Vietnam bans animal slaughter at violent spring festivals
With the spring festival season nearly upon us, Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has ordered an end to all performances that include either violent or offensive rituals, such as killing animals.
Several festivals still feature violent rituals that involve slaughtering pigs and bull fighting, and that has to stop, the ministry said in a new statement.
Most spring-time rituals in Vietnam were created centuries ago to commemorate ancient war heroes, show respect to the gods and to pray for good health, peace and prosperity — all honorable causes.
But how people celebrate and perform these rituals is another question.
Sometimes that involves the brutal killing of animals in public, like the pig slaughtering festival in the northern province of Bac Ninh.
Nem Thuong villagers celebrate the festival on the sixth day of the first lunar month, which is February 5 next year, to commemorate a general who took refuge in the area while fighting invaders a thousand years ago. He killed wild hogs to feed his soldiers, hence the tradition of slaughtering pigs.
Traditionally, villagers parade two pigs around before beheading them and collecting their blood. Then they soak money in the fresh blood and place it on the altars in their houses to pray for good crops and health.
The festival has been facing criticism and opposition since 2012, including a petition from the Hong Kong-based Animals Asia Foundation, which said the festival was “extremely cruel”. But the villagers have refused to give up their tradition.
In the past the ministry said that local communities should have the right to conduct their traditional festivals, and this is the first time it has taken such a tough stance.
The statement also asked local authorities to stop any fighting, gambling or begging at the upcoming spring festivals.
Many spring festivals involve hundreds of people scrambling to touch good luck charms, and this can break out into fighting.
At a festival in Hanoi in February 2015, many people were beaten with sticks and poles when a frenzied rush to snatch up sacred offerings turned into violent clashes. At another in the nearby Phu Tho Province early this year, several men passed out after being crushed by hundreds of people trying to catch sacred balls tossed into the crowd after a spiritual ceremony. The game was created to train soldiers during ancient times and those who manage to seize or just touch one of the balls believe it brings good luck for the year.
The ministry also said that the number and the scale of spring festivals must be scaled down.
Official statistics show that every year, more than 7,300 festivals take place around Vietnam, mostly in the spring.
Nightmare scenario: Coastal Vietnam faces a watery end
Several coastal areas in Vietnam are likely to be under water and nearly 40% of the Mekong Delta could be wiped out.
Several coastal areas in Vietnam are likely to become the victims of climate change and be under water by the end of this century, VietnamPlus reported on October 25.
If the world does not act upon reducing greenhouse gas emissions, by the end of the century, sea levels could rise by nearly 1 meter. Under this scenario, 38.9% of the Mekong Delta, 17.8% of Ho Chi Minh City, 16.8% of the Red River Delta and 1.47% of Central Vietnam will be submerged, the news site reported, citing an updated scenario released Tuesday by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
The most vulnerable areas in the Mekong Delta, which currently accounts for half of Vietnam’s rice production, are the provinces of Hau Giang (80.62% at risk of being submerged), Kien Giang (76.86%) and Ca Mau (57.69%).
The Mekong Delta is already struggling to survive from drought and saltwater intrusion.
In Ho Chi Minh City, the country’s economic hub, 80.78% of Binh Thanh District and 36.43% of Binh Chanh District are forecast to be under water by the end of this century.
In the central region, Thua Thien Hue is the most vunerable province with 7.69 percent at risk, while Nam Dinh, Thai Binh and Quang Ninh are the most at risk from rising sea levels in the north.
In addition, parts of some islands including Van Don in Quang Ninh, Con Dao in Ba Ria Vung Tau and Phu Quoc in Kien Giang are likely to be lost. The Paracels Islands, which are claimed by Vietnam but controlled by China, are more exposed to rising sea levels than those in the Spratlys, according to the report.
The ministry recommended that vulnerable locations focus on building irrigation systems that can lower the projected damage and adapt to rising sea levels and climate change.
The United Nations has warned that if sea levels rise by one meter, Vietnam will face a loss of US$17 billion each year; one fifth of the population or some 18 million will be homeless and 12.3% of farmland will disappear.
Even if the world manages to keep temperature increases within 1.5 – 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels as agreed in Paris last December, Vietnam would still face a rise in sea level by around half a meter. That means the country will see 6.7 percent of the Red River Delta, 4.5% of the Mekong Delta and 11.4% of Ho Chi Minh City under water.
Vietnam is considered one of the countries most at risk from climate change, with annual losses averaging US$1.9 billion or 1.3% of gross domestic product as a result, Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung told a conference in Hanoi on October 25.
