Life without water

Hanoi (VNA) - As of 2020, 11 percent of Vietnam’s population had taken out life insurance , heard a recent symposium in Ho Chi Minh City. According to Ngo Trung Dung, Deputy Secretary General of the Insurance Association of Vietnam , the figure is set to rise to 15 percent by 2025. Revenue from insurance premiums was 186.22 trillion VND (8 billion USD) in 2020, up 16.5 percent year-on-year. Of this, 130.55 trillion VND came from life insurance premiums , a rise of 22 percent. Insurers paid out 47.03 trillion VND in claims during the year, Dung said. He noted that the insurance sector is forecast to experience significant change over the next decade, adding that given the fierce competition, insurance companies should embark on digital transformation ./. VNA …

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Illustrative photo (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – A workshop on opportunities, challenges and solutions to promote the participation of people with disabilities in politics was held in Hanoi on April 15. Co-organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Vietnam and the Centre for Education Promotion and Empowerment of Women ( CEPEW ), the event aimed at enhancing the right to political engagement of people with disabilities in Vietnam where is home to more than 6 million disabled persons. Speaking at the workshop, Diana Torres , UNDP Assistant Resident Representative in Vietnam, said there will be a political gap between non-disabled and disabled people unless the community joins hands to promote equality and empower people with disabilities on political platforms. Without their voices in agencies under the National Assembly and People’s Councils, the people with disabilities will find it difficult to really integrate into society, she added. Le Ngoc Hoan, a member of the Blind Association of Lang Son province, who is a self-nominated candidate for the election of deputies to the 15th  National Assembly, said people with disabilities need representative voices in the law-making body so that their legitimate aspirations and needs will be heard. According to a quick assessment of the group’s readiness for political involvement as candidates in the elections of deputies to the National Assembly and all-level People’s Councils, 92 percent of people surveyed hoped to have disabled deputies and 63 percent said they are ready for self-nomination to the elections in the next five years. The assessment, jointly conducted by the UNDP Vietnam and the Norwegian Embassy in Vietnam, was released as part of the workshop. It showed three challenges facing the group in elections – feeling unconfident in the possibility of success, lacking knowledge on self-nomination and campaigning, and distrusting that the community will vote for people …

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HCM CITY — It’s my custom to sip a cup of white coffee on a sunny balcony to start a new day. On a recent afternoon, I wondered how long it had been since I travelled with my family as I grabbed my favourite book The Good Girl’s Guide to Getting Lost . Because of my full schedule and the COVID-19 pandemic, I hadn't been able to take a trip to far-off places, so I thought I could travel to my hometown. If you are in a similar situation, a trip to Tây Ninh may just inspire your wanderlust. Because it is only 100 kilometres from HCM City to the northwest, following National Route 22, you might want to travel by motorbike. Being able to control the bike on the open road and feeling the wind blowing on your skin can be a wonderful experience. For our trip, we left HCM City at 5am and drove for more than one hour to Trảng Bàng Town by motorbike. The town is famous for Trảng Bàng rice noodle soup ( bánh canh Trảng Bàng ) and Trảng Bàng dew-wetted rice paper rolls ( bánh tráng phơi sương ) served with boiled pork, local herbs and fish sauce. We stopped to sample the dishes. The rice noodle soup combines the softness and fragrance of Trảng Bàng rice with the sweetness of the broth, made by boiling pork bones, carrots, and straw mushrooms in water. Cooks have their own way to season the rice flour, which gives noodles a special taste. The dish is more flavourful with lemon juice, fish sauce and sliced chilies. Some chopped coriander and scallions are also indispensable. For fans of vegetables and herbs, don’t skip the Trảng Bàng dew-wetted rice paper rolls. The fresh local herbs, sweet and sour fish sauce, salty dew-wetted rice paper and softness of the boiled pork all make a nutritious and healthy meal. The ingredients are rolled up in rice paper and then dipped it into the special fish sauce. A portion of Trảng Bàng dew-wetted rice paper roll includes dew-wetted rice paper, boiled pork, local herbs, pickles, cucumbers, bean sprouts, and sweet and sour …

[Read more...] about Getting lost in Tây Ninh: ancient towers, fantastical temples, and a cable-car trip up Bà Đen Mountain