Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province’s Sea Festival kicks offVietNamNet Bridge – The Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province Sea Festival kicked off on Tuesday nightlast night at Vung Tau City. Taking off: The Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province Sea Festival, with 17 activities, will provide solutions to turn tourism into the province’s key economic sector by 2020. — VNA/VNS Photo Doan Manh DuongThe festival, themed ‘Ba Ria – Vung Tau, Khat Vong Tinh Yeu va Bien Ca’ (Ba Ria – Vung Tau, Aspiration for Love and Sea), is the province’s way of celebrating the country’s 73rd National Day on September 2. The festival is also an important event to introduce the province’s achievements in tourism and sea economy, and seek cooperation with domestic and foreign investors,” said Trinh. The fair will also showcase products and promote cooperation between businesses in industry, agriculture, trade and services in the province and neighbouring provinces.

Vacationers seek beach escape for holiday weekendVietNamNet Bridge – Beach trips are the favoured destinations for the upcoming National Day holiday on September 2, according to travel firms. Float away: Visitors at Pham Van Dong beach in Da Nang City. - VNA/VNS Photo Tran Le LamTravel firms have reported an increasing number of tour bookings for the three-day holiday weekend, which starts September 1. Overseas tours to Japan, South Korea and Taiwan are popular choices for the holiday, she said. A representative of Vietravel’s marketing and communication department said that one- to three-day tours were mostly chosen for the upcoming holiday.

Locals spend billions on realty abroadVietnamese buyers spent US$3 billion on homes in the US between April 2016 and March 2017, showing the interest of Vietnamese people in this segment, but also raising the question of how such large amounts of money could be transferred abroad. According to her, a deal to buy property abroad is seen as an investment abroad and thus regulated by the Law on Investment, under which companies and individuals are permitted to set up an investment abroad. Despite the foreseen risks of buying homes abroad, many Vietnamese people are still paying millions of dollars to buy homes in their dream countries such as the UK and UK. Not only the US, but also properties in the region, including Thailand, are attracting rich Vietnamese home buyers. “The demand for homes in Vietnam is increasing, because the country now boasts the fastest-growing ultra-rich population in the world.

Vietnam’s tourism needs more high-quality workforceVietNamNet Bridge - The tourism and hotel industry is experiencing golden days with a boom in the number of foreign and domestic travelers, while the demand for workers meeting international standards is increasing rapidly. The tourism industry is experiencing golden daysAccording to the chair of the Vietnam Tourism Association Nguyen Huu Tho, there were 1 million direct workers in the tourism industry in 2016. Hundreds of hotels in Phu Quoc are seeking workers in large quantities, but they cannot recruit workers on the spot. With the predicted growth rate of 25-35 percent per annum, Vietnam would need 2 million high-quality workers for tourism. The productivity of Vietnam’s tourism and hotel sector is just equal to one-fifth of Singapore’s, one-tenth of Japan’s and one-fifth of Malaysia’s.

Cat Linh – Ha Dong elevated train to test run in SeptemberVietNamNet Bridge – Hanoi’s Cat Linh – Ha Dong elevated railway is set to launch after a testing phase lasting between three to six months. The Cat Linh - Ha Dong elevated train undergoes a trial through Hoang Cau Bridge in Dong Da Disstrict. — VNA/VNS Photo Huy HungThe trial will commence on September 20, deputy director of the Ministry of Transport’s Railway Project Management Board Vu Hong Phuong told the project review meeting on Thursday. “Considering similar urban railway projects around the world, the trial period normally lasts from three to six months,” he said. Connecting Dong Da District’s Cat Linh Street with Ha Dong District’s Yen Nghia bus station, the 13km-long elevated railway includes 12 stations and a depot at Phu Luong Ward in Ha Dong District.

Lan goes for gold in 400m hurdles in ASIADVietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese athlete Quach Thi Lan made it into the final round of the women’s 400m hurdles after reaching the finish line in second place at Asian Games (ASIAD) in Indonesia on Sunday. Quach Thi Lan (R) made it to the final round of women’s 400m hurdles. With this victory, Adekoya broke this year’s ASIAD record, while Lan broke the national record. Lan will compete for gold medal with Adekoya in the final round, which will be held today. In the men’s 400m hurdles, Lan’s older brother, Quach Cong Lich qualified to the semi-final because there were so few athletes competing in the qualification round.

French fighters land for a three-day visitThree Rafale B fighter jets, one A400M troop transporter, a C135 refuelling tanker and a A310 plane landed in Vietnam on Monday morning on a three-day French Air Force visit. Six aircraft from French Air Force land in Vietnam on August 27Speaking at a press meeting held on August 27 on the visit, French Deputy Ambassador to Vietnam, Olivier Sigaud said this was the first visit by the French Air Force in 60 years and showed the dynamic development in Franco-Vietnamese co-operation in many fields including defence. And the current visit was following that agreement, Sigaud noted. The visit by the French Air Force will last until August 29, during their Mission Pegase in Asia. "The French Air Force had been involved in drills in Australia and will visit several Asian countries before heading back to the United Arab Emirates," General Patrick Charaix said.

