VietNamNet Bridge – Authorities from the rural district of Que Phong in the central province of Nghe An have asked all commune officials to ensure that locals don’t breed leeches in their jurisdictions. A bag of leeches collected in Que Phong District of Nghe An Province. — Photo: VNN Authorities also want residents to report on leech buyers from outside the province. The move is in response to rampant rumours about questionable leech buyers, who are allegedly mass buying leeches to supply to foreign traders. The current rate is VND500,000 to VND600,000 (US$21.9-26.4) per kg of leech. However, most residents said they didn’t know or care what the traders were buying the leeches for, or who the buyers were, or where they came from. All they know was that these buyers were not local. A native leech buyer from Nghe An Province … [Read more...]

VietNamNet Bridge – SHB Da Nang knocked defending champions Quang Ninh Coal out of the National Cup with a 1-1 draw in the second leg of their quarter-finals match in Da Nang yesterday. SHB Da Nang beat Quang Ninh Coal 4-1 in aggregate to advance to the semi-finals of the National Cup yesterday. — Photo webthethao.vn Da Nang won 4-1 on aggregate and advanced to the semi-final. Hoa Xuan Stadium is considered to be a lucky venue for the hosts, who have rarely lost when playing on their home turf. It proved true yesterday, as the hosts came from behind to get an equal result. Quang Ninh Coal who lost 0-3 in the first leg last Friday arrived at the stadium determined to post a huge win. This was the only way they could continue defending their title. They scored first with Patiyo Tambwe’s goal in the 10th … [Read more...]

World Environment Day targets green economy Children in one commune infected with lead Pollution levels raise public concern Public health in face of industrial factories Hundreds of people in Tien Cat and Tho Son wards in Viet Tri city, Phu Tho province, have been in a state of anxious suspense for the last three years. They fear that the land where they have been settling for the last many generations would become the “cancer villages” due to the terrible smell from the waste water treatment of Miwon, a Republic of Korea invested enterprise. Miwon has denied its responsibility for the local residents’ respiratory diseases, saying that not only Miwon, but a paper and a chemical plant are also running in the area, and that Miwon has spent VND8 billion building a new waste water treatment system. However, nothing has been forthcoming despite the intervention by Phu Tho authorities. One year ago, Long Tech, a company in Que Vo, Bac Ninh province, was forced to … [Read more...]

PM Dung and a government delegation on October 7 made a tour of the storm-battered northern provinces of Ninh Binh and Thanh Hoa province. The PM asked the local authorities and armed forces to focus their efforts and use all available resources to distribute food and medicines to people, and ensure a clean environment to prevent the spread of diseases. In a meeting with Ninh Binh province’s leaders, Mr Dung praised the efforts made by the local authorities and relevant agencies in the province, especially the armed forces and police who helped to evacuate thousands of people to safe areas, minimised the losses, and provided support to flood victims over the last few very difficult days. The PM asked the province to continue to take care of people’s living conditions, and to ensure supplies of food, water and medicines for the storm victims. He also asked the province to use all their resources to repair houses and schools, clean up the environment, and restore transport … [Read more...]

Five new classrooms in Nghe An Province, which were built with financial support from Japan's Shinnyo-en Buddhist organisation, were opened on December 15. This is part of a total of USD27,000 that the organisation has donated through the Vietnam Fund for Study Promotion under Vietnam Association for Study Promotion to help Vietnamese poor students and improve education facilities in remote areas this year. The new classrooms, which belong to Tri Le 2 Primary School, are located in Pa Com Village. They cost VND363 million (USD17,200), including VND230 million from the Japanese organisation, with the remainder from the local budget. The opening ceremony saw the participation of Vice Chairwoman of the Vietnam Association of Study Promotion Pham Thi Hoe; Shinnyo-en representatives Matsumoto Akishige and Nakazawa Tetsuro and representatives from local authorities. Speaking at the ceremony, Que Phong District People's Committee Chairman Le Van Giap expressed his thanks to the … [Read more...]

