Food Festival in Khanh Hoa to open

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1vmDaiY'><img alt="1515421-30-10-24-58-660" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="189" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/1vmDaiY" width="266"/> </a> </p><br /><p>(<a href='http://bit.ly/Q6KJNt'>Cinet</a>)- <a href='http://bit.ly/1hzDM1b'>Khanh Hoa</a> province prepares for a food festival featuring outstanding specialties from all corners of Vietnam from July 8 – 13.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1515421'> </span> </p><br /><p>The event aims to introduce and honour the best of the country’s culinary culture and cooking creativity, thus providing an opportunity for trade promotion and partnership among businesses operating in the restaurant and tourism sectors.</p><br /><p>As a highlight during the tourism season, it will include a competition attracting 90 professional cooks across the country.</p><br /><p>On the meanwhile, a market will also be organised to offer fruit specialties, traditional dishes along with contemporary food.</p><br /><p>Some of the notable dishes to be displayed include Cha ca La Vong (<a href='http://bit.ly/V0QZZp'>La Vong grilled fish</a>), frozen meat and green bean cake in the north; Hue beef noodle soup, <a href='http://bit.ly/1gcvNlZ'>Quang Nam</a>-style noodle, and Tam Ky chicken rice in the central; along with <a href='http://bit.ly/1lTdXZF'>Sa Dec</a>-style noodle and rice pancake in the south.</p><br /><br/><br />Food Festival in Khanh Hoa to open Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/1vmDaiY" width="200"/><br/></div>

Food Festival in Khanh Hoa to open

(Cinet)- Khanh Hoa province prepares for a food festival featuring outstanding specialties from all corners of Vietnam from July 8 – 13. The event aims to introduce and honour the best of the country’s culinary culture and cooking creativity, thus providing an opportunity for trade promotion and …

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UNESCO exzpert supporting the development of visual arts policies in Viet Nam

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><br/><br />UNESCO exzpert supporting the development of visual arts policies in Viet Nam Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://ift.tt/1eWmqbm" width="200"/><br/><br /><table><br /><tr><br /><td><i>(CPV) –</i> <b>Tom Fleming, a leading creative economy expert, in cooperation with UNESCO Viet Nam conducted a technical mission in <a href='http://bit.ly/OV4aHS'>Ho Chi Minh</a>, Hue and Ha Noi to perform a situational analysis of the visual arts sector in Viet Nam.</b><br /><p>The exercise is part of UNESCO’s greater support of the <a href='http://bit.ly/1pvaxgx'>Ministry of Culture</a>, <a href='http://bit.ly/Q6T83J'>Sports and Tourism</a> (MoCST) in concretizing the strategy for the development of cultural industries in Viet Nam.</p><br /><p>Despite making significant strides since national economic reform, the visual arts sector in Viet Nam has remained rather fragmented with the absence of a strong domestic market and adequate legal system.</p><br /><p>Hence, MoCST requested UNESCO to perform a situational analysis of the visual arts sector in order to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the sector, gaps in the market and legal framework and, more importantly, to provide the Ministry with concrete recommendations on developing the sector in a sustainable manner.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1j2PWC2'>UNESCO’s</a> experts conducted an intensive series of meetings with relevant stakeholders including individual artists, gallery and art space managers, fine arts universities, museums and policy makers in culture and arts. The stakeholders were invited to share their experiences, different models of creative entrepreneurship and possible quick-wins and long-term plans for visual arts development.</p><br /><p>Emerging from the discussions with stakeholders are the issues of creative education, nurturing creative talents, developing an arts market and infrastructure, and fostering networking between stakeholders. The findings and policy recommendations will later be consolidated into a report for the Ministry, which will serve as the basis for future policy formulation and intervention in the sector by MoCST.</p><br /><p>In a wider context, the exercise are the first step to concretizing the cultural industries strategy which is driven by the vision that Viet Nam becomes the major center and market leader for cultural industries in the <a href='http://bit.ly/1hdNUsG'>Southeast Asia</a> region in 2020. Following the presentation of the first draft of the strategy at the <a href='http://bit.ly/1vmDaQ7'>ASEF’s Creative Economy</a> meeting in <a href='http://bit.ly/1vmDb6r'>Ha Noi in December</a> 2013, the strategy is currently being reviewed by related Ministries before submitting to the <a href='http://bit.ly/1grLk75'>Prime Minister</a> for approval.</p><br /><p>In this process, UNESCO is committed to providing the Ministry with technical advice in policy formulation and supporting practitioners and arts institutions, and creating an enabling environment for dialogue between the policy makers and practioners./.</p><br /></td><br /></tr><br /></table><br /></div>

UNESCO exzpert supporting the development of visual arts policies in Viet Nam

UNESCO exzpert supporting the development of visual arts policies in Viet Nam Related image(s)(CPV) – Tom Fleming, a leading creative economy expert, in cooperation with UNESCO Viet Nam conducted a technical mission in Ho Chi Minh, Hue and Ha Noi to perform a situational analysis of the visual arts …

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Photo exhibition on 54 Vietnamese ethnic groups opens in France

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1vmD7Ul'><img alt="1514726-28-9-48-38-558" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="500" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/1vmD7Um" width="500"/> </a> </p><br /><p>(<a href='http://bit.ly/Q6KJNt'>Cinet</a>)- A photo collection by French photographer Sebastien Laval and his colleague Le Vuong featuring the 54 ethnic groups of Vietnam is on display at an exhibition which opened in Paris, on June 25.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1514726'> </span> </p><br /><p>The exhibition showcases monochrome and colour photos taken since 1980. They capture portraits and the daily activities of the 54 ethnic groups in <a href='http://bit.ly/1grLiMK'>Viet Nam</a>.</p><br /><p>Sebastien Laval, a French photographer arrived in Vietnam for the first time in 1995 and was immediately captivated by the people and the magnificent landscapes.</p><br /><p>He spent the next 18 years photographing and recording the lives of the 54 ethnic groups and the picturesque mountain scenery, green valleys, quaint traditional tribal villages inhabited by them which he finds mysteriously charming.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1jTw6JN'>In May</a>, 2014, over 60 photographs taken by <a href='http://bit.ly/1vmDa2k'>Sebastien Laval on the Vietnamese</a> 54 ethnic groups were exhibited at Trang Tien Bridge during the Hue Festival.</p><br /><p>French film-makers <a href='http://bit.ly/V0QWwE'>Bertrand Edel and Faut Pas Rever</a> also made a film on Laval and his works.</p><br /><p>Vietnamese photographer Le Vuong is a veteran photographer. His photographs have been prominently displayed in Europe, Asia and currently hang in <a href='http://bit.ly/1vmDa2l'>Vietnam Fine Arts Museum in Hanoi</a>.</p><br /><p>Photographs taken by <a href='http://bit.ly/1vmD7Ur'>Sebastien Laval and Le Vuong</a> were also showcased in the <a href='http://bit.ly/V0QWN5'>Ho Chi Minh Museum in December</a>, 2013 as part of activities to commemorate the Vietnam-France relationship.</p><br /><p>The exhibition will last until July 6.</p><br /><br/><br />Photo exhibition on 54 Vietnamese ethnic groups opens in France Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/1vmD7Um" width="200"/><br/></div>

Photo exhibition on 54 Vietnamese ethnic groups opens in France

(Cinet)- A photo collection by French photographer Sebastien Laval and his colleague Le Vuong featuring the 54 ethnic groups of Vietnam is on display at an exhibition which opened in Paris, on June 25. The exhibition showcases monochrome and colour photos taken since 1980. They capture portraits …

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Some affords to bring home royal treasures

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1vmD7DS'><img alt="1514714-27-16-54-19-214" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="280" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/1vmD7DT" width="500"/> </a> </p><br /><p>(<a href='http://bit.ly/Q6KJNt'>Cinet</a>)- Recently, although Hue Monuments Conservation Center makes efforts to bring home two royal treasures, Vietnam failed on auction in France.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1514714'> </span> </p><br /><p>The two century-old artifacts, a king’s bed and a rickshaw, belonged to King Thanh Thai, the 10th king of the <a href='http://bit.ly/1nQ2SNO'>Nguyen Dynasty</a> (1802-1945) – the country’s last monarchy. Thanh Thai was on his way to join a resistance movement in China when he was arrested by French forces who declared him insane and forced the king to abdicate.<a href='http://bit.ly/1uV91XL'>According to the Hue Monuments Conservation Center</a>, the bed is likely to have been built when King Thanh Thai was a crown prince. The king continued to use it during his reign. Meanwhile, the rickshaw, made from “trac” wood encrusted with conch, was custom-made as a gift from the king to his mother.</p><br /><p>In very few cases, the provincial People’s Committee gave a nod to the spending of $50,000 on cultural and historical treasures.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1uV945O'>The Vietnam Embassy in France</a> raised some €10,000 and had two Vietnamese French persons join the auction, which was held in Tours, <a href='http://bit.ly/1uV945P'>France on June</a> 13.</p><br /><p>Jourdan’s heirs later decided to put the treasures on auction and expressed their wish that after the auction, they will be displayed in Hue.</p><br /><p>At the auction, the bed’s price soared from €1,000 to €100,000 only after five minutes.</p><br /><p>The two <a href='http://bit.ly/1m4J85q'>Vietnamese French</a> persons, assigned by the Vietnam Embassy in France, failed to buy the item, which fetched a total of €124,000, including the organization fee.</p><br /><p>Vietnamese experts lament that a number of the country’s cultural and historical artifacts are also currently owned by people in other countries.</p><br /><p>Vietnam failed to buy a painting called “Déclin du jour” (Dusk), a memento of <a href='http://bit.ly/1nQ2VsS'>King Ham Nghi</a>, King Thanh Thai’s predecessor, in another auction in Paris in 2010.</p><br /><p>Local experts said they will advise concerned agencies on that policy should be issued to prevent further loss of national cultural treasures.</p><br /><br/><br />Some affords to bring home royal treasures Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/1vmD7DT" width="200"/><br/></div>

Some affords to bring home royal treasures

(Cinet)- Recently, although Hue Monuments Conservation Center makes efforts to bring home two royal treasures, Vietnam failed on auction in France. The two century-old artifacts, a king’s bed and a rickshaw, belonged to King Thanh Thai, the 10th king of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945) – the countr…

