This year, the Lunar New Year comes earlier, with the joy from the country’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The typical features of Tet include “banh chung”, red couplets, apricot blossoms, and peach blossoms, which are present along streets everywhere. For those who are far from home, the Lunar New Year is an opportunity to return and reunite with family members, visit parents, relatives and friends, and wish each other a peaceful, healthy and happy New Year. As for expats living in Vietnam and tourists in the country during this occasion, the traditional Lunar New Year is a unique holiday, giving them truly memorable experiences. The Tet atmosphere seems more bustling this year as the country has reopened its borders to welcome international visitors since last March. The Lunar New Year is fast approaching. Some may feel nostalgic about many things from the old year, but it is time to temporarily put aside such thoughts and welcome a New Year with … [Read more...] about Vietnamese Tet inspires foreigners
Australian dollars to vietnamese dong
Co Loa Temple Festival opens
Co Loa Citadel represents the thousand-year history of the nation. This annual event is held to pay tribute to King An Duong Vuong, founder of the ancient Vietnamese kingdom of Au Lac, who led the fight against foreign enemies and ruled the country for 50 years in the 3rd century BC. The colorful festival of Co Loa Temple will take place until February 6. Photo: VNA At the opening of the festival, Dong Anh District People's Committee Chairman Nguyen Xuan Linh recalled that more than 2,300 years ago, after leading the resistance war against more than 50,000 Qin soldiers, King An Duong Vuong established the capital of the Au Lac Kingdom in Co Loa. “This is one of the extremely valuable historical sites with unique architecture and also an important archaeological site of the country,” he said. "The Co Loa citadel has become a symbol of the proud ancient Vietnamese civilization," he added. Being considered one of the oldest festivals in Vietnam, Co Loa … [Read more...] about Co Loa Temple Festival opens
Retail market forecast to bustle this year
According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), the scale of the Vietnamese retail market is USD 142 billion, which is expected to reach USD 350 billion in 2025, with contribution of 59% to total GDP. Last year, the total revenue from retail sales of goods and services rose 21%, exceeding the target of 8%. A survey by Vietnam Report showed that over 53.8% of total retail firms enjoyed similar and higher business results compared to the pre-pandemic level. Experts held that growth of retail sales is being supported by rise in income and the strong recovery of the tourism sector as well as relevant sectors such as transport and accommodations, as well as the effectiveness of inflation control measures. Particularly, from now to the lunar New Year (Tet) Festival, which falls in late January, consumers are predicted to loosen their wallet dramatically. At the same time, there are signs of vibrant retail activities as many foreign investors have announced their plans to … [Read more...] about Retail market forecast to bustle this year
Local game developers eye great opportunities at home
Illustrative image (Photo: vietnamnet) Hanoi (VNA) – The bustling game market in Vietnam is offering numerous opportunities for developers, according to experts. Le Quang Tu Do, Director of the Authority of Broadcasting , Television and Electronic Information under the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC), cited data from App Annie 2020 showing that Vietnam ranked seventh in the world and second in Southeast Asia in the number of game downloads. Meanwhile, the country also ranked third in the top 10 game application manufacturers in the region. For every 25 games downloaded, there is one produced in Vietnamese studios. According to the statistics of Sensor Tower and the Vietnam Game Studio Club, there are currently about 5,000 games produced by Vietnamese people, mostly for children, entertainment, and education. Do said that the wage of each game developer in Vietnam is about 187 million VND (7,975 USD) per year, while that of each artist is abour 389 million … [Read more...] about Local game developers eye great opportunities at home
Hoi An, HCM City among world’s top 25 trending destinations in 2023: TripAdvisor
Germany’s famous travel site reisereporter.de has run an article highlighting the world’s top 25 trending destinations for 2023, including Vietnam’s Hoi An ancient city and Ho Chi Minh City, recently voted by readers of TripAdvisor – the world's largest travel guidance platform. Hoi An in the central province of Quang Nam occupies the second place, following Cuba (Photo: Screenshot) Specifically, Hoi An in the central province of Quang Nam occupied the second place on the list as part of the annual Travelers' Choice Best of the Best Awards, following Cuba, while the southern metropolis secured 11th place. The category reveals destinations with the greatest year-over-year growth in interest on Tripadvisor based on travelers' reviews over a 12-month period between November 1 and October 31. "Hoi An on the central Vietnamese coast is a well-preserved example of the important Southeast Asian trading port it was from the 15th-19th centuries," Tripadvisor commented. … [Read more...] about Hoi An, HCM City among world’s top 25 trending destinations in 2023: TripAdvisor
Australia’s Victoria state pins hope on Vietjet’s launch of flights
