VietNam Society

New poverty criteria to double the poor

noreply@blogger.com (rockyoudown) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 20:11:00 +0000

The number of the poor in Hanoi will double, to about 700,000, when the new poverty standard becomes effective during the 2011-15 period.

According to the new standard, which was approved by the municipal People's Committee, poor households are categorised as those with an average income that is less than 750,000 VND (38 USD) per person per month in urban areas and 550,000 VND (28 USD) in rural areas.

The new level is about 200,000 VND (10 USD) higher than the current category.

Average income levels for households near the poverty line will be between 38.5 – 51 USD in urban areas and 28-38 USD in rural areas.

The municipal Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs estimated that with the new standard the capital city would have more than 148,000 poor households and nearly 61,500 households living near the poverty line, which account for 3.98 percent of the population.

Deputy chairman of the municipal People's Committee Phi Thai Binh said the city would need about 5 trillion VND (256 million USD) for anti-poverty programmes in the next five years to bring the capital's poverty rate down to 2 percent by 2015.

"An increasing amount of impoverished citizens would create many challenges, especially with financial resource in the future," said head of the city's Labour Department Nguyen Dinh Duc.

"We will have to mobilise resources from businesses and individuals to help reduce the capital's poverty rate by at least 1.8-2 percent each year," said Duc.

With current regulations that were applied during the 2009-2013 period, 4.48 percent of the city's population (nearly 7 million) are impoverished. 8.43 percent of households in the capital were impoverished during the beginning of 2009./.

New poverty criteria will double the poor

noreply@blogger.com (rockyoudown) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 04:01:00 +0000

HA NOI — The number of the poor in Ha Noi will double, to about 700,000, when the new poverty standard becomes effective during the 2011-15 period.

According to the new standard, which was approved by the municipal People's Committee, poor households are categorised as those with an average income that is less than VND750,000 (US$38) per person per month in urban areas and VND550,000 ($28) in rural areas.

The new level is about VND200,000 ($10) higher than the current category.

Average income levels for households near the poverty line will be between $38.5 – 51 in urban areas and $28-38 in rural areas.

Deputy chairman of the municipal People's Committee Phi Thai Binh said the city would need about VND5 trillion($256 million) for anti-poverty progra-mmes in the next five years to bring the capital's poverty rate down to 2 per cent by 2015.

"An increasing amount of impoverished citizens would create many challenges, especially with financial resource in the future," said head of the city's Labour Department Nguyen Dinh Duc.

"We will have to mobilise resources from businesses and individuals to help reduce the capital's poverty rate by at least 1.8-2 per cent each year," said Duc.

With current regulations that were applied during the 2009-2013 period, 4.48 per cent of the city's population (nearly 7 million) are impoverished. 8.43 per cent of households in the capital were impoverished during the beginning of 2009. — VNS

Aliens threaten Hanoi legend

noreply@blogger.com (rockyoudown) — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 20:05:00 +0000

A red-eared turtle captured from Ha Noi's Hoan Kiem Lake. These alien species are threatening the existence of endangered local turtles.

Photo: VNA

Scientists have introduced measures to wipe out invasive red-eared turtles that are threatening endangered local species, including Hoan Kiem Lake's giant turtle linked to legendary Kim Qui the Turtle.

The giant species, one of a handful of giant Red River soft-shelled turtles (Rafetus swinhoei or Rafetus leloi) left in the world, has been around at least since the third century BC when Kim Quy advised King An Duong Vuong on the best way to build defensive walls around Co Loa, the then capital, upstream from Hanoi.

According to Professor Nguyen Dinh Hoe from Hanoi National University, red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans) are alien species from the southern United States that cause terrible devastation.

They are said to eat any type of vegetation or meat, even if it is stale and rotten. "This type of food can even be used to catch them," said Hoe.

Professor Dang Huy Huynh, chairman of Vietnam Zoological Association and Doctor Nguyen Van Sang from the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources believe manual methods would be the best way to try and clear the invaders from the Hoan Kiem Lake.

Huynh recommended that small sand dunes be created along the lake shore to lure red-eared turtles to sunbathe and lay eggs.

He also called on people living near the lake to catch and destroy red-eared sliders whenever they see them.

Scientists have devised ways to wipe out the pests, especially as Tet (lunar new year) is approaching and many more red-eared sliders will be set free into the lake, ostensibly to earn merit.

Hoang Van Ha from the Asian Turtle Program said it would be best to use lay traps near the lake shore to catch the invaders. He said the traps would be very small to avoid causing any harm to the ancient Vietnamese turtle.

Amid the horn-honking hustle of Vietnam's capital, the Hoan Kiem Lake is an oasis of relative calm. It attracts tourists and locals alike, the luckiest of whom occasionally catch a glimpse of "the turtle," the most famous resident of the capital.

Turtles are important in Vietnamese culture, particularly the Ho Guom (Hoan Kiem) turtle. It is so rare it is believed only four may be left in the world. Legend has it that after beating a Chinese invasion with a sacred sword found in Hoan Kiem Lake by a fisherman, King Le Loi handed it back to Kim Quy the turtle. In fact, in Vietnamese, the name of the lake means "Returning Sword."

Professor Huynh warned that invasions by red-eared sliders were worrying environmentalists in many countries. In 1990, France and several other European countries made it illegal to buy and sell the reptiles.

The professor said Vietnam's laws and regulations on managing the invasion of alien creatures were poorly implemented. This meant that even if the pests were cleaned out, it is likely they would soon re-appear with the help of ignorant citizens.

The golden snail, for example, imported to Vietnam about 10 years ago, has withered rice in many Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta provinces. The species is now spreading to the central region and the north of Vietnam.

Golden snails lower rice production and hundreds of million of dongs have to be spent on battling them every year – with poor results.

