| Ministry approves
coal trans-shipment port The Ministry of Transport has approved a proposal made by
Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group (Vinacomin) to build a coal
trans-shipment port in the southern region. The port will carry coal to thermal power plants in the
Mekong Delta. As per the Prime Minister’s instruction, Vinacomin will
provide the capital as well as construct the coal trans-shipment port. The group will set up a highly experienced consultancy
group, that has the know how in designing high-capacity seaports. Additionally, they will also analyze technical feasibility
and transport methods and ensure that transport cost expenses are at the
lowest. Bac Lieu farmers to
delay shrimp-breeding The agriculture industry in Bac Lieu Province has advised farmers to postpone
shrimp-breeding until the end of July to avoid the wide spread risk of
contamination that has resulted in dead shrimps in the Mekong Delta. During changing weather from dry to rainy season, shrimps
face a very high risk of contamination to various kinds of diseases. People have already completed shrimp breeding in almost
125,000 hectares of the shrimp area in the province. So far, 15,000 hectares have suffered from dead shrimps,
leaving hundreds of households in debt. One H1N1 death in Dak
Lak province The Ministry of Health has reported the death of a
27-year-old man from the highland province
of Dak Lak, while
undergoing treatment for the last two days for H1N1 virus at the local
hospital. The nationwide toll of H1N1 cases has now risen to 13 since
the beginning of the year. The victim from Krong Bong district complained of fever,
cough and spit mucus with blood on April 27. He went to a private medical
clinic for treatment but his condition did not improve for several days. He
moved to the general hospital on May 4 where tests confirmed he had H1N1 virus. The hospital injected him with the anti-viral drug Tamiflu
but his condition did not improve and he died on May 6. Since the beginning of the year, the country has recorded
over 470 swine flu cases including 13 fatal cases in ten provinces and cities.
Most of the dead people also suffered from other chronic diseases. In related health news, the country has seen an increase of
respiratory cases in children due to bad weather. The National
Children Hospital
in Hanoi
receives more than 1,500 kids a day, half of them with respiratory diseases. The Center of Preventive Health in Ca Mau Province in the southern
tip of Vietnam
said more than 200 hand-foot-mouth child cases were hospitalized in the
province, a threefold increase compared to the same period last year. District
Dam Doi, Thoi Binh, Tran Van Thoi and Ca Mau City have the most recorded cases. Poor household
incomes to increase 3.5 times Viet Nam
plans to increase the incomes of poor households 3.5 times from now up until
2020 in efforts to reduce the proportion of poor households by 2% each year,
according to Resolution 80/NQ-CP issued by the Government yesterday. Sustainable poverty reduction is one of the key targets of
the State’s Socio-economic Development Strategy for 2011-20. The Government has implemented many policies aimed at
reducing poverty, increasing production, vocational training, housing and job
opportunities for the poor while promoting accessible legal support. The national poverty reduction programme has helped change
the lives of people in rural, mountainous, remote and disadvantaged areas. After two years of Resolution 30a/2008/NQ-CP’s
implementation, the proportion of poor households has been reduced from 47 per
cent in 2008 to approximately 37 per cent in late 2010, a decrease of 5 per
cent per year. Outstanding doctors
hailed Eighty outstanding doctors in the country were presented
with achievement awards yesterday at the Young Doctors Festival 2011 in Ha Noi.
This was the third annual festival held by the central Viet
Nam Youth Union and the central Viet Nam Young Doctors Association to promote
the image of young doctors. “It is a good chance for doctors to learn from each
others’ experiences,” said Tang Chi Thuong, chairman of the Central Young
Doctor Association. Among the 80 doctors receiving awards was Nguyen Thanh Quang
Vu, director of Quang
Ngai Mental
Health Hospital,
who has worked for 19 years helping to treat mental illness. Vu said: “There are many other doctors who work hard
and contributed to the community. Doctors work in really hard and stressful
conditions. If they are given some recognition, it makes the effort feel more
worthwhile.” From May 4-18 organisers arranged for 3,500 doctors to give
free health checks and hand out free medicines to about 70,000 people in
mountainous and remote areas. They also gave free reproductive health checks
and medicines to female workers in Industrial Zones. They also dispensed nutritional advice and gave first-aid
training to more than 5,000 teachers and parents at kindergarten and elementary
schools. In addition they performed free eye surgery on 1,000 elderly people.
