Tác giả: Trần Đình Hoành

I am an attorney in the Washington DC area, with a Doctor of Law in the US, attended the master program at the National School of Administration of Việt Nam, and graduated from Sài Gòn University Law School. I aso studied philosophy at the School of Letters in Sài Gòn. . I have worked as an anti-trust attorney for Federal Trade Commission and a litigator for a fortune-100 telecom company in Washington DC. I have taught law courses for legal professionals in Việt Nam and still counsel VN government agencies on legal matters. I have founded and managed businesses for me and my family, both law and non-law. I have published many articles on national newspapers and radio stations in Việt Nam. In 1989 I was one of the founding members of US-VN Trade Council, working to re-establish US-VN relationship. Since the early 90's, I have established and managed VNFORUM and VNBIZ forum on VN-related matters; these forums are the subject of a PhD thesis by Dr. Caroline Valverde at UC-Berkeley and her book Transnationalizing Viet Nam. I translate poetry and my translation of "A Request at Đồng Lộc Cemetery" is now engraved on a stone memorial at Đồng Lộc National Shrine in VN. I study and teach the Bible and Buddhism. In 2009 I founded and still manage dotchuoinon.com on positive thinking and two other blogs on Buddhism. In 2015 a group of friends and I founded website CVD - Conversations on Vietnam Development (cvdvn.net). I study the art of leadership with many friends who are religious, business and government leaders from many countries. I have written these books, published by Phu Nu Publishing House in Hanoi: "Positive Thinking to Change Your Life", in Vietnamese (TƯ DUY TÍCH CỰC Thay Đổi Cuộc Sống) (Oct. 2011) "10 Core Values for Success" (10 Giá trị cốt lõi của thành công) (Dec. 2013) "Live a Life Worth Living" (Sống Một Cuộc Đời Đáng Sống) (Oct. 2023) I practice Jiu Jitsu and Tai Chi for health, and play guitar as a hobby, usually accompanying my wife Trần Lê Túy Phượng, aka singer Linh Phượng.

Mongabay series: Will climate change sink the Mekong Delta

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Will climate change sink the Mekong Delta?

Mongabay Series:
Part 1 – Will climate change sink the Mekong Delta?
Part 2 – Vietnam sweats bullets as China and Laos dam the Mekong
Part 3 – Mother Nature and a hydropower onslaught aren’t the Mekong Delta’s only problems
Part 4 – A plan to save the Mekong Delta

3 October 2016 / David Brown

No delta region in the world is more threatened by climate change. Will Vietnam act in time to save it?

  • Scientists say the 1-meter sea level rise expected by century’s end will displace 3.5-5 million Mekong Delta residents. A 2-meter sea level rise could force three times that to higher ground.
  • Shifting rainfall and flooding patterns are also threatening one of the most highly productive agricultural environments in the world.
  • The onus is now on Vietnam’s government in Hanoi to approve a comprehensive adaptation and mitigation plan.
This is the first article of an in-depth, four-part series exploring threats facing the Mekong Delta and how they might be addressed. Read the first, second, third and fourth installments.It’s a sad fact that several decades of talk about climate change have hardly anywhere yet led to serious efforts to adapt to phenomena that are virtually unavoidable. Neuroscientists say that’s because we’re humans. We aren’t wired to respond to large, complex, slow-moving threats. Our instinctive response is apathy, not action.

That paradox was much on my mind during a recent visit back to Vietnam’s fabulously fertile Mekong Delta, a soggy plain the size of Switzerland. Here the livelihood of 20 percent of Vietnam’s 92 million people is gravely threatened by climate change and by a manmade catastrophe, the seemingly unstoppable damming of the upper reaches of the Mekong River. Tiếp tục đọc “Mongabay series: Will climate change sink the Mekong Delta” →

Sale of Cambodian breast milk to mothers in US criticised by UN

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Guardian

UN agency says trade puts babies of poor and vulnerable at risk of malnutrition as Cambodia moves to block further exports

A man on a motorbike past the offices of Ambrosia Labs in Phnom Penh.
A man on a motorbike rides past the offices of Ambrosia Labs in Phnom Penh. Photograph: Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP/Getty

Health editor

Wednesday 22 March 2017 12.29 EDT Last modified on Wednesday 22 March 2017 13.10 EDT

The UN children’s fund has strongly criticised the sale by a commercial company of breast milk donated by Cambodian mothers to women in the US, warning it could lead to the babies of poor and vulnerable women becoming malnourished. Tiếp tục đọc “Sale of Cambodian breast milk to mothers in US criticised by UN” →

China denies reports of building on disputed shoal

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ChannelNewsAsia

  • Posted 22 Mar 2017 16:35

A fisherman repairs his boat overlooking fishing boats that fish in the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, at Masinloc, Zambales, in the Philippines April 22, 2015. REUTERS/Erik De Castro/File Photo

BEIJING: China’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday denied reports that China will begin preparatory work this year for an environmental monitoring station on disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea.

