Sales of beans in Vietnam, the largest grower of robusta beans, slowed as farmers’ stockpiles became “thinner,” Volcafe, the coffee unit of commodities trader EDF Man Holdings Ltd., said in a report e-mailed Friday. Vietnamese beans reached VND42,000 ($2.02) a kilogram (2.2 pounds) on Thursday, the highest price since Oct. 18, data from the Dak Lak Trade Tourism Center show. The price eased to VND41,800 on Friday.

Robusta coffee has climbed 22 percent this year as demand increases, especially in emerging markets. Global coffee demand will rise by about 2 percent in 2011-12, according to London-based broker Marex Spectron Group. All of the growth will come from robusta beans, the broker said.

The “rising demand trend in robusta has significantly tightened the global robusta market, quickly absorbing much of the large Vietnam crop, and leading to falling European stocks,” Kona Haque, an analyst at Macquarie Group Ltd. in London, said in a report e-mailed on Thursday.

Robusta coffee for July delivery rose 1.4 percent to $2,217 a metric ton on NYSE Liffe in London, the highest settlement since Sept. 8. A Bloomberg Survey published on March 26 predicted prices would reach as high as $2,236 a ton by the end of May. The price touched $2,235 a ton on Friday.

Roasters may be tapping beans stockpiled in Europe as Vietnam exports drop. Inventories with valid certificates in warehouses monitored by NYSE Liffe were 171,380 tons as of May 14, down 0.7 percent from 172,530 tons two weeks earlier, the exchange said Thursday. Stockpiles have been falling since reaching an all-time high of 417,420 tons on July 11.

Cheaper option

“Right now robusta still provides a cheaper option for roasters’ blends, as they try to capture emerging market customers as well as cater to the lower-end segment at the traditional markets,” Haque said. “The tighter fundamentals for robusta will continue to support London futures.”

Robusta coffee for July delivery was $29 a ton higher than beans for September delivery, up from $25 yesterday, data on Bloomberg show. That market structure is known as backwardation and may signal limited supplies.

Article source: http://www.lookatvietnam.com/2012/05/robusta-coffee-climbs-to-eight-month-high-as-vietnam-sales-slow.html

The display is arranged into categories ranging from prehistoric times to the 10th century, from the 11th century BC to the 18th century and from the 19th century to the modern age. Documents, photographs and artifacts displayed in the exhibit support and reaffirm Vietnam’s sovereignty in the East Sea.

“The documents, photographs, and typical artifacts used in the exhibition are vivid evidence of Vietnam’s strong integration and important contribution in the history of the formation and operation of the system of international maritime trading. At the same time, there is also the historical message of Viet Nam’s long-standing and continuous sovereignty in the East Sea,” said Nguyen Van Cuong, director of the National Museum of History.

Archaeological discoveries in Vietnam’s coastal region’s of the prehistoric period show that inhabitants of these areas not only had close and enduring ties with one another, but also traded and interacted with regions further afield, including peoples and populations of southern mainland China, modern-day Taiwan, and various other regions of Southeast Asia.

To illustrate the period, pottery tools used in productive labour and shells serving as the food of ancient people are on display.

After regaining independence, the Dinh, Le, Ly, Tran and later-Le dynasties sought to consolidate and develop Dai Viet (the then name of Viet Nam) into a powerful and important Southeast Asian realm.

Thanks to the well-crafted foreign trade policies of this great pre-modern dynasty, Vietnam continued to be attractive to foreign merchant ships through the two important gateways of Van Don (in the northern province of Quang Ninh) and Thi Nai (in the central coastal province of Binh Dinh).

In particular, the production and export of ceramics fed the powerful demands of Japanese, Southeast and West Asian markets. These were all trends attesting to the strong integration of Vietnam into the great pre-modern system of international maritime trade.

The worldwide voyages of European overseas exploration and discovery vessels gave rise to a great “commercial revolution” in Western Europe. This led to the creation of new maritime trading networks linking the regions of the East Sea to other lands and continents. In this period, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, English, French and other traders became directly involved in trade with Dai Viet. In response, the domains of the Trinh Lords (in the north of Vietnam) and the Nguyen Lords (in the south of Vietnam) were opened and integrated strongly into this system.