They also performed 100 free operations on children with congenital
abnormalities and collected 12,000 units of blood from students. Three energy groups
help poor children Three energy groups yesterday committed to funding a
US$150,000 project to help the National Fund for Vietnamese Children improve
the life of poor children in the Cuu Long (Mekong)
Delta this year. The project, supported by Chevron Viet Nam (US), Mitsui Oil
Exploration Company (Japan)
and PTT Exploration and Production Public Company (Thailand), will upgrade five
schools and provide more than 800 scholarships to children in Ca Mau, Bac Lieu,
Kien Giang, Hau Giang provinces and Can Tho City. President attends
ceremony to launch work on An Dong
Bridge A ground breaking ceremony for the An Dong Bridge which will
span the Dinh River
in Phan Rang-Thap
Cham City
in Ninh Thuan Province
was held yesterday in the presence of President Nguyen Minh Triet. In his address, President Triet asked the construction
workers to dutifully follow the project schedule and ensure a high quality
project. He also asked the provincial authorities to facilitate conditions
for the contractor to achieve optimal performance. “The bridge will bring high economic efficiency to the
province and directly help improve the local people’s living conditions as well
as national security and defence,” said Triet. President Triet said he was confident that in the near
future Ninh Thuan Province
would become a modern nuclear power and high-tech centre for the nation. He expressed his happiness that in the past few years, the
province enjoyed rapid economic growth and became a destination for many
foreign and Vietnamese investors. The bridge is one component of a road construction project
along the Ninh Thuan provincial coast line. Once completed, the bridge will
connect An Hai Commune, in Ninh Phuoc District with the Dong Hai Ward in Phan-Rang-Thap Cham City.
Construction of the 3,526 metres span is expected to take 36
months. It was designed to withstand an earthquake of five on the Richter
Magnitude Scale. Estimates indicate the bridge will cost about VND 1.33
trillion ($64.7 million) to construct with the bulk of the capital to be funded
by Government bonds. Hyundai Amco was selected to construct the project. Also yesterday, the Hyundai Motor Corporation presented Ninh Thuan
Province with three
Hyundai vehicles and VND1 billion (US$48,000) to three provincial funds: Fund
for the Poor, Fund for Poor Patients, Study Fund. Hanoi karaoke bar owner wanted for trading
drugs Hanoi
police issued on Tuesday a warrant for the arrest of a karaoke bar owner who
now stands accused of using his business as a front for narcotic sales. By the time the warrant was issued, they said, Nguyen Trong
Dai, 29, had fled the city. Last Sunday, police stormed into the five-storey bar located
at 145 Yen Phu Street
and arrested 36 customers who were found to be in possession of illegal
narcotics. Police say they discovered 65 ecstasy tablets and 10 plastic
packs of powdered ketamine from their pockets and on the floor. A quick test showed 23 customers were positive with drugs. A subsequent search of the house turned up another ketamine
pack, two ecstasy tablets and assorted drug paraphenalia. According to the police, Dai allegedly conspired with a drug
addict to trade several kinds of narcotics in his bar. Dai, the director of a construction company, hired a man to
manage his bar to cover up his crimes, the police said. Two arrested for
smuggling oil from Thailand
to Vietnam Police in the Mekong Delta province
of Kien Giang said Tuesday they had
busted a smuggling ring that transported diesel oil from Thailand to Vietnam by boat. Som Chai, a Thai national, and his Vietnamese wife Nguyen
Thi Linh Phuong were arrested last week for buying oil worth VND70 billion
(US$3.4 million) from Thailand and transporting it on boat before selling them
to Vietnamese fishermen, the police said without elaborating. Last March, the police also busted an oil smuggling ring led
by Vo Hoang Dung of Rach
Gia City
and arrested Dung and other six members of the ring. According to the police, as the oil price in Thailand is cheaper than that in Vietnam, Dung bought diesel oil in Thailand and sold to the owners of 500
Vietnamese fishing boats off the coast of Kien Giang. He sold more than 10 million liters of oil worth over VND300
billion (US$14.5 million), they said. HCMC facilitates ID
issuance to intellectually disabled Granting identification to people with Down’s syndrome and
the intellectually disabled will be facilitated from now on, an official who is
in charge of IDs in Ho Chi Minh City
has told Thanh Nien. In fact, the city’s police have issued IDs to two people
with Down’s syndrome after local media in March reported several cases where
the people had their applications for the personal papers refused, igniting
experts’ criticism. Many readers in the southern city then wrote to Thanh Nien,
complaining how difficult it was for their children to acquire the paper which
is a must for residents in Vietnam
to apply for job, rent room or travel by plane. Police divisions, meanwhile, argued that they just followed
a government’s decree dated in 1999 stating that while all Vietnamese citizens
