Cat ba vietnam

A ceremony marking the handover was held April 9 at the offices of the 3rd Regional Coast Guard in the southern province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau.

Attending the ceremony were Vietnam Coast Guard commander Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Son, U.S. Consul General Marie Damour and other officials, the U.S. embassy said in a Facebook post Saturday.

Lt. Gen. Son said that Vietnam highly appreciated the U.S. gesture and considered the event “an important milestone of the Vietnam-U.S. partnership,” helping Vietnam improve its law enforcement capacity at sea.

The cooperation between the coast guards of both countries has strengthened in recent years.

In 2017, the U.S. Coast Guard handed over the Hamilton-class (the second-largest class of vessels in the U.S. Coast Guard) USCGC Morgenthau cutter to the Vietnam Coast Guard under their Excess Defense Articles (EDA) program. The ship was then commissioned for the Vietnam Coast Guard and renamed CSB 8020.

The U.S. has also sold a total of 24 Metal Shark high-speed patrol boats and is overhauling the USCGC John Midgett, another Hamilton-class vessel, to hand it over to Vietnam.

At a press conference in Hanoi, outgoing U.S. Ambassador Daniel Kritenbrink had remarked that security cooperation was developing strongly between the two countries, especially between the two militaries.

He said that Vietnam and the U.S. have worked together to implement a United Nations resolution on North Korea and to promote a common stance on the East Sea. The U.S. has assisted Vietnam in building its defense capacity, especially maritime capabilities, and supported Vietnam in sending peacekeeping personnel to South Sudan.

Referring to East Sea disputes, Kritenbrink had stressed that the U.S. always stood by its partners and allies in building an international order based on rules, and opposed ” the provocative actions of China with the other countries in the region.”

There were 1,418 newly licenced projects during the Jan-June period, with registered capital of US$8.44 billion. There were 526 licenced projects from previous years registered as having adjusted their investment capital with additional capital of US$3.7 billion, up 26.8%.

During the six-month period, 4,125 foreign investors contributed capital and purchased shares with a total value of nearly US$3.51 billion, up 2.6%.

During the period, the processing and manufacturing industry witnessed the largest volume of newly licenced FDI projects, reaching US$8 billion, accounting for 51.1% of total newly registered capital. It was followed by the production and distribution of electricity, with US$3.95 billion, accounting for 25.2%; wholesale and retail (US$1.08 billion); and real estate (US$850 million).

Among the 98 countries and territories registering new projects in Vietnam in the first six months, Singapore was the largest investor, with US$5.44 billion, accounting for 34.7% of the total, followed by Thailand with US$1.58 billion (10.1%), China with US$1.58 million (10.1%) and then Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Taiwan (China).

Among the 57 localities receiving FDI in the six-month period, the southern province of Bac Lieu ranked top with US$4 billion. Ho Chi Minh City came next with over US$2 billion and Ba Ria – Vung Tau placed third with US$1.95 billion, followed by the capital Hanoi, Binh Duong province and Hai Phong city.

HANOI

PERFORMANCE

Glamour 2

8pm on April 24

L’Espace

2 Trang Tien Street, Hoan Kiem District,

A new music programme entitled “Glamour 2” should be a journey filled with nostalgia but full of new discoveries, honour notable French songs.

The event features the participation of foreign artists: pianist Max Schwingeling, guitarist and singer Kenjah David, guitarist Guillaume de Miribel, percussion artist Christopher Michael and bass artist Oosamu Sakurai; as well as Vietnamese singer Hua Thanh Tu and the Bamboo Tambourine group.

Ticket: VND200,000

Promotional ticket: VND150,000 (until April 17).

EXHIBITION

‘Virtual Private Realms’ Exhibition

Manzi Art Space

14 Phan Huy Ich Street, Ba Dinh District,

The exhibition ‘Virtual Private Realms’ brings together the works of 7 artists: Lananh Le, Din Sama, Nguyen Duc Huy, mi-mimi, Nghia Dang, Trinh Cam Nhi, and Ha Ninh, with a focus on their painting practices.

Belonging to the 9X (millennial) generation, these artists have contributed to a new wave of practitioners in the Vietnamese art scene.

Exhibition: Eyes without a Face

The exhibition area inside the Japan Foundation library

27 Quang Trung, Hoan Kiem District,

Eyes without a Face is a project co-organized by the Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam and Manzi Art Space, with support from the Goethe-Institut, and other organizations, individuals as well as close friends.

Exhibition: Retro

The Muse Art Space

47 Trang Tien Street, Hoan Kiem District,

RETRO is an exhibition that goes back in time. Retro is also a popular term in fashion, furniture design, and art.

The RETRO exhibition will present paintings and objects in line with the modern intellectual culture world in Vietnam, mostly from the beginning to the middle of the 20th century.

HO CHI MINH CITY

EXHIBITION

Exhibition “The Resonance of remembrance”

Vy Gallery

20 Nguyen Van Thu, Da Kao, District 1,

“The Resonance of remembrance” exhibition has been organised on the occasion of the whole country celebrating the biggest holiday, National Reunification – April 30.

The exhibition consists of 5 works, including 4 lacquer works and 1 oil painting for the purpose of conveying to the public the message of spiritual, historical and artistic values of the wars to preserve the country’s peace.

The sub-zones include the Cai Rong Area, North Cai Bau Area and the Van Don airport area.

Speaking at the conference, Quang Ninh Vice Chairman Cao Tuong Huy praised the Van Don Economic Zone management board for completing the plans for the economic zone’s most important areas.

