Chuck Kuhn's Asia in Photo A-Day
Nha Trung, Vietnam by Chuck Kuhn
Showing posts with label Photo by Chuck Kuhn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Photo by Chuck Kuhn. Show all posts
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
VietNamNet - Vietnamese photo books second to all
Photo books are a vehicle for introducing Vietnam to the world. But according to book sellers in HCM City, if there are photo books by both Vietnamese and foreign authors on the shelf, foreign visitors will choose the foreign books.
On the shelves for photo books about Vietnam, “Bikes of Burden” by photographer Hans Kemp, published by the Visionary World Ltd. Publication, Hong Kong is always displayed in the best position. Simply, it is the best-seller of its kind. We just need to look at the publishing history of the book to know its attractiveness: printed for the first time in 2003, reprinted twice in 2004, twice in 2005, three times in 2006 and twice in 2007.
This book is considered a meaningful cultural gift for foreign visitors before they leave Vietnam. Yet, some bookstores in HCM City say that they are not allowed to directly import this book.
They have to buy this book from companies in the north. It is the same country, but northern provinces permit the import of that photo book, while southern provinces don’t. Southern management agencies reason that this book of photos of motorbikes carrying big loads of goods ‘vilifies’ Vietnam. Actually, these photos are among foreigners’ interesting experiences in Vietnam.
Hans Kemp, the author of that book, is an independent photographer from the Netherlands. He has travelled to many countries to take photos and write books. He has published three photo books about Vietnam, “Bikes of Burden” being the most successful.
Two other favourite photo books about Vietnam were also written by foreign authors: Vietnam: Land of blue dragon by Martine Aepli, published by the French Copydesk Ocean Insurance Bldg Publishing House; and Vietnam Style by Luca Invernizzi and co-workers.
Vietnam: Land of blue dragon introduces Vietnam, its history, culture and religion with photos and captions, which are Vietnamese verses, folk songs and proverbs. This book has been re-printed once.
Because of problems associated with copyrights, the author had to delete some verses, so the book has lost some of its attractiveness.
Vietnam Style is about Vietnamese architecture from traditional to modern, with new and interesting discoveries.
Why don’t photo books about Vietnam by Vietnamese authors capture foreign visitors’ eyes?
Vietnamese authors often don’t pay proper attention to methodology, to discover the depth of life, and the printing quality of products is often very poor. Photographer Hoang The Nhiem recently printed his book in Singapore to distribute in France.
VietNamNet/TN
On the shelves for photo books about Vietnam, “Bikes of Burden” by photographer Hans Kemp, published by the Visionary World Ltd. Publication, Hong Kong is always displayed in the best position. Simply, it is the best-seller of its kind. We just need to look at the publishing history of the book to know its attractiveness: printed for the first time in 2003, reprinted twice in 2004, twice in 2005, three times in 2006 and twice in 2007.
This book is considered a meaningful cultural gift for foreign visitors before they leave Vietnam. Yet, some bookstores in HCM City say that they are not allowed to directly import this book.
They have to buy this book from companies in the north. It is the same country, but northern provinces permit the import of that photo book, while southern provinces don’t. Southern management agencies reason that this book of photos of motorbikes carrying big loads of goods ‘vilifies’ Vietnam. Actually, these photos are among foreigners’ interesting experiences in Vietnam.
Hans Kemp, the author of that book, is an independent photographer from the Netherlands. He has travelled to many countries to take photos and write books. He has published three photo books about Vietnam, “Bikes of Burden” being the most successful.
Two other favourite photo books about Vietnam were also written by foreign authors: Vietnam: Land of blue dragon by Martine Aepli, published by the French Copydesk Ocean Insurance Bldg Publishing House; and Vietnam Style by Luca Invernizzi and co-workers.
Vietnam: Land of blue dragon introduces Vietnam, its history, culture and religion with photos and captions, which are Vietnamese verses, folk songs and proverbs. This book has been re-printed once.
Because of problems associated with copyrights, the author had to delete some verses, so the book has lost some of its attractiveness.
Vietnam Style is about Vietnamese architecture from traditional to modern, with new and interesting discoveries.
Why don’t photo books about Vietnam by Vietnamese authors capture foreign visitors’ eyes?
Vietnamese authors often don’t pay proper attention to methodology, to discover the depth of life, and the printing quality of products is often very poor. Photographer Hoang The Nhiem recently printed his book in Singapore to distribute in France.
VietNamNet/TN
Thursday, January 1, 2009
As the director and star, Eastwood is the driving force in 'Gran Torino'
Photo:Chuck Kuhn
Photo:Chuck KuhnHOLLYWOOD -- At this point in his career, when Clint Eastwood stars in and directs a film, all bets are off. Things that would be old-school and sentimental in other hands morph into something different when he is involved. If Tina Turner's motto is that she doesn't do anything nice and easy, Eastwood's would be that the ordinary is just not his style.
Aimee w/Hmong/Sapa Photo:Chuck Kuhn
Clint Eastwood stars as a bigoted retiree in a neighborhood increasingly populated by Asian immigrants in 'Gran Torino.' This is Eastwood’s first turn as actor since 2004 in 'Million Dollar Baby.'
Which brings us to "Gran Torino," Eastwood's second directing project this fall, his first work as an actor since 2004's "Million Dollar Baby" and a film that would be less interesting if he were not involved.
Working from a script by first-time screenwriter Nick Schenk, Eastwood has, with his impeccable directing style and acting presence, turned "Gran Torino" into another in his ongoing series of films that ponder violence, its place and its cost. It combines sentiment and shootouts, the serious and the studio, in a way that has become distinctly Eastwood's own.
It is also a film that is impossible to imagine without the actor in the title role. The notion of a 78-year-old action hero may sound like a contradiction in terms, but Eastwood brings it off, even if his toughness is as much verbal as physical. Even at 78, Eastwood can make "Get off my lawn" sound as menacing as "Make my day," and when he says, "I blow a hole in your face and sleep like a baby," he sounds as if he means it.
Eastwood plays retired worker Walt Kowalski (a distant relation of Brando's Stanley, perhaps), a man with a formidable scowl and the temperament to go with it. Kowalski is Mr. Fed Up, someone with a bad word for everyone, whether it be feckless sons, pierced grandchildren or priests he considers to be too young to pry into his life.
Newly widowed, Kowalski is especially upset with changes going on in his Detroit neighborhood. Hmong immigrants, refugees from Southeast Asia and especially Vietnam, where the Hmong helped American troops during the war, have moved in everywhere, even next
Chuck Kuhn w/Hmong children
-door.
An equal opportunity bigot whose R-rated language ("fishheads" is about the only printable epithet he uses) flays all immigrant groups equally, Kowalski's blinding prejudice comes in part from memories of experiences in the Korean War he is doing his best to repress.
This role may sound like standard Archie Bunker, but it is hard to resist when Eastwood, an actor with presence to burn and who snarls dialogue like a cornered wolf, takes it on. Perhaps the best thing about Shenk's script is that it enticed Eastwood to end his self-imposed acting hiatus and bring his one-of-a-kind aura back to the screen.
Classically against his will, Kowalski is drawn into the life of the neighborhood, specifically the plight of Thao (Bee Vang), the fatherless teenage boy next door who is being pressured to join a local Hmong gang and foolishly attempts to steal Kowalski's prize Ford Gran Torino. Kowalski also likes the sassiness of Thao's slightly older sister Sue, played by Ahney Her, an actress who like the rest of the neighbors is a member of the Hmong community.
As this closeness grows, "Gran Torino" will start to feel familiar and create concern that this is all there is to the film. It is familiar, but only up to a point. Suddenly, that point is past and much more serious questions come up, questions of responsibility, of vengeance, of the efficacy of blood for blood.
These questions seem to take Kowalski by surprise. It's almost as if Eastwood all at once finds himself in a different movie than either he, or us, really expected. But if the past few years have proved anything, it's that anywhere Eastwood is, movie audiences are wise to follow.
Aimee w/Hmong/Sapa Photo:Chuck KuhnClint Eastwood stars as a bigoted retiree in a neighborhood increasingly populated by Asian immigrants in 'Gran Torino.' This is Eastwood’s first turn as actor since 2004 in 'Million Dollar Baby.'
Which brings us to "Gran Torino," Eastwood's second directing project this fall, his first work as an actor since 2004's "Million Dollar Baby" and a film that would be less interesting if he were not involved.
Working from a script by first-time screenwriter Nick Schenk, Eastwood has, with his impeccable directing style and acting presence, turned "Gran Torino" into another in his ongoing series of films that ponder violence, its place and its cost. It combines sentiment and shootouts, the serious and the studio, in a way that has become distinctly Eastwood's own.
It is also a film that is impossible to imagine without the actor in the title role. The notion of a 78-year-old action hero may sound like a contradiction in terms, but Eastwood brings it off, even if his toughness is as much verbal as physical. Even at 78, Eastwood can make "Get off my lawn" sound as menacing as "Make my day," and when he says, "I blow a hole in your face and sleep like a baby," he sounds as if he means it.
Eastwood plays retired worker Walt Kowalski (a distant relation of Brando's Stanley, perhaps), a man with a formidable scowl and the temperament to go with it. Kowalski is Mr. Fed Up, someone with a bad word for everyone, whether it be feckless sons, pierced grandchildren or priests he considers to be too young to pry into his life.
Newly widowed, Kowalski is especially upset with changes going on in his Detroit neighborhood. Hmong immigrants, refugees from Southeast Asia and especially Vietnam, where the Hmong helped American troops during the war, have moved in everywhere, even next
Chuck Kuhn w/Hmong children-door.
An equal opportunity bigot whose R-rated language ("fishheads" is about the only printable epithet he uses) flays all immigrant groups equally, Kowalski's blinding prejudice comes in part from memories of experiences in the Korean War he is doing his best to repress.
