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Aspiring mountaineers choose scenic route up Ta Cu Mountain

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Aspiring mountaineers choose scenic route up Ta Cu Mountain <div class='wp-caption aligncenter' style='width: 460px' id='attachment_1547331'><a href="http://bit.ly/1pqLujD"><img alt="Big Buddha: The biggest reclining Buddha statue in Viet Nam, which is 49m long and 7m tall, built in Ta Cu Mountain Tourism Area." class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="280" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/1pqLujD" width="450"/> </a> Big Buddha: The biggest reclining Buddha statue in Viet Nam, which is 49m long and 7m tall, built in Ta Cu Mountain Tourism Area. </div> by Trung Hieu A lot of people may find the Ta Cu Mountain a strange place to be on, but in reality it makes for an attractive climb. It is also one of the most interesting tourist attractions in the central province of Binh Thuan. The 694m high mountain is located along National Highway 1A, in Ham Thuan Nam District, 28km to the south of Phan Thiet City (Binh Thuan’s chief town). On its slope of about 400m stands the Linh Son Truong Tho Pagoda (also known as Ta Cu Pagoda). Behind the pagoda is a giant, 49m long statue depicting the Buddha Shakyamuni attaining Nirvana. The scenery here is truly enchanting with a long coastline, rocks of different shapes surrounded by green forests, that creates a majestic landscape. Vu Minh Truong, a young traveller from Ha Noi, said that pilgrims usually choose to travel up the mountain by cable car, but his group of “professional backpackers” decided to climb up. “In all probability, very few people have walked on this path so grass and plants have reached out to obscure the trail,” he said. Truong said that to reach the top of Ta Cu located inside the forbidden forest, they had to overcome 2,250m of slopes, passing the unsteady stone steps. “After crossing more than 200m, we encountered a small clear stream crossing our path,” he said. The stream runs through boulders then flows down the slope of Ta Cu creating a wonderful image in the vast forests. A young man in the group scooped up the water and exclaimed: “Too cool, guys!” So they all washed the perspiration off their faces in the cool water. “We walked cautiously above the slippery rocks to go ahead. Along the path, there were numerous roots crawling around. Here and there, some bamboo shoots reached out to prevent anyone from passing through, so we had to be careful to avoid getting hurt by the spikes,” said Truong. Tourists conquering the Ta Cu must carefully focus when their paths exceed 1,000m, because that is the highest ramp, said Chau Tuan, a local guide. “All of us were sweating, our feet felt heavy, but we were ‘compensated’ as we watched the towering ancient trees and heard the musical chirping of birds. It also seemed like we were able to breathe easier due to the cold fresh air created by the forests and the wind blowing around us,” he said. As travellers reached near the peak, the way was easy. Everyone admired the blue sky through the forest canopy and the valley below, just a distant shadow in the mist. The view was spectacular and almost poetic. Passing hundreds of steps, the travellers finally reached the Ta Cu Pagoda. “These are monuments and landscapes of architectural, artistic and cultural value,” said Truong. On the mountain peak is the statue of the reclining Buddha built in concrete, which is 49m long and 7m tall. The statue was built under the guidance of local man Truong Dinh Y, from 1958 to 1962 by human labour without machinery or cranes, along with support from Buddhists throughout the southern provinces. It was the biggest reclining Buddha statue in Viet Nam at that time. <div class='wp-caption aligncenter' style='width: 460px' id='attachment_1547332'><a href="http://bit.ly/1pqLujE"><img alt="Easy ride: The cable car system takes around eight minutes to reach the top of Ta Cu Mountain. - VNS Photos Minh Quang" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="362" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/1pqLujE" width="450"/> </a> Easy ride: The cable car system takes around eight minutes to reach the top of Ta Cu Mountain. - VNS Photos Minh Quang </div> Tran Minh Tue, a tourist from HCM City, said he had climbed up to the Ta Cu seven times with his friends. “We began climbing the mountain in the evenings, so we could return the next morning. This may sound strange, but the schedule creates a different and romantic feeling for visitors. Climbing up at night would be very cool. If we climbed up in the day, we would feel tired because of the sun. It takes us about three hours to climb up, but only 90 minutes to come down. “The beauty about Ta Cu is that the mountain stands alone, surrounded by gardens of dragon fruits and rice fields, beside the blue sea,” he said. On their way back in the afternoon, Truong’s group decided to go down by cable car to watch Ta Cu from above. “Sitting in the cabin above the green trees, the pleasant atmosphere made us feel refreshed,” said Truong. “Looking to the left, we saw the Ke Ga lighthouse that is more than 100 years old and still diligently guides boats to safety at night.” The landscape and relics on the mountain were recognised as a historical and culture site of national importance in 1993. In 2002, Ta Cu Tourism Area was established at the foot of the mountain in an area of 24ha. Many projects to serve tourists have been constructed, particularly a modern Austrian cable car system that goes up to the mountain peak and was put into operation in September 2003. The cable car consists of 25 cabins, with each carrying six persons and takes around eight minutes to reach the top. In recent years, Ta Cu has become a venue for mountain climbing competitions that have attracted young people from nearby provinces. “With the cool and fresh air, Ta Cu Mountain is an attractive destination for tourists and I believe many will return,” Truong said. – VNS Aspiring mountaineers choose scenic route up Ta Cu Mountain Related image(s) <img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/1pqLujD" width="200"/> </div>

Aspiring mountaineers choose scenic route up Ta Cu Mountain

Aspiring mountaineers choose scenic route up Ta Cu Mountain Big Buddha: The biggest reclining Buddha statue in Viet Nam, which is 49m long ...

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Jetstar runs first emergency evacuation drills using aircraft

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Jetstar runs first emergency evacuation drills using aircraft <a href="http://bit.ly/1gwjarN">Jetstar Pacific</a> is the first airline in Vietnam to practise an emergency evacuation and landing on water using a real airplane at <a href="http://bit.ly/1rDOqIH">Tan Son Nhat International Airport</a> , Ho Chi Minh City , on August 28. The crew’s ability to evacuate passengers was tested in a simulation of an Airbus A320 cancelling take-off after encountering a problem with accelerating. Another crew had to show their evacuation skills in a simulated emergency landing on water. The crews successfully carried out the evacuations, taking 12.59 seconds for the pre-take-off evacuation exercise, completing it under the 15-second standard announced by the <a href="http://bit.ly/1n4PXTw">US Federation Aviation Administration</a>; and 13.58 minutes for the emergency landing, compared to the FAA maximum of 15 minutes. The drills were part of efforts undertaken by the <a href="http://bit.ly/NIFhOK">Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam</a> to improve aviation safety and review emergency evacuation training.-VNA Jetstar runs first emergency evacuation drills using aircraft Related image(s) <img height="200" src="http://ift.tt/1eWmqbm" width="200"/> </div>

Jetstar runs first emergency evacuation drills using aircraft

Jetstar runs first emergency evacuation drills using aircraft Jetstar Pacific is the first airline in Vietnam to practise an emergency evac...

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Binh Thuan honours rural industrial products

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Binh Thuan honours rural industrial products As many as 23 rural industrial products of the central province of <a href="http://bit.ly/1hGs8xW">Binh Thuan</a> were honoured as local outstanding items at a ceremony held in the locality on August 28. As part of an effort to further the development of rural industrial products, a voting campaign was held by the local broadcasting and television station and the provincial <a href="http://bit.ly/1oherOX">Department of Industry and Trade</a> to select outstanding products for the recognition. The programme saw the involvement of 20 units in the locality with 36 products of different types such as decorative items, supplementary food, beverage, spice and equipments for agriculture and construction. The recognised products will be recommended at supermarkets and the province’s booths at exhibitions. In addition, businesses with the products will enjoy support for production and be provided with personnel training. Also at the ceremony, 12 of the 23 typical products were selected for a similar vote for the southern region.-VNA Binh Thuan honours rural industrial products Related image(s) <img height="200" src="http://ift.tt/1eWmqbm" width="200"/> </div>

Binh Thuan honours rural industrial products

Binh Thuan honours rural industrial products As many as 23 rural industrial products of the central province of Binh Thuan were honoured as...

