|
Exhibition of Chinese artworks opens
Hanoi (VNA)- An exhibition of Chinese paintings, photos and calligraphies was opened recently in Hanoi to mark the 61 st anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-China diplomatic ties.
The event was jointly organised by the Vietnam-China Cultural Exchange Club, the Hanoi Library and the Federation of Literature and Art of China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
On display were 32 paintings, 60 photos and 40 works of calligraphy in Chinese script by 27 artists from Guangxi province, some of which were photos of President Ho Chi Minh taken during his visit to the province 50 years ago./.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Singapore provides training for Mekong Delta
HCM City (VNA)- The Singaporean government will provide training programme for the Mekong Delta provinces of Can Tho and Kien Giang under the Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP), said Pong Kok Tian, Singaporean Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City.
Apart from English courses at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, the SCP also provides courses in economic development, trade and tourism promotion, urban and environment development, public heath, solutions to emergency and disaster, civil aviation, road, transport and port management.
Initiated by the Singaporean government in 1992, the programme aims to support vocational training for developing countries worldwide. In the ASEAN bloc, Vietnam is one of the largest partners of Singapore with over 300 students in Ho Chi Minh alone.
At a meeting with former students in the city on Jan. 21, Pong Kok Tian said that Ho Chi Minh City would experience an increase in the number of students as the programme would last for the next three years.
Dr. Nguyen Thanh Rum, director of the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and chairman of the Vietnam-Singapore Friendship Association affirmed that thousands of Vietnamese students have made remarkable contributions to the country’s socio-economic development in their return as well as strengthening friendly relations between the two countries,/.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Showroom of Da Lat flowers opens
Lam Dong (VNA) – A launching ceremony of fresh flower showroom was opened in the Central Highland City of Da Lat on January 23 by the Rung Hoa Biotechnology Joint Stock Company.
The 1,200 sq.m showroom features thousands of flowerpot including 60 varieties of temperate and tropical flowers, especially specific flower varieties of Da Lat such as orchid, cymbidium orchids, lyli, big daisy, green apricot blossom.
According to Rung Hoa company’s General Director Ngyen Dinh Son, the showroom is built not only for business but also for introducing species of flowers, especially Da Lat’s flowers to visitors and flower-lovers./.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Proposal to lift limits on amount of advertising
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Police catch Khanh Hoa animal trafficker
Khanh Hoa (VNA) - Police in the central province of Khanh Hoa have uncovered illegal poaching activities in a house in the town of Ninh Hoa .
Head of the provincial Environmental Police Office Vo Duc Than said that the police had seized one black-shanked douc (Pygathrix nigripes), 19 weasels, 12 porcupines, 13 snakes and two freezers full of frozen wild animals.
Owner of the house Hoang Van Tuan admitted he had been capturing rare animals and selling them to local restaurants for four years. He was subsequently arrested.
The police handed the surviving animals to the province's forest management board for release into the wild./.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Health checks at borders tightened
Lang Son (VNA) - Authorities in the northern province of Lang Son are tightening health checks at border-gates with mainland China ahead of the upcoming Tet Holidays (Lunar New Year).
There has been a sharp increase in the number of people crossing the border recently and that combined with the unexpected cold weather has urged officials to strengthen health checks at the border gates to avoid the threat of an epidemic spreading across the country.
The provincial People's Committee said the measures would help control and prevent the spread of contagious diseases from other countries.
Thermometers have been installed at Huu Nghi and Tan Thanh border gates, Dong Dang Railway Station and other locations have also been supplied with external thermometers to check body temperatures.
People with temperatures of over 38 degrees Celsius would be taken to hospital in specialised cars for further examinations and if necessary, treatment in a quarantined environment./.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Road serves vital link between City, sea
HCM City (VNA) - The long-awaited Rung Sac Road in HCM City 's outlying district of Can Gio opened to traffic on Jan.23, giving fresh impetus to the district economy.
