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Vietnamese youths deeply integrate into Czech society
Czech visitors at the event
The Banan Festival 2018 held in Prague, the Czech Republic has shown Vietnamese youths are increasingly integrating into the host society.
This is the third event of its kind organised in the country by Viet Up - an organisation of Vietnamese young people. Activities in the event are familiar to most Vietnamese people living in the Czech Republic, especially youths. It represents Vietnamese’s integration efforts, contributing to the development of the host country.
The festival helped connect Vietnamese and local people, thus promoting mutual understanding between the two countries’ people.
It also offered a chance for locals to explore business, professions and services that young Vietnamese people are pursuing in the Czech Republic, and get insights into Vietnam’s culture.
In the framework of the programme, a photo exhibition on the Vietnamese community in the country was held.
Nguyen Manh Tung, a member of Viet Up, said the festival aims to enhance exchange between Vietnamese youths and Czech and international friends.
VNA, Thua Thien-Hue sign communication cooperation deal
The State-run Vietnam News Agency (VNA) and the People’s Committee of the central province of Thua Thien-Hue inked an agreement on communication cooperation in Hue city on September 11.
The deal was signed by VNA General Director Nguyen Duc Loi, who is also a member of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, and Chairman of the Thua Thien-Hue People’s Committee Phan Ngoc Tho.
Under the agreement, VNA, through its diverse media products, will introduce to Vietnamese and foreign friends the land, culture, people as well as advantages and potential of Thua Thien-Hue province as well as its policies.
VNA will engage in orienting public opinions on issues related to the province, and cooperate with the spokesperson of the provincial People’s Committee in clearing up or rejecting wrongful information about Thua Thien-Hue, thus supporting its authorities in leadership and management affairs.
At the same time, the agency will also promote the province’s tourism and its efforts in building smart urban areas, administrative reform and e-government development, as well as the locality’s economic restructuring and socio-economic development.
As part of the agreement, local media agencies of Thua Thien-Hue will enjoy free access to media products of VNA, while their media staff will be trained through courses held by VNA.
Meanwhile, Thua Thien-Hue will create optimal conditions for VNA reporters to operate in the province, while actively providing information for VNA and backing VNA’s activities in the province.
Addressing the signing ceremony, VNA General Director Nguyen Duc Loi said that with its representative offices in 63 cities and provinces across the country and 30 other offices in all five continents around the globe, VNA has absolute advantage that cannot be found in any other Vietnamese media agency.
VNA also owns the largest number of media products in the country, while being a strong news agency in Southeast Asia, he said, adding that the agency has partnered with nearly 40 news agencies and media organisations in the world such as AFP, Reuters, AP, ITAR-TASS, RIA Novosti, Xinhua, Yonhap, Kyodo News, and Prensa Latina.
Loi expressed his hope that in the future, Thua Thien-Hue will continue supporting the VNA representative office in the province to perform its tasks and implement contents of the signed deal.
For his part, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Phan Ngoc Tho expressed his belief that the agreement will bring in positive outcomes and have broad spreading.
Hailing the efficiency of VNA as well as its office in the province, Tho pledged to continue assisting them in introducing the province’s achievements and socio-economic potential to domestic and international friends.-VNA
The HCMC Cultural Heritage Association has announced the establishment of a Tea Culture and Calligraphy Branch in the city to promote the culture of drinking tea and calligraphy, and connect people who share the love of tea and calligraphy.
Tea has a great influence on social and cultural development in Asian countries, particularly Vietnam.
People often have a cup of tea during their meetings, so drinking tea is a perfect way to make friends or build ties.
In Vietnam, tea is often associated with literature, art and philosophy and is closely connected with Buddhism. A cup of tea is a wonderful blend of art, science, culture, taste, fragrance, refreshment and health benefits.
Calligraphy is also a particular aspect of traditional East Asian culture.
Although Vietnamese calligraphy was greatly influenced by Chinese calligraphy, Vietnamese people have developed their own sensibilities and styles of calligraphy.
