Asean visa free countries

RoK and ASEAN flags (Photo: aseanvietnam.vn) Seoul (VNA) – The Republic of Korea (RoK)’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) has announced that the country is taking the lead in food security cooperation in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN ). MAFRA revealed that the country plans to supply 2,000 tonnes of rice for three ASEAN member states, including Philippines (750 tonnes), Myanmar (750 tonnes) and Laos (500 tonnes) through the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) agreement. The joint rice reserve among ASEAN member states and the RoK , China and Japan aims to ensure food security and provide emergency support in a time of food shortage or natural disaster events. Each member country agrees to reserve an amount of rice in advance. It is a public reserve system that provides sales, lending, and donation in times of emergency. The RoK is doubling the amount of rice aid to strengthen food security in the ASEAN … [Read more...] about RoK leads in food security cooperation in ASEAN

Hanoi Opera House is given a highlight in the Vietnam video. (Photo: VNA) Seoul (VNA) – A series of videos released by the ASEAN – Korea Centre (AKC) on September 27 is expected to provide a deeper insight into the rich culture and unique architecture of Cambodia, Indonesia and Vietnam, as well as promote collaboration between the ASEAN bloc and the Republic of Korea (RoK). Themed “a journey to culture and architecture” the five-minute videos shed light on two cities in each nation. The respective countries' national tourism organizations recommended the architecture to be featured in the videos and architect-writer Oh Young-wook provided the commentary. The Vietnam video takes viewer to Hanoi, a city with 1,000 years of history, and Ninh Binh – dubbed as the “Ha Long Bay on land”. It spotlights a blend of European flair and traditional elements in such iconic structures as the Opera House, St.Joseph’s Cathedral, Phat Diem Cathedral and Bai Dinh Pagoda. For Cambodia, … [Read more...] about ASEAN – RoK centre releases video to promote ASEAN tourism

Chairman of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ABAC) Arsjad Rasjid (Photo: VNA) Jakarta (VNA) – Southeast Asian companies are evaluating potential investments in African market s so as to support growth and seek new opportunities amidst China’s economic slowdown, said Chairman of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ABAC) Arsjad Rasjid. China’s economic recession definitely impacts the Southeast Asian region, which has strong trade ties with the world’s second largest economy, he said. "What is important to see is that we are now looking at other nontraditional markets," Rasjid told Nikkei Assia, adding, "We've talked about Africa." With a population of over 1 billion, Africa is seen as filled with potential future markets by companies from the rest of the world. In late August, Indonesian President Joko Widodo made his first trip to Africa as leader of Southeast Asia's biggest economy. His tour to Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and South Africa marked a turn … [Read more...] about ASEAN businesses seek investment opportunities in Africa

Illustrative image (Source: VNA) Geneva (VNA) – Vietnam has leaped two places in the Global Innovation Index (GII) in 2023, ranking 46th out of 132 countries and territories, according to a GII report released by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) on September 27. According to the report, Vietnam has continued to show progress in converting innovation input into output performance. The country has jumped from 59th position in 2022 to 57th position in 2023 in terms of input level, while its output level was up one place to 40th position. The GII input pillars include institutions, human capital and research, infrastructure, market sophistication, and business sophistication. Meanwhile, the output performance are knowledge and technology outputs and creative output. Vietnamese scientists making NanoDragon satellite (Photo: VNSC) Particularly, Vietnam has maintained its second position among lower middle-income countries in the overall GII after … [Read more...] about Vietnam leaps two places in global innovation index in 2023

Several ongoing trends in the Vietnamese tourism sector have contributed to its strong recovery in the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic, with the increasing travel demands of Gen Z and families with kids as significant contributors, according to the Visa Global Travel Intentions Study (GTI) 2023. Vietnam, with its stunning landscapes and diverse cultural heritage sites, has become a popular destination for travelers from around the world. According to the study, it is vital for both travelers and industry stakeholders to understand new trends in Vietnamese tourism following the pandemic. In terms of leisure trips, families with kids and 'Silvers' – individuals older than 60 – made an average of 2.4 trips over the past 12 months, more than any other market segments, according to the GTI 2023. Besides ticking visiting landmarks, Vietnamese tourists are now placing a strong emphasis on leisure-focused and experiential journeys. Relaxation was the main driver of travel, … [Read more...] about Emerging trends expected to power Vietnam’s tourism boom: study

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, 72 countries recognize Vietnam as a market economy, including Canada, Australia, Japan, and South Korea. The UK did so recently with an official letter to the effect. Speaking to VnExpress , a Trade Remedies Authority Department official said since its first anti-dumping investigation case against Vietnam in 2002 the U.S. had been considering the country a non-market economy. In a meeting with the U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo in Washington last Tuesday, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh proposed the U.S. to soon recognize Vietnam’s market economy status . The need for recognition of Vietnam's market economy status was also in the joint statement between General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Joe Biden on upgrading the two countries' relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The EU also sees Vietnam as a non-market economy. In 2015, while free-trade agreement negotiations were underway, the EU … [Read more...] about Significance of Vietnam being a market economy

The European Union (EU) will apply five assistance tools to Vietnam’s multifaceted development plan, as well as rapidly resolve its Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing ‘yellow card’ warning against the Southeast Asian country, the new EU ambassador to Vietnam recently announced. Ambassador Julien Guerrier was speaking at his first media meeting in Hanoi on Wednesday, one day after taking office and presenting his letter of credentials to Vietnamese State President Vo Van Thuong. Vietnam is an important EU partner in its Indo-Pacific strategy and the EU is one of Vietnam’s most reliable and long-standing friends and partners, Guerrier affirmed. The new ambassador pledged that during his four-year term, the EU will continue to help Vietnam realize its vision of becoming a developed economy by 2045 and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. To that effect, the EU will provide Vietnam with five support tools, the first of which is to continue promoting the … [Read more...] about EU to offer 5 support tools to Vietnam, address IUU fishing warning soon: new ambassador

Illustrative image (Photo: nongnghiep.vn) Hanoi (VNA) – Amidst the increasing demand for raw materials in the food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries, and Vietnam’s participation in various free trade agreements, the country’s herbal products, particularly cinnamon and star anise, are well-positioned to capitalise on the opportunity for development, heard a conference in Hanoi on September 28. Addressing the event, Vu Ba Phu, Director of the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade stressed that with a diverse and abundant source of medicinal herbs, Vietnam boasts great potential and advantages to develop this field into an economic industry. | The cinnamon cultivation area in Vietnam stands at about 150,000 ha, accounting for 17% of the global cinnamon area. Vietnam is the third largest producer and exporter of cinnamon in the world in terms of output, after Indonesia and China. Meanwhile, very few countries have star anise – the plant … [Read more...] about Conference looks for ways to boost exports of herbal products

Protesters hold a placard portraying Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May during a march in central London calling for an end to the "crisis" in the state-run National Health Service (NHS). (Daniel LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP) NHS staffing levels have been in crisis for months, an issue made worse by a winter flu outbreak. The public health service is a highly-emotive political issue, and controversially formed the centre-piece of the succesful pro-Brexit campaign during the 2016 referendum. Protesters carrying placards reading "NHS not for sale", and "Hands off our NHS", braved the cold and rain to demand that the government pump more money into the system, and roll back the influence of the private sector in the public-funded service. Hospital campaigner Tamsyn Bacchus demonstrated with a life-size replica vulture and an NHS placard, fearing that the free-at-point-of-use service was moving towards a US style user-pay system. "I have faith, and so do all these folk here, that it's so … [Read more...] about Thousands protest over UK health service