Various measures are being taken by authorities and businesses in the southern province of Ba Ria - Vung Tau to keep up with the green tourism trend to attract more travellers.

Con Dao is a relatively pristine island and a magnet for domestic and international visitors. Setting foot there, tourists can indulge in nature and enjoy completely green services such as coral sightseeing diving, cycling around the island, mountaineering, or exploring the Con Dao National Park.

In 2023, the number of visitors to this island increased by nearly 12% from a year earlier to 586,000, including 17,000 foreigners.

Hassan Sabree, manager of Six Senses Con Dao, said that staying at his resort, many tourists enjoy recycling soap and candle from used items, visiting a water bottling facility and chicken and vegetable farms, and the untouched beauty of nature.

Meanwhile, Melia Ho Tram Beach Resort in Xuyen Moc district has said no to plastic products, its manager Nishant Uniyal noted, adding that all items used here are environmentally friendly.

The resort has also regularly organised beach clean-ups to ensure sustainable development and great eco-experiences for tourists. Waste is collected and classified properly, and the organic waste is transformed into fertiliser for the plants grown here.

Pham Ngoc Hai, Chairman of the Ba Ria - Vung Tau Tourism Association, said the green tourism model is being implemented well in Con Dao, with communications promoted to raise public awareness of environmental protection and investment attraction. Aware of the vital role of green and sustainable tourism development, most of the local travel companies now pay great attention to this issue.

Dr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Director of the Institute for Tourism Development Research under the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism, held that it’s now time for localities and businesses to access global development trends and demand to change their working methodologies.

He said “green” broadly means completely sustainable development that covers not only green economic, social, and environmental aspects but also greenhouse gas emissions reduction, efficient use of resources, and modern technology application to adopt sustainability-oriented business practices.

Ba Ria - Vung Tau boasts sufficient conditions and capability for green tourism and sustainable tourism growth. The local tourism community, from such long-famous places as Ho Tram, Ho Coc, Binh Chau to emerging ones like Suoi Rao Ecolodge, Dat Rong - Dinh Gia Trang, and Suoi Rao Forest, now pay specific attention to environmentally friendly practices.

Le Ngoc Khanh, Vice Chairman of the Ba Ria - Vung Tau provincial People’s Committee, said the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has yet to issue green tourism criteria. However, central Quang Nam province has devised its own criteria, and the southern province Tau will base on this to work out its own to ensure compliance with the Government’s directions.

Director of the provincial Tourism Department Trinh Hang affirmed that green tourism is a popular trend around the world. Vietnam is also working to keep up with this trend, and Ba Ria - Vung Tau is taking center stage on the issue as the major beach resort closest to Ho Chi Minh City.

In 2023, the province welcomed over 14 million tourist arrivals, up 15.27% year on year. It earned about 14.68 billion VND (597,300 USD) from tourists, up 12.15%, including 5.18 trillion VND recorded at accommodation establishments and 300 billion VND from travel services, statistics show.

For 2024, it targets 15.5 million tourist arrivals and nearly 16.5 trillion VND in tourism revenue, respectively rising 10.19% and 12.35% from last year./.

Training course under RoK-funded mine action project concludes

The pre-deployment training course for captains and technicians of the mine action for the Republic of Korea (RoK) - Vietnam Peace Village project (KVPVP) wrapped up in Hanoi on April 28.

The course from April 21 was organised by the Vietnam National Mine Action Centre (VNMAC), the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), and the UN Development Programme (UNDP).

Drawing over 400 lecturers and learners, it was the first capacity building activity within the KVPVP’s framework and also a compulsory task to be fulfilled before implementing the project so that the participating forces are updated on mine action and unexploded ordnance (UXO) contamination in the central provinces of Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, and Thua Thien - Hue.

During the course, participants were equipped with comprehensive knowledge about UXO and explosive-related issues, data management, quality management in UXO detection and clearance, and financial management, among others, to ensure consistent project implementation and minimise risks.

Addressing the closing ceremony, VNMAC Deputy General Director Col. Le Quang Hop said the knowledge and skills taught during the course are greatly useful for the captains and technicians involved in UXO search and clearance under the KVPVP.

After the course, they will return to their units to share the things they learnt to their colleagues and make preparations for the project to be carried out in a quality, effective, and safe manner right from the beginning.

The KVPVP is funded by the RoK Government through KOICA and given technical support by UNDP. The Vietnamese Government and Ministry of National Defence assigned the VNMAC to coordinate the project implementation.

