VietNamNet Bridge – Floods in early August in northern Viet Nam killed 27 people and washed away hundreds of homes, causing damage estimated at more than US$43 million. Illustrative image -- File photo Weeks of torrential rains that followed have also caused widespread devastation since then for the northern mountainous provinces of Son La, Dien Bien, Yen Bai and Lai Chau. Terrifying images and videos have been posted online showing the disaster: people can see the swift flood waters sweeping through these provinces. Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Hoang Van Thang, when visiting these areas, said he had never seen such a horrible flash flood “that can wash away anything it met on its way”. Long before this, people from many other regions of the country, particularly the central … [Read more...] about When nature has taken her toll on us
Manmade natural disasters
Truong awarded Performance Art Talent Prize 2008
Pham Van Truong, a agraduate from Hanoi Industrial Fine Arts College won the first prize of the Performance Art Talent Prize held by the Embassy of Denmark on October 25. Truong won the prize for his work “Question Marks” with the message “Perhaps if the question marks existed before the universe, and question mark for you and me... He was also given US $ 3,000. He won the prize from the voting from the audiences right after the performance with 119 votes out of 337 votes, leaving other far behind. Eight performance art pieces in the final represented diverse performance art styles developed in Vietnam, either by individual or in group, either more traditional or more contemporary. The art works touch upon subject-matters covering a wide range from the general nature of movement, human pain and despair, manmade natural disasters and the limits of the human body. “Tonight, performance art has received the attention it deserves, and there is no doubt in my … [Read more...] about Truong awarded Performance Art Talent Prize 2008
Improper urbanization makes Mekong Delta vulnerable to climate change
Improper urbanization makes Mekong Delta vulnerable to climate change Huynh Kim CAN THO – Climate change is taking a heavy toll, the Mekong Delta is preoccupied with urbanization and upstream flooding control. Speaking at a seminar on experiences in climate change adaptation held in Can Tho City on August 30, Nguyen Hieu Trung, head of the Environment and Natural Resources Faculty under the Can Tho University, said the urbanization process and upstream flood control have caused adverse impacts on climate change adaptation solutions. Trung said the extensive networks of flood control works along the Tien and Hau rivers have greatly affected river water flows and narrowed water storage areas while speeding up current velocity and eroding riverbeds and banks. Urbanization has reduced the water absorption capability of soil, caused flooding and damaged infrastructure. As a result, service quality and living standards of city dwellers have been affected. Meanwhile, cities in the … [Read more...] about Improper urbanization makes Mekong Delta vulnerable to climate change
Social News 2/7
Five persons fall ill after eating deadly mushrooms Five members of a family from Quang Tri Province's Huong Hoa mountainous district were admitted to the provincial general hospital in critical condition, after they consumed poisonous mushrooms on Monday. Two of the patients said their father had picked the mushrooms from a forest in the central province. They fell sick after eating the cooked mushrooms. All six family members began complaining of stomach ache, nausea, and diarrhoea. They were immediately hospitalised in the district's general hospital and then transferred to the provincial hospital for treatment. Tran Quoc Tuan, director of the hospital, said the patients, now in stable condition, were expected to be discharged in the coming days. Last Thursday, a couple in the southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province also fell ill after consuming poisonous mushrooms. Vaccine did not cause baby death: health department An investigation has shown that vaccination did not cause the … [Read more...] about Social News 2/7
China: Center to use remote sensing for heritage site protection
The newly launched Space Technologies for Natural and Cultural Heritage (HIST) center under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), will apply space and remote sensing technologies for the observation, documentation and conservation of UNESCO World Heritage sites. "This is a new field of action," Dr Mario Hernandez, senior program specialist for remote sensing activities in UNESCO, says. "It can help monitor the changes in world heritage sites, contribute significantly to the enforcement of international rules, to better define local/national legislation, and facilitate policy making." Since 2001, UNESCO has been working with the European Space Agency to use high-resolution satellite images to monitor natural and manmade changes to world heritage sites, especially in developing countries that lack space technologies. It has played a key role in the safeguarding of gorillas' habitats in Central Africa and in monitoring world heritage sites in Pakistan, during the disastrous floods of … [Read more...] about China: Center to use remote sensing for heritage site protection