Tieng Viet lovers club

[jackbl]

Have a coffee, learn English for free
==============================

Master Cup, a coffee shop in Ho Chi Minh City that doubles up as an impromptu English language class, is becoming increasingly popular among young Vietnamese.

Its employees and customers speak English with each other while four teachers from English language schools turn up regularly to speak with customers.

Situated at 314/1B Dien Bien Phu, it was opened in 1996 by American couple Jerry and Barbara Wyatt.

There is also some structured learning done here through a discussion every Friday evening on a certain theme chosen by the teachers or customers.

Waiter Tran Ngoc Hai, who has worked at the café for just three months, already speaks English fluently. “I am very confident about using English” he says.

Le My Ngoc, a student at the HCMC International University, says: “You should not be apprehensive about your English. The teachers help you pronounce correctly.”

Anh Tu and Thanh Truc of the HCMC University of Transport and HCMC Foreign Trade University say they regularly go to the cafe to improve their English and read books about British and American cultures and browse through the Oxford English Dictionary.

Jerry and Barbara used to work at Starbucks, the global coffee chain. They have been living in Viet Nam for eight years and know about people’s difficulties in learning and speaking English.

Psychiatrist Nguyen Van Khue, 60, a regular customer, says he plans to organize an English “club” for his staff based on the Master Cup model.

The café also attracts young foreigners who come to chat with the locals.

“I have lived in Vietnam for two years. I love this country. Vietnamese students are very friendly and interested in learning English,” Liz, an American woman and a patron of the cafe, says.

By Thanh Thanh – Translated by Khanh Huynh

[jackbl]

Foreigners allowed to buy apartments in Vietnam from today (1st Jan 09)
==============================================
According to the Construction Ministry, around 10,000 of 80,000 foreigners living and working in Vietnam are eligible to buy property, specifically apartments in commercial housing projects.

The resolution stipulates five groups of foreign individuals and organizations that are eligible to own houses in Vietnam for terms of up to 120 years.

These include individuals who invest directly in Vietnam or who are hired for management positions by local or foreign-invested companies in the country; foreigners who receive certificates of merit or medals from the president or government for their contributions to the country; foreigners who work in socioeconomic fields, hold a bachelor’s degree or higher and who possess special knowledge and skills that Vietnam needs; foreigners who are married to Vietnamese residents; and foreign-invested enterprises operating in Vietnam that need to buy houses for their employees.

Most foreigners working in Vietnam currently have to hire apartments at high rents of between US$600 and $1,000 per month.

Lawyer Nguyen Van Hong, who works as a legal consultant for an Australian company in Hanoi, said many of his foreign friends had recently asked him to help them to buy an apartment.

Director Tran Minh Thong of a property company in Hanoi also said many foreigners have asked to buy apartments at the Trung Hoa – Nhan Chinh residential zone in Cau Giay District.

Experts said the move to allow foreigners to own apartments and other social housing projects could have positive impacts on the property market which has slowed down recently.

In force

The resolution is among several documents that will take effect today.

In the economic sector, wholly-owned foreign firms are allowed to join the local distribution and retail market from today under Vietnam’s commitment to the World Trade Organization

Also from today, local enterprises start to pay lower corporate tax of 25 percent, down from 28 percent. They are also allowed to pay tax later than previously.

The personal income tax law will also take effect from 2009, which stipulates that the taxable income threshold is VND4 million ($238) monthly for both locals and foreigners working in Vietnam, with taxpayers allowed deductions of VND1.6 million ($95) for each dependent.

In social sectors, the government starts to provide unemployment insurance under a decree that stipulates that Vietnamese employees who have signed contracts of a least a year will be eligible to get unemployment insurance and will receive compensation of 180 percent of a month’s salary for each year they have worked when losing her/his job.

Under a decision by the Prime Minister, civil servants and soldiers who have low incomes will be paid a monthly support of VND360,000 ($21) apiece in the first four months of this year.

The basic salary at state-owned enterprises will be increased to between VND650,000 ($37) and VND800,000 ($46), from between VND540,000 ($31) and VND620,000 ($35), while those of FDI enterprises will be increased to between VND920,000 ($53) and VND1.2 million ($69), from VND800,000 ($46) and VND1 million ($57).

In HCMC, the new land price adjustment will be implemented from today, with the highest price in District 1’s Dong Khoi, Le Loi and Nguyen Hue streets rising to VND81 million ($4,600) from VND67.5 million ($3,860) per square meter, while the lowest price is in Can Gio District’s Thieng Lieng residential area at VND110,000 ($6.30) per square meter.

Registration fees for cars with less than ten seats in HCMC will rise to 10 percent up from 5 percent.

Reported by Xuan Toan – Minh Nam

[jackbl]

The sector that could save us all
=========================
In the current difficult times, the tourism sector could be Vietnam’s economic “savior,” bringing in money and promoting the country’s image at the same time.

So far, the country’s highest tourism office has made some progressive steps: organizing conferences that gather tourism experts; arranging meetings among provincial administrations to encourage cooperation; and setting a goal of having 100 discount tours nationwide as part of a larger campaign to revive the sector.

Other countries also understand that boosting their tourism industry might be the key to preventing economic recession.

Look at our neighbor Thailand.

Following the departure of protestors, who disrupted the country’s main international airport for more than a week, Thailand’s tourism ministry promoted the campaign titled “Apologies Thailand” in an effort to woo disgruntled tourists back into the country.

The price for a six-day tour was around US$300 and there were also 100,000 free airline tickets and other benefits.

Though Vietnam did not experience such a political crisis, we must act in order to lure tourists here now and in the future.

There are many ways to do this.

Our custom officials could smile more often. Surely a smile at an immigrant point could have a huge effect in lifting the country’s image as a friendly and welcoming place.

Hotels and restaurants could offer further discounts. Some resorts and major hotels even require tourist companies to pay deposits in order to keep reservations.

We can initiate a nationwide forum where people can give their suggestion to improve Vietnam’s tourism.

Another solution could be a campaign to encourage residents to clean up their neighborhood, as well as join force in reducing the numbers of beggars, pickpockets and overly pushy street vendors that target foreign tourists.

So far this year, there have been only 4 million international tourists to Vietnam, compared to 14 million to Thailand, 18 million to Malaysia and nearly 9 million to Singapore.

Four million is a modest number.

If we don’t act now, it will take us quite a long time to catch up with other countries in the region, let alone use tourism to fight economic recession.

By Nguyen Van My

[jackbl]

Begin sex education early, advise experts
=================================

Experts are calling yet again for the introduction of sex education at secondary school levels, saying it is needed to guide safe behavior among the youth.

Love and sex is blooming among the youth, mainly because of early physical and psychological development, and the influences of foreign cultures and modern lifestyles, psychologist Quang Duong told a conference on “Sex Culture among Ho Chi Minh City Youth” held here last week.

“It is a flow that we can’t stop but we should direct it in a safer way,” Duong said.

Luu Phuong Thao from the HCMC Development Institute noted that “premarital sex is a common phenomenon in society during its development and urbanization.”

Over the past few years, many articles, including some foreign ones, have mentioned a “sexual revolution” in Vietnam.

"Some people have said it is a time of sexual revolution in Vietnam but it is a bit quieter than that, than what happened say in America in the 1960s and 1970s, but it's growing," Reuters quoted psychologist Khuat Thu Hong as saying.

Principal Nguyen Bac Dung of Tran Dai Nghia High School said “to direct the flow,” a combination of oriental and western cultural values needs to be applied.

However, some foreign-sponsored media programs, applying content and values of the West, have made young people feel that they can have sex before marriage as long as it is safe sex, said Doctor Nguyen Huu Nguyen of the HCMC Development Institute.

“After many years, these programs achieve technical objectives, which is to cut down the rate of abortion, but raise the number of teenagers having premarital sex,” Nguyen said. “It means that they fail to protect Oriental cultural values.”

The southern metro recorded nearly 111,000 cases of abortion in 2007, a reduction of 3,000 over 2006, according to a conference on protecting the health of mother and child held by the HCMC Reproductive Health Protection Center early this year.

Nguyen also questioned whether it was enough to give the youth sex education by merely offering them condoms and campaigning for safe sex.

Le Thi Thanh Nha, deputy head of Culture and Information Office under HCMC Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said, “The most important thing is to make the youth raise questions about their own lifestyle.”

