Getting the Fourth Industrial Revolution right

The country is beginning to see glimpses of what the Fourth Industrial Revolution will bring – drones, self-driving cars, virtual experiences, genetic breakthroughs – and how different, for better or worse, life will be for Vietnamese.

However, what is the subject of much debate, is how the new technology-driven age could stand to broaden and deepen the inequality gap between those who possess the ability to prosper, and those untold millions of uneducated Vietnamese that don’t have access to quality education and hence won’t flourish in this new era.

Then there are also the monumental issues surrounding the need to change current perceptions and raise awareness about the omnipresent importance of improving the education of women and girls throughout the country.

It is short-sighted at best to think that an illiterate mother raising her children in a rural village in Vietnam will be able to benefit from the cutting-edge products or services being produced in the country in the new era, or that one of her daughters will be empowered to benefit without fundamental change being effectuated.

In this age of ‘fake news’ in Vietnam it is all too easy for critical issues—such as the fact that gender-biased sex selection continues to skew the ratio between males and females born in the country, with projections showing that by 2035 there will be 10% more men than women in the population if current trends are not halted—to be ignored.

Gender biased sex selection is a real issue with tangible consequences highlighting the need for the country to focus on putting the necessary resources into education to obtain the highest return on investment as it enters the new age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

It is not logical to assume the Fourth Industrial Revolution will magically solve the national crisis of illiteracy or that cloud-based learning or virtual instruction will in any meaningful way eradicate health epidemics or alleviate the security challenges or threats to its sovereignty that Vietnam currently faces.

It is crucially important that Vietnam as a country continue to focus on effectively training teachers and educating its youth to ensure children continue to improve their literacy— and that advancing their language and communication skills above all else remain the central focus and lay the proper foundation for the advancement of the country.

Additionally, the country must put at the forefront the support of girls to complete secondary school and foster in them the skills needed to succeed beyond the classroom – like confidence, financial planning and self-awareness.

If these interventions are not universally put in place, millions of today’s youth in low-income families will never reach their full potential and therefore will be precluded from the benefits of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

In short, the country cannot afford to overlook making further progress towards building the human capacity of its people to fully participate in the benefits that the Fourth Industrial Revolution may offer.

Regardless of all the ‘fake news’ that circulates throughout the Vietnam media daily, the country can only shape its future by putting the education of its young first and foremost and then concentrate its efforts on empowering them.

Education and the ability to effectively communicate in foreign languages is the indispensable path forward to accelerating the country’s economic growth and raising the quality of life for its citizens that the country—must get right—if it is to prosper in the new age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Udon noodle shop owner teaches free Japanese to young Vietnamese

A Japanese man has worked for two years to turn his noodle shop in Ho Chi Minh City into a place where local youngsters can learn the Japanese language for free while diners are enjoying Udon.

Enomoto Toshiaki, 35, teaches Japanese lessons to young Vietnamese in the comfort of diners at an Udon noodle shop he runs in a small alley on Su Van Hanh Street in District 10.

Toshiaki’s lessons often start at 3:00 pm every Sunday. The shop owner always arranges enough tables and chairs for his students even when the place is filled with customers.

Three hard-working students, between 18 and 20 years old, are attending the class free of charge amid the scent and flavor from the broth of Udon noodles.

The Japanese ‘teacher’ started his class about two years ago when he first ran his culinary business in an alley on Le Hong Phong Street, District 10.

He wanted to primarily create a place where Japanese people in Ho Chi Minh and local residents could meet one another and learn languages.

Toshiaki’s lessons are tailored from Minna no Nihongo, a Japanese language textbook widely sold at local bookstores.

He occasionally invites his Japanese friends to his class for the students to practice their skills.

According to Nguyen Thi Phuc Loc, a Vietnamese employee of the noodle shop, a lot of people attended Toshiaki’s class at first.

“However, the number eventually dwindled as Japanese is a difficult language to learn,” Loc said.

The number of students has gone down from 20 in the first place to three at present.

The Japanese class welcomes several new faces whenever there is a surge of people preparing to study or work in Japan.

Numbers do not matter, Toshiaki said, adding that he is ready to teach anyone who likes to learn the language, even if there is only one learner in class.

“The class is very exciting as I don’t often have the chance to speak to native speakers,” Tran Thi Ngoc Ngan, a freshman who had attended Toshiaki’s class since December 2016, said.

