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A visitor uses a remote guide app on her mobile at the National Fine Arts Museum. —VNS Photo Le Huong The tourism sector must apply digital transformation to secure sustainable development, according to dozens of participants at a forum on the topic held in Ha Noi on May 18. Titled "Green Light for Tourism to Take Off Part 2: Digital Transformation: Diving Force for Sustainable Development", the forum gathered dozens of experts from State management agencies, tourism authorities, localities, and IT. The first part of the forum held in March focused on opening doors to international tourists. Hoang Quang Phong, deputy chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce Industry, said at the end of 2018, the Prime Minister issued Decision No 1671/QD-TTg approving the “Master plan on applying informatics technology in the tourism field for 2018-2020, with orientation to 2025.” “Informatics technology has been applied in various tourism companies, especially hotels, resorts and big … [Read more...] about Forum held on digital transformation for sustainable tourism

The top Greek leader is on her first official visit to Vietnam. The legislator congratulated Sakellaropoulou as the first female President of Greece, a country with an important position in Europe. Chairman Hue said he believed that the president's visit to Vietnam is an important step, helping to further promote the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries. He expressed delight that the friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries has been continuously strengthened and developed, which is demonstrated by exchanges of delegations at all levels. National Assembly Chairman Vuong Đinh Hue meets Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou in Hà Nội on Wednesday (Photo: VNA/VNS) The cooperation in trade and economy has developed positively, particularly since the Europe-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) was implemented. Chairman Hue proposed the two countries continue promoting cooperation in areas that are … [Read more...] about NA Chairman Hue welcomes Greek President

The temple commemorates soldiers who laid down their lives in the Dien Bien Phu battlefield. It covers 50,000 sq.m. and costs 105 billion VND (about 4.5 million USD), including 90 billion VND funded by Lien Viet Post Commercial Joint Stock Bank and the remainder from the local budget. Speaking at the ceremony, President Phuc said he felt grateful for great President Ho Chi Minh, General Vo Nguyen Giap, officers and soldiers, young volunteers, and people’s sacrifices for the victory in Dien Bien Phu. The martyrs' temple is a work of profound political and social meaning, reflecting the deep affection and gratitude of the Party, State and people throughout the country for the heroic martyrs in Dien Bien Phu, and meeting the needs and aspirations of people, war veterans, those with meritorious services to the revolution, and martyrs' relatives. The President said it will educate younger generations about the country’s revolutionary traditions and connect with other cultural and … [Read more...] about Temple dedicated to martyrs inaugurated in Dien Bien province

Vietnamese Deputy Defense Minister Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien affirmed that while delivering a speech at the ASEAN Defense Senior Officials’ Meeting Plus (ADSOM+) in Phnom Penh on May 18. The Vietnamese deputy defense minister also emphasized that the security and safety of navigation and aviation in the East Sea (or South China Sea) is extremely important for countries in the region and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Therefore, it is essential to observe the Declaration of the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and accelerate the early signing of a practical and effective Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC). The head of the Vietnamese delegation expressed his wish that all countries would settle conflicts and disagreements by peaceful means, on the basis of respecting international law and the United Nations Charter as well as ASEAN's basic principles. He added that besides emerging non-traditional security challenges, there have been … [Read more...] about Vietnam affirms consistent stance of settling disputes by peaceful means at ADSOM+

During her stay in Vietnam, President Sakellaropoulou paid tribute to late President Ho Chi Minh at his Mausoleum, laid a wreath at the Heroic Martyrs’ Monument, held talks with President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, paid a courtesy visit on Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, met with National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, witnessed the signing of important documents, and joined a tea party chaired by Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan. Welcoming the Greek President, Party General Secretary Trong affirmed that Vietnam attaches much importance to its traditional friendship with Greece and is delighted at the important progress in their bilateral ties. He gave a number of proposals to promote the partnership in all fields, and suggested Greece continue to support the Vietnamese community in the country. During talks between the two presidents, they shared delight that despite the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, trade between the two countries still increased to 447 million USD in 2021, … [Read more...] about Greek President wraps up official visit to Vietnam

