Tác giả: Đào Thu Hằng

I'm from Hanoi, Viet Nam. I'm an author of Dot Chuoi Non (dotchuoinon.com/author/hangbelu/), a blog on Positive thinking, founded by Dr. Tran Dinh Hoanh, an attorney in Washington DC. I'm a co-founder of Conversations on Vietnam Development - cvdvn.net, a virtual think tank. I am a co-founder of two companies in Viet Nam working on children education services. I advise companies on STEAM education, English language education for children and students in Vietnam. I'm studying the Buddha's teaching and the teaching of Jesus. I practice mindful living including meditation. I hold a PhD on Sustainable Energy Systems from University of Lisbon and Aalto University. I graduated from Hanoi University of Technology on Environmental Engineering. I obtained a Master degree of the same major from Stanford University and Nanyang Technological University. My English-language blog at: hangbelu.wordpress/. I play table tennis as a hobby.

UN votes to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and calls for withdrawal

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

In an emergency session, 141 of the 193 member states voted for the resolution, 35 abstained and five voted against

theguardian.com

  • It is the first time in 40 years the security council has referred a crisis to the assembly and only the 11th time an emergency session of the UN general assembly has been called since 1950.
  • Russia-Ukraine war – latest updates

Julian Borger in WashingtonWed 2 Mar 2022 18.10 GMT

The United Nations has voted overwhelmingly for a resolution deploring Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and called for the immediate withdrawal of its forces, in a global expression of outrage that highlighted Russia’s increasing isolation.

In an emergency session of the UN’s general assembly, 141 of the 193 member states voted for the resolution, 35 abstained, and five voted against. The only countries to vote no in support of Moscow were Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea and Syria. Longstanding allies Cuba and Nicaragua joined China in abstaining.

ICC begins collecting evidence of war crimes; more talks to begin – as it happenedRead more

The resolution said the UN “deplores in the strongest terms the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine”. It demanded that “the Russian Federation immediately cease its use of force against Ukraine” and “immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces”.

The resolution is not legally binding, but is an expression of the views of the UN membership, aimed at increasing pressure on Moscow and its ally, Belarus.

“It isn’t going to stop Russian forces in their stride, but it’s a pretty enormous diplomatic win for the Ukrainians and the US, and everyone who has got behind them,” Richard Gowan, UN director at the International Crisis Group, said.

Speaking before the vote, the US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, compared the Russian invasion to the Nazi conquest of Europe.

“A few of the eldest Ukrainians and Russians might recall a moment like this, a moment when one aggressive European nation invaded another without provocation to claim the territory of its neighbour, a moment when a European dictator declared he would return his empire to its former glory and invasion that caused a war so horrific, that it spurred this organization into existence,” Thomas-Greenfield said.

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Former street kid became co-CEO of children’s rescue foundation

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

Update: March, 01/2022 – 08:38

|vietnamnews.vn

https://link.gov.vn/2o6WZa

Nhật Hồng & Bảo Hoa

HÀ NỘI — At 15 years old, Đỗ Duy Vị left his hometown to make a living on the streets of Hà Nội. Two decades later, he is now one of the Chief Executives of the foundation that rescued him. 

Vị might be one of many street kids that return to work at Blue Dragon, and one of the few that have spent more than ten years with the organisation, but his story has special significance as he has witnessed the growth of Blue Dragon even before it was established.

Đỗ Duy Vị with some of the children at the shelter. — Photo courtesy of Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation

Born to a family of farmers in Nam Định Province, Vị and his three other siblings stayed with their mother while their father often travelled to other provinces for work. 

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Bộ Công thương muốn bán đấu giá hơn 101,9 triệu lít xăng RON92

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

tuoitre.vn

Bộ Công thương muốn bán đấu giá hơn 101,9 triệu lít xăng RON92 - Ảnh 1.

