Dung Dang, Visa's country manager for Vietnam and Laos said, “For more than a decade, the Global Travel Intentions Study has equipped Visa and its partners with unparalleled insights into the travel and payment landscape. This invaluable knowledge allows operators in the industry to plan and execute effective strategies to satisfy consumer demands and grow their businesses, all while reinforcing Visa’s commitment to creating a cashless society.” Emerging trends powering the travel boom The GTI 2023 revealed an ongoing trend in the Vietnamese travel industry, with the rise of Gen Z and families with children as significant contributors to the growth. In terms of leisure trips, families travelling with kids and the older generation made the most trips over the past 12 months, with an average of 2.4. Gone are the days when travel was solely about ticking off landmarks from a checklist. Vietnamese travellers are now placing a strong emphasis on leisure-focused and … [Read more...] about A journey of discovery from Visa Global Travel Intentions Study 2023
Cashless payment systems for schools
Parents accuse HCMC international school of dodging debts
Van Phuong, who lives in District 7, said he signed a contract with AISVN's chairwoman Nguyen Thi Ut Em in 2018 to lend the school VND5 billion (US$205,000). With such loans from their parents, the children would be allowed to study for free at the school in Nha Be District until they graduate from high school or move to another school. As stated in the contract, the loan is interest-free, and the school will pay it within 90 days after the students move to another school or finish their 12th grade. "My children moved in 2022 but the school has paid us nothing," Phuong said. He added that the school had promised to pay the debt twice, in January and May this year, but has defaulted until now. "When signing the contract, I simply thought that my two children could get access to an international education free of charge if I lent them the money, which is a long-term benefit. I did not expect the school to break its promise like this," he said. In the same situation, Thanh … [Read more...] about Parents accuse HCMC international school of dodging debts
HCMC regulating financial operations at private schools
The city's Department of Education and Training said in a Monday statement that private schools, including international schools, must separate their education and training activities from their businesses, including capital mobilization and financial investment. The order was made following a case in which parents showed up at the American International School Vietnam (AISVN) in Nha Be District last Thursday demanding the school pay its debts. The parents said they had signed contracts with the school's chairwoman, Nguyen Thi Ut Em, to let the school borrow money so that their children could study for free. The school said in a press release later that the loans were actually investments in the school and the sum would be returned within 5 to 15 years from the time the children matriculated at the school. Speaking to VnExpress on Sunday, a representative from the department said it would send an inspection team to the school on Wednesday to look into its financial situation. … [Read more...] about HCMC regulating financial operations at private schools
Two million helmets to be presented to first graders in this school year
The programme on presenting helmets to first graders is carried out by the National Traffic Safety Committee , the Ministry of Education and Training , and Honda Vietnam. (Illustrative photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – As many as 2 million helmets will be presented to first graders nationwide in the 2023 - 2024 academic year under a programme launched by the National Traffic Safety Committee, the Ministry of Education and Training, and Honda Vietnam on September 25. Addressing the launch at the Phu Do Primary School in Hanoi, General Director of Honda Vietnam Koji Sugita said the company pledges to take every possible measure for realising Honda’s global target of no traffic deaths related to Honda motorcycles and automobiles by 2050, and the Vietnamese Government’s target of no deaths related to road accidents by 2045. He noted wearing qualified helmets is a practical and important solution to protect motorcyclists and their families. It is crucial for helping first graders, … [Read more...] about Two million helmets to be presented to first graders in this school year
Mekong Delta provinces step up efforts to combat illegal fishing
Mekong Delta provinces have stepped up efforts in the fight against IUU fishing. (Photo: VNA) Kien Giang (VNA) – Mekong Delta provinces have intensified their efforts to prevent illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in a bid to have the European Commission (EC)’s “yellow card” warning against Vietnamese seafood lifted. Kien Giang province reported no fishing boats violating foreign waters in recent months, according to the provincial steering board for IUU fishing prevention and control. The result was attributed to the local authorities’ application of drastic and synchronous measures against IUU fishing, with a wide range of inspections and enhanced communications work to raise local fishermen’s awareness of current regulations on IUU fishing prevention put in place, said Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Quang Trong Thao, who is also deputy head of the steering board. To date, the vessel monitoring system … [Read more...] about Mekong Delta provinces step up efforts to combat illegal fishing
Hanoi and its urban planning problems
Fifty-six lives were lost in the fire at the apartment block in Hanoi's Thanh Xuan District on September 12, and with them, all their dreams and ambitions, all the impacts they could have made on the world. How did it come to this? The owner of the apartment building has been arrested, and investigations are ongoing. Some people will need to be held responsible. Regulations for apartment blocks will be tighter. But somehow, I feel that all these solutions have yet to reach the root of the problem. Around 10 million people in Hanoi are crammed together in a tiny area next to the Red River. Traffic jams, inundations, air pollution, lack of trees, and now fires... these are just some of the problems that Hanoians have to cope with. The capital has lost its shine over the years. Aerial view of multiple skyscrapers at the Nguyen Tuan-Le Van Luong-Hoang Minh Giam intersection in Hanoi. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Thanh Several generations of my family have lived on this … [Read more...] about Hanoi and its urban planning problems
Hanoi’s heritage house of great historical imprints
One of the rare old houses in the area of Hanoi's Old Quarter, the Heritage House at 86 Hang Bac Street is full of funky secrets. One of the most prosperous streets in ancient Hanoi was Hang Bac Silver Street . It is also the city's jewelry trade cradle, with many interesting historical stories. Hanoi's "well-off" street The timeless beauty of the heritage house at 86 Hang Bac Street. Photo: Bao Xay Dung Legend has it that Emperor Le Thanh Tong ordered Luu Xuan Tin, who was in charge of internal affairs, to set up a royal mint to cast coins and silver bars. As the mint required a large number of silversmiths, Luu Xuan Tin brought many skilled craftsmen from Hung Yen Province to Hanoi, who settled on Hang Bac Street. According to local historians, the first concrete evidence of the existence of Hang Bac is on a stele still found at 42 Hang Bac Street. It indicates that people were already living and trading on Silver Street in 1783. … [Read more...] about Hanoi’s heritage house of great historical imprints
N.A. Chairman visits Bangladesh’s Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
Meeting with the company’s leaders, N.A. Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue hailed the firm’s exports of some products to Vietnam, a market with a population of 100 million people, and stressed the possibility for Beximco to tap into a larger market of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) with 650 million consumers. Mentioning the company's major business fields of pharmaceuticals and apparel, the N.A. Chairman said these are two spheres where Vietnam and Bangladesh have advantages and should promote cooperation. Vietnam has paid due attention to and encouraged medical projects, products and solutions which play an increasingly important role in the post-COVID-19 period, he said, underscoring that incentives have been given to projects on research and production of medicinal materials, and technology application to produce medicines. The top legislator highlighted Vietnam’s new and breakthrough policies to improve the quality of medical examination, and create a legal … [Read more...] about N.A. Chairman visits Bangladesh’s Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
Phuc Khang applies green building standards to reduce carbon emissions
To date, carbon emissions from building operations have reached an all-time high of around 10 gigatons of CO 2 . This figure is an increase of about 5 per cent compared to 2020 and 2 per cent higher than the previous peak in 2019. Therefore, reducing carbon emissions in construction projects plays an essential role in achieving an overall reduction. The World Green Building Council (WGBC) has developed a vision and action framework up to 2030. In particular, all newly built construction projects must have zero operational carbon and reduce their associated energy by 40 per cent in terms of embodied carbon. By 2050, all buildings (both existing and new) must achieve-zero operational carbon, with new constructions having to achieve zero carbon content. Measured over the entire life cycle of the building, a zero-carbon construction is one with zero operating and zero embodied carbon. Diamond Lotus Riverside by PKP has been researched and applied many strategies to reduce … [Read more...] about Phuc Khang applies green building standards to reduce carbon emissions
Technology the answer for wastewater treatment
Technology the answer for wastewater treatment, illustration photo Nearly 20 Dutch businesses will visit Ho Chi Minh City on October 11-13 to participate in the 14th VietWater summit. The event, which covers international water supply, sanitation, water resources, and purification, is deemed an ideal platform for exhibitors to showcase the most advanced products in water resource management, irrigation, urban water supply and drainage, and other water-related areas. Kees van Baar, Ambassador of the Netherlands to Vietnam, said that the reason Dutch environmental technology and wastewater treatment businesses choose to come to Vietnam is because the two countries “speak the same language of water”. “Our companies have a lot to offer. With state-of-the-art technology and expertise, we have the tools to tackle some of the toughest challenges while lowering the water and carbon footprint at the same time. This is important to meet our goals, but it is also important for those … [Read more...] about Technology the answer for wastewater treatment