1917 east st louis massacre

Vietnam deputy premier urges China not to complicate East Vietnam Sea situation

April 2, 2018 by tuoitrenews.vn

Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh has called on China to refrain from complicating the situation in the East Vietnam Sea during his talks with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister of Wang Yi in Hanoi on Sunday.

The event was held as part of the Chinese minister’s visit official visit to Vietnam and attendance at the 6th Greater Mekong Sub-region Summit (GMS-6) from March 30 to April 3.

During their conversation, Minh asserted that the Vietnamese state and government always focus on the development of comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership with China.

The two officials agreed on promoting visits among two countries’ leaders, cementing cooperation between ministries and departments, and implementing common perceptions and cooperation between both nations.

They also support the settlement of existing problems to maintaining the stable and positive development of bilateral relations.

Deputy PM Minh suggested measures to promote the significant role of the steering committee for Vietnam-China bilateral cooperation,

He asked Beijing to provide favorable conditions for Vietnamese products to enter the local market, and to develop bilateral trade in a balanced and healthy manner.

The Vietnamese deputy premier also urged enhancement of win-win cooperation in the agriculture, environmental protection, climate change response, science and technology, finance, transport, and economic matters.

Minh expressed his concern over potential factors that can intensify tension in the East Vietnam Sea, stressing that the legitimate rights and interests of Vietnam should be respected in accordance with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Both parties should implement the common perceptions reached by their leaders and the Vietnam-China agreement on fundamental principles guiding the settlement of sea-related issues, while persistently resolving disputes in the maritime area via peaceful measures.

They should manage maritime disputes without taking any actions to complicate the situation, thus maintaining peace and stability in the East Vietnam Sea, Minh asserted.

Replying to his host, Minister Wang stated that China is willing to work with Vietnam to increase strategic exchanges and political trust, deepen cooperation, and properly address disputes, for the benefits of both nations and peace in the region.

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Vietnam ready for typhoon Surigae

April 19, 2021 by sggpnews.org.vn

The forecast direction of typhoon Surigae. (Photo: The National Center for Hydro-meteorology Forecasting)

^o N, 127.6 ^o E, 420km East of the Central Philippines. It is moving slowly Northwestward, but is forecast to continuously change its direction.

In the direction document sent to coastal provinces from Quang Ninh Province to Ca Mau Province, the Standing Committee of the Central Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control requested that concerned regions closely monitor warnings for this typhoon, timely notice all fishermen on duty on the East Sea to seek proper protection, and be ready to rescue those in need.

In related news, the Standing Committee of the Central Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control sent a document to its members in the mountainous provinces of the North and North-Central regions regarding the Prime Minister’s instruction on overcoming difficulties after flooding there.

Accordingly, the localities are asked to aid residents in accommodation repair, sanitation recovery, and business manufacturing, business restoration. They are also urged to search for missing people, visit families with fatal victims, closely monitor warning news and weather forecasts to timely deliver instruction to the local in order to minimize damage caused by flooding, landslides, and mudslides.

By Van Phuc – Translated by Vien Hong

International community on Vietnam’s side in war

April 23, 2021 by en.qdnd.vn

PANO – In 1972, the situation in the USA was so disorderly and the war in Vietnam plunged the USA into a serious socio-economic crisis with a high rate of unemployment and deep internal contradictions. Meanwhile, explicit and implicit struggles between the Vietnamese Government and US Administration inside and outside the Paris Talks remained fierce through August, September and October 1972.

On October 8th, 1972, the Vietnamese side proposed a draft Agreement, which all sides accepted and agreed to initial in Hanoi on October 22nd, 1972 and October 31st, 1972.

Plan on large exterminatory bombing

However, in December 1972, the Peace Talks reached an impasse. In an attempt to reach an agreement that would allow US troops to withdraw from the war with “honour”, US President Nixon threatened to launch a large destructive bombing campaign against the North of Vietnam. Yet, after the US unilateral postponement of the signing of the draft Agreement, pressure from the US Congress and people on Nixon and his Administration increased, leading to deep differences among the US Legislature, Enforcement and Justice.

At the Paris Talks, the Vietnamese side strongly reacted to the US decision. Under these circumstances, President Nixon ordered the bombing campaign, named Linebacker II, to be carried out against the North of Vietnam, in an attempt to influence the result of the Paris Peace Talks in his favour.

Nixon took a risk with this decision, as he obviously knew his action would face strong domestic and international protest. However, he and his Administration considered that they should use B52s to extensively bomb Hanoi and northern seaports in an effort to change some terms in the draft Agreement, to annihilate key Vietnamese projects in the North and to demonstrate their air power, threatening to use it again in case the Sai Gon regime were in danger in the future. Nixon also wanted to send Vietnam and the world a message “The USA does as it says!”

