Australian-funded vision project benefits southerners

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Australian-funded vision project benefits southerners<br /><p>The Department of Health of the southern province of <a href='http://bit.ly/Q80i6S'>Ba Ria</a> – Vung Tau on July 30 launched the second phase of an eye care project funded by the <a href='http://bit.ly/1xDnSrj'>Australian Government</a>.</p><br /><ul><br /><li><a href='http://bit.ly/1uJJmqb'>USAID provides eye care to thousands of children</a> </li><br /><li><a href='http://bit.ly/1xDnSHy'>HKI presents free eye care, glasses to 80,000 pupils</a> </li><br /><li><a href='http://bit.ly/1wQpf8u'>HKI provides eye care for children</a> </li><br /></ul><br /><p>Building on the results of the first phase from 2011 to 2013, the extended project will be implemented via the <a href='http://bit.ly/1xDnSHz'>Brien Holden Vision Institute</a>, in <a href='http://bit.ly/1uJJmqj'>Tan Thanh and Chau Duc</a> districts in one year.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1dlaP9E'>The Australian</a> institute will assist eye health communication activities of the Ba Ria – <a href='http://bit.ly/1oTM7Px'>Vung Tau</a> Eye Hospital and help improve the <a href='http://bit.ly/1xDnSHG'>capacity</a> of <a href='http://bit.ly/1pHDgSA'>medical staff</a>.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1531953'> </span> </p><br /><p>It will also aid Tan Thanh and Chau Duc in setting up two <a href='http://bit.ly/1xDnRn6'>optical clinics</a>, providing US$62,340 to procure equipment.</p><br /><p>During the first phase, the project was carried out in <a href='http://bit.ly/1uJJoyc'>Xuyen Moc and Dat Do</a> district, under which more than 20 ophthalmologists and technicians and over 300 local medical staff received intensive training.</p><br /><p>The project also provided eye check-ups for some 40,000 students at 56 secondary schools and presented 4,000 pairs of spectacles for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.</p><br /><p>Three optical clinics were also established in the districts and have offered services to more than 15,000 people.</p><br /><br/><br />Australian-funded vision project benefits southerners Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://ift.tt/1eWmqbm" width="200"/><br/></div>

Australian-funded vision project benefits southerners

Australian-funded vision project benefits southerners The Department of Health of the southern province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau on July 30 lau...

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Hundreds of Vietnamese workers returning home from conflict in Libya

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Hundreds of Vietnamese workers returning home from conflict in Libya<br /><p><strong><a href='http://bit.ly/1o9q5LF'>Hundreds of Vietnamese</a> workers are returning to Vietnam from Libya, where unrest is escalating, for safety reasons, a Vietnamese labor exporting company has said.</strong> </p><br /><div class='wp-caption aligncenter' style='width: 510px' id='attachment_1531936'><a href='http://bit.ly/1uJJk1F'><img alt=">> Ministry sets up plan to protect Vietnamese workers in Libya >> Heavy fighting breaks out near Libya’s Tripoli airport, seven dead >> Libyan court says PM’s election invalid, raising hopes of end to stalemate”></a><p class=" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="280" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/1uJJk1F" width="500"/>>> Ministry sets up plan to protect Vietnamese workers in Libya >> Heavy fighting breaks out near Libya's Tripoli airport, seven dead >> Libyan court says PM's election invalid, raising hopes of end to stalemate<br/><br /><br/> </a> </div><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1uJJk1F'><em><strong>>> Vietnam to send workers to Libya again</strong> </em> </a> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1uJJk1F'><span id='more-1531935'> </span> </a> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1uJJk1F'>Nguyen Duc Nam, deputy general director of the</a> <a href='http://bit.ly/1uJJhmq'>International Manpower Supply and Trade Company</a> (Sona), under the <a href='http://bit.ly/1rDYp0t'>Ministry of Labor</a>, <a href='http://bit.ly/Qi85zK'>War Invalids and Social Affairs</a> (MOLISA), said that 79 of the 206 workers his company sent to Libya returned to Vietnam on July 29.</p><br /><p>The remaining workers will continue coming back to Vietnam, Nam said, adding that the last among these workers will arrive in their home country on Saturday, August 2, at the latest.</p><br /><p>The 206 laborers worked for a project developed by a Turkish contractor in <a href='http://bit.ly/Q6T6Zs'>South Korea</a> near the area where violence has been escalating over the past several days, especially in <a href='http://bit.ly/1uJJhmx'>Tripoli and Benghazi</a>.</p><br /><p>On July 26, when this contractor was withdrawing its staff from Libya at the recommendation of the Turkish administration, it also brought the 206 Vietnamese workers back to Turkey.</p><br /><p>Three days later, the contractor arranged for 79 of these Vietnamese workers to return to Vietnam first, Sona said.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1xDnLfl'>Nguyen Ngoc Quynh</a>, head of the <a href='http://bit.ly/1uJJhCM'>MOLISA’s Department of Overseas Labor Management</a> (Dolab), told <em>Tuoi Tre</em> (Youth) newspaper on Tuesday that 14 businesses have sent about 1,750 Vietnamese workers to Libya, of whom 211 are in Tripoli, 686 in Misrata, 528 in <a href='http://bit.ly/1xDnN6Q'>Al Qubbah</a>, and the remaining in various other locations.</p><br /><p>Dolab is coordinating with the <a href='http://bit.ly/1oIDGZv'>Vietnamese Embassy</a>, the company that sent these workers to Libya and their employer in the African country to protect them, move them out of the dangerous area and repatriate them to Vietnam, Quynh said.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/Qx6N4g'>On Wednesday</a>, the labor ministry submitted a report to <a href='http://bit.ly/1grLjQM'>Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung</a> regarding their plans to ensure the safety of Vietnamese workers in Libya and their evacuation from the <a href='http://bit.ly/1uJJhCR'>North African</a> country when necessary, the official said.</p><br /><p>The Vietnamese premier directed all concerned agencies to closely coordinate with each other in implementing these plans to protect Vietnamese workers in Libya, he added.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1h8RZSu'>In February</a> 2011, more than 10,000 Vietnamese workers were evacuated from Libya and sent back to Vietnam to avoid the political unrest at that time.</p><br /><p>Vietnamese workers were not allowed to go to Libya until July 2012, when the MOLISA permitted labor exporters to resume their supply of laborers to Libya, the only country in Africa that has signed a labor cooperation contract with Vietnam.</p><br /><p><strong><em><a href='#http://bit.ly/1uJJki2'>Like us on Facebook</a> or <a href='#http://bit.ly/1xDnLM9'>follow us on Twitter</a> to get the latest news about Vietnam!</em> </strong> </p><br /><br/><br />Hundreds of Vietnamese workers returning home from conflict in Libya Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/1uJJk1F" width="200"/><br/></div>

Hundreds of Vietnamese workers returning home from conflict in Libya

Hundreds of Vietnamese workers returning home from conflict in Libya Hundreds of Vietnamese workers are returning to Vietnam from Libya, wh...

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Monument of Vietnam Navy’s first victory inaugurated

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Monument of Vietnam Navy’s first victory inaugurated<br /><p><strong>The monument of the first victory of the Vietnam People’s Navy and the northern militaries was inaugurated in <a href='http://bit.ly/1uJJd6a'>Quang Binh Province’s Ba Don Town on July</a> 29.</strong> </p><br /><div class='wp-caption aligncenter' style='width: 410px' id='attachment_1531927'><a href='http://bit.ly/1xDnuZU'><img alt="Monument of the first victory of the Vietnam People's Navy and the northern militaries. (Photo: Sggp)" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="300" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/1xDnuZU" width="400"/> </a><br /><p class='wp-caption-text'>Monument of the first victory of the Vietnam People's Navy and the northern militaries. (Photo: Sggp)</p><br /></div><br /><p>The work is located along the bank of Gianh River, aiming to mark the 50 th anniversary of the first victory of the Vietnam People’s Navy and the northern militias (on August 2-5) .</p><br /><p><span id='more-1531926'> </span> </p><br /><p>The monument will be a destination for those who need to learn about glorious victories of the Vietnam People’s Navy.</p><br /><table><br /><tbody><br /><tr><br /><td><em><a href='http://bit.ly/1zHVHLz'>On August</a> 2, 1964, patrol boats from the Vietnam People’s Navy drove the US destroyer <a href='http://bit.ly/1xDntVQ'>USS Maddox</a> out of Vietnam’s territorial waters in the <a href='http://bit.ly/1uJJd6d'>Bac Bo</a> (Tonkin) Gulf, after repeated US intrusions.<br/><br /><br/> </em><br /><p><em><a href='http://bit.ly/1uJJar9'>The Tonkin Gulf</a> incident prompted <a href='http://bit.ly/1xDnucc'>US President Lyndon Johnson</a> to escalate the war into northern Vietnam. On August 5, the US airforce carried out more than 100 sorties targeting Vietnam’s naval bases in Quang Binh, <a href='http://bit.ly/1irkKtx'>Nghe An</a>, <a href='http://bit.ly/1uJJaHn'>Thanh Hoa and Quang Ninh</a> provinces. The raids faced a strong resistance from the Vietnamese naval soldiers and the people, and August 5 has been observed as the traditional day of the Vietnam People’s Navy. (Source: Cpv)</em> </p><br /></td><br /></tr><br /></tbody><br /></table><br /><br/><br />Monument of Vietnam Navy’s first victory inaugurated Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/1xDnuZU" width="200"/><br/></div>

Monument of Vietnam Navy’s first victory inaugurated

Monument of Vietnam Navy’s first victory inaugurated The monument of the first victory of the Vietnam People’s Navy and the northern militar...

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Brothers lose part of hands, eyesight after fishing accident

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Brothers lose part of hands, eyesight after fishing accident<br /><p><em>VietNamNet Bridge – Two men were seriously injured after they used an explosive to help them catch fish.</em> </p><br /><p><em><a href='http://bit.ly/1uJJ9Dr'><img alt="1531917-20140731111941-2" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="375" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/1xDnsBd" width="500"/> </a> </em> </p><br /><p>They were taken to the <a href='http://bit.ly/1gzCKSO'>Cho Ray Hospital in HCM City</a> in serious condition.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1531917'> </span> </p><br /><p>According to investigators, at 8pm on July 26, Mr. Vo Van Hung, 35, a fisherman in <a href='http://bit.ly/1xDnsBf'>Ninh Hai</a> district in the central province of Ninh Thuan, and his brother <a href='http://bit.ly/1uJJ9Dz'>Vo Van Manh</a>, 34 went fishing at sea.</p><br /><p>After zoning the catching area, Hung ignited a piece of homemade explosive of about 200 grams. The explosive exploded on Hung’s hands. The incident damaged the left hand and arm as well as the eyes of the two men.</p><br /><p>After the <a href='http://bit.ly/1uJJ9TO'>accident</a>, the two victims were taken to the <a href='http://bit.ly/1s6YYil'>Ninh Thuan General Hospital</a> for emergency aid, where one third of the left hand of both men was cut off. The victims were then transferred to the Cho Ray Hospital for treatment.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1xDnsRu'>Dr. Ha Thanh Binh</a> of the Cho Ray Hospital said that the patients are out of danger but they suffer from very severe sequelae. Hung lost about 5% of the skin, one third of the left arm and is blind. His brother – Manh – also lost part of his left arm and he might lose his sight.</p><br /><p>In addition, the two men have several holes in their chests and their right lung was damaged due to the pressure of the explosive.</p><br /><p><strong><em>Thu Ly</em> </strong> </p><br /><br/><br />Brothers lose part of hands, eyesight after fishing accident Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/1xDnsBd" width="200"/><br/></div>

Brothers lose part of hands, eyesight after fishing accident

Brothers lose part of hands, eyesight after fishing accident VietNamNet Bridge – Two men were seriously injured after they used an explosive...

