Vietnamese French drug smuggler sentenced

Members of a drug syndicate masterminded by a French national of Vietnamese origin were handed prison terms by a Ho Chi Minh City court, on April 25.

Dang David, who is also known as Dang Van Tam, 53, was sentenced to 18 years’ imprisonment for his involvement in the ring.

Dang was arrested on May 12, 2004 for being accused of illegally selling and purchasing 1,115 grammes of prohibited narcotics.

Between January 2002 and September 2003, through the Medical Centre in central Khanh Hoa province’s Van Ninh district, Dang had sent to Vietnam five batches of drugs, disguised as pharmaceutical products for a bogus humanitarian aid organisation called the French Association of Non-border Pharmacists.

The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Court also gave out jail terms of three and four years to Nguyen Thanh Thai, former Director of the Van Ninh Medical Centre, and Nguyen Ngoc Son, a centre employee, respectively, for their involvement in the case.

(Source: VNA)

One Way Traffic For Bike Manufacturers

The explosion in motorcycle use across Vietnam in the last decade has been dramatic. Scores of local and foreign-invested manufacturers are now racing to corner the market.

Motorbike producer Honda Vietnam plans to consume a record one million motorbikes this year for the first time since it established a production base in Vietnam.

Its ambitious target is within reach with 700,000 motorbikes sold last year.

Despite its lofty goals, Honda Vietnam is feeling the heat from domestic market rivals, such as Yamaha, Suzuki, SYM and Lifan.

In a recent move to strengthen its competitive capability, Yamaha Motor Vietnam increased its investment capital by $42.8 million to $123 million to expand productivity.

Yamaha Motor Vietnam marketing director Dinh Ngo Tuan said that the company wanted to exploit the fertile domestic market.

Suzuki, SYM and Lifan are also sharpening strategies to increase investment capital along with diversify models to catch customers’ eyes.

It is estimated that 2.5 million more bikes will be sold this year, a 20 per cent increase against last year with foreign-invested motorbikes firms leading the market with a 70 per cent market share.

Figures released by the National Traffic Safety Committee (NTSC) last year reveal that Vietnam had 18.1 million registered motorcycles and 1.02 million registered automobiles on the roads. That is six time more motorbikes and four times more automobiles on the streets than in 1990.

Studies of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City urban planning by the Ministry of Transport and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) confirm that motorcycles are the dominant mode of transport in large cities.
In 2006, motorcycles served 65 per cent (Hanoi), and 80 per cent (Ho Chi Minh City) of travel needs, while cars made up just 4 per cent (Hanoi) and 6 per cent (Ho Chi Minh City).

“Clearly, the motorcycle is the preferred choice of urban population, providing personal mobility in relatively short distances and frequent trips, under the condition that public transport is underdeveloped, car prices are too high for the general public and motorcycles often travel faster than automobiles,” the study stated.
Nguyen Anh Nam, an expert at the Industry Policies and Strategies Research Institute, under Ministry of Industry (MoI), said that in next 15 years, the volume of motorbikes would double.

“There will be 31 million and 35 million motorbikes in circulation by 2015 and 2020, respectively,” he said, adding that currently there were around 18 million bikes in circulation and the average annual turnover of local motorbike assemblers was between $1.2 and $1.4 billion.

Although the master plan for transport infrastructure in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to 2020 prioritises investment in transport infrastructure such as roads, railroads, subways, and public buses, it also foresees motorcycle use in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City will remain relatively high in the future.

At present, the geographical distribution of motorcycle use is not uniform within Vietnam. In absolute volume, the registration and circulation of motorcycles are concentrated in cities and provinces with a large population or a dynamic economy.

“In terms of density of use, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City again lead the nation with one motorcycle for every two persons, followed by Danang, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Quang Tri, Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Khanh Hoa, where there is at least one motorcycle for every four persons,” according to the NTSC.

All other cities and provinces have less motorcycles per person.

A survey just released by the Vietnam Development Forum (VDF), a joint cooperation project between the Japan National Policies Research Institute and Vietnam National Economic University, stated that prior to 1995 Vietnam had a relatively small motorcycle stock in use, at about three million units most of which were imported.

Between 1995-1999, foreign motorcycle assemblers invested in Vietnam and began production, at first using imported parts but gradually increasing parts localisation.

Consumers’ demand for motorcycles increased annually. However, production volume remained relatively low during this period and prices were high in comparison with the income level of most people.
By 2000, local motorcycle assemblers suddenly increased, producing motorcycles with parts originating mostly in China at affordable prices.

From 2000 to 2003, this type of motorcycle occupied as much as 60-70 per cent of the domestic market. In response, FDI enterprises adjusted business strategies and changed models to regain market share.

Some FDI producers introduced popular, low-priced models while other FDI producers targeted up-market buyers with fashionable styles.

At the same time, people’s living conditions continued to improve. As a result, motorcycles in use increased rapidly by about two million units per year, except in 2003 when Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City applied policies to limit the number of motorcycles.

From around 2003 to present, motorcycle demand continued to expand strongly, with market shares shifting decisively back to FDI assemblers.

Apart from robust income growth, motorcycle demand has been fuelled by the removal of suppply-restrictive measures such as parts import quotas (2002-2005).

By 2006, Vietnam’s motorcycle market reached nearly two million units per year, with an expectation of further future expansion.

“This domestic demand size is sufficient for major assemblers to aggressively introduce new models and for parts suppliers to willingly invest in Vietnam,” Kenichi Ohno, VDF’s director said.

“Now, with a domestic market of two million units per year, motorcycle assemblers will have many business options including the broadening of market segments with new models and reorganising domestic and global suppliers,” he said.

The VDF has just completed the draft on motorbike industry development and submitted to the Ministry of Industry for taking into consideration.

“The Vietnamese Government does not have to worry about the competitiveness of major producers, since motorcycle production in Vietnam is dominated by FDI assemblers with high technology and global reputation,” Ohno said.

He added that the government had to be engaged in close dialogue with them to compile and revise policies, but there was no need to dictate their production, investment, marketing, export or research and development activities.

The VDF’s proposal stated: “Instead, supply-side policies should be mainly directed to the promotion of supporting industries and industrial human resources, which improves local capability and indirectly helps FDI assemblers, and additionally to reorganise or streamline Vietnamese assemblers.”

It added: “Apart from supply-side policies, people oriented policies to improve motorcycle use, as discussed above, are extremely important in the case of motorcycles, since motorcycles have great impact on the general welfare of Vietnamese people.

(Source: VIR)

Tennis Player Spends Billions On Career

Tennis player Thuy Dung.


Vietnamese tennis is now at a standstill and some talents have had to seek their own ways. Nguyen Thuy Dung is an example of this trend and a bright face of Vietnamese tennis at present.

Thuy Dung, 20, naturally loves tennis as she often goes to tennis courts with her father. She began to play tennis at the age of 12.

After nearly ten years of hard training, Dung has become a famous player of Hanoi and has been a member of the national tennis team for 6-7 years. She has taken part in many reputed international tournaments and won the gold medal for women’s doubles and silver medal for women’s singles at the World U18 Championship held in Vietnam in 2004.

Thuy Dung’s family has invested billions of dong in international training courses and tournaments, hoping that one day Dung will enter the world’s top 300 tennis players.

The biggest plan that Dung and her family designed for the near future was a long-term training course at the Vic Baden Institute in Los Angeles, the US. Dung and her family’s decision has shocked the Vietnamese tennis circle because she will need at least VND2 billion (US$125,000) for a year in the US.

Thuy Dung’s mother said that the payment for a coach for Thuy Dung is around $4,000/month. Particularly, Dung will have to pay $10 for an hour using a tennis ball shooter, which may cost her nearly $1,000 a month. In addition, Dung will have to pay travel fees and fees to take part in tournaments in the US during the time Dung stays there.

VND2 billion is a huge amount of money for a tennis player in general and an athlete in Vietnam in general currently.

With the support of her parents, Dung is working to get her first points on the rankings list of the International Tennis Federation (ITF). Dung has practiced in Thailand and attended some tournaments in the Philippines with her own money.

Before playing in the International Women’s Tennis Tournament Toyota Cup 2007, Dung competed at a professional tournament in India. Today, April 27, she went to Indonesia to attend three international tournaments. She can go to the Republic of Korea this May to take part in another professional event.

Dreaming of entering the top 300 tennis players in the world, Dung has given up life’s pleasures to focus on training and studying English to prepare for overseas training courses and tournaments.

(Source: Tien phong)

Vietnamese Boat Capsizes; 8 Tourists Dead

A boat carrying 24 Vietnamese tourists capsized in the sea off central Vietnam, drowning eight people, an official said Monday.

The bodies of the eight people, including two women and three children, were recovered hours after the accident Sunday in Da Nang, said Duong Thanh Thi, chairman of People's Committee in Lien Chieu District.

Da Nang is 760 kilometers (475 miles) southeast of Hanoi.

The boat was not registered as a tourist vessel but was being used to meet high demand during a public holiday, Thi said, adding that all the tourists on board were Vietnamese.

The boat capsized when it was about about 100 meters (yards) from shore. Most of those on board managed to swim to safety or were rescued by fishermen and soldiers, he said.

The boat's pilot has been detained for questioning, Thi said.

Vietnam Needs More Mobile Phone Numbers

Vietnam's three mobile phone networks, VinaPhone, MobiFone and Viettel, have asked the Ministry of Posts and Telematics (MPT) for more network codes. VinaPhone is now using two network codes, 091 and 094, MobiFone with two codes, 090 and 093, and Viettel with 097 and 098. As the numbers of mobile subscribers are increasing, those networks have asked the MPT for two more network codes each.

In principle, each network code is equivalent to 10 million phone numbers. At the current situation, whenever mobile phone networks develop 4-5 million new subscribers, they will have to ask for new codes to avoid a shortage of phone numbers.

The three mobile phone networks have declared to reach 10 million subscribers each. A representative of the MPT said that the ministry would grant new network codes for VinaPhone, MobiFone and Viettel.

The Mobile World subscriber database reports that the Vietnamese networks ended last year with a little under 18.8 million customers, representing a population penetration level of around 22%. The market grew by over 10 million new customers during 2006 alone.

JAL To Increase Flight Frequency On China & Vietnam Routes

JAL has decided to increase the number of flights it operates on China and Vietnam routes from May 31, 2007 responding to strong business and leisure passenger demand to these high growth markets.

From May 31 2007, JAL will increase flight frequency between Tokyo (Narita) and Guangzhou from 11 to 13 flights per week by adding two additional round-trip services departing Japan on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The airline will start operating an additional 5 round-trip flights on its Tokyo (Narita) – Beijing route from June 2 2007, increasing flight frequency between the two capital cities from 14 to 19 flights per week.

Also at the beginning of June, JAL will start offering a daily service between Nagoya (Centrair) and the northeastern Chinese city of Tianjin, when it increases flight frequency on the route from 5 to 7 flights per week.

From June 2, JAL will start operating a Saturday flight between Tokyo – Ho Chi Minh City increasing convenience for passengers traveling between Japan and Vietnam. JAL currently offers 5 flights per week between the two cities with departures on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursday, Fridays and Sundays.
To accommodate this latest series of flight frequency increases, JAL will suspend its twice weekly service between Nagoya and Beijing and will adjust just the days of the week it operates flights between Tokyo – Hong Kong route.

As a result, JAL's Japan-China network including code shares will serve 12 cities in China on 28 routes. The total number of flights offered by JAL between the countries will increase from 276 to 283 flights per week. Including code shares, JAL will offer 35 flights per week on six routes between Japan and Vietnam, serving 4 cities in Japan and the cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh.

From the point of customer convenience and profitability, JAL will continue to expand flight frequency between Japan and the high growth markets of China and Vietnam.
As already announced by the airline, out of Osaka JAL also plans to increase flight frequency on its Hanoi route from May 15, 2007, and on routes serving the Chinese cities of Dalian, Hangzhou and Qingdao from July 1, 2007.

Earlier this year, JAL increased flight frequency between Nagoya and Tianjin from 2 to 5 flights per week (from March 1), and increased the number of flights it operates between Tokyo - Hanoi route from 2 to 3 flights per week (from March 25).

1) Flight Frequency Increases

Route	Frequency Increase	Date Effective
Tokyo (Narita) - Beijing	Increase from 14 to 19 flights per week Additional flights depart Mon/ Wed/ Thu/ Sat/ Sun.	As of June 2, 2007
Tokyo (Narita) - Guangzhou	Increase from 11 to 13 flights per week Additional flights depart Japan Tue /Thu.	As of May 31, 2007
Nagoya (Centrair) - Tianjin	Increase from 5 to 7 flights per week (Daily service) Additional flights depart Wed/ Sat.	As of June 1, 2007
Tokyo (Narita) – Ho Chi Minh City	Increase from 5 to 6 flights per week Additional flight departs Sat.	As of June 1, 2007

2) Flight Suspension

Route	Flight No	Frequency Increase	Date Effective
Nagoya (Centrair) - Beijing	JL601/ 602	Suspension of 2 flights per week service.	As of June 1, 2007

3) Flight Schedule Change

Route	Flight No	Days of Operation	Period Effective
Tokyo (Narita) – Hong Kong	JL739	Change from Tue / Thu / Sat to Mon / Thu / Sat	June 1 – July 15 /
Hong Kong - Tokyo (Narita)	JL730	Change from Wed / Fri/ Sun to Tue/ Fri / Sun	October 1 – 27, 2007

For customer & general enquiries, please contact your local JAL office: www.jal.co.jp/en/information/inter/branch/

Vietnam Health Official Jailed For Drug Smuggling

The director of a district health center in central Vietnam was sentenced to three years in jail Wednesday for illegally importing a large amount of drugs, and two of his accomplices together got 24 years.

Nguyen Thanh Thai, head of the Van Ninh district health center in Khanh Hoa province, got over 8,000 amphetamine and methamphetamine pills in 2003 purportedly from a French charity organization – later found to be fictitious – in collusion with Dang Van Tam, a French citizen, and druggist Nguyen Ngoc Son.

On March 29 customs officials at Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat airport discovered one of the trio’s consignments containing some unregistered medicines and seized them for tests. Experts confirmed they contained almost a kilogram of drugs.

While the case was under investigation, the three continued their illicit activities, bringing in 383 pills by road from Laos.

A Ho Chi Minh City court gave Tam 20 years for selling drugs and Nguyen Ngoc Son four years for his assistance.

Vietnamese Actor Caught With Heroin

Duong Duc Hiep, a famous comedian on Vietnamese Television, was caught red-handed possessing heroin on Friday.

When arrested by Hanoi police, 30-year-old Hiep was attempting to throw away a 0.18-gram heroin pack, said police of Phuong Lien ward in Dong Da district.

He confessed that he had been addicted to heroin for five months. He said he bought the pack for later use.

Under the Vietnamese law, possessing over 0.1 gram of heroin, the violator could face legal proceedings.

Hiep used to be a member of the Youth Theatre but was fired two years ago due to a lack of discipline.

He has received some minor fame in comic programs like Vietnam Television's Gap nhau cuoi tuan (Weekend Meetings).

Thanh Nien

Over 400 Inmates Offered Reduced Sentences For Holidays

Authorities in Hanoi and the central province of Khanh Hoa have released and reduced jail terms for 441 prisoners on the occasion of Vietnam’s reunification day, April 30, and May Day.

The amnestied prisoners are those who had shown good conduct and received training while serving their sentences.

The Vietnamese capital freed 36 inmates and reduced jail terms for 163 others, while Khanh Hoa province cut jail terms for 242 prisoners.

National or local pardons in Vietnam usually take place every year during major national holidays. Over 41,000 prisoners have been released over the last two years.

High-profiled prisoner Gary Glitter, a British ex-rocker imprisoned in Vietnam for sexually molesting two young girls, had his three-year sentence reduced by three months by such an amnesty in February.

Source: VNA

Mysterious Oil Spill Affects 20 Localities

A senior search and rescue official has reported that a mysterious oil spill has affected Vietnam's 20 coastal cities and provinces since it was first detected in January.

By April 23, 1,721 tonnes of curdled oil have been picked up from beaches of these localities, of which 1,440 tonnes were treated by environmental agencies, said Head of the Office of the National Search and Rescue Committee, Nguyen Son Ha.

