The first foreign visitors to Ha Long Bay in the 2018 lunar new year are offered lucky money and calligraphy works. The visitors arrived at the UNESCO World Heritage Site on the morning of Friday, the first day of the 2018 lunar new year. 60,000 foreign visitors, mostly from South Korea, China, North America and France, have registered to tour the famous bay during the 5-day Tet holiday. Ha Long Bay, in the northern province of Quang Ninh, was twice recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, in 1994 and 2000. In 2012, New 7 Wonders Foundation named the bay as one of New Seven Natural Wonders of the world. … [Read more...] about Ha Long Bay welcomes first-footers of lunar year 2018
Vermont 4000 footers
Over 4000 babies to be born on New Year’s Day in Viet Nam, says UNICEF
Kiribati’s Christmas Island, a small island in the Pacific, will most likely welcome 2018’s first baby; the United States, its last. Globally, over half of these births are estimated to take place in nine countries: India — 69,070 China — 44,760 Nigeria — 20,210 Pakistan — 14,910 Indonesia — 13,370 The United States of America — 11,280 The Democratic Republic of Congo — 9,400 Ethiopia — 9,020 Bangladesh — 8,370 Source: Internet While many babies will survive, some will not make it past their first day. Across the world in 2016, an estimated 2,600 children died within the first 24 hours every day of the year. For almost 2 million newborns, their first week was also their last. In all, 2.6 million children died before the end of their first month. It is estimated that every day 50 newborn die in Viet Nam. Among those children, more than 80 per cent of all newborn deaths are due to preventable and treatable causes such as … [Read more...] about Over 4000 babies to be born on New Year’s Day in Viet Nam, says UNICEF
Quang Ngai: Detecting of many cultural artifacts, history 4000 years ago
(Cinet)- On April 8th, doctor of archaeology Doan Ngoc Khoi announced that archaeologists have discovered many valuable artifacts during an archaeological exploration of a lake bed in the mountainous Son Ha district, the central province of Quang Ngai. Discovered artifacts such as stone axes are dated back 4000 years. Archaeologists also found remains from local ethnic minority groups such as Kor, Hre, Kdong and Cham Pa in the form of copper and iron tools; pottery of the Viet people from Ly, Tran and Le dynasty. Scientists and relevant agencies in the province are completing procedures to request permission from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to excavate the valuable artifacts. … [Read more...] about Quang Ngai: Detecting of many cultural artifacts, history 4000 years ago
Governor of US Vermont State visits HCM City
Shumlin said his visit aims to introduce Vermont’s immigration policies which offer favourable conditions to attract businesses and students of Vietnam in general and HCM City in particular to the state. He confirmed that Vermont’s transparent policy and its big advantages of land, agricultural production and high-quality education will benefit Vietnamese businesses and students. … [Read more...] about Governor of US Vermont State visits HCM City
Luxury cruise ship becomes first-footer of Chan May Port
The central province of Thua Thien-Hue hosted a ceremony to welcome the five-star Celebrity Millennium cruise ship on February 11.This is the first-footer, the first to arrive during the Lunar New Year, to Chan May Port from Malta carrying 2,100 passengers and 1,000 crewmembers.Passengers visited popular destinations in Hue and Da Nang City upon arrival at the port. These destinations included Hue Ancient Capital, Hoi An Ancient Town and My Son Relic Site.The ship left Chan May Port at 6 p.m. on the same day for Ha Long Port in Quang Ninh Province.Chan May Port is expected to receive 34 cruise ships this year with approximately 40,000 visitors. The Celebrity Millennium will visit eight times.By staff writers – Translated by Hai Mien … [Read more...] about Luxury cruise ship becomes first-footer of Chan May Port
Vermont welcomes VN investors to seize opportunities
The main Vietnamese exports to Vermont were farm produce, garments and footwear.—Photo aip HCM CITY (VNS) — Many investment chances are waiting for Vietnamese investors in the US in general and Vermont State in particular, according to participants at conference held yesterday in HCM City by the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI). At the conference, which included representatives of US law companies and Vermont authorities, delegates said the relationship between Viet Nam and Vermont was expected to develop strongly in the future. Lawrence Miller, Secretary of Commerce for the State of Vermont, said that the main industries of his state were tourism and agriculture. Education and healthcare are also important to the state's economy. He said that student exchanges and tourism would continue to strengthen relations between Viet Nam and Vermont. They were always ready to support for Vietnamese investors to come to Vermont and vice versa, he … [Read more...] about Vermont welcomes VN investors to seize opportunities
Time capsule
Scatalogical: Experts excavate the site of an ancient toilet at Rach Nui in Long An Province. — VNS Photo Trung Kien LONG AN — A team of Australian and Vietnamese archaeologists discovered a 3,500 year old man-made toilet believed to be the earliest such device in southern Viet Nam. The toilet was excavated about 30km from HCM City at Rach Nui, Long An Province. It consists of a 5m in height man-made mound, surrounded by small tidal streams and mangrove swamps. The team is made up of Vietnamese experts from the HCM City's Archaeology Centre and those from the Australian National University. Archaeologist Marc Oxenham, from the Australian institution, told Radio Australia that human and dog waste had been perfectly preserved at Rach Nui, providing valuable insights into the diets of local people at the time. "We uncovered broken fish bones and preserved vegetable matter," he confirmed. Nguyen Khanh … [Read more...] about Time capsule
Singing contest attracts 4,000 hopefuls
HA NOI — Over 4,000 would-be singers competed on Wednesday in the qualifying round of song contest Giong Hat Viet (Vietnamese Voice), a local version of the popular US reality show The Voice. Thirty short-listed candidates will compete in a blind audition in June, a battle phase will be held in July and live performances will take place in September. Contestants perform in such genres as pop, rock, hip-hop and country. The singing contest, produced by Viet Nam Television and Cat Tien Sa Media and Television Co, aims to discover new singing talent. The Voice has aired in 47 countries world-wide, with Viet Nam the second country in Asia after South Korea to create its own version of the show.-VNS … [Read more...] about Singing contest attracts 4,000 hopefuls
Cruise ships bring over 4,000 tourists to visit Viet Nam
Five-star cruise ship Diamond Princess (Bermuda) carrying 3,756 international tourists berthed in Nha Trang Bay on Tuesday morning. A dozen boats transferred the visitors to Nha Trang for a city tour before the vessel left for Hong Kong at 5pm. On the same day the German-flagged Columbus with 550 passengers and crew members on board dropped anchor at Da Nang's Tien Sa Port for a three-day visit to Viet Nam which also included Nha Trang and HCM City. In Da Nang, the tourists took a city tour by xich lo (pedicabs) and went shopping at Han Market before cruising on the Thu Bon River to Hoi An where they met with local farmers from Tra Que vegetable village.-VNS … [Read more...] about Cruise ships bring over 4,000 tourists to visit Viet Nam
The first-footer
Illustration by Dao Quoc Huy by Vu Thi Huyen TrangAccording to our age-old custom, every year home-owners invite a special person to be the "first-foot" for their family. This means that at mid-night, at the moment the old year rushes out and the new year rushes in, the invitee is the first person to enter the house. During the ritual, this person wishes for everyone in the home health, marked success and, especially, good luck during the year. Of course, the chosen person, usually a young person or a man, must be the same age as the animal representing that year on the lunar calendar. By following this custom, the whole family hopes to avoid trouble and enjoy good luck for the entire year.This custom is of paramount importance for all families, rich … [Read more...] about The first-footer