Encouraged to live healthier lives

The following is the full text of the interview. Reporter: This year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations and 10th anniversary of strategic partnership between Singapore and Vietnam. How do you evaluate the Singapore-Vietnam relations in the past half century, especially in the last decade? What should the two countries do to further our bilateral cooperation and to advance the development of each country? Vivian Balakrishnan: The ties between Singapore and Vietnam have grown from strength to strength since we established diplomatic relations 50 years ago. We are longstanding friends and close partners that enjoy wide-ranging cooperation in many areas, both bilaterally and at multilateral fora. I am heartened that the bilateral relationship has continued to expand and evolve to tackle new challenges over the past decade. Our linkages are particularly strong in trade and investment. The 12 Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Parks (VSIPs) across Northern, Central, … [Read more...] about Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s visit to enhance Singapore-Vietnam relations: Singaporean Foreign Minister

Vietnamese Ambassador to Germany Vu Quang Minh holds a board saying the name of the new born elephant at Germany's Leipzig Zoo. (Photo: VNA) Berlin (VNA) – An elephant named Voi Nam whose parents were born in Vietnam and gifted to Germany’s Leipzig Zoo in 1984 and 1985 by Ho Chi Minh City's authority has welcomed its second baby elephant in the zoo on December 20, 2022. A ceremony to name the new born elephant was held on February 2 with the name “Bao Ngoc” (valuable gem) was chosen. Vietnamese Ambassador to  Germany Vu Quang Minh said that the baby elephant is an icon of the Vietnam-Germany friendship. Elephant Voi Nam was born in 2002, marking a big event for the Leipzig Zoo as the zoo’s elephant herb had a new member after 66 years. Voi Nam and female elephants which are all from Asian countries last year gave births to two elephants and are expected to welcome two others in the next few weeks. Thomas Guenther, director in charge of Asian species at the zoo, said that … [Read more...] about Baby elephant Bao Ngoc – an icon of Vietnam-Germany friendship

Entering 2023, Microsoft and Google announced global lay-offs of 10,000 and 12,000 employees, respectively. IBM laid off nearly 4,000 members, while Spotify cut about 6 per cent of staff. Since November last year, Meta, Amazon, and HP have also adjusted thousands of positions. Tech lay-off wave continues to bite at Vietnam’s heels, Illustration photo/ Source: freepik.com In Southeast Asia, Shopee parent company Sea Group, Crypto.com, e-commerce platform JD.ID, and GoTo – a merger between ride-hailer Gojek and e-commerce platform Tokopedia – are among the companies that experienced a drastic staff cut in the past year. GoTo in November 2022 cut 1,300 jobs, equivalent to 12 per cent of the number of employees, while Sea Group let go of 7,000 employees in the past six months. Both companies cited a common cause being challenging macroeconomic conditions. Industry insiders in Vietnam are generally wary of the effect this laid-off wave might have on the domestic market. … [Read more...] about Tech lay-off wave continues to bite at Vietnam’s heels

Through IFC's new investment, SeABank expects to at least double the number of lower and mid-end housing loans by 2026. — Photo courtesy of the bank IFC on Tuesday announced it has invested US$100 million in Southeast Asia Commercial Joint-Stock Bank (SeABank) which aims to boost access to housing loans. With a rapid annual urbanisation rate of 3 per cent, half of the Vietnamese population – about 50 million people – is expected to live in urban areas by 2040. This creates the need for an estimated 374,000 additional housing units every year. However, the limited availability of long-term funding has restricted access to housing finance, especially challenging for lower and middle-income homebuyers, who need longer-term funding due to low levels of income. Through the investment, SeABank expects to at least double the number of lower and mid-end housing loans by 2026. In addition, the project is expected to create thousands of new jobs in construction and other related sectors. … [Read more...] about IFC invests another $100m in SeABank to boost access to housing loans

It will be Pham Minh Chinh's first visits to the two countries in his new position, and the first to Singapore after five years and to Brunei after 15 years by a  head of the Vietnamese Government, with a view to strengthening bilateral ties with the two nations. This year, Vietnam and Singapore will celebrate the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties and the 10th anniversary of bilateral comprehensive partnership. Meanwhile, Vietnam and Brunei marked the 30th anniversary of their diplomatic ties last year. Singapore is now Vietnam’s top important economic partner in the region, with two-way trade nearing 9 billion USD last year, up 10.1% annually. The island state leads ASEAN and ranks second among the 141 countries and territories investing in Vietnam with 3,032 valid projects worth 70.39 billion USD. At present, 12 Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Parks in nine Vietnamese cities and provinces have an occupancy rate of around 83.2%, attracting 17.6 billion USD for some 900 … [Read more...] about Prime Minister’s upcoming visits to Singapore, Brunei to consolidate ties

