Second victim of car accident on Red River identified

The broken bridge railing at the scene of the car crash that occurred on Saturday, November 3 

The second female victim, whose car had hit the railing of Chuong Duong Bridge and fallen into the Red River on Saturday, was identified as Bui Kim C., 21, a resident of Thanh Xuan District in Hanoi City. She was a recent graduate, working as a real estate agent, local newspaper reports said.

Earlier, the police of Long Bien District in Hanoi, late on Saturday, was notified of a car crash that had claimed two lives in the district. The police quickly dispatched a working team to the scene of the accident.

A black car driving from Nguyen Van Cu Street to Hoan Kiem District had spun out of control and hit the railing of Chuong Duong Bridge before plunging into the river, according to Nguyen Thi Thu Trang, an eyewitness to the accident.

The local police, teaming up with the competent agencies, conducted a search for the fallen car. At around 1 a.m. on Sunday, the team managed to find the black Mercedes-Benz, with the license plate 30E-86836. Two women were found dead inside the vehicle.

The first victim, also the car owner, was previously identified as Nguyen Thi Thu H., 29, a resident of Hanoi.

The police joined forces with the People’s Procuracy in Long Bien District to investigate the scene and carried the corpses to Duc Giang Hospital’s mortuary.

The crash is reportedly still under investigation.

Executive of metro line No.1 project contractor found hanged in office

A deputy general director of Civil Engineering Construction Corporation No. 6 (Cienco 6) cum the director of the management unit of the second package of HCMC's first metro line project was found hanged in his office in Thu Duc District today, November 3, the local media reported.

Thu Duc District Police are carrying out an investigation into the cause of his death. The deceased, a resident of District 2, was detected by a security guard.. 

A consortium grouping Cienco 6 and Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation is the contractor of the elevated section and depots of Metro Line 1, which connects Ben Thanh Market in District 1 and Suoi Tien Theme Park in District 9.

District 1’s vice chairman permitted to withdraw resignation

Doan Ngoc Hai (in white T-shirt) will retain his post as vice chairman of the municipal District 1 government 

The Standing Board of the HCMC Party Committee and the municipal People’s Committee on November 4 gave their approval to Doan Ngoc Hai to withdraw his resignation letter, which he submitted in January. Hai will retain his post as vice chairman of the municipal District 1 government, the local media reported.

The municipal People’s Committee will assign appropriate tasks to Hai based on his expectations as well as the city’s needs.

On January 8, Hai tendered his resignation. The municipal People’s Committee had reported the resignation to the Standing Board, and his resignation request was approved.

However, in mid-May, Hai sent a request to the Standing Board, the municipal People’s Committee and the District 1 government, expressing his desire to withdraw the letter.

He noted that many people and the district government’s leaders had encouraged him to stay on, leading him to reconsider his resignation to continue making contributions to the city. He confirmed he was willing to accept any assignments.

Ha Tien City established

The southern province of Kien Giang People’s Committee held the announcement ceremony of Ha Tien City on November 3.

Former Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly Uong Chu Luu and representatives of ministries, departments and agencies in the Mekong Delta region attended the event.

Chairman of Ha Tien City Nguyen Thanh Nhan said Ha Tien town was formed 20 years ago. At that time, GDP per capita per year was about VND 4.6million and in the end of 2017 it increased up to nearly VND 69million.

From now on, Ha Tien authority would continue to develop its major trade, services and tourism sectors and call for investment in entertainment areas meeting diversified demand of tourists.

Besides, the authority will pay attention to develop infrastructure and border gate economic zone, Thuan Yen industrial park…

It is expected that Ha Tien will welcome 3 million visitors by 2020 and tourism turnover will reach VND 2,7trillion.

On this occasion, the National Assembly (NA) office announced resolution of the NA Standing Committee on establishing My Duc commune in Ha Tien and Ha Tien City to belong Kien Giang province.   

ietnam-Japan IT center opened to celebrate 45th founding anniversary

The center for Advanced Technology Research and Renovation was opened in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho yesterday - it was one of activities to celebrate the 45th founding anniversary of Vietnam-Japan diplomatic relations.

