Travel tourism competitiveness report

French tourist Laurine, who visited HCMC for the first time earlier this month, said before her trip to Vietnam her friends told her she should haggle at half the initial price when buying items in HCMC. When Laurine visited Ben Thanh in downtown area, she was impressed by the beauty of the century-old market with French colonial architecture. She dropped by souvenir stalls inside the market and asked to buy conical hats and small embroidered paintings, but vendors charged her over VND200,000 (US$8.22) for each item. She then negotiated with the vendors and bargained for 50-70% of the initial price. When the vendors refused, she pretended to walk away and they then chased after her, agreeing to sell each item for VND40,000-80,000. "Rip-offs have become a common issue at traditional markets in many Asian countries, not just Vietnam. Therefore, I was not shocked when I was overcharged, but I just didn't know what the real value of the item was, nor what I deserved for the amount … [Read more...] about Tourists wary of rip-offs in HCMC

Vietnam stood behind its Southeast Asian neighbors such as Thailand (18th), the Philippines (27th), Singapore (29th), Malaysia (31st) and Indonesia (39th) where retirement visas have already been offered for years. However, it was placed higher than South Korea (50th), Cambodia (52nd), China (62nd) and Myanmar (75th) in the region. The ranking was based on a global survey of more than 17,000 people recording their perceptions on several factors: affordability, favorable tax environment, friendliness, pleasant climate, respect for property rights and a well-developed public health system. This year, Switzerland was voted the best country for retirees, followed by Portugal and Australia. Last year, Vietnam ranked 39th among 85 destinations. Cheap living costs, high-quality healthcare and low levels of violent crime have pushed Vietnam's reputation as an ideal choice for foreign retirees. Tourism industry insiders believe Vietnam has a great opportunity to become a paradise … [Read more...] about Vietnam world’s 40th best country for ‘comfortable’ retirement

Check out the latest events in Vietnam. Vietnam Friendship Medal bestowed on Franco-Vietnamese vaccine specialist Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh presents the medal to Aurélia Nguyen in New York on Sept 20 (local time). Photo: Nhat Bac/VGP Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on September 20 (local time) presented the Vietnam Friendship Medal to high-ranking global vaccine expert Aurélia Nguyen in New York for her efforts and contribution to Vietnam's success in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. The Franco-Vietnamese vaccine expert is the Chief Program Officer at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Aurélia was one of the key people who helped Vietnam receive 70 million vaccine doses from the Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) initiative. COVAX had pledged some 38.9 million doses to Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh City commemorates Vietnam-Japan diplomatic relations A ceremony was held in Ho Chi Minh City on September 20 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of … [Read more...] about Vietnam news in brief – September 21

The idea behind several "invasive species supper clubs", the last of which was served on Tuesday at "zero waste" Silo restaurant in east London, is to "creatively popularize species that are detrimental to the environment", chef Douglas McMaster, who runs the establishment, told AFP . The omnipresent grey squirrels, signal crayfish and Japanese knotweed are all "forces of destruction" that squeeze out local populations, but all are edible and "delicious", he added. The invaders are the subject of a recently published report under the aegis of the UN, which gave rise to calls from experts to "wake up" to the "scourge". A crayfish dish served at Silo, a zero-waste restaurant in London. Photo by AFP/Daniel Leal McMaster would like a legitimate supply chain and for the species to become "an accessible resource" for chefs. But the idea "isn't to popularize these invasive species so there's so much of a demand that we allow them to become more invasive", he stressed. … [Read more...] about Invasive species on the menu at London restaurant

As the first local currency SLBs in Vietnam, they aim to help issuers expand their businesses while creating jobs, boosting competitiveness, and supporting the country’s low-carbon growth model. IFC’s investment comprises two elements, with about $100 million to be issued by BIM Land – a tourism and property developer in Vietnam – and approximately $50 million to be issued by Thanh Xuan JSC. Both the issuers are subsidiaries of BIM Group, a multi-sector corporation in Vietnam. The proceeds will be used to develop the Thanh Xuan Valley project in Vinh Phuc province, including an eco-friendly and unique residential community alongside a hotel complex (under the InterContinental brand), as well as other relevant services and infrastructure. IFC’s funding will also help the developers implement water- and energy-saving solutions at two BIM Land hotels – InterContinental and Regent – on Phu Quoc island. An innovative financing tool to support global sustainable development, these … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s first local currency sustainability-linked bonds aim to boost economy