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Son Doong cave to become “hotspots” for visitors over next two decades

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Son Doong cave to become “hotspots” for visitors over next two decades<br /><p>The world’s largest cave, Son Doong in Quang Binh province has been listed as one of famous places in the world, which will become “hotspots” for visitors over the next two decades by The Huffington Post.</p><br /><div class='wp-caption aligncenter' style='width: 410px' id='attachment_1531921'><a href='http://bit.ly/1ABzShd'><img alt="Son Doong cave" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="280" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/1ABzShd" width="400"/> </a><br /><p class='wp-caption-text'>Son Doong cave</p><br /></div><br /><p>The American online news aggregator and blog described Son Doong cave showed that it is an interesting destination for a 7-day tour with discovery of underground rivers, caves and camping activities.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1531920'> </span> </p><br /><p>Moreover, the adventure will become much more accessible at this cave in the coming decades.</p><br /><p>Mount Everest in Nepal, the Grand Canyon in the US, The Pearl of Dubai underwater theme park, Koh Rong Island in Cambodia are also predicted to become the most attractive destinations for tourists in the next 20 years.</p><br /><br/><br />Son Doong cave to become “hotspots” for visitors over next two decades Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/1ABzShd" width="200"/><br/></div>

Son Doong cave to become “hotspots” for visitors over next two decades

Son Doong cave to become “hotspots” for visitors over next two decades The world’s largest cave, Son Doong in Quang Binh province has been l...

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Travel News 31/7

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Travel News 31/7<br /><p><strong>Fansipan-Sapa cable car to open in 2015</strong> </p><br /><p>The world’s longest three-rope cable car system, extending from the northern <a href='http://bit.ly/1ABzRde'>Lao Cai Province’s Sapa Town to Fansipan</a> peak, will open to passengers in 2015.</p><br /><p>The project’s investor <a href='http://bit.ly/UkX56x'>SunGroup</a> announced this at a recent meeting with the leaders of <a href='http://bit.ly/1ABzRdh'>Lao Cai Province and the Bank</a> for <a href='http://bit.ly/1rINnaz'>Investment and Development of Vietnam</a> (BIDV).</p><br /><p>The construction of the cable car is being carried out in the first phase of the <a href='http://bit.ly/1ABzO10'>Fansipan Sapa</a> tourism complex.</p><br /><p>The construction began on November 2, 2013 and is expected to be completed by <a href='http://bit.ly/1pJ1qy8'>National Day</a> (September 2) in 2015. The cable car can carry a maximum of 2,000 passengers per hour, with each cabin accommodating 35 passengers.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1531910'> </span> </p><br /><p>The cable car will transport passengers from the base of the 3,143-metre Fansipan mountain to its highest point within 15 to 20 minutes. Currently, it takes one to two days to trek to the top of the mountain.</p><br /><p><strong>Son Doong Cave, Mount Everest – attractive destinations in the next 20 years</strong> </p><br /><p>Vietnam’s Son Doong cave, <a href='http://bit.ly/1s4UXM1'>Mount Everest and Grand Canyon</a> are predicted to become the most attractive destinations for tourists in the next 20 years, according to the <a href='http://bit.ly/1uHwA85'>Huffington Post</a>.</p><br /><p>The US online news aggregator has released a list of famous places in the world which will become “<a href='http://bit.ly/1oMetga'>hotspots</a>” for visitors over the next two decades. One of the places cited is Son Doong cave – the world’s largest natural cave in Vietnam.</p><br /><p>Son Doong cave is considered an interesting destination for a 7-day tour with discovery of underground rivers, caves and camping activities.</p><br /><p><strong>Mui Ne among most beautiful beaches in Asia</strong> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1ABzRcY'>Canadian Travellers</a>, a Canadian travel guides magazine, has chosen Mui Ne as one of the top 11 most beautiful beaches in Asia.</p><br /><p>Mui Ne beach ranks second in the list, just trailing behind <a href='http://bit.ly/1ABzNKv'>Ko Lipe</a> – an island off the <a href='http://bit.ly/1ABzO15'>Andaman Coast</a>, south of Thailand.</p><br /><p>According to the magazine, Mui Ne beach is just a few hours’ drive from Ho Chi Minh City, near <a href='http://bit.ly/1eGmnVx'>Phan Thiet</a> city.</p><br /><p>Coming to this beach, travellers have the chance to enjoy the daily life of fishermen of a humble fishing port in Vietnam.</p><br /><p>Mui Ne has many other attractive destinations such as <a href='http://bit.ly/1iNQXHY'>Hon Rom</a>, <a href='http://bit.ly/1rK1GK9'>Hon Lao Cau and Bai Rang</a>, as well as beaches in pristine condition and a healthy environment.</p><br /><p><strong>Fiditour offers special tours during summer months</strong> </p><br /><p>Fifitour has just launched stimulus tours for its customers during the summer months. Accordingly, tourists register the inbound tours starting from July to end-August will receive low-cost tours as follow:</p><br /><p>Three day tour to <a href='http://bit.ly/1jRPCSY'>Phu Quoc</a> will cost VND 3,614,000; 3 day tour to <a href='http://bit.ly/1fgFg1G'>Con Dao</a> costs VND 1,770,000 and 3 day tour to <a href='http://bit.ly/OLYLTZ'>Nha Trang</a> will be VND 1,998,000. It is the same price for 3 day tour to Phan Thiet.</p><br /><p>Tours traveling to the northern provinces of the country including <a href='http://bit.ly/1h3Kbl8'>Ha Noi</a>, Ninh Binh, Ha Long, Tuan Chau, Yen Tu, <a href='http://bit.ly/1p0pBV9'>Bac Ninh</a>, Lao Cai, Sa Pa…will be discount from VND 1,000,000 to VND 4,000,000.</p><br /><p>Fiditour said it is offering special price for those traveling to the central provinces from VND 1,000,000 to VND 2,915,000 to <a href='http://bit.ly/1f8hoHL'>Da Nang</a>, Hoi An, Hue, Cu Lao Cham, <a href='http://bit.ly/1lAfIxy'>Ba Na</a> destinations.</p><br /><p><strong>Beauty of Cu Lao Cham Islands draws many visitors</strong> </p><br /><p>The islands in <a href='http://bit.ly/1rK1GKq'>Tan Diep Commune in Hoi An</a> have been recognised by <a href='http://bit.ly/1jHfVLO'>UNESCO</a> as a World Biosphere Reserve. They boast several relics from diverse and ancient cultures, such as <a href='http://bit.ly/1ABzOhu'>Sa Huynh</a>, <a href='http://bit.ly/1rK1H0F'>Cham Pa and Dai Viet</a>.</p><br /><p>Five years ago, Cu Lao Cham was still an emerging destination on Vietnam’s tourism map, especially in comparison with the centre of Hoi An. However, more and more tourists now come to Hoi An take a tour to Cu Lao Cham for a new experience.</p><br /><p>This is a fishing town, with fresh fish to be found in the area markets, and the first impressions of visitors may be the warm smiles and hospitality of the locals.</p><br /><p>An express boat from <a href='http://bit.ly/1rK1H0G'>Cua Dai to Cu Lao Cham Island</a> takes about 40 minutes. Local residents of the island mainly live in Bai Lang, and earn a living by fishing.</p><br /><p>In recent few years, together with the increasing number of visitors, many souvenir shops and seafood restaurants have popped up. Local residents can also earn extra money from community-based tourism services, such as homestays.</p><br /><p>The development of tourism in Cu Lao Cham is relatively new, but the location still retains its appearance of untouched natural beauty and clear blue waters.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1ABzRK1'>While Bai Lang</a> beach is bustling with visitors, <a href='http://bit.ly/1fgFk1u'>Bai Ong</a>, <a href='http://bit.ly/1pkJlCM'>Bai Huong</a>, <a href='http://bit.ly/1ruNB3X'>Bai Chong and Bai Bac</a> beaches remain relatively tranquil and are surrounded by lush mountains.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1ABzRK4'>Hai Tang Pagoda</a>, built more than 400 years ago, adds to the town’s atmosphere.</p><br /><p>Burning a few sticks of incense and walking around the town may renew your senses and give you a bit of respite from the noise and fury of daily life.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1ABzRK7'>The Cu Lao Cham</a> world natural biosphere reserve houses over 311 hectares of coral reefs which are home to around 300 species.</p><br /><p><strong>Propitious conditions for Central Highlands to boost tourism</strong> </p><br /><p>The rich natural beauty, cultural diversity and favourable transport links make the Central Highlands an ideal site for tourism development.</p><br /><p>Regional connectivity, therefore, constitutes an effective measure to fully tap the sector’s potential for sustainable development, heard a workshop in Dak Nong province on July 24.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1od5PWa'>Vice Chairwoman</a> of the local <a href='http://bit.ly/1ABzOxV'>People’s Committee Nguyen Thi Ngoc Le</a> highlighted the ongoing culture and tourism week in the province as a key note of the 2014 <a href='http://bit.ly/P09auQ'>National Tourism Year</a>.</p><br /><p>Dak Nong is home to the cultural space of Central Highlands gong, which was recognized by the UNESCO in 2005 as a <a href='http://bit.ly/1ABzOxX'>Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity</a>.</p><br /><p>The Central Highlands comprises five provinces of <a href='http://bit.ly/1pQv0P5'>Kon Tum</a>, <a href='http://bit.ly/Pf0mBt'>Gia Lai</a>, <a href='http://bit.ly/1lr1iRj'>Dak Lak</a>, <a href='http://bit.ly/1rK1ECa'>Dak Nong and Lam Dong</a>.</p><br /><p>The region is said a land of mysterious mountains and forests with a significant population of ethnic minorities whose varied customs and lifestyles are an anthropologist’s delight.</p><br /><p>It is suggested combining tourism with the preservation of the region’s culture.</p><br /><p><strong>Quang Ninh focuses on building sea, island tourism brand</strong> </p><br /><p>Endowed with beautiful beaches, islands, and favourable transport links, the northern coastal province of QuangNinh is paying special attention to developing sea-based tourism to promote its brand globally.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1ABzOy3'>According to Tran Van Ngoan</a>, an official of the provincial <a href='http://bit.ly/1jM95GU'>Department of Natural Resources and Environment</a>, <a href='http://bit.ly/1heFYXW'>Ha Long Bay</a>, twice recognised by UNESCO as a world natural heritage, is one of the must-see destinations whenever visitors come to QuangNinh as it boasts rich biodiversity along with great historical and cultural values.</p><br /><p>Covering a multitude of limestone islands and islets in various sizes and shapes, the bay was voted as one of the seven new wonders of the world in 2011, he said, adding that the annual <a href='http://bit.ly/1l0vM8X'>Ha Long Carnival</a> is also a magnet to local and foreign tourists.</p><br /><p>In addition to famous bays such as <a href='http://bit.ly/1ABzS0C'>Ha Long and BaiTu Long</a>, QuangNinh is home to many hot and mineral springs, cultural and historical relic sites, unique architectural works, traditional festivals and craft villages.</p><br /><p>The province also possesses a geographic position favourable for its marine tourism development as it is an international integration gateway of the northern key economic region as well as forms part of the “<a href='http://bit.ly/1rK1H0S'>Two corridors, one economic belt</a>” cooperation between Vietnam and China, and the <a href='http://bit.ly/1rK1H0U'>Tonkin Gulf Economic Corridor</a>.</p><br /><p>With the goal of successfully implementing the <a href='http://bit.ly/1eEjqmg'>Vietnam Marine Strategy</a> by 2020, QuangNinh has focused on building its sea and island tourism brand, especially honouring the value of Ha Long Bay, Ngoan said.</p><br /><p>It has also increased investment in developing primitive islands such as <a href='http://bit.ly/1rK1H0V'>Co To and Van Don</a> in order to offer new experiences to visitors.</p><br /><p>The province has planned to promote its green growth with a view to luring more domestic and foreign investors by forming a special economic zone with hi-end tourism services and international-standard trade and financial centres in Van Don island district.</p><br /><p>In 2013, the province served 7.5 million holidaymakers, a year-on-year rise of 7 percent, and earned US$235 million from tourism.</p><br /><p>It expects to welcome over 8.4 million tourists by the end of this year, including 3 million abroad.</p><br /><p><strong>Vietnam Airlines offers cheap tickets on overseas routes</strong> </p><br /><p>Vietnam’s national flag carrier <a href='http://bit.ly/1s4V3mX'>Vietnam Airlines on July</a> 29 launched its annual promotion programme on a number of international flights, with airfare starting from just VND199,000 (US$9).</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1s4V3n0'>Golden Autumn</a> 2014 will apply to passengers in Vietnam who buy tickets from August 8 to 22 and departure from August 22, 2014 to March 31, 2015.</p><br /><p>The price excludes tax, fees and other surcharges. This is a conditional ticket and it does not apply to flights during the peak season.</p><br /><p>The tickets will be sold via the website: http://bit.ly/1kWD6GD or Vietnam Airlines agents from across the country.</p><br /><p><strong>Int’l arrivals increase 4.6% in July</strong> </p><br /><p>Vietnam welcomed nearly 564,736 foreign travellers in July, a year-on-year rise of 4.6%, according to the <a href='http://bit.ly/1rzon5e'>Vietnam National Administration of Tourism</a> (VNAT).</p><br /><p>The rebound has sent a good signal for the tourism industry following a decrease of nearly 20% in June and 9.6% in May.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1s4V36v'>The July</a> figure brought the total number of foreign arrivals in Vietnam in the past seven months to over 4.85 million, up 15.6% compared to the same period last year.</p><br /><p>Among the total, 2.93 million went on holiday, 815,811 came to work, 836,388 visited their relatives, and the remainder came for other purposes.</p><br /><p>Key markets which saw considerable growth during the seven-month period included <a href='http://bit.ly/1rvulUI'>Hong Kong</a> (up 111.3%), Germany (up 99.4%), Russia (up 27%), and Laos (up 26.7%).</p><br /><p>However, numbers of visitors from <a href='http://bit.ly/1s4V3mM'>Finland and Indonesia</a> dropped 2.4% and 1.4% respectively.</p><br /><p>In 2014 Vietnam aims to receive 8-8.2 million foreign visitors and serve 37.5 million domestic holiday-makers to earn approximately VND240 trillion in revenue.</p><br /><p><em>VNA/ND/SGT/SGGP</em> </p><br /><br/><br />Travel News 31/7 Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://ift.tt/1eWmqbm" width="200"/><br/></div>

