Social News 14/1 Blood donation festival to be held on Sunday   A series of 40 blood donation festivals, called "Red Sunday," will take place in 22 provinces and cities nation-wide from December 27, 2015, to January 28, 2018. Many students, volunteers, well-known singers and celebrities will attend the major event, which takes place at the Ha Noi University of Technology in Ha Noi on Sunday. The annual event aims to collect 20,000 units of blood, an increase of 2,000 units compared to last year's event, in an effort to meet the increasing demand for blood for emergency aid and treatment in hospitals during the upcoming Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday. Initiated by the Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper in 2009, the festival aims to ease the serious blood shortage in hospitals resulting from the increase in traffic accidents and the declining number of blood donors ahead of Tet. The National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusions (NIHBT) spokesperson Nguyen Anh Tri said the country may face a severe blood shortage as few blood donation drives will be conducted during Tet. The NIHBT's blood bank currently holds nearly 6,000 units of blood that can be used for emergencies and treatments at northern hospitals over a total of seven days, Tri said. "Blood collection at the Red Sunday event will play an important role in reducing blood shortages during the Tet period in the country," Tri said. Last year, nearly 18,000 units of blood were collected during the event in 10 provinces and cities, compared with 149 units collected in Ha Noi during the first Red Sunday festival in 2009. Ninh Thuan tackles prolonged drought The central province of Ninh Thuan has taken a series of drastic measures to cope with a prolonged drought. According to the provincial People’s Committee, the impacts of climate change have resulted in desertification and a decline in average annual rainfall that have had adverse effect on agricultural production, economic development and daily life. Ninh Thuan now has over 41,000 ha of uncultivated land, or 12.21 percent of the province’s total natural area. Bui Anh Tuan from the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment said to deal with the situation, local authorities implemented measures to prevent desertification, balance the ecosystem in drought-hit areas and create a protective forest belt. One of the measures is to plant “Trom” and Neem trees in mountainous areas to reduce erosion and landslide while retaining water. Husbandry can be developed in such forests, generating income for locals. This model is being applied in Ninh Phuoc and Thuan Bac districts. Another model to build small-scale dams in streams in Thuan Nam district also produced positive outcomes, ensuring water supply for local residents. According to Truong Duc Tri, Director of the Department of Hydrometeorology and Climate Change, studies of topography, hydro-meteorological conditions, agricultural production and socio-economic development plans in Ninh Thuan, along with the results of existing projects, show that a combined model of forestation and irrigation development is the best solution for the locality to cope with drought and water shortages. The building of dams while planting more forests will help store water, prevent erosion and increase soil humidity, thus reducing losses caused by floods and landslides, protecting infrastructure in lower areas and developing sustainable livelihoods for locals. At the same time, local people will have more incomes from caring for forests under contracts with the State. Ninh Thuan has also designed a model to plant vegetables in coastal sandy areas, while switching to crops that require less water and restraining uncontrolled grazing, contributing to preventing desertification and adapting to climate change. Local authorities are working with the Global Environment Fund on a number of projects that combine both traditional ways and advanced technologies to store water, preserve soil and prevent desertification in drought-hit areas in Ninh Phuoc district, which have produced positive results.- HCM hospital opens new ward Binh Dan Hospital, the first hospital in the country to offer dialysis, has opened a nephrology and hemodialysis ward to meet the treatment demand of patients with chronic kidney disease. The new ward applies advanced technologies for treatment related to the kidney, particularly severe kidney disease. The department will also co-operate with other wards in the hospital to offer comprehensive care to patients. Under the assistance of the department, the hospital aims to perform kidney transplant operations by 2020. As of now, there are 15 hospitals in the country that conduct kidney transplant operations. The total number of patients who have received a kidney transplant were 1,500, accounting for two to three per cent of the demand. Professor Tran Ngoc Sinh, chairman of HCM City's Nephro-Urological Association, said that the high need of dialysis for patients with kidney failure required that more nephrology and hemodialysis wards be opened. Many hospitals such as Cho