Central provinces receive educational support
The Ministry of Education and Training has provided about 1.5 billion VND (67,155 USD) and educational equipment for flood-hit provinces in the central region.
Particularly, Quang Binh received 600 million VND; Thua Thien-Hue, 210 million VND, including textbooks and educational materials worth 150 million VND; Ha Tinh, 200 VND and 100 sets of textbooks; and Nghe An, 100 million VND and 100 sets of textbooks.
Minister of Education and Training Phung Xuan Nha and his entourage visited the provinces and handed over assistance to local schools and education and training departments.
Heavy rains and floods in the central region, including the provinces of Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue, claimed 25 lives, injured 18 others and left four missing as of October 18.
HCM City to host the 1st festival of kylin, lion and dragon dance performance
A festival of kylin, lion and dragon dance performance will be held for the first time in Ho Chi Minh City on October 30, the city Department of Tourism announced on October 25.
The event that will take place in Nguyen Hue walking street in District 1 is expected to attract thousands of people.
12 kylin, lion and dragon dance clubs will participate in the festival, such as Hang Anh Duong, Thien Ung, Tam Hoa Duong and others.
The festival will also include art performances and exciting folk games.
Hà Nội Police discovered coach transporting wood illegally
The Hà Nội Traffic Police yesterday discovered a coach illegally transporting wood on Phan Trọng Tuệ Road in Thanh Trì District.
The wood, which weighed 250kg, was hidden in different bags and was wrapped carefully.
Driver of the coach Nguyễn Duy Thanh, 33, failed to show any papers related to the wood. He told the police that a stranger asked him to transport the wood.
Midnight on Monday, the Hà Nội Transport Police Team No. 8 seized a lorry illegally transporting wood in Phú Xuyên District.
The wood weighed more than 10,000kg.
Driver of the lorry Tống Ngọc Phú, 32, admitted to the police he was hired to transport the wood from the Central Highlands Province of Kon Tum to Hà Nội.
Health sector PPPs still face challenges
The cooperation between public and private hospitals in easing hospital overcrowding has been considered an effective model, however, according to hospital representatives, the biggest hindrance to develop public-private partnerships (PPP) in the health sector is hospital fees.
HCM City is the leading locality launching the cooperation model. Public hospitals in the city are always crowded, with a high frequency of shared beds. In contrast, despite modern devices and facilities, private hospitals struggle to attract patients.
“Taking advantage of human resources and empty beds at private hospitals is one of the measures to reduce overloading at public medical facilities in the city,” Tăng Chí Thượng, deputy director of HCM City’s health department said.
Six hospitals in the city have officially joined PPP. Chợ Rẫy Hospital and Nhân Dân (People) 115 Hospital signed cooperation contracts with City International General Hospital. Phúc An Khang International Hospital cooperates with District 2 Hospital. Oncology Hospital partners with Hồng Đức General Hospital.
The PPP model involves exchanges of doctors and patients. If patients agree to be treated at a private hospital, the patients will only have to pay the difference in fees between the two hospitals.
Under the cooperation, patients will no longer have to suffer crowding at public hospitals, can still be treated by doctors of public hospitals, and enjoy advanced technology from private ones.
The PPP route has helped reduce overloading and shorten surgery time. Six months after the partnership, bed-use capacity of private Hồng Đức Hospital has risen from 30 per cent to over 90 per cent.
A major problem causing patients to hesitate is the higher hospital fees at private facilities, which makes PPP in the health sector not as efficient as expected.
Doctor Diệp Bảo Tuấn, deputy director of Oncology Hospital said that Hồng Đức Hospital has supported hospital fees for patients wishing to move from Oncology Hospital. Patients have to pay private hospital fees that are about 22 per cent higher than those of the public hospital. For many patients, the fee remains relatively high.
“Patients have to pay more but they have better treatment conditions and modern medical equipment, without having to wait for long or share beds,” a representative of Hồng Đức Hospital said.
Doctor Phan Văn Báu, director of Nhân Dân 115 Hospital said that the collaboration between Nhân Dân 115 Hospital and City International Hospital needed clear mechanisms because the two hospitals apply different rates of hospital fees and health insurance payment.
Others complained of the conflict in counting the extra income of doctors and suggested that the Ministry of Health roll out a legal basis for the partnership.
Dengue fever on the rise in Vĩnh Long
The number of dengue fever cases in southern Vĩnh Long Province has risen sharply in the last few weeks with the trend predicted to continue through the month, the provincial Preventive Medicine Centre has announced.
