A delegation of the Party Central Committee, the President, the National Assembly (NA), the Government, and the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee laid wreaths and paid tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum in Hanoi on January 19, on the occasion of the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival.

The delegation included many leaders and former leaders.

They paid respect to the late President, a genius leader and a national hero who devoted his entire life to the Vietnamese country and people, led the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Vietnamese people to glorious victories.

The delegation then offered incense at the Martyrs’ Monument in Bac Son street.

Also on the day, a delegation of the Central Military Commission - Defence Ministry, the Central Public Security Party Committee - Ministry of Public Security, the Foreign Ministry, and the municipal Party Committee, People’s Council, People’s Committee and VFF Committee of Hanoi paid tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum, and martyrs at the monument.

A delegation of Party and State leaders also offered incense in tribute to martyrs at Mai Dich Cemetery in Hanoi.

Vietnam targets 8 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2023

Vietnam’s tourism sector targets to welcome about 8 million foreign tourist arrivals from a total of 110 million next year, according to the General Administration of Vietnam Tourism.

The country expects to earn about 650 trillion VND (USD27.5 billion) from tourism.

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung said that last year, Vietnam targeted to welcome 5 million international arrivals., but the country received only 3.6 million due to limitations.

Hung said that to achieve this year’s target, the entire industry is determined to implement the Prime Minister's conclusion at the conference to promote attracting international tourists to Vietnam.

Accordingly, the sector will coordinate more closely with relevant ministries, especially the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Industry and Trade, to create a favourable mechanism to welcome international tourists.

To attract international visitors, ministries, sectors, and localities must innovate and diversify products, he said, adding that the tourism authorities have just set a target that each locality must have a unique tourism product and pay more attention to regional linkages.

Under Vietnam’s tourism development plan for 2023, the industry will implement some projects and strategies, the tourism administration revealed.

They include tourism network planning from 2021 to 2030 with a vision to 2045, the Vietnam Tourism Marketing Strategy to 2030, the project "Application of Industry 4.0 technology to develop smart tourism, turn tourism a spearhead economic sector", and a project on developing Vietnam's community-based tourism, among others.

Communication campaigns will be launched on CNN and some major international media channels, while tourism authorities will actively participate in international events to seek cooperation opportunities, it added.

In 2022, Vietnam’s tourism gradually recovered, especially the domestic segment. The number of local tourists reached some 101 million. Total revenue from tourism is estimated at 21 billion USD, 23% higher than planned and 66% higher than that of 2019.

Vietnam values development of friendship with Portugal: PM

The Vietnamese Government always values the development of traditional friendship with Portugal, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh told Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs Joao Gomes Cravinho during a reception in Hanoi on January 18.

PM Chinh suggested both sides facilitate visits, especially those at high level to raise mutual understanding and political trust, as well as fully and effectively tap existing cooperation mechanisms and build new ones to step up collaboration in promising areas that match their interests.

On multilateral cooperation, he proposed working closely together and offering mutual support at multilateral forums and international organisations, making active contributions to dealing with regional and global issues.

About economic ties, the host asked Portugal to create favourable conditions for Vietnamese farm produce to navigate the country. He wished the two nations would continue taking advantage of opportunities from Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement to raise two-way trade, toward lifting it to 1 billion USD in the near future.

On the occasion, he suggested Portugal soon approve the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) to facilitate fair and win-win investment relationship between the two nations, urge the European Commission’s early removal of yellow card warning on Vietnam’s aquatic products to meet interests of Portuguese and EU consumers as well as ensure livelihoods for hundreds of thousands of workers in the Vietnamese aquaculture industry.

Cravinho, who is on Vietnam visit from January 17-19, affirmed that Portugal always considers Vietnam an important partner in the region and expects to further develop all-around ties with the country.

He agreed to enhance collaboration in fields of Portugal’s strength and Vietnam’s demand such as marine economy, maritime, renewable energy, circular economy and digital transformation.

The FM vowed to continue realising contents of Vietnam-Portugal tourism cooperation agreement and sharing experience in tourism development, boost sport exchanges, particularly football training and increasing scholarships to students specialised in tourism management, and discuss the signing of labour cooperation deals.

He expressed his support for Vietnamese PM’s proposals related to joint work to fight climate change toward fulfilling goals set at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference.

Portugal will create favourable conditions for Vietnamese community living in the country, open the market for Vietnamese farm produce and have a say with the EC on the IUU yellow card, he said.

Regarding the East Sea issue, host and guest underscored the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight in the East Sea, settling disputes by peaceful means in line with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Workers still on shift for Long Thanh airport construction during Tet

Contractors will still deploy over 2,000 machines, equipment, engineers and workers for the construction of Long Thanh international airport during the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet) festival, reported the project’s management board on January 18.

From January 20-26, five contractors will deploy over 900 machines, vehicles and about 1,200 engineers and workers on the site. During the Tet holiday, workers will work during office hours and be off on night shift, said Kieu Cao Hung, a ranking official from the Vietnam Construction and Import-Export JSC.

Long Thanh airport has a designed capacity of 100 million passengers per year. It is built on a site of 5,000ha in Binh Son commune, Long Thanh district, the southern province of Dong Nai.

