July 16 sun moon and rising sign

Travellers ride Citadines bikes around Ha Long Bay. — Photo from the Ascott Vietnam. The Ascott Vietnam has launched lined-up offers up to 35 per cent off for all travellers this year. The Ascott Limited (Ascott), a wholly owned subsidiary of CapitaLand Investment Limited, with the mission of becoming the leading international lodging owner-operators in the serviced apartment and hospitality industry, is offering promotions at most of its serviced apartments - hotels, from Ha Noi, Hai Phong, to Nha Trang, HCM City, and Binh Duong. It says guests can celebrate the glorious echoes of April - the month of the National Holidays while unwinding in comfort at Ascott’s properties across the country. They can explore Viet Nam’s glorious history on inclusive day-tour to top historic attractions in Ha Noi and HCM City and enjoy up to 40 per cent off. It also introduces a Sunny Side-up offer with up to 25 per cent off at seven premier hotels and serviced residences including scrumptious … [Read more...] about The Ascott Vietnam unveils “hotter than the sun” offers

Phu Quoc is currently the only destination in Vietnam with this unique visa policy. According to current legal regulations, from July 2020, foreigners and Vietnamese holding foreign passports entering, exiting, and residing in Phu Quoc Island are exempt from visas for a temporary stay of no more than 30 days. Foreigners can enter an international border gate (including air and sea), stay in the transit area at that border gate, and then transfer to Phu Quoc Island to be exempt from visas following this regulation. Phu Quoc is famous for its beautiful and dreamlike beaches Phu Quoc has this visa policy because it is the only island that meets the conditions of visa exemption for foreigners under Vietnamese law. It has an international airport, definite geographical boundaries, is separate from the mainland, supports the nation's socioeconomic development policy, and does not jeopardise national defence, security, social order, or safety. As an isolated island located … [Read more...] about Visa exemption means international tourists can visit Phu Quoc for up to 30 days

Shrimp products export value over 2 billion USD in seven months. (Photo: Danh Lam/VNA) According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the total export turnover of agro-forestry-fishery products in the first seven months of 2022 reached 32.3 billion USD, a year-on-year increase of 12.2 percent. The import turnover is estimated at over 26 billion USD. Therefore, the export surplus of these products in January-July was 6.3 billion USD, up nearly two times over the same period last year. The United States continued to be the largest importer of Vietnamese agro-forestry-fishery products for the seven-month period, accounting for 26.8 percent to reach almost 8.7 billion USD. China came second with a total export value of over 5.7 billion USD, accounting for 17.8 percent of the market share. Japan came third with over 2.3 billion USD, accounting for 7.2 percent, followed by the Republic of Korea with over 1.5 billion USD, accounting for 4.7 percent. By region, … [Read more...] about Agro-forestry-fishery products record export surplus of 6.28 billion USD in seven months

The absence in adjustment of power rates, tuition, and hospital fees contributed to an extremely low growth rate of GDP in 2020–2021 or an excessively high one in 2022, as well as relatively moderate inflation throughout 2020–2022. In the first two months of 2023, average core inflation climbed to 5.08 per cent, outpacing the average consumer price index (CPI) growth of 4.6 per cent. Dr. Vu Dinh Anh - Market Price Research Institute Ministry of Finance For 2023, public investment is seen as an economic boost. Investment capital generated from the state budget in February 2023 was anticipated to be almost $1.3 billion, an increase of 36.9 per cent compared to the same month last year. The expected amount of newly registered foreign direct investment up to February 20 was $1.76 billion, which was 2.8 times more than that in the same period in 2022. Slowdown in industrial development and a lack in investment capital are barriers that must be resolved to prevent a downturn … [Read more...] about Focused spending can set a solid base for positive outcome

Some branches are taking care of the registration fee for car buyers, but sales are still not being boosted, photo Le Toan In a document sent to the prime minister last week, the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association (VAMA) along with other associations asked the government to extend the payment of special consumption tax and reduce the registration fee of domestically manufactured and assembled cars by a half this year, in order to stimulate demand. A VAMA representative said that the domestic car sales market is in a gloomy situation, and has been struggling like many other industries since 2020. “In order to stimulate market demand, we need strong enough policies like extending the payment of excise tax in 2023 and taking 50 per cent off the registration fee. These should be applied as soon as possible,” emphasised the representative. To combat the effects of the pandemic, the government chopped the registration fee in half for domestically manufactured and assembled … [Read more...] about Auto makers project bumpy years ahead

