Tieng Viet lovers club - Page 822

jackbl · #**12316** 04-12-2012, 01:51 AM

"Love market" of charladies in Saigon
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VietNamNet Bridge – When the night falls, hundreds of boys and girls from different places flock to this “market” to find their lovers.

Each of them has a plight and comes from different countryside, but they have the same job – working as maid for well-off families.

There is no trade and no noise at this market. This special market only takes place in the weekend and people come here in an effort to seek their “true half” who can share the joys and sorrows of life.

It is called the love market but it is not a place for girls to sell themselves, or for boys to find trivial physical feelings. It's just a meeting place for girls who work as charladies to date.

Under opaque yellow light, hidden behind old trees, the face of every person who participates in the market portrays many concerns. Some rejoice when the market closes but others are said and anxiously wait for the next market.

At 7 pm on a Saturday, at Pham Dinh Ho park in Ward 1, District 6, Ho Chi Minh City, the “love market" begins to be bustling. Groups of boys and girls flock to the market.

But there are boys and girls to come here alone. They sit quietly on benches in the park, waiting for their friends. Those who have found their partners split into couples to talk. Others walk around the park to find their partners.

Occasionally, a few girls who are still alone are shy and blush when strange guys approach to talk. Somewhere melodies of love songs come from cell phones of guys, as “gifts” for their girlfriends.

Bracelets and leather wallets sold at the roadside become gifts of love that they present each other.

At about 8 hours, all stone benches in the park were packed with people. The "market" has no sellers or buyers, no noise, only groups of people or couples whispering and giggling and exchanging happy smiles.

Le Thi Thanh Thai, a girl with a beautiful name from the southern province of Ben Tre said that she has worked as a charlady in Saigon for several years. She spent most of her time for work, so when she heard about the love market, she was eager to go there to try her luck.

On weekend nights, Thanh was permitted to go out, but she had to return home before the "curfew" hour of the employer. On Saturday, Thanh always tried to complete her tasks very soon, then catching a motorbike taxis to the "love market."

In her first days at the market, Thanh was bewildered and shamed because of her job as a charlady. But she ignored that complex, hoping to find the "prince" of her life.

She felt more conveniently when other charladies also went to the market. After several meetings, love smiled with her.

Among the boys she dated, Thanh fell in love with a worker. Both had difficult circumstances so they easily have sympathy with each other.

In this "love market," there are a lot of touching stories about love of charladies and some of them found their husbands here, for example Ky and Hien (both from Rach Gia, Kien Giang.)

Once Ms. Hien was walking on the road, asking the way to the love fair; she casually acquainted Ky who was also wandering in the garden to find a friend. They became friends and then lovers.

Each week, they looked forward to Saturday evening to see each other. Knowing each other for a few months, they are preparing for a wedding later this year.

Two Khmer girls from Ca Mau province, Thanh and Hoang, were also charladies. One worked for a family in District 11 and the other worked for a family in District 6.

Son Thi Thanh, 19, said she had a boyfriend in the "love market" but they had broken up recently because of the difference in personalities.

The girl named Kim Thi Hoang seemed to be quiet and sad. "She has not seen her boyfriend here for a few weeks. She does not know where to find him so she is very sad,” Thanh explained.

Hoang and her boyfriend knew each other for 6 months. This man is also from Ca Mau. He worked for a bakery in District 5. Every week, they walked for 6, 7 kilometers to meet each other at this market. However, the man did not come to the market for four weeks.

No one knows exactly when the “love market” for charladies was formed. Beverage sellers near Pham Dinh Ho Park said that initially only a few pairs of men and women who worked as charladies for families near the park chose this place as their dating place.

But then this place got more crowded. Now, it has become a "dating place" of hundreds of charladies in Saigon.

Thach Van Dung, from Tra Vinh, a male worker at an ice factory on Kinh Duong Vuong road, said: "Without this market, we do not know where to meet and communicate with friends of my age.”

For a year, Dung went to this market on every Sunday evening to look for his "half" but he did not find her yet. Dung knew over a dozen of couples who became spouses thanks to this market and he wished to be lucky like them. Some couples still went to this market after marriage, to celebrate their love.

Yet, not all love stories have happy ending. A close friend of Dung had a sad love story at this "love market" because his pretty girlfriend, a charlady for a Chinese family in District 5, broke up with him to become "mistress" of a rich man, with hope to change her life.

Some boys went to this "love market" to cheat girls. "But there are not many cases like that. Most of us expect to find our true half here," Dung said.

