Train services disrupted

Among other things, it was once a quiet, dark, dangerous neighborhood. Its story began soon after the trans-national railway stopped serving colonial functions in 1954, following the defeat of the French in the famous battle at Dien Bien Phu. In 1956, the Vietnam Railway Authority built a dormitory just a few feet away on either side of the tracks to house employees working in the sector. Starting from Tran Phu Street, the dormitory ran parallel to Phung Hung Street on a section of some two kilometers (1.24 miles) long. It consisted of mud houses just high enough that people would not bump their heads going in. An afternoon in late 1967, Bui Thi Loan, a railway worker, took her children who were around five and three back then, to one of such house on Tran Phu Street. The house measured around eight square meters looked onto the tracks where wild grass had almost reached her height. The most valuable asset Loan had along with her, aside from a bed, was a vacuum flask, which was a … [Read more...] about Following the tracks laid by Hanoi’s Train Street

KVision teamed up with VIISA and UP for the hackathon for Vietnamese startups Bringing together KBank’s expertise in regional banking, $245 million of funding from KVision, local know-how of VIISA, and innovative ideas from local startups, the aim is to drive synergies that will spur cutting-edge solutions that create value and drive growth in Vietnam and the wider region. Kasikorn Vision (KVision), an investment holding company under Kasikornbank Pcl. in Thailand (KBank), has joined hands with Vietnam Innovative Startup Accelerator (VIISA), a leading accelerator in Vietnam, and UP Co-Working Space, to hold a three-day hackathon on June 28-30, 2019. Chat Luangarpa, first senior vice president of KBank, said that Vietnam has emerged as one of the ASEAN’s most vibrant startup markets. Vietnam is now one of the most active VC markets in the region, and with a fast-growing economy, a pool of youthful tech talent, and strong government support, it has all the key ingredients … [Read more...] about KVision launches hackathon to co-innovate with Vietnamese startups

Nguyen Thi Kim Phuong is 42 and she fears what middle age will do to her face. Like many of her friends, she sees cosmetic surgery as a way to extend her youthful looks. Phuong originally planned to undergo a face-lift procedure and nose job at a beauty clinic in Saigon's District 10 next month that would cost her more than VND80 million ($3,438). But she's changed her decision, fearing for her life after a series of plastic surgeries went fatally wrong at private clinics in Vietnam's southern metropolis. "I want to look younger and more beautiful as the Lunar New Year is coming near. But I'm afraid of dying and I don't dare to risk my life," the grocery store owner said.   "They (beauty clinic consultant staff) guaranteed that the surgery would be 100 percent successful and advised me to keep an optimistic mind. "But these recent deaths and accidents from plastic surgery in private clinics have really scared me. It seems that going under the plastic surgeon's knife in Vietnam is … [Read more...] about For better or worse: botched plastic surgeries scare Vietnamese women

"Casting Light in the Shadows: Child and youth migration, exploitation and trafficking in Vietnam," released on Tuesday at a conference in Hanoi, said they were either trafficking victims or exposed to trafficking risks. Vietnamese girls and boys are equally at risk of trafficking, while less than one in 10 victims of trafficking or labor exploitation received any form of support. The report, surveyed 3,885 people aged 12 to 24 in 36 Vietnam localities from 2017. "This study provides important evidence of the prevalence of child trafficking and the experiences of exploited or trafficked children," Lesley Miller, UNICEF Deputy Representative in Vietnam, said. "It also reveals that both boys and girls are impacted, reinforcing the need for gender-responsive prevention and responses." Kara Apland, senior researcher at research institute Coram International, said: "The majority of trafficking survivors never access support services. Furthermore, services were found to be focused on a … [Read more...] about Over 5 pct of Vietnamese children have trafficking-related experiences: report