Two houses are destroyed in North by the fire

YEN BAI — A fire destroyed two houses in Village 1 in northern mountainous Yen Bai Province's Phuc Loc Commune yesterday morning.

The fire started in a timber house owned by Phung Van Do then spread to his son's house next door.

No one was at home to extinguish the fire. 

Total damages were estimated to reach VND40 million (US$1,900). An investigation of the incident is ongoing. — VNS

The ship fire and three Vietnamese missing

HA NOI — Three Vietnamese sailors were reported missing from a Republic of Korea (RoK) ship that suffered a fire in waters southeast of New Zealand on Tuesday night.

According to an initial report from the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Rescue Coordination Centre of New Zealand (RCCNZ), of the 23 Vietnamese sailors on board, three were reported missing and four others suffered injuries.

The injured sailors were given medical care and brought to the nearest port in New Zealand.

The Vietnamese Foreign Ministry asked the embassies in NZ and the RoK to work closely with relevant local agencies to take necessary measures to help the Vietnamese seamen.

The RCCNZ yesterday said that it received an SOS from the fishing vessel Jung Woo 2 of the RoK's Sunwoo Corp. The ship, with 40 sailors on board, was ablaze in the Ross sea, about 3,700km southeast of New Zealand. — VNS 

Cattle in Nam Tra My district situation

QUANG NAM — More than 200 buffaloes, oxen and goats in central Quang Nam Province's Nam Tra My District froze to death during the recent cold spell, according to the district Department of Agriculture and Rural Development on Wednesday.

The cattle had been left to graze in the open. Last year, nearly 1,000 head of cattle in the district died from cold.

The cold killed another 100 cattle in nearby Nam Tra My District. — VNS

Discovering the meaning of things we should do and don't do in the lunar new year

For many of us younger Vietnamese, Tet always had been something very important to our families, to our culture and to our people. However, we often don’t understand certain things that the older folks in the family usually say and do during these 3 important days of the Lunar New Year. Just like many of the young Vietnamese living overseas, I have been through the age of wondering and struggling to find out the real stories and reasons behind each activity and behavior that the Vietnamese people do for Tet.You may not agree with some of the believes and traditions that I’m going to list below, but reading this list will save you a lot of headache and hopefully will help you in starting to appreciate the beauty of our Vietnamese culture and traditions:

1.Say “Happy New Year” in any language that you can when you see a Vietnamese or an Asian person. In Vietnamese, it is “Chuc Mung Nam Moi,” with a big smile!

2.Give red envelopes (Li Xi), though in the old days, only married people were supposed to do this task in the new year because married people were believed to be more successful than single individuals. However, nowadays, giving away Li Xi is an act of showing your generosity and wishing the recipients luck throughout the year. Who doesn’t like getting money from those red envelopes? Because, I DO!

3. Smile, laugh often, and be energetic. Just don’t overdo the smiling and laughing because people may misjudge you as someone recently discharged from an asylum or someone on dope. Nevertheless, seeing someone with a smile on his/her face will brighten the mood of anybody on any day, so definitely do this!

4. Offer others something sweet such as candies or “mut Tet”. People believe that sweet things will bring sweetness for the rest of the year.

5. Offer the elderly a warm cup of tea if they have lost all their teeth or have diabetes. A warm cup of tea is believed to deliver happiness, warmth, and the flavorful sweet taste to the person. Vietnamese families usually gather around during Tet to just drink tea. The tea might not be warm, but love of family is surely warm.

6. Visit all your relatives. This is your golden excuse to visit your relatives and catch up with them. This is my golden excuse to meet the rest of my crowded family members to make sure that that cute chick I’m dating doesn’t happen to be my 5th cousin. (J/K!)

