Waiting for customs clearance

The workload remained huge for the transport sector in the remaining months of this year as more than VNĐ45 trillion must be disbursed. — Photo baochinhphu.vn Feasibility in disbursement must be studied carefully before proposing and approving new public – investment projects, Deputy Prime Minister Trần Lưu Quang said during a meeting with the Working Group No 3 including 17 ministries and agencies on solutions to speed up disbursement of public investment in remaining months of this year. Quang said that many projects had been raised for allocation of public investment but failed to be implemented for many years. The Ministry of Planning and Investment’s report showed that under the National Assembly’s plan, the total public investment this year was at VNĐ711.68 trillion (US$29.16 billion), in which the Working Group No 3 was in charge of nearly VNĐ43 trillion. As of August 31, the group reported the disbursement rate of 44.12 per cent, higher than the country’s average of … [Read more...] about Feasibility in disbursement must be studied carefully for future public-invested projects

To mark Mid-Autumn Festival, the people with Teochew heritage from China in Ho Chi Minh City often exchange boxes of crispy-shelled pia , filled with green beans, taro, and salted eggs. Trieu An, the owner of Trieu Minh Hiep pia shop in District 6, notes the rarity of handmade pia cakes in the city. These cakes hold an enduring place in Teochew culture, gracing weddings and Lunar New Year holidays for generations. The name pia itself is derived from the Teochew dialect, meaning cake. In contrast to the popular Cantonese-style mooncakes, pia cakes are mainly reserved for Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations among Teochew people. Within each box, diners will find four pia cakes, each adorned with a golden crust. A box of four Teochew handmade pia cakes at Trieu Minh Hiep Bakery in HCMC's District 6. Photo by VnExpress/Bich Phuong. Pia first made their way to southern Vietnam in the 17th century, brought by the Minh Huong people, a group of Chinese nationals who … [Read more...] about Timeless flavors: 75 years of handmade Teochew pia cakes in Saigon

Tokyo, the most populous city in the world with over 37 million people, has numerous interesting things worth experiencing and lining up to eat Vietnam’s pho in the morning is among the experiences worth a try there. While Italy is famous for pasta, Spain has paella, and ramen is known as a typical Japanese dish, pho is a national dish of Vietnam. Regardless of ages and homelands, it is sure that many Vietnamese people have considered eating pho a habit. The Vietnamese can eat pho at any time of the day. A bowl of rare beef pho with two eggs is preferred in the morning, while chicken pho with finely chopped spring onions is a top choice for lunch. For dinner, it is advised to try pho xao (stir-fried pho ) served with pickles. At night, after leaving drinking parties, Vietnamese people tend to drop in a pho restaurant to enjoy a bowl of pho with beef stew in a red wine sauce served with fried bread sticks. Broth is the soul of the noodle soup and gives … [Read more...] about Queuing up to eat ‘pho’ worth a try in Tokyo

In the last two days, Tran Huu has called nearly 10 smartphone stores in Hanoi to get price quotations for the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which he wants to buy on Friday to give as a gift. For the version with one terabyte of storage, a shop owner has offered to sell him at VND65 million, 38% higher than Apple’s official price at VND47 million . Another shop sells it at VND57 million, 21% higher than official price. Huu, however, will have to wait until late Friday to get his hands on it. "Owners said that if I wait a few days the prices will drop, but since I want the phone early, I am willing to pay," he said. Nguyen Van Cong, a long-time seller of Apple products, said those who buy the iPhone early often use it to gift and so are willing to pay a big premium for it. Tuan Thanh, an iPhone seller in Ho Chi Minh City, plans to go to three big stores in Singapore on Friday to buy enough phones for customers who have pre-ordered. "Although demand has plunged by 50% from last … [Read more...] about Vietnamese pay $700 more for early iPhone 15

