Ho Chi Minh Trail is now open for Tourists

Central countryside welcome tourists. The Truong Son route, known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail during the American war, is now a staple on many tourists' itineraries seeking access to some of the country's most authentic minority culture.
One such popular tour takes tourists along the legendary Truong Son route, to visit historical sites such as Ro village, Giang wharf, Kham Duc airport, Hoi village, Lo Xo hill, and Monique waterfall.
Tourists will also have a chance to visit and learn about the traditional carnivals and customs of ethnic minorities who have settled along the Truong Son route. Unique performances featuring "Cong Chieng" gongs and bamboo instruments are particularly exciting.
In Gung village, 80 km east of Da Nang city, tourists can visit the village's Guoi house and listen to 80-year-old artist Ating Veh lecture about the preservation of traditional art. He also plays several of the traditional instruments for the audience.
Arriving at Giang wharf and Ro village where Co Tu and Gie Trieng people live, tourists are likely to be mesmerized by the dances that ethnic girls will perform in their traditional dress.
The people of Gie Trieng, Co Tu, and Ca Dong are well known for their sacred offering ceremony marking a successful harvest in May and the Cor people in Tra My district have their own ceremony in which a buffalo is offered to the deity at the end of the harvest.
As well, the Bh'nong people in Kham Duc district participate in a victory festival with the unique custom of "seizing husbands" with pole decoration and a buffalo sacrifice as well.
In addition, Nam Giang and Dong Giang districts offer original Vietnamese food like "lam" rice cooked in bamboo, "ba kich" medicinal wine, and "ta vat" wine fermented with "ta vat" fruit will intrigue tourist's taste buds.
With the imposing Truong Son Mountain in the background of the newly launched Ho Chi Minh highway, tourist can make as many stopovers as they like at other sites such as Lo Xo hill, Monique waterfall, and several untouched forests. Compiled by An Dien

"Mekong Delta beauty pageant to hit Can Tho
The first Miss Mekong Delta contest finals will be held next Friday and Saturday in Can Tho City, announced organizers Wednesday.
Eighteen contestants compete in the ao ba ba (the popular silk pajamas worn ubiquitously throughout the south) show, the ao dai (traditional Vietnamese dress) contest as well as “freestyle” clothes and swimsuit competitions.
Contestants will also be judged on the strength of their personal interviews.
The winner will receive VND50 million (US$3,100), according to organizers.
The show will be broadcast live from Song Hau Park to several provinces throughout the Mekong Delta and central region."

Wedding underwater in Nha Trang

"Largest underwater group wedding party consummated in Vietnam
Vietravel’s Nha Trang office Thursday organized Vietnam’s biggest- ever underwater group wedding at Mun Island in the central coastal city of Nha Trang, which boasts one of the world’s 30 most beautiful bays.
The four participating couples were Vu Hoang Huong Phuong and Tran Hung Quoc Viet, Nguyen Van Thanh and Le Thi My Ha, Nguyen Thang Loi and Huynh Vo Ngoc Ha, and British nationals Grant Hesketh and Eleanor Lawrence.
To prepare for the event, diving experts from Vietravel’s Vinadive trained all the couples in advance.
As planned, the four couples traveled along Tran Phu Street at 8 a.m.
They then got on the wedding boat and headed offshore.
At 9:30 a.m., festivities kicked off on Mun Island involving champagne, and wine toasts and cutting the cake.
The couples then dove into the water to partake in a ceremony that spanned half an hour.
The brides stood behind the gate with the sign “Underwater Wedding” and the grooms swam to the brides to present flowers and wedding rings.
They swam hand in hand past coral ridges, playing with hosts of colorful fish, consummating a picturesque avowal of romance.
The wedding cost each couple VND9.9 million (US$619)."

Foreign Students stay in Vietnam fo Tet

"Foreign students stay in Vietnam for Tet
As Vietnamese students traverse the country to celebrate Tet at home with their families, many foreign students look forward to celebrating the holiday in Vietnam.
Palinya Keochanthavong, a Laotian sophomore at the Hanoi University of Social Sciences and Humanities, says happily “I have heard about Tet, but I have never experienced it.
This year, a Vietnamese classmate from Hai Duong Province has invited me to celebrate Tet in her hometown with her family, and I have accepted.”
“I will go out a lot,” says Russian student Katya Sukhina when asked about her plans to spend Tet in Vietnam.
“I like Vietnamese food. This year, I will go to HCMC with my friends,” said Sukhina, who studies at the department of Vietnamese and Vietnamese Culture for Foreigners in Hanoi.
According to the Ministry of Training and Education’s Center for Foreign Student Services, about half of its foreign students - over 200 people – will stay in Vietnam for Tet this year.
The center held a Tet party for students from Laos and Cambodia on January 29.
Even Chinese students, who have every reason to travel home and celebrate the Lunar New Year (also known in the West as “Chinese New Year”) with their families, have decided to stay in Vietnam.
Over 50 Chinese students at Vietnam National University Hanoi’s college of Foreign Languages have registered to stay for the holiday.
Dormitory leaders have said that they would visit the students on Lunar New Year’s Eve and present them with gifts.
Source: VNA"

Vietnam moves to implement Kyoto Protocol

Vietnam moves to implement Kyoto Protocol
Vietnam’s contributions to global warming pollution can be seen in the exhaust of a Ho Chi Minh City public bus
The government has adopted an action plan to implement the Kyoto Protocol and combat climate change, said an official at a UN debate this week.
According to Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran The Ngoc, the plan aims to “manage and coordinate anti-climate change activities in Vietnam while achieving sustainable development.”
Ngoc explained the 2007-2010 plan to the UN General Assembly at a debate on climate change Tuesday and Wednesday this week.
He said the plan covers programs on renewable energy, energy conservation, reforestation and forest protection.
Ngoc added that a national program to cope with climate change is under development.
Ngoc stressed that climate change has become one of mankind’s greatest and most pressing challenges in recent decades and its adverse effects including sea-level rise, the shift of weather patterns and the increase of natural disasters are threatening the sustainable development of all countries throughout the world.
Ngoc also said that developing countries, including Vietnam, are suffering the most from the adverse effects of climate change.
He said international experts had predicted that Vietnam would be one of the top five countries most seriously affected by climate change in the future.
He said analysts had estimated that 22 million Vietnamese would be displaced if the sea level rises by an additional meter.
International cooperation
“It is a fact that no individual nation can resolve this difficult issue.
Climate change has no definable boundaries.
Therefore, international cooperation to deal with this global phenomenon is more necessary and critical than ever to avoid serious disruption of global and national economic and social activities,” Ngoc told the audience.
He reiterated that Vietnam has actively joined the international community in reaching multilateral agreements to address the impacts of climate change.
“We are now looking forward to joining efforts undertaken by the international community to achieve the ultimate objective of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change as well as global sustainable development,” the official concluded.
Source: VNAVietnam’s contributions to global warming pollution can be seen in the exhaust of a Ho Chi Minh City public bus
The government has adopted an action plan to implement the Kyoto Protocol and combat climate change, said an official at a UN debate this week.
According to Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran The Ngoc, the plan aims to “manage and coordinate anti-climate change activities in Vietnam while achieving sustainable development.”
Ngoc explained the 2007-2010 plan to the UN General Assembly at a debate on climate change Tuesday and Wednesday this week.
He said the plan covers programs on renewable energy, energy conservation, reforestation and forest protection.
Ngoc added that a national program to cope with climate change is under development.
Ngoc stressed that climate change has become one of mankind’s greatest and most pressing challenges in recent decades and its adverse effects including sea-level rise, the shift of weather patterns and the increase of natural disasters are threatening the sustainable development of all countries throughout the world.
Ngoc also said that developing countries, including Vietnam, are suffering the most from the adverse effects of climate change.
He said international experts had predicted that Vietnam would be one of the top five countries most seriously affected by climate change in the future.
He said analysts had estimated that 22 million Vietnamese would be displaced if the sea level rises by an additional meter.
International cooperation
“It is a fact that no individual nation can resolve this difficult issue.
Climate change has no definable boundaries.
Therefore, international cooperation to deal with this global phenomenon is more necessary and critical than ever to avoid serious disruption of global and national economic and social activities,” Ngoc told the audience.
He reiterated that Vietnam has actively joined the international community in reaching multilateral agreements to address the impacts of climate change.
“We are now looking forward to joining efforts undertaken by the international community to achieve the ultimate objective of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change as well as global sustainable development,” the official concluded.
Source: VNA

