Tieng Viet lovers club

[jackbl]

For those who went to Phu Quoc, will remember this night market

Tourist hotspot at Dinh Cau Market
================================================== =

VietNamNet Bridge – Hundreds of lights are on to welcome tourists to the food stalls and eateries on either side of Vo Thi Sau Street when darkness pervades Phu Quoc Island. There, they can taste the freshest catches of the day and buy souvenirs typical of the island’s waters off mainland Kien Giang Province.

The night market Dinh Cau, named after a sacred temple nearby, is open to tourists from as early as 5 p.m. till midnight. From 7p.m. to 9p.m. it is rush hour at the market located in the heart of Duong Dong Town when visitors to Phu Quoc gather to enjoy shrimp, fish, oyster, squid, snail and others that fishermen have caught during the day.

So, choosing what local specialty of Phu Quoc to eat for dinner at the night market is an easy and interesting experience but it is advisable for tourists to walk past all the seafood stalls on the either side of the street to see what is on offer and prices. When having selected and ordered your favorite seafood, you need to look for a table of their choice, either outdoor or indoor, to sit down for a drink before the food is served.

Iced bottled or cans of Vietnamese beer are recommended for tourists to quench their thirst and whet their appetite for the seafood, which can be steamed, boiled, grilled, sauteed… to order.

Ocean breezes, the sizzling sound and savory flavors of grilling seafood, chit-chat among diners give travelers a nice dining experience at the market. However, they should be careful not to sit too close to the outdoor cooking area as they may feel uncomfortable or scared due to the flames and smoke from the ‘open’ kitchen.

The trip to Dinh Cau Night Market often ends with souvenir purchases. After dinner, a lot of tourists stroll along the street to find and buy bracelets, necklaces, rings, earrings and other souvenirs made from shell and other materials of the Phu Quoc Sea.

Source: SGT

[vietboy]

Happy new year to all bros! May 2013 be a joyous and fruitful year to all! Happy 2013!

[KangTuo]

Originally Posted by vietboy

Happy new year to all bros! May 2013 be a joyous and fruitful year to all! Happy 2013!

joyous - more vb to teach TV
fruitful - vb teach TV on bed

[jackbl]

What Vietnamese millionaires spend money on?
================================================== =======================

VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese millionaires are rich enough to spend billions of dong on a bird cage, millions of dong on a Canadian gooey duck, or thousands of dollars on tiny shrimps.

Billion-dong bird cage for bird collectors

Not only competing with each other in collecting twitting birds, Vietnamese millionaires have also been vying in bird cages.

The prices of bird cages depend on the materials and the way of treating materials to create the cages. The ones carved in sophisticated style would be more expensive. Especially, if the bird cages are made of elephant’s tusk or tortoise shell, they could be a fortune.

On some cages, one can see the carved images of the heroes and the battles in the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. On others, one would see the images of 12 animal designations existing in Oriental culture.

The most expensive bird cages are the ones made of elephant tusks or tortoise shells, which could be priced at 500-800 million dong. The bird cages made of old bamboo with sophisticated carving would be valued at 50-120 million dong.

Hung “xiec” (Hung circus) proves to be the best known among the bird cage collectors, who is believed to possess the most expensive cages. One of them is the “ngu long tranh chau” (five dragon cage scramble for a gem).

Tuan, a man who lives on Bach Dang Street of Hoan Kiem district in Hanoi, is believed to possess some valuable bird cages worth one billion dong. Other cages are cheaper, but each of them is worth a fortune, about hundreds of millions of dong.

5 million dong spent on a gooey duck

More and more original dishes have been added into the menus of the rich. Millionaires now like gooey ducks imported from Canada, which they believe are very good for men.

The seafood restaurants in Hanoi now provide the luxurious Canadian food products at 1.9-2.5 million dong per kilo.

Since the products are especially expensive, the way they are served to clients is also special. At the restaurants, gooey duck imports are put into cistern where they receive special care. The water here is always clean which is at 10 oC temperature.

A serviceman of a high end seafood restaurant said gooey duck is the choice of many clients, but only the rich order Canadian clams because they are very expensive. A two kilo clam is priced at 5 million dong, the sum of money big enough to afford two tons of rice.

The tiny shrimps worth thousands of dollars








Tuan Dung, a tiny shrimp player in Hanoi, burst into laugher when he was asked why such a tiny shrimp is priced at thousands of dollars.

Dung showed his aquarium, where there are 150 tiny shrimps, each of which is as big as the tip of a toothpick and said that raising aquatic creatures is now in fashion among the players in the north, after they became popular in the south.

Dung said the hobby takes him a lot of time. “They (the tiny shrimps) would die if the conditions are unfavorable to them. Especially, the weather in the north is so changeable. Therefore, you need to take care for them,” he said.

It’s very costly to raise tiny shrimp. A shrimp may costs thousands of dollars, while its life circle is very short, no longer than one year.

