Vietnamese photographer wins int’l award 
Hanoi (VNA)- Tran Viet Van, a reporter of the Lao Dong (Labour) daily newspaper, has won seven Honorable Mention Awards at the International Photography Awards by the Lucie Foundation in the US.

The contest drew 15,000 entries by thousands of photographers from 103 countries worldwide.

Van’s awarded works include five photo sets in the portrait, photo story, art and people categories. They are named Tuong tran thoi binh (General in peacetime), Vi tuong tran lich lam (Gentle General), The gioi ao va thuc (Virtual and real world) (two sets) and Bi an Tay Nguyen (Mystery of Central Highlands).

In April, the reporter took the public voting title for his photo named Sand Story 4 in the environment category at the second International Online Digital Photo Competition held in Cyprus.

Early this year, he also won the fourth prize for a photo entitled Mua Thu Hoach (Harvest Season) at the Worldwide Photography Gala Awards and a Merit Award for the photo Mua Xuan Dang Toi (Here Comes the Spring).

Last year, Van took home 14 photography prizes at home and abroad.-Enditem 

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Hanoi officials and youth hold road safety campaign 
Hanoi (VNA) — More than 1,500 staff members from Hanoi's police, employees from the transport sector and youth volunteers on August 29 launched the Month of Safe Traffic, which falls in September anually.

The city People's Committee kicked off the month to ensure there is orderly traffic during the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi and the city's 15th Party committee congress.

Transport Minister Ho Nghia Dung said young people would be the initiative's target group during this year's Month of Safe Traffic.

"Young people are the largest driving population currently and the rate of traffic accidents is also the highest among this group," said Dung.

The minister asked participating organisations to target this group when they spread educational information about traffic culture.

He called on various forces across the country to ensure traffic safety during the great anniversary.

During the Month of Safe Traffic, the capital city will carry out a series of activities to rid the city of its traffic problems.

The city will also strictly punish individuals that violate traffic laws and reduce traffic jams and traffic accidents. The city will also work hard to ensure traffic safety during the capital's anniversary and the city's 15th Party committee congress.

Transport inspectors and Hanoi police will also launch a crackdown to examine the operation of public transportation, taxi services and domestic water transportation during the month. –Enditem 

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Two more Vinashin bosses suspended 
Hanoi (VNA) – Permanent Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the steering committee for Vinashin restructuring Nguyen Sinh Hung has suspended two members of the Vietnam Shipbuilding Industry Group (Vinashin)’s management board.

Speaking to the Vietnam News Agency on August 30, Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, head of the Government Office and the Government’s spokesman, said the suspension of Tran Quang Vu and Tran Van Liem is to allow an investigation into Vinashin’s recent operations.

The minister further said he had signed a document that had been sent to Vinashin conveying the Prime Minister’s proposal that the group’s management board suspend Vu as managing general director.-Enditem 

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Vietnam launches Green Ideas Contest 
Hanoi (VNA) – Toyota Vietnam, in conjunction with the Ministry of Education and Training, the General Department of the Environment’s Energy Saving Office, and the Ministry of Industry and Trade, on August 29 launched its Green Idea Contest 2010 under the topic Sustainable Energy Use.

The annual contest aims to raise public and especially youth awareness of environmental protection, improving environmental quality, and sustainable energy use. This year’s contest hopes to find practical and feasible new ideas in economical, efficient and renewable energy use as well as alternative energy sources.

“We hope to find young people’s most feasible ideas to efficiently use natural resources and fuel, solutions of economical energy use, restoring and balancing eco-system, and coping with climate change,” said Toyota Vietnam deputy general director Dang Phan Thu Huong.

Twenty prizes worth a total of 235 million VND (12,200 USD) will be awarded, including a 30 million VND (1,500 USD) first prize. The top two finishers will also receive funding worth 250 million VND (13,000 USD) to put their ideas into practice and contribute to improving environmental quality in Vietnam.

Vietnamese or foreign individuals or groups studying, working or living in Vietnam and aged 15-35 years old are encouraged to enter the contest.

Contest entries must be received by 5pm, January 28, 2011. The judging board will then select up to 20 finalists from the papers received, who will be invited to made an in-person presentation.

Entries must be made to Room 201, Sao Bac Building, 4 Da Tuong street, Hanoi, or by email to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . For further information, visit the website http://www.gogreen.com.vn.-Enditem 

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Vietnam National Day celebrated abroad 
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnamese embassies and organisations abroad as well as overseas Vietnamese communities have held many activities to mark the 65 th National Day of Vietnam (Sept. 2).

Vietnamese Ambassador to Cuba Vu Chi Cong granted an interview to the Cuban daily Trabajadores (Workers), highlighting Vietnam ’s achievements in national renewal.

The country has emerged as the world’s second largest rice exporter with an export volume of about 5-6 million tonnes a year. It achieved a GDP growth rate of 5.3 percent in 2009 despite the global economic crisis and expects to grow by 6.5 percent this year. The poverty rate reduced from 58 percent in the 1990s to 12 percent at present.

The Vietnamese diplomat expressed thanks to assistance from people all over the world, including the Cuban people, to Vietnam during the national construction and defence.

The Federation of Vietnamese People in Laos held football and petanque tournaments to celebrate Vietnam ’s National Day.

In Australia , the municipal council of Kiama city, New South Wales , Australia , and the Vietnamese Consulate General in Sydney held a ceremony on Aug. 28 to raise the national flags of Vietnam and Australia at the city’s town hall to mark the 65 th National Day of Vietnam.

Addressing the ceremony, Kiama Vice Mayor Ban Van Der Wikngaart affirmed that Kiama municipal council’s commitment to the cooperation with Vietnam, saying the agreement between Kiama and its sister city of Hoi An in central Vietnam was a important premise to implement cooperation projects and create opportunities to boost exchanges in education, tourism, trade and culture between the two tourist cities.

For his part, Vietnamese consul general to Sydney Vu Hong Nam stated that the annual flag-raising ceremony on Vietnam ’s National Day is a vivid symbol of the friendship between Vietnam and Australia from municipal to governmental levels.

Earlier, on Aug. 26, the Vietnamese Embassy in Canada held a ceremony to mark the country’s 65 th National Day with the participation of Canadian governmental and parliamentary officials as well as representatives from businesses and organisations of Vietnam and Canada.-Enditem 

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Buddhism, literature with Hanoi’s millennial growth 
Binh Duong (VNA) – A recent symposium has provided an insight into Buddhism and literature’s immense contributions and their connection with the capital city of Hanoi over its 1,000-year development course.

The symposium “Literature and Buddhism with the 1,000 th founding anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi” took place in the southern province of Binh Duong last weekend. It brought together 300 religious and non-religious researchers of Buddhism and literature, and Buddhist dignitaries in Ho Chi Minh City and southern localities.

Close to 100 presentations focused on Buddhism’s role in the founding and development of the former Thang Long capital city and Dai Viet under the Ly dynasties (1009-1226) and the Tran dynasty (1226-1400), Buddhist literature, literature under the Ly and Tran dynasties and the later dynasties, and contemporary literature and southern literature as seen in relation with 1,000 years of Thang Long-Hanoi.

They helped highlight lessons on national development and defence, international diplomacy, religious tolerance, democracy, politics and Buddhism’s company with the nation, said Most Venerable Thich Giac Toan, Vice President of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha’s Executive Council, who is also head of the symposium organising board.-Enditem