Vietnam wishes to strengthen partnership with Russia in an extensive and effective manner to bring benefits to both countries, stated President Tran Dai Quang at a reception for visiting Secretary of the Security Council of Russia General Nikolai Patrushev in Hanoi on July 25. President Tran Dai Quang (R) welcomes Secretary of the Security Council of Russia General Nikolai Patrushev in Hanoi The President said that during his visit to Russia on June this year, leaders of the two sides discussed major orientations and specific measures to beef up bilateral affiliation in the future, including fostering coordination in ensuring national security and coping with non-traditional security challenges. He stressed that Vietnam highly values partnership with Russia in defence and security on the foundation of signed agreements as well as existing mechanisms such as cooperation deals between the Ministry of Public Security and … [Read more...]

President Quang told his guest that during his visit to Russia in June this year, leaders of the two nations discussed major orientations and specific measures to augment future bilateral cooperation, including fostering coordination in ensuring national security and coping with non-traditional security challenges. Vietnam greatly values partnership with Russia in defence and security on the foundation of signed agreements as well as existing mechanisms such as cooperation deals between the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Defence of Vietnam and Russia’s Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Defence, and Security Council. The country hailed the role of Russia in the Asian-Pacific region, as well as the country’s support for Russia’s enhanced role at regional security forums such as the East Asia Summit, the ASEAN Regional Forum, … [Read more...]

Thai authorities freeze ousted PM Yingluck's bank accounts. (Source: AFP) Bangkok (VNA) – Thailand’s Ministry of Justice and lawyers of ousted Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on July 25 affirmed that Thai authorities have frozen seven bank accounts belonging to the ex-PM over a 1 billion USD fine she faces for her administration's controversial rice subsidy scheme. Yingluck's legal team said that the former PM received an official notification on the freezing of her accounts on July 24. Seven of her bank accounts were frozen and could not carry out any transactions. The Finance Ministry revealed that it was moving ahead with the order and planned to seize at least 12 accounts belonging to the embattled politician as an initial measure. The move is seen as unprecedented because it financially sanctions an elected leader for a government policy and it is … [Read more...]

Scene at the signing ceremony (Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNA) – Representatives from Ho Chi Minh City’s authorities and a Lotte Group joint venture signed a contract on the construction of the Eco Smart City in new Thu Thiem urban area on July 25. The joint venture consists of Lotte Asset Development, Lotte Shopping, Lotte Hotel and Lotte Engineering and Construction companies. The construction of the project, worth about 20.1 trillion VND (884.4 million USD), is expected to begin within the third quarter this year. The contract signing took place as part of a meeting between Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong and CEO of Lotte group Shin Dong-bin. Both witnessed the signing ceremony. Receiving CEO of the Republic of Korea conglomerate, Phong vowed to facilitate foreign investors, including … [Read more...]

Veterans offer incense to heroic martyrs (Photo: VNA)   Hanoi (VNA) – An exhibition was opened in Hanoi on July 25 to showcase documents, exhibits and photos on activities to show gratitude to war invalids, martyrs and national contributors on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of Invalids and Martyrs Day (July 27). Visitors to the event will have chance to learn about the efforts made by late President Ho Chi Minh, Party, State leaders and the community to care for war invalids, martyrs’ families and revolutionary contributors, as well as major achievements in the work. Particularly, images of six Vietnamese Heroic Mothers are exhibited, along with original letters and writings by soldiers in the “Vietnam’s War Letters” collection. The event also introduces products of veterans and businesses owned by wounded veterans who have overcome … [Read more...]

The signing ceremony (Source: bnews.vn)   Hanoi (VNA) – Vietjet Aviation Joint Stock Company (Vietjet Air) and Japan Airlines (JAL) on July 25 signed a cooperation agreement in order to improve their service quality and turnover. Under the agreement, the two airlines will initially launch a code-share partnership for routes between Japan and Vietnam, their domestic flights as well as flights between Vietnam and other Asian nations. Besides, they will join hands in regular customer services, technical maintenance, training and ground services. Japan Airlines Deputy General Director Tadashi Fujita said the Japanese carrier believes that the deal will help increase the numbers of passengers and cargoes between the two countries. Vietjet Air Managing Director Luu Duc Khanh said Japan is a key market in Vietjet … [Read more...]

Illustrative image (Photo: baomoi.com) Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of Public Security reported on July 25 that its force brought to light 3,832 criminal cases and arrested 7,727 people involved and smashed 198 criminal rings in July. The force also uncovered 1,585 cases related to economic affairs and corruption in the month, 333 more cases than the figure recorded in June, and dealt with 215 organizations and 1,563 individuals having violated the environment law. In the reviewed month, they busted 2,257 drug-related cases, apprehending 3,257 people involved and seizing 47.9 kg of heroin, 77.1 kg and 50,319 pills of methamphetamine. Meanwhile, traffic policemen handled 388,303 violations of traffic law, giving administrative fines worth 244.7 billion VND and seizing 61,698 vehicles. These figures were unveiled at the ministry’s meeting to review its … [Read more...]