It will be carried out from 2024 to 2026, aiming to conduct technical survey of about 15,000ha of land while searching and clearing about 6,000ha of UXO and explosive-contaminated areas in the three provinces./.

Vietnamese, Chinese, Lao localities promote tourism cooperation

More than 150 representatives from domestic tourism businesses and firms from China’s Yunnan province and Laos’ Vientiane city have shared experience and proposed measures to boost cooperation at a conference held in Sa Pa resort town, the northern province of Lao Cai.

The April 27 tourism promotion conference aimed to connect businesses and discuss measures to develop tours and tourism routes that link Lao Cai provinve in general, Sa Pa in particular, with localities in the southwestern region of China and other tourist cities in Southeast Asian countries.

At the conference, delegations from Vientiane city, Yunnan province’s Private Enterprise Association, Kunming city, Pingbian district, Hekou district and the Lao Cai Provincial Tourism Association shared experiences, discussed difficulties, obstacles, and policies to develop tourism. They also established cooperative relationships, and proposed solutions to promote tourism development in the localities.

They agreed that in the coming time, localities should pay due attention to supporting tourism businesses with mechanisms and policies so that tourism promotion will be more substantive and effective for a common and prosperous community.

In 2023, nearly 300,000 Chinese tourists entered Lao Cai via Lao Cai International Border Gate, accounting for 54% of the total number of international visitors to the province.

The number of Vietnamese tourists to Laos in 2023 rose 33%, making Vietnam the second largest foreign tourist source of Laos.

In the first quarter of 2024, about 800,000 Vietnamese tourists travelled to China via Lao Cai border gate and about 120,000 Chinese people entered Vietnam via the gate./.

Hanoi ranks second in the E-Business Index
 
The Vietnam E-commerce Association released the 2024 E-Business Index (EBI) report at the Vietnam Online Business Forum 2024 (VOBF 2024) on April 25.

Hanoi ranks second in the e-commerce index with a score of 84.3, according to the latest report from the Vietnam E-commerce Association.

The report shows that Ho Chi Minh City continues to lead the ranking with 87 points. The southern province of Binh Duong came third, scoring 51.3.

The average score for this year's index is 23.1. The gap in e-commerce between the two largest economic centers, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, and the rest of the country's provinces and cities is significant.

This year's report calls on organizations and businesses to reduce negative environmental impacts and contribute to the sustainable development of e-commerce, with a particular focus on the issue of plastic waste from e-commerce.

The Vietnam E-Business Index is compiled by the Vietnam E-commerce Association based on three components, including human resources and information technology infrastructure, business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce transactions, and business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce transactions.

The report also highlights the need to put in place policies and solutions to address three key issues: the digital divide, the digital workforce and the environment.

In addition, the report recommends that government agencies assess the current situation and formulate policies and laws to promote online export activities, educational technology and healthcare technology.

It invited local authorities to propose specific activities within their jurisdiction to promote each component of the overall index, thereby contributing to the development of e-commerce at the local level.

Changes in advertising regulations needed to be closer to reality

Changes in advertising regulations are needed to be closer to what actually exists or occurs than it had been before.

Advertising is considered one of the most profitable cultural industries. However, in reality, although advertising generates huge revenue, it also encounters many difficulties when procedures are redundant and have not yet been defined according to modern trends.

Currently, the Department of Grassroots Culture under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is collecting public opinions on amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Advertising. Many companies and units in the sector pay attention to advertising on digital platforms because this is the current trend, along with the development of technology, advertising on online platforms is almost dominating the market.

At the workshop to collect opinions on the project amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Advertising Law in the Southern region by the Department of Grassroots Culture in coordination with the Vietnam Advertising Association held at the end of April, regulations on the rights and obligations of people conveying advertising products and people conveying influential advertising products attracted attention from many companies.

Meanwhile, the definitions and concepts of KOC (Key Opinion Consumer) or KOL (Key Opinion Leader) are still unclear. What is a famous person, and what is an influential person? Therefore, the draft amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Advertising needs to have a specific concept about the two concepts to help businesses easily seek people to advertise their products as well as better responsible agencies' management.

Regulations on advertising in newspapers, cross-border advertising activities, advertising in news programs, newsletters or other programs are also of concern to many media units, especially passive advertising - any form of marketing that doesn't require much (if any) interaction from the customer.

