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[Samkieu]

Originally Posted by snipeshot08

Its the actual quantum that counts as all percentages are always relative if you say normally only 100 visitors then 10% increase is only 10 more irritating tourists, but if you are tokking about more than 1m visitors per year then 10% more is terrible liao

Cheerios......SS08 ^_^

You guys really travel so much.

[Killer_c]

Originally Posted by snipeshot08

Lucky I no buy never cum out........

Cheerios......SS08 ^_^

try again this week.. buy a chance... good luck Tai Kor..

[Goalie]

Originally Posted by Killer_c

try again this week.. buy a chance... good luck Tai Kor..

Huat Lah!!!!

[Hurricane88]

Ho Chi Minh City to finish building new Mien Dong Bus Station this year

TUOI TRE NEWS
UPDATED : 03/20/2017 19:01 GMT + 7



The construction of a new and improved Mien Dong (Eastern) Bus Station in Ho Chi Minh City is expected to be completed by the end of this year, a firm tasked with building it has said.

According to the Saigon Transportation Mechanical Corporation (SAMCO), the new Mien Dong Bus Station will be constructed at the beginning of the second quarter and finished around the end of 2017. SAMCO is the investor of the station.

With the total capital of VND4 trillion (US$176.4 million), the bus station will cover an area of 16 hectares, of which 12.3 hectares will be in outlying District 9, Ho Chi Minh City and the rest in nearby Binh Duong Province.

The existing bus station is situated in Binh Thanh District and is often considered one of the main reasons for traffic congestion in the city.

The new station will be connected with metro line No. 1, linking Ben Thanh Terminal in District 1 with Suoi Tien Terminal in District 9, expected to serve about seven million passengers per annum.

The station will accommodate buses traveling to provinces east of the city, as well as other localities in the central and northern parts of Vietnam.

Dinh La Thang, secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, has previously urged SAMCO to expedite the execution of the project due to delays resulting from site clearance procedures.

Thang has directed that the bus station be completed within 2017.

Meanwhile, site clearance for the new Mien Tay (Western) Bus Station is anticipated to be concluded in the third quarter, while construction will begin in the near future.

The current Mien Tay is located in Binh Tan District, while the new one will be built in outlying Binh Chanh District, being connected with metro line No. 3, which links Ben Thanh with Tan Kien Terminal in Binh Chanh.

Mien Tay now houses buses traveling to provinces west of Ho Chi Minh City.
The relocation of the two bus stations is intended to alleviate traffic jams in the inner areas.

[Hurricane88]

Vietnam doubles presence on Forbes Billionaires List

TUOI TRE NEWS
UPDATED : 03/21/2017 12:32 GMT + 7



Vietnam has had two representatives on the Forbes 2017 Billionaires List for the first time, with the female CEO of a budget airline joining a realty mogul who has been among the world’s richest for the last five years.

Pham Nhat Vuong, chairman of realty conglomerate Vingroup, enjoyed his fifth straight appearance, while Vietjet CEO and President Pham Thi Phuong Thao made her debut on the latest list released on Monday.

Vuong has a net worth of US$2.4 billion, and Thao, $1.2 billion, ranking them at 867th and 1,678th place on this year’s list, according to Forbes.



Vuong is the founder and chairman of Vingroup, one of Vietnam's largest conglomerates. The company, which derives most of its revenue from selling houses and apartments, is expanding rapidly into retail, logistics, agriculture, education and healthcare.

Vingroup’s biggest project, the $1.5 billion Vinhomes Central Park that features an 81-story skyscraper, apartment buildings and a park resembling New York City's Central Park, is on track to be completed in Ho Chi Minh City in 2018.

Vuong studied in Moscow, then moved to Ukraine, where he started Technocom, a maker of instant noodles. He moved back to Vietnam in 2001 and got into real estate, eentually selling his food company in 2009 to Nestlé.

He remains the richest man in Vietnam, with a recent report revealing that he owns nearly 65 percent of the company, directly and indirectly through a holding company, Vietnam Investment Group, according to Forbes.

Vuong debuted on Forbes’ billionaires list in 2013 with a net worth of $1.5 billion, ranking him the 974th richest person in the world.

Thao launched low-cost airline Vietjet in 2011 and made a big splash early on with ads featuring bikini-clad flight attendants. The airline, which offers 300 flights a day, operates more than 40 percent of Vietnam's flights.

