The annual event, held by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade under the Australian Government, provides Vietnamese students and their parents with the latest information about studying in Australia.

Apart from meeting with representatives from Australian schools, students can attend English and mathematics sample classes offered by native teachers to get a feel for the learning environment in Australia.

A seminar will be held during the event to help students learn more about studying and living in Australia, as well as information related to visas and passports.

Australia is one of the nations attracting a large number of Vietnamese students. Last year, Vietnam had around 24,000 students studying and conducting researching in Australia, of whom up to 2,000 are attending high schools.

source from: vov

This month the northern and central regions will experience two or three extremely hot spells, says the National Meteorological Forecasting Center.

The country’s northern and central regions are being hit by the hottest weather since the start of this year’s summer.

The temperature reached 39 degrees Celsius in Hanoi on Reunification Day on April 30 and May Day and the Quang Hoa District of central Thanh Hoa Province even recorded 39.5C from April 28-May 1.

The central province of Thua Thien Hue is forecast to see temperatures as high as 42C on May 2.

The National Meteorological Forecasting Centre says the hot spell is abnormal for this time of the year.

As a consequence of hot weather, forest fire has broken out in some central localities.

source from: tuoitrenews

The expenses required to develop expressways in Vietnam are 1.5 to 2 times higher than those of neighboring countries such as China, Indonesia, or Thailand, and even higher than in the US, creating a burden for the state as it is not easy to attract or recoup investments for these expensive roadways.

The project to turn 30-km Lang – Hoa Lac Street into the modern Thang Long Highway was initiated in March 2005 with the estimated total investment of VND5.379 trillion (US$258.2 million).

This means the investment rate for the project was some VND179 billion ($8.59 million) per kilometer.

However, the project progressed slowly until October 2007, when the Ministry of Transport adjusted the total investment for the highway to VND7.52 trillion, or a $12-million-per-km investment rate.

The expensive Thang Long Highway was temporarily opened to traffic in October 2010 to mark the 1,000th anniversary of Hanoi, but it remains unfinished now.

Similarly, the Cau Gie – Ninh Binh expressway project, operated by the Vietnam Expressway Corporation, has required a huge sum of VND8.97 trillion ($430.5 million), but only 20km out of 50km have been completed.

More expensive than the US and China

“To see exactly how costly traffic infrastructure construction in Vietnam is, just compare it with its counterparts in the US and China,” said Nguyen Xuan Thanh, from the Fulbright Economic Teaching Program.

The Ho Chi Minh City – Trung Luong Expressway, for instance, is the country’s first standardized expressway, and cost $9.9 million per kilometer, while the respective rates for the HCMC – Long Thanh – Dau Giay, and Ben Luc – Long Thanh expressways are as high as $18.3 million per kilometer, and $28.2 million per kilometer, respectively.

Meanwhile, figures from China and the US show that the rates in these countries are only $6 million per km, and $8 million per km, respectively.

Paradoxically, Vietnam has lower labor cost and cheaper materials than other countries, but has higher expenses to develop expressways, said Thanh.

He added that the total expenses to build traffic infrastructure are exorbitant as investors have to pay huge sums for site clearance and compensation.

“But even if those expenses are excluded, it’s still costly to build expressways in Vietnam,” he stated.

For instance, he elaborated, if the site clearance and compensation expense worth $286 million is excluded from the HCMC-Long Thanh-Dau Giay project, it still needs $13 million for every kilometer of road built.

“This is still way higher than in China and the US,” emphasized Thanh.

Obviously, the expensive expressways will face difficulty in attracting investors, said Thanh.

The HCMC-Long Thanh-Dau Giay project is expected to receive the largest traffic flow in the country, but has still failed to attract investment, and the government eventually had to fund it through ODA and the state budget.

Meanwhile, investors in the HCMC-Trung Luong expressway still owe contractors VND800-900 billion, as the road has yet to be officially transferred.

Toll booths have been established on the HCMC – Trung Luong expressway, and yet its surface have now also cracked. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The expressway connecting HCMC and Long An now earns around VND1.1 billion on a daily basis from toll collection.