The center is located in the Can Tho University under the support of Japanese Brainworks Asia.

The center aims to create a platform to strengthen technological application in production between Japanese enterprises and the Can Tho University, especially aquaculture and rice cultivation in the Mekong Delta region.

Additionally, the center is a place which offers startup ideas to technology students with the assistance of Japanese experts and enterprises.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Deputy Chairman of Can Tho City People’s Committee Truong Quang Hoai Nam said that the center will contribute greatly in scientific researches and training of the university as well as bring more opportunity to cooperate between the two sides in the field of technology.

The Can Tho University is a major high education institution in the Mekong delta with over 50,000 students. 

Currently, the school signed agreement with more than 120 research institutions, schools and international research organizations.

Learning need of Vietnamese adults high

Some 22,014 participants taking part in online learning programs since 2015 show that learning need of older adults are quite high, said Mr. Truong Tien Tung who is an expert of the Open University in Hanoi.

Specifically, the survey shows that 86.9 percent of the e-learning program participants are people aged 25 up.

Especially people from 25 - 50 years old make up 84.62 percent. 501 students in the programs are fifty years old and 150 students are aged 60 up.

Moreover, around 49.5 percent of program learners are high school students.

This shows that learning need will change to satisfy job requirements. Eleven graduate students enrolled to learn in the programs while 196 others enrolled master programs.

The male and female undergraduate ratio in higher education programs is equal, proving that gender equality in learning need.

Health Ministry to pay visits to check drug quality certification

According to the Ministry of Health ( MoH), three inter-department inspection teams will pay visits to check drug quality certification from November to January, 2019.

As per the decision, inspection teams will pay visits to drug stores and enterprises to check certification, advertisement of cosmetic products, nutritional supplement, herbs and traditional medicines.

The teams will tour to check units in 18 cities and provinces including Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, the northern provinces of Lang Son, Lao Cai, Quang Ninh, Dien Bien, Hai Phong, the central provinces of Quang Tri, Quang Binh, Phu Yen, Binh Dinh, the highlands provinces of Kon Tum, Dak Lak, and the southern provinces of Can Tho, Dong Thap, Tay Ninh, Kien Giang, Ba Ria – Vung Tau.

Additionally, the Ministry asked local administrations to set up inspection teams to check smuggled drugs, commercial defrauds, manufacturing substandard commodities, circulation of goods and such.

HCMC’s second metro line continues running behind schedule

The second metro line project of HCMC, Ben Thanh-Tham Luong, has continued running behind schedule because sluggish site clearance has raised costs and affected the project’s progress, according to Urban Railway Management Board.

The board proposed HCMC People’s Committee to require relevant agencies to speed up procedures for districts to implement compensation and site clearance.

HCMC Compensation Assessment Council should submit compensation price for the city People’s Committee for approval, districts and relevant agencies should work out a plan on site clearance.

The Department of Natural Resources and Environment has been suggested to adjust compensation prices as per regulations, the Department of Finance and the Department of Planning and Investment approve project adjustments and arrange funds for compensation and site clearance, district people’s committees carry out necessary procedures to pay compensation, reclaim land and hand over the site for the project’s construction.

The second metro route runs through six districts namely 1, 3, 10, Tan Binh, Tan Phu and 12. Investment capital has been adjusted to VND48 trillion (US$2.06 billion), double the number in 2010.

Of the total, VND20 trillion comes from official development assistance funds of Asian Development Bank, VND11 trillion from KfW Development Bank, VND5 trillion from European Investment Bank and VND12 trillion from HCMC’s reciprocal capital.

According to plan, bid invitation and project adjustment will be conducted in 2017-2018, survey and technical design in 2019, construction in 2020-2023 and trial operation in 2024.

