City planning vs landscape architecture

Visitors at the three-day (May 26-28) Smart City Asia 2022 expo being held in HCM City. — VNS Photo Bồ Xuân Hiệp HCM CITY — The newly established Thủ Đức City should strive to become an innovation hub that will attract investments as well as a talented workforce from around the world, officials and experts said at a seminar on Friday. Dương Anh Đức, vice chairman of HCM City People’s Committee, said the city was developing a master plan for Thủ Đức City until 2040, including strategies to create a knowledge-based economy with a highly skilled workforce. It is also developing a centralised database on land use, transportation, canals and other public works in Thủ Đức, he added. Hoàng Tùng, chairman of the Thủ Đức City People’s Committee, said it should be given greater decision making and policy making autonomy to grow its innovation capacity and become more competitive. Nguyễn Thị Đoan Trang, head of Thủ Đức Urban Management Department, said it would be developed … [Read more...] about Innovation hub at the heart of Thủ Đức smart city plan

At the seminar (Photo: SGGP) The People's Committee of Thu Duc City yesterday coordinated with the Ho Chi Minh City Computer Association to organize a seminar on ‘Thu Duc City with the orientation of building and developing a smart city - building a set of technology standards for connecting smart cities.' Speaking at the seminar, Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Duong Anh Duc highly appreciated the initiative of Thu Duc City noting that Thu Duc City will soon come up with a common framework to implement synchronously deploying connection technology standards with the aim to help investors, businesses, agencies, and units to jointly implement; therefore, synchronization in smart city management in the city will be created. At the seminar, many domestic and foreign experts and businesses voiced their opinions on issues related to smart cities in Thu Duc City as well as share experiences in smart city development in some countries in the world. The … [Read more...] about HCMC’s Thu Duc City to use smart city connection technology standards

Industrial parks in Hanoi are home to 707 operational projects with a combined investment capital of $7 billion, half of which came from foreign investors. Hanoi would accelerate the planning for industrial parks in the city during the 2021-2030 period, with a short-term goal of putting into operation five new ones before 2025. Deputy Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Nguyen Thi Tuyen at the ceremony. Photo: The Hanoi Times Deputy Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Nguyen Thi Tuyen gave the remarks at the signing ceremony of a cooperation agreement between the Hanoi Industrial and Export Processing Zones Authority (HIZA) and local districts on industrial parks management on May 26. According to Tuyen, the city would continue allocating land for the construction of social housing and other supporting facilities of industrial parks and hi-tech zones in Hanoi. Tuyen highlighted the effective cooperation between the authorities at the district level … [Read more...] about Hanoi accelerates planning for industrial parks

American technology company Intel has plans to broaden business and investment activities in Vietnam following the country’s good management of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Vietnam Government Portal (VGP) quoted Intel CEO Patrick Gelsinger. The Intel executive made the statement at a meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in Hanoi on Friday. Vietnam is an attractive destination for foreign investors as it is a vibrant economy and a promising market, CEO Gelsinger said. He highlighted that Vietnam remains a charming investment destination in the eyes of foreign investors thanks to its dynamic economy, potential market, and industrious population. He appreciated the Vietnamese government’s efforts in creating favorable conditions for foreign investors, particularly its support for Intel to maintain production amid the pandemic time. Chinh, who visited Intel’s headquarters in California earlier this month, praised semiconductor chip manufacturer's investment … [Read more...] about Intel plans to expand investment in Vietnam

At the meeting, Secretary of the City Party Committee of Ho Chi Minh City Nguyen Van Nen expressed his pleasure to visit and work in Savannakhet province, the hometown of President Kaysone Phomvihane, a land rich in revolutionary traditions and the attachment of the Vietnam - Laos fighting alliance. Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen (L) shakes hands with Secretary of Provincial Party Committee, Governor of Savannakhet Province Santiphap Phomvihane (Photo: SGGP) Mr. Nen informed about the socio-economic situation of Ho Chi Minh City in recent years. After the Covid-19 pandemic, the southern metropolis’ socio-economic situation gradually recovered and developed. Currently, Ho Chi Minh City is continuing to focus on building and perfecting institutions, mechanisms, and policies in order to maximize all resources to restructure the economy, renew the growth model as well as strengthen urban area management capacity, promote digital transformation, reform … [Read more...] about HCMC, Savannakhet Province sign Memorandum of Understanding in 2022-2025

