Vietnam News 
April 18: Vietnam Stocks Close Higher in Morning Session on Solid Buying
Vietnamese stocks ended the morning session in the green as buyers were still willing to bet higher on hope of sustainable rally, liquidity up and the Index stayed at the 11 months high. The benchmark VN Index added 2.68 points or 0.57% to 475.52, off the high but still higher than the open. Volume rose to 102 million shares worth of VND1.73 trillion. Put-through trading contributed 21.9 million shares worth VND543.1 billion. We saw another 20 million STB shares changed hands at the price of VN25,000 each, versus the market close price of VND25,700 each. VN30 was weaker than the broader market, posting a gain…
Full Story»Vietnam Protests Cnooc’s Plans in Disputed South China Sea
BEIJING—Vietnam is protesting plans by a Chinese oil company to take bids on developing energy deposits in the contested South China Sea, in a fresh sign that territorial disputes in the region may rise as Beijing, Hanoi and other regional claimants push ahead with development plans. Vietnam said in a statement dated Thursday that it [...]
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Why are Vietnamese nationals attached so much to Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spartly) Islands?
Generations of French school children grew up learning never to forget Alsace-Lorraine, territory that France lost to Prussia in the war of 1871. Chinese students launched a protest movement in 1919 when the Treaty of Versailles gave the Shandong Peninsula – the birthplace of Confucius – to Japan. Why are Vietnamese nationals attached so much [...]
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Forest fires in central region destroy 100ha
A fire destroyed at least 100 hectares of keo (acacia auriculiformis) forests in the central Phu Yen Province Saturday, making it the most severe fire in recent years, local authorities said. Keo forest, which was destroyed by fire yesterday in Suoi Lanh in the central province of Phu Yen. (Photo: VNS) The fire was reported to break out at Suoi Lanh Forest in Cam Thach Village in Phu Hoa District at 5pm last Saturday, and rapidly spread to surrounding areas.
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International geoparks conference in Hanoi
The 2nd Asia-Pacific Geoparks Symposium themed “Geoparks and Geotourism for Regional Sustainable Development” opened in Hanoi on July 18, attended by 170 scientists from 17 countries. Dong Van Karst Plateau (Photo: VNA) Minister of Natural Resources and Environment stated that it would be a learning experience for Vietnam to manage and develop geoparks as well as boost relations with other countries. The conference will discuss policies and plans to promote geoparks and geotourism throughout Vietnam. Delegates will also discuss ways to popularise geoheritage sites, geoparks and geotourism and ways to introduce new geoparks or areas aspiring to become geoparks. A string of activities will be hosted throughout the event to boost preservation and promotion of geoparks and geoheritage, including a photography competition and a lecture contest about geotourism tours. Vietnam currently has 12 world heritage sites, eight world biosphere reserves, three Ramsar sites (wetlands of International Importance) and dozens of national parks and…
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Master plan for Hanoi to be submitted to Prime Minister
Hanoi Master Plan to 2030 with vision to 2050 is expected to be sent to Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung for consideration by August 1. Hanoi’s Master Planning The PM has urged the Ministry of Construction to move the plan forward, working with other ministries, and submit it by the scheduled date. According to the latest draft of the Hanoi Master Planning Project, Ba Dinh District remains the country’s political and administrative centre. The headquarters of ministries and agencies will be built in the future in Me Tri-My Dinh area in Tu Liem District or Tay Ho District. Under the draft project, traffic routes will be built to link Hanoi’s central urban areas with satellite and ecological ones, including Tay Thang Long-Son Tay, Ho Tay-Ba Vi, Thang Long Highway, Ngoc Hoi-Phu Xuyen. The plan includes eight elevated railway routes to connect the inner city with outlying districts. Earlier this…
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VN bestseller now in Esperanto
The Esperanto version of Dang Thuy Tram’s Diary – the 2005 Vietnamese best-seller has been presented to the public in Hanoi on July 14. It took six years to complete the translation of the diary, which has been released under the name, Last Night, I Dreamed of Peace. Penned by the North Vietnamese female doctor Dang Thuy Tram in the 1960s while working in a field hospital in the central Quang Ngai province, the diary reveals the doctor’s emotional tumult and personal aspirations. The young doctor was killed by US troops in June 1970 at the age of 27. The diary was found and preserved by an American soldier, Fred Whitehurst, 35 years before he donated it to the Vietnam Centre and Archive at Texas Tech University . Officials, with the aid of veteran Tom Engelmann and American writer Lady Borton, were able to locate Tram’s family. The diary was returned to Tram’s family in…
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Vietnam is wasting rubbish
While developed countries invest millions of USD in waste recycling for savings and environmental protection, Vietnam – a poor country – is among the top nations which are wasting this “new” resource. Uncontrolled waste discharging and problems associated with rubbish treatment has become a big problem in Vietnam, particularly in major cities like Hanoi and HCM City.
Full Story»The movements of exploiting aloes wood and the task of preserving gene
According to Director of the Quang Nam provincial Department for Agriculture and Rural Development, Nguyen Thanh Quang, since tram huong and ky nam are national forbidden goods, they must not be exploited and traded under any form. However, over the last 20 years, no case of arresting illegal loggers or seizing illegally exploited tram huong and ky nam has been found, even though people keep whispering in each others’ ears that local residents in mountainous districts of Quang Nam province can earn fat money from aloes wood exports. The legal regulation on prohibiting to exploit and export aloes wood is still valid, but there has been no new legal document that guides the management and protection of the natural resource which is in the danger of getting exhausted. Every year, thousands of young people leave mountainous districts of Dai Loc, Nong Son and Hiep Duc for the mountains to look for…
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