In this category, the exhibition showcases objects relating to the different cultures of Thailand, Japan, China and Europe.

Visitors can also reach a better understanding of Viet Nam’s sovereignty over the territorial waters marked and identified through maps and documents under the Nguyen Dynasty.

The exhibition will run until November 30, 2012.

Some antiques introduced at the exhibition:

Pottery items of 3,000-4,000 years ago.

Jewelry made of gemstone and glass of 2,000-2,500 years ago.

Bronze-made human shaped lamp support of 2,000-2,500 years ago.

Metal coins of the 5-6th centures, Oc Eo civilisation.

Pottery vase of the Early Le Dynasty, 15th century.

Pottery items of the 16-17th centuries.

Silver-covered perfume bottle and glass bottle of the
 19th, 20th centuries (Nguyen Dynasty).

PV

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Article source: http://www.lookatvietnam.com/2012/05/exhibition-on-vietnams-maritime-cultural-heritage-opens.html

Co Tu people’s charnel-houses are built along forest edge. The size of charnel-houses depends on the position of families. The roofs of charnel-houses are often carved with buffalo or chicken heads, with colorful patterns.

The most special item in charnel-houses are statues placed on coffins. The most popular statues are a set of four statues, with three men and one woman. One man is singing, one is drumming and one is holding a spear. The woman is dancing. Statues wear colorful costumes, especially statues at charnel-houses of rich families.

There are also statues that show the positions of families. Besides the set of four statues, charnel-houses of rich families often have statues of an old man who holds a jar of gold or silver or beautiful girls who are singing and dancing.

Statues are placed in charnel-houses to follow to serve the dead.

Let’s see these statues:

In the past, charnel-houses were all made by wood but today, many of them
are built by brick and cement.

A buffalo head.

Wood statues.

Dan Tri

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President Ho Chi Minh took photo with Ms. Ky Nam and her children.

The most respected memories of late President, Prince Souphanouvong are related to President Ho Chi Minh and Vietnam. The first photo that Prince Souphanouvong taken with President Ho Chi Minh is placed next to pictures of the prince’s family.

That is the picture which was shot on September 4, 1945. After the August Revolution, Prince Souphanouvong was a bridge-road engineer and was working in Vietnam’s Vinh City when he was requested by his brother to come back home to take care state affairs.

According to Mr. To Huy Rua, head of the Central Party Organization Committee, President Ho Chi Minh invited Prince Souphanouvong to Hanoi to discuss alliance between Vietnam and Laos.

That historical meeting was the turning point in the history of Vietnam-Laos relationships. Prince Souphanouvong joined the Indochina Communist Party and began his revolutionary career.

According to the museum’s guide, in that meeting, President Ho Chi Minh and Prince Souphanouvong agreed with each other about many important issues related to the two countries. President Ho invited the prince and his wife, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ky Nam, a Vietnamese, to have meal with him.

The meal only had fish, salted shredded meat and boiled spinach with soybean jam. Perhaps after this meeting, Prince Souphanouvong turned from a prince, a patriotic intellectual into a revolutionist and then a communist.

Four years later, in 1949, Prince Souphanouvong returned to Vietnam to see President Ho in Tuyen Quang province.

The museum used to be the house of Prince Souphanouvong. On the second floor, there is a small living room and two workrooms of the princess and his wife.

The workroom of Prince Souphanouvong is simply decorated, with a rattan-made table and chairs, some bookcase and a cabinet. On the cabinet top is the portrait of President Ho, a censor and a pair of candlesticks.

The workroom of Ms. Ky Nam is simpler. On her bookcase is a small statue of Trung sisters, Vietnamese heroines.

Many photos featuring Prince Souphanouvong or his family with President Ho and Vietnamese leaders like Ton Duc Thang, Le Duan, Pham Van Dong and Vo Nguyen Giap.

In a visit to Ms. Thongvin, the wife of former Lao President Kayson Phomvihan, together with a delegation of the Ho Chi Minh Youth Union, I saw a photo of Mr. Kayson and President Ho in her living room.

Prince Souphanouvong and his Vietnamese wife, Ms. Ky Nam.

