ASIAD 2018: Medal opportunities for Vietnam on August 29Vietnamese athletes are set to compete in the final round of events on August 29 at the ongoing Asian Games 2018 (ASIAD) in Indonesia. Vietnamese Pencak Silat athletes will compete in eight categories at ASIAD 2018 on August 29Pencak Silat athletes compete in eight categories, including five combats and three performances, while others join in four Judo events and two Kurash events. Meanwhile in athletics, Quach Thi Lan and Duong Thi Viet Anh vie for medals in women’s 200m race and women’s high jump, respectively. Vietnam is in the 20th place in the ASIAD 2018 medal tally. As of 22pm of August 28, Vietnam won two gold, 11 silver and 13 bronze medals.

HCM City to cut greenhouse gas emissionsHCM City needs to improve energy efficiency and collaborate with international organisations to become a low-carbon and sustainable city, experts told a meeting held in the city on Tuesday. HCM City has implemented many renewable-energy measures, including solar power, in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse-gas projectThe meeting reviewed the HCM City component of JICA’s project on mitigation actions and the measurement, reporting and verification of greenhouse gas emissions. Under the greenhouse-gas emission scenario, Viet Nam is expected to emit 400 million tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2018, 500 million tonnes by 2020, 600 million tonnes by 2025, and 800 million tonnes by 2030, according to MONRE. The ministry has submitted a decree on greenhouse gas emissions to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc for approval this year.

Cai luong fest opensVietNamNet Bridge – The National Cai Luong (reformed opera) Festival 2018 will open on Wednesday in Long An Province. Directed by Meritorious Artist Hoa Ha, the play will be offered in a new version to celebrate 100 years of cai luong. Nga’s life and loves appear in many paintings, novels and plays of cheo (traditional opera) and cai luong. Festival organisers said theatres were using music troupes to perform live on stage instead of playing recorded music, which is the norm in cai luong. It will open at Long An Cai Luong Theatre on September 5 and close on September 19.

Watercolour painting exhibition celebrates National DayVietNamNet Bridge – A new exhibition of 78 thuy mac (ink and wash) watercolour paintings by 40 Chinese-Vietnamese artists has opened at the HCM City Fine Arts Association. Paintings by masters of thuy mac (ink and wash) can be seen at a show at the HCM City Fine Arts Association, celebrating the 73rd anniversary of National Day. (Photo courtesy of the organiser)The event is part of the association’s activities to celebrate the 73rd anniversary of National Day on September 2. He works for several art schools in the city and in southern provinces, and is chairman of the Fine Arts Cub of Chinese-Vietnamese Artists and a member of the Viet Nam Fine Arts Association. Sisterhoood in the mountains, by Truong LoThe show was organised by the association and the Fine Arts Club of Chinese-Vietnamese Artists.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.