VietNam Society: 12/12/10

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Upcoming events

* November 5-10 (Friday-Wednesday): The Japanese Film Festival will be held in Hanoi. Eight films - “Happy Flight”, “Rashomon”, “Tony Takitani”, “Kamikaze Girls”, “Sansho the Bailiff”, “5 Centimeters per Second” (cartoon), “Yunagi City, Sakura Country” and “Memories of Tomorrow” will be screened at National Cinema Center, 87 Lang Ha Street, Ba Dinh District. Free admission.

* November 7 (Sunday): The Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra and the Tokyo Metropolitian Symphony Orchestra will hold a concert at the Hanoi Opera House, 1 Trang Tien Street. The program is conducted by Tetsuji Honna. Tickets cost VND300,000, 200,000 and 150,000. For ticket delivery, call 0913 489 858 and speak with Mr. Do Phuong.

* November 8 (Monday): The Le Nouveau Trio Gitan - Three guitarists - Christian Escoudé, Jean-Baptiste Laya and Hugo Lippi - will perform at the HCMC Opera House. Ticket price: VND200,000, 150,000 and 100,000 (50 percent discount for students). Tickets are available at the Opera House, 7 Lam Son Square, District 1. For ticket delivery, call (08) 3 823 7419 or (08) 6 270 4450.

*November 9 (Tuesday): The Singapore Business Group, in cooperation with EuroCham, will host a Luncheon Seminar “The ASEAN Economic Community: Implications for Business”, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Sofitel Saigon Plaza, 17 Le Duan Blvd; District 1, HCMC. Speaker: Mr. James Lockett, special counsel to Baker & McKenzie based in Hanoi. Fee: VND900,000 for members and co-hosting members and VND1,000,000 for non-members. For further queries or registration, e-mail sbg@sbghcmc.org or phone (08) 3 823 3046. Registration must be made by Monday, November 8, at the latest.

* November 10 (Wednesday): The American Apparel and Footwear Association organizes International Product Safety & Restricted Substances Conference at the New World Hotel Saigon, 76 Le Lai Street, District 1, HCMC. From 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

* November 10 (Wednesday): Circolo Italia – a group of Italians living in Ho Chi Minh City will screen “Complici del silenzio” at Pendolasco Restaurant, 87 Nguyen Hue Blvd., District 1. This is part of the group’s program to screen several Italian films (all have English subtitles and most have been recently produced). A donation of VND50,000 is suggested, except for students with a valid identification card. The next films to be screened are “Colpo d’occhio” (Nov. 24), Signorina effe (Dec. 8) and “Pranzo di Natale” (Dec. 15). Screenings will start at 7 p.m.

13 killed as more floods torment central Vietnam

13 killed as more floods torment central Vietnam Another round of flooding in central Vietnam has killed at least 13 people and left four missing, the Central Committee for Storms and Floods Control said Wednesday (November 3).

The highest death toll was in Khanh Hoa Province where five victims were killed, the committee said in a report on its website.

The third round of flooding to hit the region over the past month has damaged nearly 20,000 houses and thousands of hectares of crops in many provinces, including Ninh Thuan and Khanh Hoa, it said.

Traffic also suffered because of the floods with landslides covering main streets.

National carrier Vietnam Airlines on Wednesday said Cam Ranh Airport in Khanh Hoa Province was cut off and that bad weather had prompted them to cancel 12 domestic flights on Monday and Tuesday.

However, the weather improved on Wednesday, and the airline used bigger planes to help transport the delayed passengers.

In some provinces, local people and authorities blamed hydropower reservoirs for worsening the floods.

Last month the central region was hit by floods and 165 people were reported dead or missing.

In other news, Pham Quang Luan, a police representative in the central province of Quang Tri Wednesday said they have found the bodies of two passengers who went missing when their bus was swept away in floods in Ha Tinh Province on October 18.

The bus, which was en route to Nam Dinh Province, was carrying 38 passengers when the accident took place.

Eighteen people managed to escape from the bus after it fell into the Lam River, while 20 others were reported missing. Rescuers recovered the bus four days after the accident and have found 18 bodies so far.

The driver, Tran Van Truong, is currently in custody while an investigation is carried out.

Preservation work on ancient gate irks Hanoi residents

Preservation work on ancient gate irks Hanoi residents Residents of the capital city are unhappy with the ongoing preservation of a 300-year-old gate that used to be one of the entrances to the historic Thang Long City.

As the only gate of its kind to survive US bombing during the Vietnam War, O Quan Chuong had repair and restoration work begin last November with a total investment of US$74,500 from the US Ambassador Fund for Cultural Preservation.

The project, approved by Hanoi’s People’s Committee, aimed mainly to remove moss, repair damaged parts and replace details that aren’t original but were set there during the first preservation effort in 1994, according to the Hanoi Famous Landscapes and Vestige Sites Management Board, which was assigned to the project.

But the work done so far has raised several questions.

Nguyen Thanh Lam, a resident of Hoan Kiem District, pointed out that the newly-established bricks have perfect shapes, which are totally different from old ones with a “rough yet ancient beauty.”

People in charge of the project have even painted the gate’s wall, trying to create an ancient-looking color, but “you can realize the artificial look right away,” Lam said.

Other details are also “very inappropriate” like a row of pipes set up along the gates to erect flags, not to mention messy electric wires, he added.

O QUAN CHUONG GATE

In July, before the preservation project began,

In Novermber

Agreeing with Lam, another resident, 53-year-old Dinh Dong Ha said: “Some people have praised them for renovating the gate beautifully, but the beauty is too new.”

He also complained about trucks of between four and five tons running through the gate, damaging old bricks despite a ban issued by local authorities.

Nguyen Doan Tuan, chief of the management board, said they are trying to change the paint color to make it look more suitable, but it would take time.

He denied accusations that they were “deforming” the historic site’s structure or making it look younger than its real age.

Before starting the work, the management board cooperated with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Institute for Historic Sites Preservation to hold a conference, collecting opinions from experts and scientists, he said.

He said when O Quan Chuong was recognized as a national vestige site in 1994, it underwent preservation work, but due to financial problems, some bricks of different ages were used.

The latest preservation has replaced those wrong bricks with the right ones unearthed at the excavation of Thang Long Citadel, he added.

“We are conducting the work in accordance with procedures. We are doing what has been ordered by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, because it’s an important historic site,” Tuan said.

