DEPARTMENT OF TRANSLATION AND INTERPRETING

ADVANCED TRANSLATION WEEK 6 – PRACTICE

Vietnam’s agro-products: Strategies for safeguarding intellectual property rights needed
Safeguarding intellectual property rights in agriculture is not a new issue in Vietnam. However, Vietnamese
agricultural producers and exporters still do not have a good grasp of the necessity of ensuring these rights in the
long run and how they can formulate a strategy for doing so.
Inadequate attention to intellectual property rights in agriculture leads to many drawbacks such as loss of trademark
rights (consider, for example, Trung Nguyen Coffee in the United States; Phu Quoc fish sauce in China, Australia
and the U.S.; and ST25 rice, which a foreign enterprise registers as a trademark for rice) or registration rights for
intellectual property protection (applicable to, say, plant variety or innovations). Market share may be eroded and the
financial cost incurred by brand development or research and development (R&D) can be squandered.
In the long run, specific strategies for intellectual property rights are beneficial. They fuel innovations across big,
medium and small enterprises, which will thrive in a knowledge-based economy. The risks of instability triggered by
natural disasters or dwindling demand can be lowered, opportunities (new markets and better funding prospects by
virtue of better products) may arise and the firms‟ reputation will be polished. Enterprises can also recoup investment
in R&D (via licensing, transfer of intellectual property rights and so on).
To flesh out appropriate strategies for safeguarding intellectual property rights that stoke production and boost
consumption in both domestic and overseas markets, enterprises should focus on the following factors.
First, these strategies should identify intellectual properties that a firm has or will have.
In agriculture, these intellectual properties of enterprises are mainly industrial property rights (trademarks, patents,
geographical indications, trade secrets and plant variety protection). Two attributes are worth highlighting. First, the
intellectual property rights are country-specific (registration in a country is effective only in that country). Second,
the early bird catches the worm (first come, first served). Understanding both attributes will enable firms to actively
safeguard their intellectual property rights, especially in overseas markets. Once a market has been identified, firms
should apply for intellectual property protection there. There are some systems under which protection applies across
several countries (such as trademark and plant variety protection in Europe) to reduce registration fees and simplify
registration procedures.
It is crucial to have a clear understanding of a country‟s laws. For example, plant variety protection differs from
country to country. In most countries, it applies to new varieties that meet other criteria such as uniqueness,
consistency and stability (Article 158 of Vietnam‟s Intellectual Properties Law). New varieties are not eligible for
patents in these countries. However, in some countries such as the U.S., apart from plant variety protection, patents,
including utility patents, can be issued for such cases as methods that generate new varieties. Consequently, many
new plant varieties are patented in the U.S. Aware of these differences, enterprises will not lose opportunities to get
new patents and acquire fresh intellectual property rights.
Second, effective and long-term strategies should include plans to sustain and safeguard intellectual property rights.
To ensure that the protection is in force in the long run, big firms often appoint representatives that look into
administrative matters such as fee payments to ensure that the rights will remain. Enterprises should be ready to
intervene when offenses arise, as in the case of ST25 paddy. Firms need to make good use of intellectual property
rights and capitalize on such activities as licensing and transfer of rights.
Complex regulations on intellectual property rights mean that firms should seek help from experts on marketing and
market survey, so that the strategies formulated will be efficacious. Creative collaboration among enterprises,
farmers, research institutes and the Government will help to develop and safeguard intellectual property rights. The
damage inflicted by the lack of strategies may far surpass the costs of developing them.
All-out war against drink driving
Changes are afoot now, at least so expected by policymakers, when new regulations against drink driving with tough
sanctions took effect this week. The aim is high: zero tolerance against any riders who drink so as to further pull
down traffic fatalities this year.
Decree 100/2019 was just issued by the Prime Minister this Monday and took effect Wednesday, with radical
changes made in the new regulations. Days earlier, several campaigns had been launched to rally support for the new
rules to thoroughly change the public mindset on drink driving.
The new decree, issued to provide guidelines for implementing the Law on Prevention and Control of Harms of
Alcoholic Drinks which also came into force on January 1, slaps excessively heavy sanctions on driving under the
influence. Accordingly, automobile drivers found with alcohol in breath or blood samples exceeding Level 3 as the
highest one will be subject to a fine of VND30-40 million and have their licenses revoked for two years, while even
