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Social News 30/8
Traffic
jam reported on Ha Noi-Hai Phong highway
Traffic
congestion was reported along the five-kilometre stretch of the
On
Thursday, the city's Department of Transport divided the highway in two for
repairs on the road's surface. However, a serious traffic jam occurred on the
first day as most of the vehicles on the road were container trucks or
trailers. The congestion grew worse during peak hours between 5pm and 7pm.
On the
second day, the situation had not improved, affecting import and export
activities at ports in the city.
A
representative from a local import-export company said the congestion could
lead to increased costs associated with import and export activities at the
ports, and enterprises might be fined for exporting cargo later than
stipulated in their contracts.
The
repair work on National Highway No 5 connecting Ha Noi and Hai Phong began in
January 2013 and was completed last April. However, subsidence and cracks
have been reported along the route. The 22.7km-long highway sees average
daily traffic of 500 vehicles.
A
China Airlines flight bound for
The
belt loader, a truck that carries the belt from which luggage will be loaded
onto the plane, crashed into the door of the Boeing B777’s cargo bay, the Ho
Chi Minh City airport confirmed on August 27.
The
body of the Taiwanese carrier’s plane, scheduled to take off at 10:50am, was
dented after the collision, while there was no human damage.
The
belt loader was operated by the Tan Son Nhat International Airport Ground
Service Co. The incident occurred when the truck was approaching the aircraft
to load luggage.
The
nearly 300 passengers on flight CI 782 had to spend the night in a hotel.
China Airlines sent an alternative flight to
The
damaged plane has been taken to a local aircraft repair center, as a group of
China Airlines technicians arrived in
On
August 7, a similar incident occurred at the
The
CL350 aircraft was sitting on the tarmac awaiting passengers for the return
flight to
The
baggage truck that caused the tear was operated by the Danang unit of Saigon
Ground Services, which was on its way to serve another aircraft at the time
of the incident.
In
related news, a Vietnam Airlines flight bound for
Nearly
100 passengers were required to remain on the plane while it was towed back
for repairs, according to newswire VnExpress.
The
sub-engine of the aircraft failed to generate power, while the main engine
operated normally, according to the airport’s director, Nguyen Minh Dong.
The
flight finally took off after an hour-long delay.
“It’s
a normal incident; nothing is serious here,” Dong was quoted byVnExpress as
saying. “We asked the flight attendants to notify the passengers of this
technical issue, and the situation was appropriately handled.”
VFF
leader receives US guests
Vice
President and General Secretary of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central
Committee Vu Trong Kim hosted a reception for visiting Professor Mary Ann
Glendon, Commissioner of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom
(USCIRF) in
The
host updated his guest on recent religious activities in
Kim said
According
to the official, religions in
As
many as 296 nursery schools with over 3,600 fully-equipped classrooms have
been built by religions nationwide, contributing remarkably to the country’s
education development, he noted.
For
her part, Glendon said she hopes her country and
In the
framework of the meeting, members from the USCIRF asked about conditions for
religions to be able to become members of the VFF and
Efforts
to protect rights of migrant workers
The
Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs and the International
Labour Organisation (ILO) jointly held a national conference in
The
event looked back at the country’s implementation of recommendations of the
seventh forum and proposals for the upcoming forum, with the focus on labour
safety and hygiene to promote a safe working place, and labour inspection to
ensure the essential rights of workers.
Dao
Quang Vinh, deputy head of the ministry’s International Cooperation
Department, said that this year’s forum has the theme of integration
governance towards better employment and common prosperity in the context of
the formation of the ASEAN Community at the end of this year.
The
Officer-in-Charge of the ILO Country Office in
The
organisation is developing an extra work plan to support work programmes
involved in migrant labour, social welfare, labour safety and tripartite
dialogue of ASEAN labour ministers.
According
to statistics, the number of foreign migrant workers in ASEAN has increased
nearly fourfold from 1980. It was estimated that more than 10 million
foreigners worked in the region in 2013, 87 percent of them holding low- and
medium-skilled jobs. Most low-paid migrant workers are vulnerable to
exploitation, and more than 60 percent of them are not covered by social
insurance.
