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Vietnamese in Macau gather to celebrate Lunar New Year

March 6, 2021 by en.qdnd.vn

Speaking at the event, head of the association Duong Trung Duc reviewed negative effects caused by COVID-19 for Vietnamese in Macau, saying many lost their jobs and others could not return home due to the postponement of commercial flights.

According to him, receiving assistance from the Vietnamese Consulate General in Hong Kong and Macau and recognition of the local administration, the association, established in November last year, has so far operated well and significantly supported Vietnamese expatriates in legal consultations, organization of flights, and unemployment aid, among other aspects.

The gathering aims at reminding the community about their responsibilities for the home country, particularly via building a good image of Vietnamese people overseas and making efforts to overcome obstacles and contribute to Vietnam.

Macau now hosts more than 22,000 from Vietnam or those of the Vietnamese origin. The lion’s share of the number are people working as housemaids or at casinos.

Source: VNA

Vietnamese in U.S. rattled by rising hate crimes against Asians

March 6, 2021 by e.vnexpress.net

Walking their dog after dinner has always been a favorite daily activity of Tho Pham and his wife, a Vietnamese couple who live with their 39-year-old son in Garden Grove City, California.

But not in the last few months as the wave of anti-Asian violence and harassment has terrified him.

“I do not dare go out without my children because I am afraid someone will knock me to the ground or stab me to death just because I am Asian,” he laments, adding that the hate crimes have disrupted his daily life.

Many other Vietnamese share his apprehension, especially older people.

Wally Ng, a member of the Guardian Angels, patrols with other members in Chinatown in New York City, New York, U.S., May 16, 2020. Photo by Reuters.

Violence and hatred directed at Asian Americans, which also includes mugging, have surged across California since the beginning of the Covis-19 pandemic as Asians are blamed for its origin in Wuhan, China.

Videos of an Asian woman being punched in the face on a subway platform and a Thai man being pushed to the ground in San Francisco have sparked fears, and the Vietnamese community is traumatized.

Hoai Nguyen, a housewife in San Jose, home to the largest Vietnamese population in America, says: “It is annoying and scary when you go out and have to keep looking behind your back to see if you are being followed by someone suspicious.”

She has been called “coronavirus” several times while walking and shopping, but she had not expected the discrimination and hatred to turn violent and even murderous.

Last month the Vietnamese community in San Jose was shocked after a 64-year-old woman was robbed in front of Dai Thanh Supermarket during the Lunar New Year holidays.

Nguyen says with a sigh: “I cannot do that (go out) on my own because they may kill me. How weak I am and how cold-hearted those people are.”

Since older people are targeted, no one is comfortable letting their parents or grandparents go out alone though the first month of the lunar new year is typically filled with activities like meeting relatives and going to pagodas.

This year most had a subdued New Year also because of the pandemic.

Hong Nguyen, who is always accompanied by her children on the streets in Oakland these days, says: “It should be a time for celebration, we should meet our families and friends instead of being targeted or attacked.”

Solidarity

The potential threats have brought the Vietnamese diaspora together.

On Facebook groups, they post videos of Asians being assaulted or robbed to warn others about the growing threat in places like California and New York, home to many Vietnamese-Americans.

“Please help if you see anyone being verbally or physically attacked,” one person wrote in a group for people living in West Hills, California.

Some people give a helping hand to elders in their Vietnamese and Asian communities. In Oakland, for instance, there have been community initiatives including patrols by volunteers who escort seniors around the city.

“From our Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese elders to our youth, our Asian-American communities are traumatized, afraid and outraged during a time when we are also experiencing disproportionate impacts of the pandemic,” according to a joint agreement by Asian-American organizations in the Bay Area said, calling for non-police safety measures like volunteer neighborhood patrols.

Hong Nguyen’s sons and daughter, who are in their 20s, have joined many other Asians to protect elders in public places.

“Someone threw rocks at my sister’s house twice last week, and so five of us stand in front of her house in the evenings to see if those thugs come around again,” Hong Nguyen says, adding solidarity is their recourse now.

A 91-year-old Asian man is shoved to the ground from behind by a suspect in Chinatown in Oakland, California, January 31, 2021. Photo courtesy of Reutters.

