Kindergartens, primary schools now in every commune

Pham Ngoc Dinh, deputy head of the Ministry of Education and Training’s Primary Education Department, said that about 80 percent of children under five years old now attended kindergartens, while more than 96 percent of children aged six now attended primary schools. 

Dinh said that more ethnic minority children now had the chance to attend a primary school.

He also said the quality of pre-education had improved. 

According to the ministry, in the 2008-09 school year, 13 percent of kindergartens met national education standards. 

He said next year the target was 15 percent. 

Meanwhile, he said 94 percent of kindergarten teachers had received help with boosting education standards. 

Under the programame, 2.585 billion USD is being spent on boosting pre-and primary education and on popularising life skills for children above 15 years old. The money is also being spent on tackling gender inequality in primary and secondary schools and on improving standards. 

Officials from the ministry said 16.82 percent of primary schools did not have a library, 3.37 percent of six-year-olds did not have access to school, while 2 percent of students dropped out of school. 

Dinh added that the country was aiming to have 70 percent of disabled children attend school this year. He also said 100 percent of schools would have a computer laboratory and receive free text books by 2015. 

However, the ministry said that there was still a teacher shortage and a lack of equipment, particularly in rural areas. 

He added that teacher salaries were also too low, while teachers at ethnic minority kindergartens lacked language skills. 

Dinh said representatives from local education and training departments had suggested that the Government and the ministry use money from the Initiative Fund to improve the quality of pre-school education and to popularise the Vietnamese language among ethnic minority children.

Science university set to open this year

Hanoi (VNA) – Hanoi Science and Technology University jointly funded by the Vietnamese and French governments with an initial investment of 242 million USD, will open in September. 

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan said that the university would boost education standards in the country. 

Nhan said that the establishment of the university was a symbol of the good relations enjoyed by Vietnam and France . 

Nhan said that regarding education and training programmes, the university would cooperate with French universities. 

Under a decision issued by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung last month, the university, one of the four public universities under the direct management of the Ministry of Education and Training, will be sponsored by the Government. 

Meanwhile, the French Government has pledged to help Vietnam boost staff training, particularly in the field of science and technology. 

Professor Nguyen Van Hieu, a prestigious scientist of Vietnam , said that the establishment of the university would greatly benefit Vietnamese scientists and researchers. 

Hieu said that the Vietnam Science and Technology Institute planned to provide land and facilities for the university. He also said the institute’s leading professors and scientists would help out at the university. 

Deputy Prime Minister Nhan asked the Ministry of Education and Training to appoint a French chancellor to head the university. 

By the middle of January, the Ministry of Education and Training and the Science and Technology Institute plan to establish a management board to run the university. The university’s main campus will occupy an area of 90ha in the city’s Hoa Lac High-technology Area.

Vietnam Beauty named in world’s top 10

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnamese model Tran Thi Huong Giang won a special award for Sexiest by Popular Demand and is one of the ten hottest beauties on the planet, according to GlobalBeauties.com.

She won 26 percent of 12,000 votes from people across the world in the website’s poll. Giang is among the 10 sexiest women alive together with Miss Earth Philippines , Miss World Gibraltar, Miss World Panama, Miss World Mexico, Miss Universe Australia , Miss Earth Brazil , Miss World Barbados and Miss Tourism Queen Altai Republic .

“When I came in the top 20, I was really surprised because it is not easy to do well at international polls held by Global Beauties,” Giang said. “I am really satisfied.” 

Giang, 22, a professional model, is 1.8m in height and measures 86-61-92. She won the Miss Hai Duong title in a local contest in 2006 and was the second runner-up at Miss Vietnam Global 2009.

She represented Vietnam at Miss World 2009 in South Africa and was among the top 16.

The hottest beauties selection was made by the judging panel of Global Beauties, based on results from Miss World, Miss Universe, Miss Earth, Miss International and Miss Tourism Queen.

2,000 ancient artefacts found in Khanh Hoa

Khanh Hoa (VNA) – Archaeologists from the Archaeology Institute and the museum of central province of Khanh Hoa have discovered more than 2,000 objects dating back to 2,000-2,500 years ago at the Vinh Yen archaeological site in Van Ninh district. 

They included 2,000 stone tools, 24 metal objects like coins and bells, 190 ceramic objects like vases, bowls and pots, and more than 10 tonnes of pottery. 

In excavations between July and December 2009, the archaeologists also found six tombs and 17 graves.

Over 1.4 trillion VND for student dormitory projects

Hanoi (VNA) – The Prime Minister has approved a list of student housing projects in Hanoi and HCM City using government bonds in 2009. 

Hanoi had been allocated 625 billion VND to implement 10 projects which are expected to accommodate more than 52,400 students. Meanwhile, HCM City received 800 billion VND for five projects which will provide on-campus accommodation for 75,200 students. 

