National fund established to support AO victims

The fund for Vietnamese Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVAF) debuted in Hanoi on November 20 to mobilize all social resources inside and outside Vietnam for taking care of and alleviating pain and suffering of the victims.

The event was attended by former State Vice President Nguyen Thi Binh, the VAVA President Nguyen Van Rinh and representatives of many international organizations.

Addressing the ceremony, Mr Rinh pledged that the fund will conform strictly to the VAVA’s regulations, make transparent all financial sources and use the charitable money for proper purposes.

Tran Xuan Thu, Secretary General of the VAVA and Director of the Fund, said that from now until 2013, the fund will build 55 care centres and 550 houses, provide the victims with 1,100 scholarships and give their children 1,100 jobs.

In 2010, the fund will step up efforts to promote its campaign ‘Day for AO Victims’ (August 10).

At the event, businesses and organizations donated VND5 billion to the fund, which is located at Block B17 on Luong Dinh Cua street, Kim Lien ward, Dong Da district, Hanoi.

The fund’s account numbers are 001.1000.863.681 (for VND) and 001.1370.863.710 (for US$) at the Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam (Vietcombank).

Hanoi mother drowns baby to spite father
 
Hanoi police have arrested a local mother after she allegedly threw her three-month-old baby down a due to a grudge against the father. 

Nguyen Thi Nu told the police that she tossed the baby into the well early Wednesday.

She then pretended that she had lost the child until local residents found the baby drowned in the well, local newswire Vietnamnet said Friday.

The 22-year-old mother married Nguyen Van Linh through a matchmaker nearly a year ago. Linh began working construction jobs far from home and didn’t take much care of Nu, now living in Thach That District’s Yen Binh Commune, around 50 kilometers from downtown Hanoi.

Nu said she asked for a divorce many times but her husband refused. Then she hoped the baby would bring him home more often but it didn’t, she said.

She told the police that her husband received phone calls and text messages from a person she didn’t know and she suspected that he had another woman.

She then said she decided to “end everything” with the baby.

Linh’s family said Nu just lied “calmly” in her room while people rushed to find the boy. She cried when the body was taken out of the well, they said.

Nu’s mother-in-law said the woman had been silent most of the time since her marriage and was not very good at taking care of the baby.

Linh’s family speculated that Nu possibly thought killing the baby might get her the divorce she wanted.
 
Dien Bien declares free from bird flu

The Dien Bien Provincial People’s Committee on November 20 announced that the province is free from bird flu.

Healthy and known origin poultry can now be transported to the province. Dien Bien also asked its communes and districts to take preventative measures to prevent the epidemic from recurring.

The avian influenza broke out last month at 9 households in Noong Luong and Thanh Yen communes. Nearly 3,000 poultry died and were culled in only three days. No dead poultry have been reported in the province over the past 21 days-a required period for any locality to declare itself free from bird flu.

80,000 Catholics to attend Jubilee Year 2010 celebrations

As many as 80,000 Catholics will attend the inauguration ceremony of the Jubilee Year 2010 in Ha Nam province, about 70km south of Hanoi, on November 23, says Nguyen Thanh Xuan, deputy head of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs.

The event, to be held at So Kien diocese in Kien Khe town, Thanh Liem district by the Vietnam Catholic Church, will be attended by archbishops, priests and Catholics from 26 dioceses across the country as well as representatives from foreign Catholic organisations.  

Jubilee Year 2010, which is scheduled to last through to January 6, 2010, will include an inauguration ceremony on November 23, a Catholic congress at HCM City Archdiocese from November 21-28, and a closing ceremony at La Vang diocese, Quang Tri province, on January 6, 2010.

In a letter to Catholics on this occasion, Bishop Nguyen Van Nhon, President of the Vietnam Episcopal Council, called on Catholics to be good citizens and build an equitable society, contributing to social and human development.

