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.

The Bank for Investment and Development of Cambodia (BIDC), an affiliate to the Vietnam Bank for Investment and Development (BIDV), has presented gifts worth US$45,000 to support victims of storm Ketsana in Cambodia.

More than 100,000 Caodai pilgrims flocked to the Caodai Church in the southern province of Tay Ninh on Oct. 3 for their annual grand banquet at the Dieu Tri Palace.

Four Vietnamese children have joined their peers from several Asian countries in an international festival held by Plan Asia in Bangkok, Thailand.

Autistic children at the Sao Mai Centre in Hanoi enjoyed the Mid-Autumn Festival with young people from a local blog group on October 2.

Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh attended the Mid-Autumn festive party for children in the northern city of Thai Nguyen on October 2.

A new species of snake has been discovered in Loc Bac forest in the Central Highland province of Lam Dong, according to the Lao Dong (Labour) newspaper.

Research on climate change and strategies to generate income in the central coast region topped the agenda of a workshop held in Hanoi on October 2.

The Ministry of Health on October 2 confirmed two more deaths from the A/H1N1 flu, raising the total due to the disease to 18.

By 11am on October 2, two days after launching a donation campaign, the Vietnam Fatherland Front had received over VND5 billion from domestic and foreign individuals and organisations.

The percentage of Vietnamese households in poverty fell from 18 percent in 2005 to 12 percent in 2008, down an average of 2.6 percent per year.

Two Malaysian navy ships named KD Perak and KD Perdana, docked in Ho Chi Minh City on October 2.

The US Government has agreed on a US$1.69 million environmental remediation project to support Vietnam in addressing Agent Orange/dioxin contamination at Da Nang Airport. 

The central province of Quang Nam has granted a licence to two US companies, Tano Capital LLC and Global C&D, to build a US$4.15 billion eco-tourism zone in Dien Duong commune, Dien Ban district. 

Vietnam will face an aging population in 2010, five years earlier than previously projected, says Dr. Nguyen Quoc Anh, Director of the Population Information and Data Centre under the General Department of Population and Family Planning.

In recent years, the Party and State have introduced many policies to assist the poor and narrow the gap between disadvantaged areas and other regions.

Ho Chi Minh City hopes to have Sweden’s cooperation in dealing with climate change, said Le Hoang Quan, chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee at a seminar entitled “Green Solutions” on October 1.  

The famous French singer-songwriter Francis Cabrel will give two performances on the nights of October 6 and 7 with Vietnamese singer Le Cat Trong Ly to raise money for orphans in Bac Can province.

The Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) has launched a campaign in Hanoi to drum up support for the victims of tropical storm Ketsana.

The European Commission (EC) on September 30 announced another emergency aid package worth EUR2 million to help the victims of storm Ketsana in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

At the request of the Ministry of Transport, the Prime Minister has granted a cargo license to the Trai Thien aviation joint stock company. The maiden flight is due to take off in the first quarter of next year.

The Ho Chi Minh Highway is the country’s main artery stretching from the Pac Po historical site in the northern province of Cao Bang to Ca Mau Cape. Starting in Pac Po, construction teams are busy going ahead with their upgrading job.

The Vice President of the Asian Development Bank, Ursula Schaefer-Preuss has emphasised the need for social protection strategies to address the post-crisis labour market.

Janakuasa Company, a leading investor in Malaysia in the energy sector, has granted a check of US$100,000 to the southern province of Tra Vinh, where the company is scheduled to invest in a US$1.5-billion power plant. 

The fight against corruption is meeting with more difficulties as those involved are becoming more and more cunning in their actions, said Vietnamese and foreign experts.

A number of pressing issues related to overseas Vietnamese have been resolved under the Party Politburo’s Resolution 36, an official from the Committee for Overseas Vietnamese (COV) has said.

A recent census of the new, expanded Hanoi revealed on September 30 that the lowest population density in the capital city is still double the country’s average.

The Ministry of Health on September 30 confirmed another fatal case of A/H1N1, bringing the total toll to 16 in the country. 

Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh has sent a message of sympathy to the families of the victims of tropical storm Ketsana, which has swept the central and Central Highland regions. 

The Ministries of Transport from Vietnam and Cambodia held a ceremony on September 30 to open the border gates between Xa Mat in Vietnam’s Tay Ninh province and TrapeangPlong in Cambodia’s KamPongCham province.