Kilifi new year

Delegates at the 38th ASEAN-Japan Forum opens in Tokyo on March 28 (Photo: asean.org) Jakarta (VNA) - Senior officials of ASEAN and Japan attending the 38th ASEAN-Japan Forum in Tokyo on March 28 reaffirmed their commitments to further advance the partnership and strengthen cooperation, as both sides are marking the 50th Anniversary of Dialogue Relations this year. In support of the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework, the two sides agreed to continue strengthening cooperation to facilitate the regional economic recovery in the areas of trade and investment, digital economy, sustainable development, connectivity, disaster management, climate change, food and energy security, global health, and people-to-people exchanges. ASEAN welcomed Japan’s support for the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP), noting the similarities with Japan ’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy, and Japan’s willingness to enhance cooperation by launching projects in the key areas of AOIP. … [Read more...] about ASEAN, Japan reaffirm commitment to take partnership to new heights

The number of national-standard schools in Hanoi has increased to 1,620, or 72.3% of all the schools in the city. Hanoi aims to have more than 170 new national-standard schools this year, an increase of 22% from the previous year, according to the municipal Department of Education and Training. Representatives of new national-standard schools in Hanoi receive certificates from the Department of Education and Training. Photo: The Hanoi Times A total of 130 new national-standard schools, including 46 kindergartens, 53 elementary schools, 28 secondary schools, and three high schools, were to be built this year under the original proposal from the department. As of the end of February, local authorities expected the city's overall number of national-standard schools to rise by 40 units to 173 for the year. In 2022, Hanoi had 142 new national-standard schools certified, more than doubling the target of 70 new national-standard schools established at the start … [Read more...] about New national-standard schools in Hanoi accredited

In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency, Anh said that the 50-year journey that the two countries have taken is marked with an important milestone when they lifted their ties to a strategic partnership on August 7, 2015, making Vietnam the only strategic partner of Malaysia among the ASEAN countries. The upgrade showed the in-depth development of the bilateral relations with strong political trust, while reflecting a new chapter in their comprehensive cooperation over all fields such as politics, diplomacy, economy, trade, culture, defense - security, science - technology and sustainable development, she said. The two sides are currently working together to implement the action plan to realize their strategic partnership in the 2021-2025 period, paving the way for the further growth of the bilateral relations in the future. Anh noted that over many years, Malaysia has been one of the leading trade and investment partner of Vietnam among the ASEAN member states. … [Read more...] about Vietnam-Malaysia ties expand across all pillars over 50 years: Diplomat

A consumer shops at a supermarket. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Total retail sales of goods and consumer service revenue increased 13.9% year on year to over 1.5 quadrillion VND (63.9 million USD) in the first quarter of 2023, compared to the 5% growth in the same period of 2022, the General Statistics Office (GSO) reported. Excluding the price factor, the retail sales and service revenue went up 10.3% while that in Q1 last year rose 2%. Compared to Q1 of 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, the amount in this year’s first three months increased 26.7%, the GSO noted. Retail sales are estimated at nearly 1.19 quadrillion VND, up 11.4% (8.4% if the price factor is excluded). In particular, sales of grain food and foodstuff grew 14.6%, apparel 12.3%, vehicles (excluding automobiles) 4.5%, and household items and equipment 3.9%. Cultural and educational goods saw a decline of 2.7%. Meanwhile, accommodation and food services generated about 161.1 trillion … [Read more...] about Goods retail sales, service revenue rise almost 14% in Q1

More than 5,000 expert and amateur runners from home and abroad participate in the race. The annual Tay Ho Half Marathon running race will take place around West Lake on April 9 to encourage the city's entire strata to lead healthy lifestyles, according to the Tay Ho District People's Committee. There have already been 5,000 registrations for the running tournament. Photo: Tay Ho Half Marathon Runners will have the chance to experience the majesty of West Lake and run through numerous historic sites, such as Tran Quoc Pagoda, Tay Ho Palace, and Quan Thanh Temple. The Tay Ho Half Marathon, powered by BIM Group 2023 and Kids Run the Earth, has already attracted more than 5,000 registrations, more than doubling the number of previous competitions, according to Bui Thi Lan Phuong, Vice Chairwoman of Tay Ho District People's Committee and Head of the Organizing Committee. In particular, she noted that up to half of the participants in the event would run the 21 … [Read more...] about Tay Ho Half Marathon 2023 to promote Hanoi running community

