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jackbl
26-06-2011, 03:01 PM
eh jbl, you walked up jc yest night just in time to see another raid huh? :p

wake up so early to post news liao huh?
got more interesting one bo?

no news posted by the usual vn newscaster leh

The reporters will post for me. Saved my troubles.... Monday we will go there hor ;)

PC1881
26-06-2011, 03:02 PM
du ma...Viet WL always curse their mother or father to be sick...sure one day really fell sick...:p:confused:

Let's not du ma! Du em ok! Hahaha!

But seriously why do they always give the same reason one?! There are no lesser than 15 of them who quoted me the same reason over the years. Either health care is damn bad or they du too much!!

Hurricane88
26-06-2011, 03:06 PM
Let's not du ma! Du em ok! Hahaha!

But seriously why do they always give the same reason one?! There are no lesser than 15 of them who quoted me the same reason over the years. Either health care is damn bad or they du too much!!

they are all taught the same techniques by the same master....master in KC trap and telling lies...kekeke...:p

when I am in wetnam....I also used all these techniques on my targets...haha...:p

PC1881
26-06-2011, 03:12 PM
Got another "too deep for me" SMS..

A da suy ngi qua roi do .tin nhan do e chi dua voi a .co vay a suy nghi nhieu nhu the .co le a cug vay k tin o toi

PC1881
26-06-2011, 03:16 PM
they are all taught the same techniques by the same master....master in KC trap and telling lies...kekeke...:p

when I am in wetnam....I also used all these techniques on my targets...haha...:p

Hey! That's a good idea! Shall try to use it on them on my next trip to Vn in august!

Hurricane88
26-06-2011, 03:19 PM
Hey! That's a good idea! Shall try to use it on them on my next trip to Vn in august!

you still haven't drink enough saliva yet...dun think you understand how to apply yet...dun mean to look down on you...:p

Got another "too deep for me" SMS..

A da suy ngi qua roi do .tin nhan do e chi dua voi a .co vay a suy nghi nhieu nhu the .co le a cug vay k tin o toi

these are very basic tieng viet...yet you dun know how to read...so you still have a long way to go before you understand Wetnamese culture...:p

AdGuy
26-06-2011, 10:20 PM
Hey! That's a good idea! Shall try to use it on them on my next trip to Vn in august!

When's your trip?

I'll be there 10-14

fetishboy
26-06-2011, 11:34 PM
Hi dear, have u recovered? I dun want to say too much about my problems, actually my life now very pitiful and hard. I have nothing but my body. And my mother is sick.


What she means is that u should offer her some money to fuck her.:D

Haha I really like the literal translation along with the real translation. But mother sick is the oldest trick in the book. Could be true though...

PC1881
27-06-2011, 12:20 AM
When's your trip?

I'll be there 10-14

Miss by a few days. Will be there 18-21

PC1881
27-06-2011, 12:23 AM
you still haven't drink enough saliva yet...dun think you understand how to apply yet...dun mean to look down on you...:p



these are very basic tieng viet...yet you dun know how to read...so you still have a long way to go before you understand Wetnamese culture...:p

Hahaha! Their saliva weighs to heavily on my pocket! Can't afford to drink too much.

PC1881
27-06-2011, 12:32 AM
Just realized out of the blue kana zap by someone with the comment "why you dun know". Guess the forum isn't for newbies like me. Zip or be zapped! Zap all you want cos I don't really care. Hahaha!

golftango
27-06-2011, 12:52 AM
Hi bro I'm new here and I need some help with translation. Hope any of you bros can help me out.

em con o cho lam dmax ne

google translate doesnt help with sms vietnamese... :confused:

jackbl
27-06-2011, 01:49 AM
A da suy ngi qua roi do .tin nhan do e chi dua voi a .co vay a suy nghi nhieu nhu the .co le a cug vay k tin o toi

these are very basic tieng viet...yet you dun know how to read...so you still have a long way to go before you understand Wetnamese culture...:p

Since u say so simple, can translate for him? :D

jackbl
27-06-2011, 01:54 AM
如切艳女真空任摸 遇扫荡急找内衣
=================================

如切路扫荡,发现有艳女没穿内衣让酒客上下其手。

昨晚10时30分左右,警方扫荡如切路的一家酒廊,捉到32名艳女,相信都来自越南。

事发酒廊位于如切路的店屋内,店面不大,但内部呈长方形,里面挤满100多名艳女和酒客。

一名在场的酒客透露,警方冲进去扫荡时,许多艳女惊慌失措,站起来想要往酒廊后方逃跑,推倒了不少桌椅,场 面十分混乱。

酒客说,有些艳女坐在酒廊包厢内,脱下内衣,让酒客上下其手。警方冲进来时,她们急忙找自己的内衣,却来不 及穿上,十分狼狈。

数十名酒客被赶出酒吧。艳女被捉眼眶泛红.

jackbl
27-06-2011, 02:12 AM
What I can say abt this is, the reporter who writes this didnt visit this pub before. I think the reporter is a lady who wanted to add "oil & fire" to spice up the news!

有些艳女坐在酒廊包厢内,脱下内衣,让酒客上下其手。警方冲进来时,她们急忙找自己的内衣,却来不及穿上, 十分狼狈。 --- Reporter XNN. Been there hundreds of times but never encountered this.

KangTuo
27-06-2011, 07:24 AM
What I can say abt this is, the reporter who writes this didnt visit this pub before. I think the reporter is a lady who wanted to add "oil & fire" to spice up the news!

有些艳女坐在酒廊包厢内,脱下内衣,让酒客上下其手。警方冲进来时,她们急忙找自己的内衣,却来不及穿上, 十分狼狈。 --- Reporter XNN. Been there hundreds of times but never encountered this.

you also XNN... you wnt there thousands of time. not hundreds :D

more to come....lets see if our prediction is correct or not. :cool:

KangTuo
27-06-2011, 07:26 AM
em con o cho lam dmax ne



i am still at my workplace dmax

KangTuo
27-06-2011, 07:32 AM
Got another "too deep for me" SMS..

A da suy ngi qua roi do .tin nhan do e chi dua voi a .co vay a suy nghi nhieu nhu the .co le a cug vay k tin o toi

i try.... translation maybe off abit but content should be around there

you think too much. that sms just me joking with you. why you think too much like that. is it you also dont believe me

KangTuo
27-06-2011, 07:38 AM
The reporters will post for me. Saved my troubles.... Monday we will go there hor ;)

you going to look for cheap sale? hoping to get 3shots for $100 huh? today i mcbb awhile... bring new found syt vb from p********** to the beach after my work. after that send her to work then drop by.... unless..... :):D:p

KangTuo
27-06-2011, 08:45 AM
to add "oil & fire" to spice up the news!

more XNN report.

http://www.temasekreview.com/2011/06/25/20-naked-vietnamese-hostesses-caught-during-joo-chiat-raid/

According to a report by a Chinese tabloid yesterday, 20 naked Vietnamese hostesses were caught during a police raid in Joo Chiat on Wednesday night. They were found by plainclothes policemen serving the customers naked in a lounge with some having sex.

The hostesses were arrested on the spot and asked to put on their clothes before they were brought away by the police for investigations.

After a ‘lull’ period lasting several months, it appears that the sleaze has returned to Joo Chiat again with young long-legged Vietnamese girls spotted lining the road soliciting customers.
Joo Chiat is currently under the charge of PAP MP Charles Chong who is most remembered for his infamous ‘lesser mortal’ remarks denigrating Singaporeans.

http://www.asiaone.com/Multimedia/Photo%2BGallery/Story/A1Gallery20110625-1766.html
This one use old photos... Blue lagoon already long gone.

jackbl
27-06-2011, 09:37 AM
阮宝珍 :D

Hi TS, do u wan to go and see her today? She may have a few days left in sgp only :(

lament
27-06-2011, 09:43 AM
When's your trip?

I'll be there 10-14

I will be there from 3rd to 17th August..... mainly saigon ....

RJ2004
27-06-2011, 10:05 AM
you going to look for cheap sale? hoping to get 3shots for $100 huh? today i mcbb awhile... bring new found syt vb from p********** to the beach after my work. after that send her to work then drop by.... unless..... :):D:p

late already, supposedly most have to go back today woh... ICA special open Sunday to clear cases sia :D

lament
27-06-2011, 10:15 AM
I also realized Hanoi and Saigon ppl speak slightly different. For eg in Hanoi they say Vang but in Saigon its Phai

saigon also say ya. spelled as "da".

As for pineapple, it is also called "thom"

lament
27-06-2011, 10:19 AM
more XNN report.

http://www.temasekreview.com/2011/06/25/20-naked-vietnamese-hostesses-caught-during-joo-chiat-raid/

According to a report by a Chinese tabloid yesterday, 20 naked Vietnamese hostesses were caught during a police raid in Joo Chiat on Wednesday night. They were found by plainclothes policemen serving the customers naked in a lounge with some having sex.

The hostesses were arrested on the spot and asked to put on their clothes before they were brought away by the police for investigations.

After a ‘lull’ period lasting several months, it appears that the sleaze has returned to Joo Chiat again with young long-legged Vietnamese girls spotted lining the road soliciting customers.
Joo Chiat is currently under the charge of PAP MP Charles Chong who is most remembered for his infamous ‘lesser mortal’ remarks denigrating Singaporeans.

http://www.asiaone.com/Multimedia/Photo%2BGallery/Story/A1Gallery20110625-1766.html
This one use old photos... Blue lagoon already long gone.

I think this is high propaganda to support their cleaning up of the streets. Silly-box got hit too....

anyway, the stupid reporters not even allowed to go inside the joint, saw 2 lady reporters outside silly-box taking pot-shots and they don't even have a chance to go inside ........

well ...there goes echo, never really had a chance to try out the place at all.....sad siazzzzzz :rolleyes:

zhu star
27-06-2011, 10:22 AM
I think this is high propaganda to support their cleaning up of the streets. Silly-box got hit too....

anyway, the stupid reporters not even allowed to go inside the joint, saw 2 lady reporters outside silly-box taking pot-shots and they don't even have a chance to go inside ........

well ...there goes echo, never really had a chance to try out the place at all.....sad siazzzzzz :rolleyes:

Last friday, notice Exxxx still open for biz as usual leh:confused: and the boss still sitting outside:D

RJ2004
27-06-2011, 10:29 AM
license kena chop also wont be so fast la

23delta
27-06-2011, 10:32 AM
Bro, can help me translate this? "Anh dang lam vi". Thks.

jackbl
27-06-2011, 11:07 AM
late already, supposedly most have to go back today woh... ICA special open Sunday to clear cases sia :D

I never heard caught on Saturday, and sent back on Monday before. I hv check with 1 VB, said 29th going back leh... Maybe she got give special to Ah Sir so she got a bit more privilege :D

jackbl
27-06-2011, 11:10 AM
Last friday, notice Exxxx still open for biz as usual leh:confused: and the boss still sitting outside:D

On that day of ops, Exxx also opened for biz. Only when the the next door is in limelight, those not being caught one then run off.

jackbl
27-06-2011, 11:14 AM
Bro, can help me translate this? "Anh dang lam vi". Thks.

She write with 1 typo: Anh dang lam gi

Search here for some clue: http://www.sammyboyforum.com/showpos...postcount=7985

evoking88
27-06-2011, 11:28 AM
She write with 1 typo: Anh dang lam gi

Search here for some clue: http://www.sammyboyforum.com/showpos...postcount=7985

i realise alot of girls have this spelling error. apparently they spell based on the pronouciation

PC1881
27-06-2011, 12:44 PM
Bro, can help me translate this? "Anh dang lam vi". Thks.

Let this beginner try!!

Anh dung lam gi = What are you doing now?

evoking88
27-06-2011, 01:13 PM
Let this beginner try!!

Anh dung lam gi = What are you doing now?

its danngggg not dungggg

anh = you (only for older men but not too old and only if relationship is close)
dang = now
lam = do
gi = wad

Ah_Max
27-06-2011, 01:17 PM
Hi Bros, kindly help..

Toi moi di lam ve va nhan tin cho ban ln ne ban co buon ji toi ko khj ma toi keu ban mua do cho toi dem ve vietnam.

Regards
Ah Max

RJ2004
27-06-2011, 01:18 PM
I never heard caught on Saturday, and sent back on Monday before. I hv check with 1 VB, said 29th going back leh... Maybe she got give special to Ah Sir so she got a bit more privilege :D

I also never loh, last time ICA don't even open Sat and Sun for these cases, yest night these girls come back from ICA leh :confused:

anyway, its still business as usual ;)

lament
27-06-2011, 01:18 PM
its danngggg not dungggg

anh = you (only for older men but not too old and only if relationship is close)
dang = now
lam = do
gi = wad


a note on tenses :

anh da lam gi - what have you been doing - da denotes past tense

anh dang lam gi = what are you doing now - dang denotes present tense

anh sap lam gi = what are you going to do - sap denotes future tense

lament
27-06-2011, 01:21 PM
Hi Bros, kindly help..

Toi moi di lam ve va nhan tin cho ban ln ne ban co buon ji toi ko khj ma toi keu ban mua do cho toi dem ve vietnam.

Regards
Ah Max

I just finish work and sms you. are you sad about me when I ask you to buy things for me to bring back to vietnam?

Ah_Max
27-06-2011, 01:37 PM
Hi Bro Lament,

Thanks for the help.

Regards
Ah Max

Ah_Max
27-06-2011, 02:08 PM
Hi Bro, kindly help again...

ban dug suy nghj toi nhu vay ko paj toi noi ban gjau hay ngheo ji ca toi chj noi vay thoi toi xem ban la 1 nguoi ban than toi wa day toi duoc biet ba toi rat vui

Regards
Ah Max

jackbl
27-06-2011, 02:12 PM
Hi Bro, kindly help again...

ban dug suy nghj toi nhu vay ko paj toi noi ban gjau hay ngheo ji ca toi chj noi vay thoi toi xem ban la 1 nguoi ban than toi wa day toi duoc biet ba toi rat vui

I think u need a personal translator liao... too many sms

BTW, she addressed herself as TOI and you as BAN.... could means that your relationship not so close. But I find it a bit weird when a gal use these terms to refer to herself and you. Will it hurts by using ANH & EM??

Honey Boon
27-06-2011, 02:36 PM
where is your usual "coffee" shop? :)

sure thing ....just pm me and we come out for kopi then.

lament
27-06-2011, 03:41 PM
Hi Bro, kindly help again...

ban dug suy nghj toi nhu vay ko paj toi noi ban gjau hay ngheo ji ca toi chj noi vay thoi toi xem ban la 1 nguoi ban than toi wa day toi duoc biet ba toi rat vui

Regards
Ah Max

dun think i=of me like that, i did not say u rich or poor what, I only say so, I see u as a friend as a good friend, i come here and have u as a friend makes me happy already

lament
27-06-2011, 03:44 PM
I think u need a personal translator liao... too many sms

BTW, she addressed herself as TOI and you as BAN.... could means that your relationship not so close. But I find it a bit weird when a gal use these terms to refer to herself and you. Will it hurts by using ANH & EM??

the word "toi' is actually I as in english and this is actually a more polite and genderless version.

the word "ban" means friend, this is actually a genderless version of addressing our friend. this is commonly use in vn between friends.

anh & em is used commonly as it is easier to understand....

the use of toi & ban also denotes the educational level of the girl, guess she completes primary education and at least few years of secondary.

reading their sms can help us gauge their educational level if you know what to find, educated and uneducated folks have different way of smsing.

lament
27-06-2011, 03:46 PM
where is your usual "coffee" shop? :)

depends on the mood, could be kopitiam near 88, 157 or 169, now mainly 233 & the corner kopitiam near the police post.

Ah_Max
27-06-2011, 04:06 PM
Hi Bro Jackbl,

Thanks for the advice. Do you have any recommendation on that?

Hi Bro Lament,

Thanks for the help.

KangTuo
27-06-2011, 04:12 PM
Hi Bro Jackbl,

Thanks for the advice. Do you have any recommendation on that?

Hi Bro Lament,

Thanks for the help.

the best personel translator is the "long hair" brand :D

KangTuo
27-06-2011, 04:14 PM
depends on the mood, could be kopitiam near 88, 157 or 169, now mainly 233 & the corner kopitiam near the police post.

you are basically everywhere :eek::p

Ah_Max
27-06-2011, 04:47 PM
Hi bros, kindly help.

Toi xem ban la ban nen toi ko nghj xau ji ca ban dug buon toi nha

Thanks

lovesprout
27-06-2011, 05:01 PM
Hi bros, kindly help.

Toi xem ban la ban nen toi ko nghj xau ji ca ban dug buon toi nha

Thanks

"I see you as a friend, so you don't think anything bad. Please don't make me sad, ok?"

Can you guys move to some new topics which are more exciting and juicy? :D You two have been talking about this tiny little shopping thing over and over again over the past week. Audiences feel bored already. :(

Ah_Max
27-06-2011, 05:09 PM
Bro Lovespout,

Thanks.. Haha.. I wanted to give her up liao, mainly becos of the communication barrier between us. I had a hard time trying to translate what i want to tell her in person, less talk about what she wanted to say to me.

In fact, i do not want to reply her sms liao. Just that, she smses me now and then. Had no choice but to reply her lo.

Since her sms sound something like this, i guess i dun have any juicy part liao. Perhaps should move on to the next girl, who knows lady luck is with me right? hahaha..

Thanks bros for the translation help here.

evoking88
27-06-2011, 05:38 PM
Bro Lovespout,

Thanks.. Haha.. I wanted to give her up liao, mainly becos of the communication barrier between us. I had a hard time trying to translate what i want to tell her in person, less talk about what she wanted to say to me.

In fact, i do not want to reply her sms liao. Just that, she smses me now and then. Had no choice but to reply her lo.

Since her sms sound something like this, i guess i dun have any juicy part liao. Perhaps should move on to the next girl, who knows lady luck is with me right? hahaha..

Thanks bros for the translation help here.

actually wads ur intention with her? might as well state clear ur intention whether u wanna screw her or u wanna quit being her fren etc.

Hurricane88
27-06-2011, 05:43 PM
Thanks.. Haha.. I wanted to give her up liao, mainly becos of the communication barrier between us. I had a hard time trying to translate what i want to tell her in person, less talk about what she wanted to say to me.

In fact, i do not want to reply her sms liao. Just that, she smses me now and then. Had no choice but to reply her lo.


Vn gers will not bother to sms you if you dun reply anymore or you are no more atm...so dun worry just ignore and all things will end...:P

KangTuo
27-06-2011, 11:34 PM
Vn gers will not bother to sms you if you dun reply anymore or you are no more atm...

really? i got one who are nearly 3 years apart (now she is back) but still call and sms even i am not atm, even i talk to gal, hug gal infront of her, even when i don't reply her (while she in vn), even if i xao her, even if i tell her off, even if i tell her i getting married...

damn challenging to shake her off.. what should i do?
Any bro wanna pj her away from me???

evoking88
28-06-2011, 08:41 AM
really? i got one who are nearly 3 years apart (now she is back) but still call and sms even i am not atm, even i talk to gal, hug gal infront of her, even when i don't reply her (while she in vn), even if i xao her, even if i tell her off, even if i tell her i getting married...

damn challenging to shake her off.. what should i do?
Any bro wanna pj her away from me???

lol means u dep trai ma

lament
28-06-2011, 09:00 AM
really? i got one who are nearly 3 years apart (now she is back) but still call and sms even i am not atm, even i talk to gal, hug gal infront of her, even when i don't reply her (while she in vn), even if i xao her, even if i tell her off, even if i tell her i getting married...

damn challenging to shake her off.. what should i do?
Any bro wanna pj her away from me???

sounds interesting .....but guess she must be in the above 22 age group ...so I am out .....

lovesprout
28-06-2011, 09:32 AM
really? i got one who are nearly 3 years apart (now she is back) but still call and sms even i am not atm, even i talk to gal, hug gal infront of her, even when i don't reply her (while she in vn), even if i xao her, even if i tell her off, even if i tell her i getting married...

damn challenging to shake her off.. what should i do?
Any bro wanna pj her away from me???

I also have a similar experience. I knew a VB on my flight to SG few years back (in fact, she came to know me), and since then she keep contacting me by phone or sms. I replied her maybe 1 out of 5. She just hang in there until now. I also did not offer her any $$.

Honey Boon
28-06-2011, 11:19 AM
you sure got "huge weapon" la :eek: to make her SNN :D

really? i got one who are nearly 3 years apart (now she is back) but still call and sms even i am not atm, even i talk to gal, hug gal infront of her, even when i don't reply her (while she in vn), even if i xao her, even if i tell her off, even if i tell her i getting married...

damn challenging to shake her off.. what should i do?
Any bro wanna pj her away from me???

Honey Boon
28-06-2011, 11:20 AM
roger roger ;)

depends on the mood, could be kopitiam near 88, 157 or 169, now mainly 233 & the corner kopitiam near the police post.

KangTuo
28-06-2011, 11:29 AM
lol means u dep trai ma

the most dep trai is yusoff ishak.... :D

sounds interesting .....but guess she must be in the above 22 age group ...so I am out .....

like that you also can caculate out her age :eek:

I also did not offer her any $$.

this one i spend some money for her airticket to come and go few times (2, 3 years ago)

just talked about her.... recieve sms

vb: e sap ve vn. a co cho e tien k? hay la tang e mon qua lam ky niem dc kg a. e va a quen biet nhau lau roi. e muog a cho e ky niem.
KT: ok. a tang e mot ky niem la e wen dc mot nguoi xao voi e nhieu.
vb: a la nguoi nhu z hay sao. a nghi e la j ha. tai vi e yeu a. e ngu ngoc wa phai kg a
vb: e dau tim wa! e kg nghi la a doi xu kg tot voi e. a tu doi long a. luc e voi a lam tinh. con mat a nhin e bit a co yeu e.
vb: e hieu roi a oi! e ngu nam mo thay a nen nho a nt do.

anyone know the part in red means?

i bet tomorrow will back to "e nho a wa, e yeu a that....."....... fir several times this cycle goes on and on... :(

actually very worrying because she is the only vb who has my main phone number which i give out to most vb few years back. since then i carry a chiong number for vb...

lovesprout
28-06-2011, 11:48 AM
vb: e dau tim wa! e kg nghi la a doi xu kg tot voi e. a tu doi long a.

anyone know the part in red means?

actually very worrying because she is the only vb who has my main phone number which i give out to most vb few years back. since then i carry a chiong number for vb...

a tu doi long = 你自己變心

Just tell her that you have changed your phone number, and give her your chiong number. Problem solved.

KangTuo
28-06-2011, 11:52 AM
a tu doi long = 你自己變心

Just tell her that you have changed your phone number, and give her your chiong number. Problem solved.

Gave her and tell her roi. she got both phone number but she still sms my main phone because she say she remember in her head liao :eek: I only reply her if she sms my chiong phone.

My worry is that my girlfriend is coming back soon.... if the stupid vb still sms my main phone, i sure die ugly. I have been caught before.... :(

RJ2004
28-06-2011, 11:56 AM
Gave her and tell her roi. she got both phone number but she still sms my main phone because she say she remember in her head liao :eek: I only reply her if she sms my chiong phone.

My worry is that my girlfriend is coming back soon.... if the stupid vb still sms my main phone, i sure die ugly. I have been caught before.... :(

I face this problem also, until managed to find a Root Call Blocker on my android phone that stops calls/sms and put them in a black hole :p

KangTuo
28-06-2011, 12:01 PM
I face this problem also, until managed to find a Root Call Blocker on my android phone that stops calls/sms and put them in a black hole :p

this is the new apps that captain carrot has been talking about in his htc hp. but my main phone line is with the strawberry brand... :(

lovesprout
28-06-2011, 12:20 PM
My worry is that my girlfriend is coming back soon.... if the stupid vb still sms my main phone, i sure die ugly. I have been caught before.... :(

Too bad your girlfriend knows Tieng Viet better than you! I only have on HP, and both girlfriend and VBs use the same number. However, my girlfriend doesn't know Tieng Viet, that is the difference. It is important to put girlfriends in different countries.

Honey Boon
28-06-2011, 01:54 PM
put silence mode and inside your pocket, only check sms when she is not around or go toilet, straight away delete after reading, put passwords and switch off when sleeping (she might wake up in the night to check HP), that's what I am doing and so far so good. To carry two hp is a bit troublesome, sometimes got confused which number is which and for what purpose :D

Gave her and tell her roi. she got both phone number but she still sms my main phone because she say she remember in her head liao :eek: I only reply her if she sms my chiong phone.

My worry is that my girlfriend is coming back soon.... if the stupid vb still sms my main phone, i sure die ugly. I have been caught before.... :(

evoking88
28-06-2011, 03:44 PM
the most dep trai is yusoff ishak.... :D


i tot most dep trai is bac ho

KangTuo
28-06-2011, 04:59 PM
i tot most dep trai is bac ho

according to the survey done, 100% of the vb rated bac as dep trai, yusoff ishak is more dep trai than bac ho. the most dep trai us washington :D

Hurricane88
28-06-2011, 05:27 PM
really? i got one who are nearly 3 years apart (now she is back) but still call and sms even i am not atm, even i talk to gal, hug gal infront of her, even when i don't reply her (while she in vn), even if i xao her, even if i tell her off, even if i tell her i getting married...

damn challenging to shake her off.. what should i do?
Any bro wanna pj her away from me???

you diff...must be you dep trai and skillful in kc...she hope you can continue lor...:p


this one i spend some money for her airticket to come and go few times (2, 3 years ago)


see all the money you spent liao...think she still found you the best among the worst ban trai...:p

KangTuo
29-06-2011, 12:35 AM
any bro know this place?

a chay lai diet co mang ro ruoc e di
you drive over to disco mang ro fetch me

i never go as i cannot make out where she is. she took taxi back to GL. taxi fare is about $10.

Thom07
29-06-2011, 06:01 AM
any bro know this place?

a chay lai diet co mang ro ruoc e di
you drive over to disco mang ro fetch me

i never go as i cannot make out where she is. she took taxi back to GL. taxi fare is about $10.

My guess is Mango. A Thai disco near mikemike place.

zhu star
29-06-2011, 08:27 AM
I face this problem also, until managed to find a Root Call Blocker on my android phone that stops calls/sms and put them in a black hole :p

Good idea, must dl this app!!:)

jackbl
29-06-2011, 09:02 AM
My guess is Mango. A Thai disco near mikemike place.

The 2 words mang ro sounds like MANGO but i never know got such disco exists :p

RJ2004
29-06-2011, 09:29 AM
The 2 words mang ro sounds like MANGO but i never know got such disco exists :p

thai disco, middle road there la

ikercasillas
30-06-2011, 08:30 AM
it is near IOI buidling.

anyway guys need help.

pls help to translate => cho' an cuc'

jackbl
30-06-2011, 11:06 AM
it is near IOI buidling.

anyway guys need help.

pls help to translate => cho' an cuc'

Dog eat XXX.

How this sentence came about???? Somebody scold u???

KangTuo
30-06-2011, 11:13 AM
Dog eat XXX.

How this sentence came about???? Somebody scold u???

i thought yoy will ask for the context before you translate... like that you also can :eek:

maybe typo in the vb sms... cho an cac = give eat penis :cool:

znais
30-06-2011, 12:19 PM
Can anyone help me translate this please. Thank you!

em hieu, anh di lam ve neu co ranh anh danh 1 chut thoi gian den voi em duoc anh quan tam an ui va duoc anh om vao long duoc khoc va noi loi tam biet anh

lament
30-06-2011, 01:21 PM
Can anyone help me translate this please. Thank you!

em hieu, anh di lam ve neu co ranh anh danh 1 chut thoi gian den voi em duoc anh quan tam an ui va duoc anh om vao long duoc khoc va noi loi tam biet anh

i understand, you finish work if free then come find me, have you caring & consoling and have you hug my crying heart and say goodbye to you.

- you broke her heart or what .....

shysaint
30-06-2011, 01:22 PM
cho an cac = give eat penis :cool:

I wanna reply this tooooooo :p

lament
30-06-2011, 01:22 PM
it is near IOI buidling.

anyway guys need help.

pls help to translate => cho' an cuc'

cuc = shit .....

so dog eat shit is the message.

znais
30-06-2011, 01:48 PM
i understand, you finish work if free then come find me, have you caring & consoling and have you hug my crying heart and say goodbye to you.

- you broke her heart or what .....


Nope. think she was arrested by the police last night and need to report to immigration tomorrow.

lkyin1
30-06-2011, 04:12 PM
hi,
can any broz help me to translate the sentence below.
em khong the lam theo y anh duoc.

Thank you in advance. :)

lament
30-06-2011, 05:24 PM
hi,
can any broz help me to translate the sentence below.
em khong the lam theo y anh duoc.

Thank you in advance. :)

I cannot accomodate your wishes

theo = to follow / according
y = wishes / thoughts

What you want her to do, stop work or stop going hotel?????

lament
30-06-2011, 05:25 PM
Nope. think she was arrested by the police last night and need to report to immigration tomorrow.

where was she caught???

No news of any anti-v activities.

znais
30-06-2011, 05:58 PM
lol she was screen below her rented apartment. the sister who was with her started talking even before being brought back for investigation.

Hurricane88
30-06-2011, 06:13 PM
I cannot accomodate your wishes

theo = to follow / according
y = wishes / thoughts

What you want her to do, stop work or stop going hotel?????

I thought should write like this

đồng ý - To agree; to concur; to assent

Honey Boon
30-06-2011, 06:31 PM
may be one of the echo girls :confused:

where was she caught???

No news of any anti-v activities.

lament
30-06-2011, 07:24 PM
I thought should write like this

đồng ý - To agree; to concur; to assent

that term means to agree with the other party.

but "y" on its own means one's wishes. for eg: Y cua anh la minh nam sau lam cuoi. - my thoughts are that we get married next year.

y khien- one's opinion

creeve
30-06-2011, 07:38 PM
Bro Lovespout,

Thanks.. Haha.. I wanted to give her up liao, mainly becos of the communication barrier between us. I had a hard time trying to translate what i want to tell her in person, less talk about what she wanted to say to me.

In fact, i do not want to reply her sms liao. Just that, she smses me now and then. Had no choice but to reply her lo.

Since her sms sound something like this, i guess i dun have any juicy part liao. Perhaps should move on to the next girl, who knows lady luck is with me right? hahaha..

Thanks bros for the translation help here.
If you have problem communicating with her, you're gonna have problems with all viet gals. Unless you look for those proficient in Chinese or English and chances are these are the old birds and your problem will be more than buying things. Look out for parents hospitalized story lah, sibling need to buy books or computer lah, father in debt lah, want to renovate house lah etc etc.

I rather tackle those who can only speak Tieng Viet cause chances they are not too corrupted yet.

Take Care

jackbl
30-06-2011, 07:48 PM
cuc = shit

You are wrong. In dictionary, shit = cứt

lkyin1
30-06-2011, 09:30 PM
I cannot accomodate your wishes

theo = to follow / according
y = wishes / thoughts

What you want her to do, stop work or stop going hotel?????

She want to come to Singapore in July, but i am going over to Vietnam in July for vacation. I ask her to accompany me when I am in Vietnam.

KangTuo
01-07-2011, 08:20 AM
cuc = shit .....

so dog eat shit is the message.

You are wrong. In dictionary, shit = cứt

vb mostly uneducated...
alot uses "c" in place of the "t"... or the other way round
i.e. chuc ngu ngon become chut ngu ngon, mot chut em qua become mot chuc em qua

lament
01-07-2011, 09:21 AM
You are wrong. In dictionary, shit = cứt

shit = cut ...no doubt about it ...but being a tonal language and lack of education, they also spell it as "cuc"....

many a times, they write based on their interpretation of the pronounciation which leads to the variety of words used for the same matter....

the dictionary is dead but the language is alive and vibrant....

lament
01-07-2011, 09:22 AM
She want to come to Singapore in July, but i am going over to Vietnam in July for vacation. I ask her to accompany me when I am in Vietnam.

why not propose to her that you come back together with her ....she will be delighted....

jackbl
01-07-2011, 10:42 AM
shit = cut ...no doubt about it ...but being a tonal language and lack of education, they also spell it as "cuc"....

many a times, they write based on their interpretation of the pronounciation which leads to the variety of words used for the same matter....

the dictionary is dead but the language is alive and vibrant....

Since we know it is wrong, hopefully we can point out the mistakes. There could be many people learning from it. I am also another. I dun want other people to laugh/tease me when I write shit=cuc. It will be good if we can learn the correct wordings. Thanks a lot for your promptly translations.

madmaster
01-07-2011, 12:52 PM
why not propose to her that you come back together with her ....she will be delighted....

