International news headlines

Vietnam’s business hub Ho Chi Minh City will first resume interprovincial tours from November 1 before re-launching international tourism activities in early 2022, according to its plan for tourism recovery from COVID-19. The plan has been launched as the southern city and the country in general are loosening strict COVID-19 restrictions to resume socio-economic activities under ‘new normal conditions,’ a phrase the Vietnamese government uses to describe its new strategy of living safely with the coronavirus. Accordingly, the tourism recovery will follow a three-phase roadmap that requires strict compliance with epidemic prevention measures. In the first phase, which lasts from now to October 31, the city will reopen local tourism activities in “green zones”, meaning areas without known COVID-19 infection cases. People can select tours organized by travel companies or go by themselves to destinations in districts where the pandemic has been put under control. Hotels and …

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Greig Craft, president and founder of the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation and 32-year resident of Vietnam, has become president of the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile Asia-Pacific Region II. — Photo Courtesy of AIP Greig Craft, president and founder of the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation, which advocates road safety and helped bring about the national helmet wearing law in 2007, has been elected president of the FIA Asia-Pacific Region II, one of four global regions of the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile. The FIA runs Formula One racing and other international sporting events, and focuses on road safety, environmental issues and air quality. Craft has also been appointed to the FIA World Council in Geneva. In his new Asia-Pacific role, he will seek to bring more FIA attention to air quality and environmental impacts as a result of transport pollution. “Poor air quality is a contributory factor in the deaths of at least 3.1 million people annually, …

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Akabot software is displayed at the show. — Photo FPT Three pieces of software developed by leading Vietnamese technology corporation, FPT, have been recognised as Make-in-Vietnam products in the International Telecommunication Union’s Digital World 2021 which was held in Ha Noi from October 12 to 14. The three pieces of software include a solution to handle technical problems at the HCM City stock exchange; akaBot (a comprehensive RPA solution that helps businesses overcome scalability challenges with full services, mini solutions and competitive licensing) and Base.vn (a solution for corporate governance) On the sidelines of the exhibition, FPT also displayed 2D and 3D products and digital solutions. The booth will be in place from October 12 to November 12, 2021. — VNS …

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Draper Startup House Ventures in Singapore. It has launched its first global fund targeting early-stage companies in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam. Photo courtesy of Draper Startup House Ventures Draper Venture Network fund’s Singapore operation has launched a new micro fund targeting founders at the earliest stages of building tech start-ups in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam. Draper Startup House Ventures’ first investment was in Ferne Health, a Singapore healthcare start-up addressing sexual health. The fund management is headquartered in the US and Singapore, but aims to invest world-wide. General partners Giulianna Crivello and Vikram Bharati, founder of Draper Startup House International, will co-manage the fund along with long-time advisor Nick Martin. It will focus on the Asia-Pacific where it has already invested in 60 countries and 30 industries. — VNS …

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A SkyX Solar project in Dong Nai. With EDF Renewables as a strategic partner, SkyX Solar plans to invest $100 million in the next two to three years to develop 200MWp of rooftop solar power systems in Viet Nam. VinaCapital Group, one of Viet Nam’s leading investment management companies with over US$3.7 billion in assets under management, announced on October 14 that EDF Renewables, an international leader in renewable energy, has made a significant investment in its subsidiary SkyX Energy, the holding company of SkyX Solar, a rooftop solar power developer. SkyX Solar, which has around 30 MWp of solar projects in operation, plans to invest more than $100 million to further develop 200MWp of rooftop solar. Don Lam, co-founder and CEO of VinaCapital, said: “A few years ago we recognised the critical role that clean energy will play in powering Viet Nam’s continued growth and development. The launch of SkyX Solar in 2019 is just one of our initiatives in the sector, and in a very …

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Ambassador Pham Hai Anh, Deputy Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN. (Photo: VNA) New York (VNA) – Vietnam underscored the importance of dialogue and the search for long-term peace solutions for Kosovo during an UN Security Council (UNSC) meeting of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) on October 15. Ambassador Pham Hai Anh, Deputy Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, welcomed the resumption of high-level dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade under European Union auspices, but expressed regret that the dialogue has yet to produce satisfactory results due to differences between the two sides. He emphasised the importance of peaceful dialogue and the search for lasting solutions for Kosovo on the basis of international law, the UN Charter, and the UNSC ’s Resolution 1244 on the deployment of international civil and security presence in Kosovo , for peace, stability and development of Belgrade, Pristina, the Balkans and …

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HCMC led the daily tally with 790 cases, followed by Dong Nai with 397 and Binh Duong with 385. 88 deaths were recorded, with 58 cases in Ho Chi Minh City, 11 in Binh Duong, three in Tien Giang, Long An and Tay Ninh each, two in An Giang and Can Gio, and one each in Binh Thuan, Dak Nong, Dong Nai, Gia Lai, Kien Giang and Soc Trang. The total coronavirus death toll so far is 21,131, accounting for around 2.4 percent of all infections. Also on Saturday, 1,581 Covid-19 patients were announced recovered, bringing the number of recovered cases to 790,504. Over 60.5 million have been vaccinated, with more than 17.6 million receiving two doses. …

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