Lunar calendar new year

Opening new stores under the One Commune One Product (OCOP) program has created favorable conditions for businesses to introduce OCOP products to consumers and visitors. Hanoi, with the latest opening of OCOP's Bac Tu Liem district store, has brought the total number of OCOP showrooms, located in 26 districts and cities, to 65 as of December 1. Delegates attend the opening ceremony of the OCOP showroom in Bac Tu Liem District. Photos: Hoai Nam/ The Hanoi Times On December 1, Hanoi authorities opened an OCOP store at 202 Ho Tung Mau Street, managed by the Hanoi Agricultural Development & Investment Co.Ltd. The store is expected to sell OCOP processed food and clean agricultural products of Bac Tu Liem District and others districts. Speaking at the opening ceremony, deputy director of the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade Nguyen The Hiep said that since the beginning of the year so far, the municipal Department of Industry and Trade and district … [Read more...] about Hanoi opens 65 OCOP showrooms this year

Workers during a shift at a footwear company located in HCM City. — VNS/VNS Photo Businesses have been struggling to maintain and support their workers as the Lunar New Year approaches. Declining demand in major export markets such as the EU and the US has resulted in fewer orders this year, traditionally the busiest time for textile, footwear and handicraft exporters. As businesses were forced to decrease production, lay-off and reduced hours have been the norm. Re-hiring workers often means re-training, however, it may prove to be very costly once demand bounces back, according to labour experts. Tran Thanh Hai, vice president of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL), said nearly a quarter of a million textile, footwear and handicraft workers were not working full shifts. The situation could be much worse because reporting from lower-level organisations remained spotty at best. VGCL said things won't likely improve any time soon, at least from now until the … [Read more...] about Businesses struggle to keep workers as exports slow

The 1% increase of over VND100 trillion ($4.1 billion) should be implemented in December and January, according to the association. HoREA chairman Le Hoang Chau told VnExpress that the quota increase would be necessary to help pump capital into the real estate market and other key sectors. With Tet -- the lunar new year festival and Vietnam’s largest holiday -- approaching at the end of January, an urgent decision is needed to help bolster sales, he added. Chau said that property developers, homebuyers and investors are in trouble because they don’t have enough access to credit . Many companies do not have enough cash to maintain operations and without timely action the market could plumet into crisis, he said. He warned that the consequences of such a crisis could lead to a full-blown economic recession. The capital booster will help homebuyers purchase property at reasonable interest rates, he added. … [Read more...] about Real estate association wants $4B credit quota hike

Hanoi Railway Transport Joint Stock Company has announced plans to operate more trains on the Hanoi-Lao Cai route for the coming Lunar New Year (Tet) Holiday. Besides trains SP3/SP4, the firm will also operate the SP1/SP2 service. Train SP1 will leave Hanoi Station on January 22 and 23 at 9:35 pm and arrive at Lao Cai Station at 5:15 am the next day. Train SP2 will depart Lao Cai Station on January 24 and 25 at 1:20 pm and arrive at Hanoi Station at 8:20 pm. Lao Cai Station (photo by Giao Thong Van Tai Newspaper) Passengers on this route will be offered discounts. For instance, buying three tickets in a group for a sleeper carriage will get a free extra ticket or when buying six an additional two more. The Ministry of Transport has submitted a plan to the prime minister to raise international freight transport by rail by 2030, with a target of shipping between 4 and 5 million tonnes. … [Read more...] about More trains for Hanoi-Lao Cai route during Tet Holiday

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh noted that in November, the world situation continued to develop in a rapid and complicated way with increasing risk factors with world-wide effects. Inside the country, many measures were implemented to ensure the healthy development of specific markets such as securities and real estate, corporate bonds and banking, while there was a local shortage of petroleum, drugs and medical supplies. In that context, the Government, ministries, sectors and localities rolled out timely measures, including the formation of working groups to solve specific issues, said the Prime Minister. As a result, the economy was kept stable with State collection exceeding the target by over VND 276 trillion (USD 11.19 billion). At the same time, the political stability, social order and safety have been also ensured, the country’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity maintained, and external relations strengthened, he stated. The Government leader held that … [Read more...] about Overall situation under good control: Prime Minister