“The collection is nothing compared to the huge loan and investment sunk in this construction,” said an official from the project’s investor.

Why?

Thanh said there are four main reasons for the skyrocketing expenses to build roads in Vietnam.

The first reason is the wasteful use of technology.

“While machines and equipment used to serve the construction in other countries are sold after the projects are complete to recoup investment, in Vietnam they are liquidated,” he said.

The second cause is the weak ability of project management, which results in the sluggish progress of the projects.

Tardy progress usually increases total expenses by 50 percent, he said.

Next, in the projects funded by ODA, Vietnam has to hire experts, consultants, contractors, and machinery from the country providing the fund at higher prices.

“And the last reason is corruption, with commission promised for relevant parties,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, a former chief of the Institute for Traffic Strategy said that choosing the right contractors is an issue.

“Contractors with weak ability bid lower tenders to win the contract, but fail to appropriately complete the projects, resulting in the high overrun expenses,” he said.

source from: tuoitrenews

The race begins

A working day of Quoc Anh, a student of the Tran Phu Secondary School in district 10 in HCM City begins with the five learning periods at school. He gets home at 12 pm and only has one hour to have lunch and take a nap. He leaves home again at 1 pm for the private tutoring class in Tan Binh district.

At 6 pm, Anh needs to be present at the Ly Tu Trong Knowledge Cultivation Center, where he spends time on one more learning shift which finishes at 8.30 pm. Reaching home at 9 pm, Anh has dinner and then does home exercises and prepare for the next morning’s lessons.

Quoc Anh has to learn hard these days, because he intends to attend the entrance exams to the Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted, a famous school in HCM City.

Quoc Anh and thousands of other students in HCM City and Hanoi have decided that they need to enroll in the schools for the gifted, at any cost. They believe that if they have the opportunities to go to the schools, they would have bigger opportunities to pass the university entrance exams. Meanwhile, following university education is the dream of every Vietnamese student.

Meanwhile, Mai Van, a parent in district 3 in HCM City, said that her eldest children graduated from Nguyen Thuong Hien School; therefore, she wants the youngest daughter to go to the school as well.

“We have sent the daughter to the best teachers in HCM City. We have told her that passing the exams to the school is a must,” Van said.

Minh Tuan, a parent in district 5, said that he has ordered his son to pass the exams to Le Hong Phong School. Tuan said that he himself is a graduate from the school, and he has been succeeding in his career. Therefore, he believes that becoming a student of Le Hong Phong School is the best way for his son.

“I told him that I would be ashamed if he fails the exams,” he said.

Most secondary school graduates wish to continue their study at state owned high schools. N, Headmaster of a people-founded school in HCM City, admitted that the school can only enroll students from other provinces instead of HCM City, though the school has good material facilities and prestigious teachers, including university lecturers.

“100 percent of our students pass the final exams, with a high percentage of students passing the university entrance exams every year. However, enrolling in people founded schools proves to be the last choice for students,” he said.

Parents and students have to think carefully before choosing high schools. As students all want to enroll in state owned schools, they need to consider their ability and the requirements of the schools to make reasonable decisions.

Phuong Anh in Ba Dinh district in Hanoi complained that her son is not good at literature; therefore, she decided to attend the exams to Pham Hong Thai School. In case he fails the exams, he wishes to enter Tay Ho High School as his second choice.

“It would be better to choose the schools which fit my child’s ability. I don’t want him to get disappointed if he fails the exams to famous schools,” she said.

source from: vietnamnet

Mr. Doan and the rare fish.

The fish is over 1.5m long, 15kg in weight but it was dead. The fisherman, Mr. Ho Van Doan, said that the fish was dead one hour after he netted it offshore Nghe An. He froze the fish with ice.

Doan also said that this was the first time he had seen such a fish. He sold the fishto a local man named Chien, at the price of VND4.5 million (over $200).

Chien said that in April 2010, he bought a similar fish of 30kg from a fisherman in Quynh Lap district, Nghe An, at the price of VND5 million. Chien presented the fish to the Vietnam Museum of Nature.

The man added that he would also give this fish to the museum. He bought the fish because he had heard that fisherman Doan had wanted to slaughter the rare fish.

