Tieng Viet lovers club

[volcano]

Originally Posted by jackbl

Anyway thanks for introducing me the new phrase Chuc Mung Tet Vui....

there is no such phrase lah....or maybe in year 2013 lor.....

[jackbl]

Vietnam continues crackdown on bandit taxis
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The Ministry of Transport will extend an inspection of all taxi companies operating in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City this year, a senior official has said.

Chief inspector Nguyen Xuan Hao said at a press briefing on January 9 that his ministry had suspended six taxi companies in Hanoi and two in HCMC following inspections carried out between November 11 and December 2 last year.

In Hanoi, five of the six taxi brands - BG, Phu Gia, Hong Hung, Le Gia and Mua Xuan - were suspended after they failed to produce valid business licenses.

Inspectors also revoked the license of Taxi 14 belonging to the Anh Dung Joint Stock Company after it failed to meet the conditions of registered transportation businesses.

In HCMC, the two firms suspended were the Tourism Vehicle Cooperative No.2, which operated dozens of cabs but had no managerial oversight, and the Minh Duc Tourism Transport Cooperative, which had just 50 taxis operating while it had 170 taxi licenses granted by HCMC Transport Department.

Inspectors also suspended three taxi brands – Happy Taxi, Petrolimex Taxi and Festival Taxi – from operating at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCMC for various violations.

Hao said the ministry will continue to inspect all remaining taxi companies in the two cities, adding that many taxi brands which have yet to be inspected even have lower performance than those inspected.

Thanh Nien News

[jackbl]

Tết to me
====================

This year marks the seventh time that I will celebrate Tết in Vietnam. With each year, I have learned a little bit more about the holiday. With each year, traditions have taken root within me and I have come to appreciate the holiday more and more.

During my first Tết in Vietnam, in 2005, I treated the holiday as most other expatriates do: It was time off to relax, eat fried SPAM and play computer games. As the years went by, I was invited to people’s houses and offices to celebrate the Lunar New Year, and got a taste of unique holiday foods.

Now that I am married and have Vietnamese in-laws, the holiday is much more meaningful. The bus ride back to Long Xuyên, An Giang, fills me with anticipation. Giao thừa is a time for my brother and sister-in-law, my wife and me to mingle with the throngs of people in the streets watching the fireworks. A vegetarian meal and trip to the local pagoda to start the New Year on Mùng Một refreshes me and fills me with hope for a better year ahead.

And I can’t begin to describe the wonderful food and festive times with family and old friends in the Mekong Delta. Savory thịt kho, cooked for at least 24 hours, bánh tét, fried lạp xưởng, and of course some refreshing beer are the flavors that I associate with Tết at my in-laws house. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

In 2008, I was not in Vietnam during Tết, I was in rural Ohio, where most people were not even aware of such a thing as a Lunar New Year celebration. I was working on Mùng Một and a friend called me from Vietnam to wish me a Happy New Year. It was wonderful to hear my friend’s voice, but my heart sank. I felt isolated because there was no one to celebrate with and no one nearby who even understood anything about Tết. Back in Vietnam, the joy I feel during Tết is equal only to the incredible feeling I have on Christmas morning - I feel like a kid again.

Then again, perhaps I am just a person who loves holiday tradition. During the Christmas season every year, I watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” and shed tears. The star has to be the final decoration placed on the tree. Dad is the last person to open his Christmas presents. Tết is always in Long Xuyên.

Eric Burdette

[jackbl]

Say cheese during Tet
=============================

During New Year, people often like to feast on simple traditional dishes along with their families

When the weather turns a little cold at the end of the year, it signals the arrival of holidays like the New Year and the Lunar New Year, or Tet.

It is the time when everyone expects to feast on traditional delicacies like giò thủ (pig's head paste) at family parties.

Giò thủ, a simple and popular dish in Vietnam, is known as head cheese though it is not made from cheese but from gelatinous pork meat.

Made from various parts of the animal such as ears, snout, and even cheeks, the stunning dish is both chewy and crunchy.

It originated in the north but it was so delicious that the south soon embraced it.

Giò thủ is served both at small parties and major events like Tet and ancestors’ death anniversaries, and is sometimes given as a gift to ill people.

