Devotions new year

General Director of the Vietnam News Agency Vu Viet Trang (1st from left) presents the ‘Sports Achievement of the Year’ award. (Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNA) – Outstanding artists and athletes were honoured at the Cong hien (Devotion) Awards 2023, an annual event sponsored by the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)’s newspaper The Thao & Van Hoa (Sport and Culture) which for the first time featured new categories for sports in addition to the traditional ones for music. Among the nine categories for the music awards, which maintained its traditional voting by journalists covering cultural aspects, singer Hoang Thuy Linh won three, namely the awards for music video, female singer, and album of the year. Singer Hoang Thuy Ling (L) receives her award for the best music video of the year. (Photo: VNA) MONO (real name Nguyen Viet Hoang, born 2000) was named as new artist of the year, while the awards for male singer, producer and musician of the year went to Tung Duong, DTAP, … [Read more...] about Artists, athletes exalted at Devotion Awards 2023

Americans dreaming of new ventures, illustration photo Last week, representatives of businesses from the US-ASEAN Business Council (USABC) came to Vietnam in bigger numbers than ever before, with 52 enterprises looking at ways to get involved in industries from healthcare and aerospace to the digital economy and e-commerce. Some of the biggest names included traditional companies such as Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Boeing, FedEx, and Ford, along with newer groups like Netflix, Meta, SpaceX, and Amazon. Pharma was also widely represented through the likes of Novartis, Pfizer, Viatris, and Abbott. Abbott, Viatris, and MSD are paying attention to the distribution rights of pharmaceutical enterprises, as well as the mechanism of bidding for medical equipment, with the expectation of Vietnam perhaps becoming a medical tourism destination in the future. Elsewhere, SpaceX is interested in providing high-speed and low-latency broadband services to Vietnam and the region, while Meta is looking … [Read more...] about Americans dreaming of new ventures

The stamp collection features blooming flowers from fern trees (Jacaranda mimosifolia). (Photo courtesy of Vietnam Post Corporation ) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - A new stamp collection depicting the blooming flowers from fern trees (Jacaranda mimosifolia) that grow abundantly in Da Lat city in the central province of Lam Dong will be issued by Vietnam Post Corporation under the Ministry of Information and Communications on March 30. The release of the set aims to promote the images of biological diversity in Vietnam to the public. Designed by artist Nguyen Quang Vinh, the collection includes a 54x37 mm stamp and a 105 x 80 mm block. The stamp is a close-up image of a branch of blooming Jacaranda mimosifolia flowers and the block features a row of blooming fern trees. By using tempera watercolours, the artist has showcased the tender and poetic beauty of the flowers. Jacaranda mimosifolia is a species of plant in the family Bignoniaceae, with a woody stem, about 10 to … [Read more...] about New stamp set promotes Vietnamese biodiversity

Delegates at the 38th ASEAN-Japan Forum opens in Tokyo on March 28 (Photo: asean.org) Jakarta (VNA) - Senior officials of ASEAN and Japan attending the 38th ASEAN-Japan Forum in Tokyo on March 28 reaffirmed their commitments to further advance the partnership and strengthen cooperation, as both sides are marking the 50th Anniversary of Dialogue Relations this year. In support of the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework, the two sides agreed to continue strengthening cooperation to facilitate the regional economic recovery in the areas of trade and investment, digital economy, sustainable development, connectivity, disaster management, climate change, food and energy security, global health, and people-to-people exchanges. ASEAN welcomed Japan’s support for the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP), noting the similarities with Japan ’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy, and Japan’s willingness to enhance cooperation by launching projects in the key areas of AOIP. … [Read more...] about ASEAN, Japan reaffirm commitment to take partnership to new heights

The number of national-standard schools in Hanoi has increased to 1,620, or 72.3% of all the schools in the city. Hanoi aims to have more than 170 new national-standard schools this year, an increase of 22% from the previous year, according to the municipal Department of Education and Training. Representatives of new national-standard schools in Hanoi receive certificates from the Department of Education and Training. Photo: The Hanoi Times A total of 130 new national-standard schools, including 46 kindergartens, 53 elementary schools, 28 secondary schools, and three high schools, were to be built this year under the original proposal from the department. As of the end of February, local authorities expected the city's overall number of national-standard schools to rise by 40 units to 173 for the year. In 2022, Hanoi had 142 new national-standard schools certified, more than doubling the target of 70 new national-standard schools established at the start … [Read more...] about New national-standard schools in Hanoi accredited