In February 2017, Vietnam's first self-made female billionaire started listing her airline on the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange.

Thao also has investments in HDBank and real estate including three beach resorts, according to Forbes. She is one of 15 new self-made women to make their way onto the Forbes 2017 Billionaires List.



Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao (L) and Pham Nhat Vuong

Forbes' latest rich list shows that Bill Gates remains in the number one spot for the fourth year in a row, meaning he has been the richest person in the world for 18 out of the past 23 years. He has a fortune of $86 billion, up from $75 billion last year.

Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffett, Amancio Ortega, founder of Spanish clothing chain Zara and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg complete the top-five.

U.S. President Donald Trump's net worth plunged to $3.5 billion, or roughly a third of what he claimed during his successful presidential campaign, Reuters reported.

In a press release, Forbes commented that it was a record year for the richest people on earth, as the number of billionaires jumped 13 percent to 2,043 from 1,810 last year.

This edition also marks the first time ever that Forbes has listed more than 2,000 ten-figure-fortunes. The group's total net worth rose by 18 percent to $7.67 trillion, which is also a record.

The change in the number of billionaires – up by 233 since the 2016 list – was the biggest in the 31 years that Forbes has been tracking billionaires globally

[Hurricane88]

Sidewalks publicly ‘owned’ and ‘sold’ by Ho Chi Minh City vendors

TUOI TRE NEWS
UPDATED : 03/20/2017 18:19 GMT + 7



Sidewalks in Ho Chi Minh City are still being occupied by business operators, with some openly ‘sold’ between vendors, despite the local authorities’ recent efforts to reclaim the public space.

A recent investigation by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper revealed that several promenades in the southern hub are now owned and traded between local vendors.

Some ‘territories’ are even protected by gang members, paid to assist sellers in keeping the spaces from being occupied by other competitors, as well as dealing with the authorities’ inspections.

On March 2, Tuoi Tre reporters had parked their motorcycles on the sidewalk in front of the 115 People’s Hospital in District 10 when they were scared away by a young man.

A few minutes later, another man rushed to the journalists and threatened them with a knife.

“This space is not yours. Get out of here!” the man shouted.

Further along the footpath near the entrance to Cho Ray Hospital in District 5, the journalists were given similar warnings by another man.

He said that the pavement was already taken, adding that strangers could not enter the space.

“However, you can buy this location for VND50 million [US$2,205],” he continued.

On March 4, the reporters, under the guise of ‘sidewalk buyers,’ met a woman named V., who agreed to sell her section of the pavement in front of the National Hospital of Odonto-stomatology in District 5 for VND100 million ($4,411).

V. was a drink seller, whose ‘shop’ was basically a part of the sidewalk she claimed to own.

The woman promised to assist her ‘buyers’ in starting their business and dealing with the authorities whenever they inspect the area.

“If we have a deal, the space will be yours for good. You can use it or sell it to someone else,” V. assured them.


Bribery?

Several eateries continue to place their tables and chairs on footpaths despite the local authorities’ directive against such sidewalk encroachment.

At one coffee shop owned by P. on Pham Van Dong Street in Go Vap District, tables and chairs are often placed on the promenade during peak hours.

The owner confirmed that he sometimes had to pay some VND500,000 ($22) to a local officer, who would give him a heads-up before any inspection by local authorities.

An employee of a nearby beer bar claimed that the facility had to make regular payments to officers in order to be able to operate on the public space.

“It is not a bribe,” L., the owner, affirmed. “It’s just learning to adapt. The officers will simply inform me when a patrol takes place.”

Speaking to Tuoi Tre, Vo Minh Tri, chairman of the Go Vap People’s Committee, said that he would verify the reports and sanction those involved.


Makeshift parking lots

While many promenades in District 1 are now clear thanks to the measures of the local administration, some have been occupied by parking services.
At the corner of Ton That Hiep and Nguyen Hue Streets, motorbikes are parked in two long rows, taking up most of the public space and forcing pedestrians to walk on the roadway.

Parking costs VND5,000 ($0.22) per motorbike, one employee said, before adding that they were only allowed to place the vehicles in one row.
In front of the Cao Thang Technical College on Huynh Thuc Khang Street, students are charged VND10,000 ($0.44) per motorbike at a makeshift parking space.

