Social News 22/8 Hai Phong city’s police bust major drug ring   Bui Thi Thu Trang was arrested at her home  Police in the northern port city of Hai Phong on August 20 busted a drug trafficking ring led by Bui Thi Thu Trang, born in 1984, arresting more than 20kg of drugs of different kinds. Police chief of Hong Bang district Colonel Nguyen Duc Cuong said that on the morning of the day, the city’s police caught red-handed Dang Van Kien, born in 1980, transporting nearly 5kg of drugs. Kien then admitted that he had been hired by Trang to transport the drugs for 5 million VND (220 USD).  Examining Trang’s house, the police seized more than 15kg of drugs and one gun. Trang confessed that she had used to import huge amounts of drugs from northern border provinces to Hai Phong to distribute to “retail agents” Hotels and restaurants launch mooncake collections for Mid-Autumn Festival    Sheraton Saigon representatives cut the ribbon to launch their collection of handcrafted mooncakes  Many hotels and restaurants in Vietnam have launched their mooncake collections for this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival, or the Full Moon Festival, the second biggest festival for Vietnamese family reunion after the traditional Lunar New Year. Mooncake is an indispensable delicacy of the Mid-Autumn Festival (falling on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar, or September 24 this year). People enjoy mooncakes together with family or present mooncakes to relatives or friends to express love and best wishes. Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers In celebration of the Full Moon Festival, the Sheraton Saigon introduces its collection of handcrafted mooncake indulgences. The mooncakes are contained in custom designed gift boxes which come in two sizes and can be specially embossed with company names and logos upon request.  The mooncakes have eight flavors (with or without egg yolks) including White Lotus, Scallop, Cranberry, Green Tea, Coffee, Black Sesame, Pandan Lotus and Mixed Nuts. Sheraton Saigon mooncakes are priced at VND1,098,000 net per large-size box of four 220gr pieces, VND898,000 net per medium-sized box of four 150gr pieces, VND270,000 net per 220gr piece, and VND190,000 net per 150gr piece. They can be purchased at the Mooncake booth located at the Hotel Lobby from now till September 24, 2018. Le Méridien Saigon Join the Le Méridien Saigon to bring delights to this loving full-moon season by adding your own messages to the hotel’s mooncake delicacies and brightening the day of those you care for. The traditional golden-brown coated mooncakes, either filled with Green Bean, Coffee Lotus or Roasted Chicken paste, stand for a wish of joy, warmth and prosperity. The bright tone of Green Tea mooncakes sends a message of good health, while Black Sesame or Takesumi Charcoal mooncakes represent a constant existence beside ones’ side when they are in need. Le Méridien Saigon mooncakes are sold from now till September 30, with prices from VND868,000++ per box of four mooncakes. Windsor Plaza Hotel The Windsor Plaza Hotel is offering two collections of beautifully-presented mooncakes. Each set comes in an elegantly-designed box that makes these mooncakes the perfect gift to share with family, friends and colleagues during the festival season. The boxes are decorated with a floral motif, with images of orchids, roses, or chrysanthemums adorning the boxes, as well as sketches of iconic buildings in Vietnam such as Notre Dame Cathedral, Ben Thanh Market and Thien Mu Pagoda on the eight-cake box set. The mooncakes feature traditional and modern flavors including green bean, red bean, coconut, lotus seed, green tea, black sesame, tiramisu, roasted chicken and shark fin. This year also sees the addition of a new flavor: Durian green bean. You can choose the eight-cake box which features a two-drawer design with eight 100gr cakes; or the four-cake box with four 230gr cakes in savory and sweet flavors, and is accompanied by a box of specialty Oolong tea. Both of these unique sets are VND988,000+ per box. Sofitel Saigon Plaza The Sofitel Saigon Plaza celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival with a selection of exquisite mooncakes collection. Elegantly encased in auspicious color of red and adorned with lotus flowers and leafs, the mooncakes of the Sofitel Saigon Plaza make perfect gifts for business associates, friends and family. This year, the Sofitel Saigon Plaza unveils two types of box: Emotion box and Magnifique box. The Emotion box (VND888,888++) is an ideal gift with four flavors: Luminarie, Matcha Tiramisu, Mixed Nuts and Red Bean 1 Yolk. The Magnifique box (VND1,188,888++) comprises an array of eight flavors including Luminarie, Matcha Tiramisu, Mixed Nuts and Red Bean 1 Yolk, Nutty Misu, Black Sesame 1 Yolk, Pandan Delight and Low sugar White Lotus 1 Yolk. Mooncakes are available at Gourmand Shop – Lobby Level from now till September 24, 2018. Dim Tu Tac Restaurant Prepared by Hong Kong chefs, Dim Tu Tac mooncakes are unique with four favors that combine traditional and modern tastes, including Mixed filling, Red bean, Blueberry and Lotus seed paste with two yolks. Dim Tu Tac also offers two-level gift-set box which