During the 12 days and nights of the US bombing operations, as many as 20,000 tonnes of US bombs were dropped on Hanoi and Hai Phong, and the US Air Force could mobilize an unlimited number of its B52 strategic bombers for the first time in a campaign. According to US military experts’ estimates, US air operations could reduce northern Vietnam’s residential hubs and military targets and Hanoi and Hai Phong (the two most important cities in the North) into piles of debris. In his book “Vietnam Verdict: A Citizen’s History”, Joseph A. Amter wrote that the bombing operations on Hanoi and Hai Phong were the most cruel in the Vietnam War’s history.

When the operations started, reporters from the western press and media and photographers flocked to Hanoi. Some reporters often received information from SAC and Pentagon. But what they reported from reality showed the Americans and people around the world the most terrifying and dirtiest bombing operation, where they used B52s to carpet bomb Hanoi, Hai Phong and other localities in the North of Vietnam.

Strong support for Vietnam

The cruel US air operation deeply touched people around the world. International opinion strongly rejected the action of the US Administration. People, including leaders of countries and organizations, politicians, artists, scientists, ordinary people, as well as US allies and Americans, voiced protests against the US and advocated for Vietnam.

ITASS announced that the Soviet people strongly denounced the new aggressive acts of the invaders, asked them to immediately halt their actions and quickly returned to the Paris Peace Talks to sign the Agreement, ending the war and restoring peace in Vietnam.

At the same time, the Chinese Foreign Ministry stated that if the US Administration bypassed the peace desire of the Vietnamese people, the Americans and other peoples across the world and pursued aggressive war, the Chinese people would persistently carry out its international duties and mobilize efforts to back the Vietnamese national resistance war against the American invaders to the final victory.

Other governments around the world also voiced serious accusations regarding the large-scale devastating bombing operation that Nixon was carrying out in an attempt to force Vietnam to accept their irrational conditions, permanently dividing the country and maintaining the puppet Government in the South. US Communist Party General Secretary Gus Hall underlined that the second US bombing operations resulted in US prestige around the world dropping to the lowest-ever level.

In France, demonstrations supporting Vietnam took place in many major cities. The French Communist Party continuously made speeches on T.V. channels praising the just war of the Vietnamese people against the US invaders. French leftist newspapers disclosed the US real plot, the dishonesty of Nixon, saying that in spite of any explanations, they could not defend their continuous and extensive massacres. One daily even declared that anyone who wanted to lessen Nixon’s sin was his follower.

In Austria, the Austrian Social Party strictly asked the US Administration to immediately end the people-killing bombing operations on a small country and sign a cease-fire agreement.

In Italy, Dante Cruych, a member of the local government of Bologna sent a confidential letter to representatives of the Vietnamese Government at the Paris Peace Talks, saying that they were always on the Vietnamese side, even in such a terrible time. He reported that tens of thousands of Italian people went out to protest under heavy rain. “The great Vietnamese nation is always in our hearts,” he concluded.

The US crimes and their swindle continued to be unveiled, resulting in international opinion taking the side of Vietnam against the USA.

Translated by Thu Nguyen

Can Gio development needs meticulous planning

April 22, 2021 by sggpnews.org.vn

Illustrative photo.

Plans were shelved for many years because of various infrastructure bottlenecks, limited connectivity of the Southern region with the City center, and the Hiep Phuoc port cluster due to sedimentation of the Soai Rap river bed.

Facilities in Ganh Rai Bay

Now, the regional landscape is starting to change. East of Can Gio, along the Thi Vai river and the East bank of Ganh Rai Bay in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, a leading port-heavy industry-energy hub is being formed. It will have the largest deep-water port in Vietnam, a heavy industrial cluster in Phu My, a Long Son petrochemical center which is under construction, and a maritime industrial cluster in Vung Tau. There will also be naval industrial facilities and an aquaculture cluster around Go Gang Island. A marine economic center there will also serve as a foundation for Vietnam to become a great maritime nation.

To the west of Ganh Rai Bay, on the side of Can Thanh, the district capital of Can Gio is still a quiet town which is facing many difficulties. The reason is that the traffic connection from Can Gio to the center of Ho Chi Minh City is rather limited, and the land is not suitable for agriculture either. Furthermore, the land bank is meagre due to natural conditions, but if you look at what is happening in Ba Ria-Vung Tau, you can see another future shaping it as the most important bay area in the South.

