Nguyen Quang Thieu, poet My father died of lung cancer in 2008. In his twilight years, he was confined to a cushioned chair, as he could not breathe while lying on a bed. Since he was living in the countryside, my siblings and I could only take care of him during the weekends, as we all had jobs in faraway places. During the time that I spent with him, I started to notice more carefully the behavior of our family dog, Lu, who my Dad had raised since he was young. Lu often walked outside the porch or around the neighborhood during the day. But ever since my Dad became bedridden, he stayed with him the whole time, lying next to his chair. I think Lu hasn’t slept at all during that time. Dad’s terminal cancer forced him to take painkillers once every two or three hours. Every time he moaned in pain or wanted to get up, Lu immediately stood up and sat by his side. I often timed my phone alarm to wake my Dad up once every 1.5 hours to help him take his medications … [Read more...] about Why our dog was a close family member
Why want job
Why data localisation might become a big investment story
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Viet Nam News Brian Spence* In mid-June, Việt Nam’s National Assembly approved the Law on Cybersecurity by an overwhelming almost 87 per cent majority, a move that has sparked a great deal of debate over how technology giants such as Facebook and Google will cooperate with the government in its policing of the web. These complexities are perhaps more a topic for political commentators. What interests me – and what should interest all savvy investors – is Article 26 of the new law. This stipulates that from the start of 2019, firms, whether domestic or foreign, that collect, analyse and commercialise Vietnamese users’ information will have to store that data on local servers. It will also force foreign technology firms to establish representative offices in Việt Nam if they want to continue doing digital business here. A not-to-be-missed market Southeast Asia is one of Facebook’s fastest-growing regions and Việt Nam, with its … [Read more...] about Why data localisation might become a big investment story
Do we want to reverse or advance our brain drain?
Trương Nguyện Thành. — Photo Hoa Sen University A professor at Hoa Sen University in HCM City who shot to fame when he taught a class on innovation wearing a pair of shorts has come up short at the hand of some bureaucrats’ rigid interpretation of regulations. The professor, also famous for encouraging students to think outside the box, was chosen to fill the vacant position of the university’s chancellor by its board of directors, but the municipal education department vetoed the move, citing a “lack of experience”. Dr. Trương Nguyện Thành has since decided to part ways with the university, returning to a position he held earlier in a prestigious school in the United States. The relevant rule being cited from the Law on Higher Education says that a candidate must hold a doctoral degree and have at least five years of experience in a management position, either as faculty dean or the head of a … [Read more...] about Do we want to reverse or advance our brain drain?
With bigger paycheck in sight, millennials lead job hopping trend in Vietnam
Since starting her first job as a copywriter in communications agency Youth Media nearly three years ago, Bui Quynh Trang has switched jobs three times. She has been working as a freelance videographer for about eight months now. Her stint at her previous employer lasted only nine months. The 24-year-old was with her first job for more than a year, before she decided to quit with no alternative lined up. “I was bored with the old jobs. One gave me a low wage, and the other took too many of my hours a day, from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m.,” Trang said. As the Vietnamese economy is expanding fast, switching jobs for better conditions has become more and more common, with the trend being led by millennials. According to a survey conducted on more than 3,000 Vietnamese born between 1980-1996 by recruitment firm Navigos Group last August, over two- thirds of respondents said they were considering switching to a new job, while 70 percent said they stay with any given company for no more … [Read more...] about With bigger paycheck in sight, millennials lead job hopping trend in Vietnam
IBM wants to take tech leadership in ASEAN
The digital transformation is creating breakthrough achie-vements thanks to cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence and blockchain. Do you have any predictions about how these technologies will impact Vietnam? Patricia Yim You know, there is a fear that one day, machines will replace human beings. But, IBM believes that the purpose of artificial intelligence (AI) is to augment human intelligence and not take over people. AI systems such as Watson help because they can understand, reason, and learn from vast amounts of data - including data such as videos, images and blog posts which are not typically “read” by traditional computer systems. It is the job of the human being to use the insights from AI to make better decisions. If we look at the AI platform Watson for Oncology, which we teamed up with Vietnamese company Five9 to launch last December, it acts on a cognitive computing system to help oncologists in Vietnam identify evidence-based cancer … [Read more...] about IBM wants to take tech leadership in ASEAN
