Social Headlines for December 2 Vietnamese students to join world festival in Ecuador  Eighty five Vietnamese students will attend the 18th World Festival of Youth and Students in This is one of the most important events organised by the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY). The Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCM CYU) announced at a press briefing in The Vietnamese delegation will take part in major events, such as organising a forum called “ Its presentation will be focused on the role of Vietnamese youth in poverty reduction, protection of the rights of children and gender equality and implementation of millennium development goals. The Vietnamese delegation will give an art performance during the Asia-Pacific Days and participate in other cultural exchanges and sports with other countries. The festival will provide a good chance for Vietnamese students to promote the image of the country, especially the 82-year development of the HCM CYU. Progenitor of The Vietnam Buddhist Shangha (VBS) held a prestigious ceremony at Yen Tu relic site in Quang Ninh province on December 1. The event, marking the 705th anniversary of the death of King Tran Nhan Tong, the founder of Truc Lam Zen school, which exemplifies Vietnamese Buddhism,is set to last three days. A 9.9m high, bronze statue of meditating Tran Nhan Tong, weighing 130 tons, will be unveiled on December 3. Superior Monk Thich Thanh Quyet, Head of the Executive Committee of the Quang Ninh Buddhist Shangha said King Tran Nhan Tong moved the province to lead a religious life and turned this place into a sacred Buddhist land. Building a statue of him is for all Vietnamese to remember his great contributions to national construction and Buddhist development, he said. President joins Inl't Day for Disabled On December 1, President Truong Tan Sang joined Organizers received more than VND 20 billion from philanthropists to support the poor and disabled children. President Sang presented 12 gifts worth VND 5 million each to 12 outstanding children with disabilities all over the country. Vice Chairwoman of the municipal People’s Committee, Nguyen Thi Hong, called for greater public support of the disabled, to enable them to lead as normal and fulfilling lives as possible. Hong said the government and local authorities always endeavour to ensure that the disabled receive full benefits, in line with the Law on Persons with Disabilities that took effect on November 1, 2011. Independent Businesses also donated money in support of young Agent Orange and cancer victims and generated jobs for thousands of them. The charity walk will come to Statistics reveal there are now over 6 million people living with disabilities in The same day, the General Department of Sports and Physical Training and the Vietnam Paralympics Association hosted a charity art program, honoring contributions made by disabled athletes. Earlier, on November 30, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) coordinated with the Vietnam Federation on Disabilities and Vietnam Television to hold a music show “For a world without barriers” in the capital Hanoi. Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan affirmed the country’s strong commitment to the international community in protecting and caring for the less fortunate, saying that the move has also received overwhelming support from ministries and organizations. The United Nations in Vietnam calls for more effective investments in HIV/AIDS prevention and control to achieve the “three zeros” targets- zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS related deaths. December 1 marked the 25th anniversary of World AIDS Day, the UN congratulated the Vietnamese Government on its HIV/AIDS prevention but urged Vietnamese leaders to increase investment in HIV control, in the hope of fulfilling national and international targets. Dr. Kristan Schoultz, UNAIDS Vietnam Country Director, noted the achievements of Recently By the end of 2012, the number of male drug users in The national average number of HIV infections among female prostitutes was estimated at 27 per cent. New evidence suggests that the number of HIV infections in homosexual men is on the increase and this demographic is predicted to rise significantly among the numbers of HIV infected people in The country is currently seeking new approaches to engage needy people with HIV services and new initiatives have been set up to encourage earlier HIV diagnosis and initial treatment. The UN encourages Dr Takeshi Kasai from the World Health Organization (WHO) in By intensifying early diagnosis and HIV drug resistance programmes, the country’s new infection rates and AIDS related deaths will be further reduced. Save the Children offers help to Quang Ngai flood victims Save the Children in Packages including clothes, books and other essential commodities after the flood were delivered to single mom, pregnant women, handicapped people, vulnerable pupils and poor households at Hanh Tin Dong and Hanh Tin Tay villages in Nghia Ganh district of Quang Ngai province on November 30. Deputy Head of Save the Children in Vietnam Doan Anh Tuan said his organisation will call for more donations from different sources to help the locals recover