Red-eared sliders, which are native to the southern United States, began appearing in Vietnam 10 years ago as children's pets. They can live to 70 years and are ranked as one of the most invasive species in the world.

HCMC poverty rate exceeds Hanoi, despite higher incomes

noreply@blogger.com (rockyoudown) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 03:59:00 +0000

There are far more poor people in Ho Chi Minh City than in Hanoi when a multi-dimensional poverty approach is adopted, despite higher average incomes in the southern city.

The 2009 Urban Poverty Survey, which was launched in Hanoi Wednesday, showed a higher poverty rate in HCMC in seven out of eight measures of poverty, including social welfare, education, health, housing, housing area and quality, participation in social activities and security.

However, if the traditional way to measure poverty, based on income is adopted, the poverty rate in (prior to expansion) Hanoi in 2009 was higher than in HCMC on all benchmarks.

The capital had 1.27 percent of its population living under the 2006 national income poverty line (about US$1 per day), compared to 0.31 percent in the southern city.

The figure increased to 1.34 percent and 4.57 percent for international standards of $1.25 and $2 per day in Hanoi, much higher than 0.29 percent and 2.08 percent in HCMC.

Although a small part of the population in the two biggest cities were living below the poverty line, more than one-third of the population in both places had no access to social security networks and were living in low quality, cramped dwellings, the survey found.

A higher proportion of people in HCMC were living in overcrowded living conditions - defined as less than 7 square meters per person - than in Hanoi (31 percent versus 26 percent).

While 9.8 percent of Hanoi's population did not go to junior-secondary school, almost 27 percent of HCMC population were in this category. Similarly, more than one in every five people in Hanoi had a university degree while the rate was only one in 10 in HCMC.

More than seven in every 10 people living in Hanoi had some forms of health insurance, a sharp difference with nearly six in 10 in HCMC.

There were significant differences between the two cities in terms of employment, the survey found.

University degree-holding workers in Hanoi almost doubled those in HCMC; and compared to the southern city, twice as high the proportion of workers in the capital had permanent work contracts, which meant more work-related benefits.

The multi-dimensional poverty indices also revealed inequalities between rural and urban areas, and unregistered or temporary migrants compared to permanent residents in both cities.

For instance, a majority of migrants (62 percent) were living in cramped space, a sharp contrast with the registered resident population of both cities (17 percent).

"The results clearly show that while Hanoi and HCMC have enjoyed tremendous economic growth, this has not benefited everyone living in the two cities," said UNDP country director Setsuko Yamazaki.

So the research clearly pointed to the fact that both cities were facing challenges in ensuring sustainable and equal economic and social development, she said.

The survey, conducted in October and November last year with the participation of more than 8,200 people, was the only source of information on poverty and living conditions among migrants in Vietnam's two biggest cities, said Hanoi People's Committee deputy chairman Hoang Manh Hien.

"This is the first time a project has adopted a multi-dimensional study of poverty in Hanoi and HCMC," he said.

UNDP expert Nguyen Bui Linh said the income/expenditure approach to assess poverty had major limitations as income was not the only determining factor in assessing standards of living.

The Urban Poverty Survey was conducted by the General Statistics Office and the two municipal People's Committees with the support of the UNDP.

Agribank manager arrested for theft

noreply@blogger.com (rockyoudown) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 20:04:00 +0000

Ho Chi Minh City police arrested on Tuesday the head of Agribank's Hung Vuong Branch for alleged involvement in a "cheating and arrogation of property" case.

The HCMC Public Security Department issued the decision to commence criminal proceedings against Pham Khac Dai Dien.

The department has also conducted a research of his house and office.

According to initial investigations, Dien allegedly allowed Bui Thi Kien Ha, director of Dai Viet Bao Company Ltd and deputy general director of Nhan Thuan JSC, to withdraw VND30 billion (US$1.5 million) that she had deposited before March this year.

Between December 16, 2009 and March 5 this year, Ha borrowed VND30 billion from four people for the alleged purpose of maintaining a balance in her company's account.

Dien, however, did not block the account in his bank. This allowed her to withdraw the money, but Ha has not been able to settle her debt with the four lenders.

In March, the lenders discovered that Ha had withdrawn the money from the bank.

While the case was under investigation, Dien and Ha jointly wrote the lenders' fake signatures on documents which allowed her to withdraw the money.

On November 18, Ha was arrested on charges of "cheating and arrogating property". Police said she had admitted to the alleged crime.

VN focuses int’l youth festival on AO victims

noreply@blogger.com (rockyoudown) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 12:05:00 +0000

Vietnamese delegates have campaigned for Agent Orange/dioxin victims at a two-day World Festival of Youth and Students opened in Pretoria , South Africa , on Dec. 15.

The Vietnamese delegation raised the topic at all events in the framework of the festival, including workshops on Africa, Asia-Pacific region, Europe and world youth unity and solidarity.

They also handed out leaflets calling on youth organisations and the international community to support the struggle for justice for AO/dioxin victims in Vietnam .

In addition, the Vietnamese delegates held meetings and joined sports and games matches with other delegations in an effort to boost solidarity and friendship with youths from other countries worldwide.

A mobile exhibition on Vietnam was held to promote the national image, including achievements in renewal.

Also on display was the 80-year-long history of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCMCYU) which highlights the vanguard and voluntary role played by the force in national construction and defence.

The HCMCYU’s First Secretary, Vo Van Thuong, said it was a good chance for Vietnamese youths to promote the national image to the international community and contribute to the world youth and students’ movement in the interest of peace, national independence, democracy and social progress.

Also on the day, Thuong was received by World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) President Tiago Vieira where the duo discussed measures to boost WFDY’S relations with the HCMCYU and the Vietnam Youth Federation.