Serving as the city's only gateway to the East Sea , the 31.6km-long six-lane road is expected to boost the socio-economic development of Can Gio District and ensure national security.
The arterial road along with the district's road network will give particular momentum to developing resort town projects in the district, local officials said.
Starting from Binh Khanh ferry station and finishing at April 30 Crossroads in Long Hoa Commune, Rung Sac Road will also halve the time to travel the 64km distance between the city centre and Can Gio District. It also fulfills the city's strategy to build more coastal connections.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rice deliveries to ease tough times for poor
Hanoi (VNA) - Nearly 34,000 tonnes of rice from the national reserve will be provided to poor people in 11 provinces on the occasion of Tet (Lunar New Year) and the between-crop period, the hardest time of the year for farmers.
Under decision No139/QD-TTg, signed by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, the Government would provide needy people in northern provinces of Dien Bien,Son La, Lai Chau and Lao Cai with 5,316 tonnes of rice and central provinces of Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Thanh Hoa, Binh Dinh, Quang Binh, Quang Nam and Quang Tri, 28,500 tonnes.
Dung asked the provincial People's Committees to promptly deliver the food aid and report their results to the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs./.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bad weather affects all parts of country
Hanoi (VNA) – Prolonged and damaging cold spell killed thousands cattle, and damaged rice seedlings in the north and caused rough sea in the central region, while forest fires threaten many provinces nationwide.
According to Livestock Breeding Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, by 4p.m. of Jan. 23, long spell of cold killed 25,200 buffaloes and cows in many localities with northern mountainous provinces being hardest hit.
Noteworthy was Lang Son province, where over 5,000 buffaloes and cows died or an average of 600 deaths per day. Cao Bang saw nearly 3,800 buffalo and cow deaths; Lao Cai, over 3,100; Lai Chau, over 2,700 and Son La, nearly 2,400.
Responding the situation, local authorities have provided feed to poor households for their cattle and given instructions to help local residents to care for their buffaloes and cows.
Cold weather also damaged nearly 30 ha of rice seedlings in Hanoi ’s Gia Lam, Dong Anh and Thach That districts. The Hanoi Agriculture and Rural Development Department asked local authorities to guide farmers to care rice seedlings and carry out preventive measures to prepare for cultivation of the Spring rice crop.
Strong winds caused rough sea in the central region, preventing the supply of food and rice to the Be (small) island in the Ly Son district of Quang Ngai province. More than 200 people in the island are lacking of food, foodstuff and fuel.
The Forestry Ranger Department has warned Bac Giang, Ha Nam, Ninh Binh and Thanh Hoa provinces in the north, Binh Phuoc in the south and Kon Tum in the Central Highlands about possible forest fires due to dry weather./.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Small change in short supply ahead of Tet
Hanoi (VNA) - The demand for low denomination banknotes has increased sharply ahead of Tet (lunar New Year), causing a headache for both banks and the public, but playing into the hands of black market traders.
Nguyen Thanh Lan of Long Bien District said she needed 500 VND (0.025 USD) and 1,000 VND (0.05 USD) notes to offer at Buddhist altars but after going to three banks, she was still unable to find them.
Cashiers from banks including Maritime Bank and Vietcombank said they had been unable to change money since last week because of the limited amount released by the State Bank of Vietnam .
Only regular clients and bank staff had access to the service.
Low denomination notes are used during Tet as lucky money to give to children, friends and the elderly in the belief they bring wealth, health and luck.
Le Dinh Nham, deputy director of Hanoi-based Agribank, said that for the last month, the bank had been exchanging small notes for the public, but it had got to a point where they had started to prioritise who were eligible.
Nguyen Chi Thanh, director of the State Bank of Vietnam 's Issuance and Vault Department, said besides accommodating the demand for cash at the year-end, the central bank would also issue new bills including low denomination notes.
However, the high demand for the notes would put pressure on the banking system and when Tet finished, there would be imbalanced cash circulation, Thanh said.
While banks are failing to meet the demand, black market trade is booming.