According to Mr Xuan, Ha Nam province has worked closely with the Vietnam Catholic Church to ensure the celebrations will take place in a safe, lawful and orderly manner.

Vietnam creates healthy competitive environment for ICT

The Vietnamese Government has created a fair, healthy competitive environment for businesses involved in information and communications technology (ICT), affirmed Le Nam Thang, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications.

At the first seminar of the Vietnam International Communications Summit (Vietnam Comm 2009) opened in Hanoi on November 19, Deputy Minister Thang said that Vietnam has developed a modern communications infrastructure capable of providing cutting-edge services.

At the two-day seminar, domestic and foreign ICT companies exchanged experiences in the transformation of 3G and 4G technology networks and new orientations for ICT development in the coming time.

Nearly 30 local and foreign speakers will discuss upgrading technology and its application in business and daily life, current and future development trends and the management of the communications network during the integration process.

The Ministry of Information and Communications granted licences to Vietnam’s four largest mobile service providers – Vinaphone, Mobifone, Viettel and EVN-HT Mobile to provide 3G technology services this year.

Vietnam is aiming for develop e-government in 2015 and building a broadband network in order to convert the entire television and radio broadcast system to digital technology with the aim of becoming one of the 10 most attractive nations in the world in terms of software technology by 2020.

Vietnam Airlines launches Hanoi quiz in Australia

Vietnam Airlines (VA) on November 19 launched a online quiz on the 1,000-year-history of Hanoi, in Australia at www.hanoi1000years.com.au.

The national flag carrier delivered brochures, sent mails to its customers and organised events to promote the contest.

Awards will include 500 pairs of return tickets for Vietnam’s domestic routes.

As part of the contest, VA also introduced a six-week promotional programme with a special award for a business-class customer on the route from Sydney or Melbourne to Hanoi.

Health experts seek solutions for the elderly

International and domestic health experts have gathered for a two-day conference in Hanoi to discuss practical ways of improving healthcare services for elderly citizens at an affordable cost.

According to medical experts, Vietnam currently has more than seven million elderly people, which accounts for ten percent of the population, and this figure is expected to rise over the next couple of years.

This scenario poses big challenges for the country’s socio-economic environment. The elderly will be in need of health care, but the cost of medical care for older citizens is on average seven times higher than for young people.

Doctor Pham Thang from the National Institute of Gerontology said that cancer, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease and bone and heart disorders are the most common complaints among the elderly people.

“Elderly people have been known to suffer from several diseases simultaneously. If a disorder goes unnoticed or is misdiagnosed, it is likely that the treatment costs will increase, while the quality of the patient’s life decreases,” he said.

Over the past few years, the centre has trained more than 800 staff and provides services for more than 6,000 sick elderly residents in 11 cities and provinces. A network of more than 2,000 volunteers has been established in 110 communes to support 3,000 elderly residents. “This model is more suitable for elderly Vietnamese who wish to be treated at home with their relatives close by. The most important thing, I think, is that this model lowers their treatment costs,” Mr Trai said. 

Vietnam helps build music school in Laos

Construction of the Lao National Music and Arts School in Vientiane Works started on November 18, with non-refundable aid from the Vietnamese Government.

The school will be built in two phases under a bilateral agreement on economic, cultural and scientific and technological cooperation in the 2006-2010 period.

The first phase will be built at a cost of VND77 billion (US$4.2 million), covering 8,200 sq. m with lecture halls for music and dance, administrative offices, and essential technical infrastructure.

The second phase will cover lecture halls for theatre, cinematography and television, as well as a dormitory, a canteen and a club.

Addressing the ground breaking ceremony, Luu Quang Minh, Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Music Academy , the project’s investor, pledged to complete the project on schedule.

Japan helps improve health for poor women in Ba Ria Vung Tau

The Consulate General of Japan in HCM City signed an agreement with the Vietnam Association of Midwives on November 18 to fund the US$97,000 project on improving health care for poor women in Ba Ria - Vung Tau province. 

