Social News 29/10 Four people jailed for exploiting endangered trees The People's Court in the central Nghe An Province's Que Phong District yesterday jailed four people for a total of 19 years for exploiting endangered and precious timber trees. Forty-year-old Luong Van Tam, 36-year-old Vi Van Hoai and 21-year-old Vi Van Binh from Que Phong District were sentenced to six years, five years and four years in prison, respectively. Cao Minh Quyet, 29, from Quy Hop District was also sentenced to four years in prison.  The convicts were caught in the act while they were illegally exploiting 253cu.m of Viet Nam conifer (cunninghamia konishii) trees in Pu Hoat Nature Conservation Centre in Que Phong District on July 3.  The Viet Nam conifer trees are a genus of one or two species of evergreen coniferous trees of the cypress family. It is native to northern Viet Nam, China, Taiwan and Laos.  The Viet Nam conifer is used mostly for building houses and temples and is known for its soft and highly durable scented wood.  HCMC has financial difficulties in anti-flooding Ho Chi Minh City has made more efforts to tackle rampant flooding after heavy rains and high tides, however implemented measures have solved the top not the root of the issue because of fund shortage. The statement was made by deputy chairman of the city People’s Committee Nguyen Huu Tin at a meeting of the city Economics and Budget Committee under the People’s Council on anti-flooding progress on Tuesday.  A representative of the Steering Center for Urban Flood Control Program reported that the city has set targets to clear inundation over 106.4 square kilometer center area with about 3.3 million residents, reduce flooding in north Tau Hu and Tan Hoa-Lo Gom canals including districts 6, 11, Tan Phu and Binh Tan and parts of districts 6, 8 and Binh Thanh. The rest area stretching 457 square kilometers with 3.4 million people must reduce 70 percent of rain-triggered flooded spots and 50 percent submerged spots due to high tides, and prevent flooding from occurring in new places, according to the targets.  To obtain these issues, the city must build 6,000 kilometers of sewer types over 581 square kilometers but has been able to complete over 43 percent of that. Installation of the 3,400 remaining kilometers has yet to be implemented putting many areas in danger of re-flooding. Deputy Head of the Economics and Budget Committee Nguyen Van Lam said that not only sewer works but also reservoirs have been constructed very slowly, such as Khanh Hoi reservoir in District 4, Bau Cat in Tan Binh and Go Dua in Thu Duc. In addition, climate change has worsened flooding in recent years while tide-control dykes have yet to be built. Explaining reasons for the late construction of sewers and reservoirs, deputy chairman Nguyen Huu Tin said that state budget shortage has not permitted the city to implement drastic measures to absolutely tackle the issue. Many parts of HCMC are located at an average elevation of one meter above the sea level. The city is also surrounded by three large rivers Dong Nai, Sai Gon and Vam Co Dong. Therefore, when a rain of about 140mm precipitation happens at the same time of high tide, two thirds of the city will be submerged. Such rains just occurred once every 2-3 years previously but four times a year now during longer time, from 30-60 minutes.  Thousands of billion of dong have been spent on dredging canals but residents have kept littering. Some canals have been choked with garbage again within a few months after being dredged. The Prime Minister has allowed the city to build nine big sewers and 68 smaller ones to prevent high tides and some important dyke sections in crowded areas. However, these works need about few billion U.S. dollar which the city has been unaffordable for.  The Government has permitted local authorities to seek loans from official development assistance or the World Bank but it has not been an easy measure. Over 20,000 Vietnamese people die annually due to lung cancer In Vietnam, two types of common cancer with the most deaths are lung and liver, said Dr. Nguyen Chan Hung, chairman of the National Cancer Association, at a forum themed " Something about lung cancer" held in Ho Chi Minh City lately. It is also common disease in the globe, added Hung. It is estimated that more than 1.8 million fresh cancer cases are reported per year in the world and nearly 1.6 million people die due to the disease. In the Southeast Asian nations, lung and liver cancer cause most deaths. It is predicted that  there are 22,000 fresh lung cancer cases and this disease kills around 20,000 people per year. In addition to encouraging people quit smoking, Vietnam's health sector has applied advanced treatments of the world to cure patients and help improve their lives.  Six local properties among the finest in Asia Six hotels and resorts in Vietnam are among the finest properties in all of Asia, according to readers of Conde Nast Traveler magazine. The prestigious international travel magazine unveiled the results of its annual Readers Choice Awards last week, with the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, the MGallery La Residence Hue Hotel & Spa, the Sofitel Saigon Plaza Hotel and the Park Hyatt Saigon Hotel making the “Top Hotels in Southeast Asia (excluding Bangkok and Singapore)” list and The Nam Hai and Anantara Hoi An scoring places on the “Best Resorts in Asia” list. As with last year, the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi was the highest rated Vietnamese hotel (3rd), and The Nam Hai the highest rated Vietnamese resort (12th). Both properties, as well as MGallery La Residence