Four young men arrived from different countries – architects Alexander Eriksson Furunes from Norway and Sudarshan Khadka from the Philippines, Frenchman Rémi Gontier, a social enterprise consultant, and independent filmmaker Eric Roache from the US. All volunteered to take part in “Action for Lùng Tám”, an independent community project which aims to empower women and provide sustainable development for the traditional craft village of Lùng Tám, which sits on the Nho Quế River.With seven other young Vietnamese, they banded together to form a solid team. Funny, friendly, and dedicated, they are well known in the community, often called by the team members and villagers in a familiar way: Alex, Sudar, Rémi and Eric. Early yesterday morning, they boarded a bus and began their third trip to Lùng Tám Village.The project Action for Lùng Tám began in May this year to guide and … [Read more...] about Expats come together to build a community project
Materials needed to build a house
Green construction – building a brighter future
You often hear investors complain that going green is a costly decision to make. Is that really the case? That’s a false assumption. Elithis Tower in France which actually consumes less energy than it generates was built at a basic cost of EUR 1,400 per square meter in 2009. However, this would be more difficult in Vietnam where regulations on building quality remain inadequate. Green building often includes diverse factors that help reduce emissions in all activities, from production of construction materials, transport, and operation, to their eventual tearing-down. But the most important ‘green’ factor is the energy-saving operation of buildings, as over many years energy inefficient buildings will emit massive amounts of greenhouse gases. Many buildings are awarded green certificates due to factors other than energy saving. Reducing energy use to net zero or minus is obviously the most difficult target and is also the biggest objective of the modern design … [Read more...] about Green construction – building a brighter future
Anti-dumping measures could turn into a double-edged steel sword
Increased duties to protect domestic steel enterprises in Vietnam have been effective for more than one month but they seem to have caused more problems for the market, especially consumers and construction projects, Vietnam News Agency reported today. Vietnam deployed anti-dumping measures on stainless steel products from China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Taiwan in September 2014 and revised the duties on May 14, 2016. It was meant to protect domestic steel production but it is also hard for enterprises to reduce steel prices, passing the cost on to consumers. The decision in May lowered duties for imported steel products from Malaysia, but taxes remain for Taiwan (13 to 37 percent), and duties for China and Indonesia nearly quadrupled to 17.47-25.35 percent and 13.03 percent, respectively. On Cat Linh Street, known as the furniture center of Hanoi, the prices of household appliances and equipment have not escalated significantly, but shop owners anticipate that they could rise by 10 to … [Read more...] about Anti-dumping measures could turn into a double-edged steel sword
Textile Industry Needs to Focus on Local Market
With a population of 87 million people and 4 million tourists a year, the local market is a target that Vietnam's textile and garment companies aim at in the context of economic recession and hard time for export. However, after many years of reaching overseas markets, it is not easy to dominate the domestic market.Exit doorLe Quoc An, President of Vietnam Textile and Garment Association, worryingly said: Vietnam's textile and garment is facing many difficulties in export. This situation not only occurs in the last months of 2008 but will also last in the whole year of 2009. To reverse the situation, enterprises have to find their way-out by turning back to the local market. In October 2008, the national distribution network of Viet Tien Garment Joint Stock Corporation intensively carried out marketing activities to launch in the market its new brand Smart Casual - office fashion for middle-aged class. This is one of the Company's strategies to win the home market. Viet Tien is … [Read more...] about Textile Industry Needs to Focus on Local Market
Cooperation to Build Vietnam’s Tra and Basa Catfish Trademark: In Need of Administrator’s “Iron Hand”
“Say no with scrambling for purchase and sale, associate to establish a national brand for Vietnam's tra catfish is extremely urgent. We cannot rely on enterprises' self-awareness but need the administrator's "iron hand", emphasised Mr Truong Vinh Thanh, Director General of International Investment and Development Corporation (IDI), Sao Mai An Giang Group, in an interview with VIB Forum. Businesses and farmers: mutual benefit Starting business in aquaculture, an industry dominated by many bosses, could you please unveil some of IDI's development directions?Since establishment, IDI has clearly identified its development objective towards mutual benefit between enterprises and farmers. Farmers directly produce wealth so it will be to kill oneself if enterprises only care about their benefit without appreciating farmers' benefit. Developing businesses in the relation with community, assuring social security, and being environment-friendly will contribute to sustainable … [Read more...] about Cooperation to Build Vietnam’s Tra and Basa Catfish Trademark: In Need of Administrator’s “Iron Hand”