Nha said in older times, people reached puberty when they were 17 to 18 and often got married at the same time, while puberty now occurs between 13 and 14 and people are getting married mostly at 24 to 25.

This means that people previously started their married lives almost at the same time they were physically ready to have sex, but now youth have a gap of more than 10 years.

She said adults therefore have to direct and guide young people to deal with problems on their own.

Nha, who used to be a practicing psychologist, says, “Every night, I used to receive around 300 messages from teenagers about loss of periods and abortion.”

Duong suggested establishing a consultancy office related to love, sex and sex education in an individualized manner, as each individual has his or her own demands and thoughts about sex.

Dung of Tran Dai Nghia High School also said sex education must be introduced as part of the “citizen’s education” that is currently part of the school curricula and basically impractical.

Nguyen Dinh Toan, who is in his twenties, is not too impressed with the expert opinions, which “are what the elderly think about sex among the youth.” Most of his friends are in favor of premarital sex and see no problem with it, he says.

A survey conducted among Vietnamese youth in 2007 found that young people had sex for the first time at around 19 years of age.

Of 7,548 teenagers interviewed from 42 provinces and cities, 7.6 percent said they’d already had sex.

Reported by Nhu Lich

[jackbl]

Students take a Tet vocation
========================

With the shortage of funds a chronic reality as students, many who study in big cities work hard to pave their way home for Tet.

Tet is above all a time for the entire family to get together, so it is a homecoming season that has people from all over the world making a beeline to their homes in Vietnam, typically to the provinces and villages.

Students from the provinces who are studying at big cities are no different in making plans to go home for the Tet (Lunar New Year) holidays. However, since it is an expensive proposition for them, many are now busy doing part time jobs to save enough money to get home in time.

Nguyen Van Vu of the Da Nang Economic University says he is working for a coffee shop as a waiter from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. for the monthly pay of over VND1 million (US$58.62).

“Some days I am exhausted, but I feel encouraged when I think I will not have to call my parents to help with the transportation fares for Tet,” Vu says.

Working part time is also a chance for him to gain experience, he adds.

Some students work as wedding waiters and waitresses for VND100,000 ($5.86) per event.

Female students with a good appearance find work as receptionists at year-end events and parties held by event management companies. This job, according to most students, is rather leisurely but well paid.

In Ho Chi Minh City, during this season, the municipal Student Support Center, along with schools’ youth unions and employment websites introduce hundreds of students to seasonal jobs everyday.

Tuan Hung of the HCMC Open University says he comes to the support center around this time every year to find jobs.

This year he is working as a motorbike guard for a fashion shop on Le Van Sy Street in District 3 for VND50,000 ($2.93) per shift starting from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.

“Although the semester exams are coming, I try to arrange time to earn money for going home,” Hung says. “Many days I do not get home until 1 a.m. while I have class at 7 a.m. I am very sleepy during class, but I have to try!”

Not all students work as part time employees, some act on their entrepreneurial spirits.

A group of students from Da Nang City’s Dong A College, for example, have pooled their money for selling flowers as they heard this year flowers are scarce. They have already assigned a student who lives in the Central Highlands resort town of Da Lat to source flowers locally.

“We hope that we are making a good investment. Our money for the next month is all invested into the business.”

Tet away from home

While most students living far from home are busy finding and doing part time jobs, others say they will not go home for Tet due to financial problems and high transportation fares.

The city’s Department of Transport recently said this Tet could see smaller increases than usual in train and bus fares because of the steep fall in fuel prices.

However, it is still not easy for students to afford the fares.

“Usually I pay VND90,000 ($5.28) for a bus trip to my hometown, but the fares increase three to four times during the year-end season,” says Le Anh Minh of HCMC University of Technology from central Quang Ngai Province.

“It will cost me nearly one million dong ($58.62) for a round trip,” Anh says.

“Instead of moving heaven and earth to earn money for my bus fare, my parents can use the money to buy some banh chung [square glutinous rice cakes] and other traditional dishes for Tet,” he says.

Truong Minh Trung, a student of Economic Department at the Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh City, says the coming Tet will be the third Tet that he will not spend with his family, staying on at the city to work part time.

