Ian Paynton advises foreigners to be cheerful when visiting Vietnam, according to the The Insider website. Vietnam is emerging as one of Southeast Asia’s most popular tourist destinations for international travelers and experts. More than 100,000 foreign experts are living and working in Vietnam. Ian Paynton, a British native, resides in Hanoi. He first traveled to Vietnam in 2007, and three years later, he decided to leave London for the Southeast Asian country for resettlement. Paynton has told The Insider seven dos and don’ts of a Vietnam visit for foreign tourists. Here are seven travel tips: Do not go around town while wearing swimsuits According to Paynton, the beauty of Vietnam lies in elegance, so foreign visitors should not wear scanty swimwear while traveling to beaches, rivers or waterfalls. This is considered a taboo at temples and pagodas. In 2016, a foreign visitor was forced to leave a place of worship as the traveler wore shorts and a bra-styled shirt. … [Read more...] about Foreigner shares dos and don’ts of travel etiquette in Vietnam
Successive years meaning
High-tech talent pool to aid transformation
Proposals relating to cooperation and encouraging foreign investors to join Vietnam’s innovation journey were addressed at some forums, including one at VIR’s headquarters and the annual Vietnam Business Forum (VBF) organised in Hanoi over a week back. Working groups of the Vietnam Business Forum touched on a variety of topics and recommendations for greater progress Photo: Dung Minh One particular area of discussion focused on the digital economy and tech such as blockchain. Do Tien Thinh, deputy director of the Vietnam National Innovation Centre (NIC) said at VIR’s forum on digital transformation on March 21 that the NIC is working with many big foreign technology groups to connect them with domestic enterprises to implement training courses and technical supporting programmes. Thinh said Google has implemented digital skill training courses for businesses, especially startups. In mid-2022, Google launched a certification initiative and Startup Academy Vietnam, … [Read more...] about High-tech talent pool to aid transformation
Public security ministry, JICA step up cooperation
At the event (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Minister of Public Security Gen. To Lam hosted Sugano Yuichi , new Chief Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Vietnam Office, and his predecessor Akira Shimizu in Hanoi on March 27. Lam said his ministry has received active cooperation from Japanese partners in information sharing and exchange, criminal fighting and prevention, human resources training, and non-refundable aid, among other activities. The Vietnamese body has been assisted by JICA through a series of police capacity training courses and programme, he said, believing that such joint work will thrive in the time to come based on the countries’ extensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia. The minister suggested JICA pay further attention to increasing funds helping develop the public security force in fields of Japan’s strength such as high technology, digital transformation, supply of anti-terrorism equipment … [Read more...] about Public security ministry, JICA step up cooperation
Powerful plan mooted for tourism
Photo: Chi Cuong At VIR’s roundtable discussion on seeking a boost for inbound tourism last week, editor-in-chief Le Trong Minh opened the roundtable with a fact-based observation, and noted that the country has yet to unlock the full potential of its tourism industry. “While the tourism sector contributes a significant 9.2 per cent of the country’s total GDP, equivalent to $32.8 billion, this number remains low compared to the global average,” he said. In 2023, the tourism sector aims to welcome eight million international visitors. While this is a modest number compared to the level achieved in 2019 of 19 million visitors, it is a challenging target as the market is undergoing many changes and new trends post-pandemic. Explaining this, Hoang Nhan Chinh, secretariat director of the Vietnam Tourism Advisory Board assessed that group tours are seeing a decline, and tourists known as frequent independent travellers are on the rise. “An essential step is to understand the … [Read more...] about Powerful plan mooted for tourism
Supporting policies needed to fast-track 5G commercialisation
How has 5G been piloted in Vietnam so far, and is the nation ready for commercialisation in 2023? Up to now, 5G in Vietnam is still in a trial process by Viettel, VNPT, and Mobifone in more than 40 cities and provinces. They are testing different frequency bands from low to mid-band and mmWave band. From the user side, the first experience of mobile broadband speed, is not too impressive for users because the current 4G speed is meeting the current needs of users in watching movies and television and so on, so the speeds of a few hundred Mb/s or even Gb/s that 5G brings is not a mass market requirement. Nguyen Phong Nha, deputy general director of the Ministry of Information and Communications’ Authority of Telecommunications For high-density or low-latency user cases, there have been no tests with impressive results and no clear demand from users. This is a reality not only in Vietnam but also in other countries when deploying 5G. The ability to provide … [Read more...] about Supporting policies needed to fast-track 5G commercialisation
Greener, faster, smarter digital plans
