Editor’s note: Tran Phi Tuan, who has moved between different apartment buildings in Ho Chi Minh City, explained why most Vietnamese often overlook fire alarm when it rings, in this piece sent to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper hot on the heels of an apartment fire that killed 13 on Friday. One of the worst nightmares living in an apartment is when the fire alarm sets off. My first unpleasant experience with fire alarm was in 2013 when I moved in a flat in District 2, Ho Chi Minh City with my family. At that time, my wife had been pregnant for three months and I had to carry her on my back all the way down from the 11th floor to the ground. The apartment complex had a total of 17 floors and all the tenants hurriedly filled the fire exits for escape. Some lighted up the dark passageway with flashlights while others used their cell phones. Upon reaching the ground safely, we were informed by a security guard that he didn’t see any fire and the alarm was triggered due to smoke from … [Read more...] about Vietnamese tend to ignore fire alarm as it always ‘cries wolf’
Tuoi Tre News
Breakfast @ Tuoi Tre News – March 24
Read what’s in the news today, March 24! Politics -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in said at a press conference in Hanoi on Friday that Vietnam and South Korea shared a destined fate and many historical, cultural as well as social similarities that have served to bring their people closer to one another. Society -- Vietnam’s Politburo has issued a resolution paving the course for the country to become one of three leading member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in industrial development by the year 2030. -- Director of the Transport Department of Can Tho City in southern Vietnam and his deputy have received disciplinary warnings for their lack of oversight that allowed seven local traffic inspectors to receive bribes of over VND4 billion (US$175,000). -- Two Vietnamese fishermen are missing at sea after their ship capsized on Friday about five nautical miles off the coast of Bac Lieu Province in southern Vietnam due to the strong winds and … [Read more...] about Breakfast @ Tuoi Tre News – March 24
Three dead in IS-claimed French shooting and siege
A gunman claiming allegiance to the Islamic State group killed three people in a shooting spree and supermarket hostage siege in southwest France on Friday before anti-terror police shot him dead. Five people were also shot and wounded in France's first major jihadist attack since October, including a heroic policeman who offered to take the place of hostages being held at the supermarket. "Our country has suffered an Islamist terrorist attack," President Emmanuel Macron said in a televised address following the rampage in the medieval town of Carcassonne and nearby Trebes. The Islamic State group claimed the attack was in response to its call to target Western enemies -- as is customary when the assailant has pledged allegiance to the jihadists. The shootings come as France remains on high alert following a string of deadly attacks that have killed more than 240 people since 2015. Top anti-terror prosecutor Francois Molins named the gunman as Radouane Lakdim, a 25-year-old who had … [Read more...] about Three dead in IS-claimed French shooting and siege
Reporter threatened with knife in Vietnam
A reporter in the south-central Vietnamese province of Binh Dinh was threatened by a knife-wielding man for taking photos of overloaded trucks. Officers from the police department in Nhon Binh Ward, Quy Nhon City summoned Nguyen Van Binh, 40, on Thursday afternoon to verify violent actions against Duong Du Tuan, a correspondent for Nong Thon Ngay Nay newspaper and Dan Viet newswire. At around 8:30 am on the day, Tuan and Chu Ngoc Oai, a reporter for Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated Saigon) newspaper, were working in the ward after receiving complaints about overloaded trucks from local residents. According to the victim, he was taking photos of a tipper truck carrying an excessive amount of sand and creating serious air pollution in the neighborhood when a strange man got out of a seven-seater car and approached with a knife. The man pushed Tuan off his motorbike and demanded that the reporter stop taking pictures in his “territory,” before hitting the journalist on his … [Read more...] about Reporter threatened with knife in Vietnam
Parent attacks pregnant Vietnamese trainee teacher
A pregnant teacher-in-training at a kindergarten in north-central Vietnam was hospitalized following an attack by a student’s parent this week. Teaching intern P.T.H., 21, was hit by a student’s mother who claims to have found bruises on her child’s leg. The incident occurred on Thursday morning at Viet-Laos Kindergarten, a preschool for children between 18 months and six years old situated near the Vietnam-Laos boarder in Nghe An Province. The trainee teacher was taken to hospital in a state of panic and complained of abdominal pain. The infirmary said she was in the 13th week of pregnancy and prone to miscarriage. The school’s management chose to close the building gate to avoid questions. P.T.H. followed suit and declined to answer questions from reporters. Police were seen carrying out an investigation at the school later that same day. Police at the Viet-Laos Kindergarten in Nghe An Province, north-central Vietnam, on March 22, 2018. … [Read more...] about Parent attacks pregnant Vietnamese trainee teacher