Vietnam asks to investigate tea firm director’s sudden death

Ms Ha Thuy Linh (photo), Vietnamese tea firm director who was found dead in China, regained consciousness for a while in hospital to explain what happened before dying, lawyer Truong Quang Quy, the company’s legal advisor, said. 

Ms. Linh told doctors that she was poisoned, then beaten and robben at a coffee, according to the lawyer.

Ha Thuy Linh, director of Ha Linh Oolong Tea Co. based in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong and Vice chairwoman of the provincial Association of Young Entrepreneurs , has been reported dead on September 22 while she was in China's Guangdong Province  for a business trip to handle issues with partners  19 since September.

Ha Linh Company was established in 2008. The firm has 200 hectares of tea plantations in Xuan Truong Commune in Da Lat and is able to produce 14 tons of finished and raw tea products per day, of which 60 percent are exported to Taiwan (China) and China. The business is known as one of the largest Oolong tea exporter in Lam Dong.

Vietnam's foreign ministry and Lam Dong People’s Committee have asked the Vietnamese General Consulate in China's Guangdong Province to work with Chinese authorities to investigate Linh's death.

Copper mesh ideal for making fish cages

Fish farm owners can earn more using cages made from copper alloy mesh, the International Collaborating Centre for Aquaculture and Fisheries Sustainability (ICAFIS) found.

The centre carried out a project with the International Copper Association in South East Asia (ICASEA) on Cat Ba Island.

Tuong Thi Lai, vice director of ICAFIS, said the strong, durable cages require low maintenance, have low mortality rates and allow zero escapes.

Also, copper alloys are antimicrobial, meaning they destroy bacteria, viruses, fungi, algae, and other microbes. The fish are therefore healthier.

Moreover, by inhibiting microbial growth, copper alloy aquaculture pens avoid the need for costly net changes that are necessary with other materials. The resistance to organism growth also provides a cleaner and healthier environment for the fish.

However, experts said the cost for using the material in Viet Nam is still high, so adjustments needed to be made to lower the input costs.

Colin May, director of ICASEA, said once the copper alloy mesh cages were manufactured en masse, the input costs would fall.

Currently, fish cages made of nylon are more popular in Viet Nam. The country harvests 3.6 million tonnes of aquaculture products each year on a total of 1,100 hectares. 

HCM City re-routes traffic at congested intersection

The city's Department of Transport has made traffic changes at a highly congested intersection in District 7.

The changes have been made at the Huynh Tan Phat – Luu Trong Lu intersection and Tran Xuan Soan and Lien Cang A5 streets.

As of 9am today, cars travelling on Huynh Tan Phat Street are not allowed to turn left onto Luu Trong Lu Street (from Tran Xuan Soan to Luu Trong Lu streets).

According to the department, Tran Xuan Soan Street from Huynh Tan Phat Street to Tan Thuan 4 Street will become a one-way street for cars.

In addition, parking is no longer allowed on Lien Cang A5 Street.

As of 9am on September 24, all vehicles travelling on Nguyen Van Linh Street are not allowed to turn left at Nguyen Huu Tho Street.

In addition, from now until April 5, 2016, part of Ton Duc Thang Street (from Ngo Van Nam Street to Nguyen Huu Canh Street) in District 1 will be bordered by a fence for the construction of the Ba Son metro station line running from Ben Thanh to Suoi Tien. 

Need to borrow planning ideas

Experts from Viet Nam, Germany, Norway and the Netherlands gathered in Ha Noi yesterday at an urban planning workshop.

The workshop entilted Urban – regional plans and development in the European Union and policy suggestions for Viet Nam was organised by the Viet Nam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS).

Foreign experts said it was crucial for Viet Nam to choose a suitable urban planning pattern based on those of other countries.

The country must learn from the failures and successes of others, they said. According to Associate Professor Dr. Vu Thi Vinh, former General Secretary of the Association of Cities of Viet Nam, traffic congestion in Viet Nam stems from poor infrastructure, inadequate public transportation and more importantly, the lack of a link between land use and urban traffic planning.