Participants at the conference (Photo: VNA) Bangkok (VNA) - A conference to promote trade exchange s between businesses in the north-central region of Vietnam and those in Khon Kaen and Ubon Ratchathani provinces in the northeastern region of Thailand was held in Thailand on September 18-20. As part of the national programme on trade promotion , the event was jointly organised by the Vietnamese Consulate General in Khon Kaen, the Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion Centre of the central province of Quang Tri, and the authorities of Khon Kaen and Ubon Ratchathani provinces. Vietnam ese Consul General Chu Duc Dung stressed that there remains great potential for Vietnamese goods to penetrate the Thai market because this country is home to a large community of overseas Vietnamese, with many of whom own supermarkets, distribution and supply stores. He affirmed that the Consulate General is always ready to accompany Vietnamese and Thai businesses in promoting … [Read more...] about Vietnamese firms seek to boost trade ties with businesses in Thailand’s northeastern region

The owner of Banh Mi Phuong, a well-known bakery in Hoi An, a tourist city in Quang Nam Province, issued a public apology following a mass food poisoning incident which began early last week and involved 141 victims as of Thursday last week. Truong Thi Phuong, the owner of the bakery, made the apology on her personal Facebook account as well as the on the bakery’s fan page. She wrote that the incident has affected the health, spirit, lives of customers. “We had shortcomings in controlling input materials as well as ensuring the quality [of products] before providing them to customers.” The bakery has been working with competent agencies and is waiting for test results of its food samples in order to identify the cause of the incident. It has also been adopting solutions to ease the consequences of the incident. Phuong also shared that representatives of the bakery have visited and spoken with victims who were admitted to local hospitals. The bakery will continue … [Read more...] about Owner of Hoi An bakery apologizes for mass food poisoning incident

Nghiem Xuan Da, chairman of the Vietnam Steel Association (VSA), said, "The CBAM is the latest challenge for Vietnam's steel industry amidst an already tough business climate as it tries to increase exports to Europe under the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA)." The CBAM is the EU's landmark attempt to put a fair price on carbon emissions produced from carbon-intensive goods entering the EU. It aims to encourage cleaner industrial production in non-EU countries. According to the VSA, Vietnamese steel exports to the EU have been on a positive trajectory thanks to the implementation of the EVFTA in August 2020, along with the recent shortfall in steel supply to the EU. Steel exports in the first six months of 2023 reached 1.36 million tonnes, with export turnover reaching about $1 billion, an increase of 1.5 times compared to the same period in 2022. In response to the new policy, Posco Yamato Vina Steel (Py Vina), under South Korea's Posco Group, is researching a new … [Read more...] about CBAM may hinder EVFTA advantages for steel industry

Senior Colonel Nguyen Viet Hung, Chief of the Engineering Company Rotation 2 and Commanding Officer of the Vietnam’s peacekeeping force at the U.N. Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), and Education and Construction Minister Nyinkwany Aguer Bol led the delegation. According to the survey results, up to now, there are about 10 schools of different sizes in the Abyei. The school that has nearly 200 students is located 20km from the center of Abyei and struggled with extremely difficult travel conditions. The largest school has nearly 3,000 students gathered from seven local schools. Attentively, the number of teachers is relatively small. Most of them are volunteer teachers from other African countries. The professional qualifications of local teachers are not high and uneven. Survey results also show that schools in Abyei face the same problems such as poor facilities, there are not enough classrooms, canteens, and toilets. Moreover, there are schools with a large number of … [Read more...] about Engineering Company Rotation 2 starts assistance activities for children in Abyei