TOEIC IDOM: UNIT 4 - SALES AND MARKETING

Person A: Did you attend Sally’s presentation? 

Person B: No, I missed it, but I read her e-mail, 

Person A: It was great. No one expected her to be so plugged in to the customers’ needs. She really blew them away. I think the new product released will jumpstart our sales this quarter. It’s a long short, but I think we may reach the 5 million dollar mark. 

Person B: The new program is very user-friendly, which should increase sales. 

Person A: I agree. I think that the new management has a good game plan. First of  all, they have an excellent team. The new vice president has hired really good salespeople who interface well with the customers. She knows that good customer relationships are critical to our success. She’s also spending a lot on this new marketing campaign. She wants to go for broke.

Person B: She certainly works hard. She put in about 90 hours last week. Even if she does strike out and the campaign fails, I think she’ll go down swinging. I love her positive attitude. I hope she hits a home run. If she does, we’ll all benefit when the stock goes up. 

Person A: It’s possible. I think she is really dialed in to the customers. She seems to be able to anticipate the market, which helps her to stay ahead of the game. 

Person B: I agree. This could add up to a win-win situation for all of us.

1. Be plugged in/be dialed in: be connected or be knowledgeable about in a situation.

 If you want to know what’s really going on, ask Jim. He is really plugged in.

 If you want to be dialed in, you have to communicate with lots of people.

2. Blow someone away: greatly impress someone; exceed expectations.

 He set impossible goals, and then he achieved them. It blew his boss away.

 She blew them away when she made her presentation. They had no idea she would be so effective.

3. Jumpstart: so something to get an activity or institution working better or faster.

 Let’s jumpstart this project. It is our first priority.

 The economy was lagging, so the government tried to jumpstart it by lowering the interest rates.

4. A long shot: a very difficult goal or a goal that one does not expect to achieve

 Getting into that university is a long shot for him because he doesn’t have great grades.

 Reaching our sales goals in this quarter is a long shot because of the economy.

5. Be user-friendly: be easy to use

 This program is very user-friendly. It seems very logical.

 When a program is user-friendly, I don’t need to read the manual.

6. A game plan: a strategy or an organized approach to achieve a goal

 To get this done, we’ll need a really good game plan.

 We need to come up with a game plan to meet our goals.

7. Interface with someone/something: communicate or interact with someone or something.

 Her new job requires her to interface with the customers every day.

 The network here no longer interfaces well with the one overseas.

8. Go for broke: attempt to reach a very high goal; gamble everything

 He risked everything on the new venture. He went for broke.

 If we go for broke on this one, and it doesn’t work, we’ll be back to square one.

9. Strike out: fail or make a big mistake

 He struck out with the big account. They decided not to purchase the product.

 I don’t want to strike out on this project. I want it to be a success.

10. Go down swinging: keep trying until the end; never give it up

 He didn’t win the account, but he went down swinging. I like that guy.

 I’d rather go down swinging than not try at all.

11. Hit a home run: to be very successful

 That company really hit a home run with their new technology. Everyone is using it now.

 She has started three companies, and they’ve all been very successful. She always hits home run.

12. Ahead of the game: prepared for what’s coming; ahead of schedule

 Next month is the end of the quarter. I have to get my work finished early so I can get ahead of the game.

 Our new product should help our company get ahead of the game.

13. Add up: make sense; result in something

 It doesn’t add up. He’s losing money, but he’s still hiring new people.

 It all adds up to trouble. Changing the design and rushing the products to market  will create more problems.

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Posted in: Learning English

Hanoi: attacks continue against Thai Ha parish

Local authorities, hooligans and police intensify attacks, threats and acts of violence against Catholic religious and laity trying to defend their parish from unlawful dispossession. Dozens of people have been arrested. Prayers are being said around the world for Thai Ha.

a local uniformed civil defence team member entered the building
shouting and proffering threats against the celebrating priest

Hanoi (AsiaNews) – In the past two weeks, Vietnamese Catholics both at home and abroad have prayed non-stop for Thai Ha parish, northern Vietnam. Incredibly, 600 police and local government officials have surrounded the Redemptorist parish church, seizing its land. Redemptorist priests and religious were mistreated and threatened, but parishioners, including young people, are still gathering at Thai Ha to pray to God and Our Mother of Perpetual Help.

