Social News 11/9 Tightening controls over Vietnamese apprentices in Japan Tighter controls are needed for businesses that have sent workers to Japan to ensure interns are working in the best possible conditions while in the country, according to Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Doan Mau Diep. At the same time, there should be appropriate punishments for companies with a high rate of apprentices absconding while working abroad in Japan, by forbidding these companies from participating in the Technical Intern Training Program. According to statistics from the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA), the number of Vietnamese people residing in Japan has reached 260,000. The steady rise in numbers has seen Vietnam surpass Brazil in 2016 and the Philippines in 2017, to now rank third among countries with the highest number of people living in this Asian nation. The number of Vietnamese interns and alumni has increased rapidly over the years rising by 16 and 14 fold, respectively, since 2010. The number of interns from China saw a decline, while the number of interns from Vietnam increased sharply. In 2016, Vietnam surpassed China to take the lead in the number of technical interns. The rate of job abandonment and crime remains high In his assessment of the Technical Intern Training Program in Japan, Deputy Minister Diep emphasized that the program has helped to solve the workforce shortage in Japan and has also offered lucrative opportunities for young Vietnamese employees. It has helped apprentices increase their incomes, develop skills to further their career, and improve their labour productivity when they return home. He noted that the rate of apprentices quitting their jobs and continuing to reside illegally in Japan remains high. The crime rate among Vietnamese apprentices and alumni is higher than in those from China and the Republic of Korea. The situation has forced the Japanese Government to ask Vietnam to closely supervise apprentices in order MoLISA and the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam  exchanged information on the situation of Vietnamese apprentices in Japan at their recent meeting pointed outing shortcomings in sending apprentices to Japan. For example, the rate of Vietnamese apprentices absconding from work, residing illegally, and committing crimes remains concerningly high compared to those from China and ROK. Both sides put the situation down to salary opportunism Migrant workers are fleeing their contracted jobs in the hope of finding work with higher pay. In absconding, they are also avoiding the burden of paying back the fees required to secure a position abroad in the first place. Most of them do not have the necessary funds and have to borrow from banks or other sources. As a result, many migrant workers are under the impression that they must earn money by any means in order to pay off their debts and flee their jobs when before their contract has run its course. The frequency of low quality labour companies is also attributed to this situation. These companies often paint an unrealistic picture of life in Japan for migrant workers but the work they end up doing bears a grim difference to that defined in the contracts. With unstable pay and unsatisfactory conditions, many workers have to find other means to earn money in order to pay their debts and return home. To minimize the negative aspects will require action from both sides, the Japanese side needs to devise a set of solutions for the skilled apprentices. For example, the Japanese side has advised other parties to make use of the new technical intern training mechanism based on the Technical Intern Training Act, promote the enforcement of the act, collect information and request nations to cooperate through representative offices abroad for information sharing among relevant ministries and agencies.  The Japanese Embassy has also asked the Vietnamese Government tighten the management of poor quality companies sending migrant workers abroad, and to give a widespread announcement on fees, prohibit deposits and warn of the risks from brokers for those wishing to go abroad or taking internships in Japan through the embassy’s website and Facebook page.The embassy also supports the establishment of a consultancy desk for alumni and apprentices at private law offices. Mr Diep said the Prime Minister urged the MoLISA to tighten controls on all labour businesses to ensure that apprentices are provided with the best working conditions while in Japan. The Ministry will report to the Prime Minister on increasing punishments for businesses with high rates of worker abscondence and denying these companies participation in this program. For businesses which fail to control the number of absconders, the Japanese side will cease all cooperation with them, he added. Government’s preferential credit aids agricultural development in Ha Giang   At a branch of the Bank for Social Policies in Quang Binh district. (http://baohagiang.vn) Thanks to preferential credit under a Government resolution on developing animal husbandry, many