There
are now nearly 500,000 Vietnamese people working in 40 countries and territories
around the world. Statistics of 2012 showed that 26 percent of Vietnamese
overseas workers were employed in ASEAN countries.
Compensation
urged for houses damaged in highway expansion
Authorities
in this central province ordered concerned agencies, contractors and
insurance agents to cooperate in providing compensation to families with
cracked houses resulting from the expansion of the
Pressure
created by construction vehicles used by contractors on the project has
caused vibrations to reach nearby houses and cracked their walls. The
provincial People's Committee asked the local department of transport to
survey the damaged houses to determine the correct compensation.
The
committee's deputy chairman, Nguyen Xuan Quang, noted that if the
compensation amount is higher than the coverage provided by the insurance
companies, the department must request financial support from the Ministry of
Transport.
The
move is being implemented in light of the fact that several families in the
province's Quang Ninh and Le Thuy districts had refused to give up their land
for the expansion of the national highway section crossing their
neighborhood.
Quang
said fair compensation would encourage those families to have more faith in
the compensation and resettlement policies.
A
report showed that some 1,300 households living near the national highway in
the province have not accepted the compensation rate announced by the local
transport department, creating a major obstacle for the completion of the
highway expansion project in the province.
Vietnam
Culture Week 2015 starts in Laos
The
2015 Vietnam Culture Week began in
The
opening ceremony hosted Lao Deputy Prime Minister Somsavath Lengsavat and
Minister of Culture, Information and Tourism Bosengkham Vongdala, and
Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Vuong Duy Bien, and
Vietnamese ambassador to Laos Nguyen Manh Hung.
Addressing
the ceremony, Deputy Minister Vuong Duy Bien said the event helps promote
cooperation in culture and tourism between
Lao
Deputy Minister of Culture, Information and Tourism Buangan Saphuvong lauded
the significant role of the event in helping Lao nationals to gain a deeper
understanding of
The
week will feature a photo exhibition portraying the cultural life of
Exhibition
on Vietnam - India friendship opens in HCM City
Some
73 documentary photos and 160 publications featuring the friendly relations
between
The
exhibition, themed “
Speaking
at the opening ceremony, Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Preeti Saran
highlighted the cultural and economic links between the two peoples since the
2 nd century, adding that strategic relations have covered defence, trade,
investment, education, human resources and science and technology.
She
expressed her hope that the two countries would work to foster their
relations, given the great untapped potential cooperation.
Meanwhile,
Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Le Thanh Liem underscored
that relations between the two countries have deepened in the past four
decades while expressing gratitude to
He
said that the exhibition will help younger generations gain a deeper
understanding of the growing relations of the two countries.
The
event will run until October 30.
Strict
management required for industrial explosives use
Deputy
Minister of Industry and Trade Hoang Quoc Vuong emphasised the importance of
stricter management over industrial explosives as the product has the
potential to negatively affect the country’s security, defence, social order
and safety.
Speaking
at the ministry’s conference on August 28 to review the management of
industrial explosives and explosive precursors from 2009-2015, Vuong said
that industrial explosives are a special commodity and hold an important role
in economic development as an essential material in mining and construction.
According
to Cao Anh Dung, Deputy Head of the ministry’s Industrial Safety Techniques
and Environmental Agency, all activities relating to industrial explosives
from production, maintenance, transportation and usage to import and export
must be licensed by authorised state agencies and are subject to strict
safety regulations.
In the
next five years, the ministry will continue improving legal documents with a
focus on adjusting technical regulations in line with international
practices.
It
will also expand communications to raise awareness among those involved to
avoid losses and misuse.
According
to the ministry,
Vietnamese
cultural centre in
The
Vietnamese Cultural Centre in
Addressing
the event, Lao Deputy Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Buangan
Saphuvong said the centre has served as a bridge to strengthening the
traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation
between the two countries over the past 20 years.
Additionally,
the centre has contributed to popularising the Vietnamese language and
culture among Lao officials and people as well as meeting the demand for
information of the Vietnamese community in the country, he added.
Vietnamese
Deputy Minister of Culture, Sport and Tourism Vuong Duy Bien thanked the Lao
government and people for creating favourable conditions for the centre to
effectively operate over the past 20 years.