Hue Hotel & Spa, are members of Quintessential Collection Vietnam, an exclusive group of hotels and cruises that recently launched a website (www.quintessentialcollectionvietnam.com) it hopes will serve as the single most important resource for affluent travelers in Vietnam. This year, Conde Nast Traveler readers also voted for their 30 favorite cities in the world. Of the five Asian cities to make the cut, none are in Vietnam. Kyoto, at No. 9, was the only Asian city to crack the top 10. More than 128,000 travelers took part in this year’s Readers Choice Awards — the most in its 28-year history, and up more than 50,000 from last year. Voting is conducted through a secure website, with responses tabulated by Equation Research. Readers evaluate candidates on a set of criteria using a Teligible for an award. The Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi comes third in the “Top Hotels in Southeast Asia (excluding Bangkok and Singapore)” list. US, Vietnam mark 20 years of medical cooperation The Ministry of Health and the US Embassy on October 28 celebrated the 20th anniversary of Vietnam-US medical cooperation and normalized bilateral relations in Hanoi. Addressing the ceremony, Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien and Ambassador Ted Osius praised the tremendous achievements both nations have recorded in the healthcare sector over the past two decades. According to Minister Kim Tien, after the US lifted its embargo and normalized relations with Vietnam in 1996, the two countries have intensified many new areas of cooperation such as vaccine research, epidemiology for the prevention of diseases and HIV/AIDS and training of medical workers. During the visit to Vietnam in 2000, US Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala signed a joint statement on health cooperation between the two countries. Vietnam-US medical cooperation has progressed across numerous key areas, principally HIV/AIDS prevention and control, preventive medicine and science and technology. Non-governmental organizations of the US have also considerably contributed to the medical cooperation between the two countries through medical infrastructure support programmes at Hue Central Hospital. They have also helped expand and upgrade the Central Children's Hospital while providing medical equipment and training human resources, supporting vaccine production and providing scientific evidence of disease and mortality for policy making process in Vietnam. Their assistance has also been focused on community-based rehabilitation, medical staff capacity improvement, voluntary medical examination and treatment, expert exchange, techniques and advanced healthcare models. In addition to bilateral cooperation, Vietnam is considered an active partner at multilateral cooperation forums in the lower Mekong region initiated by the US such as  Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI)) and Mekong Basin Disease Surveillance Network (MBDS). Minister Kim Tien said she hopes in the next 20 years, bilateral medical cooperation will continue to grow steadily as a practical contribution to further strengthening the ties of friendship and cooperation between the two governments and peoples. Speaking at the celebration, Ambassador Ted Osius highlighted increased medical cooperation between Vietnam and the US in many other areas such as prevention of TB, malaria, harmful effects of tobacco, and infectious diseases, food safety and supporting people with disabilities. On the occasion, the Vietnam Ministry of Health presented “People’s Health” Insignia to seven US diplomatic staff while 40 Vietnamese staff were awarded Certificates of Merit by the US Embassy in recognition of their contributions to bilateral healthcare cooperation activities. Quang Ninh to open pilot public administration centre Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has agreed to establish a pilot public administration centre in the northern province of Quang Ninh. The centre will be a full legal entity with professional departments. Its headquarters is located in Ha Long City. The PM instructed the provincial People’s Committee to stipulate the centre’s function, responsibilities, organisational structure, rights and activities with other relevant authorities. The centre will provide guidances on administrative procedures, receive and solve individuals and organisations administrative documents while proposing solutions to administrative reforms. The province’s administrative procedure reform has made progress. The province cut 196 administrative procedures out of 1,284. An electronic email system has been applied at all administrative offices. In the province, 238 units and localities have developed and applied the quality management system ISO 9001:2008 for the State’s managing offices’ activities. Vietnam-India friendship festival held in India The seventh Vietnam-India friendship festival took place in Hyderabad in India’s Telangana state on the night of October 27. A concert by Vietnamese and Indian performers made the night memorable.  The All India Peace & Solidarity Organisation (AIPSO) Secretary General Pallapb Sein Gupta reviewed the past six festivals, saying each offered the countries’ people an opportunity to recall the important milestones in the time-honoured friendship and cooperation founded by late President Ho Chi Minh and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and fostered by generations of leaders and people.   Telangana Finance Minister Etala Rajender lauded the two nations’ relations and expected more cultural events and delegation exchanges to be held to facilitate mutual understanding and stimulate trade.  Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) President Vu Xuan Hong said the occasion could provide participating officials an opportunity to review past bilateral co-operation and discuss ways to elevate ties.  He said the festival was held at a meaningful time, just after 70-year celebration of Vietnam’s August Revolution and National Day and prior to the 65 th founding anniversary of the VUFO.  The VUFO, the Vietnam-India Friendship Association and the AIPSO organised the event.  Earlier, Vietnamese participants met with AIPSO leaders, who reaffirmed love and strong support for the heroic Vietnamese nation. Equality gender initiative launched On October 28, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Hanoi and the Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training co-hosted a ceremony to launch the initiative “Gender Equality and Girls’ Education in Vietnam: Empowering girls and women towards a more equal society”.  In a speech, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Thi Nghia said the Ministry of Education and Training is carrying out radical innovation and comprehensive education and training. Therefore, promoting gender equality and education for women and girls in the process of comprehensive education reform will be a priority of the Ministry in the time to come. The initiative is designed to provide technical assistance to ensure gender equality in curriculum and textbook reforms, train education managers and policymakers, and design new teaching and learning materials.  Head of the UNESCO Office in Hanoi Katherine Muller-Marin emphasized that gender equality is a global priority of the UNESCO coupled with efforts to promote the right to education and support the implementation of national development goals (SDGs) in Vietnam. The Initiative for gender equality and education for young girls in Vietnam is of great significance as it will contribute to help the education sector continue implementing SDGs on education and gender equality. The implementation of SDGs requires basic skills and knowledge to harmoniously resolve issues pertaining to society, economics, the environment, protection of natural resources. Consequently, implementing SDGs heavily depends on the quality of education, said Katherine. She also recognized the private sector’s financial assistance to the initiative and called for other sectors to get involved, adding that UNESCO is a trusted partner of Vietnam and willing to aid the country in building a sustainable learning society.  UNESCO is coordinating with the UN Entity for General Equality and the Empowerment of Women, the UN Population Fund and the UN Development Programme to provide technical support for the initiative. Vietnam, Belgium enforce educational ties A five-day Vietnam-Belgium educational forum was recently held in Brussels to review the 13-year VLIR-UOS scholarship programme in Vietnam.  The VLIR-UOS was founded by the Flemish Interuniversity Council (VLIR), an overarching consultative organisation between the Flemish universities and the Belgian government.  Top Belgian universities such as Gent, Antwerp and Leuven, and 10 Vietnamese partner universities and institutes took part in the forum.  Vietnamese Ambassador to Belgium Vuong Thua Phong underscored the scholarship’s valuable contributions to Vietnam’s postgraduate education, noting the nation’s high demand for stronger academic ties in food biotechnology, environment-natural resources, public health, public policy and judicial reform.  Belgium grants Vietnam nearly 100 scholarships annually and approximately 2,000 Vietnamese students are educated in the European country each year.  In late 2014, the two governments signed a pact to help Vietnam build up its manpower capacity to create an industry based on intellectual property by 2020.  Next November the joint cabinet will meet in Brussels to discuss future plans for co-operation. Exhibition asserts Vietnam’s ownership over Hoang Sa, Truong Sa Exhibits affirming Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Spratly) and Truong Sa (Paracel) archipelagos are being showcased in Nui Thanh district in the central coastal province of Quang Nam from October 27. Documents issued between the 17th and 20th centuries, including a crucial collection of imperial records from the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945), are on display. Some 95 maps and four atlases at the event also record the process of establishing, exercising and staking out border markers on the Truong Sa and Hoang Sa islands. Notably, 102 publications in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian and Dutch also provide strong evidence that Hoang Sa and Truong Sa belong to Vietnam. Relic sites, the “Le khao le the linh Hoang Sa” (Feast and Commemoration Festival for Hoang Sa soldiers) and the livelihoods of people on Truong Sa archipelago are also featured through photos and images. The exhibition aims to raise the public’s awareness, and encourage Vietnamese nationals to protect and affirm national territory. Sex workers given health care, vocational training support More than four hundred young female sex workers in Hanoi have received free healthcare services, and more than 120 have been given vocational training and support to start their own businesses, a conference recently heard. These results came from a three-year-project between the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and Plan International Vietnam. The project, targeting 400 female sex workers under 25 in the city, was launched in 2012. Under the VND9 billion (US$405,000) project, these women