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Free cartoon screening for children on Vietnam Family Day

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><br/><br />Free cartoon screening for children on Vietnam Family Day Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/1vmD9LN" width="200"/><br/><br /><table><br /><tr><br /><td><br /><div class='wp-caption aligncenter' style='width: 458px' id='attachment_1514517'><a href='http://bit.ly/1vmD9LN'><img alt="The cartoon screened for children" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="318" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/1vmD9LN" width="448"/> </a><br /><p class='wp-caption-text'>The cartoon screened for children</p><br /></div><br /><p>Cartoons have been freely screened for children on June 27-28 at Kim Dong Cultural Center at 19 Hang Bai street, Hanoi on the occasion of Vietnam Family Day (June 28).<b>These cartoons, such as Junge bunch and Open season, reflect sentiments on family and friendship to raise love among family members.</b> </p><br /><p>In addition, the centre also organize an exhibition of photos and writings about family, introduce family bookcase, hold an exchange to share experience in children breeding and seminars on taking care for health of family members and games to connect family members.</p><br /><p>This significant cultural activity aims to glorify traditional cultural values of Vietnamese families, praise parents’ love for children and children’s piety for parents and grandparents./.</p><br /></td><br /></tr><br /></table><br /></div>

Free cartoon screening for children on Vietnam Family Day

Free cartoon screening for children on Vietnam Family Day Related image(s) The cartoon screened for childrenCartoons have been freely screened for children on June 27-28 at Kim Dong Cultural Center at 19 Hang Bai street, Hanoi on the occasion of Vietnam Family Day (June 28).These cartoons, such as J…

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Book on sea and islands issues for Vietnamese youth

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><br/><br />Book on sea and islands issues for Vietnamese youth Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/V0QSNy" width="200"/><br/><br /><table><br /><tr><br /><td><br /><div class='wp-caption aligncenter' style='width: 360px' id='attachment_1514515'><a href='http://bit.ly/V0QSNy'><img alt="The book cover" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="500" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/V0QSNy" width="350"/> </a><br /><p class='wp-caption-text'>The book cover</p><br /></div><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/V0QVsv'>The Party Central Committee Commission of Popularization and Education</a> coordinated with relevant agencies to publish the book “100 questions and answers on sea and islands issues for Vietnamese youth”.</p><br /><p>The book targets young people, who are the vanguard in the cause of national construction, defence, integration and development.</p><br /><p>The questions and answers cover a wide range of issues including the position, role and potential of Vietnam’s sea and island, Vietnam’s rights and protection of rights in the East Sea, and the development of sea and island-related fields.</p><br /><p>The book is expected to provide young people with an overview of Vietnam’s sea and islands, thus increasing their awareness of the position and role of sea and islands in the national construction and defence.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1ibanH5'>The Communist Party of Vietnam Online Newspaper</a> has digitalized and introduced the full text of the book in Vietnamese.</p><br /></td><br /></tr><br /></table><br /></div>

Book on sea and islands issues for Vietnamese youth

Book on sea and islands issues for Vietnamese youth Related image(s) The book coverThe Party Central Committee Commission of Popularization and Education coordinated with relevant agencies to publish the book “100 questions and answers on sea and islands issues for Vietnamese youth”.The book targets…

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Fashion Design Competition “Sakura Collection 2014″ in Vietnam

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><a href='http://bit.ly/V0QVbY'><img alt="1514420-27-16-41-4-475" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="487" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/V0QVc0" width="500"/> </a> </p><br /><p>(<a href='http://bit.ly/Q6KJNt'>Cinet</a>)- A fashion contest with a Japanese theme has been launched for non-Japanese students and amateur designers in Asia.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1514420'> </span> </p><br /><p>Design requirements: Participants choose maximum 3 collections, each collection has maximum 5 artworks.</p><br /><p>Participants can submit up to five drawings inspired by Japan to <em>sakuracollectionvn@gmail.com</em> or at the Japan Foundation, 27 Quang Trung Street, <a href='http://bit.ly/1h3Kbl8'>Ha Noi</a>.</p><br /><p>The top ten best collections will be selected through an online poll for the final round on July 29, after which the collections take to the catwalk on September 19.</p><br /><p>The winner will receive a one week trip to Japan to join the <a href='http://bit.ly/V0QSx4'>Sakura Collection in Kansai and Tokyo</a>, before their collection is showcased at the Sakura Collection Show in Paris.</p><br /><br/><br />Fashion Design Competition “Sakura Collection 2014″ in Vietnam Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/V0QVc0" width="200"/><br/></div>

Fashion Design Competition “Sakura Collection 2014″ in Vietnam

(Cinet)- A fashion contest with a Japanese theme has been launched for non-Japanese students and amateur designers in Asia. Design requirements: Participants choose maximum 3 collections, each collection has maximum 5 artworks.Participants can submit up to five drawings inspired by Japan to sakur…

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Exhibition affirms Vietnam’s sovereignty over Spratly Archipelago opens in Hanoi

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1vmD76M'><img alt="1514402-27-16-11-40-818" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="293" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/V0QSgt" width="500"/> </a> </p><br /><p>(<a href='http://bit.ly/Q6KJNt'>Cinet</a>)- Fine Art exhibition entitled “<a href='http://bit.ly/1vmD76P'>coming to Spratly Archipelago</a> “, organised by the Vietnam Fine Art Association, opened at the <a href='http://bit.ly/V0QUVE'>Exhibition Hall</a> at 16 Ngo Quyen street, <a href='http://bit.ly/1ugoymD'>Hanoi on June</a> 25.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1514402'> </span> </p><br /><p>As many as 60 works by 30 artists vividly reflect the life of people on <a href='http://bit.ly/1uE3LYv'>Truong Sa Island</a> and training and combat readiness spirit of troops who have been defending the nation’s sacred sovereignty. The works, such as ” <a href='http://bit.ly/V0QUVH'>Da Tay A island at dawn</a> ” or ” <a href='http://bit.ly/1vmD9eP'>Arringtonia asiatica flower</a> ” show the specialties of Vietnam’s islands.</p><br /><p>The exhibition would help local people learn more about the national sovereignty over Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelagos and the strategic role of sea and islands in building and defending the nation.</p><br /><p>After being exhibited in Hanoi until July 4th, the works will be introduced to viewers across the country.</p><br /><br/><br />Exhibition affirms Vietnam’s sovereignty over Spratly Archipelago opens in Hanoi Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/V0QSgt" width="200"/><br/></div>

Exhibition affirms Vietnam’s sovereignty over Spratly Archipelago opens in Hanoi

(Cinet)- Fine Art exhibition entitled “coming to Spratly Archipelago “, organised by the Vietnam Fine Art Association, opened at the Exhibition Hall at 16 Ngo Quyen street, Hanoi on June 25. As many as 60 works by 30 artists vividly reflect the life of people on Truong Sa Island and training and …

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Photo exhibition on sea and islands opens in Da Nang

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><a href='http://bit.ly/V0QUEU'><img alt="1514344-26-16-33-17-513" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="333" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/1vmD76B" width="500"/> </a> </p><br /><p>(Cinet)- An exhibition on the country’s sea and islands opened at <a href='http://bit.ly/V0QUEX'>Bach Dang Park</a> on the banks of the Han River in the central city of <a href='http://bit.ly/1f8hoHL'>Da Nang</a>, on June 25.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1514344'> </span> </p><br /><p>The exhibition includes 130 photos from the <a href='http://bit.ly/1vmD76G'>Han River Photography Club</a> and a photo contest organised by the <a href='http://bit.ly/1pvaxgx'>Ministry of Culture</a>, <a href='http://bit.ly/Q6T83J'>Sports and Tourism</a>, along with 40 banners.</p><br /><p>The event aims to show local people and tourists Viet Nam’s sovereignty over the <a href='http://bit.ly/OUKtzS'>Hoang Sa</a> (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelagos.</p><br /><p>The exhibition will last until June 30.</p><br /><br/><br />Photo exhibition on sea and islands opens in Da Nang Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/1vmD76B" width="200"/><br/></div>

Photo exhibition on sea and islands opens in Da Nang

(Cinet)- An exhibition on the country’s sea and islands opened at Bach Dang Park on the banks of the Han River in the central city of Da Nang, on June 25. The exhibition includes 130 photos from the Han River Photography Club and a photo contest organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and To…

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Documentary film by Swiss filmmaker screened in Vietnam

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><a href='http://bit.ly/V0QRcm'><img alt="1514314-27-10-15-13-709" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="489" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/1vmD8HV" width="500"/> </a> </p><br /><p>(<a href='http://bit.ly/Q6KJNt'>Cinet</a>)- On June 25, the Swiss Embassy in Vietnam organised a screening of the film “<a href='http://bit.ly/1vmD6zH'>It’s not a life that doesn’t move</a>” chronicling the life and career of Dr. Alexandre Yersin, in the central province of Khanh Hoa, on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of discovery of the deadly Bacillus virus responsible for the bubonic plague.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1514314'> </span> </p><br /><p>The film reminds us of the great scientist’s hard work, perseverance and a lifetime of devotion to science and humanity, <a href='http://bit.ly/V0QRcv'>Swiss Ambassador Andrej Motyl</a> said at the opening of the show, which attracted more than 500 scientists and students from local research institutes and universities.</p><br /><p>Yersin was credited with making up a vaccine that saved the world from the biggest-ever scourge then. Born in 1863 in Switzerland, Yersin studied medicine at prestigious institutions across Switzerland, Germany, and France. In 1888, he became a naturalised French citizen, and two years later, he was shipped off to Vietnam to become a physician for the Messageries maritime company.</p><br /><p>Ultimately, he chose the coastal city of <a href='http://bit.ly/1vmD8Ye'>Nha Trang in Khanh Hoa</a> province as his living place throughout the rest of his life.</p><br /><p>As founder of <a href='http://bit.ly/V0QU7Z'>Nha Trang Pasteur Institute</a>, co-founder and the first principal of the <a href='http://bit.ly/V0QRsK'>Indochina Medical College</a>, the predecessor of the current <a href='http://bit.ly/1vmD6zO'>Hanoi Medical University and the Hanoi University of Pharmacy</a>, Yersin made the list of the world celebrities for his colossal number of research pieces.</p><br /><p>In 1990, a relic complex dedicated to him in Khanh Hoa was recognised as a national cultural relic site. Later in 2013, he was awarded the posthumous title of “<a href='http://bit.ly/1vmD6zP'>Honorary Citizen of Vietnam</a>“, in coincidence with his 150 th birthday and 70 th death anniversaries.</p><br /><p>He was buried in Nha Trang, with the epitaph, “<a href='http://bit.ly/V0QU8a'>Benefactor and humanist, venerated by the Vietnamese people</a>” etched on his gravestone.</p><br /><p>Earlier, the documentary on Yersin was screened at the <a href='http://bit.ly/1vmD6Q5'>Hanoi National University and the Ho Chi Minh University of Sciences</a>.</p><br /><br/><br />Documentary film by Swiss filmmaker screened in Vietnam Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/1vmD8HV" width="200"/><br/></div>