Kho xăng Nhà Bè là một trong những điểm lưu trữ xăng dầu theo dự trữ quốc gia – Ảnh: Petrolimex

Theo dự thảo về quyết định phê duyệt kế hoạch bán đấu giá xăng RON92 dự trữ quốc gia, lô hàng được bán đấu giá là hơn 101,9 triệu lít xăng RON92 đang được bảo quản tại 12 điểm kho dự trữ quốc gia gửi ở 3 doanh nghiệp là Tập đoàn Xăng dầu Việt Nam, Tổng công ty Dầu Việt Nam, Công ty cổ phần thương mại Dầu khí Đồng Tháp.

Mức giá khởi điểm bán đấu giá được quy định cho 1 lít xăng RON92 do Bộ Công thương đưa ra là 14.058 đồng/lít. Các chi phí liên quan đến việc bơm, rót lên phương tiện vận chuyển của bên mua, chi phí xuất hàng, chi phí vận chuyển và các khoản thuế, phí phải nộp của Nhà nước theo quy định là do bên mua hàng chi trả.

Bộ Công thương cũng cho rằng, mức giá khởi điểm tạm tính để xác định tiền đặt trước, còn giá khởi điểm bán đấu giá chính thức sẽ do Bộ Công thương quy định nhưng không thấp hơn giá khởi điểm tạm tính, được thông báo tới các đơn vị có đủ điều kiện, khả năng tài chính tham gia đấu giá trước khi tổ chức đấu giá.

Để tham gia đấu giá, đơn vị phải nộp trước 10% tổng giá trị tài sản và rút lại tiền đặt trước trong thời hạn trước 1 ngày kể từ ngày đấu giá. Việc đấu giá dự kiến sẽ diễn ra cuối tháng 2-2022.

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Electricity market revamp on cards

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

vir.com

January 25, 2022 | 17:00

A retail electricity market would mark a step towards market liberalisation efforts that enable consumers to choose who they wish to buy electricity from. To realise such a market, Vietnam’s Law on Electricity, as well as related documents will require certain adjustments to accommodate purchase agreements and other tools.

Electricity market revamp on cards
Electricity market revamp on cards

The Electricity Regulatory Authority of Vietnam (ERAV) is finalising its report to the prime minister about planned direct power purchase agreements (DPPA) – a mechanism to allow renewable energy producers to sell electricity directly to end-users, as Nguyen Anh Tuan, director of the authority said on January 18.

The DPPA mechanism, if implemented, will be the first step in the development of the electricity retail market, allowing renewable energy generators with a capacity greater than 30MW to sell to customers for industrial production purposes. Parties can negotiate and agree on purchase and sale prices through long-term contracts if the scale of their deal is not exceeding 1,000MW.

Since 2012, the electricity market has contributed to increasing transparency in mobilising power plants, creating a competitive environment, enhancing the initiative of market participants, and gradually abolishing the monopoly in the industry.

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Climate Finance in Southeast Asia: Trends and Opportunities

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

fulcrum.sg

PUBLISHED 11 FEB 2022

Qiu Jiahui

MELINDA MARTINUS|QIU JIAHUI

The Covid-19 crisis has stalled the delivery of much-needed climate finance to developing countries. For Southeast Asia, a region frequently cited as being one of the most vulnerable regions threatened by climate change, the broken promise of climate finance is highly disappointing.

INTRODUCTION

Climate finance has been one of the most contentious issues in global climate politics. At the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 15), developed countries committed to mobilising by 2020 US$100 billion climate finance annually to assist vulnerable countries. The pledge has been key to building trust between states to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, as specified in the Paris Agreement.

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Unwanted tigers face uncertain future after years of captivity

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

vnexpress.net

By Le Hoang   February 17, 2022 | 02:02 pm GMT+7

Financial problems and complicated procedures have created a situation in which 11 tigers raised in captivity for 15 years remain unwanted in north-central Vietnam.

In 2007, Nguyen Mau Chien, a local in Thanh Hoa Province, bought 10 tiger cubs weighing around seven kilos each from an unidentified seller and brought them from Laos to Vietnam to raise near his home in Xuan Tin Commune of Tho Xuan District.

While his intent in making the purchase was not stated, demand for tiger parts for medicinal purposes has been high in Vietnam and China for a long time.