She suggested metropolises in Viet Nam integrate urban transport and land use planning towards green transportation.

Combined use of public transport, walking and cycling to make long journeys shorter has become a green approach in many major cities in Europe and North America, she noted.

Associate Professor Dr. Dinh Cong Tuan from the Institute for European Studies said the German system for social change supervision, which monitors regional changes in the demographics, natural environment, politics, economics and culture, was a good option for Viet Nam.

As regional development had both positive and negative social impacts, it was vital for Viet Nam to build its own monitoring system, he added. 

New cruise ship to Can Gio launched

A new cruise ship tour from the heart of Ho Chi Minh City to Can Gio District will be launched to bring visitors to the Nghinh Ong (whale worshiping) Festival.

The annual ‘Nghinh Ong Festival’ (Whale Worship Festival) is being held in Can Gio  from September 24-29.

A series of entertainment and cultural activities such as visiting the Rung Sac martyr’s cemetery, traditional music performances, food fair , traditional market, a circus performance and folk games will be held throughout the festival days.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recognized the annual Nghinh Ong (Whale Worshiping) Festival held in Can Gio District in Ho Chi Minh City as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2013.

Nghinh Ong Festival is celebrated on the fifth day of August on the Lunar Calendar with festivities including various rituals to worship the Whale or Ca Ong, and prayers for good seas, happiness and prosperity.

This is one of South Vietnam’s biggest festivals. There are many parallels between Nghinh Ong Festival and Cau Ngu (Fish Worshiping) Festival. With many folk stories attached to it, the Nghinh Ong Festival in Can Gio District has its own distinctive characteristics compared to other festivals in the country.

The  festival is considered as a key and strong point for the tourism developemnt of Can Gio District.

Dak Nong farmers in rush to plant pepper as prices climb

Farmers in the Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands) province of Dak Nong have expanded zoned areas for pepper cultivation by as much as 8,000 hectares as prices have soared this year.

In one commune in Cu Jut District, for example, farmers have replaced rubber and coffee trees, as well as other cash crops, on at least 100 ha.

Dak Nong Province originally planned for only a total of 12,000 ha of sustainable pepper cultivation, but farmers have planted so many trees since the beginning of the year that the area has expanded to 20,000 ha.

The price of pepper has climbed to more than VND200,000 (US$8.90) per kilo, according to farmers.

Vu Duc Thanh, who has had a rubber-tree garden for 10 years in Cu Jut District's Dak D'rong Commune, said that pepper had helped him earn hundreds of millions of dong per hectare a year.

Coffee prices have fallen to VND40,000 ($1.7) per kilo and rubber to VND9,000 ($0.4) per kilo this year.

Other farmers across the province, including those in remote and disadvantaged areas, have cut down thousands of hectares of other trees like rubber, cashew and coffee to plant pepper.

They have also cut down many trees in forested areas to grow pepper.

Local authorities, however, have warned farmers that the expansion was a violation of the province's agricultural restructuring plan.

In an effort to stop the expansion, the province's Agriculture and Rural Development Department has told farmers to take better care of existing pepper trees and to not cut down other plants to grow pepper.

Do Ngoc Nguyen, director of the department, told Tin Tuc (News) newspaper that pepper was suited to the province's climate and soil conditions. It also yields high profits, he said.

The province has also asked farmers to stop cutting down trees in forests to use as pillars to grow pepper plants, and to plant other trees onto which the pepper plants can grow.

The province also plans to replace pepper varieties that do not meet quality standards with varieties that have high productivity and are disease-resistant.

It will also work with institutes and universities to create quality pepper-seedling establishments from now to 2020.

The province will also outline support policies to encourage investors to build pepper-processing facilities and farmers to grow pepper under Vietnamese Good Agriculture Practices (VietGap). 

HCMC to improve flood defences

To combat the flooding plaguing HCM City, authorities will prioritise the construction of eight tide-control culverts and speed up zoning plans for reservoirs.

The announcement was made by the city Department of Transport following the severe floods on September 15 caused by the "historic" showers.