On Apr. 27, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the National Search and Rescue Committee, co-organised a meeting with scientists in Ho Chi Minh City with hope of seeking solutions to the incident.

Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Mai Ai Truc, who recently introduced to the National Assembly a plan to build a sea environment observatory to help early detect oil spills, called on scientists and environmental and concerned agencies to pool all resources to urgently shed light on the cause of the oil spill, that has wreaked havoc on the tourism service of the affected localities.

(Source: VNA)

Liberation Day And May Day Celebrated Nationwide

Grand ceremonies were held in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and other localities across the country on April 27 to celebrate the 32^nd anniversary of the liberation of southern Vietnam (April 30) and the 121^st anniversary of the May Day.

Among those present at the ceremony in Hanoi were Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh, leaders of central and municipal agencies and nearly 1,000 representatives of local people.

Addressing the ceremony, Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Quoc Trieu hailed the historic April 30 victory as one of the brilliant milestones in the cause of founding and safeguarding the country.

Millions of people united as one braving all difficulties and deaths to follow the Communist Party of Vietnam in the revolutionary struggle, creating glorious feats of arms, especially the April 30 victory – an event of international importance,” said Le Hoang Quan, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee.

In preparation for the celebration of the 1,000^th Thang Long-Hanoi anniversary and the successful implementation of socio-economic development targets for 2007, the municipal authorities have assigned tasks aimed at boosting the current movement “Study and follow President Ho Chi Minh’s exemplary morals,” and other activities aimed at promoting business operation and increasing productivity and quality.

Speaking at a meeting in Ho Chi Minh City, Chairman of the municipal People's Committee Le Hoang Quan said that the April 30 victory was an event of major international importance.

He highlighted the Vietnamese people's glorious revolutionary struggle under the leadership of the Party marked by the historic Ho Chi Minh Offensive against the US aggressors, leading to the liberation of the south and national reunification.

In the past 32 years, the city's authorities and people have built Ho Chi Minh City into a hub of economics, culture, science-technology and a national centre for international trade activities, he said.

By upholding Vietnam's revolutionary spirit while nurturing dynamic creativity, the city has achieved positive results in recent times, he added.

On the occasion of the May Day anniversary, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City leaders praised the great achievements the nation’s workers have made in the national liberation, the renovation process as well as the international integration.

Many activities have been also held in other localities from the north to the south of Vietnam to mark the Liberation Day and May Day.

VNN

What Do You Know About Banh Khot?

Cooking banh khot in Vung Tau City. (inset) A dish of banh khot at Goc Vu Sua stall in Vung Tau City.

Possibly no one knows when banh khot (a somewhat small Vietnamese pancake) appeared in Vietnam’s cuisine and people are sure if the popular and cheap dish is the specialty of the southern coastal province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau. However, many Vietnamese know that the neighbours of Ho Chi Minh City, especially Vung Tau City, are well-known for having many stalls selling delicious banh khot.

A banh khot stallholder on Ba Cu Street in Vung Tau City, who has been named Ms. Muoi by guests, said that the general method to make banh khot is the same at every stall, but each one focuses on different details to create specific characters to attract more guests.

Rice, cold rice after being cooked or rice crust at the bottom of the pot, shrimp, ground dried shrimp, nuoc mam (fish sauce) and vegetables are the main ingredients of the dish.

Muoi said that first she mills the mix of rice and cold rice after being cooked into flour before pouring the flour into a mould that has nearly 50 small holes in the shape of a half circle. After that, she adds dried shrimp and fresh shrimp to the holes. Diners can eat the dish after the mix’s skin becomes yellow. “Rolling the banh khot with vegetables and using fish sauce is the feasible way to enjoy the banh khot,” she said, adding that a banh khot dish contains 8-10 pieces.

The owner of the Banh Khot Goc Vu Sua stall on Nguyen Truong To Street, which is said to serve the most delicious banh khot dishes in the city, has a different specific detail to attract diners. “In the flour mix, besides rice, we also use rice crust from the bottom of the pot so that the cake becomes crisper,” the owner said. “Moreover, for the vegetable, we use many cabbages. The combination the slight bitterness of the cabbage, banh khot’s crispness and the fish sauce’s saltiness is wonderful for diners.”

The stall is now some 21 years old, the same age as the owner’s daughter, who is being trained to inherit her mother’s stall.

Available for breakfast or light meals

Because of the popularity of the dish in small pieces, the banh khot can be eaten for breakfast. “Especially on weekends, when people are off work, the mornings are peak times at our stall with many diners coming here to enjoy banh khot for breakfast,” the Banh Khot Cay Vu Sua’s owner said.

When travelling to other banh khot stalls from Banh Khot Co Hai on Ky Dong Street to Banh Khot Ms. Muoi on Ba Cu Street or others on Hoang Hoa Tham Street, they are found to be just as busy.

In the afternoon when school or work is finished, friends can drop in at a stall to enjoy banh khot pieces as a light meal.

The Banh Khot Rach Dua Stall on Ba Muoi Thang Tu Street, about 5 km from the city’s downtown, can be an interesting option because it only serves banh khot in the afternoon. Although it is a good distance from downtown, many residents and tourists visit there to dine because of its quality.

At night, especially on weekends, is also a favourite time to enjoy banh khot. During the trip around the Vung Tau City, tourists can visit a banh khot stall to enjoy the dish while relaxing in the quiet atmosphere and cool wind from the sea.

It is said that besides seafood, which is already famous there, tourists can enjoy a banh khot tour when visiting Vung Tau to understand more about the specialty.

A banh khot dish includes 8-10 small pieces. Prices start from VND 10,000-15,000 a dish.

Some banh khot stalls in Vung Tau:

Banh khot Goc Vu Sua: 14 Nguyen Truong To Street, Ward, Vung Tau City, tel: (064) 523 465.

Banh khot Ba Hai: 42 Tran Dong Street, Ward 3, Vung Tau City

Banh khot Ba Muoi: Ba Cu Street, Ward 4, Vung Tau City. (SGT)

Hung Kings Anniversary Held in Phu Tho

Thousands of people from different localities
across the country on April 26, the 10^th day of the third lunar month, gathered in Phu Tho province to celebrate and pay their respects to the nation’s founding fathers, the Hung Kings.

Hung Kings Festival 2007, which falls on April 26 this year, is believed to be busier than usual as the day is approved as a permanent national public holiday from 2007. It has been so far remembered among the Vietnamese people the teaching that "Wherever you go, please learn in mind the death anniversary of our ancestors that is on the 10th of the third lunar calender month."

The festival features a series of activities such as rice-cooking races, bronze drum beating performance, human chess, a rice-cake baking contest, a boat race, wrestling matches, water puppets, a photography exhibition, fashion show and fireworks.

2.5 tonne square sticky rice cake offered by people from Ho Chi Minh City.

In Ho Chi Minh City, an official ceremony to pay tribute to the Hung Kings was organised at the Hung Kings Temple in the Zoological and Botanical Garden. The ceremony started at 7 a.m. with activities such as a palanquin procession, incense burning ceremony, dragon dances and more.

Vietnam Public Holiday Weekend To Have Balmy Weather

Vietnam will have fine weather during the long holiday weekend from Friday until May Day, the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasts said Wednesday.

Northern Vietnam would have two cold spells on Friday and Sunday which would bring rainfall and push temperatures to below 20ºC.

In the central region it would be 33-35ºC.

The south would be warm at 36ºC but could have thundershowers in the afternoons.

There are three national holidays during the period – April 26 to commemorate the Hung Kings, the nation’s legendary founders; April 30 marks National Reunification Day; and May Day.

Armed Robbers Loot Jewelry Shop In Broad Daylight

Two armed robbers strolled into a Ho Chi Minh City jewelry shop at noon Thursday, fired three shots in the air, and took away gold and jewelry worth VND500 million (US$31,250).

The two, one wearing a hat low to cover his face and the other a piece of cloth across his mouth and nose – a popular way in the city to keep out dust – came on a motorbike to Kinh Ly shop in district 5’s An Dong market, just 20 meters away from the local police station.

They used hammers to break glass displays to get at the loot.

The shop, one of the largest gold shops in the market, is equipped with security cameras.

Southern Hub Hastens Reforms To Attract Foreign Investment

Ho Chi Minh City is promoting projects in transport, human resources and infrastructure to satisfy investor demand, authorities said in a meeting Tuesday.

The meeting, within the framework of the two-day Vietnam Economic Forum, was organized by the municipal administration, and the Ministry of Investment and Planning.

Over 300 foreign investors discussed the city’s investment environment including lack of [high quality] human resources and poor infrastructure, especially traffic congestion.

Concerning human resource training, city leaders said they would work to improve the quality of training at universities and vocational schools.

They said plans were in place for cooperative programs in employee training with local educational institutions to meet the requirements of the surrounding business community.

Walter Block, head of the US Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam warned ports in HCMC are overloaded and the situation will worsen over the next two years, as the Cai Mep port will only come on line in 2010.

In 2004, ports in HCMC had to receive up to 78 percent of the total container shipments in Vietnam, Blocker said.

Nguyen Bich Dat, deputy minister of investment and planning confirmed Vietnam in general and Ho Chi Minh City in particular would intensify infrastructure improvement in the upcoming time.

Other investors complained prices of offices and accommodations for lease were much higher than in other regional nations, which lessened the city’s competitiveness in investment attraction.

Chistina, representative of the Malaysian investor delegation said the city needed lacked hotel vacancy, adversely impacting business travel.

Nguyen Huu Tin, deputy head of the city administration, said registered projects to 2010 meant the city would have another 10,000 high-quality hotel rooms to meet the increasing demand.

To tackle the serious traffic congestion, the administration had launched various public transport projects including metro systems and overhead railways.

The following are major projects calling for investment in HCMC:

1. The 737-hectare Thu Thiem new urban area in district 2, zoned as a city center of finance, banking and commerce.

2. The 6000-hectare north-east new urban area, some 30 km from the city center, including residential areas and industrial parks.

3. The 400-hectare ecological tourism and residential area located in Binh Quoi – Thanh Da of Binh Thanh district.

4. The 70,422-hectare ecological tourism area in Can Gio district, some 65 km from the city heart.

In addition, the city also appealed for foreign investment in other industrial and processing zones, the city’s hi-tech park and transport projects.

Source: Thanh Nien

PepsiCo Vietnam Moves Into Potato Chip Market

PepsiCo Vietnam will cultivate high-quality potatoes in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong to serve its novel production of snack foods.

The company plans to import six high-yield potato varieties from China and Australia to grow on its 100 ha in the provincial town of Da Lat and Duc Trong and Lac Duong districts.

PepsiCo Vietnam has recently kicked off the construction of a snack factory in southern Binh Duong province.

The new factory, which costs nearly US$30 million, will turn out more than 100 different products under its Lay’s trademark.

Source: VNA

$35bil Worth Of Big Projects To Be Initiated In Vietnam

The Ministry of Planning and Investment has revealed a list of 40 big projects which are going to be developed in Vietnam, capitalised at $35bil in total.

This proves to be a vast sum of capital, and if just one-third of the figure comes true, the targeted $12bil worth of foreign direct investment set earlier this year would be easily fulfilled.

These include a $5bil project on building high-tech zones specialising in making electronic products to be invested in by Taiwanese Foxconn. Bac Ninh and Bac Giang provinces in the north have been chosen as the investment places. Foxconn has set up a representative office in Bac Ninh to speed up the project’s implementation.

Power plant projects come second in terms of scale. The 2,640 MW Van Phong – Khanh Hoa coal-run thermo power plant is slated to be invested in by Japan’s Sumitomo group, and is estimated to have the total investment capital of $3.5bil. The project has been submitted to the Prime Minister.

There could be two other power plants: the Mong Duong 2 thermo power plant in Quang Ninh province (1,200 MW). The $1,463bil project would be developed by a joint venture of the US-based AES and the Vietnam Coal and Mineral Industries. It is expected that the project would be implemented under the mode of BOT (build – operation – transfer). The Government has approved the investment mode and has assigned the Ministry of Industry to conduct negotiations with the partner.

The other power plant is a coal-run thermo power plant to be located in the southern province of Binh Thuan, which has the investment capital of $1.4bil. The investor of the project would be China’s CSG.

Oil refinery projects are also listed among the upcoming projects. These include the $1.53bil oil refinery complex No 3 in Ba Ria – Vung Tau to be invested in by Thai Chemicals Group and PetroVietnam; and a 1mil tonne/year oil refinery worth $1.2bil to be invested in by Singapore’s SP Chemicals Company.

Industries and high technologies are the fields that foreign investors are focusing on. A steel project has been drawn up which comprises a 4.5mil tonne/year steel mill and a factory exploiting Thach Khe ore mine, capitalised at $3.75bil. The project has been drawing special attention from foreign investors. Korea’s Posco, Taiwan’s Sunsteel, India’s TaTa Steel and ESSAR, China’s Bao Steel and Wuhan all have expressed their interest in the steel project.

The US-based Alcoa Group is planning to join forces with the Vietnam Coal and Mineral Industries to run a project on bauxite exploration, worth $1.5bil.

Other noteworthy projects include projects on 1. Producing notebooks by Compaq in Vinh Phuc, capitalised at $500mil; 2. Building ships in Van Phong, Khanh Hoa province by Korea’s STX group, worth $500mil; 3. Steel joint ventures of India’s ESSAR, Vietnam Steel Corporation and Vietnam Rubber Corporation, $570mil.

Construction, real estate and tourism also prove to be attractive investment fields. The southern province of Kien Giang has attracted two big tourism projects: the Asian Pearl project on Phu Quoc Island proposed by Swiss Trustee Suisse and Vinaconex, estimated to cost $2bil, and a 1,800 ha luxurious entertainment complex. The latter project was suggested by the US-based Limited Investment Zone, estimated to be capitalised at $2bil. A smaller tourism project, worth $1bil, has also been registered by Britain’s Rockingham Asset Management.

Meanwhile, Hanoi has been successfully luring real estate projects in apartment and office leasing. Malaysia’s Gamuda Group has got permission to build and develop the Yen So area, worth $1bil. Britain’s Pacific Land Limited has decided to inject money in two projects worth $1bil each, to build a bio-industrial park in Nam Thang Long zone and Sai Dong A high-tech zone.

The list by the Ministry of Planning and Investment also shows the names of projects capitalised from $100mil to less than $1bil. Most of the foreign direct invested projects are located in big cities and localities like Hanoi, HCM City, Khanh Hoa, Dong Nai, Ba Ria – Vung Tau in the south, and Vinh Phuc, Bac Ninh, Quang Ninh in the north.

Jolie Adds Boyfriend’s Name To Adopted Son’s

Angelina Jolie has filed a petition in Los Angeles County Superior Court to add boyfriend Brad Pitt's last name to that of her newly adopted son, Pax, according to media reports Wednesday.

Jolie, in court documents obtained by U.S. Weekly, states that she is "the sole adoptive parent of the child" and is asking for the name change "in order that her child's last name will incorporate and be combined with the last name of her partner and be the same as that of her other children."
So her new son's name would change from Pax Thien Jolie to Pax Thien Jolie-Pitt.

Angie adopted 3-year-old Pax from a Vietnam orphanage in March and immediately changed his name from Pham Quang Sang to Pax Thien. Pax translates to "peace" in Latin, while Thien has a definition of "heaven" or "sky" in Vietnamese.

Pitt has a daughter, Shiloh, with Jolie and has become the adoptive father of her other two adopted children, 5-year-old son, Maddox, from Cambodia, and 2-year-old daughter, Zahara, from Ethiopia.

Shiloh, Maddox and Zahara already share the last names of Jolie and Pitt, though the couple has not married and say they have no plans to wed.

The 31-year-old Oscar-winning actress co-starred with Pitt in "Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

VietNamNet/Xinhuanet

Two Citizens Prosecuted For Anti-State Propaganda

The Hanoi People’s Procuracy on April 23 issued a decision to prosecute two defendants on charges of spreading propaganda against the State of Vietnam.

Nguyen Van Dai, 38, head of the Thien An Lawyers’ Office and Le Thi Cong Nhan, 28, were accused of violating items a and c, Section 1, Article 88 of the Criminal Code.

The two defendants, who were arrested on March 6, are scheduled to go on trial on May 11.

While searching the Thien An Lawyers' Office and residences of Dai and Nhan in Ha Noi, the police had previously seized many documents intended to undermine the State, distort guidelines, policies and laws of the State and Party, and incite acts to sabotage the upcoming National Assembly election.