Non-State workers to receive salary increase next year

Workers at all non-State enterprises and organisations will be entitled to minimum monthly wage increases ranging from of 100,000-370,000 VND (5-19 USD) as of next year.

The rises will take the minimum salary level for workers in foreign-invested businesses to between 1.1-1.55 million VND (55-75 USD) against the current level of 1-1.34 million VND (50-67 USD) per month.

Workers at domestic businesses and organisations will see their minimum salary increase from 730,000-980,000 VND (36.5-49 USD) per month to 830,000-1.35 million VND (41.5-67.5 USD).

The salary increase will apply to employees working for businesses split into four regions as of January 1 and July 1, 2011, under two newly-issued Government decrees.

"It is a good news to hear about the salary increase but it is still not enough to help workers like us cover daily expenses, including food and accommodation, because the cost of many things has increased," said Do Minh Hang, a worker at a garment and textile company in Hanoi.

Deputy head of the HCM City Export Processing and Industrial Zone Authority Nguyen Tan Dinh said the salary increase failes to match the reality as the average salary of many businesses in industrial zones has risen to more than 2 million VND (100 USD).

The low minimum salary level would hinder recruitment as it could not compete with other businesses, he said at a recent conference in HCM City to discuss the salary increase plan.

A survey conducted earlier this year by the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs involving 1,700 enterprises revealed that about 90 per cent of them had already increased salaries to higher than the minimum levels set out for 2011.

Chairman of the Craft Villages Association Vu Quoc Tuan said the salary increase is not enough and the latest survey shows that the current minimum salary level meets only 30-40 percent of workers' needs.

Economic expert Vo Tri Thanh, deputy head of the Central Economic Management Research Institute, said salaries should be linked with productivity, not the consumer price index, to motivate business development./.

HCM City dyke proposal gets sceptical response

Workers build a concrete dyke in HCM City's Thu Duc District. Engineers propose building a new dyke around the city to prevent flooding during high tides. — VNA/VNS Photo Van Huan

HCM CITY — Engineers with the HCM City Irrigation Association have proposed building a dyke around the city to prevent flooding during high tides, but others have expressed doubts about its feasibility.

At a meeting held in the city on Tuesday to discuss solutions to the flooding problem faced by the city, the engineers proposed that the dyke, with 12 culverts, could be built at the cost of VND11 trillion (US$550 million). After construction, the dyke, together with other water sanitation projects, would prevent flooding in the city, they said.

However, other members of the association said there was no standard for building such a huge project. Dr. Le Phu said that besides natural factors such as rainfall and tides, poor management was also behind of the worsening flooding situation in the city.

Uncontrolled land encroachment near the city's waterways was a problem in the city, he said. The Government has regulated that the city should have a water surface of at least 17 per cent, while HCM City has less than 15 per cent, he said.

Echoing similar concerns, Dr. Pham Van Long warned that if the city does not focus on rectifying the poor management of projects, trillions of dong invested in irrigation or dyke projects will not help.

Pham The Vinh of the Southern Institute for Water Resources Research, said water transportation in the city would be obstructed if this dyke project was implemented. Beside transportation, environmental impacts need to be addressed before a decision is taken, he added. — VNS

VNA discusses plans to lift co-operation with Xinhua

HA NOI — Vietnam News Agency and its Chinese counterpart Xinhua yesterday discussed plans to expand bilateral co-operation in information exchange.

During talk between VNA Deputy General Director Nguyen Hoai Duong and Xinhua Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Party Committee Lu Jun, the Chinese side proposed to support short-term training courses in the Chinese language and technical professional training courses for Vietnamese television staff, translators, interpreters and reporters, and VNA proposed to improve the Vietnamese language skills of Xinhua's Vietnamese website editors.

They also had a detailed discussion about the supply and exchange of information in the Vietnamese, English and Chinese languages regarding important national and international events in their respective countries and committed to using official foreign policy information as issued by each side.

The two sides also agreed to strengthen bilateral co-operation on mobile information services.

VNA General Director Tran Mai Huong described the meeting as a good opportunity to further discuss the implementation of co-operative agreements in the near future.

VNA has officially broadcast a news channel in Chinese and launched a Chinese language news website at http://cn.vietnamplus.vn and Xinhua will soon launch its news website in Vietnamese. — VNS

Manufacturers of substandard helmets ‘difficult to punish'

Farmers in central Quang Binh exchange old and poor quality helmets for standard ones. Fake or substandard helmets cause 15.9 per cent of head trauma injuries. — VNA/VNS Photo Trinh Duy Hung

HA NOI — Lack of strong safety standards is blamed for a proliferation of substandard motorbike helmets throughout Viet Nam, a nation of motorbike drivers.

In Ha Noi, HCM City and Hue flimsy helmets are sold for about VND20,000-40,000 (US$1-2), a quarter of the price for a genuine helmet.

Nguyen Hong Anh, 23, from Ha Noi's Tay Ho District, said she paid VND45,000 for her new helmet that was cheaper, prettier and lighter than the genuine article.

"Many motorbike drivers use fake helmets like me and no police stop us for wearing them," she said. "My helmet even has a fake CR stamp."

The head of the Product Quality Management Department, Tran Quoc Tuan, said it was difficult to punish those who produced or sold substandard helmets.

He said that sellers argued that there wasn't any evidence to show whether they were for motorbike drivers, pedestrians or bicycle riders.

He said that many people wore the helmets to avoid punishment by the police. Deputy director of the HCM City-based Quality Assurance and Testing Centre, Hoang Lam, said there were still no documents regulating the quality of the separate parts that made up a complete helmet.

A maker of the plastic shells used in the helmets in HCM City's Tan Phu District said they cost as little as VND2,000 each. The cheap shells were made from recycled waste plastic.

Another producer of helmet shells, Vinh, from Binh Hung Hoa Ward, HCM City, said his establishment could produce 500 shells a day.

Vinh said his products imitated popular brands from Thailand and Singapore. He said the foam layer in a fake helmet was about 10mm, much thinner than that of a standard one - and provided almost no protection.

The Health Ministry reported that substandard helmets cause 15.9 per cent of head trauma injuries.

The Science and Technology Ministry has recommended that the Industry and Trade Ministry include helmets in the list of goods controlled by trade conditions. — VNS

Spanish business mission to visit city

New Ha Noi masterplan unveiled

The Construction Ministry has submitted a revised Ha Noi Master Plan draft to Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung for approval.

