Project implementation plan template

USAID-funded project helps Vietnam combat HIV/AIDS, TB

December 16, 2020 by vov.vn

The project is being launched with the aim of strengthening the Government’s capacity to sustainably manage HIV and tuberculosis (TB) programmes, thereby moving towards the goal of achieving the country’s commitment to end HIV and TB by 2030.

Through the LHSS Vietnam project, USAID will continue working alongside the Government to strengthen public financial management systems for the local health sector and find greater efficiencies in terms of social health insurance. In addition, the scheme will increase and improve the efficiency of domestic financing of HIV prevention and treatment services, whilst strengthening the capacity of local supply chain management systems, and integrating TB services into social health insurance.

Addressing the launching ceremony, USAID Vietnam director Ann Marie Yastishock congratulated the Government and the Ministry of Health on the successful transition of their HIV response from donor to domestic funding, with Social Health Insurance (SHI) now becoming the primary financing mechanism.

“Vietnam now has 90% of HIV patients enrolled in SHI. All treatment facilities can now be reimbursed for HIV services. Most importantly, SHI funds are now used to procure anti-retroviral drugs, the most expensive component of an HIV response. This is a remarkable trajectory of success and one we are all proud to share with Vietnam. USAID, through PEPFAR, has supported the Government in updating policies and building systems that would support this transition,” she added.

LHSS Vietnam represents a four-year project that will run until 2024 and comes with a planned budget of US$13.9 million which is funded by the United States Government through PEPFAR and USAID.

It is part of USAID’s global initiative in terms of strengthening integrated health systems to help low- and middle-income countries transition to sustainable and self-financed health systems to support access to universal health coverage.

Vietnam Social Security, USAID strive for sustainable health system

November 6, 2020 by vov.vn

The agreement will witness USAID provide technical assistance to the Vietnam Social Security in order to help them carry out their sustainable health system development project, with the ultimate aim to accelerate the implementation of the health insurance policy over the coming four years. The project will therefore support the country’s transition to full financial autonomy for the HIV and Tuberculosis (TB) Program.

USAID will provide support for Vietnam Social Security across three main areas, including implementing health insurance policies, planning in terms of financial management, along with controlling and ensuring the rationality of costs for health services through statistical analysis of insurance and funding sources. This assistance will take place along with building tools to track and monitor health insurance claims whilst renovating payment methods.

The agency will also exchange information, share their experience, and support Vietnam Social Security in applying information technology to health insurance policy implementation.

During the signing ceremony, Yastishock expressed her appreciation for the close partnership with Vietnam Social Insurance, affirming that her organisation will continue working on improving the financial management and governance capacity of Vietnam Social Insurance. The two sides will work together in order to achieve an effective, fair, and responsible management of the health insurance fund.

The signing of this MoU therefore reinforces USAID’s commitment to supporting Vietnamese efforts on its journey towards enjoying autonomy with regard to health financing, along with building a sustainable health system. This will ultimately contribute to the nation’s goal of reaching universal health coverage, according to Yastishock.

In response, Son emphasised that the MoU signed between Vietnam Social Security and USAID represents the first document officially signed between the two sides, while highlighting the signing as a significant event that coincides with the 25th anniversary of joint ties and 25 years of the Vietnam Social Security.

The event can be viewed as an important premise that serves to mark the start of a new phase of co-operation between Vietnam Social Security and USAID, therefore deepening their partnership through a wide range of technical assistance activities in this regard.

Son also expressed his belief that through the sustained efforts of the Vietnam Social Insurance and the effective help of international organisations such as USAID, the agency will rapidly build a modern, sustainable, and effective healthcare insurance system that meets people’s satisfaction. Statistics reveal that 95% of the population will have health insurance coverage by 2025, with over 80% of the population being satisfied, according to the target assigned by the Government, he noted.

