Summer Heat in Hanoi. HOT HOT

Early summer heat wave bakes Hanoi

Early summer heat wave bakes Hanoi: (VOV) - The capital city of Hanoi is experiencing the first heat wave this year, with outside temperatures climbing to 39-40 degrees Celsius

Agent Orange, dioxin

Agent Orange tied to aggressive prostate cancer risk

Posted on MAY 13, 2013 Written by THANHNIENNEWS LEAVE A COMMENT

Soldiers detect Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) and defoliant Agent Orange during the launch of the “environmental remediation of dioxin contamination” project, in Vietnam’s central Da Nang City

Men who were exposed to Agent Orange chemicals used during the Vietnam War are at higher risk for life-threatening prostate cancer than unexposed veterans, researchers have found.

What’s more, those who served where the herbicide was used were diagnosed with cancer about five years earlier than other men, on average, in the new study.

“This is a very, very strong predictor of lethal cancer,” said urologist Dr. Mark Garzotto, who worked on the study at the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Oregon.

“If you’re a person who’s otherwise healthy and you’ve been exposed to Agent Orange, that has important implications for whether you should be screened or not screened,” he told Reuters Health.

But one researcher not involved in the new study said it’s hard to take much away from it, given the imprecise way it measured exposure.

Agent Orange – named after the giant orange drums in which the chemicals were stored – was used by the U.S. military to destroy foliage, mainly in southern Vietnam. The herbicide was often contaminated with a type of dioxin, a potently carcinogenic chemical.

The Vietnam Red Cross Society has estimated that up to one million Vietnamese suffered disabilities or health problems as a result of Agent Orange, including children born with birth defects years after their parents were exposed.

Past research has also suggested that U.S. veterans who served where Agent Orange was used are at an increased risk of lymphoma and certain other cancers, including prostate cancer.

For the new study, researchers wanted to see whether exposure was more closely linked to slow-growing prostate cancers or aggressive tumors.

They analyzed medical records belonging to 2,720 veterans who were referred to the Portland VA for a prostate biopsy. About one in 13 of those men had been exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War, according to their VA intake interviews.

One third of all men in the study were diagnosed with prostate cancer, about half of which were high-grade cancers – the more aggressive and fast-growing type.

When the researchers took men’s age, race, weight and family history of cancer into account, they found those with Agent Orange exposure were 52 percent more likely than unexposed men to have any form of prostate cancer.

Separating out different types of tumors showed the herbicide was not linked to an increased risk of slower-growing, low-grade cancer. But it was tied to a 75 percent higher risk of being diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer, the study team reported Monday in the journal Cancer.

“The increase in the rate of cancers was almost exclusively driven by the potentially lethal cancers,” said Garzotto, also from Oregon Health & Science University.

More research is needed to figure out exactly why that is, he said. In the meantime, Garzotto said veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange should discuss that with their doctors.

But Dr. Arnold Schecter, from the University of Texas School of Public Health’s Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Program in Dallas, said there’s a “big problem” with just asking veterans if they were exposed to Agent Orange or served in an area where it was sprayed.

“Of those most heavily exposed in the military as best we know, only a relatively small percentage of them had elevated dioxin from Agent Orange in their blood when tested by (the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention),” he toldReuters Health.

Schecter said that in Vietnam, people who have high levels of that type of dioxin in their blood live in places where the chemical has become integrated into the food supply – or were sprayed directly with Agent Orange.

Another researcher who has studied the effects of Agent Orange agreed that not having blood dioxin levels is a drawback, but said the findings are consistent with past research and general thinking about the chemical.

“Almost all studies have implicated that men with Agent Orange (exposure) either have higher-grade prostate cancer or a more aggressive clinical course,” said Dr. Gregory Merrick, head of Wheeling Hospital’s Schiffler Cancer Center in West Virginia, who also wasn’t involved in the new research.

