Dong Thap (yellow), despite playing on away ground, now have seven points and stand at seventh place with their second victory of the season. (Photo: VNN)

Hai Phong Cement also beat Dong Tam Long An 2-0, as did Ninh Binh best Megastar Nam Dinh with the same score.

Samson’s hattrick

Samson Kayode opened the score for visitors Dong Thap at the fourth minute of the match after a straight shot. He doubled it after five minutes by a stormy header that Navibank SG’s keeper Le Duc Hung could not block.

It was 3-0 and a hattrick for Samson, as he needed only eight minutes to make people think that victory was secured for Dong Thap.

The host team tried their best to strengthen their defence and play a counter-attack. The tactic bore fruit near the end of the first half, as Martin Trindade narrowed the result with a close tap.

But Kayode’s fourth and final goal came about 10 minutes after the break.

Meanwhile at Thanh Hoa stadium, Thanh Hoa found their pace at the national premier football tournament with their first win over Hoang Anh Gia Lai.

Brazilian striker Gilson da Silva created the goal advance for the host at the 16th minute. His goal came after a bounced ball from a straight shot by national team member Hoang Dinh Tung.

Tung made up for the missed connection with the second goal for Thanh Hoa five minutes before the end.

The win helped coach Vu Truong Giang keep his job, as he’d been in hot water since the start of the season in January.

Thanh Hoa also escaped from bottom place in the ranking table.

At Lach Tray Stadium, Hai Phong tried to prove their power over the host, but failed to set up their domination over former V-League champions Dong Tam Long An. They could only bring advantages in the second half.

Leandro da Luz converted a corner kick to a goal at the 50th minute. About 15 minutes later, Long An’s defence was broken under a strong attack by the host. They made a mistake in the box and were fined with a penalty shootout, where Luz managed the second goal.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News

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Dung Dot has beaten Choi Voi in previous international and national festivals, and it won the Audience Award at the Fukuoka International Film Festival last year. Dung Dot was also the second Vietnamese movie to compete for an Oscar for Best Foreign Film after Bui Hong (Rose Bush) back in 2000.

Dung Dot tells the story of a mother who lived in Ha Noi. In the spring of 2005, she came across her late daughter’s diary. The diary belonged to a young female doctor who worked at a field hospital of the liberation fighters for two years from 1968 to 1970, until her death. The diary was kept by a US military officer, who kept it for 35 years. The diary caused a sensation when it was published in Viet Nam.

Director Dang Nhat Minh (centre) has won a Golden Kite for best director. (Photo: VNN)

This was the first Golden Kite to be awarded to Minh Huong, the leading actress in Dung Dot. She works as an editor for digital television VTC and as an amateur actress. She said in her acceptance speech: “If it had not been for the heroic efforts of Dang Thuy Tram during the American War I wouldn’t have had this success today.”

The Best Actor title went to overseas Vietnamese Trinh Hoi for his very first role in 14 Ngay Phep (14 Days Off).

Three categories were added to this year’s award list. Pham Cuong in Khoan Noi Loi Yeu Thuong (Don’t say Love Yet) and Truong Thi May in Duong Dua (Racetrack) received awards for Best Actor and Best Actress in a leading role in a television movie. Best Actor and Actress in a leading role in a television series were awarded to Hoang Son in Vit Keu Dong (Ducks in the Field) and Kim Tuyen in Chuyen Tinh Dao Ngoc (Love Story in Pearl Island). Also, Bao Thy in Cong chua teen va ngu ho tuong (Teenage Princess and Five Weird Bodyguards) won Potential Actress in a feature film.

To mark the first anniversary of Vietnamese Cinema day, there have been free screenings of the eight nominated feature films at the National Cinema Centre and Ngoc Khanh Cinema.

“I’m very happy with this year’s movies. Most have created a new standard for quality and professionalism,” said Tran Luan Kim, president of Viet Nam Cinema Association.

“Every stage of production shows professionalism, which shapes the new face of Viet Nam cinema. Audiences, especially youngsters, love these movies. This proves that we have a new yet mature and creative generation of filmmakers.

“Vietnamese filmmakers from abroad are like a morning breeze: they make such attractive movies.”

The culture ministry’s Cinema Department and the Viet Nam Cinema Association held a conference on Vietnamese Cinema and global integration on Saturday.

People’s artist Dang Nhat Minh used the opportunity to emphasise the importance of movie promotion in time of globalisation.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News

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Guang Lian, established by Taiwanese steel giants Tycoons and E-United, has already begun work on the plant and a workers residence.

With first-phase land clearance nearing completion, 223ha of the eventual 455-ha site has been handed over to Guang Lian.

The plant, when completed, would have a capacity of 3 million tonnes in the first phase and 5 million tonnes in the second phase. It would use blast-furnace technology and would be one of the two largest projects in the economic zone. The first phase was expected to reach full capacity in 2013.

The project was originally licensed to Tycoons in 2006 with a budget of over $1 billion. The project costs rose to $3 billion in 2007, when Tycoons teamed up with E-United to upgrade the project technology.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News

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Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger receives an interview with Xinhua at his New York office, the United States, on Oct. 1, 2009. (Xinhua File Photo)

VietNamNet/Xinhuanet

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A member of “red-shirts”, supporters of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), shouts slogan at a rally in Bangkok, capital of Thailand, March 13, 2010. The demonstration organized by the UDD started on Friday when the red-shirted supporters of fugitive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra are traveling to Bangkok. (Xinhua/Lui Siu Wai)

VietNamNet/Xinhuanet

 

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VietNamNet: For some time now, the national budget has been made public for National Assembly (NA) review, and in 2007 a Committee on Finance and Budget was established. You’re its vice chairman. How has the NA supervised budget spending?

Deputy Trinh Huy Quach: We’ve achieved some results in the budget area. Our reports have been highly appreciated by many deputies, because their economics is sound, opinions are clearly expressed and the data is good. They are good sources of information for deputies.

For instance, at the 6^th session of the current National Assembly, the budget deficit predictions of the Government and the NA’s Committee for Finance and Budget were different. A survey showed that 75 percent of deputies agreed with our estimate. The NA Standing Committee instructed us to seek a harmonized plan.

VietNamNet: The field of finance and budget requires accurate data but your committee has only 35 members. How do you manage?

Quach: The number of people is important but the organization of our activities and the skills of participants are more important.

The NA’s operation relies on information provided by the Government that’s verified by sources such as the State Audit Agency.  We aim to make sure that the information supplied to the NA must be sufficient, timely and well verified.

VietNamNet: Does your committee collect information itself?

Quach: The NA also has its own channels of information, such as the media, our constituents and independent experts. That’s especially helpful in case that the Government is slow to provide information.  In many cases, we have received necessary documents from the Government just one day before supervisory meetings.

In such cases, without the NA’s own sources of information, deputies wouldn’t have time to read all documents, let alone do other things.

It’s important that, in addition to increasing the number of full-time deputies, the legislature’s committees need to expand the network of freelance consultants we can call upon. We need a regular way to invite expert testimony and collect the voters’ opinions.

VietNamNet: Is your committee able to look deeply into the budgets of ministries and sectors, such as the health and education sectors?

Quach: We have tried to join with other NA committees to do this.  Monitoring budgets must be systematic. We still have to find out how to make cooperation among committees most effective.

VietNamNet: You have said that it is necessary to have a financial policy for deputies. Could you explain what you mean?

Quach: For example, if a committee is allocated a budget for its operations, part of it should be allocated to deputies for their individual expenses. For example, deputies could hire experts and secretaries to use for each investigation, spending up to $2000 or 20 million dong a year for this.

This mechanism wouldn’t require any more funds, but would make more effective and flexible use of resources.

VietNamNet: You are very busy with the job at your committee.  How do you manage your meetings with constituents in Bac Kan province?

Quach: Constituents are paying more attention to the NA’s activities. We have tried to make timely reports of their aspirations and opinions to the Government and related agencies in suitable forms, including the NA’s forums.

But I think that we need to change the way we meet with constituents, enabling deputies to directly meet with them. The group “electoral colleges” and other formal meetings aren’t very effective.

VietNamNet: Are you afraid that your Bac Kan constituents may say that they don’t see you speaking up much for them?

Quach: Each deputy should be aware of his responsibility to intervene with Government agencies on his constituents’ behalf, and and tell the constituents about the results.

I always try to mention my constituents’ aspirations in my speeches.

