Tieng Viet lovers club

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Learn Vietnamese with Video - All the Joy of Learning Vietnamese Begins Right Here!

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Learn Vietnamese with Video - Would Your Vietnamese Skills Help You Out of This Situation?!

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9 bad habits of Vietnamese traffic police
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There are nine common bad habits that traffic police should avoid in order not to be hated by the public, a survey shows.

The survey was conducted by a team of four led by Associate Professor Huynh Van Son, a psychologist and deputy chairman of Vietnam Psychological Association.

Assoc Prof. Son said they made the survey by observing on-duty traffic police at check-points in districts 3, 7, 12 and Nha Be district in Ho Chi Minh City and interviewing police officers, management officials, and civilians.

The psychologist showed the nine habits at a communication skills training class intended for traffic police force in HCMC where Son was invited as the main speaker.

The class organized by HCMC Road and Railway Police Department in late October aims at helping traffic officers keep appropriate manners when in contact with the public to improve their image.

Following are the 9 bad habits of traffic cops:

1. Don’t care about the age of people they are talking to

2. We have power, so it is not necessary to care about people’s feeling

3. Use informal, derogatory pronouns for first and second persons when talking with the public like “mày” and “tao”

4. Often say: a violation is a violation, no need to explain

5. We are the law. So, if you violate the law, you have wronged me

6. Indulge in red tape, show frustration at the public

7. Procrastinating and bureaucratic behaviors

8. Think and behave in a wrong way: It’s ok that we [police] drive fast because we are on duty.

9. That’s what we say and we are not able to correct it

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One third of Vietnamese youths do not use contraceptive measures
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Unexpected pregnancy remains a big problem as 34.6 percent of young Vietnamese people aged 20-24 do not use contraceptive measures, according to statistics announced on Monday.

The figures were released at a ceremony held in Hanoi on Monday to introduce the State of World Population 2013 Report issued by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The event was jointly organized by the UNFPA and the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union’s Central Adolescent Center, attracting the participation of more than 300 young people in the capital.

According to the report, some 7.3 million adolescent girls give birth each year worldwide, of whom 2 million are under 15. If current trends continued, this number could rise to 3 million a year in 2030.

Every day in developing countries, 20,000 girls below age 18 give birth. Nine in 10 of these births occur within marriage or a union. This has consequences on the health, education, employment and rights of an untold millions of girls, the report said.

In Vietnam, the rate of unexpected pregnancy and unsafe abortion remains high among young women, as 35.4 percent of adolescents aged 15-19 do not use contraceptive measures. Among young people aged 20-24, the rate is 34.6 percent.

In 2011, 46 in every 1,000 adolescents in Vietnam have children. This rate is higher than those for many other groups of population, including people with low-education background and ethnic minority people.

In every region in the world, “impoverished, poorly educated and rural girls” were more likely to get pregnant than their wealthier, more educated and more urban counterparts, the report said.

Immature mothers will have to suffer serious and prolonged consequences, physically and socially, resulted from early pregnancy.

Meanwhile, society often blamed “only the girl” for getting pregnant, said UNFPA executive director Babatunde Osotimehin.

“The reality is that adolescent pregnancy is most often not the result of a deliberate choice, but rather the absence of choices and of circumstances beyond a girl’s control. It is a consequence of little or no access to school, employment, quality information and healthcare,” he said.

The UNFPA report called for actions that “empower girls, uphold their basic human rights, and put them on equal footing with boys” to reduce the number of adolescent girls getting pregnant annually.

It considers education as one of the priority solutions to curb the trend of early pregnancy and protect girls’ human rights and well-being.

Girls who remained in school longer were less likely to become pregnant. Education also reduced the chances of child marriages and it delayed childbearing, eventually leading to healthier births, the reports said.

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Vietnamese favor super-expensive mobile phones
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VietNamNet Bridge – Having super-expensive mobile phone collections is the hobby of the rich. Many people now can afford the mobile phones worth a fortune.

Luxury mobile phone is small, light and portable, which can be put into the pocket. However, it is very heavy in value.

The owner of a business has reportedly bought a Vertu mobile phone at VND2 billion, the sum of money with which one could buy a two floor house in Phu Nhuan or Go Vap districts in HCM City.

Despite the economic recession, the number of super rich men in Vietnam keeps increasing. A consultancy firm and a foreign bank have released the report about the members of the “super rich men’s club” – those, who have the assets of $30 million at least, showing that Vietnam now has 195 super rich men with the total assets of $20 billion, much higher than the last year’s report with 170 members and $19 billion.

