Your Vietnam
#foodartmonthly introduces Vietnamese cuisine to the world
Though borders around the world are still closed due to COVID-19, a group of artists across the globe have been exchanging and promoting their country’s cuisine using paintbrushes and papers.
Since May 2021, the hashtag #foodartmonthly has spread all over Instagram, creating an impromptu database of dishes representing the world’s cuisines, including delicacies from Vietnam.
The hashtag is essentially a monthly food illustration challenge initiated by a group of about a dozen artists from Indonesia, Japan, Ukraine, China, the U.S., Venezuela, Vietnam, Singapore, and Malaysia.
It has drawn attention from food illustrators throughout the social network.
Vietnam’s participation
One of the host artists of #foodartmonthly is Ly Tuyet Phan, an English teacher in Ho Chi Minh City.
Phan participated in the October challenge centered around ‘egg dishes,’ offering up an illustration of thit kho trung (caramelized pork and eggs) and the ingredients to make the dish including pork, coconut juice, garlic, and chili.
“A traditional dish in Vietnam at Tet [Vietnamese Lunar New Year] and you can also see it in everyday meals in Vietnam. And rice is commonly served along with this dish,” Phan wrote in the caption of the illustration posted to her @phanh_phanh_0717 handle.
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| An illustration of ‘thit kho trung’ (caramelized pork and eggs) by @phanh_phanh_0717 |
Foodies from around the world seemed to love Phan’s work.
“Wow! An interesting traditional dish! The illustration is incredible!” @anyta.kulyk from Ukraine commented.
“I always love how you paint both the ingredients and the dish! Your style is beautiful!” @kailenefalls, who is living in Japan, added.
According to Phan, every month, the group of host artists proposes a theme and calls on Instagram’s art community to join them in creating food art.
After approving a theme, each host creates an illustration and sends it to Kailene Falls (@kailenefalls), an American illustrator based in Tokyo, who creates collages of their works.
About a week before the posting date (the 20th of each month), all the host artists will announce the theme on their Instagram and call on their followers to participate.
On the 20th day of each month, the host artists will post their own illustrations and tag others in the group.
Since launching, #foodartmonthly has carried on a number of topics, which feature celebration food from a country, fruit dishes/sweets, egg dishes, sandwiches, packaged snacks, street food, traditional breakfast, and sweets.
For each topic, participants are asked to illustrate a typical dish of their country, or the country they are living in.
After knowing of the theme to illustrate, Phan chooses to narrow her selection of related dishes before picking her favorite dish.
“I don’t find any topic too difficult, I’m just worried that I’m not capable of conveying all the quintessence of the dish on the paper,” Phan told Tuoi Tre News.
“Fortunately, during the past topics, I have not encountered that problem.”
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| A supplied illustrated portrait of Ly Tuyet Phan drawn by @pumknjr_illustration |
According to the 28-year-old, Vietnamese cuisine deserves to be promoted more.
“The unique feature of Vietnamese cuisine is the combination of many ingredients, especially vegetables, to create a dish,” she commented.
“When I see people commenting and expressing their love for Vietnamese food, I feel happy and a little excited as thanks to my illustrations, my friends on Instagram know more about Vietnamese cuisine.”
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| An illustration by @phanh_ phanh_0717 featuring ‘tau hu nuoc duong’ (tofu topped with sugar syrup). |
Diem Ngoc, a former host artist from Vietnam, also caught the eyes of her followers with illustrations of Vietnamese dishes on her @edimcatstuff handle.
Although she withdrew from the role of a host artist in October, Ngoc still partook in the challenge of ‘egg dishes’ with a painting of hot vit lon (balut).
“It is a really popular street food here in Saigon, you can hear the legendary voice ‘hot vit lon day’ [from the street vendor inviting customers to buy] everywhere,” Ngoc introduced in the illustration’s caption, referring to Ho Chi Minh City.
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| An illustration featuring ‘hot vit lon’ by @edimcatstuff |
Before ‘egg dishes,’ the 27-year-old woman also participated in other #foodartmonthly challenges with dishes like roasted pork sandwiches, boiled snails with lemongrass and lemon leaves, and more.
