Social News 26/5 340kg bomb lifted successfully from a fish lake in Ha Tinh Province   Đức Thọ District’s Military Command in the central province of Hà Tĩnh successfully removed a 340kg bomb from a local fish breeding lake yesterday, according to a local source. The bomb was discovered three days ago by irrigation workers when they were dredging a fish lake owned by a local household at Đức Long Commune to construct canal systems for the Ngàn Trươi Irrigation Project. The bomb, believed to have been dropped by the US Army during the war, measured  1.5m length and 50cm in diameter. Workers immediately informed communal authorities and experts were dispatched to the scene.         The military has now moved the bomb to a safe location and are preparing to destroy it using a controlled explosion. Quảng Nam raids illegal gold mining operations The police of the central province of Quảng Nam coordinated with the local police force of Nam Giang District to raid illegal mineral and gold mining operations yesterday morning. Over 100 illegal gold miners were arrested at the gold mining operation near Sông Tranh Nature Reserve. Arrested miners included both local residents and workers from the neighbouring provinces of Nghệ An, Hòa Bình, and Thái Nguyên. Nam Giang District police will receive and manage these miners, then send them back home.   The police destroyed 22 tents set up to shelter gold miners and 43 pieces of equipment, including diesel engines and electric generator, and 1,000 water pipes. All of these items were used for illegal gold mining. Police and local authorities are also preparing to fine thirteen mine owners who hired labourers for illegal mineral mining. The raid was part of an inspection campaign of all illegal mineral mining operations. The initiative was launched by the Quảng Nam Province People’s Committee after the collapse of gold mines killed four miners in April. New countryside programme, sci-tech development under review The 13th National Assembly (NA)’s Standing Committee convened its 48 th session in Hanoi on May 25 with the national target programme on new-style rural area building and science-technology development policies being the first to come under discussion. NA Vice Chairman Phung Quoc Hien said the national target programme, carried out since 2010, has given a facelift to rural areas with upgraded transport systems and social infrastructure, as well as the improved material and spiritual life of local residents. The Government and relevant ministries reported on the programme implementation to a NA delegation which has also supervised the work in six out of the 28 provinces inspected. Looking into a report on the outcomes of the supervision, many participants said it is necessary to press on with communications to raise local officials and residents’ awareness of the programme. They pointed out the prevalence of untrained labourers in rural areas, and hence, more attention is needed to provide vocational training and improve the quality of training. How to retain the achieved results in communes already recognised as new-style rural areas is also a problem to be dealt with, so that the national target programme achieves substantive effects. The full report on the programme supervision outcomes and a draft resolution on the issue will be submitted to the 14th NA this October, Hien said. A parliamentary delegation also inspected the enforcement of policies and laws on developing science – technology that aim to boost national industrialisation and modernisation in six provinces. Discussing the supervision delegation’s report, some of the NA Standing Committee members said the report should focus on small- and medium-sized enterprises’ connectivity with big manufacturers, the domestic market, and the development of key mechanical industries. The Standing Committee also mulled over other contents in the report, including science-technology’s role in promoting labour productivity and growth quality, improving manpower quality and the technology market. It said in the report that the supervision delegation should clarify the responsibility of the Government, ministries and localities towards realising the guidelines, policies and laws on science-technology development. It also needs to devise solutions and suggest detailed policies supporting development in this field. Vice Chairman Hien said the NA Standing Committee will soon issue a resolution on the issue in order to fuel science-technology development and national industrialisation and modernisation. In the afternoon of May 25, the committee is set to scrutinise a draft resolution on the standards and classification of administrative units, and another stipulating the classification of cities. The National Election Council will also give a preliminary report about the recent election of deputies to the 14 th NA and all-level People’s Councils for 2016 – 2021. Conference discusses eateries management in Hanoi A conference discussing how to better manage street dining establishments took place in Hanoi on May 25, attracting policymakers, scientists and eateries’ owners. This year, Hanoi strives to require 99 percent of unlicensed street vendors to sign a food safety commitment, and more than 85 percent of licensed vendors be eligible for food safety certificates. All steering boards for food safety and hygiene in 