Social News 18/9 Survey to valuate patients’ satisfaction over public healthcare services The Institute of Health Strategy and Policy under the Ministry of Health September 15 announced that it has chosen hospitals such as Tu Du Maternity, Nhan Dan Gia Dinh, Children No.2 and the Center for Preventive Medicine in Ho Chi Minh City for the project of valuating patients' level of satisfaction over public healthcare services. The project aims to investigate in what way people access healthcare services, transparence of information and administrative formality, facilities, medical workers’ behaviors and manners to patients, how far healthcare services can meet patients’ demand, and whether patients can afford medical charges. The project is planned to implement in northern provinces of Yen Bai, Ninh Binh, and southern province of Tay Ninh and Ho Chi Minh City. Legal proceedings against drug trafficker in Quang Ninh Authorised offices have started legal proceedings against a man involved in drug trafficking from Vietnam to China, according to the Mong Cai international border gate in northern Quang Ninh province. Tran Van Truong, born in 1975, was arrested with six cakes of heroin (equivalent to about 2kg) on September 12 in the border area in Ka Long district, Mong Cai city. Truong, who resides in Thanh Thuy commune, Thanh Chuong district, central Nghe An province, confessed that he was hired to transport the drug and received 1 million VND (470 USD) in advance. Truong is a drug addict and has a previous conviction on illegal drug keeping and using. On September 15 in Nghe An province, the provincial People’s Court sentenced three people on charges of drug trafficking from Laos to Vietnam. Nguyen Thanh Tam, born in 1971, was sentenced to prison for life, while Luong Thi Huong, born in 1990, and Tran Huu Tuyen, born in 1979, received sentences of 18 years and 20 years behind bars, respectively. According to the indictment, Tran Huu Tuyen was caught on with three cakes of heroin (equivalent to 1kg) on November 21, 2013 in Chau Tien, Quy Chau district, Nghe An province. Tuyen confessed that he was transporting the drug, worth 15,300 USD, to Vinh city on Nguyen Thanh Tam’s orders. Luong Thi Huong acted as an interpreter between Nguyen Thanh Tam and Lao dealers. For each successful transaction, Huong was paid 100 USD.- Da Nang University Director honoured with Japanese university’s degree Ass. Prof. Dr. Tran Van Nam, Director of Da Nang University, has been awarded Honourary Doctorate Degree of Japan’s National Yokohama University in recognition of his contributions to strengthening the connectivity between the two universities. Prof. Suzuki Kunio, Director of Yokohama University, presented the noble title to Nam at a ceremony on September 16 in the central city of Da Nang . Speaking at the event, Nam thanked Yokohama University for the honour, pledging to continue his efforts to promote the traditional friendship and multi-faceted cooperation between the two universities, thus contributing to enhancing ties between Yokohama and Da Nang cities, as well as between Vietnam and Japan in general. Southwestern Steering Committee visits Khmer people for Sen Dolta festival In the run up to the 2014 Sen Dolta festival in the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang, the Southwestern region Steering committee and provincial officials presented gifts to monks, retired officials and families of the Khmer ethnic group. The delegation wished the Khmer people a joyous and prosperous Sen Dolta festival, and reminded them to protect their crops and maintain social order during the celebration. Representatives of the Union of Patriotic Monks thanked the delegation for their continuous support and financial assistance, which provided opportunities for local residents to improve their lives. According to the Deputy Secretary of the Hau Giang Party Committee, the locality has successfully implemented the Government’s policies on ethnic minorities and religion in recent years. In particular, 2,200 Khmer households benefitted from support programmes providing arable land, clean water and housing, including the construction of 700 new houses. Furthermore, the province is implementing the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 551 on socio-economic development in disadvantaged communes and small villages, building infrastructure, developing effective production models, reducing poverty and supplying residents with clean water. Hau Giang has a Khmer population of more than 26,000 living in over 5,500 households, making up 3.5 percent of the province’s population. This year’s Sen Dolta festival takes place from September 22–24. Sen Dolta is one of the Khmer’s four big annual festivals; the others are Chol Chnam Thmay, Oc Om Bok and the flower-offering festival. EU provides additional 114 mil Euros for healthcare sector European Union (EU) Ambassador in Vietnam Franz Jessen has announced the EU, in October or November, is set to sign a major cooperation programme worth 114 million Euros aiming to improve the quality of healthcare services in Vietnam’s poorest provinces. The announcement was made at a review of the five-year implementation of the Health Sector Capacity Support Project (HSCSP) hosted by the Health Ministry and the EU Delegation in Hanoi on September 16. The EU official assessed this project as one of the most successful funded by the EU in Vietnam in recent years. In her speech, Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said the HSCSP- the EU-funded final