Measles causes over 100 child deaths in A reported 108 children in The situation is worrying to healthcare workers and parents alike. In order to get a closer look at the spread of the disease, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam visited the  A delegation led by deputy PM Vu Duc Dam visits measles patients at the Speaking at the meeting, an anonymous leader from the Ministry of Health (MoH)’s Preventive Medicine Department said that the country has reported a total of 108 child fatalities due to measles and measles-related illness since the beginning of this year. 103 of these were recorded at the The figures are much higher than the 25 fatalities previously reported by Dr. Tran Duc Phu, Deputy Director of the Preventive Medicine. Dr. Le Thanh Hai, Director of the “The hospital received a record-high number of 1,200 children who needed treatment for measles since the beginning of the year,” Hai noted.  Measles patients at the He went on to say that, in order to serve such a large number of patients, they have had to mobilise all available resources, including using the workspace of some of the staff as well as some parts of the Herbal Medicine Ward for measles patients. Despite the effort, overcrowding remains a serious issue, forcing two to three patients to share one sickbed. Between 200 and 250 patients are in need of in-patient treatment at the hospital due to their critical condition. Overcrowding has also been recorded at many other major hospitals in Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam requested that leaders from the Department of Medical Checkups and Treatment as well as hospitals from the central to local level do their best to slow down the development of the disease and prevent cross-infections. “The MoH should consider announcing a measles epidemic if necessary,” he recommended. Also on April 15, the MoH’s Professionalism Council held a meeting to discuss a new measles treatment regimen to keep up with any new developments. As the majority of fatalities from the disease have been recorded in the North, the Minister of Heath has assigned the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology the job of coordinating with hospitals in the northern region and the HCM City Pasteur Institute to conduct an investigation into the causes of the outbreak. Many concerned parents have been looking into ways to prevent the infection of their children. Because of the belief that bathing with coriander seeds helps prevent the disease, the price of this product has gone up.  Parents trying to buy coriander seeds However, Dr. Nguyen Xuan Huong, former Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Herbal Medicines, said coriander seeds are only good for disease prevention. Once a child has been infected, bathing coriander will not help, but the child should drink water infused with coriander seeds. By Hong Hai, dtinews.vn |
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A view of the Ho Chi Minh City has greatly contributed to the country's economic reform of the last three decades, a conference heard in Speaking at the conference – held to review the city's achievements during the 30 years of economic reform – head of Party Central Committee's Commission for Popularisation and Education Dinh The Huynh said HCM City has a great deal of experience in economic reform to share with other localities. Le Thanh Hai, the city Party Committee Secretary, said a range of economic sectors play vital roles in the city's socio-economic development. The city has recorded double-digit economic growth for nearly 20 years now, and its annual income per capita has reached 5,000 USD, he said. The public sector plays a central role, he said, but added that it should only "facilitate the market instead of playing the role of the market." Than Thi Thu, head of the HCM City Party Committee's Commission for Popularisation and Education, said the city has achieved many breakthroughs while overcoming challenges in the last 30 years. It has created a legal framework for many business models, she said. In 1989 the city issued a decision regulating many models of private businesses, limited companies, and joint-stock companies to create favourable conditions for the private sector's development, she said. After the establishment of limited companies and joint-stock companies, the country's first export processing zones and industrial parks as well as the stock exchange were established in The city also developed programmes such as those to exchange land for infrastructure, socialise infrastructure, and improve the administration to serve the public better, which many other localities learnt from and followed suit, she said. It not only taught the entire country lessons in socio-economic development but also ushered in the concept of urban management under the market mechanism, she said. The country and city are now facing many other hardships in the process of globalisation. Other challenges include the ineffectiveness of public spending that has plagued the city for a long time, the worsening budget deficit, and transfer price abuse for tax evasion by foreign firms, which has become harder to check. Half of foreign businesses in Other speakers referred to a major problem: the failure of the country, especially the city, to take full advantage of available resources. The country is divided into three key economic zones in three distincts, but they lack linkages or co-operation, and fail to tap their potentials. Hai said the city needs to take more drastic measures to improve the socialist-oriented market economy. Huynh said democracy is another issue that many delegates discussed at the meeting. Many suggested that the democratic mechanism should be discussed more seriously at other forums. Huynh called on the attendees to mull over the issues and send their opinions to the Central Theoretical Council.-VNA |
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Political News Headlines 17/4 President Pro Tempore of the US Senate Patrick Leahy arrived in The visit is made at the invitation of National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung. As scheduled on April 17, the senator will hold talks with top legislator Hung. Two-way trade between the two countries reached US$ 29.10 billion in 2013, a year-on-year rise of 18.8 percent, of which US$23.87 billion was At the signing ceremony on April 16 in For his part, Indian Director of the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF), Ajit Doval concurred, adding that exchanging information and cooperating in the implementation of joint research projects on national defense, security and international relations is mutually beneficial for both countries.  President Truong Tan Sang (R) welcomes Prosecutor General of Mongolia Dorligjav Dambii. (Photo: VGP) President Truong Tan Sang hosted an April 16 reception for Prosecutor General of Mongolia Dorligjav Dambii during his current working visit to President Sang highly valued outcomes of the meeting between the Mongolian Prosecutors’ Office and the Vietnam Supreme People’s Procuracy, which aims to realise a high-level agreement reached by the two sides during Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdori’s visit to Sang highlighted the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries this year. He added The president affirmed that The Mongolian guest applauded He expressed his hope that Leaders of Welcoming Hu Chunhua and a delegation of the Communist Party of China to the city on April 16, HCM City Party Committee’s Secretary Le Thanh Hai said the city shares the joy with Hu Chunhua affirmed that his visit aims, among others, to bolster ties between “ Vietnam eager to develop links with Lithuania Vietnamese ambassador to the Ambassador Thiet made the affirmation at a recent ceremony to present a letter of credentials from President Truong Tan Sang to Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite. In a meeting, the Vietnamese diplomat informed President Grybauskaite about an action plan for his working term, focusing on increased cooperation between Thiet also briefed his host on the successful socio- economic development and international integration President Dalia Grybauskaite congratulated Thiet on being appointed as Vietnamese ambassador to the The Lithuanian President expressed his hope that ambassador Thiet will successfully fulfill his mission and affirmed the Lithuanian authorities’ willingness to assist Thiet in reaching all the set targets during his term. At present, Vietnam-Lithuania economic relations remain modest with two-way trade turnover in 2013 reaching just US$50 million. Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung is leading a Vietnamese delegation at the first high-level meeting of the Global Alliance for Effective Development Cooperation that opened in The meeting is being attended by more than 1,500 delegates from 130 countries, as well as leaders of multi-lateral organisations including UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Director General of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Jose AngleGurria. During the two-day event, participants focus on five main topics, including a review of the progress made since the lower-level meeting in Busan, the They also discussed the cooperation among countries with medium incomes and the role that the private sector can play in development. The meeting is of significance to the host country of NA calls for faster army promotions National Assembly deputies have called for a faster promotion process and greater clarity on policies regarding titles and salaries for army officers. These opinions were expressed in comments made by the National Assembly Standing Committee on amendments proposed to the current Law on Officers of the Viet Nam People's Army. Addressing a working session held yesterday, General Phung Quang Thanh, Defence Minister, said that after five years of implementing the current law, it can be said that the proposed amendments are suitable for and create a legal foundation for improving the quality of the army officers. They also meet the requirements of national construction and protection "in the new context," he said. However, the committee has seen some limitations and obstacles to enforcement, he added. One of these had to do with unclear regulations on titles conferred on army officers in different positions and with different agencies. The proposed amendment states that the chief army officer in the capital city, HCM City and other provinces and cities will be a Lieutenant General, Major General and Senior Lieutenant Colonel respectively. An exception to this rule would cover six provinces and cities–Hai Phong City, Some members of the NA Standing Committee felt that the draft law needs to clarify which positions require officers with rank of General. They suggested that certain agencies and institutions including enterprises and public administrative bodies should not have a general heading the army officers' section. Deputies at the meeting also agreed that the policy on salaries for army officers should be separate from that related to the titles. Remuneration for army officers should be based on their working positions and titles, the deputies said. NA Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung said that the draft law should take into consideration the principle that seniors have higher-ranking titles, and that each position has a matching title. Hung suggested that the draft law shortens the time taken for army officers to be considered for promotion. He also said provisions on officers' salary should be stipulated in a separate document, not in the draft law. Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Vu Van Tam and State Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation Abdalla Gaafar Ahmed Omer co-chaired the event, during which they were unanimous to work together towards the signing of new cooperation agreements in foreign affairs, marine transport, and investment. The Sudanese official said his country has recognised Deputy Minister Tam confirmed that On the occasion, the pair signed a Memorandum of Understanding on agriculture cooperation.- South Africa’s Freedom Day observed in HCM City The South African Embassy in The event was attended by municipal officials and representatives from diplomatic corps and South African and Vietnamese business circles. At the ceremony, Ambassador K.R.Magau recalled the struggle for national liberation as well as strides made by South African people in the past two decades. As for the South Africa-Vietnam relations, the diplomat said both countries have been working hard to develop their economies and improve their peoples’ well-being. A representative of the city said bilateral ties have been flourishing since the establishment of their diplomatic relations in 1993 and the partnership for cooperation and development in 2004. He added that the collaboration between the city and Deputy PM Ninh continues Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh met Fiona Woolf, Lord Mayor of the City of At the meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister affirmed He also asked the City of London, as the world’s leading financial centre, to share experience in the healthy development of financial system and strengthening capital mobilisation, especially through the private-public partnership. For her part, Woolf expressed her interest in According to the Lord Mayor, the Vietnamese market plays an important role to The The same day, Deputy PM Ninh had a working session with leaders and leading economists of the Standard Charter Bank (SCB). SCB’s leaders thanked the Vietnamese Government for supporting the bank’s effective operations in They stressed the significance of the Deputy PM’s visit in helping British authorities and businesses understand more about The They were also optimistic about the country’s economic development prospects after the encouraging results of banking reform, and discussed the possibility of raising the trust index of international ranking agencies for Vietnamese banks. The conclusion of negotiations for the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement within 2014 will send a persuasive message to foreign investors, they said, adding that it will open up more cooperation opportunities in trade and investment between Vietnamese enterprises and those from the In April 16, Deputy PM Ninh is scheduled to hold talks with Source: VNA/VOV/VNS/VNN |
