Day: January 9, 2023

The Canadian International School – Lao Cai (CIS – Lao Cai), the first phase, was inaugurated in Lao Cai city of the northwestern province of the same name on January 8.

As the first international school in the Northwest, the CIS – Lao Cai will importantly contribute to improving the quality of education and training in the locality and the northwest region in general, creating a foundation for promoting cooperation between Lao Cai and the Canadian Embassy in various fields, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Trinh Xuan Truong said at the school’s opening ceremony.

Covering an area of 100,000 sq.m, the construction of CIS – Lao Cai started in October 2021 with a total investment of 500 billion VND (21.3 million USD).

In the first phase of the project, the primary and high school campus, an art centre, a creative science centre, a multi-purpose sports facility and an outdoor football field. All these facilities will be put into operation from the second semester of the 2022-2023 academic year.

CIS – Lao Cai has been authorised by the Ministry of Education of Alberta to teach the Canadian locality’s official general education curriculum. It is the 18th school of Alberta province of Canada in the world.

Addressing the event, Canadian Ambassador to Vietnam Shawn Perry Steil expressed his pleasure as the school uses the curriculum of Alberta as its educational programme, affirming that his country is a partner of Vietnam especially in meeting the demand for education reform.

Alberta is currently the province with the highest quality of education in Canada. According to the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the scores of students in Alberta in science, math and literary are in the top 10 in the world./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarmas) evacuated 164 climbers from the erupting Mount Marapi volcano area in Padang city, the capital of West Sumatra province, on January 8.

Head of Padang city Abdul Malik said they had climbed on Marapi and the mountain began spewed avalanches of ash on January 7.

He revealed that the climbers were discovered during a search and rescue operation conducted by Basarnas in coordination with relevant forces and local people.

Earlier, Marapi volcano began spewing ash at about 6:11 am on January 7. As of the afternoon of January 8, a total of 22 eruptions had been recorded and the danger in this volcano area raised to Level II – a warning level.

Relevant authorities of West Sumatra province have issued a ban on climbing activities in the Marapi volcanic area until the situation returns to normal./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Inflation in Laos soared to 39.27% in December, the highest rate of 2022, according to the Lao Statistics Bureau.

This was attributed to higher prices of essential goods in the market. Specifically, the price of food and non-alcoholic beverages rose by 45.3% last month, while the cost of medical care and medicine increased by 42.1%. The cost of transport also went up by 50.2%.

The continuing depreciation of Lao currency, the kip, against strong currencies such as the US dollar, Thai baht and Chinese yuan also contributed to a rise in inflation. The devaluation of the kip affected import activities, including importing goods for domestic production, thereby increasing production costs and commodity prices.

Inflation in Laos climbed from 6.25% in January to 38.46% in November.

A recent Asian Development Bank report estimated that the average rate of inflation in Laos would be around 23% in 2022, and it would drop to 10% in 2023./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Mong Cai city in the northern border province of Quang Ninh launched free Wi-Fi service system and QRCode scanning points that enable easier access to local tourism information on January 8 as part of efforts to promote its tourism activities.

The move aims to provide better services for visitors and locals by giving them easier access to the Internet to explore information on tourist destinations, accommodations and tourism service suppliers in the city.

The application of digital technology is expected to contribute to the city’s efforts to turn Mong Cai into a smart tourist city.

Mong Cai launches free Wi-Fi services for visitors hinh anh 2

The launching of free Wi-Fi service system and QRCode scanning points is expected to provide better services to visitors (Photo: VNA)

Pham Kim Oanh, head of the Culture and Information Division of Mong Cai, said that the city currently has nearly 200 tourism service businesses that have become ready to serve visitors during the Lunar New Year Festival.

From January 8, the Mong Cai (Vietnam) – Dongxing (China) border gate opened for entry-exist activities, after China lifted COVID-19 control measures and re-opened its border with Vietnam, she said.

Oanh said that in order to prepare to welcome Chinese tourists, localities across Mong Cai have guided local tourism service suppliers to strictly follow regulations for tourism activities and enhance their service quality.

Along with building its tourism image, the city has offered promotion programmes to attract more visitors./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has asked the Ministry of Sciences and Technology to develop and issue standards and regulations on the design, installation, and operation of electric vehicle charging stations as early as possible.

