December 28, 2011 (Vietnamica) — Vietnamese authorities would seize and destroy any Kobe beef from Japan because of a lack of veterinary permits and import licenses (DPA, Dec 28).
December 23, 2011 (Vietnamica) — Vietnam, one of the smallest markets in the Asia-Pacific region, is expected to be the fourth fastest-growing market in Asia-Pacific through 2016.
December 17, 2011 (Vietnamica) – The Vietam’s Ministry of Health unveiled that hand, foot, and mouth disease has killed 150 people, mostly children, and sickened more than 96,000 through later November. The average number of weekly cases dropped from about 3,000 in September to 2,460 in November (AP, Dec. 16).
December 14, 2011 (Vietnamica) – It is reported that in 2010, more than half of Vietnam’s electricity was sourced from thermal power plants with 18.5 percent fired by coal and 36.6 percent by burning oil and gas. In 2000, about 150.9 million tons of CO2 were discharged into the environment in Vietnam, with the agricultural sector being the leading contributor (65 million tons – 43 percent), followed by the energy sector (52.7 million tons – 35 percent). Nine years later, CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels saw a 113-percent increase, 54 percent of which was from coal fired plants....
Vietnam: 7 Doctors per 10,000 PeopleDecember 12, 2011 (Vietnamica) – The Sai Gon Giai Phong reported that every 10,000 Vietnamese people were served by 7 doctors. The ratio is resulted from numerous problems poor education and remuneration of healthcare professionals.
Xayaburi Dam Project Delayed AgainDecember 9, 2011 (Vietnamica) — the Council Members of the Mekong River Commission (MRC), comprising water and environment ministers from Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, on Dec 9, agreed to approach Japan and other international development partners to support further study of the likely impact of building a mainstream dam on the river.
