Vietnam, FAO celebrate 30-year ties, entering partnership

Hanoi (VNA) – The relationship between the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and Vietnam has become a “partnership” from the previous “aid” and “assistance” giver and recipient.

FAO Representative in Vietnam Andrew Speedy highlighted the changing role of the UN agency in his speech on the occasion of the 30 th anniversary of Vietnam-FAO relationship.

He stressed that the change can be attributed to Vietnam’s achievements in agricultural development, especially when the country became self-sufficient in food.
“Vietnam can now rightly be described as a world leader in rice and aquaculture technology, and in coffee, pepper, rubber and fish processing and furniture production”, the FAO official said, adding that Vietnam can also supply experts to less developed countries in Africa to assist with food production.

“Our technical assistance has thus moved from being supply-driven to being more demand-driven to complement Vietnam’s improving technical capacity,” Speedy said.

In the first years after coming to Vietnam in 1978, FAO’s assistance to Vietnam focused on helping the country restore the agricultural sector. Later, the UN agency expanded its involvement to the provision of policy advice, with the aim of enhancing the ability of the agricultural sector to respond to the challenges and opportunities posed by the new market environment.

FAO has so far implemented more than 400 projects in sustainable agricultural development and food security in Vietnam . Of which, the 1992-2007 Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programme was considered the most effective project that benefited over 90 percent of communes in all provinces and cities nationwide.

Director of the National Institute for Agricultural Policies Dang Kim Son said that a system of new strategies and policies is being built in line with the new situation and in the direction of connecting production with processing and consumption.

“With the government’s commitment to increase public investment in agriculture, Vietnam ’s agricultural sector will be able to satisfy the society’s consumption demand, raise rural labourers’ incomes and stabilise food prices, contributing to the world food security,” Son said, adding that top priority is being given to institutional reforms to achieve the goal of developing sustainable agriculture.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, over the past decade, per capita income in rural areas has increased by 2.7 times and rural households’ savings in 2006 doubled the 2001 figure. The poverty rate has remarkably reduced.

However, the FAO representative also pointed out that the annually-narrowed agricultural land fund is the big challenge facing Vietnam in ensuring food security.

Although Vietnam is not facing a food shortage and its agricultural production is very good, the rise in food prices has led to increased vulnerability among specific population groups and regions, particularly areas which are characterised by high poverty rates and poor nutrition, and which are most affected by natural disasters and resulting crop failure, he said.

He noted that the future cooperation between Vietnam and FAO will focus on ensuring food security for all people, developing sustainable agro-forestry and dealing with climate change.

The FAO representative also said that food prices, vulnerability and food security in Vietnam will be discussed at the ASEAN Agricultural Ministers’ Meeting to take place in Hanoi next week.-

President: Vietnam needs int’l help in clearing mines

Hanoi (VNA) – State President Nguyen Minh Triet on Oct. 17 said that Vietnam needs help from international organisations in clearing mines and bombs.

He was receiving Peter Goldmark, a leading official of the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation (VVAF) and the global alliance for mine action (GAMA), and CEO of GAMA Gilonne d’ Origny, who attended an international conference on climate change in Hanoi from Oct. 13-15.

President Triet welcomed the US organisations, saying that climate change is a major matter of the world, including Vietnam, and that Vietnam is one of countries suffering from heaviest damages caused by climate change.

The Vietnamese government has promoted campaigns to raise people’s awareness about climate change and environmental protection, President Triet said, adding that Vietnam has actively participated in international conventions on climate change.

The President was pleased at the progress in Vietnam-US relations and cooperation in various fields over the recent past.

He stressed that Vietnam had gone through several wars with bombs and mines. Many of unexploded mines left from the wars have not been defused, causing deaths and injuries to many people.

The leader highly appreciated VVAF’s aid over the recent past and hoped that VVAF and GAMA to continue with humanitarian initiatives and projects in Vietnam , contributing to development of the two countries’ friendship and cooperation.

Peter Goldmark and Gilonne d’Origny said that the conference on climate change, organised by the US-Vietnam Trade Council Education Forum, is a valuable chance for the two sides to share experiences on measures to face global climate change.

Goldmark hoped that Vietnam would take part in the negotiations for a global agreement on climate change in 2009 and play an important role in the process.

He affirmed that US businesses will be eager to help Vietnam to develop environmentally-friendly industries.-

UNHCR officials visit Dak Lak province

Dak Lak (VNA) – A delegation of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) paid a fact-finding trip to the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak from Oct. 15-17.

The delegation, headed by Senior Regional Officer for Southeast Asia Maria Corinna Miguel-Quicho, visited a number of ethnic minority people who had illegally crossed the border and then repatriated from Cambodia .