Tourism boosts jobs in Danang
The tourism sector has generated over 140.000 jobs in the central city of Danang according to local officials. Truong Quang Nghia, the party secretary of Danang City, held a review meeting with the Department of Tourism about the sector's operation in 2017 and new goals for 2018 on March 7. Chairman of Danang Tourism Associations Huynh Tan Vinh said that the city had experienced extraordinary development since 2008 when the city received 1.2 million visitors. In 2017, it received 6.6 million visitors and earned nearly VND20trn (USD878.75m). Over 2.3 million international and 4.3 million domestic tourists visited Danang last year, an increase of 39% and 11.2% compared to 2016. Chairman of Danang Tourism Associations Huynh Tan Vinh speaks at the meeting on March 7 Tourism generated over 140,000 jobs last year, accounting for 25% of the total jobs. Danang has set goals to welcome 2.7 million international and 4.77 million tourists in 2018, earning VND22.50trn (USD988.59m) from … [Read more...] about Tourism boosts jobs in Danang
Vietnam learns from abnormal weather
VietNamNet Bridge – Tran Quang Hoai, head of the General Department of Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, talks to the newspaper Hai quan (Customs) on what he said was abnormal weather in Vietnam last year. What are your assessments on natural calamities, including storms and floods in 2017?Natural disasters in 2017 were complicated, unseasonable and unpredictable. They resulted in 386 people dead and missing and VND60 trillion (US$2.6 billion) worth of damage.In addition, there were heavy and prolonged downpours from June to October, with rainfalls up to 5,000mm. As a result, many of our reservoirs were full. The flooding triggered by storm Doksuri in mid-September in the North Central Region nearly reached the historic level of 5.18 metres in 1999.In northern mountain provinces, landslides and flash floods occurred frequently. A flash flood hit Nam Pam Spring, Muong La District, Son La Province on August 3, killing 15 people and sweeping away one million cubic metres of … [Read more...] about Vietnam learns from abnormal weather
Travelling for the love of animals
A man and a woman from France care a lot about animals. They are travelling around the world to film animals that have been having a hard time. In Việt Nam, they have visited a centre for bears that have been rescued. Other Asian countries they plan to visit are Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia and Indonesia. By Hồng Vân In these days when selfies are de rigueur, cameras and video gears have become normal travelling companions. For French couple Pascal Schram and Anne Laure, this equipment has an added purpose beyond photographs of destinations to serve as later personal memoirs. Their aim is to use their travel and their cameras to film animal protection centres and raise awareness of animal welfare. “Animals are intelligent and have feelings just like humans. The more we learn about animals, the more we become sensitive to how humans treat them,” said Schram. “We care about the link between nature and humankind on a daily basis. Both of … [Read more...] about Travelling for the love of animals
Charity school serves underprivileged
Around 180 primary school students are taught English, maths, literature and arts in addition to Christian values at the school five days a week. Textbooks and clothes are either bought by the school or donated.The school also pays school fees, books and clothes for 36 students who are now attending public secondary school, and if the students later decide to attend university, Sacred Heart tries to help them find jobs while they study.Because of a limited budget, the school can provide lunch on only two days of the week.In the past, some of the children even fainted in class because of hunger. For the past three years, donated milk has been given to students every other morning, which has helped relieve any hunger pains.However, the school recently ran out of milk and is waiting for more donations.Many of the children’s families are Vietnamese who were forced to flee from Cambodia where they were living.The families cannot afford public school in Vietnam and some of the children … [Read more...] about Charity school serves underprivileged
Charity primary school serves underprivileged
VietNamNet Bridge – At the end of the school day, the students at The Sacred Heart in HCM City often dash home without taking the time to change their uniforms or even take a shower so they can help their parents sell lottery tickets or cassava.The charity school, located in Tan Thong Hoi Commune in the city’s Cu Chi District, was opened in the 1990s by Vietnamese nuns who belong to the Catholic congregation Sisters of Our Lady of the Mission, which is dedicated to helping poor women and children around the world.Around 180 primary school students are taught English, maths, literature and arts in addition to Christian values at the school five days a week. Textbooks and clothes are either bought by the school or donated.The school also pays school fees, books and clothes for 36 students who are now attending public secondary school, and if the students later decide to attend university, Sacred Heart tries to help them find jobs while they study.Because of a limited budget, … [Read more...] about Charity primary school serves underprivileged