“My favorite topic, which is also the hardest one for me, was street food,” Ngoc shared.
“Vietnam has too many street foods, and eventually I chose boiled snails because of its uniqueness.
“People were surprised and delighted because they did not think snails would be such a popular dish in Vietnam.”
A famous cuisine will help encourage tourism and spread the country’s culture more widely, according to Ngoc.
For her, the most unique thing about Vietnamese food is the focus on the balance of flavors, along with the skillful combination of ingredients and spices to make the dishes fit the taste of many people.
Meanwhile, Vietnamese cuisine also sees a variety of flavors or processing methods for the same dish in different regions.
“As Vietnamese cuisine is no longer strange to international friends, everyone knows about our famous dishes like banh mi or pho, so when I joined #foodartmonthly, I wanted to introduce lesser famous foods that still represent Vietnamese cuisine”, Ngoc explained.
50 to 100 submissions for each challenge
#foodartmonthly was sparked from the idea of Pavan Kapoor, an Indonesian artist of Indian origin, to introduce cuisines from countries around the world and build a community of culinary artists on Instagram.
“I used to save all the food illustrators I liked so when I got the idea to have my own collaborations, I just sent messages to a few artists making sure each one was from a different country,” Kapoor told Tuoi Tre News.
A book author and journalist, Kapoor became active on Instagram with her handle @pavankapoor21art when COVID-19 hit the world in early 2020.
“I have always been very fond of painting food and when I approached Kailene Falls with my idea, she was excited and our group was born,” Kapoor recalled.
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| An illustrated portrait of Pavan Kapoor |
According to Kapoor, #foodartmonthly saw more than 500 posts related to their topic in a few months of launching.
Meanwhile, 30-year-old American Kailene Falls shared that the host artist group usually receives somewhere between 50 and 100 submissions for each challenge, with the breakfast challenge having the most submissions, at around 120.
“I think the challenge encourages people to look at food from an artistic perspective, and appreciate the foods that they’ve grown up with in an entirely different way,” Falls said.
“Sharing international art at a time when travel is quite restricted helps us get out of our own bubbles a bit.”
‘Wonderful food culture in Vietnam’
Every month the challenge receives submissions from Vietnamese participants, Falls said.
“I think there is a wonderful food culture in Vietnam, and a strong appreciation for food art,” she remarked.
“I love the esthetic that comes from your country, and the foods always look so delicious and amazing!
“I’m a huge fan of herbs, and I feel like Vietnamese food does herbs absolutely the best!
“The combinations of sweet, sour, and spicy flavors alongside the bright and fresh herbs are just amazing.
“Honestly, everything I ate in Vietnam was wonderful! I also loved the huge variety of amazing fruit beverages.”
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| Kailene Falls is seen in a photo she provided Tuoi Tre News. |
Once visiting her sister who taught English in Vietnam for nearly a year, Falls said she would love Vietnamese food to become even more internationally renowned.
In Japan, there are many Vietnamese restaurants but it is hard to find something with the same punchy flavors that she ate in Vietnam because herbs are so expensive there, she added.
“I would love for more authentic Vietnamese foods to become more accessible around the world, because the flavors are so unique and wonderful,” she said.
Currently, the #foodartmonthly creators hope to maintain this challenge for a long time so that more food cultures can be connected.
Anna Kulyk (@anyta.kulyk), a 28-year-old female host artist from Ukraine, said that she joined the challenge out of her love for food illustrations and to know more about world cuisines.
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| An illustrated portrait of Anna Kulyk |
And indeed, she discovered a new world in Vietnamese dishes.
“Vietnamese cuisine in this challenge was a discovery for me,” she commented.
“I have never been to Vietnam before and have no idea what kind of food they eat there, but thanks to the challenge, I got acquainted with unusual desserts with tofu, durian donuts, and interesting hearty banh mi breakfast.
“Some snacks from Vietnam can be found in our country, for example, vegetable chips.”