The number of Cambodian travelers entering Vietnam is on the high rise, with the primary purpose of these visits quickly shifting from medical tourism to vacation tourism. Vietnam currently welcomes over one million Cambodian tourists each year – a figure which has surged since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, many local travel firms claim the number of Vietnamese companies offering tourism geared toward Cambodian tourists remains limited. Extended stays According to Pham Ngoc Ha, deputy general director of Saco Travel Company, her firm has been facilitating travel for scores of weekend travelers from the Cambodian provinces which border Tay Ninh Province in southern Vietnam. Popular tourism attractions for these visitors were local pagodas and Ba Den Mountain in Tay Ninh. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of these tours lasted just one day. Now more and more Cambodian tourists are opting for four-day, three-night tours to Ho Chi Minh City and other major … [Read more...] about Vietnam a major destination for Cambodian tourists

Last week the IPN5 facility was put into operation in the northern province of Hung Yen, with the total investment of $101 million and covering 192 hectares in the two districts of An Thi and Kim Dong. Tran Quoc Van, Chairman of Hung Yen People’s Committee, said, “This is a major provincial initiative that was executed swiftly, with the site cleared in just 15 months.” Capital flow is reaching industrial park development, but the balance is not uniform across regions, photo Le Toan The Hung Yen authorities anticipate that industrial park (IP) infrastructure like IPN5 will transform the land into a significant source of local income. Over a decade ago, the Red River Delta region specialised in wet rice cultivation. Now, however, it is attempting to increase investment and industrial growth. Although Hung Yen is merely 930 square kilometres, 16 IPs have already been planned. In the first two months of this year, the industrial property segment has witnessed dynamic … [Read more...] about Localities crack on with IP construction

The second annual report on foreign investment in Vietnam for 2022 released earlier in March by the Vietnam’s Association of Foreign Invested Enterprises noted that the United States has decreased corporate income tax from 25 to 21 per cent, while also reforming investment licensing procedures. In addition, the US government is applying higher taxes on imported products to increase the competitiveness of several industrial sectors, such as energy, automobiles, steel, and aluminium. Vietnam may need to come up with new tactics to retain foreign investors, photo Le Toan Besides that, the US is also promoting a “prosperous economic network” that connects allied countries to build supply chains of products such as semiconductors and 5G-related technology. In Europe, some countries such as Germany and Italy have also unveiled policies to limit investment in overseas markets, while France is encouraging its enterprises to expand their operation in high-value sectors, such as … [Read more...] about Gains feasible through large-scale FDI

Vietnamese Deputy Defense Minister Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien and his Lao counterpart Lieutenant General Vongkham Phommakone co-chaired the event. At the dialogue, the two sides shared a common perception on the impacts of regional and global situations, the rise of non-traditional security challenges, major power’s growing competition for influence in Asia-Pacific. They agreed that in that context, ASEAN has continued to promote its centrality in the region, enhance dialogues and cooperation among ASEAN member states and other partners for regional peace and stability. The two sides spoke highly of the outcomes of their bilateral defense cooperation over the past time, especially the successful organization of nearly 30 big and meaningful activities in the Vietnam - Laos, Laos - Vietnam Year of Solidarity and Friendship in 2022. They also praised the two sides’ agencies and units for their great efforts and close coordination to fulfill the cooperation plan for … [Read more...] about Vietnam, Laos hold 3rd defense policy dialogue

The following is the full text of the interview. Reporter: How do you evaluate the relations between Vietnam and Italy since the establishment of the bilateral diplomatic ties 50 years ago, especially since the upgrading of the relationship to a strategic partnership in January 2013? Ambassador Antonio Alessandro: I would use the words of the President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella, who has just released a warm message of congratulations on the 50th anniversary of Italy - Vietnam diplomatic relations. President Mattarella congratulated the two countries for their relationship, “strongly rooted in history” and at the same time “directed with confidence towards the future.” These words express very well the idea that the 50th anniversary is not only a great achievement, considering the long journey that both countries have made since the seventies, but also a platform to let our friendship grow further and face together the great global challenges, like climate … [Read more...] about Italy – Vietnam relationship “strongly rooted in history”: Ambassador