A child peeks around the corner at a care center for HIV-afflicted in Ho Chi Minh City. Hundreds of HCMC parents pull their children out of school upon learning HIV-positive orphans have been enrolled.

It was just the second day of classes of the new school year, yet the An Nhon Tay Primary School in Ho Chi Minh City’s Cu Chi District was nearly empty on Tuesday. Just 98 students turned up with between five and 10 students in each class. It wasn’t because enrollment numbers were down this year, however, or because of influenza A (H1N1) fears. The reason for the sparsely populated school was in fact because hundreds of parents pulled their children out of classes upon learning the school had admitted 15 HIV-positive students this year. Principal Nguyen Van Chan said that on the first day of classes, many parents rushed into the building to remove their kids after seeing students from the local Mai Hoa Center for HIV-affected children entering the school. “In total, 255 students followed their parents home, and only 44 students stayed at school,” despite the school’s efforts to convince parents to let the kids stay, said Chan. Not until the school sent the 15 HIV-affected children back to Mai Hoa, did some parents allow their kids to return on Tuesday, a teacher said. The incident was a bitter experience, say officials from both An Nhon Tay School and the Mai Hoa center, as the two schools have made significant efforts to integrate the Mai Hoa children into the public school. The 15 children, mostly orphans, had been attending second to fifth grade classes at the center when they were finally given permission to transfer to An Nhon Tay School. Up until recently, nuns from Mai Hoa had been bringing the 15 kids to join some of the school’s ceremonies as well as festivals and sightseeing tours. Mai Hoa had applied for permission to let the HIV-affected children attend classes at An Nhon Tay School this year and had gained approval from the district’s education division, according to Chan. Yet, in the end, they still failed to gain approval from parents whose children were attending the school. “From the teachers’ viewpoint, all students are the same and should have the chance to go to school and study,” Chan said. “However, [allowing HIV-infected kids to attend a public school] is a very sensitive problem and it’s difficult to get society’s acceptance,” he said. “What we are most concerned about is that the HIV-affected children may get hurt [emotionally]. They are too little to be aware [of the stigma],” Chan added. A dream out of reach Since 2006, the Mai Hoa center has been making efforts to give the 15 children, of whom most were infected with HIV from their parents, the same education as offered in public schools. In 2007, Cu Chi District authorities finally agreed to let Mai Hoa offer academic classes for the children with textbooks provided by An Nhon Dong Primary School. However, they were still refused when applying to send the children to public schools last year. The children, who have already faced a host of untold hardships in their young lives, were extremely excited and hopeful upon learning of their acceptance into An Nhon Tay School this year, said Sister Bao from Mai Hoa. “The night before the first day of school the children were so excited,” Sister Bao said. “In the morning they got up at 5:30 a.m. and were ready to go to school. “But in the end, parents objected so much. My heart was broken seeing them stare at and dodge the kids,” Sister Bao said, adding that several of the Mai Hoa children began crying upon learning they would have to return to the center for the rest of the school year. A conference held in May on care programs for children with HIV/AIDS or who have family members with the disease, heard that discrimination against such kids is still rampant in Vietnam despite some schools accepting the children. Source: Tuoi Tre

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A technician checks equipment on a lake inside the presidential palace in Hanoi on Thursday. Researchers have begun testing mechanical "SediTurtles" they say will protect a legendary Vietnamese turtle while cleaning the historical lake in which the creature lives.

