Social News 21/3 Quang Tri seizes more than 50,600 ecstasy pills   Quang Tri provincial Border Guards in coordination with Lao border defence forces have arrested five Lao citizens who trafficked more than 50,600 ecstasy bills into Vietnam. The five Lao people were caught red-handed at 2.30pm on March 19 at A Xing village, Sa Muoi district , Salavan Province in Laos, around 3km from La Lay border gate. The seized exhibits included 50,600 ecstasy bills, 1 kilo of methamphetamine, one K59 gun with 8 bullets and two cars. They initially confessed that they transported the drugs from Thailand to Laos and then into Vietnamese Kon Tum, Ha Tinh, Nghe An, Quang Binh and Quang Tri provinces for distribution. Quang Tri border guards handed the drug smugglers and exhibits over to Salavan police for further investigation. Educational cooperation helps promote Vietnam-India ties: workshop Cooperation in education-training is an important factor helping improve the quality of the Vietnam-India relationship in the long-term, heard a networking seminar and Indian education fair held by the Indian Embassy in Vietnam on March 19. India’s education system has made great strides over the past two decades and the country has become a leading education centre in Asia, participants at the event said.  The workshop brought together policy makers, educators and businesses from Vietnam and India. Many well-known universities of India also came to enroll Vietnamese students.  Vietnam now ranks fifth globally in the number of overseas students in the US and second in the Republic of Korea (RoK), Japan and Australia.  In India, there are about 500 Vietnamese students studying under different educational cooperation programmes between the two countries.  Vietnam and India agreed to step up education cooperation during the State visit to India from March 2-4, 2018 by President Tran Dai Quang.  President Quang thanked India for increasing scholarships to Vietnamese students, researchers, academic professionals and government officials, especially through the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme, the Mekong - Ganga Cooperation (MGC) framework, as well as the projects under the fund of Quick Impact Projects (QIPs).  He appreciated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s offering of 1,000 fellowships to students and researchers from the ASEAN member states for studying integrated PhD programmes in the Indian Institute of Technology. Prime Minister Modi offered to organise customised courses in areas of interest to Vietnam through the ITEC programme. RoK donates 10,000 tons of rice to central and Central Highlands regions The Republic of Korea (RoK) Government, through ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR), has provided 10,000 tons of rice worth around VND393.4 billion to 10 central and Central Highlands provinces which were seriously affected by storm Damrey late last year. The rice was shipped from the RoK to Vietnam via Cam Ranh port in Khanh Hoa province and Da Nang port in Da Nang City. Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Hoang Van Thang said at the hand-over ceremony in the district of Dai Loc in Quang Nam province on March 21 that people in remote areas still face with numerous difficulties despite Government support to deal with storm consequences. He said the Ministry will direct localities to receive and allocate the rice to needy people. Last year, central and Central Highlands provinces suffered great losses caused by storms and floods. Storm Damrey left 123 dead and missing, 342 others injured, destroyed crops and damaged thousands of houses. Ministry to improve grassroots health facilities The Ministry of Health is conducting field trips to 29 health stations in 10 provinces and cities’ communes and wards to survey activities, facilities, personnel and finance in an aim to improve the quality of health care services for local residents. The survey is part of the implementation of the Government’s resolution on improving grassroots health facilities in the country. Health stations are in charge of medical treatment and prevention of epidemics as well as non-communicable diseases. On Monday (March 19), the ministry visited two health stations Thạnh An in Cần Giờ District and Bình Chiểu in Thủ Đức District in HCM City. Minister of Health Nguyễn Thị Kim Tiến said the results of the survey of health stations in remote and urban areas would be used to help improve healthcare services.   The ministry wants better health services for people with health insurance, Tiến said, adding that patients in the future will be able to use grassroots services instead of higher-level medical services that are often overcrowded with patients. This will also save patients time and money in transport costs. Each ward has dozens of patients that now go to district-level hospitals for treatment, she said, adding that patient overcrowding is unavoidable at these facilities. The current funds for all health stations in the country are limited, and, as a result, there is a shortage of medicine and lower-quality health care services, she said. Tiến said the health station in Bình Chiểu Ward has only basic medicine covered by  health insurance funds, which leads patients to choose other medical facilities. Dr Lê Bá Kông, head of the health station in Bình Chiểu Ward, said the station has basic medical equipment including an X-ray machine and testing machine. There is only one general practice doctor at the health station in Cần Giờ District’s Thạnh An island commune, home to 5,000 people. The station lacks medicine, especially for patients with chronic heart diseases. It does not have basic medical equipment such as X-ray machine and ultrasound machine. Tiến has instructed the city Department of Health first to require hospitals at city-level to provide assistance to the Thạnh An island commune’s health station. In the upcoming time, the ministry will use this station as a pilot case on how to manage health care for each resident under a model called family medical practice. The station will be among four in the city to carry out the model.   