Nearly 10pm, boys and girls began leaving the "love market." They said goodbye to see each other next week. It seems that a few hours to meet weekly are too short for them.

"We meet each other for only several hours but we are very happy. These meetings are a driving force to help people like us to further love life," a girl said.

Compiled by Nguyet Ngan

jackbl · #**12317** 04-12-2012, 04:05 PM

Reasons to head out to Vietnam
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VietNamNet Bridge - Known with many famous tourist sites with natural beauties, tranquil villages, ancient pagodas, beautiful lakes, Vietnam has been a popular tourist destination in the world. Not convinced as yet? Here are the top reasons why Vietnam should be your next destination.

Reason # 1: A stunningly beautiful country

Vietnam is just beautiful, its geography, topography, landscapes, and especially 3265 km of coastline. Magnificent mountains, Red River and the Mekong deltas, rivers and primary forests make the country an amazing land to visit. The top destinations for ideal Vietnam travel is the 2000 fascinating naturally sculptures rising up from emerald water in Halong Bay. Or head to the Northwest and enjoy the spectacular scenery of terrace rice fields in Sapa, occupied by different tribes. In the central region, Vietnam boasts its best beaches on earth and ready for your golden holidays in Cua Dai beach, Nha Trang beach or Mui Ne beach. In the Mekong delta, tourists get amazed by amazing ways of life from floating villages and floating markets.

Reason # 2: World Heritages

It is not difficult to find out key highlights of Vietnam. The small country is proud to have rich heritages, from natural ones to man-made spiritual. So far Vietnam has 7 UNESCO World Natural and Cultural Heritage Sites which contribute to its appealing beauty, including Hue Complex Monuments, Hoi An ancient town, My Son Holy Land, Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, Halong Bay, The Cultural Space of Gong in the Central Highlands, the Royal Court Music of Hue. Other intangible heritages that attract tourists are Xoan singing, Folk songs and Ca Tru.

Reason # 3: Friendly and Hospitable People

Vietnamese people are the most hospitable and friendly in the World. This feature is popular in all regions of the country. You can find happy faces everywhere from cities to the countryside. You will have a chance to talk and chat with them happily. Foreign kids with blond hair and blue eyes will be most adored by Vietnamese women. Visiting their home, guests will often be offered all kind of fruits and food prepared with great attention for free.

Reason # 4: Multi-ethnic Cultures

The country is populated by 54 groups of people living happily and sharing unique cultures. Each of the group has their own cultures, languages, customs and clothes which make Vietnam a multi-cultural destination. For example, the black H’Mong ladies’ clothes are in black color while the Red Dzao ladies’ clothes are colorful with red scraps on their heads. Visitors will learn different ways of life and it is just making their Vietnam holidays more interesting.

Reason # 5: Best Cuisine on Earth

Vietnamese cuisine is just awesome, and hardly could any visitors have negative comments on Vietnamese food. There is admirably a great balance between vegetable and meats, as well as a selective use of spices to reach a fine taste. Vietnamese food can be considered one of the healthiest cuisines worldwide. Traditional Vietnamese cooking is appreciated for the freshness of the ingredients and for the minimum use of oil which makes this cuisine very healthy. Hardly do families use processed food for daily meals. Most visitors to Hanoi, Hue, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh City will try to plan for a half day cooking tour to learn hands on cooking skills.

Reason # 6: Amazing Development

One reason that draws more visitors to Vietnam is its steady and rapid economic growth. It is not a war anymore. After some 3 decades of open door policies, the country is now in the middle income country. In cities, sky scrapers, high office buildings, residential towns and services are booming. Most visitors will be surprised to see luxurious cars and items are on the markets in this once war torn country. More and more foreigners work in Vietnam, which is seen as a tiger in Southeast Asia.

Reason # 7: Top Security in the World

Last but not least is the country’s top security in the World for your dream holiday. Vietnam is now one of the safest countries in the world. There are no fears for long term strikes, protests, terrorism, guerilla attacks, bombings, kidnaps or killings that affect your holiday. With one party, Vietnam is highly controlled with its own system. In particular, foreigners in Vietnam are highly protected by the legal systems and authorities. Vietnamese government will give a very strict penalty to Vietnamese people who cause damages to foreigners.

Red Crane Travel

jackbl · #**12318** 05-12-2012, 09:57 AM

Crime will bring consequences to Vietnam: expat victim
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I come from Ireland. I have lived and worked in Vietnam for six months. It would take me the whole day to list all the reasons why I love it here and have decided to live in this S-shaped country for a long time.

