Local female film director Nguyen Hoang Diep will arrive in Cannes on May 15 for her movie “Dap Canh Giua Khong Trung” (Winging In The Sky), which has been invited to the Cannes International Film Festival 2012, to be held from May 16 to 27.

Diep had an interview with Tuoi Tre to talk about her work, which has been listed in the Fabrique des Cinemas du Monde category of the festival.

Before your first feature movie, you worked on TV series and advertisements. Was this for earning money, or for other reasons?

TV series and all kinds of audio-visual works give me chances to be a director as I wish. That really matters. If I hadn’t gained experience, inspiration and money from making them, I would have had no idea how to deal with “Dap Canh Giau Khong Trung” today. To me, I lost nothing making TV series and advertisements.

You earlier came to Cannes as the producer of “Bi, Dung So” (Bi, Don’t Be Afraid) directed by Phan Dang Di, and now you’re coming as the director of “Dap Canh Giua Khong Trung.” How are the two trips different?

The first time I came to the festival I only brought money and cigarettes to resupply the film crew. I was a glad to come, and a little happier when I stepped on the festival’s red carpet. That’s all. I’m wondering if this time will be boring since I’ll go alone.

Why is the movie title “Dap canh Giau Khong Trung”?

I chose the name since I wanted to express the confusion people feel when they are not able to fly high but do not feel safe enough to land. That’s why they keep winging in the middle of nowhere.

In the movie, when the character named Huyen tries to earn money for an abortion, she hesitates upon receiving money from a man who is in love with her since she’s pregnant. The film is about the reluctance of a lonely pregnant woman.

What will you bring to the world’s largest film festival?

If nothing has changed I’ll bring my silk red ao dai that I wore last year. I have to take care of everything on my own since I’m going alone. My suitcase will contain documents on my film projects, brochures, posters, instant noodle and of course a camera in case I meet Brad Pitt.

People may be interested in Cannes but to me it’s just a prosperous place where people burn through their money.

Do you hope that Cannes will bring good opportunities for “Dap canh Giua Khong Trung”?

It’s obvious to see that it is good if your movie is invited to such a famed festival, but it also has a bad side. I used to hope and lose faith. Fabrique Cinemas du Monde is definitely a good chance to promote my movie to the world as well as an opportunity to seek sponsors. I’m ready to promote the movie on the coming 9-day trip, but I will not set goals for myself like before.

Still, I sometimes can’t help but hope that I can come back from Cannes with investment and sponsors for “Winging in The Sky” to fly high.

We wish you luck in Cannes.

source from: tuoitrenews

Living on the ill-fated vessels held by Vinalines are the crewmen who lead tough lives since their wages are not enough for them to make ends meet.

All of the crew members say they are totally fed up with the boring life on the almost-dead ship, which is always full of mosquitoes even during the day.

Crewmen have taken turns living on and taking care of the ship for a few years, they said.

Song Gianh ship. Photo: Tuoi Tre

There are currently five men on the vessel, including a captain, a vice-captain, and three crewmen.

“Our job is to protect the ship from robbers and harsh weather, and take care of the anchor,” said captain Doan Ngoc Bach, who has been taking the helm of many huge vessels since 1976.

Despite his experience, Bach still had no choice but to accept to stand still on Song Gianh ship, he said.

“I’ve spent time doing nothing on the Hoa Sen when it was docked dormant in a Chinese port, and was sent to look after the Song Gianh earlier this year.

“While it’s OK for a seasoned captain like me to stay on the ship, it’s a great pity for the young crew members as no one knows when they will really be able to sail on the ocean.

“While staying here, they not only learn no professional knowledge, but they also receive modest wages,” shared Bach.

All three crewmen on the ship are fresh maritime graduates who have yet to sail on any journeys.

“It’s also hard to give up on the career given the great effort we put forth at school,” said Hoang Dinh Long, one of the three.

