Marx Memorial Library, Clerkenwell Green, London
With campaigning journalist Victoria Brittain and delegates from the Vietnamese General Confederation of Labour
The meeting will be followed by short AGM
Sign up on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/events/482890765056258/
Thursday, 23 August 2012
MEETING: VIETNAM TODAY, 35 YEARS OF PROGRESS & DEVELOPMENT, STILL TACKLING THE DEVASTATION
Saturday, September 8, 2011 11am
Monday, 6 August 2012
VIETNAM NEWS: New Employment Bill will require employers to introduce training schemes
The Employment Bill will usher in several changes to working regulations, a conference held to gather opinions about the proposed law heard in HCM City yesterday.
The law, expected to be passed by the National Assembly at the end of this year, will require employers to have training programmes to develop their employees' skills, a provision the 2012 Labour Law does not have.
It would address emerging issues in employment services, according to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.
It will also regulate furnishing of information about the labour market and simplify recruitment and issue of work permits to foreign workers.
The bill takes a broad look at the country's job situation. This includes the problems faced by farmers losing their jobs as a result of their lands being taken over for non-agricultural purposes.
It acknowledges that the rapid urbanisation has created a critical shortage of jobs in rural areas, and the fact that 32.7 million people do not have labour contracts is a major problem. Without contracts, there is no basis to provide them support or any kind of social welfare.
Employment insurance will be hived off from the Social Insurance Law and included in the Employment Law, and will now include regulations on supporting people who lost jobs and getting them new jobs in addition to unemployment insurance.
The Labour Law requires unemployment insurance agencies to support and compensate workers if they lose jobs but says nothing about policies to prevent a situation that causes job losses. The new law will do so.
Nguyen Dai Dong, director of the labour ministry's Employment Department, said the policies governing unemployment insurance have a lot of loopholes that are taken advantage of and the new law would plug them.
The law would enable the development of a database for better management of workers, he said.
Participants recommended creating a code for foreign employees working for Vietnamese businesses in other countries.
Some said employment insurance should be a code rather than a chapter in the new law because it is a part of the Unemployment Insurance Code.
The conference was organised by the National Assembly's Committee on Social Affairs. — VNS (August 4, 2012)
VIETNAM NEWS: 'Green Revolution' Underway?
Designing and building sustainable, or green, homes, office buildings and other structures to capitalise on natural energy sources wherever possible is slowly catching on in Viet Nam.
The knowledge has been accruing for thousands of years, ever since cave men sought out shelters with the greatest protection from the wind and rain, but with the greatest exposure to the winter sun. Their knowledge may have been primitive, but it was certainly sustainable, meaning that it did not deplete the earth's natural resources or otherwise harm the environment in any significant way.
However, only in the past few decades have architects begun to seriously incorporate so-called green designs into private and public buildings. Green architecture is starting to bring these energy-conserving values to modern buildings. This will not only reduce the amount of of the world's limited natural resources and man-made energy required to build and operate a structure, but create a healthier environment.
But the really good news is that less artificial energy and resources wasted can mean big savings in gasses that pollute the atmosphere and cause global warming. Several experts share their views with Viet Nam News reporter Ta Thu Giang about the development of energy-saving buildings in Viet Nam.
* Read the full piece on VSC here
VIETNAM NEWS: New Measures to Strengthen Social Protection
The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and the German Agency for International Co-operation (GIZ) yesterday launched a $2.4 million project to develop a social protection system in VietNam.
The 2.5 year project is expected to provide advice for strengthening social protection activities and facilitate the reform of the social assistance policy and delivery system which Vietnamese people, especially the poor, would directly benefit from, according to GIZ. — VNS (August 3, 2012)
Sunday, 5 September 2010
Solidarity with Vietnam at the TUC
Trade unionists in Britain were at the forefront of solidarity with Vietnam during its years of struggle against the US in the 1960s and 1970s. Trade Unionists in Vietnam were at the forefront of that liberation war and since their victory in 1975 have played a major role in rebuilding a prosperous and vibrant country against all the odds and despite a terrible legacy of the war. We are delighted that five leading members of the Vietnamese General Confederation of Labour will be visiting Congress this week. They hope to meet different unions and delegations. If you would like to meet this official delegation from Vietnam please contact us at Congress on 07970 345 381.