Experts showed off the German-developed sediment-eating machines this week as part of preparations before an expected cleanup of Hoan Kiem Lake, the heart and soul of Vietnam's capital. Nestled in the center of rapidly urbanizing Hanoi, the so-called Lake of the Returned Sword is home to an elusive turtle which symbolizes Vietnam's centuries-old struggle for independence. In a story that is taught to all Vietnamese school children, the 15th century leader Le Loi used a magical sword to drive out Chinese invaders and founded the dynasty named after him. Le Loi later became emperor and one day went boating on the lake. A turtle appeared, took his sacred sword and dove to the bottom, keeping the weapon safe for the next time Vietnam may have to defend its freedom, the story says. Occasional sightings of a giant soft-shell turtle draw large crowds, and photographs and amateur video clips attest to the claim that at least one turtle indeed still lives in the lake. Reported sightings of the turtle, a symbol of eternity, are deemed auspicious, especially when they coincide with major national events. The site's historical importance therefore requires a delicate clean-up operation, and the joint team of Vietnamese and German experts have been planning how to clean the turtle's home with minimum risk to the creature. Leonhard Fechter, of Berlin's Herbst Umwelttechnik GmbH, said he knows people care about the turtle, so his company made the SediTurtle with a "soft" technology that will not harm the animal. "We are sure we won't touch the turtle," he said as he demonstrated the devices at a fish pond on the grounds of the former home of Vietnam’s first president Ho Chi Minh. A thick red hose floating on the water was connected to what looked like a grey metal box. An attached dredging device was invisible below the surface, sucking out sediment from the bottom and sending it down the hose to another machine which separates sludge from water. The box moved with the slow, quiet movements of a turtle, winched along by ropes connected to a small blue boat. "That device is moving very slowly. That big turtle can easily escape" from its path, said Celia Hahn, the project manager from Dresden University of Technology. A second, more sophisticated SediTurtle resembles a giant corkscrew and operates by remote control "like a submarine," said Peter Werner, a professor also from Dresden university. This less obtrusive option is Werner's preferred choice because it would not need unsightly ropes to pull it around the picturesque Hoan Kiem Lake. Hoan Kiem has suffered the fate of all lakes. Over time, sediment increases and the water level drops, particularly in urban areas. The experts said Hanoi's much-photographed lake is only about 1.5 meters (five feet) deep - close to half a meter at its shallowest - but a four-tosix meter layer of sludge containing industrial pollutants has built up on the bottom. Draining the lake, the more conventional way of removing contaminants, is out of the question because it would destroy the treasured water body's entire ecosystem, experts said. "The big turtle is living from crabs or small fish," Werner said, adding that sediment removal will be done in phases, to ensure part of the lake is always left free for the animal. Christian Richter, of FUGRO-HGN GmbH, said his engineering firm has already assessed the lake's geology and hydrology. By the end of this year it will map areas of the lake where sediment can be removed without causing water to drain out, he said. The Vietnamese and German governments are funding the preliminary stages of the program but financing is needed for the estimated US$2.8 million cleanup of Hoan Kiem to begin, the experts said. "There are banks interested in financing," Werner said. Hanoi next year will mark its 1,000th birthday, and the lake cleanup was initially expected to be finished in time for the celebration. That deadline cannot be met because of the care with which sediment removal must be done, the engineers said. "Even if they start immediately, they would need at least one or two years for the removal," Richter said. Source: AFP

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Ho Chi Minh City will encourage more investment in advanced mechanical engineering and the electrical, electronic, and chemical industries in its industrial parks, an official said.

By 2020 about 7,000 hectares of land would be earmarked for setting up factories in three export processing zones and 12 industrial parks in the city, up from the current 4,000 ha, Vu Van Hoa, chairman of the HCMC Export Processing and Industry Zone Authority (Hepza), said. By last year the parks and zones housed nearly 1,200 projects with an investment of US$4.36 billion, of which 463, worth $2.63 billion, are foreign-owned, according to Hepza. They contributed $17 billion to the country’s total export of $62 billion last year, it said. Reported by Minh Quan

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Ho Ngoc Ha performs on stage In the run up to the Lunar New Year, sizzling supermodel-turned-singer Ho Ngoc Ha speaks with Thanh Nien Daily about her past and present Tet celebrations.

