As home to nearly 300 national treasures, Hanoi has a valuable source of ritual and cultural traits that tell its history of thousands of years. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) sees the partnership with Hanoi in heritage preservation as one of its key activities in the future, said Director of the UNESCO’s World Heritage Center Lazare Eloundou on March 27. Hanoi mayor Tran Sy Thanh (right) receives Lazare Eloundou, Director of UNESCO’s World Heritage Center, on March 27. Photo: The Hanoi Times The UNESCO expects to bolster the relationship with Vietnam’s capital city in preserving cultural traits and heritages, he told a meeting with Hanoi mayor Tran Sy Thanh. Lazare urged the municipal and local authorities of Hanoi to come up with solutions that bring balance between heritage preservation and socio-economic growth and lift the living conditions for local people. UNESCO will always partner with Vietnam to … [Read more...] about UNESCO promises tight partnership with Hanoi in heritage and relic conservation
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Guyana wishes to strengthen ties with Vietnam in various areas
At a reception for the diplomat, President Mohamed Irfaan Ali said he hopes Vietnam will assist Guyana in agriculture, animal husbandry and cultivation. Hoa vowed to work to develop the traditional friendship and cooperation between the two governments and peoples in her position. On March 21, Hoa paid a courtesy call on Guyanese Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce of Guyana Oneidge Walrond who pledged to offer all possible support to Vietnamese firms to access Guyana’s market and wished to learn from Vietnam’s experience in ecological tourism development. During a working session with the Vietnamese diplomat a day later, Guyanese Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hilton Todd promised to support Vietnam at multilateral forums and facilitate the exchange of all-level delegations in the near future. Elizabeth Harper, standing Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guyana, announced that two countries will soon offer visa exemption to their diplomatic … [Read more...] about Guyana wishes to strengthen ties with Vietnam in various areas
Ho Chi Minh City leader visits Mexico to boost ties
Meeting Politburo member of the Mexican Labor Party (PT) and Chairman of the Mexican Chamber of Deputies’ Committee on Foreign Affairs Alfredo Femat Bañuelos during his ongoing working trip to the Latin American country from March 22-27, Hai said the Party organization of HCM City wishes to contribute to maintaining and bolstering fine relationship between the Communist Party of Vietnam and the PT. He believed that following the visit, both sides will continue holding programs and events to promote cultural and tourism exchange between Ho Chi Minh City and Mexico. Bañuelos, for his part, said Mexico desires to step up cooperation programs between the two parties in general and with Ho Chi Minh City in particular, especially in acupuncture and personnel training. He said such programs not only popularize Vietnam's images in Mexico and Latin America but also enhance the PT’s reputation domestically and regionally. The host vowed to continue expanding the scope of cooperation to … [Read more...] about Ho Chi Minh City leader visits Mexico to boost ties
A laborer needs to save for 25 years to buy an apartment
It is now nearly impossible to buy a new apartment at the VND 2 billion mark. According to a report in 2022 from Rever, a Southeast Asia technology firm in real estate brokerage, for VND1.5-1.8 billion, one can buy a 30-55 square meter apartment built 6-10 years ago in Thu Duc City, on the secondary market. The average income of workers in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) this year is about VND148 million a year, according to property listing platform Batdongsan.com.vn. By that calculation, it will take up to 24 years to save, with no spending on anything, just to buy an apartment. The type of apartment used in this survey costs VND3.5 billion per unit. The data also shows that Vietnam ranks first in Southeast Asia in terms of the gap between house prices and average worker incomes. From 2018 to 2021, the ratio of the difference between real estate prices and the average income of Vietnamese has continuously increased, surpassing even Singapore. On the other hand, Indonesia, Malaysia and … [Read more...] about A laborer needs to save for 25 years to buy an apartment
Visa upgrade at heart of fresh approach to tourism
Visas, service quality, and technology were all part of discussions on a better-performing tourism sector Photo: Cuong Minh May’s National Assembly session is likely to help push ahead a revamp of the country’s rules on entry and exit for foreign visitors, after the Ministry of Public Security crafts amendments to the current law. The development will be an important basis for the issuance of new regulations related to the visa policy, removing difficulties for the tourism industry, and creating conditions to attract more international visitors this year, according to most observers. Dang Tuan Viet, deputy director of the Ministry of Public Secrutity’s (MoPS) Vietnam Immigration Department, said that the proposal emphasised two major areas related to unilateral visa exemption and electronic visa policy. The MoPS also proposes to expand the number of countries that can issue e-visas from 80 countries to the maximum. The MoPS will also ask to increase the temporary stay … [Read more...] about Visa upgrade at heart of fresh approach to tourism
