Vietnam tourism services

Being one of the best-loved railways in Southeast Asia, Vietnam's North-South Railway, with two ends at Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, attracts many travelers. Lonely Planet, the world-renowned travel guide, named Vietnam National Railway the most incredible rail trip in the world. The 1,730-kilometer journey from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City offers breathtaking views of the country's diverse landscapes, making it a must-see for foreigners coming to Vietnam, the magazine said. "Some railways rattle through historic cities; others swoosh beside spectacular coastlines. A few have an epic history, and one or two are remarkable for the colorful characters onboard. The Reunification Express line, known as the North–South Railway, fulfills all these criteria," it stated. The railway is one of Southeast Asia's best-loved railways and the world's most epic overnight train journeys. It's also one of Vietnam's tourism highlights that attracts many international visitors. … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s Reunification Express named world’s most incredible rail journey: Lonely Planet

Situated over 70 kilometers from Hanoi, Hoa Binh Province overflows with cultural identities and charming venues to lure visitors. As the gateway to the northwestern region, the province, which boasts various unspoiled tourist destinations, has attracted numerous travelers over the past few years. Some must-visit places are recommended to holidaymakers in Hoa Binh. Mai Chau: Hoa Binh’s most popular tourist area Mai Chau is the province’s most famous tourist site, which is favored by not only in-the-know tourists from Hanoi and neighboring provinces, but also international visitors. The place is often selected for a weekend trip to relax and relieve stress. Apart from enjoying the fresh air in the majestic mountainous area, travelers might also admire a picturesque view shrouded by clouds at Thung Khe Pass or Da Trang (White Stone) Pass en route to the heart of Mai Chau District. Also, the mountainous district features a variety of cultural traits and the Thai ethnic … [Read more...] about Hoa Binh Province in Vietnam delights travelers with northwest beauty, uniqueness

South Korean tourists topped the charts in terms of visits to Vietnam in the first five months of this year, followed by China. According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, Vietnam welcomed 1.3 million tourists from South Korea between January and May this year. It was followed by China with 400,000 and the US with 300,000. Foreign visitors in Hanoi Taiwan, Japan and Thailand were in the top ten markets with the highest number of arrivals to Vietnam during the January-May period. In the first five months, the tourism sector attracted 4.6 million foreign tourists, up 12.6 percent on-year. However, the figure was a drop of 37 percent against the same pre-Covid-19 period in 2019. The tourism industry served 50 million domestic visitors from January to May. The industry’s total revenues were estimated at VND260 trillion (USD1.11 billion). Experts were upbeat that the country would reach the target of welcoming eight million foreign visitors this … [Read more...] about South Korean, Chinese visitors to Vietnam surge

Nguyen Minh Tam (R), deputy CEO of Sacombank, receives the "Outstanding Retail Banking" and "Outstanding Bank for Community" awards at a ceremony in HCM City last week. — Photo courtesy of the bank Sacombank won the awards for Retail Banking and Bank for Community at the 2022 Vietnam Outstanding Banking Awards that were given away in HCM City last week. It was for a sixth consecutive year that Sacombank won the awards given by the International Data Group, the Vietnam E-Commerce and Digital Agency, the Vietnam Banks Association, and other organisations. Sacombank won the "Outstanding Retail Banking" award for achieving consistent customer growth -- with its customer base topping 15 million by the end of 2022 -- and having large transaction, ATM and merchant networks and diverse products and services. It offers more than 250 products and services for individuals and corporate customers and has linked up with 110 banks and 30 e-wallets for money transfer. It won the … [Read more...] about Sacombank, Vietbank honoured at Vietnam Outstanding Banking Awards

One of Hanoi's most fascinating and historic events, the festival is a tribute to Saint Giong, one of Vietnam's four immortals. The 2023 Giong Festival kicked off last week at Phu Dong Temple in Hanoi's suburban Gia Lam district. The festival's opening ceremony also marked the recognition of Phu Dong Commune as a new rural area. The opening ceremony of the Giong Festival at Phu Dong Temple in Phu Dong Commune of Gia Lam District. Photo: Hoang Quyet/The Hanoi Times Speaking at the ceremony, Nguyen Duc Hong, Vice Chairman of Gia Lam District People's Committee, said the district is an ancient land of cultural convergence of Thang Long (original name of Hanoi) and Kinh Bac (an old name designating the northern provinces of Bac Ninh and Bac Giang) and the holy place where Saint Giong was born. "The festival is in commemoration of Saint Giong, or Heavenly King of Phu Dong, who led the country against foreign invaders during the reign of the Sixth Hung King. The … [Read more...] about Kick-off of the UNESCO-recognized Saint Giong Festival