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Banks still bear risks even after selling debts to VAMC International institutions are remaining doubtful about the ability of the Vietnam Asset Management Company (VAMC) to settle bad debts.  Moody’s, in its latest report, warned that although the bad debts have been taken off the banks’ balance sheets and the institutions now have more capital with which to improve their liquidity, the risks have not evaporated. Gene Fang, Vice President of Moody’s Investors Service, a senior analyst, said the existence of VAMC, a government’s company in charge of buying bad debts from banks, can certainly help improve banks’ liquidity. VAMC picks bad debts off the banks’ balance sheets and offers special bonds which banks can use as collateral for loans from the State Bank. However, commercial banks still have to incur the risks relating to their low-quality assets. In principle, after selling bad debts to VAMC and receiving special bonds from it, banks must continue to make 100 percent provisions against the bad debts for five years. This, according to Moody’s, would cause the value of the assets transferred to VAMC to be written down, while banks would continue to face financial risks. Only if VAMC can sell the bad debts to third parties would the recovered value be retained by banks. In principle, banks can mortgage the special bonds in exchange for refinancing from the State Bank. The values of the loans are no more than 70 percent of the bonds’ values, while the loans’ interest rates are 2 percent lower than the market interest rates. However, no commercial bank has received such refinancing so far, for two reasons. First, a detailed refinancing mechanism has not yet been set up. Second, banks do not have the demand for loans, while their own capital has been left idle. At a press conference in early April, experts from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) expressed their concerns about VAMC’s ability to handle bad debts. The biggest challenge VAMC is facing is limited financial capability. Meanwhile, it has set up too ambitious a plan for 2014: buying $4.8 billion worth of bad debts from banks. ADB’s Dominic Mellor commented that VAMC is in the difficult position of having to take on a gargantuan task with modest initial capital of VND500 billion, or $24 million. Doi Song & Phap Luat newspaper reported that the World Bank (WB) in early April also expressed its concerns about VAMC’s ability to settle bad debts. Victoria Kwakwa, the Vietnam Country Director of WB, said WB has not received any detailed information from VAMC on the process of dealing with bad debt. What WB has learned is that VAMC has bought a part of the bad debts. Meanwhile, it is unclear how the purchased bad debts have been settled. Dau Tu newspaper on April 9 quoted its sources as saying that VAMC has only settled VND300 billion out of the VND40 trillion worth of bad debt it has bought so far. Some bank managers have expressed their worry about the “fate” of the debts transferred. “We have heard from VAMC that the sale of debt has fallen into deadlock,” a senior executive of a big bank said. “I am worried that the bad debt settlement will not be completed after five years”. K. Chi, |
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 NFA, the Filipino national food agency, on April 15 opened bidding for the purchase of 800,000 tons of rice, to be delivered in the months between May and September. The Vietnam Food Association (VFA) has confirmed that it will join the bid. Analysts say that, while many companies from different countries have registered to attend the bidding, Meanwhile, The unsatisfactory export level was only offset by the sharp rise in cross-border export to But analysts warn that current circumstances seem to be impeding this export channel. The cost of transporting one ton of rice from With the cross-border traffic stalling, export companies are looking to boost exports through official channels. The Nevertheless, One concern with A well-known rice expert said he believes neither It has been noted that the Filipino government is reserving a budget of $382 million for the purchase and import of the 800,000 tons of rice. Based on that, the expert said, the ceiling price may be $477 per ton. If so, Nong Nghiep |
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International stars to hit capital stage
HA NOI (VNS) - A concert featuring international artists will open tonight at Ha Noi's National Convention Centre. The concert titled H-Artistry (formerly Hennessy Artistry after the brandy making sponsors) will feature American Kelly Rowland, Australian Tim Omaji (Timomatic), South Korean band Nemesis and Vietnamese singers Trang Phap and DJ Slim V. Rowland, a former Destiny's Child member, appeared at a press conference after arriving in Ha Noi late on Tuesday night. She said Destiny's Child had enabled her to travel around the world and make many friends and many fans. She often talks to band members by phone, but said there was no talk of regrouping. "I'm extremely excited about the warm welcome from Vietnamese fans. I promise to be extremely cute in the show tomorrow night," she said when asked what dress she would wear for the show. She will perform with musicians representing different genres of music. Tim Omaji, better known by his stage name, Timomatic, is a Nigerian-born Australian singer-songwriter and dancer. Omaji rose to fame as a contestant on "It is not every day I get a chance to appear next to Kelly. And the food here is incredible," he said. His performance will be accompanied by four dancers from The concert will also feature a rock band from ‘This is the first time we have performed in Sharing the stage will be Vietnamese singer-songwriter and actress Trang Phap. Born in Ha Noi, she moved to She will sing two songs Choice and Version of You. The H-Artistry concerts have entertianed thousands of people in |
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NA committee discusses 2012 budget, casino business NA Vice Chair Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan speaks at the session (Photo: VNA) Members of the National Assembly Standing Committee on April 17 focused their discussions on reviewing the 2012 State budget balance and the issuance of a decree on casino business activities. They agreed with the Government’s report on the budget issue, saying that ministries, agencies and localities performed well in their budget collection, planning and spending. According to the Government report, budget revenue exceeded the estimates set by the NA by 1.9 percent, ensuring resources for State management, the implementation of socio-economic development goals and maintenance of defence and security. Budget expenditure totalled 1,171 trillion VND (55.76 billion USD), 8.3 percent higher than the estimates. Regarding the casino business development, the committee members agreed with reports by the Government and the NA’s Finance-Budget Committee on the issuance of a decree on casino business activities. However, they noted that casino business development is a big issue that has great impact on the country’s socio-economic development and investment attraction, so it needs close management. New casino business projects are only licensed if the casino business development planning is approved, they said.-VNA |
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 Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung is seen in this file photo. Tuoi Tre Vietnam gives up the right to host the 2019 Asian Games that it won in 2012, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung concluded at a central meeting on Thursday. The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism was instructed by the premier to work with the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and involved partners on a withdrawal plan, according to a statement released by the official government website today. Tuoitrenews |
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Vietnam hoped foreign investment will bring benefits like economic growth and more jobs, but tax evasion by creative accounting is what it is getting  Employees at a hi-tech foreign company in A nationwide investigation into tax evasion found 83 percent of foreign companies used various tricks to minimize their tax liability last year. Inspectors from the Taxation General Department said they have ordered 720 out of 870 foreign enterprises to pay nearly VND400 billion (US$19 million) in back taxes and penalties for tax evasion. In some provinces like Bac Giang, Hoa Binh, and Gia Lai, 100 percent of foreign corporations are tax violators, the report said. The investigation found that the most popular tactic to evade taxes was profit shifting. The most common form of profit shifting was by manipulating transfer pricing to overstate costs when importing from units belonging to the same company in other countries and understate export values. The inspectors said the firms were overcharged for equipment and inputs by their parent companies who also bought their products and services at very low prices. This way, they have been reporting losses for a long time, they said. But despite the losses, they have been expanding their business, they said. The investigators also said foreign companies operating in the services and consumer products sectors often use an accounting ploy of paying excess royalties to their parent companies for the use of brands. Tax loopholes Bui Kien Thanh, an economist and financial expert, told Thanh Nien that “ “We thought foreign corporations would create more jobs and boost our economic growth. "However, this is not true. "Meanwhile, we lost a lot from declarations of losses, and surely a lot of them were false." He also said some joint ventures in which foreign companies own 70 percent not only fail to pay taxes thanks to profit shifting but also force the Vietnamese partner to bring in more funds to the joint venture to offset purported losses. How to curb tax evasion? Tran Xoa, director of Minh Dang Quang Law Company, said it is very difficult to check transfer pricing abuses since tax authorities cannot monitor every purchase and sale by multinational corporations. He suggested that the government should reduce corporate income tax to the same rate as neighboring countries or lower. Le Dang Doanh, a trade expert, called on the tax agencies to keep an eye on companies reporting losses for many consecutive years and those in industries with non‐tangible assets like proprietary technology. But the most important thing is to develop a global price database and have a talented team to prevent and discover transfer pricing manipulation. |
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 Some of the 600 bricks of heroin seized by Taiwanese authorities at the Vietnamese police have taken legal proceedings against three Taiwanese for their involvement in a case in which 600 bricks of heroin weighing 229 kg, worth nearly US$400 million, were sent by air without detection from Ho Chi Minh City to Taiwan in November last year. These Taiwanese are Sung Yuan Hsuan, 34, Pan Po Chung, 40, and Chen Kuo Shun, 37, who have been charged with “illegally transporting drugs” in Vietnam. They arrived in On October 16, they bought two loudspeakers from a company in Tan Phu District. Five days later, they purchased 10 more loudspeakers. The three men packed the devices in 12 cardboard containers and kept them at their hotel. After stuffing heroin into these 12 loudspeakers, the Taiwanese trio commissioned Le Hoa Trading and Forwarding Company Limited, located in District 1, to carry out all procedures necessary for sending the 12 drug-containing loudspeakers to Le Hoa then had another freight forwarding company, KL Freight Forwarding Company, which is a business partner of China Airlines, arrange with the carrier to send the shipments to the territory. On November 16, the 12 cardboard containers, weighing 438 kg in total, were transported to Tan Son Nhat. After e-customs procedures for the shipments were completed, the cargos were put through a scanning system of the airport’s security force for examination but the system failed to detect the drugs. The heroin, weighing 229 kilograms, was seized by Taiwanese customs officers at Each of the containers contained 50 bricks of heroin that were coated with chocolate paste in order to fool detection dogs, said Taiwan’s Criminal Investigation Bureau. The street value of the drugs, allegedly originating in Investigation Vietnamese police and customs officials have launched their investigations into the case following the seizure. In late November 2013, Tan Son Nhat Security Services Company suspended four executives of a team in charge of scanning and inspecting goods for failing to discover the drugs. On November 26, 2013, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc directed relevant ministries strengthen measures to prevent drugs from being shipped to and from He also asked the Ministry of Public Security to coordinate with competent agencies, both at home and abroad, to find out the origin of the drugs and identify those responsible for sending them to To date, Taiwanese police have arrested ten people for investigation. Tuoitrenews |
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Illegal logging destroys protected forest The Song Lo protected forest in Blatant illegal logging has been reported by residents of Lam Phu Commune, Lang Chanh District. Large areas of chopped down trees riddle the path that leads to the forest. The loggers have cut down trees in many forest areas such as Lan Chay, Me Giang and Ong Vien.   Logs in the forest After cutting wood into suitable planks and blocks, the loggers use motorbikes to carry it out under cover of darkness. They often work in large groups of four to six so that they can intimidate rangers if they are caught. The deeper into the forest one goes, the more treeless areas can be found. The illegal loggers do not bother with stealth. A large amount of lumber can be seen sitting around near the centre of the Nguyen Duy Vinh, the head of the forest ranger unit in Lang Chanh District admitted that the situation has gotten out of control in and around Na Dang Village. Since late 2013, they have increased the number of rangers there but, due to large area and lack of personnel, the problem continues.   Chopped down trees As of late 2013, loggers were able to take away dozens of cubic metres of woods. Locals refuse to act for fear of reprisals. "We tried to do our best. We've made reports to the Thanh Hoa Province People's Committee so that they could direct the relevant agencies to deal with the problem," Vinh said. The chairman of Lang Chanh District People's Committee also said they asked forest rangers and managers of Song Lo forest increase their efforts to prevent illegal logging. "We'll report to the higher-ups if becomes necessary," he said. VietNamnet |