It’s difficult to measure the richness of the people who possess super luxurious mobile phones. However, analysts believe that their assets could be up to hundreds of times bigger than the mobile phones.

Mai Trieu Nguyen, the owner of Mai Nguyen distribution chain, specializing in distributing luxurious mobile phones, said besides Vertu’s products, Vietnamese favor the phones bearing Mobiado, Lamborghini, Bellperre brands.

Though the products are less expensive than Vertu’s, therefore, they are considered as less luxurious, but their prices are sky high.

The dealer said he has sold Mobiado Aston Martin One 77 at VND260 million some days ago. Tonino Lamborghini Spyder L688, priced at VND44 million, is considered as the cheapest product among these available at Mai Nguyen. Bellperre 316L has the quoted selling price at VND48 million, while Mobiado Classic 712ZAF at VND55 million.

Vertu’s products have been selling so well in Vietnam that four Vertu shops have been set up in the country, with two in Hanoi and the other two in HCM City.

Kim Tuyen from FPT, the distributor of Vertu’s mobile phones, said the best Vertu’s sellers are the ones priced at between VND110 million and VND300 million.

Viet Thanh Mobile in HCM City has been known as the shop which offers used Vertu’s products. However, though the products are second hand, they are still very expensive.

Constellation Ayxta, for example, is priced at VND50 million, Touch Pink VND74 million, while Constellation Rose Gold at VND124 million.

It’s a surprise that though the super expensive mobile phones can be used to make calls and messages, except some models such as Vertu TI smart phone, running on Android operation system, they have still been dreamed of by Vietnamese.

Vietnamese began buying the super products five years ago. Mobiado’s products once led the market in terms of the number of products sold, but Vertu led in terms of the turnover.

Mai Trieu Nguyen from Mai Nguyen said at that time, he could sell 15 super products every month. The sales have decreased in the economic recession, but the business still goes smoothly. Ten products were sold in August.

Also according to Nguyen, the sales of super products make up 5 percent of the total turnover of the distribution chain.

Translated by K. Chi

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The most famous family run economic groups in Vietnam
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VietNamNet Bridge – Though the family run business model remains controversial, the influences of the famous family run conglomerates to the national economy in the past and at present are undeniable.


The best known business families

In early 20th century, Trinh Van Bo and his wife Hoang Thi Minh Ho successfully developed the family’s heritages and became one of the richest families at that time.

They were known as the owners of the Phuc Loi cloth shop in Hanoi which specialized in wholesaling silk and cloths to the whole area of Indochina.

The family has been famous in the Vietnamese history not only for the richness, but also for its great contribution to the revolution. Ho’s family then donated 5,000 taels of gold, or 90 percent of their assets in 1945, when the national treasury got exhausted.

Tran Thi Huong, also listed among the first generation of Vietnamese businessmen, and her family members have set up some powerful businesses, including Hoan Cau Company, capitalized at VND6 trillion, known as the organizer of Miss Universe 2008, Nam A Bank and Diamond Bay resort.

The Huong family has poured money into different business fields, from industries, afforestation, urban area development, tourism, hotel, resort and shopping mall.

The business run by Do Minh Phu and his family member can be cited as a typical example of the family run business model in Vietnam.

Phu is now the President of DOJI, a gold, silver and gemstone company, and President of Tien Phong Bank. His father, Do The Su was one of the founder of the company which was the forerunner of DOJI. Su’s sons now also hold the most important positions in big businesses. Do Anh Tu, a son of his, is now the General Director of Diana.

Vo Quoc Thang is a famous businessman in Vietnam for his extraordinary working ability. Thang is a National Assembly’s Deputy, President of VPF, Chair of the HCM City Young Entrepreneurs’ Association, and the CEOs of a series of businesses, including Dong Tam, a tile manufacturer.

Thang has developed Dong Tam, a family’s workshop set up by his father in 1965, into a powerful conglomerate. Having become a big financier, Thang has injected money in other business fields, including real estate, industrial zones, securities companies and banking.

In other cases, Xuan Thanh, Thanh Thanh Cong, Son Son, Kinh Do, Biti’s, Tan Hiep Phat, Quoc Cuong, Geleximco are associated with the families of Nguyen Xuan Thanh, Dang Van Thanh, Tram Be, Tran Kim Thanh, Vuu Khai THanh, Tran Quy Thanh, Nguyen Thi Loan and Vu Van Tien.

Family run groups – a tendency in Vietnam?

More and more family run business groups have been set up recently, which has made analysts believe that this would be a growing tendency in Vietnam.

