The Netherlands will share its experiences in coping with climate change with Vietnam, to help the country maintain its economic growth and reduce poverty. 

German Ambassador to Vietnam Rof Schulze has announced the German government’s commitment of EUR3 million to protect biodiversity in Vietnam.

Vietnam confirmed 82 new cases of A/H1N1 on October 8, bringing the total number of infected patients to 9,789 with 20 fatalities by 5 pm the same day. 

The General Department of Vocational Training under the Ministry of Labour – Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) on October 8 was granted the Labour Order, second class, by the State President on the occasion of its 40 anniversary (October 9).  

The second Thursday of October was chosen as the World Sight Day (WSD) by the official World Health Organization and the International Agency for Prevention of Blindness.

How to expand the reach of proactive, preventive measures to improve children’s health and reduce the infant mortality rate is the target of a recently-approved action plan on the issue for the 2009-2015 period.

Nearly 15,000 people from across the country will receive free consultancy advice and medicine to mark World Sight Day (October 10).

The 18th Olympic Informatics for Vietnamese students kicked off in Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa province on October 7.

The Mekong delta province of Dong Thap on October 7 put into operation a surface water treatment plant at a total cost of over VND19 billion (over US$1 million ) funded by the Water Fund Holland.

Foreign visitors will be allowed to use right-hand-drive cars in Vietnam following a Government decree on the issue to come into force on November 15.

Foreign organisations have continuously poured relief aid into Vietnam’s central region which was devastated by powerful storm Ketsana a week ago.

A national forum on “Natural Risk Reduction and Climate Change Response” was jointly held on October 7 in Hanoi by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) and the UN’s International Strategy for Disaster Reduction.

The Vietnamese embassy in China has so far collected more than US$4,000 to assist people affected by storm Ketsana in central Vietnam.

Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education and Training, Nguyen Thien Nhan and France’s Minister of Higher Education and Research, Valerie Pecresse have discussed a project to build a University of Technology in Vietnam in association with 40 French universities.

In October Vietnam Airlines will open three new routes, including two domestic and one international routes.

A British organisation has established a multi-agency board to advise on tackling child sex abuse throughout Vietnam.

Overseas non-governmental organisations (NGO) in Hanoi have pledged to grant aid of US$2.8 million and 20 tonnes of rice to help the victims of typhoon Ketsana, the ninth storm of the year so far.

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has provided US$500,000 for Vietnam’s counter-human trafficking project, which will be implemented by the Asian Fund- an agency experienced in the field.

On October 5, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Hanoi released a human development report 2009, which reflects statistics for 2007. According to the report, Vietnam ranks 116/182 nations on the Human Development Index (HDI).

The Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA) on October 6 received US$292,000 donated by the Greek Embassy in Vietnam, the Overseas Vietnamese Association in Russia and Viettel Corporation.

The first singing festival for business people will be held at the Voice of Vietnam’s (VOV) theatre on October 8 and 9 as part of the activities to celebrate Vietnamese Businesspeople Day (October 13).

At 4:00 on October 6, the eye of typhoon Parma was located at latitude 19.6 degrees north and longitude 120.0 degrees east, about 890 km to the northeast part of the Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago.

Minister of Defence General Phung Quang Thanh on October 5 received a delegation of Russian scientists coming to help Vietnam preserve the late President Ho Chi Minh’s embalmed body.

Donors from the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) began their three-day visit to Vietnam on October 5 to look into the country’s preparedness to cope with natural disasters.

Vietnam on October 5 confirmed two more fatal cases of A/H1N1 flu, bringing the death toll to 20 to date.

The number of hospitalized patients with flu, diarrhoea, and eye infections has increased tenfold in central Vietnam over the past several days after typhoon Ketsana hit the region.

By noon on October 5, typhoon Parma had moved west-southwest, directly affecting coastal areas and the northern part of the Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago, and may still threaten the Vietnamese coast in the next few days.

The Ministry of Health (MoH) on October 4 confirmed 25 more cases of A/H1N1 infection, bringing the total number of patients to 9,562.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) has launched a campaign called “Charming Vietnam” in London to promote foreigners to visit the country.

Flood stricken areas in central Vietnam that are still engaged in clean-up efforts after storm Ketsana wreaked havoc in the area last week are again threatened with another typhoon currently churning its way across the northern end of the Philippines’ Luzon island.