Ticket sale begins for Danang firework festivalThe Danang International Fireworks Festival has announced ticket prices and sale locations for the event. Danang International Fireworks Festival to open in AprilTicket prices are similar to last year, running from VND300,000 (USD13) to VND1,000,000. The ticket prices for the opening and closing nights on April 30 and June 30 will be VND400,000 to VND2,000,000. Ticket prices for children during the whole festival remain at VND50,000. Asides from the host team of Vietnam, teams from France, Hong Kong, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Sweden and the US will also participate in the festival.

Patient satisfaction hits 80%: SurveyVietNamNet Bridge – The results of a pilot survey have shown the average patient satisfaction index (PSI) in the country reached 3.98/5, that is some 79.6 per cent of their expectation. Patients were mostly satisfied with the access to health examination and treatment services, especially drug distribution and consultation services. Another survey conducted by the Medical Services Administration (MSA) from December 2016 to December 2017 showed the country’s general in-patient PSI reached 75.6 per cent. The lessons learnt from the survey will help the health sector and hospitals improve their check-up and examination services. The outcomes came from a pilot survey on patient satisfaction conducted by the MSA, operating under the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Vietnam Initiative of Indiana University and Oxfam Viet Nam.

Locked iPhones no longer in great demand in VNVietNamNet Bridge - Locked iPhones, which have been hot products in Vietnam, have lost their luster. Locked iPhones have lost their lusterIn the domestic market, there are two kinds of iPhones – iPhone international versions and locked iPhones. Used iPhones are brought to certain markets, including Vietnam, where they are sold as locked iPhones. But the position of locked iPhone in the domestic market changed after a series of locked iPhones ‘died’ last October. A short time after each update, new versions of Gevey sim will appear, allowing locked iPhones to resume operation.

Land and forest battle in Central Highlands as forests devastatedVietNamNet Bridge - As illegal loggers are ‘protected’ by local officials, it will be difficult to stop deforestation in the Central Highlands unless heavy sanctions are applied. No one can stop the deforestation here.”As illegal loggers are ‘protected’ by local officials, it will be difficult to stop deforestation in the Central Highlands unless heavy sanctions are applied. In Dak Ngo commune, they saw were ravaged forests and burned trees on the ground and bare land. Hundreds of thousands of hectares of forests have been allocated to enterprises to develop projects on rubber plantation, husbandry and afforestation. RELATED NEWSWood from devastated natural forest found in wood-chip factoryProtecting forests from illegal logging an uphill battle in Central HighlandsThien Nhien

Vinacomin and EVN protest Geleximco-HUI’s thermal power plants proposalState-run Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Holding Corporation Limited (Vinacomin) and Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) protested against Geleximco’s proposal to co-operate with Chinese partners to develop billion-dollar thermal power plants. Meanwhile, the joint venture is looking to acquire the entire 100 per cent stake of Quang Trach 2 from EVN. Geleximco affirmed that the joint venture can arrange capital without guarantee from the government and it can start the construction as it has yet to collect enough capital. Vinacomin disagreed with Geleximco's proposal to hold a 75 per cent stake in the joint venture. Quynh Lap 1 thermal power plant is one of the two projects in the Quynh Lap Power Centre in Quynh Luu district.

Accidents at schools: who is to blame? These are just a few of the accidents that have occurred in schools recently. Lawyer suggested that new regulations need to be created on assessing the quality of public works, including schools, hospitals and terminals. A more serious accident occurred at Kong Ana Preschool in Krong Ana district in Dak Lak province in February 2017. Social organizations have voiced concern about the increase in the number of accidents recently, pointing out that, in most cases, accidents occurred because of poor facilities, and schools and relevant parties had failed to upgrade their facilities.

Expat photographer ponders life’s remnantsNana Chen is a Taiwanese photographer currently working on a variety of projects. I chose the 12 photos from hundreds and each shows a different side of the story for me. Do you think your art project will impact society? I have focussed mainly on personal art projects for the last four years, but still do some commissioned editorial work from time to time. The art projects are a way to think things through, work through feelings or emotions current or past.

Artesian wells discovered in Bach Long Vy island districtTwo more artesian wells have just been found in Bach Long Vy island district in the port city of Hai Phong by the Northern Division of Water Resources Planning and Investigation. A corner of Bach Long Vy island districtTwo drill holes detected flowing artesian water of 75 cubic metres per day. Bach Long Vy island district, about 100km offshore, is populated by some 1,000 people and more than 2,000 people at peak during storms. The now four water wells can supply a combination of 90 cubic metres per day, leaving island residents still 120 cubic metres short of what they need. Secretary of the Bach Long Vy district People’s Committee Tran Quang Tuong said, the water reservoirs, with a combined capacity of 48,000 cubic metres, once completed in 2018, will meet the demand of local residents.

Hoang Sa-themed exhibition centre opens in Da Nang cityA centre for exhibiting documents and images on Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago of Vietnam was inaugurated in the central city of Da Nang on March 28. The Hoang Sa-themed exhibition centre opens in Da Nang city on March 28The exhibition centre, located on Hoang Sa road, was built from December 2015 at total cost of 43.3 billion VND (nearly 1.9 million USD). Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Chairman of the Da Nang municipal People’s Committee Huynh Duc Tho said as Hoang Sa is a sacred integral part of Vietnam, Hoang Sa-themed exhibition centres could be built in any localities nationwide. Da Nang has continuously managed the whole Hoang Sa archipelago for almost six decades, so it is suitable for this centre to be located on a road named after the archipelago near the East Sea. In particular, the centre has the shape of the sovereignty seal in the Nguyen Dynasty, which is meant to show that Vietnam established and exercised sovereignty over Hoang Sa very early.

