Viet Nam News BLACKPOOL — In January, thousands of pigeon fanciers flock to the seaside resort of Blackpool where the fastest and most beautiful pigeons are cooed over by some of the most expert keepers in the game. The British Homing World Show of the Year is Britain’s biggest gathering of pigeon fanciers, attracting up to 15,000 people to the northwest coast of England. "Whether you are a new member, curious about pigeons, or a veteran pigeon fancier, there is something for everyone at the show," the event promises. It is held in Blackpool’s historic Winter Gardens venue. The Beatles, Queen and Oasis have played in the ballroom and every post-World War II British prime minister has spoken there during party conferences. But on the third weekend in January, the ballroom is filled with more than 2,000 pigeons, divided into those bred for showing and for racing. "The atmosphere is very good. It’s basically a reunion for pigeon fanciers. There are people … [Read more...] about Britain’s pigeon fanciers flock to show of the year
City year start dates
HCM City, WB top officials visit site of Nhieu Loc – Thi Nghe project
Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong (left) and WB Country Director for Vietnam Ousmane Dione (right) take a fact-finding trip to District 2 where the second phase of a WB-funded environmental sanitation project is underway. (Photo: sggp.org.vn) HCM City (VNA) – Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong and World Bank (WB) Country Director for Vietnam Ousmane Dione on November 22 took a fact-finding trip to the city’s District 2 where the second phase of a WB-funded environmental sanitation project is underway. Following the trip, Phong said he was pleased to see the project in good progress while expressing his belief that once completed, it would improve the well-being of the city’s residents and help restore and protect the ecosystem of the Sai Gon and Dong Nai Rivers. Dione, for his part, spoke highly of the project’s progress, saying the fact the city and WB leaders visited the … [Read more...] about HCM City, WB top officials visit site of Nhieu Loc – Thi Nghe project
VND to remain steady until year’s end
The VND is seen as one of the least depreciated currencies in the region, Photo: Le Toan FX on fire The daily fixing last Thursday set itself again to a record high of VND22,662 a dollar, adding VND13 a dollar on top of the previous day’s rate, before slightly cooling down to VND22,660 on Friday. Across local commercial banks, the FX rate was reported as edging up last Friday, following a sideways movement seen days before. Each dollar was sold at VND23,095-23,125 and bought at VND23,000-23,030 a dollar, with VND10-20 added on both the buy and sell sides. The upswing of the daily fixing and FX rates in the local market happened in response to the greenback gaining power against other major currencies, with the dollar index breaking the 95.00 figure last week. With the daily rate consistently trending upward in the past four weeks, investment advisory manager Phan Dung Khanh at Maybank Kim Eng Securities in Ho Chi Minh City said that the causes were attributed to several … [Read more...] about VND to remain steady until year’s end
Japanese bunraku puppetry theatre to be staged in HCM City
The Japan Foundation Centre for Cultural Exchange in Việt Nam will present a performance of traditional Japanese bunraku puppetry theatre in HCM City in mid-July. Photo courtesy of the organiserViet Nam News HCM CITY – The Japan Foundation Centre for Cultural Exchange in Việt Nam will present a performance of traditional Japanese bunraku puppetry theatre in HCM City in mid-July to mark 45 years of Vietnam-Japan diplomatic ties. The 20-minute performance will include an excerpt from Date Musume Koi No Higanoko (The Red-Hot Love of the Greengrocer’s Daughter), a bunraku masterpiece based on a real story that occurred during the Edo period about 300 years ago. The play is about the tragic love story of Oshichi, a daughter of a greengrocer, and her lover Kichisaburo, a page at the Kisshoin Temple. The excerpt features a scene in which Oshichi finds the lost sword of her lover who is about to commit seppuku. However, she cannot visit him because the gates … [Read more...] about Japanese bunraku puppetry theatre to be staged in HCM City
HCM City meets 42.4 pct of yearly target in international visitors
A corner of Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNA) – The number of international arrivals in Ho Chi Minh City has to date this year reached 3.18 million, up 32 percent from last year and meeting 42.4 percent of the yearly target. Tourism revenue in the period was estimated at over 51.6 trillion VND (2.27 billion USD), an annual increase of 14.8 percent. The figure accounted for 37.4 percent of the yearly target. The municipal Tourism Department said it will continue boosting the quality of local tourism products and services, with a focus on waterway routes. According to a survey of a popular room booking website, Ho Chi Minh City has so far secured the highest number of booking as the base for visitors to start exploring Vietnam. A recent survey jointly conducted by the Tourism Department and the municipal Statistics Office showed tourists both domestic and foreign stay for an average 5 days in the city and spend around 145 USD a day, which showed a reduction in stay … [Read more...] about HCM City meets 42.4 pct of yearly target in international visitors
2017 was a good year for Vietnam’s trade and industry