Mr. Nguyen Hai Trieu from Ho Chi Minh City Television said that currently, advertising for betting and digital currencies (coins) is allowed in some countries around the world. While broadcasting foreign sports tournaments, television stations are also caught in these advertisements, which is a form of passive advertising. The government needs to work with tournament broadcasting copyright holders about this matter to manage this type of passive advertising. They have intervened to embed the advertisement from the source, so the TV station does not profit from this advertisement at all and the plan for the station to handle the broadcast without violating advertising laws is also very difficult.

Many local departments and agencies voiced their opinions about changes in a streamlined but clearer direction for outdoor advertising licensing procedures. Delegates proposed abolishing advertising licensing procedures for signs and billboards over 20 square meters attached to existing construction works; management of advertising activities on screens placed in public places; contents, authority, method of building and implementing outdoor advertising planning...

Regarding outdoor advertising, LED screen advertising management also receives attention because advertising content is easy to change, and there is a risk of illegal content appearing without monitoring and prevention mechanisms.

Director Do Kim Dung of the Vietnam Advertising Research and Training Institute said that currently, technology has developed very strongly, staff of advertising companies can sit in the office to work, even at home to control the content displayed on a series of LED screens. However, If their advertising LED screen system is attacked by hackers and inappropriate content is broadcast, it will have a huge negative impact. Thus, responsible agencies should come up with solutions right now.

Meanwhile, LED screen advertising businesses at the conference all affirmed ensuring legal content on the screens, because this is also tied to companies' brand and future. Therefore, they strictly control illegal contents; nevertheless, they also acknowledge that outside interference is a real danger and that strengthening measures from technical to working discipline is the top priority.

Director Ninh Thi Thu Huong of the Department of Grassroots Culture of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said that the draft law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Advertising has been approved by the Government which proposed the National Assembly to include in the 2025 Law and Ordinance Development Program. Accordingly, the law project is expected to be submitted to the National Assembly for comments at the 8th session in October 2024 and approved at the 9th meeting in May 2025.

Over US$118 million to be spent on expanding La Son - Hoa Lien Expressway

Over VND3 trillion (US$118,434,245) will be spent expanding the La Son - Hoa Lien Expressway  according to a new decision signed by Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha had just signed Decision No. 348/QD-TTg approving the investment policy of the North-South Expressway expansion project for the 65km section of La Son - Hoa Lien from two lanes to four lanes, the Ho Chi Minh Road Project Management Board announced.

Total project investment is about VND3,011 billion taken from the state budget. The project is expected to be completed in 2025.

Previously, the Ministry of Transport had a pre-feasibility study report on the La Son - Hoa Lien Expressway expansion project to submit to the Prime Minister for consideration and approval of the investment policy. According to the Ministry of Transport, early investment in expanding La Son - Hoa Lien Expressway to 4 complete lanes is necessary according to the National Assembly’s request to upgrade the Ho Chi Minh Highway and the Prime Minister's direction on investment plans to complete roads according to expressway standards.

After the La Son - Hoa Lien Expressway is expanded to four lanes, it will join the Cam Lo - La Son and the Da Nang - Quang Ngai Expressways to improve the region’s socio-economic development.

The 77km long La Son - Tuy Loan Expressway project started construction in December 2013 with a total investment of nearly VND 11,500 billion in the form of a build-transfer contract. Of which, the La Son - Hoa Lien section has 2 lanes with a width of 12m and a speed of 60 km per hour. It has been put into operation since early 2022.

Binh Dinh major entertainment project to be revoked

The Binh Dinh Provincial Economic Zone Management Board is proposing to the local people's committee to revoke the investment licence of Thi Nai Lagoon Entertainment Park due to its lack of progress.

According to the head of the board Dang Vinh Son, the project, which lies in Nhon Hoi Economic Zone in Quy Nhon City, has faced site clearance problems for a long time.

"We’ve asked the investor, the Phu Son Thuan Construction Investment Company, to quickly compensate residents many times but they have failed to do so" Son said.

The Thi Nai Lagoon Entertainment Park project started site clearance in early 2023 on over 30 hectares of land. However, the investor has yet to complete site clearance work as many residents have refused to give their land for the project due to the low compensation offered.

A resident, Tran Thi Ngo, 66, said that the investor offered very low compensation for her house while the cost of buying a new house in the resettlement area is too high.

"My house was built in 2014 after my old one collapsed in a bad storm," Ngo said. "However, the investor said that they would now only compensate me for my land, excluding the value of the house. That's unfair. I can't agree to that."