households in Quang Binh district in the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang have expanded their production of tea, oranges, and buffalos, and cows. By the end of last year, more than 1,000 local households had applied for loans totaling more than US$3.7 million. Nguyen Van Son’s family in Mac Ha hamlet is a case in point. He spent US$95,000 in March on a farm where he raises a herd of breeding pigs and pigs for market. Now he has expanded the farm to include 5,000 fowl and has hired 2 employees for more than US$200 a month. Vang Sao Thanh of Yen Thanh hamlet borrowed US$4,300 to raise cattle and poultry. Thanh says in one year the model has helped his family stabilize their life. “The government’s loan that is interest-free for 3 years has enabled us to raise breeding buffalos. In 3 years, we will be able to repay the loan. Until we have to repay the government, we can buy additional buffalos to increase our capital,” Thanh said. government’s preferential credit aids agricultural development in ha giang hinh 1 A resident in Ban Ria hamlet, Ha Giang province uses the Government's soft loan to raise breeding buffalos. (Source: baohagiang.vn) Luong Xuan San, a leader of Yen Ha hamlet, said soft loans have helped many households shift from small and haphazard cattle breeding to commodity-oriented husbandry. He said the hamlet administration is urging locals to increase grass production and build standard cattle sheds. This will make it easier for them to obtain loans. Coordination has been improved with agencies that can find outputs for local farm produce. “Over the past 2 years, more than 70 households have received loans worth US$300,000, 56 of which have invested in orange trees grown to VietGAP standards. The preferential loan program has generated jobs and contributed to local socio-economic development and poverty reduction. People have responded positively to the program, hoping it will make their fortune,” Mr. San added. Quang Tri to mark Fidel’s historical visit to Vietnam   Former Secretary of the Quang Tri Province Party Committee, Ho Sy Than, receives Cuban leader Fidel Castro in September 1973 The central province of Quang Tri is planning to organise various activities to celebrate the 45th anniversary of Cuban leader Fidel Castro’s historical visit to the province in September 1973. The activities are due to be held on September 14 and 15 by the province's people's committee and the Cuban Embassy. According to the plan, a grand ceremony, photography exhibition featuring Fidel's trips to Vietnam, tours to Fidel’s destinations in Quang Tri, and a meeting with witnesses of the visit are due to take place.  The Fidel Castro Park in Dong Ha city will also be opened during the anniversary. As a site to commemorate the Cuban leader’s visit, the park is located at one of the spots Fidel visited during his 1973 trip. Fidel Castro made three visits to Vietnam in September 1973, December 1995, and February 2003. He was the first foreign leader to visit the newly-liberated area in the south of Vietnam when the American War was still going on in many other areas in the country. He played a central role in the international movement to support Vietnam’s struggle for national independence and reunification.  With all his great contributions, the Cuban leader was presented with the Golden Star Order in 1982 and the Ho Chi Minh Order in 1989.  Exhibition showcases member cities of Council for Promoting Tourism in Asia An exhibition to show off the member cities of the Council for Promoting Tourism in Asia (CPTA) opened at the Ly Thai To flower garden in Hanoi’s downtown on September 8. The event attracted the participation of the state tourism management agencies of member cities including Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, Manila, Jakarta and Hanoi. The exhibition introduces famous tourist attractions and landscapes of the cities through posters, photos and cultural experiences. In addition, visitors to the exhibition also have the opportunity to buy air tickets to the member cities at affordable prices. The event is part of the 16th meeting of CPTA 16, hosted by Hanoi from September 6-9. This is the fourth time that Hanoi has hosted the meeting. During the four-day event, representatives will review recent activities, discuss new projects, work on tourism development, enhance the responsibilities of state tourism management agencies and strengthen cooperation between municipal governments and tourism agencies, as well as other issues related to the cooperation and promotion of the ‘Welcome to Asia’ campaign. Grassroots-level healthcare network needs work   Ethnic minority women in the Central Highlands province of Đắk Lắk are trained on reproductive health at a communal clinic.  