Tennessee major cities

Low-income housing projects will be prioritised in major cities, particularly Hanoi and HCM City. Real estate giant Vinhomes has announced plans to build 500,000 social housing apartments priced below VND1 billion across the country over the next five year. In August this year, the firm will start its first project. Low-income housing projects will be prioritised in major cities, particularly Hanoi and HCM City Housing and Urban Development Corporation has recently started work on a social housing project in the northern province of Hanoi to offer 564 apartments priced at just VND380 million (USD16,521) each. Thanh Hoa provincial authorities have approved a low-income housing project in Thanh Hoa City which will provide up to 2,400 apartments. Meanwhile, Ninh Binh Province has agreed on a project to build 2,153 apartments at Gian Khau Industrial Park and neighbouring areas. Four low-income housing projects in the country were completed in the first … [Read more...] about More low-income housing projects to be carried out

Thao Nguyen - Senior investment manager Ascend Vietnam Ventures Social commerce, a subset of e-commerce that refers to the process of buying and selling goods or services directly within social media platforms, is not new. In Vietnam, long before traditional e-commerce established a foothold with tech-savvy consumers, such activities largely took place on major social media platforms. Serving both big-city shoppers and the majority of the population who live outside of core urban centres, social commerce made up about 65 per cent of Vietnam’s $22 billion e-commerce in 2020, presenting the highest rate in Southeast Asia, according to Bain & Co. Within the last two years, we have been seeing a new wave of startups emerging in this sector and beginning to harness the untapped potential of Vietnam’s social commerce playing field. Some of those have attracted almost $14 million in funding in Q1 this year. Compared to the regional rate of 44 per cent, Vietnam’s social commerce … [Read more...] about Vietnam poised for the next level of social commerce via innovative startups

Shannon Leahy, trade commissioner for Austrade, and general director of BRG Retail Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy. Photo: Austrade Australia is one of Vietnam’s major suppliers of beef ad lamb products. Local consumers can enjoy a growing range of Australian products from fresh fruits, dairy, seafood, and beverages including a diverse range of sparkling, red, and white wines. Cherries, citrus, table grapes, milk, yoghurt, cheese, cereals, juices, rock lobsters, and abalone are just some of the beloved Australian products that have made it into Vietnamese stores, restaurants, and homes. General director of BRG Retail Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy said, “Vietnamese consumers increasingly demand clean, fresh, and delicious products with premium quality and transparent origins regardless of if they are eating out or at home. Australian suppliers can offer exactly what they want, including high-quality sustainable meat, delicious fruits, the finest dairy and cereals, and premium seafood … [Read more...] about Vietnamese consumers’ growing interest in Australian F&B products

Worsening outdoor air pollution and toxic lead poisoning have kept global deaths from environmental contamination at an estimated 9 million per year since 2015 – countering modest progress made in tackling pollution elsewhere, a team of scientists reported Tuesday. Air pollution from industry processes along with urbanization drove a 7% increase in pollution-related deaths from 2015 to 2019, according to the scientists’ analysis of data on global mortality and pollution levels. "We're sitting in the stew pot and slowly burning," said Richard Fuller, a study co-author and head of the global nonprofit Pure Earth. But unlike climate change, malaria, or HIV, "we haven't given (environmental pollution) much focus." An earlier version of the work published in 2017 also estimated the death toll from pollution at roughly 9 million per year — or about one of every six deaths worldwide — and the cost to the global economy at up to $4.6 trillion per year. That puts pollution on par with … [Read more...] about Pollution killing 9 million people a year, Africa hardest hit: study

Shanghai announced its first new COVID-19 cases outside quarantined areas in five days on Friday, triggering stricter curbs and mass testing in one district but plans to end a prolonged city-wide lockdown on June 1 appeared on track. The commercial hub of 25 million found three new cases in the same family in Qingpu district. All had taken three doses of vaccine and their infections were discovered during regular testing, authorities said. The three had not left their district town over the past 14 days but had visited at least four places, including a supermarket, all of which were sealed off and were being disinfected, authorities said. The area's more than 200,000 people had been re-tested and all results were negative. "Our district will follow the precise prevention and control measures, do a good job in epidemic prevention and control and achieve dynamic clearing as soon as possible," Zhang Yan, deputy head of Qingpu district, told an online news conference. Other … [Read more...] about Shanghai finds cases after five days of ‘zero COVID’ but end of lockdown on track

The trip has contributed to promoting the relations between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the U.S., and between Vietnam and the U.N. and the U.S., while affirming Vietnam’s role and prestige in the international arena. During his week-long stay in the U.S., the PM visited the four cities of Washington D.C, Boston, New York, and San Francisco, with more than 50 activities. He attended and delivered speeches at the summit, and met with ASEAN leaders, including his counterparts from Laos, Cambodia and Singapore, and the Indonesian President. Chinh also had meetings with U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russel, President of the U.N. General Assembly Abdulla Shahid and Administrator of the U.N. Development Program (UNDP) Achim Steiner. He met President Joe Biden, and received senior officials of the U.S. government such as Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, Secretary of … [Read more...] about Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh concludes U.S. trip

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

Patrick Lenain-Former assistant director Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Pressures on global supply chains are also a key headwind in the recovery. Supply chain disruptions are not new: health precautions imposed over the last two years have already caused major bottlenecks. Major shipping hubs such as Los Angeles and Shanghai have operated with reduced capacity, with long waiting times to get shipments processed across the borders. With the pandemic fading away, congestion in international supply chains has eased a bit since December 2021. In the United States, government agencies have worked with shippers, retailers, and port authorities to speed up the movement of goods. For instance, ships waiting to unload containers in US ports have declined by 35 per cent, thanks to 24/7 operations and large recruitment of workers. However, the lack of US truck drivers has emerged as a new problem. Action was taken to hire 30,000 additional truck drivers, … [Read more...] about Will international stress disrupt Vietnam’s economic recovery?

SEA Games 31 volunteers at Hanoi's Thanh Tri Gymnasium. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – About 3,000 volunteers have been deployed for the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) now underway in Hanoi and 11 northern cities and provinces. They are seen everywhere from hotels where athletes and coaches are staying to competition venues, helping make a successful regional meet. Among them, most of who were recruited from major universities, about 1,900 are working in Hanoi while the remainders are sent to neighbouring localities, according to Nguyen Hai Duong, vice head of the organising sub-committee for reception and ceremony. To be qualified, they must be proficient in English and in good health, and have high sense of responsibility, Duong said. They are mainly responsible for providing assistance to foreign national teams and high-profile guests, directing spectators to seating at competition venues, hosting medal award ceremonies, and interpreting at press conferences, … [Read more...] about Volunteers do best to impress SEA Games 31 guests

The ASEAN - US Special Summit takes place in Washington D.C. on May 12 - 13. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – A US official has described the recent ASEAN - US Special Summit as a “tremendous success” while addressing a press briefing held by the Asia Pacific Media Hub of the US Department of State’s Bureau of Public Affairs on May 17. Daniel J. Kritenbrink , Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, was cited by state.gov of the US Department of State, as saying that this was the largest in-person summit of the Biden - Harris administration to date, and it displayed the full breadth and depth of the US’s foundational relationship with ASEAN. He said the core driver of the ASEAN - US partnership is their combined 1 billion people, including over 7 million Americans with ties of family and heritage to the countries of Southeast Asia. The Educational and Cultural Affairs Bureau and US universities are doing throughout Southeast Asia to strengthen … [Read more...] about US officials speak on ASEAN – US Special Summit