More than 860 cases of dengue fever were reported this year, an increase of 53 per cent compared to the same period last year, said Dr Huỳnh Thanh Tân, deputy director of the centre. 90 of the cases became serious, with one resulting in death.
An average of 25 cases has been reported every week in the province. The most dengue-affected areas are in Long Hồ, Bình Tân, Mang Thít districts and Vĩnh Long City.
Võ Thị Thu Hương, head of Vĩnh Long General Hospital’s Peadiatrics Department said in September, 54 people were hospitalised, with signs of liver damage.
Tân said this month was the peak of the rainy season, causing an increase in density of mosquitoes and mosquito larvae.
The centre has boosted preventive measures such as increased public awareness and spraying of insecticide in dengue-affected areas, he added.
More people being bitten by rove beetles
Residential areas near fields or lawns, especially high-rise apartment buildings, should be careful of rove beetle, an insect that can inflict poisonous bites on humans, a health expert has warned.
Dr Trương Xuan Lam, deputy head of the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources said that rove beetles tended to move to light areas, so people should close windows to avoid the insect.
He made the warning following an increase in the number of people bitten by rove beetles.
Mai Lan, resident in Linh Đàm Urban Area in Hoàng Mai District said she mistook the rash for a Herpes zoster infection, a viral skin infection characterised by a painful skin rash with blisters on one side of the body.
She treated it with lotions, but the situation did not improve. When she had skin tests done, she knew she was bitten by the beetle.
Lam said people who were bitten by rove beetles would experience stinging blisters on open skin. Although it is not life threatening, people bitten by rove beetles usually suffer a painful skin rash.
People should have skin tests to get proper treatment, he said.
Vietnamese women contribute 110 million hours of unpaid work each day
Vietnamese women spend an average of five hours a day on unpaid work such as household chores and childcare while men spare around three hours.
In some disadvantaged areas, women can spend over eight hours a day on unpaid work.
The figures were extracted from a survey conducted by the Labor Ministry and ActionAid, a non-governmental organization working against poverty and injustice worldwide, between January and April this year.
The survey involved 825 participants aged over 15 from nine provinces in Vietnam.
Hoang Phuong Thao, head of ActionAid Vietnam, said: “Unpaid work is thought to be a woman’s responsibility, so they have less time to engage in paid jobs or join in social activities.”
Each woman has about 13.6 hours for personal time such as sleeping, relaxing and enjoying hobbies, one hour less than men.
With 22 million women of a legal working age, the survey estimated that Vietnamese women spend up to 110 million hours on unpaid work every day.
This work, though making up 20% of Vietnam’s GDP last year (around US$41 billion), is underestimated by society and women themselves, Thao said.
Is it good for women to spend more time on unpaid work?
The head of ActionAid Vietnam said that more time spent on unpaid work means less time on studying and paid jobs, so more and more Vietnamese women are falling into the poverty trap.
“This affects not only themselves but also future generations.”
Khuat Thu Hong, director of the Institute for Social Development Studies, said that in many cases, a woman’s role in the family is often undermined and they are more likely to suffer domestic violence as they earn less than their male counterparts.
The government has been campaigning to raise public awareness of gender equality as well as the efforts women devote to unpaid work, but the situation hasn’t improved much.
Son Thi Na Qui, head of the Women’s Union from Ward 8 in the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh, one of the surveyed regions, said that only a small portion of local males had started doing housework after taking part in the survey.
“But they just picked up their kids from school or repaired electrical appliances. They refused to do other stuff like cleaning the house or washing dishes,” Qui said.
New York Times names Vietnam a place to travel in your 20s
A new travel check list by the New York Times has listed Vietnam among 20 places you should visit in your 20s, an age when people are eager to explore the world but do not have a lot of money or time off from work.
Vietnam is recommended as a country rich in cuisine, culture and natural beauty, as well as low prices. The country attracted 7.3 million foreign visitors in the first nine months of this year, up 25% on-year.
The magazine highlighted three particular destinations – Ha Long Bay, the ancient town Hoi An and the former capital Hue.
All three places are among the greenest tourist destinations in Vietnam and are much loved by both local and foreign visitors.
Ha Long is a natural marvel with more than 1,500 islands and inlets popping up from emerald waters that are perfect for a boat cruise.
The bay has become famous since UNESCO named it a natural heritage site and has made many travelers bucket lists.
Earlier this month, U.S. news site Business Insider also named a cruise trip through Ha Long Bay among the must-do travel experiences in Asia.
800km to the south of Ha Long is Hue, the seat of the Nguyen Dynasty from 1802 until the end of feudal Vietnam in 1945.
