Hanoi ninh binh tour

Its 1,050-meter-square structure has a distinctive look thanks to its three-gabled circular roof made of bamboo. It stands almost 16 meters and has a radius of 18 meters at its widest.

It is part of a resort that has 135 villas, five condotels and eight bungalows.

The roof, inspired by traditional architecture, is made of 36 modular frames.

The openness causes the indoor and outdoor spaces to blend together.

The restaurant is on the bank of an artificial lake that serves as a natural air-conditioner and a reservoir that stores rainwater running down the nearby mountains, which is used to irrigate the 16.4-hectare site.

The bamboo dome harmonizes with the surrounding mountains and water.

The restaurant at night. Instituted in 2010, the Yuan Ye Awards this year attracted around 1,000 entries from more than 20 economies. The jury comprised nearly 300 experts and scholars.

Photos by Hiroyuki Oki.

One of the biggest marathon clubs in Hanoi, Hoa Binh Park Runners (HBPR), has drawn up its list of members for VM Hanoi Midnight this year. All 23 members have great personal records, with five capable of finishing the full marathon (42 kilometers) in under three hours. During VM Hanoi Midnight last year, three HBPR members achieved top results in different age groups.

“The night marathon in Hanoi this year will include many strong teams. The competition will get a boost with the addition of the group category,” said Hoang Duc Huy, HBPR president.

A team named Ultrain from Ho Chi Minh City will enter 20 runners for VM Hanoi Midnight. Most of its members are experienced runners, with some having won a few prior marathons. For VM Hanoi Midnight this year, the group has set a goal to finish in the top five, after winning a recent relay tournament in HCMC.

From northern bay city Ha Long comes Halong Runners Club (HRC). Fifty of its members, divided into two teams, will join the night marathon. Half had finished the marathon last year. The first team will consist of elite runners, while the second team comprises mainly those competing in the half and full marathon for the first time.

HRC is the biggest marathon club in Ha Long and usually enters top events across the country with a large number of members.

The deadline for group category registration is March 31. The main event will take place on the night of Nov. 20 and the morning of Nov. 21.

VM Hanoi Midnight on Nov. 28 last year was the first big night marathon staged in Vietnam, with around 5,500 participants and many personal records broken.

VnExpress has also organized two marathons in south central beach town Quy Nhon and one in central resort town Hue.

All seven bears are now on their way to the bear sanctuary run by the international animal welfare organisation Four Paws in the northern province of Ninh Binh.

In addition to the recused bears in Binh Duong, six more bears in Lam Dong, Hai Duong and Hanoi were delivered in October and two others from Phu Tho were transferred on November 3.

From the beginning of October, a total of 15 bears have been transferred from bear bile farms to rescue centres, according to Education for Nature Vietnam (ENV), a local NGO focused on the conservation of nature and the environment.

In recent years, many bear owners have decided to transfer their bears to rescue centres, Vu Thi Quyen, ENV Director said, adding that her NGO will continue its efforts to mobilise other bear owners across the country to act in the same way and help put an end to bear bile farming in Vietnam.

In 2005, the country had more than 4,300 bears in farms for bile. However, as of November 2020, this number has decreased to less than 400 with more than 60% of provinces and cities in Vietnam no longer keeping bears for bile, thanks to the efforts of government, law enforcement agencies, the community and a number of NGOs in Vietnam.

Maya Pastakia, Global Campaign Manager at the World Animal Protection (WAP), appreciated the Vietnamese government’s efforts to end bear bile farming, adding that the number of bears in bear bile facilities has decreased by 90% since 2005.

A bear with mutated fur waiting to be rescued.

It was Four Paws’ biggest bear rescue trip in 2020, said Barbara van Genne, Four Paws’ Advocacy & Wildlife Programme Manager. At the Ninh Binh Bear Conservation Centre founded in 2019, Four Paws provides a new home for rescued bears, allowing them to live with similar species in a semi-wild environment with nutritious rations and the care of veterinarians.

In 2005, the WAP in cooperation with the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development reached a landmark agreement to gradually eliminate bear bile farming in Vietnam. In cooperation with the Government of Vietnam, the WAP and ENV have provided equipment and professional training to attach microchips to bears in bear bile facilities for better management.

In parallel with the activity, Provincial Forest Protection Departments have also strengthened inspection and supervision of bear captive activities, while transferring bears to rescue centres operated by the State or international organisations, such as Four Paws, Free the Bears and Animals Asia Foundation.

In addition to the sanctuary in Ninh Binh, Animals Asia Foundation also runs the Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre at Tam Dao National Park. In the South, Free the Bears operates a Bear Rescue Centre in Cat Tien National Park. In Hanoi and some other localities across the country, there are also rescue centres capable of receiving bears.

Of the total infections, there were 1,542 domestically-transmitted cases, including 849 recorded since the latest outbreak hit the northern province of Hai Duong on January 27.

Ten cities and provinces nationwide have gone through 16 consecutive days without any locally-infected cases of COVID-19, including Hoa Binh, Dien Bien, Ha Giang, Binh Duong, Hung Yen, Bac Giang, Gia Lai, Bac Ninh, Quang Ninh, and Ho Chi Minh City. Meanwhile, Hanoi has recorded 14 straight days of no coronavirus cases.

A total 60,693 people who came in close contact with COVID-19 patients or arrived from pandemic-hit areas are under quarantine nationwide, including 560 at hospitals, 12,298 at other quarantine sites, and 47,835 at home.

Among patients under treatment, 62 have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 once, 53 twice, and 95 thrice.

Report from the Treatment Sub-committee showed that Vietnam has seen 1,876 recoveries so far.

In a bid to live safely with the pandemic, people should strictly follow the Ministry of Health’s 5K message: khau trang (facemask), khu khuan (disinfection), khoang cach (distance), khong tu tap (no gathering), and khai bao y te (health declaration).

In response to the “Clean up the world” campaign and the “Anti plastic waste” movement, on September 27, at Cu Lao Xanh Island in Nhon Ly Commune, offshore from Quy Nhon City, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee coordinated with the Binh Dinh Provincial Youth Union to announce the model on building Cu Lao Xanh into a “Youth island without plastic waste”.

The model will be deployed for three months, focusing on activities on providing information about the harmful effects of plastic waste on the environment and human health; calling for joint efforts in protecting the environment; and changing behaviours and habits of using disposable plastic products to help to reduce plastic waste.

The local mobile youth team for environmental protection in Cu Lao Xanh will play a key role in implementing the model. Twice a week, the team will organise communications activities and inspections to remind islanders to dispose of trash at the correct places, while limiting the use of disposable plastic. They will also provide guidance on waste classification, conduct sea cleaning and organise other environmental protection activities on the island.

Youth Union members skilfully paint murals to convey the message of environmental protection on the island. (Photo: NDO/Ngoc Vy)

After the launch, hundreds of local youngsters gathered to collect waste at the seaside, organised the exchange of plastic waste for gifts and joined in painting images to convey the message of environmental protection. They also placed environmentally friendly recycling trash bins and set up the “Fish eating trash” collection model, as well as planting trees and giving medical examination and medicine and gifts to 200 local people.

In addition, the organisers also awarded thousands of animals, farming materials and tools to local youth, along with 20 gifts to disadvantaged students and national flags to fishermen on the island, with a total value of nearly VND160 million.

On the same day, in Nhon Ly Commune (Quy Nhon City), various environmental protection activities took place, including collecting waste on local beaches, planting trees, placing eco-friendly recycling bins and installing the “Fish eating trash” garbage collecting model, at a total value of nearly VND60 million.