Bro lament,

Wat will happen shd the vb stop n question by immigration? Will they question the guy too?

My apology if this question sound silly, reason i ask becos a vb ever propose tat i come back wif her. I politely rejected her.

Cheers!

lament
01-07-2011, 12:59 PM
Bro lament,

Wat will happen shd the vb stop n question by immigration? Will they question the guy too?

My apology if this question sound silly, reason i ask becos a vb ever propose tat i come back wif her. I politely rejected her.

Cheers!

number 1, no where in the law of singapore states that we cannot have a foreign girlfriend even if we are married. you can come back with her but it is still ICA decision to allow her entry. htey may ask the guy of their relationship but a gf is still a gf.....

evenm after her entry is accepted and she technically sponsored by you, you can claim ignorance when something happens. for eg, if she do get caught, you can say that she left you and you lost contact with her so you don't know what happen to her ....

madmaster
01-07-2011, 01:21 PM
Bro lament,

Thank you for sharing valuable info here.

Have a great weekend ahead. :D

lovesprout
01-07-2011, 01:26 PM
shit = cut ...no doubt about it ...but being a tonal language and lack of education, they also spell it as "cuc"....


If cuc is the wrong-spelling, could it be cặc (penis) instead? I think the girl want a dog to eat his penis. haha..

lament
01-07-2011, 01:27 PM
If cuc is the wrong-spelling, could it be cặc (penis) instead? I think the girl want a dog to eat his penis. haha..

dream on my boy .... vb unless real pros hardly eat the penis....

most of gf don't do it until having been with me for quite sometime ... it is not something in their culture really ....even when I take them down under, they are still not used to it .....

evoking88
01-07-2011, 01:43 PM
Bro lament,

Wat will happen shd the vb stop n question by immigration? Will they question the guy too?

My apology if this question sound silly, reason i ask becos a vb ever propose tat i come back wif her. I politely rejected her.

Cheers!

no they will not question the guy but i guess if u go before the vb and tell the ica guy at the counter that shes ur gf etc and u willing to sponsor etc she will have a higher chance of coming in

lovesprout
01-07-2011, 01:55 PM
dream on my boy .... vb unless real pros hardly eat the penis....

most of gf don't do it until having been with me for quite sometime ... it is not something in their culture really ....even when I take them down under, they are still not used to it .....

I think you misunderstood. The original sentence is "cho an cuc". So, the VB will not do it by herself. She cursed that guy and wanted a "dog" to eat his penis.

KangTuo
01-07-2011, 02:30 PM
dream on my boy .... vb unless real pros hardly eat the penis....

most of gf don't do it until having been with me for quite sometime ... it is not something in their culture really ....even when I take them down under, they are still not used to it .....

180 degree from what i encounter...
even those don't bu cac or don't know, 2nd meeting i will make sure they do it. :D

lament
01-07-2011, 02:35 PM
180 degree from what i encounter...
even those don't bu cac or don't know, 2nd meeting i will make sure they do it. :D

maybe the girls I get are usually gone by the 1st meeting .....:D

jackbl
02-07-2011, 12:33 PM
Putting talent to wrong use :(

Teenager email hackers arrested in HCMC
================================================== ==
Six boys were arrested by Ho Chi Minh City police for allegedly hacking into email accounts.

A joint police task force have arrested six teenage boys who were allegedly involved in an email scam that stretched from Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City, VnExpress reported Monday.

Police say the boys have perpetrated the scam since, at least, May of last year.

The young men allegedly obtained the victims' email passwords through fake websites, investigators say.

Police in HCMC, Da Nang and the nearby Quang Tri Province have identified Phan Thanh Phat, a 19-year-old information technology student in Da Nang, as the individual responsible for creating a hundred such websites.

Phat said he sold the websites for VND150,000-200,000 (US$9.60) each to a group of people back in Quang Tri.

Five other boys, all under 18 years of age, have admitted to having used Phat’s websites to cheat people out of between VND200,000 and VND2,000,000 each.

After gaining access to the email accounts of hapless strangers, the teenagers signed into their accounts and sent out emails asked their friends and families to buy them mobile phone cards. They then resold the codes, online, at a lower prices.

An investigator from the HCMC Police said that many of the victims realized that they had been cheated but did not know how to report the crime or to whom. Others said they didn't bother to try, due to the small sums of money involved.

Police say they are still looking for three other people suspected of establishing similar websites.

Pham Kien Cuong, director of ITAS, a HCMC-based information security firm, said that Internet users should remain cautious about website asking them for personal information.


Source: Thanh Nien

victore6338
02-07-2011, 08:39 PM
Bros, just like to check how much does a viet gal charge for an hour sex? Any bros can share their experience here? Thanks

shysaint
02-07-2011, 11:55 PM
Bros, just like to check how much does a viet gal charge for an hour sex? Any bros can share their experience here? Thanks

Bro ... I think you enquire at the wrong thread :confused:

SureScore
03-07-2011, 10:02 AM
Bros, just like to check how much does a viet gal charge for an hour sex? Any bros can share their experience here? Thanks

Like what bro shysaint said this is not the thread to ask.

jackbl
03-07-2011, 01:37 PM
Who wants to have a doctorate or master deg??? :D

Doctoral, master degrees sold for $900
================================================== =
Kien (C) and his wife deal with a customer to fake a university degree at the price of VND18 million, delivery after four days
Photo: Tuoi TreA fake but authentic-looking PhD and master degree from a reputable Vietnamese university can be obtained for less than US$1,000, Tuoi Tre found out.

In Ho Chi Minh City alone, the newspaper has uncovered at least four fake degree suppliers after several weeks investigating the situation.

A master degree costs VND18 million (US$870) and is issued four days after payment.

They are painstakingly crafted to look exactly as a real one and come with a stamped transcript showing grades for different subjects.

Those rings can forge high-quality documents including college degrees, high school diplomas, college transcripts, and English-language certificates.

Colors, shapes and paper quality look almost the same. Only when they are verified with the issuing schools does the secret come out.

Any degree that takes your fancy

On June 3 at a park on Hoang Van Thu Street in Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Binh District, a man introduced himself as Kien and his wife met their customer to negotiate a deal.

“You want a diploma? I can give you a degree from any school you choose. It looks 100 percent like a genuine one,” the woman assured.

The ‘degree’ costs VND18 million and she told the customer to pay VND2 million upfront.

She promised to deliver the product after just four days and the remaining VND16 million is paid upon delivery.

To prove her credibility, she took from her bag a diploma and said “I’ve just finished this for a woman. It looks a hundred percent like a real one.”

The forged document was issued to “Nguyen Thi Hiep” by the “University of Law in Hanoi” in 2009. Hiep’s rank is “kha” or above average which is equivalent to grade B.

“Just give me enough money, your personal information and three ID-sized photos,” Kien told his client.

The woman then scribbled on a paper and gave this to the customer as a receipt.

On it she wrote “Producing degree for Mr. Tran Quang Cong, permanent residence in Nam Dinh, Master in accounting/auditing, graduating in 2010. At a price of VND18 million, VND2 million deposited. Delivery in 4 days.”

The ‘receipt’ was signed under the name of Nguyen Trung Kien.

Kien also boasted that he could make grade A+ degrees but it could only court suspicion.

“It’s better to get grade B”, he advised.




A stamped transcript of a fake Master degree ‘granted’ to Tran Quang Cong




Another diploma mill

Tuoi Tre journalists also met another fake degree supplier in Ward 11 of Go Vap District. This person offered same conditions but at more expensive price as a master degree there costs VND25 million.

Upon being asked to give a receipt, the seller took out his ID card by the name of Nguyen Van Hiep, permanent residence in Tan Tien, La Gi, Binh Thuan.

But Tuoi Tre suspects the ID card is forged as it has no embossed seal stamped on the photo.

Tuoi Tre also probed two others suppliers named Phong and Nam in a ring in District 10.

Nam agreed to faking a PhD degree in food technology from the HCMC Polytechnics University.

“VND18 million for a PhD degree, delivery after 3 days, deposit of VND1 million”, he loudly announced.

He boasted that he sourced materials for the forgery from authentic, degree-granting institutions. He only faked the seals and printed the names.

Nam also promised to produce notarized copies of the degree as well.

As promised

After four days, Kien called and asked his customer to come to the Thi Nghe Bridge that links districts 1 and Binh Thanh to obtain the degree.

But a different man calling himself Tuan arrived at the scene on a Honda Dream II and delivered the product. The motorbike’s license plate appeared to be made from two cut plates with illegible numbers.

Technical specifications are exactly as ordered: the holder’s name is Tran Quang Cong, graduation on August 10, 2010, majoring in accounting – auditing.

It was signed by Headmaster, Doctor Pham Van Nang.

One of the suppliers told Tuoi Tre that his ring delivers 30-40 degrees per month to customers, more than half of them to officials working for state agencies in the provinces.

unsung80
04-07-2011, 03:36 AM
dream on my boy .... vb unless real pros hardly eat the penis....

most of gf don't do it until having been with me for quite sometime ... it is not something in their culture really ....even when I take them down under, they are still not used to it .....

I got similar experience of vb friend dun take blow for me too. She told me she only save it for her husband. I find it weird but I respect her decision.

jackbl
04-07-2011, 01:52 PM
Inside massage parlors: first day on the ‘job’
==============================================

Tuoi Tre undercover journalists spent a month penetrating deep inside massage parlors and shed some light in this all-revealing new series on the sex, the pitiable living conditions, the tips, the techniques needed to survive and all the other kaleidoscopes.

Part 1: first day on the ‘job’

To work as a masseuse, one needs a license but most, if not to say all, massage parlors fake papers for their massage employees.

Called technicians, the masseuses just have to pay VND1.5-5 million (US$71-239) to get the licenses and certificates required for the massage job.

“We sisters will undertake the legalization for you. Massage certificates are quite easy to buy, looking like true ones even though they are forged,” said Van, owner of massage parlor B on Kha Van Can Street, Thu Duc District, Ho Chi Minh City.

When your journalists pretended to apply for a job as a masseuse at massage parlor TN in the city’s Thu Duc District, Hung, one of its managers, explained the modus operandi is simple.

The parlor would spend VND2 million on each newcomer and collect this sum back by subtracting it from massager’s tips every week.

Our first time

After having our applications accepted and having passed some grueling checks on body statistics and our willingness to work in the industry, we - Tuoi Tre undercover journalists - began to learn the first skills.

No sooner had we put our bags on the floor than Van, the owner, led us to a massage room and told us to touch this and that.

“If you learn well, I’ll let you cater to a client this afternoon”, she promised.

When a girl lay down on the bed, our mentor - Ms. Thanh - started to grope her to show us the sensitive body parts.

Thanh is a young, beautiful girl with just three weeks’ experience.

But Thanh quickly quit after demonstrating some basic massaging techniques.

“I succumb, sister! I can massage but cannot teach”, Thanh said.

The next morning, Van requested Thanh and three other girls to teach us again. Their different pedagogical techniques and massaging styles confused us and we did not know how to do.

“We just learned from our predecessors and improvise,” Thanh announced.

“Here, it’s important to know how to make clients relaxed and it’s okay to do a cursory job”, she advised.

Thanh emphasized the word “relaxed” once or twice. In the Vietnamese massage industry, ‘relax’ means a hand or mouth job.

Voyeur first, practice later

Meanwhile, new employees at massage parlor TN had to learn erotic massage first. To learn it, they are requested to secretly stand outside a massage room to sneak at a technician ‘serving’ the client.

At this parlor, we were told by a manager named Ngan to wait in front of a massage room at 10 a.m.

Through a glass on the door we saw a man lying comfortably in the bath tub and being meticulously washed from head to foot by a scantily-clad masseuse.

Suddenly, the customer looked at the door, spotted us and grumbled some words. We were ordered to retreat right away.

Later that night, we were sent to the ‘classroom’ again. We were panicked upon seeing a technician performing oral sex on a fat client.

Showing approval, Ngoc glared at us and raised her head asking: “accept that and I’ll let people teach you how to massage.”

Ngoc revealed that she wanted newcomers to see the prostitution acts first since many used to come there to learn massaging but quit after refusing to ‘relax’ customers.

“Willingness to relax customers is of crucial importance, massaging techniques are nothing,” she pointed out.

At another massage parlor named L. on Su Van Hanh St., District 5, HCMC, manager Thu looked me up and down and said I needed a certificate.

She offered to obtain it for me in return for VND2.5 million.

Two days after handing Thu a copy of my ID, passport-sized photo, and settling the fee, I received the certificate with my name on it, issued by a medical school in Dong Nai Province.

The license says that I completed a massage therapy course lasting between September 5 and November 5 of 2008.

In addition, I also received a healthcare book issued by a hospital in HCM City. It has details about blood test, HIV test and health conditions and carries a vague red seal.

According to Thu, all the papers are authentic. She also said she needed more ‘technicians’ and asked me if I had any friend to introduce to her.

Apart from massage parlors, many motorbike taxi drivers and brokers were also ready to sell massage certificates. Loc, a motorbike taxi driver in HCMC’s Tan Binh District, said the cost of producing a massage certificate is only VND1.2 million but its market price fetches VND1.5-2.5 million. The balance goes to brokers.

“They are often called fake certificates but in fact, the certificate and the seal are 100 percent authentic”, Loc told Tuoi Tre.

(to be continued)

iamtheman
04-07-2011, 02:17 PM
woah, great news sharing!

Hurricane88
04-07-2011, 06:08 PM
I got similar experience of vb friend dun take blow for me too. She told me she only save it for her husband. I find it weird but I respect her decision.

haha...simple la....just change one new VB...for me dun satisfy my needs mean no more kc...what your VB told you are bull shit...:p

jackbl
05-07-2011, 09:40 AM
News of Police raid at Exxx get to Vn.......

Vietnamese women busted in the buff in Singapore
================================================== ====
Police arrested 20 Vietnamese women during a raid at a Joo Chiat Road KTV lounge on Wednesday.

Some of the women were entertaining customers in the nude when the raid took place, The New Paper understands.

The women, aged between 19 and 34, were arrested for immigration and vice-related offences.

Although the raid took place at around 9pm, it was close to midnight when the women came out of the lounge, Lianhe Wanbao reported.

They were scantily clad and wearing high-heeled shoes. Some of them tried to cover their faces with their hands and hair.

They were taken away in a police bus.

Some of the arrested Vietnamese women waved to the crowd that had gathered to watch as the police bus drove off.

Yesterday, when The New Paper went to the area, the lounge was in operation.

Several young Vietnamese women who were dressed sexily, stood outside the lounge.
The lounge is located along a row of two-storey shophouses.

A shop owner nearby, who did not want to be identified, said the patrons of the lounge were mostly Singaporeans.

Shirt & tie

He said in Mandarin: "I often see these young executives who are smartly dressed in business shirts and ties going in."

He said he has also occasionally seen Caucasian patrons go into the lounge.
"But the patrons are mostly men. Women don't go in there unless they are looking to be hostesses," he said.

The shop owner said he has been living in the area for more than 40 years and long-time residents have nicknamed Joo Chiat Road as "Vietnam Street because of the number of Vietnamese KTV lounges and restaurants nearby.

Another shop owner who did not want to be identified said she saw the Vietnamese women going up the police bus on the night of the raid.

She said although police raided the pubs and KTV lounges nearby frequently, this was the first time she saw such a large group of Vietnamese girls arrested.

In a separate incident, police arrested two Vietnamese women yesterday morning for soliciting at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) casino.

According to a news release issued by the police, the two women, aged 28 and 32, had approached a security officer of the RWS casino at 5.30am while he was on duty.

The two women offered him sexual services for $250.

The security officer alerted his supervisor who then reported the matter to the police.
The two women were arrested.

The Acting Commander of Clementi Police Division, Deputy Assistant Commissioner S. Warrier said: "Soliciting in a public place is against the law.

"Police will continue to come down hard on such offenders."

Investigations are ongoing for both cases.

FireShark
05-07-2011, 12:34 PM
I got similar experience of vb friend dun take blow for me too. She told me she only save it for her husband. I find it weird but I respect her decision.

I do not have same experience but in the past most of my VB do blow for me with or without my request. few willing to blow until i CIM. This is not true that they save for their husband. Totally bullshit

AdGuy
05-07-2011, 11:02 PM
Bros, just like to check how much does a viet gal charge for an hour sex? Any bros can share their experience here? Thanks

This is the wrong thread to be asking.

And so are all the discussions about VB' blowjobs.

jackbl
07-07-2011, 01:40 AM
Inside massage parlors: Prisons in hell
==================================================
At large massage parlors in Ho Chi Minh City, masseuses, or “massage girls” as they are commonly known to the clientele, often work 12 hours a day and rent houses by themselves. In the neighboring provinces of Dong Nai and Binh Duong, these young women are required to stay on the premise, day and night, “fed and caged” in cramped rooms.

Inside the four tall walls with barbed wires on top, food and daily necessities and other services are provided by the owners at exorbitant prices.

On our first working day at the parlor TN in Binh Duong, a male manager named Hung took us along a long and narrow corridor to a room in the back.

It is a dimly-lit room of around 30 square meters for nearly 40 young female masseuses of the parlor. Here is the place for them to eat, sleep and entertain themselves.

Several girls in blue uniform were sitting on the floor, their backs hunched over their dinner. Some carefully made-up faces turned to look at us indifferently. In one corner, blankets and mats were put together in a messy pile. Dozens of baskets containing soap, shampoo, and medicated oil were placed next to one another.

As part of the verbal agreement with the owner, I would work for him without salary and in return would be given free food and accommodation.

But as I soon found out, I had to pay the owner VND100,000 (US$5) a week for the two meals he provided a day at 9:00 and 17:00.

Routine dishes are rice, and soup and braised fish.

That day, several young girls looked at the dishes placed before them and shook their heads in protest, “It’s fish again, always fish.”

Nga, a team leader sitting next to them, glared and shouted them down, “Stop complaining, you want good food? Order and pay for your own food.”

To order some food through the owner’s relatives, employees have to pay a much higher price than they would normally pay outside.

A young girl gave me her advice, “Should you be permitted to go out, buy all the necessities you need for a long period of time, otherwise the owner will charge you an exorbitant price every time you want to buy something from outside.”

“I’ve just paid VND150,000 for a lipstick that is worth only VND100,000,” she added.

Work usually finished at 2:00 in the morning and all the girls, called “massage technicians” by the owner, join hands to clean up the massage rooms for the next day and then clean their sleeping quarters.

There is not enough room for all the forty of them to get a comfortable sleep in a small room; many take their pillows and blankets outside to sleep on the corridor.

At another massage parlor with ten massage rooms but hiring only four masseuses, the owner forces her employees to work around the clock.

“If the police come to investigate, just say you work here 8 hours a day,” she told us.

Most parlors let the masseuses know they have more customers waiting for their services and need to finish their work quickly by having the manager stand outside the glass door and snap his fingers.

Buying a ticket, a customer can be ‘served’ up to 45 or 60 minutes but skillful masseuses can make male customers “satisfied” within 10 minutes or more.

Within an hour, a young and nice-looking girl Thi received three men and got VND500,000 in tips.

“It’s mainly to make erotic massage by hand or to provide a mouth job here. I know it’s shameful, but I have to put up with it because the money is good,” Thi said.

Despite poor living conditions and the shame and exploitation from the owners, most young girls from poor and remote provinces are willing to accept the job, knowing they can earn as much as VND30 million (US$1,500) a month – ten or fifteen times more than the salary of an untrained factory worker.


Exploitation

At the massage parlor L on Su Van Hanh Street in Ho Chi Minh City, the owner named Thu asked a new employee to sign a contract with a salary rate of VND40,000 a day.

In reality, the women working there receive nothing except tips from the clients and even have to pay for many things like uniform, food, room, and fake certificates.

“The salary mentioned in the contract is just to make it appear legal to the authorities,” Thu explained.

At the massage parlor B, the owner signed a contract with me, agreeing to hire me for seven days only (to avoid paying taxes), working eight hours a day, for VND1.7 million.

It turned out that not only did I receive no salary from her but have to give her a cut of VND40,000 for each customer I served.

At the parlor L, a new employee pays the employer VND50,000 a day and an experienced masseuse pays VND1 million a month.

In addition, an employee also pays VND400,000 for laundry costs, another VND300,000 to the cashier, and VND600,000 for instant noodles (whether she eats it or not).

Dignity is a luxury few massage employees can afford to keep inside these places.

A manager at the TN parlor firmly announced that, “Here we are willing to let 10 masseuses go just to keep a client. You should always remember that, girls.”

As a result, the women swallow up their pride and bury their dignity just to keep their job and to avoid being fined by the owner.

A masseuse has to pay VND1 million in fine should a client complains about her to the manager.

Once a month, they are allowed to leave the premise for six hours. Anyone returning late is fined VND200,000. Anyone leaving the room without turning off the fan is also fined VND200,000.

To apply for a day off, they have to pay a VND1.5 million deposit.

Trang, a worker at the TN parlor, said the conditions have improved recently.

“Previously, we were banned from using mobile phones. Any violation will result in having our phone seized and we have to pay VND1 million if we want to get it back,” she added.

According to Trang, the net income a massage worker earns from her tips is around VND18 million a month, after deductions for all the fines and costs.

lovesprout
07-07-2011, 08:48 PM
1. bây giờ e vẫn chưa sẵn sàng để yêu thôi, có lẽ e cũng hơi cứng nhắc

Help! What are the meaning of "cứng nhắc" ?

2. em cũng ko hiểu nổi đàn ông thế nào nữa

How to translate "nổi" in this sentence?

3. e đang bị giằng xé giữa tình cảm và lí trí

What is the meaning of the whole sentence?

Basically, the story is about a girl who broke up with her first boyfriend, but she couldn't forget him completely. Therefore, she couldn't fall in love with anyone.

jackbl
08-07-2011, 08:50 AM
University teacher solicits sex from student
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A university student in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak on Tuesday claimed that a teacher had admitted soliciting sex from her and threatening to fail her graduation essay if she did not accept his request.

C.T.D., 22, last weekend reported to university management board that Tran Xuan Ninh, a lecturer of Economics and Business Management Faculty of Tay Nguyen University, repeatedly sent her text messages, asking her to go out with him and go to motels for sex, since mid-June.

D. said Ninh denied sending the messages at first, but on Monday he admitted his acts and begged for her forgiveness.

“He wanted me to revoke the complaint against him.”

D. recorded the conversation with Ninh and sent the tape to Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper on Tuesday.

She affirmed she would not revoke the petition despite a lot of pressure on her at the moment.

Last March, Ninh was assigned to be a mentor for D. in doing her thesis.

He acted as a good and helpful teacher until mid June, when he repeatedly called her and sent the messages, asking her to go to motels with him in exchange for high marks of her thesis.

After D. avoided him, he texted her saying he would fail her thesis if she did not agree to have sex with him.

D. said at least 40 messages are still being stored in her mobile phone, except for those she deleted.

After D. sent the complaint on Sunday, Ninh said it was his wife who sent the messages to D. because she was jealous.

“Maybe my wife thought I had an affair with D. so she texted to try her?” he said.

The Tay Nguyen University’s management board has yet to deliver any punishment against him, saying investigations are still under way.

Source: Nguoi Lao Dong

jackbl
08-07-2011, 03:49 PM
For those with many BXs in vn, be careful when u go back there and sleep with others :D

Young couple seriously burnt for jealousy
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A young couple got seriously burned early Friday in the southern Binh Duong Province when they were sleeping in a boarding room with the only door being locked outside.

The fire started from inside the house and quickly flared up to cover the whole house located in the Binh Hoa Ward in Thuan An District. The young man and woman distressingly cried for help but it took locals over 30 minutes to break into the room and rescue them.

Entering the room of around 10 square meters, locals witnessed the victims lying curled up, one on the ground and the other on the attic.

They were taken to Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City in critical conditions.

Initial investigation by local police shows that the room was set fire by petrol. Policemen found a petrol tank at the scene and a yellow lock.

The two victims include Le Thi Giang, 23, and Tran Van Pha, 29 in central provinces Nghe An and Thua Thien Hue.

Investigators who suspected the case was rooted from jealousy said they identified the culprit and set up trap for catching.

jackbl
09-07-2011, 12:17 AM
New trend in vn??

Teens bury themselves in online cemetery
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VietNamNet Bridge - “I have made a lot of mistakes. I built this tomb for myself to wish for parents’ forgiveness. I will not be in this life for long,” one wrote on his tombstone in the online cemetery.

On their own tombstones, youngsters expressed their standstill and negative thought, which originated from pressures from studies, family break-down and their parent’s neglect.

The most impressive tomb of this kind, is member Wolahh’s tomb, which was made in April 2010. According to the tombstone, the owner was born in 1994 and he experienced tense and hard day before his “death”.

The boy wrote on his tombstone: “Tomb! The place where a human being will return. Live, wander, being stubborn, uncontrollable and proud. I build this tomb for myself. The fate kills one person, an innocent boy. I brought here my wrongdoings, hatred, crazy thoughts and affected face to bury them deeply. From tomorrow I will hold my head up to start again from beginning… though I know that I’m going to go far away…”

This boy explained his lamentable situation: “Since I was born, I have been away alone. Nobody recognizes my right to live. I have been always a puppet of my family. Each step, each word of mine is arranged. I decided to change it when I was a 7th grader.”

“I became uncontrollable. My family is well-off. I rushed into the games that are not designed for me. I made fuss, fight, … This year, when I’m a 10th grader, my family incurred losses and went bankrupt. I had time to stop hate them to look back myself. I want to return but it is too late. I have lost my future. I will not live in this life for long. Those who cheered me before have turned their back to me. I have no friends besides me.”

“Looking my mother’s sadness, my heart is very painful. But I cannot do anything when it is too late. How will she be when I – her only child – will go away forever?”

Reading wolah’s tombstone, everyone knows what his trouble is. Hundreds of people burned candles for him to share their sympathy.

“Let the past sleep to stand up and start again though your life is short”. “Let’s overcome everything to return to your family. Just single day is also worthy. Let’s try!”… they wrote.

The tomb owner was consoled by these comments. He answered: “I hope to live well and happily in my last days. Thank you very much for your consolation!” This is the last lines from this member.

Many members in this online cemetery guessed that wolah has passed away and they still burn incense for him, send flowers to him and pray for the salvation of his soul.

Most of people who build their own tombs are teens, who are facing changes of themselves and pressures from their families and society. The tombs are places where they doff their pressure, standstills, mistakes and wrongdoings to continue a better life. These things they cannot share with anyone in their real life.


“Sometimes I thought why I’m in this life? What has the life given me so I have to treat it well? A meaningless life without a single joy…” a member who was born in 1992 wrote on his/her tombstone.

This member made his/hear tomb to bury difficulties, sad days to have a new life. Someone bury their inferiority complex in virtual tombs to become new people. Some others dare not to confess their wrongdoings to their families so they build virtual tombs to confess and ask for their parents’ forgiveness.

“From now on, the coward and inferiority-feeling human being inside me has been dead,” one wrote on his/her tombstone.

“Let’s forgive me! I have been suspended from university for two years for gambling,” wrote a male student, who is the great hope of his poor family in the countryside.

In a short interview with VietNamNet, doctor of psychology Nguyen Kim Quy was surprised about these virtual tombs. She said that the modern youth are facing great pressure and challenges. Building virtual tombs may be a way to “liberate” standstills that they cannot share with anyone, even their parents.

N.Anh

unsung80
09-07-2011, 12:48 AM
I do not have same experience but in the past most of my VB do blow for me with or without my request. few willing to blow until i CIM. This is not true that they save for their husband. Totally bullshit

Doesn't matter, i still manage to bonk her every night and day. She even touch my crouch in public area occasionally. Simply miss her wildness at times.

jackbl
09-07-2011, 11:54 AM
Vietnam now boasts 15 world heritages
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Ha Long Bay, Vietnam.The recent recognition of Vietnam ’s Ho Dynasty Citadel by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage brought the number of world natural, cultural and documentary heritages possessed by Vietnam to 15.

Of the three world natural heritages, Ha Long Bay in the northern province of Quang Ninh was honored as a wonderful masterpiece of nature with 1,969 islands.

With an outstanding landscape, the 1,553 sq. km bay was officially placed on the list of the World Natural Heritage by UNESCO in 1994. Six years later, it was recognized as a World Natural Heritage by the organization for the second time for its geological and geomorphological values.

Boasting a unique beauty of limestone mountains, the Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park in the central province of Quang Binh was included in the list of World Natural Heritage in 2003 for its geological and geomorphological values. It was also being proposed for inscription into the list for a second time, in terms of biological diversity.

Covering an area of 2,350 sq. km, Dong Van Stone Plateau in the northern province of Ha Giang is home to 45 geomorphological heritages, 33 tectonic heritages and numerous fossils in the sedimentary stone strata. The plateau was honored by UNESCO in 2010.

To date Vietnam had ten world cultural heritages, including five tangible cultural ones – the imperial city of Hue, the capital of the Nguyen Dynasty which was recognised in 1993; Hoi An Old Quarters, a busy trading port between the 16 th century and the 19 th century and My Son holy land, the central prayer and worship ceremony place of Cham Pa reigns in the central province of Quang Nam recognised in 1999; Thang Long Royal Citadel, constructed by Vietnam’s dynasties which won the recognition in 2010; and the only stone citadel in Vietnam – the Citadel of the Ho Dynasty, which was recognized in 2011.

Five world intangible cultural heritages were Hue Royal court music recognised in 2003, the cultural space of gongs in the Central Highlands region in 2005, the Bac Ninh love duet folk music and the ceremonial singing in 2009, and the Giong festival in 2010.

Hue Royal court music was often played in royal festivals under the Nguyen Dynasty between the 17 th century and the 19 th century.

The cultural space of gongs in the Central Highlands was a special activity closely tied to community cultural rituals and ceremonies of ethnic groups in Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong and Lam Dong provinces.

Meanwhile, with the diversified tunes and singing contents, love duet singing, often performed on the occasion of lunar New Year in villages, reflected the colorful life and outstanding cultural features of Kinh Bac people.

The ceremonial singing was an traditional genre of music featuring female vocalists who sang while playing music on bamboo tablets. It was especially popular in the 15 th century.

The Giong festival was held annually in several parts of northern Vietnam , most typically in the Phu Dong and Soc Temples in Hanoi , to commemorate Saint Giong, one of the immortal quartet in Vietnamese legends.

Vietnam also had two UNESCO world documentary heritages, including 82 stone stelae engraved with names of doctorate holders during the Le and Mac dynasties (1442-1779) in the Temple of Literature .

The stelae were placed on the lists of the World Documentary Heritage in Asia-Pacific in 2010 and the World Memory in 2011.

Another heritage was the wood blocks used for rudimentary printing during the Nguyen dynasty era (1802-1945).

Apart from their historical values, the blocks were also artistically and technically precious, since they marked the beginning and development of wood-block carving and printing in Vietnam . They entered the list of the World Memory in 2009.

jackbl
10-07-2011, 09:31 AM
Tourism industry still very good in hcmc....wanna invest? :D

HCMC foreign backpackers spend $583 per stay
===============================================
Foreign backpacking tourists who stay in the Backpacker’s Area in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1 spend about VND12 million (US$583) per stay.

The figure is included in a report delivered by Dr. Nguyen Duc Tri, head the Tourism Department of the HCM City University of Economics, at a seminar titled “Planning the Pham Ngu Lao Tourism Area” held by the city Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism yesterday.

On average, a foreigner stays for a week in the backpacker’s area that comprises Pham Ngu Lao, Bui Vien and De Tham streets.

The area receives about 1,900 alien backpackers per day.

The quarter has long been attractive to foreigners as it offers them a range of diverse services at reasonable prices, including hotels, restaurants, bars, cafés, foreign exchange counters, vehicle renting, tourism agents and souvenir shops.

jackbl
10-07-2011, 05:39 PM
Sun and sea draw Russian tourists to VN coastal cities
================================================== =======

VietNamNet Bridge – Pristine beaches and fresh seafood have lured Russian tourists, part of the top-ten travellers to Viet Nam during the past five years, to the coastal cities of Nha Trang and Phan Thiet.

Russians mainly opt to travel to the coastal beaches of Viet Nam between November and March, the coldest time in Russia, drawn by the fresh air, beautiful nature, friendly locals, cheap seafood and a series newly constructed resorts in the cities.

Nha Trang city hosts 19 islands and two bays that tourists can explore or dive at leisure.

Mud and hot spring baths, available at resorts around 5km from the Nha Trang city centre, will help visitors relax after a hot summer's day spent in the sun while coral reefs off Hon Ong Island, 100km offshore of Nha Trang Bay, hosts various types of colourful deep sea life for those interested in being lost in wonder.