Thanh Nien Daily: Are you looking forward to the Tet (Lunar New Year)? What do you intend to do during the upcoming holidays? Ho Ngoc Ha: In my heart of hearts, I am scared of witnessing my family members and close friends getting older as the New Year comes. Like many other artists, I am usually busy with many shows during the year-end and New Year holidays. People often say Tet is a “big sponsor” for artists. But this year, I want to take a rest and refresh myself. I have worked very hard every day of the year and need some time to look back, review what I have done over the past year, and set out targets for the year ahead. I have also planned a tour abroad for my family. Have your expectations for Tet changed over the years? Yes. When I was a small girl, I always longed for Tet so that I could take a break from school, wear new clothes and wander around the crowded streets and entertainment spots with my friends. I still remember how excited my elder brother and I were, waiting for my father to give us new clothes. He worked as a tailor and would have to work right up until the Lunar New Year eve before starting to make clothes for his children. Since I came to Ho Chi Minh City to start my fashion career five years ago, I’ve only wanted to get away from all the noisy places during the Tet holidays. I just wanted to stay at home on my sofa, feeling relaxed wearing only the most casual dress, noshing on food and watching performance shows and festivals on TV. My first Tet in Saigon was memorable. Working as a model at the time, I decided to remain in the city where I could earn more at the large Tet shows. After a busy day of bustling activities, I came back to my rented room and cried like I had never done before. I felt the greatest loneliness ever, experiencing Tet without my loved ones around me. Do you have any regrets about the past year? I had promised to have a live show last year but the plan broke down. However, I will make it up to my fans this June with the first live show of my singing career. In 2007 you were reported to have paid the most taxes of any Vietnamese artist. Do you think you’ll top the list this year as well? I have no idea about that. I have just set up a private company and have a lot of things to care about. I think the top position will go to someone else this year. (Laughs). Besides my singing career, I’ve always wanted to become a successful businesswoman and a millionaire. I don’t want to talk too much about my future plan but I have aspirations of doing big things and doing them to the best of my ability. You’ve won a number of prestigious awards over the past two years, both for your style and singing ability. What do you owe to such impressive achievements and do you think your stunning appearance contributes heavily to your success? I think success not only depends on one’s talent and appearance but also on one’s behavior and courage. I have convinced my audiences that my songs are worth listening to; my performances are worth watching; and my attitude is worthy of respect. My soul is soft, tender and thoughtful enough to be an artist while my mind is firm enough not to be upset by any rumors. These days, you and music composer Duc Tri have appeared very close in public. Many fans are guessing that despite your past ups and downs, the two of you are now rekindling your romantic relationship. I am sorry to affirm that we will never resume our romantic relationship. But I am very happy to say that our present relationship is even more wonderful than the time when we were lovers. Our careers have taken off and we really want to focus on what we can do to cooperate with and help each other. So that means you’re still single? Well, I am still looking around for the right man. It’s no easy job for a man to have a relationship with a famous and independent woman, and especially a singing addict. Reported by Bao Tran

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Hanoians buy food for Tet (Lunar New Year) holidays at street shops. From the making of several dishes to visiting relatives, Tet traditions have undergone a transformation.

As the main part of her Tet celebrations, Nguyen Thu Ha is in touch with some travel agents so she can take her family to the beautiful coastal city of Nha Trang for a holiday. For Ha, choosing an attractive place for her family to visit is the most interesting part of Tet preparations. As the 37-year-old chief accountant of a bank in Hanoi, she puts in long hours – as many as 12 – at the office every day, and she reckons her break is well-deserved. “My family wants to make use of the occasion to relax after one year of hard work. In addition, my son could learn swimming,” Ha says. She knows there is a world of difference between the way she prepares for Tet and what her mother used to do during her childhood. “My mother used to struggle to make some delicious food and get some new clothes for us every Tet. Now, we don’t have to worry about food, since meat and fish, which were on the dining table only at family parties or Tet during my childhood, have become a common part of our daily meals.” Vietnam's strong economic development has seen the emergence of middle class and high-income groups of people that can afford a luxurious lifestyle, which has spilled over into how they welcome Tet. Most of these people, especially in big cities like Hanoi, Hai Phong and Ho Chi Minh, no longer make the banh chung (square cakes made from glutinous rice, pork and green beans), lean pork paste and fruit jams during the Tet season. People choose blossoms trees in Hanoi to decorate their house during Tet Modernization means they have neither the time nor the inclination for such activities. Spending many hours at offices and factories leaves little time for cooking at home, and everything. Expensive imported items and locally-made food products that serve many budget levels are available in the market. From street vendors, groceries stores, and regional markets to plush upmarket trade centers, the options are plentiful if you have money. Already clogged with motorbikes and an increasing number of cars, streets in the cities are snarled on pre-Tet days as people rush to markets, supermarkets, trade centers and other shops. “The number of customers coming here during the Tet shopping season has increased many times over ordinary days. We have prepared more goods and mobilized more staff to serve them,” says Nguyet Anh, an employee of the Trang Tien Plaza in Hanoi. At a supermarket in the plaza, streams of customers with shopping carts loaded with foods, beverages, cosmetics and garments cram through its narrow doorways. “In my mother’s generation, cooking used to be one of their joys during Tet. Now, we don’t want to spend much time on it [cooking]. We want to spend Tet relaxing,” says nurse Nguyen Thi Hanh, 27, while choosing some semi-processed chicken. People today also spend more time decorating their houses with flowers and bonsai for Tet. Many have spent hundreds of dollars on bonsai plants and trees with beautiful shapes for the holiday, which falls on January 26 this year. People in the north have a tradition of displaying peach blossoms and kumquat trees while those in the south display ochna plants that bloom yellow flowers during Tet. This year, many people in the south have chosen peach blossoms and kumquat bonsai mainly grown in Hanoi and the northern provinces of Bac Giang and Hung Yen, as well as that of ochna plants grown in southern localities, says gardener Nguyen Duc Minh, as he waters trees pruned in the shapes of pyramids, dragons, phoenixes and even waterfalls. There are other changes in the way Tet is celebrated, including one indispensable activity, which is to visit relatives and not leave without eating or drinking. That custom is changing now. Instead of welcoming Tet at home, many people are choosing beaches, including Nha Trang, Phan Thiet, Phu Quoc and Tuan Chau, while others prefer to travel abroad, mainly to regional countries like China, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia. Another Tet tradition that has changed a lot in recent years is the offering of gifts. Previously, Tet gifts were locally-produced wine bottles and boxes of jams as offerings to parents, relatives and bosses as a sign of affection and respect. Now, many people choose to buy expensive gifts for their superiors with some presents destined for officials worth thousands of dollars. Amidst all the changes, there is a constant. Every New Year is awaited with expectations and hopes of greater joy and prosperity in the coming year. Reported by Bao Anh

