Online job market shows signs of recovery

Online job market shows signs of recovery

QĐND – Thursday, November 05, 2009, 21:13 (GMT+7)

The online job market continues to show signs of bouncing back as in the third quarter of 2009 it saw a growing demand for personnel.

Statistics released on Nov. 4 by VietnamWorks.com, the country’s biggest provider of online recruitment services, show that the personnel demand index surged by 11.4 percent against the second quarter.

Up to 24 out of a total of 50 sectors saw demand for personnel rise, while only five industries witnessed their demand fall during the reviewed period. The agro-forestry sector’s job demand index enjoyed the highest increase, double that of the previous three months.

However, VietnamWorks.com also states that the worker supply index had dropped by 2.8 percent from the second quarter. The index grows in seven sectors amongst the 50 sectors.

This trend has helped to narrow the gap between the supply and demand for workers and eases the pressure on job seekers, it said.

VietnamWorks.com’s General Director Chris Harvey said that the recovery of the economy and companies in general has warmed up the job market, with a lot of recruitment taking place.

During the past three months, a new trend regarding the recruitment of senior-level foreign managers has appeared, named ‘employing international staff at local salaries’.

An increasing number of foreigners and overseas Vietnamese have come to Vietnam to find work due to impacts of the global economic crisis. However, the demand for senior level foreign managers is low, therefore the supply index is higher than the demand

index.

Despite the narrowed gap between supply and demand, the personnel competition index remained unchanged compared with the previous quarter. Administrative-secretarial work, the import-export sector, personnel management, customer services, translators and interpreters saw the fiercest competition.

However, Harvey said that the competition had created an incentive for workers to pursue their studies further and improve their professional qualifications.

Source: VNA

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EU-ASEAN workshop on food safety opens in Hanoi

EU-ASEAN workshop on food safety opens in Hanoi

QĐND – Thursday, November 05, 2009, 21:13 (GMT+7)

The European Union (EU) and the Vietnam’s Food Hygiene and Safety Department (FHSD) coorganised a workshop on the rapid alert system for food and feed (RASFF) on November 3 in Hanoi.

The EU-ASEAN workshop aimed to maintain the sustainable national and regional RASFFs in the ASEAN region and deepen cooperation with the EU’s RASFF.

FHSD’s deputy director Nguyen Hung Long said Vietnam and other nations in the region are setting up a rapid alert system for food and feed which provides control authorities with effective tools for information exchange on food safety measures.

Source: VNA

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Seminar helps raise media’s role in HIV/AIDS prevention

Seminar helps raise media’s role in HIV/AIDS prevention

QĐND – Thursday, November 05, 2009, 21:13 (GMT+7)

A seminar to collect suggestions for a set of principles for best press practices in HIV/AIDS prevention and control in Vietnam was held in Hanoi on November 5.

At the seminar, co-organised by the Central Committee for Propaganda and Education and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), journalists from several central and local newspapers and a number of television channels discussed and pooled their ideas for a common code of best practices when conducting information and education activities in HIV/AIDS prevention campaign, to stamp out discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS.

The seminar also put forward recommendations for journalists writing news items on the issue.

Vietnam is now home to around 140,000 people with HIV, mainly from the ages of 20 to 39. The HIV infection rate amongst men is four times higher than that of women and the number of men with HIV accounts for over 82 percent of those infected.

Provinces and cities that reported the highest rates of HIV/AIDS at the end of 2008 include Dien Bien, Son La, Hanoi, Thai Nguyen, Yen Bai, Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City and Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

Together with strong information campaigns and more education about HIV/AIDS prevention and control, Vietnam has carried out many programmes that have provided health care and treatment for HIV/AIDS victims.

At present, thousands of people are receiving treatment and have access to free consultations and testing services.

Source: VNA

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Urgent aids to Typhoon Mirinae victims

Urgent aids to Typhoon Mirinae victims

QĐND – Thursday, November 05, 2009, 21:13 (GMT+7)

Vietnam will provide 225 billion VND (12.6 million USD) and 10,000 tonnes of rice to central and Central Highlands provinces to help them overcome the consequences of Typhoon Mirinae.

According to decision No. 1779/QD-TTg dated November 4, beneficiaries will be Binh Dinh province, which will receive 70 billion VND and 3,000 tonnes of rice; Phu Yen province, 100 billion VND and 4,000 tonnes of rice; Khanh Hoa province, 20 billion VND and 1,000 tonnes of rice; Ninh Thuan province, 5 billion VND; and Gia Lai province, 30 billion VND and 2,000 tonnes of rice.

The decision said that financial support is expected to help local people resume agricultural production, repair damaged infrastructure and prevent diseases.

On November 4, the Vietnam Red Cross gave a relief aid package worth 600 million VND in kind to storm-hit families in Phu Yen, Binh Dinh, Khanh Hoa and Ninh Thuan provinces. It also provided two million VND to each victim’s family.

