| Workers electrocuted,
fall from third floor Three construction workers in Phan Rang – Thap Cham central
city were seriously injured after receiving a surprise electric shock and fell
down from the third floor of a building in progress Monday morning. According to witnesses, while they were working on the third
floor, the three moved an iron bar and accidentally struck the mid-voltage
wires nearby. Fortunately, their fall was cushioned by a pile of sand on
the ground and no casualty was recorded. The three are Nguyen Xuan Tan, 17, in Do Vinh Ward, Phan
Rang – Thap Cham, Nguyen Thanh Tuan, 28, and Nguyen Quoc Tuan, 26, both are
from Nhon Son Commune, Ninh Son District, Ninh Thuan Province. HCMC provides
flood-hit residents nearly 139 billion in relief aid Ho Chi Minh City has collected a total of VND139 billion
(US$7.1 million), donated by domestic and foreign individuals and
organizations, for central provinces that have suffered from severe storms and
floods in 2010, the HCMC Relief Committee said on Monday. Deputy chairman of the HCMC Fatherland Front Committee,
Huynh Dang Linh, said that since October 6 to December 24, the city received
nearly VND53 billion and 247,000 kilograms of commodities including rice,
instant noodles, clothes, blankets, milk products and notebooks for central
people. Additionally, media organizations raised a subscription of
VND86.3 billion, with the Sai Gon Giai Phong Newspaper alone collecting VND1.6
billion and 7.5 tons of goods. Moreover, the HCMC has donated VND3.4 billion to purchase
train and bus tickets for workers and poor students from the flood hit
provinces, so that they may be able to return to their homes for the Tet
holiday. The city has also
given presents to workers who are not able to return home for Tet,
because of financial difficulties. Dong Loc bell tower built The construction of Dong Loc bell tower has been completed
and will opened on January 2 in the northern central province of Ha Tinh,
Nguyen Xuan Hung, head of the Dong Loc T-junction relic site, said on
Monday. The Dong Loc bell tower began construction in the same name
commune, Can Loc District on July this year, with a total expenditure of VND27
billion (US$1.4 million). It was funded by donations from individuals,
organizations and businesses nationwide. The seven-floor tower comprises a six-ton bronze bell hung
at the highest floor. The bell, four meters high and 1.92 meters wide, was
casted by the artist Nguyen Van Ung, from the Hoa Mai workshop in Hanoi. The Dong Loc T-junction, which played a vital role in the
transportation of necessities and ammunition, from the north to the south, is
well-known for the story of 10 young unmarried female volunteers, who laid down
their lives to ensure transport on the Ho Chi Minh Trail on July 24, 1968. From 1965-1968, the US army dropped nearly 50,000 bombs
and fired tens of thousands of missiles at the T-junction, in the hope of
cutting off the transport route to the southern front. Dong Loc has become a historical symbol for the nation’s
patriotic traditions. Japan supports better
health care model for mothers, children Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Vietnamese
Ministry of Health (MOH) signed off on a project to support heath care for
mothers and children on December 27 in Hanoi. Representatives of JICA and MOH sign off on a project to
support heath care for mothers and children on December 27 in Hanoi( Photo: Courtesy of JICA) Maternal and Child Health Handbook – a Japanese adapted
health care project will be carried out next year in the northern provinces of
Dien Bien, Hoa Binh, Thanh Hoa, and the Mekong delta province of An Giang. The project will last for 3 years, starting from January
2011, with total budget of 154 million Japanese Yen (equivalent to US$1.8
million) which will provided by JICA. Maternal and Child Health Handbook is a comprehensive
instruction manual with essential information about the physical and
intellectual development of children, from the fetus up to 6 years old. The handbook is convenient for use and storage, as it
replaces existing notebooks and health monitoring graphs, and serves as a
continuing record on the health condition of both mother and child. Mr. Tsuno Motonori, Chief Representative of JICA shared “By
using the handbook, women are much less likely to miss their regular checkups. The
handbooks help mothers provide accurate information, about the child’s
development and vaccination records, for doctors and even schools when
necessary” In Japan
the MCH Handbook was developed and used in 1942 under the name of ‘Maternal
Handbook’, it became a tool in the hands of every mother to ensure the baby’s
health. In 1950s, the infant mortality rate in Japan was 60.1 per 1000 live
births, while the ratio in 2002 was 3.0 – one of the lowest in the world.