"Even in the very tough environment we are seeing, our employees have maintained a high quality and reliable service for our customers and this is helping us deliver stellar performance year after year," said Jens Lottner, CEO of Techcombank. Last year, the bank continued to reduce costs while focusing on building deposits in its current accounts and savings accounts (CASA), which Lottner described as a "stable and cheap" source of funding. Techcombank’s CASA ratio, which reflects the percentage of the bank’s total deposits that are CASA, jumped from 46.1 percent in 2020 to 50.5 percent last year, on its way to the bank’s target of 55 percent by 2025. Techcombank’s net interest margin (NIM), a measure of the difference between the interest received by the bank and the amount paid out to lenders, also increased 69 basis points to 5.6 percent during the year. "Together, these improving metrics, along with our effective cost management, translated into an excellent profit before tax … [Read more...] about Techcombank eyes seat at top Southeast Asian banking table

Developers clamour for legal clarity, Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) Nguyen Manh Ha, vice chairman of the Vietnam Real Estate Association, said that tourism real estate needs to break down barriers to development as soon as possible, in order to move alongside the general economic recovery. “Currently, mechanisms and policies for resort real estate are unclear, especially in terms of new types of real estate such as condotels, officetels, and second-home villas in resorts,” Ha said. The legal framework has not kept pace with the reality of hospitality and resort real estate development, thus partly hindering the growth momentum of these types of property, Ha added. They are not given a right use certificate, known as a red book in Vietnam, because they are built on land plots permitted for developing tourism property only, and not for residential projects. Doan Van Binh, chairman of CEO Group, said that supply is scarce not only in Vietnam but worldwide due to the impact of … [Read more...] about Developers clamour for legal clarity

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) last week again warned that the ocean is faced with increasing threats and multiple risks posed by climate change, natural disasters, environmental pollution, over-exploitation of natural resources, and unsustainable economic activities. “Global warming and marine litter are threatening marine resources, including widespread bleaching of coral reefs. Globally, an estimated 8-20 million tonnes of plastic enter the ocean every year. In Vietnam, around 2,000 tonnes of plastic waste leaks from the country into the ocean every day. It is estimated that there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050,” said Caitlin Wiesen, resident representative in Vietnam of the UNDP. The global ocean economy contributes an estimated $3 trillion per year, or about 5 per cent of the world’s GDP and comprises industries ranging from oil and gas, shipping and ports to renewable energy, fisheries, marine ecosystems and tourism. The value of the … [Read more...] about Blue economy model gathering pace

Kenneth Atkinson-Vice chairman, Vietnam Tourism Advisory Board However, there is no separate body of law governing condotels and in most locations where they have been constructed it is clear that such developments cannot be issued with pink books for individual units, so ownership ultimately rests with the developers, with a lease term not extending beyond 50 years (70 years can be permitted). In addition, many buyers have been lured by guaranteed returns of 8-12 per cent for the 10 years. Warnings of potential future problems sounded from 2017, but due to the cyclical nature of tourism and potential disruptions to inbound tourists, these were largely ignored and we have already seen failures of such projects like Cocobay and other developers now unable to meet their guaranteed return commitments and for certain several more to come. Now, we have around 240 tourism real estate projects and over 114,000 condotel units, and Vietnam has the largest pipeline of tourism-related … [Read more...] about Taking the right approach to the condotel legislation conundrum

Hanoi art performance marks President Ho Chi Minh ’s birthday (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – An art performance was held in Hanoi on May 18 to celebrate the 132nd birth anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh. Hosted by the Van hoa (culture) Newspaper under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in coordination with relevant agencies, the event was broadcast live on H1 TV channel of the Hanoi Television, with the participation of many famous artist s. It spotlighted the late President’s life and career, and the love of Vietnamese people for the homeland and the late leader. Many valuable documentary images about him were screened interspersed with songs during the event, highlighting his care for children and soldiers, farmers, intellectuals, and workers. President Ho Chi Minh was born on May 19, 1890, in Kim Lien commune, Nam Dan district, Nghe An province. He devoted his whole life to the cause of national liberation, while tirelessly striving for peace and … [Read more...] about Hanoi art performance marks President Ho Chi Minh’s birthday