Closer weekly magazine

EXHIBITION Walking Through a Songline March 21- Apr 16 The Factory Contemporary Arts Centre, 15 Nguyen U Di Street, Thu Duc City April 28 – May 21 Vietnamese Women’s Museum, 36 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, Hoan Kiem District From the organizer: Walking through a Songline is a pop-up digital experience based on part of the National Museum of Australia’s internationally acclaimed exhibition Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters. Songline or Dreaming tracks, map the routes of Ancestral beings as they travelled across Australia, creating the land and its people. Hanoi- Le Quy Tong: Neo-Romanticism HCMC- Exhibition: Clouds of the Highlands Until April 2, 09 am – 08 pm REI Artspace, 371/4 Hai Ba Trung Street, D3, From the organizer: REI Artspace is thrilled to present Hoang Dang Khanh’s solo show ‘Clouds of the Highlands’ featuring his latest body of work which his gratitude to the city where he used to live and … [Read more...] about What’s on March 27-April 2/2023

SYDNEY -- Asian shares struggled on Monday while U.S. and European stock futures edged higher on hopes authorities were working to ring fence stress in the global banking system, even as the cost of insuring against default neared dangerous levels. Helping nerves were reports First Citizens BancShares Inc was in advanced talks to acquire Silicon Valley Bank from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. S&P 500 futures firmed 0.3% and Nasdaq futures 0.4%. EUROSTOXX 50 futures rallied 1.1% and FTSE futures 0.7%. Japan's Nikkei gained 0.4%, but South Korea lost 0.3%. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan also eased 0.3%, led by a 0.9% drop in Chinese blue chips. Shares in Chinese search engine giant Baidu fell more than 3% after it cancelled a planned livestreamed product launch open to media and the public related to its ChatGPT-like Ernie bot. The mood remained jittery after shares in Deutsche Bank fell 8.5% on Friday and the cost of insuring its bonds … [Read more...] about Asia shares skittish, US and Europe futures edge higher

Senior Colonel Nguyen Hong Hai, PAN’s Deputy Editor-in-Chief, and representatives of the PAN received the Lao delegation. On behalf of the unit, Senior Colonel Nguyen Hong Hai expressed his delight at welcoming the Lao delegation, hoping that they would have a successful visit in Vietnam. He also briefed delegates on the PAN’s 70 years of construction and development. As an organ of the Central Military Commission (CMC) and Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense (MND), the voice of the armed forces and people, the PAN is one of the top prestigious political press agencies in the revolutionary press, disseminating both strategic tasks of the country: Building and safeguarding the fatherland. The newspaper has also made remarkable contribution to the cause of national liberation, protection and construction. In response to the strong development trend of modern media, he said, PAN’s relevant agencies have actively run their work as the model of a multimedia press agency. The … [Read more...] about Lao Institute of Information, Culture and Tourism visits PAN

VPBank last week was rumoured to be close to an agreement to sell 15 per cent of stakes to Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, one of Japan’s largest financial companies. The estimated agreement is valued at around $1.4 billion, cited Bloomberg. “The Vietnamese bank will sell more than one billion shares to SMBC Consumer Finance, a unit of the Japanese megabank, for $1.35-1.39 each,” the newswire noted. Banks continue with consolidation game, illustration photo/ Source: Shutterstock VNDirect Securities told VIR that due to a high capital adequacy ratio of 20.5 per cent in 2022, VPBank could receive a higher credit limit from the State Bank of Vietnam this year. In addition, the brokerage predicted that the bank would invest significantly to diversify its products and expand its footprint in other segments, such as VPBank Securities in the securities market or OPES – its new non-life insurance arm. With the 15 per cent stake sale to SMBC, VPBank would consolidate and … [Read more...] about Banks continue with consolidation game

