Six tigers, which have been kept by a family in the northern province since 2005, were handed over to the Hanoi Wildlife Rescue Center on Wednesday. Experts from the rescue center had evaluated the health of the tigers two months ago before devising rescue plans. Three male and three female tigers were kept inside five cages, each 3 m high with a total 300 m2 of space. The animals were not tagged with chips. The tigers were lured into cages to protect their rescuers. "It's costly and takes a lot of efforts, but it's the safest way for the tigers to be rescued. Previously, rescuing tigers involved sedating them, but doing so in this hot weather would be risky," said center director Luong Xuan Hong. Nguyen Khac Thuong, who owns the tigers, used chicken as bait to lure the tigers to the backyard, where the cages waited for them. He feeds and cares for the tigers every day. "For nearly 20 … [Read more...] about Endangered tigers rescued in northern Vietnam
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My children won’t lose their Vietnamese roots abroad
My eldest son is 14 years old and has been living in Germany ever since we moved there five years ago. When he first arrived, he did not speak a word of German. Now, he can speak fluent German, Vietnamese and English, as well as conversational Russian. However, I have noticed that he was beginning to have some trouble forming more complicated Vietnamese sentences, and he cannot spell very well in his mother tongue. I try to let him speak at least some conversational Vietnamese at home. I teach him Vietnamese every day, and explain as best I can when he makes mistakes. Nevertheless, my son’s default language is now German. He responds in German during sudden outbursts of emotions. To him, German feels more natural than Vietnamese, which is not surprising, as he uses the language every day at school. Sometimes, he shies away from responding to me in Vietnamese because he does not want to make mistakes and face my language lessons. Admittedly, Vietnamese has its own quirks. We have … [Read more...] about My children won’t lose their Vietnamese roots abroad
Japanese expat group cleans up Hanoi’s Sword Lake
Last Sunday morning, Tohru Ninomiya gathered a group of around 20 people, mostly Japanese and Vietnamese, at Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square beside Sword Lake. After a few minutes of greetings, everybody put on their gloves to walk around the lake and pick up garbage. Ninomiya came to Vietnam 14 years ago and quickly fell in love with Hanoi and Sword Lake, also known as Hoan Kiem Lake. But he was a bit upset by the garbage he saw strewn around the iconic landmark. "The lake would be even more beautiful without all the trash around it," the 74-year-old Japanese man recalled thinking upon his first visit to the lake in the early 2000s. After living and working in Hanoi through 2011, Ninomiya finally decided it was time for him to "do something to thank Vietnam." He thought about his favorite place in town, Sword Lake, and asked five other Japanese if they would volunteer with him to collect garbage. Tohru Ninomiya stands by Sword Lake in Hanoi, June 2023. Photo by … [Read more...] about Japanese expat group cleans up Hanoi’s Sword Lake
More trains to tourist destinations
Saigon Railway JS Company will run more train services to tourist destinations to meet increasing summer demand. The firm currently runs the SE1/2, SE3/4, SE5/6, SE7/8 and SE11/12 services on the HCM City-Hanoi route; SE21/22 (HCM City-Danang), (HCM City-Quy Nhon), SNT1/2/4/5 (HCM City-Nha Trang) and SPT1/2 (HCM City-Phan Thiet). From June 14 to July 31, the company will operate the SE9/10 train service connecting Saigon and Hanoi. Meanwhile, it will run the SE42 service from Nha Trang to Danang between June 9 and July 29 and the SE43 service from Danang to Nha Trang between June 10 and July 30. In May, the company ran more trains on the HCM City-Nha Trang and HCM City-Quy Nhon routes. People who buy train tickets at least 20 days before the departure time will be offered 20-30 percent discounts. Those who buy tickets for a group of 11 or more will enjoy a discount of 3-11 percent. Passengers purchasing round-trip tickets will also receive a five percent discount on … [Read more...] about More trains to tourist destinations
Canada adds Thailand, Philippines to list of eligible countries for visa-free entry
In addition to the two Southeast Asian countries, the list also included Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Costa Rica, Morocco, Panama, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Seychelles, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay, the Star newspaper reported. Visitors from these countries are no longer required to have visitor visas and only need electronic travel authorization (eTA) so long as they hold either a Canadian visa in the past 10 years or currently have a valid United States non-immigrant visa. To apply for an eTA, travelers need only a valid passport, a credit card, and an email address. A visitor visa currently costs $100 per person and $500 for a family of five or more, but an eTA costs just $7 per person and is valid for as long as five years. Canada traditionally relied on data and benchmarks to determine if a country should be exempt from visa requirements. Thailand currently waives visas for citizens from 64 countries, including Canada, … [Read more...] about Canada adds Thailand, Philippines to list of eligible countries for visa-free entry