Why digitalisation is key to the energy transition

In 2022, Ho Chi Minh City's industrial food production recorded a significant increase of 30.5 per cent on-year. However, the industry is facing many fresh challenges this year due to fluctuations in the global economy affecting export markets and a slowdown in economic growth. Phan Van Co, marketing director of Vrice Group, said, "Since the beginning of the year, the cost of materials for rice production has increased considerably, by 3-5 per cent. While the price of rice has increased in many countries around the world, it has not increased as it has in the Vietnamese market, making it difficult for Vietnamese rice exporters to compete." In 2023, industry and trade in Ho Chi Minh City will strive for an increase in the index of industrial production of 7.5 per cent; growth in the total retail sales of social consumer goods of 12 per cent; and a 10 per cent jump in exports, excluding crude oil, through the city's port. The targets were set while taking such difficulties as the … [Read more...] about Ho Chi Minh City food enterprises hope expansion is key

Despite the high demand for housing, the transaction volume stays low due to the high prices compared to people’s average income. The scarce supply of new projects remains a key factor keeping demand for housing high in Hanoi’s real estate market in 2023. Locals looking at a real estate project in Hanoi. Photo: Pham Hung/The Hanoi Times During the last months of 2022, transactions in the real estate market stayed in stark contrast to the previous boom period. Experts suggested that this was due to several laws regulating the market not being completed, coupled with a sharp decline in liquidity as a result of the government's direction to restrict credit flows in high-risk fields and tighter regulations on corporate bond issuance. The sharp drop in transaction volume and supply, coupled with the high demand for housing, means that prices continue to rise. Data from the Vietnam Association of Realtors (VARS) showed in the fourth quarter of 2022, Hanoi has … [Read more...] about Demand for housing in Hanoi forecast to rise in 2023

Tourists enjoy performance at Sun World Ba Na Hills - a tourist attraction in the central city of Da Nang. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – A key for Vietnam to attract more foreign tourists at this time is to change its visa policy, said Chris Farewell, a member of the Tourism Advisory Board (TAB). Chris told Dau tu ( Vietnam Investment Review) that expanding the list of eligible visa waivers with a maximum stay of up to 30-45 days will be a big drive for foreigners who are planning a trip to Vietnam. TAB also proposed that e-visa should be expanded to all countries and domain name changed so that foreigners can recognise and find more easily when surfing the internet, he said. While Thailand offers visa exemption to citizens from 65 countries and territories with a stay of 30-45 days or even up to 90 days in some cases, Vietnam has not introduced any travelling incentives for visitors after reopening its border in March last year. Resuming tourism activities earlier than … [Read more...] about Visa policy change needed to further attract foreign visitors: tourism authority

We met Lam, a calm and brave girl with confident eyes, when she was back in Vietnam from the 17th World Chinese chess (Xiangqi) Championship in Malaysia. At the competition, Lam bagged the gold medal in the girls' U16 standard Chinese chess. “I am really happy to bring home the second gold medal in the global arena. Previously, at the World Xiangqi Championship in Canada, I grabbed the gold medal in the girls' U12 standard category. The prizes serve as motivation for me to train hard and achieve higher results in the coming time,” Lam shared. Together with two world gold medals, Lam pocketed many gold medals at the Asian Youth Xiangqi Championships, national championships and other tournaments. Attentively, in 2018, at the Asian Open Youth Xiangqi Championship, Lam won a hat-trick of gold medals in the standard, rapid, and blitz categories for U10 girls. For six consecutive years, she has claimed gold medals at the national youth chess championships. Lam’s love for Xiangqi was … [Read more...] about “Golden girl” of Vietnam’s Xiangqi

At the meeting (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong on January 31 chaired a meeting of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat to review the organisation of Tet ( Lunar New Year ) celebrations and look into major tasks in the time ahead. The leader lauded Party Committees and administrations at all levels for their serious implementation of directives issued by the Secretariat and the Prime Minister regarding the organisation of Tet, the biggest and longest festival in Vietnam. Regarding the tasks in the coming time, he stressed the need to continue with the forecasting work to take response measures, and asked each agency and locality to map out specific plans for 2023 in order to fulfill targets set for the year. The Secretariat will direct agencies and localities to resume operations following the holiday, and effectively materialise the Politburo’s Conclusion No. 46-KL/TW on the macro-economic situation and key tasks and solutions for … [Read more...] about Party chief chairs meeting reviewing organisation of Tet celebrations

Hanoi (VNA) - The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency. - Vietnam pledges to actively participate in and contribute to the building of the Global Digital Compact (GDC) to promote the implementation of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda, a Vietnamese representative told the first Informal Consultations on GDC in New York on January 30. The building of the compact is necessary to promote a safer, fairer and more developed digital world for all. Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, said at the event. Read full story - Vietnam will participate in ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) 2023 themed “ASEAN: A Journey to Wonderful Destinations”, and the Travel Exchange (TRAVEX) trade fair in Yogyakarta, Indonesia from February 2 – 5, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT). At the forum, Vietnam will introduce tourism development, mechanisms and policies, tourism products and … [Read more...] about ☕ Afternoon briefing on January 31

Four out of the five submarine Internet cable systems connecting Vietnam to the world are facing problems, with the latest failure recorded on Saturday, seriously affecting users’ international connections, an Internet service provider (ISP) said. The Intra Asia (IA) cable system encountered problems on January 28 when a cable breakage happened about 130 kilometers from a shoreline station in Singapore, leading to a total loss of international data from Vietnam to the city-state, the ISP said. This system, with a total length of 6,800 kilometers, has been in operation since November 2009 to connect Internet users in Singapore, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Japan, and Vietnam. It also served as an important route for Internet data transit to the Americas and Europe from users in Vietnam and other regional countries. On January 21, the APG cable system faced an incident on its S9 branch connecting to Singapore, interrupting the connection between Vietnam and Singapore and Japan. … [Read more...] about 4 undersea Internet cables face problems, affecting Vietnam’s international connections

The leader lauded party committees and administrations at all levels for their serious implementation of directives issued by the Secretariat and the Prime Minister regarding the organization of Tet, the biggest and longest festival in Vietnam. Regarding the tasks in the coming time, he stressed the need to continue with the forecasting work to take response measures, and asked each agency and locality to map out specific plans for 2023 in order to fulfill targets set for the year. The Secretariat will direct agencies and localities to resume operations following the holiday, and effectively materialize the Politburo’s Conclusion No.46-KL/TW on the macro-economic situation and key tasks and solutions for the coming time, the Party chief noted. He also asked ministries, agencies and localities to focus on industrial production, construction and agricultural development, and provide more support for sectors affected by the COVID-19 pandemic like logistics, aviation, tourism, … [Read more...] about Party chief chairs meeting reviewing organization of Tet celebrations

Speaking at a gala dinner held in London on January 29 to review VBUK’s operation in 2022 and sketch out development orientations in 2023, Phuong said the association organized many activities, including online workshops with Vietnamese economic experts and entrepreneurs in the U.K. to share business knowledge and experience for the Vietnamese business community in the country. The VBUK has also supported business cooperation between its member enterprises and businesses at home, he added. Addressing the event, Ambassador Nguyen Hoang Long spoke highly of the role of the VBUK in connect Vietnamese firms in the U.K. and the homeland. At the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos earlier this month, Vietnam was seen as one of the three VIP markets (Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines) in the world, he said, adding that it is the second largest trade partner of the U.K., so there is a large room and opportunities for the Vietnamese business community in the European nation. The … [Read more...] about Vietnamese businesses in U.K. boost cooperation with companies at home