Some people have taken a further step, gun ownership.

“I decided to buy a handgun this spring after seeing a series of mugging of Asians,” Nguyen Duc Phuc, 45, says. Owning a gun gives him and his wife peace of mind amid the senseless violence, he says.

“When I was in line waiting to buy the gun, two white guys called me ‘chin*’ and made fun of me because I wore a mask.”

The New York Times quoted David Liu, owner of Arcadia Firearm and Safety in the predominantly Asian city of Arcadia in California, as saying there is an uptick in Asian-Americans buying firearms though admittedly interest has been skyrocketing among “basically everybody.”

In a survey by the National Shooting Sports Foundation last year gun retailers estimated there was a nearly 43 percent increase in sales to Asian customers in the first half of 2020, the Times added.

But people like Pham, Phuc and Nguyen know that violence is never the correct response to violence.

On February 26 senior officials of the U.S. Justice Department claimed that the recent surge in violence and hate incidents against Asian-Americans is unacceptable, and promised to investigate those cases and other hate crimes.

These “horrific attacks on Asian-Americans across the country” have “no place in our society,” Deputy Attorney General John Carlin said while speaking about domestic terrorism, adding that the Justice Department is “committed to putting a stop to it.”

Agents and prosecutors at the department would “look at recent footage from New York and California to see those horrific attacks directed at Asian Americans, to realize how dire the threats are,” he said.

But in the meantime, Pham knows he needs his children with him if he wants to venture outside home.

“I just want to feel safe and not fear for my life when going out without disturbing my children.”

Vietnamese government to support unskilled laborers affected by Covid-19

May 8, 2020 by hanoitimes.vn

The Hanoitimes – The support package delivery must ensure seriousness, publicity, transparency.

The Vietnamese government will support unskilled laborers directly affected by Covid-19 pandemic from May 10, local media reported.

It is expected that as of May 15, the government will finish paying the relief money to beneficiary groups, including revolutionary contributors, social assistance beneficiaries and poor people.

At a recent regular meeting of the Vietnamese government, Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung affirmed that the support package delivery must ensure seriousness, publicity, transparency.

“We have not received any negative feedback from the localities regarding the payment of the financial aids,” Dung said.

So far, 63/63 localities in Vietnam have delivered the welfare packages to the people in need; 40/63 provinces and cities have paid over VND20 trillion (US$855.57 million) for revolutionary contributors, social assistance beneficiaries and poor people.

People in Nguyen Trai ward, Ha Dong district receive government aid. Photo: Thuy Truc

“We have not received any negative feedback from the localities regarding the payment of the financial aids,” Dung said.

On April 24, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc signed a decision to roll out a relief package worth VND62 trillion (US$2.7 billion) to support vulnerable people directly affected by Covid-19.

The package covers six beneficiary groups who would receive financial support in cash during three months starting April.

The funding for the package would come from state and provincial budgets, including savings from regular expenditures for meetings, workshops, abroad working trips, festivals and others.

In addition to direct financial support, workers are entitled for deferral in contribution for pensions and death gratuity funds in 12 months.

Workers could submit application for financial support via postal services, email, and fax, among others, without having to seek certification from local authorities.

Hanoi urgently identifies the beneficiaries

There are three groups of employees entitled to benefit from the US$2.7 billion package, including employees whose labor contracts were suspended, those taking leave without payment; laid-off employees not eligible for unemployment benefits; and workers who have no labor contracts and have lost jobs.

The Hanoi Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs has requested district People’s Committees to screen 1.477 million employees entitled to receive the aids, of them 840,000 are people without labor contracts and have lost their jobs. Currently, the districts keep identifying the beneficiaries in accordance with the process and procedures.

Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Hong Dan said that his department has made a written request and guidelines for identifying people affected by Covid-19 for assistance.

In order to identify the right beneficiaries, the city’s authorities will ask the districts to set up a review council headed by the Chairpersons of the local People’s Committee, Dan added.

Hanoi timely aids people hit by Covid-19 pandemic

May 5, 2020 by hanoitimes.vn

The Hanoitimes – Many needy people said they felt touched when receiving the aid from Hanoi’s government, because this is timely attention.

