Saigon times daily

S. Korean firm taps Vietnam’s music streaming market The Saigon Times Representatives of KT Corporation and VTV Cable with the memorandum of understanding for strategic partnership to develop a music streaming platform in Vietnam - PHOTO: KT HCMC - South Korea’s KT Corporation on April 9 signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Vietnam Television Cable Corporation (VTVcab), an arm of Vietnam Television, to develop a music streaming platform in the country. Under the MoU, the two corporations will design a music streaming platform to distribute K-pop music and protect intellectual property rights, VietnamPlus news site reported. KT said that the firm would provide key technology in developing the service such as music personalization using Artificial Intelligence, which is currently used by its media affiliate Genie Music. Genie Music is South Korea’s second largest music streaming service operator and a major music distributor. The partnership is expected to meet the rising demand for K-pop music in the Vietnamese market and contribute to deploying the K-pop music distribution strategy in Vietnam. KT also said that it would expand cooperation with the Vietnamese partner in the broader media industry, including internet protocol television and over-the-top media services. The South Korean telecom giant currently operates video streaming service Seezn. …

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Japan donates medical equipment to help Hue hospital combat Covid-19 The Saigon Times A healthcare technician checks medical equipment, which is part of a donation made by JICA worth more than US$456,000 to the Hue Central Hospital yesterday, April 9 - PHOTO: VNA HCMC - The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) donated medical equipment to the Hue Central Hospital in the central province of Thua Thien Hue on April 9 to support the hospital combat the Covid-19 pandemic. The equipment included an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine, a mobile digital X-ray machine and a color Doppler ultrasound machine, which have a combined value of 50 million yen (over US$456,000), according to the Vietnam News Agency. Addressing the handover ceremony, Yakabe Yoshinori, Head of the Japanese Consulate Office in Danang City, spoke highly of the Hue Central Hospital’s efforts in providing sufficient and quality healthcare services to residents in the central region, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. Yoshinori expressed his hope that the equipment donated by JICA will help the hospital effectively respond to the Covid-19 pandemic and improve the quality of its medical services. Professor Doctor Pham Nhu Hiep, director of the Hue Central Hospital, thanked the Japanese Government and JICA for supporting the hospital over the years and their contributions to Covid-19 infection prevention and control in Vietnam as well as Hue and the central region in particular. JICA has carried out many programs to support the Hue Central Hospital over the past 17 years, including a US$27,243 project to upgrade the infrastructure of the hospital and another project to improve the quality of human resources for the healthcare system in the 2010-2015 period. On the same day, the Hue Central Hospital signed a cooperation agreement with Vinbrain, an Artificial Intelligence software supplier in the healthcare sector, to enhance the application of information …

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VITA proposes opening doors to tourists with vaccine passports By Dao Loan Vietnam attracted many international tourists before the Covid-19 outbreak. The Vietnam Tourism Association has proposed reopening the tourism market to tourists holding vaccine passports - PHOTO: DAO LOAN HCMC - The Vietnam Tourism Association (VITA) has proposed that the Government allow it to collaborate with the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism to welcome back international tourists holding vaccine passports, digital proof of Covid-19 vaccination. According to VITA, since the Covid-19 pandemic forced the country to close its doors to international tourists, many travel companies have turned to domestic tourism. The number of local tourists at some attractions has even been higher than pre-pandemic levels. However, as revenues from domestic tourism account for only 30% of the total, resuming international tourism is still a priority. VITA said Vietnam can begin resuming international tourism as Vietnamese travel companies have effectively implemented anti-Covid-19 measures. Moreover, the spread of Covid-19 has eased in parts of the world thanks to massive vaccination campaigns. Covid-19 vaccine passports will be an effective tool to resume tourism services. Some countries in the region have decided to use digital health passes to help the tourism sector recover. Therefore, VITA suggested the Government allow it and the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism to receive tourists from certain countries that have seen steady declines in Covid-19 cases. Speaking to The Saigon Times, VITA chairman Nguyen Huu Tho said Vietnam should prioritize opening the market to tourists from the Asia-Pacific region, which account for 75% of the country’s total international arrivals. Many countries in this region have also effectively fought the pandemic. Besides, VITA said the Government should introduce more incentives and supporting policies for travel …

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