Nguyen Lan, a Nha Trang city tour operator, said that Russian tourists were not fastidious and enjoyed Nha Trang beach life.

"Russian travellers mainly go for a good guide and transport, a white sand beach, sunlight and, for those coming over for a week of more, slightly more windy conditions," Lan said.

"While Vinpearl Island is the most well-known luxury resort in Nha Trang, tourists can sail around other islands including the eco-tour Hon Lao Island or Monkey Island, home to thousands of monkeys," the tour operator said, adding that fishing was also a popular passtime.

"Nha Trang has always been the top choice for Russian tourists, the city receiving around 26,000 Russian visitors per year compared to beach resorts in Phan Thiet and Phu Quoc Island," according to deputy director of the Focus Travel Agency, Nguyen Viet Trinh.

"We have witnessed an increasing number of Russian travellers touring Viet Nam, especially in Nha Trang and Phan Thiet," Trinh said, adding that tourists could swim with buoys and enjoy drinking at floating bars in the sea, operated by local boat owners.

The travel agency offers a seven-day, US$1,200 p/p package to five-star Vinpearl Resort in Nha Trang.

Last December, Russian Vladivostok Air opened up a direct route to Cam Ranh Airport in Khanh Hoa Province with one flight every two weeks.




Sunny Mui Ne

Russian tourists regard Mui Ne in Phan Thiet city as on of the most spectacular beaches in Viet Nam with its magnificent red and white sand dunes.

The city alone hosted 62,000 Russian visitors in nine months last year, expecting to increase by 50 per cent during this year.

Fomina Svetlana and Nazarova Galina, businesswomen from Novy Urengoy City, spoke highly of their stay at the Terracotta-Mui Ne resort, where they spent their nights in bungalows.

"Although we had toured Da Lat and HCM City, the bungalows in Mui Ne were by far the highlights of our trip," Svetlana wrote through e-mail.

"Our trip through Viet Nam was a completely eye opening surprise," she added.

Karachurin Marat and Kolegova Olga, both from Traikovskiy, said that they had fallen in love with Viet Nam, its friendly people, amazing landscapes and, especially, Mui Ne's sunny beach.

Ngo Thu Huong, a sale person at the Phan Thiet-based Ocean Dunes Resort, said that there were many options for tourists to explore and spend their holidays in Phan Thiet and surrounding areas.

"Options include one morning in Phan Thiet, visiting the Mui Ne Dunes, touring the city by sampan and cyclo and travelling along the Mui Ne Beach by jeep," Huong said.

She said that families could book tours that offer additional activities such as rock climbing, mountain biking, trekking, canoeing and windsurfing in Mui Ne. Visitors could also fish from the Ke Ga lighthouse, constructed by the French in 1899, or visit the ancient Cham Towers.

Huong added that the White Lake and the Sakyamuni Buddha in Taku Mountain, 700m above sea level, together with the Binh Chau hot springs, were some of the most visited destinations along the southern coast.

With the approach of summer, travel agencies are revving in order to deal with increasing numbers of visitors to Phan Thiet.

"We expect to host a double figure of Russian tourists to Nha Trang and Phan Thiet this year," Trinh said.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News

jackbl
11-07-2011, 08:59 AM
Inside massage parlors: Hunting for masseuses
================================================== =======

Tuoi Tre undercover journalists spent a month infiltrating many massage parlors to bring to light the plight, the pitiful living conditions, the tips and the survival techniques of young girls working as masseuses in this all-revealing new series.

It was once a common practice for managers of first-class massage parlors to visit parlors of a lesser status to steal away their best masseuses with promises of better pay and a better life.

This, however, proved problematic and led to violent clashes among the thugs employed by many parlors to protect their masseuses.

Changing their tactics, massage parlor managers have now turned their attention to young, beautiful girls still living with family in rural areas where income averages around VND1 million a month during the harvesting season.

They have set up rings of recruitment to lure those young girls away from their family to work at their massage parlors in big cities.


Into the Traps of Recruiting Network

Following the recommendation of a masseuse, I made an appointment with Ms. Trang, who runs a business similar to that of a “talent agent” recruiting girls for massage parlors in Ho Chi Minh City.

In her house on Nguyen Huu Canh Street in Binh Thanh District and a room she rented next door, Trang was lodging and training some 20 masseuses-to-be.

They all have to call her “mom.”

After a brief introduction, she welcomed me warmly.

“How come you are so beautiful? What a waste if you just want to work for a cafeteria. Just stay here with me, I will train you, get you a massage certificate, and arrange a cosmetic surgery for you so you can work at well-paid places.”

“Your salary will be no less than VND30 million a month.

“Our training fee is VND8 million if you pay upfront in cash. Otherwise, it is VND10 million on credit.

“If you decide to learn on credit, you have to move in here with me until you pay if off,” Trang added.

A cleaning maid named Ty at the massage parlor L on Su Van Hanh Street, admitted to me, “I am paid VND2 million for taking a girl to Ms. Trang. I introduced ten girls to her last year.”

Trang is apparently not the only one seeing huge profits to be made in this profitable recruiting and training business.

With Ty’s introduction, we contacted another owner, also a “recruiting agent” in the massage business, Mr. Thanh.

Talking to me on the phone, Thanh offered to train me for a price between VND10 and 15 million, depending on how much I need for cosmetic surgery.

He assured me that, “Just after a month’s work and you’ll be able to pay me.”

With no knowledge of life in the city and no marketable job skills, young girls from the countryside call at massage parlors to seek a job and are often accepted, as most parlors always want to have new faces and new skin to attract customers.

Considering that training costs almost nothing and a massage certificate costs only VND3-5 million, Trang and Thanh pocket on average VND10 million each for every girl they successfully recruit.


Ugly Ducklings Turned into Swans

On accepted, a new girl is often advised, mainly forced, to go to a beauty salon which their employers have established special relations with to have cosmetic surgery, restyle their hair, and whiten and soften their skin, all with “generous” loans from their employers.

It is the loans and exorbitant interest rates that bind the girls to their work for long periods of time, much longer than they could possibly imagine.

Haunted by the prospect of not being able to pay their debts, many young masseuses have nothing on their mind but the thought of making money, buying cosmetics and paying debts.

At the massage parlor TP near Binh Trieu Bridge in Thu Duc District, the manager tried to persuade me to take a loan from her to buy some cosmetics for my skin.

“Your look seems OK but you need to whiten your skin and your hair should be longer to be attractive.

“All the girls here look fresh with skin as white as pomelo flower. And no man coming here likes a girl with short hair.”

Also, she recommended me to a beauty salon in district 3 to have breast implant at the price of VND50 million.

For every girl sent to the beauty shop, she charges a high interest rate on her loan and enjoys a discount from the spa shop to boot.

Almost all girls working at massage parlors are in a crazy rush towards spending to improve their appearance. It’s like an addiction no girl can resist.

Income from tips is mainly spent on beauty products. Their body is covered with these products all day and night, before receiving client and before going to sleep.

Stripping themselves off to almost nudity before going to bed, they rub on their skin a special lotion they have bought for its whitening effect.

Not having enough money for expensive beauty products, they purchase a variety of cheap skin-removing cream and mix them up in a big jar for use. For only VND100,000, they can make this special home-made beauty lotion of theirs go for a month.

After two or three days using it, the outer skin layer peels off and after a week, the skin looks much lighter.

An employee named Ngoc Linh told me she has worked at the parlor for more than a year but has yet to pay off her debts.

“It’s my loans from the owner to buy cosmetics, have beauty surgery, and pay other costs that keep me chained to this place,” she said.

“Sometimes I feel like a moth rushing into a fire, or a prisoner being held here forever without trial. I don’t know when I can pay off my debts to return to my countryside to get married and have a family.”

jackbl
12-07-2011, 09:11 AM
Virgin sex ring busted in Ho Chi Minh City
==================================================

Police Wednesday arrested a 42-year-old woman for running a prostitution ring procuring virgins at $1,000 per encounter after local police raided a Ho Chi Minh City hotel and caught three couples in the act.

Nguyen Thi Be was taken in when her three prostitutes were busted at Ai Quynh Hotel in District 6.

According to police, Be would recruit virgins from poor rural families in the southern Mekong Delta. She would falsely promise them good jobs and accommodations in Ho Chi Minh City.

But she later forced them to become sex workers. For virgins, she would charge VND20 million (US$1000) per encounter and pocket a “fee” of around VND3 million.

For other sex workers, she would charge VND 4 million - 10 million.

In 2005, Be left Dong Thap province for Ho Chi Minh City to work as a marriage broker introducing Vietnamese women to South Koreans. But, her job was lost when the ring was busted earlier this year.

Prostitution in any form is illegal in Vietnam.

jackbl
13-07-2011, 09:07 AM
Young MMS/OKT

Teen sex ring charging $200/time smashed
================================================== =
Police arrested a 20-year-old girl for running a teen sex ring charging $200 per encounter after police raided a hotel in Hanoi’s Bach Mai Street and caught two couples (including a 16-year-old prostitute) in the act.

According to police, Nguyen Thi Mui, the arrested pimp, would recruit long-legged girls from the capital’s popular bars and nightclubs, targeting rich customers.

She would charge $100 for a 45-minute striptease, and $200 per quickie.

The charming pimp herself is willing to have sex with VIPs when she needs money.

Prostitution in any form is illegal in Vietnam.

jackbl
13-07-2011, 11:53 PM
Inside massage parlors: Blood tips
================================================== =

Tuoi Tre undercover journalists cum masseuses continue to penetrate parlors and reveal more on how to please clients and bosses; how to maximize tips and minimize massage time; how to avoid police; how to turn a trick and other tricks up their sleeveless uniforms.

In the world of masseuses, success is defined by the size of tips from customers, 99% of whom are males seeking a titillating experience away from their nagging wives, if they have any.

A rule of thumb in the massage industry is the younger and more beautiful masseuses are, the bigger tips they receive. Of course, there is “old Thao” who bends the trend.

As the trick is to minimize massage time and maximize tips and since this takes time, “old Thao” has found one last straw to her advantage. And it serves her and her customers well.

‘Old Thao’ and her seasoned finger skills

Despite her sunset beauty and advanced age, “old Thao” receives better tips than her younger and sexier peers.

Nicknamed by the house to differentiate from another younger and more beautiful Thao, this elderly Thao - 36 years old to be exact - boasts a skill able to satisfy the pickiest customers thanks to her experience gleaned from years serving all types from teens, students, rookies to seniors and octogenarians.

In comparison, the average age in the business is early 20s while many long-legged newcomers are even younger than the required 18.

Of course, old Thao has to compete hard, sacrifice and follow the dictum “no pain no gain”.

Showing no indiscrimination, be it a young handsome sober man or a fat, beer-bellied and drunk dude her father’s age, Thao has to smile and be gentle every time.

When the customer plays it rough, she has to endure.

Thao told Tuoi Tre undercover journalist – a masseuse by now - that such selfless acts have cultivated an attachment so that patrons are likely to order her service next time.

As a reward, ‘old Thao’ always receives over 10 men a day on average, even on down days when her colleagues nail just 3-4 clients each.

Although the official massage time per session is 1 hour, old Thao can complete one in as short as 15 minutes and hence has more time to take on additional customers.

The tip lies in her skilled fingers that can ‘relax’ men within 15-30 minutes. Relaxation in the massaging dictionary means a blow or hand job.

“Men are all fun loving so if you give them pleasure they will be pleased to give you big money,” Thao said.

Another tip to earn fat money is to maintain contacts with wealthy and generous men. When they come next time, they could remember and ask for this or that 'number'.

Tuoi Tre journalist cum masseuse admitted that she was many times sent back by clients upon being seen at the room door. They told the manager “give another one more beautiful with smoother skin”, as your reporter sadly learns.

Sometimes your correspondent was driven out after a short time as she refused to be cuddled by those strange philandering men.

Of course, they rarely gave a penny in such circumstances.

Some masseuses rate clients by their appearance to guess how much they would tip.

For affluent-looking men, the girls have a tendency to become sweeter in the beginning in hopes of a big reward. For poor-looking guys, they tend to do a cursory job to move onto better potential clients.

Since the only signs of social status inside the massage rooms lie in just a simple loincloth distributed by the parlor, the girls have no choice but to judge from their client's skin and waist girth.

Upon spotting a lucrative prey, they would negotiate on different tips for hand or mouth job.


A boss’ harem

To survive in this massaging world, masseuse girls should also have to serve their male managers.

“You even have to give yourself to managers so that they will assign you to cater to generous men and you have more money,” a masseuse named Vi at parlor TP in Thu Duc District advised.

Tuoi Tre learns that owner L of the TP parlor comes to visit two girls there, Tu and Trinh, every night. He publicly introduced them to all his staff as his “concubines”.

Sometimes, he came and handed them thick wads of bank notes in front of jealous masseuses.

Many said they often see Tu and Trinh come to hotels with this owner after work. The reason is cited as “to meet and entertain some guests”.

So, by virtue of their connections, the two masseuses are always tasked with caring VIP clients who usually tip double.

My first VIP client

A parlor averagely keeps 20-70 masseuses, so girls opt to bribe managers and owners in cash and/or in kind.

Sweet words, gifts, money, or even sex have proved to be effective.

Mai, a 23-year-old masseuse at L parlor, advised: “Try to save money to buy the manager a small gift, she will give you generous and wealthy men.”

Some days later, I gave the manager, Thu, an envelope containing VND300,000 to “thank you for helping me in the past days”, upon which I was told to be more skillful so as to take on VIP patrons.

That night, she assigned me to a VIP room to ‘relax’ a man in his 50s.

As an introduction, she told the man: “this baby is a newcomer here, lovely, next time you come here and order number 9 to have her”.

Then, Thu turned to me and whispered that he is director of a real estate firm in district 7. “Very wealthy. His tips are up to a million VND”.

Tips to evade police

To avoid troubles, parlor owners devise a trick to avoid policemen and authorities’ inspections.

“Seeing the bulb [which is installed in every room] lit up means policemen are visiting and then, you must all step down to stand on the floor [not sitting astride on the client’s body on the massage bed] and massage only their legs and hands,” a manager told your reporter on her first working day.

“And in case, you are caught red handed ‘relaxing’ clients and forced to sign a violation minute, just refuse to sign”.

“Because on leaving the room, they have no evidence to accuse you,” the manager elaborated.

jackbl
14-07-2011, 08:50 AM
Inside massage parlors: More than just money
================================================== ==

They work for money – yes, but often the money goes to supporting their loved ones in rural areas who know nothing about their job. And yes, sometimes a flower is more precious than all the money they can get.


Sadness

One day, Thuy, an employee at the massage parlor TN in Binh Duong Province, rushed out of the massage room, her face full of tears, and in one hand were her high-heeled shoes. Wiping the tears with the other hand, she cried angrily: “Damned the bastard. He squeezed my breasts so hard.”

Standing nearby, the manager of the parlor said nonchalantly, “Why haven’t I ever seen you cry when receiving their tips. How can you get money from them without putting up with their abuse?”

A strange silence suddenly reigned in the room with over 40 girls, a silence of resignation.

When I first came to the place to apply for a job, I was told the masseuses working there were allowed to go out just once a month for six hours.

Although psychologically prepared for the worst situation and assured of my colleagues’ plan for a “rescue operation” in case I was subjected to extreme exploitation, brutal beating or confinement, I could not help but feel a chill running down my spine when walking along a dark, stuffy corridor past a long line of girls momentarily turning their dull eyes, empty, sleep-deprived faces towards me.

“Here, one more masseuse means one more rival to compete with, fewer clients to serve, less food to go around, and less personal space for sleeping and using the rest room,” a friendly girl named Thuy told me.

In the massage parlor on Su Van Hanh Street, however, the masseuses seemed to get a little bit more breathing space. They work for 12 hours a day and are allowed to go home.

They have time to go shopping and drinking. They even come to bars and stay there till midnight.

One day, My, a masseuse in the massage parlor L took me to a beer restaurant. She kept finishing one glass of beer after another. Apparently, she wanted to get something off her chest and needed someone to talk to.

“Yesterday evening, I met my boyfriend in my massage room.

“Astonished to find me there, he shouted at me angrily, ‘So you are a massage girl?’ before running out of the room,” My told me.

“I’m a massage girl, so what? If he despises us, then why did he bother to seek us out in these places?”

I couldn’t answer her question. I just remembered the common piece of advice all the masseuses give to one another, “Never tell your family or friends about the job you do here. They would never want to look at us again.”

After that day, My began to go to bars more often with other girls after work and even experimented with some drugs.

There are many reasons why these young women ended up working in this profession – some because they needed money to support their husband and children in the rural areas, some to help their parents fix a run-down house about to collapse, and for others it is the price they pay for leading a life of endless wild parties and booze.

Vy, a masseuse from parlor L, has a 5-year-old son who has been separated from her for the last four years and has been living with her parents all those years.

She called him on her cell phone every once in a while when she was drunk. After the conversation, she seemed to have become a different person, just sitting motionless, staring into the empty space, with tears rolling down her powdered cheeks.


Flowers of hope

At massage parlor on Kha Van Can Street in Thu Duc District, the masseuses each have a small notebook to keep record of the tips they earn each day.

Some of them also write down in the book one line or two about their feelings and thinking.

For Ly, she likes drawing flowers in her notebook whenever she feels sad. She said she loved drawing since she was young.

In her notebook, one can see the amount of tips, 50,000 – 100,000 – 200,000, and a series of clumsily drawn flowers.

“I was born to a poor family. My parents could only afford to let me study at school until the 11th grade. After school, I got married and moved in to live with his family until he got addicted to drinking and started abusing me.

“My life has only two memorable dates – the day I got married at 19 and the day I divorced my husband at 21 and left for Saigon,” she said.

In the past three years, Ly twice went home to visit her mother and son. Each time she had to arrange for her mother to take her son to live in a hotel with her for a week in her home town of Bac Lieu before returning to her job in Saigon.

Her husband had threatened “not to let her live in peace and safety,” Ly said.

“My life starts on the rice fields and ends up working in this business. I can’t remember how many parlors I have worked for in Saigon and how many men I have helped ‘relax’.”

“Should you ever be hired to work on the rice fields under the sun light for a whole day but cannot earn enough to buy food for your children, should you ever experience the situation of nursing your sick child for many days and can’t borrow enough money to take him to the hospital, you will understand why I accept my life here.

“Here I live in an air-conditioned room, wear perfume and have enough money to buy my mother and my child any kind of food they like,” Ly said.

Her voice, however, became heavy with sadness at the end of her story, “Sometimes when I’m walking on the street and someone gives me a strange look, I feel so much self-pity. I wonder if the words ‘massage girl’ have been branded on my forehead.”

During her story, Ly mentioned a man named Bao, a customer who has been trying to win her heart for the last few months.

“Bao is one of the gangsters at Lam Hong Bus Station in Ho Chi Minh City. Sometimes, he bought seven tickets in a row to stay in the room with me until the next morning, just to talk and hear me talk, without asking me to do anything for him,” Ly said.

Her face lit up with a radiant smile when she mentioned his name.

“Sometimes Bao gave me VND500,000, sometimes one million or even two million.

“But just like all the men who come here, he thought we only want and care about money. If he had presented me a flower, even a daisy flower,(*) my heart would probably have fallen for him long ago.”

Happiness for Ly is so simple that few can imagine. A daisy flower from a man is enough to sweep her off her feet and lift her heart to heights above the grime and slime of the place she has no wish to be in.

(*) In Vietnam, daisy flowers are usually offered on the altars during funerals or ceremonies to honor someone’s death.

jackbl
14-07-2011, 11:20 AM
Is prostitution entirely bad?
===================================

On June 28 in Quang Ninh, at a conference on anti-prostitution program 2011-2015, deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh Trong said: “[Prostitution] should be considered as a phenomenon rather than a social evil.”


This can be regarded as a positive sign in the change of government perspectives on prostitution. Up to now, the society and community still prejudice prostitution as going against traditional ethics. Those who use their flesh to earn a living are stigmatized with bad names.

Negative conception and behavior by the community towards prostitutes are supported when the authorities regard it as a kind of social evil. Women involved in this career are seized by police and brought to re-education centers. The Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social affairs used to have an anti-social evil office to administrate these centers.

Such social behaviors and the fear to be arrested and prejudiced make prostitutes hesitate to approach prevention services like tests, treatment aids, and condom provision. The victims then feel isolated and insulted. Their self-respect is lowered and they become tired of living. The girls living by this career become more careless and dangerous.

Many of them have a tendency to revenge life and become a factor that disseminate risks and spread sexual diseases including HIV/AIDS. According to statistics, the ratio of HIV/AIDS among prostitutes in Hai Phong city is 23 percent. In Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, the figure is 20 and 16 percent respectively.

Changing perspectives on prostitutes will contribute to the diminution of prejudice and make it favorable for them to approach sexual health care service and practice safe sex.

When prostitution is no longer regarded as a social evil, the government should propagandize the change so that the community will be aware and treat prostitutes as normal human beings. In our opinions, besides prostitution, other phenomenon such as drug addiction, gambling, alcoholism should not be considered as social evils. We should regard them as social issues that need to be solved. Many countries in the world also hardly regard these as social evils.

At the conference, Mr. Truong Vinh Trong viewed this new issue from a new perspective: “The world avoids sending women into re-education centers as such administrative compulsory method has become ineffective. In Vietnam, people have taken a more positive look on those with HIV/AIDS as well as prostitutes.”

In reality, social problems always exist and they increase or decrease depending on socio-economic situation, management potential throughout different eras.

Issues like prostitutions, gambling, drugs have existed for years in history. Like a demand-supply rule, no nation is exempt from these issues. No nation can eradicate totally prostitution, gambling or drugs. The point is that there should be a social method to limit the growth and prevent bad affects of these social issues.

Hoang Ba Thinh (professor at University of Social Science and Humanities in Hanoi)

jackbl
15-07-2011, 12:44 AM
HCMC abortion rate highest in the country
===============================================

The Ho Chi Minh City's Population and Family Planning Center last Saturday announced that the city has the highest abortion rate in the country with more than 98,000 cases in 2010, tripling the average national figure.

It is estimated that there are 75 babies aborted for every 100 babies born.

Even though the abortion rate is lower than in 2009, it stills remain a remarkable number.

Also according to the center, Ho Chi Minh City is experiencing a golden population period with five million people at working age (15-60 years old), accounting for 68 percent in the demography.

However, there is still sex imbalance in the newborns with the ratio of 109 boys for every 100 girls.

jackbl
15-07-2011, 10:03 AM
Vietnamese charged for severing husband's penis
================================================== =

A California woman was charged with torture on Wednesday after authorities said she cut off her husband's penis with a kitchen knife and ground it up in a garbage disposal.

Catherine Kieu, 48, is accused of tying her sleeping husband to a bed with nylon ropes, pulling down his pants and slicing off his penis, the Orange County District Attorney's Office said in a written statement.

The Garden Grove woman then took the severed penis into the kitchen, threw it into the garbage disposal and turned it on, mutilating the organ, Orange County prosecutors said.

She then called 911, they said.

Kieu, who was taken into custody at the scene on Monday night, was charged with one count each of torture and aggravated mayhem, with sentencing enhancements for causing great bodily injury and using a knife.

During a brief court appearance on Wednesday, an Orange County Superior Court judge assigned a public defender to represent Kieu and postponed her arraignment on the charges until July 22.

Kieu, who is being held without bail, faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted.

Orange County prosecutors say the incident followed an argument between Kieu and her 60-year-old husband, who has not been identified by authorities, over friends staying at the residence.

Garden Grove police say Kieu, who was initially identified as Catherine Kieu Becker, told officers who responded to the 911 call and found her husband tied to the bed and bleeding from the groin that he "deserved it."

Police have also said she may have drugged or poisoned her husband's food to make him sleepy and that the couple, who married in late 2009, was involved in divorce proceedings.

Kieu's husband was taken to the nearby University of California, Irvine Medical Center following the attack, where he underwent emergency surgery and was listed in serious condition,

jackbl
15-07-2011, 01:15 PM
Is it time for accepting same-sex marriage in Vietnam?
================================================== =======

VietNamNet Bridge – Homosexuality has been mentioned in Vietnam for a decade. Though it is not officially recognized, “the third world” has become a part of the Vietnamese society. However, it would be a long way for homosexual marriage to be recognized by the law.

In late 2010, a video clip of a wedding ceremony of two women in Hanoi was posted on the internet. The video immediately caused a stir in the online community and the public. This is the first homosexual couple who organized the first public wedding party in Vietnam. In early June 2010, a gay couple in HCM City organized their wedding publicly.

The two homosexual weddings highly attracted the public. Some said that these are good signs for an opener society. Some others argued that this is ebullience and imitation of some young people.

VietNamNet discusses this issue with experts.

Le Quang Binh, Director of the Institute for Social, Economic and Environmental Research:

Homosexual love and marriage are still “sensitive” in Vietnam, with different opinions. This issue has especially captured the public’s attention after the weddings of two homosexual couples.

There are two noteworthy viewpoints: National Assembly deputy, Prof. Nguyen Minh Thuyet said that Vietnam should have the law on homosexual marriage soon, while Doctor of Sociology Trinh Hoa Binh, who said that homosexuality is not recognized in Vietnam yet and it is necessary to “analyze to help them understand that they have mistaken, aped of homosexuality… and then gradually getting them back to normal”.

The two above viewpoints are spoken out by two prestigious people in society and they are posted on the media so they certainly make influence to the society. I think we need to make clear analysis about this.

Dr. Khuat Thu Hong, Co-director of the Institute for Social Development and Research: It is a high cost to be a gay or a lesbian in Vietnam. Why do they have to accept social discrimination or even their parents’ abandon to be gays or lesbians? Why they have to pay for that if they do not really want it. There are homosexual people in Vietnam confined and even beaten by their parents when the parents discovered the truth.

Dr. Le Bach Duong, Co-director of the Institute for Social Development and Research: in Vietnam, information on the media is mainstream, which is very influential in society. If reporters are not cautious in reporting news about homosexuality, homosexual people could be seen as second-grade citizens, who have troubles with morality and are dangerous for the society.

From the two recent same-sex marriages, discussions on whether our society accepts this or not and if it is accepted, is there any legal framework for it?

Both the two above viewpoints by Mr. Thuyet and Mr. Binh; we need further scientific analysis. Personally, I think Mr. Binh’s statement is groundless and anti-scientific when he said that. It is necessary to analyze to help them understand that they have mistaken, aped of homosexuality… and then gradually getting them back to normal.

This is very dangerous, which can lead to the intervention of the state, the society and families to the life of homosexual people, which is very offensive for them.

Prof. Thuyet’s opinion is worthy for discussion because it is a real issue of the today society.

Q: The US has open viewpoints and same-sex marriage has been discussed in this country for a long time. Until June 24 2011, same-sex marriage wasn’t officially recognized in New York. Is it too early to discuss it in Vietnam?

Dr. Khuat Thu Hong: there are a lot difference in social and cultural institutions between Vietnam and the US. In Vietnam, people’s knowledge of sex in general and homosexuality is still limited.

In Vietnam, lack of knowledge is the major hindrance for the legalization of same-sex marriage while in the US, it is religion. Many states in the US have strict religious viewpoints. For example, Catholics protests same-sex marriage. The recognition of same-sex marriage in some states depends on the will of local constituents. The fact in the US is not related much to social and scientific aspects but political aspect.

Dr. Le Bach Duong: Vietnam is not influenced much by religions like in the US. Vietnamese are mainly Buddhist followers. I see the viewpoint of Buddhism is very flexible, not distinguishing clearly between right and wrong. “There is black in white and white in black”. I believe that recognizing a new conception will not face big hurdles.

Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Nam, Institute for Health Strategy and Policy: There are organizations protesting same-sex marriage and homosexuality in even the US and Canada. In these countries, conflicts of belief, religions and human being values are even harsher than in Vietnam.

In Vietnam, many people still question whether homosexuality is a disease and can it spread in the society?

Though same-sex marriage has just become legal in New York but in 1973, the American Psychological Federation rejected homosexuality from the list of mental diseases. The World Health Organization did the same in 1980.

Q: Do you think of social response when you publicly support same-sex marriage?

Dr. Khuat Thu Hong: Bastard children were not legal in the past. Only children of legal couples were granted with birth certificates. But the society has changed and children born out of wedlock have been recognized and protected by the law like others.

People make laws so the law needs to be amended to meet the development of the society. It is like a growing-up child who needs new shirts. There is no law that satisfies all but it does not mean that it cannot be changed.

Dr. Le Bach Duong: there is a fact that many clubs for homosexual people have been opened in many provinces and cities in Vietnam, sponsored by local health departments. It means that the Health Ministry does make it legal but relevant agencies understand and they have open moves.

Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Nam: The law is to protect people’s interests. There is still misunderstanding and wrong actions against homosexuality. It is not appropriate to a civilized society.

Q: But long-standing conception of Vietnam in particular and Oriental culture in general is marriage to have children to maintain race. If same-sex marriage is legalized, it will be contrary to this traditional conception?

Dr. Le Bach Duong: Law-makers often complain that homosexuality raises difficulties for them. But I think law-makers cause difficulties for themselves.

Homosexual people are not subjects who disturb or harm our society. Once same-sex marriage become legal, it would help homosexual people to live in more responsible and stable manner.

Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Nam: The two first same-sex weddings urge people to think seriously of the value of same-sex marriage. In fact, there are many homosexual couples live together as families. It shows their need to make commitment of long-term marriage.

Dr. Khuat Thu Hong: Homosexual people who want to get married are very responsible. They want to be equal like others. Moreover, there is a very small ratio of homosexual people in our society so we do not have to be worry of maintaining race. We can still have enough children and with the development of medical sciences, homosexual couples can still have their own children.

I think social conception will gradually change because any conception must serve people’s happiness.

Gays and lesbians are part of our society and they wish to be recognized by the society and be equal with others; and we, sociologists, think that it’s time to change. The law needs to be change to catch up with social development.

Hoang Huong

jackbl
16-07-2011, 08:23 AM
Vietnamese can think of many ways to do biz and earn $$$ :)

University entrance exam season brings big money to poor students
================================================== =========

VietNamNet Bridge – Instead of returning to home villages, a lot of university students stay in big cities in summer holiday to take extra jobs to make money. July, when the university entrance exams take place, is the good working season for students.


The dynamic students

Despite the hot weather and the summer heat, Linh, the third year student of the Hanoi University of Education, always begins her working day very early in the morning. There a simple job that Linh and her friends regularly do every summer-- selling the copies of the answers to university entrance exam subjects.

On the morning of July 4, when students took the mathematics exam, Linh and some students from the Hanoi University of Technology and University of Transport gathered in front of an exam room in Hoang Mai district. They waited to meet the first examinee who came out of the exam room. Right after getting the mathematics questions from the examinee, Linh and the friends joined forces to solve the problems as soon as they could, then printed the answers, made copies and delivered the copies.

At 1 pm of the same day, Linh and the friends came to every exam room in the city to sell the answers to the mathematics questions at 5000 dong per copy.

“We have to pay 1000 dong per copy only, and we can pocket 4000 dong,” Linh revealed the profit.

Not only solving mathematics questions themselves, Linh and her friends also read websites and newspapers to update more accurate answers.

“By 9 pm of the same day, the answers to the questions had been updated on nearly all websites. The thing we need to do is download the answers and print them,” she said.

On average, a set of suggested answers can be sold at 15,000 dong. “A lot of students purchase the printed answers. They need them. Especially, the students, who could not solve the questions, also purchased the answered, which they will refer to when preparing for the next year’s exams,” Linh said.

Nguyen Phuong Manh, a student from Hai Duong, who is studying at the Hanoi University of Technology, said that the simple job in the short exam season can help him increase his income considerably. “Everything is getting more and more expensive nowadays. I have to earn more money to fund my study,” he said.

According to Manh, after the mathematics and physics exams, he and his friends could sell more than 300 sets of suggested answers. He said that he plans to deliver the papers on buses and coach stations to the students, who take buses and coaches to the home villages after the exam days.


Delivering leaflets, working as brokers

Phap luat’s reporters met Nguyen Thi Thuan, a second year student of the Hanoi University for Social Sciences and Humanity, when she was delivering the leaflets that advertise the enrolment plan of a school.

Thuan said that she and some friends got the job from a job center. Every day, Thuan comes to the center’s office, gets the leaflets and hear the instructions from coordinators. After that, they deliver the leaflets to students and their parents at exam rooms.

“A lot of schools do not organize entrance exams, but they still enroll students. Therefore, they have the demand for popularizing their training courses. We can earn 200,000-300,000 a day for every day of delivering,” Thuan said

Meanwhile, Manh, a student of the Trade University, is making money by introducing rooms for rent to students.