Giò thủ goes well with pickled vegetables and some wine.

Head cheese can be preserved for a long time.

It is widely available at markets and supermarkets, and also easy to make at home.

First, one needs to thoroughly clean the pig’s ears, snout, and cheeks with water, salt, and vinegar and rinse them with water. Be sure that the fur on the meat is removed.

Soak wood-ear mushroom for around 20 minutes or until soft, and drain them.

Then boil the meat in a large pot with onion, sugar, and salt for about 45 minutes or until they are done. Test by poking a chopstick into the meat.

When the meat is done, taken it out and rinse with cold water to prevent the skin from changing color. Thinly cut the ears, snout, and cheeks.

Mix them with ground pepper, whole peppercorns, sugar, salt, fish sauce, and shredded wood-ear mushroom. Heat a pan and add some oil, garlic, and shallot.

Pour the meat mixture into the pan and stir-fry over low heat, usually for about 10 minutes, until the mixture turns viscous.

Add the mixture into a cylinder mould when it is still hot. One can use empty cans for the purpose. Line the can with plastic bags and tightly pack the cans with the mixture. While adding the mixture to the mold using a spoon, keep pressing it firmly to compact it.

After finishing, close the bag and place something heavy on top to compact the contents further, and leave the mixture in the fridge overnight.

When it cools, the mixture will congeal together thanks to the natural gelatin. Remove it from the mold and wrap it up in banana leaves and tie with strings.

By Nguyet Anh, Thanh Nien News (The story can be found in the January 6th issue of our print edition, Vietweek)

[vietboy]

Originally Posted by volcano

there is no such phrase lah....or maybe in year 2013 lor.....

Dun let ng viet hear this. They will laugh at us.

[jackbl]

Alcohol soaked animals: The champ is here!
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It seems that Vietnam is second-to-none in terms of soaked alcohols. Vietnamese put almost everything in alcohol, from vegetables to animals.

This is the conclusion of back-packing expatriates after a trip to Vietnam. More impressively, there are countless articles referring to Vietnamese soaked alcohols in Google when you type “animals in alcohol”.

“The westerners? They are mediocre!”

In a trip to America, my cousin took me to a bar and said: “There are many unique Mexican types of liquor here and the most famous is Mezcal, only Mexicans can drink this while Americans only stop and stare!” What is Mezcal actually? My cousin revealed that they immerse worms in the alcohol.

As a liquor collector, I sought to purchase such strange liquid. Ultimately I got three small bottles – a black, a red and a white! After spending some time on Google, I finally figured out that Mezcal is simply the larvae of a kind of common moth in Oaxaca (Mexico), whose scientific name is Hypopta Agavis.

Mexicans put these worms into alcohol just to make the liquid good-looking and slightly fragrant.

Only China can compare with Vietnam in producing soaked alcohol, yet the big neighbor can only produce things like bear’s paw, tiger bone glue and deer’s or porcupine’s fetuses submerged in alcohol. The most famous are the alcohol soaked three-day-old mice. According to herbalist Vo Ha, such concoctions appear both in China and Korea.

According to Asylum.com – a British entertainment website – Vietnamese people are very “highly” regarded as masters in terms of producing snake wine and relishing alcohol blended with snake blood.

To the western world, soaking animals in alcohol is seen as a taboo in culture, in lifestyle and even in legislation. In 2008, the American press reported the case of Bob Popplewell – who was arrested for making 411 jars of alcohol soaked rattlesnake. He was finally imprisoned for massacring animals.

Westerners do enjoy soaked alcohol, yet they prefer plants over animals. For instance, in Russia, people have very famous Horseradish Vodka and Pickle Vodka. And the king of soaked alcohol is Chartreuse in Isere (France), created by pastors and produced by immersing more than 130 different types of herbs in alcohol.

Vietnam is number one

After this trip I’ve learned that other countries can’t compare with Vietnam in terms of producing soaked alcohol.

