Vietnam Deel 2

In Ho Chi Minh City, ghostwriting service turns master's degree into piece of cake

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A stack of master’s theses is captured at the office of N., a provider of ghostwriting services, in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: M.G. / Tuoi Tre


With more and more people in Vietnam getting a master’s degree to have better salaries and opportunities in their jobs, the market of thesis ghostwriting is also flourishing.

In diploma-obsessed Vietnam, a master’s degree can benefit its holder in many ways, such as bringing them a salary increase, a promotion, and an opportunity to work aboard. Many Vietnamese graduates have thus sought a master’s degree to boost their qualifications.

But some of them just want to have a complete master’s thesis done without breaking a sweat, which makes a fertile ground for academic ghostwriting services to thrive.

You pay, we write
It is not difficult to find an online advertisement for the master’s thesis ghostwriting services. Two Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters went undercover as candidates for a master’s degree program in business administration and got in touch with a thesis ghostwriter known only as Tung.

Tung asserted that he could deliver a complete master’s thesis even though your correspondents told him that they had no knowledge of both its topic and outline. “I will give you some suggested topics,” Tung said.

According to Tung, a customer using his service has to pay VND10 million (US$430) if the thesis involves a qualitative research, and VND12-15 million ($516-645) for a quantitative research.

Money shall be transferred in installments, with VND2 million ($86) to be paid after the completion of the thesis' outline and more payments will be made after each chapter is finished.


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S., a master’s thesis ghostwriter, introduces a paper he ghostwrote. Photo: Thao Thuong / Tuoi Tre


When your correspondents expressed concern about plagiarism, the man assured them that there was nothing to worry about. Tung said he had a piece of software that could detect plagiarism and ensured that any thesis ghostwritten by him would be like no other.

Services from a professional
From a close connection, your correspondents met S., who is in charge of graduate education at a public university in Ho Chi Minh City. S., who has a doctorate degree, is known for ghostwriting master’s theses. According to S., there is a really high demand among graduate students, particularly those majoring in finance, banking and business administration, to have others write the papers for them.

S. said that he only agreed to ghostwrite two to three master’s theses a month, with average prices of VND10-15 million for an 80-page paper. “But I have lately written a thesis for a director of a state-owned enterprise in Ho Chi Minh City for VND40 million [$1,720],” S. told your correspondents. The busiest season for master’s thesis ghostwriters is September, according to S.

One case detected
S. also gave the Tuoi Tre reporters the contact of N., another ‘supplier’ of ghostwritten master’s theses who now works at the Institute of Educational Research and Business Administration at the Political Fostering Center of Phu Nhuan District in Ho Chi Minh City. Your correspondents asked N. if he could provide a ghostwritten essay for a master’s degree course at Van Lang University and another program at the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City.


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A banner for a graduate program is seen in front of N.’s office at the Political Fostering Center of Phu Nhuan District, located on Le Van Sy Street, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: M.G. / Tuoi Tre


N. only agreed to help with the course at Van Lang University, which is a private college, and asked to transfer the other job to a third person. “Ghostwriting the thesis for a master’s degree course at a private university is simple for me, while the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City is at another level,” N. said.

Your correspondents managed to take photos of many printed theses of Van Hien University, another private college in Ho Chi Minh City, which were stacked on the desk of N. during their meeting at his office. Upon being contacted for verification by Tuoi Tre, Van Hien University has confirmed that those theses really belong to their graduate students.

According to Le Si Hai, director of graduate education at Van Hien University, the school signed an agreement with the Political Fostering Center of Phu Nhuan District to offer some master’s degree courses there, and N. used to be in charge of both admissions and teaching tasks. The university discovered that some of its students had hired N. to ghostwrite their master's theses a few months ago.

A professional panel was formed to review all of the dissertations, which eventually found that a majority of them were unqualified for thesis defense, according to Hai. Many works were also discovered to have different titles but the same contents, he added. “We have therefore terminated all cooperation with N. with regard to our master’s degrees courses at the center,” he said.

The school also returned the unqualified essays to the students for revision. Hai admitted that the university’s lax management was to blame for ghostwritten theses having been able to reach the defense stage. “We have since tightened our procedures and all master’s theses will be carefully reviewed for duplication and plagiarism before their defense,” he affirmed.



Bron: In Ho Chi Minh City, ghostwriting service turns master's degree into piece of cake - Tuoi Tre News


Zie hier één van de redenen waarom ik jaren geleden al riep dat, als ik dat echt zou willen, ik binnen een jaar een officiële PhD zou hebben.

En nee, tot op de dag van vandaag heeft niemand mij dat beargumenteerd uit het hoofd kunnen praten. O-)
 
Mark your calendars: November 19 is the day!

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A street vendor smiles in this file photo taken in Hanoi in 2018. Photo: Ha Thanh / Tuoi Tre


We have finished celebrating the first Women’s Day of the year, so now we have a nice, long lull before starting to talk about the next one, which will take place in October.

Let’s use the time to broach a closely related topic: Men’s Day!

Yep, there is a Men’s Day, but most don’t seem to know about it.

I’m among the guilty, having never heard of it until I started researching this update, even though November 19 is officially Men’s Day, recognized in many countries around the world. Now we just need to celebrate it. In Vietnam, women get two days, we only get one. That’s fine, but at least our one measly little day should be celebrated with gusto.

A couple of points of protocol to cover before moving on: First, no flowers. Ladies, the truth is most men don’t care about flowers, and we know that you know that we don’t, so let’s get over the flower thing. We’re more focused on things like sports, cars, building things, beer, and good food. Speaking of food, we want to eat at home, not outside, at least not on our day. We much prefer our sweethearts prepare our favourite dishes in the comfort of home.