The two sides pledged to do their best to fulfil the festival’s goal “For a World of Peace, Solidarity and Social Transformation”./.

Urban poverty monitoring takes on new dimension

noreply@blogger.com (rockyoudown) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 12:04:00 +0000

Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City should make a comprehensive poverty reduction plan with an effective urban poverty monitoring and evaluation system of multi-dimensional approach.

The recommendation was raised in the result of the urban poverty survey which was conducted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Hanoi and HCM City.

According to the survey result, the urban poverty issue was not only calculated on income but also reflected inequalities in access to basic social services. It suggested the two cities pay more attention to strengthen the social welfare system, improve housing services, ensure equality among the people in access to public education establishments, healthcare and insurance and mobilise migrants’ involvement in social activities.

The survey conducted in October and November 2009 also revealed that migrants in the two cities were facing difficulties in accessing health, education, housing and other social services.

Speaking at the result announcement ceremony in Hanoi on Dec. 15, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Hoang Manh Hien said the survey would help State agencies and city authorities make more accurate evaluations of urban poverty level and have long-term policies for migrants.

For her part, UNDP Country Director in Vietnam Setsuko Yamazaki afffirmed that, “UNDP is ready to support Hanoi and HCM City in developing concrete action plans for tackling urban poverty challenges as well as better monitoring of urban poverty”.

Lawmakers urged to play greater role in climate change issue

noreply@blogger.com (rockyoudown) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 12:03:00 +0000

The role of legislators needs to be promoted in policy and legal planning, negotiation and the supervision of conventions, treaties, international commitments on sustainable development and climate change.

This was agreed among the delegates who attended a seminar on the role of the Asian-Pacific Parliamentary Francophone Assembly (APF) in the environmental field and climate change, which was organised by the APF, the International Francophone Organisation (OIF) and Vietnam’s National Assembly in Hanoi on December 15.

On addressing the opening ceremony, Nguyen Van Son, the chairman of Vietnam’s NA’s Committee for External Affairs, said that the event is meaningful in the context of the 16 th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 16) that has just finished in Cancun, Mexico.

“The seminar stresses the responsibilities of Francophone member countries in the face of common global challenges in Asia-the Pacific region”, said Son.

At the event, delegates from APF member countries such as Laos and the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu as well as experts from the Institute for Energy and Environment of Francophone Countries (IEPF), representatives of Vietnam’s ministries, along with scientists agreed that environmental protection is always an essential factor in sustainable socio-economic development.

In reality, in a global economy, climate change poses challenges to many countries around the world, especially poor and developing countries, of whom many are members of the Francophone bloc.

The delegates were also briefed on Vietnam’s progress in the implementation of solutions on climate change as well as the NA’s role in sustainable development.

According to Jean Luc Lala, the Secretary General of Administration for the APF, the crucial point is to find a balance between the economic benefits and environmental protection, so all concerned parties must take own responsibility after signing conventions and international treaties in this area./.

Vietnam not to ban dubious baby bottles over EU warnings

noreply@blogger.com (rockyoudown) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 04:01:00 +0000

Photo: Tuoi Tre

Although EU has banned plastic baby bottles as they could contain bisphenol-A - a hormone altering agent, Vietnam will not impose such a ban as local tests only detect minute toxic levels.

According to Mr Nguyen Cong Khan from the Ministry of Health, Vietnam has detected a permissible bisphenol-A (BPA) level in the plastic bottles sold across the country.

Khan told Tuoi Tre Vietnam is applying the Codex standard (from the Codex Alimentarius Commission, supported by FAO and WHO), which allows BPA at 0,05mg/kg.

Up to now, no tests have detected BPA higher than that level.

An inspection last month also found no toxic additives, food preservatives or protective coatings, confirmed Khan.

Vietnam is waiting for a meeting on the Codex standard next March to decide whether to forbid the BPA-tainted bottles or not.

Meanwhile, Le Truong Giang from the Vietnamese Institute of Chemistry warned that BPA could have a genetic influence lasting at least three generations.

Glass bottles recommended

A recent market survey in Vietnam showed that concerned parents in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are switching to bottles imported from Korea, England, and Germany that are advertised as “BPA free”.

Parents also turn to glass bottles.

Although heavier and more expensive compared to plastic ones, glass bottles are probably safer.

Besides, there are transparent plastic bottles, which are light and solid. In some cases, they are unbranded. These products are cheap, at VND30,000 each.

According to Khan, mothers should breastfeed their child for better protection and enhanced immunity.

BPA is an industrial chemical used in making plastics in most reusable food and drink containers and in 95 percent of baby bottles, according to ABC News.

While many developed states such as the US, Canada, Japan, and most of the EU have banned BPA manufacturing in baby products, it is still classified as “safe” at a low level in Australia and New Zealand.

Studies from American Chemistry Council in 2008 stated that BPA has been safely handled in plastic industry in the last 40 years and that it poses no threat to human health at low-dose since it is excreted mostly through urine without accumulation in our body, thus it is neither carcinogenic nor mutagenic.

However, recent studies show it could disturb brain structure and hormone balance in young infants, increasing their neuron disorder, as well as affecting their social behavior and future reproductive ability.

For now, six US manufacturers were reported to be removing BPA from bottles sold in the US.

The European Union has also announced a ban starting from March 2011.

Dioxin treatment project targets hot spots

noreply@blogger.com (rockyoudown) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 04:00:00 +0000

A seminar to start a dioxin treatment project in hot spots across Vietnam took place in Hanoi on December 15.

The seminar was jointly held by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, the Global Environmental Fund and the United Nations Development Programme.

The five-year project, starting from 2010, will deal with and minimise the devastating consequences of the chemicals at and around Da Nang , Bien Hoa (Dong Nai) and Phu Cat (Binh Dinh) airports.