their livelihood after the flood hit the province in mid November. The province also received a grant of VND1 billion (nearly US$50,000) from the domestic Sacombank to rebuild destroyed houses for local people. “Orange the Journey” launched in The “Orange the Journey” bicycle ride, part of activism to end violence against women and girls, launched in Hanoi on November 30 with as many as 100 local youth participants. The activist programme includes dance flashmobs, sloganeering, and photography. It has received technical assistance and financial support from the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women in Organising board representative Cao Ho Thu Thuy explained UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon chose orange as the colour of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women in 2008. Violence against women and girls remains disturbingly common throughout the world. Estimates suggest one in every three females is a victim of at least one category of violence. Ending these crimes requires the united effort of society as a whole. Over VND620 million raised for Philippine Typhoon Haiyan victims The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO), coordinating with Around 50 groups including district Red Cross Associations, representative offices, and business associations of various nations have already raised nearly VND620 million. Many local residents and young people have also supported the campaign. According to National Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Council statistics, the death toll from Typhoon Haiyan stands at 5,235 people. A further 1,600 are still missing. Damage to property and crops has thus far totalled US$270 million. Living in a nation regularly struck by typhoons, Vietnamese people are fully aware of the Philippine people’s difficult circumstances and urge international friends to share some of the storm aftermath’s burdens. Le Thi Phuong, the Empowering people with disabilities Nguyen Trong Dam, Deputy Minister of Labour, War Invalids, and Social Affairs (MoLISA), says He made the statement at a November 30 meeting responding to the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The deputy minister said the Law on Persons with Disabilities, which entered into effect on January 1, 2011, is an important milestone on the road to achieving genuine equality for disabled people. He acknowledged poverty rates for disabled people are still disproportionately high, saying MoLISA is coordinating with relevant agencies to boost awareness about handicapped people’s rights. He thanked domestic sectors and international organizations for helping people with disabilities integrate into the community. US Agency for International Development Acting Vietnam Director Randy Flay noted that since 1989, the US government has spent more than US$60 million sponsoring Vietnamese programmes on improving the living standards of disabled people. The campaign organised around the international day, includes exhibitions, sports events, and cultural exchanges designed to include and inspire local residents living with disabilities. Workforce needs new skills to continue economic modernisation The World Bank’s 2014 Vietnam Development Report concludes the country needs to improve its workforce’s productivity in order to meet the demands arising from its transition towards a modern, industrial market economy. The report, titled “Skilling Up Vietnam: Preparing the Workforce for a Modern Market Economy”, was released on November 29. It emphasises the increasing importance of education and more sophisticated cognitive, behavioral, and technical skills. World Bank (WB) Vietnam Country Director Victoria Kwakwa said, “ The current challenge is turning graduates from good readers into critical thinkers and problem-solvers who are well equipped to acquire technical skills in university, vocational training, and throughout their working lives. The report’s analysis shows economic modernisation involves a shift in labor demand from today’s predominantly manual and elementary jobs towards more skill-intensive non-manual jobs, from jobs that largely involve routine tasks to those with non-routine tasks. And these new types of jobs will require new skills. According to the report’s lead author Christian Bodewig, “These new jobs can already be found in today’s labour market, but Drawing on a survey of urban area employers in urban areas, the report finds employers rank job-specific technical skills as the most important. They also look for cognitive skills, such as problem-solving and critical thinking, and behavioral skills, such as team work and communication. Reorienting The report shows despite the Vietnamese education system’s strong track record in foundational reading literacy and numeracy skills, it faces greater challenges in cultivating the advanced skills that will be increasingly demanded in coming years. Its three step skills strategy plan includes promoting school readiness through early childhood development, building the cognitive and behavioral foundation in general education, and improving job-relevant technical skills via a network of employers, students, universities, vocational schools. The report urges the government to take