He also spoke highly of investors who had overcome the difficulties caused by Covid-19 to quickly finalise procedures for their projects.

The official added that such plans are the basis to call for capable and reputable investors to implement high-quality projects, helping boost sustainable socio-economic development in Van Don.

At the conference, Quang Ninh Province granted an investment license to a high-end hotel and resort complex to Cat Linh Van Don Company and Mai Quyen Tourism Company.

The project will cover 2.34 hectares and has total investment capital of VND4 trillion (US$173 million).

The call for investment in the Van Don Economic Zone has affirmed Quang Ninh Province’s consistent policy of reforming administrative procedures and improving the business environment.

Dr Chiba Hiroshi.   Photo courtesy of Family Medical Practice

By Dr Chiba Hiroshi*

Let’s say you are suffering from long-lasting body pain. You’ve tried drugs from the pharmacy or tried yoga classes, but nothing seems to help. What should you do in this situation?

To get better control, you need to know the basic principles of pain.

When a part of the body is damaged due to injury or illness, the sensory nerves around the injured tissue instantaneously send electrical signals to the brain, signaling the body’s injury as pain. Pain is essential information for quickly detecting abnormalities in the body and protecting yourself from further danger. The pain at this time is called nociceptive pain.

Paracetamol and NSAIDs (which stands for Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs like aspirin, ibuprofen, etc.) are prescribed against nociceptive pain. You can even buy them as over-the-counter medicine at pharmacies. Damaged cells release small particles called prostaglandins, which can intensify pain or generate fever. These drugs exert their analgesic effect by blocking prostaglandins. Topical as well as oral medications may be useful.

However, suppose the pain persists even after taking paracetamol or NSAIDs for a certain period. In that case, it is necessary to consider other possibilities as the cause of the pain.

At first, we need to consider whether the pain is caused by treatable diseases.

Diseases such as migraine and polymyalgia rheumatica have particular medications that can control the pain through treatment if accurately diagnosed. Doctors should be on the lookout for these diseases. Malignant cancers can also cause long-lasting pain, so a thorough investigation is necessary.

Pain that lasts for more than three months without such a manageable disease is called chronic pain. Paracetamol is known to be ineffective in treating osteoarthritis and chronic back pain.

Next, consider the possibility of neuropathic pain. Neuropathic pain is a condition in which the sensory nerves get damaged. They transmit electrical signals to the brain that causes pain. Even if there is no damage to the body, the brain receives the electrical signals and feels the pain. NSAIDs and acetaminophen are ineffective for neuropathic pain.

Furthermore, when there is long-lasting pain, sensitisation for pain may occur.

Sensitisation for pain means that the brain or nerve functions have been altered by prolonged pain so that even the slightest stimulus is perceived as pain. There is no test to detect sensitisation. Doctors have to diagnose it solely based on the patient’s complaints, clinical course, and some basic examinations. Therefore, it is difficult to diagnose the pain caused by sensitisation. Even if it can be diagnosed accurately, it takes a long time to treat because of the brain and nerves’ structural changes. Therefore, multidisciplinary treatments using various medications, cognitive therapy, mindfulness, or other practical means like yoga, are necessary in many cases.

Medications to ease neuropathic pain or sensitisation are antidepressants or anticonvulsants, which act on the malfunctioning brain or nerves. It does not necessarily mean that you have epilepsy or depression.

In general, opioids such as oxycontin and fentanyl would not be prescribed for chronic pain. Although opioids effectively treat pain caused by malignant cancers, they are withheld from non-cancer chronic pain for concerns about dependence unless there is no other option.

Lastly, let’s look at the side effects of these medications.

Acetaminophen is an extremely safe drug and has few side effects as long as it is taken in the proper dosage. However, taking too much of it can damage the liver.

It is well known that NSAIDs can cause gastric mucosal damage. In particular, aspirin can inhibit hemostasis, so for example, avoid taking it if you have dengue fever. When you get seasonal flu with fever, taking NSAIDs can cause Rye syndrome, a severe complication.

Antidepressants and anticonvulsants have the side effect of making you drowsy since they affect the central nervous system.

Opioids have various side effects such as drowsiness, constipation, and the formation of physical and psychological dependence, which is a risk of making pain control more difficult.

Thus, to keep pain under control and get your life back, it is crucial to take the proper medication to treat and alleviate the cause of pain. Family Medical Practice

*Dr Chiba Hiroshi is a Japanese Family Doctor with 20 years of experience working in Japan and Cambodia, specializing in primary care, travel medicine, and urgent care. He graduated from Tohoku University school of medicine in 1998 and received his PhD in Geriatrics in 2004. He provides consultation on a wide range of health problems for all age groups. Other areas of specialties and interests include infectious disease, infection control, and medical education.

Family Medical Practice was the first foreign-owned primary healthcare provider in Việt Nam, and has consistently remained at the forefront of international-standard medicine since 1995. It offers extensive healthcare and emergency medical services nationwide to Vietnamese, expatriate and corporate customers.

For more advice on any medical topics, visit Family Medical Practice Hanoi at: 298 I Kim Mã, Ba Đình District . Tel: (024) 3843 0748.  E: [email protected] .

FMP’s downtown Hồ Chí Minh City location is: Diamond Plaza, 34 Lê Duẩn, District 1; 95 Thảo Điền, District 2. Tel: (028) 38227848. E: [email protected]

FMP Đà Nẵng is located at 96-98 Nguyễn Văn Linh, Hải Châu District, Đà Nẵng. Tel: (0236) 3582 699. E: [email protected] .