Que Phong, a mountainous and border district of the central province of Nghe An, is inhabited by mainly ethnic minority people (90% of the district’s population). Each group of people has their own traditional and typical agricultural and breeding products. To help local residents consume their products, the district has increased the dissemination of information about the products, linked with other localities and enterprises, and set up stalls introducing the products, opening new ways for the groups’ specialties to find markets and encouraging the people to increase productivity, improving their income and boosting poverty reduction. … [Read more...]

A population of 56 Samu ancient trees in Pu Hoat nature reserves in the northern province of Nghe An has been recognized as Vietnam Heritage tree by the the Vietnam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment, Director of Pu Hoat nature reserves Nguyen Danh Hung announced on November 29.The tree’s scientific name is Cunninghamia konishii Hayata and also called Long Lenh tree by the Thai minority group in Nghe An Province.The population of 56 Samu old trees located in Que Phong District’s Hanh Dich commune, including the widest tree with a diameter of 3.7m, the thinnest tree with a diameter of 1.5m, the tallest tree which reaches 60m and the shortest tree that is 40m.Samu tree only grows in difficult terrains. They are often found along stream and on mountain cliff, especially in Vietnam - Laos border area. … [Read more...]

North-central provinces act to woo back tourists Dao Loan Dinh Thi Que, a rower of Tram Me village in Son Trach Commune, Bo Trach District, Quang Binh Province. She has served only one passenger trip in the past 10 days. Quang Binh’s tourism sector has lost VND1,700 billion due to the marine environmental incident - PHOTO: TU GIANG HCMC – Tourism authorities of six north-central provinces, along with the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, organized a conference with 70 southern tour operators to find ways to bring tourists back after mass fish deaths along the central coast more than seven months ago had driven many tourists away. Tourism authorities of Nghe An, Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue provinces took turns to introduce their tourism potentials and new products last Friday. They introduced various destinations and products such as Hai Thuong Lan Ong Le Huu Trac relic group in Ha Tinh, caves in the Phong Nha-Ke Bang … [Read more...]

PANO - Company 32 of the General Department of Logistics yesterday handed over a “Compassion of Labor Union Membership” house to the family of Mr. Tran Trung Thong, a worker of the company in Hamlet 4, Dong Thanh commune, Hoc Mon district, Ho Chi Minh City. After four months, the construction of the 40.sq.m house was completed, costing VND 250 million, VND 70 million of which was funded by the Ministry of National Defense’s Labor Union Committee. The company also presented gifts on the occasion of Thong’s family’s moving into the new home. Since early 2016, the company has assisted the building of five houses for policy beneficiaries. * From October 24 to 26, the Nghe An provincial Military Command handed over boarding hostels to schools in the mountainous districts of Quy Chau, Que Phong and Ky Son. On this occasion, the command offered a boarding hostel, worth VND 1.1 billion and VND 5 million in cash to Na Ngoi Secondary Boarding School, and various … [Read more...]

EPC contract for Hua Na hydropower project clinched By Thanh Trung - The Saigon Times Daily HANOI - Hua Na Hydropower Joint Stock Co. (HHC), a subsidiary of PetroVietnam Power Corp. under the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group (PVN), and Song Da Corp. on Thursday inked an engineering-procurement-construction contract for Hua Na Hydropower Project. HHC was established in May 2007 by founding shareholders PetroVietnam Power Corp. (55.4%) and Vietnam Machinery Installment Corp., or Lilama, (14%), as well as strategic shareholders including Military Commercial Joint Stock Bank (10%), Bac A Commercial Joint Stock Bank (11%), Financial Investment and Consultancy Joint Stock Co. and Saigon Securities Inc. The project, scheduled to be operational by 2012, belongs to the sixth general zoning map of the national power sector. … [Read more...]

Hanoi youth shake it on the streets for love Several hundreds of Hanoi's young people took part in "Dance for love", which was held around Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi on October 16, to honour love, freedom and gender equality on the occasion of the upcoming Vietnamese Women's Day. Six teams of Vietnamese youth danced and sang on Dinh Tien Hoang walking street, informing passers-by about gender equality and freedom of choice. Attracted by the joyful dance and songs, many local inhabitants and tourists joined the teams by singing and dancing with them. "Vietnamese Women's Day on October 20 or the International Women' Day on March 8 shouldn't be only the occasion to honour women. But I think that they are an occasion to honour love, respect and mutual support between family members, friends and lovers. Let's make this day meaningful for both women and men," said Vu Phuong Thao, Deputy Director of the Institute for Studies of Society, Economics and Environment (iSEE), the organising … [Read more...]

