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A doctor treats a patient suffering from methanol poisoning in Bạch Mai Hospital. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Ngọc Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI — The number of methanol poisoning cases from bad-quality alcohol keeps rising but there are still no quality standards for traditional alcohol, making it difficult to control illegal or sub-standard alcohol, experts have warned. Methanol is a form of alcohol related to ethanol, the type in beer, wine and spirits, but is much more dangerous. Illegal producers and sellers often use methanol in liquor as it’s cheaper than ethanol, threatening consumers’ health. Methanol is converted in the body into formaldehyde and formic acid, which are extremely toxic, according to Doctor Nguyễn Trung Nguyên of Bạch Mai Hospital’s Poison Control Centre. Most cases of alcohol intoxication are caused by drinking alcohol of unknown origin. As much as 70 to 80 per cent of the alcohol sold in Việt Nam does not have a clear certificate of origin, an official … [Read more...] about Nat’l standards for moonshine needed

Hoàng Văn Tiến plays with his dogs on the farm.— Photos tienphong.vn Viet Nam News ĐẮK LẮK — Hoàng Văn Tiến, 27, starts the day on his dog farm by grooming his four-pawed Alaskan Malamute friend Nana. Tiến, from the Central Highland province of Đắk Lắk, said Alaskans are notable for their beautiful fur coats. As well as a grooming Nana’s coat every day, Tiến also has to ensure a healthy diet for his dog. The food requires different levels of nutrition depending on each stage of Nana’s development. When Nana was a puppy, Tiến fed him milk and calcium, but as he grew, the diet changed to include chicken, beef, vegetables and trứng vịt lộn (duck embyo eggs), Tiến said. It costs more than VNĐ1 million (US$44) to feed Nana each month, he said. Nana is one of 30 dogs in Tiến’s farm now, along with Huskies, Poodles, Pugs and Bulldogs, among them 15 females. Tiến earns about VNĐ500 million ($21,825) per year from selling their puppies, Tiền Phong (Vanguard) … [Read more...] about Man makes his fortune from four-pawed friends

HBSO to rock as no-one imagined possible By Bradley Winterton Conductor Le Phi Phi - PHOTO: COURTESY OF HBSO HCMC - How well can a symphony orchestra mimic a rock band? The answer will be clear on January 9 when HBSO mount their New Year Gala “Rock Symphony” concert. The range of items could hardly be wider. Queen open proceedings with Bohemian Rhapsody and We Are the Champions , each with soloist, choir and orchestra, plus Crazy Little Thing Called Love and We Will Rock You with choir and orchestra. Then comes a Disco Hits Medley , followed by Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Don’t Cry for me Argentina. Deep Purple’s Smoke on the Water follows, then Sting’s English Man in New York , both with orchestra only. This may seem strange material for a classical orchestra, but more extraordinary things are to follow. There’s Pink Floyd’s Another Brick in the Wall (choir and orchestra) and the Bee Gees’ How Deep is Your Love (orchestra only). Michael Jackson … [Read more...] about HBSO to rock as no-one imagined possible

Tet away from home By Thanh Thom Vietnamese-Canadian Elise Dang poses for a photo with her husband and daughters – PHOTO: ELISE DANG The Lunar New Year, or Tet, is a special occasion for overseas Vietnamese people to come back to their homeland, Vietnam, to spend a fulfilling holiday with their loved ones after a long year of study or work. However, for some reason, some have no other choice but to experience Tet away from home. In a recent interview with The Saigon Times via the Facebook Video Chat app, Elise Dang – a Vietnamese national residing in Canada – shares her experiences of Tet in the North American country. The Saigon Times: Ms. Dang, could you please introduce yourself to our readers? Elise Dang: May everyone have a prosperous new year! My name is Elise Dang. I am currently working as a research assistant for Mental Health Science in a public university in Canada. On the side I am a freelance translator/interpreter. I am originally from the … [Read more...] about Tet away from home

Bamboo against plastic By Derek Wells Bong, a few days after the opening - PHOTOS: COURTESY OF DEREK WELLS The story of Bong, the bamboo fish built to protect Danang’s beach from plastic waste. Quite a few recent works of art have been created—and often gone viral—in response to the global problem of environmental pollution. Many of these, such as Von Wong’s Strawpocalypse installation in HCMC, recycle waste materials in order to raise awareness, but fewer have actively sought solutions to the waste disposal problems they highlight. Recently, a group of expat and Vietnamese volunteers in the coastal city of Danang were inspired by the concept of combining message and functionality to create Bong, a large bamboo sculpture in the shape of a fish in the busiest area of the city’s famous My Khe Beach. Bong serves as both an awareness-raising work of art and a practical means to alleviate littering and give visitors to the beach a fun way to help clean it up. The story … [Read more...] about Bamboo against plastic

