Extreme cheap living

And it is not just breakfast. The 40-year-old Hanoian has specific menus for every meal of the day, typically containing a vegetable soup and two dishes. Eggs, tofu, peanuts, dried fish, and meat are part of them, but Tien insists that a meal for his family of four must not cost more than VND50,000 (US$2.15). The food is so monotonous that their youngest son, who is in third grade, frequently complains, "The meal at school is better than at home." Tien’s standard response is that he had to eat rice with corn and potatoes when he was a teenager, and so his children should be grateful for having "an affluent life." The family members cannot buy more than two new clothes in a year. When Minh asked to buy a new dress to wear on a company trip, he complained for a week because "there are four dresses hanging in the closet." Neither of their families faces any financial hardship and they themselves earn around VND40 million a month, which is much higher than the VND7.2-million … [Read more...] about When people go to extreme lengths to save money

The Hanoi housewife of four years knows however they will not be as fresh as earlier in the day. "Since the prices of everything have gone up, I have to change my shopping habits and doing so helps me able to buy produce at lower prices," the 28-year-old says. She and her husband, Tinh, had their first son more than a year ago before having a pair of twins. Tinh is the sole breadwinner and he had to stay at home for three months when Covid-19 broke out last year. "We even had to sell our gold wedding rings to stay afloat," she says. After Covid subsided he reopened his store distributing beverages, but barely makes a profit since gasoline prices have been soaring since April. Besides, many of his customers have greatly reduced their purchases. Some grocery stores only order a few five-liter bottles of water, but he still must travel dozens of kilometers by truck to deliver them. "If you do not keep prices low, customers will leave," he explained once to his wife when she … [Read more...] about Vietnamese turn frugal as prices soar

Cloaked in darkness and mystery, the creatures of the deep oceans exist in a world of unlikely profusion, surviving on scant food and under pressure that would crush human lungs. This extremely hostile environment, which will come under the spotlight at a major United Nations oceans summit in Lisbon this week, has caused its inhabitants to develop a prodigious array of alien characteristics and idiosyncratic survival techniques. A vast assortment of animals populate the sunless depths, from the colossal squid, which wrapped its tentacles around the imaginations of sailors and storytellers, to beings with huge cloudy eyes, or whose bodies are as transparent as glass. And the angler fish, with its devilish looks illuminated by a built-in headlamp, showing that the deep dark is alive with lights. 'Incredible' creatures Until the middle of the 19th century, scientists believed that life was impossible beyond a few hundred metres. "They imagined that there was nothing, … [Read more...] about Life in the abyss, a spectacular and fragile struggle for survival

Tôn Thanh Trà, General Director of Chợ Rẫy-Phnom Penh Hospital, gives a health check-up to a patient at the hospital in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. — VNA/VNS Photo HÀ NỘI — One evening, doctors at Chợ Rẫy-Phnom Penh Hospital received a red alarm from the Emergency Department. A female patient had arrived in the emergency room in a state of confusion. She had trouble speaking and paralysis on the right side of the body. After examination and the necessary tests, doctors diagnosed the patient as suffering a stroke caused by atrial fibrillation and tachy-brady syndrome. After consultation, it was decided the patient needed a permanent pacemaker. The surgery was performed that night. It was incredibly successful. The patient was in stable health condition and discharged from the hospital four days later, to the joy of family and relatives. This was one of the thousands of timely life-saving cases that Vietnamese doctors successfully performed at the Chợ Rẫy- Phnom Penh Hospital in … [Read more...] about Vietnamese doctors gain Cambodian people’s trust

Vietnam officially launched the Southeast Asia Flash Flood Guidance System (SEAFFGS) on Tuesday morning and assumed the role of being a regional hub in forecasting landslides and flash floods. A section of a road in Mường Tè District, the northern mountainous province of Lai Châu, blocked by to a landslide in July 2021. — VNA/VNS Photo Speaking at the launch event, Director General of the Vietnam Meteorological and Hydrological Administration Trần Hồng Thái said the system is part of the Flash Flood Guidance System with Global Coverage, run by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). The system in south-east Asia is expected to create a connection and cooperation between the regional forecasting centres and other forecasting centres in the world, he said. Thanks to the recognition and trust from the Secretariat of the WMO and the member countries of the system in the region, Vietnam Meteorological and Hydrological Administration has been selected as … [Read more...] about Vietnam launches Southeast Asia Flash Flood Guidance System, assumes regional hub forecasting role

Photo taken yesterday shows ambulances on the road in Paktika province, Afghanistan. The death toll from an earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan early yesterday has reached 920, while more than 600 people were injured, a disaster official said, adding the number of casualties might rise further. — XINHUA/VNA Photo KABUL — A powerful earthquake struck a remote border region of Afghanistan overnight killing at least 1,000 people and injuring hundreds more, officials said yesterday, with the toll expected to rise as desperate rescuers dig through collapsed dwellings. The 5.9 magnitude quake struck hardest in the rugged east, where people already lead hardscrabble lives in a country in the grip of a humanitarian disaster made worse by the Taliban takeover in August. "People are digging grave after grave," said Mohammad Amin Huzaifa, head of the Information and Culture Department in hard-hit Paktika, adding that at least 1,000 people had died in that province alone. … [Read more...] about At least 1,000 killed in Afghan quake as rescuers scramble for survivors