Russian Academy of Sciences opens branch in Vietnam

The campus of Binh Duong University

The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) on Saturday opened a branch in the campus of Binh Duong University located in the Vietnamese southern province of the same name.

The sub-institute is expected to open up new opportunities for Binh Duong and other provinces in the region in training high-quality human resources in science-technology.

Earlier, Doctor of Science Cao Van Phuong, who is also rector of Binh Duong University, was honored as an academician of the RSA for his great contributions to bolstering traditional friendship between the two nations.

He was also awarded with noble Keldysh Golden Medal by the RAS for his achievements in mathematics and mechanics.

Establish in 1991 with 12 centers and 520 academicians, 30 of them are foreigners, the RAS functions in compliance with the legislation of the Russian Federation and the Academy Charter.

Its principal aim consists in organization and performance of fundamental researches for the purpose of obtaining further knowledge of the natural, social and human development principles that promote technological, economic, social and cultural development in Russia.

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Three arrested for dumping mud, burying tombs in Hanoi

Police in Hanoi have taken three men into custody for allegedly dumping construction waste in a graveyard.

Initial reports showed that, on August 21, Pham Hong Ky, an executive from An Thanh Traffic Mechanism Joint-Stock Company, ordered his drivers to discharge mud at the Dong Trua Graveyard in the Duong Noi Ward.

Duong Van Son and Nguyen Van Duong, a pair of security guards contracted to watch construction sites along Le Van Luong Street, were also arrested.

Tests carried out by police in Duong Noi Ward traced the mud back to the sites. Several truck drivers who had previously been arrested told investigators that security guards had told them to unload at the graveyard.

In addition to the arrests, police confiscated ten trucks, including four belonging to An Thanh Company.

In the meantime, a search team including hundreds of workers spent nine days digging through nearly 1,000 cubic meters of earth to uncover the tombs.

Their search efforts were hampered by continuous rains and mud up to four meters thick.

Workers had to uncover 36 tombs, which are old and in a delicate condition, very carefully and without machinery, the search party leader, Nguyen Xuan Ben, told local news website VnExpress.

Trinh Nhu Ha, vice chairman of Duong Noi People’s Committee, said it will take between two and three days to clean up the mud and get the graveyard back to normal.

Affected locals will then hold a ceremony to apologize to the dead with local authorities’ support, according to Ha. He estimated that the search and repair operations will cost hundreds of millions of dong.

While investigations are ongoing, locals are outraged.

“I feel so indignant!” local Dang Ba Hai told a VnExpress reporter. “I couldn’t do anything but ask for help from ward authorities and then keep an eye on the search.”

Hai said five of his family’s burial sites were covered in the thick mud.

“This is not only against the law; it’s downright immoral,” he said.

According to Le Khanh Dong, chairman of Duong Noi Ward’s People’s Committee, local people all expect related agencies to severely punish the perpetrators.

Duong Thi Hoa, whose younger brother’s tomb was buried in the mud, said, “It’s lucky that the tomb wasn’t damaged. I hope agencies will punish those people who have committed such a heinous act.”

Desecrating a burial site in Vietnam carries a penalty of up to five years in prison.

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Workers scramble to unearth 50 tombs in Hanoi

Locals in Hanoi’s Duong Noi ward are rushing to unearth over 50 family tombs which were buried under 600 cubic meters of mud last Saturday.

Many suspect that the mud came from construction sites along Le Van Luong Street. The soil was illegally dumped on the Dong Chua Graveyard, according to Le Khanh Dong, chairman of the Duong Noi People’s Committee.

Dong said that local political leaders have asked Duong Noi police to report to Ha Dong District authorities and launch a cooperative investigation into the case.  

So far, they have yet to identify the culprit, according to Nguyen Dac Hoi, manager of the graveyard. Hoi said that last year, five tombs here suffered the same desecration.

In the meantime, authorities have hired workers to search for the lost tombs, the chairman said.

So far the effort has proven fruitless.

The tombs remain under some four meters of mud due to continuous rains, Nguyen Xuan Ben, who is in charge of the search told VnExpress.

Because of the advanced age of the fragile tombs, the workers must conduct the effort manually, Ben added.

The incident has left locals outraged.

“I feel so indignant!" Dang Ba Hai told a VNExpress reporter. "I couldn’t do anything but ask for help from ward authorities and then keep an eye on the search. All I care is the safety of family tombs.”

Hai said five of his family's burial sites were covered in the thick mud.

“They have been cleaning up the mud for three days," Nguyen Thi Lan, 70, cried. "But they have yet to find my son’s tomb.”

“This is not only against the law," said Trinh Nhu Ha, Vice Chairman of Duong Noi People’s Committee. "It's downright immoral."

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Workers scramble to unearth 50 tombs in Hanoi

Locals in Hanoi’s Duong Noi ward are rushing to unearth over 50 family tombs which were buried under 600 cubic meters of mud last Saturday.

Many suspect that the mud came from construction sites along Le Van Luong Street. The soil was illegally dumped on the Dong Chua Graveyard, according to Le Khanh Dong, chairman of the Duong Noi People’s Committee.

Dong said that local political leaders have asked Duong Noi police to report to Ha Dong District authorities and launch a cooperative investigation into the case.  

So far, they have yet to identify the culprit, according to Nguyen Dac Hoi, manager of the graveyard. Hoi said that last year, five tombs here suffered the same desecration.

In the meantime, authorities have hired workers to search for the lost tombs, the chairman said.

So far the effort has proven fruitless.

The tombs remain under some four meters of mud due to continuous rains, Nguyen Xuan Ben, who is in charge of the search told VnExpress.

Because of the advanced age of the fragile tombs, the workers must conduct the effort manually, Ben added.

The incident has left locals outraged.

“I feel so indignant!" Dang Ba Hai told a VNExpress reporter. "I couldn’t do anything but ask for help from ward authorities and then keep an eye on the search. All I care is the safety of family tombs.”

Hai said five of his family's burial sites were covered in the thick mud.

“They have been cleaning up the mud for three days," Nguyen Thi Lan, 70, cried. "But they have yet to find my son’s tomb.”

“This is not only against the law," said Trinh Nhu Ha, Vice Chairman of Duong Noi People’s Committee. "It's downright immoral."

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