Social News 6/3 Mekong delta enhances reactive prevention of bird flu   A vet sprays disinfectant in the affected farms Head of the Department of Husbandry and Animal Health in the Mekong delta province of Dong Thap yesterday said that the bird flu is developing complicatedly thus the animal health sector in coordination with local administrations and breeders should enhance reactive approaches. For instance, since the beginning of the year, the vet force has administered 2 million vaccine shots against bird flu virus on poultry in the province. At present, local governments continue checking water fowl in the province for further injection of vaccine. Administrators have tightened controlling over transportation of poultry in districts Tan Hong, Hong Ngu and Hong Ngu Town - border crossings with Cambodia. Meantime, the Department of Husbandry and Animal Health in Tien Giang Province said that a bird flu A/H5N1outbreak was detected on a flock of chicken; consequently, 860 poultry of breeder Nguyen Van Toan in District Cai Be were culled. Tien Giang Province has a large clock of poultry with 12.2 million; accordingly, the local administrators take heed to the disease prevention. The vet sector focused on injecting vaccine against A/H5N1 for the first phase with the immunization rate of 79.6 percent on duck and 90.19 percent on chick. Additionally, the province keeps an eye on the pandemic to early detect outbreaks to curb the spreading. Moreover, disinfection is carried out from now to March 23 with cleaning farms. In An Giang Province, head of the Husbandry and Animal Health department Tran Tien Hiep said that the People’s Committee ordered districts and vet forces to adopt measures against the disease as well as ban transportation and sales of smuggled poultry through border gates. A reward of VND500,000 will be given to those who inform dead or ill poultry and unvaccinated water fowl. Soc Trang Province also focused on prevention of bird flu which occurred in some localities in the province. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said that all ill poultry was killed and vets carried out disinfection task in the affected areas as well as tightened transportation, slaughtering of chicken in the province. Furthermore, authority boosted vaccination in small farms in rural districts. 44 students grab first prizes of Hanoi Open Mathematical Competition 2017 Department of Education and Training of Hanoi yesterday yesterday gave prizes to 580 best students who participated in the 14th Hanoi Open Math Competition 2017 (HOMC 2017). As final result, 44 students won the first prizes and the delegation fron Hanoi was ranked the first position with 28 first prizes and 58 second prizes. This year’s math contest attracted 843 students from the high schools and secondary schools of 30 cities and provinces across the country. Over past 14 years, the annual math contest had received active participation of crowded nationwide students. In next years, the organizers hoped that more and more international students will take part in the contest. 3 Thai nationals arrested in Japan for killing Vietnamese student Police in Japan’s Chiba Prefecture have arrested three Thai nationals for stabbing to death a Vietnamese man in Choshi City in February, the Tokyo Reporter news site reported on March 4, quoting Japanese TV station Asahi. The three suspects are accused of killing Nguyen Dinh Lien, 21, on a street in the Shimizu area early on December 25 last year. Groups of Vietnamese and Thai nationals had been involved in dispute at a local restaurant prior to the incident. One of the Thai suspects allegedly stabbed Lien in the back as the Vietnamese man arrived at the scene to help his friends, according to local police. The investigation is ongoing. Lien came from Vietnam's central province of Ha Tinh. He had been a student in Japan since 2014, Vietnamese media reported. Finnish-fund project enhances storm-forecasting capacity of radar station   Staff at the National Centre for Hydrometeorological Forecasting gather data of a storm  The National Centre for Hydrometeorological Forecasting (NCHMF) has launched a Finnish-funded project to improve the accuracy of rainfall measurements and lightning storm forecasts at Pha Din radar station in the northern province of Dien Bien’s Tuan Giao district. According to NCHMF Vice Director Tran Hong Thai, the project is part of efforts to modernise and automate the hydrometeorology sector. It aims to help complete a national project to modernise the forecasting technology and monitoring system to improve natural disaster management in Vietnam. It is also among a series of projects to modernise Vietnam’s hydrometeorology sector funded with non-refundable aid from the Finnish Government that was approved by then Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on July 31, 2014. Panu Partanen from Finnish company Vaisala, the equipment provider of the project, said that the project is expected to be completed in two years. One of the objectives of the project is to upgrade weather radar systems in Vietnam, he said, adding that the firm will help install equipment at five radar station, with Pha Din the first. It will also upgrade three other stations to ensure they are synchronised with the five new ones, helping Vietnam build a comprehensive nationwide radar system. The project will also develop a detection system for lightning storms which can be integrated into radar stations. The system include 18 posts along the country and is scheduled for completion in one year. Within the project’s framework, Vaisala will also hold training courses for the radar stations’ operators.