Three herds with some 17 gaurs (Bos gaurus) have been discovered in reserved forests in Phuoc Binh National Park in Bac Ai District, Ninh Thuan Province.
After months of searching, zoologists have spotted footprints, dungs, rest areas and scratches on tree trunks left by gaurs throughout Phuoc Binh National Park in the mountainous district of the south central province. According to these experts, there are two herds of gaurs near Gia Nhong Stream, with 4-6 individuals in the first herd, including a calf, and 3-4 mature individuals in the second one. The third herd with 6-7 grown-up gaurs was found near Da Den Stream.
Nao Duy Phap, head of the science and nature conservation bureau of Phuoc Binh National Park, told vnexpress.net that the zoologists found the wild gaurs after installing camera traps in many places in the national park for three months. Aside from gaurs, the camera traps also captured a large number of yellow-cheeked gibbons, black-shanked doucs, stump-tailed macaques, crab-eating macaques, muntjacs, Javan pangolins, and wild boars, to name but a few.
Phuoc Binh National Park covers over 25,000 hectares, adjacent to Lam Dong and Khanh Hoa provinces. The park terrain ranges from 300 to 2,000 meters above sea level, with some 1,338 flora species and 347 fauna species, dozens of which have been listed in Vietnam’s Red Data Book.
Bride and groom plant 100 trees on their wedding day
To celebrate their wedding ceremony, which was held at the bride’s family in Krong Buk District (Dak Lak Province), Thanh Kien, 29, the groom, and Minh Hien, 26, the bride, coordinated with the district’s Communist Youth Union and the company where Minh Hien is working to plant 100 pterocarpus macrocarpus and silver trumpet trees on a barren hill in Ea Ngai Commune. What the couple did went viral on social media.
After the trees had been planted, the couple’s wedding ceremony was then carried out with the participation of the two families and their relatives and their friends. “We are very happy to contribute our small part to making the environment cleaner,” Minh Hien told dantri.com.vn. “We cherished this plan a long time ago, and we are glad that it has been realized on one of the most important days of our lives.” She added that she and her husband would join hands to plant trees along some streets in Krong Buk District on the occasion of holidays and their birthdays.
Vietnamese woman older than world’s oldest
According to her personal papers, Nguyen Thi Co, who lives with her daughter in Cao Thang Commune, Thanh Mien District, Hai Duong Province, was born in 1901 and is now 123 years old. This means that she is even older than Maria Branyas Morera, who was born in the United States in 1907 and is now living in Spain. Morera is being recognized by the Guinness World Records Book as the world’s oldest person who is still alive.
Nguyen Thi Hat, 72, Co’s daughter, told thanhnien.vn that her mother’s hearing ability is good, but her vision is poor, adding that seldom does she catch cold or flu. Co has a bowl of rice, porridge or soup every meal. Her teeth are almost intact, and her hair is still black regardless of her old age. As her limbs are weak, she lies in a hammock almost all day long.
Co’s husband died in 1981 when he was over 80 years old. They had three daughters, but the eldest one died young; the second daughter, 76, was married and lived with her own family. Co is now living with Hat, her youngest daughter.
Model construction works made of toothpicks
Ho Ngoc Quoc Si, who lives in Cao Lanh City, Dong Thap Province, has made model construction works of typical buildings and monuments of HCMC with millions of bamboo toothpicks over the past 15 years.
Si told tuoitre.vn that his family formerly lived in HCMC. He often spent 6-8 hours a day making model construction works with toothpicks. Initially, he made small model works just for fun. Later, he shifted to making larger model construction works of HCMC like the Ho Chi Minh City Hall, the Reunification Palace, Nha Rong Wharf, Saint Paul churches (in District 10 and Binh Tan District), and Ben Thanh Market, of course with bamboo toothpicks.
Si then made other model construction works, buildings and monuments such as President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, One-pillar Pagoda, stilt houses of the Central Highlands, ancient three-arched gates, and even Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands, also with toothpicks.
It took Si over 13 months to make the model Ho Chi Minh City Hall with over one million bamboo toothpicks. His 12 model construction works are now displayed at a coffee shop in Cao Lanh City.