Communist Party officials broke the cross in Dong Chiem. They poured dirty oil on the statue of Our Mother of Perpetual Help in Thai Ha parish, broke into a church courtyard and desecrated the Eucharist in Hanoi Cathedral. In Thai Ha church, more than a hundred hooligans attacked the Redemptorists and threatened to kill them.

Local authorities, which are supposed to protect religious freedom, instead violated it. Wherever Communism and atheistic materialism rule in Vietnam, religion is oppressed.

“Many people have endured the injustice of prison without trial,” Paul Hung, of Thai Ha parish, told AsiaNews. “In the city of Hanoi, local authorities are using thugs and police agents to crack down and arrest the faithful, patriots like Fr Nguyen Van Ly, but also some 20 bloggers and 15 young Catholics.”

For many members of Thai Ha parish, the authorities “are engaged in dialogue with Redemptorist priests in Thai Ha, whilst using hooligans to devastate and destroy the parish. They use plainclothes police to break the law. They rely on hooligans to attack the faithful and the clergy so as to avoid criticism from Human Rights Watch and other human rights groups.”

Speaking to AsiaNews on ‘Teachers’ Day’ (20 November), Fr Nguyen said, “Once the educational system is built on atheistic materialism, the regime becomes egocentric and deceitful towards the people.”

“We need prayers for ourselves and for the young generation to protect us from atheistic materialism,” said Bishop Hoang Duc Oanh.

In reference to education today, he said, “Let us pray for a just educational system, one that can prepare people to be good in society. Let us pray for a harmonious development based on justice and love as Jesus taught us.”

Recently, some 500 Vietnamese-Australians organised a prayer vigil in Melbourne for Thai Ha parish and their homeland. “We have a duty to speak for those who have no voice,” said Bishop Vincent Nguyen Van Long.

Urging the gathering to pray for those treated unjustly, he said, “Our concern is for our brothers and sisters, who are victims of deceit. Let us raise our voice to demand the protection of justice and the public interest of the Vietnamese people.”

Sadly, such solidarity towards the Vietnamese Church is hard to come by in other parts of the world.
From Vietcatholic news

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Posted in: Asia,Politics,Society,Vietnam

English Idoms - Unit 3: Challenges/Difficulties

I’m feeling very frustrated. I have so much work to do, and I’m still waiting for tech support to upgrade my system to improve the processing speed. I feel like I’m doing the job of three people. I tried multi-tasking, but even when I talk on the phone and read and answer my e-mail at the same time, I can’t get everything done. I’m also having problems with my staff. I have one person who always makes waves and causes arguments with the rest of the staff. Whenever there’s a bottleneck and work builds up so that we fall behind schedule, she’s usually responsible. Our budget has been cut, so I have to find ways to save money; this means I have to cut corners on hiring, so I can’t bring on any new people. I just have to make do with the current team. I was talking with Joe, the other supervisor, during a break. He’s in the same boat. He says his job has become a pain in the neck. His boss is always in his face about something. We both feel like we’re between a rock and a hard place. My wife is going to have a baby, so I need to have a steady income. Joe is about 25 years older than I am. He was planning to retire next year, but he put all his eggs in one basket and invested in a high-tech stock that was supposed to make him a million dollars. Then the market went south and now he’s really up a creek. He doesn’t want to tell his wife about his bad investment, so now he has to keep working for a lot longer than he expected.

1. Upgrade: improve, update, or change for the better

 He needs to upgrade his job skills so he’ll be more employable.

 I upgraded my computer system so I could work better.

2. Multi-tasking: doing more than one thing at the same time.

I can’t keep up with my work. I need to try multi-tasking so I can get everything done.