bicycle riders violating such terms are subject to a fine of up to VND600,000.
Apart from tougher sanctions, what makes the new decree prominent is that it covers all those riding vehicles with
zero tolerance, while the former regulations were more lenient to riders of motorcycles and bicycles. As seen in local
media, officials expect the new rules to drastically reduce traffic accidents at a time when efforts to this effect have
paid off.
With the new law to imminently take effect, the Government has launched the Traffic Safety Year 2020 with an aim
to reduce traffic accidents and fatalities by between 5% and 10% compared to 2019, says the news site vov.vn, citing
officials at a special campaign last Saturday in Hanoi. Speaking at the campaign, organized by the National
Committee on Traffic Safety, Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh noted that over 17,600 traffic accidents
happened in 2019, killing 7,624 and injuring 13,624 others, falling by 5.06%, 7.15% and 6.42% respectively. The
leader is quoted by the news site as saying that after 20 years, “the number of traffic fatalities has returned to the
level of the year 2000 when the number of people killed in traffic accidents was around 7,600,” although the number
of vehicles has increased nine times.
The senior leader notes that “2020 will mark the first year the country implements the Law on Prevention and
Control of Harms of Alcoholic Drinks, so the Traffic Safety Year is launched now with a strong message: no drink
driving,” according to the news site of the Voice of Vietnam radio station.
While many people argue that the new rules are too extreme with zero tolerance, as many people will likely be
subject to tough fines with the minimal alcoholic residues after days of drinking, officials defend the law.
Khuat Viet Hung, vice chair of the National Committee on Traffic Safety, stresses in Tuoi Tre that the stringent
regulations are aimed to protect human lives.
“In 2013, we conducted a survey of 18,000 people hospitalized due to traffic accidents, and found that 40% of them
were related to drink driving,” Hung says in the newspaper. In addition, in certain localities, the ratio was as higher
as 70%, and in an exceptional case, all patients rushed to hospital for treatment after traffic accidents in a six-month
period were related to drink driving, according to Hung.
“The all-out ban against drink driving provides an opportunity for road users to be aware of a new red line. As the
new rules take effect, they should be aware that taking just a sip of alcohol and then driving will constitute a
violation of the law. This will help change perception, as people will no longer bargain with themselves how much
they can drink, as they previously behaved under the former regulations,” Hung says in Tuoi Tre in an interview.
Citing an instruction from Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh, Hung furthers that dealing strictly with drink
driving should be a significant gift for all, since such a tough stance will ensure safety for both drivers and the
community.
In Vnexpress.net, vice chair of the National Assembly Committee for Social Affairs Dang Thuan Phong confides
how he is happy with the zero-tolerance policy, saying “this is a strong message that has the overwhelming support
from the society.” The NA official comments that he used to drink on special occasions such as wedding parties and
would ride a motorcycle home, but “from today, I will no longer do so and will take a taxi home or walk home,
instead.”
Phong goes further to discourage excessive drinking, pondering in the news site “how the momentum for
development can be created, how the labor productivity can be improved and how the society can thrive if young
people are indulged in excessive drinking.”
The new rules against drink driving have the widespread public support, according to media outlets.
In Nguoi Lao Dong, many readers throw their support behind the ban.
“Wonderful…. It is hoped that enforcement agencies will execute the law strictly,” says a reader in the paper.
Another reader named Kim Thanh says she fully supports the new ban, having seen the great consequences borne by
the society in the past due to drink driving, while a reader named Cao Van Hoat hopes that “the society will no
longer shoulder the heavy burden as consequences of traffic accidents caused by drunk drivers.”
A survey in Tuoi Tre Online shows that as many as 7,900 readers as of this Monday advocated for an absolute ban
on drink driving, while some 1,200 others suggested minor changes to the ban.
Citing the survey on Tuoi Tre Online, Khuat Viet Hung observes that the all-out war against drink driving has won
massive support from the public. “Although there are people saying that we are too strict, the widespread public for
the most part agrees that the ban is meant to control accidents, protect human lives, and the health of drivers and
others, which should be seen as a law of humanity,” he is quoted as saying.
In baogiaothong.vn, the vice chairman of the National Committee on Traffic Safety expects positive changes to come
soon owing to the new law. “If we implement the new law, it is certain that traffic accidents will be reduced strongly
this year and in the coming years, since drink driving is the key culprit behind the majority of traffic accidents,” he is
quoted by the media outlet.