Travel News 31/7

Travel News 31/7 Fansipan-Sapa cable car to open in 2015 The world’s longest three-rope cable car system, extending from the northern Lao C...

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Mui Ne among top beaches in Asia

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Mui Ne among top beaches in Asia<br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1ABzQWG'><img alt="1531881-avatar" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="169" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/1ABzQWG" width="300"/> </a> </p><br /><p>Mui Ne beach in the central province of <a href='http://bit.ly/1hGs8xW'>Binh Thuan</a> has been chosen by <a href='http://bit.ly/1ABzRcY'>Canadian Travellers</a>, a travel guide magazine of Canada , as one of the 11 most beautiful beaches in Asia.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1531881'> </span> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1pUAgV3'>Mui Ne</a> ranks second in the list, just after pristine <a href='http://bit.ly/1ABzNKv'>Ko Lipe</a> beach of Thailand.</p><br /><p>According to the magazine, Mui Ne beach is near <a href='http://bit.ly/1eGmnVx'>Phan Thiet</a> city, just a few hours’ drive from Ho Chi Minh City.</p><br /><p>Coming to this beach, travellers have the chance to witness the daily life of fishermen in a humble fishing village.</p><br /><p>Mui Ne boasts many attractive landscapes such as <a href='http://bit.ly/1iNQXHY'>Hon Rom</a>, <a href='http://bit.ly/1rK1GK9'>Hon Lao Cau and Bai Rang</a>. Strong sea breezes make it very popular for kitesurfing and windsurfing.</p><br /><p>The beach is a popular destination for Russian tourists and many of its restaurants and resorts are owned by Russians.-VNA</p><br /><br/><br />Mui Ne among top beaches in Asia Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/1ABzQWG" width="200"/><br/></div>

Mui Ne among top beaches in Asia

Mui Ne among top beaches in Asia Mui Ne beach in the central province of Binh Thuan has been chosen by Canadian Travellers , a travel gui...

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Son Doong Cave one of global tourist attractions in 20 years

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Son Doong Cave one of global tourist attractions in 20 years<br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1rK1Gdc'><img alt="1531848-avatar" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="225" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/1rK1Gdc" width="300"/> </a> </p><br /><p>Photo: VNA</p><br /><p><span id='more-1531848'> </span> </p><br /><p>The Huffington Post of the US has described Son Doong Cave in Vietnam’s central province of <a href='http://bit.ly/Q6KHW3'>Quang Binh</a> as one of the most attractive destinations for global tourists in the next 20 years.</p><br /><p>The cave is put on par with 14 other destinations throughout the world, including <a href='http://bit.ly/1rK1Gdg'>Mount Everest of Nepal</a>, the <a href='http://bit.ly/1ABzNtW'>Grand Canyon Escalade of the US</a>, a n underwater city of Dubai, and <a href='http://bit.ly/1rK1Gdi'>Koh Rong Island of Cambodia</a>.</p><br /><p>The newspaper says, “Trial tours launched last year in Son Doong, the world’s biggest cave. Judging by the public’s response, we predict the seven-day adventures – which include rappelling into the cave, camping by its massive stalagmites and exploring the underground river and jungle – will become much more accessible in the coming decades.”</p><br /><p>Son Doong Cave, which scientists believe was formed 2 to 5 million years ago, was first discovered in the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park by a local man in 1991.</p><br /><p>The cave was later made public in 2009 by a group of British scientists from the <a href='http://bit.ly/1psW9p4'>British Cave Research Association</a> after they extensively surveyed the area.</p><br /><p>Son Doong has a length of at least 6.5 kilometres and is estimated to be 200 metres in width and at least 150 metres in height (while its very largest chamber is an incredible 250 metres in height, enough space to accommodate 40-storey skyscrapers).</p><br /><p>Recently, the <a href='http://bit.ly/1nMmOOQ'>New York Times</a> named Quang Binh as one of the most attractive destinations in Asia and eighth out of the world’s 52 top tourist destinations for 2014.-VNA</p><br /><br/><br />Son Doong Cave one of global tourist attractions in 20 years Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/1rK1Gdc" width="200"/><br/></div>

Son Doong Cave one of global tourist attractions in 20 years

Son Doong Cave one of global tourist attractions in 20 years Photo: VNA The Huffington Post of the US has described Son Doong Cave in Vi...

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Thai woman caught with cocaine worth over $1mn at Vietnam airport

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Thai woman caught with cocaine worth over $1mn at Vietnam airport<br /><p><strong>Customs officers at <a href='http://bit.ly/1oGYQ7s'>Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City</a> discovered 4kg of cocaine, worth over US$1 million, hidden in the luggage of a Thai woman who arrived at the airport on Wednesday.</strong> </p><br /><div class='wp-caption aligncenter' style='width: 510px' id='attachment_1531915'><a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8Rtz'><img alt=">> Thai woman sentenced to death for drug trafficking >> Thai woman caught with cocaine worth $1.5 mln at Vietnam airport >> 30 get death in largest-ever heroin trial in Vietnam”></a><p class=" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="295" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/1zy8Rtz" width="500"/>>> Thai woman sentenced to death for drug trafficking >> Thai woman caught with cocaine worth $1.5 mln at Vietnam airport >> 30 get death in largest-ever heroin trial in Vietnam<br/><br /><br/> </a> </div><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8Rtz'>The drugs were found when customs officers were checking two backpacks belonging to the foreign woman, Pantimoong Narisara, 25, who flew in on Flight QR964 of Qatar Airways from Doha, the capital of Qatar, a country in the Middle East.</a> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8Rtz'><span id='more-1531914'> </span> </a> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8Rtz'>The exact weight of the cocaine is 3.97 kilogram, which is valued at about VND25 billion ($1.18 million).</a> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8Rtz'>Airport security then handed the woman and the drugs over to the HCMC anti-drug police for investigation.</a> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8Rtz'>The foreign woman told investigators that she had passed through many airports in several countries with the cocaine without detection before arriving in Vietnam.</a> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8Rtz'>Last month, the Hanoi People’s Court sentenced a Thai woman and three Vietnamese people to death for transnational transport of more than 56kg of heroin in 2011-2012.</a> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8Rtz'>Pornpirom Upapong, 32, and her three Vietnamese accessories Nguyen Thi Thuy Trang, 51, Le Xuan Phu, 30, and Phan Thi Lien, 45, received their sentences at a trial opening on June 12.</a> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8Rtz'>In August 2013, another Thai woman was sentenced to death by the HCMC People’s Court for trafficking 2kg of drugs from Brazil to Vietnam.</a> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8Rtz'>Chaimongkol Suracha was arrested on October 1, 2012 at Tan Son Nhat International Airport after customs officers found four bags of white powder hidden in her luggage.</a> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8Rtz'>She arrived on a flight from Dubai, where she transferred after flying from Brazil.</a> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8Rtz'>Tests later confirmed that the powder was cocaine, which weighed 1.983 kg.</a> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8Rtz'> </a><a href='#http://bit.ly/1uJyAjF'>Like us on Facebook</a> or <a href='#http://bit.ly/1zy8RtA'>follow us on Twitter</a> to get the latest news about Vietnam!</p><br /><br/><br />Thai woman caught with cocaine worth over $1mn at Vietnam airport Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/1zy8Rtz" width="200"/><br/></div>

Thai woman caught with cocaine worth over $1mn at Vietnam airport

Thai woman caught with cocaine worth over $1mn at Vietnam airport Customs officers at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City...

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Charity Run to connect students around globe

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Charity Run to connect students around globe<br /><p>(VOV) – Over 600 Vietnamese university students from around the globe will participate in a run for charity at <a href='http://bit.ly/1uJyvfR'>Hanoi’s National My Dinh</a> stadium on August 17, to raise much needed funds to help needy children.</p><br /><p>The run themed “<a href='http://bit.ly/1uJyvwB'>Connecting VietYouth</a> 2014″ is the result of a joint effort by the <a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8Ndf'>Vietnamese Student Association in the UK</a> (SVUK) in collaboration with the <a href='http://bit.ly/1uJyvfU'>Global Shapers Community and the Academy of Journalism and Communication</a>.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8Ndi'>SVUK President Pham Ngoc Thu Thuy</a> said that the run is expected to provide an exchange between Vietnamese students and expat youths, giving them a good change to join hands to help poor children in mountainous areas of the nation.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1531899'> </span> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8Ndj'>The Global Shapers Community</a> (GSP) organized by the <a href='http://bit.ly/1lPmyQc'>World Economic Forum</a> is designed to develop the social community by enhancing the role of capable young leaders. <a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8Ndk'>Tran Quang Hung</a> (Vietnam) who has ever invited to participate in the WEF is also a GSP co-founder.</p><br /><br/><br />Charity Run to connect students around globe Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://ift.tt/1eWmqbm" width="200"/><br/></div>

Charity Run to connect students around globe

Charity Run to connect students around globe (VOV) – Over 600 Vietnamese university students from around the globe will participate in a run...