Seventy two streets had been submerged 10 to 60 cm under water, with Nguyen Huu Canh, Go Dua, Ho Van Tu, To Ngoc Van, Do Xuan Hop, Quoc Huong, La Xuan Oai, and Kinh Duong Vuong being the worst affected.

The outdated and overloaded drainage system and climate change were blamed for the flooding.

To mitigate the problem, the department will step up inspections of drainage systems and improve flood response operations.

In the longer term, implementation of the master plan for drainage and combating floods approved by the Government in 2008 will be speeded up. It includes the eight tide-control culverts.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has called on the city administration to step up efforts to stop the flooding that plagues the inner districts.

The city needs to keep a close eye on zoning plans for reservoirs and speed up construction of new reservoirs to reduce flooding, he has said in an official correspondence in August.

It has to dredge its canals to facilitate drainage and reduce flooding, and funds for water drainage and flood prevention works have to be raises by related ministries, agencies and the city People's Committee, he said.

The money could be obtained from the Government and ODA loans and raised through public-private partnerships and by utilising its lands and other means, he added.

The Government has approved zoning plans for water drainage that focus on combating floods in the city centre. It has instructed the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to collaborate with HCM City and Long An Province to devise measures to combat floods in South Sai Gon.

According to the HCM City Flood Combating Centre, the height of the tides have been increasing in the last few years due to climate change, and will worsen the flooding if the city does not take effective counter measures.

Figures from the centre reveal that the highest tide recorded at the Phu An Hydrological Station was 1.68m in 2013. But between 2011 and 2014 tides of over 1.5m have occurred 76 times while almost two-thirds of the city lies at an altitude of less than 1.5 metres above sea level.

All necessary works to eliminate flooding would cost HCM City VND51.3 trillion (over US$2.3 billion) in the next five years, a meeting held in July to discuss flood control heard.

They include building storm water drains, a tide-control system and wastewater treatment facilities, according to the HCM City Flood Combating Centre.

To protect the inner districts from flooding, the city needs eight tide-control culverts, 68 sewers and hundreds of kilometres of embankment along the Sai Gon River and extensive network of canals.

Construction of these structures is expected to be completed by 2018. Building and upgrading the drainage system will be financed by the Government, four wastewater treatment plants will be funded through PPPs (public-private partnership), and loans will be obtained for the remaining projects.

Heart charity marks anniversary

The Heart for Children programme, organised by Viettel and Viet Nam Television (VTV), has donated free heart surgery to 2,700 poor children under 16 years of age in the last seven years.

About 8,000 individuals, organisations and enterprises have contributed VND90 billion (US$4.3 million) to the programme.

Each year Viet Nam has 8,000 to 10,000 children born with heart disease, and half of them need immediate surgery.

The programme aims to offer an additional 3,000 surgeries from now to 2020 and provide free heart checkups for 30,000 children.

To celebrate their anniversary, organisers early this month gave check-ups to 1,500 children in Central Highlands province of Gia Lai. At least VND1 billion ($45,000) was donated for the trip. 

Police arrest director of web gold company

HCM City police yesterday raided the office of IMMS JSC in District 1's Nguyen Cong Tru Street and arrested its director, Dang Huu Trung, on suspicion of fraud.

He was also charged with allegedly conducting illegal online gold transactions.

Officials from the Hi-tech Criminal Prevention Department police said the company opened its own online gold trading business without a licence. Software was used to guide web customers to participate in gold trading on the internet.

The initial investigation discovered more than 5,000 accounts that had been registered to participate in gold trading on the website.

The IMMS JSC was established in October 2012 and is not licensed for gold trading. Its advertising for the public to participate in gold trading is considered fraudulent.

Free take-back program for used electronic equipments to take place

Viet Nam Recycles, a free take-back program for used or defective electronic equipment, will take place in Ha Noi on September 26.

The programme, organised by the Ha Noi department of natural resources and environment, is sponsored by HP and Apple.

The programme aims to encourage public participation in building a greener Viet Nam through safe electronic waste recycling.

Discarded products will be collected at five collection points including Cau Giay district's culture centre of Nghia Tan ward and the culture center of Yen Hoa ward and Ba Dinh District's People Committee of Quan Thanh ward, B.52 Museum and People's Committee of Thanh Cong Ward.