But, he added, as long as men are getting into the VA system and getting regular evaluations and treatment for cancer, Agent Orange exposure “is not a death sentence by any means.”

Toxicity found in breast milk of mothers in dioxin-affected areas — TalkVietnam

Toxicity found in breast milk of mothers in dioxin-affected areas

Posted on MAY 9, 2013 Written by VIETNAMNEWS LEAVE A COMMENT

DONG NAI (VNS)- During the war in Viet Nam, US troops stored more than 98,000 buckets of Agent Orange at Bien Hoa airbase in the southern province of Dong Nai. After they overflowed several times, the contamination level far exceeded what regulations permitted.

Today, the breast milk of women in Bien Hoa City still contains more toxic dioxin than that of women in other areas.

In so-called dioxin “hot spots” – Da Nang, Phu Cat District in the central province of Binh Dinh -toxicity levels are even higher.

These troubling findings emerged as part of a study on dioxin’s effect on newborns conducted by Kanazawa Medical University and the Dong Nai Department of Health. During the study, doctors took more than 200 blood and umbilical cord samples from babies born near the Bien Hoa airbase. They also drew breast milk samples and checked the development of the infants’ nervous systems.

According to the researchers, newborns’ heads in Bien Hoa City were bigger than in Da Nang; the babies who were born prematurely gained weight slowly.

A representative from the Japanese university said that the researchers would continue studying dioxin exposure in food in Bien Hoa City, as more than 90 per cent of dioxin entered people’s bodies via food products like fish and dairy.

The airbase has long been recognised as a toxic spot. In the period of 2009-10, the province discovered three more spots near the airbase that were seriously affected by dioxin. — VNS

Toxicity found in breast milk of mothers in dioxin-affected areas — TalkVietnam

Martial arts and boxing champs kick off in May — TalkVietnam

Martial arts and boxing champs kick off in May

Posted on MAY 6, 2013 Written by VIETNAMNEWS LEAVE A COMMENT

Illustrative image.—Photo tapchithethao

HA NOI (VNS)- Viet Nam will organise the first National Traditional Martial Arts and Boxing Championships this month.

The Military Martial Arts Federation and the National Sports Administration will plan the events. The martial arts will kick off on May 18 with the boxing following one week later.

Matches are expected to take place from 2-6pm every Saturday at the Military Zone 7 Gymnasium.

Each event will include six weight categories for both men and women, aged between 18-35. Athletes will be divided into two groups, with the two highest scoring in each advancing to the finals.

The championships will be aired live on Let’s Viet (channel VTV9). The final matches are scheduled for December 12. – VNS

Martial arts and boxing champs kick off in May — TalkVietnam

Women’s rights advance with co-operation

Posted on APRIL 11, 2013 Written by NHANDAN LEAVE A COMMENT

The Central Committee of the Women’s Union held a meeting in Hanoi on April 10 with international sponsors in a bid to further boost co-operation for the advancement of Vietnamese women.

Speaking at the event, Union Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Thanh Hoa underlined the union’s pivotal role over the past years and its achievements in encouraging and supporting women, exercising their legitimate rights and supporting their material and spiritual lives.

However, many challenges still lie ahead. Women and children under its care have a variety of different social and education backgrounds, and reside across the country. Social awareness of gender equality and women’s progress has improved, but it is still lacking in some localities, while the union is short of qualified staff.

To address the issue, the chairwoman hopes to receive greater support from organisations and agencies inside and outside the country in the coming time to help the union improve the capacity of its staff.

At the event, international partners showed their determination to strengthen co-operation with the union for the advancement of Vietnamese women and gender equality.