Ray and People's Hospital No. 115 in HCM City cannot meet the demand in the country, Sinh said. On average, in HCM City alone, 250 new patients are diagnosed with kidney failure each year. Transporters slow to cut fares amid cheaper fuel Amid a wave of decreases to petrol and oil prices, consumers look forward to reductions of transport fees and the costs of products. However, many transport enterprises and taxi companies remain reluctant to lower fares. According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, over the past four months, petrol prices have declined six times in a row with total cuts of over VND2,000 (8.9 US cents) per litre. The most recent drop was on January 4 when the petrol price fell by VND373 (1.67 cents) to touch VND16,032 (72 cents) per litre. The price of E5 RON 92 biofuel decreased by VND571 (2.57 cents) to touch VND15,339 (69 cents) per litre. On January 5, the Ministry of Finance asked financial and transport departments of provinces and cities nationwide to co-operate with relevant agencies to manage transport fares. According to Ha Noi's Department of Finance, only seven out of 200 transport firms in the city registered to reduce fares. Meanwhile, the information from Mien Dong bus station reveals that only 25 firms out of 200 firms operating in the station lowered transport fees. Regarding consumer products, according to a study by Vietnam News Agency reporters, on the first days of this year at Mo Market and other wholesale markets in Ha Noi, the prices of beef, pork, chicken, poultry eggs remain unchanged. Prices of vegetables witnessed a slight hike, ranging from VND1,000 (4.5 cents) to VND3,000 (13.5 cents). Nguyen Thi Huong, a vegetable seller at Mo Market, said that traders did not cut down prices of these products, especially vegetables as transport fees were not reduced. To address the issue, Bui Danh Lien, Ha Noi Transport Association chairman, suggested that the information about transport firms which are slow to reduce fares should be publicised on media. The State and management agencies must publish fares of taxi companies so that the passengers can praise the ones which reduce fares, Lien said, adding that the idea has been proposed many times but fails to be implemented. The firms must speed up collaboration and apply technology in management to cut down the number of running empty taxis as well as avoid wasting petrol and driver work, he said. He added that the State, Ministry of Finance, associations and firms should discuss and create transport fee lists and a range of fees in line with the fluctuation of petrol and oil prices. They would serve as a basis for transport firms to adjust fares and for management agencies to supervise the changes. Dinh Van Sau, chairman of the board of directors of the Ha Noi-based Huong Lua Taxi Company said that the consumer demand for decreases of transport fees is reasonable. He added that his company has planned to reduce the fares to VND500 (2.25 cents) per km. Besides, incomes of the drivers have been reduced due to competition from Uber taxi or Grab taxi. Overloaded trucks decreased 91.5% in 2015 The Directorate for Roads of Viet Nam (DRVN) reported that overloaded trucks decreased by 91.5 per cent in 2015 as compared to 2014. The traffic police dealt with more than 4,400 cases of vehicles violating the loading laws last year, collecting VND390 billion (about US$17.4 million) for the Viet Nam State Treasury. A DRVN officer said there had not found overloaded trucks travelling on long routes, but only on short routes, often in inner-provinces. He added that most of trucks that violated the law exceeded 20 to 50 per cent of allowed tonnage, and the number of vehicles overloading more than 50 per cent of their load was small. "The overloaded trucks have become a headache for many years. Authorities have taken drastic measures to find and punish overloaded trucks which are being blamed for damaging roads and threatening the safety of others on the roads," Dinh La Thang, minister of transport, said at a recent meeting on controlling overloaded vehicles. He said that if the traffic police allowed overloaded trucks to pass the load control stations, those officers would be punished. The DRVN has issued a document on November 2014, ordering tighter control over overloaded trucks. Accordingly, owners of trucks carrying double their capacity were to be fined VND7 million to VND8 million ($300 to $380) at the beginning of 2015. Violators would also have their driving licences revoked for three months. Thang said that recently truck owners, transport enterprise owners, ports and terminals had pledged not to overload automobiles. In addition, transport inspectors would strengthen registration and punishment and required goods in overloaded trucks to be unloaded. These measures would bring the problem under control, Thang said. Two persons sentenced to death for drug smuggling The People's Court in the northern province of Lang Son has issued two death sentences, two life sentences and other sentences for drug trafficking and smuggling. According to the indictment on March 2, 2014, police in Cao Lộc District