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Property tycoon sentenced to death over $27 billion fraud

<p>A Vietnamese billionaire was sentenced to death on Thursday in one of the biggest corruption cases in history, an estimated $27 billion in damages - a figure equivalent to six percent of the country’s 2023 GDP. </p> <p>Truong My Lan, chair of major developer Van Thinh Phat, was found guilty of embezzlement, after looting from one of the country's biggest banks, Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB) for over a decade. </p> <p>“The defendant’s actions... eroded people’s trust in the leadership of the (Communist) Party and state,” the verdict read at the trial in Ho Chi Minh City. </p> <p>After a five-week trial, 85 others were also charged for their involvement in the fraud, with charges ranging from from bribery and abuse of power to appropriation and violations of banking law. </p> <p>Four were given life imprisonment, while others received jail terms ranging between 20 years and three years suspended. Lan's husband was Hong Kong billionaire Eric Chu Nap Kee, was sentenced to nine years in prison.</p> <p>Lan and the others were arrested as part of a national corruption crackdown.</p> <p>Lan was initially believed to have embezzled $12.5 billion, but on Thursday prosecutors have said that the total damages caused by the fraud now amounted to $27 billion. </p> <p>The property tycoon was convicted of taking out $44bn in loans from the bank, according to the <em>BBC</em>, with prosecutors saying that $27 billion of this may never be recovered. </p> <p>The court ordered Lan to to pay almost the entire damages sum in compensation. </p> <p>It is also <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-68778636" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that she is one of very few women in Vietnam to be sentenced to death for a white collar crime. </p> <p>“In my desperation, I thought of death,” Lan said in her final remarks to the court, according to state media. </p> <p>“I am so angry that I was stupid enough to get involved in this very fierce business environment -- the banking sector -- which I have little knowledge of.”</p> <p>Police have identified around 42,000 victims of the scam, and many of them were unhappy with the verdict. </p> <p>One 67-year-old Hanoi resident told the AFP that she had hoped Lan would receive a life sentence so she could fully witness the devastating impact of her actions. </p> <p>“Many people worked hard to deposit money into the bank, but now she’s received the death sentence and that’s it for her,” they said. </p> <p>“She can’t see the suffering of the people.”</p> <p>The resident has so far been unable to retrieve the $120,000 she invested with SCB. </p> <p>Police have said that many of the victims are SCB bondholders, who cannot withdraw their money and have not received interest or principal payments since Lan’s arrest. </p> <p>Authorities have also reportedly seized over 1000 properties belonging to Lan. </p> <p><em>Image: Twitter</em></p> <p> </p>

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Everything you need to know before you travel to Vietnam

<p dir="ltr">So you’ve booked your flight to Vietnam to experience the best of south-east Asia. </p> <p dir="ltr">When travelling to Vietnam, and other Asian countries, there are a handful of tips and tricks to be aware of to ensure you have a smooth sailing travel experience. </p> <p dir="ltr">In comparison to travelling around Western countries, exploring Vietnam comes with a unique set of circumstances, and being prepared for every situation will make sure your trip is one to remember. </p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Cash is king</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">When it comes to planning your trip to Vietnam, other than booking your flights, hotels and travel insurance, one of your first priorities should be getting your hands on cash. </p> <p dir="ltr">The Vietnamese Dong is a unique currency to get used to, given that $5 AUD is equal to approximately $82,000 VND. </p> <p dir="ltr">Most of the restaurants, cafes and tourist attractions you’ll be heading to will only accept cash, so make sure you seek out an ATM (most ATMs will let you translate to English) and always have a decent amount of cash on hand. </p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Go off the beaten track </strong></p> <p dir="ltr">Vietnam has so much more to offer than the major cities. </p> <p dir="ltr">While Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have a lot of interesting history, tourist attractions and unique cultural experiences, staying in these cities for the entirety of your Vietnam trip is limiting. </p> <p dir="ltr">Make sure you explore coastal towns such as Hoi An, Hue and Phu Quoc, explore the rolling rice fields of Sapa, and don’t forget to book your cruise around the picturesque Ha Long Bay. </p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Don't be afraid of the food </strong></p> <p dir="ltr">While Vietnamese food is maybe not what you’re used to eating everyday, part of experiencing a different culture is immersing yourself in the food scene. </p> <p dir="ltr">One of the best things you can do when you arrive at your destination is to book a food tour with a local guide (there are many available through TripAdvisor), to take you around and show you a variety of dishes to become accustomed to. </p> <p dir="ltr">Your food tour guide will also help ease your anxiety over ordering food in different places. </p> <p dir="ltr">Another top tip: Restaurants will often be called the name of the dishes they serve. For example, places that sell the delicious Bahn Mi bread rolls will have “Bahn Mi” in their name. </p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Google Translate is your friend </strong></p> <p dir="ltr">While your hotel staff will often speak good English, other vendors at restaurants or markets may not be as fluent. </p> <p dir="ltr">Downloading the Google Translate app on your phone will allow you to communicate with locals quickly and easily, by typing in what you want to say in English, and letting the app read out the sentence in Vietnamese. </p> <p dir="ltr">Also, the app’s camera feature lets you hover your smartphone camera over something written in Vietnamese, before translating it into English in seconds. </p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Beware of scams</strong> </p> <p dir="ltr">One of the most common scams in Vietnam is taxi scams. Some people will claim to be a taxi and then jack up the prices once they take you to your destination. </p> <p dir="ltr">To avoid this, only get in registered taxis (that actually look like taxis and not just a random car), and download Grab, which is the Vietnamese version of Uber and is just as easy to use. </p> <p dir="ltr">Another common scam is for market vendors to hike up prices for food and souvenirs, so be ready to barter for a better price. </p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Make friends with the locals </strong></p> <p dir="ltr">The Vietnamese people are some of the loveliest, kindest and most accommodating in the world. </p> <p dir="ltr">People on the street, hotel staff and restaurant workers are always happy to help you with queries or concerns, so make the most of their local knowledge and don’t be afraid to approach people with a smile. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p>

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"Tone deaf": Jetstar forced to apologise over "racist" joke