Similarly, at the No83M floating dock, which was intended to handle the repairs for Vinalines’ shipping fleet but has itself been under constant maintenance over the last four years, crew members are now taking the job of security guard.

“I’m bored to death by the dark future of sticking to this useless equipment,” said D., a mechanic who has been living on the floating dock for three years.

Payment delayed

“I have to make use of the time when I am allowed to go ashore to work part-time for mechanical facilities to earn a livelihood,” shared D.

“You cannot earn daily bread for yourself with the payment here, let alone for your family,” he continued.

D said his initial wage was VND2.6 million ($124.8) a month, but since he was switched to taking care of the dock rather than repairing it, he is not sure what his wage will be.

“I have no idea how much wage is left, yet I’m granted VND2 million a month to buy food.”

While the wages of some crew members have been halved, the company has also delayed their payments for months.

“I’ve worked for the ship for more than a year now, but the company still owes me six months of salary,” said Nguyen Van Toi, the youngest crew member on the Song Gianh.

“Although the contract has yet to end, I’m writing a resignation to look for another job.”

Meanwhile, Hoang Dinh Long said he could not afford medical treatment for his 2-year-old son due to the debt owed him from Vinalines.

“The company has yet to pay me salary for March and April,” he lamented.

source from: tuoitrenews

Too much violence…

This is the second film by director Le Van Kiet that has been banned. The first was called ‘Ngoi nha trong ngo hem’ or House in the Alley.

The banning comes after the Central Film Appraisal Council disapproved of the violent scenes and ‘irrational plot’.

The movie is about a group of young people from HCM City on a trip to Dalat, where they find themselves in an unexpected situation where one is killed after another.

“The film has no educational or moral message, but relies only on shocking scenes,” they concluded.

Megastar has removed it from their schedule for May.

The film starred model Nam Thanh, actress Quach An An and model Hoang Oanh.

…and shocking scenes

source from: dtinews

Phan Thanh Cuong’s Visiting a Large-Scale Rice Field

Competing with 106 photographers from 14 cities and provinces in the region, Cuong won for his colour photograph, Tham Quan Canh Dong Mau Lon (Visiting a Large-Scale Rice Field Model), of farmers working on their fields in Bac Lieu, a coastal province of the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta region in the south. Cuong also brought home one of the contest’s two second prizes for his work that features Bac Lieu’s shrimp farmers during their daily work. His prizes totalled VND18 million (USD850) in cash.

Cuong, a member of the Bac Lieu Photography Club, said that his “images came from genuine emotions and captured real human beauty”.

“Through my works, viewers can see my region’s developments,” he added.

The artist said he would continue to work with the camera, sending his photographs to local and international competitions. “I want to introduce my homeland and its people to the world.”

The second prize was awarded to Huynh Ngot, a native of Tien Giang Province. His work features landscapes and tourist activities in his homeland.

The third prize was shared by Nguyen Hoang Minh of Ca Mau, Nguyen Bach Thao of Vinh Long, and Nhan Quoc Dung of Soc Trang.

The winners captured the beauty of the region and local people in daily life and work, according to the judges.

The competition received 1,163 coloured and black-and-white photos.

The event is part of the Exhibition-Fair of 10 Years of Achievements in Building and Developing the Mekong River Delta, in association with organising the 37th celebration of the Liberation Day (April 30, 1975).

The four-day fair will begin on April 27 and take place in the Nam Song Hau urban zone in Can Tho City. The event was organised by the Southwest Steering Committee, in co-operation with Can Tho City, central ministries and related agencies. It highlights economic, political, cultural and social activities in the region.

source from: dtinews

Chelsea’s Spanish forward Fernando Torres celebrates after scoring during the UEFA Champions League second leg semi-final football match Barcelona against Chelsea at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona.

Chelsea, leading 1-0 from the first leg, snatched a 3-2 aggregate win on a night of extraordinary drama which saw the Premier League side recover from 2-0 down and the dismissal of captain John Terry to reach next month’s Munich final.