The future of cash

As a result of the pandemic, fewer people are using cash and more have moved to a variety of digital payment
options. But don’t count cash out yet.
Banknotes and coins have been very visible casualties of the Covid-19 pandemic. Even in India, where cash is still
king, ATM use dropped by about half in April. Since the pandemic began, nearly half (46%) of respondents in Asia
and the Pacific say they are using cash less often according to a Mastercard survey, a trend that has been replicated
throughout the world.
The pandemic has proved to be a trigger event accelerating an already inexorable trend. Cash was used for 87% of
payments in the United Kingdom in 1985, but for only 23% in 2019. In urban parts of the People‟s Republic of
China, use of the two most popular payment services, Alipay and WeChat Pay, was already rocketing before the
virus struck. A 2018 study found that 98% of people with smartphones in cities used their devices for mobile
payments.
Non-cash payments are still dominated by credit and debit cards issued by banks and other large financial
institutions, but there are plenty of disrupter technologies looking to challenge the dominance of Visa (849 million
cardholders worldwide) and Mastercard (767 million). If a shopper in Shanghai is likely to reach for WeChat, a
Manila diner might buy her meal using GCash, and a New Yorker might buy his coffee by waving his Apple watch
at a card reader.
Some of these technologies do more than simply replicate in-store transactions. In the United States, Venmo operates
like a digital wallet as well as a social media feed, making peer-to-peer transfers simple – like settling a shared
restaurant bill with friends. The app now boasts more than 50 million user accounts, with a net payment volume of
US$31 billion in the first quarter of 2020 alone.
The move away from cash has been bolstered by two other powerful trends: the rise of online shopping and a striking
willingness to trust gadgets. The People‟s Republic of China dominates global revenues from online shopping with a
projected market volume of $1 trillion in 2020, far higher than the combined total of the next four countries (USA,
Japan, UK, and Germany, in that order). Meanwhile, although smartphone sales have levelled off in recent years,
there are still more than 3 billion smartphone users worldwide.
Asia is leading the way: the three countries with the most smartphones are the People‟s Republic of China, India, and
the US, each of which has well over 100 million users. For anyone born this century, performing any sort of action,
financial or otherwise, it is likely to seem much more natural using a phone or card than a clumsy, dirty analogue
equivalent, such as bills or coins stuffed into a wallet or purse.
Should we worry? Any trend that seems to privilege wealthy city-dwellers at the expense of poor, elderly, or
otherwise disadvantaged populations has to be a concern. While headline data from the People‟s Republic of China
seem to indicate a country that has fully embraced the digital future, 30% of the country‟s population does not own a
smart phone and is therefore excluded from most forms of electronic payment. Similar groups exist in all countries:
8.4 million US households had no bank account of any kind in 2017.
One of the groups with the most to lose from a cash-less economy is the criminal class. Unfortunately, a move to
electronic payment may just end up replacing a more traditional type of criminal, who hides high denomination
banknotes under the mattress, with a new technically savvy felon who can hack into an account and siphon out the
unfortunate owner‟s funds. Here it is worth pointing out that money held in most apps is not insured by such
agencies as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in the US or protected by many banking regulations.
Is this the end for cash? After the pandemic, many recently acquired habits will remain, including electronic
payments. Even farmers‟ markets, usually a cash environment, have increasingly begun to accept electronic
payments. New fintech products come to market every month, and poor and marginalized populations will use them
if they see an advantage in doing so.
Think of remittances: domestic helpers in Singapore and construction workers in the Persian Gulf have been sending
money home electronically using cell phones for over a decade because they find the apps simple and cheap
compared with traditional remittance channels charging higher transfer fees.
If cash is on its way out, its departure will be staggered. Some countries, including Finland and the Republic of
Korea, have already turned their backs on banknotes (more than half of the Republic of Korea‟s 1,600 bank branches
no longer accept cash deposits or withdrawals).
In others, a lingering death seems more likely. For cultural, demographic, and economic reasons, cash is deeply
embedded in the daily life of some countries. For farmers in Indonesia, vendors in Cambodia or pedicab drivers in
Bangladesh, the concept of using an app over cash is still far-fetched. But it is a lot more plausible now than it was
before the pandemic.

