Day: March 18, 2024

Hanoi: The Hanoi Department of Tourism announced that it will focus on developing a digital mapping system for smart tourism in the city and digitalised data related to attractions and service facilities. This is part of the administrative reform and digital transformation plan, which aims at providing new experience on online public services for visitors and promoting tourism in the city. The department will expand the tourism sector's data management system and update the agricultural tourism database. It will also enhance the use of information technology in promoting the image of the capital to domestic and international tourists. Currently, the department is gradually improving the infrastructure to meet the needs of implementing the city's digital government, complying with the network connectivity model issued by the Ministry of Information and Communications. It is also developing the Internet of Things infrastructure to serve smart tourism applications in the city. The department will continue to implement tourism database software and expedite the progress of data digitisation synchronised with the city's information systems and tourism databases. The results of administrative procedures will be digitised, and the department's e-portal will be upgraded to ensure connectivity for tourists and residents to access and regularly update tourism activities during major holidays of the capital and the country. Dang Huong Giang, Director of the city's department, said they had requested resources from the city People's Committee to implement administrative reform, digital transformation, and enhance data connectivity utilisation. In administrative reform work last year, the department implemented two innovative models, including QR code usage to increase convenience for those using smart mobile devices to access and perform administrative procedures and online public services; and an information support and consulting service 24 hours a day via the hotline 1800.556.896 to promptly receive feedback and rec ommendations from tourists. In 2023, the department supported 772 tourists and handled 32 feedback and recommendations from domestic and international tourists. The implementation of administrative reform has contributed to promoting the growth of Hanoi's tourism industry. In 2023, the capital was once again honoured by international tourism organisations with the award for the world's top city destination for short vacations, presented by the World Tourism Organisation. Last year, Hanoi's Department of Tourism was also honoured to be nominated for and received the award for the leading tourism management agency in Asia, making it the second consecutive year that Hanoi's tourism has been selected as one of the ten outstanding events of the city. The capital city's tourism department aims to attract approximately 26.5 million tourists this year, representing a 10.4% increase compared to the 2023 estimate./. Source: Vietnam News Agency

Phuket, Immigration 6 withdraws visas for 2 foreign tourists. Attacked a traffic police officer at Chalong Police Station, Phuket Province and took him to the Phuket Provincial Court. Progress in the case of two foreign tourists violating traffic rules, attacking them, stealing firearms, and bribing traffic police officers at Chalong Police Station. They were recently taken into custody at the Phuket Provincial Court. The police will oppose bail. And if the court approves Phuket Immigration Police will continue to seize the person. Because at this time, Immigration 6 has revoked the visas of both of them. At the same time, the province and the police Meeting to follow up on the case Which has reported 5 charges against the two perpetrators and has revealed that since October 1, 2023, there have been 400 cases prosecuted against foreigners in Phuket Province and visas have been revoked for 95 people. Source: Thai News Agency

Hanoi: Customs authorities seized more than 3 tonnes of drugs of all kinds, with 365 suspects involved, from December 16, 2022 to February 15, 2024, according to a report by the Ministry of Finance to National Assembly deputies. In the period, they detected, arrested and handled 18,468 cases of customs law violations, with contrabands valuing at an estimation of 15.7 trillion VND (635.5 million USD). The General Department of Vietnam Customs launched legal proceedings against 43 cases, and handed over to other agencies 204 cases. The amount of money collected was 588 billion VND. Notably, from December 16, 2023 to February 15, 2024, 2,475 violation cases with contrabands worth 3.29 trillion VND were detected. Customs officials also seized 11.35 kg of marijuana, 17.8 kg of heroin, 43 kg of ketamine, 900 ketamine tablets, and 145.89 kg of synthetic drugs and many other drugs. According to the Ministry of Finance, recently, on the Vietnam - China border, smuggling activities and illegal transportation of goo ds have decreased significantly, with no new hot spots uncovered. On the contrary, on the Vietnam - Laos, and Vietnam - Cambodia borders, those activities involving firecrackers, wild animals and plants, cigarettes and sugar still develop complicatedly, mainly in Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Binh Phuoc, Tay Ninh, Long An, Dong Thap, An Giang, and Kien Giang provinces./. Source: Vietnam News Agency