- Language Festival inspires students The first international language festival for students from Hanoi's Ngo Si Lien secondary school was held on March 4, with the aim to creating a venue for Ngo Si Lien students to interact, share language learning methods and enjoy diverse cultures from around the world. Among school's students and teachers, the event saw the participation of educational officials from Hanoi, Director of the Vietnam-Japan Centre for Cultural Exchange Ando Toshiki, and representatives from language centres in Hanoi along with foreign teachers. Held for the first time in the school’s 95-year history, the International Language Festival, namely "Ngo Si Lien – Inspiration 2017" offered an opportunity for the students to experience a multicultural festive atmosphere and enjoy music from around the world, while demonstrating their knowledge and skills in foreign languages to jointly explore the countries of the languages they are studying. The festival featured various cultural and linguistics performances such as Japanese traditional Yosakoi dance and the familiar melody ‘Ponpokorin Odoru’, or emotional tunes from Australia ‘One Last Time’ and ‘Fireworks’, as well as the bustling playful melodies of the most popular German children’s song ‘So ein schoner Tag’. In addition, the festival also took place with a rich variety of activities such as a quiz about countries around the world, fashion shows characterising the culture of many countries, mua sap (dance of the bamboos – a typical dance of the north-western provinces), a flashmob and various presentations. Peter de Fretes from the Netherlands, who was a member of the jury at the event, said that the efforts and creativity of students at the programme were much appreciated, adding that all their repertoires were very impressive. Their efforts, hard work and presentations were very commendable, he affirmed. While addressing the Ngo Si Lien - Inspiration 2017 Festival, Pham Thu Ha, Rector of Ngo Si Lien School said that the event was a great festival for students studying English , German, Japanese and French at the school, through which they would experience and learn more about the languages and culture of these countries, helping them to better understand the importance and benefits of understanding and proficient use of languages for global citizenship. In addition, the festival also aimed to help students develop language skills, enhance interaction and language practice, and express themselves with confidence and dynamism, said Rector Ha, thereby encouraging Hanoian students to be innovative, dynamic, confident and creative, while practically strengthening solidarity and cultural exchanges between countries. Crowds gather at Hoan Kiem Lake for musical treat from London Symphony Orchestra People crowded around Ly Thai To Statue near Hoan Kiem Lake on March 4 to enjoy a musical treat from the London Symphony Orchestra, which performed for the first time ever in Vietnam. The live concert, beginning with Vietnam’s national anthem and lasting for a total of 105 minutes, was highly praised by all members of the audience. The performance was also broadcast on three 400-inch LED screens on Dinh Tien Hoang Street and Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square to bring the performance to those who could not access the performing venue. The programme, directed by the young conductor Niklas Benjamin Hoffmann, included Dmitri Dmitrievich Shostakovich’s Festive Overture, Benjamin Britten’s Four Sea Interludes and Rachmaninov’s Symphony No. 2. In addition to the above-mentioned musical pieces, artists of the London Symphony Orchestra performed an extract from the ballet ‘The Nutcracker’ and a piece from the soundtrack of Star Wars. At the end of the programme, Hanoi Chairman Nguyen Duc Chung presented flowers to and thanked the London Symphony Orchestra for bringing a wonderful musical event to residents of the capital city. The concert was the London orchestra’s final performance during its tour of Asia. Range Rover rolls over after crash on Saigon Bridge, killing one The driver of a Range Rover was severely injured while the girl traveling with him died when their luxury SUV crashed into a trailer truck on the Saigon Bridge at dawn on March 5. The rear-ending crash occurred in the middle of the bridge, when the SUV was speeding from Binh Thanh District toward District 2, according to eyewitnesses. Neither of the drivers was identified by police. The Range Rover repeatedly rolled on its sides following the crash before hitting the bridge’s side. The SUV body was torn apart, its front wheel fell off while other broken parts were scattered across the bridge. The Range Rover driver was rushed to hospital in critical conditions, whereas the girl traveling with him died on the spot. The woman was thrown out of the car when it slid about ten meters away from the point of crash. Traffic on the bridge was only cleared on the early morning of the same day. Cao Bằng seized smuggled chicken from China Customs officers of the northern mountainous province of Cao Bằng yesterday seized nearly 1,000 breeding chickens and ducks that were being illegally smuggled into the country from China.  Vương Quốc Hùng, a resident of the province’s Hòa An District, who was transporting the poultry, failed to present legal documents proving the origin of the chickens and ducks. He said he bought the poultry from China and was planning to sell them at markets in the province. The customs officers seized all the poultry and will deliver it to authorised agencies to destroy, as regulated. Cao Bằng Province is taking various measures against bird flu following alarming reports from China about increasing numbers of human A/H7N9 cases. New shopping, cuisine model launched in HCMC Saigon Co.op Investment Development Company on Saturday launched Sense Market, a new modern shopping and cuisine model, at September 23 Park, District 1, HCMC. Sense Market covers an area of 11,000 s.q meters comprising 6,000 s.q meters for parking with the capacity of 150 automobiles and 600 motorbikes. The remaining 5,000 s.q meters include an Asian street cuisine area with nearly 100 booths selling Vietnamese, Lao, Cambodian, Indian and Japanese food; Taka Plaza shopping mall with over 400 stalls selling diversified commodities; Co.op Food convenient store; telecom service and foreign exchange counters. During the opening time from March 4-8, there will have many free entertainment activities for local citizens and visitors such as popular games, cooking and flower arrangement competitions, music and fashion programs, book festival and tourist promotion activities. Dong Nai Province sets up work group to help banana farmers   People’s Committee in the southern province of Dong Nai yesterday set up a steering board to help farmers sell bananas. At a meeting with related agencies and departments Deputy Chairman Vo Van Chanh assigned the head of the Department of Industry and Trade and leaders of the department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Farmer Association, Young Communist Union, Labor Union and district people’s committees to join the board. Mr. Chanh said that farmers increased areas for growing the fruit without guideline  and its consequence that banana price fell to unprofitable which proved that governments and relevant agencies omitted their responsibility. Accordingly, he ordered administrators to check areas for growing banana in the districts and the quantity of the ripe fruit and then help them to consume the fruit. The steering board must report the People’s Committee about the consumption. For weeks, the Youth Association in the province and student groups in Ho Chi Minh City helped farmers to sell nearly 400 tons of bananas through the campaign “ Chuoi nghia tinh” ( Loving bananas) as well as call for help from the community. Subsequently, just 17,000 tons of bananas is left in the province. Vietnam joins world's happiest economies Bloomberg's Misery Index of inflation and unemployment has found that many Asian economies are in a relatively good place. Vietnam has joined other Asian neighbors in a group of the world's happiest economies thanks to its low inflation and unemployment, according to Bloomberg’s Misery Index revealed on March 3. The country made its debut in the list this year at number 12 globally. The expanding index, which did not feature Vietnam and several other markets last year, aims to reveal the happiest and most miserable economies in the world. A year full of political shocks has taken its toll on a number of economies worldwide, especially in Europe, but Asia has generally performed very well in this index. Add Iceland and Denmark in the middle of the regional list below and you'll have the world's top 12. Vietnam indeed ended 2016 on a high note. The country managed to control inflation and added more jobs, setting the stage for stable economic growth this year. Once again, Thailand was named the ultimate happiest economy, or the least miserable, depending on how you want to look at it. Vietnam searches for 3 Indonesians missing in boat incident They were reportedly trying to anchor a barge severed from their tugboat when rough waters swept the barge away. Vietnam has sent out alerts for the search and rescue of three Indonesians who have gone missing off the southern coast after trying to anchor a runaway barge. Vietnam’s maritime information system on Friday issued a statement asking vessels around the Mekong Delta city Can Tho to look out for the crew members on the barge, which broke free from their tugboat. The tugboat with nine Indonesians was towing the barge from Cambodia to Thailand, the system said. It arrived in Can Tho on Tuesday and while resuming its journey on Thursday night, the chain link was broken. The captain ordered three members of the crew to jump onto the barge and anchor it. But rough waters reportedly swept the barge away. Germany-funded projects pave Vietnam’s pathway to sustainable future Vietnam and Germany welcome their 20th year of cooperation in science and technology as ongoing Germany-funded sustainability projects continue to shape local localities. “Vietnam is a land of optimism,” Andreas Siegel, Germany’s Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, asserted during his opening remarks at the German Science Day held in the southern Vietnamese metropolis on March 2. The event, attended by government officials, diplomats and scholars from both countries, celebrated the 20th anniversary of bilateral cooperation between the two countries in science and technology. For the past twenty years, Germany and Vietnam have continued to strengthen bilateral ties through research and cooperation in each field, placing a particular emphasis on the sustainable development of Vietnam’s current socio-economic and environmental landscapes. Vietnam’s fast-growing economy has placed tremendous pressure on the country’s fossil fuel-dependent electricity production over the past few decades. According to reports by state-owned power company EVN, Vietnam’s annual electricity production increased more than tenfold between 1990 and 2014, from 8.6 terawatt-hours (TWh) to 145.5TWh. The annual increase in power production during this period was between 12 and 15%, almost twice as high as the country’s corresponding GDP growth. As of 2014, Vietnam’s dominant sources for power production had been hydropower (40.04%), natural gas (21.89%) and coal (28.94%), while wind power accounted for a mere 0.15% of the country’s 34-gigawatt electricity generation capacity. But Vietnam is looking to substantially expand the share of renewable energy in its national production of electricity, with the help of Germany-funded projects. The country’s current goal is to have the ability to produce 800MW of electricity from wind power by 2020, and 6,000MW by 2030. Its targets for solar energy are set even higher, at 850MW by 2020 and 12,000MW by 2030. In total, Vietnam is aiming to produce up to 21% of its electricity from renewable sources, including biomass, wind, and solar, by the year 2030. The German government-funded project ‘Support to the Up-Scaling of Wind Power in Vietnam’ aims to address these goals by offering technical assistance between 2014 and 2018. The EUR6.9 million (US$7.3 million) project, jointly implemented by Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), is intended to improve legal and regulatory frameworks, develop technical, financial and practical capacity, and facilitate partnerships between the two countries. As part of the project, a call was made in June 2016 for research proposals on wind power in Vietnam which yielded nine submissions from Vietnamese universities and research institutions. The three best submissions were each granted EUR100,000 (US$105,700) in research funding over the next two years, from 2017 to 2018. Germany has been a close partner of Vietnam in research projects across other facets of science and technology aimed at paving the way toward a more sustainable future. As many as 16 Germany-funded project sites are currently established throughout Vietnam, featuring research in fields such as resources, urban development, bioeconomy, health, and climate protection. 'Rapid Planning,' an action-oriented research project looking to develop sustainable infrastructure, environmental protection, and resource management for highly dynamic metropolises, is currently operating in the vibrant central city of Da Nang. Study scholarships and research grants totaling EUR10.89 million (US$11.51 million) will also become available for research fellows from Vietnam, among other developing Asian countries, under a framework program on sustainable water management (NaWaM) initiated by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). In total, the BMBF has invested over EUR20 million (US$21.08 million) in bilateral cooperative activities in science and technology over the last 20 years. Vietnam is among five key countries where Germany looks to intensify cooperation in the near future, according to Frithjof A. Maennel, deputy director general of the BMBF’s International Cooperation in Education and Research, who made the statement at Wednesday’s event. With this year’s expected inauguration of the German House in Ho Chi Minh City, a center where all German cooperative agencies will be represented, Vietnam-Germany bilateral cooperation in science and technology is slated to yield fruitful results for decades to come. Young Vietnamese filmmakers selected for Cannes Atelier line-up Two Vietnamese projects have been invited to the 2017 Cannes Festival to join a program aimed at helping young filmmakers secure financing and meet producers and distributors. Pham Ngoc Lan from Hanoi will come to the festival with his feature debut “Cu Li never cries,” which tells the story of a middle-aged Vietnamese woman who travels to Europe to bring the ashes of her husband home. “Cu Li” is produced by Phan Dang Di, the first Vietnamese filmmaker