FPT Software opens new office in South Korea
With the new facility, FPT Software is the first Vietnamese IT company to open an office in the Korean market, pinning high hopes on strengthening the company’s presence there and becoming a world-class, billion-dollar company. FPT chairman Truong Gia Binh spoke at the opening ceremony Addressing the opening ceremony, FPT Corporation chairman Truong Gia Binh said, "Our business philosophy is to stay closer to our customers, which could let us reach and serve our customers better. FPT will continuously open new offices around the world. FPT Software's second office in Korea helps us expand our global network further and strengthens our ability to connect and accompany customers despite time and geography." According to FPT Software Korea CEO Ha Minh Tuan, the new office is expected to address the shortage of IT talent in the country. “We also see strong demand for technology solutions such as AUTOSAR, IVI, SAP, low-code, managed services, and digital transformation. … [Read more...] about FPT Software opens new office in South Korea
Lan Ha Bay faces pollution
Lan Ha Bay in the northern city of Haiphong is struggling with pollution, mostly caused by deteriorating styrofoam buoys. Pieces of styrofoam buoys have appeared on Lan Ha Bay since early this month in addition to rubbish that has also been discharged into the bay, worsening the pollution. The area which is adjacent to Ha Long Bay has been the hardest hit. Pieces of styrofoam buoys have worsened Lan Ha Bay's pollution The bay has also recently seen red-orange water areas. A person who specialises in raising groupers in Cat Ba Town said that he witnessed the phenomenon on March 23-24. According to some local fishermen, this would be the phenomenon of red tide, caused by the simultaneous blooming of marine algae, which occasionally appears in the waters of Cat Ba. Red tides can threaten fish. A representative from the Cat Ba Bay management board said that since early March, the pollution has had a bad impact on tourists. The board is focusing on rubbish … [Read more...] about Lan Ha Bay faces pollution
Tourists to My Son Sanctuary surges
The number of tourists to a UNESCO-recognised My Son Sanctuary in the central province of Quang Nam has been on the rise, nearly equal to prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the management board of My Son world cultural heritage site, the site has seen a monthly rise in travellers this year. Between January and March 20, My Son attracted 80,000 tourists, some 1,200 people visited the site daily before the pandemic. Tourists in My Son Besides South Korea, Japan and Europe, My Son has lured more tourists from markets such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and India. Visitors from India have sharply increased, accounting for 10 percent of the travellers to My Son. Phan Ho, director of the management board of My Son World Cultural Heritage Site, said that a goal of 180,000 tourists, including 130,000 foreigners had been set. Ho believed that this target would be fulfilled based on the return of foreign holidaymakers, especially those from South Korea and … [Read more...] about Tourists to My Son Sanctuary surges
Vietnamese farm produce finds favour in Belgium
Participation in the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) has also enabled Vietnamese farm produce to make inroads into the European market. Belgium is Vietnam’s sixth-largest trade partner in the EU. Bilateral trade surged nearly 54% to 4.3 billion USD in 2021 compared to 2020, and reached 4.5 billion USD in 2022. Notably, since 2018, Vietnam and Belgium have become strategic partners in agricultural cooperation, which was an important milestone in relations. Besides agriculture , Belgium also wants to strengthen cooperation with Vietnam in fields such as tourism and healthcare. In addition to economic success, political and diplomatic relations between the two countries have also been thriving thanks to frequent high-level visits. Vietnam and Belgium have also strengthened cooperation and mutual support at multilateral forums and in international organisations. With a stable foundation over the past five decades, the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam … [Read more...] about Vietnamese farm produce finds favour in Belgium
Vietnam’s retail market proves attractive for foreign investors
People shop at a supermarket in Hanoi. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Vietnam is becoming an attractive retail market for companies all over the world with many regional and global FDI investors recently announcing plans to increase capital and expand distribution networks here. According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Vietnamese retail market is worth 142 billion USD and is expected to increase nearly 2.5 times to 350 billion USD by 2025. In January, total retail sales of consumer goods and services decreased by 6% on-month to more than 481.8 trillion VND (20.4 billion USD) due to weaker demand as many commodities were purchased ahead of the Lunar New Year. People spent more on festival activities post Tet, said the General Statistics Office. However, it still rose 13% year-on-year. For the first two months of the year, the country’s total retail sales of consumer goods and services advanced 13% over the same period of 2022 to over 994.1 trillion VND. … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s retail market proves attractive for foreign investors