have been provided with health check-ups over the past three years. Eight vocational training courses have been organised to help 82 young prostitutes, including hairdressing, graphic design, bartending, and marketing. Each course ran for three months and was free of charge. More than 40 women launched careers in these sectors with monthly income of VND3-5 million (US$135-225). Those who earned less than VND2.5 million (US$112) per month or had a child to raise would be supported VND750,000 during their first three months of work. The project has allocated VND500 million (US$22,500) to support 43 women to start their own businesses. Most of these businesses were reported to earn a profit of at least VND4 million (US$180) per month. An ex-sex worker in central Nghe An Province, who wished to be anonymous, said that she now ran her own shop after ten years of working as a prostitute in Hanoi. Her life had been improved, she said. Phan Thi Lan Huong, a lecturer at Hanoi Law University who evaluated the project, said that the project had succeeded in approaching female sex workers, understanding their difficulties and building supportive programmes for them. Le Thi Ha, deputy head of the Anti-Social Evils Department under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs said that the ministry hoped that the project could be applied in other provinces to help more sex workers. She also encouraged more non-governmental organisations to join the project. Unofficial statistics showed that there were about 3,000 female sex workers in Hanoi. Chinese-contracted railway project in Hanoi suffers 57% cost overrun A Chinese-sponsored railway project in Hanoi, whose construction is infamous for causing a series of accidents, has been hit by yet another scandal as it is expected to cost 57% more than first thought. The Railway Project Management Unit is seeking approval from the Ministry of Transport to increase the total investment in the Cat Linh – Ha Dong urban rail project to US$868.04 million from the previous estimate of $552.86 million. The $315.18 million cost overrun is calculated by Transport Engineering Design Inc. and assessed by the Institute of Construction Economics under the Ministry of Construction, according to the project management unit. The total investment must be hiked because the actual construction of many units under the project is different from their design, and there are many extra components, the management unit said. For instance, while the project is designed to have two-story terminals, three-story ones have actually been built, which led to higher construction costs, it elaborated. The Cat Linh – Ha Dong urban railway project broke ground in October 2011, with US$419 million of the initial investment estimate covered by China’s official development assistance (ODA) loans. China will add US$250.62 million to cover part of the US$315.18 million cost overrun, whereas the Vietnamese side will increase its capital contribution to US$198.42 million from the previous US$133.86 million. Vietnam will thus have to take a massive US$669.62 million ODA loan from China for the project. The Vietnam Railway Authority, under the transport ministry, is the project developer, whereas China Railway Sixth Group, a subsidiary of construction conglomerate China Railway Group, is the EPC (engineering, procurement, and construction) contractor. Under an EPC contract, the contractor designs the installation, procures the necessary materials, and implement the project. The Railway Project Management Unit said the project has so far had construction work worth VND5.9 trillion (US$263.39 million) completed, or 66% of the initial investment estimate. Construction of infrastructure for the project will likely finish by the end of this year and it may officially go on stream in March 2016. The Chinese-contracted Cat Linh – Ha Dong urban railway project has been hit by several scandals since groundbreaking. The project will use 13 trains provided by China’s Beijing Rolling Stock Equipment Co. under a $63.2 million supply contract, which has met with strong objection by local members of the public as well as experts in the field. Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang has said it was “force majeure,” or an unavoidable circumstance, because Vietnam is required to buy trains made by Chinese companies as per the contract signed with China. Also in June, the project was blasted as locals noticed its rail were 'wave-like' and comparable to those of a roller coaster. The wavy parts of the railway can easily be seen with the naked eye, raising safety concerns among local experts and members of the public. In August the EPC contractor of the project was admonished by the Railway Project Management Unit for “causing many accidents related to labor safety.” The warning came two days after a bar of steel fell from a construction site of the project onto a four-seat car traveling below, almost killing the driver. Quang Ninh aims to boost ICT development The Department of Information and Communication of Quang Ninh province and Microsoft Vietnam signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on information and communication technologies (ICT) development in the locality on October 27. With the move, the northeastern province aims to foster international ICT cooperation in production, services, education and training in a bid to meet the requirements of industrialisation and modernisation and draw more international investment.  Vivek Puthucode, Vice President of Microsoft Asia Pacific, vowed that the group will support the province in developing ICT human resources and ensuring information and cyber security, thus facilitating investment inflows to the province.  