He got a ticket for multi-tasking while he was driving. He was talking on the car phone and looking up another phone number while he was at the wheel.

3. Make waves: to cause troubles or problems

 I don’t want him on my team because he always makes waves and upsets the others.

 She made waves wherever she went, so she didn’t usually stay long in one company.

4. A bottleneck: a person or place that stops or slows the easy flow of ideas or products

 There’s a bottleneck in manufacturing at the third station on the assembly line.

 We need to make some changes in the process there. That department is always a bottleneck for us when we try to get anything done quickly. They always delay the process.

5. Cut corners: save money or time by substituting inferior materials or not carrying out all the required steps.

 The company cut corners on the new product by using a less expensive part in the design.

 We have to find a way to cut corners on this project because we’ve already gone over our budget.

6. Make do: complete a task using only the available supplies or people

 We don’t have enough yellow paper, so we’ll have to make do with white.

 She ran out of butter, so she made do with oil for the recipes.

7. Be in the same boat: be in the same situation as someone else

 They are both engineers who worked for start-up companies and then left to start their own companies. They are in the same boat.

 Both women have just had their first babies. They are in the same boat.

8. A pain in the neck: a difficult problem or person

 This project has had problems from the beginning. It’s a pain in the neck.

 I left that job because it was a pain in the neck.

9. Be in someone’s face: make someone uncomfortable, be confrontational

 That salesman was really in my face. I didn’t like him. He stood very close and was very persistent.

 She’s a difficult person to work with because she is always in your face. She likes to argue.

10. Be between a rock and a hard place: be a difficult position, unable to escape.

 She’s caught between a rock and a hard place. She needs to invest in research and development to be competitive, but she has to spend all the money just to keep the company going.

 He’s between a rock and a hard place. If he does what his mother wants, his wife will be angry. If he does what his wife wants, his mother will be angry.

11. Put all one’s eggs in one basket: put all one’s money or energy in one place

 Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. It’s less risky to have more than one investment.

 She put all her eggs in one basket, so when the price of gold dropped, she lost everything.

12. The market goes south: the value goes down/declines

 We were doing well with our investments for retirement until the market went south. Now, we’re all worried.

 That country was exporting coffee for a good price, but then the marker went south, and their economy is really hurting now.

13. Be up a creek (without a paddle): be in a difficult situation

If the programmer leaves without giving us any notice, we’ll be up a creek without a paddle.

Our child-care provider quit yesterday, and we are really up a creek trying to work with our new twins.

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Posted in: Learning English

English Idoms - Unit 2: MEETING WORK DEADLINES

We have a lot on our plate. For example, we’ve gotten three new projects just this week, and I don’t now if we have the bandwidth to finish the work on time. There’s only one experienced engineer who really knows the ropes. We have two new employees who catch on quickly, but this is a very heavy schedule. We need to do a dry run with the prototype before we release the software to the customer. It’s critical that we have enough time to troubleshoot problems in this program and then get the bugs out before the release. The marketing department is already advertising this software as plug and play, so it has to be trouble free an very easy to install. We can probably finish the first job by next Friday, but I think the next one will be down to the wire because we only have three days after that to finish it. I gave Don a heads up and told him to be ready to put in some overtime for the next several days. We’ll need a few days off after it’s over so no one gets burned out.

1. On one’s plate: [something that is] waiting to be done.

 We have enough on our plate right now. We shouldn’t take on more projects right now.

 She has too much on her plate. She needs to assign some of the work to another person.

2. Have the bandwidth: have the ability or capacity to handle the work

 Tech support is too busy. They don’t have the bandwidth to handle the calls.

 The company is growing too fast. I’m not sure they have the bandwidth to manage the changes.

3. Know the ropes: be familiar with job processes, procedures, or people

 We asked the new employee to talk to José because he knows the ropes and can show him around the plant.

She knew the ropes, so she had to trouble getting the work done.

4. Catch on: quickly and easily learn or understand something

 Let’s put him in charge of the new process because he catches on quickly.

 They promoted her after only three months because she had caught on so quickly.

5. A dry run: a rehearsal or practice session

 We should test this prototype first. We need a dry run before we go into production.

 I’d like to do a dry run with this speech before I present it to the whole company.

6. Troubleshoot something: identify the problems in a program or process

 We hired her to troubleshoot the problems in the process. She’ll identify them, and then the team will correct them.

We have to troubleshoot the problems before we find solutions.

7. Get the bugs out: fix any problems in software programs

 We have to get the bugs out of this new program before the release date.

 This new software engineer can get the bugs out faster than anyone on the team.

8. Plug and play: easy to install and easy to use

 I’ll be able to have this new program up and running in five minute. It’s plug and play.

 I like their products because they are so easy to use. Everything they made is plug and play.

9. Down to the wire: close to the deadline

 We have to work overtime because we’re down to the wire on this project.

 He doesn’t plan his work well, so he always has to work down to the wire.

10. Heads up: a warning that a change or new procedure is coming

 Our boss gave us a heads up about the change in the procedure.

 I’d like a heads up on any design changes so I can make adjustments.

11. Be burned out: to feel very tired and not want to continue an activity

 She was burned out. She had worked with children for many years and had lost her enthusiasm for the work.

 She decided to take a vacation because she was burned out from working seven days a week.

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Posted in: Learning English

Vietnam and the Philippines united by nature

Vietnam's Halong Bay consists of more than 3,000 limestone islands rising spectacularly from the ocean

The Philippines and Vietnam have agreed to support each other in the New7Wonders of Nature campaign. The decision was reached at the East Asia Inter-Regional Tourism Forum (Eatof) standing committee meeting yesterday in Cebu City.
The commitment to support the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River in the Philippines and Vietnam’s Halong Bay was part of the joint declaration of the Eatof, which was presented at the Cebu International Convention Center.
Cebu Vice Governor Agnes Magpale, who presided over the meeting, said it does not matter how the two destinations will be ranked, provided they gain enough support to be included in the New7Wonders of Nature.
Eatof seeks to promote tourism in 12 Asian provinces, including Cebu and Quang Ninh Province in Vietnam, where Halong Bay is located. Vu Thi Thu Thuy, vice chairperson of the Provincial People’s Committee in Vietnam, said there is no contest between Halong and the Subterranean River as Eatof will support both.
“It’s a win-win game for the strength of Eatof,” Thuy said.

The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River winds through a cave before flowing into the South China Sea 

Source: http://news.n7w.com

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Posted in: Asia,Tour in Vietnam

English Idoms in Writing

English for everybody

UNIT 1. NEGOTIATIONS

         We met with representatives from the other company for over 4 hours yesterday. Jerry didn't waste any time. He took the bull by the horns and gave them our list of concerns right away. Then he asked for a list of their concerns and put both lists on the white board, so he could be sure we were all on the same page. He told the group that we were going to have to think out of the box and suggest creative solutions. We talked for over an hour. Jerry likes to shoot from the hip, which makes some people uncomfortable because he's very direct. Because we have such different corporate cultures, I didn’t think the two groups would ever see eye to eye on the goals. However,during the second hour, Jerry said he was willing to bend over backwards and work very hard to address their concerns. I think that impressed them. He talked about the advantages of the deal, and then he really laid it on the line and left the next move up to them. At one point, I thought the other company might back out and leave the table, but Jerry kept the discussion going. There was a lot of give and take; they finally met us halfway, and we cut the deal over dinner that night. I was surprised that our relationship as competitors didn’t get in the way. Jerry was able to convince them to look at those old conflicts as water under the bridge. He got them to focus on the future, and the result was clearly a win-win situation for both companies.

1. Take the bull by the horns: directly confront a problem or challenge.

 He decided to take the bull by the horns and talk to the president about the problem.

 She took the bull by the horns and asked her boss for a raise.

2. Be on the same page: have the same understanding about the situation or information.

 I want to make sure we share the same expectations. We need to be on the same page before I give you the money to do the work.

