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Keep updated on the latest news about Vietnam. Vietnam submits next World Heritage candidate to UNESCO The Chua Dong (Bronze Pagoda) on Yen Tu Mountain, Quang Ninh Province. Photo: Truong Giang/The Hanoi Times Vietnam will submit to UNESCO by December 31 to inscribe the Yen Tu-Vinh Nghiem-Con Son-Kiep Bac Relic Complex as a World Heritage Site. The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) will assist Vietnam in reviewing the profile and making changes if necessary. The relic complex covers three northern provinces of Quang Ninh, Hai Duong, and Bac Giang. It is an irreplaceable link in the network of Truc Lam Buddhism, which took root in Vietnam in the 13th century and became the national religion. Vietnamese students studying in Italy welcomed The Vietnamese Embassy and the Vietnamese Students' Association in Italy held a ceremony last weekend to welcome Vietnamese students studying in the southern European country. At the event, the … [Read more...] about Vietnam news in brief – October 2

Hanoi (VNA) - The following is a list of selected news summaries reported last weekend by the Vietnam News Agency. - Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has required utmost efforts  to fulfil to the highest possible level the targets and tasks for 2023 while chairing the regular Government meeting for September and an online meeting between the Cabinet and localities on September 30. He emphasised the need to strongly promote growth drivers, speed up industrial production development, especially the manufacturing-processing industry in the context of continued difficulties and challenges in the world situation as well as in the country. Read full story - The Ministry of Transport said it has approved adjustments to the project reviewing, evaluating and recommending the results of research on planning for international airports of Da Nang, Cam Ranh and Phu Quoc for the 2021-2030 period with a vision toward 2050, and the planning scheme for Con Dao airport for the 2021-2030 period. … [Read more...] about ☀️ Morning digest October 2

Hanoi has attracted nearly 2.53 billion USD in FDI during the first nine months of 2023. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Hanoi recorded nearly 2.53 billion USD in foreign direct investment (FDI) registered during the first nine months of 2023, maintaining its top position in FDI attraction in Vietnam, said the Foreign Investment Agency (FIA) under the Ministry of Planning and Investment. The FDI in Hanoi accounted for nearly 12.5% of the registered sum nationwide and increased 2.46-fold year on year. During the period, foreign investors poured money into 54 of the 63 provinces and centrally-run cities. The northern city of Hai Phong came second with nearly 2.21 billion USD, equivalent to 10.9% of the total and up 82.4% from a year earlier. It was followed by Ho Chi Minh City, Bac Giang province, and Binh Duong province. Meanwhile, HCM City took the lead in the number of new FDI projects, the ones receiving additional capital, as well as foreign investors’ deals to … [Read more...] about Hanoi still tops FDI destinations during nine months

The target of a gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of six percent this year is a big challenge to Vietnam as the country needs to achieve an economic expansion of 10.4 percent in the last quarter of the year. The International Monetary Fund has recently forecast Vietnam’s GDP growth for this year at 4.7 percent. Meanwhile, at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Saturday, the government chose six percent as the best-case scenario. The target is tough although it is lower than the 6.3 percent set early this year. The Southeast Asian nation’s GDP expanded 4.24 percent in the January-September period, according to the General Statistics Office. The agro-forestry-fishery, industry and construction, and service sectors grew 3.43, 2.41, and 6.32 percent, contributing 9.16, 22.27, and 68.57 percent to the GDP growth, respectively. Industry and construction, which used to be the main driving force of the local economy, has seen its importance … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s 2023 GDP growth target of 6 percent challenging

Experts address the obstacles the city faces in developing a green and environmentally friendly metropolis in its planning orientation for 2021-2030. Hanoi authorities are collecting feedback on the city's future urban design and development. Experts and academics spoke to The Hanoi Times about the plan. The main issues focus on developing cultural industries, green spaces and satellite cities. Pham Bich Huyen, Lecturer, Hanoi University of Culture: The creative industry, or orange economy, works on human intelligence to create comprehensive value in terms of economy, culture, society, and environment. As the cultural sector emphasizes innovation and humanity, many nations have recognized it as the key to long-term socio-economic prosperity. This makes the cultural industry an inexhaustible source of strength that has not been fully tapped. Once cultural industry is developed, its potentials will be enhanced at the highest level and it will create the best value … [Read more...] about Experts name urgent matters for Hanoi’s planning (Part 1)