Over time, Vietnamese calligraphy has grown beyond its original meaning as a rule to write beautifully to become an art of blowing the beauty into every single character.
Vietnamese calligraphy can be used to write poems, festive banners, signage, and wedding invitations, among others.
The Tea Culture and Calligraphy Branch works to maintain, protect, promote, and popularize the cultural and historical values of tea drinking and calligraphy.
Vietnamese health watchdog removes drugs containing Valsartan
The Vietnam Administration of Drug (VAD) under the Ministry of Health yesterday sent its document asking to recall of medicines containing Valsartan ingredient.
The recalled medications are because they contain a chemical that poses a potential cancer risk.
VAD requested to recall valsartan-containing medications made by Zheijang Huahai Pharmaceutical Co.,Ltd, Zhuhai Rundu Pharmaceutical Co.,Ltd, Zheijang Tianyu Pharmaceutical Co.,Ltd and Hetero Labs Ltd.
The recalled drugs include Valsartan160, with its registration No. VD-29714-18 made by Cuu Long Pharmaceutical Company; Cobidan 80, with its registration No. VD-22086-15 manufactured by BV Pharma company; drug Meyervasid M with its registration No.VD-30052-18; Mayervas 160, its registration No. VD-26480-17; Mayervas 80, its registration No. VD-26481-17; Mayervasid, its registration No. VD-26482-17; Meyervasid F, its registration No. VD-26483-17 made by Meyer – BPC company; and Valthotan F11m Coated Tablets 160mg “Standard”, its registration No. VN-17592-13 by Standard Chem & Pharm Co Company.
The health authority ordered above-mentioned enterprises to quickly work with distributors and importers to recall all drugs from retailers and wholesalers. They must report the task before September 30.
Huu Tho Clinic (280-202 Nguyen Huu Tho Street in Cam Le District) in the central City of Da Nang was fined VND134 million ($5,754) for falling foul of the government regulation, said the People’s Committee office yesterday.
Deputy Chairman of Da Nang People’s Committee Dang Viet Dung has signed the fine on the clinic. Moreover, the clinic faced revocation of operating certificate in three months.
As per the decision, the clinic has committed violations including no posted list of medical service prices, no report of foreign doctors at the clinic and provide treatment services without asking the authority.
Before, in March, the local Department of Health imposed fine on the clinic for not to post service prices in clinic and not to inform new foreign doctors in the clinic.
Old man eats rat poison by mistake
A 91-year-old man has been admitted to the Central Military Hospital in Hanoi after he mistook the bail for candy, said the hospital.
Relatives of the old man said that he had no symptoms after eating the rat poison containing warfarin. Fortunately, he was hospitalized right after the accident and doctors had enough time for an antidote or stomach pump.
The old man was discharged after five-day treatment.
The anticoagulant drug warfarin is widely used to prevent and treat deep-vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, and to prevent stroke in patients who have atrial fibrillation, valvular heart disease, or a prosthetic heart valve. It is used to kill rats also.
Vietnamese women averagely earn 33 percent less than male peers
Vietnamese women make up over 73 percent of country’s labor force, the highest rate in the region, however, they earn 33 percent averagely less than their male counterparts in all fields, said Director of Oxfam in Vietnam Babeth Ngoc Han Lefur.
Worse, most of Vietnamese women are working in untrained labor-intensive sectors as unskilled workers.
Though women holding prominent cabinet posts have grown in numbers, only one out of 20 ministers is female, and 89 out of 1,048 department directors in Vietnam.
Globally, men own land, shares and other capital assets more than women; men are paid more for holding the same post as women. The unpaid care work that hugely contributes to the world’s economic prosperity is unrecognized and unrewarded, keeping women subordinate and restrained in their choices.
Economic equality can only be achieved by ending gender inequalities, but the question how is evasive.
