VietNamNet Bridge – At 3,143m, Fansipan, commonly revered as the Roof of Indochina, is located in the northern Vietnamese province of Lao Cai. I have always dreamed of visiting it. The peak is famous for not only its glorious dreamlike mountain scenery, but also for the arduous trek to get there. My dreams are now not so far from my reach thanks to the opening of the state-of-the-art Fansipan Legend cable car system in February. However, the controversy over the new cable car system came as no surprise, and created in me mixed thoughts about this special structure. Illustrative image -- File photo Flipping through a couple of newspapers, it was easy for me to realize the huge changes that the cable car system has brought to Sa Pa and Fansipan. With a length of 6,282m, the Fansipan Legend cable car system according to the Guinness Book of World … [Read more...] about Straight to the summit: A step forward or back?
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Up to 10 dead in Brussels airport blast – media
Explosions tore through the departure hall of Brussels airport on Tuesday morning killing up to 10 people and injuring 30 others and a second blast struck a metro station in the capital shortly afterwards, the Belgian public broadcaster RTBF said. The Belga agency said shots were fired and there were shouts in Arabic shortly before the blasts at the airport. Pictures on social media showed smoke rising from the terminal building through shattered windows and passengers running away down a slipway, some still hauling their bags. The blasts at the airport and metro station occurred four days after the arrest in Brussels of a suspected participant in November militant attacks in Paris that killed 130 people. Belgian police had been on alert for any reprisal action. British Sky News television's Alex Rossi, at the airport, said he heard two "very, very loud explosions". "I could feel the building move. There was also dust and smoke as well...I went towards where the explosion came from and … [Read more...] about Up to 10 dead in Brussels airport blast – media
Nations line up to sign U.N. arms trade treaty, U.S. not yet
Delegates from dozens of countries gathered in New York on Monday and signed the first treaty to regulate the $70 billion global conventional arms trade, but the United States was not among them. On April 2, the 193-nation U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly approved the U.N. Arms Trade Treaty that aims to keep weapons out of the hands of human rights abusers and criminals. Argentina's foreign minister, Hector Timerman, was the first to put pen to paper when the signing ceremony opened at U.N. headquarters on Monday. There was a large round of applause after he affixed his signature to the document. The United Nations said 62 countries from Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa signed the treaty in the morning. German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle was due to sign shortly, making Germany the 63rd nation to join the pact. U.N. High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Angela Kane told reporters that several more states would likely be signing in the coming days, taking the … [Read more...] about Nations line up to sign U.N. arms trade treaty, U.S. not yet
Misao Ishigaki sends Vietnam’s message to the world
(VOVworld)- On September 9, 1969, thousands of people in Vietnam could not hold back their tears at President Ho Chi Minh’s state funeral in Ba Dinh square in Hanoi. At such a historic moment, Japanese cameraman Misao Ishigaki, representing the Nihon Denpa News of Japan in Vietnam, recorded those precious 10 minutes of Vietnamese people in color motion picture film. Last September, the cameraman returned to Vietnam, visited Ba Dinh square and recalled his memories of that day 45 years ago. Ky Lan reports. “The President went to the Eternal. The pigeons help us to send the President our promise of honor to uphold the flag of national independence, and determination to defeat the US invaders”. Few people believe that a foreign correspondent in Vietnam could understand President Ho Chi Minh’s thoughts and unfulfilled wishes reflected in the image of a flock of pigeons flying to the funeral using such cherished words. The film was recorded by Misao Ishigaki, a … [Read more...] about Misao Ishigaki sends Vietnam’s message to the world
Vietnam Investment Summit 2011 19-21 October 2011 at the Park Hyatt Hotel, Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnam Investment Summit 2011 19-21 October 2011 at the Park Hyatt Hotel, Ho Chi Minh City The Vietnam Investment Summit brings together an exclusive group of investors, developers, fund managers and corporates to discuss current and future developments and uncover Vietnam's investment potential. By attending the 2nd annual Vietnam Investment Summit 2011, you will have the opportunity to learn how to structure and complete deals more quickly and efficiently while saving on costs; why some managers have succeeded in Vietnam where others have failed; how to identify preferred routes for exposure to lucrative sectors and how Vietnam's macroeconomic environment will affect investment strategies in 2012. To be more detailed, participants will hear from the new government on Vietnam's strategies for attracting FDI; Hear up to the minute information on Vietnam's macroeconomic environment; Understand how to structure successful private equity deals; Unveil Vietnam's leading real estate … [Read more...] about Vietnam Investment Summit 2011 19-21 October 2011 at the Park Hyatt Hotel, Ho Chi Minh City