The Department of Health said it would give the Thạnh An health station an X-ray machine but that a facility to house the machine must be built. A sufficient number of oxygen containers for emergency aid will also be given. The department has worked with health centres and the People’s Committee in Cần Giờ District to review the needs of Thạnh An commune and meet the ministry’s requirements. More medicine will also be given to the health station, and a project on traditional medicine will be set up at the station. Thủ Đức District Hospital will offer voluntary training in IT application for the health station’s staff. Exhibition hounours Hungarian composer An exhibition entitled "Let the Whole World Rejoice" to introduce Hungarian musician Zoltan Kodaly opened at the National Library of Vietnam on March 20. The exhibition is co-held by the Hungarian Embassy in Hanoi and the National Library of Vietnam featuring posters introducing the musician Kodaly’s works and life. The exhibition is a rare chance for local people to learn more about one of the most outstanding Hungarian personalities of the 20th century. "Kodaly was a great son of Hungary who made his remarkable contribution to the great foundation of Hungarian music, and a teacher who is admired by music lovers and learners in Viet Nam and in the world for bringing the Kodaly method to music training and education," Nguyen Ngọc Anh, the library’s deputy director said at the exhibition opening ceremony.  Kodaly (1882-1967) was a composer, ethnomusicologist, music pedagogue and linguist. His internationally acknowledged concept of music education is the basis for general music teaching in Hungary and also plays an important role in the training of professional musicians. His ideas on music education are usually mentioned under the name Kodaly Method, a serious reform of existing music education methods and one rooted in the historical, social and cultural circumstances of Hungary of that time. The Kodaly Method is recognised by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage.  "We aim to popularise our musicians to Vietnamese people,” said deputy head of mission Karolyi Marton. Visiting the exhibition will help you encounter and get insight on how the Kodály principles that have influenced pedagogy and musical education worldwide, namely: musical education from a young age, the pleasure in learning music and the teaching of musical material in the context of the mother-tongue folk song." Three books about musician Kodaly are also displayed at the library on this occasion. Rounding out the exhibit are pictures, music pieces, articles by and about him, as well as his own memoir, research and manifesto.  The exhibition will run until March 25 at 31 Trang Thi Street, Hanoi. Cuisine programme marks Vietnam-Japan diplomatic ties A “Vietnamese and Japanese cuisine introduction” programme will be held at the Children Palace, Hanoi from March 23-25, as part of activities to celebrate 45 years of bilateral ties this year. The event features 21 food stalls categorised in three zones: Vietnamese food, Japanese food and a common zone showcasing tea brewing. Visitors to the programme will be able to taste dishes from Vietnam and Japan like ramen, soba, yakisoba, sushi, pho (noodles served with beef or chicken in a hot bow of broth), bun thang (rice vermicelli served with shredded chicken, pork and fried egg), chung cake, nem ran (spring roll) and banh cuon (rice pancakes wrapped with meat), among others. Also, an exhibition of 30 sakura trees and 10,000 sakura branches at Ly Thai To Garden by Hoan Kiem Lake from March 23-26 will be held.  Other cultural events include chess, Kendama folk games and Yosakoi dance performance, and Vietnamese traditional arts like ca tru (ceremonial singing), hat xam (blind busker singing) and folk dances. Educational cooperation helps promote Vietnam-India ties: workshop Cooperation in education-training is an important factor helping improve the quality of the Vietnam-India relationship in the long-term, heard a networking seminar and Indian education fair held by the Indian Embassy in Vietnam on March 19.  India’s education system has made great strides over the past two decades and the country has become a leading education centre in Asia, participants at the event said.  The workshop brought together policy makers, educators and businesses from Vietnam and India. Many well-known universities of India also came to enroll Vietnamese students.  Vietnam now ranks fifth globally in the number of overseas students in the US and second in the Republic of Korea (RoK), Japan and Australia.  In India, there are about 500 Vietnamese students studying under different educational cooperation programmes between the two countries.  Vietnam and India agreed to step up education cooperation during the State visit to India from March 2-4, 2018 by President Tran Dai Quang.  President Quang thanked India for increasing scholarships to Vietnamese students, researchers, academic professionals and government officials, especially through the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme, the Mekong - Ganga Cooperation (MGC) framework, as well as the projects under the fund of Quick Impact Projects (QIPs).  