The equipment will then be sorted according to product categories and dismantled in a designated facility to assure maximum material recovery.

Viet Nam Recycles is run by the Viet Nam Recycling Platform (VRP), a consortium of leading producers of electrical and electronic equipment founded by HP PPS Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. and Apple South Asia Pte. Ltd.

Should coconut trees be grown along Ho Chi Minh City streets?

An industry association has proposed growing coconut trees along newly-opened or canal-side streets in Ho Chi Minh City, but some people are concerned about the falling fruits that could cause deadly accidents.

The canal-side roads in the southern Vietnamese metropolis now measures a total of 500km in length, thanks to the city’s dense river system, the Vietnam Coconut Association said in a proposition submitted to the municipal administration.

“If a coconut tree is planted on every five meters along the canals, we can grow a total of 100,000 trees,” the document reads.

The association thus suggested that the canal-side streets, as well as those newly built, have coconut trees along their sides to “create beautiful and environmentally-friendly landscapes that are typical to Vietnam’s southern region.”

Coconuts are also among the rain- and storm-resistant plants, so they will help protect the city in case of foul weather, according to the association.

The trees can be easily planted on almost every type of soil, and do not require much effort to tend, which will thus result in business effectiveness, it said.

The agency in charge of urban greening will be able to save costs in having employees to take care of the coconut trees, and instead can even gain economic benefits by selling the coconut fruits.

The Vietnam Coconut Association thus suggested that coconut trees be planted along the two sides of Tau Hu Canal in District 8 on a trial basis to test the effectiveness of its plan.

The association will also to hold seminars on the economic values of coconut trees and listen to public feedback.

The Ho Chi Minh City administration has asked the Department of Transport to collaborate with the Green Park Co. Ltd. and scientists to study the feasibility of the plan.

The plan has been greeted with mixed response from members of the public immediately after it was announced on Friday.

Supporters say the trees will bring shades and environmentally-friendly beauty for the city, whereas others are worried that accidents may occur as the coconut fruits can fall into the head of passers-by.

But the Vietnam Coconut Association stated in the proposal that they have a scientific method to prevent the coconut trees from producing fruits if the administration wishes to do so.

Ancient Tree in Nghe An receives recognition as Vietnam Heritage Tree

Chairman of People’s Committee’s Nghe An’s Tan Ky district Pham Van Hoa said the Vietnam Association for Natural & Environment Conservation, a Ha Noi-based non-governmental organization has just officially granted certificate for Vietnam heritage tree to the central province of Nghe An. 

Honored ancient tree which is at Ke Mui village, Giai Xuan commune, Nghe A measured up 27 meters in height and 25 meters wide. Its tree root is covered by big stones.

Experts said ancient tree in Giai Xuan is only in Vietnam. Before, many people had visited Ke Mui to buy this tree with billions dong but local residents refused to sell it.

Mr. Hoa said Vietnam Heritage Tree is to help improve local awareness in preserving cultural/historical relics and protecting the environment.

First Caterpillar Fungus manufactory opens in Vietnam

A join stock company with its headquarter in Binh Tan District in Ho Chi Minh City opened a factory to process Caterpillar Fungus and grow lingzhi mushroom with spore.

The factory is the first of its kind in Vietnam. As planned, the company will grow and distribute Caterpillar Fungus to hospitals and people. The company has invested in modern assembly chain for food safety and massive production to meet the demand of high quantities.

The company has grown the fungus since 2014 and its fungus was harvested in May, 2015. Through test, the fungus’s properties are as same as its counterparts in nature.

Dr. Trinh Khac Quang, director of Institute of Agriculture Science under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that after years of making research, scientists have succeeded in producing Caterpillar Fungus with same quality as the products made in South Korea and China.

However, Vietnamese product has cheaper price, adding that it will be provided to hospital for improving health condition of patients especially cancer patients.

Expensive railway station left empty because of uneven development  

The 130km route from Hanoi's Yen Vien to Ha Long City is currently only serving a few dozen passengers every day.