(VNA)

Ten finalists Beauty Contest for the disabled

Ten finalists of the beauty contest for the disabled

Posted: 10 Apr 2013 10:50 PM PDT

VietNamNet Bridge – Ten of the over 70 contestants have been selected for the final round of the “Beauty of Crescent Moon 2013″, the pageant for girls with disabilities, which will take place on the evening of April 14 in Hanoi.Beauty contest held for the disabled

The event’s previous name is “Miss Disable” and it is now changed into “Beauty of Crescent Moon.” The contest attracts more than 70 girls. The competition aims to honor the beauty, wisdom and courage of the girls in unfortunate circumstances. Photo: Ms. Doan Le Thu, 19, from Nam Dinh Province. Eight years ago, she suffered from an accident and lost half of her left leg. Currently she works for a fashion company.

Le Thi Thuy Doan, 24, Long Bien District, Hanoi. Being a deaf girl, it is difficult for Doan to communicate with people. Joining the contest, she is warmly supported by her father. He also encourages the girl to actively participate in social activities.

Nguyen Thi Anh Ngoc, 21, from Hai Duong Province. Suffering from a movement disability, Ngoc dreams of becoming a psychotherapist. She is a student of the Psychology Faculty of the Hanoi University of Social Sciences and Humanities.

Nguyen Thi Hau, 29, from Ha Nam, is a student at the Hanoi Medical College and the owner of a small tailor’s shop.

Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hoa, 27, HCM City, is studying design and advertising at the HCM City Vocational Training Center for People with Disabilities.

Nguyen Thi Thu Hien, 26, from Son La province, also suffers from a movement disability. In more than ten years she was carried to school by her mother. Hien is trying to study to not behave badly towards her parents.

Tran Thi Hanh, 25 years old, a native of Ha Nam. At the age 17, Hanh caught myeloma disease and was paralyzed. Since then her best friend is a wheelchair. She is now an employee at a beauty salon.

Tran Thi Hong Thanh, 30 years old, Son La, is a bartender at a cafe.

Tran Thi Ngoc Linh, 24, Quang Binh. In the summer of the 11th grade, she did extra job to assist her family. She lost her left arm in an industrial accident. She graduated from the Philology Faculty of the Binh Duong University and now works at the Quang Binh Province Association for the Development of People with Disabilities.

Vuong Thi Bich Viet,25, from Quang Ninh. After an accident at the age of 19, when she was a student of the Public Relations Faculty of the President International University, Viet has had to seat in a wheelchair. She fell into despair, but then she found herself to be happy. She has reintegrated into society and become more confident.
Compiled by T. Van

Vietnam still doesn’t know how to spend money on tourism promotion — TalkVietnam

Vietnam still doesn’t know how to spend money on tourism promotion

Posted on APRIL 10, 2013 Written by VIETNAMNET LEAVE A COMMENT

VietNamNet Bridge – Surveys have found out that 70-80 percent of foreigners traveled to Vietnam after they heard about the trips to Vietnam from relatives or friends, not because they got the information about Vietnam when they attended tourism trade fairs or roadshows, or seeing ads on CNN or BBC.

A senior executive of Trong Diem Trade and Tourism Company, which were present at the last 10 trade fairs in Berlin (ITB) has attributed this to the unprofessional and unmethodical advertisement campaigns carried out by Vietnam.

The number of German tourists to Vietnam in the first three months of the year dropped dramatically by 51.7 percent in comparison with the same period of 2012, even though Germany has been one of the key markets, where Vietnam regularly runs tourism promotion campaigns. Especially, the Germany – Vietnam direct flights allow travelers to take trips in a convenient and time-saving way.

The above senior executive said the ITB’s organization board offered free admissionto local people on the two last days of the trade fair, which attracted a very high number of visitors.

While it was very crowded and noisy at the other stalls, the Vietnamese stall was so quiet because many directors of travel firms left for Vietnam on the last two days.

The director of a travel firm that left before the closing ceremony said that he came there just to meet foreign partners, and he did this on the first days of the trade fair already. He did not think he needed to stay there for some more days, because Vietnam did not organize any special events to attract individual tourists.

