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This centre consists of a five-star hotel and an entertainment area, including the biggest international casino in
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The entertainment area covers 15,000 square meters, capable of providing baccarat, blackjack, Sic bo, Roulette, Caribbean Stud Poker and other games for hundreds of foreigner visitors at the same time.
Photo: Tuoi Tre
The whole project is estimated to worth a total of $160 million.
The 5-per cent tax on automobiles and parts traded among the six founding Asian countries -Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, the Philippines and Indonesia - was abolished on January 1, in a move towards turning Asean into a single market.
This would help Asean nations become more competitive against other Asian giants - particularly China and India.
Despite the global recession last year, auto sales in China reached 13 million units and in India 2.2 million units, while combined sales in Asean hit 1.8 million units.
Since major markets such as the US, Europe and Japan are saturated and stagnant, due to the financial crisis, any growth in the auto industry would have to take place in the Asian region, analysts say.
Adisak Rohitasune, vice chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries and vice president of Asian Honda Motor, says the liberalisation of the auto and parts trade will not only help Asean manufacturers, but also draw investment into the region.
"This will help increase sourcing of raw materials and parts within the region, and expand the automobile market across the region," he said.
With the tariff barrier in Asean markets lifted, it would not be surprising to see a particular product being manufactured in one country and exported to other countries within the region, he said.
"But it will also depend on the policy and risk management of each company. For Honda, we have assembly plants in several Asean countries and have been utilising the Aico (Asean Industrial Cooperation) scheme and AFTA to dramatically lower the cost for purchasing parts. This has helped strengthen our manufacturing in each country and raised the level of competitiveness," he said.
According to Kasikorn Research Centre (KResearch), Thailand's exports of auto parts could expand by 18-22 per cent this year to Bt150 billion-Bt155 billion after plunging by 23 per cent to Bt127 billion last year due to drop in demand from the global recession.
"OEM (original) auto parts will be the main category benefiting from these changes, given their high export value that is nine times higher than REM (spare) items," it stated in research published earlier this month.
KResearch said that among the six founding Asean countries, Indonesia is expected to be the most promising market for Thai parts exports, followed by Malaysia and the Philippines.
"Auto parts for small Japanese passenger cars and commercial vehicles, such as electronic components, engines and drive-train components that are of high value, have been embraced by these markets for their OEM quality. In addition, relocation of manufacturing bases of foreign automakers into Thailand is likely to boost demand for locally-made REM parts, especially for export-oriented production," KResearch said in its report.
Ninnart Chaithirapinyo, vice chairman of Toyota Motor Thailand, the country's largest producer and exporter of vehicles, said the scrapping of the import duty could help the Asean auto market increase by as much as 10 per cent.
"Thailand would benefit greatly from this, with more income for the government from the increased excise, value-added and corporate taxes," he said.
The arrival of new models produced under the Thai government's eco car project will also serve as a boost for Thai auto exports to Asean.
Nissan will be the first company to launch an eco car in March, while Honda is expected to unveil its model at the end of this year or early next year.
Other companies in the project are Mitsubishi, Tata, Suzuki and Toyota.
According to the eco car guidelines, each manufacturer must produce at least 100,000 eco cars a year by the fifth year of production, with 50,000 units exported.
Professional and amateur photographers have gathered in London's Trafalgar Square to protest against terror stop and searches.
The photographers say police are intimidating people with cameras in tactics to target possible terrorists.
Last week the European Court of Human Rights ruled the power to stop people without suspicion was indiscriminate.
The government is appealing, saying it is vital to make cities a hostile place for any possible attacker.
Rising tensions
Freelance photographer and writer Marc Vallee, who helped organise the protest, said: "It's quite surreal today but we are pleased with the support.
"It's quite obvious that professional photographers across the country are being searched because they are photographers not because they are suspicious.
"It's a common law right to take pictures in public places and we are here to show that."
The demonstration comes after a year of rising tensions between professional photographers and police over the exact scope of Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
 |   Stories of photographers being stopped for taking pictures have become a regular feature  Phil Coomes BBC News website picture editor  |
This special stop and search power allows police in specifically designated areas to stop people without suspicion of wrongdoing in an attempt to make it difficult for potential attackers to move around.
It is used in some key areas of London and other cities or airports where counter-terrorism officers suspect that violent extremists may be looking for targets.
