system. “The villagers will be responsible for preserving the system. The authorities must send a technician to fix any problem,” he said. According to Green ID, the system has the advantage of low-cost installation fees and simple maintenance. When the national grid comes to the village, this system can be adjusted to fit with the national grid. “The system not only provides humanitarian benefits, but also brings about locality-specific results by establishing energy plans in line with the community’s demands,” Ngụy Thị Khanh, Green ID Executive Director said, expressing her wish to bring similar systems to other localities, thanks to support of State agencies and sponsors. - Project on vocational training quality ends Nearly 1,400 educational managers and lecturers received training from experts from six different schools of the United Kingdom (UK) during the past three years. This is part of the co-operation programme on building and developing a system ensuring quality between Việt Nam and the UK. The conference closing the programme was held on Friday in Hà Nội by the British Council Việt Nam and the General Department of Vocational Training under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs. The programme is part of the international co-operation project to ensure quality in several vocational training colleges, which will be invested into high-quality colleges. The project was signed between the British Council in Việt Nam and the General Department of Vocational Training in 2015. Also under the programme, 68 educational managers and lecturers from Việt Nam went to the UK to study about developing skills and building up a system to ensure quality. Three national conferences were held with the participation of nearly 500 representatives and experts on vocational training. Nearly 250 new tools of the system ensuring quality were set up at 183 faculties of different schools in Việt Nam. Associate professor, Lê Quân, Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, said that vocational training colleges in Việt Nam studied and applied effectively the UK model of ensuring quality. The colleges’ capacity had improved, the culture of ensuring quality was set up in schools and the lecturers’ professional skills also improved towards international quality, he said. Giles Lever, UK Ambassador to Việt Nam, said, “Quality assurance is at the heart of a successful education or training system, it is the guarantee of trust in the system, so that students and employers alike have confidence in the qualifications gained and awarded.” Việt Nam’s attractiveness to foreign investment, as well as the development of Việt Nam’s own private sector, would only be sustained if the country can produce workers with the right skills, relevant to the employer’s needs, he said. Danny Whitehead, director of the British Council Việt Nam, said that the British Council is honoured to have worked with the General Department of Vocational Training during the past three years. The British Council hoped to support Việt Nam to internationalise the vocational training system, to increase opportunities for graduate students to find jobs, he said. Propaganda poster contests launched Two propaganda poster contests have been launched by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in Hà Nội. The contests aim to celebrate the 70th anniversary of President Hồ Chí Minh’s appeal for patriotic emulation and his communication on culture, sports and tourism. The competition is an occasions to disseminate information on President Hồ Chí Minh’s appeal for patriotic emulation, strengthen national solidarity, defend border sovereignty and the country’s seas and islands. This is also an opportunity to enhance all levels of government and public awareness over the protection of the environment, and to cope with climate change in the fields of culture, sports and tourism. Anyone, bar the organising board, can enter the contest and the number of entries is unlimited. All entries must be 54x79cm and new creations which have not been submitted to other contests before. No entries will be returned, and the organising board can display the works for national communication activities in all forms, like festivals, anniversaries and political missions. The deadline for all entries to be sent to the ministry is December 14 for the first contest and December 24 for the second. The first prize for both contests is worth VNĐ15 million (US$660), and the authors will receive royalties if their works are displayed at any exhibition. At the launching ceremony, the organising board gave awards for a previous contest, APEC Year in Việt Nam, to 20 finalists from 552 entries. The first prize was given to Đỗ Trung Kiên from Hà Nội. Nam Kỳ Khởi Nghĩa cycling tourney to start More than 10 teams will compete in The Nam Kỳ Khởi Nghĩa cycling tournament, VOH Cup, which is scheduled to start on November 17 in HCM City. Cyclists will compete in seven stages over a total length of nearly 1,000km, through the provinces of Bình Dương, Đồng Nai, Bình Phước, Đắk Nông, Đắk Lắk, Khánh Hòa, Lâm Đồng. They will face many challenges on the road including conquering Khánh Lê, Giang Ly and Phượng Hoàng mountain passes. The first stage is the 117km stretch from HCM City to Đồng Xoài Twon of Bình Phước Province. The event, which has belonged to national competition system since 2009, has a total prize pot of VNĐ300 million (US$14,500). The organising board will give awards for winners of the yellow, green, white and team categories, alongside other prizes. It will run until November 23. Belt Road No 3 buildings could rise 50 storeys     The Ha Noi People’s Committee has approved the urban design project in areas along Belt Road No 3. Accordingly, buildings in these areas could rise up to 50 storeys. The project is for a 4.22km-long belt road running from Khuat Duy Tien to Nguyen Xien streets and covering 61.68ha. On Khuat Duy Tien Street, the project encouraged the development of office and residential housing buildings, which could be 50 storeys in height. For