If you are a young person from the north-central Vietnamese provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh, the potentially lethal dangers of journeying thousands of miles and being illegally smuggled across borders by international trafficking networks seem like a small price to pay for the reward of little more than the opportunity to work. H.T.L., a young Vietnamese man from Ha Tinh who has spent the last five years illegally working in the UK, shared his own harrowing migration journey to what many Vietnamese consider ‘the promised land’ with Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, in the hope of shedding light on the dangers that lie ahead for his rural Vietnamese countrymen who are looking outside their native borders for hope and opportunity. A journey to hell L.’s 2015 journey to the UK began in the same fashion as most migrants from Nghe An and Ha Tinh – with both intermediate and extended families draining their savings and pawning their assets to raise … [Read more...] about Vietnamese man shares grim journey to UK in search of better life
Morricone run man run
Tough decisions for Da Nang over Cocobay project
The Empire Group could not pay annuity for its CocoBay condotel buyers since next year. Photo vneconomy.vn HÀ NỘI – Đà Nẵng authorities need to carefully review the offer to convert the Cocobay Đà Nẵng condotel project into apartments as it could harm the city’s economic development plan, experts have said. The project developer, Thành Đô Investment Development and Construction JSC (Empire Group), had guaranteed to pay 12 per cent profit on the value of investors' condotel purchases from January 1, 2020, but has since announced it cannot fulfil this commitment due to financial woes. Condotels are often sold to investors and then leased back to the developer or an operating firm to manage rentals to holidaymakers, which is where the 12 per cent profit was supposed to come from. A lack of regulations on condotel development and ownership has also harmed the project. The … [Read more...] about Tough decisions for Da Nang over Cocobay project
Music shows bring Christmas cheer to HCM City
Pop star Cẩm Vân (right) and veteran and young singers, dancers and musicians will perform in many music shows to usher in the Christmas and New Year in HCM City. — Photo from the singer's facebook HCM CITY — A series of drama, music and dance shows featuring hundreds of singers, dancers and theatre artists offering something for everyone in HCM City will begin this weekend. Trống Đồng Entertainment Centre will cheer the Christmas and New Year and celebrate its 30 years of working with a great open-air music programme on Saturday. The event, 30 Năm Ký Ức Trống Đồng (30 Years - the Best Moments of Trồng Đồng Centre), will feature about 100 veteran and young singers and dance groups. Pop stars Ngọc Sơn and Cẩm Vân, who began their career in the 1980s, will be featured. The concert will also highlight Vietnamese-American veteran … [Read more...] about Music shows bring Christmas cheer to HCM City
Exhibition shows remarkable contemporary artists
Originated from Soli, lacquer, 90cm by 90 cm by Hà Phước Duy. HÀ NỘI — As many as 69 paintings by 64 artists nationwide are on display at an exhibition in Hà Nội featuring highlights of the contemporary fine arts of the country. The exhibition Viet Art Now is a result of the project with the same name initiated by painters Phạm Hà Hải, Nguyễn Bình Chương and Phạm An Hải. They founded a Facebook page called Viet Art Now gathering remarkable artists of the country. It’s a rendezvous of the artists to exchange and share idea and passion for art. It also hosts exhibitions and auctions with the aim to promote the national fine arts and support the artists. “Viet Art Now is a notable web page but can easily become out-of-date when a lot of new methods of displaying and introducing art are mushrooming, and if it lacks updates, the participation of talents and real … [Read more...] about Exhibition shows remarkable contemporary artists
OPEC agrees oil output cuts after much ‘brain squeezing’
Crude prices rallied after Iraq's oil minister said OPEC and other top producers could consider File photo of a crude oil pipeline. (Photo: AFP/DAVID MCNEW) Friday's so-called OPEC+ meeting included Russia, the world's second-largest oil producer and not a member of the cartel. It ended with a deal for a cut effective as of Jan 1 which sets an output target 1.7 million barrels per day lower than October 2018 levels, with Saudi Arabia and Russia making almost half the additional reductions between them. In a surprise move, the bloc also announced that several participating countries, "mainly Saudi Arabia", would make additional voluntary cuts bringing the overall cut to more than 2.1 million barrels per day. World oil prices surged in response, with US benchmark WTI and its European counterpart Brent both rising two percent in an initial reaction before settling down at levels around 1.3 per cent higher on the day in the late European afternoon. On Thursday, a meeting of OPEC … [Read more...] about OPEC agrees oil output cuts after much ‘brain squeezing’