ASSURICH VIET NAM

Under the bright sunshine of the  Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelago , the soldiers, who are defending Truong Sa Lon, Truong Sa Dong, Da Tay and Phan Vinh Islands, were excited to receive us. They shared with us the happiness and optimism of their life on the islands. On each island we visited, we witnessed a great zeal and strong vitality of these soldiers and local people with their simple aspirations for a new bright future. We were left with a long-lasting impression. Having lived and worked on Truong Sa Lon Island for over three years, Pham Gia Huy, a soldier and a teacher, has a special attachment to the place. In each lesson, he bequeaths his love for the islands and the pride of a rich, beautiful  Vietnam  to his students. On the day of seeing off his beloved student, Quynh Huong, who left the island for the mainland to go to school, Huy quietly stood near the sea for hours, looking towards the mainland with both a sad and happy feeling.   A reunion on the island. Photo:

Entrance to the Cham Museum Situated in a quiet area of Da Nang City, Cham Museum was built in 1915 according to the motifs of ancient Cham Architecture. At first it was named the Henry Parmenties Museum. The museum is officially known as the Museum of Champa Sculpture. The kingdom of Champa (or Lin-yi in Chinese records) controlled what is now south and central Vietnam from approximately 192 through 1697. The empire began to decline in the late 15th century, became a Vietnamese vassal state in 1697, and was finally dissolved in 1832. At present, the museum houses 297 stone and terracotta sculptural works made between the 7th and the 15th centuries. These are impressive works typical of the Cham culture. A Brief History of the Champa According to Chinese chronicles, the Champa kingdom was founded in 192 A.D and had different names such as Lin-Yi, Huang-Wang and Chang-Chen. Its territories stretched from south of the Ngang Pass in Quang Binh Province to the delta area o

A system of lava caves including one considered as the longest lava cave of Southeast Asia has been discovered in the southern province of Dong Nai, according to researcher Truong Ba Vuong of the Vietnam's Institute of Tropical Biology.   Researchers have found a lava cave complex including Bat Cave, considered as the longest cave in Southeast Asia Researchers from the institute and Germany's the Berlin Speleoclub have surveyed and discovered the system of 11 caves for two months and found the caves formed after an eruption. The longest cave found is Doi (Bat) Cave which is separated by a geological collapse and rupture that created two additional caves called Bat Cave No 1 and Bat Cave No 2. The largest section of the cave is about 426m long, 4m high and 10m wide. The explorers consider it as the longest lava cave in the Southeast Asia as Gua Lawah Cave in Indonesia, the current longest one, is 400m long. In some lava caves, researchers discovered many species of animals

Conde Nast Traveler named the Long Bien wholesale market in Hanoi located under the famous Long Bien Bridge that was repeatedly bombed and repaired during the war with America on its list of the world top 7 street markets. Heralded by the Communist party as a symbol of Vietnam’s resilience, today the bridge watches over a buzzing hive of vendors selling live frogs and sweet mangosteens. Since this is a daily market, it’s best to make your way here before sunrise, the leading travel magazine reported. The Long Bien market has long boasted itself the most important trading venue in Ba Dinh district, and the country’s second largest market, just behind the Dong Xuan market. Rounding out the top 7 markets were Bhendi Bazaar in Mumbai, India; Souks of Marrakech in Marrakech, Morocco; El Alto Open-Air Market in La Paz, Bolivia; Livestock market in Bukhara, Uzbekistan; Kejetia Market in Kumasi, Ghana; and Mercado 20 de Noviembre in Oaxaca, Mexico.

A young photographer and graphic designer named Phan Thanh Tung has been using his skills to express his love for Hanoi along with his wish to change the city for the better. The photos were part of a collection called "If Hanoi were a little different". He said, "My first photo was of Nguyen Hong Street. Previously, the street was actually a polluted canal but it was made into a road. Personally I don't think such a drastic solution was needed, just a little change." Tung captured images of places that are familiar to him. "I grew up in these streets and have seen their transformation first hand," he added, "Through these photos, I want to raise awareness about the importance of protecting the environment. I also hope that urban planning in will improve in Hanoi."  According to Tung, Hanoi could become a better city with small changes.  Fewer electricity cables  Releasing fish into clean river instead of a polluted one Cl

These days, the old centre of Hoi An has been covered in colour for the occasion of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Crowds of people have been flocking to the city to experience the exciting and colourful atmosphere, buy products for the festival and take photos. Many streets, particularly main ones, have become very exciting and crowded with the dance performances. From 5pm to 10pm on the 14th of each lunar month, all houses, shops and restaurants in Hoi An City turn off the lights, giving way to moonlight and lanterns. During this time, all means of transport except for walking are banned.                            

Iran and six powers failed on Monday for a second time this year to resolve their 12-year stand-off over Tehran's nuclear ambitions, and gave themselves seven more months to clinch an historic deal. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Britain's Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, EU High Representative Catherine Ashton, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L-R) pose for a family picture during their meeting in Vienna November 24, 2014. Western officials said they were aiming to secure an agreement on the substance of a final accord by March but that more time would be needed to reach a consensus on the all-important technical details. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, trying to win relief from crippling international economic sanctions by patching up relations with the West, said the gap between the sides had na

US Secretary of State John Kerry (left) meeting Iran's Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday Continue reading the main story Rouhani's Iran Clock ticking Hardline anxiety Nuclear talks pessimism Economy afloat Negotiators in Vienna, Austria, are set to make a final push to try to reach a deal on Iran's nuclear programme ahead of a midnight (23:00 GMT) deadline. They said earlier that "serious gaps" remained, suggesting that an extension could be agreed instead. World powers - the US, UK, Russia, China, France and Germany - want Iran to curb its nuclear programme in return for the lifting of UN sanctions. Tehran says it is not seeking nuclear weapons, but wants atomic energy. "At the moment, we are focused on the last push... to try and get this across the line," British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said. UK foreign secretary Philip Hammond: "We're still quite a long way apart" "Of course, if we're not

Russia’s Pravda newspaper remarked Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s visit to Russia as a historical milestone in bilateral relations in an article featuring the event.   Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong is welcomed at Vnocovo-2 Airport in Moscow . The article, posted on November 21, quoted Leonid Kalashnikov, First Deputy Chairman of the Russia’s State Duma Committee for International Affairs and a representative of the Russia Communist Party at the State Duma, as stating that the time-honoured Vietnam-Russia relations are growing in all fields.  Leonid Kalashnikov cited Vietnam’s enthusiastic preparation for joining the Customs Union of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus, the two countries’ organisation of various cultural events and exchanges, and the maintenance of visits by communist party officials. The paper quoted Chairman of the Russia-Vietnam Friendship Association Vladimir Buyanov as saying that the two countries’ relations constitute the strategic comp

The People’s Committee of Thanh Mien district in northern Hai Duong province held a ceremony on November 16 to receive a certificate recognising its Dao Co (Stork Island) as a national relic site. A corner of Hai Duong’s Stork Island. Stork Island, comprising of two islets covering 67 hectares, is located in the middle of An Duong Lake in Chi Lang Nam commune, Thanh Mien district. It is now home to a large number of flora and fauna species. Each year from the ninth lunar month to the fourth of next year, thousands of storks, herons and birds flock to the island to feed and lay eggs. It has become an attractive eco-tourism destination of Hai Duong province and the Red River Delta region at large, suitable for field trips of students and researchers. Additionally, its surrounding areas have several historical sites like temples, pagodas and traditional trade villages. In the province’s tourism development master plan, Stork Island will be part of the core tourism route. Th