Chairman of Nhon Hoi Commune People's Committee Nguyen Van Thuong said that 87 households would be relocated for the project.

"This area has been taken for the Nhon Hoi Economic Zone and had been licensed for several projects that have also failed to be carried out," the official said. "Now the park's investor has also been unable to do their project. Local residents have been complaining a lot as they can’t do anything with their land or houses."

The VND800 billion Thi Nai Lagoon Entertainment Park project was planned to have a water park, aquarium, hot spring, and adventurous games. It was intended to become a tourist attraction in Binh Dinh.

Carnaval Ha Long 2024 kicks off

Ha Long Carnaval Festival 2024 kicked off in Ha Long city, the northeastern province of Quang Ninh, on April 28 evening with an opening ceremony featuring performances and parades both at sea and on beach of the popular UNESCO-recognised bay.

The festival brought together local leading creativity teams, artists and craftsmen, as well as troupes from Japan’s Hokkaido, China’s Guangxi, Laos, Thailand, and Europe. The stage combined elements both on the shore and on the sea, with hundreds of vessels participating.

A highlight of the carnival was the drone light displays, featuring illuminated models combined with fireworks displays, LED technology, sound, and light, among others.

Together with the Ha Long carnaval, other festive, sports, cultural, and tourism events are held as parts of the Ha Long tourism week 2024, including the opening of a culinary pedestrian street in Bai Chay ward, a sports tournament, a festival of beer and the province’s famous Cha Muc (fried squid patties), as well as lion-dragon dance, modern dance, and kite festivals./.

French friend of Vietnam commemorated to mark 70 years since Dien Bien Phu Victory

The Vietnamese Embassy in France and the French Communist Party (PCF)’s cell in Saint-Pierre-des-Corps city has held a commemoration of Raymonde Dien, a communist activist, a faithful friend of the Vietnamese people, and also a symbol of the fight against the French war in Vietnam.

The event took place on April 27 besides the train station of Saint-Pierre-des-Corps, where 74 years ago, Raymonde Dien, a 21-year-old PCF member then, lay on the railway track to block a train carrying weapons to Indochina.

The ceremony was among activities celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory (May 7, 1954 - 2024) and the opening of the Geneva conference on April 26, 1954 that led to the signing of an agreement on the cessation of hostilities in Vietnam.

In his remarks, Vietnamese Ambassador Dinh Toan Thang stressed that the act by Raymonde Dien became a historical symbol and a source of inspiration for a global movement objecting to war and advocating peace and independence for the Vietnamese people.

He expressed profound gratitude from the Vietnamese State and people to Dien as well as other French friends, who contributed to Vietnam’s peace efforts in the past and the maintenance of solidarity and peace at present.

Vietnam is aware that international solidarity, especially the relentless support from the French people, during the struggle for independence and peace, formed the solid foundation for the friendship and cooperation between the two countries nowadays, Thang said, expressing his hope that the two sides will sustain this tradition in the years to come.

Gilles Moindrot, Secretary of the PCF cell in Saint-Pierre-des-Corps, described the act by Dien as symbolic, brave and also a demonstration of the solidarity with Vietnam, support for the Vietnamese’s aspiration for independence, and support for peace for the entire Indochina.

At that time, Dien and other communist activists were convicted by the French government. But only four years later, when the Dien Bien Phu Campaign ended in 1954, history proved them right and the Geneva Accords put an end to the war between the two countries, he noted.

On this occasion, the embassy also coordinated with historian Alain Ruscio, an expert on Vietnam, and the PCF cell in Saint-Pierre-des-Corps to hold a seminar on the Dien Bien Phu Victory and the Geneva Accords. The event attracted nearly 100 participants./.

Vietnam festival opens in Japan’s Osaka

The Vietnamese General Consulate in Osaka in collaboration with authorities of Japanese prefectures and Vietnamese associations and organisations in Kansai region has held the second Vietnam Festival in Osaka, Japan.

At the two-day event, there were culinary booths introducing traditional Vietnamese dishes. In addition, Vietnamese businesses took this occasion to promote their products and services to Japanese, contributing to promoting trade and investment between the two countries.

A delegation from Hoi An city in central Quang Ngai province, attended the event with art programmes, traditional handicraft products and provided festival goers with information about the city’s tourism and services.