HA NOI — The Construction Ministry has submitted a revised Ha Noi Master Plan draft to Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung for approval.

The draft confirms that Ba Dinh District is the country's political centre. The municipal administrative centre would remain near Hoan Kiem Lake.

Accordingly, national cultural centres will be linked with the West Lake-Co Loa, West Lake-Van Tri-Soc Temple, West Lake-Ba Vi axis and western West Lake transit routes.

Financial and commercial centres will be built in new urban areas. Transportation routes and key stations will be built in Ha Dong, Dan Phuong, Hoai Duc, Thuong Tin and Thanh Tri districts.

Administrative agencies for the Party, National Assembly, State and the Government will remain in Ba Dinh.

According to the draft, the ministry will be able to develop urban centres along the Hong (Red) River and in the West Lake-Co Loa area.

The city's southern centre would connect with road 4 and would go north through Me Linh, Dong Anh, Gia Lam and Long Bien districts.

The population in inner Ha Noi, from south of the Red River to ring road 2, should be reduced from 1.2 million to 800,000. The area would be designated as the Thang Long cultural and heritage preservation area.

Infrastructure, architect and green space in the area would be improved. The draft also mentioned that old collective houses would be upgraded or rebuilt. More trees would be planted and additional parking lots will be built.

The draft also suggested building five satellite urban areas in Hoa Lac, Son Tay, Xuan Mai, Phu Xuyen-Phu Minh and Soc Son with green corridors.

The city would construct six to eight lane expressways that directly connect with Ha Noi.

The transportation routes would include a north-south expressway; Thang Long Boulevard to northern Hoa Binh Province; HCM Expressway; and national highways 1,2,3,5,6 and 32.

The construction of the controversial Thang Long traffic axis, which would link West Lake and Ba Vi District, was also proposed in the draft. Under the plan, the capital would build eight urban railways, including five approved routes and three new ones that would go from Noi Bai-Phu Dien-Ha Dong-Ngoc Hoi, Me Linh-An Khanh-Duong Noi and Mai Dich-Yen So-Linh Nam-Duong Xa.

According to the draft, six subways in the inner city would be built and Ha Noi Station would be the transport centre for all of the routes. — VNS

Proposal to relocate city's online gamers to amusement centres

HA NOI — Ha Noi's Information and Communications Department yesterday suggested that online games businesses relocate to amusement zones in supermarkets to allow the city to manage the sector more easily.

The idea was proposed during a meeting to establish new management policies for online games businesses between the Ministry of Information and Communications and municipal authorities.

Head of the department Pham Quoc Ban said the city had already shut down games shops within 200m of schools and instructed internet service providers to cut services to games shops after 11pm.

He said that these methods had not been particularly effective. Many shops closed their doors at 11pm but remained open for business using alternative internet connections, Ban added.

"Many gamers are willing to pay a lot to play these online games, which has helped businesses earn large profits," said a ministry representative. "This makes it very hard to manage this sector."

Ban argued that when online game businesses operated in these specified areas, it would be easier to control their games' content and their opening hours.

"Many supermarkets including Hapro have already agreed to accommodate online games businesses and have even said they wouldn't charge them any rent for the first few months," Ban said.

The majority of officials in the meeting agreed with Ban's arguments, but some doubted the practicality of his ideas.

A representative from the Inspection Office of the Information and Communications Department said amusement zones were limited in size and infrastructure, so relocating online gaming shops to these areas would be difficult.

According to the department, in September Ha Noi closed down more than 300 online gaming shops that had broken municipal regulations. — VNS

Friday, December 17, 2010

Role of overseas Vietnamese highlighted at conference

HA NOI — Viet Nam's entire political system was committed to supporting Viet kieu (overseas Vietnamese), leading Foreign Ministry officials said at a conference here yesterday.

They said that this was to enhance the engagement of overseas Vietnamese with all political, economic and social life in the country.

The conference, held by the Ministry's Department of Overseas Vietnamese Affairs, brought together about 400 officials from ministries, departments and provinces to review a special decree on overseas Vietnamese.

Issued six years ago by the Party's Politburo, Decree 36 marked a breakthrough for the Viet kieu community,classifying them as an integral part of the Vietnamese people and welcoming them to contribute to the development of the country.

"It's one of two landmark decrees in the doi moi (renewal) process of the country, reflecting a significant change in the Party's thinking," said Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem, who is also a Politburo member.

He said overseas Vietnamese affairs were hugely important and had become one of the four pillars of the country's diplomacy, apart from political, economic and cultural tasks.

Citing laws on dual nationality, investment and property ownership for Viet kieu, the minister said the decree had materialised in daily life, "but now we need to focus on developing more concrete policies and measures".

Dang The Hung, deputy chairman of the Department of Overseas Vietnamese Affairs, presented a report on six years of implementation of the decree.

It said that in past years, the department had organised many events for Viet kieu to re-establish their links with the country.

Decree 36 also facilitates the return of some people belonging to the other side during the war, the re-opening of Binh Duong Province's Binh An Cemetery where soldiers of the former Sai Gon regime were buried - and the search for remains of those missing.

Hung noted that in the future, the department would try to reverse lingering prejudice against Viet kieu so that the political system would be conscious of their role and significance.

"We will be tough on eliminating unnecessary administrative procedures concerning Viet kieu," he said. "We will create a better legal framework for their investment, property ownership and Vietnamese nationality."

The most important project of all, according to Hung, was to lure more and more Viet kieu intellectuals and experts to contribute to the country.

Incentive policies would be made and a research centre established to seek Vietnamese talents from around the world, especially former consultants to leaders of countries and multinationals.

In the meantime, the Ministry of Education and Training is developing a scheme to teach Vietnamese to young Vietnamese abroad, according to Deputy Minister Bui Van Ga.

Former Foreign Minister Nguyen Dy Nien said: "We should defend their legitimate rights and benefits both in the country and in their resident countries so that they feel that Viet Nam is truly their home and their guardian."

"The focus for the time being is to develop more favourable policies and framework to attract more Viet kieu back to the country," Deputy Foreign Minister and Chairman of the Department of Overseas Vietnamese Affairs Nguyen Thanh Son told Viet Nam News on the sidelines.

According to the department's official figures, out of 4.5 million Vietnamese living in 103 countries. So far they have invested US$5.7 billion in more than 3,000 projects in the nation. — VNS

19 dead and missing in central floods

Serious floods in South Central and Central Highlands provinces claimed 15 lives and left four others missing by 4 p.m. on November 4.