Under the MoU, Microsoft will develop measures to build a smart city in Quang Ninh based on international experience and local conditions. Director of the department Mai Vu Tuan said the locality has implemented a number of programmes to enhance ICT application in various sectors, including e-governance development, smart schools and smart traffic systems, among others. RoK-funded upgrades to dilapidated bridges to begin soon Six downgraded bridges will get a facelift in the near future with concessional loans of the Republic of Korea (RoK)’s Government, according to the Ministry of Transport’s Project Management Unit No 2 (PMU 2).  The facilities include Ben Moi bridge in northern Nam Dinh province, Doan Hung bridge in northern Phu Tho province, Da Phuc bridge in Hanoi, Xom Bong bridge in central Khanh Hoa province, and Song Truong and Nuoc Oa bridges in central Quang Nam province.   They will be upgraded at a total cost of some US$60 million.  The PMU 2 said it will complete verification dossiers on the bridges within this October as the RoK side said it will provide US$60 million in fiscal year 2015 after the dossiers are finalised.  The aforementioned facilities are among 22 big bridges to benefit from a RoK Government-funded project that provides credits for the upgrade of fragile bridges and structures on national roads in Vietnam. The PMU 2 is striving to complete verification dossiers on the remaining bridges by December 31 this year so that they could be among the RoK-bankrolled projects in fiscal year 2016.  The Ministry of Transport estimates that upgrades to the 22 target bridges will be funded with roughly US$100 million by the RoK Government and a corresponding sum of nearly VND640 billion (about US$30 million) by the Vietnamese Government. Danang seals cooperation agreements with NGOs The central city of Danang will shake hands with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to implement three projects in the city between 2016 and 2018 as committed in agreements signed during a workshop in Hanoi on October 27. The projects focus on urban development in Son Tra district, eye care for students, and sponsor programmes for underprivileged children and those with disabilities across the city. From 2010 to 2015, NGOs pledged around US$7 million annually to realise projects in Danang, 75-80% of which has been disbursed across the fields of health care, education, poverty reduction, assistance to disabled people, climate change adaptation, and natural disasters risks mitigation. Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Dang Viet Dung highlighted the growing cooperative ties between Danang and NGOs over the past six years, noting that the city has expanded its collaboration with 153 international societies and NGOs. The workshop is expected to create a new step in the cooperation between NGOs and the central city in the 2016-2020 period, especially utilizing effectively the capital resources from NGOs to maintain local sustainable growth, he added. Representatives from participating NGOs hailed the local active coordination and support, adding that they hope to receive more favourable conditions to carry out projects in the city. The workshop was organised by the Danang municipal People’s Committee and the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations, with the participation of nearly 100 NGOs representatives. Thanh Hoa to construct boarding schools Thanh Hoa Province will spend VND199 billion (nearly US$9 million) to build new boarding schools and to upgrade old ones for students in its mountainous districts. The provincial People's Committee recently approved the project that will be launched next month and completed by 2020. Under the project, the boarding schools as well as the kitchen, dining room, toilets and clean water facilities in the buildings will be upgraded. The project will benefit students of 47 secondary schools and high schools in Thanh Hoa's seven mountainous districts of Muong Lat, Quan Son, Quan Hoa and Ba Thuoc, as well as Thuong Xuan, Nhu Xuan and Lang Chanh. Each room in the boarding schools will be designed to accommodate 10 students (with separate quarters for girls and boys), with 4sq.m for each student and bunk beds. The boarding schools aim to help students who live far away from school. Many have to walk 10km every day from their house to reach their schools. The province has only 19 schools with boarding for students from mountainous districts. Many students have to set up tents or temporary houses near their schools to be able to attend school every day.  Surge in number of VN workers going abroad The Department of Overseas Labour (DOLAB) under the labour, invalids and social affairs ministry said the target of sending 90,000 guest workers abroad in 2015 has been fulfilled. As many as 99,415 workers were sent abroad to work in the first 10 months of this year, a 9.1 per cent increase compared with the same period last year, the DOLAB said. In October alone, the number of guest workers who went abroad reached 8,857, of which 2,878 were women. Chinese Taiwan is the top destination for Vietnamese workers with 4,415 labourers going there, followed by Japan (with 2,112 workers), the Republic of Korea, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia. The signing of labour co-operation agreements with partners during the period opened up opportunities for Vietnamese workers, the DOLAB said. The labour, invalids and social affairs ministry has signed a memorandum of understanding on sending Vietnamese workers S. Korea under the employment permit system and has also struck deals with Thailand and Malaysia. Viet Nam and Germany have signed a letter of intent regarding Vietnamese citizens working in Germany as caregivers. This is a good opportunity to increase the number of Vietnamese workers going to that country to between 500 and 700 per year.  