Known MSG brands faked in Hanoi

At a private house in Dan Phuong District Wednesday, Hanoi police found Chinese monosodium glutamate (MSG) is being packaged and labeled with well-known brand names like Japanese-owned Aijnomoto and Korean-owned Miwon.

The police seized a packaging machine and hundreds of plastic bags bearing the Miwon and Ajinomoto trademarks at Nguyen Thi Ha’s house in Thuong Mo Commune.

They also found a large amount of MSG ready for sale.

Ha purchased cheap MSG from China and sold in small packets featuring the trademarks of trusted brands.

The case is under further investigation, police said.

Officials stand trial in Dien Bien Phu corruption case

The Dien Bien Phu Victory statueThe Dien Bien Province People’s Court opened Wednesday a three-day trial of eight provincial officials accused of embezzling VND8.3 billion (US$425,000) from the construction of a statue to commemorate the historic Dien Bien Phu Victory in the war against France.

The officials were charged with “deliberate violation of financial management regulations,” “embezzlement,” “offering and taking bribes,” and “abuse of power” in the VND49 billion project to build the statue.

By using substandard materials and in inadequate amounts, the officials pocketed VND8.3 billion (US$425,000) from the project, according to the prosecutor’s statement.

Among the eight are Luong Phuong Cac, former deputy director of provincial Department of Culture and Information, and Le Van Vien, former deputy director of the project management board.

The statue was intended for the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the historic victory of Dien Bien Phu Battle in 1954, which resulted in the French withdrawal from most of Indochina. The statue was completed in 2004.

However, it developed cracks and rust, and the pedestal on which it is based suffered serious deterioration soon afterwards, prompting authorities to launch an investigation.

It is the second time the case was tried in court.

Last March, the provincial People’s Court opened the first trial but halted after three days because more evidence was needed to clarify the responsibilities of the accused as well as the charges against them.

Luggage rummaged through in Dong Hoi airport

A passenger’s luggage was thoroughly rummaged through at Dong Hoi airport in northern province Quang Binh Wednesday, after Vietnam Airlines’ flight no. 378 from Ho Chi Minh City to the province landed, but so far neither apologies nor compensations have been offered to the victim.

“After the flight, I had to wait for a long time to receive my luggage,” said the victim, Hoang Minh Phu from Quang Binh, currently working in Vung Tau southern city.

He found his suitcase was unlocked, the lock broken, the zipper busted, and the contents in utter disorder, after claiming it from the airport’s customs.

Phu then reported the matter to the airport’s officials and asked them to make an official report on it.

However, Nguyen Van Thong – a representative of Vietnam Airlines, turned down the request and offered him VND200,000 (US10$) of compensation instead.

After one hour of failed negotiation with the officials, Phu called the media for help. With the arrival of a newspaper reporter and facing angry reaction from Phu’s many fellow passengers, the representatives of Vietnam Airlines and Dong Hoi airport agreed to file a report.

“Definitely, they destroyed the lock and searched my suitcase thoroughly for valuables. I was very unhappy with the way Vietnam Airline kept my suitcase and disappointed with their irresponsible attitudes,” Phu told the media.

He wanted a compensation of $200 and a formal investigation into the incident.

Meanwhile, Vietnam Airlines and Dong Hoi Airport’s officials have not shown any commitment to further investigation into the report.

HCMC fake medicine ring to be indicted

Ho Chi Minh City police have asked the municipal People’s Procuracy to lay charges against 14 members of a fake medicine production ring busted last year.

Huynh Ngoc Quang, the 29-year-old alleged kingpin of the ring and the then director of Vietnam-France Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company, is still at large.

On January 25, 2010, the police caught a company employee in the act of delivering fake drugs to a customer in District 10.

Based on his testimony, they stormed into 10 establishments belonging to the company where fake drugs were made and stored in Districts 3, 9, 10,11 and Binh Thanh, Binh Tan and Thu Duc Districts.

They seized 18 packages of fake drugs from the company office, but Quang fled the scene.

The police also seized 12 fake medicine packages from a warehouse in District 10.

It was the biggest fake drug production ring ever broken in HCMC, according to the police.

Fire destroys French building in downtown city

A fierce blaze broke out early this morning and damaged an entire landmark block built in colonial times in downtown Ho Chi Minh City’s district 1.

There is no human casualty but property damage is put at dozens of billions of dong (VND10 billion = over US$500,000) after the fire partially burnt down nearly 10 houses in the block on the corner of Le Thi Hong Gam and Pho Duc Chinh Streets.

A local said the blaze started from the second floor at 0:30 and spread through the whole French-architectural building.

Clouds of thick black smoke covered the roundabout between Quach Thi Trang Street and the iconic Ben Thanh market. Authorities later sealed off the area.

The fire caused hundreds of residents to exit the building to nearby streets in panic.

Meanwhile, hundreds of policemen and firefighters arrived at the scene and using turntable ladders and fire hoses, managed to control the fire at 1am in the morning.

The damaged block has been home to small household businesses selling electronics, clothes, and gas tanks for years.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Hanoi to receive UNESCO world heritage certificate for Saint Giong

The Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism announced that the city of Hanoi would organize a ceremony to receive the UNESCO certificate in recognition of the Saint Giong Festival on January 22.