However, I think that besides my duties at the Committee for Finance and Budget, I need to spend more time to meet with my constituents to live up to their trust in me.

Le Nhung

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VietNamNet: You have known many battlefields: Quang Tri, the Tet 1968 campaign, Southern Laos and the Central Highlands, the war-ending Ho Chi Minh campaign and the fighting on our southwestern and northern borders.  Was the switch from soldiering to legislating difficult?

Deputy Le Quang Binh: I’ve lived nearly my whole life as a soldier. I joined the NA because I was nominated by the army, assigned by the Party, and elected by the people. If I had the power to choose, I would not have chosen to become a legislator.

The life of a soldier is hard but duties and authority are very clear; everything is subject to rules. Becoming a legislator, I can get a lot of information and travel to many countries, but it is difficult to work effectively at the National Assembly.

I want to do my best but sometimes it is difficult to do as I hope. The NA is the highest power body, our law says so, but it is very difficult to put the law into practice.

VietNamNet: Why’s that?

Binh: Our law says that the NA is the supreme agency, with many missions and rights: making and amending the Constitution and laws, making decisions about the country’s vital issues, supervising at the highest level the state apparatus. However, all of these jobs are unclear.

For example, both the Constitution and the law refer only generally to the defence and security field.  For specific matters, sometimes the Party issues resolutions, sometimes the Government issues regulations and in either case, the NA’s Committee for Defence and Security wasn’t consulted.

We are tasked to do the supervisory work but how can we do that if the law just makes general stipulations and we don’t have specific regulations about this job?

VietNamNet: You were once a Major General and the Commander of the III Army Corps (Central Highlands).  How does that job compare to being a Chairman of an Assembly Committee?

Binh: In both cases, you work for the same goal: the interests of the nation, based on the Constitution and the laws.

In the army, the subordinates have to follow orders but at the NA, no one supervises anybody. Its effectiveness and the managerial result, therefore, are different.

In the army, in a campaign, the time for liberating a city is fixed. During that period, you know how many soldiers, vehicles, weapons you can use. If you win, you are rewarded with a medal; if you lose, you lose your position.

The job at the NA sounds pretty soft but it turns out to be very difficult. I’ve been a legislator for nearly three terms and even if I’m a legislator for several terms more, I will not be praised no matter how well I do my job. There’s little encouragement, and not much criticism either. I’m my own sternest critic.

In principal, we can have a vote of confidence, but since the regulation on votes of confidence was issued, we have not had any such votes.

VietNamNet:  At a recent NA session, you “requested” the Government to send a report about bauxite mining projects in the Central Highlands to deputies. Do you frequently have to ask the government to supply information?

Binh: It is an ordinary thing to make such a request of the Government. The Government proposes the legislative agenda but to carry it out, the NA has to regularly push the Government and make requests. We often lack information because documents are often sent to us just a few days before NA meetings.  Deputies therefore don’t have sufficient time to investigate and verify information.

We often joke among ourselves that working as a deputy is like running a restaurant. Sometimes we wait and wait for business, other times – when the documents are in hand – we work night and day.

Some people say that with the current law-making procedures, the interests of ministries and sectors are “embedded” in the laws. With such a short time to assess proposed legislation, how can the NA’s committees filter out these special interests?

The Government decides it wants a certain law, then it sends the idea to a specific ministry. The ministry officials work on it, and send it to a deputy minister for review, and then ultimately it gets to down to a few concerned officials. The drafting committees are large, but in fact there are just a few people who do the work. When a law is made that way, there are plenty of opportunities to take care of one’s interests and it’s easy to evade responsibility.

The Government assigns the Ministry of Justice to guard the door, check the work. The National

Assembly also has a committee to verify and harmonize interests. In the final analysis, however,  we are quite acquiescent. The typical thing is that the ministries that preside over the compilation of a law fight to gain power while sticking others with the duties and responsibility.

The time from submitting to ratifying a law is so short that the quality of our laws is not high. 

VietNamNet: Back to your own work as a deputy. Is it true that deputies have many channels to get information but the voters only know about their deputies’ work through their speeches at the Assembly?

Binh: In my experience, the people keep a close eye on the work of their province or city NA delegations. Thanh Hoa province voters have praised deputy Le Van Cuong for his outspoken speeches. They also have criticised deputies who don’t speak up and even doze during sessions.