technical assistance project for Vietnam in the transitional period of forms of support through the health sector’s budget - focuses on supporting crucial reforms in the health sector towards the overall goal of improving people’s health, particularly the poor, thus contributing to poverty reduction and realization of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) related to heath care. After 5 years of operation, the project has achieved encouraging results acknowledged by the Health Ministry which is destined to multiply this successful model in provinces nationwide. Appreciating the project results, Franz Jessen stated the EU has supported Vietnam's health sector for more than 20 years and plans to continue assisting its health sector for at least another three years in the form of bilateral assistance. HSCSP project is seen as the EU contributions to helping Vietnam’s health sector strengthen institutional capacity of managing better healthcare services. The focus of the project is on improving access to high quality healthcare services, reducing financial risks for patients and families, especially for the poor, and those required to pay healthcare service fees, and enhancing the efficiency of preventive medical services According to the Health Ministry’s Financial Planning Department Head Nguyen Nam Lien, the 114 million Euros funding will help poor people buy health insurance cards. The rate of health insurance participation among the poor remains low, accounting for approximately 2.8 million of total 6.4 million people (about 40%). Earlier from 2009 to September 2014, the EU and the Government of Luxembourg have provided 14.75 million Euros for medical reforms as the way to improve people’s health thanks to improved examination and treatment. DPRK Women’s Union delegation visits Vietnam Head of the Party Central Committee (PCC) Commission for External Relations, Hoang Binh Quan, received Democratic Women’s Union of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) delegation, led by Vice Chairwoman Chae Chun Hui, in Hanoi on September 16. Chae Chun Hui reviewed her agency’s activities in recent times and praised the friendship relations between Vietnam and the DPRK and wished that the relations will grow and flourish in the future. Quan hoped that the DPRK will keep on supporting Vietnam in solving disputes in the East Sea by peaceful means on the basis of international law, for the sake of peace, stability and development in the region and the world. HCM City private schools struggle to survive Private high schools in HCM City are facing problems recruiting students for the new school year. Over the last ten years the private school business mushroomed in HCM City, attracting many students and turning in big revenues. Lately, however, several weaknesses have shown in many of these institutions, creating a declining enrollment rate and financial problems for many of the private schools. A number have gone out of business or filed for bankruptcy. The municipal Department of Education and Training stated that as many as 20 private high schools in the metropolis have been able to attract less than 100 students. In the 2013-2014 school year, Viet My Anh High School attracted only 24 students and Phan Huy Ich High School enrolled only 16. Despite boasting modern educational equipment, several private high schools still find it hard to attract students. Ham Nghi High School enrolled only 79 students during the 2013-2014 school, year while Tran Quoc Tuan High School failed to attract any. Managers of many of these private high schools have admitted that they continued and increasing challenges in enrollment, as most students attend state-owned schools. Pham Thi Thuy Vinh, principal of Ngo Thoi Nhiem High School, said, “We plan to organise ten classes for grade 10, but to only eight of them have reached their enrollment quotas." Several schools have tried to increase enrollment by lowering tuition fees and upgrading their facilities, but the results have not been as expected. Other schools have chosen to change to preschool and daycare services. Anti-corruption teaching material approved The Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) has approved two sets of teaching material on anti-corruption to be used for colleges and universities. The move follows the the government’s decision on bringing anti-corruption teaching content to schools. The material was complied by the MoET and is aimed at raising the awareness of both teachers and students about the fight against one of the most serious problems plaguing the country. The teaching programme was designed to make students understand the concept, characteristics of corruption as well as its bad impacts on society. It also instills the legal and punitive ramifications for those found to have violated corruption law. In 2013, the prime minister issued a directive requiring high schools and institutions of higher learning to include anti-corruption material to their curricula in the 2013-2014 school year. This was after it was piloted for three years in accordance with a government decision issued in late 2009. 