were required to apply for an ID card after their 14th birthday, the
responsibility was suspended for patients suffering from mental illness and
those who have lost control of their behavior. EU-Vietnam
cooperation in plant protection The European Union (EU) mission in Vietnam and the
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) on plant protection on April 19. MARD Deputy Minister Bui Ba Bong said that the MoU will help
Vietnam
promote agricultural cooperation with members of the International Plant
Protection Convention (IPPC). IPPC members, thus enabling the country to fully perform its
duties as by 2016. The Ambassador and Head of the EU mission in Vietnam, Sean Doyle, said intellectual property
right and plant protection right are very important, especially for an
agricultural country like Vietnam
as they will bring benefits to the community in the long run. Vietnam concentrates on population issues Vietnam’s
population and development issues were discussed at the National Workshop on
South-South Cooperation in Population and Development, in Hanoi on May 19. The event was jointly held by the Vietnamese Health Ministry
and the Population and Development (PPD) organisation. Addressing the opening
ceremony, Deputy Health Minister, Doctor Nguyen Ba Thuy said Vietnam’s
achievements in the population and family planning programme have reflected the
efforts of the Government, the health and population sectors and other relevant
agencies at all levels in implementing the International Conference on
Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action and fulfilling the United
Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The success of the population and family planning programme
has directly contributed to Vietnam’s
outstanding achievements in reducing poverty, which have been acknowledged by
the international community, she said. The Party and State of Vietnam is committed to realising the
goals of the ICPD Programme of Action adopted in 1994, and to achieving the
MDGs, the deputy minister said. PPD Executive Director Harry S. Jooseery said he was
impressed by Vietnam’s
successful efforts to keep its population growth rate at 1.2 percent, achieve a
birth rate of 2.3 children per family and reduce the newborn mortality rate,
although Vietnam is the
third most populous country in Southeast Asia.
Jooseery expressed his hope that other issues related to
sexual health, juvenile health, gender rate at birth and differences between
localities will be successfully dealt with in the future. In September, 2009, Vietnam became the 25th member of PPD, an
inter-governmental organisation set up at the International Conference on
Population Development (ICPD) meeting in Cairo
in 1994, with a view to promoting South-South partnerships and achieving the
goals of the ICPD Programme of Action. The organisation now consists of
representatives from 25 countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East, which account for more than 57 percent of
global population. This is the first time Vietnam has conducted the National
Workshop on South-South Population and Development cooperation. Police officer killed
in drug arrest Lieutenant Do Manh Linh, 28, deputy head of a flying squad
company in the northern province
of Hoa Binh, was killed while taking part in the arrest of a drug trafficker on
Wednesday. Getting tipped off, a joint police force was posted on National
Highway 6 in Phong Phu Commune, Tan Lac District, on the evening of May 18 to
capture Trang A Chu, a suspect member of a large-scale drug trafficking ring. At 19 pm, as a suspicious Toyota Prado approached, the
police signaled it to stop. The car, however, deliberately crashed into the police’s
cars and seriously injured Linh and sergeant major Hoang Minh Thanh, 23. Chu then got out of the car
and attempted suicide by hitting himself in the temple with a flash light and
using a piece of broken glass from the flash light to cut his wrist. The police were able to restrain him. Linh and Thanh were later taken to the hospital but Linh
died yesterday morning. On searching Chu’s car, the
policemen found 50 heroin cakes, 2 bags of synthetic drugs and over VND70
million (US$3,450) in cash. 1 killed in fiery
tractor-trailer crash on Highway 2A A tractor-trailer crashed into a motorcycle on National Highway 2A
in Phu Ho Commune in Phu Tho northern
province at 1:30 pm Thursday, leaving one woman dead
and injuring another and lanes of the highway remain closed, local sources
said. Eyewitnesses said the trailer-tractor truck’s driver, who
was driving fast, encroached the highway lane before slamming into a motorbike
traveling on the opposite direction. The accident left Dao Thi Van Anh dead while her husband are
in very crticial conditions, who was hospitalized later. The bike was crushed severely. The truck driver quiclkly fled the scene. Police arrived on the scene to undertake investigation and
handle the traffic. 60 illegal Vietnamese
tailors detained in Moscow
Russian police have detained more than 60 illegal Vietnamese
immigrants after they conducted a raid into an illegal clothing factory in
Novodmitrov town of Moscow in Russia, the
Federal Migration Services (FMS) announced on Thursday. Most of the detainees had no personal papers and passports.
