From dusk to dawn French photographer Sébastien Laval stands next to one of his photos depicting Hanoi’s night life at an ongoing exhibition in the city. The photo shows a railway running between rows of houses, which he calls an interface of life that can hardly be seen in France or elsewhere. Sébastien Laval, whose works manage to focus on a slower pace of life in Vietnam amidst frenetic developments, has captured Hanoi in a similar light. His fourth exhibition in the country shows the capital city’s night life in a different light, or, more accurately, different lights. “Hanoi 18H/6H” (Hanoi – 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.), shows a city where the colors of everything change, Laval told local media. Vietnamese photographers at the exhibition said Laval has done a better job than them in capturing Hanoi, by “being truthful to the real lights.” The photos show the city reflected in the yellow and red street lights, which Laval calls “poetic light.” Laval said Hanoi is different from many cities in France, where night lights “do not have colors,” making them kind of boring, while the lights in Hanoi paint all walls with a yellowish orange. Several local audiences to the exhibition have made negative comments, saying they expected more spectacular and innovative views of the city. That is exactly what Laval does not want to do. The point of the show, he said, is to show parts of life that have been somehow taken for granted. His photos also show the less luxurious corners of Hanoi’s Old Quarter. Hanoi residents leave their work places at 6 p.m. and either go home or to restaurants for dinner, and life somehow ceases until they begin flocking the roads from 6 a.m. the next morning, Laval said. Most of the photos do not depict people, while others have them in very silent moments like holding hands on the Long Bien bridges, cleaning up their empty booths for the day, or reflected on tainted walls and broken windows. “I want to record the city life during the 12 hours covered in darkness. And a more special thing, Hanoi by night is unusually beautiful,” he told Tuoi Tre. He said the railway track running through Hanoi is a major interest, though some viewers said they found the same setting in many photos – of a railway track between two rows of houses – mundane. In his native country, France, houses are not built so near the tracks and such an interface of life is difficult to find elsewhere, he said. His photographs also show steep and narrow stairs to old apartments and rooms where people hang their clothes, baskets, pans and brooms on the same wall. Hanoi is chaotic, Laval said, adding that the chaos might add to its unique beauty. Laval said he wants his exhibition, with all the sparkle and shadows and messiness, to show another side of the capital city that is not something hard to spot, but one that is familiar to those having lived in the city for sometime. It is all about feeling life “outside the edge of time,” he said. Laval started taking photos of Hanoi at night in 2007 during regular trips to the city. His collection is on display at the French cultural center L’Espace at 24 Trang Tien Street until January 6. Entrance is free. ThanhnienNews

Woman faces charges of killing police officer husband  Du Kim Lien, 44, allegedly killed her husband, Lieutenant Colonel Tran Xuan Chuyen of the HCMC police, by injecting pesticides into him while he was sleeping The Ho Chi Minh City police have recommended charges against a woman for allegedly poisoning her husband, a 50-year-old police officer, so that she could sell their house to pay off her gambling debts. They said that in March Du Kim Lien, 44, injected pesticides to kill Tran Xuan Chuyen, a lieutenant colonel in the city Road and Railway Traffic Department, after pumping him full of sleeping pills. She first bought 10 sleeping pills from a drugstore and put them in Chuyen’s milk. The next morning she put five more in water and poured it into his mouth while he was sleeping. That night she bought a pesticide and injected it into him with a syringe. But Chuyen did not die and she gave him another shot next morning. Lien claimed that Chuyen had had a stroke, but an autopsy revealed that he died due to the pesticide. She was arrested soon afterwards. The police said Lien murdered Chuyen so she could sell their house to repay debts of VND1.3 billion ($62,425). Her husband had wanted to divorce her because of the debts. ThanhnienNews

