Thanh Hoa traders occupy market in protest against privatisation

Hundreds of small traders in Thanh Hoa Province have occupied Bim Son Market throughout Tet in protest against a local authority decision to rent out the market to a private company.

Traders protest against market rental

Bim Son Market was established by local people long ago but was only officially built and put into use by local authorities in 1991. Since then, traders have had to pay a fee of about VND4.2-4.8million/a kiosk (USD200-230) and since 1998, they had to renew their contract of each kiosk every year for an increased fee.

The market was transferred to a private company in 2007 without informing its long-time merchants, but this was later cancelled following trader objections.

However, on December 28, 800 traders were suddenly informed at a meeting with Bim Son authorities that the market was be rebuilt and had already been rented out to the Dong Bac Trading and Construction Corporation in a 50 year contract.

Almost two weeks later, the traders received a warning that they had seven days to sign a contract with the Dong Bac Corporation, or they would be expelled from the market.

Displeased with the decisions, hundreds of traders have occupied the market throughout Tet to watch over their shops and to voice their opposition.

Pham Thi Mo, a trader at Bim Son Market, said, “We support the rebuilding of the market but they should have discussed it with us before renting out the land to Dong Bac Corporation for 50 years.”

The traders suggested that they contribute to the rebuilding of the market, in the hope that they could become co-owners, and avoid the future possibility of high rents or service charges. The authorities held another meeting with traders on January 29 but the meeting ended without agreement.

Le Van Dung, Chairman of Bim Son People’s Committee, explained, “We are moving from state-managed businesses to a privately-managed model, but people don’t want the change yet. We’re trying to convince people to accept the new managing model.”

People lived at the market through Tet

Traders occupied the market to guard their shops

By Lan Anh - Duy Tuyen | TienPhong, dtinews.vn

HCM City traffic at a standstill for Tet

Several streets in Ho Chi Minh City are experiencing serious traffic congestion as travel increases with the approach of Tet.

Roads approach their capacity limit

On January 17, at Dien Bien Phu, Phan Dang Luu, Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Xo Viet Nghe Tinh, and Hang Xanh streets were jammed.

The situation is only likely to worsen in next four days, especially along entrance and exit routes of the city, as well around bus stations.

Photos taken from HCM City’s streets on January 17:

Chaotic traffic on Hang Xanh Street on the afternoon of January 17

Every inch of Xo Viet Nghe Tinh Street occupied

The entrance of Mien Dong Bus Station

Crowded bus station

Rushing along with luggage

Crowded parking lot

dtinews.vn

Leaders pay Tet visits

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong presents gifts to poor families in Tinh Ky, Son Tinh District, Quang Ngai Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Tri Dung

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong yesterday paid his Tet visit to residents and officials in Quang Ngai Province, offering his wish for a happy new year and success in implementing the province's socio-economic targets.

Speaking to key people and officials in the province, Trong expressed delight for his chance to visit the home province of the late Prime Minister Pham Van Dong.

On this occasion, Trong congratulated the province for its achievement this past year in boosting socio-economic development.

In particular, Dung Quat refinery was put into full... implementation this past year, which contributed a great deal to the area's employment and economic gains.

The province has a per capita GDP of $US1,400 annually, and has made significant progress in building new rural areas, exploiting the potential of sea economy and attracting investment for infrastructure.

After visiting different localities in the province, Trong said along with focusing on achieving economic priorities, the province must also continue working to strengthen party personnel and organisation, prevent moral and political degradation among cadres and consolidate people's confidence. He instructed leaders at all levels to fully implement the resolutions passed at the Party Central Committee's third and fourth plenums.

The General Secretary hoped that the province would contribute to the nation's goals in reducing inflation, stabilising the macro economy, ensuring social protection and restructuring the economy for more sustainable growth.

The Party leader also asked the province to make sure that all residents, especially poor households and revolutionary families, have a prosperous Tet holiday and that no person has to suffer from food shortage.

On the same day, Trong also visited and offered incense at the Memorial Site of the late Prime Minister Pham Van Dong in Duc Tan Commune, Mo Duc District.

Earlier, the Party leader paid a Tet visit to the authorities and people of Hanh Thinh Commune, which leads Nghia Hanh District in building newly-styled rural areas.

On Saturday, General Secretary Trong visited Son Tinh District's Tinh Ky Commune, where 85 per cent of the population lives on aquaculture.

Yesterday, Le Hong Anh, permanent member of the Party Central Committee's Secretariat, visited residents, soldiers and officials of Thua Thien-Hue Province to offer his Tet wishes.

