Ho Chi Minh City tanker hits 4 motorbikes

The accident scene

Photo: Tuoi Tre

TUOITRE

A tanker crashed into four motorbikes at a traffic light on Hoang Van Thu Street in Ho Chi Minh City Tuesday night severely injuring a woman and causing minor injuries to several others.

Eyewitnesses said when many motorists had stopped at a red light at the Phu Nhuan intersection not far from the Tuoi Tre office when the giant truck encroached on the lane meant for two-wheeled vehicles.

The road was blocked for an hour.

The police said the truck’s brakes may have failed.

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Fishermen stand ground despite Chinese threats

Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nguyen Phuong Nga.

Photo: VNA

TUOITRENEWS

Vietnamese fishermen said they will never abandon their traditional fishing territory on the East Sea despite being threatened by Chinese surveillance ships and fishing boats in recent years.

The declaration stems from China’s disputed claim that it owns 80 percent of the East Sea, about 2.8 million square kilometers, which has also been claimed by Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei and Vietnam.

To assert authority over the disputed area, which has been traditional fishing grounds for Vietnamese fishermen for centuries, Chinese authorities have dispatched armed ships to seize and arrest Vietnamese fishermen in an effort to scare them out of the waters.

The latest case was on May 26 when China sent three surveillance ships to cut the cables of a Vietnamese seismic vessel only 116 nautical miles offshore from Dai Lanh cape in the central Phu Yen province.

International law ruled the area within 200 nautical miles from the coast as an exclusive economic zone for Vietnam.

Chinese fishermen have also bullied their Vietnamese counterparts by threatening them with swords when they see each other. They have even called other ships to surround and intentionally crash into Vietnamese boats.

“Once my fishing boat cruised on an area Chinese ships were fishing, dozens of their men went on deck with knives and swords in hand, shouted and gestured that they will cut our throats,” said captain Nguyen Dinh Nha from Phu Yen.

Another captain Tran Van Hung also from Phu Yen said, “I have troubles with fishing boats from China everyday. Once when I was fishing, they came in a large fleet of around 30 ships and surrounded me. At the end of the fishing day I took back the net and withdrew, but on steering close to ships to escape, they came on deck and shouted noisily and threatened with knives.”

In order to fish more safely in their traditional fishing grounds, Vietnamese boats join together in groups of at least five so they can defend and assist one another, said fisherman Nguyen Van Viet from Phu Yen.

Encroachment in large herd

Fishermen have reported to the Vietnamese coast guard units that more Chinese fishing boats have been encroaching on Vietnam’s waters.

Da Nang fishermen Vo Thanh Luong said many Chinese fishing boats can be seen just 60 to 70 nautical miles from mainland Vietnam.

Records of Vietnamese coast guard unit 328 show that Chinese fishing ships have increasingly encroached on territorial waters of Vietnam in an organized manner.

However, specific details of the cases of violations have not been revealed.

Senior Lieutenant Nguyen Ngoc Ry from the Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago told Tuoi Tre that China has sent 20 patrol ships to watch the disputed seas daily in Truong Sa and to chase and arrest Vietnamese fishing ships.

In response to China’s provocation, Vietnam’s Foreign Affairs Ministry spokeswoman Nguyen Phuong Nga told local media that the Vietnamese navy will take any necessary steps to defend its territory.

However, she has yet revealed specific measures that will be taken, except for the announcement that Vietnam has sent a diplomatic note of protest to the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam.

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Vietnam tour bus crashes in Thailand, 27 injured

TUOITRENEWS

A bus carrying Vietnamese tourists crashed on Highway 36, at the Khao Mai Kaew intersection, on the outskirts of Pattaya, making 27 Vietnamese tourists injured last Thursday evening.

The passengers were taken to Banglamung, Pattaya Memorial and Bangkok Hospital Pattaya for treatment and none was reported in serious condition.