Inside a warehouse of JFE Shoji Steel Hai Phong Company in Hai Phong Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) updated the timeline for auditing the anti-dumping tax on corrosion-resistant steel (COR) of Viet Nam and Turkey, according to the Trade Remedies Authorities of Vietnam. Particularly, CBSA will stop gathering information on June 15, and the parties will submit their arguments on June 22. The deadline for submitting information is June 29, and CBSA will announce the result on July 17. Previously, CBSA proposed anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations against COR steel imported from Turkey, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Viet Nam in November 2019. Viet Nam’s anti-dumping tax rate is ranging from 2.3 per cent to 71.1 per cent and is not subject to anti-subsidy tax because the subsidy level is only from 0.1 per cent to 0.2 per cent. However, the export turnover of Viet Nam's taxed products still increased strongly in 2020 and 2022, … [Read more...] about Canada to review duty taxes on Viet Nam’s corrosion-resistant steel

A delegation from Vietnam’s T&T Group, led by chairman of the board Do Quang Hien, embarked on a visit to the headquarters of DB Group, a prominent economic powerhouse in South Korea, on May 25. Under this comprehensive accord, T&T Group and DB Group will support each other's endeavours with the shared goal of becoming leaders in Vietnam's thriving insurance sector. Additionally, the two groups have committed to jointly exploring and executing ventures across multiple other industries. Speaking at the signing ceremony, Do Vinh Quang, vice chairman of the Board of Directors and Deputy CEO of T&T Group, highlighted the shared vision of both companies to excel in Vietnam's insurance sector. Recognising the potential in other areas such as finance, asset management, IT, and real estate, Quang emphasised the importance of leveraging these strengths to achieve sustainable growth for both conglomerates. He expressed confidence, stating, “This strategic collaboration will … [Read more...] about T&T Group and DB Group form strategic partnership to fuel investment opportunities

The Central Highlands province of Dak Nong has recently discovered numerous artefacts belonging to inhabitants dating back 3,500 years. According to the provincial Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, the artefacts were discovered during an excavation jointly conducted by the Dak Nong Museum and the Vietnam Institute of Archaeology in Village 12, Dak Sin Commune, Dak R’lap District early this month. Part of the artefacts found in Dak Nong (photo by My Hang) The objects include stone items such as axes, blade fragments, grinding tables, chisels and saws and around 6,300 pieces of pottery with a thickness of 0.5-0.8 cm. All of the artefacts obtained from the excavation process will be handed over to be stored at the Dak Nong Provincial Museum. The authorities of Dak Sin Commune have been urged to raise local awareness about the need to protect archaeological sites. … [Read more...] about Bronze age artefacts found in Dak Nong

Speakers at a meeting in HCM City on Monday to discuss ways for the city to attract remittances and investment. — Photo danviet.vn HCM City will improve its business climate and create favourable conditions to attract remittances and investment, said a city official. Speaking at a meeting on Monday, Nguyen Duc Lenh, deputy director of the State Bank of Viet Nam (SBV) HCM City branch, said the city planned to enhance monetary and foreign exchange policies and remittance services. Options for remittances include money transfers, cheques, bank transfers, prepaid cards and several other ways of sending money without a bank account. "Besides foreign investment (FDI), remittances are a major source that helps ensure the foreign currency supply and stabilise the national foreign exchange reserves," he said. Financial and banking expert Nguyen Tri Hieu said Viet Nam should ensure stable macroeconomic policies to increase the confidence of overseas Vietnamese to send back money for … [Read more...] about HCM City seeks to attract remittances, investment

Latest figures from the central bank show that in late February the on-balance sheet non-performing ratio of the banking system stood at 2.91 per cent, an increase compared to 2.46 per cent in late 2016, 1.49 per cent in late 2021 and most recently, 2 per cent in late 2022. However, according to a State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) assessment, several sorts of debts have the potential to be turned into bad debts in the future, such as investment into corporate bonds for debt restructuring, hard-to-collect receivables, among others. “If such debts were considered, the non-performing loans (NPLs) ratio of the system might reach 5 per cent of total outstanding balances,” said SBV Governor Nguyen Thi Hong. One positive point is that credit institutions have been taking practical measures to ensure operational safety through boosting their loan loss reserve (LLR) funds for their bad debts . Accordingly, credit institutions have maintained a fairly high LLR ratio approximating … [Read more...] about How bad debts influence lending rates