The fatalities included seven in Khanh Hoa province, four in Phu Yen province, three in Ninh Thuan province and one in Dak Lak province.

Nearly 700 houses were demolished, over 18,800 others were submerged and 29 boats were sunk while 26,500 ha of rice and crops were damaged in the floods.

A working delegation led by State President Nguyen Minh Triet arrived in Phu Yen province to visit flood victims and instruct the local authorities to cope with the situation.

The Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention and Control asked provinces from Quang Tri to Ca Mau to continue measures to deal with flooding and prepare for the newly established tropical low pressure.

Military units coordinated with localities and the seafood sector to inform more than 143,600 fishermen on board over 30,000 fishing boats about the developments of the low pressure system and guide them to avoid it./.

Workshop focuses on gender imbalance at birth

Representatives from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and local population officers have gathered in the northern province of Hoa Binh to share their visions on addressing gender imbalance at birth in Vietnam .

At a workshop jointly held by the General Department of Population and Family Planning and the UN Population Fund in Vietnam from November 3-4, the participants discussed pathways, plans and activities to solve the problem.

They also analysed the increasing sex ratio at birth and socio-cultural factors that affect the gender imbalance in the country.

Vietnam ’s sex ratio at birth has rapidly increased in recent years from 105 boys per 100 girls in 1979 to 110.5 boys per 100 girls in 2009, making it one of the few countries in the world seeing a high gender imbalance at birth.

If there are no positive measures, the gender imbalance will cause serious social implications, especially for future generations, the delegates said.

Over the past years, Vietnam has taken a lot of measures to control the gender imbalance, including the implementation of the “interventions to minimise the gender imbalance at birth” project in 18 provinces and cities where the sex ratio at birth is 110 boys per 100 girls upwards./.

NGOs give recommendations on child issues

The Vietnam Association for Protection of Children’s Rights (VAPCR) held its second consultation with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) on the 2011-2020 national action programme for children in Hanoi on November 4.

At the event, VAPCR put forward recommendations on the programme contributed by representatives of more than 50 social organisations during the first consultation on October 20.

According to participants, the programme lacked specific methods and steps for each period as well as forecasts on advantages and disadvantages in the next ten years.

Many targets in the draft are incommensurate with the development level as Vietnam will move from a low-income country to a middle-income nation, they said.

Regarding health, nutrition and clean water issues, the NGOs recommended that the programme should have long-term, positive and comprehensive interventions for children from foetus to the age of two, in order to reduce the malnutrition rate.

Training and communication work needs to be strengthened to ensure people understand the importance of breastfeeding, they said, adding that the programme should also build separate policies for children with disabilities, facilitating their development and social integration.

The delegates also emphasised the need for prioritizing pre-school education and building a coordination mechanism between the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and other agencies in fulfilling child protection targets.

The programme should have measures to balance children’s entertainment and learning activities and create conditions for them to get better access to information and entertainment services and voice their opinions on child-related issues, they said./.

Vietnam, Spain share trade union experiences

The Spanish Trade Union (STU) has shared its experiences with the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) in building trade union organisations and protecting workers’ rights in the context of economic crisis.

At talks between VGCL President Dang Ngoc Tung and visiting STU Secretary in charge of international affairs Javier Doz in Hanoi on Nov. 4, Tung affirmed the STU delegation’s working visit to Vietnam would contribute to promoting the friendship and cooperation between the two trade unions and their workers.

He said he hoped both sides would exchange information on trade union activities as well as experiences and the skills to organise negotiations on labour contracts in private and foreign-invested businesses.

The two sides should organise training courses to increase trade unionists’ knowledge and set up ties between trade unions of the two countries’ localities, he said.

While in Vietnam from Nov. 4-9, the Spanish delegation will hold working sessions with the trade unions of Hanoi , the northern coastal province of Quang Ninh , Vietnam Industry and Trade and Vietnam Garment and Textiles trade unions. They will also tour a number of Vietnam ’s historical relics and sites./.

Sweden helps to improve Vietnam’s press skills

Sweden will help organise about 40 activities to improve professional skills for Vietnamese journalists, with an estimated budget of 8.5 million SEK (1.29 million USD) for the 2010-2013 period.

The Swedish government-funded project on will be implemented by the press training centre in follow-up of its phases 1 and 2 in the 2000-2009 period, Hoang Huu Luong, Director of the Press Department under the Ministry of Information and Communications, told a press briefing in Hanoi on Nov. 4.

The project, which is scheduled to begin this month, will organise short-term and on-the-spot refresher courses, workshops and press management courses.

The project will also help improve capacity for officials of the centre in order to raise their skills in arranging training courses.

From 2011, the project will provide professional training activities for all kinds of press for learners at different levels.

Vietnam ’s press has seen strong developments in content and form over the past year, Luong said.

To meet the demand of further improvement of news quality, the Ministry of Information and Communications set up the professional press training centre early this year./.

Intellectual property rights in spolight

A senior expert admits that the concept of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) valuation remains new and complex to Vietnamese people, and calls for a systematic approach and access to international IPR experts.

Nguyen Quan, Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Environment, told a seminar on intellectual property rights and technology transfer held in Hanoi on November 4 that learning theory and experiences from the international community is very important.

Intellectual property rights protection has become an active area in Vietnam as the nation takes it seriously as an effective tool to secure sustainable development for a knowledge-based economy, Quan added.

Ambassador Sean Doyle, Head of the EU delegation to Hanoi , emphasised progress made by Vietnam in this field.

He said Vietnamese policy-makers’ awareness about the important role played by intellectual property in global integration and economic development has increased, leading to a great change in researching and campaigning for intellectual property value among scientists and enterprises.

The seminar is part of an ASEAN project on intellectual property rights protection (ECAP III) with the funding of 5.1 million EUR to come from the EU and European Patent Office for a four-year period to December 2013.

The two-day seminar will hear experts from the ECAP III project and the National Office on Intellectual Property (NOIP) report on the relevant issues in terms of economics, business and technology as well as experiences in valuing intellectual property in the transfer of technology or making strategies on the transfer of technology.

The overall objective of ECAP III is to further integrate ASEAN members into the global economy and the world trading system, thus promoting economic growth and reducing poverty in the region.

The project also aims to facilitate ASEAN regional integration by establishing institutional capability within the ASEAN Secretariat.

