During the early days of the Year of the Buffalo, residents of Na Hang Tua Chu, a mountainous village of Mu Cang Chai District in Vietnam's Yen Bai Province, were excited to welcome the very first tourists coming to their hometown. On a concrete road leading to the village, a group of youngsters stood with their motorbikes, waiting to offer guests a ride to visit the villagers’ pride – a fairylike bamboo forest. “Parts of our identity have been nurtured by forests," 27-year-old Lu A Tru, a Hmong ethnic, said about the motivation behind the village’s effort to plant the forest. "By protecting them, we reserve what makes us ourselves." The bamboo forest in Mu Cang Chai District of Yen Bai Province, Vietnam was first planted some six decades ago. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre The evergreen forest, planted some 60 years ago, stretched over an area of one hectare. “Deforestation has to be ended," Tru affirmed. "Elsewhere, bamboo forests are promoted to be tourism attractions. "Why can’t ours?” Lu A Tru stands in Na Hang Tua Chu Village’s proud bamboo forest. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre Motivated by the thought, Tru called the village’s youngsters to join hands forming a cooperative. Their vision was to develop a new livelihood for locals while preserving the bamboo forest. Tru and his teammates built walking lanes and stairs for tourists to access the forest easier. Swings, shacks, and tea tables were also made for them to rest and enjoy nature in the woods. The cooperative pays attention to specific details. Several trash bins are placed along the lanes with friendly reminders of not indiscriminately littering and not climbing up young bamboo plants. Despite being young, Tru has earned respect from his fellow villagers. Since high school graduation, his life has been attached to the paddy fields and maize farms. The man credits his success and motivation to the fact that he abstains from drinking and …
Vietnam tightens grip on internet
‘Voltron’ spin-off comic brings back nostalgic memories, causes copyright concerns in Vietnam
A 27-year-old Vietnamese comic series based loosely on the popular 'Voltron' animated series of the 1980s is getting republished in Vietnam, stirring up excitement among a generation of readers while prompting worries about copyright infringement. Dung si Hesman (Hero Hesman) was a 160-volume comic series by ‘adaption arist’ Hung Lan. It was published for the first time in Vietnam in 1992. The sci-fi adventure superhero comic follows the protagonist, Hesman the robot, as he battles evil forces in the galaxy in a fictional future set in the 23rd century. It was a huge hit among Vietnamese children and youth at a time when entertainment options were scarce in the absence of computer games and the Internet, with its circulation reaching 160,000 copies per volume at times. Many Vietnamese millennials recall queuing up and fighting with other kids at local bookstores to rent the newest volumes of Dung si Hesman when they first got out. Collecting spin-off items were also popular with young Hesman fans at the time. A full collection of 160 'Dung si Hesman' volumes is seen in this photo by Erik Le. The nostalgic comic series is getting republished this summer by the Van Hoc (Literature) Publishing House and distributed by Hanoibooks, using scanned images of the original comic, the publisher and distributor said at a launch event on Sunday. The first five volumes of the reprinted Dung si Hesman have already been available at bookstores nationwide since August. The 2019 version will also run for 160 volumes like the original series, with an expected circulation of 2,000 copies per volume. Its artist, Hung Lan, expressed his hope that the 2019 republication would appeal not only to nostalgic millennials but also to Vietnam’s Gen Z readers. Artist Hung Lan (C) and fans pose for a photo at the launch event of the reprinted ‘Dung si Hesman’ comic. Photo: Mi Ly / Tuoi Tre News of the reprint has caused fresh concerns …
Covid-19 accelerates digital transformation process of Vietnam banking sector
The Hanoitimes - Many banks are on the brink of losing their market shares in case they lag behind in the digitalization process. While Covid-19 is causing severe impacts on the economy as a whole, the pandemic has also served as a driving factor for banks and fintech companies in Vietnam to digitalize their services and take on online payment. Banks are at the brink of losing their market shares in case they lag behind in the digitalization process. Pham Tien Dung, director of the Payment Department under the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV), said recently, there has been a major shift of customers from one bank to another, leaving many on the brink of losing their market shares in case they lag behind in the digitalization process. According to Mr. Dung, in order to promote digital economy, banks should find the quickest way to attract customers to use their online services. And secondly, they have to be satisfied with the service quality offered. In Vietnam, the growth rate of mobile banking is estimated at 200% in recent months, while around 30 million people are using banks' payment system daily. However, customer behavior remains the largest restriction to promote greater usage of online banking services. In this regard, around 81% of credit institutions are working with fintech companies to develop new services. Nguyen Chien Thang, director of BDIV Digital Bank, said before 2010, as customers look to move from cash-based to e-payment with the introduction of debit cards and ATMs, BIDV took advantage of this trend to become Vietnam’s top three banks with the largest number of transaction points. During the Covid-19 pandemic, BIDV recorded 15.5 million transactions per month with an amount of VND11 trillion (US$475.43 million). Technological bottleneck Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) Vu Tien Loc said priorities for the economy in the post-Covid-19 period is digitalization, corporate operation, …
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