According to statistics released by the Office of the national steering committee for overcoming the consequences of chemicals used by the US during the Vietnam war (called the Office of National Steering Committee 33), from 1961 to 1971 the US military dropped nearly 80 million litres of herbicides on southern Vietnam, of which the majority of the chemicals sprayed were Agent Orange that contained dioxin.

The dioxin levels in the sprayed areas have reduced remarkably, however, the airports where the chemicals were stored are still hot spots.

At the seminar, the participants discussed dioxin treatment plans in the hot spots and the possibility of other sponsors becoming involved in the project.

They spent a lot of time identifying the scale and level of contamination in the three targeted areas, discussing new technologies to treat the areas as well as environmental and human issues during the project.

Richard J. Cooke, an international advisor from the Office of National Steering Committee 33, pointed out that the project needs to place more importance to the technological and environmental requirements of both Vietnam and the rest of the world.

Priority should be given to technologies that can directly be implemented in Vietnam through trade clauses and those with suitable prices for both experiment and application, he said.

The project needs close cooperation and coordination between the Office of National Steering Committee No. 33 and relevant ministries and agencies, especially the Ministry of National Defence, he added.

The project’s steering committee should pay attention to the necessary financial resources to prevent the pollution in the south-western area of Bien Hoa airport and pollution treatment in Phu Cat airport, the expert said./.

Province builds on successes in family planning

noreply@blogger.com (rockyoudown) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 03:59:00 +0000

Nguyen Manh Thao of the northern province of Hoa Binh is happy that he has two daughters.

This is somewhat surprising in Vietnam with its strong patriarchal and Confucianist traditions where families desire to have a son to tend to the family altar, to continue the family lineage and so on.

It is not important whether it is a daughter or a son, Thao said, adding that to have the right conditions to raise them comfortably and ensure a happy life for them is far more important.

Thao, therefore, did not pressurise his wife to give him a son and a third child for the family, another not-too-uncommon practice in the country when the first two children are daughters.

Like his elder brother, Nguyen Manh Hung has no particular preference, and does not say anything to his wife about needing a son. The couple did not adopt any method or measure, western or traditional, to try and influence the baby's gender, another frequently chosen option by many others.

His first child is a girl and the second, a boy. After giving birth to the second child, his wife chose to use the IUD (intrauterine device) sterilisation method, Hung said.

"Two children are enough and I can afford to secure their future based on my financial situation," he added.

Thao and Hung's parents worked very hard to raise their five children, and they often advised their offspring to have only one or two children in order to raise them well.

Nguyen Thi Nga, a family planning worker at Cham Mat Ward in Hoa Binh City , said the number of families having three children in the ward has reduced in recent years.

"The awareness of residents about the advantages of having a smaller family has improved," Nga added.

Unlike earlier, when many families did not want to meet and listen to her about sterilisation, a large number of women are now voluntarily asking for advice on sterilisation methods, she said.

Only 10 of 1,750 households in the ward have a third child.

Nguyen Huy Lam, head of the city's Centre for Population and Family Planning, said in 2008, the third child accounted for nearly three in every 100 births. This dropped to two in 2009 and is expected to remain the same this year, he said.

This is the result of awareness campaigns as well as the implementation of many activities like the establishment of a club for families without the third child in Cham Mat ward, he added.

However, Lam said he is concerned that in Hoa Binh City , more than 50 percent of the third-born children were from well-off families.

Nguyen Thi Nguyet of Cham Mat ward has a son and a daughter, but wants another one despite the advice of family planning workers.

Her family is doing well, so raising one more child is not difficult, she said.

Tran Phuong Hoa, Cham Mat ward's family planning co-ordinator, said some families want to have many children because they thought it will make them happier and will have more people to take care of them when they are old.

In Vietnam , especially in rural and mountainous areas, there are no homes for senior people, and many people are afraid that there will be nobody to take care of them if they have only one or two children.

In particular, some families think that daughters cannot take care of them when they are old because daughters usually live at their husband's house and take care of his parents.

So families with two daughters often want to have one son, Hoa said.

Cao Phong district in the province has many well-off families with more than two children and is among districts with the highest gender imbalance.

The province has a third child rate of 7.7 per cent, according to Nguyen Thi Minh Phuong, deputy head of the provincial Statistic Department, with most of them being boys.

The use of methods to choose a baby's gender before conceiving is popular among the provincial population.

It has contributed to the gender imbalance in Hoa Binh province, which ranks among the top ten provinces in the country in this regard, according to the provincial Statistics Department.

The province will change the content and objectives of its awareness campaigns and also introduce stricter punitive measures as it strives to reduce its gender imbalance and contribute to stable development of the nation's population, Lam said./.

Study reveals harsh realities for women migrants in HCM City

noreply@blogger.com (rockyoudown) — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 20:05:00 +0000

Women immigrants in HCM City have faced severe financial and other challenges since the recession began in 2007, according to a study released on Dec. 14 by a city-based university.

Dr. Nguyen Thi Hong Xoan, a member of the research group from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, said the study was meant to assess the impact of the economic recession on women, especially immigrants to the city during the period.

It polled 400 women in the district of Nha Be, Thu Duc, Binh Thanh, and 5, half of them immigrants aged between 21 and 40.

It found that the rate of unemployment among women in the city was more than 5 percent, higher than the national average.

Nearly 91.5 percent of women immigrants to the city work at industrial and export processing zones, run small business, or do seasonal jobs since they lack knowledge or skills.

"They do not have any knowledge of social and health insurance or labour contracts, and so do not protest when their employers do not sign contracts or pay social and health insurance for them," Xoan said.

Their average salary at industrial and export processing zones is around 2.3 million VND while the cost of living in the city is rising relentlessly, forcing them to cut back on rent, healthcare, and entertainment.

