Mai Phan Loi at court (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The High-Level People’s Court of Hanoi has reduced the prison sentence handed down to Mai Phan Loi , Chairman of the Scientific Council of the Centre for Media in Educating Community (MEC), by three months in an appeal trial on August 11. Accordingly, Loi will spend 45 months in prison for tax evasion instead of 48 months in the first-instance verdict. His accomplice Bach Hung Duong, MEC Director, also received a revised sentence of 27 months, down from 30 months. MEC was founded in 2012 under a decision by the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations. It is funded mostly by grants and donations from domestic and foreign organisations. As a stakeholder, Chairman of the Founding Board and Chairman of the Scientific Council of MEC, Loi directed MEC’s all activities. From 2012 to March 2021, MEC recorded funding of over 19 billion VND (826,000 USD), but whenever MEC received financial support, Loi … [Read more...] about Mai Phan Loi has jail term reduced by three months
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Vietnamese images shine in two international songs
The music video, named Waiting for you-5000 years, aims to introduce beautiful images of Vietnamese people to international friends, including the RoK. The video was recorded from May 17 to July 12 in 19 provinces and cities of Vietnam such as Hanoi, Trang An (Ninh Binh), Tam Chuc (Ha Nam), Ba Be (Bac Kan), Ha Long (Quang Ninh), Ho Chi Minh City, Mui Ne (Binh Thuan), Sa Pa (Lao Cai), Da Nang, Hoi An (Quang Nam). In response to the 30th anniversary of Vietnam - RoK diplomatic ties, Joseph Kwon introduced two songs Butterfly flakes and Waiting for you-5000 years . Of which, Butterfly flakes will be released in Ho Chi Minh City in the near future. Joseph Kwon is a multi-talented artist. He works as a musician, composer, singer, and producer in the RoK and the K-pop market. He is also known as one of the music therapists of the Well Hospital Voice Center and SBS Choir Radio Conductor. Joseph Kwon said that his love for Vietnam is very natural. When he was still a child, he fell … [Read more...] about Vietnamese images shine in two international songs
Ministries work to smooth out problems with new version of Vietnamese passport
Spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) and the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) recently met with the embassies of Germany, the Czech Republic and Spain and asked them to coordinate with Vietnam to tackle difficulties regarding granting visas in the new version of Vietnam’s passports, according to the MoFA. At the MoFA’s regular press meeting on August 11, spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang updated the media on some countries’ refusals to recognise the new version of the passports since they don’t contain information about place of birth. She said under the Prime Minister’s direction, the MoFA’s Consular Department and the MPS’s Immigration Department had a working session on August 9 with the embassies of Germany , the Czech Republic and Spain in Hanoi to discuss the countries’ suspension of issuing visas on new Vietnamese passport s due to the absence of this … [Read more...] about Ministries work to smooth out problems with new version of Vietnamese passport
Vietnam mulls ways to boost inbound travel
Foreign tourists visit the Independence Palace in HCM City on August 8. (Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNS/VNA) - Strict visa policies and a shortage of human resources and infrastructure in the tourism sector have stymied recovery of the travel industry, and the target of five million international arrivals this year could be out of reach, industry players have warned. Domestic travel has seen a strong rebound whereas international tourism, with a target of five million arrivals this year, remains in a slump, said Vu The Binh, Chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association. Domestic visitor numbers topped 71.1 million in just the first seven months of this year against a full-year target of 60 million, he said. In the same period there were only 733,000 international visitors, or 8% of pre-pandemic numbers, he told a two-day programme titled ‘Lien Ket Suc Manh Du Lich Vietnam Nam 2022’ (Power of Vietnam Tourism Linkages) that ended in Ho Chi Minh City on August 9. Though … [Read more...] about Vietnam mulls ways to boost inbound travel
Thai Airways receives court greenlight for debt restructuring
Thai Airways plane (Source: AFP/VNA) Bangkok (VNA) – The Central Bankruptcy Court of Thailand on September 14 approved a request for a debt restructuring plan of Thai Airways International Plc, the nation’s flagship carrier, which has been hit hard by the COVID-19. Thai Airways reduced its stake in May and went to the insolvency court to resolve its debt, which totalled 332.2 billion (10.6 billion USD) by the end of June, according to local media. The carrier, which reported a loss of nearly 900 million USD in the first quarter of this year, is seeking a loan worth around 1.78 billion USD in the short term to operate and pay for its employees. It is expected to submit the debt restructuring plan by the end of this year. The global aviation sector has plunged into crisis by the pandemic as countries severely restricted travel, forcing airlines to ground vast numbers of planes and seek government help as they hemorrhaged cash./. VNA … [Read more...] about Thai Airways receives court greenlight for debt restructuring
What’s new in Viet Tan’s schemes?
Police officers on May 18, 2009 announced a decision to deport Viet Tan member Nguyen Van Be, a Vietnamese in Australia. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The Viet Tan terrorist organization has made use of the internet, especially social media, to conduct propaganda and entice people to join its disguised groups on the internet. Under the cover of making social criticism and struggling for democracy, national sovereignty and territorial integrity, those groups in fact spread distorted information on the Party and State’s policies and guidelines in order to spur the hostile attitude among a part of the people. Making use of East Sea situation to undermine the administration Recently, using the complicated developments in the East Sea after China brought its survey vessels into Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone, Viet Tan coordinated with other reactionary groups and associations to hold a series of demonstrations in many countries in order to incite its members and political … [Read more...] about What’s new in Viet Tan’s schemes?