<p>Jetstar has been forced to apologise after posting a "racist joke" on their Facebook page, in which they poke fun at the Vietnamese currency. </p> <p>The Aussie airline mocked the currency of the Southeast Asian country in a post, saying, "Sorry but Vietnamese money being called Dong is objectively funny."</p> <p>"And a million Dong is $65 and I basically have $65 which means I'm a millionaire," it wrote.</p> <p>The post was flooded with comments from many of their 782,000 followers, resulting in the post being deleted.</p> <p>One person wrote, "No more Vietnamese will fly with Jetstar. Racial hatred."</p> <p>"I'll never choose Jetstar until they issue an official apology to the Vietnamese people," another declared.</p> <p>A third comment read, "A tone deaf joke. Just a reminder — racial hatred is illegal in Australia. Just because you delete the post doesn't mean it's OK."</p> <p>One commenter slammed the joke for being "unprofessional, disrespectful, and unacceptable".  </p> <p>"Ensure understanding of cultural respect and sensitivity before making culturally disrespectful joke on such a formal airline page."</p> <p>Jetstar responded to some of the comments made about the post, with one response saying, "You are totally right, and that's why we've deleted the post. We're really sorry for any offence caused."</p> <p>Another apology added, "We agree the post was inappropriate and as a result it was removed earlier today."</p> <p>One flyer shared a personal apology message she received after contacting the airline through its official Facebook page to complain about the post. </p> <p>"We agree the post was inappropriate and as a result it has been removed. We're really sorry for any offence caused," the Jetstar spokesperson wrote."</p> <p>'Please be assured that this incident was in no way related to Vietnamese nationality or race."</p> <p>"You have my absolute assurance that Jetstar will not tolerate discrimination on ethnicity, race or any other unlawful grounds."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

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"You've been bumped": Vietnam vet slams Qantas for booting him from business class

<p dir="ltr">Qantas has come under fire for booting a Vietnam war veteran from his paid seat in business class so that a young Qantas "tech" – later revealed to be a pilot – could travel in the luxury seat in his place.</p> <p dir="ltr">Stephen Jones, 78, and his wife were travelling home to Adelaide after a holiday in Christchurch. Their flight was passing through Melbourne on its way to their home in Adelaide, and the pair were enjoying coffee in the Melbourne airport lounge – just 30 minutes before they were set to continue their journey – when they were given the bad news by Qantas staff.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I went up to the desk and the Qantas employee there said, 'I've got some bad news for you, you've been bumped'," Mr Jones told Melbourne’s <em><a href="https://www.3aw.com.au/vietnam-war-veteran-booted-from-business-class-for-younger-qantas-employee/">3AW</a></em> radio program with Ross & Russ. </p> <p dir="ltr">"It didn't register at first," continued Mr Jones. "I wasn't quite sure what 'bumped' meant... I said, 'What?', and she said, 'Yes, I'll have to re-issue your ticket for economy class. We have a tech who's flying to Adelaide and his contract states that he must fly Business Class."</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Jones then explained that while he retreated to his economy seat, the Qantas employee was seated next to his wife up in business class, and that "he wouldn't even look at her".</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Jones went on to explain that, after filing a letter of complaint, he was offered 5000 Frequent Flyer points in return for the downgrade and an apology.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Jones, who served in Vietnam in a combat unit in the 1960s, claimed he turned down the offer of 5000 points, saying, “I don’t think anything is going to change until there’s ramifications for Qantas, or costs for Qantas when they upset their customers.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Justin Lawrence, Partner at Henderson Ball Lawyers, later told the 3AW radio show hosts that there’s little customers can do about such a move by the airline and said it was “standard operating procedure”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Unfortunately, their terms of carriage allow them to do this sort of thing – this happens so often they’ve actually got a term for it, buckle up, they call this 'involuntary downgrading,'” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“They’ll overprescribe business class or first class, they will need to bump someone out, and they’ll do it almost immediately prior to the flight – not just Qantas, they all do it."</p> <p dir="ltr">“Any time you go to a travel agent or online to Qantas to buy a seat, and we think we’re buying a seat in a particular class, there are no guarantees that when that plane takes off, you’ll be sitting in that class.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Jones said he understood that Qantas pilots were entitled to rest comfortably on their way to another flight, but the ordeal was “unsettling and made me a little irritable”.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

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Not just a youth movement: history too often forgets older protesters

<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/effie-karageorgos-453765">Effie Karageorgos</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-newcastle-1060">University of Newcastle</a></em></p> <p>Recent sustained anti-coal action by Blockade Australia in the Hunter Valley has brought public protest back into the news cycle. Activists have <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-21/coal-protests-block-rail-lines-to-newcastle-port/102504056">occupied trains, railway lines and machinery</a> in an attempt to obstruct coal production and broadcast their message about the climate crisis.</p> <p>Under recent <a href="https://www.humanrights.unsw.edu.au/research/commentary/explainer-what-are-your-rights-to-protest-australia#:%7E:text=In%202022%2C%20Tasmania%20passed%20anti,%E2%80%9C%E2%80%A6">anti-protest legislation</a> in New South Wales, which has been matched by similar laws in other states, some protesters have been charged by police for their activism.</p> <p>Internationally, protesters faced with arrest have devised new ways to protest. Recently, Iranian activists have started engaging in “<a href="https://www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty-research/policy-topics/international-relations-security/civil-upheaval-iran-why-widespread">micro-protests</a>”, which are small-scale protests over a shorter period of time, to evade arrest.</p> <p>My historical research into the infrastructure of protest, using the anti-Vietnam War campaign in New South Wales as a case study, has found that many Australians who did not or could not actively or publicly protest similarly found “quieter” ways to express their opposition to the conflict.</p> <h2>The youth are revolting</h2> <p>In the popular Australian imagination, it seems the protester is a young person creating a public spectacle – holding up a sign, occupying a building or marching down a city street, even though older activists regularly play a part in protest movements.</p> <p>Many might think of figures like <a href="https://theconversation.com/lidia-thorpes-mardi-gras-disruption-is-the-latest-in-an-ongoing-debate-about-acceptable-forms-of-protest-at-pride-200713">Lidia Thorpe</a> disrupting the 2023 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade or ongoing protests by <a href="https://www.schoolstrike4climate.com/">School Strike 4 Climate</a>, which have shown how willing young people are to agitate for their collective futures.</p> <p>But, in fact, one of the two anti-coal activists charged on last month for occupying a train in Singleton, New South Wales, is <a href="https://www.police.nsw.gov.au/news/news?sq_content_src=%2BdXJsPWh0dHBzJTNBJTJGJTJGZWJpenByZC5wb2xpY2UubnN3Lmdvdi5hdSUyRm1lZGlhJTJGMTA3MTc3Lmh0bWwmYWxsPTE%3D">64 years old</a>.</p> <p>My research shows our public memory of protest doesn’t come close to capturing everyone who used their energies to protest Australian involvement in Vietnam in the 1960s and 1970s, so we need to shift our idea of both protest and the protester to understand the potential scope of activism.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Thm03IUiJ6U?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <h2>Quiet protest</h2> <p>Vietnam War-era protest organisations, such as the Association for International Cooperation and Disarmament, Save Our Sons, Youth Campaign Against Conscription and the Vietnam Moratorium Campaign, were aware of how important “quiet protest” was to the wider movement.</p> <p>They <a href="https://collection.sl.nsw.gov.au/record/1JkmeexY">continually appealed to supporters</a> for help selling buttons, putting up posters, selling raffle tickets, filling envelopes, leafleting and other clerical work. These were all carried out by people who were opposed to the war, and are all considered acts of protest.</p> <p>Social movement theorists agree that time and availability are crucial in drawing people to protest. As far back as 1974, the sociologist <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/002188637401000206">Anthony Orum</a> wrote: "Without people who have time on their hands, great revolutions would probably never get off the ground."</p> <h2>Time and capacity</h2> <p>But what of those who did not have the time or capacity to march on streets, but who still saw themselves as part of the anti-Vietnam War movement?</p> <p>The <a href="https://collection.sl.nsw.gov.au/record/1l4dPbX1">administrative records</a> of protest organisations held in the <a href="https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/">State Library of New South Wales</a> let us into the lives of such people.</p> <p>These include Ian Robertson, a full-time Macquarie University student, whose parents had banned political activity because they feared it would disrupt his studies. Another silent protester was a Mrs Thomson, who was too busy organising her daughter Sue’s wedding to participate in anti-Vietnam protest activities. Public servants were also not permitted to publicly support the movement.</p> <p>Most such records come from elderly members of the movement. In November 1969, Mabel Wilson, who in her words was “six years an octogenarian,” sent $5 to the <a href="https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C96428">Committee in Defiance of the National Service Act</a>, writing: "I admire your courage and am completely in sympathy with your ideals. Alas! I am very old […] As you can see I can be of practically no use to you – or anyone […] My heart is with you all the way."</p> <p>Similarly, on March 21 1970, Doris J Wilson of Asquith sent a donation to the Northern Districts Vietnam Moratorium Group with a letter saying: "I am past the age where I can do very much more than be just a voice."</p> <p>On September 14 1970, L.T. Withers sent the same group a letter saying: "Congratulations for what you have accomplished. I feel rather guilty at being so useless […] myself and my wife are not as energetic as we used to be as the years are catching up on us a bit. I have enclosed a small donation to your local funds […] I would also be grateful if you could keep me informed of your activities."</p> <p>Ruth Fryer of Hornsby sent a letter on February 9 1971 with a $3 donation: "Sometimes you wish you were young &amp; strong again! But the hard work seems to be left to the young ones."</p> <p>These Australians, among many others, were interested in the anti-Vietnam campaign and wanted to be involved as much as they could, given their limitations.</p> <h2>The infrastructure of historical protest</h2> <p>Studying the infrastructure of historical protest organisations shows us that we need to expand our idea of what a protest movement is and who it includes if we want to achieve the present-day goals of activist campaigning.</p> <p>These findings are exciting because they capture a larger group of Australians in the protest tradition, and move past a limited, and often ableist and ageist, vision of protest to incorporate many others who feel just as strongly about the issues governing their lives.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/208472/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/effie-karageorgos-453765">Effie Karageorgos</a>, Lecturer, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-newcastle-1060">University of Newcastle</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/not-just-a-youth-movement-history-too-often-forgets-older-protesters-208472">original article</a>.</em></p>