7. Give anything related to number 6 or 8. This is because our culture has been tied with some aspects of Chinese culture. Number 6 in Cantonese sounds like the word “Loc” in Vietnamese, which means Luck. Number 8 in Cantonese sounds like the word “Phat” in Vietnamese, which means Prosperity. I personally don’t believe in these, but I will do anything to make people happy. So, giving $6 or $8 for Li Xi would beat the $10. In the end, I save $2 to $4 for each Li Xi and still make others happy. Nice trick huh?

8. Give anything red in color, such as watermelon, li xi, dried fruits in a red box (mut Tet), etc. The color red is associated with Luckyand High Class rankings in Asian culture, especially the ones that are heavily influenced by Chinese culture.� In addition, the color red brings warm feelings or hotness, like fire. So in short, red brings luck and warmth to the family.

9. Wear new, colorful, beautiful clothes with light colors. Put those wrinkled, stinky clothes in the washer already!

10. Give the following package of fruits: custard apple, coconut, papaya, and mango. In Vietnamese, the fruits, respectively: Mang Cau, Dua, Du Du, Xo In the Vietnamese Southern accent, the fruits will be pronounced as “Cau Dua Du Xai”, which means “wishing you having enough money to spend”. However, if you read number 4 on the 10 Dont’s List below, you will see that people usually take out the custard apple from the package due to the difficulty of finding it during Tet and the belief that 4 is a bad number. You will often see the package contains only coconut, papaya, and mango, which gives you the combination of “Dua Du Xai”, the truncated version with the meaning of “Enough Money to Spend”.

The 10 Dont’s:

1.Don’t show up at somebody’s house on the 1st day unless you have been invited by the house owner first. Otherwise, go on the 2nd day or at a later time. People believe that the first person who shows up at their house will bring to the family all the characteristics of that person. If a person is a successful person, the family will be successful. If the person has been unlucky last year, the family will be in bad luck all this new year. So it is best for you to stay home until someone has invited you over. It’s their signal of telling you that either someone already has entered their house for this year or they personally like your characteristics to have you over and bring them luck. Believe it or not, I don’t think all this luck stuff is true, but I recommend you to listen to this advice to avoid being unreasonably blamed.

2. Don’t wear dark clothing or just black and white. Dark, black, and white clothing is believed to be associated with death and funerals. By the way, wear something nice and lively–it’s New Year!

3. Don’t swear, curse, trash talk, or argue. Any of these is already bad for any time of the year, not alone the New Year…

4. Don’t give presents with unlucky signs. For example: Any foods with squid or duck meat and number 4 and 7. Squid produces black liquid, which is considered to be dirty and harmful, though the squid itself tastes super good! Ducks are believed to be stupid and their meat is dark (at least darker than chicken meat). Number 4 is pronounced as “Tu” in the old Vietnamese language system which sounds almost like “Tu”, which means Die or Death in the old Vietnamese language that is heavily influenced by the Chinese language. Most people have mistaken the fact of number 7 being a lucky number. However, in old Vietnamese language, 7 is pronounced as “That”, which is the same spelling and same sound as the word “Lost” or “Missing” in old Vietnamese language. So in Vietnamese, number 7 is actually very bad! Not as lucky as you thought. Oh yeah, and if you are in Vietnam, don’t eat or give dog meat during New Year. I’ll tell you the reason in person.

5. Don’t talk about negative topics such as accidents, deaths, or funerals. Who likes to talk about these things anyway?

6. Don’t ask someone to repay you a debt or loan. Wait until the next 2-3 weeks. People believe that if they have to repay or borrow money at the beginning of the year, they will have to borrow and repay money for the rest of the year. Best time of the year to dodge your debt, eh?

7. Don’t ask for “Li Xi” if it was not given. This is considered equivalent to asking the person to pay their debt. In my personal opinion, this has more to do with courtesy and politeness.