includes four mooncakes and a box of abalone imported from Hong Kong. The four mooncakes box is priced at VND680,000 and the special gift box at VND1,080,000. Purchase of 30 boxes or more before August 31 will be entitled to a discount of 20% and a voucher worth VND500,000. Dim Tu Tac Restaurant's mooncake with lotus seed paste and two yolks filling made by Hong Kong chefs Hilton Hanoi Opera Inspired by luxurious, stylish handbags, the Hilton Hanoi Opera mooncake gift box 2018 is characterized by its handbag shape and rose gold plated handle. Covered with orange color, the box stands out as a unique, luxurious Mid-Autumn Festival gift. Beside the handbag-shaped box, the rectangular box can be a classic choice. Hilton Hanoi Opera mooncakes 2018 feature six flavors: Green tea lotus seed and salted egg; Red bean; Taro; Black sesame; Green tea lotus seed; Black chocolate, hazelnut seed, almond seed and lotus seed. While the former five have been favorite pastes throughout the years, the new paste of Black chocolate, hazelnut seed, almond seed and lotus seed will surprise the palate. Park Hyatt Saigon Inspired by the Vietnamese Mid-Autumns of the 1990s, when people cheered to a bountiful harvest and children awaited tasty treats during the festivals, the Park Hyatt Saigon together with Moon n Sun brings a traditional taste back with an authentic mooncake collection. The four traditional flavors are Northern lotus seed, black sesame with salted egg, matcha with salted egg and tropical fruits; all thoughtfully selected and baked with care to guarantee the best quality and authenticity to savor. The mooncake collection includes three different types of boxes which are: the traditional box (VND1,500,000) with four authentic cakes, the premium box (VND2,500,000) with four cakes and local green tea, and the deluxe box (VND3,250,000) with four cakes and a bottle of Late Harvest wine. The boxes are available for sale at the Park Hyatt Saigon and Moon n Sun stores. Hanoi Slam! to host competitive storytelling night    Hanoi Slam!’s storytelling competition attracts a great audience - PHOTO: COURTESY OF HANOI SLAM! Non-profit community group Hanoi Slam! will host a night of competitive storytelling with the theme “Leap of Faith” at Red River Tea Room in Tay Ho District of Hanoi City on August 29. The program requires contestants to tell true stories relating to the theme in a competitive format. The stories must be told in English without notes over a six-minute period. A panel of judges and invited guests will score the stories and award fantastic prizes to the top three stories of the night. The scores are calculated based on three main criteria: strength of the story, delivery of the story and the story’s relevance to the theme. The theme “Leap of Faith” refers to any bold action taken by a person, which may usher in changes for himself or herself. While this is a competition, it is held in the spirit of sharing stories and creating great moments that can be shared by all. Entrance fee is VND100,000 per person. All proceeds will be donated to the Blossom House for girls at Humanitarian Services for Children of Vietnam. Founded in 2002, Hanoi Slam! is dedicated to creating a platform for storytellers of all experience levels and abilities to share their storytelling prowess and passion with a willing audience. With all proceeds donated to charitable programs, the organization has also worked tirelessly to help keep vulnerable children safe and in school. Ho Chi Minh Road incomplete due to lack of funding   A section of the Ho Chi Minh Road running through the Central Highlands was completed in 2014  The Ho Chi Minh Road project needs some VND21 trillion to build the remaining sections so that the entire road can be officially opened to traffic, according to the Ministry of Transport. A report by the Ho Chi Minh Road Project Management Board submitted to the ministry indicated that 79% of the project, or 2,180 kilometers of the total 2,744 kilometers, has been completed so far. A section of the road spanning 172 kilometers is open to traffic, while the Cam Lo-La Son section, stretching 98.3 kilometers, is being prepared for construction in 2019. Work on another section, which is 289 kilometers long, has been suspended due to the lack of capital. According to the National Assembly’s Resolution 66/2013, the remaining sections are expected to be completed by 2020 to put into use the entire main route, stretching from Pac Po in the northern mountainous province of Cao Bang to Dat Mui Commune in Ca Mau Province in the nation's southern tip. The road has been designed with two lanes. Work has yet to begin on three sections of the road: the 30-kilometer section running from Cho Chu to Trung Son Intersection in Tuyen Quang Province, with a total investment of VND1.8 trillion from government bonds; the Rach Soi-Ben Nhat-Go Quao-Vinh Thuan section, spanning 55 kilometers, with 17 kilometers across National Highway 61 and 38 kilometers that will require construction, costing VND3.8 trillion; and the last 130-kilometer section stretching from Doan Hung to Cho Ben, with estimated capital of VND16 trillion. Considering the shortage of funds, the management board had proposed the Ministry of