My Tu district in southern Soc Trang province has provided VND1.1 billion for ethnic Khmer minority people to buy cows, to help improve their living standards. The sum is part of the Government’s Poverty Reduction Programme No135, aimed at supporting 315 Khmer ethnic households in 9 disadvantaged communes with one cow each.

The number of foreign tourists to Vietnam in the first quarter of this year reached more than 1.1 million, up 13.7 percent compared to the same period last year. This is the highest figure in recent years.

Vietnam and Denmark signed a framework agreement on the Danish general credit programme for Vietnam, in Hanoi, on April 23.

An official from the American Red Cross (ARC) has affirmed the association’s interests in establishing long-term cooperation with Vietnam in humanitarian activities.

The Overseas Vietnamese Union in France (UGVF) held a get-together and a concert on April 22 to raise funds in support of help Vietnamese AO/dioxin victims.

Vietnam has launched diverse activities in response to the first Global Road Safety Week from April 23-29 with the aim of raising public awareness of social impacts caused by traffic accidents and warning young people of traffic accident dangers.

The World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has announced their Global Monitoring Report 2007, praising Vietnam’s achievements in childcare.

The National Traffic Safety Committee will launch a Road Safety Week nationwide on April 23 to resolutely deal with motorbike riders that wear no helmets on roads when need be.

Hanoi is striving to raise families of social policy beneficiaries’ living standards to an equal or higher level than the current average in their residence area, said Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Le Toan Khang at a press briefing held in Hanoi on April 20.

To ensure sustainable development, Vietnam set a target of raising its forest coverage to 42-43 percent, providing clean water for 95 percent of the urban population and 75 percent of the rural population and ensuring the application of clean technology in all new production units by 2010.

Deputy chairwoman of the Vietnam's Women Union (VWU) Truong Thi Khue presented insignia to former chairwoman of the Cuba-Vietnam Friendship Association Melba Hernandez, chairwoman of the Cuban Women's Federation (FMC) Vilma Espin and FMC general secretary Yolanda Ferrer, who is also chairwoman of the Cuba-Vietnam Friendship Association.

The Vietnam Red Cross Society (VNRC) is playing a vital role in the fight against bird flu (H5N1) by raising awareness of the disease in local communities, said VNRC Chairman Nguyen Van Thuong.

The Spanish International Cooperation Agency (SICA) has donated VND700 million to northernmost Ha Giang province to help the local people cope with natural calamities that usually occur during the rainy season.

The World Population Fund (WPF) and the Hanoi-based Xa Dan Secondary School for hearing-impaired children on April 18 signed a commitment to carrying out a two-year project on reproductive health and sex education.

Vietnam's biodiversity and water resources are facing massive environmental pressure, according to a new report by the National Committee on Clean Water Supply and Environmental Sanitation.

The awards ceremony for the first Information Communications Technology (ICT) contest called ICT-Keeping alive hopes was held in Hanoi on April 18.

The Trust Fund for Forests (TFF) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) on April 18 singed three agreements to provide 4.67 million euros for three forestry development projects.

“Caring for disabled people, including the blind, is the Vietnamese people’s a fine tradition and good deed. I hope this should be practised more frequently to help the blind overcome difficulties and integrate well into society,” said Dao Soat, President of the Vietnam Blind Association in a recent interview with VOVNews.

This is a record figure since the first contest was organized in 2003. The figure is expected to rise to approximately 1,000 in early May.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung has demanded that resettlement plans for people who need to relocate when infrastructure projects encroach upon their daily lives be carried out in a manner that is sustainable to their needs.

58 provinces and cities nationwide have vaccinated as many as 70.5 million poultry during the first vaccination phase of 2007.

Vietnam has more than 5.3 million people with disabilities, accounting for 6.4 percent of its total population. Of this total, about 69 percent are of working age. Disabled people have the rights to healthcare services, education, and cultural and vocational training activities which will aid them in seeking employment, receiving equal treatment and fully integrating into the community.

Australia will grant 1.5 million Australian dollars to Vietnam in the next three years to assist the country’s landmine victims, said Greg Hunt, Australia’s Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

The Netherlands Government has agreed to finance Vietnam 3.7 million euros to build 140,000 more biogas units for small farms nationwide, said Dutch Ambassador Andre Haspels at a ceremony in Hanoi on April 16 to announce the presentation of Energy Globe Award.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has granted a US$34-million loan to help Vietnam achieve universal quality secondary education and further inclusive social development.

An impressive VND10 billion is contributed by businesses, organisations and individuals to help support the handicapped and orphans at the 4th charity cultural show “One world-One heart” held in Hanoi on April 15.

Some Vietnamese women have decided not to get married as they want to spend their time taking care of orphans at the SOS Orphanage Village in Hanoi, and they have been rewarded with a warm response from children who affectionately call them “mother”.

President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee (VFF CC) Pham The Duyet has sent a congratulatory message to ethnic Khmer people to mark their traditional New Year Festival, Chol Chnam Thmay, which falls on April 14-15.

Sydney Fred Hollows Fund (FHF) will continue to assist the south-central province of Binh Ding in the blindness prevention programmes, according to Virginia Sarah, FHF Acting Director.

Vietnam’s programme on biological gas for animal husbandry has been given the Energy Globe Award, one of the world’s most prestigious environmental prizes.