Zoo employees collect around 800 kg of dung from five elephants in their enclosure. In the past, the dung was discarded or used for manure. Now, it gets recycled into paper. Mai Khac Trung Truc, director of the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden, said the elephants eat mostly grass and sugar cane, so their dung has a lot of fiber and isn't too smelly. "They can be used to make paper. Some countries have already done it and are producing high quality paper," he said. Truc said such recycling would help raise awareness about wildlife protection and teach children to save resources and protect the environment. The zoo has begun recycling elephant dung since February. Last Friday, Truc washed the collected dung at least seven times to remove impurities, leaving only the fiber left for recycling. The fiber was boiled at 200 degrees Celsius for two hours to kill bacteria and remove odor. The zoo uses around 3-5kg of elephant … [Read more...] about Elephant dung makes good sheets: Saigon zoo
Hanoi zoo opening hours
Hanoi and Hoi An among Top 25 Overall Experiences in Asia
Motorbike tours around Hanoi and cooking classes in Hoi An have made it into the Top 25 Overall Experiences in Asia, as voted on by readers of TripAdvisor. Foreign tourists enjoy Hoi An Eco Cooking Class. (Photo: TripAdvisor) According to TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards, riding through downtown Hanoi came in at 15th among regional experiences that travelers should not miss out on during a visit to the capital of Vietnam. “Seeing landmarks such as Hai Ba Trung Temple, the Presidential Palace Historical Site, and Long Bien Bridge; sample some of the city’s finest street eats; and soak up the atmosphere in country villages,” readers of TripAdvisor wrote about visiting the capital city by motorbike. Furthermore, taking an Eco Cooking Class in Hoi An followed by a trip to local markets, as well as basket boat and crab fishing, was voted among the best experiences in Asia, coming in at 20th position. Hoi An Eco Cooking Class is a fun and interesting way in … [Read more...] about Hanoi and Hoi An among Top 25 Overall Experiences in Asia
Hanoi woman silent after video captures man harassing her
Police say she's not cooperating with their investigation. The footage that surfaced on social media Wednesday shows a young woman in a pink top and black skirt pushing open the gate to her apartment complex on Dong Tac Street in Dong Da District at around 12:25 a.m. Tuesday. Seconds later a young man wearing a black t-shirt and black rushes in and grabs her from behind. There is a brief struggle before he releases her and runs away. Camera footage of the outside area shows him returning after she has closed the gate peering through, pushing the gate apparently to see if it can be open and walking away. A representative of Kim Lien Ward said they were investigating the incident. A Thanh Nien report quoted the representative as saying the footage of two short videos was uploaded by the owner of the apartment complex. The woman, however, has refused to answer several summons by the police, the police representative said. … [Read more...] about Hanoi woman silent after video captures man harassing her
Winners of open paragliding competition announced
Nguyen Hai Anh from the Hanoi paragliding club and Le Hoang Bach from Lai Chau paragliding club won second and third places. In the women’s event, Nguyen Thi Da Ni, Nguyen Thi Tuyet Trinh and Cao Thi Thu Thuy from the Hanoi paragliding club topped the podium. The event attracted 100 paragliders from 12 clubs across the country. Le Ngoc Quang, Director of Dak Nong province’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said the tournament offers an opportunity for the province to introduce beautiful images of Dak Nong’s nature, culture and people to domestic and foreign friends, adding that it wishes to create favourable conditions for pilots at home and abroad to visit Dak Nong to train and compete in the near future. Source: VNA … [Read more...] about Winners of open paragliding competition announced
Ring road plan to transform market
Ring road plan to transform market - Illustrative photo (Source: VNA) The government has asked the National Assembly (NA) to consider and decide on the policy for investing in the ring roads to be located in the country’s two biggest cities. Tran The Anh, sales director of Thang Loi Group, said that the land fund in inner cities is increasingly exhausted and prices are high, with investors turning to suburban real estate. “There is a thirst for houses for those living and working in Ho Chi Minh City in particular,” The Anh said. “The shifting trend of investors and individual financiers is also creating a new vitality for the real estate market in the suburbs.” One of the issues discussed by NA delegates and experts is how to exploit the land fund around the two ring roads, which will soar in value. Already in many places, the price of land in the area has increased dozens of times over. “Because the two routes will open up a vast land fund, the management of auctions of … [Read more...] about Ring road plan to transform market
Reference exchange rate up 7 VND on June 29
The State Bank of Vietnam sets the daily reference exchange rate for the US dollar at 23,099 VND/USD on June 29. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The State Bank of Vietnam set the daily reference exchange rate for the US dollar at 23,099 VND/USD on June 29, up 7 VND from the previous day. With the current trading band of +/-3 percent, the ceiling rate applicable to commercial banks during the day is 23,791 VND/USD and the floor rate 22,406 VND/USD. The opening-hour rates at some commercial banks saw increases. At 8:40 am, Vietcombank listed the rates at 23,090 VND/USD (buying) and 23,400 VND/USD (selling), both up 10 VND from June 28. Meanwhile, BIDV kept both rates unchanged from the end of the previous session, listing the buying rate at 23,115 VND/USD and the selling rate at 23,395 VND/USD./. VNA … [Read more...] about Reference exchange rate up 7 VND on June 29