Tran Phu Beach in Nha Trang and Bai Dai (Long Beach) on Phu Quoc Island have been listed among the most beautiful white sand beaches in the world by US News & World Report.
The US site recently released the list to help beach lovers plan their next vacation on beaches boasting white sands that beautifully contrasts with azure waters.
Tran Phu Beach in Nha Trang, south-central Khanh Hoa province, which has numerous beautiful beaches, made an impression with its “clear and calm waters and beautiful white sand”, according to the site.
Tran Phu Beach runs along the 12-km seaside promenade of Tran Phu Street, with coconut trees and high-rise hotels and plenty of dining and nightlife options nearby. Located in the center of the city, it’s just a short walk to almost everywhere in Nha Trang, making it the most popular beach in town. It’s usually busy, especially during the summer peak season from June to August.
Nightlife around Tran Phu Beach includes The Sailing Club, ZIMA, and the Skylight Skydeck & Rooftop Beach Club. There’s a wide array of activities such as surfing, snorkeling, bicycle tours, spa treatments, meditation and yoga available on or near the beach.
The number of foreign arrivals to Khanh Hoa province exceeded 2 million last year, up 69 per cent against 2016, according to the Provincial Department of Tourism.
Meanwhile, Long Beach on Phu Quoc Island, off the coast of the Mekong Delta’s Kien Giang province, is admired for its strikingly soft white sand beaches, crystal-clear waters, and stunning scenery, according to the site. The stretch of sand is also home to numerous resorts, most of which feature huge pools and rooms geared toward families.
As its name suggests, Long Beach stretches for around 20 km. Though it is the most popular beach on the island, it remains quiet and not bursting with tourists, like other gorgeous Southeast Asian island destinations. There is a number of beach bars nearby that serve nice cocktails and boast great views of spectacular sunsets. The island’s seafood is also famous for its diversity and taste.
The number of foreign tourists to Phu Quoc Island in 2017 reached nearly 361,500, up 72 per cent from 2016, according to the Provincial Department of Tourism.
Others on the list included Rendezvous Bay (Anguilla), Grace Bay (Turks & Caicos), Destin (Florida), Orange Beach (Alabama), Paraga Beach (Mykonos, Greece), Shoal Bay (Anguilla), Palmilla Beach (Los Cabos, Mexico), White Bay Beach (Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands), and Playa PortoMari (Curacao).
A homeless man in Ho Chi Minh City has been arrested trying to get away with an ambulance he stole from a hospital to pay off debts he had incurred from losing World Cup bets.
Police in the city’s Binh Tan District say they are investigating Nguyen Minh Ho, 38, for theft after he was caught on Sunday attempting to steal an ambulance from a local hospital.
Ho, who has been living on the streets of the city, came to Trieu An Hospital in Binh Tan District at around 5:15 am on Sunday asking for food.
After filling his stomach, Ho saw an ambulance parked inside the hospital’s parking lot with its keys still left in the ignition.
The ambulance was valued at around VND320 million (US$14,000), according to police officers.
On the spur of the moment, he jumped on the vehicle and drove away with the intention of selling it for some quick cash to pay off his betting debts.
His plan fell through when employees at a toll station on the Ho Chi Minh City – Trung Luong Expressway, located over 11 kilometers from the hospital, found him suspicious and refused to let him through while notifying law enforcement.
Ho confessed to the crime at the police station.
Vietnamese citizens are still not allowed to wager on matches during the ongoing 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, even though sportsbooks have been legalized and relevant legal guidelines are already in place, as there are no licensed football betting businesses in the country.
The legalization followed a government-backed pilot program that became effective on March 31, 2017, permitting Vietnamese citizens over the age of 21 to place wagers on FIFA-recognized international football matches, horse and greyhound races.
Mass fish deaths have been found in lakes near the UNESCO world heritage site of Ha Long Bay.
The dead tilapias have drifted the shore along with rubbish, creating a bad smell and affecting local people.
According to local residents, most of the fish were found dead at drains from nearby residential areas and real estate projects. The fish then drifted into the Ao Ca detention basin in Hung Thang Ward.
Le Mai Hoa from Hung Thang Ward said that her family had to close the door all day to avoid the smell.
Dead fish have appeared in lakes in Hung Thang Ward many times, but no action has been taken to deal with this. The lakes were dredged, but just a short time after that they become polluted again.
More seriously, the lakes discharge water directly into Ha Long Bay.
Hoang Quang Hai, vice chairman of Ha Long City People’s Committee, said that local authorities will check the detention basin. He also admitted the mass fish deaths previously was due to the basin pollution.
Earlier in May 10, a large amount of dead fish was found in the detention basin.
The pollution at the basin will affect the environment at Ha Long Bay as there are some pipes connecting them. The province spent hundreds of billions of VND on lake dredge.
US flight attendants may be more likely than other Americans to develop several types of cancer including tumours of the breast, uterus, cervix, thyroid and skin, new research suggests.