The past five years has seen USAID work closely alongside various Vietnamese Government agencies, including the VSS, in order to increase health insurance coverage for HIV treatment and antiretroviral (ARV) drugs. This close collaboration includes updating more than 20 policies that allow for the expansion of health insurance coverage for HIV treatment and ARV drugs. In addition, it also covers 440 independent HIV treatment facilities moving into the public health care system, meaning that these facilities become eligible to pay for HIV services through the health insurance fund.

As a result of these changes, more than 90% of HIV patients nationwide become involved in health insurance and can access HIV treatment services as covered by the health insurance fund. Moving forward, the health insurance fund will set aside a budget in order to purchase ARV drugs for more than two-thirds of all HIV patients across the country.

Government shows urgency in climate change battle

March 5, 2021 by www.vir.com.vn

As Vietnam is among the most threatened countries by climate change, the state and people take decisive action, photo Le Toan

The government has promulgated Resolution No.06/NQ-CP on the Action Programme on continuing the implementation of Resolution No.24-NQ/TW by the 11th Party Central Committee on active response to climate change, improvement of natural resource management, and environmental protection.

The action programme, to be implemented until 2025, lays a foundation for ministries, agencies, and localities to formulate and implement their own plans on responding to climate change while strengthening natural resource management and environmental protection.

Under the programme, efforts are to be made to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 7.3 per cent below the business-as-usual scenario by 2025, and achieve 5-7 per cent in energy conservation out of gross energy consumption.

To this end, some key solutions are to be taken. Specifically, the government orders ministries and agencies to formulate and implement sturdy policies on shifting to digital economy, and development and expansion of models on circular economy, green economy, and low-carbon economy.

In addition to an increase in state budget in investing into responding to climate change, and managing natural resources and the environment, the government will have a flexible mechanism on allocating the use of natural resources under a market mechanism. Notably, the government will “develop markets for environmental goods and services, the carbon market, public-private partnership models, and green credits and green bonds, as well as mobilise investment capital from non-state sources,” according to Resolution 06.

To enable investors, Resolution 06 stressed that a number of related laws will be revised soon, including the Law on Land 2013, the Law on Minerals 2010, and the Law on Efficient Use and Saving Energy, as well as many other related documents.

Championing the cause

Disaster and climate challenges have become a top priority for policymakers in Vietnam. This is evidenced in national and sector strategies, and these challenges are identified as one of the key pillars of the new national development plan for the next decade. For example, the government approved the National Climate Change Strategy in 2011, and the Vietnam Green Growth Strategy in 2012, which lay out a vision through 2050. Also, the government adopted the Support Programme to Respond to Climate Change for 2016-2020 that supports policy reform, capacity building, and increased investment for prioritised climate change and green growth actions in key sectors including energy, transport, forestry, and water resource management.

Internationally, the government has also championed the cause of the environment, including at the 2015 Paris Conference.

Climate and disaster risks are now recognised as a direct threat to Vietnam’s aspiration to become a high-income economy. Direct and indirect disaster losses are affecting not only the economy’s resilience and sustainability, but also its capacity to maintain rapid and inclusive growth. For instance, rapid infrastructure development in the absence of the consideration of disaster and climate risks is leading to rapidly growing exposure and vulnerabilities to adverse natural events.

“With an anticipated growth of 265 per cent over the next 10 years, annual average direct disaster losses on the coast alone are expected to grow to $4.2 billion a year,” stated the World Bank in its recently-published report on how Vietnam can become a champion of the green recovery.

The Asian Development Bank also said that the rapid expansion of gross fixed capital formation has been unplanned and without consideration of climate and disaster risks, leading to the rapid growth in people and assets exposed to adverse natural events. When all this environmental damage is combined, it is estimated to cost between 4 to 8 per cent to GDP every year due to a combination of direct negative effects on the stock of natural capital, as well as that of indirect externalities on labour productivity and on quality of physical infrastructure.

In addition, development gains could be undermined by the loss of human life; destruction of commercial property, cultivable land, and infrastructure; reduction in agricultural yields and labor productivity; loss of tax revenues; and strained public budgets from spending on relief and reconstruction. For example, farmers in the Mekong region have already recorded declining agricultural yields caused by poor development practices, including water mismanagement and land exhaustion, according to the World Bank.