In 2010, ECAP III plans to hold some 30 events in the whole of ASEAN, focusing on improving knowledge and awareness on implementing intellectual property rights and the administration of intellectual property./.

Storms forecast for central region

A low pressure north of the Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelago is expected to cause strong winds, heavy rains and rough seas off south-central provinces from Quang Tri to Khanh Hoa, according to the National Hydro-meteorological Forecast Centre.

The eye of the low pressure front was located east offshore from Quang Nam to Khanh Hoa at 1 PM on Nov. 3 and is set to move westward.

River water levels in provinces from Quang Nam to Phu Yen and in the Central Highland provinces of Gia Lai and Kon Tum are expected to rise again to alarming levels.

The centre also warned of possible flash floods and landslides in low-land areas in provinces from Quang Nam to Phu Yen and Gia Lai and Kon Tum.

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai visited the flood-hit province of Ninh Thuan on Nov. 2 to inspect and guide the implementation of measures to cope with the nautral disaster.

He instructed local authorities to remain alert to possible floods and actively carry out on-site inspections to promptly deal with any possible incidents, while coping with the aftermath of previous floods.

Hai required the province to earmark spending for flood victims following a Government decision to provide complete support.

He asked the Ministry of National Defence to send helicopters to the province to help deliver relief aid to people in isolated areas and evacuate 32 local people caught by floodwaters.

Local authorities proposed the Government provide food and basic necessities, including 20,000 tonnes of rice, for around 30,000 people who had been evacuated. 5 billion VND (255,000 USD) in aid has been allocated to help construct houses for the flood victims, and an additional 90 billion VND (4.59 million USD) to upgrade infrastructure.

The death toll caused by floods in the south-central region, from Phu Yen to Binh Thuan, over recent days increased to 10 while six people remain missing.

Floods have submerged 6,100 houses and destroyed 622 others. Nearly 17,900 hectares of crops have been damaged by floods.

The Vietnam Directorate for Roads has instructed relevant agencies in flood-hit localities to fix road sections damaged by floods, clear road surfaces and assign guards around the clock in dangerous places.

The regional road network has undergone repair and reopened to traffic from Nov. 3, including sections of national highways No 1, 26 and 27./.

Fair celebrates local products

An exhibition that honours locally made products opened on Nov. 3 in HCM City Ton vinh hang Vietnam (Honour Vietnamese products) , attracted the participation of 200 businesses with more than 250 booths.

The five-day fair showcases foodstuff, textiles, electronics, leather shoes and furniture.

Huynh Van Minh, chairman of HCM City Business Association, said the event would help local businesses advertise their goods and exchange experiences, as well as seek partners and gauge customer tastes.

The event is expected to be held annually. The fair is held as part of the Politburo's programme that encourages people to buy Vietnamese-made products.

Phan The Hao, head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade's southern office, said that businesses must begin to use high-tech production methods to increase their competitiveness in the domestic and international markets.

High quality products that had beautiful designs at reasonable prices were needed, he said.

The exhibition, organised by the HCM City Business Association, will end on Nov. 7 at the Tan Binh District's exhibition and fair centre./.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

VN bloggers told to stick to ethical code

Becoming a blogger couldn't be easier - you just need a computer with internet access. However, negotiating the defamation law is not so easy, as one blogger recently discovered. — VNS File Photo

HCM CITY — Bloggers needed to possess a better sense of civic responsibility, and should adhere to ethical code and law as well, said a senior official of the Ministry of Information and Communications as he mentioned the arrest of a netizen in HCM City last week.

Le Nguyen Huong Tra, who blogs under the name of cogaidolong (Do Long Girl), was charged with "abusing democracy and freedom-of-speech rights, damaging the interests of the State and the legal rights of organisations and individuals".

Luu Vu Hai, director of the ministry's Department of Radio, Television and Electronic Information, said that Tra violated a circular in December 2008 that regulates blogs in Viet Nam.

The circular was designed to encourage the expansion of interaction possibilities on the internet and to prevent bloggers from abusing the internet by, for example, spreading false information, said Hai.

It identifies the content that can be contained in blogs and the subjects bloggers should avoid.

In 2007, Tra was first taken to court by pop singer Phuong Thanh for posting entries with allegedly false information about her and her live show Mua (Rain).

"Bloggers' personal freedom does not mean freedom to violate others' privacy or freedom to violate the law," Hai said.

Other bloggers who do not have a clear understanding of the regulation have published allegedly false information harmful to the legal rights of other individuals, organisations and society, according to Hai.

Tra and other bloggers write blogs that are not private but open to public, so there are millions of people who can read them.

Lawyer Nguyen Van Tu of the Ha Noi-based Khanh Hung Law Office said Tra broke civil law by posting information that harmed an individual's personal freedom, moral reputation and lifestyle on a public forum that others can read and comment.

In addition, under the press law, the writer and editor must verify information before posting such information on public media that are read by many people, including social networks like blogs.

Once the information is posted, both the author and the publisher must bear legal responsibility.

"Bloggers are both author and editor for their pages. They must take entire responsibility," Tu said.

Nguyen Dinh Xuan, a deputy of the National Assembly, said bloggers could apologise or admit that the information was unfounded if the infraction was minor.

But they must take full legal responsibility for violating regulations, he said.

Cao Manh Tuan, an expert of the School of Economics and Business under the Ha Noi National University, who also owns the private website xahoimang.com, a popular blogger's forum, said Tra's blog was rather famous in the blogosphere.

Her blog connects with many writers and artists and has attracted a huge number of visitors because of its information about celebrities and people who are not well-known.

However, not all the information is reliable, and Tuan said he had to verify with other sources of information before publishing stories from Tra's blog on his website.

The case of Tra could be seen as a warning for bloggers on how to live in cyberspace, Tuan added.

Civic responsibility

Hai of the Ministry of Information and Communications said society needed to possess a better sense of civic responsibility, and bloggers should adhere to that as well.

CyberJournalist.net has created a model Bloggers' Code of Ethics by modifying the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics for the Weblog world, according to experts.

Several bloggers argue that they are not journalists, so they should not be expected to follow the same ethical codes of journalists.

But responsible bloggers recognise that they are publishing, and have certain ethical obligations to their readers, the people they write about, and society in general.

The code makes honesty and fairness in reporting and interpreting of information a top priority. It also prohibits plagiarism and encourages identification of links to sources, whenever feasible.

Ethical bloggers treat sources and subjects as human beings deserving of respect, according to the code.