They can only afford 2.7 percent to 5 percent of their income for healthcare, with most of them going to pharmacies rather than doctors for medicines.

Ninety percent of them do not have time to attend training courses to improve their skills because they have to work to earn money.

Just over a third of them have the time to take part in events organised by social organisations like trade unions and women's unions, meaning most are unable to learn about labour laws or benefits.

The researchers recommended that employers and authorities should take greater care of women workers, especially migrants.

More research would need to be done into the life and work of women migrants to enable policy makers to draft specific policies to support them, they added./.

Two jailed 25 years for smuggling fake notes in condoms

noreply@blogger.com (rockyoudown) — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 20:04:00 +0000

The two men at the trial

Photo: Dan Tri

Hanoi People’s Court on Tuesday sentenced two men to a combined 25 years in jail for transporting counterfeit banknotes hidden in chickens’ stomachs.

Nguyen Van Huong and Ha Van Hoanh, both 21, of the northern Bac Giang Province were sentenced to 13 and 12 years respectively.

Hanoi police arrested them on April 8 at the Hanoi Rail Station after seizing a plastic bag with VND200 million (US$10,260) in it.

The two confessed they were hired by Nguyen Van Khanh, the owner of a karaoke bar in Lang Son Province, to bring 15,000 Chinese yuan to a night market in Lang Son to exchange for VND200 million in notes.

They met a woman at the market, and she gave them two chickens, adding the money could be found inside the chickens’ stomachs.

They found five taped bundles of money wrapped up in condoms inside each chicken’s gut, and was ordered by Khanh to handle the money to another woman at the Hanoi station.

They were about to exchange the money when police arrested the two men, but the woman fled the scene.

The police have issued a wanted warrant against Khanh.

Funds to ease City traffic mess

noreply@blogger.com (rockyoudown) — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 20:03:00 +0000

Traffic on Bach Dang Street in HCM City's Binh Thanh District. The Asian Development Bank has announced funding of more than US$1 billion for two major transport projects in the city to ease congestion. — VNA/VNS Photo Hoang Hai

HA NOI — The Asian Development Bank has approved a US$1.1 billion finance package for two major HCM City transport projects.

The bank will provide $540 million toward the building of a $1.4 billion second mass transit railway and $636 million for a $1.6 billion expressway to the south of the city, it says in a statement issued from its Manila headquarters yesterday.

The 11.3-km metro railway - 9.3 km of it underground - will extend from Ben Thanh in the city's centre past the Tan Son Nhat International Airport to Tham Luong.

About 213,000 passengers are expected to use the service each day after it opens in 2017 rising to 300,000 by 2020 and 700,000 by 2035.

The railway is expected to reduce travel time along the corridor by 20 per cent from this year's figure and reduce traffic accidents by 30 per cent.

Other financiers for the HCM City Mass Transit Line 2 are listed as KfW Bankengrupe, $313 million and the European Investment Bank, $195 million.

The Viet Nam Government will provide $326.5 million.

The second project is a 57-km expressway between Ben Luc and Long Thanh that is intended to further alleviate traffic congestion in the centre and the carrying of goods between the major ports.

The Japan Government is expected to provide $635 million and the Viet Nam Government $337 million for the expressway.

The expressway would address the major gridlock in HCM City because vehicles now had to travel from east to west to pass through the city's heart, said the bank's Transport Division, Southeast Asia, James Lynch.

The gridlock increased logistics costs and hindered the city's economic growth, he said.

The expressway was expected to reduce east-west travel by 80 per cent from it opened in 2017.

It would be flood-proof with half consisting of bridges and viaducts.

The public projects had been introduced at a time when private vehicles dominated transport and infrastructure was reaching saturation point, he said.

The interest for the loans will be at prevailing commercial interest rates settled through negotiation at a time yet to be fixed, an ADB official, Viet Nam, said last night. — VNS

Minister sees craft villages as essential to development

noreply@blogger.com (rockyoudown) — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 12:02:00 +0000

Workers weave mats in Dam Doi District in the southern province of Ca Mau Province. Traditional crafts play a significant role in the sustainable development of rural areas. — VNA/VNS Photo Le Huy Hai

HA NOI — Craft villages are vital to the country's sustainable development in rural areas, said Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat.

The minister, speaking at the 7th international seminar on developing the One Village One Product model, said loss of farmland cost jobs and led to rural unemployment. He said loss of jobs resulted in the migration of job seekers to the cities, which changed the demographic fabric of the country.

The minister said the development of traditional professions in rural areas, particularly in craft villages, would help solve the pressing issue of growing rural unemployment.

This development would be sustainable because it would not only help raise rural people's income and make the most of local resources but also preserve and develop traditional professions.

There are about 2,790 craft villages in Viet Nam, according to the ministry. About 60 per cent of the country's work force is involved in non-agricultural production. There are about 11 million people, representing 30 per cent of all households, earning a living from making handicrafts.

Viet Nam has more than 9 million ha of land under cultivation employing some 30 million labourers, half of them in rural areas. Each year 74,000 ha of arable land is used for housing and urban and industrial development.

Due to the need to promote the development of craft villages, the ministry, in 2005 launched the One Village One Product ( OVOP) programme. The scheme was revised for the 2006-15 to boost competition and quality. Each village is allowed to decide what products it wishes to produce. The programme is expected to create more than 300,000 new jobs each year.

The OVOP programme encouraged local people to preserve traditional occupations and boosted income, said Dr Hiramatsu Morihiko, head of the OVOP promotion association.

The OVOP model was successfully launched in Japan in 1979 and has since been popularly applied in many Asian and African countries. More than 500 participants, including experts from Asia and Africa, took part in the seminar.

The three key factors to successfully implementing the OVOP programme are localisation, self-control, self-reliance, creativity and local resource development, according to Morihiko. He added that local governments had a major part to play in promoting the OVOP programme.