The city known for its Imperial City and photogenic royal tombs on the outskirts, as well as its poetic beach, river, mountain sites and a wide range of special rice cakes.
Hoi An is just a three-hour ride to the south of Hue. Once a popular trade port in the region, Hoi An now draws tourists to its picturesque wooden houses, pagodas, street-side eateries and hundreds of tailor shops.
A travel forum run by US magazine USA Today described Hoi An as one of the 10 most beautiful places in Southeast Asia, a place where one can find “tranquility and timelessness”.
“Best Day on Earth”, a new book by the UK travel publisher Rough Guide, listed Hoi An’s full-moon festival among the world’s most extraordinary travel experiences for the hundreds of lanterns that glow along alleys and river banks around town.
The New York Times list also includes Amsterdam, Berlin, Budapest, Cuba, Montreal, New Orleans, Oaxaca in Mexico, Patagonia in Argentina and Prague.
Central city to build new sea dyke
The central coastal city of Da Nang has approved a 2.1km sea dyke project in the Lien Chieu District with a total investment of 200 billion VND (nearly 9 million USD) in an effort to prevent coastal erosion due to rising sea level and climate change.
The city-funded project is designed to protect a pristine beach section of Xuan Thieu-Nam O Village, along Nguyen Tat Thanh Street, that is the most vulnerable to erosion during the annual rainy season (between October and April).
It is one of 11 beaches in Son Tra, Thanh Khe and Lien Chieu districts developed by the city.
Between 2005 and 2010, the city invested 1.3 trillion VND (58 million USD) to build and upgrade a 24.5km sea dyke system in the most disaster-affected areas. But in 2013, a 110m section of the sea dyke in the Son Tra District was washed away by sea water during Storm Nari.
Vietnam’s 3,260km coast line is under threat of rising sea levels due to climate change and the sea dyke system is thus of great importance.
The Government has urged further development of the dykes – to mitigate natural disasters, protect people and the environment and create an integrated transport system.
Since 2006, a programme to upgrade sea dykes has been implemented from Quang Ninh to Quang Nam Province along the country’s northern coast.
To date, the 13 provinces involved have reinforced nearly 300km of sea dykes, renovated or built sluices and planted hundreds of hectares of wave-blocking trees.
Vietnam pays due heed to sustainable development
The Vietnamese Government always considers sustainable development a goal in the national development strategy, said President of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS) Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quang Thuan.
The country has enthusiastically partaken in relevant seminars and committed to translating sustainable development goals (SDGs) by 2030, the official said at an international workshop on SDGs in the Mekong Sub-region in Vientiane, Laos, on October 20.
Vietnam is one of the countries that have actively implemented the Agenda 21 on sustainable development and the country adopted a sustainable development strategy for 2011-2020 he said.
Thuan added that the country has also been praised for its successful realisation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), creating marked changes in reducing poverty and raising people’s living standards.
Participants at the workshop discussed smart agriculture as well as specific measures to implement actions and projects combined with the 2030 Agenda and SDGs in the Mekong Sub-region countries, with attention paid to a smart agriculture in the context of climate change, poor technologies and limited capital.
In his speech concluding the conference, President of the Lao National Institute for Social Sciences Soukkongseng Sayaleuth stated that participants have worked effectively despite restricted discussion time.
They exchanged ideas and solutions to smart agriculture development and the realization of sustainable growth goals, he said, adding that upbeat outcomes of the event will open future cooperation opportunities in smart farming for sides involved.
Representing Cambodia – the host of the next conference, President of the Royal Academy of Cambodia Khlot Thyda announced the 2017 theme as food security and water resources management in the Mekong sub-region.
84 kids hospitalized with food poisoning after lunch at kindergarten
Scores of young children from a nursery school in the southern province of Vinh Long were hospitalized with food poisoning after having lunch at school on October 19.
The children started vomiting and experienced stomachaches and diarrhea. The school called parents to pick their children up but the situation quickly worsened with dozens of them falling sick.
A public hospital in the area had to arrange extra beds to receive 84 children between three and five years old, nearly a third of the school’s 273 students.
Doctors at the hospital said nine serious cases were put on drips. More than half of the children had been discharged by October 20, and the rest are stable.
Authorities in Vinh Long have taken food samples and are investigating the cause of the problem.
Mass food poisoning occurs multiple times every year in Vietnam, mostly due to poor management of canteens and quality, but legal action is not often taken.
In March, Ho Chi Minh City fined Korean fast food chain Lotteria Vietnam VND146 million (US$6,500) for a mass poisoning case that put 60 workers from a Danish company in hospital.
