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Objective: There were two objectives. The first was to describe the Vietnamese system of occupational safety and health (OSH) and its problems. The second was to evaluate priorities among future OSH policies by the analytical hierarchy process (AHP).Methods: The Vietnamese OSH system was analysed in detail mainly based on various official documents. After the OSH problems in Vietnam were identified through discussions with Vietnamese OSH specialists they were given priorities in five different OSH policies, which were evaluated by the AHP.Results and Conclusion: The OSH system in Vietnam is in theory well organised: the government has established fundamental laws and has organised the OSH administrative system from the central to the grassroots level. However, this system does not work sufficiently well to improve working conditions. According to discussions with Vietnamese OSH specialists, four factors associated with OSH problems in Vietnam were evaluated: shortage of materials and manpower, inadequate OSH information system, inappropriate OSH administrative system, and poor awareness of workers and employers about the OSH problems. Considering the relative importance of these four factors, the priorities within five policies were evaluated by the AHP technique. The results showed that the most important change needed was reorganisation of the OSH administrative system, followed by OSH education for workers and employers, training of personnel in OSH services, improvement of OSH research activity, and the establishment of an adequate OSH information system. It is expected that developed countries will help the Vietnamese government to implement these programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a causative agent of acute hapatopancreatic necrosis syndrome (AHPNS) which causes early mortality in white shrimp. Emergence of AHPNS has caused tremendous economic loss for aquaculture industry particularly in Asia since 2010. Previous studies reported that strains causing AHPNS harbor a 69-kb plasmid with possession of virulence genes, pirA and pirB. However, genetic variation of the 69-kb plasmid among AHPNS related strains has not been investigated. This study aimed to analyze genetic composition and diversity of the 69-kb plasmid in strains isolated from shrimps affected by AHPNS. Plasmids recovered from V. parahaemolyticus strain VPE61 which represented typical AHPNS pathogenicity, strain VP2HP which did not represent AHPNS pathogenicity but was isolated from AHPNS affected shrimp and other AHPNS V. parahaemolyticus isolates in Genbank were investigated. Protein coding genes of the 69-kb plasmid from the strain VPE61 were identical to that of AHPNS strain from Vietnam except the inverted complement 3.4-kb transposon covering pirA and pirB. The strain VP2HP possessed remarkable large 183-kb plasmid which shared similar protein coding genes to those of the 69-kb plasmid from strain VPE61. However, the 3.4-kb transposon covering pirA and pirB was absent from the 183-kb plasmid in strain VP2HP. A number of protein coding genes from the 183-kb plasmid were also detected in other AHPNS strains. In summary, this study identified a novel 183-kb plasmid that is related to AHPNS causing strains. Homologous recombination of the 69-kb AHPNS plasmid and other naturally occurring plasmids together with loss and gain of AHPNS virulence genes in V. parahaemolyticus were observed. The outcome of this research enables understanding of plasmid dynamics that possibly affect variable degrees of AHPNS pathogenicity., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Ovarian cancer, one of the most common cancers in women and the most serious gynecologic cancer, is known to be influenced by reproductive factors, but these factors have not previously been examined in Vietnamese women., Study Design: We analyzed 262 ovarian cancer patients recruited from 27 hospitals in 12 provinces and Ha Noi City from April 2001 to May 2006, plus 755 controls matched by age and residential address., Results: The risk of ovarian cancer was significantly lower in parous women than nulliparous women. Use of an intrauterine contraceptive device was also associated with a reduced risk. In contrast, induced abortion, late menopause and years of ovulation were significantly associated with an increased risk of cancer., Conclusions: Parity and intrauterine device use were associated with a reduced risk of ovarian cancer in Vietnamese women, whereas induced abortion, late menopause and years of ovulation were associated with an increased risk., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Since the introduction of the market economy in 1986, Vietnam has been in the process of rapid economic development. However, the current state of affairs in the industries is very profit-oriented and due consideration is not given to the occupational health services and environmental health. In order to investigate the relationship among occupational exposure to dust/chemicals (toxic gases/fume), environmental pollution and chronic respiratory symptoms in Vietnam, the questionnaire standardized by the American Thoracic Society was applied to 1,562 subjects living in the Quang Ninh area and its surroundings, North Vietnam. Chronic respiratory symptoms such as cough, phlegm, wheezing and breathlessness appeared from the questionnaire. According to the results of multiple logistic regression analyses, among current non-smokers, the odds ratios of chronic respiratory symptoms with a history of occupational exposure to dust, living in polluted district and age were over unity. Especially for cough, significantly higher odds ratios were observed among those with the history of occupational exposure to dust: 2.248 (95% confidential interval: 1.642-3.077). Among current smokers, the odds ratios of chronic respiratory symptoms with the history of occupational exposure to dust were over unity. These results indicate that the history of occupational exposure to dust, living in polluted area and age cause non-smokers to have chronic respiratory symptoms, and also that the history of occupational exposure to dust affect the current smokers.