Barcelona looked to be cruising to victory after goals from Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta put them 2-0 up in the first half either side of Terry’s red card for a foul on Alexis Sanchez.

But a superb counter-attack and chip from Ramires put Chelsea ahead on away goals, and in the dying seconds substitute Fernando Torres completed an unlikely fightback to kill off an unforgettable contest.

Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo hailed his side’s “incredible achievement” in reaching the final, where his side will face either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich.

“A lot of people had written us off and we showed again what kind of character these players have,” Di Matteo said.

“We didn’t expect to play with 10 men and we knew it was going to be tough. It was even more difficult than we expected.

“They’re a great team, with some fantastic players. We just showed what we’re made of.”

Disappointed Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola attempted to strike a philosophical note after a traumatic exit.

“The first thing I feel is huge sadness,” Guardiola said. “I think we played exceptionally well. We have done everything we possibly could to reach the final. Finals are great but we’ll have to watch this one on TV.

“We have played well recently but it wasn’t enough. Sometimes football is like this. This year it was not our turn. This year it seems like we could couldn’t win.”

An extraordinary first half had seen Chelsea manage to frustrate Barcelona in the face of remorseless pressure despite the setback of losing Gary Cahill to injury after only 12 minutes.

Cahill was replaced by Jose Bosingwa, with Branislav Ivanovic moving to centre-back.

Despite the defensive reshuffle Chelsea’s thin blue line held firm, with Petr Cech saving brilliantly with his leg from Messi on 19 minutes before Terry slid in desperately to block Iniesta’s follow-up.

At the other end Chelsea were limited to pumping long clearances for Didier Drogba, who, just as he had done at Stamford Bridge a week earlier, was forced to plough a lonely furrow up front.

It was only to be a matter of time before Barcelona’s monopoly of possession yielded its reward and the breakthrough came on 35 minutes, the start of a catastrophic period for Chelsea.

A headed Drogba clearance fell only as far as Dani Alves on the edge of the area who picked out Isaac Cuenca on the left, who in turn rolled his pass across the six-yard box for an unmarked Busquets to sidefoot home.

It got worse for Chelsea a minute later with Terry’s dismissal, which left the English side with neither of their starting centre-backs.

It was not long before the makeshift nature of Chelsea’s defence was exposed and Barcelona struck what looked to be the killer blow on 43 minutes.

Careless play from Raul Meireles saw Messi dart forward and feed Iniesta, who sprang Chelsea’s defence and prodded past Cech for 2-0.

Camp Nou rocked with delight but incredibly, within minutes, Chelsea were back in the game and ahead on away goals AS Ramires scored.

Lampard’s magnificent pass sent the Brazilian racing in behind the Barcelona back four and when Victor Valdes advanced the rangy midfielder clipped an exquisite chip into the net to make it 2-1 on the stroke of half-time.

The Catalans were swiftly back into their stride in the second half, however, and when Drogba brought down Cesc Fabregas to concede a penalty the match again seem to have swung in Barcelona’s favour.

Yet Messi, the most prolific scorer in Europe this season with 63 goals, implausibly crashed his spot-kick against the bar and Chelsea were let off.

But the pattern of the game had been set, and what followed was 40 minutes of excruciating tension as Barcelona took up permanent residence on the edge of Chelsea’s penalty area.

Chelsea, however, somehow managed to thwart their tormentors, closing down relentlessly and never allowing Messi, Xavi and Iniesta the freedom to work the ball into dangerous positions.

All too often Barcelona’s artful probing led to nothing as they cut the ball back from wide positions where Chelsea’s wall of bodies stood firm.

Sanchez had a goal disallowed before Cech tipped a shot from Messi onto the post in a frantic finale.

Then with Barcelona caught pressing upfield, Torres darted clear of the home side’s defence and touched round Valdes to score and Chelsea were through.

