Muhimbili institute traditional medicine

Speakers at a conference discuss how improving institutional performance can help Viet Nam achieve its target of reaching high-income status in 2045. — VNA/VNS Photo Viet Nam must seek to adapt its economic growth model while drastically improving the Government's capacity to coordinate and implement economic policy reforms and public investments to realise its objective of reaching high-income status by 2045, said a recent World Bank (WB) report. The report emphasises the major challenges faced by Viet Nam's traditional growth model during the COVID-19 pandemic, slowing globalisation and the Southeast Asian economy's increasing vulnerability to external shocks, especially climate risks. The key to addressing said issues, according to WB, is for the country's institutions to adapt and improve. “Viet Nam's GDP per capita has increased fivefold over the past three decades, while its institutions have not adapted at the same speed since the Doi Moi (Renewal) course of the late … [Read more...] about Institutional reforms key to reaching high-income status

Designer Thuỷ Nguyễn’s new collection, 'Tơ Hồng' (Pink Silk), comprises 30 designs that are themed on ethnic women who live in remote northern highland areas. Photo courtesy of Thuỷ Design House HCM CITY— Northern highland women and their lifestyle is the premise of a new collection called Tơ Hồng (Pink Silk) by designer Thuỷ Nguyễn. The collection comprises 30 designs for women in cotton, silk and satin in vivid colours like blue, red and pink that the designer has created after visiting northern mountainous areas and interacting with the ethnic minority women who live there. She said she was inspired by both the remote areas and how the women lived their lives there. The new collection by designer Thuỷ Nguyễn, 'Tơ Hồng' (Pink Silk), reflects the nation's folk traditions in vivid colours. Photo courtesy of Thuỷ Design House Each design in the collection is linked to stories and dreams that the women living in remote mountainous areas nurture, she added. Designer … [Read more...] about Pink Silk collection accentuates northern highland folk traditions

The two sisters, named Be and Em, were confiscated by authorities from a man who admitted catching them in a cardamom field with a plan to sell them, the Four Paws organization said. Vietnam is a major hub for the illegal trade in wild animals, and bears are kept to drain the bile from their gall bladders for use in traditional medicine. The rescued cubs have been taken to a sanctuary in Vietnam run by Four Paws, where they will be reared and spend the rest of their lives. They cannot be returned to nature because there are no safe places for bears in Vietnam and no projects to reintroduce them to the wild. "At the moment they mostly eat, play, and sleep but we can already see their individual personalities showing," Emily Lloyd, Animal Manager at the sanctuary, said in the Four Paws statement. "Be is very playful and confident, while Em for now is more reserved but nonetheless curious." Four Paws said the sanctuary has hand-raised five bears rescued from similar … [Read more...] about Bear cubs rescued from wildlife trade in Vietnam

Thinking back to 2018, Ly May Hanh said that every time a passenger coach passed by, around 20-30 people of the Dao, an ethnic group in Vietnam, rushed forward, with some offering brocade and others selling medicinal plants to the visitors. Some days, they could not sell anything. When visitors are nearing Ta Phin bamboo forest, a tourist hotspot in Ta Phin Hamlet, Sa Pa Town in northern Lao Cai Province, a cool breeze comes up as a welcome relief to them especially after they have had to cross a bumpy trail with rocky mountains on one side and a deep abyss on the other. The sounds of forest birds twittering and leaves rustling mingle with admiring voices of the young visitors. Looking at Hanh's smiling face when she tells her stories about the bamboo forest and the culture of the Dao people in Ta Phin, little does one know that this 22-year-old woman used to be a tour guide and interpreter for owners of fruit shops in Lao Cai City, the provincial capital. By … [Read more...] about Young Vietnamese woman endeavors to preserve Dao culture

Speakers at last week’s conference noted that dozens upon dozens of multinationals are interested in the healthcare PPP model in Vietnam. Photo: Chi Cuong At last week’s conference on the issue, hosted by VIR , Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Duy Dong said that Vietnam’s healthcare sector is facing a number of big issues, including rising infectious and non-communicable disease figures, hospital overload, and an ageing population. The pandemic has also revealed some weaknesses in the sector. “To further improve healthcare service quality and meet demand, mobilising financial resources for new development of infrastructure and medical equipment is a key requirement,” he noted. For the past five years, the government has looked to strengthen the implementation of a model for public-private partnerships (PPPs) for the public sector, including in healthcare services. However, according to VIR’s editor-in-chief Le Trong Minh, the picture of such investment in … [Read more...] about More favourable rule system urged for healthcare PPPs

