Nearly 250 athletes take part in the first sea swimming Ly Son Cross Island tournament on May 28. (Photo of organisers) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - The open sea swimming competition on Ly Son island was highly appreciated for its organisation and preparation as it was held for the first time in the central province of Quang Ngai last weekend. In its inaugural race, nearly 250 athletes, locals and foreigners, swam in the middle of the sea paradise and overcame ancient craters and millions of years of volcanic sediment as well as diverse coral reefs. They were guided by a special corridor made of national flags from the start to the finish of the three-category competition entitled Ly Son Cross Island. Khoa Sun and Nguyen Thi Thu Trang won the men's and women's 5km, respectively. Vo Tri Trung and Tran Thanh Binh were winners of the men's and women's 2km classes. Nguyen Dang Khoa and Dang Linh Giang topped the men's and women's 1km divisions. "Congratulations to all the … [Read more...] about Ly Son island swimming event successful, to become annual tourism product
Recycled products
Viettel wins most awards at IT World Awards 2023
Viettel won 37/261 awards at the 2023 IT World Awards .(Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) – The Viettel Military Industry and Telecoms Group (Viettel) has announced that it has become the enterprise with the most awards at the 2023 IT World Awards. Viettel won 37/261 awards with 23 Gold prizes, four Silver prizes and 10 Bronze prizes. The percentage of the Gold prizes achieved increased by 10% compared to the previous year and increased 23 times compared to the first time it participated in 2016 thanks to its "Made by Viettel" innovative solutions which were highly-appreciated from the council of more than 600 information technology experts in the world. In particular, many Viettel products and services won the "hat-trick" of the Gold award in categories this year such as Viettel Post's NOC technical indicator monitoring system in three categories of information technology solutions, the most innovative information technology service and vehicle management system. The IT … [Read more...] about Viettel wins most awards at IT World Awards 2023
PM urges greater efforts to accelerate administrative reforms
The most effective competitive advantage for Vietnam's economy is creating a favorable business investment environment free of legal barriers. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has signed a decree to urge ministries and provinces/cities to boost administrative reforms and improve the investment environment to support local enterprises. Electronics production at Katolec Vietnam in Quang Minh Industrial Park, Hanoi. Photo: Pham Hung/The Hanoi Times "A conducive investment environment is a fundamental platform helping businesses operate smoothly and drive growth. This, in turn, promotes job creation and contributes to overall socio-economic development," said the decree. Vietnam has been trying to cut administrative regulations and compliance costs as part of its national digital transformation effort. As of May 2023, the country's total number of administrative procedures was 6,422, 376 fewer than the same period in 2020. This is expected to improve the … [Read more...] about PM urges greater efforts to accelerate administrative reforms
Vietnamese-American woman returns to her roots
Mai celebrates the last night of the lunar year yachting on the Saigon River in January, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Minh Tam Born to a father who served in the American marine corps and a Vietnamese immigrant mother, Mai, 32, felt she was different from others ever since she was a child. "Our names, our hair color, and our eye color were different," Mai told VnExpress as she recalled her and her siblings’ childhood in a small town an hour’s drive from San Diego, California, where the majority of residents were white. "We considered ourselves different from others the moment we stepped out of our houses." Hoping to help Mai and her brothers and sisters blend into the local community, her mother didn’t teach them Vietnamese or Vietnamese culture. Her family rarely watched Asian movies and only visited the area’s Little Saigon district once a year to visit her grandmother. Racism was a serious problem during Mai’s school days. Asian children were forced by other students … [Read more...] about Vietnamese-American woman returns to her roots
PM calls for early finalisation of Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with UAE
PM Pham Minh Chinh (R) and UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi at the meeting in Hanoi on June 5. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh received Minister of State for Foreign Trade Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Hanoi on June 5, calling on the UAE to work closely with the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade to soon finalise talks on the bilateral Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). The host leader hailed the two sides’ efforts to promote negotiations on the CEPA, especially when the two countries are celebrating the 30th founding anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations in 2023. He affirmed Vietnam’s consistent foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralisation of external relations, and being a good friend, trustworthy partner, and responsible member of the international community. The country is also working to develop an … [Read more...] about PM calls for early finalisation of Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with UAE