The UN officials witnessed the improved living conditions of the targeted highlanders in the communes of Ea Uy, Ea Knuec, Ea Hiu, Ea Tu, Cu Ebur, Ea Kao and Cu M’Ta as they were provided with accommodations, land for housing and production, safe water and other preferential treatment.

Working with Dak Lak People’s Committee Vice Chairwoman Mai Hoa Nie K’dam, the UN officials said the ethnic minority people had illegally crossed the border due to economic reasons.

They said the UNHCR is planning to fund a number of projects in the province to improve the living conditions for the locals, including the returnees.-

Deputy PM hopes for more cooperation with RoK

Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy PM Nguyen Sinh Hung said on Oct. 17 that he hoped RoK, which has been the leading investor in Vietnam for years, will continue to cooperate effectively with Vietnam in fields of economy, culture, natural resources and environment, and others.

He was receiving Lee Jac Hoon, Deputy Minister of Knowledge Economy of the RoK, who was in Vietnam on a working visit.

Deputy PM Hung expressed his satisfaction at the close relationship between Vietnam and the RoK over the past years.

Deputy Minister Hoon reported the results of his meetings with Vietnam ’s Ministry of Industry and Trade and Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

He stressed the need for the two countries to work closely with each other to mitigate negative effects and overcome possible difficulties caused by the current world financial crisis to both of them.-

US supports Vietnamese with disabilities

Hanoi (VNA) – The US government, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has provided over 2.6 million USD to extend two projects that aim to assist people with disabilities throughout Vietnamese society.

These projects will be implemented by the Vietnam Assistance for Handicapped (VNAH) and Catholic Relief Services (CRS), said a statement issued by the US Embassy in Hanoi on October 15.

Over the next three years, the VNAH will support government partners to finalise the first set of comprehensive laws on disabilities. This 1.8 million US-funded programme will assist in developing a second national action plan to bring disability issues to the forefront for government resources and planning. The VNAH will help establish 10 provincial organsiations for disabled persons, it said.

The second project implemented by the CRS will expand a model of inclusive education for children at the secondary level and extend a successful programme of international-standard computer training for students with disabilities. From October 2008 to June 2010, the CRS will work with the Ministry of Education and Training and two technical colleges of Vietnam to reach over 1,000 students with disabilities and teachers throughout the country.

The CRS and Vietnamese partners will modify existing secondary school curricula and policies to meet the needs of children with all types and degree including help to students with educational activities and extra-curricula activities, and to graduate 150 students in software engineering courses.

The project will also train 150 visually-impaired and other people with disabilities in basic computer skills.-

Vietnam looks to more efficient energy use

Hanoi (VNA) – The use of energy in a more efficient and effective manner has emerged as an urgent matter for Vietnam as its non-renewable energy sources, including oil and gas, become increasingly exhausted, said a local official.

The Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, Le Duong Quang delivered this message at a seminar held in Hanoi on Oct. 16 to compile recommendations to a law being drafted regarding the saving and effective use of energy.

Quang said that ample energy sources are considered a vital foundation for ensuring socio-economic development; any long-term energy shortages can affect the stable and sustainable growth of the national economy.

Reports presented at the seminar reveal that it is possible for Vietnam to use considerably less energy, as its major industrial sectors currently consume more energy than those in other developing countries.

Calculations show that Vietnam could reduce the total energy used in industrial production by up to 20-25 percent, and an additional 30-35 percent in other areas.

Vietnam ’s energy demand for commercial purposes is forecast to increase by 8.6-9 percent per annum between 2001 and 2025.

At the workshop, experts from China , Thailand and India shared their experiences relating to the drafting and enforcement of energy-saving laws in their countries.

The draft law will be submitted to the government for consideration by the end of this year and for the National Assembly’s approval in 2009.

The compilers of the bill have proposed that the government permit the establishment of funds at both the national and local levels to encourage and support energy-saving measures.-

France’s friendship association supports AO victims

Paris (VNA) – The France-Vietnam Friendship Association (AAFV) has recently presented 100 books on the use of the toxic Agent Orange in Vietnam to the Vietnam Agent Orange /dioxin Victims Association (VAVA).

The English-language version of the book entitled “Agent Orange in Vietnam , Yesterday’s Crime, Today’s Strategy” was translated from the original French version and published by the Hanoi National Political Publishing House.

The book is a collection of articles and writings about the toxic chemicals as well as their impact on the Vietnamese people and environment, written by well-known specialists, researchers and historians from Vietnam and the rest of the world.

The book has been previously translated into Italian. The Vietnamese version is expected to be launched in Vietnam in the near future.

Marie Helene Lavallard, AAFV representative, expressed her hope that the book would contribute to an appeal calling upon the world to support a lawsuit filed in the US by Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange.

AAFV, a French non-governmental organisation, has actively supported a number of activities to call for justice for Vietnam ’s Agent Orange/dioxin victims.-

RoK training models – a blueprint for success

In the Republic of Korea, economic groups have worked closely with schools and private schools have proliferated, Deputy PM Nguyen Thien Nhan told a Vietnam News Agency correspondent in Seoul about his impression of his visit to the Northeast Asian country.