NEC reports 98 per cent election turnout Nation turns out for elections Polling stations offer support to older residents on Election Day 95% of eligible voters cast ballots in HCMC as of 5 pm. Election Day at a polling station Archbishop Paul Bùi Văn Đọc in HCM City votes at polling station 41 in Ward 6, District 3, HCM City. — VNA/VNS Photo Viet Nam News HCM City – HCM City voters took part in the election for the 14 th Việt Nam National Assembly this morning, which saw cooler temperatures after an overnight rain. All electoral places were solemnly decorated with flags, banners and information about candidates. Since early this morning, voters have queued up at electoral places even before the official opening time of 7am. Nguyễn Thiện Nhân, Politburo member, chairman of the Vietnamese Fatherland Front’s Central Committee and deputy chairman of the National Electoral Council, paid a short visit to HCM City Archbishop Paul Bùi Văn Đọc … [Read more...] about Election atmosphere in HCM City

Business leaders share views at WEF ASEAN Successful WEF on ASEAN concludes Deputy PM calls on young Vietnamese people to be less obedient Suu Kyi pleased with Myanmar’s progress PM meets with multinational corporations Việt Nam Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc. — VNA/VNS Photo Viet Nam News Politburo member and Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc penned an article on the 2018 World Economic Forum (WEF) on ASEAN Summit (2018 WEF-ASEAN) which opened in Hà Nội on September 11. The world is changing rapidly, driven by the shifts in globalisation and the tremendous leaps of science, technology and the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Against such backdrops, the ASEAN countries are making every effort to overcome challenges and harness opportunities for development in order to realise the 2025 ASEAN Community Vision, for the establishment of a strong ASEAN Community that shall further uphold its central role in regional mechanisms. As the … [Read more...] about Joining hands in building the ASEAN Community in the Fourth Industrial Revolution era

Optimisic outlook: Secretary General of ASEAN-Korea Centre, Kim Young-sun. Viet Nam News by Kim Young-sun (*) During Korean Thanksgiving holidays in October, the airport was flooded with people leaving the country. So where were these people going? In fact, the number one travel destination for the South Korean people was once again, ASEAN. More than 600 thousand people travelled to ASEAN during the holiday. To South Korea, ASEAN is a close partner and neighbour, and the two sides have close co-operation and exchanges in a variety of areas. ASEAN and South Korea became dialogue partners in 1989. From then, for almost three decades, there has been remarkable development in this partnership, with significant milestones achieved. ASEAN is now South Korea’s second largest trading partner and destination for investment. South Korea is ASEAN’s fifth largest trading and investment partner. While the trade volume between the two sides in 1989 was US$8.2 billion, in 2016 it … [Read more...] about South Korean-ASEAN links glow

Thousands of houses were razed to the ground by storm Linda in Cà Mau Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Xuân Trường Viet Nam News CÀ MAU — Twenty years later, to the day, the pain is still fresh and the tears flow easily. “Everything came crashing down so fast, so suddenly. That year I thought I couldn’t bear any more pain. In just a few hours, I lost my husband, my three sons, two sons-in-law, and two grandchildren.” An old woman said her family “almost went mad” desperately looking everywhere on the sea to find the bodies of their loved ones. The resident of Village 4 in Khánh Hội District, Ca Mau Province, was one of hundreds of thousands of people who’ve had to suffer the unbearable pain of losing loved ones and property to storm Linda , which struck on November 2, 1997. People in the affected areas remember that the month was a terrible time, with the sounds of mourning emanating from every house. Trần Thị Lăng, a 57-year-old resident of Village 7, also in Khánh Hội … [Read more...] about Poignant memories linger, 20 years after Linda

Susan Hammond in an interview with a Vietnam News Agency reporter. — VNA/VNS Photo Thu Phương Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI — Susan Hammond, an American, first set foot in Việt Nam 27 years ago, on a vacation she had planned with the hope of learning more about the country where her father spent time during the war. At that time, she knew about the S-shaped country only through the stories of her father, who was a construction engineer of the US armed forces. His stories filled her head with visions of the beauty of Vietnamese landscapes and people. On that first trip, Hammond observed painful war remnants everywhere, but her overwhelming impression was of the hospitality and honesty of local people, who bore no hostility towards American visitors. Her curiosity urged her to explore more about the country, the people and their war losses. “One of the reasons I came here is because of my father. I also want to get to know more about impacts of the war on … [Read more...] about In the footsteps of her father, US woman lends a hand to war victims