On Friday, March 5, U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission, Virginia Palmer hosted Women in Vietnam: Equal Rights and Equal Opportunities, a panel program discussing the lives and challenges of women in Vietnam today. In recognition of International Women’s Day, more than 80 participants joined in a lively discussion with Ms. Palmer and panelists, Madeline Felix, Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, Luu Hong Anh, Student, Hanoi and Raffles University, Le Hong Tam, Student, Foreign Trade University and Le Hong Diem, Student, Hanoi University. This event also kicked off a program series to be hosted by the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi in partnership with the U.S. consulate in HCMC to explore the issues that are impacting the lives of women in modern day Vietnam. As part of the yearlong series, events with students, academics, journalists, business and political leaders, men and women will be held on issues such as health, sexuality, leadership in business and politics, and domestic violence.

.Reference resource: Click Here.

It’s certainly not Christmas time here yet and that’s not the kind of snow you want to be making snowballs with!

But in all seriousness, these people have a tough enough daily life as it is without the additional effects of extreme environmental pollution to deal with too. The Ba Bo Canal has been intensely polluted by toxic wastewater discharged from nearby industrial parks since 2004, with no policy remedy on the horizon. The government really makes a concerted effort to tackle with these pollution issues before it’s too late.

Some quick numbers at a glance for Ba Bo Canal:
2000-3000 local households affected by pollution at Ba Bo Canal
9600-15,000 cubic meters of toxic industrial wastewater discharged into the canal per day
22,000 times over the permissible level of toxins released into the canal

.Reference resource: Click Here.