Meteorologists warns comeback of high tide in HCMC

Meteorologists warned the river water stage in Mekong and Sai Gon rivers is rising.

According to the National Hydrology Meteorology Forecast Center, Sai Gon- Dong Nai River yesterday was measured at 1.47 meter; 1.48 meter and 4 meter in Nha Be station; Phu An station and Vung Tau station respectively.

It is forecast that river water level will rise in the stations in November.

River water level will reach the peak on November 7 and 8. It is forecast that water level in Phu An and Nha Be stations will be 1.62 – 1.67 meter, exceeding the third –stage warning level for several before it ebbs.

Inundation will be seen in low-lying and erosion in Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong delta city of Can Tho and Vinh Long because water level will be at third-stage warning level.

The South Vietnam will be sunny on November 5 and 6, but from November 7 it will have shower and strong wind. Cold front will hit the North Vietnam in nights.

Australia assists Vietnam in fostering gender equality

With support from the Australian Government, officials from 17 Vietnamese government agencies working in the transport sector and on economic reform issues participated in the Australia Awards Short Course on Project Implementation to Optimize Gender Outcomes.

The training course was part of a series of activities offered by Aus4Vietnam, an Australian aid investment program in Vietnam, and was delivered by the Queensland University of Technology (QUT).

The course focused on sharing Australian experience in empowering women in the workplace and promoting gender equality in work and life.  

The 39 participants in the training course recently convened in Hanoi to share how they are applying their newly-gained knowledge and skills to mainstream gender equality in their workplaces.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tai, a Specialist at Project Management Unit 2 at the Ministry of Transport, said the course has helped him realize the importance of gender equality in the transport sector. He and his colleagues will mainstream gender equality into the planning and implementation of transport infrastructure, including feasibility studies, design, community consultation, land clearance, and construction, to ensure that transport infrastructure benefits both men and women.

“The course helped me think about women’s economic empowerment and how we can develop a sound legal framework, including the Law on Enterprises and the Law on Investment in 2019, to create an enabling environment for women-owned startups,” said Ms. Phan Minh Thuy from the Domestic Law Development Section at the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Australia is committed to ensuring that women substantively benefit from all Aus4Vietnam aid investments, irrespective of their sector. The 39 mid-level managers, both men and women, are the champions for change in promoting gender equality initiatives in their organizations so that no woman is left behind.

“Australia is strongly committed to advancing gender equality, though we have a long journey ahead of us,” said Ms. Rebecca Bryant, Chargé d’Affaires at the Australian Embassy. “Through our work in Vietnam, we learn as much as we teach on gender equality, and this symposium has helped on both counts. We are working with highly committed professionals in the transport and reform sectors who are thinking critically about gender challenges. I’m optimistic we can achieve much together for the benefit of Vietnam and Australia.” 

Danang to open Bach Dang pedestrian street and night market

The Deputy Chairman of the Danang People's Committee Dang Viet Dung on November 1 chaired a meeting to discuss the project of developing Bach Dang pedestrian street as well as a night market in Hai Chau District.

According to a consulting unit, the pedestrian street will cover nearly 3.3 hectares of land with a total investment capital of around VND40 billion.

It will feature both permanent and mobile stalls showcasing street food, souvenirs, clothes and handicraft items. In addition, there will be an art performance space, an event hall, and a playground area for kids.

The sidewalks, which are located in the east side of Bach Dang Street, will be selected to become a pedestrian street for sightseeing whilst pavilions will be put along the road to avoid blocking the view of the Han River.

Previously, the city’s Department of Tourism had submitted plans for establishing a pedestrian street and night market on Hung Vuong Street. However, the city’s People Committee have yet to approve and have asked for other options in the areas of Hai Chau and Son Tra.
Contest raises youth’s awareness of climate change

At the awarding ceremony (Photo: petrotimes.vn)

Winners of a contest on making infographic and video clips and translating the “Resilience” term into Vietnamese have been honoured at a recent ceremony in Hanoi.