Border guards foil cross-border heroin transport Photo for illustration Border guards at Mong Cai International Border Gate in the northern Quang Ninh province on December 31 discovered the illegal transport of 14 kilograms of heroin from Vietnam to China. Hoang Duc Phuc, who concealed the heroin in the soles of shoes and student drawing books, was arrested. Phuc (born in 1968 in Nam Dinh province) admitted to multiple cases of drug trafficking and transporting from Hanoi, through Mong Cai to Dongxing city in China. Source: VNA

Experiences of a taxi scam victim in Vietnam After Tuoitrenews posted “Taxis in Vietnam plagued by scams? Think again”, reader Teddy wrote to us, strongly refuting the article. Teddy cited many personal experiences to show that taxi ripoffs and scams are very much alive in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.  In our first story, Nguyen Vu, an expat in Vietnam, cited a story from a Malaysian news site that praises taxi service in Vietnam as honest. Nguyen Vu concluded that scams of some sort exist everywhere in the world and that there are many good cabbies in Vietnam. However, this met a big objection from Teddy who wrote: Well having lived here in Vietnam for 5 YEARS let me tell you that unfortunately this person [referring to Sobrie Shafie from Malaysia who went to Vietnam and had positive experiences with taxis there] is either extraordinarily lucky or extraordinarily stupid. Let's start with the first (and worst) problem facing anyone arriving in HCMC or Hanoi; the taxis going to and from the airport. If anyone had read this paper or other major newspapers in Vietnam there are countless stories of people, not just foreigners (!), who get ripped off to an incredible degree. Like, for example, the POLICE team I think from Singapore! Or, more recently the Japanese woman who not only was charged a ridiculous amount but had her belongings stolen when the taxi drove off. The situation is so bad that whenever I return to Vietnam from a flight abroad, I instinctively tense up. I regularly have been taken WAY off route or demanded to be driven without the meter or simply refused a ride when they realize a I'm not a total "Noob". The ripoffs at the airport is the worst possible first impression you can give a country and is a large part of the reason why only a small percentage of all visitors to Vietnam want to return. Once you arrive at your hotel, you'll likely fall prey to the so called "gypsy" cabs. These cabs, with such creative names like "Vinasum" or "M-Taxi" infest tourist spots to pick up the unwary. As everyone knows, being ripped off is a foregone conclusion, the only question is will it be maybe twenty times the regular fare or "just" a few times. This is especially dangerous for the first time visitor because, in no other country that I can remember, are such fake taxis to be found. (Sure, in other countries there are unlicensed means of transportation, just go to JFK in New York, but you know when you a guy approaches you offering a ride and takes you to an unmarked car you're taking a risk.). To a local (and the local police!) they stick out like a sore thumb, I mean c'mon it should take a few HOURS, to permanently remove them; just pull over each one and if they are lacking a license, impound the car. Even if you stay away from the gypsy cabs, there have been recent reports of some cabs using specially rigged meters, which at the touch of a button, will boost your fare. Again I think this was reported in this and other major news outlets. I (don't think) I've experienced this but I was taken in a Vinasun taxi (just once) in which the meter looked "funny". Sure enough, the fare went up much more quickly and I demanded to be let out. When the taxi driver demanded to be paid, I told him to call the cops. Instead he just took off. Finally, unfortunately even if you just take the two most reputable firms (Vinasun, MaiLinh) they will almost always take you the (somewhat) longer way if they think they can get away with it. Don't believe me? Here's an experiment you can try. Stand on Le Loi at the corner of Le Loi and Nguyen Hue where the Tax building is. It's important to be on Le Loi as you'll see. Now ask to be taken to the Manor or Saigon Pearl on Nguyen Huu Canh. 9 out of 10 times the driver, rather than going straight and then going up to Ly Tu Trong, will make a right and go all the way down Nguyen Hue to Ton Duc Thang. (That's why it's important to stand on Le Loi, if you're standing already on Nguyen Hue the driver could complain about making a U-Turn even though it would save you money). Unfortunately taking people the long way is the norm which is why whenever I go a route I'm not familiar with I have my iPad with a program shows a track of where you've been (MotionX GPS). I've busted quite a few drivers and called up the main number to complain. A couple of times, the drivers have begged forgiveness, admitted their guilt and to please not report them. Sorry to be so long winded but as a very safety conscious (and lazy) foreigner who doesn't have a motorbike and never takes Xe-oms, this is THE single most frustrating thing about living in Vietnam. Why is it so much worse here than in S. Korea, or Tokyo or Hong Kong or L.A. or New York? (Places I've lived). Is it because they don't get paid nearly as much, or they don't have the same professional ethics (white glove) as their counterparts? Or is because they don't have a GPS system in their car that the passenger can also see? Or is this pattern of ripoff and cheating more endemic to the culture (like the vast amount of fake goods found in the fanciest stores like Milano on Dong Khoi?). I don't know but if the taxis in Vietnam are Heaven compared to the ones in Malaysia, then those must truly be Hell. TUOITRENEWS

Indian naval ships to visit Vietnam VietNamNet Bridge - Sudarshini, a training ship of the Indian Navy, will visit Da Nang from December 31 through January 3, in its journey through nine countries in Southeast Asia. The Sudarshini ship. (Photo The Hindu) The ship will follow the ancient route of the Indian traders to Southeast Asia as a way to emphasize the long tradition of cooperation between India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN), on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of establishment of relations.  The two sides have upgraded relations to strategic partnership at the ASEAN - India Summit in New Delhi on December 20-21. 2012 also marks 40 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations and five years of the strategic partnership between India and Vietnam. In the past year, the two sides strengthened cooperation activities in various fields, especially in defense and security.  The Vietnam-India defense dialogue was held in New Delhi in September. The Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Ranjit Rae said Vietnam is one of India’s priorities in India’s look to East strategy. Indian firms have invested $868 million in Vietnam, mainly in the areas agro-processing, steel and mining. Ambassador Ranjit Rae said the trade between the two countries is still modest. In 2013, India will further promote trade with Vietnam, aiming to raise bilateral trade to $7 billion in 2015.  A seminar on business investment and India – Vietnam business will be held in Da Nang on January 1 under the Vietnam and India Business Forum. The Indian Ambassador said that the opening of a direct air route between Vietnam and India will also contribute to the promotion of cooperation between the two countries. Indian Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari will pay an official visit to Vietnam in mid-January, 2013 Chung Hoang

Korean streets amid Hanoi VietNamNet Bridge – Being surprised is probably the feeling of most people when they come to "Korean streets," because the advertising boards of stores along the roads are in Korean language. They can mistakenly believe that they are in Korea. Since 2006, the Korean community living in Hanoi has developed strongly, mainly in the areas of Trung Hoa-Nhan Chinh, Trung Kinh, My Dinh - Song Da and Dao Tan. Therefore, dedicated services for Korean people have developed at astonishing speed. Unlike the "Korea street" Pham Van Hai in HCM City, where shops are mainly owned by Korean, most restaurants, hotels, supermarkets and stores on the “Korean streets” in Hanoi are ran by Vietnamese. Korea everywhere Perhaps the largest community of Koreans living in Hanoi is in the area of Trung Hoa-Nhan Chinh. Just looking at the posters, advertising signs there one can realize it clearly. Going along the streets of Nguyen Thi Thap, Nguyen Thi Dinh and Hoang Ngan, it is very normal to see Koreans and hear Korean language as if it is the official language of communication of people in this area. If you just wear Korean-style outfit (long sweater, tights, curly and lightly-died hair) and enter into any restaurant or shop in this area, the staff will immediately use Korean to talk to you. Ms. Nguyen Linh, neighbor of