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HCM City hosts Vietnam Global Education Dialogue

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>HCM City hosts Vietnam Global Education Dialogue<br /><p>(VOV) – Nearly 200 delegates from universities around the globe are gathering at the Vietnam Education Dialogue 2014: <a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8Ky7'>Higher Education Reforms</a> (VED 2014) in <a href='http://bit.ly/1grLj3c'>HCM City</a> from July 31 to August 1.</p><br /><ul><br /><li><a href='http://bit.ly/1uJyvwl'>Vietnam joins education conference in Brussels</a> </li><br /><li><a href='http://bit.ly/1mee6JV'>Minister grilled over tertiary education quality</a> </li><br /><li><a href='http://bit.ly/1uJyvwm'>National committee on education reform to be set up</a> </li><br /></ul><br /><p>The two-day conference provides a good chance for Government leaders, scholars, and university and business representatives around the world to present and debate initiatives about higher education reforms in Vietnam.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1531853'> </span> </p><br /><p>At the conference, <a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8Kyc'>Rena Bitter</a> – US <a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8MWN'>Consul General</a> – said she is honoured to preside over the conference and believes that converging of intellectuals will serve as a catalyst for higher education reform in the country.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1uJyuZt'><img alt="1531853-giao-duc" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="281" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/1uJyuZt" width="500"/> </a> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1jr6RPv'>Deputy Minister of Education and Training Bui Van Ga</a> said Vietnam is on the right track to carry out education reform.</p><br /><p>Participants debated a number of issues, such as higher education governance, accountability, finance, quality and digitalisation in tertiary education reform. They also talked about lecturers, scientific research, private universities and foreign-invested universities.</p><br /><p>The conference also covered dissertations presented by US information and culture counsellor to <a href='http://bit.ly/1uJyuZu'>Hanoi Terry White</a>, representatives from the <a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8Kyf'>Government and VEDG</a>.</p><br /><br/><br />HCM City hosts Vietnam Global Education Dialogue Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/1uJyuZt" width="200"/><br/></div>

HCM City hosts Vietnam Global Education Dialogue

HCM City hosts Vietnam Global Education Dialogue (VOV) – Nearly 200 delegates from universities around the globe are gathering at the Vietna...

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Binh Thuan: Doctor reprimanded for refusing promotion

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Binh Thuan: Doctor reprimanded for refusing promotion<br /><p><em>VietNamNet Bridge – Dr. Ho Phi Long received a warning from the government of the central province of Binh Thuan after he refused to accept the deputy director position of the provincial <a href='http://bit.ly/QhonsR'>Department of Health</a>.</em> </p><br /><p>Long is currently Party Secretary and Director of the Nam Binh Thuan General Hospital.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1uJysAO'>According to the Binh Thuan Province People’s Committee</a>, earlier this year Long was appointed as deputy director of the Health Department, but refused, saying that his mother was very old and very weak so he wanted to work in the hospital to take care of his mother.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1531827'> </span> </p><br /><p>Allegedly failing to abide by the appointment of the provincial authorities, Long was disciplined.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8MGn'>According to Binh Thuan</a> authorities, Dr. Long was reprimanded because he did not abide by the assignment of the local government though he is the head of the party cell and director of the hospital.</p><br /><p>“The decision to discipline Mr. Long is in accordance with the provisions of the <a href='http://bit.ly/1uJyuIV'>Law on Public Servants and the Party’s</a> regulations,” said an official of the <a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8MGo'>Binh Thuan Province People’s Committee Office</a>.</p><br /><p>“Dr. Long’s home is about 140km from the Department of Health headquarters. His father just died while his mother is very old so Dr. Long cannot asume the position at this moment,” said <a href='http://bit.ly/1uJyuIY'>Mr. Nguyen Thanh Kiet</a>, chief of the office of the <a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8KhI'>Binh Thuan Health Department</a>.</p><br /><p><strong><em>Xuan Tu</em> </strong> </p><br /><br/><br />Binh Thuan: Doctor reprimanded for refusing promotion Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://ift.tt/1eWmqbm" width="200"/><br/></div>

Binh Thuan: Doctor reprimanded for refusing promotion

Binh Thuan: Doctor reprimanded for refusing promotion VietNamNet Bridge – Dr. Ho Phi Long received a warning from the government of the cent...

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Seminar discusses micro-finance activities in rural development

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Seminar discusses micro-finance activities in rural development<br /><p>The role that micro-finance plays in sustainable rural development was the highlight of a seminar held in the central province of Quang Binh from July 28-30.</p><br /><p>Jointly held by the <a href='http://bit.ly/1fcjlsA'>Sustainable Rural Development</a> for the <a href='http://bit.ly/1uJyusp'>Poor Project</a> (SRDP) and the <a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8Khu'>Quang Binh Development Support Fund</a>, the event attracted the participation of nearly 100 delegates from SRDP beneficiary localities, namely Quang Binh, <a href='http://bit.ly/1nSuEdb'>Ben Tre</a>, <a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8Khw'>Tuyen Quang and Dak Nong</a>.</p><br /><p>Participants were introduced to micro-finance activities and their development in Vietnam, as well as relevant legal frameworks, together with process of setting up micro-finance institutions and making business strategies and plans for them.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1531846'> </span> </p><br /><p>They also shared micro-finance development plans in their localities and made a fact-finding tour to <a href='http://bit.ly/1uJyuss'>Quang Xuan</a> commune in <a href='http://bit.ly/1pKg6K7'>Quang Trach</a> district.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8Khz'>The SRDP</a> will be carried out in 40 communes in six districts of Quang Binh from 2014 to 2018, following a credit agreement between the <a href='http://bit.ly/1uJyusv'>Vietnamese Government and the International Fund</a> for <a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8MGf'>Agriculture Development</a> (IFAD) signed in Italy last year.</p><br /><p>Its target is to sustainably improve the income and reduce the vulnerability of rural poor households.</p><br /><p>The project will invest in climate-smart, socially equitable and profitable rural development models, focusing on market-led development planning, rural financial services and market and value chain investment.</p><br /><p>Target groups for the projects include poor rural households with land and labour resources, unskilled and unemployed rural people, landless people, ethnic minority people who lack income and skill, and small and medium-sized rural trade enterprises and value-chain entrepreneurs.-VNA</p><br /><br/><br />Seminar discusses micro-finance activities in rural development Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://ift.tt/1eWmqbm" width="200"/><br/></div>

Seminar discusses micro-finance activities in rural development

Seminar discusses micro-finance activities in rural development The role that micro-finance plays in sustainable rural development was the h...

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Thai woman caught carrying 3.97 kg of cocaine at airport

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Thai woman caught carrying 3.97 kg of cocaine at airport<br /><p>A Thai national was caught carrying 3.97 kg of cocaine worth nearly 25 billion VND (1.17 million USD) when landing at Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat international airport on July 29, according to the airport’s customs office.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8AqC'>Pantimoong Narisara</a>, 25, entered Vietnam from Qatar with the cocaine hidden in her consigned luggage.</p><br /><p>She admitted that she had successfully transported the drug through several countries before arriving in Vietnam.</p><br /><p>Since the beginning of this year, the customs office at Tan Son Nhat airport has discovered three cases of drug smuggling, detaining three traffickers and confiscating 9kg of cocaine and 2kg of drug precursors, worth about 58 billion VND in total.-VNA</p><br /><br/><br />Thai woman caught carrying 3.97 kg of cocaine at airport Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://ift.tt/1eWmqbm" width="200"/><br/></div>

Thai woman caught carrying 3.97 kg of cocaine at airport

Thai woman caught carrying 3.97 kg of cocaine at airport A Thai national was caught carrying 3.97 kg of cocaine worth nearly 25 billion VND ...

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Panasonic donates washing machines to needy children

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Panasonic donates washing machines to needy children<br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1uJymsS'>Panasonic Vietnam Co</a>. Ltd., on July 30 presented over 1,000 washing machines worth 5 billion VND (235,000 USD) to social welfare centres for children and boarding schools for ethnic children nationwide.</p><br /><p>The gift was handed over to the <a href='http://bit.ly/1ljbJGr'>Ministry of Labour</a>, War Invalids and Social Affairs, the <a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8I9o'>Ministry of Education and Training and the Vietnam Farmers’ Association</a>, which will then transfer the machines to nearly 400 social welfare centres and 103 boarding schools for ethnic children nationwide.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1iAEElF'>Minister of Labour</a>, <a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8I9q'>War Invalids and Social Affairs Pham Thi Hai Chuyen</a> spoke highly of the company’s charitable programme, saying that the gifts will help increase the living conditions of disadvantaged people, especially children.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1531834'> </span> </p><br /><p>During nearly a decade operating in Vietnam, the Japan-based corporation has actively engaged in community-oriented activities in the country, particularly in education and environment.-VNA</p><br /><br/><br />Panasonic donates washing machines to needy children Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://ift.tt/1eWmqbm" width="200"/><br/></div>

Panasonic donates washing machines to needy children

Panasonic donates washing machines to needy children Panasonic Vietnam Co . Ltd., on July 30 presented over 1,000 washing machines worth 5 b...

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Specific policies essential to spur Central Highland growth

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Specific policies essential to spur Central Highland growth<br /><p>More mechanisms and policies designed specifically for the Central Highlands are needed in order to spur socio-economic development in this region and 29 mountainous district bordering the five Central Highland provinces, heard a conference in <a href='http://bit.ly/1fTOHxL'>Lam Dong</a> province on July 30.</p><br /><p>Addressing the conference, Politburo member and head of the Steering Committee for the <a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8G1k'>Central Highlands General Tran Dai Quang</a> said the new policies and mechanisms should focus on helping target localities make full use of their abundant land resource for developing agriculture in an intensive and diverse manner. He suggested giving priority to industrial trees such as coffee and cattle husbandry, adding that agriculture development should be combined with processing industry and exports.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1531830'> </span> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1uJyk4g'>Besides the Central Highlands</a>, mountainous districts bordering the region also received substantial State investment over the past year under the Prime Minister’s instruction in his dispatch No.588 issued in 2009, the committee reported at the conference.</p><br /><p>During three years from 2009-2011, about 366 billion VND (22.1 million USD) was poured into 83 socio-economic development projects in those districts.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8DCN'>General Quang</a> suggested investing more in transport and irrigation works as well as electricity transmission network in these districts in the 2014-2020 period.</p><br /><p>He asked relevant ministries and local authorities to devise preferential policies to allow people from disadvantaged backgrounds and ethnic minority groups to pursue higher education and join training courses in agro-forestry, education, health and culture.</p><br /><p>Covering over 54,400 km squares, the Central Highlands groups provinces of <a href='http://bit.ly/1lr1iRj'>Dak Lak</a>, <a href='http://bit.ly/1rorFY6'>Dak Nong</a>, Lam Dong, <a href='http://bit.ly/1pqHAE2'>Gia Lai and Kon Tum</a>, with a population of over 5.4 million people, 25.7 percent of them ethnic minorities.-VNA</p><br /><br/><br />Specific policies essential to spur Central Highland growth Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://ift.tt/1eWmqbm" width="200"/><br/></div>

Specific policies essential to spur Central Highland growth

Specific policies essential to spur Central Highland growth More mechanisms and policies designed specifically for the Central Highlands are...

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Thai drug trafficker arrested at Tan Son Nhat Airport

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Thai drug trafficker arrested at Tan Son Nhat Airport<br /><p>(VOV) – Customs officials at <a href='http://bit.ly/1rDOqIH'>Tan Son Nhat International Airport</a> have detained a foreign national and seized nearly 3.97 kilograms of cocaine with a street value of VND25 billion.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8AqC'>Pantimoong Narisara</a>, a Thai woman was arrested on charges of smuggling illegal drugs into Vietnam. Narisara told officials she hid the cocaine in her suitcases and transported it through many nations before arriving in Vietnam on a flight from Qatar.</p><br /><p>The case is still under investigation.</p><br /><p>So far this year, customs officials at <a href='http://bit.ly/1nL1YS8'>Tan Son Nhat Airport</a> have discovered three cases of drug trafficking and seized 9 kilograms of illegal contraband valued at VND58 billion.</p><br /><br/><br />Thai drug trafficker arrested at Tan Son Nhat Airport Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://ift.tt/1eWmqbm" width="200"/><br/></div>

Thai drug trafficker arrested at Tan Son Nhat Airport

Thai drug trafficker arrested at Tan Son Nhat Airport (VOV) – Customs officials at Tan Son Nhat International Airport have detained a forei...