Constituents mainly know about their deputies via the media and while the Assembly is in session. They don’t know what the deputies do every day, except when deputies meet with constituents or participate in the Assembly debates.

However, t some deputies work hard, but do their talking elsewhere. Deputies also observe each other. Many senior officials don’t want to make speeches because they’ve already been in many meetings [on a draft law] and have nothing new to say.

In the 10^th NA, I spoke out sharply about corruption and slacking off. I haven’t done that so much recently.  The fact is – and I’m not blaming anyone here – we can talk all we want, but who’s listening?

NA deputies give information to the media. Sometimes the reporters get it right, and sometimes they don’t. In the latter case, it’s the deputy, not the reporter, who gets blamed. What a mess!

NA deputies have to speak out, but if we are sharp in our remarks, our officials take offense.

Then there are some people who don’t want NA deputies to speak out. There are cases where deputies who spoke out at the NA who were summoned by their provinces’ officials and admonished to speak more carefully.

So to speak out or not is the common concern of deputies. Former NA Chairman Nguyen Van An often said that ‘the people’s meat is the officials’ poison.’

Of course, at the Assembly, deputies must speak out, but everyone says that (whether they speak out or not) it’s ‘for the people.’ Either making a fuss or letting sleeping dogs lie – that’s ‘for the people.’ 

What should be public, what kept secret?  That’s not clear at the NA either. In the army, preparation for a battle is secret, but when the battle begins, everything is public. At the NA, I don’t know when the time to keep secrets ends.

VietNamNet: How about decision-making at the NA? What do NA deputies need to make good decisions?

Binh: First, the quality of NA deputies must be improved. The voice of deputies has to carry weight in their own provinces. If they don’t dare to “touch” directors of local departments, how can they be NA deputies?

The second is that the NA needs sufficient time to evaluate and verify bills. Draft laws need to be sent to deputies earlier.

When the competence of deputies is not high and they have little time for preparation, they will look to others to make decisions.

VietNamNet: What is it that bothers you the most?

Binh:  Thinking about how the Assembly can really wield power, do high quality work, not just go through the motions. In my three terms as a deputy, I’ve seen some progress in that direction.

The interpellation (Q&A) was quite unsatisfactory during the 10^th Assembly. The Prime Minister never participated, just handed down his opinions like from on high, not as though he was reporting to the people who elected him. It’s different now. Even so, it’s still quite difficult for the legislature to exercise its role as the supreme institution of government.

VietNamNet:  What should we do so the NA is really the body of highest power?

Binh: Once again, the quality of our deputies must be improved.

Even more important, the Party should renovate the way of leadership. Leaders must know how to listen to the opinions of individual deputies and the NA before it makes decisions.

Asking for and listening to the NA’s opinions, before the Party finally makes decisions, doesn’t in any way reduce the role of the Party.

Let’s take, for example, the matter of Hanoi’s expansion. It would have been better if the Party had instructed the Government to submit the plan on Hanoi’s expansion to the NA with plenty of time for democratic discussion. The Party should have listened to a spectrum of opinions and finally issued its Resolution on the expansion, after which the Assembly could have approved the plan based on the policy agreed with the Party.

It ought to be the same with personnel matters. The National Assembly elects the President, the PM and the members of its Standing Committee. It approves cabinet members.

The Party should set standards, norms and even propose specific persons for the NA to discuss, but not as a fait accompli. The Central Party Committee and the Politburo ought to listen to the NA’s opinions and then make its decision. After that, the NA can elect key personnel based on the Party’s resolution.

If the above procedures are implemented, the NA will continue to develop and improve its operations effectively.

Phuong Loan

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VnnNews - The Management Board of the East-West Highway project met March 13 with the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee and Council to report on the March 8 towing and placement of the first section of the Thu Thiem Tunnel.

Vietnam’s underwater tunnel to meet seismic standards< />

First Thu Thiem tunnel section to be towed

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According to the Management Board, strong currents and shipping in the Saigon River caused problems when contractors towed the first section of the Thu Thiem Tunnel on March 8.

Stronger currents than calculated caused the tunnel section to drift away from the planned towing trajectory, the board said.
 
Planners had miscalculated the current strength because they had taken readings on the edge of the river rather than in the middle, the board added.
 
