HA NOI -VIET NAM 2018

Newsletter of the 19th Asian Physics Olympiad 2018

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Issue 7

30°C Today’s Weather

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Ha Noi, May 11, 2018

“Trang An has beauty of the landscape in the fairy tale”

Bring umbrellas or raincoats

Schedule Students 9:00-11:00 Scientific Seminar at HUST 11:30-12:30 Lunch at Hotel 13:30-17:00 Vietnam Museum of Ethnology 18:00-19:00 Dinner at Hotel 19:00-21:00 AEON MALL Long Bien

Leaders 8:30-11:00 Moderation at HUST 11:00-12:30 Lunch at Hotel 13:00-17:00 Moderation at HUST 18:00-19:00 Dinner at Hotel 20:00-21:00 International Board Meeting at Hotel

Happy Birthday to Yenny Wijaya (Observer, Singapore) We wish you good health & happiness

Source: Truong Giang

Yesterday (May 10), APhO 2018 students visited the Old Capital Hoa Lu and Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex in Ninh Binh province, Viet Nam. Although the weather is hot, the trip has left a lot of impressions about Viet Nam’s natural beauty. See what the students have explored during that trip. (Read more on page 2 - 3)

Viet Nam in my eyes

Hoi An Old Town

Page 4 - 5

Page 6

The color of friendship at APhO 2018 Page 7

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PEOPLE & COUNTRY HSIEN-CHUNG KAO Leader - Chinese Taipei I went to Viet Nam eight years ago and I was really impressed by Vietnamese foods. In my country, there are also many restaurants with Vietnamese foods, and my wife and I often go there to enjoy the foods.

AZHYBAEV ULUKBEK Leader - Kygryzstan I have not visited many places in Viet Nam yet, but I think your country has a lot of beautiful places. I have visited the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex twice and I am very impressed. I am looking for other reasons to come back Viet Nam again.

SIOBHAN TOBIN Leader - Australia The trip to the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex has left a very good impression on me. The boat trip around the exquisite caves and the trip to the temples dedicated to old Vietnamese Kings have brought me a great deal of interest. And Vietnamese people are always hospitable to the visitors. OGALAPURKAR MUKUND LAXMAN Leader - India This is the first time I have been to Viet Nam. In these days, despite my busy business, I have visited some places here and I find Ha Noi beautiful. People here are very kind and hospitable, and the volunteers are also really enthusiastic.

(Continued from page 1)

“Trang An has bea landscape in the fa “It is amazing! The scenery here is like in the fairy tale”, a Cambodia delegate commented on the visit to Trang An scenic landscape complex and the Hoa Lu Ancient Capital in Ninh Binh province yesterday.

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auty of the airy tale” During this trip, the students discovered the Hoa Lu Ancient Capital and Trang An scenic landscape complex – the first mixed cultural and natural property of Viet Nam recognized by the UNESCO. Previously, on May 7th, delegates attending the APhO 2018 had a chance to visit Trang An. This place is described as a “Dry Ha Long Bay” with grandeur, magnificence of nature created by the various shades of mountain reflecting on the streams, which wind around and connect the caves and primeval, mysterious valleys. A system of limestone mountains with their geological age of 250 million years, over long periods of weathering due to the climate and global change houses hundreds of

valleys, caves, lakes, riparian forest ecosystems, forests in limestone mountains and relics associated with the history of Hoa Lu Capital (Hoa Lu Ancient Capital). Starting from the central pier with the first stop was Trinh Temple, the students enjoyed the limpid water of Sao Khe river with soft water moss, and then they sat on the boat through Dia Linh Cave, Toi (Dark) Cave, then to Sang (Bright) Cave, Nau Ruou (Wine-brewing) Cave and climbed nearly 500 steps to the Tran Temple. Next, they got on the boat through the Sinh Cave, Si Cave, Ba Giot Cave, Seo Cave, Son Duong Cave and visit the Khong Temple, then continued to Khong Cave, Tran Cave, Quy Hau Cave... On their way, some students saw the mountain

goats running on the cliffs. Then, they arrived to the Hoa Lu Ancient Capital - the capital of Viet Nam before King Ly Thai To transferred the capital to Thang Long in 1010 (Ha Noi today). At the end of the journey, they returned to Ha Noi. Their next excursion will be to the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology on the following day. By Nguyen Sang, Thuong Pham Image: Truong Giang

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Viet Nam in my eyes By Thuong Pham, Tuyet Linh, Tran Hong Image: Internet

FRIENDLY AND HOSPITABLE PEOPLE

Viet Nam is a likable country, and I am very impressed by the volunteers as well as the Vietnamese we have met, especially the volunteers. They take care of us very carefully, enthusiastically in a friendly and hospitable way. I really thank them for the great experiences in Ha Noi in the past days. When I have chance, I would like to come back here with my family. Rafid Khalid Nahi – Bangladesh

DIVERSE CULTURE

I am very impressed by the beautiful landscapes in Viet Nam. It is interesting to sit in a boat seeing the choppily water and high mountains as the visit to Trang An yesterday. There are rivers, high mountains and beautiful caves there. It’s great! Yunus Emre Parmaksız – Turkey

WONDERFUL !

Viet Nam is the country with a long-time tradition, so its culture may be very diverse. We have explored the beauty of Ha Noi, and Hoan Kiem Lake is really peaceful. We have also come to the ceramics village and watching people there to make a ceramic product is much interesting. This shows the diverse culture of your country. My country was formed only 70 years ago, and it is not a long time, so I admire the Vietnamese culture a lot. This is because your country has a long history of formation and development. Aviv Tillinger – Israel

Newsletter of the 19th Asian Physics Olympiad 2018

SO HOT !

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PLENTIFUL FRUITS

The landscapes in Viet Nam is very beautiful but the weather is too hot! I don’t think it is so hot here. Maybe I will come back to Viet Nam, but I will be here in the winter because the summer here is very hot and humid.

I think Vietnamese foods is quite the same our Cambodian foods. I really love fried cuisine here. And I will choose Pho (beef noodle) for breakfast, and banana out of other fruits. It’s actually delicious!

Cheong Wang – Macau

Lay Chivoan Vimol – Cambodia

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PEOPLE TRAVELING FAST

Romania’s traffic is similar to Viet Nam’s, however, there are more cars in my country than in Viet Nam. In contrast, there are more motorbikes here than in my country. I see that Vietnamese people seem to travel very fast motorbikes, bicycles, and even cars. All of them appear to try to move fast. In Romania, it is impossible to travel quickly in the city center. Predoi Silviu Adrian - Romania

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“Science - This work contains many things which are new and interesting. Unfortunately, everything that is new is not interesting, and everything which is interesting, is not new.” - Lev Landau

Hoi An Old Town

The Old Town of Hoi An is an old city at the estuary of the Thu Bon River, directly under Quang Nam province, Viet Nam. Thanks to preferential geographic and climatic factors, Hoi An used to be a busy international port where Japanese, Chinese and Western trading vessels visited between the 17th and 18th centuries. From the 16th to the 19th centuries, Hoi An was the center of international commerce on the East-West trade route, and was the most prosperous trade port in Dang Trong region of Viet Nam during the reign of the Nguyen dynasty because Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, etc. merchantmen often come here to exchange and trade goods. During its formation and development, Hoi An has been known worldwide by many different names. Some of most popular names are: Faifo, Haisfo, Hoai Pho, Ketchem, and Cotam.

Archaeological sites, exhibits and architectural works have proved that Hoi An was a convergence place of many cultures such as Cham, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, etc., in which Vietnamese and Chinese cultures have the most influence. Hoi An is famous for its beauty of traditional architecture inspired by the Chinese culture with 1360 sites and destinations. Omit sites dividing into 11 types: 1068 old houses, 19 pagodas, 43 temples, 23 village halls, 38 clan ancestral houses, 5 society’s premises, 11 ancient wells, 1 bridge, 44 ancient tombs. In ancient city area, there are more than 1100 monuments which are harmoniously combined houses, walls and streets. Along the wheel of history, Hoi An Old Quarter still keeps their old-style features in roofs, bricks, trees, etc., as well as plain beauty of characteristic, warmly-hearted soul of local people.