The Thai bus driver, 27 year-old Khun Sarawood, from Donna International Company, reported that they were going from Rayong Province to Royal Twin Palace Hotel in Central Pattaya, where the tourists were supposed to attend a seminar, when the car driver by 39-year old Khun Wirot speeded up from behind and tried to pass his bus. Wirot’s car then ducked back into the same lane, blocking the front of his bus. Sarawood had to brake hard, causing the bus to swirl onto a strip of grass that separated the two sides of traffic.

On the other hand, the Honda Civic driver told the police that on his way from Bangkok to Sattahip, the bus which ran parallel to his car could not keep its distance and collided into his Honda Civic causing the severe dent, reported Pattaya Daily News.

Thai police are investigating the case.

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Sarawood had to brake hard, causing the bus to swirl onto a strip of grass that separated the two sides of traffic

Photo: pattayaone.net

Cooking gas prices down slightly

TUOITRE

Retail prices of cooking gas in Vietnam will be down by VND15-19,000(US$0.75-0.95) per 12kg cylinder as of today, driven by a downturn in the global market.
Many local gas distributors, such Saigon Petro and Petrolimex, Tuesday announced the price reduction after Saudi Arabian Oil Company announced a fall of $80 per ton of gas for June delivery.

It means that the contract gas price reduces from $970 to $ 890 per ton. The drop in local gas prices is, however, modest compared with strong fall in the global market.

Last month, all local retailers increased their gas prices by VND30,000 to VND385,000 per 12kg cylinder, hitting a record high in Vietnam.
 
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Meeting marks No Tobacco Day

VIETNAMPLUS

The Health Ministry was expected to submit a draft law on tobacco control to the National Assembly by May next year, in an effort to improve the life expectancy of male smokers, who had the dubious distinction of the highest smoking rate among males worldwide.

Deputy Minister Nguyen Thi Xuyen announced the scheme at a meeting in Hanoi on May 31 in response to World No Tobacco Day, which this year focused on the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

Xuyen warned that tobacco-borne diseases had reached disastrous levels for not only the nation but also the entire human race.

“ Vietnam is one of the 15 nations hit by the world’s highest rates of male smokers although it was among the earliest in the world to ratify the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control,” said the senior health expert.

She called on responsible agencies and the entire community to join hands in fulfilling the Government’s commitments to the WHO in ratifying the relevant convention.

“Only by implementing the convention can we help reduce harm caused by smoking and secondhand smoking to each and every individual, family and the entire society,” she said.

Statistics showed that Vietnam suffered over 40,000 tobacco-borne deaths every year, with fatalities to hit 70,000 by 2030 unless firm measures were taken immediately.

A survey in 2010 revealed that up to 47.4 percent of male adults were smokers.

The WHO acting representative in Vietnam , Graham Harison, said at the meeting that smoking was one of biggest human killers in the world and that the WHO convention on tobacco control had proved to be the strongest tool to curb the smoking disaster.

WHO called on nations to ensure that they were committed to taking firm measures for a tobacco-free environment. Taxes levied on tobacco and cigarettes should be increased while cigarette boxes should be printed with images warning of harm to human health. Advertising, promotion campaigns and sponsorships by cigarette makers should be totally banned, according to the convention. It also spelled out the necessity for nations to establish a sustainable fund for tobacco control./.

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12th-grade student farewell party turns into battle

Photo: VNEXPRESS

TUOITRENEWS

Five out of over 40 students of Nam Ky Khoi Nghia high school in HCMC were hospitalized Monday after being assaulted by the security guards of the Lotte Mart Trade Center in the Everrich building at 940 Le Đai Hanh Street, Ward 15, District 11, where they held a farewell party before graduation.

The injured students -- Tran Hoang An, Nguyen Quoc Vinh, Vo Thi Kim Hien, Lam Chi Vinh and Nguyen Van Truong, were taken to Trung Vuong Hospital, all are all from class 12A11 of Nam Ky Khoi Nghia high school.