Accordingly, the Director of Oxfam in Vietnam said that the policy environment needs to revalue and redistribute care work to end the double burden that many women face. More women should be appointed to hold management posts.
Two Vietnamese winners at 12th Toyota Dream Car Art Contest
Toyota Motor Corporation held an awards ceremony on August 7 for the 12th Toyota Dream Car Art Contest at Mega Web, Toyota’s vehicle experience facility in Tokyo, where winning entries were announced and awards presented.
Entries in this year’s contest numbered approximately 650,000 from 76 countries and regions. Winners were selected from the winners of national contests, with three Gold awards, six Silver awards, nine Bronze awards, and 12 encouragement awards in three age categories: seven and under, eight to eleven, and 12 to 15.
Special awards, including the President Akio Toyoda Award (chosen by President Akio Toyoda), the Engineering Inspiration Award (chosen by Executive Vice President Didier Leroy), and the Makes Me Smile! Award (an online voting award) were also presented to excellent artworks.
Vietnam was honored to, for the first time, receive two prizes: one bronze and one encouragement award. The bronze was won by Vu Tran Ly Diem (aged seven from Tran Nhat Duat Primary School in Hanoi) for her painting “Dinosaur Car Against Ice-Melting in the North Pole”. “Global warming has had many bad impacts on Earth with natural disasters,” she said. “So, I wanted to paint a dinosaur car for anti-ice melting in the North Pole, which would preserve the natural habitat.”
The encouragement prize, meanwhile, was won by Dinh Quang Hung (aged eight from Nguyen Trai Primary School in northern Hai Duong province, for his painting “Bee Car Absorbing Harmful Waves”. “Wi-fi helps us easily connect with friends around the world,” he said. “But it also affects people’s health. For that reason, I dreamt of a bee car that can absorb bad electric waves or wi-fi, then transfer them into power to use in normal life. That’s a good way to save energy.”
Diem and Hung also participated in cultural experiences and exchanges with international friends in an unforgettable experience in Japan.
Vietnamese-Canadian Kim Thuy, author of several acclaimed novels, has been shortlisted for the New Prize in Literature.
This award is said to be a stand in for the Nobel Prize for 2018, which was postponed by the Swedish Academy after a sexual misconduct scandal.
Canadian broadcaster CBC reported that Quebec-based author Kim Thuy, who has written several acclaimed novels like Man, Ru and Vi, has been shortlisted for the alternative prize.
Thuy told the Canadian press that she was surprised by the news and lauded her fellow finalists - French author Maryse Condé, Japanese author Haruki Murakami and American author Neil Gaman.
"I see them as cultural icons - veteran writers - while I'm just at the beginning of this adventure," she said.
The winner will be announced on October 12 and a formal celebration event will be held on December 9, the prize’s official website states.
The New Prize of Literature, created by the non-profit New Academy, originally featured 47 authors from around the world.
Four authors most voted for by the public are shortlisted for the grand prize, which will be decided by a jury panel.
The New Academy, which has over a hundred writers, journalists, actors and many other cultural figures, was created following sexual assault allegations against Jean-Claude Arnault, a member of the Swedish Academy, which traditionally awards the annual Nobel Prize of Literature.
The incident has prompted the Academy to postpone this year’s literature award. It will declare two winners for the literature award next year as compensation.
An academy website statement says: “The present decision [to postpone the award] was arrived at in view of the currently diminished Academy and the reduced public confidence in the Academy.
“We find it necessary to commit time to recovering public confidence in the Academy before the next laureate can be announced,” said Anders Olsson, the Academy’s interim Permanent Secretary.
The New Academy will be dissolved in December, making the New Prize of Literature a one-time affair.
“In a time when human values are increasingly being called into question, literature becomes the counterforce of oppression and a code of silence.
“It is now more important than ever that the world’s greatest literary prize should be awarded,” says a New Academy statement on its website.
