Miss World Vietnam 2010 second runner-up Pham Thuy Vy Victoria left for London, England, on October 18 to attend the Miss World 2011 beauty pageant. The 21-year-old girl California, USA, is 171 cm tall and weighs 47kg, with body measurements of 83-60-88cm. She was the second runner-up at the Miss World Vietnam 2010 and won the contest’s “Miss Sports” title. She also won Miss Asian California in 2009. Thuy Vy is currently a student at the Business Administration Faculty of the University of California at Berkeley. She speaks English, Vietnamese, and Spanish. Thuy Vy returned to Vietnam two weeks ago to prepare for Miss World 2011 and sharpen her skills under the guidance of the world’s leading experts. Miss World 2011, marking the 60 th anniversary of the competition, will be held in London, England, this November. Around 120 contestants from around the globe are expected to participate in the pageant this year. … [Read more...]

Sibylle Bergemann exhibition in Hanoi The photo 'Sunset at Lang Biang' won second prize in Vietnam's world heritages contest A photo exhibition on 'Vietnam's world heritages' on Monday opens at the Fine Art Exhibition Center at 29 Hang Bai Street to mark the 54th anniversary of Hanoi's liberation. There are more than 200 photos by 183 photographers selected from 2,012 entries of 282 authors who joined the contest. Photos depict tangible and UNESCO-recognized tangible and intangible heritages of Vietnam such as Hue Citadel, My Son Sanctuary, Hoi An, Thang Long Imperial Citadel, Ha Long Bay, Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, Hue nha nhac (royal music), the Highlands' gong culture, Bac Ninh love duet, ca tru (ceremonial singing), Giong Festival in Phu Dong and Soc temples. 'Bau vat nhan gian song' (Living human treasure) by Tran Viet Van won the first prize, with Tran Thiet Dung for 'Sunset at Lang Biang' and Ong Van Sinh for 'Buc tranh pho Hoi' (Hoi An City's picture) … [Read more...]

The other four nations are India, Indonesia, China and Egypt, according to a report released by the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation’s (HSBC) in Ho Chi Minh City on October 19. Vietnam’s total trade revenue is expected to jump from US$108.1 billion to US$282.5 billion by 2025, a growth rate of 144 percent over 2011, Huynh Buu Quang, Head of HSBC Commercial Banking told reporters. Asia’s total trade value is forecast to reach nearly US$14 trillion and is considered to be the main factor driving world trade growth, which is set to increase by nearly 75 percent by the time. Quang praised the Vietnamese government’s policies to curb inflation adding that although the country’s economy has experienced a number of fluctuations in recent years, its trade earnings are still expected to rise by 7.26 percent in 2011 and maintain a growth rate of 8.3 percent over the next five years. With 115 points, Vietnam ranks 7th in the world and 3rd in the Asian region … [Read more...]

(VEN) - Vietnamese people will have the chance to vote for Ha Long Bay as a new World Wonder through a TV programme to be broadcast live on October 29.The live programme will be concurrently aired on Vietnam Television's Channel 1 (VTV1) linking four places: Ha Long Bay in the northeastern province of Quang Ninh, the capital city of Hanoi, the former imperial city of Hue in the central region and Ho Chi Minh City. Famous figures, including pop stars, will vote for the bay and deliver messages calling on audiences to take part in the vote.    Ha Long Bay has been twice recognised as a World Natural Heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). The programme will help promote the image of the World Heritage site of Ha Long Bay and Vietnam as well, said Nguyen Van Tinh, head of the International Cooperation Department under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MoCST) at a press briefing in Hanoi on October 19. According to MoCST … [Read more...]

Singer Lam Truong will organize a lucky draw event tomorrow afternoon at Ho Chi Minh City’s Equatorial Hotel where he will pick a fan to record a song with him as a part of World Smile Day celebration. For each entrant to the draw, organizers will contribute VND5,000 (US$ 25 cents) to the Education Fund. All proceeds will go to children at the city’s Thien Duyen Orphanage. “This is the first time World Smile Day has been celebrated in Vietnam. One swallow doesn't make a summer. I organize the draw so that young people can follow me,” said Lam Truong. The event is organized by the Access American Education (AAE) and the social service group GEO Pet from the city’s University of Technology. World Smile Day has been celebrated on the first Friday in the month of October every year since 1999. The idea of the Day is from Harvey Ball, an American commercial artist who is known for creating a smiley face in 1963. Singer Lam Truong … [Read more...]