Vietnam latest news - Toyota coup

Toyota salesman arrested for $250,000 fraud
Hanoi police have arrested a car salesman for swindling customers out of US$250,400 in deposits.
Thirty-one-year-old Do Trong Hai disappeared Wednesday after taking the deposits worth some VND4 billion and issuing receipts and sale contracts to at least 21 customers, according to police.
The clients only learned that he had fled on Thursday and Friday when they complained at his company, Toyota Giai Phong Joint Stock Co., that their cars had yet to be delivered, said investigators.
The company said in a statement Friday that it was not responsible for Hai’s fraud.
Receiving such deposits was against company policy, said Toyota Giai Phong.
Tran Xuan Thang, a victim, said that he gave Hai a VND320 million ($20,000) deposit for a Camry on January 29.
The next day, Thang came to the company to pay the remaining cost, but Hai had already flown the coup.
Thang said Toyota Giai Phong then refused to complete his transaction.
Another victim, Head of An Binh Tan Trade and Tourism Company Nguyen The Dung, said that he handed Hai VND150 million ($9,400) for an Innova on December 27 last year.
Hai told the customer that he should pay the rest once the car was available.
The next day Hai gave Dung a sale contract between Toyota Giai Phong and An Binh Tan Co. signed by Giai Phong sales manager Nguyen Lu Phong.
Dung returned to Toyota Giai Phong on January 25 as stipulated by the contract.
But the company said the money had yet to be transferred to the cashier’s desk and asked him to come back at the end of the month.
Upon returning to the dealership, Dung was unable to locate Hai.
Toyota Giai Phong said that it could not provide cars to the victims although some of them had sales contracts in hand.
The company said it was not responsible for the receipts Hai handed out.
At least thirteen people have complained to the police, asking them to investigate Hai and clarify Toyota Giai Phong’s role in the case.
Reported by Minh Quang

Vietnam's Sacombank says Jan profit soars 157 pct | Industries | Financial Services & Real Estate | Reuters

Vietnam's Sacombank says Jan profit soars 157 pct

The Ho Chi Minh City-based bank said in a statement seen on Friday that its loans also jumped more than 150 percent to 40.3 trillion dong. It did not give a value for loans in January 2007.
Deposits rose 159 percent to 60.3 trillion dong.
Assets of Sacombank, or Saigon Thuong Tin Commercial Bank as it is formally named, reached 69.92 trillion dong at the end of January or 10 percent above the end of 2007.
Shares in Sacombank eased 0.81 percent to end at 61,500 dong ($3.8) on Friday, valuing the lender at $1.69 billion, the largest of 146 firms on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange .VNI.
Last month, the World Bank's International Finance Corp sold 5.95 million shares in Sacombank, cutting its ownership to 6.29 percent from 7.63 percent previously, the exchange said on Wednesday but gave no further details.
Before the sale, IFC, Dragon Capital and ANZ Bank (ANZ.AX: Quote, Profile, Research) owned a combined 30 percent of Sacombank, the ceiling for foreign ownership of listed banks in Vietnam. ($1=16,076 dong) (Reporting by Ho Binh Minh; editing by Louise Heavens)

Bill creating Vietnam Veterans Day clears Minn. House panel - Fri, Feb 15, 2008

Bill creating Vietnam Veterans Day clears Minn. House panel

ST. PAUL -- Minnesota veterans of the Vietnam War are a step closer to having a day that honors their service.
A bill designating March 29 as Vietnam Veterans Day cleared a House committee Friday and awaits hearings in the state Senate.
Rep. Larry Howes, R-Walker, said the day wouldn't rise to the level of a government holiday. But he sees it as an appropriate tribute to veterans who struggled to gain public gratitude upon their return.
Diane Finnemann, whose brother earned a Silver Star after being wounded in Vietnam, urged the bill's passage.
"There can never be too many opportunities to teach and remember the true cost of protecting Americans' freedom," she said.
March 29 was chosen because it was the date that the last American troops were withdrawn from the Asian country. The Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. contains the names of 1,072 Minnesotans killed in action.
But John Cox, a Korean War veteran, voiced skepticism over the proposal.
"We have one Veterans Day," he said. "Are we going to let every era have their own Veterans Day?"

Vietnam: Hai Phong On Top

Vietnam: Hai Phong On Top
A scoreless draw against Song Lam Nghe An has given Hai Phong Cement the top spot in the V-League after just five matches into the new season.

The draw follows Hai Phong Cement’s impressive 6-0 win over Southern Steel-Sai Gon Port the previous week and where they now lead the standings with 13 points as against Southern Steel’s 12 points.In the other match, The Cong Viettel beat Hoa Phat 1-0 at the Ha Noi’s Hang Day Stadium with the only goal of the game coming off a penalty which was converted by Trinh Quang Vinh in the 94th minute.Khanh Hoa beat Dong Tam Long An 4-2 at Nha Trang Stadium while Binh Dinh went down to former champions Hoang Anh Gia Lai 2-1 at the Quy Nhon Stadium.At the Thong Nhat Stadium, Southern Steel-Sai Gon Port defeated Nam Dinh 2-0 while Binh Duong drew with Halida Thanh Hoa 0-0 at the Go Dau Stadium.
check for current standings->Vietnam: Hai Phong On Top

Vietnam's First Satellite Ready to Go

The first satellite of the series, VINASAT-1 was originally planned to launch in 2005. However, the project was delayed until 2008 because of difficulties in Vietnam’s Ministry of Post and Telecommunications completing frequency coordination procedures under the Radio Regulations of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). VINASAT-1 now sits on the Kourou launch pad in French Guyana, awaiting its April 2nd launch.VINASAT-1 will be a geo-stationary satellite circling the earth in orbital slot 132 degrees East (which Vietnam registered with the ITU in 1999), weighing 2,600 kilograms and including about 25 C- and Ku-band transponders, each of which can handle about 500 telephone circuits or four-to-six television channels. The satellite will cover Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries as well as parts of China and Japan.

more info->Vietnam's First Satellite Ready to Go

Israel, VN art revels in womanhood

Israel, VN art revels in womanhood
Woman to woman: A woman admires art works at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Ha Noi. — VNS Photo Dang Khoa
HA NOI — A new exhibition putting Israeli and Vietnamese women inside and outside the frame opened at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Ha Noi on Thursday.
Attending the ceremony was Israeli Ambassador Ephraim Ben Matityau, deputy minister for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Le Tien Tho and director of the museum Chu Quoc Binh.
The 10 painters each give a different perspective on life, exploring themes like age, femininity and family. The 42 pieces on display employ a multitude of media to express their ideas, from collage, woodcuts, oil paint and traditional lacquer.
Liora Zeevi uses mixed media to depict the role of housewives in Israel and Trinh Tuan’s lacquer work focuses more on love and beauty.
Celebrating the form of the female body, Moshe Hoffman’s oversized nudes stand over Luu Cong Nhan’s subtle female bodies in a similar contrast to Dang Thao Ngoc’s exuberant oil paintings capturing paradigms of youth and Ruth Schloss’s powerful old weather-beaten faces in mixed media.
Honing in on hardship and grace, Dinh Thi Tham Poong, a Thai ethnic minority woman, uses watercolour on do paper to portray bright and delicate images of women toiling on the fields.
One of her trademark symbols is the lotus flower, present in pieces like Khu Rung (Forest Grace of Women). "I love flowers but I use the lotus because of what it represents – the beauty and purity of Vietnamese women," she says.
The exhibition is the first collaboration between Israeli and Vietnamese artists in the country. It’s taken two years to prepare but it’s been really worth it, curator Raquelle Azran says.
"I was born in Israel and I live in New York but my heart belongs to Viet Nam," she says.
The show is free of charge and runs until next Saturday at 66 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Ha Noi. — VNS

News Thursday Feb 14

Vietnamese wife commits suicide in South Korea
A Vietnamese wife committed suicide in South Korean on Feb. 6, because she could not adapt herself to a new life there, local www.idaegu.co.kr e-newspaper reported Tuesday.
C., 22, threw herself to her death off the 14th floor of an apartment building in Kyongsan City, 400 kilometers to the south of the capital, Seoul.
According to local police, she had kept asking to come back to Vietnam, as she did not speak Korean and so could not settle into her new life.
H., her husband, told the police that he had already bought an air ticket for her because she had requested to come home many times.
Nguyen Hung Son, the official for liaison with the Vietnamese community at the Seoul-based embassy, said the wife was from the Mekong Delta’s Hau Giang Province.
She married last September and then flew to South Korea mid-January.The embassy Tuesday received a letter from the girl’s mother asking them to clarify her daughter’s death, Son added.
They are now cooperating with local police to investigate the case.
Two young Vietnamese brides in South Korea, Huynh Mai and Kim Dong, died as a result of mistreatment by their husbands last year.
This infuriated the public and lead the two governments to make plans for protecting and supporting Vietnamese wives in South Korean who are often subject to domestic violence.
They are also alienated due to poor command of the country’s language and little understanding of its culture and laws.
Latest South Korean statistics show that up to 9,812 Vietnamese women have married South Korean men, accounting for the highest percentage of foreign brides in the country. Illegal marriage bureaus performed the majority of the Vietnamese-Korean marriages.