The win came at a cost, however, with Ramires, Ivanovic and Meireles all picking up bookings that will keep them out of the final.

source from: dtinews

In January this year, the Quang Ninh province’s People’s Committee issued a decree demanding that Ha Long Bay tourist ships be painted white to revive the image of this famous destination instead of trying to ensure the safety of the junks after several boat accidents occurred last year. Regarding this issue, Peter Münder wrote an article for German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung with his special findings. Here is a brief translation of the piece.

Are they converted into new, sophisticated and luxurious models for highly demanding crusaders?

“No, not at all,” explains Chuong, a tour guide, with a smile. “Some overeager competitors would have fulfilled a new official regulation and would have painted their junks white.”

“We often wonder to ourselves if the regulation makes sense. White is hard to be seen in foggy weather. The paint is not related to the safety or the comfort of the boat,” Chuong added.

In February 2011 twelve foreign tourists drowned as the rotten timberwork of their junk had broken apart during the night. Passengers were sleeping on the fast sinking ship and did not have enough time to get out and save themselves.

In another accident three months later, a boat with 28 French tourists aboard, docked in the area of Sung Sot cave, 300m from Titop Island, also sank. However, all of the passengers were saved. There had previously been similar accidents, proving that many junks are obviously obsolete and unsafe.

But can this be the reason for the Quang Ninh People’s Committee issuing of a decree demanding that all ship owners and operators repaint the boats white by the end of April?

If ship owners disregarded this regulation, they would lose their license to operate in Ha Long Bay. According to local media, the reason behind the decision on the new paint is that white is the color that tourists like. In addition, the new paint would improve the image of the Ha Long tourism.

The new regulation, which concerns approximately 500 junks, as estimated by local media, and would cost around US$2000 per ship, together with a three-month temporary suspension of services, has beenprotested by many organizers. The online community has discussed the inability of the politicians, who have nothing better to do than destroy traditions without ensuring that the ships are any safer.

Instead the people’s committee doubled the entrance fees for Ha Long tourists last December.

Over the past few weeks, tour organizers have protested not only against the aesthetics of white ships, but also the imminent loss of the new paint and a predicted nasty grubby look of the junks.

“Perhaps white may be suitable for large cruise ships made of steel,” criticized Pham Van Hoa, chef at the Bai Tho transport company.

“For our wooden junks, the color may become black again soon.”

source from: tuoitrenews

Wayne Rooney will have George Best’s goalscoring tally in his sights when he tries to help Manchester United take a stranglehold on the Premier League title race at home to Queens Park Rangers on Sunday (1.30 p.m. British Time).

The leaders can heap the pressure on second-placed Manchester City by opening an eight-point gap over their mega-rich neighbours who face a tough trip to Arsenal later in the day (4 p.m. British Time).

There are only seven league matches left and, if he maintains his scoring rate this season, Rooney is likely to get the four he needs to equal Best and Dennis Viollet’s total of 179 United goals before the end of the campaign.

“I’m obviously proud to be up there and in touching distance of some legends of the club,” the England striker told the monthly magazine Inside United.

“Hopefully I can overtake them soon.”

Former Northern Ireland great Best, who died in 2005, and Viollet are joint third in United’s list of all-time scorers behind Denis Law (237) and Bobby Charlton (249).

“I’ve seen the record and a few people have reminded me of it as well but I’m still a long way away from Bobby and Denis,” said Rooney.

“It would be an unbelievable feeling if I could get Bobby’s record. Hopefully one day I’ll be able to do it,” added the 26-year-old who already has 28 goals in all competitions this season.

“It’s not something I look at all the time, it’s something I’ll probably take more notice of when I’ve finished playing.”

Rooney has scored 21 goals in the league this season and another one or two against fourth from bottom QPR at Old Trafford at the weekend should turn up the heat on City who face a difficult assignment at third-placed Arsenal.