Miss Spring 2023, themed “Vietnamese Charm in Europe", is part of VietFest organised by the Vietnamese Students’ Association in France (Photo: UEVF) Paris (VNA) – Miss Spring 2023, which honours the beauty of Vietnamese women and promotes Vietnamese culture to international friends, has been held in Paris after a three-year disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic. UEVF President Nguyen Phan Bao Thuy said that as 2023 marks many important celebrations such as 50 years of diplomatic relations and 10 years of strategic partnership between Vietnam and France, UEVF organised the biggest community Lunar New Year (Tet) celebration to connect generations of Vietnamese people and businesses, as well as Vietnamese people with international friends. Miss Spring 2023, first organised in 2007, is not only for Vietnamese women who are living, studying, or working in Europe but also a meeting place for young people who share the same passion, ambition, and confidence to lead the trends … [Read more...] about Miss Spring 2023 honours Vietnamese beauty, culture in Europe

PM Pham Minh Chinh (R) receives President of Singapore Halimah Yacob in October 2022 (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his spouse will pay official visits to Singapore and Brunei from February 8-11 at the invitation of Singaporean PM Lee Hsien Loong and Sultan of Brunei Hasanal Bolkiah. It will be Chinh's first visits to the two countries in his new position, and the first to Singapore after five years and to Brunei after 15 years by a head of the Vietnamese Government, with a view to strengthening bilateral ties with the two nations. This year, Vietnam and Singapore will celebrate the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties and the 10th anniversary of bilateral comprehensive partnership. Meanwhile, Vietnam and Brunei marked the 30th anniversary of their diplomatic ties last year. Singapore is now Vietnam’s top important economic partner in the region, with two-way trade nearing 9 billion USD last year, up 10.1% annually. The island … [Read more...] about PM’s upcoming visits to Singapore, Brunei to consolidate ties

Hanoi (VNA) - The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency. - National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue asked agencies of the NA and its Standing Committee to keep a close watch on the macro-economic situation, as well as financial, monetary, stock and real property markets, while meeting their standing members on February 7. For urgent issues, NA agencies should actively and promptly work with relevant ministers and heads of ministry-level agencies to seek solutions, instead of waiting for question and answer (Q&A) sessions held by the legislative body and its Standing Committee. Read full story - The coming visit to Singapore by Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will be a key platform for both countries to reaffirm their excellent ties, said Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan in his written interview with the Vietnam News Agency. Read full story - Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s upcoming … [Read more...] about ☕ Afternoon briefing on February 7

The first issue of Ulsan City News newspaper in Vietnamese version. (Photo: Foreign Resident Support Centre in Ulsan) Seoul (VNA) – The newspaper Ulsan City News of Ulsan city of the Republic of Korea (RoK) has launched a multilingual electronic version , including Vietnamese. The newspaper is published in 11 languages with a view to providing a variety of news to foreigners, including international students, immigrants and tourists in Ulsan. It also aims at popularising the city’s image. The first issue was published in late January with news about the inauguration of the Foreign Resident Support Centre and the commitment of the city’s mayor to changing policies in 2023 as well as dissemination of its main tourist attractions. The introduction of the multilingual version is expected to facilitate foreign residents residing in the city in receiving different information in their native languages, thus helping them secure better lives. Ulsan is the 7th … [Read more...] about Vietnamese included in Ulsan city’s multilingual e-newspaper

Actresses and actors bring the drama alive (Photo: VietnamPlus) Hanoi (VNA) – Directors Lam Tung of Vietnam and Kim Min-jeong from the Republic of Korea (RoK) have worked together to create a drama about the wounds people carry in their hearts after the war and women’s desire for happiness. The special art project aims to celebrate the 30th founding anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries this year. As heard at an October 12 press conference, the play's script was adapted by author Vu Thi Thu Phong from Duong Huong’s novel 'Ben khong chong' (Quay of the spinsters) which has been adapted to film several times. It is a joint work between the Vietnam National Drama Theatre and the Korea Association of Performing Arts Producers (KAPAP). The drama is set in Dong village, a typical rural village in the Northern Delta of Vietnam. Characters in the story are women caught between the backward customs and prejudices from their families and neighbours. The objections … [Read more...] about Vietnamese, Korean directors join hands in post-war-period drama