society

A pig farm in Quang Ngai is under cleaning process to prevent ASF (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Given the complexity of African swine fever (ASF) outbreaks in neighbouring country China, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has said that the disease is at high risk of entering Vietnam. The soaring trade and transport of pigs, as well as abundant supplies of pork of unknown origins and smuggled pork products, particularly in the northern provinces that border Chinese localities, during the end of 2018 and just before the Lunar New Year holiday earlier this month lie at the root of the problem. Daily travels between Vietnam and its neighbouring nations, as well as the large number of international visitors to the country also add further concern to the issue. Many Asian passengers have the habit of bringing food, which may contain pork, during their travels, which poses a risk of introducing the disease to Vietnam, as has happened to the Republic of Korea, … [Read more...] about Vietnam on alert for possible outbreak of African swine fever

Troubles around mobile number portability (MNP) during the past four months raise the question whether mobile operators are trying to prevent customers from using other mobile services.   Could mobile operators be creating difficulties to keep subscribers? Source: tuoitre.vn According to the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC), the conditions for using MNP include subscribers’ authenticated information, not having an ongoing complaint or dispute with the operator, and not breaching a commitment to the mobile operators, and others. However, the majority of subscribers said that they cannot carry out the MNP due to various troubles with their current mobile networks, despite satisfying all requirements. Specifically, the troubles include debts, using a new identity card to register the MNP while the current phone number was registered by an expired identity card, and others. As a result, subscribers tried to register four-five times and even took … [Read more...] about Overly attached mobile operators block MNP progress?

Hailstones pound Vietnamese northern provinces in the past days. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Hailstones and whirlwinds struck northern provinces in the past few days, leaving one missing and three injured as well as causing initial damage of around 26 billion VND (1.12 million USD) as of 19:00 on February 18. According to the Office of the National Committee for Natural Disaster Response and Search and Rescue, whirlwinds blew roofs off schools, hospitals and 571 houses in Thai Nguyen province. Power blackouts plunged many areas into darkness as strong winds seriously destroyed local electric grid. In the mountainous province of Ha Giang, 538 houses, five schools, and six infrastructure works were affected. The hail also devastated some 17.1 hectares of crops, and killed more than 1,000 heads of poultry. Total damage was estimated at nearly 6 billion VND (258,000 USD). One man was reported missing in Tua Chua district, Dien Bien province, where heavy rains and whirlwinds … [Read more...] about Hailstone, whirlwinds wreak havoc in northern provinces

A CNG bus in HCM City. The city targets having 75 per cent of new buses running on CNG by the end of 2020. (Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNS/VNA) - The HCM City Department of Transport aims to have 75 percent of the new buses running on clean fuel by the end of 2020. Under a plan to buy 1,680 new buses for the 2018-20 period, the city expects to have more than 1,000 of the buses running on compressed natural gas (CNG) by the end of 2020. However, the plan has faced insufficient subsidies, lack of financial support from the city, and setbacks in building CNG fueling stations, according to the department. Because of the lack of investment in CNG fueling stations and attractive subsidy incentives, only 428 CNG buses were operating as of the end of last year. CNG vehicles cost 20 percent more than normal buses, according to bus companies.  For instance, the price of an 80-seat bus using gasoline is about 2.4 billion VND (103,437 USD), while a CNG bus of the same size costs 2.75 … [Read more...] about HCM City targets 75 percent of buses with clean fuel by 2020

Illustrative image (Source: VNA)   Binh Duong (VNA) – The southern province of Binh Duong strives to have 5-7 new-style rural communes and raise rural households’ access to the national grid to 99.99 percent this year. Accordingly, two districts are expected to meet new-style rural development criteria, raising the total number to five and all rural roads will be concreted. At present, all wards and townships in Binh Duong meet health care standards. The rate of clean water use reaches 99.7 percent while over 95 percent of rural households have toilets. More than 90 percent of farms have their waste treated and irrigation system ensures water supply to all fruit and vegetable gardens. Binh Duong also set the 2019 target that its rate of poor households will drop to below 1.35 percent, all poor households will get access to preferential loans from the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies, all students in poor and near-poor households will enjoy school tuition … [Read more...] about Binh Duong looks to improve rural development programme