Chien was fined VND30 million ($1,300) for animal trafficking and tasked with raising the cubs.

In 2008, Chien bought another five tiger cubs from Laos and was fined the same amount. Once again, he was asked to raise the cubs with support from local authorities and the ranger force.

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2022 State of Southeast Asia Survey: Diverse Perspectives and Hard Realities

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

fulcrum.sg

PUBLISHED 16 FEB 2022

TERENCE CHONG

The US has gained ground against China in the contest for regional influence in Southeast Asia, according to the latest State of Southeast Asia Survey. ASEAN continues to be seen as ineffective in the eyes of respondents; at the same time, they are willing to give it credit when it is due.

The United States is gaining significant ground against China in the battle to win friends and influence countries, with respondents across Southeast Asia confident that Washington would be able to lead on issues such as championing free trade and upholding the rules-based regional order. 

A fresh reading of The State of Southeast Asia Survey also showed that pressing issues — the Covid-19 pandemic, unemployment and economic retraction as well as climate change – continue to be prioritised by respondents. In their view, however, ASEAN is seen as too slow and ineffective to cope with rapid developments.

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The Hidden Histories of Broken Rice

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

Saigoneer.com

The broken rice narrative is one about survival, nourishment and colonization for West African and Vietnamese lives.

SEP. 30, 2021Words by CHRISTINE TRAN

Growing up, I learned to value each grain of rice. Rice was a main food item my Vietnamese refugee family turned to for both nutrition and comfort. After my parents’ long day of laboring in garment factories or in the hot sun of construction sites, the ritual of a warm, fresh bowl of rice was something my family and I enjoyed together. My sister and I would set our coffee table with newspaper, a tablecloth proxy. We each got a warm bowl of rice with a set of wooden chopsticks. Our rice would always be paired with a vegetable stir fry (cải xào), braised meat (thịt kho), or a hearty soup like stuffed bittermelon (canh khổ qua). And we ate as a family while watching the daily evening lineup of Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune.

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A Stroll Along Saigon’s Tet Flower Streets in the 1960s

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

saigoneer.com

Flowers never go out of fashion.

 Along with banh tet, fireworks and red envelopes filled with lucky money, no visual represents the Tet holiday in Vietnam more than fresh flowers. Symbolizing wealth and passionate love, they adorn alters and tables as colorful manifestations of the joy that the Lunar New Year ushers into people’s homes.

In Saigon, the ochna integerrima (Vietnamese mickey-mouse plant) are most common thanks to their preference for hot, sunny climates, while the north’s gloomy growing season ushers in peach flowers and marumi kumquat. Farmers in the Mekong Delta fastidiously tend to the plants for months in the lead-up to the holiday, and to meet demand, Vietnam has even taken to importing them from abroad. 

For decades, temporary flower markets have opened in response to every household’s desire to purchase the verdant delights. In these photos taken in the 1960s, one can observe Saigon’s stylish citizens mingling with vendors at one such market. The holiday atmosphere provides an opportunity for shoppers to wear their snazziest outfits and pose for photos amongst the rows of flowers. 

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A Look Back at Tết in Hanoi 100 Years Ago

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

saigoneer.com

It is easy to remark on how drastically Tết has changed over the years, but have the core elements really evolved that much?

For many, this most recent Tết probably included meeting friends at fancy bubble tea shops, snacking on junk food in front of Netflix, spending countless hours on social media, and perhaps even traveling to luxury resorts.

Certainly, none of these activities were available to Hanoi residents 100 years ago, but like today, a century ago markets bustled in the days leading up to the holiday, and then the streets emptied; people spent hours preparing special dishes and dressing up for photos and to honor their ancestors; and families spent hours leisurely strolling the streets or lounging in living rooms. 

Have a look at these photos below and question how different the Lunar New Year in Hanoi was a century ago:

The bustling market leading up to the holiday.

vendors and buyers everywhere.

Classic calligraphy on the street.