We hope that you will join us at our fringe meeting (refreshments provided) on the Wednesday lunchtime at Friends Meeting House to discover more about the incredible story of the reconstruction of Vietnam which this year celebrates 35 years since its liberation and 65 years since its first declaration of independence.
Vietnam has had no reparations for the losses and suffering of the war I which 4 million of its people were killed. 80 million litres of dioxin were poured across its land and thousands of babies are born each year with deformities still caused by this. In addition thousands of children die each year in accidents with unexploded artillery. It still suffers greatly from the war, but it is a proud country with a strong trade union movement that is developing and growing fast in the interests of its people.
Trade Union Friends of Vietnam was formed in 2009 as an ad hoc committee to rebuild trade union links with Vietnam. We are pleased to be joined at Congress by: Bro. Nguyen Hoa Binh, VGCL Senior Vice President, Sis. Nguyen Thi Kim Oanh, Member, VGCL Ex.Com., President of Bac Giang Federation of Labour, Bro. Nguyen Truong Thanh, Member, VGCL Ex.Com., President of Gia Lai Province Federation of Labour, Bro. Hoang Vinh Quang, VGCL Senior Researcher, and Bro Chau Nhat Binh, Deputy Director of VGCL Int'l. Dept., interpreter.
We hope that you will join us at our fringe meeting (refreshments provided) on the Wednesday lunchtime at Friends Meeting House to discover more about the incredible story of the reconstruction of Vietnam which this year celebrates 35 years since its liberation and 65 years since its first declaration of independence.
Vietnam has had no reparations for the losses and suffering of the war I which 4 million of its people were killed. 80 million litres of dioxin were poured across its land and thousands of babies are born each year with deformities still caused by this. In addition thousands of children die each year in accidents with unexploded artillery. It still suffers greatly from the war, but it is a proud country with a strong trade union movement that is developing and growing fast in the interests of its people.
Trade Union Friends of Vietnam was formed in 2009 as an ad hoc committee to rebuild trade union links with Vietnam. We are pleased to be joined at Congress by: Bro. Nguyen Hoa Binh, VGCL Senior Vice President, Sis. Nguyen Thi Kim Oanh, Member, VGCL Ex.Com., President of Bac Giang Federation of Labour, Bro. Nguyen Truong Thanh, Member, VGCL Ex.Com., President of Gia Lai Province Federation of Labour, Bro. Hoang Vinh Quang, VGCL Senior Researcher, and Bro Chau Nhat Binh, Deputy Director of VGCL Int'l. Dept., interpreter.
Speech Transcript from Guest Speaker at TUFV launch meeting
Today, I’m very happy to be here attending this important celebration, on behalf of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour to commemorate the 35th anniversary of liberation of South Vietnam and our national reunification and the 120th birthday of President Ho Chi Minh, a son of the nation who has devoted his whole life for national independence and people’s happiness.
First of all, on behalf of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, I would like to thank the Vietnamese Embassy for the invitation to this meeting and for enabling me to be with you today.
As you are aware, 35 years ago, our liberation armed forces victoriously entered Saigon along with people’s uprising and smashed the puppet regime, liberating totally the South Vietnam. This put an end to the most barbaric war of aggression in human history that had been waged by US imperialism, and achieved our national reunification. To win this victory, Vietnam had to go a long way, through numerous sufferings, hardships, challenges, sacrifices. There were many great milestones in the struggle for its total independence:
The August Revolution in 1945 marked the collapse of the 100- year French colonial rule and gave birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. However, in an attempt to recover the lost colony and defeat the newly independent Republic, right after our Declaration of Independence, the French brought troops back to Vietnam. The Vietnamese people had to stand up again to defend their independence. After nine years of resistance, the entire nation with its bare-foot army finally defeated the French army which was well-equipped and had strong support from the US, in the world resounding Dien Bien Phu battle. As a result the French had to sign the Geneva Peace Agreement recognizing our independence.