 I need to meet with Jim before the negotiations so we are on the same page when we meet with the other company.

3. Think out of the box: be creative or non-traditional; approach a situation or problem in a new way.

 Nothing we’ve tried so far has worked. We need to ask Gordon for his ideas

because he thinks out of the box.

 Let’s brainstorm some ideas hers. Concentrate on some new and different

solutions. We need to think out of the box.

4. Shoot from the hip: be very direct; express ideas without planning.

 She likes to shoot from the hip, but honestly makes people angry sometimes.

 You usually know what he is thinking because he shoots from the hip.

5. See eye to eye: to agree about or have the same perspective on [something]

 I’d like her to be on my team. We see eye to eye most of the time.

 We haven’t been able to agree. We don’t see eye to eye on this.

6. Bend over backwards: try very hard to please someone or to do something.

 She bent over backwards to try and make him happy, but he was never satisfied.

 I want you to bend over backwards for this customer. It’s a very important account.

7. Lay it on the line: be very direct or frank

 I laid it on the line. I told him I didn’t love him anymore.

 We’re tired of all the careful words. Just lay it on the line for us.

8. Back out: change or cancel an agreement or an arrangement

The investors backed out of the contract at the last minute, so we couldn’t go ahead with the building.

 I don’t trust her. She often backs out at the last minute.

9. Give and take: cooperation or compromise

 It took a lot of give and take, but I think we finally reached an agreement that satisfied everyone.

 He was used to working alone. In his new job, he had to learn to participate in the give and take.

10. Meet someone halfway: compromise

 If you can meet me halfway, I think we can reach an agreement.

 They met us halfway, so that we could make a deal that worked for all of us.

11. Cut the/a deal: reach an agreement

 They cut the deal over lunch.

 We hope to cut a deal by Friday.

12. Water under the bridge: a part issue or problem that is no longer a concern

 Don’t worry about that mistake. It’s water under the bridge.

 Let’s not focus on an old disagreement. We need to move forward. Those problems are just water under the bridge.

13. A win-win situation: a situation where everyone involved benefits or wins.

 The negotiations went well. We both got what we wanted most. It was a win-win situation.

 I enjoy working with her. We both contribute something useful. It’s a win-win situation.

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Posted in: Learning English

Nude bath with ‘ecological’ girls on island beach

The nouveau riche, especially in the Mekong Delta, prefers ‘nouveau’ forms of entertainment befitting their newly-acquired status, such as taking a nude bath on a desert beach with local call girls whom they call ‘ecological girls’ or ‘clean vegetables.’

These two girls join a nudity bath with male clients on a beach of An Thoi Islet in Phu Quoc island district of Kien Giang Province