He
expressed his hope for continue support to the centre.
On the
occasion, the Vietnamese ministry presented certificates of merit to
individuals and organisations for their contributions to the centre.-
Support
comes to needy students ahead of school year
Gifts
and scholarships sponsored by philanthropists reached disadvantaged
communities in Soc Trang, Binh Dinh and
In the
southern province of Soc Trang, the Luong Dinh Cua fund run by the provincial
Study Encouragement Association have granted 286 scholarships worth nearly
430 million VND (19,196 USD) to local high school students, many of them are
from the Khmer ethnic group.
Meanwhile,
almost 400 million VND (17,857 USD) worth of gifts and scholarships have
brought joy to children from disadvantaged backgrounds in Quy Nhon city in
central Binh Dinh province.
Representatives
from NAHI Vietnam company have visited and gave scholarships, health
insurances, tuition fees and new uniforms to 140 outstanding poor students in
border areas in the southern province of Long An .
Nearly
11,500 smuggling cases discovered nationwide
Customs
forces nationwide detected and handled nearly 11,500 cases of smuggling and
trade fraud in the first seven months of this year, as heard at a press
conference held by the General Department of Customs in
According
to Deputy General Director of the Department Nguyen Van Can, illicitly
cross-border transported commodities, tax evasion, smuggling, and trade
fraud—especially counterfeit goods—remained complicated in the period.
Smuggled
commodities included drugs, weapons, wild animals, wood, foreign currencies,
imported wines, minerals and electronics. Localities with increases of
smuggling and trade fraud in the period were Hanoi, Hai Phong, Cao Bang, Lang
Son, Lao Cai, Quang Ninh, Ha Tinh, Quang Tri, Nghe An, Da Nang and Ho Chi
Minh City.
The
General Department of Customs plans to apply modern technologies in its
management and inspection activities in order to uncover and prevent
smuggling and unlawful conveyance of goods immediately, especially in border
areas.
The
agency will also focus on supervising commodities that negatively impact
national security, public health and the environment, and enhance its
management of a number of State preferential policies which can be exploited
to seek profits illegally.-
Central
Highlands invests 17 trillion VND in transport infrastructure
Central
Highlands provinces have poured over 17 trillion VND (about 770 million USD)
into transport infrastructure in the last five years, according to the Central
Highlands Steering Committee.
Of the
figure, ethnic-minority groups in the region contributed about 740 billion
VND (34 million USD), accounting for 4.44 percent of the total capital. The
rest was sourced from international organisations and official development
assistance funds.
The
money was spent on building 1,500 kilometres of roads and 474 bridges. As
many as 11,500 kilometres of rural roads were asphalted in the period.
The
region’s transport network has a total length of 39,800 kilometres with 48
percent of its roads concreted.
Currently,
all of the region’s communes have roads for cars to their centres,
contributing to local socio-economic development and national security.
However,
transport infrastructure investment in the region has remained asynchronous
and not fully fleshed-out, said the Steering Committee.
The
Committee has petitioned the central government to implement policies to
mobilise more resources to upgrade the network, especially in remote areas,
in accordance with the plan for the rural transport development by 2020.
The
Central Highlands, one of the poorest regions in
Revolutionary
press on display in Hanoi
Many
French and Vietnamese language press dispatches in the period of resistance
against the French will be displayed at an exhibition in
Entitled
Collection of Vietnamese Revolutionary Newspaper 1925-45, the exhibition is
organised by the National Museum of History from August 28.
Beside
the publications, the exhibition also displays tools used to print newspapers
collected from revolutionary bases in the
The
exhibition shows visitors the difficulty and hardship of page makers in the
past and the sacrifice of journalists, war correspondents and the people who
concealed and protected the editorial officers.
The
visitors will be provided with a perspective on the history of the Vietnamese
revolutionary newspaper in a period which took place in difficulty but glory.
Newspaper
of Vietnamese Revolution plays an important role in the struggle for national
liberation and reunification and the building of the socialist regime, said
Nguyen Van Cuong, the museum's director.
