The ‘sidewalk reclamation’ campaign held in Ho Chi Minh City during the first half of the year turned out to be considerably less effective than expected, at least in financial terms. The latest statistics show that authorities spent a great deal of money on launching the sidewalk crackdowns, while the total amount of administrative fines collected paled in comparison. In District 9, for instance, the total cost of clearing the sidewalks reached a whopping VND1.6 billion (US$70,485) compared to the VND37 million ($1,630) worth of fines issued to violators. The extreme financial disparity between clearing costs and fines was also present in District 2, where only VND40 million ($1,760) in pecuniary punihsment were issued. In Thu Duc District, the campaign proved more effective, with more than VND2 billion ($88,106) collected from civil fines. Authorities in the district’s 12 wards launched a … [Read more...] about Ho Chi Minh City districts report modest fines from ‘sidewalk clearing’ drive
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Ho Chi Minh City’s District 3 Jumps on the Urban Renewal Bandwagon
The aging apartment blocks in Nguyen Thien Thuat and Ly Thai To streets do not project the kind of image the authorities of Ho Chi Minh City's District 3 have in mind for the overcrowded and run-down area that makes up Ward 1. The ward's location is very important to the Ho Chi Minh City government as it is ideal for commerce, which is why the district authorities are planning to convert the apartment block in Ly Thai To into offices and shops, and to rebuild the Nguyen Thien Thuat apartment block in its entirety. Besides the decrepit buildings, the most glaring deficiency of the 15-hectare ward bounded by Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Dien Bien Phu, Ly Thai To and Nguyen Thien Thuat streets is the lack of green space. To remedy the situation, a public garden will be created in the center of the ward. Longer term, the District 3 authorities plan to turn Ward 1 into a major commercial center with a population of 14,500 people. … [Read more...] about Ho Chi Minh City’s District 3 Jumps on the Urban Renewal Bandwagon
Ho Chi Minh City simplifies 1,762 administrative procedures
The information was announced during a meeting to review the administrative reform program in the 2001-2010 period and carry out the new one for the 2011-2020 period. The administrative reform has focused mainly on five areas, including policy institutionalization, the organizing of apparatus, the building and increase of the quality of cadres and officials, and public finance and the modernization of the administrative sector. Ho Chi Minh City is the first city of the country to carry out a one door administrative mechanism, with many models aiming to bring the greatest benefit for people and enterprises. Speaking during the meeting, the Chairman of the city People's Committee, Le Hoang Quan, said that cadres are a key factor deciding the success of the administrative reform. Therefore, he asked for an increase of the quality of administrative cadres. The Prime Minister awarded the city the third class labour medal for the achievements on administrative reform. … [Read more...] about Ho Chi Minh City simplifies 1,762 administrative procedures
Ho Chi Minh city gives 1,000 medical insurance cards to the poor
On September 4, representatives of the Vietnam Fatherland Front in Ho Chi Minh city and the city Department of Health granted 1,000 medical insurance cards to poor families in three districts. The medical insurance cards were contributed by organizations and individuals in the program to provide healthcare for the poor launched by the city Fatherland Front and Department of Health. The program aims to raise awareness about healthcare services among the poor. Accordingly, the city encourages hospitals and private medical foundations to give medical free check-ups, medicine and medical insurance cards to the poor, the lonely elderly, orphans, the disabled and disadvantaged beneficiaries families. According to Pham Khanh Phong Lan, Deputy Head of the city Department of Health, only 70% of the city population have medical insurance cards. "The program wants every patient to be treated," she said. "For poor people who have an income of VND12-16 million per year, it is very difficult … [Read more...] about Ho Chi Minh city gives 1,000 medical insurance cards to the poor
Residents losing land to sand thieves in Ho Chi Minh City (pics)
Locals in a Ho Chi Minh City district are fighting a desperate battle against illegal sand miners, as the act has triggered worrying land subsidence and caused hectares of land to "evaporate." Many residents in District 9’s Long Phuoc Ward have been plunged into untold sufferings as they have lost a total of over 42 hectares of land in the past few years. The culprit are sand thieves who have blatantly operated in a section of the Dong Nai River, one of the southern region’s largest, which snakes itself through the ward. Q., a "retired" illegal sand miner in the Dong Nai River, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) Newspaper that a hired hand in the "trade" earns around VND1 million (US$46) each day. Their bosses pocket considerably more. "They steal over 100 cubic meters of sand every day, not to mention the sludge layer on the river surface that is discarded. The expanses which were land before have now become one with the river," Q. said. Tuoi Tre’s week-long … [Read more...] about Residents losing land to sand thieves in Ho Chi Minh City (pics)