50,000 Vietnamese Gmail accounts revealed on Russia forum About 50,000 usernames and passwords for Vietnamese Gmail accounts have been exposed on the website of a forum in Russia, SecurityDaily, a local network security provider, reported. The Vietnamese accounts are among the nearly 5 million Gmail accounts that have been revealed on the Bitcoin forum at btcsec.com, Tran Quang Chien, the executive manager of Security Daily, told Tuoi Tre on Thursday. Security Daily released the information after its experts examined a list of 4,929,090 Gmail addresses and passwords that had been posted on the forum by “Tvskit”, a member, on September 9. It is likely that these accounts were accessed during recent swindling campaigns led by hackers, but there is currently no information regarding attacks on Gmail accounts, Chien said. In order to help Vietnamese Gmail users check whether their account has been disclosed, SecurityDaily has set up an online examination tool at tools.mvs.vn, he said. Users simply enter their Gmail address on the site and the tool will automatically check and inform them of whether or not their addresses are on the list of unveiled accounts, Chien said. He also advised Gmail users to carry out the following steps to protect their accounts: First, if your accounts are on the list of disclosed accounts users, immediately change the passwords to ensure security. Secondly, users should activate Gmail’s “2-Step Verification” function to strengthen the security of their accounts. The 2-Step Verification process adds an extra layer of security to your Google account, drastically reducing the chance that your personal information will be stolen. To set up 2-Step Verification, users are required to follow a process available at https://www.google.com/landing/2step/. Vinpearl joins endangered species conservation efforts Vinpearl One-member Ltd. Company, a subsidiary of Vingroup, has joined other organisations in an effort to protect endangered animals, the People’s Committee of central coastal Khanh Hoa province reported. The company has implemented a number of measures to protect endangered marine species, including sea lions, seals, otters, sharks, and dolphins. It has also invested in an action plan for the 2014-2017 period, in co-operation with the province’s Institute of Oceanography, to conserve dozens of other marine species in Khanh Hoa, contributing to conducting scientific research and increasing public awareness of marine conservation. In 2014 alone, the company plans to invest 4.5 billion VND (214,000 USD) in this mission. Currently, the 3,400 square metre aquarium at Vinpearl Land in Khanh Hoa is home to more than 300 endangered marine species, in a bid to protect and increase biological diversity. Recently, a number of fish species were released from the facility into Nha Trang Bay. Project MORE helps Vietnam deal with war aftermath The Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) introduced the Management of Residual Explosive Remnants of War (MORE) project at a workshop held in Hanoi on September 12. According to Guy Rhodes, Head of Operations at the GICHD, Project MORE is the result of cooperation of 15 countries in Europe and Asia. It supports policy makers in nations contaminated by war to overcome the devastating environmental impacts, particularly in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Nghiem Dinh Thien, a representative of the Vietnam National Mine Action Centre (VNMAC) said Vietnam is working on a decree mandating the overcoming of bomb and mine consequences that can fine-tune with other ongoing activities in the field. Project MORE is to connect experts, technicians, managers and policy makers for mine action cooperation, he stressed. Vietnam appreciates the great significance of project MORE and is willing to support and cooperate with other countries to carry it out successfully.- Vietnamese cardiovascular surgeons use MICS for first time For the first time in the country, Vietnamese surgeons at a heart center of Hospital E in Ha Noi has performed a heart surgery on a 6-year-old patient using minimal invasive cardiac surgery (MICS) method. Professor Le Ngoc Thanh, director of Heart Centerl, September 13 said that the cardiovascular surgeons have conducted successfully with new technique -minimal invasive cardiac surgery that has been used for the first time in the country. Professor Thanh said that if  the operation was carried out in the traditional heart surgery – open surgery, cardiovascular surgeons  must see a patient’s sternum. Moreover, a heart patient will be at high risk of more bleeding; of infection, long scar and stay longer in hospital. With new technique, the incision used for minimally invasive heart surgery (also called keyhole surgery) is about 3 to 4 inches The average stay is 3 to 5 days after minimally invasive surgery, while the average stay after traditional heart surgery is 15 to 20 days. Quang Ngai proposes incentives for underground petrol warehouse The People’s Committee in the central province of Quang Ngai proposed the Ministry of Industry and Trade to take the underground petrol warehouse project in the list of incentive investment sectors under BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer), BTO or BT forms on September 13. The project invested by Petro Vietnam Oil Stockpile Company Ltd was licensed in Dung Quat Economic Zone in 2010 under BO form. Total investment capital is estimated at US$340 million. The first phase with its capacity of 600,000 cubic meters is scheduled to come into operation in the first quarter 2017. Health authority asks verification of human organ sale After some articles mentioned in a human kidney trade ring were released, the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment under  the Ministry of Health asked hospitals which carried out kidney transplantation to report before September 20. According to information from newspapers, there is kidney