Tieng Viet lovers club

[jackbl]

New ways needed to thaw frozen property market
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VietNamNet Bridge - Experts and investors said the real estate market has frozen and a new approach is needed to undo the damage done by the economic slowdown.

According to many analysts, a rebound for the market was not in sight early this year, because of a decline in investment by companies and banks aiming to prevent inflation.

Previously, commercial banks could use 40 percent of their short-term deposit funds to make medium-and long-term loans, with most loans being invested in real estate. But the rate has been reduced to 30 percent.

Problems in the market were also caused by oversupply.

According to market research company, VietRees, existing real estate projects can provide as many as 9,000 apartments this year, and double that number in 2011, exceeding demand.

Seeking solutions

Many real estate companies have tried to find their own way out. Most have resorted to building medium-cost flats that don’t require huge investment, for people with medium incomes.

For instance, two years ago, Nam Long Apartment Development Corporation has been successful in building Ehome apartment building in District 7, Ho Chi Minh City and selling them for just VND600 million (US$31,500) each. Real Estate Le Thanh Company also constructed similar flats in the city's Binh Tan District and has sold all of them.

Now, Van Phat Hung JS Co. followed them by building apartment blocks in Binh Tan District and sell an 50 square meter apartment for VND12 million ($631) per square meter on average.

Issuing project bonds is another solution for developers.

In 2008, Saigon Thuong Tin Real Estate JS Company (Sacomreal) issued project bonds worth VND750 billion ($39 million) at an interest of 12 percent per year to seek capital for the construction of its Phu My apartment block in District 7.

Each bond holder is offered the right to buy one apartment at a discount of 8 percent of the value of the apartment.

Just three days after issuance, the company collected the capital it needed.

Construction of the Sacomreal block called Belleza has been completed and on January 23, 2010, when the company called for buyers, 75 percent of the bond holders paid deposits on apartments.

Dang Hong Anh, chairman of the Management Board of Sacomreal, said: “To be successful in an issue of project bonds to mobilize capital, the issuing company must satisfy two factors: first, being prestigious and reliable to customers; and second, assuring potential buyers that investing in such bonds would be more profitable than investing in other projects.”

VietNamNet/SGGP

[jackbl]

Be careful if u are staying near this place, as I remember 1 bro said that he stay in 1 hotel at Binh Thanh, but dun know is it here.

Mosquito influx plaguing HCMC district
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VietNamNet Bridge - Hundreds of households along Lang Canal in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, complain that a recent surge in mosquitoes is making daily living unbearable.

Over the past month, the number of mosquitoes has increased especially at night, said a woman in Binh Thanh’s Ward 11 who showed her severely insect-bitten legs to reporters.

Nguyen Thi Hong Le who lives in Ward 13, meanwhile, said her two-year-old son was feverish for two days recently, which she suspected was due to several mosquito bites.

Ms. Le said she has tried everything from incense and electric insect rackets to chemical sprays, but the mosquitoes always return.

Nguyen Van Nhien from the same ward said the mosquito epidemic began over a month ago, and that most locals have been forced to eat meals under netting to avoid irritation.

Local residents said that each time they complain to local authorities, Binh Thanh District’s Preventive Health Center sent staff to spray insecticide, but the mosquitoes always returned in large numbers after just two to three days.

The bugs are believed to be coming from the polluted Lang Canal, which sees an annual outbreak of mosquitoes, but authorities have yet to dredge or clean the canal.

Binh Thanh is now the city district with the most reported cases of dengue fever, spread through infected mosquitoes.

VietNamNet/SGGP

[AdGuy]

Originally Posted by jackbl

Mosquito influx plaguing HCMC district
==========================================

GP

I want love bite, not mostquito bite

[bonbonbebe]

Originally Posted by creeve

lol... all i remember is that she don't understand english at all, hence automatically switch to tv mode.

i did read the last few pages where a lot of posts are made regarding "noi chuyen" etc. i did understand that, as she always say in her messages that she enjoy talking "heart matters" with me. i'm just thrown off by her using "chat" as english word and refers to it as "noi chuyen qua vi tinh". i remember "nhieu chuyen" by heart because another girl i spent a lot of time with always chidded me "nhieu chuyen".

i'm just curious whether "noi chuyen qua vi tinh" got any special meaning as i was thinking "hum sup" in my mind.

looks like really have to buy you beer liao. lol...

