When life gives you lemons vine

According to the MoU, Pharmacity will become a partner in the customer care network of Hanwha Life. Customers of Hanwha Life Vietnam will be able to access the benefits provided from this collaboration as well as experience policy owner services such as premium payments at the system of over 500 drugstores of Pharmacity nationwide via payment service providers like Payoo, Momo, and VNPay. About 450 staff members and 44,000 agents of Hanwha Life will be the recipients of the incentives of Pharmacity.

The MoU with Pharmacity also aims to realise Hanwha Life’s mission to build a comprehensive life solution for customers in Vietnam

As a life insurance company pioneering co-operating with a leading healthcare partner, Im Dong Jun, CEO cum chairman of the Member Council of Hanwha Life Vietnam, said, “Healthcare is an essential part of our business, considering its nature. Particularly in the context of the pandemic, human health has become a great concern for most people and the whole society. With a hope to bring more benefits and healthcare services to customers to improve their quality of life, Hanwha Life Vietnam has tried to intensify its co-operation with reliable healthcare partners, including Pharmacity.”

In 2021, Hanwha Life continues to strive to become the most reliable life insurance company and aims to bring optimal life solutions to customers.

“I believe that this mutual endeavour will create a more comprehensive healthcare service to the customers of both parties. Pharmacity’s customers will be able to access Hanwha Life’s financial protection solutions, whereas Hanwha Life’s customers, staff members, and agents will have access to medicines and better healthcare services from Pharmacity. To make this happen in a more customer-friendly environment, Hanwha Life and Pharmacity will continue to further collaborate to integrate its customer service platforms,” added Im Dong Jun.

Chris Blank, CEO of Pharmacity, said, “We are glad to join hands with Hanwha Life, a leading life insurance company from South Korea, to take care of and improve the health of the Vietnamese people. With a network of over 500 pharmacies in big cities like Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Dong Nai, Can Tho, and Danang, together with professional, thoughtful pharmacists, we are confident that Pharmacity will bring the best services to customers. The co-operation with a life insurer having a wide network of offices like Hanwha Life and its sister companies will also help us materialise the target of having 1,000 drugstores by the end of this year.”

Pharmacity is one of the leading drugstore chains in Vietnam with a network of over 500 pharmacies

As a life insurance company endeavouring to meet the ever-changing demands of customers, Hanwha Life is strengthening co-operation with its numerous partners in health, banking, and fintech, and with technology companies so that customers can experience Hanwha Life’s products in their daily life. Earlier, in December 2020, Hanwha Life signed a co-operation deal with Gene Solutions, a leading company in genetics in Vietnam.

With the motto of customer-centricity, Hanwha Life is boosting investment in improving customer experience. Along with the co-operation with many partners in many fields, the company is accelerating the digitisation of its sales network.

Recently, Hanwha Life Vietnam has launched the LIME mobile app to improve services for customers. In addition, the company has also developed many different tools to support its business system professionally and effectively in the digital technology environment concerning recruitment, policy management, and staff training, which are important for its business.

Despite the strong impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hanwha Life Vietnam maintained stable business and sustainable growth in 2020, with total premium revenue of nearly VND3.4 trillion ($147.83 million), up 20 per cent on-year, and profit estimated at over VND300 billion ($13 million).

This is the first time that Hanwha Life Vietnam has earned profits for two consecutive years. In 2021, Hanwha Life continues to strive to become the most reliable life insurance company and aims to bring optimal life solutions to customers. At present, Hanwha Life Vietnam has more than 170 customer service points, over 44,000 financial consultants, and 450 staff members serving more than 600,000 customers countrywide.

By Anh Duc

Director Nguyễn Phương Điền on set for the “Lưới Trời” TV drama series. Photo courtesy of nld.com.vn

HCM CITY  Though cinemas have been temporarily closed due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, many television crews have begun producing new content.

Safety at filming studios has been prioritised to reduce the spread of COVID-19, and crews are more flexible about their schedules.

Local TV drama crews have become more experienced working in such a difficult time.

Film director Nguyễn Phương Điền said his crew has gone to Gò Dầu in Tây Ninh Province to film the next scenes of Lưới Trời after the Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday.

Lưới Trời consists of 40 episodes, 20 of which were completed by last December.

“Due to the pandemic, we have yet to film footage in crowded residential areas, but have given priority to scenes along the river wharf, village roads or outdoor areas without any people,” he said.

“We have constantly worked with authorities and informed them of our filming schedules while following epidemic prevention regulations. In addition to masks and sanitisers for the whole crew, we have set up barriers outside filming locations to avoid curious crowds,” he added.

The crew plans to stay in Tây Ninh for about 18 days before going to Dầu Giây in Đồng Nai Province and Tấn Châu in Đồng Tháp Province. Since most of the important scenes were filmed before Tết , it is easier for them to film now.

All are serious about protecting their own safety for a smoother filming process, Điền said.

Meanwhile, Vũ Thị Bích Liên, managing director of Mega GS Entertainment and Communication Complex, said that filmimg of director Hoàng Tuấn Cường’s movie, called Thương Con Cá Rô Đồng ”, resumed right after Tết .

Thương Con Cá Rô Đồng is mostly being filmed outdoors without crowds, she said, adding that another movie would be produced in mid-March.

Actress Văn Phượng is currently trying to finish the filming of Phía Cuối Con Đường while preparing for another 50-episode TV drama project in late March.

“I feel under pressure working during the pandemic because I cannot wear a mask while filming with my colleagues. But my crew has been very supportive and has encouraged constant disinfection at the studio. Strangers are not allowed as well,” she said.

Hope for the best

It has been more expensive producing a TV drama during the pandemic compared to other times, experts said. Actor Văn Phượng said that complex scenes with the participation of many people had to be postponed, which added to the cost of production.

“I hope the epidemic will be over soon, the pace of life will return to normal, and locals will feel more secure when it comes to work,” she added.

Writer Thanh Hương said since only a certain number of people could be allocated on set, the organiser must be very efficient.

“I believe the TV drama industry in HCM City will thrive in 2021. Many projects are about to start shooting, unlike the situation where TV dramas have mostly been produced in the North. I am currently completing the script for Nơi Bình Yên Sóng Gió , a TV drama with 100 episodes. The first part, consisting of 40 to 45 episodes, will be filmed in days to come,” she added.

Director Huỳnh Tuấn Anh is also certain about the positive growth of TV dramas and web dramas this year, considering that the pandemic might have caused many investors to hesitate about producing movies.

The number of dramas with large investments and quality casts is gradually increasing, which is  expected to create a new look for the local drama market. – VNS

Doctor Trần Như Dương, Deputy Director of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, head of the special task force of the Ministry of Health sent to Hải Dương Province in the past month, talks to the Vietnam News Agency about the task force’s work and what to expect in the coming months in the fight against COVID-19

Hải Dưong has basically controlled the pandemic and started to move to a new phase of both pandemic prevention and socio-economic development. However, the fight is not over, so what are the risks ahead of us?

Up to now, with huge efforts, we have obtained such remarkable results. However, the risk of another outbreak is still quite possible if we are ignorant or do not continue to implement drastic preventive measures. Besides, with this virus strain, there’s a high rate of healthy people carrying it around without any symptoms. Therefore, the source of transmission might be healthy carriers, which is always a risk to the community and may also cause new cases in the coming time. We must face this fact to always be highly vigilant and proactive. There must be appropriate, feasible and effective measures for both safety and socio-economic development. Therefore, we must always be aware that COVID-19 pandemic prevention on a regular basis is now a part of life under new normal conditions.

As an expert in epidemiology, after more than a month in Hải Dương in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, what were the difficulties in the fight against this outbreak?

The situation in Hải Dương was very complicated and difficult. First, the outbreak was caused by a UK virus strain that is able to spread very quickly and vigorously. Second, according to statistics of the Department of Medical Administration, the rate of healthy people carrying this virus strain this time is twice as high as compared to previous outbreaks, up to 80 per cent of the new cases, so it is extremely difficult to monitor and detect cases through conventional surveillance methods. What we had to do was large-scale and quick testing.

Thirdly, the outbreak was detected late both in Chí Linh City and Cẩm Giàng District, so it caused large transmission, creating a complicated hotspot. In Chí Linh, the outbreak occurred initially in the industrial zone environment, so it was highly infectious and created a great epidemiological connection with the population in many different districts in the province. In Cẩm Giàng, the virus source cane from a karaoke service, so the greater the epidemiological connection is, the more difficult it was for us to track down. Fourth, the outbreaks happened around the Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday, so it was even more difficult. In particular, due to the large number of cases in a short time, quarantine and quick testing with F1 cases had to be done timely so it was a huge amount of work.

Hải Dương has made great, drastic and prompt efforts in fighting the pandemic. The province closely followed the guidelines and directions of the Government in implementing anti-pandemic measures and has fought not only for Hải Dương to be safe but also to keep the whole country safe. Up to now, the province has established nearly 11,000 COVID -19 prevention groups in the community with about 2,500 people participating. The establishment and work of these groups is a considerable effort by Hải Dương authorities.