Despite studying at a language center, Ngan still manages to come to the class every Sunday to hone her skills.

“I often order a bowl of noodles and have some chit-chat with my teacher after the lessons,” she added.

HCM City's plan for massive walking zone worries experts

Ho Chi Minh City has plans to make more than 220 hectares (544 acres), or nearly a fifth of its downtown area, exclusive to pedestrians, but experts are questioning the effects of the switch and the challenges it will pose for residents.

The walking area will stand in the heart of the city, covering 7.35 kilometers, and include parts of Dong Khoi, Hai Ba Trung, Le Duan, Le Loi, Ly Tu Trong, Mac Dinh Chi, Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, Nguyen Du, Pasteur and several small streets in District 1.

The area has been selected due to the large number of offices located there, such as the city hall and the People’s Court, as well as popular destinations such as Ben Thanh Market, the Opera House, Tao Dan Park and the Saigon Zoo.

If approved, electric buses, a monorail and a subway system will be set up in the area by 2020.

Several parking lots will also be set up on the nearby Le Lai, Pham Ngu Lao, Nguyen Thi Nghia and Nguyen Huu Canh streets, according to a proposal that the transport department will submit to the city’s government for review in the next two months.

Initially, the vehicle restrictions will only apply during weekend nights and holidays.

The city plans to start with streets connected to Nguyen Hue.

Hoever, many experts have said that building such a large walking zone will do more harm than good.

Pham Xuan Mai, a transport lecturer at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, said the plan will have widescale impacts on people’s lives.

Mai told Thanh Nien newspaper that the plan should only be used for tourist and cultural centers, but this is not that case.

“People living in that area will not be able to drive home, and businesses will lose customers,” he said, referring to hotels and restaurants that will find it hard to find customers willing to walk long distances.

Architect Doan Huu Doan also said that the new plan will not solve the city’s traffic problem as vehicles will be squeezed onto other streets.

Before Ho Chi Minh City opens more walking streets, it should develop public transport and solve the severe lack of parking lots, Doan said, as cited by Thanh Nien.

The megacity, the most crowded city in Vietnam, is home to nearly 13 million people, including migrants. By the end of last year, vehicles in the city had increased to 8.5 million, including more than 600,000 cars, according to official figures.

Latest MRI technology in musculoskeletal disorders launched in Vietnam

The Vietnam Society of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine and Japan Vietnam Medical Instrument JSC are organising the seminar on the latest MRI technology in musculoskeletal disorders.

The seminar brings together experts and radiologists from Vietnam and Singapore on application of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in musculoskeletal diagnosis and treatment. 

All over the world, MRI is a modern, effective, and popular imaging method thanks to its high level of accuracy and safety. Nowadays, it is applied in examination of body’s organs to support treatment of cancer, neurology, cardiovascular diseases, and especially musculoskeletal disorders.

In Vietnam, magnetic resonance is increasingly preferred by doctors and patients thanks to the highly accurate non-X-ray non-invasive method, which helps to reduce potential risks and patients’ pains. 

“Currently, the fact that many patients do not come to hospitals until their diseases are getting serious causes a great difficulty for treatment. Advanced MRI technology will support early detection of symptoms, thus improving patients’ chances of opportune diagnosis and treatment, reducing costs of treatment, and enhancing the quality of life. By providing updated and valuable knowledge, the seminar will positively contribute to raise awareness about MRI, to support early detection of symptoms, and to enhance recovery opportunities,” he said.

“MRI is a vital method in early detection of diseases, especially symptoms of musculoskeletal disorders in order to support positive treatment. We do believe that with those updated knowledge and advanced technology, MRI will support examination and effective detection, thereby improving possibilities of treatment,” said Dr. Poh Feng from Singapore.  

On this occasion, Japan Vietnam Medical Instrument Company partners with Hitachi Healthcare to introduce the Echelon Smart 1.5 Tesla featuring silent scanning technology, low energy consumption function, and superior image quality. Vietnam is the first country in Asia to have this technology introduced.

This superconductive MRI scanner offers superior image quality and a patient-friendly examination environment. The equipment is featured with advanced contemporary technologies, namely Smart Comfort – Smart Eco – Smart Engine.

General director of Japan Vietnam Medical Instrument JSC Ngo Thanh Son said the first Echelon Smart 1.5 is expected to be delivered in July this year.