The line, invested by Vietnam Railway Authority, lies largely derelict as it bizarrely uses a different gauge width track which means it cannot be linked to the national transit system.

Ha Long Railway Station was upgraded in 2005 at a cost of VND7 trillion (USD333 million). It opened to passengers in 2014. Despite the makeover, the station is almost empty compared to Bai Chay Bus Station.

"Normally, we sell 40 to 50 tickets a day," said the ticket-seller.

Operator Phung Van Minh said the number of passengers greatly fallen from last year. "We had a contract to carry iron from Yen Vien to several coal companies. But now we only have vegetable traders," he said.

Part of the problem is the railway’s perplexing use of a different track gauge. The route to Ha Long Station uses 1.435m tracks while the rest of Vietnam still employs the out-dated and narrower 1m. For destinations such as Lang Son and Lao Cai provinces, commodities need to be shifted from one line to another, meaning higher transport costs than by either road and water.

Passengers are also reluctant to use the line despite the ridiculous four hours required to travel 160 kilometres by road to Ha Long city, the same train route takes a ludicrous 7 hours.

Trinh Vu Khoa, Director of Vietnam Ocean Shipping Agency in Quang Ninh Province, under the Vosa Corporation, said firms would reconsider their use of Ha Long railway if it was actually linked with the existing national transit system. However, the plan to build a dual gauge 1 and 1.435 metre track is having difficulty in sourcing capital.

PM asks for inspection of building project in Ba Dinh area  

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has asked authorities in Ba Dinh District to report on a 17-storey commercial building on Le Truc Street, within the Ba Dinh Administrative and Political Centre, which exceeds designated height restrictions for the area.  

The government's 2013 Hanoi Citys plan says any project built within the Ba Dinh Administrative and Political Centre, which has many important buildings including the Government's Office, the Central Party's Office and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, must not exceed 11 storeys.

The 17-storey Discovery Complex II building at No.8B Le Truc Street includes 12 storeys of apartments and offices. The project, financed by the Kinh Do TCi Group, stands on 5,600 square metres and is being offered for sale and rent.

Dung has asked Hanoi People's Committee and the Ministry of Construction and other relevant agencies to inspect the site and examine licenses and report back to the government by the end of September.

South Korean director leaves 1,000 workers with no pay  

A South Korean company in HCM City has suddenly halted operations after its director disappeared, leaving the firm owing salaries and social insurance totalling USD809,523 to more than 1,000 workers. 

The Keo Hwa Vina Company was already unpopular for paying its workers late or a smaller proportion of their salaries than agreed in the period leading up to the closure, with the management claiming it was due to financial difficulties.

Vo Phuoc, who has worked at the company for five years, said, “The company promised to pay the remaining salaries of VND4 billion by September 25, however, it stopped operations on September 12. We’ve heard that the director Koo Sun Heau has run away to South Korea; so how could we be paid?”

Nguyen Van Giao, Director of Hoc Mon District’s Social Insurance, said that since 2014, the company has continuously delayed its social insurance payments which have reached VND13 billion.

The local Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs won its case against the Keo Hwa Vina Company to retrieve the debt, but the firm apparently only has VND34 million in its account.

According to a department representative, Keo Hwa Vina Company started operations in 2007. The South Korean firm apparently suffered difficulties and was forced to sell off part of its production facilities to another company for VND13 billion. So far only VND5 billion of the agreed payment was paid.

“The two sides completed all procedures but the director of Keo Hwa Vina has disappeared, so management agencies have no reason to demand the remaining VND8 billion”, he added.

Hoc Mon District has urged local police to closely supervise the company to prevent fixed assets from being moved abroad, although a local sale would probably be a more likely occurrence.

National Highway 1 section upgrades open to traffic in Khanh Hoa

The expanded and upgraded sections of National Highway 1 through Khanh Hoa province officially opened to traffic on September 25 after 21 months of construction, three months ahead of the schedule set by the Transport Ministry and 15 months ahead of the deadline directed by the government.

Addressing the event, Deputy Transport Minister Nguyen Van The spoke highly of the coordination between Khanh Hoa agencies and localities on land clearance and compensation aiming to favour the prompt implementation of the projects.

