Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha was officially nominated for re-election on Saturday as his party’s first candidate for the country’s next leader in polls set for May 14. Prayuth, 69, is running with the new United Thai Nation Party, and will likely face Pheu Thai party’s Paetongtarn Shinawatra, daughter and …
Read More »Da Nang restaurants fined, suspended for blasting loud music
Three restaurants in Da Nang were fined up to VND70 million ($2,975) and two of them were also suspended for blasting music too loud. Police of Lien Chieu District on Saturday said the Victory, Max Beer Garden and Idol Food&Beer restaurants on Hoang Thi Loan Street violated noise pollution protocols …
Read More »Vietnamese teen earns perfect SAT score
A 17-year-old boy earned a perfect 1600 SAT score when the exam was given on computers for the first time in Vietnam. Hoang Vuong Lam Bach, an 11th grader at Hanoi-Amsterdam High School for the Gifted, took the exam on March 11 and got the result Friday – 800 for …
Read More »Roof proposed over downtown Saigon street
Authorities plan to put up a roof over Le Loi Street in HCMC’s District 1 at a cost of VND20-30 billion (US$856,000-1.3 million) to protect pedestrians from the elements. The city Department of Planning and Architecture has submitted the proposal to the People’s Committee as a measure to improve the …
Read More »Binance says withdrawals have resumed after technical glitches
Cryptocurrency exchange Binance has resumed withdrawals on its platform after technical issues affected spot trading, the company said in a tweet. Binance suspended deposits and withdrawals earlier on Friday due to a “bug on a trailing stop order,” Chief Executive Changpeng Zhao said in a tweet, adding that the pause …
Read More »Russia presses along Ukraine front after reports of Bakhmut slowdown
Russian forces attacked northern and southern stretches of the front in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region on Friday, even as Kyiv said Moscow’s assault was flagging near the city of Bakhmut. Ukrainian military reports described heavy fighting along a line running from Lyman to Kupiansk, as well as in the south …
Read More »HCMC auctions thousands of seized vehicles
Nearly 4,000 motorbikes and cars seized by Ho Chi Minh City police for traffic violations or crimes have been auctioned off by authorities this year. As many as 12,845 motorbikes and cars seized in recent years are now state assets, according to statements made by the Deputy Chief of Staff …
Read More »Priest discusses challenges to iconic Saigon church renovation
The Covid pandemic and the Ukraine war have slowed the delivery of rare construction materials from Europe, says the priest in charge of restoring downtown Saigon’s bright red Notre Dame Cathedral. Work began on the VND140 billion (US$5.98 million) project to renovate the 147-year-old Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica in 2017. …
Read More »49 sentenced for faking English proficiency certificates
A total of 49 people have been sentenced to prison and probation in the Mekong Delta’s Ben Tre Province for using fake English and computer literacy certificates to apply for jobs and promotions. Ngo Hong Nam, 40, head of a medical station of Ben Tre’s Ward 8, was sentenced to …
Read More »China travel rebound bets turn toward airports, away from airlines
Investors hoping to cash in on a boom in Chinese travel after nearly three years of pandemic lockdowns are shifting into airports, hotels and duty-free operators and away from airlines subject to fluctuating fuel prices and more intense competition. The first wave of bullishness as China began abandoning its zero-Covid …
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