'Essence of Vietnam' mediaworks competition

Due to the overwhelming number of good entries for the competition, I have decided to select more than just 3 winners. I have categorised them into the Main category winners, the Secondary category winners, and the Special Mentions. The following 3 posts are their final winning works. .

Cheers and enjoy...
Mr Irfan Darian

Winners of the 'Essence of Vietnam' Challenge

Here are the main winners of the 'Essence of Vietnam' challenge, not in any order of merit:

• Lincoln Chu

• Benz Kew

Winners of the 'Essence of Vietnam' Challenge - Secondary Winners

There are the secondary winners of the 'Essence of Vietnam' challenge, not in any order of merit:

• Kimberly Ong

• Grance Tan

Winners of the 'Essence of Vietnam' challenge - Special Mentions

These are the 3 Special Mentions winners, not in order of merit:

• Lim Hao Yang

• Cassandra Ong

• Tay Kun Yao

Essence of Vietnam - Benz Kew

Dear all,

I am unable to upload the video on to the blog. However, you can download and view it here.

Cheers and regards,
BENZ Kew

Day 6 Reflections-Jaime Pang

On the 6th day,we went to Vincom Centre,An Dong Market,Lotte Mart and CO.OP Mart.
The interior of Vincom Centre seemed like any other shopping centre that could be found in Singapore.In Vincom Centre,there were many things to see,however most of the goods were branded and could not be afforded by Vietnamese with an average salary.

It was very crowded in An Dong Market as the shops were very closely arranged.We noticed that the people will place their clothes in a box and wrap it up,for unloading and loading of goods,they will then roll it down the staircase to the other person at the end of the stairs.From there,the other person will stop the rolling box and carry it to the truck for transportation.

After visiting An Dong Market,we went on to explore the difference between two supermarkets.
Firstly,we went to shop at Lotte Mart.Lotte Mart is a korean supermarket.Most of the things and food sold there are imported from other countries.Other than selling of food,they also sell things like clothes and others.Inside of Lotte Mart,there is a fastfood restaurant called Lotteria.This shows that the supermarket not only earns money from middle aged vietnamese but also teenagers.

Secondly,we went to visit CO.OP Mart.Unlike Lotte Mart,CO.OP Mart is a local supermart that sells local Vietnamese products.The price of grocery sold in CO.OP Mart is much cheaper than those sold in Lotte Mart.
Both Supermarket required customers to leave their bags in provided lockers if the bags brought were larger than a certain size.This precaution was probably taken to protect the custorners' safety.

Day 5 Reflection - Jaime Pang

 Sorry for late reflections;(

On the 5th day,we first went to Becamex where we saw the model of Binh Duong New City.Parts of the city are grouped into different categories,some were used for residental needs,some for further investigation in high-tech science,and many more.

Photo 1: Model of Binh Duong New City

After visiting Becamex,we went on to explore the campus of Eastern International University that was not fully completed yet.We were told that the EIU recruits their students after their campus is completed,instead of recruiting their students before the campus starts building like the other schools in Singapore.

Photo 2: Eastern International University Building

Photo 3:Model of Eastern International University

We went to visit the Vietnam-Singapore-Industrial-Park where we saw many design and layouts that were adapted from various places in Singapore.They had street signs placed by the roadside to warn drivers of road restrictions,many roads in Singapore use this design.

Photo 4: TOMBO factory in Vietnam

Photo 5: Model of Vietnam-Singapore-Industrial-Park

Photo 6:Street Sign by the roads in VSIP

Reflections for Day FOURFIVESIX- Part 1

Sorry for the late reflections! 

