VietNam Society: Dong

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Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Runaway kids sent back to Dong Nai

The four children pictured at the HCMC Social Sponsoring Center

Photo: Tuoi Tre

Ho Chi Minh City Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs on Tuesday handed over four children who fled an orphanage in neighboring Dong Nai Province to HCMC on Nov 7 to the provincial department and youth union.

Nguyen Van Be Hai, 13, Diep Tuan Khoa, 6, Le Gia Huy, 5, and Diep Hieu Trung, 4, were sheltering at the HCMC Social Sponsoring Center after police found them wandering on HCMC streets on Nov 8 with multiple bruises on their bodies.

Khoa and Trung, two brothers, will be brought back to their home to live with their grandmother, while the two others will be sent back to the orphanage.

The children had run away from the Dong Nai Open Home, a charity center for orphans and abandoned children.

They told HCMC police they had been repeatedly beaten by Le Thi Thanh Lan, deputy chief of the Home, and her husband Le An Thanh.

Dong Nai police opened an investigation into the alleged torture but no conclusions have been announced yet.

Monday, January 3, 2011

HCMC seeks to end to upstream dams

HCMC seeks to end to upstream dams Ho Chi Minh City has asked the central government to stop the construction of 20 hydropower plants along the Dong Nai River.

Nguyen Van Lai, Director of the HCMC Industry and Trade Department, said recent water discharges from hydropower plants in the central region have caused serious consequences.

The construction of these plants was not well-planned, Lai claimed.

If 20 new plants are built along the Dong Nai River without careful consideration, downstream areas like HCMC and the provinces of Binh Duong, Dong Nai and Ba Ria-Vung Tau will be affected, he said.

Lai said a “considerable” area of forest will have to be destroyed to provide land for the projects, which will ultimately reduce the water level of the Dong Nai River.

Nguyen Van Nga, an official at the HCMC Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, said that, since last year, both the water level and the water quality of the river have declined.

Building more power plants along the river will damage its eco-system, causing the river banks to quickly erode, he said. This will worsen the flooding problem in downstream areas.

HCMC seeks to end to upstream dams

HCMC seeks to end to upstream dams Ho Chi Minh City has asked the central government to stop the construction of 20 hydropower plants along the Dong Nai River.

Nguyen Van Lai, Director of the HCMC Industry and Trade Department, said recent water discharges from hydropower plants in the central region have caused serious consequences.

The construction of these plants was not well-planned, Lai claimed.

If 20 new plants are built along the Dong Nai River without careful consideration, downstream areas like HCMC and the provinces of Binh Duong, Dong Nai and Ba Ria-Vung Tau will be affected, he said.

Lai said a “considerable” area of forest will have to be destroyed to provide land for the projects, which will ultimately reduce the water level of the Dong Nai River.

Nguyen Van Nga, an official at the HCMC Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, said that, since last year, both the water level and the water quality of the river have declined.

Building more power plants along the river will damage its eco-system, causing the river banks to quickly erode, he said. This will worsen the flooding problem in downstream areas.

Monday, December 20, 2010

Dong Nai to relocate IZ, protect major river

Dong Nai to relocate IZ, protect major river Dong Nai Province have announced a US$90 million plan to transform an old industrial zone to save a major river in the southern region.

The plan, expected to begin implementation early next year and last until 2022, will move businesses from the Bien Hoa 1 Industrial Zone to a new place and change their functions, Dong Nai People’s Committee told businesses at meeting on Wednesday, November 3.

Bien Hoa 1 occupies more than 323 hectares on the banks of the Dong Nai River, Vietnam’s largest endogenous river which supplies water to millions of people in Dong Nai, Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring provinces.

As the first industrial zone built in Vietnam in 1963, it only has individual waste treatment plants for 36 of the 96 businesses.

Others use a common system that discharges 15,000 cubic meters of untreated wastewater into the river every day.

The sewage contains ten to several hundred times the amount of pollutants permitted.

Local industrial zone development corporation Sonadezi will build another zone in Giang Dien District and move the firms there. The plan has been approved by the Prime Minister.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Disastorous dam causes death and destruction in Lam Dong

Disastorous dam causes death and destruction in Lam Dong Two people were killed in the Central Highlands’ Lam Dong Province Thursday night after a boat carrying three capsized while travelling along a flooded section of national highway.

The deaths include a 53-year-old and his niece, 32. As of Friday evening, their bodies remained missing.

The victims were transporting a visitor from Dak Nong Province, who managed to swim to a nearby riverbank and was saved Friday morning.

Stored water at the Dong Nai No.3 hydropower plant, funded by Electricity of Vietnam and managed by the Lam Dong government, has flooded around 15 kilometers of National Highway No.28 connecting Lam Dong and Dak Nong.

Locals face grave danger as they navigate the area. The new road, which was supposed to replace the flooded one, has not been finished yet.

In the middle of September, managers of the plant along the Dong Nai River set up dykes which have repeatedly led to floodings in the area following periods of heavy rain.

Around 100 families have fled the area since the middle of September.

They say they were not informed, and thus not prepared for the construction fo the disastrous dams.