detected and arrested Hong Đinh Hải (37), and Vi Văn Ứng (49), for selling a cake of white powder suspected to be narcotics. During investigations, Hải and Ứng confessed to the police about their activities, and also that of an aide. Ứng also told the investigation agency about another ring that he was a member of. Based on Ứng's statement, two days later, the police caught Lữ Văn Thon (22), living in the central Thanh Hia Province, who was illegally transporting two cakes of narcotics. Expanding the investigation, the police also arrested ten other people connected with the drug ring. These included Lý Văn Trường, Tiêu Văn Khăm, Lữ Thị Thương, and Lương Văn Tý, in addition to Li Thị Thủy and another unnamed person. After a trial that lasted six days, the court yesterday declared sentences to 13 defendants, who conspired with their relatives, for their involvement in the case. With the guilt of each accused confirmed, the court sentenced Lương Văn Tý and Lữ Thị Thương to death. Vi Văn Ứng and Lý Văn Trường were sentenced to life in prison, while the remaining nine were sentenced from 13 years to 20 years in prison. Poor households to receive rice for Tet The labour, invalids and social affairs ministry (MoLISA) has suggested to the government that 7,000 tonnes of rice should be given to the poor ahead of the Lunar New Year. The aid will help nearly 500,000 people in the seven provinces of Tuyen Quang, Nghe An, Quang Tri and Lao Cai, besides Ha Nam, Yen Bai and Binh Dinh. The government has so far supplied rice to people in Tuyen Quang, Nghe An, Quang Tri and Lao Cai provinces, particularly, more than 3,600 tonnes to about 241,000 people in Nghe An. Tuyen Quang Province received more than 269 tonnes of rice for distribution among nearly 18,000 residents. The other provinces will receive the aid before February 3 (the 25th day of the last lunar month). The government will also give more than VND300 billion (US$13.4 million) to two million families under the preferential treatment policy and to those who have made significant contributions to the country, on the occasion of the New Year. HCM City to strengthen food safety for Tet Residents in HCM City expressed concerns over unsafe food and counterfeit goods, despite managers' assertions that the goods were controlled effectively. During the programme "Hearing and discussing" (Lang nghe va trao doi) held by the HCM City People's Council and HCM City Television (HTV) on Sunday, resident Le Thi Cam Nhung, of Binh Chanh District, said that in many makeshift markets in the city's rural areas, food safety and hygiene are unregulated, which is worrisome to customers. Goods needed for the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday such as spring rolls, Chinese sausage and fruits do not have clear origins marked. "Residents hope that appropriate organisations will manage the goods well to ensure customers' health," said Nhung. Deputy Head of the Economy Budget Department under the municipal People's Council Nguyen Van Lam said the department received reports from residents about counterfeit goods and low-quality food, especially vegetables contaminated with pesticides. Some farmers used wastewater on their spinach crops. Pork was also pumped with water and banned substances to increase the weight, he said. But some experts said food safety has improved recently. Thai Thanh Tam, deputy director of the HCM City Plant Protection Sub-Department, said that goods made in the city or taken into the city via big markets are regulated well. Phan Xuan Thao, director of the city Department of Animal Health, said that residents are still worried because they only heard one-sided reports regarding low-quality meat. Thao said the city checked the origins and quality of more than 90 million poultry products in the city last year. Nearly five million pigs and millions of cows and buffaloes were also inspected thoroughly, Thao said. Deputy chairwoman of the HCM City People's Council Truong Thi Anh suggested that organisations and authorities at different levels should improve education to help residents identify substandard food. The network to supply safe goods should be expanded, she said. Authorities seize expired medicine Inspectors of the Ha Noi Department of Health and market management team 14 have seized 500,000 units of expired drugs that were being sold by some drugstores. The drugstores used to erase the old expiry dates and replace them with the reprinted ones for drugs packed in paper boxes. The expired drugs were of various types, including antibiotics, anti-anxiety drugs, functional foods, etc. These drugs were found at three drugstores in Tay Ho and Ba Dinh districts. All of them belong to Tran Thi Anh Tuyet, 50, from Hoan Kiem District. VN fruits should reach more foreign markets Vietnamese fruit exports had a good year in 2015 with different kinds of fruits successfully penetrating markets. Hoang Trung, deputy director of the Plant Protection Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development at yesterday conference said that rapid international integration with the elimination of technical barriers widened doors for