chat = noi chuyen qua vi tinh

If you were her, u would use "chat" or use the long "noi chuyen qua vi tinh"?

noi chuyen = talk
qua = via, through
vi tinh = computer

[creeve]

Originally Posted by bonbonbebe

chat = noi chuyen qua vi tinh

If you were her, u would use "chat" or use the long "noi chuyen qua vi tinh"?

noi chuyen = talk
qua = via, through
vi tinh = computer

doh! all along I only know that she only know tv, and a little little little bit of chinese. never occur to me that she might know english as the only english word she said to me before is "phone". i did ask her whether "chat" is tieng viet or tieng anh, but she never reply.

at first I interpret as "talk heart matters for love" and that is translating it word for word lor. ha ha!

bbbb, thanks. now that I understand what she meant, its all the more better for me, especially computer stuff is my forte. since you are "con gai vietnamese", can you advise normally what chat software is popular among vietnamese?

cam on rat nhieu!

[jackbl]

Originally Posted by creeve

especially computer stuff is my forte. since you are "con gai vietnamese", can you advise normally what chat software is popular among vietnamese?

cam on rat nhieu!

IMHO, yahoo is, followed by SKYPE.

[jackbl]

Is unsafe food poisoning Vietnamese people?
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VietNamNet Bridge – Unsafe food has become a hot topic in Vietnam - from rotten fat to dried food with maggots. But is it a media induced panic or should Vietnamese people be very concerned about what they are eating?

Unsafe food has become a burning issue in Vietnam. Vietnamese people have never had to face so many public food scares. And the risks go way beyond simple stomach upsets as people are increasingly concerned about acute diarrhea and even cancer.


According to a scientific conference on food safety held in Hanoi in December 2009, up to 56 percent of food samples tested were infected with chemicals, growth stimulants and processing substances – all of which are potentially damaging to those who eat it.

Experts discussed at the conference that more and more types of food are infected with chemicals and stimulants. The recent discovery of food containing listeria monocytegene, which can cause poison and complications related to pregnancy is one example. Since early 2009, Vietnam has recorded 111 food poisoning cases with over 4,100 victims, including 31 deaths.

The number of food poisoning cases and discoveries of unsafe food have been on the rise since late 2009. After first detecting rotten fat headed to a full moon cake baker in September 2009, Hanoi police later seized 50 tonnes in total at a warehouse in Dong Anh district.

After that police in Da Nang, HCM City and Thua Thien,Hue continued finding similar loads - seizing nearly 100 tonnes of “dirty” fat.

In December, Hanoi police found further links between dirty fat processers and bakers - including an enterprise processing cakes and maize in La Phu village, Hoai Duc district, Hanoi. Most recently, an enterprise processing dried fruit for Tet in HCM City hit the headlines for having maggots in its ingredients.

Meanwhile, state agencies have launched a campaign calling for consumers to be educated in choosing food. However, it’s hard to keep up with sophisticated tricks of producers and what is deemed unsafe.

At the Long Bien wholesale market in Hanoi, local authorities discovered addled squid had been “freshened” by chemicals. Workers described the freshening process as follows: rotten squid is cleaned and then put into a water tank with 1/2kg of salt, ice and 250ml of hydrogen peroxide for one hour. Then squids are then put into centrifugal spinner. After that the squid are washed and boxed for sales.

Reporters who joined police officers in the inspection at Long Bien market saw by with their own eyes boxes of squid. It smelled bad and was covered with worms and dirt and yet tonnes of food in this state were being “processed” every day.



No one taking charge in the fight against unsafe food

While unsafe food remains a real threat to health in Vietnam, the responsibility for ensuring quality and hygiene belongs to five ministries and, it seems, all are happy to avoid these duties..

At a recent National Assembly question and answer session, many congressmen questioned the cabinet about responsibility for imported fruits containing toxic preservative substances. The Ministers of Health, Trade and Industry, Agriculture and Rural Development stood up to answer but none of them had a clear response.

The Minister of Health had to stand up three times but in the end he asked if he could submit a written response to questions instead.

Health minister, Nguyen Quoc Trieu, outlined the responsibility of related ministries in controlling food hygiene and safety. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is responsible for pesticide in food. The Ministry of Trade and Industry is in charge of the processing technology and the use of artificial colourings in food. The route taken by food from farms to the dinner table is the Health Ministry’s responsibility.

However, the three Ministers were confused when NA deputies asked them about a specific case.