Presently, the Hoi An Old Quarter preserves nearly all the old architecture sites including houses, society’s premises, pagodas, temples, bridges and wells, clan ancestral houses, ports, markets, etc., and narrow lanes crossing to form a so-called checkerboard square. City landscaping view is dyed with ancient mossy style, which makes it fanciful and visionnary as a vibrant picture. A city like Hoi An is the only case in Viet Nam and rarely found in the world. This is considered as a live museum of architecture and urban lifestyle. With such outstanding values, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognized Hoi An old city as the World Heritage at its 23rd session on December 4th, 1999. By Nguyen Sang, Thuong Pham Image: Internet

Newsletter of the 19th Asian Physics Olympiad 2018

Read the below story and answer the question:

WHO AM I ???

Issue 7

I was born during a lightning storm. I had a photographic memory. I could memorize books, images and 3D structures. As a teenager, I contracted cholera. I was bedridden for 9 months and almost died. In college, I became fascinated by electricity. I moved to the US in 1884 to work for the famous inventor Thomas Edison. Edison said my ideas were “splendid”, but “utterly impractical”. Edison once offered me $12 million to improve his DC motor and I did. But Edison failed to pay me, saying, “You don’t understand American humor.” Instead, he offered me a raise of $10 a week. I quit working for him after this. “I don’t care that they stole my idea . . . I care that they don’t have any of their own.” Edison and I maintained our rivalry for years. It was called “the war of the currents”. I eventually won and helped bring electricity to America. Years later I demonstrated radio

7 transmission, but a fired destroyed my lab as I prepared the first real radio signal. Marconi then used my ideas and my technology to win the Nobel Prize. I was furious, especially when I found out he had received financial support from my old rival Edison. The court invalidated Marconi’s radio patents because they were based on my work. A small measure of justice, true, but it happened two years after my death . . . I once worked for 84 hours straight, without sleeping. I spoke eight languages. I’ve filed more than 300 patents. Some of my work remains classified by the US. Government. Truthfully, I never really cared about the money. Years after I died, a statue of me was erected in Silicon Valley. It is equipped with free Wi-Fi. This is my story, and who am I? Source: Internet

The color of friendship at APhO 2018 Friendship is a precious affection between people, and everyone of us has close friends to shareour pleasures or sadnesses. APhO has become a true bridge to connect young Physics lovers in Asia. A strong bond of friendship has been made in a great deal during APhO 2018. Regardless of nationality or religion, the participants mutually show their sincere friendship and share their interest in physics, since knowledge and love are borderless. Each person has a different cultural background, different personality, and a different way of thinking. Although they are from Mongolia, Thailand, China, Turkey or Viet Nam, they all have created the beautiful color of friendship at APhO 2018. By Nguyen Sang. Thuong Pham Image: Chi Thanh

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Anwser: Bamboo. Some species reach up to 39 metres in height

What is the world’s tallest grass

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The salt field of Phuong Cuu - Ninh Thuan Province, Viet Nam. Image: Internet General Manager: Assoc.Prof. Huynh Quyet Thang - Head of APhO 2018’s Communication and Culture Subcommittee Editor in chief: Assoc.Prof. Le Hieu Hoc Secretary: Cam Le Journalist: Sang Nguyen, Vu Thom, Hoang Anh Photos: CCPR and Internet Designed by: Le Chi Proofreading: Dr. Nguyen Viet Khoa Hanoi University of Science and Technology Center of Communication and Public Relations 924 Ta Quang Buu Building, HUST Tel: 024 36231732 Email: [email protected]

D5 - D7 Building, HUST. Image: Kim Chi