With authorities tightening management over sand exploitation in rivers in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, the price of the substance has skyrocketed, creating a lucrative market for excessive mining. With authorities tightening management over sand exploitation in rivers in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, the price of the substance has skyrocketed, creating a lucrative market for excessive mining. Surveys taken at major distributors of building materials in the delta showed that sand prices have spiked by VND30,000 (US$1.32) to VND80,000 ($3.52) per cubic meter compared to the past two months. The surge was brought about by a limited supply of sand, an owner of such a facility in Vinh Long Province said, adding that all kinds of sand have been sold out. Another seller in Vinh Long stated that even low-quality sand, which contains a lot of impurities, has also been in high demand. In Ho Chi Minh City, the substance was selling at VND600,000 ($26.3) per cubic meter, as recorded on … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI - Hà Nội People's Procuracy plans to charge a director of two companies for fraudulent appropriation of assets, under suspicion of appropriating billions of Vietnamese đồng from those desiring to work overseas. The suspect La Thanh Khương, 41, of Đống Đa District, is the director of Visa World Ltd Company and Đông Phương Việt Nam International Trade Ltd Company. Both firms are not licensed to send people to work overseas. However, police's investigation showed that between March, 2015 and July, 2016, Khương received over VNĐ1.6 billion (US$71,000) and $8,600 from 21 people after promising to help them get jobs in countries like Taiwan, Spain or Cyprus. She allegedly told the victims that they could go to work overseas within three months after paying her a deposit worth $3,000 per person. Since the case was detected, Khương returned victims VNĐ248 million. - VNS … [Read more...]

Residents in Hanoi and the north-central Vietnamese province of Nghe An are struggling to go about their daily lives amid the scorching weather smothering the region. Residents in Hanoi and the north-central Vietnamese province of Nghe An are struggling to go about their daily lives amid the scorching weather smothering the region. In the Vietnamese capital, temperatures reached 36 degrees Celsius around noon on Wednesday, forcing citizens to seek cover from the extreme heat. Locals sought the shelter of trees along the streets, bridges, flyovers, and rustic coffee stands along the sidewalks to escape the sun. Those whose jobs require outdoor work, such as motorbike taxi drivers, porters, and street sweepers, covered themselves from head to toe in long-sleeved clothing, gauze masks, sunglasses, and hats. Here are some photos depicting the daily life of Hanoi residents in the blistering weather: Meanwhile, in Vinh, a city in Nghe An Province, temperatures … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News AN GIANG - Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Trần Hồng Hà has proposed an emergency solution to avoid further devastation in the aftermath of the landslide that destroyed 14 houses last month in Mekong Delta An Giang Province. The use of gabions, wattle screens, bamboo, wooden poles and sand packs was one of the emergency solutions proposed to the Prime Minister after the environmental minister completed a field trip to the devastated area on April 25-26. Hà proposed to cover the damaged road, located along the Hậu River, where 16 houses collapsed, with gabions, wattle screens, bamboo, wooden poles and sand packs to increase its endurance against the high water velocity and force as a result of the waterway traffic, preventing the occurrence of landslides in residential, production areas and near schools. He also said the provincial People's Committee would immediately relocate residents of the devastated area and support them in finding a stable means of … [Read more...]

