Cai luong star offers online training for young fansVietNamNet Bridge – People’s Artist Bach Tuyet will offer online training in cai luong (reformed opera), a genre of southern traditional theatre, for young people next month as part of the city’s Theatre Artists Association’s celebration of 100 years of the art form. People’s Artist Bach Tuyet, a guru of cai luong (reformed opera), a part of the southern region’s traditional music that began 100 years ago. Photo courtesy of Cho Lon TheatreTuyet, who is considered a cai luong guru, and has spent more than 60 years on the stage, said her courses would provide participants with performance skills in singing vong co (nostalgia tunes) and cai luong. Tuyet said her training would also help participants learn more about the country’s culture and lifestyle through vong co and cai luong. “I believe cai luong will attract younger audiences if it offers shows in a new and modern style," Tuyet said.

It needs national policy for translationVietNamNet Bridge – Translator Nguyen Tung received the Phan Chau Trinh Awards 2018. Launched 10 years ago by Phan Chau Trinh Culture Foundation, it honours individuals and groups for their contributions to culture, translation, research and studies. I worked at the French National Centre for Scientific Research from 1972 to research Vietnamese comedy tales. Third is to have knowledge on the translation book theme. I think the Vietnamese government needs to have a national policy for translation.

South Korea says US troops will stay despite possible peace treatySouth Korea's government has said US troops will remain in the country, even if a deal is reached to formally end the Korean War. About 29,000 US soldiers are based in South Korea, under a security agreement reached after the war ended in 1953. North Korea has previously made giving up its nuclear weapons conditional on the troops leaving the peninsula. But a South Korean government spokesman said their presence was "nothing to do with signing peace treaties". "US troops stationed in South Korea are an issue regarding the alliance between South Korea and the United States," said Kim Eui-kyeom, speaking for President Moon Jae-in.

Coach Thang signs contract with Thanh HoaVietNamNet Bridge – V.League 1 side Thanh Hoa have a new coach. Earlier, Thanh Hoa fired 59-year-old Mihail after poor results over four games. Thanh Hoa are at sixth place with eight points, six points behind Ha Noi FC who lead the way. Under the guidance of Thang, Thanh Hoa will aim to finish in top three of the league and enter the final match of the National Cup. Thanh Hoa will take on Sai Gon FC, who were trained by Thang last year, on May 4.

Despite huge revenues, Facebook and Google pay tiny tax in VietnamDespite making billions of dollars in revenue, two giant technology brands Facebook and Google only paid miniscule taxes to the Vietnamese government. Google’s first quarter revenue increased by 26 per cent, equaling $31 billion, including $26.6 billion in revenue from advertisements. It seems that both Facebook and Google keep purposely forgetting their tax obligations in Vietnam. For instance, Google has employees in Vietnam, but maintains its representative office in Singapore, so they do not have to pay corporate income or personal income tax in Vietnam or social insurance for their employees in Vietnam. Facebook and Google commonly use international credit cards to pay tax, causing difficulties for Vietnamese tax authorities to control and identify tax payers.

University accreditation: ‘a game of the rich’? VietNamNet Bridge - Educators agree that Vietnam’s universities need to be accredited, but they have not reached a consensus on how it should be done. The weak point of Vietnamese universities lies in the modest number of internationally published scientific articles. Vietnam’s universities have received many invitations recently to attend workshops on university accreditation and have to pay big money if they confirm attendance.One of the educators’ biggest concerns when having their schools accredited is the expenditure. RELATED NEWSAre university accreditation results credible?

Profit figures mark significant impact of digital transformationCompanies that embrace digital transformation are up to 26 per cent more profitable than their competitors and enjoy up to 12 per cent higher market valuation, according to a recent survey by ManpowerGroup—the leading global workforce solutions company. However, C-Suite is not enough to lead through businesses digital transformation. It requires the Digital Suite: a community of digital-ready, analytically-minded, and connected leaders dedicated to creating the necessary culture and capabilities within the organisation to unlock opportunities and drive successful digital transformation. The good news is digital leadership is not a total replacement of the fundamental attributes underlying leadership effectiveness. Some forces are driving the reconfiguration of labour markets, including technological revolution, customer/client sophistication, and the rise of individual choice.

Gas trading violations affects businesses and consumersVietNamNet Bridge – The trading of low quality gas, illegal extraction and failure to ensure the safety continue posing dangers to the health and rights of consumers. Head of MoPS’s Market Management Department Trinh Van Ngoc said that violations on gas trading have increased sharply. “Every year, gas trading enterprises lose over one million gas cylinder covers. It revealed that reputable gas trading businesses were losing a huge amount of money, he said. Handling of violations in gas trading is difficult because it is a specific business activity that is similar to the petroleum business but not yet managed by regulations in petroleum trading.

Long An steps up vigil as property developers flout lawVietNamNet Bridge – The southern province of Long An has begun to keep a close eye on property development in areas adjacent to HCM City. It has uncovered violations at two major developments, Thang Loi Riverside Market in Can Duoc District and Golden River Residence in Duc Hoa District. Though the former has yet to get a licence, the project’s developer has already installed drainage pipes at Thang Loi Riverside Market to prevent waterlogging. “The department will keep track on investors of their shortcomings and punish if they commit any violation in accordance with the law,” Hung added. Most of them, like the Hien Vinh residential area in Duc Hoa District’s Duc Hoa Dong Commune and Tran Anh Riverside in Ben Luc District, had begun marketing online even before completing the administrative requirements.

HCM City to settle land dispute at North Phuoc Kien residential areaHCM City authorities are seeking help from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to resolve a conflict between a property developer and households refusing to move to make way for a residential complex in the North Phuoc Kien residential area in the outlying district of Nha Be. Some of the households living on land in the proposed North Phuoc Kien Residential Area, reached an agreement in mid-March on a compensation rate from the property developer Quoc Cuong Gia Lai Joint Stock Company. City authorities have urged Nha Be District People’s Committee to review local households’ land-use certificates in the disputed area. Covering 93ha, the North Phuoc Kien residential area, which is the third phase of the Phuoc Kien residential area project, is under site clearance. Land transfer disputeIn a related issue, Quoc Cuong Gia Lai company has another project in Phuoc Kien in Nha Be District involved in a scandal related to the transfer of land.

Draft of amended Law on Education raises concernsProposals for draft amended Law on Education by the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET), especially regulations on private nurseries, are raising concerns among the public, including parents and nursery school teachers. Amendments to the Law on Education by the Ministry of Education and Training on private nurseries has raised concerns among parents and teachers. Speaking with Vietnam Education online newspaper, Nguyen Kim Quy, doctor of psychology from Hanoi Teachers’ Training College, also expressed concerns over the adjustment to the number of children in a private class. They needed both care and education, adding that they were not active in personal hygiene activities, Quy said. “It is necessary for the MoET to review and rectify the State management of preschool education,” said Minh.

HCM City promotes new farming cooperative modelHCM City is giving priority to developing a collective economic model particularly cooperatives over the current model of farmer households. With the current household-based production model, farmers have no capital to expand production or apply technology to post-harvesting and processing. SolutionsAmong the available farming models, the cooperative model is considered to be the most suitable. “Many countries have shown that the cooperative model can help farmers solve their limitations,” HCM City Party Secretary Nguyen Thien Nhan said at a recent workshop. The vice chairman of the city People’s Committee, Le Thanh Liem, said: “The cooperative model is a must for farming production under a market economy.”A recent survey found that after joining a cooperative, farmers saw their turnover increase 1.1 times and profit 1.35 times.

Gallery showcases sovereignty over offshore islandThese days many eyes are on the Hoang Sa exhibition house in the central city of Da Nang. The venue is home to historical documents, objects and images on Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago. The construction is designed as an adaption of the seal for Vietnamese sovereignty under the Nguyen Dynasty to represent the connection between the past and present, while reaffirming that Vietnam has established and exercised its sovereignty over the archipelago, at least from the rule of the Nguyen Lords. Its central area features a replica of Hoang Sa Archipelago’s sovereignty column, which was built in 1938 by the French. The 200-page book under Qianlong dynasty affirms that Hainan Island is China’s southernmost point.

FDI disbursement up, inflow of capital downViet Nam’s foreign direct investment (FDI) disbursement continued a positive trend in the first four months of 2018 while there was a reduction in the registered FDI capital. Meanwhile, Viet Nam attracted a total registered FDI capital of $8.06 billion in the first four months, or 76.1 per cent of that in the same period in 2017. Of this, the manufacturing and processing sector attracted the largest FDI, with a total registered capital of $4.52 billion, accounting for 56.1 per cent of the total investment. Japan ranked second, with a registered capital of approximately $1.29 billion, accounting for 16 per cent of the total investment. Mai also said that it is necessary to improve the quality of FDI, linking FDI and local private enterprises in the global value chain.

Vietnam incurs losses from pollution from agricultural productionVietNamNet Bridge - Soil, water and air pollution have increased as a result of agricultural production growth in the last few decades. Soil, water and air pollution have increasedAgricultural production is both the culprit and victim of pollution. A report from the agriculture ministry in 2016 showed that in the last 20 years, the amount of fertilizer used in agricultural production increased by 4-5 times. According to one report, every person has 1.2 hectares of land for agricultural production on average, but in Vietnam, the figure is 0.1 hectare per head. It is estimated that half to two-thirds of fertilizer used is wasted, while abuse has caused a threat to people and the environment.