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Vietnamese bride found dead in valley in South Korea

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Vietnamese bride found dead in valley in South Korea<br /><p><strong>A Vietnamese bride is suspected to have been killed after South Korean police found her body in a valley in the southwestern province of Chollanam-do on Tuesday.</strong> </p><br /><div class='wp-caption aligncenter' style='width: 510px' id='attachment_1531806'><a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8CyH'><img alt=">> Young Vietnamese bride killed by Korean husband Do Thi My Tien, a 27-year-old woman, left Vietnam for Korea in 2004 after marrying a South Korean man, a correspondent of the Vietnam News Agency”></a><p class=" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="295" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/1zy8CyH" width="500"/>>> Young Vietnamese bride killed by Korean husband Do Thi My Tien, a 27-year-old woman, left Vietnam for Korea in 2004 after marrying a South Korean man, a correspondent of the Vietnam News Agency<br/><br /><br/> </a> </div><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8CyH'>in South Korea cited a source from the Vietnamese community in the province as saying.</a> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8CyH'><span id='more-1531805'> </span> </a> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8CyH'>The woman, who was born in the southern Vietnamese province of Tay Ninh, obtained South Korean nationality and had an 8-year-old boy, the source said.</a> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8CyH'>It is believed that the woman was killed as many as five days before and the murderer put her body and a motorbike in the valley in order to make it appear she had had an accident, local police said on Tuesday.</a> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8CyH'>After examining the scene, police summoned her 47-year-old husband for questioning.</a> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8CyH'>A number of Vietnamese women married to South Korean men in the area said that Tien and her husband had been fighting before she disappeared from their house.</a> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8CyH'>Tien’s mother has arrived in the province from Vietnam to attend her daughter’s funeral ceremony conducted by the family of Tien’s husband.</a> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8CyH'>Local police are investigating the cause of her mysterious death.</a> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8CyH'>Previously there have been many cases in which Vietnamese brides were killed in South Korea by their husbands.</a> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8CyH'>One such heartbreaking case occurred earlier this year when Ngo Thi Nga, 21, a native of the northern Vietnamese city of Hai Phong, was killed by her South Korean husband Own Chon on January 14.</a> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8CyH'>The victim’s body was found in the bedroom of the house where she and her South Korean family had lived in Hongchon District of Kangwon Province. The murderer killed himself shortly after.</a> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8CyH'>By 2013, nearly 52,000 Vietnamese women were married to Korean men. After China, Korea is the second most common source of foreign husbands for Vietnamese women, according to the statistics of the South Korean Ministry of Security and Public Administration.</a> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8CyH'>Over the past years, the South Korean government has given priority to assisting foreign brides, including Vietnamese ones, in integrating into their husbands’ families as well as local culture and customs, the ministry said.</a> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8CyH'>Vietnamese brides should contact the Vietnamese Embassy in Seoul to receive immediate support if they suffer maltreatment by their husbands, the ministry added.</a> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8CyH'>The Vietnamese Embassy in South Korea also said it has set up a mechanism to support Vietnamese brides in the country.</a> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8CyH'>Accordingly, when they receive domestic violence reports from Vietnamese brides, the embassy refers them to the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the local authorities and police for help, the embassy said.</a> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8CyH'>The embassy also coordinates with humanitarian organizations that offer support to foreign women in South Korea to seek help for Vietnamese women when necessary.</a> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1zy8CyH'> </a><a href='#http://bit.ly/1uJyj0e'>Like us on Facebook</a> or <a href='#http://bit.ly/1uJyj0h'>follow us on Twitter</a> to get the latest news about Vietnam!</p><br /><br/><br />Vietnamese bride found dead in valley in South Korea Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/1zy8CyH" width="200"/><br/></div>

Vietnamese bride found dead in valley in South Korea

Vietnamese bride found dead in valley in South Korea A Vietnamese bride is suspected to have been killed after South Korean police found her...

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Dishonest Vietnamese travel firm disappears after duping 100 tourists

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Dishonest Vietnamese travel firm disappears after duping 100 tourists<br /><p><strong>More than 100 people booked packages to <a href='http://bit.ly/1q3gQcU'>Thailand and Singapore</a> with a travel agent in Ho Chi Minh City only to have the tours, worth a total of over $47,000, canceled at the last minute while the fraudulent company vanished into thin air.</strong> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1oODZl8'><img alt="1531876-gfk0h0fe" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="295" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/1oODZl8" width="500"/> </a> </p><br /><p>Thu Van, a District 1 resident, spent VND26 million (US$1,224) on a tour package to <a href='http://bit.ly/1moxhMV'>Singapore on July</a> 30 for her family from Anh Kiet Co, headquartered in District 4.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1531876'> </span> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1oODZl9'>But on Tuesday</a>, just one day before their departure from <a href='http://bit.ly/1pHBgGm'>Ho Chi Minh’s Tan Son Nhat</a> airport, Van received an SMS from the tour operator, saying the trip was canceled and promising she would receive a refund.</p><br /><p>“<a href='http://bit.ly/1oODZlc'>They informed me of the news abruptly via text message, and I could not call them back</a>,” the customer said.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1pHBgGn'>When Van</a> and her husband went to the company’s office to ask for a refund, they were shocked to find it empty.</p><br /><p>“<a href='http://bit.ly/1oODWFZ'>The building staff told us that Anh Kiet Co ceased operations and left the venue on Monday</a>,” Van said.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1pHBgGq'>Ly Minh Thanh</a>, another victim of the fraudulent travel firm, said he did not book the tour directly at the company’s headquarters, but via the travel website <a href='#http://www.yesgo.vn/'>www.yesgo.vn</a>.</p><br /><p>YesGo is a dealership of Anh Kiet Co, and is under the management of <a href='http://bit.ly/1oODWG0'>HotDeal</a>, a well-known Vietnamese groupon company.</p><br /><p>Thanh placed an order on a VND9.98 ($470) voucher for a four-day/three-night package to Thailand via the website, and cleared the payment at the HotDeal office in District 11.</p><br /><p>The tour was scheduled to depart on Monday and return on Thursday.</p><br /><p>However, “a <a href='http://bit.ly/1pHBihr'>YesGo</a> employee phoned me on Sunday night to tell me that the flight was canceled and the tour was postponed until August 6,” Thanh recalled.</p><br /><p>“I called them back many times, but the employees insisted they were not sure if I could go on the trip as their partner has disappeared.”</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1oODZBE'>Pham Thi Phuong Ha</a>, head of marketing of YesGo, said the company has worked with Anh Kiet Co for more than a year.</p><br /><p>“We accounted for some 30 percent of their total booking,” she said.</p><br /><p>Ha said she began noticing some abnormal signs from the tour operator recently, but “<a href='http://bit.ly/1pHBgGv'>it was too late to review the partnership</a>.”</p><br /><p>YesGo received booking worth more than VND1 billion ($47,068) from over 100 customers. <a href='http://bit.ly/1oODWWk'>Nguyen Thanh Van An</a>, head of the company, said customers who bought the tours via the website will receive a full refund.</p><br /><p><strong>Abrupt disappearance</strong> </p><br /><p>The office building where Anh Kiet Co used to operate is now empty; leaflets and brochures scattered on the floor are the sole reminders of what was once there.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1oODZRW'>Minh Chau</a>, the manager of the office building, said she saw the company’s employees moving things out on Monday morning.</p><br /><p>“<a href='http://bit.ly/1pHBgWW'>When asked, they said they were moving to a nearby office for the sake of convenience</a>,” Chau recalled.</p><br /><p>“<a href='http://bit.ly/1oODZS0'>I wasn’t suspicious, as the company had been operating normally</a>.”</p><br /><p>The owner of a car leasing company told <em>Tuoi Tre</em> (Youth) newspaper that Anh Kiet Co also swindled him out of VND300 million ($14,120) on coach rentals since April 30.</p><br /><p>According to a business certificate granted by the <a href='http://bit.ly/1pHBgX3'>HCMC Department of Planning and Investment</a>, Anh Kiet Co was licensed to offer outbound tour packages on March 3.</p><br /><p>Its director, <a href='http://bit.ly/1oODWWp'>Vo Anh Kiet</a>, 32, had previously registered the company under the name of <a href='http://bit.ly/1pHBihI'>AK Co</a>, according to a source from the <a href='http://bit.ly/1ir5VVD'>HCMC Department of Culture</a>, Sports, and Tourism.</p><br /><p>AK Co was fined VND35 million ($1,647) in late 2013 for offering outbound tour services without a license.</p><br /><p>The tourism department inspectors and District 4 police are investigating the case.</p><br /><p><strong><em><a href='#http://bit.ly/1pHBhdp'>Like us on Facebook</a> or <a href='#http://bit.ly/1oODZS6'>follow us on Twitter</a> to get the latest news about Vietnam!</em> </strong> </p><br /><br/><br />Dishonest Vietnamese travel firm disappears after duping 100 tourists Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/1oODZl8" width="200"/><br/></div>

Dishonest Vietnamese travel firm disappears after duping 100 tourists

Dishonest Vietnamese travel firm disappears after duping 100 tourists More than 100 people booked packages to Thailand and Singapore with a...

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Bright prospect for dragon fruit exports

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Bright prospect for dragon fruit exports<br /><p>Vietnam now has more opportunities to ship dragon fruit, or thanh long in Vietnamese, to some choosy markets such as the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea (RoK) and China’s Taiwan in the coming time as local scientists have found a new way to protect the fruit from melon fly disease, a local newspaper reported.</p><br /><p>According to the Saigon Times Daily, the <a href='http://bit.ly/1tpBEeO'>Plant Protection Department</a> is cooperating with local scientists in a study on sterilizing male flies which harm the dragon fruit.</p><br /><p>Male flies will be irradiated in laboratories before being released into the environment, which make them infertile, meaning they could not reproduce offspring when mating with female ones.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1531831'> </span> </p><br /><p>To ensure the success of the method, scientists will make a calculation on the number of male flies living in the environment in order to release a greater amount of infertile male flies to compete with natural ones.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1oODW8U'>Le Duc Khanh</a>, head of the <a href='http://bit.ly/1oODYO8'>Division of Entomology</a> under the Plant Protection Department, said that the method helps prevent dragon fruit from melon fly disease without using insecticide.</p><br /><p>In 2013, only 2,600 tonnes of 400,000 tonnes of dragon fruit were exported to the US, <a href='http://bit.ly/1pHBg9u'>Japan and RoK</a> as those markets impose strict regulations on insecticide residues, according to Nguyen Van Ky, <a href='http://bit.ly/1oODW8X'>General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruits and Vegetables Association</a> (Vinafruit).</p><br /><p>Vinafruit said a kilo of dragon fruit exported to those selective markets is paid several times higher than to China; however, local exporters have had difficulty meeting stringent requirements.</p><br /><p>For instance, dragon fruit must be irradiated before delivery to the US or must undergo heat treatment before being shipped to Japan. <a href='http://bit.ly/1pHBf5s'>If Japanese</a> importers find out melon fly disease in any fruit, all batches of the product will be sent back to exporters.</p><br /><p>Up to 90 percent of dragon fruit harvested in Vietnam each year are exported to China. However, recently, the <a href='http://bit.ly/1oODYOb'>General Administration of Quality Supervision</a>, Inspection and Quarantine of China (<a href='http://bit.ly/1rj20n0'>AQSIQ</a>) said it found insecticide residues in some batches of fruit from Vietnam which are higher than allowed.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1pHBg9B'>According to Vinafruit</a>, to diversify export markets of dragon fruit, melon fly disease must be eliminated. Therefore, local farmers expect the new method from scientists would help the fruit go to more markets.-VNA</p><br /><br/><br />Bright prospect for dragon fruit exports Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://ift.tt/1eWmqbm" width="200"/><br/></div>

Bright prospect for dragon fruit exports

Bright prospect for dragon fruit exports Vietnam now has more opportunities to ship dragon fruit, or thanh long in Vietnamese, to some choos...

