Vietnam – China friendship gala night runs in HCM City

Scene at the Vietnam – China friendship gala night 

The Ho Chi Minh City Union of Friendship Organisations (HUFO) and Chinese Consulate General in the city held a Vietnam – China friendship gala night in the southern economic hub on December 19.

The event, featuring performances by local students and musicians from the Bong Sen theatre, gathered representatives from friendship organisations in the south, as well as Chinese businesses and expatriates in HCM City.

In his opening speech, HUFO Chairman Huynh Minh Thien said the traditional friendship shared by the two countries has been cultivated by both parties and governments.

In 2018, numerous exchanges and meetings between Vietnamese and Chinese high-ranking leaders were held, aiming to grow bilateral trade, improve people-to-people exchange and boost tourism and education cooperation, he added.

According to Thien, the collaboration among HUFO, the HCM City’s Vietnam – China Friendship Association (HVCFA), the Chinese Consulate General, and Chinese business community has generated positive outcomes across various fields, including cultural and delegation exchanges and charity.

Speaking at the event, Chinese Consul General to HCM City Wu Jun highlighted the time-honoured amity between the two neighbours.

He thanked the HUFO and HVCFA for helping the consulate general carry a significant number of effective friendship activities. He said the consulate general is committed to joining the HUFO in propelling bilateral ties forward.

Hai Phong has 89 new-style rural communes

An additional 15 communes in the northern port city of Hai Phong have been recognised as completing all criteria of the new-style rural area building programme so far this year, raising the total number to 89.

Director of the municipal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Pham Van Lap attributed the results to the city’s investment of 860 billion VND (36.98 million USD) to build rural infrastructure at communal level.

As of November this year, localities received 21,450 tonnes of cement to build more than 101km of roads. As a result, 107 out of total 156 communes, wards and towns of Hai Phong have completed the criteria in village transport, and 95 others have finished the concretising of main interior roads.

Notably, Hai Phong has drawn eight businesses, including VinEco, Ky Duyen Ltd. and Chau Giang JSC, to invest more than 1.17 trillion VND (50.31 million USD) in 284.81 hectares of high-tech agricultural farms.

However, Hai Phong still faces difficulties in implementing the programme, including the slow settlement of environmental pollution in some localities, and slow adoption of high technology.

Chairman of the People’s Committee of Hai Phong Nguyen Van Tung said that in 2019, the city hopes all 139 communes will complete the new-style rural area building programme, along with two districts of Cat Hai and An Duong.

The city will focus on mobilising investment from enterprises, while strengthening public-private partnerships in the field.

Vietnamese war veterans in Czech contribute to homeland

At the ceremony

Vietnamese war veterans in the Czech Republic recently gathered in Prague on the occasion of the 74th anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Army (December 22). 

At the meeting, Duong Dinh Tuy, President of the Vietnamese War Veterans’ Association in the Czech Republic, reviewed the development of the Vietnam People’s Army over the past 74 years. 

The participants paid tribute to soldiers who sacrificed their lives for national liberation and freedom. 

Colonel Cao Hung Trang, defence attache and Nguyen Duy Nhien, President of the Vietnamese Association in the Czech Republic lauded the important contributions of the Vietnamese War Veterans’ Association to the Vietnamese community in the country.

Nhien urged the war veterans’ association to work with the Vietnamese Association to encourage Vietnamese to abide by local laws and enhance the image of Vietnamese in the country. 

Founded in 2017, the war veterans’ association has nine chapters and 500 members. 

Over the years, the association has participated in movements to protect Vietnam’s sovereignty over its sea and islands and support families of war invalids and martyrs, as well as flood-hit residents and soldiers in border and island areas in the homeland.

Programme encourages children to wear helmets

Children in Ba Dinh Primary School wearing helmets 

The Traffic Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security and Japanese-invested Honda Vietnam have launched a communication programme to encourage children to wear helmets.

The programme, running from December 17-31, will give guidelines for children and their parents in 10 localities nationwide to wear helmets and present them with coupons to buy helmets.

It is part of activities within a campaign to present helmets to children entering first grade in the 2018-2019 school year that started in July.

Statistics showed that only 35-40 percent of children aged from six and above wear helmets, while the ratio among adults is more than 90 percent. Many parents have not made their children wear helmets or have given them unsafe helmets.