Vietnamese always keep close relations among flesh and blood members. They believe family members than outsiders. Therefore, it is understandable why they tend to appoint relatives or brothers into the most important positions in the companies.

Some experts think the family run business model has a lot of advantages which help heighten the production and business efficiency, and help businesses develop stably.

Meanwhile, some economists argue that the business model would hinder the development of businesses, because it keeps talented people away from the companies.

A recent survey by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry VCCI showed that only 10 percent of family run businesses can have sustainable development through three generations.

Manh Ha

[love09]

Thanh you for "Tieng Viet lovers club"

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Originally Posted by love09

Thanh you for "Tieng Viet lovers club"

Why??? Anything special???

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Same-sex weddings officially permitted in Vietnam
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VietNamNet Bridge - From November 12, the weddings of people of the same gender will be no longer banned in Vietnam.

In 2012, two weddings of a gay and a lesbian couple were held in the southern provinces of Kien Giang and Ca Mau.

The local authorities intervened and imposed a fine on them, given that the weddings were "contrary to the habits and customs of Vietnam" and the Law on Marriage & Family of Vietnam, which bans marriage between persons of the same sex

However, according to Decree No. 110/2013/ND-CP which took effect on November 12, marriage between people of the same sex has been rejected from the banned cases of marriage. It means that the organization of wedding parties between people of the same sex (without marriage registration) will not be illegal any more and they will not have to pay fine.

The gay couples will have the right to live together and organize weddings.

In the case the local authorities appear to sanction or make intervention, they can take this Decree to protect their legitimate interests.

Mot The Gioi

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Singer fined $165 for flaunting breast onstage
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The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism recently fined local actress-singer Ngan Khanh VND3.5 million (US$165) for flaunting her breast in a popular dance reality show which was broadcast live on VTV3 on Nov 9.

During the Nov 9 show of “Vu dieu dam me”, the local version of the dance reality show “Got to dance”, Khanh, who has taken lead roles in several TV dramas, was pairing with male singer Ho Vinh Khoa in an electrifying Bollywood dance.

Donning a modernized Indian iconic gown, which bared one of her shoulders, Khanh’s blouse accidentally dropped, fully exposing her right breast sometime during the dance. Neither Khanh nor her partner noticed this until near the end of the dance, when one of the show jurors gave her a “signal”.

According to Vo Trong Nam, vice head of the department, the singer will face harsher penalty if the offence is repeated. Earlier, the department had worked with Khanh and the show organizer on the incident.

Several people don’t think that Khanh’s breast flaunting was an accident, but instead a ploy to attract attention, while others are frustrated that the penalty is too light.

In August this year, singer-actress Angela Phuong Trinh was also banned from performing nationwide for donning a ‘transparent’ jumpsuit and performing erotic dances at a show in Hanoi.

Many other singers, actors and models, particularly females, have also been involved in similar incidents or sex scandals. Such showbiz celebs as Vo Hoang Yen, who represented Vietnam at 2009 Miss Universe, Thu Minh, Thai Ha and Minh Hang were each fined some US$165, a penalty which many consider perfunctory, for wearing revealing costumes and performing erotic dances onstage.

22-year-old Le Thi Huyen Anh, or “Ba Tung” (Mrs. Tung) was also banned from performing nationwide, even in bars, due to her breast-flaunting video clips and outrageous statements on Facebook.

The HCMC culture department recently submitted a work permit project to be approved. The project aims to put curbs on local performers by issuing work permits to only those eligible and withdrawing them if they make violations later.

[milkyshake]

Haven't gone pubbing for long time. Is the standard lucky money at JC still $20? Or has it increase already???

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Saigonese bearing fewer and fewer children
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Keeping with the world trend, especially of major cities, residents of Saigon continue to have fewer and fewer children in recent years.

The birth rates of women of childbearing age in the city have dropped to the lowest level since national data has been available, falling to 1.33 children per woman in 2012, down from 1.45 children in 2009. The national birth rate was 2.06 children per woman last year.

“It’s hard to raise a baby,” said Ms. Ly Thi Them, 38, in District 11 of Ho Chi Minh City on being asked if she wanted to have another child.

“I have a son. After getting married, we were poor, and didn’t have a sufficient income to raise him, so he fell ill. The medicine and hospital costs for him were uncountable.”

“Although he is now 14 years old and healthier, I have no plan to have a second child because our total income is just ten million dong [US$481] a month. It is not enough to support a new family member,” she added.

Ms. Vu Ngoc Doan Trang, 29, in Phu Nhuan District, earns a good salary, but mentioned another reason to avoid having more than one child.

