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Hanoi by night 

Last Updated: Friday, June 29, 2012 08:00:00

 
A group of students exploring Hanoi at night take a break by West Lake
Hanoi is reeling from the summer heat and people are trying to escape by heading out to the beaches. But for young students on a tight budget, a night tour around the city is a good alternative.
“Phượt đêm Hà Nội” or “Exploring Hanoi at night” is becoming a hot topic among young people in the capital, and many students are including it in their summer activities. Some are exhorting their friends on online forums to plan a trip.
“Riding a motorbike through airy and quiet streets under the soft streetlights made me feel really relaxed,” Tran Tam Anh, a fourth-year student at the Hanoi University of Economics who has just done a tour with her classmates, says.
“During my four years staying in Hanoi, I’ve ridden often on Dien Bien Phu, Phan Dinh Phung, and Hoang Dieu streets. But I found that they are quite different at night: very peaceful and charming.”
Pham Quang Vinh, a member of her group, adds: “It seems like we were exploring a new city. I could never imagine busy Dien Bien Phu Street will be so quiet. There were no deafening horns, no jams. And we could drive without even focusing on the road.”
Anh says she joined the tour by chance.
“My apartment is not well ventilated and I don’t have an air-conditioner, so I cannot sleep well on some really hot nights.

ITINERARY

- Depart at 9 p.m. by motorbikes or bicycles - 9-10 p.m.: Go to night market on Hang Ngang-Hang Dao (at weekends) or drive around Hoan Kiem Lake and the cathedral. - Midnight: Explore Hoang Dieu, Tran Phu, and Phan Dinh Phung streets - 1 a.m.: Drive around West Lake and enjoy phở (noodle) on Thanh Nien Road - 2 a.m.: Explore the area around Xuan Dieu, Nghi Tam streets - 3 a.m.: Visit the Quang Ba Flower market

That’s why I immediately agreed when my classmates asked me to join them on a night tour to enjoy the cool, fresh air.”
Hanoi night tours have been popular among young people for a couple of years now. Many say in fact they do it not only on beautiful summer and autumn nights but also on drizzly spring and chilly winter ones.
“We are not looking for just a refreshing breeze but also to refresh our mind and body,” Pham Thu, the leader of Anh’s group, explains. “So it is not very important that the weather is ideal. When we feel the need to go and refresh ourselves, we go.”
Thu says that she and some of her friends have become addicted to the trips that they make them quite often.
Hoan Kiem Lake, the Cathedral, Phan Dinh Phung, Hoang Dieu, Quang Trung streets, Long Bien Bridge, or Quang Ba Night market are among the most popular places on their itinerary.
“With just VND100,000 in our pocket, we feel secure enough to take off,” Thu says. “The money will be spent on a bowl of phở, bún (noodle), and drinks along the way. Sometimes we would take the food and enjoy it elsewhere.”
But to ensure a smooth trip, it is very important to prepare carefully, she says.
“We normally go in a group of eight or 10. Following other groups’ experiences, we usually make a clear and detailed plan for the tour in which the ‘Things to remember’ are rather long.”
Thu remembers one night when she and another girl separated from their group to wander around and take photos. Two young boys suddenly appeared and snatched their camera.
“It is very likely for us to be threatened by robbers when we go in small groups. And I think the best way is to stick to a large group.”

THINGS TO REMEMBER

- Carry papers like driving license and registration certificate for your bike - Don’t be too loud since the police may think you are unruly elements - You have to keep to speed limits even if there is no one else on the road - It is advisable to stop and get out of the way when you come across an illegal motorbike race - Bring along a raincoat and warm clothes even if it is a warm summer’s night since it may turn quite chilly early in the morning - Have a spare bottle of petrol since most gas stations close at night - You should go in large groups that include men to ensure safety. Don’t get separated during the trip

University graduates carry rice, retail goods to bide their time | Look At Vietnam

University graduates carry rice, retail goods to bide their time

June 13, 2012

LookAtVietnam – Every year, Vietnam has thousands of students finishing
universities, and many of them become redundant. The race for looking for jobs
has become stiffer than ever, when a lot of businesses have got bankrupted.