“You should go to the lodging near the house of my relative. The room there is large, with ceiling fan and desk. The rent is reasonable, just 100,000-150,000 dong,” he told a student.

The uniform Manh wears and his face make people think that he is a volunteer student. However, the owner of a tea shop said that Manh is really a broker. Every time, when Manh helps lodging owners get a client, he would get the commission of 50,000 dong.

PL

Hurricane88
16-07-2011, 10:52 AM
Vietnamese can think of many ways to do biz and earn $$$ :)

University entrance exam season brings big money to poor students
================================================== =========


was there last week and saw huge amount of ppl gathered around the entrance to the Uni...:p

jackbl
16-07-2011, 03:48 PM
Getting high education is not easy in VN :(

Poor students stay lonely in front of universities
================================================== ==

VietNamNet Bridge – It’s not difficult to find the poor students who came to HCM City to attend the university entrance exams. Free lodgings, parishes, temples or houses of good landlords are now full of students, who have to go to big cities to attend exams with borrowed money.

Perturbation fills poor students’ mind

Right after arriving at the bus station at the Hang Xanh crossroad in HCM City, Nguyen Thi Hong from Lam Dong province luckily met volunteer students, who met and gave consultancy about free lodging. It cost her 170,000 dong to take a coach in Lam Dong to HCM City, and then take a bus and a taxi motorbike to the lodging.

Like other 200 poor students, Hong can get a bed at the free lodgings at Xay Dung Parish.

Hong said that she has registered to take the exams to the HCM City Finance and Marketing University, one of the schools which have the highest competition ratio in the south. The total number of students registering to attend exams to the university has reached 26,220, while the school will accept 1400 students only. As such, Hong will have to compete with 18 other students to obtain a seat at the university.

Meanwhile, international press agencies reported that the competition ratio of the famous US Harvard University was 1/6.9.

“I do not think that I will pass the exams, but studying at university level is my biggest dream in my life. Therefore, I must attend the exams,” Hong said. “If I fail the exams this year, I will repeat the exams the next year”.

Hong also said that she will attend the entrance exams to junior colleges which will come several days later after the university entrance exams. “If there are no free lodgings, I will have to return to my home village to wait for the next exams, because I do not have money to stay in the big city,” she said.

She related that 65 percent of her high school classmates plan to attend university entrance exams, but she thinks only a few will pass the exams. “If I pass the exams, my parents will have to take many extra works to get money to fund my study,” she said.

To Thi Bich Ngoc from Dong Nai province has also registered to study at the HCM City University for Finance and Marketing. She said that she has spent 27,000 dong to take a bus from Dong Nai to HCM City, even though she does not think she would pass the exams.

“80 percent of students in my class want to study further at universities, but I think only 20 percent of them can pass the exams. However, none of us wants to go to vocational schools,” she said. “Universities are always better than vocational schools”.

Children attend university entrance exams – the exploit of the poor

Like Hong and Ngoc, Mai Quoc Viet from Gia Lai province has also been nurturing the hope of passing the university entrance exams. After arriving in HCM City, Viet was luckily led to Nguyen Thi Quan’s house in Binh Thanh district, where he can stay for free on the exam days.

In general, a room in HCM City has the rent of 180,000-210,000 dong a day. Therefore, Viet feels lucky because he can save nearly one million dong in rental during the exam days.

“My mother does not want me to follow her to do agricultural works, because the works cannot bring enough money. I wish I can study at universities and get a job as an officer. If so, my parents will be proud of me,” he said.

“My parents have decided that I must study at universities or junior colleges. Therefore, if I fail the exams, I will repeat the exams the next years,” he added.

Viet’s mother collects farm produce from farmers to sell to enterprises, while Viet’s father carries goods to enterprises. Sometimes Viet helps the parents in their works, but he admitted that he really does not want to do the works.

Having children attending university entrance exams is really the “miracle” of the poor families. Nha, the mother of Kieu Thi Thu On, a Cham minority woman, said: “Only by studying at universities, will her life become better than mine”.

Huong Giang

jackbl
17-07-2011, 12:31 PM
Be careful if u are buying fake license in vn....

1 more arrested in fake drivers’ license case
================================================== ==
The Can Tho city police yesterday arrested one more member of a major gang that allegedly sold more than forged 600 driver’s licenses in several Mekong Delta provinces.

Nguyen Ba Cong belonged to Bac Ninh Province north of Hanoi but lived in Binh Duong, they said.

In May they had arrested five other members -- Ngo Van Ho of Vinh Long Province, Duong Van Kim of Hau Giang, and Nguyen Dinh Sau, Nguyen Dinh Manh, and Tran Van Bay of Binh Duong.

Ho supplied the fake licenses while the others distributed them, Senior Lieutenant-Colonel Tran Quang Thang, deputy head of the Can Tho police’s security investigation division, said.

They had been operating since the middle of last year, he added.

On April 22, following a tip-off from the public, the police caught Ho with 18 forged licenses and a fake high-school graduation certificate in Vinh Long.

Simultaneously, other officers stopped a bus near the Can Tho Bridge to arrest Kim who was on it.

The two men then gave the police information that enabled them to track down and arrest Manh, Sau, and Bay.

All the licenses carried a forged signature of the deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport, Duong Hong Thanh, the police said.

Other documents related to a driver’s license were also forged by the ring in every detail, including signatures and seals.

After getting a copy of the customer’s ID card and photos, they would deliver a fake license in just a couple of days, charging different rates depending on the nature of the license.

Some of the gang’s clients confessed to the police they had paid VND11.5 million (US$558) for a Grade E license for driving passenger vans.

For smaller vehicles, the price was lower.

Ho admitted to having a network in all delta provinces and selling hundreds of forged licenses.

Thang said preliminary investigations showed that the gang had sold more than 600 of them.

The police are continuing their investigation.

PC1881
17-07-2011, 01:27 PM
Can someone kindly help with the following sentence?

Ngay 18&19 em nen cong an Singapore lam mot so  giay to.

KangTuo
17-07-2011, 01:37 PM
Can someone kindly help with the following sentence?

Ngay 18&19 em nen cong an Singapore lam mot so  giay to.

what you asked her?

day 18&19 i therefore police sillypore do 1 document

jackbl
17-07-2011, 05:00 PM
Now SGP can fly direct to HN on Jetstar liao :)

Jetstar Asia to offer flights between Singapore, HN
================================================== =

Low-cost carrier Jetstar Asia will expand its presence in Vietnam by launching a Singapore-Hanoi route this winter in addition to adding more flights between Singapore and Ho Chi Minh City next month.

The new services were confirmed by Jetstar Asia’s CEO Chong Phit Lian and Jetstar Group’s CEO Bruce Buchanan at their meeting with reporters in Hanoi on Thursday.

The fast-growing airline will offer four weekly flights between Singapore and Hanoi on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays as of December 15 (pending government approval).

It will also add a daily service to the Singapore-HCMC schedule from August 18, bringing the total number of flights on this route to three a day.

The Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) told the Saigon Times Daily about Jetstar Asia’s plan to fly between Singapore and Hanoi last month, but did not clarify the date the carrier would launch this new route.

Buchanan said in a statement that the new services would target customers who are keen to try alternative low fares between Vietnam and Singapore, where they would be able to connect to 28 destinations in Asia Pacific.

Jetstar Asia CEO Chong said the new services would give Asia Pacific passengers better access to the Jetstar network, allowing them to use more services available in Jestar’s rapidly growing Singaporean hub.

Buchanan said the new service would complement and build upon the domestic flights currently offered by Jetstar Pacific in Vietnam.

With new services and increased frequencies, Jetstar will conduct 50 flights per week between Singapore and Vietnam, with almost 10,000 passengers moving between the two countries every week.

In total, the new services represent a 78 percent increase in the airline’s capacity between the two countries and enable the carrier to offer a total of more than 468,000
seats between the two destinations by the end of the year.

Jetstar now offers an all-inclusive one-way economy-class fare from VND770,692 for the Singapore-Hanoi service on Jetstar.com until 11:59 on July 15, 2011 unless seats sell out prior.

This discount air ticket is valid for travel from January 31 until March 6 next year and from March 30 until April 24, 2012.

In addition, Jetstar’s every day all-inclusive, one-way low fares from Hanoi to Singapore start from over VND1.81 million.

Jetstar now flies to more than 56 destinations in 17 countries and territories. Its pan-Asian network extends from Australia through Singapore, to Japan, China, and Vietnam. The airline also operates direct flights from Singapore to Auckland and Melbourne.

jackbl
18-07-2011, 08:41 AM
Where road accidents are settled off the records
================================================== =====

On June 23 a dump truck suddenly crashed into the back of another truck on National Highway 1A in Thu Duc District, Ho Chi Minh City.

Its cab was badly damaged as was the back of the truck in front. The driver of the dump truck had a fractured right leg and a stomach injury.

Some local residents called the Thu Duc traffic police and two hours later officers Nguyen Trong Nghia and Pham Van Hai arrived in a police car.

Tuoi Tre saw Hai asking Nguyen Van Hong, the other driver, a few cursory questions but not taking any notes or statements.

The officers also failed to do the normal tasks at the scene of an accident -- such as measuring and drawing traces, checking the scene, and examining the vehicles.

Twenty minutes later Ly Van Tai, the owner of the dump truck, arrived. Tai and Hong exhorted the officers not to seize their vehicles, saying they could settle things on their own.

Hai told Tai to call the hospital about the driver, saying he could oblige them if his injury was minor.

Tai said the driver’s thigh was broken, yet Hai let Hong drive off.

He asked Tai for the dump truck’s papers but the latter was unable to produce them.

The officers threatened to seize the vehicle and got into their car. Tai stuck his head into the car to talk with them. Tuoi Tre does not know what happened, but five minutes later the police car left.

Clearly, something was amiss. A week later Tuoi Tre spoke to Captain Do Thanh Thang, deputy chief of the Thu Duc traffic police.

He confirmed that the police records did not show this accident. He called Nguyen Trong Nghia ….

It is anyone’s guess why they failed to record the accident though a person was badly injured.

‘Two bottles’ law

Later the same day a trailer truck wrongly overtook a car on Phan Dang Luu Street in the city’s Binh Thanh District and hit it. The car’s front portion was totaled. The police seized both vehicles.

The next day two officers from the Binh Thanh traffic police, Huynh Minh Duc and Lieu Hong Loc, arrived at the accident scene.

Loc claimed to be a “very strict” officer.

The car owner demanded a compensation of VND15 million (US$714) first and then VND12 million, but Tuan, the truck owner, refused.

Loc said since the truck was at fault, if Tuan agreed to pay the compensation, the vehicles could be released.

Tuoi Tre accompanied the truck owner to the traffic police station the next day where Loc threatened to keep the vehicle and fine driver Vo Van Thang VND1.2 million for wrongful overtaking and withhold his driving license for 30 days.

Thang demurred, saying the fine was too harsh. Loc said it should actually have been VND2 million and three months, and put off the case until the next day.

The next morning Tuan, the owner, and his friend Hoang went back to the police station but Loc did not seem to be on duty.

Hoang called Duc who agreed to meet Tuan and Hoang in a café. Tuoi Tre accompanied them but did not join them at their table, instead sitting at another table close by.

Duc again threatened to withhold the license but Hoang pleaded with him not to do so and to return the vehicle immediately.

Tuoi Tre was recording their conversation.

Duc said he would “consider” a more minor charge so that the penalty could be lessened.

When they asked him how much bribe they had to pay, Duc said “three bottles.”

A “bottle” was slang for VND1 million.

“One bottle for the boss, one for me, and one for Loc.”

After taking the money from Tuan, Duc said: “Consider it as a loss in a football match.”

A little later he came to a restaurant, bringing along with him the papers for releasing the vehicle back to Tuan.

They began drinking and Duc explained to Tuan the law of the road: A driver or owner of a vehicle involved in an accident must pay the police VND2 million for getting back their vehicle and goods.

Tuan said he would have lost less time if Duc had let him know this earlier. Duc retorted that Tuan should have “spoken up” first, meaning he should have offered a bribe right away.

Though the owner of the car was not at fault, he too had to pay two “bottles,” he claimed.

Tuan asked Duc if it was possible to settle minor accidents unofficially, Duc said: “Yes. Like this case. If you had known how to ‘speak up,’ we could have closed the files.”

jackbl
19-07-2011, 12:02 AM
Drug pushing, use in public places
======================================
Le Thi Rieng Park in Ward 15, District 10 is one of the hotspots in Ho Chi Minh City. As Tuoi Tre reporters observe, 3 to 4 drug pushers operate on a 40-meter stretch of sidewalk in front of Le Thi Rieng Park, accompanied by some minders staying nearby. It is not difficult to recognize these skinny, shabbily dressed men for what they are ---their eyes constantly scanning around, keeping watch and looking for customers.

On the afternoon of June 12, within two hours, we counted a total of 17 people dealing with these pushers. The dealers, we discovered, just kept a small quantity of drugs on them, the remaining was hidden in the crack of an electricity post nearby.

The drug addicts who came to buy drugs stayed for quite a while to talk with the dealers. Sometimes, groups of 4-5 people gathered and openly injected drugs in the presence of many people around. The needles were scattered everywhere after use.

When we approached Cha Va Bridge in District 8, there was no sign of any drug dealers operating publicly. However, many addicts were openly inhaling and injecting drugs despite the many security posts under the bridge. The needles were discarded in the grass, the debris and garbage dumps on the roadside.

On June 20, two young men with a sickly complexion riding a battered old motorbike stopped in front of alley 1678 on Pham The Hien Street in District 8. The man on the back got off and walked into the alley. He gave VND50,000 (US$2.5) to one of the people standing on the riverside in exchange for a small pack and quickly went back to the bike.

The two men then speeded up to Nhi Thien Duong Bridge where they stopped to buy some needles. Seeing a police officer nearby, they rode under the bridge to park the motorbike. Then they climbed over the road separator, compounded and injected the drugs before leaving.

Drugs are also sold and taken openly in other places around the city, such as streets Nguyen Chi Thanh and Chau Van Liem in District 5, some streets in Ward 12, District 8, and Linh Xuan Bridge, Binh Phuoc Bridge, Song Than Bridge in Binh Duong Province.

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Hoang Phong, deputy head of the Police Department of Ward 15, District 10 told us that it was not easy to solve the problem due to personnel shortage and the complex alley networks.

“We need the cooperation of other organizations to control the situation,” he said.

Drug selling on the outskirts: difficult to solve

On the afternoon of June 9, under the An Suong overpass in District 12, four addicts were standing or sitting around nervously, as if waiting for someone. A man riding a motorbike arrived, gave them small bags of drugs, received money and quickly disappeared into the chaotic flow of traffic.

After inhaling and injecting the drugs, the addicts sat on the railings, smoked cigarettes and even watched the scenery. No sooner had they left than another group arrived to take the place.

As it got darker, more and more addicts turned up on the bridge. At 6pm, we counted five groups openly selling and using drugs as if they were the only people there. The local residents here were so familiar with this scene that they just ignored them.

The drugs dealers were not exactly shy about plying their trade either. Spotting us, a man strolling along the bridge winked at us and asked if we wanted to buy drugs. A dose of drugs costs around VND100,000 to 250,000. This man also carried some needles to sell.

At noon on June 6, also at this place, we noticed four drug dealers were working at the scene. Drugs stored in nylon bags were hidden in the bushes. From 12pm to 6pm, more than 30 addicts came to buy drugs – all looking young and emaciated.

On the night of June 22, a group of young men phoned H., a drug “broker” living in Cu Chi, telling him they wanted to buy some drugs. H. led them to a small alley on Ung Van Khiem Street near Mien Dong (Eastern) bus station in Ward 25, Binh Thanh District and came out, showing them 3 kinds: ice (methamphetamine), heroin and cannabis. Ice costs VND600,000 ($29) a dose and sells like hot cakes among the youth, H. said.

Lieutenant-Colonel Nguyen Huu Tai, chief of police of Ba Diem Commune, Hoc Mon District told us they could only apply administrative penalty to first-time drug dealers and users if they were not local people.

Arrested the second time, these persons would be subjected to public criticism in front of the people where they live.

When the dealers or users carry no identification and do not cooperate with the officers, the task of identifying their residency becomes more complex.

If caught the third time, they will be sent to rehabilitation centers, said the Lieutenant-Colonel.

jackbl
19-07-2011, 10:31 AM
Hope can try this soon :)

Preparing mesmerizing Mi Quang is no easy feat
================================================== =====
Quang Nam Province is famous for mi Quang (Quang noodle) and visitors to the province will be asked to try the tasty dish.

But it is no simple feat. When making a tasty bowl of mi Quang, cooks need to be patient and meticulous in many phases.

To have slight, soft and white noodle strings, you need to wash the rice carefully then husk them into flour. The rice flour then will be steamed as paper cakes and finally the cakes will be sliced into regular strings.

The soup for the dish is often made of pork, beef or chicken. However, in this rainy season, locals often catch loc fish to make the soup. The fish will be cleaned then cut into small pieces and mixed with spices. Fish bones and heads will be grinded and boiled in the soup water with the fish for a sweet taste.

To get the most out of the dish, you should enjoy it with many kinds of aromatic vegetables, dry pancakes and green chilly.

The delightful dish is so tasty due to the sweetness of the fish, the fragrance of aromatic vegetables and the crispy pancakes.

jackbl
19-07-2011, 12:38 PM
Hardworking students..........

The students who live on traveling and singing in the public
================================================== =======

VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese poor students have to take different kinds of jobs to earn their living and fund their study. Traveling from place to place--so as to sing in the public is a new job.


The “barley-sugar” students

A young boy and a young girl can be seen every evening in a place near a university in Hanoi. They were seen singing and offering barley-sugar bars to people. Some people took banknotes from their wallets and purchased the barley sugar, while others shook their heads.

Only a few people know that the singers are the real students, who go to lecture halls every morning and afternoon, and then go singing in the public every evening. They are called “barley-sugar” students, because they travel from place to place, singing in the public and asking people to buy barley-sugar.

“You should be patient and understand well people’s psychology to take this job. And please don’t be too touchy,” said Nguyen Tan, a student from the HCM City Industry University.

“Every evening, if would meet a lot of people, including the ones who may make impolite behaviors. However, you still should be polite to everyone in order to sell your products,” he explained.

An old motorbike, a microphone, an audio player, and the bars of barley-sugar worth 2000 dong each are enough for a set of tools of the “barley-sugar students”. In general, the investment capital is really big, because an audio player is worth no less than eight million dong.

Though the job requires big initial investment capital only poor people would take this job.

Tan said that he regularly meets troubles in his working days. A lot of people bought candies, but then thundered him. Others tried to drive him away. Meanwhile, drunken men tried to break his microphone and insulted him. However, Tan still had to reply with smiles and songs.

The “barley-sugar students” go to work in rainy days as well. They stand and sing in the rain at pubs the street shops, though the shops are not full of people these days. If they stop working for one day, they would not earn any money for the meals, and they would not have money to send to their parents in the home villages.

“The student-singers only love sunny days. If it rains, their stomach will be empty,” Tan said.

Nguyen Van Dung, also a barley-sugar student, said that those, who take this job, needs to have some “music talent”. “You should know a lot of songs, and can deal with a lot of types of music to attract listeners,” he said.

“The most important thing you should have is that you should understand clients well and have the “art of communication”,” he added.

Dung said that he has been taking this job for the last two years, which has brought him money, so that he can live and study in HCM City.



This is a “clean job”

None of the student-singer feels a complex about their conditions, while they affirm that this is a “clean job” which allows them to live on “clean money”.

Bich, a female student, said that she sometimes feels self-pity when drunken men take liberties with her. She sometimes thought of giving up the job, but she has changed her mind. If she does not go to work, their parents would have to feed her, and this means that they will have to work harder.

Nguyen Thu Lan, a former student of the Industry Junior College, now is working for an electronics company, said that the job helped her live and survive the difficult period, and she is proud of this.

All the barely-sugar students understand that they need to work now, so that they can have better lives in the future.

NLD

jackbl
20-07-2011, 09:20 AM
Child sexual abuse on the rise in Vietnam
================================================== =
Vietnam has seen an alarming increase in cases of child sexual abuse in recent years, with some victims as young as six years old.

At a recent conference on child abuse in Hanoi, the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) reports that most sexual abuse offenders are acquainted with their victims, either as 'friends' of the family, babysitters or neighbors. Only in a small number of cases are they complete strangers.

In some shocking cases that have caused much outrage in the public, parental incest occurs where the father or stepfather assaults the victim.

Alcohol has been identified as one of the contributing factors to the crime, as most offenders have been known to make the assault under the influence of alcohol.

The number of child sexual abuse across the nation has increased considerably from 200 in 2005 to 1,427, a sevenfold increase, in 2008, according to the MOLISA report.

In 2010, the number of victims dropped to about 1,000 but the actual figure is believed to be higher as many victims failed to report the crime to the authority due to a sense of shame, family dishonor, social discrimination or private settlement between the victim’s family and the offender.

As worrying as the growth in the number of child sexual abuse is the increasingly younger age of the victims.

In the Mekong Delta provinces within the 18 months from 2009 till June last year, 13.5 percent of the girl victims under six were assaulted and 37.2 percent of the victims were in the age group of 6-13.

Heart-breaking cases on the rise

NHM, 15, lives in the southern Tay Ninh Province and is one of the victims of incestuous sex abuse -- raped by her own biological father in their home after her mother passed away.

“He forced me to take the place of my mother when he was drunk,” said the young girl to us in her shabby, desolate small house, with practically no furniture in it but an altar with her mother’s picture on top.

“Many times, I wanted to tell my grandparents about it but in the morning he became a different person -- a good, gentle father who is devoted to hard work to care for me and my sisters. So I forgot about all that happened the night before.”

NHM was only taken to hospital for abortion by the father when she was about five months in pregnancy and the neighbors began to notice her unusual large belly.

After the abortion, her father continued to subject her to sexual abuse. One day, exhausted mentally and physically, NHM went to see her grandmother and told her the truth.

The father was subsequently arrested and sentenced to six years in prison.

When we met, NHM talked happily with us about being placed in the foster care of a charitable institution and that she could now return to school.

“I was adopted by a charitable organization. Now I live in a new home, go to a new school and most importantly, nobody knows about my past so no one looks down on me or discriminate against me,” she said.

NHL is another heart-breaking case of child sex abuse.

A 10-year-old orphan who lived with her poor grandmother, she had to walk around the city to sell lottery tickets, earning VND50,000 – 70,000 (US$2.5 – 3.5) a day for daily food.

In the middle of 2009, she was lured into a 60-year-old neighbor’s house where he sexually abused her and then gave her VND5,000.

This went on for more than a year until the abuse was discovered in August 2010 when his neighbors caught him committing the act of assaulting the little girl in his house. The man was seized and handed over to the police.

With no other source of income for her grandmother and herself, NHL still has to walk the streets of HCM City to sell lottery tickets, where every day she still faces the threat of falling victim to another sexual offender lurking around the corner.

bigdude
20-07-2011, 04:12 PM
I need some help from bros here.. how to translate the following to vietnamese?

1. shy
2. kiss
3. how r u?
4. wat time meet?

thks

KangTuo
21-07-2011, 12:06 AM
I need some help from bros here.. how to translate the following to vietnamese?

1. shy
2. kiss
3. how r u?
4. wat time meet?

thks

1. mac co
2. hon
3. em khoe khong
4. may gio gap nhua

these simple words can be found in vdick.com

edelyn
21-07-2011, 01:55 AM
any bro up before the girl from this http://gorgeous-liciousmodels.weebly.com

jackbl
21-07-2011, 09:23 AM
any bro up before the girl from this http://gorgeous-liciousmodels.weebly.com

I think you post on the wrong thread.... Here is mainly for vietnamese culture & ARTS :D

Honey Boon
21-07-2011, 11:29 AM
the main purpose of the post is not to ask a question, but more like advertisement for that :confused:

I think you post on the wrong thread.... Here is mainly for vietnamese culture & ARTS :D

jackbl
21-07-2011, 12:48 PM
Child sexual abuse on the rise in Vietnam



Cover-up culture abets child sex abuse
===============================================
In Vietnam, pedophiles often get away because, in what is still a conservative society, victims try to cover up their “shame.”


Even when they do go to the law, it is often after much hesitation and soul-searching, and this delay makes it very hard for the police to obtain proof.

One such instance was the sexual abuse of seven-year-old PTKL of Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Binh District nine months ago.

One day last September the little girl was called into his house by a man living opposite, NVO. Her parents had left as usual to deliver bread to a local market.

“He lured my daughter into his house, gave her candy, hugged her, and committed some obscene acts,” the girl’s mother HTO quoted her daughter as saying.

The girl said: “When he held me and did it, it was painful and I cried loudly and tried to run. But he held me back.”

The mother said she only realized something was wrong later that day when KL cried and said she felt pain in her lower abdomen.

Two days later KL recounted what had happened, her mother said.

She reported to the local police immediately and the girl was taken to Tan Binh Hospital where KL was diagnosed with a vagina infection and “intact hymen.”

The Tan Binh District police took in NVO but had to release him 20 days later for “lack of evidence.”

HTO appealed but the police again said they had “no proof to charge NVO.”

She said the police could not collect samples from her daughter because two days had elapsed since the incident.

“Later, NVO came to a coffee shop near my house and taunted my girl. Even now my daughter panics when she sees him.”

Such instances are all too frequent, especially in remote and rural areas due to lack of knowledge and social discrimination.

The case of TTH of Long An Province is possibly even worse -- she was regularly raped by her stepfather for two years but again the police have been unable to find evidence.

The stepfather, a motorbike-taxi driver, began abusing TTH whenever her mother was not at home when she was just nine.

He threatened to kill the girl and her mother if she told anyone.

But one day, she blurted out in anger after witnessing him beating up her mother.

The horrified mother decided to divorce him and reported to local authorities but no charges have been filed against him.

jackbl
21-07-2011, 03:26 PM
Child sex abuse remains a hard nut to crack
==================================================
For victims of child sex abuse, the Nhip Cau Hanh Phuc (Happy Bridge) Center in Ho Chi Minh City’s Binh Thanh District is one of the places that provide them support, therapeutic counseling, and social re-integration skills.

“All suffer long-lasting pains and consequences,” said the center’s psychologist Pham Sy while looking through records of the girls the center recently received.


Behavior, mental disorders

Sy said sexually abused victims suffer long-term consequences of pains and health injuries and usually show signs of behavior and mental disorders.

They are often haunted by the memory and have feelings of extreme fear, worry and bewilderment around people of the opposite sex or in relation to sexual issues, according to Sy.

Sy said the girls often feel guilty and blame themselves for what happened to them. They withdraw into themselves, will not participate in group or social activities and can easily exhibit sudden outbursts of anger.

“We have seen them acting recklessly, living lonely and leading unsociable lives,” Sy said. “They usually have the feelings of despair and fury and sometimes do things to physically injure themselves or mutilate their body. Some even intend to commit suicide.”

Sy said it is important that sexually abused children should receive plenty of support from everyone around so they can get back on their feet.

“The consequences of sexual abuse may last for many years, affecting their growth and maturity. Abused children usually show signs of depression and will experience many difficulties in their sex life later,” he said.

Many psychologists said sexually abused children often experience rock-bottom despair, seeing themselves as “having nothing else to lose.” The lack of care and support from their family and society therefore may drive them towards self-destructive or anti-social behavior.


Family protection needed

Many child sex abuse victims did not understand what had happened to them. Some even said: “He didn’t do any harm to me!”

Many parents of sexually abused girls, lacking legal knowledge or worried about the aftermath, agreed to settle out of court with the offenders or accepted payment from them to let the case go.

N. T. L. and her husband, who live in Ho Chi Minh City’s Cu Chi District, accepted VND20 million (US$952) of compensation money from the man who had raped their 12-year-old daughter because they need the money to settle part of their debts.

Not long afterwards, the mother married off her teenage daughter to a man despite her neighbors’ criticism. As she explained nonchalantly to them: “After what had happened, she was lucky enough to find a man who agrees to marry her!”

When the offenders are the victims’ relatives or their family members, the cases often go unreported or are not taken up by the authority due to the lack of evidence.

According to Sy, the most effective solution for parents is to teach their children to protect themselves and let them know that sex abuse is a crime, a violation of the law.

“Under no circumstances should victims of sex abuse feel guilty,” Sy said. “Children must be able to tell and resist the first signs of sex abuse. Their families should let them know that they are always protected by law.”

As many cases of child abuse result from inadequate parental care, Sy believed that parents must take care to teach their children to say “no” to seductions and teach them to recognize and avoid bad environments. They must also tell their children not to fear any threats and to report the abuse to them without fear.

Sy said many parents called his center to seek advice and they were very shy of talking with their children about sensitive body parts, which only keeps their children in ignorance.

“We should show children some ways to protect themselves when necessary,” he said, adding that parents must try to befriend their children so that the latter can share with them everything, especially unusual things that happen to them.

jackbl
22-07-2011, 01:35 AM
Café girl accuses boss of forced prostitution
================================================== ====

A 20-year-old waitress has escaped from a coffee house in Ho Chi Minh City’s Binh Tan district which she says is a disguised brothel. She has also accused her boss of forcing her into prostitution.

A man, whose name is not revealed, in Ward 14, District 10 has helped rescue the girl, L. after he reported the case to police.

The man said at 7 pm Saturday, L rushed into his house on Ba Thang Hai Street, asking him to hide her from some people who were forcing her to continue prostitution acts.

He kept the girl in his house and reported the case to local police.

The police have called in about 10 people, including L’s boss, for questioning.

The girl told police that in mid May, her mother took her from their native southern province of Dong Thap to work at the café on Kinh Duong Vuong Street in An Lac Ward in Binh Tan district.

Four days later, the café owner requested her to sell her virginity to a man for VND500,000 (US$24.5), but she refused and told her mother about it.

As her mother asked her “to follow the boss’ instructions”, she eventually agreed and got the money.

The owner later allegedly forced her to make love with many other men for
VND300,000-600,000 each time but she was not paid any money.

She said that in late May, the boss sold her to a gang that managed street girls on Chau Van Liem Street in District 5.

She had since worked as a prostitute/waitress at the café in daytime and as a streetwalker at nights until she was rescued.

The police are investigating.

jackbl
22-07-2011, 05:18 AM
“Prostitution could not be a job”
============================================

VietNamNet Bridge – Responding to the idea that Vietnam should legalize prostitution, a senior official confirmed on July 15, that Vietnamese law does not consider prostitution as a job and this social evil must be combated.

Le Thi Ha, vice chief of the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs’ (MoLISA), said that Vietnam would continue fighting prostitution.

“In the 2011-2015, based on the traditional culture, customs and habits of Vietnam… once again the Vietnamese law confirms to not consider prostitution as a job and combating prostitution is still the mission of all agencies and the entire society,” Ha emphasized.

According to this official, it is needed to control the harmful effects of prostitution because it highly affects health, families and the society. Prostitution and unsafe sex has been and will be among factors that spread HIV/AIDS, she stressed.

“On June 28, at a workshop in Quang Ninh province, Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan said that many women became prostitutes because of difficult situations, so they need assistance to have access to social services and to be relieved from wounds. That is the only idea that the Minister emphasized and she did not mean seeing prostitution as a job,” Ha added.

The official said that Vietnam is struggling against prostitution in favorable conditions: the determination of the Party, the Government and the MoLISA’s experience in combating prostitution and learning from other countries.

In the first half of 2011, the prostitution prevention forces detected nearly 10,000 businesses committing prostitution, collected VND7 billion of fines and revoked business licenses of 251 businesses. Police also detected 380 prostitution cases, arrested nearly 750 prostitutes, over 470 whoremasters and 300 pimps. Relevant agencies make files of over 14,800 prostitutes. Around 1,300 prostitutes are being treated and educated at rehabilitation centers.

Le Duc Hien, also a vice chief from the MoLISA’s Department for Social Evil Prevention, said that prostitution is still complicated since it is disguised under the name of legal services like massages, karaoke, etc., the appearance of online prostitution and prostitution at the border.

Hien said that the anti-prostitution forces in provinces are weak and lack of funding. On average, each province spends VND200 million ($9,700) on fighting prostitution annually. Some local governments do not pay attention to this task, he added.

Regarding the idea of legalizing prostitution, Hien said that this is a new way of thinking but Vietnam’s current ability cannot manage it. “If we are careless, prostitution will book,” Hien said.

PV

CPTMiller
23-07-2011, 11:59 AM
Thanks for the news update. Pal

CPTMiller
23-07-2011, 12:10 PM
ICA is getting tougher on VB nowadays.
The chance that they refuse entry for VB is more then 50%.