Ms. Thongvin, over 80, who was the first secretary of the Lao Democratic Youth Union, said: “I’m very happy to see the two Youth Unions are side by side to build the two countries. You must maintain and follow the tradition of the special relations between Vietnam and Laos, remember!”

General Saman Vignaket, former Politburo member and former Chair of Laos National Assembly, told Mr. Nguyen Dac Vinh, the first secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Youth Union and his Lao counterpart Vilayvong Bouddakham and the Vietnamese delegation: “In the 70s-80s, I went to Hanoi to meet with Mr. Pham Van Dong; he told me: ‘Comrade Saman, our generation is about to see President Ho. We have to educate the young generation to urge them to pursue our revolutionary cause and the special solidarity between the two countries’. I met Mr. Vo Nguyen Giap and he also told me like that.”

“The solidarity between Vietnam and Laos is the one in this world. Prince Souphanouvong said: we have many strategic friends but nobody is better than the friend who fights in the same trench with us. There are many relations but the relations between Vietnam and Laos is always more special than others because we share the same trench,” he added.

General Saman Vignaket is called the ideologist of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party. He was born in Thailand and worked for a Vietnamese family in Thailand when he as a boy. This family adopted him and gave him a Vietnamese name “Duc”. He joined the army led by Kayson Phomvihan.

Laos-Vietnam families

Thanks to the deep affection between the two countries, many Lao and Vietnamese become husband and wife. Prince Souphanouvong and his wife, Ms. Ky Nam is an example.

At the Souphanouvong Museum in Vientiane, there is a photo of a young and beautiful couple, with captions in Lao and English: “Prince Souphanouvong and Ms. Nguyen Thi Ky Nam in their wedding in Nha Trang, January 19, 1938.”

At the age of 11, prince Souphanouvong was sent to Hanoi to study at the Albert Sarraut School. After that, he went to France to study at the Paris Civil Engineering University. He was the first civil engineer in Indochina.

Returning to Indochina, prince Souphanouvong worked in central Vietnam, at important positions like the chief architect of Nha Trang, chief technician of the civil engineering department of central Vietnam. He designed and observed the construction of many irrigation works in Vietnam. Seven of them are still used today.

Ms. Ngoc Anh.

Phan Thiet water tower, designed by the prince, is praised by experts as a beautiful and the most unique water tower in Vietnam. It has become an official symbol of the central province of Binh Thuan.

He also built Yen Xuan Bridge across the Ca River, Do Luong, Thanh Chuong and Bai Thuong dams in central Vietnam. Bai Thuong dam, which is 160m long, 23.5m high, supplies water for more than 50,000 hectares of fields. It used to be a tourist attraction and was printed on stamps.

Working in Vietnam, the prince got married with Ms. Ky Nam, a girl from central Vietnam. Someone said that Ms. Ky Nam is a cousin of Vietnam’s last King Bao Dai.

When the prince was appointed as the chief architect of Nha Trang, he hired a hotel room in Nha Trang, where he met with Ms. Ky Nam, a schoolgirl of Dong Khanh High School in Hue city, who returned home during a summer vacation.

The same year, Ms. Ky Nam was crowned Miss Central Vietnam. They got married on January 19, 1938. Their honeymoon was a trip along rivers in central Vietnam.

Ms. Ky Nam had a Lao name – Viengkham. She became the deputy director of the Lao Institute for Social Sciences.

There is a photo of the couple, taken in 1972. They still looked young and happy like in the wedding photo they took 34 years ago. They had 10 children, including eight sons and two daughters. There is also a picture featuring Ms. Ky Nam, her children, with President Ho.

During the visit of the delegation of the Ho Chi Minh Youth Union to Laos, we met with Dr. Kongkeo Xaysongkham, Vice Party Secretary and Chair of Bolikhamxay province. We paid a visit to his home on the way to Vientiane.

Dr. Kongkeo’s wife is Ms. Ngoc Anh, a Hanoian. Ngoc Anh felt in love with Kongkeo, a Lao student at the Hanoi Transport University, and then they got married. (Dr. Khampha Phimason, who studied at the National Economics University in Hanoi also got married with a Hanoi girl. This is also similar to many other Lao-Vietnam families).