This role may sound like standard Archie Bunker, but it is hard to resist when Eastwood, an actor with presence to burn and who snarls dialogue like a cornered wolf, takes it on. Perhaps the best thing about Shenk's script is that it enticed Eastwood to end his self-imposed acting hiatus and bring his one-of-a-kind aura back to the screen.
Classically against his will, Kowalski is drawn into the life of the neighborhood, specifically the plight of Thao (Bee Vang), the fatherless teenage boy next door who is being pressured to join a local Hmong gang and foolishly attempts to steal Kowalski's prize Ford Gran Torino. Kowalski also likes the sassiness of Thao's slightly older sister Sue, played by Ahney Her, an actress who like the rest of the neighbors is a member of the Hmong community.
As this closeness grows, "Gran Torino" will start to feel familiar and create concern that this is all there is to the film. It is familiar, but only up to a point. Suddenly, that point is past and much more serious questions come up, questions of responsibility, of vengeance, of the efficacy of blood for blood.
These questions seem to take Kowalski by surprise. It's almost as if Eastwood all at once finds himself in a different movie than either he, or us, really expected. But if the past few years have proved anything, it's that anywhere Eastwood is, movie audiences are wise to follow.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Who are the world’s handsomest men?
Italians are considered the most handsome men in the world, while men who are balding and aging do not necessarily lose their looks, according to an international survey on what makes men attractive.
A "Male Beauty" survey of nearly 10,000 men and women in 12 countries conducted by market research firm Synovate found that good hygiene was actually the top requirement for men to being considered handsome.
The second main requirement to be considered good-looking was confidence, with nearly one fifth of all respondents saying a man must carry himself well, followed by having a "great smile."
Hair, or a lack of, seemed to have little impact with only one percent of respondents saying that a full head of hair was needed to be handsome.
Older men can also take heart as 60 percent of respondents said a man's appearance gets better with age, with Americans, Chinese, Greeks and Malaysians agreeing with that the most.
"Words like distinguished, refined and dignified are regularly used to describe older men," Bob Michaels, Synovate spokesman, said in a statement.
"Here, men are seen like a fine wine - they only get better. Which is good news for some of us."
But looks did also come down to geography.
The survey, conducted in October in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Greece, Malaysia, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Britain and the United States, found Italian men were considered to be the most handsome -- even though Italy was not one of the countries where people were polled.
They were followed by men from the United States, Russia and Brazil.
Being clean-shaven was also a preference agreed by the majority of men and women, although the numbers varied in markets such as Canada and the United States, where Hollywood actors Brad Pitt and George Clooney have made a little stubble sexy.
Highlighting the discrepancies between the sexes, slightly more women than men considered wearing aftershave or cologne to be sexy, although overall the number of people who agreed and disagreed with that statement was equal.
In Spain, more men than women consider having muscles and dressing well to be essential requirements, while the opposite was true for Greek women, who were more likely than their male counterparts to think a macho look was appealing.
Far more British, French and Australian women also seemed to value "a great smile" than men do.
Despite almost one in three women rating their partner's looks as being very important to them, over 70 percent of men said they maintained their appearance to satisfy themselves.
Deodorant was picked as the most used beauty aid by men, followed by whitening toothpaste and aftershave.
But despite their efforts, less than half of all male respondents thought they looked sexy.
Synovate used face-to-face and phone interviews to compile the survey. Respondents were aged between 15 and 64 years.
A "Male Beauty" survey of nearly 10,000 men and women in 12 countries conducted by market research firm Synovate found that good hygiene was actually the top requirement for men to being considered handsome.
The second main requirement to be considered good-looking was confidence, with nearly one fifth of all respondents saying a man must carry himself well, followed by having a "great smile."
Hair, or a lack of, seemed to have little impact with only one percent of respondents saying that a full head of hair was needed to be handsome.
Older men can also take heart as 60 percent of respondents said a man's appearance gets better with age, with Americans, Chinese, Greeks and Malaysians agreeing with that the most.
"Words like distinguished, refined and dignified are regularly used to describe older men," Bob Michaels, Synovate spokesman, said in a statement.
"Here, men are seen like a fine wine - they only get better. Which is good news for some of us."
But looks did also come down to geography.
The survey, conducted in October in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Greece, Malaysia, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Britain and the United States, found Italian men were considered to be the most handsome -- even though Italy was not one of the countries where people were polled.
They were followed by men from the United States, Russia and Brazil.
Being clean-shaven was also a preference agreed by the majority of men and women, although the numbers varied in markets such as Canada and the United States, where Hollywood actors Brad Pitt and George Clooney have made a little stubble sexy.
Highlighting the discrepancies between the sexes, slightly more women than men considered wearing aftershave or cologne to be sexy, although overall the number of people who agreed and disagreed with that statement was equal.
In Spain, more men than women consider having muscles and dressing well to be essential requirements, while the opposite was true for Greek women, who were more likely than their male counterparts to think a macho look was appealing.
Far more British, French and Australian women also seemed to value "a great smile" than men do.
Despite almost one in three women rating their partner's looks as being very important to them, over 70 percent of men said they maintained their appearance to satisfy themselves.
Deodorant was picked as the most used beauty aid by men, followed by whitening toothpaste and aftershave.
But despite their efforts, less than half of all male respondents thought they looked sexy.
Synovate used face-to-face and phone interviews to compile the survey. Respondents were aged between 15 and 64 years.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Central Vietnam’s biggest eco-tourism area to open
Central Vietnam’s biggest eco-tourism area to open
Central Vietnam’s biggest eco-tourism area in Quang Ngai Province is expected to welcome its first guests on April 30, the project’s backer said Saturday.
The US$300 million, 286-hectare Thien Dang eco-tourism area, in Binh Son District’s Binh Thanh Commune, includes the Spring Heaven area for foreign guests and overseas Vietnamese, the Autumn Heaven area for high-income guests, the Winter Heaven area for convalescents, the Summer Heaven area for entertainment and sports, the Four Seasons Heaven area for all guests and Hon Ong Islet for water sports.
Director of the project investor Thien Dang (Heaven) Company, Pham Van Hai, said the Four Seasons Heaven area will open on April 30, Liberation Day.
The area includes entertainment services, a restaurant and villas with a total of 240 rooms ranging from VND400,000 to VND800,000 ($25-50) per night.
Hai said the remaining areas are expected to come on stream by 2010
Central Vietnam’s biggest eco-tourism area in Quang Ngai Province is expected to welcome its first guests on April 30, the project’s backer said Saturday.
The US$300 million, 286-hectare Thien Dang eco-tourism area, in Binh Son District’s Binh Thanh Commune, includes the Spring Heaven area for foreign guests and overseas Vietnamese, the Autumn Heaven area for high-income guests, the Winter Heaven area for convalescents, the Summer Heaven area for entertainment and sports, the Four Seasons Heaven area for all guests and Hon Ong Islet for water sports.
Director of the project investor Thien Dang (Heaven) Company, Pham Van Hai, said the Four Seasons Heaven area will open on April 30, Liberation Day.
The area includes entertainment services, a restaurant and villas with a total of 240 rooms ranging from VND400,000 to VND800,000 ($25-50) per night.
Hai said the remaining areas are expected to come on stream by 2010
Monday, April 21, 2008
Thai broker Seamico eyes Vietnam, Cambodia in Q3
Thailand's Seamico Securities ZMIC.BK aimed to finalise plans later this year to expand into Vietnam and Cambodia, two of Asia's fastest-growing economies, the brokerage firm said on Monday.
The company also planned to sell up to 1 billion baht ($32 million) worth of debentures during June and July, Seamico Vice Chairman and Managing Director Pinit Puapan told reporters.
"We should have a clear picture of our overseas expansion in the third quarter," Pinit said without giving further details.
Seamico, ranked 7th among Thailand's 38 listed brokers, is focused on underwriting share and debt issues as well as advising companies on initial public offerings.
The Thai firm said last year it wanted to buy stakes in Vietnamese brokerage firms, but did not name any targets.
Vietnam's main stock index .VNI rose 23 percent last year after jumping 145 percent in 2006, powered by surge in foreign funds. The index has fallen 42.3 percent so far this year.
Seamico expected to receive a licence to enter Cambodia later this year, he said.
On Monday, Seamico shares closed down 1.8 percent to 3.22 baht while the overall index was 0.4 percent lower. ($1=31.50 Baht) (Reporting by Saranya Suksomkij; Writing by Ploy Chitsomboon; Editing by Darren Schuettler)
The company also planned to sell up to 1 billion baht ($32 million) worth of debentures during June and July, Seamico Vice Chairman and Managing Director Pinit Puapan told reporters.
"We should have a clear picture of our overseas expansion in the third quarter," Pinit said without giving further details.
Seamico, ranked 7th among Thailand's 38 listed brokers, is focused on underwriting share and debt issues as well as advising companies on initial public offerings.
The Thai firm said last year it wanted to buy stakes in Vietnamese brokerage firms, but did not name any targets.
Vietnam's main stock index .VNI rose 23 percent last year after jumping 145 percent in 2006, powered by surge in foreign funds. The index has fallen 42.3 percent so far this year.
Seamico expected to receive a licence to enter Cambodia later this year, he said.
On Monday, Seamico shares closed down 1.8 percent to 3.22 baht while the overall index was 0.4 percent lower. ($1=31.50 Baht) (Reporting by Saranya Suksomkij; Writing by Ploy Chitsomboon; Editing by Darren Schuettler)
Sunday, April 20, 2008
- Vietnam – an appealing market in Asia
an annual average growth of 8 percent and drastic economic reforms, said an executive of the global leading financial and credit service provider PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC).