The challenge has shown how diverse the cuisines of different countries are and, at the same time, how much they have in common, Kulyk observed.
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| An illustration by @phanh_ phanh_0717 featuring ‘com tam’ (Vietnamese broken rice topped with grilled ribs and steamed egg meat loaf). |
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Source: https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/features/20220205/foodartmonthly-introduces-vietnamese-cuisine-to-the-world/65562.html
Tran Thi Hai and his husband, residing in Nui Thanh District, Quang Nam Province, central Vietnam, have used their own budget to build a boarding house and offer free shelter for underprivileged students.
The boarding house has become an address of love and nurtures the kindness and dreams of many poor students.
House of kindness
Only 10 minutes after school finishes, students ride their bicycles to return to the boarding house.
Despite being busy as a bee, both Hai and her husband try to observe students living in their boarding house and care about their studying.
“We are happy to see them going to school regularly and studying hard.
“Their families believe in us and say that their children have made progress.
“Money is not a matter to help them pursue their learning journey.”
The help to the disadvantaged and the community by the family of Hai is well known in Nui Thanh Town of the namesake district.
Local authorities and associations often visit and support the boarding house.
Hai decided to use her money to build the boarding house for poor students after she and her husband did charity in remote areas and saw the difficult life of residents there.
Meanwhile, her house is nestled in the center of Nui Thanh Town and near many large schools.
Nui Thanh District is large, so many students have to travel dozens of kilometers to reach their schools, while some have to rent rooms near their schools.
Hai said she had discussed with her husband the plan to use their savings to construct the boarding house.
In June last year, a six-room boarding house with sufficient living and studying facilities was built near Hai’s house.
Each room in the boarding house measures 20 square meters.
In the beginning, many people thought that the boarding house was built for rent and poor students could not afford the rooms.
However, when the boarding house was put into use, Hai hung a banner in front of it, stating that it is free for poor students and workers.
This surprised many local residents and teachers as each student had to pay VND500,000-1 million (US$21-43) per month to rent a room in Nui Thanh. Meanwhile, Hai’s boarding house, which is beautiful and clean and has enough facilities, is free of charge.
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| Students at the boarding house can keep their mind on studying without thinking of paying room rent. Photo: P.N. / Tuoi Tre |
Another way of giving
Hai and her husband have supported the community in many areas over the past many years.
They also bought an ambulance to carry patients in difficult circumstances to hospitals.
Hai said building the free-of-charge boarding house is also a way of giving. It is aimed at long-term purposes: nurturing poor students’ dreams and shortening their path to school.
More importantly, underprivileged students will see the support of others and give back when they mature.
According to Hai, all six rooms in her boarding house have been occupied by students of Nguyen Hue High School in Nui Thanh District.
The boarding house is fitted with cameras and Wi-Fi. Hai also bought new bicycles and put them in front of the boarding house so that students can use them to go to school.
Nguyen Tinh, from Tam Thanh Commune, Nui Thanh District, who is a student living in Hai’s boarding house, expressed his happiness to have safe and convenient accommodations.
Tinh’s family is poor. To go to school, he had to take a bus or travel to the school from the early morning.
After Hai’s boarding house was completed, she asked teachers to introduce students to her place.
Tinh came and received a room of which many rich students would be jealous.
Tinh said the room is spacious and comfortable, he welcomed two other disadvantaged students to the room. In the clean room, tables are put in corners, helping these poor students pursue their studying dreams.
At the end of the boarding house, Hai also prepared stoves and saucepans so that students can prepare their meals to save money.
“I’m grateful to Hai as she allows me to live [in her boarding house] at no charge and pursue my dream of going to school,” Tinh said.
“She not only helps me but also sets my parents’ mind at rest when I have a safe accommodation as this is the first time I have lived far from my family.”
Besides Tinh, the boarding house is now home to 18 other students. All of them were recommended by their teachers or acquaintances.
Hai gives priority to students who live far from school and face many difficulties in life but show great studying determination.
Chau Huyen Ha Tram, residing in Tam Tra Commune, Nui Thanh District, said her house is nearly 30 kilometers from her school. To reach the school on time, she had to wake up at 4:00 am and catch a bus.
Tram recalled that when coming to Nui Thanh Town for studying, she used to think of dropping out of school due to the far distance and high living costs.
“Living in the free boarding house, I’m truly happy. My mom does not have to worry about my room rentals anymore,” Tram said.
“In addition, Hai and her husband take care of us, encourage and remind us to study, which urges me and other students here to try harder.”
Cao Thi Anh Suong, a student from Tam Son Commune, Nui Thanh District, said she was excited when reaching the boarding house but she was also worried that the owners would later collect rentals from her. However, all rooms are free.
“We tell each other not to make noise and to keep order and go to school on time so as not to affect the boarding house owners and neighbors,” Suong said.
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Tran Thi Hai and his husband, residing in Nui Thanh District, Quang Nam Province, central Vietnam, have used their own budget to build a boarding house and offer free shelter for underprivileged students.
The boarding house has become an address of love and nurtures the kindness and dreams of many poor students.
House of kindness
Only 10 minutes after school finishes, students ride their bicycles to return to the boarding house.
Despite being busy as a bee, both Hai and her husband try to observe students living in their boarding house and care about their studying.
“We are happy to see them going to school regularly and studying hard.
“Their families believe in us and say that their children have made progress.
“Money is not a matter to help them pursue their learning journey.”
The help to the disadvantaged and the community by the family of Hai is well known in Nui Thanh Town of the namesake district.
Local authorities and associations often visit and support the boarding house.
Hai decided to use her money to build the boarding house for poor students after she and her husband did charity in remote areas and saw the difficult life of residents there.
Meanwhile, her house is nestled in the center of Nui Thanh Town and near many large schools.
Nui Thanh District is large, so many students have to travel dozens of kilometers to reach their schools, while some have to rent rooms near their schools.
Hai said she had discussed with her husband the plan to use their savings to construct the boarding house.
In June last year, a six-room boarding house with sufficient living and studying facilities was built near Hai’s house.
Each room in the boarding house measures 20 square meters.
In the beginning, many people thought that the boarding house was built for rent and poor students could not afford the rooms.
However, when the boarding house was put into use, Hai hung a banner in front of it, stating that it is free for poor students and workers.
This surprised many local residents and teachers as each student had to pay VND500,000-1 million (US$21-43) per month to rent a room in Nui Thanh. Meanwhile, Hai’s boarding house, which is beautiful and clean and has enough facilities, is free of charge.
|
|
| Students at the boarding house can keep their mind on studying without thinking of paying room rent. Photo: P.N. / Tuoi Tre |
Another way of giving
Hai and her husband have supported the community in many areas over the past many years.
They also bought an ambulance to carry patients in difficult circumstances to hospitals.
Hai said building the free-of-charge boarding house is also a way of giving. It is aimed at long-term purposes: nurturing poor students’ dreams and shortening their path to school.
More importantly, underprivileged students will see the support of others and give back when they mature.
According to Hai, all six rooms in her boarding house have been occupied by students of Nguyen Hue High School in Nui Thanh District.
The boarding house is fitted with cameras and Wi-Fi. Hai also bought new bicycles and put them in front of the boarding house so that students can use them to go to school.
Nguyen Tinh, from Tam Thanh Commune, Nui Thanh District, who is a student living in Hai’s boarding house, expressed his happiness to have safe and convenient accommodations.
Tinh’s family is poor. To go to school, he had to take a bus or travel to the school from the early morning.
After Hai’s boarding house was completed, she asked teachers to introduce students to her place.
Tinh came and received a room of which many rich students would be jealous.
Tinh said the room is spacious and comfortable, he welcomed two other disadvantaged students to the room. In the clean room, tables are put in corners, helping these poor students pursue their studying dreams.
At the end of the boarding house, Hai also prepared stoves and saucepans so that students can prepare their meals to save money.
“I’m grateful to Hai as she allows me to live [in her boarding house] at no charge and pursue my dream of going to school,” Tinh said.
