The Aces: 'Not all girl bands are the same'Cristal Ramirez is concerned. But, despite playing their own instruments and writing their own songs, The Aces were inevitably dismissed as a "just a girl band", with the implication they'd been put together by an oily record executive. "I find it interesting when people come up to us and say, 'I don't usually like girl bands,'" says Katie. "We're like, 'Girl bands aren't a genre of music! The group tackle sexist misconceptions head on in the video for Physical, which gleefully skewers the clichéd portrayal of girl bands as pulchritudinous sex kittens.

Vietnamese photographers win big at Smithsonian Photo ContestVietnamese photographers Nguyen Huu Thong and Tran Tuan Viet have emerged triumphant at the 15th annual Smithsonian Photo Contest. The Grand Prize winning photo ‘Breakfast at the Weekly Market’ by Nguyen Huu ThongNguyen Huu Thong from Bac Giang province stood out from 60 finalists competing in the contest to win the Grand Prize worth US$2,500, for his photo ‘Bua Sang Tai Cho Phien’ (Breakfast at the Weekly Market). Sharing the background of the photo, Thong explained that in northern Vietnam, people come to the weekly market to exchange goods and culture. Photo ‘Lam Huong’ (Making Incense) by Tran Tuan Viet won the Travel category of the contestMeanwhile, the photo ‘Lam Huong’ (Making Incense) by Tran Tuan Viet from Hanoi won the contest’s Travel category. Viet’s photo is one of the most-viewed images in the history of the photo contest, with more than 50,000 views so far.

Grab might have to shoulder Uber’s $2.33 million tax arrearsAfter Uber merges with Grab, Grab will be obligated to pay the VND53.3 billion ($2.33 million) tax arrears that Uber has delayed paying to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Taxation. If the two parties agreed that Grab will shoulder Uber’s tax obligations, Grab will have to pay the VND53.3 billion ($2.33 million) to the tax department. In case the tax obligation was not mentioned in the contract, we will have to find a solution to collect the tax arrears. By the December 23 deadline, Uber only paid VND13.3 billion ($585,665) of the VND66.68 billion ($2.94 million) of its tax arrears. Referring to this incident, Deputy Minister of Finance Vu Thi Mai previously affirmed that along with the tax arrears, Grab will have to prepare a report and submit its financial statements for tax payment after the deal is completed.

HCM City sets new price for apartment building servicesVietNamNet Bridge – HCM City People’s Committee has set a new price for management services for apartment buildings. The price of management services for apartment buildings under the State’s ownership will increase in HCM City. Photo tuoitre.vnFor apartment buildings without elevators, the price will be VND500 (US$0.02) to VND3000 per sq m per month, while apartment buildings with elevators will be priced VND1,500 to VND6,000. The price covers the management and operation fee to maintain elevators, water pumps, generators, fire alarm systems and fire prevention equipment at apartment buildings under State ownership. The price does not apply to old apartments under the State’s ownership, or for dormitories for students and workers.

Corruption better controlled: reportVietNamNet Bridge – The fight against corruption was a rare highlight of the Government’s efforts to improve public administration, as citizens in more than half of the country believed corruption was better controlled in 2017, a report found on Wednesday. Trends of several sub-indexes in the Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index over 2011-17 period. ‘Room for improvement’Control of corruption was among the six dimensions surveyed in the PAPI report to measure localities’ governance and public administration performance. The others included citizens’ participation at local levels, transparency, vertical accountability, public administration procedures and public service delivery. “The gap between the best performer and the perfect mark is still quite huge, indicating there is a lot of room for improvement,” said Dang Hoang Giang, co-author of the PAPI 2017 report.

Most Hanoi apartments don’t have fire insuranceAs of April 4, only 179 out of 718 multi-storey apartment buildings in Hanoi had fire insurance, according to the Hanoi Fire Prevention and Control Police Department. Fire broke out at an apartment block on Hoang Hoa Tham street, Hanoi, in December 2017More than half of the 179 apartment buildings which have insurance are trade or high-class buildings. In the first three months this year only, the capital city had 280 fires, of which 87 occurred in multi-storey buildings. The insurance must cover all parts of the construction works such as houses, machines, equipment and raw materials. The decree also regulated that insurance enterprises can refuse to sell insurance to apartment buildings without fire prevention reports and control safety inspection.

Students battle for high school spotsVietNamNet Bridge – The national high school entrance exam is still two months away, but Vu Minh Hien, a senior secondary school student in Hanoi, has started feeling the pressure. An exam proctor at the Nguyen Du secondary school in Hanoi reviews exam sitters’ admit cards for the math test of the high school entrance exam in June 2017. The annual high school entrance exam in Vietnam consists of one standardised math and one standardised literature test. For the 2016-17 school year, for example, 10 students competed for each slot in specialised math classes at the Hanoi-Amsterdam High School. The rate was the same to enter the High School for Gifted Students of the National University of Education, and 1:9 for the Foreign Language Specialised School.