30 districts, communes and townships will be trained in the field. According to the municipal Department of Health, 17 percent of facilities have yet to meet food safety requirements. A representative from the municipal Agency for Food Safety and Hygiene ascribed the situation to authorities’ lax monitoring and consumers’ easy attitude to choosing eateries, leading to a number of vendors showing a lack of responsibility for consumers’ health by using materials of ambiguous origin and failing to ensure cleanliness in their facilities. Across the capital city, there are 5,418 registered dining establishments in 548 wards and communes. An estimated 78-86 percent of them have records on the origin of their food, and place food at least 60cm above the ground, while 80 percent have access to clean water and 82 percent are trained in food safety. The conference was hosted by the municipal Department of Health. HCM City seek ways to engage OVs’ brainpower Ho Chi Minh City should design more effective policies to make full use of the huge brainpower potential of the Overseas Vietnamese community (OV), heard a conference themed “OVs affairs - reality and solutions” held on May 25 in the city. At the event, held by the Ho Chi Minh City’s Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs, Prof. Dr. Dang Luong Mo, a Vietnamese living in Japan held that many activities for OVs have been organised, but they have not been effective in linking the Vietnamese community abroad or tapping their potential to contribute to the development of the city. At the same time, there remain a number of administrative procedures that cause inconvenience to OVs, he said. Currently, Ho Chi Minh City is trying to attract science and technology experts to hi-tech parks, hi-tech agricultural areas, and computer technology and biotechnology centres by offering financial and housing support. According to Dr. Duong Hoa Xo, Vice Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and Director of the city’s Bio-technology Centre, this is an “open mechanism” to draw talent to the city. However, the policy is applicable to experts only, he said, pointing to a need to design the “open mechanism” to support science officials, especially young scientists, with a proper income, he said. Meanwhile, Prof. Dr. Vo Van Toi from the US who has engaged in Vietnam’s bio-medicine, held that a more attractive working and living environment, together with competent officials in OV work, are essential to call for overseas Vietnamese’ brainpower. He also suggested three important issues to persuade successful young students abroad to return to their homeland, including a proper salary and promotion opportunities and especially good working conditions. At the same time, Vo Thi Thanh Tuyen, Executive Director of the Vietnamese Business Association in the US, a State agency is needed to gather and promote the strength of Vietnamese businesses and enterprises abroad, helping link them together and supporting domestic counterparts in seeking investment opportunities and developing an integration strategy. Participants at the event also proposed that Ho Chi Minh City should hold regular meetings with different groups of OVs in different fields and markets, thus creating links with businesses at home. A close coordination is needed between the city’s Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs and related organisations to share information and diversify activities aiming to connect OVs, they said. There are an estimated 4.5 million Vietnamese living and working in countries across the world. Needy people in southwest region to receive more support The Sponsoring Association for Poor Patients in the southwest region decided to extend its target to poor people in general, at a session in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on May 25. It has also amended its official name following the decision. Chairman of the association (now renamed the sponsoring association of the poor in the southwest region) Nguyen Phong Quang said ten months after being established in July 2015, the organisation realised the need for a larger scale of operations so that aid could reach more people. The association has so far raised 273 billion VND (12.3 million USD) in funds. It has organised free medical check-ups for more than 5,000 patients and will soon put into operation a clinic to serve poor patients across the region. The southwest region has a population of approximately 18 million, of which over 244,000 people have been classified as impoverished. 180 nurses depart for Japan to work As many as 180 nurses and orderlies left Vietnam for Japan on May 24 to work under the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the two governments. The EPA programme has opened up the two countries’ cooperation in taking care of patients and the elderly at hospitals and sanatoriums in Japan. Since 2012 the department of Overseas Labour Management Department of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs has coordinated with Japan to provide Japanese language training for four courses of 720 Vietnamese nurses and orderlies. So far, 290 of them have left Vietnam for working. It is estimated that Japan will need up to 600,000 nurses and orderlies to take care of its elderly in ten years. Vietnam is the third country to cooperate with Japan in this field, after