In fact, up to five ministries are associated with food hygiene control: the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and Ministry of Science and Technology. However, none of them have stepped forward to take overall responsibility.

Admitting a key role in managing food hygiene, health Minister, Nguyen Quoc Trieu, requested sympathy for his ministry. He said that it is important to have a clear mechanism among related ministries in controlling food hygiene because one ministry cannot order another around.

Prof. Nguyen Minh Thuyet, vice chairman of the NA’s Committee for Culture ,Education ,Youth and Children, said that the existing Order on Food Safety doesn’t have detailed regulations and doesn’t specify responsibility of related agencies.

Thuyet said their is an absence of strong sanctions against producers and traders of food products as well as state management bodies so it is difficult to deal with food scandals.


Establishment of independent agency for food hygiene suggested

The need to have a government body to unify the control of food hygiene was discussed by experts when they compiled the Law on Food Safety.

According to the draft law, the Ministry of Health will assume the highest responsibility for food hygiene and safety. However, many people suggested setting up an independent agency controlling food safety, which is under the government. Each province and city will have a local branch, which is managed by the People’s Committees.

Thuyet proposed to learn from the experience of the the UK and the US, which have national committees for food and drugs. This committee meet on a monthly basis and meetings are aired live. The people have the right to attend these meetings and question the committee.

Thuyet also suggested assigns this responsibility to the Ministry of Science and Technology because the Ministry of Health is too busy.



PV

[bonbonbebe]

Originally Posted by creeve

doh! all along I only know that she only know tv, and a little little little bit of chinese. never occur to me that she might know english as the only english word she said to me before is "phone". i did ask her whether "chat" is tieng viet or tieng anh, but she never reply.

at first I interpret as "talk heart matters for love" and that is translating it word for word lor. ha ha!

bbbb, thanks. now that I understand what she meant, its all the more better for me, especially computer stuff is my forte. since you are "con gai vietnamese", can you advise normally what chat software is popular among vietnamese?

cam on rat nhieu!

Originally Posted by jackbl

IMHO, yahoo is, followed by SKYPE.

Yup. Use Yahoo Messenger and only it
Some English words became popular and were used in casual cases. Even Vietnamese don't think those words were English. Especially words related to IT such as chat, pc, laptop etc. In a conversation between youngs and urban gals or guy, most of nouns are replaced by English words. I often use the word "police" instead of "cong an", "cashier" instead of "thu ngan", "receptionist" instead of "tiep tan" in every conversation. Sometimes I forgot the equal Vietnamese word too. Shameful.

Btw dear bro creeve, I know you intend to visit VN in April. If lucky, my SG guy also visit VN at next month. Which province your gal from? If you step by HCMC, why we 4 don't meet and I treat you guys a big nhau (beer drinking)? My invitation for you because I c that u r still so naive in VN life world

[VietnamLover]

Originally Posted by bonbonbebe

Btw dear bro creeve, I know you intend to visit VN in April. If lucky, my SG guy also visit VN at next month. Which province your gal from? If you step by HCMC, why we 4 don't meet and I treat you guys a big nhau (beer drinking)? My invitation for you because I c that u r still so naive in VN life world

Very nice of you to help creeve in understanding more about VN life.

why we 4 don't meet -> should write 'why don't we 4 meet'.
step by HCMC -> correct word is to use 'into' instead of 'by'. step into HCMC

[bonbonbebe]

Originally Posted by VietnamLover

Very nice of you to help creeve in understanding more about VN life.

why we 4 don't meet -> should write 'why don't we 4 meet'.
step by HCMC -> correct word is to use 'into' instead of 'by'. step into HCMC

Haha thank u for your English lesson, I'll take note

[jackbl]

More choices for women on special day
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On the occasion of Women’s Day, Ben Thanh Tourist in HCMC has launched tours for all women to celebrate the special holiday.

Because International Women’s Day is next Monday, a working day, the tour operator is arranging one and two-day tours suitable during this weekend or on Monday.


Tourists walk on the beach to the lighthouse at Khe Ga Cape.
There is a day-tour to Can Gio District and another to the Mekong Delta’s Tien Giang Province. The trip to Can Gio is VND353,000 per tourist and VND403,000 per foreigner and takes in the Can Gio Mangrove Forest, HCMC’s green lungs, to explore the wildlife including crocodiles and monkeys. The tour operator will arrange boats to take tourist through the canals of the forest and take them to visit the former Rung Sac Military Zone before hitting the beach, a pagoda and Can Gio Market.

The tour to Tien Giang’s My Tho is VND341,000 per tourist and VND396,000 per foreigner. Tourists will visit the old Vinh Trang Pagoda in My Tho, float on canoes to visit islets, fruit gardens and trade villages, have lunch and enjoy don ca tai tu (a kind of traditional Southern music) before returning to HCMC in the afternoon.

The trip from HCMC to Vinh Long Province includes an excursion on the Tien River to visit the Cai Be Floating Market and trade villages, a walk on An Binh Islet and biking through fruit gardens. The tour is VND363,000 per tourist and VND418,000 per foreigner.

The trip to Phan Thiet takes in attractions like Ta Cu Mountain, the sand hills, the Poshanu Towers and the Lau Ong Hoang site. Lau Ong Hoang consists of a community of hills, mountain, river, sea and pagoda creating an area of beautiful sights. The tour is VND1.3 million per tourist and VND1.5 million per foreigner.

The two-day HCMC-Chau Doc-Long Xuyen-An Giang tour covers the major pagodas of An Giang Province to pray for health and happiness and includes the 32-meter-high statue of Mitreya Buddha at Cam Mountain with its peaceful surrounding rivers. The price is VND938,000 per local and VND1.138 million per foreigner.

The two-day HCMC-Vinh Long-Can Tho tour covers Vinh Sang Farm in Vinh Long Province with activities like fishing, ostrich riding, sightseeing in Can Tho City at night and the Cai Rang Floating Market the next morning. This tour is VND1.13 million per local and VND1.33 million per foreigner.


VietNamNet/SGT

[lovesprout]

Just got a call from a VB but I don't know who she is. She sent me this sms:

Anh la xxx phai kg? em suong day bo anh ko con nho em nua.

What is the meaning of em suong day bo??

[KangTuo]

Originally Posted by lovesprout

Just got a call from a VB but I don't know who she is. She sent me this sms:

Anh la xxx phai kg? em suong day bo anh ko con nho em nua.

What is the meaning of em suong day bo??

xuống day = to get down there, to go down there
bo = bọ (dad) or bồ (sweetheart) ~~~ it depends on what she see you as


basically she is coming back to sillypore soon and checking to see if all her 'robert' are still around for her to chop or not

[bonbonbebe]

Originally Posted by lovesprout

Just got a call from a VB but I don't know who she is. She sent me this sms:

Anh la xxx phai kg? em suong day bo anh ko con nho em nua.

What is the meaning of em suong day bo??

Dear bro,

Em Suong day, bo anh ko con...

Suong is her name.

bo (bộ) = a word use to begin a question, means to suspect sth. The sentece begins with "bo", often ends with "ha", "sao".
"bo anh ko..." = don't u...?

[creeve]

Originally Posted by bonbonbebe

Yup. Use Yahoo Messenger and only it
Some English words became popular and were used in casual cases. Even Vietnamese don't think those words were English. Especially words related to IT such as chat, pc, laptop etc. In a conversation between youngs and urban gals or guy, most of nouns are replaced by English words. I often use the word "police" instead of "cong an", "cashier" instead of "thu ngan", "receptionist" instead of "tiep tan" in every conversation. Sometimes I forgot the equal Vietnamese word too. Shameful.

Btw dear bro creeve, I know you intend to visit VN in April. If lucky, my SG guy also visit VN at next month. Which province your gal from? If you step by HCMC, why we 4 don't meet and I treat you guys a big nhau (beer drinking)? My invitation for you because I c that u r still so naive in VN life world

sorry for late reply. yes, yesterday I checked with her whether "vi tinh" <=> "may tinh" (i checked vdict.com as was given "may tinh" for computer), and whether she know yahoo or not. reply was affirmative. spent a long 2 hours chatting with her while in a pub. well, needless to say, my girl last night wasn't impressed when she see me keep messaging on my phone. lol.... who cares, anyway for my last night girl, it was a case of 日行一善... ha ha...

i will be going next month confirmed, just date not fixed yet. she is from southern part of vn, place name is ang something one. i didn't catch her when she told me the other time. somemore she say might bring me to cambodia as she got relative there. anyway, will be landing in hcmc airport and then she pick me up from there.

BBBB, is it the taxi driver bf that you are referring to? if the date happens to be same, sure would love to join up with you guys for some drinking, and perhaps karaoke. oh, my girl loves karaoke.