Tran Thi Kim Dung, the home-room teacher of the class, said she held a farewell party at Lotte Mart for the students on Monday, 3 days before their graduation examination.

She had rented the entire fifth floor of Lotte Mart for 41 students to attend the party.

Dung said she had to leave the party early, but received a phone call about her students being assaulted at 7:30p.m.

Nguyen Trung Hieu Nghia, one of the participants, said the students were shouting some slogans on the escalator when they were going down after the party when they were reminded by the security guards not to make any loud noise.

When the students, who still kept shouting loudly, reached the 3rd floor, the escalator stopped and they met a group of 20 security guards armed with clubs and electric rods.

As the guards shouted and hurled insults at them, the students reacted angrily but had to flee as the guards came charging at them.

Some students were caught and severely beaten even when they got to the parking lot in the basement. Some others were also injured badly by the guards.

The guards only stopped beating when the police of Ward 15 arrived. Two of the guards and some students were taken to the police station for a statement, while the injured were immediately rushed to the hospital.

Tran Dinh Xuan, security director of The Everrich, confirmed the incident.

The police are investigating.

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Chinese ships destroy Vietnam sea cable

For illustration purposes only

TUOITRE

Below is a freshly released video of the Chinese ships that operated illegally in Vietnamese waters May 26 and cut a Vietnamese state-owned ship’s exploration cables.

Crew on board the latter, the Binh Minh 02 -- owned by state oil company PetroVietnam -- shot this video and posted it on Petrotimes.vn, their company website.

The captions are revealing. At 1:13, it says, “Ship 84 is cutting through the seismic exploration cable from right to left.”

At 1.23: “The ship then came back but by then the cables had sunk deep and so it could not cut any more.”

At 1.35: “The three Chinese ships are going around the area.”

Chinese ships have violated Vietnamese sovereignty many times in the past but this is the first time they deliberately severed cables.

The damage to the cables is estimated at US$100,000.

When the three Chinese ships carried out their illegal acts, the Binh Minh 02 had been exploring for oil at 12 degrees 48’25” north latitude and 111 degrees 26’48” east longitude, some 116 nautical miles off Cape Dai Lanh in Phu Yen Province.

It is impossible to cut such cables with normal tools and they must have used specialized equipment, Do Van Hau, deputy general director of PetroVietnam, said.

See clip at www.tuoitrenews.vn

Tuoi Tre journalist to raise money for charity

Some photos selected to be displayed at the exhibition

Photo: Tuoi Tre

TUOITRE

Tuoi Tre journalist Trung Nghia will organize a photo exhibition on the modernization of Asia in Melbourne, Australia, next month.

The “Asia-Pacific in Contrast” exhibition will depict the modernization of Asia through 41 photos Nghia took over 10 years in Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The exhibition will be held from June 3 to 27 at the Michaels Photographic Gallery.

All the money from ticket sales and donations will be donated to the Anglicare Center for Disabled Children in Melbourne and the Tam Binh Center for Orphans and HIV-infected Children and Thi Nghe Orphanage in Ho Chi Minh City.

Trung Nghia, a journalism graduate from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, HCMC, is a member of the Vietnamese Journalists Association and HCMC Photography Association.

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Rubber prices bounce back

TUOITRE

The price of SVR 3L, the major rubber variety Vietnam exports, has increased by 3.6 percent to US$488 per ton on the world market in the past two weeks, the Vietnam Rubber Group said.

This has boosted the domestic prices of latex by 9.4 percent to VND30000-36000 per liter, it added.

The hike in prices is due to increased demand from China and India, the two biggest importers, while production in major exporting nations like the Philippines and Indonesia is lower than expected due to unfavorable weather conditions.

The increase in the prices of oil and fuel has also affected the prices. 

But the price remains far off the record high of $600 touched two months ago.

So far this year Vietnam has shipped 212,300 tons of rubber worth US$934 million, mainly to China, Japan, and Europe.
 