During the programme, along with activities to encourage children to wear helmets, the organisers will present kids with 35,000 coupons worth 100,000 VND each to buy helmets at Honda’s showrooms nationwide. The coupons also provide guidelines on how to wear and choose proper helmets as well as benefits of wearing them.

Khuat Viet Hung, Vice Chairman of the National Committee for Traffic Safety said that the programme is expected to raise children and parents’ awareness and responsibilities of traffic safety and law observation.

The programme covers An Giang, Binh Dinh, Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Phu Tho, Yen Bai, Thai Nguyen and Bac Ninh provinces, as well as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Ho Chi Minh City Creative Awards launched

At the launching ceremony 

The People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City on December 18 launched the Creative Awards 2019, aiming to honour collectives and individuals with outstanding research works, innovative solutions, products and services for the development of the city.

Addressing the launching ceremony, Chairman of the committee Nguyen Thanh Phong said that the dynamism and creativity of locals are the largest resources deciding the growth of the city.

Although the city has conducted many creative campaigns targeting different groups, the potential of locals, many of whom are intellectuals, scientists and experts, in innovative research and creativity is still huge and remains untapped, he said.

Phong said that the Ho Chi Minh City Creative Awards is expected to help promote locals’ creativity, making it a social trend.

In the new period, Ho Chi Minh City is pursuing sustainable economic development to have the knowledge-based economy and green growth based on science, technology, innovation and startup, stated the city leader.

The organising board will present 70 awards to winners in seven categories, including innovative research; art; administrative reform; communications; studying and following President Ho Chi Minh’s moral example; startup; and new national and international-level scientific researches.

The first prize is worth 100 million VND (4,300 USD), the second prize’s value is 80 million VND (3,440 USD) and the third prize, 60 million VND (2,580 USD).

Entries can be submitted from now until January 30, 2019. 

The municipal People’s Committee will present awards to the winners from April 16-30, 2019.

Deputy PM urges construction of 500kV transmission lines

Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung laid stress on the urgent need to build 500kV transmission lines running through Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue, Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Kon Tum and Gia Lai to meet increasing power demand, especially in the south.

He made the statement while attending a ceremony held in the central province of Quang Nam on December 18 to kick start three 500 kV transmission line projects, namely the Quang Trach – Vung Ang transmission line and the 500kV distribution yard at Quang Trach Power Centre, Quang Trach – Doc Soi transmission line and Doc Soi – Pleiku transmission line.

There is a disparity in power supply and demand in various regions, he said, pointing that although the electricity consumption in the south reached 90 billion kWh in 2018, or 47 percent of the total consumption, its power generation is able to meet only 35 percent of the demand. Meanwhile, 60 percent of the country’s electricity is sourced from northern and central localities, whose electricity consumption made up of 53 percent of the total.

“Upon completion, the 500kV transmission lines from Vung Ang to Pleiku 2 will ensure sufficient electricity for production and daily life in the south,” Dung underlined.

As this is a complicated project, he asked the Ministry of Industry and Trade to coordinate with the Ministries of Construction, Agriculture and Rural Development, and Natural Resources and Environment to remove bottlenecks for the investors in a timely manner as well as direct them to carry out the construction in accordance with current regulations.

Local authorities should support and join hands with the investors and contractors in land clearance and compensation processes, ensuring stable livelihoods for local residents after resettlement, he added.

According to the National Power Transmission Corporation (EVNNPT), nearly 742 kilometres of 500KV transmission lines will be built under the three projects, running through nine localities of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue, Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Kon Tum and Gia Lai.

They will be carried out in 20 months at the total investment of nearly 12 trillion VND (515.5 million USD).

The ENVNPT is the investor of the projects.

Seminar discusses migration-related policies

Head of the NA Committee on Social Affairs Nguyen Thuy Anh speaks at the event 

The role of people-elected deputies in implementing migration-related policies and laws was the focus of a seminar held by the National Assembly’s Committee on Social Affairs and the United Nations Population Fund in Vietnam in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong on December 18.

Speaking at the event, head of the NA Committee Nguyen Thuy Anh briefed participants on Vietnam’s migration situation, stressing that this is an inevitable trend during the development process.

According to the 2015 National Internal Migration Survey, during 2010-2015, 13.6 percent of the population was migrants who mainly moved from urban areas to others or from rural areas to urban areas.