But I have to say that robberies here, especially in Ho Chi Minh City, have strongly affected the liking I have for it.

As a part of my work, I have been to many countries and continents. And I think the crime rate in Vietnam is now worrisome.

The other day, I was working with several colleagues in our office in District 2 [Ho Chi Minh City] when a man claiming to be an electrician came in. We were a little uneasy but his seemingly confident and professional look made us think that he had been called in by the office building owner. I naïvely left my desk for a while, and found that the wallet in my bag had disappeared on my return. The “electrician” was nowhere to be found then. I lost my cash, bank and phone cards, and relatives’ photos.

I was really sad and disappointed, continually blaming myself for that incident. But what frustrated me most was not the loss of money, but the fact that the wallet contained many things that were spiritually invaluable to me. I wished the “electrician” had merely taken the money and returned the wallet with the other contents to me … It was a long time ago, and I feel better now but still I cannot completely forget about it.

Since then, I only bring enough money to spend in a day and leave all my papers at home whenever I go out. I carry my laptop in a bag worn over my chest, rather than on my back.

Despite these precautions, I had my backpack snatched on the street in Ho Chi Minh City two months back. It was twilight and I was on my way home from a supermarket. I carefully put my backpack to the side facing the pavement. Suddenly, the headlights of a speeding motorbike made me instinctively cover my eyes with one hand. The backpack was then seized and I was thrown to the street.

There was nothing valuable inside the backpack but what frightened me was the possibility of a serious accident. It is almost unbelievable that I fell victim to crime twice during the last six months. I gave up my dream of traveling across Vietnam with my belongings, even if I was 25 years younger than I am now.

Crime will, of course, create bad outcomes: visitors will never come back, foreign business owners will be hesitant to invest in Vietnam, and Vietnamese will look ugly and suspicious in the eyes of international visitors.

To improve the situation, I think Vietnam should mete out punishments severe enough to make criminals afraid when they think of committing a crime. In my opinion, you can learn from countries in the region that seem to have systems that deal quite adequately with crime. In particular, I lived in Singapore for four years and found the system acceptable in its severity. During my time there I even had the opportunity to speak with Singaporean citizens who were punished for crimes they had committed. Each time the person had the same remark; “I have been punished once and do not want to have the experience again”…. I would recommend looking far and wide (even outside Asia) to see what systems are in operation in different countries that have good results in their fight against crime, and also study what system used to help criminals find their place in society once again, to help them permanently re-insert themselves so that they do not have to resort to crime again once they are released from prison or have been punished.

In Europe it is not uncommon for representatives of the police force or the judicial system to visit schools to discuss crime levels, the role of the police force or explain the laws and the punishments for each crime. This is not only informative for children but it also creates a link of trust and understanding in order to show that the police force deserves trust and respect for the work that it does. This also helps create more understanding in the minds of the children so that they can eventually feel less apprehensive about going to the police to report a crime or ask for help. It probably sounds a little naïve but the objective is to show that the police are there above all to protect everybody, as a “friend” would, and are not there to punish systematically or unfairly.

Children are obviously the future of any country, so having them understand the police force and feel comfortable with the police is important. However, the community as a whole (therefore young and old) should be involved in this educational process.

Television is a very effective vector of communication. In certain European countries there is a weekly TV program hosted by members of the police force informing the population about crime and calling for the population’s participation and assistance in fighting crime and resolving certain crimes.

Neighborhood surveillance groups have also been created in Europe (and the USA) to act as a relay for the police force and therefore help to considerably reduce the levels of theft and assaults in certain neighborhoods.

jackbl · #**12319** 05-12-2012, 12:24 PM

The author of the lessons continued to teach further so we can learn more now .......

41 – While reading this, I learn something useful – trong khi
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The way you use these words is similar to the English counterpart: at the beginning of a sentence, or in the middle, between 2 sentences

Trong khi (while) + sentence 1 happens, sentence 2 also happens

Sentence 1 happens trong khi (while) sentence 2 also happens

Anh ấy dọn nhà trong khi em nấu cơm tối
He clean house while I cook rice evening
He cleans the house while I cook dinner

Trong khi ông đi du lịch, cây xoài ở nhà bị đổ
While he go travel tree mango at home got fallen
While he was travelling, the mango tree at home fell.

You can also use trong khi with a verb to indicate 2 actions happening at the same time.