The funding will help the association purchase 12 kinds of medical equipment and provide reproductive health services for poor women in the province.

The equipment will be sent to some medical stations in the province to help diagnose cervical cancer among women and improve health care for mothers and babies in remote areas.

At the signing ceremony, Japanese consul general Ikuo Mizuki expressed hope that the project will contribute to improving reproductive health for women in remote areas and relationship between Japan and Vietnam.

The project is part of the Japanese Government’s Programme of Grant Assistance for Grassroots Projects (GGP).

HCM City to host charity golf tournament in December
 
A charity golf tournament entitled King Cup Tournament 2009 will be held at Thu Duc Golf Course, Ho Chi Minh City on December 5 to mark Thailand’s National Day and its King’s birthday.

The tournament will draw the participation of over 100 golfers, including representatives of foreign consulates in HCM City, Thai and Vietnamese businesses.

The proceeds will go to a charity fund of the Thai Royal Family and HCM City’s Orphan and Handicapped Children Sponsor Association. The organising board hopes to raise at least US$5,000 for charity activities.

King Cup Tournament 2009 is organised by the Thai Consulate in HCM City in coordination with the Thai Business Association in Vietnam and the 4 Oranges Company.

On December 5, a gala dinner will also take place, expecting to attract 600 participants with the aim of introducing Thailand’s food culture and promoting exchanges between the two countries.     

Pre-SEA Games gala bound for Hai Phong

A football gala will be held at the Municipal Theatre in the northern port city of Hai Phong on November 21.

The event, which aims to encourage the national U-23 football team at the upcoming 25th SEA Games, will be attended by fans, head coach Henrique Calisto and his squad before leaving for the Games.

Organisers said they have collected over 700,000 signatures from fans in a campaign winding through An Giang, Long Xuyen, Ho Chi Minh City, Gia Lai, Da Nang, Nghe An, Hanoi and Hai Phong.

The campaign, jointly held by the Country Eye and the 4 Oranges Company, expects to support fans going to Laos during the largest regional sporting event from December 9-18.

Authorities suspect smuggled goods of flying south by post

The Ho Chi Minh City Market Management Bureau has seized packages of undocumented cloth, cosmetics and electronic home appliances allegedly smuggled from northern provinces via post.

The city market management on Thursday said the goods, which were found at the HCMC Post Delivery Center in District 10 and the District 5 Post Office during inspections November 11-16, looked like they were smuggled.

The goods, sent by seven different people in northern provinces, included 200 television components, 1,190 fans, five boxes of made-in-China denim, women clothes and hats.

According to the bureau, large amounts of cloth, cosmetics and electronics are smuggled into Ho Chi Minh City via post towards the end of each year.

While searching for smuggled goods on Tuesday, the bureau also found nearly 1,000 cosmetic products from China and Thailand without documents of origin at a shop on Cach Mang Thang Tam Street, Tan Binh District.

They also found 5,164 undocumented pairs of woman clothes at Districts 6 and Tan Binh.

The unit said more smuggled goods had entered the city this month than during the same period in October.

Climate change policies must address gender issues: experts   
 
Women’s issues should be integrated into national climate change policies as the fairer sex is more vulnerable to the consequences of natural disasters, said experts at the release of a UN report Thursday. 

United Nations’ The State of World Population Report, published by the United Nations Population Fund, said most countries debate the technical issues of climate change – such as limiting the growth of greenhouse-gas emissions, reducing carbon emissions – while neglecting fundamental questions about how climate change will affect women, men, boys and girls differently around the world.

 “It [climate change] is also an issue of population dynamics, poverty and gender equity,” said Bruce Campbell, UNFPA representative in Vietnam, in his opening statement at the release of the report. “Women often manage households and care for family members and this limits their mobility and increases their vulnerability to sudden weather-related natural disasters.”

