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Hue Festival presents underwater-stage love story

VietNamNet Bridge – For the first time, Hue Festival has a stage resting 3cm underwater, where dancers performed with music and sparkling lamplight, which in turn brought about a special feeling for the audience on the evening of June 11

A story about the visit to earth by a fairy was told last night on the underwater stage on Tinh Tam Lake inside the Hue royal citadel. The fairy met a man of the lower world and fell in love with him. For love, she forgot all about returning home.

Dan Tri captured the most beautiful scenes of the show:

The vapor on Tinh Tam lake.

The fairy appeared from the water.

She caught the moonlight…

… and played with water.

At the village communal houses, young girls played together.

Children chased dragonflies.

Girls in Vietnamese traditional brassiere…

… and non quai thao (flat palm hat with fringes)

Boys tried to show off for the beautiful girl.

The date.

Unicorn dance in the festival of love.

Bailing out water.

A dance with palm-leaf conical hats.

Pink lotus.

The fairy was absorbed in dancing.

She missed the journey back to heaven.

She stayed on Earth and married a man of the lower world. Their love story created the beautiful Tinh Tam Lake.

Unique kites on Cua Dai beach

VietNamNet Bridge – Nearly 150 kites flew at the 6^th Kite Festival on Cua Dai beach in Hoi An on June 12

The Vietnamese flag kite.

The festival attracted 133 artisans from well-known kite clubs in HCM City, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Hoi An and Hue. Thousands of visitors and residents flocked to the beach to admire the special kites and enjoy the music made by their bamboo flutes.

The biggest and the most special kite featured a crayfish 15.8m wide and 34m long from the Saigon Kite Club. This kite won first prize.

Ba Ria-Vung Tau Kite Club and HCM City’s Phoenix Club received second prize for their set of bird kites and their octopus kite. Third prizes went to Saigon Kite Club’s ray kite, Anh Vu Kite Club’s Long Nhan Fish kites from Hue and HCM City’s District 7 Kite Club’s Vietnam map kite.

The giant crayfish in the sky.

Ray fish kite.

Three dolphins.

An octopus.

An aircraft.

A snake.

A flock of birds.

Two “divers”.

Binh Phuoc forests destroyed to make room for tree farms

VietNamNet Bridge – Old growth forest in the southern province of Binh Phuoc is fast disappearing, cut down and logged to facilitate development of private plantations. This is the first of a two-part investigation by the HCM City newspaper, Tuoi Tre.

Hai, a farmer in Tan Hoa commune, cried when he talked with reporters from Tuoi Tre. He said: “I don’t understand how they decide that a forest is ‘exhausted,’ but here they are chopping down big trees so they can grow rubber. The forest is being cruelly destroyed.”

He led the reporters to plantations of 30 to 100 hectares and named their owners.

It seems that many “big shots,” some from the province capital and some from HCM City and Binh Duong to the south, have flocked to Binh Phuoc to establish private plantations throughout the border province.

Destroying forest to plant rubber

In late June 2010, a reporter visited a forest in Thong Nhat commune, on the border of Dong Nai and Binh Phuoc provinces near Cat Tien National Park. The forest reverberated with the sound of electric saws and of trees falling into the Ma Da river. Logs from rare trees of the southeast’s red earth region like dầu, sao, chò, bằng lăng and huỳnh lay everywhere. Big stumps were left behind.

Thanh, who was cleaning out brush, was very reserved when he was asked about the owner of this forest. “I don’t cut down or burn trees,” Thanh said.” I only tidy up this area to earn some money.”

A kilometer further on, a group of young men were clearing the ground on 50 hectares of destroyed forest. Xiec, from Phuoc Long town, said “they are paying us 100,000 dong a day for this job.”

Xiec didn’t know the name of the owner. He had only heard that “big bosses” from Saigon and Binh Phuoc came here to clear out forest to grow rubber.

