VietNam Society

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Fatherland Front chief visits flood-hit provinces

Vietnam Fatherland Front Chairman Huynh Dam has paid a fieldtrip to the south-central provinces of Khanh Hoa and Ninh Thuan, which were hard hit by floods in early November, and handed relief aids to victims.

During his visit to Khanh Hoa on November 5, Dam, who is also member of the Party Central Committee, offered condolences to families with beloved ones killed or left missing by floods.

He called on local authorities and social organisations to continue with rescue efforts as well as sending more relief aid to worst-hit regions to help them recover production and bring their life back to normal as soon as possible.

“Hunger and flood-borne epidemics should be prevented”, emphasised the leader of the nation’s largest social organisation.

He also announced the front’s decision to earmark 500 million VND (roughly 25,500 USD) from the central relief fund as aid to Khanh Hoa.

On November 6, the Fatherland Front Chairman visited neighbouring Ninh Thuan province, where he handed over 1 billion VND to the provincial administration as relief aid to flood victims.

Dam also visited and presented gifts for families of dead victims.

Also on November 6, Ninh Thuan welcomed convoys of trucks carrying supplies for flood victims in the worst hit Phuoc Nam village, Thuan Nam district.

The Saigon Trade Corporation (SATRA) from Ho Chi Minh City , for example, sent 10 tonnes of rice worth 100 million VND to distribute to 2,000 most-suffering families.

The Thanh Nien (Youngsters) newspaper and the La pagoda, located in Ho Chi Minh City , sent 3.5 tonnes of rice, 350 boxes of instant noodles, hundreds of brand-new clothing items and medicines worth 100 million VND for victims in Phuoc Nam village.

Monk Thich Nhuan Tam said he felt hit at heart seeing sufferings by flood victims and pledged to continue raising funds to alleviate their plight./.

VN restructures energy sector to cope with climate change

Vietnam has been gradually restructuring its energy sector along the director of shifting to renewable energy, with the goal of increasing the rate of renewable energy to 5 percent of total output by 2015 and 8 percent by 2020.

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai informed this plan to Yvo De Boer, former Executive Secretary of the UN Secretariat of the Framework Convention on Climate Change, at a working session in Hanoi on Nov. 5.

Vietnam has issued strict regulations for factories to minimise adverse impacts on the environment, said the deputy PM, adding that all projects, whenever starting operations, are required to have initial environmental assessments and this will be a compulsory annual task.

According to Yvo, Vietnam can learn from the Republic of Korea and South Africa’s experiences in replacing traditional power resources with new and renewable energy.

He stressed that Vietnam needs to focus on five major issues to cope with climate change, including applying appropriate adaptation and mitigation measures; getting the involvement of all ministries, sectors and localities, developing a sustainable power sector by focusing on clean and renewable energy, mobilising and using all resources and creating efficient mechanisms for coordination.

He said in addition to ODA and aids from non-governmental international organisations, Vietnam needs to make use of the model of public-private partnership (PPP) cooperation in seeking funding for efforts coping with climate change.

The country should also raise public awareness of the need to practise energy saving, he said.

At a press briefing the same day, Yvo de Boer and his associate, Dennis Tirpak, former coordinator on climate change said Vietnam, with a large number of population living in a long coastline, has been facing challenges caused by climate change and sea rising level, requiring the country’s activeness in taking preventive measures.

They noted Vietnam’s contributions to minimising the green house effects globally, and at the same time asked the country to pay attention to using and developing energy effectively.

The two experts hailed Vietnam’s role in its capacity as ASEAN Chair in 2010, during which the country has organised and participated in regional and world’s climate change response forums./.

‘Rubber’ cuttlefish incinerated in Hai Phong

‘Rubber’ cuttlefish incinerated in Hai Phong Fake dried shredded cuttlefish – a common seasoned snack – has been seized in Hanoi; authorities say they have yet to determine exactly what went into the counterfeit cephalopod.

“We sent some samples to a testing lab in Hanoi. They said that the product is not made from natural cuttlefish. We don’t know what it is made from because the lab said it would take time and money for such tests,” said Nguyen Thi San, vice director of the market watchdog agency of Hai Phong City.

On October 30, San’s agency incinerated more than one ton of fake dried shredded cuttlefish they had seized from a coach in the northern city in April.

San said the seized dried cuttlefish showed no signs of spoiling after six months in the open. The vice director suspects that the product is made from a certain “special substance.”

“We had to incinerate them because we were afraid that it is not biodegradable once buried and someone could dig it up to sell,” she said, adding that the agency tried burning the cuttlefish and found it caught fire easier than natural product and smelled like burning fabric.

Another Hai Phong market management official said the phony dried cuttlefish had been smuggled from abroad and was being sold at local markets. However, he said his agency has been focusing more on busting up large shipments of the fish rather than those of small traders.

Many small traders told Thanh Nien that the knockoff snacks come from China and yield much better profits than legitimate cuttlefish.

Minh, a small trader at Ga Market in Ngo Quyen District said the dubious shredded cuttlefish began showing up around August 2009. Accoring to Minh, some traders offered to sell the stuff for VND80,000 (US$4.1) per kilogram - just one fourth the cost of the real stuff.

A trader at Do Market in Hong Bang District said she wouldn’t dare to sell the product despite the big profits, for far her customers could get sick.

