Tieng Viet lovers club

[jackbl]

Just a 5min job only.... hope more bro will be aware of the news of vn, esp HCMC, and the region around it.... You will see that i seldom post news about the North cos I have less contact and less favourable about that region

Originally Posted by casannova03

Bro jackbl and hurricane88.... thanks for the constant update of vietnamese news!! It must have taken some effort to post up these news, even if you cut and paste!!

kudos for the efforts!!

[jackbl]

Transsexuals find new body doesn’t ensure happiness
==================================

There are no official statistics on the number of transgender people in Vietnam and how many undergo gender reassignment surgery.

But post-operative transsexuals say the painful and expensive medical procedures they endured didn’t give them the normal lives they were expecting.

Several local transgender men have sought sex change operations overseas because the surgery is not performed in Vietnam.

In 2000, singer Cindy Thai Tai, who spent US$30,000 for sex reassignment procedures in Thailand, became one of the first locals to go public about her gender reassignment surgery.

Dr. Nguyen Thanh Nhu of Binh Dan Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City said he wasn’t familiar with any cases of local women undergoing surgery to become men. However, men seeking surgery to become women were relatively common.

Surgically altering a man’s sexual organs to resemble a woman’s was simpler than making a woman’s resemble a man’s, he said.

Dr. Nhu estimated more than 100 Vietnamese transsexual men, most aged around 30, had undergone sex reassignment surgery abroad to become women.

Much pain

Many transsexuals said they had suffered terrible pain after sex reassignment surgery and had been poorly informed about post-operative procedures, including the need to take female hormones for the rest of their lives.

“Most transsexuals in Vietnam have only focused on the surgery and used hormones inconsistently,” Dr. Nhu said. “Their post-operative care was also neglected by doctors.”

Lan Vy, who works for an AIDS awareness charity targeting transsexuals called Bau Troi Xanh (Blue Sky), said she had paid $2,000 for breast implant surgery in Thailand in 2002.

“It was like tearing off parts of your flesh,” she said. “They anaesthetized just a part instead of the whole body as I expected. They locked me on the operating table and covered my eyes before making incisions.”

Vy said she underwent more surgery two years later, which was even more painful, to modify her genitals.

“The surgery lasted for six hours and was horribly painful,” she said.

Transsexual Thai Thanh from HCMC said she had undergone sex reassignment surgery twice at a cost of $5,500.

“I couldn’t feel the pain from any particular part of my body because it was too terrible,” Thanh said.

The language barrier meant she was not properly informed of postoperative procedures, Thanh added.

Little gain

Nguyen Hong Khanh, chairman of Bau Troi Xanh Club, said a recent survey of 300 young homosexuals in HCMC found most of them had suffered discrimination from their family and the public.

Khanh said even after undergoing gender reassignment surgery many transsexuals were unable to live normal lives.

“I can never be a truly normal woman,” said Bau Troi Xanh Club’s Lan Vy said. “I always wish I could marry and enjoy a happy life with a man.

“Some men just like to experience a strange feeling when being with us and then they leave, saying they have to marry a real woman and have children,” she said.

Thirty-five-year-old singer Ai Xuan, who underwent surgery in Thailand in 2004 to become a woman, said the surgery was her last choice after three failed suicide attempts, partly motivated by constant discrimination.

Xuan said her boyfriend had left her recently because, although his family had recognized her as his wife, she couldn’t bear his children.

HCMC hairdresser Tuyet Nhung said her appearance was at odds with her identity papers, which said she was a man. “I am unable to sell my motorcycle or my house,” the 27-yearold said.

Some transsexuals said they had been rejected by their parents, brothers and sisters, who were shocked at their new appearance. Many had resorted to prostitution to pay for their treatment and beauty upkeep.

Reported by Nhu Lich

[jackbl]

Have u visit MP which gals are forced into this line????

Women tell of massage parlor horror: police raid
==============================
Women in a Ho Chi Minh City massage parlor raided by police on Saturday said they were victims of a tyrannical boss who treated them like slaves.

More than 130 women, who worked for the Tan Hoang Phat massage parlor, located at Street No. 4, Thu Duc District, told the police they had been detained, beaten, ripped off financially and forced to perform sex acts on customers.

They said they had to work from 9 a.m. to 3 a.m. every day and were not allowed to go out, while those who tried to escape or did not agree to perform sexual acts would be beaten, threatened at gunpoint or imprisoned in dog cages by the parlor manager, Phan Viet Hau and his brother-in-law Phan Cao Tri.

“In nine months, I have seen more than 10 girls try to escape but they were captured, tortured by Tri and put in dog cages,” one of the women, identified only as L.T.B.Y, said.

The owner, Tri, only gave the massage staff half a fish and a small bowl of soup every meal for a fee of VND2.6 million (US$153) per month.

Extra food cost VND50,000-80,000 ($3-4.70) each meal, the women said.

Tri and his men also held “birthday parties” every month and forced the women to give them presents of VND500,000-1 million ($30-60).

The women also had to pay a fee of VND15 million ($880) to visit their families and VND50 million ($3,000) to quit the job.

There was also a “tuition fee” to “learn” sex acts from a man named Phan Quoc Cuong. One of women said they were beaten if they refused.

Hau, 23, was also a loan shark, lending the women money with interest of 10 percent.

Police said many families had to pay Tri to bail their relatives out.

Police arrested Hau and some others but could not find Tri.

They said they seized guns, ammunition and many documents at Hau and Tri’s houses Sunday.

According to police, they raided the den after receiving four letters on Friday.

Reported by Dam Huy

[freefuck]

Originally Posted by casannova03

can't exactly translate the whole chunk but sound like some chat line advertisement you received in VN???

Maybe, it one of my frind sms. how about these?

A se cgag han che chi ug trg cviec thoi.va cug se yeu m e thoi.a biet e rat sanh doi va co ban linh nhg doi rat kho lg k the noi trc dc dieu j do vay e fai than trog trog moi viec nha.a se k chiu dug noi nêu co dieu j k hay xay ra dvoi e e yeu ah,

[jackbl]

Bro, be careful of their new inforcement....


Foreigners in the firing line in latest traffic crackdown
===================================

Police in Ho Chi Minh City Tuesday started fining foreigners and overseas Vietnamese caught breaking traffic rules as part of a wider campaign to improve traffic law compliance.

HCMC Traffic Police Chief Vo Van Nhuan said police will use video recorders to prove traffic infringements. Fines will be issued at the scene, with no exemptions granted to foreigners or overseas Vietnamese, he said.

Offenders may have to produce identity documents, such as visa documents, a permanent or temporary residence card or registration document of temporary residency, at the scene and pay a fine at an office later.

However, Nhuan said passports would not be kept in all cases by traffic police.

For people under diplomatic immunity, traffic police will issue documents noting their breaches. The document will be forwarded to the municipal Department of Foreign Affairs consular division, which will handle the case and forward the result to the HCMC Police Department.

In cases where motorists fail to stop, police will send fine documents to local authorities to present to the offenders.

Nationwide inspection

The HCMC inspections began Tuesday in response to an instruction by the Ministry of Public Security to step up enforcement traffic laws. The crackdown is scheduled to continue until February 15 of next year.

The ministry’s road traffic police division (C26) is also increasing surveillance of passenger coaches, especially those traveling between northern and southern provinces.

Major inspection points will include 1A, 5, 51, 14 and 18 national roads and stretches of road that are prone to accidents.

Police in all cities and provinces have been instructed to suspend the licenses of coaches found making severe traffic code infringements, such as speeding by more than 35 kilometers (21 miles) an hour, carrying 50 percent or more passengers than allowed or carrying passengers on top of the coach.

Police will also order owners of overloaded coaches to return passenger fares and arrange other coaches to transport them to their destination, Tien Phong newspaper quoted Vice Chief of HCMC Traffic Police Le Kim Thanh as saying.

As part of the campaign, a team of 70 traffic police will conduct roadside breathalyzer tests. Fines will be issued to drivers found to have a Breath Alcohol Content (BrAC) higher than 40 milligrams per liter.

[jackbl]

Used many short forms.... make our learning path very difficult... now i got headache after reading the sms... making me wanna give up learning viet ...

Originally Posted by freefuck

Maybe, it one of my frind sms. how about these?

A se cgag han che chi ug trg cviec thoi.va cug se yeu m e thoi.a biet e rat sanh doi va co ban linh nhg doi rat kho lg k the noi trc dc dieu j do vay e fai than trog trog moi viec nha.a se k chiu dug noi nêu co dieu j k hay xay ra dvoi e e yeu ah

[jackbl]

Transport officials say removal doesn’t mean end
==============================
Ho Chi Minh City Transport Department Tuesday announced a plan to remove 116 barriers on 25 streets around the city by January 18 to prepare for the Tet holiday and claimed more would be erected in the near future.

Street barriers have been set up surrounding several projects throughout the city and the department has been urging contractors to finish their work.

The plan, aimed to ease local transportation during the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday starting on January 26, will be carried out on main streets such as Ton Duc Thang, Dinh Tien Hoang, Tran Hung Dao, Ham Nghi, An Duong Vuong, Lac Long Quan and Ly Chinh Thang.

Dau An Phuc, deputy head of the department’s Traffic Management office, said 226 street barriers are occupying 85 streets around HCMC including 132 around an environmental hygiene project, 56 for a drainage project and 11 for an urban improvement project.

Many projects being launched at the same time have adversely affected the city’s traffic and residents’ daily activities, Phuc said, adding that some large street barriers, where there’s still much work to be done, will only be narrowed.

The department also noticed about 50 new street barriers on smaller streets but provided no further information on the projects.

Next year, there will be 56.7 kilometers of new roadway along 61 more streets to be dug up as the projects continue, mostly on the city’s main thoroughfares, said the department.

Phuc noted that many contractor’s this year have made errors concerning street barriers, including several being set up without legal permits and some causing dangers to city commuters.

The department this year has imposed a cash penalty totaling VND5 billion (US$294,300) on the violators, with fines in the first half of the year accounting for only one quarter of that amount, Phuc informed.

Reported by Mai Vong – Dinh Muoi

Originally Posted by jackbl

Was caught in a jam for 30min at a road junction along NKKN street at 5pm... simply frustrated... some due to road work...

City leader wants traffic problems fixed before Tet
=================================
Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Chairman Le Hoang Quan has ordered authorized agencies to keep a close eye on the city’s traffic problems and fix them immediately in the lead-up to Tet.

Reported by Minh Nam

[jackbl]

FYI

Vietnam Airlines offers online flight-booking
==============================
National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines launched its new website Monday, enabling passengers to book domestic flights online.

The airline said the website, Vietnam Airline Portal, is part of a commitment to improve the quality of its services.

As of February 2009, online booking will be available for international flights as well, the carrier said.

The website, which is still being developed, is updated several times a day with flight schedules and other information pertaining to the airline’s products and services.

It is expected to offer a range of other services by June 2009, enabling customers to make online payments and change their flight schedules among others.

Vietnam Airlines said it plans to accept payment via the five most popular credit cards including VISA, MASTERCARD, AMEX, JCB and Diner’s Club.

Source: VNA

[Hurricane88]

Miss Vietnam is the People’s Choice at Miss World 2008

Vietnamese beauty queen Duong Truong Thien Ly Tuesday was announced winner of Miss World 2008’s People’s Choice Award
Vietnamese beauty Duong Truong Thien Ly has won the People’s Choice Award at the Miss World 2008 contest in South Africa, the pageant’s official website announced Tuesday.


The 19-year-old native of Dong Thap Province raised in Ho Chi Minh City, won the award with 13,157 ratings, far ahead of second-placed Miss Ukraine, Iryna Zhuravska, who logged 3,180.

On the grand final night last Saturday, organizers said the award was not being included “due to technical reasons beyond control” and pledged to announce it on Monday. Russia’s Ksenya Sukhinova was crowned Miss World 2008 after beating 108 other international beauties.

Earlier, the 1.67-meter tall Thien Ly had said she was unlikely to win the crown due to her modest height.

However, global bookmakers had said Ly is among the top contenders, according to globalbeauties.com.

According to postings on November 20, Boyle Sports ranked Ly and Miss Ecuador as tied for third at 12 to 1 odds while Ly was also ranked third by Stan James’ ranking with odds of 14 to 1.

Bet 365 ranked Ly in equal fifth position with Miss Namibia at 12 to 1 odds. Ly and Miss Trinidad and Tobago shared the fourth position in Game Bookers with odds of 13 to 1.

Ly, a second runner up at Miss Universe Vietnam 2008, had the best pre-competition odds of any Vietnamese Miss World contestant.

She was chosen to attend the pageant in Johannesburg, South Africa, to replace Miss Vietnam 2008 Tran Thi Thuy Dung, after Dung was disqualified for not having graduated from senior high school.

Source: Thanh Nien

[jackbl]

Language won’t hamper traffic crackdown, police say
==================================
English-speaking traffic policemen will be deputized to deal with foreigners caught flouting traffic rules in the latest safety crackdown in Ho Chi Minh City.

Under the traffic crackdown, HCMC police this week began fining foreigners and overseas Vietnamese caught breaking traffic regulations.

The no-exemption policy has been welcomed by several foreign expatriates in HCMC who said people of all nationalities should be treated the same under the law.

A UK citizen, who only wished to be identified as Cleves, told Thanh Nien Daily Wednesday that everyone who broke Vietnam’s traffic laws should be punished.

Paul Finnis, director of Saigon Children’s Charity, concurred. But he said he was worried about the language barrier which could hinder communication between policemen and foreign offenders.

“If I am stopped by a traffic policeman, how would we communicate?” Finnis said.

Speaking with Thanh Nien Daily Wednesday, HCMC Traffic Police Deputy Chief Lieutenant-Colonel Tran Thanh Tra, said the city police force would dispatch fluent English-speaking personnel to handle foreigner-related traffic infringements.

They would also be trained in how to handle a range of situations, Tra said.

Senior Lieutenant-Colonel Nguyen Van Anh, head of the Immigration Department under the municipal police force, said his department would send interpreters fluent in other foreign languages to the scene in case foreign offenders could not speak English.

Vehicle renters also face fines

Owners of motorbikes rented by foreigners also face fines of VND100,000 to VND200,000 (US$5.9- 11.8) if their customers break traffic regulations, Lieutenant-Colonel Tra said, and could also be impounded.

Owners of hire cars could also be fined VND1 million to VND2 million ($59-118) if their customers break traffic laws, he said.

If foreign offenders flee the scene, the owners of their rented bikes or hire cars would have to pay their clients’ fines, Tra added.

When stopped by the police, foreign offenders may have to produce identity documents, such as driving licenses from a Vietnamese agency, visa documents or a permanent or temporary residence card, at the scene and pay a fine at an office later.

But their passports would not be kept in all cases by traffic police.

For people under diplomatic immunity, traffic police will issue documents noting their infringements. The document will be forwarded to the municipal Department of Foreign Affairs consular division, which will handle the case and send the result to the HCMC Police Department.

Senior Lieutenant-Colonel Anh said his staff had been trained to distinguish between various documents granted by Vietnamese agencies, including those indicating diplomatic immunity.

Anh said police would take action against foreign offenders who confront on-duty traffic policemen.

Call for improved road safety

While supporting the crackdown, Cleves and Finnis also said they were looking forward to better road safety in HCMC.

“The police should make more effort to stop dangerous drivers rather than just focus on minor offences,” Cleves said.

Finnis said he was very worried about children aged under 14 not wearing helmets.

He called for better policing of helmet laws to ensure all children wore helmets while riding motorbikes.

Originally Posted by jackbl

Bro, be careful of their new inforcement....

Foreigners in the firing line in latest traffic crackdown ===================================

Police in Ho Chi Minh City Tuesday started fining foreigners and overseas Vietnamese caught breaking traffic rules as part of a wider campaign to improve traffic law compliance.

[jackbl]

Cyclo sightseeing
================
Cyclo or pedicab tours are an increasingly popular way to see the sights of Vung Tau, the seaside resort town 125 kilometers by road southeast of Ho Chi Minh City.

The sight of groups of tourists, sitting back in pedicabs enjoying the views of Vung Tau, has become common. The cyclo drivers can take their passengers to local beauty and historical spots, as well as local markets to purchase souvenirs.

Not only do the tourists get to enjoy the pure air, the outdoors and the scenery, they can also learn about local life.

Tourists can stop at famous Vung Tau sights such as the White Villa, Nirvana Meditation House, the statue of Christ, the lighthouse and other places named in guidebooks. They can take photos and chat and joke around with the cyclo drivers.

According to the cyclo drivers, each group of travelers has its own preferences. Westerners like to travel after dinner while Asians prefer going in the early evening. Tours usually cost between VND40,000 to VND50,000 (US$2.50-3) an hour.

Vung Tau pedicab tours usually take two forms, a set route and a choose-your-own route. Normally, foreign travelers take the choose-your-own, but still take in the sights of Vung Tau’s long beachfront and the area around the mountain.

Recently, Medicoast, an international health care center in Vung Tau, has been offering its patients cyclo tours. The fresh air and relaxing nature of a cyclo circle is considered appropriate for medical tourists, including the elderly.

The Tourist Pedicab Trade Union of Thang Tam Ward was recently set up, after receiving approval from the Vung Tau People’s Committee and the Labor Union.

Union members were given uniforms and start-up capital. They have also been trained in the basics of local history, culture and communication by the staff of Sammy Hotel.

Pedicab tours usually depart at Sammy Hotel at any time that suits the customer.

For more information on pedicab tours, contact:

Sammy Vungtau Hotel
157 Thuy Van St.,Thang Tam Ward, Vung Tau Town.
Tel: (84.64) 854 755/56/57/58/59
Fax: (84.64) 854 762
Sammy Hotel or email: [email protected]

Medicoast Center
165 Thuy Van St., Thang Tam Ward, Vung Tau Town
- - - M E D I C O A S T - - - or email: [email protected]

Reported by Kim

[jackbl]

Nowadays, VN is very concern about road safety.... When u are there, please follow their rules hor


Elevator company supports traffic safety project for kids
====================================
A fictional character called Mr. Otis Safety and employees of the Otis Elevator Company presented 621 helmets to students at Hoa Mai Pre-School in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 3 early this month.

The visit by Mr. Otis Safety is part of the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation’s (AIP) “Helmets for Kids” project which aims to address the epidemic of child deaths on Vietnam's roads since 2000.

During the visit, Mr. Otis Safety taught children about the importance of wearing helmets when riding with parents on streets.

The organizers of the project recognized that most schools in Vietnam were not built with traffic safety in mind. Schools are often located on busy streets with high traffic flows.

Most schools don’t have parking lots or side lanes for parents to use to wait while the drop off and collect their children. The widespread construction work around HCMC also often presents difficulties for parents ferrying their children to and from school.

Hoa Mai Preschool is on the Truong Dinh – Dien Bien Phu crossroad, which has some unfinished construction work and regular traffic jams.

AIP Executive Director, Mrs. Mirijam Sidik said: “Our project does not only target the children, their parents and teachers but we also hope to spread the traffic safety concept more widely through world-of-mouth. We expect that more and more people here can recognize the importance of protecting children with helmets.”

In addition to lessons about helmets and their importance, Mr. Otis Safety also presented some interesting short lessons about using elevators and escalators safely.

Mr. Otis Safety is a friendly mascot designed by the Otis Company and used in their worldwide traffic safety awareness campaigns.

Wearing motorbike helmets became compulsory in Vietnam in December 2007.


By Truong Son

[jackbl]

wondering why this thread so quiet these few days? where have all the bros go to???

[Hurricane88]

Originally Posted by jackbl

wondering why this thread so quiet these few days? where have all the bros go to???

Newbies dare not to ask for translation...hihihi....worried kena scolding....so quietly trying to learn somewhere else...

The veterans are already experts in tieng viet so nothing much to ask...

buon oi la buon...

[casannova03]

hahaha!! true true!!

Now recession also la...less chionging = less contact with gals=less need to translate the language liao