BOUNCE BACK

Arsenal’s seven-match sequence of league victories ended last week when they lost 2-1 at Rangers and Arsene Wenger’s side are determined to bounce back against City.

“I think we can deal with pressure when it is thrown upon our shoulders,” said Arsenal winger Theo Walcott.

“We are learning to grind out results now. We have real character in the squad, a lot of leaders and captains, and that helps us.”

Arsenal are level on 58 points with north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur who continue their bid to clinch the top-four spot that will earn a Champions League qualifying place for next season with a visit to mid-table Sunderland on Saturday (12.45 British Time).

Spurs have a five-point lead over Chelsea who host second from bottom Wigan Athletic on Saturday (3 p.m. British Time).

Chelsea and Tottenham also have Easter holiday fixtures on Monday away to Fulham and at home to Norwich City respectively.

The weekend programme starts on Friday when sixth-placed Newcastle United, who are level on points with Chelsea, visit mid-table Swansea City (4.30 p.m. British Time).

source from: tuoitrenews

After the Transport Ministry held two press conferences on its two new proposed fees, a number of National Assembly deputies commented that Minister Dinh La Thang may be in confusion about the fees.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Thi An, a NA deputy in Hanoi, told Tuoi Tre that the minister was mistaken to say at one of the conferences that the new fees, when applied, will not overlap with other fees already imposed on road users.

Under a Government decree, a road maintenance fee will be collected from June 1, 2012 and this fee serves the same function and purpose as the two new proposed fees – one to be levied on personal vehicles and the other on cars that enter a city’s downtown during rush hour, she said.

All of these fees are intended to raise revenues for building and upgrading traffic infrastructure, ultimately to ensure a better and safer traffic environment, as said by the minister in the conference, An said. “Therefore, it is obvious that the two new fees, if approved, force road users to pay overlapping fees.”

As the names of the proposed fees suggest, they are only temporary solutions, which of course will fail to resolve the traffic problems in the long run, An said.

Instead, more fundamental solutions should be considered, such as comprehensive traffic planning and coordinated traffic infrastructure and public transport development.

“Presently, when the bus system, the only means of public transport, has been overloaded, if people are restricted from using their own vehicles, by what means can they travel around?” she said.

A traffic jam in HCMC. The transport minister says the new fees will help ease congestion, but Dr. Bui Thi An says they will fail to resolve the traffic problems in the long run (Photo: Tuoi Tre)

‘Confusion between fees and taxes’

Another NA deputy, historian Duong Trung Quoc, of Dong Nai province, told Tuoi Tre that he appreciated the efforts made by Minister Thang to improve the traffic situation that has reached what many NA deputies described as “an emergency state.”

However, Quoc said, any legal solutions to resolve current traffic problems must be fair and precise.

“Judging from the ministry’s proposal on the new fees, I think they have been confused between the two different concepts of fees and taxes” he said.

As defined in the Ordinance on Charges and Fees, a fee is a sum an individual or an organization must pay for services provided to them by other individuals or organizations.

Such payment is quantitative, which means how much service users have to pay depends on the volume of services they have used.

If I have several cars and I use only one of them every day, then it is not legitimate to levy fees on all the cars, including those I have not used, Quoc said.

For this reason, what has been proposed to levy on cars and motorbikes cannot be called “fees.”

Quoc also raised a question about why the ministry has not proposed levying a fee on State-owned cars.

Such a decision is necessary too, since it will help encourage State officials to take the lead in using the public transport system.

A driver pays traffic fee at a fee collection station on Hanoi Highway in HCMC (Photo: Tuoi tre)

“Nothing patriotic about paying fees”

He also disagreed with Thang’s statement that “paying fees is an act of patriotism.” A fee is an amount payable by service users to service providers, and such a payment by no means can be regarded as “patriotic,” Quoc said.

It will be more accurate to say, “Paying taxes is an act of patriotism,” because when I buy a car, for example, I must pay a high tax and my tax payment will contribute to the country’s development.

