"There are great success stories, " says Michel Tuan Pham, associate professor of marketing at Columbia University.

FORBES: Entrepreneur as stunt man

Although Ouyang Yun, Gaopeng COO, said QQ Tuan and Gaopeng have complimentary business models, the two companies look more like competitors than partners.

FORBES: Can Groupon Succeed in China?

The reason for this effect, suggested by research team lead, Dr. Michel Tuan Pham, is that in a relaxed environment your brain does not perceive a threat.

FORBES: Study: Relaxed Shoppers are Easy Marks for Inflated Prices

Tuan Bendixsen, the charity's Vietnam director, welcomed the government announcement.

BBC: Moon bear in Vietnamese bear farm

Now Tencent has its own group-buying site, QQ Tuan.

FORBES: Can Groupon Succeed in China?

The bank's chairman, Tran Tuan Tai, died in February.

ECONOMIST: Banking in Vietnam

The pair, whose names Tuan and Yuan together mean "reunion, " will live in a four-story building at the Taipei city zoo, and their lodgings will include an outdoor playground, the agency said.

CNN: China sends goodwill pandas to Taiwan

The boom is good news for people like apartment owner Bui Vu Thi, but it's bad news for people like 48-year-old Nguyen Anh Tuan, a security guard at a state-run school in Hanoi.

NPR: Real Estate Booms in Communist Vietnam

Other major players include QQ Tuan, Meituan, etc.

FORBES: Can Groupon Succeed in China?

Though the bing tuan is China's most efficient grower of cotton, thanks largely to its use of plastic strips (a Japanese invention) laid over the cotton seedlings to conserve moisture, it employs over 300, 000 workers for the harvest.

ECONOMIST: China

Tuan Haji Ali bin Ab.

UNESCO: Malaysia Elected to UNESCO World Heritage Committee