Over the past years, the Party, National Assembly and Government have issued a lot of policies and laws involved in migration, most recently Resolution No.21 of the Party Central Committee’s sixth session on population work in the new situation which set targets of the urban population ratio reaching 45 percent; population in border and island areas and extremely disadvantaged areas arranged appropriately; all migrants gaining accessing basic social services fully and equally; and the entire population registered and managed in a concentrated population database, Anh stated.

Migration has helped people have more chances to develop family economy, improve their lives and approach better educational services, she said, noting that there remain challenges facing migrants in enjoying social welfare policies, thus putting pressure on the nation and localities for migration management, infrastructure development and policy improvement to ensure the equality to access basic social services for migrants and their families.

Le Van Son from the Department for Economic Cooperation and Rural Development under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that as of late 2017, the nation had around 24,500 unplanned migrant households which had yet to be arranged stably, mostly in Central Highlands provinces.

Unplanned migration has had negative impacts on economic development, social security and order and environmental and natural resources protection, he added.

At the event, delegates delivered reports providing information about migration as well as difficulties, challenges and orientations for migration management in the time ahead.

Vietnam's most modern medical complex inaugurated

A conference on the National Assembly and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which was jointly organized by the Vietnamese National Assembly, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the UN Development Programme, wrapped up in the central city of Da Nang on December 18. 

In her concluding remarks, Standing Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong of the Vietnamese NA said presentations, opinions and discussions at the two-day event had shared new knowledge, latest information and useful suggestions on issues related to the implementation of SDGs in Vietnam. 

Phong also noted that most opinions hailed the self-assessment toolkit developed and issued by the IPU and UNDP are useful for the parliaments in countries in increasing their roles in the implementation of the SDGs. 

Experience in applying the toolkit in several countries such as Fiji, Serbia, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka is helpful for Vietnam, she said. 

She affirmed that the conference has provided important documents and valuable lessons for deputies of the Vietnamese NA and all-level People’s Councils in making policies on SDGs, adding that Vietnam hopes for continued assistance from the IPU, UNDP, international organisations and other members of the IPU so that the country will achieve the SDGs. 

The NA Vice Chaiwoman reiterated Vietnam’s political resolve in carrying out the SDGs and leaving no one behind. 

IPU General Secretary Martin Chungong appreciated the efforts of the Vietnamese NA and Government in supervising and implementing the SDGs. He stressed that the conference “The National Assembly and the SDGs” has revealed the importance of the Vietnamese NA in overseeing the implementation of strategies, plans and policies related to the SDGs. 

He recommended that Vietnam should consider integrating the SDGs into its socio-economic development strategies and plans, while increasing the NA deputies’ responsibility for monitoring the implementation of those goals. 

Chungong pledged that the IPU will actively assist Vietnam in implementing the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development.

1,092 flood-proof houses built under GCF-funded project

A mangrove forest in Quang Dien district of Thua Thien-Hue province

Up to 1,092 flood-proof houses were built in 2018 under the project on improving the resilience of vulnerable coastal communities to climate change related impacts in Vietnam, funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF), heard a conference in Hanoi on December 18. 

Tran Quang Hoai, head of the Vietnam Disaster Management Authority under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the project’s director, said 199,46ha of mangrove forests were planted and restored throughout the year. 

The project, the first to be funded by the GCF for the 2017-2021 period, has also included some proposals of livelihood models for residents affected by mangrove forest planting and restoration. 

It has also organised 10 training of trainers (TOT) courses at central, regional and provincial levels, as well as 100 training of facilitators (TOF) ones at the communal level, Hoai added. 

Caitlin Wiesen, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Acting Resident Representative in Vietnam, said the project is currently underway with funding being used in the most effective way. 

According to Vu Thai Truong, the UNDP’s project manager, the project is expected to construct 1,380 flood-proof houses for residents in its five targeted provinces for 2019, and benefit another 4,000 households over the next five years. 

Apart from organising communication activities and housing design contests, the project will also set up systems supervising flood-resistant houses and propose new programmes on building flood-proof houses in 28 coastal localities in Vietnam. 

It will plant and restore 4,000ha of mangrove forests, continue to build and complete data on coastal forests, and publish mangrove forest data on climaterisk.org.vn. 

Vietnam is one of the five countries hardest hit by natural disasters. Over the past two decades, natural disasters left over 400 people dead and missing each year, caused economic losses equal to about 1-1.5 percent of GDP, and affected people’s living environment and conditions, as well as socio-economic activities and the sustainable development of the country.  