Hundreds battle to get gifts for the dead in HCM CityHundreds of people gathered on Sunday around the Cho Lon area in Ho Chi Minh City's District 5 to collect money thrown out by local families during the Amnesty of Unquiet Spirits Festival. Amnesty of Unquiet Spirits Festival is widely-celebrated in Vietnam but more popular in the southern region on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, which fell on August 26 this year. On the afternoon of August 26, several families on Nguyen Bieu Street in District 5 held the festival and threw money out, which caused chaos when hundreds of people gathered to collect the money. Many people waited for hours around the houses while local family were carrying out the ritualAs anticipated of the offerings, many people prepared nets and boxes attached to long canes to collect the small notes thrown down from the balconies. In this photo a man got only VND20,000 (USD0.8) after 15 minutes.

Hanoi family pursues mooncake mould making for decadesA family in Hanoi has spent up to 35 years on making wooden-made mooncake moulds. Every occasion of the Full-moon Festival, Ban’s family produces around 500-600 mooncake moulds. Previously, mooncake moulds were used to be made from Khaya or Thi wood but now it scarcer, so Ban uses aragonite instead. It requires many steps to make a wooden-made mould. Firstly, Ban draws the preliminary shapes of mooncake moulds.

Mainland frauds damage island garlic brandThe sale of garlic falsely marked as Ly Son garlic has damaged the brand name of the major crop of the Ly Son Island in recent years. Meanwhile, Ly Son brand garlic was sold at VND100,000 ($4.4) in mainland supermarkets” said vice chairwoman of the island district’s people’s committee, Pham Thi Huong. Huong slammed the fake garlic products from Khanh Hoa and Ninh Thuan, which were shipped from mainland to the island, resulting in lower prices. “We have conducted constant inspections, but some traders intentionally mixed different garlic products in packages without any label or certificates of origin. “Fraudsters could earn triple when they disguised fake garlic as Ly Son garlic.

Tourists run from coach fireDozens of tourists have fled in panic after a passenger coach caught fire while running through Ba Na Mountain in Da Nang City on August 26. The 45-seat coach was running through Hoa Vang District to Danang's centre when the tail end of the vehicle suddenly burst into flames. The driver immediately parked the coach and tried to extinguish the fire but failed. 30 passengers, including many international tourists, ran to safety. According to the authorities, the fire was caused by a short circuit in the coach cooling system.

Industrial waste pollutes HCM CityVietNamNet Bridge – Industrial waste has been piling up on several streets in HCM City, creating pollution and hurting the quality of life of local residents. The Tan Hoa – Lo Gom Canal across Tan Binh District, one of the five biggest canal systems in HCM City, is severely polluted by untreated wastewater and solid waste. “Sanitation workers used to take the trash away, but now they said they are not allowed to take industrial waste and just left it here,” he said. “We know industrial waste is lying around but all we can do is to gather them together. He has also ordered the environmental department to collaborate with the leaders to clean up all industrial waste dumps within a week.

Artists showcase work after int’l exchange campVietNamNet Bridge – A painting exhibition featuring more than 40 art works by 22 artists from 11 Asian countries is now open in downtown Hanoi. “Yet this is the first time I have visited so many relic sites and landscapes in Ninh Binh. This camp should be organised every year to promote Vietnam’s image and role of Vietnamese artists in Asia and in the world.”Joining the camp for second time, artists Chua Cheng Koon and Chow Chin Chuan said Vietnam inspires them. International friends: Artists Chua Cheng Koon (left) and Chow Chin Chuan from Malaysia pose for a photo by Koon’s painting on his Ninh Binh impression. He encouraged some children and adults in Ninh Binh to draw in one of his paintings.

Original vestige unearthed at the Hai Van GateVietNamNet Bridge – An excavation on the Hai Van Gate complex on the 490m above sea level Hai Van Pass has unveiled a clear layout of the old foundations of citadel walls and a section of the north-south route dating back to 1470. An overall view of the Hai Van Gate complex at the top of the Hai Van Pass. North Gate of the Hai Van Gate relic on the Thua Thien-Hue Province side. A brick built foundation was unearthed on the Hai Van Gate relic on the top the 490m above sea level Hai Van Passs. The Hai Van Gate, situated at the top of Hai Van Pass, is a complex of brick-built gates from the 19th century, and octagonal bunkers from the French colonial period.

Roads for cyclists, pedestrians needed to ease urban trafficVietNamNet Bridge – As urbanisation has progressed rapidly in the country’s big cities, overloaded transport infrastructure is increasing the risk of traffic accidents and worsening environmental pollution. Many countries around the world have had roads reserved for cyclists and pedestrians for decades now, he said, citing Denmark’s Copenhagen as the pioneer city in this regard. Meanwhile, Dr. Hai expressed his opinion that a developed urban city should offer residents different choices of transport, including bicycles and public transportation. “So roads for cyclists and pedestrians are needed because walking and cycling are good for people’s health and the environment as well”, he said. If roads for cyclists and pedestrians connect to means of public transport, traffic in big cities would be considerably eased, said the director.