“But since high taxes on cars are already meant to limit the use of personal vehicles, it is unreasonable to call the new fees on cars as ‘a fee to help limit the use personal vehicles,’” Quoc said.

Moreover, the ministry has proposed very high fee rates, VND10-50 million ($960-2,400) per car per year. It should have considered the country’s average income level when calculating such fees, he added.

source from: tuoitrenews

The concert will have two parts. The first part will introduce famous works by Franz Liszt, Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms and George Gershwin.

Pianist Joo Eun Young will play the “Hungarian Rhapsody No.6” by Franz Liszt. Meritorious artist – Celloist Nguyen Tan Anh, pianist Joo Eun Young and Clarinetist Dao Nhat Quang will perform the Trio in B flat, op.11 for clarinet, cello and piano by Ludwig van Beethoven.

Next, the Sonata No.3 for violin and piano by Johannes Brahms will be played by Professor, People’s Artist, violinist Ta Bon and pianist Ly Giai Hoa.

“An American in Paris” by George Gershwin will be performed two pianists, Ly Giai Hoa and Ly Giai Nien.

The second part of the concert will be the modern ballet “Dream Puzzles”, with script and choreography by Nguyen Phuc Hai and Nguyen Phuc Hung, music by Vu Viet Anh and Nguyen Manh Duy Linh and performed by the HBSO Ballet

Tickets are priced VND250,000 ($12), VND15,000 ($7) and VND60,000 ($3) for students at the HCM City Opera House, 7 Cong Truong Lam Son, District 1 and the HSBO, No. 3 Phan Van Dat, District 1.

Information about artists:

Violinist Ta Bon.

Violinist Ta Bon was born in 1942 in Hanoi. Ta Bon is the son of musician Ta Phuoc who was the first Principle of the Vietnam Music School (Vietnam National Academy of Music). Ta Phuoc is one of the first Vietnamese artists who can play western musical instruments.

At 12, Ta Bon was sent to China to learn music at the Chinese Central Conservatory of Music by the State. In 1958, he returned home and participated in the George Enescu Festival and International Competition held in Bucharest, Romania and was awarded an Honorary Certificate of Merit. In 1962, at the World Youth Festival in Helsinki, Finland, he won a silver medal at the International Violin Contest.

After that Ta Bon studied at Moscow P.I. Tchaikovsky Conservatory where later he received a university diploma and continued his post-graduate studies. He was invited to be on the Jury of many of the world’s leading music contests, including the Tchaikovsky Contest in Russia in 1978, 1982 and 1986, the Bach Contest in Germany in 1980 and 1984, and recently the International Pablo Sarasate Violin Competition in Spain in 2007.

When still a student at the Moscow P.I. Tchaikovsky Conservatory and many years later, Ta Bon always performs in the role of a national solo violinist. He joined in performing tours to Cuba (in 1966), the former Soviet Union (1985), Bulgaria, Hungary and Czechoslovakia (1986). He also performed in many concerts at home together with famous artists such as Bui Gia Tuong (cellist), Trung Kien (singer), Dang Thai Son (pianist), Le Dung (singer) and Ton Nu Nguyet Minh (pianist); or with big orchestras such as the Moscow National Symphony Orchestra, the Tchaikovsky Conservatory’s Chamber Music Orchestra, the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra and the Ho Chi Minh City Symphony Orchestra. Ta Bon has been granted numerous academic titles by the Vietnamese State, including Associate Professor in 1980, Professor in 1991, Merited Artist in 1993 and People’s Artist in 2001.