Core business key as companies pull out of real estate
In early April, the Board of Directors at Nam Viet JSC, a seafood producer in the southern region, gave the nod to the decision on dissolving Nam Viet Real Estate Co., Ltd. This company, based in Long Xuyen city in the Mekong delta province of An Giang, was founded in March 2022 to operate in real estate. Real estate might not always prove a fertile venture At the inception, the company had $3.5 million in chartered capital, which was scaled down to around $391,300 in mid-June 2022 before terminating operation in the recent past. At the company’s 2022 general annual shareholders meeting in June, CEO Doan Toi told shareholders that the company owned land, and that they would unveil two real estate projects later in the year, and another two in 2023. Last year, Nam Viet set an ambitious pre-tax profit target of VND1 trillion ($43.4 million) compared to a mere $6.5 million pre-tax profit posted in 2021, and committed to maintaining its profit in the range of a … [Read more...] about Core business key as companies pull out of real estate
The future of tourism in Vietnam new visa policies and beyond
The fifth plenary session of the 15th National Assembly has discussed and approved a number of important draft bills, including three new amendments to regulations that have significant impacts on the tourism industry in Vietnam. These policies are expected to boost the recovery and development of the tourism sector. Martin Koerner - Chairman EuroCham Vietnam’s Tourism and Hospitality Sector Committee The first law is to extend the visa exemption duration from the current 15 days to 45 days for citizens of countries that currently can travel to Vietnam visa exempt, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, Japan, South Korea, Norway, Finland, Denmark, and Sweden. This law aims to attract more tourists from these key markets and encourage them to stay longer and spend more here. The second law is to expand the list of countries eligible for e-visa from 46 to 80, including markets such as India, Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina. The e-visa allows visitors to apply … [Read more...] about The future of tourism in Vietnam new visa policies and beyond
Government support helps aquaculture industry weather difficulties
Illustrative image (Photo: laodong.vn) Hanoi (VNA) - Although the aquaculture industry have been facing many challenges, it continues to receive support from the Government, Director in charge of communications of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers ( VASEP ) Le Hang told Lao dong newspaper. According to Hang, the Prime Minister has demanded the State Bank of Vietnam effectively manage credit operations to ensure the suitable provision of credit capital, and continue to reduce interest rates to support businesses, especially those in aquatic export . The bank has been required to implement supportive and preferential policies, including proposing a credit package worth 10,000 billion VND (over 425.4 million USD) to support businesses operating in forestry and aquatic production and processing industries. Credit programmes should be prioritised for the fisheries sector, towards creating favourable conditions for businesses involved in the … [Read more...] about Government support helps aquaculture industry weather difficulties
Banks to promote online lending through national population database access
Access to this huge amount of customer data is a golden opportunity for banks to promote digital services and products, especially online lending. — Photo baodautu.vn Through a series of newly-issued regulations and access to the national population database, banks are planning to expand their online money-lending services. Deputy Governor of the State Bank of Viet Nam (SBV) Pham Tien Dung said accessing the national population database will help banks to check and authenticate new customer information more easily. Commercial banks will promote lending services on their electronic platforms based on this database. The draft amending the Law on Credit Institutions has many regulations specifying banking services via electronic devices. Besides that, several provisions supplemented by Civil Law and the Law on Electronic Transactions are necessary to complete the legal framework for online lending. Online lending, mostly small loans, has been implemented by many banks for a … [Read more...] about Banks to promote online lending through national population database access
Vietnam spends over 2 billion USD on animal feed, material imports in 5 months
Illustrative photo (Photo: Breeding Magazine) Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam spent 2.04 billion USD to import animal feed and raw material s for the production of this kind of commodity in the first five months of this year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD). The figure marks a year-on-year decrease of 2%. Animal feed and raw materials from Argentina to Vietnam accounted for 25.8% of the total market shares, followed by India (18.3%) and the US (15.2%). Compared to the same period last year, the imports from the three countries increased by 3.9%, 130%, and 28.3%, respectively. MARD recommends that to reduce reliance on imported animal feed, farmers in localities should make use of available domestic raw materials, produce animal feed by themselves to reduce cost, and find sources of raw materials for animal feed production. Ministries and agencies were asked to tighten control over the import of meat and by-products, support importers … [Read more...] about Vietnam spends over 2 billion USD on animal feed, material imports in 5 months