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Tuoi Tre to hold cultural festival

TUOITRE

The Saigon Cultural Products Corporation in collaboration with Tuoi Tre will hold the Vietculture 2011 festival on Wednesday in Ho Chi Minh City.

Themed “The World of Beauty,” the festival will gather more than 300 booths of books and school equipment, fashion products, furniture, children’s toys, traditional cuisine and health food.

There will be a play area provided for children and activities will include a painting exhibition, karaoke singing contest, and games with the theme of Lucky Luke comic book.

A highlight of the festival will be the “Fine Arts Street.” Visitors will have the chance to make their own paintings, get portraits or statues made and see ceramic works of well-known artists like Le Trieu Dien, Hong Linh and Luong Truong Tho.

Seminars on Vietnamese culture and arts will be held with the participation of professor Tran Van Khe, writers Nguyen Nhat Anh, Nguyen Ngoc Tu, translators Ly Lan Nguyen Phan Que Mai and journalist-musician Vu Duc Sao Bien.

Painters from Tuoi Tre Cuoi newspaper’s comics club will hold a program titled “Come and Smile.” The painters will sketch comedic portraits of visitors. 

The program aims to draw the public’s attention to the charity “For a future smile” to help children born with cleft palate.

Vietculture 2011 will run until May 5 at Phu Tho Sporting Hall at 219 Ly Thuong Kiet, District 11, Ho Chi Minh City.
 
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Ho Chi Minh City set for French Music Festival

the band It's Time

TUOITRE

“Fete de la Musique” (French Music Festival), a free music show organized around the world by the French government, will be held at the Institute of Cultural Exchange with France, or IDECAF, in Ho Chi Minh City June 17.

It will feature singers like Leu Phuong Anh and Tran Lan Nha,  band It’s Time, and dance troupe BigSouth, and bands from Thailand like Dreamers, Omega and Scooter.

Students from a French school in District 9, Marguerite Duras, will also perform at the show which welcomes all participants, amateur or professional.

Launched in 1982 by the French Ministry for Culture, “Fête de la Musique” has been organized in numerous countries, offering free music of all genres.

He can sing exactly 13 top singers

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Vietnam’s doctoral steles recognized by UNESCO

Doctoral steles

TUOITRENEWS

UNESCO has added doctoral steles from the Le and Mac Dynasties in Hanoi’s Temple of Literature to the Memory of the World Register after being recognized in March.

The doctoral steles include 82 stone steles that contain names and information related to doctoral laureates who passed the imperial examinations during the reign of the two dynasties from 1442 to 1779.

UNESCO's Memory of the World Program, also called UNESCO World Documentary Heritage, is an international initiative launched in 1992 to protect the documentary heritage of humanity against neglect, the ravages of time and climatic conditions, and willful and deliberate destruction.

Around 238 world documentary heritages in numerous countries have been placed on the list.

A world documentary heritage can be a single document, an audio cassette or even an animal skin that reflects the diversity of languages, people and cultures around the world.

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Wood factory fire causes $48,600 loss

Firemen extinguished the fire in a four-hour battle at a wood factory in Ho Chi Minh City early this morning

Photo: VnExpress

VNEXPRESS

A fire at a wood-processing factory in Ho Chi Minh City’s Binh Chanh District this morning destroyed goods worth around 1 billion ($48,600).

At around midnight, workers at the Nhat Quang Trade and Services Co Ltd’s factory in Vinh Loc A Commune called the local fire station after discovering smoke billowing from the plant and the smell of something burning.

Fire stations in Binh Chanh and Binh Tan Districts sent several fire engines with 100 firefighters to the scene, where the fire spread rapidly and engulfed the entire 2,000-square-meter factory.

The roof collapsed, causing difficulties in spraying water. 

The blaze was eventually put out at 4 a.m. No casualties were reported.

The police are investigating the cause of the fire.

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Vietnamese fisherman shot dead off Thai waters

The My Binh sea mouth in the utmost southern province of Ca Mau (for illustration only)

Photo: Dat Mui Online

VNEXPRESS

A fisherman was shot and killed last Saturday when his fishing boat from Ca Mau Province that had been operating close to Thai waters came under fire from an unknown vessel.