The rice field in the south of VietnamSpeaking at a seminar held in Germany on April 16, PWC Export Credit Guarantee Division Head Manfred Bruer said Vietnam topped the EM 20 Index that ranks 20 key emerging markets according to their attractiveness for overseas investment, and is a good premise for German exporters and investors to come to the promising market.Vietnamese Ambassador to Germany Tran Duc Mau said Vietnam always rolled out red carpet to welcome German investors, noting that the country has spared no efforts to speed up economic reforms and ensure sustainable growth.The diplomat stressed that Germany is Vietnam ’s important partner and is able to give a helping hand to the nation’s economic development.According to a representative from the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Vietnam , Jan Noether, an increasing number of German firms have flocked to do business in the Southeast Asian country.However, Noether also pointed out challenges facing Vietnam such as poor infrastructures and services, energy shortages, high office rents and inflation, red tape and corruption.Many German entrepreneurs presented prospects for cooperation between businesses from the two countries as well as requirements for the growing flow of German investments, particularly in energy, infrastructure, water supply, environmental protection and banking. The workshop, co-hosted by PWC and the credit insurance company Euler Hermes (EH), brought together representatives from 70 local companies and banks, including Siemens, BMW, ThyssenKrupp, Daimler, Commerzbank, Hypoverreinsbank.
The rice field in the south of VietnamSpeaking at a seminar held in Germany on April 16, PWC Export Credit Guarantee Division Head Manfred Bruer said Vietnam topped the EM 20 Index that ranks 20 key emerging markets according to their attractiveness for overseas investment, and is a good premise for German exporters and investors to come to the promising market.Vietnamese Ambassador to Germany Tran Duc Mau said Vietnam always rolled out red carpet to welcome German investors, noting that the country has spared no efforts to speed up economic reforms and ensure sustainable growth.The diplomat stressed that Germany is Vietnam ’s important partner and is able to give a helping hand to the nation’s economic development.According to a representative from the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Vietnam , Jan Noether, an increasing number of German firms have flocked to do business in the Southeast Asian country.However, Noether also pointed out challenges facing Vietnam such as poor infrastructures and services, energy shortages, high office rents and inflation, red tape and corruption.Many German entrepreneurs presented prospects for cooperation between businesses from the two countries as well as requirements for the growing flow of German investments, particularly in energy, infrastructure, water supply, environmental protection and banking. The workshop, co-hosted by PWC and the credit insurance company Euler Hermes (EH), brought together representatives from 70 local companies and banks, including Siemens, BMW, ThyssenKrupp, Daimler, Commerzbank, Hypoverreinsbank.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Buffalo tours of pottery town (Bat Trang Village)
Among the tourist sites surrounding Hanoi, the Bat Trang pottery village with 500 or more years of history, is an ideal place to visit, attracting a large number of people from the city – and foreign tourists.
Slow and steady: Japanese visitors enjoy a buffalo cart tour around the pottery village.Just 14km from central Hanoi, the village is easily reached by motorbike – the most popular transport means in Vietnam.
If you’re too lazy to drive yourself or are not game to sit on the back of a xe om or hired motorbike, you can catch a bus at Long Bien Bus Station.
This way takes three times as long, but it’s so cheap! Tickets only cost VND3,000 – about US$0.10. The bus will take you to the village pottery market, where more than 100 stalls present tens of thousands of ceramic and pottery products.
The items include fine celadon from an ancient tradition and other great examples of ceramic arts and crafts. The high quality porcelain is decorated with dragons and phoenix, flowers and images of people and landscapes, all reflecting daily and spiritual activities in Vietnam.
Visitors can spend several hours just browsing among the endless little shops, each with different wares produced in a different family kiln.
According to the head of the market management board, Tran Quoc Viet, the market welcomes a large number of visitors every weekend.
A group of middle-age women look happy with heavy sedge bags containing pottery products they bought in the market.
"Although my family has every household product, sometimes I and other neighbours call each other and go to the village. It’s the way we unwind," a woman cheerfully said.
For these women, beautiful ceramic objects, mostly at surprisingly affordable prices, are the main attraction. "I’ve bought a charming vase with the lotus motifs for just VND20,000," another woman said.
Thuy Linh, a grade-10 student, said she sometimes went to Bat Trang with a group of her friends. "Unlike other people who usually buy ceramic household products, we only pick up cute stationary or ceramic jewellery," she said.
"I’ve just bought a black-and-white Japanese Monokuro Boo pig, plus a keyholder with the ceramic initial ‘L’, the first character of my name, carved on it. My friend bought a wind chime and a cute piggy bank," she said.
There’s more than just searching among the stalls, tourists can also experience pottery artists a work – on the spinning wheel, painting objects when they dry or loading up the kilns.
Visitors can also make their own cups, dish, bowl, vase or animal – and they will receive the finished, fired product within a few days. Many villagers offer this service for VND10,000 to 30,000, depending on the size of product. "I relived my childhood when fiddling with a piece of clay," said Tuan Nam, a first-year student.
Recently, a new and relaxing way to see Bat Trang has been offered. A buffalo cart takes tourists around the village.
According to Nguyen Minh Hai, director of the Minh Hai Ceramic Company, who offers this first-ever service in the village, most who tour the village this way felt relaxed and interested because they could view the scenery at their leisure.
"The idea of using a buffalo cart to carry tourists was initiated when I went to Japan looking for business opportunities for our products. I realised the buffalo was easily recognised as a symbol of Vietnam – a rice producing country. So why not use farm animals to transport tourists around the village?" he said.
Before starting their cart journey, tourists are shown the way ceramic products are made in a workshop. Teams of young men and women work on production lines, baking, sanding and painting.
A journey around the village, a distance of about 2km, takes an hour. The price ranges from VND50,000 to 100,000 depending on the duration of the tour and how many stops are made. There are two buffalo carts working in the village, providing tours for about 100 visitors a day.
Like other villages in the north, the village hold its main festival in the second lunar month. This year, this fell in March. During the three-day festival, many traditional activities were held in and around the village temple, situated close to the steep banks of the majestic Hong (Red) River.
Among the various ritual activities held during the festival, the most important is a boat procession by village elders and monks to the centre of the river to collect the purest flowing water.
Before they set out, the boats made offerings to ask the Water Genie for permission to take the water.
The water was then scooped from the river by two prestigious elders, brought to shore and then paraded around the village before being taken to the communal temple.
(Source: Viet Nam News)
Slow and steady: Japanese visitors enjoy a buffalo cart tour around the pottery village.Just 14km from central Hanoi, the village is easily reached by motorbike – the most popular transport means in Vietnam.
If you’re too lazy to drive yourself or are not game to sit on the back of a xe om or hired motorbike, you can catch a bus at Long Bien Bus Station.
This way takes three times as long, but it’s so cheap! Tickets only cost VND3,000 – about US$0.10. The bus will take you to the village pottery market, where more than 100 stalls present tens of thousands of ceramic and pottery products.
The items include fine celadon from an ancient tradition and other great examples of ceramic arts and crafts. The high quality porcelain is decorated with dragons and phoenix, flowers and images of people and landscapes, all reflecting daily and spiritual activities in Vietnam.
Visitors can spend several hours just browsing among the endless little shops, each with different wares produced in a different family kiln.
According to the head of the market management board, Tran Quoc Viet, the market welcomes a large number of visitors every weekend.
A group of middle-age women look happy with heavy sedge bags containing pottery products they bought in the market.
"Although my family has every household product, sometimes I and other neighbours call each other and go to the village. It’s the way we unwind," a woman cheerfully said.
For these women, beautiful ceramic objects, mostly at surprisingly affordable prices, are the main attraction. "I’ve bought a charming vase with the lotus motifs for just VND20,000," another woman said.
Thuy Linh, a grade-10 student, said she sometimes went to Bat Trang with a group of her friends. "Unlike other people who usually buy ceramic household products, we only pick up cute stationary or ceramic jewellery," she said.
"I’ve just bought a black-and-white Japanese Monokuro Boo pig, plus a keyholder with the ceramic initial ‘L’, the first character of my name, carved on it. My friend bought a wind chime and a cute piggy bank," she said.
There’s more than just searching among the stalls, tourists can also experience pottery artists a work – on the spinning wheel, painting objects when they dry or loading up the kilns.
Visitors can also make their own cups, dish, bowl, vase or animal – and they will receive the finished, fired product within a few days. Many villagers offer this service for VND10,000 to 30,000, depending on the size of product. "I relived my childhood when fiddling with a piece of clay," said Tuan Nam, a first-year student.
Recently, a new and relaxing way to see Bat Trang has been offered. A buffalo cart takes tourists around the village.
According to Nguyen Minh Hai, director of the Minh Hai Ceramic Company, who offers this first-ever service in the village, most who tour the village this way felt relaxed and interested because they could view the scenery at their leisure.
"The idea of using a buffalo cart to carry tourists was initiated when I went to Japan looking for business opportunities for our products. I realised the buffalo was easily recognised as a symbol of Vietnam – a rice producing country. So why not use farm animals to transport tourists around the village?" he said.
Before starting their cart journey, tourists are shown the way ceramic products are made in a workshop. Teams of young men and women work on production lines, baking, sanding and painting.
A journey around the village, a distance of about 2km, takes an hour. The price ranges from VND50,000 to 100,000 depending on the duration of the tour and how many stops are made. There are two buffalo carts working in the village, providing tours for about 100 visitors a day.
Like other villages in the north, the village hold its main festival in the second lunar month. This year, this fell in March. During the three-day festival, many traditional activities were held in and around the village temple, situated close to the steep banks of the majestic Hong (Red) River.
Among the various ritual activities held during the festival, the most important is a boat procession by village elders and monks to the centre of the river to collect the purest flowing water.
Before they set out, the boats made offerings to ask the Water Genie for permission to take the water.
The water was then scooped from the river by two prestigious elders, brought to shore and then paraded around the village before being taken to the communal temple.
(Source: Viet Nam News)
ed note: -> Check it out, fantastic review
http://yvietnam.blogspot.com/2008/04/visit-to-bat-trang-village.html
Friday, April 11, 2008
G7 cuts growth view, shows worry on U.S. dollar drop
Finance chiefs from rich nations offered a gloomier assessment of the global economy on Friday and vowed to act swiftly on wide-ranging reforms aimed at moving beyond a credit crisis that threatens world growth.