8. Don’t visit anyone’s house for the first 3 days of the lunar calendar if you have funeral in your immediate family in the last 3 years. Vietnamese people believe that the dead person in the family will not go to Hell within the first 3 years of his or her death. Their spirit will follow the family members for 3 years before they either get tired from it or witness the fact that the family has gotten over the fact of their death. People don’t want spirits to go into their house during New Year because gods, goddesses, and Buddhas are partying it up during this time and paying less attention in guarding the house of the owners from ghosts and spirits. So, sit home with your beloved spirit; people will come to your house to share your sadness if they are considerate. You do not want to take any stupid blame if some family sheds some blood for something that is totally unrelated to you.

9. Don’t take or ask to take things that are related to fire out of somebody’s house such as: lighters, matches, coals, fire fluid, gas, etc. Fire is considered to be the source of the warmth of the family, the desire of couple’s love. It is believed that families with fire taken away will have problems within the family. Firefighters should take 3 vacation days during Tet if their station happens to be within the Asian neighborhood.

10. Don’t take or ask to take things that are related to water out of somebody’s house such as: bottles of water, water containers, water dispensers, drinking cups, glasses, etc. People usually wish each other “Tai Loc Nhu Nuoc” or “Money and success coming in like water”. So, taking water out of somebody’s house is equivalent to taking away their wealth. If you are thirsty, drink the water inside the house, don’t take the bottle home or you will see the owner coming to your house to take back their waterbottle with an angry face.

Lastly, I wish all the readers and travelers a happy new year, a successful 12 months, an amazing 365 days, and a wonderful 8,760 hours with your loved ones!

Chuc Mung Nam Moi!

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The number of Vietnamese sailors die in boat fire

HA NOI — Three Vietnamese sailors died and at least seven others injured after the blaze of a South Korean ship, the Jung Woo 2, while it was fishing in the Ross Sea, about 3,700km southeast of New Zealand - near Antarctica.

The South Korean Embassy in New Zealand confirmed that the three sailors lost their lives while sleeping aboard the burning ship.

The NZ Rescue Co-ordination Centre received signals calling for help from the burning ship on Tuesday. There were 40 crew on board including 23 from Viet Nam.

The Vietnamese Embassy in New Zealand is co-operating with the centre to verify the identity of those killed.

An investigation is being made into the cause of the blaze.

A series of burned motorbike happened make officials worried about the quality of fuel

HCM CITY — Agencies under the Ministry of Science and Technology (MST) have been told to examine the quality of 3,000 fuel samples taken from filling stations across the country.

The results of the inspection will be used to identify whether low-quality gasoline is the main cause behind recent vehicles fires, according to Tran Minh Dung, chief inspector of the MST. Inspections conducted in 2011 found sub-standard fuel. 

"We must wait for the results of the comprehensive inspection on this issue," said Dung.

Automobiles and motorbikes are popular means of transportation in Viet Nam, but many users have failed to use them safely, ignoring periodic maintenance and lubricant renewal.

Some of them have even installed extra equipment on their motorbikes, said Dung.

Inspections of the gasoline samples from vehicles that suddenly burst into flames showed that the fuels in the gas tank were standard octane, methanol and water.

Dung said that claims that the low octane index had affected fuel quality, leading to the vehicle fires, were irrational.

He said the major errors made at 1,537 filling stations that were inspected last year were the use of unregistered pumps and broken pumps that gave inaccurate measurements.

In addition to fuel quality, there are various reasons behind these recent vehicle fires.

"Relevant authorities are working seriously on these issues," he added.

In related news, Deputy PM Hoang Trung Hai has asked the MST to report to Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung the results of the inspections on fuel quality conducted in 2011.

Suspected fuel

Gasoline samples taken from suspected gas stations in HCM City passed quality inspections, according to a report of Quality Assurance and Testing Centre 3 yesterday.

The tests were conducted in response to suspicion that traders were mixing low-performance fuel with additives to improve its combustion. The samples were taken from stations in Binh Thanh and Thu Duc districts, all of which received gasoline from a tank truck that was found to be holding mixed fuel in early January.

