VietNam Society: 10/17/10

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Rise in STDs spurs calls for condom use

A health worker disseminates information about population and family planning to residents in the central city of Da Nang. Communications campaigns are also needed to encourage people to buy condoms for themselves. — VNA/VNS Photo Duong Ngoc

HA NOI — Officials and experts responsible for monitoring demographics and population growth are worried about a potential decline in family planning and an increase in sexually transmitted diseases when programmes providing subsidised condoms are cut next year.

As Viet Nam has reached the threshold of becoming a middle-income country, international provision and subsidies of condoms would be cut, said Do Ngoc Tan, director of the Department of Population and Family Planning.

He said that there had been no offers of subsidised condoms for the country's population and family planning programme after 2010.

During the 1996-2009 period, the programme supplied more than 1.2 billion condoms, of which 435 million were free and 780 million subsidised by up to 70 per cent. The popular types of condoms supplied often ranged from VND1,000 to VND3,000 (up to US$0.15) in value.

It is estimated that from 2011 to 2015, the country would need about 2.3 billion condoms, costing about $57.5 million, Tan said. But currently only 62 million of condoms had been promised by the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

Nguyen Duc Son, an official from the Ministry of Planning and Investment the country could only afford a third of the total cost for condoms each year if it had to continue the subsidy.

Tan said that people in remote and poor areas all depended on the free supply.

Need for change

Government programmes promoting family planning and provision of free contraceptives had previously been carried out mostly in urban areas and big cities, Tan said, where people with higher incomes were willing to pay for condoms themselves. However, the programme should have been fostered in remote and poor areas, initially to provide access to low-priced condoms, with a gradual shift towards making people pay for the contraceptives themselves.

Duong Quoc Trong, director of the General Department of Population and Family Planning said that a comprehensive programme to co-ordinate, manage and supply condoms must be set up.

Communications campaigns were also needed to encourage people to shift from receiving free condoms to buying them for themselves.

Other officials called on couples to financially shoulder the burden with the Government.

Huynh Cao Hai, deputy head of the Sub-department of Population and Family Planning of southern Dong Nai Province said if couples could buy the condoms themselves, the programme would be effectively sustainable.

Currently, only 20 per cent of people who use condoms pay for them. —VNS

VNA launches Chinese website

HA NOI — The Vietnam News Agency (VNA) yesterday launched a Chinese version of its website.

"The Chinese version is proof of the agency's efforts to offer diverse media products and continue to be a reputable news agency in the country and world-wide," said VNA's general director Tran Mai Huong at the launching ceremony.

Huong said that this new version will provide its readers with the latest and most accurate information about Viet Nam, its people and society. The news will also include regional and global issues, as well as updates on Viet Nam and China relations.

China's Ambassador to Viet Nam Sun Guanxiang said he believed the Chinese version of VNA's website will support the two countries' economic and cultural exchanges. It reflects both Viet Nam and China's achievements during their national construction and development.

This Chinese online edition is uploaded through the VNANET server (http://www/news.vnanet.vn/) which provides about 500 news and updated photos per day. It is also published free of charge on the Vietnamplus website (http://cn.vietnamplus.vn/). Vietnamplus has received about 20 million hits a week and has news available in English, French and Spanish in addition to the new Chinese version. — VNS

Blue-ear disease seen in 32 provinces

HA NOI – As many as 32 provinces nation-wide have reported the outbreak of blue-ear pig disease, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's Department of Animal Health.

The disease is expected to spread beyond Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta provinces, largely due to the lack of local vigilance, said the department.

Over 300,000 infected pigs have been culled nation-wide this year, which is higher than in the 2008 outbreak.

Patrol boat collision kills police officer

THANH HOA – One policeman from central Thanh Hoa Province was reported missing after his patrol boat collided with another on Monday in a stretch of the Ma River in the province's Thieu Hoa District.

The incident happened when the Thieu Duong Commune's policeman Le Xuan Thuan was reportedly involved in a local raid to fight illegal sand exploitation in large rivers in the province.

Locomotive kills man asleep on tracks

DONG NAI — A HCM City-Ha Noi train on Monday killed a 30-year-old man while he was reportedly sleeping on the railway in Tan Hiep Ward, southern Dong Nai Province's Bien Hoa District. The train driver admitted to the local police that he could not stop the train in time to avoid the accident.

On September 17, a 40-year-old man died in a similar incident in central Quang Ngai Province's Mo Duc District. — VNS

Huge crocodile jaw bone found in Can Tho estuary

This jawbone found in Can Tho is from a crocodile that could have been six meters long and weighed 400 kg

Photo: Tuoi Tre

A fisherman has found the jawbone of a giant crocodile in an estuary in the Mekong Delta.

Tran Van Ut of Can Tho City said he found the 0.9-meter bone in the Dau Sau (Crocodile Head) estuary, adding at first he thought it was a tree trunk.

Tran Van Tot, an 86-year-old local, estimated the reptile had been five to six meters long and weighed 300-400 kilograms and said it is the biggest crocodile jaw he has seen.

It may have died more than 100 years ago, he added.

The world’s largest living crocodile is the saltwater crocodile found in Australia and India which is thought to grow to up to seven meters.

Several people have offered to buy the jaw but Ut is not selling.

Tieu Thi Tuyet, 76, who lives near the estuary, said her grandmother once saw a giant crocodile basking on the shore and crawling into the river at the sight of people.

