THE BUSINESSMEN WITH “NGUYEN” LAST NAME ARE THE MOST SUCCESSFUL

Nearly 200 businessmen with the “Nguyen” last name are now the presidents of listed companies. The businessmen with “Tran”, “Le”, “Pham”, “Do”, “Vu”, “Bui” take turns heading other enterprises.

From left Nguyen Hoa Binh, Nguyen Dang Quang, Nguyen Thi Mai Thanh, Nguyen Van Dat The survey by the local newspaper VnExpress and VnDirect Securities Company has shown an interesting thing: the businessmen with “Nguyen” last name seem to be more easily succeeded than the businessmen with other family names. The survey conducted on the listed companies on both the Hanoi Stock Exchange and HCM City Stock Exchange has found that some 700 businessmen hold the post of Presidents of listed companies and they bear 60 different family names. Of the businessmen, the ones with the family names of “Nguyen”, “Tran”, “Le”, “Pham”, account for 50 percent. Amounting to approximately 32 percent of the businessmen holding the post of the chair of the board of directors, Nguyen businessmen now possess the biggest listed companies in the stock market. Nguyen Dang Quang, for example, is the Chair of Masan, one of the biggest consumer goods manufacturers. Nguyen Thi Mai Thanh is the Chair and CEO of the Refrigeration Engineering Enterprise (REE). Nguyen Van Dat, Chair of the Phat Dat Real Estate Corporation, is one of the 10 richest Vietnamese stock millionaires. Nguyen Hoa Binh is the Chair of Vietcombank, one of the biggest commercial banks in Vietnam. About 70 “Tran” people, or 10 percent, are leading listed enterprises, which shows that the people with Tran family names are also the outstanding businessmen. Tran Bac Ha from the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV), Tran Hung Huy from ACB Bank, Tran Dinh Long from Hoa Phat Group, Tran Kim Thanh from Kinh Do sweets group are the most typical examples. Besides, the names of Tran Xuan Kien from Tran Anh Digital World, a high technology product distribution chain, Tran Ba Phuc from NTP, a plastics company, are also the well known names. “Le” families provide 8 percent of the businessmen who hold the post of chair of the board of directors of listed companies. They include Le Huu Duc from the Military Bank, Le Hung Dung from Eximbank, Le Quang Binh from Bao Viet, Le Phuoc Vu from Hoa Sen Group, Le Vinh Son from Son Ha International, Le Van Quang from Minh Phu Seafood Group and Le Vu Hoang from CII, a technical infrastructure investment company. Pham families have provided 50 outstanding businessmen. Pham Thi Viet Nga, Chair of Hau Giang Pharmacy, has been well known for turning a company on the verge of bankruptcy into a big pharmacy firm which now makes out hundreds of medicine products. Pham Nhat Vuong, Chair of Vingroup, a real estate group, is also a famous businessman, whose name has been found in the Forbes’ list of the world’s richest millionaires. It seems that many “Pham” businessmen relate to the finance and banking  sector. These include Pham Huy Hung, Chair of Vietinbank, Pham Huu Phu of Sacombank, Pham Minh Huong of VnDirect Securities Company. A sociology report showed that the people with “Nguyen” family name accounts for 38 percent of total Vietnamese people. Meanwhile, “Tran” people account for 12 percent, Le 9.5 percent and Pham 7 percent. Therefore, Nguyen Van Thinh, a well-known sociologist, said it is not a surprise at all if many “Nguyen” businessmen are the high ranking leaders of enterprises. However, “Le” and “Do” businessmen are the ones who best run their businesses. The number of unprofitable businesses run by Le and Do businessmen just accounts for 14 percent of profitable businesses. http://travel.org.vn/news/business/

Flower Market in Ho Thi Ky

Ho Thi Ky is considered the biggest flower market in town and is known as the Langbiang Plateau (famously located in Dalat) of HCM City.

At this time of the year with Tet holiday almost upon us, the market becomes one of the busiest locations in the city.

Workers load flower boxes at Ho Thi Ky Flower Market.

It is a hotspot from 11 p.m. until 6 a.m. the next morning with dozens of trucks rushing to the market with thousands of flower-boxes from Hanoi and Dalat cities. Some flowers are also imported from Japan, Thailand and China.

A woman chooses roses at Ho Thi Ky Flower Market.

The market, located on Ho Thi Ky Street in District 10, sells varieties such as the rose, daisy, orchid, lily, salem, mimosa, sun flower, lotus as well as wild flowers from Vietnam travel company. Apart from fresh flowers, the market also features baskets and vases made from bamboo or ceramics as well as flower arranging services.

Eight percent of workers in the market are men who carry or load flower boxes. The prices are also reasonable, at about VND30,000 for ten roses, VND5,000 for a daisy bunch, VND50,000 for flamingo flower boutique, VND40,000 for a gerbera boutique and VND90,000 for a lily bunch.

A man smiles happily after buying a beautiful boutique of flamingo flowers.

The market has about 100 trading households with about 5-7 workers in each. On normal days, the market receives about 1,000 flower boxes with each box holding 150 flower boutiques, but on the holiday season like now, the market receives from 2,000 to 3,000 flower boxes.

Here are some snapshots taken by The Saigon Times Daily’s contributor Cong Thu in Ho Thi Ky Flower Market in District 10 during the night.