These are mostly young, good-looking women who are so defined to differentiate them from professional prostitutes – “polluted” females considered unsafe for men on the lookout for pleasures. These girls may have a steady job or are unemployed, single or married, but all are willing to accompany rich men during their fun-seeking trips for a handsome payment.
The temptation of earning big money for a day of fun and entertainment with rich men have turned many local girls away from conceptions of ‘virtuous’ women in this conservative Vietnam. Though not prostitutes, they agree to engage in drinking, singing and nude bath and other entertainment at night in return for VND1 million (US$50) -- more than half of their monthly factory salary.
Going into hotels with the men is not unthinkable for these girls mainly in the age group of 16-22, who measure their self-worth in money.
Nude bath on the beach
In the early morning on September 3, a real estate tycoon in Can Tho City, Le Nam, and his friends made a 500km journey towards Phu Quoc Island of Kien Giang Province to seek ‘ecological girls’ to be his drinking and bathing companions on the beach.
On the 30km road from Phu Quoc Airport to Bai Sao beach of Phu Quoc Island, a taxi driver named Thanh mentioned ‘nude bath’ after exchanging brief greetings with his passengers.
“I know many pretty girls who are ‘clean vegetables’ here. They are all good-looking and well-behaved. You pay them each from 500,000 dongs to a million depending on their physical looks,” he made a tentative sales pitch and checked in the rear mirror to see if the passengers had taken the bait.
“It’s terrific to have some ‘fairies’ to drink and take a nude bath with you on these romantic, virgin beaches here,” he tempted his guests further.
“You wouldn’t want to miss out on the local specialty for an exciting experience,” he added, feeling sure of getting some tips for his middle-man service.
Arriving at Bai Sao beach, Nam hired a small cruise ship for VND3.5 million ($170) to cruise towards the other small islet An Thoi -- about an hour ride from Bai Sao.
Three ‘ecological girls’ appeared and introduced themselves as Thuy, Diem and Lan. They got on board the ship and quickly fell in line with the men. Two of them said they worked as waitresses at a local restaurant while the third one said she was a seafood processing worker.
They all knew how to hold their liquor and keep the men in good spirit.
After some beer on the dock, Nam pulled the girl sitting on his thigh closer and whispered something into her ears, to which she only smiled shyly and looked down.
Their destination was Gieng Tien (Fairy Well) beach where there is a unique well providing fresh and clean water on An Thoi islet.
They split into pairs and went behind some large rocks half emerged from the water to take off all clothes. A moment later each pair appeared, hand in hand, rushing into the water and beginning to bathe, the water rising to their chests.
The men and women played games, splashed water on each other and burst into laughter.

After finishing a session of nude bath with male clients, this ‘fairy’ wraps around her body with a towel and walks along a beach in Phu Quoc Island (Photo: Tuoi Tre)

An assistant chef on the ship named Tuong said knowingly, “That’s nude bath. Dozens groups of rich men from Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho, Rach Gia and Ca Mau come here every week for that.”
“Some even hired my ship to travel around the Phu Quoc Island for 3-4 days with young girls. It’s completely private,” he said.
The group of girls and men remained in the water until a sudden rain poured down and they returned to the ship for one more drinking bout. The girls sat at the table with the men in their wet clothes that exposed all their underwear.
They raised their glasses and bottomed up until late afternoon.
The taxi that took them back to the hotel stopped at a jewels’ shop on the way. Each of the three girls went in and later emerged with a gift package in their hands. Lan took out a pair of ear-rings and a pearl necklace worth around VND1.5 million ($73).
“It’s worthwhile for a whole day of being submerged in the cold water,” Lan said loudly.
Just a phone call
The taxi driver Thanh boasted he has the contacts of 30 ‘ecological girls,’ especially two 19-year-old students at a college in the mainland Rach Gia.
“It costs US$100 to have each of them. They look like fashion models,” Thanh assured his guests.
He also revealed that visitors can also contact owners or staffs of any cruise ship to order the girls of any standards and pay them some tips.
Thanh even called a man he said was the owner of a ship and passed the phone to his passengers. A man’s voice on the other end of the line spoke explicitly, “I can send you the girls on Phu Quoc Island or the girls on other smaller islets such as An Thoi or Hon Thom. They are all young with sun-burnt skin and long legs. They can swim well and will go all out for you. If you agree, give me 200,000 dongs as tips.”
Taxi motorbike riders or some restaurant staff or owners on Phu Quoc are also one of the links in the supply chain catering to the rich men looking for ‘ecological girls.’

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Posted in: Society,Vietnam

Lawyers oppose China’s sovereignty breach

The Chinese surveillance vessel no 84 violated Vietnam's sovereignty on May 26.

