Young people surf the Internet at Yahoo! Coffee Shop which opened three years ago in HCMC. Internet access at coffee shops is replaced by home Internet access when it has grown from 66% in 2008 to 71% last year to become the dominant access point - Photo: Courtesy of Yahoo! HCMC – The proportion of Internet users reading news online in Vietnam jumped to 97% in 2009 as compared to 89% in 2008. Most people said that they like to access the Internet at home more than at a cybercafé, according to a study of Vietnamese Internet usage trend released in HCMC on Thursday. The study is co-conducted by Yahoo! and Kantar Media, a media analysis and market researcher, to provide useful information to marketers and media planners on the opportunities and challenges in how to approach Internet users effectively. The study was implemented by directly interviewing 1,500 Internet users who are living in Hanoi, Danang, HCMC and Can Tho. The results show that home Internet access has grown from 66% in 2008 to 71% last year to become the dominant access point. During the same period, online access through Internet coffee shops declined from 53% to 42% in 2009. The reason is simple Internet installation formalities and lower Internet subscriber fees. Along with the trend of home Internet access, Internet access through mobile devices also increases. The percentage of Internet access via mobile devices jumped from 9% in 2008 to 16% in 2009 due to reasonable fees. In addition, the appearance of 3G technology is a key factor to promote Internet access via mobile devices. According to the study, reading news online is the most preferred online activity. Interestingly, reading news online is universally popular across demographic groups. Online gaming is the next most popular Internet activity when 50% surveyed said they play online games. The profile of gamers is skewed towards young males. Along with online games, Internet users purchasing products online grew from 4% in 2008 to 11% in 2009. Vietnamese Internet users mainly participate in social networking, online forums, email sending, writing personal blogs, music listening and downloading as well as information searching and sharing. Huynh To Linh, research manager of Kantar Media Vietnam, said at the study announcement on Thursday that digital media is more than a buzzword and it changes rapidly. Thus, enterprises should keep up with the trend and map out a comprehensive marketing plan to approach customers effectively. Kantar and Yahoo! said that Vietnam currently has 23.2 million Internet users and it will develop strongly. Thus, in the future, digital media will play a key role in advertising and marketing activities. Hien Nguyen – The Saigon Times Daily
The study also reveals what Vietnamese Internet users do when surfing the Internet.
Yahoo! says Internet access trend in Vietnam to change
10:27
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Posted in
Technology
Widower sleeps beside dead wife for 5 years
10:26
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A grief-stricken widow from central Quang Nam province slept on his wife’s grave for over a year before deciding that they would both be better off indoors and in the bed they shared when they were married. But before that he dug a tunnel into her grave in order to avoid the rain and cold while he embarked on his nightly ritual of “sleeping with her”. Neighbors and local authorities discovered what he was doing and persuaded him to discontinue the habit. But within a year he was back at it again. This time he exhumed his wife’s body, covered it in plaster and clay and moved her back to his bedroom, where she has stayed for the past five years. Le Van, 55, who lives at home with his three children and his wife’s corpse was described by one neighbor as “a normal and well-behaved man,” dressed the body in clothes and kept it in his bed since 2004. Van told Lao Dong newspaper that for the first two after he brought his wife back home, his neighbors refused to visit him. But since then, most have grown more accustomed to the idea and are no longer afraid to pay the odd courtesy call. His youngest son, a sixth-grader, usually hugs the corpse of his mother before retiring for the night. “My wife’s body only passed away but her spirit still accompanies us,” Van said. “I have no fear when it comes to sleeping with her at all.” But unfortunately for Van, a law passed last year states that all bodies must be either cremated or buried to be in compliance with sanitation laws. The decree also bans burials in residential gardens unless an individual case is approved by the People’s Committee at the provincial level. Authorities in Ha Lam Town said an inspection into the bizarre case will get underway soon. source:laodong
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Funny
Hanoi to host International Documentary Week
10:25
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Ten documentaries from Germany, Italy, Belgium, France, Switzerland, and Vietnam will be screened in Hanoi at the second annual International Documentary Week from June 21 to 25. They include “The Giant Buddhas,” “The Temple of Literature,” “In Purgatory,” “The altar of the mother,” “Home from home,” “Et Elle créa la femme” (And Elle has created women), “Métamorphose d'une gare” (Metamorphosis of a station), “Der Heimatboden” (The native soil), "J’ai besoin de vous, parents" (I need you, parents), and “La Ville au bord du Fleuve Rouge” (City on the edge of the Red River). The works provide an insight into the cultural diversity, spiritual life, cultural heritage and the lives of women in Vietnam and the European countries, according to the Goethe Institute, one of the festival organizers. A highlight would be “Home from home” by South Korean director Sung-Hyung Cho. Produced by a German company, it tells the story of three South Korean women who serve as guest workers in West Germany in the 1970s and return home with their German husbands after a 30-year absence to spend the rest of their lives in what is known as the German Village in Namhae. The films, selected by the embassies of Italy, France, and Switzerland and the Wallonia-Brussels Delegation together with the institute, will be screened at the Vietnam National Documentary and Scientific Film Studio. A Vietnamese documentary and a foreign one on a similar theme will be screened every night. Admission will be free. source:tuoitrenews
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Life Style
Football powerhouse Brazil struggle to beat North Korea
10:23
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Five-time World Cup winners Brazil opened their South Africa 2010 campaign with a workmanlike 2-1 win over Asian minnows North Korea on Tuesday.
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| Brazil's defender Maicon (front) celebrates with Robinho after scoring Brazil's first goal against North Korea during their 2010 World Cup group G first round football match at Ellis Park stadium in Johannesburg. Brazil won 2-1. (AFP/Fabrice Coffrini) |
Despite an attacking line boasting Kaka and Robinho, the South Americans had to work hard to break down dogged defending as the North Koreans worked tirelessly.
After a resilient first half, the North Korean defence finally cracked as Maicon scored from the tightest of angles before Galatasaray's Elano made sure of victory with the second goal in the Group G clash.
Brazil coach Dunga said he was not entirely happy with the result, but welcomed the three points with Ivory Coast and Portugal still to come.
"I believe the first match is always trying, there was a lot of nervousness, and anxiety," he said.
"We all want to score and not concede any goals. I am not entirely happy with the result, we weren't passing as quickly as I would have liked. But the spirit of these players is strong and they are willing to learn."
North Korea coach Kim Jong Hun praised his side's performance which had been capped by a consolation goal through Ji Yun Nam on 89 minutes.
"The Brazilian team is very strong and although we were unable to win the game, I felt my players fought very well," he said.
"We had to wait until the end of the game to score, but in the first half the players carried out the game plan very well.
"We managed to fend them off whether they were attacking down the wings or through the middle. We didn't win, but we have picked up some confidence and I think we will do well in the next two games."
Boasting impressive ball skills, the North Koreans attacked mainly through Jong Tae Se who tested Brazil 'keeper Julio Cesar on several occasions.
Jong, who sobbed uncontrollably when his country's national anthem was being played, never stopped working in a match watched by a 54,331-strong crowd at Ellis Park.
The breakthrough finally came when Elano played the ball onto Maicon who fired in his shot across the goal which curled around the near post from a tight angle on 55 minutes.
The Koreans started to show signs of tiring after conceding the goal and Pak Choi Jin was stretchered off after 69 minutes clutching his calf.
A defence-splitting pass from Robinho on 72 minutes further broke the North Korean resistence as Elano drilled his shot past Guk.
With time almost up, Ji gave the small group of Korean fans something to cheer about when he smashed his shot past Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar.
Brazil next face Didier Drogba's Ivory Coast on Sunday in Johannesburg, while North Korea take on Portugal in Cape Town on Monday.
source:dtinews
Posted in
Sports and Entertainment
Colourful, traditional Hue festival on the go
10:20
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Hue Festival 2010 kicked off in the central city of Hue on June 5 with a grand, colourful ceremony at Ngo Mon Square and an artistic performance rich of traditional musical genres.
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| A perfomance at the ceremony Photo by Dai Duong - DTiNews |
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Fireworks at the ceremony |
The festival began with a dance with flags by more than 100 children and artists, featuring impressively the voyage of the transfer of the capital city from Hoa Lu (Ninh Binh) to Thang Long (now Hanoi ). It was a celebration of the 1,000 th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi and the 50th anniversary of the sister cities of Hanoi – Hue - Saigon .
The opening ceremony, which saw the attendance of Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh Trong, included performances by artists from France , Japan , China , the Republic of Korea , Russia and Belgium .
With the theme “Cultural Heritage with Integration and Development”, the Hue Festival this year, from June 5-13, will have a wide range of large-scale, impressive cultural shows.
It will see re-enactments reviving royal rituals such as the Nam Giao Offering Ritual, Dem Hoang Cung – the Royal Place by Night—a colourful blend of food and wine served at a royal banquet and a spectacular lights show.
Highlights of the festival will include the Kham Pha Huyen Thoai Song Huong programme, which offers snapshots of the river’s history, legends and beauty, and “Hanh Trinh Mo Coi” which presents the nation’s journey to reclaim the lands in the south of the country from the 10 th century to 1945.
The Naval manoeuvres of Lord Nguyen Phuc Lan, will also be re-enacted on the Huong River to celebrate the 375 years since Lord Lan chose Kim Long as the capital city. Close to 1,000 people and 72 warships are expected to take part in the event.
In particular, the three forms of traditional Vietnamese arts that have been recognised by UNESCO as world cultural heritages – Nha Nhac (royal music), Ca Tru (ceremonial singing) and Quan Ho (love duets ) and other traditional types of music like Cheo (traditional opera) and folk songs will be performed together in a programme called “The Breath of Water.”
Dem Phuong Dong (Oriental night) will spotlight the charming and unique beauty of several Asian costumes, including the Vietnamese Ao Dai (traditional long dress).
According to the organisers, the festival will see the participation of over 1,500 artists and performers from 48 foreign troupes from 28 countries around the world, and 17 local troupes.
First held in 2000, the biennial Hue Festival has been a tremendous success. In 2008, the festival attracted nearly 2,000 domestic and foreign artists and 180,000 visitors, including 30,000 from overseas.
source:dtinews
Posted in
Beautiful Vienam