AMLO sends the file to the prosecutor to take action against the assets in accordance with the law on preventing and suppressing money laundering. The case of Mr. Kulkiat and his associates in the case of corruption in the Krok Phra Agricultural Cooperative Limited, Nakhon Sawan Province. This has been done with 10 items of property worth approximately 28 million baht. Today (March 18) Mr. Witthaya Neetitham, Director of the Legal Division and AMLO Office Spokesperson, said that according to the Transactions Committee's resolution at the Transactions Committee Meeting No. 3/2024 on the 12th. March 2024, have the AMLO office proceed with sending the matter to the prosecutor to submit a petition requesting the court to order the return of the property or compensation to the victims. (additional protection of victims' rights) Today, Mr. Thepsu Bowonchotdara, Secretary-General of the Anti-Money Laundering Committee A team of officials from the Case Division 1 of the AMLO Office has been assigned to be the repr esentative in delivering the documents to representatives of the Special Cases Office. Office of the Attorney General to consider submitting a request to the court to order the return of property or compensation to the injured party. (Protecting victims' rights) in the case of Mr. Kulkiat and others (Corruption case in Krok Phra Agricultural Cooperative Limited, Nakhon Sawan Province) at the Special Prosecutor's Office Ratchadaphisek Road, Chatuchak District, Bangkok In this case, Mr. Kulkiat and his associates were the primary offense of conspiring to steal from their employer. Working together to forge and use rights documents Fake official documents and use documents of rights which are fake official documents. According to the Criminal Code In that case, there was property that the AMLO office had previously sent the matter to the prosecutor to submit a request for the court to order the return of the property or compensation to the victims. Currently, the case is under consideration by the Civil Court. Black case number F 186/2566, which deals with 9 items of property, including land and buildings, worth approximately 25 million baht. In submitting the matter to The prosecutor this time is taking action to further protect the rights of victims. By submitting the matter to the prosecutor to submit a request to the court to order the return of property or compensation to another victim, worth approximately 3 million baht, including the value of the property at the office. AMLO has taken action to protect the rights of victims in this case, 10 items, worth approximately 28 million baht. Source: Thai News Agency

Hanoi: The association of female businesswomen in France - Association Entraide Femmes Entrepreneurs Vietnamiennes en France (AEEV) - on March 17 organised an event to honour Vietnamese women in France for their contributions to society in general and to the AEEV's activities in particular and to celebrate International Women's Day (March 8). The event attracted influential businesswomen in the Vietnamese community in France, especially Stéphanie Do - the first female parliamentarian of Vietnamese origin in France and Dr Phan Bich Thien, member of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, Chairwoman of the Vietnamese Women's Forum in Europe, and Chairwoman of the Vietnamese Women's Association in Hungary. Stéphanie Do and Thien shared their experiences in overcoming challenges that women usually face when participating in politics and running business. On this occasion, AEEV honoured outstanding businesswomen who have made many contributions to the association's activities in 2023. In particul ar, as Chairwoman of the Vietnam Women's Forum in Europe, Thien presented the "Golden Heart" insignia to members and the association to honour their contributions to the forum's charity activities in 2023. Established at the end of 2022, AEEV is a non-governmental organisation that connects Vietnamese female entrepreneurs in France and other countries to help each other do business. It also organises volunteer activities in France and Vietnam, receives, coordinates and provides legal support for projects, programmes, and events as well as supports the Vietnamese community in the host country./. Source: Vietnam News Agency