Bloggers should mini-mise harm and discomfort for concerned people, and admit mistakes and correct them promptly, the code says.

Recently, several countries have tried to manage blogs through ethical codes but blogs are not easy to manage. — VNS

Chemists rush to meet good-practice deadline

A drugstore owned by the SGG Pharmacy group has registered with Good Pharmacy Practices standards in HCM City. Pharmacies nationwide are rushing to be registered by January 1. —VNA/VNS Photo The Anh

HA NOI — Pharmacies are racing to register their facilities under Good Pharmacy Practice (GPP) standards as the Ministry of Health's January 1 deadline nears.

"The number of GPP applications has increased from one or two per month to nearly 100 in September," said Deputy Director of the Ha Noi Health Department Nguyen Van Yen.

The department said that about 1,100 among the capital's 1,900 pharmacies had received GPP registration, and its representatives worry that their limited resources might be overloaded as more pharmacies rushed to meet to the deadline.

Pharmacist Minh Chinh, who owns Minh Chinh Pharmacy on Quang Trung Street, said she had to invest about US$3,000 into her store in preparation for GPP registration.

Health authorities explain that pharmacies do not want to qualify for GPP because registering will force them to invest more money into their infrastructure and facilities.

An investment of $2,000 or $3,000 is not much for a pharmacy in urban areas, but the amount can be a serious challenge to pharmacies in the countryside. Several pharmacies are waiting to see if the health ministry will postpone their the implementation of their policy.

With nearly 3,700 pharmacies, HCM City is facing similar problems. About 1,000 pharmacies have GPP licences, which accounts for 27 per cent of the city's total. The city's health authorities expect that about 1,500 pharmacies will be able to meet GPP standards by the end of 2010.

"We asked the health ministry and the HCM City's People Committee to extend the GPP deadline for a few months so more pharmacies would be able to register for GPP", said Deputy Director of the HCM City Health Department Pham Khanh Phong Lan.

Lan explained that GPP licence required pharmacies to follow sales and consulting standards that many establishments had little experience in following.

HCM City has 4,586 pharmacists with university degrees. However, most of the graduates have little experience with consulting or sales. The municipal health department plans to strengthen its communication activities concerning GPP and will revoke their licences if the pharmacies violate GPP regulations, according to Lan.

"We also requested that pharmacies without GPP licences be permitted to sell only non-prescription drugs for an extended amount of time", she said.

In 2007, the Ministry of Health stated that pharmacies that failed to meet GPP standards would be closed. The GPP regulation is expected to prevent people from buying unnecessary and self prescribing drugs. — VNS

Drugs linked to provincial AIDS

HA NOI — Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh Trong yesterday asked northern Dien Bien Province to increase awareness among Party members, local authorities and residents about the harmful effects of drugs, prostitution and HIV/AIDS.

Trong, who is also a Politburo member and Chairman of the National Committee on AIDS, Drugs and Prostitution Control, made the request during a two-day working visit to the province.

He instructed the province to mobilise all political and community resources to fight against the social evils.

The province was also asked to organise a proper health system to meet the treatment needs of drug addicts and those who are HIV-positive and upgrade rehabilitation centres at the same time.

Trong said the province should pay more attention to improving the lives of local residents, especially those who lived with HIV/AIDS.

He instructed the Ministry of Health to provide further training courses to local health staff, develop human resources and invest in rehabilitation services.

In a report on HIV/AIDS, drugs and prostitution, provincial People's Committee vice chairman Pham Xuan Koi said there were about 4,890 people living with HIV/AIDS in Dien Bien Province; 2,334 of whom had full blown AIDS. On average, about three new people were reported to be infected with HIV each day.

The trade, trafficking and use of drugs in the province have become a complicated issue with more than 5,450 drug addicts reported.

Koi said the provincial authorities had increased the dissemination of anti-retroviral treatment and successfully provided treatment to 85 per cent of those infected with HIV. Extensive HIV/AIDS testing had been carried out in all of the province's districts.

The province is currently implementing four methadone treatment programmes in Muong Ang, Muong Cha, Tuan Giao and Dien Bien districts.

During his stay in Dien Bien, Trong visited several methadone rehabilitation centres. — VNS

HCM City tries to stop big holes appearing in roads

HCM CITY — The HCM City Party and government leaders have asked agency authorities to prevent further large holes appearing in roads to lower the number of traffic accidents that have been occurring.

The secretary of the HCM City Party Committee, Le Thanh Hai, on Tuesday asked the city Department of Transport to invite scientists to identify the causes of the problems.

He asked city authorities to ensure safety for drivers and other road users.

Hai approved a proposal to buy modern equipment that can look for leaks in pipelines, one of the reasons for the holes appearing.

He said residents and road users should be immediately informed of any new holes.

The city should also set up a system of signals to warn city residents of risky areas.

Violators operating overloaded vehicles, which can damage roads and underground infrastructure, must be seriously penalised.

Road repavement must be closely checked, and only standard materials accepted for re-pavement, said Hai.

According to the director of HCM City's Department for Transport, Tran Quang Phuong, 31 large holes ands collapsed areas were reported in the city in the past three months.

Phuong said the deterioration of the existing infrastructure had caused damage to the sewage and water supply systems.

He said project developers had not followed required construction procedures properly.

The latest roadslide took place on Hai Ba Trung Street in mid-October when a two-metre-long and one-metre-wide hole suddenly appeared on the road surface.

The department said most of these holes had appeared in areas where there had been work on installation of sewage pipes.

The most affected streets include Le Van Sy, Pham Van Hai, Nguyen Kiem,Au Co, Hai Ba Trung, No Trang Long and Nguyen Van Dau.

Nguyen Van Dua, deputy secretary of HCM City's Party Committee, said that stricter management of underground water exploitation, especially at industrial parks and complexes, must be undertaken.

Improper exploitation of underground water at industrial parks has been identified as one of the reasons that have caused the roads to collapse. — VNS

President gives advice on visit to flooded provinces

President Nguyen Minh Triet hands out a relief package in Ninh Phuoc District, Ninh Thuan Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Duc Anh

NINH THUAN — President Nguyen Minh Triet yesterday flew to the central region to visit Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan and Phu Yen provinces to inspect flooded areas and give direct instructions for recovery efforts.

He began the tour by visiting Thuan Loi Hamlet, Ninh Phuoc District in Ninh Thuan Province, which was devastated by flood waters, where he extended his sympathies to residents over their property losses.