Thanh Xuan intersection where Khuat Duy Tien, Nguyen Trai and Nguyen Xien streets meet, mixed-use commercial projects were encouraged to exploit advantages from the metro line. On Nguyen Xien Street, residential housing projects with an average height of 25-30 storeys were encouraged. Vietnam-RoK fine arts exhibition opens in HCM City Natural landscapes and the people of Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK) are highlighted through 130 art works at the Vietnam-RoK Fine Arts Exchange Exhibition which opened in Ho Chi Minh City on November 11. Images of the countries and their people are illustrated on wood sculpture, lacquer, oil and silk paintings. In addition, visitors to the exhibition also have chance to contemplate the RoK’s standout genres like traditional ink wash painting and Nubi (RoK traditional quilting). The exhibition is part of the activities held within the Ho Chi Minh City-Gyeongju World Cultural Festival 2017, taking place from November 11 to December 3 in the southern hub. The festival is organised in celebration of the 25th founding anniversary of Vietnam-RoK diplomatic ties. The event aims to bolster exchanges and mutual understanding between the Vietnamese and Korean people. The exhibition will run until December 3.- APEC 2017: Mexico applauds Vietnam’s proposed agenda Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs Luis Videgaray has said that he was impressed by ideas proposed by Vietnam at the APEC 2017 Economic Leaders’ Meeting, adding that Mexico fully supports the agenda. In an interview granted exclusively to the Vietnam News Agency on the sidelines of the APEC 2017 Economic Leaders’ Meeting, Videgaray described APEC as an important international forum and under the chair of Vietnam, it would be an effective meeting with a view to re-boosting trade promotion programmes for comprehensive development and integration. He said the meeting featured a number of topics of Mexico’s concern, such as the development of small and medium-sized enterprises and their integration into the value chain, trade coordination, especially in the digital economy. The minister also underscored sustainable food production and agricultural development amid climate change as both Mexico and Vietnam have been heavily affected by natural disasters. About the prospect of Vietnam-Mexico ties within the APEC cooperation mechanism and bilaterally, Videgaray affirmed that bilateral relations are in the period of the best development, adding that the recent meeting between President Tran Dai Quang and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto achieved positive results. He expressed wish that Mexican firms would invest more in Vietnam and welcome more Vietnamese students to the country for study and cultural exchanges. The two countries could be geographically distant but share similarities that make them closer, he stressed. APEC 2017: Russian expert praises Vietnam’s role in region Vietnam is becoming one of the leading players in the region, said Maria Zelenkova, a research fellow at the Russian Institute of Strategic Studies in a recent analysis. The successful hosting of the APEC 2017 Economic Leaders’ Meeting, which concluded in Vietnam today, will further promote the country’s image in the international arena, she wrote. “Vietnam is the center of close attention on the part of the leading countries of the Asia-Pacific region,” the Russian researcher said, adding that this is due to the increasing role of the country in the international arena that is caused by a number of interrelated reasons. Among them is Vietnam’s desire to be an active participant in regional affairs in an effort to promote economic integration, which is necessary for the country to achieve optimal growth and attract foreign investments. Zelenkova cited the fact that Vietnam is a member of many international organisations and a participant of various integration summits and forums and the country is open for new initiatives, particularly the idea to revive the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement proposed by Japan. She pointed out major tasks for the country are to attract foreign investment and ensuring energy and food security. “Hanoi has used its chairmanship to the maximum benefit by organising the new format of meetings – conference “Doing Business in Vietnam” with the participation of the World Bank.” In the near future, experts expect new agreements between Vietnamese businesses and regional investors in the field of trade, infrastructure, energy, technology, she said. Deputy PM wants to further cultural cooperation with China Vietnam and China should continue jointly carry out the already signed cultural cooperation agreement and other cooperation deals between culture agencies of the two nations, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has said. He made the statement while holding a reception for Chinese Minister of Culture Luo Shugang in Hanoi on November 11. Luo’s visit to Vietnam will make significant contributions to elevating the bilateral cultural cooperation to a new height, Dam noted, highlighting that cultural exchanges have been enlarged in scale, numbers, types and contents, which are important to bolster collaboration ties between the two countries. For his part, Luo said that his ministry will work and ink a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the culture industry with the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. In the occasion of President Xi Jingping’s State visit to Vietnam, the two culture ministries will organise a photo exhibition entitled “China through the eyes of Vietnamese photographers” and inaugurate a Chinese culture centre in Vietnam. Vietnam attends ASEAN Family Day in Czech Republic The Vietnamese Embassy joined its counterparts of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand in the annual ASEAN Family Day held in Prague, the Czech Republic, on November 10. The event was attended by ASEAN ambassadors to the Czech Republic, their families and several families of diplomatic officials of the host nation. According to Vietnamese Ambassador Ho Minh Tuan, who is also Rotary Chair of the ASEAN Committee in Prague (ACP), said the event is of significance to enhancing mutual understanding among ASEAN missions through games, art performances and cuisine festival. The event also helps Czech guests understand more about the ASEAN bloc as well as solidarity among its members, he noted. In the past years, the Vietnamese Embassy in the Netherlands have actively participated in ACP’s activities, representing its responsibility for the ASEAN community as well as popularising Vietnamese images to international friends.