Poverty reduction essay 500 words

By Thanh Van

“After six miscarriages, my mother gave birth to me, her only child. That’s why I was pampered from a young age. It was part of the reason I fell into drug addiction when I began attending college in Hanoi,” the 45-year-old said, recalling his darkest days.

Knowing his parents would never dare reprimand him, the boy from northern Ha Nam Province publicly admitted his dependency on drugs.

Many times, Tuan told his mother: “Give me the money just this last time.”

Seeing her son struggle, Luong Thi Van swallowed her tears and shoved money in her child’s hand. After using up all of his mother’s money, Tuan turned to tricking his sister. When there was nothing left in the house for him to take, Tuan “drifted” to Hanoi to take on the role of killer-for-hire and bouncer, among others to satisfy his increasing addiction.

Due to her son’s reputation, Tuan’s mother returned home from the market on multiple occasions without being served.

Le Van Thuy, Tuan’s father, had to resign from his position as the commune’s vice chairman of Vietnam Veterans Association after other members criticized him for not being “reputable enough.”

The first time Tuan tried quitting, he asked his father to lock him in a room, chain his feet to the floor and throw the key into the pond. But after only three days, his body raked with withdrawal symptoms, he broke down the doors, pulled the concrete plate attached to the chain from the floor and rushed off to feed his addiction. That day, after returning home more subdued, Tuan knelt in front his mother’s feet and said: “This time, I promise to quit drugs.”

A determined Tuan asked his mother to shave his head before digging an impassably deep trench around his 200-square-meter home.

Thuy told his wife: “Tuan’s digging like during wartime.”

About a month after uttering his promise, Tuan felt his craving for drugs recede, even gaining a few kilograms and appearing healthier. Everyone admired Tuan’s determination.

Seeing him “transformed”, one of his drug-addict friends came to seek his advice on how to quit. But after sharing a few stories, a sudden urge saw Tuan delve back into the abyss.

This time, he was taken to a rehab center where he fought with his caregivers and became the “leader” of gang.

Once, spotting his mother carrying a bag en route to visit him, a tormented Tuan asked his “juniors” to tattoo the word “happiness” below the soles of his feet. “Me and all other addicts at this center have stepped on and crushed our families’ happiness,” he explained.

However, the first thing Tuan did after exiting rehab was get lit.

This vicious cycle continued until Tuan’s wife requested a divorce, prompting him to overdose since he felt he had “nothing else to lose.” For seven hours, Tuan failed to regain consciousness, with villagers deliberating whether to place him in a coffin or not.

At 6 a.m., he opened his eyes, found himself dressed in new clothes, with his hands and feet bound in preparation for a funeral ceremony. Terrified and praying, Tuan’s mother watched him rise from the coffin.

“If I can’t die, I must live with dignity and be a better human,” a teary Tuan stated.

In front of everyone, he once again promised to quit his addiction. Overhearing his words, a neighbor joked: “I would get beheaded if you fulfilled your promise.”

For three days in a row, Tuan soaked himself in a water tank to endure his withdrawal symptoms, his worried father keeping him company all the while, even rubbing his head for encouragement.

After staying home for half a month, Tuan again felt his craving recede. In 2001, Pham Thi Bang, a woman seven years his junior living in the next village, dared to accompany him on a date despite her parents’ objections.

The couple borrowed money to start a business by raising ducks. Once, attending a wedding in the next village, Tuan was lured into a cemetery by an old acquaintance who persuaded him to get high. Recalling the faces of his wife and newborn daughter, he jabbed a needle into his thigh, hoping the pain would drown out his urge. That night, revealing his bloody leg to his wife, the couple rejoiced in Tuan’s ability to beat his addiction.

After his duck-raising business floundered, Tuan and his wife took on a series of jobs, including trading old motorbikes and real estate. He then used this savings to open a taxi firm in Hung Yen Province and a truck transportation company in Dak Nong Province.