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“I hope you didn't travel all the way here to ask that question”: Princess Mary shuts down journalist

<p dir="ltr">Princess Mary refused to stoop to her sister-in-law’s level when a journalist questioned her about Queen Margrethe of Denmark's decision to strip four grandchildren of their royal titles.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Australian-born Princess was on a royal tour of Vietnam when a journalist asked about the Queen’s decision.</p> <p dir="ltr">But Princess Mary was not having any of it and quickly shut down the question and put the journalist in their place.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I have nothing more to add to what I already said,” Princess Mary interjected.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I hope you didn't travel all the way here to ask that question. Do you have any other questions?"</p> <p dir="ltr">This however did not stop the journalist from going on saying: "Princess Marie told me that your relationship is complicated.”</p> <p dir="ltr">"I have nothing further to add,” the Princess replied, ending the conversation. </p> <p dir="ltr">The footage was shared to Twitter showing a composed Princess Mary shutting down the journalist and their incessant questions about the Queen’s decision. </p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">“I have nothing more to add to what I already said. I hope you didn't travel all the way here to ask that question. Do you have any other questions?”</p> <p>"Princess Marie told me that your relationship is complicated."</p> <p>"I have nothing further to add."</p> <p>🎥BT <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CrownPrincessMary?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CrownPrincessMary</a> <a href="https://t.co/2SLo3ZG7Cw">pic.twitter.com/2SLo3ZG7Cw</a></p> <p>— ChristinZ (@ChristinsQueens) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChristinsQueens/status/1587695273274376193?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Queen Margrethe II of Denmark <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/news/news/denmark-s-queen-strips-grandkids-of-royal-titles" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stripped four of her grandchildren of their royal titles</a> in hopes they will be “able to shape their own lives to a much greater extent”.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Queen has two sons, Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim, and eight grandchildren. </p> <p dir="ltr">Her sons, their wives, and children all have the titles of count and countess of Monpezat, referring to Margrethe's husband, who was born Henri de Laborde de Monpezat.</p> <p dir="ltr">Prince Joachim’s children -  Prince Nikolai, 23, Prince Felix, 20, Prince Henrik, 13 and Princess Athena, 10 - will not be able to use their “prince” and “princess” titles from January 1, 2023. </p> <p dir="ltr">Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary’s children are not affected by the decision.</p> <p dir="ltr">Princess Mary was dragged into the family drama when Joachim and his second wife Marie said the relationship between Mary and Frederik is “complicated”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Princess Mary defended Queen Margrethe’s decision, saying that change is never easy.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Change can be extremely difficult and can really hurt,” Princess Mary said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I think most people have tried it. But this does not mean that the decision is not the right one.</p> <p dir="ltr">“… And I can understand that it is a very difficult decision to have to make, and also a very difficult decision to receive.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Twitter</em></p>

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Famous ‘Napalm Girl’ receives final burns treatment