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BUSINESS IN BRIEF 18/4 Automobile imports pick up speed More than 5,200 cars were imported into the domestic market in the first quarter of 2014, representing 1,400 units more than the comparable period last year, according to Vietnam Customs statistics. Auto imports in this period saw a year-on-year increase of 37% in volume. However, their value went up nearly 80% (around US$26.3 million) due to a large number of imported luxury cars. Vietnam Customs reported that The country also spent US$385 million on purchasing auto spare parts from overseas markets in the first quarter, up 30.9% from a year earlier. Competitiveness of The Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) on April 16 organised a workshop in the Mekong Delta Head of VCCI’s Legal Department Dau Anh Tuan said VCCI conducted a survey of over 8,000 businesses nationwide in 2013, 1,600 of which were foreign invested ones. The competitiveness of 11 out of 13 Mekong Delta provinces was assessed as fairly good, good or very good. Notably, Kien Giang climbed to the third position in However, the regional localities have not performed well in some important criteria, for example their support for private businesses, trade promotion services, workforce training and transparency, Tuan noted. He also urged them to quickly improve workforce quality to meet the stricter demands of investors so as to attract more investment. However, Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Can Tho city Truong Quang Hoai He cited the business support criterion as an example. It contains up to 18 sub-criteria, making it very hard for the provinces to satisfy all standards. In 2013, the central city of Trade surplus hits over US$1.08 billion in Q1 According to Vietnam Customs statistics, The trade value in the second half of March reached US$13.15 billion, or 12.8% higher than the first half. Foreign direct investment (FDI) businesses earned US$39.59 in trade revenue, representing a year-on-year increase of 17.6% and accounting for nearly 60% of the country’s total trade turnover. In the reviewed period, As a result, the country’s trade surplus reached more than US$1.08 billion, with the FDI sector contributing US$1.88 billion. Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai announced that the 24th Vietnam International Trade Fair (Vietnam Expo 2014) which opened in He added that the participation of businesses in the event has helped them develop their trademark to consumers and visitors in a fast and convenient way. Hai emphasized that Vietnam Expo is considered a practical trade promotion activity to develop the domestic commodity market and support Vietnamese businesses to boost exports and help both local and foreign businesses share experiences, cooperate in investment and technological transfer. He said his ministry submitted a proposal to build a large-scale national exhibition fair centre to meet the growing demand for trade cooperation between local and international businesses. The highlight of the event is the establishment of a separate pavilion to introduce localities’ potential and Vietnamese industrial parks to both domestic and foreign investors. In addition, a design pavilion helped Vietnamese and the Vietnam Expo 2014 attracted 600 local and foreign businesses from over 23 nations and territories worldwide. Ha General Director of Suido Kiko Kaisha Co, Ltd under Toray Group, Shinri Sato, held a working session with the northern Ha Sato said that his group has 30 domestic subsidiary companies and 60 foreign branches. He expressed his wish to invest in Mai Tien Dung, Chairman of Ha A hotline has been set up to make it easier for the provincial People’s Chairman to connect with investors, Dung said, while hoping that Suido Kiko Kaisha and Toray Group will invest and bring hi-tech industries to the locality. Toray is willing to help Ha The same day, the Japanese general director also toured several Japanese businesses operating in the locality to learn more about investment policies. Local company imports a batch of Hai Thanh Trading and Service Co, Ltd in According to the company, the lowest price of a Koi fish in the batch is US$2,000. The company imported a Koi Fish Kohaku (87 cm in length) valued at US$20,000 and several fish worth US$10,000. There was also a Sanke fish which measures over one metre in length included in the shipment. Le Huu Hung, general director of the company said that the import of these “jumbo” fish aims to develop the production of Koi fish in the country. Koi fish is considered the “national fish” of Vinh Long plans to expand The Mekong Delta According to Tran Son, deputy head of the provincial Centre for Agriculture Encouragement, farmers are advised to increase their Nam Roi My Hoa Binh Minh grapefruit of the standards by 20-30 hectares per year. Currently, Vinh Long has 7,780 hectares of grapefruit area, accounting for 16% of the total area under perennial trees, mainly focusing on the banks of Son said the current price of the fruit applying the Global GAP process is higher than normal ones, varying from VND10,000 – VND30,000 per kilogram, up 20% over the same period last year. Earlier in February, 26 hectares of grapefruits of the Nam Roi My Hoa Binh Minh cooperative were re-recognized with a Global GAP certificate. The National Office of Intellectual Property also recognized the protection of geographical indications for the fruit in August last year, allowing more than 600 tonnes of Nam Roi grapefruit to be present in the supermarket system nationwide as well as foreign markets each year, he added. Experts suggest ministries rethink IT approach Many experts have stressed that ministries and local government offices need to hire IT service providers to manage their computer systems, rather than attempting to build and maintain their own – a practice that is currently widespread. They made the call at a meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, who is also Vice Chairman of the recently-established National Committee on IT Application, in Chairman of the FPT Group Truong Gia Binh said employing external IT experts is a growing trend among top businesses around the world. He claimed that if encouraged in Participants hailed the establishment of the committee led by the Prime Minister, which they said will create breakthroughs to turn Others said that it is advisable to address constraints in putting IT projects in place. They recommended subtracting part of earnings from public services to pay for IT services. Turkish investment in By the end of March 2014, The Foreign Investment Agency (FIA) reported that the manufacturing and processing industry made up the majority of Turkish investment in It was followed by education and training with 3 projects at US$3.45 million and the remaining incidental investment in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, accommodation and restaurant services. At present, Japan leads foreign investment in Vietnam According to the Foreign Investment Agency (FIA) under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the average investment of a Japanese project is US$15.8 million, substantially higher than the overall average of all nations combined of US$14.58 million. Currently, Real estate with 30 projects and construction with 54 projects follow in second and third place at US$1.4 billion and US$1.05 billion, respectively. Japanese firms have highly diversified their investment in 48 out of the 63 provinces and cities across Good practices earn firms low-cost loans Companies with transparent finances, profitability and potential projects may avail of dong loans at 6 – 7 per cent interest, the State Bank of The lending interest rate for privileged industries is 8 per cent. The five priority sectors include agriculture, export, support industries, small- and medium-sized enterprises and high-tech firms. Other sectors may have to pay 9-10.5 per cent interest per year for short-term loans and 11-12.5 per cent interest for mid- and long-term loans. The business trend survey of Q2, 2014 for credit organisations by the SBV's Monetary Statistics and Forecast Department reported that the majority of the industries expected lower lending interest rates. An industry expert stated that enterprises should view the reduction in interest as an opportunity to expand business and production. Apart from attempts to boost loans for companies in the two economic hubs of HCM City and Ha Noi, the central city's People's Committee of Da Nang late last month decided to offer preferential loans at 7.5 per cent interest to businesses for a one-year period. Profitable or audited businesses and enterprises without bad debts in any bank in the city can avail of a loan of VND120 billion ($5.7 million) from the city's budget and the Investment and Development Fund. In other words, each eligible business can avail of a maximum loan of VND5 billion ($238,000) once, with strict regulations from this year onwards. The loan will be provided to businesses involved in the stable price programme in the city. Enterprises running at a loss but employing a large workforce can avail of the loan if they propose an effective production plan or provide confirmation of their tax returns and debt payments in the previous years. Programme launched to help business start-ups The HCM City Young Businesspeople Association (YBA) and the Business Start-up Support Centre (BSSC) have launched a community project to provide business expertise to minimise risks to some 10,000 young entrepreneurs starting businesses in the next five years. "Every Businessman-A Teacher" will also provide 1,000 students with intensive training in starting a business, while 100 successful entrepreneurs will support a start-up each. Speaking at the launch, Truong Ly Hoang Phi, BSSC director and YBA general secretary, said the project is aimed at stimulating entrepreneurship among young people in the city and create close links between them and successful business people. "The project conveys a message that each young business person can become a teacher of a young business start-up generation. "[Besides], each young start-up business person needs a teacher to understand, share, and support in the initial period." The two also launched a business start-up competition titled Startup Wheel 2014 as part of the programme to create a platform for young people to present innovative ideas, promote start-ups and develop a strong start-up community. Mongolia seeks textile partnership with HCM City Regzenda said his country, whose economy is based mostly on agriculture, is trying to integrate into the global economy. It exports hundreds of items to the EU with low tariffs and is negotiating a free trade agreement with His country wants to co-operate with Nguyen Binh An, deputy head of the Viet Nam National Textile and Garment Group's southern office, said Viet Nam's garment and textile industry, which employs 2.5 million workers, is growing at 15-20 percent annually. Last year trade between the city and Tran Xuan Dien, deputy director of the city Department of Industry and Trade, said there is huge potential for economic co-operation between the city and " At a recent meeting with the chairman of the The two leaders spoke about the need to organise more business forums to create opportunities for businesses in the two cities to establish links. Banking, insurance firms draw complaints Banking and insurance are the two sectors that elicit the most consumer complaints in Dao Thi Cuc, a senior Vinastas official, told a conference titled Enterprises and Consumers' Faith on Tuesday that last year her office in But the conference heard that in most cases consumers' information was based on what they were told at banks and insurance companies and not on carefully reading the contracts. This often caused conflicts after the contracts were signed, delegates said. Phan Vu Tuan, a lawyer, said many consumers did not know much about the law or to protect themselves. Insurance is a specialised sector and only people working in it can clearly understand it, he added. Cuc said to reduce these problems a model contract is needed in the two sectors to protect consumers. The contracts should be studied carefully by lawyers since now contracts are drafted to protect service providers rather than customers and it is difficult for consumer to identify their rights, she said. Other products and services that consumers complained about were cosmetics, electronics, advertisements, and health care. Vinastas said last year nearly 80 per cent of claims were settled out of court, most of them relating to food hygiene and safety. But claims against online traders could not be settled, it said. It was difficult to protect consumers against monopoly companies in sectors like petroleum, post and telecom, airlines, power, and water, it admitted. Participants said the lack of knowledge of the laws prevented consumers from protecting themselves, adding that the latter should consult lawyers before signing contracts. Tobacco lobby pushes for tax increase delay Increasing the special consumption tax on tobacco is essential but should not be done next year since smuggling is rampant, cigarette companies and the Viet Nam Tobacco Association told a seminar late last week to discuss amendments to the Law on Special Consumption Tax. They said the smuggling would increase further and that the tax should only be increased when contraband can be kept out. Pham Kien Nghiep, general secretary of the Viet Nam Tobacco Association, said between 2005 and 2009, when the tax was hiked by 20 percentage points (from 45 per cent to 65 per cent), cigarette smuggling jumped by 80 per cent. An expert said that the hike must be effected only in 2016 and the tax rate must not be above 80 per cent. But the ministries of Finance and Health rejected their arguments, saying the time has come to increase the tax. Smoking damages human health, they said. The finance ministry plans to increase the tax on tobacco products by 10 percentage points to 75 per cent by July 2015, and by another 10 per cent in 2018. It considered and rejected a second plan involving a combined excise duty of VND500 per pack and increasing the current ad valorem tax rate by 5 percentage points once each in July 2015 and 2018. But it said it would continue to talk to companies and business groups. It will submit a draft to the Government next month and the National Assembly in October. If approved, the amendments will take effect in July 2015. SOEs stakes may be sold at discount rates A draft regulation about allowing State-owned enterprises (SOEs) to sell stakes in non-core businesses at below the face value would be presented to the Prime Minister for approval. This is part of the efforts to accelerate the SOEs' restructuring process. According to Deputy Director of the Department of Entrepreneurial Finance Dang Quyet Tien, the decision about speeding up capital withdrawal from non-core business in the 2013-15 period was now being evaluated by the Ministry of Justice and would be submitted to the Prime Minister this month. Tien said that the regulations would tackle the problems which the SOEs were encountering during the capital withdrawal process, while preventing losses to the State assets. Nguyen Duc Tang, an expert in equitisation, was quoted by Dau Tu Chung Khoan (Securities Investment) newspaper as saying that the sale of stakes below the book value, in fact, did not conflict with the market principle as the investments were inefficient. What's important was to ensure transparency during the capital withdrawal process in order to prevent losses to the State assets. The transparency must be there right from planning, auctions and prices to the buyers, he said. According to the Department of Entrepreneurial Finance, the plan and progress of the State's capital withdrawal from non-core fields must be approved by the relevant authorities. Then, the share transfers would be conducted under trading on stock exchanges, public auctions or direct deals. The restructuring of SOEs is currently underway in Speaking at the conference – held to review the city's achievements during the 30 years of economic reform – head of Party Central Committee's Commission for Popularisation and Education Dinh The Huynh said HCM City has a great deal of experience in economic reform to share with other localities. Le Thanh Hai, the city Party Committee Secretary, said a range of economic sectors play vital roles in the city's socio-economic development. The city has recorded double-digit economic growth for nearly 20 years now, and its annual income per capita has reached US$5,000, he said. The public sector plays a central role, he said, but added that it should only "facilitate the market instead of playing the role of the market." Than Thi Thu, head of the HCM City Party Committee's Commission for Popularisation and Education, said the city has achieved many breakthroughs while overcoming challenges in the last 30 years. It has created a legal framework for many business models, she said. In 1989 the city issued a decision regulating many models of private businesses, limited companies, and joint-stock companies to create favourable conditions for the private sector's development, she said. After the establishment of limited companies and joint-stock companies, the country's first export processing zones and industrial parks as well as the stock exchange were established in The city also developed programmes such as those to exchange land for infrastructure, socialise infrastructure, and improve the administration to serve the public better, which many other localities learnt from and followed suit, she said. It not only taught the entire country lessons in socio-economic development but also ushered in the concept of urban management under the market mechanism, she said. The country and city are now facing many other hardships in the process of globalisation. Other challenges include the ineffectiveness of public spending that has plagued the city for a long time, the worsening budget deficit, and transfer price abuse for tax evasion by foreign firms, which has become harder to check. Half of foreign businesses in Other speakers referred