The Dau Sau estuary has traditionally been a major crocodile habitat.

WB President: Vietnam uses WB capital effectively

World Bank President Robert Zoellick has said Vietnam was one of the countries using WB capital most effectively and the bank will continue to assist the nation in the coming time.

The WB leader made the statement while working with Vietnamese Planning and Investment Minister Vo Hong Phuc, who is on a five-day working visit to the US from Monday.

Zoellick praised Vietnam for its achievements in socio-economic development, implementation of Millennium Development Goals and poverty reduction.

Minister Phuc expressed thanks to the WB’s assistance to Vietnam over the past time and wished to continue to receive more helps from the world’s biggest development bank to implement its socio-economic development strategy and plan in the 2011-2015 period.

The two sides agreed to boost cooperation in the future, focusing on developing economic infrastructure and human resource, along with in raising institutional capacity, poverty reduction and healthcare and education support.

They also agreed to expand cooperation in cooping with climate change and boost Public Private Partnership (PPP) in the areas of energy and infrastructure.

The two sides discussed a plan to celebrate the 35th anniversary of ties between Vietnam and the WB in 2011.

During the current visit, the Vietnamese Minister also met with officials of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). During the meeting, they exchanged views on prospects of global economic development and Vietnam’s economy.

They also mentioned challenges to Vietnam’s economy in the future, especially when the country emerges as a nation with an average income.

Meeting with officials of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Minister Phuc spoke highly of USAID’s assistance to Vietnam over the past time, especially in HIV/AIDs control, implementing WTO commitments, raising competitive capacity and developing education and training.

Phuc asked the USAID to continue its assistance in those areas in parallel with expanding cooperation to other fields and facilitating US investors to take part in PPP projects in Vietnam.

He also had discussions with US enterprises under the Prime Minister’s Advisory Council and joined in investment promotion activities in Nevada and California states.

The Vietnamese Minister visited and had working sessions with Boeing and Microsoft.

During those working sessions, Minister Phuc introduced Vietnam’s investment climate, answered questions by US enterprises and discussed measure to solve difficulties facing US businesses operating in Vietnam.

Those meetings and discussions were aimed at boosting understanding and attracting investment into Vietnam.

Ministry probes pre-paid phone users information

Staff from mobile service provider Vinaphone instruct clients on how to use their services. —VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Giang

HA NOI — The Public Security Ministry has started to check the personal information of mobile phone owners who use Ha Noi- Police-issued identity cards for their pre-paid subscriptions.

Checks in HCM City and Da Nang will follow.

The checks were necessary because numerous violations were still occurring two years after regulations for the management of pre-paid subscriptions had been introduced, said the deputy director of the ministry's administration of social order department Nguyen Cong Son.

Many pre-paid mobile phone subscribers used the services to harass others; detonate explosives or illegally plug into other people's networks, he told a workshop to review mobile services.

An example was a pre-paid mobile phone subscriber who used the service in an attempt to detonate a home-made bomb at a pagoda in northern Thai Binh Province last year.

The device did not explode because it was damp.

Warning

Pre-paid mobile phone users found to have registered incorrect personal information would be required to re-register or have their services denied, warned deputy Information and Communications Minister Le Nam Thang.

Subscribers who tried to register incorrect information for negative purposes would be punished and publicly named, he said.

The Information and Communications Ministry's Communications Department deputy director Nguyen Xuan Tru said most of the transgressions occurred when customers bought their phones.

Vendors pre-registered millions of potential customers to entice them into making their purchases.

The most common transgression was not saving customer registrations or not committing the registration to paper.

Up to 80 per cent of vendors either did not have computers or their computers were not linked to the service provider network.

Information and communication ministry teams have inspected more than 26,000 customer registration points or agents throughout the country and imposed fines totalling VND1.1 billion (US$56,100) during the past two years.

They found 4,821 incomplete but authorised contracts.

The General Statistics Office says Viet Nam had more than 150 million telephone subscribers as of June - 80 per cent of them mobile phone users.

The number of pre-paid mobile phone users accounted for almost 90 per cent of mobile phone subscribers - one-third of them in Ha Noi, HCM City and Da Nang. — VNS

Survey planned next year of agriculture

A general survey will be conducted of rural areas, agriculture and fisheries on July 1 next year under a new decision by the Prime Minister.

The month-long investigation aims to assess the conditions and development of the agricultural sector in the country. The results will serve as a basis to set up plans and policies to develop agriculture and rural areas in the next stage as well as targets for the national socio-economic development strategy.

Under the decision No 1785/QD-TTg signed on September 27, the survey will collect such information as the number of production units, their size and production capacity as well as the labour structure in the agro-forestry-fishery sector.

The current situation of rural economy and changes in socio-economic infrastructure structure, along with information relating to rural population will also be the subjects of the investigation.

Initial results will be announced in December 2011 while the full outcomes will be made available in the third quarter of 2012./.

56 billion VND raised for AO victims

Associations of Agent Orange (AO) victims in 50 cities and provinces across the country have collected 56 billion VND during the “Action month for Vietnamese AO victims”.

Of the total, the AO victims sponsor fund spent nearly 49 billion VND on supporting 188,669 victims with a wide range of activities.

Part of the money was used to provide free health care check-ups and medicine for victims in remote areas and health insurance books for poor victims.

Besides, the fund provided orthopedic surgeries and rehabilitation treatment for 1,971 patients. A total of 2,743 wheelchairs and supporting devices were also handed to the victims.