He spoke highly of the efforts the province had made in recent years in urban infrastructure development, three years after the province became a national city. However, the province's economic growth had not reached its full potential and it must make further progress to attract foreign investment and diversify its tourism products.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan on the same day visited and offered his Tet wishes to Long An Province. Nhan said its close proximity to HCM City offered some advantages to the province, especially in attracting investors and implementing new technologies. However, the province must have better policies in housing and attracting human resources from other provinces and furthering promoting sustainable practices in agriculture.

vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn

Overseas Vietnamese welcomed

President Truong Tan Sang watches fish being released at a ceremony at the Ho Chi Minh Memorial Complex in Ha Noi yesterday as part of the Kitchen God Festival, which falls today (on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month). — VNA/VNS Photo Duong Giang

Despite cold weather and rain, more than 1,000 overseas Vietnamese gathered at a special event at Ba Dinh Square in Ha Noi yesterday evening to celebrate the coming Tet (Lunar New Year) Festival.

The annual Xuan Que Huong (Spring in the Homeland) event is held eight days before Tet to welcome Vietnamese expatriates returning home for their country's biggest festival.

Addressing the event, President Truong Tan Sang said Viet Nam has made important achievements, including economic growth, ensuring social security, keeping social and political order and improving the country's prestige in the international arena, thanks to the efforts and contributions made by the whole nation, including overseas Vietnamese communities.

"The Party and State always affirm that overseas Vietnamese communities are an inseparable part of the Vietnamese nation and always try their best to support Vietnamese expatriates to help develop the economy, stabilise their lives and keep their traditional characteristics," Sang said.

Vietnamese expatriate Nguyen Quoc Trong, a 68-year-old who has lived in France for more than 20 years, said he was really surprised and moved by the programme of performances at the event.

"This is the first time I got to see such a programme. We are really moved by the familiar images of the homeland through songs and videos shown and they make us warm despite the cold weather," he said.

His wife, Nguyen Minh Luan, said participating at the event would make this year's Tet all the more memorable and meaningful.

"I will have lots of things to tell my children and grandchildren in France about the atmosphere of a traditional Tet festival in the homeland," she said.

"It is totally different when celebrating Tet in the homeland. Visiting relatives, famous local landscapes and enjoying traditional food during the festive season is something that can only be done in Viet Nam.

"In France, we often join cultural activities held by the Vietnamese community in France on special occasions such as Independence Day (September 2) or Tet, and this draws the participation of thousands of Vietnamese expatriates and is a good way to help us feel like we are home."

For 20-year-old Nguyen Thuy Hien, an expatriate from Germany, celebrating Tet in the homeland is also a much cherished opportunity.

"Words fail me when trying to express my feelings during my first Tet in Viet Nam, my homeland. I arrived here one week ago and felt the atmosphere of Tet in every corner of the city," she said.

"You can see many quat (kumquat trees) and dao (peach blossom), the symbol of Tet as my mom often told me, being sold along the street... it's a scene you can not see in Germany."

Speaking about their new year's wishes, they all said they hoped Viet Nam would continue to develop and provide a source of pride for all Vietnamese expatriates.

"Particularly, we wish Viet Nam, with contributions from overseas Vietnamese, would quickly overcome the difficulties and challenges of the world economic crisis," Trong said.

Fatherland front

The Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee yesterday also hosted a get-together for overseas Vietnamese returning home to celebrate Tet.

President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, Huynh Dam joined officials from the State Commission for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs in welcoming expatriates from countries around the world and wished them a healthy, successful and peaceful New Year.

Dam stressed that the overseas Vietnamese community is an inseparable part of the great national unity bloc, affirming that the Party and State always attached much importance to protecting their rights.

There are an estimated 4 million Vietnamese expatriates around the world.

vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn

Thousands of North Koreans gather for Kim Jong Il memorial

Source: CNN

Huge crowds assembled in Pyongyang on Thursday at a national memorial service for the North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, the second day of state-orchestrated ceremonies to mourn the dictator who died earlier this month.

The authoritarian regime used a mixture of somber music, hyperbolic speeches, booming artillery fire and blaring horns to honor the man who oversaw 17 years of despotic rule in the secretive nation.

The ceremony took place a day after a funeral procession for Kim spent three hours winding through the snow-laden streets of Pyongyang lined with thousands of wailing mourners.

Once again, the regime placed Kim Jong Un, the son and chosen successor of Kim Jong Il, at the center of proceedings, proclaiming him the "supreme leader" of North Korea -- a fresh indication that the leadership transition is progressing smoothly.

The footage broadcast Thursday by North Korean state television showed thick rectangular blocks of people gathered in the snowy expanse of Kim Il Sung Square -- named after Kim Jong Il's father, the founder of North Korea.

Kim Jong Un and other senior members of the regime stood solemnly on a viewing platform overlooking the square.

During the ceremony, a string of top officials took to the microphone to praise Kim Jong Il's life and reinforce Kim Jong Un's leadership credentials.

North Korean TV shows tens of thousands at the memorial for Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang Thursday.

"Kim Jong Un is the supreme leader who has inherited Kim Jong Il's beliefs, leadership, courage and guts," said Kim Yong Nam, the president of the North Korean parliament.