Hundreds of vehicles are arranged in two rows on a 100 meter section of the pavement.

According to Nguyen Cong Thanh, vice-principal of the college, the parking lot is not managed by them.

Operators of the parkade said that they had been permitted to run the service, with signatures from the head of the local military command.

However, Senior Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Van Phong, chief of the District 1 Military Command, said that he had not given any such permission.

Vice-chairman of District 1 Doan Ngoc Hai has tasked local officers with inspecting and dealing with the violations of such parking lots.

[Hurricane88]

Vietnam border overwhelmed by surge of Chinese tourists

TUOI TRE NEWS
UPDATED : 03/20/2017 16:45 GMT + 7



The Vietnam-China border gate in Quang Ninh was overloaded when thousands of Chinese holidaymakers flocked to the Vietnamese province home to the famed Ha Long Bay to spend the weekend.

The Mong Cai border gate, the main entrance for Chinese tourists to the northern Vietnamese province, normally receives 8,000 to 10,000 entries a day, up to 3,000 of which are from China.

However, over the last weekend, the number of visitors passing Mong Cai spiked to 15,000 a day, with Chinese arrivals doubling to 5,000 on Saturday and Sunday, Luong Quang So, head of the border gate’s management board, said.

Tourists were seen queuing in long lines from the Chinese side to pass the gate, where they would tour Mong Cai City, Luon Cave and Ha Long Bay.

“Tourists from China usually come in larger numbers at this time every year, but this year’s surge is unprecedented,” So added.

“The border gate was overloaded for around 30 minutes due to the huge influx of tourists.


Chinese tourists wait to pass the border gate to Quang Ninh Province.

Industry insiders attributed the unusual spike of Chinese arrivals to Quang Ninh to the fact that travel firms in China are offering affordable tours to the Vietnamese province at this time of the year, so middle-income Chinese holidaymakers have grabbed the opportunity to travel.

With Quang Ninh being one of the three Vietnamese provinces to feature in Hollywood movie 'Kong: Skull Island,' some speculated that tourists came in droves to Vietnam thanks to the ‘Kong effect.’

Despite a global premiere on March 10, Kong will not beat his chest in China until March 24, meaning it is unlikely that Chinese visitors are flocking to Quang Ninh because of the giant ape.

Duong Van Co, chairman of Mong Cai City, said the huge number of Chinese tourists overwhelmed the border gate for some time, but there were no security issues.

The good news is the surge in tourist numbers will add a considerable amount in terms of border entrance fees to the province’s budget, he added.

In 2016 Mong Cai earned more than VND230 billion (US$10.27 million) from its tourist entrance fees.

[Hurricane88]

Man caught storing 5 dead tigers in freezer in central Vietnam

TUOI TRE NEWS
UPDATED : 03/21/2017 12:04 GMT + 7



A man from the north-central Vietnamese province of Nghe An has been caught storing five dead tigers in a freezer on Monday.

Anti-smuggling officers of the central region, under the Ministry of Public Security, discovered five Indochinese tiger corpses in a freezer at the home of Cao Xuan Toan, a resident of Dien Chau District, Nghe An.

In coordination with local police units, the officers carried out a raid on the residence around noon, following an investigation into an illegal ring selling wildlife animals.

The animals had each been cut open and had their organs removed.
They were estimated to have weighed between 100 and 150 kilograms when they were still alive.

The case has been transferred to the Nghe An Department of Police for further investigation.

In late October 2016, Le Van Duc, 26, also from Dien Chau District, Nghe An, was caught storing a dead tiger weighing 37 kilograms, along with approximately 21 kilograms of tiger skin, inside another freezer.

The poaching, transportation, and trading of endangered wild animals is outlawed in Vietnam.

Offenders face up to seven years behind bars, according to the country’s Penal Code.

In Vietnam, tigers are poached and traded for their skin, which can be processed into household decorations.

In addition, their bones can be slow-cooked into a thick paste that is rumored to cure a wide range of illnesses.

[Hurricane88]

Vietnam world’s 94th happiest country: report

TUOI TRE NEWS
UPDATED : 03/21/2017 11:13 GMT + 7



Vietnam ranked 94th out of 155 countries and territories in terms of happiness, while Norway displaced Denmark as the world’s happiest country in a new UN report released on Monday.