Surgeons of the general hospital in the central province of Ha Tinh have successfully performed an operation on a local woman with two wombs, the hospital said yesterday. After diagnosing and making tests, doctors verified it is a rare case because the pregnant has two wombs; subsequently they tried to seek help of Dr. Daniel Derval, an obstetrician working on the agreement between the hospital and French Cootes D’Armor Organization. In the consultation, obstetrician Daniel Derval advised Vietnamese doctors to carry out a C-section to take out the baby. The operation was a success with the help of French doctor. Currently, the mother is stable while her baby is taken care of at the intensive unit because he was born prematurely with the weight of 1,9 kg. SGGP … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News HCM CITY - A batch of used computerised tomography scan machines was discovered at the Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport in HCM City on Wednesday. An attempt was being made to transport the machines into Cambodia. According to the airport's customs office, the machines were reported to authorities to be totally new and imported from Japan. The batch consisted of 10 packages weighing 5.7 tonnes in total and worth over VNĐ3.2 billion (US$139,100). Used medical equipment is on the list of banned import items to Việt Nam, according to the law. The Bee Logistic Joint Stock Company, located on 39B Trường Sơn Street in HCM City's Tân Bình District, reported that the machines were registered to be totally new to avoid obtaining a licence from the Ministry of Industry and Trade. A representative of the customs office said the alleged violators were attempting to take advantage of the transit property route to Cambodia for smuggling the goods. In some cases, smugglers … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News LONG AN - Twenty breeding cows valued at VNĐ500million (US$22,000) have been donated to poor households living in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Long An. Trương Tấn Sang, Việt Nam's former President, on Wednesday handed over the breeding cows to the households who live in Đức Hòa District's An Ninh Tây Commune at an event held in the province. The breeding cows were donated by the Masan Nutri-Science Corporation (MNS), a member of the Masan Corp Group which manufactures and trades animal feed in Việt Nam. Phạm Trung Lâm, managing director of the MNS, said: "The people here are still facing many difficulties, so Masan Nutri-Science wants to help the disadvantaged improve their living and escape poverty." Nguyễn Văn Đặng, one of the local residents who received a cow, said he would try his best to help his family have a higher standard of living. In An Ninh Tây Commune, about 100 poor households and 170 near-poor households are farmers in difficult … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News HẢI PHÒNG - Two members of a fishing boat are missing after their boat sank in the waters off Hòn Dáu 15 Island close to northern Hải Phòng City late Wednesday. The fishing boat HP 09364 TS was hit by cargo ship Nguyễn Nam Khánh 168 and capsized at around 11pm on Wednesday. The cargo ship was carrying some 3,000 tonnes of clinker from the city's Chinfong port to HCM City. The two missing fishermen were identified as Nguyễn Văn Được, 38, from central Thanh Hóa Province, and Đinh Như Thắng, 38, from Hải Phòng City. The Việt Nam Maritime Search and Rescue Co-ordination Centre (VNMRCC) is collaborating with captains of boats active in the area and concerned authorities to search for the missing fishermen. Meanwhile, two other fishermen of the boat were rescued by the VNMRCC by 6am on Thursday. They were identified as Phạm Văn Hùng, 41, boat captain from Hải Phòng City, and Bùi Văn Đông, 37, from Thanh Hóa Province. - VNS … [Read more...]

A motorcyclist is under investigation after slamming into a group of traffic police officers on a highway in central Thua Thien-Hue Province on Tuesday, injuring one who later died in the hospital. A motorcyclist is under investigation after slamming into a group of traffic police officers on a highway in central Thua Thien-Hue Province on Tuesday, injuring one who later died in the hospital. The man was apparently speeding while under the influence of narcotics, according to Brigadier Phan Van Minh, chief of staff of Thua Thien-Hue Police, who announced the initial investigation results on Wednesday. According to police reports, a group of four provincial traffic officers were on duty at around 3:45 pm on Tuesday on the National Route 1A when they spotted a speeding motorcyclist. After signaling the driver to pull over for a paper check, the motorcyclist appeared to speed up and head directly into the group of officers. The high-speed hit left Sergeant Vo Duy Khanh, 29, badly … [Read more...]

Vietnamese authorities have ordered an investigation into a case involving a truck driver plowing through oncoming traffic before fatally colliding with two people on a motorbike earlier this week. Vietnamese authorities have ordered an investigation into a case involving a truck driver plowing through oncoming traffic before fatally colliding with two people on a motorbike earlier this week. Dash-cam footage was uploaded on social media after the incident occurred at around 5:00 pm on Tuesday on National Highway 1 in the northern province of Bac Giang. A truck was seen traveling on the left side of the road through oncoming traffic before slamming into a motorcycle carrying two people, both of whom were killed in the collision. The dash-cam footage does not seem to show the truck slowing down, despite breaking traffic regulations and forcing other vehicles out of its way prior to the accident. The two victims were later identified as Nong Van Hung, 23, and his younger sister, … [Read more...]

