In an old room hidden in a corner of Lam Dong General Hospital 2, Doctor Huynh Van Thien works at an old table, a shabby file cabinet and an old dial cradle phone.
Doctor Huynh Van Thien of Lam Dong General Hospital 2.
“For a doctor, a working room is much less important than what he does to save lives,” the 55-year-old says.
It is in this room that Thien has hatched a number of innovative ideas that have drastically improved the hospital’s services since he was appointed director five years ago.
Early this month, the Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung granted Thien the Chien si thi dua award – an honorary government title for outstanding individuals. Continue reading →
Teen horror film Bay cap 3by Vietnamese-American director Le Van Kiet has been banned in Vietnam, according to a decision released on May 7 by the Vietnam Cinema Department.
The film was produced by Coco Paris for over VND7 billion (US$350,000) and it has been distributed to theaters nationwide by Megastar, Galaxy, BHD Star, Dong Da. It was previously scheduled for release on May 18.
“Bay Cap 3” is the second horror movie by Le Van Kiet after his “Ngoi Nha Trong Hem” (House in the Alley) which reaped billions of VND after the first day’s screening in February.
However, according to the decision sent to Megastar, nine-members of the National Movie Censorship Council didn’t approve the film because it “tells the story of a high school student who is ignored and disregarded by his parents and friends. Due to his hatred toward them, on a trip to Da Lat with his friends, he killed them with a series of unexpected traps.
“On one hand,” the statement continues, “the film highlights the lust for sex among the teenage group, on the other hand, because the student hates to such an extent that he does not hesitate to consciously kill people, it describes and incites violence.
“The film’s content is inappropriate for Vietnamese culture and tradition, especially for high school students. Therefore, the Vietnam Cinema Department does not approve to release Bay cap 3 in any way, and makes this announcement to Megastar in order to keep the film from spreading around the local market.”
The victim is 59-year-old Pham Thi Phuong, who was hired by Minh’s daughter to do housework in September, 2011.
Prosecutors said during the time at Minh’s house, Phuong was physically assaulted many times by family members. Complaining that Phuong was slow, Minh often beat her with shoes and even forced the poor housemaid to eat her maternal grandchild’s feces. Continue reading →
Commentary: As Chinese leaders have mislead the public about the legal evidence about Chinese sovereignty right over 80-90% of South China Sea, and editorials and generals have been allowed to call for wars against Vietnam and the Philippines. Chinese leaders have been playing the nationalistic card in order to distract the public from the discontent of social inequality, corruption and human rights abuse.
If China continues its gunboat diplomacy as it is the only superpower in the region and refuses to have fair negotiations with its smaller neighbors or allows the international arbitration under UNCLOS stipulations, hot wars will explode sooner or later. Therefore, the international community should pay more attention to this hot region. The European Union has practically been absent about this potential hot region. Almost no press coverage of the ongoing bullying acts of China over the past few years. American leadership is direly needed in the region. However, the USA cannot and will not be the world’s policeman. The ASEAN countries should be united at least in the political and diplomatic front in face of China’s hegemony. Continue reading →
EXPERTS AGREE THAT THERE IS SUBSTANTIAL WASTE IN THE US health care system. This waste drives up costs, threat- ens the government’s long-term fiscal stability, suppresses incomes, and reduces resources for public education and the education and training of US physicians. Years of training have been added without evidence that they enhance clinical skills or the quality of care. This waste adds to the financial bur- den of young physicians and increases health care costs. The average length of medical training could be reduced by about other essential services. Similarly, there is substantial waste in 30% without compromising physician competence or quality of care. Continue reading →