exports of agro-forestry products. In 2015, Viet Nam exported 3 million tonnes of lychees and 100 tonnes of longans to the US. This was the first time that Vietnamese lychees and longans were exported to this market. In addition, 1,200 tonnes of dragon fruits and 10.6 tonnes of mangoes were exported to Japan last year, while Australia allowed the import of 16 batches of lychees, or 28 tonnes from Viet Nam. New Zealand was also checking the cultivation of rambutan and considering imports of this fruit. Trung said that the department was conducting necessary procedures and tackling difficulties for the exports of star apples, longan, lychee and rambutan to Korea, and dragon fruit to Taiwan. Previously, the Viet Nam Fruit and Vegetable Association forecast that export of fruits and vegetables would reach US$2 billion this year from $1.49 billion last year, fuelled by the opening of many strict markets such as Japan, the EU and the US. Around 40 kinds of Vietnamese fruits and vegetables were exported to 40 countries and territories, including major export markets such as mainland China, Japan, South Korea, and the US, in addition to Malaysia and Thailand. Experts said that it was important for Vietnamese fruits and vegetables to meet quality requirements of import markets in order to expand their exports. The Plant Protection Department said that the quarantine on exported fruits, especially those to strict markets such as dragon fruits, longan, rambutan and mango, would be enhanced to ensure quality. The quarantine procedures were simplified, however, to create advantageous conditions for exporters, the department said. There were more than 100 fruit and vegetable fruit processing plants in the country with a combined capacity of 300,000 tonnes per year. Regarding imported products, the department set up a criteria for 13 kinds of fruits from seven countries, such as apple and pear from Holland, grape, orange, mandarin from Australia, and orange, lemon and mandarin from Egypt. Vietnam hospital seeks volunteers for head transplant Doctors at a hospital in Hanoi are seeking people volunteering to engage in a head-to-body transplant. Vietnam-Germany Hospital, considered Vietnam’s largest surgical center, is looking forward to being able to carry out the head transplant, deputy director Trinh Hong Son told a seminar on Tuesday morning. The hospital is therefore looking for disabled people whose body is paralyzed but brain remains active and those who are willing to undergo the surgery. The active brain will be transplanted into the body of those suffering brain death, the doctor further explained. Dr. Son said there are medical teams in the U.S. and Italy who are close to mastering the transplant technique, as they are only waiting for the creation of a special knife to be used for the surgery in 2017. Once the world begins performing such an operation and a Vietnamese volunteer is found, it is scientifically possible that Vietnam-Germany Hospital will invite an international doctor team to do the human head transplant, Dr. Son asserted. He said a team of international doctors, consisting of as many as 150 people, have been working on the technique over the last two years. The biggest obstacle is to maintain the oxygen exchange in the brain during the transplant process, according to the Vietnamese doctor. While foreign scientists have already succeeded in doing the surgery on mice, it can only be done on humans when the technique is perfected, he underlined. In June 2015, Italian neurosurgeon Dr. Sergio Canavero unveiled plans to perform the first human head transplant, saying he believes he has a 90 percent chance of success, according to Reuters. A 30-year-old Russian, Valery Spiridonov, who has a degenerative muscle condition known as Werdnig-Hoffman, has volunteered to be the first person to undergo a head transplant. Canavero’s operation will be ready to go as early as Christmas 2017, sooner than anybody might have expected, according to The Guardian. “We are closely watching the coming surgery and is ready to prepare a plan to bring that technique to Vietnam,” Dr. Son was quoted by An Ninh Thu Do (Capital Security) as saying at the same seminar. “I must emphasize that Vietnam is not prepared for performing head transplant surgery itself, but we are ready to seek people who will donate and receive the head. “If the world’s first-ever human head transplant is a success, we will be willing to invite the doctor team behind that surgery to do it in Vietnam, especially when there is a demand for it.” North suffers hot & cold A slight intensity cold front hitting the northern and north central provinces of Vietnam caused rains on the large scale from Thanh Hoa to Nghe An, reported the National Hydrology Meteorology Forecast Center on January 11. By this month, the temperature increased rapidly compared to the same period in the previous year. Due to cold front and heat wave, the hot and cold weather condition exchanged markedly carrying easily disease-causing germs. Currently, the southern region prematurely enters dry season with level 2- 3 northeast monsoon. According to forecast weather, the