With both ventures operating smoothly, Tuan was informed a former rehab friend had been executed for murder. “I think if he got help, maybe he wouldn’t have followed that path. So I decided to do something to help others like me rebuild their lives,” Tuan said.

Tuan (L) shows delegates at the Institute of Psychological Studies and Support for Drug Users the displayed pieces of equipment for drug usage in Hanoi, March 2021. Photo courtesy of PSD.

He subsequently sold all his property and relocated to Hanoi with his family. Here, with accumulated knowledge and support from experts, Tuan established a rehab center now known as the Institute of Psychological Studies and Support for Drug Users (PSD) in Hanoi. Addicts admitted here are typically supported with psychological treatment, physical rehabilitation and reintegration.

Tuan and the PSD staff were selected by Colombo Plan, a regional organization of 27 economies designed to strengthen economic and social development of members in the Asia-Pacific region, to receive support in drug use prevention training.

Kim Tuan, a 31 years old patient at PSD who suffered from a nine-year addiction, said here he is respected, unlike at other centers.

“In particular, I learned meaningful life lessons from Tuan. He and I have many things in common – like we were raised in a family of educated parents and had had the chance to go to school but later fell into addiction. If he can stand up and rebuild his life, I can do it too!” said Kim Tuan, now a psychiatrist at PSD.

PSD has helped more than 230 drug addicts to date. In addition to supporting drug addicts, Tuan has built a connection with multidisciplinary corporations in fisheries, real estate, media and other industries so people who complete their treatment can access career opportunities to restart their lives.

The 2020 Vietnam Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI), issued Wednesday, is a nationwide policy monitoring report that surveys citizens’ opinions on the performance and quality of policy implementation and service delivery by Vietnam’s provincial governments. Last year, 14,732 respondents from all 63 cities and provinces were surveyed for the report.

While poverty remains the most important issue for around 18 percent of respondents, the percentage was much lower than in 2019 at around 25 percent, and is in fact the lowest since 2015. Instead, health, health insurance and economic growth has taken center stage, as concerns about economic growth rose from 10 to 13 percent, and those regarding health and health insurance dramatically rose from 2 to 17 percent from 2019.

The shift in concern reflects the overall anxiety among Vietnamese over the economic situation at home, especially amid the coronavirus pandemic. People’s satisfaction regarding their household economic situation has dropped to its lowest for the last five years, while their evaluation of Vietnam’s economy has also become the most pessimistic of the past three years, according to the report.

For the first time in a decade, more respondents said their household economic situation was either poor or very poor compared to those who reported it to be either good or very good. People’s confidence in the economy also remarkably shifted, with a record high proportion saying the national economic situation was bad, the report added.

Of greatest concern is the clear gender differences in 2020, with women more concerned with poverty, healthcare and education, while men are more worried about economic growth, national security, corruption and issues related to the East Sea, known internationally as the South China Sea, the report stated.

AES Vietnam, a division of The AES Corporation (NYSE: AES), on Tuesday launched its new brand identity that reflects the company’s commitment and the world’s transition to a cleaner energy future.

Among the forerunners in clean growth and innovation, AES has been spearheading the energy industry with cutting-edge technologies in LNG to power, renewables, digital innovation, and battery energy storage while creating the greener, smarter energy solutions the world needs.

With 15 years of operation in Vietnam, AES continues to play a key role in meeting the country’s ever-increasing energy needs.

The company’s 2.2 GW combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plant and Son My LNG terminal project, both of which are under development, will bring a total investment of US$3.2 billion to Binh Thuan Province and significantly enhance the local economy.

The plant and terminal will together play a major role in shaping Vietnam’s energy future by diversifying the energy mix with imported LNG as well as meeting the country’s increasing demand for sustainable and affordable electricity.

Along with the launch of its new brand, AES Vietnam introduces new product offerings in solar energy and battery storage, with the aim of helping local customers reach a higher standard of clean energy, secure their sustainable energy future, and achieve benefits through shared platforms and applications.