According to the latest available figures, some 36,000 people were stopped under the power between April and June last year.
But photographers say the practical effect has been that increasing numbers of people with cameras are being left intimidated, angry and afraid after being asked to account for their actions.
Shami Chakrabarti, director of human rights group Liberty, said it had warned of the dangers of blanket stop and search for a decade.
She said: "We have been completely vindicated by the Court of Human Rights and in the coming weeks MPs will have the chance to change this law. Let's hope they step up to their responsibilities."
A series of controversial incidents over the past year have included photographers being stopped while taking pictures of landmarks and public buildings.
A separate counter-terrorism law, which in theory restricts the rights to photograph police officers, has added to the tensions.
Advice to officers
Shortly before Christmas, Assistant Commissioner John Yates, the head of counter-terrorism at the Metropolitan Police, warned officers they risked losing public confidence if they did not use the Section 44 powers sensibly.
| In my view, section 44 is being used far too often on a random basis without any reasoning behind its use Lord Carlile Government independent reviewer of anti-terrorist legislation |
But last week the European Court of Human Rights ruled the entire law was illegal because it was indiscriminate rather than properly targeted at the threat.
The government is appealing against that ruling and the power remains in force in the meantime.
Chief Constable Craig Mackey, the Association of Chief Police Officers' (Acpo) spokesman on stop and search, said: "Acpo has stated previously that everyone - photographers, members of the media and the general public - has a right to take photographs and film in public places. That has not changed.
"It is the job of police officers out on the beat to be vigilant, to keep an eye out for any suspicious behaviour and to act accordingly.
"And there is no doubt that every day their vigilance stops crime. Used correctly, stop and search is a powerful tool that can help protect all our communities from terrorism. Protecting the public remains our priority."
From the top of Sam Mountain, you can see the whole of Chau Doc Town and Tinh Bien District, and even all the way to the That Son (Seven Mountains) range in the distance.
At the summit, marked by a former French Military base built in 1896, the view of the Bassac River is stunning.
You can see the dark river flowing into agricultural channels in the endless expanse of rice paddy before it reaches Chau Doc, a colorful town peppered with the marks of history: traditional Vietnamese homes,French villas, old pagodas and new government buildings – even a four-star resort on the riverside.
The low-rise, French colonial structure of the Victoria Chau Doc Hotel blends in with its natural and man-made surroundings including a 200-year-old Vietnamese-style house nearby.
The hotel overlooks the intersection of Bassac River and Mekong River, dotted with its famous floating fishing villages, floating markets and ethnic Cham communities.
Once down from the mountain and in the bustling town, a walk down any lane immerses the traveler in the sights and sounds of life in the remote outpost deep in the MekongDelta near the Cambodian border.
Deep in the Chau Doc Market, the Quan Cong Temple is a rewarding visit. Its flamboyant Taoist murals and effigies are mostly in praise of a ruddy-faced Quan Cong, worshiped by thedelta ’s ethnic Chinese-Vietnamese population. Cong was a Chinese general who was involved in the civil war that led to the collapse of the Han Dynasty.
Ba Chua Xu Pagoda, dedicated to the region’s patron Buddhist saint, is also a favorite destination, especially in the spring when the Ba Festival is held, attracting huge numbers of local devotees, Buddhist pilgrims and tourists from all around.
While visiting, contrast Ba Chua Xu Pagoda with the lesser-known Tay An Pagoda on Sam Mountain. Its architecture is sometimes fancifully described as Hindu-Muslim. However, a definite Islamic influence has been brought
to the Chinese architecture by the local Cham population. The interior contains a small army of colorful effigies.
On the streets in town, the xe loi (peddle-pedicap) is still preferred by both tourists and locals. Chau Doc residents are known for being very warm and approachable. Though some xe loi drivers are a bit pestering, most are genuinely friendly. They don’t speak much English, but they do their best to entertain foreign tourists.
At the market place, you discover why they call it Chau Doc – Vuong quoc mam (Chau Doc – the kingdom of fermented fish). Although mam (fermented fish products) of all kinds are sold and displayed everywhere, fresh thot not (palmyra palms) fruits, thot not sugar, and other specialties made with thot not are also popular.