The UNFPA official estimates that there are more than 12 million female farmers in Vietnam that are highly dependent on land and natural resources to generate income and support their families.

Phan Thi Thien, a 41-year-old resident of Hai Lang District in Quang Tri Province who was invited to speak at the event along with two other women from the same area, said her family had been badly affected by climate change as her husband, a fisherman, was unable to catch enough fish due to increasingly negative weather.

“My husband used to give me between 50,000 to 70,000 VND per day for food, but now he can’t fish everyday and our income has been reduced,” Thien told the UN team that interviewed her for a documentary on the effects of climate change on women in Vietnam.

Tran Thi Thu, chairwomen of the Hai Lang District Women’s Union, told the event’s participants that adverse weather conditions had caused many local men to migrate to other provinces seeking jobs, leaving the women deal with family chores, farming and any natural disasters alone.

In addition, she said the fact that local men had lost their jobs could lead to problems such as drinking and domestic violence.

Suzette Mitchell, United Nations Development Fund for Women Country Representative, suggested Vietnam develop assistance policies to help women cope with natural disasters, such as obtaining loans, additional financing and emergency training.

Considered one of the most natural disaster prone countries in the world, Vietnam suffered an estimated US$800 million in damage this year due to Typhoon Ketsana, which killed 163 people and affected three million residents.

Typhoon Mirinae, which hit about three weeks ago, left at least 123 dead.

Dead pigs, chicken found in deserted Ba Ria-Vung Tau wells

Police on Wednesday found many bags of dead pigs and chickens dumped into deserted wells in the southern coastal province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

Police and officials from the Tan Thanh District’s Natural Resources and Environment Office could not manage to pull out all the bags because some had rotted badly.

Four bags were taken out and found to contain chicken and piglets. The chicken, weighing around three kilograms each were identified as industrial fowl.

Residents in Song Xoai Commune, Tan Thanh District, informed the police about the bags on Wednesday after the area began stinking. The four wells are located in the farmland of local resident Nguyen Van Minh and there are many lanes leading from the wells to two chicken farms around 100 meters away, where thousands of chicken are bred using industrial methods.

The police have launched an investigation to find out who was dumping the dead animals in the wells.

Teenager gets death for father’s murder
  
A teenager in Hai Duong Province was sentenced to death Thursday for killing his father before taking his money to clear his debts and play games. 

The indictment at the mobile trial conducted by the Hai Duong People’s Court stated that Nghiem Viet Thanh, 18, slashed his father many times with a knife on the night of May 6 after the latter scolded him for coming home late from a game shop.

Nghiem Viet Yen, the father, died on the spot in their home on Dien Bien Phu Street in Hai Duong City.

Thanh then sharpened his knife and cut the body into several parts to throw into the nearby Sat River, police said. He took VND8 million (US$447) from his father’s safe to play games online and paid for his previous games and entertainment.

When the body parts were found on May 9 he fled to nearby Nam Dinh Province on his father’s motorbike.

The 12th-grader at Thanh Dong High School in Hai Duong City was caught on May 12.

He was charged with murder and robbery that carries a death sentence.

Dak Nong woman nabbed for selling girls to Chinese brothels

Police in the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong on Monday detained a local woman for alleged involvement in a ring selling Vietnamese women to brothels in China.

Investigations showed that Do Thi Dang of Dak Ru Commune in Dak R’lap District took three local girls early in 2006 to northern provinces after promising them jobs with salaries of VND1-1.5 million (US$56-61) a month in clothes stores.

The 67-year-old and her daughter, who was only identified as Hong, then took the girls to the Chinese border in Lang Son Province and transferred them to Hoang Thi Hon who sold them to brothels in China.

Police said they’re going to ask prosecutors to press human trafficking charges against Dang.

Hon, who hails from the northern province of Bac Giang near Hanoi, has already been caught by provincial police.

The police are tracking down more members in the ring based on information collected from the arrested women.

PV