In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency, Anh said that the 50-year journey that the two countries have taken is marked with an important milestone when they lifted their ties to a strategic partnership on August 7, 2015, making Vietnam the only strategic partner of Malaysia among the ASEAN countries. The upgrade showed the in-depth development of the bilateral relations with strong political trust, while reflecting a new chapter in their comprehensive cooperation over all fields such as politics, diplomacy, economy, trade, culture, defense - security, science - technology and sustainable development, she said. The two sides are currently working together to implement the action plan to realize their strategic partnership in the 2021-2025 period, paving the way for the further growth of the bilateral relations in the future. Anh noted that over many years, Malaysia has been one of the leading trade and investment partner of Vietnam among the ASEAN member states. … [Read more...] about Vietnam-Malaysia ties expand across all pillars over 50 years: Diplomat

A consumer shops at a supermarket. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Total retail sales of goods and consumer service revenue increased 13.9% year on year to over 1.5 quadrillion VND (63.9 million USD) in the first quarter of 2023, compared to the 5% growth in the same period of 2022, the General Statistics Office (GSO) reported. Excluding the price factor, the retail sales and service revenue went up 10.3% while that in Q1 last year rose 2%. Compared to Q1 of 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, the amount in this year’s first three months increased 26.7%, the GSO noted. Retail sales are estimated at nearly 1.19 quadrillion VND, up 11.4% (8.4% if the price factor is excluded). In particular, sales of grain food and foodstuff grew 14.6%, apparel 12.3%, vehicles (excluding automobiles) 4.5%, and household items and equipment 3.9%. Cultural and educational goods saw a decline of 2.7%. Meanwhile, accommodation and food services generated about 161.1 trillion … [Read more...] about Goods retail sales, service revenue rise almost 14% in Q1

Sorting Tra fish fillet products at Navico company's factory. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The import-export revenue of agro-forestry-fisheries products in the first quarter of this year was estimated at 20.63 billion USD, down 11.2% year on year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD). Of the total, export value reached about 11.19 billion USD, down 14.4%. Imports were 9.44 billion USD, a fall of 7.2% year on year, resulting in a trade surplus of 1.76 billion USD, a drop of 39.6% year on year. An upturn was recorded in the revenue of agricultural products (3.8%), and livestock (46.5%), while a downturn was seen in the export of forestry products (28.3%), and fisheries products (29.0%). The fall was mostly due to the decrease in product price. Products that enjoyed strong growth in exports include rice (30.2%), fruits and vegetable (14.2%), and milk and dairy products (22.2%). In the period, major export markets of Vietnamese … [Read more...] about Q1 trade of agro-forestry-fisheries products exceeds 20 billion USD

More than 5,000 expert and amateur runners from home and abroad participate in the race. The annual Tay Ho Half Marathon running race will take place around West Lake on April 9 to encourage the city's entire strata to lead healthy lifestyles, according to the Tay Ho District People's Committee. There have already been 5,000 registrations for the running tournament. Photo: Tay Ho Half Marathon Runners will have the chance to experience the majesty of West Lake and run through numerous historic sites, such as Tran Quoc Pagoda, Tay Ho Palace, and Quan Thanh Temple. The Tay Ho Half Marathon, powered by BIM Group 2023 and Kids Run the Earth, has already attracted more than 5,000 registrations, more than doubling the number of previous competitions, according to Bui Thi Lan Phuong, Vice Chairwoman of Tay Ho District People's Committee and Head of the Organizing Committee. In particular, she noted that up to half of the participants in the event would run the 21 … [Read more...] about Tay Ho Half Marathon 2023 to promote Hanoi running community

"Russians are buying real estate in Phuket to live. They intend to buy immediately as they want to start moving in right away," said Nattha Kahapana, managing director of property consultant Knight Frank Thailand, as cited by the Bangkok Post. He added that many Russian buyers are interested in pool villas. The President of the Phuket Real Estate Association Pattanan Pisutwimon told Thai media that since last year villas have been sold in large number and pool villa construction has been increasing. "More Russian investors are coming to Phuket due to the war. They are buying properties that can be invested in," he said, as cited by The Phuket Express . Chinese investors are also looking to purchase Phuket property as they seek to take advantage of an influx of tourists from China after the country lifted its Covid-19 restrictions. Chinese buyers are interested in every type of property, including condos, villas, shophouses and even durian orchards, said Nattha, adding … [Read more...] about Russian, Chinese buyers snap up Phuket property