<p dir="ltr">The woman known around the globe as “Napalm Girl” has received her final round of treatment for the burns she received as a child when her village in Vietnam was hit by a napalm bomb.</p> <p dir="ltr">Kim Phuc was just nine years old when South Vietnamese planes dropped the bomb on the village of Trảng Bàng in 1972 and she was photographed running naked from her home, covered in third-degree burns after her clothes caught on fire.</p> <p dir="ltr">The iconic photo, taken by Vietnamese-American photographer Nick Ut before he rushed Ms Phuc to a hospital, won a Pulitzer Prize and became a symbol of the awful consequences of war.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Phuc, who has since become a Canadian citizen, has lived with the pain and scars from the attack ever since.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-592e9620-7fff-cb30-c831-53f262c58d99"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">On Tuesday, she underwent a 12-hour medical procedure in Miami, with local media reporting it was the final course of laser therapy for her scars.</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/07/kim-phuc1.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Kim Phuc underwent the last of her laser therapy treatments for the burns across her body, 50 years after she received them. Image: Getty Images</em></p> <p dir="ltr">Now 59, Ms Phuc also reunited with Mr Ut and recalled the distressing moment when they first met.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I heard the noise, bup-bup bup-bup, and then suddenly there was fire everywhere around me and I saw the fire all over my arm,” Ms Phuc said of the moment the bomb landed, per NBC 6 South Florida.</p> <p dir="ltr">“[Ut] told me after he took my pic that he saw me burned so severely, he put down his camera and he rushed me to [the] nearest hospital.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Ut also recalled how terribly injured Ms Phuc was.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I saw her burning, her body burning so badly,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">But when he took her to a local hospital, staff initially refused to treat her and told him to take her to another hospital two hours away.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I get upset, I hold my media pass, I say, ‘I’m media, if she dies, my picture’s on the front page of every newspaper tomorrow’ … they took her right away inside,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">During her decades-long recovery, Dr Jill Waibel has been helping her, using laser therapy to heal and remove scar tissue.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-f7f833b3-7fff-f32a-9f73-40919640df43"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“It used to be that everyone with an injury like Kim’s would pass away and so we are blessed now that we can keep people alive but we really have to help them thrive and live,” Dr Waibel said.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CfR-zFYPGjV/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CfR-zFYPGjV/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Nick Ut (@utnicky)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Ms Phuc now lives in Toronto and is the founder of the Kim Foundation International, which provides aid to child victims of war.</p> <p dir="ltr">On the 50th anniversary of the attack, Ms Phuc penned an essay for <em><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/06/opinion/kim-phuc-vietnam-napalm-girl-photograph.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times</a></em>, revealing she hated the photo for a long time as she struggled to heal amid the photo’s growing popularity.</p> <p dir="ltr">“You don’t grow out of the scars, physically or mentally,” she wrote. “I am grateful now for the power of that photograph of me as a 9-year-old, as I am of the journey I have taken as a person.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m proud that, in time, I have become a symbol of peace. It took me a long time to embrace that as a person. I can say, 50 years later, that I’m glad Nick captured that moment, even with all the difficulties that image created for me.</p> <p dir="ltr">“That picture will always serve as a reminder of the unspeakable evil of which humanity is capable. Still, I believe that peace, love, hope and forgiveness will always be more powerful than any kind of weapon.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-800ccc89-7fff-32a8-334c-fe72a34f8c93"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Nick Ut / Canapress</em></p>

Caring

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Vietnam bans Hollywood blockbuster

<p dir="ltr">Hollywood’s big movie release <em>Uncharted</em> has been banned from being shown in Vietnam because it shows China’s nine-dash line map. </p> <p dir="ltr">The film, which stars Antonio Banderas, Mark Wahlberg and Tom Holland, has caused controversy in Vietnam over historical claims.</p> <p dir="ltr">The nine-dash line map shows what islands within the South China Sea that China claims to control including Paracel, Spratly, Shongsha and Pratas. </p> <p dir="ltr">Vietnam and the Philippines express consistent and vocal disagreement about the boundary which they say is illegal and endangers the sovereignty of multiple nations with economic zones within the South China Sea.</p> <p dir="ltr">Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei also oppose the nine-dash-line claim but aren’t as vocal about it. </p> <p dir="ltr">“The film was banned from distribution after we watched it and found it contained an illegal image of the infamous nine-dash line,” Vi Kien Thanh, the head of the Department of Cinema told state-run Vietnam News Agency.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: YouTube</em></p>

Movies

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Vietnam to reopen Phu Quoc island to tourists

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Vietnam </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-10/vietnam-to-reopen-resort-island-to-foreign-tourists/100453458" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">plans</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to reopen the island of Phu Quoc to inbound tourists from October, as the country looks to revive its hard-hit economy.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The island will be expected to open for a six-month trial period, according to a statement from the government.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Vietnam is currently closed to all visitors except returning citizens and investors, but the island will soon be open to fully vaccinated tourists with a negative COVID-19 test result.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">During the pandemic, Vietnam’s tourism industry experienced a large decline as the number of visitors plummeted from 18 million in 2019 to 3.8 million last year. </span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Ba1VPFujeFt/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Ba1VPFujeFt/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Visit Vietnam (@visitvietnam)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The prolonged pandemic has seriously hurt the tourism industry,” Vietnam’s Tourism and Culture Minister Nguyen Van Hung said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Before opening up the island, the tourism industry said all residents of Phu Quoc would be fully vaccinated.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The ministry added that the island had not reported any community infections and had sufficient quarantine and treatment facilities.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The country has contained the virus for much of the pandemic, but has faced a recent surge in cases of the Delta variant.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh conceded that Vietnam has been facing a lengthy battle against coronavirus and could not rely solely on lockdown and quarantine.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The news comes as 570,000 people in Vietnam have been infected and 14,400 people have lost their lives.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: visitvietnam / Instagram</span></em></p>

International Travel

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To Vietnam and back: Asian seafood journey dubbed "crazy"

<p>A surprised Coles customer has taken her voice to Facebook after discovering something interesting about her seafood. Avid shopper Bronwyn read the small print on a packet of Coles Australian Whiting Mini Fillets, only to discover that the fish was “filleted in Vietnam” despite being made in Australia from at least 95% Australian ingredients.</p> <p>She questioned why Australian fish is sent all the way to Vietnam to be prepared, only to be sent back to Australia.</p> <p>“Could someone please explain why this is necessary, to transport Australian fish thousands of kilometres to Vietnam to be filleted?” asked Bronwyn.</p> <p>“I bought these yesterday noting the Australian Whiting and 95% Aussie ingredients ... Then have just noticed the filleting in Vietnam.</p> <p>“Not so keen to eat them now. Fresh, I think maybe not. No way of knowing how old they might actually be!”</p> <p>A Coles spokesperson explained to<span> </span>7News<span> </span>that the fish has met its “country of origin” obligations with the products packaging.</p> <p>“All Coles Own Brand seafood including seafood available at the deli, canned Own Brand tuna in the grocery aisle and frozen Own Brand products such as fish fingers have been responsibly sourced since 2015,” the spokesperson said.</p> <p>“This product uses Australian whiting, which is filleted overseas, but is then crumbed and processed back in Australia.</p> <p>“In line with our Country of Origin obligations, this is clearly labelled on the front of the pack.</p> <p>“As always, customers who are unhappy with a Coles Brand product can return it to any store for a full refund.”</p> <p>Learning this information has put Bronwyn off, saying that the realisation was “crazy”.</p> <p>“Crazy isn’t it?” responded Bronwyn to Facebook users in disbelief at the new information.</p> <p>“But how old is the fish now, lol? And how many times has it been frozen?”</p> <p>Photo credits: <a rel="noopener" href="https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/food/its-crazy-coles-shoppers-outrage-over-new-asian-seafood-scandal-c-1071915" target="_blank">7news</a></p>