The city also fined Tam Tam Company, a local lunch provider, VND48 million (US$2,200) after its food poisoned 44 primary school students in the city.
Survey finds 76 pct of Vietnam’s security cameras hackable
Three quarters of Vietnam’s private security cameras employ default usernames and passwords, inviting hackers to take them over.
BKAV, Vietnam’s leading cyber security center, reported the figure as a result of a survey conducted in the third quarter of 2016.
“Security cameras with default account settings invite hackers to access the devices and track users,” BKAV said.
The company explained that the majority of Vietnam’s security cameras are vulnerable to hackers since many manufacturers and service providers never bother to advise their customers to create custom passwords.
The securigy firm suggested users also turn off features that allow remote access to their camera feeds.
The BKAV survey also revealed that about 7,000 new mobile phone malware programs get distributed each day around the world. The malicious lines of code get hidden in downloadable games and applications by hackers hoping to steal mobile user information like contacts, text messages, photos and even banking details.
Users often find it difficult to detect the code since their phones continue operating normally even after they’ve been compromised.
BKAV advised its users to be cautious about installing any new application and equip their phones with antivirus software.
Vietnam aims to double farmers’ income by 2020 in ambitious plan
In one of its most ambitious anti-poverty plans yet, Vietnam has set the target of lifting the income for farming communities by the year 2020, as it tries to improve living standards for rural areas.
Under the plan, those working in the agricultural sector will see positive changes in their lives over the next four years, with the average income rising to VND45 million (US$2,020) a year.
The plan, to be implemented in December, encompasses a wide range of measures, including improving infrastructure, providing better access to clean water and promoting education.
If everything goes smoothly, farmers in northern mountainous regions and some central provinces, who are often in the lowest income bracket, will be able to earn at least US$1,600 annually on average.
Farmers in more prosperous regions can expect at least US$2,245 a year.
Vietnam has a labor force of around 54 million and nearly 70% of them are in rural areas working mainly in farming.
The new income targets for farmers are nearly twice the levels seen at the end of last year, according to data from the agriculture ministry.
Another important goal in the new plan is to bring the poverty rates down to 6% for all rural areas by the year 2020.
Vietnam has been universally praised for its efforts to tackle poverty over the past decades.
But even after the economy has expanded and achieved the middle-income status, hunger and poverty continue to hurt many.
A new policy effective later this year will redefine poverty as earning less than VND8.4 million (US$374) a year per person.
This new threshold is expected to raise the ratio of poor families in the country to 10%.
Fund raising supports Vietnamese AO victims in France
A Vietnam Day was recently held in France’s Essonne province to raise funds for Vietnamese Agent Orange /Dioxin (AO) victims in Van Canh Village in Hanoi.
The event was attended by Vietnamese Ambassador to France Nguyen Ngoc Son, Vice Mayor of Evry City Diego Diaz, President of the French Friendship Committee for Van Canh Peace Village Raphael Vahe, who is also President of the French Republic’s Association of War Veterans and Victims.
The event began with the screening of a documentary titled “Tro lai dia nguc” (Back to the hell) on the AO community’s ordeal after the war.
At the event, Secretary of the France – Vietnam Friendship Association Jean Pierre Archambault lauded the political and socio-economic development Vietnam has made over the past 30 years.
Raphael recalled the process to build the Van Canh village, saying that it is a symbol of cooperation to address the war’s aftermath, and pledged that his committee will continue its support for the Village.
A highlight of the event was the speech made by Vietnamese French lawyer Sandrine Le Pironnec, hailing the courage of Tran To Nga, who is pursuing a lawsuit against US chemical firms to demand justice for Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin victims.
Vietnamese Ambassador to France Nguyen Ngoc Son expressed his hope that French people will provide support for Vietnam in its national building.
H’mông apple helps minority escape poverty
Residents of Mù Cang Chải District in the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai are enjoying better lives thanks to their special ethnic fruit called Sơn Tra.
Sơn Tra or H’mông apple (scientifically named Docynia indica) is an indigenous tree species widely found at high elevations in northern Việt Nam.
Its fruit is traditionally used as food and for making wine, providing a source of income for farmers.
From growing wild in the forests, in recent years the trees have become a commodity helping residents escape poverty and even make money, the Tin Tuc (News) Newspaper reports.
The biggest forest of sơn tra cultivation is in Lao Chải Commune.
Lờ A Chư, a H’mông tribe member, told the newspaper that his family had earned about VND20million-30million (US$900-1,400) from this year’s crop.