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Vietnam begins testing controversial cross-Indochina route on flight simulator

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Vietnam begins testing controversial cross-Indochina route on flight simulator Two Vietnamese air carriers were asked on Thursday to use flight simulator systems to begin test flights between <a href="http://bit.ly/1gwjab2">Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City</a> on a controversial straight air route proposed by a retired pilot that crosses the airspace of Laos and Cambodia. <a href="http://bit.ly/XZ6FhC"><img alt="1547745-uhvkz3rv" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="295" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/XZ6FhC" width="500"/> </a> National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines and no-frills airline VietJet Air were requested to cooperate with the <a href="http://bit.ly/1n4PWPy">Flight Moderation Office</a> to develop the flight simulation plans for the new flying path, dubbed the “golden air route” by its proposer, according to a document signed by the chief of the <a href="http://bit.ly/NIFhOK">Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam</a>. The testing runs from August 29 to September 3, with pilots using the Boeing 777, Airbus A321, and A320 aircraft models during the simulated flights. The two carriers must analyze and evaluate the flying costs and benefits of the “golden air route,” and report to the CAAV after finishing the test flights. The CAAV said results from the flight simulators usually reach a 99 percent accuracy rate compared to the real flights, so they will form the basis for the authority to approve the new route. The aviation watchdog will also cooperate with its <a href="http://bit.ly/1t1VQF5">Lao and Cambodian</a> counterparts to complete procedures for <a href="http://bit.ly/1oTM8CY">Vietnam Airlines</a> to have first-hand experience, or operate real flights, on the route. The idea of opening a cross-Indochina air route emerged as early as the 1980s but it could not be realized for various reasons, according to the <a href="http://bit.ly/1n4PYH7">Ministry of Transport and the CAAV</a>. <a href="http://bit.ly/1hcnco3">In March</a> 2009, the CAAV received a proposal from <a href="http://bit.ly/UjImss">Mai Trong Tuan</a>, a retired pilot based in Ho Chi Minh City, on opening a straight route connecting the southern hub and the capital city along the 106 longitude, crossing <a href="http://bit.ly/1haROBW">Laos and Cambodia</a>. But following many conferences on the idea, the government ordered a stop to researches carried out to serve the proposal the same year. <a href="http://bit.ly/1h8RZSu">In February</a> 2012, Dr. Tran Dinh Ba, from the <a href="http://bit.ly/XZ6FxZ">Vietnam Economic Association</a>, also suggested replacing current air routes with straight paths that cross Cambodia and Laos, which he said would help save fuel and increase profits for flying airlines. <a href="http://bit.ly/1zHI7rB">According to Ba</a>, it would cost Vietnam Airlines only $3 million to invest in the new air routes, while the national carrier could save 65,000 tons of fuel together with 12,000 flying hours every year. Vietnam would also rake in an additional $120 million thanks to the new routes, while the profits for Laos and Cambodia would be $25 million each, coming from airspace use fees. While both <a href="http://bit.ly/XZ6Fy0">Ba and Tuan</a> were greeted with waves of objections from aviation experts, their propositions were viewed as “<a href="http://bit.ly/1n4PWPH">good ideas</a>,” which were discussed among the Indochinese countries in the 1980s, by the Vietnamese transport ministry and the CAAV. <a href="http://bit.ly/1hLGGRk">On Tuesday</a>, <a href="http://bit.ly/1peY962">Vietnamese Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang</a> called on the government to resume researches on opening the “golden air route.” The transport ministry has sought permission from the <a href="http://bit.ly/1grLk75">Prime Minister</a> to collaborate with the <a href="http://bit.ly/1q15iv5">Ministry of Defense</a>, the Laos and Cambodia civil aviation authorities, and the Asia-Pacific office of the <a href="http://bit.ly/1r5m9JE">International Civil Aviation Organization</a> to prepare steps for launching the new air route through the three countries. Vietnamese airlines now fly their planes between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City on a ’roundabout’ route that spans a sea area between the capital and <a href="http://bit.ly/1pLMg7W">Da Nang City</a> in the central region and crosses over the mainland between Da Nang and the southern city. <a href="#http://bit.ly/XZ6D9w">Like us on Facebook</a> or <a href="#http://bit.ly/1n4PX6c">follow us on Twitter</a> to get the latest news about Vietnam! Vietnam begins testing controversial cross-Indochina route on flight simulator Related image(s) <img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/XZ6FhC" width="200"/> </div>

Vietnam begins testing controversial cross-Indochina route on flight simulator

Vietnam begins testing controversial cross-Indochina route on flight simulator Two Vietnamese air carriers were asked on Thursday to use fli...