"The
newspaper is a tool and weapon for the Vietnamese Communist Party to mobilise
the masses," he said. "It has a long history which associated with
the history of the nation, especially, the initial stage in 1925-45. In this
stage, revolutionary newspapers contributed to the propaganda of Marxism in
The
exhibition introduces articles of famous communist leaderships of
The
exhibition features five stages of the history of the Vietnamese
revolutionary newspaper.
During
1925-30, newspapers focused on the propaganda of Marxism and communism in
Between
1930 and 1936, newspapers mobilised the mass organisations and contributed to
the struggle in politics and theory. At this time, newspapers were published
in many ways: using wax paper, printing on a slab of stone, printing on clay
and handwriting.
From
1936 to 1939, newspapers supported Marxism, the International Communist,
Soviet, French Communist Party and the struggle for democratic freedom and
press liberty.
Newspapers
of the period 1936-39 followed up the Vietnamese Communist Party's resolutions
and policies at a time when the Party was preparing for the General Uprising
in later 1945. The amount of newspapers was less than those of before,
however, the quality was better and the format was more attractive. At this
time, newspapers were made not only by central organisations but also local
ones.
The
last part of the exhibition comprises pamphlets during August Uprising 1945
period. They declared the crime of Japanese fascists in Indochina and called
people to struggle against
The exhibition
will run permanently at the Vietnam National Museum of History,
Smuggling
fines boost State budget
As
many as 11,500 cases of smuggling and trade fraud have been uncovered in the
first seven months of this year alone, the General Department of Vietnam
Customs reported yesterday.
The
smuggled goods were estimated to be worth nearly VND119 billion (US$ 5.3
million).
According
to the committee, more than VND90.5 billion ($4.2 million) was contributed to
the State budget during this period of time through seizure of smuggled
goods.
"Authorities
nation-wide have conducted spot checks and imposed fines on over 130,000
violations since the committee's establishment in 2014, which helped
contribute around VND4 trillion ($178 million) to the State budget,"
said deputy head of the General Department of Vietnam Customs, Nguyen Van
Can.
"Authorities
have prosecuted over 800 cases and arrested nearly 1,000 violators," he
added.
"The
police, army and customs have been fighting smuggling, trade fraud and fake
products but smugglers are using increasing sophisticated techniques,"
Can said.
The
committee identified the main areas of smuggling including Ha Noi,
"The
most common illegally trafficked products include drugs, weapons, documents,
wild animals, wood, gold, foreign liquor, oil, minerals, cigarettes,
automobiles, machinery, refrigerators, food and many other types of
goods," Can said.
"Offenders
are usually import-export enterprises, people living near border areas and
individuals who often cross borders".
"Fighting
smuggling and trade fraud is very difficult because many local authorities
aren't concerned with anti-smuggling activities," Can said, adding that
the implementation of plans to combat smuggling is limited and lacks
co-operation between relevant agencies.
"Another
sad fact is that the production of contraband had become more sophisticated.
However, most Vietnamese enterprises are indifferent when discovering that
their products had been copied and sold as genuine items," Can
complained.
"Instead
of co-operating with authorities, they avoided the situation, for fear of
affecting their sales," Can said.
To
combat this, the committee is running an online Command Room on a trial
basis, which connects all the data systems of custom supervision.
With
the system, the committee can control and detect fraud and smuggling at
hotspots.
In
line with the Government's target "there is no forbidden zone" in
the fight against smuggling, the customs department has instructed agencies
to impose tough punishment on customs officials who harass individuals and
enterprises.
Businesses
and producers should provide comprehensive product detail to prevent the
illegal trade in counterfeit goods, as it is difficult to differentiate
genuine from fake items, Can said.
Hundreds
of villagers do well with custard apples
Custard
apple farmers in the Bo Ly commune,
Bui
Huy Hung, 57, a local resident, said his family had sold more than ten tonnes
of the fruit since the beginning of August.
"Everyday
my family and I wake up at 4 or 5am to pick custard apples to sell ,"
Hung told Tin Tuc (News) newspaper.
The
family could earn over ten million dong on a good day from custard apples, he
said.