action now as changes in education and training can take a generation to reap results. “Rather than planning and managing the education and training system centrally and top-down”, says Christian Bodewig, “the role of government is to help to ensure better information flows between employers, schools, universities, and students, and to enhance capacity and set the right incentives by freeing up universities to partner more effectively with businesses”. Ultimately, preparing the workforce for an industrial economy is not just the government’s job. It requires a change in behavior by all actors in skills development – employers, schools and universities and students and their parents alike. Railway sector promotes cooperation with France A Addressing the opening session, Confédération Générale du Travail (CGT) Secretary General Gilbert Garrel reviewed union activities defending workers’ legitimate rights in general and French railway sector workers in particular. French and other European railway trade unions have suffered from the global economic downturn and face challenges in the context of ever-expanding globalisation. Vietnam Railway Trade Union President Mai Thanh Phuong outlined some of his organisation’s successes as Phuong expressed a wish to develop deeper relations with international railway trade unions. Representatives from the French branch of the Vietnamese Student Association met with French railway trade union youth representatives. Phuong told the gathering of his wish the two parties will strengthen cultural exchange and cooperation. On the sidelines of the congress, Vietnam Railway Trade Union delegates held working sessions to extend partnerships with trade unions in Delegates also worked with the Vienne provincial Council and visited a The congress itself gathered together 1,000 delegates from local French trade unions and 10 delegations from WB-funded HIV/AIDS prevention project summed up The seven-year “Vietnam HIV/AIDS Prevention Project” has successfully implemented appropriate intervention for high-risk groups, raised awareness and changed community behaviours to better prevent the disease. According to a report at a ceremony summing up the project in the central city of Da Nang on November 29, it has also helped improve the HIV/AIDS prevention assessment and monitoring system as well as raise technical and managerial capacity for staff in the field. The project, funded by the World Bank and the UK Department for International Development (DFID) at a sum of US$75.294 million, also contributed to supporting the Health Ministry in piloting a methadone treatment programme in the northern port city of By December last year, the programme was duplicated in seven cities and provinces, providing treatment for 1,888 drug addicts. Launched in June 2005, the project aimed to control HIV/AIDS transmission in the community at less than 3 percent by 2010, while reducing the impact of HIV/AIDS on socio-economic development. It was implemented in 32 cities and provinces nationwide. Canadian Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz informed this at a working session with his counterpart, Vietnamese Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Cao Duc Phat, in This project will deepen By improving the productivity of Vietnamese farmers and agribusinesses, Through this investment, “ Minister Phat thanked the Canadian Government for continued and valuable support to This project aims to improve the profitability of thousands of farmers across The investment will span five years and target farmers of export-oriented commodities, such as cashews and coffee, both of which were top Canadian imports from HCM City celebrates Lao National Day A ceremony was held in The gathering was attended by Vice President Phan Xuan Bien of He highlighted the successes of the HCM City-Vientiane relationship in trade, agriculture, heath care, education, foreign affairs, and human resource training. Lao Consul General in HCM City Southideth Phommalat thanked the Vietnamese Party, State, and people for their valuable support during Bilateral trade turnover totalled US$733.5 million in the first nine months of this year, up 11.6% compared to 2012’s corresponding figure. Approximately 5,000 Lao citizens are currently working and studying in Applying IT in foreign language study The seminar provided domestic and foreign experts a forum to share and compare experiences in using IT as a tool for foreign language study. Participants examined issues including language policy and IT application in Experts said applying IT is an international foreign language learning and teaching trend. Methods range from learning foreign languages through writing blogs, to online games and animations, to social media interactions on Facebook and Twitter. The national foreign language learning plan asserts most students are fluent in a foreign language after graduating colleges or universities. The Government has adjusted the national English curriculum, set national foreign language standards for teachers and pupils, established a national foreign language teaching centre, and increased investment in IT resources for foreign language study. Source: VOV/VNA/VNS |
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