to a major problem: the failure of the country, especially the city, to take full advantage of available resources. The country is divided into three key economic zones in three distinct, but they lack linkages or co-operation, and fail to tap their potential. Hai said the city needs to take more drastic measures to improve the socialist-oriented market economy. Huynh said democracy is another issue that many delegates discussed at the meeting. Many suggested that the democratic mechanism should be discussed more seriously at other forums. Huynh called on the attendees to mull over the issues and send their opinions to the Central Theoretical Council. Bamboo, rattan sector calls for capital, technology to develop Though According to the Agro-Forestry-Aquatic Product Trading, Processing and Salt Industry Department and Vietnam Association of Craft Villages (Vicrafts), poor strategic planning in domestic handicraft sector, backward technology and poorly designed products made the sector difficult to develop. The remarks were made at a seminar on Luu Duy Dan, Chairman of Vicrafts, said that the whole country has 713 bamboo and rattan craft villages, which account for 24 percent of the total craft villages and attract approximately 350,000 employees. Since 2009, famous bamboo and rattan villages such as Phu Nghia, Chuong conical hat village, the Vac village, Chang Son and Phu Tuc of Craftsman Ta Thu Huong from the Chuong conical hat village in the Thanh Oai district of Hanoi, said that previously high-qualified conical hats were sold at least 120,000 VND each, but now the price has dropped to 50,000 VND. She noted that the price of raw materials is rising, causing more difficulties for production establishments. So far, According to the Vicrafts, 80 percent of the production establishments do not have sufficent capital to expand their production scale and invest in technological innovations. According to Nguyen Manh Dung from the Agro-Forestry-Aquatic Product Trading, Processing and Salt Industry Department, to stabilise and expand the market of these products, the craft villages need to quickly change traditional processing techniques. According to forecasts, demands of the raw material of craft villages will require at least one billion bamboo trees per year by 2020. To meet this demand, the country needs to plant about 60,000 hectares of bamboo and invest in wild bamboo conservation. In the future, the State must have plan to develop bamboo and rattan areas to supply for the industry. Additionally, the Government should provide financial support for enterprises and households as well as promote new market strategies for rattan and bamboo products. In particular, enterprises and villages should conduct market researches and register intellectual property rights in order to protect their brand names.- Every year, Head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade's Science and Technology Department Nguyen Dinh Hiep said Vietnam has successfully carried out research and mixed some kinds of biofuels like E5 (petrol containing five percent of ethanol), E10, E15 and E20 and launched pilot sales at 160 stores nationwide. The biggest advantages of using bio-fuel are to reduce from 27-44 percent of the gases causing the greenhouse effect and also to save fuels compared with using other ordinary petrols. According to the experts from Hanoi University of Science and Technology and the Centre for Technology Application and Transfer under the Vietnam Petroleum Institute, the E5, even E10 and E20 in conventional engines which are popular in Vietnam will not fundamentally affect the vehicle 's features. Using the biofuels even helps motorcycles and automobiles start and speed up better. In particular, with materials mainly from industrial production, the development of biofuels can stimulate agricultural production and expand markets for agricultural products in the country. Pham Anh Tuan, CEO of Phuong Dong Biofuel Company said if cassava production remains stable, about 300 thousand households or 1.2 million people, most of them living in remote areas and so poor will stabilise their lives. Recognising the importance of biofuel to the energy security issue, the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PVN) has worked out a roadmap to develop biofuel with a target by 2015 with a vision until 2025 to develop biofuels which can ensure energy security, improve the environment and increase incomes for farmers. To accomplish this goal, PVN and Petro Vietnam Oil Corporation have put into operation three projects on producing ethanol biofuels with capacity of 300,000 cu.m per year, including Phu Tho Ethanol Plant (Tam Nong district, Phu Tho province), Quang Ngai Ethanol Plant (Dung Quat Economic Zone, Quang Ngai province) and Binh Phuoc Ethanol Plant (Bu Dang district, Binh Phuoc province). According to PVN, the government has granted permission to build six ethanol plants using cassava chips as raw materials which helped cassava farmers in neighboring provinces stabilize production and lives. However, finding markets and consumers at present remain limited, resulting in difficulties for the government to draw a roadmap for using biofuels across the country. According to experts, The nation now has six ethanol plants with a total capacity of 535 million liters a year. Of these, domestic consumption accounts for 20 percent and the remainder is exported to Unbaked brick makers face slow sales Makers of bricks made of cement and industrial waste are finding it difficult to gain market access in Four years ago, the Government launched a programme to use more unbaked bricks. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and the Ministry of Construction adopted guidelines about their use. Made from industrial waste, such as ash and cinders from thermal power stations and red mud from bauxite factories, unbaked bricks help save natural resources, especially clay and coal. They also reduce the cost of treating industrial waste. The use of unbaked bricks in construction works accounts for about 27 per cent of total building materials. Vice president of the Viet Nam Association for Construction Materials, Nguyen Quang Cung, said that the rate of unbaked brick use would be higher, but for the slowdown in the real-estate market. There are few guidelines to promote the use of unbaked bricks, including creating public awareness and adopting technical standards that all builders are aware of. Head of the Construction Materials Management Department under the Construction Ministry, Le Van Toi, said that State-funded buildings were actually required to use only unbaked bricks. However, few buildings met the requirement because of loose regulations. He urged closer supervision of agencies to ensure more unbaked bricks were used in State constructions. General director of HCM City-based An Thai Buiding Materials Joint Stocks Company, Nguyen Thi Sy, said that the company had capacity to produce 200 million clay bricks but sold only 20 million. This was because people were not used to using the new style bricks and because of the downturn in the construction sector in Sluggish production and consumption created problems for producers in paying interest on bank loans and retaining competent staff, he said. Director of Minh Khang Bricks Joint Stocks Company, Le Hoai An, said that unbaked brick producers needed to combine to meet consumers' requirements. An said that producers must first register the trade mark and quality of their products and then provide qualified products to gain consumers' trust. Vietinbank aims for Vinalines ports stake Vietinbank, the second-largest bank by assets, would like Viet Nam National Shipping Lines (Vinalines) to name it as a strategic investor at member ports after the initial public offerings (IPO). This is expected to act as a means of debt payment. The plan, which was disclosed by baodautu.vn newspaper, is expected to lift up grand debts, improve investment efficiency and administration after equitisation. The plan still needs the approval of the Ministry of Transport. Vinalines incurs a total debt of VND4.98 trillion (US$236 million), excluding interests paid to Vietinbank. Of this, the mother company takes VND2.05 trillion ($97 million) and subsidiaries VND2.93 trillion ($139 million). The corporation targets to equitise eight companies this year, including Next month, Vietinbank may take its stake in Unable to pay debts, Vinalines has finalised proposals to reschedule VND100 trillion ($4.7 billion) of local debt and $196.25 billion of foreign debt. Vinalines has successfully equitised two units, Swiss back VN business reforms The four-year (2014-18) MPI -UNIDO project for "Expansion of National Business Registration System (NBRS)" to new commercial entities is expected to cost $5.45 million. In 2008-13 the project was funded by the MPI, NBRS is being used for single-point, fully-computerised services for business, tax, customs, statistics, and public-security registration of firms in 63 provinces. As a result, online enterprise registration and enterprise information services, covering the records of over 864,596 enterprises and subordinate units registered under the Enterprise Law and 164,000 annual financial statements of shareholding companies, are available through the National Business Registration Portal at www.businessregistration.gov.vn. The average registration time has decreased from 15 days in 2008 to only 3.5 days as of last year. According to the International Finance Corporation's estimates, companies registering for the first time have been saving around $4 million a year and these savings nearly double when enterprise record amendment services are also considered. Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Dang Huy Dong said: "Business registration reform to date has not only reduced the cost and time for registration nation-wide, but also demonstrated that client-friendly and efficient public sector services benefit the development of the private sector. Miroslav Delaporte, country representative of He added that the expansion would further help the private sector by improving transparency and reducing the risks of doing business in Nilgun Tas, chief of the Competitiveness, Business Environment and Upgrading Unit and deputy to the director of the Business, Investment and Technology Services Branch at UNIDO, said: "The private sector will not only gain access to efficient services of NBRS, but also benefit from more appropriate enterprise supporting policies, designed and implemented based on the full picture of all commercial entities operating in Viet Nam. "There is also great potential to link the NBRS with additional public services, for example, with social insurance, secured transactions, trademark, and patenting services, among many others and as such to expand this e-Government initiative wider." SOEs' IPO failures reflect poor preparation The poor first-quarter response to IPOs (Initial Public Offerings) launched by State-owned enterprises (SOEs) shows that they have not prepared well for their equitisation process, a VnExpress report said. It said more than 70 per cent of the shares offered went unsold from January to March, during which 25 SOEs put up 355 million shares on the two stock exchanges in the country, three times higher than the same period last year. The report estimated the value of unsold stock at nearly VND2.53 trillion (US$120 million). It said many companies saw more than 90 per cent of their shares unsold. Of the 15 businesses that could not sell out theirs, the Transportation and Unloading Company of Inland Waterway (Tranciwa) fared the worst with almost all its shares going unsold. The company, which has a charter capital of VND58.5 billion ($2.8 million), put up 5.85 million shares for sale but sold just 24.200 for VND242 million ($11.500). Others companies like the Ha Noi Construction Corporation (Hancorp), Viet Nam Motors Industry Corporation (Vinamotor), Viwaseen Infrastructure Construction Investment JSC (Viwaseen), Civil Engineering Construction Corporation No 6 (Cienco 6) and Waterway Transportation Co (Vivaso) also had high unsold rates of 96-97 per cent. Several company executives admitted they had not prepared well for their IPOs. Pham Ngoc Dich, Chairman of Vivaso, said the company did not have the time it needed to plan the IPO and complete its official website as required. He said the company would organise a shareholders' meeting by the end of this month and discuss continuing the share sale in 2015. Though the Vietnam Waterway Construction Corp (Vinawaco), was able to sell all the shares offered in its IPO, chairman Nguyen Duy Hien admitted that the company did not have enough time to look for strategic investors and had picked some before a proper evaluation of the latter's capacity. Market observers have said that the IPO failures also have to do with the health of the enterprises. For example, the profits of Tranciwa and Hancorp declined in the three years before they launched their IPOs, and this could have discouraged investors. Phan Dung Khanh, head of the Investment Division of MayBank Kim Eng Securities Co, said many businesses failed to show a clear development strategy and target suitable buyers. Foreign investors eye manufacturing Foreign investment in manufacturing has increased significantly in In the first quarter they have invested US$2.3 billion in 141 projects in the three places, accounting for 70 per cent of the total FDI they attracted. Binh Duong topped with nearly $800 million, and In the last few months in Dong Nam Industrial Zone in HCM City's Cu Chi District, Worldon Viet Nam Limited built a 45ha garment factory that will go on stream in June next year. The British Virgin Islands-based firm will invest $140 million in the plant that will produce 80 million products a year. Samoa's Sheico Viet "The investment opportunities in textile and garment in According to the HCM City Export Processing and Industrial Zone Authority (HEPZA), many firms are wrapping up procedures to increase investment to expand production. German-owned Pepperl - Fuchs Viet Nam Limited company wants to increase its investment by $10 million and has sought an additional 9,000sq.m to expand production of high-tech sensors. Initially the company had planned to expand its production in Many Japanese and Singaporean firms have invested in production of electronics components. "We have invested $2 million and will consider investing more in the long term," Masaharu Tsukada, general director of Japan's Maruko Keihoki Viet Nam Limited company, which will produce car's horn in district 7's Tan Thuan processing zone, was quoted as saying in Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper. "It is a good opportunity for investors in TranViet Ha, head of HEPZA's Investment Department, said: "This year FDI has flowed strongly into production, with many firms expanding their factories. The capability of local human resources to learn new technologies quickly is an advantage." Luong Van Ly, an investment analyst, said: "Foreign investors have realised that Viet Nam's outdated technologies cannot benefit from the TPP agreement, and are pouring money into production in Viet Nam." Investors from non-TPP countries were set to come to Tobacco lobby pushes for tax increase delay Increasing the special consumption tax on tobacco is essential but should not be done next year since smuggling is rampant, cigarette companies and the Viet Nam Tobacco Association told a seminar late last week to discuss amendments to the Law on Special Consumption Tax. They said the smuggling would increase further and that the tax should only be increased when contraband can be kept out. Pham Kien Nghiep, general secretary of the Viet Nam Tobacco Association, said between 2005 and 2009, when the tax was hiked by 20 percentage points (from 45 per cent to 65 per cent), cigarette smuggling jumped by 80 per cent. An expert said that the hike must be effected only in 2016 and the tax rate must not be above 80 per cent. But the ministries of Finance and Health rejected their arguments, saying the time has come to increase the tax. Smoking damages human health, they said. The finance ministry plans to increase the tax on tobacco products by 10 percentage points to 75 per cent by July 2015, and by another 10 per cent in 2018. It considered and rejected a second plan involving a combined excise duty of VND500 per pack and increasing the current ad valorem tax rate by 5 percentage points once each in July 2015 and 2018. But it said it would continue to talk to companies and business groups. It will submit a draft to the Government next month and the National Assembly in October. If approved, the amendments will take effect in July 2015. Source: VEF/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/Dantri/VIR |