the Philippines and Indonesia. Nationwide activities to respond to World Environment Day A series of activities in response to World Environment Day (June 5) and Vietnam Sea and Island Week (June 1-8) will be held nationwide, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment announced at a press conference in Hanoi on May 25. The theme of the day was chosen by the United Nations as: “Go wild for life”. On June 4, the Action Month for the Environment will be launched nationwide at a ceremony in the northern province of Lao Cai, during which the achievements and obstacles to environmental protection since June 5, 2015 will be reviewed, national-level environment events will be announced, while individuals and organisations at home and abroad dedicating to environment protection will be honoured. An environment technology and ecological products expo 2017 is scheduled to be announced. On the occasion, the Vietnam Environment Administration in coordination with the Lao Cai provincial People’s Committee will host a ceremony to release animals into the wild and plant trees. The Central Committee of Vietnam Veterans’ Association is due to hold a seminar featuring its role in protecting biodiversity and endangered species in Vietnam. According to Deputy General Director of the Vietnam Administration of Seas and Islands Vu Si Tuan, a meeting ceremony themed: “For a green planet,” marking World Ocean Day and the Vietnam Sea and Island Week, will be held in the northern province of Nam Dinh on June 8. A group of voluntary youths will be deployed to clean the beaches, hold a bicycle-ride to promote the event and plant trees near the beaches. Photos highlighting Vietnam’s world heritages on display in RoK Photos of Vietnam’s world heritages are being exhibited at the Yoondang Arts Hall in the Republic of Korea’s capital Seoul. The May 23-30 exhibition, introduces to Korean people about 100 photos featuring 16 of Vietnam’s UNESCO-recognised heritages, including the complex of Hue monuments, Ha Long Bay, Phong Nha-Khe Bang National Park, Hue royal court music, and the Central Highlands Cultural Space of Gongs . The event is coorganised by the Korean Cultural Centre in Vietnam (KCCV) and Vietnam’s Department of Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibition under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. KCCV Director Park Nark Jong said this is the first time his centre has brought photos of Vietnam to the RoK, adding that more similar events will be held in the near future to boost cultural exchanges between the two countries. Heavy rain brings relief to Kiên Giang Province The heavy rain that began yesterday afternoon and continued until this morning has brought some relief to southern Kiên Giang Province, creating better conditions for crops and shrimp farming. The rain helped water more than 125,500ha of summer-autumn rice crop across the province. In particular, the province’s three key rice-growing areas - U Minh Thượng, Long Xuyên Quadrilateral Region and the western part of Hậu River - received sufficient water, enabling farmers to start working on the soil to sow new crop. The rain also helped reduce salinity of water in the shrimp farms, saving more than 102,000ha of area. Increased water levels in the local rivers and canals not only revive fish and other marine creatures used in aquaculture, but also reduce the risk of fire in the U Minh Thượng Forest and the Long Xuyên Quadrilateral Region. In the middle of March and early last month, two unusual heavy downpours in the province were called the “golden rain” for the area that has suffered from drought and little rainfall for months. According to the southern weather forecaster, the monsoon will begin next month. The heavy rain in Kiên Giang Province in April was an unusual phenomenon. NA Office, JICA strengthen cooperation The National Assembly Office and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) discussed how JICA can support the development of the e-NA Office and the NA’s e-library. The issue formed part of a meeting between Chairman of the National Assembly Office and Secretary General of the National Assembly Nguyen Hanh Phuc and Chief Representative of the JICA in Vietnam Yasuo Fujita in Hanoi on May 24. Phuc spoke highly of the agency’s support for the office and the NA at large over the past years. In return, the JICA’s chief representative congratulated Vietnam on its successful elections of deputies to the 14th National Assembly and all-level People’s Councils for the 2016-2021 tenure. The officials discussed NA-related works, telecommunication equipment for NA deputies, communication skills between NA deputies and voters, and methods to handle voters’ complaints and accusations.- Jetstar offers “Pay to go and Return for Free” Budget carrier Jetstar Pacific Airlines will launch a promotional program “ Pay to go and return for free” on 26 local  routes and 4 international flights  on the occasion of its 8th Anniversary. Starting at 11am on May 23-24, passengers only have to pay for one-way fares at VND340,000-VND360,000 and are able to receive a return ticket free of charge. The promotional airfares do not include taxes, fees and surcharges. The special price will be applied for domestic flights from September 6-October 31 and international flights from August 17-October 31. Passengers can book and pay for a plane ticket at www.jetstar.com and booking offices throughout the country. The low-cost carrier will also offer 8 free return tickets every week to passengers on May 23-June 23. The budget carrier has operated 16 domestic flights connecting Vietnam’s main airports in HCMC, Hanoi, Danang, Vinh, Haiphong, Hue, Buon Ma Thuot, Nha Trang and Phu Quoc Island, and international routes from HCMC to Singapore and Thailand; Hanoi-Bangkok, Hong Kong (China). 