Institutions have become a major impediment to the nation’s aspiration to reach high income by 2045. Vietnam needs to shift its economic growth model and improve the government’s capacity to implement economic policy reforms and public investments, realizing its aspiration of reaching high-income status by 2045, a World Bank Group report says. Overview of the report launch. The World Bank Group’s Systematic Country Diagnostic Update, themed "How Will Vietnam Blossom? Reforming Institutions for Effective Implementation,” emphasizes that Vietnam's traditional growth model faces major challenges from the Covid-19 pandemic, slowing globalization, and the country’s increasing vulnerability to external shocks, especially climate risks. After identifying a series of policy responses and reform priorities, many of which are not new, the report argues that adapting institutions will be the key to success. “Vietnam’s GDP per capita has increased fivefold over the … [Read more...] about Effective policy implementation crucial for Vietnam to reach high-income status by 2045: WB

In Hai Phong city, Radar Regiment 295 of Division 363 under the Air Defense - Air Force Service sets a target that within 75 days, starting from May 14, the whole regiment will get highest results in building firm political stance, promoting high sense of responsibility, carrying out combat readiness, training, regularity building, and military discipline observance duties, realizing policies and organizing activities marking the Wounded and Fallen Soldiers’ Day. They will strive to have no case of violation of military discipline and State laws, and no incident in training, traffic participation and other activities. Under the emulation program, the Military Command of Ninh Binh province will boost dissemination of information and education on the tradition “When drinking water, remember its source,” and “Gratitude” of the nation, military, and implement policies for national contributors. At the launch of the emulation drive of the Soc Trang provincial Military Command, the … [Read more...] about More units kick-start gratitude activities

A client buys medicine at a Long Chau pharmacy. — VNA/VNS Photo Hoang Tung Big names in the pharmaceutical industry are wasting no time expanding their market dominance, raising concerns over the marginalisation of private drugstores. Official data shows that three leading pharmaceutical retailers in Viet Nam own 1,962 drugstores by 16 May: 1,088 belong to Pharmacity, 581 to Long Chau and 293 to An Khang. Pharmacity aims to reach over 5,000 drugstores by 2025, Long Chau has set a target of 800 by year-end, and An Khang is striving to raise its number of pharmacies to around 400 by late June. Expansion can be observed in other pharmaceutical retailers, including Phano Pharmacy, Nha thuoc 7 and Nha thuoc Muoi, which also want a bigger share of the pie. The fast growth of pharmacy chains has put off many pharmacists who planned to open their own private drugstores. They are concerned that their drugstores can no longer provide a niche in such a highly competitive market. … [Read more...] about Pharmacy chains to marginalise private drugstores

Elderly people in Tây Mỗ Ward, Nam Từ Liêm District, Hà Nội receive COVID-19 vaccines in early 2022. Seniors are set to be the first to get the fourth vaccine shots in the upcoming rollout. — VNA/VNS Photo Hoàng Hiếu HÀ NỘI — The Vietnamese health ministry has asked provincial/municipal health departments to provide the tentative number of vaccines needed for the rollout of second COVID-19 booster shots (fourth doses) before May 25, 2022. The second boosters will for now be for adults over 50 years, or people from 18 years old with immunocompromised conditions from mild to severe level, or people from 18 years old who are at risk of exposure to the virus (frontline healthcare workers, officials, and workers at industrial parks, etc.). The latest document was sent to local health departments, health department of the public security ministry, and the military medicine department, Pasteur institutes and the National Institute for Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE). mRNA COVID-19 … [Read more...] about Việt Nam gears up for rollout of fourth COVID-19 vaccine shots

The isolated country, which has imposed a nationwide lockdown, is also increasing production of traditional Korean medicines used to reduce fever and pain, KCNA said, calling them "effective in prevention and cure of the malicious disease." A sweeping Covid wave, which North Korea first confirmed last week, has fanned concerns over a lack of medical resources and vaccines, with the U.N. human rights agency warning of "devastating" consequences for its 25 million people. At least 262,270 more people reported fever symptoms, and one additional person died as of Wednesday evening, KCNA said, citing data from the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters. It did not specify how many people had tested positive for the virus. North Korea has so far reported 1,978,230 people with fever symptoms and 63 deaths, and imposed strict anti-virus measures. Factories are churning out more injections, medicines, thermometers and other medical supplies in the capital Pyongyang and … [Read more...] about N.Korea boosts production of drugs, medical supplies to battle Covid