Since
the beginning of the season, prices reached VND40,000-50,000 (US$1.7-2.2) per
kilo. At harvest, the price is about VND30,000 ($1.3), Hung said.
Custard
apple trees bear fruit after two or three years of growth. A tree produces on
average 50 to 100 apples per year with harvest during the rainy season.
Hung
helped his village to boost production of the fruit which in turn helped them
escape hunger and poverty.
His
family began growing these trees in 1980. With more than ten trees in their
garden, his family couldn't eat all the fruit and began selling some at the
market, he said.
"They
were very easy to sell and we earned a lot of money," said Hung.
With
the climate and soil being suitable for custard apple trees he decided to
enlarge his garden after five years.
Now he
has more than 1ha of the trees.
He
said that with this crop he could earn VND100 million ($4,400) this year.
Following
Hung's success, many local households began growing this tree to have a
stable income.
Pham
Thi Sau, 50, said her family had been one of the poorest families in the
commune.
Since
growing custard apple trees her family's life had improved and they now had
financial stability, she said.
Each
year, they harvested nearly 700kg of fruit from 1ha of trees, she said.
Hundreds
of families in Bo Ly commune were very happy with this year's crop as
harvests had been poor in the past when they had to rely on good weather,
Hung noted.
"Some
of us learned new techniques from farmers in Bac Giang and Lang Son
provinces," Hung said.
Tran
The Van, head of the farmer's association in the commune, said there were
over 300 families growing custard apple trees with more than 110ha which earned
them a stable income.
However,
he said the farmers here still needed more capital and training to increase
productivity and quality and build their own brand.
Rice
institute teaches 1,000 delta farmers
Around
1,000 farmers in the Mekong Delta received training in the best rice
cultivation and crop protection practices from the Cuu Long Delta Rice
Research Institute (CLRRI) and
Farmers
from Can Tho and the provinces of Long An, Dong Thap, An Giang, Kien Giang,
Hau Giang, and Soc Trang were taken to experimental fields belonging to the
two, and they also held discussions with researchers, agronomists and experts
from CLRRI and DuPont.
On the
agenda were crop protection technologies, integrated pest management, stewardship
principles, proper use of personal protective equipment, label awareness,
harmful effects of fake products, and resistance management.
"Empowering
farmers through agriculture technology and information is crucial," Dr
Ngo Luc Cuong, former principal researcher in plant protection at CLRRI,
said. "Farmers should be equipped with knowledge and understanding of
how to use crop protection products while minimising environmental impacts.
"The
safe use of the products is also an important element underpinning
sustainable agriculture."
At the
experimental fields, the farmers were taught to clearly identify differences
in leaf colour and thickness, durability of the leaves and estimate potential
productivity.
"To
meet the agricultural productivity challenges in Viet Nam, the public and
private sectors must work closely together to achieve sustainable
solutions," Sittideth Sriprateth, managing director of DuPont Viet Nam,
said.
"With
the extensive knowledge of CLRRI's and DuPont's experts, we have obtained
some positive results initially. We will continue to collaborate for further
intensive researches."
Poor
methods lead to shrimp losses
Hundreds
of once wealthy households in
In
2012, the first households in Hai Ninh commune began raising white leg shrimp
on land by pumping treated sea water into manmade ponds.
The
model was tagged as one of the most efficient ways of raising and conserving
water in the central coastal region.
The
first breeders got rich quickly with to the success of their first shrimp
harvest thanks to the clement weather and unpolluted water. They made profits
of up to VND1.5 billion (US$75,000) from 1ha ponds.
Other
households recognised their success, and decided to jump on the bandwagon.
With limited land in their communes, they moved to other parts of the
province such as Le Thuy, and Bo Trach, and even to neighbouring
In
total, 400 out of the 1,200 households in Hai Ninh Commune started to breed
shrimp.
"In
2013, after witnessing other households making a fast profit from breeding
shrimp, my brother and I also invested all of our money," said shrimp
breeder Mai Van Bung from Hai Ninh.
During
their first season, they made VND1,5 billion. Following their success, they
rented another 3ha pond in another part of the province, but they lost all of
their money when the shrimp suddenly died. Many other households have also
experienced the same problem.