Transport request the Government to extend the project deadline to 2020 for the two-lane road construction for the Cho Chu-Trung Son Intersection and the remaining section of Rach Soi-Ben Nhat-Go Quao -Vinh Thuan. Resolution 66/2013 mandates that the Doan Hung-Cho Ben section follow the build-operate-transfer format, but the plan failed due to the huge investment capital required . The management board then proposed converting the investment format to funding from the State budget and government bonds or official development assistance loans. The Ho Chi Minh Road is 3,167 kilometers long, running parallel to National Highway 1A from the north to the south. The project has been divided into three phases: the first phase covered 2,000 kilometers between Hoa Lac in Hanoi City and Binh Phuoc Province. The section from Pac Po in Cao Bang Province to Hoa Lac and N2 Line passing HCMC was constructed in the second phase. The third phase is expected to finish the construction of the entire road, connecting all of the sections. Some of these sections are to be built under the expressway model. Garbage is taken to the treatment plant after it reopened in 2016  After a short time in operation, the waste treatment plant of Phuong Thao Development and Construction JSC in the Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long has temporarily been shuttered for failing to meet environmental protection requirements. Truong Dang Vinh Phuc, director of Vinh Long Department of Planning and Investment, told The Saigon Times on August 15 that the waste treatment plant had stopped receiving garbage. “The waste treatment plant is not eligible for operation,” Phuc said, adding that the equipment and technology at the plant failed to meet technical standards. Phuc stated that if the required conditions were not met by the end of this year, the local authority would withdraw the plant’s license. This deadline was set because the plant has borrowed money from Vietnam Development Bank, and the bank has asked the province to assist it in handling the issue of credit and assets that the company had mortgaged to the bank. Recently, a meeting between the owner of the plant, Vietnam Development Bank and Vinh Long Province's government was hosted to discuss the difficulties being faced by the plant. The bank presented two solutions. One, the owner would have to find a new investor to whom he could transfer the plant. Two, if the transfer solution fails, the bank will sell the plant’s assets to recover the debt. The modern waste treatment plant had only recently been reopened, in September 2016. Before that, in 2015, Vinh Long Province had asked Can Tho Urban Public Limited Company to stop tranferring garbage to the plant because of fears of environmental pollution. While the plant was temporarily suspended, all local waste was disposed of in a landfill. Phuong Thao Development and Construction JSC invested some VND250 billion to build the plant on an 8-hectare site in Hoa Phu Commune, Long Ho District. The plant’s capacity for treated waste is some 300 tons of garbage per day. To complete the project, the company borrowed VND200 billion from the Vietnam Development Bank. Owner of super-large water pump asks for advance   File photo of a street in HCMC submerged after heavy rain. The owner of a super-large water pump, installed on the flood-prone Nguyen Huu Canh Street in Binh Thanh District, has asked the HCMC government for an advance of VND30 billion to continue operating the pump due to a shortage of capital   The owner of a super-large water pump, installed on the flood-prone Nguyen Huu Canh Street, has asked the HCMC government for an advance of VND30 billion to continue operating the pump due to a shortage of capital, reported the Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper. On August 15, Nguyen Tang Cuong, general director of the operator, Quang Trung Industry JSC, said the firm has yet to receive any money from the municipal government. Under the contract signed on April 19, the renter, the Steering Center of the HCMC Urban Flood Control Program, is required to announce a rent amount that the city can afford within 45 days. However, the center has not paid the rental fee to date. Cuong added that the company has asked the city’s authority many times to promptly set a rental fee so that it can be paid the operation charges for 2017. Getting no response, the operator asked the municipal government for a VND30-billion advance before August 15 to continue operating the pump. According to Cuong, the firm had spent considerable time researching the technology and then spent money installing the pump and used it 30 times, with significant success. However, the firm has yet to be paid for its labor, energy use and flood drainage system costs. Cuong insisted that the firm stop operating the pump due to the lack of capital. After the Quang Trung Group proposed a rental fee of VND24.4 billion per year, the municipal government assigned the center to review the operator’s proposal, consult the relevant agencies and departments and then report the result to the government. The HCMC Department of Planning and Investment and the HCMC Department of Finance were tasked with reviewing the proposal in terms of service charges and payment methods since the project is new and needs to comply with the prevailing payment regulations. The antiflooding pump, with a capacity of up to 90,000 cubic meters per hour, is capable of pumping mud and small pieces of garbage. Action needed to enhance efficiency of bus operations   A bus is seen in downtown HCMC. Many buses in HCMC transport small numbers of passengers despite operating at high frequencies   Many buses in HCMC transport smaller-than-expected numbers of passengers despite operating at high frequencies.  