Bird flu has spread to Can Tho City in the Mekong River Delta after serum samples taken from 30 dead ducklings of a local breeding farm tested positive for the deadly virus H5N1, according to the Veterinary Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs has set a target of generating 1.6 million jobs in 2007, including 1.52 million jobs for domestic workers and the rest for guest workers.

An agreement on a gender equality project was signed in Hanoi on January 18 by the Vietnam Women’s Union and the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation (AECI).

Spain’s Secretary of State for International Cooperation, Leire Pajin Iraola, arrived in Hanoi on January 17 to begin a four-day official visit to the country and is scheduled to meet with Vietnamese authorities, counterparts and partners of Spanish Official Development Assistance projects.

The Social Welfare Bank has announced a huge credit funding worth VND6.8 trillion (US$425 million) to help disadvantaged families develop household economies under the Government's instruction on poor communities.

Public transport companies across the country are busy drawing up plans to serve passengers who are expected to rise significantly during the upcoming traditional Lunar New Year festival (Tet).

Repeated penicillin injections into the arms' muscles have resulted in deltoid muscle fibrosis affecting almost 11,000 children nationwide, said a ministry-level study conducted by the National Hospital of Pediatrics in 2006.

Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) Le Duc Thuy and the Asian Development Bank (ADB)’s Country Director for Vietnam Ayumi Konishi on January 16 signed a loan agreement worth US$60 million to help Vietnam upgrade and modernize the rail link between Hanoi and Lao Cai on the border with China.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) is studying a new type of bird flu vaccine for ducklings and a new general breeding practice to be launched in February 2007, according to MARD Minister Cao Duc Phat.

The Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) has asked Sweden to provide further training for its trade union officials and devise training programmes for Vietnam's trade union schools.

To prevent the recurrence of bird flu, the veterinary department of northern Lang Son province has since the beginning of January co-ordinated with relevant agencies in destroying more than 10 tonnes of chicken, over 18,000 eggs, and 200kg of beef illegally imported from China.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat, who is also head of the National Steering Committee for Bird Flu Control, on January 14 inspected bird flu prevention work in the Mekong delta province of Vinh Long which has been recently hit by the epidemic.

Bird flu has spread to the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh after serum samples taken from a flock of sick ducklings of a local breeding farm tested positive for the deadly virus H5N1, according to the provincial Veterinary Service.

Delegations from UN agencies and Cambodia have attended a conference in Vietnam to exchange experience in implementing the Governmental programme on preventing and fighting cross-border women and girls trafficking.

This year, in addition to improving the effectiveness of its business, the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) must ensure national energy security, considering electricity saving and waste reduction as part of a national programme.

The UK Spirit of Adventure Cruise Ship carrying 180 international tourists on board from Hong Kong docked at Nha Trang Port, the south central coastal province of Khanh Hoa, on January 12.

Another bird flu outbreak was uncovered in the Mekong delta province of Vinh Long on January 11, sparking fears that the epidemic might spread throughout the Mekong river delta in the coming month.

Vietnam aims to reduce the poor household rate to below 16 percent in 2007 after achieving a 3-percent reduction to 18.1 percent in 2006. The figures were unveiled at a conference in Hanoi on January 11, which summed up poverty reduction programs last year and put forth targets for 2007.

The Veterinary Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) warned that a bird flu epidemic could turn into a pandemic in as little as one month. As such, most localities in the Mekong River Delta are facing the imminent threat of a bird flu pandemic.

On January 10 The Vietnam National Fund for Vietnamese Children presented a certificate of merit to President of the Sunny Korea Organisation, Young Kee Moon, in recognition of his positive contributions to activities in support of children with disabilities and underprivileged children in Vietnam.

The Government convened in Hanoi on January 10 the first-ever conference on food safety and hygiene, an issue that has not received due attention over the past time, resulting in numerous cases of food poisoning.

Vietnam has sent 14 poultry samples abroad for further study by foreign experts although there has been no sign of gene transformation of virus H5N1.

A high-level joint delegation from Vietnam and Cambodia is on a fact-finding tour from January 8-14 to share experience in controlling cross-border human trafficking.

The second conference of the Vietnamese students association has been held in Paris, France with the participation of more than 50 delegates representing more than 2,000 Vietnamese students in Paris and neighbouring areas.

A flock of 1,200 ducks raised by a farmer in Vinh Tuy commune, Go Quao district, Mekong delta province of Kien Giang, were culled on January 9 after showing signs of bird flu infection, according to the communal agency for bird flu control.

The Vietnam Agent Orange/dioxin Victims Association (VAVA) collected more than VND6.6 billion (US$412,500) in fund-raising campaigns in 2006.

The Vietnamese Government and international donors on January 9 signed projects worth US$20.2 million to help prevent bird flu and minimize the number of people infected with the disease in the country.

Approximately 500,000 overseas Vietnamese visited or did business in Vietnam in 2006. According to the Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs (COVA), the number of overseas Vietnamese returning home for this year’s Tet is expected to surpass last year’s figure of 100,000.

The Central Highlands province of Dak Lak plans to mobilize all its resources to help local residents develop production with the aim of reducing the poverty rate of local households to 15 percent by 2010.

The recurrence of bird flu was reported in Southern Bac Lieu province on January 8. By the end of January 5, bird flu recurred and spread over communes and districts in the three southern provinces of Ca Mau, Bac Lieu and Hau Giang. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the central region is facing a high risk of bird flu infection.