Poverty reduction

Tran Quoc Pagoda. Source: dothi Visiting a pagoda and worship in pagoda were never before of my interest, confided Tran Lan Anh, an employee of a privately-run company in Hanoi. It has changed. “I got accustomed to worshipping at pagodas with my mother in law,” the 35-year-old Hanoian said, elaborating that she now visits the Tran Quoc pagoda, perhaps the most ancient pagoda in Vietnam, on every first and fifteenth day of the lunar months. “Now, when an occasion comes around, I bring flowers, fruits and joss sticks for the Buddha to pray for peace and happiness for my family,” she said. Unlike Anh, many Vietnamese people do not visit pagodas on a regular basis but still take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma and in the Sangha. For them, and Buddhist followers alike, burning incense dedicated to the Buddha and praying for peace are common practices. Only when visiting a pagoda, can one feel peace and tranquility, free from the hustle and bustle of everyday … [Read more...] about Buddhism in Vietnamese people’s spiritual lives

On implementing a campaign to assist impoverished families in 2009, Thu Lum Border Post realized that a lot of studious children had to stop their schooling due to poverty. In order to provide them with stable living and learning conditions, the commanding officer of the post then decided to look after a number of disadvantaged children. At the same time, he asked for the permission from the Lai Chau provincial Border Guard Command and carried out legal procedures to adopt two La Hu ethnic children, Ma Mo Ha and Sung Su Xa. “To provide the best conditions for the children to live and study, we’ve prepared accommodation and assigned individuals in the unit, including the deputy political commissar, youth union organization and the armed squad, to taking care of them. The unit has adopted eight children so far, two of whom have finished high school and become family's breadwinners; three are 10th graders at Muong Te Ethnic Boarding High School. Three other children Sung Phi Gia, Lo … [Read more...] about Border troops’ compassion for disadvantaged children

A solar power project invested by Nami Solar in Bau Bang Industrial Park, Binh Duong The two partners entered a joint development agreement in December, forming a venture producing 250MWp of rooftop solar installations, with a total investment of around $200 million over the next few years. The partnership will serve as a platform to further support SK ecoplant's aspirations of becoming a major global investor in renewable energy. The joint venture will help Nami Solar move one major step closer to its vision of becoming a leading distributed solar company in Vietnam. The Vietnamese and South Korean governments have placed climate change action plans and green growth high on their respective agendas. In October, South Korea committed to slashing its emissions to 40 per cent of their 2018 level by 2030. Vietnam has reiterated its commitment to reach net zero by 2050. In July, SK Group revealed its net zero roadmap, aiming to reduce its carbon emissions by half within a … [Read more...] about SK ecoplant and Nami Solar launch joint venture to invest in Vietnam’s distributed solar sector