The boat’s captain, Lam Van Tinh, said the “strange” vessel approached from Thai waters at around 4:15 am fired many rounds at his boat. 

Huynh Van Tra, 21, from the province's Khanh Binh Tay Bac Commune, died after being hit twice.

Tinh said he immediately ordered his pilot to turn off the navigation lights and head back to the Ca Mau coast.

The province Border Guard Command filed a report to the provincial police who have performed an autopsy on Tra and begun investigations.

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Vietnam’s Visa market grows most: expert

TBKTSG

Lorijon Bacchi, director of the Indochina region of the payment card network Visa, said Vietnam has had the strongest growth of all Visa markets.

Vietnam is new in the online payment market but she said last week that it has vast potential thanks to huge growth in terms of international payment card numbers, total number of transactions and total revenue of transactions by cards.

By late last year, Visa had 1.5 million cardholders in Vietnam, an increase of 22 percent, the strongest Visa growth in the region.

The total revenue of transactions of Visa in Vietnam in the first quarter was US$176 million, an increase of nearly 60 percent year-on-year.

Bacchi said she appreciated the potential of Vietnam’s card market given its current strong development of e-commerce.

“Vietnam has the biggest number of people using mobile phones among countries I have ever come across,” she said, adding that 31 percent of the Vietnamese population use Internet, while the country ranked 17th among the countries joining online social networks. Online trade revenue of Vietnamese firms last year rose by 50 percent from the previous year.

She said that e-commerce was a good foundation to develop online payments so that in the future institutions would help to strengthen the online system in Vietnam by making it convenient for banks to join the operation and widen their card acceptance point network, and offer training for bank staff.

The company has cooperated with 30 local and foreign banks in Vietnam.

All card products and money transfer operations are provided by banks while all payment transactions are done by Visa’s system.

Last year, global payment revenue via Visa cards was around US$3.3 trillion.

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Hanoi Concert to gather US and UK idols

VNEXPRESS

American Idol 2008 winner David Cook and U.K.’s X-factor 2008 winner Alexandra Burke will perform in Hanoi next month.
The two artists will perform their hits along with the well-known Vietnamese-Australian singer Thanh Bui at the H-Artistry music show at the Quan Ngua Sport Complex on June 16.

Rock singer-songwriter Cook was born in 1982 in Houston, Texas. He rose to fame after winning the seventh season of reality television show American Idol in 2008. He released his first album, “David Cook,” in November 2008. It later won the Platinum Medal of the Recording Industry Association of America. 

Born in 1988, Burke won the U.K.’s version of American Idol, X-factor, in 2008. She released her debut single "Hallelujah," which sold 105,000 copies in one day and became the top-selling song of the year in the U.K. Her debut album “Overcome” was released in October 2009 and entered the U.K. Albums Chart at number one. 

Vietnamese-Australian Thanh Bui was born in 1983 in Adelaide, South Australia. He has become famous since he was in the Top 10 Australian Idol 2008. He made his debut performance in Vietnam last year when he released a hit Vietnamese single with pop star Ho Ngoc Ha.

H-Artistry is an annual event held by cognac manufacture Hennessy. At last year’s event, American singer Brian McFadden and Australian top singer Lenka performed.

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On the red carpet at Cannes

Actresses Hong Anh (L) and My Duyen at Cannes International Film Festival 2011

Photo: VnExpress

TUOITRE

Several of Vietnam’s top film-industry names stopped by for a day at this year’s Cannes film festival and have returned with some amazing experiences.

They were at the French coastal town for the screening of “The Beaver,” a Jodie Foster film.

Model and actress Anh Thu, who wore a black ao dai on the red carpet, gushed: “That is a place where every actor wants to go once in life, even just as a guest.”