With those little details out of the way, let’s look at some of the local men I know that solidify the case for major hoopla on November 19. The sacrifices these fine gents make may seem trivial, but the show cannot go on without them. I can especially relate to these guys because they are more vital to their daily operation than I ever was to mine, no question about it. My achievements aren’t exactly monumental in this regard, I admit.

One time I worked on a team that developed systems to manage incoming phone calls - you know the ones: Press 1 for this, 2 for that, 3 for something else, or 0 for help (but usually nobody answers). We managed to irritate an entire generation of innocent consumers who were simply calling companies to find out what happened to the toaster they ordered. Most never did find out thanks to people like me.

Not exactly Man of the Year material compared to what these guys do each day:

Take Mr. Thong, he’s our neighbourhood motorbike taxi man. He’s a safe and knowledgeable driver, knows the city like his pocket, and he’s a fair and honest man. Always around when you need him, never around when you don’t. He’s also the sidekick of Miss Han, the banh mi lady. She couldn’t get through a morning on the job without him - there’s always something up. Thong replaces the gas canisters without which life would be a disaster because they’re critical to making op la (fried eggs), which as we all know are the key to a smooth start to any day.

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Thong also performs repairs on the banh mi cart, adds features, fetches anything that runs out, arranges shade for when it’s sunny, shelter when it’s stormy, and offers general moral support for the operation.


He also does minor repairs to sidewalks and anything else that needs maintenance within his range, all without a word. The other day he scrounged up some concrete from a nearby building site, mixed it up, and put a slick new ramp on the sidewalk. I’m sure nobody asked him to, he just saw a need and went for it, that’s Thong for you.

You could fetch your morning baguette and never know he’s in the picture, but although incognito he’s always there.

Then there’s Mr. Chau, one of the owners of a favourite corner store and beer joint. He’s also practically invisible to most customers, the principal reason being he’s often in the background doing some dirty job nobody else wants to do.

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Chau is often found in the toilet, not conducting urgent personal business, rather washing all the glasses, ashtrays, and dishes. Hardly high profile work, but you can’t run the place without those things.


One of the fridges died on the job recently, and if you think that’s not critical just try drinking warm beer. Yuck. I’d actually prefer water. Of course those damn fridges have been repaired countless times, but in true Vietnamese spirit Chau just keeps fixing them, and will keep on doing so until the day it becomes absolutely impossible to resurrect them from the dead.

Even then Chau won’t give up completely - the fridges will not be tossed. They’ll be kept in a corner somewhere along with all the other failed implements of that shop just in case a miracle occurs some day and they can be brought back to life.

What about when it’s raining and they run out of goodies to serve the screaming customers? It’s Chau who hops on the bicycle and races down the street to the market to pick up whatever is out of stock.

That rickety old bicycle is a nightmare on its own, add to that the adventure of flying the wrong way down a one-way street in a tempest just to fetch a few baguettes, and I can tell you that takes courage. He’s also an excellent cook. Unfortunately, the only thing he can cook is fried rice, but at least he’ll never starve to death.

Truth is you could hit their place, suck back a few beers and kho muc (dried toasted squid) and never even notice Mr. Chau. He’s transparent for the most part, but he’s there all right!

Finally, my personal neighbourhood champ is Mr. Bao who works at the hotel where I stay. When I first laid eyes on him I had his nickname in two seconds flat: “The Butler.” Everything is done but nobody knows who did it - the ideal employee and host, just like a perfect butler or waiter in a restaurant.

Waking up at 5:00 am to catch an early airplane? It’s Bao that staggers out half asleep to unlock the front door. Need something repaired? He’ll discreetly wait until the guests have gone out to eat or tour around, then have that broken shower head replaced in a flash.

When I appear with my bag of stinky laundry he reaches over for the phone and in a heartbeat someone arrives to pick it up. Never misses it, not once in all this time.

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Bao is also “Chief Motorbike Hauler Arounder," truly a thankless, ugly job. He has to know which bike belongs to whom, get them in, put them to sleep in the garage, then get them out. What a pain. And that’s harder than it seems because he’s a slight man and those bikes are a lot of work to haul around.


Cool as a cucumber.

The common theme is these gents do the dirty work without fanfare or recognition, they’re cool as cucumbers. Behind most successful businesswomen in Vietnam is a reliable man, but you may not have noticed he’s there.

Mark November 19 on your calendars please, ladies!

We’ll be grateful if you remember us - promise!

Just skip the flowers, please!



Bron: Mark your calendars: November 19 is the day! - Tuoi Tre News
 
Vietnam passes bill imposing blanket ban on drink-driving

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A man drinks beer at a party in Vietnam in this photo illustration.


Vietnam’s legislature on Friday passed a landmark bill on preventing harmful effects of alcohol, which includes a blanket ban on driving after drinking for all types of vehicles.

The bill received approval from 408 legislators, or 84.3 percent, out of 450 voting members of Vietnam’s lawmaking National Assembly on Friday.

An article in the bill that dictates a “strict ban” on “operating vehicles while having any level of breath or blood alcohol concentration” was approved earlier the same day by 374/446 lawmakers. When the article went through the first round of vote less than two weeks ago, 44.21 percent of legislators supported the article while 43.8 percent voted against it. It was an unprecedented result as neither option received a simple majority, prompting consideration of the article – and the bill – to be delayed to Friday’s session.

Following today’s passage, the law, with the toughened stance on drink-driving, will take effect on January 1, 2020.

Currently, Vietnam only bans automobile drivers from having any level of breath or blood alcohol concentration.

