Kung Fu Panda 2 Movie Poster

Here below the official movie posters of Kung Fu Panda 2:
(Click on a poster to enlarge.)

Go I miss Po the Panda: really impatient to see the movie Kung Fu Panda 2!
:))
Po the Panda will continue his journey and hone his skills in kung fu! Dreamworks is indeed planning a movie sequel to Kung Fu Panda! The sequel, titled Kung Fu Panda 2 The Kaboom of Doom, will be directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson: it's her first major movie as director, but she's no newcomer, her years experience in producing animations will guarantee the sequel's quality, besides she was the head of story on the first Kung Fu Panda movie.

Jack Black will of course lend again his voice to Po the panda, and the other members of the voice cast (Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, and David Cross) will most likely reprise their roles too.

The release date of Kung Fu Panda has been set for June 3, 2011.

Plot of Kung Fu Panda 2:
"Po is now living his dream as The Dragon Warior, protecting the Valley of Peace alongside his friends and fellow kung fu masters, The Furious Five – Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey.But Po's new life of awesomeness is threatened by the emergence of a formidable villain, who plans to use a secret, unstoppable weapon to conquer China and destroy kung fu. It is up to Po and The Furious Five to journey across China to face this threat and vanquish it. But how can Po stop a weapon that can stop kung fu? He must look to his past and uncover the secrets of his mysterious origins; only then will he be able to unlock the strength he needs to succeed."

Glad that all our friends will be back for the movie Kung Fu Panda 2! Let's hope there will be as many jokes as in the first one, and with the same quality of animation at least!
:)
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Taxi crimes against foreigners on the rise in HCMC

Last updated: 5/16/2011 14:55 

An unlicensed taxi that imitates the Mai Linh Taxi Company's logo outside Ho Chi Minh City's Ben Thanh Market. (Photo: Sai Gon Tiep Thi)

A  Malaysian tourist last Friday reported to a popular taxi company in Ho Chi Minh City she was overcharged for a short ride by a company taxi driver, but later it turned out she had took the unlicensed taxi that imitated that company’s brand.

Rasniya Moho Rasid, a reporter for Malaysian newspaper New Straits Times, was forced to pay VND4 million ($194) for a seven-kilometer ride that should normally cost just $7.
Officials and volunteers of a state-owned company that helps foreigners at tourist spots say the incident marks increasing taxi crimes against foreigners.
On May 10, Rasniya had taken the taxi belonging to what she thought was a reputed firm, Mai Linh, from Ben Thanh Market to the Tan Son Nhat International Airport.
An investigation conducted after she complained to the company found that the taxi was an unlicensed one that imitated the popular brand. 
Rasniya said in complaint that she saw the “M. Taxi Group” logo on the taxi and assumed it belonged to the Mai Linh Taxi Company.
After driving her to Truong Son Street near the airport, the driver pulled over and asked Rasniya to pay $400 as taxi fees and 300 Malaysian ringgit ($98) as “fuel surcharges.”
The two started to fight and the driver finally agreed to charge her VND4 million ($194) and left.
Rasniya and her friends had to walk to the airport from there.
The actual price for the 7-km ride is VND150,000 ($7).
After Rasniya's complaint, officials of the Mai Linh Taxi Company arrived at the Ben Thanh Market to investigate the incident and found that it was a fake taxi that imitated the company’s logo.
Rasniya is just one of many foreign tourists who are frequent victims of taxi scams in the crowded Ho Chi Minh City.
According to the state-owned Public Services Company which sends volunteers to the city’s tourist spots to help foreigners, the number of unlicensed taxis has boomed since early this year.
“Drivers of no-name or unlicensed taxis now have many ways to steal money from foreigners,” a volunteer said.
“Some drivers take tourists to the destinations, and when the tourists give them bank notes with large denominations, they suddenly bang the door shut and drive away.
“A driver charged a tourist VND300,000 for a 2km ride from the War Remnants Museum to the Reunification Palace, while the meter was at VND30,000.”
He added the tourist refused to pay and asked the volunteer, who was standing near the palace, to talk with the driver.
Officials of the Mai Linh Taxi Company said tourists should beware of illegal taxis that are imitating famous names by carefully observing drivers’ uniforms and logos as well as telephone numbers on the taxis.
The spots where most illegal taxis imitating the Mai Linh brand park include the Ben Thanh Market, Bach Dang Wharf and Notre Dame Cathedral, they said.