"The government has always attached importance to international co-operation, especially in the field of non-agricultural professions in rural areas," Phat said.

The export value of agricultural and forestry products rose from US$12.5 billion in 2007 to $18 billion this year, Phat said, adding that craft exports were expected to reach $1 billion in 2010.

The export value of craft products has increased by $627 million in the last decade. The development of handicrafts has reduced poverty in rural areas by 3.7 per cent, he said.

However, he said the programme had its shortcomings.

More than 80 per cent of craft centres – especially those producing rattan, bamboo and garments – still used backward technology. He also said craft villages should promote themselves as tourist destinations.

However, Morihiko said the programme would take time to reach fruition. "It took craft villages in Japan decades to become known for their products and it took some of them 20 years to be successful," Morihiko said.

Under the 2015-20 plan, it is hoped craft villages will provide jobs for up to 79 per cent of all labourers and for craft villages to employ at least 43 per cent of the country's work force. — VNS

Labour exporters to review trawler case

noreply@blogger.com (rockyoudown) — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 12:01:00 +0000

HA NOI — The five companies that sent 11 Vietnamese to work aboard the South Korean fish trawler which sank off Antarctica on Monday have been ordered to do urgent tasks.

The Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Ministry's Management of Overseas Labour Department has told them to send representatives to South Korea to deal with the aftermaths of the sinking; the identify of the dead and missing – presumed dead – and those who were saved.

The department requires the five companies to ask the Foreign Affairs Ministry's Consular Office and Viet Nam's embassies in South Korea and New Zealand for more information.

They will also have to ask the diplomats to provide any essential documents.

In addition, they must inform the families and localities of the seafarers of their findings and provide support through any losses and difficulties.

The companies have been instructed to ask the trawler owner to ensure treatment for the rescued fishermen; the buying of e-tickets and the completion of procedures for those who want to return home.

They must also liquidate contracts with the workers who return to Viet Nam in accordance with the law.

The department has proposed that the families of the missing fishermen empower the companies or the trawler owner to make the necessary funeral arrangements and issue the appropriate declarations about the missing.

The department requires the five companies to work with their partners to pay all the salaries, allowances, bonuses and any other welfare due the fishermen.

They must also complete insurance procedures and arrange support from the overseas employment support fund in accordance with the regulations.

They must also issue regular updates.

The toothfish trawler sank in freezing waters early in the morning about 1,850km north of Antarctica and 2,700km south of New Zealand.

The New Zealand Rescue Co-ordination Centre says it's not known what caused the ship to sink and no distress call was made.

But information from the ship carrying the survivors suggests the boat sank quickly, giving the crew no time to don life jackets or immersion suits.

The water temperature was about 2 degrees and estimated survival time without proper equipment was about ten minutes.

One of the Vietnamese crew was reported dead with three missing and seven rescued.

The trawler had 42 crew aboard with 17 still missing. — VNS

Price of keo fish recovers after cancer rumour denied

noreply@blogger.com (rockyoudown) — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 12:00:00 +0000

HA NOI — Price of keo (mud skipper) fish, a popular Mekong Delta treat, have risen again following a recent rumour that the fish could be harmful to people was confirmed to be baseless.

The price increased to VND60,000 (US$3) per kg of keo fish since Monday, VND10,000 ($0.5) higher than a couple of weeks ago, during the height of the rumour-mongering.

To Thanh Diep, a trader in southern most Ca Mau Province, said consumers started to buy the fish again after the fish received a clean bill of health.

Farmer Nguyen Van Phong in Dam Doi District said he had received a contract to sell his fish at VND10,000-higher than previous days.

"I can now harvest 18 tonnes of fish per hectare and the price increase is like to bring good profits," he said.

"However, the current price remains too low, just a third of its previous price," said Nguyen Cong Quoc from the province's Department of Fisheries Resources Management.

The rumour triggered a drastic fall in the price of the fish.

Prior to the malicious rumour, keo fish were sold at VND200,000 (US$9.5) per kilo and was set to keep on increasing until the Tet holiday, he said.

The rumour started in Ca Mau Province and then quickly spread across the Mekong Delta region, hitting thousands of fish farmers. It is estimated that around 250 tonnes of keo fish in coastal provinces in the region could not be sold as a result of the consumer boycott.

Heads of agriculture and rural development department of localities in the region instructed relevant agencies to promptly work to counter the rumour, which had dramatically affected farmers.

Quoc affirmed that there was no scientific foundation proving that the fish contained toxic chemicals that caused cancer among humans.

In fact, fish raisers used food and medicines as permitted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Quoc said. — VNS

Children's hospitals struggle with recent surge in patients

noreply@blogger.com (rockyoudown) — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 04:02:00 +0000

HCM CITY — The number of children with respiratory illnesses, acute diarrhoea and dengue fever has increased sharply in recent days, according to hospitals in HCM City.

The HCM City Paediatrics Hospital No 1's Respiratory Diseases Ward is severely overstretched, having to take in as many as 200-230 inpatients a day while it has just 100 beds.

At the Digestive Ward of HCM City Paediatrics Hospital No 2, many inpatients are suffering from acute diarrhoea.

Environmental pollution as well as unsafe and unhygienic food have increased considerably the risk of diarrhoea in children, according to doctors.

In the first nine days of December, the city had three siblings with acute diarrhoea who contracted cholera, and the eldest one, four years old, died of the disease.

The siblings live along a canal in Binh Chanh District's Minh Huong Commune. The water in the canal is heavily polluted and contaminated with all household waste being dumped directly into it.

Lai Phuoc Hoa, director of the Binh Chanh District Preventive Health Centre, said it was matter of concern that the water in the canal contained the cholera bacteria, exposing all residents in the neighbourhood to the disease.