Meanwhile, over 23 billion VND was used to assist 34,234 victims in developing their business.

The fund has found individuals and organisations to provide regular allowances ranging from 150,000-500,000 VND a month for 1,979 victims.

Those suffering from AO effects in high areas were provided with savings books and blankets, mosquito-nets, clothes and household utensils./.

GMcrops can ensure food safety: scientists

Plants like corn and soybeans with modified genes are pest-resistant and have a higher yield, but have no negative impact on human health or the environment.

Prof Tran Thi Cuc Hoa of Cuu Long Delta Rice Research Institute said the institute has transferred selected pest-resistant genes to several varieties of soybeans.

The results showed that the transgenic lines had significantly higher pest resistance compared with non-genetically modified lines.

"The soybean is an important food plant in Vietnam , planted on 20,000ha of land, but with a low yield because of pests and plant health," she said. "The use of genetically modified [GM] soybean varieties is a feasible solution to increase production."

In the Philippines , the use of GM strains has been used in corn, the number-two crop in the country, following rice.

GM corn has had high yields across the seasons, generating positive differences of 4-34 percent over the original hybrid corn.

This resulted in an income increase for farmers from 3 percent to 75 percent during the wet season, and 1 per cent to 75 percent during the dry season, said Dr Reynaldo V Ebora of the University of the Philippines Los Banos College .

Ebora, director of the university's National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, said GM corn has generated a higher caloric content than conventional corn.

Another expert at the workshop, Dr Nguyen Quoc Binh, deputy director of HCM City Biotechnology Centre, said pesticide manufacturing and spraying are not necessary to protect GM crops.

Because GM plants are pest-resistant and not harmful to human health, there is no need to use pesticides.

Binh said findings show that worm-resistant transgenic plants have no negative effect on the environment, thanks to the use of Bt (Bacillus Thuringiensis) toxins that are produced within the plant and kill pests that attack the plants.

Ebora of the University of the Philippines said his observations of six years show that genetically-modified Bt corn in the Phillipines planted in fields does not adversely affect other varieties of corn crops in the fields.

Dr Duong Hoa Xo, director of the HCM City Biotechnology Centre, noted that the adoption of GM plants had occurred 15 years ago by some countries, and by last year, there were 124 million ha of GM crops in 25 countries, with 45 million farmer households involved.

Xo said the workshop showed that GM plants are safe and could enhance the socio-economic development of the country.

The workshop will also be held in Hanoi on September 30 and Vinh Phuc on October 1. It is coorganised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the US Embassy in Vietnam , which also sponsors the event.

Le Thanh An, consul general of the US General Consulate in HCM City, said the workshop is an attempt to bring scientists, farmers and policymakers together to improve Vietnam's economic development, poverty reduction and environmental protection.

In the context of climate change, including changes like drought, acid soil, low or high temperatures and pests, GM crops will be the key to food safety, according to Prof Bui Chi Buu of the Southern Agricultural Science Institute./.

Friday, October 22, 2010

HCMC man batters employer’s family with hammer

Duong Van Nuoi who attacked his boss’ family with a hammer before trying to take his own life

Photo: Tuoi Tre

A disgruntled employee of a design and printing company in Ho Chi Minh City brutally attacked seven members of the family that owns his company with a hammer last Sunday, leaving three of them in critical condition.

Police in Binh Tan District -- where Huong Sinh company and the house of its director, Le Cong Quang, is situated -- said Duong Van Nuoi kept hitting his victims even after they fell unconscious.

It is not clear yet why he did it but Nuoi, 30, had apparently wanted to quit his job.

He came in to the house at 5:30 am and attacked Quang, 39, as he was brushing his teeth, according to Pham Thi Hong Chi, 29, one of the seven victims.

Hearing the noise, Quang’s three brothers and sisters Le Cong Tuong, 30, Le Thi Huyen Nuong, 26, and Le Thi Hong Hoa, 24, rushed to his aid along with Chi and his niece, Le Thuy Ngan, 19.

Nuoi then turned his fury on them, she said.

She rushed into her room and locked it to protect her 13-month-old son, Le Cong Quoc Thang.

But Nuoi broke down the door and hit the baby on his head.

Chi threw herself on the child and took several blows on her head.

Nuoi then ran out to the gate and hit himself in the head with the hammer to kill himself but neighbors intervened and saved him. They also called the police who came and took him in.

On Monday afternoon Hoa and the baby were discharged from Cho Ray hospital. Chi quoted doctors as saying Quang, Tuong, and Nuong remain in critical condition.

She said Quang had traveled to the central province of Binh Dinh three months ago, met Nuoi there, taken pity after seeing his poor living conditions, and offered him a job.

In 2004 Nuoi had been jailed for a year for theft.

Deputy PM calls for more kindergartens

Children learn how to draw Vietnamese characters at Ly Thai To Private Kindergarten in Ha Noi. — VNA/VNS Photo Bich Ngoc

HA NOI — Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan has asked cities and provinces to finish land planning procedures for the construction of kindergartens by mid-October.

Too few children aged three to five are attending school full time because of a shortage of classrooms, he said.

Meanwhile, many provincial and city kindergartens are temporarily housed in primary schools or local residents' houses, he added.

Nhan called on schools that had adequate land funds to build additional classrooms for kindergarten pupils.