Trong khi + action 1, subject + action 2
Subject + action 1 + trong khi + action 2

Trong khi xem phim, Lan bị mất ví
When watch movies Lan lost purse
While watching movies, Lan lost her purse

Bạn không được nghe điện thoại trong khi lái xe
You are not allowed to listen to the phone when drive vehicle (car)
You’re not allowed to listen to the phone when driving.

jackbl · #**12320** 06-12-2012, 08:33 AM

42 – Before & after you know this… trước khi, sau khi
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Similar to trong khi (while, when), you can use trước khi (before) and sau khi (after) with a sentence or with a verb.

Trước khi / Sau khi + sentence 1 happens, sentence 2 happens
Sentence 1 happens trước khi / sau khi (while) sentence 2 happens

Anh ấy đi làm trước khi chị ấy về nhà
He go to work before she return home
He goes to work before she returns home

Sau khi trời mưa đường thường trơn và dễ ngã
After the sky rain the road usually slippery and easy (to) fall/slip
After the rain, the road is usually slippery and easy (for people to) fall / slip.

You can also use trong khi with a verb to indicate 2 actions happening at the same time.

Trong khi + action 1, subject + action 2
Subject + action 1 + trong khi + action 2

Trước khi ra khỏi phòng anh nhớ tắt đèn
Before get out of room you (male) remember turn off light
Before getting out of your room, (you) remember to turn off the light!

Bác ấy đưa con đi học sau khi ăn sáng
He take the kid go to study after eat breakfast
He takes his kid to school after eating breakfast

jackbl · #**12321** 06-12-2012, 11:25 PM

Weeks, months, and years have gone by (not)
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Previously I had 2 lessons on asking the time and when someone does something, but it was quite silly of me since I didn’t explain how to express different periods of time. So here we go again

Days of the week

Thứ hai (2) Thứ ba (3) Thứ tư (4) Thứ năm (5) Thứ sáu (6) Thứ bảy (7) Chủ nhật

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun

Thứ means day of the week, and Vietnamese adds a number after that to specify which day of the week it is. A Vietnamese week starts from thứ 2 and ends on chủ nhật (which in Vietnamese means “God’s day” on which everyone goes to the church).

Months: We also count the months similarly. The formula is tháng (month) + number.

Tháng một (1) Tháng hai (2) Tháng ba (3) Tháng tư (4) Tháng năm (5) Tháng sáu (6) Tháng bảy (7) Tháng tám (8) Tháng chín (9) Tháng mười (10) Tháng mười một (11) Tháng mười hai (12)

I think that days and months in Vietnamese are more logical than the English counterparts “Jan, Feb, Mar, etc.”

And now to express the past, present, and future

Day

hôm kia day before yesterday
hôm qua yesterday
hôm nay today
ngày mai tomorrow
ngày kia day after tomorrow

Week – tuần

Month - tháng

tuần trước nữa
tuần trước
tuần này
tuần sau
tuần sau nữa

tháng trước nữa
tháng trước
tháng này
tháng sau
tháng sau nữa

Year – năm

năm trước nữa year before last
năm ngoái last year
năm nay this year
năm sau next year
năm sau nữa year after next

jackbl · #**12322** 07-12-2012, 11:44 AM

43 – Doing 2 things at the same time – vừa… vừa
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To say that you’re doing multiple things at the same time (multi-tasking ), use vừa before the verb

subject + vừa + verb 1 + vừa + verb 2 (+ vừa + verb 3 + vừa + verb 4 … to infinity)

Anh ấy vừa đi học vừa đi làm
He go to study go to work
He goes to school and works at the same time.

Ông vừa nghe đài vừa đọc báo
Grandpa listen to radio read newpaper
Grandpa listens to the radio and reads newspaper at the same time.

To say that something is both so and so (adjective/adverb), use
subject + vừa + adjective 1 + vừa + adjective 2 (… to infinity)

Cái này vừa đẹp vừa rẻ
Thing this good-looking cheap
This is both good-looking and cheap.

Trời vừa nóng vừa ẩm
The sky hot humid
It’s both hot and humid.

Note: When someone tells you Vừa vừa thôi! it means Quit it! at whatever it is that you’re doing (usually when you’re teasing him/her).

jackbl · #**12323** 08-12-2012, 12:44 PM

Robbery rampant throughout Saigon, why?
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VietNamNet Bridge – Street crime is now huge throughout Saigon, making people afraid whenever they go out. Why is street crime rampant?