Fighting traffic gridlocks: Hanoi needs more than one hero

Expertise from both Vietnamese and Norwegian specialists helps find solutions for Hanoi‟s urban mobility
challenges, which has been labelled self-evidently complex.
It was 6:30 p.m. at Nguyen Trai-Khuat Duy Tien intersection – coined as the most „modern‟ 4-level intersection in
Hanoi, thousands of vehicles of all kinds were fighting for their rights of way. The noise of vehicles‟ engines, the
relentless honking sounds, the overwhelming smell of exhaust fume, and the intolerable heat and humidity of the
early summer day in July could easily discourage the bravest souls from driving through this area during rush hours.
Yet, this traffic nightmare is the daily experience of millions of urban residents who often commute via major
thoroughfares connecting the city‟s central and the rapidly expanding urban fringes of Hanoi.
The mantra „Can‟t rush in Hanoi‟ could help some daily commuters to maintain their calm and sanity while plying
through the crowded streets. Nevertheless, with the rapid growth of the capital city, numerous megaprojects aiming
to expand road networks and upgrade the public transit system have failed to deliver any transformative changes.
Finding solutions for Hanoi‟s urban mobility challenges is self-evidently complex. However, we believe that the
starting point to think about the recipe for the city‟s transport and mobility system should incorporate a
multidimensional perspective. Such an approach should focus on not only improving the efficiency and accessibility
to transport services but also maintaining the social coherence and long-term livability of the city. With this premise
in mind, we provide some suggestions to solve one of the most pressing challenges in Hanoi today.
Public transport as the backbone
For a city of nine million inhabitants, Hanoi‟s public transit network is gravely inadequate. Public transit in the
capital city relies on a fleet of only 1,546 public buses and one BRT lane, and only accounted for 8-9% of the total
trip demand in Hanoi.
The lack of reliability, safety, accessibility, comfort, and convenience are among the reasons deterring people from
relying on public transit for their journeys. Continuing investments in buses and metros should be a top priority to
keep public transit growing on par with increasingly higher and more diversified mobility demands. Making public
transport more accessible and convenient for population groups that often have lower levels of mobility and higher
reliance on public transport, such as the elder, the poor, the disabled, children, women, and students, should also be a
priority. This requires changes in the planning and design of public transit facilities and changes in policies and
incentives targeting these groups.
Furthermore, the lack of first-mile and last-mile mobility options is among the main factors that discourage higher
public transit patronage. This is most evident in new urban areas, where public transit coverage is often lower than
the urban core. Using private motorbikes and cars is more convenient and often the only choice for people living in
these new urban areas to move around. A range of solutions can be introduced to address these problems, from
improving walking facilities to investing in new bike or e-bike stations around terminals for public transit users.
Additionally, taking advantage of the existing network of motorbike taxis is also a feasible option. Traditional
motorbike taxis and the new ride-hailing motorbike taxis can help people reach their destinations in areas located far
away from the main streets and inaccessible by bus or metros. Other Southeast Asian cities can serve as good
examples for Hanoi here. In Bangkok or Jakarta, motorbike taxi fleets are often run and organized by both the
drivers‟ organizations and local transport authorities and play an essential role in the intermodal transport systems. In
Vietnam, however, transport authorities have been reluctant to work with the motorbike taxi due to its long-standing
informal status. We urge a change of mindset and recommend transport authorities and agencies to work with
motorbike taxi drivers to improve their valuable services for public transit users.
Car is not the future for urban transport
In recent years, with rapid growth in personal income and declines in automobile import tariffs, cars have become
more affordable and available for the upper and middle classes in Vietnam. While research and studies often
highlight the adverse social and environmental problems associated with heavy car usage, the uncritical reception
and adoption of cars in Vietnam are problematic.
Besides providing a safer and more convenient means of transport, cars are considered as a status and wealth symbol.
