International seminar on casual labour opens in Hanoi
Economists, law makers and social scientists have gathered in Hanoi for a two-day seminar to explore issues related to the informal economic sector.
This is the first international seminar of this kind which opened in Hanoi on May 6 to deal with concepts and methods of statistical measurement as well as policies and measures to develop the sector.
Speaking at the seminar, deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Nguyen Thanh Hoa said the sector is playing an important role in Vietnam’s transition from planned economy to market economy. The sector has not yet recorded any big achievements but has an important effect, nonetheless on Vietnam economic growth. It has helped Vietnam overcome the difficult period in the 90s when economic partners and traditional markets in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe fell into crisis. The sector has helped to absorb redundant workers after State-owned enterprises were restructured.
Recognising the sector’s important role in generating informal jobs and improving people’s income, Vietnam has created laws and policies to support the sector and protect the rights of those doing informal jobs.
The seminar was co-organised by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the General Statistics Office of Vietnam, the Institute of Social Science and some international organization.
First solar-power station to be built in Quang Binh
The Quang Binh provincial People’s Committee and the Schneider Electric Vietnam Company have signed a contract to build a solar-power station.
The Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) pilot project, the first of its kind in Vietnam, will be funded and carried out by Schneider Electric. The station is expected to begin generating power by the end of June.
The non-profit project aims to minimise negative effect on the environment and promote the use of green, clean, sustainable energy.
More than 35 households will benefit from this solar power station, which has a designed capacity of about 11kW.
If successful, similar projects will be deployed on a wider scale, assisted by preferential loans from international investment funds.
Traffic accidents claim 58 deaths in HN
The capital city Hanoi experienced 68 traffic accidents including 58 deaths and 21 injuries and suffered from 6 severe traffic jams in April, announced the city’s police department.
They handled nearly 51,000 cases of traffic violation and fined people more than VND7.5 billion.
On the city’s water ways, they have recorded 300 cases of violation, 90 more than March.
BOEING helps build school in Dien Bien
A primary school worth over US$120,000 funded by Boeing Group was inaugurated in Muong Phang commune, Dien Bien district, Dien Bien province on May 5.
Leaders of the northern mountainous province of Dien Bien and a delegation of the US veterans headed by Skip Boyce, President of Boeing Southeast Asia, attended the inauguration ceremony.
The school has been built after a survey conducted by the delegation of US veterans at the suggestion of General Vo Nguyen Giap’s family.
On the occasion, the General’s family presented the school with a computer room, Kim Dong Publishing House donated books and magazines, and the Veterans Fund of the United States (VFUS) granted 50 scholarships worth VND500,000 each to disadvantaged students.
OpenCourseWare global meeting opens in Vietnam
The 2010 annual OpenCourseWare Consortium (OCWC) Global Meeting opened in Hanoi on May 5.
Under the theme “Educational Policy and OpenCourseWare”, participants focus their discussions on Building, Using and Sustaining OpenCourseWare.
Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Vu Luan said Vietnam welcomed the OCW and expects it will serve as an invaluable resource for training and studying in the country.
The 2010 annual OCWC global meeting taking place in Vietnam is an opportunity for local universities’ officials as well as international OCW experts around the world to meet, discuss and decide on development of OCW to meet human resources demand of each country in the process of international integration and cooperation.
During the three-day meeting, a debut ceremony and a workshop on Vietnam Creative Commons licence will be held on May 7.
A Vietnam OpenCourseWare (VOCW) project has been developed in Vietnam since 2005 with 14 universities taking part. People are free access and refer to the OCW data.
Former Caracas guerrilla presented friendship insignia
The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) presented the insignia “For Peace and Friendship among Nations” to former Caracas guerrilla Noel Quintero of Venezuela on May 4.
Noel Quintero was honoured with VUFO’s noble distinction for his friendship and revolutionary spirit as well as his contributions to Vietnam’s national liberation and reunification movement in the past and enhancing solidarity and cooperation between Vietnam and Venezuela at present.
In October 1964, Noel Quintero and his comrades captured US Lieutenant-Colonel Michael Smolen to demand the release of Vietnam’s national hero Nguyen Van Troi, who had been sentenced to death by the former Vietnam Republic government for his assassination attempt on Defence Secretary Robert McNamara.
Though he failed, his action greatly encouraged the Vietnamese people in their struggle against US aggressors for national independence.
Addressing the function, Noel Quintero, who is also a founding member of the Venezuela-Vietnam Friendship and Solidarity Association, affirmed that he would make more contributions to strengthening mutual understanding and friendship between the two countries.