If the Sin guy will to accompany her and make known to ICA staffs.
It will more successful for her entry.
But this is no guarantee.
My friend VB was stop at custom Changi Terminal 1.
They rejected her entry eventhough her last visit to Sin was 6 months ago and she carry usd3000 cash.


no they will not question the guy but i guess if u go before the vb and tell the ica guy at the counter that shes ur gf etc and u willing to sponsor etc she will have a higher chance of coming in

owen10
23-07-2011, 12:54 PM
saw this clip in youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXm3sQrXcwY&feature=related

looks exciting. even wider selection than many KTVs.

anyone been to such salons in VN b4 n how r d damages like? any specials?

Hurricane88
23-07-2011, 01:01 PM
saw this clip in youtube:

anyone been to such salons in VN b4 n how r d damages like? any specials?

why dun you search in my thread...see my signature...search "le duyen"...sure plenty of hits...:p

owen10
23-07-2011, 01:04 PM
why dun you search in my thread...see my signature...search "le duyen"...sure plenty of hits...:p

wow u r fast bro!

thks thks ... didnt expect such a place also have so many hits in SB .. :D

Hurricane88
23-07-2011, 01:09 PM
wow u r fast bro!

thks thks ... didnt expect such a place also have so many hits in SB .. :D

hcm is a very popular place...lots of bros visited the LD1-5 and wrote plenty of forums...you should have a very good idea what to expect...for addresses you can check them in my signature fro self help...:p

jackbl
27-07-2011, 12:58 PM
New President of Vietnam

张晋创当选 越南国家主席
=====================================
(河内法新电)越南昨天选举总理阮晋勇的长期竞争对手张晋创为新任国家主席。
  62岁的张晋创(Truong Tan Sang)作为唯一候选人,获得国会投票通过,当选为国家主席。

  国会新闻中心一名官员说:“在496张选票中,他获得了超过97%的支持,已经被选为国家 主席。”

  张晋创将是越南的第九任国家主席,第一任是越南国父胡志明。

  张晋创自从2006年以来就是越南共产党实际上的二号人物,而且据分析家说, 他也是总理阮晋勇的最强“竞争对手”。而张晋创当选就意味着,阮晋勇在周二的全国大会上再次当选为总理几乎 已经毫无悬念。

  虽然互为竞争对手,不过一名亚洲外交官预计,张晋创和阮晋勇之间的关系还是和谐的,因为总理要专注于给 这个经济问题多多的国家带来稳定。而国家主席更多具有的是象征意义。

  张晋创是越南南部隆安省人,学生时期曾被美国支持的南越政府关进监狱,后来担任过胡志明市 市长。

越南此前的国家主席为阮明哲,他只担任一任的国家主席。

jackbl
28-07-2011, 12:26 AM
阮晋勇以94%得票率连任越南总理
============================================
(河内讯)人民网报道,正在召开的越南第十三届国会第一次会议26日下午投票产生了新一届政府总理,现任政 府总理阮晋勇以94%的得票率获得连任。
此前,新当选的越南国家主席张晋创向国会推荐阮晋勇为越南新一届政府总理候选人。据悉,阮晋勇是新一届政府 总理的唯一候选人。
阮晋勇,男,1949年11月生,越南南部金瓯省人,法学学士。1967年6月加入越南共产党。越南共产党 第八届、九届、十届、十一届中央政治局委员。越南第十届、十一届、十二届、十三届国会代表。
阮晋勇于1996年6月担任越共中央经济部部长。1997年9月担任越南政府副总理。2006年6月担任越 南政府总理。
越南第十三届国会第一次会议已选举阮生雄为新一届国会主席,选举张晋创为新一届国家主席,选举阮晋勇为新一 届政府总理。
本次国会会议7月21日在首都河内开幕,预计将于8月6日闭幕。

jackbl
28-07-2011, 09:41 AM
HCM City: Foreign visitors “slaughtered” by cheating games
================================================== ======
VietNamNet Bridge – After getting acquainted with foreign visitors in HCM City’s downtown area, a group of Filipinos invited them to their rented houses in the suburbs for dinner, lured them into gambling, and cheated victims out of their money.

HCM City police have arrested 11 Filipino people for swindling other foreign people by cheating games.

These people told the police that they came to Vietnam several months ago and they hired two houses in Thu Duc district to earn their living by cheating games.

They became acquainted with other foreigners in the downtown area, invited them to their rented houses for dinner, lured them into gambling, and cheated victims out of their money.

According to police, these people caused at least two cheating cases. In June 2011, this group took $3,000 and JPY60,000 from a Japanese man by cheating gamble.

The second case happened on July 13, and the victim was 19-year-old Canadian Emily Helen Garbe.

She had met Cesar Devilla, 58, and Dinido Macachor, 48, two members of the gang, at a shopping mall in District 1. They had struck up an acquaintance with Garbe, saying they wanted some information about her country since some of their relatives were about to go to Canada.

They had later invited her to their house in Thu Duc district, where Gemma D. Frend, 44, another member, persuaded Garbe to play blackjack for money. After playing four games, Garbe got the feeling of being cheated and said she wanted to stop playing.

At that moment, following a tip-off from the public, officers burst into the house and took all of them to the District 1 police office for questioning.

From the testimonies of the three Filipinos, the police later arrested eight more members of the gang from that and another house in the same ward. The police are continuing their investigation.

In May 2010, HCM City police arrested four Filipino and one Vietnamese who cheated foreign visitors by gamble. They confessed that they did not remember how many cases they had made until the moment they were arrested.

Dam De

AdGuy
28-07-2011, 11:24 AM
HCM City: Foreign visitors “slaughtered” by cheating games
================================================== ======


This article is so misleading.

Thought it was e viets who swindled.

jackbl
28-07-2011, 11:30 AM
This article is so misleading.

Thought it was e viets who swindled.

This is to warn ppl. In VN, must be careful. Not just Viets will XNN. Even foreigners there will XNN too :D

My fren was pickpocketed within 5sec. He was walking on the street late at night, walking from New World Casino back to Cho Ben Thanh... Got motor gal come and touch his body, and within seconds his wallet was gone :(

Honey Boon
28-07-2011, 11:39 AM
一山还有一山高!哈哈

this is to warn ppl. In vn, must be careful. Not just viets will xnn. Even foreigners there will xnn too :d

e :(

PC1881
28-07-2011, 01:55 PM
Just a question.. Why some of the viet girls sms they replace all the "i" with "j".

Sample: O day la vn.co gj dau ma so.thu dj .aj so aj

Btw, what is she saying huh?

I believe it's something like here is Vietnam. Dun know what then who scared who?

Can someone help? Thanks!

KangTuo
28-07-2011, 03:45 PM
Just a question.. Why some of the viet girls sms they replace all the "i" with "j".

Sample: O day la vn.co gj dau ma so.thu dj .aj so aj

Btw, what is she saying huh?

I believe it's something like here is Vietnam. Dun know what then who scared who?

Can someone help? Thanks!

conventional phone - to key letter "i", you need to press 3 times on number "4". letter "j" only press once on number "5".
for fast sms-ing... they use "j" to replace "i".

iphone and smart phone - vb still use "j" to replace "i".... to act cute :p

ans - here is vietnam. what is there to be scared. try it. who scare who.

jackbl
28-07-2011, 03:49 PM
ans - here is vietnam. what is there to be scared. try it. who scare who.

Sianzzz, back to work, back to reality.... Where to chiong for "vietnamese lesson" tonite?

KangTuo
29-07-2011, 12:37 AM
My fren was pickpocketed within 5sec. He was walking on the street late at night, walking from New World Casino back to Cho Ben Thanh... Got motor gal come and touch his body, and within seconds his wallet was gone :(

lesson learnt - always put your wallet and money in the front pocket when oversea..

lesson learnt 2 - always put your money in separate places... front pocket, shoe, socks, underwear and the safest place is the kar chng hole :p if the motor gal want to take money, you can ask her to lick your asshole to take it

KangTuo
29-07-2011, 12:39 AM
Sianzzz, back to work, back to reality.... Where to chiong for "vietnamese lesson" tonite?

lets go to JC :D
ooopppsss... only reply at this hour :p

Santaclaws
29-07-2011, 01:08 AM
lesson learnt - always put your wallet and money in the front pocket when oversea..

I did put my wallet in my front pocket. But when she is grabbing your balls with 1 hand and tussling with your pocket with another, the game is already over .. at least for people who have never encountered this before.

lesson learnt 2 - always put your money in separate places... front pocket, shoe, socks, underwear and the safest place is the kar chng hole :p if the motor gal want to take money, you can ask her to lick your asshole to take it

the safest place will be the hotel's safe which i managed to keep a portion of my ammos :rolleyes:

Although this incident have sadden my trip but once my friend encouraged me saying using a few hundred dollars to block a larger tragedy coming your way or worse things might have happen like getting tied up and robbed. I immediately thought of Jack walking back by himself and call to warn him about this. See Jack.. in the midst of losing my wallet and money, i still thought of you. U touched ornot :p

jackbl
29-07-2011, 01:22 AM
Although this incident have sadden my trip but once my friend encouraged me saying using a few hundred dollars to block a larger tragedy coming your way or worse things might have happen like getting tied up and robbed. I immediately thought of Jack walking back by himself and call to warn him about this. See Jack.. in the midst of losing my wallet and money, i still thought of you. U touched ornot :p

Yes, Im very touched... Thats why that night, I sleep alone, I still thought of your advice and caringness till I cant sleep.... I will up your points in 24hours times. So my friends here, please up him for giving us such a good advice.

jackbl
29-07-2011, 09:31 AM
You will see many vietnamese tourists here..... grab a chance to talk to them so that u can make 1 more vietnamese friend oversea :)

Vietnamese prefer foreign to local attractions
================================================== =====
VietNamNet Bridge - With domestic tours costing more than foreign trips and their country’s attractions not appealing enough to Vietnamese, many people opt for destinations like Thailand and Singapore.

Figures from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism show that the number of people travelling abroad via Tan Son Nhat International Airport in the first half rose by 30 percent year on year to 485,368.

Dang Nguyen, head of foreign travel at the HCMC-based PIT Tour, said the large number of Vietnamese visitors to Thailand recently has caused a shortage of tourist buses.

“There are sometimes 50 groups of Vietnamese tourists visiting Bangkok’s Safari World Zoo, 10 times higher than usual,” he said.

Tran The Duy, deputy CEO of Viettravel, said the number of package tours to Thailand has jumped by 30 percent.

“Viettravel sometimes has to book 170 seats on Lufthansa Airlines flights between HCMC and Bangkok,” he said, adding that four to five Thailand packages are sold every day.

Ta Thi Cam Vinh, head of Ben Thanh Tourist’s foreign travel department, said the company’s Thai partners have declined to accept any more Vietnamese tourists since there are not enough hotels or Vietnamese-speaking tour guides.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand has put the number of Vietnamese tourists in the first six months at 244,882, 37 percent up from the same period last year.

Vietnamese are also visiting Singapore in huge numbers. Goh Tser Puan, director of LC Travel Planners in the island-nation, said hotels are full up until mid-August.

Vietnamese travel agencies blame the slump in domestic tourism to the high costs and the fact that Vietnamese destinations are not attractive enough.

On the other hand, international carriers constantly offer cheap tickets to Singapore and Thailand, making foreign tours cheaper.

Thai Airways International and Turkish Airlines, for instance, are offering round tickets between HCMC and Bangkok for US$245 and $215, while tickets from Hanoi to HCMC costs as much as VND4 million ($200).

La Quoc Khanh, deputy director of the HCMC Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism, said the department had urged closer cooperation between travel agencies and partners like hotels and airlines to reduce prices to boost domestic tourism.

“But we have received no feedback so far,” he lamented.

Source: Tuoitrenews

jackbl
29-07-2011, 09:34 AM
lets go to JC :D
ooopppsss... only reply at this hour :p

At this hour JC is quiet liao. U shd go GL instead. Grab a chance to talk if you see a vietnamese tourist there. Maybe your next visit to VN he/her can show u around :D

KangTuo
29-07-2011, 10:05 AM
At this hour JC is quiet liao. U shd go GL instead. Grab a chance to talk if you see a vietnamese tourist there. Maybe your next visit to VN he/her can show u around :D

touring around is too tiring. i prefer stay in hotel to relax.
many tour guide in vn roi but no time to engage them

Honey Boon
29-07-2011, 11:36 AM
yes, done my part to up a kind soul here ;)

Yes, Im very touched... Thats why that night, I sleep alone, I still thought of your advice and caringness till I cant sleep.... I will up your points in 24hours times. So my friends here, please up him for giving us such a good advice.

jackbl
29-07-2011, 11:59 AM
touring around is too tiring. i prefer stay in hotel to relax.

I know ur pattern liao. Been to vn 30over times but go less than 5 provinces :D

jackbl
29-07-2011, 02:55 PM
The doggedness of a Vietnamese spy
================================================== ===
Paraded before his eyes were $100,000 in cash, a villa, a car and a beautiful girl but North Vietnam’s spy Nguyen Van Thuong turned them down and refused to disclose information. The US army later cut off his legs.

On the 64th anniversary of the War Invalids' and Martyrs' Day today (Wednesday - July 27), Tuoitrenews would like to introduce to readers the story of an intelligence officer who rejected all temptations and endured the most horrifying tortures to become a true hero, a shining example for all.

The original Vietnamese story is provided by VnExpress newswire.

Thuong is now 73 years old and moves about on a wheelchair. Sometimes he casts it aside and crawls around.

At his house in a small alley off Binh Loi Street in Ward 13 in Ho Chi Minh City’s Binh Thanh District, the brave soldier recalled his war days.

He was born in Tay Ninh Province in the South into a family with revolutionary tradition and when he was just 3 months old, his parents were off to the battlefield, leaving him to his aunt’s care.

When he was 8 years old, he received terrible news that his mother was taken to Con Dao Island by the enemy and died there.

In 1959 when Thuong was 20, he were told his father, an intelligence officer, was arrested and murdered.

In that same year, Thuong decided to join the army.

In 1961, Thuong was assigned the task of protecting comrade Vo Van Kiet, who was then secretary of the Communist Party T4 Sai Gon – Gia Dinh. A little time later, Thuong was made an intelligence officer under the direct supervision of Muoi Nho or Colonel Nguyen Nho Quy, who was at the time head of intelligence in the Sai Gon – Cho Lon area.

“I have taught you all of my experience. There’s one thing you must remember in your heart: documents are spies. Losing documents is like losing spies”, Muoi Nho once told Thuong.

On December 13, 1969, Thuong was ordered to obtain a top-secret document in Saigon. On the way, he was besieged by US army helicopters while on a rice paddy.

Sharp-minded, Thuong quickly hid the document under a furrow. He now had a gun with 21 bullets and was ready the face the enemy.

“I waited for the enemy to be 15 meters away and fired 20 shots at them, killing many. The last bullet I saved for myself. However, I thought about the oath of [Communist] Party members not to commit suicide”, he told VnExpress.

Thuong then feigned surrender.

“When they approached, I shot at one of them and snatched away his gun. I used it to fire many shots at the helicopter, causing it to be on fire”, Thuong recalled.

But other helicopters crowded in. Many descended and arrested Thuong.

Upon being arrested, Thuong lied to the enemy that he was Nguyen Truong Han and could not read.



Say ‘No’ to money, women

Contrary to initial thoughts, he was not beaten nor chained in a dungeon but instead taken to a luxury villa named Hoa Hong (roses) in Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh City.

At the living room, an American officer wearing a colonel badge pointed at a stack of cash amounting to US$100,000, at a car and at the villa and announced “all of this is yours”.

In return, Thuong was asked to hand out the secret document that he earlier hid and tell them whether he is an intelligence courier named Nguyen Van Thuong.

The US side also procured a beautiful girl called Thuy Duong, Thuong continued his story.

This girl many times sneaked into his sleeping room in scanty clothes in hopes she could steal information.

She warned that his legs would be sawn off if he still proved strong-headed.

“Please listen to me, if you tell them everything, we will have US$10,000 to go to Japan [together]. If not, they will crush your two feet because that is the feet of an intelligence courier”, the girl told Thuong at the time.

But being a Vietnamese solider, Thuong resolutely turned them down.

After 100 days offering the carrots, the enemy resorted to extreme torture.

In 3 months: 6 major mutilations

In the three months after that, they six times sawed away Thuong’s legs, one by one.

The first time, they cut away his right ankle. A little while later, they severed his left ankle.

Every time they did the inhuman mutilation, they asked the same question “Are you Nguyen Van Thuong?”. The answer was always “No” and a headshake.

Thuong recalled that he gritted his teeth in pain and fainted many times.

“When confronting the enemy, I can bear all kinds of pain because in my heart, I have the strength of the [Communist] Party and images of my father, mother, wife, children and comrades”, the brave man said.

The torturers finally gave up and according to Thuong, a US colonel blurted out at the end that “I lost. You are a creature of steel”.

Afterwards, Thuong was jailed at the Ho Nai Prison where he wrote patriotic leaflets and distributed them among fellow prisoners.

He was caught and isolated in an iron cage for three months.

He was later imprisoned in Phu Quoc and freed in 1973 when the Paris Peace Accords were signed.

Since then, the former intelligence courier with the rank of major has been visiting his friends, companions in arms and telling kids stories of the bravery of Vietnamese soldiers.

He is always accompanied by his faithful wife, also a revolutionary soldier.


Meanwhile, cities and provinces across Vietnam are holding many events in commemoration of soldiers who sacrificed their lives and those who greatly contributed to the war on this War Invalids' and Martyrs' Day.

In Ca Mau in the south, leaders will visit war invalids, martyrs' families, and people who contributed to the war. A total of 31,000 people will receive gifts from the President.

In Gia Lai on the Central Highlands and in Tra Vinh in the south, officials have organized many activities including the gathering of 1,000 youths to burn 1,000 incense sticks for war martyrs.

In Bac Kan in the north, the secretary of the provincial Party Committee, Nguyen Xuan Cuong, joined other officials to visit the war martyrs' cemetery.

Other events are being organized in Quang Nam, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Da Nang in the central region.

jackbl
30-07-2011, 12:37 AM
A successful vietnamese story :)

'I Used to Dream I Was a Vietnamese Prince'
================================================== =====
German Economics Minister Philipp Rösler, who was adopted into a German family from Vietnam at a young age, insists that he never had problems because of his background. He spoke with SPIEGEL about integration, discrimination and what it means to be German.

SPIEGEL: Minister Rösler, you were born in Vietnam and adopted by German parents when you were nine months old. When was the first time you noticed that you looked different from other German children?

Rösler:When I was four or five, my father put me in front of a mirror together with him. He said: "Look at yourself, then look at me -- we look different. But no matter what happens and no matter what people say: I'm your father."

SPIEGEL: Were you teased as a child for the way you looked?

Rösler: No, never. I sometimes used to dream I was a lost Vietnamese prince. The idea appealed to me. At some point I asked my father whether there even were princes in Vietnam.

SPIEGEL: Given your appearance, could you as a teenager imagine one day becoming vice chancellor of Germany?

Rösler: What teenager can ever imagine becoming vice chancellor? I find that German citizens have been very tolerant and accepting about the fact that I look different from an "average German." Abroad, it does draw attention now and then. I recently accompanied the chancellor to Washington and when we were received at the White House, President Obama was curious about my political career.

SPIEGEL: Was there a reaction from Vietnam when you became chairman of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) -- junior coalition partner to Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives -- and vice chancellor of Germany?

Rösler: I received congratulations from many governments, including Vietnam, which made me very happy. But no connection was drawn to my Vietnamese background.

SPIEGEL: Are people in Vietnam proud of Philipp Rösler?

Rösler: Vietnamese tour buses often stop at my ministry, and for many Vietnamese people it's certainly something special. If someone adopted from Germany were part of the Vietnamese government, we Germans would probably find that interesting too.

SPIEGEL: Did your father tell you much about Vietnam?

Rösler: My father met a number of Vietnamese people in his job as a helicopter pilot with the German armed forces. In the 1970s, he often went to the US for training, where pilots in the South Vietnamese Army also trained. The war in Vietnam occupied him enormously, as it did most of his generation. He saw two options back then -- either take to the streets and protest, or help in a very practical way. He chose the second option and adopted a child from Vietnam -- me.

SPIEGEL: Now, when you watch movies about the Vietnam War, which side are you on?

Rösler: No side at all. In movies such as "Platoon" by Oliver Stone, there isn't necessarily a clear division into good and bad, so I don't feel forced to take a side.

SPIEGEL:

Did you ever wish to look like a German?

Rösler: No, because I am a German and I have always felt like a German. I went to a Catholic elementary school in the Harburg district of Hamburg, where there were a lot of Spanish and Italian students. After my first day of school, I went to my father and said, "Dad, there are lots of foreigners in my class." He laughed out loud.

SPIEGEL: Is Germany as a country friendly to foreigners?

Rösler: Yes, it is. I myself have never had negative experiences.

SPIEGEL: Which groups of foreigners would you say have the hardest time in Germany?

Rösler: That's difficult to say. In general, foreignness and differentness scare a lot of people. So I imagine the people who have it the hardest are the ones who are visually the most different from a "typical German."

SPIEGEL: Does your positive view of Germany also have something to do with the fact that you grew up in a sheltered environment? A Turkish boy in a difficult neighborhood in Berlin's Neukölln district, for example, likely has a very different perspective on Germany.

Rösler: No one has ever made fun of my heritage. But Turkish boys often had their noses rubbed in the fact that they were different. I found it unfair and dangerous. How is someone supposed to become part of society when he or she is told from the beginning, "You're not really a part of us"?

SPIEGEL: Why has the climate for foreigners in Germany grown harsher?

Rösler: In the past, foreigners were seen as an enrichment for the country. West Germany needed workers, so Spaniards, Italians and Turks were welcome. As the fear of unemployment grew, so did many people's fear that immigrants might take away their jobs. In the last few years, though, the climate has gotten considerably better.

SPIEGEL:

Can you understand that people are afraid of immigrants?

Rösler: There are always two ways to deal with these kinds of fears. Either you give in to the fears and close yourself off, or you try to be open and to enlighten people. I see this second as the liberal way.

SPIEGEL:

Has your FDP done enough to enlighten people?

Rösler: Politics as a whole has done too little to address the subject of integration.

SPIEGEL: Have German policies been too indulgent with foreigners who refused to integrate?

Part 2: 'Why Is It a Problem to Be Seen as Friendly?'

Rösler: My belief is that our policies have offered too little, in terms of language courses for example. Punishment shouldn't be our first response.

SPIEGEL: As economics minister, do you plan to ease the rules on immigration to Germany?

Rösler: I will advocate for Germany moving further in this direction. Germany needs qualified immigrants and it's absurd for us to spend so much money educating foreign students and then, after they graduate, only allow them to stay in the country for one year.

SPIEGEL: In Germany, Asians are considered especially well integrated. Why is that?

Rösler: Vietnamese parents, like many others, place value on their children getting a good education.

SPIEGEL: Do you yourself run into problems in politics because of the reputation that Asians are always nice and friendly?

Rösler: Why would it be a problem to be seen as friendly?

SPIEGEL: Because friendliness, in politics, is often taken as an inability to be assertive.

Rösler: You don't need to worry about me there.

SPIEGEL: Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble said in an interview that you are not only knowledgeable and likeable, but also have a great deal of humor. Did you feel Schäuble was belittling you?

Rösler: I did ask myself what the benefit of his comments was.

SPIEGEL: Are you proud to be a German?

Rösler: Actually, I am, but this sentence has been taken over by right-wing radicals. There's no need to overuse it.

SPIEGEL: Does Islam belong in Germany?

Rösler: There are around 4 million Muslims in the country and they too help to shape it, so yes, it's also correct to say that Islam belongs in Germany. That statement originated with Federal President Christian Wulff. When he said that, I sent him a text message right away: "That was courageous. This is going to make waves." And that's exactly what happened.

SPIEGEL: Why did you wait until you were 33 to visit Vietnam, your country of origin, for the first time?

Rösler: I went because my wife said to me: "We want to have children someday, and I'd like to be able to tell them what the country where you were born looks like."

SPIEGEL: How did you feel when you were there? Like any ordinary tourist?

Rösler: Perhaps like an especially interested tourist. It was sometimes clear that people there were wondering just what kind of person I was. They could tell that I didn't live in Vietnam. But I also didn't particularly look like one of the many Japanese tourists who go there. Most people thought I was an American on vacation, someone from one of the families that emigrated to the US.

SPIEGEL: Did you know details about your Vietnamese roots at that point?

Rösler: Yes, and I partly have SPIEGEL to thank for that. A man at an event in the town of Holzminden asked me where exactly I came from. I told him the name of the village where I was born, which I knew from my birth certificate. The man said that was quite a coincidence, because his daughter came from the same place. She was one of the children evacuated from Vietnam during the war, in 1975. One of the last planes out crashed and partially burned in a rice field. SPIEGEL later took a trip there with the surviving children -- and that was the city where my orphanage was. The SPIEGEL article also quoted both of the nuns who took care of a total of 3,000 orphans during that time. They thought up names for their charges, in order to be able to send them abroad.

SPIEGEL:

Do you know anything about your birth parents?

Rösler: No. The nuns at my orphanage had to take care of more than 3,000 children. They had to make up names and ancestry for the children in order to fill out their exit forms. There really are no clues to lead to my birth parents.

SPIEGEL: Have you ever thought of looking for them yourself?

Rösler: No, I haven't. To me, my father is my dad. Things are good the way they are. I'm not lacking anything.

jackbl
30-07-2011, 12:39 AM
Continue from above........


SPIEGEL:

What did you like best about Vietnam?

Rösler: The scenery is wonderful, and the food. When you go to an Asian restaurant in Germany, it's all very Germanized. Many Asians don't even go to Asian restaurants here, because it simply doesn't taste like it does back home.

SPIEGEL:

And yet: Your favorite singer is the German pop star Udo Jürgens. You named your twin daughters Grietje and Gesche. You're a member of the Central Committee of German Catholics. And you registered voluntarily with the Bundeswehr. You're more than a German, you're a model German.

Rösler: Then allow me my rebuttal: It's true that I'm an avid Udo Jürgens fan, but it's certainly not because he sings in German. And I'll let you in on a secret -- we don't have a German flag hanging in our house. My private car is French, for very practical reasons -- it's the only car a twin baby carriage fits into upright. And as to our children's names: When we married, my wife took my last name, which is anything but a given nowadays. We agreed that she would take the name Rösler, and in exchange she could choose the children's names. I could make my wishes known, but my wife was the one who decided. And in fact, Grietje is more of a Dutch name, and Gesche is more Frisian.

SPIEGEL: Would you say Germany has a "leading culture?"

Rösler: That is a term that was coined by others, but yes, there's certainly a common culture we can use to communicate. It fluctuates somewhere between green-cabbage kings and modernism.

SPIEGEL: That's right, congratulations! You were crowned "green cabbage king" at this year's green cabbage festival in Oldenburg.

Rösler: The tradition of crowning a green cabbage king carries with it values that are absolutely serious, such as supporting and helping one another, and staying true to a region. I have spent many years giving talks on the subject of home and origins. I don't think that "home" is something bourgeois, straight-laced or boring.

SPIEGEL: When did you first notice that Asians lack the enzyme for metabolizing alcohol?

Rösler: During puberty, which is generally when that first contact takes place.

SPIEGEL: Were you badly drunk?

Rösler: No, I wasn't. The way it works is that most people's bodies convert alcohol first to aldehyde and then to acetic acid. But the process works differently for me, with an unpleasant result -- I don't get the buzz, just the hangover.

SPIEGEL: Sounds terrible. So you don't drink at all?

Rösler: I do. If I never drank alcohol, even a tiny amount would be enough to make me feel sick. But if I drink a little bit regularly, enzymes form that help in metabolizing it.

SPIEGEL: How much can you drink?

Rösler: A glass of wine isn't a problem.

SPIEGEL: How is it possible for someone who gets sick after just a few drops of drink to survive as a politician in the state of Lower Saxony?

Rösler: You might be thinking of some overly drastic clichés of the region. Lower Saxony is a free place, you're not forced to drink. And in any case, I believe the days are past when people thought you could only make it in politics through an enormous amount of social drinking.

SPIEGEL: Are you a role model for foreigners in Germany?

Rösler: Many people see me as a role model. Right around the time when I was about to become a minister, there was a meeting at the restaurant in the Bundestag. A dark-skinned man, who was working for the catering company, came up to me. And do you know what he said? "I think it's fantastic that one of us has made it all the way to the top."

SPIEGEL: Were you pleased?

Rösler: Yes, because it was honest and came from the heart.

SPIEGEL: Minister Rösler, thank you for this interview.

Interview conducted by Markus Feldenkirchen and René Pfister

Translated from the German by Ella Ornstein

jackbl
30-07-2011, 04:32 PM
A Saigon Love Story
====================================
Since moving to Saigon last year, one of the most common questions I’ve gotten – whether from locals, other expats, or friends and family back home – has been: “Do you like Saigon?” The answer has always been quite easy. Yes, I do. In fact, I often say that I love it. Explaining that answer, though, can be a bit difficult.


To be sure, there is a lot to hate about Saigon. The absolutely insane traffic strains the patience of even the calmest individual. The honking and general noise of the metropolis is something I don’t think I’ll ever get used to. The lack of good public transportation and pedestrian areas is frustrating, as is the absence of any real outdoor recreational spots. The little “parks” here, where you can’t even walk on the grass, don’t really cut it. Taxi drivers, certain xe om drivers, and other unscrupulous individuals prey on foreigners, assuming that we are all idiots that love to be parted with our money. It’s hot in the dry season, and incredibly wet in the rainy season. The streets flood, the power could go out at any time, there’s garbage all over the place, and did I mention the traffic?

Despite all of this, I find myself comfortable in calling Saigon ‘home’. Whenever I’ve traveled elsewhere in the region, I’ve always been ready to come back by the end of the trip. I haven’t connected with Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, or Singapore in the same way. So, why do I love Saigon?

Let’s start with the food and restaurants. Before moving here, I had only eaten Vietnamese food a handful of times. I loved each meal, but I was still a relative newcomer to the cuisine. I hadn’t even tried a Vietnamese dish until 2008, when I ate a banh xeo in Toronto. I had no idea how to eat it correctly, so I simply ate the pancake part with a fork and ignored all of the lettuce and other greens. Surely the restaurant staff was laughing at me behind my back.

Now, though, I’m (hopefully) a bit of a pro. The food here is so fresh and unlike almost anything we have in the U.S. Street food especially is almost nonexistent in America. Simple open-front shops, where the food is prepared right in front of you, are also a rarity. Sure, I do miss some types of food, and certain restaurants, from back home, but when I do return to the U.S., I’ll miss authentic goi cuon, bun bo hue, bun thit nuong, and bun cha just as much. And the fresh fruit smoothies. Oh, how I’ll miss them.

To be honest, the differences between life here and life in the U.S. make up most of the reasons I like living here so much. That isn’t meant as a slight to America, I simply mean that it’s fascinating to experience a culture and daily reality that is completely different from the one I spent my first 22 years in.

Another example of this is the economic growth that Saigon is experiencing. The constant rush of traffic proves that this is literally a city on the move, while the skyscrapers going up downtown show, equally literally, that this is a city on the rise. I find it absolutely fascinating to be living in a city that is on the verge of becoming a truly international metropolis. The new financial tower, the new airport in the works, the (hopefully) upcoming subway system, and areas like Phu My Hung all highlight the ambitions of the city. This may be harder for locals to understand, but seeing all of this construction and activity is a novelty for many Westerners.



Cities in the U.S. and many parts of Europe are, in a sense, ‘finished’. They’ve been fully developed for decades, and in these tough economic times most aren’t really changing at all. You can say with confidence that Saigon will look vastly different (hopefully in a good way) in a decade. You can’t really say that about most cities in the West. Sure, that is partly a sign that the economies of those nations are more advanced and wealthier, but they are also more boring. It’s an exciting time to be living in the developing world.

Finally, for an expat, Saigon can be a relatively easy to place to live. This is a rather selfish reason, but it’s true. Enough people speak English that you can cruise by even if you barely know any Vietnamese. (Guilty.) Cost of living is far lower than where I come from, and I don’t have to work all that hard to make a decent amount of money. Yes, dealing with the bureaucratic nonsense of obtaining visas and work permits can be soul-crushing, but outside of that Westerners live an, at times, obscenely easy life here. I certainly wouldn’t be able to have as many stumble-home-at-4am nights, while still holding a steady job, in the U.S. as I’ve had here.