7th anniversary of Cham Island Biosphere Reserve celebrated Many cultural and sports activities will be held on the Cham Island to celebrate the day it was recognised as a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO on May 26.   Visitors will be able to enjoy dragon dance, diving competition, bai choi singing and other events. Visitors can learn more about the daily life and traditions of the people on the island via Cu Lao Night Programme. A canoe art performance will also be featured. The reserve has more than 311 hectares of coral reefs, with 300 species, about 50 hectares of sea-grass, 76 types of seaweed, more than 270 species of fish and 97 species of molluscs. The island has become a famous attraction after it was recognised as a global Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO on 26 May 2009. EUR2.5 million project launched to support shrimp value chain development in Mekong Delta Oxfam and the International Collaborating Centre for Aquaculture and Fisheries Sustainability (ICAFIS) on May 24 launched a project to support sustainable and equitable shrimp production and value chain development in the Mekong Delta region. The project worth EUR2.5 million, funded by the European Union (EU) under the SWITCH-Asia programme, aims to promote sustainable economic prosperity and poverty reduction in Vietnam through improving social and environmental impacts of shrimp value chain development. Vietnam's shrimp production provides a living for over a million of people and improves incomes for small scale producers who account for more than 80% of Vietnam's shrimp production. The project targets small and medium enterprises (SME), shrimp producers and inhabitants in Soc Trang, Bac Lieu and Ca Mau provinces for a period of four years from March 2016 to February 2020. It will facilitate a win-win collaboration among value chain stakeholders and empower the small scale farmers to engage effectively in the value chain for added benefit. The participatory process facilitated by the project allows surrounding communities to dialogue with shrimp value chain actors and hold them accountable for negative impact management. Speaking about the project, Alejandro Montalban, Minister Counselor of the Delegation of the EU to Vietnam said the project would contribute to efficient resources utilisation, responsible production supply chains and practices, improved social and environmental conditions and reduced waste. Besides the technical support, the project will work with project stakeholders to find solution to helping small scale shrimp producers and SME shrimp processors to be able to access adequate finances, including advocating favourable government credit policies, and empowering them to have a stronger voice in negotiations with other actors in the value chain, the EU official added. Sustainable production practices and the successful collaborative models of shrimp value chain actors are expected to be documented for national level institutionalisation and be disseminated for nation-wide replication in Vietnam at the completion of the project, said Oxfam deputy country director in Vietnam Nguyen Thi Le Hoa. The SWITCH Asia Programme started in 2007 is one of the European Commission actions to promote the green economy in Asia. The programme aims to identify and scale up successful Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) practices in Asia in order to induce a systematic change in consumption and production patterns and behaviour. Government guarantees loan for 500kV transmission line Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has approved a guarantee for an insured untied NEXI loan to fund the 500kV transmission line between the Vinh Tan Power Centre and Song May-Tan Uyen. To obtain the guarantee, the National Power Transmission Corporation (NPT) must secure enough of its own capital for the project in line with its progress, and register mortgaged assets as security for government guarantee in line with the law. Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) is responsible for overseeing NPT’s implementation of the project and fulfilling the debt obligation as the parent of NPT in case it is unable to pay back. The guarantee fee is 0.25% per year. The Ministry of Industry and Trade was tasked with supervising the finances of EVN and NPT and reporting to the prime minister if the two are in financial trouble. The prime minister approved the letter of guarantee and asked the Ministry of Finance to sign the letter on behalf of the government with foreign creditors. Construction of the Vinh Tan-Song May-Tan Uyen transmission line started in November last year. Total investment for the project is estimated at VND5.333 trillion (US$240 million). Photos highlighting Vietnam’s world heritages on display in RoK A total of 100 photos capturing Vietnam’s world heritages are on display at an exhibition in