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If you are looking for space or a place to unwind, to treat our family to a getaway weekend or celebrate your honeymoon, there is a quite area on the Saigon River bank that is just the ticket.

Six kilometers from downtown, the Thao Dien Village offers guests the space they need in a luxurious, colonial setting. The newly opened “village” is a 13,000 square meter complex on Nguyen Van Huong Street in Ho Chi Minh City’s plush District 2. The complex comprises a 22 room colonial-style hotel called An Phu, an event hall, a water puppet theater and other facilities. Active sorts can make use of the fitness club with a variety of workout programs on offer, a sumptuous spa welcomes those in need of deep relaxation and its riverside pool is a good place to cool off. The greenery that surrounds the complex and the spacious lawn overlooking the river are ideal for children to “burn” their energy. Thao Dien Village has four restaurants with different styles that seem to have something for everyone. Well-known Vietnamese fine dining establishment Ngon Restaurant has opened its second location here with a beautifully decorated, dark wood traditional dining room. Ngon is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner with main courses ranging from VND 120,000 to VND340,000 (US$6.84-19.40). Next door is a slightly funkier and less formal Japanese restaurant where the staff are all smiles, the sashimi is fresh and the menu is extensive and well priced. Only a handful of items on the twelve-page menu run over VND100,000 ($5.7). Of the Asian options, however, it’s the Chaba Thai Restaurant that has people talking. The soups, curries, vegetables and desserts are purported to be the best in town. The Villa Romain Restaurant beneath the hotel offers fine Italian dining with views across the lawn to the river. Upstairs, the hotel rooms are spacious with wooden floors, there are terraced areas and yet another lovely pool. The traditional water puppetry show, held three times per week, is well worth a visit by itself. Thao Dien Village is an antidote to the hectic city life and if you’re in need of a getaway, but short on time, schedule a day of two at the An Phu Hotel. Reported by Thuy Nhien

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All enterprises related to telecommunication, information technology and the national media will be improved and overhauled in 2009, Minister of Information and Communication Le Doan Hop said Sunday.

Media training programs will be stepped up, newspapers and television stations will be reviewed and the process for rewarding and penalizing violations in the media would be streamlined in 2009, Hop told leaders of media agencies in Ho Chi Minh City. He said the Ministry would only set the ceiling prices of telcos’ services while enterprises would be able to design their own business plans. Earlier in the meeting, he discussed the advantages and difficulties in 2009 for the information and communication sector in the context of the world economy. Reported by Minh Duc

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Early birds at the Hanoi tax office arrive to get a slot number for submitting applications for the permanent tax code. The Personal Income Tax Law will take effect next Thursday as scheduled but the Party Politburo will take the final decision on how it will be enforced, the vice speaker of the Vietnamese parliament said Saturday.