Speaking at the festival's opening ceremony on April 27, Vietnamese General Consul in Osaka Ngo Trinh Ha said he believes that the festival will bring the Vietnamese culture as well as the image of a dynamic Vietnam with tourist attractions closer to Japan.

Hailing the General Consulate’s efforts to launch the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu said that it helps popularise the Vietnamese cultural values among the international community, and deepen mutual understanding and strengthen the bilateral relations.

He thanked leaders of localities in Kansai for accompanying and supporting the Vietnamese community to better integrate into the host nation.

The festival also received letters of congratulations from Governor of Osaka prefecture Yoshimura Hirofumi, and Governor of Nara prefecture Yamashita Makoto, and Mayor of Osaka city Yokoyama Hideyuki.

On the occasion, the Vietnamese community in Kansai held a ceremony to offer incense to commemorate the Hung Kings, the legendary founders of Vietnam./.

Vietnamese in Laos proud of homeland’s achievements

Over 49 years since the glorious victory on April 30, 1975 that led to the liberation of the South and the national reunification, Vietnam has obtained outstanding achievements and become a source of pride for all Vietnamese, including those in Laos.

Staying in Laos for more than 10 years, Bui Thi Oanh, who is working for a foreign business in Vientiane, said the stories and lessons about the historic victory 49 years ago that she has learnt from former generations, teachers and the media since she was small are still in her mind today. They help her be further aware of the victory’s significance to the homeland and the value of peace, and also nurture her love for Vietnam.

That is also why despite busy work in Laos, she has still tried to arrange a trip together with her family back to the homeland every year.

Sharing with the Vietnam News Agency, Oanh said that returning to Vietnam during the 2024 Lunar New Year festival, aside from the joy of family reunion, she was also happy and proud that the homeland is quickly gaining a facelift with modern infrastructure and industrial parks built everywhere, helping people in her hometown gain not only jobs but also stable income.

She attributed such attainments to the Party and Government’s leader-sighted leadership and people’s unceasing efforts.

Appreciating the Party and State’s attention to overseas Vietnamese (OVs), the expatriate noted that the National Assembly recently adopted the revised Land Law, which permits OVs to buy houses and have the house ownership along with land use rights as equally as domestic citizens.

This was an illustration of the Party and State’s consideration of OVs’ opinions during the building of this law, which will encourage OVs to invest in real estate and facilitate a large inflow of money into Vietnam, thus contributing to the country’s socio-economic development, Oanh added.

Lauding the Party and State’s leadership, Phi Van Mai, Chairman of the Vietnamese People Association in Oudomxay province, said from a poor and war-torn country, under the Party’s clear-sighted leadership, 49 years since the national reunification, Vietnam has made new milestones and miracles during national construction, development and defence, particularly in reform and international integration.

He held that the achievements gained during the last 38 years of reforms, especially in terms of economy and external relations, are clear demonstrations of the Party’s judiciousness and creativity in the application of Marxism - Leninism and the Ho Chi Minh ideology on the path to socialism. This has continually promoted the Party’s prestige and leadership over the entire people and army, and also serves as a source of reference for underdeveloped countries to adopt the diplomacy of amity, harmony, and cooperation for common development and to develop an independent and self-reliant economy that can make use of both internal and external resources.

Mai expressed his honour to be a Vietnamese national as well as his pride in the country’s significant achievements secured over the past years, considering these as a great source of support for not only himself but also many other OVs in Laos and around the world to keep bringing into play the good values of Vietnamese people, especially the tradition of industriousness, solidarity, and mutual assistance.

He voiced his belief that basing on the achievements gained so far, in 2024, the entire Party, people, and army will stay united, maintain a peaceful environment, and make new breakthroughs in socio-economic development to reach national targets and improve all people’s life quality./.

Vietnamese in Macau share joy of 49th national reunification anniversary

The Vietnamese Consulate General in Hong Kong and Macau (China) in coordination with the Vietnamese People Association in the Macau Special Administrative Region held a musical exchange on April 28 to mark the 49th anniversary of the liberation of the South and the national reunification (April 30).

The event was also meant to celebrate the May Day (May 1), the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory (May 7), the 134th birthday of President Ho Chi Minh (May 19), and two years since the association’s establishment.

Apart from Vietnamese people in Macau, the programme was also attended by representatives of the Macau Legislative Assembly, the Portuguese Consulate General in Macau, the Indonesian Consulate General in Hong Kong, and many influential organisations and individuals.

In his speech, Vietnamese Consul in Hong Kong and Macau Nguyen Tuan Anh said the event was an occasion for not only looking back on traditions and history but also expressing gratitude to former generations who laid down their lives to safeguard the Fatherland.

Applauding the achievements the Vietnamese People Association in Macau has gained over the last two years, he asked the organisation to increase communications to improve the Vietnamese community’s compliance with local law.

He also called for its continued coordination with the Consulate General to persuade labour-related associations and trade unions in Macau to propose the region’s administration to soon remove visa limits on Vietnamese tourists and workers.

The Vietnamese People Association in Macau, established on May 8, 2022, currently comprises over 1,200 members. Meanwhile, there are more than 7,000 Vietnamese people in this region, forming the second largest community of foreign workers here, after the Philippine./.

Vietnam, China coast guards finish joint patrol

This year’s first joint patrol of the Vietnam Coast Guard (VCG) and the China Coast Guard (CCG) in the vicinity of the countries’ demarcation line in the Gulf of Tonkin was wrapped up on April 29.

This three-day joint patrol spanned 255.5 nautical miles across 13 points. The route started from a point lying 48 nautical miles northeast of Con Co island to another point 14 nautical miles southeast of Tran island.

This is the 8th time such a joint patrol between the sides in the area has been organised since the nations’ fisheries cooperation agreement expired on June 30, 2020.

Vietnam and China each sent two vessels to join the patrol, along with with representatives from the Vietnamese border guard, Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development of northern coastal provinces and cities, and Hai Phong Customs Department.

During the joint patrol, the two coast guards conducted activities, including talks, telephone calls, inspection and supervision of the nations' fishing vessels operating in the adjacent waters of the demarcation line, dissemination of relevant legal regulations for the two countries' fishermen.

Besides, the VCG established an interdisciplinary working group to directly inspect Vietnamese fishing vessels' compliance with law, and implementation of recommendations of the European Commission (EC) on combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing as well as warn and strictly handling cases of IUU violations.

The VCG also distributed leaflets, gave gifts, and national flags to local fishermen./.

Prime Minister examines expressway projects in central region

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh inspected the implementation of some expressway projects in the central provinces of Khanh Hoa, Phu Yen, and Binh Dinh on April 29.

The Government leader and officials examined some sub-projects of the North - South Expressway’s eastern wing, namely Van Phong - Nha Trang, Chi Thanh - Van Phong, and Hoai Nhon - Quy Nhon; along with the Khanh Hoa - Buon Ma Thuot expressway project.

Praising the spirit of engineers and workers at construction sites, PM Chinh asked the parties involved in the projects to summon all personnel and equipment to build the roads on schedule with progress, quality, aesthetic value, labour safety, and environmental protection guaranteed.

They also need to enhance examination and supervision, give commendation in timely manner, prevent corruption and negative phenomena, care for workers’ life, and ensure the people displaced to serve the projects have a better or at least equal quality of life compared to their previous living places, he noted.

In particular, he added, ministries, sectors, and localities must coordinate closely with one another to tackle bottlenecks, ensure smart transport management and operation, and build rest areas and support facilities meeting standards.

The Van Phong - Nha Trang expressway section, 83.35km long in total, traverses four district-level localities of Khanh Hoa province. Invested with over 11.8 trillion VND (465.6 million USD), its construction was launched in January 2023 and is expected to be completed in December 2025.

The Chi Thanh - Van Phong section is 48.05km long and runs through five district-level localities of Phu Yen province. It has total investment of more than 10.73 trillion VND. This sub-project started in January 2023 and is scheduled to finish in December 2025.

The 70.1km section of Hoai Nhon - Quy Nhon crosses six district-level localities of Binh Dinh province and is invested with 12.4 trillion VND. Work started on this section in January 2023 and is scheduled to be completed on September 30, 2025.

Meanwhile, the first phase of the Khanh Hoa - Buon Ma Thuot expressway project is 117.5km long in total, including about 32.7km through Khanh Hoa and 84.8km through the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak. Comprising three sub-projects, it is set to be completed in 2026 and put into use entirely in 2027.

The North - South Expressway, from the Huu Nghi Border Gate in northern Lang Son province to Nam Can town in the southernmost province of Ca Mau, is 2,064km, of which 1,226km has been completed and open to traffic.

Aside from this route, many inter-regional expressways are also being built nationwide. Vietnam targets 3,000km of expressways by 2025 and 5,000km by 2030./.