He appreciated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s offering of 1,000 fellowships to students and researchers from the ASEAN member states for studying integrated PhD programmes in the Indian Institute of Technology. Prime Minister Modi offered to organise customised courses in areas of interest to Vietnam through the ITEC programme. Hanoi’s support centre important to regional weather forecast service Ata Hussian, an officer from the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) spoke highly of WMO’s support centre in Hanoi, saying it has played an important role in supporting supply of weather forecast services in the region. Vietnam has participated in the Severe Weather Forecasting Demonstration Project (SWFDP) since 2010 and was selected by the WMO to base one of its Regional Forecasting Support Centres (RFSCs) in Hanoi, he told the Vietnam News Agency on the sidelines of the “Regional training workshop on severe weather forecasting and delivery of warning services” which is underway in Hanoi from March 19-30. RFSC-Hanoi also provides satellite-based products daily delivering forecast services on heavy rain and extreme winds for Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, the Philippines and most recently, Myanmar for short range (1-2 days) and medium range (3-5 days), he noted. According to Hussian, the WMO organizes annual training courses on severe weather forecasting methods, from satellite or radar-based “nowcasting” to medium-range forecasting based on numerical prediction. The organization has provided training and technical support as well as acted as a contact point for data sharing between SWFDP members to improve the forecasting service quality in the region. He added that the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources’ general department of hydro-meteorological forecasting will aid this effort by improving the sector’s capacity in the coming years, increasing investment in infrastructure and reports from RFSC-Hanoi.- Literature, art works spotlight Vietnam-Laos solidarity A large number of literature and art works featuring the solidarity between Vietnam and Laos were honoured at a ceremony in Vientiane on March 20. In early 2017, the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People’s Army launched a campaign encouraging the creation of literature and art works depicting Vietnam-Laos fighting solidarity. The event aimed to celebrate the Vietnam-Laos Friendship and Solidarity Year 2017. The organising board received 479 entries in literature work, songs, propaganda posters, and news photos from 185 Lao authors. And, the Lao authors earned four A prizes, 8 B prizes, 12 C prizes and 16 consolation prizes. Speaking at the ceremony, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Trong Nghia, Deputy Director of the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People’s Army described the time-honoured relations between Vietnam Laos as a special, reliable relationship and a valuable asset of both nations. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party, the two countries’ people always stood shoulder by shoulder and supported each other in the nation-building and development process, he stressed.  Nghia urged the General Departments of Politics of the two countries’ armies to coordinate in building a plan for publishing the award-winning works.   For his part, Major General Vantyhong Kongman, Deputy Director of Laos’s General Department of Politics highlighted the significance of the campaign, saying that it helped young people of the two countries to understand more about the Vietnam-Laos special relationship in general and the fighting solidarity between the two armies. Project helps farmers in Son La increase incomes The outcomes of a project to increase incomes for farmers via agricultural restructuring in mountainous areas (SFIRIA) was reviewed at Tay Bac University in the mountainous province of Son La on March 20. The project was part of the cooperation agreement between Japan’s Kasama city and Son La province, under the auspices of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The project, carried out between March 2016 and March 2018, aims to improve living conditions and livelihoods of farmers in rural areas of the province. Under the project, 30 households in Tay Hung village (Muoi Noi commune, Thuan Chau district) and Tham village (Chieng Sinh ward, Son La city) were provided with local resources in order to increase added values and improve the quality of agricultural products. Le Xuan Thang, Secretary of the Party Cell of Tay Hung village, said the village has 12 households joining the project. They were trained on how to build agricultural production models and seek consumption markets by setting up stands at the village’s communal house. In the coming time, they will help other families do the same. In Tham village, vegetable growing areas developed under the project have been certified as safe vegetable production areas. The involving households have better incomes and living conditions thanks to stable consumption.  