Minister of Public Security Sen. Lieut. Gen. To Lam (R) welcomes General Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Security Council of the Russia Federation (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Minister of Public Security Sen. Lieut. Gen. To Lam has underlined the need to bolster security cooperation with Russia and promote its role as an important pillar of the Vietnam-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership. During his talks with General Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Security Council of the Russia Federation, in Hanoi on July 25, Lam proposed that the two sides coordinate closely in foiling all plots and sabotage acts of hostile forces and all types of crimes. Both sides should ensure security and safety for their diplomatic representative offices and citizens in their respective countries, while strengthening exchange of information and mutual support at multilateral forums and … [Read more...]

Customers choose school uniform at Co.opmart supermarket (Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNA/VNS) - Gia Vy in District 2 and her daughter were choosing school supplies at a bookshop in Ho Chi Minh City’s Binh Thanh district. Vy said “The new school year will start soon. So I brought my daughter here to buy necessary stationary for her.”  Demand for school supplies at bookstores and supermarkets has increased significantly in recent days, with the former selling mostly notebooks, textbooks, pens, and pencils, and the latter, backpacks, school bags and uniforms. The comic and reference books sections also attract many children, who read there or buy. As in previous years the city is running a price stabilisation programme for school supplies. Fourteen companies have registered to sell 24.8 million notebooks and 13.6 million textbooks, 2.2 … [Read more...]

Customers buy gold at a B​ao T​in- M​inh Ch​au Jewellery Company shop in Tr​an Nh​an T​ong Street, H​anoi​ (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - How to mobilise idle foreign currency and gold from locals to invest in business and production has become a hot issue recently, with the Government last week once again asking the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) to consider proposals. At a working session with SBV last week, Government Office chairman Mai Tien Dung said the Prime Minister has asked SBV to study a more appropriate interest rate policy to encourage local US dollar holders to deposit the currency in banks, as the current interest rate of zero percent discourages them to put money in credit institutions. At present, Vietnam still has to borrow dollars from international markets at 4 percent interest, so there should be suitable policies to tap dollars at … [Read more...]

Losing one's passport while in a foreign country is a nightmare so officials in one province have won support from Vietnam’s aviation watchdog over a proposal to assist those who find themselves in such a situation. The administration of the south-central province of Khanh Hoa, a popular destination for international tourists thanks to its beachside city of Nha Trang, has suggested allowing foreigners to fly domestically even if they have lost their passports in Vietnam. All they have to do is apply for a confirmation letter from local police and use that document to complete check-in procedures, according to a proposal sent to the Ministry of Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam. At present, visitors who lose their passports must physically go to the consular agency of their countries, normally in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City or Da Nang. In some cases, tourists will have to travel by air to reach these … [Read more...]

Farmers in the Mekong Delta region of southern Vietnam are willing to add salt to their freshwater ponds in order to cultivate shrimp, a practice experts say can destroy the local ecosystem. They raise giant river prawns, which live in fresh water, and white leg shrimp, whose habitat is in brackish water, which contains more salinity than fresh water, but not as much as sea water. With white leg shrimp now a sought-after item, farmers have been jostling to raise them, despite living in areas surrounded by fresh water. Locals have therefore begun throwing salt into their freshwater ponds to increase their salinity and farm the highly valued white leg shrimp. There are now hundreds of hectares worth of shrimp farms employing this trick in the Mekong Delta, mostly in Dong Thap Province. According to the provincial agriculture department, there are some 176 hectares of white leg shrimp farms in Dong Thap, 165 … [Read more...]

Pure Storage unveils its vision of a data platform for the cloud era at the Pure Live event on Tuesday in Ha Noi to help customers accelerate innovation and business transformation. — VNS Photo Thanh Hai Pure Storage unveiled its vision of a data platform for the cloud era at an event on Tuesday in Ha Noi to help customers accelerate innovation and business transformation. To help organisations in Viet Nam put their data to work, the company announced its new data platform that includes more than 25 new software features and comprehensive hardware updates. They are set to deliver the speed, agility and intelligence that businesses in Viet Nam need to stay competitive in terms of scale. “Modern digital businesses require a data platform that eradicates all complexity while enabling business to build a new class of applications, to extract new insights from data and to do so in real-time,” Pure Storage CEO Scott … [Read more...]

A farmer in the northern province of Hung Yen harvests longan. — VNA/VNS Photo Dinh Hue Hung Yen Province is expecting this year’s main longan crop to decline in quantity and ripen a week behind schedule. As a result, prices have shot up by VND7,000 (31 US cents) per kilogramme. Doan Thi Chai, Deputy Director of Hung Yen provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), said that due to high temperatures in the winter months of 2016 and the beginning of 2017, the amount of longan blossoms declined in some areas in the province. Chai also said that since production is expected to go down, the selling price will reach an average of VND35,000 to VND36,000 ($1.55 to $1.6) per kilogramme. A majority of supermarkets and big suppliers have signed contracts with farms and cooperatives in Hung Yen Province at $1.55 per kilogramme of longan. The decline in longan output may mean trouble for … [Read more...]

