Thailand mid march

Deputy for Coordination of International Economic Cooperation of the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs Edi Prio Pambudi (left) during the Strategic Planning Meeting IMT-GT in Bangkok, Thailand, on March 21, 2023. (Photo: ANTARA) Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesian Deputy for Coordination of International Economic Cooperation of the Coordinating Economic Affairs Ministry, Edi Prio Pambudi highlighted that the Indonesia - Malaysia - Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT) cooperation should be strengthened to generate broader benefits for each country. Speaking at the IMT-GT Strategic Planning Meeting, Pambudi said IMT-GT cooperation needs to take into account risks and opportunities from global dynamics and megatrends to realise the IMT-GT Vision 2036. In addition, the development of cooperation between academics and business actors was discussed. Pambudi drew attention to several important issues to be considered in the future, including boosting connectivity to … [Read more...] about Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand beef up cooperation

The report, released on March 20 to coincide with the International Day of Happiness, is published by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network. (Photo: pattayamail.com/) Bangkok (NNT/VNA) - Thailand has moved up one spot to rank 60th on the World Happiness Report 2023 , while Finland has maintained its position as the happiest country in the world for the sixth year in a row. The report evaluates 137 countries based on various criteria, including social support, income, expectations of a healthy life, and perceptions of corruption, to assess happiness levels. The report, released on March 20 to coincide with the International Day of Happiness, is published by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Participants from each country rated their level of happiness on a scale of zero to ten, with zero indicating complete dissatisfaction and ten representing complete satisfaction. Thailand scored 5.843, making it the third happiest country in Southeast Asia, … [Read more...] about Thailand improves rank on World Happiness Report 2023

Bangkok (VNA) – Thai police on March 22 announced that they had arrested 20 suspects, including five Indians and 15 Thais, for alleged involvement in a phone scam network preying on elderly Americans. According to local police, the scammers were arrested in Chon Buri, Rayong, Roi Et and Surat Thani on March 21, adding that all five of the Indian suspects were men and 11 of the 15 Thais detained were women. The police also seized 162 bank account books, 61 mobile phones, two cars, one pistol, land title deeds and other assets. The investigation dates back to last year, when US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Secret Service agents informed Thai police that Indian cyber criminals and Thai nationals had set up a phone scam network to trick elderly people in US into transferring money to them. The fraudsters, pretending to be US law-enforcement officials, preyed on the fear of their victims by telling them that they were being investigated for alleged money … [Read more...] about Thailand arrests phone scam gang targeting elderly Americans

Because lime cannot be grown in New Zealand, one kilogram of the citrus in the country usually costs more than NZD50 (US$31.17 or VND700,000). Vietnamese limes are popular at thriving New Zealand hotels and restaurants. New Zealanders also love other tropical fruits from Vietnam. "I hope to see Vietnamese passion fruit in New Zealand’s supermarkets and restaurants," New Zealand Ambassador to Vietnam Tredene Dobson told VnExpress on the sidelines of the Flavors Vietnam food festival held in mid-March. New Zealand Ambassador to Vietnam Trendene Dobson. Photo courtesy of New Zealand Embassy Last year, New Zealand started importing citrus, typically pomelos and limes, from Vietnam, in addition to local fruits already popular in the country such as dragon fruit and rambutan. Two-way trade between the nations, which reached over $1.3 billion in 2021 and $1.23 billion in the first 10 months of 2022, is expected to surge to $2 billion in 2024, according to official … [Read more...] about Vietnamese lime likened to ‘green gold’ in New Zealand

Martin Koerner, chairman of EuroCham Vietnam's Tourism and Hospitality Sector Committee, told at a tourism conference Wednesday that Vietnam's visa policy remains complicated and restrictive compared to regional neighbors such as Thailand and Singapore. Thailand already extended its tourist visas to a maximum stay of 45 days for over 50 countries while Vietnam currently exempts only citizens of 25 countries from requiring visas with maximum stays of 15 days. EuroCham has proposed the government expand visa exemptions for more countries, including all European countries, the United States, Australia and New Zealand and prolong the duration of visa-free stays to 30 days. "However, we have seen slow progress in achieving this," Koerner said. "The country needs to implement a tourism development strategy quickly to compete with its regional competitors." Nuno F. Ribeiro, a Portuguese lecturer in hospitality and tourism at RMIT University, also proposed Vietnam waive visas for more … [Read more...] about Foreign experts urge Vietnam to relax visa policies, improve tourism services