The HCM City Police Agency confirmed that before Hanoi deployed the 141 taskforce against street crime, which works very effectively, HCM City had implemented an anti-street crime model, which has the coordination between different police forces. Yet, robbery has become rampant, with brutal tricks, making public outraged and feeling insecure. Is the street crime suppression model of HCM City limited or the city has not taken strong enough measures?

The following articles by VietNamNet aim to help people identify the tricks of Saigon’s street criminals to defend themselves before the government takes strong measures to protect people.

Robbery is everywhere

At a press conference held in mid-November, a representative of Ho Chi Minh City Police, Colonel Vu Nhu Ha admitted to reporters that: robbery using a weapon appeared more in suburban districts; individually, robbery targeting commuters, tourists happened much in urban districts like 1, 3, 5, 10...

The evidence for the severity of street crime in the city is proved through specific statistics. In only 4 days of a local police’s campaign against crime in November, the policy discovered 45 cases, including up to 40 robbery cases, or nearly 89 percent.

Recently, Ho Chi Minh City police have arrested many gangs that caused a series of robberies with cruel tricks.

Some typical cases include a robbery in District 2, with the robbers chopped off the hand of a woman to rob her expensive scooter; a gangs attacked couples in District 7 by knives; a gang used chopping-knives to rob in Binh Chanh district.

The latest serious robbery occurred on November 30. At 2:30 am, Mr. Nguyen Huu Chi (born 1990) and Ms. Luc Huyen Trang (born 1987) - employees of a restaurant on Nguyen Tri Phuong Street, Ward 8, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City, left the restaurant to come home.

They walked along Vo Van Kiet Avenue, the section passing Ward 13, District 5. Suddenly three men on a motorcycle blocked the couple and asked them to give VND150,000 ($70).

However, they did not have money. One robber picked up a rock on the sidewalk to beat to Chi’s head then kicked the couple to the Tau Hu canal, which runs along the boulevard. Trang struggled to swim to the shore while Chi was drowned.

According to statistics on the security and order of the Ministry of Public Security, robbery occurs almost every day in Ho Chi Minh City. The common tactic of this type of crime is very wild. They are willing to attack the victims then taking their assets.

Robbery has long been considered a problem of HCM City and it is far more complicated. A lot of clips about robbery in Saigon have been posted on the Internet, show a very painful situation.

Why is street crime rampant?

Recently, people have rumored about the criminals who use needles to rob at the 23/9 Park in District 1, targeting pedestrians at night.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Khe, 35, living in District 4 but running a store in District 1, told VietNamNet that although she had not eye witnessed the robbery, but at the end of the day, she always left money in the store to go home with just VND50,000 ($2.5) in her pocket. Like so many others, Khe felt unsecure whenever she was on the street.

Answering VietNamNet about the increase of robbery, both in the number and the dangerous nature, a leader of the HCM City Police Agency said that as the city has a large number of immigrants, the local authorities cannot control the background of these people.

In economic difficulties, even some university students who cannot afford school fees become criminals.

A number of workers in industrial parks and export processing zones are fired and become street criminals.

Previously, when the crime situation became complicated, Ho Chi Minh City police re-established the task force to fight street crime.

However, district police leaders also lamented that this force is thin. Each district can only mobilize one team of 5-6 scouts to patrol the street.

A scout of the task force said that every night, his team goes to the street to detect suspected subjects to follow.

In a talk with VietNamNet’s correspondents, robber Vu Huu Cuong (born 1993, from the central province of Thanh Hoa,), leader of a bandit that caused 12 robberies, who was arrested by Binh Chanh district police said: "I'm unlucky! That night I unfortunately met a patrol team of Vinh Loc A ward so I was arrested. Normally we chose deserted roads to organize quick robbery. Police could not easily catch us!"

Dam De

jackbl · #**12324** 08-12-2012, 12:48 PM

Khanh Hoa salangane nests
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Vietnam is one of few countries in the world that has an industry of farming and processing salagane nests. Khanh Hoa Province has the largest number of islands which are home to the salanganes and its products have been rated as having the best quality.

700-year-old business of raising salanganes

Thousands of years ago, salangane nests were considered a precious product of heaven and earth which served as “a miracle drug” so it was reserved only for kings.

According to history books, the business of producing salangane nests in Vietnam originated from Khanh Hoa Province and has existed for nearly 700 years.

Legend has it that in 1328, during a mission to the south, Le Van Dat, a commander of the provincial army in the Tran Dynasty discovered many islands inhabited by the salanganes in the sea area of Binh Khang District (now Khanh Hoa Province). Since then the business of producing salangane nests has developed and Le Van Dat has been honoured as the ancestor of this business in Khanh Hoa Province.