a Korean family in the apartment building 17T10 Trung Hoa-Nhan Chinh, said: "Although there are many Koreans here but I do not see big changes because in apartment blocks, households do not contact with each other much. They only say hello when they see each other on the stairs, the hallway or the basement parking lot. The biggest change is a lot of shops for Korean have been set up." In the "Korean street," there are all services for Koreans, from restaurants, hotels, supermarkets, hospitals, schools to Internet cafes. Pedestrians can easily find numerous stores with bilingual plates. However, the Korean letters are often bigger and more eye-catching while the Vietnamese text is small and difficult to see. Integration in foreign land Besides entertainment services such as billiards, karaoke, spa, etc., social services for Koreans in Vietnam are also available such as schools, hospitals and cultural centers. The International Korea-Hanoi School, located on Le Van Luong road is one of the schools for Korean kids in Hanoi. Oh Ju Young, the school's fourth grader said that the school teaches Vietnamese but most of them still communicate in Korean language because most of the students are Vietnamese-Korean or Korean. Most Koreans in Vietnam still maintain their eating habits and favor Korean food, so in addition to Korean restaurants, there are many supermarkets selling Korean food in this area. Ace Mart on Nguyen Thi Thap Street is a fairly typical shopping destination. Stepping into the supermarket, Vietnamese customers probably feel overwhelmed because the staff  here communicate fluently as native Korean and all the products do not have a single word in Vietnamese. All products are imported from South Korea, to fully serve daily needs of Korean, from Soju wine, kimchi, rice cakes, fish-shaped ice cream, fish sauce to books and clothes. Even the popular products available in Vietnam as Xilytol chewing gum, snacks, Colgate toothbrush, etc. are also imported from Korea because a majority of Korean people prefer to use products from their country. Mr. Jeon Jeong Seok, 26, an employee of a wallpaper trading company, said: "I’ve lived in Vietnam for a year and a half but I still mainly use Korean utensils purchased at a supermarket near my apartment.” It is interesting that outside the supermarket there is a small campus with several sets of wooden tables and chairs. "In Vietnam, it seems strange but in Korea, all supermarkets have wooden tables and chairs to serve customers," the supermarket’s manager said. The number of Koreans living in Hanoi is on the rise. According to Mr. Tran Ngoc Son, head of the administration board of 17T10 apartment building in Trung Hoa - Nhan Chinh, said: "This apartment building has about 200 households, including more than 30 Korean households. Korean always have good attitude. They say hello when seeing us but the relations only stop at the courtesy greeting." Closed way of life  "The majority of Koreans in Hanoi make the initial impression of being friendly, open, but only at a social level. In fact, they mainly make contact with the Korean community living here," said Ms. Nguyen Lan Anh, a longtime employee at Pan Medical, a Korean firm in Hanoi. Four years after the normalization of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the Republic of Korea, since 1992 the number of Korean to Vietnam has increased rapidly, forming the second largest group of immigrants, second only to the Taiwanese community in Vietnam.  It is estimated that in 2011, the number of Koreans in Vietnam was nearly 90,000, of whom almost half reside in Hanoi. However, Vietnamese do not really understand about their lifestyle and personalities. Most Korean people living in Hanoi, no matter how long they have been here, from several months to several years, always keep their eating habits. They only choose Korean food for their everyday meals.  Although Vietnamese food is diverse, cheap, and easy to buy but the Koreans in Hanoi only eat Korean food like rice roll, kimchi, etc.  Mr. Park Chang Eun, manager at a Korean firm that manufactures fire extinguishers and steel structures, said: "The Vietnamese cuisines are slightly salty. Especially I hate eating spinach. In Korea, no one eats water spinach but it Vietnam it is very popular." To find the ingredients of Korean cuisines, they go to K-mart, the supermarkets selling Korean products in Hanoi. For men, who do not know cooking, often eat in Korean restaurants around their workplaces or hire Vietnamese charladies who can cook Korean food. In addition to food, Koreans only use things from Korea, from the smallest things like toothpaste, dishes, napkin, etc.  "It is a habit to use Korean products. Moreover, they are better in design and quality while the prices are not much more expensive than Vietnamese products," said Mr. Bok Yo Han, a tour guide.  He said he bought these things from Korean marts or brought them from his country to Vietnam. Coming to Hanoi, Koreans only want to live in places where there are many Koreans living and working, such as Trung Hoa-Nhan Chinh, Dao Tan, My Dinh - Song Da, forming a separate community. Mr. Yoon Jae Min, who works at a Korean IT company, said: "Though I cannot speak Vietnamese but I can still live here very conveniently." Koreans do not have many Vietnamese friends. They mainly still communicate with the Korean community here. Companies in which they work are also branches of Korean companies in Vietnam, of which only a few employees are Vietnamese and they all communicate with each other in Korean. Korean people rarely talk to local people unless it is necessary, because as Mr. Jeon Jeong-seok, who has lived in Vietnam for a year and a half said: "I’m afraid to meet Vietnamese because I do not really know that they are talking about me." Yet there are some Koreans like Mr. Bok Yo Han, characterized by his job as a tour guide, has a lot of Vietnamese friends but they are the ones who he truly know for a long time and know how to speak Korean. Hong Loan-Van Anh

Aviation gas stolen by airport staff, sold in bulk  Mr. Chau delivered jet fuel to a grocery owned by a woman named Dung in an alley on Nguyen Van Dau Street in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre Investigation by Tuoi Tre revealed that airport staff stole aviation gasoline, or white gas or Jet oil as it is commonly known, and sold it to dealers in broad daylight in Ho Chi Minh City. After spending days roaming the areas surrounding Tan Son Nhat airport, Tuoi Tre reporters found that white gas, a high-octane gas used for aircraft, has been stolen by airport staff and sold illegally to dealers. Avgas, short for aviation gasoline, is different from mogas, or motor gasoline, which is used for automobiles. Though the imported white gas fetches higher prices than other types of gas, it is sold illegally at lower prices than those of ordinary gases.  Going ‘night hunting’ At 0 am on Nov 23, Tuoi Tre reporters were present at the Bach Dang-Hong Ha T-junction near Tan Son Nhat airport in Tan Binh district, the road most taken to transport fuel to the airport. At 2 am at the white gas ‘trading’ hotspot near swimming pool 108, some 400 m from the Tan Son Nhat gate, Huong, a gas dealer, was lurking in the dark next to her red bike with the license plate numbered 53P2-9265. A deliverer with six cans of jet petrol coming home after receiving gas from the tank truck on Hong Ha Street. Photo: Tuoi Tre. Earlier, she had had her four 30-liter cans filled to the brim with the gas. 15 minutes later, a tanker loaded with white gas pulled over. The driver instantly handed 2 big-sized cans from his cabin over to Huong. Past 3 am, 2 yellow tankers with the words ‘VN Air Petrol Company – Jet A1’ on their trunk also pulled over and dropped 4 similar cans where Huong was hiding. A jet fuel tank truck belonging to VN Air Petrol Company parked in an area near Tan Son Nhat Airport to illegally sell jet fuel. Photo: Tuoi Tre. By 3:30 am, Huong had gathered 6 cans. Fraud In an interview with Tuoi Tre, Hoang Manh Tuan, CEO of Aviation Petrol Co. (Vinapco), admitted to the fact that a number of his staffers and tanker drivers are suspected of stealing white gas from the company and fraudulently selling it to dealers. However, he has not gathered enough evidence to bring them to justice. According to Tuan, Vinapco has tightened control to minimize frauds in gasoline transportation. “However, whenever we loosen our control, they are active again,” Tuan noted. The company has imposed penalties on a number of staffers, with the lightest being admonition and dismissal. Those who correctly tip the company managers on gasoline frauds are rewarded, Tuan stressed. Like other dealers, Huong often begins her ‘hunting’ trips very early in the morning. She buys at least 6 cans of white gas a night, and up to 12 on good days. Dealers buy white gas for some VND 15,000-18,000 (US$ 0.7-0.9) a liter, and sell it for VND 22,000-26,000 a liter. Chau, another dealer in the Bach Dang-Hong Ha area, often buys white gas in bulk. “I often see tankers drop cans of white gas where dealers are waiting. From midnight to before dawn, a lot of bikers loaded with cans roam the streets,” a local said. “Previously, tankers would pull up and have the gas pumped out. Now they pump the gas into cans before selling them to dealers to save time,” he added. On nights when patrol is strict, Huong and Chau stealthily move from their usual ‘trading’ site to another hiding place in the bush on the pavement. At 4 am, Chau used the same tricks as Huong’s to buy 8 cans of white gas (some 240 liters) from several tankers. Nam, another white gas dealer who also frequents the area, was talking to someone on the phone in the dark. Only 10 minutes later, a tanker pulled up, its driver quickly handed her 3 full cans. Riding the bike without a license plate, Nam gathers white gas on a number of streets without any hesitation. In early December, according to Tuoi Tre’s sources, another group of white gas dealers was also operating brazenly in the area, adopting similar tricks. White gas ‘trading’ stations With canfuls of white gas on his bike, Chau always takes the alleys and stores them at a house in Binh Thanh district, not far from his rented room. His main supplier is Dung. Dung erected his ‘post’ on Bach Dang street in Tan Binh district to collect the gas from tankers from 8 am to 2-3 pm. He provides automobile fixing services on a small truck as disguise. At ‘peak hours’, tankers drop gas cans at Dung’s post around every 5 minutes. “In recent months, this daytime ‘trading’ has been on the rise,” locals said. At around 10 am, Dung and his hired man were changing a car tire when a yellow tanker gave a secret signal by honking his horn twice before drawing up at Dung’s post. The driver briskly dropped 2 large cans on the pavement. Phuoc, Dung’s hired man, took the 2 cans while Dung quickly handed another 2 empty cans to the driver. Dung immediately hid the 2 full cans in the bush on the pavement. According to Tuoi Tre reporters’ observation, within only an hour, up to 10 tankers dropped full cans at Dung’s place. Dung’s station is always packed with full cans. There were times when he gathered more than 10 cans within 2 hours only. Retail Tuoi Tre’s investigation reveals that after collecting full cans from near the airport, Huong stores them at her house in Go Vap district, where her clients comes to fetch the ‘goods’. According to Bang, one of Huong’s patrons, Huong sells a 30 liter can at VND 600,000 (US$ 29). “She doesn’t retail to strangers,” Bang noted. Bang comes to fetch the ‘goods’ from Huong and other dealers on a daily basis. “No way can you find this gas at petrol stations. This gas is aircraft’s fuel,” Bang said without any hesitation in an interview with Tuoi Tre reporters. “A liter is priced at VND 24,000 (US$ 1.2). But if you buy the whole 30 liter can, a liter is only VND 22,000,” she said. “I wholesale the gas to petrol stations at the same price. I only earn a little from it,” Bang told Tuoi Tre. According to Bang, white gas is mixed with normal gas before being filled into customers’ bikes at several petrol stations. She wholesales up to a hundred of liters to the petrol stations each at VND 22,000 per liter. A92 petrol currently fetches VND 23,150 (US$ 1.1) a liter while A95 petrol is VND 23,650 a liter. Hoa, a white gas retail seller in district 4, said that owners of petrol stations often blend white gas with A92 or A95 and pocket VND 1,150-1,650 a liter. Most of those who buy white gas retail at VND 24,000 a liter use it for lighting the kerosene stove or burning votive money or goods for the deceased, Hoa explained. “Though white gas costs some VND 3,000 a liter more than DO oil, people favor it over conventional fuel as it emits no smoke or odor and produces intense, extended heat,” she added. According to Dr. Nguyen Vinh Khanh, from HCMC Polytechnic University, aviation gasoline (Jet A1), which is a high performance aircraft-type gas turbine lubricant, is formed from kerosene oil. Diesel engined automobiles, such as buses, and trucks can run on Jet A1. However, petrol-engined automobiles, like motorbikes or cars, can’t run on Jet A1. “Using Jet A1 on motorbikes will certainly lead to engine failure or serious engine damage,” Khanh stressed. “Whether the mixture of Jet A1 and A92 or A95 can be used on petrol-run engines or not depends on the levels of Jet A1concentration,” he noted. TUOI TRE  News