Popular spots to exchange currency in Hanoi include Hoan Kiem District's Nguyen Xi Street and Dinh Liet Street .
Smaller bills are proving more expensive, with on average a 20-30 percent mark up./.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HCM City's children set for 10 new amusement parks
HCM City (VNA) - The HCM City People's Committee is giving priority to building 10 amusement parks and three cultural centres for children this year.
A centre each will be built in Tan Phu, Hoc Mon and Binh Chanh districts this year while the amusement parks will be completed next year. Work on all of them will begin this year.
The 10 will be modelled on the Khanh Hoi Children's Entertainment Area in district 4, a free, 13,000sq.m facility that attracts 1,500-2,000 children every day.
One each will be built in the Can Thanh Town Park in Can Gio district, Phu Lam Park in district 6, Le Thi Rieng Park in district 10, the Youth Activity Centre in Nha Be district, the Binh Chanh Commune Cultural Park in Binh Chanh district, with the districts funding them.
The City Department of Transport will build four others at Gia Dinh Park in Go Vap district and Tao Dan Park, 23/9 Park, and Le Van Tam Park in district 1.
The city Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs will build the last one at the Youth Education and Vocational Training Centre.
The People's Committee has also ordered construction of the Rach Chiec Physical Training and Sport Complex, the City Museum , the symphony and opera theatre, and the City Circus in the Thu Thiem New Urban Area in district 2.
Around 1.7 million children aged below 16 live in the city but there are few amusement and entertainment venues for them./.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Government allocates 15.4mln USD for kindergarten education
HCM Cty (VNA) - The Government has allocated 300 billion VND (15.4 million USD) for the national programme on kindergarten education in 2011, according to the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET).
The programme has made the building of 16,400 new classrooms a priority in its bid to make kindergarten compulsory for five-year-olds across the country.
Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Thi Nghia said that it was difficult to build enough classrooms.
Currently, many provinces had over half of their communes and wards without kindergartens and were forced to borrow venues to teach, Nghia said.
Dak Lak province has 21 communes without kindergartens; Cao Bang province has 125 communes without kindergartens and 70 percent of the existing classrooms are temporary structures.
In Lao Cai Province , there are 184 kindergartens and nurseries and 83 percent of their classrooms are temporary.
At a workshop held recently in HCM City, Pham Ngoc Phuong, deputy head of MOET's School Infrastructure and Equipment Department, said the ministry would provide a list of companies that can provide good quality toys and teaching aids to stop child education centres from buying poor quality ones.
A check of toys and teaching aids at kindergartens nationwide in the 2010-11 school year found a large number of them substandard, Phuong said.
Under the programme, refresher training courses for kindergarten teachers would be provided to prepare them for the new education programme.
Le Minh Ha, head of the MOET's Kindergarten Education Department, said so far kindergarten was compulsory in only 25 out of the country's 63 provinces and cities. Only 35 percent of provinces had attendance rates of 95 percent.
Five of these 25 provinces and cities approved the plan, Ha said.
The remainder were asked by Nghia to find the funds to carry it out, using money from local budgets, official development assistance and other sources
MOT is also working with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Planning and Investment to set up a kindergarten education project for disadvantaged kids by 2015 with 50 million USD from the World Bank's preferential loans./.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hydro-electric power plant built in central Viet Nam
Quang Nam (VNA) - Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) and Dakdrinh Hydro-Power JSC started the construction of the Dadrinh hydro-power plant in Quang Ngai province on Jan.23.
Located in Son Tay district's Son Dung commune and Kon Tum province's KongPlong district on the Tra Khuc River , the 125MW will be the biggest hydro-power plant in Central Viet Nam .
The first turbine is scheduled to go into operation in September 2013 and the second in December of the same year.
Total investment for the project amounts to 3,423 billion VND (170 million USD).
Dakdrinh Hydro-Power JSC was established in March 2007 by PetroVietnam, the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam, the Infrastructure Construction and Development Corporation and the Song Da Corporation.
