Social News 13/10 Vietnam Railway’s all ticketing systems ready for Tet      Vietnam Railway will begin selling train tickets for the Lunar New Year, starting on October 15 at all booking offices and train stations nationwide. Passengers can also purchased at the e-ticket booking system, www.dsvn.vn. Launched in July, 2014, the electronic ticket selling system helps ease overloads at ticketing offices at railway stations and ticket purchases via illegal channels during peak seasons. The system can receive one million access log entries at the same time More than 15 million train tickets have been purchased successfully at the electronic ticket selling system, accounting for 13-19 percent of the total number of fares sold from 2015-2017. Vietnam Railway plans to offer 300,000 seats in forthcoming Tet holidays. Over 1 trillion VND raised for the poor The Ho Chi Minh City Sponsoring Association for Poor Patients (SAPP) has raised over 1 trillion VND (46.46 million USD) from various community sources to help the poor over the past 25 years. The association has sponsored more than 7,730 heart operations, 530,000 eye surgeries, 38,000 cleft lip/palate operations, 120 scoliosis operations as well as cancer screenings for more than 48,700 women. SAPP has also provided 18,300 hearing aids for deaf children, 20,600 scholarships for poor students, 14,000 meal portions for hospitals, and nearly 146,000 health insurance cards to poor households. It has also built more than 700 charity houses and 100 bridges in rural areas.     The association’s branches have raised more than 734 billion VND (32.3 million USD) over the last 10 years. SAPP has supported the poor in other provinces and neighbouring countries, Vo Thi Dung, deputy secretary of the HCM City Party Committee, said at a meeting with SAPP on October 11. Dung has asked Government agencies to create favourable conditions for the association so that it can expand its programmes. University programmes encourage startup culture Universities in the country are expanding academic programmes that encourage students to take part in the startup culture, HCM City Party Secretary Nguyễn Thiện Nhân said on Thursday at a ceremony marking the beginning of the academic year. Speaking at Việt Nam National University- HCM City, Nhân said that creative startups established by young people were essential to spur the country’s socio-economic development. “Startups should be integral to our country’s sustainable development,” he said, adding that students have many opportunities to start their own businesses. Nhân said that more graduates should be involved in research efforts so that HCM City can become “an urban centre with good cybersecurity”. Farmers in the Mekong Delta region, the country’s agricultural hub, for example, need advanced machinery, he said. “The need of smart machines for agricultural production is very high.” Though startup programmes at universities exist, the number of people opening their own company remains low. One of 200 people opened a new company last year in the entire country, but HCM City had a higher rate, with one of 53 people establishing new enterprises, according to Nhân. He urged students to study business skills in operation and administration and after graduation seek help from city programmes that provide capital for startups. HCM City has four startup programmes, organised by the Hồ Chí Minh Communist Youth Union, the Department of Science and Technology, the Việt Nam National University-HCM City,  Saigon Hi-tech Park and Quang Trung Software City. The city’s Saigon Hi-Tech Park includes many centres for startups.  Nhân encouraged Việt Nam National University-HCM City to work with city agencies to make robots, which are needed in many sectors, including healthcare. He also said the university should cooperate with Saigon Hi-Tech Park and other universities to turn HCM City’s eastern districts of 2, 9 and Thủ Đức into a creative urban area with an advanced technological infrastructure. Established in 1995,Việt Nam National University-HCM City has 41 training programmes that meet the standards of ASEAN, Europe and the US. It includes six member universities. Ha Nam beefs up relations with RoK’s Gyeonggi The northern province of Ha Nam and Gyeonggi province in the south of the Republic of Korea (RoK) will promote cooperation in socio-economy and culture, per a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) inked between the two localities on October 12. Both sides will exchange cooperation plans and discuss initiatives to develop relations and investment through visits and working sessions between the two authorities. Deputy Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Pham Sy Loi affirmed that the MoU aims to bolster economic, culture and education development as well as exchange between the two provinces. Local leaders will facilitate cooperation with Gyeonggi and ask the provincial Department of Planning and Development and other organisations to connect with the locality to carry out the MoU, he added. Meanwhile, Jung Ki Yeol, a leading Gyeonggi official, said that with stable