Asking Ms. Ngoc Anh about their love story, she only smiled and said perhaps it was their destiny. Several days later, some people in Vientiane, who knew clearly about the couple, said that Mr. Kongkeo attended a wedding near Ngoc Anh’s home and their love was at the first sight. They now have two children, a son and a daughter.

Receiving Vietnamese newspapers as gifts from the first secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Youth Union, Ms. Ngoc Anh said that these were valuable spiritual gifts and added that her children can speak Vietnamese fluently.

“They were born in Vietnam but study in Laos. During summer, I sent them to their grandparents in Vietnam to study Vietnamese,” she said.

Vietnam-Laos friendship keeps growing

The deep-rooted sentiments between the two nations have been developed. This year – 2012 – is considered as the Friendship and Solidarity Year, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Laos. The two countries recently revealed the cooperation plan in 2012.

Both sides agreed to popularize a project on the history of special Vietnam-Laos ties and the Vietnam-Laos combat alliance and continue to gather more evidence to complete the project.

The two countries will increase the exchange of information and implement commitments within the multilateral cooperation framework, including ASEAN, the Greater Mekong Sub-Region (GMS) and the East West Economic Corridor (EWEC).

They will examine Vietnamese-funded projects in Laos and sign a new investment protection and encouragement agreement to replace the 1996 agreement.

Both sides agreed to hold groundbreaking and inauguration ceremonies of major joint cooperation projects invested by Vietnamese businesses to celebrate key anniversaries in 2012.

They will effectively implement their trade development scheme for 2008-2015 to raise two-way trade to US$2 billion by 2015. They will complete the formulation of the Vietnam-Laos border trade development master plan and coordinate with Cambodia to soon sign the tripartite road transport agreement.

At the session, both hosts and guests shared the view that in 2011, Vietnam and Laos boosted cooperation in education and training, closely coordinated at multilateral forums and reached high consensus on international and regional issues.

The two countries closely coordinated in implementing Vietnamese-funded projects in Laos and increased the exchange of experiences in culture, sports, museums and other fields.

By the end of March, Vietnamese enterprises had had 212 investment projects worth nearly US $3.5 billion in Laos, mostly in hydroelectricity, mining, agriculture and forestry.

Mr. Tran Bac Ha, Chairman of the Association of Vietnamese Investors in Laos (AVIL), said that Vietnamese investment in Laos has increased in both project number and capital in recent years.

In 2011, Vietnam had 15 investment projects worth nearly US$500 million licensed in Laos. Now, Vietnamese-invested projects are implemented in 16 out of 17 Lao provinces.

Vietnam is Laos’ second biggest foreign investor.

Tien Phong

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Article source: http://www.lookatvietnam.com/2012/05/vietnam-laos-special-friendship.html

Manufacturing industry falls into decay

A report by MPI has pointed out that the industrial production in the first four
months of 2012 met a lot of big difficulties, especially small and medium
enterprises. Manufacturing and processing enterprises witnessed the lowest
growth rate in comparison with other sectors, at 3.2 percent in the first
quarter, while it was 13.4 percent the same period of the last year.

The index of industrial production IIP in the first four months of 2012, which
grew by 4.3 percent over the same period of the last year, was the lowest growth
rate in the last three years.

Especially, mining industry saw the modest growth rate of 2.6 percent, the
processing and manufacturing industries, which make up 75 percent of the added
value of the whole industrial sector, increased by 3.8 percent. Meanwhile, the
electricity, gas and water production and distribution increased by 14 percent.

The biggest problems now for the industrial production are the high input costs
and low demand. The stock level by April 2012 of the processing and
manufacturing industries had increased by 32 percent in comparison with the same
period of the last year.

The products that have the highest inventory indexes include fertilizer (+ 63.4
percent), cement (+ 44.2 percent), motors (+ 38.9 percent), garment (+ 35.6
percent), plastics (+ 102 percent).

The trade gap in the last four months of the year stayed at low level of 176
million dollars, much lower than the 4.5 billion dollar level of the same period
of the last year. If noting that Vietnam needs to import materials in big
quantities for domestic production, the low trade gap figure showed that the
production has been scaled down.