“She not only helps me but also sets my parents’ mind at rest when I have a safe accommodation as this is the first time I have lived far from my family.”
Besides Tinh, the boarding house is now home to 18 other students. All of them were recommended by their teachers or acquaintances.
Hai gives priority to students who live far from school and face many difficulties in life but show great studying determination.
Chau Huyen Ha Tram, residing in Tam Tra Commune, Nui Thanh District, said her house is nearly 30 kilometers from her school. To reach the school on time, she had to wake up at 4:00 am and catch a bus.
Tram recalled that when coming to Nui Thanh Town for studying, she used to think of dropping out of school due to the far distance and high living costs.
“Living in the free boarding house, I’m truly happy. My mom does not have to worry about my room rentals anymore,” Tram said.
“In addition, Hai and her husband take care of us, encourage and remind us to study, which urges me and other students here to try harder.”
Cao Thi Anh Suong, a student from Tam Son Commune, Nui Thanh District, said she was excited when reaching the boarding house but she was also worried that the owners would later collect rentals from her. However, all rooms are free.
“We tell each other not to make noise and to keep order and go to school on time so as not to affect the boarding house owners and neighbors,” Suong said.
Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Source: https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/features/20230319/couple-offer-free-boarding-house-for-poor-students-in-central-vietnam/72091.html
Selex Motors, a Vietnamese start-up developing a smart electric scooter ecosystem in Vietnam, has helped define ‘Made-in-Vietnam’ electric vehicles (EVs), specifically electric scooters, as its products are completely manufactured in the Southeast Asian nation.
Selex Motors co-founders are Nguyen Huu Phuoc Nguyen, Nguyen Trong Hai, and Nguyen Dinh Quang.
Both Nguyen and Hai earned a PhD in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan and worked for many companies in both the U.S. and Vietnam.
Meanwhile, Quang is an expert in software engineering and the Internet of Things (IoT), and has developed complicated national defense systems for enterprises in Israel.
Since late last year, Selex Motors’ first smart electric scooters have run on the streets in Hanoi.
The company has been expanding its ecosystem to many large cities, heading toward exporting the ecosystem to other Southeast Asian countries.
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| An event to experience Selex Motors’ electric scooters. Photo: T.K. / Tuoi Tre |
EV is the future of transport
Selex Motors founders have high confidence in the future of smart EVs, which help optimize energy use and reduce emissions.
Nguyen Huu Phuoc Nguyen, CEO of Selex Motors, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper the reason why he and his fellows pursue a smart EV start-up, saying that “the world is entering a vehicle transition period with many issues which must be definitely resolved in the near future.”
The issues include air pollution and fuel price hikes after over a decade of using fossil fuels for most vehicles.
“The future of transport following gasoline-powered vehicles is smart EVs associated with technology,” Nguyen added.
Initiating their start-up with two-wheeled vehicles instead of cars, the CEO of Selex Motors explained that scooters are still a vehicle of choice in Vietnam and the trend cannot change overnight.
“With more than 50 million motorbikes in circulation which consume over US$5 billion worth of gasoline and discharge a huge volume of carbon dioxide, gasoline-powered motorbikes have seriously affected the environment and public health,” Nguyen said.
“Fine dust and noise pollution have worsened over the years, while effective solutions to them have yet to come in place.
“If the coverage of electric motorcycles is wide enough, air and noise pollution will be tackled.”
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| Selex Motors’ electric pick-up scooter. Photo: T.K. / Tuoi Tre |
‘Made-in-Vietnam’ electric scooters
Before launching the Selex Camel electric delivery scooter model in 2022, the three co-founders of Selex Motors and their team had suffered great hardships.
They had jointly studied, designed, manufactured accessories, assembled, and run the first electric scooter on a trial basis in a room.
After five years, Selex Motors has developed an optimal ecosystem including Selex electric scooters, Selex batteries, Selex automatic battery swapping stations, and the Selex app helping manage the entire ecosystem.