What do bachelors do to earn their living?
Van’s bachelor’s degree has been lying in the drawer for more than one year. She
once felt so excited and happy on the day she received the degree and she kept
looking at it for hours on the first days after the graduation.
However, the bachelor has not helped Van find a good job. Van applied for
different jobs over the last year, but she was refused. Van has been working as
a receptionist, marketing officer and assistant to a tie shop owner at a market
to earn her living and waiting for the right moment.
“Some employers promised to contact me again after the interview. I many times
hoped that I could find a suitable job. However, I finally was not chosen,” she
complained.
Unemployment is the biggest threat to the new university graduates like Van.
They spend most of their time reading newspapers to seek job opportunities,
sending curriculum vitas to businesses and hoping. However, they understand that
there are not many opportunities for new graduates with no experience.
Nguyen Van Dat, who has finished the Hanoi Transport University, has been
working as a tinman to earn his living. His main work is binding iron wires
which are used to build the foundation or pillars of houses. Though he works
very hard, he can earn 50,000 dong a day.
Sometimes Dat sits idle because he is not hired by construction projects’
contractors. Therefore, he goes working on the rice field to assist his parents.
He spends evening to access to Internet to read newspapers and seek job
opportunities.
“The biggest barrier for new graduates is the lack of experiences. Meanwhile,
experience is the top requirement set by employers,” Dat said.
Continuing studying because of no job to do
A lot of students, who feel tired of looking for jobs, decide to continue
studying to get master degree, which they hope would help them find jobs more
easily.
Since the number of job candidates with university degree has been increasing
rapidly, new graduates believe that they should have many degrees in different
majors, or higher education degrees in order to have privileges over other
candidates. Therefore, they decide to take the entrance exams to the training
courses for master degree.
Nguyen Anh Tuan, a postgraduate of the Hanoi University for Social Sciences and
Humanity, said 60 percent of his classmates have not found jobs. Some of them
are running online fashion shops to earn their living. Meanwhile, many others
have decided to return to school to continue studying.
“It sounds good to follow higher education. However, in fact, we continue
studying just because we still cannot find jobs,” Tuan said.
A lot of graduates feel regret that they studied the finance and banking. This
was a very hot major some years ago. However, things have become quite
different. Therefore, many of them have to continue studying to obtain degrees
in other professions which promise more opportunities.
Nguyen Anh Duc, Deputy Director of CCIC, a construction consultancy and
investment company, said that a lot of students have been staying unemployed
because they did not receive good career guidance when they were at general
schools. Meanwhile, some of them believe that with university education, they
need to take important positions in businesses. Therefore, they feel discouraged
when they cannot fulfill their dream.
Thu Thao

Overseas consultants firms use new tricks to persuade students to go abroad

To attract more students, overseas study consultant firms use new tricks to persuade students to go abroad: they encourage students to settle in foreign countries after graduation.

Private companies that promote overseas study cannot ensure that students will be granted visas for working or settling abroad after they finish school. These visas must be approved by the foreign government and these are limited in number. In fact, study visa applicants must show three things: that they are real students, have the ability to pay for school and a plan to return to Vietnam after graduation. If students cannot persuade consulate officers of all three, they will be denied.

This is a statement made by the US Consulate in HCM City. Still, a lot of overseas study consultant firms still work to help students obtain visas.

$50,000 and $35,000

On www.vatgia.com, an advertisement reads: “Do you want to settle in the US? We are seeking students who want to study pharmacy in the US and settle here after three years. The program fee is $50,000.”

Tien Phong reporters, after a lot of efforts to make appointments, came to the office of Hiep A Company, a company specializing in trade and construction. The reporters acted as students wanting to studying abroad and met Phuong Lan, the company’s chair, at the head office located in a small alley on Pho Quang Street in Tan Binh district in HCM City.