However, experts still doubt the quality, saying that potential errors in the procedure could have affected the results. — VNS

Visit Hoi An and taste specialty in Hoi An

Many people come to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hoi An for its well-preserved architecture. Walking around Hoi An, it's easy to get lost in time and be shuttled back to an age when the river-front city was the largest harbor in all of Southeast Asia. It's very easy to understand why Hoi An is such a top tourist destination in Vietnam. I, however, came to Hoi An to eat. It just worked to my benefit that I had such lovely setting to do it!

There are a number of local delicacies specific to Hoi An that can draw a traveler to and persuade them to stick around Hoi An for awhile. I know because I fell in love with Hoi An's specialties and ended up eating my way around town for almost two weeks (well, also because I was having clothes custom-made but more on that in a later post)!

Although many restaurants serve up all the usual Hoi An dishes for a few dollars a plate, heading to the street stalls is really where you'll get the authentic taste and the local price!

Com Ga
Com ga is as ubiquitous in Hoi An as pho is in Saigon on so you'll be able to find it on nearly every street corner. It's a straightforward meal of seasoned rice and shredded chicken, served with a side of fresh onions, greens and mint leaves. Nothing about com ga will change your life but it certainly makes for a filling meal when you're in the mood for something simple and fast. The tastiest spot I found was away from the city center, near my hotel on Hai Ba Trung at the family-run Cafe 619. I'll let you in on a secret though; their com ga is good, but not half as good as their savory pork. Same meal, different meat, but trusts me on the pork!

Cau Laucau lau hoi an
Cau lau is a bowl of doughy flat noodles served with bean sprouts, green vegetables, slices of juicy pork and croutons. The secret to a good cau lau is said to come from the water from the Ban Le well in town. Whatever the secret ingredient may be, the taste is simply delicious! The best street cau lau can be found along the river, just outside the Citronella Restaurant near the old Japanese Bridge. They add sprigs of fresh mint into their bowl of cau lau, and it makes all the difference!

White Rose
With such a pretty name as White Rose, you can expect something as delicate and light as these steamed shrimp dumpling-like appetizers. Trust me, they're small and you'll need something more substantial for a full meal. In any case, no meal in Hoi An truly starts without a plate of White Rose on the table.

Fried Won Tonsfried won tons
Delicate and crispy fried won tons topped with fresh ingredients is another Hoi An specialty to help start a meal right. I'm typically not one to indulge in fried foods, but the fried won tons are light and tasty, not greasy and oily. With a number of toppings to choose from such as beef and duck, as well as vegetarian options, these friend won tons can win over anyone, no matter how picky an eater.

Dessert at Cargo
Perhaps the best surprise in all of Hoi An is the delightful bakery found at the wildly popular Cargo restaurant. The chocolate cheesecake literally changed my life! It's rich, creamy and the milk chocolate topping is absolutely divine. So good that I had to have a slice three days in a row! In fact, every dessert I tried at Cargo was fabulous, including the cinnamon waffle served hot off the grill with a scoop of ice cream. Magnificent! An evening is not complete in Hoi An without a stop in Cargo for dessert and once you try one, you'll find it hard to not keep going back.

Iphone gets sparks fury in China

BEIJING – Thousands of Chinese shoppers queued for hours in freezing temperatures on Friday as the new iPhone 4S went on sale, sparking angry scenes when staff at the Beijing Apple store refused to open its doors.

Customers threw eggs at the glass front of the store in Beijing's upmarket Sanlitun shopping district, and shouted at staff to open the doors so they could buy the new phone, which was supposed to go on sale at 7:00am Friday.

Frustrated shoppers attack a security guard outside the shop after police with megaphones shouted at the 1,000-strong crowd to go home and said the new iPhone would not go on sale.

"IPhone 4S is Steve Jobs' best, that's why I want one. I will be really upset if they don't open the doors," said Li Tianye, 29, who had travelled for two days by bus to get to Beijing for the launch.

