TTN – UPDATED : 08/13/2015 10:40 GMT + 7
A grower is seen harvesting her hydroponically produced veggies. – Tuoi Tre
In recent years, a number of farming businesses in the resort town of Da Lat and its neighboring areas have turned to hydroponics, or cultivation of plants in a nutrient liquid with or without a supporting medium, in a bid to produce safe, quality greens.
People push a trolley full of goods at the Lao Cai border gate between China and Vietnam on August 11, 2015. – Tuoi Tre
With the devaluation of the Chinese yuan on Tuesday sparking fears of a global currency war, Vietnamese exporters also face immediate concerns as their goods are now more expensive in China, their major exporting market.
Do Xuan Quang, chairman of the Vietnam Logistics Business Association, and Thong Tangsritrakul, vice president of the Thai Federation of Logistics, talk about cooperation opportunities in the logistics sector between Vietnam and Thailand at a meeting in Ho Chi Minh City on August 3, 2015. Thoai Tran/Tuoi Tre News
A Chinese national flag flutters on the Pearl River near a construction site in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, in this March 27, 2014 file photo.
Reuters – On a quiet river bend on the China-Vietnam border, a group of people clambered up a muddy bank. They had just glided across the river from the Vietnamese side in a longboat, guided by men on both banks signaling with flashlights.
The passengers scurried over to a group of men standing by their motorcycles, climbed aboard the bikes and disappeared into the night. Two Chinese police officers in uniform, stationed at a small post near the crossing point in the border town of Dongxing, watched impassively as they rode past. Continue reading How smuggled workers power ‘Made in China’→
A drought in the middle of monsoon season brought on by the El Niño effect has affected farmers across Southeast Asia, hampering economic growth and exacerbating political tensions between urban elites and farmers. Though rains have recently begun, reservoirs are at such low levels that they will not be refilled in a shortened season with average rainfall. A record level of paddy has gone unplanted, and where the fall crop has been planted, seedlings have withered in parched paddy. Continue reading Southeast Asia’s Real Security Concern→
Vietnam’s Trade Minister Vu Huy Hoang (R) reaches out to shake hands with EU’s Ambassador – Head of Delegation to Vietnam Franz Jessen after a news conference in Hanoi August 4, 2015. Reuters
The European Union and Vietnam reached a free trade agreement on Tuesday, the EU’s second in Southeast Asia, paving the way for deep cuts in tariffs on almost all goods between their markets.
The agreement in principle may take several years to be implemented. A legal text should be completed later this year, after which it must be ratified by the 28 EU member states and the European Parliament. Continue reading EU and Vietnam reach agreement on free trade→
In examining recent suggestions for joint patrolling of the South China Sea, analysts have tended to focus on the surface vessels of various nations’ coast guards and navies. Yet the flight of a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidonhosting a CNN film crew over disputed waters in the South China Sea in May highlighted the potential of air power – specifically maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) – in executing the possible missions of joint patrols. To explore the potential effectiveness of South China Sea joint air patrols it is important to first be clear about the often overlooked distinctions in missions, locations, and concepts. Continue reading Patrolling international skies: Understanding joint air patrols→
Due diligence: Farmers harvest ginseng in a garden in Nam Tra My District’s Tra Linh Commune.
VNN – Up in the mountains of Quang Nam Province the ginseng plant’s roots have become a treasured natural remedy. Those who cultivate the plants can earn themselves a hefty living and preserve wild plants at the same time. Hoai Nam reports.
Noc Mang Lung Village in Tra Linh Commune, located on a mountain slope and blessed with cool weather all year round, has become prosperous with Ngoc Linh ginseng farming in recent years. Continue reading Planting the seeds of success with ginseng→
AMTI – China is not the first, but the fifth claimant to build an airstrip in the Spratly Islands. Are all airstrips created equal? What kinds of operations does each enable? AMTI explores the role of airstrips and airpower in the South China Sea.
AIRPOWER PROJECTION
Much attention has been paid to China’s new airstrip on Fiery Cross Reef. How does this runway compare to Malaysia’s on Swallow Reef, the Philippines’ on Thitu Island, Taiwan’s on Itu Aba, or Vietnam’s on Spratly Island? Below, explore infographics on each claimant’s airstrip size and the aerial operating range each enables. Watch an exclusive interview on China’s Fiery Cross runway with RAND Senior International Defense Analyst Timothy R. Heath. View satellite images of each Spratly airstrip and read more about the types of operations that each may enable.
A family of overseas Vietnamese are pictured at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City.
Tuoi Tre
Vietnamese people who reside overseas, their foreign spouses and children are likely to enjoy a free-visa policy when entering Vietnam, as quick completion has been urged for a draft decree on the visa waiver.
A contestant presented her speech at XSpeaker Contest on July 11. Two winners of the contest will become two among many speakers of TEDx events 2015, which will be held next month. — Photo courtesy of TEDx Community of Hanoi.
HA NOI (VNS) — A series of TEDx events will be officially held on August 8 in Ha Noi, offering opportunities for young Vietnamese to share and promote their creative ideas which are expected to leave a positive influence on the society.
Som Nuol is married to a Vietnamese man and left her Svay Rieng Province to live in Vietnam for 43 years. Tuoi Tre
Villagers along the border of Vietnam and Cambodia have maintained close relations for generations and, for them, the ‘border line’ is just like a fence between two nearby houses.
Author: Chau Bao Nguyen, University of East Anglia
EF – The redeployment of a Chinese oil rig in the South China Sea (SCS) shows an inconsistency in the rhetoric and practice of China’s policy in the disputed waters. Together with its mass land reclamation activities, these actions are part and parcel of coercive diplomacy. It affirms China’s territorial ambition in the highly strategic sea. But is it likely to escalate into regional conflict?