What should Hải Dương do to both fight the pandemic well and maintain socio-economic development?

In the current context, Hải Dương needs to continue updating and completing the overall plan on COVID-19 pandemic prevention of the province, which must include detailed scenarios, situations and assurance of resources and facilities.

The province should continue to thoroughly implement pandemic prevention and control measures according to regulations and properly and fully implement the five strategies set out by the National Steering Committee for pandemic prevention and control. When new cases appear, authorities must immediately handle the outbreak early on and not let transmission spread too far.

It is necessary to maintain the effectiveness and nature of the COVID-19 monitoring and control groups in the community. These groups are extremely important because they are the implementation of a community-based and people-based anti-pandemic strategy. The groups are also an extended arm of the government and the health sector in pandemic prevention. Hải Dương must consider this one of its strategic, fundamental and long-term tasks. The establishment of COVID-19 safety groups in offices, schools and businesses also needs to be effectively maintained.

The province also needs to focus on monitoring, ensuring absolute safety for hospitals and closely monitoring old outbreaks and new outbreaks. It also needs to maintain proper human resources in surveillance systems at all levels to detect new cases immediately. Hải Dương also has to ensure long-term funding for monitoring, sampling and testing COVID-19, because this is a very important indicator of pandemic monitoring. Along with that, it should periodically organise sampling of some groups of people at high risk.

At the same time, the province should enhance its education to local residents about the need to stay vigilant and not let their guard down too early.  VNS

Doctors perform the heart transplant surgery on the youngest patient in Việt Nam. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Seven-year-old L.X.H, the youngest-ever heart transplant recipient in Việt Nam, has been discharged from hospital, according to the Hà Nội-based Việt Đức Hospital.

Before the surgery, the child, weighing only 16kg, suffered from dilated cardiomyopathy and end-stage heart failure.

The patient received the heart from a 19-year-old brain-dead donor, with the surgery conducted on February 1.

The child’s mother thanked the family of the donor who, she said, has given her child a new life, and the dedication of doctors and nurses of the hospital.

This is the fifth heart transplant performed on a child at the hospital.

Việt Đức has performed five lung, 36 heart, 92 liver, and nearly 1,100 kidney transplants in total so far.

It is the leading centre nationwide for collecting and transplanting organs. All patients are healthy and have returned home.

In March 2017, a 10-year-old boy in Hà Nội became the youngest heart transplant patient at that time. After getting the heart from a brain-dead donor, he was discharged successfully. — VNS

Armed with little more than a smartphone and a dream, inexperienced cryptocurrency investors in Vietnam are hoping to hit it big with Pi – a cryptocurrency that can be mined from a phone.

As the crypto-craze in Vietnam continues being fueled by skyrocketing bitcoin prices and overnight millionaires, investors in the country are looking for low-barrier avenues to make their own fortunes on digital currency.

Enter Pi, a relatively new digital token that can be mined through the Pi Network app, advertised as “breakthrough tech [that] allows you to mine [Pi] on your phone without draining your battery.”

Unlike conventional cryptocurrency mining, which involves the use of significant computer power to verify the legitimacy of transactions in order to earn tokens as a reward, obtaining Pi only requires ‘miners’ to log into the application and tap a button every few hours.

With such a low barrier to entry, Pi mining has pulled in scores of Vietnamese crypto-newbies in recent weeks.

“We’ve missed the boat on bitcoin, so many of us have switched to mining Pi,” said Duc Danh, a Facebook user in Ho Chi Minh City.

“There’s nothing to lose.

“After a few years, if the project succeeds, each Pi could be worth dozens of U.S. dollars.”

Also in on the Pi hype is Vinh from Phu Nhuan District, a Pi miner who has recruited 70 other ‘miners’ and aggregated over 1,000 Pi coins for doing so as part of a Pi Network program akin to a multi-level marketing scheme.

“Pi mining costs nothing but bits of phone storage,” Vinh argued.

“What if the price shoots up to a few hundred U.S. dollars in the future?

“No one expected bitcoin to soar to $50,000.”

New members on the Pi Network receive one free Pi coin and start with a mining speed of 0.1 Pi per hour.

This velocity will increase with more accepted referrals, thus incentivizing users to gather as many new recruits under their umbrella as possible.

On Facebook, Pi Network groups have amassed hundreds of thousands of members curious about crypto mining, Pi’s identity verification system, and security.

