Ethical issues cloud computing

The 210kV station was built at the total cost of more than VND348 billion (US$15 million) on an area of 40,100 square metres spanning Dong Son and Kenh Giang communes.

According to EVNNPT Deputy General Director Luu Viet Tien, the station helped cut around 80% of the amount of copper cable, slash copper cable transport and installation costs, while reducing the risks of incidents caused by cable damage.

Tien said that the digital transformer station is a new technology in both Vietnam and many developed countries in the world, adding before carrying out construction of the station, EVNNPT held several conferences with large equipment suppliers such as Siemens, ABB and GE.

He said the 220KV digital station will ensure stable power supply for socio-economic development in Thuy Nguyen and regions in the vicinity, reduce power loss as well as enhance connectivity, safety, stability and flexibility in operation of power system.

EVNNPT will make evaluation on the efficiency of the station so as to select suitable technologies for transformer stations in the future.

The Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN) plans to have all equipment on transmission lines and 80% of 110 kV circuit facilities digitalised from now to 2022.

By 2025, EVN will have digitalised 100% of facilities on medium- and higher-voltage power lines, according to EVN Chairman Duong Quang Thanh.

To that end, the group will press on with applying digital technologies like Internet of Things, big data, and cloud computing, he said, noting that it will use artificial intelligence (AI) in monitoring and examination and make use of cameras and smart drones to repair lines.

It will continue research on building information models and digital worker platforms to serve its staff while developing AI applications for image analysis and data governance.

EVN said it has completed 61 of the 63 centres for remote control of transformer stations and converted 670 of the 844 transformer stations into unmanned ones.

Tiling of pavements in a residential neighbourhood meant for the households having to relocate to make room for the Long Thành International Airport in the southern province of Đồng Nai. — VNA/VNS Photo Công Phong

HÀ NỘI — The State-run Airports Corporation of Việt Nam (ACV) said it is committed to start construction of Long Thành International Airport’s passenger terminal early next year.

ACV, which is the investor of the expensive and ambitious transport hub project in the southern province of Đồng Nai, told the transport ministry in a meeting held on Monday that the first component of the project – demining – is ongoing, while walls surrounding the land intended for the project (1,810ha of priority area) are being simultaneously carried out.

The whole thing is expected to be complete by September this year.

ACV asked Đồng Nai Province’s authorities to continue supporting the contractors in ensuring security and protecting the boundary markers during the entire project.

Ground levelling, water drainage, and other essential works, will then follow so that the construction of the passenger terminal of the airport can begin in early 2022.

At the meeting, ACV also requested the authorities to soon finish land acquisition for land clearance at the two roads connecting to the airport, with an “appropriate compensation scheme” for the affected households.

Cao Tiến Dũng, Chairman of Đồng Nai Province People’s Committee, said that a compensation scheme has already been approved by the Government and used in thousands of cases of affected households.

However, recently the State Audit Office of Việt Nam after review has recommended some changes to this approved scheme, but if the province is to follow through and cut down on the compensation level for the remaining households that have not moved yet would certainly lead to complaints and hinder land clearance progress.

Therefore, Đồng Nai has asked the Government to maintain the compensation scheme originally approved, to create “uniformity” in the policy.

Dũng said the province is set to hand over the entire 5,000ha allocated for the project to the investor in June, and soon finish the temporary rehousing plans to move the affected households in the priority area of the project.

3,000ha of this total area involves the land of households and individuals.

By mid-April, the compensation scheme was approved for 4,000 households and individuals (out of the total 4,800), with 2,300 already receiving a total of VNĐ5.4 trillion (US$234.8 million) for a total of 1,100ha.

Next week, Long Thành District’s authorities would pay compensation worth VNĐ1.2 trillion for 811 households with 284ha.

Deputy transport minister Lê Anh Tuấn said Long Thành is one of the breakthrough project of the national transport sector in the 2021-25 period, urging all parties to coordinate and facilitate the progress of all components of the project and disburse the allocated State capital.

ACV and Đồng Nai should work together to see which compensation level is appropriate, Anh Tuấn said.

The transport official also urged careful consideration and preparations to deal with problems arising from the airport’s surrounding walls, including potential waterlogging issues in the adjacent residential households.

Long Thành International Airport will be built in three phases over three decades, and is expected to become the country’s largest airport.

In the first phase, one runway with a length of 4,000m, taxiways, an apron, and a passenger terminal with other auxiliary works sprawling 373,000 sq.m will be built to serve 25 million passengers and 1.2 million tonnes of cargo each year.

The airport is designed to have four runways, four passenger terminals, and other auxiliary facilities to ensure a capacity of 100 million passengers and 5 million tonnes of cargo a year by 2040.