He urged local authorities to care for people's lives and to help them return to normal life and resume production soon.

The President handed over relief aids to flood-hit families and donated VND200 million (US$10,300) to the hamlet.

Triet also took a tour along 10km of the Dinh River bank which was breached by floodwaters.

At a working session with Ninh Thuan provincial officials, the President said central agencies should help the province overcome the aftermath of floods, and said the Government would provide it with 2,000 tonnes of rice and VND50 billion to cover recovery costs.

By Tuesday afternoon, floods in the province had claimed three lives and left one missing. The calamity inundated 5,150 houses, damaged 454 others, flooded 13,000ha of cultivated land, washed away cattle and poultry, and sank 14 ships.

Triet next visited Khanh Hoa Province where he asked local authorities to continue with preventive measures against heavy rains in the coming days while it continued to care for local residents in order to resume normal life as soon as possible.

The province was an economic hub in the central region, particularly in tourism, he said as he urged the province to rebuild damaged infrastructure and help businesses return to normal activities.

The President said the central authority would provide Khanh Hoa with 500 tonnes of rice along with rice and vegetable seeds and water purification tablets, and VND30 billion to help with quick repairs of essential infrastructure.

Triet paid a visit and handed over relief aid to people affected by the flooding in Cam Thinh Dong Commune of Cam Ranh Town and Vinh Trung Commune of Nha Trang City.

The natural calamity claimed five lives, left one missing and injured two others in the province. Flood waters submerged 9,190 houses and demolished 161 others, inundated almost 7,400ha of cultivated rice and crop land, washed away 23,000 poultry and cattle, sank nine ships, and damaged transport routes. Total losses are estimated at nearly VND300 billion.

The President also made a tour of Phu Yen Province, where he gave recovery instructions and advice on coping with floods and heavy rains as an offshore tropical low pressure system moves toward the continent.

He pledged the Government and ministries would provide food and essentials to people in flooded areas. The Ministry of Public Security is on standby to help local forces with rescue efforts.

Heavy rains from October 29 claimed four lives and left one person missing in the province. The calamity also inundated 2,100 houses, 2,200ha of crops and destroyed roads. Initial losses are estimated at over VND95 billion.

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai and senior officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Public Security and the Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Control accompanied President Triet. — VNS

First safe kids traffic park inaugurated

A park for children’s safety in traffic was inaugurated at a primary school in Dong Nai province on November 3 with financial assistance from an international umbrella group, making it the first of its kind in Vietnam.

The 71,000-plus USD project, with funding from the FedEx company, has been designed as a miniature city on 1,700 sq. m., with railways, highways, overpasses, a traffic light system, and footpaths.

The project was also sponsored by the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation (AIP) and Safe Kids Worldwide.

The park will help train primary pupils in traffic safety skills, strictly following traffic guidelines shown by traffic lights and signals.

Fedex also presented the provincial education service with a set of electronic curriculum, including a computer, a projector and curricula, which will show children in different traffic situations and show potential dangers if they ignore traffic rules.

Mirjam Sidik, executive manager of AIP-Vietnam, said pedestrians are the group most vulnerable to traffic injuries. The situation called for education of pupils in safe traffic behaviour, along with investment in upgrading infrastructure surrounding schools, as the best ways for children to protect themselves from traffic accidents.

Over 60 percent of children from Quang Bien primary school in the southern province of Dong Nai have to walk to school along accident-prone roads./.

Vietnam, Japan share trade union experience

President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour Dang Ngoc Tung held talks with the President of the National Confederation of Trade Unions of Japan (Zenroren) Sakuji Daikoku in Hanoi on Nov. 3.

Tung praised the cooperation and assistance from Zenroren and the trade unions movement of Japan to Vietnam ’s trade unions and expressed his wish that Vietnam would continue to receive support and learn from the experiences of Zenroren, to build trade union movements in Vietnam.

He expressed his hope that the current Vietnam visit by Sakuji Daikoku and Zenroren officials would help further develop the fine cooperation between the two trade union organisations.

The Vietnamese trade union leader told the guests that the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) was exerting efforts to accelerate trade union activities, especially at the grassroots level, increasing collective negotiations and signing collective labour agreements, with many benefits to workers.

The VGCL is in the process of adjusting the Law on Trade Unions and coordinating with the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs in amending the Labour Code, which is expected to be approved by the National Assembly in May 2011.

Sakuji Daikoku expressed his wish that the two sides would coordinate to help Vietnamese workers improve their skills and knowledge of Japanese labour law before being sent to Japan .

At present, Japan has 1,500 businesses operating in Vietnam. In 2010, Japan’s registered investment in Vietnam hit 1.5 billion USD.

During the visit, which runs from Nov. 2-8, Zenroren officials will work with several trade union organisations in Vietnam and visit some historical sites in the country./.

Seminar boosts clean development projects in VN

The Vietnam Environment Protection Fund (VEPF) under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNE) on November 3 held a seminar on the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) to help more businesses approach investment capital sources for environmentally sustainable projects.

Attending the event were representatives from VEPF, MoNE and the World Development Organisation of the Czech Republic, along with State management agencies, international organisations and businesses investing in the projects.

At the event, the representatives proposed the establishment of an information dissemination programme for CDM and asked the ministries, departments and localities to integrate the CDM into their development strategies. The VEPF was also asked to provide more legal documents, creating favorable conditions for businesses to implement CDM projects.

VRPF is the state financial organisation which specialises in mobilising international and domestic financial resources to support environmental protection projects. So far, the fund has pledged a loan worth 521 billion VND and donated 21 billion VND.

On September, 2002 since Vietnam signed the Kyoto Protocol, it has been considered as one of 10 countries that have a potential for the implementation of CDM.

CDM is one of the Kyoto Protocol’s flexibility mechanisms, aiming to assist developing countries achieve sustainable development as their economies expand and to help developed countries achieve their emission reduction targets./.

Traffic, transport forum to open

Viet Transport 2010, the third International Land Transport Infrastructure Exhibition and Conference, will start in Hanoi on Nov. 4.

It will be the largest gathering of traffic and land transport professionals yet held in Vietnam . The exhibition, designed to help develop the country's transport network, allows industry professionals to showcase their products and services, network with related land transport authorities and connect with local distributors, suppliers and contractors.

The two-day event will also display innovative technologies and solutions to help Vietnam realise its ambitious transport plans.