Documentary film by Swiss filmmaker screened in Vietnam

(Cinet)- On June 25, the Swiss Embassy in Vietnam organised a screening of the film “It’s not a life that doesn’t move” chronicling the life and career of Dr. Alexandre Yersin, in the central province of Khanh Hoa, on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of discovery of the deadly Bacillus virus …

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News laws shut the doors to foreign buyers of bad debt

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>News laws shut the doors to foreign buyers of bad debt<br /><p><em>VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam’s recently amended bankruptcy and real estate business laws are acting at cross-purposes with the country’s need to sell off its massive bad debts.</em> <em>TBKTSG</em> </p><br /><br/><br />News laws shut the doors to foreign buyers of bad debt Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://ift.tt/1eWmqbm" width="200"/><br/></div>

News laws shut the doors to foreign buyers of bad debt

News laws shut the doors to foreign buyers of bad debtVietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam’s recently amended bankruptcy and real estate business laws are acting at cross-purposes with the country’s need to sell off its massive bad debts. TBKTSG News laws shut the doors to foreign buyers of bad debt Related …

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Signs and billboards of the economic times

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Signs and billboards of the economic times<br /><p><em>VietNamNet Bridge – These are hard times for the <a href='http://bit.ly/1oh5cLH'>outdoor advertising</a> industry. Revenue from outdoor advertisements has decreased dramatically. Billboards which once flicker nightly now remain dark and quiescent in both day and night.</em> </p><br /><p><em><a href='http://bit.ly/1q7YHMK'><img alt="1515463-20140627124542-billboard" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="273" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/1q7YHMK" width="455"/> </a> </em> </p><br /><p>Nguyen Quy Cap, <a href='http://bit.ly/1q7YGZo'>Chair of the HCM City Advertisement Association</a>, noted that advertisement is an industry whose fortunes are tied closely to those of the national economy.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1515463'> </span> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1o8mYBh'>As Vietnam</a> is still in the doldrums with a frozen real estate market, cold stock market and problematic banking system, the ad industry has not been able to perform well.</p><br /><p>Cap said the market will still be gloomy in the second half of the year, as the industry faces not only difficulties from the economic recession, but also strict regulations in force since the new ad law took effect.</p><br /><p>The current regulations, for example, stipulate that <a href='http://bit.ly/1q7YHMP'>billboards</a> must be set back from the roadside by at least five meters. Very few streets in HCM City have the pavements wide enough to satisfy that requirement.</p><br /><p>The HCM City Advertisement Association has asked the city’s authorities to reconsider the regulation.</p><br /><p>“If the regulation cannot be amended, the number of outdoor billboards in the city will be cut by 50 percent because they cannot meet the standards,” Cap warned.</p><br /><p>Also according to Cap, in the past, when the economy prospered, businesses budgeted some $1 billion a year for ads, including $100 million for outdoor ads.</p><br /><p>But now, he estimates, revenue from outdoor billboards has dropped by 40 percent during the first half of the year in comparison with the same period last year.</p><br /><p>“You may see that a lot of billboards, including the ones installed in advantageous positions, remain empty. It is because the companies which paid for the ads had to shut down business after repeatedly taking losses,” he said.</p><br /><p>The director of an ad firm noted that it is very difficult to find clients willing to sign long-term (2-3 year) contracts today. Many big brands, which used to spend lavishly on outdoor billboards, are now cutting their outdoor ad budgets. They have been replaced by consumer goods brands which favor short-term ad campaigns to serve their short-term sales campaigns.</p><br /><p>Even the eight billboards by the Saigon riverside in HCM City – once the most coveted outdoor-ad “real estate” – have been largely idle over the past year. In the past, the billboards were fully occupied by big international brands. However, the brands’ images have been removed since early 2013. Visitors to the area now see no ad messages on the billboards – only one with an out-of-date greeting from the city’s people’s committee: “Chuc mung nam moi” (<a href='http://bit.ly/1q7YHfF'>Happy New Year</a>).</p><br /><p>A source said that previously, clients paid an average of $250,000 annually for a riverside billboard. As the demand has fallen, owners of the billboards have cut the fees to $150,000.</p><br /><p>The source said he has heard that a new 4-month lease on a billboard has been signed by Heineken, a beer brand.</p><br /><p><strong><em>Kim Chi</em> </strong> </p><br /><br/><br />Signs and billboards of the economic times Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/1q7YHMK" width="200"/><br/></div>

Signs and billboards of the economic times

Signs and billboards of the economic timesVietNamNet Bridge – These are hard times for the outdoor advertising industry. Revenue from outdoor advertisements has decreased dramatically. Billboards which once flicker nightly now remain dark and quiescent in both day and night. Nguyen Quy Cap, Chair…

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Japan to help Vietnam with high-quality agro production chain: minister

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Japan to help Vietnam with high-quality agro production chain: minister<br /><p><strong>Japan will support Vietnam in building a high-quality agriculture production chain, the products of which will be qualified to enter the Japanese market, a minister of the <a href='http://bit.ly/QhomoG'>East Asian</a> country has stated.</strong> </p><br /><div class='wp-caption aligncenter' style='width: 510px' id='attachment_1515456'><a href='http://bit.ly/1oh5aUf'><img alt="The chain will cover every aspect from production and processing to transportation and distribution, Yoshimasa Hayashi, Japan's Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, told" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="295" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/1oh5aUf" width="500"/> </a><br /><p class='wp-caption-text'>The chain will cover every aspect from production and processing to transportation and distribution, Yoshimasa Hayashi, Japan's Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, told</p><br /></div><br /><p><em>Tuoi Tre</em> (Youth) newspaper during his visit to Vietnam from June 24 to 26.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1515455'> </span> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1gX154O'>The Japanese</a> minister was in Vietnam to realize the agreements reached between the two countries’ agriculture ministries during Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang’s visit to <a href='http://bit.ly/1oh5cvj'>Japan in March</a>.</p><br /><p>The two countries will implement specific cooperative programs to set up the high-quality agriculture chain, Yoshimasa said.</p><br /><p>The cooperation is aimed at helping Vietnam adapt effective and hi-tech agriculture production and increase the value of its produce, he added.</p><br /><p>Vietnam has the potential to attract investments in both the agricultural and industrial sectors, given its stable economic growth in the last ten years and its young workforce, Yoshimasa remarked.</p><br /><p>The Vietnamese economy expanded at an average pace of five to six percent over the last decade, while 60 percent of the population are under 30, according to the minister.</p><br /><p>During the first phase of the bilateral agricultural cooperation, Japan will focus on products such as shrimp and coffee, which have been increasingly exported to the East Asian country, Yoshimasa said.</p><br /><p>The minister emphasized that Vietnamese businesses must try to ensure food safety standards for their products to win the trust of the Japanese consumers.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1q7YEAB'>Once Vietnam</a> is able to produce qualified products meeting the Japanese standard, other products besides coffee and shrimp will be able to enter the market, he added.</p><br /><p>To illustrate the effectiveness of the cooperation between a country with an abundant supply of raw agricultural materials and one with high technology, Yoshimasa recalled his visit to the Japanese-invested Acecook company in Ho Chi Minh City.</p><br /><p>There, the Japanese official tasted a canned <em>pho</em> product, which was made from Vietnamese rice with Japanese technology, he said.</p><br /><p>The delicious product has been exported to <a href='http://bit.ly/1oh5bat'>Japan and Yoshimasa</a> believes it will be favored by Japanese consumers.</p><br /><p>With its rich raw material sources, Vietnam can attract other Japanese companies to come to the country to buy and process the agricultural materials and export the products back to Japan, he asserted.</p><br /><p>Vietnam used to ship its rice to Japan, but exports have recently ceased as the produce failed to meet the strict safety standards by the importer’s side.</p><br /><p>When asked if the requirements could be relaxed for Vietnam to resume rice exports, Yoshimasa admitted that there is little likelihood that this will happen.</p><br /><p>The food safety standards are not only applicable to Vietnam but are applicable globally, he explained.</p><br /><p>However, Japan will review the technical standards on Vietnamese rice, and the Japanese minister expressed his hope that the ban would soon be lifted.</p><br /><p><strong><strong><em><a href='#http://bit.ly/1oh5cLy'>Like us on Facebook</a> or <a href='#http://bit.ly/1q7YEAI'>follow us on Twitter</a> to get the latest news about Vietnam!</em> </strong> </strong> </p><br /><br/><br />Japan to help Vietnam with high-quality agro production chain: minister Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/1oh5aUf" width="200"/><br/></div>

Japan to help Vietnam with high-quality agro production chain: minister

Japan to help Vietnam with high-quality agro production chain: ministerJapan will support Vietnam in building a high-quality agriculture production chain, the products of which will be qualified to enter the Japanese market, a minister of the East Asian country has stated. The chain will cover ever…

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International tourists spend $102 per day in Vietnam: report

