Vietnam invites foreign native English teachers

The Ministry of Education and Training has signed two cooperation agreements on January 16 in Hanoi for implementation of the National English Teaching Project 2020.

At the signing ceremony

The first agreement was signed with an English Language Company in Sydney in Australia to supply native English teachers from the US, Canada, New Zealand, and Ireland.
Native English teachers will be assigned to primary schools, junior high schools, colleges and universities under the program ‘Teach and Travel Vietnam (TTV).’
Staff preparing for the National English Teaching Project 2020 will work with the English Language Company to provide training, management and allocation of foreign teachers to schools, as and when needed.
This year there are plans for around 300-500 native English teachers to come to Vietnam.
The second agreement was signed with Greg Ellis, an Australian teacher, who has been developing teaching software for English language and IELTS tests.
Under the agreement with the Ministry, Ellis will give the software for the National English Project 2020 for teaching of the four skills in the English language.
Ellis has written the software based on 10 year research of students in Ho Chi Minh City as well as students in Melbourne, Australia.
The software has already been used to teach students preparing for IELTS tests at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. Ellis has also helped the University of Pedagogy in HCMC in English teaching methodology.
The Ministry believes that the participation of foreign teachers and the new teaching software will enhance English learning in students in Vietnam.

Vote of confidence on PM and President scheduled in May

Posted:

VietNamNet Bridge – On January 16, the National Assembly Standing Committee agreed on the resolution guiding the implementation of the vote of confidence on the titles elected or ratified by the National Assembly and the People’s Council.

The first vote of confidence will be held in May 2013.

The resolution also guides the titles that are the subjects of the vote of confidence at the commune, ward or township levels. These positions include Chairs and Vice Chairs of the People’s Council and the People’s Council of communes, wards and townships.
If a person simultaneously holds multiple positions elected or ratified by the National Assembly, the People’s Council, the vote of confidence shall be made to the highest position.
The time for the periodical vote of confidence is at the first annual meeting since the second year of each term of the National Assembly and People’s Councils at all levels.
About the contents on the report and accountability of the officials who are subjects to the vote of confidence, the National Assembly Standing Committee requested the compilation board to amend in the direction of simplifying explanation contents.
NA Standing Committee’s members also made suggestion on the contents of the regulations.
Because some comments were collected at the meeting on January 16, the guiding resolution on the vote of confidence will be signed and promulgated by National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung to take effect from February 1, 2013, the time that National Assembly’s resolution on the vote of confidence vote of confidence takes effect.
Le Nhung

Vietnam still keeps cautious with GMC | Look At Vietnam

Vietnam still keeps cautious with GMC

May 6, 2012

LookAtVietnam – Vietnam cannot close its eyes to the genetically modified
organism (GMO), described as a revolution in the biotechnology.

There are three different groups of countries in the world which keep different
viewpoints about GMO. The first group includes the countries that advocate GMO,
including the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, China, India and Australia.
The second group comprises of the countries which do not support the new
technology, mostly European countries. And the third group still keeps the
wait-and-see attitude.
In Vietnam, according to Dr Le Huy Ham, Head of the Agriculture Genetics
Institute, only since 2007, did the state set up the directional plan to
research and apply GMO. In the last few years, the development of genetically
modified crops (GMC) in a trial basis has been allowed for some kinds of plants,
such as cotton, corn, papaya and some forestry trees.
As for corn GMC alone, Thai Monsanto Company with three varieties MON89034,
NK603 and MON89034 x NK60, Vietnamese Syngenta with BT11 and GA21 got the
license from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for growing in a
trial basis.
In July 2007, the Prime Minister signed the decision on approving the overall
plan to strengthen the bio-safety management capability over GMOs and the goods
originating from GMOs. The project focuses on building the legal framework on
the policies on bio-safety management policies and heightening the awareness of
the community about bio-safety.
Keeping cautious not a useless thing
Vietnamese agriculture experts believe that Vietnam needs to follow a reasonable
roadmap in approaching GMC. In the first step, it needs to collect information
and analyze the two-sided impacts of GMC, in order to reach a consensus in the
society abut the use of GMC.
Secondly, Vietnam needs to allocate higher budget to upgrade the material
facilities and improve the labor force for basic research works to create GMC in
Vietnam.
Thirdly, Vietnam should think of growing in a large scale some kinds of GMCs
including cotton, forestry trees, ornamental trees, strictly following the
biosafety rules.
Dr Nguyen Hong Minh, Director of the Center for High Quality Vegetable Variety
Research and Development, has warned that the expenses for GMC seeds are much
more expensive than normal seeds, while the expenses would be increasingly high,
once farmers depend on supply companies. Meanwhile, farmers would not be able to
resume the old ways of cultivation after they apply GMO, because the biological
environment has changed with quite different conditions.
Minh has pointed out that if the farm produce prices are the same for both GMCs
and normal products, farmers would choose GMCs. “In the first 5-10 years,
farmers would not be busy, while they can have higher yield and have to spend
less time on dealing with insects. However, they would be enjoy the good time
for a short period,” Minh said.
“The risk they would face is very high, once farmers depend on multi-national
variety supply companies which have the power to define the prices,” he added.
International experts have warned that GMC variety supply companies have
registered the varieties to confirm their ownership, which means that they would
have the power to control the organisms in the globe with their cross-fertilize.
Especially, the companies may create the varieties with infertility gene, which
means that they can be used to grow one time.
Ham has also confirmed that the current GMCs can be grown for two or three
crops, and after that, they would provide low yield. While Vietnam still cannot
master the GMO technology, it would be really a high risk if it grows GMCs in a
large scale.
Hai Duong

Vietnam finds banned anorexiant in Chinese weight loss supplement | Look At Vietnam - Vietnam news daily update

Vietnam finds banned anorexiant in Chinese weight loss supplement

November 6, 2011 about Health

The Vietnam Food Administration has found sibutramine in a batch of Cishi Qingguo Capsule products imported from China.

The Vietnam Food Administration announced on October 27 that it found sibutramine – an oral anorexiant banned by the Health Ministry – in a Chinese-made weight loss dietary supplement sold on the Vietnamese market.
The administration has seized the batch of Cishi Qingguo Capsule products imported by Delta Vietnam Medical Equipment Joint Stock Co. based in Hanoi from its store.
In April 2011, the Drug Administration of Vietnam (DAV) banned the circulation of drugs containing sibutramine and ordered hospitals to stop prescribing the products. It also ordered drug manufacturers, importers and distributors to recall the products from nationwide stores.
According to the DAV, sibutramine increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes in patients with a history of cardiovascular disease.
Sibutramine has been withdrawn from the market in countries and regions, including Australia, Canada, China, the European Union, Hong Kong, India, Mexico, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

By Nam Son, Thanh Nien News

Vietnam finds banned anorexiant in Chinese weight loss supplement | Look At Vietnam - Vietnam news daily update

Canada imposes duties on Vietnam Shoes

Anti-dumping duties will be imposed on Vietnamese shoes by Canada after accusations of unfair market practices by local exporters have been found with merit.



Foreign visitors inquire about Vietnamese shoe products at a footwear exhibition in Ho Chi Minh City
The Canada Border Services Agency made its final determination to apply provisional duties on waterproof footwear in nearly finished form, constructed wholly or in part of rubber from Vietnam and China.



Vietnamese shoe exporters who do not comply relevant regulations will be hit with the 32.4 percent anti-dumping tax on prices while non-sampled exporters will pay duties of 12.8 percent, according to the agency.



The agency said exporters found in compliance with Canadian regulations, like Vinh Long Footwear, Pou Yuen Vietnam, Fulgent Sun Footwear and Stateway Vietnam will pay duties of 15.8, 7.3, 3.4 and 0 percent respectively.



It said the duties would apply until September 25 when the Canadian International Trade Tribunal would make an order or finding on its inquiry into the question of harm suffered by the domestic industry.



Similar products imported from China will also face duties ranging from 0 to 43.8 percent, said the agency.



Meanwhile, duties on shoes originating in Vietnam and China were lowered.



In March, the agency made its preliminary determination to impose taxes of 5.2 and 49 percent and 21.7 to 52.3 percent respectively on Vietnamese and Chinese products.



The findings followed a complaint filed by the Shoe Manufactures’ Association of Canada of Baie-d’Urefe, Québec.



Vietnam exported US$93 million worth of footwear to Canada last year.



VietNamNet/TN

Happy New Year! - Canada

January 1, 2009 10:11 AM - They ushered in 2009 with a Bollywood-style party last night at the newly-renovated Sangam Banquet Hall on Millcreek Dr. in Meadowvale.Sensational South Asian pop singer Saima Khan headlined the third annual Bollywood Extravaganza New Year's Eve bash. The event also featured Toronto's DJ Ray performing the latest Bollywood, hip-hop and Bhangra hits.There were Hawaiian dancers and singer Faiz Alam performed.Meanwhile, the enthusiastic crowd danced the night away after enjoying a special buffet dinner. The party-goers toasted the arrival of 2009 with a free glass of champ