Foreigners to buy houses for 70 yrs only

House undecided on allowing foreigners to buy houses

The National Assembly’s Standing Committee has yet to approve a proposal to allow foreigners to own houses in Vietnam, an official told Thanh Nien.
An official from the house’s Law Committee, who wished to remain unnamed, said at a recent session the Standing Committee had failed to reach agreement on the issue.
“If the government is determined to go ahead, it is likely that the proposal will be submitted to the full house for ratification,” he added.
In July last year the Ministry of Construction called for allowing six categories of foreigners - including investors, non-property firms, and people married to Vietnamese citizens – to own houses for 70 years.
The ministry recommendations also included restrictions such as they can only buy a house for themselves or their families and not for commercial purposes, they cannot sell it for one year, and others.
A foreigner who already owns a house cannot inherit or be gifted another, but can only receive its monetary value.
Foreign companies doing business here can buy houses for their foreign employees.
If approved, the new provision will be piloted soon in Hanoi and HCMC before being expanded.
FOREIGN BENEFICIARIES UNDER THE PROPOSAL
- People coming to Vietnam for direct investment.- People who have contributed to Vietnam and have been honored by ministries or higher-ranked agencies.- Cultural and scientific experts.- People married to Vietnamese citizens and living in Vietnam.- Honorary citizens.- Foreign-invested enterprises not operating in the property sector.
Reported by Tuyet Nhung

McCain accusations rejected in Vietnam

McCain accusations rejected in Vietnam• Hanoi reiterates President Fidel Castro’s response that there was no torture of U.S. prisoners of war by Cuban interrogators during the war in Vietnam
• HANOI, Vietnam, February 12 (DPA).— Former Vietnamese prisoner of war camp authorities rejected the allegation made by John McCain, senator and U.S. presidential candidate, of the torture of U.S. prisoners by Cuban interrogators during the war in Vietnam.
While campaigning for the White House, McCain – a former prisoner of war – stated this past month that, during the conflict, his compatriots had been tortured by "a pair of Cubans" in Hanoi. Fidel Castro rejected this claim calling it a "strange legend."
Vietnamese officials and former POW camp administrators supported President Castro’s position. "I do not believe there was any Cuban involvement in any camp for U.S. prisoners of war," said Trong Duyet, former director of the Hoa Lo prison, known by U.S. soldiers as the Hanoi Hilton.
"No Cuban ever came to the prison while the U.S. pilots were here," Nguyen Thi Don, former administrator of the prison museum, likewise assured.
Translated by Granma International •

Sapa, Haong Lien Son Coldest Vietnam in 40 years

Coldest Vietnam in 40 years, snow in the towns

(BangkokPost.com) - Ice and snow cover the Hoang Lien Son Mountain and even Sa Pa town in northern Lao Cai province of Vietnam, with outdoor temperatures around 3 degrees below zero (Celsius), local media reported.
News agencies said it was the most severe frost on Hoang Lien Son Mountain in at least 40 years - and the longest cold snap ever recorded in Vietnam.
The reports are complete with photos of snow-covered trees and brush in the northern province.
The severe and chilling cold spell has killed nearly 1,000 cows and buffalo in the province, reports said.
The record month-long cold has killed several thousand cattle across the northern provinces near southern China, particularly in highland areas, with 2,000 animals frozen in Ha Giang, nearly 1,500 in Son La and 1,000 in Lang Son, said Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat.
The ministry’s cultivaion department director Nguyen Tri Ngoc reported that the cold had devastated more than 53,000 ha of rice and 5,000 ha of grain in 16 provinces, including Hai Duong, Thai Binh, Phu Tho, Hung Yen, Ha Nam and Haiphong City.
Mr Ngoc attributed much of the heavy losses to farmers’ negligence of the cold and the ministry’s warnings.
The record 30-day cold spell started on January 14. The previous longest cold spells lasted for 26 days in 1968 and 28 days in 1989.

Nhan Dan --- Life

A thousand poor hearts get free fix
A charity programme to provide free heart surgery to patients of low economic standing from seven southern and Central Highlands provinces was launched on Feb. 2 by the Ho Chi Minh City Association of Sponsors for Poor Patients and the Medical-Pharmacy University Hospital.
The programme aims to help about 1,000 young patients from 7-17 years old from the provinces of Gia Lai, Tay Ninh, Hau Giang, An Giang, Binh Phuoc, Ca Mau, and Tra Vinh.
Nguyen Hoang Bac, the hospital's deputy director, said many of these patients may die if they are not operated on in a timely manner.
He added that all of these children were from poor families who could not afford heart surgery.
The association will co-ordinate at eight hospitals in HCM City and donors to carry out the project in 2007 and 2008. (VNA)

Nhan Dan --- Life

Another mistaken resolution passed by the US House of Representatives
Right after the adoption of the Vietnam Human Rights Act 2007 (HR3096) adopted by the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, public opinion had exposed the nature of the draft sponsored by Rep. Christopher Smith and nine others. However, the voice of the public has not awoken good sense and political intransigence of some US representatives. They have mobilised for the ratification of a legal document which actually distorts the issue of human rights in Vietnam, brazenly interfering in the internal affairs of Vietnam.
Filled with groundless content, the Vietnam Human Rights Act 2007 intentionally creates a gloomy picture on the issue of human rights in Vietnam while ignoring the differences between religious freedom and other activities which can be seen as illegal political activities. HR 3096 is a move in support of a number of Vietnamese extremists mainly living abroad. Not only lacking in goodwill, the bill also uses human rights as a “trump card” to gamble with common sense because it threatens to prohibit increased U.S. non-humanitarian assistance to the Government of Vietnam unless the country makes progress in human rights according to “their own standards”. By adding this requirement, the US House of Representatives has directly affirmed that “human rights” has to conform to their conception which in fact could be described as “non-humanitarian” as it is being used to put pressure on the development process of another country regardless the people’s interest. In particular, in order to support the illegal activities against Vietnam, the act proposes to authorise US $4 million over two years for organisations and individuals that “promote human rights in Vietnam” and over US $10 million for Radio Free Asia which has been long notorious for distorting any stories regarding Vietnam. A Vietnamese abroad has stated that “most of RFA’s programmes are aimed at causing disorder in Vietnam. The issues which have been so far exploited by RFA included freedom, democracy and religion. They did not hesitate to create stories which never happened. They have never felt ashamed of reporting false stories. Regular guests of RFA are terrorist groups supported by Vietnamese living in exile, Anti-Vietnam extremist groups in the Vietnamese community living in the US and political opportunists wearing the mask of “pro-democracy activists” such as Tran Khue, Nguyen Thanh Giang, Nguyen Dan Que, Nguyen Van Ly, Nguyen Van Dai and Do Nam Hai (http://www.chuyenluan.net/200706/0706_21.html). By increasing the budget for RFA, it must be questioned whether the Vietnam Human Rights Act 2007 pays any attention at all to human rights and to Vietnam’s development and stability or it is aimed to support those who are launching illegal activities against Vietnam?

more info->Nhan Dan --- Life

Tran Tuyet Minh Devotes whole life for piano

Veteran artist Tran Tuyet Minh devotes whole life for piano
Artist of Merit Tran Tuyet Minh held her solo piano performance in Hanoi on October 18 as one of the activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Hanoi Conservatory of Music.
Tran Tuyet Minh was one of the 200 students of fourth intake. The then classrooms were just thatch-roofed lit with kerosene lamp in garden of Lang pagoda. Student Tuyet Minh started her first lessons in such condition with teachers Thai Thi Lien and Vu Thi Hien. After having graduated in 1963, she worked for the conservatory as a lecturer. With other piano experienced lecturers, Tuyet Minh was one of the young lecturers who have contributed to training students, and fostering talents for the country who later won international prize such as Dang Thai Son and Ton Nu Nguyet Minh. After the country’s reunification, she was sent to Moscow for further study.
Even though she retired seven years ago, in October 18’s performance Tuyet Minh still played the piano very skillfully in front of a numerous colleagues and students. She started with melodies of romantic genius such as F.Schubert and F.Liszt. She was impressed the most when playing the Nocturne written for Russian left-handed A. Scriabine as Tuyet Minh and Scriabine were both lecturers of conservatories of music.
At the end of her performance, Tuyet Minh was surrounded with flowers of her colleagues and students. That was a simple happiness of an artist like her who has devoted haft of the century for the piano.
Labour newspaper

Most expensive film in Vietnam WINS

Vietnam wins Busan Film Festival

Actress Truong Ngoc Anh and directorLuu Huynh at Busan Film Festival.
Vietnamese film ‘Ao Lua Ha Dong’ (The White Silk Dress) won audience vote prize of the Busan International Film Festival.
The prize presentation ceremony was held on October 20 in Busan.
The film’s director Luu Huynh came on the stage to receive the prize.
The White Silk Dress, a five-year production with a value of over US$2 million is the most expensive film ever made in Vietnam, relates the misfortunes of its two central characters, Dan and her humpbacked husband, and their efforts to hold on to a precious Ha Dong silk dress that belonged to Dan’s mother.
The film was shot in Vietnam’s northern and central regions and one of its scenes needed recreating a flood.
The filmmakers had to blockade a village in Hoi An. A dam surrounding the village was set up using thousands of sand-bags and water was pumped in to give the impression of a flood. More than 1,000 extras were used for the evacuation scenes.
Ao Lua Ha Dong is the first Vietnamese film to use the ‘flying-cam’ technique, which was achieved by hiring American and Singaporean technicians.
At Cannes 2005, an extended trailer of Ao Lua Ha Dong impressed audiences with its beautiful scenes and unique Vietnamese style imagery.

Dollar's despair raises costs overseas

The U.S. dollar used to be the universal tourist currency, accepted almost anywhere, from the streets of Hanoi to the plains of Africa. But the continued slide of the dollar against other currencies has led the greenback to be shunned in unexpected places, creating new problems for American travelers and pushing prices higher.
The Taj Mahal has stopped accepting dollars for the entrance fee, under a new edict from the Indian Ministry of Culture that also affects other national tourist sites such as the 13th-century minaret known as the Qutb Minar and Humayun's Tomb in Delhi. As a result, for entrance to the Taj Mahal, Americans must now pay 750 rupees, about $19, at the rate of 29.74 rupees to the dollar, compared with $15 previously.
Some tour operators say they have encountered newfound resistance to dollars in parts of Vietnam and Peru, especially in villages that are off the beaten path.
"It used to be a $100 bill was universal everywhere, from Moscow to Mozambique," said Peter Rudy, the North America director for KE Adventure Travel, a Denver-based outfit that books adventure trips throughout the world. "It's not now."
Even in New York, some shops are encouraging payment in foreign currency. A recent article in The Villager, a Manhattan neighborhood newspaper, noted that East Village Wines, a liquor store at 138 First Ave., accepts payments in euros as well as dollars.


more info->Charlotte Observer 02/10/2008 Dollar's despair raises costs overseas
eds note: I don't like this, I planning a tour to Vietnam at year end with a group of photographers. I don't need my dollars shrinking in Hanoi

Asia licks its lips over Year of the Rat - Times Online

Asia licks its lips over Year of the Rat
Michael Sheridan, Bangkok
PARTLY thanks to a Vietnamese ban on eating cats, the arrival of the Year of the Rat last week has been greeted with more than usual relish across Asia.
The rat is not just an astrological symbol of the lunar new year. It is also a delicacy from China through southeast Asia to Vietnam, where the cat ban was introduced in 1998 to help control rodent numbers.
Long a snack for peasants, rat has cornered a market among the sort of consumer who may also enjoy dog, fox, snake, tiger and squirrel, all of which are regularly served on Asian dining tables.
For those who swear by a nice plump rodent, it can be prepared in an infinite variety of recipes.
In Guangdong, a province of southern China, rat may be stir-fried with green peppers or stewed with lotus seeds. In the provincial capital, Guangzhou, local people enjoy rat hotpots in the chilly winter months and gently steamed rat with lemon in the summer.
One restaurant proclaims the merits of rat as a health food, rich in vitamins and minerals. The rat’s liver, gall bladder, brain, eyes, skin and saliva were all recommended.
In 2003, when the gourmets of Guangdong found that many wild animals had vanished from the menu because of fears that they harboured the respiratory disease Sars, one restaurant in the city of Zhuhai was serving more than 100 rodents a day.
Last year there was a plague of rats in central China after engineers at the Three Gorges dam released water that sent some 2 billion rodents fleeing. Many ended up on the dining tables of Guangzhou, netting a tidy profit for local villagers.
In Hanoi, where the winters are foggy and damp, residents favour a broth containing rat hearts and livers.
In Thailand, where a substantial Sino-Thai community was also celebrating the new year, plump country rats are barbecued and sold at roadside stalls.
“It’s not for me,” said Sombat Weeraworn, a Bangkok taxi driver, “I’ll stick to deep-fried beetles.

ed note: Yeh! and I'll stick to my fish tacos

AFP: Indonesia failing to halt tiger decline: conservationists

Indonesia has failed to stop poaching of endangered Sumatran tigers, with body parts of the big cats for sale at retail outlets on the island they call home, a wildlife group warned Wednesday.
Despite a national law against trade in tiger parts, a survey across 28 towns on Sumatra in 2006 found tiger teeth, claws, skin, whiskers and bones openly for sale, wildlife monitoring group TRAFFIC said in a new report.
The survey estimated that at least 23 tigers were killed to supply the products seen in 10 percent of 326 retail outlets, which included goldsmiths, souvenir and traditional Chinese medicine shops, the British-based group said.
That number was lower than an estimate of 52 tigers killed per year in 1999-2000, Julia Ng, the report's lead author, said in a statement on the report, but added that this was not a positive development.
"Sadly, the decline in availability appears to be due to the dwindling number of tigers left in the wild," she said.
Authorities in the northern Sumatran cities of Medan and Pacur Batu, two main hubs for tiger trading, appeared to have not taken action against illegal traders despite TRAFFIC supplying their details,
more info->AFP: Indonesia failing to halt tiger decline: conservationists

Rice says US disappointed by the pace of change in Cambodia

Rice says US disappointed by the pace of change in Cambodia
WASHINGTON (AP) - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the United States is disappointed about the pace of change in Cambodia.
Rice told lawmakers Wednesday that the U.S. wants to see more progress in that country.
Some 1.7 million Cambodians died under the communist Khmer Rouge in the late 1970s.
Cambodia's U.N.-backed genocide tribunal has five former leaders of the Khmer Rouge in custody awaiting trial.
Corruption in Cambodia is a way of life. Most civil servants earn only about $25 (¤17) a month.

Vietnam to allow foreigners to buy flats_English_Xinhua

Vietnam to allow foreigners to buy flats

HANOI, Feb. 13 -- Some 10,000 foreigners in Vietnam will be, under a pilot scheme worked out by the Vietnamese government, eligible for purchasing flats in the country in the near future, local newspaper New Hanoi reported Wednesday.

Under the scheme slated for being approved by the National Assembly of Vietnam, the country's top legislature, some 10,000 foreigners living and working in Hanoi and southern Ho Chi Minh City will be permitted to buy flats, not villas.

If the pilot scheme proves successful, foreigners in all other Vietnamese localities will be allowed to buy flats. The country's Construction Ministry said foreigners' purchase of villas will be complex because it is much related to land-ownership issues.

According to the ministry, foreigners' demand for flats and villas is very high. Now, 84,000 foreigners are living and working in Vietnam, of whom 1,600 work for diplomatic corps, 24,000 are businesspeople, and the remainders work in other fields.

Vietnam coffee prices hit new high, sales slow - Global Markets-Markets-The Economic Times

Vietnam coffee prices hit new high
HANOI: Vietnamese coffee prices rose to a new high of $2.05 per kg of beans on Tuesday, prompting farmers to slow sales even though they have started their new production cycle, traders said.
"The price of around 33,000 dong per kg is already too good so we wish we could sell now but it's been difficult to buy from farmers as they do not sell much," an exporter based in the key growing province of Daklak told the media.

Below Zero in Sapa

Nhan Dan Online - Ice was formed in Sa Pa town in the northern province of Lao Cai yesterday as the temperature there has dropped to below zero degrees Celsius. By this morning, the peaks of the Ham Rong mountain and O Quy Ho Pass were covered with ice. The whole Sa Pa town was shrouded in thick mist.
At 6am this morning, temperature in Sa Pa was at minus 1 degree Celsius. It was even lower on the peak of Ham Rong mountain and O Quy Ho Pass, which are 2,000 metres above sea level.
Ice has also been seen in other mountainous communes in Lao Cai province such as Y Ty and Ngai Thau in Bat Xat district, Pha Long and Cao Son in Muong Khuong district and Lung Phinh and Ta Cu Ty in Bac Ha district.
This is the fourth time Ice has been formed in Lao Cai this winter.
Tourists, including photographers, flocked to Sa Pa to enjoy this spectacular scene.
The low temperature in Lao Cai is forecasted to remain for several more days.
Northern provinces are suffering the longest ever cold spell in history, with the average day temperature ranging between 10-13 degree Celsius.
Starting from January 14, the ongoing cold spell is forecasted to last until February 20 as a stronger cold front is approaching.
Below are some photos taken in Sa Pa at 9am this morning.
By Quoc Hong

Vietnamese student twice honorued in UK

Vietnamese student twice honoured in UK
Vietnamese student Nguyen Chi Hieu was selected the top Economics student by 30 leading universities in the UK after he graduated from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) with top grade in 2007.
This was the second time Mr Hieu had been honoured in the UK during his three-year course at the LSE. In 2004, he won the title of the UK’s top A-level student and a gold medal by the Assessment & Qualifications Alliance (AQA).
In 2006, the Binh Dinh province-born student outstripped thousands of competitors to win the Goldman Sachs Global Leaders Award for the 100 most outstanding second-year students in the world, an annual award by the International Institute of Education (IIE).
“Five years ago, a scholarship from Cambridge Tutors College (CTC) – just like a fortune cookie – brought me to the UK,” Mr Hieu said. He got a full scholarship for a two-year A-level course at the LSE after coming first among 104 pupils who sat for the CTC scholarship tests at the Ho Chi Minh City-based Le Hong Phong High School for Gifted Pupils with an overall score of 70/100.
Although he had to take part-time jobs to support himself, Mr Hieu still topped the list of 330,000 A-level students to earn a LSE scholarship for continued studies.
Last September, he decided to choose Standford University of the US among other prestigious universities like LSE, Cambridge, Columbia and Northwester to follow a five-year PhD Economics course also under a full scholarship worth US $375,000. He planned to specialise in finance after completing his PhD degree.
Talking about his key to success, Mr Hieu said he always balances the amounts of time for study and other activities. “Charity activities and community development projects, while making my student life more interesting, have helped me have opportunities to travel to many places and get acquainted with many friends as well as become more independent and grown-up,” he said.
Hieu’s friends admire him not only for his outstanding achivements in study but also for his other talents as a music show director, a singer, a piano player and an MC. (VNA)

Nhan Dan --- Culture

Hotels, resorts to pay musical copyright fees
Hotels and resorts which are members of the Viet Nam Association of Foreign-Invested Enterprises will now pay copyright fee for songs and musical pieces they use in line with a recent contract.
The contract, which was signed by the association and the Viet Nam Centre for the Protection of Musical Copyright in Ha Noi on January 23, takes effect as of October 1, 2007 and expires on September 30, 2010.
Under the contract, 58 hotels, resorts and guest houses will pay an annual fee of 90,000 VND a room.
Rooms subject to the fee include accommodation rooms, restaurants, lobbies, fitness centres and swimming pools. Karaoke rooms, dance halls and retail stores are not required to pay the fee. (VNA)

Vietnam Electronics 2008 - Your Gateway to the Booming Vietnam Electronics Market

International Exhibition in Vietnam on Electronics Products 2008 (Vietnam Electronics 2008) will be held in HoChiMinh City, SR Vietnam during 26-29 November 2008.

With a population of 82.2 million, a fast growing economy – Vietnam, demonstrates itself as the most promising electronics market in Southeast Asia. Vietnam’s electronic industry targets US$4-6 billion in production value and US$3-5 billion in export turnover by 2010. By 2020, the electronics industry would become a chief driver of the nation’s economic development. IT hardware production in Vietnam is becoming more attractive to foreign investors. For example, the world’s leading computer processor manufacturer announced to build the largest assembly and test site in Vietnam that will be operational in 2009 and raise its investment to US$1 billion. Moreover, the Ministry of Finance announced to lower the average import tax on electronic parts from 9.41% to 6.36% in accordance with commitments made under ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) agreement, which would encourage the import of electronic components and the assembly of the computers within the country. Duty on complete built unit electronic products, which have a local content of at least 40%, from ASEAN countries have been reduced down to between 0-5% from the previous 20-30%, that would have impacts on local production protection. Vietnam’s admission into the World Trade Organization (WTO) since January 2007 provides an important boost to the economy and ensures the continuation of free-market reforms followed by new opportunities for companies both locally and abroad.


more info->Vietnam Electronics 2008 - Your Gateway to the Booming Vietnam Electronics Market

Researcger sats gov't cares about public opinion

Researcher says gov’t cares about public opinion
Head of the Public Opinion Research Institute Dr. Pham Chien Khu says that the government is taking his agency’s surveys into greater consideration.
Thanh Nien: How does your institute go about collecting public opinion?
Pham Chien Khu: We use two key information channels. The first is a network of freelance surveyors that report to central and local agencies and authorities throughout the country.
The information is then reported to us.
However, freelance reporting to authorities is often disproportionately positive.
We then also have a network of direct surveyors who report facts only to the institute.
We also keep tabs on the press, an important channel.
These channels help us create weekly and monthly reports and carry out special investigations, which are then reported to the government and responsible agencies.
Does the government care about these reports?
As far as I am concerned, government leaders and responsible authorities always read the reports to create proper solutions.
more info->Vietnam latest news - Thanh Nien Daily

Dr. Dang Cat-people's doctor

The people’s doctor
Dr. Dang Cat, a retired army surgeon and infectious disease expert, provides a free check up to a patient
Dr. Dang Cat spends his retirement days providing free medical treatment for those too poor to pay, riding a nearly 40-year-old bike across Hanoi and surrounding provinces each day.
As a chief army doctor through Vietnam’s wars with the French and the Americans, Cat was one of the nation’s top surgeons and infectious diseases experts.
Before retiring in 1989, Cat also worked as chief doctor of the Son La Province’s Armed Police along the Chinese border.
Born in Nam Dinh Province south east of Hanoi, Cat studied medicine with his father and worked as a volunteer army nurse through 30 years of war.
After a third of a century treating soldiers on the battlefield, Cat discovered a new calling post-retirement when he realized that most people did not have access to decent health care.
“Hospitals are a nightmare for poor people,” he says.
“The poor can’t afford private medical work and aren’t being treated well even with health insurance.
“That’s why I vow to continue treating poor patients for the rest of my days.”
Carrying a medical supply kit around his neck, Cat usually visits between 15 and 20 patients a day, often taking his bike on long bus rides out to the provinces.
After diagnosis, he visits his patients daily to ensure that treatment is going as planned.
If the patients require surgery or must be put through advanced medical examinations, Cat helps them deal with hospital procedures, which can be slow, bureaucratic and confusing.
Cat has also taken it upon himself to care for patients that hospitals have given up on.
One such patient, a pregnant woman with a narrow heart valve, was unable to be treated at Bach Mai General Hospital.
But Cat took her as a patient and worked with her for over six months, riding his bike to her house every-day.
Thanks to his care, she delivered a healthy baby.
“Crazy old man”
Cat often spends his entire monthly pension on those who can’t afford medicine.
The doctor has also refused every penny that has ever been offered for his services since retirement.
His neighbors in Hanoi’s Tay Ho District call him “the crazy old man.”
“I tell my patients not to waste any of their money on me. I’m happy as long as they feel well,” Cat says.
His wife remembers one time she reluctantly accepted a bottle of wine from a patient.
Cat then asked his wife to return the present the next day.
In another case, Cat refused VND50 million in payment.
Instead he asked for a box of chocolates and gave it to a child patient who “was too poor and would love to taste a chocolate bar,” he says.
Residents from several Northern provinces, including Vinh Phuc, Hung Yen and Bac Ninh, regularly travel to the doctor’s house asking to be cured.
“At this point I am pretty much satisfied with my life as my three children are grown up and have their own lives. Since living in the army, I’ve never had the desire for material things,” he says.
“I’ll go anywhere there is sickness until I pass away.”
Source: Tuoi Tre

Hon Da Bac Island

Silver stone island the spot for oysters
Fishermen work in a cove among Hon Da Bac’s granite rock formations
Known colloquially as “the silver stone,” Hon Da Bac Island has gained a reputation as southern Vietnam’s spot for do-it-yourself oysters as visitors have a chance to dive for their own shellfish.
The 180-million-year-old East Sea island off the coast of Ca Mau Province got its name from the shiny granite rock formations that make its shore sparkle in the sunlight.
Hon Da Bac has one of southern Vietnam’s best seafood restaurants, which specializes in bird’s nest dishes and its trademark oysters.
Travelers have the opportunity to fish out their own oysters.
Visitors dive 1-3m deep to reach the mollusks and use mallets to loosen the oysters from their beds.
It is said that the oysters in Hon Da Bac are the most wholesome and delicious in the country.
Hon Da Bac is also home to several unique tourist attractions, such as a temple that houses a giant whale’s skeleton placed on an altar for worship.
The island’s Hung Tue pagoda attracts Buddhist pilgrims and other visitors for worship every full-moon.
Each year, the Fish Worship Festival takes over the island on the 23rd of the fifth lunar month.
Tourism on the island has become popular enough that the Ca Mau Municipal Travel and Service Company has built a road around the island to facilitate tours.
Many popular legends are set on the island, including stories of whales saving people, as well as a tale about a mystic lagoon where fairies go to bathe.
From the provincial capital of Ca Mau, it takes one and a half hours by motorbike to travel the 60 km to the island, which is linked to the mainland by a bridge.
Travelers can also reach Hon Da Bac by canoe or ferry.
Local hotels or guesthouses offer rooms for around VND200,000 (US$12.40) a night.
Reported by Diem Thu

Overseas Vietnamese supports poor in Mekong Delta

Overseas Vietnamese supports poor in Mekong Delta
Expat Hoang Kieu giving gifts to people in Tien Giang
More than 40 tons of rice and gifts worth a total of nearly VND500 million (US$31,000) have been distributed to the poor in the southern province of Tien Giang.
The donation was made by an overseas Vietnamese, Hoang Kieu, who returned home for business two years ago.
The gifts were handed over by 2007 Miss Vietnam, Mai Phuong Thuy, and 2006 Miss Ao Dai Mekong Delta, Than Hoang Dieu, whom Kieu had requested accompany him.
Kieu, head of agricultural import company RAAS, has participated in many charity programs including supporting flood victims, building houses and helping poor people around the country to develop production.
Reported by Vo Khoi

Vietnamese American educator returns home to teach

Vietnamese American educator returns home to teach

Natalie Hong Nga in a class at American International School (AIS) in HCMC
One of five Vietnamese American teachers at HCMC’s American International School, Hong Nga Natalie Thi Pham says she has a dream of educating global citizens in Vietnam.
Natalie Hong Nga’s educational philosophy is to make students active participants in the learning process.
“That means students don’t simply do what their teachers tell them to do, but actively take part in all learning activities,” says 25-year-old Natalie, who is now Deputy Director of Academics at the American International School (AIS).
Established one year ago, AIS offers primary and secondary education programs and was the first one of its kind in Vietnam to follow an American curriculum.
AIS’s chief executive Phan Ha Thuy said the five Vietnamese American teachers including Natalie embody a “simple dream” shared by many second generation Vietnamese Americans.
“Born and growing up in the US, they have all left their comfortable jobs there to come to Vietnam to introduce the American education model,” Thuy said.
Natalie first came to this country in the summer of 1998, and fell in love with it during her short stay.
“I felt like returning to my beloved home, though none of my relatives live here,” she recalls.
After traveling all over the country, living among Vietnamese families, getting to know them and their way of life, Natalie said she returned to the states with a resolution to work here.
more info->Vietnam latest news - Thanh Nien Daily

Vietnam moving towards a more open aviation market

Vietnam moving towards a more open aviation marketWednesday, February 13, 2008
In a move to open up Vietnam’s aviation market, the Vietnamese government has given the green light to the nation’s first private airline, VietJet, according to a report by VietNamNet Bridge.
Set to commence operations in November, VietJet will fly on popular domestic routes linking Ho Chi Minh City, Ha Noi and Da Nang as well as international air routes to Singapore and Thailand. The new airline is set to win over substantial market share from rivals, Vietnam Airlines and Pacific Airlines.
“We will establish a partnership for mutual development with the aviation community in the Vietnamese market in order to ensure customers’ highest benefit,” said Robert Hughes, Managing Director of VietJet.
According to the Minister of Transport and Communication, Ho Nghia Dung, the establishment of new aviation firms is crucial to Vietnam’s aviation market in that it will stimulate competition in the face of rising demand. In the last five years, Vietnam’s aviation sector has grown 15 percent annually. The industry’s growth rate even tipped the 20 percent mark last year. Meanwhile, Vietnam Airlines General Director Pham Ngoc Minh told VietNamNet Bridge that there was plenty of room in the market for other airlines. However, the Vietnam Aviation Department believes that realistically, the government will only provide approval to another two or three airlines in the next few years.

Independent Catholic News

HANOI - 13 February 2008 - 410 words
Vietnam: authorities ban New Year Mass
Catholics in Ia Grai, a district in Central Highlands of Vietnam, could not have Mass on the first day of the Lunar New Year, known as Tet, after Bùi Minh Sen, the chairman of local People's Committee, threatened legal action against the clergy and faithful.
The official said that Tat was not a Catholic festival and so they needed to apply for special permission for the Mass.
In their petitions, Ia Grai Catholics stated that for Vietnamese Catholics, it is a tradition to dedicate the first days of the new year to Christ and Virgin Mary through public gatherings where the congregation can attend Eucharist or other worship services, receive sacraments, exchange new year greetings and receive blessings from their priests.
Responding tothe petitions Sen insisted that has Tet was not a Catholic Holy Day of Obligation, Mass on Tet would violates "the State law and Ordinance on Religion and Belief". In the ordinance No 34/UBND-DTTG, dated 4th February, Sen ordered security forces to arrest anyone gathering to celebrate Tet according to Catholic rite.
The Church's normal activities, involving travel, holding meetings, developing new pastoral initiatives, are all subjected to approval by the civil authorities.
According to the "State law and Ordinance on Religion and Belief", every year Catholic pastors need to submit to local authorities the list of Masses that they are going to celebrate during the coming year. Some of them may be disapproved. In these cases, the priest violates the law if he risks saying them - even with a smaller congregation.
With the introduction to open market, the gradual opening to the West, especially to the United States, beginning with the lifting of the US trade embargo in February 1994, the normalization of relations in July 1995, and the accession into WTO in November 2006; there has been a number of positive developments in religious liberty. Also, the situation of the Church in Vietnam was improved due in good part to the persistent efforts of the Holy See to maintain an official dialogue with the authorities, including a more or less annual visit to Vietnam of a Vatican delegation.
However, there can be no denying that religious freedom is still severely limited in today's Vietnam. Local governments are still pursuing policies of religious persecution for the ethnic minorities, especially the Montagnards in the Central Highlands, and the Thai, Hmong and Muong in the Northern Mountains.
JB An Dang
© Independent Catholic News 2008

Vietnam to build longest undersea electric cable_English_Xinhua

Vietnam to build longest undersea electric cable
HANOI, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam will invest some 81.3 million U.S. dollars to construct its longest undersea electric cable route to supply electricity to its biggest island in the near future, according to local newspaper Young People on Tuesday.
The cable route, with expected length of over 50 km linking the mainland with Phu Quoc island district, Kien Giang province, is scheduled to become operational by 2010. The island currently uses electricity generated by diesel oil.
Vietnam has decided to turn Phu Quoc into a major tourist destination with an international airport, a seaport and various entertainment facilities by 2020.
Under a recent governmental decision, it will gradually have modern infrastructure and services, including national power grids, adventure tours, mountain climbing, relaxation, golf playing, and dog and horse racing.
In 2020, Phu Quoc will have 18,000 hotel rooms, 60-70 percent of which belong to hotels of between three and five stars, and reap total tourism revenues of some 771 million dollars. In 2020, it is expected to host 2-3 million tourists with foreign ones accounting for 35-40 percent.
Editor: Bi Ming

Beauty

Defining beauty may simply be a waist of time
by Huu Ngoc
Beauty, as defined by Kant, is what pleases "universally" though not intellectually justified. To me, there’re no fixed norms for beauty; they varies from one culture to another, and through time.
Early in the nineteenth century, Vietnamese poet Nguyen Du laid down the canon for feminine beauty: Mai cot cach (a profile with the graciousness of an apricot tree), tuyet tinh than (a complexion as pure and white as snow), khuon trang day dan (a face like the full moon), net ngai no nang (brows curved like silkworms), hoa cuoi (a smile that vies with flowers), ngoc thot (a crystal-clear voice), may thua nuoc toc (hair that outshines clouds), tuyet nhuong mau da (skin that is softer than snow).
more info->Viet Nam News

Vietnames Photo Club/Websites

’Net gives camera bugs a new playground
by Linh Ha
With the development of the Internet, more and more Vietnamese photographers, professional and amateur alike, now know better ways to share their hobby with others though online communities specifically for photography-lovers.
At first, "playing photos online" was just an idea tossed around between people who share the same hobby.
Today, there are about 20 Vietnamese websites about photography. Some of them run like online newspapers with photo galleries and comprehensive information sources about photography, such as: www.nghethuatnhiepanh.com; www.photoworld.com.vn; www.vnphoto.net; and www.photo.com.vn. There are also smaller forums on photography included big forums like Nghe Thuat Nhiep Anh (Photography Art) at www.ttvnol.com and www.hanoicorner.com.
Members of these forums vary from amateurs to professional photographers and journalists.
Photo.com.vn, which just came on-line a year ago, now has 19,000 members, the biggest number for Vietnamese websites on photography. Also quite new is www.photoworld.com.vn, which has attracted more than 2,000 members, including many famous professionals.
The number of members are increasing day by day
more info-Viet Nam News
ed note: I've been a member of Photo.Vn since it started in Sept 05. I've referred many photographer to my friends at Photo.Vn. If you visit Hanoi, they will take you on day of photography and adventure. Longpt or Le Bich are the best contacts. Be sure to mention Mr. Chuck