However, on a more practical level, the car today represents the most significant threat for traffic in Hanoi. Cars
occupy significantly more space than motorbikes and even encroach upon sidewalks due to the lack of parking
facilities. On many narrow streets, a single SUV can cause hour-long traffic jams. In the long run, transport planning
centered around automobiles often causes more problems than benefits, ranging from increasing noise and air
pollution through traffic-related injuries to declining general well-being and social connection within urban
communities. Expanding road networks and building new urban expressways to accommodate automobility also
incur hefty costs and dry up public investments into public transport, walking, or bicycling facilities.
Thus, stricter restrictions on car use must be thoroughly considered. As Vietnam enters more free trade agreements,
tariffs for cars are expected to drop dramatically, and more people can afford cars for private use in the future. The
city‟s government needs to stay ahead of this trend and introduce measures and organize infrastructure in ways that
limit car use, such as creating car-free zones, especially in areas where narrow roads and streets cannot accommodate
cars‟ movements.
Embracing the motorbike and bicycle
Another recommendation we propose is to stop blaming the motorbike and instead embrace this two-wheeled
vehicle. As a city that grows organically for most of its history, many districts in Hanoi are connected by a labyrinth
of narrow and winding streets, accessible only by motorbikes, bicycles, or on foot. With its flexibility and high
maneuverability, the motorbike is a champion in this condition and becomes the primary vehicle that enables the
daily movements of people and goods. This system of „motor-mobility‟ is also an essential catalyst for socially and
economically conducive interactions, from going shopping at local markets, picking up kids from schools to meeting
with friends and families. Furthermore, the motorbike is crucial for many other urbanites, such as street vendors,
market merchants, motorbike taxi drivers or delivery persons, who rely on motorbikes to earn a living and provide
essential services for the functioning of the city. Therefore, an abruption to motorbike‟s mobility will hit the poor and
the less privileged the hardest and risk upsetting Hanoi's existing social fabric and vibrant street life.
We try to avoid romanticizing the motorbikes here as the motorbikes are still among the top CO2 emitters on the
streets. However, erasing the motorbikes and two-wheeled mobility options from the future is not what we will
recommend. Other solutions, such as introducing incentives to replace old and polluting motorbikes or to drive up e-
scooter usages, are more suitable for Hanoi. E-scooters that can compete with the traditional petrol-driven motorbike
are suitable low-carbon transport solutions for Hanoi. Furthermore, the e-scooter industry can also be a potential
industry for Vietnam to pursue, instead of the automobile industry, which has failed to take off despite numerous
government efforts.
Furthermore, making Hanoi bicycle-friendly again is our final recommendation. The bicycle is a clear winner in
terms of CO2 emission, even compared to public transports. Hanoi has a long and proud history of bicycling.
Bicycling today remains a favorite way of exercising, especially during the pandemic when other forms of
entertainment and exercise were inaccessible. However, making a bicycle renaissance come true requires a
significant shift in mentality and serious consideration of the role of bicycles in the planning and design of the city.
Reallocation and redirection of funding from automobile-friendly infrastructure to bicycle-friendly infrastructure
should also be implemented to build roads and facilities that invite people to bike more regularly.
Conclusion
While carrying out all of these solutions is not a simple job, we believe that they are feasible considering the
successes in other cities across the world and Asia with similar initiatives. Furthermore, as these solutions are
sensitive to Hanoi's context, we believe that if implemented correctly, they will solve the city‟s mobility challenges
and help preserve the aesthetic, history, social fabric, and environmental landscapes of the capital city. What is also
clear is that these initiatives require close collaborations between governments, businesses, and people. It is only
through this multi-stakeholder process that Hanoi can hope to build a future mobility system that works for every
citizen. Still, the question remains whether or not the government and people of Hanoi are ready to make these
changes.