The ocean sunfish, Mola mola, or common mola, is the heaviest known bony fish in the world. It has an average adult weight of 1,000 kg (2,200 lb).

The species is native to tropical and temperate waters around the globe. It resembles a fish head with a tail, and its main body is flattened laterally. Sunfish can be as tall as they are long when their dorsal and ventral fins are extended.

It is named in the Vietnam Red Book.

source from: vietnamnet

Cristiano Ronaldo-inspired La Liga leaders Real Madrid will have Spain’s 22-year goal-scoring record in their sights when they host relegation-threatened Sporting Gijon on Saturday (1800 GMT).

Real restored their four-point lead over Barcelona on Wednesday when Ronaldo netted his seventh treble of the campaign in a 4-1 rout of Atletico Madrid to become the first player to notch 40 goals in two consecutive seasons in Europe’s top four leagues.

The Portuguese and his team mates have amassed 104 goals in 32 La Liga games and three more would equal the record Real set in the 1989-90 season under Welsh coach John Toshack.

With six games left they are closing in on a first domestic league title in four years, although with Barca on a run of 10 straight wins and Real’s trip to the Nou Camp looming on April 21 the destination of the crown is by no means a foregone conclusion.

Ronaldo’s spectacular form – he has also provided 11 assists in the league – has been the principle reason Real are closer than ever to ending Barca’s three-year grip on the title and he is brimming with confidence for the run-in.

“I always believe in myself, knowing that from one moment to the next I can do important things,” said the former Manchester United forward who joined Real for a record fee in 2009.

“We are very confident and we have our fate in our own hands which is crucial for the final stages of the season,” he told reporters.

Barca have their own record-breaker in World Player of the Year Lionel Messi, who scored his 39th league goal of the campaign in Tuesday’s 4-0 win at home to Getafe, his 61st in all competitions compared to 52 for Ronaldo.

Pep Guardiola’s side visit fifth-placed Levante in Saturday’s late kickoff (2000) and could find themselves seven points behind Real by then.

“We have to focus on what will be one of the toughest games we have left away from home,” said Guardiola.

HOME ADVANTAGE

Barca have trimmed their deficit by six points in three weeks following the Madrid club’s draws against Malaga, Villarreal and Valencia and probably have a slightly easier run-in as well as home advantage in the ‘Clasico’.

If the two teams finish level on points the title will be decided on head-to-head record.

“From here on all the matches are like finals,” said Barca forward Pedro who has recently rediscovered his scoring touch after returning from injury.

“We have managed our goal of cutting the gap but it’s still going to be tough to knock off the points that divide us.”

The race for places in next season’s Champions League has intensified and ambitious Qatar-owned Malaga can climb above Valencia into third with a win at Villarreal later on Thursday (1800).

On Sunday, Valencia visit Espanyol (1000) and Malaga host Real Sociedad (1400).

At the other end of the table, Racing Santander are bottom on 25 points and travel to Villarreal on Sunday (1400). Gijon and Real Zaragoza, who host Granada on Sunday (1400), are level on 28 in the other two relegation spots.

source from: tuoitrenews

North Korea has placed troops on heightened vigilance, the South’s defence minister said Friday as the failed rocket launch drew international condemnation.

Kim gave no details on the movement of North Korean troops but condemned the rocket launch as a provocation.

The minister suggested at a separate meeting with General James Thurman, head of US troops in South Korea, and US ambassador Sung Kim that the international community needs “proper sanctions”, a defence ministry spokesman told AFP.

North Korea has said the rocket would place a satellite in orbit for peaceful research purposes, but Western critics saw the launch as a thinly veiled ballistic missile test, banned by United Nations resolutions.

The defence committee of South Korea’s parliament adopted a resolution calling for a “firm” response to any additional provocations by North Korea.

The North should “immediately stop developing weapons of mass destruction and long-range delivery devices” that raise tensions on the Korean peninsula, the resolution said.

source from: tuoitrenews

Temporary director of the Nguyen Du Relic Site, Ho Bach Khoa, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) Newspaper on Friday that the artifact has been kept by farmer Nguyen Duc Minh from Xuan Hai Ward of Nghi Xuan District of Ha Tinh.