Read about the funeral for Kim Jong Il

"Kim Jong Il's great achievements will shine forever," said Kim Ki Nam, a senior official in the powerful Worker's Party. "Following our party's supreme leader, Kim Jong Un, we are converting our sadness to courage and we will achieve great things."

Under Kim Jong Il, the country suffered a devastating famine even as it built up its million-strong army, expanded its arsenal of ballistic missiles and became the world's eighth declared nuclear power.

He died on December 17, reportedly from a heart attack. News of his death, announced two days later, put the region on edge and set off speculation around the world about the country's stability and future direction.

For the time being, Kim Jong Un appears to be rallying support within the regime, despite his young age -- he is thought to be in his late 20s -- and relative inexperience.

After the speeches Thursday, a row of heavy guns fired off a salute. Then, a cacophony of horns and sirens went off, drawing the service -- and the last day of official mourning -- to a close.

cnn.com

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on holiday in Vietnam

Mark Zuckerberg, founder of the world’s number one social network, Facebook, has been in Vietnam since December 22 for his holiday.

Zuckerberg and his girlfriend in Ha Long

After arriving in Hanoi at 11am on December 22, Zuckerberg and his friends, including his girlfriend, Priscilla Chan, visited Hoa Lo, a historical site in the capital city.

Tran Ngoc Bich, the tour guide for a US group in Hoa Lo, said, “He seemed easy going and casual, just wearing a T-shirt, jeans and tennis shoes. He was very friendly.”

At 3pm on December 23, Zuckerberg and his friends went to a Vertu mobile showroom on Ngo Quyen Street, Hanoi.

In the afternoon of December 24, Zuckerberg hired a helicopter to go from Gia Lam airstrip in Hanoi to Bai Chay in Quang Ninh. The group then took a cruise around Halong Bay.

The one day and one night trip to Halong, including the helicopter and the cruise cost nearly USD20,000.

Ha Quang Long, Director of Quang Ninh provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, welcomed Zuckerberg and his friends with a bouquet of flowers and wishes for a merry Christmas.

After a brief stop back at Gia Lam airstrip, on the morning of December 25, he and his friends flew for a visit to Lao Cai to visit nearby Sapa.

Despite the visit apparently being a holiday, Zuckerberg is said to have an appointment with Nguyen Trong Khoa, who is famous for owning 700 domains of cuisine, tourism and big real estate projects in Vietnam.

Khoa, born in the central province of Binh Dinh, was the founder of the website thatlac.com.vn, which helps people find their missing relatives free of charge. Zuckerberg invited him to visit Facebook headquarter in the US in February 2011.

Zuckerberg was granted a two-week visa to Vietnam.

Born in 1984, Mark Zuckerberg is believed to possess assets worth USD24 billion.

Zuckerberg and Facebook co-founder, Dustin Moskovitz, 27, are two youngest billionaires in the world.

The following photos are exclusive to DTiNews:

Nguyen Trong Khoa visits Facebook headquarter in February

Zuckerberg at a Vertu shop in Hanoi

Zuckerberg and his friends in Ha Long

Zuckerberg and his companions at Gia Lam airpstrip before flying to Lao Cai

Preparing for the flight to Lao Cai

Zuckerberg’s party lands in Lao Cai

dtinews.vn

Vietnam’s architecture via lens of photographers

High-rise buildings, cathedrals, Buddhist temples, etc. look brilliant in 32 photos that entered the finale of the Masterpiece Photo Contest 2011. These works are now on display in HCM City.

The contest closed on November 25, attracting more than 2,800 entries. The best 32 photos are on display until December 17 in HCM City. The award ceremony will be held on December 18.

Below are the top 32 entries:

Semicircle Lake in District 7, HCM City by Huynhdung.

Dak Lak Museum by Bao Hung.

Urban painting by huutienphoto.

Phu My Bridge by Mr_deven.

Thong Nhat Palace 2 by telieuo.

Architectural line by Lehuudung.

Wind and water café by khanhpham.

Hanoi in evening sun by naduytuong.

Violet sunset by nhim1958.

Patterns by tranthephong.

Vietnam’s imprints by randoc.



Path to dream by Vohien.

Truc Lam Tay Thien monastery by Tuan Lai.

A corner of Saigon Pearl by khanhphoto1960.

Wind’s words by Tranhungphoto.

The stairs to heaven by Tuandat.

The beauty of contrast by Trinh.

Hoang Sa cathedral by le hai.

Rural life in city by thuongpoly.

Vista building by thang190470.

Starlight bridge by Tranbaohoa.

Can Tho Terminal by Sontran.



Lien Khuong Airport by Nguyen Thanh Liem.

Parallel by daihocsi.

Cathedral by ngoctrung.

My city by cattien.

The past and the present by tranquocviet123.

Bitexco Financial Tower by Quangbui.

Hanoi by anhkhang2011.

White-Black by imsvietnam.

Magnificent by Nguyen Vinh Hien.

Majestic by Longthaibao8011.

www.dtinews.vn