Free health checks offered in Kien Giang Over 500 disadvantaged people in the Cuu Long (Mekong Delta) province of Kien Giang received free health screening on Sunday. At the programme, organised in An Minh Bac Commune in U Minh Thuong District by local authorities, the Thien Tam Charity Foundation belonging to the Tan Binh District Red Cross, and Bayer Viet Nam, medicines and supplies like instant noodles and cooking oil were also donated to the beneficiaries. They were taught how to grow rice safely and farm fish naturally. A Bayer spokesperson said a new bridge would soon be completed in the area to improve the traffic situation for 1,200 locals. Earlier, on Saturday, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong, president of the HCM City Society for Reproductive Medicine and vice president of the Viet Nam Gynecology and Obstetrics Association, spoke with teenagers about reproductive health. The health screening programme and bridge construction, which together cost VND450 million (US$21,000), are part … [Read more...] about Social News 22/10
Red nose day actually
Five ways to ease childhood fears
French psychologist Laetitia Bluteau —Photo by Gordon Lê Hoàng/Family Medical Practice Hanoi Viet Nam News Everyone, from the youngest child to the oldest adult, experiences fear at one time or another. Being anxious and frightened never feels good. But for kids, such feelings are normal and necessary. Laetitia Bluteau, Family Medical Practice Hanoi’s pediatric psychologist, discusses how to help children deal with childhood fears. Fear, joy, sadness and anger are emotions we all feel starting in childhood. There is an automatic brain response activated when a situation is interpreted as dangerous. Fear is accompanied by physical sensations such as rapid breathing and heartbeat, sweaty palms, dilated pupils, tense muscles, stomachache, dry mouth, nausea or shaking movements. Whatever the origin of the fear, a child needs to be supported by an adult. When a child is afraid, the child is expressing a need for reassurance and attachment. Even if the stated … [Read more...] about Five ways to ease childhood fears
Social News 21/2
Sand-filled estuary blocks fishing boats Fishermen in Phu Yen Province have been blocked from going out to sea for their first off-shore fishing trip of the Lunar New Year due to low tides and a high sand bar. In the months leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year), Tuy Hoa Fishing Port and Da Dien Estuary in Phu Yen's Tuy Hoa City often fill up each year with hundreds of tonnes of sand caused by floods and bad weather. To prevent them from being stranded, many fishing boats have to anchor at the upper source of Da Rang River and other ports in nearby provinces. Phan Thuan, chairman of the Fishing Association in Tuy Hoa city's Ward 6, said that more than 200 fishing boats anchored at Tuy Hoa Port were waiting for the sand to be removed, but local authorities had yet to comment on the matter. Fishermen had to wait until 1pm every day when the tide was high enough before they set off. "It is extremely miserable," he said. Only a few boats managed to get out of the port for the first off-shore … [Read more...] about Social News 21/2
The resurrection of Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe: How HCMC brought the black water canal back from the dead
Once a lush river, then a stagnant ditch, the World Bank now regards the Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe Canal in Ho Chi Minh City as an example of smart urban development work. Whether dumping, cut corners or climate change will threaten that success remains to be seen. Nguyen Van Hoang stirs his coffee and smiles at the pigeons pecking grains of rice off the pink tiles along the Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe Canal. "I love sitting here every afternoon, enjoying a coffee and a cool breeze," said Hoang, a 60-year-old resident of Truong Sa Street which runs along the Ho Chi Minh City waterway. Hoang's happy the canal is now the kind of place you'd like to hang out. "It used to be a dead, smelly canal full of garbage," he said. "People clutched their noses when they passed through this neighborhood. Now the water's turned from black to green. The canal's like a park where people exercise, children play and birds gather." The Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe Canal runs roughly eight kilometers through seven districts … [Read more...] about The resurrection of Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe: How HCMC brought the black water canal back from the dead
The health warnings written on your face: From overdoing it at the gym to eating spicy food, how your looks reveal your lifestyle
Everyone knows a lucky so-and-so who hates the gym, eats junk food and drinks wine every night, yet somehow maintains an enviably tiny and firm figure. But some experts are warning that, in fact, there really is no such thing as a free lunch — because regardless of what your body looks like, your face will tell the truth about your bad habits. ‘You can tell a lot about someone’s lifestyle from their face, including what their diet is like and how much they smoke or drink,’ says Dr Tabi Leslie, dermatologist and spokesperson for the British Skin Foundation. Alcohol seems to be one of the worst offenders for the face. Dr Michael Prager, a Harley Street cosmetic surgeon, says he is treating increasing numbers of women whose faces have become podgy, pallid and wrinkly because of their nightly wine habit. ‘They often say to me: “My mother looked so well at my age, I don’t understand why I look so much older.” I tell them it’s … [Read more...] about The health warnings written on your face: From overdoing it at the gym to eating spicy food, how your looks reveal your lifestyle