Tieng Viet lovers club

[jackbl]

Originally Posted by deptrai4u

added in []

When you have money don't anyhow spend.
Em lam dc tien, dung tieu linh tinh.

Bro can explain what is "tieu linh tinh"? Can't find it in dictionary/meaning dun match the sentence......

tiêu = to digest to dispel, to kill to resolve
linh tinh = trivial, trifling

[jackbl]

Originally Posted by sengseng2

"Ban khoe khong toi moi qua do"

How are u? I just went over there

[sengseng2]

Originally Posted by jackbl

How are u? I just went over there

Many thks bro

[Hurricane88]

Originally Posted by jackbl

How are u? I just went over there

can also I just arrived there...

what she is saying...alo alo are you horny...I arrive sinkie liao...do you want to cum to donate me some $$$...

[ilovedoggie]

Originally Posted by deptrai4u

added in []

thanks brother deptrai!

anyone know how to translate this:

"Please squeeze more money from that bastard."

thanks,
dogg

[jackbl]

Originally Posted by ilovedoggie

"Please squeeze more money from that bastard."

Not so good to do that.... u can try google translate or vdict translate

[jackbl]

Vietnamese women rescued from Malaysian trafficking ring
================================================== ========

Malaysia's press has reported that local police rescued eight Vietnamese women aged between 17 and 23 from a human trafficking ring.

Malaysian police raided a four-storey restaurant in Sunway, Kuala Lumpur, early in the morning of March 23 and arrested three local men and a Vietnamese woman suspected of being members of a human trafficking ring.

The victims said they had been told by the traffickers that they would have high paid jobs as waitresses but, in fact, they were forced to work as prostitutes.

The ring offered the young women the options of prostitution, working in hotels, or marrying local men to earn money to pay for their airfare and other costs it incurred to bring them to Malaysia, said Abdul Jalil Hassan, a Malaysian official for fighting vice.

According to initial investigations, the human traffickers were completing procedures for two of the women to marry local men, each of whom would pay 18,000-20,000 ringgit (VND120-140 million) for the marriage.

The suspects in the case are being held for further questioning while the victims will be sent to a witness protection centre after undergoing medical check-ups.

VOV

[jackbl]

Rare moments
========================

In today’s Vietnamese society, family meals are becoming scarcer in big cities.

As modern lifestyles have staggered family members’ timetables, sharing meals among them has become rare. Family members in Vietnam tend to have meals alone or buy ready-made foods or simply dine out.

Surveys in Europe and North America have all confirmed the correlation between a fall in the number of family meals and calorie-rich, chemical additive diets. This has given rise to obesity, diabetes and heart diseases. Moreover, the less family members share meals, the higher the possibility of digestive disorders, binge drinking, smoking or drug addiction. The polls have also shown that children who grow up often sharing meals with their families are more likely to develop good eating habits and achieve better nutrition.

A family meal actually pertains not only what to eat, but also how to eat. Having meals at a fixed time, eating no snacks between two main meals, washing hands before eating, sitting up straight, eating slowly, sharing foods with others, tasting every dish, leaving no leftovers, and cleaning up the table are the first lessions children in a family have to learn. Aside from educating children about nutrition, taste and etiquette, family meals also help shape their personalities. It is in family meals that kids learn to listen to others’ stories, and to express their views as well as their feeling.

A survey has shown that children who have at least five meals with their families a week are more likely to get good grades and expose a low susceptibility to depression and addiction. The frequency of family meals exerts strong impact on children’s capabilities to follow their ambitions and take part in social work. Eating with their families regularly or not also influences children’s stress and emotional self-control.

Having meals, after all, both relates to the relationship between people and food, and implies a spiritual significance. It is absurd to compare having a meal to “pouring petrol into the body” as commonly accepted in the U.S. That very notion of regarding food as fuel has created the American “eat whatever, whenever, wherever” eating style. Not to mention the fact that the Americans have acquired the habit of eating in privacy, eating quickly and eating while at work.

In contrast with the American model is the French style with three features: eating at fixed periods (morning, noon and afternoon), eating a variety of dishes and always changing, eating with other people (families or friends). For the majority of the French people, eating is not “wasting time” but “taking the time” for families and social networks. A social survey conducted in France has shown that three out of four respondents welcome family meals not only because they enjoy good foods but also because they can share their thoughts, news and feelings with their loved ones.

In all cultures, family traditions are created during family meals. Ethnographers say the habit of having meals together has formed kinship and consanguinity. That means, even if people who are not a kinsman or a kinswoman will be considered family members if they frequently have meals together. This is relatively common in Asia. In today’s Vietnam, a number of families are still trying to preserve the family meal tradition, which is by nature preserving happiness. What really counts is how each member has to find ways to arrange his or her life in order to enjoy these precious and rare moments.

SGT

[Pohchuan]

First time posting in this thread, here goes, correct me if I am wrong

Chao cac ban,

Ten Em la PohChuan. Em dang hoc tieng viet. Hoc da bon thang roi. Em noi tieng viet kong tot lam. Xin vui long cac ban day em o day. Cam on tui anh nhieu lam.

[jackbl]

Saigon’s cyclo
=======================
VietNamNet Bridge – Cyclo is the favorite of foreign tourists, who see it as Saigon’s “specialty,” but this kind of vehicle is banned in Vietnam’s largest city.


‘Eradicating’ cyclo

The correspondent who wrote this article dropped by the head office of the cyclo trade association of District 1, on March 14. He saw nice cyclos covered by canvas and chained together on the pavement. Cyclo drivers had nothing to do than grouping up at pavement tea shops to talk.

An official of the cyclo trade association said: “Drivers don’t dare to run cyclo on the street because they are afraid of traffic inspectors. Tourist cyclo drivers always wear uniform but their vehicles are still captured.”

Cyclo drivers are not allowed to run on the street to seek passengers. They only serve tourists who use cycle services provided by the cyclo trade association. They earn VND40,00-50,000 ($2-2.5) per hour but they have to contribute VND10,000/hour to the association’s fund.

All cyclo drivers who join the cyclo trade association have pursued this job for at least ten years and they do not want to change their job.

Vietnam’s cyclo service firstly appeared in Saigon. According to historical documents, the first cyclos were seen in Saigon in 1939. It was invented by a French man named P.Coupeaid.

Cyclo, which is easy to use, flexible and good-looking, quickly replaced carts as the most popular mean of transport in Saigon in the early 20th century.

In other Asian countries, cyclo drivers sit in front of passengers but in Vietnam, they sit behind passengers, which enable passengers to view landscapes.

Prior to 1975, there were tens of thousands of cyclos in Saigon, who worked for private transportation firms. After the country’s unification, district authorities set up cyclo cooperatives.

The city’s 24 districts had around 40,000 cyclos, including up to 5,000 in Districts 1 and 4. Many families had both fathers and sons were cyclo drivers. The father ran cyclo in the daytime and son in the night time. Many cyclo drivers did other jobs.

A teacher who worked as a cyclo driver at night in the centrally-subsidized period recalled: “My teaching salary was not enough to support my family, so I worked as a cyclo driver at night in District 1. The local department of education blamed me for doing this job but I asked them how could I raise my children by my salary? They could not answer me.”

In the late 80s, cyclo corporatives broke up. The city planed to establish a cyclo trade association. This organization was born in 1991, with 900 cyclo drivers.

Mr. Nghia, chairman of the cyclo trade association of District 1, recalled: “The association borrowed VND50 million from banks to buy 80 cyclos for its members. Drivers paid by installments. But at the same time, the city banned cyclos to get into the center.”

Because of the ban, many cyclos were seized by traffic policemen and traffic inspectors.

Since 2008, cyclos have been banned from running in almost all roads. At present, there are less than 300 cycles in Saigon, including 30 of the cyclo trade association of District 1.


Why ban the cyclo?

Cyclos do not cause air or noise pollution. They are not bulky to make traffic congestion. They do not cause traffic accidents. But why they are banned on the street? That’s the question of cyclo drivers.

After four years of being banned, local people have lost the habit of using cyclo. However, cyclo is still the favorite of foreign tourists, who see cyclo as Vietnam’s traditional culture.

Ms. Ngoc, tour manager of a big travel company, said: “We will welcome five groups of foreign tourists by sea. Each group has from 1,300 to 2,000 tourists. All of them have ordered cyclo tours but we can supply cyclo tours to 100-120 tourists per each group because the cyclo trade association has only 30 cyclos.”

The cyclo trade association of District 1 is very busy. The association’s 30 drivers serve 1,500 to 2,000 foreign visitors each month.

“All big travel firms in the city are our clients. They book our service on daily basis but we have to refuse. We only receive small contracts, which require several cyclos on the evening. It is ridiculous! We have a lot of passengers but we cannot serve them!” said Mr. Nghia of the cyclo trade association of District 1.

Nghia said that the city authorities understood the demand of foreign tourists and they had assigned the Saigon Tourism Corporation (Saigontourist) to set up a team with at least 100 cyclos. However, other travel firms did not want to depend on Saigontourist. In addition, lack of investment was also a reason to prevent the establishment of such a cyclo team.

Nghia worried that cyclo – Saigon’s specialty would disappear in the near future.

Tien Phong

[jackbl]

Tips for life
======================
This week, our column features different tips sent by readers, ranging from how to choose a language school, cut down household expenses to how to bake a pizza.

First of all, Stivi Cooke, a Hoi An based English teacher and a hospitality trainer, gave advice on how to pick a good language school. His tips include talking to teachers, checking classroom materials, verifying qualifications and accreditations and looking out for warning signs from an institution.

We hope this article is a good reference for language learners as well as those who are concerned about the quality of today’s English schools. Two of our readers also expressed their opinion regarding how to pick a good school:

“Read through your article words by words, recognized that I used to think about these problem and witnessed some of them too. More detailed that I was in the situation to find a good place to study IELTS, and I refused all the institutions with large posters, exaggerated adverts or unreliable sites due to my own experience,” commented Trinh Pham.

“I have found that the front desk staff can speak English, but they don't understand English. I met one of the teachers from the second institution and spoke to him about my experience with the front desk staff of his school and their apparent lack of understanding the language. He told me he has worked for the school for many years, couldn't comment about the staff's English and walked away. So now, I have withdrawn both of my sons from both schools,” a reader nicknamed Kimo shared her true experience in finding a language school for her children.

In recent years, language schools have mushroomed in Vietnam, making it harder for parents to pick a reliable one although most of them are willing to pay for kids’ education as long as it is of good quality. Reader Do Thu Van also agreed that we should not be penny pinching on education although she has been cutting down on other costs in her family in this bad economic weather.

“I used to have a habit of collecting restaurant and shop addresses advertised in newspapers or on TV and checking them out during the weekend. But now, eating out is only for special occasions like birthdays or anniversaries. Cutting off this activity can save a considerate amount in our family budget,” Do Thu Van shared her tips.

She also makes a list of what to buy and picks them up at the supermarket to avoid getting lost in other sections and shop unnecessary things.

Cooking and eating at home can indeed cut down a great deal of expenses. While many Vietnamese can easily cook their favorite foods at home, expats find it a hard task when it comes to getting ingredients for western dishes.

John Russack from America shared his experience baking a pizza from scratch in Hanoi, which does not only rely on cooking techniques but also involves searching ingredients and finding a Western standard oven.

“As best we try to assimilate into our new Vietnamese homes, we never fully give up the tastes of our native lands. This pizza represents so much more than just a pie baked in an oven. In a way it symbolizes who we are and where we come from, just as a Vietnamese family in Los Angeles may prepare spring rolls to remain connected to their homeland. Regardless of how resourceful we may be in finding it, food remains that all important link to our cultural heritage no matter where in this world we may land,” John concluded.

We hope you have picked yourself some good tips on saving, education or cooking from our articles this week. If you have some good suggestions and want to share them to other readers, feel free to email us at [email protected].

Have a great weekend!

[jackbl]

A better place to live
=============================
Have you ever tried to make your neighborhood a better place to live? Collecting garbage, fixing a broken street light, planting a tree, etc. are a few of several simple ways to improve our living environment. This week, our local readers suggested some ideas which are beneficial for the community.

First of all, reader Le Dang recommended creating a forum where owners and finders of lost items can post information. He thought of this idea after finding a book left on a bench at his college but had no idea how to return it to the owner.

“If there was a forum like that, I could post information about the book I found on the bench with a message: ‘If you are the owner of the book, please contact the security office’. Obviously the chance that lost items get returned to the owner would be very high. A forum like that would encourage people to develop a good habit of collecting and returning lost properties,” concluded Le Dang.

In response to the idea of building a Lost and Found forum, reader Trinh Pham suggested designating a physical office where people can come directly to deposit items they found or reclaim their lost properties.

“The fact is that not all people can have an internet access to come to the forum/page, so we would add one more form of lost properties information gate like ‘Authorized Place, Non-Profit organization, volunteering team’,” commented Trinh Pham.

Another reader, Boi Boi, talked about pollution in the city, not only from bikes’ tailpipes but also from those who smoke and ride on the street. As smoke and ash dash into the nose and clothes of the passive smokers, they not only get eye irritation but also the risk of chronic diseases.

“It becomes worse for drivers with children who have to suffer the ‘chimney’ of poisonous smoke on the street every day. It has been reported that some drivers have been penalized for driving and talking on the phone. Why is there not a ban for those who smoke and drive at the same time?” he wondered.

Much as Vietnamese cities have to change to catch up with the world’s metropolises, one thing we can still be proud about is the food scene here. This week, two American expats compared the markets as well as the dishes of Vietnam with their home countries’. In the end, they both brought out the same verdict: Vietnam offers fresher ingredients and healthier platters.

“Raw meats hanging from hooks and piles of unidentifiable animal innards shock us into submission. Mounds of tropical fruits and leafy greens appear so inviting, and the hustle and bustle of regular people going about their daily lives captivates us. We use our cameras to document our fascination, and images are quickly dispatched back home,” found John Russack.

“While almost all types of Western food are available in the country’s major cities, Vietnam features an abundance of delicious, cheap and healthy fare that can differ greatly by region. With complex flavors and extremely fresh ingredients, some of the world’s top chefs, such as Anthony Bourdain and Gordon Ramsay, have made a point to highlight this country’s cuisine,” affirmed Brian Letwin.

We may complain about pollution, congestion, bad transportation system but let’s admit it: Vietnam remains a food heaven for foreigners who visit or stay in the country. With pho, banh mi or banh khot featured in top lists of world’s best cuisines, we feel lucky to live in Vietnam and discover the rich gastronomy of the country.

What are you waiting for? Go get some fresh food or try a new soup dish this weekend!

[ilovedoggie]

Originally Posted by jackbl

Not so good to do that.... u can try google translate or vdict translate

Agree. I totally under estimate her.

[jackbl]

Originally Posted by ilovedoggie

Agree. I totally under estimate her.

I also under-estimate your power of Tieng Viet. Yours shd be good enough to write out that sentence

[jackbl]

How our family cut down costs
========================================

We did not wait until the gas price went up by 10 percent to “tighten our belt”. Our family has been saving for years in many ways.

Previously we would travel three or four times a year, but now we only do so twice annually. We have stopped going to restaurants on trips and instead bring some food from home. Bringing our own home-made dishes helps save money and guarantees food safety. Besides, we do not have to worry about rip offs, bad service or long hours of waiting during the peak travel season.

For shopping, I limit myself from buying clothes, shoes, and bags excessively. Recently I cleaned up my closet and found several items that I had forgotten about. I have tried to use them as much as possible since they are all still in good condition.

I used to have a habit of collecting restaurant and shop addresses advertised in newspapers or on TV and checking them out during the weekend. But now, eating out is only for special occasions like birthdays or anniversaries. Cutting off this activity can save a considerate amount in our family budget.

When we go to the supermarket, I make a shopping list and only buy what I need, instead of just taking any random product. I also try not to go to sections of brand products to avoid temptations. There are hardly any leftovers in our fridge now since we cook and eat for the day. In addition, packaged food does not expire anymore.

Previously, my husband and I went to work on our own bikes, but now we go together as our companies are in the same area. A scooter that consumes more gas is now left at home and is only used for road trips. Sometimes, I joke that going to work together is an effective way to heat up our relationship.

Although we cut down expenditures on shopping, we still eat our favorite dishes and let our kids study whatever they like, as long as the course is of good quality.

Each person, each family has different spending habits and ways to control their family budget. I do not think my way can be applied to everyone, but I hope to help family members avoid throwing money out of the window.

The economy can run into trouble - bad weather, unemployment, diseases, disaster - any time, so saving in advance is the best policy.