Les mis on broadway

JICA gives recommendations on development of Da Nang’s port

April 14, 2021 by en.qdnd.vn

In their end-of-term report, JICA experts identified the urban planning for the area surrounding Lien Chieu Port, a transport connectivity plan, a plan to find suitable locations for terminals, the feasibility of a public-private partnership, a model for effective management and operation of this port, and an appropriate investment plan harmonising interests of both State and private sector.

Vice Chairman of the Da Nang People’s Committee Le Quang Nam said the Prime Minister, in his decision to give the in-principle approval, requested the municipal People’s Committee to promptly carry out procedures to select capable investors to build and run terminals of Lien Chieu Port in line with legal regulations.

He said JICA’s participation and assistance in preparing for the project are highly necessary that will create a prerequisite for the development of this port.

Shimizu Akira, Chief Representative of the JICA Vietnam Office, said Lien Chieu Port should be put into use as soon as possible, adding that the consultancy group will take into account the city’s opinions to perfect the port development plan.

He also expressed his hope for continued cooperation from local authorities in this issue.

The common infrastructure component of the Lien Chieu Port project was approved in principle by the Prime Minister on March 25, 2021, aiming to build infrastructure for common use in the port so as to create a foundation for developing a seaport in the Lien Chieu area.

It is expected to have total investment of more than 3.4 trillion VND (147.4 million USD) and be carried out from 2021 to 2025.

Source: VNA

Hanoi sparkles with nocturnal serenity

April 14, 2021 by e.vnexpress.net

Thanh Nien Street, located between West Lake and Truc Bach Lake , is brightly lit at dusk.

The street is renowned for its beauty, with the blackboard trees that line it providing ample shade and its ancient temples adding a sense of spiritual tranquility.

Tran Quoc Pagoda is seen at 7 p.m.

Located on a small peninsula on the east side of West Lake, Tran Quoc Pagoda, at nearly 1,500 years, is known as the oldest pagoda in the capital.

Adding to the architectural beauty and historical significance of the pagoda is a Bodhi tree said to be the “offspring” of the original tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment in India.

Long Bien Bridge, a symbolic Red River crossing, was designed and built by French firm Daydé-Pillié in September 1898. It opened to traffic in 1902, running more than 1,691 meters, with a rail track in the middle and road transportation on either side.

During the Vietnam War (1955-1975), the bridge had some of its parts damaged and even destroyed by enemy bombing. The Vietnamese government fixed the damage, building the spans still in use today.

Octagon House, built in 1901, used to host the French army’s trumpet shows. The structure lies inside the Ly Thai To flower garden area, encompassing the streets of Dinh Tien Hoang, Le Lai, Le Thach and Ngo Quyen.

Turtle Tower, an iconic symbol of Hanoi in the middle of Hoan Kiem (Sword) Lake, shines at night.

Hoan Kiem Lake, which spreads across 12 hectares (30 acres), is named for the legend of a golden turtle god showing up at the lake to take back a sword it had given King Le Loi in the 15th century to help fight Chinese invaders.

Hanoi’s St. Joseph Cathedral is located at 40 Nha Chung Street. Built between 1884 and 1888, it has been a place of worship for Catholics in the capital for more than a century.

The Chuong Duong Bridge interchange at night.

Connecting Hoan Kiem District and Long Bien District, Chuong Duong Bridge is 1,230 meters long with four two-way traffic lanes.

Built from 1983 to 1986, the bridge was the first in Vietnam designed and built without foreign technical assistance.

Hanoi Museum, part of Vietnam National Convention Center, is located on Pham Hung Street in Nam Tu Liem District. The building was completed in 2010 with an inverted pyramid design.

A view of Landmark 72 and other high-rise buildings amid the foggy cityscape.

Landmark 72 on Pham Hung Street is the country’s second highest building, after Landmark 81 in Ho Chi Minh City.

Nhat Tan Bridge, also known as Vietnam – Japan Friendship Bridge, was inaugurated in January 2015. It runs a length of 8.9 kilometers (5.5 miles) across Red River and has five spans representing the capital’s five ancient gates.

Photos by Nghiem Dinh Chinh

Hanoi public hospital’s executives arrested for price gouging of medical equipment

September 26, 2020 by tuoitrenews.vn

The Ministry of Public Security on Friday arrested and started legal proceedings against Nguyen Quoc Anh, former director of Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi, and two of his subordinates at the infirmary for “abuse of position and authority” in the alleged price gouging of medical equipment.