According to a report in Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper, the HCMC Department of Transport this month suspended two subsidized bus services, route No. 40 (between Mien Dong and Nga Tu Ga bus stations) and route No. 149 (between September 23 Park and Tan Phu-An Suong bus stations), which were operated by Dong Nam Cooperative and Viet Thang Cooperative, respectively. The services were suspended due to low demand. The operator of bus route No. 149 had earlier reported its inability to continue the service due to the lower-than-expected number of passengers. Bus route No. 40 was also found to be inefficient and had previously been suspended from August 2017 to March 2018. However, as reported by Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper, one of the reasons for the suspension is the refusal of transport cooperative members to work, aiming to pressure the management. Many bus operators of route numbers 10, 40, 18, 43, 44, 54, 65 and 78 do not go to work regularly as these services have not received subsidies for months. The local newspaper quoted an expert on urban transport as saying that the suspension of the two bus services is a lesson for others. Tran Quang Lam, deputy director of the HCMC Department of Transport, has directed the relevant units to oversee bus operations under the bus upgrade scheme of 2014-2017 and ensure interest subsidies as regulated. The department has also asked the transport cooperatives to arrange buses on their routes. If they fail to do so, they will have to pay back subsidies. According to Nguoi Lao Dong, the suspension of bus routes No. 40 and No. 149 does not appear to affect the regular passengers as they can opt for several alternative routes. HCMC currently has 2,478 vehicles and 143 bus routes, 105 of which are subsidized. With 60 more subsidized bus routes since 2002, bus subsidies surged from VND39.18 billion to VND1.29 trillion in 2012, averaging VND1 trillion per year. These subsidies have helped maintain the bus fares at the current levels, ranging from VND5,000 to VND6,000 per ticket. American Center offers free soft skills course The American Center in Hanoi will hold the “Soft Skills for Workplace Success” course free of charge from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. every Monday from August 20 to October 1, 2018. This six-week course will focus on developing soft skills that are critical for success in the workplace, including communication, networking, attitude, teamwork, problem solving, and professionalism. The classes will include information, discussion, and activities for learning based on the curriculum from the U.S. Department of Labor. U.S. research has found that in addition to degrees and certificates, the development of soft skills is necessary for a strong and growing workforce. Communication skills have been ranked as the No.1 skills that employers desire in a job candidate. In this course, participants will learn various forms that people use to communicate, especially communication skills used during a job interview. A positive and enthusiastic attitude is critical in workplace success as it can help with promotions. The activities in this course seek to teach participants strategies for turning negative thinking into positive thinking, and strategies for displaying and discussing enthusiasm during an interview and on the job. Teamwork is another essential part of workplace success. The ability to work as part of a team is one of the most important skills in today’s job market. The course will explain the what, the how and the why of teamwork, and help participants discover the barriers to teamwork and strategies to overcome these barriers. Participants will then look at the importance of networking as a strategy for career development and exploration, and learn about informational interviewing and potential guidelines to consider when using social networks. Problem solving and critical thinking refer to the ability to use knowledge, facts, and data to effectively solve problems. Having the necessary skills to identify solutions to problems is one of the skills that employers look for in employees. The activities in this section focus on learning how to solve problems in a variety of ways in the workplace. Participants will learn the difference between criticism, praise, and feedback. The course also presents strategies for making ethical decisions, solving problems on a team with others, and learning how to include others’ ideas when assessing actions and statements in the workplace. Employers want workers to be responsible, ethical and team oriented, and possess effective