Yoondang Arts Hall in Seoul, the Republic of Korea. The opening ceremony on May 20 was attended by Vietnamese Ambassador to the Rok Pham Huu Chi, Director of the Heritage Promotion Bureau under the Korean Cultural Heritage Administration, Kim Dae-hyun; and Director of the Korean Cultural Centre in Vietnam (KCCV) Park Nark Jong, together with around 200 visitors. The pictures on display, taken by Vietnamese photographers, were selected from the best entries sent to world heritage photo contests launched in recent years by Vietnam’s Department of Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibitions. The ten-day exhibition introduces to RoK people 16 of Vietnam’s UNESCO-recognised heritages, including the complex of Hue monuments, Ha Long Bay, My Son sanctuary, Phong Nha-Khe Bang national park, Hue royal court music, and Xoan (Spring) singing. The event was the first joint project between the KCCV and Vietnam’s Department of Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibition. According to KCCV Director Park Nark Jong, this is the first time his centre has brought photos of Vietnam to the RoK, saying that more of the same type of event would be held in the near future to boost cultural exchanges between the two countries. American photographer launches tips website Justin Mott, an American photographer and TV personality who has been living and working in Vietnam and Southeast Asia, has launched a photography tips website and social media campaign to improve the skills of amateur photographers worldwide. The site at justinmott.com is where Mott shares his 10 years’ experience in working as a photographer for well-known news organizations such as the New York Times, Forbes, TIME and Conde Nast Traveler. It provides aspiring photographers with secrets and skills for taking photos for specific purposes and how to do a photography business. His social media campaign #AskMOTT is offered to encourage photography lovers to access a professional photography mentor online. Anyone can post their images or questions online publicly with the AskMott hashtag on social media like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and Mott will find them and offer his professional advice and tips to make them better photographers. The hashtag is also used for the #ShowMeYourBestShot weekly photo competition, where Mott rewards the week’s best amateur photographs with prizes. Justin Mott is currently the star photographer in History Channel’s Photo Face-Off, a reality TV show airing throughout Asia. The next season of the program is expected to air in Vietnam. Since 2007, he has been working as a contributing photographer for the New York Times for which he shot more than 100 assignments. He won many awards from TPOTY (Travel Photographer of the Year), NPPA (National Press Photographers Association), PDN (Photo District News), CPOY (College Photographer of the Year) and Missouri School of Journalism. Day of Bulgarian education, culture, Slavic script marked in Vietnam The Bulgaria Embassy in Vietnam together with the Vietnam-Bulgaria Friendship Association celebrated the European country’s day of education, culture and Slavic script in Hanoi on May 24. Chairman of the association Nguyen Van Tuan said the celebration is also a reunion of Vietnamese who have studied or worked in Bulgaria. It helps cement good-working ties between the two countries, he noted. On the occasion, Tuan and Simeon Dimchev, Chairman of the Bulgaria-Vietnam Friendship Association, signed a cooperation pact between the two agencies for 2016-2021. Requiem held in Hungary for Vietnamese sea, island martyrs The Vietnamese Buddhists’ Association in Hungary recently held a requiem for martyrs who laid down to Vietnam’s sovereignty over its sea and islands. Through the requiem, the association wanted to show that the Vietnamese community in Hungary love peace and object to China’s militarisation of the East Sea. The requiem also explained to young people that the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos are integral parts of Vietnam and inviolable national sovereignty. The Vietnamese community in Hungary currently numbers nearly 5,000 people, mainly living in Budapest. China’s recent militarisation in the East Sea include its deployment of warplanes to Phu Lam (Woody) Island in the Hoang Sa archipelago and its construction of a high frequency radar facility in the Truong Sa archipelago. HCM City: pilot projects benefit street traders Some public areas in Ho Chi Minh City have been assigned for street vendors, giving them a chance to do stable trade along sidewalks in the city. This is part of efforts of the municipal authorities towards building a legal framework for street vendors. The selected areas for this pilot project are located in District 1, including the sidewalk of the streets Nguyen Van Chiem, Pham Ngoc Thach and Hai Ba Trung. The project requires all street traders from the district to do their business in certain fixed streets. It is expected to create a stable trading environment for about 500 street vendors operating in the district. They have also benefited from support policies by the State, including taking part in courses on food hygiene and environmental protection and to improve their communication skills. Along with these models, the municipal authorities have also built regulations on food safety