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| Children are kept warm in cold weather conditions. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
Christmas is just a few days away so people in Ho Chi Minh City have flocked to the sparkling downtown area for celebration.
Conversations on Vietnam Development
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| Children are kept warm in cold weather conditions. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
Christmas is just a few days away so people in Ho Chi Minh City have flocked to the sparkling downtown area for celebration.
Hàng loạt tin đồn và những vụ đại gia Việt sa cơ dồn dập đến với thị trường, đốt cháy nhiều tỷ USD trong năm 2017. Sóng gió không ngừng cho dù thị trường chứng kiến một năm khởi sắc chưa từng có trong một thập kỷ qua.
Những cú sốc tỷ USD Tiếp tục đọc “Đại gia Việt sa cơ, những cú tung tin ‘đốt cháy’ tỷ USD”
There is still one week left before Christmas but the festive atmosphere is hard to avoid with many streets colourfully decorated in the capital city of Hanoi.
Preparations have been underway at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Nha Chung Street, Hanoi for two weeks before Christmas. Tiếp tục đọc “Sparkling Hanoi streets welcome Christmas” |

Mr Le Chi Hiep from the HCMC National University
According to the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN), Vietnam has about 30 solar power projects, a figure which, according to Le Chi Hiep, chair of the Institute of Sustainable Energy Research, an arm of the HCMC National University, is modest compared with Vietnam’s great potential in solar energy. Tiếp tục đọc “Solar energy industry poised to take off”
Scientists have discovered 115 new stranger species in the Greater Mekong region, one of Asia’s biodiversity hotspots, in which 65 species have been found in Vietnam, while 33 others have been discovered in Thailand, Myanmar five, Laos 15 and Cambodia has seven species.

Tiếp tục đọc “Sixty-five new species discovered in Vietnamese forests”
Fansipan mountain in Sapa district in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai has been covered with snow and frost on December 19.
The temperature dropped to minus 7 degrees Celsius on the previous night, and minus 4 degree Celsius on early morning of December 19. Tiếp tục đọc “Snow blankets Fansipan Mountain” |
The underground military operation bunker where the Vietnamese government worked during the American War in Thang Long Imperial Citadel has been opened to visitors for the first time.
The Thang Long Heritage Conservation Centre opened the bunker and exhibition about the general command headquarters on the occasion of 45th anniversary of victorious air defence of Hanoi during the American bombing raids of Christmas 1972.
The bunker was built in early 1965 by military engineers. They demolished the two-storey command building to disguise and cover the bunker. The bunker has three rooms, covering 64 square metres. The roof is 1.5 metres higher than the ground and has three layers to protect officers against falling bombs and rockets. It was supposed to be a shelter even against nuclear or chemical weapons.
Decisions issued during the 1972 air battle and supply routes for the south were from the site. The first sirens warning of US air force attacks were approved in the bunker.
After 1975, the bunker was largely abandoned until it was renovated in 2012.
Some photos of the bunker:
Tiếp tục đọc “Thang Long Citadel bunker opened to the public” |
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Table of Content
Agriculture and Rural development
Mu Cang Chai, a rural town in the northern province of Yen Bai lined with mesmerizing terraced rice fields, has been named one of the 19 most picturesque peaks on earth by US travel site Insider.

Also on the list are Japan’s Mount Fuji, Peru’s Rainbow Mountain, Iceland’s Kirkjufell Mountain, which was used to shoot “Game of Thrones”, the world’s longest continental mountain range, the Andes in Bolivia, Europe’s largest mountain chain, the Alps, and the active volcano Mount Rainier in Washington State in the US. Tiếp tục đọc “Mu Cang Chai among world’s 19 most beautiful mountains”
Bai choi, a folk music genre practiced in central Vietnam, has been officially recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

The recognition was made at the 12th session of the UNESCO Inter-governmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Jeju, the Republic of Korea, on December 7, 2017.
This recognition is of great importance to Vietnam, reflecting the country’s rich and diverse culture and its commitment to protecting traditional values. Tiếp tục đọc “Bai choi enters UNESCO’s heritage list”
Vietnam is facing numerous challenges caused by rapid urbanization, leaving burdens on its technical and social infrastructure and leading to many severe consequences. In this context, finding solutions for sustainable urban development is one of Vietnam’s current top priorities.

Vietnam is struggling with many challenges caused by its rapid urbanization, which is among the fastest in the region.
There are a total of 800 urban areas across Vietnam with a current urbanization percentage of around 37%. This figure is expected to increase by 50% by 2025. Tiếp tục đọc “Vietnam seeks solutions for problems caused by rapid urbanization”
VietNamNet Bridge – Seventy-four percent of workers in the manufacturing & processing industry in Vietnam are expected to lose their jobs because of the impact of the fourth industrial revolution, the highest level among ASEAN countries, according to a report from the Central Economics Committee.

The average productivity was $3,360 in 2015
The report pointed out that 74 percent of workers in the manufacturing & processing industry are expected to be replaced by robots. The figure is higher than the 54 percent of the Philippines, 58 percent of Thailand and 67 percent of Indonesia.
“Vietnam’s manufacturing and processing industry has low performance, and workers in the industry do not undergo intensive training. They mostly do assembling or simple work which can be replaced by machines,” the report said. Tiếp tục đọc “Most workers in manufacturing in danger of being eliminated”
Chuong (Bell) pagoda in Nhan Duc village, Hung Yen province, guards a number of precious historical relics. It is part of the Pho Hien Special National Relic Site.
Built in the 15th century, Chuong pagoda has been upgraded twice, in 1702 and in 1711.
Tour guide Nguyen Thu Lien explains why the pagoda is often called Golden Bell Pagoda: “Legends say that in a huge flood thousands of years ago, a wood plank drifted to the region carrying a golden bell. Nhan Duc residents tried to bring the bell ashore but it wouldn’t move. When the monks of the pagoda came, they managed to bring the bell to the pagoda.” Tiếp tục đọc “Ancient Chuong pagoda”
Young people in Hanoi have been flocking to gardens on the outskirts of the city to witness the beauty of blooming canola flowers.

A canola field is filled with its signature yellow blooms in a Hanoi suburb. Photo: Tuoi Tre Tiếp tục đọc “Hà Nội – blooming yellow with canola flowers”
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| Workers produce mechanical accessories and parts at the Hirota Precision Viet Nam Co.,Ltd in Đồng Nai Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Danh Lam |
Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc said that there were signs of slowdown in productivity growth, a key driver of sustainable development, and this has to be reversed with innovation, creativity and technological applications. Tiếp tục đọc “Productivity key to escaping mid-income trap”