VTC

[jackbl]

Only 10 enterprises sell genuine branded goods in Vietnam
================================================== ===========================

VietNamNet Bridge – Luxurious goods bearing well-known brands have been available at many high end shops or shopping malls in Vietnam. However, only a few of them sell genuine products.

The most shocking news of the last week was the discovery that the Gucci – Milano shop system sold counterfeit goods. The products on sale were introduced as made in Italia, but in fact, they were made in China.

On December 2, competent agencies in HCM City found at the ground floor of Sheraton Hotel at No. 88 Dong Khoi Street in HCM City a lot of boxes of clothes, footwear and belts bearing Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana brands – the Italian famous brands.

The invoices showed that the exporter was a Chinese company based in Guang Dong. The import declaration paper showed that the “branded” imports were valued at just tens of thousands of dong for each. The importer reportedly was imposed 21 million dong in tax for the consignment.

On December 7, in Hanoi, competent agencies released the decision to seal off the shop at No. 63 Ly Thai To Street in Hoan Kiem district in Hanoi to check the origin of the goods.

Only 10 companies sell genuine branded goods in Vietnam

The demand for branded goods has been increasing rapidly in Vietnam, which has led to the establishment of a lot of shops introducing themselves as the authorized distributors in Vietnam. However, in fact, the products are just the ones that bear famous brands, not genuine branded products.

Analysts have estimated that only about 10 businesses have been granted commercial licenses to distribute the products of 100 well-known jewelry, fashion and cosmetics brands in the world.

Meanwhile, the other products introduced as “branded goods” have been penetrating Vietnam through different ways by businessmen with trifling skills.

Most of the enterprises distributing branded goods in Vietnam have been operating under the mode of limited trade, service and import-export companies. In general, the companies have both the functions of distribution and import, because they have to place orders in advance for every season, control the goods and take responsibility for the post-sale services.

Of the distributors, Milano is the only one registered as a business household. This means that it only has the function of retailing, while the import and transportation must be carried out via other companies.

Especially, the household pays fixed tax on its income and personal income tax.

The inflows

Genuine branded goods have been imported to Vietnam by authorized distributors, who can import themselves or authorize other companies to import the products they order.

There is another way for branded goods to enter Vietnam – through the enterprises specializing in collecting sale-off products. The products of this kind always have official documents to show their origin.

Nguyen Thi Huyen, Director of Anh Kim Company, has noted that Vietnamese consumers favor sale-off products because they are cheap. Meanwhile, they can be sure that the products are genuine, because the company can show relating documents to prove their origins.

In general, it is very difficult to differentiate genuine and fake goods available at the fashion shops on streets. A shop owner said that the fake goods made in China are nearly exactly the same as genuine products. Therefore, a lot of businessmen have been selling fake goods at high prices to make profit.

SGTT

[jackbl]

Korean streets amid Hanoi
=============================================

VietNamNet Bridge – Being surprised is probably the feeling of most people when they come to "Korean streets," because the advertising boards of stores along the roads are in Korean language. They can mistakenly believe that they are in Korea.

Since 2006, the Korean community living in Hanoi has developed strongly, mainly in the areas of Trung Hoa-Nhan Chinh, Trung Kinh, My Dinh - Song Da and Dao Tan. Therefore, dedicated services for Korean people have developed at astonishing speed.

Unlike the "Korea street" Pham Van Hai in HCM City, where shops are mainly owned by Korean, most restaurants, hotels, supermarkets and stores on the “Korean streets” in Hanoi are ran by Vietnamese.



Korea everywhere

Perhaps the largest community of Koreans living in Hanoi is in the area of Trung Hoa-Nhan Chinh. Just looking at the posters, advertising signs there one can realize it clearly. Going along the streets of Nguyen Thi Thap, Nguyen Thi Dinh and Hoang Ngan, it is very normal to see Koreans and hear Korean language as if it is the official language of communication of people in this area.

If you just wear Korean-style outfit (long sweater, tights, curly and lightly-died hair) and enter into any restaurant or shop in this area, the staff will immediately use Korean to talk to you.

Ms. Nguyen Linh, neighbor of a Korean family in the apartment building 17T10 Trung Hoa-Nhan Chinh, said: "Although there are many Koreans here but I do not see big changes because in apartment blocks, households do not contact with each other much. They only say hello when they see each other on the stairs, the hallway or the basement parking lot. The biggest change is a lot of shops for Korean have been set up."

In the "Korean street," there are all services for Koreans, from restaurants, hotels, supermarkets, hospitals, schools to Internet cafes.

Pedestrians can easily find numerous stores with bilingual plates. However, the Korean letters are often bigger and more eye-catching while the Vietnamese text is small and difficult to see.



Integration in foreign land

Besides entertainment services such as billiards, karaoke, spa, etc., social services for Koreans in Vietnam are also available such as schools, hospitals and cultural centers. The International Korea-Hanoi School, located on Le Van Luong road is one of the schools for Korean kids in Hanoi.

Oh Ju Young, the school's fourth grader said that the school teaches Vietnamese but most of them still communicate in Korean language because most of the students are Vietnamese-Korean or Korean.

Most Koreans in Vietnam still maintain their eating habits and favor Korean food, so in addition to Korean restaurants, there are many supermarkets selling Korean food in this area.

Ace Mart on Nguyen Thi Thap Street is a fairly typical shopping destination. Stepping into the supermarket, Vietnamese customers probably feel overwhelmed because the staff here communicate fluently as native Korean and all the products do not have a single word in Vietnamese.

All products are imported from South Korea, to fully serve daily needs of Korean, from Soju wine, kimchi, rice cakes, fish-shaped ice cream, fish sauce to books and clothes. Even the popular products available in Vietnam as Xilytol chewing gum, snacks, Colgate toothbrush, etc. are also imported from Korea because a majority of Korean people prefer to use products from their country.

Mr. Jeon Jeong Seok, 26, an employee of a wallpaper trading company, said: "I’ve lived in Vietnam for a year and a half but I still mainly use Korean utensils purchased at a supermarket near my apartment.”

It is interesting that outside the supermarket there is a small campus with several sets of wooden tables and chairs. "In Vietnam, it seems strange but in Korea, all supermarkets have wooden tables and chairs to serve customers," the supermarket’s manager said.

The number of Koreans living in Hanoi is on the rise. According to Mr. Tran Ngoc Son, head of the administration board of 17T10 apartment building in Trung Hoa - Nhan Chinh, said: "This apartment building has about 200 households, including more than 30 Korean households. Korean always have good attitude. They say hello when seeing us but the relations only stop at the courtesy greeting."


Closed way of life

"The majority of Koreans in Hanoi make the initial impression of being friendly, open, but only at a social level. In fact, they mainly make contact with the Korean community living here," said Ms. Nguyen Lan Anh, a longtime employee at Pan Medical, a Korean firm in Hanoi.

Four years after the normalization of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the Republic of Korea, since 1992 the number of Korean to Vietnam has increased rapidly, forming the second largest group of immigrants, second only to the Taiwanese community in Vietnam.

It is estimated that in 2011, the number of Koreans in Vietnam was nearly 90,000, of whom almost half reside in Hanoi. However, Vietnamese do not really understand about their lifestyle and personalities.

Most Korean people living in Hanoi, no matter how long they have been here, from several months to several years, always keep their eating habits. They only choose Korean food for their everyday meals.

Although Vietnamese food is diverse, cheap, and easy to buy but the Koreans in Hanoi only eat Korean food like rice roll, kimchi, etc.

Mr. Park Chang Eun, manager at a Korean firm that manufactures fire extinguishers and steel structures, said: "The Vietnamese cuisines are slightly salty. Especially I hate eating spinach. In Korea, no one eats water spinach but it Vietnam it is very popular."

To find the ingredients of Korean cuisines, they go to K-mart, the supermarkets selling Korean products in Hanoi. For men, who do not know cooking, often eat in Korean restaurants around their workplaces or hire Vietnamese charladies who can cook Korean food.

In addition to food, Koreans only use things from Korea, from the smallest things like toothpaste, dishes, napkin, etc.

"It is a habit to use Korean products. Moreover, they are better in design and quality while the prices are not much more expensive than Vietnamese products," said Mr. Bok Yo Han, a tour guide.

He said he bought these things from Korean marts or brought them from his country to Vietnam.

Coming to Hanoi, Koreans only want to live in places where there are many Koreans living and working, such as Trung Hoa-Nhan Chinh, Dao Tan, My Dinh - Song Da, forming a separate community. Mr. Yoon Jae Min, who works at a Korean IT company, said: "Though I cannot speak Vietnamese but I can still live here very conveniently."

Koreans do not have many Vietnamese friends. They mainly still communicate with the Korean community here. Companies in which they work are also branches of Korean companies in Vietnam, of which only a few employees are Vietnamese and they all communicate with each other in Korean.

Korean people rarely talk to local people unless it is necessary, because as Mr. Jeon Jeong-seok, who has lived in Vietnam for a year and a half said: "I’m afraid to meet Vietnamese because I do not really know that they are talking about me."

Yet there are some Koreans like Mr. Bok Yo Han, characterized by his job as a tour guide, has a lot of Vietnamese friends but they are the ones who he truly know for a long time and know how to speak Korean.

Hong Loan-Van Anh

[jackbl]

Cancer patients increase quickly in Vietnam
================================================== ===============

VietNamNet Bridge - Patients with cancer are increasing rapidly in Vietnam. The sad thing is that most patients are in the later stage when they see doctors, so the cancer cure rate in Vietnam is not as high as desired.

Dr. Tran Van Thuan, deputy director of the hospital K, Director of the Institute of Cancer Prevention Research, said each year in Vietnam, the number of new patients with cancer are 150,000 and 75,000 others died of cancer.

At the present time, there are 240,000 - 250,000 people living with the disease of cancer in Vietnam.

According to Thuan, the cancer tends to increase, not only in Vietnam but in most countries around the world. The common types of cancer are lung, stomach, liver, colon (men) and breast cancer, cervix, stomach, lung, colorectal (women).