A meeting with forest rangers

A Tuoi Tre reporter met with forest rangers in the Vinh Cuu protected area in Dong Nai province, adjacent to the remains of the forest in Thong Nhat commune. The rangers agreed to take the reporter to inspect the area.

Each several steps, they saw stacks of logs. “How can they certify this forest as ‘exhausted’ when it has such trees! We can stand in Vinh Cuu nature reserve and watch the trees falling in Binh Phuoc’s forest. They are destroying nearly all of it. Only about seven kilometers of forest adjacent to Cat Tien national park and Vinh Cuu nature reserve remain, but it won’t last long either,” said a ranger named Nong.

Nong and his fellow rangers fear that once the forest in Binh Phuoc is totally destroyed, the big shots will encroach on the Vinh Cuu nature reserve also. Nong said that recently a group of people crossed the Ma Da into Vinh Cuu to cut down eight sao trees, totalling about 133 cubic meters of wood.

“Anyone who loves the forest feel anguish when the great trees fall. Now they are being chopped down and replaced by 2-year-old rubber trees,” Nong added.

Vinh Cuu nature reserve Director Tran Van Mui said: “On this side Dong Nai is trying to preserve forest but on the other side Binh Phuoc has ruled that ‘the forest is exhausted’ and allowed people to chop it down to plant rubber”.

Mui said the “exhausted forest” concept is flat wrong.

Staff at the Vinh Cuu nature reserve have urgently reported to Dong Nai province authorities about the steady destruction of the forest on the Binh Phuoc side of the river. “The border between Binh Phuoc and the nature reserve totals 78 kilometers,” they wrote. “We don’t understand why the natural forest area in Binh Phuoc is being destroyed.”

According to official records, in August 2005, Binh Phuoc authorities surveyed the area and concluded that “around 1000 hectares of natural forest adjacent to Ma Da River are in very good condition.” However, this area has been allocated to “big bosses” and many plantations have appeared.

Mr. Tu’s plantation

From Rang Rang Forest in Dong Nai, a Tuoi Tre reporter crossed over into Tan Loi commune in Binh Phuoc, then turned right toward a rare remaining patch of natural forest. After two kilometers, the road dead-ended at the “welcome gate” of a private farm, which was constructed of two pillars made from ancient trees.

Some dogs barked, and many people flocked out. A young man in shorts with several tattoos on his arms asked “Who are you looking for?”

“We are looking for Mr. Tu’s plantation,” the reporter answered.

“This is the forest,” replied the tattooed youth. You can’t get there this way. Mr. Tu’s plantation is along the big road over there.”

Redirected, the reporter found the farmhouse, a wood and cement building in the middle of forest. Asked for Mr. Tu, workers said “The bosses only visit the plantation during the weekend.”

Is the forest exhausted?

Leaving Binh Phuoc’s Bu Dang district, Tuoi Tre reporters went to Dong Phu district to see rubber plantations in Tan Hoa and Tan Loi communes. Not very long ago, this area was thick forested; there were many big trees. The forest was cleared to open a 30 kilometer road from Dong Xoai town to the Ma Da river. Along this road are rubber trees but if one goes onto a side road for a couple of kilometers, he will see the natural forest.

At the Binh Phuoc Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, director Nguyen Van Toi said that at the end of June, investors had submitted 211 proposals to turn “exhausted forest” into rubber plantations, encompassing 42,600 hectares. Binh Phuoc had approved 177 of the projects.

Toi explained that these projects are evaluated by a council that determines whether the forest land in question is poor or exhausted or not. Then the council assesses the environmental impact of the projects and decides whether to issue a license to exploit the land.

Toi was asked whether some individuals or groups were hiring workers to chop down trees, thus turning rich forests into poor forests so that they could get a licence to grow rubber. Toi replied that he had doubts but “I think that it is impossible that people would chop down a good forest.”

Hoang Vinh Kim, a member of Binh Phuoc People’s Council, said: “When we met with constituents, they complained that many forest areas with high wood reserves are classified as poor forest. They also complained that forest land is being allocated to companies to plant rubber but the land is transferred illegally.” (to be continued)

EVN chief blames ‘Heaven’ for power cuts

VietNamNet Bridge – Speaking to the media on July 6, Electricity of Vietnam Group (EVN) Chairman Dao Van Hung said, in effect, that the Government can direct EVN not to cut power, but it can’t compel Heaven to send rain.

Q: EVN promised that power outages would end from July 1 on, so why have many areas in the central region and even Hanoi and HCM City have not had power in recent days?

Dao Van Hung: In most cases, the cause was overloaded transmission lines, transformer stations and relays. That’s it. Those are technical matters that we can’t control.

Q: Will power outages continue in July?

Hung: This is a difficult question, which only Heaven can answer. The central region has no reservoirs or lakes that still have water [for hydroelectric power generation]. That’s an act of God, and we have to accept it.

Q: As the weather is becoming harsher, what investments is EVN making to deal with such challenges?

Hung: It’s a question of how much we ought to allocate to deal with once-in-a-hundred year scenarios like the present drought. Do we dare to invest $8 billion for that preventive capacity for 100 years? If the people agree, we will. This is a matter of economics.

Q: Though Vietnam lacks electricity, many new power projects are only slowly being implemented. How does EVN see this problem?

Hung: Delays in site clearance, change of geological structures and capital-associated issues all slow down new projects.

In 2010, EVN has begun the Nghi Son 2 and 4 power projects. There are four more projects in preparation that will cost a total of 140 trillion dong ($7.36 billion). EVN’s annual profit is only one trillion dong so we can’t self-finance these projects.

Assuming we can mobilize the funds, it will take us three to four years to complete the Nghi Son 2, Duyen Hai 1, Duyen Hai 3 and Lai Chau projects. The nation’s demand for power is growing at nearly 20 percent a year – in that, Vietnam is a world leader.

Q: Many people blame the recent power-cut situation on EVN’s monopoly in the power sector. Would you agree?

Hung: EVN has equitised nine power plants. We currently manage only 18 of the country’s over 40 power plants, and 9000 megawatts of the nation’s total capacity of 19,000 MW, or 47 percent. That percentage will fall by 2015 to 37.5 percent according to the Government’s plan. However, EVN is assigned to control 100 percent of the power grid. By 2015, EVN will hold 37.5 percent of total power capacity.

You can see, then, that EVN doesn’t monopolize power generation, only power transmission.

Q: Although EVN’s projects can’t meet the demand for electricity, investors who want to generate wind-power in Binh Thuan province complain that it is very difficult to negotiate with EVN, because EVN is the only buyer of power. How can you explain that?

Hung: EVN’s ability to purchase power is restricted. We can afford to buy such power for a month, but not for a year because we don’t have sufficient cash.
It’s not just the power generators in Binh Thuan that complain. The simple fact is that we are required to sell electricity to users at low prices so we can’t buy power at high prices.

[At a meeting convened by the Ministry of Industry on the same day, EVN and Vinacomin, the state-owned coal corporation, insisted that the Government must allow electricity prices to rise to an economic level. See related story – VNNB]

Q: The Government has instructed EVN to calculate economic losses caused by irecent power cuts and report the results before July 15. How has EVN carried out this task?

Hung: Every dollar of revenues lost to power cuts, according to world-wide experience, costs society 2.5 to three dollars. In Vietnam, we can’t quantify all the intangible costs. It would be better to let consumers make the calculation rather than EVN.

Miserably hot weather like this makes everyone upset; how do we quantify that cost to society?

For example, the textile and garment sector says that when there’s an extended power cut, their dyes are ruined. We can’t judge the cost of that. I think a state agency should be responsible for calculating the losses.

