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Vietnam, Sudan boost multifaceted cooperation
Cairo (VNA) – Vietnam was willing to share experience with Sudan in areas of its strength, such as agricultural production and aquaculture as well as in national development.
Deputy Foreign Minister Doan Xuan Hung made the statement at talks with Sudanese Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Salah Wanasi in the capital city of Khartoum on June 21.
Hung affirmed that Vietnam backed up an early removal of embargo against Sudan as well as respected the country’s peace process.
He also proposed bilateral and trilateral cooperative mechanism to help raise Vietnam’s investment in Sudan and asked the country to create favourable conditions for Vietnamese investors, especially in the fields of oil and gas, telecommunications, agriculture, minerals and rice growing.
Wanasi affirmed that Sudan always gave fine sentiments toward Vietnam, adding that he hoped Vietnam would quickly open an embassy in the country.
The two sides reviewed the two countries’ relations since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1969 and informed each other about national and regional situation, stressing that peace was a prerequisite factor for national development.
They also agreed to continue exchanges of delegations and consider the quick establishment of a joint committee to increase bilateral cooperation.
The two sides targeted to raise two-way trade to 100 million USD in the future from the current 20 million USD./.
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Party leader visits Laos’ Savannakhet province
Hanoi (VNA) – Party General Secretary and National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong, his wife and entourage left the capital city of Vientiane for Savannakhet province on the afternoon of June 21.
At the reception, the Vietnamese leader said he was happy to visit the province – the homeland of late President Kaysone Phomvihane and other predecessor Lao leaders.
Trong spoke highly of the results of mutual assistance and bilateral cooperation between Savannakhet province and Vietnam’s localities.
He said he hoped Savannakhet will continue expanding its cooperative ties with Vietnam’s localities, particularly border provinces, to keep the common border of peace and stability.
Savannakhet Provincial Party Committee Secretary and Mayor Suphan Keomisay briefed the Vietnamese leader of his provincial socio-economic development, saying that Savannakhet has attained an annual GDP growth of 10 percent.
The province has invested in cultivating sugarcane, rubber, eucalyptus and other industrial trees to help reduce poverty, eliminate hunger and develop rural areas as well as improving health care and education services, he said.
Savannakhet wants to further its cooperation with Vietnam’s localities, said the mayor, adding that Vietnam is now the third largest investor in Savannakhet with 24 projects totalling more than 140 million USD.
On this occasion, the Vietnamese leader announced to present the Culture House to Savannakhet locals. The Savannakhet Mayor thanked the Vietnamese leader for the present, saying that the cultural work will bear the name of late President Kaysone Phomvihane.
While in Savannakhet, the Vietnamese leader and his entourage toured the Vietnamese Language Training Centre./.
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Luxemburg artist to hit Hanoi
Hanoi (VNA) – Luxembourg classical and modern jazz pianist, Francesco Tristano, will perform in Hanoi on June 23 to celebrate the birthday of Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg and the country's National Day.
The 30-year-old pianist discovered the piano at the age of five, playing his first concert, including his own compositions, aged 13. He has toured both as a soloist and with renowned orchestras such as the Russian National Orchestra, the French National Orchestra of Lille and the Philharmonie Luxembourg. Tristano is the founder of the chamber ensemble, The New Bach Players, with whom he has performed as conductor. The ensemble consciously breaks with convention, using a Steinway grand piano and old, vibrato-less bows on contemporary string instruments.
Tristano studied at the Lincoln Centre for Performing Art's Juilliard School in New York, completing a master class on Rosalyn Tureck, famous American pianist and harpsichordist particularly associated with the music of Bach.
The pianist completed further studies at the music academies of Brussels, Riga, Paris, Luxembourg and Barcelona, winning the first prize at the international piano competition for contemporary music in Orleans, France, in 2004.
Tristano has released 12 albums, including the 2007 Not for Piano, which presented his own compositions as well as versions of electronic classics played on piano. Idiosynkrasia, his third album, was released to critical acclaim in 2010.
His first musical project, entitled bachCage, produced by Moritz von Oswald, was released on Deutsche Grammophon in March.
During his Hanoi performance, which will take place at the Hanoi Opera House at 8pm, Tristano will perform Bach's Partita No 1, B flat major, BWV 825 and Partita No 6, E minor, BWV 830. He will also present some of his own works, including Barceloneta Trist, The Melody and Ground Bass-Chaconne./.
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Nation falls under ongoing cyber attack
Hanoi (VNA) — In the first weeks of this month, hundreds of websites with the domain name of "vn" have been the subject of cyber attacks throughout Vietnam.
The attacks include many on politically related websites with the domain name of "gov.vn," including www.ntc.mofa.gov.vn, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and www.caugiay.hanoi.gov.vn, the portal of the capital city's Cau Giay district.
This has led the Ministry of Information and Communications, on behalf of the Government, to order all State authorities to take steps to improve the security of their electronic portals.
Two of the most common types of attack include "defacement", a type of computerised vandalism that changes the visual appearance of a site.