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Article 8
Water source dispute in central region growing fiercer While Hydropower plants deplete rivers  Since the period when a series of regional hydropower plants went into operation, rivers in the central region have consistently become depleted in the dry season. People in the districts of Dai Loc, Dien Ban, Duy Xuyen in According to Huynh Van Thang, Deputy Director of Floods and drought caused by the plant have affected 10,000 hectares of agricultural land in the lower course. It is estimated that farmers will lose VND200 billion ($10 million) every year, if 30 percent of their rice fields are damaged. This does not include the damage wrought by the epidemics regularly breaking out due to the water shortage. According to the Da Nang Water Supply and Drainage Company, the salinity of the water supplied to the Cau Do Water Plant, which provides 90 percent of running water to the city, is sometimes 15 times than the permitted level. Last year, the company had to spend VND13 billion on treating the salinity. The company also said that the waters of the Vu Gia River are becoming heavily polluted, leading to even higher costs for water treatment. Meanwhile, Vo Van Diem, Deputy Director of the Quang Nam provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, has predicted that 10,600 hectares of rice and crops in the province may suffer heavily from the drought. Struggling for water source to the last The struggle of the people in the lower course of the Vu Gia and The Da Nang City People’s Committee sent dispatches to the responsible ministries, insisting that the lower courses of Vu Gia and Thu Bon, including parts of The current problem is that, while Dak Mi 4 removes water from the Vu Gia, it discharges it to the However, Nguyen Ngoc Quang, Deputy Chair of Quang As such, the involved parties still have not found a common voice. Nong Nghiep |
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Article 7
In a press release, Vietnam Airlines said flight attendant Nguyen Bich Ngoc was released after being detained for 22 days during the investigation process. The national carrier added that the Ngoc was arrested by the Vietnam Airlines said it would continue to monitor the case and provide the Japanese police with any further information that comes to light. - VNS |
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Article 6
Fast-food market sees growth of Grade A players McDonald’s, the world’s leading hamburger franchise, just opened its first restaurant in In its first month open, it served more than 400,000 guests and sold 61,980 Big Macs, the company’s flagship burger. According to Nguyen Bao Hoang, founder of food and travel services firm Good Day Hospitality – the Vietnamese franchise holder of McDonald’s in Hoang has ambitious plans to spread the chain across Coffee giant Starbucks has also advanced into The first outlet was launched in early February 2013. Since, it has expanded to four stores and has scaled up efforts for their upcoming launch in In late October 2013, BBQ Vietnam’s BBQ Chicken restaurant chain, part of Korea’s Genesis BBQ, reopened its property on Trang Tien street under a new name BBQ Premium Café. The previous outlet was a standard BBQ Chicken restaurant, but faced overwhelming competition from Trang Tien ice-cream which forced it to close its doors. BBQ Vietnam was one of the earlier fast food chains to enter the country and since 2006 has opened 16 restaurants in BBQ reportedly has an aggressive expansion plan that aims to unseat rival McDonalds in terms of number of restaurants by 2020. The plan foresees this requiring a total 50,000 outlets. According to BBQ Vietnam director Sim Hwang Jin, the company is working on a plan to expand its outlet system in satellite cities in the north and south as its restaurants are actually more successful in small cities rather than the majors. Positioning in smaller localities would also help BBQ solve the outlet space problem that often plagues franchises in big cities. “Global brands are competing for the top spots in big cities. Not every franchise can afford this strategy,” Sim said. KFC is one of leading players in But KFC might be facing mounting pressure from the wave of new brands in recent years, that also include Burger King, Domino’s Pizza, Popeye’s and Dunkin’ Donuts, brought to Vietnam by Imex Pan Pacific Group (IPP Group) owner Jonathan Hanh Nguyen. Last year these chains contributed 8.04 per cent to IPP’s total revenue. “After a long presence in By Anh Hoa, VIR |
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Article 5
THUA THIEN-HUE (VNS) - A grand show to honour ca Hue, a unique form of singing born in the locality, was the crowd favourite among the shows at the ongoing biennial The show's amusing melodies on Wednesday night attracted thousands of locals and visitors to an illuminated stage in Nghinh Luong Pavilion, located on the riverbanks of the Huong (Perfume) River. Songs of ca Around 37 composers, musicians, vocals and researchers were also honoured for their devotion to the conservation of ca Ca Hue is said to bear similar significance to Vietnamese traditional music like don ca tai tu (Southern folk music) and ca tru (ceremonial singing) performed in the north. This year's Hue Festival is the first time a separate show of ca Hue has been performed, with previous performances of the art form been incorporated into a number of existing performances. The local department of culture, sports and tourism pledged they would file a petition for ca Ca Hue music, also known as "the |
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Article 4
Social News Headlines 18/4 Twenty one animals belonging to 11 endangered wildlife species were rescued in the first quarter, according to the Cu Chi Wildlife Rescue Station in They included the yellow-cheeked crested gibbon (Nomascus gabriellae), pygmy loris (Nycticebus pygmaeus), slow loris (Nycticebus bengalensis), Asian palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus), leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis), and Burmese ferret-badger (Melogale personata). In February the centre released a green turtle (Chelonia mydas) back into the sea at Hai Tac island in It has upgraded its facilities, installing a new fish tank and a new enclosure for civets and creating more room for volunteers, many of them foreigners. Two students drown in Quang Two primary school students drowned in a fishing lake in Vice chairman of the communal people's committee, Dang Van Hung, said yesterday the two victims, a boy and a girl both aged seven, fell into the lake while on their way home from school in the evening. Hung said local residents later discovered the bodies of the students. In March, three junior secondary school students in Bac Tra My district's Tra Giang commune also drowned while they were swimming in a river. Ha Noi preps for rainy season Ha Noi Water Drainage Company estimates that there are about 10 inner-city sites will be vulnerable to flooding during the rainy season, which is expected to arrive in June, earlier than usual. General director of the company, Nguyen Le, said that last year, more than 20 sites experienced serious flooding after rain of up to 100mm. Le said that improved drainage works at many streets, including Nguyen Xien, Le Trong Tan, Truong Dinh, Linh Work had also been done at the intersection of roads, including Le said flooding occurred in areas where new infrastructure projects were under way, such as in "The company also plans to frequently inspect sewage outlets to the Ha Noi's Department for Agriculture and Rural Development began inspecting dyke systems and irrigation projects early this month ahead of the rainy season expected in June. Hospital provides free asthma treatment The Bach Mai General Hospital will provide free check-up consultations and treatment to newly asthmatic patients on April 26, to mark Global Asthma Day (May 1). Residents of Ha Noi and neighbouring areas suffering from coughs, respiratory problems and chest pains may register for appointments by calling 04.36291027 or emailing duanbenhphoi@gmail.com. Recent health sector statistics have said Concerted effort needed to employ disabled workers Authorities at all levels need to work together with the whole society to provide vocational training and create jobs for people with disabilities, Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) Nguyen Trong Dam has urged. At present, there are some 6.7 million disabled people in In 2013, about 80,000 people with disabilities gained vocational skills in jobs that suited their condition, such as spa services, animal husbandry, mushroom cultivation, carpentry, and making clothes and bamboo products. Over the period, chapters of the Viet Nam Association for the Support of Disabled People and Orphans trained 2,900 people with disabilities and provided jobs for 1,100 of them. The association organised 33 training courses in 16 provinces across the country. Nearly 800 people with disabilities from Hung Yen, Ha More organisations and businesses also employed people with disabilities. For example, the Customs Division of District 1 in According to MOLISA's General Department of Vocational Training, around 1.5 million people in Tran Quang Dung, Chairman of the Association of People with Disabilities in the Additionally, most are only equipped with handicraft-making skills, but those with more advanced skills struggle to find workplaces with suitable facilities. A prejudiced attitude among businesses towards the group was also stopping people with disabilities from accessing vocational training, Dung added. At a job placement event organised for people with disabilities in Ha Noi yesterday, Nguyen Thi Kim Oanh, a job consultant for the "Recovery of Working Capacity for Peopl with Disabilities" project which has helped create jobs for 120 people over the past two years, said more companies had become willing to employ people with disabilities, but it was very difficult to find suitable applicants that met their requirements. "The number of highly skilled workers with disabilities remains limited," she said. Oanh said training courses for people with disabilities needed to be adapted to meet the demands of the labour market and the limitations of people with disabilities. Chairman of the Viet Nam Association for the Support of Disabled People and Orphans Nguyen Dinh Lieu said that society should know that people with disabilities were as capable of working as well as able-bodied people. He added that providing the group with professional skills was an important mission for managerial agencies and social organisations. Blind people need more supportive policies: VP State agencies needed to review existing legislation to make suitable changes to Government policies towards the blind and offer them better support, said Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan on Wednesday. Doan made the statement at a ceremony held in Ha Noi to mark the 45th anniversary since the establishment of the Viet Nam Association for the Blind. Her statement mirrored that of Cao Van Thanh, the association's chairman, who said several policies had become outdated. Doan also took the occasion to praise blind people and the association for their determination to overcome difficulties, make remarkable achievements and contribute to the country's development. As chairman, Thanh thanked the Government for its support over the past 45 years. Thanks to that support, the association had gone from only 100 members at the beginning to 66,440 members today, he said. He said that 334 factories which produced a wide range of products and services such as souvenirs and handicraft objects to stationery and spa services were operating under the management of the association, employing more than 4,000 workers. He added that before, 95 per cent of blind people were illiterate, but now, tens of thousands knew how to read and write. He said the proportion of the association's poor members remained high at 27 per cent, and the intellectual capacity of its members was still low compared to ably-sighted members of society. Over the last 45 years, the association has extended its branches to 52 of the country's 63 localities. The association plans to set up branches in the remaining provinces to provide more widespread support for blind people. Officials from the Department of Finance, who met with People's Council members, said the city provides a subsidy of more than VND10 million (US$480) a year for each student in public kindergartens, but at private kindergartens parents have to pay all the fees themselves. Dao Thi Huong Lan, the director of the department, said direct subsidies for private kindergartens would cost the city an estimated VND1 trillion ($47 million) this year, an amount hard to raise currently. So there should be indirect support for them, she said. She suggested that the city could extend their loan terms, waive or reduce land fees for them, and offer free training for teachers at private kindergartens. While the Government announced the payment of an allowance for private kindergarten teachers around the country from last year, it has yet to be paid at least in the city. Around 80 per cent of kindergarten students in the city attend private ones. Tien Giang to preserve guild villages The Mekong Delta It will enable production facilities to boost goods exchanges with other localities nationwide to boost employment and increase resident incomes. Under a long-term strategy, the province will organise training courses to raise the capacity of managing officials and labourers, and apply more technology to production. It is also planning to deploy nearly VND300 billion (US$14.1 million) between 2016 and 2020 to preserve and develop trade villages, and another VND200 billion ($9.4 million) on management training courses and teaching vocational skills. The province has 14 trade hubs, including five traditional villages. The trades, including carving, knitting and girdle cake making (banh trang), now create jobs for nearly 5,400 locals. Lam Dong subsidises vocational training The Lam Dong Province People's Committee has approved a project to provide vocational training for rural labourers at a cost of more than VND115 billion (US$5.5 million) from 2014 to 2020. About 7,000 - 10,000 rural labourers will be trained each year, with 60 per cent of them expected to take jobs in the agriculture sector. The remaining 40 per cent will work in industrial, non-agricultural sectors or as guest labourers in other countries. Under the project, at least 80 per cent of the trainees will either continue their current job at a higher income or be hired by another company. Each worker will be offered a grant of VND2-3 million ($95 - 140) to take a three-month short-term training course. The province has 10 vocational training centres and over 50 vocational training establishments. About 70 per cent of vocational