Another director complained about the irresponsible preparation of the Vietnamese agencies for the trade fair. ITB opened on March 5, but travel firms were gathered just some days in advance, which forced them to make preparations in a hurry. Especially, the stall’s layout of the Vietnamese stall shown to travel firms was quite different from the one used at the trade fair.

Where to spend money on?

Vietnam, a poor country, once accepted to pay $300,000 to advertise Vietnam’s tourism on CNN in 2007, and $400,000 to post ad pieces on BBC, CNN, and on 27 taxis in London in July 2009. However, no one can say for sure about the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

In 2012, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, once again, intended to spend big money to post ad pieces on 32 buses in Australia for one month. Travel firms then immediately criticized the plan, saying they could not understand what the ministry strived for when running the program.

A report by Nielsen, a market survey firm, showed that more and more tourists access Internet to seek tourism information. About 61 percent of tourists nowadays seek information about the destination points before or when they begin the trips, while 48 percent discuss about trips on online forums. The advertisement on TVand radio ranks nearly at the bottom of the list of the main channels tourists use to seek information.

Director of the Malaysian Tourism Promotion Agency–Victor Wee, has advised Vietnam not to scatter money everywhere, but focus on some key programs to attract tourists.

He himself admitted that he doesn’t like watching TV. Malaysia once relied too much on TV ads, while did not make appropriate attention to Internet, which turns out to be a very effective and cheap advertisement channel

Vietnam looking for beautiful faces

VietNamNet Bridge – For the first time, Vietnam will organize a beauty contest to looking for faces to promote marine tourism.

Ngoc Anh (left) – the pageant’s representative.

The Vietnam Sea Queen beauty pageant will be part of the Sea Festival 2013 in the central coastal city of Nha Trang this June. The competition aims to seek a face to promote tourism of Nha Trang in particular and Vietnam sea tourism in general.
The top three contestants of the pageant will become the representatives of Vietnam’s marine tourism in two years.
The organizing board will receive application from April 8 to May 3. The eligible contestants are Vietnamese women at the age of 18 to 26, at least 1.62 m tall and at least high school graduates. They must not have cosmetic surgery and are not transgenders, have never married and have no children. Those who used to rank in the Top 10 of the Miss Vietnam pageant or the winners of local beauty contests will be exceptional admitted to the final round.
The preliminary round will be held in Can Tho City on May 5, Nha Trang on May 8, Hue on May 11, Hanoi on May 13 and Ho Chi Minh City on May 16. The finale will take place at the Khanh Hoa Cultural House Square in Nha Trang city on June 9.
The winner will receive VND150 million ($7,500) and have the right to use a 5-star apartment in a luxury building in Nha Trang for free for two years. In addition, the “Sea Queen” will be nominated as the Vietnam Tourism Ambassador.
The organizers said that the revenue from the pageant will be donated to the “Fund for Poor Patients” of Khanh Hoa Province. In addition, 20 percent of the prize money of the top three beauties will be contributed to the Truong Sa Construction Fund.
T. Van

Urgent meeting to cope with A/H7N9 — TalkVietnam

Urgent meeting to cope with A/H7N9

Posted on April 9, 2013 Written by vovnews 1 Comment

(VOV) – The Ministry of Health held an urgent meeting in Hanoi on April 8 to discuss preventive measures against A/H7N9 bird flu with Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien in the chair.
Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said that the development of A/H7N9 bird flu remains complicated as the source of transmission has not been clearly identified.
Dr Nguyen Van Binh, head of the General Department of Preventive Medicine urged all local health departments to intensify supervision and monitoring of A/H7N9 bird flu development.
He said there is high risk of A/H7N9 bird flu spreading from China to Vietnam through wild animals like birds including pigeons.
The Ministry of Health on April 7 gave instructions on how to take, preserve and transport A/H7N9 bird flu samples. Accordingly, all samples should be protected at temperature of 4 degree Celsius and transferred to laboratories within 48 hours

Sub-standard kindergartens boom in new urban areas — TalkVietnam

Private kindergartens have mushroomed in the new urban areas, but many offer low-quality services.