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>International tourists spend $102 per day in Vietnam: report<br /><p><strong>International tourists spend an average of US$102.3 per day in Vietnam, according to a report released last week by the <a href='http://bit.ly/1rzon5e'>Vietnam National Administration of Tourism</a> (VNAT).</strong> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1oh5ceN'><img alt="1515448-wffql5na" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="295" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/1oh5ceN" width="500"/> </a> </p><br /><p>The statistics are released as part of a survey on tourists at several tourism destinations conducted by the VNAT and the project management board of an EU-funded tourism development project.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1515448'> </span> </p><br /><p>The average spending of international tourists who stay overnight is $102.3 a day, while domestic tourists spend VND1.3 million, or $65 a day, according to the report unveiled on Friday.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1oksYp1'>Ha Long City</a>, renowned for the iconic <a href='http://bit.ly/1heFYXW'>Ha Long Bay</a> in the northern province of <a href='http://bit.ly/1fdmW3X'>Quang Ninh</a>, recorded the highest spending of any other destination, $125.1 a day for international travelers and VND1.6 million ($75) a day for local travelers.</p><br /><p>In the meantime, the central city of Hue witnessed the lowest spending by global tourists, who spent only $75.6 a day in Vietnam’s imperial capital.</p><br /><p>Vietnamese tourists, meanwhile, spent only VND900,000 ($42.36) a day when visiting <a href='http://bit.ly/1heG0z0'>Hoi An</a> in central Quang Nam Province, known for its famed <a href='http://bit.ly/1kbXCAx'>Old Quarter</a>.</p><br /><p>The report is the result of a survey officials from the EU project management board conducted on 1,543 international and local tourists at five tourism spots, including Hue, <a href='http://bit.ly/1f8hoHL'>Da Nang</a>, Hoi An, and Sapa, in March and April 2014.</p><br /><p>In 2011, the EU began funding the <a href='http://bit.ly/1oh5aDC'>Environmentally and Socially Responsible Tourism Capacity Development Program</a> (ESRT) under an agreement with the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, <a href='http://bit.ly/Q6T83J'>Sports and Tourism</a>.</p><br /><p>The project was intended to “promote the delivery of environmentally and socially responsible tourism services as part of Vietnam’s tourism sector strategy,” according to the ESRT website.</p><br /><br/><br />International tourists spend $102 per day in Vietnam: report Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/1oh5ceN" width="200"/><br/></div>

International tourists spend $102 per day in Vietnam: report

International tourists spend $102 per day in Vietnam: reportInternational tourists spend an average of US$102.3 per day in Vietnam, according to a report released last week by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT). The statistics are released as part of a survey on tourists at seve…

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Ho Chi Minh City looks for investment from Belgium

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Ho Chi Minh City looks for investment from Belgium<br /><p>A delegation from Ho Chi Minh City is paying a working visit to Belgium to seek more Belgian investment in various fields such as education, healthcare and science.</p><br /><p>During the visit, which runs from June 28 to July 3, the delegation led by Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Le Hoang Quan, met with Belgian businesses and organisation to discuss potential bilateral cooperation projects using <a href='http://bit.ly/1oh5cex'>Belgium’s Official Development Assistance</a>, particularly the continuation of a project on dredging Soai Rap River.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1515424'> </span> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1rINqDa'>Chairman Quan</a> said the <a href='http://bit.ly/Sq1ljy'>Soai Rap River</a> project funded by Belgium’s ODA has greatly helped in improving the region’s waterway transport system.</p><br /><p>He added that <a href='http://bit.ly/1grLj3c'>HCM City</a> is studying the urban development model in the Antwerp port – one of Europe’s busiest sea ports – with a view to applying the model to developing the city’s <a href='http://bit.ly/1dPBKuC'>Hiep Phuoc</a> port.</p><br /><p>The chairman also highlighted the potential for cooperation between the city and Belgian localities, adding that it is necessary to create favourable conditions for their businesses and locals to visit Vietnam.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/Q6KKBd'>On June</a> 28, the Chairman joined a gala dinner held by the Belgium-Vietnam Friendship Association (BVA) to mark its 3 rd founding anniversary.</p><br /><p>He took this occasion to brief the host about China’s illegal placement of its oil rig in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, which undermines the regional security and safety of navigation.</p><br /><p>He called on the international community to raise their voice together with Vietnam to defend justice for the interests of nations in the region and the world.-VNA</p><br /><br/><br />Ho Chi Minh City looks for investment from Belgium Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://ift.tt/1eWmqbm" width="200"/><br/></div>

Ho Chi Minh City looks for investment from Belgium

Ho Chi Minh City looks for investment from BelgiumA delegation from Ho Chi Minh City is paying a working visit to Belgium to seek more Belgian investment in various fields such as education, healthcare and science.During the visit, which runs from June 28 to July 3, the delegation led by Chairman of…

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Facebook under fire over “creepy” secret study

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Facebook under fire over “creepy” secret study<br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1lqRC3Y'><img alt="1515392-facebook-social-media" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="281" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/Vz0HCV" width="500"/> </a> </p><br /><p>Facebook secretly manipulated the feelings of 700,000 users to understand “<a href='http://bit.ly/1lqRAcf'>emotional contagion</a>” in a study that prompted anger and forced the social network giant on the defensive.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1515392'> </span> </p><br /><p><em>Social media site Facebook (AFP/Getty Images/Justin Sullivan)</em> </p><br /><p>WASHINGTON: Facebook secretly manipulated the feelings of 700,000 users to understand “emotional contagion” in a study that prompted anger and forced the social network giant on the defensive.</p><br /><p>For one week in 2012 — and without the explicit consent or knowledge of users — Facebook tampered with the algorithm used to place posts into their news feeds to study how this affected their mood.</p><br /><p>The researchers wanted to see if the number of positive, or negative, words in messages they read affected whether users then posted positive or negative content in their status updates.</p><br /><p>The study, conducted by researchers affiliated with Facebook, <a href='http://bit.ly/Vz0HCX'>Cornell University</a>, and the University of California at San Francisco, appeared in the June 17 edition of the <a href='http://bit.ly/1lqRAch'>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.</p><br /><p>Results of the study spread — and with that anger and disbelief — when the online magazine <a href='http://bit.ly/Vz0IH4'>Slate and The Atlantic</a> website wrote about it Saturday.</p><br /><p>“Emotional states can be transferred to others via emotional contagion, leading people to experience the same emotions without their awareness,” the study authors wrote.</p><br /><p>“These results indicate that emotions expressed by others on Facebook influence our own emotions, constituting experimental evidence for massive-scale contagion via social networks.”</p><br /><p>While other research has used metadata to study trends, this experiment appears to be unique because it manipulated the data to see if there was a reaction.</p><br /><p>The social network, which counts more than one billion active users, said in a statement that “<a href='http://bit.ly/1lqRAci'>none of the data used was associated with a specific person’s Facebook account</a>.”</p><br /><p>“We do research to improve our services and to make the content people see on Facebook as relevant and engaging as possible,” it added.</p><br /><p>“A big part of this is understanding how people respond to different types of content, whether it’s positive or negative in tone, news from friends or information from pages they follow. We carefully consider what research we do and have a strong internal review process.”</p><br /><p>In the paper, the researchers said the study “<a href='http://bit.ly/Vz0HCY'>was consistent with Facebook’s Data Use Policy, to which all users agree prior to creating an account on Facebook</a>.”</p><br /><p>But that did nothing to stem the growing anger of Facebook users.</p><br /><p>“#<a href='http://bit.ly/1lqRCkc'>Facebook MANIPULATED USER FEEDS FOR MASSIVE PSYCH EXPERIMENT</a>… Yeah, time to close FB acct!” one Twitter user said.</p><br /><p>Other tweets used words like “super disturbing,” “<a href='http://bit.ly/1lqRCke'>creepy</a>” and “evil,” as well as angry expletives, to describe the psychological experiment.</p><br /><p>Susan Fiske, a <a href='http://bit.ly/Vz0Kyo'>Princeton University</a> professor who edited the report for publication, said the researchers assured her the study had been approved ahead of time by an ethics review board.</p><br /><p>“They approved the study as exempt, because it is essentially a pre-existing dataset, part of FB’s ongoing research into filtering users’ news feeds for what they will find most interesting,” she told AFP in an email.</p><br /><p>“<a href='http://bit.ly/Vz0Kyp'>Many ethical issues are open to debate, and this one seems to have struck a nerve</a>.”</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/Vz0IXi'>Katherine Sledge Moore</a>, a psychology professor at <a href='http://bit.ly/1lqRCki'>Elmhurst College</a>, said the study was fairly standard overall, especially for so-called “<a href='http://bit.ly/1lqRAsA'>deception studies</a>,” in which participants are given one purpose for the research when they provide initial consent and told later what the study is really about.</p><br /><p>In this case, however, the study’s subjects did not even know they were in it.</p><br /><p>“Based on what Facebook does with their newsfeed all of the time and based on what we’ve agreed to by joining Facebook, this study really isn’t that out of the ordinary,” Moore said.</p><br /><p>“<a href='http://bit.ly/Vz0IXk'>The results are not even that alarming or exciting</a>.”</p><br /><p><em>Source AFP</em> </p><br /><br/><br />Facebook under fire over “creepy” secret study Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/Vz0HCV" width="200"/><br/></div>

Facebook under fire over “creepy” secret study

Facebook under fire over “creepy” secret study Facebook secretly manipulated the feelings of 700,000 users to understand “emotional contagion” in a study that prompted anger and forced the social network giant on the defensive. Social media site Facebook (AFP/Getty Images/Justin Sullivan) WASHINGT…

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Legal Advice: Can an enterprise be headquartered in a condominium in VN?