“This was my family’s sơn tra forest, which is about 10-years-old, so the fruits were not as big as those from older trees”, said Chư. “But other families could get much more because their trees were more perennial,” he told the News.
According to Lờ A Chư, the tree used to grow wildly in the forests and no one wanted to pick the fruit because they could not be sold.
But in recent years, the fruits have begun selling and like other families in the commune, Lờ A Chư’s family expanded the Sơn Tra cultivation area.
So far, his family has 2ha of Sơn Tra, half of which has provided income regularly, the paper said.
Like many H’mong households in Mù Cang Chải, his family’s income comes from growing fruit of the Thảo Quả (another speacial tree in the northern mountainous region) and Sơn Tra.
“My 10-member family live on growing Thảo Quả and Sơn Tra trees. In recent years, the weather has changed abnormally, which caused damaged the Thảo Quả crop. But fortunately, my family had a fallback – the Sơn Tra,” the H’mông farmer said.
Another local, Sùng A Chinh, said happily that his family earned VND60,000 million (US$2,700) from more than 2ha of Sơn Tra.
Lê Trọng Khang, deputy head of the Mù Cang Chải District, told the newspaper that authorities have been encouraging local growers to expand the cultivated areas in the region.
The Son Tra tree was placed on a list of trees for afforestation for many years, he said. But since 2000, the district has found there are many economic and agricultural advantages to the tree.
“The Sơn Tra tree has a big leaf canopy and roots digging deeply into the soil. Thus the tree is good for preventing land erosion, too,” he said.
“The Sơn Tra flowers are good for beekeeping. The fruits are not only used as natural medicine but also as an ingredient for drinks,” Khang said.
At present, the district has a total of about 2,000ha of Sơn Tra, mainly in the communes of Nậm Có, Nậm Khắt, Lao Chải, Púng Luông, La Pán Tẩn, Chế Cu Nha, and Chế Tạo.
This year, the district yielded about 2,500 tonnes of the fruits with prices ranging from VND15,000-40,000 (0.7 US cents – US$1.8).
Under the plan of Yên Bái Province’s agriculture and rural development sector, the cultivation areas will be expanded to 10,000ha by the year 2020, he said.
Hoàng re-signs contract with Hải Phòng
Football coach Trương Việt Hoàng have renewed his three-year contract with V.League 1team Hải Phòng.
Hoàng came to Hải Phòng to replace the Maltese-born English coach Dylan Kerr.
Under the guidance of Hoàng, who is a former national footballer and head coach of the Hà Nội Club, Hải Phòng finished second out of 14 teams in the national premier league.
Yesterday, Hải Phòng travelled to the northern province of Quảng Ninh to prepare for the new football season.
OVs in Russia support flood victims
The Vietnam Embassy in Russia launched a fundraising campaign on October 24 to help people in the central region overcome the consequences of recent devastating floods.
Ambassador to Russia Nguyen Thanh Son called on overseas Vietnamese, businesses and organizations in Russia to assist their compatriots back home.
He emphasized that donations from Vietnamese people at home and abroad will warm up the heart of flood victims and help them soon stabilize their lives.
ovs in russia support flood victims hinh 1 In response to the ambassador’s call, each embassy staff donated at least one-day salary while representatives from organizations and businesses as well as OVs donated money with the hope that their small contribution can partly help relieve the pain and loss of flood victims.
The donation will be sent to the flood victims soon and made public on the OV community’s websites and newspapers.
Traffic accidents across Vietnam drop in first nine months
The number of traffic accidents across Vietnam has decreased over the first nine months of 2016, the government said in a recent report.
The Vietnamese government has submitted a report on efforts to ensure traffic safety to the lawmaking National Assembly, revealing that the number of traffic accidents and crash victims has dropped nationwide during the first nine months of this year, compared to the same period of 2015.
More than 15,000 traffic accidents, mainly road accidents, have been recorded across the country, killing 6,440 people and injuring over 13,000 others.
This number represents a decline of nearly 1,300 while road deaths and injuries reduced by 133 and 1,700 respectively compared to the first nine months of 2015.
The report also stated that the death toll caused by traffic accidents between 2011 and 2015 decreased by over 12,500 compared to the 2006- 2010 period.
Despite the positive statistics, 22 provinces and cities were warned of the rising number of victims killed in traffic accidents, eight of which were over ten percent, including Ho Chi Minh City.
The government has set a goal of a continued decrease in the number of accidents and crash victims of between 5%-10% in 2017.
Efforts will also be made to improve infrastructure in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and prevent prolonged traffic congestion.