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Vietnam exports face tough challenges

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Vietnam exports face tough challenges<br /><p>Low value adds, poor quality of exports and heavy dependence on raw material imports along with poor processing facilities and transportation were affecting the country’s export quality and efficiency.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1oODVSt'>Nguyen Thi Thu Hang</a>, senior technical consultant at <a href='http://bit.ly/1pHBfT2'>Export Potential Assessment</a> (EPA), told a conference in <a href='http://bit.ly/UZI0rn'>Hanoi on July</a> 30 that limited understanding about foreign markets and international trade issues and inadequate market information, poor supply chain and sector linkages as well as outdated production and processing technologies for export products are also problems plaguing the country’s exports.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1531852'> </span> </p><br /><p>EPA is the first major activity of the four-year “<a href='http://bit.ly/1oODYNS'>Decentralised Trade Support Services</a> for <a href='http://bit.ly/1oODW8K'>Strengthening the International Competitiveness of Vietnamese Small and Medium</a>-sized Enterprises” programme, being implemented nationally by the <a href='http://bit.ly/1pHBf5g'>Trade Promotion Agency</a>.</p><br /><p>In order to deal with these issues, Hang emphasised on the importance of promoting the implementation of the State’s preferential policies in support industries to solve input material shortages.</p><br /><p>Besides, to enhance linkages in supply chains to reduce cost, improving product quality and competitiveness of exports, diversifying export markets and accelerating trade promotion were also necessary, she said.</p><br /><p>She added that improving the capacity of domestic enterprises in negotiating, contracting and getting international transactions reduced should be also included.</p><br /><p>On his speech at the event, <a href='http://bit.ly/1oODYNV'>Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai</a> said Vietnam was attempting to increase exports of high-value goods while reducing shipments of raw materials abroad.</p><br /><p>The country was also fostering its negotiations of <a href='http://bit.ly/1pHBg9n'>Free Trade Agreements</a> with foreign countries to expand export outlets, he said.</p><br /><p>In the future, it was necessary to identify and assess products and services which had an export potential and then focus on accelerating exports of these goods, he noted.</p><br /><p>According to a report which was also released at the July 30 conference, the items with high export potentials in the short to medium terms were coffee, rubber and cassava along with pepper, garments and leather shoes. Seafood such as tuna and shrimp were also on the list. Electronics, textiles and garment, and wooden goods apart from bamboo and rattan products, were also items with high export potential. Tourism and labour were items on the list.-VNA</p><br /><br/><br />Vietnam exports face tough challenges Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://ift.tt/1eWmqbm" width="200"/><br/></div>

Vietnam exports face tough challenges

Vietnam exports face tough challenges Low value adds, poor quality of exports and heavy dependence on raw material imports along with poor p...

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Solutions proposed to develop supporting industries

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Solutions proposed to develop supporting industries<br /><p>Supporting industries are the backbone of the country’s industry, according to Truong Thanh Hoai, <a href='http://bit.ly/1oODTd7'>Deputy Director of the Heavy Industry Department of the Ministry of Industry and Trade</a>.</p><br /><p>Further, supporting industries play a key role in raising the competitiveness of industrial products and are a decisive factor in the development and enhancement of the nation’s competitiveness. Without having supporting industries, it would be impossible to operate manufacturing industries, Hoai said during a workshop to discuss solutions to develop support industries in Vietnam, held by <a href='http://bit.ly/1pHBeOL'>HCM City Economics University and the Economic Commission of the Party Central Committee in Ho Chi Minh City on July</a> 31.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1531847'> </span> </p><br /><p>Regarding developing solutions for supporting industries in Vietnam, <a href='http://bit.ly/1oODVSe'>Professor Vo Thanh Thu</a> said developing the industries must focus on key industries in Vietnam, including those attracting large foreign investments, such as garments and textiles, engineering and electronic assembly. These industries have a large demand for support industries, as well as provide a need to modernise technologies and train highly-qualified workers to produce standardised products.</p><br /><p>Thu emphasised that investment in technology required large amounts of capital. To assist enterprises, the <a href='http://bit.ly/1pHBeOM'>Ministry of Finance and the State Bank of Vietnam</a> should work out policies to create favourable conditions for enterprises to have access to long-term loans with preferential interest rates. A representative of the municipal <a href='http://bit.ly/1oherOX'>Department of Industry and Trade</a> told those at the seminar that support industries in Vietnam were mainly catering to export processing technologies, while manufacturing industries largely relied on imported raw materials and components.</p><br /><p>In addition, the country has not yet developed specialised industrial complexes, resulting in underdeveloped support industries.</p><br /><p>The municipal department has proposed a series of measures to develop support industries by offering incentives to attract FDI businesses. It is stated that FDI businesses are an important driving force to promote domestic support industries.</p><br /><p>It has also suggested that the Government consider a master plan for supporting industries and offer credit loan policies for businesses to develop the industries and human resources in the field.</p><br /><p>Hoai said the Ministry of Industry and Trade is now developing a decree on the development of supporting industries, and is expected to submit to the Government in the fourth quarter of this year.</p><br /><p>Hoai added that the decree would focus on measures to support technology, production management and customer services to avoid shortcomings in local supporting industry companies.</p><br /><p>Furthermore, the decree would supplement incentives on corporate income taxes and construction regulations on the building of supporting industry complexes to attract global multinational corporations to provide parts and materials to invest in Vietnam.-VNA</p><br /><br/><br />Solutions proposed to develop supporting industries Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://ift.tt/1eWmqbm" width="200"/><br/></div>

Solutions proposed to develop supporting industries

Solutions proposed to develop supporting industries Supporting industries are the backbone of the country’s industry, according to Truong Th...

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Consumer Confidence Index shows positive sign in July

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Consumer Confidence Index shows positive sign in July<br /><p>The ANZ-Roy Morgan Vietnam Consumer Confidence Index posted another strong gain, increasing by 3.1 points to reach 134.1 in July, to stand well above the 2014 average of 131, ANZ Bank economists said in a report dated July 30.</p><br /><p>In terms of personal finances, 34 percent (up 2 percent) of the Vietnamese people say that their families are “<a href='http://bit.ly/1oODVlq'>better off</a>” than a year ago, while 19 percent (down 1 percent) say that their families are “<a href='http://bit.ly/1pHBeyl'>worse off</a>“.</p><br /><p>About 55 percent (up 7 percent) expect their families to be “better off” financially this time next year, compared to 6 percent (down 2 percent) who expect their families to be “worse off”.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1531832'> </span> </p><br /><p>As much as 61 percent (up 4 percent) of the Vietnamese people expect Vietnam to have “good times” economically over the next five years, compared to 7 percent (down 4 percent) who expect “<a href='http://bit.ly/1oODVls'>bad times</a>“.</p><br /><p>However, 47 percent (down 2 percent) expect the country will have “good times” financially during the next twelve months, while 15 percent (down 1 percent) expect “bad times”.</p><br /><p>Thirty-seven percent (down 1 percent) of the Vietnamese people say now is a “<a href='http://bit.ly/1pHBfCw'>good time to buy</a>” major household items, compared to 17 percent (up 3 percent) who say it is a “<a href='http://bit.ly/1oODVBG'>bad time to buy</a>“.</p><br /><p>“We believe the economic backdrop will be one of sure-and-steady recovery, rather than a V-shaped rebound,” said <a href='http://bit.ly/1nwe94M'>Glenn Maguire</a>, the chief economist of ANZ in Asia-Pacific.</p><br /><p>Consumer confidence sitting above the 2014 average is aligned with Vietnam’s ongoing economic momentum. However, further strong gains in confidence will need to be propelled either via wealth effects from higher equity and gold prices, or a faster improvement in the economy.</p><br /><p>“We would now assess confidence as being more likely to move sideways at elevated levels rather than continue to make strong gains,” said Glenn.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1oODSWA'>The ANZ Bank and Roy Morgan Research</a> launched the monthly private consumer index for Vietnam earlier this month, with surveys covering major cities and provinces across the nation.</p><br /><p>The consumer index jumped 7.7 points in June.-VNA</p><br /><br/><br />Consumer Confidence Index shows positive sign in July Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://ift.tt/1eWmqbm" width="200"/><br/></div>

Consumer Confidence Index shows positive sign in July

Consumer Confidence Index shows positive sign in July The ANZ-Roy Morgan Vietnam Consumer Confidence Index posted another strong gain, incre...

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Vietnam chemical giant calls on import duty hike to help subsidiaries

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Vietnam chemical giant calls on import duty hike to help subsidiaries<br /><p><strong>A state-run Vietnamese chemical giant is under criticism from local fertilizer makers for its recent call on the <a href='http://bit.ly/OTZzWo'>Ministry of Finance</a> to increase import duties on several fertilizer products, a proposal reportedly only meant to recover some of its loss-making subsidiaries, while affecting millions of farmers.</strong> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1oODN5i'><img alt="1531815-w3fwijnf" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="295" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/1oODN5i" width="500"/> </a> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1pHBcGC'>The Vietnam National Chemical Group</a> (Vinachem) has proposed that urea fertilizer should be subject to a seven percent import duty, while the rate for NPK (<a href='http://bit.ly/1oODOX2'>nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium</a>) and DAP (<a href='http://bit.ly/1pHBaP9'>diammonium phosphate</a>) fertilizer is advised to be eight percent.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1531815'> </span> </p><br /><p>Import duties ranging from zero to six percent are currently slapped on the said products, depending on their type.</p><br /><p>The tax increases are necessary as four local urea fertilizer plants are suffering losses of some 685,000 tons of unsold products, whereas fertilizer imports have been on the rise since late 2013, Vinachem insisted.</p><br /><p>The state-run chemical giant’s fertilizer operations posted a 10.6 percent year-on-year decline in revenue in the first four months of this year.</p><br /><p>Dam Ninh Binh, a Vinachem-invested urea maker based in the northern province of Ninh Binh, is also facing challenges in operations as the facility was only commissioned in late 2012.</p><br /><p>The finance ministry said it is collecting feedback from relevant ministries and departments on the Vinachem proposal.</p><br /><p>The import tariff for urea fertilizer had been increased from zero to three percent since the beginning of this year, and it could be doubled to six percent given the surplus supply from local urea makers, according to the ministry.</p><br /><p>The six percent tax rate is also the ceiling rate Vietnam had committed to levy on the fertilizer product during negotiations to join the <a href='http://bit.ly/1p7hciN'>World Trade Organization</a>.</p><br /><p>However, it would be against the same commitment if the import duties for <a href='http://bit.ly/1pHBaPc'>DAP and NPK</a> fertilizers were hiked to eight percent, the ministry noted.</p><br /><p><strong>Strong protests</strong> </p><br /><p>A representative of a major fertilizer maker in northern Vietnam said the proposal is merely intended to assist <a href='http://bit.ly/1oODN5o'>Vinachem’s Dam Ninh Binh</a> plant.</p><br /><p>“<a href='http://bit.ly/1pHBaPd'>The urea prices of Dam Ninh Binh are uncompetitive compared to Chinese products</a>,” he said, asking not to be named.</p><br /><p>“Import prices of Chinese urea fertilizer are expected to be lowered in the coming time, so even with a six percent tax rate, it is uncertain that local businesses will source products from Dam Ninh Binh.”</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1oODPdn'>Tran Ngoc Thiem</a>, who runs a fertilizer store in Hanoi, said Vinachem made false arguments when it said the import tax must be increased to save local fertilizer makers from unsold stock and losses.</p><br /><p>“<a href='http://bit.ly/1pHBaPe'>Fertilizer makers such as Dam Phu My, Lan Lam Thao, and Dam Ha Bac are operating at a gain</a>,” he said.</p><br /><p>The only two loss-making companies, <a href='http://bit.ly/1oODNlL'>Dam Ninh Binh and Dam Dinh Vu</a>, are both owned by Vinachem, he added.</p><br /><p>If approved, the tax increases will only benefit these two companies, while millions of farmers will have to pay more to buy the fertilizers.</p><br /><p>Imported fertilizer products are on sale at VND6,700 a kg, including taxes and fees.</p><br /><p>“Under the higher import duties, the prices could rise to VND7,000 a kg, while locally made products currently sell at more than VND7,000 a kg,” <a href='http://bit.ly/1pHBaPf'>Vu Duy Hai</a>, general director of <a href='http://bit.ly/1oODNlQ'>Vinacam Co</a>, said.</p><br /><p>“So farmers might still buy imported products even after the import duties are hiked, and it will cost them a considerable amount of extra money.”</p><br /><p>Other fertilizer businesses and company owners also protested that the proposal is unreasonable as it is meant to benefit an interest group.</p><br /><p>“<a href='http://bit.ly/1pHBcGL'>Fertilizer prices will surge if the import taxes are increased</a>,” Nguyen Duy Luong, deputy chairman of the Vietnam Farmer Association, said.</p><br /><p>“<a href='http://bit.ly/1pHBcGM'>Higher import duties would help the fertilizer makers, but it means turning back to farmers</a>.”</p><br /><p><strong><em><a href='#http://bit.ly/1oODPtQ'>Like us on Facebook</a> or <a href='#http://bit.ly/1pHBaPg'>follow us on Twitter</a> to get the latest news about Vietnam!</em> </strong> </p><br /><br/><br />Vietnam chemical giant calls on import duty hike to help subsidiaries Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/1oODN5i" width="200"/><br/></div>

Vietnam chemical giant calls on import duty hike to help subsidiaries

Vietnam chemical giant calls on import duty hike to help subsidiaries A state-run Vietnamese chemical giant is under criticism from local fe...