Lan told the reporters-students that she has an office in the US and she cooperates with the US Department of State. Her department has “reserved several seats” in the US and can help people settle there if they want.

“This is a specific training program at a company in southern California that has a close relation with Hiep A. Students will be able to study and work at the same time, so the job will bring income to students,” Lan explained.

Though the advertised package fee is $50,000, Lan told the reporters that they will have to pay only $35,000, including the visa fee, tuition and green card cost.

“The money will be paid two times. You must pay some right now to cover visa expenses, and you must pay the remainder before boarding the plane,” she added.

Loan also promised to obtain green cards for them after four months in the US.

Visas to the US in . . . Singapore?

Meanwhile, other overseas study consultant groups help students obtain the right to settle in the US if students study in a third country. Duc Tu Overseas Study Consultancy Company (DTU), headquartered in HCM City, is now seeking students for a new training program. Students will study nursing in Singapore, but will work and settle in the US.

A company officer said that the program has three phases. At first, students will follow “pre-nursing” (3-12 months) in Singapore. After that, they will be granted visas to the US for the “Direct Nurse” phase and then, upon graduation, the students will be recruited to work for Alliance for five years.

Also according to DTU, learners can extend their contracts when their working period terminates. The package fee is $14,900.

Asia International Talent Resource Investment JSC (AITRI) is also seeking students for a “Direct Nurse” program. The company introduces itself as the only company assigned by American Career, the coordinator of DirectNurse® program of Academic Alliance, to enroll students

According to Nguyen Ngoc Quynh, a senior official of the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs, the US market has demand for foreign workers, but they must meet very strict requirements to enter the US.

Different kinds of US visas are granted to foreign workers. For example, H1A visa is granted to nurses who have degrees recognized in the US and have TOEFL scores of 550.

However, Quynh stressed that, to date, his ministry has not allowed any companies to select nurses for work in the US.

Source: Tien phong

Israeli quartet to perform in Vietnam

Four students from Israel’s Thelma Yellin High School of the Arts will perform in Vietnam from May 31 to June 6 as part of the Israel-Vietnam cultural cooperation programme.

The Israeli students, aged between 14 and 15, will also hold exchanges with their Vietnamese peers in three big cities, including Hanoi, Hue and Ho Chi Minh City.



In the capital city, the quartet, including Daniel Rubin (singing), Edo Gur (trumpet), Tomer Bar (piano) and Nadav Shapira (guitar bass), also plan to attend the Israeli Cultural Day at the University of Culture.



The Thelma Yellin High School of the Arts was established 48 years ago to commemorate the renowned cellist Thelma Bentwich Yellin, who migrated from the UK to Israel during the 1920s, and to foster the country’s artistic talents.

PV

First US university opens rep. office in Vietnam

The Loyola University of Chicago (LUC) received permission earlier this month to set up a representative office in Ho Chi Minh City, becoming the first US university to have an office in Vietnam.
Under its licence, the office will work to promote cooperation between LUC and Vietnamese universities and training establishments and develop education and training cooperation programmes in line with Vietnam ’s educational development.
LUC has so far set up ties with two Hanoi universiteis with a cooperative agreement with the Hanoi National University signed during a Vietnam visit by the university’s leader, Dr Michael Garanzini, in July 2007 and another signed with the Hanoi Medical University in January last year.
Last month, LUC and the Ho Chi Minh City National University signed a cooperative project under which the two sides will jointly organise training courses in Vietnam for US students and research tours in Chicago for management staff of Vietnamese universities and colleges.
The first “Studying in Vietnam ” course is scheduled to open in June this year.
Targeting a long-term education and research cooperation in Vietnam , LUC has organised a cultural exchange programme for its professors and training staff. The first Vietnam visit as part of the programme was conducted in mid-2008 in Ho Chi Minh City and central provinces.
Source: VNA