Five rivers delta

An industrial park in the northern province of Ha Nam (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - A number of changes has been proposed to Vietnam's preferential tax policies by the Ministry of Finance (MoF). According to the ministry, measures should be taken to reduce costs for businesses and to improve the investment environment instead of tax benefits. The ministry's proposed changes include a comprehensive review of businesses to put them in different categories based on industries and locations. The ministry said in recent decades, Vietnam has become one of the most attractive destinations for business investments from most global industries. Current tax policies, according to the ministry, have played an important role in it. " Foreign direct investment (FDI) flows into the country has been steadily increasing, despite global economic downturns," said the ministry. However, the ministry said it's time Vietnam conducted a review of its current tax policies to … [Read more...] about MoF proposes changes to preferential tax policies

Tran Van Thu, a local in Chau Thanh District’s Tien Long Commune, measured the salinity level in the Ba Lai and Ham Luong rivers last week. Both are tributaries of the Tien River, a branch of the Mekong River in Vietnam, which runs through Ben Tre and feeds much of the delta province’s fruit, vegetable and rice crops. Tran Van Thu holds a tool that read the salinity level in a river in Chau Thanh District, Ben Tre Province at 0.34 ppt, March 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Hoang Nam According to Thu, each of the two rivers that surround his 6,000-square-meter durian farm carried salinity levels of 0.34 (ppt). This was devastating news as his durians need fresh water with salinity levels of less than 0.2 ppt. "Every day, the river water only stays within the safe levels for about an hour, so I have to take every chance I can get [to get fresh water to the farm]." Thu’s family used to cultivate rambutan for a living, but after losing the entire farm to drought and salt … [Read more...] about Drought killing Mekong Delta durian with salt

A ship carry tourists to explore Ha Long Bay . (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - Small ship itineraries along Ha Long Bay, the Red (Hong) River and the Lower Mekong River in Vietnam were named among the top four best Southeast Asia cruises by the US travel guidebook series Frommer’s. The four itineraries were listed in an article published on March 11, by Heidi Sarna - the cofounder of QuirkyCruise.com, which is designed to share reviews and news about small-ship cruises around the world. According to Heidi Sarna, during the 10-day itinerary to explore the Red River and Ha Long Bay, a small ship covers several hundred miles between Ha Long Bay and Hoa Binh province in northern Vietnam, spending a few days in the picturesque and otherworldly limestone karst–studded Ha Long Bay, which is the dramatic backdrop to films like Indochine (1992) and The Quiet American (2002). Except for a day in frenetic and fascinating Hanoi, which is notable for its colonial architecture, war … [Read more...] about Small ship itineraries in Vietnam amongst best Southeast Asia cruises

Coconuts being harvested in Tra Vinh province’s Chau Thanh district. (Photo: VNA) Tra Vinh (VNA) - The Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh is encouraging farmers to grow more organic coconuts to increase the value of the produce. Tran Van Dung, deputy director of its Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said coconut farmers and companies would be offered preferential policies for the purpose and linked up to establish value chains . The department has instructed its Plant Protection and Cultivation Sub-department to teach farmers organic coconut growing techniques and strengthen advocacy about its benefits. Besides reducing costs, the cultivation of organic coconuts also helps protect the environment and community health. Tra Vinh, which is the country’s second largest coconut producer after neighbouring Ben Tre province, has more than nearly seven million trees, mostly in Cang Long, Tieu Can and Cau Ke districts. It produces 370,000 tonnes … [Read more...] about Tra Vinh province eyes expansion in organic coconut growing areas

In his remarks, Chairman of the People’s Committee Phan Van Mai highlighted the increasingly close ties between the two countries, saying over the past 50 years, the bilateral relationship has grown actively across spheres, both bilaterally and multilaterally. The good traditional friendship has also been consolidated and enhanced, the official added. Notably, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam presented Italy with more than 300,000 masks, while Italy donated 2.8 million doses of vaccines to the Southeast Asian nation. This vividly demonstrates the intensive and effective strategic partnership and friendship between the two countries, he said. Ho Chi Minh City, for its part, has actively worked to promote cooperation with Italy, Mai noted, adding that the relations between Ho Chi Minh City and Italy have reaped achievements in trade, investment, education and training, culture, and tourism. According to the official, the two-way trade reached 591 million USD last year. For … [Read more...] about 50th anniversary of Vietnam-Italy diplomatic ties celebrated in Ho Chi Minh City