Insured patients are waiting to receive medicine at Trung Vuong Hospital Recently, many people have reported that physicians at Thu Duc City Hospital or satellite clinics of the hospital asked them to go out to buy medicine because the hospital is short of medicine. Many patients with health insurance cards have been angry about losing their benefits; therefore, they have sent petitions to responsible agencies. Talking about this, Director of the Department of Health of Ho Chi Minh City Associate Professor Tang Chi Thuong said that right after the social distance, the number of patients with health insurance cards coming to Thu Duc City Hospital for examination and treatment increased from 80 percent to more than 100 percent compared to the number during the epidemic outbreak. According to the data of the health sector, the number of outpatients with health insurance cards in August 2021 was only about 28,048 persons while it was 75,459 patients in April 2022. Worse, the Thu … [Read more...] about Hospitals in HCMC short of medicines

The AFD and EU have been actively supporting Vietnam in the areas of climate change mitigation and adaptation. Vietnam will receive financial aid from the EU and the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) to reduce the vulnerability to climate hazards in several towns in four northern and central provinces. The project is jointly co-financed with a EUR5 million (US$5.36 million) grant from the EU, a EUR123 million ($132 million) ODA loan from the AFD, and EUR 28 million ($30 million) from provincial budgets. The principal goal is to help localities adapt to climate change and recover from natural disasters such as flooding, typhoons, and drought. Delegates attend the launching ceremony. Photo: the Embassy of France in Vietnam The regional towns include Phat Diem in the northern province of Ninh Binh, Ngoc Lac in the central province of Thanh Hoa, and Hoang Mai in the central province of Nghe An, Huong Khe, and Thach Ha in the central province of Ha Tinh. … [Read more...] about AFD, EU strengthen urban climate resilience in Vietnam

People and tourists choose to buy tours at the Hong Ngoc Ha travel booth during Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Festival 2022 Specifically, national carriers Vietnam Airlines, Pacific Airlines, and the Vietnam Air Services Company (VASCO) have prepared to supply more than 7.1 million seats during the peak summer season from June 1 to August 15, an increase of 10 percent compared to the same period before the Covid-19 epidemic. On average, during the peak summer season, these airlines will operate 430 domestic flights, especially those to Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City. With international routes, Vietnam Airlines and Pacific Airlines provide over 852,000 seats, equivalent to more than 3,600 flights, only 40 percent of the number in 2019 because international travel demand has not recovered as before. Vietravel Airlines also said that the demand for travel and tourism will increase, so it has planned to increase the number of aircraft and frequency of flights to the Central … [Read more...] about Millions of travelers book tours for summer vacation

An affordable social housing zone in Định Hòa Ward, Thủ Dầu Một City, in the southern province of Bình Dương. VNA/VNS Photo Chí Tưởng BÌNH DƯƠNG — Nguyễn Thị Huệ Lan wants to buy an affordable social house, but she has been unable to access the market. Lan is from the southern province of Bình Phước but has lived and worked for many years in Thủ Dầu Một City, Bình Dương Province. After saving for a long time, Lan is looking to buy a social house this month as her long-time residence. But she has found that many of them already have owners and new projects are not yet ready. Hữu Phước, from Bến Tre Province though now in Bình Dương Province, said that he has recently moved into a new 30-sq.m social house, which he bought for VNĐ200 million (US$8,500). In order to buy the house, Phước had to sign up a year ago. Workers cannot buy houses without waiting as the demand for social houses was very high. All social houses are sold right after being built. Phước said … [Read more...] about Workers in need of affordable social housing

After a year of not raising tuition fees due to the impacts of Covid-19, the Hanoi people's council passed a resolution on May 20 to hike public preschool and high school tuition fees for the 2022-23 academic year. The fees would double at first and subsequently increase by 20-40 percent every year. Sen, 43, lives in Hanoi’s Ha Dong District with her husband and two daughters, the other in 10th grade. She cleans houses for hourly wages while her husband is a laborer. They pay the highest tuition rate since their household registration is in Region 1, which comprises the capital’s inner districts. In addition, she may be required to pay VND300,000 ($12.93) per child per month for the following academic year, which is 1.4-2 times the current fee. Tuition fees for middle and high schools in Region 1 will gradually rise over the next three years to VND410,000, VND530,000, and VND650,000, respectively. Meanwhile, Sen and her husband's incomes fluctuate every month: Sometimes … [Read more...] about Hanoi parents brace for tuition hikes