The finance ministers and central bankers also expressed concern about sharp fluctuations in currency markets since the Group of Seven last met in Tokyo in February, suggesting unease with how far markets have pushed down the U.S. dollar.
With fresh signs of economic distress in the United States, where a report showed consumer confidence hit its lowest level since 1982, the G7 officials said risks to the economic outlook were tilted to the downside. They pointed to the weak U.S. housing market, stressed financial markets and rising inflation as hurdles that still must be overcome.
"There may be more bumps in the road," U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said after the officials concluded a meeting. "As we work through this period, our highest priority is limiting its impact on the real economy."
The G7 -- the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan -- stopped short of declaring that the U.S. economy was heading for a recession and steered clear of recommending the use of public funds to bail out troubled markets, an idea widely discussed before the meeting.
"We remain positive about the long-term resilience of our economies, but near-term global economic prospects have weakened," the G7 said in a communique. "The turmoil in global financial markets remains challenging and more protracted than we had anticipated."
WHAT NOW?
The main focus of the meetings was a special study commissioned by the G7 that offered a detailed assessment of the banking and regulatory failures that contributed to an eight-month-long and ongoing bout of market turmoil. The report offered dozens of recommendations on how to shore up banking oversight and regulatory cooperation to prevent a recurrence.
The G7 said it strongly endorsed the report from the Financial Stability Forum, which comprises central bankers and global regulators. The report calls for tougher capital requirements for banks to ensure they can withstand periods of financial market stress, and urges closer international cooperation between central banks and regulators.
Defaulting U.S. subprime mortgage loans sparked a tightening of credit that has mushroomed into an international crisis. Central banks have flooded markets with cash to try to spark lending, and the U.S. Federal Reserve and other central banks have cut interest rates to try to keep economies afloat.
Banks have already written down roughly $225 billion in assets tied to souring mortgages and other loans in 2007 and the first quarter of 2008, according to German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrueck, who dismissed as far-fetched estimates that losses could eventually reach $1 trillion.
"Numbers like that can cause a lot of fear, he said.
G7 members, notably the United States and Canada, want to push bankers to match the vigor that global central banks have shown in battling the liquidity squeeze by urging these private-sector players to quickly put losses behind them and raise new capital. A select group of bankers has been invited to a dinner on Friday night at the U.S. Treasury Department.
LIKE POETRY
In a nod to European leaders who had voiced dismay over volatile foreign exchange markets that pushed the euro to new highs against the U.S. dollar, the G7 also strengthened its call for calm in currency markets.
"Since our last meeting, there have been at times sharp fluctuations in major currencies, and we are concerned about their possible implications for economic and financial stability," the communique stated. "We continue to monitor exchange markets closely, and cooperate as appropriate."
That marked the first shift in four years from the G7's boilerplate language on currencies, and provided a verbal caution to markets that world finance leaders were keeping a close watch on currency moves.
"This change in the language ... shows a concern we have not seen for some years," Italian Economy Minister Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa said.
When asked about the thinking behind the changes in the statement, European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet replied, "It's like a poem, it speaks for itself."
Source: Reuters
The finance ministers and central bankers also expressed concern about sharp fluctuations in currency markets since the Group of Seven last met in Tokyo in February, suggesting unease with how far markets have pushed down the U.S. dollar.
With fresh signs of economic distress in the United States, where a report showed consumer confidence hit its lowest level since 1982, the G7 officials said risks to the economic outlook were tilted to the downside. They pointed to the weak U.S. housing market, stressed financial markets and rising inflation as hurdles that still must be overcome.
"There may be more bumps in the road," U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said after the officials concluded a meeting. "As we work through this period, our highest priority is limiting its impact on the real economy."
The G7 -- the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan -- stopped short of declaring that the U.S. economy was heading for a recession and steered clear of recommending the use of public funds to bail out troubled markets, an idea widely discussed before the meeting.
"We remain positive about the long-term resilience of our economies, but near-term global economic prospects have weakened," the G7 said in a communique. "The turmoil in global financial markets remains challenging and more protracted than we had anticipated."
WHAT NOW?
The main focus of the meetings was a special study commissioned by the G7 that offered a detailed assessment of the banking and regulatory failures that contributed to an eight-month-long and ongoing bout of market turmoil. The report offered dozens of recommendations on how to shore up banking oversight and regulatory cooperation to prevent a recurrence.
The G7 said it strongly endorsed the report from the Financial Stability Forum, which comprises central bankers and global regulators. The report calls for tougher capital requirements for banks to ensure they can withstand periods of financial market stress, and urges closer international cooperation between central banks and regulators.
Defaulting U.S. subprime mortgage loans sparked a tightening of credit that has mushroomed into an international crisis. Central banks have flooded markets with cash to try to spark lending, and the U.S. Federal Reserve and other central banks have cut interest rates to try to keep economies afloat.
Banks have already written down roughly $225 billion in assets tied to souring mortgages and other loans in 2007 and the first quarter of 2008, according to German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrueck, who dismissed as far-fetched estimates that losses could eventually reach $1 trillion.
"Numbers like that can cause a lot of fear, he said.
G7 members, notably the United States and Canada, want to push bankers to match the vigor that global central banks have shown in battling the liquidity squeeze by urging these private-sector players to quickly put losses behind them and raise new capital. A select group of bankers has been invited to a dinner on Friday night at the U.S. Treasury Department.
LIKE POETRY
In a nod to European leaders who had voiced dismay over volatile foreign exchange markets that pushed the euro to new highs against the U.S. dollar, the G7 also strengthened its call for calm in currency markets.
"Since our last meeting, there have been at times sharp fluctuations in major currencies, and we are concerned about their possible implications for economic and financial stability," the communique stated. "We continue to monitor exchange markets closely, and cooperate as appropriate."
That marked the first shift in four years from the G7's boilerplate language on currencies, and provided a verbal caution to markets that world finance leaders were keeping a close watch on currency moves.
"This change in the language ... shows a concern we have not seen for some years," Italian Economy Minister Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa said.
When asked about the thinking behind the changes in the statement, European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet replied, "It's like a poem, it speaks for itself."
Source: Reuters
200,000 central Vietnam people likely to suffer food shortage
Quang Nam Province has asked Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs for 2,000 tons of rice to make up for a serious shortage caused by natural disasters.
Nearly 200,000 people could otherwise go without food, a city source said.
Last year’s long and cold winter destroyed crops, causing the food shortage.
Local authorities have so far asked the provincial administration for 2,724 tons of rice, but have only received 494 tons.
Nearly 200,000 people could otherwise go without food, a city source said.
Last year’s long and cold winter destroyed crops, causing the food shortage.
Local authorities have so far asked the provincial administration for 2,724 tons of rice, but have only received 494 tons.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Forsaken expansion
Upon hearing the news that parts of the northern Hoa Binh Province will merge with Hanoi, residents of four communes in Luong Son District expressed fears that their laidback lifestyles would be disrupted.
Although the People’s Committees of these four communes, which host a population of nearly 20,000, have already approved the merging plan, locals worry that the agriculture land – the key source of their livelihood – will be engulfed by new industrial parks and construction projects.
Living amidst the province’s gum tree forests and rice fields in Yen Trung Commune’s Dam Boi Hamlet, Nguyen Thi Tinh and family members have always struggled to make ends meet.
Her two sons both dropped out of school and currently work as masons, making between VND300,000 and VND400,000 (US$18.6-$24.8) per month.
“Becoming Hanoians sounds good on the surface, but what if we lose our land?” the 43-year-old woman asked.
“How can my children secure jobs? I am afraid they will be lured by drugs and if that were to happen, I would have lost my land, my rice paddies and even my kids.”
Nguyen Van Duong, another Luong Son resident, is similarly nervous about the pending urban encroachment.
His family, with two children who dropped out of eighth grade, barely grows enough rice from 2,700-square- meter of agricultural fields.
“We don’t know much about industrial development but we would be the ones losing out in this whole plan,” Duong said, adding that at his age, without farmland, he would be forced to become a mason since getting a factory job at 41 years old would be extremely difficult.
Nguyen Thi Dung, a 23-year-old resident of Dam Boi Hamlet, also fears losing her land.
“One family sold their land for VND1 billion ($62,100) and ended up building that house,” she said, pointing toward a nearby residence.
“The house doesn’t have anything since the owners spent it all. We need land to provide a constant source of living.”
In Yen Binh Commune, where several investors have already eyed as a prospective area to erect modern infrastructures, residents also opposed the merging plan with Hanoi.
“It’d be manageable if the government doesn’t take our land since compensation for agricultural landowners tend to be minimal,” said Can Thi Thanh, a 47-year-old Yen Binh resident.
Nguyen Giap Dan, deputy chairman of Yen Binh Commune People’s Committee, said at least 90 percent of the commune’s population depends on agriculture land.
More alarming, the sole high school for the entire five communes in Luong Son District only graduated 205 out of 360 12th graders in 2006-2007, with only 82 admitted to colleges, universities or vocational schools that year.
Statistics have shown that local students have much difficult completing high school.
Hoang Phuong, chairman of Yen Trung Commune People’s Committee, said he is worried about communes’ officials having to deal with additional administrative responsibilities in the aftermath of the merge.
“There have been several corporations recently surveying the area to assess the possibilities of setting up their factories,” Phuong said.
“We are not sure whether after merging with Hanoi we should focus on developing this area’s industrial, tourist or educational sectors.”
For older residents, urbanization brings about social evils of a city lifestyle that they detest – namely problems of drugs and prostitution.
“I love our present tranquility, not a future dominated by cement with rice fields ravaged to be transformed into factory space,” said a Luong Son old-timer.
Hanoi expansion won’t harm minority identity, says ethnologist
Thanh Nien interviewed renowned ethnologist Nguyen Van Huy, chairman of the Vietnam Association of Ethnology and Anthropology and National Museum of Ethnology director, on the sociological aspects of a new plan to merge Hanoi with outlying areas.
Some people are worried that the expansion of Hanoi will diminish the capital’s distinct culture. What are your thoughts?