World Vision to fund Da Nang development projects World Vision and the local government signed a partnership agreement yesterday in Ha Noi. With a total budget of nearly US$800,000, World Vision will implement four major projects in Son Tra District in the 2015-18 first phase. The projects are child care and education; future opportunities for youths; child sponsorship and protection and resilience to climate change and disaster risks. Accordingly, the organisation will organise a series of activities, such as training sessions on healthcare knowledge and skills, child nutrition and protection for health workers, collaborators, teachers and mothers, besides caregivers; improving nutrition of children under five; and providing youngsters in the 19-24 age group who live in difficult conditions with vocational training and supporting them to start their own business. The second phase (2018 – 2023) will be carried out based on the first phase's qualitative assessment results by late fiscal year 2018. World Vision began working in Da Nang in 1992. It has implemented a long-term development programme (2000 – 2016) in Hoa Vang District that has helped more than 100,000 local people, including 15,000 children, in improving their living conditions in terms of healthcare, nutrition, education and livelihood, besides capacity building. Over the last few years, Da Nang City has promoted co-operation with different foreign NGOs. From 2010 to 2015, these NGOs pledged to provide the city about US$7 million each year for their projects in the city related to education, poverty reduction, helping the disabled and climate change response. Ha Noi to build Hong River water plant The Ha Noi authority yesterday announced a plan to build a new water plant in a district on its outskirts, to supply water to the residents of the area. As per the plan, the plant will use the water of the Hong (Red) River and will be located in Dan Phuong District's Lien Hong Commune. The water pipeline will run through five communes in Dan Phuong District, six communes in North Tu Liem District and one commune in Tay Ho District. The Ha Noi Water Limited Company (Hawaco) said the plant would cost more than VND3.6 trillion (US$162 million), which would be sourced from the enterprise, organisations and individuals. The project will be implemented in two stages. The first stage will be completed in 2018, and is expected to allow the supply of 150,000cu.m of clean water daily. The second stage is scheduled to be completed by 2020 to raise the plant's production capacity to 300,000cu.m a day. When it becomes operational, the plant will provide water to residents of areas to the west of Ring Road 3, north of National Highway 32 in North Tu Liem District and Dan Phuong District. These areas have reportedly been facing regular water shortages. The project is scheduled to begin early next year. Trinh Kim Giang, deputy head of the Hong River Surface Water JSC, said the technology that would be used by the plant would ensure water quality as per the health ministry's criteria. In reply to questions on the quality of pipelines, Director of the municipal Department of Construction Le Van Duc said the pipelines would be made of plastic cast iron and installed 1.5m below the surface, instead of 6m under the surface as the current pipeline of the Da River. In case the new pipeline breaks, the repair work will not take much time. The pipeline design has been inspected and approved by the ministry, Duc said. The Da River pipeline-- the main pipeline supplying Da River water to people -- became operational in 1997. It has broken 15 times since 2012. Tens of thousands of households suffered water shortages for days on each occasion. The construction of the plant is seen as a move by Ha Noi to ease water shortages and ensure a long-term water source for the city. Poor not getting free health insurance Many people in the central Binh Dinh province's My Chau commune have yet to receive free health insurance despite their locality being eligible for free coverage. Deputy Chairman of My Chau People's Committee Le Trung Kien said Phu My district's My Chau commune is a mountainous area that was categorised as impoverished in the period of 2014-2015 in accordance with the Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung's Decision 2405/QD-TTg dated December 10, 2013. The Decree 62/2009/ND-CP issued by the Government said that poor people and ethnic minorities living in selected mountainous provinces designated as impoverished localities should be given financial support from the State budget to buy health insurance. However, people living in My Chau commune have yet to be provided with the funds. Tran Minh Chung, a resident in Chau Truc hamlet said his wife suffering from goitre had spent a large amount of money on treatment as she hadn't got health insurance. Another Chau Truc resident Bui Van Loan, said he had to pay for his children's health insurance from his own pocket. Other members of Loan's family are still waiting for free health insurance. "Farming is just enough for us to make ends meet and pay for our children's tuition fees, I can not afford health insurance," Loan said. Head of Chau Truc hamlet Bui Xuan Bo said the residents complained many times about this in local meetings but every time they were told they had to "wait