Flood tide in HCM City reaches record level over 49 years

HCM City (VNA) – The flood-tide in Ho Chi Minh City has reached alarming level 3, with the water level of Saigon river measured at Phu An station up to 1.5 m at 4 p.m. on Nov. 12 and 3 a.m. on Nov. 13.

This is the highest level of flood-tide over the past 49 years, according to the Southern Hydro-Meteorology Station.

The historical peak this year was attributed to a strong cold wave and northeast wind.

According to the municipal Steering Board for Flood and Storm Control, high flood-tide has caused bank breaks and overflows in five districts and precincts. About 39 m of embankments in the five districts and precincts has been broken and 32 embankment sections of over 3 km long overflowed.

To minimise the damages caused by the historical level of food-tide, which may also be accompanied by long heavy rain, the municipal People’s Committee and Steering Board for Flood and Storm Control have instructed districts and precincts to take necessary measures, keep watch on important positions, and prepare finance, materials and forces for timely handling of any incidents.

Meanwhile, floods have inundated all roads in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho . At 3 p.m. on Nov. 13, a big flood-tide raised water level in the Hau river, flooding all streets in the inner city.-

International assistance called for flood victims

Vietnam Red Cross (VRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) on Nov. 12 called for international supports to flood victims in northern provinces of Vietnam .

The appeal, expected to last until September 2009, aims to rake in 4 million USD as relief aid for nearly 294,000 people of 70,000 households in 17 provinces and cities hit by recent floods and storms, VRC’s General Secretary Doan Van Thai said.

Thai said VRC has so far received aid commitments totaling 442,000 USD from the Australian Cooperation and Development Agency, the Red Cross organisations of Switzerland , Australia , Germany and Norway .

Through the VRC and the French Red Cross, the European Commission has donated 600,000 EUR for Kammuri storm’s victims in northern provinces of Phu Tho, Yen Bai and Lao Cai.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the recent prolonged rain killed 82 people and destroyed 180,400 houses and 245,000 ha of winter crops. The total damage is estimated to reach more than 6 trillion VND.-

Int’l education exhibition opens in Hanoi

The 16th international exhibition on education was opened in Hanoi on November 14.

The expo, organised by the Vietnam International Education Consultants Association (VIECA), aims to provide useful information of overseas study for students and parents.

As many as 21 colleges, universities and institutes from the US, Canada, Australia, Italy, Switzerland, England, China, Singapore and Thailand introduced at the event their training programmes, tuition fees, study environment and degree quality.

16 seminars on overseas study opportunities at four universities of China, EU, Italy and Australia were held during the event.

The expo will also be opened in Ho Chi Minh City on Nov. 16.-

Flood-hit communities to receive prompt assistance

A government leader has requested authorities in the Red river delta and northern central provinces to mobilise all of the resources at their disposal in tackling the damage caused by the recent torrential rains and subsequent flooding, which has cost those localities almost 8 trillion VND.

At an on-line conference with the leaders of those provinces on Nov. 14, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung ordered them to immediately engage in necessary relief activities to prevent those affected by the floods from falling into poverty.

He affirmed that the State Bank of Vietnam and the Finance Ministry will consider a mechanism to reschedule farmers’ loans and to continue providing them with additional loans to enable them to resume farming.

The Government leader reminded those localities of the need to disinfect the environment to ensure there are no outbreaks of disease, and to promptly make repairs to schools, hospitals and roads that were damaged by floods, so that they are able to resume normal services for local residents.

“The irrigation system in the Red river delta needs to be restructured to cope on a long-term scale as it has shown signs of working beyond its capacity during the record torrential rains,” Deputy PM Hung said.

During the meeting, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development suggested that the Prime Minister provide farmers with 45 tonnes of vegetable seeds and 275 tonnes of rice, to be taken from the national reserves, in addition to a subsidy rate of 1 million VND per hectare damaged by floods, to support their farming activities.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the recent floods caused 89 people dead and 5 missing. Of the figure, Hanoi capital city and central Nghe An provinces lost 22 people, central Ha Tinh province lost 15, and mid-land Vinh Phuc and Thai Nguyen provinces, each had 8 dead.

A total of 210,000 ha of vegetable crops, 30,000 ha of paddy fields, 10,000 ha of fruit trees, and 40,000 ha of fish farms were lost in the disaster, which also swept away 200,000 livestock and cattle and caused serious damage to roads, power stations, health clinics and schools in the Red river delta and northern central provinces.-

Revised law lives up to overseas Vietnamese’s expectations

Hanoi (VNA) – With revised content allowing more flexible use of the provision for the recognition of only one nationality for Vietnamese citizens, the Law on Nationality of Vietnam (Revised) was passed by the National Assembly on Nov. 13.