weather in Ho Chi Minh City will see sunny with 23- 34 degrees Celsius and maximum moisture will drop down 55 percent from now till weekend. Rotten dog, cat meat seized on way to Thai Binh restaurants Police in Thanh Hoa Province seized a truck carrying nearly one tonne of rotten dog and cat meat bound for restaurants in Thai Binh Province on January 12. Thanh Hoa police, police from the departments of economic crimes and anti-smuggling, and the market management unit 17, co-operated with traffic police to inspect a truck on Highway 1A. They discovered 10 boxes of rotten animal organs, along with dog and cat meat. The driver was unable to provide necessary paperwork for the meat. He said his employer was from Danang and the meat were supposed to be taken to various restaurants in Thai Binh Province. Dog meat is a popular dish in Vietnam, particularly at the end of a lunar month or year because it is believed that eating dog meat can help end the bad lucks they have in that month or year. Cat meat is popular in Thai Binh. New entertainment venue in central pedestrian square In Nguyen Hue pedestrian square in the downtown, Saigon Garden, a shopping and dining complex with an impressive facade, has gone up, offering a new entertainment venue for people strolling in the central square. There are two bustling coffee shops, souvenir shops and restaurants. People might be captivated by traditional Vietnamese costumes of security guards and waiters. Guests can find a variety of Western and Asian food. Taxi fares in HCMC to drop slightly After several rounds of fuel price reductions, taxi firms in HCMC said they will reduce fares by VND300-500 per kilometer in the next few days. Mai Linh Group and Vinasun Corporation, the two largest taxi companies in the city, have registered for fare reductions with authorities. Ta Long Hy, chairman of the HCMC Taxi Association, told the Daily that some taxi firms have registered for fare cuts, with Vinasun slashing fares by VND500 per kilometer. The reduction will be valid in the coming days, when the HCMC departments of finance and transport give approval. Mai Linh said the firm will bring down fares by VND300 per kilometer for all types of cabs in the city on January 12 as it registered with the finance and transport departments. For other localities, Mai Linh will adjust fares based on the actual situation of each locality. Apart from the two firms, some other taxi members of the association are considering revising down fares in the days to come, said Hy, who is also deputy general director of Vinasun. On January 4, the gasoline price fell by VND370 to VND16,030 per liter, while diesel and kerosene prices declined to VND11,110 and VND10,270 per liter respectively. Since December last year there have been three rounds of fuel price reductions. Ceremony marks 66th anniversary of Vietnam-China diplomatic ties The Vietnamese Embassy in Beijing hosted a ceremony celebrating the 66 th anniversary of Vietnam – China diplomatic ties (January 18) on January 12. Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Ambassador Dang Minh Khoi reviewed that Vietnam – China ties had progressed positively last year, evidenced by a number of visits by senior leaders. Vietnam attaches special importance to and wishes to foster the neighborliness and comprehensive cooperation with China, considering it a top priority in the country’s diplomatic policy, he said, adding that Vietnam is currently China’s second largest trade partner in the ASEAN while China is the largest trade partner of Vietnam for the 11 consecutive years. He hoped that the bilateral ties will be taken to a new level this year. On the East Sea dispute, both sides should settle the issue via friendly negotiations in line with international law and agreements reached by the two countries’ leaders, as well as seek basic and long-term measures that are mutually acceptable. The two countries should control issues at sea, fully and effectively realise the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea, and promptly reach a Code of Conduct in the East Sea, refrain from acts that further complicate the situation, promptly settle emerging issues for the maintenance of peace and stability in the East Sea and the region, he stated. Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou, for his part, wished to promote mutually-beneficial collaboration with Vietnam, and deal with differences for the benefit of the two peoples. On the occasion, a photo and painting exhibition “Vietnam – endless beauty”, co-hosted by the Vietnamese Embassy in China and the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, is underway in Beijing from January 11-17. Rural areas in Lai Chau to be connected to national grid Nearly 3,000 rural households in the northern mountainous province Son La will be connected to the national power grid under a project that started on January 12. The targeted areas are 25 villages in four remote communes in the districts of Mai Son, Song Ma and Thuan Chau. Under the project, more than 120 kilometres of cable and six transformers will be installed at a total cost of nearly 70 billion VND (3.12 