Two homestay groups in the Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long and the Northwestern province of Lao Cai received the ASEAN Homestay Award. Meanwhile, four units won the ASEAN Community Tourism Award, namely the Quan Ba Community Tourism Service Cooperative in Ha Giang province, Sin Suoi Ho community tourism village in Lai Chau province, Tan Thanh fishing village in Quang Nam province, and Thai Hai Reserve Area of Ecological Houses-on-Stilts Village in Thai Nguyen province. The ASEAN Public Toilet Award was awarded to the toilets in Saigon Skydeck of Bitexco Financial Tower, Southern Women's Museum and Ben Xua Tourist Area in Ho Chi Minh City. The winners of ASEAN Spa Service Awards were Cham Spa & Massage in the Central city of Da Nang, Sen Tai Thu Vincom Mega Mall Smart City in Hanoi, Sol Spa of Minera Resort Hotel in the Southern province of Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Chi Spa of Silk Path Grand Resort & Spa Sapa - Lao Cai province, and Thala Spa of Best Western Premier Sonasea … [Read more...] about Vietnam wins numerous ASEAN tourism awards
My way hotel hanoi
Phong Nha named Vietnam’s friendliest place by Booking.com customers
Ninh Binh, around two hours from Hanoi and home to UNESCO heritage site Trang An Landscape Complex, was second, followed by Hoi An Town. The rankings were based on an analysis of more than 240 million verified customer reviews on Booking.com. Hue Town, famous for its royal tombs, was fourth in the list and Mai Chau, famed for its ethnic minority villages, golden rice terraces and green mountains, rounded off the top five. The others were Tuy Hoa in the south central coast, Con Dao Islands, Dong Hoi which is near Phong Nha, Cat Ba and Sa Pa Towns in northern Vietnam. The ranking was part of Booking.com's 11th annual Traveler Review Awards given to 1.36 million hotels and other accommodation, 230 car rental providers, and 58 airport taxi operators in 220 countries and territories. This year, Ninh Binh was the only destination in Vietnam to break into the list of 10 most welcoming places on Earth by Booking.com. … [Read more...] about Phong Nha named Vietnam’s friendliest place by Booking.com customers
☕ Afternoon briefing on February 6
Hanoi (VNA) - The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency. - Vietnamese Ambassador to Singapore Mai Phuoc Dung has highlighted the significance of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s coming official visit to the city state, the first among many events to be held in both countries to mark the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic ties and 10 years of the strategic partnership. PM Chinh, his spouse, and a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam are paying an official visit to Singapore from February 8 to 10. Read full story - Two-way trade revenue between Vietnam and Laos in 2022 grew 24% from the previous year to reach some 1.7 billion USD, beyond expectations of their leaders at the 44th meeting of the Vietnam – Laos Inter-Governmental Committee on Bilateral Cooperation earlier last year. Read full story - Jeju Air Co., the biggest low-cost carrier of the Republic of Korea, said on February 6 that it will resume many routes to Vietnam … [Read more...] about ☕ Afternoon briefing on February 6
Artificial intelligence programs can’t replace human: Experts
With limited data resources and reliance on the will of programmers, AI-powered applications such as ChatGPT can give incorrect answers to user queries. Vietnamese technology experts said the possibility of AI-based applications such as ChatGPT being able to replace humans in performing professional tasks is not on the horizon in the near future. The AI-powered app ChatGPT launched by US-based tech developer OpenAI has received some 100 million users. Photo: AFP/VNA Launched in late November 2022 by the US-based tech firm OpenAI, the popular artificial intelligence chatbot has reached more than 100 million users in the last two months (as of January-end). The AI-powered program has answered millions of questions, and the texts it generated have almost surprised everyone. The chatbot has been asked to write poems and media articles, do the math, resolve logical topics, and even mentor people in dealing with their life problems. For … [Read more...] about Artificial intelligence programs can’t replace human: Experts
Acting President receives outgoing Brazilian Ambassador
Acting President Vo Thi Anh Xuan (R) and Brazilian Ambassador to Vietnam Fernando Apparício da Silva. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Acting President Vo Thi Anh Xuan has hailed outgoing Brazilian Ambassador to Vietnam Fernando Apparício da Silva ’s contributions to consolidating the practical and effective development of Vietnam-Brazil comprehensive partnership during his tenure. During a reception for the diplomat in Hanoi on February 6, Xuan affirmed that Vietnam always wishes to further strengthen its ties with Brazil, one of the top important partners in Latin America. She suggested both nations continue facilitating the exchange of delegations at all levels, especially those at the high level to boost the bilateral relationship. Vietnamese leaders also wished to welcome Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to visit Vietnam soon, Xuan said. Speaking highly of the development of bilateral economic and trade ties, Xuan expressed her hope that the two … [Read more...] about Acting President receives outgoing Brazilian Ambassador
Google Doodle honors first female Vietnamese newspaper editor
On this day in 1918, the first publication of “Nu Gioi Chung” (Women's Bell) newspaper, where Nguyet Anh was editor in chief, was published. The drawing of Nguyet Anh on Google Doodle was illustrated by Hanoi-based guest artist Camelia Pham. In honor of one of her most popular poems based around apricot blossoms, the Doodle artwork incorporates apricot blossoms and an apricot color palette. Nguyet Anh was born on March 8, 1864, in An Binh Dong village of southern Ben Tre province. She became the country’s first female editor in chief when she started writing for “Nu Gioi Chung” newspaper in Saigon. Many of the newspaper’s issues focused on women’s roles in Vietnamese culture and society. Suong Nguyet Anh is best remembered for her bright mind and personality, as well as her resilience through adversity. She served as a pioneer for women writers and editors in the country whilst paving the way for generations to come./. VNA … [Read more...] about Google Doodle honors first female Vietnamese newspaper editor
F&B cooperatives seize new opportunities amid economic difficulties
Some food and beverage products from a cooperative in Ben Tre province attract consumers. (Photo: vnbusiness.vn) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - After the Lunar New Year holiday, many cooperatives, especially those in the food and beverage (F&B) sector, have accelerated their production to fulfil domestic and export orders. Ly Hong Tien, Director of Hau Giang Xanh Cooperative in Hau Giang province, told vnbusiness.vn that thanks to the links her cooperative has established with distributors, it was completing many orders of processed that lat fish to serve local demand and that for exports. According to experts, though economic difficulties would continue in 2023, there remained untapped business opportunities for small firms and cooperatives in the F&B industry. Experts said that when an economy was unstable, investors intended to return to industries with high demand as the F&B sector is an essential industry. A recent report by iPOS.vn said that Vietnam had around 338,600 … [Read more...] about F&B cooperatives seize new opportunities amid economic difficulties
Average electricity retail price bracket increases
Workers of Vietnam Electricity check the transmission system. The bracket of average electricity retail prices has been increased to 1,826.22 VND per kWh for the floor price and 2,444.09 for the ceiling price. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - The bracket of average electricity retail prices has been increased to 1,826.22 VND (0.078 USD) per kWh for the floor price and 2,444.09 VND (0.1 USD) for the ceiling price, according to the Prime Minister’s Decision No 02/2023/QĐ-TTg dated on February 3. Compared to the previous bracket, which has been applied since 2017, the floor price increased by 220 VND and the ceiling price by 538 VND per kWh. The adjustment of the bracket would not immediately impact prices. The bracket and the inspection results of the electricity production and business costs in 2022 would be the base for the Ministry of Industry and Trade to decide on the average electricity retail price for this year. The Ministry of Industry and Trade recently urged … [Read more...] about Average electricity retail price bracket increases