Source: Thanh Nien, SGTT

Van Hanh Temple - a spiritual oasis in Saigon

Last updated: 5/13/2011 12:00 

Each Sunday, just after sunrise, I take a taxi out to Van Hanh Temple in the Phu Nhuan District to attend the morning meditation session.

The neighborhood is non-descript – a jumble of clothing shops, food stalls, bicyle repair shops – nothing that would indicate this isle of tranquility is nearby.
The temple itself is situated on the grounds of what once was the Vietnam Buddhist University, a complex of dormitories, cafeterias and gardens.
A red gate in the walled compound signifies the entrance. A small courtyard opens into, gardens lined by austere dorms and offices. Religious libraries flank the main hall.
Prior to 1975, the complex has been home to movements against war, poverty and social injustice. Successive governments have had their issues with the temple, but today it is home to research institutes and training centers for monks.
It also provides the general public with an open space for reflection and meditation.
Sites like Dharma Web say that the followers of Thich Nhat Hanh (perhaps one of the best-known Buddhist monks in the West) have their roots here.
Born 85 years ago in Central Vietnam, Hanh studied Zen and Mayana yoga as a monk.
He attended Columbia University, met Dr. Martin Luther King and returned to Vietnam to engage in the peace movement.
Despite Hanh’s international significance, the temple was surprisingly devoid of Western visitors, during recent visits.
The main hall is styled after the imperial buildings in Hue, but has been refurbished by gifts from Taiwanese Buddhists.
Shoes line the long steps leading into the massive main hall.
A gigantic white Buddha sits on a lotus flower beckoning visitors to meditation. Light pours in through the windows and open doors. A gentle breeze blows into the room as the city noise subsides.
At seven, the service begins (in Vietnamese).
I cannot follow the lecture, but quietly listen to the soft voice of the abbot. With hand gestures, he seems to beckon his followers to close their eyes, breathe and be mindful – at least, I think so.
Following the service, the half-hour meditation session begins.
I struggle to get my 6-foot plus Western form into position as everyone around me, effortly settles into form. Time is suspended as several worshippers breath in and out in total silence.
I end up retreating to a chair and space out for the remainder of the session.
When it’s all over, the group awakes – rubs their faces, arms, legs and stretches their bodies.
As I recover my shoes, a student approaches me and invites me to speak to the abbot.
The pair lead me into the dining hall and we sit across from one another. The abbott exudes a radiant glow as he recalls his visits to US monasteries in perfect English.
I learn more, in the ensuing hour, about meditation than I have in decades of reading and occasional practice.
He assures me that Buddhism is not about a particular seated position or ridding your mind of thoughts. Thoughts come and they go – do not dwell on them, he says.
One can meditate while walking or eating. One can meditate while at rest or in just about any location or situation.
“Count your breath” he says “one in, two out, up to ten. Do not labor at it. It does not need to go deep unless it naturally goes deep. Let the thoughts come and let them go.”
He invites me to return to the great hall and return to my chair. With my feet well-planted on the ground, my back more erect and my newfound awareness, I return to meditation.
I emerge more at peace, as if waking from a comfortable, eight-hour snooze – the perfect start to my Sunday in Saigon.

Reported by Alden Pyle

Vietnam restricts car imports with new paperwork

Last updated: 5/16/2011 17:15 

Vietnam imported 10,956 cars between January and April

The Ministry of Industry and Trade, in an unexpected move, has announced a new rule requiring car importers to show proof that they are authorized dealers of the foreign carmakers they buy from.

News website VnExpress reported Monday that the rule, coming into effect on June 26, applies to new cars of less than nine seats.
Importers must submit to the authorities documents showing that they have been authorized by foreign auto companies to sell the cars in Vietnam. The documents have to be verified by Vietnamese diplomatic representatives.
In addition, importers need to have qualified customer service facilities in Vietnam before being allowed to bring foreign cars into the country, according to the new rule.
VnExpress cited a customs officer as saying that the regulation was a trade barrier that aimed to help reduce Vietnam’s trade deficit. “Unauthorized car dealers will find it difficult providing the required documents,” he said.
Pham Huu Tam, director of car trader Tradoco, said there are 11 auto joint-ventures in Vietnam, and they are the only ones that have the required authorization documents. Small importers will have to shut down their business unless they become sales agents for the joint-ventures, he said.
An unnamed car dealer said the new rule is a tricky one for importers because it means the entire car market is being handed over to members of the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers' Association (VAMA).
Vietnam imported 10,956 cars worth nearly US$190 million between January and April this year. Of these, cars of less than nine seats accounted for 7,000 units.
During the same period, 37,305 cars assembled by VAMA members were sold nationwide.