Children at the Sunrise Kindergarten resort to playing on the pavement

Private kindergartens such as the Bup Mang Xanh Class or the Viet My Kindergarten School in Dai Kim new urban area are located in private houses. Because the children play and study in the teacher’s home, the facilities are often quite poor.

Others private kindergartens also face the same situation. If they are not teacher’s homes then they are in rented houses that offer little space for the children’s recreation. One of such kindergarten is the Sunrise School, one of the school belong to Minh Phuong Private Kindergarten in Linh Dam urban area, where children have to play on the pavement.

Viet Hung urban area in Long Bien District also houses at least nine private kindergartens.

Despite the high number, Nguyen Nhu Dien, a resident in Viet Hung urban area said his family had to send his five year old grandchild to a school far from home. “My family’s income is low while the tuition in this area is always around VND2.3-3 million per month (USD110-143). We can’t afford it,” he said.

Dang Van Truong, Head of Hoang Mai District Department of Education and Training said they had 26 of both public and private kindergarten schools. In addition, 150 small-scaled private classes have been granted permission to operate in the district. Only official kindergarten schools are required to follow urban planning rules.

According to Truong, one of the reason for the blooming of private kindergartens is because new urban area such as Phap Van-Tu Hiep or Linh Dam lack enough public schools.

Another reason is the population bloom. Hoang Mai District’s population has increased from 180,000 to 350,000 in the last nine years and the public schools can only meet 40% of demand.

The Ministry of Education and Training recently asked the local departments tosurvey and suspend substandard kindergartens. The ministry is also encouraging kindergartens to provide favourable conditions so they meet set standards.

The Rise of a Young City

After 15 years of operation, especially in the last five years, Phu Ly City has enjoyed significant growth. No longer an agricultural township or simply a stopover on National Road 1A, Phu Ly City now presents the face of a modern township. It has synchronously constructed and upgraded infrastructure, particularly traffic, water supply and drainage, waste and waste-water treatment systems, green parks and public utilities.

The nucleus is the riverside township surrounded by eight blueprint urban and ecological zones. From this skeleton, trade centers and hotels are being built up to make changes to the city. Roads are newly built or upgraded to create open living space for residents and laying the foundation for the rapid development of the city. The city government is determined to use urban development to create the fulcrum to attract investment for social and economic development.

Focused urban infrastructure development

Since its re-establishment in 1997, Phu Ly City has carried out master plans and detailed plans to build and upgrade synchronous infrastructure systems, thus giving a facelift to the fast-developing provincial capital. The city is making powerful steps to become a second-grade urban zone in 2018.

With detailed plans, the face of Phu Ly is changing with new townhouses, high-rise buildings and upscale apartment blocks. The modern, civilised city is situated on National Highway 1A, the North – South Railway, and the confluence of the Day, Chau Giang and Nhue Rivers.

The city’s infrastructure is being upgraded and the transportation system is heavily invested. At present, the city has 119.7 km of roads, of which 83.5 per cent are permanently concreted or asphalted, and there are no earth roads. The downtown has 31 arterial roads, totalling 70.1 km in length. Phu Ly City is investing to build North – South and East – West trunk roads, Ring Road 1, centreline road connecting Lam Ha urban zone, and two bridges crossing the Day River. Well-connected links between townships and industrial parks with National Road 1A, 21A and Cau Gie – Ninh Binh Motorway will be primary factors in the formation of a seamless traffic network.

With confluence of the three rivers, Phu Ly City has many plans and policies for continued infrastructure development investment to serve trade and tourism development, including Nam Tran Hung Dao urban zone, Nam Chau Giang – Bac Chau Giang urban zone, and Phu Van ecological zone. The most notable project of the city is the combined construction of Chau Giang embankment and urban zone. This commercial – service zone has many modern high-rise buildings. The highest is a 25-storey condominium and office building. This downtown area is a highlight of the city’s integration and modernity.