for higher authorities". "2015 comes to an end soon, it is not sure that My Chau commune will be in the list of poor localities next year. So who will be responsible for the rights of the poor people?," Bo said. Kien said the People's Committee in September sent a report to Phu My district's Division of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, hoping to resolve the problem but there has been no response. "About 70 per cent of My Chau people have to pay for health insurance from their own pocket, the rest are still waiting for support," Kien said. According to the Deputy Head of Phu My district's Division of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Thi Thanh Nga, the division had not received any instructions about the support for My Chau commune from higher-levelled authorities so they can not arbitrarily give support to the commune. "If I receive instructions from higher authorities, I will immediately ask the My Chau's People Committee to make the list of beneficiaries and provide people free health insurance," Nga said. Vice Director of the Binh Dinh Province's Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Phan Dinh Hoa said the commune's People's Committee is responsible for building the list of beneficiaries of health insurance support. "The provincial department is only responsible for giving instructions to the commune so it is the commune's People's Committee that are to blame for the slow procedure," Hoa said.  VN to push for public finance modernisation Viet Nam is committed to building good governance, improving public financial management and fighting corruption, according to eputy minister of finance Huynh Quang Hai. "Enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of limited resources to foster economic growth and improve public services requires an effective and comprehensive public finance management system," said Hai during a ceremony yesterday to kick start a project aimed at modernising the Government's public finance management. The EU Public Finance Modernisation Project (EU-PFMO) aimed to support the Vietnamese Ministry of Finance to enhance its capacity in public finance management as well as to support macroeconomic stability and the strengthening of the government's ability to implement its economic and social policies through the efficient, effective and transparent planning and execution of the state budget. Hai added that the Government must strive to improve institutional mechanisms, law implementation, supervision, inspection and auditing to ensure that resources are used appropriately, effectively and in a transparent manner. "The improvement of public finance is even more demanding as Viet Nam is becoming more integrated in the international economy," said EU Minister Counsellor and Head of Co-operation and Development Section, Alejandro Montalban Carrasco. He said that it would play an increasingly important role with the new generation of Free Trade Agreements (FTA), such as the EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). He noted that the implementation of said commitments poses many challenges, particularly to improve the business climate and to reduce and remove obstacles to international trade and investment. The EU-PFMO project, which was signed between the Government of Viet Nam and the Delegation of the European Union to Viet Nam in December last year, aimed to contribute to the alleviation of poverty and inclusive growth across the country.  Da Nang branch planned for VNASMA Viet Nam Association for Supporting Unexploded Ordnance/Mine Action (VNASMA) in co-operation with the Da Nang's People's Committee has announced plans to establish a Da Nang Association branch. Bombs and mines left from wartime have killed over 42,000 people and injured another 62,000, according to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs. The amount of unexploded bombs and mines is estimated to be around 800,000 tonnes. As many as 9,200 communes are contaminated by unexploded ordnances, accounting for 21 per cent the country's area.  1,500 children receive free heart examinations Children in northern Hoa Binh Province received free heart examination by the province's General Hospital and the Ha Noi-based Hospital E's Cardiovascular Centre last weekend. Of the 1,500 children examined, doctors found heart problems in 76 of the children, 40 of which may require heart surgery. Hospital E director Le Ngoc Thanh said that the rate of children with heart problems was high. A preliminary study conducted by the provincial hospital found high rates of innate heart problems among children and that many failed to receive timely intervention and treatment due to financial difficulties, he said. The free health examination in Hoa Binh is part of the Heart for Children charity organised by Viettel and Viet Nam Television (VTV). Since 2011, the programme has offered free checkups for over 20,000 children in poor provinces and diagnosed almost 500 children with innate heart problems. It has also raised funds to pay for several heart surgeries.  Heart disease is major cause of adolescent death Heart disease accounts for 30 per cent of total deaths caused by non-transmitted diseases in Viet Nam, according to recently published statistics. The Viet Nam National Congress of Interventional Cardiology was held by the Health Ministry and Interventional Cardiology Association Branch on Sunday in Ha Noi. Cardiovascular disease and cancer are among the major causes of adolescent deaths in the country. The congress said that many of the deaths were attributed to a lack of timely intervention.  