Plastic bottle house promotes environment protection
A woman in Long Bien District, Hanoi has used thousands of recycled plastic bottles to build a small house and raise people's awareness about environmental protection.The house was constructed in June 2015 with 8,800 bottles at Tue Vien Organic Farm.Nguyen Thanh Phuong, who has the idea of using bottles to build a house, said, "It only takes three to five minutes to drink a bottle of water but it takes thousands of years for a bottle to decompose. We have to change our perception and think that each bottle is a resource that we can use."After a meeting with architect Vu Duc Duy, who also wanted to build a house out of recycled materials, the project came true.The bottle house covers only 10 square metres and its cost is no cheaper than other regular houses as it still needs foundations, pillars and construction materials such as cement.Phuong and volunteers took two weeks to collect 10,000 plastic bottles. The bottles were arranged in accordance with the colours of their caps to … [Read more...] about Plastic bottle house promotes environment protection
Local man uses life savings to build bridge in central Vietnam
Le Tat Dung still lives in the same leaky steel-roof house that has been his home for many years. He still watches his old television and relies on his motorbike repair kit to make ends meet.He had planned to use the VND300 million (US$14,343) he had saved over the course of 20 years of working to build himself a new house, but he decided he would prefer to see children and farmers able to cross a local river without having to depend on boats.After 70 days of construction in which Dung did most of the work himself, a bridge funded entirely by his savings was opened in late January. It crosses the Vu Gia River in Dai An District, Quang Nam Province of the mountainous central region, which is notorious for rough river waters and numerous deaths due to drowning.“This bridge was made by Dung himself for us to use,” said Ba Hung, a 65-year-old local woman.“Before, we had to row boats. Children going to school had to be accompanied by parents, and farmers had to go home … [Read more...] about Local man uses life savings to build bridge in central Vietnam
Foreigners call for changes to VN home ownership law
Next Week Do you want a trade centre near Hoan Kiem Lake? A plan to build an eight-story building with offices, a shopping centre and a hotel at the corner of Tran Nguyen Han and Ly Thai To streets near Ha Noi's central Hoan Kiem (Returned Sword) Lake has been given the go-ahead by the municipal People's Committee. Some have raised worries that the building could affect the view of the millennium-old lake, which sits at the heart of the capital, because of its height and modern design. But Government officials said the project had been carefully planned so it would not affect the area's landscape. What do you think about this plan? Would you prefer for the cultural areas surrounding Hoan Kiem Lake to contain predominantly historic buildings? Or do you want more modern facilities, such as this projected centre? Does your own country have strict regulations about building near cultural and historic sites? If so, what are they? … [Read more...] about Foreigners call for changes to VN home ownership law
Experts urge Ha Noi to develop rental housing
HA NOI (Biz Hub)— The shortage of affordable rental housing in Ha Noi will get worse if local authorities do not pay more attention to housing projects, especially for people living in the rural outskirts of the city, experts recommended.The comments were made at a meeting last week held by the city's Fatherland Front Committee to collect feed-back on the city's proposed Housing Development Programme for the 2012-20 period.In 2011, the city had nearly 147 million sq.m of housing, and the average housing area for a person in the city was about 21.5sq.m, three square metres more than the average figure for the whole country.Under the draft, the city aims to raise the average to 23.1sq.m per person by 2015, 26.3sq.m by 2020 and 31.5sq.m by 2030.At present, rental housing makes up about 14 per cent of the capital city's total housing area.The city aims to have rental housing projects accounting for 25 per cent of housing projects in the next three years. The target percentage will … [Read more...] about Experts urge Ha Noi to develop rental housing
The sculptor who builds giant Buddhas
Living large: The Goddess of Mercy stands atop Linh Ung 3 Pagoda in Son Tra District of Da Nang City. With a bottom diameter of 30m, the statue is as tall as a 30-storey building. — VNS Photo Nhat Anh by Minh Tuan and An VuArtist Thuy Lam's statues steal the hearts of viewers with their angelic features, unlike the the man himself. At the age of 65, he looks like a bumpkin, with a tobacco pipe in his mouth and flat cap on his head. It's hard to believe he is a well-known sculptor of giant Buddhist statues.Visitors to Cam (Forbidden) Mountain are dazed by the huge smiling Mitreya Buddha, 716 metres above sea level, amid the sombre forests of the southern province of An Giang.This is only one piece in the huge collection Lam has produced.Born Pham Dan Chu, the sculptor grew up in Tan Chau District of An Giang. As a boy, Lam was taken to local denominational schools to study fine art, where his teachers nurtured and developed his talent for drawing.When Cambodia's … [Read more...] about The sculptor who builds giant Buddhas