The country was temporarily divided into two parts awaiting a general election. But this never happened because the US and other foreign forces did not want a reunified and prosperous Vietnam. In 1965, after many faillures in building the Saigon puppet administration and army, and the “Special War”, the US carried out a “local war” by bringing in its combat troops to South Vietnam with half a million men at the peak of the war. In the North, the US conducted a “sabotage war” using its aero-naval forces in attempts to destroy the Northern economic bases and cut off all supplies from the North to the South. In this war, the US used all kinds of weapons short of atomic bombs and chemicals including “Agent Orange”, the most toxic substance humans ever created to halt our struggle for national reunification.
But all these attempts failed. After the defeat of the “Linebacker” Operation or the Christmas bombings in the sky of Hanoi in 1972, the US had to sign the Paris Peace Agreement that created favorable conditions for us to speed up our struggle for peace and reunification and led to our final victory of Spring 1975. The great victory of Vietnam has not only recovered our independence, sovereignty, opened up new a era of freedom, and happiness for the Vietnamese people, but also made a contribution to the world people’s struggle for peace, democracy, justice and social progress.
However, we had to pay a high price for this victory. In his book “In Retrospect - The tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam” (Times Books, NY, April 1995) Robert J. McNamara, the former US Secretary and an architect of the Vietnam war, wrote “Yet, we were wrong, terribly wrong. We owe it to future generations to explain why.” The following figures show a part of those wrong doings. In the Vietnam war, the US Government successively mobilized 6.5 million young people in the fighting. The total US troops reach 543,000 men. 22,000 US plants and factories supplied the war machine. 7,850,000 tons of bombs of all kinds were dropped over Vietnam plus 80 million liters of defoliants including dioxin or Agent Orange were sprayed in forests, farms, and villages in South Vietnam. Remember that in World War Two, the US had dropped 2,057,244 tons of bombs over all of the battlefields combined. According to figures made public by the US Government, 352 billion US dollars were spent for the Vietnam War (in 1975 values).
In North Vietnam, the US bombing destroyed or heavily damaged 2,923 school buildings; 1,850 hospitals, nurseries, 484 churches and 465 temples and pagodas. Nearly 3 million Vietnamese were killed and 4 million others injured, according to incomplete figures. The chemical warfare left long-term and tragic consequences. 35 years after the war, the scars remain painful. It is estimated that among 4.8 million exposed to Agent Orange/Dioxin countrywide, 3 million of them are seriously affected. Thousands have passed away and millions of their descendants have been born with deformities and suffering from illness, poverty and other hardships. On the other side, thousands of US soldier are also affected by Agent Orange.
The victory of Vietnam was the victory of the aspiration for freedom, the determination to fight and to sacrifice for the survival of the country, of the judicious leadership of President Ho Chi Minh and the Party, but also the victory of progressive mankind and peace-loving people across the world including the British democratic and progressive forces that stood side by side with us throughout the war and who we will never forget.
But we cannot sleep on our glorious past. We are rebuilding Vietnam as a peaceful, strong and prosperous country, and to keep pace with other countries of the world. Over the last 20 year, since the Renovation process known as Doi Moi, the country’s economy has recorded remarkable achievements. The industrial sector has grown fast. It accounted for 20% of the GDP in 1986 but 40% in 2008. The country’s GDP from 2005 to 2007 grew continuously by over 8%; exports increased by 22%, Overseas Development Aid for Vietnam over the period 1997 - 2007 reached over US$ 42 billion. Foreign reserves are over US$ 20 billion. In 2004, in the condition of global financial crisis, the country’s GDP increased by 5.3%. The income per capita per head increased from US$ 120 to US$ 1,080 in 2009.
People’s living standards have greatly improved. Vietnam has been recognized by the international community as a good example of poverty reduction. The rate of poverty decreased from 75% in 1986 down to 13.5% in 2008. Within the period 1994-2000, Vietnam achieved ahead of the Millenium Development Goal (MDG) laid down by the United Nation that aims to bring the rate of poverty to 50% by 2015. Vietnam is a popular destination for foreign investors. To the end of 2009, total investments to Vietnam reached US$ 177 billion. The country has started investing abroad to join the global play ground.
However, Vietnam still faces a lot of challenges: the country’s growth is not sustainable, the competitiveness is weak with an abundant but poorly trained workforce. The infrastructure is poor, the reconstruction still needs huge resources to heal the wounds of the war aftermath. As we move to a market economy, many social problems emerge such as big gap between the rich and the poor, the urban and rural areas, environmental degradation, human exploitation, and tension in labour relations.
