More from Editorial... Swiss friends remember the visit of General Vo Nguyen Giap to their country and wish him all the best on his 100th Birthday
A writing contest about the “Ho Chi Minh Trail at Sea” -- a clandestine naval operation supplying freedom fighters in the south with supplies during the Vietnam War -- is curretnly welcoming submissions from anyone living in Vietnam, both citizens and foreigners, and Overseas Vietnamese.
For years, local officials have expended considerable effort to promote Vietnam as an attractive tourism destination, announcing new tours, running commercials on international TV channels and so on. It is well known in Vietnam that localities and management agencies are usually reluctant to make announcements when epidemics occur, fearing that it will affect their reputation and achievements in the field of health. The Vietnamese public has been outraged again by another big environmental scandal.
The highest positions in the nation’s governing hierarchy have been filled.
Late last week a report on the government website said food prices have risen recently in some localities, making it difficult to achieve the revised inflation target of 15-17 percent for the year.
Vietnam Technological and Commercial Joint-stock Bank (Techcombank) and Thanh Nien newspaper granted scholarships to over 100 poor students with good grades in Ho Chi Minh City on Friday.
The GS Oil Vietnam Company Friday made a VND1 billion (US$48,756) donation to a program launched by Thanh Nien to support fishermen.
It can be said without exaggeration that delaying deadlines has become a chronic disease in Vietnam, especially at the administrative level. Thanh Nien newspaper on Thursday launched an extensive charity program to help support Vietnam's brave coastal fishermen and their families.
Chinese newspapers have published editorials with distorting information about the East Sea disputes and Vietnam’s righteous reaction against China’s aggression on the East Sea.
The mere mention of Nha Trang these days rouses ire and complaints about the ubiquitous trash sullying the reputation of this gorgeous beach town. It is hard to imagine it was once voted among the world’s best beach destinations. All these years, when Vietnamese fishermen were attacked by foreign boats at sea, we would always give the latter the benefit of doubt. Whenever a tragic accident happens, authorities swing into action, find out what went wrong, punish those responsible and announce a slew of measures to “tighten control” and prevent future mishaps. It seemed like a perfectly normal decision when the National Assembly’s Financial and Budgetary Committee confirmed that no adjustments would be made to the current personal income tax law until next year. Yet another elephant was found dead in the central region of Vietnam last Sunday. The government recently decided to extend the deadline for corporate income tax payments for over 200,000 small and medium-sized enterprises this year. There is a relatively simple and inexpensive solution which can greatly improve the water quality of the Hoan Kiem lake, while long term solutions to Hanoi's growing pollution problems are solved. The question is, what do we, in Vietnam, have to learn from the Japanese response to disasters. |
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