Quynh Huong from the HCMC University of Social Sciences and Humanities, meanwhile, says she will stay at the city this Tet not to earn money but to join a volunteer program organized by her school.

“Although I feel sad I cannot meet with my family during Tet, I feel luckier and happier than those children who have no home and parents,” Huong says.

“So, I want to visit, share and do something for them so that I am not sad during the holiday but can also help lessen their feelings about their disadvantages.”

Reported by Thanh Nien staff

[jackbl]

Travel agents to offer big discount in 2009
==============================

Visitors will have the opportunity to take part in domestic tours at cheap prices, following a large-scale promotion campaign by the tourism industry starting January, 2009, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism recently announced.


The promotion campaign will last from January to September 2009. So far this year, many hotels have committed to reducing their service prices by 30-50 percent. Vietnamese Airlines has also pledged to provide a special offer on tickets, a decrease of 30-50 percent, for domestic and international flights.

In addition, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism has worked with airlines and suppliers of transport, tour guide, shopping, food and drink services, encouraging them to join in the promotion campaign with the aim of luring more holiday-makers.

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism has initially chosen 20-30 major travel agents and 100 tours for the promotion campaign.

Source: VOV

[jackbl]

Increase in roadworks in city 2009
==========================

Contractors will remain digging through out next year, a total of 56.7km of roads in Ho Chi Minh City will be worked on, up 14 percent on this year.

Much of the construction is due to three urban projects, East-West Highway, Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe Canal and water supply projects which have been under construction since 2008.

In 2008, contractors finished 49.6km of streets, about 43 percent of the total distance of projects under construction.

Streets that are being worked on: Truong Chinh, Tan Hai, Ly Thuong Kiet, Nguyen Trong Tuyen and Pham Van Hai in Tan Binh district, Tran Quang Dieu, Dien Bien Phu, Tran Quoc Thao and Ly Chinh Thang in district 3, Nguyen Kiem and Le Quang Dinh in Go Vap district, and Phan Dang Luu and Dinh Tien Hoang in Binh Thanh district.

Among the 56.7km of roadworks in 2009, the Management Board of HCM City Environmental Hygiene Project will be responsible for 37.5km, including 9.6km of streets along the Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe canal, 6.8km of Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, Tran Khanh Du and Tran Quy Khoach streets in district 3 and others.

The Management Board of East-West project and Water Environment will be in charge of 6km, including Su Van Hanh, Tran Binh Trong and Thuan Kieu streets. The Management Board of Urban Upgrade projects will take care of 13.2km.

In 2010, contractors will have 9.626km of roads left to work on.

By Trung Khanh – Translated by Truong Son

[jackbl]

People prefer to stay home during New Year
====================================

HCM City tourism companies say the number of people choosing to travel during New Year is 20 percent below their target.

Fiditourist Tan Dinh Travel Company said it had been hoping to sell 2,000 foreign and 5,000 domestic tours but it has yet to reach 80 percent of the number.

The tour operators blame the global financial crisis and the fact that New Year is too close to Tet this year.

According to them, many tourists have chosen to go to Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, or Cambodia instead of Thailand because of the political upheaval there. At home, Con Dao is the top destination.

Tour prices have risen just 5 to 10 percent compared to 40 percent last year, they say.

With the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism planning to run a promotional campaign from January to September, tour prices could fall further next year.

Con Dao is an archipelago in Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province where the French colonialists imprisoned political prisoners in the infamous “tiger cages”.

By My Hanh – Translated by Thuy Doan

[jackbl]

Less gals to see

Only one Miss Vietnam a year under new rules
=====================================
There will be only one national beauty contest a year and contestants must have completed high school at the very least, under new regulations issued this week by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.


The winner of the national beauty contest will be the only one with the “Miss” honorific, the ministry says, adding that multiple “Miss” titles have caused confusion in the country.

Under the new rules, only Vietnamese women of at least 18 years of age with a clean police record, having finished high school education and not undergone cosmetic surgeries or sex changes are eligible to compete in beauty contests.

Beside the national contest, only one local beauty contest can be approved a year, the regulations say.

Also, an agency can only organize one contest at the most in two years, and it has to publicize its rules and conditions within 10 days of getting approval. It will also have to give away the awards on the final night itself, and strip titles off any winner found violating the contest’s regulations.

