Quang Nam: resorts ‘swallow’ forests, ‘block’ seaVietNamNet Bridge - In the central province of Quang Nam, protective forests have been cleared to make room for resorts, while tourism projects have blocked the way to beaches. Resorts eat into protective forestsTwenty years ago, the entire coastal poplar forest from Da Nang to Hoi An was felled to make room for tourism projects, a part of the ‘revolution’ in the tourism industry initiated by Quang Nam province and Da Nang City. A multi-million dollar road with four lanes, called the ‘5-star road’ linking Da Nang and Hoi An was built. Twenty years ago, the entire coastal poplar forest from Da Nang to Hoi An was felled to make room for tourism projects, a part of the ‘revolution’ in the tourism industry initiated by Quang Nam province and Da Nang City. The poplar forest, which prevented wind, sand and sea wave attacks for many generations, no longer exists.

Education Ministry draws up exam scheme reform, then quickly recalls itVietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Education and Training’s (MOET) decision to withdraw an examination reform plan has posed a question about the ministry’s way of renovating education. “In the decision on recalling the plan, MOET wrote that the last exam was organized well and satisfied people. The Ministry of Education and Training’s (MOET) decision to withdraw an examination reform plan has posed a question about the ministry’s way of renovating education. The development of exam question bank that serves the 2018 high school finals is expected to cost VND84.7 billion. RELATED NEWSSchools ponder ban on entrance examsStudents prepare for this year’s tough high school entrance examsThanh Lich

Doctors warn foods no way to treat dehydrationVietNamNet Bridge – Doctors in Hanoi have warned parents to be more cautious when treating their children with food products that claim to contain Oral Rehydration Salts. It is important to prepare ORS strictly according to instructions to treat children with rehydration. It is important to prepare ORS strictly according to instructions to treat children with rehydration, he said. Patients need to drink hundreds of ml of ORS to treat dehydration,” he said. Many parents mistakenly believe that ORS-containing foods are the same as ORS prescribed by doctors, he said.

VietNamNet to merge with Vietnam Post newspaperThe electronic newspaper VietNamNet will merge with the Vietnam Post newspaper to become VietNamNet newspaper under a new decision issued by the Ministry of Information and Communications on May 30. Accordingly, VietNamNet newspaper will be a public non-productive entity operating under the Press Law and relevant regulations. It will offer VietNamNet and Vietnam Post printed publications, and maintain the current Infonet e-newspaper as the electronic version of the Vietnam Post newspaper. Other publications include newspapers under associations that wish to be part of VietNamNet newspaper. VietNamNet newspaper is entitled to inherit all legitimate rights and obligations of Vietnam Post newspaper and VietNamNet e-newspaper.

1,200 people take oral prophylaxis to reduce risk of HIV infectionVietNamNet Bridge – Nearly 1,200 people at high risk of HIV have enrolled in a pilot oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) programme in Vietnam to reduce their risk of infection, according to the Viet Nam Administration for HIV/AIDS Control (VAAC). Since 2015, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended the use of PrEP as part of a combination HIV prevention strategy that includes the use of condoms for people at substantial risk of HIV. The rising number of young addicts taking methamphetamine and other types of drugs poses challenges for rehab programmes and management of former addicts, Khiet said. The city is home to 19 State-owned and three private rehab facilities offering compulsory and voluntary rehabilitation programmes for drug addicts. Nguyen Thi Thu, deputy chairwoman of the city’s People’s Committee, said the high rate of relapse was the most serious challenge faced by rehab programmes.

Government issues warning on router-hacking virusThe Ministry of Information and Telecommunications’ Authority of Information Security on Tuesday warned that routers and storages in Viet Nam have been exposed to the VPNFilter virus. The VPNFilter virus has affected over 500,000 routers and storages in many countries, including Viet Nam. — Photo vov.vnThe virus has affected over 500,000 routers and storages in many countries, including Viet Nam, it said. The most vulnerable devices are Internet-connected routers and storages produced by popular brands like Linksys, Mikro Tik, Netgear, and TP-Link. The Authority has warned about lopes and weaknesses in the information security sector over the past few years.

Special class of Vietnamese UN Peacekeeper in Central AfricaJoining the UN peacekeeping force is not only the responsibility but also a great honour for each Vietnamese officer. One of such soldiers is Lieutenant Colonel Le Ngoc Son who devoted time to teach many children in Central African Republic. At a class of Lieutenant Colonel Le Ngoc Son and Central African children, the Vietnamese teacher is patiently teaching in English, sometimes in French, or even with some vague words that he learnt from the locals. Son said his fellow officers were so surprised when he said he was teaching local children. As a father of two little children, Son often tells his kids of those peers in one of the most difficult countries but are passionate for learning.

Couple turn hotel into place for orphansA couple has turned their hotel into accommodation for nearly 40 orphans and lonely elderly people. Just a few hundred metres from the popular tourist site Dai Nam, the Ngoc Quy hotel is built on nearly 1,000 square metres with 50 rooms. In 2012 while the hotel was faring well, the owners decided to use the hotel as a centre to take care of orphans and lonely elderly people. “Since I was a child, I have always wanted to help orphans and lonely elderly people. I also provide charity acupuncture for free and just receive vegetables, diapers or milk for the children,”said Do Thi Quy, a philanthropist.

Vietnam works to tackle alarming smoking issuesSupport hotlines have been set up and a tax hike has been mooted to tackle smoking in Vietnam, where more than 100 people are killed by smoking-related diseases per day. Smoking-related data in VietnamEvery year, Vietnam records approximately 40,000 smoking-related deaths. In 2015, Vietnamese smokers spent 31 trillion VND (1.36 billion USD) on tobacco, while total treatment expenses for smoking-related diseases exceeded 23 trillion VND (1.01 billion USD). An average tobacco pack is sold in Vietnam at fewer than 20,000 VND (0.87 USD), with the lowest price of 6,000 VND a pack. According to the World Health Organisation’s 2017 data, Vietnam was among 15 countries worldwide with lowest prices set for tobacco.

Ford's gear-box scandal reaches VietnamIn the afternoon of May 28, 76 Ford owners using Powershift gear-boxes filed a lawsuit against Ford Vietnam Ltd. at the Hai Duong People’s Court for the defective powershift gear-boxes and bad after-sales services at official dealers. These 76 people have purchased Ford vehicles manufactured between 2011 and 2017 by Ford Vietnam. Regarding Binh's complaints, Ford Vietnam's representative confirmed to VIR that: "We have many times worked with Binh to resolve the issue, but failed. zing.vn quoted Ford Vietnam’s representative as saying that ACCC’s decision only related to Ford branches in Australia and the country’s regulations. Regarding the gear-box failures in Vietnam, Ford Vietnam’s representative said: “We are continuing to work in accordance with the company’s policies to resolve any customer's complaints.”VIR

High-schooler offered scholarships by 11 US universitiesA pupil in HCM City has been offered various scholarships by 11 universities which are ranked by US News and World Report as among the 100 best colleges and universities in the US. Based on the achievements, Thanh was offered the highest merit-based scholarships. All 11 universities offered Thanh scholarships that are 50% to 90% discounts on tuition fees for four years. For example, the University of Denver offered USD104,000 in scholarships while the State University of New York - University at Buffalo offered a USD37,000 subsidy. However, his dream was realised after Heart of the Youth project for disabled children affected by the Agent Orange.

India thunderstorms and lightning strikes kill 50At least 50 people are reported to have died amid heavy thunder and lightning that battered parts of northern India on Tuesday, officials said. Lightning strikes are common in India during heavy monsoon rains. Three children died after a tree collapsed on them in the northern state of Uttarakhand, according to the PTI news agency. At least 2,000 people have died in lightning strikes in India every year since 2005, according to the National Crime Records Bureau. More than 100 people died in northern India on 4 May due to intense dust storms and heavy rains.

Child obesity spikes while malnutrition persistsVietNamNet Bridge – When it comes to food policy, Vietnam faces a double health burden: The country has seen a rising number of children with obesity in urban areas, while the number of malnourished children remains high. Overweight children account for 40.7 and 50 per cent of all kids living in downtown Hanoi and HCM City, a recent study shows. Malnutrition rates in children also remain high in some regions, especially in the mountainous northern regions (30.3 per cent) and the Central Highlands (34.2 per cent). Overweight children account for 40.7 and 50 per cent of the total children living in downtown Hanoi and HCM City, respectively, the study shows. There are about 100,000 overweight children in the major cities of Hanoi, HCM City, Hai Phong, Can Tho and Da Nang.

Gen. Omar Alexis Montes Meza who led a delegation of Venezuela’s Strategic Command Operations of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces to Vietnam. Tien stressed that Vietnam remembers the support of Venezuelan people during the country’s struggle for national liberation and reunification. He affirmed the determination of the two governments to coordinate in implementing cooperation projects using Hungarian preferential loans worth 440 million EUR. Hungary also committed to continue backing Vietnam-EU relations, including the implementation of a free trade agreement between the two sides. Speaking at the meeting, Chen, also President of the Central Party School, expressed his delight at the strong development of the Vietnam-China relations in recent years.

Vietnam’s stock market: when ‘big guys’ enter the bourseVietNamNet Bridge - The listing of many large corporations recently has changed the VN Index and capitalization value, but also capital flow and ways of making investments. It became the share with the second largest capitalization value, VND296 trillion, or $13 billion, in the stock market. The share with the largest capitalization value is VIC of Vingroup, its holding company, at VND342.9 trillion, or $15 billion. Meanwhile, all three shares related to Vingroup are listed among the top 10 enterprises with largest capitalization value. Accounting for such a big proportion, the three shares’ ups and downs have a big impact on the VN Index.