Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI - A free cooking school has opened at Artemis building, No 3 Lê Trọng Tấn Street, Thanh Xuân District in Hà Nội. "The Ajinomoto Cooking Studio has been opened to encourage people's passion for cooking, through which one can enhance the nutritional intake and health of one's family and stay happy," said Hiroharu Motohashi, general director of the centre. The dishes cooked at the centre have been newly designed, and are divided into four groups: dishes for people who love cooking; dishes for mothers with small babies (under five years); dishes for couples (newly weds and nearly weds); and dishes for families with children from 6 to 11 years. All cooking ingredients will be supplied by the centre, and each class will have a maximum of 12 to 14 students. The centre is calling for registrations for various courses to be held in June and July. For details, call 04 3 640 6688. - VNS … [Read more...]
China’s ’toilet revolution’ targets dirty lavatories
Authorities in China have installed or upgraded over 50,000 lavatories in a "national toilet revolution" designed to clean up filthy public restrooms. — AFP/VNA Photo Viet Nam News BEIJING — China is taking care of a pressing need: Authorities have installed or upgraded over 50,000 lavatories in a "national toilet revolution" designed to clean up filthy public restrooms. Relief is coming soon, and by the end of the year China expects to have added or upgraded a total of 71,000 toilets, well exceeding a target initially set in 2015. The plan to fix the country’s bad reputation for grimy and smelly facilities has focused on restrooms in tourist sites. In some places, shiny new toilets have replaced unhygienic open pits that offered little privacy. More sanitation workers have also been hired. The National Tourism Administration said in a report last Friday that almost 93 per cent of the target has been reached. "At tourist sites, visitors were angered by … [Read more...]
Spotify agrees to fund to settle copyright suits
Music streaming leader Spotify has agreed to set up a US$43.45 million fund to settle a potentially costly pair of US copyright lawsuits from artists, lawyers say. — AFP/VNA Photo Viet Nam News NEW YORK — Music streaming leader Spotify has agreed to set up a US$43.45 million fund to settle a potentially costly pair of US copyright lawsuits from artists, lawyers said on Monday. The move marks the latest effort by the Swedish company to turn the page on messy disputes as it considers a public listing amid the soaring growth of streaming. The settlement would end lawsuits spearheaded by two indie songwriters who double as academics -- folk rock singer Melissa Ferrick and David Lowery, frontman of alternative rock bands Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven. The two had pursued class-action cases -- meaning a mass of musicians could claim payouts -- with Ferrick seeking US$200 million and Lowery asking for US$150 million. The artists had accused Spotify, which boasts of … [Read more...]
French breakdancer to take City stage
Blurry beauty: French breakdance artist Valentine Nagata-Ramos will perform in the Japanese tragedy Sadako on the stage of the HCM City Institute of Cultural Exchange with France (IDECAF) on June 9. — Photo from the dancer’s Facebook page Viet Nam News HCM CITY — French breakdance artist Valentine Nagata-Ramos will perform in the Japanese tragedy Sadako at the HCM City Institute of Cultural Exchange with France (IDECAF) on June 9 as part of her Asian tour. Sadako is based on Japanese legend about having your wish come true if you can fold 1,000 paper cranes. Sadako Sasaki, a victim of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, made 664 cranes before she died of leukemia at the age of 12. Her classmates folded the remaining 356 cranes and buried 1,000 cranes with her. The dance piece, Nagata-Ramos’s first solo, was created in 2011. The dancer mixes hip hop, Japanese dance form butoh, and origami. The performance will be followed by a workshop “I AM YOU” … [Read more...]
Fruit Garden Festival in Cần Thơ promotes local fruit, tourism activities
Viet Nam News CẦN THƠ - The three-day Tân Lộc Fruit Garden Festival kicked off in Cần Thơ City's Thốt Nốt District on Sunday. The event, which promotes Tân Lộc fruit and the area's tourism potential, celebrates the mid-year lunar festival on May 5. The main activities are being held at the Tân Lộc Đông Temple, which received a certificate of recognition as a city-level cultural-historical relic during the opening ceremony. Activities at the festival, which ends on May 30, include sports and cultural events, cake fair, fruit display competition, "chim chọi and chim hót" (fighting bird and singing bird) contests and folk song performances. Representatives of 35 travel agencies were invited to the festival to learn about the Tân Lộc area. The festival provides an opportunity for scientists, local farmers and companies to exchange ideas about promoting local fruits, the organisers said. - VNS … [Read more...]