Twelve out of 15 projects which have been carried out since 2009 are expected to complete this year while three others in Hanoi ’s Phap Van and My Dinh and the HCM City National University will finish next year.

BUSINESS

Vietnam growth far stronger than expected, says Citigroup

Washington (VNA) - US financial giant Citigroup Inc. said on Jan 5 that Vietnam ’s fourth-quarter growth exceeded market expectations and the country’s full-year expansion was “far more resilient” than the rest of Asia with the exception of China . 

The economy expanded 6.9 percent on-year in the fourth quarter, up from a revised 6.04 percent in the third quarter, and grew 5.32 percent for the full year, according to figures released last week by the General Statistics Office in Hanoi . This marked a rebound after first-quarter expansion of 3.14 percent, the slowest on record. 

Johanna Chua, the Hong Kong-based head of Asian economic research at Citigroup, said Vietnam 's fourth-quarter economic growth was “much stronger than expected", adding that the country’s construction industry in particular was helped by “strong monetary and fiscal stimulus". 

Credit growth accelerated to about 38 percent last year from 25 percent in 2008. Shipments of electronic products and garments are rebounding, and overall Vietnamese exports should benefit this year from a weaker exchange rate, Chua said. 

However, she warned of rising inflation risks in Vietnam . The exchange rate of the Vietnamese dong against the dollar fell to 18,479 by the end of last year from 17,483 at the end of 2008. The currency’s weakness has probably already fed into inflation. 

Thus, according to Chua , Vietnam 's central bank will need to increase its benchmark interest rate again. In addition to raising its benchmark rate to as much as 9 percent, Vietnam ’s central bank may also abolish or revise a regulation that places a ceiling on how much interest lenders can charge borrowers.

810 mln USD for transport infrastructure in 2010

Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of Transport has said that about 15 trillion VND (810 million USD) will be invested in the sector’s capital construction this year.

The sector is scheduled to complete the construction and upgrade of 550km of roads and 19km of bridges, and continue investing in the rural transport network programme with funding from the government bonds.

Of the investment, 5.357 trillion VND comes from the State budget. 

The ministry has asked the Prime Minister to allocate additional 4 trillion VND to fulfill unfinished projects in 2009 and carry out urgent projects. It will also accelerate investment attraction from different sources for transport infrastructure development projects, particularly major works.

Listings bustle on Hanoi Stock Exchange

Hanoi (VNA) – There were a total of 254 listed companies on the Hanoi Stock Exchange (HNX) in 2009, up 55 percent from the previous year and worth a combined 40 trillion VND (2.2 billion USD), a year-on-year increase of 85 percent.

In 2009, HNX received listing registration documents from 104 companies and approved the listing of 69 companies, up 38 percent from the year’s target.

Shares continue New Year rally

Hanoi (VNA) – The HCM Stock Exchange continued its New Year’s rally on Jan.5, with the VN-Index jumping by another 2.99 percent to close at 532.53.

The value of the day’s trades also soared by 57.8 percent over Jan. 4’s session to more than 3 trillion VND (160.4 million USD), with 67.35 million shares changing hands, an increase of 55.3 percent.

Key shares continued to rise, with many blue chips hitting their ceiling prices, including HCM City Infrastructure Investment (CII), Da Nang Rubber (DRC), Tan Tao Investment and Industry (ITA), Kinh Bac Co (KBC), and Vietnam-Italy Steel (VIS).

On the Hanoi Stock Exchange on Jan. 5, the HNX-Index saw a more modest gain of 1.9 percent, closing at 183.26 points. Trading value also rose by 51.2 percent to over 1.32 trillion VND (70.6 million USD), on a total volume of nearly 37.3 million shares.

PetroVietnam Construction (PVX) remained the most active share on the northern bourse, with 4.53 million changing hands. 
The Hanoi bourse on Jan. 5 welcomed the listing of 3 million shares by Vietnam Construction Co No 12 (V12). V12 closed at 37,100 VND (1.98 USD) per share on a volume of 72,500.

Positive economic data, including sustained growth and low inflation – in addition to solid earnings by listed companies – was increasing investor confidence in the stock market, said analysts from Dai Viet Securities Co.

The forthcoming shutdown of gold trading floors and an impending regulation allowing faster clearance of shares were also encouraging investors to return to the market, they added. 

Dinh The Hien, a HCM City-based financial expert, believed the stock market in 2010 would be lucrative for investment in light of the frozen real estate market and new limits on the gold market.

Bao Viet Securities Co analyst Nguyen Duc Thi also predicted that securities companies would resume offering financial leverage to clients in the new year, generating greater capital flows into the market.

But Thi reckoned the market would soon see some correction in the short term as a result of feverish gains in some sessions. He advised investors look to sound shares with high potential in such fields as financial, real estate, raw materials, and consumer goods.

After three net selling sessions, foreign investors on Jan. 5 returned to being net buyers on both bourses by a volume of 806,260 shares.