The quality of grassroots-level healthcare facilities nationwide has yet to meet expectation and patients’ demand, said health minister Nguyễn Thị Kim Tiến. It is not necessary for most patients to go to central hospitals when their illnesses can be treated at lower-level health facilities, she said at a meeting last weekend on improving ward-level clinics. “Up to 35.4 per cent of patients who go to central-level hospitals can be treated at provincial and district level hospitals. As many as 41.5 per cent who go to provincial hospitals can be treated at district-level health facilities and 11 per cent can be treated at ward clinics,” she said. Grassroots-level healthcare facilities have not fulfilled their tasks of taking care of people’s health. Local health facilities are able to conduct an average of only 68.3 per cent of medical techniques among 76 services. Facilities of the lowest quality can perform less than 20 per cent of the services. There are a limited number of medicines covered by health insurance at the grassroots level. Some types of medicines are not even available, she said. Doctors at ward clinics are not allowed to prescribe medicine for high blood pressure and diabetes. Only district and provincial level hospitals can do so. A number of clinics do not have doctors. For these reasons, patients do not choose grassroots healthcare services, she said. Twenty six clinics in wards and towns of eight cities and provinces have been selected to implement a pilot programme by the health ministry on improving the quality of grassroots-level healthcare. However, most of the clinics need to upgrade their infrastructure and medical equipment to effectively implement the programme. Tiến said that among those selected clinics for the trial period, only healthcare facilities in Hà Nội, HCM City and northern Yên Bái Province have enough doctors. Other localities suffer a shortage of doctors and traditional physicians. The health minister said that the key healthcare facilities in the programme will be equipped with beds, drug cabinets, X-ray machines, ultrasound and testing machines if necessary. To address the shortage of doctors, staff will be rotated to work at each clinic for two to three days a week. Nurses and physicians will be moved to balance the numbers while administrators at the local clinics will be professionally trained, she said. In the 2018-20 period, the health minister will send professional healthcare workers from central hospitals and grassroots-level healthcare facilities in Hà Nội and HCM City to assist ward and town clinics in disadvantaged areas including Lào Cai Province’s Bát Xát District, Yên Bái Province’s Trấn Yên District, Hà Tĩnh Province’s Hương Sơn District and clinics in the capital city’s suburban areas like Ba Vì, Đan Phượng, Hà Đông, Nam Từ Liêm districts. Hai Phong works to prevent lifestyle diseases   Students at Dong My Primary School in Hanoi’s Thanh Tri district attend a swimming lesson  An event aiming to raise public awareness about lifestyle-related disease prevention was held in the northern port city of Hai Phong on September 8. The event, held by the Centre for Preventive Medicine of Hai Phong city and Kagawa Prefecture of Japan, is part of a project to prevent lifestyle-related diseases in Hai Phong city. Addressing the event, Director of the municipal Centre for Preventive Medicine Do Manh Cuong said that the project was built with support of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and is being implemented along with Kagawa Prefecture and the Department of Education and Training of the city. The first phase of the project was launched in 2010-2014, which focused on the training and capacity enhancement for health workers of the municipal Centre for Preventive Medicine. Meanwhile, the second phase building of preventive models against lifestyle diseases began in 2016 and runs until 2019. The project aims to establish a model against lifestyle diseases and disseminate information to all local schools, he noted. Furthermore, the project will provide training for health workers in schools, as well as work to integrate the model into school curricula and arrange additional refresher courses if needed. In 2016-2017, the Hai Phong’s Centre for Preventive Medicine held medical examinations and surveyed eating habits and lifestyle to assess nutrition, obesity rate and related factors of students in two local primary schools. The results showed that the rate of overweight students in Dinh Tien Hoang and Le Hong Phong schools remained high at 48.7 percent and 51.8 percent, while the obesity rate stood at 22.9 percent and 24.1 percent, respectively. Many students were reported to have high-risk habits that lead to excess weight and obesity, while most of only participate in physical activities at school. Dong Nai reports one more death from dengue fever   Dong Nai province has recorded more than 3,000 dengue fever cases since early 2018.  The southern province of Dong Nai has reported the second death from dengue fever, Director of the provincial Preventive Medicine Centre Bach Thai Binh said on September 8. Binh confirmed the death of a woman who resided in Tam Hiep ward, Bien Hoa city. The Preventive Medicine Centre joined hands with Tam Hiep ward’s health centre to spray chemicals around her house to prevent dengue fever while enhancing communication to raise public awareness of the disease. Since the outset of the year, Bien Hoa city has been among leading localities in Dong Nai province in the number of dengue fever cases with some 1,000 cases. Statistics from the Preventive Medicine Centre showed that the province has recorded more than 3,000 dengue fever cases since early 2018, decreasing 20 percent from the same time last year. Most of the patients came from Dinh Quan, Trang Bom and Nhon Trach districts. Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral disease. Dengue virus is transmitted by female mosquitoes mainly of the species Aedes aegypti and to a lesser extent, Ae.albopictus. Dengue is widespread throughout the tropics, with local variations in risk influenced by rainfall, temperature and unplanned rapid urbanisation. Tram Chim park needs better fire management to conserve eco-system   The Tram Chim National Park in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap  Proper management of water and fires at the Tram Chim National Park in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap holds the key to preserving the Ramsar site’s eco-system, experts have said. The impounding of floodwater nearly year round to prevent fires in the cajeput forests there has upset the eco-system, resulting in a decline in the number of sarus cranes there in recent years, they said.   Speaking at a recent seminar held in Dong Thap on preserving Tram Chim’s bio-diversity, Dr Duong Van Ni of the Can Tho University said priority should be given to preserving grasslands before cajeput forests. This practice of floodwater impounding round the year might help prevent forest fires but degrades grassland communities, he said. When there is waterlogging almost all year, foreign invasive species like golden snail, suckermouth catfish and water hyacinth develop rapidly while co nang (Eleocharis) grasslands shrink and the number of precious sarus cranes plunges, he pointed out. For the park’s eco-system, the appropriate climate is a cycle of dry season followed by a flooding season. Eleocharis grasslands are the favourite habitat of sarus cranes. Nguyen Duc Tu, co-ordinator of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Water and Wetlands Programme, said the number of sarus cranes in the park has fallen sharply from more than 1,000 in 1980 to 11 this year. Nguyen Huu Thien, an independent expert on the Mekong Delta’s ecology, said Tram Chim officials are trying to protect cajeput forests from fires because they would be punished if forests burn. But this has caused the park to “suffocate”, he said. “When a fire occurs, people think everything will die, but this is totally wrong. The world has realised that fires are also a part of the eco-system since it makes the forest vegetation thinner and boosts regeneration.” Concurring, Nguyen Van Hung, deputy director of the province’s Department of Science and Technology and former director of the park, said: “Prescribed fires are fine. It is necessary to have controlled burning of forests.” During the burning, fauna can move to nearby forest areas, he said. After a few days of burning, new grass grows and birds, rodents, snakes, and turtles return in large numbers, he said. The province People’s Committee should create a mechanism for controlled burning of grass and other vegetation and water management to sustain the park’s eco-system, he said. Nguyen Van Duong, chairman of the People’s Committee, instructed park officials and other relevant authorities to draft a detailed plan to manage water and fire to sustain the park eco-system. Nguyen Hoang Minh Hai, head of the park’s science and international co-operation division, said Tram Chim has recovered about 190ha of co nang kim (Eleocharis ochrostachys) and co nang ong (Eleocharis dulcis) plants in recent years. Officials have released more than 10 rare fish species such as giant barb and black sharkminnow into the park to reproduce, he said. Tram Chim spreads over an area of 7,313ha in the Dong Thap Muoi (Plain of Reeds) region in Tam Nong district. It is also well-known as a habitat for other rare birds like the white-winged duck, spotted-billed pelican and lesser adjutant as well as many fish species listed in Vietnam’s Red Book like the clown knifefish, Hampala barb, small scade river carp, giant barb, and black sharkminnow. Vietnamese students invited to attend short-film making contest in Japan   At the award ceremony of the 11th short-film making contest for Vietnamese students in 2017 (source: http://cand.com.vn) Vietnamese students whose films won high prizes at the 12th short-film making contest for Vietnamese students have been invited to attend another contest to be held in Japan in November.  “Trach nhiem ban than voi gia dinh” (Personal responsibility for family), a short film made by a group of students from Hanoi-based Birla orphanage, won the first prize at the 12th short-film making contest for Vietnamese students. “Im Lang” (Silent) by pupils from Thang Long secondary school and “Thoi gian”  (Time) by students from Viet Duc high school in Hanoi got the second and third prizes, respectively.  The contest, designed for students of secondary and high schools, was initiated by Vietnam-Japan and Japan-Vietnam Special Ambassador Ryotaro Sugi. By making a three-minutes film, students will pay more attention to society, environment and daily life, thus helping them become more emotional people, and better their understand about their lives.  In addition to these three films, the organisers also gave awards to the films with best contents, techniques, and art. At the award ceremony in Hanoi on September 8, these films’ makers were invited to attend the film making contest for Asian children IN Kitami, which will be held in Kitami city of Japan’s Hokkaido prefecture on November 24. Speaking at the event, Ryotaro Sugi expressed his hope that Vietnamese students will have better ideas to make more excellent works in the next contests. Street football finalists progess   The competition is held to find new talent who currently only play on the streets. — Photo baomoi.com Opening day finalists of the Hồ Chí Minh City street football held on Saturday will progress to the final round of the competition. The launching day event was won by Việt Dream who beat Kim Thanh Phát – Tôn Đức Thắng. They will take part in the latter stages of the tournament which will be held at the end of this month. The competition, which attracted 80 teams and 500 players, is organised by SCG Group Việt Nam, in order to find potential talents who are currently only playing at street level. . Deputy chairman of SCG Montri Mahaplearkpong said they believe most of young stars of Việt Nam football started their careers from the streets. He said: “It is on the streets that their love for football and desire to win is nurtured and their spirit encouraged. Following the first successful season, which drew hundreds of potential players and thousands of fans in Hà Nội, we decided to expand the competition to both cities this year.”  In Vietnam, the rich are getting richer at a fast clip Vietnam is the third fastest growing country in terms of ultra high net worth, a new report says. The World Ultra Wealth Report 2018, released recently, has ranked Vietnam third with a compound annual growth rate of 12.7% among the ultra high net worth (UHNW) population, behind Bangladesh with 17.3% and China with 13.4%. Compiled by Wealth-X, a leading global wealth information and insight business, the report defines UHNW population as people with US$30 million or more in net worth. Vietnam, Bangladesh and India, are expanding at a faster pace and experiencing rapid urbanization, infrastructure investment and manufacturing growth, it added. “There were substantial increases in net worth in the Republic of Korea, Vietnam, and Indonesia, highlighting the broad improvement across Asia,” it said. Wealth creation last year was most prevalent in Asia, with a UHNW population of almost 69,000, up 18.5% year-on-year, accounting for 27% of the world’s ultra wealthy population, the report said. The total net worth of these people reached nearly US$8.37 trillion last year, a growth rate of 26.7% from 2016, it added. The US remained the country with the most UHNW individuals, with almost 79,600 people, accounting for 31% of UHNW population, the report said. Hanoi shakes as strong quake hits Chinese border province Hanoi residents panicked as high-rise buildings felt tremors from a 5.3 magnitude earthquake that struck China's Yunnan province on September 8. The strong quake with its epicenter at a depth of 10 kilometers, occurred at 9.30 a.m. on September 8 in an area near China’s Yunnan, around 118 kilometers (73 miles) to the north of Muong Te District in the northern mountainous province of Lai Chau, the Institute of Geophysics said. However, its tremors were felt at some high-rise buildings in Hanoi, around 450 kilometers to northwest of Lai Chau. Hoang Thi Thanh Hoai, 43, was on the 23rd floor of the Hanoi Tower at around 9.30 a.m. and felt the building shake slightly for around 30 seconds. Light bulbs and other items also trembled. “I felt as if I was suffering from low blood pressure and felt frightened, I had to lie under the table,” Hoai said. Many residents living on the 10th floor of the Times City Apartment Complex in Hai Ba Trung District also experienced similar feelings. Hundreds of construction workers at a 26-storey building on Luong Yen Street in the district screamed and rushed out of the site when the tremors took place. Several people at nearby buildings rushed out following the screaming. Police officers were dispatched to the scene and blocked off the area to prevent local residents from approaching the building. The building’s investor was asked to halt construction to ensure workers’ safety. Meanwhile, Ha Trong Hai, a senior Lai Chau official, said the province received information about the earthquake and felt some tremors, but Muong Te District suffered no damage. Another earthquake reaching 4.0 on the Richter scale struck the area near the China-Vietnam border on September 8, around 4 kilometers from Muong Te District. Seismologists have said that Vietnam’s geographic location near fault lines puts it at risk of moderate earthquakes. VNN