Pallas said the presence of a carrier from Southeast Asia is a victory of Victoria state’s economy and brings job opportunities to the locality, reflecting the state’s tourism and export strengths. VietJet will run three direct weekly flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Melbourne airport from April and will develop it into a daily service in December 2024. Its flights are expected to bring more than 136,000 passengers to Melbourne each year and add 97 million USD annually to the state's economy. VietJet will be the second Vietnamese airline to operate flights to Melbourne since after the COVID-19 pandemic. Previously, Vietnam's new-generation Bamboo Airways also launched the service in April 2022. Vietnam is now the ninth largest importer of Victoria state, with 113 million AUD (80.5 million USD) worth of Australian goods transported via airway during 2021-2022, up 77% compared to 2020-2021. Victoria state is also a popular tourist and study destination for Vietnamese. About 9,500 … [Read more...] about Australia’s Victoria state pins hope on Vietjet’s launch of flights
Urban flooding needs concerted solutions
A street in Hanoi is flooded after heavy rains. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Alongside urbanisation , flooding in cities of Vietnam, a country highly vulnerable to climate change, is getting complicated and needs concerted solutions, according to experts. There are more than 800 cities nationwide, including the two special municipalities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Big and populous cities such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, and Vinh of Nghe An province have frequently suffered from heavy losses caused by downpours and flooding. Nguyen Van Tien, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Disaster Management Authority under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said Vietnamese cities, especially major ones, are centres of economic, social, and cultural activities and also concentrations of infrastructure facilities and residential areas. They are exposed to many disaster risks, including flooding, which requires proactive preventive and timely response measures. … [Read more...] about Urban flooding needs concerted solutions
Positive prospects for Vietnam’s stock market this year
The VN-Index, which tracks the performance of the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE), closed above the resistance area of 1,100 points, equivalent to 1,120 points of the VN30-Index, in the last trading week. Although cash flow has not improved much, supply pressure has not put great pressure on the market. The market is expected to continue to be supported and gain points in the next trading sessions. Therefore, investors can still expect the market to expand the uptrend and exploit some short-term opportunities in stocks with positive accumulation background, said Viet Dragon Securities Co. 2022 was an eventful year for the Vietnamese stock market with many records set. After a prosperous 2021, the VN-Index continued to stay at its historic peak for the first three months of 2022. However, the market then declined, putting itself on the list of the worst performers in the world. As of December 27, the benchmark had dropped 34.2% to 1,004.57 points, from the 1,520-point peak … [Read more...] about Positive prospects for Vietnam’s stock market this year
Vietnam supports expansion of UN Security Council
Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Tra, Deputy Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, speaks at the session (Photo: VNA) New York (VNA) - Vietnam supports the expansion of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in terms of both permanent and non-permanent members, with the fair representation of groups of nations, especially underrepresented ones, taken into account, Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Tra , Deputy Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, has said. Addressing the first meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiations on Security Council reform at the 77th UN General Assembly on January 26, Tra also emphasised improving the working method of the UNSC and limiting the use of veto power. She highlighted the importance of dialogues and discussions on the council reshuffle within the IGN framework, suggesting that this process be carried out in a transparent manner, with the participation of all members, and on the basis of respecting the interests of … [Read more...] about Vietnam supports expansion of UN Security Council
Vietnam’s Da Lat City overcrowded with vehicles of Tet goers
All major streets in Vietnam’s tourist highland city of Da Lat were packed with vehicles on Thursday, the last day of the seven-day Tet break (2023 Lunar New Year) as so many personal cars and passenger vans traveled to the city. The traffic jams were serious as so many vehicles entered the city center even though the number of visitors during this Tet was not too big compared to last year’s edition, as noted by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters. Tran Manh Son, a visitor from Ho Chi Minh City, told Tuoi Tre that it took him nearly an hour to drive his family in his car for a distance of about three kilometers from a hotel on Trieu Viet Vuong Street to Tran Hung Dao Street. “Cars and larger vehicles were overloaded everywhere, so many cars inched a bit, as slow as walking,” Son said. The area of Xuan Huong Lake was constantly congested from 8:30 am to 11:00 am, and the same situation was recorded in many other sites, including the city’s flower garden, the Ong Dao … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s Da Lat City overcrowded with vehicles of Tet goers