In 2017, a record number of 16 typhoons and four low pressure systems occurred in the East Sea. They claimed the lives of 386 people throughout the year, damaged more than 600,000 houses, and caused economic losses of about 60 trillion VND (2.64 billion USD), with the worst typhoons being Doksuri and Damrey. 

Localities should continue improving ethnic boarding schools: Minister

Minister of Education and Training Phung Xuan Nha 

Minister of Education and Training Phung Xuan Nha has suggested localities continuously improve the system of boarding schools for ethnic minority students.

He made the recommendation while attending a conference in the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai on December 18 to review the 10-year development of ethnic boarding schools.

He called for a focus on developing high quality human resources and improving the quality of care for boarding students, especially those from ethnic minority and mountainous regions.

The minister took note of the constructive opinions raised at the event and pledged to remove difficulties in ethnic minority education.

According to Chairman of the Yen Bai People’s Committee Do Duc Duy, the province is now home to nine ethnic minority boarding schools, including seven meeting national standards, with 88 classes and more than 2,900 students.

Thanks to the attention of the Ministry of Education and Training and other agencies, the quality of education at all levels in the province has much improved, he said, adding that the province pays special heed to education for ethnic minority students.

At present, the country has 315 ethnic minority boarding schools in 49 centrally-run cities and provinces with more than 109,000 students.

Seminar explores opportunities in Vietnam-Romania cooperation

At the workshop 

Opportunities for Vietnam-Romania cooperation was the focus of a seminar held by the Vietnamese Embassy in the European nation and the University of Pitesti in Pitesti city on December 17.

The event attracted nearly 100 participants, including officials of Pitesti city and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Arges county, representatives of Romanian businesses and the Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies, along with lecturers and students of the University of Pitesti.

Rector of the university Dumitru Chirlesan said the seminar aimed to help promote the two countries’ cooperation, especially as Romania will hold the rotational presidency of the EU Council in the first half of 2019.

He suggested fields that should be prioritised in bilateral cooperation, including education, investment, labour, and import-export. He noted that in education, the University of Pitesti would like to partner with Vietnamese universities.

At the seminar, Commercial Counsellor at the Vietnamese Embassy Hoang Anh Dung briefed participants about Vietnam’s accomplishments in all aspects, from economy, society, and culture to security, defence, and international integration.

He also introduced the country’s latest policies and regulations on foreign investment attraction, while highlighting its strong export items, including aquatic products.

Other speakers discussed benefits of the signing and ratification of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement, especially investment partnership chances; the impressive economic achievements since Vietnam shifted from a centrally-planned economy to a market economy; as well as the country’s incentives for foreign investors.

They highly valued the opportunities for cooperation in many spheres of mutual concern.

On this occasion, the embassy hosted a photography and document exhibition to introduce Vietnam’s land, culture, people, and development success over the last three decades of reform.

According to the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, bilateral trade between Vietnam and Romania has grown rapidly in recent years, but still stands at less than 300 million USD annually. Of this figure, about 80-90 million USD was from Vietnamese exports. 

As of the end of 2017, Romania poured 1.2 million USD into two projects in Vietnam, ranking 93rd out of the 125 countries and territories investing in the country. Meanwhile, there were 216 Vietnamese companies operating in Romania with a total registered capital of 2.1 million EUR (2.4 million USD). 

HCM City, An Giang leaders visit Evangelical churches ahead of Christmas

Secretary of the HCM City Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan (R) visited the General Confederation of the Evangelical Church of Southern Vietnam (GCEC) on December 18

Party and administration officials in Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta province of An Giang extended their Christmas greetings to local Evangelical churches on December 18.

In Ho Chi Minh City, a delegation of senior officials led by Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan visited the General Confederation of the Evangelical Church of Southern Vietnam (GCEC).

On the occasion, Nhan wished the church’s executive board, Protestant priests, and followers a merry Christmas and happy New Year. 

He lauded the group’s activities regarding charity and environmental protection over the past year. The official hoped the church would continue working with local organisations and religious committees in arranging important social events, and that Protestant priests and followers would go on to make further contributions to the city’s socio-economic development. 

Priest Thai Phuoc Tuong, head of the GCEC, thanked the municipal authorities for their support of the church’s activities. He pledged to continue encouraging followers to make active contributions to the city’s growth.

Meanwhile, the An Giang delegation, led by Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Binh, visited the Long Xuyen and Nui Sap Evangelical churches in Thoai Son district, also greeting them with a happy Christmas and New Year.