Flood ravaging the central province of Nghe An have left seven people missing. The deadly floods, triggered by heavy rains were the result of Storm Rai. Houses in Quy Chau District were submerged and local roads damaged. Up to 39 communes of the district were isolated as of September 14. According to Nguyen Thanh Hoai, Vice Chairman of Quy Chau District People’s Committee, by 9 pm on September 14, seven local people in Tan 1 Village, Chau Hoi Commune were still missing due to the flood, including five from one family. The seven people were suspected to have been swept away on the way home after finishing their farm work. On the same day, people in Chau Hoi Commune also found two unidentified dead bodies floating on a local river after the water subsided. The bodies have undergone an autopsy. The heavy rains were also blamed for a dam break at the Song Bung 2 hydropower plant in Quang Nam Province which swept away two workers. According to the Central Committee for Flood … [Read more...]

Medicine, healthcare services see strongest price hike in August Medicine and healthcare services prices this August post the sharpest monthly hike, 6.18 percent, compared to five other goods and services categories that share the same upward trend, said the General Statistics Office (GSO) on August 24. The five other categories with rising price are education (up 0.47 percent); garment, hats and footwear (0.14 percent); beverage and cigarette (0.05 percent); household appliances and goods (0.05 percent); and other goods and services (0.11 percent). Meanwhile, consumers spent lesser money on traffic (down 1.97 percent); food and catering services (0.14 percent); culture, entertainment and tourism (0.12 percent); postal services and communications (0.03 percent); and housing and construction materials (0.02 percent). As a result, consumer price index (CPI) in August rose by 0.1 percent from July, 2.57 percent from the same period last year and 2.58 percent from last December. The … [Read more...]

Mekong Delta to accelerate transport infrastructure development Under the plan, the region will have 83 new projects with an investment of 125.3 trillion VND (5.6 billion USD); of which, there are 45 road projects with a combined capital of 90.3 billion VND (4 billion USD). The plan also envisions four projects in aviation worth some 5.2 trillion VND (232 million USD), 22 others in maritime transport with an estimated investment of 18 trillion VND (807 million USD) and 14 in inland waterway valued at 11,8 trillion VND (530 million USD). The committee said besides completing projects under implementation, priority will be given to key projects to boost linkage in the region. According to Tran Huu Hiep, a permanent member of the committee, despite having a dense network of rivers and canals, inland waterway transport in the Mekong Delta has not developed as it should have, failing to help enterprises cut costs and boost competitiveness. Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Nhat … [Read more...]

A large amount of Fujian cypress trees in a forest in the central province of Nghe An have been illegally logged, but the local authorities surprisingly claim not to know anything about the case. Illegal loggers have cut down dozens of Fujian cypress trees in Hanh Dich Commune, part of the Pu Hoat Nature Reserve in Que Phong District. The problem has become more serious in the area adjacent to Laos. With the support of a local resident, reporters from the VietnamNet online newspaper investigated the site early August and heard sawmills in use and trees falling. On the mountain top there are obvious signs of Fujian cypress trees having been cut down. Big trees were divided into pieces for being transported easily. Cans of petrol used for the saws were also found besides the pieces of timber. Most of the Fujian cypress trees in this forest have been logged. According to local residents, the illegal loggers are people who live near the forest. They receive orders from traders at … [Read more...]