training courses focus on the agricultural and rural sectors. Since 2010, Pedestrian bridges to ease congestion Thirteen more pedestrian bridges and tunnels will be built in One pedestrian bridge would be built on Recently, It has also built two tunnels for pedestrians, one in front of Linh Trung Export Processing Zone and another under National Highway 1 and the Nguyen Van Linh roundabout. Children succumb to measles virus A total of 108 children have died from measles and its complications so far this year out of a total of 2,492 confirmed cases throughout the nation. The health ministry has been ordered to bring the situation under control as soon as possible. This was announced yesterday by Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien at a meeting with hospital chiefs and medical experts from the World Health Organisation. One hundred and three of the children who died were admitted to Viet Nam National Hospital of Paediatrics, four to Deputy Director of the Viet Nam National Hospital of Paediatrics, Le Thanh Hai, said that 25 children had died directly from the infection, while another 78 had died from its complications, including pneumonia and diarrhoea. Hai said that the hospital had 48 medical ventilators, but found itself overloaded with child patients. Authorities are now considering how to reduce the load on the paediatrics hospital and how to reduce the number of measles-related fatalities. Nguyen Thi Minh Chanh, director of Chanh said that measles attacked children under nine months, which was unusual. Normally, measles attacked older children. She advised parents to maintain good daily personal hygiene for their children and to give them healthy diets to strengthen their immune systems. Director of the National Hospital of Paediatrics, Nguyen Van Kinh, said that this year, measles had created acute immuno-deficiency in child patients. "So, it's hard for children with measles to avoid contracting other diseases, leading to a high mortality rate, especially for young babies," he said. He announced an additional medical regime to treat children with measles. This will involve .giving gamma globulin injections to strengthen a patient's immunity. At another meeting on Tuesday, head of the Health Ministry's General Department of Preventive Medicine, Tran Dac Phu, said the ministry had yet to announce a measles epidemic. He said the ministry only announced an epidemic when at least two major localities in the country reported that the spread of a disease had reached epidemic proportions. "At present, no locality has reported an epidemic," he stated. Phu advised parents to take their children to provincial hospitals first if they thought they had the disease. He said this would help avoid overcrowding at central-level hospitals, which could complicate treatment. At the Tuesday meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam ordered the health ministry to provide the best facilities to treat the children. Dam asked the ministry to mobilise all medical ventilators from national reserves to help in treatment. In a related move, health departments in The city's health department said that 59 children had been diagnosed with measles since early this year, including 16 children under the age of one. Failure to address water pollution has consequences "We now have several regulations scattered over several legal documents," said Pham Van Loi, head of the This has meant that efforts to control water pollution throughout the country have not been effective, Loi said. Many localities hardly implement existing regulations on controlling water pollution, he added. He said concerned agencies should learn from the experiences of other countries before issuing effective regulations for managing water pollution in Loi also suggested the agencies to learn experiences from foreign countries before issuing the set of rules on controlling water pollution. Le Hoang Anh, deputy head of the Centre for Environmental Monitoring said that surface water in rivers in the northern region was highly polluted. She cited the Nhue and To Lich rivers as examples. The pollution has mostly been caused by untreated wastewater discharged by households, industrial zones, hospitals, and craft village, she said, adding the situation was almost the same in the southern region. For instance, wastewater discharged from industrial zones had polluted long stretches of the In the Cuu Long ( Anh suggested that authorised agencies in the northern region step up installation and operation of wastewater treatment systems for handling household waste in major cities like Ha Noi and Hai Phong, as well as provinces like Quang Ninh. In the southern region, there is a need for greater focus on treating wastewater discharged by industrial zones, she said. Mekong Delta authorities, meanwhile, should increase inspections of aquaculture farms as well as agricultural production processes that generate polluting waste, she added. Loi said authorized agencies should be asked to ratify and apply international conventions on water pollution. The two-day workshop was jointly organised by the Centre for Environment and Community Research, the Viet Nam Union of Scientific and Technology Associations and Coalition for Clean Water and OXFAM. Ministry urges local departments to work harder against measles The Ministry of Health has pushed healthcare departments in all cities and provinces nationwide to keep a close eye on measles that is currently developing in 61 out of 63 localities. The ministry asked local hospitals to set up clearly marked isolation wards for measles treatment to prevent the disease from spreading, while focusing all resources on ensuring the best conditions for patients. According to Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long, as of April 16, there were as many as 3,126 measles cases nationwide. Since the beginning of this year, 108 deaths have been caused by complications arising from measles. In total, 25 were killed directly by the disease, most of them under the age of 10 who had not been vaccinated. The outbreak of the disease has resulted in the overloads at the National Hospital of Paediatrics and other central hospitals. The ministry advised locals to apply preventive measures. It also directed local health departments to continue vaccination campaigns against measles to make sure that 95 percent of total children are safe from the disease. In a notice issued on April 16, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung urged ministries and local authorities nationwide to intensify measures against measles, blaming the high death toll on the insufficient quality and quantity of vaccinations administered. In 2013, Photo exhibition explores lives of the disabled An open-air photo exhibition exploring the lives of 25 local workers with disabilities is well underway in the southern Opened on April 17, the nine-day show is co-organised by the provincial Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and Handicap International in Vietnam to mark Vietnam’s Day for People with Disabilities (April 18). In addition to honouring their services to the nation, the event also encourages employers to recruit the handicapped, helping them integrate into the community, said department Director Le Thi My Phuong. According to her, Dong Nai is home to nearly 23,000 people with severe and extremely severe disabilities, only 1,000 of them currently employed. The exhibition will be held at Amata and Bien Hoa 2 industrial zones in the province’s Bien Hoa city from April 25 - May 9. Labour exports - leave workers uncared-for in the open Many local people have lost trust in labour export agencies and believe government officials have not paid sufficient oversight and attention to guest workers needs. As a result, many question whether the guest worker programmes are making any significant contribution to sustainable poverty reduction. A work contract between workers and intermediary agencies delineates the responsibilities of both the worker and the agency. In accordance with the contract, the agencies are required to monitor the relationship between employers and worker to ensure their rights and legitimate interests are not being violated and that problems which inevitably arise, are promptly dealt with and resolved. However, poor and ethnic minority Vietnamese workers in Bhanuoch Lieu in Poning commune, Lang village in Tay Giang district, Quang They work under harsh and brutal conditions exacerbated by the extremely and hot and humid weather without electric fans and water. Employers continuously cursed at workers, even not let them go to toilet, he reported. Zo Ram Nhung, Vice Chairman of the Ga Ry village People’s Committee in Tay Giang district, Quang “Some workers are working these long arduous hours under the impression that they are going to work their way up the ladder and earn a higher salary, but they are moved into another low paying position at a new unfamiliar task and not getting ahead. This is not fair for workers,” Nhung says. In recent times, guest workers in Le Minh Thuy, Deputy Director of Lien Viet Development JSC, southern branch, says that workers often have the misconceived notion that they will get rich quickly after working abroad and that will not have to work hard to do so. In addition, they are entering into an unfamiliar working environment and the work ethic of foreign companies is different, which conditions lead to unfortunate mistakes. Many foreign businesses readily acknowledge their responsibility for lax management and admit that they need to provide more oversight for Vietnamese guest workers. Recently, Tay Giang district authorities held a meeting with labour export intermediary agencies and workers who returned from Nguyen Cong Thanh, Vice Chairman of Tay Giang district People’s Committee Nguyen Cong Thanh, Vice Chairman of Tay Giang district People’s Committee, says relevant authorities have drawn valuable lessons from sending ethnic minority workers abroad and devised measures to force intermediary agencies to take their responsibility The dream of a wealthy life thanks to labour exports and encouraging ethnic minority youth to register to work abroad has gone by the wayside. Now many ethnic minority people are afraid of working abroad. Those who returned home are advising others give up their dream and as a consequence many local authorities in poor districts are no longer keen on the program. Ho Minh Long, Deputy Head of the Tay Giang district Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, says the department asked 10 communes in the district to register 10 workers. Nearly half of the 110 registered workers have now returned home earlier that anticipated. Particularly, in 2013, a target to register 3 labourers from each commune to work abroad was not fulfilled. Meanwhile intermediary agencies have gone to each commune to encourage local people to register to work abroad. What do the workers benefit from the program? According to a project to support poor districts in promoting labour exports, the State finances poor and ethnic minority workers in terms of vocational, foreign language and training fees, accommodation expenses, travel fees, making procedures in applying for passports and visa fees. Workers have to pay around VND23 million to labour export companies. However, if they have recruitment certificates from intermediary agencies and commitment to pay debts from their family, the money will be subsidised by the local Bank for Social Policy. In case, workers are forced to return home before scheduled, the loan will end up not being repaid and become a burden on the State either to be granted an extension for repayment or forgiven. Thus, the State suffers from losses. Meanwhile, for each worker that is sent to In addition the intermediary agency earns a fee from providing training for these workers before sending them abroad. Thus, the intermediary agencies benefit tremendously from the programmes, but not workers. It is still not clear and remains to be seen if the project to support poor districts in promoting labour exports has made any significant contribution to sustainable poverty reduction. The agreement was reached during talks in Both sides said they need to oversee signed agreements and increase committee-level delegation exchange to share experience in legislation. They will work closely together to supervise the implementation of annual cooperation agreements and big projects, and work out future cooperation programmes. Sergei Levchenko noted besides the close cooperation between the two countries and their legislative bodies, the two committees have also developed fruitful relations, contributing to strengthening the Russia-Vietnam comprehensive strategic partnership. Strategy for cruise ship tourism under discussion The development of Vietnam’s cruise ship tourism was discussed at international seminar held in Hue on April 16 by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Thua Thien Hue provincial People’s Committee, and the Asian Cruise Association (ACA). Local and foreign delegates delivered 19 presentations on the development of the tourism industry, focusing on cruise ship services in particular. Every year Vietnam welcomes approximately 200,000 visitors via cruise liners, which are increasing in popularity among international tourists. However, Vietnam’s cruise ship services face a number of shortcomings, such as poor infrastructure, and a lack of promotion and advertisement. The country currently has 39 seaports under zoning plans, but most of them are used for cargo transport. Culture, Sports and Tourism Deputy Minister Ho Anh Tuan said the Vietnam Administration of Tourism is drawing up an action plan to build seaports for tourism development, adding that special attention will also be paid to developing tourism infrastructure and increasing the quality of cruise ship services. World class cruise ship brings over 1,000 visitors to Hue A Bahamas national ship with more than 1,000 passengers and crewmembers on board docked in the Chan May port in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue on April 17. This is the third time that Silver Shadow, one of the world’s top 10 luxurious cruisers, has made its landfall in Chan May port so far this year. The five-star ship’s main routine in 2014 is to Asia and Alaska. The passengers are to visit a number of beauty spots and world cultural heritage sites in Hue ancient capital, Hoi An, My Son and Da Nang. During recent years, Chan May port has been a favorite destination for international cruisers in their cross-Vietnam journey. Thua Thien-Hue province is also working to develop entertainment services in areas surrounding the port to make visitors stay longer in the locality. Deputy PM meets OVs in the UK Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh held a meeting with overseas Vietnamese and students in the UK on April 16 as part of his visit to the country. At the meeting, Deputy PM briefed overseas Vietnamese on the country’s socio-economic situation, especially Vietnam’s major achievements over 30 years of Doi Moi (Renewal) process. Despite the global economic downturn, the country has stabilized the macro-economy, curbed inflation, developed sustainably and maintained social welfare policies. Vietnam has effectively implemented policies on compulsory education and medical insurance as well as actively integrated into the global economy. At present, Vietnamese goods are available in nearly 130 nations around the world. Many foreign investors are keen on investing in Vietnam while local businesses are investing abroad and reaping success. Vietnam has also maintained its national sovereignty and pursued cooperative and peaceful dialogues with its international friends. Vietnam-UK relations have developed well in politics, economics, culture, education and people-to-people diplomacy. Especially noteworthy, was