Praising the churches’ involvement in socio-economic development programmes, Binh hoped their executive boards would continue guiding Protestants to join patriotic movements, as well as rural building and charity activities.

Representative priests thanked the authorities for their assistance and vowed to encourage their followers to implement the Party and State’s law and policies.

Visit Vietnam Year- launching pad for Quang Ninh’s tourism sector

Ha Long is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

The northern province of Quang Ninh enjoyed a bustling year with some 50 cultural, sports and tourism events and around 12.2 million visitors when it hosted the Visit Vietnam Year 2018. 

A cuisine festival, a paragliding competition, a photo contest, a ceremony to announce and present certificate recognising Cua Ong Temple as a special national relic site, a firework festival, and the 2018 cherry blossom-Yen Tu yellow ochna flower festival, were a few to name.

As many as 12.2 million tourists visited the locality in the year, up 24 percent year on year, including 5.22 million coming from 150 countries and territories worldwide. They are estimated to contribute 23.6 trillion VND (1.01 billion USD) to the tourism revenue, the highest figure ever recorded. 

The province has focused on improving transport infrastructure. The inauguration of Ha Long-Hai Phong Expressway on September 1 and the upcoming operation of Van Don International Airport and Ha Long-Van Don highway are expected to bring more tourists to the locality.

“Well-developed infrastructure facilities and high-quality tourism products will make tourism in Ha Long and Van Don fare well, contributing to the development of the provincial tourism sector,” said Ta Duc Quyet, Director of Mai Quyen Tourism One Member Limited Company. 

Under the Overall Plan for Tourism Development in Quang Ninh to 2020 and Vision to 2030, Quang Ninh strives to become an international tourism centre and a leading tourism destination in Vietnam with modern infrastructure and diverse, high quality and competitive tourism products. 

It has been implementing 56 solutions and sub-projects for achieving that target.

Quang Ninh has paid special attention to improving the tourism environment and enhancing communications to popularise local tourism and call for investments in the sector.

Also, the province is focusing on developing four main tourist zones, namely Ha Long with the centre being Ha Long Bay, Mong Cai-Tra Co with border tourism, Van Don-Co To with island and resort tourism, and Uong Bi-Dong Trieu-Quang Yen with the Yen Tu cultural and spiritual tourism site as the main attraction.

Until the end of this year, the province will outline a plan for the tourism promotion programme in 2019, and make meticulous preparation for the closing ceremony of the Visit Vietnam Year 2018 and the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) which will take place in Ha Long city from January 14-18.

The ATF is an important forum to introduce Vietnam’s tourism brands to international friends.

Nha Trang gears up for national tourism year

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) recently revealed the programme for the 2019 National Tourism Year themed “Nha Trang, colour of the sea.”

The tourism year is seen as a golden opportunity for the south central coastal province of Khanh Hoa to promote its cultural heritage, natural resources and tourism products, thus attracting more domestic and foreign tourists to the locality. 

The MCST urged Khanh Hoa to improve state management in tourism, create favourable conditions for businesses to participate in the activities, ensure political security and social order and safety and protect the environment. 

There will be three major events, including the opening ceremony scheduled for late 2018, the Nha Trang-Khanh Hoa sea festival in May 2019 and the closing ceremony in late 2019. 

Highlights of the programme will be beauty pageants like Miss Universe Vietnam and Miss Tourism ASEAN, along with the Hong Kong-Nha Trang Yatch Race. 

Khanh Hoa, with a coast of more than 380 km and hundreds of islands and islets, and a sunny year-long climate, has many advantages for tourism, especially sea-island tourism.

Besides Nha Trang Bay, Khanh Hoa also boasts Cam Ranh and Van Phong bays, both natural masterpieces. 

Khanh Hoa’s tourism sector has experienced a breakthrough in recent years. The number of tourists to the province has enjoyed average expansion of 15 percent - 17 percent in recent years. 

In 2017, 5.5 million domestic and international holiday-makers visited the locality.

Khanh Hoa’s target of serving 6.5 million tourists in 2018 is expected to be fulfilled as in early December, the province welcomed its 6 millionth visitor of the year.

Next year, the locality aims to serve more than 7 million visitors, including some 3 million foreigners.