Article 3 of the 1998 Law on Nationality, which stipulated that a Vietnamese citizen could hold only one nationality, that of Vietnamese, has been supplemented with the phrase “except for cases that are otherwise stipulated by this law.” This means the scope of those Vietnamese citizens who are allowed to have dual nationality has been extended, ensuring the unity and transparency of the law.

Article 13 of the revised law defines that Vietnamese who live abroad but, according to Vietnamese law, have not lost their Vietnamese citizenship prior to this Law coming into force, will retain their Vietnamese nationality.

According to Clause 5 of Article 23 of the new law, those who apply to regain Vietnamese nationality can retain their foreign citizenship if they have justified cause and with permission by the State President. The law also defines a number of concrete cases in which people can regain Vietnamese citizenship.

These stipulations have been supported by numerous NA deputies, individuals and organisations at home and abroad, and particularly, they fulfill the wishes of the overseas Vietnamese community. In fact, many overseas Vietnamese have returned to live in their home country and would like to regain their Vietnamese citizenship whilst still retaining their foreign nationality. Doing so would mean that they would not face difficulties in matters relating to retirement pensions and insurance in foreign countries.

In addition to articles protecting Vietnamese citizens who live abroad, the law defines that any matters arising from the fact that a Vietnamese citizen also holds a foreign passport would be resolved in accordance with international treaties that Vietnam has signed. In case there are not any related treaties, these matters will be resolved according to international customs and practice.

The law also defines detailed basis to identify people holding Vietnamese citizenship and papers required to prove the Vietnamese nationality of an individual. Vietnamese living overseas who wish to retain their Vietnamese citizenship will need to register with the Vietnamese representative missions abroad within five years of the Law coming into effect.

Other much-expected revisions to the law include the exemption and reduction of a range of compulsory conditions for gaining Vietnamese nationality.

To prevent the situation of residents without any nationality, the law states that children born in Vietnamese territories and those residing in Vietnam who do not hold any citizenship will allowed to gain Vietnamese citizenship.

Following nine years of implementation, the 1998 Law on Nationality of Vietnam no longer conforms to real-life, practical situations, for example the principle that recognises just one nationality for Vietnamese citizens. This principle led to an increasing number of violations of the nationality law, causing difficulties for the resolution of matters related to citizenship.

According to statistics, about 75 percent of more than 3 million overseas Vietnamese hold two or three nationalities. The Ministry of Justice said that the number of Vietnamese people who want to regain their Vietnamese citizenship has been on the rise over recent years. Only 51 people so far have been allowed to regain their Vietnamese citizenship.

Over the past nine years, 674 people have applied for Vietnamese citizenship.-

Prime Minister receives foreign ambassadors

Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung received outgoing Singaporean ambassador Lim Thuan Kuan and newly-appointed Estonian Ambassador Andres Unga in Hanoi on Nov. 13.

Receiving the Singaporean ambassador, PM Dung praised the diplomat’s contributions to fostering Vietnam-Singapore relations.

He expressed his pleasure at recent developments in the two countries relationship, particularly the signing of an agreement linking the Vietnamese and Singaporean economies.

Two-way trade value between the nations reached more than 8 billion USD in 2007 and stood at 9 billion USD for the first nine months of 2008.

The PM also lauded joint efforts to boost bilateral multifaceted cooperation, hoping that the Singaporean diplomat would continue to contribute to the development of Vietnam-Singapore relations once he takes up his new position.

The outgoing ambassador reiterated Singapore ’s desire to increase cooperation with Vietnam , particularly with regard to trade and investment.

Receiving Estonian Ambassador Andres Unga, who is also the Estonian Ambassador to China , the PM said that the two countries should promote economic cooperation, which remains at a modest level, by signing agreements relating to trade, investment and double taxation avoidance in the near future.

He also said he hoped that the Estonian ambassador would act as a bridge between the two nations in order to boost cooperation across a range of fields.

Ambassador Unga stressed the necessity of increasing cooperation in tourism promotional activities between the two countries, thus helping to facilitate cooperation in a number of other sectors. Estonia plans appoint its honourable Consul General to Vietnam , the ambassador said.-

Bloomberg: Vietnam’s economy steady in financial crisis

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam is among the economies that have recorded the highest economic growth rates over the past 12 months, according to Peter Grauer, Chairman of the US’s financial information group, Bloomberg. He made this statement to his host, Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet, in Hanoi on Nov. 13.