On day 4, we went to the Can Gio Bio Reserve. The boat ride to the island is so...short. I did not pay too much attention as I was busy taking photos but I'm pretty sure they just turned the boat around and then we reached. Then there was this long and bumpy journey to the reserve. Upon setting foot onto the reserve I couldn't help but think about Singapore's Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.... It was a very familiar sight, with the planks and everything. After attending a presentation, we had a long... Long walk to the place where we planted mangrove saplings. The next thing we did was to visit a local family living on the river. I was quite amazed at how the family built the house themselves. We listened to the head of the family talk about how their daily life was like, and their part in conserving the reserve. It was their duty to protect the place from illegal tree cutters. Overall, after that day, I realized how fortunate I am to be living in a nice environment to grow up in. I should be thankful for what I have and that I shouldn't scorn at people who are not as fortunate as I am. 

Day 6 Reflections - Carisa Chan

On the 6th day, we went retail marketing at shopping centres, supermarkets and markets. First, we went to Viacom Center, a shopping mall more on the higher end. Once we entered, we were greeted by the cool air-conditioning and the aisles were very spacious. The goods sold there are branded and much more expensive than those found elsewhere. This shopping mall is more modernized as compared to the markets we see on the streets.

Photo 1: Some shops in Viacom Center

Next we went to An Dong Market, where they sold all kinds of foods, clothes and ornaments. The goods sold here are rather inexpensive and it is acceptable to haggle here. The aisles here were not as spacious as compared to the Viacom Center and it was difficult to get through the aisles from one end to the other. We also saw some people pushing their goods down the stairs to transport it or store it somewhere else.

Photo 2: People pushing their goods down the stairs

Next we went to the Lotte Mart and the CO.OP Mart, and we found departmental stores, fast food restaurants and a huge supermarket inside. The things sold here are more expensive as compared those sold in CO.OP Mart. Also, Lotte Mart is owned by foreigners (Koreans) and CO.OP Mart is owned by the local people. Lotte Mart also has more shops and I felt that the place was more "filled" as compared to CO.OP Mart where there is only a few shops on the second floor and it was rather empty.

Photo 3: Outside of CO.OP Mart

Day 6 Reflections - Pei Shan

Today we went shopping!

A apple retailer @ Vincom Centre

First we went to Vincom centre. It is a very modern shopping centre, similar to shopping centres in orchard road. Most of the goods there are branded and they are very expensive. They have shops like Converse, apple retailers and many more. It is a shopping mall more for the rich. The structure of the shopping mall is rectangular shaped with the one escalator on one end and the other one on the other end.

Picture of the person transporting the goods by rolling it down the stairs.

@ An Dong Market

Secondly, we went to An Dong market, which is a traditional market. It is similar to our wet markets, just that it does not only sell food, but clothes too! The shops there are very close to each other and its very stuffy. You have to squeeze through the aisle because firstly, it is very narrow, secondly, the stall owners are sitting around on small stools. They also have an interesting method to transport goods from a higher level to a lower level. As the main entrance of the an dong market has many steps, they would roll down the package to get it to the bottom level. The goods are most probably clothes as if they were food, it would be badly damaged.

Thirdly, we went to Lotte Mart. After that, we went to CO.OP mart. The goods in Lotte Mart are more expensive than those in CO.OP mart. They do not sell any fake goods. They had long travelators for customers to move from one level to the other. They used travelators instead of escalators so that customers can bring their trolley along with them. Lotte Mart is a korean mart. We also have one in Singapore. It is similar to our giant megastore.

CO.OP mart is a local mart. The prices of goods here is cheaper than in Lotte Mart and there are also fake goods. Both the supermarkets had this system of locking bags in lockers. This is most probably for security reasons.

Retail marketing in Vietnam and Singapore has a huge difference.
Retail marketing in Singapore is more mordernized than in Vietnam. The most common place to shop for food is supermarkets like NTUC, Giant and Sheng Siong. The most common place to shop for other stuff are shopping malls. The malls are air-conditioned, goods are of better quality, the goods there are of fixed prices and there are no bargaining. In vietnam's markets, most of the things are not of fixed prices and they can be bargained. It is not air-conditioned and they sell a lot of fake goods. Even in local supermarkets, there are fake ones.

The retail marketing in Singapore is well developed. Our most common places to shop at are our shopping malls, which is like those expensive and luxurious shopping malls in vietnam. Whereas in vietnam, the retail marketing is not as well developed.