This Vietnamese traditional event has been well preserved for thousands of years by many generations.

The values of tradition, culture and religion of the festival are still supported and upheld. Even though there have been many challenges from our modern society.

In addition, a national action program on protecting and promoting heritages’ values from 2011 to 2015 will be launched at the ceremony.

Man jailed 2 years in first flat tire scam bust

A man was Tuesday sentenced to two years in jail for laying sharp metal objects on the highway to trap passing motorcycles after which he would charge rip-off fees to mend their punctured tires.

A court in the southern Binh Duong Province handed out the sentence to Nguyen Van Cong, 20, of the northern Ninh Binh Province who thus becomes the first person to be jailed in flat tire scams prevalent in suburban highways for years.

He was caught red-handed scattering the triangle-shaped metal pieces on the Binh Duong Highway by local police on August 16, 2010.

He had spread around 70 objects every morning since last August, the indictment said.

Whenever a motorist brought their broken bikes to his bike shop, he would charge them VND45,000-50,000 (US$2.3-2.5), around three times higher than normal.

He earned VND150,000-200,000 a day, or even VND500,000 at weekend, just from bike fixing.

Cancer-causing agent found in HCMC cooking, seasoning

Health inspectors have found a cancer-causing agent in three of 23 samples of food and seasoning seized from city-based markets and supermarkets, Ho Chi Minh City Health Department told the media Thursday.

Tests on the three products seized last month from two markets found them containing Rhodamine B, a chemical compound used as a dye which local scientists said should not be used to color food or medicine.

It is meant only for dyeing plastic goods and textiles.

The inspectors said the carcinogenic sample of dried watermelon seeds, a popular snack for Vietnamese people in the Tet (lunar new year) holidays, was seized from Tan Dinh Market in District 1.

Two other carcinogenic samples of chili powder were found in the Tan Dinh Market and Nguyen Van Troi Market in District 3.

The Health Department has ordered to destroy the tainted products and investigations into their origin are still underway.

In related news, the department said it had closed 16 of 232 food supply establishments in the city for violating food hygiene regulations after a three-month inspection.

Ca Mau man catches big iguana

A man in the Mekong Delta province of Ca Mau on Thursday caught a 73-cm iguana that locals say is the biggest they have ever seen.

Duong Van Son, 50, of Ca Mau City saw the 250-gram iguana running across a street. He and other passers-by chased after the lizard and captured it.

Son said he would keep the iguana as a pet.

Iguana is a genus of lizard native to tropical areas of Central and South America and the Caribbean.

Iguanas have excellent vision and are able to see shapes, shadows, colors, and movement at long distances. Iguanas use their eyes to navigate through crowded forests, as well as for finding food.

They use visual signals to communicate with other members of the same species.

Vietnam Airlines aircraft hit by truck

A Vietnam Airlines aircraft was hit by a truck at Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat Airport as it was waiting to leave for Hanoi Friday morning, and its engine shaft was badly damaged.

There were more than 200 passengers aboard the Airbus A330-200 plane which had to be taken away for repairs. Another aircraft was arranged in two hours to ferry them to Hanoi.

The truck was operated by the Tansonnhat International Airport Ground Handling Services, a Vietnam Airlines subsidiary.

Vietnam Airlines said the truck driver has been suspended pending further investigations.

Contrabands flood HCM City as Tet nears

Transporting goods through a border gate in Lang Son provinceThe trade of liquor, beer, dried foods, garments, fabrics, cosmetics, and cigarettes, mostly smuggled from China, has become hotter in Ho Chi Minh City as Tet is coming.

Last week, the city Market Control Department seized a large number of dubious handbags, footwear, wallets, and garments bearing famous brand names, said Ly Ngoc Thang, head of the Control Team 3A.

Hot spots trading in the contrabands include Ben Thanh Market, An Dong Market, and Square Saigon Center.

The department said An Dong is a hub selling illicit garments while Binh Tay is a center for smuggled dried foods.

A trader named My Hien at An Dong said on January 12 she purchased jeans and T-shirts without lawful invoices at VND70,000-80,000 (VND3.5-4) each for jeans and VND 40,000-50,000 each for T-shirts.

They were VND10.000-15,000 cheaper than goods sold on official markets, she said.

At Binh Tay, plastic slippers, shoes, handbags, backpacks illegally imported from China are displayed for sale in large quantities.

Traders said they sold them at half prices compared to domestically produced products.

In the past week, the market control department uncovered 37 cases involving trading in illicit goods, 80 percent of which came from China.

At Vinh Thang Co., Ltd. in An Lac Ward, Binh Tan District, the Market Control Team 5A seized 800 kg of shiitake mushrooms, 200 kg of white peziza, 290 kg of chestnuts and some other dried foods worth a total VND275 million (US$13,500).

They were all illegally imported from China.

Cosmetics are among the most smuggled goods these days, with 5,400 made-in-China eye pencils and eyelash curlers being detected without vouchers or import documents at a shop on Phung Hung Street, District 5.