In addition, he called on the Ministry of Education and Training to complete proposals for construction projects that used official development assistance for teacher-training facilities and the upgrade or construction of new school buildings.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment has been assigned the task of examining proposed construction projects and teaching-aid requirements for the 2010-11 academic year and to submit these to the Government for approval.

The country intends to spend more than VND14.6 trillion (US$736 million) on providing education facilities for all five-year-olds in the country to prepare them for primary school.

The programme includes the construction of new schools and classrooms, purchasing study and teaching aids, training teachers and support for poor students.

Also under the programme, 86 new kindergartens meeting national standards will be built in 62 poor districts, of which 24 are in six mountainous provinces bordering the Central Highlands. — VNS

GMOs can ensure food safety: scientists

by Phuoc Buu

HCM CITY — Genetically modified crops will play an important role in ensuring food security and sustainable development, according to experts at a biotechnology workshop held in HCM City yesterday.

Plants like corn and soybeans with modified genes are pest-resistant and have a higher yield, but have no negative impact on human health or the environment.

Prof Tran Thi Cuc Hoa of Cuu Long Delta Rice Research Institute said the institute had transferred selected pest-resistant genes to several varieties of soybeans.

The results showed that the transgenic lines had significantly higher pest resistance compared with non-genetically modified lines.

"The soybean is an important food plant in Viet Nam, planted on 20,000ha of land, but with a low yield because of pests and plant health," she said. "The use of genetically modified [GM] soybean varieties is a feasible solution to increase production."

In the Philippines, the use of GM strains has been used in corn, the number-two crop in the country, following rice.

GM corn has had high yields across the seasons, generating positive differences of 4-34 per cent over the original hybrid corn.

This resulted in an income increase for farmers from 3 per cent to 75 per cent during the wet season, and 1 per cent to 75 per cent during the dry season, said Dr Reynaldo V Ebora of the University of the Philippines Los Banos College.

Ebora, director of the university's National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, said GM corn had generated a higher caloric content than conventional corn.

Another expert at the workshop, Dr Nguyen Quoc Binh, deputy director of HCM City Biotechnology Centre, said pesticide manufacturing and spraying were not necessary to protect GM crops.

Because GM plants are pest-resistant and not harmful to human health, there is no need to use pesticides.

Binh said findings showed that worm-resistant transgenic plants had no negative effect on the environment, thanks to the use of Bt (Bacillus Thuringiensis) toxins that are produced within the plant and kill pests that attack the plants.

Ebora of the University of the Philippines said his observations of six years showed that genetically-modified Bt corn in the Phillipines planted in fields did not adversely affect other varieties of corn crops in the fields.

Xo said the workshop showed that GM plants were safe and could enhance the socio-economic development of the country.

The workshop will also be held in Ha Noi on September 30 and Vinh Phuc on October 1. It is co-organised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the American Embassy in Viet Nam, which also sponsors the event.

Le Thanh An, consul general of the US General Consulate in HCM City, said the workshop was an attempt to bring scientists, farmers and policymakers together to improve Viet Nam's economic development, poverty reduction and environmental protection.

City housing plan focuses on high-rise apartments

HCM CITY — The city will accord priority to developing high-rise apartments in a bid to reduce construction density and save land for public services and green spaces.

Under the HCM City's housing development programme for the 2011-15 period with a vision to 2025, low-rise apartments in the city's central areas, including districts 1, 3 and 4 and part of Binh Thanh District, will be converted into modern high-rise buildings.

The high-rise buildings would be built with particular focus on developing environmental-friendly and energy-saving technology, officials said.

Old apartments like Nguyen Kim and Ngo Gia Tu in District 10, as well as Nguyen Thien Thuat and Ly Thai To in District 3 would be developed into modern apartment complexes.

The city would also carry out urban renovation in residential areas of District 5, 6, 8, 11, Phu Nhuan, Tan Binh, Tan Phu, Binh Thanh and others.

Thanh Da Peninsula will be transformed into a modern tourism and relaxation area.

A 5,000ha science and technology park in Thu Duc District and District 9 and the Thu Thiem new urban area in District 2 are other projects included in the development plan.

In the outlying areas of Binh Chanh, Hoc Mon, Nha Be, Cu Chi and Can Gio districts, new projects will focus on developing rural residential areas and satellite urban areas.

The programme will also give priority to building housing for poor and low-income people, and to constructing dormitories for students.

The city is home to more than 7 million people and the figure is expected to increase to 10 million by 2025 and remain at this rate until 2030, according to the HCM City Department of Urban Planning and Architecture. — VNS

Motorcycle taxis to display licences

HCM CITY — Xe om (motorbike taxi) drivers will be required to carry license cards on their shirts or T-shirts from next year under a new regulation issued by the HCM City People's Committee.

The rule will also apply to drivers of three-wheeled vehicles.

To obtain the licence cards, the drivers of xe om and three-wheeled vehicles must be at least 16 years old, pass the traffic health check and have a valid driving licence.

Drivers can apply for the licence card from ward level People's Committees. The card, valid for five years, will be issued or reissued within three days after the required documents are submitted.

Nguyen Ba Tho, head of the autonomous xe om association at the Sai Gon Railway Station that is recognised by the station as well as the People's Committee of ward 9 in District 3, said placing the xe om service under the management of city authorities would improve traffic safety and customer service.

Nguyen Van Cuong, a xe om driver on Nguyen Thuong Hien Street in Binh Thanh District, also welcomed the move, saying it would boost customer-confidence in the service.

