Feels like 1999

Tokyo, the most populous city in the world with over 37 million people, has numerous interesting things worth experiencing and lining up to eat Vietnam’s pho in the morning is among the experiences worth a try there. While Italy is famous for pasta, Spain has paella, and ramen is known as a typical Japanese dish, pho is a national dish of Vietnam. Regardless of ages and homelands, it is sure that many Vietnamese people have considered eating pho a habit. The Vietnamese can eat pho at any time of the day. A bowl of rare beef pho with two eggs is preferred in the morning, while chicken pho with finely chopped spring onions is a top choice for lunch. For dinner, it is advised to try pho xao (stir-fried pho ) served with pickles. At night, after leaving drinking parties, Vietnamese people tend to drop in a pho restaurant to enjoy a bowl of pho with beef stew in a red wine sauce served with fried bread sticks. Broth is the soul of the noodle soup and gives … [Read more...] about Queuing up to eat ‘pho’ worth a try in Tokyo

We got married five years ago. I knew from the start of our relationship that she is rather on the practical side while I’m a romantic man, but did not think it would affect our relationship too much. Everything was fine during the first two years of our marriage, when my wife still happily received my gifts. But she has shown her annoyance since she gave birth, and told me that I should have given money to her everytime I gifted her something. I have always spent a lot of time looking for meaningful gifts for her everytime her birthday approaches. I booked a dinner at a restaurant two weeks in advance and bought a bouquet consisting of 99 beautiful roses for her on her birthday last year. I ordered a pot of lavender trees delivered to her company on her birthday this year. All of them were not only meaningful but also not cheap at all, but she did not like any of them. She did not even call or text me saying thank you after receiving the gift this year. When we got home in the … [Read more...] about I got upset with how materialistic my wife is

Flags of China and U.S. are displayed on a printed circuit board with semiconductor chips, in this illustration picture taken February 17, 2023. Photo by Reuters The regulation is the final hurdle before the Biden administration can begin awarding $39 billion in subsidies for semiconductor production. The landmark "Chips and Science" law provides $52.7 billion for U.S. semiconductor production, research and workforce development. The regulation, first proposed in March, sets "guardrails" by limiting recipients of U.S. funding from investing in expanding semiconductor manufacturing in foreign countries of concern like China and Russia, and limits recipients of incentive funds from engaging in joint research or technology licensing efforts with foreign entities of concern. In October 2022, the department issued new export controls to cut China off from certain semiconductor chips made with U.S. equipment in its bid to slow Beijing's technological and military advances. "We … [Read more...] about US finalizes rules to prevent China from benefiting from $52B in chips funding

Researchers have discovered 16 new species of the elusive Loboscelidia, a type of parasitoid wasp, following a recent exploration in Vietnam that also uncovered their unique egg-burying behavior, according to ScienceDaily . The findings by scientists from Kyushu University in Japan and Vietnam’s National Museum of Nature were published in the European Journal of Taxonomy. Loboscelidia wasps are 2-5 mm in body length. The discovery has expanded the global count of the species by 30 percent to 67. While unnoticed by people, the wasps perform a vital function in maintaining the balance of the ecosystem. Assistant Professor Toshiharu Mita and Dr. Yu Hisasue of Kyushu University’s Faculty of Agriculture, together with Dr. Pham Hong Thai of the National Museum of Nature in Vietnam, conducted field surveys at six sites across the Southeast Asian country, setting traps and using nets to capture the tiny parasitoid wasps. On one occasion, they trapped a living female from one of … [Read more...] about 16 strange new parasitoid wasp species discovered in Vietnam

A shrimp festival will be organized in Ca Mau Province, the southern tip of Vietnam, for the first time between December 13 and 16, featuring shrimp-eating and octopus-catching competitions. Such distinctive contests will promisingly please visitors during the fest. Other activities, including a shrimp-drawing contest, a fishery guessing game, and a program of making sea creatures with coconut leaves, will delight revelers. Tran Hieu Hung, director of the Ca Mau Province Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, said on Sunday that the event will also treat visitors to a seafood fest alongside seafood-based contests. The province is planning to invite 42 provinces and cities nationwide to join the festival and exhibit their main products. “The event will feature various cultural spaces and miniatures of seafood, while music shows and art performances will be held during the festival,” Hung said. The fest, which is expected to attract some 10,000 participants, will help … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s southernmost province to delight visitors with shrimp-eating, octopus-catching contests

