The Country in Numbers
~741 KILOGRAMS of garbage was collected along Coc Cheo and Bang Ang Beaches in Ha Long Bay. The management board of Ha Long Bay coordinated with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Center for Supporting Green Development (GreenHub) to organize the trash collection event. This is the fourth time the program has been held since it was first initiated in June 2016, aimed at developing a green and rubbish-free Ha Long Bay. This year’s event was attended by more than 100 volunteers, who were divided into two groups to collect trash at Coc Cheo and Bang Ang Beaches stretching a total length of 200 meters. Jake Brunner, program coordinator of IUCN Vietnam, believed that the goal to turn Ha Long Bay into a green tourist destination is achievable as long as local authorities, businesses, and international organizations keep contributing to the effort.
85-YEAR-OLD Vietnamese man earns Master’s Degree. He even braved the stormy weather traveling over 30 kilometers on the bus to go to school. Le Phuoc Thiet received his master’s degree to the rapturous ovation of over 500 people, including his fellow postgraduates, many of whom are the same age as his grandchildren. After leaving Vietnam for the US in 1975, Thiet and his wife returned to their hometown of Quang Nam in 2013 in order to facilitate the latter’s treatment of dementia. Two years later, at the age of 82, he enrolled in a master’s degree program at Duy Tan University, citing the purpose of preventing the decrease of memory. His wife passed away shortly after his enrollment.
7,000 dead sea turtles were found in six warehouses. The wildlife trafficker was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison for smuggling and processing more than 10 tons of sea turtle. In 2014, Education for Nature Viet Nam (ENV), a non-governmental organization focused on the conservation of nature and protecting the environment, detected a sea turtle trafficking ring led by two brothers—Hoang Tuan Hai and Hoang Minh Cuong—in the central city of Nha Trang. Hai and Cuong allegedly led the trafficking ring that bought dead sea turtles from fishermen and then processed and exported the finished products to China. However, investigation police failed to collect enough evidence to prosecute Cuong. So, only Hai has been charged. ENV vice director Bui Thi Ha said the trial against Hai would restore public trust in the judiciary.
5G technology will be introduced to Vietnam in two years, according to Ericsson’s head of network solutions in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar. 5G provides wireless connectivity for a wide range of new applications and use cases, including wearables, smart homes, traffic safety/control, critical infrastructure, industry processes. 5G networks offer manufacturers and telecom operators the chance to build smart factories and take advantage of technologies such as remote control of robots, automation, artificial intelligence, and augmented reality for troubleshooting. In healthcare use, 5G will enable precision medicine, remote robotic surgery and ambulance drones.