"We
thought we would be able to save our lives by breeding shrimp, but we have
suffered severe financial losses. We owe the bank VND1 billion, and our friends
VND2 billion. We do not know what to do now," said Bung.
Hoang
Minh Doan, a local fisheries expert, said that most households that tried to
breed shrimp were ignorant of the right techniques, and refused to listen to
expert advice.
"To
have enough money to start breeding shrimp, most locals borrowed money from
the bank by putting up their houses as collateral," said Truong Van
Lieu, chairman of Hai Ninh's People's Committee.
According
to statistics from the commune's People's Committee, local shrimp breeders
had borrowed VND151 billion from the bank.
However,
those households want to make back that money from breeding shrimp, but do
not admit that their failure is due to their lack of knowledge; they say it
is due to the inclement weather.
"We
warned locals several times about the risks they were taking by investing in
shrimp farms without knowing the correct techniques. We even decided not to
allocate additional land to stop them from breeding shrimp, but they rented
land in other regions. The commune has 1,200 households, and 400 of them are
in debt. The commune used to be the most developed in the district,"
said Lieu.
Party
may turn urban areas into smart cities
Nhan
spoke at a conference on smart city development held in Ha Noi yesterday. He
said the nation's cities were building more advanced models, aiming to use
new technology and increase development.
Smart
cities are, generally, more modern. They utilise the most advanced
information technology available to improve the lives of citizens and boost
the economy. They also give citizens more opportunities to supervise their
Government by using data from the community to gather feedback and input on
policies and services.
But
before smart cities could be built in
Working
in
Many
countries have made their cities "smart," including
Nhan
said delegates from
Wages
redefined under labour law
To
improve the legislative framework for managing labour and improving workers'
living standards, a slew of changes and updates have been made to the Labour
Code and other regulations.
Tong
Thi Minh, director general of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social
Affairs's Department of Wage and Labour, told a seminar held in
Article
90 of the Labour Code now defines wage as also including allowances and other
payments, which in the past were not included, she said.
Historically,
the labour contract would state only the base salary and employers would pay
social insurance on this amount.
Base
salary plus
But
starting next year, the social insurance premium will be calculated on total
wages (base salary plus allowances and other payments).
Minh
admitted this could cause difficulties for businesses in the short term.
Another
change is that State-owned companies and joint stock companies funded by
Government money no longer have to conform to Government pay scales and can
fix their own wages, she said.
They
no longer need to register their salaries with authorised agencies and can
just send their payroll to district labour management agencies to audit.
The
Government used to periodically amend the minimum wages, but this task has
now been enshrined in the Labour Code. Minh said the Government, based on the
minimum needs of workers, the socio-economic situation and the market wage
rates, has to adjust the minimum wage every year.
The
law makes it contingent on the National Wage Council to calculate the minimum
wage and recommend to the Government.
To
discourage employers from getting workers to work overtime at night (from
10pm to 6am), the law requires them to pay overtime wages as usual plus 20
per cent of normal hourly wage.
The
seminar was organised by business consultancy NVM Group.
Residents
claim fees charged for no service
Residents
in areas with no sewage system in this central province said they have paid
for waste water treatment services, but such services are still not being
provided.
Voters
in the province's municipal
However,
all city dwellers are paying a monthly fee for waste water treatment, which
means residents in wards on the outskirts of the city are paying for a
service that they are not receiving.
Nguyen
Van Huu, a resident of the outlying Bac Ly Ward, said his family had paid the
fee for years, adding that he and other families in the neighbourhood had to
build their own household waste water treatment plant to serve their needs.
The
council requested the department of finance and the local water supply
company, which charges the monthly fee for waste water treatment, to respond
to this charge. However, even a month later, residents of wards on the outskirts
of the city have not received any response from them, while the company
continues to collect the fee.
In
2007, the province received US$79 million from the World Bank to build a
sewage system in
The
practice of adding fees for waste water treatment to monthly water bills in
areas that lack a sewage system is also ongoing in neighbouring Thua
Thien-Hue and Quang Tri provinces.
Source: VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri
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Chủ Nhật, 30 tháng 8, 2015
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