50 good deeds

Being one of the best-loved railways in Southeast Asia, Vietnam's North-South Railway, with two ends at Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, attracts many travelers. Lonely Planet, the world-renowned travel guide, named Vietnam National Railway the most incredible rail trip in the world. The 1,730-kilometer journey from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City offers breathtaking views of the country's diverse landscapes, making it a must-see for foreigners coming to Vietnam, the magazine said. "Some railways rattle through historic cities; others swoosh beside spectacular coastlines. A few have an epic history, and one or two are remarkable for the colorful characters onboard. The Reunification Express line, known as the North–South Railway, fulfills all these criteria," it stated. The railway is one of Southeast Asia's best-loved railways and the world's most epic overnight train journeys. It's also one of Vietnam's tourism highlights that attracts many international visitors. … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s Reunification Express named world’s most incredible rail journey: Lonely Planet

The Huong (Perfume) Pagoda Festival is one of the biggest celebrations in the Lunar New Year. Preparations have been wrapped up for the Huong (Perfume) Pagoda Festival, one of the biggest celebrations in the Lunar New Year. Everything is ready to welcome thousands of Buddhist pilgrims. The opening ceremony of the Huong Pagoda is held on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, which falls on January 30. The pagoda is a vast complex of Buddhist temples and shrines built in the limestone Huong Tich mountains in Huong Son commune, My Duc district, Hanoi. The Huong Pagoda festival attracts thousands of visitors and Buddhist followers. This year, the religious site is expected to welcome 40,000 – 50,000 people coming to pray and show reverence to Buddha. According to the organizing board, during five days of Tet, the number of visitors to the Huong pagoda increasingly amounted to 15,000, of them, 3.7 thousand … [Read more...] about Perfume Pagoda gets ready for a festival kick-off

The cultural event aims at celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Sándor Petőfi - a famous Hungarian revolutionary poet and writer. The Embassy of Hungary in Vietnam is holding a photo exhibition entitled " Petőfi : Around the World" at the National Library of Vietnam in Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi. The exhibition is open to the public until June 5. The exhibition, themed at Hungarian poet Sándor Petőfi, will last until June 5 at the National Library of Vietnam. Photo: Embassy of Hungary in Hanoi The exhibition features 19 large-format color posters, with content in both English and Vietnamese, outlining the career and remarkable contributions to the world culture of the Hungarian poet Sándor Petőfi (1823 - 2023). "I believe that the exhibition will be a valuable opportunity for the Vietnamese people and international visitors to Hanoi to learn about the life and career of the greatest Hungarian revolutionary poet and literary figure: Sándor … [Read more...] about Exhibition in Hanoi to praise Hungary’s national poet

South Korean tourists topped the charts in terms of visits to Vietnam in the first five months of this year, followed by China. According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, Vietnam welcomed 1.3 million tourists from South Korea between January and May this year. It was followed by China with 400,000 and the US with 300,000. Foreign visitors in Hanoi Taiwan, Japan and Thailand were in the top ten markets with the highest number of arrivals to Vietnam during the January-May period. In the first five months, the tourism sector attracted 4.6 million foreign tourists, up 12.6 percent on-year. However, the figure was a drop of 37 percent against the same pre-Covid-19 period in 2019. The tourism industry served 50 million domestic visitors from January to May. The industry’s total revenues were estimated at VND260 trillion (USD1.11 billion). Experts were upbeat that the country would reach the target of welcoming eight million foreign visitors this … [Read more...] about South Korean, Chinese visitors to Vietnam surge