Hai Ba Trung Temple Festival in Hanoi

The Hai Ba Trung (Trung Sisters) Temple Festival is held annually on lunar January 6 in Me Linh Commune, Me Linh District, Hanoi. It is the birthplace of the two sisters Trung Trac and Trung Nhi, two famous Vietnamese heroines who rode elephants to lead their troops to defeat the foreign invaders. Here they proclaimed themselves the new empresses after gaining independence for the country in the early years of Vietnam (40-43AD).

The Festival opens with the procession of the king’s palanquins, fighting-elephants and offerings from the Ha Loi Communal House to the ancient complex of Hai Ba Trung Temple. The procession is held with jubilance and excitement with colourful flags, drumbeats, gongs and musical sounds performed by an octet. The respected elders in the village are selected to beat drums and strong men and beautiful girls carry the two palanquins during the procession. On both sides of the village road, the villagers display their offerings to welcome the procession.

The Festival also includes many cultural activities, such as traditional dances, wrestling and folk games of swinging and earthen pot-beating.

A parade with a fighting elephant statue carrying offerings from Ha Loi Communal House to Hai Ba Trung Temple. Respected elders in the village are selected to beat drums. Girls play the role of soldiers of the Trung Sisters Villagers display their offerings on both sides of the village road to welcome the procession. The procession of imperial accouterments. Offerings to the Trung Sisters. Village elders participate in the procession to pray for luck and happiness. Besides the ceremonies, the festival consists of many cultural activities, such as wrestling, human chess, lion and dragon dances involving the participation of a large number of villagers.

The Festival is of great spiritual and religious significance. It is a cultural event to educate young people about the patriotic tradition and to salute the country and its heroic women.

Cua Van Among World's Most Beautiful Villages

Cua Van village in Ha Long Bay has been recognized as one of the most beautiful villages around the world by Journeyetc.com, a travel blog that provide useful guidance on and latest information about the travel market.

In a recent article featuring the world’s 16 exceptionally charming villages, Journeyetc.com said tourists will be amazed at the historical sites and the cobble stone streets of the village. It is definitely one of the most scenic around the world, it said, advising visitors to admire the majestic lime stone hills of Ha Long Bay, take photos of the floating fishing village and colorful raft houses, and immerse themselves in the rustic lifestyle of Cua Van. Also in the blog’s list are beautiful villages in Switzerland, New Mexico, Italy, Tunisia, Japan, France, Czech Republic, Turkey, England, Hawaii, Georgia, Canada, Indonesia, Bermuda, and Chile.

British tourists to Vietnam increasing sharply

According to a new report released by the UK’s Post Office, Vietnam is becoming an increasingly attractive destination for British tourists.

The VND was the fastest-growing foreign currency in the United Kingdom this past summer, according to the Post Office Travel Money’s Fastest Growing Currencies report for June-August.

The Fastest Growing Currencies review by the Post Office, a retail postal service company that provides postal and banking services in the UK, measures demand for travel to global destinations of British holidaymakers based on currency sales.

The annual review revealed a year-on-year growth of 68 percent in currency sales - suggesting a boom in Vietnam holidays, fuelled by the introduction of direct flights last December and a host of new beach resorts.

National carrier Vietnam Airlines began service between Gatwick and Hanoi in December 2011, the first direct flights to Vietnam from Britain, reducing the journey by several hours.

Another reason for the sharp increase of Britons vacationing in Vietnam is the recent opening of new holiday resorts. Anantara Mui Ne officially opened its doors in April this year, while the InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort made its grand opening in June 2012.

More international chain hotels are expected to open in Vietnam in the near future, including the Hilton Da Nang, which plans to welcome its first guests in 2013, and Movenpick Hotels & Resorts’ Quy Nhon due to open 2015.

The review also revealed that the other top two growth destinations for British vacationers are Brazil and Hungary, with currency sales for the Brazilian real up 66 percent year-on-year, and the Hungarian forint up 59 percent year-on-year.

Enjoy Sa Dec Flower Gardens!

Enjoying an excursion to Sa Dec Flower Gardens, you will surely admire the vast lotus and bonsai in here. A forest of flowers of all colors and aroma are always available...

Being one of flower centers of South Vietnam, Sa Dec Flower Garden is specialized in growing flowers and ornamental plants. Located in Tan Qui Dong Commune, Sa 

Dec Town, the garden occupies 60 hectares with 3,600 laborers. When Spring comes, Sa Dec bonsai village also starts its festival. Cars from everywhere come in crowds. All type of flowers and bonsai hasten to go to Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring provinces to boast their beauty in Tet Holiday.

Situatated by the bank of annually windy Tien River of fertility and sun, flower village of Sa Dec is the homeland of hundreds “uncanny flowers and strange herbs”. Here, you can see scarce and priceless bonsai of hundreds of years old. There are simple trees close to life of laborers like thistle, areca, fig, benjamine fig, ochna atropurpurea and so on. However, through skillful, industrious, talent hands of artisan-artists, they became priceless bonsai with beautiful and uncanny forms.

In this village, you will have an opportunity to contemplate at any moment a forest of flowers of all colors and aroma. Especially, here keep about 50 kinds of roses: velvety rose, lotus violet Grada roses, pink Cleopatre roses, Bridibat roses of dark brick color,  Fortini rose - which are red inside and yellow outside, Elizabet flesh-colored roses, orange maccaras roses, Metsai roses of white color, etc.

Ornamental flowers not only give colors and aroma, but also are used to decorate interior, to make landscape of parks, offices, cultural constructions, and dwelling house. Besides, some of them are used for treatment.

Sa Dec flower village, one of attractive tourist attraction, indefinitely satisfy tourists when you visit Dong Thap Province, which is also very famous for lotus – a kind of flower with pure beauty.