Vietnam’s wood processing industry has maintained a high growth rate over the years, said Nguyen Quoc Khanh, chairman of the Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of HCMC (HAWA). From US$220 million in 2000, after 17 years, its turnover has reached US$8 billion, ranking among the seven sectors generating the greatest export value in the country. Particularly, in the first half of 2018, the export of wood and wood products earned US$4.13 billion, up 12.4% over the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Vietnamese firms in this industry are gradually gaining share from foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs), HAWA Vice Chairman Huynh Van Hanh said. In the early years of development, FIEs always accounted for more than 70% of the country’s total wood export sales. However, in the past three years, domestic enterprises have fared better and occupied 53% of total export turnover. When the domestic economy began to integrate, Vietnam’s wood … [Read more...] about Wood industry: Sustainable development
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Vietnam Airlines joins hands with foreign carriers for tourism push
They will carry out promotions in South Korea and Taiwan, jointly put up booths at major events and showcase popular beach destinations such as Ha Long Bay, Nha Trang and Phu Quoc. "Vietnam remains one of the most favorite destinations for South Koreans," Park Jong Sun, head of the Korea Tourism Board office in Vietnam told VnExpress International. "Famous tourist spots such as Ha Long Bay, Hanoi, Da Nang, and Hoi An are heavily favored, particularly by middle-aged tourists." More than 2.8 million South Koreans visited Vietnam in the first eight months of this year, up 22.5 percent from a year ago, while the number of Taiwanese jumped 27.5 percent to 596,000, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism. The carriers also pledged to expand code-share cooperation on flights to South Korea and Taiwan and to the U.S. and Canada transiting in Taiwan. Code-share flights to North America would also help the national flag carrier begin its own direct flights to the U.S. Earlier … [Read more...] about Vietnam Airlines joins hands with foreign carriers for tourism push
Visa exemptions passport to tourism bonanza: expert
Kenneth Atkinson, vice president of Tourism Advisory Board (TAB), told the Vietnam Travel and Tourism Summit held in Hanoi Monday the country has fared poorly compared to its neighbors in providing visa exemptions to attract more visitors. "Many countries have implemented the visa waiver policy due to its huge benefits. If Vietnam does waive visas for Europe tourists who travel longer and spend more, tourism growth could reach 20 percent," said Atkinson, also founder and senior board adviser of consulting firm Grant Thorton Vietnam. The number of foreigners visiting Vietnam in the first 11 months of this year is estimated at 16.3 million, an all-time high which was up 15.3 percent year-on-year, official data shows. Atkinson expressed concern that Vietnam's visa exemption policy for visitors from countries such as Russia, South Korea, Japan, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Sweden will officially expire on December 31, with the government yet to respond to the … [Read more...] about Visa exemptions passport to tourism bonanza: expert
National Tourism Year 2020 to be launched in Ninh Binh
In Trang An, Ninh Binh (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The National Tourism Year 2020 will be launched in the northern province of Ninh Binh on February 20, 2020, heard a press conference in Hanoi on December 10. The closing ceremony is scheduled for December 2020. According to the organising board, the year will take the theme “Hoa Lu – ancient capital of a thousand years” with 27 activities, including Bai Dinh pagoda festival that will open on January 30, Hoa Lu festival from April 1-3, and Trang An festival from April 10 to the late May 2020. The Miss Capital ASEAN 2020 final round, the “Yellow Tam Coc - Trang An” tourism week, an international workshop on “xam” singing, a music exchange between provinces having world heritages and twinning localities at home and abroad, the second Trang An marathon tournament, and Ninh Binh trade and tourism fair are also planned for. Other activities include Dau temple festival, Duc Thanh … [Read more...] about National Tourism Year 2020 to be launched in Ninh Binh
More Vietnam-Jakarta direct flights will boost bilateral tourism: Indonesia
Ibnu Hadi, Indonesian ambassador to Vietnam, said strengthening connectivity would be an ‘important factor’ in increasing the number of visitors from Vietnam to Indonesia and vice versa. Indonesian news agency Antara quoted him as saying Indonesia was encouraging the opening of more direct air routes connecting Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s two biggest metropolises, with Jakarta. In addition, there should be charter flights from Jakarta and Surabaya, Indonesia’s second largest city, to the central coastal city of Da Nang, he said. Indonesia has been one of the destinations benefiting as increasing numbers of the rising middle class in Vietnam travel abroad for holidays. The number of Vietnamese tourists to Indonesia last year reached 75,682, while 87,941 Indonesian tourists visited Vietnam, according to the Vietnam National Administration. Last year, 8.6 million Vietnamese people traveled abroad, up 15 percent from a year ago. In the … [Read more...] about More Vietnam-Jakarta direct flights will boost bilateral tourism: Indonesia