VietNamNet Bridge – HCM City art troupes and cultural centres will offer several shows to celebrate the annual Buddhist holiday of Vu Lan, an event that eulogises motherly love, held annually in the seventh month of the lunar calendar.  Young and respectful: Cai luong artists of HCM City will perform for free during Vu Lan, the annual Buddhist event that eulogises motherly love, held in the seventh month of the lunar calendar. —Photo.dienanh&sankhau.vn Most of the shows will begin this weekend and continue until the mid-September.      District 9’s Suoi Tien Tourist Park will launch a programme called Vu Lan Bao Hieu (Showing Gratitude in Vu Lan) featuring culinary parties and stage plays that highlight people’s gratitude to and appreciation of their mothers. Cai luong (reformed theatre) stars like Vo … [Read more...]

VietNamNet Bridge – Luu Binh Nhuong, a permanent member of the National Assembly Committee for Social Affairs, speaks to the newspaper The gioi & Viet Nam (the World & Viet Nam) about the imperative to train highly skilled workers. Luu Binh Nhuong How do you evaluate the labour quality of Vietnamese workers compared with their peers in other ASEAN states? At present our labour force is rather strong with 54 million people. We are strong at assembling, electronics, garments, leather shoes and household equipment for export. But this is also an indication that Viet Nam does not have expertise in producing high-quality products. Another weak point is that there is still a mismatch between supply and demand in our labour structure. In addition, there is a disparity between the number of technicians and experts … [Read more...]

Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan was speaking at the 11th meeting of the city’s Party Organisation (10th tenure) on August 18. He highlighted the significance of the event as it is a time to evaluate the implementation of the Resolution adopted at the 10th Congress of the municipal Party Organisation as well as seek solutions to fuel economic growth. The city will map out three detailed plans to realise three resolutions on economy approved at the fifth plenary meeting of the 12th Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee from now to the year’s end, he said. Besides achievements over the past five years, HCM City needs to address some shortcomings in economic growth and infrastructure development, he added. During the two-day conference, participants will discuss a project building HCM City into a smart city in 2017-2020, with a vision to 2025 and hear reports on developing private economies, … [Read more...]

Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan was speaking at the 11th meeting of the city’s Party Organisation (10th tenure) on August 18. He highlighted the significance of the event as it is a time to evaluate the implementation of the Resolution adopted at the 10th Congress of the municipal Party Organisation as well as seek solutions to fuel economic growth. The city will map out three detailed plans to realise three resolutions on economy approved at the fifth plenary meeting of the 12th Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee from now to the year’s end, he said. Besides achievements over the past five years, HCM City needs to address some shortcomings in economic growth and infrastructure development, he added. During the two-day conference, participants will discuss a project building HCM City into a smart city in 2017-2020, with a vision to 2025 and hear reports on developing private economies, … [Read more...]

VietNamNet Bridge - With value of $118 billion in 2016 and $180 billion projected for 2020, Vietnam is listed among the world’s 30 most attractive retail markets.  Many investors are entering the retail market, including Son Kim, an underwear manufacturer, to open convenience store chains, competing against big chains like 7-Eleven, Vinmart and Circle K. Yonhap has reported that South Korean GS Retail has signed a contract with Vietnamese Son Kim Group to set up a joint venture to develop the GS25 chain in Vietnam, expected to include 2,500 shops in the next 10 years. The first shop will open this year in HCM City. The press release of the South Korean retail giant said it received invitations from many countries, including China and South East Asia, for franchise contracts. However, it came to a conclusion that Vietnam has the greatest potential. Business Korea quoted a source from GS Retail as saying that GS Retail … [Read more...]

VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam News reporter Hoang Anh talks to Chuck Searcy, Vice President of Project RENEW and Co-chair of the Agent Orange Working Group. Chuck Searcy, Vice President of Project RENEW and Co-chair of the Agent Orange Working Group. — Photo pbs.org When did you come to Viet Nam and what motivated your decision? The first time I came to Viet Nam was in 1967, as a 20-year-old soldier in the US Army. The year I spent in the war had a profound impact on me. That experience made me hate war. I saw the lies used by the US government to win support from the American people to continue the war, and I saw the death and destruction, the pain and the sorrow being caused to American families, but especially the terrible and tragic costs to the Vietnamese people. When I left the war zone in 1968, I knew that … [Read more...]

NDO – Leaders of Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, People’s Council, People’s Committee and Vietnam Fatherland Front, on August 19, paid tribute to late President Ton Duc Thang at his Museum in District 1, on the occasion of the 129th anniversary of the leader’s birth (August 20-1888-2017). The delegation was led by Politburo member and Secretary of the City’s Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan. The delegates remembered the great contributions made by late President Ton Duc Thang to the nation’s revolutionary cause. Following the incense offering ceremony, the delegates visited the exhibition themed ’15 years in Con Dao prison’ where the late President was detained. Comrade Ton Duc Thang was born in An Giang province on August 20, 1888, to a family with a rich tradition of patriotism. He joined the patriotic struggle when he was very young and soon became one of the pioneers of the working … [Read more...]