“This study is the first to show higher prevalences of all cancers studied, and significantly higher prevalences of non-melanoma skin cancer compared to a similarly matched US sample population,” said lead study author Eileen McNeely of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston.
Researchers asked 5,366 flight attendants and 2,729 other adults with similar socioeconomic backgrounds whether they had ever been diagnosed with cancer.
Compared to the other adults, flight attendants were 51 per cent more likely to develop breast cancer. They also had more than double the risk of melanoma and more than quadruple the odds of being diagnosed with other forms of skin cancer.
“Non-melanoma skin cancer among women increased with more years on the job, suggesting a work-related association,” McNeely said by email.
While these results confirm earlier research linking work as a flight attendant to an increased risk of certain cancers – especially breast and skin malignancies – the study wasn’t designed to prove whether or how the job might directly cause tumours.
Researchers also couldn’t say whether tumours developed before or after participants started working as flight attendants. And the study didn’t examine cancer survival rates, only diagnoses.
Scientists have long suspected that flight attendants’ cancer risk might be affected by their exposure to naturally occurring radiation at high altitudes, shift work, time zone changes that disrupt sleep cycles, and poor cabin air quality, researchers note in Environmental Health.
Flight attendants, however, are less likely than the general population to die of all causes except plane crashes, said Rob Griffiths, programme director of occupational and aviation medicine at the University of Otago Wellington in New Zealand.
“They are comparatively healthy and wealthy, and more likely to seek medical care than the general population,” Griffiths, who wasn’t involved in the study, said by email. “So cancer detection incidence is higher and mortality is lower, because they participate in screening programs and get treated faster.”
A separate study in April involving nearly 6,100 US flight attendants found no meaningful link between cosmic radiation or circadian rhythm disruption and several cancers. (bit.ly/2yDoqdc)
The lead author of that study, Dr. Lynne Pinkerton of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in Cincinnati, Ohio, didn’t rule out the possibility that altitude-related radiation exposure or disrupted sleep cycles might be connected to cancer.
But she noted that higher rates of breast cancer among female flight attendants might be due to the fact that they had fewer children and gave birth for the first time later in life than other women.
“Having fewer children and having children later in life are known risk factors for breast cancer,” Pinkerton, who wasn’t involved in the current study, said by email.
Sun exposure, a leading risk factor for skin cancers, might also be higher for flight attendants because they might spend time in the sun on layovers, noted Dr. Alessandra Buja, of the University of Padova in Italy, in an email.
Buja, who wasn’t involved in the study, added that the connection between flight attendant work and cancer rates in the study “may reflect the effect of flight attendant work exposure,” but it could also be explained by “reproductive factors or sun exposure and only indirectly associated with this work.”
After a series of scandals related to violations of the fire code and slow progress drawing residents to the streets in protest, some buildings developed by Kinh Do TCI JSC have been applied tougher measures by the Hanoi People’s Committee, while a project of Hoa Phat Group may see its water and electricity cut.
Hanoi Water Limited Company has just issued Document No.1645 on stopping supplying water for Discovery Complex (trade centre, offices for lease, and premium apartments) at 302 Cau Giay, Hanoi developed by Kinh Do TCI JSC.
Hanoi Power Corporation ordered Cau Giay Power Company to supervise the developer Kinh Do TCI during the completion of the pre-acceptance test of fire prevention and fighting in the committed timeline.
Earlier, the Hanoi Police Department of Fire Fighting and Prevention inspected and detected violations at this building. However, some households have moved in, thereby the developer has violated the regulations on fire prevention and fighting stipulated in Article 17 of Decree No.79/2014/ND-CP dated July 31, 2014 of the government.
On May 15, 2018, the Hanoi’s People’s Committee issued a decision to penalise Servico Cau Giay JSC, a subsidiary of Kinh Do TCI, for the administrative violations of the fire code.
On May 28, the Cau Giay District People’s Committee issued Decision No.1228/QD-UBND on suspending the construction of Tower B and the basement floors of Discovery Complex, as well as recommending organisations, individuals, and households not to enter and live in the building, which has not been granted a certificate on fire safety yet.
Discovery Complex is one of Hanoi’s large real estate projects with the total investment of around VND5 trillion ($220 million) on an area of over 10,200 square metres, including a 54-storey apartment building and a 43-storey complex of offices for lease and trade centre. The project has entered the handover phase to be managed and operated by CBRE.
Along with this complex, in Document No.3623 dated May 21, the Hanoi People’s Committee asked to supervise and report on construction violations at two other projects developed by Kinh Do TCI, including the apartment building at 8B Le Truc, Ba Dinh district and 102 Truong Chinh (Capital Garden), Dong Da district.
At the end of March, residents in Capital Garden raised banners to demand the developer to complete the project and ensure compliance with the fire code. The developer also changed the structure of the building, raising the number of apartments by 100 compared to the original design.