Miss Teen Việt Nam 2017 launched
Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI - After a five-year break Miss Teen Việt Nam will return, featuring Việt Nam's talented and beautiful teenagers. Themed Dream to be a Star, the pageant will be held from June to November to find the most talented and beautiful girl who will be crowned Miss Teen Việt Nam at the November 11 final. "Miss Teen Việt Nam 2017 will be held on the largest scale ever," said Nguyễn Thanh Hưng, head of the organising board. "This year, the organisers want to bring the contest closer to contestants in distant areas who can register online for the qualifying rounds." Girls from 16 to 19 years old and at least 1.55m tall, including Vietnamese living abroad can enter, excluding those who have undergone plastic surgery and transgender people. Contestants can register at website http://missteen.vn. The 200 highest vote getters and an additional 100 contestants selected by a jury will enter the second round which will take place in Hà Nội, the central city of Đà Nẵng and HCM … [Read more...]
ScreenX first launched in Việt Nam
Viet Nam News HCMC - ScreenX technology has been launched recently and Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge is expected to be the first film shown via this technology in Việt Nam. The 270-degree technology, launched by CGV, a film distributor and cinema operator in Việt Nam, projects footage onto the front main screen and the two side walls (with six projectors on each wall), which will provide audiences the most immersive cinema experience, no longer limiting film makers to a bordered frame. The first two ScreenX screens have been installed at CGV Hùng Vương Plaza in HCM City and CGV Aeon Long Biên in Hà Nội. One auditorium each at both cinemas will be renovated to apply this new technology, expecting to accommodate 200-250 people. CGV also plans to invest some US$200 million in the 2017-2020 period to introduce state-of-the-art cinema technologies to its cinema system nationwide. "We believe that with potential market growth, together with the right direction and the … [Read more...]
Youth campaign celebrates revolutionary martyrs
Viet Nam News HCMCITY- The Việt Nam Youth Federation (VYF) in co-operation with its partners has launched a national campaign to mark the 70th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs Day on July 27 in HCM City. The event, Theo Bước Chân Những Người Anh Hùng (Following in the Footsteps of National Heroes), began yesterday and features cultural and charity activities as well as celebrations at 70 historical sites around the country, including revolutionary sites in Tây Ninh, Quảng Nam, Hà Tĩnh and Thanh Hóa provinces. It is expected to attract more than 10,000 VYF members nationwide. The campaign's young participants will upgrade martyrs' cemeteries and historical relic sites. They will also offer free food, clothes and medicine, and build houses of gratitude for local people, Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, wounded and sick soldiers, and members of martyrs' families. Young volunteer doctors from hospitals and universities will offer free treatment for over 1,000 children and women … [Read more...]
Vietnam ministry proposes penalties for overcharging of airport services
There's nothing like paying VND105,000 ($5) for a bowl of pho to leave a bad taste in your mouth. Vietnam’s transport ministry has suggested imposing fines of up to VND10 million ($440) for service providers that violate pricing regulations at airports. The ministry’s proposal said businesses should be fined VND5-10 million if they charge higher than their listed prices, according to a new report on the government website. Those who fail to list their prices or list them in a way that confuses customers or beyond the regulated limits should be fined VND3-5 million, it said. Advertising violations such as using speakers or leafleting in public areas would face the same fine, while advertising with flying objects such as balloons and kites would be subject to penalties of VND5-10 million, the proposal said. Non-aviation services at Vietnamese airports, mostly shops selling food, drinks and souvenirs, earned VND2.6 trillion in 2015 and accounted for nearly a fifth of the … [Read more...]
Houston battles massive floods, Trump set for Tuesday Texas trip
HOUSTON: Massive flooding unleashed by deadly monster storm Harvey left Houston - the fourth-largest city in the United States - increasingly isolated on Sunday (Aug 27) as its airports and highways shut down, and residents scampered onto rooftops to escape raging waters. Hurricane Harvey toppled mobile homes, flattened buildings and sent boats floating into deserted streets. (Photo: AFP/Daniel Kramer) The city's two main airports suspended all commercial flights and two hospitals were forced to evacuate patients. A local television station also was knocked off the air. At least three people have been killed so far. President Donald Trump, who had said he did not want to disrupt emergency efforts with a visit, is planning to head to the disaster zone on Tuesday, the White House announced. Rising … [Read more...]