Old artifacts are not only valuable, but also a keepsake for many families. Many people would be extremely sad if an artifact was damaged for some reason. In such cases, they may eventually find their way to an expert like Nguyen Khac Duy. Ten years ago, the man, now 34, who lives in Sa Dec City in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap, returned to his hometown after completing his military service and assisted his family business in trading artifacts. Noticing that the supply of artifacts was dwindling over time, Duy thought of finding solutions to repair damaged items, which would allow his family to sustain their business for a long time to come. Giving old things a second life In the early days of trying to repair damaged artifacts, Duy's lack of confidence meant he only fixed his own artifacts for fear of further harming customers’ precious items. However, after some time, as the artifacts he repaired became more common, more and more collectors came to ask him to … [Read more...] about In Vietnam, man gives artifacts a second life

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

Pho, often considered the essence of Vietnamese cuisine, has evolved over time to cater to a wide range of tastes and preferences. In Hanoi, roasted chicken pho is an unconventional and lesser-known delight. Around a month ago, Nguyen Xuan Kien, 49, introduced his roasted chicken pho at 116B6 Kim Lien Street, Dong Da District, and it quickly became a sensation within Hanoi's food communities. Around noon, the kitchen buzzes with chefs hard at work. Each with a distinct role: some shred the chicken, while others blanch the pho noodles. There are those who pour the broth, and the team ensures seamless order-taking and impeccable service for the valued guests. "I spent nearly a decade as a chef at the Kim Lien Hotel. Following that, I ventured into the restaurant business in 2009. Gradually, I delved into creating roasted chicken dishes. I've always been drawn to doing things differently. A few years back, the idea of combining traditional pho with roasted chicken … [Read more...] about Savoring Hanoi’s newest delight: roasted chicken pho

In some markets such as the U.S., Singapore and Thailand, sales of the iPhone 15 started on Sept. 22. In markets in the second list, including Vietnam, Apple Store Online and Apple authorized resellers started taking pre-orders iPhone 15 at midnight on Sept. 22. Buyers expected to lay their hands on the device on Sept. 29, but only a small number will since the number of bookings has been enormous. Buyers of iPhone 15 and 15 Plus have to wait until Oct. 3 and of iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max until Oct. 18-25. There was a similar situation at retail outlets. The The Gioi Di Dong (Mobile World) website displayed the message "pre-orders sold out" by 4:00 a.m., and offered a discount for those who order later. But many buyers will have to wait until November for the device. The electronics retailer said some 20,000 customers had made deposits within two hours just like last year when the 256 GB and 512 GB Pro Max models in all colors sold out. The website of a … [Read more...] about Many iPhone 15 versions sell out, huge demand delays deliveries

In front of their parents, relatives, and friends, Zhou held Thuy’s hands and said his vow in Vietnamese, which he spent many nights learning by heart: "I will take care of you and love you forever." Thuy, 25, of the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong, and Zhou, 32, an electrician from China’s northeastern Liaoning province, were then officially husband-and-wife. To the Vietnamese woman, her happy ending with Zhou was "like a dream." Thuy and Zhou at their wedding ceremony last month in the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong. Photo courtesy of Thuy and Zhou Thuy got into a traffic accident in late 2017. Her life was saved after three major operations and four months in a HCMC hospital, but she was paralyzed. Thuy dropped her dream of going to university and thought all doors to a better life were now closed to her. She battled for a year with deep depression. Then, after learning to use her smartphone with the help of a pen in her mouth, she started an … [Read more...] about Paralyzed Vietnamese woman finds love from China

Passengers board a train leaving a station in the northern city of Vinh. The VNR reported a pre-tax profit of VNĐ143.9 billion in the first eight months of 2023, an increase of 193.7 per cent compared to the same period last year. — VNA/VNS Photo There has been progress made with business management and operation of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) during the first eight months of 2023, according to the latest report by the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI). The report estimated the SOEs' total revenue at VNĐ1,136.621 trillion (US$46.73 billion) or 71 per cent of the annual target, and 102 per cent compared to the same period last year. The Vietnam Oil and Gas Group - PVN led the pack at VNĐ350.5 trillion, 84.7 per cent of the annual target and 94.4 per cent compared to the same period last year; Vietnam Electricity (EVN) at VNĐ250 trillion, 109 per cent compared to the same period last year; Vietnam National Petroleum Group (Petrolimex) at VNĐ169 trillion, 88.9 per cent … [Read more...] about SOEs management and operation show signs of improvement: MPI