Grauer said that Vietnam is among 161 economies monitored by Bloomberg, and over the past 10 years, Bloomberg has kept a close watch on the country’s economic developments and has received support in this matter from a number of authorised Vietnamese agencies.

The chairman of the world’s leading financial news group said that Bloomberg wants to objectively cover the reality of the Vietnamese economy in order to attract the world’s attention to the country’s financial markets and to help the Vietnamese people find out more about various financial tools and services.

He asserted that Vietnam’s economy was steady before the impact of the financial crisis, as the country draws its strength from a young, intelligent, creative and optimistic workforce that forms Vietnam’s backbone.

President Triet appreciated the reliability of Bloomberg’s regional and global financial coverage and reporting.

Regarding the impact of the global financial crisis on Vietnam , the President said the Vietnamese Government has adopted bold measures to curb inflation and stabilise the macroeconomy. However, he added, Vietnam has little experience in coping with financial turmoil, so it needs foreign consultancy to help arrive at concrete solutions to tackle the crisis.

The President also stressed that Vietnam is determined to ensure that its financial and monetary markets are transparent in order to gain the confidence of the world’s investment organisations.-

US Ambassador meets Vietnamese and int’l pressmen

Hanoi (VNA) – The US Ambassador to Vietnam Michael Michalak on November 13 met with local and international reporters, discussing the recent US presidential election and the transition process between US Presidents and their administrations.

Ambassador Michalak stressed the fact that Senator Barack Obama being elected the 44th President of the US was an historic event as it was the first time an African-American has been elected to the highest post in the US administration.

On the Vietnam-US ties, the ambassador said Vietnam should believe that what the two countries have achieved together over the years would continue to be the US’s priorities regarding bilateral ties.

The two sides would continue to share common goals and values, and would reaffirm their commitments to the success of their bilateral relations, he added.

Asked about his predictions regarding economic and trade ties between the two countries during 2009, he said it is already clear that the global financial crisis has affected stock markets all over the world. However, it is “dangerous” to make predictions regarding the full impact the crisis will have upon trade and investment.

The diplomat said that several US companies that had intended to invest in Vietnam, informed him that they have had to suspend their plans due to the financial crisis. Meanwhile, investors from Delaware State who have recently visited Vietnam affirmed that they were optimistic about Vietnam’s economic prospects and would invest in the country in the future.

The ambassador also said Vietnam’s exports to the US have also been affected by the financial crisis. However, he said, the extent of the impact on Vietnam’s exports has not been as serious as in other countries. –

National Assembly passes five bills

Hanoi (VNA) – The National Assembly passed five bills on road traffic (revised), bio-diversity, technology, cadres and civil servants and judicial records on November 13.

Deputy National Assembly Chairmen Uong Chu Luu and Huynh Ngoc Son chaired the Nov. 13 plenary session of the NA’s on-going 12th meeting.-

Vietnam welcomes measures to promote culture of peace

New York (VNA) – Vietnam commends measures undertaken over the past time within the UN framework in promoting the culture of peace and facilitating interreligious and intercultural dialogue in many parts of the world.

Vietnamese representative to the UN, Ambassador Le Luong Minh made the statement at the second General Assembly High-level Dialogue on Interreligious and Intercultural Understanding and Cooperation for Peace in New York on Nov. 13.

The Vietnamese representative affirmed that “peace is the premise for the solution of problems such as hunger, malnutrition and poverty, racial and religious discriminations affecting the lives of hundreds of millions of people in many countries and societies and a whole array of global issues facing mankind such as climate change, environmental degradation, and HIV/AIDS.”

“Peace can not be sustainable without solution of these burning problems,” he said.

“Interreligious and intercultural understanding and cooperation thus can only be promoted if it is based on the shared desire to contribute to strengthening this organic relationship between peace and development and the solution of problems affecting people of all faiths,” the diplomat said.

Ambassador Minh noted that in their thousand-year long history, the Vietnamese people “have never failed to foster interreligious and intercultural dialogue, understanding, cooperation and harmony for the preservation of national independence, sovereignty and peace.”

“Interreligious and intercultural hostilities are foreign to our tradition,” he affirmed, stressing that the country has adopted a series of laws and policies that aim at protecting the nation’s diverse cultural values and guaranteeing the people’s freedom to religion and belief.

He went on to underscore that, “for the promotion of interreligious and intercultural understanding and cooperation for peace, it is the duty of all Member States to ensure that such attempts to abuse religious freedom that we all cherish in sabotage of our shared peace is foreign in our cultures.”-