Farmers harvest rice in Can Tho City. The city’s People’s Committee says the city should move away from its over-reliance on rice and fishery production and reform its industrial sector. — Photo baocantho.com.vn The Can Tho People’s Committee has called for industrial reform as the city’s Industrial Production Index (IPI) is not growing as quickly as in other cities. At a meeting of the People’s Committee, departments and district officials on Tuesday, the city’s Department of Planning and Investment reported that Can Tho’s IPI was 4.4 per cent lower than in January. In addition, the overall IPI in the first two months was only 5.63 per cent higher compared to the same period last year. This was the lowest IPI increase among other big cities in the country. Nguyen Minh Toai, director of the city’s Department of Industry and Trade, said the city’s rice harvest season had not arrived yet and workers were either on Tet (Lunar New Year) break or spending their time maintaining machinery for the harvest season. The city’s IPI is mostly tied to rice and fishery production and processing, and will increase once the harvest season starts and workers resume their normal work load after Tet break, he said. However, the People’s Committee said the city’s low IPI was due to over-reliance on the rice and fishery sectors, which are insufficiently profitable and slowing the city’s growth. The committee said the Department of Industry and Trade should work with other departments to introduce more advanced technologies… [Read full story]
Accordingly, by 2030, Vietnam’s aviation transport market will strive to be among the top 4 ASEAN countries in terms of transport volume with three regional air passenger and freight transport centres. Specifically, the total passenger transport market will increase by an average of 16% every year from 2015 to 2020 and 8% for each year during the 2020-2030 period. Meanwhile, the total freight transport market will increase by an average of 18% annually from 2015 to 2020 and 12% from 2020 to 2030. The transport capacity of Vietnamese airlines by 2020 is set to reach 64 million passengers and 570 thousand tonnes of cargo, rising to around 131 million passengers and 1.7 million tonnes of cargo by 2030. Regarding plans for the airport network, by 2020 there will be 23 airports comprising 13 domestic and 10 international airports. There are four international airports (Noi Bai, Van Don, Cat Bi, Vinh) and three domestic airports (Dien Bien, Tho Xuan, Dong Hoi) in the North region, three international airports (Phu Bai, Da Nang, Cam Ranh) and four domestic airports (Chu Lai, Pleiku, Phu Cat, Tuy Hoa) in the Central, and three international (Tan Son Nhat, Can Tho, Phu Quoc) and six domestic airports (Buon Ma Thuot, Lien Khuong, Phan Thiet, Con Dao, Rach Gia, Ca Mau) in the South. By 2030, the system will incorporate 28 airports with 15 domestic and 13 international airports.
A military unit of the central Vietnamese of Da Nang on Wednesday began the implementation of a plan to ensure safety and security for the upcoming visit of an aircraft carrier-led group of U.S. Navy ships. The security measures for the March 5-9 visit by the Carrier Strike Group One, (CSG-1) were adopted during a meeting held by the municipal border soldier unit, according to Vietnam’s Government Information Facebook page. Several agencies have been assigned separate tasks to secure all activities, from immigration and surveillance to security and safety, for the visiting warships, particularly the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, the guided missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain and the destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer. Under a program approved by both the Vietnamese and U.S. governments, the USS Carl Vinson-led CSG-1, with a crew of more than 6,000, will dock in Da Nang for a five-day visit from Monday next week. The historic visit, the first time for a U.S. aircraft carrier to be in Vietnamese waters since the war ended in 1975, was announced in January, when U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis visited Hanoi, his first trip to Vietnam since assuming his post. International media are referring to the upcoming visit as the largest military presence by the U.S. in Vietnam since 1975. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training has submitted a plan to the municipal administration requesting approval for an ambitious pilot scheme that would establish a network of ‘smart schools’ in the megacity. The scheme is among the steps being undertaken by the southern metropolis to realize its vision of becoming a smart city by 2025, which includes the development of low-cost energy, convenient public transport systems and improved healthcare services alongside high-quality education. At the core of the ‘smart schools’ project is the application of information technology and communications in the management and organization of educational activities, said Nguyen Van Hieu, deputy director of the Department of Education and Training. The ultimate goal is to establish a complete online interactive environment that interconnects schools, families, and society – the three pillars supporting a student’s success, Hieu explained. To realize this goal, tablets, interactive boards, and cyber teaching materials will be utilized to their fullest potential. Tests and examinations will also begin to be held online through Internet-connected devices, the director said. The municipal department of education will work to establish an open online library for teaching materials and education applications and software which all students and teachers can access and download for their own use. Apart from general exams, teachers are encouraged to compile personalized tests that are tailored to the ability and development of individual students, with the help of computer software. Students will also be able to study and take exams from the comfort… [Read full story]
The Asia-Pacific Gateway (APG), Vietnam’s lifeline undersea cable, broke down at 6:30 am on Tuesday at a spot 125 kilometers away from Hong Kong. The rupture has disrupted Internet connections from Vietnam to other countries, according to the Vietnam Posts and Communications Group (VNPT), a major Internet service provider in the Southeast Asian nation. The group said Internet services linked to overseas servers like Gmail, YouTube and Facebook would be affected to a certain extent. However, according to a number of Internet service providers, they have stored fallbacks for the cable failure, for they have been familiar with the situation. A representative from VNPT said to partly deal with the problem, it has rerouted international Internet traffic to other cable systems, which are safe and sound, and has been cooperating with its foreign partners to facilitate the Internet traffic volume related to servers outside the country. It has employed solutions which guarantee Internet service quality, ready to provide customers with information about the cable issue and give them prompt assistance. The time frame for restoring the cable has not been determined, according to an Internet service provider. Three of the important international cable systems crossing Vietnam are the Intra Asia (IA), the Asia-America Gateway (AAG), and the currently failing Asia-Pacific Gateway (APG). The last system, around 10,400 kilometers long, connects eight countries and territories in the Asia-Pacific, namely Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Taiwan, mainland China, Japan, and South Korea. It can deliver a capacity of up to 54Tbps, the greatest of… [Read full story]