The tunnel section will be part of Thu Thiem tunnel which when completed will connect District 1 and District 2.
 
The board said it plans to tow the second section at 8am on April 5 to ensure safer currents speeds of 0.3 meter per second.
 
It said a lot of shipping was still operating on the river during the towing operation despite public announcements that sections of the river would be temporarily closed.
 
Notices prohibiting all shipping around Phu My Bridge and temporarily halting operation of Binh Khanh ferry and some wharfs were too late, making difficulties for residents, the board said.
 
The board suggested it should change the timing of its public announcements to give shipping better notice of future temporary bans. Two notices in the media would be made - a week and three days before the next section is towed, it reported.
 
A detailed plan was also suggested for co-coordinating more vessels to tow the third and fourth sections.
 
Fire police said there were not enough fire extinguishers provided for the first towing operation.
 
The city’s vice chairman Le Hoang Quan concluded the meeting by praising the board and relevant agencies for their success in towing and installing the first section.
 
Mr. Quan said detailed plans for the next section’s towing have to be made to avoid the same problems.
 
He asked for the city’s hydrometeorology station to measure the current speed in preparation to tow the second section.

VietNamNet/SGGP

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VnnNews - The former Chairman of the British Arts Festivals Association, Nick Dodds, is coming to Hanoi for the first time to hold lectures on hosting art festivals from Mar 17-20.  

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The British Council in Hanoi will bring Dodds, who is also the former Administrative Director of the Edinburgh International Festival in Scotland, to teach 25 organizers and managers from the cultural and art departments in Hanoi; Ho Chi Minh City; the northern province of Quang Nam; and the Central provinces of Quang Nam, Thua Thien – Hue and city of Danang.
 
As well as Dodds’ lectures the British Council will provide practical experience for participants in cross-cultural events hosted by the Council.
 
BG’s Vice Director Simon Beardow told a press conference that the classes would cover areas such as financial mobilization and allocation, planning business strategy, audience development, art directing, and technical classes in lighting, sound and staging.
 
Dodds’ classes will be part of an ongoing project “Training skills in managing and organizing art festivals” presented by BG from 2010 to 2012. The program is supervised by Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
 
Dodds is also former chairman of the European International Festival and Events Association and has worked closely with the Edinburgh Festival Directors Frank Dunlop and Brian McMaster.

From 2000 to 2008, he worked as Chief Executive of Brighton Dome and Brighton Festival.

He has an extensive network of festival and event producers across the world.

VietNamNet/SGGP/VNE

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VnnNews - A number of porn games are easily available in shopping malls, computer games shops and Internet cafes in Ho Chi Minh City although they are banned.

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Many computer games shops on Huynh Thuc Khang and Pasteur streets in the downtown area were selling porn games discs for Play Station 2 players, Tuoi Tre reported on March 11.

A shopkeeper said she sold many games with pictures of sexy girls on the labels everyday, adding that they were a favorite among teens.

Another shopkeeper said most porn game discs were marked with the word “teen” on their labels and that many violent games were also popular among the youth.

“A game disc with a picture of five girls in sexy clothes was being sold for VND20,000 (US$1.07),” the report said, adding that it also found a number of sex games on discs without porn pictures on the labels.

The paper blamed lax management of Internet shops which allowed many young customers to download porn games from the Internet.

“Porn games have no limit of space of relations and players’ characters in these games can have sexual relations anywhere and at anytime,” Tuoi Tre said.

Porn games were also found last month in several game machines at the Parkson Hung Vuong Plaza in District 5.

The games require players to find differences between two similar porn pictures, and these differences were often located in “sensitive” places on women’s bodies, VnExpress newswire reported on February 24.

“These games opened several months ago. Most machines here have this game for players to find different points on pictures of the girls,” said a student of District 5’s Tran Khai Nguyen School, who was playing at the arcade with his friends.

The porn games have frustrated many visitors to the plaza. Hai, who was taking his family shopping, said he couldn’t understand why the mall allowed such games.

“I wonder if the students were playing games or staring at the hot girls in the pictures,” he said.

Chu Quang Kien, manager of Parkson Hung Vuong, told VnExpress that they only lease space and did not manage the game machines. He also said the matter would be dealt with soon.

VietNamNet/Thanh Nien

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