Many families are living in temporary tents they've set up in the surrounding mountains and are furious that they never received any official notification that their land would be taken.

They say that no one has approached them to discuss compensation.

Tran Nhi Long, a local resident, said his family had 4.6 hectares of farmland and ponds.

“Until now, I haven’t received notice that my land would be seized, haven't received payment, haven't been resettled," Long said.

“When the water rose suddenly, I had to leave everything behind; I'm lucky to be alive,” VietNamNet quoted Long as saying.

Another local, Dao Khac Qui, said the rising water flooded 16 ponds, containing around four tons of fish and hundreds of ducks and chickens.

“My coffee and banana plantations were flooded but I have not been compensated,” Qui said.

A sand and rock evacuation firm in the area, named Duy Khanh, said that 17,000 cubic meters of constuction sand is now sitting underwater.

They estimate that they've lost a total of VND1.7 billion (US$87.2 million).

Sunday, December 12, 2010

New dam forces residents from homes in Lam Dong

LAM DONG — Eighty households in Dinh Trang Thuong Commune in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong have had to abandon their homes due to the filling of Dong Nai 3 Hydropower Plant's reservoir.

"Their houses are now under 10 metres of water," said Nguyen Tranh, deputy chairman of the People's Committee of Di Linh District.

Some families have been housed in resettlement areas built by the Hydroelectric Project 6's Management Board, while others have received compensation in cash, he said. Tranh said it took more than a year to relocate families because they were not happy with the level of compensation offered by the project's investor.

Relocation of families was scheduled for completion last June but was delayed until this September.

The reservoir began to fill up on September 17 even though 80 households were still living close by.

Pham Van Cuc, deputy head of the Hydroelectric Project 6's Management Board, said work on the plant was already one year behind schedule. He said that if they had not begun to fill the reservoir, they would have lost about VND1 trillion (US$51.6 million) in electricity.

"The reservoir needed to be filled before the rainy season ended," he said.

However, he said that the management board had worked closely with local agencies to ensure residents were safe.

"Now the plant has successfully installed a rotor in group 1. When the reservoir is full the plant will be able to generate electricity," he said.

The Dong Nai 3 Hydropower Plant, which will be able to produce 180MW of electricity worth VND3,600 billion ($184 million), was scheduled to open in 2004. — VNS

Friday, November 26, 2010

Dong Nai bankers indicted for granting insecure loans

Dong Nai Province People’s Procuracy has laid charges of “violating regulations of lending in the activities of credit organizations” against seven former officials of province-based Long Thanh branch of the Vietnam Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Industry and Trade (VietinBank).

They were charged with granting insecure loans worth more than VND431 billion (US$22.1 million), causing a loss of VND336 billion.

Among the seven officials are Tran Thi Thanh Nga, former director of the Long Thanh branch, and Nguyen Duc Dung, former deputy director.

Pham Van Tho and Nguyen Thi Nhan are former chiefs of the branch’s customer office. The three others are credit officers.

The Dong Nai prosecution agency also laid charges against three company executives involved in the case.

Investigations showed Nga and Dung directly signed some loan contracts with the companies without assessing their assets, or with enterprises which do not have business licenses; and some loans exceeded the allowed amount or were spent on wrong purposes.

Dong Nai bankers indicted for granting insecure loans

They were charged with granting insecure loans worth more than VND431 billion (US$22.1 million), causing a loss of VND336 billion.

Among the seven officials are Tran Thi Thanh Nga, former director of the Long Thanh branch, and Nguyen Duc Dung, former deputy director.

Pham Van Tho and Nguyen Thi Nhan are former chiefs of the branch’s customer office. The three others are credit officers.

The Dong Nai prosecution agency also laid charges against three company executives involved in the case.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Stone plateau joins global geopark network

The Dong Van stone plateau in the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang has been admitted to the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network (GGN), said an official.

Chairman of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO Nguyen Thanh Son said at a press conference in Hanoi on Oct. 8 that the move would help attract more tourists to the plateau, creating favourable conditions for the province to speed up socio-economic development, as well as hunger eradication and poverty reduction.

Son, who is also Deputy Foreign Minister, said a total of 77 geoparks in 24 countries worldwide had been recognised as members of the GGN, including two in Southeast Asia - the Dong Van stone plateau and a geopark in Malaysia .

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Dam Van Bong said the GGN accession will bring both opportunities and challenges to Ha Giang province.

Local authorities will spare no efforts to ensure sustainable development, preserve heritage values of the plateau and improve the skills of its managers while increasing public awareness.

The province will build the geopark into a new model of sustainable development, combined with hunger elimination and poverty reduction and fulfillment of its obligations as a GGN member, Bong said.

Chief Representative of the UNESCO Office in Hanoi Katherine Muller Marin said, after joining the GGN, the Dong Van plateau will become one of the most outstanding images in Vietnam , along with Ha Long Bay. The plateau will help promote Vietnam ’s image to the world and local people will benefit most from the recognition, she said.

The plateau, which was officially named as a GGN member on Oct. 3, covers 2,350 sq.km in Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Dong Van and Meo Vac districts, and is 1,400-1,600 m above sea level.