K., a newbie in one of these groups, shared great optimism for the cryptocurrency.

“I learnt about Pi the other day on Facebook, and have had high hopes for it ever since,” he said.

Despite not being listed on big-name cryptocurrency exchanges, Pi’s trading value is already receiving real-world recognition, with one coffee shop in Ho Chi Minh City accepting the token as payment.

There are also reports of an e-commerce platform that accepts Pi as payment at a rate of VND100,000 ($4.5) for one Pi token, though the website was taken down on February 28.

No free lunch

Vietnamese users should take careful consideration before joining the Pi Network, said Dang Minh Tuan, a blockchain expert at the Posts and Telecommunications Institute of Technology in Hanoi, during a conversation with Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

The most obvious thing, according to Tuan, is the risk of giving away personal data to the app developers.

With a community estimated at over 15 million users worldwide, Pi is currently a gold mine of personal data that can be abused for targeted ads on Google, Facebook, and TikTok.

On top of that, Pi’s core team has not yet registered itself as a legal entity, which renders the contracts and ownership accords between users and Pi unprotected by law.

Pi has also not yet released its source code to the public, making the aggregate supply and demand of Pi tokens unidentifiable.

This indicates a huge risk for users involved because the developers have the power to inflate the currency as they please.

Sharing the skeptic’s view, financial expert Lam Minh Chanh sounded the alarm about scams in the likes of Onecoin, Skyway, or MyAladdinz.

According to Chanh, Pi is not completely free as users have to invest a great amount of time and phone resources.

They also face data security risks in return for the hopes of high investment returns that are fanned by vague speculation.

“Miners are unlikely to get rich. There is no free lunch,” he said.

According to Nguyen Hoang Minh, deputy director of the State Bank branch in Ho Chi Minh City, bitcoin and other similar types of cryptocurrency are not methods of payment compliant with law in Vietnam.

Issuing, supplying, and using bitcoin as well as other similar types of cryptocurrency as forms of payment are also prohibited.

Accordingly, users and suppliers of cryptocurrency in the country will be declared culpable and subject to penalties.

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Photos of coffee flowers in full bloom across the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak are capturing the imaginations of photography, travel, and nature lovers across Vietnam.

Bui Nguyen Van Nguyen, the photographer behind the Instagram account @odaucungchup, is known for his stunning depictions of life in Ho Chi Minh City.

His newest photo series, however, has shifted gears, highlighting the beauty of blossoming coffee flowers for the account’s 108,000 followers.

With 7,700 ‘loves’ and 160 comments on the series, his photos are a hit.

“I was surprised to see how much everyone loved my photos. So was my family,” Nguyen told Tuoi Tre News .

According to Nguyen, a Central Highlands native who now lives in Ho Chi Minh City, the photos were taken at his father’s two-hectare Robusta coffee farm.

“My father was thrilled to see his farm adored by so many people,” Nguyen said, adding that his father looks after the coffee plants as if they were his own children.

Coffee flowers bloom into white clusters of small petals, which makes them look like daisies.

They do not smell like coffee, but do produce a light fragrance.

“Coffee flowers smell pleasant,” Nguyen commented.

“That, combined with their beauty, makes them irresistible and romantic.”

According to Nguyen, coffee flowers in the Central Highlands typically blossom from February to April.

After the flowering season, farmers wait until the end of the year, normally November, to harvest the coffee beans.

“As perennial plants which only reproduce once a year, coffee plants require daily care until they’re ready for harvest,” Nguyen shared.

““The important factors in achieving high output lie in both the year’s climate and the farmers’ skills.”

Below are some photos of coffee flowers taken in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak:

Coffee flowers blossom in clusters in a Robusta garden in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak. Photo: Van Nguyen

Tiny bugs hover near the coffee flowers in a Robusta garden in the Central Highland province of Dak Lak. Photo: Van Nguyen

A bee amongst the coffee flowers in a Robusta garden in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak. Photo: Van Nguyen

Tiny bugs hover near the coffee flowers in a Robusta garden in the Central Highland province of Dak Lak. Photo: Van Nguyen

A group of women take selfies against the white blossoming coffee flowers in a Robusta garden in the Central Highland province of Dak Lak. Photo: Van Nguyen

A woman takes selfies against the white blossoming coffee flowers in a Robusta garden in the Central Highland province of Dak Lak. Photo: Van Nguyen

Bui Nguyen Van Nguyen’s father works in his coffee garden in the Central Highland province of Dak Lak. Photo: Van Nguyen

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