Vietnamese doctors provide eye care for Cambodian patients
Forty-six doctors and nurses from Military Hospital 175 and Ho Chi Minh City Eye Hospital on May 4 began a two-day mission in Cambodia to provide eye care and surgery for poor patients.
This is the first charity tour held by the military hospital this year, which was financed by the Vietnam Bank for Industry and Trade (Vietinbank) and the Ho Chi Minh City Development Company.
The Vietnamese doctors brought modern equipment and medicine worth over VND200 million to Cambodia.
Since 2007, Military Hospital 175 has provided health checks-up and treatment to 1,500 Cambodian poor patients.
TB Partnership’s support for Vietnam praised
The Vietnamese Government praises the anti-tuberculosis operations run by the Global Stop TB Parternership in Vietnam and calls for more support from the International Community and the TB Partnership for Vietnam and other countries.
This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan at the 18th Coordinating Board Meeting of the Global Stop TB Partnership in Hanoi on May 4.
The Partnership’s activities have met the urgent need for preventing this dangerous disease and have enabled people to share the responsibility for controlling TB throughout the world.
Due to its own geographical and climatic characteristics, Vietnam finds it difficult in detect and control TB, said Mr Nhan.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Vietnam now ranks 12th among 20 nations suffering from TB in the world, with approximately 150,000 TB patients and 12,000 TB and HIV infections detected annually.
The rise in TB cases is put down to ineffective measures to control the disease, drug abuse by HIV-infected young people, a shortage of medical workers and a failure by patients to abide by treatment methods.
Nghe An celebrates 120th anniversary of late president Ho Chi Minh
The central provice Nghe An is holding a number of activities to mark the 120th birthday of late president Ho Chi Minh from May 2-18.
These activities include a conference on the Party’s newspapers in central and highland provinces, with the theme “Local Party’s newspapers promote the campaign of following late president Ho Chi Minh’s moral example”, an art exhibition and a week long film festival on the late president.
The Provincial People’s Committee has worked with its Department of Culture to prepare for the national Sen Village Festival (the place where late president Ho Chi Minh was born). It will also hold a meeting to mark the 120th anniversary of late president Ho Chi Minh’s birthday.
The Deputy Head of the Provincial People’s Committee, Ho Duc Phuoc, said that Nghe An is a province with age-old cultural and historical traditions and the province is very proud to be the birth place of late president Ho Chi Minh. The province is poised to preserve and develop its traditional values, and translate Ho Chi Minh’s thoughts into action.
Texas Tech University signed deal with VN counter part
Representatives from the University of Technical Education (UTE) in Ho Chi Minh City and the US Texas Tech University (TTU) have signed a memorandum of understanding on undergraduate education programme.
The deal will allow qualified students from UTE to obtain a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering, computer science, finance and banking and business administration from the US university.
They will complete predetermined courses in Vietnam and then transfer to TTU to finish their degrees.
As one of the leading technical education and vocational training institutions in Vietnam, UTE seeks to raise the percentage of educated labour force in Vietnam by 40 percent in 2010.
Vietnam, Japan cooperate in developing transport infrastructure
The Minister of Transport, Ho Nghia Dung, met with visiting Japanese Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Seiji Maehara, in Hanoi on May 3.
They discussed measures to boost cooperation between the two ministries and signed a memorandum of understanding on the construction of a major highway in Vietnam.
The two ministers talked about large projects to upgrade the transport infrastructure, including building an express railway, an urban railway, Noi Bai airport, and Hai Phong international seaport.
They also pledged to create better conditions for Vietnam Airlines so they can operate regular flights to Haneda airport in Japan.
France’s Vision Ethique promotes Vietnam’s tourism
Vision Ethique- a French Travel Company, has coordinated with the Vietnam Culture Centre in France to introduce Vietnam tourism in the presence of many French people and overseas Vietnamese living in Paris.
Vision Ethique introduced places of interest, eco-tourism areas and biosphere diversity in Vietnam to the French public as well as its cultural beauties and tangible and intangible cultures recognised by UNSECO as world heritages.
Vision Ethique Director, Caroline Debonnaire said she has visited Vietnam many times to learn more about Vietnamese culture as she is a French citizen of Vietnamese origin.
In the near future, the company will carry out a number of eco-tourism and cultural programmes in Vietnam to help French people gain a better understanding of the Vietnamese land and people, Mrs Caroline said.
PV
