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Traditional wrestling resists change in Hue
Thua Thien-Hue (VNA) – The
traditional Sinh wrestling festival in Hue will be held next year on a
new stage in an effort to modernise the event and preserve the
festival’s traditional venue, which is now in ruins.
The organising committee of the festival said the annual festival will no longer take place in front yard of the Lai An village’s pavilion, where it has been staged for hundreds of years.
The province on February 23 held the wrestling festival on a stage temporarily set up on a paddy field in Lai An village, which is located in Phu Vang district in Thua Thien-Hue province.
Nguyen Van Giao, chairman of the district’s Phu Mau commune, said a bigger stage was needed.
“The festival is for everyone, but the yard is too small. It is only wide enough for a few hundred people,” said Pham Tien Dung, director of the province’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Some residents oppose the idea, however, including Phan Trach Bao, the head of Lai An village.
Hue researcher Trieu Nguyen, chairman of the province’s Folklore Art Association, said the wrestling event, which is a traditional game, could become a boxing performance with a large stage and stadium.
“This causes a loss of the tradition features,” he said.
The event, held annually on the 10 th day of the Lunar New Year, requires no stage or stadium. Wresters compete on a bare yard with shouting crowds encircling the area.
The village’s Committee of Old-aged People on February 23 had a ritual ceremony to worship the “wrestling saint”, refusing to move the procession to the stage.
The village is also famous for its traditional ritual paintings, known as Sinh village paintings, which are printed on carved wooden blocks. The handicraft paintings are used as part of the ritual ceremonies.-Enditem
Vietnam emphasises cooperation to combat human trafficking
Tokyo (VNA) – A Vietnamese representative voiced the importance of intensifying cooperation among ASEAN member countries in combating human trafficking at an international seminar on human security in Asia and Southeast Asia on February 23.
At the seminar, in Tokyo , Dr. Dang Nguyen Anh from the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences referred to human trafficking as a problem that needs to be addressed to ensure human security in Asia .
The associate professor also voiced the need to formulate supportive mechanisms for victims of human trafficking in Southeast Asia to help them reintegrate into the community.
Chinami Nishimura, Deputy Minister of the Japanese Ministry for Foreign Affairs, which collaborated with Tokyo University in organising the event, affirmed that the Japanese Government regards human security as one of the pillars of its foreign policy.
Addressing the seminar, ASEAN Deputy Secretary General Dato Misran Karmain emphasised that human security serves as one of the foundations for cooperation and advancement of ASEAN.
He discussed the direct relation between human security and development and the necessary cooperation between ASEAN and Japan to address the matter.
The seminar drew a large number of experts from UN agencies as well as ASEAN member countries.-Enditem
BUSINESS
Asian corporate travel predicted to increase
Hanoi (VNA) -- Corporate travel is likely to grow 10-15 percent in Asia this year as business activities improve from last year's sharp falls, a major air ticketing and reservations firm said on Feb. 23.
Singapore-based Abacus International said the recovery will be gradual because most the austerity measures and travel policies implemented during the global economic downturn are likely to remain.
"As businesses resume to the 'new normal', we should also see an upward adjustment in travel budgets as business activities improve in a more thriving economic climate," said Abacus vice-president for marketing Brett Henry was quoted by AFP as saying.
"We are expecting to see a gradual 10-15 percent growth in corporate travel in 2010, especially in traditional corporate travel markets like Singapore , Malaysia and Hong Kong ,".
Business travel declined by 15-20 percent last year and the amount spent during these trips dropped between 25 and 40 percent, Henry said.
Despite the downturn, overall bookings for Abacus shrank a narrower-than-expected 1.0 percent in 2009 from the year before, thanks to a pickup starting from the second half.
Emerging markets in Central Asia as well as Nepal , Bangladesh and the Republic of Korea are seen as key growth areas.
Abacus meanwhile said that the majority of Asian travel companies have yet to catch up with the use of Facebook and other online social media tools in their marketing strategies, along with mobile technology applications.-Enditem
Cement producers to finalise merger in first quarter
HCM City (VNA) – The merger of two listed cement producers, Ha Tien 1 and Ha Tien 2, is expected to be finalised in the first quarter of this year, a representative of Ha Tien 1 Co confirmed on Feb. 23.
Under the merger plan, Ha Tien 1 will exchange 88 million of its shares for Ha Tien 2 shares on a 1:1 ratio.
“Barring unforeseen circumstances that might have an impact on the merger, we are trying to get it finalised during the first quarter,” said Huy Hung of Ha Tien 1’s accounting department. “We have already submitted documents to the State Securities Commission and are now awaiting the commission’s approval.”
The merger is part of a larger restructuring plan being undertaken by the State-owned Vietnam Cement Industry Corporation, approved by the Government earlier this year. The plan aims to unify a number of affiliates in order to consolidate the corporation’s trademark as the leading cement producer on the domestic market.
Trinh Thanh Can, a member of Ha Tien 2’s management board, said that the merger would allow his company to take advantage of Ha Tien 1’s strength in distribution, as well as cut production costs.
The merged company would also share a larger market share and have a stronger competitive capacity in an increasingly harsh domestic market, Can said.
The shareholders of both companies have voted to approve the merger, and the two companies inked the merger deal on January 20.
Vietnam Capital Securities Co was acting as a consultant for the merger, which would producer a single larger firm listed on the HCM Stock Exchange with a combined charter capital of nearly 2 trillion VND (105.2 million USD).-Enditem
(Source: TTXVN)
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