Tiềm ẩn rủi ro khi đầu tư vào các sàn Forex, tiền ảo

Tại họp báo Chính phủ thường kỳ tháng 2-2021 diễn ra chiều 2-3, lãnh đạo Ngân hàng Nhà nước Việt Nam, Bộ
Công Thương, Bộ Công an đã thông tin về một số vấn đề liên quan đến sàn trao đổi tiền tệ trên thị trường tài chính
toàn cầu và tiền ảo...
Liên quan đến dấu hiệu lừa đảo của các sàn Forex (sàn trao đổi tiền tệ trên thị trường tài chính toàn cầu), Phó Thống
đốc Ngân hàng Nhà nước Đào Minh Tú cho biết, chỉ có các tổ chức tín dụng được nhà nước cấp phép thực hiện việc
trao đổi tiền tệ quốc tế, các sàn Forex hiện nay đều hoạt động không đúng quy định pháp luật. Việc tham gia các sàn
Forex tiềm ẩn nhiều rủi ro, không được pháp luật bảo vệ. Do đó, Ngân hàng Nhà nước khuyến cáo người dân thận
trọng khi tham gia các sàn giao dịch này.

Liên quan đến thời gian gần đây, việc đầu tư vào các đồng tiền ảo tiếp tục rộ lên, Phó Thống đốc Đào Minh Tú cho
biết, pháp luật Việt Nam không cho phép tiền ảo thay thế chức năng của đồng tiền pháp lệnh. Việc sử dụng các đồng
tiền ảo để thanh toán hoặc thay thế đồng tiền pháp lệnh là vi phạm pháp luật. Các cơ quan chức năng hiện đang triển
khai, làm rõ cơ sở pháp lý của việc kinh doanh tiền ảo, tài sản ảo để có biện pháp quản lý.

Thông tin về việc quản lý các sàn Forex, Thiếu tướng Tô Ân Xô, Chánh Văn phòng Bộ Công an cho biết, Bộ Công
an tập trung thực hiện 3 giải pháp. Trong đó, Bộ đã kiến nghị Chính phủ giao các cơ quan chức năng nghiên cứu đầy
đủ, đưa loại hình kinh doanh này vào khuôn khổ, tuyên truyền cảnh báo các nhà đầu tư về các dấu hiệu vi phạm pháp
luật và xử lý nghiêm nếu đầy đủ chứng cứ phạm tội.

Thứ trưởng Bộ Công Thương Đỗ Thắng Hải phân tích, các sàn Forex kinh doanh theo phương thức đa cấp. Bộ Công
Thương khuyến cáo các nhà đầu tư không nên tham gia các hình thức kinh doanh này.