Police detect 113 opium poppies in Vietnamese farmer's garden

Anti-narcotics police investigators have found and seized 113 opium poppies planted in a farmer's garden in Vietnam's northern region, the provincial police said.

The officers found the plant as they raided a house in Thai Binh Province, around 100 kilometers (62 miles) to the southeast of Hanoi.

The poppies, planted by Bui Trung Phong, 52, have bloomed and some have grown pods, the dried latex from which can be used to extract opium.

Phong told the police that a friend gave him the seeds and he planted them in his sister's garden.

Police have seized all the plants and are building a case against Phong.

Those who are caught planting opium poppy or other narcotic trees in Vietnam are subject to punishment by official warning. Repeated violations face jail terms of up to seven years, according to the Penal Code.

Vietnam’s student-made vending machine dispenses ready-to-eat pho

A group of three students at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education has successfully created a vending machine that can dispense a bowl of cooked pho, bubble tea or ready-to-eat banh mi.

It took the team, consisting of Pham Ngoc Dien, Vong Ly Phu, and Nguyen Hao Quang, and their leader, Dr. Nguyen Truong Thinh, dean of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, nearly half a year to make the country’s first-ever pho vending machine.

The machine, standing 2.1 meters high, has a cooler section where the ingredients to make 50 bowls of pho, or Vietnamese rice noodle soup with beef, are stored at 5 degrees Celsius. Each bowl of pho requires 330g of noodle, beef and onion.

The boiler has two compartments, maintained at a temperature of 70 and 90 degrees Celsius, respectively, with one containing the broth and the other supplying hot water to boil the noodle.

After the customers select the kind of pho they want and make payment, the noodle will be taken from the cooler and boiled in the hot compartment.

The final bowl of pho will be provided on a tray with necessary eating utensil, herb, lemon, hoisin and hot sauce.

When the machine is about to run out of broth or bowl, it will automatically notify the operator via text messages. In case of technical problems, a fail-safe program will switch off the machine and notify the operator.

To ensure hygiene, all the machine compartments are made of stainless steel, with the broth tank and all the pipes easily removable for cleaning and maintenance.

Besides dispensing pho, the machine can also be used to make vermicelli, and other noodle soups.

Along with this project, Dr. Thinh also led two other student groups in creating vending machines that dispense banh mi, or Vietnamese breads, bubble tea, and che (sweet soup).

The banh mi-dispensing machine is made by Nguyen Minh Khoa, Nguyen Anh Luat, and Vo Minh Chi. It can hold 120 Vietnamese loaves of banh mi in a full load.

After customers choose the kind of meat fillings, the number of loaves, and make payment, the bread will be transferred from the cooler to the oven, where it is baked in one minute.

The ready-to-eat banh mi will be wrapped nicely in papers, served along with soy sauce and other necessary spices.

The bubble tea machine is created by the trio named Huynh Mach Anh Ninh, Tran Duy Thanh, and Luu Duc Trong Nhan.

It is able to make four different kinds of tea with two kinds of jelly, containing 120 glasses at full load.

The customers simply choose the milk tea, the quantity, make payment, and their order will be ready in one minute.

According to Dr. Thinh, the three projects are sponsored by a private company with a budget of VND200 million (US$8,800).

All the students participating in the three projects are seniors and the inventions will serve as their graduation theses.

Every year, the Department of Mechanical Engineering receives 30 to 40 orders from various companies asking to make machines with a wide range of functions such as peeling aloe vera skin, cutting fruits into cubes, cleaning banana leaves, among others.

After completing such projects, many graduates have been invited to work in the companies ordering the product while some go on to become entrepreneurs establishing their own companies and further developing their products.

Vietnam asks Google to remove 2,200 toxic YouTube videos

Vietnam’s broadcast watchdog has demanded that Google pull more than 2,200 videos with ‘toxic’ content from YouTube, a deputy chief official of the authority confirmed on March 24.

The Department of Broadcasting and Electronic Information under Vietnam’s information ministry said earlier this month that there are as many as 8,000 videos whose content is either fake or anti-government on Google-owned YouTube.

A list of more than a quarter of those videos has been sent to Google, so that the company can review and remove them from the world’s largest video-sharing platform, the department deputy head Le Quang Tu Do said on March 24.