The police also found many documents, which proved that Dai and Nhan received instructions and finance from abroad to gather elements and establish reactionary organisations to oppose the Vietnamese State.

VNA

HCM City Real Estate Market Draws Foreign Capital

HCM City is in serious shortage of luxury hotels, tourist sites and entertainment centres so I want to invest in a casino here,” said Walter Kim, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the US’ Sky Group in a meeting with HCM City officials on April 24.

Mr Kim seemed to be very impatient when he ‘forced’ Deputy Director of the HCM City Department of Planning and Investment Nguyen Van Hung to arrange an appointment this Friday.

“I want to build a four- or five-star hotel in Saigon immediately,” the Korean American owner of the Sky Group repeated.

He affirmed Sky Group’s investment potential. “Sky Group plans to invest around US$50 million in projects in Vietnam.”

HCM City Vice Chairman Nguyen Trung acknowledged the fact that the city lacked five-star hotels. It has only 1,500 high-class hotel rooms at present. The Taiwan Industrial and Commercial Association wants to bring a group of 120 companies to HCM City to seek investment opportunities but it has to reduce the number of members to 70 because of a shortage of hotel rooms.

HCM City plans to build over 10,000 additional hotel rooms before 2010 to serve meetings, seminars and foreign tourists.

“HCM City will focus on attracting foreign investment into trade centre and hotel projects to increase the source of supply in the coming time,” Mr Tin said.

Projects calling for foreign investment in HCM City: - Thu Thiem new residential area is calling for investment in television tower and stadium projects. - 600ha Tay Bac new residential area: 20 local and foreign investors want to participate in this project, which is now in the design and planning stage. - 400ha Binh Quoi - Thanh Da ecological tourism zone. - Can Gio sea tourism zone. - 6km Binh Khanh bridge, with four lanes and total investment of US$150 million.

Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Bich Dat also affirmed that HCM City would focus on calling for foreign investment into real estate and infrastructure areas. However, he suggested that foreign investors think of real estate in a broader sense – not only hotels but also new residential areas, industrial zones and entertainment centres.

At a talk on investment held in HCM City on April 24 between HCM City leaders, representatives of the Ministry of Planning and Investment, and 250 foreign CEOs, ½ of whom were from Asian groups, many foreign businessmen proposed projects for the HCM City leaders to consider.

A Thai businessman asked: “I saw many motorbikes in Vietnam so I want to build an automobile and motorbike component part plant in HCM City. What conditions do I have to meet?

Many Malaysian companies are very interested in investment in power, oil and gas industry in HCM City.

HCM City’s foreign investment falls in early 2007

As an economic and trade centre of Vietnam, HCM City is an attractive destination for foreign investment. However, the city drew only US$440 million of foreign investment in the first three months of 2007, a reduction of over $1.2 million compared to the same period of 2006.

The Deputy Director of the city’s Department of Planning and Investment, Nguyen Van Hung, admitted this fact, and said that the city didn’t have any big project like the $300mil project of Intel early last year. However, businessmen have said that as land costs and land leasing prices in the city are too high while competition from neighbouring provinces in attracting foreign investment is fierce, it is not surprising that the city’s attraction of foreign capital has declined.

Former Deputy Director of the HCM City Department of Planning and Investment, Director of DNL Investment Consulting Company Luong Van Ly said that to attract more foreign capital, HCM City needed to further reform administrative formalities and increase the land fund.

The current Deputy Director of the HCM City Department of Planning and Investment Nguyen Van Hung said that there were many optimistic signals for HCM City in FDI attraction. “Many big projects are waiting for licences, including a software project in Thu Thiem with $1 billion of investment in the first phase,” he said.

Last year the city lured $2.2 billion of foreign investment.

VNE

Renaissance Promotes Business Stay Package

The Renaissance Riverside Hotel has launched a promotion called Business Stay Package for its Club Level, which is located on the top five floors of the hotel.

The hotel is offering the special price of US$190++ per night for guests who stay for a minimum of three nights at the Club Level, which is quite different from other floors in the hotel and where guests can choose between city view and river view rooms.

At the Club Lounge, which is located on the 18th floor facing to the Saigon River, guests can also enjoy benefits and services from private check-in or check-out, complimentary wireless high-speed internet connection, fully equipped computer work stations and complimentary 2-hour use of the club boardroom.

In addition, the hotel serves an international breakfast selection as well as all-day refreshments, evening cocktail food, desserts and beverages.

Vehicle Prices To Increase Due To Emissions Requirement

The application of Euro 2 standard on car and motorbike exhaust fumes commencing July 1, 2007 is expected to make vehicle production costs increase by $200-1,400 per unit, experts have warned.

Under Decision No 249 by the Prime Minister dated October 10, 2005, all road vehicles must meet Euro 2 standard on exhaust fumes, commencing July 1, 2007.

Do Huu Duc, Deputy Head of the Vietnam Registration Administration (VRA), said that as of July 1, 2007, VRA would require Euro 2 standard for new vehicle models with internal combustion engines. Models which were manufactured earlier must be upgraded to meet the standard by a later date.

Vehicle prices will increase

Yuchiro Ishii, Director of Sales and Product Development of Honda Vietnam, said that it would take the manufacturer more money in order to meet the higher standard on exhaust fumes.

Nguyen Anh Vinh, Deputy Head of the Research and Development Division under Hoa Lam Kymco Motorbike Company, said that several parts would need to be assembled to motorbikes to ensure the better air filtration, which would make the production cost increase by $200 per unit.

The additional production costs will be higher for cars. Some manufacturers said that it would take $400-1,400 more to make the car fit for Euro 2 standard, which will certainly result in selling price increases.

Car and motorbike manufacturers do not have any other choice than making standardised vehicles.

Yamaha Vietnam, for example, has announced that all of its models can meet Euro 2 standard. Hoa Lam Kymco said that its scooter model Solona can meet the Euro standard, while another model, Jockey, can also meet the Euro 2. The manufacturer said that it was trying to make other models be able to meet the required standards in the coming time.

Meanwhile, Honda Vietnam said a lot of its models could meet the Euro 2 standard, including Future Neo, Future Neo GT, Future Neo FI, Click, and Air Blade. Especially, Future Neo FI and Air Blade, which are scheduled to be marketed on April 29, have emissions equal to half of that stipulated by the Euro 2 standard.

Big car manufacturers have announced that their products all can meet the Euro 2 standard, while Civic model of Honda Vietnam can meet the Euro 4 standard.

Analysts have warned that vehicle prices will increase in the time to come as the result of the higher production costs. However, selling price increases will not be directly proportional to the additional investment costs. In fact, selling price increases will much depend on many other factors, including the output, the localisation ratio and technical solutions of manufacturers. Honda Vietnam said that ‘Wave’ and ‘Super Dream’ models would meet the Euro 2 standards by July 1, 2007, and it was trying to minimise the production cost to offer the most suitable selling prices.

The domestic owned Vinaxuki has launched eight new models of vans with the engine meeting the Euro 2 standard on exhaust fumes, which have a production cost higher by $400-700/unit than normal vehicles. However, Bui Ngoc Huyen, Vinaxuki Director General, has said that the selling prices of Vinaxuki vans would remain very competitive thanks to its localisation programme.

The retail prices of the eight van models will be kept stable from April 15, 2007 to September 30, 2007. It is estimated that the locally made content of the eight models is 35%.

Oil and petrol prices will increase, too

According to Cao Xuan Vinh, Head of the Environment Division under VRA, the Euro 2 standard will also be applied to fuel. Currently, all types of oil and petrol circulating in Vietnam still cannot meet the said standard. For example, the sulphur content in diesel is 0.25 PPM, or five times higher than that stipulated by Euro 2, while the ratio is 0.1-0.15 PPM, two or three times higher than the Euro 2 standard.

Mr Vinh said that VRA had asked oil and petrol traders to import products that can meet the Euro 2 standard as of July 1, 2007.

A source from Petrolimex said that it imported some 3mil litres of petrol a year, and the import turnover would increase by several thousand billions if it imports the kind of petrol which can meet the higher requirement on exhaust fumes. VNN

Privatisation In Aviation Industry: Why Not?

Privatising in aviation industry has been suggested by many experts, who consider this the best way to stimulate the market and open new opportunities for investors.



Luong Hoai Nam, Managing Director of Pacific Airlines, said that the infrastructure for the aviation industry and the air market proved to be too poor to serve a population of 85mil people.

Tan Son Nhat airport in HCM City, the biggest airport in Vietnam, only has the capacity of 15mil passengers per year, just 1/5 or 1/6 of the capacity of Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore airports.

In the north, Noi Bai airport with the T1 terminal just can serve 4mil passengers a year. Local airports all are very small, many of them cannot serve night flights and cannot receive airplanes with a straight body like the Airbus A, Boeing B737.

Meanwhile, the air fleet has 50 aircrafts only, which makes the carrying capacity limited, just equal to 1/3 of Thailand, Malaysia or Singapore.

As the market has not developed yet, the number of Vietnamese people that have access to the modern type of transport remains modest. Statistics show that only 0.5mil of the existing 85mil Vietnamese people ever travel by air.

Regarding the domestic air market, there is one air passenger among every 20 persons. Meanwhile, the proportions are much higher in other regional countries: one passenger can be found in every 10 persons in Indonesia and in every 5 persons in Malaysia. In Australia, every person creates two passengers on domestic routes every year.

Regarding the international air market, according to Mr Nam, Vietnam is superior to only Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia in the ASEAN bloc in the aviation industry.

The cost of low cost carrier not low

In developed countries, there are two or three airports in every big city. The main airport serves traditional airlines with complicated flight networks and services, while the other smaller airports serve low cost airlines and private flights.

In Singapore, where only one civil airport is operational, the Singaporean Government has approved the building of a low cost terminal at Changi airport serving the flights of Tiger Airwarys and other budget airlines, which provide flights to Singapore. Specific price levels and service fees have been applied to the airport.

In Thailand, there are three airports, Trat, Koh Saimui, Sukho Thai, specialising in serving the flights undertaken by Bangkok Airways.

In Vietnam, though several budget airlines have been operational, namely Pacific Airlines, Tiger Airways and Jetstar Asia, there has been no concrete mechanism regulating the operation of low cost carriers, while the carriers have not had lost cost airports designed specifically for them.

Mr Nam said that in the current conditions, Pacific Airlines cannot lower the flight development cost to US cent 4.0 for a seat, while Singaporean, Indonesia and Thai budget airlines can easily reach the cost at UScent2.5-3cent, or 40% lower than Vietnam’s.

Privatising to take off?

Experts have suggested allowing private owned air carriers, considering this the best solution to encourage healthy competition among airlines, which can help develop the market.

According to the new Civil Aviation Law, which has been in effect since January 1, 2007, private investors have the right to establish airlines. However, the detailed requirements have not been stated yet.

Recently, four or five projects on setting up private owned airlines have been put on the table of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV). However, all of the projects have been refused as they still cannot meet requirements.

Mr Thi has urged state management authorities to take actions to develop the aviation industry and the air market by setting up fair playing rules and opening the market.

“It is the right time to let Vietnamese people join the market; if not, foreign investors will dominate the playing field in some years, when Vietnam integrates more deeply into the world,” said Mr Thi.

Vo Huy Cuong, Head of the Air Transport Division under CAAV, said that by 2015, Vietnam will have totally liberalised commercial freedom within the ASEAN bloc. By that time, more and more international airports will have come to exploit Vietnam’s market.

He said that not only private investors are encouraged to set up airlines, Vietnam would call on foreign investors to join forces with Vietnamese enterprises to make investment in aviation.

Ho Quoc Cuong, Deputy Head of the Air Transport Division under CAAV, said that the Government would enact a decree on air transport, possibly in the second quarter of the year, which is hoped will bring new opportunities to investors.

It is expected that foreign investors will be allowed to set up joint venture airlines, in which foreign ownership must not be higher than 49% of total chartered capital. VNN

Vietnam Mandarin’s Heir Makes Centuries-Old Treasures Public

The grandson of a mandarin who served in the Vietnamese imperial court last century has revealed that a 500-year-old Chinese tea set and an imperial inkstone are in his possession.

Le Van Kinh, 79, grandson of Nguyen Van Giao, Deputy Minister of Rites and Academic Affairs under Khai Dinh, the second last Vietnamese king who ruled in 1916--25, said they had been locked away for decades.

In Hue, the former imperial city, Kinh showed the media a tea set consisting of two teapots, a ‘flask’ and small vase each, four cups, and one ivory chopstick, all made during the time of the Ming dynasty which ruled China between 1368 and 1644.

One of the teapots is very precious with the model being treasured in China for its work, age, and technique. It looks like a mandarin orange, is 3.6cm high and 11cm wide from handle tip to the spigot, and is made of terracotta but, amazingly, with a bronze handle.

It’s still a mystery as to how the craftsman stuck the bronze handle so snugly into the terracotta body to make it watertight considering up to 2,000^oC heat is needed to bake terracotta. Bronze melts at 1,200^oC.

Five centuries after being made, the handle still retains its glitter.

The other teapot, this one lidless, is also quite valuable, with only 200 of its kind said to be around.

It has an insulated bronze container serving as a flask. Made of three distinct layers with the top and bottom holding hot coals and the middle layer water, it retains heat for long.

There is also an ivory chopstick to stir tea, a vase, and five cups.

Kinh said his grandfather had brought back these treasures from China where he had gone on royal missions.

The other valuable item Kinh produced was an inkstone made of precious black stone and a bar of compressed ink in solid form. Scholars would grind this bar - ink was solidified for easy transport in the past - on the inkstone to turn it into powered ink to be mixed with water.

Elaborately carved, the inkstone’s outer edge has two five-clawed dragons [symbols of the King] fighting for a precious gemstone amid dense clouds. His grandfather had got it as a gift from King Khai Dinh, Kinh said.

He had wanted to make the antiques public since attending a tea ceremony last year where most had been unaware of tea drinking etiquette. He wanted to make a statement about the art of drinking tea, he said.

In 2004 Kinh showed off a century-old bonsai tree whose over 20 branches were made of pure gold and leaves and fruits of gemstones. This too had been a gift from the king to his grandfather.

Vietnam Ecstasy Ring On Trial, 14 Dealers May Get Death

A Ho Chi Minh City court is set to try 23 people this week, part of a ring smuggling a substantial amount of ecstasy, 14 of whom are liable to face the firing squad.

Investigators smashed the ring in March 2005, apprehending ringleader Le Van Tien and 22 gangsters.

They seized 4,354 tablets of ecstasy, dozens of packs of methamphetamine – an illegal stimulant, and other equipment meant for processing and producing ecstasy, commonly known on the street as ‘e’.

After being released from jail in July 2003, Tien imported 1,000 tablets from Cambodia from a ring led by associates Long and Son.

Since December 2003, Tien worked his clandestine ops with Nguyen Chuc Ly, also in Cambodia, buying from Ly around 10,000 ecstasy tablets of assorted types, 700gr of powdered methamphetamine, and 600gr of other drugs until March 2005, when Tien was arrested.

Long, Son, and Ly remain at large in Cambodia, the police said.

Tien also allegedly bought ecstasy powder, molds, and artificial coloring from Cambodia with intent to produce ecstasy in Vietnam.

Ecstasy is a non-addictive stimulant that can cause an artificial sense of euphoria, a distinct sensitivity to light and sound, and side effects that can include dehydration and paranoia.

The trial is set to get underway Tuesday and wrap up by Sunday.

Police Catch 66 Girls In Marriage Selection Ring

Police Monday burst into a house in Ho Chi Minh City only 5m from a police station and found 66 young Vietnamese girls being ‘carefully’ and ‘thoroughly’ scrutinized by two South Korean suitors.

They detained Thang Ngai Linh, a 46-year-old woman who has recruited the girls and promised pick nice wives for the two Koreans for a fee of VND1.5 million each (US$93.7).

The suitors, one South Korean girl and an interpreter were also summoned to the station.

Sources said the suitors even searched the girls’ bodies ‘entirely’, to check for scars and birthmarks.

Brokering marriage for money is illegal in Vietnam.

Linh mostly recruited the girls from rural Mekong River Delta in the south and promised to marry them off to rich men from the Republic of Korea.

Linh admitted during the past three days she had ‘shown off’ 200 girls but said she did not know the practice is illegal.