Veteran journalist Phan Quang, subject of new book
The Voice of Vietnam has published a book entitled “Phan Quang – 90-year life, 70 year career” about the talented veteran journalist, who is a former Voice of Vietnam (VOV) Director General and Editor-in-Chief.
The tribute to Phan Quang was compiled by Associate Professor Nguyen Thi Truong Giang, head of the Radio and TV Department of the Academy of Journalism and Communication.
Ms. Giang said, “The book includes articles by and about Phan Quang, a total of 99 articles, starting with one written in 1987 by noted poet Che Lan Vien and ending with an article written by Ho Quang Loi, just last week. The number 99 represents luck and prosperity, not the total number of articles written about Phan Quang’s life and career.”
The veteran journalist often receives acclaims from Vietnamese authors. Journalist Bui Hoang Tam, who works for Dan Tri newspaper, said, “I knew Mr. Phan Quang because he translated the famous collection of Middle East folk tales “A thousand and one Arabian nights”, which I loved very much when I was little. I worked for the Journalists and Public Opinions newspaper and Quang was Chairman of the Vietnam Journalists Association, so he was familiar to me. He is, for me, an inspiring example and teacher of journalism. Whenever he published a book, he gave me an autographed copy.”
Journalist Hoang Tung, who was Quang’s boss at the Nhan Dan newspaper, said Quang was one of the paper’s most-travelled and most-prolific journalists. He rode a bicycle through the heavy US bombardment of Hanoi to gather news for his reports.
Retired journalist Truong Cong Hoa who has compared Phan Quang to a giant poplar said, “Quang has many readers, including readers who have read and collected his works for decades. It’s fitting for a journalist like Phan Quang to have his friends publish a book about him. He is like a big poplar full of vitality growing in a sandy hill.”
At the age of 90, Phan Quang remains passionate about the progress of the Voice of Vietnam. He said, “I spent a part of my life, though not very long, working for the Voice of Vietnam. Radio will never lose its position in today’s mass media, but it must reform itself and adapt to new trends.”
The book “Phan Quang – 90-year life, 70 year career” respectfully salutes the veteran journalist, who once said, “That I write means that I exist.”
Central & central highlands region sees heavy rains
Authorities in the central and central highlands region need to prevent flash floods and landslides which caused by prolonged heavy rains, issued the National Center for Hydro Meteorological Forecasting.
Yesterday, the provinces of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Quang Binh, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Kontum experienced heavy rains. Due to the impact of east north monsoon, prolonged heavy rains continued hitting the provinces of Nghe An, Ha Tinh and the north part of Quang Binh on September 8 to 9.
Flash floods and landslides could appear in Muong Lat district (Thanh Hoa province), Ky Son (Nghe An), Ky Anh, Huong Son, Huong Khe (Ha Tinh), Tuyen Hoa, Minh Hoa, Bo Trach (Quang Binh), Kon Ray, Dak Ha (Kontum), Hak Doa, Chu Pac, Mang Yang, Chu Se (Gia Lai), Buon Don, Cu M’gar, M’Drac, Krong Ana (Dak Lak).
The east north monsoon causing heavy rains also hit the central rgion while the central highlands region experiences rains by west south monsoon .
On the other hand, a typhoon named Mang Cut (Mangosteen) is heading to the Philippines and the Asia Pacific forecast ceter, typhoon will gain strength and be able to make landfall in the East Sea this Saturday.
Vietnamese favor Bangkok during recent long weekend
Agoda, one of the world’s fastest-growing online travel agents (OTAs), has released its National Day Getaway 2018 study, revealing that travelers from Vietnam said “sawadee-ka” in Bangkok in droves during the September 1 to 3 long weekend.
The nearby metropolis, which boasts incredible shopping, amazing cultural destinations, and one of the world’s most heralded cuisines, along with affordable access and a great selection of accommodation for all budgets, proved too big a draw for Vietnamese to resist this year. The Thai capital topped the national “top destination” chart, ahead of domestic destination favorites.