Every year, on the 10th of May according to the lunar calendar, the residents in Khanh Hoa organize a salagane nest festival to commemorate those who are credited with establishing the salangane nest production business.

On a fine day in July, we took a speedboat ride to visit some of the 30 salangane islands in Khanh Hoa Province. The most famous islands are Noi, Ngoai and Sam. From afar, we saw some watch towers of the guards on the steep cliffs. Going closer we heard the noises made by the birds.

Khoa, a guard on the island took us to visit the birds’ caves which were very deep and dark with steep cliffs. Under the light of torch we saw countless salangane nests on the cliffs. Khoa said that the salanganes lived in the wild areas. If there was human smell, they were scared and would leave their nests, so their caves are strictly protected to prevent people from going near them.

Vo Van Cam, head of the team harvesting the bird nests of the company told us that harvesting the nests is a risky business, but three generation of his family have been doing it.

The birds usually make their nests on the high cliffs, so the workers must be skilled and brave mountain-climbers.

To harvest their nests they have to erect bamboo scaffoldings on the steep cliffs. In some places where they can not erect scaffoldings they must use rope to secure themselves to the mountain side, which is hundreds of metres high, in order to climb up.

According to scientists at the Southern Institute of Science and Technology, compared to other countries having salangane nest production industries in Southeast Asia, such as Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia, Vietnam has a suitable sea climate and environment and a rich source of food for the salanganes. The birds in Vietnam grow well and yield larger and whiter nests with a better quality.

Apart from the natural source on the islands, Vietnam has successfully raised the salanganes in houses. Khanh Hoa Province has also taken the lead in this method which is seen as a new model with high economic efficiency.

Nguyen Xuan Vien, Director of Sanatech Centre of the Khanh Hoa Salangane Nest Company said that the center has transferred the technology of raising the salanganes in houses to other areas throughout the country, promoting the development of the bird population.

Now the whole country has about 1,500 salangane farming houses with an output of one tonne of nests a year of which Khanh Hoa Province produces half. It is expected that by 2020, the number of these houses will increase to about 10,000, making a great contribution to preserving this species of bird and increasing the national output.

Development of a golden business

For over 700 years, the business of raising and processing salangane nests in Khanh Hoa Province has developed strongly and has become a leading economic strength of the locality.

Vietnam has about 50 salangane islands with over 180 caves, of which 29 islands with 142 caves from Van Ninh District to Cam Ranh City are under the management of the Khanh Hoa Salangane Nest Company. The company produces over three tonnes of nests a year.

To process this high-grade product, the company has invested in a closed, automatic production system using the advanced technology of Germany and Italy. It has also applied the ISO 9001:2000 and HACCP systems to ensure the stable quality of the products and enhance the competitiveness of the company during international integration.

Truong Tan Phi, manager of the salagane nest processing plant of the company said that it was the largest plant in Southeast Asia with a capacity of about 30 million products a year. The plant specializes in producing canned salangane nests from natural resources taken from the islands by the company.

Khanh Hoa bird nest products are produced with modern technology reaching international standards in combination with traditional secrets, so they still have the natural essence and high nutrition.

According to the research results of the Biotechnology Center at the University of Fisheries, and the Institute of Biotechnology at the Vietnamese Academy of Science and Technology, Khanh Hoa salangane nests are a pure natural food with abundant nutrients, including 18 essential amino acids.

In recent years, although the amount of exported nests was only 5-6tonnes/year, the price of Vietnam’s salangane nests is always higher than that of other countries in Southeast Asia due to better quality.

The price of the cave nests in Vietnam is 60-90 million VND/kg while house nests are 30-60 million VND/kg. Khanh Hoa bird nests products have been exported to 21 countries around the world, including large markets, such as China, Taiwan, the USA, Australia and Singapore.

Le Huu Hoang, General Director of Khanh Hoa Salangane Nest Company said: “Salangane nests are a gift that nature has bestowed on Khanh Hoa, so we must have the responsibility to preserve, protect and develop this valuable asset. Over 30 nest products of the company have been trademarked in 42 countries and territories around the world. This shows the strong pervasion of these precious and unique products.”

In the future, if there is a reasonable investment strategy, Khanh Hoa Province can become a center of high-quality salangane nests in the world. These products can develop into a strong brand to promote the country’s image in the international arena.

According to oriental medicine, salangane nests have a sweet taste and a temperate property. They are nutritious and healthy food for asthenia, fatigue, anorexia, poor flood pressure, insomnia, quick heartbeat, illness and yellow skin. They help increase resistance and immunity to disease.