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Taxation department vows to remove troublesome tax procedures

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Taxation department vows to remove troublesome tax procedures VietNamNet Bridge – The General Department of Taxation (GDT) has said it would simplify several <a href="http://bit.ly/XZ6CCv">tax procedures</a> that businesses complain are too complicated and time consuming. <a href="http://bit.ly/1n4PVex"><img alt="1547620-20140827122829-tax" class="attachment-medium aligncenter" height="535" rel="lightbox" src="http://bit.ly/1n4PVeA" width="500"/> </a> Hoang Thi Lan Anh, deputy head of the <a href="http://bit.ly/XZ6F11">GDT’s Reform and Modernization Division</a>, said that GDT will remove unnecessary administrative formalities which cause inconvenience to enterprises. The decision was made after the government released <a href="http://bit.ly/1pz6KAF">Resolution No</a> 19 on simplifying administrative procedures. A <a href="http://bit.ly/1p3YFUj">World Bank</a> report showed that businesses in Vietnam had to spend an average of 872 hours a year on the procedures. And if not counting the time spent on social and health insurance policy tax payments, the figure would be 537 hours. One of the most outstanding changes in the tax procedures is that enterprises with annual turnover of VND50 billion and lower will declare VAT (value added tax) on a quarterly basis instead of monthly, as currently requested. Under the current regulations, the quarterly VAT declaration is only applied to businesses with revenue of less than VND20 billion. Businesses will be required to make corporate income tax declarations once a year, and they will themselves estimate the tax totals they have to pay in advance. At present, enterprises have to make tax declarations on a quarterly basis, and annually, which costs them a great deal of time. GDT is going to propose the <a href="http://bit.ly/1iAEE5f">National Assembly</a> to lift the cap on expenses for ads, marketing, commissions and conferences. Under its proposal, enterprises will be allowed to spend 15 percent of total expenses at maximum on ads. Meanwhile, no limits would be imposed on the other expenditure items that serve enterprises’ marketing activities. If the proposal is ratified by the National Assembly, it will “<a href="http://bit.ly/1n4PWiH">untie businesses</a>” from unreasonable obligations, a lawyer said. “<a href="http://bit.ly/XZ6F19">Businesses must be given the right to decide how much money they spend on marketing campaigns to optimize their profits</a>,” he said. <a href="http://bit.ly/1pIsiwB">According to Anh</a>, the <a href="http://bit.ly/OTZzWo">Ministry of Finance</a> has nearly completed the compilation of a circular on tax management. It is expected that the circular would take effect on October 1. Under the draft circular, all businesses will have the right to register the input VAT deduction payment method. Under the current regulation, only enterprises which invest more than VND1 billion in fixed assets (<a href="http://bit.ly/XZ6CSM">production lines, machines and equipment</a>) can apply the tax payment method. Meanwhile, enterprises spend less than VND1 billion on fixed assets and have to pay tax on the added value, which is believed to put enterprises at a disadvantage. Therefore, experts think that the regulation hinders the development of small enterprises. <a href="http://bit.ly/1n4PWz3">According to Nguyen Thi Cuc</a>, chair of the <a href="http://bit.ly/XZ6F1d">Vietnam Tax Consultancy Association</a>, if the reform can be implemented, this would help reduce the amount of time businesses have to spend on tax procedures by 201 hours. TBKTSG Taxation department vows to remove troublesome tax procedures Related image(s) <img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/1n4PVeA" width="200"/> </div>

Taxation department vows to remove troublesome tax procedures

Taxation department vows to remove troublesome tax procedures VietNamNet Bridge – The General Department of Taxation (GDT) has said it would...

