After a five-month-long competition, Thuy defeated two competitors, Le Thi Thuy and Tra My.

Hoang Thi Thuy, 19, is a student at Hanoi University of Architecture. She was born in a poor family but that adversity shaped her strong personality.

With professional catwalk steps and confident manners, Thuy even captured the attention of Tyra Banks, the American supermodel who founded the original format of the show and came to Vietnam as a guest judge.

As the winner, Hoang Thi Thuy receives an exclusive modeling training contract with BeU Model Management in the United States, as well as many other cash prizes.

Before the finale, Tra My was predicted to win the crown because of her angelic face and professional work.

Le Thi Thuy, who was favored by local judges for her unique beauty and humble origin, was unpopular with the audience for her weakness and intemperance revealed in episodes aired on television.

The presence of Tyra Banks in the Vietnam Next Top Model’s second season was the most exciting part of the reality show, which has faced problems from the start. Eliminated contestants denounced the judging to be unfair, and the leak of the top four contestant’s photos on a social network.

Banks was charming in the press conference held on January 8. Dressed in a violet ao dai, she impressed the local press with her talk and response to questions.

Banks said she prefers the healthy models with natural curvy body. However, it is easy to see that the skinny girls can find a good spot in many local adapted versions of Next Top Model.

Banks will enjoy her trip in Hanoi after attending the finale and some other famous sites in Vietnam. Ha Long Bay could be one of Banks’ destinations.
source form: thanhniennews

Investigation revealed Tam was the leader of a cockfighting group in Binh Chanh District. The group had won the fight earlier that day but failed to receive their money because the other team said cheating was involved.

Hung, 40, a player at the game who did not play with Tam’s team, had negotiated for the team to receive half of the bets.

Tam was angry with Hung’s negotiation and had chased him with a knife after being informed about it.

Hung managed to run away but came back later with his friends to take revenge, only to be shot.

Police found Tam with two guns loaded with eight bullets, a clasp knife and a sword that looks like a Katana. The man said he bought the guns from a former co-prisoner in Hai Phong in northern Vietnam for VND4 million (US$190).

Six more falchions and a big knife were found in his room.

Tam was released from prison a year ago. He used to serve three verdicts for illegally storing heroin , deliberately causing injuries and robbery.

Police are launching further investigation to look for more people involved.

Cockfighting is a traditional game in Vietnam but has been turned into a gambling sport. In September last year, police busted a gambling den that held matches worth US$7,200 each.
source form: thanhniennews

Police in Ho Chi Minh City have cracked down on a ring producing fake train tickets for train trips departing from Saigon during Tet (Lunar New Year), detaining two suspects and 55 counterfeit tickets.

The police have yet to reveal personal details of the two suspects, who were arrested yesterday.

On January 9, a woman arrived at the terminal to return a ticket for the SE16 train on the HCMC – Vinh route. After screening the returned ticket on a scanner, the terminal staff found signs of counterfeit, and then secretly informed the station and police, said Nguyen Van Thanh, deputy head of the station.

After questioning the woman, the District 3 police launched in investigation and two days they arrested two people who confessed they belonged to a ring that had faked tickets for Tet train trips.

The police seized from them 55 fake tickets and a USB drive that contained about 100 samples of fake tickets for various routes.

Thanh warned all passengers that such fake tickets are nearly the same as genuine ones, so they cannot be identified visually.

They can only be detected by scanners; therefore, passengers should not buy any tickets sold by anyone outside the terminal, he advised.

On January 14, the station will set up eight inspection teams to check tickets from passengers at the terminal to detect and seize fake tickets, he said.

The police are continuing with their investigation to track down other members of the ring.

The Lunar New Year falls on January 23, 2012.

source form: tuoitrenews

After pleasing his fans by posting a picture he took in Ho Chi Minh City on January 9, renowned South Korean actor Song Seung Hun excited his fans who saw him on his trip around the city over the past few days.

Represented by the Korea Foundation, the 36-year-old artist arrived at the city’s University of Social Sciences and Humanities in District 1 on January 10 to give ten US$200 scholarships to students from the school’s Korean Studies Department.