Cigarettes are becoming more affordable in ASEAN countries. — Photo mt.gov.vn ASEAN governments should do more to make their tobacco tax policies more effective, not only for health reasons but also for the budget generation. This was the recommendation under the tobacco tax index issued by the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA). The index was released during a regional workshop on strengthening tobacco tax administration in Siem Reap recently, which was attended by tobacco tax experts from ASEAN countries, including Viet Nam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos and Myanmar. The index tracked progress of the tobacco tax policy against WHO FCTC Article 6 Guidelines and showed that while some countries have made significant progress in formulating and implementing tobacco tax policies, the region as a whole has advanced at a slow pace in the past few years, outpaced by economic and income … [Read more...]

Cam Ranh International Airport in Khanh Hoa (Photo: VNA) Khanh Hoa (VNA) – Authorities in the central province of Khanh Hoa have requested a new runway that is under construction at Cam Ranh international airport should become operational in 2018. The project on Cam Ranh airport’s second runway began in March 2015 and was expected to be completed within 36 months. However, unfavorable weather conditions have deterred the construction from finishing as schedule. Financed by the State, the project costs over 1.9 trillion VND (83.6 million USD). The construction features a runway, which is 3.048 metres long and 45 metres wide. Cam Ranh airport was built by the US troops to serve its military missions during wartime and was converted into a civil airport in 2004. It was upgraded to an international airport in 2009. Currently, the airport’s … [Read more...]

Police in northern Vietnam have broken up a trans-national heroin and crystal meth ring operating across the Vietnam-Laos border. Both drugs were being transported from provinces along the Laos border to Hai Phong before being distributed throughout Vietnam and into neighboring countries, officers from the local Department of Police confirmed. The leader of the illicit organization was Ngo Trac Hiep, 52, a resident of Le Chan District, Hai Phong City. Hiep had previously been convicted of theft five times and had spent time living in Laos and other provinces near the Vietnam-Laos border, during which time he developed relationships with local drug dealers. The kingpin was in charge of the transportation of drugs, using his high-capacity all-terrain vehicle containing multiple hidden compartments specifically designed for the storing of contraband. The automobile Hiep used to transport drugs. … [Read more...]

(TITC) – On 24 July 2017, the 46th Meeting of ASEAN National Tourism Organisations was officially launched in Flamingo Dai Lai Resort, Vinh Phuc Province, Viet Nam in the context of celebrating the 50th Anniversary of ASEAN (8 August 1967-2017). The meeting had the participation of more than 100 delegates from ASEAN National Tourism Organisations (NTOs), ASEAN Secretariat, ASEAN Tourism Association and media agencies. On his opening speech, Chairman of Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan stressed that ASEAN region is endowed with great potentials for tourism development and has achieved encouraging achievements in recent years. In 2016, the region recorded more than 113 million visitor arrivals, increasing by 7% compared to 2015. In particular, Viet Nam received over 10 million international arrivals in 2016, seeing an increase of 26% over the previous year. In … [Read more...]

VietNamNet Bridge – Reports on the role of creative centres in developing a thriving local creative economy will be launched in Ha Noi on August 1. Creative Lab by UP – the latest creative centre at the Hanoi Creative City Building. — Photo Creative Lab by UP The session will present two reports commissioned by the British Council in support of the development of creative centres in Viet Nam. The first report is Creative Hubs: Experience from Europe, Lessons for Vietnam, 2016 by Professor Andy Pratt from City University London, with the second the Review of Regulatory Framework for Creative Hubs in Vietnam, 2017, conducted by the Viet Nam National Institute of Culture and Arts Studies. The event will feature presentations by three creative centres, the Creative Lab by UP in Ha Noi, the Danang Business Incubator … [Read more...]

Viet Nam Medi Pharm Expo is designed to promote trade activities in pharmacy and medical equipment. — Photo hn.medipharmexpo.com The Viet Nam Medi Pharm Expo 2017 will be held at the Sai Gon Exhibition and Convention Centre, HCM City, from August 17 to 19, 2017. This year, 250 businesses will be participating in the expo, including giant corporations and leading global companies from 22 countries and territories such as the US, Germany, France, Russia, Turkey, Republic of Korea, Japan, and China. The exhibition will focus on presenting medical and laboratory equipment, health care products, pharmaceuticals, functional foods, cosmetics, cosmetic equipment, processing machinery, pharmaceutical packaging products and dental and ophthalmic equipment. The highlight of the exhibition will be the Japanese booths with high-tech medical products, Indian booths with pharmaceuticals and laboratory equipment, and … [Read more...]