The contest was held by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCYU) Central Committee and the French Development Agency (AFD) as part of activities to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Vietnam-France diplomatic ties. It aims to raise the youth’s awareness on the global urgent issues like climate change, environmental pollution, and pressure from urbanisation and industrialization.

Nguyen Thi Dien, a student from the Hanoi University, won the first prize in the translation category. Meanwhile, the first prize in making infographic and video clips went to Do Van Nhat and Vo Thi Thu Hieu from the People’s Security University.

The organising board also presented one second prize for infographic work, and one prize for infographic/video clip with the largest online vote.

From August 22 to October 14, the organisers received 389 entries, including 265 translation works, 103 infographic works and 21 video clips. A majority of the contestants were aged from 18 to 25, and 59 of them students.

Speaking at the awarding ceremony on November 3, Le Quoc Phong, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the HCYU, affirmed that the union in collaboration with ministries, sectors and localities has organised a number of measures to raise the youth’s awareness of joint efforts in response to climate change. 

He expressed his hope that Vietnamese youth’s programmes to protect the environment will continue to receive support from ministries, sectors, and international organisations, especially the AFD.

On the occasion, a conference on the youths with climate change was organised by the HCYU and the AFD. Implementing approach methods, improving resistance and recovering capacity to manage the risks of flood and beach erosion in Vietnam, among others, were on the table at the event.

Đồng Tháp plans to increase high-quality rice output

Farmer Nguyễn Anh Dũng of Đồng Tháp Province’s Lấp Vò District has created five speciality rice varieties that have high yields and quality and suit the province’s conditions.

The Mekong Delta province of Đồng Tháp plans to use high-quality rice varieties for more than 60 per cent of its 2018-19 winter-spring rice crop to improve farmers’ profits.

A total of 205,000ha will be planted and they will have an estimated average yield of seven tonnes per hectare.

Nguyễn Thành Tài, deputy director of the province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said for the winter-spring crop the province was encouraging farmers to sow certified seeds of high-quality, high-yield and disease-resistant rice varieties. 

They include fragrant varieties such as Jasmine 85, VĐ 20 and Nàng Hoa 9 and high-quality varieties including OM 4900, OM 5451 and OM 6976.

The department had instructed local authorities to ensure the sowing was done on schedule to avoid disease outbreaks, he said.

The sowing was to be completed by year end, he said.

In the delta, the winter-spring crop is normally the most productive since the weather is favourable then.

Farmers earned a profit of VNĐ17.6 million (US$755) per hectare on average in the last winter-spring crop compared to VNĐ13.8 million ($590) in the 2018 summer-autumn crop and VNĐ9.8 million ($420) in the 2018 autumn-winter crop.

Tài said the province had restructured its agricultural production to reduce costs, thus increasing income from rice by VNĐ1-6 million per hectare.  

It had created links between farmers and companies to improve rice yield and quality, he said.

Farmers and companies have collaborated to plant more than 30,000ha of rice this year, most of it organic or grown to Vietnamese or global good agricultural practices standards.

Trần Tấn Đức, director of the Đồng Tháp Food Company, said to sustainably develop rice exports the company had worked with local authorities and agricultural co-operatives to establish tie-ups.

It had tied up with agricultural co-operatives to grow more than 2,000ha of high-quality rice every year mostly for exports, he said.

This year fragrant and specialty varieties account for 33 per cent of the province’s total area under the grain.

The province has used a number of new strains with high yield and quality and resistance to diseases in recent years.

ĐTM 14-258, for instance, has been planted in Tháp Mười District’s Mỹ Hòa Commune since it can grow in alum-affected soil and is susceptible to few diseases.

The variety has a maturity period of 95-100 days and a yield of six to eight tonnes per hectare.

Nguyễn Minh Phương, who planted 1.3 ha of ĐTM 14-258 rice variety for the first time in the last rice crop in Mỹ Hòa Commune, said the weather was not good but the rice still grew well and had few diseases.

Phương said he would continue to plant this variety for the 2018-19 winter – spring crop. 

Over 10,000 have stroke in Mekong delta annually ​

Mekong delta has more than 10,000 stroke patients of 200,000 stroke cases, making up 5 percent of the cases reported in the whole country, said founder of the Stroke International Services Dr. Tran Chi Cuong.

The founder made the statement at the international seminar “ Updating stroke diagnosis and building emergency network to offer the stroke care service to residents in the Mekong delta’ held in Can Tho City yesterday.

The region has 10,000 stroke cases annually while medical services for emergency treatment is poor resulting in high rate of deaths and disabilities; accordingly, building network to provide emergency treatment to stroke cases is urgent.

Seminar participants expressed their concern over the rise of strokes cases and more young people suffer the illness. This is a real threat for people health. Though Vietnam makes progress in diagnosing and treating to reduce deaths and disabilities, building early emergency network faces difficulties.

They exchanged experience in treating the illness and shared information of the advanced treatment techniques.

At present, inhabitants are expecting the debut of Heart Stroke hospital in Can Tho which broke the ground in July, 2017.

Needy freshmen with high academic achievement given $171,818 scholarships

In the opening ceremony of the new school year in Van Hien University on October 30, entrepreneurs presented VND3.97 billion ($171,818) scholarships poor freshmen with high academic achievements.

On this occasion, the school was awarded the certificates of merit from the Ministry of Education and Training and the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee.

In the past academic year, the number of enrolment into the school surged by 33 percent compared to the previous year.

Moreover, 95 percent of graduates were employed with stable income and over 150 students went abroad for study as per the international education program with its counterpart in foreign countries.

Especially, nearly 100 scientific researches had been praised and lecturers’ 17 articles had been publicized in international magazines including six on ISI and SCOPUS indexed journals.

In addition to the orientation of building an open university and inviting businessmen to lecture students, the school signed memorandum with more than 200 enterprises which offer good paid employments.

At the ceremony, entrepreneurs provided VND3.97 billion to support freshmen in future study.

Hua Thi Phan must still pay over VND16 trillion in compensation

Hua Thi Phan is summoned to the court during the trial of Pham Cong Danh, former chairman at Vietnam Construction Bank 

The HCMC Superior People’s Court today, November 2, threw out the appeal by Hua Thi Phan, former senior advisor of TrustBank, currently known as Construction Bank, and ordered her to pay the bank more than VND16.7 trillion (US$720 million) in damages.

Phan, 71, who was also chairwoman of Phu My Investment and Development JSC, together with 27 accomplices, was found guilty of causing financial losses of over VND6.3 trillion (US$273 million) for the bank.

They were held on charges of abusing trust to misappropriate assets and deliberately violating State regulations on economic management, leading to serious consequences, reported Thanh Nien newspaper.

The judge cited the Law on Credit Organizations as saying that a single shareholder is not allowed to hold over 20% of charter capital. However, Phan abused her power as the owner of roughly 85% of the bank’s charter capital to take over the management of all TrustBank activities.

As the mastermind, Phan instructed her subordinates to commit unlawful acts for her own gain. They inflated the value of her house at 5 Pham Ngoc Thach Street in HCMC’s District 3 from VND154 billion to a whopping VND1.26 trillion before selling it to TrustBank. This caused the bank a hefty loss of over VND1.1 trillion.

Besides this, they were alleged to have drawn up false payment papers, which exaggerated the outstanding loans for Phuong Trang Investment JSC. Consequently, their act led to a loss of over VND5.2 trillion for the bank.

Therefore, the appeals court rejected her appeal and decided to uphold the entire first-instance verdict against her. In addition to a maximum jail term of 30 years, she was forced to pay more than VND16.7 trillion in compensation, which covers the lost VND6.3 trillion in combined principal amounts, and the interest lost on this amount.