- Workshop highlights Vietnam – Russia relations An international workshop on the link between Vietnam’s national liberation struggle and Russia’s October revolution was organised in Moscow on November 9 as part of activities to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Russian October Revolution (November 7). The event took place amid Vietnam – Russia relations having new impetuses for their development.  In designing its new policies towards Southeast Asia, Russia considers Vietnam’s role as a door for it to enter the region of political and economic significance. At the event, Director of the Russian State Archive of Social and Political History Andrei Sorokin said numerous activities have been conducted and jointly organised by Vietnam and Russia in the year of celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Russian October Revolution, adding that the workshop as well as the debut of the book “Soviet Union and Vietnam in Indochina War” are among of the activities. Vietnam teams up with Netherlands, WB in food safety Vietnam seeks to enhance food safety management with support of the Netherlands and the World Bank (WB), announced the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) on November 10. At a ceremony to announce the memorandum of understanding on sustainable agricultural and food sector development, Vietnam expressed hope to increase cooperation with the Netherlands and the WB in evaluating risks of food safety. Projects and activities will be launched under the cooperation to improve Vietnam’s food supply chain toward international standards of food safety. Accordingly, it will build a food safety monitoring system based on risk evaluation, as well as improve food processing and quality of surveillance agencies. Speaking at the ceremony, MARD Deputy Minister Vu Van Tam said that Vietnam has paid attention to food safety and given priority to agro-forestry-fishery products management. The ministry will launch measures to improve food safety management in the coming years, raising productivity and quality for demand of domestic consumers and exports. To realise the target, in addition to the country’s efforts, the agricultural sector should make use of international support, the Deputy Minister added. For her part, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Netherlands to Vietnam Pauline Eizema said the MoU aims to concretize cooperation between Vietnam and the Netherlands in food safety management, with the participation of the WB.- APEC 2017: Delegates appreciate VOF outcomes Delegates to the APEC Voices of the Future (VOF) spoke highly of the results of the forum, which was held from November 6-10 on the sidelines of the APEC 2017 Economic Leaders’ Week. “I think after five days in Vietnam, the result is very encouraging. The young people interacted with the leaders and some of them met the heads of governments and voiced their concerns,” said James Soh, Co-Chair of the APEC Voices Leadership Council. They told the governments to consult and work with them because they want to make Asia Pacific a dynamic region, he said, adding that Vietnam provides a very good platform for them to interact with the governments of APEC economies. According to James Soh, the delegates are impressed with not only the forum but also the visit to beautiful Hoi An ancient town, the peace village and mural village in the central province of Quang Nam that some of the young people have never seen if they don’t participate in the APEC Voices of the Future. “Now they have better understanding of Vietnam and I told them after all the hardwork, they should try to spend a few days in Vietnam and enjoy the beauty of country,” he said. Le Thi Huong, a delegate from Vietnam, said this VOF was a successful event. It offered her opportunities to meet with and voice their wishes to the leaders of 21 APEC economies. At the forum, the Vietnamese delegation voiced the contributions of Vietnamese youth and suggested each member economy help its young people better understanding of APEC, she said. Each economy should have an online forum where youngsters can send their questions and aspirations to, she added. VOF is an opportunity for all young people in not only Vietnam but also other APEC members to sit together to talk about the future of their economies and the whole APEC, according to Huong. Catalina Villanueva Matar from Mexico said youths are really important as they are the future of economies. The biggest interest of young people is to have their voiced heard, she said, adding that forums like VOF should have seminars to discuss what involve the youth and the active participation of not only local youth but global youth, because they are future leaders. Meanwhile, Robert Lachlan Deppeler, an Australian delegate, said he was was most impressed with the first topic, Vision beyond 2020. “I think a lot of the youth have excellent ideas and I hope all ideas will be taken into account and be implemented,” he noted. He also emphasised the importance of the youth declaration, which can be measured only when it is implemented by the leaders. “We are trying to talk to, try to make our voices heard and I think that it is fundamentally important that the leaders take note. I do believe that all of us can make the voices heard. It’s remarkable to hear that so many people have similar ideas and I think it is really promising to the future,” he said. VNN