Nguyen Van Thuan, head of Ministry of Transport's Traffic Safety Department, had last May called for improved management of xe om and three-wheeled transportation services. — VNS

VN and Indian professionals celebrate countries relations

HCM CITY — "I am half Indian, half Vietnamese," said Nguyen Minh Chau, director of the Southern Food Research Institute, as he waxed nostalgic about his five-and-a-half year stay in India, pursuing post-graduate and doctorate courses with scholarships from the Indian government.

Chau was among many recipients of the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) scholarships who gathered at the General Sciences Library in HCM City last weekend to mark the ITEC Day 2010.

Chau said that many Vietnamese professionals trained in India were heading agricultural, horticultural and other scientific research institutes in the country.

Chief guest Dang Cong Luan, Director of the Department of Interior of the People's Committee of HCM City, said "the ITEC Programme is an earnest attempt by India to share the fruits of its socio-economic development and technological achievement with other developing countries, including Viet Nam."

"Thanks to the ITEC programme, many researchers, cadres, officials, students have been engrossed in scientific research and are applying the technical breakthroughs in production as well as in life, bringing high socio-economic efficiency," Luan said.

Abay Thakur, Indian consul-general, said that the most popular courses for the Vietnamese students going to India have been IT, English proficiency, financial management, agricultural practices (including soil management, farming systems and agronomy), environmental technology and biotechnology. — VNS

Gov't to adjust student loan plan

HCM CITY — Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan has asked the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Education and Training, Viet Nam Bank for Social Policies and several other agencies to analyse the total amount of funds needed for student loans in the 2010-11 academic year.

The report will help the Government set loan amounts in accordance with higher tuition fees.

Nhan asked the Viet Nam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP) to adjust loans for students whose families live near the poverty line so that the loans are lower than those offered to poor students.

The bank was also ordered to provide loans for a maximum of 12 months to students whose families were affected by unexpected financial difficulties caused by natural disasters, storms and floods.

The VBSP suggested that the Government pump VND5 trillion (US$256.4 million) to provide loans for poor students at various education levels.

In response to this suggestion, the deputy prime minister has asked the Ministry of Finance to report on specific spending plans and submit its own proposals to the Prime Minister.

The Government is seeking ways of mobilising capital from long-term loans from Official Development Assistance (ODA) sources at reasonable interest rates to serve the student loan programme, according to Nhan.

According to the VBSP, it had provided loans worth a total of VND24 trillion ($1.23 billion) for more than 1.9 million poor students nationwide through August. The loan programme has been running since March 1998. — VNS

Water works makes waves

Ethnic minorities in Nhat Tien Commune, Bac Son District in northern Lang Son Province gain access to clean water. All localities will be equipped with water quality management units by 2020. — VNA/VNS Photo Dinh Tran

HA NOI — A newly-announced VND320 billion (US$16.4 million) programme will ensure that all of Viet Nam's cities and provinces will have water-quality-management units within five years.

And the units will be of international standard by 2020.

The Water Quality Management Programme is part of an effort to promote and sustain the achievements of the National Strategy for Clean Water and Environment Sanitation.

Purpose of the programme was to provide 85 per cent of rural residents with potable water by 2010, National Centre for Clean Water and Environmental Sanitation deputy director Nguyen Thanh Luan told a workshop to introduce and initiate its implementation in Ha Noi yesterday.

Just 18 of Viet Nam's 63 provinces had water-quality testing facilities, he said.

Most were newly-established, poorly equipped and had yet to meet appropriate standards.

Appropriate national and local mechanisms for the effective management of water and environmental sanitation; funds and the necessary construction were also missing.

Nine projects

The money for the programme would be disbursed through nine key projects so that all rural residents had access to potable water by 2020, said deputy director Luan.

The Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry had made a variety of proposals to ensure the targets are met.

But priority would be given to the monitoring of all sources of rural water supply and increasing their standardisation from the prevailing 40 to 100 per cent by 2020.

The ministry would begin the building of eight trial standardised testing centres in different ecological regions next year.

Projects to enhance quality control and management capability in all cities and provinces would follow with information about water usage included in a data base as a comprehensive national source.

The programme would also research and trial the application of scientific and technologic methods in monitoring water quality at households in particular terrain or in special social and economic conditions, said Deputy Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry Dao Xuan Hoc.

International co-operation could work through various models including bilateral, multilateral and co-operation with non-government organisations, he said.

The ministry had asked the General Irrigation Department to take key responsibility for the programme's implementation and management.

The People's Committees of all the country's 63 cities and provinces were also responsible for managing their rural water quality.

United Nation Children's Fund, UNICEF, representative Craig Burgess emphasised the ministry's commitment to rural water quality and said he expected a sound implementation of the programme.

The ministry had realised the poor water quality in rural Viet Nam and taken the lead in the development and approval of the water quality management programme, he said.

But more important than the launch of the programme was how the ministry supported the sub-national effort and how each province, district, commune and individual went about improving water quality for all users, he said.

Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry figures show that only 30 per cent of rural water supply meets Health Ministry water-quality standards.

A 2006 Health Ministry survey found that water at only 15.6 per cent of rural households met its standards and of these only 29 per cent met the micro biological standards and 56.5 per cent the chemical standards.

UNICEF estimates that only 2.8 million out of 18 million rural children have access to Health Ministry-standard water.

The Northern and Central Highlands and the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta are the worse regions, it says. — VNS

Vietnam offers cash rewards to whistle blowers

Vietnam offers cash rewards to whistle blowers Whistle blowers will be rewarded with cash bonuses worth up to 30 times as much as the basic monthly wage, according to a draft prepared by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Vietnamnet said.

Vietnam’s basic wage now is VND730,000 (US$37.53).

The new bill, drafted in cooperation with government inspectorate under the order of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, targets Vietnamese, overseas Vietnamese and foreigners.

According to the draft, those who are given the Medal of courage will recieve rewards worth 30 times as much as the basic wage. It will be 20 times for those are awarded PM’s Certificate of merit, and 10 times for those who receive certificates from ministries and provinces.

Which certificate or medal will be given to people who report corruption will depend on the corruption's scale, according to the news source.

In a recent conference honoring 88 whistle blowers, Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh Trong ordered the Central Steering Committee of Preventing Corruption to cooperate with the Ministry of Public Security to finalize new whistle blower protection laws this month.

It was the first time Vietnam honored people for fighting public corruption, Vietnamnet said.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs has also submitted a draft to the government to provide allowances worth 0.5 percent of the basic wage to officials working at agencies that fight corruption.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Vietnam offers cash rewards to whistle blowers

Vietnam’s basic wage now is VND730,000 (US$37.53).

The new bill, drafted in cooperation with government inspectorate under the order of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, targets Vietnamese, overseas Vietnamese and foreigners.

Which certificate or medal will be given to people who report corruption will depend on the corruption's scale, according to the news source.

It was the first time Vietnam honored people for fighting public corruption, Vietnamnet said.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs has also submitted a draft to the government to provide allowances worth 0.5 percent of the basic wage to officials working at agencies that fight corruption.

HCMC firm sues minister over import fines

HCMC firm sues minister over import fines A private firm in Ho Chi Minh City has filed suit against Vu Huy Hoang, the Minister of Industry and Trade, saying that his lack of responsibility has caused losses of billions of dongs to the company.

Tam Dao Commerce and Production Company was fined by the city officials under a circular co-issued by the ministry.

The company argues that the circular violates established laws.

According to the comlaint, on March 4 of last year, 760 electric generators imported by the company were seized by the HCMC market management officials, who said the company failed to present enough documents showing the origin of the shipment.

Local authorities fined the company nearly VND70 million (US$3,600). The fines were based on Circular No.12 (issued in 2007 by the Ministries of Industry and Trade, Finance, and Public Security) which says that a shipment will be labeled illegal if the importer fails to prove its origin 24 hours after it’s checked.

But Luu Quang Hai, director of the company, said the Ordinance for Punishing Civil Violations issued by the Ministry of Justice doesn’t have a 24-hour deadline.

So Hai filed his lawsuit with the HCMC People’s Court to force the Minister of Industry and Trade to abolish Circular No. 12 and to pay appropriate restitution.

He asked the minister to compensate the company VND2.5 billion ($128,500).

Minister Hoang told VnExpress that the circular was not issued by his ministry alone and he was not the one who signed it.

Hai's company filed its initial complaint with the city People’s Court on August 13 but the note was returned six days later. The court claimed the case is beyond its authority.

The lawsuit was then forwarded to different places including Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyen Phu Trong, and the State Inspectorate.

Hai had ammended the complaint to include frustrations about a lack of action from the city court, local news website VnExpress said Thursday.

Officials find 1,000 children molested a year in Vietnam

Officials find 1,000 children molested a year in Vietnam Last year 833 children in Vietnam were found molested across the country, the Ministry of Labors, War Invalids and Social Affairs reported at a conference in Hanoi Wednesday.

Meanwhile, 1,427 cases were recorded in 2008, bringing the annual number of sexual abuse cases to over 1,000 on average per year between 2008 and 2009, according to the ministry.

However, Nguyen Hai Huu, chief of the ministry’s Children Care and Protection Agency, said the figures in reality is much higher, as there are many cases that weren’t reported to agencies because the latter’s management isn’t strict enough.

Not to mention that victims’ families usually choose to keep silence, because they are ashamed or afraid that their children’s future will be affected, or accept compensations from other party, he said.

Huu also warned about increases in the number of children kidnapped and violently abused at the conference of “Preventing violence and abusing from children,” held by the ministry in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Training and international organizations.

In fact, 628 children were recorded to be kidnapped last year, almost tripling the year before, according to the ministry, noting that it mainly happened at border areas and victims are often trafficked to China or Cambodia.

In the meantime, between 2008 and 2009, nearly 6,000 cases where children were violently abused were reported nationwide, the ministry said.

It was estimated that over 100 children were murdered a year, the Ministry of Public Security reported.

Participants at the conference also voiced their concerns over recent high-profile school violence cases.

Nguyen Dinh Manh, deputy chief of the education ministry’s Students’ Affairs Department, said since the last school year of 2009-2010, Vietnam has recorded 1,598 cases of students fighting nationwide, seven of which were deadly

Officials find 1,000 children molested a year in Vietnam

Meanwhile, 1,427 cases were recorded in 2008, bringing the annual number of sexual abuse cases to over 1,000 on average per year between 2008 and 2009, according to the ministry.

In the meantime, between 2008 and 2009, nearly 6,000 cases where children were violently abused were reported nationwide, the ministry said.

It was estimated that over 100 children were murdered a year, the Ministry of Public Security reported.

Participants at the conference also voiced their concerns over recent high-profile school violence cases.

Seven injured as home helper assaults sleeping family with hammer

Seven injured as home helper assaults sleeping family with hammer A home helper in Ho Chi Minh City brutally assaulted seven members of his boss' family with a hammer on Sunday before trying to kill himself with it.

Police are investigating the apparaently unprovoked, irrational act of violence on the family of Le Cong Quang, 39, who runs an advertising firm.

Among the victims were Quang's wife, his 13-month-old son and his niece, a 19-year-old college student who was visiting the family, local news website VietNamNet said.

Eyewitnesses said they saw Duong Van Nuoi, 30, carry a hammer around 0.3 meters long covered with blood after hearing shouts and cries from the office-cum-residence of advertising firm Huong Sinh.

The attack took place at six in the morning when most of the victims were asleep.

Huynh Hoai Nhan, a 17-year-old worker of the firm, said he survived as he managed to hide behind a door.

Nhan said Nuoi hammered the company’s owner unconscious and other members of his family were severely injured.

“I still don’t know what made him act that brutally,” Nhan told the police.

According to workers of the company, Nuoi was on good terms with the family. He had also gone to a café with the family the previous night.

The injured have been admitted at the Cho Ray Hospital. Three of them, Quang, his wife Phan Thi Hong Chi and his niece Le Thuy Ngan, needed emergency surgery, doctors said.

HCMC police have arrested Nuoi for further investigation. He was also injured as hammering his own head after attacking everyone.

Nuoi has been with the family for two months.

HCMC plans to save old colonial French villas

Ho Chi Minh City is planning to conserve its French-era villas which are being razed one by one to make way for high-rise buildings.

Most of them are in Districts 1 and 3, with a high concentration being on Tu Xuong and Le Quy Don streets.

The Department of Construction is drawing up a list of surviving villas and will hire Japanese consultants to draft a master plan for conserving while also using them as offices, schools, restaurants and hotels.

Ly Khanh Tam Thao, deputy head of the Department of Planning and Architecture's municipal area management division, said: "They should be protected from the creep of urbanization and from being pulled down for their valuable land."

Only ornate buildings like the city hall and the HCMC Opera House would be used for their original purpose, he said.

"Owners of villas will be allowed to build other structures at the back but they must be responsible for protecting their facade and interior."

But since traffic could become a problem on roads leading to them if they were used as offices, schools, restaurants or hotels, traffic infrastructure in their vicinity must be modified, said Nguyen Van Chinh, director of the Southern Institute of Traffic and Communications.

"Operating public transport to these places is a good way to reduce the number of private vehicles," he added.

Luong Hien Chung of the HCMC University of Transport said, however, the villas' large yards should be used as parking lots for visitors' vehicles.

Thao said villa owners should be charged heavily for services and the money would be used to improve traffic infrastructure in the vicinity.

Many villas house luxurious French restaurants.

British Council holds activities to celebrate city’s birthday

The British Council is organising a wide range of events designed to celebrate the 1,000 th birthday of Thang Long-Hanoi and promote cultural links between the United Kingdom and Vietnam throughout October.

The activities include an exhibition entitled Long Bien “In a City”, which explores the fabric of society in the Long Bien area through innovative photography, film and story telling; an auction of some of the best Vietnamese visual arts to raise funds for young artists; a fashion and design show and a “Global citizens” competition for 65,000 school children across Vietnam.

An international competition will be also held in the Millennium month to honour young Vietnamese talent in production, distribution, journalism, marketing, promotion and artistic management.

British Council Country Director Robin Rickard expressed his hope that the events will contribute to delivering a message that while Hanoi is one of the most ancient capitals of Asia , it is also a modern city blessed with natural scenery and historical beauty nurtured by a splendid unique and enduring culture.

Operating in over 100 nations and territories, the British Council began its operation in the areas of education, English language and art in Vietnam in 1993./.

Cham ethnic people celebrate Royal Festival

Cham ethnic people in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang are celebrating the Royal Festival after concluding their Ramadan month of fasting.

During the ten-day festival, Cham people hold parties, visit their relatives and attend recreational activities.

According to the Head of the Representative Board of the Islamic Cham Community, Musahaji, during the Ramadan 2010, Cham ethnic people in An Giang raised over 1 billion VND for social and charitable activities.

The Cham community in An Giang province was formed over 20 years ago.

There are 3,052 Cham households with 14,784 people, accounting for 0.66 percent of the province’s population, living in nine hamlets in the four districts of Chau Thanh, Chau Phu, Phu Tan and An Phu and Tan Chau Town .

Over the past years, the State has invested in transport infrastructure, education, and vocational training in the Cham area.

In 2010, An Giang province has spent over 5 billion VND sourced from the government’s Programmes 134 and 135 to open vocational training classes, build 10 transport works and upgrade schools for local Cham people./.

Huge Buddha statue inaugurated in Bac Ninh

Photo: Dan Tri news website

Thousands of Buddhist followers and pilgrims from all regions of the country gathered on Phat Tich Mountain in Bac Ninh province’s Tien Du district on Saturday to witness the inauguration of a giant Buddha statue located on the peak of the mountain.

The statue, which measures 27 meters high and weighs 3,000 tons, is one of the largest stone statues in Southeast Asia and the first of its kind in Vietnam.

The statue is shaped based on the model of Amitabha Buddha statue which was made of stone during the Ly dynasty.

It took three years to complete the work, which cost VND75 billion (US$3.8 million) sourced from the state budget and donations from organizations, individuals and Buddhist followers nationwide.

On Sunday a ceremony was also held in Tien Du district to name the Phat Tich Pagoda project celebrating the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

The project to restore the Phat Tich Pagoda has a total investment of over VND50 billion. After two years of execution, the project has restored 82 iron wood compartments and upgraded 150 meters of stone jetty.

Phat Tich pagoda is a cultural and historical relic in Vietnam which contains cultural and sculptural values of the Ly dynasty.

Besides keeping the Amitabha Buddha stone statue dating back from the 10th-11th centuries, which is considered precious object, the pagoda is also a Buddhist cultural center and a place where the Buddhism rose up in Vietnam.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Vinh Tuy bridge opens to traffic

Photo: VnExpress

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai on Sunday cut the ribbon to put into operation the first phase of the Vinh Tuy bridge, which is connected with the National Highway No.5 and spans over the Red River.

The first phase of the 5.8 km bridge with a 3.7 km-river-spanning section and a cross-cut of 19.25 m was constructed at a cost of VND3.6 trillion (US$183.6 million).

In September 2009, the bridge partly opened to traffic after the construction of key parts completed, helping ease traffic jam in Chuong Duong bridge and other relating roads.

As one of the seven bridges spanning over the Red River in the master plan of the capital city by 2020, Vinh Tuy bridge has been recognized as a high-quality project to celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai underlined the significance of the project in boosting socio-economic development, industrialization and modernization in Hanoi as well as the Red River Delta region.

This is also a project marking the development of the construction sector of Vietnam in general and the capital city in particular, he said.

Checks of pre-paid subscribers planned

HA NOI - The Public Securities Ministry plans to check the personal information of pre-paid mobile phone subscribers who use Ha Noi- Police-issued identity cards.

Checks in HCM City and Da Nang will follow.

Many people pre-paid mobile phones to harass others; detonate explosives or illegally plug into other people's network, he told a workshop to review mobile services.

Pre-paid mobile phone users found to have registered incorrect personal information would be required to re-register or have their services denied, said deputy Information and Communications Minister El Nam Thang.

Information and communication ministry inspectors have found more than 26,000 customer registrations that included false information and 4,821 incomplete but authorised contracts during the past two years. - VNS

To be updated

US firm launches social networking site in Vietnam

The beta version of microblogging site PingGadget.com launched by US-based software company VietTech Corporation in Vietnam

US-based software company VietTech Corporation unveiled the beta version of a social networking and microblogging site PingGadget.com and a new version of MyWorldvn.com, an educational and community website, at a press conference in Ho Chi Minh City Friday.

PingGadget allows users to communicate with one another, stay connected to what is going on around them, and build custom groups specific to their location and interests.

The microblogging site has image and video uploading capacities of 1 MB and 8 MB.

It features jobs, classifieds, events, nightlife, music, and volunteering opportunities at various locations but does not have a platform to support blogs.

“We’re just getting started and this beta release formally kicks things off. We plan on working closely with our users over the next few months to gain valuable feedback and maintain a strong innovation schedule for the platform,” Nguyen Minh Tri, president and CEO of VietTech and co-founder of MyWorldvn and PingGadget, said.

“[Later] we will add some applications suitable for Vietnamese users.

“In Vietnam, social networks are becoming a daily habit. These sites help users connect with each other and share things easily anywhere and anytime.”

PingGadget launched in the US last month.

MyWorldvn.com is a popular social and educational networking site among high school and college students and young professionals in Vietnam that Tri launched in 2007.

It has 220,000 members and attracted more than 10 million hits.

MyWorldvn.com provides access to English learning, news sharing, information, blogs, images, music, and social clubs.

Both websites are free and in Vietnamese.

Workers lack HIV awareness: official

Workers at Tan Thuan Processing Zone in HCM City read leaflets on HIV/AIDS prevention. Workers and employers are still largely ignorant about the disease, officials say. — VNA/VNS Trang Duong

HCM CITY — Though HCM City has implemented many HIV-prevention programmes at workplaces, workers and employers still do not have much awareness about the disease, an AIDS Prevention Committee official said.

At a workshop last Friday, Nguyen Thi Hue, who is responsible for the implementation of programmes, said the programmes had been carried out since 2000.

These include HIV/AIDS prevention programmes for construction workers, employees of Nha Be Garment Company, and migrants in the districts of Tan Binh, Binh Tan, Nha Be, Hoc Mon, Binh Chanh, Thu Duc, and Cu Chi.

The Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry has been carrying out a two-year programme for workers at 12 companies.

Workers are taught how to prevent HIV infection and transmission and provided information on support programmes and care policies for people with HIV.

They receive free condoms, syringes, and anti-retroviral drugs and information about where they can get tested for HIV.

Drug users are provided methadone so that they can gradually kick the drug habit.

However, most programmes were implemented for a short while and were not well co-ordinated, leading to low effectiveness, especially among migrant workers, Hue admitted.

She called for setting up an agency to co-ordinate the various programmes.

Nguyen Ngoc Thach, head of the city Social Evils Prevention Division, said most migrant workers were ignorant of precautions required to prevent HIV/ AIDS while many employers do not have programmes to disseminate information about HIV/AIDS prevention.

In the first six months of this year 262 people died of the disease. — VNS

Saturday, October 23, 2010

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