Word: hanoi
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...With the number of poor growing and reports of some going hungry, communist officials in Hanoi recently decided to hand out $12 to millions of impoverished Vietnamese on the eve of the nation's most important celebration, Tet, the Vietnamese New Year. Tet is Vietnam's equivalent of Christmas; it's a holiday of family gatherings and lavish spending on gifts. But this year, a time for giving turned out to be a time for taking. It appears that many of the cash handouts were pocketed by corrupt local officials.(See pictures from the 1979 border war between Vietnam...
...Hanoi on its own can't change the course of global events, says Alex Warren-Rodriguez, economic policy advisor at the United Nations Development Program in Hanoi. Vietnam is too dependent upon what is happening in the U.S. and Europe. "Even if you reduce interest rates to stimulate investment, that's not going to happen because there is nothing to invest in," he says. "They can do very little to stimulate the economy...
...Hanoi appears to be falling short in its efforts to inspire public confidence. The Ministry of Finance announced the stimulus package months ago but the measures have only just been implemented in the last few weeks, says Tu Anh. Now the government's image has been further tarnished because local officials have been stealing from the very people Hanoi was trying to help...
...surprised at the scope of the looting, says Tuong Lai, former director of the government-run Institute of Sociology in Hanoi. Vietnamese officials at all levels have a reputation for sticky fingers. Last Year, a survey on public-sector corruption by Transparency International ranked Vietnam 121st most corrupt out of 180 countries. "Stealing from the poor is nothing particularly new," says Lai. "But after a year of terrible difficulties, the Tet gift was supposed to be a gesture to help improve the trust of the Vietnamese people." Instead, Lai notes, it sabotaged...
...used to inspire civilians in the war effort. Sixty-two died in action. Some were regular soldiers as well as artists; others performed no military duties but chose to go on reconnaissance missions and into combat to create their works. Recruits were trained in drawing, and professors from the Hanoi College of Fine Arts traveled the Ho Chi Minh Trail to set up art courses in the Mekong Delta before dispatching their students into battle with sketchbooks, ink bottles and paint palettes...