Miss Vietnam 2008 Tran Thi Thuy Dung stirred public outrage last year after she was found not to have graduated from high school, one of the pageant’s entry requirements.

She was barred from competing in the Miss World 2008 pageant in South Africa last December, but has not been dethroned so far.

Meanwhile, winners of some pageants in Vietnam have faced many difficulties in claiming their awards as old regulations didn’t specify payment deadlines for contests.

Some winners, including Miss Tourism Vietnam 2008, Phan Thi Ngoc Diem, and Miss Ao Dai Vietnam 2006, Than Thi Hoang Dieu, had to seek help from the media and take legal action to obtain their awards from the organizers.

Reported by Y Nguyen

[Hurricane88]

Tet products hit market but buyers keep away

The newly opened South Korean supermarket Lotte Mart in District 7. With Tet approaching consumption normally surges at this time but not this year.
With just over 20 days to go for Tet (Lunar New Year), businesses are busy churning out new products for the year’s top shopping season, but things are duller than normal.


Many food businesses in and around Ho Chi Minh City remain confident demand will be high for their products despite the global economic meltdown.

Huynh Gia Huynh De Limited Company has processed around 500 tons of poultry, 20 percent more than last year.

The company bred the birds itself, vice chairman Chau Nhut Trung said.

Phu An Sinh Food Processing Company has set up a slaughterhouse meeting hygiene and safety standards at Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province.

Its director, Pham Van Minh, claimed Phu An Sinh would have 400 tons of free-range, chicken meat.

It is raising another 100,000 chickens, he said.

The new abattoir will also supply sausages and pork paste.

Minh promised that his company’s products, sold through 110 retailers in the city, would be 10-20 percent cheaper than its competitors’.

CP Vietnam has promised to supply 7,500 tons of frozen chicken for Tet and 500,000 eggs a day.

The Dong Nai Industrial Food Corporation said its D&F brand products do not contain growth hormones and only permissible quantities of antibiotics.

Vissan Limited Company said it has faced problems recently but would still increase supply by 15 percent compared to last Tet.

Farmers in the Mekong Delta’s Tien Giang and Long An provinces expect to supply 1,200-1,500 tons of seedless watermelons at between VND12,000-15,000 a kilogram.

The Mat Troi Do (Red Sun) brand of watermelon is said to be sweeter than others and keeps for seven to ten days.

The farmers have harvested 30-35 tons of the fruit per hectare, earning VND180-200 million ($10,300-11,400) each.

Beverage prices in HCMC have remained stable ahead of Tet.

“In the past, shops would hike prices several times within a month before the holiday,” the owner of a beverage shop in District 8 said. “No one dares do so this year.”

In Hanoi retailers said products are already in the market but there has been little buying, with consumers still waiting for promotions.

At the Nguyen Van Cu Supermarket, few customers even glance at the Tet gift hampers containing cookies, candies and beverages, whose prices have only increased slightly since last year.

A supermarket employee, Do Thi Hoa, said, “I think consumers are waiting for prices to be lowered or for promotions.”

At Vinaconex Supermarket, the gift hampers are not even displayed due to the low demand.

The supermarket said it would launch a promotion only two weeks before Tet.

“Consumers are waiting for big promotions,” it said, adding sales are expected to rise next week.

Electronic and electrical supermarket Pico Plaza has also seen little buying though it launched a promotional campaign two weeks ago.

A supermarket employee said demand for household appliances would rise a few days before the Tet holidays.

Bad season for clothes

At the apparel section at large HCMC shopping malls like Parkson, Diamond Plaza and Zen Plaza, the common refrain is that prices have not been increased. They also sold a lot at 30-70 percent discount in the last two months.

While this should be the busy period for garment businesses, many said business has been dull. Many will continue their sales programs until Tet.

Ngo Thi Bau, general director of Nguyen Tam Garment and Textile Company which owns the popular FOCI brand, said the number of items sold has not decreased much but the profit has dried up.

“The primary concern now is to prevent losses and any business that can do that can be considered successful,” she said.

Ngo Tu Tam, director of Son Kim Company, owner of WOW brand and distributor of Elle and Jockey products, said sales during the recent Christmas season only increased 15-18 percent instead of the normal 30 percent.