million USD), The majority of funding is being sourced from the Northern Power Company (NPC), while the local budget allocation of 2.5 billion VND (111,600 USD) aims to cover the site clearance cost. Ha Van Dung, Chairman of the Chieng Bom commune People’s Committee in Thuan Chau district, one of the targeted areas, said the commune is one of the particularly disadvantaged areas in the province, with an impoverished household rate reaching 40 percent in 2015. Connection to the national power grid will help improve the living conditions of local residents while facilitating their livelihood, Dung said. As of the end of 2015, 86.7 percent of the Son La population have access to the national power supply. In the rural population the figure is 84.2 percent. Another 8,300 rural households are expected to use the network in 2016. Thua Thien-Hue targets 16,000 new jobs this year The central province of Thua Thien-Hue has set the goal of generating 16,000 new jobs in 2016, as heard a local conference on January 12. The unemployment rates in urban and rural areas are set to be cut to 2 percent and 15 percent, respectively. It also set a target to achieve 58 percent of trained workers and a 1.7-2 percent reduction in poor households. Addressing the event, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Dung asked for efforts to continue improving workforce quality, link up local and national labour market databases, and increase consultation at job centres towards fulfilling the 2016-2020 socio-economic development plan. In the foreseeable future, the province is set to assist the poor who meet specific criteria to minimise their over-reliance on funding; pool resources for infrastructure and development; and improve workforce quality in ethnic minorities in border and coastal areas - in combination with job creation and increasing local livelihoods. Last year, Thua Thien-Hue generated jobs to over 16,000 workers, surpassing the target. Reviewing the 2011-2015 social and poverty reduction policies, participants heard that more than 80,000 underwent vocational training, up 16 percent from the late 2010. As many as 50,000 poor households were given access to credit from the Bank for Social Policies during the period. The rate of poor households was brought down to 4.5 percent in 2015 from 11.6 percent in 2011. Can Tho: Thoi Thuan –Thanh Loc road open to traffic The Thoi Thuan –Thanh Loc road, running through the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho’s Thot Not district and Vinh Thanh commune, was put into use on January 12. The road construction began in 2012 at a total cost of over 12 million USD, which was partly sourced from a World Bank loan and the Australian Government’s non-refundable aid programme. Being 7 km long and 6.5 m wide, the road is capable of handling vehicles weighed up to ten tonnes. Currently, Can Tho’s road transport system is more than 2,700 km in length, including 123 km of expressways, 150 km of urban roads and nearly 2,000 km of rural roads. Central Highlands faces obstacles in resettling migrants Unsettled free migrants from northern provinces have caused a series of problems in Central Highlands’ provinces, particularly in Dak Lak and Dak Nong, where their populations are highest, reported the regional steering committee. More than 38,000 households, mainly ethnic people from northern border localities, were estimated to have resettled in the region without prior planning; therefore, they have yet to settle in. In Dak Nong alone, 11,209 households or over 51,000 people have not yet been accommodated. Thousands of them, even worse, are living in makeshift shelters deep in local forests. Difficult living conditions with inadequate livelihoods has led these people to poach and carry out other illegal activities, triggering local insecurity. There is a shortage of resettlement funding, and a lack of long-term policies and measures to handle the issue at its core, said the steering committee. Dak Lak has devised 17 projects worth some 811 billion VND (36.5 million USD) to assist unplanned resettlement, aiming at resettling 6,527 households or 32,635 migrants. However, most of those projects remain unfinished due capital shortage. Since 2006, they have annually received 30 billion VND (1.35 million USD) from the Government, while their infrastructure costs require at least 90 billion VND (4.05 million USD) per year. Dong Nai, RoK enhance human training cooperation Authorities from the southern province of Dong Nai had a working session on January 12 with representatives from the Republic of Korea’s KyungSung University and the Hwasung Vina Company to discuss human resources training for local enterprises. Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Tran Van Vinh said the RoK currently has 313 projects worth more than 5 billion USD in Dong Nai, ranking second among investors in the province. Most of them have operated effectively and contributed significantly to the local socio-economic development, Vinh said. He highlighted the demand for employees in the locality and called on the RoK university to conduct relevant training programmes for local students in a bid to provide high-quality workers for local enterprises. The ongoing Long Thanh international airport project in Long Thanh district, once completed, will create jobs for about 20,000 people, Vinh added. Director of the university Kim Taioun said his institution is always willing to cooperate with the province in human resources training. He pledged that the university will work closely with Dong Nai to train personnel for RoK enterprises based in the locality. Upgrades to 44 rail bridges completed The upgrades to 44 bridges on the North-South railway route have been completed 8 months ahead of schedule, according to the Railway Project Management Unit under the Ministry of Transport on January 14. The project on enhancing railway bridge safety on the Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City route was carried out at a cost of nearly 9.3 trillion VND (414.46 million USD) using Official Development Assistance (ODA) credit through the Japan International Cooperation Agency and counterpart capital of the Vietnamese Government. Besides upgrading the bridges with a combined length of 6,553 metres and more than 45km of railway at two ends of the rail bridges, the project also built rail road over bridges and under bridges, a new railway station in Ninh Binh province and procuring equipment. The project was carried out from 2010 to 2015. The Ba Bau bridge in the central province of Quang Nam was the first to be completed under the project, and the Thap Cham bridge in the central province of Ninh Thuan was the last, which was put into operation in December 25 last year. The facilities are expected to enhance the safety and shorten the travel time for trains on the route while ensure safety for residents living along the railways. Japan helps Hanoi in clean water loss control About 10.4 billion VND, or 464,000 USD, will be invested in a Japan-funded project on capacity building and technology training to reduce clean water loss in Hanoi City from 2016-2018. The project, carried out by the Hanoi Water Ltd. Co., is intended to improve loss management capacity and apply advanced technology to reduce loss of water through pipe leakage. Technical training will be provided for the company’s staff for better water loss control. Nearly 9 billion VND in financial assistance will be provided for the project by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) through its Partnership Programme. The fund will be spent on training activities, provision of water leak detectors and advanced technology to control the problem. The Vietnamese side’s contribution to the project will be used in purchasing equipment for office and training. Da Nang receives foreign support for child education, care projects The central city of Da Nang received 17 billion VND (756,670 USD) in financial support from World Vision International US on January 11 for child education and care projects. The projects, implemented in Man Thai, Tho Quang and Nai Hien Dong wards, Son Tra district, aim to fine-tune education and healthcare for disadvantaged children in private kindergartens, improve life skills for students aged from 6-15 and find jobs for adolescents. On the same day, Japan’s Osaka Nakanoshima Rc & Rotarian Rorary International D2660 presented otolaryngologist equipment worth 1.7 billion VND (75,667 USD) to Da Nang Hospital. Along with medical equipment, the organisation has provided Da Nang Hospital with professional assistance since 1997. Three doctors from the hospital have been granted scholarships from the organisation to advance their medical expertise. Quang Ngai fishermen equipped with ICOM devices ICOM radio devices were handed over to 35 fishermen in the central province of Quang Ngai on January 11 under the “East Sea Connectivity” programme. The devices, worth 434 million VND ( 19,300 USD), were granted to 25 fishermen in Duc Pho district and 10 fishermen in Mo Duc district. Besides, 30 fishermen of Quang Ngai city and Ly Son island district will receive Icom devices. Initiated by the Vietnam Red Cross (VRC) and other relevant units, the programme calls for domestic and foreign aid to equip fishermen with telecommunications devices. Deputy Chairman of the provincial Red Cross Association Le Truong Son said the programme enables fishermen to contact the mainland when needed during offshore fishing operations to ensure their safety. Previously, the programme gave 25 SeaGateway and 25 ICOM devices worth 762 million VND (33,500 USD) to fishermen in the provinces of Quang Ninh and Quang Nam and the central city of Da Nang. Rice aid to reach the poor during Tet Disadvantaged residents of northern Tuyen Quang, and central Nghe An provinces will receive almost 3,900 tonnes of rice from the national reserves as the Government’s assistance in the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday. Most of the allocation, at more than 3,600 tonnes, will come to 241,154 households in Nghe An. The remainder will benefit 17,947 households in Tuyen Quang. Each member of these households will receive 15 kilograms of rice within the month. VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri