L’Indochine française du XIXe-XXe siècle – politique et religions

La colonisation suivie du règne communiste a laissé sa marque sur l’ancienne Indochine française, constituée des trois pays Vietnam, Laos et Cambodge. Cet article vise à analyser la relation étroite entre des bouleversements politiques de la fin XIXe-début XXe siècle et l’évolution des institutions religieuses en Indochine, pour conclure sur l’interaction et l’influence réciproque entre politique et religieux

Healthcare consumers’ sensitivity to costs: a reflection on behavioural economics from an emerging market

Decision-making regarding healthcare expenditure hinges heavily on an individual's health status and the certainty about the future. This study uses data on propensity of general health exam (GHE) spending to show that despite the debate on the necessity of GHE, its objective is clear—to obtain more information and certainty about one’s health so as to minimise future risks. Most studies on this topic, however, focus only on factors associated with GHE uptake and overlook the shifts in behaviours and attitudes regarding different levels of cost. To fill the gap, this study analyses a dataset of 2068 subjects collected from Hanoi (Vietnam) and its vicinities using the baseline-category logit method. We evaluate the sensitivity of Vietnamese healthcare consumers against two groups of factors (demographic and socioeconomic-cognitive) regarding payment for periodic GHE, which is not covered by insurance. Our study shows that uninsured, married and employed individuals are less sensitive to cost than their counterparts because they value the information in reducing future health uncertainty. The empirical results challenge the objections to periodic health screening by highlighting its utility. The relevance of behavioural economics is further highlighted through a look at the bounded rationality of healthcare consumers and private insurance companies in using and providing the service, respectively

Erinnerungskultur in Vietnam

Die neuzeitliche Geschichte von Vietnam wurde von Kolonialismus und Invasion markiert. Von der Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts war Vietnam eine französische Kolonie. Während des Zweiten Weltkriegs wurden die Vietnamesische Bevölkerung von drei Machte unterdrückt: von der Feudalherrschaft (die damals nur als Strohmann regelt und keine mehr Souveränität hatte), von den japanischen faschisten Truppen, und von der französischen kolonialen Verwaltung (die wegen der Vichy-Regime in Frankreich auch an den japanischen faschisten eine Annäherung machte). Obwohl die Vietnamesen selbst gegen der japanische Armee kämpften und 1945 die Unabhängigkeit erklärten, kehrten die Franzosen nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg zu Vietnam zurück, französische Souveränität zu verlangen

The question of quality

Phuong-Thao T. Trinh, Thu-Hien T. Le, Thu-Trang Vuong, Phuong-Hanh Hoang (2019). Chapter 6. The question of quality. In Quan-Hoang Vuong, Trung Tran (Eds.), The Vietnamese Social Sciences at a Fork in the Road (pp. 121–142). Warsaw, Poland: De Gruyter. DOI:10.2478/9783110686081-011. Online ISBN: 9783110686081 © 2019 Sciendo / De Gruyte

Entrepreneurial Finance: Insights from English Language Training Market in Vietnam

Entrepreneurship plays an indispensable role in the economic development and poverty reduction of emerging economies like Vietnam. The rapid development of technologies during the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) has a significant impact on business in every field, especially in the innovation-focused area of entrepreneurship. However, the topic of entrepreneurial activities with technology applications in Vietnam is under-researched. In addition, the body of literature regarding entrepreneurial finance tends to focus on advanced economies, while mostly neglecting the contextual differences in developing nations. Therefore, this research contributes to these topics by investigating the main characteristics of a high potential market for entrepreneurs in Vietnam, which is the English language training market (ELTM). It also aims at indicating the impacts of technology on the entrepreneurial firms within this market, with an emphasis on financing sources. To answer the research questions, this study employs a qualitative analysis and conducts 12 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with entrepreneurs and researchers in the field. The key findings in our study highlight the main contributing factors to the growth of the market, both universally and context-specific for a developing nation like Vietnam. It also lists the leaders in each market segment and the industry’s potential profit margin. The results also show that most entrepreneurs in the ELTM utilized private sources of finance rather than external ones, such as bank loans. It again confirms the idea from previous works that even with the rapid development of the economic and technological landscape, entrepreneurial activities in general barely benefit from additional sources of funding. However, it also points out the distinct characteristics of the ELTM that may influence these financing issues; for example, English training services usually collect revenues from customers before delivering their classes. This is of advantage for entrepreneurs in this area and helps significantly reduce the financial barriers. These findings, which are among the first attempts to contribute to a better understanding of entrepreneurial opportunities in the Industry 4.0 in Vietnam, provide valuable insights for policymakers and entrepreneurs, as well as investors

Hanoi’s early 20th century: “On the second floor - Phố Phái”

And not just look; one needs to know where to look as well. In this case: look upwards, on the second floor of the old townhouses, which has not been replaced by showcasing pavilions or modern glass doors. Some houses have been repainted, but the architecture – the form of the story, the shapes, and construction of the balconies, the decorating sculptures – still exudes a century-old familiarity. So it turns out that Phố Phái, though no longer intact, is still present here

‘The painting can be fake, but not the feeling’: an overview of the Vietnamese market through the lens of fake, forgery and copy paintings

A work of Vietnamese art crossed a million-dollar mark in the international art market in early 2017. The event was reluctantly seen as a sign of maturity from the Vietnamese art amidst the many existing problems. Even though the Vietnamese media has discussed the issues enthusiastically, there is a lack of literature from the Vietnamese academics examining the subject, and even rarer in from the market perspective. This paper aims to contribute an insightful perspective on the Vietnamese art market, and hesitantly the Vietnamese art as well, through the lens of fake, forgery and copy artworks. 35 cases of fake, forgery and copy paintings were found on the news and from the experts' wisdom. Through the examples, we argue that the Vietnamese art market is a temporary reaction to the immaturely rising of the Vietnamese art and the economy. Therefore, the art market is unable to function healthily unless the Vietnamese art and the economy developed

Mechanistic Studies Of Thermobifida Fusca Exocellulase Cel6B

Understanding the mechanism by which cellulases catalyze cellulose hydrolysis can greatly contribute to the development of biofuels. The thermophilic bacterium Thermobifida fusca, a major degrader of plant cell walls in certain environments, secretes seven different cellulases including exocellulase Cel6B. This cellulase acts by an inverting mechanism; however, its catalytic acid and base residues had not been identified. Biochemical approaches confirmed D274 to be the catalytic acid residue. A single catalytic base residue could not be determined, as sodium azide assays showed no activity rescue for any single mutations of candidate residues. However, a double mutation of D226A and S232A knocked out enzymatic activity and its activity was partially rescued by sodium azide. We therefore propose a novel hydrolysis mechanism for T. fusca Cel6B involving a proton-transferring network to carry out the catalytic base function. T. fusca exocellulase Cel6B was also engineered to gain knowledge on the relationship between processivity and synergism as these properties are important for hydrolyzing crystalline cellulose. Mutations of several residues in the active site tunnel of Cel6B gave higher processivity. This improvement was confirmed by two assays: the ratio of soluble/insoluble reducing sugars as well as the ratio of oligosaccharide products. Surprisingly, the mutant enzyme, which has the highest processivity, showed the least synergism in mixtures with endocellulases, suggesting that improving exocellulase processivity might not always be an effective strategy for producing improved cellulase mixtures for biomass conversion. The highly processive Cel6B mutant enzymes were successfully fluorescently labeled, so these species can be used to visualize binding and track their movement on cellulose. The catalytic domains of Cel6B was found to bind non-productively to other polysaccharides; therefore, the balance between specific binding and non-specific adsorption should be always considered when engineering cellulases for hydrolyzing complex substrates. Using immuno-precipitation, Cel6B was demonstrated to contribute greatly to the hydrolysis of crystalline cellulose by T. fusca

Economic evaluation comparing the cost-effectiveness of center-based compulsory rehabilitation (CCT) and voluntary community-based methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) in Hai Phong City, Vietnam.

The study in this dissertation compared the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of two dominant heroin dependence treatment approaches: center-based compulsory rehabilitation (CCT) and community-based voluntary methadone treatment (MMT) in Hai Phong City, Vietnam. CCT centers are institutions in which people who use drugs are confined for two years. MMT has been internationally recognized as an efficacious treatment for heroin dependence and was introduced in Vietnam in 2008. The design was a pragmatic, combined retrospective and prospective, non-randomized cohort over three years (with data at five time-points). The study was conducted between 2012 and 2014, involving 208 CCT participants (of which 80% were followed up) and 384 MMT participants (of which 78% were followed up) with heroin dependence. Mixed effects regression models were used to analyze the effectiveness data and non-parametric bootstrapping methods were used to estimate cost-effectiveness. The study found greater effectiveness of MMT treatment for four outcome measures (‘heroin use’ (β=4.03, SE=0.16, p<.0001), ‘drug-free days (in the preceding 30 days)’ (β=17.51, SE=0.49, p<.0001), ‘BBV risk behaviors’ (β=0.41, SE=0.09, p<.0001), equivalent to OR=1.51, and ‘monthly drug spending’ (β=-4,863,100, SE=262,400, p<.0001)). The analyses did not support the hypothesis that MMT was associated with greater effectiveness pertaining to two outcome variables ‘illegal behaviors’ (β=0.19, SE=0.11, p=0.09) and ‘overdose’ (β=0.03, SE=0.21, p=0.62). Over three years, MMT cost on average VND85.73 million less than CCT (95% CI: -VND76.88 million, -VND94.59 million). On average, a MMT participant had 344.20 more drug-free days compared to a CCT participant and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.001). The results suggested that MMT dominated CCT (both less expensive and more effective). The study findings have been and will continue to be used for drug policy advocacy in Vietnam. Scientific evidence is only one type of information available to politicians. Information, including scientific and other types of information, has to compete with ideologies and self-interests to gain primacy in policy making. Evidence can make a difference, particularly in countries that take pragmatic approaches to health problems like Vietnam

The debates and the long-awaited reform

Trung Tran, Phuong-Thao T. Trinh, Thu-Trang Vuong, Hiep-Hung Pham (2019). Chapter 1. The debates and the long-awaited reform. In Quan-Hoang Vuong, Trung Tran (Eds.), The Vietnamese Social Sciences at a Fork in the Road (pp. 17–32). Warsaw, Poland: De Gruyter / Sciendo. DOI:10.2478/9783110686081-006 Online ISBN: 9783110686081 © 2019 De Gruyter / Sciend