President Vo Van Thuong greets the revolution contributors from Vinh Long province in Hanoi on May 30. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – President Vo Van Thuong had a meeting with a delegation of 70 revolution contributors from the Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long in Hanoi on May 30. The Vinh Long delegates include war invalids, those used to be imprisoned by enemies or affected by Agent Orange/dioxin, martyrs’ relatives, and families of revolution contributors. Appreciating the Party, State, and society’s attention and assistance to revolution contributors nationwide, including those in Vinh Long, they said they have always stayed united and made efforts to improve their life, contribute to local and national development, and join hands with authorities in repatriating martyrs’ remains and building, upgrading monuments to martyrs. They pledged to uphold revolutionary traditions, set good examples, and educate younger generations on the traditions so that Vinh Long will … [Read more...] about State leader hails dedications by Vinh Long revolution contributors

A customer uses QR code for payment at Con market in the central city of Da Nang. — VNA/VNS Photo Van Dung The State Bank of Viet Nam (SBV) has requested banks, branches of foreign banks, and providers of intermediary payment services to take steps to continue promoting cashless payments and the implementation of the national digital transformation programme. The move is also set to help with the plan on developing the application of resident data and electronic identification and authentication to serve national digital transformation for the 2022 - 25 period, with a vision to 2030. In its Document No 3956/NHNN-TT, the SBV asked banks, foreign banks’ branches, and intermediary payment service providers to continue considering and offering preferential programmes and policies on payment and intermediary payment service fees to customers, and exempt account maintenance fees as well as cash withdrawal fees for the customers entitled to the social security policy. They were told … [Read more...] about Central bank demands stronger promotion of cashless payment

According to a recent report by the Bank of Korea (BOK), Vietnam is swiftly becoming a significant market for South Korean semiconductor makers, who have been grappling with lacklustre demand in China. As the rivalry between the United States and China intensifies, the BOK has emphasised the importance of diversifying export markets for industry giants like Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. The BOK underlines Vietnam's emergence as a new source of demand for South Korean semiconductors, highlighting its growing status as an international hub for IT device production and potentially positioning it as a substitute for China in the future. Major smartphone manufacturers have established production bases in Vietnam, where South Korean semiconductors play a crucial role as intermediary goods in the production of finished products, the report notes. Vietnam's abundant low-wage workforce and its proximity to the Chinese market are attracting global businesses, including South Korean … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s market becomes ray of hope for South Korean semiconductor manufacturers

Through this collaboration, millions of Vietnamese customers will gain access to a fast, affordable, and convenient BNPL services. This partnership is part of a comprehensive strategy from both companies to address the growing demand for digital payments in Vietnam, a market predicted to be worth $143 billion by 2025. The union of these two prominent platforms is expected to have a positive impact on the digital payment trend and further boost Vietnam's digital economy. Considered pioneers in the nation's emerging digital payment market, Kredivo and OnePay are set to offer seamless BNPL services to 20 million customers within the network. This new, modern, and convenient financing and payment solution features a fast and flexible process with a simple two-click check-out. Moreover, with Kredivo's BNPL solution integrated on OnePay, over 4,000 merchants will be able to leverage Kredivo's smart financial solutions and user experience to enhance their business and customer loyalty. … [Read more...] about Kredivo enters into collaboration with OnePay

In the first five months of the year, Viet Nam exported about $136.17 billion worth of goods, a year-on-year drop of 11.6 per cent, while imports totalled $126.37 billion, down 17.9 per cent year on year. — VNA/VNS Photo Viet Nam’s import-export value in the first five months of this year was estimated at US$262.54 billion, down 14.7 per cent year-on-year, with a trade surplus of $9.8 billion, the General Statistics Office (GSO) announced on Monday. In the period, Viet Nam exported about $136.17 billion worth of goods, a year-on-year drop of 11.6 per cent, while imports totalled $126.37 billion, down 17.9 per cent year on year. As many as 23 export items joined the more than one-billion-US dollar club, making up 87.4 per cent of the total export turnover. Regarding the structure of exports, processed commodities earned $120.24 billion (88.3 per cent); agro-forestry products, $10.79 billion; aquatic products, $3.37 billion; and fuel and minerals, about $1.77 billion. As for … [Read more...] about Viet Nam posts trade surplus of US$9.8 billion in five months