Autocratic rule, bad decisions sunk state shipbuilding giant

VietNamNet Bridge – Now that the State has stepped in to rescue Vietnam Shipbuilding Industry Group (Vinashin), Vietnamese newspapers have been explaining why the state-owned firm came to the verge of collapse.

Vinashin former Chairman and General Director, Pham Thanh Binh.

Tuoi Tre says the testimony of officials and a report to the Communist Party Central Committee report pin the blame squarely on mismanagement by its autocratic former Chairman and General Director, Pham Thanh Binh.

Vinashin’s internal organization and operating style were just “too special,” causing the shipbuilding conglomerate to go under, said a Vinashin officer.

In January 1996, the officer explained, Binh, then the vice director of the Institute for Transport Mechanical Engineering Design and Research, was appointed General Director of the relatively small Vietnam Shipbuilding Industry Corporation. In 1998, he was named the company’s Chairman as well as General Director.

In 2007, when a now much larger Vinashin was reorganized as a state-owned economic group (tập đoàn), Binh retained both positions. ‘It was suggested,’ the corporate officer told Tuoi Tre, that because the functions of a chairman and a general director are different, Binh should relinquish the job of General Director. Instead, Binh and others amended Vinashin’s charter to provide for up to six general directors.

This was a unique arrangement. None of the other seven corporate groups organized at that time had multiple general directors. And in fact, Binh remained on top. His peers held the jobs of General Director for Business, General Director of Internal Affairs, General Director for Investment, etc. De facto, they were deputy general directors and Binh was still the General Director.

With such centralization of power, Binh made many decisions without consulting or informing most members of the Vinashin management board and his fellow general directors. For instance, Binh approved the purchase of a fast passenger & auto ferry, the Hoa Sen (Lotus) for 1.39 trillion dong (over $77 million) without the participation of a price assessment council. Only when the boat arrived in Vietnam, related ministries knew about it as Government Office Chair Pham Viet Muon admitted.

Binh intended to buy a second ferry and use both to provide 36 hour service between Ha Long, Hue and Vung Tau. When the management board and general directors heard about the plan, they protested so fiercely that the contract was not signed.

Vinashin officials said that the centralization of power in the economic group allowed Binh to make a lot of bad decisions easily.

Nepotism

A Vinashin motorbike and auto showroom in Hanoi.

According to Party Central Committee’s Commission for Inspection, Vinashin ex-chairman Binh appointed his younger brother, brother-in-law and son to key positions at Vinashin without consulting the board of directors.

Binh’s son, Pham Binh Minh, held positions in several of Vinashin’s 200 subsidiaries. In 2007, when Minh was just 27, he was appointed as deputy head of the Shipbuilding Science and Technology Institute. Then last year Binh named his son to three other positions at once -- chairman of the Industry Design and Consultancy Company, director of a laboratory, and deputy director of Dung Quat Shipbuilding Industry Company.

Binh appointed his brother Pham Thanh Phong as deputy director of a construction and investment firm owned by Vinashin and his brother-in-law as head of Vinashin’s foreign marketing department.

Punishment deemed certain

Vinashin Dung Quat Shipyard, which has been handed over to PetroVietnam.

The report released by the Commission for Inspection on July 5 has clearly pointed out the wrongdoings committed by Binh and he will be severely punished, predicts a member of the National Assembly’s Law Committee, Vu Quang Hai.

It is up to the police to decide whether to undertake criminal proceedings, Hai added. What’s puzzling is how long it took the Government to uncover Binh’s wrongdoings. The deputy noted pointedly that for several years he and colleagues in the legislature have raised the issue of wrongdoings at Vinashin.

According to the inspection report, Binh deliberately violated state management regulations. He is said to have mismanaged public funds, driving the state-owned shipbuilder to insolvency and saddling it with an enormous debt of 90 trillion dong ($4.74 billion), while keeping the government in the dark by making false financial reports. Among the roughly 200 subsidiaries that Binh established were many that invested in non-core businesses like real estate, construction, tourism, and industrial parks.