The ‘toxic’ videos are classified as those spreading fabricated information against the government or inciting violence and terrorism.

Do said Google has responded cooperatively to the request, saying they will prioritize reviews of those videos and maintain close cooperation with Vietnam.

The broadcasting department has previously warned big-name brands in Vietnam that their online ads were appearing before and during nearly those inappropriate YouTube videos, calling them to review their advertising policy with the Google site.

Commenting on this issue, Do said the latest review by his department found that those ads are no longer placed alongside the ‘toxic’ videos.

However, Do noted that this is only a temporary solution, adding that brands and advertisers must join hands with the information ministry to “create a fair and lawful environment for online advertising.”

According to the broadcast watchdog, the department is working with Google to create a protocol to have toxic content removed from YouTube or other Google-owned platforms in a faster way, instead of the current review mechanism.

Nguyen Thanh Lam, head of the broadcasting department, has previously revealed Google is only able to remove content on a video-by-video basis, which means it is impossible to remove all 8,000 videos on the platform.

The broadcasting department has also proposed preparing a code of conduct for Vietnamese users on social networks.

“We have also called on such big players in the field as Google and Facebook to cooperate with Vietnam in composing the set of rules,” Do said.

The official revealed that an international conference is scheduled for next month to discuss the detailed plan for the code of conduct.

“We will learn from the experience of other countries, then start negotiating with relevant social network operators on the issue,” he said.

Charity walk for women’s development raises VND600 million

A charity walk aiming to raise VND600 million for the women’s development fund was organized in Ho Chi Minh City on March 25.

The event attracted about 5,000 people with the attendance of  Former Vice President Truong My Hoa and the Vice chairwoman of the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, Nguyen Thi Thu.

The event aims to showcase the solidarity of Vietnamese and international women, affirm the role of female labor force in the social development, as well as raise  awareness of the sexual egalitarianism and enouraging women to  strive for a better life, contributing to the common prosperity.

The walk is also to encourage people to reduce vehicle pollution, promote walking and call on women to participate in social and charity activities

Money raised from the walk was handed over to the Fund for Women in Economic Development ( CWED) under the Ho Chi Minh City Women's Union, Scholarship Fund suporting disadvantaged female students and a venture fund for underprivileged women nationwide under the Vietnam Association of  the HCM City Association for Women Executives and Entrepreneurs (HAWEE).

14 month-old boy dies after vaccination without reason in North

After the death of 14 month old boy in the northern province of Phu Tho’s Tan Son District, the province’s Department of Health March 25 convened a meeting with experts from the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology and the National Expanded Immunization to verify the cause of the death.

The scientific council came to the conclusion that the death is not to relate to vaccine quality and injection procedures. 

Before, the boy was taken to the commune health center for vaccination of Japanese encephalitis. 

Parents of the kid kept him at the center 30 minute after he was immunized. Yet in the same evening, he sufferred slight fever and he did not abate though his parents gave him drug. 

When the kid experienced convulsion fits, he was rushed to the center where he died.

100-kilo Vietnam War bomb unearthed in southern province

Authorities said the bomb could still detonate at any time and cause serious damage.

A bomb weighing 100 kilograms (220 lbs) was unearthed by construction workers in the southern province of Binh Duong on March 24 morning.

Nguyen Duc Chinh, a 40-year-old excavator driver, found the bomb buried about two meters deep as he was working on the foundations for a new house in the Vietnam-Singapore residential area in Thuan An Commune.  The bomb was 60 centimeters long and weighed about 100kg.

At noon, military officers from Thuan An Military Command arrived and safely removed the bomb.

Authorities said the bomb, left over from the Vietnam War, could still detonate at any time and cause serious damage.

Keep power cost stable: Deputy PM     

Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue has asked the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) to calculate retail power price adjustments every six months instead of three as it proposed.

In a draft revision of a Government decision on power price adjustment, the MoIT proposed an adjustment period of every three months instead of the six months implemented since 2013. However, after discussions with involved parties, the Deputy PM asked to maintain the current adjustment mechanism to ensure macro-economic stability.

The Deputy PM asked the MoIT to team up with the Ministry of Finance and Viet Nam Electricity Corporation (EVN) to review and finish the draft on average electricity retail prices and submit it to the Prime Minister next month.