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PM allows Quang Ninh to go ahead with airport proposal

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>PM allows Quang Ninh to go ahead with airport proposal<br /><p>Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has agreed to assign the People’s Committee of northern Quang Ninh province to be in charge of the implementation of a proposal to build an airport in the locality.</p><br /><p>In a document issued by the Government Office on July 29, the PM instructed the committee to coordinate with the potential investor, which is a joint venture of the Airports Corporation of the Republic of Korea, Joinus Vietnam and Posco E&C, to conduct a feasible study on the project in the form of Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) to submit to relevant provincial and central agencies.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1531833'> </span> </p><br /><p>The Quang Ninh People’s Committee will later collaborate with the Ministries of Planning and Investment, Transport and Defence and relevant agencies to verify and approve the study, as well as to conduct the next steps in implementing the project.-VNA</p><br /><br/><br />PM allows Quang Ninh to go ahead with airport proposal Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://ift.tt/1eWmqbm" width="200"/><br/></div>

PM allows Quang Ninh to go ahead with airport proposal

PM allows Quang Ninh to go ahead with airport proposal Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has agreed to assign the People’s Committee of norther...

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Quang Ngai urged to tap potential for economic development

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Quang Ngai urged to tap potential for economic development<br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1pHB8qD'><img alt="1531818-avatar" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="225" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/1pHB8qD" width="300"/> </a> </p><br /><p>Illustrative image (Source: VNA)</p><br /><p><span id='more-1531818'> </span> </p><br /><p>Politburo member <a href='http://bit.ly/1knUlMv'>Le Hong Anh</a> has asked the central province of <a href='http://bit.ly/1proY57'>Quang Ngai</a> to tap its potential to successfully realise the set socio-economic development targets.</p><br /><p>At a working session with the local authorities on July 30 as part of his tour of central provinces , Anh, who is also permanent member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat, urged the province to speed up infrastructure building as a basis for socio-economic development.</p><br /><p>Regarding specific orientations, the Party leader suggested the province focus on developing heavy industry as a key economic sector, adding that in agriculture, animal husbandry is most suitable for the province as well as the central region as a whole.</p><br /><p>Taking into account the large fleet of offshore fishing boats in Quang Ngai, Anh said the province should devise its own policies to support fishermen besides those issued by the State.-VNA</p><br /><br/><br />Quang Ngai urged to tap potential for economic development Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/1pHB8qD" width="200"/><br/></div>

Quang Ngai urged to tap potential for economic development

Quang Ngai urged to tap potential for economic development Illustrative image (Source: VNA) Politburo member Le Hong Anh has asked the ...

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Microsoft challenging US on overseas data

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Microsoft challenging US on overseas data<br /><p><strong>In a case closely watched by the tech sector, Microsoft will challenge <a href='http://bit.ly/1oODDe8'>Thursday a US</a> court order requiring it to give prosecutors electronic mail content associated with an overseas server.</strong> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1pHB4XV'><img alt="1531709-hmbzavgg" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="295" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/1pHB4XV" width="500"/> </a> </p><br /><p>Microsoft said it plans to argue that the warrant, which would require the tech giant to turn over customer emails stored in a data center in Dublin, should be nullified because it would give the US government excessive power to pry over private information.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1531709'> </span> </p><br /><p>The case comes amid rising concern about US surveillance following revelations of snooping disclosed by former <a href='http://bit.ly/1pHB0Hw'>National Security Agency</a> contractor <a href='http://bit.ly/1pHB5e8'>Edward Snowden</a>. Leading tech firms, including <a href='http://bit.ly/1oODFmm'>Apple and Verizon</a>, have filed briefs supporting Microsoft.</p><br /><p>Microsoft general counsel <a href='http://bit.ly/1pHB8a6'>Brad Smith</a> said the customer emails, sought in this case in a <a href='http://bit.ly/1pHB5e9'>Justice Department</a> narcotics probe, should be entitled to the same protections as paper letters sent by mail.</p><br /><p>That means prosecutors should only be able to access the information in the electronic “cloud” with a warrant.</p><br /><p>“But under well-established case law, a search warrant cannot reach beyond US shores,” Smith said in an op-ed published <a href='http://bit.ly/1oODG9M'>Wednesday in The Wall Street Journal</a>.</p><br /><p>“Microsoft believes the higher legal protection for personal conversations should be preserved for new forms of digital communication, such as emails or text and instant messaging.”</p><br /><p>Smith also said the case could leave US citizen’s privacy vulnerable to overseas prying, writing “it’s hard to believe the American people will blithely accept that foreign governments can obtain their emails stored in US data centers without letting them know or notifying the US government.”</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1pHB5ec'>But US Attorney Preet Bharara</a> argued that under a 1986 law governing electronic communications, the tech giant is required to produce the data regardless of where Microsoft has decided to store it.</p><br /><p>“Nothing in the text or structure of the statute carves out an exception for records stored abroad, and none exists in precedent,” Bharara said in a court brief.</p><br /><p>“<a href='http://bit.ly/1oODFms'>Overseas records must be disclosed domestically when a valid subpoena, order or warrant compels their production</a>.”</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1pHB5ed'>US Magistrate Judge James Francis</a> sided with the government, writing in an April decision that “it has long been the law that a subpoena requires the recipient to produce information in its possession… regardless of the location of that information.”</p><br /><p>Thursday’s hearing will focus on Microsoft’s appeal of Francis’s decision and will take place in <a href='http://bit.ly/1pHB8qq'>US District Court</a> in downtown Manhattan.</p><br /><p>A decision is expected in the coming months and could be appealed to a higher US court.</p><br /><br/><br />Microsoft challenging US on overseas data Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/1pHB4XV" width="200"/><br/></div>

Microsoft challenging US on overseas data

Microsoft challenging US on overseas data In a case closely watched by the tech sector, Microsoft will challenge Thursday a US court order ...

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Russia wants Apple, SAP to cooperate against foreign spying

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Russia wants Apple, SAP to cooperate against foreign spying<br /><p><strong>MOSCOW – Russia has proposed that <a href='http://bit.ly/1oODw2r'>Apple Inc and SAP</a> hand the government access to their source code to make sure their widely used products are not tools for spying on state institutions.</strong> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1pHB0Hr'><img alt="1531626-8zthsvar" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="265" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/1pHB0Hr" width="450"/> </a> </p><br /><p>The suggestion that two of the world’s flagship technology companies disclose some of their most sensitive business secrets comes as the <a href='http://bit.ly/1oODyaw'>United States and Europe</a> debate their most severe sanctions yet against Russia for its role in Ukraine.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1531626'> </span> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1hLGGRk'>On Tuesday</a>, the United States imposed a new round of sanctions, hitting three Russian banks, including the country’s second-biggest, VTB .</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1lXk4A6'>The European Union</a> reached agreement on Tuesday on its first broad economic sanctions, marking a new phase in the biggest confrontation between <a href='http://bit.ly/1oODwiP'>Moscow and the West</a> since the <a href='http://bit.ly/1hdNUZC'>Cold War</a>.</p><br /><p>The Russian proposal was voiced last week when <a href='http://bit.ly/1oODwiS'>Communications Minister Nikolai Nikiforov</a> met Apple’s general manager in Russia, Peter Engrob Nielsen, and SAP’s Russian managing director, Vyacheslav Orekhov, the <a href='http://bit.ly/1pHB3D4'>Communications Ministry</a> said in a statement.</p><br /><p>It said the proposal was designed to ensure the rights of consumers and corporate users to the privacy of their personal data, as well as for state security interests.</p><br /><p>While couched in the language of protecting privacy, any Russian move to force these companies to divulge the inner workings of their software could pose a major threat to their viability if they were to lose control of the source code.</p><br /><p>“<a href='http://bit.ly/1uq0Jso'>Edward Snowden’s</a> revelations in 2013 and U.S. intelligence services’ public statements about the strengthening of surveillance of Russia in 2014 have raised a serious question of trust in foreign software and hardware,” Nikiforov said in the statement released late on Tuesday.</p><br /><p>He was referring to bombshell disclosures by the former U.S. <a href='http://bit.ly/1pHB0Hw'>National Security Agency</a> contractor that revealed widespread NSA snooping through eavesdropping on popular technology products and services. Since then, experts have concluded that U.S. government-backed standards for software encryption have created backdoors for the NSA to spy on users.</p><br /><p>Russia is not alone in challenging technology companies to come clean about their privacy practices.</p><br /><p>Governments ranging from <a href='http://bit.ly/1oODyHl'>Germany to Brazil to China to India</a> and dozens of other nations are revising technology practices in light of the NSA revelations – although most stop short of asking that technology companies disclose their source code.</p><br /><p><strong>The crown jewels</strong> </p><br /><p>A computer’s source code is the underlying set of computer instructions that control the functioning of any software program and translate it into machine-readable instructions for computers. Source code represents the crown jewels for any software maker and most major commercial software companies jealously guard the code as their most precious secrets.</p><br /><p>“Obviously, companies which disclose the source code of their programs are not hiding anything, but those who do not intend to establish cooperation with Russia on this issue may have undeclared capabilities in their products,” Nikiforov said.</p><br /><p>The ministry cited its more than decade-long cooperation with Microsoft . The U.S. firm has been sharing its source code for the Windows operating system and other products since 2003 with Atlas, a technology institution that reports to the communications ministry.</p><br /><p>The ministry said the prospect of state companies using software and hardware when the producers do not share their source code with the government “<a href='http://bit.ly/1pHB3D9'>remains uncertain</a>“.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1oODwzb'>SAP and Apple</a> both declined any immediate comment.</p><br /><p>The business models that have grown up around source code fall into two basic camps: Proprietary and open-source. Proprietary software makers strictly copyright their source code to prevent rivals from copying its hidden features. An increasing popular alternative is open source software whose developers provide open access to their source code and encourage collaborators to make modifications and improvements.</p><br /><p>Typically, open source software makers charge customers for services and other products rather than for the software itself but must of the world’s biggest tech companies resist doing so.</p><br /><p>Apple, the world’s most valuable company by market capitalization, is best known for its distinctive range of computer and phone devices, which it seeks to distinguish through its closely-guarded proprietary software.</p><br /><p>SAP, the world’s fourth largest maker of business software, by revenue, and Germany’s largest technology company, makes business planning software that many top multinational companies use to maintain financial control of their far-flung operations. It too keeps close guard over the source code of its products.</p><br /><br/><br />Russia wants Apple, SAP to cooperate against foreign spying Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/1pHB0Hr" width="200"/><br/></div>

Russia wants Apple, SAP to cooperate against foreign spying

Russia wants Apple, SAP to cooperate against foreign spying MOSCOW – Russia has proposed that Apple Inc and SAP hand the government access ...