politics and strong economic growth, Vietnam is an attractive destination for Gyeonngi investors, adding that Ha Nam is a magnet for enterprises thanks to its favourable business climate. He pledged to effectively carry out the MoU, promoting economic and cultural exchange between the two countries. Gyeonggi has a population of 13 million people and is home to 760,000 businesses. HCM City eyes cooperation in support industries with Japan’s Kawaguchi Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong said he looks forward to boosting cooperation with Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture in support industries and urban infrastructure development during his meeting with the Japanese city’s mayor Nobuo Okunoki in the southern hub on October 12. Phong said Japan has been a big investor in and an important trade partner of HCM City but cooperation has yet to match potential. Thus, the city wishes to enhance ties with enterprises from Japan, including those in Kawaguchi. He vowed to facilitate Japanese firms to do business in the city, contributing to the sustainable development of the Vietnam-Japan partnership. Nobuo Okunoki, for his part, said he was impressed with HCM City’s dynamic growth, affirming that companies from his city hope to promote ties with Vietnam, particularly HCM City, in banking and finance, support industries, and high technology. He also expressed his hope that his visit marks a new step forward in the two cities’ relations and they will work together to strengthen ties. The mayor suggested HCM City coordinate with Kawaguchi City and Saitama Prefecture to hold friendship exchange programmes and cooperation activities to celebrate the 45th anniversary of Vietnam-Japan diplomatic ties next year. SAPP raises millions for the poor The HCM City Sponsoring Association for Poor Patients (SAPP) has raised over VNĐ1 trillion (US$46.46 million) from various community sources to help the poor over the past 25 years. The association has sponsored more than 7,730 heart operations, 530,000 eye surgeries, 38,000 cleft lip/palate operations, 120 scoliosis operations as well as cancer screenings for more than 48,700 women. SAPP has also provided 18,300 hearing aids for deaf children, 20,600 scholarships for poor students, 14,000 meal portions for hospitals, and nearly 146,000 health insurance cards to poor households. It has also built more than 700 charity houses and 100 bridges in rural areas.     The association’s branches have raised more than VNĐ734 billion ($32.3 million) over the last 10 years. SAPP has supported the poor in other provinces and neighbouring countries, Võ Thị Dung, deputy secretary of the HCM City Party Committee, said at a meeting with SAPP on Wednesday (October 11). Dung has asked Government agencies to create favourable conditions for the association so that it can expand its programmes.  VNRC releases emergency aid for flood victims The Việt Nam Red Cross Society (VNRC) on Thursday released emergency aid of more than VNĐ950 million (US$42,000) to help flood affected households in northern Yên Bái, Sơn La, Hòa Bình and central Thanh Hoá and Nghệ An provinces. Primary aid, including cash and 106 boxes of essential goods for families and 10 boxes of Aquatab water treatment tablets, have been provided by VNRC employees for families most affected by floods in the five provinces.  VNRC said its charity SMS campaign, launched in September to help flood victims in the central provinces, received more than 107,700 texts, or more than VNĐ2.2 billion (US$96,000) from groups, organisations and donors nationwide. The society will continue the campaign until November 11 this year. People from all walks of life can support the campaign by texting UH to 1409. Each mobile text message will contribute VNĐ20,000 (US$0.85) to the VNRC fund. All the collected money will be used to buy essential goods, build houses and support livelihoods to help flood victims overcome difficulties and stabilise production. Donors, organisations and groups may also donate money or goods directly at the VNRC headquarters on 82 Nguyễn Du Street, Hà Nội, or its southern representative office on 201 Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, District 1, HCM City. Urgent relief aid provided for flood-hit people The Vietnam Red Cross Society (VRC) on October 12 provided urgent relief, including 900 million in cash and necessities worth over 50 million VND, for people severely affected by floods in the northern and central regions. The VRC dispatched four working teams to visit flood-hit areas in northern Yen Bai, Hoa Binh, Son La, central Thanh Hoa and Nghe An provinces, where they presented cash, food, disinfectants and other supplies to affected people.  