According to the ministry, the electric vehicle markets are thriving in the world with China, Europe, and US being leading ones.

Correspondingly, the electric charging industry including the production and installation of charging stations, charging services, and other services, is rapidly developing.

By June 2022, China has about 3.91 million charging stations, including about 1.52 million public ones and 2.39 million private ones. Meanwhile, the US recently announced a programme to build a national network of about 500,000 charging stations by 2030.

In Europe, about 290,000 charging stations were available in 2021 and the number of such stations is expected to reach one million by 2025 and three million by 2030.

In Asia, Japan aims to completely convert passenger cars into electric, hybrid, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. The country targets to have 150,000 charging stations by 2030.

Vinfast – the only electric car producer in Vietnam – planned to develop over 2,000 stations with over 40,000 doors at parking areas in apartment buildings, office buildings, supermarkets, universities, and hotels.

According to the trade ministry, data show that the State management standards and regulations for electric vehicles and electric charging stations are still limited. The country still lacks management regulations on the design, installation, operation, and measurement of charging stations.

Therefore, additional measurement management for chargers is necessary to make them compatible with regional and international ones. The move is also expected to meet the needs of manufacturers and importers, and protect consumers./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

As 2023 brings new opportunities for tourism development, the south-central coastal province of Khanh Hoa is looking to establish itself as a key tourism hub in the country.

The provincial Department of Tourism has announced plans to boost the province’s tourism market and make the most of the coming year.

The provincial tourism industry saw a huge decrease in visitors due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, the province was among the first localities to re-open for tourists and become a locality with the fastest tourism recovery in the country.

The province has since welcomed 2.5 million visitors, of which more than 155,540 were foreign visitors. Total revenue from tourism is estimated at over 10 billion VND, 170% higher than planned.

The department’s director Nguyen Thi Le Thanh, said this year, the tourism industry aims to attract 500,000 international visitors.

This number is quite modest compared to the industry’s goals before the COVID-19 pandemic, she said.

Thanh said the tourism industry had prepared special events and promotion programmes to attract tourists.

At the beginning of this year, the province launched special tour packages to welcome the return of international visitors during the New Year holiday; 120 foreign tourists from Incheon (the Republic of Korea) landed at Cam Ranh International Airport to start their tour in Khanh Hoa province.

Local leaders and representatives from departments and sectors welcomed the passengers.

Hwichan Jang, a tourist from the RoK, said it was the first time he and his family came to Vietnam.

He was happy to be warmly welcomed with flowers and gifts.

“We hope to have a wonderful New Year holiday in Vietnam,” he said.

Khanh Hoa is also a popular destination for international tourists from Eastern Europe and Central Asia. On the first day of this year, 180 tourists from Kazakhstan, Russia and Uzbekistan landed at Cam Ranh International Airport.

This is a positive signal for Vietnam to promote its image to the world and fully tap potential markets.

Alxeander Avery said travel agencies in his country highly recommend Vietnam due to its beautiful scenery, hospitality, good weather and good food.

He carefully researched Vietnam before arriving here.

“As my first time coming to Vietnam, I’m expecting the trip will bring me experiences and understanding about the country,” he said.

The department’s reports showed that the province received 355,200 tourists in the first three days of this year. The average room capacity reached over 63%, mainly in four or five-star hotels along beaches in Cam Ranh city and Nha Trang city.

Thanh said special tour packages are the first activities to welcome back foreign visitors to Vietnam this year.

The province will continue to welcome more international flights and diversify tourism products to lure international tourists in the coming time.

According to the provincial Party Committee’s action programme, tourism is a spearhead economic sector in the 2021-25 period. The province targets to attract 11 million visitors, including five million international visitors, by 2025.

By 2030, the number of tourists will reach 15.4 million, of which more than eight million are international visitors.

Thanh said the department would continue to promote tourism activities by developing mechanisms and policies related to tourism, applying information technology and training local human resources for tourism development.

The tourism industry will cooperate with businesses to launch stimulus tour packages, which feature typical tourism products of the province.

Permanent Deputy Chairman of the Nha Trang – Khanh Hoa Tourism Association Pham Minh Nhut said to attract international visitors, the province should give priority to developing tourism products and facilities.

