Society and Culture

VinaStar Motors Recalls 2,543 Mitsubishi Zinger Because of Technical Error

March 1, 2012 (Vietnamica) – Vinastar has announced to recall 2,543 Mitsubishi Zinger cars which were manufactured from Sep. 4, 2008 to Jan. 1, 2012. Recalled cars are 1,947 Mitsubishi Zinger GLS (VC4WLNHEYVT), 151 Mitsubishi Zinger GL (VC4WLNLEYVT), and 445 Zinger GLS (AT) (VC4WLRHEYVT) 445. Following Toyota 2011 crisis, Mitsubishi is now the second Japanese manufacturer that has to launch recall campaign because of fatal technical error.

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The New Asian Tiger?

vietnam2

Mar 1, 2012 (by Marco Breu and Richard Dobbs at Foreign Policy) — It’s clear that much has changed in Southeast Asia since the Vietnam War. Over the past 25 years, Vietnam has transformed itself.

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Vatican Says Relations with Vietnam Continue to Improve

February 29, 2012 (Vietnamica) — The government of Vietnam has agreed to allow the pope’s special envoy to have greater freedom to visit Catholics in the country. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the spokesman, said Vatican-Vietnamese relations continue to take “gradual steps forward,” including an agreement reached in late February “to facilitate the work” of Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli, the pope’s non-resident envoy to the Vietnam, by making it easier for him to visit Catholic leaders and communities.

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Corruption and High Medicine Prices in Vietnam: A Qualitative Study

Corruption and High Medicine Prices in Vietnam: A Qualitative Study

February 29, 2012 (Vietnamica) – Nguyen et al. (2010) explores the relationship between corruption and medicine prices in Vietnam, based on in-depth interviews with 37 individuals and 6 groups. The study concludes that informal payments to doctors are “a dominant factor” in high prices.

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Police Found Tens of Acres of Opium Poppy in Nghe An Province

Opium poppy grown in backyards of local families

Feb 27, 2012 (Vietnamica) — Borderline soldiers and Que Phong District Police (Nghe An Province, Central Region Vietnam) discovered tens of acres of opium poppy grown in backyards of residents’ households.

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Steadfast Vietnam Stock Market Helped Attract Money from Local Investors

Feb 27, 2012 (Vietnamica) — HCMC Security Co (HSC) – a listed brokering firm on HOSE with trading code HCM – provided new data unveiling a new pattern of cash inflow into the domestic securities markets in early 2012.

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