Vinh Phuc pitches for UK investments The northern province of Vinh Phuc pitched its potential, strength and projects in need of investments at a recent seminar in London. Addressing the event, held with the coordination of the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK, Chairman of the Vinh Phuc People's Committee Nguyen Van Tri underlined the province's advantages including favourable geographical conditions, an abundant workforce and good infrastructure. He reported that as of the end of June 2016, Vinh Phuc was hosting 221 foreign-invested projects, including successful ones run by Toyota and Honda of Japan, Piaggio of Italy, and Partron Vina, Heasung Vina, Jahwa and Sindoh of the Republic of Korea (RoK). Ambassador Nguyen Van Thao described Vinh Phuc as a bright spot in terms of economic development in Vietnam. He pledged that the embassy will assist UK businesses in studying opportunities in Vietnam in general and in Vinh Phuc Province in particular. Paul Smith from the UK's Harvey Nash Group, … [Read more...]

ADB helps Ha Giang develop infrastructure for development During a working session with officials from the provincial People's Committee on July 15, Lindsay Saunders, head of the ADB's consultation and technical assistance group, spoke highly of Ha Giang's potential, advantages and policies to call on investment, saying that these will help create momentum for the locality's economic growth. He stressed the need for the local authorities to pay more attention to implementing recommendations of the group in order to complete the project's documents soon and submit them to the ADB for approval. Chairman of the provincial People's Committee Nguyen Van Son presented the locality's socio-economic achievements in recent years, and highlighted great contributions of the ADB to Ha Giang's development. Ha Giang hopes the ADB continue coordinating with ministries and sectors at the central level to effectively implement the project in the locality, he said. As part of the ADB-funded project … [Read more...]

VietNamNet Bridge - Hai Phong extended their lead over other teams in the V.League following their 1-0 win over FLC Thanh Hoa yesterday, May 22. After their ninth win, they are now securely holding the top position with 28 points, nine more than runner-up Becamex Binh Duong, who just scored a 1-1 draw with Sai Gon FC. FLC Thanh Hoa's loss meant they became the third-place team, with as many points as Becamex Binh Duong. Local top scorer of 2015, Le Van Thang, scored the only goal for the leading Hai Phong just five minutes before the interval at Thanh Hoa Stadium. His goal ended FLC Thanh Hoa's hope of enjoying a bonus of VND1 billion for a win that the team's managers hung prior to the match. Defending champions Becamex Binh Duong, despite their home ground advantage, failed to make use of playing before their fans. Sai Gon's Trịnh Duy Long opened the score 15 minutes after the break with a straight shoot. The host then equalized the score when captain Nguyen Anh Duc's … [Read more...]

Voters in several mountainous communes of the central province of Quang Binh on May 20 went to the polls to elect deputies to the 14th National Assembly and all-level People’s Councils for 2016-2021, two days ahead of the nationwide election date. The early election was held in Tan Trach and Thuong Trach communes in Bo Trach district and Truong Son commune in Quang Ninh district. Phan Van Gon, Secretary of the Bo Trach district Party Committee, said the voting took place in a happy atmosphere and in line with the law. It was completed at 7.30am in Tan Trach and at about 9.30am in Thuong Trach. Despite the infavourable terrain, all voters in Truong Son commune still reached polling stations to vote for competent and virtuous deputies. Ho Truoc, a village patriarch of P Loang hamlet, Truong Son commune, said he was excited to cast his ballot, fulfilling his rights and obligations as a Vietnamese citizen. "Aware of the sacred rights and obligations reflected in each ballot, I … [Read more...]

VietNamNet Bridge – Coach Nguyen Huu Thang of Viet Nam’s national team selected 24 players yesterday (May 18) for the upcoming friendly match with Syria on May 31 and a four-sided tournament in Myanmar June 3-6. Among players named on the list, Thang convened three players of Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) who are playing for foreign teams, namely midfielders Nguyen Tuan Anh (Japan’s Yokohama FC) and Luong Xuan Truong (South Korea’s Incheon United FC), as well as striker Nguyen Cong Phuong (Mito Holly Hock FC of Japan). According to Tran Quoc Tuan, vice chairman of the Viet Nam Football Federation, all clubs of the three aforementioned players have agreed to let them return to Viet Nam to wear the national jersey for these events. Although HAGL ranked 11th out of 14 teams in the national premier league, the team contributed two more players to the list with Vu Van Thanh and Nguyen Van Toan. Thang also called upon veterans who are familiar to Vietnamese fans, … [Read more...]