She said the suitors have promised to give their future in-laws US$400-500 each and take their newly-found wives to Korea to start a family.

Ironically, Linh has been blacklisted before for housing girls in her rented house, which is just separated by one house from the ward police station.

Thus, within only a fortnight, the city police discovered three such marriage brokerages with nearly 400 girls involved.

It has been a fact that many poor Vietnamese girls have been trying to marry South Koreans, Taiwanese and Malaysians. Some were happy but some abused, even forced into sex trade in the foreign countries.

Last year, a local newspaper carried news that dozens of Vietnamese girls were lined up in the Republic of Korea to be selected by suitors. Just last December several international newspapers reported that Malaysian men “bought” Vietnamese wives at bridal parades for a mere US$5,600 each.

There are also reports that Vietnamese girls were even put on glass displays at marriage exhibitions. Thanh Nien

Vietnam Offers Free Helmets For Traffic Safety Week

The traffic safety watchdog and an NGO are giving away many helmets for free and 10,000 others at discounts on the occasion of the first United Nations Global Road Safety Week, April 23-29.

The National Traffic Safety Committee and the Asian Injury Protection Fund (AIPF) began a program titled ‘Wear a helmet, no excuse’ Monday with a safety appeal to motorbike riders in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

AIPF founder and director Greig Craft said: “Using a helmet is the simplest thing riders can do to protect themselves and their families.”

Transport Minister Ho Nghia Dung said last week that the program would continue until the year-end since the government was considering a new compulsory helmet rule.

Last year 14,000 people died and 30,000 others were injured in road accidents. Forty percent of those killed were youths.

Vietnam Conference Mulls Ways To Make More People Fly

A shortage of airplanes and domestic services and inflexibility in fares have restricted the number of Vietnamese people traveling by air, a conference on free trade in civil aviation heard Friday.

Just 500,000 out of the country’s 85 million had ever boarded an airplane, Luong Hoai Nam, CEO of Pacific Airlines, said.

Only one out of every 20 people in the country flew on domestic routes, he added. The figure was one out in 10 in Indonesia and one in five in Thailand and Malaysia. In Australia every person flew twice a year.

Nam’s no-frills carrier is one of Vietnam’s two carriers, the other being the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines. Vietnam Air Service Co. (VASCO), which flies on some domestic routes, is a Vietnam Airlines offshoot.

The country’s civil aviation law allows “every economic sector” to set up airlines, provided they are approved by the government and licensed by the transport ministry.

However, legal experts at the conference pointed out that in the absence of support documents to guide its implementation, the law was not enforceable.

Seven government decrees and more than half of 15 decisions planned by ministries relating to its implementation were still “under preparation,” Phan Trung Ly, vice director of the National Assembly’s Commission for Legal Affairs, said.

Ho Quoc Cuong, a senior official in the Vietnam Civil Aviation Administration, said the lack of airplanes was a reason for the airlines’ failure to meet domestic demand.

Pacific Airlines has only four aircraft, and Vietnam Airlines 45.

Nam called on the government to scrap the ceiling fares that prohibit fares from exceeding a certain limit.

If it was eliminated, airlines could offer some tickets at cheap prices, enabling more people to fly, he said.

Tran Quoc Thuan, vice director of the National Assembly Office, said since the ceiling was prescribed in the aviation law, that had to be amended first.

Spanish Group To Take 8-Day Tour Of Vietnam

The Ho Chi Minh City-based travel company Saigon tourist is about to guide 65 Spanish holidaymakers on an eight-day Premium Travel tour across Vietnam starting from April 29.

The journey will give the Spanish travellers a taste of Vietnam’s colourful history by making stops in the vastly contrasting Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An, Hue, Da Nang, Ha Long Bay and eventually Hanoi.

The company is organizing another fortnight trans-Vietnam Premium Travel tour for 40 German visitors to end on April 30.

Saigontourist has this year welcomed almost 41,000 foreign holidaymakers, a year-on-year rise of 57%.

Viet Kieu Prefer Buying Houses In HCM City

Real estate trading floors in HCM City nowadays receive many Viet Kieu clients. More and more Viet Kieu are returning home and looking to buy houses. Most of them like to buy houses and land in big urban areas in the south.

In the first quarter of the year, the Hoang Quan real estate trading floor received 10 Viet Kieu clients who sought houses on the river bank or on the edge of town. Meanwhile, Linh Phong Conic Construction, Investment and Development has also reported that Viet Kieu clients now account for 10% of its total clients, the highest ratio ever.

Realising the increased demand for houses and land from Viet Kieu, investors have been trying to invest in projects on houses and villas for Viet Kieu, but the supply proves to be lower than the demand. Intresco residential quarter near the Southern Saigon urban area, for example, has 121 villas for Viet Kieu, all of which have been sold out.

According to the Assistant to the Deputy Director General of the Hoang Quan real estate trading floor, the percentage of successful transactions carried out by Viet Kieu clients proves to be modest if compared to the total transactions made in the last years. However, he believes that the situation will improve as the State has decided to ease the requirements on house purchasing by Viet Kieu.

The HCM City Information Centre for Natural Resources and the Environment has reported 70 successful sale deals to Viet Kieu, the biggest figure ever reported by real estate trading centres.

While HCM City attracts Viet Kieu clients, Hanoi has not seen many Viet Kieu looking to buy houses there. According to Nguyen Thi Tuong Loan, Deputy Director of the Land and House Registration Office under the Hanoi Department for Natural Resources and the Environment, only two Viet Kieu have bought houses so far.

Even Ciputra and The Manor, high-grade urban areas in Hanoi, the choice of many foreigners, do not attract Viet Kieu clients. And the project called ‘the Village of Viet Kieu in Europe’, which has just been kicked off in Ha Tay province, will mainly target local clients.

Administrative procedures the barrier

A Viet Kieu in Germany, 60, said that he had bought five apartments at My Thuan residential quarter in district 8, HCM City. However, he still cannot get the ‘pink book’ (the certificate on house ownership) for the five apartments, and he has to go back and forth between Germany and Vietnam.

Under the current regulations, Viet Kieu must present documents to show that they were born in Vietnam and that they stay in Vietnam for more than six months a year, if they do not belong to the four subjects who can enjoy preferences in buying houses.

Most Viet Kieu complain about the limited number of houses they can buy and about the long time it takes to get the pink book.

In order to avoid complicated procedures, many Viet Kieu have decided not to purchase houses definitively, but lease the houses for long time. For example, Bitexco is now leasing apartments to Viet Kieu for 50 years.

Bitexco’s Business and Marketing Director Nguyen Thanh Tung said that Viet Kieu preferred signing long-term leases instead of purchasing because they did not have to follow complicated procedures.

He said that Viet Kieu clients who signed long-term leases accounted for 50% of the total high-grade apartment market. They make investment in apartments for many purposes, either for their accommodation or for re-leasing.

Other experts share the same view, saying that the biggest concern of Viet Kieu is the adjustment of the policies related to land and accommodation. Therefore, they prefer leasing houses to purchasing houses outright.

In fact, according to Pham Ngoc Lien, Director of the HCM City Information Centre for Natural Resources and the Environment, the demand for purchasing houses proves to be very big, and the number of purchasing contracts will increase if the complicated procedures can be simplified.
VNE

Vietnam Resort City Falls Prey To Yet Another Mystery Oil Slick

Beaches in Vietnam’s world-famous resort town of Nha Trang are awash in a mystery oil slick, one of many that have plagued the country for several months now, fanning fears for local tourism.

The slick spread across the town’s beaches Thursday, with the stretch between Tran Phu street and Vinh Nguyen ward the worst affected.

Authorities said Thursday that several tons of oil had been mopped up and that more personnel would be deployed on the job.

The slick had hit nearby Van Thanh commune Monday.

Van Ninh and Ninh Hoa districts and Tri Nguyen island were also affected.

The authorities admitted it was a blow to tourism.

Shrimp and lobster breeders between Ninh Hai and Ninh Phuoc districts in neighboring Ninh Thuan province feared huge losses because of the slick since it was prime breeding season.

Authorities warned farmers not to pump seawater into shrimp ponds.

Many parts of the country have reported oil slicks since February which have badly affected beaches and marine environments but their sources have remained a mystery.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung instructed concerned agencies Thursday to assess the environmental and economic damage caused by the slick and speed up the search for the source.

The government also permitted the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to hire experts from Japan, the Philippines, and China to track down the source.

Source: Tuoi Tre

Central Vietnam Coast Set For More Five-Star Resorts

Central Vietnam coast set for more five-star resorts

Deals have been done for building several five-star resorts along the coast in central Vietnam’s Quang Nam province amid a burgeoning demand for quality tourism services.

A stretch of 40 km between Son Tra island and Hoi An will see a series of luxury resorts come up.

The UK-listed fund VinaCapital plans to build a $130 million tourism-golf complex in Dien Ban district.

Last week a joint venture between VinaCapital and Sai Thanh Investment and International Tourism (STI) got a license to build a $16 million complex of 100 villas and entertainment facilities.

Work on it will begin in the second quarter.

Don Lam, general director of VinaCapital, said the number of foreign travelers to Vietnam increased by over 20 percent annually and most of them wanted high-quality services.

Nguyen Quang Ninh, general director of The Nam Hai Resort belonging to the Indochina Resorts Group, said the group planned two projects worth over $100 million in Danang town.

The site of this Evason Hideaway on dramatic Ninh Van Bay is quite unique

The $55 million The Nam Hai Resort opened last month and occupancy was high, he said.

However, he warned, coastal landscapes should be protected to ensure sustainable tourism development.

The authorities should impose strict regulations on zoning and construction of resorts.

For instance, only resorts with four-star rating or more should be licensed and their density should not exceed 30 percent of any area.

Vo Anh Tai, head of giant operator Saigontourist, said the central region should focus on improving its weak transport system.

Only Danang had an international airport while flights from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to the region were inadequate in the peak October-April period.

Traveling by rail or road was inconvenient and time-consuming.

Ports receiving cruise ships had originally been designed to handle cargo and not people.

Source: Tuoi Tre

Marijuana Stash Found In Vehicle

Officers charged a Vietnamese man with drug trafficking when they found 29 pounds of high-grade marijuana in his car, said Debbie Tanna, a spokeswoman for the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office.

Lawmen stopped a 1996 Honda driven by Dat Nguyen, 31, just after 11 a.m. Thursday on Interstate 95. Nguyen is no known relation to the Dallas Cowboys football player of the same name.

Inside, officers reported finding a duffel bag filled with 29 one-pound bags of hydroponically grown marijuana, Tanna said. Marijuana grown in water has a street value of about $5,000 per pound, Tanna said. Twenty-nine pounds would be worth $145,000.

Nguyen, who told officers he was was traveling to Orlando, Fla., is in the country illegally, Tanna said. He has two addresses: one in Pittsburgh, Pa., and one in Fairfax, Va.

Tanna said he was charged with three counts each of trafficking in and possession of marijuana and using his car to transport the drug.

Information on his bail was not provided. The Fayetteville Observer

Vietnamese Shoe Strike

Thousands of workers walked off the job at a Vietnamese-owned shoe factory, demanding better pay, a company official said today.

Workers at the Sao Vang company in Hai Phong are demanding the firm pay them as much as foreign companies, said Pham Minh Tuan, Sao Vang director. Under Vietnamese law, foreign-owned firms must pay workers at least $45 a month, compared to the $28 minimum Vietnamese firms must pay.

"This is a big increase," Tuan said. "The workers are too demanding. We cannot grant their request." The Albuquerque Tribune

Storms Injure One, Blow Away 400 Houses In Northern Vietnam

One person was injured and around 400 houses destroyed as strong winds swept through northern Vietnam Monday and Tuesday following heavy downpours.

A storm slammed into Lao Cai province’s Van Ban, Bao Yen, and Bao Thang districts Tuesday, injuring a person, destroying 19 houses, and blowing the roofs off 360 others.

Six classrooms were devastated and 20 hectares of crops badly damaged.

Total damages are estimated at VND500 million (US$31,250).

In Tram Tau district of Yen Bai province, 13 houses and classrooms were destroyed Monday night by heavy rains and cyclones.

Local authorities are providing money from a disaster fund, helping people rebuild damaged houses.

US County Discusses Funding Of Vietnamese Language Centers

California’s Orange County Board of Supervisors is discussing the funding of local Vietnamese language centers in the coming conference budget for 2008, Calitoday newswire reported Thursday.

The funding would aim at helping a new generation of overseas Vietnamese’s study their mother tongue and homeland culture.

There are currently 84 Vietnamese language centers in southern California, housing some 16,000 students. Some provide free courses, while others charge a fee for services.

Source: Thanh Nien

Vietnam President Extends Condolences Over US School Tragedy

President Nguyen Minh Triet has sent a message of condolence to his US counterpart, George W. Bush, over the shooting rampage at Virginia Tech university.

Triet wrote Wednesday that he was “profoundly saddened by the news,” in which a student killed 32 people and then himself two days ago.

It was “a great and incompensable loss to the families of the victims, Virginia Tech and the US,” the message said.

”On behalf of the people and state of Vietnam, I would like to express my deepest sympathy and condolences to you.. and to the bereaved families and Virginia Tech.”

Source: VNA

Man Arrested In Vietnam For Forging US Work Visas

Police in Ho Chi Minh City have filed criminal charges against a local man who cheated people and forged visas to send them to work in the US.

Dao Tri Dung, 29, took US$156,000 from 16 people last year, promising to find them jobs as garment workers, mechanics, and others.

Last December, when the 16 were checking in at the city’s Tan Son Nhat airport, officers seized the passports of 11 of them, suspecting their visas to be forged.

The US consulate in the city told the police the visas were indeed forged and they promptly arrested Dung.

The fate of the remaining five is not known.

US-Style Factory Outlet Opens In South Vietnam

The first US-style factory outlet mall opened in Vietnam Wednesday in Binh Duong province near Ho Chi Minh City.

The 30,000 sq.m Saigon Factory Outlet Mall, owned by Canada’s Dai Phuc Co., has been set up at a cost of US$30 million between National 1K and Hanoi Highway in Di An district, a 30-minute drive away from HCMC.

The mall uses the same retail model that has proven popular in the US, Japan, and China, bringing goods directly from manufacturers to consumers.

It houses some 60 enterprises, many of them leading manufacturers and service providers like Viet Tien and Nha Be garment makers, and consumer goods producers like P & G, Basefood, and Ogawa.

Truong Cong Anh, director of the mall, said the village-like complex would accommodate some 200 fashion, home decor, electronics, and other stores, restaurants, banks, and post offices.

Manufacturers and retailers can showcase new products and sell surplus stocks, while customers can buy quality goods at discount prices.

The complex also has a multi-functional theater with a capacity of over 1,000.

Anh added that the mall, whose design mirrors North American outlet malls that provide a day-time shopping experience for people, would also offer family entertainment and tourist attractions.

Dai Phuc has inked cooperation deals with many travel companies to bring customers and travelers.

Soon, a four-star hotel and villas will be built nearby.

Hai Phong: 7,000 Workers Go On Strike In Two Days

Nearly 7,000 workers of two footwear companies in Hai Phong City went on strike on April 16-17.

More than 5,000 workers of the Gold Star Co, Ltd, a footwear company located in Truong Son Town, An Lao District went on strike in the morning of April 17, causing traffic jam in Truong Son Town for more than two hours.

Workers said that they strike because of high pressure and low income. They asked for higher salary and lower labour pressure. The representative of Sao Vang said that they would convene workers to return to work and consider their requirements.

On April 16, nearly 2,000 workers of Taiwanese-invested Aurora Vietnam Footware Industry Co, Ltd, located in Thuy Nguyen District, which has become operational recently, stopped working with the same reasons and requirements of the above strike at Sao Vang company.

In February 2006, around 7,000 workers of Sao Vang went on strike for five days to ask for salary increase.

Nhan Dan

Saigon Park To Throw High-Profile Hung Kings’ Anniversary

The 2006 Hung Kings’ Death Anniversary at Suoi Tien Cultural Tourism Park


For the coming Hung Kings’ Death Anniversary (April 26), the Suoi Tien Cultural Park in HCM City will organise an impressive festival gathering 1,500 actors from all over the country.