"Russians are buying real estate in Phuket to live. They intend to buy immediately as they want to start moving in right away," said Nattha Kahapana, managing director of property consultant Knight Frank Thailand, as cited by the Bangkok Post. He added that many Russian buyers are interested in pool villas. The President of the Phuket Real Estate Association Pattanan Pisutwimon told Thai media that since last year villas have been sold in large number and pool villa construction has been increasing. "More Russian investors are coming to Phuket due to the war. They are buying properties that can be invested in," he said, as cited by The Phuket Express . Chinese investors are also looking to purchase Phuket property as they seek to take advantage of an influx of tourists from China after the country lifted its Covid-19 restrictions. Chinese buyers are interested in every type of property, including condos, villas, shophouses and even durian orchards, said Nattha, adding … [Read more...] about Russian, Chinese buyers snap up Phuket property

Artificial intelligence (AI) is used in agricultural production to assist farmers and cooperatives in examining, monitoring, and forecasting various environmental effects. Chuc Son Clean Vegetables Cooperative, located in Chuong My District, Hanoi, has been incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) technology in their agricultural production by setting up iMETOS 3.3, a durable and flexible data logger. Applying hi-tech in agricultural production in Hanoi. Photo: Tran Anh/The Hanoi Times This system provides up-to-date information on pest and disease situations and makes precise predictions on temperature, wind speed, and rainfall, among others, which helps farmers to create appropriate plans for fruits and vegetable cultivation. Hoang Van Vi, residing in Giap Ngo residential group, Chuc Son Town, shared that his family has constructed a 2,200-square meter house, combined with an automatic sprinkler irrigation system to cultivate vegetables, following the … [Read more...] about Hanoi promotes AI in agricultural production

Speaking at the meeting, Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Bao, Director of the Political Academy, noted that in 2022 and the first quarter of 2023, the school has well performed their assigned tasks in the fields of scientific research, military history, application of information technology, and building of e-government and digital transformation in the Ministry of National Defense (MND)’s e-government development plan towards a digital government in 2022 and 2023, in line with the unit’s situation. Reportedly, the scientific research and the application of information technology, as well as e-government building and digital transformation at the academy have been comprehensively, synchronously and effectively implemented. Meanwhile, its troops’ awareness of the importance of the tasks has also been raised considerably, so as to promote digital transformation in the following years. Regarding the military history research, in 2022, the academy was honored with the State-level Science … [Read more...] about Defense leader inspects digital transformation at Political Academy

Participants at the meeting (Photo: The Ministry of Industry and Trade) Hanoi (VNA) – Solutions to promote trade cooperation between Vietnam and Australia and the implementation of the Australia-Vietnam Enhanced Economic Engagement Strategy (EEES) were tabled at an online meeting on March 30 in Hanoi. During the 4th session of a trade working group within the framework of the Ministerial-level Vietnam- Australia Economic Partnership Meeting, the two sides focused on reviewing the implementation of cooperation contents agreed at the 3rd session and discussed issues related to regional and multilateral cooperation , as well as supply chain cooperation. Both sides expressed their delight at the impressive growth of bilateral trade recently. Australia became the 7th largest trade partner of Vietnam in 2022 with two-way trade hitting 15.7 billion USD. The positive results were attributed to efforts of both sides in promoting economic and trade cooperation, fully … [Read more...] about Vietnam, Australia seek to expand trade cooperation

On March 29, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha signed Decision No.318/QD-TTg approving Khanh Hoa's master planning for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050. Accordingly, by 2030, the south central coastal province will fall directly under the central government as an international sea tourism and service centre, serving as the growth pole in the central coastal region, the Central Highlands, and the whole country in terms of the marine economy, high-tech industry, sci-tech, innovation, human resource training, and high-quality healthcare services. The province’s GRDP growth rate for the 2021-2030 period is set to average 8.3 per cent per year. Having been named as one of the leading coastal cities with the most liveable environment in Asia, Khanh Hoa aims to become a major marine hub for the country and a smart, environmentally friendly city that is on par with its regional peers in Asia. Khanh Hoa’s master planning for this period identifies four pillars for … [Read more...] about Khanh Hoa aims to become leading liveable coastal city in Asia