(VEN) - The Vietnam Economic News selected 10 industry and trade highlights in 2017. 1. The government issued a decree regulating the function, tasks, rights and organizational structure of the Ministry of Industry and Trade. On August 18, 2017, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc signed Decree 98/2017/ND-CP, regulating the function, tasks, rights and the organizational structure of the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The decree is intended to streamline the ministry’s organizational structure. The number of subsidiaries under the ministry has been reduced from 35 to 30, including 26 administrative units and four state-funded public service entities. In addition, the number of state-governing departments at the ministry’s headquarters has also been slashed by 72 or 36.5 percent. 2. The Ministry of Industry and Trade slashed and simplified administrative procedures and investment and business conditions. Following the Master Plan for Simplification of Administrative Procedures … [Read more...] about 2017 was a good year for Vietnam’s trade and industry
Supermarkets in HCM City gear up for Lunar New Year
In addition to cutting prices on more than 5,000 essential items from January 11 to February 14, Co.opmart and Co.opXtra have teamed up with suppliers for another programme under which they will cut prices of many kinds of fresh food by the maximum possible rates for seven days starting just before Tet. They have also applied “Super discounts” and “Buy more, get more discounts” on the weekend and incentive programmes for their loyal customers such as offering high reward points. Similarly, Korean retailer Lotte Mart also launched three consecutive promotion programmes: The “Tet comes to Lotte Mart” programme takes place from January 24 to February 15, with discounts between 5-49% on more than 1,200 products; “For a full Tet” from February 7 to 15 with discounts on over 80 Tet-featured products; and “Starting a desired spring” programme from February 13 to 21 with hundreds of products discounted between 5-49%. Supermarket … [Read more...] about Supermarkets in HCM City gear up for Lunar New Year
City nods tunnel toll collection trial
City nods tunnel toll collection trialAnh Quan By Anh Quan - The Saigon Times Daily HCMC – The HCMC government has allowed the Saigon River Tunnel Management Center to collect tolls on trial before the job is officially undertaken in near future. The Department of Transport is tasked with deciding on the start date of the toll collection test. Speaking to the Daily, Tran Quang Lam, director of the center, said when to test-run the toll booths has yet to be decided. In the pilot collection duration, staff members of the toll station will familiarize themselves with equipment to detect vehicles, check tickets, and open and close the barriers but they will not collect money, Lam stated. Lam said the toll collection trial will run until the middle of November and then the transport department will send the city government a toll collection plan plus proposed rates. The trial is expected to help the department evaluate the traffic volume to seek solutions to cope with congestion, if … [Read more...] about City nods tunnel toll collection trial
A 100-year-old French architectural building in Saigon
A 100-year-old French architectural building in SaigonNguyen Quy Those passing by Tran Hung Dao Street in District 1, HCMC might see a nearly-100-year-old building attached to the story about Nguyen Van Hao, one of the wealthiest businessmen in Saigon, the former name of HCMC, in the early 20th century. Lying at the junction of Tran Hung Dao, Ky Con and Yersin streets in the heart of the city, its history dates back to the French colonial time as construction of the building began in 1933 and was completed four years later. The house once belonged to Hao who was born into a farming family in the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh and moved to Saigon for work at a young age. He started as vendor of auto parts and accessories and his business thrived in the early 20th century given the growing demand of long-distance travel in the Mekong Delta and the rise of private cars. He quickly established himself as one of the most successful and richest businessmen in the city at the time. The … [Read more...] about A 100-year-old French architectural building in Saigon
Sa Dec Flower Village blossoms as Vietnam’s Lunar New Year approaches
The village has been attracting thousands of visitors as Vietnam’s Lunar New Year celebrations approach. Flowers from a local park not only beautify the local area, but also contribute to brightening up other locations and events, with Sa Dec still one of the county’s biggest suppliers of flowers and plants. Colorful all year long, Sa Dec is a provincial city in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap, in southern Vietnam. The city has maintained its position as an important economic port, as well as an agricultural and industrial trading center of the region. Tourists take a group photo in Sa Dec Flower Village. Photo: Tuoi Tre Sa Dec Flower Village is 150 kilometers to the southwest of Ho Chi Minh City, close to the quiet Tien (Front) River, which supplies the area with a consistent, cool breeze. Even though most people expect blossoming flowers to be on display only during Tet, the Vietnamese way to refer to the Lunar New Year festival due in less than four … [Read more...] about Sa Dec Flower Village blossoms as Vietnam’s Lunar New Year approaches