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Legal Advice: Can an enterprise be headquartered in a condominium in VN?<br /><p><em>VietNamNet Bridge – According to provisions of law, corporations are not eligible to be headquartered in condominiums used for a residential purpose. However in certain cases, enterprises may base their head offices in apartment buildings with mixed-use purposes.</em> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1lqRz8e'>The Law on Enterprise</a> (2005) stipulates: “The head office of an enterprise is the place for contact and transaction of the enterprise; it must be located within the territory of Vietnam, have a definite address including house number, street name (<a href='http://bit.ly/Vz0Iql'>or alley</a>) or name of commune, ward, township, district, provincial town, provincial city, province or city under central authority; telephone and facsimile numbers and email address (<a href='http://bit.ly/1lqRzVK'>if any</a>).” Neither does the <a href='http://bit.ly/1eOwe6u'>Enterprise Law</a> nor do its guiding documents have regulations prohibiting corporates from having their headquarters in apartment buildings.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1515285'> </span> </p><br /><p>Currently, there are many opinions in which condominiums are believed to be designed and built solely for dwelling purpose. Therefore, it is considered inappropriate to the construction purpose and use when enterprises place their headquarters or offices in such buildings. However, PLF suggests examining the Regulation on management of condominium use promulgated with <a href='http://bit.ly/1eEjqma'>Decision No</a>. 08/2008/QĐ-BXD by the <a href='http://bit.ly/1gPsnLY'>Ministry of Construction</a> on May 28th, 2008. It clearly states that “a multi-storey building with mixed-use purposes”, often referred to as a condominium with mixed-use purposes, has plenty of areas preferably used for various purposes aside from residing. In reality, it is quite common to see the ground level or other floors of an apartment building being utilized for supermarket, stores, head office, etc.</p><br /><p>Under the direction of the Ministry of Construction stated in <a href='http://bit.ly/Vz0HCK'>Official Dispatch No</a>. 2544/BXD-QLN dated November 19th, 2009, owners of residential purpose-built condominiums being individuals and organizations are not permitted to alter such buildings’ designated use for setting up offices, stores, business or production facilities, etc. On the other hand, there are two options in regards of multi-storey buildings with mixed-use purposes as follows:</p><br /><p>(1) In case where the areas utilized for offices, stores… are separable from the residential ones, they must be arranged and managed as similarly as business and service constructions;</p><br /><p>(2) In case where such areas are inseparable, which leads to failed application of separate management provisions, particularly when the office area does not meet working conditions in compliance with <a href='http://bit.ly/1lqRz8h'>Building Regulations and Standards</a>, corrective measures must be timely taken. However, Official Dispatch No. 2544/BXD-QLN has yet to provide any guidelines on the implementation of such measures.</p><br /><p>In summary, corporates seeking condominiums to base their head office must consider whether the area where they plan to headquarter are eligible for other uses (<a href='http://bit.ly/1lqRzVL'>e.g. to build offices, business and production facilities, etc</a>.) apart from the relevant residential purpose. Due to the fact that enterprises are not permitted to place their head office in a condominium solely built for residing, it is essential to ask its investor or owner for crucial documents expressing the use(s) of the apartment area expectedly planned for the head office. Furthermore, enterprises must also note that business registration authorities may decline granting <a href='http://bit.ly/1lqRz8i'>Business Registration Certification</a> to those whose headquarters are based in apartment buildings.</p><br /><p><em>PLF – LAW FIRM</em> </p><br /><br/><br />Legal Advice: Can an enterprise be headquartered in a condominium in VN? Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://ift.tt/1eWmqbm" width="200"/><br/></div>

Legal Advice: Can an enterprise be headquartered in a condominium in VN?

Legal Advice: Can an enterprise be headquartered in a condominium in VN?VietNamNet Bridge – According to provisions of law, corporations are not eligible to be headquartered in condominiums used for a residential purpose. However in certain cases, enterprises may base their head offices in apartment…

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Government pushes rice export

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Government pushes rice export<br /><p>Ministries and related sectors should closely follow the development of rice markets at home and abroad and expand trade promotion activities for increasing Vietnamese rice exports, said a senior Government official.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1jx1Qow'>Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai</a> said that the <a href='http://bit.ly/1lqRzVB'>Government Notice</a> 239/TB-VPCP, issued on June 23, focuses on the rice export situation in the past and on solutions for increasing rice exports in the future.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/Vz0Hmd'>According to Hai’s</a> directions, the <a href='http://bit.ly/1rsSnzG'>Ministry of Industry and Trade</a> (MoIT) would identify traditional rice export markets as the leading targets of export promotions and continue management of rice exports to markets having Government contracts, under the Prime Minister’s directions in the official letter 1375/VPCP-KTTH, issued on March 4, 2014.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1515216'> </span> </p><br /><p>Hai said MoIT, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the <a href='http://bit.ly/1llNYvi'>Vietnam Food Association</a> (VFA) will jointly follow the development of the world rice market and ensure balance between the domestic market’s supply and demand for commercial rice and the real rice export situation in the world market. This would help the ministries and the related sectors to have effective solutions for increasing rice exports.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1lqRzVF'>The MoIT and the VFA</a> would report to the Prime Minister the rice export situation of Government contracts to have reasonable management of exports to the markets coming under these contracts, Hai said.</p><br /><p>The ministry, the VFA and related sectors would enhance trade promotion activities for rice product exports to traditional and new markets, implement efficiently the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on commercial activities for rice and other farming products and promote the signing of MoUs on trading activities with countries which import large quantities of rice.</p><br /><p>The trade offices of Vietnam abroad would support enterprises in rice export promotion activities, Hai said. Meanwhile, the MoIT would give priority to capital for rice export promotion activities under the national commercial promotion programme.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1p1fjYj'>The MARD</a>, <a href='http://bit.ly/1lqRz85'>MoIT and VFA</a> will build Vietnam’s plan on developing trademarks for rice exports and have policies encouraging trademarks for rice product exports.</p><br /><p>The VFA must suitably adjust the floor price of rice exports as per the supply and demand in the domestic market and forecast rice exports to avoid any disadvantages for Vietnamese products, Hai said.</p><br /><p>According to the association, Vietnam exported 351,650 tonnes of rice in the first 19 days of June, bringing the total volume of rice exports since early this year to 2.68 million tonnes, earning 1.16 billion USD.</p><br /><p>In the first 19 days of June, Asia continued to be the largest export market for Vietnamese rice with an export volume of 267,500 tonnes, accounting for 76 percent of the total volume, followed by America with 61,318 tonnes.</p><br /><p>Early this year, the association planned to export 6.5 million tonnes of rice in 2014 due to the high competitiveness in the world market.</p><br /><p>Last year, Vietnam exported 6.7 million tonnes of rice, 11 percent lower than the initial export target, as the sector faced many difficulties.-VNA</p><br /><br/><br />Government pushes rice export Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://ift.tt/1eWmqbm" width="200"/><br/></div>

Government pushes rice export

Government pushes rice exportMinistries and related sectors should closely follow the development of rice markets at home and abroad and expand trade promotion activities for increasing Vietnamese rice exports, said a senior Government official.Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai said that the Gov…

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NEXIA ACPA to merge into Grant Thornton Vietnam

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>NEXIA ACPA to merge into Grant Thornton Vietnam<br /><p><strong>Auditing and consulting firm NEXIA ACPA Co Ltd, a member of UK-based Nexia International Co, will merge into <a href='http://bit.ly/Vz0H5S'>Grant Thornton Vietnam</a>, a subsidiary of UK-headquartered Auditing and consulting firm <a href='http://bit.ly/1lqRzFd'>Grant Thornton International</a>.</strong> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1lqRyRH'><img alt="1515196-s6i9hu6q" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="295" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/1lqRyRH" width="500"/> </a> </p><br /><p>The deal, which will take effect in July this year, will enable the former to merge into the latter under the Grant Thornton Vietnam name and serve as a key member firm of the Grant Thornton global network.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1515196'> </span> </p><br /><p>The merger will offer the local clients of the firms full access to over 14 partners and over 220 professionals in two offices across Vietnam and also benefit from a great breadth and depth of experience and knowledge held by 38,500 experts under the network across 120 countries around the world .</p><br /><p>Following the merger, <a href='http://bit.ly/Vz0H5V'>Kenneth Atkinson</a>, current managing partner of Grant Thornton Vietnam, will be appointed as the <a href='http://bit.ly/1lqRz80'>Executive Chairman</a>, and Mr Nguyen Chi Trung, current managing partner of NEXIA ACPA, will be appointed as <a href='http://bit.ly/Vz0H5W'>Managing Partner</a>.</p><br /><p>The merger, the biggest of its kind in the professional services sector in Vietnam, will help to strengthen our position as the undisputed leader in our chosen market in Vietnam – providing assurance, tax and advisory services to dynamic organizations.</p><br /><p>“It is a great pleasure and opportunity for ACPA to join <a href='http://bit.ly/1lqRzFi'>Grant Thornton in Vietnam</a>. ACPA with 10 partners, 120 professionals and more than 350 clients are excited to take this chance to further thrive in the market on the success path as paved by Grant Thornton over the past 20 years in Vietnam,” said Nguyen Chi Trung.</p><br /><p>“Grant Thornton has ambitious expansion plans and a key part of this is to build the business through mergers and acquisitions. The merger with ACPA is a demonstration of our commitment to expanding our professional resources,” said Kenneth Atkinson.</p><br /><p>“The merger is one of the biggest of its kind in the professional services sector in Vietnam and will help to strengthen our position as the undisputed leader in our chosen market – providing assurance, tax and advisory services to dynamic organisations, and helping them to excel in Vietnam, across <a href='http://bit.ly/1k9Hli8'>Asia Pacific</a> and global markets,” he added.</p><br /><br/><br />NEXIA ACPA to merge into Grant Thornton Vietnam Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/1lqRyRH" width="200"/><br/></div>

NEXIA ACPA to merge into Grant Thornton Vietnam

NEXIA ACPA to merge into Grant Thornton VietnamAuditing and consulting firm NEXIA ACPA Co Ltd, a member of UK-based Nexia International Co, will merge into Grant Thornton Vietnam, a subsidiary of UK-headquartered Auditing and consulting firm Grant Thornton International. The deal, which will take …

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Inflation slows down in H1/2014, but tends to rise