Source: Thanh Nien 

Where’s the fire?

Last updated: 5/15/2011 8:00 

The remains of The Crazy Buffalo’s neon sign on the corner of De Tham and Bui Vien streets on May 12.

The Word Magazine’s website reported last week that the vaguely satanic neon sign at The Crazy Buffalo, a restaurant/bar/night club on De Tham Street, had caught fire following an “electrical fault.”

No one was quoted in the blog item, but the website did feature a charred-looking daytime photo of the ten meter-long filigree which presides over the shenanigans on Pham Ngu Lao Street every night.
On Thursday morning, a lone man rappelled down the three-story façade, daubing the remains of the smoke-breathing buffalo with dull red paint.
The neon piping had all been removed and the painted backing had been hastily covered over.
Phuong, the 24-year-old manager working the morning shift, insisted there had been no fire. He wanted everyone to know that management had not changed and the Crazy Buffalo was still in business.
“It was old,” he said of the sign. “This is the down season, so we thought it would be a good time to re-paint the building and get a new sign.”
He expected the new sign to be completed by June 1. He declined to say how much it had cost.
Neighbors on the surrounding three corners responded to questions about a fire with downcast eyes, as though they had been asked about something shameful.
The women working at the pharmacy across the street said they didn’t know if there had been a fire.
The owners of Kim Travel Agency, which sits catty-corner to the bar, said they didn’t think there had been a fire.
Tuyen, a waitress at the Go 2 Bar across the street, said there had been a fire next door but that was three months ago.
The Crazy Buffalo had been forced to change the sign, she said, because it was too big. The new one would be smaller.
The editor of The Word stuck to his story. “It was smoldering,” he said. “People saw it.”

Reported by Calvin Godfrey 

Teenager a village hero after saving infant from fire

Ngày cập nhật: 2011/05/15 08:00 

13-tuổi Hồ Văn Ban (L) của dân tộc thiểu số Vân Kiều và em bé một tuổi, anh cứu thoát khỏi hỏa hoạn hồi tháng trước tại tỉnh Quảng Trị.

Hồ Thị Thân, ở tại nhà của cô y tá trẻ tuổi, đã được nhanh chóng ngủ khi nhà cô bị cháy.

Thức giấc bởi cái nóng ngột ngạt và khói, cô vội vã đưa ra trong hoảng loạn. Sau đó, cô nhận ra con mình vẫn còn ở trong nhà và vội vã trở lại, chỉ để thấy một cậu bé đang nắm giữ em bé của mình và đá vào cửa sau để có được ra ngoài.
Xét xử tiếng thét của họ, dân làng chạy đến giúp đỡ. Cũng như các cậu bé và em bé đã ra khỏi nhà, mái nhà bị sập.
Đó là một quan phòng vì thoát khỏi căn nhà gỗ với mái tranh được đặt tại vùng Khe Me làng ở giữa rừng cao su rộng lớn ở tỉnh phía bắc-trung tâm của Quảng Trị.
Vụ việc xảy ra gần một tháng trước đây, ngày 20 tháng 4, nhưng sự can 13 tuổi Hồ Văn Ban, người thuộc dân tộc thiểu số Vân Kiều, đã di chuyển dân làng rất nhiều họ vẫn còn nói về nó.
Các lớp tám học sinh của trường Trung học Thương Linh tại huyện Gio Linh đã đến nhà của Than để mua sữa đóng hộp mà chị bán hàng tại nhà khi nhìn thấy lửa, Ban nói với Thanh Niên .
"Tôi đã được dạy ở trường mà trẻ em không nên đến gần với lửa nhưng khi tôi nghe tiếng khóc của em bé, tôi lao vào lửa để cứu cô.
"Tôi đã được một chút sợ hãi vì nhiệt đốt cháy da và hút thuốc lá của tôi những giọt nước mắt mang đến cho đôi mắt của tôi."
Ban của giày dép và xe đạp cũng được đốt cháy trong lửa.
Hồ Văn Biên, người đã làm việc trong các lĩnh vực khi các ngôi nhà bốc cháy, cho biết con gái của ông đã suýt chết nhờ đến Ban.
"Gia đình chúng tôi rất biết ơn. Từ bây giờ, chúng ta sẽ đối xử như một đứa trẻ Ban của chúng tôi, "ông nói.
Ban chủ nghĩa anh hùng của bây giờ là nói đến trong điều kiện sáng của người dân địa phương.
Một trong số họ nói với Thanh Niên , "Ông ấy nhanh như chim ưng và như in đậm như một con hổ."