VietNamNet Bridge – In the hot mid-day sun, a boy walking with a big school bag on the street in front of his shop showed signs of suffering from a heat stroke. Moving gesture: Poor students with bikes they received from Le Van Thai. Photo tienphong.vn Le Van Thai, who saw the boy almost everyday, told him to get out of the sun and rest in his small bicycle repair shop for a while. The boy told Thai that he walked a long way to school and back because his parents did not have enough money to buy a bicycle for him. He said his parents had encouraged him to learn, saying they would save enough money to buy him a new bike one day. The boy’s story took Thai on a trip down memory lane. He was born in 1975 in the central province of Quang Ngai. Like many children in the countryside, apart from his studies, Thai had to … [Read more...]

NDO/VNA – Officials from the member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum have highlighted the benefits of establishing competition chapters in free trade agreements (FTAs) and Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs). They gathered at a workshop on FTA Negotiation Skills on Competition of the Committee on Trade and Investment (CTI), which took place in Ho Chi Minh City on August 19, as part of the third APEC Officials Meeting (SOM 3). CTI Chairwoman Marie Sherylyn Aquia stated in her opening remarks that there is a strong relationship between trade and competition policies due to their similarities in objectives. Both trade and competition policies seek to enhance welfare by providing for a more efficient allocation of resources, whether in lowering trade barriers or through promoting competition, she said. The official noted that new, comprehensive economic or trade agreements now feature specific provisions … [Read more...]

NDO/VNA – Officials from the member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum have highlighted the benefits of establishing competition chapters in free trade agreements (FTAs) and Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs). They gathered at a workshop on FTA Negotiation Skills on Competition of the Committee on Trade and Investment (CTI), which took place in Ho Chi Minh City on August 19, as part of the third APEC Officials Meeting (SOM 3). CTI Chairwoman Marie Sherylyn Aquia stated in her opening remarks that there is a strong relationship between trade and competition policies due to their similarities in objectives. Both trade and competition policies seek to enhance welfare by providing for a more efficient allocation of resources, whether in lowering trade barriers or through promoting competition, she said. The official noted that new, comprehensive economic or trade agreements now feature specific provisions … [Read more...]

A court of appeals in Hanoi on Friday upheld the death sentences against two executives from the corruption-hit shipping industry after convicting them of pocketing nearly $12 million in deals made between 2006 and 2008, the latest punishment meted out as the ongoing crackdown on the public sector is widening. At the first trial in February, Giang Kim Dat, the former sales manager of the troubled shipbuilder Vinashinlines, and Tran Van Liem, the company's former CEO, were sentenced to death for stealing more than VND260 billion ($11.65 million) from the company between 2006 and 2008. In February, the firm’s former accountant, Tran Van Khuong, also got a life sentence for abetting the embezzlement, while Dat’s father Giang Van Hien received 12 years in prison for money laundering. Friday's appellate court upheld all these sentences. Dat, Liem and Khuong at the court of appeals on Friday. Hien was absent on health grounds. … [Read more...]

Hanoi has decided to ban taxis and cars from a number of streets during rush hour as part of the city's latest efforts to tackle traffic congestion. Cabs will not be allowed on Mai Xuan Thuong and Hoang Hoa Tham between 6.30 a.m. and 8.30 a.m. and 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. from Mondays to Fridays. They will also be prohibited from crossing Chuong Duong Bridge between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. Every day at the same time, they are not allowed to go into Cau Dien Street (from Nhon Area in Tu Liem District to the downtown), or turn to Pham Van Dong Street from Co Nhue Street and enter Phu Doan Street from Trieu Quoc Dat Street. The ban is applied every day at Mai Dich Roundabout, the intersection of Nguyen Co Thach and Ho Tung Mau streets, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and taxi drivers have been told to follow Pham Hung-Me Tri-Le Quang Dao-Le Duc Tho-Tran Huu Duc-Nguyen Co Thach streets. Except for weekends and holidays, all taxi cabs are forbidden on De La Thanh and Kham Thien streets from 6 … [Read more...]

Soldiers busily assemble tents with wooden floors, lighting and heating in Canada's Quebec province near the U.S. border to temporarily house a surge in asylum seekers from the United States. Children run between rows and rows of the military green tents as their parents line up to speak with immigration officials and file refugee claims. Throughout the day, school buses drop off dozens of people at a time at the makeshift tent city in Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Quebec. They walked across the border with suitcases in hand, before being picked up by federal police who deliver them here. Eventually, the newcomers will be transferred to Montreal or a government facility in Ontario province where officials will help them find more suitable accommodations while their claims are considered. Security prevented media from speaking to any of the tent city residents. Most of the new arrivals are Haitians who face expulsion from the United States at the end of the year. Then, … [Read more...]