The World Happiness Report 2017, produced by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, a global initiative launched by the United Nations in 2012, called on nations to build social trust and equality in order to improve the well-being of their citizens.

The Nordic nations are the most content, according to the report, while countries in sub-Saharan Africa, along with Syria and Yemen, are the least happy of the 155 countries and territories ranked in the fifth annual report of its kind released by the UN.

Vietnam ranked 94th in this year’s report, up from last year’s 96th but still far behind its peak 2015 rank of 75th.

Singapore was the happiest country in Southeast Asia, ranking 26th, followed by Thailand (32nd), Malaysia (42nd), the Philippines (72nd), Indonesia (81st), Vietnam (94th), Myanmar (114th), and Cambodia (129th).

Brunei and Laos were not ranked in this year’s report.

Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, Finland, the Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Sweden rounded out the top ten countries.

South Sudan, Liberia, Guinea, Togo, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Central African Republic were at the bottom of the list.

The rankings are based on six factors – per capita gross domestic product, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, social support and the absence of corruption in governments or businesses.

"The lowest ranked countries are typically marked by low values across all six variables," said the report, produced with the support of the Ernesto Illy Foundation.

The first World Happiness Report was published in April 2012, in support of a UN High Level Meeting on happiness and well-being, which agreed on selecting the twentieth day of March every year to be the International Day of Happiness.

[Hurricane88]

Saigon unveils much-awaited plan for downtown street food zones

By Trung Son March 21, 2017 | 10:26 am GMT+7

The city may have figured out how to help low-income vendors as officials continue their cleanup campaign to take back the sidewalks.

For the first time, Ho Chi Minh City will create dedicated spaces for street food where low-income vendors can sell safe products without paying any fee.

The plan, unveiled on Monday, came after the city launched in early February a sidewalk cleanup campaign to remove invasive business activities that were believed to worsen traffic congestion and rob pedestrians of their space. The authorities aim to turn District 1 in the city's downtown into a "Little Singapore."

"The biggest concern is that, for street vendors, what they earn from selling food on sidewalks is their main source of income," Tran The Thuan, chairman of District 1, told a meeting on Monday with the municipal government. "That's why we came up with this idea of special zones for street vendors."


This is what a street food zone in downtown Ho Chi Minh City could look like, according to a new plan unveiled by officials on Monday.

The plan, in its current form, includes moving street vendors to Nguyen Van Chiem Street behind the Notre Dame Cathedral, and Bach Tung Diep Park near the Reunification Palace.

The district will not charge any fees and will provide training on food safety and recycling. Tables and chairs for customers will also be provided for free.

Street vendors along Nguyen Van Chiem Street will be encouraged to only sell takeout in order to serve more customers.

However, vendors can only open their stands for limited hours to ensure traffic safety.

"Street food is the hallmark of the city," said Tuyen, adding that resolving the sidewalk issue is a must, but livelihoods must be considered.

Ho Chi Minh City is one of Vietnam's most popular destinations. It has projected to welcome six million foreign visitors this year, after recording a 10 percent annual rise in the number of foreign arrivals last year, to 5.2 million.

[snipeshot08]

Originally Posted by Hurricane88

U kong simi sai...liap bor kiu...

Oh yes my great Diak Bo Kiu Transcended Being

Cheerios......SS08 ^_^

[snipeshot08]

Originally Posted by Hurricane88

Si si...i tok gambling tradtional way and u tokking diff frequency...

Ermmm we started discussing about that article about that Sinkie that got caught for starting an online betting/casino website in Wetnam so never did I ever tok or even mentioned about traditional gambling all the way leh from the very beginning so you think you are off frequency or I am off frequency leh

Cheerios.....SS08 ^_^

[snipeshot08]

Originally Posted by Hurricane88

Kong simi...liap bor kiu lah...kkkk...

Oh yes my persistent & consistent great Diak Bo Kiu Transcended Being, I hear you loud loud......

Cheerios......SS08 ^_^

[snipeshot08]

Originally Posted by Hurricane88

Another terrible news...ah tiong flovking there daily by 25k to 35k per day....jialat...

Actually if their garment is not so arrogant all other nations may not dislike them so much today

Cheerios......SS08 ^_^

[snipeshot08]

Originally Posted by Hurricane88

Yes u mr xnn.com...

Oh yes Mr Promoter of xnn.com

Cheerios......SS08 ^_^