Indeed, Vietnamese love to infuse different things in alcohol, from plants to animals. Snake, coucal, seahorse, tiger bone glue, bear’s paw, velvet antler. The Northern highlands of Vietnam have the famous worm wine. The Military Institute of Traditional Medicine has conducted comprehensive research on this type of worm and concluded that the worm wine provides health benefits for both men and women. A few years ago, this delicacy was still unfamiliar to Southern people, but now it is easy to find in any traditional restaurant in the Tan Son Nhat area, with the price of couples of thousands dongs for a bottle of 250 milliliters.

Another rare wine of Quang Ninh province is made with ngan, a local oyster.

Talking about alcohol soaked plants, the story is endless: chuoi hot – a specialty of Ben Tre province, wild downy rose myrtle, mo qua – a type of liana from Kien Giang province, ba kich – a king of roots from Quang Ninh province, Huong Tich apricot, tao meo – a type of fruit from Hoang Lien Son cordillera…

Whether the wine is healthy is definitely not the priority, it is uniqueness which comes first. During thet Tet holiday, people usually prefer stay at home, so it is not easy for me to arrange a get-together. Aware of this, last year, I boasted: “I got a unique pair of seahorses, welcome everybody to my house on the Tet holiday to see them.” Somebody whispered immediately: “What a disappointment! Seahorse, as common as dirt!” I answered: “Just wait, I bet no one can find such a pair of General seahorses!” When they heard the words “General seahorses,” everyone noisily asked for an explanation.

The normal length of a seahorse is only 3 inches; however my pair of seahorses is truly the first, they are four times longer – 11 inches, and as big as half of my wrist. It was given to me by my brother-in-law, who had received it as a gift from his student with a compliment: “This kind of stuff can’t be bought even with a lot of money.”

This year, my friends once again ask me whether I have anything unique. Unique? No! But something extraordinary? Yes! Last summer, an acquaintance of mine working for Khanh Hoa Swift Company sent me a jar of alcohol soaked swifts’ eggs.

This specialty is uncommon in the market, because there isn’t enough for the people in the industry. When asking about the benefit such alcoholic drink, I was told that it can help in stabilizing blood pressure. Great! Only this can infatuate all men in their fifties.

There’s just one thing, despite our passion for uniqueness, many of my friends and I never dare to try tasting. That’s the huyet linh wine in Hoa Binh province. What is it? The answer is that huyet linh is the blood of female monkeys in their menstruation…Alas, I’d better stop here, otherwise you would lose your appetite for the Tet holiday!

[jackbl]

Banh Mi Hero
======================
In its central location just behind the Bitexco Tower, Ham Nghi serves as a pertinent place to host the plethora of food outlets that line the street.

From the all day market that has bubbling tubs of fresh fish to the mini-marts specialising in western brands, it’s a street with something for everyone.

But it is at 66–68 Ham Nghi that the biggest name of all, Nhu Lan, presides over the competition. Open 24 hours and standing as a delicatessen, bakery, butcher, roadside barbecue and Vietnamese street food restaurant all in one, this corner property has been here for over 40 years.

Six rows of silver tables with lines of red plastic stools mark a quick dining experience. Friendly staff attend to our order of spring rolls quickly and efficiently. Goi cuon tom thit are fresh Vietnamese spring rolls which ordinarily do not excite as much as their deep fried brothers, yet these seem to have a favourable balance of meat, herbs and lettuce, with two halved prawns lining the spine. At VND10,000 a go they’re a perfect bite to awaken the appetite while pondering the rest of the dishes.

The first of the mains to arrive is an overloaded bowl of bun rieu cua, a crab meat noodle soup. This broth spiked with tomato and tofu carries dense and flavourful crab balls with flaked crab meat descending steadily into the generous portion below. Although the noodles add the possibly unnecessary carbohydrates, the broth remains light yet fully flavoured, a pleasant eat for only VND40,000.

A second VND40,000 dish of com suon bi cha follows swiftly behind, a bountiful plate of broken rice with a trio of pork, barbecued meat, pig skin shavings and the mysterious pork egg custard that graces many com tam menus. The barbecued pork is salty and delicious, slightly sweetened by the caramelised edges. Yet, however delectable the meat is, the skin and pie leave a lot to be desired as you must dodge the frequent grizzle, and the custard’s spongy texture is rather off putting.

A final flourish to make up for the disappointing pork skin and custard comes in the form of a banh mi barbecue, a dish recommended by the waitress. Taken from a spit very similar to a Turkish kebab house, except looking incredibly fresh and obviously put together recently by hand, some glisteningly moist pork meat is spooned into a baguette along with mustard, mayonnaise, cucumber and lettuce. This tasty banh mi for VND25,000 is worth a visit alone to what is a thriving and enjoyable feature of Ho Chi Minh City’s street food circuit.

[jackbl]

The King of Holidays
==============================
One of the first things most newcomers to this country learn about as they adjust to Vietnamese culture is the importance of Tet, or the Lunar New Year. When I moved here in September of 2010 I was quickly filled in on the holiday, even though it was still five months away. While the U.S., where I’m from, has its fair share of holidays, there is no equivalent to Tet.

Expats in Saigon are warned that the city will empty out a few days before the day of Tet itself; businesses will close; and there will basically be no one here. Travel within Vietnam itself is advised against, since all of the locals are traveling to their hometowns, meaning every train, plane, bus, and boat is packed to the brim. As a result, most foreigners head to other countries. The school I work at gives us 10 days off, and last year I escaped to Thailand with my two roommates. Almost everyone I knew was traveling somewhere, so I thought it would have been boring and lonely to stay here.

In America, on the other hand, most businesses close for a day or two around Christmas and Thanksgiving; and there are a few federal holidays, such as Martin Luther King Jr. Day, when schools and government-run offices are shuttered, but at no point does practically the entire country shut down for an extended period of time. As the latest AsiaLIFE cover story noted, Tet is like Christmas, New Year’s, and your birthday combined.

This holiday can be somewhat difficult to describe to my friends and family back in America, since it is so vastly different from our traditions, but the phrase “Tet” is actually well known in the U.S., because one of the most decisive events of the Vietnam War occurred during Tet in 1968. People are certainly interested in how the holiday is celebrated here, and everyone is jealous of how much time we get off of work. They also find it odd that we celebrate two New Year’s – the January 1 one, and the Lunar one.

Therefore, Tet is very interesting to observe from a foreigner’s viewpoint. The holiday’s approach has been evident in the lights lining Dong Khoi and a few other major downtown streets since December. Flower shops now overflow with apricot blossoms, the favored Tet flower of southern Vietnam. Shops and restaurants around the city renovate to put their best face forward for the new year. Neighbors in my hem are painting their gates and exterior walls while remodeling their interiors. One family is hurrying to finish a new house before the holiday, which is unfortunate, since they use circular saws and power drills from 7am to 10pm nearly every day.

It really is amazing how every aspect of life revolves around Tet as the New Year approaches. My students become even less attentive than usual, since they know they have a bunch of days off coming up. Prices go up as everyone stocks up on food and drinks for family feasts. Children are given new outfits, and special banh chung cakes are sold everywhere. Even sex is tied to the holiday: this coming year will be the Year of the Dragon, and children (especially males) born in such a year are believed to be predisposed to wealth and success, so couples around the country are doing everything in their power to ensure they have a baby after January 23.

Of course, financial issues come in to play around Tet as well, most notably in the form of li xi, or lucky money. Children in particular are given small bills (although I know some children receive 20,000 or even 50,000 dong bills) by their family members as a token of good luck in the new year. This is a nice gesture, but some people do try to use this tradition to take advantage of foreigners. For example, I took a taxi downtown last week, and when I arrived the meter said 42,500. The driver then rudely demanded 50,000 for “holiday”. If he had been kinder about it I would have given him the extra money, but he shouldn’t have just expected that I would take part in a tradition that is unlike what I grew up with.

All of this means that, once life gets back to normal after Tet, the city feels different. The “spring cleaning” that accompanies the holiday means everything is newly painted and fresh. People are excited by the chance provided to start anew in the new year, and Saigon’s hustle and bustle becomes even more noticeable, as everyone strives for success. Oh, and every child can be seen playing with the new toys they received over the break.

To me, all of this is truly special, since I can’t experience any of this in the U.S. I love immersing myself in unfamiliar traditions, and I really enjoy seeing Vietnam prepare for Tet. This year, I’ll be able to see the country celebrate it as well, since I will be staying in Vietnam. I’m going to Phu Quoc for four days, and then I’ll be in Saigon the rest of the holiday. I’m curious to see how quiet the city really gets, or if all of the hype is overdone. Enjoy your holiday everyone, wherever you’re going, and if you find me asleep on a Phu Quoc beach, please don’t disturb me.

[billgates]

A good movie to watch during tet is Bóng Ma Học Đường 3D VIỆT NAM... not for storyline but to watch world-famous Elly Tran in her very first movie baring her huge boobs...

[jackbl]

Yan Can Cook: “I want Pho before I die”
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VietNamNet Bridge – Instead of being a juryman for the annual competition among the most famous Chinese restaurants in the US on January 8, Yan Can Cook appeared at the opening ceremony of a restaurant of his friend in HCM City. The world top chef expressed his love for Vietnamese Pho.


“I will choose a big and nice bowl of Pho as the last cuisine if I have to say goodbye to this life,” he said.

During his time in HCM City, Yan Can Cook visited and enjoyed Vietnamese cuisines at many restaurants. He liked Hanoi-styled cuisines much.

He shares cooking experience with Vietnamese colleagues.

[jackbl]

Disaffected youth?
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Outpouring of frustration and disappointment among youth indicates a need to strengthen pride and confidence in the nation, experts say

They were upset, disappointed, and ashamed.

Thousands of netizens expressed these feelings after the story of a Hong Kong couple being robbed and left penniless in Ho Chi Minh City was posted on the Internet by a blogger.

“If such robbery cases continue, I would never dare to admit that I’m Vietnamese whenever traveling abroad. I don’t think I’m speaking only for myself,” one netizen wrote.

“I just feel too ashamed for the Vietnamese people as a whole. I’m not sure if I would be willing to talk to any foreign friend after this case,” another commented.

There were a few who expressed some doubt about the story, but the overwhelming majority saw no need to question its credibility, and vented their feelings in no uncertain fashion.

The negative comments have raised a debate in adult circles. Were the Vietnamese youth, who comprise a majority of the netizens, losing a sense of national pride and history or was this a hopeful sign that they cared, amidst all the apparent disengagement?

Tran Thien Chuong, a 12th grader in HCMC, said he believed the story without hesitation.

“That’s just the way of life in Vietnam,” Chuong, who had not commented online on the entry, said. “Vietnam’s tourism has been infamous enough and this case is just another vivid example adding to a long list.”

Experts say the adverse comments garnered by the blog entry about the Hong Kong tourists’ fate are more a knee-jerk reaction of the youth.

“The reaction of the youth in this case is spontaneous as usual and it is because they are not mature and experienced enough,” said Khuat Thi Hai Oanh, a Hanoi-based sociologist who directs the nonprofit Center for Supporting Community Development Initiatives.

“On the bright side, I take it as a sign that the Vietnamese youth still care about the image of their country,” Oanh said. “The older generations in Vietnam often tell me there's no point in complaining or criticizing as it doesn't change anything; that may be true, but if you don't do or say anything then you definitely won't change anything.

“So when something happens that appears to show Vietnam in a bad light, for instance tourists being robbed, they are shocked and want to talk about it and spread the word in the hope that it won't happen again.”

Experts were also agreed that the government plays an important role in shoring up youth confidence and pride in the country.

Van Duong, a 26-year-old IT graduate who studied in the US for five years, said in the case of the Hong Kong couple, she might not have as harsh a judgment on it as the netizens, but was still very “troubled” by it.

“This case is just a sad reminder for me about the bad image of Vietnamese cops,” Duong said. “I think the big problem for tourists is not the robberies themselves but is the response (or lack thereof) by the police. Before going to study abroad, I had been told quite a few stories about what happens when tourists report a crime to the police – they are met with indifference and worse.

“Now I’m back and not convinced that a sea change has happened.”

According to the World Bank's Vietnam Development Report 2006, companies rank the traffic police as the most corrupt institution in Vietnam, with many respondents stating that corruption is widespread and that bribes or gifts are typically both expected and required.