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As world drowns in plastic waste, U.N. to hammer out global treaty

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

by Charles Pekow on 2 February 2022

news.mongabay.com

  • After years of largely neglecting the buildup of plastic waste in Earth’s environment, the U.N. Environment Assembly will meet in February and March in the hopes of drafting the first international treaty controlling global plastics pollution.
  • Discarded plastic is currently killing marine life, threatening food security, contributing to climate change, damaging economies, and dissolving into microplastics that contaminate land, water, the atmosphere and even the human bloodstream.
  • The U.N. parties will debate how comprehensive the treaty they write will be: Should it, for example, protect just the oceans or the whole planet? Should it focus mainly on reuse/recycling, or control plastics manufacture and every step of the supply chain and waste stream?
  • The U.S. has changed its position from opposition to such a treaty under President Donald Trump, to support under President Joe Biden, but has yet to articulate exactly what it wants in an agreement. While environmental NGOs are pushing for a comprehensive treaty, plastics companies, who say they support regulation, likely will want to limit the treaty’s scope.

At the end of February, the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) will tackle a challenging task: the creation of a landmark treaty to control plastic pollution worldwide. While most nations have agreed to participate, the scope and timing of such an agreement aren’t settled, with many countries, environmental NGOs, and the plastics industry expressing widely different ideas as to what should be included.

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Vietnam to make historic Women’s World Cup debut

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

vnexpress.net

By Quang Dung, Hoang An   February 6, 2022 | 05:24 pm GMT+7

Vietnam to make historic Women's World Cup debut

Vietnam players celebrate their win at the Women’s World Cup play-off with Chinese Taipei on February 6, 2022. Photo by Asian Football ConfederationVietnam will attend the 2023 Women’s World Cup for the very first time after a 2-1 victory in the play-off against Chinese Taipei on Sunday.

Playing in DY Patil Stadium in India, Vietnam opened the score in the seventh minute as Chuong Thi Kieu accurately headed the ball into the rival’s net after receiving a corner pass from Tuyet Dung.

The goal boosted the fighiting spirit of the Vietnamese women for the remainder of the match.

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Investor–state disputes in the fossil fuel industry

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

Photo: haglundc / CC BY-NC 2.0

isds.bilaterals.org

IISD | 31 December 2021

Investor–state disputes in the fossil fuel industry

By Lea Di Salvatore

Executive Summary

The fossil fuel industry is the most significant contributor to climate change. As the consequences of burning fossil fuels become increasingly evident, policy-makers across the globe are stepping up their efforts to curb emissions.These actions inevitably aim at curtailing fossil fuel activities. However, under current international investment law (IIL), foreign investments in fossil fuel projects are granted special protection and access to investor–state dispute settlement (ISDS). Through this system, investors can bring claims to international tribunals regarding regulatory measures adopted by a host state that they allege breach their investment privileges under IIL.

This report analyses the trends in investor–state disputes initiated by investors in the fossil fuel industry to understand the extent to which this industry relies on ISDS to protect its investments.The emerging picture is that the fossil fuel industry has been a pioneer of the ISDS system and has been using it extensively to protect its investments. This protection can hinder the development and implementation of measures to tackle climate change and can present a major obstacle for countries seeking to phase out fossil fuels.

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How Peatlands Can Advance Climate Action in Southeast Asia

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

WRI.org

Topic Forest and Landscape Restoration Region Asia

Southeast Asia is home to over 54% of the world’s peatlands — tropical wetlands which have a major role to play in climate action. But they are being deforested rapidly: Around 25 million hectares of tropical peatlands in Southeast Asia have been deforested and drained over the last three decades alone, and only 6% of peatlands remain untouched.

This is a major blow to the region. These terrestrial wetland ecosystems help regulate water flow by capturing rainwater during the wet season and slowly releasing it during the dry season. They are also key habitats for endangered and rare species of both plants and animals, and are essential for the livelihoods of local communities.

Additionally, they are an important carbon store in the global carbon cycle; more than three-fourths of global peat carbon stocks (52 Gigatons) are stored in Southeast Asian peatlands. Their destruction warrants global attention.

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