“That’s Chinese dried cuttlefish,” she said. “I don’t know what they could possibly make it with, to produce something so cheap. Some told me it is made from cellulose.”

Union promotes breast feeding

A medical worker teaches a mother how to breastfeed her newborn baby at the National Hospital for Obstetrics and Gynaecology in Ha Noi. — VNA/VNS Photo Duong Ngoc

HA NOI — The Viet Nam Women's Union (VWU) will join with the Alive and Thrive Initiative to boost exclusive breast feeding and complementary feeding practices in Viet Nam.

Activities will fall within the framework of a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on improving infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices signed on Thursday by the VWU and the US's Academy for Educational Development (AED).

Under the MoU, the VWU will focus its activities on advocating and engaging in policy issues related to early child nutrition such as Decree 21 which covers the sale and use of nutritious products for infants and maternity leave.

The VWU will advocate for exclusive breast feeding; organise meetings and conferences, and encourage leaders to participate; identify opportunities to engage policy makers and the media to voice support for the issue; and meet with key officials to increase awareness of opportunities to improve infant and young child nutrition.

The malnutrition rate among children under five in Viet Nam is still high, reaching 25.8 per cent. One cause is a lack of understanding and information among mothers about how to take proper care of their infants and themselves, said Vice Chairwoman of the VWU Tran Thanh Binh.

Ministry of Health statistics show that most women breast feed but only 55 per cent begin breast feeding right at birth and only 20 per cent of infants under six months of age are breast fed exclusively.

With initial funding of US$76 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Alive and Thrive Initiative works to improve infant and young child nutrition by increasing the rate of exclusive breast feeding and improving complementary feeding practices. The initiative aims to reach more than 16 million children under two years old in Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Viet Nam from 2009-13. — VNS

Poor nations make faster development gains: UN

GENEVA — Most developing countries made dramatic yet often underestimated progress in health, education and basic living standards during the past 40 years, with many of the poorest nations posting the largest gains.

The progress was outlined in the 2010 Human Development Report.

The Real Wealth of Nations: Pathways to Human Development was launched on Thursday by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon who said: "The Human Development Reports have changed the way we see the world. We have learned that while economic growth is very important, what ultimately matters is using national income to give all people a chance at a longer, healthier and more productive life."

People today are healthier, wealthier and better educated than they were 40 years ago, according to the report. Life expectancy climbed from 59 years in 1970 to 70 in 2010, school enrolment rose from 55 per cent for all primary and secondary school-age children to 70 per cent, and per capita GDP doubled to more than US$10,000. People in all regions shared in this progress, though to varying degrees. Life expectancy, for example, rose by 18 years in sub-Saharan Africa.

The 135 countries studied are home to 92 per cent of the world's population.

The "Top 10 Movers" highlighted in the 2010 report- countries that posted the highest gains on the human development index (HDI) scale during the past 40 years – were led by Oman, which invested its energy earnings into education and health care.

The other nine "Top Movers" are China, Nepal, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Laos, Tunisia, South Korea, Algeria and Morocco.

"One important finding from several decades of human development experience is that for lasting improvements on the quality of life of citizens, economic growth alone does not automatically bring improvements in health and education," said Jeni Klugman, the lead author of the report.

On the HDI list of 169 countries, Viet Nam was ranked 113th, which denotes that the nation has made medium improvement in human development standards. — VNS

Blogger arrested for slander

Blogger arrested for slander Investigators from the Ministry of Public Security have detained a blogger in Ho Chi Minh City for allegedly slandering the family of a senior police official on her blog.

An anonymous police source told Thanh Nien on Monday (November 1) that 35-year-old Le Nguyen Huong Tra will be detained for two months while she is under investigation for “abusing democratic rights to harm the nation, organization and individual” – article 258 of the Penal Code.

On October 23, Tra, who blogged as Co gai Do Long (Do Long girl), was arrested and police carried out an inspection of her house on Banh Van Tran Street in Tan Binh District. Investigators said they confiscated several documents as evidence of the crime.

Investigators said Tra wrote a blog entry based on rumors where she slandered family members of Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Khanh Toan – deputy minister of Public Security.

In her entry, Tra also raised questions about whether certain beauty queens and artists were “protected” because they were his son’s lovers.

Police said Tra confessed to posting an incorrect entry on her blog, VnExpress news website reported.

Cao Minh Nhan, vice head of the Anti-Crime Police Division under the Ministry of Public Security, said Tra’s action not only affected one individuals’ reputation but also harmed an organization, according to VnExpress.

On October 31, Tra’s mother and husband told the Tuoi Tre newspaper they had sent a letter of apology to Toan’s family asking for forgiveness. Meanwhile, Toan refused to comment and said he would let the relevant agencies deal with the issue according to Vietnamese law, the paper said.

In 2008, Tra was faced with a lawsuit after pop-star Phuong Thanh accused her of defamation in two blog entries. The Tan Binh District People’s Court dropped the case. An appeals court later demanded a fresh probe into the case. Investigations are still ongoing.

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.

VietNam Society

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Fatherland Front chief visits flood-hit provinces

Related Articles

VN restructures energy sector to cope with climate change

Related Articles

‘Rubber’ cuttlefish incinerated in Hai Phong

Related Articles

Union promotes breast feeding

Related Articles

Poor nations make faster development gains: UN

Related Articles

Blogger arrested for slander

Related Articles

Upcoming events

Related Articles