Real estate, construction sector saw profits down sharply

3798 enterprises were registered in the real estate sector in the first four
months of the year, while 212 new businesses were set up in the construction
sector, which represented the sharp falls of 23.9 percent and 54.8 percent,
respectively, in comparison with the same period of the last year.

Meanwhile, the percentage of construction enterprises has been on the rise: 16
percent of enterprises in the sector got dissolved in 2011, accounting for 3.9
percent of operational enterprises. The figures were 0.1 percent and 4.7
percent, respectively, for the real estate sector.

In 2011, the ROE (return on equity) of the construction and real estate
industries dropped by 12 and 7.46 percent, respectively, which was explained by
the credit tightening and public spending cut policies.

Seafood exports meet too many difficulties

Seafood exporters have been warned about a tough period, since the EU, the
biggest export market for Vietnam, remains gloomy. A series of big enterprises
have incurred big losses or got bankrupted. As the material prices fluctuate,
farmers have given up farming. Meanwhile, the epidemics, the lack of capital due
to overly high bank loan interest rates both have led to the sharp fall of the
supplies.

All that factors would badly affect the seafood export in the time to come. The
livestock feed price increases have also put hard pressure on farmers.

The bright parts of the picture

The tourism industry has created the only bright part of the picture in the
national economy. In the first quarter of 2012, Vietnam received 1.8 million
foreign travelers, up by 24.5 percent in comparison with the same period of the
last year.

Wooden furniture manufacturing has also recovered after a difficult period with
the wooden furniture exports reaching 1.4 billion dollars, an increase of 25
percent over the same period of 2011.

Source: VnMedia

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Article source: http://www.lookatvietnam.com/2012/05/which-industries-suffer-most-in-economic-downturn.html

Vice Chair of the central city of Da nang, Mr. Phung Tan Viet, has proposed to unify the steering committees of search and rescue, flood and storm control and anti-forest fires, in order to have a streamlined and powerful organization, which can be mobilized quickly.

Lieutenant General Tran Quang Khue, Vice Chair of the National Committee for Search and Rescue, cum Vice Chair of the Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Control, supported the proposal.

The government has assigned the Ministry of Home Affairs to compile a project titled “Building a system for controlling and coping with disasters, search and rescue”. The National Committee for Search and Rescue and the Home Affairs Ministry are working on this project.

Lieutenant General Tran Quang Khue said that many countries have ministerial level agencies on state of emergency, for example Russia’s Ministry of State of Emergency, France’s Civil Safety Agency, the US’ Department of Homeland Security, etc.

In Vietnam, coping with disasters, flood and storm, forest fires, search and rescue is the job of the entire political system, the entire people, with police force and the army as the core. However, the country aims to develop a specialized agency with modern equipment and professional staff, general Khue said.

“We cannot cope with disasters related to toxic chemicals, biology and collapsed construction works without modern equipment and trained people,” said Mr. Khue.

The general added that the Defense Minister determined coping with disasters as a mission of the army in the peacetime.

Nam Nguyen

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These tunnels are built firmly and propped up by pine wood. Tunnels are between 0.8 to 1m wide and nearly 2m high. They are lighted by electric lamps, with ventilation systems and water supply and drainage pipes.

Houses are built on tunnel gates, which are disguised as orchid gardens. Ore is transported from the tunnel by motorbikes.

A local gardener named Phan said that the price for one kilo of tin is VND300,000 ($15). “Each several days, I see motorbikes carrying tin from tunnels. Each trip is worth VND50-60 million ($2,500-3,000),” he added.

The local government has carried out several campaigns against illegal tin exploration but after a short period of time, tin miners return.

Below are pictures captured at tunnels in the Valley of Love on May 15:

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According to initial report, the bus, owned by a transport cooperative in Da Lak, was on the way to HCM City. At 10.15pm, while crossing the 176m Serepok Bridge, the vehicle suddenly crashed into the banisters and fell into the river, at the height of 18m.

Dak Lak province’s Chairman Dinh Van Khiet said that rescue workers and local people were immediately mobilized to save victims.

The vehicle was so damaged that it was very difficult to rescue victims. By 3am, rescue works finalized. Thirty-six people were dead, including the driver and 25-26 others were injured, Mr. Khiet said.

The official said that the local authorities would grant VND6 million ($300) to families of dead victims and VND3.5 million ($170) to families of injured victims.

Tien Thanh

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Duoc la chinh minh (Stereowoman), performed at the Youth Theatre of Viet Nam, marks the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia on May 17. — VNS File Photo

The event took place on the occasion of the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) on May 17.

A recent survey conducted by the Centre for Creative Initiatives in Health and Population on 520 homosexual, bisexual and transsexual people with an average age of 21 revealed that nearly 41 per cent had suffered from discrimination and violence at school or university.

Seventy per cent of them said they had been given offensive names, 38 per cent said they were treated unfairly, 19 per cent claimed to have been beaten and 18 per cent sexually harassed.

The reasons cited for ill treatment included the students dressing or behaving in a “different way” while seemingly having feelings for people of the same sex.

According to the survey, half of the students suffered from constant fear and nervousness and came to hate themselves for their different sexual tendencies, while 20 per cent lost the motivation to go to school and 36 per cent isolated themselves.

More seriously, 35 per cent of those claiming they had been ill-treated said they had considered committing suicides, half of them saying they had actually tried to take their own lives.

“It saddens me to see so many people losing hope for the future at such a young, innocent age,” said Hoang Tu Anh, director of the Centre for Creative Initiatives in Health and Population (CCIHP), pointing out that nearly 40 per cent of those surveyed suffered from identity confusion.

Tu Anh also pointed out that homosexual youngsters were often treated unfairly by their teachers who thought homosexuality was some kind of disease.

She recounted the story of a student called “abnormal” by his teacher in front of the whole class, an embarrassing experience that haunted him for the rest of his life.

Motivated by the situation, a society called the Sexual Rights Alliance on May 14 sent a letter to Minister of Education and Training Pham Vu Luan demanding action to prevent violence against homosexual students at educational institutions.

The alliance consists of six non-governmental organisations including the CCIHP, the Institute for Studies of Society, Economy and Environment (ISEE), the Centre for Family Health and Community Research (CEFACOM) and the Rutgers World Population Foundation in Viet Nam.

The letter additionally proposed integrating education about sexual tendencies in school curricula to raise people’s awareness about homosexuality.

While awaiting the Minister’s response to their letter, the alliance has organised different activities to raise social awareness, including play and training courses about gender, sexuality and health.

“What we hope for is an environment where everyone respects people’s differences,” said Dr. Vu Pham Nguyen Thanh, a researcher from CEFACOM, who added that discrimination against homosexuals was a problem facing the whole of society.
IDAHO was begun by the Joint United Nations Programmme on HIV/AIDS.

This year’s theme is “Combating Homophobia In Education and Through Education”.

UNAIDS said the day was launched to celebrate diversity and to speak out against discrimination and violence.

The growing number of events in Viet Nam every year held on the occasion is an indication of the growing confidence of the LGBT community and the openness and tolerance emerging in the country, according to Eamonn Murphy, UNAIDS Viet Nam Country Director.

“UNAIDS is full of hope as the LGBT communities in Viet Nam are speaking out more strongly about their rights and contributions to society,” said Murphy.

Homophobic bullying is a global problem and adversely affects young people’s mental and psychological health.

Murphy quoted UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as saying that it was “a moral outrage, a grave violation of human rights and a public health crisis”.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News

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Illustrative image.

The money will be used to improve the management of waste in four hospitals, namely Dong Thap General Hospital, Sa Dec General Hospital, Hong Ngu Regional General Hospital and Thap Muoi Regional General Hospital.

The aid is part of the $155 million hospital waste treatment project, launched by the Ministry of Health last December, with financial support from the World Bank (WB).

The six-year project aims to minimise environmental pollution due to medical waste from hospitals in order to improve people’s health. It will help strengthen policies relating to medical waste management and establish solid and water waste treatment systems for at least 150 hospitals.

Dong Thap is among the five Mekong Delta provinces selected to initially be provided with medical waste treatment systems.

Recent statistics from the Ministry of Health show that more than 1,260 hospitals and over 1,000 medical clinics nationwide discharge around 350 tonnes of solid waste and 150,000 cubic metres of liquid waste per day. However, 56 per cent of hospitals nationwide have no waste water treatment system.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News

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