Hong Anh, who won for Best Supporting Actress at the 2000 Asia Pacific Film Festival for “Doi Cat” (Sandy life) was at the festival for the second time.

A talented actress and a producer herself, Anh was earlier at Cannes last year to present one of her projects to potential investors.

Of course, that could not compare with her latest trip when she dressed up and posed for an army of photographers.

“What strikes me the most is the professionalism of everything there: All the details are taken care of to ensure we look our best.

“I feel there is a special respect for all who work in the [movie] industry at the festival.”
It was also an honor to hear the name of her country called out before she went on the red carpet though this time it did not have a competing film, unlike last year when Phan Dang Di’s “Bi, don’t be afraid” was entered.

Nguyen Thanh Van, who made the award-winning “Sandy life” and was also at Cannes, offered an interesting insight.

“Cannes is an answer to the current dilemma facing the Vietnamese film industry.”
In the industry, which has just seen a revival, there is an ongoing debate about whether to head in a more commercial or art-house direction.

And Cannes, where experimentation and independent movies are celebrated, proved that arty films aimed at a niche audience played an influential role in the industry worldwide, Van said.

“Just like the movie we watched, ‘The Beaver,’ movies do not need to be expensive. 
“It needs to be different, though.

After returning from Cannes, “We all feel a new energy to keep going and try to achieve our dreams.”

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Price ceilings for meat to be raised

TUOITRE

The price ceilings for cattle and poultry meat listed in Ho Chi Minh City’s price-stablization program will be raised as of Thursday, the municipal Department of Finance has said.

The finance department said this was aimed to reduce the gap of 23 to 24 percent between controlled prices and market prices.

Particularly, prices of pig legs and half fat and half lean pork will be increased by VND9,000 (US$0.45) per kilogram to VND84,000($4.2) and VND89,000($4.45) per kilogram, respectively.

Poultry will also be priced up by 9.7 to 14.3 percent.

The price of home chicken for instance will be raised from VND57,000 ($2.85) to VND63,000 ($3.15) per kilogram and industrial chicken by VND4,000 to VND45,000 ($2.25) per kilogram. 

Duck meat’s price will also be increased from VND57,500 ($2.875) to VND64,000 ($3.2) per kilogram. 

The department said these prices are still 10 percent lower than market prices.
 
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Vietnam willing to assist Japan after disasters

VNA

The Government and people of Vietnam always support, share and are willing to do all things possible to assist the Japanese people to overcome aftermaths of the recent quake and tsunami.

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai made this statement during his meetings with Japan’s ministers of foreign affairs, economy, trade industry, finance and land, infrastructure and tourism, and key officials of the Japanese Federation of Economic Organizations (Nippon Keidanren) in Tokyo on May 25.

He expressed deep sympathy over heavy losses caused by the March 11 twin disaster to the Japanese government and people and believed they will surmount all difficulties to return to normal production and continue development.

The Deputy PM thanked for Japan’s assistance to Vietnam despite difficulties, assuring that Vietnam will effectively use Japan ’s official development assistance.

He stressed Vietnam’s readiness to work with Japan to accelerate major projects agreed by both sides.

Hai expressed his wish that the two sides would increase exchanges of delegations, especially high-level ones, to promote political, economic relations, trade and cultural exchange between the two governments and people.

In return, Japanese officials expressed their thanks for the Government and people of Vietnam for their timely assistance as well as affirmed their wish to boost cooperation with Vietnam in implementing large projects, especially in infrastructure development to serve economic development and the people.
 

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Vietnam trade deficit hits 17-month high

TUOITRE

Vietnam's trade deficit in May is estimated at $1.7 billion, the highest level since January 2010, taking the deficit so far this year to $6.59 billion, according to the General Statistics Office.

The deficit, which has been rising every month this year, was up 17.3 percent year on year in May.

In May imports rose 3.02 percent month on month and 28 percent year on year to $9.2 billion.

The major import items in May were oil and gas ($934 million), iron and steel ($642 million), fabric ($750 million), and animal feed and materials ($160 million).

