Single woman seeks good man

The initiative came after Hanoi and HCMC, Vietnam's two biggest cities, were ranked near the bottom in a global ranking of public toilet density of 69 cities by QS Supplies, one of the largest bathroom wholesalers and retailers in the U.K. They have only 0.01 public toilets available per square kilometer, higher only than the Egyptian capital Cairo, which has 0.002. Paris topped the ranking, with the French capital having seven per square kilometer, followed by Sydney (3.64) in Australia and Zurich (2.9) in Switzerland. After the ranking made local headlines, the HCMC People's Committee ordered districts to build more public toilets, starting with District 1. Le Duc Thanh, the district chairman, said the coffee shops that have agreed to let people to use their toilets for free include Highlands, Trung Nguyen, King, Katinat, and Thuc, and the restaurants include Din Ky and Hozzizon. He said the district would call on more businesses to do the same. Vu Nguyen Quang Vinh, the … [Read more...] about 100 cafes, eateries in downtown HCMC to open their toilets to public

Central Retail inks deals with six suppliers in the southeast region at a trade promotion conference between HCM City and its neighbours in Binh Phuoc province on March 17. (Photo courtesy of Central Retail) HCM City (VNS/VNA) - Central Retail Vietnam 's sourcing team has met with businesses and suppliers in the southeast to discuss cooperation opportunities at a trade promotion conference between Ho Chi Minh City and its neighbours in Binh Phuoc province last week. Representatives of the retailer’s fast-moving consumer goods and fresh food divisions apprised their interlocutors about their purchasing processes, documentation, packing, and labelling requirements. The meeting should make it easier for businesses and cooperatives to bring their products into Central Retail’s Go! and Big C supermarket chains , they added. Central Retail struck deals with six suppliers in the southeast region: VINAHE Co., Ltd (roasted cashewnuts), Nham Nhung production establishment … [Read more...] about Central Retail signs agreements with southeastern businesses, cooperatives

This has been the busiest year ever for traders like Nguyen Thi Thuy Linh in the southern province of Tien Giang. She has been scrambling to find top quality fruits grown in the Mekong Delta to sell to Chinese buyers. "In previous years we only bought limited quantities of durian, jackfruit and mango to sell domestically, but this year we have been raising prices continuously to get enough for exports." Thanh Mai, a trader in the Central Highlands, has been struggling to meet her increasing export quota. She now pays farmers double last year’s prices: VND20,000 for a kilogram of taro, and VND14,000 for yam. Export companies are also busy. Van Xuan Phat Exports and Imports ships thousands of tons of durian to China every month, while major exporter Vina T&T has secured a contract for 22,500 tons of the fruit. In Dong Nai and Binh Phuoc Provinces, companies are preparing to export 500,000-600,000 tons of durian to China. Vietnamese rice is also imported by China … [Read more...] about Agricultural exports to newly opened China surge

Attending the event were Major General Le Quang Dao, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, Commander of the Vietnam Coast Guard; Comrade Ho Thi Hoang Yen, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Ben Tre Provincial Party Committee; Tran Ngoc Tam, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Committee of Ben Tre Province. At the event, Deputy Political Commissar of the Vietnam Coast Guard Command Major General Tran Van Xuan reviewed the coordination in conducting the “Coast guard stand by fishermen” program over the past time. Organized for the first time in March 2017, the program has obtained practical achievements in disseminating the Party’s guidelines and State’s policies to people; supporting fishermen in fishing at sea, contributing to firmly safeguarding national sovereignty over sea and islands; assisting localities in socio-economic and cultural development, poverty reduction, new-style rural area building, and living standard improvement. Over … [Read more...] about Coast guard force and Ben Tre province sign coordination agreement

Xi will be the first national leader to shake Putin's hand since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for him on Friday over the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia since its invasion. Russia is presenting Xi's trip, his first since securing an unprecedented third term this month, as evidence that it has a powerful friend prepared to stand with it against a hostile West that it accuses of trying to isolate and defeat Moscow. "We can feel the geopolitical landscape in the outside world undergoing drastic changes," Putin said in an article in China's People's Daily published on the Kremlin website, adding that he had high hopes for the visit from his "good old friend." For Xi, the visit is a diplomatic tightrope. China has released a 12-point proposal to solve the Ukraine crisis, but at the same time strengthened ties with Moscow. China has repeatedly dismissed Western accusations that it is planning to arm Russia but says it wants a closer … [Read more...] about China’s Xi arrives in Russia to meet Putin over Ukraine war