Accordingly, Yen Bai received 200 million VND; Thanh Hoa, 300 million VND, Nghe An, 100 million VND; Hoa Binh, 250 million VND and Son La, 50 million VND, along with the necessities. Earlier, the VRC Central Committee launched a “texting” campaign “Vi dong bao vung lu” (For flood victims) calling people from across the country to make donations via texts. Donators can text UH to 1409 and each text worth 20,000 VND. All money collected from the campaign, running through November 7, will be used to support affected people with necessities, housing and livelihoods, helping them overcome difficulties. The project has to date received approximately 108,000 text messages, equivalent to over 2.1 billion VND (92,400 USD). Meanwhile, the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee on October 12 also decided to allocate 2 billion VND (88,000 USD) to flood-affected people in the provinces of Hoa Binh, Yen Bai, Son La, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and Ha Tinh. Accordingly, Hoa Binh was presented with 1 billion VND (44,000 USD) while the remaining provinces received 200 million VND (8,800 USD) each. The funds will be sent to households that lost family members, with injured people, or had their houses damaged in floods. Workshop seeks to boost CLMV cyber cooperation A two-day workshop opened in Hanoi on October 12 to discuss cyber policies and cooperation among Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV). Representatives of the four countries talked about the building of local legal regulations on cyber security and challenges facing information safety. They agreed that such matter requires concerted efforts from the Government, public agencies, private sectors, and civil society and non-governmental organizations. Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Thanh Hung said ASEAN member states are promoting international cooperation to devise a cyber security strategy for their bloc. Countries worldwide need to join with important international partners in addressing online threats, Hung noted. Participating Vietnamese and foreign experts gave information on new research and technologies, cyberspace code of ethics, and negotiation procedures for cooperation in the arena. New Zealand Ambassador to Vietnam Wendy Matthews said creating an open and safe online environment for global connectivity is a mutual concern of all nations, adding that a set of regulations for countries’ actions on the internet in line with international law is important. The workshop is co-organised by the Vietnam Computer Emergency Response Team (VNCERT) and ICT4Peace Foundation. Forum talks Vietnam-Ukraine relations in new stage The Embassy of Vietnam in Ukraine and the Ukraine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UCCI) co-hosted a forum entitled “Vietnam-Ukraine relations in the new stage” in Kiev on October 11. The event saw participation of Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Hoang Quoc Vuong, who is Chairman of the Vietnamese Subcommittee of the Vietnam-Ukraine Intergovernmental Committee for Economic-Trade and Science-Technology Cooperation; Vietnamese Ambassador to Ukraine Nguyen Anh Tuan; Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Policies on Agriculture and Food Olga Trophiseva; Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Victor Dovgan; UCCI President Ghenady Chizhucov, Ambassador to Vietnam Alexey Shovkopkias, among others. Representatives from over 60 Vietnamese businesses and 150 Ukrainian enterprises also attended the event. The event was designed to boost the comprehensive cooperation and friendship between Vietnam and Ukraine, promote networking between Vietnamese and Ukrainian businesses, and provide support for overseas Vietnamese (OV) in Ukraine. Addressing the event, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Hoang Quoc Vuong and Vietnamese Ambassador to Ukraine Nguyen Anh Tuan highlighted the importance of bilateral cooperative ties and the role of enterprises in boosting economic-trade ties between the two countries. They also underlined the Vietnamese Government’s cooperation orientations and measures to assist Vietnamese and Ukrainian firms and support overseas Vietnamese in Ukraine. Vietnamese and Ukrainian speakers briefed participants on the socio-economic situation and economic policies of their respective nation as well as cooperation potentials between the two sides, while representatives from ministries, sectors addressed businesses’ questions. A number of agreements were signed at the forum, which was held right after the 14th meeting of the Vietnam-Ukraine Intergovernmental Committee for Economic-Trade and Science-Technology Cooperation in Kiev.-VNA Voters praise anti-corruption efforts at meeting with Party leader Many voters in Hanoi applauded the Party and State’s recent efforts to combat corruption, wastefulness and violations in personnel-related affairs during a meeting on October 12 with Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and other National Assembly (NA) deputies of the city. The meeting with voters of Tay Ho, Ba Dinh and Hoan Kiem districts was held ahead of the fourth session of the 14th NA, which is scheduled to take place from October 23 to November 22. Many constituents held that the Party has straightforwardly looked at existing weaknesses and taken drastic measures to fight the degradation of thought, morality and lifestyle, along with self-evolution and self-transformation manifestations. They hailed the settlement of many serious cases of public concern involving senior officials of the Party, the State and State-owned enterprises. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Quoc Thuoc, a voter in Ba Dinh district, said the people want the Party and State to do better, and they are ready to stand side by side with the Party and the State. Other voters expressed their hope that both central agencies and localities will take action. Local inspection committees must work as strongly as the Party Central Committee’s Inspection Commission while the press should also play a greater role in preventing corruption, wastefulness and negative phenomena. The entire Party, people and the whole country must join efforts to create strong, synchronous and comprehensive moves. While appreciating the voters’ opinions, Party General Secretary Trong shared the view that central agencies are working more drastically than local authorities in fighting corruption and negative phenomena, stressing that all must engage in this work to make progress. The Party leader added the fight against corruption and negative phenomena is a difficult and complicated job, which requires persistence, determination, right methodology and consensus. He affirmed the Party and State’s resolve in this work, reiterating the “no-holds-barred” crackdown on corruption and negative phenomena. In response to voters’ attention to personnel-related affairs, the Party chief said the personnel work is a key task in the Party building, adding that officials must have right leading and working methodology.  The freshly finished sixth session of the 12th Party Central Committee moved to improve the personnel work along with the leading methodology and the operation effectiveness of the political system and public non-productive agencies, he added. Regarding the NA’s fourth session, the General Secretary said the parliament will discuss and approve some laws, including a law on planning and a law on anti-corruption. It is also set to decide the socio-economic and financial-budgetary targets and tasks for 2018, as well as some personnel issues. Winners of press awards on poverty reduction effort honoured Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue honoured winners of the first press awards on sustainable poverty reduction effort in the 2016-2020 period in a ceremony in Hanoi on October 12. During the event, 24 prizes, including one A, four B, nine C, were awarded in five categories of print media, online newspaper, radio broadcast, television programme, and photo reportage. The only A prize was presented to a group of journalists from the Voice of Vietnam (VOV) for their radio programme on poverty reduction policies. The awards received 300 entries from January 1 to September 10, 84 of which went to the final round. In his remarks at the ceremony, Deputy PM Hue said the competition raised awareness among people and local authorities of the need to implement and enforce the government’s poverty reduction policies and programmes and motivated the poor to help themselves. He asked journalists and media agencies to continue participating in the competition in 2018 and the following years, contributing to the national effort to achieve sustainable poverty reduction goals set by the State and Party.  The Deputy PM also took the occasion to launch the 2018 awards.- Binh Phuoc: Upgraded plant supplies thousands with clean water The Binh Phuoc Water Supply and Sewage Company put into operation a 10,000-cubic-metre clean water plant in Phuoc Long commune, southern Binh Phuoc province, on October 12. Up to 22.9 billion VND (over 1 million USD) has been used for the plant to have a pump station, a power station, a pipeline system and a water container. Using water sourced from the Thac Mo reservoir, the facility is now capable of supplying clean water for more than 50,000 residents. Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Huynh Anh Minh said the plant can operate effectively in the long term with its natural water source, contributing to socio-economic development of Phuoc Long. Deputy PM Minh meets with voters in Thai Nguyen Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and other National Assembly (NA) deputies of northern Thai Nguyen province on October 12 met with local voters to brief them on the planned agenda of the NA’s upcoming fourth session. At the meeting, the deputies and people in Bao Ly commune, Phu Binh distric, talked about a number of pressing issues such as the transparency of personnel rotation, policies targeting revolutionary contributors and Agent Orange victims, the management of natural resources, and the fight agiantst corruption. Voters also mentioned some problems facing their localities, including obstacles in seeking funds for the construction of commune-level administrations’ headquarters, overloading at kindergartens, and policies for agricultural development. Minh also informed the locals about the country’s socio-economic development, external affairs and border and maritime issues since the beginning of 2017. Opinions raised by local voters were summarized by the NA deputies and will be reported to authorised agencies for settlement. Meetings between NA deputies and voters are part of activities before and after each session of the parliament. The fourth session of the 14th NA is scheduled to open on October 23. HCM City, Hungary seek to realise cooperative agreements Ho Chi Minh City and Hungary should realise cooperative agreements through certain projects, especially in education, trade, investment, sports and tourism in order to fully tap their potential, said Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong. Receiving Szilveszter Bus, Deputy State Secretary of the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, on October 12, Phong affirmed that agreements between the city and Hungary’s Budapest capital in human resources training and clean water management and use have proved effective . Delighted with fine development of the two countries’ relations, particularly in southern Vietnamese localities, Bus affirmed that Hungary always wants to boost collaboration with Vietnam and become Vietnam’s leading partner in Central Europe. Hungary seriously hopes to make contributions to Ho Chi Minh City’s smart urban building and development, he said. He asked municipal leaders to create favourable conditions for Hungarian enterprises to seek investment opportunities in the city in the fields of education, urban infrastructure, wastewater treatment, and supply of high-quality farm produce. He also pledged to facilitate the construction of the Can Tho Tumour Hospital so that it can be put into operation soon to serve health care in the Mekong Delta region and reduce overloads of Ho Chi Minh City’s hospitals. HCM City raises fund for flood-hit people in north, central The Ho Chi Minh City Red Cross Society plans to deliver more than one billion VND (44,000 USD) raised by its chapters at all levels for flood-hit residents in the northern provinces Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Son La, and Hoa Binh October 13. Relief delegations will also be dispatched to the central province of Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, and Thua Thien – Hue to help locals overcome flood consequences. Previously, the municipal chapter raised more than 560 million VND (24,640 USD) for residents in the northern and central flood-hit provinces at a ceremony on October 12. Addressing the event, Nguyen Hoang An, Vice President of the Society called on all local authorities, organisations, individuals to help flood-hit residents in many ways, including by placing donation boxes in all agencies, companies, streets and residential areas. Two donators presented 25 million VND (1,100 USD) to support the family of the Vietnam News Agency reporter Dinh Huu Du, who was swept away in the floods. The Ho Chi Minh City Fatherland Front Committee also mobilised three billion VND (132,000 USD) to support residents in the provinces from September 21 to October 9.- HCM City provides preferential loans for poor households Ho Chi Minh City has provided preferential loans for more than 1.3 million poor households and social welfare beneficiaries from the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP) branch in the city. The information was revealed at a conference in HCM City on October 12 to review the implementation of preferential credit policies in 2003-2017. The VBSP reported that its branch in HCM City has helped more than 225,000 families overcome poverty over the past 15 years while generating jobs for more than 220,000 labourers and helping 88,000 students study. Director Tran Van Tien said as of August 31, 2017, the total credit of the VBSP’s branch in HCM City exceeded 2.8 trillion VND (over 123 million USD), nearly 20 times more than in 2003 when it was established. The effective implementation of social credit policies has helped reduce poverty and unemployment and narrowed gaps between the rich and the poor, participants said. Vice Chairwoman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Thi Thu urged the VBSP branch in HCM City to take more measures to sustainably reduce poverty. She suggested improving the quality of preferential credit loans and controlling the ratio of overdue debts as well as increasing financial inspections. Russian expert highlights Vietnam’s role in Asia-Pacific Vietnam plays a crucial role in the Asian-Pacific region, Chairman of a foundation on Asian and European science and technology research, Grigory Trofimtruk has told Vietnam News Agency reporters in Russia. He said Vietnam is one of Russia’s key partners in the region. Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Russia as special and suggested the two countries promote their traditional friendship, he added. Trofimtruk said hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum 2017 has reinforced the geopolitical position of Vietnam in the region He noted that Vietnam was the first country to sign a free trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union, helping the union expand its influence in other Southeast Asian nations. Vietnam also welcomes proposals in economics and finance, he said. VNN