Human chess in Vietnam

Whenever taking part in Vietnamese village and temple festivals, you will have a chance to watch a traditional game - human chess (“cờ người”), which is the favourite to a great deal of Viet people.

Rice cooking competition

One of the meaningful acitivity in Vietnamese Tet festivals is rice cooking competition. A rice cooking competition is held to encourage women to take more responsibility in their traditional work.

During Tet holiday, a number of villages in northern and central Vietnam hold rice cooking contests that may sound simple, but follow strict and complex rules. Contestants cook in the open air while in a bamboo boat floating on the village pond. Charcoal, the usual fuel, is prohibited. Instead, each competitor receives some dried sugar cane, which burns only with difficulty. The challenge increases if it is windy and raining. Each contestant must set her rice pot in exactly the right place to take advantage of the wind and avoid extinguishing the fire.

Overseas Vietnamese given new property rights

Overseas Vietnamese living abroad who have maintained their Vietnamese citizenship are permitted to own unlimited property, according to the latest decree on implementation of the Land and Housing Law.

Deputy minister of construction Nguyen Tran Nam said that this is a change from the previous decree, which has been in force since 2001, which stipulated that only selected groups of people of the Vietnamese origin could own unlimited property.

Ha Noi issues regulations on social housing ownership

The Ha Noi People’s Committee has issued regulations concerning the management and use of social housing.

The regulation was drafted in response to public concern that the housing units would be exploited by the rich, leaving the poor unable to benefit.

Raffles City, Manama, Bahrain

Located in the heart of Bahrain Bay the new development of Raffles City, designed by Rafael Viñoly Architects, will offer 4,300,000 sq ft of mixed use residential and retail space.

Iceland’s Luminous New Harpa Concert Hall Nears Completion

Iceland’s currency may be devalued, but thankfully the same thing hasn’t happened to the country’s lust for arts and culture. The capital city of Reykjavík, will soon be welcoming the Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Center designed by Henning Larsen Architects with Olafur Eliasson and Artec.

Two-Level Berlin Central Station

The grand opening of the new rail station took place in Berlin, in 2006. Now it is the largest two-level station in Europe. It immediately received worldwide fame and the honorary title of the “Rail Station of the Year.”

A very beautiful, modern building. The upper level of the station has six tracks and eight on the lower level. It is absolutely stunning!

Cybertecture Egg, Mumbai, India

“In the 21st Century, buildings will be different from 20th Century”, say James Law Cybertecture International, “They are no longer about concrete, steel and glass, but also the new intangible materials of technology, multimedia, intelligence and interactivity. Only recognizing this will bring a new form of architecture to light, namely a Cybertecture.”

Increasing division in UK real estate market predicted with some sectors seeing price falls

High quality residential property in the best locations will outperform the rest of the UK real estate sectors in the next five years, it is predicted.

There will be an increasingly bigger division between the sectors with prime central London house prices expected to rise by 33% compared to a UK average of 12%, according to research from Savills.

Property loan rates in France drops to lowest level in 60 years

The cost of borrowing for property in France is now at its lowest level since the Second World War with the average rate falling to 3.3% in October.

One of the reasons rates are now so low is that the interest rate on long term government debt is at its lowest level for 200 years, according to French specialists Athena Mortgages.