Tieng Viet lovers club

[jackbl]

Tet shopping begins in earnest
=========================

With Tet shoppers out in full force, Ho Chi Minh City supermarkets are operating at full stretch.

Purchases of cooking oil, processed and frozen foods, beverages, and confectionery have soared as usual.

Supermarkets said they would increase stocks of fresh fruit, food, and meat on days just before Tet.

Bui Duy Duc, general director of Vissan Corporation, said his company slaughters 2,500 pigs a day, 700 more than on normal days, adding that pig prices remain unchanged.

Prices remain stable at supermarkets while they have risen unexpectedly at retail shops and markets.

At Tan Dinh market in District 3, shrimp, squid, and fish prices have increased by VND5,000-8,000 for a kilogram, pork by VND3,000, and chicken by VND10,000.

Beer is becoming costlier by the day, with a case of Heineken going up a further VND5,000-10,000 and 333 beer by VND2,000 on January 19. But they remain unchanged at supermarkets.

Supermarkets are also remaining open longer and having more checkouts to make it more convenient for shoppers.

They plan to remain open until noon on New Year’s Eve and stock sufficient fresh foods.

Fashion shops and gift shops too have been crowded and are remaining open longer.

Source: Tuoi Tre, translated by Minh Anh

[jackbl]

Tet market waking up suddenly and stirring
===============================

VietNamNet Bridge – Supermarts have become overloaded these days with long queues at checkout counters. Demand has increased by 100-500%. Retailers now can breath a sigh of relief after a month of worrying.

Analysts have said that the Tet market has woken up suddenly and has been bustling the last few days with demand skyrocketing. It is expected that the market will be even hotter on the December 27 and 28 of Lunar Year.


Demand skyrocketing

Nguyen Thai Dung, Deputy General Director of Big C Thang Long, said that sales soared by 50% last weekend.

“The market is heating up. Demand will even increase in some days with the highest peak to be seen on 27 and 28 December of Lunar Year,” Dung said.

Dung hopes that the targeted VND120bil worth of sales for Tet will be realised.

Owning a chain of 19 supermarts and nearly 140 convenience stores, Hapro said that it has prepared VND570bil worth of commodities for selling on Tet, mostly rice, food, fresh meat and processed food which Hapro commits to sell at competitive prices.

Tran Manh Canh, Deputy General Director of Hapro, said that the chain’s sales in the last few days have increased by many times over last week.

The Hanoi Food Company has sales of VND3.5bil a day, or four times more than ordinary days. Hanoi Supermart Company has reported sales up by 2.5 times, reaching VND1.2bil per day. Long Bien Online Trading Company has reported sales of VND1bil per day, while the figure is just VND300mil per day on ordinary days.

Vu Thi Hau from Nhat Nam Company, which owns Fivimarts, also said that demand has increased by five fold, and believes it will continue to increase.

When asked why the Tet market has just heated up in the last few days, retailers say that labourers have just got Tet bonuses from employers.


Domestic commodities the first choice

It is clear that most consumers have shifted to use Vietnam-made products instead of imports and they prefer purchasing commodities at supermarts instead of traditional markets.

For the first time, supermarts prove to be competitive with traditional markets in terms of pricing. It is because supermarts all have well prepared since the third quarter of 2008.

Canh said that Hapro has shaken hands with suppliers to stabilise sale prices.

“The brewery tax rates are expected to increase, but we have asked producers not to raise sale prices sharply,” he said.

However, though the market has woken up, retailers remain unhappy.

Even Dung, an optimist, forecasts that demand will be lower this Tet than last Tet. He said Big C is expected to see sales up by 25-30% as Big C has increased its sale area by 30% and increased the counter number by 40%. However, the demand increase will still be lower than the 35% increase of last year.

Phan Hung

[jackbl]

Thank you all!!!

There is another greeting from the same fren:
"Chuc ban ben canh BX 1ngay cuoi tuan an lanh"

I only figured out as "Wish fren beside BX 1 day X X safe happy". Anyone can help out with the missing words? Thanks!

Originally Posted by lhhuy1

Or in other words.....

đón = To go meet

mừng = happy

xuân = spring

Originally Posted by Hurricane88

Chuc ban ve nuoc don mung xuan = congratulation you come back home town to greeting new year

don mung xuan = greeting new year

[lhhuy1]

Originally Posted by jackbl

Thank you all!!!

There is another greeting from the same fren:
"Chuc ban ben canh BX 1ngay cuoi tuan an lanh"

I only figured out as "Wish fren beside BX 1 day X X safe happy". Anyone can help out with the missing words? Thanks!

This an easy one.

cuoi tuan = end of the week

[jackbl]

Lion, dragon displays welcome the new year
===================================

VietNamNet Bridge – The festive atmosphere associated with Tet (Lunar New Year) has arrived sooner than usual this year.


