The route was nearly 300 km and took almost five hours of traveling, The Thaiger reported. Many Thai TikTokers posted videos of Uncle Samsen, real name Choowong Thepkoh, and his cats and praised him for his love and kindness toward the cats. A popular cat Facebook page, Kingdom of Tigers, also raised funds to buy Choowong a sidecar motorcycle so he can travel to the markets with his cats. Last week, the Kingdom of Tigers page urged followers to donate cat food to Choowong as he was about to travel to Korat by sidecar motorcycle. In an interview later with Amarin TV, Choowong revealed that he came back to Korat, his hometown, where he left 26 years ago, to sell his goods at the annual flea market. He also wanted to bring his "kids," or his cats, to visit his birthplace. … [Read more...] about Thai man’s 300-km motorcycle trip with 11 cats goes viral
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Coast guard force and Ben Tre province sign coordination agreement
Attending the event were Major General Le Quang Dao, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, Commander of the Vietnam Coast Guard; Comrade Ho Thi Hoang Yen, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Ben Tre Provincial Party Committee; Tran Ngoc Tam, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Committee of Ben Tre Province. At the event, Deputy Political Commissar of the Vietnam Coast Guard Command Major General Tran Van Xuan reviewed the coordination in conducting the “Coast guard stand by fishermen” program over the past time. Organized for the first time in March 2017, the program has obtained practical achievements in disseminating the Party’s guidelines and State’s policies to people; supporting fishermen in fishing at sea, contributing to firmly safeguarding national sovereignty over sea and islands; assisting localities in socio-economic and cultural development, poverty reduction, new-style rural area building, and living standard improvement. Over … [Read more...] about Coast guard force and Ben Tre province sign coordination agreement
100 cafes, eateries in downtown HCMC to open their toilets to public
The initiative came after Hanoi and HCMC, Vietnam's two biggest cities, were ranked near the bottom in a global ranking of public toilet density of 69 cities by QS Supplies, one of the largest bathroom wholesalers and retailers in the U.K. They have only 0.01 public toilets available per square kilometer, higher only than the Egyptian capital Cairo, which has 0.002. Paris topped the ranking, with the French capital having seven per square kilometer, followed by Sydney (3.64) in Australia and Zurich (2.9) in Switzerland. After the ranking made local headlines, the HCMC People's Committee ordered districts to build more public toilets, starting with District 1. Le Duc Thanh, the district chairman, said the coffee shops that have agreed to let people to use their toilets for free include Highlands, Trung Nguyen, King, Katinat, and Thuc, and the restaurants include Din Ky and Hozzizon. He said the district would call on more businesses to do the same. Vu Nguyen Quang Vinh, the … [Read more...] about 100 cafes, eateries in downtown HCMC to open their toilets to public
Foreign businesses want work permit procedures simplified
Hong Sun, chairman of the Korea Chamber of Business in Vietnam (KOCHAM), told the Vietnam Business Forum 2023 on Sunday that many South Korean businesses find that it usually takes two to three months to acquire work permits for their foreign staff. And in some cases, the process can take up to six months as additional paperwork is sometimes required, he added. KOCHAM proposed that the authorities provide businesses with a consistent and precise guideline on requesting work permits. The chamber also suggested that the Vietnamese government give graduates of the one-year K-Move School program expert work permits. Sun added that the K-Move School program is run by the South Korean government and that its graduates are highly qualified. He said that they can be considered experts and are even qualified to be the CEO of a business, and therefore they should be able to receive expert work permits in Vietnam. Gabor Fluit, chairman of the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam … [Read more...] about Foreign businesses want work permit procedures simplified
Hoa Binh province exports first batch of fresh sugarcane to US
Hoa Binh export s first batch of sugarcane to the US on March 19. (Photo: VNA) Hoa Binh (VNA) – The first batch of 20 tonnes of fresh sugarcane from Hoa Binh bound for the US was announced at a ceremony held in the northern mountainous province on March 19. Speaking at the event, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Dinh Con Su said the province will seek ways to boost sugarcane exports, contributing to the development of sugar industry in the locality. Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Huy Nhuan said that sugarcane can bring high economic value and has huge potential for expanding exports. The department will create the best condition for local businesses to seek market in the time ahead. The province first exported fresh sugarcane to Japan in 2020 with 5.7 tonnes and the volume rose to 300 tonnes in 2022, with orders from demanding markets such as the Republic of Korea, the UK and the EU./. … [Read more...] about Hoa Binh province exports first batch of fresh sugarcane to US