Each tourist market has its own characteristics, so it is necessary to consider tourists’ habits, spirituality, and cuisine to develop suitable products and services in the province, he added./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Ho Chi Minh City received some 6.8 billion USD in remittances last year, only a slight decrease compared to 2021 and accounting for 48% of foreign currency deposits at its credit institutions.

This cash flow has contributed to generating foreign currency revenue, stabilising exchange rates, and spurring economic growth.

According to the State Commission for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs (SCOV), there are currently more than 5.3 million Vietnamese living and working in 130 countries and territories across the globe, of this group more than 2 million are from or have connections to HCM City. The southern economic hub also has more than 3,000 businesses invested by expatriates, whose combined capital totals 45 trillion VND (1.9 billion USD).

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A corner of HCM City (Source: VNA)

Head of the municipal chapter of the commission Phung Cong Dung said despite COVID-19-induced difficulties last year, the agency worked to organise seminars, conferences, and forums to link domestic and overseas communities. It also introduced expatriate business associations investment opportunities in many fields such as digital technology and high-tech agriculture.

Dung said to beef up remittances in both quality and quantity in the time to come, it is necessary to build related institutions and pay attention to legal matters involving overseas Vietnamese, including investment and citizenship.

Local authorities also need to come up with more policies that facilitate the group’s engagement in domestic commercial activities, the official added./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), the national coordinating agency for ASEAN, chaired an inter-sectoral meeting in Hanoi on January 9 to review ASEAN cooperation and Vietnam’s participation in the bloc’s activities in 2022, and set up orientations for this year.

Applauding their active engagement in and contributions to ASEAN cooperation in 2022, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son said amid the complex international and regional situation and lingering impacts of many issues, ministries and sectors should make thorough plans for 2023. In particular, they should seek opportunities and tap into new potential to concurrently contribute to ASEAN cooperation and guarantee national interests to serve national development.

Close coordination among ministries and sectors is one of the decisive factors of the success and effectiveness of Vietnam’s engagement in ASEAN’s activities, he underlined.

Deputy Foreign Minister Do Hung Viet said 2022 was a year full of both internal and external challenges for ASEAN. However, as the theme of the bloc for last year went – “ASEAN A.C.T.: Addressing Challenges Together”, ASEAN has surmounted difficulties by bringing into play solidarity, mutual assistance, sense of responsibility, and common voice in regional and global issues.

The region recorded a growth rate of over 5%. The building of the ASEAN Community also recorded progress in all aspects, from defence, economy, trade, finance, transport to labour, education, health care, sports, culture, information, and science – technology. In particular, the launch of the drafting of the ASEAN Community’s Post-2025 Vision right in the beginning of 2022 reflected member countries’ attention to and determination to consolidate an increasingly self-reliant and strong community.

The association has also seen great strides in external relations, including the establishment of comprehensive strategic partnerships with the US and India and the agreement in principle on the upgrade of ties with Canada, Viet went on.

At the meeting, participants said that last year, ministries and sectors of Vietnam actively and closely cooperated with Chair Cambodia and other ASEAN countries via all channels, thus contributing to the bloc’s common success and promoting many issues of Vietnam’s concern, including comprehensive recovery, inclusive development, sub-regional cooperation, digital economy, circular economy, energy transition, food security, and information security. They also proposed a number of practical initiatives highly valued by other countries.

Besides, they noted, Vietnam successfully hosted and chaired many important activities to help resume the bloc’s cooperation such as the 23nd ASEAN Chiefs of Army Multilateral Meeting, the ASEAN Law Forum 2022, the ASEAN Conference on Civil Service Matters, and the ASEAN Education Ministers Meeting.

At the meeting, officials agreed to continue Vietnam’s active and responsible participation to help carry out ASEAN’s priorities and focuses in 2023, maintain solidarity and bring into play the association’s centrality, promote the implementation of ASEAN blueprints on three pillars, build the Community’s Post-2025 Vision, and effectively promote issues of Vietnam’s attention.

They also proposed reforming the coordination mechanism among ministries and sectors so as to better the quality and effectiveness of Vietnam’s participation in ASEAN./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency