Good news week

Vietnam has been recording over 571,000 new Covid-19 cases a week on average, which is only behind South Korea (713,000 cases), the U.S. (760,000 cases) and Japan (1.4 million cases), according to a World Health Organization report. But the report did not mention Vietnam among countries with top Covid deaths. The WHO said the high numbers of recorded cases in Vietnam were partly because of extra data provided by certain localities, which were recorded since February. Over the past week, the northern port city of Hai Phong added another 402,830 cases to its tally and the northern province of Thai Nguyen added another 152,485 cases, the Ministry of Health said. Vietnam records around 2,000 new Covid-19 cases a day on average over the past week, the ministry added. There has been a spike in the number of new Covid-19 cases as reported on Thursday, with 6,775 new cases, which is three times that of the average number of new cases recorded in the previous week, the ministry said. … [Read more...] about Vietnam has 4th highest number of weekly Covid cases worldwide: WHO

At the ceremony (Photo: VNA) Phnom Penh (VNA) – A Vietnamese cultural week was kicked off in Cambodia at a ceremony held in the capital Phnom Penh on August 10. As part of the activities marking the 55th anniversary of Vietnam – Cambodia diplomatic relations, the event runs in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap until 14. Its opening ceremony featured songs and traditional dances performed by Vietnamese and Cambodian art troupes. In his opening speech, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Dao Cuong highlighted the nations’ solidarity, traditional friendship and cooperation, and good neighbourliness. The bilateral ties have grown robustly over the past more than five decades, bringing about important political, socio-economic, cultural, and educational outcomes and practical benefits for the two peoples, he affirmed. Their regular organisation of cultural programmes is key to increasing the countries’ solidarity, friendship, mutual understanding and … [Read more...] about Vietnamese cultural week underway in Cambodia

The mooncake selection “Full Moon Reunion” is available for sale at Etc.Counter on the Equatorial’s ground floor. — VNS Photo. The Mid-Autumn Festival has always been very important in the hearts of Vietnamese people. Families often reunite and celebrate the full moon day of autumn by having dinner, mooncakes and tea. That's why the Mid-Autumn Festival is also known as the reunion festival. A family full of members on this day is believed to be extremely lucky. Equatorial hereby introduces a selection of mooncakes with the theme “Full Moon Reunion” as its blessing to Vietnamese families "On the fullest moon day of the year, let's be with family and friends to celebrate together, show our love and retain lots of good memories.” This year, Equatorial debuts new luxurious box designs versions in eye-catching red and yellow colours, featuring authentic mooncakes with traditional flavor selections. Equatorial mooncakes are made with a traditional recipe, mixed with many new … [Read more...] about Hotel Equatorial markets Full Moon Reunion mooncake selection

A consumer choosing instant noodle products at a supermarket. — VNA/VNS Photo Cambodian authorities will conduct an inspection and then prevent imports of Vietnamese instant noodles containing banned Ethylene Oxide (EO), according to Viet Nam's Trade Office in Cambodia. This move follows the European Union's warning to recall or return Vietnamese instant noodles including this dangerous substance, the office cited the Khmer Times as saying. According to Phan Oun, the Director General of the General Department of Consumer Protection, Competition and Anti-Fraud (KPR), if these types of noodles were detected in the Cambodian market, the KPR would take action to collect them. The director said the General Department of Customs and Excise would direct local customs agencies to classify these items as risky goods. Imported noodle products would be required to obtain a certificate stating that they were ethylene oxide-free, he added. Earlier, Germany warned that chicken and … [Read more...] about Cambodia to inspect Vietnamese noodles after EU warning

Generating power from sunlight bouncing off the ground, working at night, even helping to grow strawberries: solar panel technology is evolving fast as costs plummet for a key segment of the world's energy transition. The International Energy Agency says solar will have to scale up significantly this decade to meet the Paris climate target of limiting temperature rises to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The good news is that costs have fallen dramatically. In a report on solutions earlier this year, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said solar unit costs had dropped 85 percent between 2010 and 2019, while wind fell 55 percent. "There's some claim that it's the cheapest way humans have ever been able to make electricity at scale," said Gregory Nemet, a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a lead author on that report. Experts hope the high fossil fuel prices and fears over energy security caused by Russia's attack on Ukraine will … [Read more...] about Cheaper, changing and crucial: the rise of solar power

Swift247, a subsidiary of low-cost airline Vietjet Air, has launched an international super-fast delivery service which will operate between the Republic of Korea (RoK) and Vietnam based on digital technology platforms. Swift247 service point in Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: Swift247 ) The debut of the express delivery service took place as part of ongoing co-operation programmes between Vietjet Aviation Joint Stock Company and numerous freight companies in the RoK, including Daejoo Air and Ilyang Logis. Through this service, customers will easily deliver goods from the RoK to Vietnam through the Swift247 application which boasts a modern and user-friendly application interface. In addition, the application is integrated with order tracking, enabling users to track the delivery of the parcels in a clear and coherent manner. Most notably, customers will be able to place orders via the app and utilise Vietjet Air's flight network in order to help shorten … [Read more...] about Swift247 launches super-fast delivery service between RoK and Vietnam

Illustrative image (Source: VNA) HCM City (VNS/VNA) - As tourism continues to revive, the hotel and tourism industry is suffering from challenges in recruiting qualified human resources post pandemic, industry players warned. Speaking at a seminar on August 9 in HCM City, Dr Nguyen Anh Tuan, director of the Institute for Tourism Development Research, said there was a lack of high-quality staff in the industry. Vu The Binh, chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association , said that human resources were a weak point for the industry even before the pandemic. “Efficient, hard-working, and resourceful human resources are the backbone of any successful business. It is even more so in the case of the hotel industry.” Successful hotel operations are sustained by customer-oriented and hard-working employees who have adequate competencies, he added. A large number of hotels and resorts stopped operation during the two-year pandemic, and coming back could prove challenging, he … [Read more...] about High-quality human resources key to sustainable tourism industry

An overview of the meeting (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The impressive economic growth in the first seven months of this year reflects the efficiency of the policies that have been applied recently, stated Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung at the meeting between the Prime Minister and businesses that opened in Hanoi on August 11. The minister said that international organisations have shown optimism about the Vietnamese economy, rating the country’s long-term credit as "stable" and "positive". Many economists held that the Vietnamese economic resilience is relatively good currently, he added. The official cited a recent survey as showing that in the second quarter of this year, 70-80% of total businesses highly valued the effectiveness of the Government’s support to businesses amid the COVID-19 pandemic , especially those in taxation. As of the end of July, the country had 871,000 companies, up nearly 13% over 2019. In July alone, more than 130,000 … [Read more...] about Government’s economic stimulation policies prove effective: Minister

Vietnam on August 10 beat Thailand 2-0 at the semifinal of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) U16 Youth Championships 2022. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam on August 10 beat Thailand 2-0 at the semifinal of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) U16 Youth Championships 2022, winning a ticket to the final of the tournament in Indonesia on August 12. Right in the first minutes, the Vietnamese players put pressure on their Thai rivals, and their efforts paid off in the 30th minute when Cong Phuong opened the scoring. Trong Tuan scored the second goal with a header in the 83rd minute. Vietnam are to meet host Indonesia, which defeated Myanmar earlier this week, in the final. Following the match, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) awarded 300 million VND (12,828 USD) to coach Nguyen Quoc Tuan and his players, raising their total awards to 600 million VND. Earlier, Vietnam beat Thailand 1-0 in its third match of the 2022 International U19 Tournament in the … [Read more...] about Football: Vietnam reach final of AFF U16 Youth Championships