“With the new branding and product offerings, AES Vietnam continues positioning itself as a global company with strong local expertise, providing innovative solutions and cutting-edge technologies to help Vietnam meet its renewable energy goals, which were outlined in the Politburo’s Resolution No.55-NQ/TW,” said David Stone, president of AES Vietnam.

The new offerings in solar power include 5B’s revolutionary MAVERICK design, which enables customers to deploy up to two times more solar energy at three times the speed using 50 percent less land.

AES is also the world leader in lithium-ion-based energy storage, both through the firm’s projects and via Fluence – a Siemens and AES company.

Worldwide, energy storage is considered a ‘force multiplier’ for renewable energy, as it allows for the integration of more solar, wind and distributed energy resources, and increases grid stability.

The offerings will enable AES to make it easier for organizations in Vietnam to speed up their clean energy transformation, make meaningful contributions toward a sustainable climate, and build competitive advantages within their industries, while at the same time accelerating the clean energy future the world deserves and needs.

AES Vietnam’s vision is to be a leading sustainable power company in Vietnam that provides safe, reliable, and affordable energy.

On September 30, 2019, AES was officially granted approval by the government of Vietnam to develop a 2.2 GW Son My 2 combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plant, which will be located in Binh Thuan Province.

The Son My 2 plant will have a 20-year contract with the Vietnamese government and is expected to achieve financial completion in 2021 and begin commercial operations in 2024.

In October 2020, AES Vietnam and PV GAS inked a Term Sheet of the Joint Venture Agreement for the Son My LNG terminal.

The terminal has an installed capacity of 450 TBtu, representing a total investment of about $1.4 billion.

The terminal is expected to achieve financial completion in 2022 and begin commercial operations in 2025.

It will play an important role in supporting Vietnam’s energy transition and economic growth.

AES, through its subsidiary, AES Mong Duong Power Company Limited, has successfully developed and arranged financing for the Mong Duong 2 Power Project of 1,242 MW with total investment of approximately $2.1 billion.

The AES Corporation is a Fortune 500 global energy company accelerating the future of energy.

Together with its many stakeholders, the company is delivering the greener, smarter energy solutions the world needs.

Its diverse workforce is committed to continuous innovation and operational excellence, while partnering with customers on their strategic energy transitions and continuing to meet their energy needs.

Up to 221 employees in Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi have quit their job over the past year for a variety of reasons, including the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In an interview with many newspapers on Tuesday, Dr Do Van Thanh, head of the hospital’s personnel management, said that of the total figure of 221 people who have left their job, only 28 are doctors. They have moved to private hospitals which can offer them higher pay. Some can receive hundreds of millions of VND per month compared to just VND15 million at Bach Mai Hospital.

Bach Mai Hospital

During the Covid-19 times, Bach Mai only had around 1,000 inpatients per day compared to up to 5,500 inpatients and 7,000 others coming daily for examinations previously. As a result, its income dropped drastically last year, hitting salaries. In 2020, the hospital income declined by VND2 trillion (USD86.95 million), equal to 30% on-year.

Meanwhile, the remainder is mainly staff from service providers of the hospital such as pharmacies. Under the restructuring following the financial autonomy mechanism, the hospital has halved the drugstore number to just five. It has also closed the funeral house service and some others, which has affected many employees. Each of them has got the two-month salary support, Thanh specified.

According to Thanh, it is normal to see the hospital’s doctors to move to a private hospital for higher-income but less pressure. This, however, does not negatively affect the hospital’s operation. He noted that the hospital has recently recruited 500 highly qualified doctors, professors and others, raising its total number of staff to nearly 4,300.

Thanh also mentioned that the health sector’s stress and pressure during the Covid-19 pandemic would be among the causes affecting many medical staff at the hospital. Last September Bach Mai’s director and deputy director were arrested for allegedly over-invoicing certain medical equipment fraudulently. This would have worried some staff.

Thanh denied the rumour that the move was due to late salary payments.

Since 2020, Bach Mai has become Hanoi’s first public hospital to have financial autonomy.