the participation of nearly 100 UK businesses at Vietnam-UK Business Forum, demonstrating their keen interest in the Vietnamese market. Ninh affirmed the Party and Government’s policies which always consider overseas Vietnamese an important part in the Vietnamese State, contributing to the country’s socio-economic development. He expressed his hope that overseas Vietnamese in the UK will continue to unite and help each other in their daily lives and business activities, creating a strong community and further contributing to the country. With more than 8,000 Vietnamese students in the UK, Ninh underscored the need for students to achieve good academic results and said he considers them a highly potent force for making positive contributions to the high quality human resources ofthe nation. Son Thanh, President of the Vietnamese Association in the UK voiced his desire that the Vietnamese Government will devise policies to help the Vietnamese community abroad to further develop and maintain its identity. Representatives of Vietnamese students in the UK also delivered speeches thanking the Vietnamese Government for giving them an opportunity to study in the UK and saying they look forward to returning home and making contributions to the country. Law students join exchange with US Senate leader Law students from the Vietnam National University – Hanoi acquired general knowledge of the US legal and judicial system at an exchange with visiting US Senate President Pro Tempore Patrick Leahy in the capital on April 17. Informing them of key activities by the US Senate Department of Justice which he leads, Leahy recalled the days when he pursued a law degree in his country. He also drew their attention to human rights issues mentioned in the Declaration of Independence delivered by President Ho Chi Minh in 1945, stressing the significance of protecting the values of equality, democracy and humanism that the world is looking towards. At the event, students raised questions about Vietnam’s negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal and gender equality in labour in the US, among other legal issues. Japan to help purify Xuan Huong lake in Lam Dong The Japan-based Pacific Corporation will donate the Jet Streamer system to clean up Xuan Huong lake in the resort city of Da Lat, the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong. The move aims to treat the lake’s lasting pollution, resulted from wastewater and agricultural wastes generated by local residents and farms in an area of 2,800 hectares. Although the city has taken various measures to deal with this problem, there are no visible improvements. The lake, one of the city’s popular tourist attractions, has a circumference of more than 5km and covers the area of up to 38 hectares. Vietnam urged to build water pollution law Vietnam needs to soon build a strong and effective legal framework for preventing water pollution as the problem is getting out of hand, experts warned at an international workshop in Hanoi on April 17. The function drew more than 100 experts from Vietnam, the US and Thailand, alongside representatives from businesses and non-governmental organisations. Tran Viet Hung, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations, said Vietnam is home to some 2,360 rivers and streams that are over 10km long, as well as thousands of lakes. Those bodies of water are the source of life for millions of people, as well as fauna and flora. However, the water sources are being degraded by over-exploitation and pollution, which is attributable to a deficiency in the management and protection of the water environment. He added that current regulations are not strict enough to prevent actions contaminating the water. Director of the Centre for Environment and Community Research Nguyen Ngoc Ly said the most severe pollution can be seen in water bodies near industrial clusters, craft villages and urban areas. Since there are a wide range of pollution factors and many rivers run from other countries into Vietnam, the control of water pollution is complicated and requires a feasible legal framework, she said. She suggested priority be given to dealing with pollution in small rivers pending the building of a law on water pollution control. Research shows that some 9,000 people die of diseases caused by polluted water and poor hygiene conditions in Vietnam every year. There are also nearly 200,000 new cancer cases annually, with contaminated water one of the main suspected reasons. Vietnam strives to attract more foreign visitors by sea The number of foreign tourists to Vietnam by cruise ships is still relatively low and has yet to meet the potential provided by the country’s advantageously long coastline, a conference heard in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue on April 16. According to Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho Anh Tuan, about 3-5 percent of international tourists visit Vietnam by sea each year. Asia is now considered an attractive destination for big tourism ships with many modern seaports, Tuan said, adding that an estimated 3.7 million foreigners will choose cruise ships to go to Asian countries by 2017. Vietnam defines its maritime economy, including maritime tourism, as one of its key development orientations in the time ahead. This is clearly reflected in the tourism development strategy by 2020 with a vision to 2030, approved by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. Accordingly, the country will focus on increasing the quality of maritime tourism products, improving the capacity of hospitality staff serving tourists by sea and simplifying customs and administrative procedures they face, the deputy minister added. During the conference, participants proposed encouraging investment in modern shopping centres and entertainment services near beaches and seaports to lengthen visitors’ stay and increase their expenditure. They also suggested relevant agencies coordinate with the Asia Cruise Association to attract more international tourists using cruise ships to Vietnam. Source: VNN/VOV/VNA/VNS |
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Political News Headlines 18/4 NA committee discusses 2012 budget, casino business Members of the National Assembly Standing Committee on April 17 focused their discussions on reviewing the 2012 State budget balance and the issuance of a decree on casino business activities. They agreed with the Government’s report on the budget issue, saying that ministries, agencies and localities performed well in their budget collection, planning and spending. According to the Government report, budget revenue exceeded the estimates set by the NA by 1.9 percent, ensuring resources for State management, the implementation of socio-economic development goals and maintenance of defence and security. Budget expenditure totalled VND1,171 trillion (US$55.76 billion), 8.3 percent higher than the estimates. Regarding the casino business development, the committee members agreed with reports by the Government and the NA’s Finance-Budget Committee on the issuance of a decree on casino business activities. However, they noted that casino business development is a big issue that has great impact on the country’s socio-economic development and investment attraction, so it needs close management. New casino business projects are only licensed if the casino business development planning is approved, they said. National Assembly (NA) Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung has affirmed that the Vietnamese NA will do at its utmost to foster bilateral relations between At a reception for Edelgard Bulmahn, Vice President of the German Bundestag (parliament), in He said Vietnam-Germany investment cooperation remains modest and yet to match their potential. He proposed the German Bundestag encourage German businesses to invest in Hung hailed For her part, Edelgard spoke highly of the Vietnamese legislature’s recent adoption of the new Constitution to promote social progress and democracy. She proposed that the two countries’ parliaments support and foster bilateral relations in the future. She said the two countries should strengthen cooperation in energy and heavy industry which play to Vietnam-strategic partnership develops well The strategic partnership between The view was shared by Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Vinh and his Indian counterpart Anil Wadhwa, at the sixth political consultation and the third strategic dialogue of Both sides exchanged measures to effectively implement the 2013-2015 programme of action to strengthen the strategic partnership, primarily in key areas of politics, economics, security-defence, science-technology, and culture-education. They agreed to thoroughly prepare for the upcoming visit to They reached a consensus on a number of regional and global issues of mutual concern, including ensuring peace, stability, security and maritime safety in the Both sides agreed to work closely together at regional and international forums, notably the ASEAN-India cooperation, the East Asia Summit (EAS), the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the Mekong-Ganga cooperation (MGC), as well as at the United Nations. Vinh and Wahwa agreed to hold the 7th political consultation and the fourth strategic dialogue in On this occasion, the Institute for Foreign Policy and Strategic Studies under the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam and the Vivekananda International Foundation of India signed an agreement on expanding research on strategic issues and exchanging scholars. Vietnamese Government Office officials visit Laos Prime Minister of Laos Thongsinh Thammavong received a delegation from the Vietnamese Government Office led by its Minister-Chairman Nguyen Van Nen on April 17. At the meeting in In 2015, the two sides will continue to increase the sharing of information, delegation exchanges, and personnel training and help upgrade the Lao Government’s website into a portal. The Lao leader valued progress in the cooperation between the two offices over the past time and thanked the Vietnamese Government Office for its support for the operation of its Lao counterpart. He also expressed his hope that the two offices will further enhance their connection and gradually raise the quality of their works, with the aim of building a modern administrative system to serve the development of each country. Condolences to RoK sunken vessel victims Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Hai Binh has extended Sewol, carrying 459 people, mostly school students and teachers, was travelling from Incheon port to the southern resort Sources say about 174 people have been rescued and more than 300 others remain unaccounted for. “We do hope that increased search and rescue efforts of the RoK government will help find those still missing,” said spokesperson Binh at a regular press briefing in Hanoi on April 17. Binh also said He called on parties concerned to refrain themselves from complicating the situation and causing losses to local people, and to hold peaceful dialogue to meet the legitimate interests of the parties and aspirations of the people. Ensuring legitimate rights of overseas Vietnamese Binh was responding to reporters’ queries at a regular press briefing in According to the 2008 Nationality Law, Overseas Vietnamese who want to acquire Vietnamese nationality must register with diplomatic representative agencies overseas as of July 1, 2014, or they will lose their legal status. However, only a few among 4.5 million Vietnamese residents overseas have completed the procedures. Binh quoted Relevant authorities are looking in to procedures to devise proper solutions to ensure legitimate rights and interests of Vietnamese residents overseas, Binh stressed. President meets with role model disabled President Truong Tan Sang had a meeting in Hanoi on April 17 with role model people with disabilities and the disabled people’s organisations on the occasion of the Vietnamese Day for People with Disabilities (April 18). The President confirmed that the Party and State always pay special attention to the disabled through concrete policies. Care for the disabled has been improved, however, there remain prejudices against them, hindering their efforts to integrate into the community, he said. President Sang asked relevant agencies and all people to continue taking care of those disadvantaged people. The Vietnam Disabled People’s Association has 17 member societies in provinces and cities nationwide. It has launched activities to raise public awareness on people with disabilities and given comments to the legal documents built for the disadvantaged people. Also on the occasion, a festival for visually-impaired people was held in the capital This year’s festival, the second of its kind, honoured ten outstanding blind individuals along with a cultural and sports exchange between city students and the blind. A job placement event was organised for the visually-impaired participants. The first festival was held in 2011.- Lawmakers become more involved in FTA negotiations The National Assembly (NA) Committee for External Relations and the US Agency for International Development on April 17 held a conference to provide information about Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) for NA deputies. Speaking at the Participants agreed that the connection between negotiators, NA deputies and businesses is an effective way to raise the efficiency of the negotiation process. Silvia Hernandez, former Tourism Minister of Participants also exchanged views on a new generation of FTAs, their influences on Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Quoc Khanh said that a new-generation FTA, which is being pursued by the US and the European Union, does not limit trade to goods exchanges but expands to services, investment and intellectual property. Khanh also stressed the need for To date, The consensus was reached during talks between Chairman of the National Assembly Committee for Science, Technology and Environment Pham Xuan Dung and visiting Vice Chairman of Russia’s State Duma Committee on Energy Levchenko Sergey Georgievich in Georgievich, who is also President of the Both host and guest stressed the need to realise agreements reached in the past, and share professional experience through regular visits. They vowed to share expertise in law-making and monitoring major projects while devising the details of joint work in the coming time. Source: VNA/VOV/VNN |
