How to propose to a woman you love

The human ‘mobile sign’

The scorching, suffocating and dusty summer road of Hung Nhon (Hamlet 3, Tan Kien Commune, Binh Chanh District, Ho Chi Minh City) at 11pm does not keep Ms. Nguyen Thi Bach Phuong (Ms. Hai Tri, 62) from going out to offer students of Tan Kien Secondary School support as they struggle to cross the crowded roads.

Grabbing her conical leaf hat, she rushes out onto the noisy lanes jam- packed with vehicles holding a sign: “Please stop for a second and let students cross the street”. Whenever a large car approaches with no intention of slowing down, she points the board towards it to ask for giving roads. When she notices that the two lines of cars has slowed down, she graciously leads the students across until they are safe, she then motions for the drivers to move normally.

Year after year, Ms. Hai Tri has become a “mobile traffic sign” to help students cross the street safely.

The small road from Tan Kien Secondary School to Hung Nhon Street. After school, students have to stand here for a long time trying to cross the road.

What she’s doing is of her own accord and comes from her love for the children. Her house is opposite the road from Tan Kien Secondary School leading to Hung Nhon Street.

She said: “One day, I saw the children standing on the other side of the street for a very long time looking at each other and not daring to pass. This road is quite narrow with 2-way traffic. At noon, there are more cars, trucks, and containers, so it is dangerous with no traffic signs.”

Some of them even pleaded for help so she ran out to them. After that day Mrs. Hai Tri wondered how to assist these kids with road crossing. She soon decided to take a pen and scribble on a cardboard, then waited every day for students to finish school, holding a doodle board in the middle of the traffic lane, leading the students through. In fear of what was written on the board as too small to be seen by the drivers, she even tried to bold the text with a felt pen.

Offering help, even without money

To help students cross the street safely, Mrs. Hai Tri hang a cardboard which writes: “Stop for students to cross the road”. Later, the parent of a student presented her a professionally-design signboard.

The students now feel more secure when crossing the street. Parents are no longer worried about their children being in traffic jams after class.

Seeing that the children were more confident and bravely crossed the street, Mrs. Hai Tri didn’t think there was any need to hold a traffic control sign anymore. But one day, the students, after crossing the street, came to her again and asked: “Grandma, why haven’t you been holding the signboard to lead us across the street for several days? I’m afraid of cars.”

Mrs. Hai Tri said: “I was deeply moved by that. For now, I think I will do it all the time as the children are used to having me ask for help. If they do not see me, they will look forward to it and dare not pass.

“I don’t see myself as much help for them. It’s only a little time and effort but the children are safe and happy. People have money, they go to charity. I don’t, so I devote my effort and love and time,” she added.

After school, she holds the board on the street to regulate traffic, helping children cross the street safely.

While some view her as a weirdo doing a “strange thing” or laugh at how she’s not minding her own business, a great many others highly appreciate what she’s doing for the children.

“I got laughed at a lot but also loved and cheered. Many parents see me, nod and say thank you. There was a parent named Tam who often picked up his children, saw me holding a handwritten cardboard board, and gifted me a more professional and beautiful sign. I offered some money back but he refused to take it, saying that he just wanted to pay it forward,” said Mrs. Hai Tri.

However, being kind is not always easy. There have been countless times she was shouted at and scolded for standing in the middle of the road by reckless drivers who refused to slow down.

“It does take my breath away standing between two lanes of vehicles. I have no right to stop anyone’s car. I just want to kindly ask them to speed down a bit so the students can cross the street, and then they can keep moving,” she said.

“The traffic in this section is quite complicated. After school, students and parents at two primary and secondary schools in Tan Kien commune pour in a lot. This road has no signs or traffic lights, so it is very dangerous.

One parent said: “I could not rest my mind if it’s not for the signboard and Ms. Hai Tri helping my child cross the street. We hope that the authorities do some research and arrange the traffic lights here to make the traffic circulation safer and easier.”

