A man in Goi village of My Hung commune weaves the basketsThe 100-year-old teapot basket making Goi village is on the verge of extinction, as only senior citizens continue the traditionTeapot baskets made in Goi village are sent to many localities across the country for selling

Lang Son establishes clubs to preserve Then singingLang Son province has encouraged the establishment of local Then singing clubs to promote the development of this genre of traditional singing – a typical culture of Tay, Nung and Thai ethnic people in the northern mountainous region. Lang Son artists in Then singing performanceHead of the provincial traditional singing and musical instrument club Trieu Thuy Tien said that the establishment of these clubs is a practical movement to help preserve and promote the value of Then singing, which is always accompanied by a handmade gourd lute called “Dan tinh” or “Tinh Tau”, in the locality. The birth of the club has motivated the establishment of other Then singing clubs in Lang Son’s districts. To preserve and promote the value of this genre of singing, Tien stressed the need to maintain Tay and Nung languages in Then songs. Music theorist Nguyen Thi Minh Chau from the Vietnam Association of Composers said Then was created by Tay, Nung and Thai ethnic groups.

Derivatives market records surge in transaction valueThe derivatives market proved its attractiveness when the value of its transactions rose threefold in April as the stock market posted a downward trend, reported Saigon Securities Inc (SSI). The value of transactions in the derivatives market increased three times from the average of over VND2 trillion (US$87.7 million) in the beginning of April to VND6 trillion at the end of the month. The value of transactions in the derivatives market increased three times from the average of over VND2 trillion (US$87.7 million) in the beginning of April to VND6 trillion at the end of the month. It peaked at VND7.1 trillion on May 3, approximating the total transaction value of VND7.3 trillion in the stock market. The derivatives market attracted a considerable amount of capital from the stock market, mainly from domestic investors.

Dieu Linh left Ho Chi Minh City on May 8 to represent Vietnam at the Miss Tourism Queen International 2018 pageant in Bangkok, Thailand. Linh departs for Miss Tourism Queen International 2018. Miss Tourism Queen Vietnam 2018 shines with her bright smile. Dieu Linh (L) has taken part in swimsuit photoshoot as the first activity of Miss Tourism Queen International 2018 in Bangkok. The grand finale of Miss Tourism Queen International 2018 is scheduled for May 16 in Bangkok, attracting 100 contestants around the world.

French and Vietnamese artists to compete at PAS 2018Twenty-three art troupes from Vietnam and France will gather at the Vietnam National Drama Theatre to join the Performing Arts Spring Festival (PAS 2018) set to take place in Hanoi on May 18-20. PAS 2018 aims to celebrate all types of performing art by gathering all practices – amateur and professional – in Vietnam and other South East Asian countries. The PAS festival also provides a forum for artists to strengthen multicultural exchange. Moreover, this PAS edition will introduce to the public about various art workshops in Vietnamese, English and French on May 19 – 20. PAS 2018 is jointly held by the Agency for French Education Abroad (AEFE), the French school Alexandre Yersin and the French embassy in Vietnam.

Miniso and Mumuso flogging Chinese goods in Vietnam? Not including Vietnamese labels and selling Chinese goods under Korean and Japanese brands are the newest scandals erupting from several stores of Korea-based Mumuso, Japan-based Miniso, and Daiso in Vietnam. Furthermore, in Korea Mumuso is completely unheard of and has no retail stores. According to newswire laodong.vn, many Mumuso stores in Hanoi are offering products labeled “Mumuso–Korea” but are of Chinese origins. Not only Mumuso, but many other retail brands, including Miniso and Daiso were caught up in this scandal.

Then heritage in Vietnamese cultural lifeThose who have visited Tay, Nung and Thai ethnic people in the northern mountainous region of Vietnam are often astounded by traditional Then singing, which is accompanied by a handmade gourd lute called “Dan tinh” or “Tinh Tau”. Music theorist Nguyen Thi Minh Chau from the Vietnam Association of Composers said Then was created by Tay, Nung and Thai ethnic groups. Then is considered a spiritual product reflecting the social and cultural life of people with a special combination of literature, music and dance, she said. Those practicing Then are labourers who understand local customs and carry out important rituals for communities and individuals in important periods of life. A series of events will be held during the festival such as performances of Then singing, a photo exhibition on Then cultural heritage and introduction of traditional weaving of Tay, Nung and Thai ethnic groups.

National strategy on solid waste management revisedDeputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung has signed a decision approving revisions to the national strategy on solid waste management to 2025 with a vision to 2050. Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung has signed a decision approving revisions to the national strategy on solid waste management to 2025 with a vision to 2050The revised strategy sets the goal to collect, transport and treat 100 percent of harmful solid waste generated from production, business, service activities, medical establishments and trade villages, and 85 percent of harmful solid waste discharged by households by 2025. Control over harmful solid waste will be tightened from the discharge to collection and treatment under the strategy. Priority will be given to developing large-scale treatment facilities using modern technology along with specialised processing facilities for harmful solid waste. The treatment of harmful solid waste in the form of burial or incineration will be reduced while recycling is encouraged.