“We are proud to say that Selex is a ‘made-in-Vietnam’ start-up. The entire ecosystem is developed in Vietnam by Vietnamese engineers,” Nguyen said.
The technology development, research, and manufacturing by itself have helped Selex effectively deal with issues related to EVs, specifically offering a reasonable price and installing battery swapping stations.
Selex electric ‘pick-up’ scooters are priced at below VND23 million (US$973.3) each.
In addition, the owners of these vehicles can swap batteries, which takes less than two minutes each, instead of having their vehicles charged for three to eight hours.
“Furthermore, the identification and payment [for the batteries] will be completed via QR code scans, which is more convenient,” Nguyen said.
“To swap batteries, Selex vehicle owners use the Selex app to search for their nearest swapping stations. The app will also inform users of the number of usable batteries at the stations.”
Nguyen added that customers do not have to worry about the battery lifespan. By analyzing the behavior and habits of users, Selex can calculate the lifespan of its vehicles and batteries.
As Selex develops and operates battery swapping stations by itself, it can take the initiative in managing the quality of batteries and consider withdrawing the batteries for recycling after 10-14 years, ensuring the sustainability of the project, Nguyen said.
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| Experiencing Selex Motors’ electric pick-up scooters at its factory. Photo: T.K. / Tuoi Tre |
Selex Motors has got 10 patents and five industrial design patents.
At present, Selex Motors’ factory can produce some 20,000 electric scooters and 100,000 lithium-ion batteries.
CEO Nguyen said Selex secured the first order from Lazada Logistics at the end of last year. The first batch of 100 Selex Camel electric pick-up scooters will be handed over to Lazada this year.
The company has also installed 30 battery swapping stations and expects to increase the number to 200 in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.
“Following electric scooters, Selex may manufacture electric cars or buses in the future. We hope to become a pioneer in offering a sustainable traffic ecosystem in urban areas not only in Vietnam but also other regional countries,” Nguyen shared Selex’s vision.
Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Selex Motors, a Vietnamese start-up developing a smart electric scooter ecosystem in Vietnam, has helped define ‘Made-in-Vietnam’ electric vehicles (EVs), specifically electric scooters, as its products are completely manufactured in the Southeast Asian nation.
Selex Motors co-founders are Nguyen Huu Phuoc Nguyen, Nguyen Trong Hai, and Nguyen Dinh Quang.
Both Nguyen and Hai earned a PhD in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan and worked for many companies in both the U.S. and Vietnam.
Meanwhile, Quang is an expert in software engineering and the Internet of Things (IoT), and has developed complicated national defense systems for enterprises in Israel.
Since late last year, Selex Motors’ first smart electric scooters have run on the streets in Hanoi.
The company has been expanding its ecosystem to many large cities, heading toward exporting the ecosystem to other Southeast Asian countries.
|
|
| An event to experience Selex Motors’ electric scooters. Photo: T.K. / Tuoi Tre |
EV is the future of transport
Selex Motors founders have high confidence in the future of smart EVs, which help optimize energy use and reduce emissions.
Nguyen Huu Phuoc Nguyen, CEO of Selex Motors, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper the reason why he and his fellows pursue a smart EV start-up, saying that “the world is entering a vehicle transition period with many issues which must be definitely resolved in the near future.”
The issues include air pollution and fuel price hikes after over a decade of using fossil fuels for most vehicles.
“The future of transport following gasoline-powered vehicles is smart EVs associated with technology,” Nguyen added.
Initiating their start-up with two-wheeled vehicles instead of cars, the CEO of Selex Motors explained that scooters are still a vehicle of choice in Vietnam and the trend cannot change overnight.
“With more than 50 million motorbikes in circulation which consume over US$5 billion worth of gasoline and discharge a huge volume of carbon dioxide, gasoline-powered motorbikes have seriously affected the environment and public health,” Nguyen said.
“Fine dust and noise pollution have worsened over the years, while effective solutions to them have yet to come in place.