Wide-eyed Khmer families and smiling Cham people with colorful brocades invite you to try the sweet white juice of the thot not fruit. The fruit looks like coconut, but is smaller and sweeter.
Tourists can cross the Bassac River by taking a short boat ride to the island village of Chau Giang, but first they should not miss the small floating village en route, complete with its underwater tra and basa catfish cages.
The village is made of modified house-boats – trap-doors in the floor provide access to nets under the boat where fish are raised.
You can feed the schools with dried food and take pictures of the thousands of fish gathering to eat.
The floating village has everything a normal village has: gasoline stations, grocery stores. Children, of course, are good swimmers at the young age of four, while pet cats and dogs are not afraid to jump from house to house.
A visit to Jamiul Azharas, the most beautiful of An Giang Province’s ten mosques, is also a must.
The mosque, built in 1958 on the foundations of an old wooden house of worship, is the heart of a 350-year-old village.
Chau Doc, the town engulfed in thousands of thot not trees, is worth a visit for anyone who wants to leave noisy Ho Chi Minh City behind and enjoy all aspects of Mekong Delta life.
GETTING THERE
Deep in the Mekong Delta, Chau Doc Town is 280 km (174 miles) south-west of Ho Chi Minh City near the Cambodian border.
The town can be reached by car (six hours), boat, or airplane to Can Tho City’s Tra Noc Airport, and then by driving a car to Chau Doc).
VietNamNet/Thanh Nien
After the success of the first Long Bien Bridge Festival, the second will be held by the Vietnam Embassy in France and the Maison des Art to mark the 1000th anniversary of Hanoi.
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The Maison des Art wants to use the image of the popular bridge in a display of culture and art. It will also organise a boat trip along the Red River from the ancient capital city of Hoa Lu in northern Ninh Binh province, toHanoi, the northern port city of Hai Phong and Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh.
Urban Sax, a professional music events organiser, will create a boat using cranes to lift a dragon made in an S-shape to representVietnam.
Around 100 dancers from Vietnam and France will perform from sunset until dawn under a sky full of kites, illuminated from the river by a lighting system installed in numerous small boats.
The idea of the dragon boat originated from the legends of Vietnamese icons Lac Long Quan and Au Co.
When the boat docks under Long Bien Bridge, a dragon performance, accompanied by a blend of modern music and traditional music, will be held.
To promote the event, the Maison des Art will put on an exhibition in Paris with paintings and video installations by French artist Serra. Another art exhibition will be held with Long BienBridge as the theme.
The company will also organise a boat trip on the Seine river to draw the attention of French people.
By the end of January, the Maison des Art will meet with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Hanoi Municipal People’s Committee to finalise its plan.
VNN/VOV
Ed notes: Looks like daily business, having been here many times.
Clothes displayed on the road, vendors everywhere, motorbikes on the roadside… these are the latest images in the Hanoi’s Old Quarter one month before the lunar New Year.
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Fashion shops on Hang Dao and Hang Ngang display their products on the pavement and the road to attract customers. |
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Vendors flood old streets. |
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Shopping on the pavement. |
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A vendor sells bread on the road. |
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Pavements are also shops. |
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No way through for pedestrians on the pavement. |
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Motorbikes park on the roadside. |
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| Miss Vietnam in Europe 2009 Nguyen Ngoc Kieu Khanh. |
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| The first runner-up Mai Anh. |
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| The second runner-up Phuong Loan. |
The Charming Face title winner Thuy Ngoc.
S.Ha
Vu The Binh, head of the travel department under the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, said that Singapore consultants and entrepreneurs would survey a sea route from the central city of Danang to Nghe An to find suitable locations for cruise terminals. This survey follows a similar trip to other destinations in the country last year. 
Vietnam welcomed nearly 300,000 cruise passengers in 2002 but after since the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003 the number has fallen strongly to even under 100,000 passengers last year.
“Along with this assistance, Singapore will share experiences in operating cruise terminals as well as discuss cooperation between the two countries’ tourism companies to woo international cruise passengers,” he said.
Vietnam’s tourism officials in 2008 went to Singapore to work with the Singapore Tourism Board and a Singapore cruise company to learn ways how to develop the cruise industry. These activities are part of a cooperation agreement between the two sides to develop the cruise tourism industry for Vietnam as well as to set up a circle route from Hong Kong to Singapore and Vietnam.