Báo cáo của Nguyễn Phúc 

Court upholds verdicts against elephant attackers

Last updated: 5/12/2011 17:00 

An appeals court in central Vietnam on Wednesday upheld verdicts against two men who pleaded guilty to illegally cutting an elephant’s tail and stealing another’s tail hairs last year.

Many people in the country's Central Highlands believe that hairs from the pachyderms' tails bring good luck in love and business.

Pham Van Huy, 32, and Le Viet Dung, 35, will have to serve jail terms of three years each as decided by the Lak District court at the first trial on March 15.  

However, Dam Van Noi, who was also involved in the case, had his imprisonment sentence decreased from two years to one and half years by the appeals court of Dak Lak Province.

According to the indictment, on Jan 3 last year Huy and Noi cut the tail of the elephant belonging to Dang Van Long of Lak District, and sold it for VND20 million (US$971).

On July 8, Huy together with Dung and Y Bia H’Wing, who got a jail terms of 15 months and didn’t submit an appeal, pulled out 200 tail hairs from the elephant of Y Per Eung, also in Lak District, and sold them for VND6 million ($291).

At the first trial Huy and Noi were  also ordered to pay Long VND35 million ($1,700) in compensation.

Long was cited by the Tien Phong newspaper that the punishment wasn’t strong enough to deter people from attacking the dwindling elephant population in the province.

Head judge Le Thi Vinh of the appeals court said the board of judges had consdiered the issue well before deciding the punishment for them under theft charges.

The case is unprecedented and the Criminal Code doesn’t clearly regulate punishments for such acts, she said.

Reported by T.N.Quyen 

Northern Vietnam’s disorder solved in peace, gov't says

Last updated: 5/10/2011 18:45 

The recent disorder among the ethnic minority people of H’Mong in the northern province of Dien Bien has been solved in peace, according to Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh Trong.

Some H’Mong people were gathering at Muong Nhe District’s Huoi Khon Village. Trong said they were tempted by a rumor about  “a supernatural force,” but they now have all returned home.

According to officials, the people had gathered at the village to see the appearance of the “supernatural force,” said to show up at the beginning of this month to bring them to a promised land where they would be blessed with happiness, good health and wealth.

The official story is that some instigators then encouraged the people to ask for the establishment of the “kingdom” of H’Mong people, causing social unrest.

Trong said it happened due to some people’s restricted education level and the instigators’ arguments among many others.

However, after local agencies have made things clear to them, the people have returned home, he added.

The local Party unit and authorities will keep meeting with them, convincing them not to believe instigators’ words but the government’s official information, according to Trong.

Authorities were also asked to secure the people’s living, and take care of their health as well as their children’s schooling, he said. 

Meanwhile, the Party and the government will have policies to improve people’s living conditions in the northeastern region like traffic, infrastructure and jobs, the deputy prime minister said.

Source: VNA  

Viettel claims success in 4G technology tests

Last updated: 5/13/2011 10:45 

Viettel has launched a customer testing phase for its 4G network in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City

Telecom giant Viettel announced Thursday that it has successfully tested its high-speed fourth generation mobile services, becoming the first wireless network in Vietnam to apply the technology.

The military-run company on the same day launched a customer testing phase for the 4G network in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The testing, which runs through August 31, will be available to 240 mobile subscribers.
Viettel said the trial will allow the network to assess its capabilities before officially launching 4G services. No timeframe for a market-wide service launch was disclosed.
Five local telecom companies were allowed by the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications to test the 4G wireless standard in September 2010.
The companies, including state-owned VNPT, were given one year to test the technology before they can apply for the license to provide the service.
4G is the latest generation wireless technology that allows ultra-broadband Internet access and multimedia services.
The technology is still in its early stages and new to most of the world. According to the Vietnam News Agency, there are only 17 4G network operators in the world now.
Source: Thanh Nien, Agencies