Ngo Tu Ngan "The water is fine now," a district official told Tu, a neighbor. Relieved at this official confirmation, Tu, in his 40s, immediately changed the water in his five shrimp farms. "What happened next...," Tu choked on his words as he tried to speak to my father, his face taut and lined. After losing the shrimp, Tu and his family did not have much left and had to sell pieces of land that they'd used to breed shrimp for a living. The day Tu signed the papers to sell the land, he cried. Those tears would never wash away the suffering farmers in the area have had to endure. Tu's sad story happened two years ago in my hometown, a village in the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu where most locals engaged in shrimp aquaculture. Tu was not the sole victim of misinformation, of course. The water sources in my hometown had become badly polluted those days. We'd read in the news that the pollution was caused by factories dumping untreated waste into the local river. But authorities … [Read more...] about Can officials be trusted to make responsible statements during a crisis?
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Former Deputy PM provided poor guidance to loss-making steel project – inspectors
Nation Former Deputy PM provided poor guidance to loss-making steel project - inspectors By Thanh Thom Monday, Dec 9, 2019,19:46 (GMT+7) Former Deputy PM provided poor guidance to loss-making steel project - inspectorsBy Thanh Thom Hoang Trung Hai is seen in his capacity as deputy prime minister of Vietnam. He is now accused of having made mistakes in issuing instructions on a steel-and-iron plant project – PHOTO: VGP HCMC – Former Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai was found to have committed violations and shortcomings in his instructions to a long-suspended, loss-making megaproject managed by State-run Thai Nguyen Iron and Steel Corporation (TISCO). In a statement today, December 9, the Party Central Committee’s Inspection Commission released its official conclusions following its inspection into the irregularities found in TISCO’s phase-two production expansion project. Poor … [Read more...] about Former Deputy PM provided poor guidance to loss-making steel project – inspectors
Experts recommend ways to attract investors during energy crunch
Investment Experts recommend ways to attract investors during energy crunch By Thanh Thom Monday, Dec 9, 2019,10:43 (GMT+7) Experts recommend ways to attract investors during energy crunchBy Thanh Thom Workers install solar panels for the BIM 2 solar power plant in Phuoc Ninh Commune of Thuan Nam District, Ninh Thuan Province, in south-central Vietnam – PHOTO: VNA HCMC – Experts at the Asian Development Bank have recommended various measures to improve the investment environment for private domestic and international investors in the energy sector to avoid the threat to energy security created by inadequate infrastructure due to low private investment. In their working paper, called “Avoiding energy insecurity by promoting private investment – the case of the Vietnamese power sector,” two experts stated that with its high demand for energy, particularly electricity, Vietnam is a … [Read more...] about Experts recommend ways to attract investors during energy crunch
Out of sight…
How about the first time you went to a supermarket in your new country overseas only to discover a favourite food item had a price tag that nearly knocked you off your feet? Or you visited accommodation while apartment hunting that was expensive yet missing what you consider to be basic features? When we move abroad we have to decide which toys, trinkets, and habits we’ll keep in our adoptive country and which we’ll let go. I recently wrote an article about the cost of living for an expat retiree in Vietnam and discovered during research that I was spending money on things out of habit, not need, and that I could save a fair amount by tweaking priorities: How much does it cost an expat retiree to live in Vietnam? - Tuoi Tre... Part of that exercise was a sanity check on where money was going because the cost structure is quite different in Vietnam, so simply converting prices from a foreign currency to Vietnamese dong (VND) only tells part of the story. Some … [Read more...] about Out of sight…
Vietnam’s tech-based xe om industry scrambles for safety in wake of multiple tragedies
Two recent cases of xe om (motorbike taxi) drivers working for Grab in Vietnam being attacked, with one ending in murder, have sent a shockwave through the local ride-hailing community as drivers scramble to find ways to protect themselves on the job. When technology-based ride hailing was first introduced to Vietnam in 2014, drivers rarely gave a second thought to the idea of getting robbed or assaulted during a pick-up. Now, the industry is seeing the dark side of a massive boom – more drivers means more opportunities for criminals to take advantage of unsuspecting drivers, particularly during trips to secluded areas late at night. The October 19 murder of Le Nhat Hao, a student and GrabBike driver, was a wakeup call for local drivers: times are changing and caution can no longer be thrown to the wind. From all walks of life It was only recently that xe om driving made the leap from lower-class employment to side-hustle for university students, manual workers, … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s tech-based xe om industry scrambles for safety in wake of multiple tragedies