Whereas, the infant mortality rate in Vietnam is 15.0 per 1,000 live
births (statistical data from 2008). Based on Japanese experience, MOH have drafted the Maternal
and Child Health handbook, covering four parts: the monitoring of mothers
during pregnancy, taking care of mother and child during delivery and after
delivery, and taking care of the child until 6 years old. The JICA project is going to conduct training activities to
health staff on the contents, ways of usage and distribution to pregnant women,
families with small children, village health workers and volunteers. The most
important activity is to promote the utilization of the book at community
health centers from antenatal check up, at birth, post partum, neonatal and
child health. After piloting at the four provinces, the Ministry of Health
will have a plan for distributing the Handbook nationwide, contributing and
improving the health condition of both mother and child, and achieving
Millennium Development Goals, as committed by the Government of Vietnam. Vietnam
fishermen released from Indonesia,
arrive home Thirty five Vietnamese fishermen that were captured off Indonesia since late last year have been
released and arrived home in the southeastern coastal province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau
yesterday. They recounted that they were arrested by Indonesian
coastguard forces when trawling down the south of the East
Sea, and were then detained on a small
island of Indonesia. The most recent incident is on 14 Dec this year while the
longest held fisherman was detained in October 2009. Another 101 Vung Tau-based seamen held in Indonesia two
months ago also arrived home earlier on 8 Dec. The Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
said that the closeness of the sea borders between Vietnam
and Indonesia
could explain why Vietnamese fishermen accidentally encroached on foreign sea
territory. From the beginning of this year till October, there were 94
incidents with 205 Vietnamese ships and
1,575 fishermen detained by foreign nations, according to VTV channel. Man jailed for
running hostel sex ring A Hanoi
man was sentenced yesterday to 3 years imprisonment for running a prostitution
business at his hostel. The Hanoi People’s Court handed the sentence to Nguyen Van
Ngoc, 48, from Tay Ho district for running a sex business at the Thuy Tien
Guest-House on 26 To Ngoc Van Street (Tay Ho district) in the past two years. Ngoc hired 7 young, long-legged females, offering them cooking
and accommodation. He earned VND85 million ($40,000) from the trade. Ngoc charged customers VND 250,000 ($12) per visit, and
doubled the fee if they stayed overnight. Meanwhile, he paid the girls from
VND70,000 to 170,000 ($3-5) per customer. The judge also handed a 30-month imprisonment to Ngoc’s
employee Nguyen Dang Huyen, 45. Others were jailed 20 months each including Dang Van Hung,
20 from Ba Vi district, Vu Van Lac, 29 from Bac Ninh province, and Trinh Song
Phi, 22 from Phu Tho province. Officials arrested
for stealing VND4 billion from farmers A senior official in Ca Mau was arrested 24 Dec for
embezzling and turning a blind eye to wrongdoings causing a loss of VND3.9
billion ($200,000) to a state budget meant to assist poor farmers. Nguyen Thong Nhan, former director of the province’s
agriculture department and manager of a Vietnam-Denmark fisheries project, is
charged with taking VND55 million and allowing his deputy Nguyen Trung Chanh to
take more than VND120 million ($6,100) for personal spending from the project. They misappropriated the sum by faking receipts for
expenditure on non-existent training courses for farmers in Ca Mau, Vietnam’s
southernmost province. In total, VND3.9 billion ($ 200,000) is estimated to be
illegally spent from the VND7.5 billion ($384,812) project meant to assist
farmers in fish and shrimp cultivation. Nhan was expelled from the Communist Party of Vietnam in
October. Vietnam to establish advanced mathematics research
institute Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has signed a decision to set
up an advanced mathematics research institute. Under the decision, the Hanoi Municipal People’s Committee
is responsible for finding a site for the institute. With an initial staff of 15-20, the institute will have an
office for the Directorate, several departments, a Scientific Council, and
research teams. Funding for the institute’s operation will come from the state
budget and donations by organizations and individuals. Tran Quang Quy, Deputy Minister of Education and Training,
said Professor Ngo Bao Chau, who won the Fields Prize, has agreed to become the
institute’s director. Cargo ship sinks off
Vung Tau, 12 sailors missing Eleven crew members were rescued after a Vietnamese cargo
ship sank off the coast of Vung Tau Tuesday,
but 12 others are missing. The Van Don 2 was coming from Malaysia
to Ho Chi Minh City
when rough seas first listed and then gradually sank it. All 23 crew members jumped overboard but only 11 were picked
up by fishing boats. On being informed of the accident, the Vung Tau Marine
Search and Rescue
Center dispatched a
rescue vessel to the spot to search for the missing people. The vessel, which was carrying steel, belonged to the Quang
Ninh Maritime Transport and Export-Import Joint Stock Company based in the
northern Vietnamese province of the same name. The rescued sailors are reported to be in good health. HCMC police nab drug
ring Members of Ho Chi Minh City Police’s drug squad (PC47) claim
to have broken a large drug ring running ecstasy pills from Cambodia. From December 23 to 28, they nabbed five drug smugglers and
took possession of 3,000 ecstasy pills. On December 23, police reportedly found a man, Nguyen Van
Bong, carrying 1,500 ecstasy bills through Cao Dat-Tran Binh Trong crossroads
in District 5. Bong, who comes from Binh Thanh District in HCMC, is said to
have admitted that he was a member of a criminal gang transport drugs from Cambodia and
selling them wholesale at bars and discos throughout the city and neighboring
Binh Duong and Dong Nai provinces. After extensive investigations, PC 47 police seized another
four alleged members of the gang – and another 1,500 ecstasy tablets. Those arrested were Nguyen Thi Thanh Tuyen, Ngo Minh Luan
from in Binh Duong
Province, Nguyen Hieu Long from Dong Nai
Province and Nguyen Thi
Tuyet from HCMC’s Go Vap District. PC 47 police claim the ring employed sophisticated smugglers
to carry large amounts of drugs through the border with Cambodia. Further investigations are underway. PV | 