Nhan said Hippler’s visit demonstrates German universities’ interest in and creates cooperation opportunities between German universities and HCM City, and universities in the city in particular. Secretary of the HCM City Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan (R) shaking hands with President of the German Rectors’ Conference Horst Hippler He urged Hippler to share his experience in connecting universities with local authorities in innovative research, and social development promotion, while calling for his support to HCM City in organising workshops between universities in recognising and handling challenges to the training sector during the fourth industrial revolution. The official expressed his hope that Hippler will contribute further to enhancing cooperation between German universities and their counterparts in HCM City, as well as cooperative activities in scientific research, especially in scientific and technological application in urban development. For his part, Hippler applauded educational collaboration between Germany and Vietnam, including partnerships between their universities, pledging that he will work to further boost cooperation in higher education. According to the Professor, apart from training, the Vietnam-Germany University has great opportunities to participate in HCM City’s development projects. Hippler said he is willing to introduce universities with a lot of experiences in personnel training to HCM City to help the Vietnamese southern metropolis improve the quality of human resources, thus meeting increasing demand for construction and development. Source: VNA
Danang City People’s Committee has decided to temporarily suspend the operation of two steel plants in the area following complaints from local people about their threats to the environment. People gathered at Dana-Italy and Dana-Australia to protest against their wastewater discharging on February 26 The decision was announced on Thursday morning after a meeting between the committee and people in Hoa Vang District’s Hoa Lien Commune a day earlier. The Dana-Italy and Dana-Australia have been required to temporarily stop production from February 28, the announcement said, adding that the Hoa Vang District People’s Committee and the local Department of Natural Resources and Environment would supervise their activities. Other activities including administration, transportation or trade can still continue but will be monitored by local authorities. The committee has also asked relevant agencies to find a proper location to move the two factories by March 2. On February 26 evening, hundreds of people in Hoa Lien Commune gathered at the two factories, blocking the gates. According to local people, the two factories have seriously polluted the environment for the past 10 years with their wastewater. The problems had been reported to leaders of the city who pledged to move 50% of the households to other places by the end of 2017. At a meeting with local people on February 28, deputy chairman of Danang City People’s Committee, Ho Ky Minh, said that it was very difficult to find a solution to the case. “Relocating the plants and the households will both face… [Read full story]
Authorities in Vietnam’s central city of Da Nang closed down two steel factories on Wednesday following a prolonged protest by residents complaining about pollution and the city’s failure to deliver on a promise to relocate them. The local government has pledged to come up with a complete plan this week to move residents away from the factories, and many people are hoping that officials mean it this time. “Please stop making promises and excuses,” Pham Mai, a resident, told officials as they met on Wednesday. The $88-million plants, Dana Y and Dana Uc, started operation on an area of 22 hectares (54 acres) in 2006, with only a wall separating them from a residential area. They were designed to produce 700,000 tons of steel products a year. Residents said the plants received approval from authorities, so they should take the blame for the “unbearable” dust and noise that have bothered them for years. Hundreds of people in Hoa Vang District have been protesting outside the factories since Monday night, putting up tents to show their determination to get the situation resolved. “If you cannot fix the pollution, you have to move the plants,” Ngo Chau, a resident, told officials. Either that or the city closes the factories until everyone is moved to a safe zone, said his neighbor Phan Nhan. Phan Nhan, a Da Nang resident, demands the city act to save people from pollution on Wednesday. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyen Dong Officials were unable to give a concrete answer at… [Read full story]
At least one person was killed and 19 others were injured when a sleeper bus slid off a cliff on the downhill portion of the Lo Xo Pass in Kon Tum Province in Vietnam’s Central Highlands region early Thursday morning. The bus was heading from Quang Nam Province on the central coast toward Kon Tum at around 2:30 am, according to Colonel Le Dinh Toan, the provincial traffic police chief. The area where the accident occurred is considered the most dangerous section of the mountain pass and has been the site of multiple fatal crashes over the years, Toan said. Initial reports show that the bus was traveling downhill when it lost control and plunged into a 70-meter abyss. The driver was thrown out of the vehicle during the fall and killed on the spot while 19 passengers suffered from injuries of varying degrees, nine of whom were critically injured, police say. Rescuers and locals used ropes to reach the victims and transfer them one-by-one to safety. Ropes are used to bring victims to the ground. Photo: Tuoi Tre According to Dao Duy Khanh, director of the Kon Tum Department of Health, three of the passengers sustained only minor flesh wounds and have been discharged from the hospital, one of whom caught soon another bus to continue the journey. Sixteen remaining victims are still receiving medical treatment at Kon Tum General Hospital, Khanh said. The Lo Xo Pass, located between Quang Nam and Kon Tum, is the part of National… [Read full story]
The event, covering an area of 30,000 square metres of the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre, will feature 1,980 booths, up 29 percent compared to the previous year. The Vietnam International Furniture and Home Accessories Fair (VIFA – EXPO 2018) will take place in Ho Chi Minh City from March 7 to 10. (Photo: vifafair.com) HAWA Vice Chairman Huynh Van Hanh said VIFA – EXPO 2018 is the largest annual event of the wood industry as it gathers all wooden products, handicrafts, furniture and supporting services, meeting demand of consumers from all over the world. More than 2,000 visitors from 95 countries and territories had registered to attend the event as of February 27. Source: VNA