Food, experiencing a vastly different culture firsthand, witnessing the birth of a major city, cheap drinks. What’s not to love? Well, other than the traffic…

Michael Tatarski (American, writer, teacher)

jackbl
31-07-2011, 02:15 AM
80% females say domestic violence necessary
============================================

A recent survey finds that over 70 percent of males and 80 percent of female social workers think domestic violence is sometimes necessary to maintain order in the family.

The figures come from a survey on over 1,300 social workers at communal and ward levels, as announced by Vo Thi Hong Loan, chairwoman of a project to evaluate social workers’ awareness of the topic.

Of the total respondents, 15 percent of males and 14.5 percent of females do not consider husbands’ verbally abusive behaviors towards their wives as a type of domestic violence.

Similarly, husbands beating wives is not regarded as a type of domestic violence by 10 percent of men and 7 percent of women.

Parents beating children is also not seen as domestic violence by 15 percent of male and 9 percent of female respondents.

Especially, as much as 80.3 percent of women and 70.3 percent of men think that domestic violence is occasionally necessary for maintenance of the order of family life.

In addition, many young social workers do not consider sexual violence as domestic violence. They also saw domestic assaults as “normal”, arguing that everyone could sometimes lose their temper.

Meanwhile, “children are in the habit of aping grown-ups, so children living in families where domestic violence takes place are likely to act violent like their fathers or mothers. Some of such children may be afraid of marriage when they are mature, for fear of living amid domestic violence,” Loan said.



Practical actions needed

Recently, many domestic violence cases have been published on the mass media including a husband assaulting his wife with a hammer in Hanoi, another dousing his wife and three kids in petrol in Da Nang resulting in one death, or a father burning his son to death in Thanh Hoa province.

Loan said although the Law on Domestic Violence Prevention and Control has come into effect for four years, the awareness of the social officers at grassroots levels has not improved, as shown in the said survey.

Even many members of the research group on anti-domestic violence pay more attention on propaganda than on practical actions to drive back violence, Loan said.

“I have interviewed many women on domestic violence. A woman said her husband forced her to make love the same way as in porn movies he bought and forced her to watch. She gradually fears him as a tyrant for his sexual abuse,” Loan added.

According to the first national research on domestic violence released in late 2010, one of every two women fell victim to domestic violence, but Dr. Vu Manh Loi, from the Vietnam Social Science Institute, said the actual rate could be much higher.

While victims of domestic violence badly need help from the administration to get rid of their sufferings, many local authorities even consider husbands beating wives as a “normal” thing in society, social experts said.

jackbl
31-07-2011, 01:54 PM
Vietnamese should discuss HIV/AIDS openly
================================================== ======
TuoiTre News: In the following letter to Tuoi Tre, Michael Smith from Australia says only open discussions about HIV/AIDS can help reduce discrimination against people infected with the disease in Vietnam.

“Vietnam has to suffer many tangible issues: Agent Orange, polluted bottle water, sales of medicine without prescription, overuse of chemical in agriculture. Among these many ‘invisible ghosts,’ the most dangerous is HIV/AIDS.

Those having this virus do not share information and take health checkup until they are really sick. It is because they are afraid of public reaction. There have been many stories of these victims being publicly ostracized, fired from work or isolated from family and friends.

One of the best ways to kill this virus is to bring it to light so that everyone can discuss publicly and take a better look on the disease. For those who stand high infection risks, they need to approach testing services, contagion prevention measures and medical treatment rather than being isolated and judged upon by the society. For those who are already caught with HIV, they are surely having a hard time.

All of the victims need open doors for themselves. Due to lack of information on HIV/AIDS, unshared fears such as just touching can make you contaminated and other misunderstandings will increase social discrimination towards the victims.

In Vietnam, the high risk groups are identified to be drug addicts, prostitutes and homosexuals. Many do not dare to talk about their lifestyle to others, including medical staffs. They fear that family, spouse, community and the government will know the truth about them. This is a barrier! How can we nurture our hope to battle against HIV/AIDS while the virus is still hidden and not discussed about?

Obviously, there are more things needed to be done for HIV victims so that they can feel safe and supported. Consultation services, medical professionals and other helping hands are all needed in this fight.

Many are afraid of diagnose, consultation and treatment services as they do not know what to expect due to their own fear of discrimination. I think this fear is a great barrier in the process of preventing HIV/AIDS anywhere in the world. If HIV can infect anyone, regardless of their background, why do people discriminate? I do not believe there is anyone who chooses to be a drug addict, a homosexual or a prostitute. Social discrimination towards HIV/AIDS victims in Vietnam needs to be changed so that everyone can feel safe and supported when they need.”



Michael Smith (Australian)

jackbl
01-08-2011, 08:57 AM
Chicken rice with gac fruit is home
==========================================
My hometown lies in the central region, which is notorious for the dry, hot summers. However, you can find delicious, refreshing fruit there all year long, such as lychees, longans and spiny bitter gourds (gac fruits).

When I was a child, I used to wonder how my mother and sister could make such delicious dishes from these small gac fruits, such as the Vietnamese red sticky rice (xoi gac), gac wine and gac oil. When we were bored of these dishes, my mother switched to chicken rice with gac fruit.

To make my favorite dish you need to choose soft, fragrant rice and a chicken raised in the garden, which has soft and delicious meat. Finding a red, fresh and ripe gac fruit is also important, as it will create the beautiful red color and the fragrant smell of the dish.

The inside of the gac fruit is mixed with wine and added to the rice, which is already washed and left to dry. This mixture is stirred with oil, and then cooked in the rice cooker with chicken broth. You can also put in pineapple leaves to create more fragrance to the dish.

When the rice is cooked, you can smell the wonderful aroma of rice, gac fruit and pineapple leaves mixed together. The chicken is cut up to be served on top of the red, delicious-looking rice together with some Vietnamese mint (rau ram) and pepper. Then the dish is enjoyed with cucumber and fish sauce (nuoc mam) with garlic and chili.

Some years have passed since I enjoyed my mother’s chicken rice with gac fruit. Suddenly I find myself wandering back in time when she calls and says that the gac fruits in my hometown have again ripened.

jackbl
02-08-2011, 12:39 AM
Bánh cuốn indulgence
================================
Like bún, bánh cuốn is a gift from good rice. With its attractive and tempting appearance, the crepe-like roll catches the attention at first sight.

The white outer layer of bánh cuốn is transparent enough to hint at what makes up the mysterious filling, which is actually ground pork, minced mộc nhĩ (wood ear mushroom), spring onion and nấm hương, or shiitake mushrooms.

Bánh cuốn is mentioned in Technique du peuple Annamite by the French author Henri Oger. Of the 4,200 paintings and painted woodcuts in this sizeable tome produced in 1908 and 1909, one depicts a bánh cuốn vendor in traditional dress making her way around town with two baskets of steaming equipment and food at the ends of her shoulder pole.

It’s still very popular in Vietnam, perhaps more than ever, and many a place has its own version, invariably called “bánh cuốn” followed by the name of the pertinent town, city or province.

To give a few examples, there is bánh cuốn Hà Nội, which has the normal filling but is served with cà cuống sauce (cà cuống – an insect which provides special fragrant oil, enhancing the taste of the sauce), bánh cuốn Hải Dương, bánh cuốn Lạng Sơn and bánh cuốn Phủ Lý. Then there’s the quite different bánh cuốn Thanh Trì, with a filling of spring onion and mộc nhĩ but no pork. It is served with sweet and sour sauce.

With the rice sheets that form the wrapping of bánh cuốn, it’s a case of the thinner, the better.

In the south, there is a similar dish named bánh ướt, the chief difference being the much thicker wrapping and therefore rice content. Some vendors batter and deep-fry their bánh ướt to balance the rice, a recipe preferred by many southerners. They also like it with young bean sprouts to release the heat, particularly in the sweltering city.

Bánh cuốn showcases the flexibility of the Vietnamese people. Its taste is simple, fresh with the fragrant herbs and sauce that the vendor gives generously, as much as the customer wants really.

Some like it hot, some like it cold, some like pork filling, some like the meat-free Thanh Tri style, and some like bánh cuốn with a steamed egg inside, the way they make it in Lang Son Province in the far north. Unsurprisingly, that version is called bánh cuốn Lạng Sơn.

A good bánh cuốn cook is skillful, quick and patient. Sometimes, when passing a traditional Vietnamese restaurant in Saigon, I think of a certain bánh cuốn vendor on the sidewalk of Phan Huy Chu Street, at the corner of Hang Chuoi Street. She’s a quiet woman in her mid thirties who cycles into the center of Hanoi from the city’s outskirts in the early morning of every day. She must get up in the small hours to prepare the food and cooking gear for the busy, tiring day ahead of her.

Concentration is the key to making bánh cuốn as the same actions must be repeated again and again. It’s a busy job. First, the rice flour must be prepared. Then a spoonful of the wet batter is spread over a closely woven steaming basket and the resulting rice sheet taken outside with a tiny bamboo stick and left to cool and harden a little.

Next comes the filling of minced pork and two types of mushroom, and that requires plenty of cooking too. When the filling is ready, it is rolled in the thin rice sheet, which is then cut into shorter rolls. To these are added coriander, basil and fried spring onion to fortify the taste.

Bánh cuốn from a pavement vendor is cheap yet packed with flavor. Even in an expensive city like Hanoi, budget-constrained gourmands can treat themselves to the delicacy for VND7,000 to VND10,000. Even poor children and students can usually afford the meat-free bánh cuốn Thanh Trì with its mộc nhĩ, fried spring onion and fresh herbs.

With so many Vietnamese people living abroad, it’s not surprising to find bánh cuốn, phở and other traditional dishes along the streets of foreign cities. When I was in Paris in 2008, I had the chance to taste bánh cuốn in the thirteenth arrondissement on the Left Bank of the Seine. In this area reminiscent of Saigon, I came across several Vietnamese restaurants packed with Westerners and Asians enjoying bánh cuốn and phở.

Good bánh cuốn restaurants can be found in Saigon, for example Bánh Cuốn Lá at 57 Nguyen Du Street in District 1, opposite Notre Dame Cathedral. It has a dozen versions of bánh cuốn on the menu, like bánh cuốn Thanh Trì, bánh cuốn Hà Nội, and bánh cuốn with pork pie or lạp xưởng.

It’s a cozy little nook with only half a dozen tables, and on one wall are traditional ink drawings of a woman hawking her bánh cuốn in the streets. A serving of bánh cuốn Thanh Trì with pork pie costs around two dollars, while the other items on the menu are a bit pricier.

True, the restaurant is a tad stingy with the herbs, but the bánh cuốn itself is good.

By To Van Nga, Thanh Nien News (The story can be found in the July 22nd issue of our print edition, Thanh Nien Weekly)

jackbl
02-08-2011, 10:23 AM
Great balls of rice
====================================
When Vietnam was still poor, rice balls fuelled the nation.

Farmers who toiled in fields far from their homes relied on the modest snacks to recharge them at midday and power them through to sunset. Rice balls sprinkled with crushed peanuts, sesame and salt were included in the daily equipment of street vendors and businessmen, alike. We don’t know exactly when the dish was first prepared. But we do know that it has been enjoyed in Vietnam for hundreds of years since.

Nowadays, cơm nắm, or balled rice, is heralded as a specialty from a village in Van Giang in Hung Yen Province.

It continues to be sold as a snack item on the streets of Hanoi. The balls must be made from soft, aromatic rice Vietnamese have strict standards about the quality and texture of their cơm nắm. After being cooked and wrapped, the grains should remain slightly firm and intact. They should stick together to form beautiful, smooth white balls.

In addition to balled rice, other rice-based snack foods, such as bánh giò (glutinous rice wrapped around pork, black mushrooms and chopped pearl onions) remain popular throughout the country. These dishes no longer remind the urban rich of rural poverty. Instead, they are considered simple delicacies.

Those who don’t have the time to grab a full bowl of noodles for breakfast should consider a simple and filling rice ball. The dish is tasty, cheap and gets one through the day.


To welcome guests into your home, especially on a rainy day, consider offering them this hot, simple treat. Rice balls cut into slices are considered a humble hors d’oeuvre.

On the streets of Hanoi, it is not uncommon to see couples veer to the side of the road at the sight of a woman selling cơm nắm from a shoulder pole.

The dish has spread throughout the country, and is now available in Ho Chi Minh City. Com Nam Viet (Vietnamese balled rice) Restaurant, located at 151B Hai Ba Trung Street, District 1, is famous for this dish and boasts threes varieties of sesame salt.

Try it and see why the dish remained popular through so many generations.

By Ngoc Hanh, Thanh Nien News

jackbl
02-08-2011, 01:19 PM
Vietnamese ‘pho’ and ‘goi cuon’ in world top 50 delicious cuisines
================================================== =======

VietNamNet Bridge – Two specialties of Vietnam – pho (Vietnamese noodle) and goi cuon occupy two middle positions in the list of the top 50 cuisines in the world by CNN. Vietnamese pho ranks the 28th while goi cuon is at 30th.

At the top of the list is Thailand’s curry, followed by Italy’s pizza, Mexico’s chocolate, Japan’s sushi, China’s Beijing roast duck and Germany’s hamburger.

Fresh maize (13th), shrimp (17th) and vanilla ice cream (22nd) do not belong to any country.

Pho is a Vietnamese noodle soup, usually served with beef or chicken. The soup includes noodles made from rice and is often served with Vietnamese basil, lime, and bean sprouts that are added to the soup by the diner.

Pho is served in a bowl with a specific cut of white rice noodles in clear beef broth, with slim cuts of beef (steak, fatty flank, lean flank, brisket). Variations feature tendon, tripe, meatballs, chicken leg, chicken breast, or other chicken organs.

The broth is generally made by simmering beef (and sometimes chicken) bones, oxtails, flank steak, charred onion, and spices, taking several hours to prepare. Seasonings can include Saigon cinnamon or other kinds of cinnamon as alternatives, star anise, roasted ginger, roasted onion, black cardamom, coriander seed, fennel seed, and clove.

Typical garnishes for pho: culantro, Thai basil, lime, bean sprouts, onions, and chilli. Vietnamese dishes are meals typically served with lots of greens, herbs, vegetables, and various other accompaniments such as dipping sauces, hot and spicy pastes, and a squeeze of lime or lemon juice. The dish is garnished with ingredients such as green onions, white onions, coriander, Thai basil, fresh chili peppers, lemon or lime wedges, bean sprouts and coriander or culantro. Fish sauce, hoisin sauce and chili sauce may be added to taste as accompaniments.

Goi cuon (summer or fresh roll) is a Vietnamese dish consisting of pork, shrimp, herbs, rice vermicelli, and other ingredients wrapped in rice paper. They are served at room temperature, and are not deep fried. Summer roll has gradually gained popularity among Vietnam's neighboring countries and in the West. Many Western restaurants serve Vietnamese summer rolls as an appetizer.

Goi cuon are easily distinguished from similar rolls by the fact that they are not fried and that the ingredients used are different from (deep-fried) Vietnamese egg rolls. Fresh rolls have gradually become more popular in many countries.

PV

haha_123
02-08-2011, 09:30 PM
Today my Vn gf smsed me to say that she's feeling buon qua. When I asked her why, she replied:

Me em bat em lay Chong

Can any brother help me translate, as I completely catch no ball. Thanks.

Roni
02-08-2011, 10:21 PM
her mother wants her to find a husband soon....

KangTuo
02-08-2011, 11:19 PM
Today my Vn gf smsed me to say that she's feeling buon qua. When I asked her why, she replied:

Me em bat em lay Chong

Can any brother help me translate, as I completely catch no ball. Thanks.

her mum ask her to get a husband

haha_123
02-08-2011, 11:22 PM
her mum ask her to get a husband

Thanks, bro KangTuo.

It smells trouble!!!:o:(

desa
03-08-2011, 03:07 AM
can someone tell me what is la sao???

volcano
03-08-2011, 03:59 AM
Thanks, bro KangTuo.

It smells trouble!!!:o:(



Wish u gd luck....:)

jackbl
03-08-2011, 08:08 AM
can someone tell me what is la sao???

La Sao= Is What

KangTuo
03-08-2011, 08:48 AM
La Sao= Is What

today you in good mood huh?
how cum willing ti translate instead of telling bro to search vdick?

desa
03-08-2011, 10:45 AM
thanks a lot, just cant get the translation from the translator

Hurricane88
03-08-2011, 07:09 PM
Thanks, bro KangTuo.

It smells trouble!!!:o:(

all these are kc trap la...often used tactics...:p

jackbl
04-08-2011, 10:15 AM
Procrastination – a national malaise
============================================

It can be said without exaggeration that delaying deadlines has become a chronic disease in Vietnam, especially at the administrative level.

Whether it is an important thing like a new regulation or something less so like a new academic program, everything can be put off here.

The practice is so common that most new regulations are not taken seriously by Vietnamese citizens, who are confident that the agencies concerned will delay them for various reasons, justified and otherwise.

The newest example is the State Bank of Vietnam’s delay in asking automated teller machine (ATM) card holders to change their bank identification numbers (BINs) to bring it in line with international practices.

Aimed at making a common payment system for all ATM card issuers, the central bank had launched the regulation three years ago and set June 30 this year as the deadline for compliance.

However, because many card holders have not bothered to change it as asked, the state bank last announced that it would extend the deadline until December 31 next year, as proposed by local banks.

Some people have said it doesn’t matter whether the regulation is delayed for a year or a year-and-a-half, because the only consequence is that the banks would not come up with a common system to make their operations easier. And, the banks have waited for three years already, so another delay should not be a big problem.

Earlier this month, the government postponed by another two years its decision to fine buses and trucks that fail to carry black boxes – devices that record their journey. The original deadline was this July 1.

Although the latest decree still requires buses and trucks that frequently travel more than 500 kilometers to follow the regulation by the set deadline, many transportation companies have breathed a sigh of relief.

They can “legally violate” regulations on licensing transport businesses which stated installing black boxes as one of the requirements until 2013.

And who knows, the government then could delay it for another couple of years. Many regulations in Vietnam have been delayed several times already.

For example, all container truck drivers currently holding class C, D, and E licenses were to upgrade to FC class by July 1 this year. The regulation was first scheduled to take effect July 1, 2009, but delayed for one year as many drivers hadn’t upgraded their licenses for various reasons like the fear that driving courses would take time off their working schedules.

Then, as the deadline approached last year, both drivers and transport companies kept complaining about the troubles they were facing, because many drivers hadn’t acquired the upgrades yet.

Now yet another deadline is approaching, and it seems that many drivers are waiting for another delay.

Everything is subject to delay in an uncertain world, yes, but a regulation or a policy that has been carefully planned after consulting with several agencies and experts needs to be applied on time.

To postpone it should be a valid last resort, not a way of life. If the latter approach prevails, people will develop the habit of procrastination. Moreover, there is the very real danger that constant delays in applying policies and regulations will result in policy makers and enforcers not taken seriously, and end up looking unprofessional and unreliable.

By Nguyen Hang

jackbl
05-08-2011, 10:25 AM
The small joys of daily life
===================================

Many Taiwanese friends do not understand why I love Vietnam although the country is still developing and it is not convenient living here as in Taiwan. I prefer staying here rather than my homeland, Taiwan, for many reasons.

Firstly, Vietnam is a lot like the Taipei I used to know in childhood. In Vietnam, I often go drinking sugar cane with my landlord. As we sit on plastic chairs, waiting for our drinks, I often turn to look at the streets and feel happy in my heart. In front of me are sights I saw from childhood back home: kids playing in the sunset and old people relaxing on chairs on the sidewalk. Such images from the good old times have been imprinted in my mind.

Secondly, the pace of life here is slower and less stressful than in Taipei. It seems to me that Taiwanese have to worry about many things in life and gradually become very cold to other people. But in Vietnam, strangers can sit around the same table and eat together. On the bus, everyone can start a conversation with a passenger next to them. Vietnamese are always ready to share their feelings to each other. No wonder life here is so fulfilling.

When I went to school in Taipei, I sometimes wanted to talk to friends during break time or befriend someone new. However, all I got were brief replies and my friends would continue to have their breakfast rather than talk to me.

Although life in Vietnam is not as convenient as in Taiwan, Vietnamese seem to have more joys. I myself always find something to live on every day. Nevertheless, I hope to see Vietnam grow as people say you cannot always live in the past. Development is necessary but I hope Vietnam will strike a balance between progress and happiness.

Vinh Huong (a Taiwanese editor living in Hanoi)

jackbl
05-08-2011, 01:06 PM
Treasure everyday of your life
===================================

Another college entrance exam season has passed. As most universities have announced the results, some students are very happy while others may be lost, wondering what to do with their life when the door to college has closed in front of them.

In Vietnam, university entrance exam is considered an important measure to ‘filter’ good and bad students and grant those ‘eligible’ a ticket to go study further. Teaching in workshops at An Giang University, Susan& Neal Newfield express concern over young people’s pressure to pass the college entrance exams. The two professors wrote to us, expressing a very different view on the most important exam in a student’s life:

“It is important to remember that University exams measure a small percentage of what it takes to be a good person. They measure what is referred to as “traditional” intelligences […] What is also tested, in an indirect manner, is the student’s ability to take the type of test being given. The lesson that we as parents can learn from this is that our child’s failure on one exam does not make them a failure as a human being.”

The professors praise individuals with emotional intelligence who have developed sense of their own self-worth and know how to solve problems since they are more likely to become leaders in the future.

Usually at this time of the year when exam results come out, some teenagers who have experienced the first big failure in their life - failing the entrance exam - become too ashamed to talk to anyone. Some just leave home or even worst kill themselves as their dream to enter a prestigious college has been terminated.

Life is too precious to be wasted. Last month, the Norway massacre killing more than 80 people and the death of 27-year-old Amy Winehouse made us realize more about the meaning of life. Why don’t you, young, ambitious, potential individuals, just live your life more meaningfully and treasure every moment you have? There’s no point in committing suicide at crisis moment because “when a door closes, there is another door open.” It has always been true!

Let’s get brightened a little bit by meeting two expats who are enjoying their life to the fullest in Vietnam. One of them is Taiwanese editor Vinh Huong who has been living for four years in Hanoi. She prefers the tranquil capital of Vietnam rather than a modern Taipei due to one reason:

“Vietnam is a lot like the Taipei I used to know in childhood. In Vietnam, I often go drinking sugar cane with my landlord. As we sit on plastic chairs, waiting for our drinks, I often turn to look at the streets and feel happy in my heart.”

Vinh Huong said she can just talk to anyone sitting next to her in a café or a bus. She also finds life here less stressful and people friendlier than in Taipei. Good to hear that, we hope you enjoy your life in Hanoi!

In another story, Michael from America loves Saigon not only for its delicious food but also for the current development in the city that he is witnessing.

“The constant rush of traffic proves that this is literally a city on the move, while the skyscrapers going up downtown show, equally literally, that this is a city on the rise. I find it absolutely fascinating to be living in a city that is on the verge of becoming a truly international metropolis. The new financial tower, the new airport in the works, the (hopefully) upcoming subway system, and areas like Phu My Hung all highlight the ambitions of the city. This may be harder for locals to understand, but seeing all of this construction and activity is a novelty for many Westerners,” shared Michael.

In the article, the young American also mentioned going out with friends at night and getting back home the following day’s morning even though he is no longer a student.

We noticed this confession has been criticized by some readers. However, we published the story because in our column, we respect people’s different views and ways of living. Remember each story you send, each comment you write is a piece of mosaic that makes up our City Diary.

To end with, we would like to borrow a quote from our frequent reader, Hanoinite, as a message for you, all our readers: “Life is short, live it up! You're only young once!”

Enjoy your weekend to the fullest!

jackbl
05-08-2011, 03:52 PM
Would you mind speaking up your own ideas?
=============================================

I have been working and living in Vietnam for more than 2 years. I came here as a backpacker but this beautiful country attracted me so much that I decided to stay here for working and living.


It is said that Vietnam’s traffic is scary but I found it quite fascinating. I am surprised that, given the lack of rules and degree of chaos on the street, it is still quite safe to move around. Even though my company pays me to get transported by taxi, I still love to use motorbike for daily transportation. I usually travel to my friends’ house, café, etc. by motorbike every Sunday morning to enjoy really peaceful moments in HCMC. However, I would be afraid of traveling to far distance locations by motorbike.

Many foreign people complain much about the food safety here, but I found it quite easy to eat nearly everything that is on offer. I do like to enjoy all kind of Vietnamese food, be it served in a luxurious restaurant or from a cheap street vendor around the corner. My favorite dish is bun cha gio, probably the best street food I have ever had all over the world.

The Vietnamese people are in general very friendly, positive and open to me as a foreigner. They are usually avoiding conflict, which has its good and bad sides. Especially in a business context, not raising the voice or not communicating problems can affect the work efficiency. In case there is something unclear or unpleasant about a specific task, the Vietnamese would usually not speak up or ask critical questions. Sometimes, they simply do nothing or do something completely different to what is instructed due to misunderstandings or feeling shy to ask questions.



As a manager, I want to have the best results from the employees, and the best results are only achieved if everybody in the team actively cooperates and gives their ideas. Leaders are also human beings, they can also make mistakes, and I appreciate employees who have the capability to give feedback, constructive criticism, or come up with their own ideas and solutions.

I know that Vietnamese people are famous for a hard-working and optimistic attitude. They could make more out of their potential if they would develop a more proactive and constructive way to communicate problems, or simply raise their own ideas more often.

One more thing that I notice about Vietnam is their tend to show off their wealth. For example, I used to see 2 different Lamborghini running across the streets in HCMC. I just wonder if the drivers know how these luxurious cars really function? There is no reason at all to drive such a car in a city like HCMC, where average speed is below 40 miles per hour. Obviously, for some people it is worth to pay hundred thousands of USD only to show off their wealth.

I have probably seen more luxurious cars in HCMC than in Zurich, the biggest city in Switzerland and one of the cities with the highest living standard worldwide.
However, overall Vietnam gives me a lot of very positive experiences, and I look forward to seeing this fascinating country improved day by day.

Lukas Mira (PhD in marketing, Swiss businessman)

FireShark
06-08-2011, 11:44 AM
Yesterday at 11plus, GM and Armani got Raided. At least 100+ VB got caught in actions

jackbl
06-08-2011, 03:25 PM
Tasty food, nasty chefs
==================================
It is said that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. However, many Hanoi chefs break a customer’s heart before they gratify his palate.

One afternoon people fill up a food stall at 57 Ngo Sy Lien alley where a bowl of vermicelli soup with a lot of meat and a big trotter costs only VND30,000 (US$1.5). However, there is a price they have to pay: they have to put up with a grumpy owner and cook who flies off the handle at the slightest provocation.

“I told you I do not need that fatty stock,” one woman customer tells her.

“We only serve one kind of stock here; if you do not want to eat, go away to make space,” Thao snaps at her with a fierce look.

The customer does not dare talk back. She mumbles: “I paid for the food. Why do you treat me as if I am begging?”

It was not Thao’s first fracas with a guest. A few months ago a father and son came to eat at her place but wanted to sit by the street to keep an eye on their bike. Irritated, Thao shouted at them: “If you don’t want to come inside, just go away.”

A day earlier she had scolded two girls who asked for some iced tea. “It is crowded. You haven’t ordered anything but ask for water. Ok, no more food or drink … Just get out of my place.”

Thao has been running the place in Ngo Sy Liem market for 30 years, opening from 11.30 am to 7.30 pm every day. Her place is labeled “screaming place” by customers.

Thao admits to it but claims not to like doing it. “Shouting just makes me older. I’m doing business, working hard to earn money. I’m not begging from anyone. Everyone says customers are like gods and they spend money to be served well. I think differently. It’s okay to lose customers since I can’t satisfy all their silly demands. I’ll just ask arrogant customers to leave.”

At a pho (noodle soup) place in Bat Dan Street, the owner and cook asks customers to queue up, pick up their food, and find a seat by themselves.

A new customer came to the place one morning and said: “One bowl of pho, please!” He then waited for half an hour but nothing was served.

When he tried to order again, he was scolded by the owner: “If you want to eat, go line up and carry your own bowl. Who is there to serve you?”

The man was shocked but quietly got in line. After eating, he admitted the soup was good but vowed he would never return.

However, N., a regular at the place, had a different take on it: “What’s wrong with lining up for half an hour and carrying the food yourself? The point is whether the food is delicious. I’m afraid of places that pretend to act friendly and then serve bad food and rip me off.”


Vietnamese do not mind lining up for delicious meal

Near Saint Joseph’s Cathedral, a chicken porridge place run by M. is known as a “scolding place” since she is invariably rude to guests and staff.

There is a story that there was a guest from Ho Chi Minh City who came to eat at her place. He complained that the porridge was tasteless and asked for salt. M. got furious and yelled at the man: “Tasteless? Hundreds of people have eaten here and no one has ever complained. If you don’t want to eat, go away!”

Shocked to see her rudeness, the man threw her porridge down the drain and threw a VND50,000 note at her, leaving her speechless.

Another time, a group of young Vietnamese backpackers visited her place and asked for some Welsh onions but were rebuked by M. The young men got angry and began to break bowls and throw chairs around.

A chastened M. has since behaved with customers, reserving her ire for her staff.

For an obvious reason, Vietnamese usually prefer to go to crowded places to eat. Thus, to get cheap but good food, they occasionally have to put up with obnoxious owners.

Nguyen Vinh Phuc, a researcher on Hanoian culture, says: “Even if owners can’t express their gratitude to guests, why should they scold them?

“It is so uncultured. We should boycott these owners by not going to their places and spread the bad news to everyone.

“If we do just that, their service will improve.”

Director
06-08-2011, 07:38 PM
em van khoe.em that may man da gap anh.cam on anh da giup do va doi xu tot voi em.dung tim hay lien lac voi em nua.em sap tro thanh nguoi xau roi.tam biet!

Hi folks,

Need some help with the above statement. I don't understand from the 'dung tim....' onwards. Thanks for your help.

langthang2005
06-08-2011, 08:31 PM
em van khoe.em that may man da gap anh.cam on anh da giup do va doi xu tot voi em.dung tim hay lien lac voi em nua.em sap tro thanh nguoi xau roi.tam biet!

Hi folks,

Need some help with the above statement. I don't understand from the 'dung tim....' onwards. Thanks for your help.

FYI. "dung tim hay lien lac voi em nua.em sap tro thanh nguoi xau roi.tam biet!" means "don't find or contact me anymore. I'm becoming a bad person. Goodbye"

KangTuo
06-08-2011, 11:20 PM
em van khoe.em that may man da gap anh.cam on anh da giup do va doi xu tot voi em.dung tim hay lien lac voi em nua.em sap tro thanh nguoi xau roi.tam biet!

Hi folks,

Need some help with the above statement. I don't understand from the 'dung tim....' onwards. Thanks for your help.

don't find or contact me. i am about to become an ugly person already. good bye

deptrai4u
07-08-2011, 03:07 AM
don't find or contact me. i am about to become an ugly person already. good bye

I think nguoi xau in this case means bad person resulting from doing bad things, e.g. going into prostitution to earn enough money in short time to pay for sick mother's medical bills.

Becareful, the message sounds like the beginning of a KC trap.

Director
07-08-2011, 09:12 AM
I think nguoi xau in this case means bad person resulting from doing bad things, e.g. going into prostitution to earn enough money in short time to pay for sick mother's medical bills.

Becareful, the message sounds like the beginning of a KC trap.

Thanks a lot. I suspect also. Met a person on a flight recently. Very beautiful girl. Who approached me on a plane from Hanoi to hcm. Ask me out for dinner. Strangely she started crying in the middle of dinner. I asked her what happen and she did not want to tell. The suspicious part is that I wanted to take a picture of her and she refused. Next day we went out again and then she told me she is about to lose her house because of something and she needed 10000 usd. Luckily the big head was more aware and my initial suspicion came true.

I am now receiving a lot of SMS from her and I could only understand 50%. But from what I understand she is trying to trap me. Luckily for me, I did not fall for it.

KangTuo
07-08-2011, 11:13 AM
I think nguoi xau in this case means bad person resulting from doing bad things, e.g. going into prostitution to earn enough money in short time to pay for sick mother's medical bills.

Becareful, the message sounds like the beginning of a KC trap.

deptrai kor kor, you are correct :o

jackbl
07-08-2011, 02:26 PM
I am now receiving a lot of SMS from her and I could only understand 50%. But from what I understand she is trying to trap me. Luckily for me, I did not fall for it.

Lucky for you, you dun know much Tieng Viet :) So sometimes ignorance is good too :D

jackbl
07-08-2011, 04:39 PM
A French intern in Vietnam
========================================
I am a student at the Institute of Telecom & Management SudParis in France. I decided to come to Vietnam and do a three-month internship to gain overseas work experience.
I worked for a Saigon-based French corporation to see how a foreign company operated in Vietnam. I also wanted to discover how a company in Asia operates and consider my chances of working abroad, especially Vietnam.

As a young intern, I received a warm welcome from my Vietnamese colleagues. My job was to manage the database, do customer satisfaction surveys, and update work contracts of foreign employees. In France, I would not have got the chance to do such important tasks. Companies in France hardly trust interns and usually give them unimportant tasks.

Earlier I used to intern in Luxembourg and the environment there was the opposite of that in Vietnam: Interns have to try and learn from people around. In Vietnam, I was appreciated by people at the workplace and able to take the initiative at work. Of course it made me feel more responsible towards the company. If I had any difficulty, my colleagues were always there to help me.

I loved the working environment in Vietnam: friendly, comfortable, and not so stressful. The work pace in Vietnam is quite slow compared to Europe. A project that is done in a few days in France may take a week or more in Vietnam.

One thing that surprised me was that Vietnamese employees went to work in jeans, T-shirt, and sneakers. At first I found it unusual because in France we usually wear uniforms or suits to work.

Here, I gradually adapted to the local style to mix easily with colleagues and keep myself cool during hot summer days.

I loved to talk to my Vietnamese colleagues to learn about different ways of thinking.

They were very friendly to me and considered me a co-worker rather than an intern. They tried to talk to me in English and share their experience and knowledge.

However, there was one instance when we had problems exchanging ideas. When I asked a colleague to help me search for information for a project, he kept saying “yes” and nodded his head as if he understood. When the deadline approached, I asked him about his progress only to find out that he had not even started. It was because he did not understand what I said!

I noticed that Vietnamese said “yes” to everything, even if they did not understand. Some foreign friends said they had the same experience. I think every foreigner in Vietnam should take care of this to avoid mistakes at work.
Except for that “lost-in-translation” incident, I have many good memories of my three months as an intern in Vietnam. Every day in Vietnam I learnt a new thing. I really want to return here to work after graduation as I can foresee many opportunities in career development in Vietnam.

Théo Falcoz (French student)

jackbl
07-08-2011, 04:45 PM
The good and bad of Vietnamese employees
================================================

After a long time working with Vietnamese employees, I notice many of their good qualities:

They are hardworking, friendly, disciplined and have talents in technology and calculations. Half of the Vietnamese employees in my company study something after work to improve their skills although they are busy with family. Taking extra classes when you are employed full time is not common in my country.

I am touched to know some employees often get together to visit sick colleagues. This is a big plus because we hardly do that in the US, except if that person is very close.

Besides, I think Vietnamese are quite disciplined because I have never seen anyone smoking or chatting during work hours. I am also delighted to see them participating in all activities organized by the company. They have changed my old thinking that Asians did not like attending company events like Westerners.

On the other hand, I still have some concerns towards Vietnamese workers:

Many people have yet to set long-term plans in their life. They only work to fulfill small goals in life. Some employees have taken up foreign language or computer classes but soon gave up. Then when they feel like it, they would study from the beginning again. I think this is a waste of time and efforts.

Above all, I notice many people are nosy at work. I remember getting angry knowing that my employees use lunch breaks to spread rumors about someone, causing confusion in the company. This resulted in distraction at work and distrust among company members. In the West, people also talk behind your back in the office. However, they try to find a way to solve the problem by straightforward conversations.

Last but not least, Vietnamese often take their family members as an excuse for their mistakes or unpunctuality at work. An employee once told me that his son was sick and hospitalized, so he could not complete an assigned job on time. A month later, I talked to his wife at a party and learned that he had only one son who was studying in Singapore and only got back home once every summer. I was so shocked that he made up such a story and lied to me.

Vietnamese employees have both good and bad points. I hope they will continue their good points as well as improve from their bad points to make themselves a better person at work, especially in foreigners’ eyes.

Robert M. (American manager)

jackbl
07-08-2011, 05:09 PM
Fake Apple stores mushroom in Vietnam
=============================================
Stores using the Apple logo or its look-alike to sell products without authorization have been mushrooming in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

In Ho Chi Minh City, there is a store called iShop on Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street, Viscom and Fashion Mobi on Ba Thang Hai Street with sign boards, logos, shop decorations similar to an Apple store. However, they only import products and resell to buyers without any agreement with Apple.

Many stores claim they are Apple authorized agents but in fact their store names and addresses cannot be found on Apple’s website.

The iStore Premium (istorepremium.vn) in Ho Chi Minh City’s Vincom Center is not included in the list of Apple premium resellers. However, the Apple logo is used on their website (istorepremium.vn) and member cards.

Similarly in Hanoi, the iStore Care (istorevn.vn) chain with its shops on Nguyen Du, Kham Thien and Xa Dan streets is not authorized by Apple although they publicly announce they are the first standard Apple care center in Vietnam.

Trang Trung Tri, CEO of JEL Corp, a distributor for Apple in Vietnam said currently, there are 37 retailers and 7 service providers in Vietnam that have been listed on Apple’s website. However, only 12 among them are still in operation. There are four authorized premium resellers including iCenter and FutureWorld in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

Apple is now organizing and filtering resellers in Vietnam and will discontinue contracts of more than 20 resellers.

According to Tri, it is rather difficult to be authorized to sell Apple products. In addition, each reseller, either premium or not, has to sign a contract with Apple, which is controlled tightly and needs to be renewed yearly.

To check if a store is an authorized reseller or not, it is advisable to ask for Apple’s confirmation letter, Tri advised.

Tri also said Apple has a market survey team and holds a list of unauthorized resellers in Vietnam. Those stores in fact hardly affect the sales of Apple but can cause harm to customers.

jackbl
08-08-2011, 02:53 AM
FYI. "dung tim hay lien lac voi em nua.em sap tro thanh nguoi xau roi.tam biet!" means "don't find or contact me anymore. I'm becoming a bad person. Goodbye"

Though your post came late due to moderation but they are very accurate. Are you a Vietnamese or Viet Kieu???

jackbl
08-08-2011, 01:55 PM
Low cost phones have many features, but cannot be used
================================================== =======

VietNamNet Bridge – A lot of low cost mobile phone models have been advertised as having been integrated with many modern features. However, in fact, the features of connecting the community cannot be used.

Low cost mobile phones are referred to the mobile phones with the sale prices of less than 1.5 million dong. The manufacturers commit that though the products are cheap, they still have integrated applications which can meet the requirements of modern people, such as searching on Google, chatting via Yahoo and sending and receiving mails.

Advertised features sound good

Not all low cost mobile phones have the above said integrated applications. Manufacturers will decide which applications to be integrated into their products which target different classes of customers. However, most low cost products by both foreign and domestic manufacturers have been advertised as having the capability to work on websites.

The cheapest mobile phone model which allows to access Facebook or Yahoo is Gionee N110, which has the sale price at 699,000 dong. MobiStar @83 has been introduced as allowing users to chat on Yahoo, Google Talk, Skype. It also has Opera mini website browser, sold at 990,000 dong.

Higher class models in the low cost product segment include the ones manufactured by Samsung and LG. Samsung C3303, for example, which is sold at 1.39 million dong; allows users to access Facebook and Google. Meanwhile, it is accessible to Facebook, Twitter with LG Wink C100 (1.35 million dong). The users of F-Mobile B750 (1.26 million dong) have been told that they can chat with Vitalk application (an application designed by FPT’s Visky). With Lenovo i350 (1.39 million dong), users can read ebooks and the documents with “.txt”.

…but cannot be used in reality

By launching the low cost models, manufacturers target the young clients, who want to surf on Internet, connect each other on social networks, or chat, but do not have much money to pay for high class products.

The problem is that while the products have tested before launching into the market, or when they perform before the audience, the applications can run well on low cost mobile phone models. However, in reality, very few people say they can use the introduced features.

Quang, a student of the HCM City University of Social Sciences and Humanity, who is using a Samsung C3303, said he can only use the mobile phone for receiving and making calls, sending SMS or listening to music. One time, Quang did not bring laptop with himself to the lecture hall, he tried to use the mobile phone to access to Google to seek documents, but he failed, even though he registered the GPRS (2,5G) service by VinaPhone.

Vinh from Gia Lai province also complained that though the MobiStar @83 he is using has Opera mini website browser, he has never been able to access websites. “The browser still runs, but when trying to access Google, the phone does not work. I cannot understand why manufacturers still try to integrate applications, even though they cannot be used,” he said.

FPT, when launching the first model which bears F99 brand, stated that the mobile phone allows to connect websites, but people say they cannot access to websites. The representative from P&T Mobile has confirmed that MobiStar @83 is only good at chatting, though with slow speed. The Opera mini browser also can work, but it can work only in some places and sometimes.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Quang Minh, Director of ABTel, which owns Q-Mobile brand, said that ABTel’s phones still can work well, but mobile network operators have blocked the access to some addresses.

“People should blame on “objective reasons”, not on the mobile phones,” he said.

NTB, an experienced person in the applications on mobile phones, said that manufacturers try to provide integrated applications simply because they want to boost sales. “They well understand that it is nearly impossible for the mobile phones with low configuration, small screen and low resolution to access to Facebook or websites,” B said.

Source: SGTT

jackbl
09-08-2011, 04:07 PM
I dun know Hanoi also got so FUN things going on :D .....


Strippers fined for breaking fashion regulations
================================================== =
Three female strippers have been fined VND10 million (US$500) each for “violating regulations concerning artistic and fashion shows” when they performed a striptease inside a karaoke house in Hanoi two days ago.

The three women, from 19 to 21 years old, were busted performing the erotic show on two tables inside room 301 at 14 Phan Van Tri Street at 0:45 on August 6.

Two employees responsible for planning and choreographing the striptease - Ho Si Thang and Giap Van Vien - have been fined VND20 million each. The karaoke owner Giap Van Lam, 31 has also been fined.

The strippers told police they were instructed to carry out an “artistic performance” by Thang on the evening of August 5.

According to the women, each customer wanting to enjoy the show had to pay VND1.8 million but the dancers each received only VND500,000.

Local police have revoked the business license of the karaoke parlor and pulled down its sign.

jackbl
10-08-2011, 09:14 AM
Be careful when you are travelling...

Robbers besiege Ho Chi Minh City
===============================================
Audacious robbery cases have taken place in Ho Chi Minh City center.

In Tan Phu District, Nguyen Duc Thang and his wife Nguyen Thi Ngoc Chau were on a motorbike one morning in June when a young man suddenly accosted them and snatched Chau’s gold chain.

Hearing their shouts for help, many people chased after the thief and caught him. But he drew a knife and stabbed Tran Van Thanh, one of them.

The local police came immediately to arrest the thief who was later identified as Nguyen Van Minh, 21, of Ward 14, District 11.

At dawn on June 24, NDD, a journalist, was riding his motorbike from Tan Son Nhat airport to the city center. Near Marie Curie High School on Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street, a motorbike crashed into the back of his, throwing D sprawling on the road.

The two men who had crashed into him stopped and snatched his laptop and a bag. Two other motorbikes came up, pretended to help D, and seized his backpack.

At around noon on June 22, NVC of District 8 stopped his bike at the Hai Ba Trung-Vo Thi Sau intersection in district 1 when a group of men on motorbikes collided with him. After C fell, some women and children joined them to surround him and demand compensation. C was shocked and confused and did not know what to do. But after yelling for a while, the group suddenly left. They had stolen VND20 million (US$1,000) from his bag.

At the end of June, at a parking lot on Pasteur Street in District 1, a young man stole a motorbike and sped past the attendants and on to the road. People in the area say motorbikes are often stolen there, with the thieves breaking the steering column lock or making away with bikes in which their owners left the key.

Outskirts dangerous

One night in June, TTL was riding near the Binh Thai crossroads in Thu Duc District when a group of drug addicts on seven motorbikes confronted him. They forced him to stop, foraged his pocket for money, and were about to pull out the key of his motorbike when L acted quickly. He took the key himself, kicked the bike down and ran on the street shouting for help. Many people stopped to help and the thieves had to flee.

When L reached Rach Chiec Bridge, he came across a young man who had fallen victim to a similar gang and lost all his belongings.

Motorbike-taxi drivers say that after 10 pm there are many robberies and attacks in the area from Rach Chiec Bridge to the Saigon Hi-tech Industrial Park in District 9. The victims are mostly women or couples on motorcycles.

In many cases, young men were also robbed. The District 9 police have arrested six people who used knives, sticks, and electric rods to attack and rob people.

There have also been many attacks, even murders, by thieves in the Vinh Loc Industrial Zone.

In May, TTV, a student, was found lying dead in the zone in Binh Chanh District and his laptop had been stolen.

In June the local police arrested Tran Trung Duong, 26, of Nam Dinh Province and Nguyen Anh Kiet, 23, of District 12 when they forced a young man on their motorbike at knifepoint and took him to Vinh Loc to steal his belongings.

At the police station, the duo admitted to killing TTV to steal his laptop. They often wandered along National Road 1A to look for potential prey, slight young men or students with laptops.

They would approach a victim and ask him threateningly if he had just beaten their younger brother. Then they would force him to follow them to a deserted area in Vinh Loc and rob him, not hesitating to stab the victim if he resisted.

NDAK of District 8 was stabbed to death by three young men when he stopped at Vo Van Kiet Road in Binh Tan District. The murderers then stole his motorbike and escaped.

A reader wrote in to Tuoi Tre last month to say that on Hiep Binh Road in Thu Duc District there had been nearly 10 audacious robberies in just two weeks.

The city police say there have been 199 robberies this year. They claim to have solved 115 cases and arrested 224 people.

Colonel Mai Van Tan, chief of criminal investigation at the Social Order Department, said armed robberies and attacks are often committed by drug addicts.

jackbl
10-08-2011, 02:11 PM
TS, Bro Adguy, this is for you :)

Hoi An at night
==========================
VietNamNet Bridge - Much has been written about the peaceful, ancient town of Hoi An. For those wanting to learn about it, they can easily find a sea of relevant information and images on the web.

However, local and international tourists have kept flocking to the town in droves since UNESCO recognized it as a world cultural heritage site in 2000. Hoi An is a completely different world for both local and international visitors.

motorcycles on the Vietnamese road will certainly feel at peace and relaxed when they step into the streets of central Hoi An at night. The town turns busier and livelier in the nighttime as visitors go for a stroll around town.

What’s most striking at night is the bright light beamed out by the silk lanterns of diverse colors hung on the façades or doorways of the wooden houses, stores or restaurants topped with moss-covered roof tiles.

Tourists on the bicycle or cyclo wheels are common sights at night as motorcycles are off-limits to the center of the culturally rich town.

Hungry souls can look for some cozy restaurants where they should taste some tasty local delicacies like Cao Lau and Wonton in addition to Western foods. Cao Lau is a spicy rice noodle soup served with pork, fresh herbs and veggies while Wonton originating in China is a delicacy made from rice flour and filled with pork, shrimp, egg and spices. Or they should have a round of drinks there, looking at people going up and down the street.

Hoi An is also particular in a sense that it is home to numerous tailors who offer made-to-measure suits and dresses.

The country has undergone a lot of changes in the past decade but Hoi An has remained untouched and successfully preserved its traditional features as a harbor town that used to be an important trading center of the nation where merchant ships from Japan, China, the Netherlands, India and Spain visited in the 16th and 17th centuries.

jackbl
11-08-2011, 01:28 AM
XNN is their culture :)

Poisoned fruits, consumers’ woes
========================================
Tuoi Tre reporters followed a durian trader named Lan when she was transporting her fruits along the highway 56 in Cam My District, Dong Nai Province. Asked about what she would do with the immature durians, Lan at first gave us an evasive answer.


But after knowing that we had a large order for durians, Lan held nothing back.

“We usually need tons of durians and can’t wait for the fruit to mature naturally. We just use chemicals [to make them ripen faster].”

In normal conditions, it takes 100 to 110 days for the durians to ripen naturally on the tree. Yet the fruits Lan had collected were only in their 70th or 80th day.

Fruits soaked with fruit-ripening chemicals

At noon, Lan’s fruit barn was full of hundreds of unripe durians. Pointing at some 20-liter plastic barrels nearby, she carefully explained to us the “soaking” techniques.

“We pour two or three caps of ethephon into this barrel, stir the liquid and dip the durians in it. All of the fruits will become ripe after just one night.”

Looking at the bottle of chemicals bearing the name HPC-97HXN “Trai Chin” and produced by a manufacturer in district 12 in Ho Chi Minh City, Lan spoke to us frankly: “We use it, too. Some traders also use it for thin-skinned fruits like papayas or jackfruits.”

When the fruits go on sale, few consumers would know that they have been soaked in chemicals because the chemicals show no color and emit a very soft smell.

Dung, a jackfruit farmers in Cam My District said: “I just sold the fruits to the middlemen. They bought all, both young and old fruits. I don’t know what kind of fruit ripener they’re using but they seem to be doing a good business.”

It is not difficult to purchase fruit ripeners at fertilizer and pesticide shops along the highway 1A or 56 in Dong Nai. Tam, a grocer at Nhan Nghia Market, said: “These stuffs are very hot on the market, since they cause no health problem to the fruit eaters. The price is VND32,000 (US$1.6) per 500 ml.


Through one contact, we were introduced to Khanh, a jackfruit farmer in Thong Nhat District of Dong Nai. When we told him of our need to buy jackfruits, he refused, saying that it was close to the end of the harvest season and he could not sell his fruits to new middlemen.

When we went back the following day, Mai, Khanh’s wife, thought that we were some old traders who had done business with her husband before. She showed us some of the instruments -- some chemical bottles, a plastic syringe and a sharpened screwdriver.

“After puncturing the stem of the fruit, we pump 2 or 5 cc into it. If you want to get the fruit to ripen faster, just increase the dosage. I’m sure that after two days the fruit will ripen inside out,” she explained the techniques.

She revealed that the daily demand for jackfruits could hit around 1 ton, most of the need comes from Hanoi and the central area.

“The fruit will be all ripe when they reach the consumers,” she said firmly.

Extending the fruits’ shell life

Because we were introduced to him by one of his long-time business contacts, Thuan, a fruit trader in To Ky Street (District 12), had no reservation about disclosing his tips.

Each day he purchased a ton of fruit and, depending on the type of fruit, he would apply a different technique to each. For instance, he soaked durians in a yellow liquid made in China, while spraying that substance on the skin of apples and oranges to make them look more succulent. The fruits could last at least a month.

Thuan took out a jackfruit, cut a small hole on its stalk with a sharp screwdriver and pumped a colorless liquid into it.

“If you want it to ripen faster, you should do it this way. This jackfruit will be completely ripe for the next 24 hours,” he explained.

At the Kim Bien Market in district 5, Ho Chi Minh City, we recorded hundreds of plant growth accelerators bearing no brand, all imported from China.

A salesperson at the shop Loi Tin tried to get us to buy from his shop: “You shouldn’t worry because I have different kinds here and we’ve supplied many traders for many years. This concentrated liquid here costs just VND500,000 (US$25) per liter.”

Many different kinds of fruit preservatives are also openly bought and sold here. According to chemistry experts, these are actually antifungal and anti-mold substances (like carbendazim and benomyl), which can prevent fruits from decaying for a considerable period of time.

Phuong, a former fruit trader, said: “At Kim Bien Market there are different kinds of fruit-ripening and fruit-preservative substances.”

Many traders use these brandless chemicals on the fruits they sell in their shops. Huynh, a fruit seller in Linh Chieu Ward, Thu Duc District, admitted to using preservatives to keep the fruits fresh longer when consumption was low to avoid losses.

His justification: “What we do to our fruits here is nothing compared to what the Chinese do to preserve their grapes. Every time I open a package I find a small heavy-smelling bottle inside. The grapes can stay fresh for almost six months.”

jackbl
11-08-2011, 01:32 AM
Why they always XAO????

Vinh Long police seize cannabis from farmer
===========================================

Police in Tam Binh District in the southern province of Vinh Long have discovered and seized 100 cannabis plants grown by a farmer.

Pham Thi Thu Ha, the farmer, told the police that she grew the plants – from which marijuana is made -- to feed her livestock since it fattens them faster.

Authorities have not penalized her though growing cannabis is illegal in Vietnam.

Earlier, the police also seized 18 cannabis plants from the garden of Duong Van Thong, another local.

They said they have seized hundreds of cannabis plants grown for feeding livestock since 2010.

jackbl
11-08-2011, 01:40 AM
Any lounge for newbies to try singing in hcmc???

Englishman to sing Vietnamese songs in bar
================================================== =
Englishman Lee Kirby, who has become famous in Vietnam for singing Vietnamese songs, especially those of Trinh Cong Son, will perform in Ho Chi Minh City tomorrow and the day after.

At “Dem Thay Ta La Thac Do” (also the name of a song by Son), he and singer Vu Tien Loi will sing the iconic composer’s “Diem Xua” and “Dem Thay Ta La Thac Do” as well as songs by other composers.

The duo will also belt out several popular English songs.

Lee first came to Vietnam in 2002 on vacation and was fascinated by the country’s music and language.

In 2009 he posted a video of himself on YouTube singing “Diem Xua” and became a sensation.

Since then he has appeared in many more videos singing Vietnamese songs and got a positive response.

The show at the ATB Lounge, 197/4 Nguyen Van Troi Street, will start at 8:30pm.

V_vincentyeo
11-08-2011, 08:54 AM
XNN is their culture :)

Poisoned fruits, consumers’ woes
========================================

His justification: “What we do to our fruits here is nothing compared to what the Chinese do to preserve their grapes. Every time I open a package I find a small heavy-smelling bottle inside. The grapes can stay fresh for almost six months.”

Thank you sir. This is worrying for fruits imported from CVietnam. Wonder if our AVA is up to mark kin detecting such chemicals?

jackbl
11-08-2011, 09:49 AM
What a big crop up!!! :mad::mad:

Inaccurate diagnosis causes massive abortions
================================================== ===
Hanoi-based Central Maternity Hospital reports over a thousand pregnant women infected with Rubella have chosen abortion this year because doctors inaccurately thought their babies would suffer from birth defects.


T.T.H, a 30 year-old woman from Hai Duong who caught Rubella, had an abortion although she was pregnant for the first time after three years of infertility treatment because her doctor had told her that if she kept the child, it would suffer from serious and incurable birth defects.

As Rubella has spread quickly in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City recently, Central Maternity Hospital said H. was among more than 1,000 pregnant women who had followed doctors’ advice and decided to abort their babies.

Many chose abortion even though they were having their first babies after going through difficult infertility treatment.

But Le Anh Tuan, Deputy Director of the hospital, said only 16.5 percent of doctors’ suggestions was right.

In a study released by the hospital last month, only 17 out of 103 aborted babies would actually carry the Rubella virus if they had been born.

Tuan said having an accurate diagnosis of whether a fetus has contracted Rubella is a challenging task. Although a mother’s infection can be easily detected, it is hard to know if her child would be infected as well.

Tuan said his hospital had recently received an equipment using amniocentesis, a new molecular biology technique that can gain information about the status of fetal cells with an accuracy rate of at least 95% accuracy.

50 percent of the cases of Rubella-infected pregnant women is now being tested using the technique and the number of mothers who are advised to have abortion has gone down considerably.

“I wish we had this earlier,” Tuan said.

jackbl
11-08-2011, 10:22 AM
Asian investors rush to hunt for properties in Vietnam
================================================== ================

VietNamNet Bridge – As developed markets in Asia have become no more attractive to investors because the prices have become overly high, investors are now eyeing developing markets, of which Vietnam is the top choice.


Cash flow moving to Vietnam

William Young, MIPIM ASIA high ranking project director, affirmed at the press conference introducing the annual Asia-Pacific real estate summit and the international real estate trade fair MIPIM ASIA 2011, that the capital is pouring to Vietnam instead of other developed markets in the region.

William Young, from Hong Kong, believes that one of the reasons which help Vietnam remain a good destination for real estate investors in 2011, is the liquidity.

“If looking at the Vietnamese market, one can see that there are still many opportunities for foreign investors which promise good profits for them,” he said.

“I think that after five years, or just two years, the market will clearly show its attractiveness in terms of liquidity,” he continued.

The real expert gives the comments in the context of the rising prices in other regional countries. Developed markets including Hong Kong, China mainland and Singapore have strongly recovered after the shock caused by the collapse of the US Lehman Brothers bank in the 2008 crisis.

The recovery has made real estate products in the markets become too expensive, which has prompted investors to pour their money to neighboring markets, or European and American countries. Especially, they can see positive opportunities in Vietnamese market.

“I believe that Asian investors are paying high interests in the Vietnamese market,” he said.

The games of marathon athletes

The latest report about Vietnamese market released by CBRE Vietnam, a real estate service provider, said that the black clouds shadowing nearly all the market segments now in Vietnam do not mean the losses to all the investors who join the market at this moment.

CBRE Vietnam believes that there are still many opportunities for investors in the market, which can be described as gems can be found in stones.

Richard Leech, Managing Director of CBRE, said that in Hanoi, a lot of real estate projects have to halt because of the lack of capital, but this is really the opportunity for other projects whose investors are more financial capable.

It is expected that more than 30,000 apartments would be launched into the market in 2011. However, in the long term, the supply would become short in the segments of high end apartments, high grade offices and hotels.

Also according to CBRE, the profitability level in Vietnam is very high, while the leasing fee is being paid in dollars. The current difficulties will weed out short term and small investors, while marathon athletes will survive and earn fat profits.

Commenting about foreign direct investment in Vietnam’s real estate, Marc Townsend, General Director of CBRE once said that the investors from South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Malaysia have begun to return to Vietnam since 2010. It is partially because the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong have become no more attractive.

The foreign investors, for example, had to spend 15,000 dollars per square meter to build a building on Robinson road in Singapore and they can earn the profits of three percent. Meanwhile, if investing in Vietnam, the profitability would be up to 20 percent.

It is true that Vietnam is tightening the monetary policies which have blocked the capital flow to the real estate sector. However, CBRE believes that the real estate market has still been supported by the government policy on making investment to develop infrastructure.

jackbl
11-08-2011, 04:21 PM
They are old but they still have in interest to learn english... are u all interested to learn Tieng Viet? Put in your effort and you will succeed.

A farmers’ English class
======================================

In Long My Village in Vinh Long Province, there is a special English class.

"Hello teacher, hello teacher. How are you?" a class of grey-haired farmers greeted their young teacher in English with apparent enthusiasm.

Since it was opened in May, this English class for farmers in the village has enrolled 30 students who are eager to master some conversational English to properly receive international tourists who have been visiting local orchards in increasing numbers.

“Foreign tourists will more likely return if they can communicate with the farmers,” said Tran Thu Ha, the village’s Party Secretary who opened the class.

Tran Thi Yen Nhi, a student, said only 15 farmers registered at first. Gradually, more farmers started to come as they got over their shyness and hesitation about learning a foreign language.

“I’m 60 so studying is an ordeal to me,” said farmer Do Van Dom. “But I’m determined to learn English now to talk with the tourists.”

Dom has also persuaded a relative, 53-year-old Mai Dac Thanh, to attend the class with him.

Bay Rau, another grey-haired student, said he is proud now that he can speak a little English after taking the class.

For his part, Lam Thai Quang, an English lecturer at a local university, said he loves his career more when he teaches English to these eager students.

“I tip my hat to them,” Quang said.

jackbl
11-08-2011, 04:31 PM
Rx a SMS from a bro asking to translate. He din give any background on the SMS. Anyone (of intermediate level) want to try translate it? Learn as you practise :D

Anh noi way em hieu roi.em khong la gi of anh ,em co như the nao cung khong lien quan den anh.neu như ban anh tot chi ay biet em rat yeu anh chi ay se khong noi den chi thao de em buon em nghi la anh se hieu. Ngay a ve singabore roi em thay nhơ anh e rat buon gi khong biet khi nao moi gap a .

ngropy
11-08-2011, 07:06 PM
Hi Bros..

Translation Help needed.

i sms: when want to meet.
she reply : thu 7 luc 8:00 ok.

What is "Thu 7"? i know "luc" is time.

deptrai4u
11-08-2011, 07:14 PM
Hi Bros..

Translation Help needed.

i sms: when want to meet.
she reply : thu 7 luc 8:00 ok.

What is "Thu 7"? i know "luc" is time.

Thu 2 - Monday
Thu 3 - Tuesday..
..
..
Thu 7 - Saturday
Chu nhat - Sunday


No Thu 1, ok?

ngropy
11-08-2011, 07:17 PM
ok... Thanks alot bro! i was thinking that "Thu" is Thursday.. :D

ngropy
11-08-2011, 07:48 PM
hi bro!

Sorry for the spamming post..

Able to help with this as well??

mot nguoi ban dan toi qua day lam lay toi 1000 nhung toi tra 500 con thieu lai 500 ban co the giup toi duoc khong, miss ban

thanks in advanced..

jackbl
12-08-2011, 01:37 AM
mot nguoi ban dan toi qua day lam lay toi 1000 nhung toi tra 500 con thieu lai 500 ban co the giup toi duoc khong, miss ban


U dun know better, after u know it, it will make u loss money :D

jackbl
12-08-2011, 10:18 AM
The absurdities that only exist on Vietnamese telecom market
================================================== =======
VietNamNet Bridge – A foreign expert has commented that Vietnam’s mobile telecom industry has been developing very rapidly, but it does not have a firm foundation, while there exists abnormal and funny things.


Pre-paid subscribers “pampered” more than post-paid

While loyal clients who have been using services for the last many years have been ignored, pre-paid subscribers have been always welcomed soliciting by telecom service providers. The problem is that the service providers fear that pre-paid subscribers, accounting for 90 percent of their clients, would leave the networks one day for other networks, while post-paid subscribers prove to be faithful to the networks.

A post-paid subscriber complains that he has not enjoyed any considerable preferences from the telco over the last five years, since he began using its services. “The service provider only offered charge reductions sometimes, while the reductions were small and insignificant,” he said.

Meanwhile, mobile service providers have been trying to retain pre-paid subscribers by offering continuous sale promotion campaigns.


Burning all the number repository and crying for help

Vietnam has approximately 87 million people in population and over 100 million mobile subscribers, according to the Ministry of Information and Telecommunication. However, in the last three years, mobile network operators repeatedly complained that the number repository has been running out.

Meanwhile, they continue selling simcards in masses on the market with huge offered bonuses on accounts, which has encourage people to continuously purchase new simcards. The people would rather purchase new simcards to enjoy preferences rather than using old simcards with the old mobile phone numbers.

Therefore, experts have warned about the “rubbish simcards”, i.e the simcards which are used only once before they are thrown away.

Director of the Telecommunication Department, Pham Hong Hai, under the Ministry of Information and Communication also said that it is unreasonable to say that the number repository is running out, requesting telcos to give explanations.


Pre-paid subscribers are “virtual”

The watchdog agency has discovered a lot of problems in personal information declaration of pre-paid subscribers.

In the past, people could purchase as many simcards as they wanted, while they did not have to give personal information. However, in an effort to tighten the control over pre-paid subscribers, the watchdog agency has decided that all the pre-paid subscribers must provide necessary information.

It seems that the new regulation still cannot settle the problem of “rubbish simcards”. Hundreds of thousands of “virtual subscribers” have been found as registered with vague names, while a lot of subscribers’ owners have been found as having the same identity card numbers.


One network operator uses two technologies

EVN Telecom is considered a “brave” network operator when it has developed two different mobile network infrastructure systems.

With the two networks, EVN Telecom’s clients stay in the junction and they have to choose either to use CDMA 450MHz or 3G UMTS. If they want to shift to use 3G services, EVN Telecom’s clients will have to change the simcards and change mobile phones, because the two technologies are quite different.

This is really a headache to EVN Telecom, when CDMA subscribers are now accounting for the big proportion of clients of the company, while the revenue from 3G subscribers is not high enough to cover expenses.


Telcos cannibalize content providers

An expert from Japanese Dentsu said that in Japan, the profit sharing ratio between network operator and content service providers (CP) is 10-90, which means that CP can earn the biggest proportion in revenue. Meanwhile, the situation is quite different in Vietnam.

For the last many years, Vietnamese CPs have been at a disadvantage, because they have been hampered by network operators. It is because network operators have clients, while CPs are just considered partners. The unfair profit sharing has led to the loss of hundreds of billions of dong for CPs, while it does not encourage creating high quality content services.

Vuong Long

jackbl
12-08-2011, 02:07 PM
When public interest is equated with private greed
================================================== ====
A man uses his mobile phone in Lenin Park, Hanoi. Many parks across Vietnam have been taken legally or illegally for projects to build hotels and trade centers.
While many countries in the world are currently working to restore green spaces with more trees and parks in their metropolitan cities, Vietnam seems to be bucking the trend.