communication, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills. Wrap these skills up all together and you’ve got professionalism. This course will review the first five soft skills again to see how they blend together to create the soft skill of professionalism - the complete package to produce workplace success. Danang urged to build regional connection  Danang City should connect with neighboring localities, mainly Hue City and the Quang Nam and Quang Ngai provinces, to jointly strengthen the seaport, aviation and tourism sectors,  speeding up Danang’s development until 2030. Speaking at a conference on August 10 on the execution of Decree 33-NQ/TW on building and developing Danang City over the last 15 years, Nguyen Duc Kien, deputy head of the National Assembly Economic Committee, noted that the central provinces of the country have enormous potential in sea and seaports, furthering the potential for easy cooperation to enhance their growth. Kien cited the example of Chan May Port, located in the Chan May-Lang Co Economic Park in Thua Thien-Hue Province’s Phu Loc District. The port can accommodate general cargo vessels weighing up to 50,000 DWT, and 362-meter-long international cruise ships, while Danang Port’s 1,700-meter wharfs can receive general cargo vessels weighing up to 70,000 DWT and raise its cargo throughput to 12 million tons per year, Kien added. “The two ports are considered the largest in Central Vietnam to handle international cruise ships,” he remarked, stating that the connection between Danang and other localities for mutual economic development and tourism advertising is necessary. Addressing the conference, Tran Du Lich, a member of the Prime Minister’s economic advisory group, noted that Danang is key to the tourism growth of the central region, so tourism connection is essential. Danang International Airport serves 27 direct air routes, mainly from Japan, South Korea and China, carrying 1.6 million international passengers over the first six months of this year. Most of these passengers reportedly traveled onward to neighboring localities, such as Hue, Quang Nam and other provinces that do not have an international airport, Lich stressed. According to him, the expansion of Danang Airport and the connection between Danang International Airport and Chu Lai Airport in Quang Nam Province will open the door to the region’s economic and tourism growth. “Danang City can develop residential areas around the airport, in collaboration with the surrounding satellite urban areas,” stated architect Ngo Viet Nam Son. Deputy Minister of Transport Le Dinh Tho revealed that the city currently has adequate infrastructure for regional connections and sustainable economic development. “The Danang-Quang Ngai Expressway will be completed in September, and Hai Van 2 Tunnel linking Hue City is slated for completion in 2020,” Tho said, adding that the Tien Sa Port will become a tourism port after the completion of the Lien Chieu Port. Danang Party Chief Truong Quang Nghia told the conference that the expansion of the airport is an urgent mission, explaining that even though the international airport has a capacity of four million passengers per year, the number of tourists entering Danang City is rising by 38-40% per year. Danang International Airport is forecast to receive 13 million passengers in 2020 and 28 million passengers in 2030. This will overload the airport if the expansion fails to be carried out. Wage Council establishes 5.3% minimum regional wage hike All members of the National Wage Council today, August 13, finalized a 5.3% minimum regional wage hike for 2019, at an average of VND175,000, following three meetings to discuss the matter. The minimum wage in region one rose by VND200,000 at VND4.18 million per month, while that in region two was hiked by VND180,000. The lowest wage in regions three and four nudged up by VND160,000. The wage hikes must be approved by the Government before they take effect. The council had failed to finalize the minimum regional wage hikes during the first two meetings as there was a large gap between the lowest wage rate proposed by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, which represents employees, and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which represents employers. In fact, annual region-based minimum wage hikes have directly affected enterprises, particularly those operating sectors that need a large number of employees, such as garments and footwear, as the hikes lower their competitiveness. They need to trim their workforce or embrace automation to reduce labor costs accordingly. The representatives of enterprises and associations had previously raised objections to this year’s region-based minimum wage increases. At a recent conference, Vu Duc Giang, chairman of the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS), recommended not raising the minimum wages this year as many firms are facing difficulties with manufacturing in the country and exporting goods. He also warned against a slew of orders being transferred to Bangladesh, which boasts a cheaper workforce and more preferential tariffs than Vietnam. Labor costs at textile and garment plants in Bangladesh currently account for 20% of their