By Nguyen Dong  February 18, 2019 | 05:15 pm GMT+7 11 South Korean tourists were injured following a coach-truck collision near Hai Van Tunnel on Monday. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyen Dong 11 South Koreans were hospitalized Monday after a bus-truck collision near the Hai Van Tunnel in central Vietnam. The bus carrying South Korean tourists was driving on the approach road leading to the Hai Van Tunnel from Da Nang to Thua Thien-Hue Province Monday afternoon when it suddenly encroached the opposite lane and collided with the container truck, initial reports say. Local authorities said 10 tourists suffered serious injuries and one sustained minor injuries in the collision. They were taken to the local hospital for treatment. The accident is being investigated. South Koreans are among the biggest groups of visitors to Vietnam, with more than 3.4 million arrivals last year, a 44 percent year-on-year increase, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism. … [Read more...] about 11 South Koreans injured in central Vietnam bus-truck collision
International
Japan PM nominated Trump for Nobel after US request: report
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe nominated US President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize last autumn after being requested to do so by Washington, a Japanese newspaper reported Sunday. Washington sounded out Tokyo over the possibility of nominating Trump for the prize after his landmark summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un in June last year, an unnamed Japanese government source told the Asahi Shimbun. The report came after Trump's claim on Friday that Abe had nominated him for the prize. Trump said Abe had sent him a copy of a five-page nomination letter delivered to the Nobel Peace Prize committee in which the Japanese leader praised his efforts in defusing tensions with Pyongyang. "He said 'I have nominated you respectfully on behalf of Japan. I am asking them to give you the Nobel Peace Prize.' I said thank you," Trump told reporters at the White House. "Many other people feel that way, too. I'll probably never get it. That's okay." Japanese officials did not … [Read more...] about Japan PM nominated Trump for Nobel after US request: report
Last bell-ringer for Hanoi cathedral harkens to their call
Dao Manh Tien rushed as fast as he could to the St. Joseph’s Cathedral even the prayer bell struck. As the bells resounded in his ears, he realized that he’d done it again. It was the second time that he’d hurried to the cathedral, forgetting that he no longer had his job. For 22 long years, it had been Tien’s job to ring the cathedral’s bells every day, and it was a task he’d done to perfection with great devotion. It has been two months since he retired, but his heart still thumps every time he hears the bells ring. Tien lives in a house on Ly Quoc Su street, just a few meters from the cathedral. He had been the bell ringer for Hanoi St. Joseph’s Cathedral for so long that the habit kicks in, every now and then. "I started to ring the bells in 1996, when I was 49 years old. I have worked here with three archbishops, four priests and a parish priest," said Tien, who used to be a worker in construction materials supply … [Read more...] about Last bell-ringer for Hanoi cathedral harkens to their call
American pop star wears traditional Vietnamese dress in futuristic video
American singer and songwriter Kate Perry wears a Vietnamese ao dai in a music collaboration with record producer Zedd. Perry and Zedd have teamed up for a new song called "365." The single has been released with a music video directed by Warren Fu. In the video, the singer wears a green ao dai with golden polka dots while lying in bed, face make up like a doll. A screenshot in the music video, where Katy Perry plays a robot wearing Vietnamese "ao dai". The breezy love song has Perry singing about wanting love to be on her mind all the time. She portrays a programmed robot attempting to seduce Zedd in the futuristic clip. The music video garnered 4.4 million views in one day. This is not the first time Katy has showed an inclination for clothing from Vietnam. She has worn six costumes designed by the Vietnamese fashion designer Nguyen Cong Tri so far, three of them in her "Witness" world tour in 2017. Perry also wore a design from another Vietnamese designer, Thai … [Read more...] about American pop star wears traditional Vietnamese dress in futuristic video
Vietnam to relocate 300 residents near US air base for dioxin cleanup
Dong Nai Province, where the dioxin hotspot is located, is expected to implement the relocation plan involving 300 people this summer. "We have got the resettlement area ready and will start moving local households in June," said Vo Van Chanh, the province’s deputy chairman. The dioxin-infected land will be transferred to those in charge of the cleaning work early next year, he said. Visiting the site Friday, Defense Minister Ngo Xuan Lich said Vietnam should call for more financial aid and boost the cleaning process. Just 30 km (around 20 miles) from Ho Chi Minh City, Bien Hoa airport was a U.S. air force base during the Vietnam War (1955-1975). The airport is believed to be the largest dioxin hotspot in Vietnam. Studies have found that more than 500,000 cubic meters of land at the airport, which Vietnam uses for military purposes, needs to be detoxified. In 2012, with funding from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Global Environment Facility, Vietnam … [Read more...] about Vietnam to relocate 300 residents near US air base for dioxin cleanup