Growth year on year

Speaker of the Singaporean Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin and his spouse wrap up the official visit to Vietnam on May 20. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - Speaker of the Singaporean Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin and his spouse wrapped up the official visit to Vietnam on a high note on May 20. During his trip from May 18-20, Tan held talks with National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, paid courtesy calls to General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong and President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, and met Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. The meetings saw both sides highlighting the significance of the visit, saying it helps deepen the bilateral relations, particularly when the two nations are about to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations and the 10th year of their Strategic Partnership in 2023. The two countries have boasted regular high-level delegation exchanges and various people-to-people exchange activities to strengthen solidarity. They are also … [Read more...] about Singapore parliament speaker wraps up visit to Vietnam

A 1955 Mercedes-Benz, one of only two of its kind, was auctioned off earlier this month for a whopping 135 million euros ($143 million), making it the most expensive car ever sold, RM Sotheby's announced Thursday. The Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut was sold to a private collector, the classic car auction company said in a statement, fetching almost triple the previous record price for a car, which was set in 2018 by a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO that went for over $48 million. The invitation-only auction took place on May 5 at the MercedesBenz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, the auction house said, adding that the vehicle's high price places it in the "top 10 most valuable items ever sold at auction in any collecting category". According to an AFP ranking of artworks sold at auction in recent years, the 300 SLR ranks sixth or seventh, with the all-time record being held by Leonardo da Vinci's "Salvator Mundi", which sold in November 2017 for $450.3 million. Next is "Shot Sage Blue … [Read more...] about Vintage Mercedes fetches record €135 mn at auction

Dong Nai Province that borders Ho Chi Minh City is working on a project it had launched last year to upgrade a riverside route stretching 5.2 kilometers long beside the Dong Nai River in Buu Long Ward of Bien Hoa Town. Costing VND1.3 trillion ($56 million), the project includes works to build the river embankment, parks and a tunnel. To carry out the project, authorities had to relocate 302 households. Houses along the Dong Nai River in Bien Hoa Town will be relocated for a project to upgrade a riverside route. Photo by VnExpress/Phuoc Tuan The province is about to start work to build a new road along the Cai River, a branch of the Dong Nai River to ease traffic jams in the center of Bien Hoa. The road will stretch 4.5 kilometers long, 32 meters wide, and costs more than VND574 billion. Ngo The An, director of Dong Nai Project Management Board, said the province has completed basic investment procedures for building the road, including choosing the contractor and … [Read more...] about Industrial hub Dong Nai to renovate its capital for $320 mln

"Thailand are tough to beat. In the last five games, they scored 15 goals and only let their opponents score twice. And that's after they got the red card in their match with Malaysia. So, it's not possible to have an exact estimate on their defensive capabilities," Park told a Saturday press meet. "Their playstyle is truly perfect. Each team, of course, have their own strengths and weaknesses. The midline of Thailand's offense is very good, with many strong, quick and skillful players. Vietnamese players would need to cover each other and defend well." Despite having entered the final without letting their opponents score even a single goal, Vietnam are still facing criticism, especially regarding their offensive lineup. "We're only a match away from the gold medal. Fans hold high expectations, and that puts pressure on players. But in my opinion, they should learn to rise above that," said Park, adding that the team would prepare their best for the game. Vietnam and Thailand … [Read more...] about SEA Games football final: Park calls Thailand approach ‘perfect’

Revenues were up 55 percent year-on-year to VND11.6 trillion, the highest since 2020, when Covid-19 started to cripple the aviation industry. But it reported a ninth consecutive quarterly loss, with a total gross loss from the sales of products and services of around VND1.6 trillion due to higher costs. Fuel, for example, cost VND465 billion more than budgeted and accounted for 30 percent of transport costs. The carrier said the results clearly reflected the impact of Covid on the aviation industry despite the relatively quick recovery by the domestic market. Meanwhile, international services remain in limbo, and the Russia-Ukraine crisis has driven fuel prices up sharply. As of March 31, Vietnam Airlines’ accumulated losses were VND24.5 trillion, some VND2.16 trillion higher than its charter capital. The management said the airline could "basically maintain its liquidity until this year-end" based on the expected recovery by the industry. But it also sought the … [Read more...] about Vietnam Airlines posts $113 mln Q1 loss

Vietnam’s southern Ho Chi Minh City has seen numbers of cases of hand, foot and mouth disease and dengue fever in children increasing sharply, with six deaths of dengue having been recorded, the municipal Center for Disease Control (HCDC) reported on Friday. During the first four months of 2022, the city recorded 1,599 hand-foot-mouth disease cases, with 96 percent being children aged one to five years old. The number of hand-foot-mouth cases has increased alarmingly in most districts, including District 8, Binh Tan, Tan Phu, and Binh Chanh, and Thu Duc City. Notably, from May 6 to May 12 only, 628 patients were recorded, nearly three times higher than the average of the previous four weeks. Numbers of cases increased both in hospital treatment and outpatient examination across the city, the HCDC reported. To actively prevent the disease, it is necessary for both children and their caregivers to wash hands frequently with soap several times a day. It is advisable to eat … [Read more...] about Dengue fever, hand-foot-mouth cases on the rise in Ho Chi Minh City

Runners from around the world will run up to 70km on trails through the hills, ethnic minority villages, orchards and tea fields of Mộc Châu District, Sơn La Province today. A runner competing in the Vietnam Trail Marathon last year. This year, runners from around the world will run up to 70km on trails in Mộc Châu. — Photo courtesy of the organiser Established in 2019, Vietnam Trail Marathon (VTM) has grown to become one of the largest mountain runs in the nation. The race usually takes place during blossom season, but this year the COVID-19 pandemic forced a date change, so now runners will see Mộc Châu in harvest season -- another very special time of year in this region. The route will take runners along stunning trails through orchards and remote ethnic villages before eventually finishing in the Đồi Chè Trái Tim (Heart-Shaped Tea Field). On the starting line will be some of Vietnam’s top trail runners, as well as some strong international … [Read more...] about Mộc Châu hosts Vietnam Trail Marathon in harvest season

In a hall on Japan's Sado island, 71-year-old Yoshikazu Fujimoto strikes the imposing drum mounted before him, producing a boom so powerful that it reverberates through the floorboards. Fujimoto is a veteran performer of Japanese taiko drumming, a musical form with roots in religious rituals, traditional theatre and the joyous abandon of seasonal festivals called matsuri. But for all its ancient pedigree, taiko as a stage performance is a fairly modern invention, developed by a jazz musician and popularised in part by one of Japan's most famous troupes: Sado island's Kodo. Fujimoto is the oldest of the 37 musicians that make up the group, which recruits members through a rigorous two-year training programme. It was founded partly to attract people to Sado, off Japan's west coast, and tours internationally, spreading the gospel of taiko. "Taiko itself is like a prayer," said Fujimoto, who came to Sado in 1972 to join the group that evolved into Kodo. This photo … [Read more...] about ‘Straight to your soul’: Japan’s taiko reinvents drum tradition