Expanding the capital is a complex matter and there should be more discussions.
But I don’t think the top concern should be the potential loss of culture.
If residents continue living in the same places, then they’ll keep their same culture.
The flower village of Ngoc Ha was once part of Ha Dong Province and has now become an integral part of the capital without losing its traditional identity.
When Muong ethnic residents living in Hoa Binh Province become Hanoians, will they lose their identity?
Many ethnic minorities live in the middle of Hanoi and they have held onto their identities. Why fear losing one’s homeland when its culture and customs cannot be erased?
So from cultural and sociological perspectives, what should we be most worried about?
The most worrisome issue, I think, has to do with the narrow-mindedness and factionalism of local officials.
During the 1970s and 1980s, we merged Hai Duong and Hung Yen provinces but the two areas did not experience any growth until they were divided again.
Besides, the capital is still grossly mismanaged.
One of its lakes is still a source of serious viruses and the capital’s diarrhea problem.
Local officials can’t even decide whether or not they are going to pass laws against street vendors.
These problems raise questions about the urban management abilities of officials in Hanoi.
Urbanization does open some doors for the poor but also takes some things away. What do you think?
I did once ask why so many different areas and provinces merge and re-divide so many times without experiencing any significant economic growth.
I don’t agree with the idea that Hanoi needs more land to solve its urban problems like traffic and flooding.
It’s not about having a vast amount of land.
Such a huge urbanization plan like this needs to be based on thorough research, not just arbitrary decision-making.
Although the People’s Committees of these four communes, which host a population of nearly 20,000, have already approved the merging plan, locals worry that the agriculture land – the key source of their livelihood – will be engulfed by new industrial parks and construction projects.
Living amidst the province’s gum tree forests and rice fields in Yen Trung Commune’s Dam Boi Hamlet, Nguyen Thi Tinh and family members have always struggled to make ends meet.
Her two sons both dropped out of school and currently work as masons, making between VND300,000 and VND400,000 (US$18.6-$24.8) per month.
“Becoming Hanoians sounds good on the surface, but what if we lose our land?” the 43-year-old woman asked.
“How can my children secure jobs? I am afraid they will be lured by drugs and if that were to happen, I would have lost my land, my rice paddies and even my kids.”
Nguyen Van Duong, another Luong Son resident, is similarly nervous about the pending urban encroachment.
His family, with two children who dropped out of eighth grade, barely grows enough rice from 2,700-square- meter of agricultural fields.
“We don’t know much about industrial development but we would be the ones losing out in this whole plan,” Duong said, adding that at his age, without farmland, he would be forced to become a mason since getting a factory job at 41 years old would be extremely difficult.
Nguyen Thi Dung, a 23-year-old resident of Dam Boi Hamlet, also fears losing her land.
“One family sold their land for VND1 billion ($62,100) and ended up building that house,” she said, pointing toward a nearby residence.
“The house doesn’t have anything since the owners spent it all. We need land to provide a constant source of living.”
In Yen Binh Commune, where several investors have already eyed as a prospective area to erect modern infrastructures, residents also opposed the merging plan with Hanoi.
“It’d be manageable if the government doesn’t take our land since compensation for agricultural landowners tend to be minimal,” said Can Thi Thanh, a 47-year-old Yen Binh resident.
Nguyen Giap Dan, deputy chairman of Yen Binh Commune People’s Committee, said at least 90 percent of the commune’s population depends on agriculture land.
More alarming, the sole high school for the entire five communes in Luong Son District only graduated 205 out of 360 12th graders in 2006-2007, with only 82 admitted to colleges, universities or vocational schools that year.
Statistics have shown that local students have much difficult completing high school.
Hoang Phuong, chairman of Yen Trung Commune People’s Committee, said he is worried about communes’ officials having to deal with additional administrative responsibilities in the aftermath of the merge.
“There have been several corporations recently surveying the area to assess the possibilities of setting up their factories,” Phuong said.
“We are not sure whether after merging with Hanoi we should focus on developing this area’s industrial, tourist or educational sectors.”
For older residents, urbanization brings about social evils of a city lifestyle that they detest – namely problems of drugs and prostitution.
“I love our present tranquility, not a future dominated by cement with rice fields ravaged to be transformed into factory space,” said a Luong Son old-timer.
Hanoi expansion won’t harm minority identity, says ethnologist
Thanh Nien interviewed renowned ethnologist Nguyen Van Huy, chairman of the Vietnam Association of Ethnology and Anthropology and National Museum of Ethnology director, on the sociological aspects of a new plan to merge Hanoi with outlying areas.
Some people are worried that the expansion of Hanoi will diminish the capital’s distinct culture. What are your thoughts?
Expanding the capital is a complex matter and there should be more discussions.
But I don’t think the top concern should be the potential loss of culture.
If residents continue living in the same places, then they’ll keep their same culture.
The flower village of Ngoc Ha was once part of Ha Dong Province and has now become an integral part of the capital without losing its traditional identity.
When Muong ethnic residents living in Hoa Binh Province become Hanoians, will they lose their identity?
Many ethnic minorities live in the middle of Hanoi and they have held onto their identities. Why fear losing one’s homeland when its culture and customs cannot be erased?
So from cultural and sociological perspectives, what should we be most worried about?
The most worrisome issue, I think, has to do with the narrow-mindedness and factionalism of local officials.
During the 1970s and 1980s, we merged Hai Duong and Hung Yen provinces but the two areas did not experience any growth until they were divided again.
Besides, the capital is still grossly mismanaged.
One of its lakes is still a source of serious viruses and the capital’s diarrhea problem.
Local officials can’t even decide whether or not they are going to pass laws against street vendors.
These problems raise questions about the urban management abilities of officials in Hanoi.
Urbanization does open some doors for the poor but also takes some things away. What do you think?
I did once ask why so many different areas and provinces merge and re-divide so many times without experiencing any significant economic growth.
I don’t agree with the idea that Hanoi needs more land to solve its urban problems like traffic and flooding.
It’s not about having a vast amount of land.
Such a huge urbanization plan like this needs to be based on thorough research, not just arbitrary decision-making.
Fifty-four Myanmar migrants suffocate in container
Fifty-four illegal Myanmar migrants, most of them women, suffocated as they were smuggled into Thailand in a cramped seafood container, police said on Thursday.
Another 67 were rescued from the 20-ft container truck, with over 20 being treated in hospital, a police officer in the western coastal Thai province of Ranong told Reuters.
"They were kept inside the sealed truck for hours without air because the air-conditioning system failed. Many of them pounded the sides of the truck for help," Sergeant Phuvanai Wattanasamai said.
Police were hunting for the driver who abandoned the truck on a road near the Andaman Sea coastline, let the survivors out and fled the scene late on Wednesday night.
One survivor said the driver told them the container's air conditioning system was broken.
"It was very crowded inside with standing room only," the 40-year-old migrant told reporters at a Ranong hospital.
"It was hot when the truck started moving, so we asked the driver to turn the air-conditioner on, but he said it was broken.
"The heat made me pass out and the next thing I knew I was in hospital," he said.
More than one million people from neighboring army-ruled Myanmar are estimated to work in Thailand, most of them illegally in factories, restaurants, at petrol pumps, and as domestic helpers or crew on fishing trawlers.
They are usually hidden under goods such as vegetable or fruit in small or big overloaded trucks, leading to tragic road accidents.
Last year a pickup truck with 40 passengers crashed near the northern Thai border, killing 11 Myanmar workers.
Ranong Police Colonel Kraithong Chanthongbai told Reuters the illegal migrants were jammed in the locked container for at least two hours before the driver stopped the truck to let them out.
The truck appeared to be heading for resort towns in the southern provinces of Phang-nga and Phuket, police said.
"We believe this must be part of a smuggling racket which has to be tracked down. The large number of illegals represents a very brazen act," he said.
Thirty-seven of the dead were women. Forty-six survivors were detained for illegal entry and would be deported, police said.
Sompong Sakaew, President of the Labour Rights Promotion Network (LPN), called on Thailand to show compassion for the survivors by allowing them to work in the country.
"They should be treated as victims of a tragedy and viewed as hard-pressed people risking their lives for a better future. The Thai government should acknowledge their plight and provide them the welfare that they deserve," he said.
"Ignoring welfare protection for these illegal immigrants will not help Thailand's image in the eyes of the world."
Another 67 were rescued from the 20-ft container truck, with over 20 being treated in hospital, a police officer in the western coastal Thai province of Ranong told Reuters.
"They were kept inside the sealed truck for hours without air because the air-conditioning system failed. Many of them pounded the sides of the truck for help," Sergeant Phuvanai Wattanasamai said.
Police were hunting for the driver who abandoned the truck on a road near the Andaman Sea coastline, let the survivors out and fled the scene late on Wednesday night.
One survivor said the driver told them the container's air conditioning system was broken.
"It was very crowded inside with standing room only," the 40-year-old migrant told reporters at a Ranong hospital.
"It was hot when the truck started moving, so we asked the driver to turn the air-conditioner on, but he said it was broken.
"The heat made me pass out and the next thing I knew I was in hospital," he said.
More than one million people from neighboring army-ruled Myanmar are estimated to work in Thailand, most of them illegally in factories, restaurants, at petrol pumps, and as domestic helpers or crew on fishing trawlers.
They are usually hidden under goods such as vegetable or fruit in small or big overloaded trucks, leading to tragic road accidents.
Last year a pickup truck with 40 passengers crashed near the northern Thai border, killing 11 Myanmar workers.
Ranong Police Colonel Kraithong Chanthongbai told Reuters the illegal migrants were jammed in the locked container for at least two hours before the driver stopped the truck to let them out.
The truck appeared to be heading for resort towns in the southern provinces of Phang-nga and Phuket, police said.
"We believe this must be part of a smuggling racket which has to be tracked down. The large number of illegals represents a very brazen act," he said.
Thirty-seven of the dead were women. Forty-six survivors were detained for illegal entry and would be deported, police said.
Sompong Sakaew, President of the Labour Rights Promotion Network (LPN), called on Thailand to show compassion for the survivors by allowing them to work in the country.
"They should be treated as victims of a tragedy and viewed as hard-pressed people risking their lives for a better future. The Thai government should acknowledge their plight and provide them the welfare that they deserve," he said.
"Ignoring welfare protection for these illegal immigrants will not help Thailand's image in the eyes of the world."
Monday, April 7, 2008
Time to end “envelope culture”
Too many useless assemblies are held at public agencies costing nearly VND750 million (US$46,000) a day to the state exchequer.
In the face of soaring inflation, the unofficial policy of rewarding attendance with superfluous perks must be abolished.
The government announced recently that it would cut public spending by 10 percent to curb Vietnam’s skyrocketing inflation.
It is not clear, however, whether the government incorporated such payments into its spending curtailment.
Public officers’ schedules are overloaded with non-essential meetings, at which there is almost always the offer of special envelopes labeled “meeting perks.”
These “perk envelopes” have played a key role in drawing large turnouts at meetings for nearly all levels of government.
Both high-ranking officials and their subordinates are more apt to attend meetings to collect their attendance bonus, but the system is clearly flawed.
If the government would curtail its envelope policy, the staggering amount of money lost to pay off officials could be earmarked for a myriad of other useful purposes.
Additionally, public officers need to know that their work is what’s important, not their attendance at unnecessary meetings.
While the rest of the country struggles to combat soaring inflation, the outdated practice of handing out unwarranted perks is not doing the nation any favors.
In the face of soaring inflation, the unofficial policy of rewarding attendance with superfluous perks must be abolished.
The government announced recently that it would cut public spending by 10 percent to curb Vietnam’s skyrocketing inflation.
It is not clear, however, whether the government incorporated such payments into its spending curtailment.
Public officers’ schedules are overloaded with non-essential meetings, at which there is almost always the offer of special envelopes labeled “meeting perks.”
These “perk envelopes” have played a key role in drawing large turnouts at meetings for nearly all levels of government.
Both high-ranking officials and their subordinates are more apt to attend meetings to collect their attendance bonus, but the system is clearly flawed.
If the government would curtail its envelope policy, the staggering amount of money lost to pay off officials could be earmarked for a myriad of other useful purposes.
Additionally, public officers need to know that their work is what’s important, not their attendance at unnecessary meetings.
While the rest of the country struggles to combat soaring inflation, the outdated practice of handing out unwarranted perks is not doing the nation any favors.
Fast boat to Can Tho
Rather than catch a five- or six-hour bus ride to the city of Can Tho in the heart of the Mekong Delta, there is a boat that leaves from the Ho Chi Minh City river terminal on Ton Duc Thang Avenue.
Only one boat leaves per day at 8 a.m. arriving at 11:30 a.m., with a return trip that leaves at 1 p.m. The cost is VND200,000 (US$12.5) each way.
It seats about 50 passengers and there’s a covered open air deck in the rear.
It’s comfortable, fast and travels through some beautiful parts of the Mekong Delta.
As soon as she leaves the dock, the engines power and the bow of the boat lifts out of the water and races down the wide open highway of the Saigon River.
The first stage of the journey through Saigon Port gives a perspective of Vietnam’s manufacturing and export industry - cranes and cargo nets swinging, shirtless dock workers tossing sacks of rice into ships’ holds.
The river then opens out into unprotected waters; the heavy river traffic runs with the tide - container ships, plenty of dredges and wooden boats with red eyes painted on the bow and a multitude of sand barges pulled or pushed by wooden tugs.
Then the boat turns from the Saigon River and enters the maze of waterways that make up the delta.
In one word it is beautiful.
The captain navigates the tributaries at full throttle, spray flying past the windows.
The life of Vietnam is its rivers and the Mekong Delta is mighty.
Emerald green forests of palm trees wall up on both sides, punctuated by industry, towns and villages; thatched huts seemingly tucked out of the twenty first century’s reach and monolithic electricity towers slinging power cables a mile at a throw.
Shipping is everywhere from the very big steel-hull barges to the single man in his canoe unhurriedly paddling to get out of the ferry’s way.
Near Can Tho the construction of the two pillars of the ill-fated Can Tho Bridge can be seen in the distance.
And before you know it you are docking in the hub of Vietnam’s rice basket, a much slower pace city than the bustle of HCMC
Only one boat leaves per day at 8 a.m. arriving at 11:30 a.m., with a return trip that leaves at 1 p.m. The cost is VND200,000 (US$12.5) each way.
It seats about 50 passengers and there’s a covered open air deck in the rear.
It’s comfortable, fast and travels through some beautiful parts of the Mekong Delta.
As soon as she leaves the dock, the engines power and the bow of the boat lifts out of the water and races down the wide open highway of the Saigon River.
The first stage of the journey through Saigon Port gives a perspective of Vietnam’s manufacturing and export industry - cranes and cargo nets swinging, shirtless dock workers tossing sacks of rice into ships’ holds.
The river then opens out into unprotected waters; the heavy river traffic runs with the tide - container ships, plenty of dredges and wooden boats with red eyes painted on the bow and a multitude of sand barges pulled or pushed by wooden tugs.
Then the boat turns from the Saigon River and enters the maze of waterways that make up the delta.
In one word it is beautiful.
The captain navigates the tributaries at full throttle, spray flying past the windows.
The life of Vietnam is its rivers and the Mekong Delta is mighty.
Emerald green forests of palm trees wall up on both sides, punctuated by industry, towns and villages; thatched huts seemingly tucked out of the twenty first century’s reach and monolithic electricity towers slinging power cables a mile at a throw.
Shipping is everywhere from the very big steel-hull barges to the single man in his canoe unhurriedly paddling to get out of the ferry’s way.
Near Can Tho the construction of the two pillars of the ill-fated Can Tho Bridge can be seen in the distance.
And before you know it you are docking in the hub of Vietnam’s rice basket, a much slower pace city than the bustle of HCMC
Licensing rigmarole deters foreign investment in southern region
Officials in southern localities are more conservative and uneasy about issuing licenses to foreign investors, putting the country’s south at a disadvantage to the north, a conference has heard.
Foreign investors were still experiencing many difficulties understanding and complying with license procedures.
The conference, held Friday with the participation of senior provincial and municipal officials, said foreign investors’ hopes of simpler investment formalities in Vietnam in the post-WTO era had so far not been met.
Frederic Burke, Baker & McKenzie’s managing partner, said foreign investors faced many more challenges in licensing formalities in southern cities and provinces, such as Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Long An, than in the North.
The cumbersome procedures were one of the main reasons high-tech investments were migrating from the country’s south to the north, Burke told the conference, hosted by the Foreign Investment Bureau under the Ministry of Planning and Investment.
Phan Thi Thuy Dung, senior manager of PricewaterhouseCoopers’ legal services, said foreign investors found it hard to operate education projects in HCMC because of a decision by the city’s leaders to restrict the number of schools in urban districts to reduce traffic jams.
Burke said obtaining licenses in the education sector had become even harder since Vietnam joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in January 2007.
He said in order to open a representative office in the southern region, a foreign investor had to apply for sub-licenses from 12 agencies from local to provincial levels before seeking approval from the Ministry of Education and Training.
Such cumbersome practices would weaken the supply of well-trained employees in Vietnam, exacerbating the skills shortage that has stymied the competitiveness of Vietnamese goods and services in international markets, he said.
Foreign investors were still experiencing many difficulties understanding and complying with license procedures.
The conference, held Friday with the participation of senior provincial and municipal officials, said foreign investors’ hopes of simpler investment formalities in Vietnam in the post-WTO era had so far not been met.
Frederic Burke, Baker & McKenzie’s managing partner, said foreign investors faced many more challenges in licensing formalities in southern cities and provinces, such as Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Long An, than in the North.
The cumbersome procedures were one of the main reasons high-tech investments were migrating from the country’s south to the north, Burke told the conference, hosted by the Foreign Investment Bureau under the Ministry of Planning and Investment.
Phan Thi Thuy Dung, senior manager of PricewaterhouseCoopers’ legal services, said foreign investors found it hard to operate education projects in HCMC because of a decision by the city’s leaders to restrict the number of schools in urban districts to reduce traffic jams.
Burke said obtaining licenses in the education sector had become even harder since Vietnam joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in January 2007.
He said in order to open a representative office in the southern region, a foreign investor had to apply for sub-licenses from 12 agencies from local to provincial levels before seeking approval from the Ministry of Education and Training.
Such cumbersome practices would weaken the supply of well-trained employees in Vietnam, exacerbating the skills shortage that has stymied the competitiveness of Vietnamese goods and services in international markets, he said.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Vietnam to have photo museum
Photography has been in Vietnam for nearly 150 years but photos about Vietnam are spread everywhere. The centre will collect photos about Vietnam and Vietnamese people since photography appeared in Vietnam,” said Chu Chi Thanh, Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists, about the “historical” project which is about to be built in Hanoi – the National Centre for Artistic Photo Archives and Exhibition.
Why did you say that our photographic documentations have been mislaid?
As I said, photography has been in Vietnam for nearly 150 years. It was brought to Vietnam by the French. After that Vietnamese people got involved in photography. But photos about Vietnam, especially those taken before 1945, have been mislaid.
Photos about the country and Vietnamese people since 1945 are archived but they are kept at various places, such as the Army History Museum, August Revolution Museum, the National Archive Centre, Vietnam News Agency, etc. These agencies collect and archive photos based on their own functions, duties and goals.
The state assigned the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists to build this centre (National Centre for Photo Archive and Exhibition) 15 years ago, but this project was not implemented because we didn’t have land for it. Now we have been allocated over 1,100sq.m of land in Cau Giay district, Hanoi and construction will begin soon.
From what sources will the centre collect photos?
One of the major tasks of this centre is collecting the images of Vietnam and Vietnamese people in photos since photography came to Vietnam. The sources of photos may be people, foreign libraries, especially libraries in France and China.