Leo Van Long, head of Tham village, said villagers now are familiar with using organic fertilizers and growing vegetables in net houses, therefore reducing the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. All households in the village have escaped from poverty, with annual average income reaching 120 million VND (5,300 USD). Symposium seeks ways to preserve Nguyen dynasty’s royal tombs Sustainable preservation of the Nguyen dynasty’s royal tombs in the complex of Hue imperial relic sites must be made in companion with the protection of natural landscapes in Huong River’s upstream area. The information was heard at an international symposium jointly held by the Hue Monument Conservation Centre and Japan’s Waseda University in Hue city, the central province of Thua Thien-Hue on March 20. Phan Thanh Hai, Director of the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre, noted that natural landscapes are significant to the UNESCO-recognised complex of Hue monuments, of which Huong River has become a special element to connect the complex. Thus, the landscapes around Huong River must be utilised in an appropriate way, he added. According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dang Van Bai, managers should prioritise natural landscape protection in the master plan on the complex management. Meanwhile, Prof. Dr. Satol Shigheru from Waseda University said that technical development will help the locality safeguard the historical environment. The complex of royal tombs and Huong River’s upstream area hold great tangible and intangible cultural values like agricultural products, perceptions, beliefs, religions and festivals, which are all grafted to Huong River. Participants at the event shared research results on the values, characteristics and potential of the cultural and eco-historical landscapes of the Nguyen Dynasty’s royal tombs and Huong River’s upstream area in order to find the best solutions to protecting landscapes at the complex of Hue monuments. Japanese cherry blossom exhibition to be held in Hai Phong A Japanese cherry blossom exhibition will take place in the northern city of Hai Phong from March 23-25, as part of activities to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Vietnam-Japan diplomatic ties. Speaking at a press conference on March 20, Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Culture and Sports Tran Thi Hoang Mai said that about 7,000 sakura branches, transported from Japan by air, will be exhibited, together with several types of Vietnamese flowers. On March 24, a seminar discussing investment and tourism promotion cooperation between Hai Phong and Japanese enterprises will be held as well. The event aims to effectively implement the city’s cultural diplomacy, strengthen mutual understanding between the two countries’ people, and boost bilateral cooperation in investment and tourism. Deputy Director of the municipal Trade, Investment and Tourism Promotion Centre Pham Hung Hung said that these events are to promote Hai Phong’s potential and strengths to Japanese people, call for Japanese investments in hi-tech agriculture, health, education, environmental protection and tourism, and introduce the image of Japan’s land and people to locals. Cà Mau households to be resettled More than 5,600 households in erosion-prone areas in the southernmost province of Cà Mau need to be relocated by 2020 but local authorities are struggling to find capital and land, according to the provincial People’s Committee. U Minh, Trần Văn Thời, Đầm Dơi, Phú Tân, Năm Căn and Ngọc Hiển districts have a high number of households living in erosion-prone areas that need to be relocated. In addition, several resettlement areas funded with the province’s budget have not been operating effectively as the resettled households have not been able to have a stable livelihood. Many of these resettled households have returned to live in the erosion-prone areas. Dư Bé Ba, chairman of the U Minh District People’s Committee, said the province should have policies that would provide a stable livelihood for resettled people in zoned areas. U Minh District plans to call for investment in building a 5-7ha resettlement area in Khánh Tiến Commune’s Vàm Tiểu Dừa area that will be worth nearly VNĐ100 billion (US$4.4 million). If this resettlement area is built by 2020, the district can resettle hundreds of households in coastal areas. The district will create conditions for relocated households to stabilise their livelihoods by providing vocational training and jobs for them, Ba said. Lê Văn Sử, deputy chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said the province had paid attention to relocating households in areas affected by natural disasters but the relocation process was still slow and ineffective.   The lack of investment capital and land are the major reasons for the slowness and ineffectiveness, according to Sử. In addition, many relocated households are poor and do not have a stable job so it is difficult for them to ensure their livelihood in resettlement areas. The provincial People’s Committee has ordered agencies and departments to resolve  difficulties in existing resettlement areas. It has told the district People’s Committees to review and classify poor households so that plans to support them can be drawn up. Activities held nationwide for Youth Month 2018 A wide variety of practical activities have been held across the country in response to the 2018 Youth Month and in celebration of the 87th anniversary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (March 26). The youth union of Da Nang city Police Department held a ceremony to honour ten outstanding youth police officers. They made great achievements in their work and contributed to numerous scientific and technological research topics. Quang Tri provincial Youth Union has launched a volunteer campaign to support local people in administrative procedures on every Saturday during the month. It has received an enthusiastic response from youths. A youth festival was held in Thua Thien – Hue province, featuring over 1,000 local officials, youths, and students. In addition, 15 Secretaries of