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HCM City to reassess public projects

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>HCM City to reassess public projects “From now until the end of the year, authorities of districts and departments in the city will have to reassess all projects” in accordance with the Law on Public Investment, which will come into force next January, <a href="http://bit.ly/1n4PUHA">Director of Department of Planning and Investment Thai Van Re</a> was quoted by <a href="http://bit.ly/1hBbIa4">Saigon Times Daily</a> as saying. Re told a conference on building the social-economic development plan for 2016-2020 as well as the medium-term plan for public projects in the same period in <a href="http://bit.ly/1m1wvK9">Ho Chi Minh City on August</a> 26. Public projects must be cost-effective, so heads of district governments, departments and project management units will be held responsible if they approve projects that lead to debts or shortage of funds for implementation, Re said. The city now has 1,096 public investment projects underway and 178 others that have been approved but have yet received finances, he said. According to the department, capital for public investment projects in the 2016-2020 will be disbursed in order of priority. Capital will be first disbursed for projects due to be finished before the year’s end, then for those expected for completion next year, and counterpart capital for ODA (official development assistance) projects or projects using foreign preferential loans. The city has planned to put aside 15 percent of total capital for public projects in the five-year period to deal with unexpected situations such as changes of prices, investment for urgent projects and other issues which may arise, in accordance with the Law on Public Investment. <a href="http://bit.ly/Vms4jt">HCM City Chairman Le Hoang Quan</a> said the city welcomes the initiative to make five-year plans for public investment projects. He took <a href="http://bit.ly/1n4PUXV">Hoang Hoa Tham Bridge</a> crossing the Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe Canal for example, saying the project took 11 years to be finished. Investment approved for the project was 16 billion VND initially but then increased to 156 billion VND when work started on the bridge. On August 5, 2014, the Government issued Directive 23/CT-TTg as guidelines for building medium-term plans for public investment projects, requiring localities across the country to evaluate their public investment results in the 2011-2015 period and set up the plan for the five-year period of 2016-2020. According to the directive, localities and departments have to settle all debts arising from public investment projects by the end of this year and from next year, they have to strictly follow regulations of the Law on Public Investment and allow no more debt to arise.-VNA HCM City to reassess public projects Related image(s) <img height="200" src="http://ift.tt/1eWmqbm" width="200"/> </div>

HCM City to reassess public projects

HCM City to reassess public projects “From now until the end of the year, authorities of districts and departments in the city will have to ...

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RoK firms in Dong Nai get update on customs rules

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>RoK firms in Dong Nai get update on customs rules <a href="http://bit.ly/XDrkHR">The Customs Department</a> of the southern province of Dong Nai organised a talk with 130 enterprises from the Republic of Korea (RoK) located in the locality on August 28, updating them on new tax and customs regulations, and providing them an opportunity to express their opinions. The firms were informed of a new circular issued by the <a href="http://bit.ly/1hzMkFm">Ministry of Science and Technology</a> on the import of second-hand equipment, as well as policies on corporate income, foreign contractor tax and value-added taxes. Representatives from the department also answered the investors’ questions on customs clearance procedures, investment incentives, regulations on the recruitment of foreigners, and health insurance. According to head of department <a href="http://bit.ly/1qufrKO">Le Van Danh</a>, the local customs sector will continue its efforts to shorten the duration of customs clearance, make fees more transparent, and support enterprises via direct dialogues and other channels. So far, RoK businesses have invested in 280 projects worth more than 4.3 billion <a href="http://bit.ly/1n4PUqU">USD in Dong Nai</a>, ranking second among foreign investors in the number of projects in the province. As many as 10 percent of Vietnam ‘s total RoK projects are located in Dong Nai.-VNA RoK firms in Dong Nai get update on customs rules Related image(s) <img height="200" src="http://ift.tt/1eWmqbm" width="200"/> </div>

RoK firms in Dong Nai get update on customs rules

RoK firms in Dong Nai get update on customs rules The Customs Department of the southern province of Dong Nai organised a talk with 130 ent...

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