African renewable energy distributor

Illustrative image (Photo: https://thaiembdc.org/) Bangkok (VNA) – A national committee on electronic vehicle (EV) policy of Thailand , also known as the EV board, on February 2 agreed in principle on a proposal to lower the excise tax on EV batteries from the current 8% to just 1% while offering a 24 billion THB (730 million USD) subsidy to the EV battery-producing industry. The subsidy will be on a first-come first-served basis, Thai Minister of Energy Supattanapong Punmeechaow said, adding that the subsidy should help reduce the prices of EV batteries and EVs overall, which will boost the country's EV-making industry. The amount of the subsidy on offer will depend on the size of the battery produced, Supattanapong said. A producer of an EV battery with less than 8-gigawatt hours (GWh) capacity will receive a subsidy of between 400 THB and 600 THB per kilowatt hour (kWh), while a factory making an EV battery of more than 8 GWh will receive between 600 THB and … [Read more...] about Thailand to reduce excise tax on electric vehicle batteries

Bac Lieu wind power plant assessed to contribute importantly to reducing impacts of climate change. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - The Ministry of Industry and Trade recently issued the sector’s action plan on climate change response and green growth to 2030, with a vision to 2050. Accordingly, the ministry considers climate change response an important and long-term task, and the achievement of the net zero emissions an opportunity to develop towards a low-carbon direction in accordance with national conditions and international trends. Measures to respond to climate change will be included in strategies for the development of the industry and trade sector. Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) This move aims to ensure the flexible adaptation to short-, medium- and long-term impacts of climate change, as well as the sector’s stable development and growth. These actions will also minimise losses caused by natural disasters, and consequences of extreme weather and … [Read more...] about MoIT acts in response to climate change

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son (C, red shirt) and his Lao, Indonesian counterparts posing for a photo with reporters at ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat (Photo: VNA) Jakarta (VNA) - The Vietnamese delegation to the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat, led by Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son, has actively contributed ideas to creating ASEAN's consensus on many important decisions such as measures to improve the group's institution effectiveness, implement the five-point consensus on the Myanmar issue, and support Timor Leste. The statement was made on February 4 by Ambassador Vu Ho , acting head of SOM ASEAN Vietnam, in an interview granted to Vietnam News Agency correspondents in Indonesia on the outcomes of the retreat. Ambassador Ho said that the Vietnamese delegation not only discussed with other delegates to identify ASEAN's focuses and priorities, but also actively proposed many practical initiatives that are in line with the common concerns of other countries and the … [Read more...] about Vietnam contributes to ASEAN’s consensus on important decisions

According to the Foreign Investment Agency (FIA), under the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), close to $1.7 billion worth of foreign capital poured into Vietnam last month. While this figure was down 19.8 per cent on-year, partly due to the timing of the Lunar New Year, January still saw positive signs. Some 153 new foreign-invested projects, valued at $1.2 billion, were granted licences, up 48.5 per cent in number and 3.1 times in value compared to the same period last year. “We can consider this a signal confirming the confidence of overseas financiers to expand their interests in Vietnam,” said Do Nhat Hoang, director of the FIA. This confidence is also reflected in the amount of new projects that were granted investment registration certificates or signed an MoU in the first month of the year. Bac Giang People’s Committee have granted several investment certificates and MoUs for a number of internationally funded projects with total registered capital of about … [Read more...] about Strong figures for FDI in January

He made the remarks at a press conference held within the framework of the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF)  2023 in the city of Yogyakarta, Indonesia, from February 2-5. Last year, Vietnam welcomed a total of 3.66 million foreign visitors, 23.3 times higher than the 2021 figure. In January 2023 alone, the number of foreign tourists to the Southeast Asian nation reached more than 871,000, up 44% year-on-year. The official said that Vietnam has a variety of tourism products. In addition to four main options, namely marine tourism, ecotourism, cultural tourism and urban tourism, it also boasts attractive complementary products such as luxury resort tourism, adventure tourism, wellness tourism, and golf tourism. Introducing Vietnam's tourism policy in the post-COVID-19 period, Mr. Ha Van Sieu said that Vietnam has resumed visa exemption for those from ASEAN countries, thereby helping people in the region travel easily. Its Government has also supported tourism businesses to reconnect with … [Read more...] about Vietnam promotes tourism to ASEAN market