NDO/VNA – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Governor of Nakhon Pathom province of Thailand Somchai Witdamrong have agreed to foster the cooperative ties between Nakhon Pathom and Vietnam’s border provinces to enhance road, seaway and aviation connectivity, thereby bringing practical benefits to these localities and the people of both nations. During a working session in Nakhon Pathom on August 18, within the framework of PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s official visit to Thailand, the Vietnamese PM shared his sympathy with Witdamrong over the losses caused by recent floods in the province, believing that the local residents will soon overcome any difficulties and settle into their normal lives. He thanked the provincial administration for creating favourable conditions for 10,000 Vietnamese nationals to stabilise their lives in the province, as well as for the construction of a memorial site dedicated to late President Ho Chi Minh. Witdamrong, … [Read more...]

VietNamNet Bridge – Residents of Van Cu Village in the central province city of Hue have been making rice noodles for some 400 years. But while their livelihoods fared well, their health did not. Rice noodle makers in Van Cu Village in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue have built tanks to filter untreated wastewater from the production process. – Photo baotainguyenmoitruong.vn Although when served on a plate, bun - also known as vermicelli - usually smells delicious, the production process in Van Cu smelled bad for years, the result of wastewater being discharged untreated into ditches along the roads, ponds and fields. Water in the ditches and ponds turned black, and families had to keep their doors and windows shut to keep out the stink. With households investing in advanced machinery for rice noodle … [Read more...]

VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam has a long-standing tradition of venerating teachers as people who provide knowledge and mould future leaders and quality citizens. At a recent meeting held to review the 2016-2017 academic year and set tasks for the 2017-2018 academic year, Minister of Education and Training Phung Xuan Nha admitted that many teachers had failed to meet demands of education reform.   So it was shocking to learn that a position held in the highest esteem in society requires the lowest pass marks in a university entrance exam. As per the latest announcement of cutoff marks released by many pedagogical institutions, high school students virtually failing the entrance exams qualify for admission to become teachers, at just nine out of 30. To say this is shocking would be to put it mildly. Vietnamese … [Read more...]

VietNamNet Bridge – Visitors to Hoc Mo, a wild and charming beach located in the central province of Quang Ngai, can enjoy all sorts of activities, from fishing, to enjoying beautiful views or learning about the culture of the local fishing village. Paradise: Hoc Mo Beach has tranquil and untouched beauty. — Photo thanhnien.vn The beach is part of Sa Huỳnh tourism complex, about four kilometres east of the People’s Committee of Pho Thach Commune; however, it is relatively unknown among tourists, meaning its still has its untouched beauty. To reach Hoc Mo, visitors have to pass through Thanh Duc Bridge and walk on the small village path shaded with bamboo trees, before a wide space suddenly opens at the end of the path. Adventure: … [Read more...]

A peaceful corner of Tien Yen town Tien Yen town on a summer afternoon. The roads and ancient houses had just been washed by a rain shower.  The town contains two types of ancient houses: those built by the Chinese in the early 20th century and those with French architecture. The streets are laid out in a grid pattern, like a chessboard. There are no sidewalks.  The 2-story tube houses are covered with clay roof tiles. The 40-centimeter-thick walls are made of rocks or of bricks made with lime, red soil, and sand, while the ceilings are made of wood.  Each house has a small wooden staircase, a balcony, and a backyard, making the house cool in summer and warm in winter.  Tien Yen’s residents are Kinh - the majority people of Vietnam –as well as Chinese and people of … [Read more...]

Investors at the Vietcombank Securities Ltd. office in Ha Noi. — VNA/VNS Tuan Anh Bank stocks strengthened during Friday’s afternoon trade which rescued the VN-Index from another fall as investor sentiment remained fragile. The benchmark VN-Index on the HCM Stock Exchange edged up 0.18 per cent to close Friday’s session at 768.97 points. It decreased 0.8 per cent on Thursday. Banks led the market rebound with five of seven listed lenders on the southern market advancing. Eximbank (EIB) rose by the daily maximum rate of 7 per cent, settling at 6.6 per cent to VND12,050 a share. BIDV (BID), the third largest listed bank by market value, increased 2.9 per cent, while the two biggest lenders – Vietcombank (VCB) and Vietinbank (CTG) – picked up by less than 1 per cent each. VPBank (VPB) which debuted on Thursday with 1.33 million shares dropped 4.6 per cent at VND37,200 a … [Read more...]

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc addresses the “Viet Nam – Thailand Economic Cooperation Forum” held in Bangkok on Friday. — VNA Photo Thong Nhat Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc expressed his hope that Thai businesses would make the most of co-operation and investment opportunities in Viet Nam, especially in the context of Viet Nam promoting mergers and acquisitions along with the equitisation of State-owned enterprises (SOEs). He made the remarks while addressing the “Viet Nam – Thailand Economic Co-operation Forum” held in Bangkok on Friday. PM Phuc was attending the event as part of his three-day visit to Thailand from August 17-19 at the invitation of Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. The forum, hosted by the Thai Business Association in Viet Nam, Thailand’s Kasikornbank (KBank) in co-operation with the Ministry of Planning and Investment of Viet Nam and the Vietnamese … [Read more...]