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Inflation slows down in H1/2014, but tends to rise<br /><p><strong>Though Vietnam’s consumer price index (CPI) inched up 1.38 percent in the first six months of the year, the monthly inflation rate showed a tendency to rise.</strong> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/Vz0H5K'><img alt="1515173-2lyuvcdw" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="295" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/Vz0H5K" width="500"/> </a> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/Vz0H5L'>The CPI</a> in the first half of 2014, hitting the lowest rate recorded in the last 13 years, made up only around 20% of the annual inflation target set by the government early this year.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1515173'> </span> </p><br /><p>However, with a 0.3 percent month-on-month increase over the rate in May and a 4.98 percent rise against the same period last year, the monthly CPI entrenched a rising trend starting April this year.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/Vz0I9Q'>Do Thi Ngoc</a>, <a href='http://bit.ly/Vz0H5M'>Deputy Director of CPI Department</a> under <a href='http://bit.ly/1lqRzoD'>General Statistical Office</a> (GSO), said in a press meeting to announce the June’s CPI that the index’s rise in June was relatively high, when compared with the 0.05 per cent increase in June 2013 and the 0.26 per cent decline in June 2012.</p><br /><p>The price fluctuation in June, the strongest monthly rise so far this year, largely contributed by the group of medicine and healthcare services with a 0.74 percent rise, of which, healthcare service alone increased 0.87 percent month on month.</p><br /><p>The rise is due to the adjustment of healthcare service fees under a circular jointly issued by the ministries of health and finance in 2012. But the circular has taken effect gradually in many provinces and cities across the nation since then, and came into effect in Ho Chi Minh City, the biggest city of Vietnam, in June this year.</p><br /><p>The group of housing, building materials, electricity, tap water and fuel posted the second strongest rise, with a 0.61 percent increase from the previous month.</p><br /><p>The price of other groups was stable or edged up slightly against the previous month except the group of post and telecommunication with a 0.13 percent fall month on month.</p><br /><p><strong>Within reach?</strong> </p><br /><p>However, given low consumer confidence which resulted in low purchasing power, the whole year’s inflation target may be reached. Many local economists said if the price hike can creates a momentum for growth, the job of controlling this year’s inflation will be under control.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/Vz0H5N'>Tran Du Lich</a>, member of the National Assembly’s Economic Committee said at 2014 <a href='http://bit.ly/1nyv07Q'>Spring Economic Forum</a> held in the northern province of <a href='http://bit.ly/1jfAIIp'>Quang Ninh on April</a> 28 that if the growth is not improved much while the CPI stands at 5 percent by the end of the year, it is a failure of policymakers.</p><br /><p>After surging in the first two months of this year due to seasonal factor – the <a href='http://bit.ly/1rINp26'>Lunar New Year</a> holiday, CPI fell 0.44 percent in March before marking a U-turn by starting to increase gradually in <a href='http://bit.ly/1heG0PA'>April and May</a> with 0.08 percent and 0.2 percent, respectively.</p><br /><p>With a respective month-on-month increase of 0.15 percent, 0.17 percent and 0.28 percent in the last 3 months, the rise in price of food and catering services group, accounting for the biggest weight in the CPI calculation including a basket of 13 groups of goods and services, has contributed to the overall CPI rise.</p><br /><p>Moreover, the price of this group is forecast to continue increasing in the coming months as the production costs of farming households still maintain at a high rate.</p><br /><p>In addition, some services managed by the state, like healthcare service and tuition fees in some localities, as well as other state-managed commodities, such as oil and gas and electricity price, may see a price hike soon, posing potential risks to the CPI in the near future.</p><br /><br/><br />Inflation slows down in H1/2014, but tends to rise Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/Vz0H5K" width="200"/><br/></div>

Inflation slows down in H1/2014, but tends to rise

Inflation slows down in H1/2014, but tends to riseThough Vietnam’s consumer price index (CPI) inched up 1.38 percent in the first six months of the year, the monthly inflation rate showed a tendency to rise. The CPI in the first half of 2014, hitting the lowest rate recorded in the last 13 years, …

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Brazil reduces import tax on 250 items creating opportunities for Vietnamese goods

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Brazil reduces import tax on 250 items creating opportunities for Vietnamese goods<br /><p><a href='#http://bit.ly/1lqRyB3'> </a> </p><br /><p><a href='#http://bit.ly/1lqRyB3'> </a><a href='http://bit.ly/Vz0GPi'><img alt="1515210-9666f50a762b9a548cfe2d468db24827-l" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="225" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/Vz0GPi" width="400"/> </a> </p><br /><p>Telephones and components are among key products exported to Brazil.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1515210'> </span> </p><br /><p>Nhan Dan Online – The Brazilian Government has decided to temporarily lower import tax rates from 16 percent to 2 percent on 240 types of machinery and equipment goods and 10 types of information technology and telecommunications goods.</p><br /><p>The import tax reduction went into force on June 24, 2014 and will last until December 31, 2015, according to <a href='http://bit.ly/1lqRwt8'>Vietnam’s Commercial Affairs Division in Brazil</a>.</p><br /><p>Two-way trade between <a href='http://bit.ly/1iyuu21'>Vietnam and Brazil</a> has grown strongly in the past years, putting it behind only the <a href='http://bit.ly/Vz0GPl'>US in the American</a> region. Thus, it is said that the import tax cut will create positive effects on bilateral trade. It is also considered an opportunity for Vietnamese exporters to expand their markets, reducing the dependence on specific markets.</p><br /><p>In the first five months of this year, the two-way trade revenue between Vietnam and Brazil totaled US$1.23 billion, a year-on-year increase of 52.9 percent. Of the total, Vietnam exported US$579 million worth of goods to and imported over US$651 million from Brazil, up 42 percent and 64 percent over the same period last year.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1p3YGaP'>Several Vietnamese</a> goods exported to Brazil recorded higher earnings than during the same period last year including telephones and components (up 594 percent), aquatic products (52%), computers and electronic products (44%) and garments and textiles (55%).</p><br /><p>The two-way trade between the two countries is expected to reach US$3 billion by the end of 2014.</p><br /><br/><br />Brazil reduces import tax on 250 items creating opportunities for Vietnamese goods Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/Vz0GPi" width="200"/><br/></div>

Brazil reduces import tax on 250 items creating opportunities for Vietnamese goods

Brazil reduces import tax on 250 items creating opportunities for Vietnamese goods Telephones and components are among key products exported to Brazil. Nhan Dan Online – The Brazilian Government has decided to temporarily lower import tax rates from 16 percent to 2 percent on 240 types of machi…

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Formosa seeks steel economic zone

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Formosa seeks steel economic zone<br /><p><em>VietNamNet Bridge – Formosa <a href='http://bit.ly/1lr1iRi'>Ha Tinh</a> Steel Corporation, the big investor from Taiwan, has proposed that the government set up the Vung Ang <a href='http://bit.ly/Vz0HTe'>steel economic zone</a> and offer special investment incentives to it. The government has not yet replied to the proposal, but economists caution that the request is an excessive one.</em> </p><br /><p><em><a href='http://bit.ly/Vz0HTf'><img alt="1515120-20140627124542-formosa" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="333" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/1lqRwsW" width="500"/> </a> </em> </p><br /><p>The firm’s proposal for investment incentives that go beyond the current package of preferences stipulated by law has elicited a strong reaction from investment promotion officers, steel manufacturers and economists.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1515120'> </span> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/Vz0HTg'>Le Dang Doanh</a>, a renowned independent economist, commented that the proposal is “unusual” and does not fit the Vietnamese current legal framework.</p><br /><p>“<a href='http://bit.ly/1lqRwsZ'>If the government gives the nod to Formosa’s proposal, it will have to do the same with other investors</a>,” Doanh warned, adding that it is necessary to clarify whether Formosa deserves the special treatment.</p><br /><p>An analyst said he thinks there is a connection between Formosa’s proposal and the riots in <a href='http://bit.ly/Vz0HTh'>Binh Duong in May</a>, during which many foreign firms suffered damages.</p><br /><p>“The government then released a message that it will do everything it can to protect and retain investors. <a href='http://bit.ly/1lqRyAY'>Some of Formosa’s</a> requests have already been satisfied by the local authorities,” he said. “<a href='http://bit.ly/Vz0HTi'>This could be the reason that Formosa has decided to follow up its advantage and continue making claims</a>“.</p><br /><p>Regarding the matter, Doanh commented that though investors did suffer some hardships, this is not a good enough reason for the government to so readily comply with all investors’ demands.</p><br /><p>“Under the current conditions, investors tend to be more demanding. Therefore, the government needs to be very cautious when considering investors’ claims,” Doanh said.</p><br /><p>He personally thinks that Formosa’s claim is unreasonable and groundless.</p><br /><p>Sharing the same viewpoint with Doanh, <a href='http://bit.ly/1q2TXGZ'>Pham Chi Lan</a>, also a renowned economist, stressed that the questions of whether to set up economic zones and where to set them up must depend on the government. The state must make objective judgments after considering all conditions, and must not cede the job of making such decisions to any corporation, foreign or domestic.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/Vz0HTj'>Phan Huu Thang</a>, former <a href='http://bit.ly/Vz0HTk'>Head of the Foreign Investment Agency</a>, has cautioned that the government needs to be skeptical with the investor’s proposal.</p><br /><p>Thang said Ha Tinh, in the central region of Vietnam, has an important strategic position in Indochina, as it connects traffic between the north and south of the country. It would be unreasonable for a special economic zone to be established in the area, with the zone’s board management put under the control of the government’s office, as Formosa proposes.</p><br /><p>If so, the local authorities of the host province would not be able to intervene in the zone when necessary, which would be a problem for state management work.</p><br /><p>Thang emphasized that the investment incentives claimed by Formosa do not exist in the <a href='http://bit.ly/Vz0HTl'>Enterprise and Investment Laws</a>. Therefore, if the government accepts the proposal, it will break the legal framework.</p><br /><p>Pham Chi Cuong, former <a href='http://bit.ly/1lqRwt0'>Chair of the Vietnam Steel Association</a>, commented that though Formosa plans a large-scale investment project which would help foster the local economy, steel manufacturing is not a high-technology sector that Vietnam needs to encourage, and hence, there is no compelling need to set up a special steel economic zone.</p><br /><p><em>TBKTSG</em> </p><br /><br/><br />Formosa seeks steel economic zone Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/1lqRwsW" width="200"/><br/></div>

Formosa seeks steel economic zone

Formosa seeks steel economic zoneVietNamNet Bridge – Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation, the big investor from Taiwan, has proposed that the government set up the Vung Ang steel economic zone and offer special investment incentives to it. The government has not yet replied to the proposal, but econom…

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Foreign investors pump millions into tires