The groups are formed under Plan 64-KH/BCDTW and Decision 65-QD/BCDTW, recently signed by Party General Secretary and Head of the Central Steering Committee for Anti-Corruption, Nguyen Phu Trong. The supervision and inspection aim to grasp the situation and assess the leadership role played by Party committees in localities and their performance in detecting and handling corruption cases, towards identifying and dealing with signs of ideological, ethical and lifestyle degradation, as well as “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” inside Party organisations. During the inspection and supervision of the investigation, prosecution and trial of serious corruption and economic cases, particularly those of public concern, the teams will pinpoint limitations and difficulties of the process as well as their causes, thus devising measures to improve the effectiveness of the work. The Party chief required that the inspection should have clear focus in order to ensure … [Read more...]

Vietnam recorded nearly 6,900 cases of dengue fever infections in April, compared to the average figure of 4,000 in the first three months of the year. According to the Health Ministry, since the beginning of this year, 20,947 people have contracted the disease, with eight of them dying. In Hanoi alone, 500 dengue fever cases were reported during the period, up 45 percent from last year. In response to the development, the municipal Health Department has intensified communications campaigns on public sanitation and mosquito prevention, while chemicals to kill mosquitoes have been sprayed in areas at high risk of outbreaks. Dengue fever is transmitted by mosquitoes carrying the virus. Its symptoms include high fever, headaches and joint aches, which can be confused with symptoms of other diseases. The disease has potentially dangerous complications such as shock, respiratory failure, coagulation, liver damage and altered mental status, and can be fatal. VNA … [Read more...]