Travelers opting to stay at home for the last public holiday of 2018 unsurprisingly chose to while away the summer heat at Vietnam’s famed beaches. Residents of southern Vietnam flocked to nearby Vung Tau while both central and northern Vietnamese travelers opted for Da Nang and neighboring Hoi An.
Phan Thiet, Nha Trang and Phu Quoc Island continued the beach theme, occupying fifth, sixth and ninth places. The cool-off theme continued with mountain retreats Da Lat (fourth) and Sapa (tenth), while major cities Ho Chi Minh City (second) and Hanoi (eighth) rounded out the country’s top domestic getaways.
City breaks dominated overseas destinations. In addition to Bangkok, others that proved popular included Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, where myriad entertainment and cultural offerings coupled with short travel times and visa free entry have seen them become increasingly attractive to Vietnamese families and travelers. Seoul and Taipei were also popular international destinations for those looking to travel slightly further afield.
Top National Day Getaways 2018
SCG Street Football 2018 lures 80 football teams
The 2018 street football tournament titled “From Street to Star” was kicked off in HCMC on September 8, attracting 80 football teams with around 500 players aged from 16 to 22.
SCG Street Football 2018 lures 80 football teams
It is scheduded that the qualifying round will be taken place in Hanoi on September 18.
The final round will feature two teams who passed the qualifying round in Hanoi and HCMC.
The event aims to seek talented young players for Vietnam football team, it also is chance for young players to exchange and develop their skills.
Winners of VTV Award 2018 announced
Gap nhau cuoi nam - Tao Quan (Year-end Rendezvous – Kitchen Gods), an annual new-year TV special program of Vietnam Television (VTV) won the “Program of the Year” at the VTV Awards 2018 which ended in Hanoi on September 7.
The VTV’s popular comedic show on social issues in the previous year with a humorous angle is aired annually on all channels of VTV on every New Year’s Eve.
The Vietnam national under-23 football team named Person of the Year for their impressive performances at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U23 Championship in China in January and the Asian Games (Asiad) 2018 in Indonesia.
The 73-episode film Ca Mot Doi An Oan (Life of Love and Feud),won the VTV Award for impressive TV series. The film’s leading actor and actress Hong Dang and Lan Phuong were presented the impressive TV serial actor and actress awards, respectively.
Pop star My Tam was honored with the title “Impressive singer”. Singer Ngo Kien Huy bagged the “Impressive emcee”.
The documentary film Hanh Trinh Bat Tan (The Endless Journey) on seeking justice for Vietnamese Agent Orange victims by Vietnam Telelevision won the “Impressive documentary film” prize.
An image of the football team playing during the Asian Football Confederation U23 Championship in snowy Changzhou, China early this year; and a picture of millions of Vietnamese football fans celebrating U23 team's victory at AFC Championship got the “Impressive News in Image”.
The program “Father and Son Ensemble” on actor Quoc Tuan who has a child with Apert Syndrome and spent 15 years struggling his son's symptoms is named Impressive Programme of Culture, Science and Education.
Launched by VTV in 2014, the annual awards honour performers who had oustanding contribution in the fields of film, music, theater and TV programmes, which have received a positive response from local audiences for a year.
An image of the football team playing during the Asian Football Confederation U23 Championship in snowy Changzhou, China early this year receives the “Impressive News in Image” award.
Korea lures over 290,000 Vietnamese tourists by first 8 months
Vietnam is one of Korea tourism industry’s major markets, the number of Vietnamese tourists traveling to Korea increases four times compared to total average one, said the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) in Vietnam.
Recent years, many direct flights connecting from Vietnam to Korea have been put into service, as a result, in the first eight months of this year, the number of Vietnamese tourists to Korea reached 292,000, an increase of 42.7 percent over last year.
During the past three years, MICE tourist delegations traveling to Korea also increased.