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Foreign investors pump millions into tires<br /><p><em>VietNamNet Bridge – Foreign tire manufacturers have flocked to Vietnam with plans to turn the country into their production base as well as a new consumption market.</em> </p><br /><p><em><a href='http://bit.ly/Vz0EH8'><img alt="1515075-20140626131403-tyre" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="220" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/Vz0EH8" width="330"/> </a> </em> </p><br /><p>The government’s high ranking officials visit <a href='http://bit.ly/Vz0Gig'>Casumina Radial</a> factory.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1515075'> </span> </p><br /><p>According to tirebusiness.com, the Vietnamese market’s scale is rather small, with a value of $800 million. That’s miniscule compared with the $235 billion world market.</p><br /><p>However, this does not mean that the market will remain small forever. Quite the opposite: foreign investors are seeing great opportunities to make profits in the Vietnamese market.</p><br /><p>Analysts say domestic manufacturers currently hold 40 percent of market share, while foreigners hold 60 percent. That larger share includes the most lucrative market segment, passenger car tires, which have selling prices much higher than other products because of the high technologies required.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1lqRykz'>According to Huynh Tan Vuong</a>, <a href='http://bit.ly/Vz0EHd'>Marketing Director of Kumho Tire Vietnam</a>, the Vietnamese market has great potentials, with an annual growth rate of 20-25 percent. The promising market has attracted the world’s leading tire manufacturers: Bridgestone, Michelin, Kumho, <a href='http://bit.ly/Vz0EHe'>Yokohama and Goodyear</a>.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1lqRvW5'>The South Korean Kumho</a> recently announced its plan to pump an additional $100 million into Vietnam to expand its tire factory in <a href='http://bit.ly/PfppEE'>Binh Duong Province</a>, which had initial funding of $200 million. Once the expanded investment, slated for 2015, is completed, the factory will churn out 5.6 million products a year, nearly double its current output of 3 million.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1lqRwck'>The Japanese Bridgestone</a> has received an investment license to increase the investment capital of its factory in the northern city of Hai Phong from $574 million to $1.2 billion.</p><br /><p>The factory has an expected capacity of 9 million products per annum, or 9 times bigger than <a href='http://bit.ly/Vz0EHj'>Vietnam’s Casumina’s Radial</a>, to be reached by 2017. Meanwhile, the first commercial batches of goods are expected to hit the market by June.</p><br /><p>The most outstanding feature of <a href='http://bit.ly/1lqRwcn'>Kumho and Bridgestone</a>-made tires is that they are radial tires made with modern technologies. Domestic manufacturers make mostly bias tires, using Chinese technologies.</p><br /><p>The two manufacturers not only have been making money with passenger car tires, but also trying to make tires for pick-ups and vans, a market segment long considered the “<a href='http://bit.ly/RXOwNH'>playing field</a>” of domestic enterprises.</p><br /><p>A source said that the products now amount to 23 percent of Kumho’s total products.</p><br /><p>As the domestic market remains small, all the tire manufacturers have been boosting export to earn more money.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1lqRwcq'>Vuong of Kumho Tire Vietnam</a> said more than 95 percent of the company’s products are exported to the <a href='http://bit.ly/Vz0Gir'>Northern American</a> markets, the <a href='http://bit.ly/1gsLZ7p'>Middle East</a>, <a href='http://bit.ly/1lqRykF'>Asia and Australia</a>. The same percentage for export is expected by the managers of Bridgestone’s factory in <a href='http://bit.ly/1ogq8p5'>Hai Phong City</a>.</p><br /><p>Vietnam, with its cheap labor force, abundant rubber supply and zero export tariff (versus 8 percent in China) provides great advantages to the tire industry.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1lqRwcr'>The Southern Rubber Industry Corporation</a> (CSM) in the south, the <a href='http://bit.ly/Vz0GyK'>Da Nang Rubber JSC</a> (DRC) in the central region, and <a href='http://bit.ly/Vz0GyL'>Sao Vang Rubber JSC</a> (SRC) in the north are the three biggest Vietnamese manufacturers in the field.</p><br /><p><em>NCDT</em> </p><br /><br/><br />Foreign investors pump millions into tires Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/Vz0EH8" width="200"/><br/></div>

Foreign investors pump millions into tires

Foreign investors pump millions into tiresVietNamNet Bridge – Foreign tire manufacturers have flocked to Vietnam with plans to turn the country into their production base as well as a new consumption market. The government’s high ranking officials visit Casumina Radial factory. According to tire…

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PM greenlights plan to set up rail, road buffer zones

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>PM greenlights plan to set up rail, road buffer zones<br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1k3Resq'><img alt="1515340-p3-duong-ngan-dan-sinh1" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="305" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/1k3Resq" width="450"/> </a> </p><br /><p>HA NOI (VNS) – A plan to clean up the illegal homes and shops sitting just inches away from road and rail lines throughout the country has been approved by <a href='http://bit.ly/1grLjQM'>Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung</a>.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1515340'> </span> </p><br /><p>The plan aims to reduce the many deadly accidents caused by so many squatters living and doing business next to busy traffic corridors.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1k3ReIF'>The Directorate</a> for Roads has been ordered to co-operate with localities to remove all illegal buildings.</p><br /><p>It has also been told to submit plans to evict and compensate those who are moved to provincial People’s Committees before June 30 next year.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1k3Rc3x'>The Ministry of Transport’s</a> rail management agency has been told to finish building barriers to close unofficial level crossings nation-wide by 2017, Dung said.</p><br /><p>The agency has also been asked to improve the quality of official level crossings nationwide, including erecting traffic signs to warn and inform the public.</p><br /><p>It has been told to ensure safety at the junctions between railroads and national highways between <a href='http://bit.ly/1gA1BqA'>Ha Noi and HCM City</a> within two years.</p><br /><p>The budget to implement the plan has been financed from the State budget, local budgets and other sources.</p><br /><p>The transport ministry has been told to send an annual report to the Government about the implementation of the plan before January 31.</p><br /><p>Seven ministries including construction, finance, planning and investment, and public security have been asked to co-operate with the transport ministry to implement the plan. – VNS</p><br /><br/><br />PM greenlights plan to set up rail, road buffer zones Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/1k3Resq" width="200"/><br/></div>

PM greenlights plan to set up rail, road buffer zones

PM greenlights plan to set up rail, road buffer zones HA NOI (VNS) – A plan to clean up the illegal homes and shops sitting just inches away from road and rail lines throughout the country has been approved by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. The plan aims to reduce the many deadly accidents caused…

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Ninh Binh City to become regional cultural-historical centre

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Ninh Binh City to become regional cultural-historical centre<br /><p>The upgrading of <a href='http://bit.ly/UZIa20'>Ninh Binh City</a> to the second grade creates more favourable conditions for the city to develop into a cultural-historical centre of the <a href='http://bit.ly/PfHNNF'>Red River Delta</a>, according to <a href='http://bit.ly/1jx1Qow'>Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai</a>.</p><br /><p>Addressing a ceremony on June 28 to announce the Prime Minister’s Decision on recognizing Ninh Binh as a second-grade city under Ninh Binh province, <a href='http://bit.ly/1jM1JBp'>Deputy PM Hai</a> said the city should make good use of its natural and historical heritage to become a destination of choice for tourists, helping boost the comprehensive development of Ninh Binh province.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1515221'> </span> </p><br /><p>To be recognised as a second-grade city, the city should be a political, economic, cultural and tourist centre as well as a transport hub of a region while meeting a number of requirements such as a population of at least 800,000 for a centrally-run city and 300,000 for a provincial city, fair infrastructure and at least 80 percent of urban labourers working in non-agriculture sectors.</p><br /><p>Ninh Binh City is the capital city of the province of the same name, which is home to such well known tourist destinations as <a href='http://bit.ly/RvluEY'>Bai Dinh Pagoda</a>, the newly-recognised UNESCO cultural and natural heritage site of Trang An, <a href='http://bit.ly/UZIde5'>Cuc Phuong</a> national park and Tam Coc-Bich Dong site.-VNA</p><br /><br/><br />Ninh Binh City to become regional cultural-historical centre Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://ift.tt/1eWmqbm" width="200"/><br/></div>

Ninh Binh City to become regional cultural-historical centre

Ninh Binh City to become regional cultural-historical centreThe upgrading of Ninh Binh City to the second grade creates more favourable conditions for the city to develop into a cultural-historical centre of the Red River Delta, according to Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai.Addressing a ceremon…

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Nearly 40,000 poor students benefit from EMW-funded programme

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Nearly 40,000 poor students benefit from EMW-funded programme<br /><p>Close to 40,000 disadvantaged students in the central region of Vietnam have been aided 3.7 million USD in the last ten years from a scholarship programme funded by the non-governmental organisation <a href='http://bit.ly/UZIcXD'>East Meets West</a> (EMW).</p><br /><p>Set up in 2004, the <a href='http://bit.ly/1k3Rbg8'>Scholarship Programme to Enhance Literacy and Learning</a> (SPELL) aims to provide students with difficulties in Vietnam with a bright future via education.</p><br /><p>With its goal of preventing students from dropping gout of school and improving learning quality, the programme has supported children of the poorest households in the seven central localities of <a href='http://bit.ly/Q6KHW3'>Quang Binh</a>, Thua Thien-Hue, <a href='http://bit.ly/1f8hoHL'>Da Nang</a>, Quang Ngai, <a href='http://bit.ly/UZI9Lw'>Binh Dinh and Phu Yen</a>.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1515209'> </span> </p><br /><p>After 10 years of operation, SPELL has gained impressive results – a decline in the dropout rate and an impressive pass rate that meets or exceeds the national average. <a href='http://bit.ly/1k3Rbg9'>Many of SPELL</a> scholarship recipients have won municipal, provincial and national awards for their academic achievements.</p><br /><p>Poor students will have a bright future if they receive support, <a href='http://bit.ly/1k3RebL'>EMW Country Director Nguyen Minh Chau</a> said, adding they will help their families escape from poverty and make the society prosperous.</p><br /><p>“<a href='http://bit.ly/1k3RebM'>Their success is a great encouragement for us to continue our work</a>,” she noted.</p><br /><p>In 2010, EMW set up a university scholarship programme namely <a href='http://bit.ly/UZI9LB'>SPELL Goes to College</a> (SGTC), which has helped 130 disadvantaged students access university education.-VNA</p><br /><br/><br />Nearly 40,000 poor students benefit from EMW-funded programme Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://ift.tt/1eWmqbm" width="200"/><br/></div>

Nearly 40,000 poor students benefit from EMW-funded programme

Nearly 40,000 poor students benefit from EMW-funded programmeClose to 40,000 disadvantaged students in the central region of Vietnam have been aided 3.7 million USD in the last ten years from a scholarship programme funded by the non-governmental organisation East Meets West (EMW).Set up in 2004, th…