Possibly, Ganh Rai Bay could someday become like the San Francisco Bay Area in the US, which is now a world-leading education and technology center, but still retains nearly 18,000 hectares of natural reserve South of the bay. Ganh Rai Bay can also become like IJmeer Bay, East of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, where Almere is completely rebuilt on an artificial island of Flevoland to become the greenest city in the Netherlands. Ganh Rai Bay could also possibly one day be like Shenzhen Bay, between the economic zone of China and Hong Kong, one of the most prosperous bay areas with financial centers, technology zones, and a large deep-water port, which has still retained nearly 2,000 ha of waterfront nature reserve.

Slow response

Looking at the past history of Saigon, the new Ho Chi Minh City has always been hesitant in moving towards the sea. In its 150 year history, Saigon was a trading port since Admiral Page opened up international trade. The development of this trading port has always been constrained by indecisions of authorities. The first was the delay in transferring Saigon port from a river port to a sea port such as Singapore and Hong Kong. Then there was the failure to expand the railway network to the whole of Indochina and towards Bangkok, as originally planned by the Governor-General of Indochina, Paul Doumer.

During the Doi Moi period, Saigon port still inched slowly from Tan Cang to Khanh Hoi then Cat Lai and Hiep Phuoc ports, where the location in the City and the navigation channel were not deep enough for long-term development opportunities. In the century when island ports welcomed super-tonnage ships, Singapore encroached on the sea to build the Tuas super port in the West of the island nation, while Rotterdam encroached on the sea to build the Rotterdam World Gateway port that stretches nearly eight kilometres off the coast. The boldest move was made by Shanghai when it made Duong Son port by connecting three islands 33 kms from the mainland to become the world’s largest port with capacity for 43 million containers, which is twice the volume of all Vietnamese seaports combined.

It is clear that the Southern region of Can Gio will serve Ho Chi Minh City as a better choice in international maritime connectivity, than Hiep Phuoc. Even the Cai Mep-Thi Vai deep-water port area along 13 kms of the riverbank does not have much land to expand and will not be able to accommodate super-tonnage ships.

Looking to the future, a cluster of ports in the South of Can Gio will no longer be alone between a vast area of forests and water. However, proposals for extremely large infrastructure systems have caused controversy and concern because of risk of socio-economic activity, environmental pollution and corruption. Planning does not mean that it will build in a day, but which requires a farsighted vision of twenty to thirty years, or even a hundred years. Every option should also be considered in protecting and optimizing opportunities for the future.

Farsighted planning

Can Gio has all the requirements to become more than just an eco-tourism hub because of its location in the West of Ganh Rai Bay and close to the main channel leading to the Long Tau and Thi Vai rivers. There is possibility to develop it as part tourism urban area, while the land South of Can Gio has not been fully exploited. We must look at Can Gio with a greater vision and greater aspiration.

We can learn from the development experiences of large-scale sea reclamation projects like Hulhumale in the Maldives. Can Gio can certainly become a maritime economic hub, and in the future, Can Gio will have a population of more than 300,000 people, equivalent to a grade-1 city like Vung Tau or My Tho. With such a population size, Can Gio needs to be planned as a future city, and not just a real estate project. The economy of Can Gio then should not and cannot rely solely on a few economic sectors such as tourism or real estate.

Can Gio has the natural conditions for a biosphere reserve, and has protected forest areas in the Southeast, which can be the basis for developing an economy based on environmental conservation for tourism, fisheries, real estate, and sustainable research. However, it must be a place that does not become alien for the existing local community, and hence must develop sustainably, uniquely, retain its identity, but also remain attractive to investors.

The challenges in the future are sure to be enormous. Not only are resources becoming scarcer by the day but also much more expensive, such as sand for levelling, which can make encroachment projects less attractive in terms of investment efficiency, but also create environmental challenges. Rising sea levels and increased intensity of storms caused by climate change will increase the cost of coastal protection and the cost of maintaining coastal structures.

Countries with solid coastal protection systems, such as the Netherlands or the United States, have now changed their approach and are shifting from reliance on hard infrastructure to integration with soft infrastructure and natural ecosystems. The Netherlands gradually accumulated sand dunes and planted more coastal forests to withstand the North Sea storms, while the US pumped more silt into the Mississippi estuary to expand existing mangrove areas which formed an effective shield for inland cities.

Can Gio development also needs a combination of hard infrastructure solutions that will be immediately effective, with natural solutions that are sustainable and long-term. Urban development now requires a combination of a diverse ecosystem that will create a unique landscape, and an attractive city in real estate.

Planning for a big vision takes a lot of effort. There will be many challenges in the proposed urban development and sea encroachment planning in Can Gio for experts, who will also have to decide what scale and development model would be suitable to adapt to the geological conditions, the sensitivity of the ecosystem, freshwater supply capacity, and sand leveling source. The geo-economic strategic position may explain the direction of development, but a new thorough and transparent research will help a rational strategy towards sustainable reality, including economics for investors.

Similar to what the Japanese did in Tokyo Bay, and what the South Koreans did in Incheon Bay, Can Gio can also do the same in Ganh Rai Bay. This is a great national opportunity in which just one investor cannot stand alone. There is now a greater need for coordination between regional governments, local governments, as well as the support of all communities and experts in the field of planning and implementation

Saigon Investment

Investment opportunities in Thao Dien despite limited land fund

April 23, 2021 by e.vnexpress.net

Well-known for its favorable features, from prime location, greenery, completed infrastructure, series of pioneering projects, utilities, living standards, and affluent community, Thao Dien holds real estate advantages over other areas of the city.

Since the advent of the city’s first metro line in 2012, its real estate market has witnessed large investment waves, wooing more investors, and boosting the land prices accordingly.

Infrastructure upgrades have also received adequate attention from investors, the People’s Committees of the city and Thao Dien Ward.

Expansion of Hanoi Highway

Hanoi Highway is one of the key projects to be upgraded from eight to 16 lanes, with a total length of 15.7 kilometers, starting from the ramp of Saigon Bridge 2 to the adjoining point of new Dong Nai Bridge. This route is the main gateway to the city, connecting metro line no. 1, leading to major ports like Cat Lai, Long Phuoc, and to the East depot.

Road expansion should shorten travel time and dissipate traffic jams, making life more convenient for Thao Dien residents.

Hanoi Highway is one of the most valuable routes in the city’s east, with a series of high-end utilities. Photo by Shutterstock.

Traffic convenience

As the main street in Thao Dien Ward of District 2, Nguyen Van Huong has attracted many residential projects like Masteri Thao Dien, Masteri An Phu, and Lumière Riverside. A wide range of international schools here include British International School – BVIS, Australian International School – AIS, American International School – TAS, and ISHCM International School.

Panoramic view of Lumière Riverside. Artist impression by Masterise Homes.

The expansion of the street connecting Nguyen Van Huong to Hanoi Highway should significantly reduce traffic congestion and resolve local flooding at the Nguyen Cu – Nguyen Van Huong intersection. Once complete, this project would transform the entrance to Thao Dien into four nodes by joining Van Huong-Xuan Thuy to existing Nguyen U Di – Vo Truong Toan, Thao Dien street, Quoc Huong.

Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien metro line

Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien Metro Line is the first urban railway project in Ho Chi Minh City with a total investment of VND43,700 billion. The route has 14 stations (including stations at Van Thanh, Saigon Bridge, An Phu, Thu Duc, High-Tech Park, the East depot and Thao Dien) and a depot house. It is anticipated to be in commercial operations in 2022, after its scheduled test run in the fourth quarter of this year.

The upcoming completion of the metro project has caused house prices on the secondary market in this area to soar. In the period 2015-2020, sales prices for luxury apartments on the primary market in District 2 increased by an average 7.3 percent per annum, exceeding the average growth rate of the entire market, and likely to rise even further. Since 2018, house prices on the secondary market went up remarkably, up to 25-75 percent higher than the starting sales prices, according to CBRE.

Apartment prices along the metro line have increased sharply from the starting prices. Graphics by CBRE.

Lumière Riverside – rare investment opportunity

With the fast growth rate of supply and demand, Thao Dien’s land fund is inevitably running out. Scarcity has dramatically upped the value of existing real estate and emerging projects. Lumière Riverside has captured great interest on the primary market as it is developed by Masterise Homes, the investor of the well received high-end projects such as Masteri An Phu and Masteri Thao Dien, in the quest to form an elite, debonair community in the region.

Conveniently situated on an area of approximately 19,500 square meters at the junction of Vo Truong Toan – Hanoi Highway, with highway frontage, Lumière Riverside enjoys swift connectivity to Binh Thanh District (just a few minutes’ drive via Hanoi Highway and Saigon Bridge), Thu Thiem of District 2 (via Mai Chi Tho), and District 1.

Lumière Riverside is conveniently situated right next to metro line no.1. Artist impression by Masterise Homes.

With a broad vision and experience from international partners, Masterise Homes has all its apartments facing the metro line installed with a special glass door system comprised of two soundproof and vibration-resistant layers. This is one of the first luxury complex projects in Ho Chi Minh City to incorporate such high-end construction technology for future residents’ refined living experience and ultimate contentment.