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Pentagon chief pledges $18 million for
US Defense Secretary Ash Carter pledged $18 million on Sunday
to help
Carter, who
has been focusing on maritime security during an 11-day trip to the
Asia-Pacific, visited the Vietnamese navy headquarters and coast guard
headquarters before boarding the ship.
Carter is on
his second visit to
"We
need to modernize our partnership," Carter told reporters during a visit
to the northern city of
As part of
that effort, he said
US and
Vietnamese navies had been "building habits of cooperation" by
working together, he said. In April they conducted exercises under rules laid
out in the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea, a set of regulations
approved by multiple maritime nations last year at a meeting in
Carter
opened his trip to the Asia-Pacific by calling for all countries to stop
island-building efforts in disputed, resource-rich regions of the
Dredging work
being done along the shore of Mischief Reef, located 216 km (135 miles) west
of the Philippine island of Palawan, is shown in this Center for Strategic
and International Studies (CSIS) Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative
satellite image taken on March 17, 2015 and released to Reuters on April 9,
2015.
Carter
recognized that several countries had conducted land reclamation projects in
the region but said Chinese activity, covering some 2,000 acres, had
outstripped the others and raised questions about
"I will
be discussing further with
The
Vietnamese coast guard vessel toured by Carter was targeted with Chinese
water cannons and rammed by a Chinese ship during a confrontation last year.
The incident
occurred after
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Chủ Nhật, 31 tháng 5, 2015
Why
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To add insult to injury, the
increasing numbers of outbound tourists suggest that even Vietnamese tourists
prefer to travel to countries other than Vietnam
“Last year only 136,000 Laotians
visited Vietnam while more
than 900,000 Vietnamese visited Laos
“We are failing on our home playing
field in attracting holidaymakers as Vietnamese have turned their back on
domestic travel and prefer to spend their holidays abroad,” Binh underscored.
Limiting factors
A combination of global and domestic
factors have diminished Vietnam’s attractiveness as a tourist destination
recently, making the government’s aim of establishing tourism as a strategic
economic pillar more difficult.
International visitors have
routinely reported that unseemly environmental pollution and traffic problems
in major cities like Hanoi and HCM City
In addition, Vietnam has failed to
step up to the competition from regional countries, Binh stressed— as both
Malaysia and Thailand have similar product offerings competing on cultural
tours and Vietnam has failed to differentiate itself.
Going against the world’s common
trend
Most notably, the Vice President of
the VTA said more should be done to loosen visa regulations as the country
needs to roll out measures to boost tourism with fast visa free policies for
international travellers.
Currently 95% of the world needs a
visa to enter Vietnam
Nguyen Thi Van Anh, director of
Hanoi Red Tours, said Vietnam
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Other countries in Southeast Asia
such as Thailand , Singapore and the Philippines Vietnam
Moreover, Vietnam
Tran Khang Thuy, director of EXO
travel, says most tourists even have had to give money under the table to the
staff at embassies and of the Vietnam
Thuy affirmed the complex visa
requirements and related corruption in Vietnam
Finding solutions
With its natural splendour and
ancient history, Vietnam Vietnam
needs to rebrand itself and learn the lessons from European cities like London or Berlin
The nation has modernized and
foreigners need to know it can offer more than just blasé tours of ancient
UNESCO historical sites.
According to Vu The Binh of the VTA
the tourism industry has demonstrably lacked innovation, which has hardly
provided any compelling rationale for foreign tourists to return.
In addition, there has been a
definite lack of co-ordination among promotional activities at the national
and local levels.
Most importantly, Vietnam
VOV
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Children health gets attention on Children Day
Some events have been held around the country on Children’s
Day June 1 this year in an attempt to call on the community to better protect
and care for children health.
Children
learn at a kindergarten
The Ministry of Labour, Veterans and
Social Affairs held an event on May 30 in northern Hai Duong province’s Hai
Duong city as a kick-off to the Month of Action for Children with the motto
‘Let’s Hear Children.’
Attending the event, Deputy Prime
Minister Vu Duc Dam called on people to listen to children to understand and
have proper advice or timely actions, helping children to grow better.
Worrying about the number of 1.5
million disadvantaged children and around 2.5 million children at risk of
becoming disadvantaged ones, the Deputy PM urged adults to translate mottos
into actions to better care for children.
According to Minister of Labour,
Invalids and Social Affairs Pham Thi Hai Chuyen, over the past years, many
measures has been implemented at all levels to protect, care for and educate
children, partly limiting negative impacts and risks caused by economic
recession, climate change and environmental pollution on children.