Reflection- Day 4 Elgin Patt

I learnt that by controlling certain human activities in a certain area, you can create an area in which the natural environment can thrive. Taking Can Gio Biosphere as in example, the government has been paying volunteer families that are provided housing in the area to take care of the organisms there, and giving them the authority to report any offenders that are harming the area that they are looking after. I find that due to the conservation, the mangrove swamp in the biosphere also acts as a natural sewage system for the waste coming from the factories in the city, therefore it plays an important part.

Mr Ethan's slides

Here is the pdf version of Mr Ethan's presentation slides (combined into a single file) for your reference.

http://www.mediafire.com/?i59n2a22oqnp38n

DAY 06-Casandra Ong

Entrance of CO.OP Mart

Outside of CO.OP Mart

After the visit to both supermarkets, Lotte Mart and Co.op Mart, I have made some observations and comparisons. Lotte Mart is a foreign company, owned by Koreans, whereas Co.op Mart is a local supermarket. The differences of the companies range from their products to the building of the supermarkets. The products sold in Lotte Mart cost more than the ones sold in Co.op Mart. I have also observed the choice of escalators and travellators used in each supermarket. In Co.op Mart, escalators are used to travel from one level to another, whereas in Lotte Mart, travellators are used instead. This shows that the locals who buy less would shop at Co.op Mart, hence they do not need travellators for the trolleys. On the other hand, the rich who buy more and need the trolley will shop at Lotte Mart, thus have travellators.

I observed that the advertising methods in Vietnam compared to in Singapore is slightly different. Advertisements are commonly on buildings and huge billboards in Vientam. Most of the advertisements in Vietnam are enlarged to attract the attention of the public. Unlike Singapore, they seldom have advertisements on buses.

The country’s development is dependent on and related to the development of retail markets, which is also one factor of the country’s economy. Hence, vice versa. As the country develops, its population would require more and there will be more demand for products. For example, as the country develops, there would be more families who because wealthier and would want to upgrade to cars instead of motorcycles. This will result in a demand for cars, which increases the the sales of automobiles. Construction of road will be necessary, creating more jobs.

DAY 05-Casandra Ong

Model of City Plan

Kimberly-Clark Vietnam @ VSIP

VSIP

I have learnt that it is important to take in consideration the convenience and safety of the people that utilize the facilities. It is not only important to invest in the main facilities but to also invest in other factors that will affect the efficiency and productivity of the facilities. A good example will be the new road that Singapore invested in to enable a smooth and safe journey for the heavy vehicles that travel everyday back and forth from VSIP. The new road replaces the rocky and disoriented ‘road’ in the past, which created danger and inconvenience to the drivers. By investing in the new road, it will bring ease to transporting the products made in VSIP to other places for business. This will increase the productivity of VSIP.

It is essential to have ‘breathing-space’ in a city. This promotes living and not just business in a city. It attracts people to stay in the city for long term as it promotes suitable lifestyle for living and not just a hectic business city. Land is reserved to build breathing-spaces, such as parks and water bodies for outdoor activities. These breathing-spaces serves as a get-away for the people from their busy lives.

It is important for countries to have close relationships with other countries as it will benefit both parties. An example would be the founding of Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park. A country such as Singapore does not have sufficient land and manpower to manufacture products, as land is high-on-demand and manpower is expensive. Therefore, it is ideal to locate a local (Singapore) industrial park in another country, where land and manpower is cheaper. This is where the importance of close relationships with other countries come in. Good relationships with the country will allow Singapore to easily obtain permission to set up her business overseas. In the case of VSIP, Singapore has good relationship with Vietnam, therefore, Singapore is able to set up an industrial park in Vietnam. The setting up of the industrial park does not only benefit Singapore, but also Vietnam as the industrial park will create more jobs for the people of Vietnam.

DAY 04 - Casandra, Carisa, Jaime, PeiShan

Visit to Mr Long's Place

Ferry Ride- Home of a Family

Ferry Ride - Local boat, which was home to some

Can Gio Biosphere- Plants living the desert-environment

Can Gio Biosphere- Before Planting of the Seedlings

What we have learnt about Can Gio Biosphere?
The forest occupies up to 1/3 of Ho Chi Minh, 34 000Ha, and is located at the south. The forests experiences two seasons, the dry season from December to April, and the rainy season form May to October every year. The area has an average temperature of 27 degrees celsius, highest temperature of 33 degree celsius and lowest temperature of 22 degree celsius.

The mangrove forest was used as a military base during the Vietnam war. During the war, the Americans polluted the river along the forest with more than 4 million litres of herbicides to get rid of the Vietnam soldiers there. The forest was destroyed by the war.

After the Vietnam war, the government decided to recover the destroyed forest and to conserve it. In order to recover the forest, the local people had to buy mangrove trees from other provinces. Many of the local people participated and contributed in the recovery of the forest. It took them more than 10 days to transport the mangrove that they bought from the other provinces by boat. Even though they were able to get mangrove from other provinces, they lost half of the mangrove forests that they bought, due to the pests which infested those trees. When the trees grew, the people removed the small and weak trees to prevent overcrowding, for the benefit of the bigger and stronger ones.

After 1997, the government banned trespassers from damaging the forest. People were not allowed to affect the natural growth of the forest. The government then decided to split the forest into 24 parts for easy maintenance. Some parts of the forest were out of bounds, some were used for scientific research and residential purposes. Many household and agencies volunteered to take care of a plot of land of the forest. Local authorities subsidize a sum of money for the household to maintain a certain plot of land of the forest. Household who are maintaining the forest are suppose to protect the forest. They cannot allow trespassers to damage the forest by chopping down the trees. The household will be fined if they were to allow trespassers to chop the trees. If the household allow that to happen more than 2 times, the local authorities will consider to dismiss them.

What are the living conditions and lifestyle of Mr Long, who maintains a plot of the mangrove forest?
The household who maintain the forest live a simple lifestyle. Mr Long built a simple house for his family 10 years ago, out of wood. He uses wood to make the simple furniture in the house. In addition, Mr Long has the television as an entertainment and window to the outside world. We have observed that most of the furniture in his home is old and some are not in proper working order. In order to have clothes or have items of cloth material, Mr Long has a manual-sewing machine for them to make daily necessities such as clothes. In order to save money on water, we observed that the women in the house wash their dishes in a basin of water. This method enables them to reuse the water.

We also observed that some parts of Mr Long’s was an added to the house after the house was actually built. We infer that these add-ons are to improve the house, in terms of strengthening its structure, ensure security and beautifying the place. These improvements are such as the approximately two feet tall gate at the entrance of the house to keep their children inside the house for their safety. These add-ons are mostly recycled from another product.

Mr Long’s income is not very high. Fortunately, as his income is only sufficient to support his family and only have some savings, they do not have to pay taxes. Mr Long makes a living out of his shrimp farm and by taking care of a plot of mangrove forest. He will collect his harvest of shrimps and sell them to the markets in the city. On the other hand, the local authorities pay him for taking care of the plot of land and subsidies the family with electricity by providing solar panels. The local authorities also promise to build them a better home in future. Mr Long has the telephone and mobile phone, but cannot afford to use them on a regular basis due to his low income. He only uses them in emergencies to communicate the city.

On a daily basis, Mr Long has to sent his children to the city to attend school and for business. He stays far away from the city and hence, have to spent 1,000 dong on petrol to travel from home to the city.

What have we learnt?
From our visit to Can Gio Biosphere, we are glad that Vietnam is contributing to keeping the Earth green and clean by putting in effort, time and money to recover and conserve the mangrove forest which they lost during the Vietnam war. This trip taught us that recovering a forest is difficult. It was not easy to plant the seedling of the mangrove trees.
We have also learnt that we have to appreciate the fortunate blessings that we receive in our lives, because there are children like us out there who are not as fortunate as we are.