Last week, Việt Nam News invited readers' opinions on the rising competition betwen app-based motorbike taxi services and the traditional xe ôm service. Here are some of the readers' responses. Baku Takahashi, Japanese, Hà Nội App-based motorbike taxis are definitely better. You do not need to look for drivers; you do not need to negotiate the price; prices are reasonable; bikes and helmets are cleaner; service is better; and the company is there to troubleshoot if any. So why not? I have been in Việt Nam for 10 years, and I've long wondered why these motorbike taxis can't organise themselves to provide safer and more convenient services to their customers. Typical "traditional" motorbike taxis on the street are dirty with high risk of overcharge. Sometimes they ask for a price that is 10 times more than the normal, and this could happen even after agreeing on the price before the ride (they often do this to tourists). When customers face some problems, there are no windows to … [Read more...] about Your Say: Moto apps or the traditional xe ôm?
Your say
Ban on late-night alcohol sales: what’s your say?
Last week, Việt Nam News asked its readers about a proposal of a ban on sales of liquor and beer after 10pm, aiming to reduce the negative impacts of drinking. Here are some of their ideas: Andrew Burden, Canadian in Hà Nội Late night drinking cannot be solved by locking the fridge at 10pm. Sales will go underground. People will start home brewing. It's counterintuitive, but you should open up 24/7. CNN just reported about a 'night mayor' (as opposed to nightmare) in Amsterdam. The idea is he goes around with uniformed volunteers, acting as dad, friend, and unofficial tour guide. He and his volunteers help people into taxis and step between rowdy drunks ready to fight. Of course no one should get drunk, but when you have one drink, your thinking becomes fuzzy and it's easy to order another, then another. It's really up to the bar to cut you off. Maybe by midnight there should be low alcohol-content drinks or drinking-with-food orders only? When I was a young buck, I came up with … [Read more...] about Ban on late-night alcohol sales: what’s your say?
How do you expect your children to study at schools?
Your Say, published every Friday, lets readers express their opinions on a topic or issue raised by the editor. Next week: How do you expect your children to study at school? A recent letter sent to the Ministry of Education and Training by a father asking for his son to study badly at school has shocked many people in Việt Nam, who often have great expectations that their children will study the best they can at school, no matter their capacity. The fact is that the high expectations of parents about their children's ability to study puts great pressure on young learners. Many feel very disappointed if their children fail the university entrance exams, and many parents try to find ways to enter their children into famous or good schools without considering whether their children would benefit from studying at these schools or not. Even worse, many parents ask their children to join as many extra classes after school as possible with the hope of making their kids excellent students … [Read more...] about How do you expect your children to study at schools?
Police say Hanoi official causes his motorbike accident death
Police in Hanoi's Thach That District say that a man who died in a recent motorbike incident may actually have been causing it himself when he drove his vehicle off the road. Residents of Binh Phu Commune found the dead body of Nguyen Van Tuan, 28, a resident of Thach Xa Commune, at around 5 a.m. of Saturday with his head thrust into the mud alongside a rice field. Police did not say any evidence that Tuan was either drunk or reckless. Tuan's Honda Air Blade, which lay nearby, was damaged in the incident. A concrete marker nearby had apparently been run into and was broken. A long skid mark was found near the scene. Tuan's family said he had visited relatives in Huu Bang Commune on Friday evening and had dinner there before he left and never came home. Like us on Facebook and scroll down to share your comment … [Read more...] about Police say Hanoi official causes his motorbike accident death
Vietnam world’s most exciting frontier market, says Bloomberg
US magazine Bloomberg Markets has ranked Vietnam the world's most exciting frontier market for investors. A list of the top 25 markets will be published in the magazine's March issue. Frontier markets could also be termed "pre-emerging" markets and have capital markets that are less developed compared than that of emerging markets. Business Insider magazine said the scoring system the Bloomberg magazine used indicates that these frontier markets are more desirable investment destinations than their emerging market counterparts. Bloomberg Markets used a variety of criteria, from average annual inflation to government debt-to-GDP ratio projections from 2013 to 2017, and a ranking of how easy it is to conduct business in the nation. Vietnam has a GDP growth projection until 2017 of 33.8 percent, annual inflation rate of 5.3 percent, and debt-to-GDP of 50.4 percent. Estonia is in second place, followed by Kazakhstan and … [Read more...] about Vietnam world’s most exciting frontier market, says Bloomberg