In recent years, many cancer clinics have been opened but the current network still does not meet the treatment needs.

At Hanoi-based K hospital, the number of patients increases by 20-30% annually. Specifically, in 2007, patients with breast examination was 2,476, by 2011, this number was 3,011. Patients with lung examination in 2007 was 1,199, by 2011, this number was 2,059.

According to Thuan, there are many reasons for this situation. The leading reason is risk factor, with more than 80% is caused by the external environment in which, smoking accounts for over 30% of the causes of cancer in humans.

Nutrition with less vegetables, more meat and animal fats, protein excess and especially foods that contain preservatives are also important causes of disease.

Other causes are working in hazardous environments, life expectancy increases, etc.

However, most of patients see doctors when they are in the late stages.

"Up to 70% of cancer patients are at the final stage (stage 3 or 4) when they saw doctors. Therefore, the cancer cure rate in Vietnam is not high," Thuan said.

Cam Quyen

[jackbl]

The service of hunting vehicles’ original owners
================================================== =========================

Since the Decree 71 regulation, obliging drivers to make vehicle ownership transfers, took effect on November 10, many second-hand motorcycle retailers have offered services to look for the vehicles’ original owner and carry out ownership transferral procedures.

To transfer vehicle ownership, the present owner of a vehicle must have the original owner come with him or her to the authorities before registering for a new registration card, which affirms that individual as the actual owner of the vehicle.

Because it is such a complicated process and, in many cases, the previous owners of the vehicles cannot be contacted, many present owners have decided to use these second-hand retailers' services to look for their vehicle's original owner and carry out ownership transferral procedures.

These services cost from several hundred thousand dong to several million dong, depending on how hard it is to find the original owners.

“Due to the fact that, in many cases, the addresses of the original owners have changed, or the original owners have died or emigrated some time ago, I have to look for them through their registration card details or by following the information I get from their neighbors, relatives or even local officers,” explained Muoi, one of the retailers offering such services in Binh Tan district’s Binh Hung Hoa ward in Ho Chi Minh City.

After looking at a registration card, he said, “This address is quite easy to look for. It’s in the center of town. So I will charge one million dong, not including ownership procedure costs. I must receive a half of it first (VND 500,000) and I will take the rest after finishing within two days or a week, if it’s hard to find the previous owner.”

Service procedures

On November 22, Thanh, a resident of Binh Thanh district, met Thang, who offers ownership transferral services in this area, in order to transfer his new motorcycle's ownership.

Thang said, while looking at the registration card of his customer’s vehicle, “Five million dong. I’ll go to Binh Thuan province, look for this man (the previous owner) and get back the original documents for your motorcycle within ten days. Then, you only need to register with your local officers and this motorcycle will be yours legally.”

After that, Thang took the ID card, a copy of Thanh's household registration record and Thanh's registration card and went to Binh Thuan province.

“I have developed relationships with many people in other provinces and cities, so it’s quite easy for me to do this business,” Thang shared.

According to Minh, a motorcycle retailer in Phu Nhuan district, drivers can also find the original owners by themselves, as long as they follow the addresses on their vehicles’ registration card. “If they cannot, they should go to local officers, explain their problems and ask for the original owners’ updated details. However, the point is they need to persuade the owners to cooperate with them,” Minh said.

“Sometimes, it’s necessary to give the original owners money while convincing them,” Muoi revealed.

A popular service

People in Ho Chi Minh City, Ha Noi and other areas can easily find these popular services, which are offered by either motorcycle taxi (‘xe om’) drivers or second-hand motorcycle retailers, via the websites and telephone numbers on their leaflets.

Luu Van Sang, who is responsible for finding vehicles’ original owners in a cooperative in Ha Noi, said, “Everyday, we receive 30 to 40 customers. The service’s cost is VND 1.2 to 1.5 million for each car and VND one to 1.2 million for each motorcycle.”

“It takes more time if they look for the original owners by themselves. So many come to us for help,” he added.

Through many websites, such as www.timchuxe, drivers can send their copies of household registration records, ID cards, registration cards, and photographs of their vehicles to the site and wait for news of the vehicle's original owner. “We have received lots of customers via our website.

Their personal details are kept absolutely private, and because it’s convenient for them, this method is very effective,” Thuy Anh, representative of a company in Ha Noi which offers the services, said.

[jackbl]

Illegal opium liquor for sale in Vietnam
================================================== ======
Hanoi police have recently uncovered a shop storing 5,000 liters of opium-steeped wine, which is considered a kind of tonic wine with medicinal properties despite the rejection of scientists.


In general, ‘alcohol 138’ is a wine soaked with the roots, stem, or fruit of opium poppy plants.

This kind of wine is sought by many alcohol enthusiasts. In Vietnam, it is named ‘alcohol 138’ after Campaign 138 to wipe out the cultivation of opium poppy plants, carried out by the People’s Committee of northern Yen Bai province.

‘Alcohol 138’ a favorite of carousers

This kind of liquor is talked about among male drinkers as a miracle remedy with different functions, such as pain relief, a cure for ailments of the stomach and intestines, and a promoter of sexual masculinity.

Ethnic minority people in the mountainous areas of the north often used to drink liquor soaked with opium poppies, especially when the cultivation of the plant was not razed en masse. To this day, some locals still plant poppies to process alcohol 138, which is commonly sold in Yen Bai.

The ‘processing technology’ of alcohol 138 is quite simple, as it can be done in one of two ways: soaking the alcohol with fresh poppies or dried poppies.

Soaked with fresh poppies, the alcohol turns dark brown after a week and it is then drinkable. Each 5-liter vase of poppy alcohol 138 is priced at VND1.5 – 2 million (US$72 – 96). A similar vase soaked with opium doubles in price.

In 2010, Yen Bai police arrested a local named Bui Thi Hoa for the illegal sale of 1,500 liters of opium liquor; he was sentenced to seven years in jail.

Tran Dang, former head of the Food Safety Department under the Ministry of Health, admitted that opium liquor is not a new problem. Five years ago, he identified 2,000 kinds of animal parts and plants which were being used to infuse alcohol for their so-called medicinal properties in 30 provinces and cities in Vietnam. Opium liquor is one of them.

“Drinking opium liquor may cause addiction to both alcohol and opium if it is consumed for a week,” he said.

“One of the properties of opium is its ability to create a buoyant feeling of good health, so it is usually misunderstood. Once addicted, people feel pain and can’t resist the drug,” Dang added.

Colonel Doan Huu Chau, head of the Hanoi Environmental Police Department, said his agency has sent samples of liquor 138 for tests to identify the content of the opium.

An opium alcohol drinker is charged with the use of illegal drugs if the result of tests of his blood or urine proves positive, Chau confirmed.

[jackbl]

The sources of income of Vietnamese bank CEOs
================================================== =========================

VietNamNet Bridge – While some commercial banks keep transparent in the issues relating to the income of the board of directors, at other banks, the pay to the key personnel is confidential.

Generally, the pay to the members of the board of directors would be declared at the end of year, with the information to be found in the finance reports, or at the nest years’ shareholders’ meetings of listed banks.

In previous years, the income of a CEO of a medium bank was 200-300 million dong a month. Some brilliant CEOs received much more, but the number of the CEOs was modest.

Eximbank and ACB are two of the banks which regularly expose the information about the income of the key personnel. The common thing of the two banks was that both of them reported losses from gold and foreign currency trading for the third quarter of the year.

Eximbank is one of the rare banks which make public--the income of the board of directors after every year of operation.

The 2010 annual report of the bank showed that in 2009, the bank spent 11.4 billion dong to pay to the board of directors which comprised of 10 members, which meant that every member received more than one billion dong, or 95 million dong a month.

In 2010, when the number of the board’s members increased to 12, the total pay increased to 16.2 billion dong, which meant that every member received 112 million dong a month.

The total pay to the board of directors of the bank was double in 2011, soaring to 24.7 billion dong. As such, every member got 2.7 billion dong in 2011, or 229 million dong a month.

As for ACB, the bank’s total income of the board of directors was 17.4 billion dong in 2011, or 4 billion dong higher than that in 2010. Each of the nine members of the board of directors earned 1.9 billion dong a year, or 160 million dong a month.

The board of management and supervision board received 10.8 billion dong in 2011, while it was 8.8 billion dong in 2010. Prior to that, the income of the board of director was more modest, at 9.3 billion dong.

Besides the monthly salaries, the members of the board of directors of ACB also received bonus shares, cars, insurance policies and healthcare services.

Some small banks also regularly expose the detailed information about the total income of their key personnel. In 2011, Navibank, for example, announced that every of them received one billion dong a year, or 80 million dong a month.

Declining to reveal the information about the income levels of leaders and officers in 2012, Deputy General Director of ACB Nguyen Thanh Toai said the national economy has experienced a very difficult year 2012, therefore, it would be understandable if the pay to them is lower than the previous years.

A banker in Hanoi frankly said that it is not the right time to be too demanding now, and that one would feel happy if he still can be on the post of CEO. 2012 was an unlucky year to many bankers, when a lot of high ranking executives were arrested, the bad debt increased, capital cost increased and profit decreased.

The banker has predicted that the income of CEOs would be kept secret, because the income levels would show the capability of the CEOs, which is always a “sensitive matter.”

Infonet

[jackbl]

越南阿嫂流莺，庙宇厕所内接客，亵渎神明，遭阿伯赶走。

热心读者致电《新明日报》指，马里士他路一带，有越来越多流莺站街。

记者走访了解，一名知情者说，这些流莺来自越南，她们大约一个月前出现，每晚10时许就在一家庙宇外寻找目 标，一直到凌晨两三时。

“她们站在一家庙宇前拉客，我和另一名阿叔觉得她们简直是对神明不敬，所以把她们通通赶走，过后她们就站在 庙宇附近的咖啡店去。　　

清洁工曾被搭讪。

[jackbl]

Billions of dollars outflows to fund Vietnamese students’ studies overseas
================================================== ================================================== ==

VietNamNet Bridge – Official statistics show that Vietnamese spend billions of US dollars a year to fund overseas training courses for their children.

Nguyen Truong Giang, a senior official of the Ministry of Finance has confirmed that every year, Vietnamese remit billions of US dollars abroad to pay for their children’s training courses.

Thoi bao Kinh te Vietnam has cited a report showing that the number of Vietnamese going abroad to study has been increasing steadily year after year. In 2010-2011, Vietnam had 98,536 overseas students while the figure jumped to 106,104 in the 2011-2012 academic year.

The latest report by the Ministry of Education and Training showed that about 60,000 Vietnamese are studying at overseas training establishments. More and more Vietnamese apply for studying at the schools in the US, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Singapore and China.

The movement of going to study abroad started in 1997-1998, when most Vietnamese enrolled in the schools in the UK, France and the US. However, the list of the destination countries for Vietnamese students has been expanded. Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Switzerland have also become the popular names for the students who plan to go studying abroad.

It is estimated that Vietnamese spend US$10,000-$15,000 a year on average on a seat at foreign schools. As such, Vietnamese have to remit at least $1-1.5 billion abroad every year to fund the training courses.

However, Giang emphasized that this is just the average spending level, while the actual spending would be higher.

A lot of students, especially the ones in big cities, cherish the dream of studying abroad right when they go to secondary or high schools. Some of them try to apply for scholarships to have better learning conditions overseas. Meanwhile, others would rather go abroad with their own money than studying at domestic schools.

Giang believes that Vietnamese tend to go studying abroad because they believe that they can receive higher education quality, the thing they would not receive in Vietnam.

Therefore, in order to attract students, Vietnamese schools have no other choice than improving their training quality.

According to Giang, Vietnam would retain Vietnamese students if its schools just can provide the training quality equal to that provided by regional schools. Around 35,900 out of the 106,000 students going abroad in 2011-2012 headed for Asian countries.

The increasingly high demand for high quality international university education has turned Vietnam into an attractive destination for foreign educators. However, to date, only several foreign universities have arrived in Vietnam, namely RMIT or the British International University.

In September 2012, the government promulgated the Decree No. 73 stipulating the requirements on foreign educators who plan to open universities in Vietnam.

Regarding the financial conditions, the decree stipulates that the minimum investment rate must be VND150 million ($7,000) per student, not including land use fees, while the total investment capital must not be lower than VND300 billion dong ($15 million).

The decree stipulates that the Prime Minister will release the decisions on the establishment of foreign invested universities, while the Minister of Education and Training will decide the establishment of foreign invested junior colleges, and the Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs will decide the establishment of foreign invested vocational schools.

Compiled by Thu Uyen

[jackbl]

University students get puzzled with English skill standards
================================================== =================================

VietNamNet Bridge – A lot of students complained that though they have fulfilled the training curricula, they still cannot graduate from universities, because they cannot meet the requirements in the English skills stipulated by the schools.


Most of the universities in Vietnam have announced the standard qualifications for their graduates, i.e. the qualifications and skills the school commit their graduates will have.

The HCM City University of Agriculture and Forestry began applying the output standards for graduates from the 2008 academic year. The students of the school must meet the B1 level of the European scale.

The students, who entered the school in 2008, have recently attended the final exams. However, 21.8 percent of the students still cannot show the B1 level certificates; therefore, they still cannot graduate the school.

According to Dr Tran Dinh Ly, Head of the Training Division of the university, B1 of the European scale sets higher requirements than the national B level that schools once applied in Vietnam. Therefore, a lot of students cannot meet the standards.

“I know many students who are very good at their majors, but still cannot have B1 level certificates and they still cannot finish school,” he said.

Ly also said that the students who have TOEFL 400, TOEIC 450, IELTS 4.5, PET 70, BULATS 40 would also be recognized as meeting the output standards.

The University of Technology and the Economics University, the member schools of the Da Nang University, have also required the B1 standards and TOEIC 400 on their students to be able to graduate from the schools.

However, the standards seem unattainable to many students. A survey conducted by the University of Technology has found out only 20-30 percent of students can follow the English curriculum designed for university students in accordance with the Ministry of Education (10 credits), when they enter a new academic year. Meanwhile, the other 70 percent have to attend preparatory classes before attending official classes.

Meanwhile, Tran Cao Vinh, Head of the Training Division of the HCM City University of Natural Sciences, said his school only requires B level certificate, though B level certificate would surely not be able to satisfy the requirements of employers. However, even with the low requirements, Vinh fears that the majority of the school’s students cannot meet the standard.

In the future, B1 level would be the required standards to be applied to all schools as stipulated in the national program on teaching and learning foreign languages.

Meanwhile, Hoa Van Binh, Deputy Dean of the Foreign Languages Faculty of the Saigon University, has warned that B1 would be an overly high goal for many students, saying that students still have not been aware of the importance of learning foreign languages.