successfully chosen for the L’Atelier Cinéfondation support at Cannes. The other project, “Taste,” is a short film by Le Bao, a director born in the 1990s and a winner at the Singapore International Film Festival last year. According to the official synopsis, the film’s protagonist, a Nigerian soccer player, tries to make ends meet in Vietnam’s southern Ho Chi Minh City in hopes that one day he will reunite with his wife and children. He has to do several jobs, including servicing wealthy middle-aged women. “This is an extraordinary achievement of the Vietnamese film industry,” Le Hong Lam, a local well-known film critic and journalist said in a Facebook post Saturday. Lam hailed a new generation of Vietnamese filmmakers, "who never went to a film school but learn with just passion, from experienced colleagues, in the school of life.” The L’Atelier Cinéfondation, part of the Cannes Film Festival, was launched in 2005 to support emerging filmmakers, who are offered expert advice and the chance to meet potential co-production partners and funding sources during the festival. The film festival has also selected 13 other projects for this initiative. The selected films and directors for the 2017 festival will meet professionals interested in their projects during individual sessions during May 17-28. 70-yr-old Vietnamese-American runner trumps ‘Triple 7’ marathon quest A 70-year-old Vietnamese-born American woman living in Kansas City has set the record for being the oldest human to complete the ‘triple 7’ marathon challenge – running seven marathons on seven continents in seven consecutive days. Born in 1947, Chau grew up without a father, a teacher who fought alongside Vietnamese revolutionists during the first French War in Vietnam before being killed by French colonizers. At the age of 13, Chau was admitted to a local hospital with serious injuries after being hit by shrapnel from a bombing raid during the American War in Vietnam. The pieces remain in her body. Twelve years later, Chau moved to the U.S. with her first husband at the age of 25.  She was later met her current husband, Michael Smith, in 1983 at a Christmas party. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Chau suffered from serious work related stress brought on by the need to support her relatives who had just immigrated to the U.S. “I had never played sports before, but my husband encouraged me to wake up early and run each morning to aid my stress relief,” Chau said of her decision to take up the sport. “I was over 40 years old at the time.” Like a fish in water, Chau soon found joy in running and became a sports enthusiast, waking up at 5 a.m. every day to run and hitting the gym every afternoon following work. Her reason for running marathons rather than short distance races came down to money.  “As a woman, I’m used to being in charge of making ends meet for my family, so I figured participating in marathon contests would be more economical in terms of dollar spent per mile than short-distance races,” Chau explained. And with that simple logic, Chau began training for marathons under the instruction of her husband, an experienced runner himself. “I started at five kilometers and gradually increased the distance to ten kilometers,” Chau said. “I finished my first marathon when I was 49.” Chau said she had nearly passed out during her first 5K race in Kansas City. "They [had] to put the oxygen mask on me," Chau told NBC News. "But I felt OK about half an hour later ... I said, 'Hey Michael, I want to do a 10K.' And he said, 'Chau, you almost died today! What are you talking about?' And three months later, I showed him. I did a half marathon and never looked back." The shrapnel inside Chau’s body has also proved an obstacle for the 70-year-old woman, with each step feeling as if a knife is being stabbed into her leg. "I always try to concentrate on the good things. So even when I'm really in pain, I'm able to think about something positive," she said in the interview with NBC News. "So you don't think about, 'Oh my god, it hurts so bad.' You just think about, maybe, the waterfalls, the streams, and the lake." Over her 20 years of running, Chau estimates that she has participated in nearly 70 marathons across the globe. She was about 400 meters from the finish line at the 2013 Boston Marathon when a terrorist detonated a bomb at the event. Among her group of eight runners who participated in the ‘Triple 7’ marathon quest operated by Marathon Adventures, Chau was the oldest. The quest involved running marathons in Perth (Australia), Singapore, Cairo (Egypt), Amsterdam (Netherlands), Garden City (U.S.), Punta Arenas (Chile) and King George Island (Antarctica) in the seven days from January 25 to 31, 2017. “I don’t think I’ll stop running until my legs completely forbid me from doing so,” Chau said. “I have been taking up cycling with my husband to reduce the pressure on my joints. I really can’t imagine how my life would be without running.” Military Hospital 175 to become healthcare complex Military Hospital 175 on Tuesday opened a new 600-bed hospital inside its campus on Nguyen Kiem Street in HCMC’s Go Vap District as part of a 1500-bed healthcare complex project costing VND2.5 trillion funded by the Ministry of Defense, said Major General Nguyen Hong Son, director of Military Hospital 175. The new building consists of three wards, comprising an inpatient ward for cardiology, paediatrics, obstetrics, neurology, nephrology, gastroenterology, and urology; an operation and recovery ward for anesthesiology and epidemiology and infection control; and a sub-clinical ward for hematology, biochemistry, microbiology, anapathology, functional diagnostic and X-ray. Temporarily, it will be also a healthcare and residential treatment center during the construction of a 500-bed Traumatology and Orthopaedics Hospital, said Son. Military Hospital 175 is expected to become a 1,500-bed hospital complex in the next five years, using synchronous equipment in modern diagnosis and treatment to help ease overload at other major hospitals in HCMC. Special treats on Int’l Women’s Day Saigontourist’s hotels are putting on a variety of food programs on International Women’s Day. De Nhat Hotel, 18 Hoang Viet  Street, Tan Binh District, HCMC, tel: 08 3846 2944: Hoa Su 1 Hall of the hotel will be turned into a modern yet classic world of flowers and acoustic music performed by Art Band. There will be diverse choices of food at a buffet dinner on the special day. Especially, all diners will receive a complimentary glass of Chilean wine while women will receive roses and special gifts. The buffet is available from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on March 8. Prices for adults and children are at VND380,000 per adult and VND245,000 per child. Those who buy ten tickets will get one free. Van Thanh Tourist Area, 48/10 Dien Bien Phu Street, Binh Thanh District, HCMC, tel: 08 3512 3025: Van Thanh will offer a-la-carte menu on International Women’s Day. Those who have dining bills worth VND5 million and above will receive two free buffet vouchers. The tourist area also hosts a buffet program featuring good food of three regions of Vietnam, from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. There are gifts for women on the day and a traditional music band will perform during the event. Guests can also join in some folk games. Guests who buy 16 tickets in advance will receive one free. Tickets are priced at VND290,000 per adult and VND170,000 per kid. Saigon-Dong Ha Hotel, 1 Bui Thi Xuan Street, Dong Ha City, Quang Tri Province. Tel: 053 357788: Saigon-Dong Ha Hotel runs a promotion program on the occasion of International Women’s Day. The program lasts from March 4 to 8 with a menu priced from VND120,000 per person. Guests booking a party for 40 to 70 people will receive a free backdrop while a party for 50 diners (VND150,000 each) will receive free backdrop and free use of the sound system. The outdoor swimming pool will be also available for teambuilding activities. The hotel has 98 guest rooms, including 92 deluxe rooms, five suites and one Presidential suite with luxury and cozy designs. These rooms overlook the romantic Hieu River or the main street of the city. Furthermore, tourists can enjoy rich culinary programs. Parties and events held at the hotel’s restaurants will be prepared by its staff. Particularly, Shang Palace with luxury space features Chinese dishes. Rose Veranda is an ideal venue to enjoy the panoramic view of swimming pool and garden while experiencing beverages or teas with more than 80 flavors. If Blue Restaurant offers scrumptious cocktails and live music, the Lotus Restaurant with airy space is suitable for outdoor events. Sunrise with romantic setting brings guests comfortable moments with their loved ones. VIP Lounge on the rooftop boats high-end private dining rooms with cozy space suitable for reunion parties. Saigon-Ban Me Hotel, 3 Phan Chau Trinh, Buon Ma Thuot City, Daklak Province. Tel: 0500 3685 666: The hotel’s La Victoria Restaurant on the 16th floor, which accommodate 300 guests, offers a set menu with six dishes for two people worth VND590,000. Saigon-Ban Me Hotel located in the heart of Buon Ma Thuot City in Daklak Province has been operational since 2013. The hotel has 17 stories and 131 rooms overlooking the city’s downtown. The hotel is considered a great venue for seminars. It will host foreign diplomatic corps taking part in the sixth Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival and the Central Highland Gong Culture Festival 2017 with the theme “Quintessence Convergence-Identity Promotion-Connection for Development” scheduled for March 8-13. Saigon-Phu Yen Hotel, 541 Tran Hung Dao St., Tuy Hoa City, Phu Yen Province. Tel: 057 3889889: The hotel hosts a hotpot and BBQ buffet program entitled “To the Woman I Love.” The program takes place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on March 8. Tickets are VND350,000 an adult and VND200,000 a child. Guests will enjoy free wine and Saigon beer. Those who buy 10 tickets before March 6 will get one free. The four-star hotel is on the main street of Tuy Hoa City and near the beach. From the hotel’s rooms, guests can admire a panoramic view of the city. The hotel often offers special promotions. VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri/VNE