Many policies and programmes for
children continue being maintained such as the National Action Programme for
Children, the National Programme for Protecting Children and Free Medical
Examinations for Children aged under six and many others.
Vietnam approved the United Nations’
Convention on the Rights of the Child 25 years ago to ensure children to be
under the protection of four groups of basic rights – the right of survival,
the right of development, the right of being protected and the right of
children’s participation, Chuyen said.
But she said more efforts needed to
be done.
At the event, the Vietnam Children
Sponsor Fund received 20 billion VND (920,000 USD) in donation from
organisations, individuals to implement programmes and projects for
impoverished and disabled children.
The Fund also sponsored 30
impoverished students who have good performance in study, each 2 million VND,
and presented 700 gift packages, worth 200,000 each, to impoverished
children.
The same day in
During festive days, children are
offered free medical examinations and advice by specialised doctors on
backbone, eye and teeth. They are supplied Vitamin A for free as well.
In addition, parents are equipped
with basic and practical knowledge of caring for children health like how to
prevent dangerous disease or how to handle accidents and injuries in summer
days.
The event is expected to raise
awareness of the importance of caring for children health and call on
organistions and individuals to contribute to the cause.
VNA
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Female DJs overcome prejudices to play music, earn living in
DJ
Thuy Tien during her performance in a bar. Tuoi Tre
Since they wear sexy clothes to
display more skin during performances and lead lives of ‘night working and
day sleeping,’ female disc jockeys, or DJs, in Vietnam have to overcome
social stigma which often leads to them being misunderstood as call girls.
Adding to the prejudice is their
regular working environment at bars, beer clubs and sometimes coffee shops,
which are considered ‘places of pleasure.’
In fact, this is a serious job that
requires devotion, passion for music and performance skills.
A qualified DJ can earn an average
salary of VND20 million (US$920) a month or more and travel abroad for
contests and performances.
At midnight one day, the atmosphere
inside J Bar on
DJ Hai Yen. Photo: Tuoi Tre
The hands of DJ Thuy Tien moved fast
on the keyboards and control panels of electronic music devices.
Her body moved to the rhythms of
foreign electro songs. She was no different from a star artist who could
command the attention of everyone there.
She could make the crowd become
enthusiastic and cheerful with loud whistles and dances.
Tien worked continuously through 90
minutes of dancing with the musical rhythm and gesturing at the crowd to
excite them.
“Thanks to their ability to attract
crowds with musical rhythms and attractive bodies in sexy clothes, female DJs
are among the favorites at bars,” said a male guest at J Bar.
In a brief chat with Tuoi Tre
(Youth) newspaper after her show at 1:00 am, when the street outside was
deserted, Thuy Tien said she has DJed for seven years, performing at numerous
bars.
“Today, I feel relaxed so I could
burn myself like that,” Tien said, with sweat covering her bright face. “This
job depends greatly on the state of mind.”
Tien lost her parents when she was
14 years old and had to learn music herself before being allowed to perform
in a bar at a low salary.
Each DJ often selects their own
style of performance in a certain rhythm of music.
DJ Max Cleo. Photo: Tuoi Tre
Nguyen Mai Anh, 23, who is the key
DJ of the ‘upper class’ Q Bar on Ly Thuong Kiet Street in Hanoi, mainly
performs EDM – or electronic dance music – which has recently been ‘imported’
into Vietnam.
Anh said she was able to buy a house
and run a cosmetic shop in the Vietnamese capital thanks to the income from
her performances as a DJ.
DJ Nguyen Thuy Linh, or Link Eva,
29, is often invited to join foreign performance trips.
Before, Linh had to agree to perform
for free at some bars to build her name.
“Then, I made no money but was close
to tears of happiness because I was given shows to perform,” Linh recounted
her initial days of doing the job.
These young women and most other
female DJs admit that they are often misunderstood as call girls by both
family and neighbors because of their late working hours and sexy clothes.
Now, it takes a DJ two months and no
more than VND15 million ($690) to learn music and performing skills to be
able to work as a DJ.
So, it is lucky for newly-trained
DJs to be allowed to perform at a bar.
The enthusiastic
atmosphere in a bar thanks to the performance of a DJ (R). Photo: Tuoi Tre
A DJ admitted that, “It can be
exciting when sitting in front of the keyboards to perform, but leaving it
makes DJs feel dull and tired when it is late at night.”
In
DJ Huong Tra confessed that she
sometimes smiles and gestures at the crowd, but this is just crazy behavior
because she is performing.
With some crowds, one may not be in
the mood and just do the job for money, Tra added.
She recalled she was once given a
cup of water with a VND500,000 bank note around it while performing. She
thought it was a tip from guests and drank the cup.