Motorcyclists are allowed to have up to 50 milligrams of alcohol in 100 milliliters of blood or 0.25 milligrams of alcohol in one liter of breath.

The new law will also ban advertising alcoholic beverages on television and other media platforms between 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm, with the exception of programs relayed from foreign broadcasters.

Advertising alcoholic drinks to persons under 18 years of age or employing underage actors in alcohol adverts are strictly banned under the new law.

No advertisements are allowed for drinks with an alcohol content of 15 percent or more.


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A car driver takes a breath test in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre


Consumption of alcoholic beverages in some public areas or at the workplace and schools during office hours is also banned. E-commerce sites must impose measures to prevent people under 18 years of age from viewing and buying alcoholic beverages. Non-cash payment methods are encouraged in the purchase of alcoholic beverages for better monitoring.



Bron: Vietnam passes bill imposing blanket ban on drink-driving - Tuoi Tre News


Perfect idee. Alleen, hoe denkt men dat te gaan handhaven? Met name rond TET als iedere motorrijder de volledige breedte van de weg nodig heeft? Zeker hier in de omgeving rijdt b.v. ruw geschat de helft zonder helm. Dat dus iedere dag en ik heb niet de indruk dat daar echt naar gekeken wordt, anders zou dat aantal een stuk lager zijn. Wordt er rond TET een extra blik agenten opengetrokken die (vliegende) alcoholcontroles gaan houden? Ik geloof er niets van.

Mijn gok is trouwens een scoringspercentage van 98% bij het willekeurig aanhouden van mannelijke motorrijders. Over de vrouwelijke durf ik geen uitspraak te doen, maar zal een fors stuk lager liggen.

“Motorcyclists are allowed to have up to 50 milligrams of alcohol in 100 milliliters of blood or 0.25 milligrams of alcohol in one liter of breath.”

In NL gelden de volgende regels:

“Alcohol en verkeer gaan niet samen. Voor bestuurders die korter dan 5 jaar hun rijbewijs hebben (beginnende bestuurders) geldt een limiet van 0,2 promille. Mannen bereiken dit percentage na het drinken van ongeveer een glas, vrouwen al bij minder dan een glas.

Voor ervaren bestuurders is deelname aan het verkeer verboden vanaf een bloedalcoholgehalte van 0,5 promille. Dit percentage bereiken mannen na het drinken van ongeveer 2 glazen alcohol binnen een uur, vrouwen al bij iets minder.“


Het percentage voor motorrijders hier is dus hoger dan dat in NL voor ervaren bestuurders: 0,58 versus 0,50. Over het vergelijken van Vietnamese motorrijders met ervaren Nederlandse bestuurders zullen we het maar helemaal niet hebben. O-)
 
Ho Chi Minh City begins crackdown on foreigners violating traffic laws

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A foreigner rides a motorbike without wearing a crash helmet in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Photo: Ngoc Duong / Tuoi Tre


Ho Chi Minh City police will spend two weeks starting August 1 to educate foreign traffic violators on Vietnamese rules of the road before intensifying patrols to impose fines on foreigners who break traffic laws in the city.

In the campaign’s first phase, which lasts from August 1 to 15, police officers will look to disseminate traffic rules among foreigners in the city, during which foreigners will only receive warnings for their traffic violations.

From August 16 until the end of October, the city’s police will increase patrols and impose traffic fines on foreigners who break traffic rules.

Lt. Col. Nguyen Van Binh of the Ho Chi Minh City Road and Railway Traffic Police Division said officers who are fluent in foreign languages will be mobilized in the campaign.

Last month, Ho Chi Minh City police officers commenced a
month-long campaign to crack down on driving under the influence (DUI), speeding, failure to wear crash helmets, street racing, and other traffic rule violations in all of the city’s 24 districts. By the end of July, they had dealt with more than 10,000 cases of violation and imposed fines worth nearly VND4 billion (US$172,000).

International visitors to Ho Chi Minh City surpassed 7.5 million last year, up 17.38 percent from 2017.

This year, the southern metropolis strives to welcome up to 8.5 million foreign visitors. Around 80,000 foreigners own work permits in Vietnam as of February 2019, according to statistics from the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs.



Bron: Ho Chi Minh City begins crackdown on foreigners violating traffic laws - Tuoi Tre News


Hier in de omgeving rijdt globaal geschat de helft met petje, muts of punthoedje als helm op een motorfiets. Zelf draag ik altijd een helm op zowel fiets als motor. Ik ken de rijkunsten van de Vietnamezen (de koeien zijn betrouwbaardere weggebruikers)..

Oh, en als het om inkomsten gaat, kunnen ze zich dan niet veel beter op de Vietnamezen richten? Veeeel meer, dus veeeel meer overtredingen en veeeel grotere pakkans. O-)

Niettemin, je bent gewaarschuwd!
 
Ho Chi Minh City begins crackdown on foreigners violating traffic laws

Bekijk bijlage 1415770
A foreigner rides a motorbike without wearing a crash helmet in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Photo: Ngoc Duong / Tuoi Tre


Ho Chi Minh City police will spend two weeks starting August 1 to educate foreign traffic violators on Vietnamese rules of the road before intensifying patrols to impose fines on foreigners who break traffic laws in the city.

In the campaign’s first phase, which lasts from August 1 to 15, police officers will look to disseminate traffic rules among foreigners in the city, during which foreigners will only receive warnings for their traffic violations.

From August 16 until the end of October, the city’s police will increase patrols and impose traffic fines on foreigners who break traffic rules.

Lt. Col. Nguyen Van Binh of the Ho Chi Minh City Road and Railway Traffic Police Division said officers who are fluent in foreign languages will be mobilized in the campaign.