Photos in newspapers are also numerous and they may come from the archives of the Vietnam News Agency, the National Library, etc.
We have the Museum of Art. Photography is also a kind of art, which has its own history. So will the centre be like a photographic museum?
The centre will work like a photographic museum, which Vietnam has never had. The centre will preserve typical works by outstanding photographers, works of all photographic schools which have existed in Vietnam in the past 150 years. The centre will also exhibit the world’s photographic history.
How about other functions of the centre?
For a long time photos have been used illegally. The centre will have a department that specialises in protecting copyrights of photos like agencies that protect copyrights of literature and music works.
We will sign contracts with photographers to act as their representative in the negotiation of copyright deals. The centre will also archive, announce and purchase photographic works. In addition, we will open training courses on photography.
Why did you say that our photographic documentations have been mislaid?
As I said, photography has been in Vietnam for nearly 150 years. It was brought to Vietnam by the French. After that Vietnamese people got involved in photography. But photos about Vietnam, especially those taken before 1945, have been mislaid.
Photos about the country and Vietnamese people since 1945 are archived but they are kept at various places, such as the Army History Museum, August Revolution Museum, the National Archive Centre, Vietnam News Agency, etc. These agencies collect and archive photos based on their own functions, duties and goals.
The state assigned the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists to build this centre (National Centre for Photo Archive and Exhibition) 15 years ago, but this project was not implemented because we didn’t have land for it. Now we have been allocated over 1,100sq.m of land in Cau Giay district, Hanoi and construction will begin soon.
From what sources will the centre collect photos?
One of the major tasks of this centre is collecting the images of Vietnam and Vietnamese people in photos since photography came to Vietnam. The sources of photos may be people, foreign libraries, especially libraries in France and China.
Photos in newspapers are also numerous and they may come from the archives of the Vietnam News Agency, the National Library, etc.
We have the Museum of Art. Photography is also a kind of art, which has its own history. So will the centre be like a photographic museum?
The centre will work like a photographic museum, which Vietnam has never had. The centre will preserve typical works by outstanding photographers, works of all photographic schools which have existed in Vietnam in the past 150 years. The centre will also exhibit the world’s photographic history.
How about other functions of the centre?
For a long time photos have been used illegally. The centre will have a department that specialises in protecting copyrights of photos like agencies that protect copyrights of literature and music works.
We will sign contracts with photographers to act as their representative in the negotiation of copyright deals. The centre will also archive, announce and purchase photographic works. In addition, we will open training courses on photography.
Typical business models by Viet Kieu
Overseas Vietnamese (Viet Kieu) have invested their brainpower and capital in projects in Vietnam. They currently invest in more than 2,000 projects totalling over US$1 billion. Through these projects, Viet Kieu not only contribute their brainpower, capital but also their hearts to the home country.
There are many bright examples of Viet Kieu who return home to do business and succeed. In this article, we would like to introduce four outstanding models of business.
1. Assisting local garment producers
A Vietnamese French couple, Tran Van Phu (Doctor of Economics) and Tran Moc Lan, returned to Vietnam in 1988. Seeing that many Vietnamese garment companies only process for foreign partners because they don’t have quality material, good designs and export markets, the couple decided to make a change.
They established a company named Scavi, and built two factories in the southern province of Dong Nai and the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong to produce lingerie to export to France and Europe. Scavi has also cooperated with many garment enterprises and helped them make garment products for direct export.
2. Composite model to protect forest
As a Vietnamese Australian who majored in construction, Tu Ngoc An returned to Vietnam in 1993 with an Australian expert in composites to invest in a plastics company in HCM City named Phong Phu. This company produced plastic products made of composites, which was a strange technology for Vietnam at that time.
Authorities of Kien Giang province invited An to come to Kien Giang to set up the Kien Giang Composite joint venture. From this firm, many composite products, especially plastic boats that are efficient for residents in the Mekong Delta, have been produced and helped reduce the use of timber.
3. Advertising service
J. Le Trinh, a Vietnamese American, returned to Vietnam in 1995 to seek business opportunities. At that time the advertising industry was in its infancy. Based on her relationships with foreign partners, Trinh established Baby Advertising Company. Within a short period of time, Baby had over 200 clients, including big names like Omega, Samsung, Longing, Konica.
Trinh’s secret of success is advertising foreign products through Vietnamese culture. Baby is an example for local advertising firms.
4. English teaching
Responding to former Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet’s idea about professional training of English, Hoang Ngoc Phan, a Vietnamese American who was involved in import-export and tourism business, opened an English teaching centre in cooperation with the Vietnamese American Association.
At present, the Vietnam-US Training Company has 16 branches nationwide and 20,000 students. The company also provides training courses on business administration, accounting, tourism computer sciences, etc. It is preparing to open vocational training services, using English.
There are many bright examples of Viet Kieu who return home to do business and succeed. In this article, we would like to introduce four outstanding models of business.
1. Assisting local garment producers
A Vietnamese French couple, Tran Van Phu (Doctor of Economics) and Tran Moc Lan, returned to Vietnam in 1988. Seeing that many Vietnamese garment companies only process for foreign partners because they don’t have quality material, good designs and export markets, the couple decided to make a change.
They established a company named Scavi, and built two factories in the southern province of Dong Nai and the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong to produce lingerie to export to France and Europe. Scavi has also cooperated with many garment enterprises and helped them make garment products for direct export.
2. Composite model to protect forest
As a Vietnamese Australian who majored in construction, Tu Ngoc An returned to Vietnam in 1993 with an Australian expert in composites to invest in a plastics company in HCM City named Phong Phu. This company produced plastic products made of composites, which was a strange technology for Vietnam at that time.
Authorities of Kien Giang province invited An to come to Kien Giang to set up the Kien Giang Composite joint venture. From this firm, many composite products, especially plastic boats that are efficient for residents in the Mekong Delta, have been produced and helped reduce the use of timber.
3. Advertising service
J. Le Trinh, a Vietnamese American, returned to Vietnam in 1995 to seek business opportunities. At that time the advertising industry was in its infancy. Based on her relationships with foreign partners, Trinh established Baby Advertising Company. Within a short period of time, Baby had over 200 clients, including big names like Omega, Samsung, Longing, Konica.
Trinh’s secret of success is advertising foreign products through Vietnamese culture. Baby is an example for local advertising firms.
4. English teaching
Responding to former Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet’s idea about professional training of English, Hoang Ngoc Phan, a Vietnamese American who was involved in import-export and tourism business, opened an English teaching centre in cooperation with the Vietnamese American Association.
At present, the Vietnam-US Training Company has 16 branches nationwide and 20,000 students. The company also provides training courses on business administration, accounting, tourism computer sciences, etc. It is preparing to open vocational training services, using English.
Wife buyers turn to Cambodia after crack down on marriage brokers in Vietnam - International Herald Tribune
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: The brides-to-be are brought down from poor Cambodian villages and herded into city hotels, where they are lined up and put on display for prospective grooms flown in from South Korea.
Over the past four years, some 2,500 women have wedded South Korean men, passing through an underground matchmaking business that few in Cambodia knew existed until recently.
A report to be released next month by the Geneva-based International Organization for Migration sheds light on the growing phenomenon. A crackdown on marriage brokers in neighboring Vietnam is pushing the activity into Cambodia, according to the report, an advance copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press.
"It's become a big business," said John McGeoghan, an IOM project coordinator in Cambodia. "We now see that these marriage brokers are popping up in Cambodia. This is a new market for them, and there's a lot of money to be made."
Potential grooms reportedly pay brokers up to US$20,000 (euro13,000), the IOM report says. The bride's family receives at most US$1,000 (euro650), with the rest pocketed by brokers. It is unclear how many are now operating in Cambodia.
The grooms, mostly factory workers and farmers, have trouble finding wives in South Korea because they are low-income earners, IOM says. Although some of the marriages prove successful, others herald loneliness, broken promises, divorce and sometimes violence, the report says.
Kim In-Kook, a South Korean embassy official, confirmed that the number of marriage visas issued to Cambodian brides soared from 72 in 2004 to 1,759 last year. He declined further comment.
Growing South Korean investment and tourism in Cambodia is also playing "a significant role in the expansion of transnational marriages" between the two countries, the IOM report says.
Cambodia's government publicly acknowledged the issue for the first time this month, apparently alarmed that it could slide into human trafficking, in which women are tricked or forced into marriage.
Earlier this month, the Interior Ministry announced it was canceling licenses of two South Korean companies for engaging in the matchmaking business. The firms had registered as export-import firms to secure legal entry into the country, a ministry official said on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to release information.
Interior Minister Sar Kheng denounced the firms' activities as "human trafficking."
Prime Minister Hun Sen spoke out on the problem shortly after, telling law enforcement agencies to be stricter in issuing marriage certificates "to prevent deceptive activities." He also urged parents "not to be so easygoing" about sending their daughters into brokered marriages with foreigners.
Traditionally, marriages in Cambodia are arranged by parents. Now, brokers are approaching Cambodian families. If interested, the families provide photos of their daughters, which are sent to South Korea or posted on Web sites, the IOM report says.
Brokers arrange 4-to-6 day marriage tours to Cambodia for prospective grooms, most of whom have expressed interest in more than one woman, the report says. The men are ushered through something akin to underground speed-dating, followed by a marriage ceremony.
"Most of the matchmaking occurs in restaurants or small hotels located in or near Phnom Penh," the report says, referring to Cambodia's capital city. "There the men typically select a bride from as many as 100 who are made available."
The women are mostly in their late teens and early 20s, attracted by promises of high living standards and money, the report says.
It cites one marriage in which a South Korean man promised to make monthly remittances to his bride's family, but was too poor to keep the promise. "This caused tension and arguments that resulted in domestic violence," the report says.
The woman is seeking divorce, but has received threats from the Cambodian marriage brokers, who have told her she would be charged US$1,000 if she returns and her parents would be harmed, the report says.