The project at 8B Le Truc has already made headlines due to its violations in the number of storeys and by clashing with Hanoi’s urban master plan. It has been 11 years since the developer started this project, and three years since the Hanoi People’s Committee ordered the developer to remove several of its top floors, and the people who bought apartments at the project still do not know when they can move in.
Additionally, the Hanoi Police Department of Fire Fighting and Prevention has just issued a penalty of VND40 million ($1,760) for the administrative violations of the developer of Mandarin Garden 2 at 493 Truong Dinh Street, Hoang Mai district. Hoa Phat Group, the developer of this project, has put the building into operation without a fire certificate.
The agency detected numerous violations of the fire code at the complex of 26-storey and 30-storey towers. For example, the construction of the commercial service area from the first to the sixth floor has not been completed, and the fire detection and fighting systems are not operational.
In addition, the glass walls and fire doors in the elevator’s basement buffer room do not guarantee fire resistance in line with the approved design documents. There are numerous violations related to the exits and the fire safety system.
The agency asked the developer to immediately stop the operation of the building and remove occupants. The developer needs to fix the mistakes and get a fire certificate before letting people enter the building.
The Hanoi Police Department of Fire Fighting and Prevention has also asked Hoang Mai Power Company and Hoang Mai Water Business Facility not to supply power and water for Mandarin Garden 2.
The first instance court hearing of Nguyen Thi Lam, former officer of Eximbank’s branch in Nghe An province who appropriated VND50 billion ($2.2 million) from customers, and 15 other defendants starts today after two postponements.
This morning (June 26), the People’s Court of the central province of Nghe An starts the first instance hearing of the appropriation of VND50 billion ($2.2 million) from customers making deposits at the two Eximbank branches of Vinh and Do Luong in the province.
Nguyen Thi Lam (31), former officer of Eximbank’s Do Luong branch, is charged with “abusing trust to appropriate property.” Dang Dinh Hong (45), former director of Eximbank’s Do Luong branch, and 14 other defendants, including former officers, supervisors, and cashiers, are charged with “deliberately violating state regulations on economic management causing serious consequences.”
Earlier, on May 16, the court had to postpone the hearing due to the absence of Le Thi Dung and the father and mother-in-law of one of the defendants, who were also involved in the case. This was the second time that the court postponed the hearing. The trial on April 26 was also postponed after a request by Eximbank’s head office as it was very close to the bank’s annual general shareholders’ meeting.
According to the indictment of the procuracy, between 2012 and 2016, Nguyen Thi Lam abused the trust of customers and asked them to sign payment orders, payment authorisations, and bills of payment. On the occasion of paying interest and bonus money for customers, she handed in forged documents. Lam used these documents to withdraw or transfer their money into her accounts. In some cases, she forged the signatures of customers.
Taking advantage of customers’ trust in Lam and the loose management of Dang Dinh Hong, Eximbank officers conducted procedures to withdraw and transfer money without the presence of clients and their savings books. By the above-mentioned tricks, Lam withdrew over VND50 billion ($2.2 million) from six customers in the two branches in Nghe An province.
On the same day, Nguyen Tien Nam, one of the six customers whose deposits in Eximbank’s Do Luong branch were appropriated by Nguyen Thi Lam, received compensation for nearly 90 per cent of his losses after two years of negotiation. Vnexpress.vn quoted that the client will not require the return of the remaining 10 per cent.
He had 13 saving books in this bank worth VND28 billion ($1.23 million), and VND27.8 billion ($1.22 million) of this was appropriated by Lam in 2016.
Additionally, Nam deposited VND10 billion ($440,000) at the bank after receiving the compensation to show his goodwill.
One month ago, a female customer whose VND10.6 billion ($467,000) was stolen by Nguyen Thi Lam, was paid VND9.2 billion ($405,000). As a result, around VND34.2 billion ($1.5 million) has been returned to two victims.
Eximbank’s representative said that the bank has issued compensation for cases that are more straightforward first, and cases where the evidence is not clear will have to wait for the court’s conclusions. He confirmed that the bank is doing its utmost to accelerate compensation.
In addition to the case in Nghe An, another client named Chu Thi Binh also had VND245 billion ($10.8 million) appropriated from her three savings books in Eximbank’s Ho Chi Minh City branch. However, the two parties have yet to come to terms over compensation.
Vietjet Air plans to pay an additional 2017 dividend of 20 per cent of charter capital, according to its latest report.
The registration date is July 2, corresponding to an ex-rights date of June 29.
After this payment, Vietjet will then pay the previously-approved 2017 dividend to shareholders of 60 per cent, of which 40 per cent is in cash.
Vietjet has regularly paid high dividends over the years, at time at more than 100 per cent. It has approved a 2018 dividend of 50 per cent.
The Petro Trading JSC (Petechim) recently registered to buy 100,000 Vietjet shares after buying all 150,000 shares registered in the session previous.
Vietjet’s high growth continued in the first quarter of 2018. Revenue stood at VND12.56 trillion ($558 million), an increase of 146 per cent year-on-year, thanks to growth in passenger air transport, ancillary services, and sales and leaseback revenue.
After-tax profit of the parent company’s shareholders reached VND1.366 trillion ($60.7 million), a 263 per cent increase year-on-year. Pre-tax profit was $358 million, or 25.5 per cent of the annual target.
Earnings per share in the quarter were VND3,026 ($0.13); among the highest on Vietnam’s stock market.
Vietjet currently operates 55 A320 and A321 aircraft with more than 385 flights daily, carrying more than 55 million passengers to date on 82 routes covering destinations in Vietnam as well as international destinations such as Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, China, Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar, Malaysia, and Cambodia.
It plans to expand its network across the Asia-Pacific region and is continuing to expand its regional network. It has recently signed contracts to purchase new aircraft from the world’s leading aircraft manufacturers.
For the second consecutive year it was honored in Nhip cau Dau tu magazine’s “Vietnam’s 50 Best-Performing Companies 2017” awards and is a member of the “Billion-Dollar Club” of companies that have market capitalization in excess of $1 billion.
Phu Quoc is a fantastic island getaway in the south of Vietnam. The best part? You don’t even need visa to fly in directly! There are plenty of things to do on the island apart from being lazy at the beach – here they are.
Beaches, beaches, beaches!
Let’s face it, Phu Quoc is in your itinerary because you want a beach getaway. This gorgeous island is surrounded on all sides with stunning beaches, most of which are completely deserted and are yet to be explored. You would probably want to spend most of your time digging the sand with your toes or lying under a sun umbrella with a good book.
The western side of the island has Long Beach. This is where most of the fancy resorts are located as this is the biggest beach on the island. If you prefer a deserted one to yourself though, you should grab a motorbike and explore elsewhere. Try Sao Beach on the east coast, which is gaining popularity among travellers. The turquoise water is crystal clear, the beach is not crowded, and it will allow you to snap a few postcard pictures. Other beaches to look for include Ong Lang, Bai Thom and Bai Dai. Many of the beaches are not even marked on maps properly which is why getting around on a motorcycle and going wherever it looks good is a great idea!
Diving and snorkelling!
Phuc Quoc island actually has the best marine life in all of Vietnam, making it a great place to explore underwater. There are plenty of diving and snorkelling opportunities around the island and you can even get your PADI certification here. You’ll be able to spot a variety of marine animals such as nudibranchs, cuttlefish, octopus, scorpion fish, various crustaceans, anemones, and moray eels. The water is calm, and clear, so it’s a great place for beginners. Top dive sites include Dry Island, Nudibranch Island and An Thoi Islands, the latter being a set of 15 islets, with a little more challenging underwater environment.
The Phu Quoc National Park covers more than half of the island, so it’s really hard to not visit it, either on purpose or accidentally. This massive park spans over 314,000 square metres and was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2010. You can find all sorts of unique flora and fauna, forest, and dense mountain ranges. While the majority of park is strictly protected by the Vietnamese government for research purposes, there are still various recreational activities you can be a part of in certain areas such as hiking, camping, wildlife, photography and bird-watching. For the adventurous traveller, test your endurance by climbing Mount Heaven. It is a four-hour long trek through the forest, topped by a 32-foot (10-metre) tall bamboo ladder.
The birth of the Cao Dai religion was right here in Phu Quoc in 1919. The beautiful Cao Dai temple was built much later however, in 2008, using donations made by followers. It is a must-visit — the architecture is not only stunning, but it is super interesting to see the rituals of the locals. There are worshipping ceremonies held daily between 06:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. Make sure to dress appropriately.
Dinh Cau Rock (Cau Temple) is another pagoda worth visiting. This structure was built in 1937 to commemorate the goddess of the sea, Thien Hau, believed to provide protection to the fishermen heading out to sea. Once you climb to the top, you will be rewarded with spectacular sunset views over the Dinh Cau Beach – all the colourful traditional fishing boats moored nearby, and the neighbouring islets create a wonderfully photogenic scene. Afterwards, a walk at the Dinh Cau Night Market is refreshing,
The Phu Quoc Prison has played a large part in the history of the island. It is where during the Vietnam War, northern Vietnamese dissenters and revolutionaries were captured and held, tortured and killed. The prison is now an educational museum where torture instruments are displayed along with photographs and exhibits with life-sized mannequins depicting graphic scenes of the horror that went on within the walls. It costs around VND$3000 (less than 15 cents) per person to enter and guided tours are available in a variety of languages — totally worth it.
Duong Dong Market is Phu Quoc island’s biggest market and is located smack bang in the middle of town. Markets are always a great way to get some insight into the local life, and also to buy some fresh fruit, and cooked food. You can even get some awesome souvenirs, bracelets and necklaces made of sea shells, pearl earrings etc., to take back to your loved ones. Another great souvenir is the fish sauce made here.
Dinh Cau Night Market is another market you can visit. There are lots of seafood stalls here, so coming here in the evening for dinner is a great idea. Try lobster, tiger prawns, crabs, clams, prepared in all sorts of ways — fried, sautéed, curried, grilled, etc. The ingredients are as fresh as you can imagine.
Getting around by motorbike
The best way of getting around the island is by motorbike. You can rent one for as little as USD$6.00 for the day. The traffic of Phu Quoc is not as hectic as that of Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, so it is a safer environment for you to drive. Make sure you take the proper safety gear and that you have your licence.
With your own bike, you can leisurely explore the island, and find hidden beaches. You can visit tiny local villages that are off the tourist circuit such as Ganh Dau. Other places you can visit are pepper plantations and fish sauce factories.
All-you-can-eat seafood!
Lastly, getting on a see-food diet is a must while here, and by that we mean you see food and you eat! We also do mean that you should try all the seafood you can. Phu Quoc is known for its octopus and crabs. There are plenty of restaurants scattered around the main areas, and don’t be afraid to sit down at worn-down looking shacks with a few plastic stools and tables spread out front — some of the best meals can be found in places like this. Let the owners recommend the dishes for you if you don’t know what to order or are overwhelmed by the items on the menu.
Just by the law of averages, if you’re reading this and living in Vietnam, you are likely one of the country’s millions of motorbike owners.
If you’re a foreigner, this might be the first two-wheeled, motor-powered transport you’ve ever owned. As such, your approach to maintenance may be to just drive it around until you hear it make a weird sound.
While that’s not the best way to learn about the needs of your bike, a change in sound can be an important first signal that your bike needs attention from a professional, mechanic Duong Brooks said.
“It might be a bad engine. If the sound is really loud, it might be a piston”, he hypothesised. “Or you’re losing oil more quickly than normally.”
Image source: i.kinja-img.com
Brooks, the co-owner of Binh Thanh district motorbike garage DC Motorbikes, said excess or abnormal noise from a bike might mean a variety of things, most of them bad.
“The most important thing is … it may cost you a lot of money”, he said.
To avoid a costly and unplanned visit to the mechanic, Brooks said motorbike owners should hew to a schedule of routine mechanic visits to get basic repairs done. Find a mechanic you can trust near you and start developing that relationship. Brooks said most are knowledgeable and priced fairly.
And while you can’t avoid driving in the rain, you should take care of your bike if you plan on braving a downpour in a poncho on two wheels. Drive slow as the tires and road will have a thin layer of water between them reducing the grip of the rubber.
Image source: dantricdn.com
Also, avoid flooded roads. If rising waters from the road enter your exhaust, you may have a pricey repair on your hands.
Undeterred? Depending on how much water got into your bike and how badly it was damaged, the repair for this issue may go as high as VND2 million.
All things considered, let’s be frank: if you’re an inexperienced motorist, a first-timer on two wheels or someone with limited Vietnamese, you’re more than likely going to avoid the mechanic until absolutely forced to go. Maybe your bike just inexplicably shut off in an unfamiliar part of town.
What do you do in that situation?
If you’ve been in town for any more than a few weeks, you’ve likely see two motorbikes riding in tandem, with one pushing from behind with the driver’s foot on the other’s passenger foot pegs. One option is to summon a Grab to do the same for you.
But where do you go? What garage should you select?
Thankfully, the high saturation of motorbikes means a sua xe, or “bike repair shop”, is never far away. Ask for directions. If you’re in the city, you likely have your pick of garages.
Image source: spadaforaphoto.com
Great, but how do you tell the good ones from the bad ones?
Motorbikes are complex, but this issue need not be. Brooks said look for the telltale sign of many customers. A busy garage with plenty of bikes and business may be a safer bet than one with less business.
Vietnam has been hit with a bona fide beer bonanza.
Locals are crowding into new cavernous beer halls to imbibe the night away, expats are debuting one craft microbrewery after another. Foreign brands from Heineken to Sapporo are relying on Vietnam for global sales growth, and investors are watering at the chance to snap up assets like the Sabeco brewery.
It would be easy to think that just about everyone is getting a buzz from the action. Everyone, except the government officials now looking to crack down on beer ads.
The Ministry of Health has proposed a draft law that would restrict beer advertising, which it fears could soon become a threat to public health. The rules would ban such ads in outdoor settings like billboards, in films and shows with children, and on social media.
Vietnam already bans ads for hard alcohol. But in countries that prohibit ads for both beer and spirits, overall consumption is 11 percent lower than in countries that merely focus on liquor, according to Tran Thi Trang, deputy director of the Ministry of Health’s legislation department.
Bottles of beer move along a production line at a factory of Saigon Beer Corporation (Sabeco) in Hanoi, Vietnam, June 23, 2017.
“Every year, the alcohol companies spend trillions of dong on advertising and marketing,” she was quoted as saying in a post on the government’s news site. “If this did not stimulate consumption, would they spend so much money?”
Bonkers for beer
Fittingly, it is precisely the fact that Vietnamese have gone bonkers for beer that prompted her ministry to introduce the legislation. Alcohol-infused recreation goes back a long ways, of course, from the peasants fermenting their own rice wine, to the U.S. soldiers who took a liking to the local 33 Beer in the Vietnam War.
But today is different, as citizens in peace time have the growing wealth and leisure to down lager into the wee hours, often for less cost than a bottle of water.
Policymakers worry that as drinking culture rises, so will Vietnam’s rates of cirrhosis, addiction, and drunk driving. The communist country already has a high prevalence of hepatitis B, the main cause of liver cancer, according to the World Health Organization.
“Beer and alcohol production play an important role in the development of the economy and society, contributing significantly to the state budget, with about [$2.2 billion]” Nguyen Van Viet, chairman of the Vietnam Beer, Alcohol, and Beverage Association, said in a government post.
A man drinks Sabeco’s 333 beer at a restaurant in Hanoi, Vietnam, Dec. 18, 2017.
This is despite WHO estimates that damage associated with alcoholic drinks, from worker productivity to public health expenses, can cost a country anywhere from 1.3-12 percent of gross domestic product.
Officials aim to balance those costs with the benefits to the economy, investment, and trade. Even Australia gives beer a shout-out whenever boasting of improved trade with Vietnam, where it has become the biggest supplier of wheat and malt imports.
“Beer and snacks aren’t just fun,” said Regan Leggett, executive director for thought leadership at Nielsen, which released a report in March on increased discretionary spending in Vietnam and four other countries. “They are lead indicators of continued buying preference outside of essentials.”
Beer is big business, and lobbyists also say further restrictions could put a dent in tourism. Trang is unconvinced, though.
“If visitors come to Vietnam just because their country controls alcohol use, and Vietnam does not,” she said, “then we need to review these policies because they go against international practice.”
At least 15 people including two children have been killed in this week’s floods in Vietnam and authorities fear the death toll could rise further.
The death toll from floods and landslides in Vietnam has risen to 15, with authorities warning the toll could go higher with more torrential rains forecast for the worst hit province in the mountainous north.
Lai Chau province, 470km northwest of Hanoi, was the worst hit with at least 12 people – including two children – killed, said Le Trong Quang, Deputy Chairman of the province’s People’s Committee.
Most of the victims drowned or were buried in landslides, triggered by heavy rains since Saturday, Quang told Reuters.
“We are bracing for more rains in the coming days and I fear that the death toll in the province will continue to climb as 11 people remain missing,” Quang said.
Vietnam is prone to natural disasters, with floods and typhoons killing hundreds of people each year. Natural calamities killed 389 people and injured 668 others in the country last year, according to the government.
In the neighbouring province of Ha Giang flash floods killed three people, the government’s Disaster Management Authority said.
Floods and landslides also caused damage to houses, roads and crops in the area, according to the agency.
HANOI, June 26 – Police and border guards of Vietnam’s central Ha Tinh province have detained two Lao men for trafficking lab-made drugs and marijuana from Laos to Vietnam.
The two men, aged 23 and 25, were arrested on Monday when they were carrying 200 pills of synthetic drug and 15 cakes of marijuana on a Lao coach at a bus station in Ha Tinh, the provincial police said on Tuesday.
The two detainees confessed that they were hired by a Lao citizen to transport the drugs from Laos to Vietnam and hand over them to a Vietnamese person.
According to Vietnamese law, those convicted of smuggling over 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kg of methamphetamine are punishable by death.
Making or trading 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal drugs also faces death penalty.
With artificial intelligence (AI) assistants and chatbots gaining a foothold among businesses around the world, Vietnamese enterprises and retailers have decided to follow the trend.
More and more Vietnamese businesses are using virtual assistant, with the help of AI, to take charge of customer service and sale via the internet, in lieu of human employees.
Chatbot, or computer programs capable of communicating with human in real time through voice or text messages, can be integrated into websites, mobile applications or instant messengers to spare businesses from assigning employees for customer care tasks.
The technology enables businesses to get rid of routine tasks and to simultaneously process multiple requests from users. The virtual customer care employees are also available for giving responses to customers’ inquiries on a 24/7 basis without asking for any extra wages.
One of the most common type of chatbots are those that work on Facebook Messenger, the messaging app and platform run by the world’s largest social networking site.
The bot will help a company to communicate with customers who contact them through Facebook Messenger, whether answering their questions, introducing new products or guiding them to the main website to start the purchase.
Many Vietnamese businesses, from retailers to clothing stores to food and beverage shops, have employed chatbots to engage with their customers via Facebook.
The Facebook Messenger chatbot of VPBank-run digital bank Timo allows users to find the nearest ATM. Photo: Tuoi Tre News
Most of the bots will greet customers, offering to help them review the menu or even browse products. Some also allow users to start a conversation with the real customer service personnel.
At present pace, these ‘artificial employees’ are only able to politely chat with customers in simply programmed sentences and the nature of the conversation is not always natural.
First Vietnamese chatbot developer
At the moment, Harafunnel, run by tech firm Haravan, is arguably the first Vietnamese-developed platform that allows users to create their own chatbot on Facebook Messenger.
As of the end of March, Harafunnel-powered chatbot reached 20,000 users in Vietnam, according to its website. The company boasts such popular customers as The Coffee House, Bitis, and Nhipcaudautu newspaper.
The platform allows even those with no knowledge of app developing or programming to create a chatbot; all they need to do is connect their Facebook page with Harafunnel and make some configurations.
According to Haravan CEO Huynh Lam Ho, only a few Southeast Asian companies can provide Messenger chatbot due to strict requirements from Facebook. The executive proudly said the company currently has several hundred subscribers.
Promising booming
At the 2018 Vietnam Mobile Day summit in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City earlier this month, many experts believed that the growth of chatbot has created a positive impact on the business. The industry insiders are upbeat that the technology will continue to gain more traction in the coming time.
The topmost reason is the popularity of the messaging platforms and apps in Vietnam and the familiarity of Vietnamese users with them, according to experts.
A chatbot automatically replies to a customer’s inquiries. Photo: Harafunnel
“Users are more likely to read SMS than emails; the industry average SMS read rate is 98 percent, which is 4.9 times higher than email,” said Nguyen Thi Tra My, head of product marketing at Zalo, a Vietnamese messaging and calling app.
According to Duong Thanh Trung, an expert with market research firm Nielsen, the Southeast Asian country has about 49.5 million smartphones.
“It is estimated that the number will increase to 58.4 million by 2020,” Trung said at the summit.
“Moreover, Vietnam is among countries with the highest number of Internet users in the world, with more than 55 percent of Vietnamese users expected to be connected to the Internet by 2020,” he continued.
These are the ideal conditions for chatbots to grow in Vietnam’s market.
Despite this, most chatbots employed by Vietnamese businesses are not really smart. They are only capable of doing a limited amount of tasks, and most of the time suggest customers contact a human employee, or visit the companies’ websites.
Vietnamese police broke up an online football gambling ring worth around $26 million, arresting four people as authorities look to stop black market betting that surges during sporting events like the ongoing World Cup.
Gambling is illegal in Vietnam apart from the state-run lottery and a few casinos which are only open to foreigners.
But the law is widely flouted, especially during top-tier sports competitions when many punters head online or to illegal gambling dens to try their luck.
The four people were arrested in Ho Chi Minh City on Friday, according to a report published the same day in the police’s official Cong An Nhan Dan newspaper. Several others were also summoned for questioning.
The suspects allegedly admitted to operating transactions through a website hosted in the Philippines.
“Since early 2017, the total transactions of the gambling ring have been worth more than 600 billion dong ($26 million)”, state-run Vietnam Television reported, adding that thousands of people across Vietnam had used its services.
Under Vietnam’s criminal code, anyone participating in gambling or organizing gambling could face up to 10 years in jail.
The government has moved to ease restrictions, introducing a pilot program in 2017 that would allow wagers on a limited number of international football matches and adopting a law earlier this month that permits state-sanctioned betting.
But the illegal market remains dominant as the small amount allowed for betting — $44 per match — is deemed too miniscule by passionate punters.
Authorities around the region are stepping up scrutiny of sports betting as the 2018 World Cup in Russia leads to a spike in online bets.
Thailand arrested more than 2,500 suspected gamblers from June 14 to June 20 as part of a sweeping crackdown, according to deputy national police spokesman Krissana Pattanacharoen.
Most of those arrested will face suspended sentences and a small fine, police said.
In neighboring Cambodia, Prime Minister Hun Sen told listeners in a speech broadcast live on his Facebook page this week not to bet on the tournament because “the ball is round” and unpredictable.
Ruined by years of fighting and then reborn as the Reunification Express, Vietnam’s historic north-south railway line offers a unique way to see the countryside between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
“Given the catastrophic damage over a period of three decades, it’s a wonder anything’s working at all, frankly,” admits railway historian Tim Doling.
Sitting in a first-floor restaurant above the busy streets of Ho Chi Minh City, I am at the end of an epic 1600km journey along the train line he is referring to.
“By 1973, all that was left of the south Vietnamese network was something like 47 kilometres of line running out of Saigon, so the whole thing just ground to a halt,” continues the middle-aged British expat, who chronicles the railways of his adopted home.
“Most of the rest of the network was destroyed.”
A slim country which narrows at the centre as if cinched by a belt before bulging at either end, Vietnam appears custom-made for a north-south railway line.