Another approach by the destructive hackers is to prevent users from accessing their computer sources. This is called denial-of-service-attack (DDoS).
On June 6 alone, more than 200 websites reported denial of service.
Preventative measures include regular virus scans, changing network administration user-names and passwords – and using firewalls.
In addition, if web hosting services are available at all times, they can support customers whenever breakdowns occur.
The ministry has ordered the supervision and enhancement of all technical operations for State systems to detect signs of attack.
It has also called on relevant authorities to submit reports on network security for the whole year to date so that it can get on top of the situation./.
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Ha Long Bay puts safety first
Hanoi (VNA) - Many tourists were disappointed when they arrived at Bai Chay Port in Ha Long Bay ready for a boating adventure through the World Heritage site on June 10 to find that hundreds of tour boat owners had ceased operations.
Boat owners were staging a strike against a new decision passed by the Quang Ninh People's Committee on boat operations. The decision, released in March, was a move by local authorities to improve boat safety after the vessel Truong Hai Boat sunk in February and left 12 people dead. All commercial boats were required to meet the new safety regulations by June 10 in order to receive permission to resume operations.
Owners said the regulations were impossible to meet in such a short period of time. New requirements called for all staff on board to have high school diplomas, at least two were required to have first aid training and boats had to be equipped with standard fire suppression systems.
Speaking to media at the strike, Nguyen Anh Duc, vice president of Bai Tho Tourism Company, which owns several commercial boats in Ha Long Bay, said that setting up standard fire extinguishing equipment would cost as much as 100 million VND (4,700 USD) and would also take up a lot of space on the boat.
Quang Ninh provincial People's Committee held official meetings with the boat owners and vowed to consider their concerns.
Some boats resumed operations two days after the strike although no decisions had been made on revisions to the new regulations or how much time owners had to upgrade their boats.
Nguyen Van Toan, head of the legislation office under the Ministry of Transport's Vietnam Inland Waterways Administration, said that his office was collaborating with local authorities to examine the situation but had yet to reach a conclusion.
When considering boat safety in Ha Long Bay, it's easy to see that the regulations imposed by the Quang Ninh People's Committee are in fact crucial and necessary. It is not reasonable to refuse to follow the regulations just because the fire suppression equipment is too expensive or that the staff on boats is not well educated. Graduation from high school probably does not guarantee that the staff will follow all the necessary safety regulations but earning a boat operation safety certificate could help improve safety.
The problems however lie in the management process and regulation enforcement methods. "Policy makers should have foreseen all the necessary requirements for a boat to operate safely but we usually only recognise them after there has already been an accident," said Pham Trung Luong, deputy head of the Institute of Tourism Development Research , under the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. "Now it's time for researchers and policy makers to sit down and look back at existing policies to avoid further accidents in other areas too," he said.
Luong has a point. "We should not forget that two people were killed last March in an apartment fire in Hanoi because of the building's poor fire safety." After the accidents, fire safety policies for apartment buildings were immediately generated and inspections were carried out in apartments all over the city.
Nguyen Van Son, deputy director of the city's fire department said the regulations helped but were very costly for many buildings and sometimes they found it impossible to comply. He blamed financial reasons for the problem because many state-owned buildings had a very limited budget making it impossible to keep up with regular fire equipment maintenance.
In conclusion, I think it's important for policy makers to establish safety regulations before it gets to a point where it's ‘better late than never.' But it is also crucial for the regulations to be paired with detailed instructions to help people follow them in a timely-manner. Lastly, the regulations should be enforced properly even in the face of strikes because in the end, safety should always be prioritised./.
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Two more heritage sites expect UNESCO recognition
Hanoi (VNA) – The Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park and the Citadel of the Ho Dynasty of Vietnam are among 37 heritage sites proposed for inscription into the UNESCO World Heritage List as natural and cultural properties.
Addressing the on-going session of the World Heritage Committee in Paris, Director General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation Irina Bokova said that the 35th session will examine the World Heritage List, the state of conservation of 169 World Heritage properties and increasing challenges to the preservation of these sites.
World Heritage is a reminder of all that unite humanity, she said, adding that it is a reminder also of the ties between culture, nature and societies.
World Heritage sites can be tremendous vectors for dialogue, reconciliation, development and knowledge, she noted.
She took the occasion to call on UNESCO States Parties to focus on risk preparedness and long-term management to protect irreplaceable and priceless heritage of humanity.
To date, the World Heritage List numbers 704 cultural, 180 natural and 27 mixed properties in 151 out of its total 187 States Parties./.
BUSINES
Vietnam attends rice conferences in Thailand
Bangkok (VNA) – Vietnam together with world-leading rice trading nations are attending the World Rice Standard Summit 2011 in Nakhon Sawan province, Thailand , on June 22.
Earlier, Vietnam also had a chance to seek international trade partners at the Thailand National Rice Conference in Bangkok on June 20.
The two events are aimed at boosting rice production and assessing demand and supply across the world, Thai Commerce Minister Porntiva Nakasai told a press briefing on June 20.