Over 80,000 foreigners working in VietnamVietnam is now home to more than 80,000 foreign workers, according to Le Quang Trung, deputy head of the Department of Employment under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA). Ninety-five percent of eligible foreign workers in Vietnam have been granted work permits, he said, adding that they provide a significant contingent of skilled, experienced and professional workers for Vietnam. The increasing number of foreign workers in Vietnam requires the improvement of the legal system to ensure the rights of migrant workers, especially social security. Social insurance authorities in the country have developed a compulsory social insurance scheme for foreign workers in the country, citing the need to follow international practices as the country deepens its integration. The 2014 Law on Social Insurance requires compulsory enrollment of foreign workers in the social insurance scheme, starting in 2018, to ensure their equality and welfare.

Education Ministry to inspect foreign language teaching centers after scandalAfter a clip of an argument between a teacher of MST English center and a student was posted in a social network, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Huu Do has signed a document on enhancing supervision on foreign language and IT teaching centers. Language teacher Nguyen Thi Kim Tuyen is shouting at her learners. The center was asked to close after Nguyen Thi Kim Tuyen, who is teacher of the center, insulted a students. In its document, the Ministry requested to increase supervision to foreign language and IT teaching center; therefore, the departments and universities were assigned to review centers under their management. Related agencies have to check license, facilities and teaching staff quality in these centers to have timely punishment on teachers’ improper behaviors.

Vietnam pledges to strictly handle violations of IP rightsThe market management force of Vietnam is committed to strictly handling violations of intellectual property (IP) rights so as to create an optimal environment for foreign investors, including those from the Republic of Korea (RoK), an official of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) has said. Hung said implementing IP rights is increasingly important to the socio-economic development of a country, especially amidst the integration into a free trade market. Vietnam has continually attached importance to the protection and implementation of IP rights and achieved many notable outcomes, he said. He added although there remained many difficulties in the fight against counterfeits and the implementation of IP rights, Vietnam’s managerial agencies always consider IP violations and counterfeits as an act of economic sabotage. However, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), especially supporting firms and those making use of low labour costs in Vietnam, haven’t attached much importance to IP rights.

Garment becomes second largest foreign currency earnerThe textiles and garment industry gained the second-largest export value in the first four months of this year, after the export value of phones and their components, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade. This accounted for 47.3 percent of the total garment export value. The export value of textiles and garments from Vietnam to Japan reached 855.44 million USD, 19.6 percent higher than the same period last year, accounting for 13.3 percent of the total export value. The export value of textiles and garments to the Republic of Korea stood at 798.6 million USD and 268.95 million USD to China, an increase of 14.8 percent and 40.9 percent, respectively, against the same period in 2017. |Meanwhile, the value rose by 11.8 percent to reach 806.23 million USD worth of exports to the European Union and by 26 percent to 228.36 million USD worth of exports to the ASEAN market compared to the same period last year.

High logistics costs engulf Vietnam’s businessesVietNamNet Bridge - Logistics fees in Vietnam account for 20.9 percent of the country’s GDP, of which transport costs account for 60 percent, twice as much as developed economies such as Japan (11 percent) and EU countries (10 percent), according to the World Bank. Businesses complain about high logistics costsThe problem is that the transport system cannot be exploited in the best way. According to the Ministry of Transport (MOT), direct costs amount to 60-80 percent of total transportation costs, while indirect costs are 20-40 percent. “The investment on road transport is high because of the high prices of vehicles. It is expected that by 2020, land transport would amount to 54.4 percent of inter-provincial cargo transport, while railways would be 4.3 percent and waterways 32.4 percent.

Mathematician becomes youngest professor at age of 36VietNamNet Bridge - With the appointment decision by the Director of the Institute of Mathematics, Pham Hoang Hiep, 36, has become the youngest professor in Vietnam and the only mathematician meeting the standards to receive the professorship title in 2017. Pham Hoang Hiep, the youngest professor in VietnamNgo Bao Chau and Vu Ha Van, working and living in the US and France, respectively, were recognized as professors when they were over 30. Seven years ago, Hiep was the youngest associate professor appointed. Phung Ho Hai, head of the Mathematics Institute, said the new position as a manager will affect Hiep’s scientific research performance, but this is a ‘necessary sacrifice’ to settle the problem of successors. RELATED NEWSPM orders probe into professor appointmentsProf Ngo Bao Chau: university management is ineffectiveMai Chi

Red-shanked doucs protected by locals in Quang Nam forestVietNamNet Bridge - In 2017, the news about the discovery of red-shanked doucs in Hon Do of Nui Thanh district in Quang Nam province stirred the scientific community. The red shanked douc in Quang NamThey found two groups of red shanked doucs with a total of 16-20. Pham Minh Huan, a forest ranger in Nui Thanh district, reassured reporters that they would be able to see the doucs. They found two groups of red shanked doucs with a total of 16-20. Tran Huu Vy, director of Nuoc Viet Xanh Biodiversity Conservation Center, affirmed that the locals are capable of protecting doucs in Nui Thanh.