Melissa Moon, champion of the women's race up the 86 flights of stairs of the Empire State Building 2010, will join the Bitexco Vertical Run at HCM City’s tallest building on October 30. Bitexco Financial Tower, the tallest building in HCM City. Moon,42, is a long-distance runner from Wellington, New Zealand. She is a two time World Mountain running champion and has won 21 New Zealand athletics titles over her career. In 2001 she was named New Zealand Sportswoman of the Year. In 2008 she was named as one of ten Top Young Outstanding Persons of the World Program by the Junior Chamber International. In 2010, Moon won the women's race up the 86 flights of stairs of the Empire State Building (a 102-story landmark in New York City, USA), in a time of 13 minutes and 13 seconds. Moon said she is waiting to participate in the race in HCM City to defend her championship. This is the first race of its kind held in Vietnam. Runners will have to pass 1,002 stairs to reach the 49th floor … [Read more...]

In the early 19th century, six Phu Quoc ridgebacks were brought to France. Seeking the origin of Phu Quoc ridgeback Phu Quoc ridgebacks went to the West In the early 19th century, six Phu Quoc ridgebacks were brought to France, including four dogs of Fernand Doceul, a French official in southern Vietnam and Cambodia. However, only three of them were survival and presented to the Paris Zoo. These dogs were described in specialized journals by many zoologists as the only breed in the world with ridgeback. Henri de Bylandt, a Duth count, compiled the standards for Phu Quoc hunting dogs, which was in the book “Les Races de Chiens”, published in 1897, with standards for more than 300 breeds. The two remaining dogs belonged to Gaston Helouin who lived in Helfaut, Pas-de-Calais, northern France. They were Xoai (mango), a male dog and Chuoi (banana), a female dog, which won prizes at first dog show in Lille, France in 1894 and the dog show in Anvers, Belgium in 1894. Since … [Read more...]

- Bitexco, the 262meter building in HCM City, has been listed among 20 of the world's most iconic skyscrapers, selected by CNNGO (of CNN). World Mountain running champion to conquer Saigon’s tallest building CNNGO selected the 20 iconic skyscrapers of the world based on the following principle “Buildings that are great, not because they're tall, but because of what they represent”. According to CNNGO, the Bitexco Financial Tower may no longer be the tallest building in Vietnam, but it still defines HCM City’s skyline. Designed to represent Vietnam’s national flower, the lotus, this 262-meter skyscraper is meant to characterize the beauty and growth of the city below. It's ambitious, and it's in your face, much like its host city. The building was completed on October 31, 2010, after more than five years under construction, at the cost of US$220 million. With speeds of seven meters per second, the elevators in the building are the third-fastest in … [Read more...]

Singapore remains the easiest place to do business, the World Bank said in a report, with the Asian financial center keeping its title for a sixth straight year. 2011 set a record for regulatory reforms that boost business conditions, among emerging-market and developing economies in particular, the annual "Doing Business" survey of 183 countries found. After Singapore, rounding out the top five and unchanged from 2010 were, in order, Hong Kong, New Zealand, the United States and Denmark. Among the major emerging economies, China was middle-ranked at 91st, ahead of Russia (120th), Brazil (126th) and India (132nd). For the report, the World Bank gathered information on changes in legal frameworks, administrative procedures and technical obstacles in launching or expanding a business. The Washington-based development lender also drew on public institutions, universities, legal experts and entrepreneurs to measure trading conditions. Africa overall ranked at the bottom of … [Read more...]

Experts of Global Beauties websites guess that Vietnam’s Thuy Vy will enter the semi-finals of Miss World 2011. Two of them forecast that the Vietnamese representative will be crowned. Vietnamese American girl to represent Vietnam at Miss World Miss World 2011 will take place from October 20 to November 6 in London, the UK. Global Beauties has launched its first ranking, based on photos and information about contestants. The ranking is made by nine experts selected by this prestigious website, including Edwin Toledo (Puerto Rico), Jean Vandercasteele (Belgium); Nick C (Turkey), Donald West (Canada), Andre Sleigh (South Africa), Ed Dominguez (Panama), Inger Hansson (Sweden) Katia Maes (Netherland) and Donald Nguyen (USA – Vietnamese origin). These experts are masters of world famous forums or blogs on international beauty pageants. The nine experts mark contestants based on five marking scheme, including five marks for those who are able to win the crown, four for … [Read more...]