CHIANG MAI, Prime Minister and Finance Minister Srettha Thavisin has clarified that one reason for not declaring Chiang Mai as a disaster area, despite the choking haze, is the concern over an impact on the tourism industry. He communicated via X on Sunday, saying this decision came after considering feedback and suggestions from all relevant sectors, indicating that declaring an emergency would negatively impact the number of tourists when tourism has just started to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Foreign tourists who have purchased insurance from their home countries would not be covered if they visit disaster areas or emergency zones, which will cause Chiang Mai to lose tourists for both short and long terms. Although there's no declaration of a disaster area to approve emergency funds of 50 million baht to address the problem, the government has allocated 272 million baht to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation, under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment . This budget was disbursed on March 16, directly reaching the hands of volunteers who are monitoring forest fires. This allocation marks the first time such funds have been distributed in this manner, aiming to hire locals to take care of their respective areas. Meanwhile, the city skyline of Chiang Mai this morning remains shrouded in smoke from forest fires, obscuring the view of Doi Suthep for several days. The PM2.5 level ranges from 87.9 to 92.2 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³) , reaching a hazardous level, adversely affecting public health. Air quality monitoring data from Chiang Mai University reports hourly air quality in Baan Huato area, Chiang Dao district, at 7 a.m., with PM2.5 levels reaching 591 µg/m³, exceeding the standard by 15 times. The standard is set not to exceed 37.5 µg/m³. Residents in the area are experiencing respiratory issues and are advised to stay indoors and wear protective masks. During this morning, hotspots were identified in Chiang Mai's 18 districts, totaling 112 sp ots, with Chiang Dao having the highest number at 20. Authorities are still working to extinguish fires, with some areas being difficult to access due to steep terrain, requiring motorcycles for transportation. According to Swiss air quality tracking website, IQAir, as of approximately 11a.m., Chiang Mai ranks as the 3rd worst air quality in the world, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 196 µg/m³. Apart from Chiang Mai, other provinces in the northern region are also facing haze issues. According to Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISDA)'s PM2.5 tracking system, at 11 a.m., the average PM2.5 levels in Chiang Rai province were 124 µg/m³, Phayao province 103.8 µg/m³, and Mae Hong Son province 124.2 µg/m³. Source: Thai News Agency

Hanoi: Vietnamese banh mi (baguette) has been ranked first in the list of the top 100 sandwiches in the world by international food website Taste Atlas. According to the online site, banh mi (pronounced 'bun mee') is a popular Vietnamese variety of sandwiches that share the same core ingredient - a baguette. The baguette was brought over to Vietnam during the colonial period, and nowadays it is one of the few happy legacies from the time. The crusty bread, condiments, and meats are all a legacy of French and Chinese times, while cilantro, chili, and pickles reflect the Vietnamese taste for fresh vegetables and bright flavours. In the beginning, most banh mi sandwiches consisted of bread, meat, and seasonings, with no added vegetables. Beside its most popular 'banh mi thit,' which separately made it to the ninth position in the TasteAtlas' list, Vietnam has a wide range of 'banh mi' varieties, namely 'banh mi xiu mai' (filled with meatballs), 'banh mi cha ca' (filled with fishcake), 'banh mi heo quay' (fill ed with roasted pork), 'banh mi ga nuong' (filled with grilled chicken), 'banh mi op la' (filled with sunny-side egg), and others. Other sandwiches included in TasteAtlas' top ten are Tombik döner from Turkey; Shawarma from Lebanon, Egypt, Israel, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia; torta from Mexico; lobster roll from the U.S.; sandwich de lomo from Argentina; Montreal smoked meat from Canada; Mozzarella in carrozza from Italy; 'banh mi thit' from Vietnam; and Texas brisket sandwich from the US, among others. This is not the first time the Vietnamese baguette has been named among the best sandwiches across the globe. It also made it to the world's dictionaries including Oxford, Cambridge, and Merriam-Webster, to name a few. On March 15 2024, readers of Taste Altas also ranked banh mi tenth among the world's top 100 street foods./. Source: Vietnam News Agency

Sukhothai, Gun Jom Phalang took a 14-year-old child, the victim of a teenage gang, to file a report and sent a clip of this group of teenagers who were in the habit of shooting guns in the middle of the village to the police at Ban Dan Lan Hoi Police Station, Sukhothai Province. The case of a senior who tricked a 13-year-old girl into letting teenagers in the village gang rape dozens of people in Sukhothai Province. Recently, there is another victim. It was a 14-year-old girl who complained that "Gun Jom Phalang" had been gang-raped in the same hut where she had gang-raped her 12-year-old sibling. At first, she didn't dare ask anyone for help. Because I'm afraid of being unsafe and afraid that my mother will be sad. But after seeing the news about Kan Jom Phalang, Sukhothai, he wanted to ask for help. Today, Gun Jom Phalang took a 14-year-old child and his mother to file a report and sent a clip of this group of teenagers who were in the habit of shooting guns in the middle of the village to the police at Ban Dan Lan Hoi Police Station, Sukhothai Province. As for the case of gang rape of a 12-year-old girl, the police were called. Four teenagers came for further questioning. and will test DNA to find connections. After yesterday, a group of 5 male teenagers, aged 15-18 years, were summoned for questioning and all 5 confessed that they were the ones who actually did this to the victims. Source: Thai News Agency