The Vietnam Bar Federation (VBF) Sunday  issued a statement to oppose China’s violations of Vietnam’s sovereignty and jurisdiction rights over its continental shelf and exclusive economic zone.
In its statement, the VBF asked the Chinese side not to make the East Sea situation more complicated by threatening to use forces or using forces, and to conduct itself in line with the role as a member of the United Nations, especially a member of the UN Security Council and in capacity of a nation with important role in Asia-Pacific and the world.
According to the Vietnam Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson and concern agencies, on May 26, three Chinese marine surveillance vessels cut surveying cables of Binh Minh 02, a surveying ship of the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group at 12 degrees 48’25” north latitude and 111 degrees 26’48” east longitude, some 116 nautical miles off Dai Lanh cape in the central coastal province of Phu Yen and about 340 nautical miles off China’s Hainan island coast.
On late May 31, three Chinese naval vessels fired to threaten four fishing boats of Vietnamese fishermen while they were fishing at 8 degrees 56’ north latitude and 112 degrees 45’ east longitude on the continental shelf of Vietnam.
On June 9, a Chinese fishing boat supported by two Chinese fishery administration vessels deliberately hit the survey cables of Viking II, a ship hired by the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group to conduct seismic surveys, at 6 degrees 47’5” north latitude and 109 degrees 17’5” east longitude on Vietnam’s continental shelf.
Based on the UN Charter, the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties on the East Sea between governments of ASEAN countries and China, China’s above-mentioned acts seriously violated Vietnam’s the sovereignty and jurisdiction rights to its continental shelf and exclusive economic zone, making the East Sea situation continue to be tense.
The VBF has enough legal basis to announce that the acts of the Chinese side seriously violated fundamental principles of international laws – not threatening to use forces or using forces in international relations to fight the territorial integrity or political independence of any nation.
The acts also seriously violated the sovereignty and jurisdiction rights of Vietnam to its continental shelf and exclusive economic zone according to Article 55, Article 56 and Article 57, Article 76, Article 77 and Article 301 in the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and went against clause 1 and clause 4 in the Declaration of the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea between ASEAN member countries and China.
The federation demanded the Chinese side, for the strategic height and long-term relationship between Vietnam and China, to immediately stop and not repeat any violating actions within Vietnam ’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone in the East Sea and to take responsibility for paying damages caused to the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group and the Vietnamese fishermen.
The group always treasures and wants the friendship as well as the traditional cooperation between the two peoples and bar organizations to be further promoted in the spirit of respecting independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of each other, jointly dealing with differences between the two countries by peaceful means, preventing and opposing actions that harm peaceful and friendly relations between the two countries.
It requested the national bar organizations of ASEAN countries, the Law Association for Asia and the Pacific (LAWASIA) and the China Bar Association to jointly bear responsibility for protecting justice, international law, respecting independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries, maintaining peace and international security, jointly building a democratic, fair and civilized world.
The federation will do its utmost to contribute to the legal fight of the Vietnamese State and people to protect sovereignty and territorial integrity in general and seas and islands in particular in every forums by international legal institutions.

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Posted in: Asia,China,Politics,Vietnam

Vietnam in live-fire drill amid South China Sea row

Vietnam is holding live-fire drills in the South China Sea amid high tensions with China over disputed waters.

Anti-China demonstrations have been held in Hanoi for a second weekend in a row

A Vietnamese naval officer said the "routine" drills were being held about 40km (25 miles) off central Quang Nam province, outside the disputed area.
The second stage of the exercise will be held at night; shipping has been warned to stay clear of the area.
Chinese state media denounced the exercises as a military show of force to defy Beijing.
The drills are taking place within days of an escalation in the long-standing maritime border dispute between China and Vietnam.
The South China Sea includes important shipping routes and may contain rich oil and gas deposits.
Vietnam last month accused China of cutting the exploration cables of an oil survey ship. In a similar incident last week it said a Chinese fishing boat had "intentionally rammed" the exploration cables of another of its boats.
China said that its fishing boats were chased away by armed Vietnamese ships in the incident last Thursday.
The fishing net of one of the Chinese boats became tangled with the cables of an Vietnamese oil exploring vessel, which was operating illegally in the area, and was dragged for more than an hour before it was cut free, the Chinese foreign ministry said.
China accused Vietnam of "gravely violating" its sovereignty and warned it to stop "all invasive activities".
'Official sanction' The BBC's Southeast Asia correspondent Rachel Harvey says that military drills are not usually given such advance public prominence and the timing is extremely sensitive.
A Vietnamese naval officer said the "routine annual training" exercises have "nothing to do with the recent incidents involving China".
The first part of the nine-hour drill is being held around the uninhabited island of Hon Ong - well within Vietnamese territorial waters.
A second phase of live firing lasting about six hours will be staged at night, officials said.
China has not commented officially on the naval exercises, but a newspaper controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, the Global Times, said the drills were "a military show of force to defy Beijing".
Demonstrations have been held in Hanoi for the second weekend in a row, calling for China to get out of Vietnam's territorial waters.
Demonstrations are not usually tolerated in Communist Vietnam, but the authorities appear to be allowing protests related to the South China Sea dispute, our correspondent says.
China is engaged in maritime border disputes with several countries.
The Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have rival claims in the area. The US has also expressed concern about China's rising naval ambitions.