Local authorities said Monday they had found the tusks, which were illegally trafficked from Africa in three suspicious containers. The containers belonged to a haul that began in Angola, was then transported to Singapore, and finally to the Nam Hai Dinh Vu Port in Hai Phong. The containers were inspected when authorities noticed that the receiver’s details were labeled inaccurately. One container alone contained over 7 tons of elephant tusks, and authorities said the total amount of trafficked goods could amount to dozens of tons. The Hai Phong Customs Department said the amount of elephant tusks found was the largest haul to ever be discovered in the city. Earlier this month, Hai Phong customs officers also found a total of around 610 kg of trafficked elephant tusks on two occasions. Vietnam outlawed the ivory trade in 1992, but the country remains a top market for ivory products prized locally for decorative and medicinal purposes, according to conservation groups. … [Read more...] about Tons of ivory found at northern port

Hong Sun, chairman of the Korea Chamber of Business in Vietnam (KOCHAM), told the Vietnam Business Forum 2023 on Sunday that many South Korean businesses find that it usually takes two to three months to acquire work permits for their foreign staff. And in some cases, the process can take up to six months as additional paperwork is sometimes required, he added. KOCHAM proposed that the authorities provide businesses with a consistent and precise guideline on requesting work permits. The chamber also suggested that the Vietnamese government give graduates of the one-year K-Move School program expert work permits. Sun added that the K-Move School program is run by the South Korean government and that its graduates are highly qualified. He said that they can be considered experts and are even qualified to be the CEO of a business, and therefore they should be able to receive expert work permits in Vietnam. Gabor Fluit, chairman of the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam … [Read more...] about Foreign businesses want work permit procedures simplified

Authorities of the northern port city of Haiphong discovered seven tonnes of elephant tusks in a container at Nam Hai Dinh Vu Port this morning, March 20. This was the largest ivory smuggling case reported in Haiphong to date. The ivory were seized in Haiphong According to the Haiphong customs agency, they initially became suspicious about six containers sent to the port from Angola, including three which were declared to be transporting peanuts but had unclear addresses. After checking the containers, they detected a huge amount of ivory in one of them. The Vietnamese General Department of Customs are co-operating with concerned agencies on the investigation. Ivory is on the list of goods banned from being imported and exported in line with the Vietnamese government’s decree issued in 2018. A container containing 117 pieces of ivory tusk weighing 490 kilos was detected at Lach Huyen Port in Haiphong in early February this year. Haiphong authorities also … [Read more...] about Seven tonnes of ivory seized at Haiphong port

Hoa Binh export s first batch of sugarcane to the US on March 19. (Photo: VNA) Hoa Binh (VNA) – The first batch of 20 tonnes of fresh sugarcane from Hoa Binh bound for the US was announced at a ceremony held in the northern mountainous province on March 19. Speaking at the event, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Dinh Con Su said the province will seek ways to boost sugarcane exports, contributing to the development of sugar industry in the locality. Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Huy Nhuan said that sugarcane can bring high economic value and has huge potential for expanding exports. The department will create the best condition for local businesses to seek market in the time ahead. The province first exported fresh sugarcane to Japan in 2020 with 5.7 tonnes and the volume rose to 300 tonnes in 2022, with orders from demanding markets such as the Republic of Korea, the UK and the EU./. … [Read more...] about Hoa Binh province exports first batch of fresh sugarcane to US

Hanoi (VNA) - The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency. - Economic cooperation should continue to be the focus of bilateral ties between Vietnam and the Republic of Korea, National Assembly (NA) Vice Chairman Nguyen Duc Hai said at his talks with Deputy Assembly Speaker of the RoK Chung Woo-taik in Seoul on March 20. Read full story - Chief Justice of the Supreme People’s Court Nguyen Hoa Binh and Minister of Justice Le Thanh Long cleared up questions regarding asset recovery in corruption cases, at a Q&A session in Hanoi on March 20 as part of the 21st meeting of the National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee. He admitted that the work has yet to be done strictly although 40% of the assets were recovered over the past decade. Read full story - Vietnam is striving to lure more Japanese investments to digital transformation and green growth, as recommended in the Vietnam-Japan Joint Initiative (VJI). Phase VIII of the … [Read more...] about ☕ Afternoon briefing on March 20