Fighting lions: Members of the Thanh Nghia Duong Lan Su Rong team perform a lion dance to welcome the new year.

A festival to highlight the traditional activities that Vietnamese often enjoy during the three days of Tet commence tomorrow night, and will last until February 3, the ninth day of the Lunar New Year..

The festival presents an opportunity for the younger generation to learn Vietnamese cultural values formed thousands of years ago.

The festival, hosted for the second time by the Youth Cultural House, is expected to bring both tourists and local citizens a taste of spring.

One of the festival’s most exciting activities is the dancing by more than 15 of the strongest Lan Su Rong (kylin-lion-dragon) teams in the city.

Besides the major festival, a series of mini-festivals which showcase different aspects of Vietnamese culture are being held.

For instance, Banh Tet – Li Xi (Cylindrical Glutinous Cakes – Lucky Money) will offer money and cakes to disadvantaged children.

And the Quang Trung festival commemorates the springtime victory of the emperor 220 years ago.

Another festival features Tieng Tre Xanh (the sound of green bamboo), a cai luong (reformed opera) performance. It also contains a tea show by the Tra Viet Club, kungfu, human chess and traditional dancing.

Calligraphy

One of the most attractive aspects of the festival for visitors is the display of red parallel sentences written in Chinese and Vietnamese calligraphy.

The calligraphy is drawn by more than 30 calligraphers in front of the Youth Cultural House.

The image of many ong do (old time teachers) in traditional ao dai (long dress) with red paper and Chinese ink writing Vietnamese or Chinese calligraphy serves as a reminder of the Vietnamese people’s traditional lifestyle.

In parallel

The old time teachers also practice their craft in front of Tao Dan Park, as well as Truong Dinh and Dien Bien Phu streets. People can buy the calligraphic work and display it at their homes.

The Vietnamese tradition is to hang, carve or paint parallel calligraphic sentences on pillars, walls or altars. This is a mark of ancestral worship and is thought to bring happiness and good luck to one’s house and family.

(Source: Viet Nam News)

[jackbl]

Southern Vietnam to have good weather during Tet, cold snap in north
================================================== ====

Ho Chi Minh City and the rest of the southern region will remain dry with daytime temperatures ranging from 29 to 31 degrees Celsius, allowing people to travel during Tet, the Southern Regional Hydro-meteorological Center has said.

But the north and north-central regions would be in the grip of a cold snap from January 22 to 25, the weather bureau said, predicting frost and scattered showers there.

The minimum temperature in Ha Noi would be around 10 degree celcius with light rains. The northern mountains would see temperatures going below 5 degree celcius.

The central provinces of Quang Binh and Thua Thien-Hue would have rain and temperatures at 14-16 degree celcius, while Da Nang and Nha Trang would have good weather.

Dak Lak Province in the central highlands and Da Lat would have temperatures of 7-10 degree celcius but the weather would otherwise be good for traveling.

The Southern Meteorology and Hydrology Forecasting Center warned people not to travel to Phu Quy Island off Binh Thuan Province and the Truong Sa archipelago because of strong winds. It said ship owners must keep an eye on the weather.

Some city districts face a threat of flooding and local officials must ensure embankments are holding for people to have a safe Tet, the center said.

By Tieu Ha - Translated by Anh Dao

[jackbl]

Calmette Bridge opens to traffic
=========================

City leaders ceremoniously cut the ribbon, declaring Calmette Bridge open to traffic January 20.

The 300m long, 22-m wide, six-lane Calmette Bridge has been built over the Ben Nghe Canal to reduce the pressure of traffic on Ham Nghi and Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Streets. Its four remaining secondary sections, leading to east-west highway, will be completed in March.


Attending the function was Nguyen Van Dua, Permanent Deputy Secretary of HCM City Party Committee, Pham Phuong Thao, chairwoman of HCM City People’s Council, Nguyen Thanh Tai, vice-chairman of HCM City People’s Committee, and other agency representatives.

The East-West Highway and Water Environment Project, the contractor for the bridge project, told the ceremony of another bridge, Khanh Hoi, which will have a load of 30 tons.

The bridge helps the transportation of goods from ships on Sai Gon River across Ben Chuong Duong Road to Ton Duc Thang Street in district 1 instead of Ho Tung Mau Street.

Both the Nguyen Van Cu bridge, connecting downtown districts and districts 4, 8, and the Nam Sai Gon New Town will be finished before the lunar New Year.

Chu Y and Cha Va bridges will be completed in March.

By Q. Hung - Translated by Bao Chau

[jackbl]

Family time at Tet
====================

VietNamNet Bridge - Tet is fast approaching and Vietnamese households are busy sprucing up their homes and preparing festive feasts to welcome the Lunar New Year, which falls next Monday.

Despite the financial crisis, the Overseas Vietnamese Committee estimate there are hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese expatriates returning to their motherland to celebrate Tet this year.

A Vietnamese friend of mine, Duong Quang Phong, who lives in the US, emailed me to say that he and eight members of his family, including his 73-year-old mother Tran Thi Di, will spend Tet in their homeland in the northern province of Cao Bang, which they left almost 30 years ago.

Di says she is very excited to be coming home after so long to reunite with old friends and family. "I’m looking forward to making banh chung (square glutinous rice cake with green beans and pork) with them. I have very happy memories of chatting away to everyone as we boiled the cake. We would chat all night until the next morning!" she said.

Phong’s mother will stay at home to take part in the cung giao thua (New Year Eve) ritual, which involves giving offerings to the ancestors to say goodbye to the old year, and cung mong mot, a similar ritual which is held on the first day of the new year.

While she is busy doing that, Phong will take his wife, three children and two younger sisters to Pac Bo Cave in Ha Quang District – the famous place where President Ho Chi Minh worked and lived in 1944 before leading Viet Nam to victory against the French. They will also stop off at Ban Gioc Water Fall in Trung Khanh District near the Chinese border. "My children are very excited to be spending their Tet holidays in Viet Nam," says Phong.

Further away from home, Vietnamese communities in Los Angeles, Paris or Moscow may have added some local flavour to their Tet celebrations, but all perform cung giao thua on the eve of the new year and invite their friends to festive parties.

Hanoians are also busy filling up their calendars with activities. After family celebrations, hundreds of young people converge in the city centre, especially Hoan Kiem Lake, to watch the annual fireworks display.

In the past, it was traditional for young people to pick a branch from a tree as a symbol of spring, but local authorities banned the practice to protect the city beauty. Today Hanoians buy fresh sugar canes as a cay loc (symbol of good luck) to take home. People believe that having a cay loc, or budding branch, in the home ensures good health and luck for the coming year.

One of the most important Tet traditions is xong dat: welcoming the first guest to your home on the first morning of the new year. The custom has been around for thousands of years.

These days, people plan their first visitors very carefully. If the head of the house was born in the Year of the Horse, he must choose a man (a young and healthy one) who was born in the Year of the Goat. Inviting the right guest will bring good fortune and prosperity for the coming year.

Tet is a time for everyone to enjoy, especially children. Kids get given crisp new notes (tien mung tuoi) and new clothes for the new year. " Last Tet, I got VND5 million as lucky money which I spent on textbooks and short stories," said 10-year-old student Hoang Thai Van.

The Lunar New Year is also 80-year old Nguyen Van Cuc’s favourite time of year. "Tet is when all my family meet together, including my sons and grandsons from HCM City and Sydney. I miss them very much when they are not here so this time is really special for all of us."

(Source: VNS)

[Hurricane88]

Originally Posted by jackbl

Lately, I found that your translation is quite good hor.... Keep up the good work!!!

Not mine la...my fren is good...

[Carrot007]

Originally Posted by lhhuy1

This an easy one.

cuoi tuan = end of the week

To add-on, some useful related words :

đầu tuần = begining of the week
giữa tuần = middle of the week
cuối tuần = end of the week

Sames applies for month (tháng) or year (năm).

[jackbl]

Keep up your good work! These 2 weeks u have been very active helping me/ppl to translate... Our level will improve everyday!!!

I wanna organise a session at HM today leh...but u all mostly late owl...

I can reach by 7 liao...

Originally Posted by Carrot007

To add-on, some useful related words :

đầu tuần = begining of the week
giữa tuần = middle of the week
cuối tuần = end of the week

Sames applies for month (tháng) or year (năm).

[jackbl]

U meant ur fren a local? Vietnamese level is good??

Originally Posted by Hurricane88

Not mine la...my fren is good...

[jackbl]

VNPT to invest US $1 billion in broadband network
=======================================

VNPT will invest $1 billion in broadband networks to develop multimedia services in 2009.

VietNamNet Bridge – The Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) said this year it will invest $1 billion in broadband networks to develop multimedia services like online movie, data sharing, etc.

VNPT’s subsidiary Vietnam Data Company (VDC) in late December 2008 put into use an additional of 12.5 Gbps Internet channel, raising the total international transmission channel of VNPT to 32 Gbps, the largest capacity in Vietnam.

VNPT’s spokesman Bui Quoc Viet said the group’s investment to raise the international transmission line to 32 Gbps is among significant landmarks of development of VNPT.

Following this upgrade, VNPT will offer new added value services in 2009, for example watching movie on mobile phones (Mega Movie), data sharing (Mega Data), and website for everyone (Mega Web).

VDC has worked out its plan to expand the international Internet channel by double.

(Source: TP)

[jackbl]

Hi anyone knows this? "Ha lo bo kang"?

I wish a person "Thuong lo binh an" and the person replied me the above

[Hurricane88]

Originally Posted by jackbl

U meant ur fren a local? Vietnamese level is good??

Fren is Vn gal la...