The inspection report recommends that Binh be severely punished by the Party for flouting management norms and dereliction of duty.

Ipanema by Gisele Bündchen, Designer Sunglasses, Part Two and Dare2b

Ipanema by Gisele Bündchen

Gorgeous sling-backs and flip flops, endorsed by this beautiful, Brazilian supermodel. Includes vibrant designs decorated with jewels and starfish from the 2010 ‘Colourful Sea’ collection, supporting The Tamar Project. Which helps to protect endangered turtles in Brazilian waters.

Designer Sunglasses

A luxe collection of stand-out sunnies, rocking this season’s coolest trends. Tom Ford’s classic, oversized aviators, Diesel’s fashion-forward styles and YSL’s large tortoiseshells. Plus a mix of retro shapes and glam looks from Roberto Cavalli, Just Cavalli, Georgio Armani, Gucci and Hugo Boss.

Part Two

Strut and sizzle from 9 to 5 and beyond with fab, smart casuals with a sunny vibe from this chic Danish label’s SS10 collection. Keep it feminine with sophisticated dresses, knits, shirts, leggings, tees and more in energising shades. Plus totally now, dramatic scarves.

Dare2b

Check out this season’s ultra-functional essentials for guys and girls from a cool, adventure-lifestyle label. Designed to withstand the elements, these rad tees, shorts, jackets, etc come in quick drying, performance fabrics, which kick into gear the minute you start to work hard.

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Red Valentino, Kat Maconie, Mishka Dresses and Jo Wood Organics

Red Valentino

Feast your eyes on these cool wardrobe updates to take you right through to autumn from Valentino’s more trendy diffusion line. Includes exquisite LBDs, sophisticated party dresses and sexy, silk tops for girls. Plus easy going, short and long-sleeved tees and chinos for guys.

Kat Maconie

Beat the fash pack to spectacular, traffic-stoppers from one of the hottest, new shoe designers in town. Beautifully made, luxe footwear, which fuses fashion and function, inspired by jewellery, trims and delicious detailing. Gorgeously quirky ballerinas, studded ankle boots and gladiators from SS10.

Mishka Dresses

Celebrate all your summer getaways in chic and cheeky little dresses from a glam French label. From thigh-skimming lovelies with bold, graphic prints, to strappy, flouncy designs in florals, brights and sugary pastels to show off your sun-kissed shoulders. Perfect for hols and festivals.

Jo Wood Organics

Bathtime bliss from iconic model and rock chick, Jo Wood, who is devoted to the purity of her products. Heavenly pick-me-ups containing the very best organic ingredients, harvested in the most ethical way. Luxurious bath oils, body creams, mousses, scrubs and candles in beguiling scents.

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RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2010: Time For The Photo Call

A jubilant Nick Dexter reflects on his award winning RHS Chelsea Flower Show garden.

“I’m absolutely delighted to win this award for BrandAlley. To see so many months’ work come together successfully is extremely satisfying. The only shame is that the garden gets broken down at the end of the week, but at least all proceeds from selling the plants will go to Breast Cancer Campaign”

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Google to Push Android Deeper into Asia

Stepping up its rivalry with Apple and Nokia, Google outlines plans to court developers and put its operating system on lower-priced phones in China and India

Google (GOOG) plans to push its Android mobile software in India and China, and is exploring ways for developers to make more money from applications, stepping up competition with Apple (AAPL) and Nokia (NOK).

To attract programmers to its Android operating system, Google may offer tools that help them sell subscriptions, virtual goods, and other items from within applications on mobile phones, Andy Rubin, vice-president of engineering at Google, says in an interview.

The company also aims to put its Android operating system on lower-priced phones made by Huawei Technologies (2049:TT) and LG Electronics (066570:KS) in parts of Asia and Europe, where it's taking on Nokia, the mobile market leader. "The down-market opportunity is about to happen," Rubin says. "It's actually quite a revolution."