The area is home to about 100 families who make a living doing menial jobs.

The HCM City Health Department has ordered relevant agencies to implement measures to control further outbreaks of cholera. It has urged district authorities to strengthen awareness campaigns about the disease, including prevention measures like using boiled water, eating well cooked food and washing hands with soap and water before eating.

Meanwhile, the Pasteur Institute has noted that the city is now having about 500 patients with dengue fever every week, up 50 per cent compared to the same period last year.

In this case, it is not just children, but the number of adults contracting the mosquito-borne disease also that is on the increase.

On December 6, a first-grade student of the Chuong Duong Primary School in District 1 died of dengue fever, said Nguyen Van The, director of the District 1 Preventive Health Centre. — VNS

Hazardous dye found in sauce

noreply@blogger.com (rockyoudown) — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 04:01:00 +0000

HA NOI — Cancer-causing Rhodamine B has been found in chilli sauce samples taken from Ha Noi-based Tuan Thanh Investment and Trade Joint Stock Company, the city's Environment Police Department reported on Monday.

The Health Ministry's National Institute for Food Control detected traces of the dye in samples taken at the plant last month.

Environmental police, inspectors from the city's Natural Resources and Environment Department and Hoan Kiem District police raided the company after receiving complains by residents in the district's Cua Dong Ward about pollution from the company.

Chu Van Tuan, a director at the company, told police the factory produced about 150 litres of chilli sauce each day and that all ingredients, such as fresh and dried chilli and preservatives were bought in the market without proof of origin certificates.

The company was also found to be discharging untreated waste water into the city's waterways. It did not have a waste treatment facility or permission to discharge waste into the environment.

The factory was also emitting noxious fumes, inspectors said.

The authority is trying to identify the source of the Rhodamine B.

Police seized and destroyed the company's stock of chilli sauce.

Earlier this year, Rhodamine B was found in dried melon seeds and chilli powder in a number of provinces and cities.

Rhodamine B is used by the textile industry to die cloth and is banned as a food colorant. — VNS

Study reveals harsh realities for women migrants in HCM City

noreply@blogger.com (rockyoudown) — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 04:00:00 +0000

HCM CITY — Women immigrants in HCM City have faced severe financial and other challenges since the recession began in 2007, according to a study released yesterday by a city-based university.

It polled 400 women in Districts Nha Be, Thu Duc, Binh Thanh, and 5, half of them immigrants aged between 21 and 40.

It found that the rate of unemployment among women in the city was more than 5 per cent, higher than the national average.

Nearly 91.5 per cent of women immigrants to the city work at industrial and export processing zones, run small business, or do seasonal jobs since they lack knowledge or skills.

Their average salary at industrial and export processing zones is around VND2.3 million while the cost of living in the city is rising relentlessly, forcing them to cut back on rent, healthcare, and entertainment.

They rent an average of 14.59-14.9sq.m per person in premises that lack hygiene and can only afford 2.7 per cent to 5 per cent of their income for healthcare, with most of them going to pharmacies rather than doctors for medicines.

Ninety per cent of them do not have time to attend training courses to improve their skills because they have to work to earn money.

Just over a third of them have the time to take part in events organised by social organisations like trade unions and women's unions, meaning most are unable to learn about labour laws or benefits.

The researchers recommended that employers and authorities should take greater care of women workers, especially migrants.

More research would need to be done into the life and work of women migrants to enable policy makers to draft specific policies to support them, they added. — VNS

Fair showcases youth inventors

noreply@blogger.com (rockyoudown) — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 20:16:00 +0000

HA NOI — Seventy-four top entries from the 6th Nationwide Creative Competition for Youth and Children will be displayed at the 7th International Exhibition for Young Inventors (IEYI) on December 16-18.

The announcement was made by the Viet Nam Fund for Supporting Technological Creations (Vifotec) in Ha Noi on Monday.

Dr. Kim Chi, representing the creative competition's jury, said the majority of entries this year focused on three main areas – toys and entertainment, environmental protection and economic development.

Top designs put safety as a priority or were mechanised and automated children's toys, she said.

Vifotec's director Le Duy Tien said IEYI was the first of its kind in Viet Nam, and aimed to promote creativity and allow Vietnamese children and youth to engage with international friends.

Young inventors, aged between 6 to 19, will present their inventions in 200 booths, focusing on learning aids, software, children's toys, environmental protection and energy-saving measures, he said.

The event was expected to attract the participation of 400 inventors from 40 countries and organisations worldwide. — VNS

Cuban newspaper praises relations with Vietnam

noreply@blogger.com (rockyoudown) — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 20:15:00 +0000

The Granma daily newspaper, the official organ of the Cuban Communist Party, has run an article, highlighting the 50 th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Cuba and Vietnam.

The article was written by Cuba ’s former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Hector Rodriguez Llompart who, together with Vietnam ’s Prime Minister’s Office Nguyen Khang, signed an agreement to establish diplomatic relations between the two countries on December 2, 1960, ushering in a new era in bilateral ties, solidarity, friendship and cooperation.

Llompart began the article by recalling the time he and Minister Nguyen Khang had signed the agreement witnessed by Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Van Dong and Minister of Foreign Trade Phan Anh.

In 1973, Llompart accompanied Commander in Chief Fidel Castro on his first ever visit to Vietnam . “ Cuba was the first country to recognise the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam and Commander in Chief Fidel Castro was the only head of state to visit the liberated areas of southern Vietnam ,” he wrote.

Regarding the Cuban people’s solidarity and support towards Vietnam , the author wrote: “ Cuba ’s unconditional support was summarised in Fidel’s words ‘For Vietnam, Cuba is ready to sacrifice its blood.’ Despite the embargo and difficulties, Cuba donated 775,600 tonnes of sugar to Vietnam during the period 1960-1980.”

