Illustration by Trịnh Lập by Nguyễn Mỹ Hà Local residents and environmentalists have been spreading the news that UNESCO Việt Nam has opposed an official letter from the Đồng Nai People's Committee consulting on a contractor's proposal to build a 40km highway with a bridge across the core zone of the Đồng Nai Biosphere Reserve. VnExpress news website reported that UNESCO Việt Nam, in response to the letter, strongly suggested not building a road across the world biosphere for fear the damage would impact flora and fauna in reserve. It added that the full biodiverse ecological corridor would be affected. Vehicles moving on the road could accidentally kill animals crossing it, and the construction process would pollute the soil, air and groundwater. If this happens, the criteria for a world biosphere would not be met, and Đồng Nai Reserve could be crossed off the list of world biospheres. It also cited that building a bridge and a national highway failed to meet Việt Nam's … [Read more...] about Đồng Nai Biosphere Reserve must not be spoilt
Improving the business environment
HCM City considers ways to speed up digital transformation
Delegates attend a digital transformation for technical infrastructure conference in HCM City last week. — VNA/VNS Photo HCM CITY — Digital transformation has become a critical need for technical infrastructure companies to recover quickly, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, a seminar heard in HCM City on Friday. The challenges brought by the pandemic fostered the need for digital transformation, which was widely and quickly adopted across ministries, other official agencies and businesses across the country. Vietnamese enterprises took a pioneering role in research, development and innovation, mastering technologies and making important contributions to developing a digital economy. Nguyễn Văn Đắng, director of the Gia Định Water Supply Joint-Stock Company belonging to the Saigon Water Corporation, said digital technologies have improved administration and production activities, helping better serve customers. Water supply companies, for example, use GIS … [Read more...] about HCM City considers ways to speed up digital transformation
Woman with an iron will
For the first time, Việt Nam has had a representative in the Ironman World Championship. Lâm Túc Ngân, 27, from HCM City, qualified for the biggest event after winning Ironman Philippines 140.6’s 25-29 year-old female group and finishing in the top 8 of the women's ranking. She will join powerful athletes from all over the world at the 2022 event in Hawai in early October. Ngân shares her experience and plans for the upcoming race. Lâm Túc Ngân will be the first Vietnamese to compete at the World Ironman Championship in October in Hawaii, the US. Photo from Lâm Túc Ngân facebook Inner Sanctum: Congratulations. You are the first Vietnamese to earn a slot at the Ironman World Championship. How do you feel? Thank you. It is several months to go to the world championship. There are many things to work on. In the last 15 years of the world tournament, there was no one from Việt Nam. Lâm Túc Ngân trains for her world competition. She plans to complete the race … [Read more...] about Woman with an iron will