Dam Huy Hoang’s heart skipped a beat as the second pink line started appearing on his client’s HIV test strip. Hoang shows a client how to use oral stab test for HIV. — VNS Photos Khoa Thu Grabbing a jacket, he took the young man to Thai Nguyen's Centre for Disease Control and Prevention for a confirmatory test. The accuracy of screening tests using finger prick blood samples is up to 97 per cent, and it had Hoang worried. In his early 30s, Hoang leads a double life – a cashier for a local water treatment plant by day, and an HIV tester in his free time whenever there is a need. Four years ago, Hoang and his friends established Family – a self-help group working to promote the rights of the LGBT community. Their initiative quickly caught the eye of the provincial centre for HIV/AIDS prevention. A partnership was created in 2016 that made Family responsible for administering community-based HIV testing for high-risk groups, including men having sex … [Read more...] about In Thai Nguyen, communities help to ease HIV/AIDS burden
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Vietnam needs little more time to achieve 90-90-90
Việt Nam News reporter Khoa Thu talks to Eamonn Murphy, Regional Director of UNAIDS, Asia and the Pacific, about the opportunities and challenges facing the elimination of HIV as a public health threat by 2030. Eamonn Murphy (middle) meets with patients receiving methadone treatment at a health clinic in Tan Yen District, Bac Giang Province. — VNS Photo Khoa Thu Over the past decade, Vietnam has witnessed a decline in the number of new HIV cases and AIDS-related deaths. 2020 is the deadline set for the ambitious goal of 90-90-90 by the UN. How do you assess the country’s performance in the fight against HIV/AIDS and its chances to achieve the goal? 90-90-90 is a set of treatment-focused targets to move the agenda faster, saying 90 per cent of those living with HIV know their status, 90 per cent are receiving treatment and 90 per cent on treatment have viral suppression which stops forward transmission. Yes, these are ambitious targets. But if we don’t … [Read more...] about Vietnam needs little more time to achieve 90-90-90
The untold story behind Chu Dau ceramic world record
The impressive plate featuring the word “Long” (Dragon) written 1,000 times in calligraphy created by Chu Dau Ceramic JSC, which was awarded a Guinness world record in September, was created from the love for the country as well as national sovereignty, the dream of a flourishing future, and the pride of being Vietnamese. More than 200 days with pottery The ceramic plate is a unique product from Chu Dau Ceramic JSC under the Hanoi Trade Corporation (Hapro), a member of BRG Group, and is a source of pride not only for the company but also for the Vietnamese ceramic industry. The world record is also a worthy honour for Chu Dau Ceramic’s artisans and potters, who love pottery as much as they love to breathe. The plate has a diameter of 1.2m with the two main colours of blue and yellow. Photo courtersy of BRG Group Almost a decade ago, Hapro received an order from the city of Ha Noi to produce a special product to mark the occasion celebrating the 1,000-year … [Read more...] about The untold story behind Chu Dau ceramic world record
UK’s Johnson looks set for big win in ‘Brexit election’
Johnson's Conservative Party is predicted to win 368 seats in parliament. — AFP Photo LONDON — Prime Minister Boris Johnson's ruling party appeared on course for a sweeping victory in Thursday's snap election, an exit poll showed, paving the way for Britain to leave the EU next month after years of political deadlock. The Conservatives were forecast to win a thumping 368 out of 650 seats in parliament -- which if confirmed would be the party's biggest majority in three decades -- according to the survey published as polls closed. The pound jumped by about 2 per cent against the dollar on the projected results of what all sides had painted as the most momentous election in Britain in a generation. Johnson had campaigned relentlessly on the promise to "Get Brexit Done", vowing to end years of political turmoil over Britain's future that has weighed on the economy and sharply divided the nation. With a large majority of MPs, he will be able to get the divorce deal he … [Read more...] about UK’s Johnson looks set for big win in ‘Brexit election’
FPT president: My biggest regret is missing out on big platforms like FB, Wechat
FPT once had a lot of breakthrough technological and business ideas, such as Tri Tue Viet Nam similar to Facebook and WeTalk similar to Wechat. FPT was not listed in the top 10 of VNR500, the list of 500 Vietnamese biggest corporations in 2019. However, FPT is still one of the largest technology firms in Vietnam. Truong Gia Binh, FPT's President FPT was not listed in the top 10 of VNR500, the list of 500 Vietnamese biggest corporations in 2019. However, FPT is still one of the largest technology firms in Vietnam. “We have VnExpress (online newspaper) which is in Alexa’s top 100. In the golden days, it once ranked 65th. We once had Tri Tue Viet Nam social network, which was similar to Facebook and was born before Facebook. We also had WeTalk which was similar to WeChat. And we had Vimua similar to Tiki,” Binh said at Startup Viet 2019, an important event for Vietnam’s startups. FPT also wants to support Vietnam’s startups and help them become … [Read more...] about FPT president: My biggest regret is missing out on big platforms like FB, Wechat