At the ceremony to introduce a book collection on Vietnamese seas and islands (Source: VNA) HCM City (VNA) – The Alliance of Ho Chi Minh City Associations of Literature and Arts, the municipal Writers’ Association, and the Culture-Art Publishing House jointly held a ceremony to introduce a book collection on Vietnamese seas and islands. The “Sea and Island – 2019” has three poetry collections by Phung Hieu, Pham Phuong Lan, and Phan Trung Thanh; a short story by Huynh Man Chi; and a longer piece of prose by Vo Thu Huong. At the introduction ceremony, President of the Alliance of HCM City Associations of Literature and Art Tran Long An said that in 2018, the alliance held an 11-day farm trip for local writers and artists to Ly Son island in Quang Ngai province and Phu Quy island in Binh Thuan province. The trip aimed to increase the composition and popularization of literature and art works on Vietnam’s border, sea, and island areas. During the … [Read more...] about Book collection on seas, islands introduced in HCM City

Former President Truong Tan Sang (front, left) presents gifts to disadvantaged veterans in Ha Giang province (Photo: VNA) Ha Giang (VNA) – Many activities have been held in the northernmost province of Ha Giang on February 17 and 18 to pay tribute to martyrs and veterans who joined the war defending the northern border four decades ago. Former President Truong Tan Sang and representatives of the Vietnam Red Cross Society (VRC) and the Ha Giang administration offered incense in commemoration of martyrs at the Vi Xuyen National Martyrs’ Cemetery and the memorial 468 in Nam Ngat hamlet of Thanh Thuy commune, Vi Xuyen district – a fierce battlefield in the war that broke out on February 17, 1979 and lasted until 1989. [Northern border defence war: victory and lessons] They also attended a ceremony inaugurating 44 houses meant to support disadvantaged veterans in Vi Xuyen district and Ha Giang city. Each house’s construction was funded with 50 million VND (2,160 … [Read more...] about Ha Giang: Activities pay tribute to northern border defenders

Tree planting festival launched in Bac Hong commune, Hanoi’s Dong Anh district (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc hailed the significance of tree planting to the nation when attending a ceremony to launch a tree planting festival in Bac Hong commune, Hanoi’s Dong Anh district, on February 18. Stressing the policy of “not exchanging the environment for economic development,” PM Phuc affirmed that the Government and localities nationwide are stepping up afforestation as well as forest development and protection, with a target of raising forest coverage to at least 42 percent by 2020. Applauding important results gained by the capital city, especially after three years of implementing the programme to plant one million trees, he asked the city to attract all resources to invest in afforestation, and reform technology in afforestation, forest management and preservation of biodiversity. Municipal authorities were also … [Read more...] about Government leader underlines significance of tree planting

Computer practice hours at the secondary vocational school for ethnic minority groups of Kien Giang province (Photo: VNA)   Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - The Vietnamese Government has issued a series of conditions required to set up a foreign-invested vocational training institution in Vietnam, expected to take effect from March 20. The conditions were itemised in Decree 15/2019/ND-CP, which offers detailed instructions on the implementation of the law on vocational training. Accordingly, the investor’s project would need to be in line with the national planning of vocational training network in the country. The investor would also need to make sure to obtain at least 1,000 sq.m of land for a basic vocational training centre; 10,000 sq.m for a secondary-level vocational training school in urban areas or 20,000 sq.m if the school is located in the suburbs or rural areas; 20,000 sq.m for college-level vocational training schools in urban areas, or 40,000 sq.m outside urban areas. … [Read more...] about Decree sets requirements for foreign-invested vocational institutions

Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh and delegates to the fourth international conference promoting Vietnamese literature and the third international poetry festival. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam is one of the lands of stability, peace, literature and friendship, Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh said while receiving delegates to the fourth international conference promoting Vietnamese literature and the third international poetry festival in Hanoi on February 18. Through literature, Vietnamese people demonstrate their patriotism, desire for peace and undaunted will to reach the aspiration during the wartime, she said, highlighting its significance in the current national construction and defence. Lauding valuable support from the global peace-loving people, especially poets and writers, for the country, Thinh expressed her hope that they will visit the country in a larger number. The international conference aims to promote special values of Vietnamese literature to … [Read more...] about Vice President welcomes delegates to literature, poetry events