Binh said that the plan to build terminals for cruise ships now enjoy good conditions as the Prime Minister has approved a master plan to build the seaport system for Vietnam, under which some cruise ports will be built in the years to come.
“The important thing is that we find the best locations for such terminals. That’s why we need to cooperate with Singapore to learn from their experiences,” Binh said.
He said the tourism sector would meet with the Ministry of Communications and Transport about such developments.
Cooperation between Singapore and Vietnam to develop cruise tourism in Southeast Asia was also mentioned during the Vietnam trip this month by Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Tourism officials have proposed sea routes for cruise tourism from Singapore to Malaysia and on to Thailand and Vietnam before ending up in Hong Kong.
Vietnam has a huge potential to develop cruise tourism, as the country is situated between North and South Asia, and is in close proximity with two cruise hubs of the region namely Singapore and Hong Kong.
However, the cruise industry in the country is still underdeveloped. Vietnam welcomed nearly 300,000 cruise passengers in 2002 but after since the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003 the number has fallen strongly to even under 100,000 passengers last year.
There are no cruise terminals in the country for cruise ships, and international cruise ships have to drop anchor at cargo ports.
VietNamNet/SGT
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The new routes comprise Na San – Ladon –
The Na San – Ladon – Aksag will help shorten flights from
The
The Cam Ranh – Mesox route will make flights from Japan and South Korea to HCM City three to four minutes shorter while flights between HCM City – HCM City and Northwestern Asia will save between four and six minutes thanks to the Phu Cat – Bunta route.
PV
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LookAtVietnam - People who want to apply for permanent residency in Hanoi have to hold a legal job with salary double the regulated minimum salary, according to a draft of the Capital Law announced Saturday.
Minimum wages at urban districts in Hanoi are now VND980,000 (US$53.08).
Another requirement is that the people must have legal accommodation in capital or hold temporary residency there continuously for at least five years compared to the current requirement of one year.
Speaking at a meeting with many representatives from the National Assembly and the government, Le Thanh Long, from the Ministry of Justice, said as the capital city, Hanoi need to have special residency requirements.
Under the draft law, those without temporary or permanent residency in Hanoi have to be licensed by the city’s Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs before working there.
The draft also seeks to give Hanoi authorities more rights, including issuing laws which could differ from that that of the government but is within the national constitution. In case of conflicts between the capital city’s laws and other related regulations within its boundaries, the former would apply, according to the draft.
Hanoi would also be allowed to keep 50 percent of budget income co-shared with the government and keep all budget that exceeded quotas given by the government.
The authority to decide and execute most of its infrastructure, including those relating to transport, culture and education, would also be handed over to the capital city administration.
On the other hand, municipal authorities will also have to issue environmental and other kinds of legislation that are stricter than national standards, the draft mentions.
Municipal party committee secretary Pham Quang Nghi said Hanoi needed to have a unique regime so it can deserve to be a capital.
However, Minister of Justice Ha Hung Cuong said they were yet to reach agreement on whether to give Hanoi authorities the right to issue laws different from those passed bythe government.
VietNamNet/Thanh Nien/Tuoi Tre
Ed note:>> Think about this, 400 years old, amazing
The specimen of a 400-year-old turtle in the Ngoc Son Temple, Hanoi, was mended on January 13 by experts from the Hanoi University of Natural Sciences.
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Repairing cracks on the shell. |
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Splits on the claw glued by gypsum and latex. |
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Ha Dinh Duc (first from the right), an expert on |
The job finalized after five hours.
The Da River upstream belongs to the Ka Lang commune in the Muong Te district in the northern mountainous
The Da River is 983km long, with 543km of it in
With its long slope and powerful flow, experts list the Da River among the fiercest rivers in
Dan Tri introduces the unique, wild and gigantic beauty of the Da River.
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VietNamNet/Dan Tri
The researchers say the their findings, published in the January 14th issue of Nature, have broad implications for how the Asian climate may have responded to mountain uplift in the past, and for how it might respond to surface changes in the coming decades.
Often called the "roof of the world," the Tibetan Plateau is a vast area of 2.5 million square kilometers with an average elevation of more than 4,500 meters. Scientists have long theorized that the massive release of heat from the surface of the plateau -- with air being heated to higher temperatures over the plateau than air at the same height over lower-level surfaces nearby -- has been a major contributor to the strength of the monsoon.