youth unions at the grassroots level in the province joined a competition, for seeking the most outstanding secretaries. Quang Nam provincial Youth Union collaborated with Vietnam Rubber Industry Group to hold a ceremony to inaugurate a clean water project at Thanh My start-up youth village in Nam Giang district. More than 500 youths and students in Tuy Hoa City, Phu Yen Province have actively participated in the ‘Green Sunday’ programme which was launched by the provincial Youth Union and contributes to environmental protection in the locality. Overloaded traffic infrastructure results in congestions in HCMC Many reasons are the cause of traffic jam in Ho Chi Minh City; yet basically, above all, the already weak infrastructure of the city has been overloaded. Overloading makes traffic controlling, construction works difficult and not get positive results as expected. Worse, traffic construction works become old-fashion compared with “hot” social development due to overloading. Lately, spending for traffic construction makes up a big sum in HCMC. Logically, spending for building a flyover or a tunnel to tackle gridlocks is up to some hundreds of billions of Vietnamese dong each. For instance, An Suong Tunnel in District 12 connecting Truong Chinh Street with National Highway 22 opened to the traffic in the middle of March with the cost of VND500 billion (US$22 million), in a bid to alleviate congestion and lower the number of accident. The construction of an interchange at My Thuy Roundabout to eliminate daily traffic snarls for bustling Cat Lai Port took up VND837 billion for the first stage. As per the municipal Department of Transport’s report, the city has 32 traffic construction works waiting for fund. These are constructions which have to be done by 2020 to tackle “hot traffic spots” include the roads in the height through districts Tan Binh, Phu Nhuan and Binh Thanh costing VND17,500 billion or in districts 12 and Thu Duc with estimated cost of VND15,405 billion; road in the height connecting Tan Son Nhat Airport and Hoang Van Thu Street in districts Tan Binh, Phu Nhuan and Binh Thanh worth VND3,288 billion. In addition, there are some roads in the belt road No.2 such as the road connecting the National highway No.1 to Nguyen Van Linh Street in District Binh Chanh; from Phu Huu Bridge to intersection Binh Thai – Hanoi Highway in district 9 and from Binh Thai intersection to Go Dua Intersection in Thu Duc District. Asides from that, maintenance and constructions of the smart traffic controlling center are worth VND6 trillion, bus rapid transit (BRT) No.4 along Pham Van Dong Street worth over VND1.6 trillion and buying new bus fleet are waiting for funding. City leaders beefed up efforts to attract more funding for construction of roads and maintenance work but it could not meet the demand. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Party Committee meeting took place last year, Party Chief of Ho Chi Minh City Nguyen Thien Nhan said that the city was being in a lack of roads. As per the planning project approved by the Prime Minister in 2010, one square kilometer of urban land must have 10km road. However, at present, the city has 1. 98 kilometer road per one square meter land accounting for 20 percent. At this speed, it takes 167 years for HCMC to achieve urban traffic standard. Also as the project by 2025, the city’s population will be 10 million; yet, currently, it is 13 million. With the current development, more people will flock to the city to work and live in the future. In 2017, HCMC spent over thousands of billions of Vietnam dong building flyovers and road expansion; yet traffic condition has not improved basically. Moreover, HCMC chopped down 100 trees including old trees in Gia Dinh park for building flyovers and road expansion. Furthermore, HCMC has spent tens of thousands of billion Vietnam dong on road and flyover construction in Cat Lai Port to lessen traffic jam there. Nevertheless, the efforts to diminish traffic congestion have been unrewarded because the number of container vehicles increased by 15 percent annually with 15,000 vehicles travelling in and out the port of now. Not only the two above-mentioned sites but also all districts in the city have seen the hike of population along with rising travelling demand. Congestion in Nguyen Tat Thanh Street in districts 4, 7, and Nha Be into downtown areas or in Sai Gon River tunnel and Chanh Hung Bridge are examples. Losses due to traffic jam is a huge sum that city leaders should be taken into account, said economic experts. Ben Tre man fined $439 for posting fake news to Facebook Inspectors from the Department of Information and Communications in the Mekong delta province of Ben Tre decided to issue an administrative fine of VND10 million ($439) on a local man for publishing a false new to his fan page on social media, said Deputy Director of the department Trinh Van Thinh, yesterday. 29-year-old Nguyen Minh Chanh in Phu Tan District who manages ‘Tin tuc Ben Tre” (Ben Tre News) fan page posted the news in which a four-year-old child had been cut off his head on March 14. According to his statement with policemen, on March 14, his friend named Minh told him about the incident and then he posted it to his fanpage and followed by 30,000 people. He violated the government’s edict No. 174/2013/ND-CP in the field of post and services, IT because he spread wrong news to the social media. A day after, Chanh continued to update the news confirming that the news was true by Nguyen Dinh Chieu hospital’s confirmation. At present, responsible agencies asked him to remove the fan page because it violated regulations. VNN