trade ring and its cunning is often to forge signatures to create fake family ties between a recipient and his ‘donor’ to shield their illegal kidney sales. In order to make this issue clear, the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment has ordered medical clinics in major cities including Hanoi, the central province of Thua Thien –Hue and Ho Chi Minh City to review human organ donation and transplantation procedures following the law. Anyone who breached the law will be held accountable. Besides, the Ministry of Health has also requested hospitals to regularly spread information of human organ donation law among staffs. Hospital leaders have to discover violation to prevent or liaise with related agencies to solve the problem as per the law. Reports of donation and transplantation procedure must be sent to the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment before September 20. The Department of Medical Examination and Treatment said that human organ transplant is a medical achievement to help people with kidney or liver failure have longer lives. Vietnamese doctors have carried out the first organ transplant in 1992 in the Army Hospital. The Southeast Asian country has now 13 medical clinics which can perform organ transplant. Surgeons have so far performed around 1,000 kidney transplant; 46 liver transplants; 11 heart transplants and one multi-organ transplant. 1,400 people regain sight with corneal transplants. Selling organs is banned in the Southeast Asian country. Currently, many people with liver and kidney failure are waiting for transplant surgeries in the country. Many of them died of the disease as there is no organ donation to transplant. Enforcement of bans on food ingredients remains problem Fears over the popular use of certain banned food ingredients has been stirred up concern among consumers and Vietnamese authorities. Results from inspections of food ingredients in Hanoi’s Dong Xuan Market and HCM City’s Kim Bien Market conducted by the Ministry of Health’s National Institute of Food Control (NIFC) last year showed that 31% out of the 608 samples taken failed to meet required standards of origin and labeling. Several banned substances, such as DEHP, a chemical often used in industrial production, but sometimes used as a food and beverage additive. It has been linked to developmental problems in children and hormonal changes. The cases of Hanoi and HCM City are a bit different. The stalls of Dong Xuan in Hanoi normally sell food ingredients alongside other substances, usually contained in large bags or cans with no mark of origin or usage instructions. In HCM City industrial additives are often sold as food ingredients. Many of them are from China and lack proper labeling. "Food safety management in Vietnam is a huge challenge to authorities. In most cases, both the sellers and buyers are unaware they are trading substances banned for food production. However, some food producers are aware of the health risks of these chemicals, yet continue to use them to increase profits," said Vu Thi Trang, of NIFC. According to Trang, public concern has been growing in Vietnam after authorities detected a number of banned substances in foods, including Rhodamin B, a chemical compound used a dye in chili power and dried melon seeds. After the public was made aware of the potential health risks linked to these chemicals, these products virtually disappeared from market shelves. Also, malachite green, an organic compound used as a dyestuff, became controversial. In Vietnam it was mostly used in the aquaculture sector, but also in the production of green rice, a specialty in the country. The substance has since been banned in most countries, including Vietnam. Results from inspections in 2012 and 2013 showed that all rice green samples were free from the substance. Still, DEHP has been found in many jams, jelly and fruit juice products. This chemical is even banned use in the production of toys for children. Again, often, these banned substances were found in toys imported from China. In addition, after the 2013 inspection, Tinopal, a brightener for detergents, was found in noodles. This substance is also banned from the process of food production. Borax and formaldehyde were also found in many food products. Nguyen Van Nhien, from the Ministry of Health’s Vietnam Food Administration suggested that more Vietnamese individuals and organizations involved in the food and beverage industry attend international trade exhibitions and fairs, such as Food Ingredients Asia in order to increase their awareness of food safety issues. First Vietnamese language class inaugurated in Ukraine The Vietnamese Association in Odessa, Ukraine debuted a Vietnamese language class for young children in the community on September 12. Addressing the ceremony, Vietnamese Ambassador to Ukraine and Moldova Nguyen Minh Tri emphasized that educating young children – future generations in the overseas Vietnamese community abroad including Ukraine is of great significance for maintaining the teaching of Vietnamese language, thereby helping Vietnamese generations learn more about the homeland, and traditional culture. Ambassador Tri said that the event has helped young people be fully aware of Vietnam’s sovereignty over  sea  and islands, and motivated them to study well to build a rich and prosperous nation in the future. Sen village management board head Do Xuan Van said  Sen Village will strive to become an economic and cultural centre for Vietnamese community in Odessa. The management board will create the best possible conditions for young generations to preserve and promote the nation’s unique cultural identity. Ministry prioritises afforestation projects The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) is giving top priority to afforestation and reforestation projects in line with Viet Nam's Support Programme to Respond to Climate Change (SP-RCC). Truong Duc, deputy head of the Ministry's Department of Meteorology Hydrology and Climate Change, made this pronouncement at a forum on the sharing of experiences in climate change adaptation pilot projects in Quang Nam last Friday. "The Government had approved a list of 62 priority projects for the SP-RCC, with an estimated fund of VND20 trillion (US$952 million). However, the fund just allocated VND1 trillion ($47.6 million) for 16 projects in coastal and mountainous provinces from 2013 to 2014," Tri said. "Quang Nam and Ben Tre, two provinces in the central coastal and Mekong (Cuu Long) River Delta regions, were designated as areas for further expansion of the country's SP-RCC from 2016 to 2020. Some pilot projects which the Government of Denmark sponsored have benefited thousands of residents in the two provinces," he added. He revealed that the MNRE and other ministries had formulated and implemented more than 200 climate change-related policy actions from 2010 to 2013 under the SP-RCC, with $900 million in funding from the World Bank, Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) and French Agency for Development (AfD), as well as from Canada, Australia and South Korea. According to Tri, exactly 16 of 19 pilot projects in the two provinces were completed, thereby benefitting 28,000 residents. Vo Nhu Toan, deputy head of Quang Nam Province's Climate Change Office, said the province had drafted a climate change response plan on the assumption that 235 areas in 11 districts would become most vulnerable, by 2030, to rising sea levels and temperatures, as well as drought, erosion, storms and floods. "We replanted 40 hectares of mangrove forests and 12 hectares of casuarinas in the coastal communes of Nui Thanh District and constructed sea dykes, embankments, infrastructure for resettlement and multi-function storm shelters with a total fund of VND62 billion ($295,000) from 2010 to 13," Toan said. "The projects have helped in ensuring solid infrastructure and smooth traffic flow, and the buildings and roads are resistant to storms, floods and erosion," he added. "Concrete roads and irrigation channels were designed to ensure smooth traffic flow and efficient farm product delivery. They also serve as docks for fishing vessels and as emergency evacuation pathways in case of heavy flooding. "All pilot projects were built on the basis of a scenario that some districts will be most vulnerable to a rise in sea levels by 2030. It is estimated that 30 per cent of total land in these areas will be submerged by the sea," Toan revealed. The MNRE has also called on businesses and communities to boost the reforestation of mangrove areas, a crucial ecological method to curb carbon emission, rising sea levels and erosion from 2016 to 2020. Health administration capacity improved as 5-year EU-funded project ends The EU has provided aid to Viet Nam's health sector for more than 20 years and intends to continue the support for at least another three years, Franz Jessen, ambassador and head of the EU Delegation to Viet Nam, said. Speaking at a two-day workshop to review five years of the EU-funded Health Sector Capacity Support Project (HSCSP) that opened in Ha Noi on September 16, he said, "we expect in October or November this year to sign a major operation of 114 million euros (US$148 million) in the hope of improving the quality of healthcare services in the poor provinces of Viet Nam." HSCSP is an additional contribution by the EU to help the Ministry of Health strengthen institutional capacity for good governance in the sector and improved health service delivery. The programme is designed to assist government reforms in sector management, paving the way for a programme-based approach for co-operation between the MoH and the EU and interested development partners. It focuses on designing, piloting, and testing reform tools at the ministry and the health departments in the provinces of Bac Ninh, Bac Giang, and Ha Nam while sharing information with 15 partner provinces. "The HSCSP funded by the EU is one of the last technical support projects … in the transitional period to sector budget support," Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said. "The project focuses on supporting important reforms in the health sector towards the general objective of improving the health status of people in Viet Nam, especially those who are poor and near poor, as a contribution to poverty reduction and attainment of health-related Millennium Development Goals. In five years of implementation the programme has yielded encouraging results and the MoH now plans to replicate them nation-wide. "[With] the health sector focusing on reforms to renovate health management for improvement of service quality, particularly the quality of care at local levels, the support from the European Community is a valuable contribution … in efforts to further strengthen the quality of services and expand equal access to quality health services for people in Viet Nam." At the workshop, People's Committee leaders of the three provinces where the programme was piloted signed MoUs with the ministry for commitments to maintain the