There have been calls for deferment of the law because of its possible impacts in the context of an economic slowdown when the need of the government is to stimulate investment and boost consumer spending. The law stipulates that the taxable income threshold is VND4 million ($238) monthly for both locals and foreigners working in Vietnam, with taxpayers allowed deductions of VND1.6 million (US$95) for each dependent. National Assembly (NA) deputy chairman Nguyen Duc Kien said that the government and the NA would refer three proposals on implementing the law to the Politburo, the decision-making committee of the Communist Party, to make a final decision. Under the first proposal, enforcement of the law will be postponed until July 2009 or January 2010. During that time, the ordinance on high-income people would still take effect but grant a 30 percent reduction. Under the ordinance, people whose monthly income exceeds VND5 million have to pay income tax without any deduction for dependents. Under the second proposal, a one-year waiver will be granted for incomes on capital gains and stock market transactions as well as those on the transfer of contributed capital and interest received on loans. A 30 percent personal income one-year tax cut for households and individuals who had been subjected to the corporate tax earlier is also included in this proposal. The third proposal made by the NA has all taxpayers having their tax payment deferred until next October when the NA convenes its year-end session, for further decisions. But the NA Standing Committee unanimously decided Saturday that the Personal Income Tax law would take effect on January 1, 2009 as approved at its plenary session in November last year. Tong Thi Phong, another NA deputy chair, also said it was unnecessary to convene an extraordinary session to decide upon this issue. The five-day session of the NA Standing Committee wrapped up Saturday in Hanoi. Rush for tax code applications By 4 a.m. on Friday, people were already queuing up at the Hanoi tax office, braving the chilly weather to submit applications to obtain tax codes. Nguyen Thanh Loc, an employee of a Hanoi-based transport and forwarding company, said he had to get up half an hour earlier so that he could be the first to hand in the applications for his firm. To his chagrin, however, he received slot number 28, meaning he could have to wait until the afternoon to have the applications processed. Pham The Dung, who arrived at the tax agency on behalf of an animal feed company, said his lot number was 34 despite the fact that he had come at 5a.m. Both Loc and Dung told Thanh Nien they had to come early because they hadn’t been served during the previous days because of the large crowds. Not as lucky as Loc or Dung, Linh, who represents the Hanoi Natural Science University, said she was not expecting her documents to be processed on that day because she arrived at the office only at 7:15 a.m. “I might as well come tomorrow,” Linh said. Every organization or company is required to hand in their applications by the end of this month so that their personnel are granted a permanent tax code. Each organization has deputed its representatives to carry hundreds of documents to the tax agency where the personnel are understaffed, leading to an overload. Many people have opted to come very early to pick up their slot numbers. Thanh Nien found a person at 3:30 a.m. on Thursday. But many people have complained about the way the Hanoi tax agency has handled their applications, saying it had used only two out of 10 counters to receive them. Only 32 firms were able to submit their documentation in a morning session, they said. Thanh Nien found that there was considerable pushing and shoving among applicants to get to the counter early. The tax office was asking applicants to start from scratch the next day if their paperwork was not accepted within the day, said Nguyen Xuan Hoang, an Amway company employee. Many people have resorted to staying in the queue no matter how hungry and thirsty they were, applicants said. Thanh Nien could not contact senior officials of the Hanoi tax office on Friday for a comment. Reported by Thanh Nien staff

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Quả táo thêm nhiều "sẹo".

Nokia ngắt kết nối mọi người.

Đâu còn dòng chữ đi lên với dấu chấm than ở cuối.

LG nhận ra rằng "Cuộc sống phũ phàng" (Nguyên gốc khẩu hiệu: Life's good - Cuộc sống tươi đẹp)

Biều đồ một đi xuống không trở lại của Cisco.

Dell đổ vỡ.

Máy in Xerox hết mực dần.

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Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) starting November 1 will reduce charges for calls within its network by 20 percent to the price of VND909.1 per minute.

The telecommunications company said the new network charge will be applied for inter-provincial calls made from landlines, CityPhone, inner-provincial CDMA, VNPT’s Gphone to landline telephone subscribers; from VNPT's landlines to VinaPhone subscribers; VinaPhone post-paid calls to landlines; and inner-network calls between VinaPhone and MobiFone subscribers. Inner-network fixed telephone calls using direct dial and post-paid mobile subscribers will be priced by the “6 seconds plus 1” billing scheme. At public service locations – for example post offices – the billing unit of 6 seconds will be used. Calls made by telephone operators will be charged according to the one-minute billing unit. All of the above charges exclude value added tax. Reported by Truong Son

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