International Travel

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The most popular travel destinations for 2020 according to Google

<p>Google has revealed the top 10 trending holiday destinations for 2020 according to users’ searches.</p> <p>The search engine giant compiled the list of the up-and-coming places this year based on the number of hotel searches from January to December 2019 for holidays this year. The stats were compared against the searches from the previous year, and used to rank the destinations according to the search volume increase.</p> <p> Coming out on top of the list was Vietnam’s Da Nang, a coastal city situated halfway between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh.</p> <p>Brazil’s Sao Paulo and South Korean capital Seoul came in second and third respectively, while Japan’s Tokyo and Israel’s Tel Aviv rounded up the top five.</p> <p><strong>Google’s most popular travel destinations for 2020:</strong></p> <ol> <li>Da Nang, Vietnam</li> <li>Sao Paulo, Brazil</li> <li>Seoul, Korea</li> <li>Tokyo, Japan</li> <li>Tel Aviv, Israel</li> <li>Marseille, France</li> <li>Vienna, Austria</li> <li>Bangkok, Thailand</li> <li>Dubai, United Arab Emirates</li> <li>Perth, Australia</li> </ol>

International Travel

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4 modern man-made marvels in Southeast Asia

<p>Southeast Asia is well-known for its gorgeous natural and historical attractions. Just think of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Halong Bay in Vietnam and Borobudur in Indonesia.</p> <p>Equally gorgeous and impressive, though, are these modern, man-made structures. Check out these four impressive sites that are also attracting large crowds.</p> <div class="view view-article-slider view-id-article_slider view-display-id-article_slider_block view-dom-id-c42fd07198902a614a7d8230cf786566"> <div class="view-content"> <div class="views-field views-field-field-slides"> <div class="field-content"> <div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"> <div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-slides clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-title field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"><strong>1. Golden Bridge, Vietnam</strong></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-content field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"> <p>High up on Ba Na hill near Danang City in Vietnam sits a pair of giant hands holding up a pedestrian walkway.</p> <p>The 150-metre long Cau Vang, or Golden Bridge, rises more than 1400 metres above sea level and offers spectacular views of the surrounding area.</p> <p>Although brand new – the attraction just opened in June – the hands have been aged to look like they’ve been around for many decades. According to the principal architect, the project was designed to look like the hands of God pulling out a strip of gold from the land.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-field-slides"> <div class="field-content"> <div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"> <div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-slides clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-title field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"><strong>2. Gardens by the Bay, Singapore</strong></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-content field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"> <p>Futuristic-looking giant trees and a man-made forest under a glass dome are all part of this 101-hectare multi-award winning horticultural destination that opened in 2012.</p> <p>The giant Supertrees are between nine and 16 storeys tall and you can take a stroll on a suspended walkway between two of these trees to enjoy the view from up above.</p> <p>A short walk away, you’ll come across the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest. The former houses a collection of flowers found in deserts around the world, while the latter has the world’s tallest indoor waterfall and showcases plants that are usually found some 2000 metres above sea level.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-field-slides"> <div class="field-content"> <div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"> <div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-slides clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-title field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"><strong>3. Statue of Lord Murugan, Batu Caves, Malaysia</strong></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-content field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"> <p>Located just 12 kilometres from the capital city of Kuala Lumpur, Batu Caves is the site of the tallest statue of a Hindu deity in Malaysia and the second tallest in the world.</p> <p>The statue of Lord Murugan, located at the Sri Murugan Perumal Kovil at the foot of Batu Caves, was completed in 2006 and stands a little over 42 metres tall.</p> <p>There are three limestone caves in the area, all of which house Hindu temples and shrines.</p> <p>Visitors have to scale 272 steps in order to reach the entrance of the caves.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-field-slides"> <div class="field-content"> <div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"> <div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-slides clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-title field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"><strong>4. Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, Brunei</strong></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-content field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"> <p>With floors and walls made from gleaming Italian marble, made-in-England chandeliers, granite from Shanghai and millions of glass mosaic pieces covering the golden main dome, this is definitely no ordinary mosque.</p> <p>Named after the 28th sultan of Brunei, the grand mosque was completed in 1958.</p> <p>The impressive building is surrounded by an artificial lagoon, where a replica of a 16th century royal barge is docked at the end of a marble bridge.</p> <p><em>Written by Siti Rohani. This article first appeared in </em><span><a href="http://www.readersdigest.com.au/travel/destinations/4-modern-man-made-marvels-southeast-asia"><em>Reader’s Digest</em></a><em>. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, </em><a href="http://readersdigest.innovations.com.au/c/readersdigestemailsubscribe?utm_source=over60&amp;utm_medium=articles&amp;utm_campaign=RDSUB&amp;keycode=WRA87V"><em>here’s our best subscription offer.</em></a></span></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <p><img style="width: 100px !important; height: 100px !important;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7820640/1.png" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/f30947086c8e47b89cb076eb5bb9b3e2" /></p>

International Travel

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7 best places in the world for Aussies to retire in 2019

<p>Research has shown the perfect retirement destination does actually exist!</p> <p>The International Living Australian Global Retirement Rankings are in, and through a series of grading procedures, they have found the best places for Australians to retire to in 2019.</p> <p>With an extensive network of editors, correspondents and contributors spanning four continents, an amassed wealth of information has been collated to bring you the cities and areas you should call home in your golden years.</p> <p>Places were assessed based on 13 key areas under the branches of Finance, Health, Lifestyle and Governance.</p> <p>International Living compiled their list through gathering data for 25 countries in 13 categories, from the climate to the cost of living to health care. The goal is to find safe, good-value, enjoyable destinations where a retiree could live and enjoy their twilight years.</p> <p>Scroll through the gallery and countdown with us the top 5 places in the world to retire in 2019.</p> <p>Whereabouts would you like to retire? Tell us in the comments below.   </p>

Retirement Life

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The hilarious truth behind this holiday photo

