In January-August, Hanoi welcomed nearly 17 million visitors, up 36% on-year. Hanoi and four northern provinces and cities on September 24 inked a joint agreement to boost the tourism sector. Foreign tourists at Hanoi's Temple of Literature. Photo: Pham Hung/The Hanoi Times The agreement, signed by the provinces of Lao Cai, Hai Duong, Quang Ninh and the coastal city of Haiphong, aims to combine cross-regional values and leverage each locality's advantages to create outstanding tourism products and services for the Northwest and Northeast regions. "Tourism cooperation among localities is essential to boost socio-economic growth post-pandemic," said Ha Van Thang, director of Lao Cai Provincial Tourism Department. The five cities and provinces have long-term partnerships in the tourism sector . Their main products include spiritual and cultural tourism. Under the agreement, the cities and provinces will strengthen information and communication in … [Read more...] about Hanoi inks tourism agreement with northern provinces, cities
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Vietnamese, Brazilian firms asked to work together to raise trade to 10 billion USD
An overview of the meeting between Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Brazilian businesses . (Photo: VNA) Sao Paulo (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on September 24 asked Vietnamese and Brazilian businesses to concretise cooperation mechanisms with specific programmes and projects, with an aim to bring two-way trade turnover to 10 billion USD by 2025, and 15-20 billion USD by 2030 in a more balanced direction. PM Chinh, who is in an official visit to the South American country, stressed that after nearly 35 years of the establishment of diplomatic ties, the bilateral relations have developed positively in all fields. Vietnam and Brazil are currently each other's largest trading partner in Southeast Asia and South America, with their trade turnover reaching a record level of about 6.78 billion USD in 2022, up 6.6% year-on-year, and by threefold in the past decade. However, investment cooperation remains very modest, as Brazil currently has six valid projects … [Read more...] about Vietnamese, Brazilian firms asked to work together to raise trade to 10 billion USD
In Vietnam, man gives artifacts a second life
Old artifacts are not only valuable, but also a keepsake for many families. Many people would be extremely sad if an artifact was damaged for some reason. In such cases, they may eventually find their way to an expert like Nguyen Khac Duy. Ten years ago, the man, now 34, who lives in Sa Dec City in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap, returned to his hometown after completing his military service and assisted his family business in trading artifacts. Noticing that the supply of artifacts was dwindling over time, Duy thought of finding solutions to repair damaged items, which would allow his family to sustain their business for a long time to come. Giving old things a second life In the early days of trying to repair damaged artifacts, Duy's lack of confidence meant he only fixed his own artifacts for fear of further harming customers’ precious items. However, after some time, as the artifacts he repaired became more common, more and more collectors came to ask him to … [Read more...] about In Vietnam, man gives artifacts a second life
Vietnam eyes $10bn trade with Brazil by 2025: PM Pham Minh Chinh
Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh called on Brazilian enterprises to beef up trade and investment activities in Vietnam to fully tap the great cooperation potential between the two countries, with the aim of boosting two-way trade to US$10 billion by 2025. PM Chinh was speaking at a powwow with representatives of Brazilian businesses in Sao Paulo on Sunday morning (local time) after he and his entourage arrived a day earlier for a four-day official visit at the invitation of President Lula da Silva. “The political relationship between our two countries is very good, but trade and investment relations are still not comparable, as there is still a lot of room for cooperation that has yet to be tapped,” the PM said at the event. Last year, the trade turnover between the two countries reached $6.78 billion, with Vietnam mainly importing from Brazil. Such bilateral trade remained modest as Brazil is the largest South American country with a population of 214 million people, … [Read more...] about Vietnam eyes $10bn trade with Brazil by 2025: PM Pham Minh Chinh
Forum discusses impact of climate change
At the forum, held also thanks to the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, speakers emphasised the substantial challenges faced by the climate finance sector in Vietnam in aligning significant investment opportunities with environmental objectives. This sentiment was shared by Allen Forlemu, the IFC's regional industry director for Financial Institutions Group, Asia-Pacific, when he said, “It is evident that climate change is an increasingly disruptive factor for Vietnam's economy, and the costs are already starting to undermine growth. In 2020, Vietnam lost $10 billion, or 3.2 per cent of its GDP, to climate change impacts.” “If nothing is done, costs will only rise. In a business-as-usual scenario with limited global mitigation efforts, climate change could cost Vietnam up to 14.5 per cent of GDP annually in roughly 30 years, with the potential to push a million people into extreme poverty in less than a decade,” … [Read more...] about Forum discusses impact of climate change
Parents accuse HCMC international school of dodging debts
Van Phuong, who lives in District 7, said he signed a contract with AISVN's chairwoman Nguyen Thi Ut Em in 2018 to lend the school VND5 billion (US$205,000). With such loans from their parents, the children would be allowed to study for free at the school in Nha Be District until they graduate from high school or move to another school. As stated in the contract, the loan is interest-free, and the school will pay it within 90 days after the students move to another school or finish their 12th grade. "My children moved in 2022 but the school has paid us nothing," Phuong said. He added that the school had promised to pay the debt twice, in January and May this year, but has defaulted until now. "When signing the contract, I simply thought that my two children could get access to an international education free of charge if I lent them the money, which is a long-term benefit. I did not expect the school to break its promise like this," he said. In the same situation, Thanh … [Read more...] about Parents accuse HCMC international school of dodging debts
Singapore restaurant denies that it cheated Japanese tourists
The Japanese tourists recently told Asia One that they had been overcharged after trying a chili-style Alaskan King Crab at Seafood Paradise in Clarke Quay last month. After finishing their meal, they were shocked to receive the bill that charged them a total of S$1,322 (US$967), including a 10% service charge. The 3.5-kg crab dish they ordered cost S$938 (US$686). One of the Japanese tourists claimed they were not told they would be charged based on the weight of the crab, according to Asia One . The waiter initially told her the Alaskan King Cab specialty dish was about S$30 "without explaining that they charge per 100 grams." After arguing with the restaurant, the tourists called the police who arrived to settle the dispute before the restaurant offered them a S$107.40 discount, Channel News Asia reported. The group eventually paid for the meal. The Japanese tourists then reported the incident to the Singapore Tourism Board, which in turn brought the matter to … [Read more...] about Singapore restaurant denies that it cheated Japanese tourists
Technology the answer for wastewater treatment
Technology the answer for wastewater treatment, illustration photo Nearly 20 Dutch businesses will visit Ho Chi Minh City on October 11-13 to participate in the 14th VietWater summit. The event, which covers international water supply, sanitation, water resources, and purification, is deemed an ideal platform for exhibitors to showcase the most advanced products in water resource management, irrigation, urban water supply and drainage, and other water-related areas. Kees van Baar, Ambassador of the Netherlands to Vietnam, said that the reason Dutch environmental technology and wastewater treatment businesses choose to come to Vietnam is because the two countries “speak the same language of water”. “Our companies have a lot to offer. With state-of-the-art technology and expertise, we have the tools to tackle some of the toughest challenges while lowering the water and carbon footprint at the same time. This is important to meet our goals, but it is also important for those … [Read more...] about Technology the answer for wastewater treatment
Good news for Việt Nam’s tra fish exports to US
Processing tra catfish fillets for export at the Cửu Long An Giang Seafood Import-Export JSC in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang. — VNA/VNS Photo Vũ Sinh Việt Nam’s tra fish exports to the US are expecting a better outlook in the remaining months of this year after receiving some good news. In early September, the US Department of Commerce (DOC) lowered anti-dumping duties on frozen tra fish fillets from Việt Nam following its latest preliminary conclusion. The Federal Register, the daily journal of the US government, published the preliminary results of the 19th anti-dumping duty administrative review (POR19) by DOC on Việt Nam’s frozen tra fish fillets exported to the US for the period of August 1, 2021 to July 31, 2022. Accordingly, the US authority determined that two Vietnamese companies, Vĩnh Hoàn Corporation and Cần Thơ Import Export Seafood Joint Stock Company (Caseamex), which were selected for individual examination as mandatory respondents, will enjoy a tax … [Read more...] about Good news for Việt Nam’s tra fish exports to US
Vietnam news in brief – September 26
Check out the latest news about Vietnam. European Commission to inspect IUU fishing in Vietnam A delegation from the European Commission (EC) will visit Vietnam on October 10-18 to work with Vietnamese authorities on efforts to prevent illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing , the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said on September 25. A high-level dialogue session between the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the EC working group will take place on October 18, 2023 to discuss the findings of the inspection. Delegates attend the opening ceremony of the Vietnamese Goods Week in Paris. Photo: VNA Vietnamese products promoted at Frech Système U supermarket chain A delegation of 15 Vietnamese enterprises in agriculture, food, and textile industries are promoting their products at the Système U supermarket chain in France as part of the Vietnamese Goods Week in France. The event was inaugurated on September 25 in … [Read more...] about Vietnam news in brief – September 26