Ngoai Island is several kilometers away. It has the largest number of salangane caves, making up two-thirds of the nests produced by the province. The sea here is very rough, so the caves must be carefully protected. The company has taken many measures, such as making roofs for the caves, building dykes and installing surveillance cameras.

jackbl · #**12325** 08-12-2012, 02:44 PM

Teenagers becoming more open .........

The public get indignant with sex clip distribution
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VietNamNet Bridge - After a series of video clips featuring fights among schoolgirls, the online community has been surprised by sex clips of schoolgirls. This once again sounds the bell of disillusion of the indulgent lifestyle of a small part of the youth today.

On November 30 this year, the police of the northern port city of Haiphong announced to identify the couple in the sex clip that was posted on the Internet in late November.

The woman in the clip is determined as a 21-year-old girl in Kien Thuy district, Hai Phong. The girl graduated from the high school and did not have a job yet. The man in the clip is also 21 years old and also from Kien Thuy district. He is a student of a vocational high school in Hanoi.

Kien Thuy District Police questioned the couple for investigation. The two admitted themselves as the characters in the sex video.

They said they used to be classmates and loved each other. Both wanted to shoot the sex clip to celebrate their love. The clip was filmed by a mobile phone in the middle of June 2012, in the toilet on the second floor at the girl’s home.

The girl and her family sent a denunciation to the police of Kien Thuy District, claiming her privacy was being abused.

The boy said that someone stole the clip from his phone to post on the internet, adversely affecting the image of the couple.

Earlier, on October 10, 2012, Nguyen Thi Minh Khai High School in Mo Cay Nam district, Ben Tre province confirmed that its five students involved in a sex video that had caused a stir on the Internet.

The school expelled two students for a year, including the male student in the sex clip and a student who made the clip.

The school also expelled the female student in this clip for a week. The two students who watched the clip on the phone of the student who made the video and then gave it to other students had to serve a warning.

Earlier, on September 5, five students related to the case drank beer after the opening ceremony. After that two students had sex and was sneakily filmed by a schoolboy, who then showed the clip to two other students.

The clip was then transferred to two other students of Ca Van Thinh high school in Mo Cay Nam district. One of the two students, a 12th grader, posted it on the Internet, caused a stir in the public opinion.

Also recently, the online community was stirred when a sex video of a couple, given as students of a university in the Central Region was leaked. The 30-minute clip made viewers "shock" because of the boldness of the characters.

The incident once again sounds the bell of disillusion of the indulgent lifestyle of a small part of the youth today.

There are many other cases occurred this year.

Le Trong Hung, 17, in Ha Dong district, Hanoi had relationship with two 10th graders named Hue and Lan at the same time. Hung used to study in the same school with them but he dropped out.

Hue was jealous. She gave Hung her cell phone and asked him to videotape his sexual relations with Lan to spread to take revenge against Lan.

On April 11, Hung and Lan dated in a hostel and had sex. Hung filmed their sexual intercourse scenes and gave the 7-minute clip to Hue. This girl then sent the clip to a number of fellow students and spread to other schools. The case quickly spread and was discovered shortly thereafter.

Ha Dong district police summoned Hung and Hue for investigation. Hung admitted to be more in love with Hue so he agreed to videotape his sexual relations with Lan and gave the clip to Hue.

Fortunately, the police quickly prevented the wide spread of the sex video.

In mid-October, a sensitive clip spread fast. The main character in the clip is said to be a 10th grader of a high school in Cau Giay district, Hanoi.

However, soon after netizens "vindicated" the reputation of Hanoi’s schoolgirls. She found out that the clip came from abroad, not Vietnam.

Compiled by Mai Lan

jackbl · #**12326** 09-12-2012, 01:36 AM

Half of Vietnamese minors used to have sex: poll
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Almost half of the 762 Vietnamese minors participating in a poll said they once engaged in sexual intercourse while they were in love, according to figures released Tuesday at a Ministry of Education and Training workshop on gender and reproductive health in Hanoi.

About eight percent revealed that they had sex even when they were not in love, as shown in the survey conducted from August to October by the Hanoi-based Center for Creative Initiatives in Health and Population (CCIHP).

One-third of the young people said they did not take any safe sex precautions when they were in a relationship, simply because they did not see any risks.

Among the other two-thirds, male respondents named money, emergency numbers, familiar venues, and condoms as the top safety measures to protect themselves whereas the females considered the third option the number-one safety practice, followed by a sound understanding of their partners.