Here, we do the opposite. We take more and more green spaces away, in a “development” process that is fuelled by rapacious greed encouraged by a flawed developmental vision.

Take Ho Chi Minh City, the country’s southern hub and also its largest city, for example. At the moment green areas cover some 535 hectares of land in the city, down 50 percent from that of 1998.

One person is estimated to have less than one square meter of green space, which is almost nothing in comparison to the rates of many developed countries where they reach up to 20-25 square meters per person.

While the city in recent years has announced plans to increase its green area, such plans can’t be compared, in quantity and scale, to the projects to build trade centers, buildings, hotels and skyscrapers.

In fact, many parks across the city have been transformed, legally or illegally, for buildings and hotels. Like the city’s first-ever water park, Saigon Water Park, in Thu Duc District, for example. In 2009 it caused a stir when its investor first closed it for an overhaul, but later built villas there without the municipal authorities’ approval.

Sometimes the “magic” is made by authorities themselves, like the project for a 46.87-hectare park in Binh Chanh District. It was first approved more than 12 years ago, but even before construction was started, the city allowed its investor to set aside four hectares for apartment buildings.

A survey by the city’s Department of Construction last year also pointed out that many park projects had been turned into buildings or residential areas.

The same situation has been seen in Hanoi, where the public in 2009 were upset when part of the Thong Nhat Park was taken for building the Novotel Hanoi, a four-star hotel.

Commercial projects are not only eating up parks and land areas assigned for parks, but also open areas which should have been used for green spaces.

For example, the HCMC authorities have recently approved the US$300-million golf complex at Tan Son Nhat International Airport. Another golf complex covering 117 hectares is also being built within the Gia Lam Airport in Long Bien District, Hanoi.

But what’s worse here is that the project not only takes up rare airy spaces in the crowded cities, but also poses threats to national security and flight safety, according to experts.

Some people argue that all this is an unavoidable part of the urbanization process.

However, I would say it’s evidence of irresponsible and near-sighted planning by the agencies in charge of the country’s development policies.

It also shows how selfish businesses are by putting their benefits as priority over the public’s, health and safety.

If policy makers and people in charge don’t change their mindsets and their vision for the country’s development, this process will get us nowhere. Worse still, this “development” will lead the country to a dead end where people will have no choice but to live with pollution and various threats as part of their daily life.

By Nguyen Hang, Thanh Nien News

jackbl
12-08-2011, 02:11 PM
Will we ever learn?
============================

It seems that lessons on safety and responsibility are never learnt in Vietnam. Or, they are learnt and almost immediately forgotten.

After every accident that kills, the “usual suspects” are trotted out with monotonous regularity: investigations show it was human error, neglect of safety measures, and so on; investigations have been launched, or are ongoing; people have been arrested and may be charged with negligence. “Concerned agencies” will launch awareness programs and measures will be taken to improve safety and prevent similar accidents from happening in the future.

But they do happen.

Again and again.

In May, we had a boat accident that killed 16 people in the southern province of Binh Duong. The boat was found to have structural faults, putting it at risk of capsizing in strong winds, and the port where it operated was found to have never been licensed. How and why it operated undiscovered for months or years is never properly explained.

Now, last Friday, we had a factory fire in the northern city of Hai Phong that killed 17 and injured 21 workers of a leather footwear factory. Immediately after the accident, the police arrested six people on charges of violating labor regulations.

Initial information showed that the accident happened because burning ashes from wielding dropped on some spongy material. Worse still, agencies found that the factory had no back door, while the front door was blocked by the big fire, so the victims were trapped inside.

Many were burned to death on the spot. Some succumbed later in the hospital to serious burn injuries.

With all that has happened with previous fatal accidents, there is a slim chance that, this time, law enforcers will take into consideration the responsibilities of officials and agencies that licensed the badly-designed factory.

If people in charge had spent some time inspecting the factory before granting the license, there is no way that the 150-square-meter factory, where 40-50 workers worked with flammable materials but had no emergency exit, would get a license.

In fact, we can extend it to every sector under the licensing process.

There is no way an industrial park would be licensed without a proper waste treatment system. There is no way underground tunnels can be dug for discharging untreated effluents into rivers or other water bodies for more than 15 years without being discovered at the outset. There is no way mining projects would get licensed, knowing they would destroy the environment and livelihoods of people, without ensuring every environmental and socio-economic impact is taken into consideration. There is no way cassava or sugar planter can get licenses without adequate pollution-mitigating measures in place. There is no way that resorts and golf courses will be allowed to deface naturally beautiful landscapes with the horrifically Orwellian “eco-tourism” moniker.

This is not rocket science. It is common sense and an obvious, glaring truth that we are repeating our mistakes in a serial fashion. The current approach is to jump from situation to situation instead of preparing and executing long-term preventive solutions.

We need lasting solutions, not short-term emergency responses.

It is inexplicable that “concerned agencies” fail to grasp some of the basics despite eerily similar accidents happening many times in different fields.

There is a case to be made, however, that in the matter of accidents, the issue goes beyond culpability of officialdom or the citizenry to a question of when Vietnam as a nation can develop a “security culture” where the key principle is prevention, not problem-solving.

The culture should find expression in each and every individual so that she/he is aware of risks and unafraid to express feelings of insecurity. As a priority, laws should be established to protect people’s right to express such feelings.

These first steps are essential for developing a security culture in Vietnam.

By Thanh Nguyen

haha_123
12-08-2011, 10:21 PM
Today I received a sms from my Vn gf in Vn:

Bx buon qua ox qua day voi bx du, followed by another sms
Bx buon qua ox qua day coi bx di.

Can somebody explain to me what she meant by "qua day"?
Thank you so much.

deptrai4u
12-08-2011, 11:30 PM
Today I received a sms from my Vn gf in Vn:

Bx buon qua ox qua day voi bx du, followed by another sms
Bx buon qua ox qua day coi bx di.

Can somebody explain to me what she meant by "qua day"?
Thank you so much.

Qua day means come over here!

haha_123
12-08-2011, 11:56 PM
Qua day means come over here!

Thanks for the explanation, Bro Deptrai4u.

jackbl
13-08-2011, 08:37 AM
Many young people “refuse” to denounce corruption
================================================== ====

VietNamNet Bridge – One third of interviewed young people say they witnessed corruption related to healthcare, traffic police and business, but 40 percent of them did not denounce corruption acts.

On August 8, the Germany-based Transparency International and the Center for Community Support Development Studies, under the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations, announced the results of their survey of integrity among Vietnamese youth.

The young responders said they are aware of the significance of integrity and uprightness but they are still ready to act against these values for their own benefits, such as being admitted to a high-quality school or getting a job at a thriving company.
Among these older respondents, 43 percent said they would do the same.

41 percent of young respondents said that accusations of corruption wouldn’t matter.

Most of the young people with the highest educational levels feel pessimistic about the efficiency of denunciation, while most of those with the lowest educational background say denunciation is not in their affairs.

A large part of the young respondents said honesty usually results in disadvantage and that an honest person is often seen as an idiot.

“We can see that education on combating and preventing corruption is unsuccessful in developing a generation of youth who are ready and equipped with sufficient knowledge to fight corruption,” said managing director Nguyen Thi Kieu Vien of the TI’s office in Vietnam.

Young people are not at fault when they hold such views, said Dr. Dang Canh Khanh, former director of the Youth Research Institute. Khanh said what should be responsible is social mechanisms that encourage dishonesty.

Prof. Nguyen Minh Thuyet, former vice chair of the National Assembly’s Committee for Culture, Education, Youth and Children, says that the survey is interesting and close to the truth. He also says that this is a big issue of society.

“The survey shows that many young people did not denounce corruption because they see it is ineffective but without denunciation, many big corruption cases will not be exposed. Actually, fighting corruption is still ineffective and corruptors are often in high position,” says Prof. Thuyet.

PV

jackbl
13-08-2011, 02:44 PM
They forget to mention there are also many pubs and lounges of japanese concepts around this area. e.g are Quan Nho and Bin Bin :D

Little Japan in downtown Ho Chi Minh City
================================================== ======

Unlike the capital Ha Noi with its 1000-year-old moss-covered scenery, or the quiet and romantic ancient capital Hue, Ho Chi Minh City is young and modern at only 300 years of age. Life in Ho Chi Minh City features the cultural value of both history and humanity, which have been crystallized and sublimated through the interaction of many different cultures.

Following the general trend of national openness and global integration, a community of Japanese people has come to live together in Ho Chi Minh City, quickly adapting to city life and forming a new international residence now called Little Japan. Perhaps now, such names as Yumi, Nagomi, Sashimi, and Toyota - written on lanterns, wooden pillars or signs have become more familiar to the eyes of locals.


Very different from the Western Backpacker Area in Ho Chi Minh City, the parade of restaurants in Little Japan is quiet and a little deeper as it moves backward past tight-closing doors. On this stretch of Le Thanh Ton street, only 800 metres long, there are about 20 Japanese restaurants. These Japanese restaurants not only serve the community of Little Japan but also attract domestic and foreign customers living and working in this vital city. The environment of the restaurants make Japanese customers feel at home, as do the dishes, which use ingredients imported from their native country.

It is not only Japanese but also Vietnamese people who love Japanese culture. Nguyen Truong Hai, a Sous-Chef working in a Japanese restaurant, said: “I knew Japanese cuisine just by chance. Previously, I had a passion for Japanese language and culture. I found Japanese cuisine very interesting and attractive; so, I learned to be a Japanese cook. The more I learned, the more I found Japanese cuisine to be plentiful and diverse. Among Japanese dishes, it is said that sushi is still always the unforgettable specialty to many customers.”

Nowadays, according to unofficial statistics, there are nearly 300 Japanese households living in the Little Japan area around Le Thanh Ton street. These international residents living in Vietnam have stable jobs and intend on a long stay. It is said that Little Japan in Sai Gon is very different from other Japanese areas all over the world. Here in Saigon, Japanese and Vietnamese families, as well as other foreign families, seem to exist in a more open atmosphere .The lack of borders between the Japanese and the Vietnamese has made the Japanese community in Saigon become more diverse.

Jade Gantier (Ngoc), a French student, said: "I really love to eat sushi and maki, along with many other dishes whose names I don’t know but are very tasty. I come to Japanese restaurants with my friends here 2-3 times a week.”

Safety, quiet and easy-living is what Japanese people have commented on when speaking of life in Ho Chi Minh City. Moreover, they have the warm affection of their Vietnamese neighbors. Just as many people think, the best way to cope with life change is the promotion of culture and tradition of a nation, in order to preserve its happiness, success and achievements. The Japanese have done it thoroughly and nicely in Vietnam.

Nowadays, the relations between Japan and Vietnam have been set up on the basis of economic development. According to the latest survey by the Japanese External Trade organization, Vietnam is the first choice of Japanese investors when seeking investment opportunities in Asian countries. It is reasonable to believe that Little Japan could develop further in the near future, not only in Saigon, but also in other major Vietnamese cities.

jackbl
14-08-2011, 04:02 AM
For Bros who are living with family in hcmc.....

A weekend getaway with family
=============================================
Our family love to go out of town once in a while and last month we decided to go to an eco-friendly resort in Dong Nai. This hidden beauty is not very popular amongst tourists nor expats. Vuon Xoai or Mango Garden is just an hour of taxi-ride from our house in Phu My Hung, Ho Chi Minh City. Once you know where to find this place, it’s going to be much easier for you to just ride on your bike on the next visit.


We spent our weekend at the resort and the trip was comfy especially for the kids. Near enough to our home and close enough to nature, it was absolutely refreshing to see green around us. Saturday was awesome; it was quiet and peaceful the whole day.

It costs VND 500,000 (US$25) for a bungalow overnight. Our accommodation had an air-conditioner, 2 double beds, a TV, a fridge, and a decent bathroom. There was no WiFi or cable connection inside the room. We did feel we were in a very remote area and there was no reason to stay in so we quickly explored outdoors. We visited the serene lakes, the spacious playground and invigorating swimming pool.

We all had a mouthful of their savory crocodile and flavorsome ostrich dishes on our first meal in their restaurant and it was divine! Food never tasted this good, I thought. We also watched the three black bears bathe, play and eat within the compound of grass, bushes and a creek. Dinner consisted of big palatable fried fish and the sweet-and-sour gustatory ‘running chicken’ (free-range chicken). Mind you, these foods are a rare commodity in Saigon, pigging out was necessary. Spending time with family in nature, eating healthy food was so relaxing.

Came Sunday and it was madness! Guests, in big groups arrived and crowded the picnic areas. Then I reckoned Sunday is the special day when the Vietnamese spend quality time with friends or families at any site such as the park, a mall or a resort.

Mango Garden has much to offer since it is packed with activities for adults and kids to play. There’s grass-skiing, four-wheeled cart sliding (similar to a go-kart but without the steering wheel), and cycling which my boys enjoyed a lot. They also explored the lake with the water-pedal boat then they went up close to a duo of monkeys on a man-made island but they were too tired to try canoeing. You can also ride on an ostrich (which we didn’t dare to do). Despite their exhaustion, my boys had the time of their lives! My younger son cried a bit after a crash from the cart slide plight but most of the time, we were filled with laughter.

As our finale, we all went around on our rented bikes greeting the ostriches, the deer, the antelopes, the four-foot long fish which Animal Planet refers to as “Monster Fish” and the other animals. On the whole, the experience was revitalizing, the view stunning; what I enjoyed the most was taking photos. I had a blast!

Now, before you get too excited in going to the place, there are some reminders though. Firstly, you should know that nobody speaks English there so it will come in handy if you have a Vietnamese friend with you or be sure to have your Vietnamese friend’s mobile number on your phonebook so you can call him to translate for you. Also, after you pay for the accommodation, they’d give you tickets for the swimming pool and breakfast. We didn’t know this so we ended up paying for the pool although it wasn’t really expensive. Thirdly, it is a must to bring a mosquito repellant. Another thing is, if you go there by taxi, ask for the driver’s mobile number or you should have at least Mai Linh’s or Vinasun’s contact number to pick you up when going back home. Last but not least, bicycles at Mango Garden were rusty and not well-maintained thus it would be best if you bring your own bicycles with you on the car/taxi.

There you go! I hope you will visit Mango Garden and add another memorable experience in Vietnam. This is really a good place to hang out with friends, to go on a date with your boyfriend/girlfriend or spend time with the family.

Tara Vargas (Filippino, teacher, blogger)

jackbl
14-08-2011, 10:00 AM
Dear TS, this is for you.......

An unpackaged holiday in Nha Trang
==========================================

Nha Trang, on Vietnam’s south-central coast, carries a contradictory reputation: many people, guidebooks included, say it is home to the country’s best beach; while a recent National Geographic survey rated it as the worst beach destination in the world. With all of that in mind, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I visited Nha Trang for the first time over the recent holiday weekend.


I arrived early in the morning, after a long overnight bus ride up from Saigon, and my friends and I hit the beach almost immediately. We grabbed some chairs on the beach in front of the Louisiane Brewhouse, and my first reaction was to wonder what the critics were talking about: the sky was a brilliant, azure blue, the water was calm and clear, and the mountains surrounding Nha Trang Bay were stunning. Even though we were there on a holiday weekend, the beach was surprisingly empty. Sure, the sand was incredibly hot, but running from the water to the chairs wasn’t that big of a deal.

After spending a couple hours on the beach, several of us rented motorbikes from our hotel, the excellent Pho Bien, and cruised north onto the city’s coastal road. When I travel, I try my best to avoid any form of guided or package tour, not just in Vietnam, but anywhere. Occasionally, these types of tours are fine; for example when you want to learn more information about a place, such as Angkor Wat. Most of the time, however, I prefer to do my own exploring. This is the best way to interact with a country, since you can stop and go wherever you please, meet everyday people that you wouldn’t meet on a tour, and experience the location in your own way. Our bike ride proved to me, once again, that this is the way to go.

The strip along the coast was nearly empty, so traffic was of little concern as we took in the incredible views that the new road provides: shockingly blue water, scenes of fishing villages and their fishermen, and impressive mountains looming over the sea. We zoomed along until we reached Highway 1, which is a chaotic mess of honking trucks and buses, and turned around. That is the best way to travel: no set itinerary, no hour that you have to meet the tour guide, no restrictions on how long you can look at something.

The only tour-based activity I did on the trip was a day-long snorkeling adventure, and that’s only because it would be impossible to do on my own. We booked through Amazing Snorkeling Tour, and my only interaction with a tour outfit was a good own. Our guide for the day was friendly and helpful, the boat safe, and the underwater scenery excellent. The trip also included lunch on the boat, and what a meal it was! A huge feast consisting of stir-fried noodles with vegetables and tofu, fried spring rolls, steamed fish in tomato sauce, water spinach, fried chicken, rice, squid mixed with green peppers, omelets, and bananas, left us stuffed and very happy. I went on a similar trip on Koh Tao, in Thailand, earlier this year, and I believe the trip in Nha Trang was better.

While all of the previously mentioned activities were excellent, there is certainly reason to criticize some aspects of Nha Trang. Tran Phu, the main road running between the beach and the hotels, is very dangerous to cross during rush hour. There are no stoplights and, same as almost everywhere else in Vietnam, motorists have little inclination towards stopping for pedestrians. I live here in Saigon, so I’m well trained in the art crossing a Vietnamese street, but I imagine many first-time visitors to the country would be intimidated by the traffic.

Street-side hawkers are also an annoyance. I’m fine with them trying to sell me cigarettes, a book, or sunglasses on the sidewalk, but it is frustrating when you have to constantly wave them off while you are enjoying a meal at one of Nha Trang’s excellent restaurants. The staff at most establishments I visited didn’t seem to care when someone wandered all the way to the back of the restaurant to bother us at our table. The city should implement some kind of rule confining hawkers to the sidewalk.

The final annoyance is trash. There aren’t enough trash cans (or rubbish bins, as many here call them) on the streets or near the beach, which leads to huge, unsightly piles of garbage being stacked up by night’s end. One sight I distinctly remember came on my last night in Nha Trang: there were several vendors on the beach selling cans of beer from coolers, and next to them were dozens of discarded cans. I hope they were cleaned up by the morning, but I’m not sure if they were. There is also trash in the water, which is an ugly sight, not to mention dangerous for the marine life in the area. Sadly, this is another problem that is prevalent throughout the country; an issue that could certainly be improved simply by placing more trash cans in public areas. Whenever I bought a bottle of water, it took some serious effort to find a proper place to throw away the plastic that is wrapped around the bottle cap. That shouldn’t be the case.

Even taking these issues into account, I had a great time in Nha Trang. In many ways, it was far less touristy than I was expecting. Moto and cyclo drivers are far more persistent in Saigon, and few tour operators are pushy about advertising their product. The natural scenery should be enough to sell the area on its own. If you’re adventurous enough to do some exploring on your own, and know how to pick a good tour when necessary, you should love Nha Trang. World’s worst beach? Not a chance.



Michael Tatarski (American, teacher)

jackbl
14-08-2011, 10:14 AM
TS, this is for you....

Birds steal the show in Tram Chim boat tour
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VietNamNet Bridge - Flocks of birds of all colors fly just above the water surface of swamps and canals or high in the sky in Tram Chim leading visitors to the heart of the national bird sanctuary in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap.

Various bird species hover above grass-plots and areas of blossoming white and pink lotus when tourist boats approach.

A boat tour often takes in the grass-plots and the tree-lined canals criss-crossing the serene national bird sanctuary as these are home to both common and rare bird species, including herons, storks, pelicans, spot-billed ducks and water chickens.

The boat captain dictates where he will take his guests depending on the season. From February through to the end of April nature lovers have the chance to see red-headed cranes that are in the World’s Red Book of Threatened Species, fly back from Vietnam’s neighboring countries to their sanctuary.

Of course, it takes great effort and a lot of luck to see, with your own eyes, the extremely rare cranes. But these long-necked, long-legged birds are not the only attraction in the sanctuary covering more than 7,310 hectares in the heart of Dong Thap Muoi (Plain of Reeds) and lower catchment of the Mekong River.

According to the Eco-tourism and Environmental Education Center of Tram Chim, the sanctuary is the habitat for more 230 birds species with 32 listed as rare including herons and pelicans besides 130 species of native plants, 130 species of freshwater fish, as well as various species of turtles, eels, snakes and pythons.

A trip to Tram Chim in the rainy season is also special as when the lotus blossoms on and around canals, spreading its fragrance to the fresh air to lift the spirits of visitors on both rainy and sunny days. From a high tower inside the bird sanctuary, tourists have a spectacular panoramic view.

As many tourists flock to Tram Chim in summer, you should call the center early on (067) 3827436 (067) 3827436 or email to [email protected] to reserve a boat and book a room if you want to spend the night.

Source: SGT

jackbl
14-08-2011, 10:19 AM
Phu Quoc Island may have a casino
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VietNamNet Bridge – The southern province of Kien Giang plans to allocate 130 hectares to a resort with casino on Phu Quoc Island. However, investors must have at least $4 billion of capital.

Kien Giang’s Vice Chair Dang Cong Huan on July 30 said that local, central officials and international investors met to discuss this project.

The plot of land designed for this project is located in Da Chong ground in Bai Thom commune. Kien Giang will choose a foreign investor which commits to invest at least $4 billion in the project, in the form of bidding.

The casino must cover around 30,000sq.m, which is sufficient to arrange 200-400 gambling tables and 2,000 gambling machines.

The resort must have an international-standard convention center and five-star hotels with around 3,000 rooms.

Huan said that the local government would collect the land fees once, for up to 70 years of duration. The casino will be licensed for less than 30 years.


Some projects halted

On the same day, deputy head of Phu Quoc Investment and Development Management Board, Nguyen Van Sau, said Kien Giang has revoked licences granted to three investment projects on the island.

The revoked projects are: a 10ha eco-resort project in Bai Truong Commune by Dong Nam Trading and Construction Ltd; the 4ha Duong To Resort by Phu An Ltd; and a project to build an aviation trading centre by Vietnam Airlines.

Sau said these projects were cancelled either because they no longer matched the development masterplan for Phu Quoc Island or because the project owners failed to show financial capacity to implement them.

Under the masterplan for socio-economic development of Kien Giang Province by 2020 approved by the Prime Minister on July 26, Phu Quoc Island will be developed into a centrally-administered special economic zone by 2020.

Phu Quoc is Vietnam’s largest island. Situated in the Gulf of Thailand, the island is part of Kien Giang province. The district of Phu Quoc includes the island proper and 21 smaller islets. Phu Quoc is called a “Tourist Heaven”.

Phu Quoc has a diverse terrain, with mountains, forests, a plain and beaches of many kinds. It has about 100 mountains, some of which are more than 550 meters high. The island has temperate weather, so trees are abundant.

Forests cover a big area. The jungle has many precious hardwood trees. Next to the jungle is a cinnamon forest. Phu Quoc's cinnamon is thick and contains a lot of oil. In the lower hilly regions, people grow pepper, coffee, rubber and coconut. Phu Quoc's pepper is fragrant and hot and is a valuable export item.

Animals are another resource. Phu Quoc dogs are famous for their cleverness. Phu Quoc's honey is as pure as amber and has the smell of cinnamon because bees build their hives in the cinnamon forest.

Apart from pepper, another specialty of Phu Quoc is fish sauce. The fish sauce is produced mainly from anchovies and has that fish's special flavor. The sea of Phu Quoc is stocked with fish, squid, shrimp and crabs.

Phu Quoc has many beautiful pristine beaches. The sea water is pure and has the color of sapphire. The marine life at many of the southern beaches is fantastic. Several islets are suitable for swimming, diving and fishing.

From Saigon, tourists can get to the island's Duong Dong Town on a 40 minute Vietnam Airlines flight. They can also go there by boat from Rach Gia or Ha Tien, another town of Kien Giang.

Under a 10-year-development plan, the province, situated 250km south of HCM City, will upgrade the stretch of National Highway 80 between Lo Te and Rach Soi, build a coastal road south of HCM City as well as the Ha Tien – Rach Gia – Bac Lieu Highway. These projects are expected to boost development of the Rach Gia and Phu Quoc airports.

By 2020, Kien Giang will establish the Kien Luong Town and the Ha Tien City, as well as two new districts – Thanh Hung District from Giong Rieng Town, and Soc Xoai from Hon Dat Town.

PV

jackbl
14-08-2011, 10:22 AM
Vacation, vacation
==============================

Dear readers,

We guess you get quite tired striving hard after a work week so let’s take a break and talk about something everyone loves: vacation!

Earlier last month, we have our readers introducing some holiday destinations in Vietnam and we did receive several good stories.

Young English teacher Michael chose to go to the beach in Nha Trang with his friends on a tour organized by themselves.

“Most of the time, [..] I prefer to do my own exploring. This is the best way to interact with a country, since you can stop and go wherever you please, meet everyday people that you wouldn’t meet on a tour, and experience the location in your own way,” Michael talks about his travelling style.

Although he did not think Nha Trang as one of the worst beach destinations in the world as rated by National Geographic, Michael still noticed the place’s ugly side caused by trash everywhere:

“There aren’t enough trash cans on the streets or near the beach, which leads to huge, unsightly piles of garbage being stacked up by night’s end [...] There is also trash in the water, which is an ugly sight, not to mention dangerous for the marine life in the area.”

While Michael went to the sea, Vietnamese reader Quynh Trung spent his holiday in the mountain. Da Lat in the central highland province of Lam Dong is said to be a romantic city due to its blooming flowers, foggy roads and a cool climate. However, Trung introduced a more adventurous way to discover Da Lat: a motorbike tour downhill to Nam Ban town.

“On our way to Nam Ban, we saw Cam Ly Waterfall and numerous green houses growing flowers. At a T-junction we turned left to head to Ta Nung Valley and soon found ourselves immersed in the greenness of a forest, surrounded by fragrant pine trees. As we set off to discover this captivating land, the wilderness gradually gave way to organized coffee plantations where we tumbled downhill toward a residential area of Nam Ban Town,” Trung described his thrilling trip.

Sounds fun, doesn’t it? If you have 3-4 days off, why not plan a trip to Nha Trang or Da Lat, two sites in Vietnam famous for their scenic landscapes, and discover a part of beautiful Vietnam that you have not seen?

For those who are busy with work this summer and cannot afford a long vacation, do not worry. Tara Vargas, a Filipino travel blogger and a mother of two boys, introduced us a getaway very close to the city: Mango Garden in Dong Nai province, one hour ride from Phu My Hung in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 7.

“There’s grass-skiing, four-wheeled cart sliding (similar to a go-kart but without the steering wheel), and cycling which my boys enjoyed a lot. They also explored the lake with the water-pedal boat then they went up close to a duo of monkeys on a man-made island but they were too tired to try canoeing. You can also ride on an ostrich (which we didn’t dare to do). Despite their exhaustion, my boys had the time of their lives! My younger son cried a bit after a crash from the cart slide plight but most of the time, we were filled with laughter,” recalled Tara of the fun trip with her family.

If you’re a parent reader and just realized you haven’t taken your kids on summer vacation, maybe Mango Garden is a good choice for a weekend outing with your beloved ones.

Voilà, we hope we have provided you some ideas on where in Vietnam to travel with your partner, friends or family. Summer is going to end soon, so what are you waiting for? Whether you take a long or short vacation, we hope that you will have a lot of fun and enjoy great moments with people you love.

Have a nice weekend, everyone!

jackbl
14-08-2011, 02:34 PM
越南湄公河上 生活就在水中央
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  湄公河三角洲上有好多个水上市场。这些水上市场与曼谷的水上市场各有不同,因为他们针对的买家不是游客 ,而是当地商家,所以更有一份无需媚俗于游客的纯朴。

  我们所去的那个水上市场叫着丐让(Cai Rang),从住宿的芹苴(Can Tho)出发,大约一个小时的船程就可抵达。据房东兼船夫兼导游说,这个水上市场每天自清晨开始到午间,船 只都会稳稳地停泊在河面上,不论晴雨,大家都会处之泰然地做着买卖,因此我们也无需特别赶早。然而,带着赶 集心情,吃过早餐后的8点左右,我们已迫不及待地催促着赶紧启程了。

  越南水上批发市场

  船只在湄公河各支流穿窜,两岸风光看不尽,一些本地较不容易见到的热带植物如木棉、牛奶果等巍巍站立在 河岸两旁,而红树林也稳稳地盘踞在水边。船只一路往前,阴凉的树影下,混浊的水流上,让人有种奔赴亚马逊的 微惊与遐思。

  摩托船艇毫无困难地在浊水中前进,但见上游不断有浮萍漂流下来,有的零零星星潇洒地直奔前程,有的却拖 拖拉拉成团成扎,流经桥墩时就紧紧缠抱着不肯再走,后来流经的就自然依附其上,因此把水路堵成一道绿色的围 栏,原本畅行无阻的船艇就被挡得无法往前,看看后退又得绕上一大圈;旅人焦虑的思绪还没写在脸上,船夫已见 惯不惯地跳下船,在齐腰的水面上,熟练地用双手把那些紧捆的“萍串”给拉扯出来往旁丢去,瞬间空出一条水路 。原先大家还担心着这一折腾,会否错过了市场上的热闹?其实是杞人忧天,因为这些障碍物对有经验的船夫来说 根本是司空见惯,所谓靠水吃水,还不三两下子就把它摆平?


  抵达目的地,只见整个宽广的水中央,停泊着数不尽的载满货物的船只,但大家都各有地盘似的,静静地做着 自己的买卖,一点市场上的吆喝熙攘声都听不到。因此我们得以安静的心情,让船在这个大卖场里环绕进出,左拐 右观,来回捕捉生活的见证。时逢越南旱季,无风无雨亦无阴。才没多久,大家的汗滴已一颗颗没完没了地自额头 往脸颊脖子随地心吸力朝下直淌,艳阳炙人下,才了解导游为什么坚持要我们戴上越南特有的竹笠,才明白为什么 很多越南女性总以棉织品把自己包裹得只剩下双眼,也才明白越南女性为什么肌肤赛雪!

  丐让是个批发性质的水上市场,供需品的买卖双方是来自四面八方的当地人。主要销售米粮蔬菜类,很多是直 接从农家收购到此批发买卖,也有人卖着自家田里的农产品。当天所见包括胡萝卜、萝卜、南瓜、沙葛、黄瓜、莲 雾、马铃薯、西瓜、黄梨、番薯等应时果菜。但是不管船家卖的是什么,那些货物都是清洗得异常干净排列得非常 整齐,高叠如一堆堆的小山头。


  高挂竹竿做买卖

  有趣的是,每一艘做买卖的货船上,都在船头或船尾高高撑起一根竹竿,竹竿上挂着的瓜果蔬菜,就是那艘货 船所卖的农产品,这样一来,远处就可一目了然,想进货黄梨的就把船开向高挂着黄梨的船只,想买番薯的就开向 高吊着番薯的那艘,以此类推。不但方便,而且省时,又不必浪费大家的时间在河面上兜兜转转影响水上交通。竹 竿挂货,在蓝天白云的俯视下,形成艳阳河上一道非常独特的风景。而这一切,相信是做买卖的小商人想出来的自 然妙方,应该不关什么交通部长运筹帷幄后才定出来的把式。

  看着那些把货物堆积得满满高高的货船上,船家在艳阳下挥汗抛掷货物的干劲,不能想象他们有的竟是连夜开 了数百公里的水路,远道而来。因为根据船名,可以看出这些货船来自哪一个乡镇,想不到就那么一艘普普通通的 木板船,竟可在摩托的仆仆声中,不远数百公里而来,可见生活之不易。

  也有人为了方便,以船为家,但见船上虔诚地供着船家膜拜的佛像,祭拜的鲜花在朝阳下静望众生,点燃的香 枝烟丝袅绕,是船家祈求神明保佑风调雨顺的明证。被当着客厅的船舱里有电视机、收音机等现代化设备,厨房里 锅钵齐全,洗好的衣服,男人的女人的,自在地晾在船尾等待风干,生活上必需的,在这小小的方寸 里应有尽有。

  还有的船只,俨然水上厨房,袅袅炊烟中,一碗碗地为做买卖的人提供五脏庙的饱足。这里,不像分秒必争的 商业阵地那样令人精神紧张,倒像自家庭院般,饿了渴了,都有可亲的邻人为你送上温暖的粗茶淡饭 。

  生活,就在水中央。

《联合早报》

teta
14-08-2011, 09:35 PM
k e it di lam. thuog thoug o nha r di lam ah. nghi thi ve we choi voi gia dinh can bro help me translate thks

KangTuo
14-08-2011, 11:49 PM
k e it di lam. thuog thoug o nha r di lam ah. nghi thi ve we choi voi gia dinh can bro help me translate thks

no i work little. mostly at home already go work. if rest then go back province visit family.