“If the coverage of electric motorcycles is wide enough, air and noise pollution will be tackled.”
|
|
| Selex Motors’ electric pick-up scooter. Photo: T.K. / Tuoi Tre |
‘Made-in-Vietnam’ electric scooters
Before launching the Selex Camel electric delivery scooter model in 2022, the three co-founders of Selex Motors and their team had suffered great hardships.
They had jointly studied, designed, manufactured accessories, assembled, and run the first electric scooter on a trial basis in a room.
After five years, Selex Motors has developed an optimal ecosystem including Selex electric scooters, Selex batteries, Selex automatic battery swapping stations, and the Selex app helping manage the entire ecosystem.
“We are proud to say that Selex is a ‘made-in-Vietnam’ start-up. The entire ecosystem is developed in Vietnam by Vietnamese engineers,” Nguyen said.
The technology development, research, and manufacturing by itself have helped Selex effectively deal with issues related to EVs, specifically offering a reasonable price and installing battery swapping stations.
Selex electric ‘pick-up’ scooters are priced at below VND23 million (US$973.3) each.
In addition, the owners of these vehicles can swap batteries, which takes less than two minutes each, instead of having their vehicles charged for three to eight hours.
“Furthermore, the identification and payment [for the batteries] will be completed via QR code scans, which is more convenient,” Nguyen said.
“To swap batteries, Selex vehicle owners use the Selex app to search for their nearest swapping stations. The app will also inform users of the number of usable batteries at the stations.”
Nguyen added that customers do not have to worry about the battery lifespan. By analyzing the behavior and habits of users, Selex can calculate the lifespan of its vehicles and batteries.
As Selex develops and operates battery swapping stations by itself, it can take the initiative in managing the quality of batteries and consider withdrawing the batteries for recycling after 10-14 years, ensuring the sustainability of the project, Nguyen said.
|
|
| Experiencing Selex Motors’ electric pick-up scooters at its factory. Photo: T.K. / Tuoi Tre |
Selex Motors has got 10 patents and five industrial design patents.
At present, Selex Motors’ factory can produce some 20,000 electric scooters and 100,000 lithium-ion batteries.
CEO Nguyen said Selex secured the first order from Lazada Logistics at the end of last year. The first batch of 100 Selex Camel electric pick-up scooters will be handed over to Lazada this year.
The company has also installed 30 battery swapping stations and expects to increase the number to 200 in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.
“Following electric scooters, Selex may manufacture electric cars or buses in the future. We hope to become a pioneer in offering a sustainable traffic ecosystem in urban areas not only in Vietnam but also other regional countries,” Nguyen shared Selex’s vision.
Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Source: https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/features/20230318/vietnamese-startup-realizes-dream-of-madeinvietnam-electric-scooters/72137.html
Dr Olga Sambolska*
Many women say they’re “in menopause”, while they’re actually going through the menopausal transition, also called perimenopause. This is the period before the full menstrual cycle cessation, and comes with specific physical changes.
The first sign of perimenopause is an irregular menstrual cycle. Menstrual cycles become longer or shorter, with heavy bleeding or spotting between periods from declining ovarian function. Heavy bleeding in turn can cause fatigue and increase risk of anaemia.
Then there are the hot flashes – a common name for vasomotor symptoms. They come on rapidly and can last from one up to 5 minutes. They range in severity from a fleeting sense of warmth to a feeling of being consumed by fire from inside out. A major hot flash can induce facial and upper-body flushing, sweating or chills. Hot flash frequency varies widely. Some women have one per week, others may experience 10 or more in the daytime and even at night.
Another symptom is slowed metabolism and weight gain caused by hormonal changes, causing fat storage around the belly. This excessive body weight increases the risk of diabetes type 2, hypertension, heart disease and respiratory problems.
Some women experience ”foggy brain”: attention problems and increased forgetfulness. This memory decline is not a sign of dementia, as these cognitive changes are typically small and well within normal range. Also sleep problems may occur, from full insomnia to interrupted sleep or waking up too early.
Other symptoms are depression, anxiety and mood swings. These are caused by estrogen fluctuation, leading to decreasing serotonin, our “happy hormone”. There can be irritability or sudden feelings of anger called “perimenopause range”. Another symptom can be vaginal atrophy, which feels like “dry” vagina and causes painful intercourse.
