By Joe Fotalattee
New Year’s Gifts Delivered To Soldiers And Civilians
Vietnam+ reported on December 21, Navy Region 4 ships with officers, soldiers, and journalists headed for the Spratly Islands from Cam Ranh military port in the central province of Khanh Hoa.
The ships will dock at islands and islets in the region and deliver supplies and gifts to locals and the soldiers stationed there in honor of the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet).
by Joe Fotalattee
According to Reuters, US defense firms discussed supplying military equipment to Vietnam including helicopters and drones, a new sign that the country may reduce its reliance on Russian arms.
According to the US-ASEAN Business Council, which organized the meetings, Lockheed Martin (LMT.N), Boeing (BA.N), Raytheon (RTX.N), Textron (TXT.N), and IM Systems Group met with officials on the sidelines of the country’s first large-scale arms fair last week.
According to a Reuters source present at the weapons discussions, the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of National Defense was involved.
US defense companies are in talks to sell helicopters and drones to Vietnam. Vietnam hosted the country’s first international arms expo in Hanoi. Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, and Textron are all looking to sell weapons.
Vietnam is United States’ Seventh-Largest Trading Partner.
By Joe Fotalatte
According to Bloomberg data, Vietnam is on track to surpass the United Kingdom and enter the top seven trading partners of the United States this year.
The UK would be absent from the group for the first time since 2004, according to the news outlet.
According to Census Bureau data, the UK’s share of trade with the US fell by 2.6% during the first ten months of the year, while Vietnam’s increased to 2.7%.
For nearly two decades, the top seven US trading partners in terms of goods have consistently been Canada, Mexico, China, Japan, Germany, and the Republic of Korea.
Vietnam Fire Department Saves Lives
by Joe Fotalatte
The Flemington building in District 11, Ho Chi Minh City, caught fire around 12:25 this afternoon, with 200 people trapped by the blaze.
Firefighters responded quickly to the information and arrived on the scene to use ladder trucks to rescue four people trapped on the building’s 14th floor.
When the fire alarm went off, many people in the building tried to move to the lobby by the stairs. Many individuals were, however, confined to their living quarters.
Fourteen fire trucks and 80 firefighters responded to put out the fire, and with help from local police, gave instructions to 200 people on how to escape the building.
The Fire Prevention and Fighting and Rescue Police Division (PC07) of the municipal Public Security Department said it was working with the District 11 Police to conduct an investigation.
Pending Trump Indictments On State And Federal Levels
By Joe Fotalattee
On Monday, the U.S. Senate’s January 6 committee urged the Justice Department to prosecute civilian Donald Trump for Obstruction of Justice, Inciting And Aiding An Insurrection, Conspiracy To Defraud The United States, And Conspiracy To Make False Statements.
Normally, at The Beat, we avoid repeating a criminal’s name or news outside Vietnam, but the complete lack of coverage in the local Vietnamese press highlights the misunderstanding of US politics on a local level. Therefore, we will share the details of four charges the former president could face from the justice department.
These offenses relate to the former president’s actions during last year’s uprising in the U.S. and his attempts to overturn the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
The Justice Department will now be the center of attention as it decides its approach to prosecution.
ASSISTING IN AN INVASION OR CAUSING ONE
The committee’s attempt to hold Trump responsible for the riot itself — for both his actions and inaction as well — is exemplified by the inclusion of this statute.
According to the law, Trump did not need to plan his uprising with his supporters. Instead, one could break the law by simply encouraging an uprising or offering support to those who are already taking part in it.
Following the attack on the Capitol, the House impeached Trump on a charge of incitement; however, the Senate later found him not guilty. He urged the crowd to “fight like hell” that day while also directing them to travel to the Capitol.
The committee notes that on January 6, Trump invited rioters to Washington. The committee documented some of the alleged rioters charged by the Justice Department have cited Trump’s tweets encouraging them to come as their inspiration.
The … Read more
By Joe Fotalattee
The recent release of a World Bank study is raising awareness of the severity of Vietnam’s plastics pollution. Findings would be obvious for those of us who can see millions of civilians sipping like toddlers from sippy cups while sitting inside cafes. Perhaps, you don’t need that single milk tea delivered across town cradled in plastic coverings. Vietnam needs to regulate the plastics industry, and businesses need to be more socially responsible and accountable. Takeout habits need to be curbed as Styrofoam food containers were among the top five items in waterway pollution.
Here are some other key findings:
The World Bank study was carried out from July 2020 to April 2021 in response to a request from the Government of Vietnam. Its goal was to gain a deeper understanding of the various plastic waste types that leak into rivers and the ocean in Vietnam and to identify alternatives.
The report covered three areas:
1- Field surveys on riverbanks and at coastal sites to assess the level of plastic pollution and the top 10 polluting items
2- Remote sensing and net trawl surveys to track plastic waste in waterways that flow into the ocean
3- Examining substitutes for Vietnam’s most polluting plastic products
Riding A Motorbike Is Fun In Vietnam Until It Isn’t
By Joe Fotalatte
The BBC recounted the tragic death of two tourists back in May 2002. Denver Barfield, 24 from Leicester, was on holiday when he and University of Leicester student Beth Thompson, 24 of Essex, died in a tragic bike crash.
The BBC previously reported that on the evening of May 15, Mr. Barfield and a few of his friends went out to bars and clubs near their backpacker hostel in Hoi An. On the morning of May 16, between 03:19 and 03:24, Mr. Barfield and Miss Thompson were seen on CCTV entering the hostel on a motorbike. The coroner stated that after seeing this video, “nothing to suggest that Denver was excessively intoxicated by alcohol or any other substance” was present.
After Miss Thompson and Mr. Barfield were seen riding off, they were later seen colliding on Hung Vuong Street. According to a Vietnamese police report, the motorcycle struck a curb and hit a pole.
Foreigners have many options for bike and car transport, especially in the late hours, including apps from Bee, Gojek, and Grab.
By Joe Fotalatte
On December 21, the police of District 12 (HCMC) detained Pham Hoang Em, 34, Vu Van Tuan, 28, Vu Duc Hoang, 42, and Vu Hoang Tan, 18, to investigate acts of sex trafficking under the age of 16.
On December 12, the police of Dong Hung Thuan Ward, in coordination with District 12 police, checked the hotel owned by Le Thanh Doan and his wife Le Thi Hue.
The police questioned Tuan, Hoang, Tan, hotel staff, and 11 girls, which included a 14-year-old victim.
Tuan, Hoang, and Tan’s group managed and guarded the girls not letting them leave the hotel. They pick them up and dropped them off to prevent the girls from leaving, which constitutes the crime of kidnapping.
Through initial testimony, District 12 police quickly determined to arrest Hoang Em in Can Tho City.
