In response to World Consumer Rights Day, the Competition Management Department under the Ministry of Trade held a seminar in Hanoi on March 15 to discuss the implementation of activities to protect consumers’ interests in future.

Many people in mountainous and remote areas still do not have access to medical check-ups due to a shortage of doctors. In the meantime, Di Linh – a mountainous district in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong - not only has enough doctors for itself but also “exports” doctors to neighbouring areas.

A Lao press delegation led by Professor Bosengkham Vongdala, Lao deputy Minister of Information and Culture visited Radio the Voice of Vietnam (VOV) on March 14.

In the past 10 years, the central highlands agriculture sector has suffered heavy losses due to severe droughts. VOV interviewed Hoang Thanh Tiem, director of the Central Highlands Agro-forestry Science and Technical Institute about the issue.

In Vietnam, traffic accidents kill around 30 people and injure 60 others every day. In 2006 alone, traffic accidents claimed nearly 13,000 lives, causing serious economic losses for the society in general and for the affected families in particular.

The close cooperation between “four houses” i.e. the state, farmers, businesses, and scientists will play an important role in securing Vietnam’s agricultural foothold in the world and local markets. This is an inevitable trend in a modernized and specialized industry. However, after four years of implementing the government’s Decree 80, the cooperation between the “four houses” remains poor.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on March 13 decided to launch a mobilization campaign among agencies, organizations and armed forces nationwide in preparation for the 60th anniversary of the Martyrs and Invalids’ Day (July 27, 1947-July 27, 2007).

The central province of Binh Dinh has pledged to help the southern Lao province of Champasak in the training of sports coach and football players as part of a comprehensive cooperation programme.

Japanese Asahi newspaper ran a number of pictures and an article in praise of the pure beauty of the Mekong Delta region, especially the two Vietnamese cities of Can Tho and My Tho.

The program to control avian influenza has been very successful in Vietnam. However there is still a job to do in managing and controlling the disease by vaccination and surveillance, and in helping laboratories and various teams to quickly respond to outbreaks and to react well, said Representative of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation in Vietnam (FAO) Andrew Speedy.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW) delegation visit aims to learn about the results of the Vietnam-US cooperation in resolving issues of US servicemen missing in action (MIA) during the American war in Vietnam.

In recent days, new outbreaks of bird flu have been reported in many localities across the country. This has proved that the epidemic remains active and is likely to become widespread. Therefore, it is essential for State agencies, authorities at all levels and citizens to increase their awareness of bird flu prevention and control methods.

The science and technology market is a method of commercializing scientific and technological achievements, helping to apply scientific and technological production.

Vietnam and Belgium have signed a document outlining aims for their cooperation in the 2007-2010 period.

The United Nations (UN) will share experience from the international community, provide technical assistance and assist the Vietnamese Government in managing investment resources from relevant organizations, says John Hendra, UN coordinator in Vietnam.

Many businesses have a strong financial capacity and want to expand their production, but, their human resources do not meet the requirements. However, the recruitment of highly qualified employees is a very difficult task.

Vietnam Innovation Day 2007 will be held in mid-June under the theme “Traffic Safety”, according to the World Bank in Vietnam.

A national week for labour hygiene and safety and fire-explosion prevention is held every year but the number of labour accidents and occupational diseases is increasing. Last year, the number of labour accidents increased by 31.13 percent, the number of injured people by 31.6 percent and the number of deaths by 11.75 percent compared to the previous year.

The 17th Assembly of World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) under the theme "Reinforcing the struggle against imperialist aggression and exploitation and working for peace, solidarity and social transformation," opened in Hanoi on March 10.

Bird flu has recurred in Can Tho City in the Mekong Delta region and the foot-and-mouth disease tends to increase sharply in the central and the Central Highlands regions. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat sent an instructional message nationwide, asking localities to monitor outbreaks and cull infected livestock immediately.

Vietnam has been lauded as the only country in Southeast Asia to reduce the child malnutrition rate to a figure close to the 15-percent- benchmark set for developing countries by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) representative in Vietnam, Doctor Hans Troedsson, said the main disadvantage of Vietnam’s health information network is data collection of birth rate and mortality rate.

The Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), in coordination with the Central Committee of the Vietnam Women’s Union and Vietnam Television held an exchange to mark International Women’s Day (March 8) and presented the “Golden Rose” Awards to outstanding businesswomen of 2006.

The Head of the National Steering Committee for Bird Flu Control has requested localities and relevant agencies to simultaneously take preventive measures against bird flu due to a high risk of recurrence nationwide.

The 17th Assembly of the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) is taking place in Hanoi for the first time from March 9-14 with the participation of more than 160 representatives of 77 democratic and progressive youth organisations from 54 countries.

A ceremony for the repatriation of the remains of US servicemen, who died during the war in Vietnam, was held at Da Nang International Airport in central Da Nang city on March 8.

Labour export is identified as one of the major solutions for reducing the unemployment rate in Vietnam and vocational training is an important step towards improving the quality of the Vietnamese labour force in the international arena.

Chairwoman of the Vietnam Women’s Union Ha Thi Khiet: In the period of integration and development, Vietnamese women will further promote their self-control, dynamism, and spirit to overcome difficulties in order to expand exchange relations and strive to achieve gender equality goals.

The Ministry of Health has embarked upon a new, aggressive programme to keep the rate of HIV-infected people in the country at less than 0.27 percent of the total population this year.

Japan will receive around 1,000 Vietnamese workers in 2007, according to the Overseas Workers Management Department under the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA).