Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Typhoon Hagupit locates 570 kilometers of Song Tu Tay Island — TalkVietnam

The National Hydrology Meteorology Forecast Center reported that at 7pm yesterday, super storm Hagupit was centered 570 kilometers of Song Tu Tay Island of Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago east northeastwards, at 13, 6 degrees north latitude and 119 degrees east longitude with its strongest wind speed near the center at level 8, gusted up to level 9- 10.

(Photo: the National Hydrology Meteorology Forecast Center )

By 7pm today, the typhoon is predicted to be located 190 kilometers of Song Tu Tay Island, at 13, 2 degrees north latitude and 113, 8 degrees east longitude. The strongest wind will reach at level 6- 7, near the center gust up to level 8- 10, sea rough.

In next 24- 48 hours, the storm Hagupit will move west southwestwards at maximum speed of 20 kilometers an hour; and then it will be weaken into tropical low pressure. By 7pm on Thursday, Hagupit will be at 12, 1 degrees north latitude and 109, 7 degrees east longitude in Vietnam’s territorial waters from Khanh Hoa to Ninh Thuan. The strongest wind near low pressure zone will meet level 6- 9.

Because of the influence of storm and a cold front, East Sea will have strong wind of level 6- 10, sea rough, which will cause heavy rains in the south and central coastal provinces on Thursday

Typhoon Hagupit locates 570 kilometers of Song Tu Tay Island — TalkVietnam

Friday, November 25, 2011

Kidney trading gang jailed for 5 to 6 years | Look At Vietnam - Vietnam news daily update

Kidney trading gang jailed for 5 to 6 years

November 24, 2011 about Uncategorized

LookAtVietnam - The People’s Court in Can Tho City on Tuesday sentenced four members of a kidney-trading ring to prison for five to six years each on charges of “organising people to flee the country”.

The four kidney sale brokers in court.
(Photo: Tuoi Tre)

Organ trading is a crime in Viet Nam, but in this case, the criminal activity took place across the border in China. Thus, the court tried the case on a different charge.

The court handed down a six-year prison sentence each to Vo Dinh Van, a 25-year-old resident of HCM City’s Go Vap District and La Thi Thinh, 40, a resident of Bac Giang Province’s Son Dong District.

Le Son Truyen, 27, from southwestern Tay Ninh Province’s Duong Minh Chau District, and Quang Dai Vang, 24, from central Ninh Thuan Province’s Ninh Phuoc District were sentenced to five years each on the same charge.

The court also demanded the confiscation of illegal profits of VND98 million from Van, VND30 million from Truyen, VND21 million from Vang, and VND5.7 million from Thinh.

According to the court’s verdict, in early 2008, Van and Truyen were taken to China to sell their kidneys.

Van and Truyen became the first members of the ring to sell their kidneys to two Chinese traders whose details have not been released.

Van and Truyen were introduced to Thinh, who took people willing to sell their kidneys to Guangzhou Province in China.

For each person taken to the Chinese province, Thinh received 100 yuan (VND300,000 or US$15) from Van and Truyen.

Vang became a member of the ring after selling his kidney in China in 2009. Vang received VND3 million ($150) for each person he successfully took to China.

In February this year, Vang was arrested in Can Tho when he was on his way to take a Can Tho resident to China to sell his kidney.

The other members of the ring were discovered after Vang’s arrest.

According to the court’s verdict, from 2008 to February this year, the four members of the ring who have been sentenced to prison took 19 poor Vietnamese nationals from HCM City and southern provinces to China to sell their kidneys.

They earned profits of over VND150 million ($US7,300). Each kidney was sold for VND40 million to VND50 million ($2,410) with all travel and accommodation expenses paid by Chinese traders.

For each person taken to China, the brokers got VND10 million ($483).

According to medical exams conducted on three victims of the ring, the organ sale had damaged 41 per cent of their health, according to police’s investigation.

In 2008, a 22-year-old Vietnamese student died at his home in Ninh Thuan Province after selling his kidneys in China several months earlier.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News

Kidney trading gang jailed for 5 to 6 years | Look At Vietnam - Vietnam news daily update

They say "

“I can’t say what made me fall in love with Vietnam - that a woman’s voice can drug you; that everything is so intense. The colors, the taste, even the rain. Nothing like the filthy rain in London. They say whatever you’re looking for, you will find here. They say you come to Vietnam and you understand a lot in a few minutes, but the rest has got to be lived. The smell: that’s the first thing that hits you, promising everything in exchange for your soul. And the heat. Your shirt is straightaway a rag. You can hardly remember your name, or what you came to escape from. But at night, there’s a breeze. The river is beautiful. You could be forgiven for thinking there was no war; that the gunshots were fireworks; that only pleasure matters. A pipe of opium, or the touch of a girl who might tell you she loves you. And then, something happens, as you knew it would. And nothing can ever be the same again.”
― Graham Greene, The Quiet American

Tips on Travel to Vietnam

It's always warm in Southeast Asia apart from high mountains, so leave the heavy clothing at home. Cotton and breathable fabrics are always better than synthetics -- although cotton does wrinkle a lot when traveling! December through April is roughly the dry season in that region, although it can still rain a little. December is a good time to go in terms of temperature -- cooler than in the humid summertime. Either way, wearing more clothing (shirt sleeves and long pants) is always more respectful towards the Asian culture, especially when visiting temples and rural areas.