Trang, owner of a private company, and her husband, a car dealer, want to arrange more time to travel regularly instead of taking care of young children.

It takes a couple at least three years to return to normal life after having a baby, Trang said.

Besides, the fear of morning sickness during pregnancy and the efforts to get back in shape after birth have dissuaded her from having a second child.

In general, career opportunities, income levels, and the desire to live life to its fullest cause mothers of childbearing age to have fewer and fewer children, according to Ms. To Thi Kim Hoa—deputy director of HCMC Health Department and head of the Family Planning Department.

“Each couple should have two children to ensure labor resources and future community development,” she added.

Lowering birth rates have created a new “lonely generation” with the proportions of families with one child and single mothers growing larger.

With the Vietnamese population officially reaching 90 million this month, the imbalance of population in cities and the countryside may bring new challenges to the government regarding infrastructure, social welfare, and work force in the near future.

Analysts warned that there are consequences that may follow the decrease of birth rates combined with longer life expectancy. There will be more retired people than those able to work, and a possible wave of immigration to big cities, causing a shortage of workers in the countryside.

This has happened in almost all developed nations including the US, Japan, and European countries, driving experts to warn of a 'population crisis'.

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Going to Cai Rang floating market in the flood season
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VietNamNet Bridge – Visiting the Cai Rang floating market in the Mekong Delta City of Can Tho, visitors will be immersed in the miniature world of the southwestern region.

With the crisscrossed rivers and canals, plus the annual flood season, Cai Rang floating market was born as a necessity to meet the demands of goods exchange of local people. As one of the three largest floating markets in the Mekong region, with hundreds of boats grouping up, Cai Rang market is a must-see destination when it comes to Can Tho.

Cai Rang market opens from early morning to about 10am. To visit this market, visitors should come here at 6am - 7am to feel the excitement here. There are many ways to go to the market. If you choose the road, you can take a bus or a xe om (motorcycle taxi) from the center of Can Tho to Cai Rang with about 20 minutes away. Then you can walk to the market.

However, due to Cai Rang Market is on the Cai Rang river, about 6 km from the center of Can Tho city, it is better to go by boat from Ninh Kieu Wharf to the market, with VND30,000 per ticket and after about 30 minutes.

As the main market in the region, Cai Rang is flooded with seasonal produces of Southwest growers such as fruit, flowers, and vegetables ... Each boat often sells one kind of goods, which are piled up as small mountains. Tourists come here sometimes don’t need to buy but only watch the mountains of mangos, oranges, rambutans, and dragon fruits to feed their eyes.

It is more interesting to see the way traders deliver their goods from this boat to another boat, by throwing. Since this is a wholesale market, the retail prices are not much cheaper than urban markets but in return you can comfortably choose fresh fruit.

Since the vehicles at the market are boats, moving between boats to buy things is not simple. To decide whether you should jump into a boat or not, pay attention to the things hung on the pole in front of each boat because that is the goods that the boat sells.

In the Cai Rang floating market, you also have the opportunity to feel the rustic western life while enjoying food and drink in the small boats around the market, from boats selling noodles to the boats shell drinks and coffee. The food here is very cheap. Only a few thousand dong for a cup of coffee or a noodle bowl, but it will be unforgettable taste every time you remember about Cai Rang.

Soaking up in the bustling atmosphere of the market, visitors can observe and learn of the family lives in the boats. Not only the “stalls of goods,” the boats are also the houses of many families, with amenities of live such as TVs, DVDs, motorcycles, even pets.

So it is not strange when you see at the market all services like computer and scale repair to fuel sales and groceries selling cosmetics, fish-sauce, salt to drugs and confectionery... on boats, featuring a simple life.

Pha Le

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Ho Xuan Huong, rendezvous of lovers
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VietNamNet Bridge - Located in the heart of Da Lat city, Xuan Huong Lake is the place attracting numerous tourists and couples by its graceful and poetic beauty.

Witnessing many ups and downs in the history of Da Lat, Xuan Huong Lake - the heart of Da Lat city - was previously a swamp of lac grass which was used to wave mat and the rice fields of the Lach tribe, who lived along the Da Lach stream - now known as Camly spring.

In the process of building the city of Da Lat, in 1919, the stream was stopped by French and Vietnamese engineers to build a dam from Thuy Ta restaurant to the intersection of Ba Huyen Thanh Quan, Nguyen Thai Hoc and Dinh Tien Hoang, creating a beautiful artificial lake. At that time, the lake had a French name as Grand Lac (Big Lake) but later in 1953 it was renamed as Xuan Huong Lake.