The Japan Tobacco International (JTI), on the same day, provided funding to the Vietnam Red Cross to build flood-resistant houses for households in flood-prone areas. The funding is part of JTI’s three-year plan to build 100 houses of this kind in Vietnam.

Statistics from the Central Steering Committee on Flood and Storm Prevention and Control showed that Typhoon Mirinae, the 11th storm to hit Vietnam so far this year, killed at least 116 people after it slammed into Vietnam’s central coastal provinces on November 2. Phu Yen province is the hardest-hit with 69 fatalities.

Source: VNA

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A/H1N1 flu death toll reaches 38

A/H1N1 flu death toll reaches 38

QĐND – Thursday, November 05, 2009, 21:13 (GMT+7)

Vietnam has had a total of 38 fatalities in over 10,600 A/H1N1 flu cases in 61 provinces and cities nationwide, according to Director of the Ministry of Health’s Preventive Medicine and Environment Nguyen Huy Nga.

Nga was speaking on Nov. 4 at the weekly meeting of the steering committee for A/H1N1 pandemic prevention.

The only two provinces that had not found A/H1N1 flu cases were Bac Kan and Dien Bien.

The latest fatality was a 32-year-old Hanoian who died in HCM City on Nov. 3. His illness began 10 days earlier, with a fever, cough and sore throat. He was hospitalised in Tay Ninh hospital for treatment on Oct. 23 and transferred to the Tropical Diseases Hospital two days later due to his serious condition. He died after 10 days of treatment with Tamiflu due to serious respiratory failure and lung injury.

Previously, the Health Ministry had reported a second A/H1N1 fatality in Hanoi , a 38-year-old man living in Yen Ha ward, Yen Vien district.

Director of the National Hospital for Infectious and Tropical Diseases Nguyen Van Kinh reported that two patients were infected with both the A/H1N1 virus and dengue fever at the same time. The two patients recovered after being treated for the two diseases with Tamiflu and a drip feed.

Kinh also told people to come to the hospital early on if they had a fever or any other possible A/H1N1 flu symptoms.

“There are five high-risk groups, including pregnant woman, the elderly, children under two and people with chronic diseases or chronic flu,” added Kinh.

Regarding the A/H1N1 flu vaccination issue, Director of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology Nguyen Tran Hien said that the World Health Organisation had committed to provide A/H1N1 vaccine for 10 percent of the population, accounting for 10 million doses.

“About 1.2 million doses are expected to come to Vietnam by mid December. So about 1.2 million people will first be vaccinated against the A/H1N1 virus,” said Hien.

Source: VNA

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WB supports Vietnam’s higher education reform project

WB supports Vietnam’s higher education reform project

QĐND – Thursday, November 05, 2009, 21:13 (GMT+7)

The World Bank (WB) will provide a 40-year soft loan of 33.6 million SDR (50 million USD) for Vietnam to implement the first phase of the Higher Education Development Policy Programme (HEDPP).

The programme’s objective is to support the implementation of a government project to modernise the higher education sector to meet the demand for high-quality human resources serving the national industrialisation and modernisation as well as the international economic integration.

On November 3, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung proposed that the State President consider approving the Sponsorship Agreement for the HEDPP.

The Sponsorship Agreement and relevant legal documents of the programme were signed earlier by State Bank of Vietnam Governor Nguyen Van Giau and WB representatives.

Source: VNA

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Hanoi voted in top ten destinations for winter holiday

Hanoi voted in top ten destinations for winter holiday

QĐND – Wednesday, November 04, 2009, 22:38 (GMT+7)

The US-based Huffington Post has named Hanoi among a top ten of great winter destinations.

It lines up alongside St. Petersburg of Russia, Krakow of Poland, Edinburgh of Scotland, Tallinn of Estonia, Tokyo of Japan, Berlin of Germany, India’s Mumbai, Australia’s Sydney and Iceland’s Reykjavik. 

However while “Huff Post” deserves congratulations for including Hanoi its readers may be better off doing their own research. While Hanoi’s autumn is pleasantly cool and largely dry – after Christmas, Hanoi’s winters can become bracingly cold. 

By late December temperatures can drop well below 10 degrees centigrade. However, Hanoi remains fascinating throughout the year and the cold weather allows you to discover it via long walks across the city rather than having to hide in airconned rooms. 

But you might not need to pack your shorts.

Source: VietnamNet

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Hanoi attends Asian Major Cities’ conference in Thailand

Hanoi attends Asian Major Cities’ conference in Thailand

QĐND – Wednesday, November 04, 2009, 22:38 (GMT+7)

Hanoi was among the 10 Asian cities taking part in the eighth conference for the Asian Network of Major Cities 21 (ANMC21), which took place in the Thai capital of Bangkok from October 31 to November 4.