Last month, Ho Chi Minh City police officers commenced a
month-long campaign to crack down on driving under the influence (DUI), speeding, failure to wear crash helmets, street racing, and other traffic rule violations in all of the city’s 24 districts. By the end of July, they had dealt with more than 10,000 cases of violation and imposed fines worth nearly VND4 billion (US$172,000).

International visitors to Ho Chi Minh City surpassed 7.5 million last year, up 17.38 percent from 2017.

This year, the southern metropolis strives to welcome up to 8.5 million foreign visitors. Around 80,000 foreigners own work permits in Vietnam as of February 2019, according to statistics from the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs.



Bron: Ho Chi Minh City begins crackdown on foreigners violating traffic laws - Tuoi Tre News


Hier in de omgeving rijdt globaal geschat de helft met petje, muts of punthoedje als helm op een motorfiets. Zelf draag ik altijd een helm op zowel fiets als motor. Ik ken de rijkunsten van de Vietnamezen (de koeien zijn betrouwbaardere weggebruikers)..

Oh, en als het om inkomsten gaat, kunnen ze zich dan niet veel beter op de Vietnamezen richten? Veeeel meer, dus veeeel meer overtredingen en veeeel grotere pakkans. O-)

Niettemin, je bent gewaarschuwd!
Dat is wel héél veel veeel. Dan ontstaat een nieuw probleem: Zoveel nieuwe inkomsten krijgt de regering niet opgemaakt.
 
Vietnamese men recreate ancient voyages on bamboo rafts

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An old-style bamboo raft on the voyage from central to southern Vietnam. Photo: Bamboo Raft Team


A group of Vietnamese men with a shared interest in sailing recently sailed along the coast of Vietnam in an effort to recreate and experience the sea migration of the ancient Vietnamese. The seven-member “Bamboo Raft Team” set sail on two bamboo rafts from central Vietnam en route to Vietnam’s southern region at the beginning of January.

The group’s sea journey started in the north-central province of Thanh Hoa and planned to stop at Phu Quoc Island off the coast Kien Giang Province. However, several difficulties forced them to cut their journey short, with Ben Tre Province being the final landing point.

Do Nguyen Ai, the team’s leader, sat down for an interview with Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper after the voyage to discuss the group’s inspiration.


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Do Nguyen Ai, the leader of Bamboo Raft Team. Photo: Bamboo Raft Team


Ai said their original idea came from a book by Tim Severin where he recounted his voyage across the Pacific Ocean, mostly using a bamboo raft, in 1994. In that book, Severin praised traditional Vietnamese bamboo rafts which inspired Ai to make a similar journey. “We were motivated by how great our forefathers’ had been despite the undeveloped boat construction techniques during their time,” he proudly told Tuoi Tre.

Prior to their departure, the team researched ancient techniques of creating bamboo rafts and combined traditional methods with modern approaches in order to make vessels that would last the entire journey.

They also contracted experienced boat makers in Thanh Hoa to build a bamboo raft using the same methods as their ancestors in order to compare how their updated raft fared against the traditional version. Surprisingly, the raft built using ancient techniques outshined the newer model - obvious proof that Tim Severin’s opinion of the ancient Vietnamese’s seafaring abilitities holds water.


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A photo of an old style bamboo raft (left) next to a modern raft. Photo: The Bamboo raft team


Old style bamboo rafts are far safer than modern boats because the thousands of bamboo shoots they use enable them to float easily on the water’s surface without the aid of technology. Each raft consists of three masts whose flexibly makes it easier for sailors to adjust their angles based on the direction of the wind, allowing the crew to keep their rafts from drifting off course, according to Ai.

Thanks to the team’s love and passion for sailing, they were able to make it to Ben Tre despite difficulties and hardship along the way. “We took away valuable experience from the trip and hope it’s used to remind younger generations about the abilities of our elders,” said the team leader.


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A close-up of an ancient bamboo raft. Photo: Bamboo Raft Team


Bron: Vietnamese men recreate ancient voyages on bamboo rafts - Tuoi Tre News


Meteen kwam de herinnering aan Thor Heyerdahl boven en zijn tochten met de Kon-Tiki en de Ra.
 
On the road again…

In hoog tempo worden momenteel allerlei achteraf-weggetjes van een betonnen wegdek voorzien. Dit was de derde in vier achtereenvolgende fietstrips, waar ik niet verder kon en moest omkeren.

Helemaal begrijpen doe ik het ook niet. Er zijn wegen, die op 50 meter parallel lopen met een reeds bestaande goede weg. Of waar geen huizen staan. Zal wel aan mijn kleine snappertje liggen.

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En als toepasselijk achtergrondmuziekje bij het geheel:



Aanvulling.
Gisteren reed ik op een van die nieuwe wegen, die al weken geleden is opgeleverd.
Waren ze halverwege de zaak weer over zeker 50 m. aan het open breken.
Perfecte planning!
Is langdurig over nagedacht!
Omkeren dus… |(
 
Laatst bewerkt:
Wordt anders vast te duur (alternatieven bij de Dalatwijn). O-)
Voor alle zekerheid heb ik ook nog even alle opnames, die ik van dit soort werk heb gemaakt, bekeken. Nergens een staafje betonijzer te zien, zelfs niet als doorslaggevend argument.

Tja, ze zullen er wel verstand van hebben. Toch? Zou je "veilig" aan moeten kunnen nemen.
Dat er zo af en toe na een dagje regen een brug instort (ok, ok, ik weet pas van twee in de omgeving), ach, kniesoor die daar over valt...
 
