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October 17, 2005
Vietnam News I
I've been meaning to post some short Vietnam-related news excerpts culled from the local and international press.
Unprepared Vietnamese beauties struggle in global pageants
"Vietnamese entrants need to brush up on foreign languages, public speaking, and general knowledge to make a mark in international beauty contests."
The above applies to Vietnam-at-large and is not restricted alone to "beauties". What might be considered as fundamental deficiencies in pageants could apply to any sector in Vietnam wishing to be more internationally competitive. The basic problems in education and professionalism are the same.
Source. Thanh Nien News. October 14, 2005.
Expert discusses the waste of brainpower in Vietnam
"In an interview with Thanh Nien, Dr. Nguyen Huu Dzung, a human resources expert criticizes the rampant misdirection of brainpower in the state-run sector in Vietnam, and points out the cause of the problem."
It's refreshing to see an honest evaluation that is more substantive than finger-pointing. Which leads me to the next article...
Source. Thanh Nien News. October 17, 2005
Vietnam expects action against corruption, not mere talk
The following passage is written by Tran Bach Dang, researcher, journalist and communist of seven decades standing.
"With that in mind, I think the law on anti-corruption is just a link, a chain, in the anti-graft machinery. What is required is cooperation and coordination in this all-out war. Hence, long-term research is needed on a basic anti-corruption code while urgent issues should be addressed during this National Assembly session. For me, merely discussing the general aspects of corruption and the proposed disciplinary measures is not enough."
This article speaks to the mechanisms behind anti-corruption law in Vietnam and offers frank advice on the implementation of meaningful positive changes rather then the cosmetic "busts" and sting operations often highlighted in the press, otherwise known as the "individual rather than institutional" explanation. This same approach should be embraced by the United States with regard to how the military deals with prisoners. Rather than the "few rotten apples soiling the good name of an otherwise moral military force" default, the US needs to live up to informing and enforcing clear codes of military conduct that are in line with internationally accepted standards. When a nation circumstantially disregards the Geneva Code (see Guantanamo Bay), how can it legitimately criticize others for human rights?
Source: Thanh Nien News. October 15, 2005.
Viettel did not anticipate “network jam”
On October 8 Viettel officially apologizes to customers for poor service quality due to sales promotion. (They have since apologized TWICE!)
"For several months Viettel subscribers have suffered continuous network difficulties, with many unable to make phone calls to either mobile or fixed phones. After launching a huge promotional campaign “call until you’re out of battery”, offering 55mil free calls, the situation became worse, contrary to the firms confirmation that service quality would not be affected."Last week I was unable to contact my friend, a recent subscriber to Viettel. So Viettel's strategy was overambitious and ill planned, as with so many things here. However, what gets to me is that Viettel continued to deny network problems for weeks while still actively promoting their new subscriber campaign. I don't have to go into how the example of Viettel could apply to other things.
Source. VietnamNet. October 10, 2005
Posted by rst at October 17, 2005 01:25 PM
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