With aiming to boost more promotions, tourist activities in Vietnam, the KTO in Vietnam, Jeju Tourism Promotion Department, Busan Tourism Promotion Department, Daegu city, Gangwon Economic Association and Suwon Cultural Department joined in the 14th International Tourism Expo in HCMC held from September 6 to 8 in HCMC.
Mr. Chung Chang Wook, Head of KTO in Vietnam hoped through this event, tourism partners would receive useful tourist information from Korea tourist agencies, contributing to develop new tourism products. Besides, visitors have chance to experience Korean culture, tourism with “Imagine your Korea” program adding that the cooperation between two countries’ travel agencies and promotion organizations would be strenghtened more through ITE 2018.
Vietnamese spend big on pricey tours at ITE
Many travel firms reported their tour sales totaled dozens of billions of dong at the expo, which wrapped up on September 8.
Tran Thi Bao Thu, marketing and communications director at Fiditour, a major local tourism firm based in HCMC, said a single customer had booked a custom-made first-class Europe tour program for a family of eight services even though its price is double the normal level.
During the three-day event, total revenue from tour sales, including deposits, reportedly amounted to VND10.4 billion. Data from the expo organizers showed some tour operators made hefty revenue.
HCMC-based travel firm Vietravel posted revenue of VND33.1 billion while Saigontourist reported VND9 billion, and Ben Thanh Tourist VND8 billion. Small and medium tourism agencies such as Tugo, Viet Media Travel, Thuan Phong, or Nature Tourist made revenue of VND200 million to VND800 million.
Overseas tours sold like hot cakes and discount tours also attracted much interest. With the strong demand of local travelers, Vietnam has emerged as a source market for many foreign countries.
This year saw a higher number of booths of international exhibitors, accounting for half of the total, way above 20-30% in previous years.
Dai Lanh Lighthouse repainted
Dai Lanh Lighthouse in Phu Yen Province
Paints and coatings company AkzoNobel announced late last week that it had repainted the entire Dai Lanh Lighthouse in the south-central province of Phu Yen.
The Dulux Weathershield paint helps protect the exterior surface of the lighthouse against the extreme weather conditions on the central coast.
As one of the five oldest lighthouses in the country, the more-than-100-year-old Dai Lanh is located at the cape of the same name (also known as Mui Dien) in Dong Hoa District.
Dai Lanh Lighthouse is not only a meaningful historical and cultural monument and an important position in marine traffic but also a symbolic locale at Vietnam’s easternmost – the first place to see the sunrise every day on the nation’s mainland. Surrounded by stunning mountainous sceneries, the lighthouse has been a special attraction for travelers.
Dai Lanh Lighthouse must be struggling against the harshest weather with the most sunshine hours and the highest rainfall in the country.
Repainting Dai Lanh lighthouse is the latest activity of AkzoNobel to protect famous architecture in the nation where it operates.
RoK shares fishing control knowledge with Vietnam
The Republic of Korea (RoK) government said it has shared fisheries management and inspection experience with Vietnam to help the country fight illegal fishing, reported Yonhap News Agency on September 11.
The East Sea Fisheries Management System under the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries presented Vietnamese maritime officials its expertise on fisheries management and satellite communication technology used to monitor deep-sea fishing vessels in the RoK’s waters.
The Vietnamese officials are in the country at the invitation of the state-run Korea Maritime Institute to see the latest advances of local fisheries management.
On October 23, 2017, the European Commission (EC) issued a “yellow card” warning to Vietnam, after the country failed to demonstrate sufficient progress in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
Since then, Vietnam has made efforts to persuade the EC to withdraw the warning.
A working delegation from the EC’s General Directorate for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries visited the country during May 16-24 this year to inspect its implementation of the committee’s nine anti-IUU fishing recommendations.
The inspectors will return in January 2019 to review the country’s progress.
In 2015, the RoK was removed from the IUU fishing list after it strengthened measures on fishing vessels operating abroad and forced Korean vessels to operate in line with international guidelines.
Da Nang seizes opportunities to promote potential to global partners
Given Vietnam’s upcoming role hosting the World Economic Forum on ASEAN (WEF ASEAN) during September 11-13, the central city of Da Nang is making every effort to promote its potential and strength to the world’s leading partners and businesses.
The city is the gateway into both Vietnam’s Central and Central Highlands provinces and countries in the Mekong sub-region to the East Sea, as well as the final destination of the East-West Economic Corridor.
Over the past few years, the locality’s gross domestic products (GDP) grew stably, at about 9 percent each year, 1.5 times higher than the national rate.
The service sector made up 53 percent of the local GDP in 2017; industry, 33 percent; and agriculture, 2 percent.
The city accommodates more than 22,000 businesses, 59 commercial centres and supermarkets, 689 hotels and resorts, and 10 industrial parks.
In order to attract quality investment projects and materialise development orientations, Da Nang is currently building a high-tech zone and an IT zone, as well as working on planning schemes for Software Park No. 2 and a second IT zone.
Da Nang International Airport is Vietnam’s third largest international airport with 28 direct overseas routes and 199 flights per week.
The city has selected 2018 as its year of investment promotion in an effort to maximise on its advantages and create a breakthrough in socio-economic development. Therefore, since the beginning of this year, the city has made constant efforts to seize opportunities in investment attraction, with priority given to high-tech and clean production technologies, gearing towards green growth.
Along with offering incentives regarding corporate income tax and land lease to investors, the locality has issued specific preferential policies towards the supporting industry, software export, startup network, and trade promotion.
In August 2018, Da Nang was given the title of National Green City 2017-18 by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)’s One Planet City Challenge programme, making it onto a list of 21 cities from around the world.
The central city submitted a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent in 2016, along with plans for solar power development, biofuel use, bus rapid transit (BRT) routes, and wastewater treatment.
According to Huynh Duc Tho, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, the WEF ASEAN offers a chance for Da Nang to introduce policies that reflect its willingness, transparency, and equality in investment attraction with domestic and foreign partners.
Currently, the city is focusing on the three spearhead sectors of high-tech, IT, and tourism services.
Statistics from the municipal Department of Information and Communications show that around 20,000 people are working in the IT sector in Da Nang, significantly contributing to promoting the development of software technology in the city.
Many high-quality international training programmes have been implemented in Da Nang, meeting the demand of domestic and foreign software firms.
Da Nang is now home to nearly 700 IT enterprises, mainly specialising in software producing and outsourcing , which makes up 43 percent of these firms; IT product distribution and sale at 29 percent; electronics and hardware assembly and manufacturing, 7 percent; digital content production and supply, 5 percent; and other IT-related services making up for 6 percent.
In 2017, the city’s information and communications sector maintained a stable growth pattern, with total revenue hitting 21.75 trillion VND, 3.5 percent higher than the yearly target and a year-on-year increase of 9 percent.
In particular, the information technology sector (software technology and digital content) earned 14.4 trillion VND. Its software export revenue reached 67 million USD, up 15 percent against 2016.
According to the municipal Department of Statistics, the IT sector contributed about 5.4 percent of the local GDP in the year.
In 2017, the city welcomed more than 6.6 million tourists, of whom 37 percent were foreign arrivals.
The city has successfully hosted various international events like the Da Nang International Fireworks Festival, the Asia Golf Tourism Convention, the LJ International Lighting Festival, the Asian Beach Games, the Clipper World Yacht Race, as well as many others. Most significantly, it also hosted the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week in 2017 with resounding success.
Da Nang is famous for its beautiful landscapes, especially the beaches. Visitors can admire the natural wonders in Ba Na Hills, explore the jungle in Son Tra Peninsula, and contemplate Vietnam’s tallest Bodhisattva Statue at 67m at Linh Ung Pagoda.
Recently, the online marketplace and hospitality service Airbnb announced a list of the world’s top 10 destinations for 2018, in which Da Nang ranked fifth with a booking surge of up to 255 percent.
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