Similarly, authorities seized 1,039 beauty items made in Thailand without documents at another shop.

Most recently, about 2,600 kg of cloths and 2,700 garment items without clear origins at the An Dong Market were confiscated.

As for cigarettes, liquor and beer, most wholesalers purchased them from the Moc Bai Duty-Free supermarket in the southwestern province of Tay Ninh and then distributed them to retail traders across the city.

Newspapers to welcome Tet at city fest

The Ho Chi Mihn City Department of Information and Communications and Journalists Association will hold a newspaper festival next week to mark Tet (the Lunar New Year) at the Youth Cultural Center.

The two-day festival opening on January 20 will have 45 booths displaying publications by newspapers, magazines, radio channels, and newswires.

Journalists will be on hand to talk to visitors and discuss Lunar New Year special editions.

Visitors can vote for their favorite publications in a poll run by the organizers. Students will get free copies of newspapers.

The opening day will also feature a music and fashion event titled Thong diep mua xuan 2011 (A note from Spring 2011).

The Center is on Pham Ngoc Thach Street.

Boy, 13, rides motorbike on Ho Chi Minh City street

A photo captured from the video clip on VnExpress newswire Newswire VnExpress has a clip of a 13-year-old boy riding a motorbike on a quiet street in Tri Kiet residential area in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 9 last Monday.

A few bystanders gawk at him but no one tries to stop him. One man even kick-starts the bike after he got off to buy some snacks from a street vendor.

In the clip sent in by an unidentified reader, the boy, known only as Phuoc, stands with his feet near the gear and brake areas and rides around the residential area at a fair clip.

He briefly stops to buy some dry fish and asks a man to start the bike for him.

Phuoc, who looks around eight years old, told bystanders that he has been riding a motorbike for a long time.

It is illegal for people under 16 to ride motorbikes in Vietnam.

City follows strict quality control on food products during Tet

With Tet approaching it is imperative to monitor food hygiene and organise a system of quality control at various food processing and business establishments in co-ordination with food inspectors as well as the police.

Ho Chi Minh City Health Department inspectors checked seven jam processing units in districts 11, 6, Tan Binh and Binh Chanh on January 11.

They found the jam processing units were still not up to modern standards. In addition, water, air and soil pollution was also a reason for food contamination.

Though compared to earlier years, the situation has greatly improved. Most units now have business licenses and regularly check the health of their staff and use authentic raw materials.

The inspection team checked many units and warned them to overcome their weaknesses and shortcomings and to constantly monitor the production.

During Tet, the demand for food items increases and therefore the volume of production rises greatly, making it all the more important to lay high stress on food hygiene and quality standards.

The department aims to strictly follow control measures in granting certificates to food units keeping in account hygiene conditions and workers’ health and even imparting training on food hygiene and food standards to meet optimum levels of quality control and protect consumers.

MOLISA proposes $15.5 million gifts to revolutionary families

The Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs has sent President Nguyen Minh Triet a proposal of offering gifts worth cost VND309 billion (US$15.5 million) to those families who lost their relatives for the country during the Lunar New Year.

Under the proposal, every family will receive a gift worth VND200,000 – VND400,000 from the State President.

Every year, on the occasion of the ‘Tet holiday’ and the ‘Dead and Wounded Soldiers Day’ (July 27), the State President plans offer gifts to people for their distinguished service to the country.

Although each gift is small, it shows the State and Party’s sentiment concerning wounded soldiers and revolutionary martyr’s families.

Cold fronts cause thick fog in HCMC

Affected by the northern cold fronts, several southern provinces have experienced thick fog in mornings and at night since Thursday. The thick fog also caused showers to develop in Ho Chi Minh City.

Nguyen Minh Giam, deputy director of the Southern Regional Hydro Meteorological Center said that the cold fronts affecting the north have made the south more humid, resulting in foggy conditions.

Poor visibility and foggy condition might last another several days, said Mr.Tăng.

Meanwhile, the northern weather has been sunny but very cold in many places.

The National Hydro Meteorological Forecasting Center said that a new cold front is heading into northern Vietnam and will affect the area from tonight onwards.

From tomorrow, it will create scattered showers in the northern region and medium to heavy rains in the central region.

Northern provinces will remain extremely cold and continue to experience icy condition, the center said. The common temperature in mountainous areas will only be 4-6 degrees Celsius.

In related news, head of the Livestock Production Department Hoang Kim Giao said yesterday 5,268 head of cattle have died because of the cold weather in the north.

Reservoir in Central Highlands region starts to fill

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Irrigation Construction and Investment Management Unit No.8 and No.4 on January 13 blocked the water flow from the Krong Buk Ha reservoir.

Located in the Ea Phe commune, Krong Pac District in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak, the reservoir is one of biggest irrigation projects in the region.

With a capacity of 110 million cubic meters of water, the reservoir is able to supply water to more than 11,400 hectares of trees for the Krong Pac District and help to a part of cultivated land for the Ea Kar District.

The project will supply fresh water to over 72,000 households in the province, as well as aiming to control any floods that may be experience in lower areas of the river. It also aims to improve the water environment of the province.

The project started construction in June 2006.

PV