In the following years, to reach a new high, Phu Ly City has implemented the Prime Minister’s Decision 1226/QD-TTg dated July 22, 2011 approving the Ha Nam provincial socioeconomic development master plan to 2020. The formation of new residential wards and the expansion of administrative boundaries will lay the groundwork for Phu Ly to become a second-grade urban zone by 2018.

Prioritised investment for infrastructure and services

Since re-establishment 15 years ago, Phu Ly City has positively changed. The people of Ha Nam province in general and of Phu Ly City in particular are proud of what the city is today. Annual economic growth averages 19.69 per cent from 2005 to 2010, and GDP per capita reached VND35.5 million in 2011.

Apart from preferential policies and investment incentives stipulated by law, the central government and the provincial government, investors will be provided most favourable conditions on issues like the legal environment, investmentincentive policies, administrative procedures, land, buildings, infrastructure, transportation, human resource training, hygienic and environmental guarantee,social security and order to attract all resources to make Phu Ly more civilized and prosperous.

Aiming to become a second-grade urban zone by 2018, the young city is changing every day. However, with a low starting point, limited internal forces of the economy in the midst of huge demand that adheres to approved planning, the cityis seeking investors, especially for infrastructure, trade, service, education – training and health care.

Trong Tinh

The Rise of a Young City: After 15 years of operation, especially in the last five years, Phu Ly City has enjoyed significant growth. No longer an agricultural township or simply a...

New bridges inaugurated in Danang — TalkVietnam

They are named Tran Thi Ly, Nguyen Tri Phuong, and ‘Dragon’ to highlight the city’s dynamic growth and Han river, particularly at night.

(VOV) – Three bridges over the Han river in the central city of Danang opened to traffic on March 29 to mark the 38^th anniversary of its Liberation Day.

The 666m-long and 37.5m-wide Dragon bridge has six lanes and two 2.5m-wide sidewalks, installed with a modern lighting system and other equipment capable of releasing bursts of fire at night and spraying water during the days of majorfestivals and during the weekends.

Overall construction started in July 2009 at an estimated cost of VND1,700 billion.

With eight modern bridges spanning the Han River, Danang is credited as “a city of bridges”.

Ham Rong (Dragon) bridge

New bridges inaugurated in Danang — TalkVietnam

Hanoi 6,000 unsalable apartments

Hanoi has nearly 6,000 unsalable apartments Posted: 25 Mar 2013 11:30 PM PDT VietNamNet Bridge – Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee – Mr. Nguyen The Thao – says that there are nearly 6,000 apartments in the city are unsold. However, investors have not sold them to the city to convert them into houses for low-income people, houses for resettlement or houses for public employees. 20130326131820-1.jpg On March 22, hundreds of businesses joined Hanoi’s officials in a conference to seek solutions for the real estate market. The Hanoi People’s Committee’s report shows that the city currently has 5,789 apartments, more than 3,400 villas and 17.500m2 of housing floor that are unsalable. Despite that huge inventory, real estate investors have not been interested in the city’s policy on turning service houses into social houses (houses for low-income people, houses for resettlement or houses for public employees). “We have sent a notice to each firm but until now none of them has registered with the city for transformation,” Thao said. After reviewing the city’s housing development projects, Hanoi authorities have approved for converting three service housing projects into social housing projects. Six investors have registered to build social houses in seven locations in the city. Hanoi has also checked bad debts of real estate enterprises and asked commercial banks in the area to ensure credit quality, NPLs, and accurate classify debts. The construction projects in progress will be loaned. The pay of land use fees for the social housing development projects with financial difficulties will be extended up to 24 months. To solve the above inventory, Hanoi also applies the soft lending policy to low-income people, civil servants, staff of the armed forces to lease or purchase social houses of less than 70m2, with the price of under VND15 million per one square meter. In particular, the city will temporarily not consider the commercial housing projects from now to December 31, 2014. S. Tung

Saigontourist plans 100 tours for Re-unification holiday — TalkVietnam

Saigontourist – Travel Service company will offer more than 100 domestic and foreign tours designed to meet every needs during the upcoming holiday of National Reunification Day (April 30) and May Day.
Many special tours are built around annual events popular among travellers such as the International Firework Festival in the central coastal city of Da Nang and Ha Long Carnival Festival in the northeastern province of Quang Ninh.