Districts in Hanoi have disbursed more than VND3,500 billion (US$149 million) to support people hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, Kinhtedothi.vn reported.

Earlier, on April 29, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Ngo Van Quy signed a decision to disburse a part of the money to support people in need, including revolutionary contributors, social assistance beneficiaries and poor people.

People in Yen Nghia ward, Ha Dong district receive governmental aid. Photo: Kinhtedothi.vn

In this period, the aid is estimated to benefit about 414,000 people with a total budget of over VND505.6 billion (US$21.7 million).

Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Hong Dan said as of May 3, many districts had given out the money to the right people.

By May 4 afternoon, Hanoi has basically completed delivering the support.

Head of Division of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs of Cau Giay district Nguyen Quang Hong said that the disbursement has been carried out with transparency and timeliness to support 3,310 people in the district with a total budget of nearly VND5 billion (US$213,004).

Many needy people said they felt touched when receiving the aid from Hanoi’s government, because this is timely attention.

“During the social distancing period due to Covid-19, my son-in-law and my daughter lost their jobs, and we have two children to support, thus, life has been very hard. I’m very touched since this assistance comes at the right moment,” said Truong Do Chuyen, a veteran.

On April 24, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc signed a decision to roll out a relief package worth VND62 trillion (US$2.7 billion) to support vulnerable people directly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The package covers six beneficiary groups who would receive financial support in cash during three months starting from April.

The funding for the package would come from state and provincial budgets, including savings from regular expenditures for meetings, workshops, abroad working trips, festivals and others.

In addition to direct financial support, workers are entitled for deferral in contribution for pensions and death gratuity funds in 12 months.

Hanoi asks pharmacies to report buyers of medicines for Covid-19-like symptoms

April 14, 2020 by hanoitimes.vn

The Hanoitimes – Pharmacies are requested to ask clients buying medicines for cold and common cold symptoms such as cough and fever to make health declaration.

The Hanoi city government has asked 7,000 pharmacies citywide to report people buying medicines for cold, cough and fever in recent days as the municipal government has been making efforts to curb Covid-19 spread, local media quoted mayor Nguyen Duc Chung as saying at a meeting on April 13.

Accordingly, pharmacies are requested to ask clients buying medicines for cold and common cold symptoms such as cough and fever to make health declaration.

A drug store on Vu Trong Phung street in Thanh Xuan district, Hanoi. Photo: Thanh Hue

“If any of these pharmacies fails to report, they will be dealt with in accordance with the law, even see their licenses revoked. This is their duty to prevent and control the pandemic,” Chung said.

Besides, the Hanoi’s leader requested all private clinics and medical centers to take samples for Covid-19 testing from any visitor seeking treatment for ailments like fever, cough and shortness of breath.

He added that small pandemic outbreaks in Hanoi have basically been put under control. The lockdown on Bach Mai Hospital, Vietnam’s largest Covid-19 outbreak, was lifted on April 12.

However, there are complications at Ha Loi village in Me Linh district, which has emerged as Hanoi’s second largest outbreak with at least 12 infections linked to it so far.

“The city must focus on putting down the Ha Loi outbreak and identifying all those who come into contact with the Covid-19 patient No.243, the first infection detected there,” Chung said.

The Health Ministry has announced a list of places that the 243th patient had visited between March 8 and April 4, and called for everyone who had been to those places to report in person for health monitoring as soon as possible.

Health workers have been asked to immediately impose a 14-day home quarantine on anyone related to Ha Loi village and Bach Mai hospital.

According to Vice President of the Vietnam Association of Infectious Diseases Nguyen Hong Ha, in addition to controlling the two above-mentioned outbreaks, the local authorities need to keep supervising other cases. The reason is that some people with coronavirus infection can travel around and infect others, Ha said.

Nguyen Quoc Thai, a doctor in the Center for Tropical Diseases under Bach Mai Hospital, said that people buying drug for self-medication if infected with coronavirus would transmit to people around them.

Dr. Pham Duc Hung from Children’s Hospital of Cincinnati, Ohio, the US stressed that medical declaration for any manifestation of cough and fever before purchasing at pharmacy is necessary. People infected with Covid-19 buying at drug store could make it a transmission center of the epidemic.