The two subordinates are Nguyen Ngoc Hien, former vice director of Bach Mai Hospital, and Trinh Thi Thuan, former chief accountant at the infirmary.

Officers also inspected Anh and Hien’s residence on Friday evening.

While the two men were in office, Bach Mai Hospital purchased a robotic system from BMS Medical Technology Joint Stock Company.

The arrested inflated the purchase price of the system to VND39 billion (US$1.7 million) from its market price of VND7.4 billion ($319,000).

Consequently, patients had to pay VND23 million ($990) per instance of the machine’s use while the rate should have been VND4 million ($172) only.

It is estimated that the arrested appropriated VND10 billion ($430,800) from patients via more than 500 cases of the system’s use from 2017 to 2019.

Previously, the Ministry of Public Security also arrested and began legal proceedings against Pham Duc Tuan, chairman and director of BMS, Ngo Thi Thu Huyen, BMS deputy director, and Tran Le Hoang, an appraiser of VFS JSC — which had been hired by Bach Mai Hospital to appraise the robotic system, for their involvement in the case with the charge of “fraud and appropriation of property.”

Hoang is now under home arrest.

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Vietnam’s shrimp exports expected to face fierce competition in next 3-5 years

April 14, 2021 by english.thesaigontimes.vn

Vietnam’s shrimp exports expected to face fierce competition in next 3-5 years

By Trung Chanh

Workers process shrimp for export. Vietnam could face tough competition over shrimp exports from rivals such as Ecuador, India and Indonesia in the next three to five years – PHOTO: VNA

CAN THO – Vietnam will face tough competition over shrimp exports from rivals such as Ecuador, India and Indonesia in the next three to five years if the shrimp farming and processing technology is not improved.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the VietShrimp Aquaculture International Fair on April 14 in Can Tho City, Le Van Quang, chairman of Minh Phu Seafood Corporation, often referred to as “the shrimp king”, said that over the past few years, despite modern technology applied to shrimp farming, the prices of Vietnamese shrimp had remained uncompetitive compared with those in Ecuador, India and Indonesia. The export price of Vietnam’s shrimp is 30% higher than that of the three countries.

Quang said that though Vietnam’s shrimp price was higher than that of these countries, Vietnam’s shrimp exports could compete with them, driven by modern shrimp processing technology.

However, the advantage of the technology might gradually fade as Ecuador, India and Indonesia are also improving their technology and can produce value-added products and instant food just like Vietnam.

As such, in the next three to five years, these countries will catch up with Vietnam in terms of the shrimp industry.

Besides, the salary of workers active in the shrimp sector in India is one third of that in Vietnam, resulting in the lower price of its shrimp.

If Vietnam does not improve its technology and adopt new solutions and access methods, the country’s shrimp sector will face fierce competition in the next few years, said Quang.

Nguyen Viet Thang, chairman of the Vietnam Fisheries Society, said that shrimp was the main export product among Vietnam’s seafood, with export revenue reaching US$3.8 billion last year. The shrimp sector has significantly contributed to the growth of Vietnam’s agriculture industry and created jobs for millions of workers in Vietnam, mainly in the Mekong Delta region.

In 2021, the shrimp sector targets to farm shrimp on an area of 740,000 hectares, obtain a shrimp yield of 930,000 tons and fetch a revenue of US$4 billion from shrimp exports, Thang said at the fair, which is set to wrap up on April 16.

World News in Brief: April 14

April 14, 2021 by en.nhandan.org.vn

* The Kremlin said on Wednesday that a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Joe Biden would be contingent on US behaviour after reportedly telling Washington to scrap a plan to impose new sanctions on Russia.

* Inspectors from the U.N. nuclear watchdog visited Iran’s uranium enrichment site at Natanz on Wednesday, the agency said, without commenting on the extent of the damage caused by what Iran says was an act of sabotage.

* French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire reaffirmed the French economy should grow by 5% in 2021, and told BFM TV that financial aid measures should remain until the end of the pandemic.

* Vice President Kamala Harris said on Wednesday she is planning to visit Mexico and Guatemala soon and that the United States must figure out how to bring about economic development in the Northern Triangle countries to curb immigration.

* Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Wednesday he would step down from his post in the last ten days of April to clear the way for early parliamentary elections, the Interfax news agency reported.

* Haiti’s Prime Minister Joseph Jouthe announced his resignation on Wednesday amid worsening gang violence and political turmoil in the poorest country in the Americas.

* India’s new infections hit a record level on Wednesday with Mumbai set to be locked down at midnight, but hundreds of thousands of pilgrims still thronged to a religious festival in the north of the country.

* The euro zone economy is still standing on the “two crutches” of monetary and fiscal stimulus and these cannot be taken away until there is a full recovery, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said on Wednesday.

* The suspension of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine could delay efforts to inoculate most people in the European Union by more than two months, scientific information and analytics company Airfinity said.

* Global stock markets pushed to record highs on Wednesday as bond yields eased, after data showed US inflation was not rising too fast as the economy re-opens.

* Thailand reported 1,335 new cases, the biggest daily rise since the start of the pandemic and the third record rise this week.

* Denmark became the first country to stop using AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine altogether, following news of its possible link to very rare blood clot cases, while Finland extended the pause in use of the vaccine for people under 65.

* Spain is confident it can maintain its current vaccination targets despite a US suspension of the Johnson & Johnson shot and delays to its European rollout.

* US federal health agencies have recommended pausing use of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine for at least a few days after six women under age 50 developed rare blood clots after receiving the shot.

* Brazil’s Senate on Tuesday launched an inquiry into President Jair Bolsonaro’s handling of the pandemic.

* With two vaccines now under scrutiny for possible links to very rare cases of blood clots in the brain, US government scientists are focusing on whether the specific technology behind the shots may be contributing to the risk.

* Irish unemployment will remain above pre-pandemic levels until at least 2025, reflecting some scarring from the crisis that will see national debt peak among the highest levels in the developed world.

* Hungary will allow restaurant terraces to re-open once 3.5 million people, about a third of the population, are inoculated against COVID-19, a target expected to be hit sometime next Wednesday or Thursday, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.

* The Swiss government announced further easing of its COVID-19 restrictions on Wednesday, allowing restaurants to reopen outdoor terraces from next week and sports events to take place with audiences.

* South Africa has agreed to onerous conditions like non-refundable downpayments to secure vaccines from Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer, its health minister said, describing the terms vaccine manufacturers had demanded as “difficult and sometimes unreasonable”.

* The first study to directly compare immune reactions between Pfizer’s and AstraZeneca’s vaccines found strong and broadly similar antibody responses in over 80-year-olds after a first dose of either shot, scientists said.

Paris Agreement support project to be accelerated in Vietnam

April 14, 2021 by vov.vn

The VN-SIPA scheme, that uses a non-refundable official development assistance (ODA) from Germany, was previously granted approval by the Prime Minister back in April 2019. It is set to be implemented nationwide over a four-year period until 2023, with a total capital of EUR10.3 million.

The ultimate aim of the project is to strengthen the legal framework and national capacity to support the implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change, with a specific focus on implementing the nation’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).

Addressing the event, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Le Cong Thanh stated that the VN-SIPA project is of great importance to Vietnam as its success will contribute to both the implementation of the NDC and the Paris Agreement on climate change.

Deputy Minister Thanh therefore requested delegates to discuss effective implementation measures and to consider a 2021 plan for the project. A primary focus will be on strengthening State governance in response to climate change, and enhancing the nation’s role and responsibility as a party to the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Weert Börner, deputy ambassador of Germany to Vietnam, pointed out that Vietnam is one of the first to develop a concrete action plan for its implementation, as well as submitting and updating its own NDC.

The VN-SIPA project will serve to assist the Vietnamese Government when it comes to building the necessary conditions in line with the Paris Agreement, Börner said. The scheme aims to achieve adaptation and mitigation gains that will bring about environmental, social, and economic benefits, especially in terms of reducing CO2 emissions which occur in national economic activities.

Vietnam completed an NDC update and handed in its report in September, 2020, thereby becoming one of the 20 nations globally to submit its update.

The project has served to support the development of a climate change adaption chapter of the revised Law on Environmental Protection in 2020, laying the foundation to further build legal corridors on the local climate change response. It has also supported the formulation of various documents on climate change management across a number of industries, such as aviation, agriculture, and construction.

Members of the steering board also touched upon issues in order to complete the tentative plan for major activities which will be carried out in the year ahead.