As the holiday this year last up to five days (April 27 to May 1), there are tours to famous beach or mountain resorts in the central region for those who like to relax.

The company also provides tours to the lush gardens in the Mekong Delta, and heritage sites in the northern and central regions.

For outbound tours, besides popular destinations in Asia such as Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, China, the Republic of Korea and Indonesia, tourists can also choose to travel farther to Europe, the United States, Egypt or South Africa.-VNA

Fatal SKIN disease caused by Aflatoxin

Fatal SKIN disease caused by Aflatoxin

VietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Health has concluded that the mysterious disease which has affected 215 people in central Quang Ngai Province's Ba To District was caused by Aflatoxin, a toxin produced by fungus in mouldy rice.

Tests showed that 100 per cent of those affected in Ba To and Son Ha District ate mouldy rice which was contaminated with the toxin nine times higher than the safe level.— Photo 24h.com.vn

Last Thursday, at Lang Reu Village in the district's Ba Dien where the disease started to rise, investigators took samples of rice from families of those infected.

Deputy head of the ministry's Preventive Medicine Department, Phan Trong Lan, said tests showed that 100 per cent of those affected in Ba To and Son Ha District ate mouldy rice which was contaminated with the toxin nine times higher than the safe level.

Lan urged residents not to eat mouldy rice or rice stored for a long time.

The toxic agent causes liver cancer in men, he said.

Ministry investigators also surveyed the residents' rice-eating habits.

Deputy head of the Pasteur Nha Trang Institute, Vien Quang Mai, said local awareness of health safety and personal hygiene has been raised.

Residents dried grain before use but storing it in their timber barns did not preserve the rice's quality due to moisture.

At a meeting on Saturday between leaders of the provincial People's Committee and the two districts and relevant authorities to discuss preventative measures, deputy chairman of the committee, Le Quang Thich, said the situation had become more complicated.

Another 11 cases had been reported in the past 20 days, he said.

Therefore, to prevent the disease spreading, provincial agencies must strengthen supervision to prevent another fatality.

Agricultural experts were asked to give advice processing and storing rice to local people, Thich said.

Residents dried grain before use but storing it in their timber barns did not preserve the rice's quality due to moisture.—Photo 24h.com.vn

Residents must also be encouraged to have health check-ups as soon as symptoms are detected, so that they can have timely treatment, he added.

Clean water must be supplied to people in affected areas, local leaders requested, adding that more research should be conducted so other causes of the disease are not overlooked.

Health centres in Ba To and Ba Dien must be equipped with the necessary equipment serving for check-ups and treatment, they said.

They also called for liver tonic and restoratives to be provided to residents.

The disease, which causes skin to peel off feet and palms, was first discovered in the province two years ago.

Son Ha is the third locality hit by the disease, with two affected people reported on February 15.
Twenty-three have died of the disease.

Source: VNS

Chinese think differently about 1979 Border WAR

The Chinese think differently about the 1979 border war

VietNamNet Bridge - The escalating tension in the East Sea and the recent debate of educators about adding the 1979 border war between Vietnam and China in textbooks makes the relationship between Vietnam and China a hot topic. VietNamNet talks with Prof. Dr. Tran Ngoc Vuong, from the University for Social Sciences and Humanity.
 

Prof. Dr. Tran Ngoc Vuong.

Should or should not the 1979 border war be in textbooks--is what’s attracting public attention. You have met with many Chinese. How do Chinese people think about this event?

