The Ministry of Health’s Food Hygiene and Safety Department of Vietnam on December 17 announced that it has not found baby bottles containing bisphenol-A (BPA), which is a hormone-altering agent.

Earlier, the department had collected samples from baby bottles and food packing plastics for testing.

According to Nguyen Thanh Phong, deputy director of the Food Hygiene and Safety Department, BPA is an industrial chemical used in making plastics in most reusable food drink containers and baby bottles.

Vietnam authorities have detected a permissible bisphenol-A (BPA) level in the plastic bottles sold across the country.

Vietnam is applying the decision 46/2007/QĐ – BYT, which allows BPA to be at 2.5mg per kilogram of material.

A recent market survey in Vietnam showed that concerned parents in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are switching to bottles imported from Korea, England and Germany. These countries advertise that their bottles are ‘BPA free’. In addition, parents are also turning to glass bottles. Although heavier and more expensive, as compared to the plastic ones, glass bottles are probably much safer.

Nguyen Cong Khan, from the Ministry of Health, said that mothers should breastfeed their child as this can ensure better protection and enhance the immune system of the child.

In November, the European Community (EU) banned baby bottles containing the chemical BPA. This was due to fears that BPA might be harmful to the health of a child. The population of the EU is half a billion people.

The ban will see the manufacture of polycarbonate infant feeding bottles that have BPA, outlawed from March 1st 2011. In addition, from June 1st, 2011, the importation and sale of plastics bottles that contain BPA will be prohibited into the European Community.

Source: SGGP

PANO – An exchange program, “Businesses and Businessmen with Border Houses”, held at the Hai Phong City Convention Center the evening of December 18th, collected more than 25 billion VND from benefactors to support the campaign, “Houses for Poor People in Border Regions and Offshore Islands”.

The convention center was crowded with participants despite cold weather and the decisive football match between Vietnam and Malaysia broadcasted live at the same time.

At the event, enterprises and businessmen, with great contributions to the campaign, were honored while beneficiaries expressed their touching emotions and deep gratitude towards the benefactors.

Thanks to the campaign, more and more houses have been built for the needy. To date, 5,404 houses have been erected for ethnic minority people in border regions and offshore islands nationwide, along with 183 public facilities in border regions, including 1,735 houses and 33 public facilities built in 2010.

The exchange, broadcast live on Hai Phong Radio and Television and Channel VTC2, was jointly organized by the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee; the Border Guard High Command; Hai Phong City People’s Committee; the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry; and the People’s Army Newspaper.

Translated by Mai Huong

Hue Royal Court Music’s “living treasure”, artist Tran Kich, drew his last breath at his resident in Hue City on the morning of December 18th.

1. Artist Tran Thao, the late Tran Kich’s son, said that his father’s death was a great loss to his family, relatives, friends, and Hue traditional music-lovers. Although his father was very old, he tirelessly gave exellent lectures on the unique Hue Royal Court Music to students at the Hue Academy of Musicology, Hue College of Arts and Culture, and to those deeply keen on traditional music.

Artist Tran Kich is among the last Hue court music artisans. Once the artist confided that he had to teach his children and grandchildren pieces of court music that he could not bring along before he died.

2. Born in 1921, in Thanh Trung Village, Quang Thanh Commune, Quang Dien District, Thua Thien-Hue Province, artist Tran Kich learnt in his childhood the Hue Royal Court Music from his father, an old artisan popular for his talented playing of musical instruments. At the age of 16, he took part in the court music troupe founded by King Bao Dai. He was good at playing various musical instruments, including two-string Chinese violin, Vietnamese two-chord guitar, and Chinese four-chord lute, monochord, and flute.

Having become popular, he was invited to give lectures at the Hue National School of Musicology (Hue Art University and Hue Academy of Musicology at present) in 1962. Many generations of musical students, such as Eminents, La Cam Van, Ngo Huu Lan, and Tran Dai Dung, have been trained and grew-up at this school.

Artist Tran Kich has greatly contributed to introducing Hue Royal Court Music to the world. In 1995, as head of the Phu Xuan Club, he and the club gave performances and recorded a CD in the World Cultural House in France. The CD was a phenomenon in France and several other countries around the world. The Western press selected it one of the 10 best CDs on traditional music of the year.

On the process of submitting Court Music as a world heritage, artist Tran Kich conducted a lot of performance tours to promote such a unique music genre among international friends. Also, he contributed to the recording of 30 pieces of royal court music.

In 2004, UNESCO recognized Hue Royal Court Music as Mankind’s Oral and Intangible Heritage. That recognition resulted from the great efforts of the talented artist, Tran Kich.

