Expected years of schooling vs mean years of schooling

"The pandemic years are behind us and borders are open as normal," Willie Walsh, head of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), told IATA's annual summit of some 300 carriers. IATA boosted its industry profit forecast to $9.8 billion from $4.7 billion cheered by strong travel demand and an easing in oil prices. Revenue is expected to grow by 9.7% to $803 billion, inching closer to 2019's pre-pandemic level of $838 billion. But slender profit margins of 1.2% mean repairing damaged balance sheets and offering sustainable returns on investments will continue to be a headache for some airlines, Walsh said. He said airlines on average make $2.25 per passenger, "which is less than the price of a cup of coffee, a subway ticket". The profit forecast, raised from one given in December, reflected a boost in Europe, despite a wave of strikes. Airlines have in recent months reported strong results as they prepare for a busy summer season, with travel demand … [Read more...] about Global airlines more than double 2023 profit outlook

Mai celebrates the last night of the lunar year yachting on the Saigon River in January, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Minh Tam Born to a father who served in the American marine corps and a Vietnamese immigrant mother, Mai, 32, felt she was different from others ever since she was a child. "Our names, our hair color, and our eye color were different," Mai told VnExpress as she recalled her and her siblings’ childhood in a small town an hour’s drive from San Diego, California, where the majority of residents were white. "We considered ourselves different from others the moment we stepped out of our houses." Hoping to help Mai and her brothers and sisters blend into the local community, her mother didn’t teach them Vietnamese or Vietnamese culture. Her family rarely watched Asian movies and only visited the area’s Little Saigon district once a year to visit her grandmother. Racism was a serious problem during Mai’s school days. Asian children were forced by other students … [Read more...] about Vietnamese-American woman returns to her roots

On June 3, the Vietnam Sport Economy Summit 2023 took place in Hanoi with the coordination of the Vietnam Sports Administration (VSA), Central Committee’s Economic Commission and Vietcontent. Speakers at the Vietnam Sport Economy Summit 2023 on June 3, 2023 The first Vietnam Sport Economy Summit 2023, with the theme Unleashing the potential of the sports economy in the renovation period, included three discussions around the issue of cash flow in sports. Topics specific to each session included the business of sport and the central role of the league; professional sports leagues and related matters; as well as sports tournaments, school sports and related issues. The speakers gave views, opinions, and shared experiences on issues related to the management and development of Vietnam's sports economy both now and in the future. Dang Ha Viet, chairman of the Vietnam Sports Administration, said that the globalisation of the sports economy was increasingly developing in … [Read more...] about Vietnam Sport Economy Summit 2023

Operating for 14 years in the country, British University Vietnam (BUV) has asserted its position, quality, and outstanding reputation in the education sector by continuously improving the quality of its training, demonstrating the international standard and value of British higher education. BUV pledges investment in quality education in Vietnam BUV, located in Ecopark 14km from the centre of Hanoi, is the first and only university in Vietnam and ASEAN to have been awarded accreditation from the Higher Education Quality Assurance Agency. To earn the recognition of quality, BUV has completed the International Quality Review, a rigorous procedure which benchmarks global higher education institutions against the United Kingdom’s international quality assurance standards, with the university achieving the highest level of performance in all 10 categories and outstanding accomplishments in all academic aspects. BUV is also the first and only university in Vietnam to be … [Read more...] about BUV pledges investment in quality education in Vietnam

Thua Thien - Hue grants investment licences to nine projects in the first five months of 2023. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Since the beginning of the year, nine new projects have been granted investment licences by central Thua Thien - Hue province with a total investment of more than 2 trillion VND (85 million USD), according to a report by the provincial Department of Planning and Investment. Of the total investment, five are FDI projects with registered capital of 28.5 million USD. The growth rate of the province’s GRDP in the first quarter is estimated at 6.61%, higher than the national average of 3.32%, and is expected to increase from 7.5% to 8.5% in the second quarter, a representative of the department said at the recent regular meeting. Import and export turnover in May rose month-on-month but decreased over last year. Many industrial production sectors, such as textiles, garments, cement, wood chips, and power generation, have slowed down. Especially, … [Read more...] about Thua Thien – Hue grants investment licences to nine projects

Many drivers and commuters have complained about the absence of gas stations and rest stops along different expressway sections in central, south-central, and southern Vietnam. The reported sections include the Da Nang-Quang Ngai Expressway in the central region, the Vinh Hao-Phan Thiet and Phan Thiet-Dau Giay Expressways in south-central, and the Ho Chi Minh City-Trung Luong Expressway and the Trung Luong-My Thuan Expressway in the south. All of them are subprojects of the mammoth North-to-South expressway project in Vietnam that is projected to feature a total of 39 rest stops, according to the Vietnam Expressway Administration under the Ministry of Transport. Among them, five rest stops are already operational, two others are currently under investment, and the remaining 32 stations are undergoing evaluation. No rest stops Nguyen Van Phuoc, who is residing in Lien Chieu District, Da Nang City and works as a driver, said he often drives passengers on the Da Nang-Quang … [Read more...] about Hundred-kilometer-long expy sections in Vietnam have no gas stations, rest stops

Asia’s increased borrowing in recent decades has augmented the region’s exposure to rising interest rates and heightened market volatility, said the International Monetary Fund (IMF). According to the IMF’s latest report on May 25, over 18 per cent of Vietnamese enterprises were found to have an interest coverage ratio (ICR) below one, indicating a high risk of default as of June 2022. Additionally, 18.32 per cent of companies had an ICR between 1-4, making them vulnerable to increased borrowing costs, while 63.36 per cent had an ICR of four, signalling a good debt repayment capacity. The report attributes the heightened risks to the rising cost of borrowing, as central banks tighten monetary policies and increase interest rates to combat inflation. Despite maintaining growth rates, companies face significant pressure due to higher borrowing costs, reducing their ability to repay debts. As of mid-2022, 17 per cent of Asia’s corporate debt was held by firms with interest … [Read more...] about IMF highlights rising debt risks for Asian companies

Illustrative image (Photo: laodong.vn) Hanoi (VNA) - Although the aquaculture industry have been facing many challenges, it continues to receive support from the Government, Director in charge of communications of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers ( VASEP ) Le Hang told Lao dong newspaper. According to Hang, the Prime Minister has demanded the State Bank of Vietnam effectively manage credit operations to ensure the suitable provision of credit capital, and continue to reduce interest rates to support businesses, especially those in aquatic export . The bank has been required to implement supportive and preferential policies, including proposing a credit package worth 10,000 billion VND (over 425.4 million USD) to support businesses operating in forestry and aquatic production and processing industries. Credit programmes should be prioritised for the fisheries sector, towards creating favourable conditions for businesses involved in the … [Read more...] about Government support helps aquaculture industry weather difficulties

Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son . (Photo: VNA) Paris (VNA) – Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang has said Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son’s attendance at the 2023 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Ministerial Council Meeting (MCM) and official visit to France from June 5-8 would provide an opportunity to reaffirm the common perception of the vision of the bilateral relations and the determination to promote deeper and closer connections between the two countries, particularly in meeting their requirements in the new context. In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)'s resident correspondents in Paris, Thang said it is the first visit to France by a Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs since the two countries upgraded their relationship to a strategic partnership a decade ago. It is also meant to celebrate the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties and the 10th … [Read more...] about FM’s France visit to reaffirm common perception of vision of bilateral ties: Ambassador