YouTube shooting: Female suspect 'angry over video postings'The suspect in a gun attack at YouTube's HQ in California had expressed anger over its treatment of her video postings, media reports say. US media say Aghdam was angry that YouTube was filtering her videos and reducing the money she could make. In January 2017 she posted a video complaining that YouTube was filtering her content, leading to fewer views. Aghdam's father, Ismail, told local US media she was angry because YouTube had stopped paying her for videos. Her father told police she might go to YouTube as she "hated the company", local media said.

IT engineer owns garden with 30 species of wild orchidsVietNamNet Bridge - The 300-sq meter garden contains 2,000 orchids where 30 species grow. Of these, 98 percent are wild orchids brought from Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar. “In fact, I began collecting wild orchid species and growing orchids when I was a schoolboy. “My garden has rare and precious wild orchids from all over the country,” he said. Wild orchids grow well on star apple and jackfruit trees, and they bloom only once year.

Doctor fights to save lives and end superstitionsVietNamNet Bridge – Twenty years have passed since the young doctor, Trinh Duc Thien, left Hue City for the remote and mountainous A Vao Commune in central Quang Tri Province’s Dak Rong District to work after graduating from medical college. Doctor Trinh Duc Thien taking care of herbal medicine grown at a garden of A Vao Commune’s health clinic. He said local residents would always live in poor conditions while these customs exist. So he wanted to make a change and decided to go to A Vao Commune. “On my arrival at A Vao clinic, seeing it only a small thatched cottage built by thin slides of wood made me disappointed.

Mushroom business takes off, teen makes millionsDespite hardship and difficulties, Bui Minh Thang, a Cu Chi born and raised boy has taken over his family mushroom farming business. With enthusiasm and dedication, he has expanded production and improved the livelihood of many people in Ho Chi Minh City’s Cu Chi district. This lucrative business in Ho Chi Minh City’s Cu Chi district earns him 6500 to 8700 USD each month and helps reduce unemployment in the area. Bui Minh Thang also expressed in the early stage, he faced difficulties while farming mushroom as he lacked sufficient technology and outdated farming methods. Bui Minh Thang has won various prizes and was named among the 10 outstanding young citizens of 2017, chosen by the city’s Youth Union.

Vietnam's tra fish industry grapples with export difficultiesThe domestic tra fish industry has overcome several obstacles to achieve its export target this year, and so, needs the State’s support to establish a healthy business environment. Although the total national tra fish exports grew strongly, the exports to the European Union (EU) decreased sharply. However, most export markets of Vietnamese tra fish accepted the increase in the export price. On the other hand, to ensure the export target this year meets at least $2 billion in value, Hoe said the local enterprises can increase the export value of tra fish by developing high-quality processed tra fish products and improving the added value of tra fish exports in the future. The VASEP also requested the ministry to conduct a programme to inspect the tra fish processing facilities and ensure the quality of tra fish products are maintained.

Motorbikes, not cars, the environmental threatMotorbikes from the 2000s generate 416% more hydrocarbons, 3,220% more nitrogen oxides, and 8,065% more carbon monoxide than motor cars made in the same decade, research reveals. An article published recently by the website Green Choices recommended that environmentally-conscious consumers switch from motor cars to motorbikes, as they provide the individual freedoms associated with cars but at a lower environmental cost. On average, motorbikes from the 2000s generate 416 per cent more hydrocarbons, 3,220 per cent moreitrogen oxides, and 8,065 per cent more carbon monoxide than motor cars produced in the same decade. Building better, faster public transportation systems alone will probably not help convince residents to travel greener. A step-by-step approach for every five years, taking into account realistic prospects of public transportation use, is the most pragmatic alternative.

Number of Vietnam students in Canada rises fastThe number of Vietnamese students in Canada climbed to nearly 15,000 in 2017, a three-fold rise against 2015, putting Vietnam among the fastest-growing markets for international education in the North American country. The report said Vietnam has been on the list of the top five sending countries, accounting for 3% of Canada’s foreign students and ranking fifth after China (28%), India (25%), South Korea (5%), France (4%), and the same as the group from the United States. Karen McBride, President and CEO of the education bureau, said in a statement that Canada has gained fame for not only the undeniably prestigious quality of education but also the world-acclaimed reputation as the safe and non-discriminatory place. Around 95% of international students recommended Canada as the top study destination on earth while 51% expressed their wishes to apply for permanent residence in Canada, she says. Data from the Government indicates that there were around 130,000 Vietnamese studying abroad at all levels in 2017, and their top five destinations include Japan, the U.S., Australia, China and the U.K.SGT

Tourism Awards nomination rules turn more quantitativeThe Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has released instructions for the Vietnam Tourism Awards 2018, with requirements for nominations being made more quantitative. First organized in 1999, the Vietnam Tourism Awards are the most prestigious annual awards of Vietnam’s tourism sector. The awards aim to honor leading enterprises which have been successful in improving tourism service quality, diversifying tourism products, promoting Vietnam tourism, and making significant contribution to tourism development. The Vietnam Tourism Awards 2018 will be announced in early July. Data of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism shows there are around 1,800 inbound tour operators nationwide at present.