Xuan Huong Lake has a circumference of more than 5 km, covering the area of up to 38 hectares. Wide sidewalks are built around the lake with willow and apricot cherry blossoms in spring.

All roads around Da Lat lead to Xuan Huong Lake. Around the lake are the road to the old railway station of Da Lat, the road to the famous church of Con Ga (Chicken) or to the Bao Dai Palace and the bustling Da Lat Market.

The city flower garden with lots of beautiful flowers is also on the road along the lake. This is also the road for cyclists. It takes them over one hour to pedal around the lake.

Xuan Huong Lek is the meeting place of the city of flowers. There are many hotels and cafes with romantic views to the idyllic lake. On the sunny days, the lake is a flat mirror reflecting the blue sky, with gentle ripples. On rainy days, the lake water is in red color. In the early morning, Xuan Huong Lake is covered by clouds, creating unreal scenes. At night, the lake is covered with surreal smoke. From high above, amid the green of trees is gentle Xuan Huong Lake reflecting the clouds and the sky.

Everyone who visits Da Lat drops at the Xuan Huong Lake, which is not only a splendid landscape but also a very poetic place. The Lake is the meeting point of the city’s lovers, the romantic place for taking wedding photographs and the scene witnessing many romantic love affairs.

Along with the pine forest, the Love Valley, Xuan Huong Lake brings poets with endless inspiration.

Nga My

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Historic flooding destroys central Vietnam
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Floods triggered by torrential rains in the central region have killed at least 31 people, left two missing and seriously injured three others, disaster officials said on November 17.

The National Search and Rescue Committee announced that the floods also inundated and damaged nearly 10,000 houses and 431 hectares of rice and crops.

In Quang Nam alone, as many as 29 communes across four districts were completely submerged.

Rescue forces have been working to move over 63,000 people in Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh and Phu Yen cities out of the dangerous and isolated areas to safe shelters.

On November 17, flood water started to recede in some areas and rains focused mainly in the Quang Tri-Quang Ngai provinces.

According to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorology Forecasting, the rain amount in the Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Ngai and Binh Dinh provinces on November 16 ranged from 30 – 149 mm.

Quang Ngai and Binh Dinh are the most affected provinces.

When the central region had not dealt with the consequences of the historic flooding on November 15-16, new floods came in the afternoon on November 17, submerging thousands of houses in Binh Dinh and Quang Ngai provinces.

Floods in Quang Ngai-Binh Dinh provinces are forecast to continue, while river waters from Thua Thien-Hue to Quang Nam and Phu Yen provinces will slowly go down.

Flood relief effort intensified in central region

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has asked relevant ministries, agencies and localities to mobilise all resources to assist flood victims in the central region.

In a telegram dated November 17, the PM sent sympathy to families that have their beloved ones lost or injured as a consequence of floods in the central region.

Over the past three days, heavy downpours, with rainfall ranging between 400-1,000mm, caused severe flooding in central coastal localities, especially in Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Nam and Quang Ngai provinces.

The devastating floods caused heavy human and property losses and badly affected business production and people’s lives.

The National Search and Rescue Committee reported death toll has risen to 31 in the region, and nearly 10,000 houses and 431 hectares of rice and subsidiary crops have been damaged or inundated.

In his telegram, Dung required the affected localities to evacuate people from high-risk areas, mobilise all resources to rescue people in cut-off areas, and provide them with daily necessities to ensure no one is left thirsty or hungry.

He asked the designated localities and ministries to guide transportation at key arteries, tightly regulate dams and reservoirs, keep a tight grip on market prices, and supply sufficient medicine to prevent possible epidemic outbreaks.

PM instructs provinces on flood response

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has asked the People’s Committees of central and Central Highlands provinces to continue evacuating people in flood-prone regions to safety.

In an order dated November 17, the PM also asked localities to reach isolated areas to provide aid relief, including food to the people there.

The National Committee for Search and Rescue and the ministries of defence and public security were assigned to deploy forces to evacuate people and conduct search and rescue upon request.

Meanwhile, the ministries of agriculture and rural development and trade and industry were asked to closely follow the changes of the floods, collaborate with the localities to operate reservoirs to ensure safety for low-land areas, prepare essential goods and food and control market prices.

The Ministry of Transport has a duty to repair roads, especially the North-South railway and express way.

For its part, the Ministry of Health has to ensure sufficient medicine is stockpiled and promptly provide medical check-ups for the flood victims.

Other ministries and agencies will support the localities to soon resume production and daily activities as soon as the floods go down.

Floods triggered by torrential rains in the central region have killed at least 31 people, left two missing and seriously injured three others, disaster officials said on November 17.