and the urban environment to apply to street vendor activities in the city. Piloted projects to ensure hygiene and safety for food sold in streets, which have been arranged in a number of districts from 2014, have also proved effective, contributing to calling on street traders to strictly implement relevant regulations. Lam Thi Ngoc Nga, a Pho “noodle soup” vendor in district 3 said she joined training courses on food safety and practices to ensure proper hygiene while selling her goods. Such projects aim to support the municipal authorities in managing street traders and to control hygiene standards in street food, thus maintaining the beauty of the city. According to the General Statistics Office, HCM City is home to about 400,000 vendors. Many of them have stable incomes from street trading. Le Dieu Anh, coordinator of the National Programme of the Association of Cities of Vietnam said street trading creates jobs for a significant number of people, especially the unskilled workforce. This trading form should be facilitated in urban areas, she stressed. Films based on German fairytales to be screened in Hanoi The Goethe Institute will screen popular fairytales Sleeping Beauty and The Bremen Town Musicians which are based on the Grimm brothers’ stories. In The Bremen Town Musicians, a chicken, a cat, a dog and a donkey escape from their farm to become musicians in the German town of Bremen. Along the way they encounter some robbers who they manage to outwit with their singing. In Sleeping Beauty, a princess falls asleep for 100 years after she pricks her finger on a spindle. Over time, the castle gets surrounded by an impenetrable hedge of thorns. Only a brave prince who conquers the thorns and clambers up the tower is able to awaken the princess with a kiss, ending the wicked spell. The screenings of The Bremen Town Musicians and Sleeping Beauty will take place at 10am and 2pm, respectively, on May 29 at the Kim Đồng Cinema on 19 Hàng Bài Street. Free tickets can be collected from today onwards at the Goethe Institute on 56-58 Nguyễn Thái Học Street in Hà Nội. After the films, fans can take home a collection of the 10 most popular fairytales by the Grimm brothers in Vietnamese and German, edited by the Goethe Institute, available at a special discount from the institute. The institute will also present small gifts to the audience to celebrate International Children’s Day. Northern provinces cope with torrential rain The office of the Steering Committee for Natural Disasters Prevention and Control said torrential rain raged through many northern provinces on May 24 and caused remarkable human and material losses in some localities. The rainfall rose to 247mm in mountainous Yen Bai province. The heavy rain resulted in inundation and caused the death of a woman in Yen Bai city. It also submerged 206 houses and over 83 hectare of crops. The economic loss is estimated at around 200 million VND (9,000 USD). Local authorities have mobilised forces to help people move to safer places while directing relevant units to enact measures to address flooding on some routes. In Hanoi, the pouring rain flooded almost all streets in the capital. More than 1,600 hectares of crops in the city were submerged. Workers from the municipal water drainage and green trees companies have taken measures to deal with the situation and ease traffic jams. The flooding subsided in most places by around 8 am on May 25. The irrigation sector has also directed relevant companies to operate 37 pumping stations to deal with flooding. The National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said heavy rain is likely to continue hitting northern mountainous provinces as well as the Central Highlands and southern region. Landslides could occur in the northern mountainous region, especially Lai Chau, Dien Bien, Son La, Hoa Binh, Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Ha Giang, Tuyen Quang, Cao Bang, and Bac Kan provinces. Needy people in southwest region to receive more support The Sponsoring Association for Poor Patients in the southwest region decided to extend its target to poor people in general, at a session in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on May 25. It has also amended its official name following the decision. Chairman of the association (now renamed the sponsoring association of the poor in the southwest region) Nguyen Phong Quang said ten months after being established in July 2015, the organisation realised the need for a larger scale of operations so that aid could reach more people. The association has so far raised 273 billion VND (12.3 million USD) in funds. It has organised free medical check-ups for more than 5,000 patients and will soon put into operation a clinic to serve poor patients across the region. The southwest region has a population of approximately 18 million, of which over 244,000 people have been classified as impoverished. Vietnam promotes child protection against accidents, injuries The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs announced on May 25 that June has been earmarked for a string of programmes to protect children from accidents and injuries. Dang Hoa Nam, Director of the ministry’s Department of Child Protection and Care, said all 63 provinces and cities nationwide have readied to join the action month. Their activities will feature mass