☕ Afternoon briefing on March 20
Hanoi (VNA) - The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency. - Economic cooperation should continue to be the focus of bilateral ties between Vietnam and the Republic of Korea, National Assembly (NA) Vice Chairman Nguyen Duc Hai said at his talks with Deputy Assembly Speaker of the RoK Chung Woo-taik in Seoul on March 20. Read full story - Chief Justice of the Supreme People’s Court Nguyen Hoa Binh and Minister of Justice Le Thanh Long cleared up questions regarding asset recovery in corruption cases, at a Q&A session in Hanoi on March 20 as part of the 21st meeting of the National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee. He admitted that the work has yet to be done strictly although 40% of the assets were recovered over the past decade. Read full story - Vietnam is striving to lure more Japanese investments to digital transformation and green growth, as recommended in the Vietnam-Japan Joint Initiative (VJI). Phase VIII of the … [Read more...] about ☕ Afternoon briefing on March 20
Agricultural exports to newly opened China surge
This has been the busiest year ever for traders like Nguyen Thi Thuy Linh in the southern province of Tien Giang. She has been scrambling to find top quality fruits grown in the Mekong Delta to sell to Chinese buyers. "In previous years we only bought limited quantities of durian, jackfruit and mango to sell domestically, but this year we have been raising prices continuously to get enough for exports." Thanh Mai, a trader in the Central Highlands, has been struggling to meet her increasing export quota. She now pays farmers double last year’s prices: VND20,000 for a kilogram of taro, and VND14,000 for yam. Export companies are also busy. Van Xuan Phat Exports and Imports ships thousands of tons of durian to China every month, while major exporter Vina T&T has secured a contract for 22,500 tons of the fruit. In Dong Nai and Binh Phuoc Provinces, companies are preparing to export 500,000-600,000 tons of durian to China. Vietnamese rice is also imported by China … [Read more...] about Agricultural exports to newly opened China surge
Travel demand to surge during coming holidays
Tourists at a beach in Da Nang City (Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNS/VNA) - Outbound tours are preferred by Vietnamese travellers for the coming holidays starting on April 29, according to travel agents and tour operators. Working people will enjoy five consecutive days off from April 29 to May 3 to celebrate the commemoration of the Hung Kings (the nation legendary founders) that falls on April 29, the National Reunification Day on April 30 and International Labour Day on May 1, which has prompted a surge in tour bookings. Tran Phuong Linh, marketing and IT director of BenThanh Tourist, said some customers can arrange to extend their holiday to nine days for long-haul outbound destinations. BenThanh Tourist reported an increase of 30-40% in tour bookings for the coming holidays compared to last year. Tours to Hong Kong and Taiwan have been fully booked one and a half months ahead of the Reunification Day and International Labour Day holidays, Linh said. … [Read more...] about Travel demand to surge during coming holidays
Supporting the digital economy space
The interest rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve and other central banks that began to significantly accelerate in the second half of 2022 have impacted the tech industry and investors in significant ways. These hikes are expected to continue, at least in the short term, until the central banks are satisfied that inflation is under control or lose their nerve. When that happens is anyone’s guess. Eric Johnson, counsel at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP This rapidly changing financial environment has made it more difficult for digital economy companies, especially those that are currently not profitable, to raise money in both public and private markets. Many investors have adopted a wait-and-see approach until the situation becomes clearer, and are revisiting the assumptions behind the sky-high valuations that many tech companies previously commanded. The recent failure of Silicon Valley Bank in the US has sent a shockwave through the tech and venture capital … [Read more...] about Supporting the digital economy space
Public toilets cause for concern in Hanoi
The seriously-degraded, stinky state of public toilets has become an affliction for people in Hanoi, which has about 400 public bathrooms serving a population of more than 8.3 million. Using public toilets has become a nightmare for people and tourists in the Vietnamese capital city. At My Dinh Bus Station, one of the biggest bus depots in Hanoi handling thousands of passengers every day, many public toilets are overgrown with wild plants as observed by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters. A public toilet is overgrown with wild plants on Nguyen Hoang Street in Nam Tu Liem District, Hanoi. Photo: Pham Tuan / Tuoi Tre At the back of one of those bathrooms on Nguyen Hoang Street, a beverage stall has been established. Inside the bathroom, there are two toilet compartments for males and females, with one of them being closed, accompanied by an overpowering stench. In that sole operational toilet compartment, one broken urinal was unusable and sealed with a … [Read more...] about Public toilets cause for concern in Hanoi