Some lesser-known perimenopausal symptoms are altered depth perception, “dry, watery or tired” eyes, body odour, wild hair (chin, nipple), joint pain and stiffness, muscle and bone ache, voice changes, skin sensations like tingling or itching with dryness.
The signs and symptoms described above are usually enough to tell that a woman started the menopausal transition. In some circumstances, blood tests can be necessary to check the level of Estradiol and FSH hormones or the thyroid function.
How to reduce perimenopausal symptoms before starting hormone replacement therapy (HRT):
1. Healthy diet plays a crucial role to minimise menopausal symptoms:
– High fibre food with cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and kale helps to balance estrogen levels. Fibre is important for the cardiovascular system, maintaining cholesterol levels, keeping a healthy weight and reducing constipation. Some of the best sources include nuts, seeds, legumes/beans, and avocado.
– Omega-3 fats from fish and flaxseed can protect the heart, and promote smooth skin. The best resources are salmon, sardines, mackerel and anchovies.
– Healthy fats and cold-pressed oil: it’s true that fats have more calories than proteins or carbohydrates, but they are essential for metabolism and many processes in our body. Moreover, unrefined oil provides vitamin E that helps regulate estradiol levels. Good sources of healthy fats: extra-virgin olive or flaxseed oil, coconut milk and wild seafood.
– Probiotic foods: as probiotics help to regulate levels of key hormones like insulin and leptin, capable of raising the immune system and cognitive function. The best sources include yogurt, kefir and other fermented food.
2 Water: aim for 8 glasses daily to help replace fluid loss from hot flashes and decrease bloating
3 Avoid certain foods like packaged food, as it contains added sugar, chemical preservatives, and high amounts of sodium and synthetic additives. Avoid sugary and carbonated drinks, and reduce alcohol and caffeine intake as both aggravate hot flashes and contribute to weight gain
4 Regular exercise like yoga, aerobic or strength-training, 10-30 minute activity most days of the week help to reduce depression, improve sleep quality and body weight.
5 Reduce stress: stress causes higher cortisol hormone levels which leads to weight gain, fatigue, poor sleep and low libido. Different stress-reducing techniques to relieve stress: meditation, acupuncture, aromatherapy, and spending time in nature.
6 Sleep: our body and brain need time to recover from daily stress and restore energy, the aim is 7-9 hours of sleep per night. Excessive stress and poor sleep lead to higher cortisol in the morning and as a result higher susceptibility to anxiety and trouble with work performance.
Not every woman in menopause experiences unpleasant symptoms. Some women have all of them, some just a few, others experience none at all. Many perimenopausal symptoms are of little concern and often correct themselves given time. Others can be easily remedied by diet, exercise, hormone therapy or other medications.
If symptoms of perimenopause become severe and affect quality of life: it’s time to check in with a healthcare provider. — Family Medical Practice
*Dr Olga Sambolska graduated from Lviv National Medical University in 1996 and commenced her medical career at the Volyn Regional Maternity Hospital in Ukraine. Since 1998 she has been a registered obstetrics and gynecology doctor, providing healthcare to women in relation to pregnancy, birth control, menopausal issues, contraception, menstrual cycle diseases and sexually transmitted diseases. She is fluent in Ukrainian, Russian, Polish and English.
Visit Family Medical Practice Hanoi 24/7 at 298I Kim Mã St, Kim Mã, Ba Đình. To book an appointment, please call us at (024).3843.0784, or contact us via Whatsapp, Viber or Zalo on +84.944.43.1919 or email [email protected].
FMP’s downtown location in Hồ Chí Minh City is in Diamond Plaza, 34 Lê Duẩn St, Bến Nghé, District 1, and 95 Thảo Điền St, District 2. Tel. (028) 3822 7848 or email [email protected]
Source: http://ovietnam.vn/life-in-vietnam/menopausal-transition-what-to-expect-and-how-to-mitigate-symptoms_342576.html
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