Earlier, the Deputy PM asked the MoIT and EVN to draft a report, including production and business activities, expenses, production costs and selling price in 2016, as well as a plan for 2017. He requested them to submit their proposals by March 25.

But a power rate hike for consumers appears likely in the coming months, given that there was no adjustment in 2016 and the last power tariff hike was in March 2015, when it increased 7.5 per cent.

An EVN representative told media that the power retail price would depend on the price of coal the company buys. The Government has asked the Finance Ministry to negotiate with the Viet Nam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group (Vinacomin) over the coal prices sold for electricity production. The negotiation results must be submitted to the Government by the end of this month.

Dang Hoang An, EVN’s general director, said the input cost for electricity production had increased since 2015, with coal prices up 7 per cent since December 24, 2016, and electricity production costs surging by over VND4.7 trillion (US$206 million).

However, the increase had not been included in the current power retail tariffs.

Nguyen Ngoc Hung from the Energy Institute told news site Vietnamnet.vn that the electricity demand and material prices could affect power tariffs this year. Hung said the higher power retail prices were due to increasing demand, which rises 11-12 per cent a year. In addition, the country had seen development of thermo-hydropower and gas turbine power plants instead of hydropower plants – the cheapest electricity resource.

"That is the reason a rate hike is unavoidable," he said.

Coal prices have a major effect on power tariffs as thermo-power plants account for the biggest chunk of the country’s supply.

EVN said its power output bought from power plants in the last quarter of 2016 included 26 per cent of hydropower, 40 per cent of thermo-power and 31 per cent of gas turbine power and other.

Hung said it was estimated that if coal prices for electricity production rose by 10 per cent, the power generation cost would increase by 3-4 per cent. 

HCM City starts safe supply chains     

As part of a programme to create an agricultural supply chain by 2020, HCM City will build a safe supply chain each for vegetables, pork and seafood, open shops selling safe agricultural produce and develop brands for safe food markets.

The city’s agricultural output meets just 30 per cent of its 10 million people’s demand, and the rest is supplied by other cities and provinces.

It had carried out a pilot programme to create a safe food supply chain in 2013-15, and achieved reasonable results.

But the supply of products as well as their variety were modest.

It is based on this effort that the city is now attempting to create the agricultural supply chain.

The programme aims at strengthening the links with provinces that supply farm produce, improve oversight of food safety and raise producers and distributors’ awareness of safeguarding consumers’ health.

One of its major tasks will be to ensure food safety through inspections and control at the points of origin.

Another is to improve safety at all stages in the process, from breeding and slaughter to transport, processing and distribution.

This is expected to add to the brand value of the country’s agricultural produce.

The programme targets establishing 20 VietGap-certified pig breeding farms in the city and 10 in Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Long An Province, each with 500 pigs.

It will encourage investment also in farms rearing young pigs, modern slaughterhouses and trading establishments in these places.

By doing this way, the safe food chain is expected to meet 30 per cent of the city’s demand for safe pork by 2020.

To supply fruits and vegetables, the programme will establish four safe food chain models in which co-operatives and businesses participate.

By 2020, fruits and vegetables produced by these chains will meet 50 per cent of the city’s needs.

In the case of seafood too, the programme expects to meet more than 50 per cent of the demand.

It targets opening 100-150 shops selling fresh farm produce such as meat, seafood, vegetables, poultry eggs and milk.

It will develop a system enabling consumers to trace the origins of products from cultivation, animal breeding and seafood co-operatives.

The city plans to develop brands for wholesale and traditional markets selling safe farm produce by 2020.

HCM City reviews efforts to create educated society

Tất Thành Cang, Deputy Standing Secretary of the HCM City Party Committee, on Tuesday held a meeting with the city’s Study Promotion Association to assess its implementation of Instruction No 04-CT/TU meant to enhance the city Party’s role in building an educated society.

Nguyễn Thị Thu, deputy chairwoman of the People’s Committee, and other city officials also took part in the meeting.

The chairman of the Study Promotion Association, Nguyễn Huy Cận, said the association has established 4,341 branches in the city, more than 2,000 at hamlet and residential quarter levels, with around 800,000 members.

Besides, there are 320 community learning centres at communes, wards and towns with more than 480,000 people taking part in their activities related to cultural studies, vocational training, and life and social communication skills.

The association’s Study Promotion Fund mobilised more than VNĐ77 billion (US$3.4 million) from donations to support disadvantaged students who are at risk of dropping out of school.

