An English center in Vietnam that offers expensive IELTS courses coming with 'a guaranteed band score' is in hot water for failing to deliver on its promise. Many parents who have signed their children up for such 'full-package' courses are now facing difficulties in claiming a refund. The Reliable English School (RES), which has over 20 locations in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, advertises itself as "the best IELTS training center in Vietnam,” according to a description on its official Facebook page. It claims to have trained "two out of Vietnam's only three people ever to have achieved band 9.0 in IELTS.” With such a seemingly credible profile, RES has been successful in convincing many parents to enter into legally binding contracts, which guarantee that their children would achieve a certain IELTS score after a number of courses in return for all tuition fees being paid in advance. High hopes H., a parent in Ho Chi Minh City, said he knew of RES when the … [Read more...] about In Vietnam, English center leads learners up blind alley with ‘guaranteed IELTS score’ promise
Vietnam english news
VnExpress International named among top 15 English news websites in Southeast Asia
The site has broken into the regional elite after just nine months, according to ASEAN UP. VnExpress International, the English version of Vietnam’s most-read news site VnExpress, has been listed among the top 15 English websites in terms of information quality and presentation in Southeast Asia. It is the only website from Vietnam on the list, standing together with established sites in the region such as Channel NewsAsia and The Straits Times of Singapore, Bangkok Post and The Nation of Thailand, The Star Online of Malaysia and Indonesia’s Jakarta Post. The Philippines also has several sites on the list. The six countries, which make up 95 percent of total ASEAN GDP, are the most advanced countries and more proficient in English than their peers, according to ASEAN UP, which compiled the list. The websites are great sources of information about their respective countries from a local perspective, it said. They have a large reader base and are also popular on social … [Read more...] about VnExpress International named among top 15 English news websites in Southeast Asia
Vietnam officials deny involvement in Japan bribery case
Fourteen railroad officials accused by a Japanese executive to have taken bribes to award his firm a contract for an ODA-funded project have denied the charge, the Ministry of Transport said Wednesday. Among the officials, including three retired ones, four were suspended right after the case was reported by Japanese media last month. Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper quoted Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Ngoc Dong as saying that the officials have returned to work after submitting reports to his ministry. On March 21 The Japan News, an English news website run by Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper, reported that Tamio Kakinuma, president of Japan Transportation Consultants, Inc. (JTC), had admitted that his company had paid an official 80 million yen (US$782,000) to get an order worth 4.2 billion yen ($41 million) in Vietnam. The kickback was said to have been paid to a senior official in an office responsible for project administration at the state-owned Vietnam Railways. Though … [Read more...] about Vietnam officials deny involvement in Japan bribery case
2 deputy PMs to lead Vietnam probe into ODA-linked bribery charge
Two deputy prime ministers will head the joint probe with Japanese agencies into a Japanese company’s allegation that it paid bribes to a railway official. Nguyen Van Nen, the government spokesman, made the announcement at a press conference Tuesday. He said the Ministry of Transport and some other agencies have already begun investigations. He quoted PM Nguyen Tan Dung as telling his Japanese counterpart, Shinzo Abe, on the sidelines of a recent summit that the two countries should work together “closely” to investigate the case “carefully” and handle it “strictly.” Last month Japan News, an English news website run by Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper, reported that Tamio Kakinuma, president of JTC, had admitted that his company paid an official 80 million yen (US$782,000) to win an ODA (official development assistance) project bid worth 4.2 billion yen ($41 million) in Vietnam. The kickback was said to have been paid to a senior official in an … [Read more...] about 2 deputy PMs to lead Vietnam probe into ODA-linked bribery charge
A peek inside the hermit kingdom: Dining at Pyongyang, a North Korean restaurant in Vietnam
The singing is so deafening that Hoa Mai, our tall, fair-skinned waitress, almost has to yell as she tries to take our order, and still to no avail. Up on stage, a woman wearing a hanbok is fervently hitting a jang-gu, Korea’s traditional hourglass-shaped drum. I hold my breath, eyes fixated as the drummer builds up for the finale. The last note leaves me dumbfounded, loud and abrupt, like the way it all started. Almost every night at 7:30, this is the scene at Pyongyang Restaurant, one of the last two North Korean eateries in Vietnam. For an hour, it felt like the hermit kingdom itself: a red stage showered with LED lights; young, slim, tall and good-looking performers with slicked back ponytails and extra-large hair bows; exuberant, half acrobatic folk dancing; songs about the Great Leader; and of course, a no-camera sign. At one point, in almost perfect Vietnamese, the women sang a song extolling Ho Chi Minh, followed by a rendition of “I wish”, a popular … [Read more...] about A peek inside the hermit kingdom: Dining at Pyongyang, a North Korean restaurant in Vietnam