A liveable Vietnam

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Foreigners enjoy their meal at a night market in Da Lat, located in the Central Highlands region of Vietnam. Photo: Tuoi Tre


That Vietnam has been ranked among the ten best countries for expats is a positive and interesting news report. It is also interesting to know that Vietnam has joined the ranks of such developed countries as Switzerland, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.

First of all, this is a rather prestigious
annual surveyconducted by HSBC. This year, the survey gathered data from 18,059 overseas workers in 163 locations, and broke the findings into three sub-categories, namely living, career opportunity, and family life. Vietnam placed 12th, 3rd, and 20th against these benchmarks.

The expats surveyed said Vietnam offered living fulfillment, ease of settling in, economic stability, and work/life balance better than 157 other locations. However, it seems that the measurements are merely centered on ‘life enjoyment’ rather than ‘life quality.’

Expats in developed countries with a high cost of living are often associated with a wealthy and educated image, for example diplomats, experts and executives of international organizations and multinational corporations.

But in Vietnam, a developing country where English study is in demand, Western backpackers from the UK or the U.S. are also considered expats. Some young Americans have a university degree and cannot land a job in their home country. They have moved to Vietnam to teach English to both make a living and explore a new culture. These young people just spend a few months studying for an English teaching certificate and then they can easily find a job that earns them some thousand dollars a month at English language centers, a decent income relative to the cost of living in Vietnam. With such an income, they can afford comfortable accommodations, buy personal insurance, travel, delight in local cuisine, and enjoy their life.

It is not a surprise when many lauded Vietnam in the work/life balance category. Read the story of this young woman hailing from South Korea. After graduating from a university in Seoul, she worked for a major company. Every day, she woke up at 6:30 am and then she jostled for a space on the subway train on the way to work. She was allowed to take a lunch break for 30 minutes before resuming work until dusk. She quickly grew tired of such monotonous routines.

She then moved to Vietnam, feeling happier and having much more time for traveling and hanging out with friends. But her remarks somehow should be food for thought: “I’ve seen many young Vietnamese frequently spend time in coffee shops or beer parlors. They do know how to balance between work and life.”

So it is safe to say that Vietnam is a “heaven” for expats with a cheap cost of living and friendly and hospitable population. However, Vietnam should not be liveable for expats only. It should be similarly liveable for the Vietnamese.

In order to build a liveable country for the Vietnamese, the government should think of ways to improve their capability and income, as many Vietnamese have kept saying, “if you are rich, you will feel the happiest living in Vietnam.” Additionally, there needs to be improvement in education, healthcare, and environmental issues.

Providing better quality of life would both help locals thrive and keep foreigners staying longer.

* This is a translation of an article written under the byline of Quynh Trung, originally published in Vietnamese in the July 8, 2019 issue of the Tuoi Tre Daily. The translation has been slightly modified to ensure clarity, consistency, and coherence.



Bron: A liveable Vietnam - Tuoi Tre News
 
Tijd om weer forward te looken

Xin loi, xin loi, ik weet het. Maar bij de halfjaarlijkse nieuwsbrief mag het toch wel een keertje? O-)

Van het LF-forum
“School year 2018-2019 has finished.
2019-5-28: School year 2018-2019 has finished today. Now it’s summer holiday! This week all Looking-Forward pupils ( and some more ) got their new school books . So they can prepare for the new school year 2019-2020. We will be there in September to wish them success. A lot of thanks to our managers Thanh, Thuy, Hiep, Chi and Lai.”


De zaken gaan toch wel buitengewoon goed. Werd vroeger het werk door één manager gedaan (Hiep), nu door maar liefst 5!!! Nog even en ieder kind heeft zijn/haar eigen manager.

Ik ben diep onder de indruk. O-)

Nieuwsbrief
Tja, vervolgens was er een probleempje. Bovenstaand lag al drie weken klaar. Eigenlijk op het moment dat op de site stond dat de nieuwsbrief volgende week gepubliceerd zou worden (Nieuwsbrief 21 in de brievenbus bij sponsors |). Dus hoefde alleen het commentaar op de nieuwsbrief maar toegevoegd te worden en het kon op het forum. Even een weekje geduld dus. Maar ja, het is nu alweer deze week.en er is nog steeds niets, dus dat schiet ook niet echt op. :+

Misschien wordt de nieuwsbrief niet meer gepubliceerd omdat de één of andere halve zool in Vietnam daar altijd wat over te zeiken heeft? Het zou te veel eer zijn, maar ik sluit het evenmin uit.

Vooruit, dan maar wachten tot begin september, als de jaarlijkse reisverslagen weer verschijnen. O-)
 
Brug / dam / hindernis

Ook hier nauwelijks vooruitgang. Al weken lang zie ik elke keer, als ik langs rij, min of meer hetzelfde plaatje. Grote voordeel is wel dat met enige moeite tweewielers door kunnen. Hoewel dat op sommige plaatsen met de fiets niet meevalt…

En zit je dus net op het moeilijkste en wat zanderige stukje omhoog, komt er zo’n Vietnamese suf… die uiteraard niet even kan wachten (kan trouwens geen enkele Vietnamees) alvast naar beneden.

Daar wordt ik daar meestal heel zenuwachtig van –net als ook heel vaak op de gewone weg- en mijn fiets / motor wil dan nog wel eens wat slingeren… O-) :+

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Hoogopgeleide pedofiele monnik

Nu we het eergisteren toch over LF hadden, in Vietnam Deel 2 gaf ik commentaar op een m.i. behoorlijk tendentieus stuk van Looking Forward over de “gevaarlijke” combinatie van “oudere westerse mannen”, “vrijwillige diensten” en “…om het meermalige … verblijf in het verre arme land te verklaren” en daarom uitsluitend met Vietnamezen te werken.