Minutes later, she became crazy and
performed and danced so wildly that she took off her shirt.
She said she later realized the
water had been spiked with some sort of stimulant.
Tuoi Tre
News
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Dirty business: Hotels on
Littering by tourists and waste discharges from hotels are
taking away the appeal of
Beaches on
the island are now full of plastic bags, food containers and food waste left
by tourists.
Nguyen Xuan
Hien, a tourist from
Local media
has reported about the issue for months.
But Hien
said the beaches are still dirty and officials have not fixed the problem.
Some locals
have also criticized small beachfront restaurants for discharging wastewater
directly into the sea and letting diners urinate on the beach.
But those
small restaurants are not alone. Luxury hotels have done the same.
Along Ba
Keo, one of the most beautiful and popular beaches on the southern island,
there are 28 hotels and resorts. Most of them discharge their wastewater
straight into the sea through pipes.
Tourists who
want to swim have to go far away from these hotels.
Phung Xuan Mai,
general director of a resort on the island, reckoned that only five hotels
and resorts on the island have waste treatment systems, but whether these
system meet the required standards is a different question.
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Thứ Bảy, 30 tháng 5, 2015
Prospects for the Vietnam-EAEU free
trade agreement
Prime
Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has signed a free trade agreement (FTA) with the
Eurasia Economic Union (EAEU) in
In the run up to the signing
ceremony, Dang Hoang Hai, head of the Vietnam Technical Negotiation
Delegation in Astana, sat down with a Radio Voice of Vietnam (VOV) reporter
to provide his thoughts on the important trade pact.
Following are key translated
excerpts from the interview.
Reporter: The
negotiation process and preparations for the signing of the FTA between
Mr Hai: The
negotiation process has transpired rather quickly. Initially,
The agreement has the typical
characteristics of other free trade pacts. All of the nations involved in the
FTA, have a long standing traditional friendship with
These countries have stood shoulder
to shoulder with
The negotiation process for the
agreement was undertaken seriously and as a consequence, both sides have a
hammered out a solid agreement that is mutually beneficial not only for
Reporter: What
do you think about the significance of the agreement for
Mr Hai: I
think that it has great significance for all concerned parties. For
The figures unequivocally
demonstrate this is a promising market. Notably, the agreement has fulfilled
our fundamental targets in which all priority export items have achieved
favourable conditions.
For example, nearly 100% of the
nation’s commodities will be allowed entry into the EAEU free of any import
duties. Regarding garments and textiles value added items, we have
successfully negotiated for abatement of 80% of the import duties.
In the negotiations, we placed great
emphasis on opening up the EAEU markets for
I think the overall impact of the
agreement will be very positive as it should benefit all concerned parties.
Reporter: During
the negotiation process, what are assessments of concerned parties towards
Vietnamese market when implementing articles in the agreement?
Mr Hai: The
EAEU member nations view
Reporter: What
obstacles do you foresee in implementing the FTA?
Mr Hai: Although
the FTA opens up a lot of opportunities, it poses a number of challenging
obstacles. Geographical distance is the number one problem that must be
overcome as nations in the EAEU are far from
Secondly, familiarity with the
markets is a distinct problem. It is going to take some hard work on the part
of the
Thirdly, language barriers,
differing laws, customs, all will create their own unique problems that will
need to be dealt with effectively. Therefore, the
Furthermore, the FTA hasn’t broken
down all trade barriers so
Reporter: Thank
you very much.
VOV
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"If it
has actually happened it is a very bad sign for what is already a very
complicated situation in the South China Sea," General Nguyen Chi Vinh
told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of a security forum in
The
The
development was described by the Pentagon as one that creates more
"uncertainty" in a situation that has grown increasingly tense over
the past six months after satellite images showed significant land
reclamation activities by
Vinh said he
wanted all of the international community to work together to put a halt to
"I
always hope that the international community will always be responsible for
the peace, stability and development of the region and not ignore that act of
violating international law," he said.
On Friday,
Vinh held a bilateral meeting with Admiral Sun Jianguo, a deputy chief of
staff of
"We are
military people so we are very clear and very frank unlike diplomatic
people," he said.
"We
were very clear of our position to maintain our sovereignty, to respect
international law and to maintain responsibility between
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Northern, central
The
temperature hit 41.5 degrees Celsius, or 106.7 degrees Fahrenheit, in some
The heat in
Ha Tinh Province even melted a newly fixed road. Some travelers had their
tires and shoes caught in the sticky asphalt Friday afternoon.
A
road melts in Ha Tinh Province. Photo credit: VnExpress
The
temperature in
It was so
hot that a video has gone viral on the Internet, showing a local
man frying an egg and beef just by putting his pan on an outdoor brick floor.
A source
from the
Tran Quang
Tien, deputy director of the center, told Tuoi Tre newspaper there are
similar heat waves every May, but El Nino and climate change are making the
one this year much harsher.
Figures from
the center showed that temperatures across
A man has a
bath with water from a hole dug into a dry stream in Ninh Thuan. Photo
credit: Tuoi Tre
The center
said the weather in northern and central
Experts said
the heat can make many people sick, especially older people and children,
those with cardiological, respiratory conditions, Parkinson's and mental
illnesses.
Hospitals in
Doctors said
parents should keep the children indoor around noon, keep them cool and
hydrated.
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Banks still gain high profits despite increased NPLs
Though
non-performing loans (NPLs) have increased significantly, which forced
commercial banks to make higher provisions against risks, they still have
reported an increase in profit in the first quarter of 2015 in comparison
with the same period last year.
The Bank for
Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV) is leading listed commercial
banks in profit growth rate. The bank’s post-tax profit was VND1.854
trillion, an increase of 20.71 percent over the same period last year,
attributed to deposit interest rate decreases and sharp cuts in other
expenses, by VND640 billion. Meanwhile, the income from loan interests and
other services increased slightly.
Eximbank has reported satisfactory business results in the first quarter, which came after a bad fourth quarter of 2014. The bank’s post-tax profit in the first three months of the year reached VND415 billion, an increase of 20 percent over the same period last year. The reason was that the bank had to pay lower interest on bank deposits by roughly 20 percent. The same reason has also been cited as explanation for the high profits gained by the big players – VietinBank, ACB, Sacombank and MBB. Banks unanimously slashed deposit interest rates in the first months of the year. The interest rates hover around 4-5 percent for short-term deposits and 7-8 percent for long- term deposits. Of the eight listed banks, only two, Vietcombank and SHB, have reported profit decreases. The NPL ratio of seven listed commercial banks (except SHB), reached VND36.436 trillion by March 31, 2015, increasing by 20 percent compared with the beginning of the year. The banks’ NPL ratio had increased to 2.17 percent of outstanding loans from 1.86 percent earlier this year. According to the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV), the NPL ratio had reached 3.49 percent by the end of January, higher than the 3.25 percent at the end of 2014. Meanwhile, the latest report of SBV’s HCM City Branch said the NPL ratio of the local banks had increased to 5.53 percent by March 31, 2015 from 5.31 percent in late 2014. The figures all showed that NPLs have increased again after unexpectedly decreasing in late 2014. Vietcombank surprised everyone when it, considered the best bank in Its high NPL ratio and high provisioning have raised controversy. Some analysts said the figures do not mean Vietcombank credit quality is worse than other banks, but show that the bank strictly follows international standards in debt classification. TBKTVN |
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Government News 30/5
Judicial
ties is one of the key contents of Vietnam-Germany cooperation in 2015,
Vietnamese Ambassador to Germany Nguyen Thi Hoang Anh announced during a
recent meeting with the State of Brandenburg’s Minister of Justice Ronald
Pienky in Berlin.
Pienkny
said the positive outcomes of bilateral cooperation over recent years,
reflecting the increasing level of mutual trust since the two countries
became strategic partners in 2011.
He
revealed that Brandenburg is currently studying Vietnam’s experience in
making laws, with a focus on local administrative management, which is his
State’s current restructuring priority.
On the
occasion of the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two
countries, the Federal Minister presented two collections of legal texts,
containing more than 200 books, to the German Law Centre at the Hanoi
University of Law via the Vietnamese Ambassador.
Ambassador
Nguyen Thi Hoang Anh expressed her wish for cooperation programmes between
Asia-Pacific
expert group talks non-traditional security threats
The
Expert Group on Security in the Asia-Pacific closed its annual workshop in
the central city of
Deputy
Commander of Military Zone 5 Maj. Gen Nguyen Dinh Tien and Managing Director
of Strategic Studies at the Asia-Pacific Centre for Security Studies Carleton
Cramer co-chaired the closing ceremony.
The
workshop focused its discussions on possible ways to cope with
non-traditional security threats and topics regarding humanitarian assistance
and disaster search-and-rescue, maritime security and counter-terrorism.
It was
also where
Participants
reached agreement on common principles of joint cooperation, including
ensuring legitimate interests of each country based on equality, respect for
each other’s territorial sovereignty and integrity, international law and
regional commitments.
They
voiced support for the settlement of disputes through peaceful dialogues,
without using force or threatening to use force while refraining from making
actions that can intensify tension.