source BBC

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Posted in: Asia,China,Politics,Vietnam

China accuses Vietnam in South China Sea row

China has accused Vietnam of "gravely violating" its sovereignty in an escalating row over disputed waters in the South China Sea.

Beijing said Vietnam had endangered Chinese sailors' lives and warned it to stop "all invasive activities".

It follows an accusation by Vietnam that a Chinese fishing boat rammed cables from an oil exploration vessel inside its exclusive economic zone.

China is engaged in maritime border disputes with several countries.

Both China and the US have increased naval drills in the Asian region

The South China Sea includes important shipping routes and may contain rich oil and gas deposits.

The Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have rival claims in the area; China's claim is by far the largest.

The US has also expressed concern about China's rising naval ambitions.

Escalating dispute

China's foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Chinese fishing boats were chased away by armed Vietnamese ships on Thursday.

He said that during the incident the fishing net of one of the Chinese boats became tangled with the cables of a Vietnamese oil exploring vessel which continued to drag the Chinese vessel for more than an hour before the net had to be cut.

Hackers have taken up where protesters left off

China insists the Vietnamese vessel was operating illegally in the area.

"By conducting unlawful oil and gas surveys in seas around the Wanan Bank of the Spratly archipelago and by driving out a Chinese fishing vessel, Vietnam has gravely violated China's sovereignty and maritime rights," said Mr Hong.

"China demands that Vietnam cease all violations," he said, adding that Vietnam should "not take actions that would complicate and expand the dispute".

Beijing's strong-worded statement followed Vietnam's accusation that a Chinese fishing boat had "intentionally rammed" the exploration cables of a Vietnamese boat - the second such incident in two weeks.

That vessel, chartered by state energy giant PetroVietnam, was conducting a seismic survey inside its 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone on Thursday, said foreign ministry spokeswoman Nguyen Phuong Nga.

She described the "premeditated and carefully calculated" attack as part of China's attempts to control disputed waters.

"This is unacceptable to Vietnam," she said, adding that her colleagues had met Chinese embassy officials "to express our opposition to such acts".

On Thursday, hackers from both countries planted patriotic messages on hundreds of websites, including government sites.

It follows anti-China protests by hundreds of Vietnamese over the weekend.

Seeking resolution

China's ambassador to the Philippines, Liu Jianchao, has insisted China's intentions were peaceful and said that China was not looking for oil in the disputed waters and, therefore, no other country should.

"We're calling on other parties to stop searching for the possibility of exploiting resources in these areas where China has its claims," he told reporters.

"We will never use force unless we are attacked," he said.

The Philippine government has accused two Chinese patrol boats of harassing a Philippine oil exploration ship on 2 March this year.

The Philippines has said it has seen new structures being built on islands which it claims.

"That's part of our exercise of jurisdiction. It's not harassment," Mr Liu said.

He also rejected the involvement of the United States in regional attempts to resolve the long-running territorial dispute.

China prefers to tackle each conflicting claim with each country separately.

Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines have led regional efforts to seek a multilateral resolution of the conflict.

Source BBC

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Posted in: China,Politics,Vietnam