Some of the 1,000 or so people gathered outside the store from the early hours on Friday said they had been paid 100 yuan (around US$15) each by touts to stand in line and wait for the doors to open.

Calmer scenes were reported in Shanghai, where Apple stores had opened to large crowds and the phone was on sale.

While not officially available in mainland China until Friday, the new model has been on sale for months at a premium on the black market, after being smuggled in from neighbouring countries and from Hong Kong.

Apple, which had said the latest version of its hot-selling iPhone would bee released in China and 21 other countries on January 13, did not immediately return calls for comment on why the launch was delayed in Beijing.

Die-hard fans in China, which has the world's largest online population with more than 500 million users, have been known to line up for days to get their hands on the latest Apple products.

Greater China – which includes Hong Kong and Taiwan – has become Apple's fastest growing region, with revenue there second only to the United States.

The California-based company has recently expanded aggressively in China, opening its first store in Hong Kong and its third in Shanghai last September, which brings the total to six in Greater China.

In July, an American blogger uncovered fake Apple stores in the southwestern city of Kunming, where even staff working there did not appear to know they were fake. AFP

An online newspaper issued

HA NOI – The Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism yesterday launched the online newspaper, To Quoc (Fatherland) at www.toquoc.gov.vn or www.toquoc.vn, for domestic and international news.

The online newspaper was developed from a five-year online news page. Culture, tourism and sport columns will inform the public of the ministry's activities as well as management work.

According to the newspaper's Editor-in-Chief, Mai Linh, there are about 90,000 visitors per week. The pages are updated three times per day, providing information related to politics, the economy, society, culture and tourism. The newspaper also has an English language version. VNS

Vietnam national cakes in Tet holiday

Banh Chung is a traditional dish considered an essential element of the Tet – the Lunar New Year of Vietnam.

The origin of Banh Chung can be traced to Hong Bang Dynasty – when the 6th Hung Emperor ruled the land (before the Birth of Christ). Sadly thinking he was too old to lead the country, Hung Emperor wanted to find the one to inherit his position and sit on the throne. Therefore, he held a cooking contest for his 21 sons, and who could fully satisfy his taste would be the winner.

Most princes set out on their journey to find special, exotic and far-fetched food, except for Lang Lieu – the 18th son of Hung King, also the poorest and loneliest since he lost his mother at a young age. Not having enough money to afford such delicacies, Lieu just stayed around his house. Thanks to the help of a fairy in his dream, Lieu came up with 2 types of cake called ‘Banh Chung’ and ‘Banh Day’ and started baking exactly like what he had been told.

On a spring day on which all the princes’ labor had to be presented, Lang Lieu and his wife brought Banh Chung and Banh Day to the emperor while other princes presented such expensive and unusual dishes. Others sneered at Lieu’s cakes, but Hung Emperor was deeply impressed by the special flavor of these cakes. He asked Lieu about the meaning of these cakes. Lieu said that he had cooked the glutinous rice, then molded it into a round rice cake, and called it Banh Day as it symbolized the sky we live under; he also cooked a square rice cake, stuffed it with cooked bean paste and ground meat in the middle, and called it Banh Chung, which was symbolic of the earth we live on.

banh-dayAfter that, Hung Emperor decided that Lieu was the winner and passed his throne to him. Since then, Banh Chung and Banh Day become traditional foods during the Tet.

In addition, Banh Chung can be fried to serve ‘Banh Chung Ran’ – a delicious for such cold February in Vietnam. In some other regions, especially the Southern part of Vietnam, Banh Chung can be wrap in a cylindral shape with same ingredients, called ’Banh Tet’. A similar one to Banh Tet is ‘Banh Tay’ or ‘Banh Chung Dai’ (Long Banh Chung), served solely in the North with mung bean and little or no pork, hence, can be preserved for a longer period. There are also many variations of Banh Chung according to regions, religions and likings such as Banh Chung Gu (Humped Banh Chung) of San Diu people, Banh Chung Chay (Vegetarian Banh Chung) for vegetarians and Buddhists, Banh Chung Ngot (Sweetened Banh Chung), etc.

In traditional context, the process of making Banh Chung is an occasion for Vietnamese family members to get together. Sitting around the warm fire, talking and telling each other past stories, they get ready for a New Year with lots of good wishes. Although nowadays, not many Vietnamese families keep this habit anymore, Banh Chung is still an irreplaceable dish of Vietnamese ancestor altar on the occasion of Tet. It is the evidence of the Vietnamese loyalty and great gratitude to their ancestors.

The importance of Banh Chung has already gone into poetry:

‘Thit mo, dua hanh, cau doi do

Cay neu, trang phao banh chung xanh’

Translation:

‘Rich meats, Salty onions, red couplets

Nêu tree, firecracker, green banh chung’.

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Festival in Bai Dinh pagoda

Bai Dinh Pagoda Festival starts from January 6th. Formerly, the festival only lasts for a week. Recently, with the attention and investment of the State, the complex has been upgraded into a larger cultural site which is famous not only for Vietnamese but also for foreign tourists. The festival today lasts for the whole spring in order for visitors to have more time to enjoy the beautiful and marvelous style of the complex. Since the opening of the festival, and even during the Tet holiday, many local people as well as visitors come to Bai Dinh. Almost all caves and pagodas are covered with incense-smoke; the festive atmosphere seems to overwhelm this peaceful rural area.

The ceremonies at Bai Dinh Pagoda are quite solemn since it does not only worship the Buddha and Gods, but it also attach with many important historical events of the nation with famous people like Quang Trung, Dinh Bo Linh, etc. That’s why the ceremony is more solemn. There are the cult for the nature, religion, Buddhism and even Confucianism. In festival days, local people carry out the ceremony to greet the God out from the grotto. The ceremony is accompanied by many people performing the traditional musical instrument or holding flags; besides, the villagers both young and old do take part in this ceremony.

During the festival days, you can join in a mixed atmosphere where the youth is so energetic, the elderly is so sincere and the tourists are so happy. The complex seems to be more crowded with many groups of people stay in lines to visit the pagodas. You may not be familiar with all people here but they are all very friendly. The greeting of “Nammo a di da Phat” seems to be the most common words to be heard between strangers when they encounter each other. The atmosphere there is likely to connect people closer. It reflects the friendliness and hospitability of local people.

Bai Dinh Mountain is formed by two bow-shaped ranges of mountain which face the west. These mountains cover a three-hectare-large valley called Thung Chua (Chua Valley). Passing through more than 300 rock steps, you will reach the Bai Dinh Mountain top, you will reach a cavern. It is said that “Mr. Red Face”, the guard of the pagoda complex is also worshipped in a grotto on the path leading to the cavern on top.

Tourists then reach an intersection: on the right hand side is the cavern which worships the Buddha, on the left hand side is another cavern which worship the Fairy. Step in and you will be impressed by the solemn statues situated within fanciful scenery; you may feel like you are in a fairy land with illusory thought.

After that, tourists will have chance to visit another grotto which worship a talented general of Hung King named Than Cao Son. Continue to move forward, tourists will reach a green valley with many species of precious herbs which had once been used by Thanh Nguyen (Nguyen God) to produce magical medicines. Today, such kinds of herbs are still used by local people for medical purpose.

There are many other caverns and grottos to be visited like Tien Cavern (Fairy Cavern) with seven smaller caves inside. Bà Chúa Th??ng Ngàn (Godess of the Forest) is worshipped here. There are fanciful stalactites around, each of which can be named by the imagination of tourists. The time has left its remains on these stalactites; and now they have become wonderful works of the nature.

Coming to Bai Dinh Pagoda Festival, tourists will find that there is a love for nature in this historical festival. It is a chance for each visitor to memorize back to the past when their forefather started to set up the country.

There are many activities like ném còn (throwing ball), play cards, tug of war) to take place during the festival days which attract the participation of many tourists. Many traditional games which are held during the Tet holiday are also interesting for visitors.

Book and calendar are displayed in Ho Chi Minh exhibition

Source: tuoitre.vn A book and calendar festival 2012 has opened at the Ho Chi Minh C Exhibition Center on January 4th 2012. The event is organized by companies such as Dong A Culture, Phuong Bac Culture, Huy Hoang Bookstore and Lien Viet Media and Culture, introducing an array of the latest books and calendars, including 8 kinds of new bloc with 2000 copies. Beside this, the festival also displays 7000 book titles of the units: The Youth Publishing, Kim Dong Publishing House, Nha Nam, Bach Viet, Long Minh, Dong Tay which belong to topics of children, encyclopedia, literature, business administration, science-life... Visitors to the festival will have the opportunity to enjoy discounts of 20% to 80% on the books and calendars on display. They will be given a Dai Nam calendar for each bill worth over VND200,000. The event runs until January 15th at 91 Le Thanh Ton Street in HCMC’s District 1./.

Vietnam, the only country helped Cambodia in their difficult period

Cambodian PM Hun Sen

Cambodia is grateful to Vietnamese soldiers for getting rid of the Pol Pot regime, allowing the country's revival until today, Prime Minister Hun Sen told the press on January 7. Cambodia is celebrating the 33rd anniversary of the country’s liberation.

At the recent UN-endorsed trial of former Khmer Rouge leaders, one of them made a statement distorting history and the contribution of Vietnamese soldiers. Would you care to comment?

PM Hun Sen: I heard about Noun Chea, a former Khmer Rouge leader, lying at the court. They do not admit their mistakes and  turn to accuse other people, even suggesting an invasion by Vietnamese soldiers. That’s just their logic, the defense of the murderers. They say this to lighten their sins. If they’re right, why do we need an international trial for them today? Everyone knows that Cambodia had a genocidal regime and our country has used global support to set up the hearings to punish those committing the crime. We do not need to respond to their lies or defense.

Harish and Julie Mehta, authors of your biography, said you had expressed anger when asked about the invasion of Cambodia by Vietnam.

PM Hun Sen: Not only the Mehtas but several people have also told me that the contribution of Vietnam’s military forces to Cambodia was huge, but considered it an invasion. I strongly reject anyone saying that Vietnam invaded Cambodia. The presence of Vietnam’s military in Cambodia was for the sake of the Cambodian people. That presence has led to the revival of Cambodia today.

Is there any country that has helped Cambodian people as much as Vietnam? No. Only Vietnam helped Cambodia during its hardest time.

Of course I reacted when the Mehtas mentioned the presence of Vietnam’s military in Cambodia over ten years from 1979 to 1989 as an invasion. That I totally could not accept, since the presence of Vietnam’s military was to liberate Cambodia people from the genocidal regime led by Pol Pot and to prevent the return of the regime. The presence of Vietnam’s military in our country was no surprise. Many people of our country had been killed by Pol Pot, why wouldn’t we ask Vietnam for help? Vietnam would withdraw once Cambodia was strong enough. And the fact is Vietnam’s military withdrew from Cambodia in 1989. And they have not returned for more than 20 years now.

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Vietnam, Cambodia celebrate victory over Pol Pot with new monument

Do you have a message for Vietnamese veterans and families of the soldiers killed in the war in Cambodia?

PM Hun Sen: I’d like to send my regards and gratitude to all Vietnamese people, Vietnamese veterans, and those who died in the war for the sake of Cambodian people. We will forever remember the Vietnamese soldiers who sacrificed their lives for Cambodia.

I cannot express how meaningful the word “Vietnam” is. But I can put it simply this way: Vietnam means the revival and development of Cambodia.

Thanh Nien News