Many study promotion models such as family study, clan study, community study and unit study are implemented by its branches.

But officials from the Party Committee and the city administration said relevant agencies have not paid attention to introducing the models.

Grass-roots Party Committee units and officials have failed to mobilise people’s participation in the study promotion models, they said.

There is little or no co-ordination between the education sector and local authorities in developing the models, they said.

Cang appreciated the efforts of the association’s Standing Committee to promote the learning social model but said there are many shortcomings in implementing Instruction No 4-CT/TU.

He asked the association to review implementation of the Politburo’s Instruction No 11-CT/TW on enhancing the Party’s leadership in promoting education and encouraging and building an educated society during the last 10 years.

The review should focus on introducing good models and typical examples to mobilise donations and expand the models in the community, he said.

He also urged the association to draft plans to make HCM City an educated city and deploy them soon.     

HCM City, Vientiane capital realise cooperation agreements

Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong and Vientiane Governor Sinlavong Khoutphaythoune have agreed to actively realise the jointly-signed cooperation agreements between the two cities.

During their talks in HCM City on March 29, the two sides agreed to continue fostering friendship and cooperation, contributing to nurturing the traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two Parties, the States and the two cities.

The two localities will co-organise activities to mark the 55th anniversary of Vietnam – Laos diplomatic ties and 40th anniversary of the Vietnam – Laos Treaty of Amity and Cooperation.

They also agreed on continuing the exchange of their delegations, while boosting cooperation in investment, trade, culture and education.

hcm city, vientiane capital realise cooperation agreements hinh 0 HCM City and Vientiane capital will share experiences in tax, financial management and investment attraction, strengthen trade and investment exchange between their enterprises and develop trade and tourism centres in their respective localities.

At the talks, Phong affirmed that HCM City treasures and will do its utmost to protect, consolidate and develop the special relationship with Laos in general and Vientiane in particular.

Sinlavong Khoutphaythoune highly valued the support the HCM City has provided for Vientiane over the past years, particularly technical assistance for beef cattle farming, human resources training, and scholarship granting.

He expressed his hope that HCM City will continue providing support for Vientiane in the framework of cooperation from 2015-2020, sharing experience in luring foreign direct investment and enhancing capacity in tax and banking management.

Vietnam ranks second best place in the world to teach English

With job vacancies available all year round offering high salaries, Vietnam has been ranked the second best place in the world to teach English by TEFL Exchange, a community for teachers of English as a foreign language.

The site estimates that a foreign English teacher can earn between US$1,200-US$2,200 a month in Vietnam, where the average annual income in 2016 was just US$2,200.

They can find a job any time of year and the best places to do so are the country’s three largest cities: Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Danang.

Candidates only need to hold a bachelor’s degree and a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate.

English is an obligatory subject from sixth grade across Vietnam, but in large cities, many primary schools demand high competency. Foreign language centers have been thriving here, with students as young as three years old.

TEFL Exchange came up with the best places to teach English in 2017 after saying that 2016 was a bad year and many people wanted to escape the chaos of Brexit and Trump.

Myanmar topped the list with a salary range similar to Vietnam. Nicaragua came third, followed by Nepal, Brazil, Madagascar, Chile, UAE, the Czech Republic and the Philippines.

All of the countries selected also offer beautiful culture, nature and amazing food, the report said.

The highlights for Vietnam are good coffee, cheap beer and delicious bun cha – a combination of grilled pork patties, cold dipping sauce, fresh vegetables and rice vermicelli which tastes best in Hanoi, as proven by former US President Barack Obama himself.

Bones found near Vietnam War battle site reburied

The remains of Vietnamese soldiers from Company 8, Battalion 2, Regime 28 who died during a battle some 44 years ago in the central highland province of Kon Tum were reburied on March 27, 2017.

Most recently, bones of six soldiers believed to date back to the battle during the 1972 Spring-Summer Offensive were recovered on property adjacent to a site where residents were digging a foundation for a house. 

The remains were recovered by the Kon Tom City Military Command who also accorded them a professional military burial. Unfortunately, the results cannot determine the specific names and identity of the soldiers.

It is not unusual for Vietnam War remains to be found, since there were many major battles in the war with the US, and there could be as many as 300,000 Vietnamese soldiers that remain unidentified nationwide, according to some estimates.