He also praised the efforts by project management units, investors and contractors in mobilizing resources to complete the expansion and upgrade of the entire National Highway 1 route through the province ahead of schedule.

The expansion and upgrade of 142km of the National Highway 1 through Khanh Hoa was implemented in four projects with total investment of VND9.937 trillion (US$437.23 million). Two projects were sourced from government bonds, while the remaining two were performed under the Build-Operate-Transfer format.

As evaluated by the Transport Ministry, with Khanh Hoa’s important economic role and geological position in the Central and Central Highlands region, the early completion of upgrades on National Highway 1 sections through the province is expected to speed up development for the whole region and contribute to minimising traffic accidents on the route

Mid-autumn celebrations bring joy to children nationwide

Around 2,800 students joined a lantern procession held at Nguyen Tat Thanh Square, Phan Thiet city in the southern coastal province of Binh Thuan in the evening of September 25 to celebrate mid-autumn festival.

The procession featured 32 oversized lanterns representing the number of 32 secondary and primary schools participating in the event. Each lantern was accompanied by around 80 smaller ones held by the students.

Starting from Nguyen Tat Thanh Square, the march headed to Ton Duc Thang, Tran Hung Dao, Nguyen Du and Tran Phu streets, covering a total distance of around 2,900 metres.

Binh Thuan provincial ministries and sectors worked with local authorities and social organisations to host several mid-autumn celebrations for children of ethnic minority groups and those living in disadvantaged communes of the province. Appropriately 6,000 gifts and nearly 50 scholarships were presented to underprivileged children on the occasion.

On the same day, a delegation of Ca Mau provincial authorities visited and presented mid-autumn festival gifts, worth VND 200,000 each, to children at child sponsorship centres, SOS Children Villages, children hospitals, orphanages and centres for children with disabilities in the province.

At each venue, the delegation extended their wishes of good health to the children, encouraging them to overcome difficulties and become good citizens of the country. They also asked local authorities, relevant ministries and sectors to create the most favourable conditions for children to enjoy their life.

A mid-autumn festival celebration opened at Vietnam Culture and Arts Exhibition Centre in Hanoi last night with various activities including an exhibition of children’s paintings, mask making, and folk games.

The event is held annually by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism every Mid-autumn festival.

National Assembly Standing Committee concludes 41st session

The National Assembly Standing Committee (NASC) wrapped up its 41st session in Hanoi on the afternoon of September 25.

Addressing the session, NA Vice Chairman Uong Chu Luu affirmed that after ten days of working, the NASC completed its schedule, giving opinions on seven bills, three of which will be submitted to the National Assembly for approval at its coming session.

Legislators also debated reports on operations of the Chief Judge of Supreme People's Court, the Head of the Supreme People's Procuracy, and Government’s report on the prevention and fight against crime and law violations.

The NA Vice Chairman asked relevant agencies and organisations to closely review draft laws and reports for submission to the 10th session of the 13th National Assembly, scheduled for October 20.

Earlier, in the morning of the last working day, the NA deputies discussed the Law on Issuing Administrative Decisions, and the establishment of a training centre for auditors. 

National festival honours then singing of ethnic minorities

The fifth National Festival of traditional ‘Then’ singing and the ‘dan tinh’ (gourd lute) of the Tay, Nung and Thai ethnic minority groups officially kicked off in Tuyen Quang city, the northern mountainous province of Tuyen Quang on September 25.

The festival has drawn the participation of 500 artisans, actors and actresses from 14 provinces and cities that are renowned for ‘Then’ singing, including Cao Bang, Bac Kan, Lang Son, Thai Nguyen, Ha Giang, Bac Giang, Quang Ninh, Yen Bai, Lao Cai, Son La, Dien Bien, Lai Chau, Dak Lak and Tuyen Quang.

The two-day event features a wide variety of unique performances of ‘Then’ singing, commemorating the history of formation and development of the traditional art form as well as praising the love for labour and for the country.