3. Once, Professor Tran Van Khe movingly said to artist Tran Kich after his performance at UNESCO’s Hall in Paris, that he had traveled to many places and watched performances by various artists, however, through artist Tran Kich’s performance, the soul of the Vietnamese two-chord fiddle, the Vietnamese two-chord guitar, and monochord had been lifted to new heights and it could not mix those sounds into other sounds.

In recognition of his outstanding achievements, the Ministry of Culture and Information, presented him the Medal of Cultural Soldier, in 2000. Three years later, he was conferred the title, “Vietnam’s Folk Artisan” and Eminent Artist in 2007.

Notably, on February 26, 2008, the French Ministry of Culture bestowed the title, Knight of Culture and Art of France on him.

French Ambassador Hervé Bolot said in the bestowing ceremony on April 6, 2008 in Hue city, that the Eminent Folk Artist, Tran Kich, had greatly contributed to the art and culture field, especially Hue Royal Court Music, for more than half of the century. His contributions in research and introducing Hue Royal Court Music were important factors for UNESCO’s recognition of Hue Royal Court Music as Mankind’s Oral and Intangible Cultural Heritage Masterpiece. Artist Tran Kich was a worthy being and soldier in keeping and promoting diversified values of cultural heritage.

The talented artist passed away but his descendants, who learned Hue Royal Court Music from him, will never forget him with their talented musical instrumental performances.  

Source: TT&VH

Translated by Mai Huong

Ho Chi Minh City plans to set aside about VND 2,700 billion (US$ 135 million) for developing its pre-school system between now and 2015.

Under the plans, the city’s government will build 760 classrooms, and train thousands of teachers, both working and new ones.

The city will ensure that 100% of under-5 children to go to school with two class sessions a day by 2013.

Among them, the local authorities will allocate priority funds in the construction of six national standard kindergartens in rural areas including Ly Nhon Commune in Can Gio District, Nhon Duc in Nha Be, Tan Nhut in Binh Chanh, Xuan Thoi Thuong in Hoc Mon, Tan Thong Hoi and Thai My in Cu Chi; and other pre-schools in 12 wards in districts consisting of 4, 6, Phu Nhuan, Go Vap, Binh Tan, Tan Phu; and in industrial and export processing zones.

In addition, the city’s government also guides the Department of Education and Training to cooperate with the Labor Union in asking industrial and export processing zones to build kindergartens for workers’ children.

Source: SGGP

Lao Deputy Prime Minister Asang Laoly received a delegation of the Government Inspectorate of Vietnam led by Standing Deputy Chief Inspector Mai Quoc Binh in Vientiane on Dec. 18.

The Lao Deputy PM welcomed the Vietnamese delegation’s Dec. 17-21 visit, praised cooperation between the two inspection agencies of the two countries and wished the two sides to strengthen cooperation more practical and effective to contribute to increasing Vietnam-Laos special friendship and comprehensive cooperation.

Vietnam’s Standing Deputy Chief Inspector Binh promised to do his best for the development of both countries’ inspection forces.

The same day, Binh held talks with his Lao counterpart Thongsi Ualasi, during which they informed each other of the situation of their respective countries, reviewed cooperation during the recent past and exchanged experiences relating to inspection and dealing with people’s complaint and denunciations.

They also discussed measures to increase cooperation, including Vietnam’s continued assistance to Laos in training and completion of regulations.

Source: VNA

According to Sai Gon Giai Phong’s reporter, cracks appear in a road connecting to Phu My Bridge which spans the Saigon River to link Ho Chi Minh City’s districts 2 and 7. The 10 m split is discovered in the connecting road of district 7.

The cable-stayed Phu My Bridge spanning the Saigon River to link Ho Chi Minh City’ district 7 to district 2 and Hanoi highway was officially opened to motorbikes and cars of under nine seats September 9. It is one of key road of the city’s eastern outer traffic road system to Nguyen Van Linh Boulevard in the South of HCM city and the Mekong delta provinces. 

The six-lane bridge, which began construction in early 2007, has a total invested capital of some VND2 trillion. It is 2.5 kilometers long and has a vertical clearance of 45 meters for river vessels.

Many motorists prefer to cross the bridge because it is 10 kilometers shorter to reach the Hanoi Highway. Otherwise, vehicles must travel along Nguyen Tat Thanh Street and Nguyen Huu Canh to reach the highway.

Everyday, there are hundreds of heavy vehicles travelling through Phu My Bridge to transport cross road in A section of South Saigon.

Source: SGGP