Illustrative image (Photo: internet) Bangkok (VNA) - Thailand is bracing for a hotter summer this year, with the Meteorological Department forecasting an average temperature increase of one degree Celsius from last year. The hottest weather this week has been recorded in the North of the country, with temperatures peaking at 41.5°C in Phetchabun’s Mueang district on March 23. Closer to Bangkok, the highest temperature was recorded at 38.5°C in Pathum Thani’s Khlong Luang district. Thailand will experience hot weather in the afternoons, with an average temperature of 35.5°C. The highest temperature of 40 to 43°C is expected in Sukhothai, Tak, Lampang and Mae Hong Son, while Bangkok and its surrounding provinces are predicted to experience a peak of 38 to 39°C. The summer season is expected to last until the middle of May. Chomparee also noted that this year’s cool season lasted two weeks longer than usual. It usually ends in the middle of February, but this year’s … [Read more...] about Thailand to have hotter summer this year

The press meeting announcing the Hoa Sen Soundfest 2023. — Photo vietnamplus.vn The large-scale outdoor international music festival Hoa Sen Soundfest 2023 is expected to attract more than 50,000 participants. The information was released at a press meeting held in Ha Noi on Saturday. The festival will take place on May 2 at Lam Vien Square in Da Lat City, Lam Dong Province. It is expected to include a performance by the Bucharest Symphony Orchestra, the most famous orchestra in Romania and among the best in Europe. The event will also have the attendance of famous artists such as My Linh, Tung Duong, Da LAB, Truc Nhan, and Ha Nhi. The Hoa Sen Soundfest 2023 will be jointly organised by Hoa Sen Concert Company, the Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism of Lam Dong Province and the People’s Committee of Da Lat City. It will be organised according to a completely new trend - a combination of traditional Eastern art forms and Western classical music. Le Hoang Dieu Tam, … [Read more...] about Hoa Sen Soundfest 2023 to attract over 50,000 participants

The latest report on the food delivery market in the top Southeast Asian markets by Momentum Works indicates that the total spending on food delivery services in the region will reach $16.3 billion in 2022, up 5 per cent after two years of explosive growth due to the pandemic. This growth is mainly driven by the food delivery markets in the region, including the Philippines ($800 million), Malaysia (up $600 million), and Vietnam (up $300 million). In the face of increasing pressure to make profits from investors, current and new food delivery apps are cutting down on promotions, while competing heavily on service quality and other unique services. At the 2023 Food and Beverage Conference organised by Vietcetera and MasterCard last week, Jinwoo Song, CEO BAEMIN Vietnam said, "The growth of the food delivery market in Vietnam is no surprise when it meets the modern consumption trends of customers, focusing on convenience and time savings. Still, businesses are facing significant … [Read more...] about BAEMIN Vietnam CEO bullish on food delivery sector

Beverage leaders plead for excise tax postponement, illustration photo/ Dung Minh The Vietnam Beer-Alcohol-Beverage Association met in the central city of Danang last week to discuss the Ministry of Finance’s (MoF) proposed tax increase on alcohol and sugary drinks. The association asked for a postponement of the excise tax for at least the next two years, as well as the removal of sugary drinks, barley drinks, and non-alcoholic beverages from consumption tax obligations. “We acknowledge that there may be a need for additional taxes and fees in the future, but their effects should be carefully evaluated to make sure they help business recovery and do not hinder economic progress. For instance, the government should research how the proposed tax hike could affect both consumers and businesses,” said Nguyen Quoc Viet, deputy director of the Institute for Economic and Policy Research. Viet explained that the beverage industry has grown in production, but its performance had … [Read more...] about Beverage leaders plead for excise tax postponement

Hoai An from Hanoi planned to visit Phu Quoc, Vietnam’s biggest island in the south, with his family during the five-day holiday. However, she had to find another place closer to home like Sa Pa or Hoa Binh after realizing air tickets were too high. The cheapest price for round-trip flights between Hanoi and Phu Quoc was VND6.6 million ($280) per person. "The cost of transportation was over VND20 million for a family of three people," she said. "It was too expensive." This year, Vietnamese will enjoy a five-day break as the Hung Kings anniversary celebration falls on April 29, which is a Saturday, and people are entitled to take two extra days off the following week to compensate for that and Reunification Day on Sunday. Linh Nhi from Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) and her friends are also wondering whether to visit Da Nang or Thailand during the upcoming holiday. Currently, Vietjet Air's round-trip flight tickets between HCMC and Da Nang during the holiday cost about VND 4.5 … [Read more...] about Expensive air tickets discourage travel plans during Reunification Day holiday