It is expected to cost VNĐ336.63 trillion ($14.5 billion), with the first phase needing over VNĐ109 trillion. — VNS

Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vũ Tiến Lộc. — Photo qdnd.vn

Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vũ Tiến Lộc talks to Quân đội Nhân dân (People’s Army) newspaper about solutions to help businesses overcome difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic

The Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the World Bank have recently announced a report on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Vietnamese businesses. What are key points of this report?

This report was built based on a survey of more than 10,000 businesses in 63 cities and provinces in 2020, providing specific perspectives on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey showed that the year 2020 was a year full of difficulties when nearly 90 per cent of surveyed firms were adversely affected by the pandemic with many consequences such as influencing firms’ access to customers, imbalance of cash flow and interruption of supply chains. Many businesses had to reduce their workforce, stop operations or go bankrupt.

Small- and super small-size businesses and young businesses of less than three years old suffered the most. The pandemic seriously affected turnover of businesses in 2020. 65 per cent of private enterprises and 62 per cent of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) businesses said their revenue dropped in comparison with 2019. Due to COVID-19, the year 2020 witnessed a record number of businesses withdrawing from the market, exceeding 100,000 firms.

However, the year 2020 also recorded the efforts of the business community in overcoming difficulties. Many businesses have changed their strategies, carried out restructuring, retrained human resources, paid more attention to the domestic market and diversifying the consumption market and supply sources. The digital transformation process has gradually been implemented.

These are valuable lessons and experience that the COVID-19 pandemic has offered Vietnamese businesses.

How do you valuate the resilience of Vietnamese businesses in the current context?

In the serious medical crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses have suffered great losses and the resilience of the business community is facing limits.

How have Government support packages helped businesses?

Businesses highly valued Government support packages, particularly fiscal policies such as relaxation or deferment of value added taxes, corporate income tax and land hiring fees.

Seventy five per cent of businesses said Government support policies are helpful.

In the current context, what support do businesses need?

If solutions about tax, fees and support relating to access to finance and credits are limited due to limited State budget, measures relating to administrative procedures are easier to implement and have been promoted in recent years but still need to be accelerated. And that is the basic foundation for the recovery and development of businesses.

But it needs to be noted that implementation is often the weakest step. I still say that the earlier policies are put into practice, the better it would support businesses. So it is necessary to give priority to improve the implementation capacity.

Relevant ministries, agencies and authorities of localities need to increase information dissemination about support policies to create conditions for businesses to get access to support packages. It requires specific, detailed and full guidance about implementation procedures and processes to make it simple and easy for businesses to implement.

It also needs policies to create favourable conditions for private enterprises to help them stand firm and able to recover after the pandemic, particularly policies relating to innovation and qualified human resources training to be ready for a new competition.

Businesses must change, so what do State management agencies need to do?

Relevant ministries and agencies need to study and give recommendations to the Government to issue support packages to help businesses recover and expand investment and operation for the new period of 2021-2025.

The COVID-19 pandemic is forecast to continue having adverse impacts across the globe and it could only be completely eliminated in the next four to five years. So in the future, it is essential to have long-term policies.

Finally, it needs to spread or multiple models that effectively cope with COVID-19. For ministries, agencies and localities, that is experience in effectively implementing support packages for businesses. For enterprise associations, that is the sharing of ways to cope with COVID-19 effectively from those firms that have existed and developed in the context of COVID-19, particularly lessons about choosing markets, partners, business relationship and about investing in building core internal driving force of businesses to increase their resilience to deal with shocks. — VNS

Danang launches a project to make the city an environmental city at a press conference on April 19

The project was launched at a press conference held on April 19 by the Danang Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

With total investment estimated at over VND15 trillion (USD653 million) which comes from the state budget, ODA capital, and private sources, the project aims at building Danang into an ecological city that ensures a safe and healthy environment for residents, investors and visitors.

The project will focus on four key sectors including prevention and control of environmental pollution, improving the environment and solving key environmental problems, conservation of nature and biodiversity and environmental protection awareness.

For the prevention and control of environmental pollution, the project targets 100% of enterprises and production establishments would be certified to achieve the ISO 14000 environmental management system. All emission sources (waste gas, wastewater, solid waste) will be controlled automatically and continuously.

By 2025, the city will complete the ecological industrial zones model and by 2030, there will be at least three eco-industrial zones.

Regarding environmental improvement and solving key environmental issues, the project aims to provide 100% of the urban population with access to clean water through a centralized water supply system and 100% of the rural population with clean water.

To conserve nature and biodiversity, the project seeks to strictly protect natural forests, maintain and encourage an increase in the forest cover and maintain protected land and biodiversity.

Regarding awareness over environmental protection, the project will ensure that over 3% of budget expenditure will be allocated to environmental protection activities. The rate of households practicing waste separation at point is targeted to reach 90% by 2025.

Speaking at the event, director of Danang Department of Natural Resources and Environment, To Hung, said that the project has been approved by the prime minister and they are determined to reach the goal.