"The South Asian monsoon supplies water to billions of people, many of whom live in developing nations and agricultural societies that are highly vulnerable to variations in this water supply," explains co-author Zhiming Kuang, Assistant Professor of Climate Science in Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences (EPS).
While the heating by the plateau does enhance rainfall along its southern edge, Kuang and his colleague William Boos, Daly Postdoctoral Fellow in EPS and an environmental fellow at the Harvard University Center for the Environment (HUCE), used an atmospheric circulation model to show that the large-scale South Asian summer monsoon circulation remains unaffected when the plateau is removed.
It turns out that the narrow geography of the Himalayas and other nearby mountain ranges can, in fact, produce an equally strong monsoon by insulating warm, moist air over continental India from the cold dry extratropics, the area between the subtropics and polar regions.
"Because heat from the plateau has been seen as the main contributor to the power of the monsoon, much attention has been given to changes in the plateau's albedo, or its reflectivity level of the sun's radiation," says Kuang.
For example, a decrease in snow cover over the Tibetan Plateau resulting from an increase in global temperatures can affect reflectivity, and hence, the level of heat. The revised theory, emphasizing the important role the mountains play in trapping warm and moist air, suggests that climate scientists should pay as much attention to changes over the Indian subcontinent due to, for example, land use.
How the region's natural environment is modified through activities such as building, mining, and agriculture, Zhang explains, can influence albedo and moisture, thus altering the temperature/humidity of the boundary layer air.
By considering the influence of both the plateau and the mountains on the strength of the monsoon, the Harvard researchers expect a clearer picture will emerge about the potential changes in the South Asian water supply in the coming decades.
"Ultimately, our revised view has implications for future projections of how the South Asian monsoon might be altered in a warmer world and can be used to infer aspects about the earth's climate history," says Boos.
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VietNamNet Bridge - The cost of international tours is set to increase during the upcoming Tet (Lunar New Year) festival by up to 30-40 per cent compared to the end of last year, tourism companies nationwide have announced.
According to Vietsky Travel, the price of a five-day tour to Thailand has increased from US$290 to around $430. Meanwhile, the price of a four-day trip to Singapore has increased by nearly $100 to $590.
Tours prices to Hong Kong had also gone up by $100, it added.
High air travel prices are cited as the main reason.
"As usual, the prices of tours over the Tet holiday are higher then normal. The main reason is that airlines often raise their prices on seeing high demand," said Duong Mai Lan, a representative of Vietravel in the capital city of Ha Noi.
Agreeing with Lan, Dao Thu Hien, director of Vietsky Travel, said that plane ticket prices increased by 30-50 per cent at Lunar New Year.
In some instances, she added, the price of a flight to Thailand at Tet increased to $160 from $70. Despite the fact that tour prices keep rising, demand has not stopped increasing.
"This year, many customers want to travel because they have six days off at Tet. Moreover, Valentines day falls during the festival so it is bound to make for a hectic year," said Lan.
Recently, many tourism companies have had to turn away customers as they are fully booked.
Saigontourist announced that the number of customers looking to book holidays had increased by 15-18 per cent over the same period last year.
Meanwhile, Vietravel said that many of their outbound tours were almost full.
"About 70 per cent of Vietravel Ha Noi’s tours have been sold out, 90 per cent of tours to Thailand and other tours to China, South Korea and Japan booked by many tourists," said Lan.
This year, tours to regional countries and territories such as Thailand, China, South Korea, Hong Kong and Japan are still in high demand.
Some visitors book trips to the US and Australia to visit their relatives but not that many. While many people book outbound tours for the Tet holidays, inbound tours have not seen a big change.
According to Lan, at the moment the number of inbound tours booked is only about 30 per cent of the predicted figure.
"Visitors often leave it till late to book inbound tours. Moreover, they can organise inbound tours by themselves," Lan said.
Popular domestic destinations still include Sa Pa, Hue, Da Nang, Hoi An, Yen Tu, Ha Long, Nha Trang, Phan Thiet, Con Dao and Phu Quoc.
This year especially, many tours to discover northern regions have been organised to welcome Ha Noi’s 1,000th anniversary.
VietNamNet/VNS
