1,000 young people and workers in the central highland province of Dak Lak attended a meeting on November 29 to support the National HIV/AIDS Action Month and World AIDS Day (December 1).

Over 8,000 disabled people in Ho Chi Minh City and its nearby provinces and cities gathered at Suoi Tien Entertainment and Cultural Park on November 28 to take part in the biggest camp this year.

Over 1,000 people participated in a meeting in Ho Chi Minh (HCM) City on November 28 in response to World AIDS Day (December 1).

Nearly 2,000 people with disabilities attended a meeting in Hanoi on November 28 to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (December 3).  

A conference entitled “promoting investment in culture, sports and tourism in southern provinces” was held in the Dai Nam Tourist Resort in Binh Duong province on November 28 by the Ministry of  Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST).  

Responding to the call of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee, overseas Vietnamese in Qatar have donated US$3,570 in support of their compatriots in central provinces, which were recently ravaged by storms Ketsana and Mirinae. 

Population growth in the 2001-2010 period dropped to 1.2 percent, the lowest in fifty years, said Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Ba Thuy.

The Ministry of Justice and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on November 27 kicked off a project to strengthen access to justice and rights protection in Vietnam.

The awareness and responsibilities of youth vis-à-vis the HIV/AIDS pandemic were discussed at a seminar in Hanoi on November 27.

Relevant agencies in Vietnam should encourage people to take suitable precautionary HIV/AIDS prevention measures, said 2008 Nobel Prize Winner in Medicine, Prof. Francoise Barre-Sinoussi, at a seminar on HIV/AIDS in Hanoi on November 27.

The HanViet Foundation of the Republic of Korea (RoK) presented 120 Golden Bridge (GB) and OTO scholarships to outstanding Vietnamese students in Hanoi on November 27.

Foreign arrivals in Vietnam in November reached nearly 400,000, increasing sharply compared to October, says the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).

The Prudence Foundation, under the global Prudential Corporation, has delivered 11 information technology scholarships, each worth US$2,400 (equivalent to VND42.4 million).

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development held a seminar in Da Nang city on November 27 to draw lessons from flood prevention efforts in the central region over the past 10 years.  

The Overseas Labour Management Department, under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs held a press conference on November 27 to unveil its new website at www.dolab.gov.vn.

A workshop on preservation and sustainable use of microorganism in Asia was held in Hanoi on November 27 by the Institute of Microorganism and Bio-technology and the Hanoi National University.

Vietnam Telecom International (VTI), a member of the Vietnam Post and Telecommunication Group (VNPT), launched an international marine cable system called Asia America Gateway (AAG) in Ba Ria –Vung Tau province on November 27.

On November 26, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) released a report on new approach to poor Vietnamese children.  

On November 26, the Vietnamese Students Association’s Central Committee along with the Wall Street Corporation announced a Wall Street scholarship programme for students which have recorded outstanding academic achievements.

The Record Painting and Drawing about Environment contest will be held in Hanoi on November 29 by the Go Green Club to provide a chance for young people to get involved in environmental protection activities.

Hanoi is striving to reduce the poverty rate amongst the ethnic minorities by 2-3 percent per year and double the per-capita income in these areas between now and 2020.

A EUR32 million urban water supply programme for the Mekong Delta region, financed by the French Development Agency (AFD), began in Vinh Long province on November 26.

The Ministry of Information and Communication will hand over more than VND5.7 billion to the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee to aid flood victims in central and central highland provinces, which were recently battered by storm No 9.

Another cold snap is forecast to hit northern Vietnam this weekend which will cause temperatures to drop by 2-3oC, according to the National Hydro-meteorological Forecasting Centre.

Serious violations of food hygiene and safety have dented consumer confidence. Ensuring food hygiene and safety is always an issue of great public concern as it directly affects the health of consumers.

The Ambassador of Operation Smile Vietnam, Andrew Keating, has been awarded Vietnam’s “For Peace and Friendship among Nations” insignia for his great contributions to charitable activities in the country.

A website www.cuocsongvantuoidep.vn has been set up for people who need to access domestic and foreign benefactors.

The 14th Conference of the Japan Automobile standards Internationalization Center (JASIC) was held in Hanoi on November 25 with many Asian governments and manufacturers taking part.

Vietnam wishes to boost international cooperation in odonto-stomatology to catch up with advanced technologies now being used in the field, especially in community dental care.

Vietnam needs to build strong brand names in the field of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in order to make it a strong ICT nation, according to the National Council for Scientific and Technological Policies (NCSTP).