communication campaigns on wearing helmets and life jackets, along with summer camps and swimming classes, he added. On the occasion, the National Fund for Vietnamese Children will deliver gifts worth more than 2.5 billion VND (112, 500 USD) to nearly 5,000 children. The 4th ASEAN Children’s Forum is scheduled to take place in Hanoi in June. According to the Health Ministry, between 2010 and 2014, everyday there were approximately 580 children facing a host of incidents from electric shocks and burns to traffic accidents and drowning. These have become the top causes of disabilities for the group. The rate of accidents occurring among children in Vietnam is about eight times higher than that in developed countries, with fatalities most commonly caused by traffic accidents and drowning. Protestant practices facilitated in line with law Authorities of the central and Central Highlands localities, along with Binh Phuoc province in the south – which are home to a large number of Protestants in Vietnam, will continue facilitating religious practices in line with the law. This was agreed as part of the provinces’ religious work with a focus on Protestantism between 2016 and 2020, heard a meeting held by the Steering Committee for the Central Highlands and the Government’s Committee for Religious Affairs on May 25. The provinces will also enhance State management over Protestantism and ensure people’s rights to the freedom of religion and belief. At the same time, efforts will be made to bring into play the religion’s positive values and encourage followers to contribute to national development and protection. Local authorities will work harder to prevent and fight hostile forces’ plots to take advantage of Protestantism, while guaranteeing political security and social order and safety. They will also enhance the solidarity of local Protestant dignitaries and followers in the great national unity bloc. The provinces are also instructed to do their best in licensing the operation of Protestant groups, particularly those in rural and border areas, along with strengthening relations with Protestant organisations. Since 2005, the Central Highlands provinces (Dak Lak, Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Dak Nong and Lam Dong) have recognised 223 branches and licensed 544 groups of Protestants. A total of 121 places of worship have been built or repaired. The provincial administrations have also recognised the appointment and reinstatement of 378 dignitaries and opened Protestant doctrine teaching courses for nearly 77,000 followers. Quang Nam helps poor households cope with extreme weather The central province of Quang Nam decided to put aside over 5.6 billion VND (246,000 USD) for helping poor households build flood-resistant houses. The money will be used to finance 1,936 poor households, 427 of which are in extremely disadvantaged areas. Nong Son, Dai Loc, Duy Xuyen, Nui Thanh and Thang Binh districts record a large number of beneficiaries. Dinh Van Thu, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said the action is one of efforts to implement the government’s policy on assisting poor households in building flood-resistant houses. In order to ensure the transparency of the programme, the provincial People’s Committee asked the People’s Committees of districts, towns and cities to be accountable for the management and use of the allocated capital. Seminar seeks to prevent fake goods Measures to combat fake goods and intellectual rights violations was the focus of a workshop in Hanoi on May 25. Co-organised by the Cong Thuong (Industry and Trade) newspaper and the Market Management Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), the event aims to promote coordination between legal enforcement organs and enterprises in this fight. Le The Bao, Chairman of the Vietnam Association for Anti-Counterfeiting and Trademark Protection highlighted the important role played by his agency and enterprises in raising awareness of protecting trade names. Exhibitions should be organised, helping consumers know the symbols for distinguishing between genuine and counterfeit products , while market management forces should be provided with knowledge and experience in discovering counterfeit goods on the market, he suggested. Meanwhile, Nguyen Anh Ngoc from the Investip Industrial Property JSC said that businesses should be supported in investigating and handling violations of intellectual property rights. Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai mentioned the complicated situation of counterfeit products and violations of intellectual property rights, saying that m any enterprises, when they discover that their designs and trademarks have been copied, do not denounce these actions to authorised agencies. This causes negative impacts for consumers and licensed companies’ production and business, and the investment climate as well, he added. According to Nguyen Trong Tin, deputy director of the Market Management Department, market management forces settle about 10,000 cases of fake and low-quality goods, and trade fraud every year. Legal enforcement organs and enterprises should further enhance links, towards improving efficiency of the fight against counterfeit products and violations of intellectual property rights, Tin noted. VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri