Foreign tourists

People wait to withdraw money from an ATM outside a branch of Myawaddy Bank in Yangon on February 23. (Photo: AFP/VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - The Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM) has banned the use of foreign currency for local payments to stabilise the foreign exchange rate in the country, reported Xinhua news agency. The CBM asked government agencies to pay with only Myanmar kyat, saying the use of foreign currencies for domestic payments could lead to higher demand for dollars and cause exchange rate instability. The move came after it found out that some government agencies and organisations were using foreign currencies for local payments . They were using and accepting foreign currencies in some of their activities including renting lands, capital investments for insurance business and income from joint ventures, said Win Thaw, CBM deputy governor. The notification has already been sent to all ministries, region and state governments and municipal committees of … [Read more...] about Myanmar prohibits foreign currency in local payments

S&P forecast Vietnam’s GDP will grow 6.9% in 2022 before settling closer to its long-term trend of growing 6.5%-7% from 2023 onward. S&P Global Ratings on May 26 raised its long-term foreign and local currency sovereign credit ratings on Vietnam to 'BB+' from 'BB'. S&P expects Vietnam's economy to continue its upward trend. Source: S&P The rating agency also affirmed the country’s short-term rating at ‘B’ with a stable outlook. “The stable outlook reflects our expectations that over the next 12-24 months, Vietnam's economy will continue to recover from the challenges posed by the pandemic over the past two years. This will support the external position and rein in fiscal deficits,” it noted. S&P added it could raise the ratings if Vietnam's institutional settings improve considerably, in ways that augment policy predictability and transparency. Such favorable changes in the policy environment could bolster investor confidence in the … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s long-term credit rating upgraded to “BB+”: S&P

People and tourists choose to buy tours at the Hong Ngoc Ha travel booth during Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Festival 2022 Specifically, national carriers Vietnam Airlines, Pacific Airlines, and the Vietnam Air Services Company (VASCO) have prepared to supply more than 7.1 million seats during the peak summer season from June 1 to August 15, an increase of 10 percent compared to the same period before the Covid-19 epidemic. On average, during the peak summer season, these airlines will operate 430 domestic flights, especially those to Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City. With international routes, Vietnam Airlines and Pacific Airlines provide over 852,000 seats, equivalent to more than 3,600 flights, only 40 percent of the number in 2019 because international travel demand has not recovered as before. Vietravel Airlines also said that the demand for travel and tourism will increase, so it has planned to increase the number of aircraft and frequency of flights to the Central … [Read more...] about Millions of travelers book tours for summer vacation

The conference was held via videoconference on May 26 (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet and Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Political Director Alon Bar co-chaired the fourth political consultation conference between the two ministries via videoconference on May 26. Viet and Bar briefed each other on the political and socio-economic situation in their respective countries, and highly valued the positive progresses in the all-round cooperation between Vietnam and Israel over the years, especially in politics, diplomacy, economy, science-technology, and startup. Viet welcomed the organisation of the fourth consultation conference, describing it as an effective mechanism for reviewing and enhancing the effectiveness of the cooperation between the two countries. He affirmed that Vietnam highly values and hopes to promote multifaceted ties with Israel , and thanked the Israeli Government and businesses for assisting … [Read more...] about Vietnam, Israel convene fourth political consultation

Modern equipment help improve medical examination and treatment service quality at Hospital A in Thai Nguyen province (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Legislators at the 15th National Assembly (NA) discussed in groups the draft Law on Medical Examination and Treatment (revised) on May 26 during their ongoing third session. Many deputies pointed out that after 10 years of implementation, the law has created an important legal framework for the caring and protection of people’s health through the management of medical activities, ensuring rights of patients. However, it has exposed a number of shortcomings and limitation, making it no longer suitable to the reality. According to Bac Ninh province’s representative Nguyen Thi Ha, the bill should specify policies to encourage the research and application of science and technologies in medical examination and treatment through support in land use, tax and finance, thus drawing more investment and knowledge from other countries. Deputies … [Read more...] about Legislators give ideas for revision of Medical Examination and Treatment Law

Vietnam’s skilled workforce, optimistic economic outlook, and competitive wage prices are among the factors drawing foreign investors’ attention to the country. An estimated 21% of Indian companies that have operations in Southeast Asia or expect to do so in the future show their plan to expand their businesses in Vietnam in the next two years. Whilst, 26% of Chinese corporates in Vietnam are looking to prioritize growth here over the next two years. Car production at Thanh Cong Hyundai Plant. Photo: Viet Dung These are some of the key findings from HSBC Navigator: SEA in Focus , which surveyed more than 1,500 companies from six of the largest economies in the world, including China, France, Germany, India, the UK, and the US – all of which have operations in Southeast Asia or have plans to do so in the future.  The survey gauges their sentiment on doing business in Southeast Asia, with a particular focus on trade, digitization, and sustainability. … [Read more...] about Companies from China and India temped to move to Vietnam

Officers and soldiers of Sapper Unit No. 1 (Photo: VNA) set off to participate in the UN peacekeeping operations (Photo: VNA) The spirit of dedication and responsibility of Vietnamese soldiers has helped spread the image of the country and people of Vietnam who love peace for a prosperous and progressive human community. President Nguyen Xuan Phuc has assessed the engagement in UN peacekeeping activities over the past 8 years as a bright spot in the multilateral diplomacy of the country’s Party, State and army. The establishment of the Vietnam Peacekeeping Centre and the send-off for the first two VPA officers to work as liaison officers at the UN Mission in South Sudan on May 27, 2014, marked the nation's official participation in UN peacekeeping operations. On November 13, 2020, the National Assembly passed Resolution No. 130/2020/QH14 on joining the UN peacekeeping force, which clearly stipulates principles, forms, fields and forces, competence, force deployment process, … [Read more...] about Engagement in UN peacekeeping missions

Garment production for export at Kim Dung Textile and Garment Company in District 12, Ho Chi Minh City. (Photo: SGGP) Dependence on imported raw materials Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyet Mai, Deputy General Secretary of the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association, said that the total number of enterprises participating in the textile and garment sector in Vietnam, including foreign and domestic enterprises, is more than 7,000. Of which, only 18 percent of them produce fabric materials, 12 percent produce yarn, 2 percent produce other materials, and the rest are garment enterprises. This fact has put the textile industry in front of the challenge of unstable growth due to its dependence on imported raw materials. Currently, each year, Vietnam imports 100 percent of cotton with an estimated value of US$3.2 billion and 60 percent of fabric with an estimated value of $14 billion. The US is the largest cotton and fabric import market of Vietnam, followed by China, Japan, South Korea, and … [Read more...] about Vietnamese textile-garment industry strong but not stable

That is the statement of Le Quoc Thinh, Director of Cuc Phuong Tourism Services Joint Stock Company (Vedana Resort) when introducing events aiming at promoting Cuc Phuong and Ninh Binh tourism after a long period of shutdown due to COVID-19. According to Chairman of Nho Quan district People’s Committee Hoang Khac Tiep, “Nho Quan is endowed with many historical relics and landmarks such as Van Trinh cave, Yen Quang lake, Dong Chuong lake, Cuc Phuong hot mineral water.” In particular, with the natural reserve area and new-stone-age cultural relics, Cuc Phuong National Park has received the title of Asia's leading national park for two consecutive years (2019, 2020) rated by World Travel Awards. It is worth mentioning that Nho Quan has nearly 30,000 ethnic people living in Muong villages. The strategy set by the district is to exploit existing indigenous cultural elements to combine with the trend of ecotourism, which is thriving in Ninh Binh province. Tourists have opportunities to … [Read more...] about Green Tourism – An ideal way to spread Muong ethnic culture

The elections were conducted within the framework of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)’s 78th session held in Bangkok from May 23 to 27. Vietnam is among the three and five countries with highest votes at CSAM and SIAP, respectively. The election of the General Statistics Office and VIAEP to the Governing Councils of SIAP and CSAM demonstrated ESCAP member countries’ high appreciation of Vietnam's contribution as well as its role and position in ESCAP. The participation of Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam and the Vietnamese delegation at the 78th Session of ESCAP on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of ESCAP's establishment (1947-2022) and 45 years of Vietnam's joining in the United Nations (1977-2022) showed the country's commitment and strong support for ESCAP's activities in a bid to promote sustainable development in the region. That was an important factor for countries to decide to support Vietnam. … [Read more...] about Vietnamese offices elected to SIAP and CSAM