Exhibition and performances mark 100 years of cai luong

Scene at the event 

A programme featuring an exhibition and performances of cai luong (reformed opera) opened at Tran Huu Trang Theatre in Ho Chi Minh City on December 17 to celebrate 100 years of the art form.

The event introduced to visitors the development of cai luong over the past 10 decades, with artists from the theatre staging excerpts from different periods in the art’s history. The performers also showed their audiences props, costumes and make-up techniques used for cai luong plays.

As part of the three-day programme, nearly 100 paintings by Truong Van Y are on display, featuring portraits of renowned cai luong artists and playwrights like Vien Chau, Cao Van Lau, Ut Tra On and Dinh Bang Phi.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Huynh Thanh Nhan, Director of the municipal Department of Culture and Sports, said from its southern cradle, cai luong has reached audiences nationwide, becoming a distinct art of the south.

Nhan expected the event will help people understand cai luong and its values so the art can continue to thrive.

Cai luong is a form of modern folk opera, particularly popular in southern Vietnam. It is the convergence of southern Vietnamese folk songs, classical music, tuong (traditional opera) and modern spoken drama.

Workshop on President Ho Chi Minh held in India

Vietnamese Ambassador to India Pham Sanh Chau (R) at the workshop 

A workshop on President Ho Chi Minh was organised on December 17 in New Delhi by the Vietnamese Embassy in India and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).

The event, which aimed to mark the 60th anniversary of the late Vietnamese leader’s official visit to India (1958-2018), draw the participation of Pham Sanh Chau, Vietnamese Ambassador to India, Sanjiv Sethi from the Southern Department of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, scholars and researchers of history and international relations, and students from the JNU. 

Participants gave a number of reports on the history of Vietnam's struggle for national liberation and unification, the role played by President Ho Chi Minh as well as late Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in laying the foundation for the Vietnam-India relations.

They highlighted the contribution of President Ho Chi Minh to Vietnam’s modern diplomacy, saying his diplomatic career has left the Vietnamese diplomatic sector a great legacy, including the Vietnam-India relations that President Ho Chi Minh and PM Jawaharlal Nehru wholeheartedly nurtured and fostered.

A Q&A session on Vietnam’s modern history and issues related to the ties between the two nations was included in the workshop.

Kien Giang promotes tourism potential in India

Phu Quoc island has become one of the hottest holiday spots in the country (Photo: phuquocnews.vn)

Tourism potential of the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang was introduced to Indian travel companies in a recent roadshow in New Delhi, India.

The roadshow was organised by the Vietnamese Embassy in the Southern Asian country and a delegation from Kien Giang province led by Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Pham Vu Hong.

Hong briefed about local socio-economic development as well as tourism strengths, including enchanting landscapes with five untouched archipelagos and Kien Giang biosphere reserve. Particularly, 590 square-kilometre Phu Quoc island has been invested heavily to become a regional eco and resort tourism hub.

Kien Giang province welcomes investment projects in economic zones, key tourism areas as well as agriculture, he added.

The delegation is on a visit to India from December 17-19 to promote trade, investment and tourism as well as discuss measures to bolster cooperation with Indian firms.

Along with New Delhi, they continue promotion activities in Vijayawada city in the southeast Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.

Phu Quoc Island has become one of the hottest holiday spots in the country in recent years as the local and central governments have gone ahead with ambitious plans to develop it into an international hub for eco-tourism, resort tourism and amusement and a regional financial centre.

Since the island was connected to the national electrical grid and a visa waiver policy which gives foreigners a 30-day visa-free stay was adopted in 2014, foreigners have been flocking to the island.

According to figures from the local administration, the island received 1.96 million visitors in 2017, a 35 percent year-on-year increase. It included more than 360,000 foreign visitors, up 72 percent. This year, the resort island expects to welcome about 2.5 million tourist arrivals.

Tourists from countries such as Thailand, Singapore, Cambodia, China, and South Korea, but also from faraway places like Sweden, Russia, the UK, and Italy, travel here more often now thanks to direct flights from many countries to Phu Quoc International Airport. Some 70-80 flights arrive and depart from the airport every day, including eight to 10 international flights.

Apart from its natural beauty, Phu Quoc island also attracts visitors with its luxury resorts, golf courses, the animal safari, and casinos.

Under the master plan to develop Phu Quoc into a special administrative economic zone, many incentives have been offered to investors to help the island achieve its full potential. Its corporate and personal income taxes are the lowest in the country; land rents are waived for the first four years and cut by 50 percent for the next nine.