The
event, co-hosted by the Vietnamese Defence Ministry’s Foreign Relations
Department and the Special Operations Command Pacific, attracted 80 delegates
from 10 ASEAN member countries,
The 2016
workshop of this kind will take place in
PM
meets with President of
Prime
Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on May 29 met with Chairman of the Board of the
Eurasia Economic Commission Viktor Khristenko, on the occasion of the signing
of a free trade agreement (FTA) between
The
Vietnamese leader underlined the significance of the agreement, which he said
is a modern and comprehensive deal with necessary flexibilities and balanced
benefits which take into account the specific situation of each side. He
added that it is a breakthrough for economic-trade ties between
For his
part, Khristenko expressed his hope that
The two
sides expressed their belief that the FTA will create a foundation for the
EAEU to bolster trade and investment connections with
The
Eurasia Economic Union comprises
Vietnamese
leaders meet Cuban high-ranking Party delegation
General
Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and State President Truong Tan Sang hosted
receptions for a visiting Cuban Party delegation led by Politburo member and
Vice President of the Council of State Salvador Valdes Mesa, in
During
the meetings, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong spoke highly of
The
Party leader updated the delegation on the situation in
Meanwhile,
State President Sang said the trip taking place on the 55th anniversary of
the diplomatic relations between the two countries would contribute to
further promoting the traditional friendship and cooperation between
The
President also wanted the Governments of the two countries and the
subcommittees of their Inter-governmental Commission to study and formulate
new measures and mechanisms suitable with conditions of the two countries to
make bilateral cooperation more effective and practical.
Salvador
Valdes Mesa congratulated
He
expressed his gratitude for
The
Cuban delegation previously held talks with a Vietnamese Party delegation led
by Le Hong Anh, Politburo member and Standing Secretary of the Party Central
Committee Secretariat.
During
their talks, the two sides informed each other of each country’s situation,
discussed relevant issues and measures to realise cooperation agreements
signed by the two parties and countries.
During
their stay, the Cuban delegation paid respect to President Ho Chi Minh at his
mausoleum and held working sessions with officials of the Party Central
Committee’s Commission for External Relations, the Party Central Committee’s
Commission for Ogranisation, the Party Central Committee’s Commission for
Popularisation and Education. They also visited
Asia-Pacific
expert group talks non-traditional security threats
The
Expert Group on Security in the Asia-Pacific closed its annual workshop in
the central city of
Deputy
Commander of Military Zone 5 Maj. Gen Nguyen Dinh Tien and Managing Director
of Strategic Studies at the Asia-Pacific Centre for Security Studies Carleton
Cramer co-chaired the closing ceremony.
The
workshop focused its discussions on possible ways to cope with
non-traditional security threats and topics regarding humanitarian assistance
and disaster search-and-rescue, maritime security and counter-terrorism.
It was
also where
Participants
reached agreement on common principles of joint cooperation, including
ensuring legitimate interests of each country based on equality, respect for
each other’s territorial sovereignty and integrity, international law and
regional commitments.
They
voiced support for the settlement of disputes through peaceful dialogues,
without using force or threatening to use force while refraining from making
actions that can intensify tension.
The
event, co-hosted by the Vietnamese Defence Ministry’s Foreign Relations
Department and the Special Operations Command Pacific, attracted 80 delegates
from 10 ASEAN member countries,
The 2016
workshop of this kind will take place in
Deputy
Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and
They
pledged to continue the facilitation of all-level visits via the State,
Government and National Assembly channels while effectively utilising the
existing cooperation mechanisms, such as the deputy ministerial-level
political consultation and the Sub-Committee on Trade.
The two
sides expressed their resolve to lift bilateral trade to 500 million USD this
year. A number of Vietnamese projects operating in Myanmar were hailed as
profitable, including a hotel, office and shopping complex run by Hoang Anh
Gia Lai in Yangon and an oil and gas joint-venture between PetroVietnam
Exploration Production Corporation and Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise.
The
Government of Myanmar is considering granting an investment licence to the
Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV) to set up
Host and
guest promised to effectively implement the defence cooperation agreement
signed in September 2001, to improve the effectiveness of the annual security
dialogue, and to promptly set up a defence policy dialogue mechanism.
Bilateral
cooperation on defence and crime prevention, information and experience
sharing, education and training, culture, and science-technology will be
strengthened, including joint research on lotus fiber weaving.
In terms
of regional and global issues, they reiterated their continued mutual
collaboration at multilateral forums, pledged to coordinate with other ASEAN
member states to establish the ASEAN Economic Community later this year, and
maintain ASEAN’s central role and common voice in dealing with regional issues.
The
ninth meeting of this kind will be held in
VNA
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