Great minds from around the world have a wealth of knowledge and want Vietnam to be a digital pioneer, Photo: Cuong Minh At VIR’s forum on digital transformation on March 21, Do Tien Thinh, deputy director of the Vietnam National Innovation Centre (NIC), said that it is crucial to support innovation and help businesses achieve their emission reduction goals. “While technology groups seek to expand their customer base and provide tech solutions, local businesses require digital transformation and innovation,” Thinh said. “In response, the NIC acts as a mediator, connecting private sector businesses with technology solution providers to provide training for human resources in digital transformation and innovation.” The NIC has already collaborated with the likes of Siemens, Google, and Hitachi to implement innovation support programmes at factories. A very visible area of green digital transformation has been in manufacturing, with factories constantly seeking new approaches … [Read more...] about Greener, faster, smarter digital plans
Vietnamese lifter K’Duong triumphs at World Youth Weightlifting Championships
K'Duong wins gold medals at IWF World Youth Championships. (Photo: IWF) Hanoi (VNA) - K'Duong set up three world records at the World Youth Weightlifting Championships , which is ongoing in Durres, Albania. The Vietnamese broke all three of his own youth world records when he finished 24kg clear of his nearest rival in the men’s 55kg category on March 26. K'Duong, who celebrated his 16th birthday three weeks ago, was the only current world record holder among the men’s entries in Durres. He has made only 11 attempts in his international weightlifting career and he has already set six world records. In the snatch event, he missed his first attempt at 107kg because of a press-out, but successfully managed it the second time to secure the first gold. He then went up 7kg to better his world best by 1kg at the Ramazan Njala Sport Complex . In the clean and jerk, his first attempt of 132kg gave him a sweep of gold. He then jumped 12kg, and just failed with the jerk. … [Read more...] about Vietnamese lifter K’Duong triumphs at World Youth Weightlifting Championships
FIFA to pay clubs $355M for sending players to 2026 and 2030 World Cups
The Club Benefits Program affords clubs a share of national team competition revenues in return for releasing players and also protects clubs in case their players are injured on international duty. The previous amount earmarked for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups was $209 million. A renewed Memorandum of Understanding was signed on Monday at the ECA General Assembly in Budapest, Hungary. "We are delighted to have signed this landmark agreement," ECA Chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi said. "The MoU recognizes the central role of clubs in football globally and ensures that they are properly represented in decision making around issues which affect them." Earlier this month, FIFA had announced a 32-team Club World Cup will be played every four years from June 2025, replacing its annual competition which featured seven teams. The decision was met with opposition from leagues such as Spain's LaLiga but the MoU will now have both FIFA and the ECA working together on its various sporting … [Read more...] about FIFA to pay clubs $355M for sending players to 2026 and 2030 World Cups
Schneider Electric releases new White Paper
Many companies still store and manage data on-premises servers to ensure the fast access speed and meet the essential compliance regulations for data storage systems. — Photo courtesy of Schneider Electric Digital transformation forces many businesses to take advantage of the strength of cloud computing, moving infrastructure to the platforms of service providers. According to the Annual report on business transformation in 2022 published by the Department of Business Development under the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in February 2023, only 36.7 per cent of businesses have a budget to cover their digital transformation expenses, while 43.3 per cent of businesses have a budget for investments but are unable to cover the costs. Many companies still store and manage data on-premises servers to ensure the fast access speed and meet the essential compliance regulations for data storage systems. Moreover, there are many … [Read more...] about Schneider Electric releases new White Paper
Over 85% of major Vietnamese companies are committed to ESG standards
Vietnamese companies prioritize environmentally friendly and sustainable practices as part of their efforts to ensure long-term growth. More than 85% of Vietnam's 500 fastest-growing companies (FAST 500) have committed or plan to comply with environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards, according to a survey conducted by the Vietnam Report Company (Vietnam Report). Electronics production at SGK Company (Chuong My Industrial Park), a component supplier for Samsung. Photo: The Hanoi Times As the global community continues to prioritize environmentally friendly and sustainable practices, Vietnam is also placing a great deal of emphasis on achieving carbon neutrality by the year 2050. FAST500 companies are aware of the importance of ESG standards and are in the process of adopting this strategy, the report states. Specifically, 14.8% of companies surveyed had initiated and implemented some of their ESG obligations, while 37% had fully planned and … [Read more...] about Over 85% of major Vietnamese companies are committed to ESG standards