Minh is a 6th generation descendant of Nguyen Du, the author of the famous epic poem Truyen Kieu (Tale of Kieu), widely regarded as one of the most significant works of Vietnamese literature.

The palm of the ellipse-shaped tray (33 x 50 cm) is embossed with images of lotus flowers, plants and freshwater crab.

The tray was used by the poet until he passed away in 1820 and preserved by his descendant. The tea-set, however, was lost.
source from: thanhniennews

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani will meet with US President Barack Obama on March 27 on the sidelines of a nuclear security summit in Seoul, the prime minister’s office said on Friday.

Relations between the two uneasy allies have been frayed after the discovery and killing of al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in a Pakistani military town in May 2011 just two hours from Islamabad. Pakistan called that a violation of its sovereignty.

Ties plunged to a new low in November when NATO aircraft mistakenly attacked two Pakistani border posts and killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.

Details on the agenda for the Seoul talks were sketchy, but spokesman Akram Shaheedi said they would touch on issues of importance to both sides.

The Seoul summit will focus on measures to protect nuclear materials and facilities from militants and to prevent their illicit trafficking. Pakistan’s nuclear weapons and their security are likely to be discussed.

Pakistan’s is the fastest growing nuclear arsenal in the world, with the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists estimating that it could number between 150-200 warheads in a decade, making its arsenal larger than Britain’s.

Pakistan has fought and lost three wars and several major skirmishes with India since partition in 1947.

While the United States has publicly expressed confidence in Pakistan’s ability to safeguard its weapons and fissile material from militant groups such as al Qaeda, officials have privately voiced concern. Those concerns were especially heightened after an assault on a naval base near Karachi by al Qaeda-backed fighters shortly after the bin Laden raid.

Next week’s meeting would be the highest-level meeting between the two uneasy allies since the bin Laden raid. A proposed meeting between Gilani and Obama in New York at the United Nations in September was called off at the last minute after Obama reportedly refused to meet with him.

The last such high-level meeting was in January 2011, when President Asif Ali Zardari visited the White House.

source from: tuoitrenews

Joachim Gauck, a Protestant pastor from former East Germany, was sworn in on Friday as Germany’s 11th post-war president, promising to use his experience of tyranny to stand up to the far-right and other extremists.

The election of 72-year-old Gauck last Sunday has raised hopes that a charismatic figure of such ethical stature can revive faith in a post which is largely ceremonial but symbolically important for Germany following his predecessor’s ignominious exit.

“I would like to ask you all for a gift: your trust,” Gauck said in a moving speech to the Reichstag, the German parliament which was set on fire on 1933 and bombed in World War II.
Chancellor Angela Merkel and lawmakers from across the political divide warmly applauded the president’s maiden speech.

Despite their shared history – Merkel is the daughter of an East German pastor and grew up under communism – she opposed his first candidacy in 2010 in favor of her conservative colleague Christian Wulff. Wulff quit last month in disgrace over a probe into his personal finances and favors from business contacts.

This time Merkel had to accept Gauck, who is not affiliated to any party but was put forward by the opposition centre left and supported by even the chancellor’s own Liberal allies.

Gauck poses no threat to Merkel’s domination of national politics, but his moral authority, independence of mind and lack of party affiliation could make him an awkward partner for her government as it struggles to overcome Europe’s economic crisis.

“Your election as head of state writes a new chapter in the history of German unity,” said Norbert Lammert, speaker of the Bundestag (lower house of parliament), who took Gauck’s oath.

Identifying himself with the young people of 1968 who drew a line under the “hubris” of their parents’ generation, who “waged murder and war on their neighbors within and without”, Gauck said the reunification of the two Germanys in 1990 created “one people”, who now had to defend democracy with determination.

“Especially to the right-wing extremists who hate democracy we say clearly: your hatred is our motivation not to abandon our country. We will not present you a gift of our fear,” he said.

Germany would also stand up to “extremists of other political persuasions and those who, under the guise of religion, bring fanaticism and terror to our country”.

source from: tuoitrenews