Vietnam mulls house ownership regulations

Vietnam mulls broadening house ownership regulations for diaspora
The Ministry of Construction has delivered amendments to housing requirements for overseas Vietnamese to the government for approval in a bid to help more expats become eligible to buy houses in the country.
Under the current directive, Vietnamese expats belonging to other nationalities who are eligible to buy unlimited amounts of residences include those who have received permission to return and live in the country, investors, cultural and scientific experts, and individuals who have contributed to the country.
Nguyen Manh Ha, head of the House Management Bureau under the ministry, said that according to the new amendments, an overseas Vietnamese who still retains Vietnamese nationality is also allowed to purchase houses without limitations on quantity.
All other overseas Vietnamese who are of Vietnamese origin are permitted to own one house each.
To verify proof of Vietnamese origin, the individual can show documents certified by overseas diplomatic agencies, such as a passport, ascertaining origin of birth, Ha said.
Overseas Vietnamese can also present their own personal identification issued by the Vietnamese government, or those of their parents, confirming that they are Vietnamese by birth, Ha added.
Under the submitted amendments, realty businesses can sell houses to qualified candidates after giving them copies of building project certificates or building investment licenses – instead of house ownership certificates as before – along with land use right certificates.
To date, only 137 Vietnamese expats have attained eligibility to purchase houses in the country, with most acquisitions located in Ho Chi Minh City, the House Management Bureau reported.
Red tape hurdles
The government opened the domestic housing market to overseas Vietnamese in 2001.
However, many have complained about the restricted regulations, even with subsequent amendments passed, resulting in few residential purchases.
The root cause of the problem has been attributed to dated regulations that still govern house procurement transactions for Vietnamese expats.
Though the government amended the directive in October 2006, stipulating that Vietnamese expats residing in Vietnam for more than six months would be allowed to buy houses, the situation has shown little signs of improvement.
Concerned agencies reported that they faced much difficulty due to the lack of government issued documents guiding the specification of the appropriate residential period in Vietnam for expatriates, resulting in the failure to implement the amended directive.
Hence, despite the issuance of the directive, Vietnamese agencies still adhere to the original regulations when dealing with applications of house purchase of overseas Vietnamese.
Source: Tuoi Tre
more info->Vietnam latest news - Thanh Nien Daily

Khmer pagodas of the Mekong Delta

Khmer pagodas of the Mekong Delta
A Khmer Buddhist festival at the Xiem Can Pagoda
Seven kilometers southeast of Bac Lieu Town in the province of the same name is Xiem Can, a century-old pagoda with unique architecture and festivals that is at the center of Khmer Buddhist culture.
It has a stupa containing the ashes of monks, monks’ living quarters, and other small temples.
The pagoda also boasts a multi-layered roof and a pointed top that adds to its height and solemnity.
Inside the sanctum, the Great Buddha statues in various poses and sizes represent the Buddha’s reincarnation in several eras.A Khmer Buddhist festival at the Xiem Can Pagoda
Seven kilometers southeast of Bac Lieu Town in the province of the same name is Xiem Can, a century-old pagoda with unique architecture and festivals that is at the center of Khmer Buddhist culture.
It has a stupa containing the ashes of monks, monks’ living quarters, and other small temples.
The pagoda also boasts a multi-layered roof and a pointed top that adds to its height and solemnity.
Inside the sanctum, the Great Buddha statues in various poses and sizes represent the Buddha’s reincarnation in several eras.
more info->Vietnam latest news - Thanh Nien Daily

Vietnam's First 4D cinema Open HCMC

"Vietnam’s first 4D cinema opens
Vietnam’s first 4D cinema opened Friday in Ho Chi Minh City’s Suoi Tien Theme Park.
The 120-seat ALTA Cine 4D Max Suoi Tien in District 9 consists of a 3D screen with a fourth dimension created by special effects such as a six-channel surround sound system, shakable seats and man-made wind, water, bubbles and snow.
With hi-end technologies installed by US-based Iwerks group, the US$3-million cinema is one of the most modern movie theaters in the Southeast Asian region.
During the Tet holiday the cinema will show a Polish-American film, Legend of White Horse, the story of a romance between Giparang, a warrior, and a beautiful girl named Seonhwa.
Reported by T.Hung"

Vietnam latest news

"Iran seeks stronger fishing, agricultural ties with Vietnam
Iran wants to enhance cooperation with Vietnam, especially in agriculture and fisheries, Iranian Minister of Agriculture Mohammad Reza Eskandari said Friday.
Eskandari’s comments followed a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem in Hanoi.
The Iranian minister congratulated Vietnam on its recent achievements in national development, which he said would help raise Vietnam’s position in the international arena.
Eskandari, who also met with officials from Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, predicted stronger bilateral agricultural cooperation in future.
Khiem affirmed the Vietnamese government’s support for agreements reached between the two agriculture ministries.
“There remains large potential for bilateral cooperation in agriculture,” the Deputy Prime Minister said, recommending both sides work out their immediate and long-term cooperation goals.
Source: VNA"

Vietnam latest news

Although science has proved leprosy is not contagious, the age-old social stigma associated with the disease remains, leaving sufferers ostracized from the community.
Some patients strive to overcome their adverse circumstances and achieve happiness.
The source of their strength and motivation often comes directly from their loved ones.
Thanh Nien uncovered many inspirational stories at the Phu Binh leprosy treatment center in the northern mountainous province of Thai Nguyen.
Love
Pham Sy Thuong, 74, is one of the most senior patients at the center, admitted in 1960.
Despite his misfortunes, Thuong still hopes for a happy life for himself and his family.
Thuong’s life turned around in 1974 when he met Vu Thi Tai, who had been transferred to the Phu Binh center from another facility in north-ern Nghe An Province.
The couple grew close, fell in love and married the same year.
The center management supported the match and allotted them a small room and a modest income.
The pair grew vegetables and raised chickens to make ends meet.
“When I learned about my leprosy,I thought it would be the end of my life,” Thuong said.
“The love of my wife, however, rekindled my confidence. I also owe my happiness to the great support from the state and the center’s management in this regard.”
The marriage of another couple with leprosy, Chu Van Chuong and Hoang Thi Mui, encountered an early setback.
After tying the knot in 1984, Chuong and Mui decided a year later to try to have a baby, defying the center’s ban on leprosy patients having children

more info->Vietnam latest news - Thanh Nien Daily

San Jose Mercury News - Dispute colors Tet celebration

Dispute colors Tet celebration
'LITTLE SAIGON' ADVOCATES MARCH IN TET CELEBRATION
By Leslie Griffy and Joshua MolinaMercury News
Article Launched: 02/11/2008 01:32:24 AM PST
Multimedia
See video from the event, where Far East Dragon Dancers performed

Celebration of Tet, the Vietnamese New Year, is supposed to be about forgiveness and a new beginning. But for thousands of Vietnamese-Americans in San Jose on Sunday, the fractious politics of "Little Saigon" pervaded the New Year's cheer.
The 11th annual Vietnamese Spring Festival and Parade downtown featured traditional participants - marching bands, dancing dragons, scout troops. But the loudest group was a band of immigrants pushing the idea of calling a stretch of Vietnamese stores on Story Road Little Saigon.
A crowd stretching nearly two blocks followed a float named Little Saigon, waving signs and chanting. Many on the sidelines joined in.
Nearly three months after the San Jose City Council chose to name the retail area Saigon Business District instead, the fallout from the vote is still reverberating.
The only Vietnamese city councilwoman, Madison Nguyen, wasn't even invited by the parade organizers because of her fierce opposition to the Little Saigon name and support of "Saigon Business District."
more info->San Jose Mercury News - Dispute colors Tet celebration:

CNBC looks at Nike (including its Vietnam operation) - Morning Buzz - San Jose Mercury News Sports blog

By John RyanMonday, February 11th, 2008 at 3:14 pm in General news, Radio/TV.
Last night I reviewed a screener’s copy of “Swoosh! Inside Nike,” CNBC’s one-hour documentary that provides a rare, maybe even unprecedented, look behind the curtain of, as the script says, “what may be the most successful marketing machine in history.” It’s a good program — informative and entertaining to anyone who grew up in Nike’s world, though by no means an expose`.
But my first question concerned what wasn’t there: any mention of the company’s labor situation in Vietnam and other developing nations, which was the subject of so much controversy 10 years ago. A press release sent out last week promised a “comprehensive look” at the issue.
Darren Rovell, the sports business reporter who spearheaded the project, assured me today that the labor situation is a prominent part of the final product, which airs at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The omission from the review copy, he said, was due to a down-to-the-wire editing process.

more info->CNBC looks at Nike (including its Vietnam operation) - Morning Buzz - San Jose Mercury News Sports blog

Coldness causes damages to paddies, cattle in N Vietnam_English_Xinhua

Coldness causes damages to paddies, cattle in N Vietnam
www.chinaview.cn 2008-02-12 16:27:51