sustainability of its results. Human resources crucial for nuclear power development Improving human resources is key to the success of Vietnam’s nuclear power development programme, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Tran Viet Thanh affirmed at a seminar in Hanoi on September 16. The event was co-organised by the ministry and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). According to the official, Vietnam has sent 300 students to Russia to obtain degrees in the field, and helped numerous officials participate in short courses abroad in preparation for the implementation of the Ninh Thuan nuclear power plant project. The national steering committee on human resources development in the field of nuclear energy has instructed the Ministry of Education and Training and Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) to focus on personnel training, he said. During the event, IAEA experts shared their expertise in developing nuclear power and increasing the capacity of personnel. They also made recommendations to Vietnam’s relevant agencies on how to fulfill their human resources development plans in a bid to ensure the completion of the Ninh Thuan project on time. Couple detained for brutally beating little daughter Police in the southern province of Binh Duong have detained a man and his wife who assaulted their little daughter so savagely that she had to be hospitalized for treatment of brain injuries last week. Do Trong Minh, 27, and his wife, 26-year-old Nguyen Thi Thuy Trang, were arrested last Friday, September 12, two days after they brutalized their 4-year-old daughter, Do Thi Kim Ngan. The couple will be charged with “intentionally inflicting injury on, or causing harm to, the health of other persons,” pursuant to Article 104 of the Penal Code, police said. The couple’s neighbors took Ngan to the Binh Duong Province Hospital early that day and reported the brutality to the police, who later arrested Minh and Trang for investigation. The couple has not obtained a certificate of marriage, but they have lived as husband and wife in a rented room in the province’s Di An Town for five or six months now, investigators said. They have yet to apply for a certificate of birth for their daughter. Neighbors told police that Minh and his wife had often beat their daughter, but the beating last Friday was the most brutal by far. That evening, when Trang saw Ngan playing on the gas stove, she used a bamboo stick to strike the girl in the buttocks. After giving her daughter repeated lashes, Trang ordered her to kneel down on the floor as further punishment. After hearing his wife shouting at Ngan, Minh went downstairs and beat the girl in the face, head and buttocks with his hands. He swore at her and then tied her hands, all while Ngan remained kneeling on the floor. An hour later, Minh untied his daughter, but forced her to continue kneeling until 12 am the next day, meaning she knelt for four hours. Although the girl had suffered heavy bruises and injures, especially to her head and face, neither Trang or Minh took care of the girl, or brought her to a hospital. At about 3 pm on September 12, Minh – who was looking for a new position after quitting his job as a security guard – was at home, while Trang, who is a seamstress, had gone to work. Since the door to their house was open, neighbors could see Ngan laying motionless on the floor, with many injures on her body. They rushed into the couple’s house and Nguyen Duy Hung, 33, and his wife, Tran Thi Que Nhan, 22, took the girl to the hospital, while others reported the case to police. After examining the girl, doctors said she had suffered from a cranial traumatism, along with other wounds to the eyes and head. However, as the brain injury is rather slight, the girl should recover in a few days and is at a lower risk of subsequent complications, doctors said. She is now able to eat and talk, doctors added. Vietnam investigates international dirty cooking oil case Vietnamese authorities are investigating several international food companies operating in the country after Taiwanese authorities put them on a list of customers buying illegally-recycled cooking oil. Taiwan has fined the Chan Guann Company USD1.6 million for manufacturing and selling what is known in the industry as gutter oil. A large amount of this oil is suspected to be made from waste and sick animals. The Taiwanese government also released a list of Chan Guann's customers who might have been buying the gutter oil from the company. Several of those international companies have operations in Vietnam, prompting the local authorities to investigate. The list includes the Bakery Cafe outlet, owned by Maxim's Group. A representative of Maxim's Group admitted that in the past they have bought oil from Chang Guann. Another familiar name embroiled in the controversy is Bread Talk Concept HK, which runs nine restaurants in HCM City. On September 15, the Food Administration, under the Ministry of Health, announced that they also discovered that the Vietnamese firm Cuu Huong imported two food products that contain illegally recycled oil, including canned cucumbers with pork and canned minced meat with chilli. The administration ordered Cuu Huong to stop distribution and recall those products. Cuu Huong must submit the results to the administration by September 20. Local departments of health and relevant agencies were also asked to inspect their markets and confiscate those products. Source: VNN/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/ND