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Art & Entertainment News Headlines 18/4 Dragonfly Theatre to stage award-winning British play Following the success of its previous plays like The Little Prince and Dangerous Liaisons, Dragonfly Theatre presents the award winning Blue/Orange by Joe Penhall. It is about a young black patient in a psychiatric hospital and his two doctors who argue about whether he is sane enough to be sent back into society. Along the way, it asks the question, "what is sanity?" The play turns the spotlight on racial prejudice and how we take care of those with mental illnesses. The play won the Laurence Olivier Award in the It will feature Dragonfly's lead actor Aaron Toronto and newcomers Ryan Burkwood and Peter Muruako. Both the latter two are classically trained actors from the Blue/Orange will be performed at the Cargo Bar, 7 Nguyen Tat Thanh, District 4, three nights from May 16-18. ASEAN Ministers of Culture meet in Hue ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Culture & Arts (AMCA) are meeting in Hue city from April 17-20 to discuss ways to boost culture and art cooperation within ASEAN and between ASEAN plus China, Japan and the Republic of Korea. Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh is due to deliver a speech at the meeting, the sixth of its kind. AMCA + 3 ( AMCA 6 is expected to release the The AMCA + Rockers hit city's gymnasium for ‘Metal Night' Four resident rock bands will perform thrash and heavy metal music at the "Metal Night" show to be held at the Nguyen Du Gymnasium on Saturday. The bands include End of Rose, Seismic Origin, Wuu Band and Sagometalho. The show will start at 6pm at Tickets, which are VND100,000, can be purchased at the TAB Shop in Phu Nhuan District. Raglai ethnic ceremony recognised as national heritage The “leaving the tomb” ceremony of the Raglai ethnic minority people in the central coastal A certificate to this effect was handed over to the local authorities by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism at a ceremony on April 17. The province is home to more than 61,000 ethnic minority people, including 46,000 Raglai who live mostly in Khanh Son district. The “leaving tomb” ceremony is one of the typical traditional rituals of the Raglai. It is reckoned to break off the spiritual relationship between the dead and the living to see off the dead to the other world. The annual ceremony is timetabled for between March and April, following the group’s food harvest. In addition to the worship to ancestors and Giang (Genie) and the leaving tomb ceremony, the Raglai’s rich culture is also packed with a variety of epics, mythologies and legends. Korean firm helps boost Vietnam-RoK ties Kumho Tires Co., Inc. of the To this effect, an aid agreement was signed in Speaking at the signing ceremony, Kumho Tires President and CEO Kim Chang-kyu expressed his hope that through this aid, the association will further develop and contribute more to the Vietnam-RoK friendship and cooperation. Vietnamese Ambassador Pham Huu Chi thanked the Kumho Group and the Kumho Tires company for their great assistance for the Vietnamese community in the RoK, saying the support will encourage them integrate into the host country, thus fostering the friendship between the two nations. Asian cuisine on show in Hue Visitors to the ongoing biennial cultural event Hue Festival 2014 can taste food served by top chefs at a side event, the International Gastronomy Festival, which opened on Tuesday evening. The festival could be more correctly called an Asian food festival because it features 70 stands offering food from Vietnamese stands showcase Visitors can have meals at the stalls or buy take-away food. Organisers of the gastronomic event, the Viet Nam Tourism Administration, said the festival would help introduce the country, particularly "This is an occasion to showcase He said the participation of chefs from other Asian countries would be an opportunity for their Vietnamese counterparts to see where their food fitted in. On the first night, Vietnamese were reluctant to patronise foreign food stands as they were unfamiliar about the food. But, without a doubt, the South Korean stall was the most popular because of the craze for Korean movies and music among young people in The festival also provides a chance for visitors to taste The festival runs till Saturday. British Business Group sponsors Rock ‘n Roll The British Business Group Vietnam will host a Rock ‘n' Roll night with the UK Alumni Vietnam Association (for Vietnamese who have studied in the The event begins at 6:30pm with games, a card shuffle and beer tasting. A rock performance by the band Power Jam will kick off at 8pm. At 8:50pm, there will be a lucky draw to win a return ticket to Tickets are VND350,000 for BBGV and UKAV members, and VND450,000 for non-members. Registration is at info@bbgv.org. The cafe is at Congolese vocalist brings jazz to city Gasandji, a Congolese soul and jazz-fusion musician, will perform at a concert at the Her performance will be supported by Koto Brawa playing drums and percussion, Dramane Demble playing flute, and Abdoulaye Koyutae playing guitar. The vocalist studied jazz at the ALTA School of Paris in the early 2000s. She has performed at European festivals such as the Le Womad in the Her debut album Gasandji in 2013 was awarded the Coup de Coeur Francophone 2013 prize by the prestigious Weekend excursion to tour Hung Yen villages On Saturday, April 19, Friends of Viet Nam Heritage will organise an excursion to the Nom and Bo Duong villages in Leaving Ha Noi at 8.30am, visitors will arrive at the After enjoying a water puppet show in the village pond, the group will visit the village's communal house and walk among fish ponds and rice fields, before returning to Ha Noi at 3pm. To join the tour, contact Mai at phmai@fpt.vn or dial 0917294923. The tour costs VND580,000 (US$27) including transportation, entrance tickets and tickets for the water puppet show. Lunch is not included. Manzi gallery presents concerts with a twist Luu Khong/Jazz – a "compo-improvisation" concert inspired by the perspective of diverse musical traditions – will be held tomorrow at Manzi Art Space. The combination of modern European jazz and cheo (traditional opera) will be performed by two Danish jazz musicians and two Vietnamese cheo artists from Ha Noi. Entrance is free. The show starts at 8pm. At the same venue on Sunday, April 20, a performance by the Spiral Trio of David Kuckhermann, Heiko Dijker and Lenneke van Staalen will begin at 8pm. The trio, who got together in The concert is supported by the Dutch embassy. For ticket details, contact manzihanoi@gmail.com. Manzi Art Space is at Community fair celebrates local fashion and art The third edition of The Travelling Trunk Fair, opening tomorrow, showcases the latest works of 15 fashion designers and brands. Organisers say The Travelling Trunk Fair is a community event that focuses on sustainable development. Held at the lobby lounge of the Hotel de l'Opera Ha Noi, the fair, themed Fashion & Art, brings together famous names in the local fashion industry like Devon Nguyen, Chula, Ken, Thuy Design House, Ha Truong, Dandy, Metiseko and Tammy. The work of two contemporary artists, Nguyen Quoc Thanh and Phuong Linh, will also be on display. A part of the profits from the three-day fair will go to the Centre for Supporting Community Development Initiatives (SCDI) – a non-profit organisation that works with vulnerable groups in The fair will remain open at Cuban Children’s Theatre to perform in Vietnam An art troupe from La Colmenita, the National Children's Theater of Cuba will perform in The troupe will bring Vietnamese audiences, especially children, an attractive programme with rock and roll music and funny fairy tales, before performing for a first time at the Hue Festival 2014. Established in 1990, La Colmenita has delivered performances at hospitals and rehabilitation centres for the disabled people over the past 24 years. In addition, La Colmenita has also participated in giving free performances at squares and theatres to serve the Cuban people. So far, the theatre has performed in over 25 nations and territories in the world and cooperated with major producers such as the Bread and Puppet Theatre, Deep Mountain from the US, Odin from Denmark, People’s Little (Bangladesh) and Les Mordus (Belgium). It has also gotten involved in producing three famous films for children such as “Viva Colombian band enchants Hanoians The Colombian young band Rio en Caribe on April 16 enthralled Hanoians with a special folk dance from the northern coastal region of This art form aims to encourage the inter-cultural dialogue for peace and social development, said the Chargé d’affaires of He highlighted the performance as an opportunity for the nine-member band, set up in 2007, to introduce their local culture to Vietnamese audiences. The band also played various music instruments such as Gaitas and drum that were formed in Colombian states of The group has already participated in Hue Festival 2014 that is taking place in the central Culinary arts of ethnic minority groups introduced Traditional dishes of The event, part of the Vietnam Ethnic Groups Cultural Day (April 19) celebrations from April 15-20, attracted a large number of tourists. Artisans from different ethnic minority groups introduced more than fifty dishes, twenty varieties of wine, and over thirty different types of cake. Visitors to the food festival had the chance to taste various traditional dishes, such as Thang Co (horse meat) of Mong, Phèo Trâu (buffalo meat) of Muong, Xôi ngũ sắc (steamed sticky rice in five colors) of Thai in northern region, ten types of Chè (sweet soups) of Hue in central region, as well as tropical fruits from the Mekong Delta. The event aimed to highlight the importance of cultural values and introduce culinary arts as well as strengthen solidarity among ethnic minority people in A grand show to honour ca The show's amusing melodies on Wednesday night attracted thousands of locals and visitors to an illuminated stage in Nghinh Luong Pavilion, located on the riverbanks of the Huong (Perfume) River. Songs of ca Around 37 composers, musicians, vocals and researchers were also honoured for their devotion to the conservation of ca Ca Hue is said to bear similar significance to Vietnamese traditional music like don ca tai tu (Southern folk music) and ca tru (ceremonial singing) performed in the north. This year's Hue Festival is the first time a separate show of ca Hue has been performed, with previous performances of the art form been incorporated into a number of existing performances. The local department of culture, sports and tourism pledged they would file a petition for ca Ca Hue music, also known as "the VTV to host show dedicated to Dien Bien Phu Victory A show to celebrate the great Dien Bien Phu Victory in 1954 and a unique meeting with war veterans will take place at the Viet Nam Television headquarters next Monday. Titled Dien Bien Phu - Ban Giao Huong Hoa Binh (Dien Bien Phu - A Symphony of Peace), the show will include various songs and dance performances as well as interviews with war veterans and French film director Daniel Roussel, the creator of The Battle between a Tiger and an Elephant that features the historic battle. Interviews with former soldiers living in Organisers reveal plans for VN Film Festival in France A Vietnamese Film Festival will be held in July in the French coastal city of The event will be organised by the French company Iriscommsex in collaboration with the Cinema Department under Ngo Phuong Lan, director of the department, said the festival would bring to the French audience films made during the last two decades, which are considered to reflect important historical events and the development of Viet Nam–France relations as well as the growth of In addition, several films on the theme of Speaking at the press conference, the French Ambassador to Viet Nam Jean Noel Poirier pointed out that cinema would be a window for the French audience to look into the Vietnamese culture. He said he had seen several Vietnamese films, and through these he had felt the movements and aspirations of a country that is fast transforming itself. The Vietnamese Film Festival in Saint Malo is one of the most eagerly awaited events of the Viet Nam Year in Festival honours national saint A festival to commemorate the legendary national hero Saint Quy Minh was held on April 17 in the Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan and thousands of tourists from both home and abroad joined the annual event in celebration of the saint, who made great contributions in defending the country. They could join an incense-offering ceremony at Legend has it that Saint Quy Minh is one of the three Vietnamese to have been bestowed with sainthood, alongside Tan Vien and Cao Son. They are honoured for protecting the country under the reign of 18 th Hung King, Due Vuong (408-258 BC). Local authorities are paying great attention to integrating festive activities with tourism promotion programmes. They wish for international support to help name Trang An scenic landscape complex as a Natural Wonder of the World. The ongoing Hue Festival in the central Examples of Local artists performed pieces of the The atmosphere was later also filled with melodies of Xoan singing - a traditional ritual folk genre - from the northern “Am sac Viet” will run until April 18. Meanwhile, “Am sac Huong Binh” (Huong Binh Tune) at Nghinh Luong Pavilion was dedicated to highlighting values of the Hue singing which embodies both royal and folkloric features, thus becoming a distinctive component of Hue’s identity. The audience had a chance to enjoy the genre through the voice of many artists, particularly Thanh Tam, who is at her 70s and has spent her whole life singing in the The programme was concluded while flower lanterns floated down the Huong (Perfume) River - the traditional backdrop of the singing. The Hue Festival is held every two years to honour the unique cultural and historical values of Traditional offering ritual observed in Hue A traditional offering ritual was held on April 17 to pray for national peace, prosperity and favourable weather on the Nam Giao Esplanade in the imperial city of The ritual, one of the conventional rites under the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945) and part of the ongoing 2014 Hue Festival, has been restored and conducted as it was done during the feudal era. Measures have been taken to enable more people to join in the incense-offering ceremony, said Phan Thanh Hai, director of the Centre for the Reservation of Hue Relics. The Nam Giao Esplanade was built in Duong Xuan village, south of the ancient Hue Citadel, in 1806, under the reign of the dynasty’s founder, King Gia Long (1762-1820). In 1807, the king held his first worshipping ceremony there. It was recognised by UNESCO as world cultural heritage in 1993. The biennial Hue Festival, the eighth of its kind, is taking place in the UNESCO-recognised World Cultural Heritage city of Concert honors Dien Bien Phu Victory Vietnam Television will hold a concert celebrating the Dien Bien Phu Victory in 1954 in The show “Dien Bien Phu - Ban Giao Huong Hoa Binh” ( The highlight of the event is interviews with war veterans during the show. The performance will be broadcasted live on VTV1, VTV4 and VTV6 channels. Photo exhibition featuring Ede ethnic minority opens in Dak Lak A photo exhibition featuring traditional culture and lifestyle of The event is organized by ISEE provided cameras and taught The display features 176 photos of rituals, cultural characteristics, changes in the living under social and economical fluctuation, and cultural exchanges of The event will run until August 15. Source: VNN/VNA/VNS/SGGP/VOV |
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Quang Ninh shooting not a terrorist attack  (VOV) - A group of Chinese residents attempting to enter Local authorities confirmed seven people were killed in the assault, including five Chinese nationals and two Vietnamese border guards. Four other Vietnamese border guards were seriously injured. Vietnamese authorities quickly controlled the situation and handed over the detained suspects and dead bodies to the Chinese side. At 05.30am on April 18 the Chinese border agencies informed the Vietnam Border Guard that a group of Chinese nationals were trying to enter Hai Ha district police, in collaboration with border guard station No19 discovered 16 Chinese residents (10 men, 4 women and 2 children) crossing the border into These Chinese residents were detained to be handed back to While Vietnamese agencies were working on hand-over procedures at 12.00, several Chinese men stole an AK assault rifle and fired at border guards. A Vietnamese guard was shot dead at the scene. The extremists were persuaded by Vietnamese and Chinese officials to hand in weapons and surrender, but they resisted strongly and damaged property. Some eventually committed suicide. At a press briefing in the afternoon, local authorities said the shooting is not a terrorist attack, and Vietnamese and Chinese agencies were working to deal with the case. VOV |
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