After walking around the school, Song addressed his fans, who had waited for hours to see him at the school’s hall, by saying “Hello” and thanking them in Vietnamese.

“This is the first time I’ve been here. After seeing your love, I keep blaming myself for not coming here earlier,” he said.

“I think there will be many more chances for us to meet together,” he added.

Song Seung Hun says ‘hi’ to his fans in Vietnamese

Song represents the Korea Foundation in giving ten US$200 scholarships to students of HCMC’s University of Social Sciences and Humanities

After leaving the school, the actor continued his trip to the city’s War Remnants Museum

in District 3, where he and his team filmed a documentary.

At the museum, Song, was very friendly when he was recognized by local fans and tourists, who asked to take pictures with him and for his autograph.

Song Seung Hun and his team take picture and clips a documentary at the War Remnants Museum in District 3

Song Seung Hun receives a souvenir from Huỳnh Ngọc Vân, director of the museum

At night, the actor, who is known for his role in the series “Autumn in My Heart,” continued to cause a stir when he visited Ben Thanh Market.

According to shop owners and local people who saw him that night, the Korean actor was polite, nice and always respected the senior people he met.

Last week, Song also pleased local fans by sending a greeting through a one-minute-31-second clip before coming to Hanoi on January 6 with well-known actress Kim Tae Hee to promote their movie titled “My Princess,” which will be broadcast on TV in Vietnam from January 14.

In the capital city, the two artists had a meeting with local media and fans at the Keangnam Hanoi Landmark Tower, before attending a charity auction at The National Conference Center to sell several props they used in the film to raise funds for the Vietnam Children’s Fund.

Song Seung Hun at Ben Thanh Market

He left a good impression on people here with his polite and friendly behavior

source form: tuoitrenews

The concert features Le-Tuyen Nguyen from the Australian National University, Huynh Khai and the Department of Traditional Music from the Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music.

The program includes traditional music from Vietnam and Le-Tuyen Nguyen’s contemporary compositions inspired by Vietnamese culture.

The poster of the musical program

The highlight of the program will be the inaugural performance of the Australian folksong ‘Waltzing Matilda’ on Vietnamese traditional musical instruments by lecturers and students of the Conservatory.

Australian Consul General, John McAnulty said “This concert is an opportunity for Australia to join with Vietnam to celebrate the value of Vietnamese traditional music and its ability to inspire the world’s contemporary music.”

The Australian Consulate-General in Ho Chi Minh provides support the event.

source form: qdnd

The Vietnamese delegation held talks with a delegation from the Lao People’s Revolutionary Youth Union, led by Secretary Vilayvong Bouddakham, on January 11.

At the talks, the two sides exchanged information and experience on youth education and youth-related work, and agreed to support each other in regional and international youth activities.

The two sides discussed projects to build the Vietnam-Laos Youth Friendship Palace in Vientiane and the Vietnam-Laos Youth Friendship Village in the Lao border province of Bolikhamsay.

The two sides signed a cooperative agreement for the 2012-2017 term saying they will create conditions for their businessmen to establish cooperative ties.

They also planned to hold meetings for the two countries’ youths and organise training courses for officials of the Lao Youth Union.

source form: vov

A cartoon named “Duoi Bong Cay” (In the Shade of the Tree) by a group of Vietnamese students won three big prizes at the award ceremony of the Vietnamese online short film festival YxineFF on December 12 at Megastar Paragon Cinema in Ho Chi Minh City.

Made by a group of students from 18 to 28 who call themselves Colory, the 7-minute movie tells a simple but touching story about four characters named Chuot (Mouse), Ech (Frog), Kua (Crab) and Ran (Snake) and their friendship. It won the jury’s award Golden Heart, the audience’s award Red Heart and Best Director for Doan Tran Tuan Anh.

First released on YouTube on May 22, the movie received positive feedback and became a sensation when it reached over 300,000 views after just one week, impressing the audiences with its lively characters, funny plot and lovely dubbed voices.
New Heart, the award given to the film with the most creative concept, went to “Tho Ho” (The bricklayer) directed by Ho Van Hoa.

Green Heart, the award honoring the best documentary on the topic of Sustainable Development was given to “Dat Dai Thuoc Ve Ai” (Who possesses land) directed by Doan Hong Le.