The court also dismissed the appeals lodged by 11 other defendants and 16 individuals and organizations with rights and obligations relevant to the high-profile case.

Earlier, Construction Bank proposed the higher court review the civil liability for the loans between the bank and Phuong Trang Investment JSC, in which the bank demanded that this company pay roughly VND27 trillion in principal and interest to the bank.

The judge said it had taken the evidence into careful consideration and determined that the company had only received loans worth over VND3.9 trillion in total.

According to the HCMC Superior People’s Procuracy, Phan was aware that Phuong Trang was seeking investment capital to expand its business activities. She then forced the company to sign 82 loan applications in advance, as well as provide a number of bonds and all of its assets as collateral to borrow VND9 trillion from the bank.

Therefore, the first instance verdict against Phuong Trang was rightful – the company was merely held accountable for paying the actual amounts of the original loans and their interest, totaling VND6.4 trillion. Assets with a value proportional to the loan amounts are being seized to guarantee that the payment obligations are met.

Because of her frail health, Phan was not present during the entire court of appeals, which opened on October 22.

Binh Quoi-Thanh Da project investor to remain unidentified for 2-1/2 years

It will take at least another 2-1/2 years to get a new investor for the long-stalled Binh Quoi-Thanh Da ecological urban area project on Thanh Da Peninsula in Binh Thanh District, said HCMC Chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong.

At a meeting on the city’s socioeconomic performance for last month held today, November 1, Phong remarked that the Binh Quoi-Thanh Da ecological urban area project was approved in 1992. It was assigned to Saigon Construction Corporation in 2004, but the firm failed to execute the project. The city government then decided on a project recall in 2010.

Following this, a joint venture comprising Bitexco and Emaar Properties PJSC, a property developer from Dubai, was chosen in late 2015 to develop the project. However, the foreign partner withdrew after a long wait for the land site to be transferred.

Bitexco later proposed developing the project on its own, and the city government assigned the relevant departments and agencies to assess Bitexco’s capacity.

The municipal government proposed the Prime Minister allow the city to choose an investor for the project, but its proposal was not approved.

The HCMC Department of Planning and Investment later suggested holding a public tender to select an investor for the project. However, preparations for the tender will take at least 2.5 years, Phong noted.

The 426-hectare Binh Quoi-Thanh Da ecological urban area, when in place, will become home to some 41,000-50,000 residents. Several bridges have been planned to connect Thanh Da Peninsula with districts nearby.

Trung Luong-My Thuan Expressway burdened by interest rate: minister

The Trung Luong-My Thuan Expressway project, a section of the HCMC-Can Tho Expressway, currently faces big woes from the great disparity between the lending interest rates regulated by the Ministry of Finance and those set by banks, according to Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The.

Responding to questions on the project at a question-and-answer session today, November 1, at the sixth National Assembly (NA) sitting, the minister said the project was still under construction.

As regulated in Circular 75, issued by the finance ministry, banks are required to charge an annual interest rate of about 7.5% for build-operate-transfer (BOT) projects.

However, the lenders currently apply a higher lending rate of some 10.5% for BOT projects similar to the expressway, said The, adding that both the investor and the lenders had to refused to accept the 3% loss created by the rate disparity.

The total approved investment capital for the project is some VND9.6 trillion. Of this, the investor contributed some VND1.5 trillion and negotiated a credit deal with Vietnam Bank for Industry and Trade (VietinBank) worth VND6.8 trillion.

However, difficulties faced by VietinBank prevented it from continuing to grant credit to the project during its execution. The investor and VietinBank then called for cooperation from BIDV, VPBank and Agribank, resulting in the signing of a credit agreement for the given value in mid-June this year.

The transport ministry reported the issue to the prime minister, and the deputy prime minister convened multiple meetings to discuss the lending rate issue. Minister The confirmed that the prime minister would chair a meeting soon to address the lending rate difference to facilitate the project.