Hoa Lac Hi-tech Park to have $65-mln software R&D centreA software development centre will be developed by ETC Technology Systems SJC (ETC) at Hoa Lac Hi-tech Park in Hanoi with an investment of nearly 1.48 trillion VND (some 65 million USD). Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Pham Dai Duong speaks at a ceremony on March 27 approving the development of Itera software development centre at Hoa Lac Hi-tech Park. (Photo: MoST)The 3.86-hectares Itera software development centre will be built in two phases from 2018 to 2023, featuring zones for R&D activities of general and hi-tech software and centres for product promotion and database. Itera is a hi-tech complex that produces, supplies and promotes the use of hi-tech software in both public agencies and private businesses, said ETC Chairman Pham Tien Hung at a ceremony on March 27 where the Hoa Lac Hi-tech Park management board presented an investment approval decision to the company. Located in Thach That and Quoc Oai districts, the 1,586-hectare Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park has been developed a science city hosting investors in biotechnology, information – communication, new material technology, and automation.

Vietnamese businesses invest over $149.5 million abroadVietnamese businesses have invested in 23 projects totaling 123.62 million USD in other countries in the first quarter of this year, according to the Foreign Investment Agency under the Ministry of Planning and Investment. An office of the Vietnamese-invested LaoVietBank in LaosFive operating projects increased their capital by 25.88 million USD in the reviewed time, bringing the total investment capital Vietnamese businesses poured overseas to 149.5 million USD. In the time, finance-banking caught top interests from the Vietnamese investors, accounting for 70.2 percent of their total newly-licensed and added capital, or 105 million USD. It was followed by manufacturing and processing which received 19.9 million USD, or 13.3 percent of the total investment capital in the quarter. The other fields were retails and wholesales with seven projects worth 8.5 million USD, or 8 percent of the total, and accommodation, dinning, communications, construction, freighting and storehouse.

Vietnamese labourers facing with challenge of Industry 4.0Industry 4.0 poses a challenge to the Vietnamese labour force so significant that the only way to meet it is to impose reforms across the board, starting with education and training programmes, experts agreed at a seminar yesterday in Hanoi. “Industry 4.0 will leave no place for farming workers. The shortage of skilled workers as Industry 4.0 comes will also be very high,” Pham Quang Ngoc, an economist and labour market expert, said at the seminar. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF)’s Readiness for the Future of Production Report 2018, among the 100 countries assessed, Vietnam was ranked among those that aren’t ready for Industry 4.0. Not only lacking in professional knowledge, Vietnamese workers are weak in problem solving, leadership and communication skills.

Grab asked to provide documents related to Uber purchaseThe Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) of Vietnam has requested Grab to report on its purchase of Uber in the Southeast Asian market, including Vietnam. According to Grab’s announcement to acquire Uber’s Southeast Asia operations, Grab will integrate Uber’s ridesharing and food delivery business in the region into Grab’s existing platform. As part of the acquisition, Uber will take a 27.5 percent stake in Grab and Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi will join Grab’s management board. "This deal is the largest-ever of its kind in Southeast Asia," ride-hailing service Grab said in a media release on March 26. Grab is one of the most frequently used O2O mobile platforms in 195 cities in Southeast Asia.

The Ministry of Health plans to replace the five-in-one Quinvaxem combination vaccine with other types of vaccines for infants beginning this June.– Photo giadinhmoi.vnHÀ NỘI – The Ministry of Health plans to replace the five-in-one Quinvaxem combination vaccine with other types of vaccines for infants beginning this June. But the vaccine producer Berna Boitech Korea Corporation had been phasing out production of the vaccine. Thus, the ministry planned to replace Quinvaxem with another five-in-one vaccine, which would be put into use on a small scale in four localities and across the country by the end of the year. In March 2016, the vaccine was clinically tested and proven safe and effective by Việt Nam with the support of the Japanese government and health experts. From 2014-16, Việt Nam successfully implemented a campaign to promote the measles-rubella combined vaccination, which has protected more than 23 million children under 19 years old from the disease.

Eximbank case extends to three more defendantsAccording to the investigation, these three people on March 27 were prosecuted as accomplices helping Le Nguyen Hung (former deputy director of Eximbank’s Ho Chi Minh City branch) to appropriate Chu Thi Binh’s VND245 billion ($10.8 million). Former director of Eximbank, Le Nguyen Hung, has escaped from Ho Chi Minh CityThe three defendants are Nguyen Thi Ngoc Tram, Tran Nguyen Xuan Lan, and Cao Lan Phuong. It was issued after investigating the case of Chu Thi Binh who lost VND245 billion ($10.8 million) of her deposits in Eximbank, while she still held the savings books. Le Nguyen Hung, who was deputy director at that time, directly dealt with her. When Binh checked the balance of her savings accounts at the end of 2017, she found she had lost more than VND245 billion ($10.8 million).