However, only one-tenth of the female participants brought condoms to a rendezvous while one-third of their partners did so.

None of the respondents who are 15 or younger had any previous knowledge of sex while nearly one-third of the 16-17-year-olds disclosed they had sex before.

“This indicates an urgent demand for sex education for children aged 15 and under,” Pham Vu Thien, CCIHP director, said.

Thien added that the surveyed females did very little to safeguard themselves since they thought there was no risk with their partners.

“All the participants admitted that their schools and parents had not educated them on any precautionary methods,” he revealed.

Adolescents are easily thrown in the dark about sex education as parents tend to avoid discussing sexual issues with them, the director said.

Obedient children at risk

Parents usually think that their children are always “obedient and knowledgeable” so they should be immune to risks, Thien said.

The most common guidance parents often give their children is “warning” rather than detailed information on advisable responses to insecure situations, he added.

Dr. Nguyen Thu Giang, deputy director of a Hanoi-based non-governmental health institute, said that those regarded as “meek and mild” are most likely to be subject to sexual abuse or unprotected sex.

“More often than not, overprotective families deprive the children of contact with and the ability to respond to real scenarios,” Giang said.

Under-par sex education

Workshop delegates said that schools now provide sex education that is too academic while their students need realistic information.

Tran Thi Hoa, a doctor, complained that education on sexual and reproductive heath is under par in Vietnamese schools.

“More open content would help improve the situation,” she said. “Instructors should engender trust in children so that they are willing to speak and share sensitive issues with them.”

Dr. Giang said that adolescents know a lot about sex but they do not have much understanding of sexual health.

They are even ignorant about such basics as menstrual hygiene, mate selection, indecent clothes, forms of sexual abuse, and abuse prevention, she elaborated.

forgotoldnick · #**12327** 09-12-2012, 02:18 AM

Sao bjo it nguoi o day noi chuyen.....chi co 1minh anh jack thoi

intoxicated316 · #**12328** 09-12-2012, 03:06 AM

Co le tat ca moi nguoi di uong bia roi~

jackbl · #**12329** 09-12-2012, 12:36 PM

Review – Google Translate from English to Vietnamese
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I tried Google Translate for other languages (French, Spanish, Korean, Japanese, you name it) several times in the past, but never Vietnamese. But recently, I gave it another try. It was fun.

The last time I tried it, probably years ago, it was rudimentary. I winced at how crude the translation was.

But a year in technology roughly equals 25 human years, so in the short time that I didn’t keep in touch, Google Translate improved leaps and bounds (at least for English to Vietnamese).

Recently I received a commission to translate an English technology document into Vietnamese. You know, technology updates faster than a girl can change her clothes. What didn’t exist in Vietnam 5 years ago is now suddenly very popular, and the Vietnamese vocabulary doesn’t update fast enough to keep up with all the new terms in software and hardware. I was left stranded with how to translate certain things into Vietnamese that would make sense for a non-English speaking, non-geek average Vietnamese-native.

Enter Google Translate. I was impressed. For the document I worked on, Google Translate got about 85% correct. The 15% wasn’t incorrect (all numbers are guesstimates ). It was more about the nuances in the Vietnamese language. If you know how to fine-tune it, it’ll be perfect Vietnamese. Just don’t type in “Will you marry me?” and expect your Vietnamese sweetheart to be thrilled with the translation.

What it means is that a non-English speaking Vietnamese can read the document translated by Google and get a good idea of the meaning. I ran a couple of websites through it, from the heavyweight Wikipedia in English to Amazon, The Economist, YouTube, etc. all the popular websites. It works really well. If the non-English speaking average Vietnamese-native only needs to read English stuff, s/he will be fine not learning English. Live on Google Translate, a reliable computer & Internet (& and pray the government doesn’t censor it ).

How about things from the other side? Vietnamese translated into English? Same as above, but with only about 70% accuracy. I punched in a few websites popular in Vietnam like Vnexpress.net, zing.vn, kenh14.vn. The translation was ok. You can get a gist of things, but not the details.

So there you go, have fun with Google Translate. It works better than I expected

For me, if a language is Romanized and use abc letter, feed it into Google. The browser will spit out an usable translation. Whew… Italian, Spanish, and French things, no more fear!

Now I only need to learn Chinese and Japanese letters

PS: Google Translate gives me a hilarious Vietnamese translation of this post!

power69 · #**12330** 09-12-2012, 08:47 PM

bro u work in vietnam?