“We probably would not have sold anything if we had not offered discounts,” she said, adding that top-range products have the lowest demand.

She said producers should cut costs and focus on convenience rather than fashion.

There are only 20 days to go for Tet but many dressmakers are only working in the day. In other years they would have to stay up late, sometimes overnight, Hoa, a seamstress who sells her products at Tan Binh and An Dong markets, said.

“It has never been so bad,” she said.

Reported by Quang Thuan – Mai Phuong

[Hurricane88]

Money will stimulate spending
Raising wages and reducing the cost of consumer products are the keys to stimulate Vietnam’s consumption.


Cash flow accounts for 60 percent of economic growth in Vietnam but the cash flow crunch has been making for a sluggish economy this year.

The country’s exports are facing difficulties because its markets have shrunk and products are no longer competitive.

Solutions to boost exports include opening new markets, lowering export duties and reducing bank loan interest rates to help exporters reduce their prices. Import duties should also be raised slightly.

To stimulate domestic consumption, the most important factor is to cut the prices, which are on average still 20 percent higher than last year.

Several electronics businesses have recently slashed their prices significantly and have enjoyed good sales as a consequence.

Many garment firms have used the same method.

At the same time, some businesses have tried to push their prices higher for the Tet shopping season, which increases the chances they will be losers in the year’s biggest shopping season.

For macro policy makers, one thing they can do to stimulate consumption is to raise the minimum wage.

First, this is the matter of fairness as consumer prices have increased by 20 percent year on year but wages have remained the same.

People just can’t spend more when prices have risen and their incomes haven’t.

By Ngoc Minh

[jackbl]

Time for them to SPEND again???!!!

About 100,000 overseas Vietnamese to return for Tet festival
=========================================

The number of overseas Vietnamese returning home for the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival through Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City is expected to increase by 15-20 percent in the coming days, according to a customs officer at the airport.

At present, between 6,000-7,000 Vietnamese nationals enter Ho Chi Minh City through the airport and the number will rise considerably in a couple of days, says Le Tuan Binh, deputy head of the airport’s Customs Department.

The Youth Union chapter at the airport has set up volunteer groups to help the immigrants complete customs procedures in a short time.

About 100,000 overseas Vietnamese are expected to return for Tet celebrations this year which will fall on January 25 and last for three days.

Source: VOV

[jackbl]

Cultural values of traditional Vietnamese wedding
=================================

The traditional Vietnamese wedding is one of the most important ceremonies in Vietnamese culture.

It consists of an engagement ceremony taking place usually half a year or so before the wedding. A marriage ceremony includes asking permission to ‘receive’ the bride, receiving the bride at her house, bringing the bride to the groom's house, and the reception for the bride and groom's family and friends.

Traditional symbols of Vietnamese marriage are a couple of pigeons, betel leaves and areca nut and the indispensable words "song hy” (double joys). This phrase as Chinese characters 囍 shows the joy for the both families.

At the wedding, members of both families often wear ao dai (Vietnamese traditional dress) and khan dong (headdress). The bride and groom’s attire are brighter and more brilliant than everyone else’s.

The marriage ceremony is held in front of the ancestor altars at homes of both families. On the morning of the wedding day, the groom’s family will bring gifts, including betel leaves and areca nuts, wine, tea, fruits, cakes, a roasted pig and a pair of big dragon and phoenix candles which are placed in boxes covered in red cloth.

Candle lighting is one of the most important rites. An old man who has a good manner of speaking and high status in the family will represent the groom's house to burn the candles and pray for happiness, luck and prosperity.

The light represents life, faith, wisdom, love, and earth and sky. After which, the couple’s thoughts shall be for each other rather than for themselves. Their joys and sorrows shall be shared alike.

The groom and bride will exchange wedding rings. The groom’s mother gives her daughter-in-law jewelry, including gold bracelets, earrings and other valuable gifts. Members of the two families will also wish the newly wedded couple a long and happy life and offers them presents and money.

After bringing the bride to the groom's house, an elderly kind-hearted woman who has a happy life and many descendants will spread a sedge mat on the couple’s bed in order to bring luck.