Students promote Vietnamese culture in Russia’s Far East

An event promoting Vietnamese culture was held on April 27 at the Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok city in the Far East of Russia.

The event saw the participation of representatives from the Vietnamese Consulate in Vladivostok city, the university, researchers, and Vietnamese and international students.

Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Consul General to Vladivostok Nguyen Dang Hien said that he is happy to see the cultural event organised by Vietnamese students and Russian students who love Vietnam, to introduce Vietnamese cultural values to international friends.

Honorary Chairman of the Russia-Vietnam Friendship Association of Primorye region Aleksander Sokolovskyi highly appreciated the efforts of Vietnamese and Russian students to organise the event which is the third of its kind that has been held at the university.

Sokolovskyi highlighted special friendship between Vietnam and Russia, saying that Vietnamese language and culture have been studied and taught for the longest time at the university.

Participats at the event have a chance to learn about Vietnamese traditional costumes and calligraphy, play Vietnamese games, and take part in other activities./.

Hanoi offers free snacks to visitors to Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

Visitors to Hanoi's iconic landmark will be served a light meal of water, milk, and bread on Reunification Day (April 30) and International Workers' Day (May 1).

Since 2018, this has been a customary activity by the city's Department of Tourism on this day of the year, with the auspices of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Management Board and related units.

It is expected that around 80,000 light meals will be served free of charge to local and foreign tourists visiting Hanoi's iconic historical site during the country's major holidays this year, including Reunification Day (April 30) and International Workers' Day (May 1); President Ho Chi Minh's birthday (May 19), and Vietnam's National Day (September 2).

Dang Huong Giang, Director of the Hanoi Department of Tourism, said this would help promote Hanoi as a "safe - friendly - quality, and attractive" tourist attraction.

According to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Management Board, the mausoleum will be open to the public from 7:15 a.m. to 11 a.m. during Reunification Day and International Workers' Day.

After that, the Mausoleum will be temporarily closed from June to August 14. However, local and international visitors can still lay flowers at the mausoleum, attend daily flag-raising and lowering ceremonies, and visit other works and tourist attractions at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Relic Sites Complex. Activities in honor of President Ho Chi Minh and the heroic martyrs will resume on August 15.

The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Guard Command said the renovation includes the reception areas, panels, posters, and slogans to ensure the best conditions for compatriots and international visitors visiting “Uncle Ho”.

Located at No.2 Hung Vuong Street, Ba Dinh District, the facility is usually open to the public from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., except on Mondays and Fridays.

Opened in 1973, the monument was built on the spot where President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence on September 2, 1945, establishing the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

Together with the Mausoleum, some nearby religious and historical relics such as Ba Dinh Square, President Ho Chi Minh's stilt house and fish pond, a museum in his honor, and the One Pillar Pagoda, among others, make up a must-see cluster of tourist destinations in the capital.

Sa Pa to launch tourist products to attract visitors on upcoming holidays

A series of activities are scheduled to take place in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai – home to the resort town of Sa Pa on the occasion of the five-day holiday of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day (April 30) and May Day (May 1) from April 27 to May 1.

They are the summer festival “Sa Pa – The Land of Love” and Fansipan Rose Festival 2024 themed “A Million Roses”.

Visitors to Sa Pa on this occasion have a chance to enjoy a tourist product featuring a traditional love market; an art exchange programme among ethnic groups in Sa Pa town and the Pingbian district art troupe from China’s Yunnan province; a cuisine festival promoting traditional food of ethnic groups in Sapa; and community-based tourism areas such as Ta Phin and Cat Cat villages, Lao Chai - Ta Van tourist route.

Meanwhile, Bao Yen district in Lao Cai province has kicked off the second folk culture festival in Nghia Do commune themed "Yellow colours along Nam Luong river" from April 15 to May 1. 

Within the framework of the festival, there is a homestay contest, a cultural week to promote traditional costumes of local ethnic groups in the district, an exhibition of photos about Bao Yen land and people of Bao Yen, an exhibition of fine art paintings and space to promote typical agricultural and forestry products of communes and towns.

Folk games have been held at Nghia Do commune, offering visitors opportunities to experience local culture and daily life.

Sa Pa served an estimated 103,000 visitors during the National Reunification Day -May Day holidays last year, 105% higher than the same period the previous year./.

Source: VNA/SGT/VNS/VOV/Dtinews/SGGP/VGP/Hanoitimes