"It's not as romantic and wonderful as (the women) thought it would be," McGeoghan said.
Terms of Use
Over the past four years, some 2,500 women have wedded South Korean men, passing through an underground matchmaking business that few in Cambodia knew existed until recently.
A report to be released next month by the Geneva-based International Organization for Migration sheds light on the growing phenomenon. A crackdown on marriage brokers in neighboring Vietnam is pushing the activity into Cambodia, according to the report, an advance copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press.
"It's become a big business," said John McGeoghan, an IOM project coordinator in Cambodia. "We now see that these marriage brokers are popping up in Cambodia. This is a new market for them, and there's a lot of money to be made."
Potential grooms reportedly pay brokers up to US$20,000 (euro13,000), the IOM report says. The bride's family receives at most US$1,000 (euro650), with the rest pocketed by brokers. It is unclear how many are now operating in Cambodia.
The grooms, mostly factory workers and farmers, have trouble finding wives in South Korea because they are low-income earners, IOM says. Although some of the marriages prove successful, others herald loneliness, broken promises, divorce and sometimes violence, the report says.
Kim In-Kook, a South Korean embassy official, confirmed that the number of marriage visas issued to Cambodian brides soared from 72 in 2004 to 1,759 last year. He declined further comment.
Growing South Korean investment and tourism in Cambodia is also playing "a significant role in the expansion of transnational marriages" between the two countries, the IOM report says.
Cambodia's government publicly acknowledged the issue for the first time this month, apparently alarmed that it could slide into human trafficking, in which women are tricked or forced into marriage.
Earlier this month, the Interior Ministry announced it was canceling licenses of two South Korean companies for engaging in the matchmaking business. The firms had registered as export-import firms to secure legal entry into the country, a ministry official said on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to release information.
Interior Minister Sar Kheng denounced the firms' activities as "human trafficking."
Prime Minister Hun Sen spoke out on the problem shortly after, telling law enforcement agencies to be stricter in issuing marriage certificates "to prevent deceptive activities." He also urged parents "not to be so easygoing" about sending their daughters into brokered marriages with foreigners.
Traditionally, marriages in Cambodia are arranged by parents. Now, brokers are approaching Cambodian families. If interested, the families provide photos of their daughters, which are sent to South Korea or posted on Web sites, the IOM report says.
Brokers arrange 4-to-6 day marriage tours to Cambodia for prospective grooms, most of whom have expressed interest in more than one woman, the report says. The men are ushered through something akin to underground speed-dating, followed by a marriage ceremony.
"Most of the matchmaking occurs in restaurants or small hotels located in or near Phnom Penh," the report says, referring to Cambodia's capital city. "There the men typically select a bride from as many as 100 who are made available."
The women are mostly in their late teens and early 20s, attracted by promises of high living standards and money, the report says.
It cites one marriage in which a South Korean man promised to make monthly remittances to his bride's family, but was too poor to keep the promise. "This caused tension and arguments that resulted in domestic violence," the report says.
The woman is seeking divorce, but has received threats from the Cambodian marriage brokers, who have told her she would be charged US$1,000 if she returns and her parents would be harmed, the report says.
"It's not as romantic and wonderful as (the women) thought it would be," McGeoghan said.
Terms of Use
Book cafes ring up profits beyond the till
A new cafe run by young people in HCM City is wooing the latest trend for in-house libraries and winning a reputation for its extra special ingredient – philanthropy.
First set up on December 15 last year, Y-Life cafe at 345/1, Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street, was the brain child of charity organisation Uoc Mo Xanh (A Green Dream), a group of young people dedicated to raising money to help the poor get an education. So far the cafe has collected over 20,000 books, director Hai Dang says.
"Through things like our Uoc Mo Xanh scholarship, our charity aims to provide poor students with some financial support to get them through schooling. We needed a way to make money for our organisation and came up with the idea of the Y-Life cafe."
With no experience and very little capital, opening a cafe was a serious step for the group, Dang says.
"We were nervous at the beginning! And we rarely get any encouragement from businesses. But we do get support from individuals, especially Vietnamese people living in Toronto, Canada. Our website http://www.uocmoxanh.org/ has really helped us raise money.
The charity has certainly struck a chord in the hearts of other young people, Thanh Mai, who is head of collecting books, says.
"Hundreds of young people have donated their books to us, we have everything from foreign literature and history to comics."
With so many books the cafe can afford to give many of them away, but only in the spirit of a true philanthropist.
"We’ve got a lot of double copies so we plan to send the extras to children in mountainous areas. Last time we gave them away to kids in the southern provinces of Ben Tre and Tra Vinh," Dang says.
Reading trends
Sen (Lotus) Cafe in Da Nang City, Era in HCM City, AiM and Intello in Ha Noi – book cafes are sprouting up all over the country as an antidote to the brain-frying world of TV, Internet and online games. Not the most obviously lucrative form of business, many of the cafes are hoping for different kinds of profits.
"We want to raise money for charity via our cafe but we also want to get young people back into books," Dang says.
Similar set-ups are all the rage abroad, says Do Le Thu Ngoc, owner of book cafe Intello, Ha Noi.
"When I was a student at Harvard University I always used to hang out in book cafes. All my friends would sit and drink coffee while reading a good book. It was great. When I returned to Viet Nam I couldn’t find any but I knew there was a market for them, so I and my friend Pham Quang Minh decided to open one," she says.
"Ha Noi has many cafes but not many of them offer a quiet atmosphere where customers can settle down to a good book undisturbed."
Minh agrees. "Intello refers to Intellectual or Intelligence, we want our cafe to be a meeting place for people who want to find knowledge."
It’s not so much about making money and more about sparking young people’s interest in the joys of the written word, she says. "In terms of business, well, we aren’t billionaires yet. But in terms of culture, I think we’re doing a pretty good job encouraging young people to read."And the plans don’t stop there. "We want to work with publishers and publish new books. At the moment we hold seminars and invite book reviews. We’re pretty busy!"
"Delicious drinks don’t fill you up intellectually," Minh says. "It’s food for the mind that counts and when the profits of a business go way deeper than the till, it makes the whole business so much more worthwhile."
Located at 109, Linh Lang Street, Ha Noi, the book cafe AiM has been founded a year ago by South Korean Kim-kyung. Being a businesswoman, Kim finds that Viet Nam’s economy is developing but Vietnamese younger lack for cultural playing ground.
"I decided to open a book cafe. At first, I want to create good conditions to study and relax for South Korean people and introduce my national culture to Viet Nam," said Kim, "but now, I buy new Vietnamese books regurlarly with the aim of welcoming Vietnamese people."
With quiet atmosphere, AiM is arranged to bring to visitors the feeling that they are reading books at home. — VNS
First set up on December 15 last year, Y-Life cafe at 345/1, Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street, was the brain child of charity organisation Uoc Mo Xanh (A Green Dream), a group of young people dedicated to raising money to help the poor get an education. So far the cafe has collected over 20,000 books, director Hai Dang says.
"Through things like our Uoc Mo Xanh scholarship, our charity aims to provide poor students with some financial support to get them through schooling. We needed a way to make money for our organisation and came up with the idea of the Y-Life cafe."
With no experience and very little capital, opening a cafe was a serious step for the group, Dang says.
"We were nervous at the beginning! And we rarely get any encouragement from businesses. But we do get support from individuals, especially Vietnamese people living in Toronto, Canada. Our website http://www.uocmoxanh.org/ has really helped us raise money.
The charity has certainly struck a chord in the hearts of other young people, Thanh Mai, who is head of collecting books, says.
"Hundreds of young people have donated their books to us, we have everything from foreign literature and history to comics."
With so many books the cafe can afford to give many of them away, but only in the spirit of a true philanthropist.
"We’ve got a lot of double copies so we plan to send the extras to children in mountainous areas. Last time we gave them away to kids in the southern provinces of Ben Tre and Tra Vinh," Dang says.
Reading trends
Sen (Lotus) Cafe in Da Nang City, Era in HCM City, AiM and Intello in Ha Noi – book cafes are sprouting up all over the country as an antidote to the brain-frying world of TV, Internet and online games. Not the most obviously lucrative form of business, many of the cafes are hoping for different kinds of profits.
"We want to raise money for charity via our cafe but we also want to get young people back into books," Dang says.
Similar set-ups are all the rage abroad, says Do Le Thu Ngoc, owner of book cafe Intello, Ha Noi.
"When I was a student at Harvard University I always used to hang out in book cafes. All my friends would sit and drink coffee while reading a good book. It was great. When I returned to Viet Nam I couldn’t find any but I knew there was a market for them, so I and my friend Pham Quang Minh decided to open one," she says.
"Ha Noi has many cafes but not many of them offer a quiet atmosphere where customers can settle down to a good book undisturbed."
Minh agrees. "Intello refers to Intellectual or Intelligence, we want our cafe to be a meeting place for people who want to find knowledge."
It’s not so much about making money and more about sparking young people’s interest in the joys of the written word, she says. "In terms of business, well, we aren’t billionaires yet. But in terms of culture, I think we’re doing a pretty good job encouraging young people to read."And the plans don’t stop there. "We want to work with publishers and publish new books. At the moment we hold seminars and invite book reviews. We’re pretty busy!"
"Delicious drinks don’t fill you up intellectually," Minh says. "It’s food for the mind that counts and when the profits of a business go way deeper than the till, it makes the whole business so much more worthwhile."
Located at 109, Linh Lang Street, Ha Noi, the book cafe AiM has been founded a year ago by South Korean Kim-kyung. Being a businesswoman, Kim finds that Viet Nam’s economy is developing but Vietnamese younger lack for cultural playing ground.
"I decided to open a book cafe. At first, I want to create good conditions to study and relax for South Korean people and introduce my national culture to Viet Nam," said Kim, "but now, I buy new Vietnamese books regurlarly with the aim of welcoming Vietnamese people."
With quiet atmosphere, AiM is arranged to bring to visitors the feeling that they are reading books at home. — VNS
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