Ach ja, die zijn volledig te vertrouwen, zoals hieronder blijkt…


Buddhist monk arrested over alleged rape of 14-year-old girl in Vietnam
Police in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho said Wednesday they had launched criminal investigation against and arrested a Buddhist monk for allegedly raping a 14-year-old girl. The victim, a resident of Lam Dong Province in the Central Highlands region, met her alleged rapist at a pagoda in Ho Chi Minh City where she was staying for the summer.

It is common for Vietnamese families to have their children stay at pagodas, typically during the summer, to learn Buddhist teachings and improve their behavior. Huynh Minh Toan, the abbot at a pagoda in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap, reportedly became close with the girl at the Ho Chi Minh City pagoda and took her out on multiple occasions.

On June 27, Toan took the girl to Can Tho where they visited a popular pagoda. They checked into a local hotel after the visit and Toan proceeded to have sex with the underage girl. The victim later reported the incident to the police. According to Vietnamese laws, having sexual intercourse with a person under 16 years of age constitutes rape, regardless of the victim’s consent.

Toan was placed in custody on Wednesday after Can Tho police launched a criminal investigation against him on charges of raping a minor. He faces up to 15 years behind bars for the alleged crime, according to the Penal Code of Vietnam.

The Buddhist monk has confessed to having sexual intercourse with the 14-year-old girl during interrogations with police officers.

Toan, who held a PhD in Buddhist studies, has had his doctorate degree and religious practice license revoked by the Dong Thap Province office of the Buddhist Sangha of Vietnam.



Bron: Buddhist monk arrested over alleged rape of 14-year-old girl in Vietnam - Tuoi Tre News


O, vandaar dat L.F. schrijft: “Onze organisatie werkt ook met kwetsbare kinderen. Wij zijn daarom zéér terughoudend met het betrekken van buitenlandse personen in ons project ter plaatse. We werken in principe alleen met Vietnamese personen die direct betrokken zijn bij de aangesloten scholen.”

En hoogopgeleide pedofiele monniken zijn natuurlijk niet schoolgerelateerd.

Ik snap’m.

Pfttt, wat een geruststelling.

O-)
 
Frenchmen comment on Saigon’s campaign to crack down on foreign traffic violators

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A foreigner drives on Pham Ngu Lao Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, without wearing a helmet. Photo: T.T.D. / Tuoi Tre


Tuoi Tre News asked two Frenchmen to comment on an ongoing campaign in which police are cracking down on foreigners violating traffic laws in Ho Chi Minh City. In the campaign’s first phase, which lasts from August 1 to 15, police officers will look to disseminate traffic rules to non-Vietnamese in the city. Foreigners will only receive warnings for their traffic violations in this phase. From August 16 until the end of October, the municipal police will increase patrols and impose traffic fines on foreigners who break traffic rules.

Many Vietnamese have shown support for this movement, saying they believe some foreigners tend to behave inappropriately when driving on the streets of Vietnam. Here is what two foreigners interviewed by Tuoi Tre News, both expats living in Ho Chi Minh City, think about the initiative.

Laws should be stricter for both foreigners and locals
When I see a foreigner violating traffic laws here, I feel angry because it gives a negative image of foreigners in Vietnam. However, I think it is not commonplace at all. Personally, I don't think foreigners specifically violate the law as much as Vietnamese people do.

I see every day hundreds of violations by local people and it seems normal for the locals to behave like that, which is just unbelievable. They are even surprised that we, foreigners, react or overreact because it causes us safety issues, accidents or anger when we drive to work, home or anywhere else.

Of course, I know some foreign people who don't respect the law here. It's a pity for sure, but the main problem here is about the culture of respect. If foreign people don't feel respected by local drivers, it doesn't encourage them to respect local laws. Honestly, if you ask any foreigners what the main issues of living here are, driving will come on the top of the list almost for sure. We think that “I see hundreds of violations every day, no one get caught, or they're just slightly punished, but when it comes to me as a Westerner, I get extremely severe punishment?” When the culture of respect changes more and more people will respect the laws.

Another problem in Vietnam is that foreigners see that they can get rid of the problem after paying fines. In Western countries, we also have very strict laws, but much more dissuasive to the drivers. For example, you can lose your license very easily and get a much heavier fine than here. You will be registered in some kind of police files every time you get a ticket or you'll even have a conviction in police court, so again it is much more dissuasive than here. The system needs to be changed, to be much stricter and more dissuasive, but for everyone, not just foreigners. If people have to pay VND500,000 (US$21) or VND1 million ($43) for a fine, they will think twice before they want to make a violation, and fear getting caught for it.

Also, driving licenses should have points like we do in France. For example, in my country, new drivers start with six points, probation is three years for everyone. If there is no conviction or violation, they will get two extra points every year until 12 points at most. The points would be taken away every time drivers make violations until they have no point left, then their license would be revoked.

Maybe if we can have small changes, then fewer violations will happen and both foreigners and Vietnamese will improve their driving skills.


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Raphael Galuz from France


Stricter motorbike rental procedure
Here we may need to distinguish foreign tourists from expats.

Often foreign tourists do not have the valid driver’s license and are often the ones involved in the accidents if we refer to newspapers. They obviously rent motorbikes without knowing how dangerous Vietnamese traffic is and are the main source of headlines involving foreigners in accidents or dangerous behaviors. But these cases are about valid documents and short stays.

When I was stopped by the police, which has occurred several times, I presented my driving license and papers. They are often surprised and have no choice but to let me go.

Once, when I forgot to turn my lights on during a night drive, I was pulled over and I paid the fine, like I would do in France. The policeman and I were able to communicate by gestures and my basic Vietnamese and the basic English of the officer, which was enough for a sufficient dialogue.

