Vietnam News and Discussions

[caltrek]

Vietnam ‘Ramps Up’ Island Building In South China Sea
November 18, 2023

Introduction:

(Eurasia Review) Vietnam has actively pursued its major expansion plan in the disputed South China Sea, nearly doubling newly-reclaimed areas in one year, a new report said.

Since December 2022, “Vietnam has created another 330 acres [133.5 hectares] of land” on rocks and reefs within the Spratly archipelago, according to the report by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, or AMTI, at the U.S. Center for Strategic and International Studies, or CSIS, think tank.

That was in addition to the 420 acres (170 hectares) reclaimed in 2022.

“By contrast, Vietnam had created just 120 acres [48 hectares] of land in the Spratlys between 2012 and 2022,” the report said.

“This all adds up to about a quarter of the more than 3,200 acres [1,295 hectares] of land created by China from 2013 to 2016, but it is far more island expansion than any other claimant besides China has undertaken.”

Read more here: https://www.eurasiareview.com/18112023 ... ina-sea/

[caltrek]

Advancing Reproductive Health in Vietnam: GENOLIFE and BGI Genomics Join Forces
December 27, 2023

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) On October 16, 2023, BGI Genomics completed the first-ever NIFTY® technology transfer program in Vietnam. NIFTY®, its proprietary non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) product, will be utilized by the GENOLIFE Genetic Technology Institute laboratory based in Hanoi.
Covering an area of over 1,000 square meters, GENOLIFE is the country's largest gene sequencing laboratory and leading provider of genetic analysis tests, including hereditary cancer gene testing. All equipment systems for performing CE-IVD compliant NIFTY® testing are directly installed by BGI Genomics experts accompanied by a rigorous training program.

In line with Vietnam’s Health Ministry recommendation to replace or supplement pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) and free beta human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) tests with NIPT, this cooperation between GENOLIFE and BGI Genomics will provide Vietnamese women with NIFTY® tests which are a non-invasive method to screen for trisomies such as trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome), trisomy 18 (Edwards Syndrome) and trisomy 13 (Patau Syndrome).

Oraphan Wanacharoen, a BGI Genomics Field Application Scientist involved in training GENOLIFE, commented, “We are committed to make genetic testing affordable and accessible to all of Vietnam. Our NIFTY® technology is highly accurate and fast. This will greatly enhance the detection of trisomies and boost reproductive health in the nation.”

This technology transfer enhances reproductive health outcomes in the country and enables Vietnamese women to access one of the most comprehensive NIPT on the market, with the ability to screen 118 chromosomal abnormality syndromes for the fetus while optimizing time and testing costs.

Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1029863

[wjfox]

Truong My Lan: Vietnamese billionaire sentenced to death for $44bn fraud

1 hour ago

It was the most spectacular trial ever held in Vietnam, befitting one of the greatest bank frauds the world has ever seen.

Behind the stately yellow portico of the colonial-era courthouse in Ho Chi Minh City, a 67-year-old Vietnamese property developer was sentenced to death on Thursday for looting one of the country's largest banks over a period of 11 years.

It's a rare verdict - she is one of very few women in Vietnam to be sentenced to death for a white collar crime.

The decision is a reflection of the dizzying scale of the fraud. Truong My Lan was convicted of taking out $44bn (£35bn) in loans from the Saigon Commercial Bank. The verdict requires her to return $27bn, a sum prosecutors said may never be recovered. Some believe the death penalty is the court's way of trying to encourage her to return some of the missing billions.

The habitually secretive communist authorities were uncharacteristically forthright about this case, going into minute detail for the media. They said 2,700 people were summoned to testify, while 10 state prosecutors and around 200 lawyers were involved.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-68778636



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