30 years ago, right after the 1979 event, I wrote the article “Idealism of a conception of territory”, trying to explain the war. In 1980, the article was published in the Philosophy Journal. Recently, when the issues between Vietnam and China are more interested, I posted this article on the Internet, because of its topicality.

I used to be a guest lecturer at a Chinese university, so I had the opportunity to meet with many Chinese scholars and people.

I would say that Chinese intellectuals are divided into two groups, who have different cognition and behavior. The first group is the ruling people who stay informed and are responsible for making decision. They have relatively comprehensive information and understand the nature of the issue. The second group is influenced by public information, including the people and officials of various levels, even many scholars.

Part of Chinese intellectuals have a more comprehensive perspective; they have information and more accurate understanding about the nature of the problem. But I think the rate of people who do not have access to accurate information is higher. Chinese people who I met, including many scholars still have negative and inaccurate attitudes about the relations with Vietnam.

In China, the gap of thinking between different social classes is huge, especially between ordinary people and people of the upper class.

What do you think about the 2012 Literature Nobel Prize winner Mo Yan and his book “Comrade-in-arms Reunion”?

I’m sure that Mo Yan did not lack information. He was not confused or mistaken about the border war because at that time he was a propaganda officer for the General Political Department of the Chinese Army. He wrote “Comrade-in-arms Reunion” based on the political direction. Besides, through his works like “Sandalwood Death,” “Big Breasts & Wide Hips” etc., we also can feel the nationalism quite clear.

What should Vietnam do to have independence and its own values?

China is always near to Vietnam, with available knowledge, an organized social system and the long-existed ideology... How can Vietnam escape from that large shadow? Historically, Vietnam has always tried to find its own way.

Vietnam’s innovations often arise when it is under pressure or collides with counterparts that have the equivalence of power.

China has a vast territory, with massive history and culture and China always treat others with the posture of a big country.

Vietnam has to develop its own model, which is invented based on Vietnam’s experience and internal elements. It cannot borrow the development model of other countries. This is true for many countries and territories, not only China and Vietnam.

Among the countries in the region that are influenced by China, Japan is the most successful in maintaining its independence and its own values. Japanese people have exerted efforts to create and maintain the core value - Shinto.

The Japanese believe that Japan was created by a God. All Japanese are descendants of a God – the Sun Goddess. This belief appeared since the founding of Japan and it has been maintained as core national spiritual value. Thanks to that original value, Japanese can retain their independence of thought.

Thanks to that core value the Japanese can keep their independent values. How can we create our own values?

We have the creativity that brought about great efficiency, but we do not review our own history. The dual administration model of the Le – Trinh dynasty is an example.

The dual ruling regime is the model that contains both the Emperor and the Lord, which is different from China.

Throughout its long history, China has never had the coexistence of two dynasties. But in Vietnam, Lord Trinh survived for eight dynasties, totaling 200 years. In some aspects, Vietnam used to have bipolar model of power, unlike China, Japan.

What do you think about the change in Myanmar? What can Vietnam learn from this country?

Just a few years ago, in some standards, Myanmar was considered as one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia. The positive change in this country recently has turned it into a hot spot, a focus of attention of the international public opinion. I certainly do not see negative reviews, disbelief or blame for the tremendous progress in this country.

There are several questions: Why can Myanmar get those changes? What pressure forces them to change? Is there any mistake and deviation in their ruling authorities? What does the government benefit and lose from these reforms? Where do these reforms lead them to? How about the hostile and the supportive forces? etc.

If seriously looking for answers to those questions, we will have great lessons for Vietnam. And who is the subject of the greatest responsibility to seek answers to these questions? Of course the people who are holding the national destiny!

In my opinion, there are too many lessons for Vietnam which can be drawn from Myanmar. And it is important that I see the change in Myanmar does not harm any group of that country. It is the manifestation of the "win - win" theory.

Hoang Huong