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Thailand cave rescue: What now for the boys?

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A video grab taken from footage released by The Royal Thai Navy late Jul 2, 2018, shows missing children inside the Tham Luang cave of Khun Nam Nang Non Forest. (Screengrab: Royal Thai Navy)

MAE SAI, Thailand: The rescuers dubbed it “mission impossible” but they defied the odds to locate the 12 boys and their football coach deep in a cave complex. However, the hard part may yet be ahead: getting them out safely.

Here are a few ways the hungry and weak boys could get out, none easy options.

Could they dive out?

In theory yes: but it is an extremely difficult task. Cave diving is already very risky, especially for young boys in a weakened state who have no diving experience.

Tham Luang cave, where the boys have been trapped in, is one of Thailand’s longest at 10 kilometres and one of the hardest to navigate with its winding and, at times, narrow corridors.

If they dive, they have no choice but to follow the steps that rescuers took through tiny passageways clogged with mud and silt.

That journey takes a healthy – and skilled – Navy SEAL diver about six hours.

Officials said they would attempt to train the boys to use crucial diving gear after they are rehabilitated with food, water and medical support.

“Cave diving is a very technical skill and it’s extremely dangerous, especially for an untrained diver,” Anmar Mirza, coordinator of the US National Cave Rescue Commission, told AFP.

“So they may end up being better off trying to supply them in the cave until they can be gotten out by other means.”

Explorers have spent days scouring the mountaintop for possible alternative openings. They have found a few “promising” leads and have tried to drill deeper.

But there is no indication that any of those chimneys connect to the chamber where the boys have been stranded.

Again, the boys need to spend time getting stronger in the depths of the cave before they can attempt to climb up a second entry – if one is found – or be lifted out.

What about walking out?

This would be the safest option, but at the moment, it is impossible because parts of the route remain flooded.

So, in theory, they could wait, but that means hoping that flood waters subside.

Water pumps are working around the clock to drain the floods though it has been an uphill battle for much of the week as heavy rains refused to let up.

If the current break in bad weather sticks, this option could be more promising.

But weather forecasters warn downpours may soon return as monsoon season sets in.

“If the rain fills up the cave system then that might take months before the water drops again,” Belgian diver Ben Reymenants, owner of Blue Label Diving in Thailand, who is assisting the search, told AFP.

How long could it take?

Hard to say for sure. It depends how long it takes for them to regain strength.

Experts say they could remain inside for weeks – or even months – as rescuers work out the safest option for their extraction.

The military said Tuesday it was preparing enough food for four months but did not speculate they could be in there that long.

Are the boys even in the right mindset to move?

They clearly want to leave. In the footage that emerged after the boys were found by two British divers late Monday, one asks to “go outside”.

One of the divers replied: “I know, I understand … no, not today.”

Fortunately, they seem in pretty good shape, considering.

“They’re mentally stable which is actually pretty good,” Reymenants said.

“Luckily the coach had the sanity of mind to keep them all together, huddled together to conserve their energy, that basically saved them.”

Source: Channelnewsasia/AFP

World Cup: Japan fall short to exit in cruellest fashion

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It was the most agonising way for Japan to go out of the World Cup.

Their players slumped to the turf as Nacer Chadli slammed the ball into the net at the end of a 94th-minute counter-attack, the last move of the game in Rostov-on-Don allowing Belgium to clinch a stunning 3-2 victory and a place in the quarter-finals.

Among the pre-tournament favourites in Russia, Eden Hazard and the Belgians march on to a last-eight meeting with Brazil.

But a crushed Japan head home having been two goals ahead midway through the second half on a steamy night on the banks of the Don River.

They will feel they deserved better than this after a superbly disciplined performance, with Maya Yoshida marshalling their back line and Eiji Kawashima – a goalkeeper who has been relegated in both Scotland and France in the past three seasons – making several vital interceptions.

There was plenty of technical quality on display as well, with the two goals scored early in the second half by Genki Haraguchi and the excellent Takashi Inui both worthy of the biggest stage.

Winger Haraguchi, of Fortuna Duesseldorf in Germany, somehow beat the giant frame of Thibaut Courtois to find the far corner and put Japan ahead just after the break.

Then Inui – operating on the other flank and who has just signed for Spanish side Betis – showed what he can do with a magnificent strike from outside the area after being teed up by Shinji Kagawa.

Japan looked to be heading for the quarter-finals of the World Cup for the first time in their history.

But a side who scraped through the group phase only by virtue of receiving fewer yellow cards than Senegal were finally undone in the final quarter of the game.

The Samurai Blue contained Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku for more than an hour, but it was the substitutes sent on by Belgium coach Roberto Martinez who made the difference, along with a stroke of luck.

Jan Vertonghen, undone by Gaku Shibasaki’s through ball for Japan’s opening goal, was fortunate to see his header loop over Kawashima and in under the crossbar to pull one back in the 69th minute.

Five minutes later, however, it was Marouane Fellaini, the classic Plan B, on for Dries Mertens, who headed in the leveller from Hazard’s stellar assist.

Belgium’s captain had stirred, and his side had the momentum.

At 2-2, it was a repeat of the last World Cup meeting of these teams, at the 2002 tournament in Japan.

Akira Nishino’s side could have settled for taking the tie into extra time but instead they were punished for taking a chance on a last corner kick, and Chadli, another substitute, finished off the move.

Nishino – only appointed in April after the controversial sacking of veteran coach Vahid Halilhodzic – deserves credit for taking Japan so close against one of the finest sets of players around.

That will be little consolation just now, however.

Source: VIR

Vietnam Airlines announces flight price hike

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Vietnam Airlines will continue raising flight prices following Vietjet Air and Jetstar Pacific, doubling overall ticket prices after taxes and increased fees.

According to Vietnam Airlines, it will start collecting fees for system maintenance in the next five to seven days in order to improve the management of its customer database. The applied fee for short domestic routes is VND80,000 (USD3.48) and VND150,000 for domestic routes that are longer than 850km. The fee for international routes is USD7.

The fee is exempted for business class, elite class and club economy class.

Meanwhile, Vietnam Airlines will scrap the ticket charges for web purchases, which is VND50,000 (USD2) for domestic routes and USD7 for international routes to encourage more online bookings.

Both Vietjet Air and Jetstar Pacific had increased their system maintenance fees right before the summer holiday period. Jetstar Pacific applied a fee of VND210,000 (USD9), an increase of VND70,000. Vietjet Air also increased the fees to VND210,000-VND370,000.

Other fees were also increased including airport, cancellation and change fees.

Mai Thanh, a ticket agent in HCM City, is worried that their business could face difficulties with higher prices. In September, a ticket from HCM City to Vinh cost VND500,000 (USD22) but with the new fees, the flight now costs VND1m.

“The original ticket prices displayed on websites are only VND299,000 (USD13) or VND499,000. But after adding in taxes and fees, it will double. Many customers think that we earn high commission fees and cause us trouble,” she said.

Since transport costs account for two-thirds of holiday spending, higher fees will also spell trouble for tourism companies.

Local airlines have increased various types of fees since early 2018 after the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam raised several airport service fees.

Source: VIR

Facebook updates map to remove Vietnamese islands from China’s territory

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An earlier version of the map wrongly showed the groups of islands as belonging to China

A map provided by the ad manager tool of Facebook no longer shows Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) and Hoang Sa (Paracel) Islands in the East Vietnam Sea as parts of China after the social media platform was made aware of the serious error.

Le Quang Tu Do, deputy director of Vietnam’s Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information (ABEI), said on Monday afternoon the U.S. tech giant had complied with the authority’s request to stop showing the groups of islands as parts of China on its map.

A test by Tuoi Tre News on Tuesday found that the social media had indeed updated its map to remove the archipelagoes from Chinese territory.

Earlier, users in Vietnam discovered that a map in Facebook’s ad manager tool had been showing Truong Sa and Hoang Sa, over which Vietnam exercises its sovereignty, as parts of China.

Facebook allows Page owners to promote their posts to a highly targeted audience through its Boost Post feature.

The ad manager tool enables Page owners to choose the age groups and geographical locations of the audience for their paid content.

Until Monday morning, when ‘China’ was selected as the target location, the archipelagoes became highlighted, which was not the case when users switched the location to ‘Vietnam’.

Vietnam asserts continuous and indisputable sovereignty over both groups of islands, while China has been condemned for its use of force to occupy Hoang Sa in 1974 and several shoals in Truong Sa in 1988.

In a previous statement, Facebook said the mistake was purely technical and was not politically motivated.

The social media platform is the next popular Internet service to get into hot water for wrongly identifying the Vietnamese maritime territories as China’s.

In 2016, Google also caused a stir among Vietnamese Internet users by labeling the Truong Sa and Hoang Sa archipelagoes as parts of China on its online maps, a mistake the tech giant has since corrected.

Around 53 million Vietnamese people, or over half of the Southeast Asian country’s population, use Facebook, making it the social media site’s seventh-biggest market as of 2017.

Source: Tuoitrenews

Vietnam stock market hits new low, could go lower

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VN-Index, fell 39 points to 908.26 by 2:25 p.m. Tuesday and VN30-Index fell 3.7 percent to 895.86.
Vietnam’s stock market fell 4.11 percent on Tuesday afternoon, hitting its lowest point this year, following a dramatic plunge in the second quarter.

The country’s benchmark stock index, VN-Index, fell 39 points to 908.26 by 2:25 p.m. Tuesday, while the VN30-Index, representing a group of 30 largest capitalization stocks in the country, also fell by 3.7 percent to 895.86.

The smaller HNX-Index on the Hanoi Stock Exchange and the UPCoM-Index for unlisted companies also dipped 3.7 percent and more than two percent, respectively.

Shares of banks, including Vietcombank and ACB, plunged 4-5 percent.

Meanwhile, blue chip stocks like Vinhomes JSC (VHM), Vingroup JSC (VIC), and steelmaker Hoa Sen Group (HSG) were being sold en masse, driving down the entire market.

This marks a further drop in Vietnam’s stock market after it plunged 18.19 percent in the second quarter this year, making it the worst-performing market in the world.

Local stock companies have anticipated that the VN-Index could fall to 900 points and even further.

Vietnam’s stock market had experienced its heyday since last year, when it hit a 10-year high and reached 984.24 points in the last trading session of 2017. It had not broken the 800-point barrier since 2008.

Continuing its good run, the VN-Index grew 19.33 percent in the first three months of this year, becoming the best-performing market in the world.

It passed the 1,200-point level on April 9, and has hovered at above 900 since then.

Source: Vnexpress

Vietnamese twenty-years draws striking portraits of World Cup stars

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Although the 2018 FIFA World Cup has just gone half its journey, 23-year-old guy now possesses a trove of 16 lifelike portraits of the event’s biggest football stars

A young Vietnamese has constantly kept his pencil busy during the ongoing 2018 FIFA World Cup, drawing more than a dozen charismatic portraits of his favorite stars at football’s biggest competition.

Bui Anh An, a resident in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue, takes pride in his trove of 16 drawing portraits of the World Cup stars, when Russia 2018 is only a couple of matches away from the quarterfinals.

The 23-year-old, who has never been to an art school, started drawing manga, a style of Japanese comics, and other cartoon characters since his elementary school years out of a great passion for painting.

He could create realistic depictions of different characters only after two months of practice.

Despite his love for and talent in painting, An ended up enrolling at the Hue University College of Foreign Languages, as his parents did not want him to pursue art.

But as his love for art never ceases to exist, the born-in-1995 always works hard, though secretly, to sharpen his skill.

An found international competitions to be a great chance to satisfy his hobby. The man has constantly drawn portraits of footballers with his pencil during the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the 2016 UEFA European Championship and this year’s World Cup in Russia.

Although Russia 2018 is about to enter its quarterfinals, An now possesses a ‘treasure trove’ of 16 striking portraits of the World Cup football stars, despite not being trained by any professional painting school.

“I like to watch football and love a lot of players and teams, so I draw and post pictures of them [on Facebook] before the ‘H-hour’ of the games,” An told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, explaining the motivation behind his drawings.

“In addition, I want to cheer for the players and help me feel part of the atmosphere of the World Cup,” he added.

Inspiration

It took the young man four to six hours to accomplish a sketch of one player on A3 or A4-sized papers.

The inspiration for the portraits often comes from the strong impression those players left in An during their recent matches, not from their daily looks.

For instance, An was so captivated by the mysterious smile of Cristiano Ronaldo, when he scored the first goal during Portugal’s group stage opener against Spain on June 16, that he finished drawing the portrait of the Portuguese star even before the first half ended.

The mysterious smile of Ronaldo after he netted a goal against Spain is depicted in this drawing posted on Bui Anh An’s Facebook page

When Portugal and Argentina both advanced into the knockout stage, An came up with the idea of drawing Ronaldo standing side by side his Argentine ‘rival’ Messi in their national jerseys, implying his hope that the two men would face each other in the quarterfinals.

Messi and Ronaldo stands side by side in their national jerseys in this drawing posted on Bui Anh An’s Facebook page.

But as both teams were eliminated after the round of 16, An edited his artwork, putting an air ticket in the hand of Messi, indicating that they were ready to fly home from Russia.

To An, the most important thing in portraiture is the proportion of the faces.

“The facial proportion has to be correct. If not, it will be impossible to recognize who the player is,” An said.

“It is also important to show their charisma, so that the portrait can become soulful,” the young man added.

An has received a few hundred likes on Facebook for every of his artworks.

An said that he took the praise and comments as motivations to draw more World Cup-themed paintings.

Below are some of the portraits by Bui Anh An:

Ronaldo’s face from a different angle is depicted in this drawing posted on Bui Anh An’s Facebook page.

By Bao Anh

Source: Tuoi Tre News

Billions of USD flowing to Vietnam from Asia

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Vietnam has been receiving big investments from Japan, Singapore and South Korea, and new capital from China.

Ban Won Ik, deputy chair of the The Association of High Potential Enterprises of Korea (AHPEK), confirmed that there is a strong South Korean investment wave in Vietnam.

With large investment projects, South Korean investors now play an important role in some of Vietnam’s key business fields, including electronics industry, energy, automobile manufacturers, textiles & garments and construction.

However, real estate & construction is the field which the three Asian investors are most interested.

Japanese Nomura Real Estate Asia has unexpectedly acquired 24 percent of capital in A-class Sunwah Tower.
Analysts said the value of the deal must be very high, if noting that the building is located on Nguyen Hue Road in the central business district 1 of HCMC, where large financial institutions such as Citi Bank, VinaCapital and Bank of China have their offices.

Prior to that, Japanese Mitsubishi bought 11,000 square meters of office area in Le Meridien Complex. The well-known A-class office building A&B Tower has also fallen in the hands of a Japanese investor.

While Japanese investors prefer offices for leasing thanks to stable profits (7-8 percent), Singaporeans target more complex assets, including commercial projects combined with housing.

CapitaLand has acquired the 9,000 square meter ‘golden land plot’ in Tay Ho district in Hanoi, while Keppel Land has spent $11.4 million for 10 percent more of shares in Saigon Sports City residential quarter project.

In the first five months of the year, total foreign direct investment in Vietnam reached $9.9 billion, more than half of which went to processing & manufacturing industries and 10.8 percent to the real estate sector.

The three biggest foreign investors in the first five months of the year were South Korea (26.5 percent), Japan (15.4 percent) and Singapore (11.25 percent).

Emerging China

Vietnam recently has begun receiving FDI flow from China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Some analysts said with strong financial capability, the cash flow is very likely to lead the game in the coming years.

In 2012, China only ranked 13th among 100 foreign investors in Vietnam. But there are now more Chinese-invested projects in many key cities and provinces of Vietnam.

In HCMC, Hong Kong Land has acquired projects in Thu Thiem new urban area and the central area.

In the central region, the resort-casino project of the joint venture of Chow Tai Fook, Suncity Group and Vinacapital is worth $4 billion.

By Kim Chi

Source: Vietnamnet

Automobile industry of Vietnam is too small compared with ASEAN countries

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Vietnam has been building up its automobile industry for the last 20 years, but the number of automobiles assembled in Vietnam is far below that of Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.

The ASEAN Automotive Federation (AAF) has eight members, including Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Brunei.

Thailand is leading the region in output with 2 million automobiles made annually. The market buys 800,000 cars and commercial vehicles each year. The second and third positions belong to Indonesia with 1 million products, and Malaysia.

Meanwhile, Vietnam, though having a young population, has modest output of 300,000 products a year. In 2016, the members of the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (VAMA) sold 304,000 cars, but the figure dropped to 270,000 in 2017.

In 2006, 2012 and 2017, the Vietnamese automobile market declined sharply because of changes in policies.

The demand is also still low in Vietnam. A report of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) showed that 23 out of every 1,000 people own cars. The figure is 204 in Thailand and 400 at minimum in developed countries.

For many years, the domestic automobile industry has been developing joint ventures with foreign investment. However, the joint ventures only focus on assembling cars, while many of them have shifted to trading cars instead of domestic assembly.

Analysts say Vietnam’s automobile industry is now relying on Vietnamese manufacturers, such as Thaco and Vinfast.

The former has 20 factories that make car parts and assemble cars with modern production lines. Its Chu Lai – Truong Hai Automobile Industrial Zone is a multipurpose mechanical engineering and automotive center.

Thaco Mazda, which is considered Mazda’s most modern factory in South East Asia, invested by Thaco, just became operational last March.

The VND12 trillion factory with the latest automated production line and technology covers an area of 30.3 hectares and has capacity of 100,000 products a year.

Vietnam also puts high hopes on Vinfast, which kicked off construction in 2017, and uses high technology. Vinfast automobile manufacturing complex in Cat Hai Economic Zone in Hai Phong City, which has huge capital of $3.5 billion, is being built to become the leader in South East Asia with capacity of up to 500,000 products a year by 2025.

The underdevelopment of Vietnam’s automobile industry is partly caused by weak supporting industries. Vietnam now has 20 automobile manufacturers and assemblers, but only has 84 first-class vendors and 145 second- and third-class vendors.

The figures are too small compared with other regional countries. Thailand, for example, has 16 manufacturers, but has 700 first-class vendors and 1,700 second- and third-class vendors.

By Thanh Lich

Source: Vietnamnet

Egg coffee, a must-try F&B in Vietnam

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“Coffee and…egg, together?” Yes, it may sound strange but it certainly forms a must-try drink in Vietnamese capital city of Hanoi nowadays.

On Nguyen Huu Huan, one of the endlessly busy streets in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, an almost hidden cafe lies in a narrow alley where people can find the most authentic version for “ca phe trung”, or Vietnamese egg-coffee mix, in town.

The 70-year-old-plus “Cafe Giang” was packed on both floors by locals and tourists on Tuesday afternoon.

They sat around the old square wooden tables, either lively chatting with companions, or silently sipping a cup of coffee, and surely, with egg.

Nearby the stairs to the second floor places a modest, open-plan kitchen where Nguyen Tri Hoa, owner of Cafe Giang, is whipping up egg yolks with sugar and condensed milk, and other parts of the recipe.

The mix is then boiled. Next comes coffee, it is quickly poured into the beaten eggs, forming a beautiful and aromatic foam.

A teaspoon is provided to drinkers for them to eat the foam before drinking the coffee at the bottom.

Egg coffee is served in hot and cold versions. The former comes resting in a small dish of hot water to maintain its temperature. When the strong coffee taste at the bottom of the cup seeps through the egg – the yellow layer on top – it becomes richer, thick and sweet.

“It’s my favourite choice all year round. But you’d better take it in autumn and winter to taste the best of it,” Quan, a 25-year-old Hanoian told Xinhua.

As a loyal customer, the young man usually comes here with his friends.

Though plenty of coffee shops in Hanoi now serve the dish, Quan believes Giang’s distinctive rich and foamy coffee deserves the greatest reputation in town.

The cold option, introduced in the 2000s, is served as a yellow concoction in a small glass. Laden with ice, it is consumed with a spoon and tastes almost like a coffee-flavoured ice cream – more like a dessert than coffee.

To foreigners, a “wow” reaction is not rare when they encounter the unique drink.

“It’s the first time I’ve tried, with egg, it’s a little bit strange,” said Prisca, 26 from France, with an excited face.

“Nice,” she concluded satisfactorily, while her companion, the 27-year-old Vidian from Guadeloupe, a French overseas region, an island group in the southern Caribbean Sea, came up with the same answer, “It’s a good experience.”

According to Nguyen Tri Hoa, his father Nguyen Van Giang created the drink in 1946 while working as a bar tender at Sofitel Legend Metropole Hotel in Hanoi. A milk shortage then forced Giang to cast around for alternatives and he found eggs. That is how Vietnamese egg coffee was born.

Hoa, the youngest son of the family, is also the first one to follow his father’s path. Time passes by, he has enrichened the old menu with several new creations.

“I started to make cocoa eggs and white bean eggs in 1999. And then in 2010, after welcoming so many foreign customers and also travelling a lot, I realised that rum and beer can be great complements to egg,” Hoa recalled.

While Hoa runs the family’s premises on Nguyen Huu Huan Street, his older sister and brother, respectively set up two other egg coffee shops on Dinh Tien Hoang Street, Cafe Dinh and on Yen Phu Street, Cafe Giang Yen Phu.

Cafe Dinh, the 20-square-metre place with a modest balcony, is on the second floor of a bag shop.

Though slightly hidden and hard to locate, it offers a nice view over Hanoi’s iconic Hoan Guom Lake. With music, flowers, unique coffee and sunflower seeds, it is a place where many locals chat, text, play games or read news as the coffee drips timelessly through the filters.

By Tao Jun, Nguyen Xuan, first posted on Xinhua

Taiwanese tattoo artists feature at Vietnam’s first tattoo expo

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Taiwan’s Orient Ching and Josh Lin chosen from thousands of applicants to feature at the Hanoi event.

Two prominent Taiwanese tattoo artists have been chosen to feature at the Vietnam Tattoo Expo 2018 in Hanoi on July 7-8. Taiwan News reported.

From a contestant pool numbering in the thousands, Taiwanese artists Orient Ching and Josh Lin were chosen to feature at the inaugural event by a five-member panel.

Orient Ching is a Kaohsiung-based tattoo artist who specializes in traditional and Japanese-inspired styles. He is an organizer for the annual “I Love Tattoo” expo, held in Kaohsiung.

Josh Lin is a Taipei-based tattoo artist who specializes in realism and contemporary styles. He won the Tattoo World Championship at the 2012 Australian Tattoo Expo.

Le The Son, head organizer for the event said the tattoo expo will provide a holistic exhibition of contemporary tattoo styles and culture.

The two-day event will include over 100 tattoo booths and a variety of contests to showcase technique, skill and style. Vendor stalls will also sell a wide range of products.

Workshops on recent advances in tattoo techniques and discussion groups on the state of tattooing are planned across the two-day event.

Music performances throughout each day of the event will also take place.

The tattoo expo is expected to bring in more than 5,000 visitors and will include more than 150 tattoo artists from 16 countries.

Additional feature artists will travel from France, Italy, the Philippines, Portugal, Spain, the UK and Vietnam.

Ann Savage from the Philippines, Tery Do from France and Gau Den, Trung Kien and Nam Phong from Vietnam are the event’s other main drawcards.

The Vietnam Tattoo Expo 2018 will be held at the Cultural Friendship Palace in central Hanoi.

By Scott Morgan

Vietnam jails former central bank official amid graft crackdown

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HANOI (Reuters) – A court in Vietnam on Monday jailed a former deputy governor of the central bank for three years, his lawyer said, the most senior banking official put on trial in the Southeast Asian nation amid a crackdown on corruption.

Vietnam’s banking system was rocked in the early 2010s by a string of mismanagement scandals and under-regulated lending, and is still reeling from nonperforming loans.

In 2012, Dang Thanh Binh, 64, and four accomplices were accused of “lack of responsibility”, leading to losses of up to 15 trillion dong ($654 million) at the privately-owned Vietnam Construction Bank, lawyer Pham Van Dam said.

“The trial has ended and Binh and four other defendants were charged with ‘lack of responsibility, causing serious consequences’,” Dam said, without saying if Binh would appeal.

Binh had failed to fulfill his duties and follow the instructions of the central bank and the prime minister, the official People’s Police newspaper said, citing the indictment.

Vietnam Construction Bank, formerly known as Great Trust Commercial Joint Stock Bank, suffered heavy loses and was forcibly taken over in 2015 by the State Bank of Vietnam, the country’s central bank.

“I regret that I did not fulfill the tasks assigned to me by the state, but I and other leaders at the central bank were innocent in our motives,” the paper quoted Binh as telling the jury at his trial.

The court in Ho Chi Minh City also handed prison terms ranging from one to 2-1/2 years to Binh’s accomplices on Monday, the lawyer said.

The trial came amid a corruption crackdown in which several senior government officials and executives of state-owned enterprises have been arrested and jailed.

Vietnam this year jailed former Politburo member Dinh La Thang for 31 years for financial irregularities at PetroVietnam, formally known as Vietnam Oil and Gas Group.

Thang, 57, who denied any wrongdoing at his trial, was the highest-level politician Vietnam has jailed for decades.

The recent legal cases should not affect Vietnam’s efforts to meet its socioeconomic goals, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said on Monday.

“He who hesitates, who doesn’t work and doesn’t rush to make products and fulfill his duties should be questioned,” Phuc said.

Reporting by Khanh Vu; Editing by James Pearson and Clarence Fernandez

Vietnamese natural makeup brands prosper in home market

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After many years of using only French makeup, My Ha, 40, from Phu Nhuan district in HCM City has begun using natural products made by Vietnamese enterprises.

My Ha, a ‘follower’ of the ‘live green’ movement, found a showroom that sells skin-care products made by Vietnamese enterprises on Mac Thi Buoi street in district 1.

“Vietnamese enterprises have great advantages in making natural products because of the material sources in Vietnam,” she explained.

“Made-in-Vietnam cosmetics no longer means low-cost products,” she said.

The number of customers, mostly women, has been increasing rapidly in large cities. The market segment has become large enough for domestic cosmetics companies to display products at luxury showrooms in the central business districts of Hanoi and HCM City.

Since mid-October 2018, natural makeup fans in Vietnam can easily buy products at labambivalley.com, a website set up by six cosmetics companies.

Designed as a cosmetics supermarket, the website gathers products licensed by the Ministry of Health and made by prestigious brands, namely TheHerbalCup, Skinna, SheaGhana, Myin, Karose and Bambi green cosmetics.

With the attractive growth rate of 30 percent per annum, the Vietnamese cosmetics market brings great opportunities. Not having advantages in distribution networks and advertisement budgets, the companies still can sell well in niche markets.

Through the websites, six natural cosmetics companies can easily access customers throughout the country at the lowest possible costs.

The long-distance race

Nguyen Thu Lanh, the founder of Bambi Cosmetics, said it takes many years to find and select materials, experiment with formulas and follow procedures to get permission to circulate products.

“Clean materials are just one of many things manufacturers must have. Besides, they must have production conditions meeting standards set by the Ministry of Health,” she said.

To do this, enterprises need modern technology which has to be imported at high tax rates.

Nguyen Van Minh, chair of the Vietnam Association of Essential Oils, Flavors and Cosmetics, confirmed that expensive modern technologies and unstable material growing areas are the biggest problems for domestic manufacturers.

However, the stories about Thorakao or Thai Duong are the typical examples proving that Vietnamese brands can also succeed if they follow the right path.

There are about 100 cosmetics brands making their presence in Vietnam, while 90 percent of the products available on the market are the imports.

By Kim Chi, Vietnamnet

Stricter fines for tourists proposed

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Many fines for tourism violations have been proposed to be included in a draft decision which is being appraised by the Ministry of Justice.

According to the draft decree proposed by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, a fine of VND25-30 million (USD1,316-1,363) will be issued to travel agents which did not conform to tour programmes as agreed with their clients. The fine will be applicable to foreigners who come to Vietnam for travelling without permission from Vietnamese authorities.

A fine of VND35-40 million will be issued for activities benefiting from tourists illegally; touting for tourists and forcing them to buy products. Tour guides who provide inaccurate information about the country’s history, culture and sovereignty will be subject to this fine.

The draft decree also stipulated that visitors whose behaviour disrespects the customs and cultural identity of places they come to will be fined VND1-3 million. Those who do not pay required tourism fees will face this fine.

Travellers will be fined VND3-5 million for behaviour affecting Vietnam’s image and cultural traditions.

According to the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the draft decree is aimed to help provide more specific regulations on tourism activities which are not stipulated in Tourism Law and other related decrees.

By The Kha, Dtinews

How To Spend 24 Hours in Hanoi, Vietnam

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Twenty-four hours are simply not enough to experience the best of Hanoi, but we understand what it is like to travel under time and budget constraints. With that in mind, and based on our travels, we’ve come up with an awesome itinerary for you to experience the best of what the city has to offer in a period of 24 hours.

Morning

An early stroll around the city

Get acquainted with Hanoi (and Vietnam) by going on an early morning stroll. Grab a banh mi (Vietnamese baguette sandwich) and a ca phe sua da (Vietnamese iced milk coffee) from a sidewalk stall and just walk. If you head out around 05:00 a.m., you’ll be able to witness the city wake up.

Hanoi Streets | © Thanh Hà/Culture Trip

Head to the Old Quarter, which is the historical and commercial center of the capital. There are 16 streets here you can explore, with each street named after what the majority of the shops specialize in. For example, Hang Gai street is silk street, and this is where you will find most of the tailor shops. Walk around aimlessly as you will come across the best sights this way. Homeowners cleaning the streets, doing light exercises, setting up food stalls, taking their children to school on rickshaws, you will see it all.

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

After your breakfast, start walking towards the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. It will take you around 20 minutes to get there. Ho Chi Minh, or Uncle Ho as the locals refer to him, was Vietnam’s president from 1945-1969 and was a key figure in the Vietnam War, under whose leadership Vietnam finally gained independence.

Inside a glass case lies the embalmed body of Uncle Ho so you can pay your respects and then walk around the square and park outside. You may even catch some locals doing Tai Chi. Don’t be afraid to join them, they will be more than happy to help you learn the movements.

Hùng Vương, Điện Bàn, Ba Đình, Hà Nội, Vietnam, +84 24 3845 5128

Hoa Lo Prison

Carry on walking to Hoa Lo Prison, known as the Hanoi Hilton. This was built by the French to punish Vietnamese political prisoners and later used by the Vietnamese to hold American prisoners of war. A famous example is Senator John McCain, and you can still find his uniform on display. The prison is a little haunting. There are many mannequins depicting scenes of what life was like inside the prison walls, and it is not for the faint of heart.

1 Hoả Lò, Trần Hưng Đạo, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội, Vietnam. +84 24 3934 2253

Lunch: Time to Pho

Since you woke up early, it’s good to have a slightly early lunch to replenish all that energy spent from walking around and sweating thanks to the heat. Grab a xe om(motorbike taxi), use either Uber or Grab apps, or hail yourself a motorbike to head to your next destination: Pho Gia Truyen on 49 Bat Dan Street. Motorbikes are the best way to get around here as they can zigzag their way through traffic. If you opt for a car taxi, you may be stuck in one place for hours.

Pho Gia Truyen is where you can find the best pho in all the land. Pho is the national dish of Vietnam and one you must try. It’s made of three components: a flavorful broth, noodles and some type of meat, typically beef. If you are vegetarian, just order the vegetarian version by saying “chay.”

49 Bát Đàn, Cửa Đông, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội, Vietnam, +84 24 6683 3535

Afternoon: More sightseeing

Temple of Literature

After lunch begin walking again, this time to the tranquil Temple of Literature. This was the first ever university in Vietnam, initially for noble families but it later took an egalitarian approach to admissions. It was built in 1070, making it one of the oldest structures in the city. Walk around, snap some shots and rest a bit in its many courtyards.

58 Quốc Tử Giám, Văn Miếu, Đống Đa, Hà Nội, Vietnam, +84 24 3747 2566

Beautiful Hanoi | © Sina Abasnejad/Culture Trip

Get your Uber app out again or hail another motorbike taxi after you finish with the Temple of Literature. Plug in Café Giang as your destination and enjoy zigzagging your way through the crazy daytime traffic of the city. At Café Giang, you are in for a surprise. This is where the original – and best – egg coffee in Vietnam is served, and you can ask the barista for the story behind it. Enjoy your creamy cup of what can only be described as liquid tiramisu, and enjoy the air-conditioned venue for a while as the sun slowly goes down.

39 Nguyễn Hữu Huân, Hàng Bạc, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội, Vietnam, +84 90 347 90 32

Evening: Relax by the lake

Hoan Kiem Lake

Walk over to Hoan Kiem Lake, which is not so far from your location, and enjoy a stroll around the cool premises. It’s a popular hangout spot for locals and tourists alike. In the middle of the lake is an island on which Ngoc Son temple is built, and connecting it to the land is a gorgeous scarlet bridge. It’s extremely photogenic.

Hàng Trống, Hoàn Kiếm, Hanoi, Vietnam.

A water puppet show!

Next, head over to Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre and catch a show – it’s right on the outskirts of the lake. Water puppetry is a centuries-old art form in Vietnam, with its many different guilds and styles of puppets, such as string, hand and shadow puppets, and even kites and puppets with fireworks. The performance combines these various styles with live music and involves various scenes from Vietnam’s myths and folklore, with the country’s agrarian life as a backdrop.

57b Đinh Tiên Hoàng, Hàng Bạc, Hoàn Kiếm, Hoàn Kiếm Hanoi, Vietnam, +84 24 3824 9494

Back to where you started: The Old Quarter

After the show, walk around the Old Quarter again and do some night shopping. If you’re looking for cheap souvenirs, here is where you can get it. To end your day in Hanoi, you must eat like a local – on the street. Most streets in the Old Quarter consist of small street restaurants where customers are seated on child-like plastic stools that have spilled out onto the sidewalk. Pick any place that seems crowded and ask to try what everyone else is having. Local favorites include pho, bun rieu, com tam, bun cha, and bun thit nuong.

Bun Cha at Hung Lau in Hanoi © Pham/Culture Trip | © Vu Pham Van / Culture Trip

After your meal, you can either walk around a little more or drag yourself up to your hotel, which is hopefully located in the Old Quarter because you’ll be too full to walk far. We recommend you stay at the Hanoi La Suite Hotel & Spa or the Hanoi Allure Hotel, where you can get a good night’s sleep.

By Piumi Rajapaksha, The Culture Trip

Vietnam gives three-year extension for visa waiver to 5 European countries

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Tourists to Vietnam from the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy will continue to be exempted from visas until June 2021.

Vietnam’s latest extended visa-free travel policy for citizens from five Western European countries officially came into effect on Sunday, with a longer validity of three years, compared to one year in the last three renewals.

Visitors from the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain have enjoyed visa exemption, with an allowed stay of 15 days for each entry, when traveling to Vietnam since July 2015, when the year-long policy was introduced.

Related: Get your Visa Online

Following the first renewal in June 2016 and second extension in June 2017, the policy expired on Saturday last week.

During a government meeting on May 3, Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc agreed to continue easing visa requirements for visitors from these five countries from July 1, 2018, responding in favor of suggestions from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and relevant agencies.

While the visa waiver has had to be reconsidered annually since 2016, the latest extension has a validity period of three years.

However, the premier decided not to increase the allowable stay per entry from 15 to 30 days, nor to add more countries to the visa-free list as suggested by the tourism ministry and industry insiders.

PM Phục believed that relevant ministries and agencies still need to evaluate the effectiveness of the current visa waiver, applied to the five countries under a pilot scheme, before making any changes, according to Mai Tiến Dũng, Minister and Chairman of the Government Office.

Visitors increased twofold, but…

Vietnam’s recent steps to create a more open visa policy, according to Dung, have contributed to the country’s continuous growth in international arrivals.

“This reform is aimed at bringing convenience to tourists, helping us have a great tourist number,” said the minister.

Vietnam’s Western European arrivals topped 1.5 million last year, more than double the 720,000 recorded in 2015, when the visa-free policy was first applied.

But when compared to other countries in the region, Vietnam’s visa policy remains much less competitive and attractive.

Vietnam ranked 116th out of 136 countries in terms of visa requirements in a 2017 report by the World Economic Forum, according to the Vietnam Tourism Advisory Council.

Vietnam currently exempts visas for 24 countries, one of the lowest numbers among Southeast Asian countries. In comparison, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines apply visa-free policies to more than 160 countries.

In addition, while other countries usually allow tourists to stay for 30 days without a visa, Vietnam mainly exempts visas for travelers for just 15 days, and visa-exempted tourists can only return to the country at least 30 days after exit.

No need to wait for reciprocity

According to the Vietnam Tourism Advisory Council, Vietnam should not insist on having a reciprocal basis when it comes to visa exemption.

The country can still gain benefit if it grants one-sided visa easing for other countries, Kinh Te & Do Thi (Economics and Urban) newspaper reported, citing a letter the council experts submitted to the prime minister.

For instance, not all the more than 160 countries enjoying visa waiver to Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines ease visas for these four countries.

Specifically, Indonesia only enjoys visa exemptions from 57 countries and the number for the Philippines is 61.

“However, both countries recognize the significant benefits of facilitating the issuance of visas in a competitive market,” the experts said in their letter.

The Tourism Advisory Council said Vietnam could benefit significantly from expanding visa exemption to Western countries such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Belgium, even before these countries relax visa requirements for Vietnamese visitors.

By doing so, Vietnam may lose some US$17 million in terms of visa fee collection, but the number of visitors would increase by up to ten percent and tourism revenue would grow by $100 million, according to the council.

Source: Tuoitrenews