Against all odds, Vietnam keeps moving on the road of building a Vietnam of “rich people, a strong, democratic and civilized country”. It is our great hope and belief that like in the past, we will continue to receive your valuable solidarity and friendship that is important for us to achieve the wish of our beloved Uncle Ho:
“If these mountains, these rivers and these people remain, after the victory over the US invaders, we will rebuild our country ten times more beautiful.”
We are here today also to remember President Ho Chi Minh, the talented leader of our Party and people, the great teacher of Vietnamese revolution, hero of national liberation, eminent man of world culture who devoted all his life for the independence of Vietnam, freedom and happiness of his people. He was an exemplary internationalist and close friends of all peoples fighting for peace, justice, national independence and social progress in the world.
It is a special occasion to look back on the historical landmarks in the life of Ho Chi Minh. He was born into a patriotic Confucian scholar family in Kim Lien Village, Nam Dan District, Nghe An Province in Central Vietnam. Nourished by fine traditions of the nation accumulated through thousand years of the country’s history, having witnessed the failures of many tragic uprising movements of previous generations against French rule and the sufferings and hardships of the people, Ho Chi Minh left the country in 1911 to start a 30-year journey across many countries to find ways of liberating the nation. Through his working life, studies, research of theories and rich experiences of class struggles in many countries even in imperialist jails, he found the right way for Vietnam that was in the darkness of slavery under the French “upholding the banner of national independence, combining patriotism with the internationalism of the working class, the strength of the national with the strength of the times to achieve the goal of liberating the country, the society and people.”
This led to the August 1945 Revolution giving birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, the first State by peoples in the history of Vietnam that totally changed the destiny of the Vietnamese people, from a slave to free, independent country. The name of Vietnam thus appeared on the world map. Since then, Ho Chi Minh guided our people to overcome many difficulties, from the first volatile days of our independence through the resistance against the French and the Vietnam War against the US aggression until the final victory.
He is symbol of finest characteristics of the Vietnamese people: simplicity, bravery, sincerity, hard work, tolerance. He deserved the UNESCO recognition given to him twenty years ago as a hero of national liberation and prominent man of world.
Many stories have been told and will be told about the legendary man, his virtues and talents and amongst other qualities his ability to predict the most important events of the country and the world. In 1940, when nazi forces occupied France and other European countries, Ho Chi Minh said “the day, Hitler attacks Soviet Union is the start of German fascism’s collapse. If the defeat of imperialism in World War One led the formation of the Soviet Union, this collapse will lead to the victories of socialist revolution in many other countries.” Four years later, it became true.
In February 1942, in his poem “Our country’s history” he wrote: “In 1945, Vietnam gains independence” Three years later in Ba Dinh Square, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh declared independence of Vietnam.”
In his Testament written on 15 May 1965, he said: “Our war against US invasion may take few more years. Our people may suffer from more human and material losses. However, we are determined to fight Americans until the final victory. The US imperialism will get out of Vietnam for sure. Our Homeland will certainly be reunified. Few more years means 10 years, in 1975 at the most.”
In his speech on the 15th founding anniversary of Democratic Republic of Vietnam in September 1960, Ho Chi Minh wrote: “If we are united, perseveringly struggle, the country will be reunified in 15 years at the latest.”
Ho Chi Minh is no more. He left us 41 years ago. But his image will live for ever in the heart of every Vietnamese, every and every overseas friend of Vietnam.
Thank you.
First of all, on behalf of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, I would like to thank the Vietnamese Embassy for the invitation to this meeting and for enabling me to be with you today.
As you are aware, 35 years ago, our liberation armed forces victoriously entered Saigon along with people’s uprising and smashed the puppet regime, liberating totally the South Vietnam. This put an end to the most barbaric war of aggression in human history that had been waged by US imperialism, and achieved our national reunification. To win this victory, Vietnam had to go a long way, through numerous sufferings, hardships, challenges, sacrifices. There were many great milestones in the struggle for its total independence:
The August Revolution in 1945 marked the collapse of the 100- year French colonial rule and gave birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. However, in an attempt to recover the lost colony and defeat the newly independent Republic, right after our Declaration of Independence, the French brought troops back to Vietnam. The Vietnamese people had to stand up again to defend their independence. After nine years of resistance, the entire nation with its bare-foot army finally defeated the French army which was well-equipped and had strong support from the US, in the world resounding Dien Bien Phu battle. As a result the French had to sign the Geneva Peace Agreement recognizing our independence.