Decentralization is key for local governments to be able to fulfill their tasks. The draft of the amended Capital Law has raised public concerns about the development of cities within a city. The Hanoi Times has received expert feedback on the issue. Architect Dao Ngoc Nghiem, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Association for Urban Planning and Development: Special mechanism needed for city-within-a-city model Hanoi aims to urbanize five rural districts to make them urban districts by 2025 and two more later. Now, the concept of the city-within-city model is being introduced by urban developers. Previously, there was no city subordinate to a first-tier city. The law stipulated that only a province has its subordinate cities. In 2016, the first city-within-city was established, Thu Duc, a submunicipal unit of Ho Chi Minh City, one of the nation's five first-tier cities. An urban residential area in Hanoi. … [Read more...] about Amended Capital Law to govern the city-within-a-city model

Japanese Crown Prince Fumihito Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko visits Hoi An Ancient Town on September 23. (Photo: VNA) Quang Nam (VNA) – Japanese Crown Prince Fumihito Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko visited Hoi An Ancient Town and My Son Sanctuary - two world cultural heritage sites - in the central province of Quang Nam on September 23-24 as part of their official visit to Vietnam. In Hoi An city, home to Hoi An Ancient Town, the couple made a courtesy call on leaders of Quang Nam province on September 23. Phan Viet Cuong, Secretary of the provincial Party Committee, informed them about the recent cooperation results between Quang Nam and Japanese localities, expressing his hope that the Crown Prince and Crown Princess will continue helping promote the Vietnam - Japan friendship and cooperation as well as Quang Nam’s ties with Japanese partners and localities, Crown Prince Akishino highlighted the special significance of his visit to Vietnam, which is his first … [Read more...] about Japanese Crown Prince, Crown Princess visit world heritage sites in Quang Nam

As the Mid-Autumn Festival is five days away, a busy atmosphere pervades Phu Binh lantern making village, which is now over 50 years old, in District 11, Ho Chi Minh City. Artisans in the village manually make lanterns with various shapes and colors. There are many phases to complete hand-made lanterns, including choosing bamboo trees, cutting bamboo sticks to make frames, painting plastic papers for wrapping the frames, and decorating the lanterns. Artisan Nguyen Trong Thanh said traditional lanterns using candles feature a great cultural value of Vietnamese people. Children and those who are interested in cultural and artistic values still prefer them. Stuffed bunny toys are attached to bamboo lanterns. Nguyen Trong Binh, who has had half a century of experience in making lanterns, said he spent much time restoring traditional lanterns and preserving the craft. Phu Binh’s lanterns have been put up for sale across Vietnam. Luong Nhu Hoc Street, which is … [Read more...] about Lantern village in Ho Chi Minh City busy ahead of Mid-Autumn Festival

In some markets such as the U.S., Singapore and Thailand, sales of the iPhone 15 started on Sept. 22. In markets in the second list, including Vietnam, Apple Store Online and Apple authorized resellers started taking pre-orders iPhone 15 at midnight on Sept. 22. Buyers expected to lay their hands on the device on Sept. 29, but only a small number will since the number of bookings has been enormous. Buyers of iPhone 15 and 15 Plus have to wait until Oct. 3 and of iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max until Oct. 18-25. There was a similar situation at retail outlets. The The Gioi Di Dong (Mobile World) website displayed the message "pre-orders sold out" by 4:00 a.m., and offered a discount for those who order later. But many buyers will have to wait until November for the device. The electronics retailer said some 20,000 customers had made deposits within two hours just like last year when the 256 GB and 512 GB Pro Max models in all colors sold out. The website of a … [Read more...] about Many iPhone 15 versions sell out, huge demand delays deliveries

An investor watching the market's movements on her cellphone at an office of Bảo Việt Securities Company. — VNA/VNS Photo The Vietnamese stock market logged the second straight weekly fall last week, with the VN-Index breaking below the key psychological level of 1,200 points. The bearish trend is expected to extend this week, said experts. On the Hồ Chí Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE), the VN-Index only gained on September 20 and lost for the rest of last week. The index closed the week at 1,193.05 points. Similarly, the HNX-Index on the northern bourse, the Hà Nội Stock Exchange (HNX), experienced the same trend and was last traded at 243.15 points. For the week, both benchmark indices posted a weekly loss, with the former down 2.8 per cent and the latter down 3.8 per cent. Liquidity on the two main exchanges also declined over the previous session. In particular, on HoSE, liquidity slid 11.1 per cent in value to VNĐ118.5 trillion (US$4.86 billion), while it decreased 5.5 per … [Read more...] about Market may continue trading negatively this week: experts