They also could not speak Russian. They had been working in a place that was completely
unsanitary and seriously violated fire safety regulations, Russian police said. FMS are tracking down the owner of the illegal factory. In most cases, Vietnamese workers would be released provided
that each of them pay a fine of 5,000 Russian rubles (US$180). However, according to local police, the owners of such
illegal factories will be fined up to 800,000 Russian rubles each. They even
could be sentenced to some years in prison for the same crime. FMS also detained around 600 illegal Vietnamese sailors in
Malakhovka town on the outskirts of Moscow
in early May this year. All of them were released after paying fine. Fishing boat breaks
down in Hoang Sa sea A fishing boat from the central province
of Quang Ngai with 10 fishermen on
board has gone adrift after it broke down in the sea of Hoang
Sa (Paracel) this morning. Rescue activities are underway, said the province’s relevant
agencies. At 2 a.m. this morning, while the boat QNg-92308 was
catching fish in the sea
of Hoang Sa, its drive
shaft was suddenly broken. The incident caused the boat to drift on the sea. Fishermen immediately contacted rescue forces from inland
for help. Provincial relevant agencies are keeping contact with the
boat and are urging other fishing boats operating in the area to rescue and tug
the troubled boat to the shore. The boat is owned by Le Minh Hung, of the province’s Tu
Nghia district. Man seized for raping
69-year-old woman Gia Lai province’s Pleiku city police have arrested a
33-year-old man for raping and robbing a 69-year-old woman. Vo Minh Hoang, of the city’s Hoi Thuong ward, has been
charged with rape and mugging. The victim is Hoa, also a local resident, who was raped at
Hoang’s house on May 16. When Hoa was walking past his house, Hoang invited her in
for a drink. As Hoang was an acquaintance of hers, Hoa stepped in without
hesitation. Right after Hoa got into the house, Hoang locked the door,
embraced her tightly and then raped her. After the crime, he forced Hoa to give him all the money she
brought, otherwise he would kill her. After Hoa gave him VND70,000 (US$3.4), he let her go. Hoa went home and told her story to her children and
grandchildren, who later walked her to the ward police station to report the
case. Commemoration of Cuba’s hero
Jose Marti A wreath-laying ceremony was held in Hanoi on May 19 in commemoration of the 116th
death anniversary of Cuban national hero Jose Marti. The ceremony organized by the Vietnam Union of Friendship
Organisations and Vietnam -
Cuba Friendship Association (VCFA) at the hero’s statue in Hoan Kiem district
and was attended by Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam Fredesman Turro Gonzalez and
his staff along with Cuban experts who are working in Vietnam. They also paid floral tribute to late President Ho Chi Minh
at his mausoleum the same day. Lao media in praise
of Ho Chi Minh Major media agencies in Laos on May 19 widely covered late
President Ho Chi Minh’s great contributions to the Vietnamese revolution. The Paxaxon, an Organ of the Lao People’s Revolutionary
Party, ran an editorial in praise of his teachings as well as his support for
the Lao revolution. The paper described the late President Ho as a great leader
of the Vietnamese people, an outstanding fighter in the international communist
movement and the national liberation movement, a founder of the Indochinese
Communist Party, and a close comrade-in-arms of the Lao people. The Paxaxon focused on President Ho’s contributions to
strengthening the traditional friendship and combative alliance between Vietnam and Laos. It quoted President Kaysone Phomvihane as saying that
President Ho Chi Minh gave impetus to strengthening the combativeness of the
Lao people. The Lao people are always grateful for the great support and
assistance they received from the Vietnamese army and people in the past
struggles for national independence and freedom. Lao officials and people are
trying their best to develop the two countries’ traditional relationship, the
paper said. The Vientiane Mai (New Vientiane), ran an article titled
“President Ho Chi Minh lives forever in our revolutionary cause”. It stressed that in his lifetime, President Ho always paid
attention to tightening the ties of solidarity with other countries and peoples