From the hectic capital of Hanoi, close to the border with China, the track hugs the coast of the South China Sea before running slightly inland to leave me in the nation’s largest city, formerly known as Saigon.
A tale of construction and destruction, railways were introduced to this corner of South-East Asia by French colonists in the 1880s, after they envisaged an opportunity to capture the rice market, a project beset by poor planning and financial failures.
Years of fighting against occupying foreign forces during the 20th century, culminating in sustained US bombing and sabotage from local guerrilla soldiers, almost signalled the railway’s demise.
Rebuilding the ruined network quickly became a political priority in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, as a symbol of reconciliation for a nation partitioned during two decades of instability and conflict.
Remarkably, it took less than two years for a rudimentary line to become operational in 1976.
The rebirth of a route originally completed in 1936 resulted in an unofficial renaming, and it is now colloquially dubbed the Reunification Express.
Revered revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh did not live long enough to see the end to division in his country, but his legacy endures, particularly in Hanoi – where my journey begins.
Affectionately known as “Uncle Ho”, he led the resistance movement against the French during the First Indochina War before proclaiming independence and establishing the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945.
During my visit, red, rectangular posters adorn almost every lamp post to commemorate what would have been his 128th birthday, while seemingly endless lines of schoolchildren queue outside his grey, granite mausoleum, hoping to catch a glimpse of his embalmed corpse which was placed there in 1975, six years after his death.
One of the most scenic sections of the journey. Photo: Gavin White / flickr
I leave Hanoi in the darkness of early evening, boarding an overnight train bound for the imperial city of Hue, some 640km further south. The night is spent in a private air-conditioned compartment, consisting of two bunk beds and a small table by the window, complete with vase of plastic flowers.
Walking unsteadily along a narrow corridor at one side of the carriage as we rattle along the uneven rails, I discover not everyone has it so good. Some passengers squeeze into six-bed segments shared with strangers, while those who have purchased the cheapest tickets have to make do with simple wooden benches.
Following a few bounces on the bunk during the night, sunlight streams through the glass as we chug into our destination. Situated on the banks of the Perfume River, Hue was the capital of Vietnam for almost 150 years.
The UNESCO World Heritage Site is centred on a vast 19th-century citadel, fashioned after Beijing’s Forbidden City and surrounded by a moat and formidable stone walls. It was the seat of the Nguyen Dynasty – the country’s last ruling family – from 1802 to 1945 when the final emperor, Bao Dai, abdicated.
Hue’s citadel is surrounded by a moat and stone walls. Photo: Costante / flickr
Back on board, I discover the mountainous stretch between Hue and the port city of Da Nang is the line’s most scenic.
Standing next to the train door with the window pulled down, I see the partial blur of a railwayman dressed in a smart blue uniform at the side of the tracks signal us on to the winding Hai Van Pass using semaphore.
The train clings to the edge of the cliff, sweeping its way around corners, past secluded coves and deserted beaches while untamed greenery occasionally obscures the misty view of the jagged silhouettes of Da Nang’s skyline on the horizon.
As the altitude drops and we pass through the city, emerald-green rice paddies dotted with the conical hats of agricultural workers gradually take over the landscape, alongside water buffalo and palm trees.
Keen for a quick recharge of my batteries after visiting two cities, I alight for a brief stopover in the beach resort of Nha Trang – notable for the towers of Po Nagar, an eighth-century Cham temple – before completing the route to Ga (meaning station) Saigon.
Po Nagar temple in Nha Trang. Photo: Claudia Schillinger / flickr
The entire journey takes around 30 hours and I am rewarded with a mix of modern skyscrapers, French colonial buildings and more traditional architecture.
At the heart of the city are the red tiles of the Notre Dame cathedral, adjacent to the general post office, designed by Marie-Alfred Foulhoux between 1886 and 1891, though often credited to Gustave Eiffel.
A fusion of gothic, renaissance and French influences, the cavernous, barrel-vaulted hall, is a popular tourist attraction and presided over by a large portrait of the familiar, bearded man whose name the city now bears.
As evening falls, a sunset cruise along the Saigon River provides a different perspective on my new surroundings, before one final stop the following morning takes me around 50km north-west of the city to somewhere considerably more sombre.
Successfully used as hiding spots and supply lines by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War, a small section of the elaborate Cu Chi tunnels has been preserved to show the harsh conditions endured.
Shuffling tentatively into the darkness, the stifling heat is close to unbearable. Squatting and hunched, my shoulders span almost the entire width of the confined space, while my head is in constant danger of grazing the unforgiving stone ceiling.
Emerging back into the light above ground, I stumble across a colossal pit at the side of a series of narrow jungle paths. The large indentation in the powdery earth is a B52 bomb crater dating back to incessant American air strikes.
Decades of foreign occupation and international interference have left multiple marks on Vietnam’s landscape.
Thankfully, the remarkable railway line running down its spine remains one of them.