Nguyen Son

Chairman of the Hà Nội People’s Committee Chu Ngọc Anh inspects a single-window unit. — VNA/VNS

HÀ NỘI — Hà Nội has compiled a plan to attract between US$30 and 40 billion of foreign direct investment (FDI) during the 2021-25 period, Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Planning and Investment Vũ Duy Tuấn said.

According to Tuấn, during the 2016-20 period, the city attracted 3,113 foreign-funded projects worth $26.5 billion, 4.2 times higher than the capital recorded in the previous five-year period.

Of 33 key projects, 11 have been completed in line with plans, 15 are under construction, and 12 are about to begin.

As of March 31, there were 2,907 projects worth VNĐ1.65 quadrillion ($71.52 billion) not funded by the local budget. Of these, 967 have been completed and 182 had stopped or had their licences revoked.

At a working session with local authorities on Monday, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Chu Ngọc Anh asked the department to follow the city’s goals and working programmes to actively issue related plans or make proposals to local authorities.

He ordered the department to quickly review the local list of key projects and suggest new ones for the 2021-25 period, adding that the proposed projects should boost the city’s socio-economic growth and also prove feasible.

Anh also requested smooth and close coordination between the department and relevant sectors and localities. — VNS

A view of the UN debate hosted by Việt Nam on Monday from Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo

NEW YORK – Monday’s high-level open debate on ‘Cooperation between the UN and regional organisations in enhancing confidence-building and dialogue in conflict prevention and resolution’ chaired by Vietnamese President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc in his capacity as President of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in April has been praised by the international community.

Ambassador Olof Skoog, head of the EU Delegation to the UN, said: “It was a very good debate.”

The EU side is “very strongly supportive of the UN,” the ambassador told the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)’s correspondent in New York.

The UN needs support as it “cannot do everything everywhere by itself,” he said, highlighting the important role of regional organisations in conflict prevention and resolution since they have trust and confidence among parties in conflict.

“So as long as they always follow the UN Charter, respect the international law, I think that’s kind of locally driven diplomacy,” he said.

Ambassador Anouparb Vongnorkeo, Permanent Representative of Laos to the UN, said Việt Nam has played an increasingly important role in the UN, especially the UNSC.

According to the Lao Ambassador, the matters proposed by Việt Nam in the debate are significant as they look towards promoting co-operation within the UN as well as between the UN and regional and sub-regional organisations.

Hailing the smooth and effective collaboration between the UN and regional organisations, he said the two sides had made efforts to enhance ties.

In an interview with the VNA, Ambassador Fatima Kyari Mohammed, Permanent Observer of the African Union (AU) to the UN, appreciated Việt Nam for running the high-level open debate.

She said the role of regional organisations and regional co-operation as a whole is fundamental for building confidence and promoting dialogue in conflict prevention and resolution.

“From the AU perspective, we have signed a joint framework for enhanced partnership in peace and security as well as development with the UN over three years ago,” the ambassador said.

“And since then co-operation between the two organisations has been strengthened to the institutionalisation of our joint efforts, reinforcing our collaboration and coherence, and harmonising strategies and approaches.”

Also on Monday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres and President of the UN General Assembly Volkan Bozkir held meetings with Ambassador Đặng Đình Quý, Permanent Representative of Việt Nam to the UN. The UN officials commended the debate chaired by Việt Nam.

Quý also met with Ambassador Guillermo Fernández de Soto, Permanent Representative of Colombia to the UN, during which the two sides compared notes on activities of the UNSC regarding the implementation of the peace agreement signed by the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in 2016.

Quý affirmed Việt Nam’s support for the peace process in Colombia and its wish that all relevant sides will continue with dialogue to deal with the present challenges, especially through established mechanisms in accordance with the peace agreement.

Việt Nam will work with the UN and the international community to support the Colombian government, and promote peace, security and development in Colombia, he said.

Asked about the UNSC’s open debate, Quý told the VNA that the participating countries, both members and non-members of the UNSC, commended Việt Nam’s preparations for the event. VNS

Despite his training in biotechnology, Nguyen Thai Duong, hailing from Ho Chi Minh City, made a bold choice to become an English teacher and has been riding a wave of success and popularity as a key opinion leader by using hit songs to teach vocabulary and packing his classes with fun.