HANOI, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- Coldness caused heavy damages to Vietnam's agriculture, according to local newspaper Youth on Tuesday.
Of 125,000 hectares of newly-grown rice in Vietnam's northern region, half have died due to the prolonged spell of cold weather,
Most affected provinces were Thanh Hoa with 27,000 hectares, Nghe An with 10,000 hectares, Phu Tho with 7,500 hectares and Hoa Binh with 3,000 hectares. Local farmers were re-growing rice.
The month-long cold spell, the longest of this kind in the northern region over the past 20 years, has also killed thousands of cattle, the newspaper said.
In the last 29 days, nearly 400 buffaloes, cows and bulls in Lang Son province, and over 700 in Thanh Hoa province have died.
It is forecast that the weather is to become warmer after Feb. 20. During the current cold spell, the temperature has sometimes fallen to below 10 Celsius degrees in many northern localities.
Editor: Bi Mingxin
Coldness causes damages to paddies, cattle in N Vietnam_English_Xinhua

Level of immigrants in U.S. could surpass 19th century mark - International Herald Tribune

By Sam Roberts
Published: February 11, 2008
If present trends continue, within two decades the proportion of immigrants in the United States will surpass the peak reached more than a century ago, a new analysis concludes.
The Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan research group, estimates that sometime between 2020 and 2025, the foreign-born will account for 15 percent of the American population, or more than 1 in 7 residents. They represented about 12 percent of the population in 2005, 14.7 percent in 1910 and about 15 percent in the late 19th century.
Trends further ahead are typically harder to predict. Still, the Pew Center projects that in 2050, 19 percent of Americans will be foreign-born; that the share of Hispanic residents will more than double to 29 percent from 14 percent in 2005; and that the proportion of Asians will almost double, from 5 percent to 9 percent.
The center estimates that the total population will grow to 438 million in 2050, with immigrants accounting for 82 percent, or 117 million, of the increase. But because births in the United States to Hispanic and Asian immigrant parents will play a progressively greater role in population growth, according to the analysis, by 2050 a smaller proportion of both groups will be foreign born in than is the case today.
The native-born Hispanic population, already about 60 percent of all Hispanic residents, would rise to 67 percent in 2050. In 2005, about 58 percent of Asians were foreign born, but by 2050, only 47 percent would be.

The analysis, by Jeffrey Passel and D'Vera Cohn, projects a higher rate of immigration than a number of federal agencies do. But it concludes, as the federal agencies have, that the share of blacks in the population will remain roughly steady - about 13 percent in 2050, compared with 12 percent in 2005 - while the proportion of non-Hispanic whites will shrink below half the population, to 47 percent.
Because the vast wave of baby boomers will be joining the ranks of the elderly, the number of young and elderly compared to the number of working people - the so-called dependency ratio - would rise to 72 per 100 in 2050, compared with 59 per 100 in 2005. The ratio would be even higher in the future, according to the projections, if the rate of immigration slows.
Level of immigrants in U.S. could surpass 19th century mark - International Herald Tribune

Vietnam’s professors - Get up and do something
23:58' 11/02/2008 (GMT+7)
VietNamNet Bridge – When evaluating the intellectual standards of a nation, the number of scientific articles published in international academic journals and respected magazines are considered the top indicator.

Research published in academic journals must go through a strict and rigorous consideration process. The number of published research projects is the number-one standard for promoting professorships at universities and it reflects the scientific productivity of a country.

Research and related publications are usually conducted by post-graduates studying and researching towards earnings Masters or Doctorate level degrees. According to the Vietnam Science and Technology book, by the end of 2003, Vietnam had 2 million college and university graduates, including 14,000 doctors and 20,000 Masters Degree holders; it also had around 6,000 Associate and full-fledged Professors.

The question is how does Vietnam’s scientific productivity rate against other regional countries. To answer this question, we can refer to data provided by the Institute of Scientific Information and Scientific Publications of Vietnam.

Actions speak louder than words – complete silence

Between 1996 and 2005, Vietnamese scientists published 3,456 research projects and results in international scientific magazines. On average, each Associate Professor and Professor of Vietnam published 0.58 scientific articles in 10 years!

In other words, every two professors released just over one article in a decade. Meanwhile, universities in regional countries like Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore set standards or encouraged each professor to have at least one article published in an international scientific magazine every two years. In developed countries, Professors must publish at least one article every two years, otherwise they may lose their job.

Vietnam’s results are modest at best and the lowest in the region. The number of scientific articles published by Vietnamese researchers is equivalent to one fifth that of Thailand (14,494 articles from 1996-2005), one third of Malaysia (9,742), one fourth of Singapore (45,633) and lower than Indonesia and the Phillipines (4,389 and 3,901, respectively).

How about Vietnam’s stronger and weaker research fields? Around one fifth of scientific research is related to biology, compared to 43% in Thailand. Specifically weak fields are the environment (4%), economics (2.5%), biotechnology (1.3%) and humanities-social sciences (1.6%).

The number of scientific publications associated with math and physics makes up nearly one fourth of the total number of published articles, compared to just 0.5-4% in neighboring countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

While Vietnamese scientists lack facilities, around 80% of scientific research in Vietnam is conducted in cooperation with foreigners. Only 20% is entirely performed and run by Vietnamese scientists.

However, that ratio is different for different fields, for example only 3% of medicine-biology research is completely implemented by Vietnamese scientists, none of biotechnology, and up to 66% of math, nearly 40% of technology, and 41% of economics.

Quality of scientific research is also questionable. Valuable research is often cited by international scientists who thereby appraise the validity and importance, it is necessary to look at the citing percentage.

Generally, around one fifth of scientific articles from Vietnam have never been quoted on after five years of publication. This is the same situation in Vietnam’s neighboring countries like Thailand (15%), Malaysia (19%), Indonesia (19%), the Philippines (19%) and Singapore (17%).

Analysis shows that locally-conducted research is usually of lower quality than international research. On average, each locally-conducted research publication is cited 3.2 times while it is 11.6 times for international publications.

Call for Reform

The above data points out that Vietnam’s scientific “output” is very modest compared to regional nations, and completely incomparable to the rest of the world.

Vietnam’s scientific research primarily focuses on theoretical fields, for example math and physics, and Vietnam is weak at researching the application of science and specifically, environmental sciences. Meanwhile, as part of its economic development process, Vietnam needs applicable research rather than theoretical.

Additionally, domestic scientific research largely depends on international assistance. International cooperation significantly helps modern scientific achievements but it is better for cooperation if scientific research is conducted with a majority of Vietnamese materials and funding and the results of which will thereby belong to the Vietnamese people.

It is a fact that many Vietnamese scientists take part in research projects with foreign partners, and the results at attributed to the foreign associates.

Vietnam’s investment in sci-tech is very small compared to neighboring countries. In 2006, the country invested $428 million into science and technology, accounting for around 0.17% of GDP.

According to UNESCO, in Southeast Asia, Singapore has the highest investment in science and technology with 2.2% of GDP, equivalent to $30.1 billion, followed by Malaysia 0.5% of GDP or $1.54 billion, Thailand 0.3% of GDP or $1.79 billion. If based on GDP, Vietnam’s investment in science and technology is higher than Indonesia (0.05%) and Philippines (0.12%).

It is absurd that while many research projects lack capital, the State budget for sci-tech activities is not fully utilized. Budget management and distribution in sci-tech activities is now a problem.

It is necessary to consider the number of scientific research projects announced in international scientific magazines as a key standard in promoting professorship. Vietnam still uses local standards to promote professorship. Most Vietnamese doctors don’t have and may never have articles posted in reputable international scientific journals.

According to statistics, up to 70% of doctors in Vietnam don’t do research but assume administrative and management posts. Consequently, though Vietnam has up to 14,000 doctors and 6,000 professors, its scientific productivity doesn’t even compare to neighboring countries, let alone the rest of the world.

It is said that scientific research in Vietnam is lagging behind economic development. To deal with this, the State needs to reform the scientific management system immediately, or suffer the consequences.

Bulgaria imports labourers from Vietnam

Bulgaria imports labourers from Vietnam
16:40 Mon 11 Feb 2008 - Nunzia Castravelli

Bulgarian emigration to western Europe had caused a decrease in available workers, forcing employers to look for workers in Asia, Italian Osservatoriobalcani said.
Many companies, especially in the textile industry, were searching for workers in Asia, but also in Moldova, Macedonia and Serbia. Salaries offered were about 250 leva.
Later this year, about 500 workers from Hanoi and Vietnam were expected to arrive in Bulgaria, Osservatoriobalcani said.
According to the Bulgarian Association of Textile Producers and Importers the textile industry employs 163 000 workers. However, after joining the EU in January 2007, Bulgarian workers have been looking for better paid jobs abroad.
In Rousse, for example, people preferred to cross the border and work in Romania where the salaries were higher, or leave for western Europe, Osservatoriobalcani said. This prompted companies to start recruiting workers from as far away as Vietnam.