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VNA supplies promotion programme on overseas routes

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>VNA supplies promotion programme on overseas routes<br /><p><i>The Hanoitimes</i> – Vietnam’s national flag carrier <a href='http://bit.ly/1s4V3mX'>Vietnam Airlines on July</a> 29 launched its annual promotion programme on a number of international flights, with airfare starting from just VND199,000 (US$9).</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1oMePDA'><img alt="1531358-2" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="230" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/1oMePDA" width="416"/> </a> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1s4V3n0'>Golden Autumn</a> 2014 will apply to passengers in Vietnam who buy tickets from August 8 to 22 and departure from August 22, 2014 to March 31, 2015.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1531358'> </span> </p><br /><p>The price excludes tax, fees and other surcharges. This is a conditional ticket and it does not apply to flights during the peak season.</p><br /><p>The tickets will be sold via the website: <a href='#http://bit.ly/1kWD6GD'>http://bit.ly/1kWD6GD</a> or Vietnam Airlines agents from across the country.</p><br /><p>By Bach Nhat</p><br /><br/><br />VNA supplies promotion programme on overseas routes Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/1oMePDA" width="200"/><br/></div>

VNA supplies promotion programme on overseas routes

VNA supplies promotion programme on overseas routes The Hanoitimes – Vietnam’s national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines on July 29 launched ...

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Crocodile Lake – the second Ramsar site in Vietnam

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Crocodile Lake – the second Ramsar site in Vietnam<br /><p><em>VietNamNet Bridge – Bau Sau (<a href='http://bit.ly/1oMeOPW'>Crocodile Lake</a>) in <a href='http://bit.ly/1p1NmMQ'>Nam Cat Tien National Park</a> in the southern province of Dong Nai is the second Ramsar site in Vietnam. Coming to this place, tourists can explore the pristine forest, organize picnics, go camping or admire the majestic beauty of ancient cedars. They can also row boats to see crocodiles in the lagoon or enjoy the poetic scenery.</em> </p><br /><p><em><a href='http://bit.ly/1oMeOQ1'><img alt="1531193-20140512111823-3-631" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="375" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/1oMeOQ1" width="500"/> </a> </em> </p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1oMeQYa'>The Bau Sau</a> wetland ecosystem stretches over 13.759ha, out of which 151ha is frequently flooded, 5.360ha is seasonally flooded. The Bau Sau wetland system was recognized as being among the network of Ramsar sites of international importance on in 2005.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1531193'> </span> </p><br /><p>The Bau Sau wetland ecosystem has an important role in the maintenance and conservation of biodiversity in the region as well as the social and economic life of communities around the <a href='http://bit.ly/1s4V9e8'>Dong Nai River Basin</a>, especially in controlling flooding.</p><br /><p>It is important in terms of ecology, environment, biodiversity, and economic-social life: to regulate the water source for 15 million people living downstream of the Dong Nai River and around the park, and to provide water to the <a href='http://bit.ly/1oMeOQ6'>Tri An</a> hydro-electric power lake. It is important also in terms of scientific research, landscape, education and tourism.</p><br /><p>Bau Sau is the home of the species of freshwater crocodile known as the Siamese crocodile, once thought to be extinct.</p><br /><p>To get to Bau Sau, travel 9km by car or motorbike from the administrative center of Cat Tien National Park and walk more than 5km through the forest.</p><br /><p>Bau Sau is in the core area of Cat Tien National Park, and is under the direct management of the Bau Sau ranger station. Reportedly, the name of Bau Sau was known before the Cat Tien National Park was established. Bau Sau is the largest wetlands in the Cat Tien National Park, with more than 2,500 hectares during the rainy season. But in summer, the wetland area only spans 100-150 hectares.</p><br /><p>Bau Sau is not only home to crocodiles but also many plant and animal species listed in the <a href='http://bit.ly/1s4V6PL'>Red Book of Vietnam</a> and the world. Like other endemic regions of the Cat Tien National Park, Bau Sau is strictly managed and monitored.</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1oMeQYd'><img alt="1531193-20140512111823-2-225" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="666" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/1oMeQYd" width="500"/> </a> </p><br /><p>What makes the difference for Bau Sau is the plethora of crocodiles. Crocodiles are everywhere in Bau Sau, which threatens many plant and animal species living in the area. <a href='http://bit.ly/1s4V9e9'>In Bau Sau</a>, crocodiles are the masters.</p><br /><p>Why do crocodiles live in Bau Sau? It is the mystery of the wetlands.</p><br /><p>Freshwater crocodiles were once brought to near extinction here due to attacks from humans. Thanks to a project to preserve this species within the national park, it is being revived.</p><br /><p>The park brought the freshwater crocodiles from other regions to release into Bau Sau. So far, 60 freshwater crocodiles have been released in Bau Sau on five occasions, after their DNA was tested. More than 10 years ago, the crocodiles recovered their natural instincts of hunting and brooding.</p><br /><p>Here are the experiences that visitors enjoy once setting foot on this land of primeval forests:</p><br /><p><strong>5km trekking through the forest</strong> </p><br /><p>Bau Sau is 15 km from Nam Cat Tien center. Visitors must ride 10 miles of forest roads and then walk 5 km further along the wet trail leading deep into the forest.</p><br /><p>The trail is very narrow with large and small limestone slabs covered with green moss and leaves. Visitors can walk and experience the forest road and have the opportunity to explore the flora and fauna biodiversity of this primitive forest.</p><br /><p>On the road, they will see a giant cedar with a huge trunk that would require 15 people to hug. The tree roots stretch out over a vast area of tens of meters.</p><br /><p><strong>Bau Sau panorama</strong> </p><br /><p>For a panoramic view of Bau Sau area, visitors should watch it from the <a href='http://bit.ly/1oMeP6v'>House of Forest Rangers</a>. From here they will see the primeval forests, the marshes and colorful butterflies.</p><br /><p><strong>Rowing to watch the kingdom of crocodiles</strong> </p><br /><p>Rowing on the lagoon to see crocodiles swimming leisurely is one of the most exciting feelings that tourists can enjoy here. A small boat can carry a maximum of three people. The boat operator takes visitors through the swamp, approaching the primeval forest.</p><br /><p>Vietnam currently has six Ramsar sites, including <a href='http://bit.ly/1s4V9ea'>Xuan Thuy National Park</a> (Nam Dinh province), Bau Sau, Cat Tien National Park (Dong Nai province), <a href='http://bit.ly/1evY1hs'>Ba Be Lake</a> (<a href='http://bit.ly/1gzCNhc'>Bac Kan</a>), Tram Chim National Park (Dong Thap province), Mui Ca Mau National Park (Ca Mau), and <a href='http://bit.ly/1jpdgVw'>Con Dao National Park</a> (Ba Ria – Vung Tau).</p><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1s4V9ed'>The Ramsar Convention</a> is an international treaty for the conservation of wetlands, and their reasonable and appropriate use. It has the aim of preventing the increasing encroachment of human development on wetlands as well as preventing the loss of wetlands now and in the future, recognizing the ecological functions of wetlands and their values to recreation, science, culture and economics.</p><br /><p><strong><em>Pha Le</em> </strong> </p><br /><br/><br />Crocodile Lake – the second Ramsar site in Vietnam Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/1oMeOQ1" width="200"/><br/></div>

Crocodile Lake – the second Ramsar site in Vietnam

Crocodile Lake – the second Ramsar site in Vietnam VietNamNet Bridge – Bau Sau ( Crocodile Lake ) in Nam Cat Tien National Park in the sout...

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In’t tourist arrivals to Vietnam bounce back

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>In’t tourist arrivals to Vietnam bounce back<br /><p>The number of foreign tourists to Vietnam rebounded in July after two consecutive months of decrease, according to the <a href='http://bit.ly/NIFiSU'>General Statistics Office</a> (GSO).</p><br /><p>The office announced on July 29 that June saw a nearly 20 percent decrease on a monthly basis while the figure for May dropped 9.62 percent compared to the previous month. However, the number in July picked up 4.6 percent to 564,736 overseas visitors.</p><br /><p>Most of the markets registered growth with <a href='http://bit.ly/1rvulUI'>Hong Kong</a> posting the highest rise of 111.3 percent, followed by Germany, 99.4 percent, and Russia, 27 percent.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1530778'> </span> </p><br /><p>Summing up the first 7 months of this year, the country has welcomed over 4, 85 million foreign tourists, a year-on-year rise of 15.6 percent.</p><br /><p>The tourism sector will strive to serve 8 million foreign and 37.5 million domestic tourists this year, grossing 240 billion VND (11.2 million USD) in revenue.</p><br /><p>The Ministry of Culture, <a href='http://bit.ly/Q6T83J'>Sports and Tourism</a> has also proposed the <a href='http://bit.ly/1grLk75'>Prime Minister</a> to extend the visa exemption duration from 15 days to 30 days for Russian tourists.</p><br /><p>Last year, Vietnam received more than 7.57 million foreign visitors, a year-on-year increase of 10.6 percent.-VNA</p><br /><br/><br />In’t tourist arrivals to Vietnam bounce back Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://ift.tt/1eWmqbm" width="200"/><br/></div>

In’t tourist arrivals to Vietnam bounce back

In’t tourist arrivals to Vietnam bounce back The number of foreign tourists to Vietnam rebounded in July after two consecutive months of dec...

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Vietnam greets over 4.8 million tourist arrivals

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Vietnam greets over 4.8 million tourist arrivals<br /><p>The figure includes 2.9 million who travelled to Vietnam for tourism (up 13.9% year-on-year); 815,811 on business (up 16.1%); 836,388 visiting relatives (up 19.5%) and 270,813 visitors for other reasons (up 21.1%).</p><br /><p>The inflow of visitors from <a href='http://bit.ly/1rvulUI'>Hong Kong</a> recorded the highest increase with 111.3%. This was followed by Germany (over 99.4%), Russia (27%), Laos (26.7%) and China (26%).</p><br /><p>The number of foreign visitors to Vietnam reached 564,736 in July 2014, a 4.6% increase over the previous month.</p><br /><p>The tourism sector is scheduled to welcome 8.2 million foreign visitors and 37.5 million domestic visitors in 2014, as well as bringing in over VND 240 trillion in revenue.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1530818'> </span> </p><br /><p>The sector will continue to take all available measures to ensure the safety, security and quality of its tourism services.</p><br /><br/><br />Vietnam greets over 4.8 million tourist arrivals Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://ift.tt/1eWmqbm" width="200"/><br/></div>

Vietnam greets over 4.8 million tourist arrivals

Vietnam greets over 4.8 million tourist arrivals The figure includes 2.9 million who travelled to Vietnam for tourism (up 13.9% year-on-year...

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Vietnam Airlines offers cheap tickets on overseas routes

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Vietnam Airlines offers cheap tickets on overseas routes<br /><p>(VOV) -Vietnam’s national flag carrier <a href='http://bit.ly/1s4V3mX'>Vietnam Airlines on July</a> 29 launched its annual promotion programme on a number of international flights, with airfare starting from just VND199,000 (US$9).</p><br /><ul><br /><li><a href='http://bit.ly/1oMeFMD'>Vietnam Airlines reroutes flights to Europe</a> </li><br /><li><a href='http://bit.ly/1yIavZ9'>Vietnam Airlines launches direct Hanoi -Tokyo route</a> </li><br /><li><a href='http://bit.ly/1xeUAAR'>Vietnam Airlines to open two new routes to Japan</a> </li><br /></ul><br /><p><a href='http://bit.ly/1s4V3n0'>Golden Autumn</a> 2014 will apply to passengers in Vietnam who buy tickets from August 8 to 22 and departure from August 22, 2014 to March 31, 2015.</p><br /><p>The price excludes tax, fees and other surcharges. This is a conditional ticket and it does not apply to flights during the peak season.</p><br /><p><span id='more-1530752'> </span> </p><br /><p>The tickets will be sold via the website: <a href='#http://bit.ly/1kWD6GD'>http://bit.ly/1kWD6GD</a> or Vietnam Airlines agents from across the country.</p><br /><br/><br />Vietnam Airlines offers cheap tickets on overseas routes Related image(s)<br/><br /><img height="200" src="http://ift.tt/1eWmqbm" width="200"/><br/></div>

Vietnam Airlines offers cheap tickets on overseas routes

Vietnam Airlines offers cheap tickets on overseas routes (VOV) -Vietnam’s national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines on July 29 launched its an...

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