Four years later, Transparency International's Global Corruption Barometer confirmed that the Vietnamese police are considered to be the most corrupt public institution in the country.

Experts say Vietnam has to do more to engage and motivate the Vietnamese youth, given that the country has entered a period known as the “demographic bonus”, recording the highest proportion of young people entering the workforce in the country’s history. Today, young people between 10 to 24 years represent almost a third of the total population of around 88 million people, the UN said. Two-thirds of the country's population was born after the end of the Vietnam War in 1975.

David Marr, a Vietnam specialist at the Australian National University, is in the middle of selecting illustrations and preparing maps for his upcoming book on the 1945-46 period in Vietnam.

“To be thanh nien (youth) at that time was an honor and tremendous opportunity. But that was a very unusual time,” Marr said.

“Young educated men and women today have considerable advantages when it comes to surfing the net and exchanging ideas at a distance. But I'm not sure that helps them figure out where they belong or what they should be doing, beyond finding employment, getting married and having children.”

The Survey Assessment on Vietnamese Youth, commissioned by the General Statistics Office and released last year, has confirmed that in general, youth in Vietnam have high expectations about future and feel self-confident. They also appreciate their family values and their roles in the society, the survey found.

Meanwhile, other studies have indicated the lack of public citizenship among the youth.

Vietnam’s former party chief Nong Duc Manh once publicly commented on the growing number of students neglecting their studies, lacking political consciousness and indulging in excessive materialism.

But Oanh, the Hanoi-based sociologist, said she has never thought that the Vietnamese youth nowadays lack national pride.

“Their pride and confidence in the country is always there, though it could be wobbling at times,” Oanh said. “[But] once they see the national situation in Vietnam improving and attaining great results, they will definitely be celebrating for Vietnam.”

Mere slogans will not do

Analysts say it is important now that, to shore up youth confidence, the Vietnamese government as a whole maintains a good reputation of competency, honesty, integrity, and transparency.

“When that happens, more of them [the youth] would tend to believe the government than others,” David Koh, another Vietnam analyst at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, said. “It's a matter of trust, a political capital that any regime must work to have more of.

“The way to motivate youth is not through slogans and banners, not in telling them only the good stories,” Koh said. “For newspapers and media to only feed them good news is tantamount to feeding them lies.”

Oanh urged adults in general and Vietnamese leaders in particular to heed the legitimate concerns of the youth and try to accommodate them as much as they can.

“We have to show them what Vietnam has and could have for them to take pride in,” Oanh said.

Duong, the US-trained graduate, concurred. “I think the youth’s national pride would never diminish as we are always proud of every remarkable achievement of the country.

“But the key question is: Is the government really listening to us and caring about our interests?”

[jackbl]

How Vietnamese students spend money?
================================================== ==

VietNamNet Bridge – The surveys carried out within the framework of the projects on finance education for students have shown surprising things about how Vietnamese students spend money, and pointed out that parents still keep puzzled in managing their children’s spending.


Spending money to show the upper classes in the society

A lot of families complain that they do not have enough time to take care for their children. A lot of parents decide to make up for this by giving more money to children, so that they can find amusement activities themselves. The “money abundance” and the lack of strict management are the main reasons that make a part of students fall into social evils.

From now to June 2012, the HCM City Education and Training Department, together with Save the Children, Citi Foundation, will bring the projects on finance education to the students of 50 high schools in HCM City. The surveys conducted within the framework of the projects can show surprising figures about the high spending level of a part of students and the embarrassment of parents in managing their children’s spending.

The surveys have found out that, students receive 50,000-300,000 dong on average as pocket money a week. Especially, a group of students from rich families of some international schools, Le Quy Don, Marie Curie receives more. 36 percent of students spend 3-5 million dong a month, while 25 percent spend 500,000 dong per day.

One third of students say the money parents give is not enough for them; therefore, they do not have money for urgent needs. Many of them decide to borrow from relatives and friends to satisfy their needs.

44 percent of students from rich families use their pocket money to buy fashionable clothes, 35 percent on amusement activities, while only 21 percent spend money on the things that serve their studies.

Students spend most of their money to upgrade their appearance (to buy clothes, cosmetics), to attend parties and entertainment activities at luxurious places, because they believe that this is the way of spending of rich people, which can show their high positions in the society.

An 11th grade female student said that when she was small, she used the clothes bought by the mother. However, nowadays, she chooses clothes for herself. She only wears well branded clothes, or she feels diffident before the friends.

Therefore, though receiving 400,000 dong per week from parents, the student is always short of money, and she always asks for more money.

Parents give money and forget to manage it

According to a survey of Save the Children, the parents of Marie Curie and Nguyen Du School gave money to children based on the estimates about their children’s spending. However, they did not check if the children used the money for the right purposes.

Though all the parents affirmed the importance of educating children about the value of money and labor, they do not care what their children spend money for.

According to Tran Thi Hue from Save the Children, there are two contradictory tendencies in parents’ thoughts about giving money to children. Some parents keep a strict control over the spending of the children, because they believe that the children are still too small to spend money. Meanwhile, other parents simply give money to children and do not know what the children do with the money.

Only 31 percent of students once discussed with parents about how to spend money, while 2/3 of students never consult with parents about how to manage their budgets, and they do not want to explain their spending.

A lot of students said that their parents are too busy to spend time to learn about how the children spend money. Therefore, they simply spend money and never ask themselves where the money comes from. .They simply ask for the money from parents when they need money.

Source: NLD

[jackbl]

Mimic battle, a new pastime of Saigonees
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VietNamNet Bridge – Paintball is a new game in HCM City but it has quickly become a favorite weekend hobby of many young people, especially office employees.

Paintball is a sport in which players compete, in teams or individually, to eliminate opponents by tagging them with capsules containing water soluble dye and gelatin shell outside (referred to as paintballs) propelled from a device called a paintball marker (commonly referred to as a paintball gun). Paintballs have a non-toxic, biodegradable, water soluble mineral-oil.

Games are played on outdoor fields. A game field is scattered with natural or artificial terrain, which players use for tactical cover. Rules for playing paintball vary, but can include capture the flag, elimination, ammunition limits, defending or attacking a particular point or area, or capturing objects of interest hidden in the playing area. Depending on the variant played, games can last from seconds to hours, or even days in scenario play.

This game was imported into HCM City for nearly two years, even later than in other provinces like Can Tho and Lam Dong, but it has developed very rapidly in Vietnam’s largest city. HCM City currently has three paintball fields, which are being standardized.

Huu Ky, a young correspondent, said: “After a tired week, I and my colleagues often go to a paintball field to play mimic battle as a good way to relax. Previously, we had to go to Madagui tourist site in Lam Dong or to Can Tho city but this game has been held in Saigon now.”

Mai Nhu, an office employee, said: “I and my colleagues sometimes play a mimic battle to relax. This game is as active as playing football and women can also play it with men.”

Nguyen Tien Cong, deputy director of Tri Long Company, which runs a paintball field in HCM City, said that the guns used in this game can cause wounds to players so they are controlled strictly by supervisors and referees. Each game is under the witness of at least one referee and two supervisors. Players are always reminded to not take off their protective masks during the game. Any player who breaks this rule will be expelled from the field. Actually, some players have their eyes injured.

Cong said that this game is not violent, but a game of teamwork. The game helps training physical strength, fundamental military tactics, discipline, self-awareness and teamwork spirit.

In some countries, paintball is seen as a sport, with organized tournaments. Tri Long plans to organize such an event in Vietnam. Cong said that the first tournament may be held in 2012.

[情感王子]

Originally Posted by billgates

A good movie to watch during tet is Bóng Ma Học Đường 3D VIỆT NAM... not for storyline but to watch world-famous Elly Tran in her very first movie baring her huge boobs...

is there online streaming fro this movie?

[fcukfcuk]

Hi everyone, Happy Lunar New Year.

I'll be driving up to Malacca on 19 Feb 2012, Sunday for a short fun trip and maybe be back on 21 Feb 2012 Tuesday.
Anyone wants to come along? Some company would be great for the journey.

Drop me a PM and discuss some details.

Cheers!
FF