Feature

With the latest collections from US quartz brand Cambria, the new showroom aims to elevate  customer experience to a whole new level

This is the third showroom in the distribution system focusing on lifting user experience.

The move aims to realise the company’s vision to bring high-quality products to the elite customer segment.

At the showroom, each quartz countertop is a masterpiece taking aspiration from the nature combined with advanced technologies, ensuring its high practicability.

At the showroom, each quartz countertop is a masterpiece taking aspiration from nature, combined with advanced technologies, ensuring high practicability.

Like two other showrooms in Ho Chi Minh City, the new showroom in Hanoi features continuous updates of the latest designs from Cambria. On display are a broad portfolio of more than 170 designs enshrined into 11 collections like Luxury, Costal, Waterstone, and Classic, among others.

Cambria’s product lineup encompasses most in-house interior decorative items as paving items for floor, wall, bathroom, and kitchen space, staircase, and more.

Leveraging its track record operating in top-grade facing stone business, A Au Stone has become a prestigious executor to architects and contractors, as well as a trustworthy partner to the elite.

Its new Hanoi showroom, and two others in Ho Chi Minh City (one in Thu Duc new city, and the other in District 7) aim to bring optimal experience to end-users.

By Anh Duc

Sacombank Mastercard cards get more protection features – ‘purchase protection’ and ‘ATM protection’. — Photo courtesy of the bank

Sacombank and Mastercard have collaborated to offer ‘purchase protection’ and ‘ATM protection’ features in their payment cards.

Purchase protection offers cardholders protection from theft and accidental damage within 180 days from the date of use, whether shopping online or in person at a store, with a cover of up to VND2.25 million (US$97.15) per claim per year.

ATM protection offers reimbursement if a cardholder is robbed within 30 minutes of withdrawing money at any ATM world-wide, including first-aid costs for 12 hours if they suffer injuries due to the robbery, also with a limit of VND2.25 million per claim per year.

Sacombank Mastercard payment cards will be automatically registered for these two insurance features for free.

They already came with two other features: ‘ID theft protection – alert’ and ‘e-commerce protection,’ and with these four features, cardholders are fully protected both in terms of personal information and card transactions.

To make a claim, cardholders only need to log in and submit a claim with relevant documents at https://vn.mycardbenefits.com/ .

From now through December 31 this year, when obtaining a new Sacombank Mastercard payment card or converting from a domestic payment card (magnetic card) to a Sacombank Mastercard payment card (chip card), the annual fee and ATM withdrawal fee are waived for the customer for the first year.

Also waived are fees when transferring money to accounts and domestic cards using Sacombank Pay until July 31.

The Sacombank Mastercard payment card is linked to customers’ current accounts opened at the bank. Using the card they can use the money in the account to make payments at any time anywhere, pay for purchases at POS/mPOS machines, pay online, and withdraw cash at all Sacombank ATMs nationwide, and get up to 50 per cent discounts when dining, shopping, and travelling. — VNS

The programme has introduced Vietnamese audiences to works that are not popular in Vietnam, particularly those composed by musicians in the 20th century.

During the concert, audiences will have the chance to enjoy a variety of musical styles and languages from different countries.

In addition to the great names of the 20th century such as Paul Hindemith (Germany), Nikolai Kapustin and Igor Stravinsky (Russia), compositions by many other famous musicians of today, such as Turkish pianist Fazil Say and American female musican Sheila Silver, will feature at the event.

The concert will feature performances by talented Vietnamese artists including cellist Phan Do Phuc, Nguyen Duc Thuan, Duong Hong Thach, Pho Duc Hoang and Pho Duy Phuong (piano); as well as international artists including violinist Patcharaphan Khumprakob and pianist Hsin-Chiao.

The annual Ao Dai Festival opening in Ho Chi Minh City today, launched by the city Department of Tourism, promotes traditional cultural values and the beauty and grace of the áo dài, a symbol of feminine beauty in Vietnam.

The city’s singers and dancers will dance and sing songs in praise of the country, women and ao dai in a music and fashion show called Ao Dai – Fashion Trends in 2018.

“Through our event, we hope to encourage people, both men and women, to love and wear áo dài not only during the Ao Dai Festival but also every day,” Tran Vinh Tuyen, deputy chairman of the city People’s Committee, said.

This year, the fifth year of the festival, the theme is I Love Ao Dai to honour and promote traditional cultural values and the beauty and grace of the áo dài , which has become the symbol of feminine beauty in Vietnam.

The 20-day event will open with a fashion show with 150 models showing off 13 collections of ao dai by famous designers such as Si Hoang, Thuy Nguyen and Adrian Anh Tuan on Nguyen Hue Street.

Around 1,000 ao dai will be displayed during the festival.

The event will feature 15 cultural and music programmes that are expected to attract several hundred cultural researchers, artists and performers.

A series of forums and seminars on ao dai will also be held.

Dozens of photo and picture exhibitions on women in ao dai will be held at universities, cultural centres, museums and libraries around the city, including the Museum of Southern Women and Ho Chi Minh City General Science Library.

Highlights will include a beauty contest, Charming Ao Dai, and a forum, Beauty of Ao Dai, aimed at attracting young women.

The organisers have invited women consuls, wives of foreign consuls and women staff of foreign consulates in the city to the festival.

More than 111 tailor shops, dozens of the garment and textile companies and several fashion houses have signed up.

Visitors will get free ao dai tailoring services offered by skilled designers and tailors, who will put up stalls on Nguyễn Huệ.

“We hope to make the festival one of the city’s famous tourist products,” Tuyen said.

Organised by the city Department of Tourism, the festival attracted more than 50,000 foreign and local visitors last year.

VNS

Hòa Bình FC players at their sending-off ceremony last week. Hòa Bình will play Vĩnh Phúc in the opening match of the Asanzo Cup next month. Photo courtesy of VFF

Football

HÀ NỘI — The national second division football tournament will kick off early next month with the participation of 14 teams.

The third tier tournament, sponsored by the electronics firm Asanzo, will see teams competing in two groups in two legs in a round-robin format. The first leg is from May 4 to June 6 and the second from July 5 to August 4.

The opening match will be between Hòa Bình and Vĩnh Phúc of Group A.

The two top teams of each group will advance to the final round which is scheduled for August 12. The winners of the last-four stage will share top position, receive VNĐ150 million (US$7,500) each and be promoted to the V.League 2 next season.

Selected matches of the tournament, which is officially called the Asanzo Cup, will be live aired on media platforms of the Việt Nam Football Federation (VFF) and Next Sports.

According to VFF General Secretary Lê Hoài Anh, the support of partner Asanzo and other sponsors will be strong pushes for the tournament, clubs and players.

“The second division tournament is a competition to maintain and develop football movement in all national localities. Recently, the VFF has tried hard to carry out plans to improve the effectiveness of organisation activities and quality of the tournament,” said Anh at the sponsorship signing ceremony on Wednesday in Hà Nội.

“We hope that the Asanzo Cup 2021 will lure people’s attention and will become a basic element to evaluate the development of amateur football in particular and national football in general,” he said.

Phạm Văn Tam, Asanzo’s chairman of the board of directors, described his pleasure to support national football again, especially the second division event which is considered a transitional point between amateur and professional football.

It is the second time that Asanzo has supported the tournament, following the first time in 2019.

Tam said the company’s support would be a strong foundation for the event and open the door for players to higher level tournaments in the future. VNS