Exhibition boasts of beauty of Vietnam’s land and people
A total of 55 photo collections featuring the beauty of Vietnam’s land and people are being displayed at an exhibition in Nguyen Van Binh Book Street in Ho Chi Minh City.
The photo collections were taken by the best entrants from the Southern region in a photo contest launched in August 2015 by the Vietnam Artistic Photographers’ Association and the newspaper Tuoi Tre (The Youth).
Among the 55 shortlisted sets of photos, the organising board presented one gold, two silver, three bronze and five consolation prizes to the best entrants.
The gold prize was won by Cao Ngoc Duong from Quang Binh Province for his twelve-photo collection, telling a touching story about the daily life of Huynh Thi Ngoc Diep, a street vendor from the city of Can Tho, and her adopted child Huynh Thi Ngoc Nu, who is being treated for brain tumours at the Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital.
Duong received VND30 million (US$1,340) in cash and a free trip to discover Tu Lan Cave in Quang Binh Province.
The exhibition will run until October 27.
The contest attracted the participation of 299 professional and amateur photographers from across the country, with 875 entries submitted.
The competitors were encouraged to reflect in their works all aspects of modern life, including the country’s political, socioeconomic and cultural situation, as well as traditional craft villages, festivals, traditional practices and the life stories of people across the country.
Environmental protection and pressing issues that have attracted attention were also included among the contest’s major topics.
Winning contestants from the northern region will be announced and honoured at a ceremony to be held in Hanoi on November 11.
Male, 68-year-old and expecting?
If you’re a guy, did you ever think a doctor would look at your symptoms and chalk them up to pregnancy complications?
Before you say no, keep in mind: that precise diagnosis recently came in to a 68-year-old man in Hà Tĩnh’s Lộc Hà District. The man felt breathless, and his daughter-in-law took him to the district’s Central Hospital October 10. After examining his blood pressure and breathing, the doctors sent him to the General Hospital for further treatment.
When the patient arrived at the new hospital, he carried with him a paper announcing the previous doctors’ diagnosis: high blood pressure due to asthma and pregnancy complications.
Because he is well past the age of menopause, and–more importantly–because he is a he, the 68-year-old’s diagnosis caused some shock.
The confusion ended a few days ago, after General Hospital head Võ Viết Quang admitted it was a mistake. Apparently, staff members entered the wrong code when documenting his symptoms. A staffer meant to type I10 (the code for high blood pressure), but instead printed ICD 10 (the code for pregnancy’s complications) and printed off the diagnosis for future records.
Because he isn’t pregnant, the old man can celebrate with a drink (as long as he monitors his blood pressure).
Too many managers spoil the broth
Normally, a manager makes decisions, manages things and delegates roles to a team of underlings. To make this system work, the number of managers in an office or an agency is always fewer than staff.
Well, not always. According to reports, the Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Department of northern Hải Dương Province has a total of 46 persons. Notably, the department has 44 managers and only 2 staff.
Some managers are tasked to do nothing but send letters. Other lucky leaders boil water and prepare tea for their fellow bosses.
The news has drawn a lot of criticism from almost everyone who isn’t a manager at the Department’s Hải Dương office, which will soon receive an investigation from authorised agencies to clarify the news.
Too much of anything is bad!
Vietnam attends 92nd anniversary of Lebanese communist party
Vietnamese Ambassador to Egypt and Lebanon Do Hoang Long attended a ceremony celebrating the 92nd founding anniversary of the Lebanese Communist Party (LCP) in the Lebanese capital city of Beirut on October 24.
Speaking at the event, LCP Secretary General Hanna Gharib expressed his thanks to the great support and international solidarity that communist and fraternal left-wing parties have provided for LCP over the past years, including the Communist Party of Vietnam.
She affirmed that the LCP always strives to build a country of peace and solidarity for the benefit of the people, and for the sake of the region and the world.
Following the ceremony, the LCP Secretary General held a working session with the Vietnamese Ambassador, during which, she expressed admiration of Vietnam’s heroic struggle for national liberation and achievements in the current cause of national construction and defence.
Gharib said she closely follows the recent developments in the East Sea and wishes to learn from Vietnam’s experience in carrying out the policy of renovation, national construction and development.
She said a LCP delegation led by Politburo member Ghasan Dibeh will visit Vietnam to attend the 18th international meeting of communists and workers’ parties to be held in Hanoi.
Ambassador Long, for his part, informed the host of the success of the 12th National Party Congress, the Party leadership over the national construction and development, and the application of the socialism-oriented market economy model.