The 30-year-old man, widely known as a teacher with innovative teaching methods and an influencer on social media, strives to pique interest and gives inspiration in teaching and learning English, mostly lexical items, through viral tunes.

His recent in-person show was a big success, during which he shared tips on how to learn English effectively through singing and dancing with nearly 350 of his hardcore fans.

The event was also an occasion for the young influencer, who has 97,000 followers on Facebook, to look back at his pursuit of language teaching.

A Google search with Duong’s full name as the keyword brings back nearly 2.7 million results.

Graduating top in biotechnology from Ho Chi Minh City University of Science in 2013, Duong realized his heart lies elsewhere.

The more he was immersed in English, the more he realized teaching the language is his life’s passion.

After weighing the pros and cons of a career move to English teaching, he made a bold decision not to pursue postgraduate education or become a scientist in biotechnology.

Without a background in language teaching, Duong signed up for a second-degree program in English linguistics and literature at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Sciences and Humanities.

Upon graduation with a second university degree, he also obtained a TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) certificate awarded by the Ho Chi Minh City University of Education.

The two colleges are the city’s most prestigious institutions in English linguistics and pedagogy.

Gradually, Duong built his image and came to establish himself as an inspiring teacher, singer, and composer.

The versatile teacher spared no efforts in piquing people’s interest in learning English, and sharing tips for them to effectively take up the language, particularly vocabulary.

Duong has gained popularity after sharing his video clips featuring English lessons creatively delivered on the catchy, viral tunes or his own songs, with lyrics adapted to match the lesson content.

Although it all simply started, his video clips have caught viewers’ attention for his eye-catching choreography and warm singing voice.

Many of his video clips have garnered millions of views each, turning him into a media personality who has appeared on national television channels including Vietnam Television (VTV) and Ho Chi Minh City Television (HTV).

The young teacher has put all of his pride and love for his hometown into his work, using his own childhood memories.

“I was born and raised in this city, which I hold dear to my heart. I’m lucky to have fond childhood memories, so I refer to them all as ‘Saigon9X,’ Duong shared.

Despite his growing popularity, the man said he has no intention to enter the local show industry.

“It’s quite unusual that an English teacher puts on his own show,” Duong admitted, referring to the success of his recent show.

“I organized the show just to satisfy my love for singing,” he noted, adding his main source of income comes from the English classes he offers at his own language center.

Duong also holds exchanges across the country to boost his real-life interaction and showcase his own pieces about Saigon9X.

“Of course, what my fans come for are mainly the methods and tips on learning English I’ve shared with them,” he said.

The young teacher shared he was quite moved at the influx of thank-you messages from his viewers.

Duong said he has never regretted his career choice, not even once.

“In fact, I’m so grateful. If I were a scientist now, I myself, my students and even other scientists would feel regretful,” he gleefully said as he recalled the milestone in his career.

He said he has applied the acquired knowledge in science to his artistic work to make it more logical and go smoothly.

The teacher revealed he always has a full plate, with his own family and language center to care for and new songs to compose and perform apart from being an influencer.

The roles, however, have taken him time to indulge in his hobbies, including playing soccer, watching films, and reading novels.

Duong admitted his first steps were met with countless immediate failures, which he said he could learn a lot from.

“They always meant something. I poured tons of money into branches of my language center, to no avail,” he recalled.

It later dawned on the aspiring man that launching a foreign language branch is not like opening a coffee shop.

“We basically need the same recipes and ingredients for the same products at a coffee shop,” he noted.

“On the contrary, humans play a central role when it comes to launching a foreign language center branch.”

Duong revealed there are quite many challenges in rewriting songs to match what he wants to teach.

“Besides a match in melodies and rhymes, catchy content and a captivating way to deliver knowledge are also needed,” he remarked.

“What comes out next must also be better than its predecessors.”

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