Hard work, persistence and maybe a little bit of luck have paid off for Pasadena's 22-member Southwest Chamber Music, which in March will embark on the largest-ever cultural exchange between the United States and Vietnam. Members of Pasadena's Southwest Chamber Music are getting ready for the upcoming Ascending Dragon Music Festival and Cultural Exchange in Vietnam, coinciding with the 1,000th anniversary of the founding of Hanoi. The group was was one of just three nationwide to receive a State Department grant for cultural exchange programs (Courtesy Photo) In its third attempt, the Grammy-winning group was awarded a highly competitive $300,000 U.S. State Department grant for its six-week Ascending Dragon Music Festival and Cultural Exchange. For three weeks in March, 19 members of Southwest Chamber Music will travel to Vietnam, while 19 Vietnamese will come to Pasadena for three weeks in April and May. "It's a big deal," Artistic Director Jeff von der Schmidt said. "Playing in … [Read more...]
Illegal overseas workers impede Vietnam’s labour exports
Rising numbers of runaway Vietnamese workers in foreign countries have hindered the country’s labour exports, especially to South Korea, one official has said. Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Pham Thi Hai Chuyen said illegal workers hinder Vietnam’s labour exports Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Pham Thi Hai Chuyen, said that Vietnam and South Korean signed an agreement in 2004 to allow Vietnam to send workers to South Korea under the Employment Permit System (EPS) programme. To date, nearly, 70,000 Vietnamese workers have been sent to work in the country. However, there has been recent sharp rise in the number of Vietnamese workers who finish their contracts but illicitly overstay in South Korea. Since early 2012, the number of such workers has accounted for around 50% of the total number of those who have to return home due to the end of their labour contracts. The figure is much … [Read more...]
Russia, Vietnam need to preserve traditional ties
VietNamNet Bridge – Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has emphasised that the leaders and people of both Russia and Vietnam have to share the task of maintaining and promoting valuable, close and fraternal traditional ties and reliable partnership that have been established between the two countries. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. The Prime Minister has recalled the brotherhood sentiments, hospitality, and heartfelt sincerity that he felt from Vietnamese people as well as immense changes he had witnessed during the previous visits to Vietnam while expressing pleasure to make his third visit to the country on November 6-7. Medvedev has made these remarks and talked about other issues during an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency, Vietnam Television (VTV) and Radio the Voice of Vietnam (VOV) on the threshold of his upcoming visit. He stressed that economic issues will be the focus of his discussions with Vietnamese leaders during … [Read more...]
Vietnam summer camp wraps up
VietNamNet Bridge – The 2013 Vietnam Summer Camp for young overseas Vietnamese, themed “10 years – The call of the homeland”, ended in the southernmost province of Ca Mau on July 28. The programme, jointly organised by the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs (COVA) and 30 provinces and cities across the nation, drew the participation of around 200 outstanding young overseas Vietnamese from 24 countries worldwide. Addressing the closing ceremony, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Thanh Son, head of the COVA, said over the past decade, the camp has equipped Vietnamese young people living abroad with knowledge on the tradition, culture, history and geography of Vietnam, thus reinforcing their love towards the homeland. They have brought the images of the Vietnamese land and people they captured during their journey, to their international friends, he said. He expressed his hope that overseas Vietnamese students and young people will make more … [Read more...]
Marathoners to run length of Vietnam
VietNamNet Bridge – Two men, one Australian and one Vietnamese, will embark on a pole-to-pole super-marathon along the length of Vietnam in order to raise funds for clean drinking and sanitary projects. Pat Farmer and his running partner Mai Nguyen Dinh Huy will start their 2,000 km, 36-day marathon on December 9 at Sa Vi Cape in the northern province of Quang Ninh, running through 30 provinces and cities to finish at Ca Mau Cape in the country's southernmost province of Ca Mau. The event was Huy's idea, who first spoke about it one year ago just after Farmer had returned from a run from the earth's North Pole to the South Pole from April 8 last year to January 19. "Huy contacted me and told me he wants to show the world what a young Vietnamese is capable of doing," Farmer said. "So he, together with many other Vietnamese people around the world, will run with me along the road. We are going to show the world the spirit of Vietnamese ethnic minorities and the spirit of … [Read more...]