Nguyen Thi Ngoc Bich, a third year student of the HCM City University of Natural Sciences, has noted that a lot of her classmates do not think foreign languages would be useful for them in the future jobs, therefore, they only spend time on learning some days before the exam days.

Bich also thinks that there is a big gap in the English skills of the students from rural areas and students from big cities. In general, the students from rural areas do not have the opportunities to learn English in a methodical way. Therefore, they find it hard to continue learning English at the universities.

Vinh agrees that four years at universities would not be enough for students to obtain fluent English skills, and that students need to have a good basis when they finish high schools to be able to meet the standards in foreign language skills when following university education.

Tien Phong

[jackbl]

Phu Quoc’s Magic
=================================
I recently had a break from teaching in Hoi An and needed a holiday. Between visiting Cambodia again and meeting up with people in Ho Chi Minh City, I got the chance to visit a former expat friend now living in Phu Quoc. The winter around Hoi An is cooler than I like so I was also interested in the possibility of some teaching opportunities in warmer Phu Quoc, as the southern tourist season runs from November to early May with dry weather and calm seas.


Like my hometown, Hoi An, Phu Quoc has a great potential for personal and guided bicycle and motorbike tours across the whole island, particularly the National Park, the northern coast and cross-island mountain highway. Local traffic is the typical mad Vietnamese driving style, yet not heavy or crowded, but the taxis need to slow down a lot!

I flew to Phu Quoc and back via Vietnam Airlines because they are reliable – not cheap at the moment, around US$75 one way, but worth it for the extra time I could spend on the Island. One bonus is that the flight is only 50 minutes so it’s worth it if you’re on a tight schedule. Flight prices should come down considerably with increasing traffic and airline competition with the opening of the new, larger airport towards the end of this year.

While I’m sure most Vietnamese know about Phu Quoc, here is a little background for expats and tourists possibly reading this article. The island is situated about 15 kilometers off the south western edge of Cambodia and about 45 kilometers from the Vietnamese border. In fact, you can see the rising hills of Cambodia on a sunny, clear day from the northern tip of Phu Quoc.

While Phu Quoc is still quite undeveloped, it’s remarkably unspoilt beauty is breathtaking, particularly on the northern beaches and over the mountains leading into the national park. The air is refreshing and fragrant in the mountains.

There’s been a lot of what I consider to be unfair criticism of the pace of development, with many investors seemingly expecting the government to provide infrastructure at national expense while the nation has more pressing matters to contend with elsewhere. Most of the coastal ‘ring’ roads circling the island are still unsealed, however the main overland highway is on the way to completion and the undersea power cable from Ha Tien, the mainland entrance way to the island, is slated for completion by the end of 2013.

South of Duong Dong township is mostly pristine forest and shoreline slowly developing into a small Mecca for Vietnamese and foreign tourists. The stunning coastline has some of the best clear saltwater in Vietnam, and the great part? It’s shallow, perfect for kids and families. While there are not yet many good food and beverage outlets along the south, locals are friendly and prices are not bad, and the seafood is excellent.

Pearl shopping is just taking off as a growing business here and a handful of pearl shops cater to tourists on this southern strip of the island. The pearl variety is good and prices are still reasonable, although you may have to ‘shop around’, but don’t be put off, that’s half the fun, haggling!

Duong Dong township also offers some great photo opportunities for camera buffs. The fishing harbor and market is well worth visiting and should become an organized tour feature in the coming years, with fresh seafood restaurants and a great view of the crowded fishing boat fleet. The town is quite small but not particularly suited to just walking around due to the narrow roads and dust from construction and development. It is unique features such as these that make Phu Quoc slightly dreamlike and so relaxing.

The main cross-island highway northwards is great for the sealed sections that are already finished and you can make good time, passing pepper farms and small inland villages. Be warned though, take a lot of sun-cream, for the sun around Phu Quoc can burn you fast! The mountain air is cool and carries a wonderful scent from the tropical jungle. Check out the pepper farms, if you have time, the pepper sauce is fantastic!

The northern beaches are still difficult to get to over rough, pot-holed roads, but given that Phu Quoc is only now beginning to truly develop, this just allows for more of the ‘road warrior’ stories you’ll tell your friends over dinner!

The water on the northern tip is just as inviting as the south, with the added attraction of the view towards Cambodia. There’s a string of small beaches stretching across the northern edge of the island, though good cafes and ‘pit stops’ are rare so it’s worth it to just stop, have a beer with the locals, and bring a packed lunch!

The road to the national park is a sealed one, and the park is gorgeous. It’s mostly stunning and pristine jungle and rainforest so you do need a local guide as the trails are mostly unmarked, and it’s very easy to get lost there. The Army uses part of the island for jungle training but you won’t see them!

The forests are home to a lot of flora and fauna but you have to be quiet and quick to get good photos! If you really like hiking and the mountains, this is the place, the colors and the patterns of the forests are a photographer’s dream.

So it’s all good on the island. There are a few up-market resorts and a cluster of back-packer style hotels and bars in Duong Dong. Phu Quoc’s tourist potential is huge and the national investment in the island is well justified. While food is expensive due to the need to import tourist foodstuffs from the mainland and petrol, accommodation is mostly still reasonable.

In the coming years tourism is set to take off in a big way. It would be to both Cambodia’s and Vietnam’s advantage to agree to a border crossing in Phu Quoc or perhaps a visa free zone to boost tourist traffic in both directions, from Ho Chi Minh City and Phnom Penh or Sihanoukville in the south of Cambodia.

Also there’s a strong need for English and Hospitality training to give local people more opportunities to work at the new airport and around the tourism industry, yet this will probably need some government or private funding as local incomes are not high enough yet for many to access vocational training on the island.

Oh! I nearly forgot! While you’re there, pop in and visit my friend, Lee Webster’s bar/restaurant just about a kilometer south of Duong Dong.

Are you up for some adventure?

[jackbl]

The hidden side of ancient Hue
================================================== =====
VietNamNet Bridge – When you talk about tourism in the ancient city of Hue, many people will think about the mausoleums of the Vietnamese kings.


Once those sites have been checked off the list, there is nothing left to see and no need to return. That is the established thinking, anyway.

To me, however, it is very different. I am fascinated by this small and historic city and its surroundings, and I am struck by a great happiness every time I return. There is far more to Hue than meets the eye.

I love the cuisine, the beautiful scenery and the slow pace, and it is easily among one of my favourite destinations.

My love for Hue has been enriched even more after a recent visit to Suoi Voi (Elephant Spring), which is hidden away in Loc Tien Commune in Phu Loc District. In this place, my friend and I swam in the springs, played in the forest and ate delicious local chicken. It was a wonderful day.

Suoi Voi is about 60km from the centre of Hue, and 40km from Da Nang City. Its location between these two cities makes it a popular pit-stop for people making the journey between the two.

While people call it a spring, it would be more accurate to say that it is a network of pure springs, boulders, mountains and jungle which come together to create a truly stunning landscape.

The journey there is unremarkable, and the road is made of cement. We parked the car when we could go no further and clambered up high steps with some uncertainty. Then the spring appeared.

It was breathtaking. Suddenly I became very aware of an incredibly fresh atmosphere caused by the pure and cool pool of water and the green of the surrounding forestry.

Bamboo huts built by local people lined the two sides of the stream, with the water bubbling past creating a natural soundtrack to the idyllic scene.

Visitors here are able to hire a hut, take a rest and enjoy the local cuisine.

We did exactly this, and lay back with our feet dangling into the cool flow of water.

Talking to the hut's owner, I was informed that Suoi Voi was once called Suoi Me (Me Spring – me meaning large elephant in the ancient language).

In spring, she explained while preparing a meal for us, when the weather was warm hundreds of elephants from Bach Ma Mountain would come to the forest and this particular stream to find cassava shrubs and other food.

Oddly, they only came to this one region, and then after some time – just as mysteriously – they left for the last time and never came back.

The elephants left their marks in the shape of large holes surrounding the spring, which over time filled with water to become small pools.

These are clear and cool and instantly attractive to visitors who want to jump in and swim as soon as seeing them. Signposts clearly label which ones are safe for them to do so.

My friend, who comes from northern region of Viet Nam, said that he has visited many places like Suoi Voi in the north, such as Suoi Tien, Khoang Sanh and Ao Vua, but he loved this experience the most.

"They all have the combination of natural fountains, forests, and rocks, but the ones in the north are less beautiful.

Here it is clean and safe for swimming," he said.

To make absolutely sure we were safe, my friend hired a lifebuoy to swim for just VND10,000.

Suoi Voi soon proved to be an equally perfect destination for sunbathing, with visitors tired from their swim able to rest at full stretch on the large rocks to enjoy the sun as it radiated through the canopy of trees above.

While my friend swam, I took the chance to gaze out at the surrounding landscape.

I noticed a big rock shaped like an elephant with a long trunk, and the hut's owner told me that it was artificial, made to memorise the real elephants that gave the site its name.

This elephant marks the nearby Elephant Lagoon, which is perhaps the most beautiful pool as it lies between two waterfalls and is completely translucent.

The hut's owner suggested that I explore further inside the forest – packed with rare animals and plants – in order to discover more beautiful hidden scenes and enjoy many new experiences such as fishing in some pools and picking local vegetable to cook soup. I wholeheartedly approved of this idea, and went for a long walk.

I think that Suoi Voi is a special place not just for its natural beauty but also for the things that it brings to the local people.

Since first opened as a tourist destination in 1994, it has brought jobs to many residents, despite only being open throughout the summer. It is estimated that each household can earn about VND12-15 million (US$600-750) per season from offering services to visitors.

At the end of the day – capped off with a delicious chicken noodle dish – I was extremely reluctant to leave. It had been a truly memorable experience, and one that I am sure I will relive in the future. For me, the beauty and cuisine of Hue and its surroundings are sure to entice me back again and again.

VietNamNet/VNS