The other cities represented include New Delhi, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Seoul, Tokyo, Taipei, and Singapore.

The participants at the event exchanged their experiences in managing a major city, especially in urban planning, and infrastructure development as well as in addressing problems that have arisen from rapid urbanization.

The conference also discussed measures to maintain a sustainable tourism industry, prevent the A/H1N1 influenza from breaking out in big cities and deal with the global financial crisis, environmental protection and industrial development.

At present, many Asian cities are facing problems such as rapid urbanization, population growth, the spread of diseases, high crime rates and a drop in living standards.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the population of urban areas around the world grows by an additional 67 million people per year and the number of urban citizens is estimated to rise to around 5 billion by 2030, making up 60 percent of the world’s population.

An exhibition was held on the sidelines of the conference to feature the special characteristics of each Asian city taking part in the conference.

Source: VOV

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Danish Queen Margrethe busy in Hanoi

Danish Queen Margrethe busy in Hanoi

QĐND – Wednesday, November 04, 2009, 22:38 (GMT+7)

President Nguyen Minh Triet and his Danish guests, including Queen Margrethe II, Crown Prince Prederik and Crown Princess Mary, attended the opening ceremony of a street art festival at the Ly Thai To Flower Garden in Hanoi on November 3.

At the festival, hundreds of Danish and Vietnamese artists gathered in a cultural programme entitled ‘Young Artists Enlarge Borders’. A street art performance serving the public took place from 2:30 pm to 9 pm on the day.

Earlier, Queen Margrethe and her entourage had a full schedule, working with Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung, visiting the Bat Trang Ceramics Factory and enjoying performances by Vietnamese children at the Youth Theatre.

They also attended the opening ceremony of a painting exhibition entitled ‘Emergency Room’ at the Hanoi University of Fine Arts, featuring works by more than 20 Danish and Vietnamese painters. The exhibition will last through November 28.

The same day, Queen Margrethe and Price Henrik hosted a banquet for President Nguyen Minh Triet and his wife at the Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam (Temple of Literature).

Source: VNA

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Vietnam set to reinforce practical ties with Cambodia

Vietnam set to reinforce practical ties with Cambodia

QĐND – Wednesday, November 04, 2009, 22:38 (GMT+7)

Vietnam expects to join efforts with Cambodia to develop bilateral relations in a bid to bring practical benefits to both sides, said Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

PM Dung made this statement while receiving Cambodian Permanent Deputy PM Men Sam An, who doubles as President of the Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Association (CVFA), in Hanoi on November 3.

The government leader noted with pleasure that Vietnam-Cambodia ties have grown fruitfully, especially in the fields of politics, diplomacy, economics and trade, despite the impact of the global economic crisis.

The two nations have also co-operated smoothly in maintaining security, border demarcation and marker planting, mitigating damage caused by natural disasters and facilitating co-operative relations between border provinces, he said.

PM Dung appreciated the efforts of both the CVFA and Men Sam An in beefing up their bilateral relationship, saying that the Vietnamese government will create favourable conditions for the two sides to co-operate effectively, not only at the central level, but also among local chapters.

The PM asked the two associations to increase the dissemination of information about the time-honoured friendship amongst younger generations, and step up co-ordination at international forums, particularly in ASEAN and APEC.

Regarding acts and statements made by Sam Rainsy – President of the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP), who recently uprooted six temporary poles for Marker 185 between Vietnam’s southern province of Long An and Cambodia’s Svay Rieng province – he proposed that the Cambodian government take due measures to deal with Rainsy’s acts of sabotage and not permit similar cases to occur, as they negatively affect the fine relations between the two nations.

Having expressed delight at effective co-operation in economics, trade and investment, An said the two nations need to expand co-operation into the areas of aviation, post and telecommunications and banking.

The deputy PM stated that Sam Rainsy’s recent acts destroyed a national asset and violated the laws of Cambodia, undermining its fine relationship with Vietnam.

Empowered by the President, PM Dung bestowed a Friendship Order on the Cambodian official.

The same day, Politburo member and permanent member of the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee, Truong Tan Sang, received the Cambodian guests.

Mr Sang applauded the CVFA’s collaboration with its Vietnamese counterpart and other partners from both countries to organise practical activities which have helped to beef up friendship and co-operation between their two peoples.

The Party official said he hoped that the two associations would work together to hold more such activities in future for the sake of Vietnam-Cambodia relations.

Also on November 3, the Cambodian delegates worked with the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) and the Vietnam Women’s Union.

VUFO President Vu Xuan Hong took this occasion to present the union’s noblest award–the insignia ‘For peace and friendship between nations’ – to Men Sam An and four other members of the Cambodian delegation.

Source: VNA

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