Top five tea specialties of Vietnam
VietNamNet Bridge – The Vietnam Record Organisation recently published the list of 50 gift specialties nominated by localities, tourism agencies, domestic and foreign tourists. According to the Hanoitimes online, top five tea specialties are included in the list. 1. Thai Nguyen tea: Northern Thai Nguyen Province is a cradle of Vietnamese tea. The most famous tea from Thai Nguyen is Tan Cuong tea, whose incredibly delicious taste can bewitch any drinkers. A bitter taste comes to the drinkers when making the first sip of a cup of hot Tan Cuong tea and then it turns out to be a lasting sweet. 2. Bitter tea is cultivated in Thach An and Ha Lang districts, the northern province of Cao Bang. The tea is used for the treatment of cold, headache, eye, nose and throat inflammations, diarrhoea, and other ailments. It also reduces cholesterol level, blood tension, stress, … [Read more...]
Vietnam pursues policy to protect human rights
VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam was elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UN HRC), the 2014-2016 tenure, on November 12 with 184 approval votes out of 193, the highest among 14 countries elected to the 47-member council this time. On this occasion, and to mark International Day for Human Rights (December 10), Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, who is a member of the Party Central Committee, wrote a news article on the country’s achievements in protecting and promoting human rights, as well as on its contributions to international cooperation in this field. The Deputy PM and FM affirmed that Vietnam’s bid to join the Human Rights Council has its roots in the consistent policy of the Party and State on protecting and promoting human rights and actively participating in international cooperation in this field. Vietnam’s election to the UN HRC with such a high vote is of great significance. First of all, it is the international … [Read more...]
Vietnam News Agency to strengthen ties with State Audit
HA NOI (VNS)— The State Audit of Viet Nam should continue to create favourable conditions for the Vietnam News Agency and its underlying units to access information in the fastest manner possible in order to communicate news in an effective way. Nguyen Duc Loi, general director of the Vietnam News Agency, made the statement at a conference held to review the implementation of the communications co-operation agreement between the agency and the State Audit during 2009-13 period, and to discuss the two sides' plans for 2013-15. In response, General State Auditor Dinh Tien Dung said the Vietnam News Agency always provided accurate and latest news, contributing to raising public knowledge of auditing. Dung suggested the two sides continue to strengthen co-operation to ensure timely reports on auditing activities and the results of the State Audit's work, helping to increase compliancy of auditing laws among organisations and individuals. The Vietnam News Agency is a key national … [Read more...]
President Sang’s visit to lift Vietnam-China ties
VietNamNet Bridge – President Truong Tan Sang will pay a State-level visit to China from June 19 to 21 at the invitation of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China and President Xi Jinping. This will be the first-ever visit made by President Sang as Head of State and the first state-level visit by a high-ranking Vietnamese leader to China since its change of leadership. The President’s visit aims to affirm the consistent policy of the Vietnamese Party and State in the relationship with the Party and State of China. As neighbouring countries, the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and China has developed intensively and extensive in all fields, bringing practical benefits to both sides. The two countries have to date signed a host of Government-level agreements and cooperative documents, creating a legal foundation for their long-term cooperation. The exchange of delegations at both central and grassroots levels has increased with over 200 … [Read more...]
Ambassador calls for new Vietnam-US understanding
VietNamNet Bridge – The Vietnamese Ambassador to the US, Nguyen Quoc Cuong, has appealed for a new Vietnam-US partnership framework to be agreed during President Truong Tan Sang’s upcoming American visit from July 24-26. In a recent interview with the Vietnam News Agency, the ambassador said: “Nearly one decade has passed since the two nations established the current framework of constructive, friendly partnership and multi-faceted cooperation on the basis of equality, mutual respect and benefit.” “I believe that in light of the strong existing relations we share and the potential to strengthen them further, it is time to define a new bilateral partnership framework.” The diplomat expressed his wish that Presidents Sang and Obama will discuss the content of such an agreement. He said Sang’s trip will be only the second official visit made by a Vietnamese head of State in nearly two decades since the normalising of ties with the US, and the … [Read more...]