Today, a Vietnamese wedding organized according to traditional manners and customs has gradually fallen into oblivion. It only exists in a few rural areas.

Most modern Vietnamese weddings reduce some traditional ceremonies. The reception occurs immediately after the procession ceremony, often at a restaurant or a banquet hall in the afternoon or evening, instead of taking place at either couple's house.

The couple will be recognized in law as husband and wife after receiving the marriage certificate. However, according to national culture, the wedding with the attendance of both families, all relatives, friends, and neighbors is conclusive proof to recognize them as a married couple.

Nowadays a lot of Vietnamese couples have been influenced by Western styles, including wearing white wedding dresses and black tuxedos. But they still choose Vietnamese traditional wedding costumes for traditional ceremonies.

Vietnamese traditional weddings attract many foreign visitors. A problem with a modern wedding is that the party does not usually take place on time. It takes 1-2 hours to receive guests and then the wedding ceremony can start.

By Staff writers – Translated by Vu Khanh

[jackbl]

Ministry issues new policy for beauty contests
======================================

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam Tuesday issued a policy for organizing beauty contests to replace the one issued in 2006.

The new policy restricts the number of beauty pageants to be held every year. The National Miss Pageant, the Region, Industry or Organization Queen Pageant will be held once every year. The Beauty Pageant in a province or a city will be held every two years.

The candidates must be over 18 years old, graduated high school, and have not had cosmetic or sex reassignment surgery.

Only the winner in the national beauty contest can win the title ‘Miss’. The titles for smaller pageants will be ‘Queen’ or ‘Beauty’.

It also sets out the responsibilities of organizers, as well as the requirements of the Ministry to them. The organizers have to prove their financial viability if they want to organize a pageant. They have to send copied profiles of entered final contestants to the licensing authority after the semi-final and have to award prizes and certifications to winners in the final.

In addition, it gives the licensing authority, instead of the organizers, the power to deal with violations. The licensing authority can take away the titles of the winners if they violate policy or other laws.

The new policy will take effect 15 January.

(Source: Tuoi Tre Newspaper) – Translated by Thuy Doan

Originally Posted by jackbl

Less gals to see

Only one Miss Vietnam a year under new rules
=====================================
There will be only one national beauty contest a year and contestants must have completed high school at the very least, under new regulations issued this week by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

[jackbl]

A ‘village’ with more than city comforts
===========================
If you are looking for space or a place to unwind, to treat our family to a getaway weekend or celebrate your honeymoon, there is a quite area on the Saigon River bank that is just the ticket.

Six kilometers from downtown, the Thao Dien Village offers guests the space they need in a luxurious, colonial setting.

The newly opened “village” is a 13,000 square meter complex on Nguyen Van Huong Street in Ho Chi Minh City’s plush District 2.

The complex comprises a 22 room colonial-style hotel called An Phu, an event hall, a water puppet theater and other facilities. Active sorts can make use of the fitness club with a variety of workout programs on offer, a sumptuous spa welcomes those in need of deep relaxation and its riverside pool is a good place to cool off. The greenery that surrounds the complex and the spacious lawn overlooking the river are ideal for children to “burn” their energy.

Thao Dien Village has four restaurants with different styles that seem to have something for everyone.

Well-known Vietnamese fine dining establishment Ngon Restaurant has opened its second location here with a beautifully decorated, dark wood traditional dining room. Ngon is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner with main courses ranging from VND 120,000 to VND340,000 (US$6.84-19.40).

Next door is a slightly funkier and less formal Japanese restaurant where the staff are all smiles, the sashimi is fresh and the menu is extensive and well priced. Only a handful of items on the twelve-page menu run over VND100,000 ($5.7). Of the Asian options, however, it’s the Chaba Thai Restaurant that has people talking. The soups, curries, vegetables and desserts are purported to be the best in town.

The Villa Romain Restaurant beneath the hotel offers fine Italian dining with views across the lawn to the river. Upstairs, the hotel rooms are spacious with wooden floors, there are terraced areas and yet another lovely pool.

The traditional water puppetry show, held three times per week, is well worth a visit by itself.

Thao Dien Village is an antidote to the hectic city life and if you’re in need of a getaway, but short on time, schedule a day of two at the An Phu Hotel.

Reported by Thuy Nhien