China seized the shoal, which is northeast of the Spratly islands, in 2012 and denied access to Philippine fishermen. But after President Rodrigo Duterte visited China last year, it allowed them to return to the traditional fishing area. Tiếp tục đọc “China denies reports of building on disputed shoal” →

Watergrabbing A Story of Water

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Al Jazeera

Historically the source of many conflicts, water grabbing is the control and theft of water resources by the powerful, often at the expense of local populations and ecosystems. It can result in dispossession, displacement and ecological destruction.

In an age of dwindling resources and climate change, water is increasingly being privatised.

It is now 24 years since the United Nations designated March 22 as World Water Day.

Al Jazeera looks at water grabbing in four parts of the globe, including large-scale damming in the Omo Valley in Ethiopia, the mining industry in South Africa, inequitable water practices in Palestine/Israel and the impact of dams on people living along the Mekong River in southeast Asia.

Tiếp tục đọc “Watergrabbing A Story of Water” →

North Korea vows to pursue nuclear arms amid US threat

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al jazeera 5 hours ago

North Korea vows to pursue nuclear arms amid US threat

Pyongyang envoy to UN warns his country is developing ‘pre-emptive strike capabilities with nuclear forces’.

North Korean diplomat Choe Myong-nam, left, is seen at a press conference in this 2015 photo [Mike Segar/Reuters]

North Korea will pursue “acceleration” of its nuclear and missile programmes including developing a “pre-emptive first-strike capability”, a diplomat from Pyongyang warned on Tuesday. Tiếp tục đọc “North Korea vows to pursue nuclear arms amid US threat” →

Philippines to China: Stop Scarborough Shoal plan

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al jareeza 11 hours ago

Diplomatic protest planned against Beijing as President Duterte calls for regional guidelines to resolve sea disputes.

Chinese ships spotted last September at Scarborough Shoal, which is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone [AP File]

The Philippines plans to file a “strong” protest against China after it announced preparatory work for an environmental monitoring station on a shoal in the South China Sea, as President Rodrigo Duterte called for regional guidelines governing the disputed area.

Justice Minister Vitaliano Aguirre told reporters in Manila on Tuesday the government would file a complaint against Beijing’s plan to construct a radar station on Scarborough Shoal.

“The case which will be filed is fairly strong I think,” Aguirre said. Tiếp tục đọc “Philippines to China: Stop Scarborough Shoal plan” →

France, Japan back free navigation in Asia-Pacific, Abe says

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Reuters | Mon Mar 20, 2017 | 5:54pm EDT

French President Francois Hollande and Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attend a joint declaration at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, March 20, 2017. REUTERS/Philippe Wojaze

France and Japan support a “free and open maritime order” in the Asia-Pacific region, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said after talks with French President Francois Hollande on Monday.

The message seemed aimed at China, which claims almost all the South China Sea and which has fueled concern in Japan and the West with its growing military presence in the waterway. Tiếp tục đọc “France, Japan back free navigation in Asia-Pacific, Abe says” →

Cà phê Sài Gòn xưa

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Thứ Sáu, 10 tháng 3, 2017
Nguồn: http://dinhvankhai.blogspot.com/2017/03/ca-phe-sai-gon-xua.html

Hồi xửa hồi xưa … có một Sài gòn người ta gọi cà phê là “cà phe”, đi uống cà phê là đi uống “cà phe” với giọng điệu rất là ngộ nghĩnh. Tiếng Tây gọi cà phê là Café, tiếng Anh là Coffee nhưng mấy xì thẩu Chợ Lớn thì gọi là “cá phé”. Vậy thì café, coffee, cà phê, cà phe hay là cá phé muốn gọi sao gọi nhưng ai cũng hiểu đó là món thức uống màu đen có hương vị thơm ngon, uống vào có thể tỉnh người nếu uống quá đậm có thể thức ba ngày không nhắm mắt…

Tiếp tục đọc “Cà phê Sài Gòn xưa” →

Internal Chinese Navy magazine says country has secured military dominance in South China Sea

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Japan Times
A satellite image shows what appears to be anti-aircraft guns and what are likely to be close-in weapons systems on the artificial island at Fiery Cross Reef in the South China Sea in this image released Dec. 13. | CSIS ASIA MARITIME TRANSPARENCY INITIATIVE / DIGITALGLOBE / VIA REUTERS

Kyodo, Mar 20, 2017

TAIPEI – China has secured the central leadership role in the South China Sea and other players cannot match its military supremacy in the region, according to an internal magazine of the People’s Liberation Army obtained by Kyodo News.

Amid staunch denials by China that it is militarizing the South China Sea, the article amounts to a rare admission by its military of its true intentions in the region. Specifically, it sheds light on the policy of boosting the military influence in the area under the cloak of “civilian activities” such as private aviation. Tiếp tục đọc “Internal Chinese Navy magazine says country has secured military dominance in South China Sea” →

China warns U.S. over arms sales to Taiwan

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 Japan Times

AFP-JIJI Mar 20, 2017

BEIJING – China on Monday reiterated its firm opposition to U.S. arm sales to Taiwan, amid reports that Donald Trump’s administration is preparing a large shipment of advanced weaponry for the self-ruling island.