primary costs, while in Vietnam, they fluctuate between 26% and 30%. Bangladesh is the second-largest textile-apparel exporter in the world, with the total export turnover hitting US$28.1 billion in 2016, preceded by China. The competition to win textile-apparel orders versus Bangladesh has become stiffer as the sector in Bangladesh makes up 80% of the total export turnover, which is 65% higher than that of Vietnam. Apart from VITAS, many enterprise associations at home and abroad have objected to a region-based minimum wage hike at the Vietnam Business Forum 2018. They suggested that the minimum wages should be raised at an appropriate rate because high labor costs will result in reduced competitiveness among local and overseas firms. The Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Vietnam recently wrote to the Vietnamese Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, stating that Vietnam had increased the minimum wage by 6.5% last year, outstripping the consumer price index of 3.5%. Textile-garments, footwear and industrial manufacturing sectors, which require sizable manpower, are forecast to generate hefty profits for local exports. Therefore, the minimum wages play a pivotal role in deciding the competitiveness of these sectors. According to a survey, some 75% of the Japanese firms running a business in Vietnam said that the wage hikes have affected the economy, forcing them to apply automation in manufacturing to lower labor costs. Addressing this issue, Pham Minh Huan, deputy minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, remarked that apart from the region-based minimum wage hikes, the seniority-based pay scale and social insurance contribution have created hurdles for companies, especially those in the manufacturing and processing sector and those employing numerous workers. To minimize a skyrocketing salary fund whenever the minimum wage is hiked, Truong Van Cam, vice chairman and general secretary of VITAS, proposed not regulating the level-one wage on the salary scale based on the minimum wage, as the minimum wage hike will lead to a surge in other relevant costs, such as social and health insurance payments. Australia helps Vietnam promote industry linkages in vocational education   VLA Chairman Le Duy Hiep (L) and DVET Deputy General Director Truong Anh Dung at the signing ceremony in HCMC - PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE AUSTRALIAN EMBASSY IN VIETNAM Two memorandums of understanding on vocational education and training (VET) cooperation were signed on August 14 between Vietnam’s Directorate of Vocational Education and Training (DVET) and Vietnam Logistics Association (VLA), and between Vietnamese logistics enterprises and VET providers, with the assistance of the Australian government via the Aus4Skills. Australia is well-known for the industry-led vocational education and training – a model that helps workers receive relevant and high-quality training and meet industries’ increasing demand for a skilled workforce. Since 2017, the Australian government, through Aus4Skills, has been sharing its experience to help Vietnam draw on lessons learned from Australia’s VET system and adapt it to Vietnam’s context with stronger engagement of the business community, through a pilot project in the logistics sector. The MoU signing event shows Vietnam’s commitment to improving the relevance and quality of VET through promoting industry linkages. As such, a foundation has been laid for stronger collaboration between VET providers and the business community. “Promoting industry linkages with VET is one of the effective solutions to renew and enhance VET quality in Vietnam. The industry-led VET pilot project in the logistics sector serves as a demonstration model that can potentially be applied in other sectors in the country,” Truong Anh Dung, deputy general director of DVET, said at the ceremony. Vietnam Challenge for Environment launched The American Center in partnership with Swiss EP and Hatch has launched the Vietnam Challenge for Environment, which aims to match researchers with entrepreneurs to create sustainable solutions not only to help the environment but also to stimulate Vietnam’s academic research and encourage startup innovation. The program is held in the context of environmental problems negatively impacting human health and quality of life. In spite of growing awareness and extensive research, there are not enough viable, sustainable, and scalable solutions to address these challenges. Joining the program, researchers will present their research projects with practical environmental applications to entrepreneurs, through which startup teams will be formed. Existing startups on environmental protection and energy can also apply. Selected teams will attend a boot camp and be matched with mentors from August 29 to 31. At the Demo Day on November 8, six startups will be recognized for their solutions and receive seed funds, publicity and exposure. The first, second and third prizes for newly formed teams/startups are US$3,000, US$2,000, and US$1,000 respectively. The respective prizes for pre-existing startups are US$4,000, US$3,000, and US$2,000. Deadline for registration is August 22, 2018 at noon. VNN