VN tourism: ad campaigns aim wrong targets, money spent unwisely

Reader Friendly (nhanbk2009@...com) wrote: “We have so many things need to improve but I think if I were foreign travelers, I would have chosen Vietnam because of stability and security”.

Rare turtle hunted to brink of extinction

A reader at menayc@....com wrote: “Save the Annam pond turtle, and more other turtles... more animals and eco-systems also ensures human survival!”

Many people see two Hoan Kiem turtles

Reader Nam Nguyen (truongnamhic@....com) wrote: “I think it is easy to check how many turtles in Hoan Kiem Lake. Now we are keeping one in "small pond". Scientists and people need to pay attention everyday whether another turtles (if any) float or not. If have, they must float to breathe”.

Building a ‘brand' for beaches

Kurtis (kutisle@....net) wrote: “I agree very much with the article. As a frequent (twice a year) visitor/tourist in Vietnam, mostly Nha Trang, I see how well the events work in attracting tourists.

I have one additional comment. There should be an extreme effort made to make the population aware of the need for clean streets and homes. It seems there is trash everywhere and the people living in these tourist destinations just don't care to put trash where it belongs.

Nothing will detract from a beautiful locale more than trash and waste on the streets, on the sidewalks, and at the markets throughout the city. The news about the filth and smell will get around, you won't have return visitors and they will be sure to mention it to their friends as well.”

Aikido female master of disabled kids

Marzio Tempra (marziote@....com) wrote: I'm a simple aikido practitioner. I think that to watch this photos teach us more than a martial art. These images document that Aikido teach people (teachers, learners and observers) a wonderful way of live. Thanks to Nguyen Thi Thanh Loan for what she do. I feel honoured to wear the keikogi as her.

In a word: Girls – be careful!

Tien Tran (ttran73@....com) wrote: I believe this type of problem is happening throughout the whole world. Having the laws in place to protect the ladies I believe will not solve the problem - as we all know 'laws are made to be broken'. I think the fundamentally it's job security and education. If the government can provide both to a level, our ladies will not be so 'desperate'. There are many free program out there on the internet that can education people that the State should research and apply.

“Carp” wins the T-shirt design for environment competition

Ellen (maiphuong15890@....com) wrote: I see that they are very interested and strange. I can't image that they can design nice and meaningful carps like that. If we can sale these to markets , they will help us send the message "save the earth to people better".

Why VNAT says “no” to "Vietnam- A Different Orient"?

Reader Hang Vo wrote: As a student studying tourism in Sydney involved in a lot of projects and research for tourism worldwide, I agree with Mr Dinh Ngoc Duc that we should keep the symbol of lotus as the image of Vietnam which differentiate Vietnam in the global market and has a connection with the old slogan.

I missed the opportunity to contribute to create the slogan for the development of Vietnam tourism. However, I would suggest that 'Authentic Vietnam' or 'Authentic Vietnam in A World of Luxury' could be a slogan driving Vietnam tourism in the next few years.

Why is 'Authentic Vietnam'? Tourists nowadays represent a quest for authenticity. Seeking for an authentic experience at destinations is currently the main motivation and a key decision-making for tourists, while Vietnam has a lot of tourism products in associated with cultural identity.

'Authentic Vietnam in A World of Luxury' mainly targets to the ones who are looking for authentic experience with high quality of products and service. Flexibly, 'a world of luxury' could be referred to the high quality of experience which tailors to tourists' needs and expectation.  By that way, it could give a clear direction for the development of Vietnam tourism in the next few years.

Learning from Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), when the slogan of 'Amazing Thailand' was changed to 'Amazing Thailand, Always Amazing'. As being spoken with the manager of TAT last year, the latest slogan construct a new image of Thailand- not only a cheap destination as it is in the eyes of tourists, but also a destination can offer a quality of experience to encourage the returns of tourists. With the new slogan, Thailand has a strategic plan focusing on offering niche products to tailor specific markets.

Vietnamese mothers prefer bringing up children with western style

Dung (doandung_tb86@....com) wrote: Thanks for information to educate children better. There are different between education's theory in western and eastern to help children be mature soon so the above opinion are necessary with children's development.

Facebook denies waging smear campaign against Google

Jeremy shoon (axlblackmar@....com) wrote: I don't know when will Facebook stop this ugly strategy. It reveals an element that many analysts explain currently who proves that facebook truly knows that the competition with Google is already lost ! Facebook will never be an essential element of the web landscape. The social network is still surfing on a trend wave and will never be useful like Google can be. Moreover, the firm knows that new social networks (like Outlyf.com especially) can be more useful and could sweep Facebook very quickly. That’s why Facebook uses this strategy but it s not good for the image of the website.

China develops therapeutic apparatus for Parkinson's disease

Arnulfo Abelgas (abelgas_arnulfo@...com) wrote: I'm praying for your success and please notify me if when this device available in the market as soon as possible.

Behind overseas treatment services

Pascal Ho Ba Dam (pascal@insurancein....com) wrote: This is a great article for awareness for the Vietnamese community about the need for medical insurance to grow. But the same as higher education some children are sent to foreign universities and come back worse than they could have been educated in Vietnam. Just need time to understand what you get for what you pay... from awareness to educated there is a long way.

The “read and write down” education

Ken Phillips (ken_phillips_1950@....com) wrote:  This article highlights an issue that is at the heart of education debates in Vietnam. Is the role of a teacher to "read the book" or develop students' ability to think creatively and create new ideas in their field to help build Vietnam?

What do retired Vietnamese politicians do?

Hans (hansvanhanoi@....com) wrote: Would be nice to know indeed... and more importantly what is their "retirement" salary? or what did they earn while being a politician. I presume they all are well off and don’t have to work anymore! It’s so much nicer in the West, where all citizens can see what politicians earn, what most of them do afterwards, including public speaking and their earnings. Clinton is indeed a good example of openness of the system.

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