“China firmly opposes U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, this is consistent and clear-cut,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular news briefing. Tiếp tục đọc “China warns U.S. over arms sales to Taiwan” →

Remember this mural village in Vietnam? Its residents now offer homestay service

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TUOI TRE NEWS

Updated : 03/19/2017 14:43 GMT + 7

Residents of the central Vietnamese fishing village of Tam Thanh, which has gained popularity since a 2016 makeover that turned the entire locale into a giant canvas for mural paintings, are now running homestay service to host visitors.

The service is part of a community tourism project initiated by the administration of Tam Ky City, the capital of Quang Nam Province, where the village is located. Tiếp tục đọc “Remember this mural village in Vietnam? Its residents now offer homestay service” →

Viet Nam, Israel have much in common: President Rivlin

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vietnamnews

Update: March, 19/2017 – 19:00

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Israeli President Reuven Rivlin.— VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI – Việt Nam and Israel should work together in the spirit of creativity and innovation to strengthen bilateral economic co-operation, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin told the Vietnam News Agency in the run up to his March 19-25 official visit to the country.

How do you evaluate the relationship between Israel and Việt Nam over the years?

Israel and Viet Nam share a rich and prosperous friendship. This is a friendship between our governments, and between the two peoples. We have rapidly growing co-operation and are celebrating nearly a quarter of a century of diplomatic relations, but of course, Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben Gurion, met with Hồ Chi Minh in Paris in 1946, and the friendship they established that day serves as the foundation for our close ties and strong relationship to this day. Tiếp tục đọc “Viet Nam, Israel have much in common: President Rivlin” →

Sleepless in HCM City: a tourism initiative

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vietnamnews

Update: March, 20/2017 – 09:00

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More night entertainment activities, festivals, and large-scale shopping centres are planned to make HCM City “a city that never sleeps.” — VNA/VNS Photo An Hiếu

HCM CITY — New York, famously known as the “city that never sleeps,” will soon be joined by HCM City, which is aspiring to that status in an effort to step up its tourism game.

The city, formerly known as Sài Gòn and the “Pearl of the Orient” in the early twentieth century, receives an average of 400,000 foreign tourists each month, generating revenues of thousands of billions of đồng, but some experts say it lacks night attractions that meet the demands of tourists looking to explore the city’s night life.

Lã Quốc Khánh, deputy director of the National Department of Tourism, said his office has found a real need among tourists to stay up late and explore the local night life.

“Some 30-40 per cent of national and international tourists want to go out after midnight, as well as 60-70 per cent of local citizens,” he told the Tuổi Trẻ newspaper, adding that the majority of foreign tourists typically suffer jet lag due to time differences and can only fall asleep after 2-3am. Tiếp tục đọc “Sleepless in HCM City: a tourism initiative” →

Chinese defence minister to visit Sri Lanka, Nepal

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ChannelNewsAsia

  • Posted 19 Mar 2017 17:25

Chinese Defence Minister Chang Wanquan speaks at the Xiangshan Forum, in Beijing, China, October 11, 2016. China Daily/via REUTERS

BEIJING: Chinese Defence Minister Chang Wanquan left on Sunday for official visits to Sri Lanka and Nepal, the Defence Ministry said, trips that could unnerve neighbouring India.

China is vying to increase its influence in Nepal, which serves as a natural buffer between China and India, challenging India’s long-held position as the dominant outside power in the landlocked nation.

China has also invested heavily in Sri Lanka, funding airports, roads, railways and ports, and including the island nation of 21 million people on its “One Belt, One Road” mission to create a modern-day “Silk Road” across Asia. Tiếp tục đọc “Chinese defence minister to visit Sri Lanka, Nepal” →

Poor and on their own, South Korea’s elderly who will ‘work until they die’

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 ChannelNewsAsia

“I will take care of myself as long as I can… then I’ll go to the hospital and die,” says an 81-year-old in a country where nearly half the elderly population is poor. Part 2 of a regional series on elderly poverty.

86-year-old Madam Kim takes a break. She works from morning to sunset, collecting more than 100 kg of trash a day. (Photo: Lam Shushan)

Additional reporting by Catherine Lee

SEOUL: As the snow falls heavy on the city streets, Madam Kim trudges on through the sub-zero weather that has most others huddled indoors, going through her daily routine of gleaning alleyways for waste paper and other recyclable trash.

Severely hunched over, the 81-year-old does this for a living. On a typical day, she circles the city a few times on foot, gathering more than 100 kilogrammes of trash which she takes to a junk depot that buys it for 100 won per kilogramme.

That’s barely 10,000 won, or roughly S$12, for a day’s heavy haul. Tiếp tục đọc “Poor and on their own, South Korea’s elderly who will ‘work until they die’” →