<p>The nature of the tourism industry dictates that sometimes you end up with something that doesn’t quite match up with what you saw on the website. But this latest photo, which has become an online sensation, might be the most hilarious example yet.</p> <p><a href="http://www.news.com.au/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>News.com.au reports</strong></em></span></a> Jenny Kershaw was looking forward to taking a dip in the infinity pool at her hotel in Vietnam. But when she checked in she soon noticed a discrepancy.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Our hotel pool in Vietnam...booking.com VS reality 😂🤣😂 we’ve been done there <a href="https://t.co/lElDjxzFwd">pic.twitter.com/lElDjxzFwd</a></p> — Jenny Kershaw (@jennykershawx) <a href="https://twitter.com/jennykershawx/status/995272439423631360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2018</a></blockquote> <p>The pool paled in comparison to what was on offer in the photo, and after Jenny shared the photo on Twitter users were quick to poke fun at the shabbiness of the pool.</p> <p>Some users even noticed that the ladder was so small it had to cut the letter “E” off the word “welcome” to fit it all on to the pool ladder.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Too small to even put the E in welcome 💀 <a href="https://t.co/ByMHUUDapT">pic.twitter.com/ByMHUUDapT</a></p> — + (@ZaePadre) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZaePadre/status/995410083663237120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2018</a></blockquote> <p>Booking.com reached out to rectify the situation, but Ms Kershaw said she wasn’t too upset and found it funny more than anything.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Hi Jenny, our support team can definitely look into this and help you with a complaint. We recommend sending the photos to customer.service@booking.com, including your confirmation number. Our team will get back to you as soon as is possible.</p> — Booking.com (@bookingcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/bookingcom/status/995948325647110144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 14, 2018</a></blockquote> <p>What are your thoughts? Have you ever had something like this happen to you on holidays?</p>

International Travel

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Ship of horrors: Aussie traveller’s nightmare cruise in Vietnam

<p>When Lynne Ryan booked what appeared to be a dream holiday experience, she never expected how utterly different the reality would be compared to the glossy brochure of a luxurious cruise ship.</p> <p>The Australian traveller booked a cruise for six people on Halong Bay, Vietnam, with a local travel agent last week. The group paid $100 per person for the two-day experience with Gala Cruises.</p> <p>But what the group actually found on board the Hoang Phuong ship was shockingly different to expectations.</p> <p><img width="436" height="327" src="http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/30efca7243510780a3e8fb0e3d150e4a" alt="“Sunning on the deck chairs. No way!!!”. Picture: Lynne Ryan" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p><img width="433" height="325" src="http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/901d151c480dad9ee29abf9b781d801b" alt="“Our room. I wish!!!!”. Picture: Lynne Ryan" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>Lynne took to Facebook to warn others, labelling her experience: “Horror trip, Halong Bay”.</p> <p>She wrote: “I was shown a glossy brochure with a beautiful boat with lovely rooms and dining room.</p> <p>“Day of trip arrived. A 20 seater bus arrived to collect us. We all spread out and thought this is OK.”</p> <p>According to Lynne, the bus stopped at another hotel and picked up 14 “very loud” fellow Australians, then they continued on the three-hour trip.</p> <p>She continued: “We parted with our travelling companions as they were only doing a day trip. Was escorted to a junk boat thought this one was taking us to the one that we saw in the brochure. No way hosay, this was our boat.</p> <p>“Where do I start? Our first room had two beds with about 8 inches (20cm) between them. Hard as a rock. Guide explained that air conditioning would be turned on at 8pm but hang on a minute the air con in this room broke last night.</p> <p><img width="394" height="296" src="http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/59e929b9c09efca31c6c0dd5b7e3597d" alt="Instead, this is what they got, including a ‘broken, blocked toilet’. Picture: Lynne Ryan" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p><img width="392" height="294" src="http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/b39f5ce43dfe6e24fc62008830a53a78" alt="”Our ensuite.” Picture: Lynne Ryan" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>“Let’s move you to another room. Has air con but no cover on it same amount of room between beds.</p> <p>“Off to the bathroom when you wash your hands the water goes on your feet as the pipe isn’t sealed.</p> <p>“We did fare better than our friends, one room had a broken toilet and door. Toilet was blocked as well. The others had one single bed and a half a bed in their room.</p> <p>“Enjoyed the food and kayaking around the caves.</p> <p>“Sun decks on the top of boat had wood borers and were falling to pieces.</p> <p>“When it came time for bed none of the air cons were working. After a lot of mucking around finally got them going. We were lucky for most of the night as ours wasn’t set to low. Others froze all night we cooked from 4am onwards as they turned them off.</p> <p><img width="407" height="627" src="http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/f20d6bc6732ca107e558c9c651f7719e" alt="The Vietnam trip. Picture: Lynne Ryan" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p><img width="393" height="295" src="http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/5b04918ec98c262a7cdf00651b0fe8d1" alt="“One of many cockroaches”. Picture: Lynne Ryan" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>“Friends had a furry friend in their room (a rat). Came in through a whole above the window and proceeded to wander around their room. Lots of yelling and screaming. Saw his mate outside the rooms.</p> <p>“Woke up to find rat poo on their stuff.</p> <p><img width="397" height="299" src="http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/800eb7c0533e56f46f2e7b02f6707148" alt="“Fire extinguisher. Wonder when it was last checked.” Picture: Lynne Ryan" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p><img width="385" height="289" src="http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/636c6347b8e255aadf6dd5bcb7b624b6" alt="“Our groovy air con.” Picture: Lynne Ryan" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>“After a horrific night we woke went to breakfast. Slight problem bread was mouldy. Oh well noodles instead.</p> <p>“I realise that we didn’t pay much money but would have paid more if we weren’t lied to.”</p> <p>Lynne says that when she complained to the travel agency, they “had all the excused in the world”. However, the group did receive a $30 refund between the six of them from the Spring Travel Agency.</p> <p>“Seems funny now a week later, but (it) was nightmare at the time,” she said.</p>

Travel Trouble

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“We remember”: Auschwitz survivor and Vietnam vet on what ANZAC Day means to them

<p>Anzac Day means different things to different people. </p> <p>Frank Smolen, who turns 100 in October, survived Auschwitz. When Nazi Germany occupied his country, Frank joined the Polish Resistance. He spent about three years in this infamous concentration camp after the Gestapo discovered his allegiance to the resistance. </p> <p>Frank admires how Australians come together to remember the brave people who served their country in war. </p> <p>“Australians do it well. No other country in the world recognises their returned soldiers and diggers like that. They haven’t forgotten.”</p> <p>Frank moved from Poland to Australia after World War II. He met his future wife, Hedwig, on the boat trip to Australia and they enjoyed a happy life in Melbourne suburb, Footscray, before she passed away about 10 years ago. He has only recently started talking about some of his experiences.</p> <p>Today, he lives at VMCH aged care residence, St Bernadette’s in Sunshine. Frank’s family describe him as a treasure. </p> <p>“He’s just an adorable man and we love him to bits,” his daughter-in-law, Ina, says.</p> <p>While ANZAC Day was not something the family have been a part of in the past, Frank was moved when he was asked to be part of St Bernadette’s Anzac Day service last year.</p> <p>“St Bernadette’s asked him to lay the wreath for their Anzac Day service because he was the oldest one in the centre,” Ina, said. </p> <p>“He was so emotional and so proud. I really think that is the closest he’s ever come to somebody acknowledging what he’s been through.” </p> <p>Ina says Frank is in good health and the family hope to record his experiences during World War II to make sure his memories and important story is not lost. She sees parallels between his reasons for joining the Polish Resistance and what the ANZACs did. </p> <p>“We have asked him why did he do it? ‘Why were you part of the underground?’ He said, ‘I did it for Poland. I did it for the love of my country.’ That’s exactly how we look at our ANZACs and what they have been through at Gallipoli.  They just do it because it’s for their country,” she said.</p> <p>For Gary McNabb, 66, ANZAC Day is an important day to remember people who did not come back from war.  </p> <p>A Vietnam War veteran, Gary marches in the ANZAC Day Parade in Melbourne every year.</p> <p>“I can’t get over the amount of people there … all cheering. I am proud to march. But you still remember everyone that’s been your mates that are not with you anymore,” he says.</p> <p>Gary is a volunteer at St Bernadette’s. He started volunteering after his mum moved into St Bernadette’s about eight years ago. While his mum passed away a few years ago, Gary still volunteers. He loves to chat with residents and help out during the regular bingo games. </p> <p>Gary says he does not like to talk about his time during the Vietnam War. </p> <p>“I have locked it and thrown the key away,” he said. </p> <p>He says he only started marching in the Anzac Day parade in the ‘90s at the insistence of an aunt. But, now he enjoys the day and recalls the first time he joined the parade.</p> <p>“I met blokes I hadn’t seen in years and years. It felt fantastic.”</p> <p>It is the stories and sacrifice of people like Frank, Gary and countless others that continue to make days like Anzac Day so important to Australians.</p> <p>Lest we forget.</p>

Retirement Life

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Vietnam War: Tales from my time entertaining the troops

<p><em><strong>Over60 community writer John Strange toured South Vietnam in 1965 with Australian entertainment group “The Beaumarks”. Here, he shares a few tales of his time entertaining the Australian troops.</strong></em></p> <p align="center"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Rex to Dang Dung</span></p> <p>I was a 20 year old when I first went to Vietnam in 1965 and was pretty much a stereotype of a young bloke at that age. Wide eyed at the wonders of the world and full of adventure and bravado.</p> <p>The first gig we had was working on the roof of the Rex Hotel BOQ for the Yanks in downtown Saigon. We had been housed in a villa at Dang Dung (the street name district 1) with another Australian band, The Rajahs. It was about three or four miles from the Rex in Saigon's suburbs.</p> <p>We would usually get to the gig under our own steam depending on what we had been up to during the day but getting home was a different matter. A curfew at midnight meant everyone had to be off the streets so it was essential we all got home after the gig. Maybe a quick “Bud” and then downstairs to the street to round up three motorized cyclos.</p> <p>Motorized cyclos in those days had a well-worn seat similar to a two-seater lounge chair with a two-stroke motor scooter behind and a driver perched on top. Sitting in the seat out front, always felt dangerous as it seemed you were being propelled through the traffic out in the open with no protection, taking your life into your own hands. And you were!</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img width="500" height="333" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7816572/cyclo_500x333.jpg" alt="Cyclo"/></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>A cyclo in Vietnam. Image credit: John Strange</em></p> <p>At this point in time, inflation had not hit Vietnam and the normal cost of a motorized cyclo ride between the Rex and Dang Dung was the equivalent of about 20 to 30 cents.</p> <p>We would round up three cyclos and offer the first one to reach Dang Dung the equivalent of $5, and the others would be paid nothing. This would normally take quite a bit of broken English, some French, some Vietnamese and a lot of sign language to get the message across, but the thought of a $5 fare at the end of the night usually had the desired effect. A bloody good quick ride home was assured for us all.</p> <p>We would hop aboard with two in each cyclo and take off. The ride never ceased to be exhilarating to say the least and possibly the best ride I've ever had in anything at any cost. You had to hang on for grim death for fear of hitting something or falling out as the driver swerved in and out of any traffic, pushbikes, pedestrians, motor bikes, horse drawn carts, cars, taxis, other cyclos or anything else that was on the street and in the way. White knuckles and wind swept hair were the norm and quite often a scream, a yell to the other participants or a whoopee of sheer terror or excitement would add to the overall effect.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em><img width="500" height="338" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7816571/dang-dung-john-1965-saigon_500x338.jpg" alt="Dang Dung John 1965 Saigon"/><br /></em></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>Dang Dung John in Saigon, 1965. Image credit: John Strange</em></p> <p>We usually arrived at the villa with almost a dead heat and all would just about fall out of the cycloes laughing at the release of making it home alive. Most times the drivers were well rewarded for the ride of a lifetime and everyone ended the trip very happy.</p> <p>In 1965, the war was not the only dangerous thing in Saigon! </p> <p align="center"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Vietnam Christmas - 1965</span></p> <p>In this day and age I feel I could be addicted to Vietnam. I log onto Vietnam sites of a day and I’m always looking for new sites or checking updates. I read books and keep my eye out for things pertaining to the war, and love conversing with Vets and other entertainers who were there, and understand. People who were involved <em>just know</em> and there is an understanding and kinship. It seems like I’m thinking about Vietnam, and my time there, constantly.</p> <p>It may have been triggered off by my first Christmas there and my first Christmas away from my family and home, and the feeling it gave to be able to give back to the people that were there for all of us.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em><img width="500" height="695" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7816570/christmas-day-menu-2_500x695.jpg" alt="Christmas Day Menu 2"/><br /></em></p> <p><em>Christmas Day Menu. Image credit: John Strange</em></p> <p>We were the first official Australian entertainers to go to Vietnam to entertain our armed forces and were sponsored by the RSL (Returned Soldiers League). I travelled as a young bloke of 20, and was overwhelmed by the adventure, the excitement and the experience of not only entertaining our own troops, but performing for Americans as well. It never occurred to me that my parents were horrified at the thought of their son going into a war zone or that I would be in any danger.</p> <p>I had my 21st birthday in Saigon and I had a great time. We worked a club on the eve of my birthday and invited a whole bunch of people home to the villa where we stayed downtown, in one of the suburbs. We had a great party, champagne and the works. No official stuff, just a good slap-up party. Slept most of the next day then got up, and did it all again. So, in reality, I had two 21st birthdays, and for me, they were really great and a lot of fun.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img width="500" height="350" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7816569/christmas-lunch-menu-bien-hoa-1965_500x350.jpg" alt="Christmas Lunch Menu Bien Hoa 1965"/></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>Christmas Lunch Menu at Bien Hoa, 1965. Image credit: John Strange</em></p> <p>It wasn’t until quite sometime later in my life that it dawned on me that I had robbed my parents of my 21st. I know now, as a parent, that one of my life’s goals is to be with my daughter on her 21st birthday. I wonder what my parents were thinking on December 11, 1965 while I was in Saigon having a great time. It’s something that I can never give back to them.</p> <p>I woke up on the morning of Christmas Day, 1965, and I felt pretty terrible. It was my first Christmas away from my parents and home, and I felt very very melancholy.</p> <p>“What in the bloody hell am I doing here?” was on my mind. It was the little boy coming out in me and it didn’t feel too good. It was the first realisation I had of what I had taken on and what I was doing, and at that point in time, it left me in the doldrums.</p> <p>There were three shows organized for that day: two at Bien Hoa and one at Vung Tau. Three shows in a day is normally a tough call, but this day looked like being the toughest and I felt unsure.</p> <p>As I showered, shaved and had some breakfast, things were pretty quite in the villa and maybe the other guys had similar thoughts and feelings. I had all my things ready to go when the Aussie military blokes arrived (Pick-Up as we called it) to escort us to Bien Hoa.</p> <p>The first Aussie bloke I bumped into as he came into the house, immediately shook my hand and thanked me. I was taken aback when he said, “Thanks for giving up your Christmas to be here with us.” That continued all day. All these guys coming up and thanking me and shaking my hand.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img width="500" height="318" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7816568/lynn-fletcher_500x318.jpg" alt="Lynn Fletcher"/></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>Our band “The Beaumarks” backing Lynn Fletcher at Bien Hoa Christmas Day. Image credit: John Strange</em></p> <p>We had three great shows with Don Lane, Lucky Starr, Lynn Fletcher and a bunch of others. Everything went great especially when we joined the officers and served the enlisted men Christmas lunch. We learnt that it is an Australian military Christmas tradition and we had a great time joining in.</p> <p>It turned out to be a fantastic day and the best Christmas I’ve ever had. From being down in the dumps first thing in the morning, to being on top of the world for the rest of the day, was just great.</p>