Android is part of Google's strategy to get more of its software on mobile devices, creating new avenues to sell advertising—its main source of revenue. The total mobile-ad market will grow to $13.5 billion in 2013 from less than $1 billion last year, according to research firm Gartner (IT) in Stamford, Conn.

Google, based in Mountain View, Calif., lags behind Apple in mobile apps, which are a growing platform for ads and help attract consumers to devices. Android users have about 65,000 apps available, less than a third of the more than 200,000 Apple programs.

ANDROID'S GROWTH

Google is taking steps to accelerate Android's growth. Expanding in new markets such as Korea helped drive up the number of users who activated Android devices to 160,000 a day in June, from 100,000 in May, the company said. Sixty-nine percent of Android-based phones sold in the first quarter were in the U.S. "We are definitely in the hockey stick," said Rubin, referring to Android's growth pattern. Gartner predicts that Android will leapfrog Apple's operating system, iOS, by 2012 to become the world's second-most-popular mobile operating system behind Nokia-supported Symbian.

Google also is increasing incentives for app developers. It's exploring ways for programmers to make more money from their software, such as by making it easier to accept payments within the apps or sell subscriptions, Rubin said. That provides a way for consumers to purchase new game levels, virtual weapons, and monthly subscriptions to digital magazines. Apple added similar features to the iPhone in 2009.

Android developers mainly make money from ads placed within their apps or from one-time fees. That makes it harder for them to earn as much as their Apple counterparts. Of the $4.4 billion that consumers will spend on app downloads this year, Apple's App Store will receive at least 77 percent of the revenue, according to Futuresource Consulting in Dunstable, England. Android Market will collect 9 percent. Natalie Harrison, a spokeswoman for Cupertino (Calif.)-based Apple, didn't return a call seeking comment.

While businesses like eBay's (EBAY) PayPal already offer in-app payment tools for Android developers, dealing with multiple companies increases the complexity, Rubin says. Since starting its in-app payment tool on May 19, PayPal has had more than 1,000 developers download it, says Osama Bedier, a vice-president at PayPal. Most of the developers came from China.

HELPING HANDSET MAKERS

Google is also helping handset makers like Huawei in China and LG in South Korea offer cheaper Android-based smartphones, Rubin said. Huawei, the biggest maker of wireless equipment for carriers in China, unveiled four Android phones and an Android-based tablet in February.

Smaller Chinese manufacturers, which make up about 10 percent of the global phone supply, are also adopting Android, seeking to gain share with lower-priced devices. Many of these manufacturers rely on Taiwan-based MediaTek, which supplies chips for ultra-cheap phones sold in Asia, Africa, and South America. The company has joined the Open Handset Alliance, the group that promotes Android, Google said. MediaTek-based devices may cost carriers as little as $70 apiece, said Carolina Milanesi, an analyst at Gartner. Today, the cheapest Android phones cost carriers about $200, while low-cost Symbian devices run about $170, she said.

As more lower-priced phones come to market, more carriers will offer the devices to consumers for free. That could boost the adoption of Android, especially in emerging markets like India and China. That adoption will give Android a leg up on Nokia. While the Espoo (Finland)-based company holds only a fraction of the U.S. market, it is the leading phone maker globally. "As Android develops, the main vendor who is going to feel the pressure is Nokia," Milanesi says.

In the first quarter, more than 41 percent of smartphones shipped worldwide were powered by Symbian, the software used on most Nokia handsets. Almost 16 percent used Apple's operating system and 10 percent ran Android, according to consulting firm ABI Research in Oyster Bay, N.Y.

Nokia says it has the brand and products to maintain its market share in Europe and Asia. "Nokia has developed locally relevant solutions that consist of affordable mobile phones and applications, designed and built from the ground up to meet the specific needs of customers in emerging markets," spokeswoman Laurie Armstrong says.

Kharif is a reporter for Bloomberg Businessweek in Portland, Ore.