around the world, especially the Lao people. ”The Vietnamese great leader is always in the hearts of the
Lao and his shining example will be followed by generation after generation. Agricultural sector
focuses on climate change The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD)
will allocate nearly VND9.5 billion (US$430,000) for a national programme on
climate change in 2011 in order to ensure sustainable agricultural production
and national cooking security. The programme aims to assess the level of climate change,
build climate change and rising sea level scenarios and implement scientific
and technological projects on climate change while providing support for crop
restructuring in eco-agricultural areas. The programme also aims to improve public awareness of
climate change and train human resources for the sector. In addition, projects relating to climate change response
will focus on studying and carrying out mitigation and adaptability measures in
the direction of saving water and energy, and limiting emissions in cultivation
and animal husbandry. The MARD said it is building an emission reduction project
in the agricultural sector with a target of cutting down 20 percent of gas
emissions by 2020. It is finalising plans to ease the consequences of natural
disasters, climate change and rising sea levels as well as mapping out a pilot
project on greenhouse effect reduction in agro-forestry in Binh Dinh and Binh
Thuan provinces and Can Tho city. The ministry also suggested the government and ministries
increase investment in the agricultural sector’s climate change response activities
in order to reduce damages and strengthen disaster prevention capacity. Seminar on Vietnamese
studies in Russia
A seminar sector was held in Moscow
on May 18 to discuss urgent issues related to Vietnamese studies in Russia. In his speech at the seminar, Nguyen Dinh Liem, Deputy Head
of the Institute of Chinese Studies under the Vietnam Academy of Social
Science said, “The seminar aims to share Vietnam’s experience in the renewal
process. Through the seminar, academicians from Russia’s
Far Eastern Institute will advise the Russian Government to have a better view
of eastern countries, including Vietnam.” The Director Head of the Far Eastern Institute, Mikhail
Titarenko, described Vietnam
as a faithful and reliable country from which Russian researchers could draw
useful lessons of national renewal. The Director of the Vietnam-ASEAN Research Centre, Evgheni
Kobelev, said the seminar was mainly based on the results and documents of the
Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV)’s 11th National Congress. 20 reports presented by the delegates highlighted Vietnam’s
socialist-oriented economic development and the prospects of Vietnam-Russia
relations. City prepares plan of
action to tackle climate change The city government has been collecting suggestions to perfect
the “City’s plan of action for tackling climate change” that will directly
impact on all social-economic fields, especially infrastructure projects. The city’s vice chairman Nguyen Trung Tin convened a meeting
on Monday with members of the plan’s steering committee, scientists and
specialists to hasten the plan’s preparation process. “Climate change is no longer a matter for scientists.
Nowadays it’s impacting on not only our life but also all socio-economic
fields,” Tin remarked at the meeting, highlighting recent phenomena including
unprecedented heat waves, record high flood tides and natural disasters
worldwide. “According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD), Vietnam is one of the five countries that will be heavily
influenced by climate change, while our city is among the Top Ten most
vulnerable cities of the world,” he said Tin. Talking to the Daily about the action plan, Tin said that
the steering committee would first assess the impacts of climate change on each
field and sector, then build a plan of high feasibility to cope with and adapt
to such changes. According to him, the plan will be coordinated by
international partners, such as the Dutch city of Rotterdam,
the Korean Trade - Investment Promotion Agency, and New Zealand. “We’ve defined four fields of priority, comprising
management of land resource, water resource, energy and waste. Of course we’re
also interested in many other fields, but they are of lower priorities,” said
Tin. Source: VNA/VNS/VOV/Tuoi
Tre/SGT/SGGP | 