Nguyen Thanh Hung, Commercial Counsellor at the Vietnamese Embassy in Thailand , who represented Vietnam at the events, said Vietnam ’s rice exports increased by about 20 percent in the first five months of this year and are expected to reach 7 million tonnes in the whole year.
Meanwhile, Thailand is forecast to reach its target of exporting 10 million tonnes of rice in 2011, reaping some 170 billion baht (roughly 5.6 billion USD), as compared with 5.34 billion USD the country earned from shipping abroad 9.05 million tonnes of rice last year, he said.
According to the commercial counsellor, Vietnam and Thailand have carried out a wide range of activities to boost rice cooperation such as organising exchanges for the two countries’ farmers, producers and exporters to share experience as well as information regarding the cultivation, production and export of rice in the region and the world as well.
The Thai Commerce Ministry and the Vietnam Ministry of Industry and Trade have also planned to organise the Vietnam-Thailand commercial summit, he said./.
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Inflation forces workers to find part-time jobs
Hanoi (VNA) — Many workers in industrial zones and export processing zones have been forced to work overtime to confront soaring prices on everyday necessities.
Minh Hien, a worker at the Thang Long industrial zone, said that most of her co-workers asked for overtime hours to increase their incomes.
In addition to working overtime at their regular jobs, many have found extra work outside such as offering motorbike taxi services.
Thu Huong, a worker in the Tu Liem industrial zone, never imagined she would become a motorbike taxi driver.
"When prices for everything from vegetables to rent soared, many other workers and I had to find ways to increase our income," she said, adding that she earned 500,000 VND (25 USD) per month to transport one of her neighbour's children to and from school each day.
"I have to wake up early every day and return home an hour later, but now I have more money to pay for rent, electricity and clean water," she said.
Thanh Long and his wife earn a combined 4 million VND (200 USD) per month as workers at the Noi Bai industrial zone. They each found part-time work to supplement their incomes. Long's wife earns an extra 30,000 VND (1.5 USD) per day washing dishes at a restaurant when her shift at the industrial zone is over. Long performs quality control evaluations of light bulbs before they are packaged. He earns 10,000 VND (0.5 USD) for every 100 bulbs he checks.
According to a recent report issued by the Ministry of Planning and Investment about the lives of poor people and workers, about 1.6 million people in 260 industrial zones and 15 economic zones were facing numerous difficulties because their salaries were not high enough to meet their basic needs.
The report also showed that the average salary for industrial zone workers was close to 2 million VND (100 USD) a month, about 68 percent of the national average.
Doan Thi Huu Nghi, deputy director of the Viet Hung Investment and Development Joint-stock Company in the Gia Lam Industrial Zone, said that the company strove to provide 15,000 VND (0.75 USD) every day to each worker to cover lunch and rent expenses.
"Providing them with the support means we have less profit to re-invest in manufacturing," she said.
Nghi also said that she was worried every time the State mentioned anything about raising the minimum wage because that would put her company at risk of bankruptcy.
"Manufacturing costs increase daily while profits stay the same so we cannot provide any more support to our workers," she said.
The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs is putting the final touches on a project proposal centred on supporting worker demands for submission to the Government.
Under the project, workers would receive 100,000 VND (5 USD) per month if they had no absences and did not make any mistakes, said Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Hai of the Gia Lam Labour Union
Many trade union officers said that support for workers not only came in the form of money to secure a standard of living, but also included things like accommodations, health care, kindergartens for their children and affordable essential goods.
Research on how much workers spent on accommodations, meals, health care and schooling for their children should be conducted to determine how relevant bodies could provide support, they said.
Workers should also be able to purchase food directly rather than through middlemen to help them reduce expenses, they said./.
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Vietstar Airlines gets licence
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam 's Civil Aviation Administration has granted a license to Vietstar Airlines which will be operating tourist and private flights along domestic and international routes.
Vietstar Airlines is a 400 billion VND (19.51 million USD) joint venture between the Aircraft Repairing Company A41, the Vietnam Air Force, Vietstar Airways and the Tin Thanh Express Company.
Nguyen Thanh Binh, a representative from Vietstar Airlines, told the Vietnam News that the airline would launch garages for aircraft maintenance and overhaul during November, kicking of flight services in December.
"Fights services for entertainment, emergency, film making, photography, geological survey and rescue operations are not available with other airlines in Vietnam ," Binh said.
"With more than 80 million people and a more stable economy, we believe that Vietstar will succeed in providing services to the growing needs of the market".
Vietstar Airlines will become the country's seventh domestic airline following Vietnam Airlines, Jetstar Pacific, Vasco, Viet jet, Air Mekong and Indochina Airlines.
Though the country has opened its sky to both national and private airlines, private carriers still face difficulties in competing with the national carriers.
Excluding national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines, Air Mekong is the only private airline operating healthily amidst current tough market conditions. Indochina Airlines, already defaulted on its debut and Jestar Pacific have debts with the Vietnam Air Petrol Co (Vinapco)./.
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