As for the project’s site clearance works, 49 kilometers out of 51 were cleared to make room for the project, according to the minister. The investor has disbursed VND2.3 trillion, covering site clearance and construction costs.

If the Government tackles this issue successfully, the project will be completed in the next two years, according to The.

Addressing the session, NA Deputy Nguyen Thi Kim Be from the southern province of Kien Giang asked whether the State would back the project if the lending rate issue was not resolved. Minister The has yet to respond to Be’s query.

The NA deputy highlighted the important role of the project, noting that local residents in the Mekong Delta region are anxious for the project to be opened to traffic to boost the regional economic development. In addition, Be expressed hope that The would focus on the traffic infrastructure in the region.

The expressway, once completed, will stretch 51 kilometers, starting from the intersection of Than Cuu Nghia T-Junction and HCMC-Trung Luong Expressway and ending at the crossroads with National Highway 30.

American Club to hold Hanoi Pride Festival

Riding on the success of the Hanoi Pride Week from September 17 to 22, the American Club will host the Hanoi Pride Festival 2018 under the theme “Love, Hanoi” on November 11 for the local lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) community.

The event, set to last from 1:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., will feature a variety of activities like bike rally, parade, live music, fair and community activities.

Offering a safe space with free hugs and gazes full of encouragement, the Hanoi Pride Festival celebrates difference, courage, compassion, respect, and love. The event is expected to contribute to erasing prejudices and discrimination against the LGBTQ community in Vietnam.

The American Club is a community recreation center run by the American Community Association Hanoi, the employee association of the U.S. Embassy. The club offers a beautiful open outdoor space in Hoan Kiem District and has hosted a number of cultural activities for the local community.

Winners of Canon PhotoMarathon announced

Vo Hoai Huy (2nd R) poses for photos with representatives of Canon Marketing Vietnam and the judging panel after getting the special prize in the Canon PhotoMarathon contest in HCMC - PHOTO: COURTESY OF CANON

The judges of Canon PhotoMarathon have picked winners of the annual contest for young photography lovers. 

Vo Hoai Huy, who registered to compete in the “Ton Sur Ton” theme, grasped the special prize being a Canon EOS 6D Mark II camera, a Canon Pixma Pro-100 printer, and a post at the Canon PhotoMarathon Asia Championship 2019 in Japan.  

Organizers of the 13th Canon PhotoMarathon competition presented the first prize comprising of a Canon EOS 80D camera plus an EF-S18-55mm IS STM lens and a Canon Pixma TS8070 printer to each of the best contestants — Nguyen Quyet Thang in the “Ton Sur Ton” theme, Nguyen Tuan Khai in the “Reflection” theme and Pham Van Quy in the “Strength of Youth” theme. 

The second prize of a Canon EOS 800D camera plus an EF-S18-55mm IS STM lens and a Canon Pixma ip7270 printer went to Huynh Thu, Phung Trong Tin and Tran Vu Quang Duy of the three themes respectively. Third-place getters Ngo Thi Bich Van, Duong Nhat Phuc Sinh and Nguyen Thanh Tung scooped a Canon EOS M50 camera plus an EF M-15-45mm lens and a Canon Pixma MG3670 printer each.

The contest attracted over 6,700 young photographers. The contestants fanned out to different parts of HCMC to take photos. They were encouraged to expand their creativity and use their diverse skills and world-views to do photoshoots by camera, drone or action-cam. 

Hiroshi Yokota, CEO of Canon Marketing Vietnam, said Canon was thrilled to be the company that brought a connection between the people of this city and their love for both their town and their photographic passion. “2018 has already shown us how passionate people are in this city for imagery”. 

All registration fees from participants in HCMC will go to “Canon – For the Future Generation" charity fund which finances building new classrooms and facilities for disadvantaged students across the country.

The 13th Canon PhotoMarathon drew more than 10,000 registrations in both HCMC and Hanoi. The contest in the capital city was held earlier.