The fifth National ‘Then’ Singing Festival offers a good opportunity for artisans, actors and actresses of the Tay, Nung and Thai ethnic minority groups across the country to meet and exchange together as well as introduce the traditional-cultural identities of their localities.

The event also aims to promote the image of the land and people of Vietnam as well as the cultural and tourism potentials and values, particularly the ‘Then’ art form and ‘dan tinh’ – a traditional stringed musical instrument, to both visitors of the country and international friends.

Additionally, the festival significantly contributes to raising public awareness of preservation and development of ‘Then’ singing as well as serving the cultural and spiritual life of local people.

A range of other cultural and arts activities, including an exhibition on the singing style, the Northwest Agriculture and Trade fair and an international workshop on ‘Preserving and Promoting the values of the art form which is considered as a cultural heritage of Tay, Nung and Thai ethnic minorities.

Tuyen Quang province is home to 64 ‘Then’ singing clubs with nearly 1,000 local participants.

There are two types of ‘Then’ singing: ‘Then ky yen’ (praying for good things) and ‘Then le hoi’ (Then festival). The style is traditionally accompanied by a handmade gourd lute called ‘dan tinh’ – the soul of the music.

Vietnam, particularly the provinces where the music is also practiced, is compiling a dossier towards seeking UNESCO recognition of the music form as a world intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

Innofund launched to support technology business incubators

The Ministry of Science and Technology held a ceremony in Hanoi on September 25 to launch the Innofund aiming to provide support and improve capacities for technology business incubators.

The launching is part of the “Support to innovation and development of business incubator policy” project worth a total EUR4.4 million, of which EUR4 million was sourced from the Belgium government’s nonrefundable official development assistance, whilst the remaining amount will be sourced from Vietnam’s reciprocal capital.

Innofund will mainly provide financial support (nonrefundable) to feasible projects of organisations and individuals operating technology, science and technology business and startup incubation activities at the incubators which are established and operate in line with the law. The Innofund finance for each project will range from EUR15,000 to EUR45,000.

In addition, Innofund will also offer various forms of assistance such as consultation to creative innovations at scientific research institutes of universities; consultation to buying materials and buying/hiring equipment to develop products; and consultation to the development and protection of intellectual property and market study.

The project steering committee and management board will receive profiles of organisations and individuals for the first phase from October 1 to 30 via the website http://innofund.bipp.vn. The project prioritises funding for several technological areas including biotechnology and technologies in agriculture, environment, and economic and efficient use of energy. In addition, incubation projects in other fields of technology will also be considered for financing if suitable.

In order to be selected, a project must meet the following requirements: high feasibility, positive impacts on green growth, employment provision for labourers, creative and innovative, provides a demonstration of predicted outcomes, and includes a clear business plan. 

The Reverie Saigon voted excellent hotel at The Guide Awards

The Reverie Saigon, a member of The Leading Hotels of the World in the heart of HCMC’s central business district, has been voted excellent hotel for “Establishing a new level of luxury in Vietnam” in the annual awards of The Guide magazine.

The Guide Awards, in cooperation with the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism and Vietnam Economic Association, honor the best products and services in Vietnam’s tourism and hospitality sector.

Herbert Laubichler–Pichler, the hotel’s general manager and vice president of operations for WMC Group, said, “We feel honored to be voted for The Guide Award this year. I am very proud of the hard work and dedication of the team at The Reverie Saigon since our soft-opening at the end of 2014. 

"The award is a reflection of the unique experience we provide to our guests through our exquisite interiors, innovative dining and incomparable service. It is a great pleasure to see that the hotel raises the bar on hospitality in Vietnam.”

As a member of The Leading Hotels of the World, The Reverie Saigon features 286 luxurious rooms and suites alongside The Reverie Residence, with 89 fully furnished serviced apartments. The hotel offers five food and beverage outlets, a 1,200-square-meter spa & fitness center, an extensive outdoor swimming pool, and 16 versatile and elegantly decorated function spaces; all of which are housed in the 164-meter, mixed-use development building Times Square that includes 8 storeys of prime office space and high-end retail. 

The hotel is managed by WMC Group, a hospitality and property services management company headquartered in HCMC.

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