Kang Gew Won, Deputy General Director of Shinhan Bank in Vietnam, and Trinh Quang Dong, General Director of KNE, at the signing ceremony in HCM City on March 4.— Photo courtesy of the bank Shinhan Bank Vietnam Limited and Khoi Nguyen Education Investment and Development Joint Stock Company (KNE) have signed a strategic and comprehensive partnership agreement to provide modern banking services and products to students, their parents, and teachers and staff at schools in the KNE network. Under the agreement, the two parties will jointly provide low-interest credit offers to students’ parents to have more financial ownership in making investments in their children's education by advancing tuition fees. Shinhan Bank will also issue credit cards with zero per cent installment payments and payment terms of six to nine months to enable students’ parents at KNE schools to make annual tuition payments, besides providing other exclusive offers to schools and entities in the KNE network, including payroll services, preferential personal loans to teachers, co-branded credit cards and debit cards. In addition, it is considering granting credit to KNE and its network schools for further investments in facilities and educational equipment, and development of new educational projects. KNE will support the bank in promoting the “School Banking” tuition collection product, which receives tuition payments in the KNE school network, and Shinhan Bank's online payment website, where tuition payments can be made conveniently and safely. KNE will encourage its school communities to use the bank’s other services and give the bank’s clients special offers related to KNE education services. Kang Gew Won, Deputy General Director of Shinhan Bank in Vietnam, said: “The strategic partnership agreement will create a foundation for close association and co-operation for sustainable development between Shinhan Bank and KNE. “Within the framework of the agreement, …
Cancers moon sign
VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES MARCH 7
15th National Assembly expected to have 500 seats There will be a total of 500 seats in the 15th National Assembly at both central and local levels, according to a new resolution adopted by the National Assembly Standing Committee. Minister promises greatest efforts to ensure safety in COVID-19 vaccinations The Ministry of Health will mobilise all resources to carry out COVID-19 vaccinations, the largest-ever vaccination programme, so as to ensure absolute safety for people, Minister Nguyen Thanh Long has said. Long chaired a teleconference which was organised on March 6 and connected with 700 places across Vietnam to launch the vaccination plan and provide related training for medical workers nationwide in the use and storage of the vaccine, as well as the treatment of post-injection complications. He informed the teleconference that the vaccination programme will start on March 8, although the first batch of vaccine arrived in Vietnam on February 24. “As the vaccine is new, we need to carry out thoroughly,” Long said, adding that Vietnam has to obtain an accreditation certificate from the producer and reassess the safety index of the batch of vaccine. Because of the limited number of vaccine, the ministry cannot allocate for all 63 provinces and cities, but for 13 pandemic-hit localities, with priority given to Hai Duong province – Vietnam’s largest outbreak at present, he added. The minister asked localities which have yet to receive the vaccine to prepare and make training programmes as the ministry will allocate vaccines to them when more are transported to Vietnam in March. COVAC and AstraZeneca have agreed to provide 30 million doses each for Vietnam this year, the minister said, adding the ministry asked the producers to hand over the vaccines to Vietnam before September and is negotiating with Pfizer to buy an additional 30 million doses from this producer. The ministry has assigned three deputy ministers to be …
The importance of vaccination
Mattias Larsson. Photo courtesy of Family Medical Practice by Mattias Larsson* Vaccines are one of the pillars in modern medicine that has contributed to decreasing child mortality from about 20 per cent of live born children down to in Việt Nam 1.5 per cent and in most western countries 3-5 per 1,000 live born children. Most children in Việt Nam, about 90-95 per cent, are reported to have received their vaccinations according to the general vaccination programme. But still, some parents are concerned about the vaccine's safety and side effects. Are their concerns justified? Mild side effects such as fever or redness and soreness or pain at the injection site are common and are just a sign that the body is responding properly. More serious side effects can be allergic reactions or febrile seizures that affect one in ten thousand. But these side effects are transient or can be treated. The measles epidemic in Việt Nam in 2014 had more than 15,033 confirmed cases and 146 fatalities among young unvaccinated children. The first MPR vaccine is given at 12 months of age. During the first year of life, the child has a certain protection from the mother, provided that the mother has adequate protection. Measles is caused by a virus and the disease is highly contagious, there is a risk for permanent disabilities and death. The risk of complications is great, every fifth patient gets one or more complications. About one in a thousand risks encephalitis which can cause permanent damage, such as lifelong paralysis and in the worst case death. To be protected against measles, you must have either had the disease or been vaccinated with two doses of the vaccine. In 1982, the MPR vaccine was introduced, which began to be given in two doses and which provides adequate protection. However, many parents are still afraid that the MPR vaccine, against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), can cause autism. It is known today that there is no connection. …