Preliminary statistics show the plateau is home to a host of features connected with the earth’s landforms and the processes that shape them, with 45 geomorphologic and 33 tectonic heritages, many of them rating international and national significance. It also boasts a broad range of fossils of thousands of species of ancient creatures from 400-600 million years ago.

Approximately 250,000 people belonging to 17 ethnic minority groups are living on the plateau./.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Fatal coach accident in northern province

QUANG NINH — A truck and a coach collided on Wednesday, killing the coach's driver on spot and injuring 10 passengers, on National Highway No 18A in Dam Ha District in Quang Ninh Province.

The crash was occurred after the truck's driver lost control of his vehicle. The injured were treated in Quang Ninh General Hospital.

Ship causes oil slick in Vung Ro Port

PHU YEN — Viet Tin 01 Ship caused an oil spill in Vung Ro Port in Phu Yen Province's Dong Hoa District on Wednesday, said Nguyen Dang Vu, a representative from Quy Nhon Port Authority.

The ship docked at the port to deliver oil to a fuel storehouse.

The incident happened after a malfunction occurred during the transfer of oil. The company's workers had cleaned up the spilled oil, said Vu.

13-month-old baby takes ecstasy tablet

HCM CITY — A 13-month-old boy was taken to HCM City's Hospital for Children No 2 on Wednesday after accidentally consuming half of an ecstasy tablet. The baby immediately went into an overactive state and began to suffer from a high temperature and dilated pupils.

The boy is now in normal condition.

His mother said he took the drug accidentally at an acquaintance's house who uses ecstasy.

Untreated waste water found next to IZ

BINH DUONG — Binh Duong Province's Environment Police found 1,000cu.m of untreated waste water in a rain-water drainage system that had been discharged from Dong An 1 Industrial Zone in Thuan An District on Wednesday.

Authorities took samples to test the water's pollution level.

The zone investor, Hung Thinh Joint Stocks Co, will submit a document about the presence of waste water in the rain drainage system.

Drunk father arrested for beating son

BAC GIANG — Nguyen Van Dong, 40, of Dong Phuc Commune, Yen Dung District in Bac Giang Province, was arrested on Wednesday for abusing his son.

Dong admitted to police that on September 21 he beat his son with sticks and rubber sandals.

Commune authorities warned Dong about his behaviour many times, but he kept abusing his son, usually when he was drunk. — VNS

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Dong Nai faces grave labour shortage as orders mount

HCM CITY — Companies in Dong Nai Province are faced with a serious labour shortage as orders for the rest of the year are increasing, according to the province's Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

The department's initial report shows that more than 30,000 workers are needed in the textiles, footwear and wood processing industries. For the last three months, Dong Nai-based Binh Tien Co Ltd, which produces footwear, has tried to recruit 2,000 manual labourers, but has only been able to employ a few hundred.

Ngo Hoang Ho, manager of the Viet Nam NOK OC Ltd, which produces oil sealant, said most labourers were not qualified. His company employs about 500 new workers each year.

Even though his company must retrain labourers for a three-month period, it still has a high worker attrition rate.

Only 15 employees of a total of a few hundred who are trained remain at the company.

Dang Vu Anh, a human resources representative for Mabuchi Motor Viet Nam Co Ltd, said the company had been unable to fill its annual need for 120 employees.

Lam Duy Tin, the department's deputy head, said that low salaries were also to blame.

In addition, because many industrial parks have been built in provinces and cities, there are too many companies competing for employees.

"If companies in Dong Nai Province do not improve working conditions as well as salaries and allowance policies, recruitment will remain difficult," Tin said.

Currently, Dong Nai Province has more than 1,000 foreign-direct investment projects, attracting nearly 400,000 labourers. —VNS

Friday, October 29, 2010

Dong Nai faces grave labor shortage

Companies in Dong Nai province are faced with a serious labor shortage as orders for the rest of the year are increasing, according to the province's Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs.

The department's initial report shows that more than 30,000 workers are needed in the textiles, footwear and wood processing industries.

For the last three months, Dong Nai-based Binh Tien Co Ltd, which produces footwear, has tried to recruit 2,000 manual laborers, but has only been able to employ a few hundred.

Ngo Hoang Ho, manager of the Vietnam NOK OC Ltd, which produces oil sealant, said most laborers were not qualified. His company employs about 500 new workers each year.

Even though his company must retrain laborers for a three-month period, it still has a high worker attrition rate.

Only 15 employees of a total of a few hundred who are trained remain at the company.

Dang Vu Anh, a human resources representative for Mabuchi Motor Vietnam Co Ltd, said the company had been unable to fill its annual need for 120 employees.

Lam Duy Tin, the department's deputy head, said that low salaries were also to blame.

In addition, because many industrial parks have been built in provinces and cities, there are too many companies competing for employees.

"If companies in Dong Nai province do not improve working conditions as well as salaries and allowance policies, recruitment will remain difficult," Tin said.

Currently, Dong Nai province has more than 1,000 foreign-direct investment projects, attracting nearly 400,000 laborers.

Dong Nai faces grave labor shortage