Rare macaque handed over to Quang Binh Park A resident of this province yesterday voluntarily handed over a bear macaque, a species listed as vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, to a national park. Mai Van Dinh, who lives in Bo Trach District, handed over the mammal to Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park in the central province after keeping it captive at home for a long period. The park's veterinary staff are taking care of the macaque, weighing about 5kg, to improve its health and to help it regain its natural instincts before it is released into the wild. Bear macaques, with the scientific name Macaca arctoides, are native to southwest China, northeast India, Bangladesh and South East Asia and are vulnerable to hunting and habitat loss from deforestation. In Viet Nam, the hunting, caging, killing and transport, besides trade of wild animals are prohibited by law. However, some residents keep mammals as pets at home.  Urgent action needed to offset Mekong Delta climate change The Mekong Delta, one of the most vulnerable deltas in the world in regard to climate change, must begin to take urgent measures to deal with the continuing consequences of changing weather patterns, experts at a seminar held yesterday in Can Tho urged. The seminar on urban planning and climate change adaptation was organised by the Urban Development Department under the Ministry of Construction and Can Tho City's People's Committee in Can Tho City. As temperatures increase, storms, floods and landslides are occurring more regularly under the impact of global climate change. With such change, creating cities resilient to climate change is critically important. During the seminar, experts and officials discussed climate-change adaptation in Can Tho City and other areas in the Mekong Delta. Experts said that unplanned urbanisation would enhance the negative impact of climate change. Viet Nam is one of five countries and the Mekong Delta one of three deltas in the world most vulnerable to climate change. Between 2015 and 2030, floods are expected to be a major problem in Can Tho and the Mekong Delta. Besides landslides and clean water insufficiency, the consequences of drought will affect the economy and people's health as well. Dao Anh Dung, deputy chairman of Can Tho City's People's Committee, said about 66 per cent of the city was now urban, and the infrastructure had been built under current living standards. However, pollution and floods had threatened the sustainable development of the city and delta, he added. During the seminar, 10 reports about climate change and urban zoning in Can Tho and the Mekong Delta were presented.  New-style rural areas prioritise underprivileged communes Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh asked ministries and branches to quadruple central budget allocations to disadvantaged border, island and coastal communes for the building of new-style rural areas in 2016. Speaking at a meeting of the Steering Committee for the National Target Programme on building new-style rural areas in Hanoi on October 27, the official said adjustments to the programme’s criteria needed to be characterised as compulsory and flexible. He required relevant ministries and branches to issue documents guiding the implementation of the criteria. The Ministries of Planning and Investment, Finance, and Agriculture and Development were tasked with reviewing resources for the programme. Localities were not allowed to mobilise public financial contributions during the process, and those involved in building new-style rural areas would receive financial assistance to their incomes, Vinh said. The Deputy PM told ministries to study how many new-style communes in mountainous provinces needed. He said the country aimed to recognise half of communes nationwide as new-style rural areas within the next six years. The national target programme on new-style rural areas, initiated by the Government in 2010, sets 19 criteria on socio-economic development, politics and defence, aiming to boost the development of rural regions. The list of criteria includes the development of infrastructure, the improvement of production capacity, environmental protection and the promotion of cultural values. As many as 185 communes achieved all 19 criteria, and nearly 600 others met between 15 and 18 criteria. On average, each commune fulfilled 8.47 criteria compared with 4.7 in 2011. Red River's food street growing in popularity A food street by the Red River in Hanoi is becoming popular among local people for its nice views and good food. Ngoc Lam Food Street is just 100 metres from Ngoc Thuy Street, between the Chuong Duong and Long Bien bridges. There are some 20 restaurants, and the main dishes are freshwater fish, local grilled food and traditional wines. With the view of the bridges and cool air by the river, the restaurants are popular at night and the weekend. Large spaces and good views also enable these restaurants to provide outdoor party services. Locals have known about the restaurants for some time, but the secret has leaked out and more city dwellers are discovering the area. Said one local, who asked not to be named, "I'm not sure I want to share them with outsiders." Hai, a customer from Ba Dinh District, said, "I prefer the fresh air here than crowded rooms. The food is good and the prices reasonable." Representative of the management board said the area went into operation in 2011 and has grown busy in evenings and on national days, such as Women's Day on October 20, when customers had to be turned away because eateries were overbooked by office parties. VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri