United States and Vietnam Strengthen Ties with Vietnam War Artifact Handover

On Monday, the United States Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) Deputy Director, Brigadier General Mark Spindler, met with the Director of the Vietnam Office for Seeking Missing Persons (VNOSMP), Ambassador Le Thanh Tung, at the VNOSMP's Ministry of National Defense Office in Hanoi.  

At the conclusion of the meeting, VNOSMP presented a prisoner-of-war/missing-in-action (POW/MIA)-related museum artifact to DPAA.  BG Spindler accepted the artifact and gave special thanks to the people and government of Vietnam.  

He thanked VNOSMP for its commitment, dedication, and support of the combined efforts to achieve the fullest possible accounting for U.S. personnel lost during the war.  DPAA relies significantly on this cooperative relationship with VNOSMP in order to conduct its humanitarian mission.

Methanol-tainted alcohol cause of mass food poisoning in Lai Chau Province

Test results showed that methanol-tainted alcohol is the cause behind the mass food poisoning that killed seven people and 31 others hospitalized in the northern mountainous province of Lai Chau earlier this week, the Vietnam Food Administration under the Ministry of Health said yesterday.

As per the Ministry of Health’s tests, the three samples of alcohol has the methanol concentration of 970 mg/l; 556, 000 mg/ and 475,000 mg/l respectively. The methanol concentration in wine samples has exceeded the regulation of methanol in alcohol; accordingly, methanol has been identified as the cause of mass poisoning.

In order to help Lai Chau health sector in treatment of victims, Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi sent experts to the province. Deputy Head of the Department of Health in Lai Chau Province Dr, Do Van GIang said that  more than 30 residents are being treated in local infirmaries.

Medical workers of the province’s General Hospital have made all efforts to treat 13 severe patients who are on ventilators and Hemodialysis while less dangerous patients in the infirmary in Phong Tho District are under close observation.

A mass food poisoning took place in the northern province of Ha Giang, said the Administration driving 46 locals to hospitalization. All victims suffered the poisoning symptoms after attending the party in Dan Van Commune.

Vietnam Embassy presents books to Turkish library

The Vietnam Embassy in coordination with Hanoi Library has presented an English book collection that deals with various aspects of the capital city to Istanbul Library aiming to promote cultural diplomacy and Vietnam’s culture and tourism.

The collection made its debut on the occasion of the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi to introduce Hanoi’s history, culture, religion, architecture, and cuisine.

Trade Consellor Le Phu Cuong on February 13 handed over the collection to library director Selahattin Ozturk in Istanbul. The library is set to open within this year, showcasing more than 50,000 books, including those featuring different cities around the world.

Additionally, the Vietnam Embassy in Turkey sent “Charming Vietnam” and “Gateway to Vietnam” publications and “Welcome to Vietnam” discs to a library of Mehmet Akif Ersoy School in Batman City. 

Japanese doctors to assist Vietnam's first lung transplant

Vietnamese doctors are going to perform the country’s first lung transplant on a 6-year-old boy later this month, with help from Japanese colleagues.

A team of about 30 people, including surgeons and anesthesiologists, will perform the operation at a hospital in Hanoi to treat the boy from lung fibrosis, a disease that causes respiratory failure, Kyodo News quoted a source from Okayama University Hospital as saying.

The operation is scheduled for February 21 and the boy will receive parts of lungs from his father and another relative. The hospital said there is no other way to save the boy.

Okayama University Hospital received a request from Vietnam last June to send experts to assist with the surgery. The hospital has conducted more than 160 lung transplants, making it the most experienced in the area in Japan.

In 2011, it also supervised the first successful lung transplant in Sri Lanka.

Vietnamese doctors started performing organ transplants in 1992 and have conducted around 1,400 operations on kidneys, livers, hearts and bone marrow.

Soc Trang enables five-year-olds to access preschool education

Soc Trang has completed making preschool education universal among five-year-old children since December 2016, as heard at a working session between the local authorities and an inspection group from the Ministry of Education and Training on February 15.

According to reports at the session, in the 2015-2016 school year, 17,880 children, or 96.61 percent of the five-year-old population of the Mekong Delta province, were enrolled in kindergartens with standard preschool programmes. 

The province reported that 98.8 percent of ethnic children in the group attended classes to prepare them for learning the official Vietnamese language in primary school.    

The ministry representatives said Soc Trang is the 61st localities nationwide to complete the preschool universalisation for children at the age of five.

Previously, on February 13 and 14, the inspection group toured preschool facilities across nine districts and towns in Soc Trang.

Southern province celebrates intangible musical heritage

The 23rd festival of “don ca tai tu”, the musical art recognised by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage, took place in the southern province of Long An on February 12-13.

The festival paid tribute to music teacher Nguyen Quang Dai, credited with promoting and preserving the traditional musical art of the southern region during the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945).

It also offers an opportunity for masters of “don ca tai tu” to meet and exchange experience to promote the art, contributing to the preservation of this intangible cultural heritage.

Held annually in Long An, the festival has become a typical cultural feature of the region and attracts many visitors.

This year, the ”don ca tai tu” festival in Long An drew the participation of 10 musical groups from HCM City and the provinces close by, including Tien Giang, Vinh Long, Ben Tre and Dong Nai. They entertained the audience with their performances of songs praising national heroes, patriotism and national achievements.

As part of the festival, the organisers also held a photo exhibition featuring the life and career of the masters of ”don ca tai tu” so that visitors could learn more about this musical art of southern Vietnam.

UNESCO recognised the art as an intangible cultural heritage in 2013. The art is performed at numerous events, such as festivals, death anniversary rituals, and celebratory social events. The audience can join in by practising, making comments or creating new words for songs.

Various activities to mark World Water Day 2017

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment plans to organise a national meeting and a number of activities in response to the World Water Day 2017 (March 22) in Bac Ninh city, the northern province of Bac Ninh from March 17-23.

Along with the national meeting, other activities to mark the day will include a photo and painting exhibition, a scientific conference on water resources, and an art performance. 

Advertisements on the World Water Day 2017 will be broadcast on local television and radio while banners and posters on the day will alsobe hung along the main streets of BacNinh province.

A Government leader is expected to deliver a speech at the meeting, which will also see the participation of leaders of many ministries, sectors, central agencies, localities and international organisations in Vietnam.

Themed “Wastewater,” the World Water Day 2017 aims to raise public awareness of the vitality to minimise water pollution and increase waterrecycling.

March 23 was chosen as the World Water Day at the UN Conference on Environment and Development in 1992 in Brazil, aiming to call for the strongerefforts of the world community in effectivelymanaging water resources, especially fresh water. 

Vietnam has responded to the annual event since 2011, with various activities held in Ninh Thuan, Hau Giang, Can Tho, Lai Chau, Bac Giang and Thanh Hoa provinces.

Japanese prefecture helps Can Tho with urban waste water management

Leaders of the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho held a working session with a business delegation from the Japanese prefecture of Hiroshima on February 15, focusing on the building of urban waste water management software. 

Vice Chairwoman of the municipal People’s Committee Vo Thi Hong Anh said the city has embarked on a number of urban development projects using the World Bank’s loans, most of them involve in infrastructure.

Can Tho is working with experts  to build power-saving lighting and solar energy systems, she said, adding that the city needs Japanese assistance in installing and operating flooding-proof sluice, water pumping and others in the form of public-private partnership. 

Kazuki Matsubara, a representative of Hiroshima, said the Japanese prefecture has suffered major environmental incidents so that its businesses boast a lot of experience in the field. 

Japanese firms want the municipal authorities to provide them with necessary database so that they could develop relevant software and form partnerships in the near future, he said. 

At the session, the two sides discussed the building of software for urban waste drainage, urban environment management and infrastructure in Can Tho using WB loans. 

According to the municipal Department of Construction, uncontrolled floods and urbanisation are major threats to the city’s sustainable development. 

Only the city’s centre is equipped with waste water collection and transport systems, accounting for nearly 20 percent of the city’s total waste water volume.

Big cleanup planned for Hanoi's Sword Lake

State-owned Hanoi Sewerage and Drainage Limited Company is working on a plan to clean the Hoan Kiem Lake, also known by the English name Sword Lake, which it says has become severely polluted.

The plan, expected to be proposed to the government soon, is urgent because the lake can no longer restore itself, said Vo Tien Hung, the company's director.

The thick mud at the bottom of the lake contains heavy metals and toxins while the high algae density means there's not enough oxygen for creatures in the lake, Hung said.

The company said the cleanup project, which includes dredging work and waste disposal, should not last more than 70 days. Water from nearby wells will also be pumped into the lake. Workers are expected to start from 9:30 p.m. and finish around 5:30 a.m. every day.

While some scientists believe such a project is necessary, others call for careful consideration to make sure human intervention does not badly affect habitats in the lake.

Culture officials also said that any cleanup plan for the lake, a top tourist site with great historical value, should not start until the public and experts have weighed in.

Vietnam to send more skilled workers abroad to curb unemployment

Vietnam’s labor ministry is outlining a new plan to send more skilled workers abroad in the next few years as the number of unemployed Vietnamese has surpassed the million mark.

According to Deputy Minister Doan Mau Nghiep, the plan will focus on sending engineers to the Republic of Korea (RoK) and health workers to Japan and Germany and also exploring new markets like Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Israel.

“The ministry wants to find solutions for well-trained workers, who have graduated from universities or colleges but can’t find jobs," he said. "But we have to assess whether the quality of our labor force meet the requirements of recipient countries."

According to official data, Vietnam had around 1.1 million unemployed workers, 2.3% of the workforce. Around one third were college graduates.

Experts have said that the quality of Vietnamese labor force is generally low compared to Asian peers such as the RoK, India and Malaysia.

HCM City transport dept to hold monthly breakfast meeting with press

Leaders of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport have invited local journalists to a breakfast meeting to discuss issues regarding the city’s traffic situation.

The gathering was organized in a friendly atmosphere at the cafeteria of the transport department headquarters on February 14.

According to Bui Xuan Cuong, director of the agency, similar breakfast meetings are scheduled to take place every third Tuesday of each month at the same location for about one hour.

“We cannot acknowledge the traffic situation at every street and neighborhood in the city,” Director Cuong said, adding that the reporters will be a great source of information thanks to their regular updates on the issue.

Ideas and initiatives designed to improve traffic in Ho Chi Minh City are also welcome during the meetings, the official said.

At the beginning of the meeting, the leader of the transport department discussed major projects scheduled to be executed in 2017, including new flyovers at the entrance to the Tan Son Nhat international Airport, and new branches to Nguyen Van Cu and Nguyen Tri Phuong Bridges in District 5, along with some others.

He also mentioned the BRT(bus rapid transit) route along Vo Van Kiet Avenue, which will commence in 2018.

The agency is trying to simplify the necessary procedures and apply appropriate measures to expedite construction works in the metropolis, Cuong added.

Officials and heads of divisions within the department also presented their reports on the current traffic status at several hotspots across the city.

Anti-motorbike sidewalk barriers stir debate in HCM City

Authorities in downtown Ho Chi Minh City have requested that the installation of anti-motorbike barriers on several sidewalks be reconsidered as they may pose an obstacle to pedestrians

The People’s Committee in District 1 has asked the municipal Department of Transport to review the installment of several fences along sidewalks.

The measure was part of the transport department’s effort to prevent motorcyclists from travelling on sidewalks and damaging pavements.

However, the barriers have posed myriad difficulties for pedestrians and even caused some to trip and fall, the District 1 People’s Committee said, quoting the complaints of several residents.

They are also considered an obstacle for the disabled, local administrators said, adding that the barricades had proved ineffective as some motorists continued to zigzag their way through the fences.

The solution had not been approved by the committee, it stated, urging the city’s transport department find a new measure that does not compromise the convenience of pedestrians.

According to the observation of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters on Ly Tu Trong Street, about eight fences, 20 centimeters high, have been placed along a 100 meter section of the sidewalk.

The blockades are made from metal and covered with reflective paint.

However, there are small gaps in between each fence, enough to allow a motorcycle to snake its way through the obstacles.

Le Ngoc Kim, a student from a local university who often walks along the section of the street, said that the barriers have not completly prevented motorists from riding on the pavement, but are still somewhat effective.

“They are not much of an obstacle for me. Pedestrians can walk through the gaps or simply walk over the barriers,” Kim said.

At the corner of Ly Tu Trong and Pasteur Street, many commuters were spotted riding their motorbikes on the sidewalk despite the barricades.

“It’s just for saving time,” one man said after being asked why he had driven on the pavement.

Others also seemed to be annoyed that their behavior was noted by the journalists.

According to Ngo Hai Duong, head of Road Infrastructure Management and Exploitation under the transport department, the barriers are a temporary solution.

The Department of Transport will conduct an evaluation of the measure by the end of this month to decide whether it should be implemented in other neighborhoods, Duong said.

He added that traffic police will be dispatched to the locations to deal with those who ride their motorbikes on the sidewalks.

Food safety needs practical measures

Practical and specific measures are needed instead of general and vague directions from authorities to ensure clean production and food safety.

The statement was made by National Assembly Vice Chairman Phung Quoc Hien during a meeting held by the 14th National Assembly Inspection Committee with the Ministry of Health (MoH), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), and the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) on the implementation of food safety policies and law from 2011 to 2016.

The inspection committee reported no cases of illegal documents and decrees being issued and praised authorities’ efforts in managing food safety.

However, Hien also said that despite ministries’ claims that food safety legal documents have been improved, various food safety issues have been a constant worry to the public, and he ordered ministries to consider modifying the administrative violations law to make it more practical.

MARD said the agricultural produces’ food safety has improved. Agricultural producers observe food safety regulations more strictly, more ‘safe vegetables’ farms are springing up and microbe and chemical contamination decreased, the MARD reports reads.

According to the MoH, from 2011 to 2016, 1,000 cases of food poisoning were recorded, affecting 30,000 people, and resulting in 164 deaths. On average, 170 food poisoning involving 5,000 people and 30 deaths take place every year.

Health ministry reports also point to high risks of poisoning in canteens of industrial parks, as evidenced by the number of mass poisoning cases occurring recently.

Representatives from MoH and MARD blamed the food poisoning on rampant abuse of chemicals, antibiotics and illegal additives in food production, cross-border smuggling of food and flawed use of food origin identification and quality labels.

According to the MoIT, during the same period, the ministry issued fines of 143.4 billion VND (6.3 million USD) for 55,580 food safety violations cases.

An issue that the MoIT still hasn’t solved is the follow-up assessment of production facilities after they are granted licences.

Ha Long determined to become civilised, friendly city

Ha Long city, home to the world natural heritage site Ha Long Bay, is working to turn itself into a civilised and friendly resort destination.

Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Tran Duc Lam said in 2017 and the following years, Ha Long – a city in the northeastern province of Quang Ninh – will continue developing socio-economic infrastructure and improve management of Ha Long Bay. 

It will run campaigns to encourage locals to follow a civilised lifestyle, clean up the environment, and be friendly towards tourists.

He added authorised agencies will strictly handle tourism-related wrongdoings and inspect tourist destinations to combat harassment or overcharging of visitors. In 2016, the city dealt with 703 administrative violations in the tourism industry, collecting total fines of nearly 1.58 billion VND (over 69,400 USD).

Last year, Ha Long welcomed 6.3 million tourists and earned 7.7 trillion VND (over 338 million USD) in revenue, respective increases of 14 percent and 65 percent from the previous year. About 2.7 million of the visitors were foreigners, a year-on-year growth of 16 percent.

The number of tourists to this city also increased sharply from the outset of 2017, surpassing 660,000 during the Lunar New Year holiday alone – up 15 percent from the same period last year.

The municipal administration said it has worked to diversify and improve tourism products, upgrade infrastructure, and better tourism workers’ capacity. The sense of responsibility of local residents and service providers has also been improved.

Ha Long also helped to organise some activities of the Ha Long-Quang Ninh Tourism Week, the Yen Tu cherry-yellow apricot flower festival, Ha Long Carnival, the festival of Tran Quoc Nghien Temple, and a spring flower festival, thereby creating interesting tourism products.

Government aims to improve border health checks

Communicable diseases from around the world could enter Vietnam and spread easily if the country does not improve prevention and control, said Tran Dac Phu, Director of the Ministry of Health’s Preventive Medicine Department.

The health official attended a February 15 meeting on preventive medicine for northern provinces, and warned that international trade, tourism and labour exchange, in addition to increased urbanisation, climate change and drug resistance exposed a greater number of people to communicable diseases.

Phu said that Vietnam is still seeing cases of vaccine-preventable diseases, mostly because of the modest vaccination rate in some localities, or poor environmental and personal hygiene.

He said that this year, the health sector will continue strengthening regular health monitoring at border gates and health centres in order to better detect diseases, report them promptly, and take action before a disease has the chance to spread in Vietnam.

Diseases like flu, dengue fever, hand-foot-mouth disease, Japanese encephalitis or Zika will be monitored closely.

The Director of the Preventive Medicine Department also said that this year, the Health Ministry planned to improve Emergency Operations Centres (EOC) at major hospitals and Pasteur institutes. Additional EOCs will be built in provinces nationwide. The centres are expected to connect the health ministry to domestic and international partners in response to public health emergencies of international concern, preventing them from spreading.

The ministry this year will carry out a project on increasing the capacity of communicable disease testing.

It is also taking measures to increase the vaccination rate to at least 95 percent at districts and 90 percent at wards/communes.

An official from the Health Ministry’s Medical Treatment Department Nguyen Duc Tien said that the department is taking actions to reduce deaths caused by communicable diseases.

For example, people with dengue fever are sent to hospitals’ departments of Communicable Disease, Pediatrics or Internal Medicine.

Improper treatment and unsafe transfers from hospital to hospital could be reported, and health officers at higher levels would provide feedback with proper instructions.

Tien said that this year, the ministry continues boosting its monitoring and support to hospitals, especially private ones in treating dengue fever in the southern region.

Every hospital in the south was required to set a group specialising in dengue fever. 

According to the Ministry of Health’s Preventive Medicine Department, nearly 11,880 cases of dengue fever were reported in Vietnam last year, resulting in 36 deaths. The number of cases was 19 percent higher than that of 2015, but the number of deaths reduced from 54.

Last year also saw more than 45,000 cases of hand-foot-mouth disease, causing one death. The number of cases was a reduction of 19.3 percent compared with 2015. The number of deaths reduced from six. The department warns that the period from March to May is usually the peak time for hand-foot-mouth disease. In the year so far, 2,100 cases of the disease have been reported in 57 cities and provinces nationwide.

219 cases of the Zika virus were in Vietnam last year and 13 cases this year. The majority of cases were reported in HCM City.

Mekong Delta International Agricultural Festival kicks-off

The Ministry of Science and Technology held a press conference on February 15 to launch the first-ever International Agricultural Festival of the Mekong Delta, which will run March 9-13 in the city of Can Tho.

The festival aims to support agricultural development for the Mekong Delta region through research and application of advanced science and technology. It also targets building trademarks to increase global competitiveness.

Major activities of the event include many meetings of scientists and businesses to deal with current issues regarding boosting agriculture productivity and produce quality.

In addition, an agricultural products exhibition is expected to attract the participation of representatives of about 300-500 businesses showcasing their agriculture related products and technologies.

The event will also honour outstanding research institutes, training facilities, businesses, cooperatives and farmers for their inventions that benefit agricultural technology.

Phan Xuan Dung, chair of the National Assembly’s Committee for Science, Technology and Environment, said the festival is an important event that creates opportunities for businesses, scientists and management officials.

It affords them the opportunity to meet, introduce their products and share experience in science-technology research and application in production and business.

The festival is also expected to contribute to promoting smart agricultural production in the region, thus implementing the Party and State’s policy on agriculture and rural development.

Fines imposed on BRT lane violations

Hanoi traffic police started have started imposing fines on drivers who are caught using the bus rapid transit (BRT) from February 15.

Following Government Decree 46/2016/NĐ-CP, issued in 2016, cars driving in the BRT lane will be fined VND800,000-1.2 million (USD35-53) and motorbikes VND300,000-400,000 (USD13-17).  

Captain Le Van Hung from the city’s Traffic Police Division 7, said that dozens of violations were detected since early morning today with the majority being motorbikes.

The National Traffic Safety Committee has asked Hanoi police to investigate a state-owned blue number-plated car which was found travelling along the BRT lane. The case was detected after a clip about the violation posted by a Facebook user on February 8 went viral. The car bearing a blue-coloured licence plate with the number 29A-016.46 was caught running at a high speed in the lane.

Hanoi launched the 14-km BRT route from January 1, 2017, linking Kim Ma Station in Dong Da District and Yen Nghia Station in Ha Dong District and takes around 30 minutes.

The city plans to operate eight BRT routes by 2030.

Flood tide causes erosion in Bến Tre

Flood tide during the past three days has caused serious erosion in the coastal area of Thạnh Hải Village, Bảo Thuận Commune, Ba Tri District, in southern Bến Tre Province.

The erosion area is more than 500m in length and over 50m in depth, with some parts some 100m in depth.

The flood tide destroyed a house and caused a depression in 500m of dyke and 250m of road. Many electric poles fell, leaving the Cồn Nhàn coastal area in the village without electricity.

Huỳnh Văn Ngoặt, a resident, said this was the highest flood tide he had seen in his 30 years living here. The highest wave was more than 10m.

Another unusual occurrence was that normally, the highest flood tide occurred in the last month of lunar years. But this year, the highest flood tide occurred in the first month of the lunar year, Ngoặt said.

The flood tide destroyed 2,000sq.m of vegetables and farm products of the locals, which were going to be harvested.

Lâm Văn Ô, deputy chairman of Bảo Thuận Commune People’s Committee, said the district had conducted different measures to limit the losses.

One of the most important tasks was moving residents, especially the elderly and children, to safe areas.

Police, militiamen and border guards were on hand to assist in addressing problems caused by the flood tide, Ô said.

Saigon’s vegetable origin-tracing program stumbles over label provider

A program launched in January allowing Ho Chi Minh City residents to trace the origin of vegetables via a QR code scan is raising eyebrows over who really provides the QR-coded labels.

The first batch of traceable greens hit selected markets in Ho Chi Minh City on January 17, with a full-scale rollout scheduled for April.

When the program was first announced earlier this year by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), the Digital Agriculture Association (DAA) was named the official provider of technical solutions for the program, responsible for digitalizing data and providing labels for the vegetables.

The DAA is a socio-occupational organization whose members are agricultural businesses in Vietnam that “yearn to employ science and modern technology in their production,” according to the association’s official website.

However, customers who shop for traceable vegetables in Ho Chi Minh City since the program’s launch have been confused to find the produce bearing labels provided by another company, TraceVerified Solutions & Services JSC.

TraceVerified started in 2011 as a project funded by the Danish government’s Global Competitiveness Facility to develop electronic traceability software for food exporters from Vietnam.

Its founder and chairwoman is Dr. Nguyen Thi Hong Minh, former Deputy Minister of Fisheries.

According to Bui Xuan Quynh, vice chairman of Phu Loc Cooperative, one of the vegetable producers taking part in the program, his organization has not heard from the DAA since the launch of the program, leaving them with no choice but to use labels provided by TraceVerified instead.

“We can provide as much as 12 metric tons of traceable vegetables a day, but have been reluctant to expand our business due to the label hassle,” Quynh said.

