Vietnamese Dutch jailed for fraud

HCM City People's Court yesterday, Oct 28, jailed a Vietnamese man with Dutch nationality to 15 years' jail for illegally mortgaging eight luxury cars for VND2.3 billion (US$118,000).

His wife was jailed for 14 years on the same offence.

The pair, Nguyen Duc Huu, 50, and Nguyen Thi Thuy Trang, 46, hired eight cars last year and made fake documents to mortgage them. They used the money to help cover business losses.

Accomplices who helped them make the fake documents and hire the vehicles were jailed for two to 10 years.

North-South railway reopens on October 28
Around 1,500 workers were mobilised while VND39 billion were spent to repair the damages of the North-South after parts were swept away by recent historic floods in the central region of Vietnam.

Deputy Director of the Vietnam Railway Corporation Tran Phuc Tien said that the North-South railway is expected to reopen on October 28th.

On October 17, the 400-metre railway section through the Duc Lang commune, Duc Tho district in the central province of Ha Tinh was washed away by the floods.

The railway sector had to mobilised forces and modern equipment to fix the rails as soon as possible. However, many provincial roads remained many meters under water, preventing repair teams from fixing the problem.

Ten hurt as coaches collide on highway

Two coaches collided on National Highway 27 in Dam Rong District in the Central Highland province of Lam Dong yesterday, Oct 28, injuring 10 people.

Witnesses said the accident occurred as one coach travelling from Dak Lak Province to Da Lat City encroached onto the left side of the road, colliding with the other coach.

The injured were taken to hospital. Police are investigating.

Cock-fighters nabbed in HCM City

Police on Wednesday arrested 72 people gambling on cock fights at a house in Ward 4, in the city's Thu Duc District.

Nguyen Thanh Le, 39, of District 8 is alleged to have held the fights for a year.

Police also seized millions of dong, motorbikes and mobile phones.

Indian factory found discharging waste

Environment police on Tuesday reported finding a dye factory in Tan Nhon Phu B Ward in District 9 discharging untreated waste-water into the Sai Gon River.

The factory is owned by Saitex International Viet Nam Ltd Co, an Indian company based in southern Dong Nai Province's Bien Hoa Industrial Zone.

A company official admitted the untreated waste was discharged for a year.

Uni launches award for sustainability

The College of Economics under the Ha Noi National University yesterday launched the Bao Son Award to honour Vietnamese individuals and groups who have made outstanding contributions to sustainable development, poverty alleviation, education and training, literature and biology in Viet Nam.

The award, funded by the Bao Son Group, will support those who want to bring their scientific and technology projects into reality.

Scientist of Vietnamese origin awarded by NASA

Doctor Trinh Huu Phuoc, an American scientist of Vietnamese origin, has been selected by NASA to lead a team of engineers in the development of a propulsion system for future robotic spacecraft that could be used to explore the moon and other planets.

According to the Thanh Nien (Young People) Daily, NASA has recently started to conduct research on new devices in preparation for its new lunar expedition following the last one in 1972.

NASA said the testing of the two thrusters, designed by Dr. Phuoc and his team, has fully accomplished its objectives, including evaluating the stability of the combustion, engine efficiency and the thrusters ability to carry out the mission over a long period of time.
Dr Phuoc, 48, has devoted his career to bringing people’s dreams of exploring space to reality.
He left Vietnam’s southern province of Bac Lieu in 1979 at the age of 16 to become a student of the department of aerospace technology at the Missouri-Rolla University and graduated in 1985.

In 1987, he received a master’s degree and started to work as a rocket propulsion components analyst and then became a doctor of mechanics in 2004. His accumulated technical knowledge over the years has provided him with a good foundation for his current position.

In May this year, Phuoc was decorated by NASA for his outstanding contributions for rocket science and technical applications for space shuttles.

His wife, Vo Thi Hong Diep, is also a technician working for NASA.

Vietnam, Germany cooperate in urban construction, management

A cooperation agreement on urban construction and management between the Academy of Managers for Construction and Cities of Vietnam and the Dresden Technical Institute of Germany was signed in Hanoi on October 27.

Under the agreement, the two sides will cooperate in designing and developing training programmes on construction and management, and also exchange experiences and information.
A day earlier, both sides co-held a seminar on improving efficiency in urban water supply management in Nha Trang city, central Khanh Hoa province.
The seminar focused on water supply and waste water management, water resource saving, and application of Germany’s technology in Vietnam.
The seminar aimed to provide knowledge of policies, technical solutions to water supply and drainage, as well as introduce Germany’s advanced technologies to Vietnam.

VNN/VOV/VNS