The Hai Ba Trung Pedestrian Street was opened on Sunday evening in Hue City, becoming the third walking street in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue. The Hai Ba Trung Pedestrian Street is opened in Hue City on March 26 The 850-metre street is located by the south of Huong River and Hoang Thanh night street. It operates from 6 pm until midnight every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This is the third walking street in the central city. Two others include a pedestrian zone around the iconic Imperial Citadel, and the backpacker precinct at the intersection of Vo Thi Sau, Chu Van An, and Pham Ngu Lao streets. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Chairman of Hue City People’s Committee Vo Le Nhat, said that Hai Ba Trung pedestrian street was open on the occasion of the 48th anniversary of the Liberation Day of Thua Thien-Hue province (Mar 26, 1975 - March 26, 2023). "The pedestrian street is expected to create a new place for entertainment, sightseeing, … [Read more...] about Third pedestrian street opens in Hue City

Accordingly, 35 Vietnamese contestants, divided into 18 groups all competing in the Leanbot category, brought home the championship title, one first, one second, eight third and six consolation prizes. Notably, the championship went to Binh Thuy Primary School in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho. The STEM Robotics toolkit Leanbot was introduced in this year’s competition for the first time after it was developed by a team of experts and engineers of DTT Vietnam Technology Joint Stock Company. Themed “Second Earth,” this year’s event drew the participation of 258 contestants from primary and secondary schools in Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam. The Malaysian team won the title at the Lego EV3 category, while the championship in the VEX IQ category came to the Philippine team. Robothon, a thematic challenge competition platform for students to explore real-world issues of today, with creative solutions, was first held 17 years ago. This year, it was resumed after … [Read more...] about Vietnam wins 17 prizes at International Robothon 2023

The four itineraries were listed in an article published on March 11, by Heidi Sarna - the co-founder of QuirkyCruise.com, which is designed to share reviews and news about small-ship cruises around the world. According to Heidi Sarna, during the 10-day itinerary to explore the Red River and Ha Long Bay, a small ship covers several hundred miles between Ha Long Bay and Hoa Binh province in Northern Vietnam, spending a few days in the picturesque and otherworldly limestone karst–studded Ha Long Bay, which is the dramatic backdrop to films like Indochine (1992) and The Quiet American (2002). Except for a day in frenetic and fascinating Hanoi, which is notable for its colonial architecture, war heritage, and foodie culture, the rest of this route is spent on the Red River and its tributaries, which reach into the rural landscapes and small towns of Vietnam’s heartland. The author also revealed several rewarding ways to spend time off the ship, including village walks, kayaking in Ha … [Read more...] about Small ship itineraries in Vietnam among best Southeast Asia cruises

Three lawmakers said on Monday they plan to reintroduce the "Protection from Abusive Passengers Act," saying the enhanced penalty is a strong deterrent and needed to improve aviation worker and passenger safety and "minimize disruptions to the national aviation system and restore confidence in air travel." Senator Jack Reed and Representative Eric Swalwell, both Democrats, and Republican Representative Brian Fitzpatrick are introducing the bill after a series of incidents aboard airplanes. Last year, the American Civil Liberties Union opposed creating a no-fly list for unruly passengers, saying the U.S. government "has a terrible record of treating people fairly with regard to the existing no-fly list and other watch lists that are aimed at alleged terrorists." During the early stages of the pandemic, much of the passenger anger was sparked by the federal government mask mandate. Despite the end of the airplane mask mandate in April 2022, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) … [Read more...] about US lawmakers make new push to bar convicted violent passengers from flights

The Vietnamese rice industry is set to benefit from the high demand and prices this year, with lower input costs leading to expanded profit margins for rice businesses. A rice field in Vi Thuy district in the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang. Vietnam will benefit from the upward trend in rice prices due to limited supply. (Photo: VNA) According to an expert from Vietnam Securities Company Limited Bank for Foreign Trade (VCBS), the country's rice industry enjoys favourable factors, such as weather and geographical advantage. The prolonged drought in China has caused a decrease in the country's output for the 2021-2022 crop, leading to an anticipated six million tonne increase in rice imports for the 2022-23 crop. Meanwhile, inventories in the Philippines have declined due to typhoons and high fertiliser costs, leading to increased rice imports. The cultivated area in India has also dropped due to drought, making the decrease in supply - the main factor for … [Read more...] about 2023 set to be favourable for Vietnamese rice enterprises