It is a personal story but what I am trying to say here is that I am a long-term expat and I live in a Vietnamese environment, far from Thao Dien Ward in District 2 or District 7, where most foreigners live; so the district where I live is almost 100 percent Vietnamese. The Vietnamese drivers are statistically the majority of the traffic violators.

It is true that in Thao Dien you will see foreigners, mostly Westerners, without helmets, which seems to be the most common violation, and driving carelessly. In my opinion, the violations mostly happen in Thao Dien, are mostly located there, and are not the majority.

Firstly, foreigners, especially Westerners, usually do not drive motorbikes in their own country but they drive cars instead. This is an important point because while they have to respect traffic rules in the U.S. or Europe when driving a car, they may see motorbikes as a more 'free' way of transportation.

Moreover, the size of Thao Dien is quite small and the way we call this neighborhood a ‘village’ seems to give a ‘vacation’ feeling to its inhabitants. There are just a few foreigners in Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City with these ‘habits’ and we may not see it as a common trait of the majority in terms of respect for traffic laws.

Knowing that may be beneficial for all of us, Vietnamese and expats. Preventing inappropriate and dangerous driving behavior can be done by focusing on motorbike renting procedures for tourists and areas where there are many Westerners involved in violations.

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Christopher Denis-Delacour from France


Bron: Frenchmen comment on Saigon’s campaign to crack down on foreign traffic violators - Tuoi Tre News


Een vervolg op Vietnam Deel 2

Het zal geen verwondering wekken dat ik, mede gezien eerdere lompe opmerkingen (“Vietnamezen kunnen niet rijden, niet technisch en niet tactisch”), het in vrijwel alles met de heren eens ben.
 
An accident just waiting to happen in Vietnam

When I talk to my overseas connections about what it’s like to live in Vietnam, the conversations are typically detailed - focusing on costs, airplane schedules, tourist sites, and so on.

I always skip over the innocuous little quirks, such as how challenging it can be to walk down the street.

A challenge to walk down the street?


Yep, that’s right. People in highly developed countries assume sidewalks are for pedestrians and cars stop when the pedestrians start to cross at crosswalks. Well, not around here: sidewalks are for everything except walking and the last thing many drivers would do is yield to pedestrians trying to cross the street.

The best description for sidewalks in Vietnam (and every other developing country I know) is “obstacle courses." The upside is they provide ideal opportunities for physical exercise, agility, hopping, vaulting, jumping, honing our powers of observation, skipping, and quick thinking.

No point in getting upset, it’s just the way things are - symbols of a simple lifestyle. I actually prefer playing Vietnamese “sidewalk hopscotch” to the obsession with perfection found in some places, not to mention any names.

When I walk by a construction site in Japan, a small renovation like the one pictured here below will have at least two human security guards plus one of those electric robot thingies that waves a warning flag. Talk about over-managed! Enough already, give me Vietnam and a few ups and downs any day!

To add to the excitement of walking, we need to keep a close eye on drivers because they’re not always watching us. To be completely candid, they’re usually not watching us. A large percentage are juggling at least one more activity while navigating busy roads and other unpredictable drivers, with window shopping highly popular with many drivers.

The recent local multitasking champion was a delivery driver zipping along a one-way street in the wrong direction, one hand on the motorbike handle, the other securing the load on the back, with his phone wedged between the cheek and shoulder whilst holding an animated conversation: “Honey! Did you forget? I can’t stand that restaurant, let’s go somewhere else tonight.”

Bear in mind I’m a careful pedestrian and I know this mid-sized provincial city like my pocket. But danger lurks everywhere, and here’s what happened to me in broad daylight within 90 minutes on a recent day:

First, I got hit by a motorbike - ok, it was more like a firm smack than a collision. The driver was accelerating from standing just after I walked by facing the same direction, forced to walk on the road because the sidewalk was full of stuff. The driver fired without aiming, not looking before taking off, and that’s common practice around here.

When she hit me I swiveled toward her and saw the phone in her hand. She had probably taken a quick glance in front, saw nothing, then pulled away from the curb while looking at the phone, not realizing that I’d taken several steps and was right in the line of fire. Had I been a brittle-boned elderly person, I’d have been flattened on the spot.

A few minutes later I was crossing a side street at a crosswalk, which is largely dysfunctional because drivers ignore it, and nearly got squished by a motorbike going at least double the normal speed through a blind curve.

So, please, follow this slick little 8-step checklist before crossing any street: look up, down, left, right, ahead, behind, then left and right one more time.

Up?

Yes, and it’s critical, trust me on this. Recently I was walking by a renovation site when a worker suddenly grabbed me by the arms and steered me to the side. I looked up and there was a large pail of concrete being pulled up the side of the building directly over me.


Next, ensure that you keep your eyes down toward the ground while walking. This tactic allows you to see dips in the road, home-made motorbike ramps, missing sidewalk tiles, weirdly-installed drains, vendors resting, random holes, and the like.

There are more obstacles than you can shake a stick at, but, fortunately, Vietnam gets a big gold star for having an excellent “Dog Poop in the Street” rating, so, generally, you don’t have to keep on the lookout for that.

Then I passed a few renovation sites. Mine fields would be a more appropriate term, and they’re everywhere. As Vietnam develops, new replaces old, and development is moving at a blinding pace, so construction is the prevailing theme.


Accident 1.jpg

Mine field


This looks more like a steeplechase course than a sidewalk reserved for pedestrians:


Accident 2.jpg

Hopscotch anyone?