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Khmer pagodas hold summer classes for children

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Khmer pagodas hold summer classes for children<br /><p>Many Khmer pagodas in the southern province of <a href='http://bit.ly/1geOYeV'>Bac Lieu</a> have opened summer classes on Khmer language for local children.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/UZIcHf'>At Chot Pagoda in Hung Hoi</a> commune, <a href='http://bit.ly/1kTOpxR'>Vinh Loi</a> district, more than 100 children of all ages are attending four classes held at different hours throughout the day.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1k3RdVj'>Monk Thach Uong</a>, who is in charge of the classes, said the monks want to teach the children not only the ethnic group’s language but also traditional customs and good behaviours.</p><br /><p>Eleven-year-old <a href='http://bit.ly/1k3RdVn'>Lam Thi Phuong Anh</a> said the Khmer script is very difficult, but after a long time of practicing, she can now write in a proper way.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1515208'> </span> </p><br /><p>The pagoda classes are hailed by <a href='http://bit.ly/1k3RaZI'>Tran Thi Hoa Ry</a>, head of the provincial Committee for <a href='http://bit.ly/UZI9Lm'>Ethnic Affairs</a>, who said they help Khmer children become aware of their cultural root while contributing to preserving and developing the fine traditions of the Khmer ethnic group in the southern region.</p><br /><p>Bac Lieu province is home to around 65,000 Khmer people.-VNA</p><br /><br/><br />Khmer pagodas hold summer classes for children Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://ift.tt/1eWmqbm" width="200"/><br/></div>

Khmer pagodas hold summer classes for children

Khmer pagodas hold summer classes for childrenMany Khmer pagodas in the southern province of Bac Lieu have opened summer classes on Khmer language for local children.At Chot Pagoda in Hung Hoi commune, Vinh Loi district, more than 100 children of all ages are attending four classes held at different…

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Children in Ben Tre discuss their rights with local officials

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Children in Ben Tre discuss their rights with local officials<br /><p>Children in the southern province of <a href='http://bit.ly/1nSuEdb'>Ben Tre</a> discussed issues their rights and State policies for children with local officials at the second annual <a href='http://bit.ly/1k3RaZw'>Children’s Forum on June</a> 29.</p><br /><p>The forum, held as part of the month of action for children, focused on the theme of preventing violence against and abuse of children.</p><br /><p>Students from primary and secondary schools in nine districts and towns as well as children from social welfare facilities presented their opinions and messages regarding issues of their interests such as beating or exploiting children, and discrimination against disadvantaged kids.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1515200'> </span> </p><br /><p>The forum is held with the aim of making children better aware of their rights and role in society, as well as creating a chance for government officials and policy makers to understand children’s wishes and needs, thus improving the building and implementation of policies targeting children.-VNA</p><br /><br/><br />Children in Ben Tre discuss their rights with local officials Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://ift.tt/1eWmqbm" width="200"/><br/></div>

Children in Ben Tre discuss their rights with local officials

Children in Ben Tre discuss their rights with local officialsChildren in the southern province of Ben Tre discussed issues their rights and State policies for children with local officials at the second annual Children’s Forum on June 29.The forum, held as part of the month of action for children, f…

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2 Vietnamese indicted for selling 21 women to China

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>2 Vietnamese indicted for selling 21 women to China<br /><p><strong>Police in the southern province of <a href='http://bit.ly/UZIca3'>An Giang on Saturday</a> announced that they had filed charges against two locals for selling 21 Vietnamese women as brides to China.</strong> </p><br /><p>The defendants are Nguyen Thi Hong Phuong, 39, living in <a href='http://bit.ly/UZIca4'>Chau Doc City and Nguyen Thi Huong</a>, 49, residing in <a href='http://bit.ly/UZI9eq'>Long Xuyen City</a>.</p><br /><p>The duo has been charged with human trafficking and could face 2 to 20 years in jail under Vietnamese laws.</p><br /><p>Initial investigations found that Phuong “<a href='http://bit.ly/UZIca5'>purchased</a>” 21 women from Huong from November 2012 to December 2013.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1515126'> </span> </p><br /><p>After that, the young victims were sold as brides to poor countryside men in China from CNY50,000 to 60,000 (about US$8,040 to $9,646), according to the An Giang police division in charge of social crimes.</p><br /><p>Two of the 21 women escaped from their husbands and returned to Vietnam in February this year when they reported their case to local police.</p><br /><p>In recent years, Vietnamese police have busted a number of human trafficking rings that sold Vietnamese women to China where they were forced to work as prostitutes or became Chinese men’s wives.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1s59GnY'>In January</a> 2014, police in southern <a href='http://bit.ly/1hAyIWt'>Tay Ninh Province</a> cracked down on a gang that sold Vietnamese women to China. They seized five human traffickers and rescued five victims.</p><br /><p>In June 2013, police in northern <a href='http://bit.ly/1sPLPuR'>Ha Giang Province</a> indicted three women for illegally sending young girls to China and then selling them to brothels.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/UZIca6'>Also in June</a> 2013, the People’s Court in southern Tay Ninh Province gave sentences from three to 14 years in prison to 12 defendants who sold Vietnamese women to China as potential wives of Chinese men.</p><br /><p>Two months earlier, in April 2013, police in <a href='http://bit.ly/1hcL5yD'>Can Tho City in the Mekong Delta</a> announced that they had arrested three members of a human-trafficking ring that sold 11 Vietnamese women to China and coerced them to become prostitutes.</p><br /><p><strong><strong><em><a href='#http://bit.ly/UZI9ex'>Like us on Facebook</a> or <a href='#http://bit.ly/1k3Rasq'>follow us on Twitter</a> to get the latest news about Vietnam!</em> </strong> </strong> </p><br /><br/><br />2 Vietnamese indicted for selling 21 women to China Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://ift.tt/1eWmqbm" width="200"/><br/></div>

2 Vietnamese indicted for selling 21 women to China

2 Vietnamese indicted for selling 21 women to ChinaPolice in the southern province of An Giang on Saturday announced that they had filed charges against two locals for selling 21 Vietnamese women as brides to China. The defendants are Nguyen Thi Hong Phuong, 39, living in Chau Doc City and Nguyen Th…

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Art programme celebrates Vietnam Family Day

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Art programme celebrates Vietnam Family Day<br /><p>Under the theme ‘<a href='http://bit.ly/1k3R9EV'>Great Family of Vietnamese Ethnic Groups and the Cause of Building and Defending the Country</a>‘, the event is intended to express the voice of the community of Vietnamese ethnic groups in the cause of building and defending the country, and to honour the spirit of solidarity among the Vietnamese people. The programme is also one of many activities held with a view to the national sea and islands.</p><br /><p>The event was attended by <a href='http://bit.ly/1jbPujY'>Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong</a>, former Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh, Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) <a href='http://bit.ly/1k3Rckc'>Central Committee Chairman Nguyen Thien Nhan</a>, Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan, <a href='http://bit.ly/NIJ0Mh'>Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam</a> and the leaders of other ministries, central sectors and Hanoian authorities, as well as 32 delegations representing 32 ethnic group from eight provinces and cities across the country and a large number of students, soldiers and Hanoian citizens.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1515204'> </span> </p><br /><p>Addressing the event, Chairman Nguyen Thien Nhan called <a href='http://bit.ly/1pN2bCx'>Vietnam Family Day</a> an occasion to affirm the special role of the Vietnamese family values in the country’s history. He stressed that continuing the glorious traditions of previous generations and the 54 ethnic groups of <a href='http://bit.ly/UZIbTH'>Vietnam Great Family</a> attaches importance to the fraternal solidarity to overcome the consequences of natural disasters and build a prosperous country.</p><br /><p>A series of traditional Vietnamese ethnic festivals are expected to be celebrated during the two-day event. Among these are the <a href='http://bit.ly/1k3Rckh'>Po Riayak</a> (sea god) worshipping of the Cham people from <a href='http://bit.ly/1jP56HI'>Ninh Thuan</a> province; the <a href='http://bit.ly/UZIbTJ'>Feast and Commemoration Festival</a> for <a href='http://bit.ly/1k3R9F5'>Hoang Sa Soldiers</a> and a traditional boat race festival of fishermen from Ly Son Island, Quang Ngai province; and the <a href='http://bit.ly/1hunhU5'>Cau Ngu</a> (whale worship) Festival of fishermen from <a href='http://bit.ly/1f8hoHL'>Da Nang</a>.</p><br /><p>Under the framework of the programme, many activities on sea, islands, borders and national sovereignty will be also held including exhibitions and documentary film screenings on sea and island sovereignty.</p><br /><br/><br />Art programme celebrates Vietnam Family Day Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://ift.tt/1eWmqbm" width="200"/><br/></div>

Art programme celebrates Vietnam Family Day

Art programme celebrates Vietnam Family DayUnder the theme ‘Great Family of Vietnamese Ethnic Groups and the Cause of Building and Defending the Country‘, the event is intended to express the voice of the community of Vietnamese ethnic groups in the cause of building and defending the country, and t…

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Saigon as seen from the city’s “roof”

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><center><br /><p><em>VietNamNet Bridge – Phil Veinott – an American blogger living in <a href='http://bit.ly/1grLj3c'>HCM City</a> – shared beautiful photos of Saigon taken from the city’s tallest building – <a href='http://bit.ly/1vlOSuj'>Bitexco Financial</a> – on his Facebook.</em> </p><br /><div class='wp-caption aligncenter' style='width: 510px' id='attachment_1515257'><a href='http://bit.ly/UZI8XT'><img alt="Source: Kien Thuc/Reds.vn" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="336" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/1vlOSKy" width="500"/> </a><br /><p class='wp-caption-text'>Source: Kien Thuc/Reds.vn</p><br /></div><br /></center><br /><br/><br />Saigon as seen from the city’s “roof” Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/1vlOSKy" width="200"/><br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/1vlOSKy" width="200"/><br/></div>

Saigon as seen from the city’s “roof”

VietNamNet Bridge – Phil Veinott – an American blogger living in HCM City – shared beautiful photos of Saigon taken from the city’s tallest building – Bitexco Financial – on his Facebook. Source: Kien Thuc/Reds.vnSaigon as seen from the city’s “roof” Related image(s)…

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