Facing the same problem, Ho Chi Minh City-based green producer Phuoc An Cooperative has only been able to enter 18 out of their 38 vegetable products into the program using TraceVerified-provided labels.

“We have requested the DAA to carry out inspections at our farms multiple times but their response has been silence so far,” said Dao Thanh Duc, vice chairman of Phuoc An Cooperative. “The delay has gravely affected our business.”

In another development, TraceVerified has sent complaint letters to the Ho Chi Minh City administration, the DARD, and DAA Chairman Truong Gia Binh, accusing the association of using their data without authorization for its own traceability technology.

The letter, penned by TraceVerified Chairwoman Dr. Nguyen Thi Hong Minh, claimed that TraceVerified had been the first to offer traceability technology for vegetables produced by Phu Loc and Phuoc An Cooperatives, in accordance with contracts signed in June and November 2016 respectively with different DARD bodies.

However, during press conferences prior to the launch of the latest program, the DAA wrongfully switched TraceVerified labels for their own on the displayed vegetables, despite using the same database, Dr. Minh pointed out.

“This is a serious violation of TraceVerified’s patent, honor and reputation, damaging our competitiveness in the market,” she underlined.

Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper’s requests for comment from the DAA’s vice chairman, Nguyen Truong Son, have been unanswered.

Metropole Hanoi to Host Southeast Asia’s Largest Wine Event 

It’s no secret amongst wine connoisseurs that the Bordeaux region in France produces some of the finest wines in the world. Thus, the coming of Bordeaux Rendez-vous 2017, Southeast Asia’s largest Bordeaux wine event, to the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi on March 9 is cause for a well-deserved celebration. This is the first time that the esteemed wine festival will be held in the Vietnamese capital.
 
Part of the Metropole’s Les Arômes Festival, Bordeaux Rendez-vous will see 19 Château’s and their ambassadors travel to Hanoi to share their passion and knowledge with wine enthusiasts and connoisseurs alike. The one-day wine extravaganza will showcase more than 45 of the best Bordeaux wines imported especially for the occasion. Now in it’s 11th year, the Metropole’s annual Les Arômes Festival is one of the most exciting culinary events in the city, showcasing the very best in gourmet food and wine.
 
Participating wineries for Bordeaux Rendez-vous 2017 include First-Growth Château Guiraud, Second-Growth Château Rauzan-Ségla, Third-Growth Château d’Issan as well as a number of Fourth and Fifth-Growth wineries. Guests will have the opportunity to savour brilliant red and white wines of vintages ranging from 1996 to 2014. As France’s largest wine growing region, Bordeaux is home to an estimated 10,000 wineries.
 
Currently in its sixth year, Bordeaux Rendez-vous 2017 is organized by French wine merchants Barriere Freres. Over the past few years, the annual wine tasting series has journeyed across Southeast Asia to introduce select wineries to the region. This year’s festival will run from March 2-10, with events scheduled in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong and Hanoi.
 
The Hanoi leg of Bordeaux Rendez-vous will take place at the Metropole’s La Veranda restaurant and outdoor patios from 5-8pm on March 9. The evening will be capped off with a private auction featuring special rare vintages of Bordeaux.
 
Tickets to the spirited event cost 1,200,000 VND and include wine tasting and speciality foods from the hotel’s French chef Olivier Genique. 

“Beijing – ASEAN culture journey” comes to Hanoi

The fourth “Beijing – ASEAN culture journey” exchange programme took place in Hanoi on February 14.

The event was jointly held by the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) and the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC).

It featured musical instrument performances, a photo exhibition on Beijing, and a show on intangible cultural heritage handicraft products.

Yu Fan, head of the Chinese delegation to the event, said the exchange helps increase mutual understanding and cooperation between Beijing and Hanoi in the fields of culture and tourism.

The programme was first held in Beijing in 2014. It has been successfully organised in Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia and Thailand over the past three years and received warm applause from local people.-VNA

VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri/VNE