Jakarta (VNA) – The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) has called for the adoption of the ASEAN Quick Response (QR) Code by all ASEAN countries at the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (BAC) meeting. The transactions carried out via ASEAN QR Code will use local currencies, KADIN Chaiman Arsjad Rasjid said after chairing the ASEAN-BAC meeting in Magelang district, Central Java of Indonesia, on March 22. He said that if a transaction is conducted in Indonesia, it will use the rupiah. Likewise, if it is conducted in Thailand, it will use the Thai baht, and so on, he explained. The QR code adoption will also reduce the cost of transactions, thus it can be the key for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and bigger business players in ASEAN to collaborate, he said. The ASEAN QR Code is one of the comprehensive legacy programs promoted by KADIN as a solution to strengthen digital transformation in ASEAN, which is one of the five ASEAN-BAC priority … [Read more...] about Indonesia hastens ASEAN’s adoption of regional QR Code

Nordic countries, including Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden, shared their experience in green solutions to a circular economy and waste management and policy implications for Vietnam at a seminar held in Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday. The seminar was organized by the Embassies in Vietnam of Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden and Fulbright University Vietnam to mark the occasion of Nordic Day 2023 (March 23). In his opening remarks at the seminar, Ambassador of Denmark to Vietnam Nicolai Prytz said with a long tradition of working together to find solutions to common challenges, the Nordic countries are proud to share their experience and knowledge with Vietnam. “We believe that sharing experience and best practices with our partners is essential to promoting sustainable development,” Prytz added. Meanwhile, Ambassador of Norway to Vietnam Hilde Solbakken highlighted the role of the private sector in promoting green innovation, saying, "In the Nordic region, we have seen … [Read more...] about Nordic countries share circular economy, waste management solutions with Vienam

Participants at the meeting (Source: asean.org) Jakarta (VNA) – Sports officials from ASEAN member countries, representatives from the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) and other football associations in the region gathered virtually in the first Technical Working Group Meeting for the Preparation of ASEAN’s Joint Bid for the FIFA World Cup 2034 (1st TWG-FWC Meeting) that took place on March 22. The meeting was chaired by Dr Niwat Limsuknirun, Director General of Physical Education of Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand and Chairperson of the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Sports. Under Thailand’s leadership, members of the TWG-FWC discussed the process of submission of the joint bid in 2026 including the general requirements, timeline, and the role each member state will take for the FIFA World Cup 2034 . ASEAN’s bid for possible hosting of the FIFA World Cup was first mooted by the ASEAN foreign Ministers at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting Retreat and … [Read more...] about ASEAN’s bid for FIFA World Cup 2034 hosting discussed

Badminton player Nguyen Thuy Linh (Photo: Vnexpress.net) Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnamese top female badminton player Nguyen Thuy Linh has advanced to the top 40 of world rankings after coming second at the Thailand International Challenge 2023. According to the latest rankings by the Badminton World Federation (BWF), Linh leaped up five places to the 40th position with 30,270 points. She is also standing at the 30th at the Asian rankings . The highest position in world rankings that a Vietnamese female player achieved is 34th, established by Vu Thi Trang in June 2017. At the moment, the 30-year-old is placing 115th. Both Linh and Trang are competing at the Ciputra Hanoi 2023 - Ciputra Hanoi Yonex Sunrise Vietnam International Challenge in Hanoi. In her first match, Linh defeated Wang Yu Si from Taiwan (China) and advanced to the second round. The Ciputra Hanoi 2023 - Ciputra Hanoi Yonex Sunrise Vietnam International Challenge is taking place from March 21-26, drawing … [Read more...] about Vietnamese top female badminton player jumps to world’s Top 40

A China-Vietnam-Laos freight train loaded with agricultural products at Nanning International Railway Port in Nanning, China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (Photo: xinhua) Hanoi (VNA) - Trade between countries along the Mekong River and China posted steady growth last year despite COVID-19 and the sluggish global economy. Specifically, China's trade volume with Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam hit 416.7 billion USD in 2022, up 5% year-on-year. The figures were disclosed at the opening ceremony of Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Week 2023, which was held on March 23 in Kunming, China’s Yunnan province. Since, the mechanism was launched in 2016, it has become a landmark cooperation model in the region, and has continuously injected vitality into regional development./. VNA … [Read more...] about Trade between Mekong countries, China reaches over 416 bln USD in 2022