Rob West, 32, and Grant Bowdery, 41, from the U.K. and Marieke Dekkers, 39, from the Netherlands will begin a non-stop trail-running relay along the banks of the Red River in support of Newborns Vietnam on April 22. "We’re looking to be inspired by the innate will to live that all newborns have," Bowdery, a biology teacher and keen ultra-distance runner and cyclist, says. "We were drawn initially to the idea of three runners, 300 kilometers and 30 hours, but we felt that would be too much, especially in the second 150km, when the route gets quite hilly as we approach Lao Cai." The trio will now seek to maintain a pace of just over seven minutes per kilometer for 36 hours. "The significance of 36 hours comes from the concept of sunrise to sunset the next day, but we still think this is going to be very demanding," Bowdery says. "It’s far from a given that we will be able to complete the course in this time." Taking it in turns for one or two hours each (depending on how hot … [Read more...] about Expats to run 300km in 36 hours for newborns in Vietnam
How to make money in second life
BUSINESS NEWS IN BRIEF 21/2
Ninh Thuan greenlights tourism projects Ninh Thuan Province People’s Committee has granted principle approvals for two large-scale tourism projects, worth a total VND2.5 trillion (US$107.3 million). Financed by Royal Ninh Thuan development and investment joint stock company, the 87.5ha tourism complex will be developed at Phuoc Diem Commnue, Thuan Nam District. It will comprise a five-star hotel with 500 rooms, 100 high-end villas and a convention centre, restaurants and an entertainment area. The complex, worth VND2 trillion, is slated for completion in June, 2022. Meanwhile, the second project — invested by Ninh Thuan international tourism joint stock company — will cover 6.56ha at Khanh Hai Town, Ninh Hai District. Worth VND550 billion, the complex will include a five-star hotel providing between 200-300 rooms, villas and food streets. It is expected to be finished in December, 2021. Ninh Thuan is seeing rising interest from investors thanks to its potential for … [Read more...] about BUSINESS NEWS IN BRIEF 21/2
English as an official language in Vietnam: would it work?
At the Youth Entrepreneurship Forum 2018 last month, Minister of Information and Communication Nguyen Manh Hung suggested that the Prime Minister should soon recognize English as the second official language of Vietnam to help startups reach out to the world. The proposal stirred a heated discussion on social media and prompted numerous professionals to pitch in with their views and opinions. While some welcomed the idea and supported widespread use of the language in Vietnam, others were wary of the cultural, legal and other implications of formalizing it as an official language. Everyone agreed that it was good to improve English use and fluency in the country, so the debate boiled down to whether declaring and using it as an official language was a feasible, practical option for Vietnam. Professor Chung Hoang Chuong, who has juggled teaching at the University of California and doing research in Vietnam, was optimistic about Vietnam having two official languages. Chuong, currently a … [Read more...] about English as an official language in Vietnam: would it work?
French director talks about perks of making documentaries in Việt Nam
Viet Nam News Finding Phong by French and Vietnamese directors Swann Dubus and Trần Phương Thảo has made its name at international film festivals. It is the first film in Việt Nam to document a transgender person and the sex change process in real time. It centres around Phong, a native of the south central province of Quảng Ngãi, who works as a make-up artist for the puppets at the Thăng Long Water Puppertry Theatre in Hà Nội. The movie takes audiences through Phong’s first 24 years as a boy to a then joyful chapter after he underwent the process. The documentary was screened at a number of international film festivals and finally hit cinemas in Việt Nam in October. Dubus talks to Hồng Vân about Finding Phong and the documentary scene in Việt Nam. Inner Sanctum: How did the idea of ‘Finding Phong’ come about? Gerald Herman, who was later the co-producers of … [Read more...] about French director talks about perks of making documentaries in Việt Nam
Stuck in paradise
Viet Nam News By Nguyễn Hữu Tài Quân walked in, drew shut all window curtains, threw off his clothes, then strolled around the apartment. It was early and the kids were still at school. He had at least several hours to relax before the apartment was crowded and he would have to flee. The three-room apartment was too cramped. Sometimes he visited his friends and found them residing in huge houses that cost several hundred thousand to one million dollars, had nearly 10 bedrooms, five restrooms and orchards laden with fruits which made him so envious. If only he had such a house. In the morning he would sip a cup of coffee. In the afternoon he would go home from work and cut the grass and fertilise the trees. At night he would set up a hammock to lie in and look at the stars. He wouldn’t have to fret and pound on the restroom door to hurry whoever was inside. Yet real estate prices in California were skyrocketing. He heard the Chinese were flocking here … [Read more...] about Stuck in paradise