More than 20 companies from Japan , Australia , the US , Canada , the Republic of Korea , and Germany will attend the event.

The Automatic Vehicle Identification Solution, a device used to manage and monitor traffic flow and to provide vehicle identification for safer driving, will be introduced for the first time in Vietnam .

The conference, which will run alongside the exhibition, will provide a networking opportunity. It will feature experts who will cover topics such as financing and maintenance strategies, and will highlight the experiences in infrastructure development from countries and territories including Switzerland , Australia , India , the Philippines , Singapore , Hong Kong , Thailand and Canada ./.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Architects design flood-proof homes

The Vietnam Architecture Association has launched a design competition challenging domestic and overseas Vietnamese architects to come up with an innovative idea for building houses in flood-prone areas.

In particular, the central and the Mekong Delta regions will be targeted. The organisation's board will receive designs through January 25, 2011.

According to the General Statistics Office, more than 160 people were killed or went missing during last month's flash floods. About 700 houses were swept away and another thousand were partially destroyed or submerged.

Chairman of the association Nguyen Tan Van said the competition was aimed at seeking the most feasible and effective housing models for minimising losses in flood-hit areas.

Flood-resistant houses were built as a trial in southern Dong Thap province several years ago.

"However, they failed to attract local residents due to high cost and long-time construction. People in the central region are still living on their houses' roofs during stormy season," Van said.

He said designs must be practical, low in cost, adapt to severe weather conditions, and suit flood-prone residents' lifestyles.

The winning designs, worth between 5-10 million VND (245-490 USD), will be awarded on April 27 of next year.

They will be on display so that residents can submit opinions to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development who will then implement the construction./.

Southern central region faces more heavy rains

Floods in the central province of Khanh Hoa have claimed three lives and left two missing. Floods have also prevented students fromgetting to school in the coastal city of Nha Trang. — VNA/VNS Photo Doan Quang Duc

HA NOI — Heavy rains are forecasted to continue to hit the south-central region over the next few days, warned the National Hydro-meteorological Forecast Centre.

The water levels in many rivers in provinces from Quang Nam to Phu Yen have risen to alarming levels.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung yesterday instructed localities in the south-central and Central Highlands provinces of Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue, Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Gia Lai and Kon Tum, to actively take measures to cope with heavy rains and large-scale inundations, flash-floods and possible landslides.

He urged People's Committees in Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa and Ninh Thuan to mobilise all available resources and vehicles to promptly evacuate people inhabiting riverside, low-land areas and other high-risk areas to safer places.

They were required to ensure enough food and water for local people and inspect and ensure the safety of provincial dyke and reservoir systems. People's Committees in Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Gia Lai, Kon Tum and Da Nang have kept a close watch on the progress of rains and floods, ensuring adequate reserve foods, basic necessities, vehicles and human resources are ready for deployment in high-risk areas.

The National Steering Committee for Search and Rescue, the ministries of national defence and public security were asked to mobilise vehicles and forces to help provincial forces in evacuating local people and providing aid and relief in submerged and isolated areas to mitigate losses.

Ministries of agriculture and rural development, industry and trade, transport, information and communications, health and relevant agencies have been required to co-operate to ensure the safety of reservoirs, dykes, electricity and transport systems.

Floods caused by prolonged heavy rain in south-central provinces from Phu Yen to Binh Thuan over recent days have killed at least six people and left four missing, reported the National Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Control.

More than 1,900 houses were submerged while 186 others together with 11,000 hectares of crops were damaged.

Highways were flooded under depths of between 0.5-1m of water and landslides, causing major traffic congestion.

Ninh Thuan province has evacuated more than 18,800 people in submerged and isolated areas, while Khanh Hoa moved 2,928 people to safe places.

The General Statistic Office reported that up to 173 people had died or are missing, with 168 injured between September 21 to October 21, causing estimated losses of more than VND8.5 trillion (US$318.5 million).

The two recent floods in north-central provinces last month left 161 dead and missing, destroyed and swept away 700 houses, submerged more than 400,000 houses and over 51,000 hectares of crop, damaged nearly 20,000 hectares of aquaculture farms and 280km of dyke. — VNS

Hospital rolls out blindness prevention plan

A child receives an eye examination. Around 23,000 children suffer blindness nationwide, but, with timely treatment, 50 per cent of cases could be prevented. — VNS File Photo

HCM CITY — The State-owned HCM City Eye Hospital has unveiled a campaign to prevent blindness among children.

The implementation of the plan was discussed with doctors from preventive health centres and school authorities at a meeting on Monday.

The project, worth VND3.8 billion (US$213,000), which will be partially funded by Australia's Fred Hollows Foundation, will focus on refractive error, which causes far-sightedness and short sight.

Teams will be set up to treat the condition at preventive health centres and hospitals in six remote districts – Binh Tan, Hoc Mon, Cu Chi, 8, 9, and 12.

Dissemination of information on the condition would be strengthened, Dr Tran Thi Phuong Thu, head of the HCM City Eye Hospital said.

The hospital would also assist schools in these districts to take care of eyes for their students.

Knowledge about preventing eye diseases could prevent and effectively treat 75 per cent of all cases of blindness in Viet Nam, she added.

A 2008 report by the Viet Nam Institute of Educational Sciences showed that the rate of school students with refractive errors was 74.82 per cent.

According to the Viet Nam National Eye Hospital in Ha Noi, there are around 23,000 blind children in the country, but with timely treatment, 50 per cent of the cases could have been prevented.

There are 3 million children aged under 16 with refractive errors.

A national-level campaign to prevent blindness began early this year and seeks to reduce the rate of blindness from more than 0.4 per cent to below 0.3 per cent by 2020.

Most provinces and cities have set up standing boards under the campaign and trained nearly 100 opthalmologists and 2,000 health workers in all.

Around 1,000 people had cataract surgery under the campaign.

Yet another campaign, this one to encourage people to donate corneas, is under way in 10 provinces and cities. It has managed to sign up more than 30,000 people for cornea donation.

"Around 300,000 people suffering from visual impairment due to cornea-related conditions are waiting for operations," Nguyen Huu Hoang, deputy head of the Viet Nam National Eye Hospital's eye bank, said.

Asso Prof Dr Do Nhu Hon, Hoang's boss, said the target of reducing the blindness rate to 0.3 per cent in 2020 could be achieved if blindness prevention methods were implemented simultaneously around the country. — VNS

Saturday, December 18, 2010

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