Imports of luxury goods like automobiles, motorbikes, and electronics were all slightly up at $292 million, $80 million, and $500 million.

Exports were up 0.85 percent from the previous month and 18.74 percent year on year to $7.5 billion.

Apparel exports were up 11.9 percent at $1.19 billion, seafood fetched $520 million, a 12.3 percent rise, and rice exports were worth $317 million, down 14.3 percent.

So far this year imports have been worth $41.3 billion, a 29.7 percent rise, with domestic firms accounting for $23.7 billion.

It included $5.75 billion worth machinery and equipment, $4.53 billion worth oil, $2.86 worth steel, $2.85 billion worth fabric, and $2.3 billion worth electronics.

Total exports this year have topped $34.7 billion, 32.8 percent up year on year, with foreign firms accounting for more than half.

Key items included apparel, seafood, crude oil, coffee, and rice.

Rubber exports were up 113 percent at $1.52 billion; coffee was 121.7 percent up at $1.77 billion; crude oil was up 37 percent at $2.98 billion for; textiles were up 35.6 percent to $5.1 billion; and footwear was up 31.8 percent at $2.37 billion.

The state sector saw year-on-year growth of 31 percent to $15 billion while the foreign sector’s exports were up 34.2 percent to $19.01 billion.

The government devalued the dong for the 4th time in 15 months on February 11 to help curb the trade gap which was eroding its foreign-currency holdings.

The deficit and size of reserves were about the same as at end-2010, raising the specter of a hard-currency shortage causing a financial crisis, the Heritage Foundation in Washington said May 23.

“Watch out for the trade deficit,” Tai Hui, the Singapore-based head of Southeast Asian research at Standard Chartered Plc, warned in a note.

It “deserves close monitoring in case it gains further momentum in the months ahead,” Bloomberg quoted him as saying.

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Last moments aboard disaster boat

Tran Thanh Long

Photo: Tuoi Tre

TUOITRE

Five days after the Din Ky sank in the Saigon River killing 16 people, a guest who had been on board and survived by swimming ashore told Tuoi Tre what actually happened.

“The accident took place so fast that nobody had time to get a life jacket,” Tran Thanh Long, himself a pilot of another boat, said.

At around 5 pm, when the Din Ky left the quay, he had been drinking with three friends on the upper deck. 

On the lower deck, a child’s birthday party was in progress with children laughing happily and adults talking to each other.

It was very hot and muggy, a sign of approaching rain and storm.

It soon started pouring and strong winds began to lash the boat. The attendants closed all the windows to prevent the guests from getting wet.

The wind was getting stronger and stronger. A glass window broke on the upper deck, and the ship began pitch violently.

With passengers beginning to worry, the sound of laughter and conversation on the lower deck dried up. 

As a sailor, he had a feeling of looming disaster. “I told the ship manager to order the pilot to head back to shore immediately since the weather conditions were very dangerous.”
Fifteen minutes later the wind got stronger, but the ship still did not to turn back.

“The ship manager assured me and others that the ship was trying to return to the quay. The starboard [right] side was facing the wind. It was extremely dangerous.

“When the ship kept pitching violently, I rushed into the cabin and found the pilot trying to maneuver the ship in vain. 

“I asked him to turn course to avoid the strong wind but he replied, ‘I have tried my best but I cannot turn the prow.’”

At that time he began to hear shouts and screams below from women and children. He saw some men break some windows to exit the vessel. The boat swung to port [left] and water began rushing in. 

Immediately, the power went and there was chaos among the guests, many of whom were stuck by or buried under tables and chairs that began to fall over the place, as they struggled to escape.

Long ran out of the pilot’s cabin and found one of his friends, Phuc, had jumped into the river. The two others, blocked by tables and chairs, were crying for help. 

The lower deck was fully submerged. 

He managed to pull his two friends out and they were rescued by a boat sent from shore.

Phuc managed to swim safely to shore.

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