Llompart, who was once Governor of Cuba’s Central Bank, also praised Vietnam's socio-economic achievements. “ Vietnam is one of the world’s fastest growing economies and the Vietnamese people are the first to benefit from these achievements.”

Vietnam has successfully eradicated illiteracy, reduced the fatality rate amongst infants and the number of poor households while greatly improving people’s living standards.

Half of Vietnam ’s population are under 25 years old, but its unemployment rate remains low and 65 percent of the population are engaged in agricultural production. Vietnam has emerged as the world’s second largest exporter of rice and rubber, third in terms of coffee and the leader in pepper exports.

On bilateral trade, Llompart said that there has been substantial progress made in two-way trade, which currently exceeds 300 million USD a year. Vietnamese-Cuban joint ventures have also done well and rice production in Cuba , with the help of Vietnamese experts, has brought about major benefits to the Cuban economy.

With the achievements made in high technologies, Vietnam is also part of information technology and electronic projects in Cuba and explores and produces oil and gas in the Mexico Gulf .

In his summing up, the former deputy foreign minister confirmed that Vietnam has done well in its efforts to realise President Ho Chi Minh’s words: “To build a Vietnam 10 times more beautiful than it already is.”/.

Support sought for sailors on sunken RoK ship

noreply@blogger.com (rockyoudown) — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 20:14:00 +0000

The Overseas Labour Management Department has asked five companies that dispatched 11 sailors to work on recently sunk trawler No. 1 Insung to join hands with Republic of Korea (RoK) parties to deal with the incident.

In an official dispatch, the department, a subsidiary body of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, requested the targeted companies send authorised officials to the RoK to work with concerned parties to identify the names of the dead, missing and survivors.

The department asked the companies to inform families and localities of the 11 sailors and provide support to help the families overcome their current difficulties.

It demanded the companies coordinate with the ship owner to bring the survivors ashore for treatment, and buy flight tickets and conduct necessary procedures to bring them home safely if they want to come back to Vietnam after being discharged from hospital.

According to the dispatch, the companies should seek permission from families to authorise the companies or the ship owner to work with concerned parties to make the necessary arrangements for dead or missing sailors.

The department also urged the businesses to hold funeral observances, bring home the ashes or bodies and assets of the dead in line with their families’ wishes, as well as laws and customs of the two nations, and coordinate with partners and the ship owner to fully pay salary, bonus and allowances and other benefits to the sailors.

The five companies include the LOD Human Resource Development Corp., the Traenco Joint Stock Company, the Civil Engineering Construction Corp. No. 1, the Southern Waterborne Transport Corp. and the Tourism, Trade and Labour Export Joint Stock Company.

The RoK Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has officially confirmed that 11 out of 42 sailors on board the trawler, which sank in Antarctic waters on the morning of December 13, were Vietnamese, with one dead, three missing and seven rescued.

Other crew members on the 614-DWT vessel include eight RoK citizens, eight Chinese, 11 Indonesians, three Filipinos and one Russian. So far, five crew members have been confirmed dead and 17 others missing. The search and rescue team has already decided to end search efforts due to freezing water and short survival times in Antarctic waters./.

NGO provides aid for Vietnamese trade unions

noreply@blogger.com (rockyoudown) — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 12:05:00 +0000

APHEDA, the organisation of Australian People for Health, Education and Development Abroad, has contributed greatly to improving the capacity of trade unions in Vietnam since it first made its presence felt in the country 25 years ago.

Since 2010, APHEDA, an overseas aid agency funded by the Australian Council of Trade Unions, has carried out a number of projects to help build up trade unions in five industrial and economic zones in the northern city of Hai Phong, the northern province of Hai Duong and Ho Chi Minh City.

The Australian organisation has also implemented numerous programmes in Vietnam with a focus on foreign language training, team negotiation skills, HIV/AIDS prevention in the community and the social responsibility of businesses.

The organisation has also conducted research and information and education campaigns to raise the public’s awareness of the health risks of using asbestos and helping to build an asbestos information centre in Hanoi .

APHEDA supported Hanoi, HCM City and several provinces such as Bac Can, Hai Duong, Hai Phong, Nghe An, Quang Tri, Da Nang, Binh Duong and Dong Nai in hunger eradication and poverty reduction, as well as in reducing discrimination against people with HIV, disabled people and victims of human trafficking.

Their programmes have received financial support from Australian and other international organisations such as the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), Finland ’s Trade Union Solidarity Centre, the Olof Palme organisation from Sweden , the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the United Nations.

It became the first overseas organisation to receive the Friendship Order from a Vietnamese President in 1998 and a campaign medal from the Vietnamese Women’s Union in 2004./.

Catholics presented with Xmas gifts

noreply@blogger.com (rockyoudown) — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 12:04:00 +0000

A delegation, including Nguyen Manh Hung, Deputy Head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Mass Mobilisation, along with representatives of Dong Nai province’s authorities visited and presented gifts to Catholic dignitaries and their followers on December 13.

At the Xuan Loc Catholic Diocese, the delegation wished Bishop Nguyen Cu Trinh and several Catholic dignitaries and followers a merry and peaceful Christmas.

They presented gifts and praised Catholics contributions to implementing the Party’s policies and State’s laws, as well as their participation in emulation movements.

In 2010, over 900,000 Catholic followers in the province raised the provincial per capita income to 29 million VND (nearly 1,500 USD) per year.

The delegation hoped that Catholics would continue to contribute to the province’s socio-economic development.

Bishop Nguyen Cu Trinh thanked the delegation for their care and best wishes.

On the occasion, the delegation visited and presented gifts to a number of outstanding Catholic families that have made contributions to the nation’s revolutionary cause in Trang Bom district./.

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