An art performance to celebrate the 93rd founding anniversary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (February 3, 1930 - 2023) (Photo: VNA) Vientiane (VNA) - Pasaxon (The People), the official newspaper of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, ran an article on February 3 on the occasion of the 93rd founding anniversary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV). The article wrote every time when spring comes, in the jubilant atmosphere of the Lunar New Year, the Vietnamese people joyfully welcome the founding day of the CPV. Over the past 93 springs, the CPV has led its people to fight foreign invaders, gain independence and reunify the country, as well as in nation building and development, contributing to bringing a prosperous and happy life to the people. Under the leadership of the Party, Vietnam has developed from a poor and backward country, and a colonised country to a developing country with middle income; and its role, position and reputation are increasingly … [Read more...] about Lao newspaper praises Communist Party of Vietnam’s leadership role

Being the heart of Vietnam, Hanoi has been promoting solid waste management while raising public awareness of environmental protection, helping the country reach the target of processing 96% of urban household waste in 2023. Hanoi has taken drastic measures to boost the management of solid waste, which has not met the requirements of environmental protection, according to Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DONRE) Mai Trong Thai. Accordingly, the DONRE has issued a plan and taken action to strengthen the state management of solid waste in the capital city and raise the people’s awareness of the issue. Previously, solid waste management in Hanoi was handled by the Department of Construction and DONRE, resulting in overlapping functions. Therefore, the DONRE has assumed primary responsibility for solid waste management in the capital from January 1, 2023. He stressed that the DONRE undertook early in resolving the difficulties that … [Read more...] about Hanoi takes drastic action to handle solid waste

The event was a turning point for the country, ending a crisis in orientations for national salvation and leadership of the patriotic movement of Vietnam in the early 20th century. The moment also became the starting point for the victory of Vietnamese revolution and the growth of the nation in the following periods. With sound policies, the CPV strongly inspired and revived aspirations for national liberation among the Vietnamese people. Only 15 years following the Party revolutionary path, Vietnam had made a great miracle – the success of the August Revolution in 1945, smashing the colonial-feudal rule, establishing the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, and bringing the nation into the era of independence and freedom. On September 2, 1945, at Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi, President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence, giving birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. A new era opened for the nation, the most glorious era in the national history – the Ho Chi Minh era. … [Read more...] about Communist Party of Vietnam – leader, companion of nation

It will not be easy to keep inflation at 4.5% this year as targeted, economic expert Nguyen Bich Lam, former General Director of the General Statistics Office (GSO), has said. Inflationary pressure for Vietnam's economy in 2023 is "huge" and comes from many factors, he said in an interview with the Vietnam News Agency (VNA). People queue up at a petrol station in Hanoi. (Photo:VNA) The demand-pull and cost-push inflation will put pressure on the country's efforts to control inflation amid surging demand and strengthening of the US dollar which yields increased import prices. Demand for petrol and electricity – the two important commodities for production and consumption – will increase in 2023. The domestic electricity price has been kept unchanged for the past few years, while the price of coal and gas used in the production of electricity has increased, he said, noting that thermal and gas power account for a large proportion of the total generated electricity. … [Read more...] about Vietnam faces huge inflationary pressure in 2023: expert

The vibrance of Hanoi culture is inspiring young musicians – locals and expats alike – to take on electronic music as a new medium to search for the ‘soul’ of the city. Ever since he set foot in Hanoi during a short exchange program six years ago, Robin Marty, a French student majoring in marine science, has been captivated by the robust life brimming in every corner of the Vietnamese capital city. “You always see bunches of young girls and boys driving around on their cheap electric bikes gagging and shouting. Most people smile first, then talk," Marty wrote in a release note for his 2021 EP Tra Da (Iced Tea). “And it is not uncommon to see people randomly singing in the street, in a shop, on their balcony. “I feel like that’s something we have forgotten back home [in France]." Limebócx members perform at a music event at Hanoi Rock City in December 2022. Photo : Hanoi Rock City Yet, in the meantime, the allure of modernism is gradually taking over the … [Read more...] about Poetry in commotion: Young artists capture Hanoi’s spirit in electronic music