According to Dadrinh Hydro-power JSC, when construction is completed, the hydro-power plant will supply electricity to the national grid and water to the lower section of the Tra Khuc basin in the dry season, while controlling flooding in the rainy season. It would also act as a clean water resource for the Dung Quat Economic Zone.
Nguyen Xuan Hue, chairman of Quang Ngai's People Committee, said the project would contribute significantly to the economic development of the provinces of Quang Ngai and Kon Tum./.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Top firms win Golden Dragons
Hanoi (VNA) - Eighty foreign-invested enterprises which have performed well and provided good products and services favoured by consumers were conferred with the Golden Dragon Award in Hanoi on Jan.23.
The enterprises were recognised for their excellent performance in 2010 in the fields of finance, banking, real estate, services, construction and the automobile industry, among others. Several well known names were honoured such as Samsung Electronics, Ferroli Indochina, Ford, Mercedes-Benz Vietnam and Coca-Cola.
Speaking at the awards ceremony, Dao Nguyen Cat, editor-in-chief of Vietnam Economic Times, said that the award winners had made a significant contribution to the country's economic structure and increased its industrial production capacity.
"This shows the faith of foreign investors in the sustainable development of Vietnam ," Cat said, adding that they had also contributed to speeding up technical transfer and administrative procedure reforms, and improved the transparency of the country's investment climate.
Deputy director of Ferroli Indochina Co, Ltd Dang Dinh Gia said that the awards encouraged Vietnamese enterprises to improve the quality of their products and services and create a positive image for made-in-Vietnam products in the world market.
Figures from the Ministry of Planning and Investment showed that last year, FDI capital accounted for 25.8 percent of the total investment capital and foreign-invested enterprises exported 38.8 billion USD worth of goods, accounting for 53.1 percent of the country's total export turnover.
The annual prize is granted by the Ministry of Planning and Investment's Foreign Investment Agency and Vietnam Economic Times to honour contributions made by foreign-invested enterprises to the Vietnamese economy. This is the 10th consecutive year the awards have been held./.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weighlifter's doping ban confirmed
HCM City (VNA) - The International Weightlifting Federation confirmed the two-year ban on Vietnamese weightlifter Hoang Anh Tuan for failing a drugs test.
The ban took effect on September 18, 2010, after Tuan's "A" and "B" samples both tested positive at the world weightlifting championships that month in Turkey .
He was also fined 5,500 USD for infringement of drug rules and the cost of the tests.
Tuan, who subsequently missed the Asian Games in Guangzhou , China , last November, claimed the banned substance may have been in medicines he took for flu during training last May in China .
Since Viet Nam does not have a weightlifting federation, the fine will be paid by the Vietnam National Sports Administration.
Tuan is Vietnam's best ever lifter and has won silver medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar.
He also won bronze medals in the 2005 and 2006 world championships./.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fake software prompts virus alert
HCM City (VNA) - Computer viruses will continue to thrive in Vietnam this year as internet-users ignore the consequences of installing fake software online, the Bach Khoa Anti-virus centre said in their "2010 Virus Review".
The review said there was a significant increase in fake anti-virus programmes; viruses that targeted databases; hacking into company networks; and mobile phone viruses last year with more to come in 2011.
The review warned of about 60 million computers in Vietnam that are infected with nearly 60,000 different viruses.
The persistent W32.Conficker and Metamorphic viruses were still on the top of the list of usual suspects.
2010 was a boom year for fake anti-virus software with 2.2 million downloads from websites offering the free anti-virus ware, 8.5 times higher than the year before.
The review said a new virus type poses as a file in the user's documents using an icon. This virus type infected 1.4 million computers last year.
Viruses that destroy data had appeared twice in 2010. Though they didn't cause serious damage they could be a bigger threat in future.
Virus attacks on networks caused public alarm as important websites were targeted.
BKAV experts have also discovered hacker groups that used viruses to steal information from Vietnamese organisations' networks./.
|