Changing behaviours

“Vietnam is standing at a crossroads of post-pandemic recovery. It has an opportunity to set itself on a greener, smarter, and more inclusive development path that will bolster resilience to future shocks from both pandemics and climate-related disasters,” said Carolyn Turk, World Bank country director for Vietnam. “The authorities must tackle the environmental and climate challenges with the same sense of urgency as they have done with COVID-19 because the costs of inaction are already visible and will become increasingly irreversible. The recent tropical storms in Vietnam’s central region and rising air pollution in the country’s major cities are good illustrations of this fragility.”

According to the World Bank, two lessons from the successful management of the global health crisis could be extended to the environmental agenda. The first lesson is that the best way to cope with an external shock is to be prepared in advance and move with early and bold actions. Secondly, beyond vision and capacity, the ability to embrace innovation and experiments is instrumental to change individual and collective behaviours, which lays at the root of strategies to cope with health and climate threats.

Ocean levels have already risen 20cm over the past three decades and could increase by a further 75cm by 2050 compared to the latter part of the 20th century. This could lead to ﬂooding of 40 per cent of the Mekong Delta, 11 per cent of the Red River Delta, 3 per cent of coastal provinces, and over 20 per cent of Ho Chi Minh City, directly impacting 10-12 per cent of Vietnam’s population and 10 per cent of GDP, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

By Khoi Nguyen

USAID helps private sector respond to natural disasters

December 3, 2020 by vov.vn

Vietnam, together with Indonesia and the Caribbean, will benefit from these projects, according to a press release from the US Embassy in Hanoi.

These projects are developed to help the humanitarian community better understand how the private sector can invest in projects that mitigate the risk of disasters, and increase businesses’ participation in community disaster preparedness plans and policies. They will also help reduce the social and economic impact of disasters, and support communities’ efforts to recover and rebuild after disaster strikes.

These USAID-supported pilot programs will help countries develop stronger relationships with private sector actors and develop mutually-beneficial projects that strengthen entire communities’ disaster resilience.

In Vietnam, the Asia Foundation in partnership with ISET International, the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Vietnam Institute for Development Strategy, will bring together key private sector, local government, and civil society actors to collaboratively design and launch multi-stakeholder pilot projects to strengthen flood mitigation efforts and improve water network management in the coastal city of Quy Nhon and Binh Dinh Provinces.

USAID responds to an average of 75 disasters in more than 70 countries every year. Through collaboration with the private sector, USAID can harness innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship to improve the efficiency of humanitarian assistance.

ALMA Resort voted in Vietnam’s top 10 best resorts in 2020

March 4, 2021 by tuoitrenews.vn

The 5-star ALMA Resort developed by Paradise Bay Resort Co. Ltd. has been officially voted as one of the top 10 best resort projects in Vietnam in 2020 by Vietnam Real Estate online magazine, or reatimes.vn.

The year 2020 ended on a positive note for Vietnam with the national GDP rising 2.91 percent, but the COVID-19 pandemic remained complicated, with the world economy being mired in difficulties.

The Vietnamese tourism industry is still making constant efforts to resist the destructive power of the pandemic.

2020 was a bleak year for all branches of tourism, but it also showed the adaptability and flexibility of the entire industry.

During this difficult time, the construction of ALMA Resort was completed and it was officially put into operation in December 2019.

While ensuring measures against the pandemic, ALMA Resort welcomed thousands of families in 2020, with a peak room occupancy rate of up to 80 percent.

For such a new resort to have such a desirable number of guests, ALMA Resort has operated under the model of vacation ownership in which most of the customers already booked their stay for a couple of years in advance.

Despite its new operation of less than two years, ALMA Resort and ALMA vacation ownership products have obtained different remarkable achievements and given customers a good impression.

A view of ALMA Resort in Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam.