Working under floodlights, military personnel supported emergency services using rescue dogs and earth-moving equipment to identify and dig out survivors from the ruins of the church in Ciudad Madero, a city on the Gulf coast near the port of Tampico. Footage on social media showed the moment the church roof caved in, puffs of gray smoke billowing into the air, followed by the toppling of yellow brick outer walls. Nine people died and another 40 were taken to nearby hospitals, while 30 other worshippers remained unaccounted for, Jorge Cuéllar, spokesman for the Security Ministry of Tamaulipas state, which borders Texas. Speaking on Foro TV news channel, Cuéllar thanked local businessmen for bringing equipment to help remove rubble and aid rescue efforts. Bishop Jose Armando Alvarez from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tampico said the church roof crumbled as worshippers were receiving communion and asked others to pray for the survivors. "In this moment the necessary work is … [Read more...] about Mexican church roof collapses during Sunday mass killing 9, about 30 others missing

The life insurance segment, which accounted for 70% of total premiums, bore the brunt of the drop. Some insurance companies reported a fall of 30-40% in post-tax profits for the year’s first half. The industry recently faced its biggest ever crisis after customers claimed to be defrauded by banks who sold life insurance packages purporting them to be deposits. The Ministry of Finance currently investigating life insurance companies’ partnership with banks, known as bancassurance. Some insurers have been making changes in their policies to ensure customers are aware of what they buy. They include a new "welcome call" to first-time customers to ensure they are aware of the key aspects of the contract. The ministry also proposes fines of up to VND100 million for insurance consultants who fail to explain to customers their rights or coerce people into paying premiums. … [Read more...] about Insurance premiums decline for first time in years

Chinese actress Angelbaby. Photo from Angelababy’s Weibo Though the Chinese actress did not upload photos of herself at the venue, many fellow attendees filmed her arriving at the cabaret, while the cabaret’s official social media accounts also shared photos of her attending one of the Blackpink star’s strip dance performances, reported Yahoo News on Sunday. According to insiders, Angelababy allegedly violated the Chinese authorities’ regulations, which state that entertainment industry workers are banned from organizing, attending, or promoting sexually related activities. Strip dance is classified as such in China. The actress’ account on Chinese social media platform Weibo has subsequently been flooded with attacks from the public. "She [Angelababy] always does what she is not supposed to do at sensitive times," a netizen wrote. "She should have known that strip dancing is against the Chinese laws." China Central Television , a Chinese national television … [Read more...] about Angelababy target of boycott after watching Blackpink Lisa’s strip club performance

On September 16, Quang Nam chose India as the first destination of its first provincial tourism promotion programme since the pandemic, opening the door for further activities set to take place elsewhere in the coming months. Deputy director of the Quang Nam Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Van Ba Son said many tourism products and services of the province had been introduced to Indian partners during a four-day event in Mumbai city in mid-September. Businesses and travel associations from both sides also reached an agreement on cooperation in exchanging guests, opening up more attractive development opportunities for the tourism industries of the two countries in the future. “We chose India because this country is in the top 10 largest international tourist markets in Vietnam. The number of Indian tourists coming here is increasing, the two countries also have many similarities in culture and religion and both have advantages in developing cultural tours,” Son said. … [Read more...] about New approaches in Vietnam’s tourism

On September 28, Vietnam's pepper prices levelled off after two consecutive sessions of decreases. The price hovered around VND69,000–72,000 per kg in the southeast region and VND69,000–70,000 per kg in the Central Highlands. "The pepper price will increase if farmers continue to replace pepper trees with fruit trees, leading to a shortage of supply," Hoang Thi Lien, chairman of the Vietnam Pepper and Spice Association (VPSA), said. "Output may decline sharply in the next three years because the wave of crop shifting is taking place strongly." According to the VPSA, there is very little inventory of pepper held by farmers. The majority belongs to wholesalers and speculators. Meanwhile, some processing companies have enough goods to process by year-end, so they don't need to buy pepper at this time. In September, the Foreign Trade Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade also predicted the possibility of pepper exports remaining at a low level due to a lack of domestic … [Read more...] about Vietnam to face long-term shortage in pepper-farming areas