Viet Nam News Trần Mai & Ngọc Hiển HÀ NỘI — On a sunny day at the beginning of November, Võ Thị Hồng Vân and her son travel the familiar road from the southern province of Đồng Nai to HCM City to receive treatment for the young boy’s cancer. On this particular day, they are full of joy. Cancer destroyed the childhood and left hand of Vân’s son - Hải Đăng. The name which means lighthouse makes people think of hope. He’s now 13 years old and a pupil at the Hòa Hưng Junior Secondary School in Long Thành District, the southern province of Đồng Nai. Now many benefactors have helped make Đăng’s dream of having a robot arm a reality. “Will my arm be cut?” Vân and Đăng came to HCM City for the first time at the beginning of 2015. They made an appointment at Paediatrics Hospital No 2, because … [Read more...] about A robot arm dream turned into reality
Struggling to stay awake
The Sun Never Sets
Viet Nam News By Hồ Anh Thái It would be a waste to stay inside during a Northern European white night, the writers tell each other. They have come to attend the International Writers’ Conference being held in the old quarter of Stockholm. Alright. Gaggles of writers surge out of the hotel, cross Kungsgatan or King Street to Drottninggatan or Queen Street, then walk along the latter to get to the Royal Palace. Ten in the evening and the sky is still as bright as midday, the sun shining radiantly. Midnight: the sky still blue, the clouds still white. As time moves towards morning, the air remains luminous, the leaves in the surrounding trees glowing incandescently as the sunlight shines through them. The writers sit on a bridge behind the Royal Palace, talking all night in reverent murmurs. Would the sun that has shone so brilliantly all night long ever stumble, relent even a little bit to allow a transition into a new dawn? She remembers her first white … [Read more...] about The Sun Never Sets
Social News 7/8
Legal framework for child care on the internet Vietnam, with 64 million Internet users (67% of its population), is among Asian countries having the biggest number of Internet users. A majority of these users are children and teenagers, who are exposed to both benefits and dangers. In addition to close attention from parents and schools, a legal framework is needed to protect children from the risks of the cyber world. While browsing the Internet, children may encounter unexpected information and people. Their personal information can be hacked. More seriously, children can become victims of swindles, exploitation, harassment, and sex abuse. Online game and smartphone addictions can harm children’s mental and physical health. Parents should teach children how to find and use information on the Internet. Dang Hoa Nam, Director of the Department for Children of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs, said, “Parents play a very important role. They should be … [Read more...] about Social News 7/8
Lives thrown into disarray, Lao citizens struggle to cope
Several days after a hydropower dam collapsed in southeastern Laos, hundreds of villagers are struggling with its aftermath. The flash floods unleashed by the collapse of the Xepian-Xe Nam Noy hydropower dam have so far killed 27 people, left 131 missing and more than 3,000 people stranded. These are official figures released till date. The actual toll could be much higher. Khok Kong Village, around 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the collapsed hydropower dam, lost several houses, rendering hundreds residents homeless. They have been evacuated to a nearby school. Remote villages in the Attapeu province, the southernmost part of Laos, are still submerged in muddy waters, paralyzing traffic around the area and obstructing rescue efforts. A little girl walks in the rain with a mat she picked up when water levels receded on Thursday. Two women take their belongings and move to a shelter. According to Laos officials, the dam collapse had affected … [Read more...] about Lives thrown into disarray, Lao citizens struggle to cope
The railway track people of the capital city
Viet Nam News There are people in Hà Nội who live very close to a railway line. Over the years they have learned to always get off the tracks when a train approaches. People have even brought up their children and grandchildren very close to these tracks. It is such an unusual sight that tourists even come to see the area. By Paul Kennedy & Bảo Hoa report. Vũ Thị Khoa washes her dishes in a plastic basin outside her home using water from a makeshift hosepipe. As she carefully scrubs away the dirt she issues a frank and stern warning. “Keep your ears and eyes open and pay attention to the light and train horn signals,” she says, “to avoid being hit by trains.” Khoa has lived less than a yard away from the railway line for 27 years, so she knows how to stay safe, and to keep others out of trouble, too — she’s raised her children and grandchildren there. She’s used to the noise, used to the dirt and … [Read more...] about The railway track people of the capital city
Life on the line: The railway people of Hanoi
VietNamNet Bridge – Their homes next to the tracks are noisy, dangerous, and technically illegal, but the capital’s rail-side residents have built a close-knit community. Paul Kennedy & Bao Hoa report. Camera-ready: A tourist takes photos of the railway line. — VNS Photos Truong Vi Vu Thi Khoa washes her dishes in a plastic basin outside her home using water from a makeshift hosepipe. As she carefully scrubs away the dirt she issues a frank and stern warning. “Keep your ears and eyes open and pay attention to the light and train horn signals,” she says, “to avoid being hit by trains.” Khoa has lived less than a yard away from the railway line for 27 years, so she knows how to stay safe, and to keep others out of trouble, too — she’s raised her children and grandchildren there. She’s used to the noise, used to the dirt and used to the risks, just like all the people who live their lives on the train line in … [Read more...] about Life on the line: The railway people of Hanoi
Life on the line: The railway people of Hà Nội
Camera-ready: A tourist takes photos of the railway line. — VNS Photo Trương Vị Viet Nam News Their homes next to the tracks are noisy, dangerous, and technically illegal, but the capital’s rail-side residents have built a close-knit community. Paul Kennedy & Bảo Hoa report. Vũ Thị Khoa washes her dishes in a plastic basin outside her home using water from a makeshift hosepipe. As she carefully scrubs away the dirt she issues a frank and stern warning. “Keep your ears and eyes open and pay attention to the light and train horn signals,” she says, “to avoid being hit by trains.” Khoa has lived less than a yard away from the railway line for 27 years, so she knows how to stay safe, and to keep others out of trouble, too — she’s raised her children and grandchildren there. She’s used to the noise, used to the dirt and used to the risks, just like all the people who live their lives on the … [Read more...] about Life on the line: The railway people of Hà Nội
Papua New Guinea officials say whole villages flattened by deadly quake
SYDNEY -- Whole villages were flattened and water sources spoiled by a powerful earthquake that killed at least 20 people, residents said on Wednesday as rescuers struggled to reach the hardest-hit areas in Papua New Guinea’s remote, mountainous highlands. The magnitude 7.5 quake rocked the rugged Southern Highlands province some 560 km (350 miles) northwest of the capital, Port Moresby, triggering landslides, damaging mining, gas and power infrastructure, and cutting communications. Scores of aftershocks have hampered rescue efforts and rattled nervous villagers over the past two days, including a 6.0 tremor just before 1 p.m. (0300 GMT) on Wednesday registered by the U.S. Geological Survey. Most of the confirmed fatalities were in or around the provincial capital of Mendi and the town of Tari, according to authorities and residents contacted by Reuters. “It’s massive destruction,” Stanley Mamu told Reuters by telephone from Tari, 40 km (25 miles) from the … [Read more...] about Papua New Guinea officials say whole villages flattened by deadly quake