He noted that RoK businesses have mechanisms in place to support educational and training activities and that Vietnam could learn from this experience.

He added a Vietnamese telecom business has recently helped schools nationwide by providing them with free internet services.

Deputy PM Nhan has led a delegation of high-ranking officials from the Government Office and the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) and rectors of a number of universities to visit the Republic of Korea (RoK) with the aim of strengthening bilateral cooperative ties, particularly in education and training.

During the Oct. 9-15 visit, the delegation worked alongside the RoK Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, the Korean Education Development Institute and the Institute for Human Resources Development and visited a number of schools and universities in the city.

Nhan said that the RoK government made the right decision in investing heavily in education and training. The rate of around 80 percent of Korean students who complete general education and go on to study at universities is an impressive result, but the RoK also faces the problem of “having too many teachers, while lacking skilled workers”, a similar situation to Vietnam, he said.

This model of intensified training at universities for only several thousand students in the RoK would be an experience for Vietnam to reconsider in establishing universities capable of admitting tens of thousands of students.

On the prospect of the two countries cooperating in this area, particularly with regard to the potential of RoK businesses in training, Nhan said that the RoK is a country steeped in science and technology development, and that Vietnam and the RoK have reached an agreement on the level of RoK’s assistance in the provision of technology for Vietnam’s education and training sectors.

He said that the two countries also signed an agreement on assistance in the training of Korean language teachers in Vietnamese schools. Under the terms of the agreement, each school’s Korean language department will have at least one lecturer holding a PhD, plus two others holding master’s degrees in order to improve the quality of Korean training in Vietnam .

The two sides also reached an agreement on the RoK’s training of 300-500 holders of Ph.D. degree for Vietnam between now and 2020, he said, adding that the RoK side was ready to admit and give training to Vietnamese students.

These agreements will pave the way for the two sides to expand cooperation in education and training, he said.

The Deputy PM also revealed that the two sides are also working on a plan to build a technical and technological university with the RoK’s assistance in Vietnam.-

Hanoi mayor meets diplomats over resolution of land petitions

Hanoi (VNA) – Hanoi’s mayor met with senior foreign diplomats on October 15 to inform them of the local authorities’ resolution of the land petitions related to religion in the city.

Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen The Thao told ambassadors, deputy ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions that the main reason behind the recent land claims at 42 Nha Chung and 178 Nguyen Luong Bang in Hanoi was a poor awareness of the law amongst the catholic demonstrators.

Thao said that a number of priests, led by Archbishop Ngo Quang Kiet, took advantage of parishioners’ beliefs and their own low awareness of the law to instigate unrest, intentionally breaking the law and acting contrary to the interests of both the nation and the church.

Their deeds have had an adverse impact on the relations between the municipal government, the Hanoi Archbishop’s Office and the Thai Ha parish, he said, adding that the city has accordingly issued warnings to Kiet and the priests involved, while the police have taken legal action against those involved in public disorder and property destruction.

The mayor explained that the Hanoi authorities are seeking to turn land plots that are being used inefficiently into public property, citing the example of a non-performing project opposite the Hanoi Opera House which has now been transformed into a flower-garden.

The mayor spoke highly of the contributions made by Catholics to the country’s renewal process and said that, over the past few years, local authorities have been continually striving to create favourable conditions for religious activities, including allocating areas of land to numerous religious organisations.-

IGE delegation visits Dak Lak

Dak Lak (VNA) – A delegation from the US’s Institute for Global Engagement (IGE), led by its President Dr. Chris Seiple, visited the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak from Oct. 14-15.

Ms Mai Hoa Nie Kdam, Vice Chairperson of the People’s Committee of Dak Lak briefed the delegation on socio-economic development across the locality.

She said that the province has strictly implemented the policy on religion and religious unity. The number of religious people in the province has increased from 87,000 before 1975 to almost 437,900, of which Catholics account for 41 percent, Protestants account for 31 percent, and Buddhists, 27 percent.

The province has granted land to a number of religious organisations to enable them to build places of worship.
The province has created favourable conditions for four local Protestant churches to build oratories and has provided three local churches with plots of land of between 1,500 -2,000 sq.m to build places of worship and religious activities.

The Dak Lak authorities have officially recognised 21 local churches and 176 Protestant groups, ordained 12 Pastors and facilitated Pastors’ religious activities in the locality.

Dr. Chris Seiple exchanged views with the province on matters relating to jurisdiction and religion at the local level and the possibility for implementation of humanitarian aid projects run by Global Venture. Inc (GVI), in accordance with local demand.

The delegation also visited a number of local areas of great beauty and places of worship, plus religious dignitaries in the locality.-