Famed historian Duong Trung Quoc, Chairman of the Vietnam History Society, will give a speech on the historical and cultural meanings of the celebration at the Hung Kings’ Temple inside Suoi Tien. Director Le Quy Duong said the ceremony would combine interesting traditional and modern features in a festive environment steeped in national identity.

The programme will begin at 8 am on April 26, 2007, or the 10th of the lunar March. To prepare for the event, Suoi Tien has invested VND$ 4 billion (US$250,000) to restore the Hung Kings’ Temple and construct a 3,000-seat stage. On April 25, Suoi Tien Park will also hold a camp festival titled Celebrating the Hung Kings’ Anniversary with the participation of 10,000 students and representatives from 25 ethnicities such as Thai, Tai, H’Mong, Laos, K’Ho, Cham, Chinese and Khmer. And for the first time, Suoi Tien Park visitors will witness an 18-contestant martial arts competition, which will take place on April 27 and 28.

Other activities include the Son Tinh Thuy Tinh Legend performance to be participated in by 200 actors and martial arts masters; a parade called Deity’s Valuables Festival; a traditional musical and dancing show titled Lac Hong Blood; and folk games. 4,000 square rice cakes will be given as prizes and gifts.

On April 26, a 50% discount will be offered on all entrance tickets to Suoi Tien Park. The programme will be broadcast live on HCM City TV. The Hung Kings’ Death Anniversary is one of the most important national anniversaries in Vietnam. On the 10th of lunar March, Viet Tri City in northern Phu Tho Province, the site of the Hung Kings’ Van Lang nation, will also host one of the biggest Hung Kings’ death anniversaries in Vietnam. Nguoi Lao Dong

North To Have Deep Water Port

Cat Ba, Hai Phong

The feasibility study of the Lach Huyen deep water port in the north of Hai Phong city has been approved by the Ministry of Transport.

Minister of Transport Ho Nghia Dung said that the study would be submitted to the Government in some days.

The Lach Huyen deep water port project, invested in by the Vietnam Shipping Lines (Vinalines), has the total investment capital of VND27tril, or $1.6bil. It is expected to become the gate to the world and the big transit port in the northern part of the country.

According to the pre-feasibility study, the deep water port will be able to receive 60-80,000 tonne vessels. Once operational, the port is expected to see 50-60mil tones of goods going through every year.

Hai Phong city authorities are calling for both domestic and foreign investment into the very important project.

According to Duong Chi Dung, Chief Executive Officer of Vinalines, the operation of the Lach Huyen port will help Hai Phong become an important place for goods transition. Goods from the western areas of China to other places would have the itinerary which is 800 km shorter if they are transited at Lach Huyen port rather than at the nearest Chinese port.

In related news, the Government has released the list of very important investment projects on infrastructure and transport. In the coming time, a series of projects will be kicked off.

These include the building of several stretches of road on the north-south highway (Hanoi – HCM City – Can Tho), and stretches of roads belonging to the Belt No 1 and Vietnam – China economic belt, upgrading the stretches of road on Highway No 1 in order to improve circulation capacity and minimise traffic jams.

Regarding railway projects, it is expected that the current north-south railway will be modernised, the Yen Vien – Lao Cai route will be upgraded. Meanwhile, the projects on building the international transit ports in Van Phong bay in the central province of Khanh Hoa and Lach Huyen port in the northern province of Hai Phong will be the top priority projects to serve sea transports.

As for air transport projects, Vietnam will build a modern terminal at Da Nang international airport and T2 terminal at Noi Bai airport in Hanoi, and build Duong To and Phu Quoc airports.

The Government has also urged the acceleration of the preparation work for the investment in the international airport in Long Thanh in the southern province of Dong Nai, which is hoped will replace current Tan Son Nhat airport in the future.

The Prime Minister has determined that the total capital needed to develop the groups of infrastructure projects is $67.570bil, of which, the sum of $4.418bil has been arranged.
VNN

Vietnam Instates New Holiday To Commemorate Founders

Vietnamese laborers will now enjoy a public holiday on lunar March 10, the anniversary of the death of the Hung Kings, Vietnam’s legendary founders.

The president’s office announced the news officially on Tuesday.

Under the new law approved by the President Nguyen Minh Triet, the new public day is the national workforce’s ninth public holiday.

Vietnamese history, which sometimes borders on mythology, has it that the Hung Kings reigned over what is now northern Vietnam from 2879 BC to 258 BC.

This year, lunar March 10 falls on April 26.

Tacked on to the new law is a clause that allows the National Assembly to establish two new committees, one judicial committee and one on finance and the state budget.

The committees will open on July 1.

Source: Nguoi Lao Dong

Cyclone, Hail Blow Up Out Of The Blue, Hammer Central Vietnam

A violent cyclone carrying with it sand and rocks Saturday raged through a central Vietnamese province, annihilating at least 500 houses, injuring 20 people and leaving over one thousand homeless.

From 4pm to 5pm, the whirlwind – clocking speeds of 150-180km per hour – blew down on three villages in Quang Nam province’s Dai Hong commune.

Over 50 percent of houses in hardest-hit Duc Tinh village collapsed or had their roofs blown off.

Trees and fields were left in a mess, transformed into a massive garbage dump by the unexpected weather. All electricity and telephone lines have been cut.

Le Nam, a local, said the weather had been favorable, even beautiful. But around 4pm, dark clouds began to form, followed by fierce thunder and lightning, and the strong winds. His two-month-old girl was hit on the head by a large stone in the high winds.

Ha Thi Bien was hiding under a table in her house when the structure was lifted into the air. She was struck in the head by an unidentified flying object and though she bled, she managed to crawl to the safety of a nearby bush.

Many said the sudden storm was far fiercer than Typhoon Xangsane, which hit the region September last year.

Xangsane was one of the destructive storms in Vietnamese history, causing nearly VND10 trillion (US$629 million) in damages and claiming over 70 lives nationwide.

Nearby, Nguyen Thi Bon nearing 70 years old who lost her house to Xangsane and has since taken shelter at her daugher’s house, now witnessed that very last haven destroyed. Her daughter was hit by a collapsing pillar.

Bui Quoc Cuong, vice chairman of the commune government said over 1,000 poor farmers here would have to sleep roofless for some time to come.

Source: Thanh Nien

Drug Addicts Arrested After Killing Singer

Two drug addicts, one of whom is the son of a Supreme Court judge, have confessed to killing a singer and wounding her boyfriend in an attempted robbery at a lake in Hanoi.

Senior Lieutenant-Colonel Nguyen Duc Chung, vice head of Hanoi investigative police force, said Tuesday that 19-year-old Le Dinh Hoan and the unnamed judge’s son, 24-year-old school dropout Nguyen Vu Hoang, confessed to thrusting two stabs into Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang, 21, at Thanh Cong Lake in Ba Dinh District April 5^th.

She was killed trying to ward them off after the duo had already stabbed her 26-year-old boyfriend Vu Hung five times. Hung had refused to give them money and is now under emergency treatment at St. Paul's Hospital in Hanoi.

The perpetrators said they wanted money for drugs and commonly preyed on lovers at parks and lakefronts at night.

Trang, a vocal music student, participated in the final screening of the recent Sao Mai Diem Hen Contest, one of the most prestigious singing contests in Vietnam.

The two also confessed to three other armed robberies in the capital.

In other news, local police Tuesday busted a ring supplying prostitutes for US$100 per night.

Official Visits Girl Hospitalized By Abuse From Teachers, Cops

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Dang Huynh Mai (R)

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Dang Huynh Mai Tuesday visited a girl hospitalized due to trauma caused by teachers and cops to express sympathy and encourage doctors.

On her arrival at the Ho Chi Minh City-based Pediatrics Hospital N^o1, Mai expressed her sympathy towards the agony of fifth grader Huynh Thi Ngoc Tram and asked doctors to help her by whatever means necessary.

Mai also met with Tram and her family.

Doctors said on Tuesday that Tram has begun to show signs of recuperation.

Tram was traumatized last month when local teachers and cops tried to coerce a confession out of her on suspicion she had stolen a few dollars.

The 10-year-old student at An Hiep Primary School in Dong Thap Province was sent to the police station by her headmaster Luu Van Ca and teacher Le Van Xem when they suspected her of stealing VND48,000 (US$3) from the class fund.

After being quizzed for an hour by police officer Le Van Thanh, Tram went into shock and shrieked until she became exhausted.

The case has drawn bitter flak nationwide, resulting in the dismissal of Ca, Xem, and Thanh.

In a meeting with the Dong Thap provincial administration on the same day, Deputy Minister Mai lambasted headmaster Ca and teacher Xem, saying their handling was utterly “anti-educational”.

Mai also lashed out at the way Tram was grilled by the local police.

She promised the ministry would learn from the case.

Source: Tuoi Tre

Tourism Officials Look To Future

The Vietnam National Administration for Tourism (VNAT) outlined the sector's ambitious plan to double the growth rate of visitors and revenues over the next five years at a seminar in Hanoi Tuesday.

The tourism sector is striving to receive 6 million foreign visitors and 30 million local travelers by 2010 to earn US$4.6 billion in revenue. It also targets to lure $5.5 billion in investment for development.

To attain this goal, the tourism sector needs to build high-quality tourism resorts as well as strengthen international cooperation, said Nguyen Chi Dung, Director of the Trade and Services Department under the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

The sector also needs better legal regulations on tourism, he told the seminar, titled “Vietnam’s Tourism – Integration and Development”.

Joe Mannix, head of the Vietnam Business Forum (VBF)'s tourism sub-group, said the outlook for tourism in Vietnam was optimistic with the number of arrivals to the country hitting record highs.

However, he said, to make the industry's development more sustainable, cooperation between the Government, local authorities and businesses should be strengthened. It was also necessary to issue a master plan for the industry, he said.

He also suggested that Vietnam become more involved in cooperation and consultation activities held by the sub-group, which will help the country, understand the challenges of its tourism sector.

Participants in the seminar also discussed the impact of tourism on the national economy and suggested that a strategy be established to tap the country's advantages and potential for tourism development. The meeting also focused on the relationship between tourism development and natural preservation.

Last year, the tourism sector welcomed 3.6 million foreign visitors and 17.5 million domestic tourists. It grossed $3.2 billion in revenues, a 42 percent increase over the previous year.

Source: VNA

Hanoi Hangs Out At The Mall

The capital will be building more than 10 new shopping centres where old markets used to be in the near future, said Nguyen Quoc Trieu, chairman of Hanoi's People's Committee.

The change is part of the city's plan to become a modern community by developing supermarkets and shopping malls.

Traders in markets like Hom-Duc Vien, Hang Da, O Cho Dua or Mo will have to change the way they do business, said Trieu.

Hoang Thu, a stay at home mom, has been shopping at Hang Da Market for 30 years. She said building department stores and malls will help Hanoi continue to develop.

"Though this change is new to me, I find it suitable with the times," said Thu.

Thu said her kids like to eat fast food from Kentucky Fried Chicken and German Sausage, the food found in shopping malls around the world, instead of sweets and snacks sold on the street.

Thu said people used to shop exclusively at markets 12 years ago because there was no other choice available.

Authorities have put out a call for investment in this project. They will then decide on a plan of action and begin construction. The city is also reforming its investment policies to make this process easier for businesses.

Statistics from the Department of Investment and Planning, under the Ministry of Trade, show many markets in the cities and urban areas are being replaced with supermarkets and shopping centres. Approximately 30 to 32 of markets in the nation are now the sites of new malls, they said.

But Vietnam and Hanoi have not forgotten their past.

In the fourth quarter of 2006, the city agreed it would restore some of the most popular markets in Hanoi's centre before the 1000-year anniversary celebration of Thang Long, one of the Capital's former names.

Department officials said the State has built and upgraded 1,016 markets across Vietnam, bringing the number of markets to 9,266. This number includes 170 wholesale markets. VNN

Mysterious East Sea Oil Slick Reaches Khanh Hoa Shores

An oil slick off the southern coast of Khanh Hoa Province has contaminated a one-kilometre stretch of beach along Hon Gom Peninsula in Van Thanh Commune, Van Ninh District, said the provincial People's Committee on Monday.

Local inhabitants said small patches of oil first appeared on Saturday and that the spillage had since increased.

Shortly after the oil spill was sighted, Van Ninh People's Committee, working with other local authorities, members of the public and security forces launched a clean-up operation.

Local authorities said they were monitoring the situation and would do everything in their power to prevent the slick from reaching Dai Lanh Beach and shrimp and fish farms along the coast.

The source of the mysterious oil spill has not been found.

Meanwhile, an earlier oil spill off the southern coast of Tra Vinh Province has continued to wreak havoc, contaminating some 300 metres of beach in Dong Hai Commune, Duyen Hai District.

In two days, local residents collected more than 2.5 tonnes of oil-drenched sand, said officials from the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment, adding that the department had in place an effective strategy to deal with the spill.

The oil spill had not damaged the commune's aquaculture, said Le Quyet Chien, chairman of the communal People's Committee. However, he warned that fish-farming and marine agriculture could be devastated if the oil was not rapidly contained.

The provincial People's Committee said it was paying local residents VND5,000-10,000 (US$0.3-0.6) for each kilogram of oil they collected to speed up the clean-up operation.

VNN

San Miguel Breaks Ground On Vietnam Manufacturing Plant

Food and beverage conglomerate San Miguel Corporation (SMC) yesterday disclosed it broke ground for its non-alcoholic beverage facility in South Vietnam as part of its $700 million expansion binge in the region.

The company disclosed its newest facility, San Miguel Vietnam Company, Ltd. (SMVCL), will be housed in a 100,000-square meter property in Bien Ho City, Dong Nai Province on a 40-year lease agreement with Amata (Vietnam) Co. Ltd.

According to SMC, the facility will operate a multi-product flexi-line that will manufacture high quality beverages, including bottled water and fruit-based drinks using locally-sourced raw materials.

�The venture underscores SMC�s confidence in Vietnam�s economic prospects and its growing consumer market,� SMC disclosed to the Philippine Stock Exchange.

Apart from SMVCL, SMC has four other facilities in Vietnam. It has brewery, packaging, feed and hog operations in Vietnam.

These other operations are under San Miguel Brewery Vietnam, Ltd. in Nha Trang; San Miguel Phu Tho Packaging Co., Ltd. in Ho Chi Minh City; San Miguel Yamamura Hai Phong Glass in Hai Phong City; and TTC Vietnam, in Binh Duong.

�We were among the first international companies to see Vietnam�s potential in the early 1990s. Now we seek to build a stronger relationship with our partners and consumers in Vietnam and are excited to have further opened up San Miguel to new horizons in terms of both our products and reach,� said SMC chairman and CEO Eduardo M. Cojuangco, Jr.

In a recent development, SMC also broke ground a beverage facility in Indonesia.

The company has planned putting up more facilities in other countries in the region, including Australia, China and Malaysia, within the year.

Vietnam To Hit Wildcat Strikers Where It Hurts Most – The Pocket

Vietnam is cracking down on illegal strikes with the government drafting a decree on compensation to be paid by workers going on wildcat strikes.

Under the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs decree, the parties found accountable for wildcat strikes will compensate affected enterprises for production and other losses, including loss of property and repair costs.

But it cannot exceed three months’ wages with the amount deducted from their monthly wages.

In related news, the ministry said it was finalizing another decree prohibiting strikes in certain industries – public services, vital sectors, and those related to security and defense.

Labor disputes in these sectors will have to be referred to provincial-level arbitrator councils for reconciliation, and to courts if still unresolved.

VNE

Vietnam Bank To Buy Software From Microsoft

Microsoft signed a memorandum of understanding Monday to modernize Vietnam’s Saigon Thuong Tin Commercial Joint Stock Bank (Sacombank) which, in turn, agreed to buy software from the US giant.

Microsoft will consult and provide the latest solutions to upgrade Sacombank’s IT system, and also train the bank’s staff in using its products.

The value of the deal was not officially announced but a bank source said it would spend millions of dollars on the IT modernization project.

In the last four years Sacombank has spent US$4 million on technology and plans to invest more.

It has some 4,000 PCs working on open-source software, saving more than $1 million by not buying commercial software.

The bank said it would use both open-source and Microsoft software in the future.

Earlier this year Microsoft signed a deal to sell software to one of Vietnam’s major banks, Techcombank.

