Xin chao!

Vietnamese office a21studio used recycled  wood to construct the curving framework of this coffee house, which encircles a courtyard near the city of Nha Trang. The Salvaged Ring structure was designed by a21studio for a carpenter who wanted to utilise a surplus of scrap wood collected over his career to build a coffee house near a motorway on the outskirts of the city.  "The advantages of using the salvaged wood are that it saves the owner money, and it gives the wood another life instead being left useless in the warehouse," architect Toan Nghiem told Dezeen.  The timber skeleton supports a thatched roof that spirals down from an entrance near the road to cover a lower level with seating scattered around a central garden.  Arranging the split-level structure around a courtyard utilises a standard building typology employed throughout the region to provide sheltered and naturally ventilated outdoor spaces. ...

Tuoi Tre news Updated : 09/27/2014 10:14 GMT + 7  Instant noodles have become fertile ground for small traders and producers alike in Vietnam, where nearly 4 billion packages of the product were consumed last year. Small traders at markets across the country say instant noodle products never fail to find buyers, while businesses say it does not cost much to invest in an instant noodle production line. Thu Hong, who runs a grocery store at Rach Ong market in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 8, said she cannot even remember how many types of instant noodle are available at her store. “There are around 30 – 40 different types of products,” she said. While the profit earned from each package of instant noodle is modest, vendors say their large sale volume make up for the small profit margin. Do Van Truc, a trader from Hoc Mon District, said he only earns VND3,000 in profit from selling a 24-package carton of  Hao ...

Tuoitrenews Updated : 09/15/2014 10:38 GMT + 7    After slamming the northern Philippines, Typhoon Kalmaegi is moving towards the waters between China’s Leizhou and Hainan Island. It will then enter the Gulf of Tonkin and head for northeastern Vietnam, the Vietnamese weather agency warned Monday.     At 7 am today, September 15, the typhoon was located about 660 km east-northeast of Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago, packing maximum winds of 133 km and gusts of up to 183 kph, the Vietnam National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said. The powerful storm is moving west-northwest at 25-30 kph and will likely strengthen, the center warned. At 4 am on Tuesday, the typhoon will be centered about 420 km north of Hoang Sa, with winds as strong as 134-149 kph and gusts of 201 kph. Hoang Duc Cuong, the center’s director, said the typhoon will begin affecting northern Vietnam by tomorrow morning, at the latest. ...

Update: Monday, September 08, 2014     A Culture and Tourism Week will be held in Mu Cang Chai district in the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai from September 25-30, highlighting the beauty and value of the local terraced rice fields and H’mong culture.  Terraced rice fields of Mu Cang Chai on 1st September 2014. Photo credit: Hiepnt1974 (www.phuot.vn) The festival will run a host of recreational activities all against the backdrop of terraced rice fields, including a exhibition of locally-produced goods, a fashion show of traditional costumes, and a mobile cinema and library. H’mong traditions will be demonstrated during the festival, such as wine and rice-cake making, located along the road from Tu Le commune to the centre of Mu Can Chai district, as well as at the exhibition venue. Luong Thi Xuyen, Vice Chairwoman of the District People’s Committee, said preparations were almost completed, promisi...

 A night market stall on Phu Quoc Islands sells two pearl rings for VND100,000 (US$5). Photo: Tien Trinh An abundance of fake and cheap pearls widely sold on Phu Quoc has ruined its reputation as a producer of some of the world's finest organic gems. Tourists visiting the "Pearl Island" as Phu Quoc is otherwise known can easily buy a pearl for just VND50,000 (US$2.5). Kiosks hawking "Real Phu Quoc Pearls" are literally everywhere on the island--hotels, restaurants, souvenir shops and even at the grocery stores. The owner of one souvenir shop at the Dinh Cau Night Market told a reporter: “On this island there are Phu Quoc pearls and nothing else.” However, experts and insiders say that only a few farms sell real cultured pearls and natural pearls, harvested by divers, are now extremely rare. Le Thi My Dung, the owner of the Quoc An Pearl Farm in Duong To Commune, said farming pearls is a difficult job that takes at least three years ...

A two-phase $23.58 million project to upgrade and reform Nguyen Hue Street in downtown Ho Chi Minh City into a square and later a street for walkers only has broken ground on Thursday, the city’s Urban Traffic Management Zone No. 1 said the same day. In the project’s first phase, a section that is 124 meters long and 63 meters wide of Nguyen Hue Street (from Le Thanh Ton to Le Loi Street) and a part that is 220 meters long and 14 meters wide of Le Thanh Ton Street (from Pasteur to Dong Khoi Street) will be reformed and upgraded. Accordingly, the entire walkways will be upgraded and paved with an 8 cm- thick layer of granite for vehicles to travel on one direction. Meanwhile, the pavements will be paved with a 6 cm-thick granite. A new water drain will be built in the area, along with underground electricity and telecommunication cable system.   The square is estimated to cost nearly VND71.5 billion (US$3.38 million)  and is expected to b...