Besides performing, Ta Bon has engaged in teaching for many years. From 1979 to 1988 he was Deputy Director of the Hanoi Conservatory. From 1994 to 2007, he was Head of the Symphony Division and music director of the Symphony Orchestra of the Ho Chi Minh City Symphonic Music, Dance and Drama Theatre (HBSO). At present he still works as an art advisor for HBSO. Over the past 40 years, Prof. Ta Bon has contributed to training many generations of violists for the country, of whom many have become famous artists such as Ta Don, Do Xuan Tung, Nguyen Tuyet Trang, Trong Binh, Do Phuong Nhu and Ta Ton.

Pianist Joo Eun-young was born in 1973 in Seoul, Joo Eun-young graduated with distinctions at Vienna State Conservatory in 2000 and in 2007 she earned her Master’s degree with distinctions from Moscow Gnessin Academy. She won prizes at Erika Chary Foerder Preis in Vienna in 2000 and of Allegro Vivo international music festival competition in Vienna in 2001. She has appeared in many concerts with Vivaldi Chamber Orchestra (Moskow), Russian National Philharmonic Orchestra (Moskow), Wien Akademy Chamber Orchestra, Seoul Sinfonietta and in many recitals in Seoul, Vienna and Vietnam.

She now works as a professor in Master’s degree programs in the piano department of the HCMC Conservatory of Music.

Choreographer Nguyen Phuc Hung.

Celloist Nguyen Tan Anh graduated from the Gnesin Music Institute in Moscow, Russia. He has performed in many countries like Russia, Thailand, Laos, Japan, etc. He is now the head of the HSBO’s symphony orchestra.

Clarinetist Dao Nhat Quang graduated from the Tchaikovsky Institute in 1992. In 2007, he won the Pacific Culture Prize of the United Nations. He was a lecturer at the Busan Art College from 2003 to 2008 and at the Inje University and Kyongnam National University from 2006 to 2008.

Ly Gia Hoa is a lecturer of the piano faculty of the HCM City Music Conservatory. She studied at the Shanghai Music Conservatory. She is now the head of the HSBO’s opera troupe.

Musician Nguyen Manh Duy Linh won the Best Musician award at the fourth international music festival in Chelyabinsk, Russia in 2007. He was invited to the contemporary music festival for young musicians of Southeast Asia in Bandung, Indonesia last year.

Musician Vu Viet Anh graduated from the Auckland University and held an MA degree at the Waikato University of New Zealand. He has won several music prizes in Vietnam.

Choreographer Nguyen Phuc Hung won several dancing awards in Vietnam. He is now a show director of the HSBO.

Choreographer Nguyen Phuc Hai is the vice chief of the HSBO’s ballet troupe.

source from: vietnamnet

One of the measures is sticking phone numbers of traffic inspectors on cabs. Whenever tourists face problems on cabs, they can call and ask for help from traffic inspectors.

The HCM City Department of Transport will combine with the police and the local taxi association to inspect cabs regularly and strictly punish illegal cabs.

Local police will intensify patrols at tourist attractions to protect tourists from robbers and thieves. Police will also make public phone numbers for tourists and people to contact in necessary cases.

Volunteers will join police to patrol at crowded tourist sites.

HCM City administration’s instruction originates from the fact that some cabs cheated foreign tourists.

On March 29, a Japanese visitor named Ono Ayumi, 27, took a taxi of Saigon Hoang Long from Tan Son Nhat Airport to District 1. Though the fare meter stopped at VND252,000 ($13), the driver forced the tourist to paid more than VND700,000 ($35). The driver took Ms. Ayumi to an ATM to withdraw cash. After the passenger left the cab, the driver drove away with Ayumi’s luggage and her VND1.5 million ($75).

In mid- 2011, HCM City police arrested a cab driver named Tran Minh Quoc. Quoc stuck the logo of Mai Linh taxi on his car to cheat tourists. He took a foreign woman from District 1 to Tan Son Nhat Airport. The stretch of road was only 7km but Quoc adjusted the meter to 400km and forced the tourist to pay up to VND4 million ($200). Quoc confessed that he cheated at least two foreign tourists, taking VND8 million from them.

source from: vietnamnet