With four commercial banks now agreeing to buy from Microsoft, Christophone Desriac, the company’s general director in Vietnam, hoped more and more local companies would respect intellectual property laws to create a healthy business environment. Thanh Nien

Vietnam’s Hospitals: Cheap, Good, But Not Favoured

Many hospitals in Vietnam are recognized to have good and cheap services compared to foreign ones but they can’t attract foreigners who are working and living in Vietnam.

Early March 2007, Katharina, the daughter of Joachim Gromotka, technical advisor to a health project in Vietnam, had a high temperature. The girl was brought to the Hanoi Family Practice.

Doctors said that Katharina had one kind of unclear fever. One week later, her health became worse and her kidney almost didn’t work.

SOS International General Clinic couldn’t define the girl’s disease and they advised the family to bring Katharina to Bangkok (Thailand) or Singapore.

The family made a midnight phone call to the Vietnam - France Hospital. This hospital diagnosed that the girl might need kidney support machine. However, the hospital doesn’t have this service and they also advised the family to transfer Katharina to Thailand or Singapore.

Joachim phoned to a hospital in Bangkok and an airplane and doctors from Thailand came to Hanoi to pick up Katharina to Thailand.

The girl was admitted to a hospital in Bangkok 30 hours later, on March 15. Within four days in Thailand, Thai doctors made tests and confirmed that Katharina didn’t need a kidney support machine. The girl caught one kind of dengue fever and Thai doctors didn’t find out the connection between the fever and kidney failure.

The hospital sent Katharina’s family a report, which says that her kidney might get bacterial contamination.

Mr Joachim Gromotka knew that the Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi has kidney support machines but he said that he didn’t believe in the way those modern used at the hospital.

Doctor Nguyen Cao Luan, Head of the Bach Mai Hospital’s Kidney Ward, accepted that the filter pipe and the artificial kidney for patients who use this service regularly are used six times and only one time for patients who use high-class service. However, those components are used for the same patient for six times.

No policy to lure foreign patients

A Japanese patient at the Vietnam - France Hospital said that services here could compare to foreign hospitals.

Around 50% of the patients at the hospital’s Cardiovascular Ward are foreigners who come from Russia, the US, Ukraine, Bangladesh, the Republic of Korea, Japan, China, Libya, etc.

As the operational mechanism for hospitals are loosened, some domestic hospitals have taken initiative in inviting foreign patients but they seem to not have marketing skills.

“Foreign patients mainly come to local hospitals through personal relations or they know about the hospitals themselves. Most hospitals don’t have policies to attract foreign patients,” said an official from the Ministry of Health.

At the Central Eye Hospital in Hanoi, tens of foreign patients used the hospital’s eye surgery service within the first two months it used most modern EC5000 CXIII equipment. A foreign visitor said that she could save 50-80% of expenses thanks to the hospital’s service. All of those foreigners came to the hospital through recommendations of their friends.

“In Singapore, this service is cost $2,000 while it is only nearly $300 here,” the visitor said.

A heart operation in the US costs $30,000 compared to $4,000-$6,000 in Vietnam. Eye and nose plastic services are also very cheap, around $200-400 including seven-day caring service compared to $2,000-4,000 abroad.

“The Odonto Stomatology Hospital welcomes patients from many countries, who use our dental services,” said professor Tran Van Truong, former Director of the Hanoi Odonto Stomatology Hospital.

However, hospitals don’t have methodological strategies yet, said Professor Pham Gia Khai, Director of the National Cardiovascular Institute.

Travel firms ignore potential of medical tourism market

A manager of Saigontourist, Nguyen Xuan Thien, said that his company has not offered any healthcare tours for foreign visitors. The company has not conducted any surveys about this market.

“We welcomed a group of French tourists who come to Vietnam for travel and treatment by Oriental medicine. But this tour was offered by the French partner, not a popular tour of us,” Mr Thien said.

According to him, Vietnam is not a destination that is widely known like India or Thailand because Vietnam’s advertising is still poor.

A representative of Hanoitourist also said that the company has not had any plan about this kind of tourism.

Tien phong

Bullet From Vietnam War Taken Out Of Man’s Heart

Doctors in Vietnam successfully removed a bullet lodged in a former communist soldier’s heart - 39 years after he was shot by US troops in the Vietnam War, a hospital official said yesterday.
Le Dinh Hung, 60, was recovering yesterday after doctors removed the bullet from the back wall of his heart and replaced a cardiac valve damaged by it with an artificial one.

“The surgery lasted three hours and we succeeded in removing the bullet, which is about 2.5cm long,” said Dr Nguyen Sinh Hien, who presided over the operation on Friday.
Hung was shot in battle with US troops in 1968 in the central province of Quang Tri, site of some of the war’s fiercest fighting because it was near the DMZ line dividing communist-run North Vietnam and US-backed South Vietnam.

The bullet entered through his stomach, passed through the cardiac valve and lodged in the back wall of his heart.
“It was an amazing thing that he survived the shot and has been living with a damaged cardiac valve,” said Hien. “Normally, one will not be able to survive this kind of injury.”

Doctors in 1969 tried to remove the bullet, but failed. Hung had lived with near-constant chest pains because of the injury, but may now be able to live out his days in relative peace, doctors said.
“He is recovering well after the surgery and will be released from hospital in a couple of days,” Hien said.
The Vietnam War, which ended with a communist victory in 1975 that unified the country, killed 3mn Vietnamese on both sides and at least 58,000 American troops. - DPA

Sex Blogs Flourishing In Vietnam

Besides serving exchange purposes, many personal blogs are becoming places to disseminate sexual images, stories and even personal photos.

Tuan, a student residing on Phan Van Han, District Binh Thanh, HCM City, said, “These days, I’m making a lot of money by creating blogs for prostitutes. I can earn a few hundred dong for each blog. It is an easy way of making money.”

Here is a girl manages her sex blog on cell phone.

These blogs don’t have very elaborate looks. The content, however, is open sex sales. For instance, blogger L.A. advertises in her blog, “L.A., 18 years old, just been 2 months in the profession. Tall, white-skinned, having all that is necessary, very enthusiastic. Money back if not satisfied. Contact 091855xxxx.” Accompanying these words are sexually stimulating photos.

Another ad on N.H’s blog runs as follows, “Specialised in providing all kinds of ‘flowers’, from high-class to economy. ‘Flowers’ can be transported as far away as Phan Thiet and Nha Trang. Beauty, enthusiasm, and reasonable prices all guaranteed. Contact 090924xxxx for home delivery.”

There are also blogs that sell sex toys for both heterosexuals and homosexuals. And blog M. is where sex CDs and videos are sold and delivered by mail; payments are made through account transferring. H., the owner of another sex blog, advertised, “I have all sorts of CDs to ‘warm up’, as well as toys for both males and females. I have products from Japan, China, and the US. What do you like? We deliver to your door.”

Many bloggers create sex blogs as proof of their connoisseurship. For instance, sex bloggers often visit M.H’s blog as a forum of sex lovers. In this blog, the owner regularly brags and updates his “achievements”. And following these “diaries” are lists of phone numbers of girls who have slept with M.H. M.H. often receives feedback full of enthusiasm and admiration like “You’re such a connoisseur”, “I bow to you as to a teacher”, or “Can you tell me the secrets of your success?”

Not only boys, but many girls also consider blogs a “gallery” of “happy moments” with their lovers. A blogger claiming to be a 12th grader at a high school in HCM City brags, “Yesterday, I went out. If father hadn’t called me home early, I would have deflowered H.” Or another female blogger called N who writes her husband is a sailor so she is “in need of love, markets herself with nude photos and such words as “need boys to confide in. Only beauty and strength are required, money isn’t necessary.” N is actually 32 years old and currently working at a state-owned company.

Besides creating sex blogs to satisfy their own vanity and sexual needs, some bloggers like N.A use sex to lure more visitors to their blogs. Nhan, a blogger, said, “My blog has been in place for several months but there have been no visitors. So, following friends’ advice, I posted sexual images to attract more visitors. The number of visitors has been increasing by leaps and bounds.”

Nguyen Thi Huong, an office employee in District 1, HCM City, said, “I was dazed when accidentally entering a sex blog, which is even worse than sex websites since its owner publicises his or her name. That makes the blog no longer a personal blog, but a public place distributing perverted materials. I don’t know where our cultural managers are.”

With such statements as “Sex is a vital part of life”, more and more bloggers are disseminating perverted sexual messages and images. A cultural official said, “We can find ways to stop questionable sex websites. But as for personal sex blogs, we don’t know what to do yet.”

VNN

Bomb Prankster Sentenced To 10 Months’ Probation

Nguyen Thai Son, who joked that bombs were in Vietnam Airlines’ airplanes has been sentenced to 10 months’ probation and has to compensate nearly VND240 million (US$15,000) to Vietnam Airlines.

On the trial in Hanoi on April 13 the representative of the Hanoi People’s Procuracy proposed 13-15 months in jail for Mr Son because “the defendant’s act is extremely serious”.

Meanwhile, the defendant petitioned lower punishment reasoning that he has small children. Vietnam Airlines agreed to reduce the compensation to nearly VND240 million, which was said to be VND308 million previously.

Nguyen Thai Son, 34, who lives in Tay Ho district in Hanoi, is the chief of the Business Department of Hoa Phat Steel Pipe Co, Ltd.

VNN

Hoi An To Have Five Star Hoi An Royal Bay Resort

Hoi An Royal Bay, the five star resort, will be built by the join venture of financially powerful partners and managed by a world’s leading hotel management group.

On April 14, in Hoi An town in the central province of Quang Nam, VinaCapital Hoi An Resort Company Ltd, the joint venture between Onshine Investment Limited (OIL) belonging to VinaCapital, and Sai Thanh Investment and International Tourism (STI) presented its management board before the public and introduced the master design for the Hoi An Royal Bay project.

Nguyen Duc Tri, Director General of STI, said that the site clearance has been nearly completed just three months after the project licensing. The master design of the project has been completed and approved by the Quang Nam Construction Department.

Hoi An Royal Bay will be built to meet the requirements for a five star resort, covering an area of 7.3 ha in the coastal commune of Dien Duong in Dien Ban district. The project is estimated to cost $16mil.

As the investors want to set up a high-grade resort with hotels and villas which are modern and luxurious while retaining specific cultural and historical characteristics of the locality, Hoi An Royal Bay has been designed to have nearly 100 small villas for group clients, or family clients. In addition, the resort will also have a swimming pool, restaurants, entertainment clubs, a gymnasium, and grass cover.

Le Minh Phuc, Director General of VinaCapital Hoi An, said that the construction of Hoi An Royal Bay will be kicked off in 2007. It is expected to be completed after 30 months and put into operation in 2009.

Mr Phuc said that the resort will be managed by Accor, the world’s leading hotel management group. The signing of the contract on the resort development and management between VinaCapital Hoi An and Accor also took place on April 14.

On this occasion, VinaCapital Hoi An’s Management Board has announced the donation of VND1bil ($6.25mil) to the Quang Nam’s Fund for Disabled, Orphans and Poor Patients.

Only 3% Of Vietnamese Men Go To Market

Just 3% of Vietnamese men often buy food and consumer goods at supermarkets compared to 20-30% in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.

This figure reflects the awareness and habits of purchasing consumer goods of Vietnamese people, which is linked with personal responsibility, according to a survey by AC Nielsen about the changes of needs of consumers.

The survey also reveals that Vietnamese people often go shopping alone (71%), the highest rate in Asia, followed by the Philippines with 66%.

Thai, Malaysian and Korean people think that shopping is a family activity.

(Source: Tuoi Tre)

Vietnam Cop Charged With Bribery After Abetting Vandals

The Hanoi Prosecutor’s Office pressed charges Friday against a gang for demolishing a private house last year, including against a senior policewoman allegedly on the take from the gang.

Of 11 people indicted, former Lieutenant-colonel Duong Bich Thuy was charged with taking bribes of VND60 million (US$3,700) from Tran Viet Son – who was also prosecuted – to hush up the destruction of a house in Dong Da district last May.

Son, director of a private garment company, had allegedly paid the thugs VND150 million to destroy a neighbor’s house out of spite over a land dispute

Nine of them razed the house using hammers, crowbars, and rocks last May.

After being arrested, one of them told the investigators about the alleged bribe paid to Thuy, adding she had demanded a further VND60 million.

Source: Tuoi Tre

Using Porn To Blackmail Lover, Vietnam Pianist Pays The Price

Tran Minh Tam

Hanoi police have arrested and are considering pressing charges against a Vietnamese pianist who had allegedly blackmailed his ex-partner by threatening to post sexually explicit photos of her.

Tipped off by the disgruntled lady, name withheld, the police raided the private house of pianist Tran Minh Tam last Wednesday, obtaining key evidence linked to the case.

They seized at the scene a cell-phone containing messages Tam had sent to blackmail his ex-girlfriend and a hard drive that contained nude photos of her.

Under questioning, 27-year-old Tran Minh Tam admitted he had plotted to use the naked photos of his ex-partner to extort VND300 million (US$18.700) from her after they broke up in late 2006.

Though the lady had sent Tam VND30 million ($1,870), he badgered her for another VND270 million claiming he would circulate the erotic photos, prompting her call investigators.

Tam, a piano graduate in the US, is now in police custody pending prosecution.

Hotel Investor To Build Airport In North Vietnam

A hotel and resort investor will build an international airport in the northern border province of Quang Ninh and will, in return, receive free land to develop a luxury resort and recreation project here.

The Vietnamese prime minister had given the green light for the Hoang Gia International Shareholding Co. and the provincial government to conduct a feasible study for the project, Tuoi Tre daily quoted a local official source as saying.

The planned Van Don airport, with two runways for international and domestic flights, is capable of accommodating 6 million passengers a year. Total investment is expected at US$200 million.

The provincial People’s Committee will “facilitate” Hoang Gia Company to lease 1,000 hectares of land at no cost and 500 other at favorable rate once the airport construction finishes.

Hoang Gia plans to use the plan for a luxury real estate project that includes resorts, hotels, and golf course.

Quang Ninh province borders China and is next to Hai Phong City, where Vietnam’s sole casino is based.

Tuoi Tre

Greg Norman Course, Vegas Casino-Resort Construction Underway

Work has recently begun on Vietnam Casino City, Vietnam's first luxury gaming resort, featuring five Vegas themed casinos and a Greg Norman-designed golf course in southern Vung Tau resort city.

The Paul Steelman Design Group out of Las Vegas, Nevada is undertaking the multiphase, US$4 billion project with developers Asian Coast Development Ltd. of Toronto, and partners Fontainebleau Resorts, a U.S. resort developer.

The enormous scale of Vietnam Casino City signals the arrival of the first Las Vegas-style resort-casino in Vietnam.

Phase One of the project will include 1,200 hotel rooms, a 7,200-square meter Las Vegas-style table games casino, 10 restaurants, an 8-acre swimming pool, and a 200-acre golf course and country club designed by prominent golfer Greg Norman. The first phase will require $500 million and is expected to be completed by late 2009.

Vietnam Casino City is projected to have a total gross floor area of approximately 1.5 million square meters. The project will occupy 3.5 kilometers of undeveloped white-sand beaches in Xuyen Moc, Vung Tau province, a two-hour drive east of Ho Chi Minh City.

The planned entertainment components of Vietnam Casino City represents some of the most comprehensive and extensive of any single property in Vietnam, including five world-class resort-casinos, the golf course and country club, theaters, health clubs, retail shops and theaters.

Paul Steelman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Paul Steelman Design Group said, “This is a very special time in our history and I am proud to be a part of this remarkable and revolutionary project. We are going to make sure that Vietnam Casino City is going to be our most exciting project yet and transform this city into an unsurpassed travel and entertainment destination.

AsiaTravelTips.com

Vietnam Fertilizer Dearth Sends Prices Skyward

Domestic fertilizer prices have gone through the roof and are set to continue their upward trend, based on an extreme shortage caused by rising global prices and stockpile mismanagement.

Since early this month, fertilizer prices have surged by VND1,000(US6¢) per kg, while the price of urea fertilizers imported from China have spiked to up to VND6,000 (37¢) per kg.

Notably, DAP fertilizer has seen its price rocket by VND1,800 (11¢) to VND7.000 (43¢) per kg.

The root causes

The surge in global prices fueled the domestic price increase, heard a conference on the topic held Wednesday in Ho Chi Minh City.

While prices of urea fertilizer have hit a 50-year high of up to $370 per ton, global suppliers are also set to increase imported prices of potassium fertilizer by up to $20 after a recent increase by $10, spelling a further price hike in Vietnam.

Vietnam’s rigid policies on fertilizer import were also attributed to the price surge.

With Vietnamese businesses allowed to import DAP 18-46-0 fertilizer only, Chinese suppliers have cashed in on this restriction, raising prices on their version of the fertilizer as demand surges.

Businesses also pointed the finger at inefficient preparation to deal with domestic demand, which led to the serious supply crunch.

Estimates show that around 430,000 tons of fertilizer is needed for the forthcoming summer-autumn crop, but the Vietnam Fertilizer Association admitted only 280,000 tons had been stockpiled.

They warned the shortage would continue hurting Vietnamese fertilizer markets in the next several years if no effective demand forecast measures were adopted.

Source: Tuoi Tre

Vietnam Plans To Waive Entry Visas For Vietnamese

Vietnam is working on a plan to waive entry visas for ethnic Vietnamese holding foreign passports.

Top officials have said publicly that overseas Vietnamese, known as Viet kieu, will soon be allowed to return to their native country without going through the visa application process.

"We hope a decision will be announced in a month or two," said an official at the Foreign Ministry's Commission for Overseas Vietnamese told AP.

Under the proposed plan, overseas Vietnamese with foreign passports could stay in Vietnam up to three months without a visa, he said

He added that authorities would have the right to deny entry to anyone the government considers a threat to national security.

There are an estimated 3.2 million Viet kieu worldwide, with more than 1.5 million living in the United States.

Last year, some 500,000 overseas Vietnamese returned to their native country, many visiting during the popular Lunar New Year festivities, known as Tet. Some US$4.8 billion was remitted to relatives living in the country, according to local media.

Citizens from most countries in Southeast Asia along with Japan, South Korea and Scandinavia are allowed to stay in Vietnam for varying periods of up to 30 days without a visa.

Source: AP

Women Jailed For Enticing Girls To Macau For Sex

Nguyen Bich Tuyen (L)

A Ho Chi Minh City court Thursday sentenced three women to 6-12 years in prison for sending Vietnamese girls in the sex trade on the Chinese island of Macau.

Twenty six-year-old Nguyen Bich Tuyen, a former masseuse was jailed 12 years, and her subordinates including her younger sister 6 years and another woman 8 years.

Tuyen once worked in Macau as a masseuse for over a year since 1999 and in 2003 started to collude with a Chinese person to recruit Vietnamese rural girls once she was back in Vietnam. This Chinese person is now at large.

The girls had to pay them US$2,500 to be sent to Macau to work at massage parlors as promised. Tuyen would earn $300 per girl.

But once in Macau, they would be forced into prostitution.

N.T.T told the court Tuyen told her she would work as a masseuse earning high income but once in Macau, she was played a porn film and asked to do the same thing with clients. When N.T.T refused, Tuyen demanded her to pay $2,000 back before sending her back home. Thanh Nien

2,000 Vietnam Children For Adoption To Foreign Parents This Year

Around 2,000 Vietnamese orphans are likely to be adopted by foreigners this year, around a third more than last year, a Justice Ministry official said this week.

Vu Duc Long, head of the ministry’s Department for Adopted Children’s Affairs, said 400 children had been adopted in the first quarter.

He attributed the increase to administrative reforms, saying the average time taken to complete formalities had been reduced from six months to just four now.

France and the US accounted for the maximum number of adoptions last year with 700 and 500 respectively.

Hanoi In Gasfields Spat With China

Vietnamese plans to develop vast gasfields in the South China Sea have provoked a diplomatic spat with China, which has accused Hanoi of infringing its sovereignty.

Hanoi is adamant that its project for the Moc Tinh and Hai Thach fields, about 230 miles off the southern coast of Vung Tao, is within its territorial waters.

The $2bn gasfield and pipeline project, still in the planning stage, involves BP and the state-owned PetroVietnam. It is adjacent to gasfields that a BP-led consortium has been tapping for Vietnamese power generation since 2002.

“The co-operation project between PetroVietnam and BP of Britain has been implemented since 2000 and is within the bounds of Vietnam’s exclusive zones and continental shelf, completely under the sovereignty of Vietnam,” Le Dung, a Vietnamese foreign ministry spokesman, said on Thursday.

China, Vietnam and Taiwan all claim the Spratly Islands, a string of mostly uninhabited reefs and shoals in the South China Sea that are believed to sit atop large oil and gas deposits. Malaysia and the Philippines also claim parts of them. In 2002, China and members of the Association of South East Asian Nations signed a landmark agreement to exercise “self-restraint” and avoid activities that would “complicate or escalate” the long-simmering territorial dispute, which has threatened to erupt into a more serious conflict.

In 1988, Vietnam and China fought a brief naval battle during which more than 70 Vietnamese sailors died.

The re-emergence of the dispute this week comes after years of gradually warming ties and numerous top-level visits between the two wary neighbours. The two fought a brief border war in 1979 after Vietnam invaded Cambodia and drove out the Beijing-backed Khmer Rouge.

Vietnam’s president is due to visit China in the coming months to strengthen what has long been a tense and difficult bilateral relationship.

China and Vietnam agreed last year to establish a joint commission to study their borders. But Carlye Thayer, at the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra, said the dispute highlighted that there were many issues to be resolved. “This is one irritant that has emerged,” he said. FT

Vietnam To Become Power Import Nation By 2015: Expert

Richard Spencer, senior energy specialist under the World Bank in Vietnam, talked about the possible threats caused by the power shortage in Vietnam over the next few years.

One of the hottest topics nowadays, which is being discussed at all energy-related workshops, is the prolonged power shortage in Vietnam.

In fact, every country in the world experiences a period of power shortage in its process of economic development, and every country settles the problems in its own way. However, according to Mr Spencer, Vietnam is one of few nations in the world which sees a too rapid economic development and too sharp increase in power demand.

The World Bank has released a report which said that Vietnam would see a continued high economic growth rate in 2007, at 8.3%, and the figure is expected to reach 8.5% in the next year. With such a high economic growth rate, the demand for power will increase rapidly. The increase in power demand is estimated to reach 15-17% this year and 20% in 2008.

With such an increase in power demand, Vietnam will become a power import nation by 2015. This will be a big problem for policy makers in the next few years.

Mr Spencer said that the bad programming in power plant development was the main reason behind the power shortage. In Thailand, special attention has been paid to the programming of the power industry, while it is quite different in Vietnam, and it is understandable why electricity is lacking.

The suggestion Mr Spencer has made to settle the power shortage problem is that Vietnam should cooperate with regional countries in electricity grid development. The international grid will help Vietnam get the electricity volume it needs through agreements on purchasing power among the involved parties.

In order to do that, it would be necessary to develop infrastructure items, build transmission stations, linking the power regulatory centres of the regional nations. The stations would inform neighbours about power shortages when necessary, and electricity would be transferred from Laos to Vietnam and vice versa.

The building of such an international grid proves to be within reach and it should be kicked off by bilateral agreements on power purchasing and selling.

In the world, the signing of bilateral agreements and building up of common markets in several fields have been implemented. One typical example is the bilateral agreement signed between the US and Mexico.

However, Mr Spencer has warned that a series of problems will arise when national power grids connect to each other. Countries which connect their power markets have to use the same technology, have suitable operation plans, and share many other common principles. Meanwhile, they also have to think about solutions to possible conflicts, including disputes in payment method, power prices and others.

Source: Tiền Phong

Hotel Investor To Build Airport In North Vietnam

A hotel and resort investor will build an international airport in the northern border province of Quang Ninh and will, in return, receive free land to develop a luxury resort and recreation project here.

The Vietnamese prime minister had given the green light for the Hoang Gia International Shareholding Co. and the provincial government to conduct a feasible study for the project, Tuoi Tre daily quoted a local official source as saying.

The planned Van Don airport, with two runways for international and domestic flights, is capable of accommodating 6 million passengers a year. Total investment is expected at US$200 million.

The provincial People’s Committee will “facilitate” Hoang Gia Company to lease 1,000 hectares of land at no cost and 500 other at favorable rate once the airport construction finishes.

Hoang Gia plans to use the plan for a luxury real estate project that includes resorts, hotels, and golf course.

Quang Ninh province borders China and is next to Hai Phong City, where Vietnam’s sole casino is based.
Tuoi Tre

Mystery Oil Spill Continues To Take Toll In Vietnam

An oil slick of unknown origins some 5 times the permitted threshold has killed over 2,500 tons of mollusks in a Mekong Delta province in southern Vietnam, causing nearly US$1.5 million in losses.

The Southern Center for Environment Monitoring and Aquatic Epidemics said tests conducted on the mollusks, or meretrix lyrata in Ben Tre province’s Binh Dai district also revealed high levels of arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury that surpassed safety limits.

In Binh Dinh province in the central region, local authorities Wednesday said 7 meters of its beaches in Phu Cat district were contaminated with oil.

Meanwhile, the source of the oil spill or spills that have impacted Vietnamese beaches and marine environments over the past few months remains shrouded in mystery.

Policemen from the recently-formed Environment Police Bureau are investigating while a new oil slick measuring one kilometer wide off southern Vung Tau Town was reportedly spotted days ago.

The oil spill in the central region Tuesday killed hundreds of lobsters in Phu Yen province.

Tuoi Tre

Illegal Marriage Bureau Busted In Vietnam Metro

Police busted an illegal matchmaking ring in Ho Chi Minh City following a sudden raid on a house in Tan Binh district Monday.

They found 7-8 Korean men selecting brides from out of 118 girls, mostly from the Mekong Delta countryside.

They arrested Sen Cam Diu, 44, and his wife, 37-year-old Huynh Thi Thu Thuy.

The house, owned by 36-year-old Van Chi Khenh, is regularly leased to matchmakers for Korean men. At least 20 matchmakers are thought to be invloved.

Thuy told the police she had been working as a matchmaker for more than four years and successfully arranged marriages for more than 40 young women.

For every wedding she is paid VND3 million (US$187).

Last year she was fined VND15 million after being caught illegally arranging marriages for 16 Vietnamese girls.

A HCMC policeman told Thanh Nien Monday that the 118 girls were sent home.

Diu and Thuy would be charged, he said, adding the search would continue for the remaining matchmakers.

Vietnam Pepper Hot On Global Market

Vietnam – the world’s largest pepper exporter – is enjoying a windfall with global prices rising 11 percent and counting, reported the Vietnam Pepper Association (VPA).

The VPA said the price had risen by nearly US$300 since the beginning of this month to $2,800 per ton, with the export price of forecast to remain high, at $ 3,000 per ton this year.

The Jakarta-based International Pepper Community (IPC) forecast a 15 – 20 percent drop in world pepper production this year due to unfavorable weather and wide spread pepper diseases.

World pepper consumption was estimated to grow at a rate of 3.46 percent a year, suggesting those that could still produce large volumes could benefit.

But most of the spice producing countries sold out their stocks amid attractive prices since late last year.

These factors are bound to drive global prices skyward in the coming time, according to VPA.

The price of pepper on the local market has tripled in comparison to the same period last year because local farmers have had poor crops.

At the end of last month, the price of domestic pepper reached a record high of VND41,000 per kilogram for back pepper and VND62,000 per kilogram for white pepper.

Vietnam exported 18,000 tons of the hot spice in the first three months for $45 million.

The country’s pepper harvest is likely to see a drop of 10-20 percent this year due to El Nino, improper farming techniques, and overuse of fertilizers, according to the VPA.

Last year, the world market’s total pepper supply was 200,000 tons, of which nearly 60 percent, or 120,000 tons was shipped from Vietnam alone, the VPA reported.

Market analysts said that domestic exporters had yet to fully tap into the prime business opportunity as supplies had run out amid skyrocketing global prices.

VPA pointed out that in late last year, stockpiles of domestic exporters have dwindled to just 40 percent after world rates skyrocketed.

Some 60 percent of the pepper stockpile was exported at $1,200 per ton.

The association attributed the price discrepancy and early shipment to lack of market information and unplanned procurement of exporters.

VPA urged enterprises in the pepper industry to increase cooperation, and work out a master plan for procurement, stockpile and shipment.

Vietnam, which used to export raw pepper, has in recent years intensified investment in employing advanced production lines to turn out high-grade pepper, capable of meeting strict requirements set by such big markets as the European Union, the US and Japan.

The country has some 52,500 hectares of pepper crops, with an average output of 2.3 tons per hectare, according to the association.

Southern Binh Phuoc province alone has nearly 13,500ha under pepper cultivation.

Thoi bao Kinh te Viet Nam

S’pore Joint Venture To Build Riverfront Condos In Vietnam

Singapore’s Keppel Land plans to develop prime waterfront condominiums in Ho Chi Minh City, its second project in Vietnam in a month, newswire Channel NewsAsia reported Tuesday.

Keppel Land is setting up a joint venture with a local property developer to build the condominiums on a 1.7 hectare site fronting the Saigon River.

It will have a 60 percent stake in the joint venture, expected to get underway in the near future, with the site to yield some 500 units.

The total investment capital for the project is estimated at S$122 million (US$80.4 million).

Linson Lim, Head Representative of Keppel Land Properties in Vietnam was quoted by the Vietnam News Agency as saying his group had invested in eight projects valued at over $650 million in Vietnam.

They include an International Center, the Sedona Suits Royal Park and Vietcombank building in Hanoi, Petro Vietnam building in southern Vung Tau city, and Saigon Center, Villa Riviera, Tamarind Park, and Saigon Sport City in Ho Chi Minh City.

Source: Channel NewsAsia,

Vietnam Plans To Export Record 3 Million Tons Of Rice In First Half

Vietnam, the world's second-largest rice exporter, plans to ship a record 3 million tons of rice in the first half of this year, up 5.5 percent from the same period last year, state-controlled media reported Wednesday.

The country expects to export up to 5 million tons of rice this year, the Vietnam Economic Times newspaper cited Chairman Truong Thanh Phong of the Vietnam Food Association as saying. Vietnam's winter-spring crop produces most of its rice exports.

Vietnam, the second-biggest rice exporter after Thailand, exported 4.75 metric tons of rice last year.

So far this year, Vietnamese companies have signed contracts to export 3.5 million tons of rice, Phong said.

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Trade said the country could only export up to 4.5 million tons of rice in 2007 because of pest infestations in paddy rice in the southern Mekong Delta, Vietnam's main rice-growing region, but the problem was not as bad as initially thought. The International Herald Tribune

Vietnam To Build First Subway With Japanese Aid

The Ho Chi Minh City government has approved construction of Vietnam's first subway at a cost of US$1.1 billion, with 83 percent of it coming from Japanese aid.

The Japan Bank for International Cooperation would provide $904.7 million and the municipal government $186.6 million, the city people's committee said in a statement.

Construction of the 19.7 km (12 mile) track linking Vietnam's largest city and the neighboring province of Binh Duong, known as the Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien route, was expected to start later this year or early in 2008 and finish in 2013, city transport officials said.

The statement did not say which companies would build the subway and supply rolling stock and equipment.

The route will start near Ben Thanh market, a popular tourist spot in the center of the city of 8 million people, run underground for 2.6 km past the Opera House, and then cross the Saigon River on an elevated track.

Japan’s Sumitomo Corp recently expressed interest in supplying equipment and building the system under a build-transfer form.

Other offers

Besides the Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien route, the city is also working with Germany's Siemens AG to lobby for a soft loan from the German government for two more subway routes running a total length of 20 km.

China Shanghai Corporation for Foreign Economic and Technological Cooperation (Sfeco) recently did a pre-feasibility study for a 12 km fourth route between Go Vap district and district 4.

It would hand in the final feasibility report by next February.

It had also pledged to help obtain official development assistance funds from the Chinese government.

The city’s transport development master plan to 2020 envisages developing three monorail lines with a total length of 37 km and six subway routes with a total length of 107 km. Thanh Nien

Vietnam Police Raid SKorea Wedding Racket With 118 Women

Grooms and brides of a 30-couple mass wedding walk in front of the City Hall in Ho Chi Minh-City

Police in the raid Monday detained the Vietnamese couple who were organising the business from a house in Ho Chi Minh City and sent the women back to their home towns, mostly in the poor Mekong Delta region.

"They thought their lives would change for the better if they married a foreigner," a police officer told AFP, adding that the women had also been handed into the care of provincial women's unions.

