Last week, Viet Nam News asked its readers about the celebration of March 8, or International Women's Day in Viet Nam as well as in their countries. Readers were welcomed to share their thoughts about the day and the way people treated women. Here are some of the readers' comments: Vanessa Pham, French-Vietnamese, Ha Noi I am a half French and half Vietnamese woman living in Ha Noi for almost five years now. International Women Day is celebrated in France but I guess French women don't make such a big deal about it compared to Vietnamese women. I mean, gender discrimination still exists in many European countries (same job for a lower salary, difficulty getting big promotions in a company, hiding the fact that you are pregnant for fear of getting fired, etc…). Although those inequalities are truly infuriating as we now live in the 21th century, after witnessing the situation of women in Viet Nam, dare I say? European women have it pretty nicely compared to Vietnamese women! … [Read more...] about Readers’ say on International Women’s Day
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Mekong forums discuss sustainable tourism development
Representatives from private and public tourism sectors, social and development organisations, and media from the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) gathered in the central city of Da Nang on June 15 for a forum to discuss measures to promote sustainable tourism development in the region. Mekong River flows across Laos (Photo: thousandwonders) The annual forum aims to introduce trends and tourism development and seek effective ways to strengthen the tourism industry in the GMS, which boasts the most rapid development speed in Asia and Pacific Ocean. During the five-day event, participants emphasised the importance of boosting connectivity and partnership among travel agencies and tourism sectors in GMS nations to fully tap the potential of the region and turn it into a unique tourist destination. Steven Schipani, an expert from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Laos said it is necessary to develop tourism in such a way that benefits the community and ensures environmental … [Read more...] about Mekong forums discuss sustainable tourism development
Social News 15/12
Vietnam welcomes COP21's climate deal Viet Nam has welcomed the Paris Agreement, which attempts to limit the rise in global temperature to less than 2oC, saying that it will open a new chapter in coping with climate change. In a statement yesterday, Vietnamese Foreign Minister Spokesman Le Hai Binh said that the ratification of the deal at the 2015 United National Climate Change Conference on Saturday night was also an important step in global efforts in dealing with climate change. "The world community needs to have strong political determination and effective co-operation to seriously and appropriately implement the Paris deal," Binh said. "Developed countries should take the lead to limit the greenhouse effect, support and enhance capacity for developing countries to implement the deal together," he stressed. Binh noted that being among the most-affected countries, Viet Nam had actively implemented measures to cope with climate change and seriously implemented international … [Read more...] about Social News 15/12
Social News 5/12
Add-on rooms put residents in peril Observations by the Vietnam News Agency's correspondent at the Den Lu 2 residential quarter in Ha Noi's Hoang Mai District showed that many add-on structures were built out of the apartment's balcony for several metres on the 17th and 18th floor causing dangerous conditions. Pham Vinh Quang, head of the E Building in the residential quarter, said that building the expanded parts seriously affected the building's safety. The management boards gave warning to the residents, but they still made it to have more space, he said. The same situation happened at other residential quarters such as the Trung Hoa-Nhan Chinh resettlement quarter in Thanh Xuan District, the A6 Building in Giang Vo Ward in Ba Dinh District and the Xuan La resettlement quarter in Tay Ho District. Nguyen Tam Thanh, who lives in the A6 Giang Vo Building, said that the building was built eight years ago, but so many people built add-on structures so the building was downgraded … [Read more...] about Social News 5/12
Social News 21/10
Committee urged to stand ready for search, rescue missions Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung made the request while attending a ceremony to mark the 20th founding anniversary of the committee in Hanoi on October 21. He said natural calamities such as floods and landslides as well as climate change and rising sea level have become more complicated and unpredictable, alongside hidden risks of big accidents. Since the beginning of this year, the damaging cold in the north, the prolonged drought in the south-central and Central Highland regions, the saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta, and the maritime environmental incident in the four central provinces have seriously affected the country's socio-economic development as well as local life and production, he added. In that context, there are many shortcomings that need to be fixed in search and rescue work, especially those related to capacity, forecast quality, equipment and the building of prevention measures, he noted. Dung … [Read more...] about Social News 21/10