Xin chao!

TuoiTrenews.vn - A Vietnamese firm has secured the green light from officials in southern Vietnam to build a five-star hotel in the shape of a musical instrument used in  don ca tai tu , a form of traditional Vietnamese music recognized by UNESCO. Construction of the Bao Toan hotel will start next month in Bac Lieu City, which is the capital of the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu, the cradle of  don ca tai tu , according to Ngo Xuan Pha, chairman of Bao Toan Automobile JSC, the developer of the project.

ThanhNienNews.com - The seventh lunar month, which this year began on August 14, is believed to be the time when ghosts and spirits come out from the lower realm and visit the living. Offerings to hungry ghosts in the seventh month of the lunar calendar. File photo Through the month, which ends September 12, Vietnamese offer food, fruits and votive papers to hungry ghosts, who are supposed to wander around the streets and drop into any house they feel like.

TuoiTreNews.vn - Nguyen Hoai Thuong is a seven-year-old child who was born without arms and legs due to Agent Orange exposure. Despite her unfortunate circumstances, Thuong still smiles as a way to keep her hopes up. Hoai Thuong, who also has the affectionate nickname of “penguin,” lives in the outlying district of Cu Chi in Ho Chi Minh City, one of Vietnam’s most well-known sites with links to many historical events during the war.

ThanhNienNews.com - The US transportation network company Uber has started offering helicopter tourism tours in Da Nang, Vietnam’s first destination for its new service UberChopper. Uber Vietnam offered free 15-minute rides to 20 users on the first day of the service Saturday, carrying them from Nuoc Man Airport over the central city’s most famous places including Ngu Hanh Son Mount, the Han River, Son Tra Peninsula and My Khe beach.

ThanhNienNews.com - Vietnam is the most investment worthy place in ASEAN – this is a common response of many foreign investors when being asked about their investment plan in the upcoming years. This is not an exaggeration about Vietnam’s current investment environment as well as its potentiality but is in fact based on valid and practical grounds, where improved economic diversification, international integration, reformed investment legislation and good economic policy must be counted. Economic recovery and stable development According to a recent statistics by the General Statistics Office, GDP growth of Vietnam over the first six months is quite high, at 6.28 percent. This is the highest growth for the past five years and could be far over the targeted growth for 2015.

TuoiTreNews.vn - Ice is present at all restaurants and coffee shops in Vietnam but it has not been kept in hygienic conditions and the food safety agency in Ho Chi Minh City has issued documents to remind traders to pay attention to its quality. The Ho Chi Minh City Food Safety Unit has warned that it will launch a campaign to check the quality and hygienic use of ice from August 15 forward.

ThanhNienNews.com - Littering by tourists and waste discharges from hotels are taking away the appeal of Phu Quoc Island in southern Vietnam as a must-visit destination. Beaches on the island are now full of plastic bags, food containers and food waste left by tourists.  Plastic bags and styrofoam boxes that tourists left on the beach in Phu Quoc. Photo: Dinh Tuyen Nguyen Xuan Hien, a tourist from Ho Chi Minh City, said: “If one person eats and leaves their trash behind, others will just follow.” Local media has reported about the issue for months.

TuoiTreNews.vn -  A number of people have expressed their thoughts that heavier penalties should be applied on people who have the habit of honking noisily on streets in Vietnam. The noisy action is no longer a new topic in the Southeast Asian country, both to local people and expats who have stayed here for a while.  A lot of people have complained about the habit, which is sometimes called a bad habit of Vietnamese people. Lawyer Huynh Phuoc Hiep said that there have been accidents in which travelers were startled by loud honks and then lost control of their vehicles. “Honking reflects drivers’ level of civility and their way of obeying regulations,” Hiep said.

TuoiTreNews.vn - Quang Binh Province in central Vietnam has not only Son Doong, but also other stunning caves, according to local porters.                                                A huge stalactite at the end of Ken Cave Son Doong, which is the world’s largest cave located in the UNESCO-recognized Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, has drawn international attention after the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) aired live a signature program featuring the grotto in May.

TuoiTrenews.vn - As many as 7,200 residents of Ho Chi Minh City have identity card numbers which coincide with one another’s, a situation which has created problems when it comes to their passports, bank accounts and tax codes. A survey by the city police revealed that the coincidence started in 2007 and resulted from mistakes by the local police departments that issued the cards.

ThanhNienNews.com - Tourists in Khanh Hoa Province's capital town of Nha Trang will soon be able to frolic on the beach at night as authorities have allowed a company to offer night services there.

Vietnam is expected to have a new tallest building in 2017, with an 81-story British-designed skyscraper now under construction in Ho Chi Minh City. An artist's impression of the Landmark 81 skyscraper in Ho Chi Minh City is seen in this undated handout photo provided by Atkins. The Hanoi-based  Keangnam Landmark 72  tower, which has 72 stories, will soon lose its ‘tallest building’ title to the Vincom Landmark 81 once the latter is completed. British firm Atkins is the project’s lead architect, responsible for architecture and landscape design, whereas Arup, another British company, is in charge of structural design. The Vincom Landmark 81 is one of many global projects on which the two British design companies are collaborating, Atkins said in a press release on Monday. With an expected height of 460m, the building will be the tallest in the country and become a new icon on Ho Chi Minh City’s ever-growing skyline, according to Atkins. Representatives from A...

TuoiTreNews.vn - People are highly advised to follow weather reports and keep a high sense of alertness when traveling in localities in northern Vietnam, as lashing rainfalls, and possible floods, are hitting many provinces in the region. Heavy rainfall lashed the Tuan Giao District, Dien Bien Province, at first light on Saturday, causing floods that destroyed houses and swept away around 50 motorcycles of local people, according video aired the same day by national broadcaster VTV. Locals tried to retrieve their assets amid the muddy floodwaters, according to the footage seen by  Tuoi Tre News . The Dien Bien’s steering board for flood and storm prevention have sent forces to help local residents, and asked relevant agencies to strengthen preventive methods to fight the foul weather. Heavy downpours are forecast to continue hitting northern provinces from August 1 to 3, whereas such provinces as Quang Ninh, Lang Son, Cao Bang, Bac Giang, Bac Can, Ha Giang...