The Fire Heart, the Production Award, went to “Cho Da Di Choi” (Taking rocks for a fun ride) by Tran Ngoc Sang.

“Mot Cuoc Tham Van” (An Interrogation) directed by Trang Nghiem received Best Script for Nghiem Quynh Trang, Best Editor for Dominik Krutský and Best Actress for Truong Que Chi.

Also, Andy Nguyen was awarded Best Cameraman with the movie “The man who was there.”

Launched in May, this year’s event themed “Sharing. Love. Cinema” aims to introduce and showcase new Vietnamese films to the international audience as well as to form a community of filmmakers to strengthen the voice of independent cinema.

It attracted more than 100 entries which were screened online at yxineff.com.

source form: tuoitrenews

He said that Myanmar was a potential market as it was opening the economy at a high speed. “We do not want to be a laggard,” he added.

He also said that the Bank is investing some US$ 7 million in the Czech Republic with some contributions from Vietnamese nationals in the country.

This was not its single overseas investment; 12 years ago, it joint hands with the Laos Foreign Trade Bank to set up Lao-Viet Bank.

So far, the joint-venture has opened 5 branches in Laos, employed 350 workers and gained an annual profit of 19 per cent to the capital.

In 2008, it entered Cambodia and started doing banking activities in the market. According to the banker, its business activities in the market begins to bring in some profits    

source form: qdnd

Leaders of Ho Chi Minh City on December 12 signed a deal with their counterparts in six southeastern and 13 southwestern provinces for deeper co-operation in the trade and service sectors.

source form: qdnd

With the first bank merger successfully carried out earlier this month, Sai Gon Tiep Thi newspaper analyzes three possible trends for other changes to be made under the State Bank of Vietnam’s restructuring plan.

The successful merger will lay the ground for the State Bank of Vietnam to fortify their plan on restructuring the banking system next year, which would likely unfold one of the following three possible scenarios.

First, banks that have the same owners and are governed by the same major shareholders can merge with each other to become one single bank.

One typical example for this is the case of Nam Viet Bank and Western Bank, both of which have most of their stakes held by Dang Thanh Tam, either directly or indirectly via the Saigon Invest Group, which Tam is chairing.

Second, small banks whose controlling interest held by a larger bank or the board members of a larger bank will tend to merge with that large bank to solve the liquidity problem.

For instance, Asia Commerce Bank is currently the majority shareholder of certain banks such as Kien Long Bank, Dai A Bank and VietBank.

In the last scenario, small banks will be acquired by other credit institutions that assume their controlling interests. These outsiders will restructure the banks’ operation, pumping more capital to help them overcome difficulties and have healthier operation.

To do this, banks will increase their capital by issuing stakes for new shareholders, which has been observed in the case of Gia Dinh Bank, which has recently been renamed Ban Viet Bank.

Meanwhile, majority shareholders of such banks can also divest and sell their stakes to outside holders.

This last trend is likely to be strong in the next five years, as many state-run enterprises are asked to divest from non-core businesses, including the finance and banking sectors, to concentrate on their core sectors.

Examples for this trend are the Petrolimex Bank, whose 40 percent stake held by the state-run fuel wholesaler Petrolimex; the Ocean Bank, where PetroVietnam holds a 20 percent stake; An Binh Bank, with 24 percent shares held by the Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN); and Saigon Hanoi Bank, where both of the Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group and the Vietnam National Rubber Corporation hold a 15 percent stake.

In related news, the newly bank that emerged from the merger of SCB, Ficombank, and TinNghiaBank yesterday told investors in Ho Chi Minh City that they will fund three major real-estate projects in the city — the Times Square, Royal Garden, and the Saigon Peninsula projects, all located at the prime positions of the city.

Of these, the $125-million Times Square project is now seeing its decoration completed, and expected to reach completion by 2012, while construction of the other two is in the preparation process.

Le Hoang Chau, chairman of the HCMC Real Estate Association, said the newly-merged bank is the projects’ largest sponsor.

Doctor Lee George Lam, chairman of Macquarie Capital Indochina and chairman of the consultant board of the three banks, promised that he will assist the new bank.

source form: nhandan