HCM CITY - More than 6,500 people were admitted to hospitals in HCM City over the recent four-day holiday because of traffic accidents, physical fights, and food poisoning, among other reasons, according to the city's Health Department. From April 29 to May 1, of the 39,886 people visiting hospitals for emergencies or health check-ups, 825 cases were due to traffic accidents, 174 to fighting incidents, and 37 to food poisoning, among others. Most people involved in traffic accidents had been drinking too much alcohol and driving over the speed limit. Doctors at 57 hospitals in HCM City carried out 1,012 operations, with 11 for traumatic brain injury, the department said, adding that there were a total of 25 deaths. Dr. Nguyễn Đình Phú, deputy director of People's Hospital 115, said that three people died at People's Hospital 115 on May 1. The city's Preventive Medicine Centre said there were no major Zika or hemorrhagic fever outbreaks during the holiday. The number of traffic … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News HCM CITY - Despite being dubbed the leading economic sector of HCM City, the city's tourism sector is struggling with a lack of qualified human resources. According to the National Administration of Tourism, HCM City's tourism sector needs roughly 40,000 new workers added to the labour pool each year. Last year, only 37 per cent of demand was met with 15,000 workers joining the sector, with merely 12 per cent of them educated to college level. A college degree in tourism, however, does not guarantee that a worker that can do the job. Nguyễn Hải Linh, investor of the luxurious, high-end Elisa floating restaurant on the Sài Gòn River, admitted the high labour demand of tourism companies in the city but said they rarely employed tourism students. The reason for this was that most of the students had "very weak working skills". "They are adept in theories, but short of practical skills," Linh said. "Many restaurants and hotels were forced to recruit untrained but … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI - Việt Nam aims to become a leading nation in the study and application of natural sciences by 2025. Towards this, an eight-year plan (with vision until 2030) will start this year to take studies in four main disciplines -Chemistry, Life Science, Earth Science, and Marine Science - to a new level. The plan envisages that by 2025, there are 15-20 strong research groups in each of these four fields. It also aims for an annual increase of 20-25 per cent in the number of works published in prestigious science journals (those listed in the bibliographic SCOPUS database). The target is 10-15 per cent in the field of marine science. To implement the plan, the State will assign specialised science and technology institutes to conduct scientific research and create products that can be used in manufacturing and in daily life. To improve research capacity in basic sciences at tertiary institutions, investment will be poured into key laboratories in each field and … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News Green economy is the new watchword for many countries as they eye sustainable development. In Việt Nam, the Government encourages all sectors to aspire for green growth. In 2012 the Việt Nam National Green Growth Strategy was formulated, and has been embraced by all sectors in around 40 provinces and cities. Việt Nam News speaks to Louise Chamberlain, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) country director in Việt Nam, about the country's green growth. Can you tell us about the green economy and green growth concepts adopted by many countries? Why are they important? Green economy and green growth have emerged as a solution to balance environmental sustainability and socio-economic development goals. The global agenda was set at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable development in 2012, also known as Rio+20, on the importance of building a "green economy to achieve sustainable development", where member states followed up on the initial commitment of two … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News HCM CITY - Việt Nam Expressway Services Engineering JSC (VECE) this month began providing authorities video footage and photos of vehicles violating traffic regulations on the HCM City - Long Thành - Dầu Giây Expressway. The data collected from surveillance cameras, installed on the 54km expressway in March, will be sent to local police who will issue off-site citations, according to Nguyễn Thị Hoài Phương, deputy director of VECE. VECE will also publish the information on media platforms to raise public awareness about traffic violations. Phương said the surveillance would ensure adherence to traffic rules, and improve safety records and service quality. On March 10, the VNĐ800 billion (US$35.1 million) intelligent transport system (ITS) on the expressway was put into operation. It includes 16 camera view systems (CCTV) and 52 vehicle detection systems that help identify traffic density and address accidents. The images and videos captured by the ITS are … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI - Overlapping and poor co-ordination among vocational secondary schools or technical high schools continues to drain the State budget. For many years, thousands of billion đồng have been invested in many vocational secondary schools or technical high schools nationwide. However, many vocational training objectives have yet to be achieved. In some localities, vocational secondary schools which were built and furbished with modern machines and equipment remain idle due to poor student enrollment According to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Hà Nội is known nation-wide for many achievements in vocational training, yet the enrollment in some facilities is very low. Doãn Quốc Hưng, deputy director of the ThăngLongTransportVocationalSecondary School, said "due to the low percentage of students' enrollment, quite a few teaching facilities in the school remain idle. In some cases, we have to lend them to other vocational institutions". Hưng also … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News HẢI PHÒNG - The Civil Aviation Authority of Việt Nam (CAAV) has approved a project to construct a second terminal at Cát Bi International Airport in the northern port city of Hải Phòng. The move aims to serve the growing numbers of passengers via the airport, which is expected to reach 8 million by 2025 while the amount of cargo is set to top 11,000 tonnes by 2020. According to the CAAV, investment will be garnered from various social sources. The Cát Bi International Airport is expected to soon face overloading spurred by a substantial surge in passengers. The number of passengers rose 42.5 per cent in 2016, while in the first three months of this year, the airport welcomed 538,000 passengers and the figure is expected to reach 2.1 million by year's end. Vietjet Air is suggesting investing VNĐ6 trillion (US$263.8 million) in the second terminal. The company will provide 30 per cent of the figure with the remainder arranged by the HCM City Development Bank (HDBank). Cát … [Read more...]

On behalf of the Party and State, President Quang extended his regards to all Buddhist monks, nuns and lay people throughout the country and recognised their substantive contributions to strengthening national solidarity as well as national building and defence. He stressed that Buddhism, with its presence of more than 2,000 years in Vietnam, has secured its position in the hearts of the people. The President said by upholding the attitudes of loving-kindness, compassion, empathic joy and equanimity, Vietnamese Buddhism has provided meritorious service to the nation, citing the examples of patriotic Buddhist masters such as Van Hanh and Khuong Viet. Van Hanh was credited with helping Emperor Le Dai Hanh defeat Chinese Song invaders and advised Emperor Ly Thai To to relocate the capital to Thang Long, present-day Hanoi, while Khuong Viet was recognised for helping the Dinh and Early Le Dynasties to establish the nation. President Quang told the Buddhist leader that the Party and State … [Read more...]