On the East Sea issue, he highlighted Vietnam’s consistent stance on supporting the settlement of disputes by peaceful means on the basis of respect for international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
On the occasion, he also held meetings with LCP Politburo members, and the Russian and Chinese ambassadors to Lebanon.-VNA
Vinh Phuc to invest over 1.27 trillion VND in developing rural roads
The northern province of Vinh Phuc aims to build concrete roads in all of its rural areas by 2020 as part of its new-style rural area building programme from 2017 -2020.
According to a recently-approved project on rural road development for 2017-2020, the construction of rural roads will cost a total of 1.27 trillion VND (57.42 million USD), including over 160 billion VND (7.2 million USD) from the provincial budget.
For localities already having concrete rural roads, they will mobilise capital resources for upgrading their existing road networks.
Vinh Phuc has nearly 4,140 kilometres of roads, of which 3,525 kilometres are rural roads. To fulfill the transport criterion in the new-style rural are building programme, the province annually spends 85 billion VND on building rural roads.
By the end of 2015, 90 percent of local rural roads had been upgraded to concrete ones.
Indigenous tree helps minority escape poverty
Residents of Mu Cang Chai District in the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai are enjoying better lives thanks to their special ethnic fruit called Son Tra.
Son Tra (scientifically named Docynia indica) is an indigenous tree species widely found at high elevations in northern Vietnam.
Its fruit is traditionally used as food and for making wine, providing a source of income for farmers.
From growing wild in the forests, in recent years the trees have become a commodity helping residents escape poverty and even make money, the Tin Tuc (News) Newspaper reports.
The biggest forest of Son Tra cultivation is in Lao Chai Commune.
Lo A Chu , a H’mong tribe member, told the newspaper that his family had earned about 20million-30million VND (900-1,400 USD ) from this year’s crop.
“This was my family’s Son Tra forest, which is about 10-years-old, so the fruits were not as big as those from older trees”, said Chu . “But other families could get much more because their trees were more perennial,” he told the News.
According to Lo A Chu , the tree used to grow wildly in the forests and no one wanted to pick the fruit because they could not be sold.
But in recent years, the fruits have begun selling and like other families in the commune, Lo A Chu ’s family expanded the Son Tra cultivation area.
So far, his family has 2ha of Son Tra, half of which has provided income regularly, the paper said.
Like many H’mong households in Mu Cang Chai, his family’s income comes from growing fruit of the Thao Qua (another special tree in the northern mountainous region) and Son Tra.
“My 10-member family live on growing Thao Qua and Son Tra trees. In recent years, the weather has changed abnormally, which caused damaged the Thao Qua crop. But fortunately, my family had a fallback – the Son Tra,” the H’mong farmer said.
Another local, Sung A Chinh, said happily that his family earned 60,000 million VND (2,700 USD ) from more than 2ha of Son Tra.
Le Trong Khang, Deputy Head of the Mu Cang Chai District, told the newspaper that authorities have been encouraging local growers to expand the cultivated areas in the region.
The Son Tra tree was placed on a list of trees for afforestation for many years, he said. But since 2000, the district has found there are many economic and agricultural advantages to the tree.
“The Son Tra tree has a big leaf canopy and roots digging deeply into the soil. Thus the tree is good for preventing land erosion, too,” he said.
“The Son Tra flowers are good for beekeeping. The fruits are not only used as natural medicine but also as an ingredient for drinks,” Khang said.
At present, the district has a total of about 2,000ha of Son Tra. This year, the district yielded about 2,500 tonnes of the fruits with prices ranging from 15,000-40,000 VND (0.7 US cents – 1.8 USD ).
Under the plan of Yen Bai Province’s agriculture and rural development sector, the cultivation areas will be expanded to 10,000ha by the year 2020, he said.
Various culture days to be held in 2017
Six national culture days will be held in 2017 in provinces of Lâm Đồng, Tuyên Quang, Sơn La and Bạc Liêu to promote national and regional cultures.
The events will be co-organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the provinces’ departments of culture, sports and tourism. The ministry requested departments base the events on the characteristic cultural features of the regions and propose them to the provinces’ people’s committees.
Events include the Culture, Sports and Tourism Festival of Central Highlands’ Tây Nguyên’s ethnic groups in Lâm Đồng Province, Dao group’s Culture Day in Tuyên Quang Province, Culture, Sports and Tourism Day of the Việt Nam-Laos border region and of Việt Nam-Cambodia, and Ethnic Group Culture Day under the framework of the 2017 Quảng Nam Heritage Festival.
VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri/VNE