In this report, the authors present the pneumoconiosis problem among Vietnamese coal mine workers. As coal is one of the most important products for export, its production has been intensified recently. With the strong incentive for rapid economic development, health problems of miners tend to take second place. As shown in the present report, miners' working conditions are very bad, and health protection measures are not sufficiently implemented. It is apparent that official statistics underestimate the actual situation because of the inadequacy of the reporting system. Because the financial barrier to establishing a sufficient reporting system for pneumoconiosis is enormous, an epidemiologic study is the most effective way to assess the actual situation. It is also useful to conduct epidemiologic studies as part of an international collaborative project, in order to transfer necessary knowledge and epidemiologic skills from the developed countries to Vietnam.

Noise and hearing ability profiles were determined in a textile factory in Vietnam. Noise mapping done in the weaving section showed that the noise levels exceeded the Vietnamese standard of 90 dBA by as much as 9 dBA in some areas. Audiometric tests performed on 69 female workers from the weaving section revealed that workers with more than 10 years of noise exposure had the worst hearing threshold levels at 1,000 and 4,000 Hz. Similar findings were observed for workers greater than 35 years old. The 4,000 Hz notch, suggestive of exposure to intense noise, was noted in the audiograms of 26 subjects.

In order to investigate the relationship between occupational exposure to dust/chemicals (toxic gases/fumes) and chronic respiratory symptoms in Vietnam, the questionnaire standardized by the American Thoracic Society was applied to 368 subjects living in Ha Thai district of Vietnam. According to the results of multiple logistic regression analyses, the odds ratios of chronic respiratory symptoms by occupational exposure are over unity, except for the relationship between chronic cough and occupational exposure to chemicals. Especially for chronic breathlessness, significantly higher odds ratios are observed among people with a history of occupational exposure to dust or chemicals: 2.925 (95% CI: 1.130-7.574) for dust, and 3.721 (95% CI: 1.412-9.803) for chemicals. As for the interaction between occupational exposure to dust and cigarette smoking, it is considered that occupational exposure leads to an increase in chronic respiratory symptoms independent of the effects of cigarette smoking.

The aim was to study the actual situation of subjective fatigue among the Vietnamese workers in factories with newly imported technology. A cross-sectional study concerning working conditions and the fatigue complaints of 389 workers who are employed in 10 Vietnamese factories with newly imported technology, was conducted from August to September 1994. About 60% of the workers were satisfied with their current working conditions. Regarding occupational risks at the workplace, heat, dust and noise were identified as the three most dangerous risks. About 46% of the workers complained about the incompatibility of the machines and equipment they were using, which are too large for Vietnamese workers. One third of all workers felt that the work pace is too rapid. Seventeen percent of the workers considered their working conditions monotonous. Finally, among 150 female workers under 40 years old, 45 workers (30.0%) complained of irregularity of menstruation. Generally these problems were more common among workers in textile factories. The prevalence rate of subjective fatigue complaints was significantly increased after work in all 30 items. The fatigue level were substantially high among workers in textile factories. Female workers in this sector had a high prevalence rate of irregularity of menstruation. There were many problems observed in the Vietnamese factories with newly imported technology. Special consideration is required to improve the working conditions of female workers in the textile industry. Both the Vietnamese government and donor countries have to give special attention to the transfer of worker-friendly technology to Vietnam, in order to achieve sound economic development.

Following the introduction of a market economy, Vietnam has been faced with a variety of environmental problems. The following eight problems deserve special attention; 1) deforestation, 2) decrease of agricultural land resources, 3) irrational use of water resources, 4) over exploitation of fishery resources, 5) irrational use of mineral resources, 6) loss of genetic resources, 7) environmental pollution, 8) environmental damage due to war. In order to solve these problems, the Vietnamese government established an integrated strategy, the "National Environmental Protection Research Program: NEPRP". However, because of shortages in human resources, adequate technology, and financial resources, it is very difficult for the Vietnamese government to fully implement this program. As the realization of a sound economic development in the Indochina area is very important from the international political point of view, strong expectations exist that developed countries, including Japan, will actively contribute to the solution of these environmental problems in Vietnam.