Retirement Life

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Australian tourist charged $40K for a meal in Vietnam

<p>An Australian tourist has been ripped off to the tune of $40,000 by a restaurant in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City, local media reports.</p> <p>The restaurant manager, Tran Tuan Minh, 22, is facing charges after he charged $39,544 to the visitor’s credit card. The meal is worth around $1146, the VN Express reports.</p> <p>The 45-year-old tourist was told after dining with friends at Nightfall restaurant last August that there had been a glitch using his credit card and that he had to use another card to pay for the meal.</p> <p>Both cards were repeatedly charged, leading a the bill being paid numerous times.</p> <p>The tourist dropped his initial legal bid after he was reimbursed by the restaurant. However, police pursued the case, arguing that Minh knew he was overcharging the customer as he ordered a staff member to swipe the card repeatedly. He reportedly withdrew the money from a bank later.</p> <p>The restaurant is now closed down. </p>

International Travel

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Passenger woken on flight by kid pinching his leg

<p>When you’re flying in cattle class there’s not much space between you and the person directly in front of you, as one passenger found out in the video below.</p> <p>On a flight from south to north Vietnam, Christian Ochoa was awoken by a stinging pain in his right leg. But it wasn’t some intrepid mosquito – it was a boy in the seat in front yanking on his leg hair.</p> <p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oPaupb3pdMY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p>Ochoa said, “I was on a plane from Hanoi to Saigon when I felt a stinging pain on my leg.</p> <p>“I was asleep and it happened to wake me up. I look and see this kid pulling my leg hairs. I immediately started recording because the situation seemed so absurd.</p> <p>“Apparently the kid was not used to seeing a hairy leg.”</p> <p>Have you ever seen a kid up to mischief on a flight?</p> <p><em><strong>Have you arranged your travel insurance yet? Tailor your cover to your needs and save money by not paying for things you don’t need. <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/travel/travel-insurance/?utm_source=over60&amp;utm_campaign=travel-insurance&amp;utm_medium=content&amp;utm_content=travel-insurance" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">To arrange a quote, click here.</span></a> For more information about Over60 Travel Insurance, call 1800 622 966.</strong></em></p> <p> </p>

International Travel

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7 dishes you must try when visiting Vietnam

<p>Seven dishes you must try in central Vietnam, according to Ms Vy, House of Hoi An, Melbourne.</p> <p><strong>1. Goi cuon</strong></p> <p>Goi cuon, or summer rolls, are one of the most popular finger foods. Originating in the south, they are a popular street food but will often appear at a family meal in summer.</p> <p>Rolled at the table, they are a great communal experience. The soft rice paper is filled with juicy lightly steamed prawns, tender pork, thin rice noodles and herbs.</p> <p><strong>2. Barbecued fish, Quan Be Man</strong></p> <p>At this restaurant on the beach you can have your seafood cooked any way you like but most people ask for the fish to be cooked on the barbecue.</p> <p>You select your fish from the vast fresh seafood tanks and 30 minutes later, you have a perfectly cooked dish in front of you.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img width="498" height="245" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/36256/image__498x245.jpg" alt="Image_ (246)"/></p> <p><strong>3. Thit Heo Ngu Vi Voi Xoi Dua</strong></p> <p>Aromatic spiced pork belly with sticky rice is a celebratory food served in central Vietnam during the Tet (lunar new year) holiday as historically, any kind of meat is seen as a rich person's food and a big treat.</p> <p>You could always tell a family's social status from the size of the pig they cooked for Tet.</p> <p><strong>4. Vem Xao Sa Ot</strong></p> <p>Traditionally, these freshwater mussels come from Hoi An's nearby estuary and are cooked with Hoi An's famous local mix of spices and herbs. (In Melbourne, we use mussels from Port Phillip Bay). This seasonal treat is a favourite dish among men in central Vietnam to accompany beer or as a light meal or a snack.</p> <p><strong>5. Trung vit lon</strong></p> <p>Ba Nga is my favourite aunty. From the bamboo basket on her bicycle she sells the best duck embryos with dipping sauce and Vietnamese mint. Locals line up. It's a Vietnamese delicacy and still one of the main protein supplements in many Vietnamese households.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img width="498" height="245" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/36257/image__498x245.jpg" alt="Image_ (247)"/></p> <p><strong>6. Bun bo, Bun Bo Café</strong></p> <p>In Hoi An, there is a place called Bun Bo Cafe. It's in the alley off Phan Chu Trinh Street and my favourite afternoon snack is their signature dish called bun bo, a spicy broth with rice noodles and beef.</p> <p><strong>7. Xoi bap</strong></p> <p>Another favourite is the Hoi An Cho cafe at the Market Soi Bap. My most ordered local breakfast is Xoi bap, served on a banana leaf. It's corn with glutinous rice topped with roasted nuts, sesame seeds and shallots.</p> <p>Have you tried any of these dishes?</p> <p><em>Written by Julietta Jamieson. First appeared on <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz</span></strong></a>.</em></p>

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