Abandoned motorbikes, dishes and silverware drying outside cafés, garbage, pails, cleaning implements, and everything else except the kitchen sink occupies pedestrian space. Actually, the kitchen sink is on the sidewalk in the above scene, just out of sight to the left.

Check out this recently applied spiffy white line, designed to separate walking space (left) and space for motorbikes and random equipment (right). It’s doesn’t work because you couldn’t squeeze a kiddie tricycle on the right side, never mind a motorbike, but at least the seed has been planted: people need to walk somewhere.


Accident 3.jpg

Spiffy white line


Now try driving - it’s like a video game except the objective is to miss targets instead of hitting them. Traffic accidents involving foreigners in Vietnam are by no means the exception, rather a common everyday occurrence.

Foreign drivers usually only need a copy of their passport to rent a motorbike, no driver’s license nor insurance. All’s well unless the unlicensed foreigner gets in an accident, in which case he is guilty until proven innocent.

You wouldn’t dare operate a vehicle in your home country without a license and insurance, so why do it in a more dangerous foreign country unless you know the laws, language, roads, and customs?

Obviously we need protection, and there’s only one sure way: insurance.

I know, I know, insurance sucks. I hate it as much as the next person. Ever had a pleasant insurance experience? Me neither, and I can’t think of anyone who has.

By the time they exclude this, deduct that, and apply a list of stuff that isn’t covered there isn’t much left to pay out, but they sure were enthusiastic when relieving us of our cash when they signed us up.

I have accident insurance through a well-known local company in Vietnam that apparently covers me for any mishap not resulting from my own negligence. I can’t swear to that because I haven’t read all the 10,000 lines of fine print in my policy, but for a couple of hundred dollars per year, it seems to be a fair deal.

I carry my coverage card at all times, I know the location of their local network hospital, plus the insurer told me all I need to do is present that card and identification to get treatment. Let’s hope I never find out if that’s really true or not.

If you’re coming to Vietnam on vacation there are simple solutions: many major credit card companies include free travel insurance and airlines offer it as a cheap add-on when you buy flights. Even if you have insurance through your credit card, buy it when you buy your airplane tickets, it’s dirt cheap.

That’s why the best investment a tourist can make is in insurance, or bus, airplane, and train tickets. If budget and time permit, a driver is even more convenient.

Sure, these options offer less adventure, but you can relax and watch the scenery.

As my dad used to say during those Sunday afternoon driving lessons in empty parking lots when I was a teenager:
“Watch out for the other guy, he may not be watching out for you.”

Don’t say I didn’t warn you!



Bron: An accident just waiting to happen in Vietnam - Tuoi Tre News


Zie met name de twee alinea’s, die ik vet heb gemaakt. Deze twee zeggen alles.
1.Er rijden meer motorfietsen op de stoep dan op de weg
2. Om de meter is er wel één of andere hindernis, waar je over kunt struikelen. Als je zwakke enkels hebt is het misschien een goed idee om hoge schoenen te dragen.

Oh, en neem van mij aan dat de man nog behoorlijk mild is in zijn commentaar.
Ook de foto's hadden wat representatiever gekund: in werkelijkheid is het vaak een stuk rotter.
 
Wapening?

In Vietnam Deel 2 werd een opmerking gemaakt over het missen van bewapening in het beton van de nieuw-aangelegde wegen. Gisteren kwam ik toevallig voorbij dat punt en zag onderstaand metalen vlechtwerk liggen. Geen idee of ze dat voor de weg gaan gebruiken. Ze zijn wel bezig om het beton verder door te trekken, al dan niet met iets van bewapening (al was daar op de plaats van de werkzaamheden niets van te zien).

Gaas 1.jpg


Gaas 2.jpg
 
Vietnam Airlines to raise carry-on weight limit to 12-18kg

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Passengers queue up at a Vietnam Airlines check-in counter at an airport in Vietnam. Photo: Cong Trung / Tuoi Tre


Vietnam Airlines is raising the weight limit for carry-on bags from 7kg to 12-18kg starting August 2019, the national flag carrier said Monday.

Currently, Vietnam Airlines passengers are allowed one carry-on weighing no more than 7kg in economy class and up to two luggage bags weighing no more than 7kg each in premium economy and business class.

The new policy will allow one carry-on weighing up to 12kg for economy class and two carry-on bags weighing up to 18kg in total for premium economy and business class, Vietnam Airlines said in a statement on Monday.

The new baggage policy is based on a baggage count-based system adopted by many major airlines such as Air France, Aeroflot, British Airways, Lufthansa, All Nippon Airways, and Korean Air.

As for the checked baggage, all weight limits remain unchanged. Accordingly, each piece of checked baggage must not exceed 23kg for economy or premium economy class, or 32kg for business class.

Passengers can check in between one and two bags for free depending on their class and flight route. Excess baggage fees will also be reduced by 50 percent compared to current rates from August 1. For tickets issued or exchanged before August, 1 2019, the old baggage policy applies.

Passengers booking flights to or from Europe and Australia with departure dates falling between August 1 and December 31, 2019 will enjoy one additional free checked bag weighing no more than 23kg as a promotion.

Vietnam Airlines operated nearly 142,000 flights in 2018, transporting some 22 million passengers and nearly 350,000 metric tons of cargo. The national flag carrier reported a consolidated pre-tax profit of nearly VND2.8 trillion (US$120.18 million) last year.



Vietnam Airlines to raise carry-on weight limit to 12-18kg - Tuoi Tre News


Goed nieuws???? Kweenie. Er is nu al regelmatig nauwelijks ruimte voor de handbagage. En Minh gaf als commentaar, dat er sowieso al nooit gewogen wordt. Dus wat het verschil is…

LET OP: VietJet controleert alle handbagage op gewicht!
 
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