A scene in the ballet, “Nutcracker” performed by the HBSO The ballet is choreographed by Norwegian choreographer Johanne Jakhalin Constant and will be performed by People’s Artists Dam Duc Nhuan and Ho Phi Diep, dancers Nguyen Thu Trang, Do Hoang Khang Ninh, Thach Hieu Lang and artists of the HBSO under the baton of conductor, People’s Artist Tran Vuong Thach The musical performance “Nutcracker” is based on the fairy tale “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” written by E.T.A Hoffman. Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky turned the story into a ballet, which became one of Tchaikovsky’s most famous compositions, perhaps the most popular ballet in the world. It is the most awaited ballet during the Christmas season and New Year. Music lovers will have a chance to enjoy a full classical ballet which is meticulously prepared in terms of performance as well as costumes, and scenery. The ballet will bring great moments and fun not only for children but also for the audience who … [Read more...] about HBSO to perform Tchaikovsky’s popular Christmas ballet

Launch of the ‘Bike to School’ Campaign in Pleiku City, Vietnam As part of our school safety zone model program, Slow Zones, Safe Zones , we are launching the ‘Bike to school’ campaign providing 85 new bicycles for low-income students to be able to bike to and from school. This year, our program is increasingly encouraging students and their families to use sustainable means of transport - paving the way for healthier and greener cities as well as promoting safe and sustainable mobility. This also aligns with Vietnam’s National Green Growth Strategy 2021-2030. The objective of the “Bike to School” campaign is to engage students in healthy mobility across 19 secondary schools, aiming to reach a total of 18,135 students. AIP Foundation will present 85 low-income students with a new bicycle. The bicycles have been generously donated by our network of individual supporters and corporate donors. Once the students have received their bicycles, they will engage in road … [Read more...] about ‘Bike to school’ campaign launched for a greener and healthier future

These agreements will allow the development of carbon markets that are ecologically sustainable and beneficial to Vietnam. The six multi-stakeholder partnerships, supported by an investment of $3.3 million from DFAT, will leverage more than $3.7 million in private sector investment and resources towards improving the enabling environment for carbon market projects in Vietnam that can deliver verifiable and sustainable social and environmental outcomes. The new collaborations will test and evaluate novel techniques inside voluntary market frameworks to cut greenhouse gas emissions, lower carbon market entry barriers for producers, create capacity among local stakeholders, and offer major social benefits. "Australia is ambitious about what we can do with Vietnam and the region in facing the problems of climate change," said Chargé d'Affaires Mark Tattersall. "These new BPP Carbon Markets collaborations are part of Australia's commitment to supporting greater climate action in our … [Read more...] about Australia promotes carbon market collaborations

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue speaks at the forum (Photo: VNA) Sydney (VNA) – National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue attended the Vietnam-Australia Education Cooperation Forum in Melbourne on December 2, as part of his official visit to the country. Both Hue and Senator Tim Ayres , who is Assistant Minister for Trade and Assistant Minister for Manufacturing of Australia, agreed that education and training cooperation has always been a pillar and a "bright spot" in the two country’s relations. In 1974 – just one year after the two set up their diplomatic ties, Australia granted the first scholarships to Vietnamese students, and since then more than 80,000 Vietnamese students have completed their study here. With around 30,000 students currently studying in Australia, Vietnam ranks fourth in terms of the number of students in the country. Appreciating Vietnam’s renewal process and its goal of becoming a high-income country by 2045, Tim Ayres … [Read more...] about NA Chairman attends Vietnam-Australia Education Cooperation Forum in Melbourne

HCMC seen from above The Politburo highly appreciated the effort of the Party, Government and people of HCMC in overcoming difficulties and challenges, and acknowledged the city’s important achievements in socio-economic development, national defense and security during the ten-year implementation of resolution No.16 . The city’s economic scale and GRDP in 2020 increased by 2.7 times and twofold compared to 2010, respectively. It has continuously innovated its growth model, improved the development quality on the basis of science and technology application, transformed economic restructure that focus on the industries, services and high-tech agriculture, and collected the annual State budget that exceeds the estimate. The sectors of science and technology, education and training, health, culture, and sports reached good results. The southern economic hub has also created jobs, reduced sustainable poverty, improved the people’s living standards and ensured social security. … [Read more...] about Politburo gives opinions on direction, task of developing HCMC until 2030