International marriages are legal in communist Vietnam, but the match-making rings -- where the women are typically paraded before men, sometimes holding signs with numbers, for selection -- are not, and the phenomenon has stirred anger here.

Police said they would fine the operators, Sen Cam Diu, 44, and his 37-year-old wife Huynh Thi Thu Thuy, who were running the business from a Tan Binh district house, said the state-controlled Thanh Nien newspaper.

The couple had arranged about 40 marriages over more than four years and charged three million dong (187 dollars) for each successful match.

Vietnam has become a popular destination for bachelors from South Korea, Taiwan and elsewhere searching for a spouse, often on week-long marriage tours that include medical checkups, visa procedures and speedy honeymoons.

The marriage market has been fuelled by a traditional preference for sons in parts of Asia, a trend exacerbated by sex-screening technology for pregnant women, with has left proportionally more bachelors fighting over fewer women.

In South Korea, thousands of agencies now offer marriage tours to China, Vietnam and other Asian countries, often subsidised by rural authorities battling declining populations.

According to the South Korean National Statistical Office, the number of Vietnamese brides in South Korea totalled 10,131 in 2006, up 74 percent from the previous year, with most married to farmers and fishermen.

The phenomenon has triggered resentment in Vietnam amid reports that some of the women have suffered isolation and abuse in their new homes.

A year ago Vietnam summoned South Korea's press attache amid angry protests from women's groups after a newspaper in Seoul printed a photo of a line-up of Vietnamese would-be brides kneeling before a Korean suitor.

Vietnamese Press Accuses US Congresswoman In "terror Plot"

State-run Vietnamese media on Monday accused a US congresswoman of being part of a "terror plot" to destabilize the communist-run country.

Details of the alleged plot were not released, but the English-language Vietnam News accused US Representative Loretta Sanchez of doing "a number of inappropriate things," including seeking to hire lawyers for jailed "extremists" and to meet with relatives of several imprisoned pro-democracy activists.

The newspaper said Sanchez, a Democrat representing California, had become involved with an US-based "terrorist organization" called Viet Tan, which means Reform Party.

Sanchez was in Vietnam last week as part of a congressional delegation designed to improved relations between the former battlefield enemies, which are now key trading partners.

But the Vietnam News reported that Sanchez, a frequent critic of Vietnam's human-rights record, was involved in "a plot to use the congresswoman's visit to ignite a campaign to sabotage the country."

Sanchez held a press briefing in Hanoi last week complaining that police put up barricades around the homes of the relatives of five dissidents who were invited to tea at US Ambassador Michael Marine's house and roughed up two women when they tried to enter the ambassador's residence.

"[Police] were pushing, shoving, grabbing the women," Sanchez told reporters Friday. "I was quite frankly very disappointed and quite saddened."

The two women are married to jailed writer Nguyen Vu Binh and Pham Hong Son, who was released in a general amnesty last year after serving four years in prison for his contact with pro-democracy movements. Son's movements are still curtailed by authorities.

Sanchez said the two women had been invited to tea along with the wives of jailed lawyers Nguyen Van Dai and Le Quoc Quan and the mother of human-rights attorney Le Thi Cong Nhan, all arrested last month in Vietnam's widespread dissident crackdown.

The case of Quan, who was arrested in March, is of particular concern to Sanchez because he was arrested shortly after returning to Vietnam after completing a US National Endowment for Democracy fellowship with Sanchez as his sponsor.

A statement from Viet Tan last week decried recent articles in the state-run press that called the group a terrorist organization as filled with "many distortions and not a few fabrications."

Viet Tan chairman Do Hoang Diem admitted the anti-communist movement's supporters at one time "had to arm themselves" to survive but said the group has been dedicated to peaceful means of change for decades.

"Not unlike the Stalinist era, religious leaders, internet activists and journalists today or easily labelled terrorists or spies for foreigners," Diem wrote. "Political prisoners are called common criminals or mental patients."

Relations between the United States and Vietnam have been at their highest since the end of the Vietnam War, but there is a widening gulf over the issue of human rights and freedom of speech and religion.

The government has loosened up its control over people's daily lives and allowed private enterprise over the past two decades, but opposition political parties are banned, and public criticism of the Communist Party's hold on power is swiftly punished.

Vietnam May Endure More Power Cuts

Power cuts on a large scale may continue in HCM City in the next several months if new power plants don’t work under the plan, said an official of the HCM City Power Company.

Only 25 minutes after it connected to the national power grid on April 4, the Ca Mau thermo-power plant stopped running because of a breakdown, which has not been solved yet.

This accident makes the national power system lack around 60MW. In HCM City, the local power company has warned that power cuts can continue in the next several months because the city has to save around 90 million KWh this year under the plan set by the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN). Power cuts on large scale in the city within ten days, from April 1-10 is to save over 30 MW for EVN.

According to officials of the power sector, some power plants that have had to temporarily stop running recently for maintenance or because of accidents at the same time with the dry season are the main reasons of power shortages in Vietnam.

“New power plants like Uong Bi, Cao Ngan, etc. because of various reasons may not become operational on schedule so power cuts will still exist for a long time,” forecast an official of the HCM City Power Company.

EVN leaders have recently blamed the HCM City Power Company for not realizing the power saving plan and not taking tough measures in power cuts. EVN has requested that the company select some areas to cut more power.

However, the company said that it would not do like EVN’s suggestion but cut power on a large scale. “If we cut power in selected areas, customers will fiercely raise their voices against us,” said the company’s Deputy Director Nguyen Van Ly.

VNE

Glitter Seeks New Jail Term Cut

Glitter is due to be released in August 2008

Pop singer Gary Glitter is to seek another reduction of his three-year child molestation sentence in Vietnam.

Glitter, real name Paul Francis Gadd, was convicted of the sexual abuse of two Vietnamese girls in March 2006.

A court cut his term by three months under a national amnesty in February, moving forward the 62-year-old's release date to August 2008.

Glitter's lawyer, Le Thanh Kinh, said he plans to submit a request for another six-month reduction.

He will place the request during an amnesty to mark Liberation Day on 30 April.

Vietnam traditionally reduces the sentences of inmates with good prison conduct records with amnesties on special occasions.

"My client will certainly submit a letter asking for another six-month reduction of his prison term once the Vietnamese authorities announce the plan for amnesty on Liberation Day," said his lawyer

Glitter has been behind bars since November 2005 and was found guilty in March last year of committing obscene acts with two girls aged 10 and 11 from the southern coastal city of Vung Tau.

Under Vietnamese law, Glitter must serve at least half his term, including time in custody before his trial, meaning his earliest possible release date would be this May.

When he is released Glitter will be deported either to the UK or any other nation that will accept him, the court decided.

Glitter was convicted of possessing child pornography in the UK in 1999 and served half of a four-month jail sentence.

He later went to Cambodia, which permanently expelled him in 2002.

Vietnam To Add Digit To Meet Massive Phone Demand

Due to increasing demand for landlines, Vietnam’s Ministry of Telematics and Telecommunications now plans to add one more digit to current phone numbers to create capacity for new subscriptions.

The digit would be added before the current 7-digit numbers in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and three other major regions and before the 6-digit numbers used in the remaining localities across the country.

So far, Vietnam has had around 29.5 million subscribed landline numbers, serving a population of roughly 83 million.

Vietnam Moving From Two Wheels To Four

Vietnamese are swallowing up an increasing number of inexpensive vehicles made available by dramatic automobile tariff cuts in line with the country’s World Trade Organization membership.

The Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association said its 18 members have sold nearly 4,500 cars in the past three months, a 91 percent increase over the same period last year.

Hong, a car dealer in Hanoi, said he began importing cars merely to explore tastes on the emerging market. But he has been astounded by recent demand and his customers now have to pay deposits a month before they fully purchase a car.

Hong sells large imported cars for $15,000-$17,000 each, while cars with less than five seats cost slightly over $10,000 per unit.

While Vietnamese are abandoning expensive motorbikes that cost nearly as much as cars to buy four-wheel vehicles, which are seen as status symbols in the developing country, domestic and foreign companies are doing the same.

China’s LIFAN company, which has offered low-priced motorbikes in Vietnam for years, recently released a line of cheap cars priced around $13,000. LIFAN plans to sell 2,000 units this year.

The Ho Chi Minh City-based Duc Phuong Automobile Company Limited, which previously assembled motorbikes with spare parts from China, has now added a similar line assembling cars.

Duc Phuong expects to assemble 200 unites worth around $10,000 each every month. The firm is currently filling 700 car orders.

Last year, Vietnam’s economic growth rate reached over 8 percent, one of the highest in the world. The country’s booming stock market, whose VNindex is over 1,000 points, has created a class of newly rich. These gains, alongside broader market access and lower tariffs in line with World Trade Organization membership, could continue to fuel the car market.

Cherry Blossoms Festoon First-Ever Japanese Sakura Festival

The Sakura Festival, complete with cherry blossoms – the ubiquitous symbol of Japan and Japanese culture was held in Hanoi for the first time, captivating thousands of visitors Sunday.

There were three live Sakura plants and hundreds of other artificial versions made of silk transferred to Vietnam from Japan in time for the festival.

Besides contemplating Sakura, visitors were also treated to the Japanese arts of traditional dancing, tea ceremony and food.

The demonstration of Yosakoi (Japanese unique style of dance), together with a parade using Omikoshi (Japanese traditional palanquin used in religious festivals) passing through the city’s Nui Truc, Giang Vo, Tran Huy Lieu and Nam Cao streets stirred up the atmosphere in Hanoi.

Also showcased at the festival were paintings created by Japanese children under the theme “We draw Sakura” and photos taken by Japanese artists under the theme “The spring and Sakura”, and many other essays about Sakura.

Japan holds its annual Festival for Flowers annually on Apr. 8. At present, in Japan, there are some 300 various kinds of Sakura, of which Someiyoshino, the light pink blossom, is most common.

On April 8 while the first-ever Sakura Festival enchanted northern Hanoi capital, another first-ever Japanese exhibit on “Japanese architecture - Kumamoto Artpolis” was also displayed at Vietnam southern metro – Ho Chi Minh City’s Youth Cultural Palace.

The exhibit, organized by the HCMC-based General Consulate of Japan runs till Apr. 22, also introducing unique structures of southern Japan’s Kumamoto prefecture through 70 photos of 120 cm x 90 cm.

Kumamoto Artpolis is an ongoing project in architectural culture begun in 1988 in Japan’s Kumamoto Prefecture.

Through the construction of the exceptional architecture, the project aims to create and revitalize an enduring cultural heritage firmly rooted in the region which can be passed on to future generations.

Source: Nguoi Lao Dong,

Prime Minister Appoints Three Deputy Ministers

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has signed decisions to appoint three new deputy ministers and some other officials.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has one more Deputy Minister, Mr Dao Xuan Hoc.

Nguyen Van Lang is appointed to be Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology and Nguyen Van Sang is designated as vice head of the Government Inspectorate.

The Prime Minister has also appointed Duong Chi Dung as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Vietnam National Shipping Lines Corporation (Vinalines).

Previously, major general Le Quy Vuong was appointed to be head of the General Department of the People’s Police Force Development under the Ministry of Public Security.

VNE

Panasonic Further Expands its Business Operations in Vietnam

Panasonic Vietnam Co., Ltd., (PV) the holding company of Panasonic Group companies in Vietnam and a subsidiary of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd (MEI), today announced the Grand Opening ceremony for its two new manufacturing operations: Panasonic Communications Vietnam Co., Ltd (PCV) which makes high-tech electric and electronic products, and Panasonic Electronic Devices Vietnam Co., Ltd (PEDV) which makes electronic components. Both PCV and PEDV are located in the same premises located in the Thang Long Industrial Park, Dong Anh district, Hanoi, Vietnam. The facilities were built last year, and have been in manufacturing their respective products.

"It is my great honor to launch our new operations in Vietnam, a country which we consider a key to Panasonic's business worldwide," said Shinya Abe, General Director of Panasonic Vietnam.

"We anticipate rapid economic growth of the country because of Vietnam's membership of The World Trade Organization. Accordingly, this grand opening symbolizes our commitment to continued development of our operations in Vietnam. I am also looking forward to welcoming highly qualified Vietnamese employees to our company. Our ultimate goal is to contribute to the Vietnamese society through our business operations here," he said.

Panasonic Vietnam (PV), the pilot holding company of Panasonic Group companies in Vietnam, is the first foreign investor approved by the Vietnamese Government to establish a holding company with 100% foreign-owned capital. The company was licensed by the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) on July 29, 2005. PV holds the shares of Panasonic Group companies in Vietnam, provides integrated marketing, sales and after-sales services for locally manufactured products and imported products, in addition to provide financial and administrative supports as shared services to its subsidiaries in Vietnam.

Currently, the new facility is providing office and manufacturing areas for Panasonic Vietnam Co., Ltd (the Holding company), Panasonic Communications Vietnam co., Ltd (subsidiary) and Panasonic Electronic Devices Vietnam Co., Ltd (subsidiary). Panasonic Communications Vietnam Co., Ltd. produces high-tech electric and electronic products such as PBXs and Optical disk driver, with approximately three hundred employees; Panasonic Electronic Devices Vietnam Co., Ltd. produces tuners, encoders, and speakers with approximately five hundred employees, as of March 31, 2007. The products of both companies are for export. The operation will continue to expand, and the employees are expected to count approximately eight thousand by 2009.

Before the establishment of the Holding company, Panasonic was operating in Vietnam with two companies, one in Hanoi, and another in Ho Chi Minh City. Panasonic Home Appliances Vietnam Co., Ltd. (PHAV) was established in 2003 in Hanoi, responsible for manufacture and sales of home appliance products. Panasonic AVC Networks Vietnam Co., Ltd. (PAVCV) was established in Ho Chi Minh City in 1996 for manufacture and sales of audio visual products such as color TV sets.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd, as Panasonic headquarters based in Osaka, Japan, has announced its new mid-term plan called the "GP3 Plan," namely, "Global Progress, Global Profit, and Global Panasonic" which took effect from April 1, 2007. With this plan, the company aims to achieve double-digit growth in sales outside Japan, and thereby transform overseas operations into its corporate growth engine. Since the company expects Vietnam as one of the emerging markets, Panasonic Vietnam will continue to play a key role in the development of Panasonic's global business operation.

Panasonic Vietnam Co., Ltd. (PV)

General Director:     Shinya Abe
Location:             Plots J1-J2 Thang Long Industrial Park,
                    Dong Anh Dist., Hanoi, S.R. Vietnam
Established:          November 2005
Number of employees:  Approximately 100 (as of March 31, 2007)
Legal Capital:        USD 78,402,939

Panasonic Communications Vietnam Co., Ltd. (PCV)
Panasonic Electronic Devices Vietnam Co., Ltd. (PEDV)

General Director:     Shigeru Ono
Location:             Plots J1-J2 Thang Long Industrial Park,
                    Dong Anh Dist., Hanoi, S.R. Vietnam
Beginning of Ops:     November 2006
Products:             Electronic components
Number of employees:  Approximately 500 (as of March 31, 2007)

About Panasonic (Matsushita Electric Industrial)



Best known by its Panasonic brand name, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. is a worldwide leader in the development and manufacture of electronic products for a wide range of consumer, business and industrial needs. Based in Osaka, Japan, the company recorded consolidated net sales of US$76.02 billion for the year ended March 31, 2006. The Company's shares are listed on the Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and New York (NYSE:MC) stock exchanges. For more information on the company and the Panasonic brand, visit the Company's website at http://panasonic.net/.

Source: Panasonic (Matsushita Electric Industrial)

Women Blocked From Meeting Ambassador In Vietnam

Vietnam California congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, who's on a visit to Vietnam, says Vietnamese police "manhandled" the wives of dissidents and prevented them from attending a tea with her and the U.S. ambassador.

She says a group of about 15 police officers blocked the women from entering Ambassador Michael Marine's home yesterday.

Speaking to reporters in Hanoi, Sanchez says the officers pushed and shoved the women.

Vietnamese authorities are accusing Sanchez of trying to "interfere in Vietnam's internal affairs."

Sanchez, a Democrat whose Orange County district includes the largest Vietnamese population outside of Vietnam, has criticized Vietnam's human rights record.

She is visiting Hanoi as part of a U.S. Congressional delegation studying military issues.