The country was temporarily divided into two parts awaiting a general election. But this never happened because the US and other foreign forces did not want a reunified and prosperous Vietnam. In 1965, after many faillures in building the Saigon puppet administration and army, and the “Special War”, the US carried out a “local war” by bringing in its combat troops to South Vietnam with half a million men at the peak of the war. In the North, the US conducted a “sabotage war” using its aero-naval forces in attempts to destroy the Northern economic bases and cut off all supplies from the North to the South. In this war, the US used all kinds of weapons short of atomic bombs and chemicals including “Agent Orange”, the most toxic substance humans ever created to halt our struggle for national reunification.
But all these attempts failed. After the defeat of the “Linebacker” Operation or the Christmas bombings in the sky of Hanoi in 1972, the US had to sign the Paris Peace Agreement that created favorable conditions for us to speed up our struggle for peace and reunification and led to our final victory of Spring 1975. The great victory of Vietnam has not only recovered our independence, sovereignty, opened up new a era of freedom, and happiness for the Vietnamese people, but also made a contribution to the world people’s struggle for peace, democracy, justice and social progress.
However, we had to pay a high price for this victory. In his book “In Retrospect - The tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam” (Times Books, NY, April 1995) Robert J. McNamara, the former US Secretary and an architect of the Vietnam war, wrote “Yet, we were wrong, terribly wrong. We owe it to future generations to explain why.” The following figures show a part of those wrong doings. In the Vietnam war, the US Government successively mobilized 6.5 million young people in the fighting. The total US troops reach 543,000 men. 22,000 US plants and factories supplied the war machine. 7,850,000 tons of bombs of all kinds were dropped over Vietnam plus 80 million liters of defoliants including dioxin or Agent Orange were sprayed in forests, farms, and villages in South Vietnam. Remember that in World War Two, the US had dropped 2,057,244 tons of bombs over all of the battlefields combined. According to figures made public by the US Government, 352 billion US dollars were spent for the Vietnam War (in 1975 values).
In North Vietnam, the US bombing destroyed or heavily damaged 2,923 school buildings; 1,850 hospitals, nurseries, 484 churches and 465 temples and pagodas. Nearly 3 million Vietnamese were killed and 4 million others injured, according to incomplete figures. The chemical warfare left long-term and tragic consequences. 35 years after the war, the scars remain painful. It is estimated that among 4.8 million exposed to Agent Orange/Dioxin countrywide, 3 million of them are seriously affected. Thousands have passed away and millions of their descendants have been born with deformities and suffering from illness, poverty and other hardships. On the other side, thousands of US soldier are also affected by Agent Orange.
The victory of Vietnam was the victory of the aspiration for freedom, the determination to fight and to sacrifice for the survival of the country, of the judicious leadership of President Ho Chi Minh and the Party, but also the victory of progressive mankind and peace-loving people across the world including the British democratic and progressive forces that stood side by side with us throughout the war and who we will never forget.
But we cannot sleep on our glorious past. We are rebuilding Vietnam as a peaceful, strong and prosperous country, and to keep pace with other countries of the world. Over the last 20 year, since the Renovation process known as Doi Moi, the country’s economy has recorded remarkable achievements. The industrial sector has grown fast. It accounted for 20% of the GDP in 1986 but 40% in 2008. The country’s GDP from 2005 to 2007 grew continuously by over 8%; exports increased by 22%, Overseas Development Aid for Vietnam over the period 1997 - 2007 reached over US$ 42 billion. Foreign reserves are over US$ 20 billion. In 2004, in the condition of global financial crisis, the country’s GDP increased by 5.3%. The income per capita per head increased from US$ 120 to US$ 1,080 in 2009.
People’s living standards have greatly improved. Vietnam has been recognized by the international community as a good example of poverty reduction. The rate of poverty decreased from 75% in 1986 down to 13.5% in 2008. Within the period 1994-2000, Vietnam achieved ahead of the Millenium Development Goal (MDG) laid down by the United Nation that aims to bring the rate of poverty to 50% by 2015. Vietnam is a popular destination for foreign investors. To the end of 2009, total investments to Vietnam reached US$ 177 billion. The country has started investing abroad to join the global play ground.
However, Vietnam still faces a lot of challenges: the country’s growth is not sustainable, the competitiveness is weak with an abundant but poorly trained workforce. The infrastructure is poor, the reconstruction still needs huge resources to heal the wounds of the war aftermath. As we move to a market economy, many social problems emerge such as big gap between the rich and the poor, the urban and rural areas, environmental degradation, human exploitation, and tension in labour relations.
Against all odds, Vietnam keeps moving on the road of building a Vietnam of “rich people, a strong, democratic and civilized country”. It is our great hope and belief that like in the past, we will continue to receive your valuable solidarity and friendship that is important for us to achieve the wish of our beloved Uncle Ho:
“If these mountains, these rivers and these people remain, after the victory over the US invaders, we will rebuild our country ten times more beautiful.”
We are here today also to remember President Ho Chi Minh, the talented leader of our Party and people, the great teacher of Vietnamese revolution, hero of national liberation, eminent man of world culture who devoted all his life for the independence of Vietnam, freedom and happiness of his people. He was an exemplary internationalist and close friends of all peoples fighting for peace, justice, national independence and social progress in the world.
It is a special occasion to look back on the historical landmarks in the life of Ho Chi Minh. He was born into a patriotic Confucian scholar family in Kim Lien Village, Nam Dan District, Nghe An Province in Central Vietnam. Nourished by fine traditions of the nation accumulated through thousand years of the country’s history, having witnessed the failures of many tragic uprising movements of previous generations against French rule and the sufferings and hardships of the people, Ho Chi Minh left the country in 1911 to start a 30-year journey across many countries to find ways of liberating the nation. Through his working life, studies, research of theories and rich experiences of class struggles in many countries even in imperialist jails, he found the right way for Vietnam that was in the darkness of slavery under the French “upholding the banner of national independence, combining patriotism with the internationalism of the working class, the strength of the national with the strength of the times to achieve the goal of liberating the country, the society and people.”
This led to the August 1945 Revolution giving birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, the first State by peoples in the history of Vietnam that totally changed the destiny of the Vietnamese people, from a slave to free, independent country. The name of Vietnam thus appeared on the world map. Since then, Ho Chi Minh guided our people to overcome many difficulties, from the first volatile days of our independence through the resistance against the French and the Vietnam War against the US aggression until the final victory.
He is symbol of finest characteristics of the Vietnamese people: simplicity, bravery, sincerity, hard work, tolerance. He deserved the UNESCO recognition given to him twenty years ago as a hero of national liberation and prominent man of world.
Many stories have been told and will be told about the legendary man, his virtues and talents and amongst other qualities his ability to predict the most important events of the country and the world. In 1940, when nazi forces occupied France and other European countries, Ho Chi Minh said “the day, Hitler attacks Soviet Union is the start of German fascism’s collapse. If the defeat of imperialism in World War One led the formation of the Soviet Union, this collapse will lead to the victories of socialist revolution in many other countries.” Four years later, it became true.
In February 1942, in his poem “Our country’s history” he wrote: “In 1945, Vietnam gains independence” Three years later in Ba Dinh Square, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh declared independence of Vietnam.”
In his Testament written on 15 May 1965, he said: “Our war against US invasion may take few more years. Our people may suffer from more human and material losses. However, we are determined to fight Americans until the final victory. The US imperialism will get out of Vietnam for sure. Our Homeland will certainly be reunified. Few more years means 10 years, in 1975 at the most.”
In his speech on the 15th founding anniversary of Democratic Republic of Vietnam in September 1960, Ho Chi Minh wrote: “If we are united, perseveringly struggle, the country will be reunified in 15 years at the latest.”
Ho Chi Minh is no more. He left us 41 years ago. But his image will live for ever in the heart of every Vietnamese, every and every overseas friend of Vietnam.
Thank you.
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