A view of ALMA Resort in Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam

Located in a prime location on an area of 30 hectares at Bai Dai, one of the 10 most beautiful beaches on the planet in Cam Lam, Khanh Hoa Province, ALMA Resort looks like a peaceful green oasis with an impressive architecture of tropical vibes.

With the advantage of a nearly 1km stretch adjacent to the beach, ALMA is designed with unique architecture, providing customers with an optimal sea view from nearly 400 apartments and 200 resort villas.

Each apartment is equipped with modern amenities for families of five to nine people, ensuring the luxury resort space and high-quality standards.

ALMA Resort has a variety of facilities that are hard to find in popular tourist areas such as private cinemas, water parks, golf courses, football pitches, basketball courts, water sports like kayaking, bodyboards, indoor game centers, kids’ clubs, mini science museums, karaoke rooms, and outdoor theaters.

Because of these remarkable factors, the five-star ALMA Resort was officially listed among the top 10 best resort projects in Vietnam in 2020, which was announced in January 2021 by the Vietnam Real Estate e-magazine reatimes.vn.

This is one of the categories under the Top Brand Award, voted directly by 500,000 readers on the reatimes.vn system, a jury of 150 prestigious journalists in the fields of economics, construction, and real estate, and 30 leading experts in economics, law, planning, architecture, construction, and real estate in Vietnam.

Passing the two evaluation rounds of important criteria including customer satisfaction, good service quality, beautiful and novel architectural design, and prestigious investor, ALMA Resort was honored to be shoulder to shoulder with other big names in the real estate industry in Vietnam to receive this award.

ALMA Resort is a luxury resort exclusively for families, developed by Paradise Bay Resort Co. Ltd.

Alma Resort, Bai Dai, Khanh Hoa | “Happiness – Harmony – Home”

Hotline: 1900 6737

Website: https://alma.vn/

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Generali Vietnam launches “More than just a place to work” people strategy

March 5, 2021 by ven.vn

The company is also running its Management Trainee program Genext Challenge 2021 to recruit, train and develop young talents to meet its business growth needs in Vietnam.

The core of this strategy is the objective to build Generali Vietnam to be “more than just a place to work”, where every staff member can “learn – grow – live – thrive”.

generali vietnam launches more than just a place to work people strategy

Learn – Generali Vietnam will step up its training activities and programs with practical, innovative and diverse content and formats, as well as reinforce a learning and development culture. The company constantly digitalizes all human resources processes, including the registration and management of training and development requests, and many practical online training programs.

Grow – Generali Vietnam will continue to focus on developing its high quality workforce via the Generali Talent Management program and the ongoing Management Trainee program Genext Challenge 2021. Both programs aim at developing the company’s talent pool and outstanding individuals, to build the next generation of leaders, meeting Generali’s needs for rapid and sustainable development in Vietnam.

Live – With an aim to become “more than just a place to work” where every employee can live and work to their heart’s content with great passion and ambition, the company has been carrying out notable people policies: reinforcing Diversity & Inclusion; implementing smart working policy enabling employees to flexibly manage their work and family responsibilities; promoting work-life balance through stepping up diverse engagement activities and initiatives, and enhancing compensation and benefits; reinforcing the SOHI culture (Simplification, Ownership, Human Touch, Innovation) through continuous training, rewards and recognition, and constant feedback in day-to-day work.

Thrive – In addition to offering staff opportunities for development and career progress, Generali Vietnam plans and organizes various meaningful, practical, innovative and engaging community programs. These programs enable staff to join hands with the company in realizing its ambition of becoming “Lifetime Partner”, creating positive and sustainable values for its customers, partners and the community. Concurrently, this helps motivate staff with meaningful work life purpose and build pride.

Ms. Tina Nguyen, Generali Vietnam CEO, said: “The “More than just a place to work” people strategy is one of Generali’s strategic and sustainable efforts to build an ideal working environment and develop a happy, engaged, professional and inspired workforce. And with that, we hope to spread such happiness to customers and the community through our quality insurance services and products as well as our contributions to the society.”