As the biggest traffic project ever invested in the country, the construction work started in 2021 and is scheduled to be operational in 2025.

So far, contractors has dug and filled 45 million c.m of land; in which, those at passenger terminal site construction area has been completed.

Free buses bringing students and disadvantaged people home for Tet

The spirit of mutual affection has been a long-standing tradition of the Vietnamese people. Since 2015, for 7 consecutive years, the Tam Thuong Charity Fund has organised “free buses home for Tet”, a warm gift for students and disadvantaged people as spring arrives.

With no concerns about joining the crowds at bus stations and also saving on fares to return home for Tet, students far from Hanoi can return home for Tet on the free bus.

“Free buses home for Tet” is a volunteer programme held annually on the occasion of the Lunar New Year by the Tam Thuong Charity Fund, to contribute to taking care of the spiritual and material needs of the students and bringing a Tet atmosphere to everyone.

This year, the fund cooperated with the Youth Union of the Posts and Telecommunications Institute of Technology to take students returning home for Tet on free buses along National Highway No 1A to Ha Tinh province. 

Each free ticket in this 7th “Free buses home for Tet” programme not only helps people save money but also helps them feel more secure during the long journey. It is really meaningful for those who are in need such as poor students and disadvantaged people, especially when the new spring is nearing.

Rice earmarked for seven localities for Tet

Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai has recently signed a decision to supply rice from the national reserves to the provinces of Binh Phuoc, Ha Giang, Quang Ngai, Quang Tri, Bac Lieu, Dak Lak and Gia Lai for the upcoming Lunar New Year festival and between-crop period.

Accordingly, nearly 6.3 million tonnes of rice will be earmarked for the above localities for Tet while more than 591,000 tonnes will be provided for Gia Lai during between-crop period.

The Deputy PM assigned the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs to bear responsible for related information and data reported.

The People’s Committees of the localities are in charge of making correct reports and allocating the aid in a timely manner in line with regulations, according to the decision.

Foreign Minister holds talks with Portuguese counterpart

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son on January 18 held talks with his Portuguese counterpart Joao Gomes Cravinho, who is on an official visit to Vietnam on January 17 - 19. 

During the talks, FM Son said the visit marks  a new milestone in  cooperative relations between the two countries, contributing to bringing the traditional friendship between Vietnam and Portugal to a new stage of development.

He suggested the two sides work closely to maximise opportunities brought by the EU - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), and foster cooperation in areas that Portugal is strong in and Vietnam needs, such as the marine economy, renewable energy, tourism, and information technology.

He wished that Portugal would create favourable conditions for Vietnamese agricultural products to access the Portuguese market.

He expressed his hope that Portugal will soon ratify the EU - Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), and urge the European Commission (EC) to remove the illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing yellow card warning on Vietnamese seafood products.  

For his part, Cravinho spoke highly of Vietnam's socio-economic development achievements, and the increasingly important role and position of Vietnam in the region and in the world.

He appreciated the potential for economic cooperation between the two countries, and updated Portugal's ratification process of the EVIPA, while affirming that his country will discuss the IUU-related issue with the EC.

The Portuguese FM wished to promote cooperation with Vietnam in the overall policy of Portugal towards the Asia-Pacific region.

He also welcomed FM Son's proposal to establish a tripartite cooperation mechanism on agriculture, while suggesting Vietnam soon complete procedures for Portuguese meat products to be exported to the Vietnamese market.

He also expressed his desire to promote twinning relations between the two countries' localities in order to strengthen people-to-people exchange, including Porto and Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Tri city and Miranda city.

The two sides agreed to strengthen exchange of delegations at all levels and continue to closely coordinate and support each other at multilateral and international forums. They also agreed to promote the role played by the two foreign ministries in order to further expand cooperation, and continue maintaining  the Vietnam - Portugal political consultation mechanism and implementing the Memorandum of Understanding on tourism cooperation signed in 2015. They agreed to step up  cooperation in education - training, sports, culture and tourism, and in responding to global challenges.

The two sides also discussed regional and international issues of common concern. They emphasised the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, and freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea, and settling disputes by peaceful measures on the basis of international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Leaders of Vietnam, China exchange greetings on diplomatic ties

Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and Party General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping exchanged greetings on the occasion of the 73rd anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries (January 18, 1950 - 2023).

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) of China Li Zhanshu, have also exchanged congratulatory messages,  respectively. 

On this occasion, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son also exchanged greetings with his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang.

Novel Buon Ma Thuot app promotes coffee and tourism

An app introducing coffee and tourism of Buon Ma Thuot city, the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak debuted on January 18.

The move aims to spread coffee culture of Buon Me Thuot and turn the city into a coffee mecca, a global destination for tourism, contributing to improving value and affirming the position of Vietnamese coffee in the international market.

Permanent Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Pham Tien Hung said in response to the eighth Buon Ma Thuot coffee festival 2023, the municipal authorities built the app to popularise the Buon Ma Thuot coffee brand as well as tourism potentials and strengths of Dak Lak and Buon Ma Thuot in particular.

After over four months of building, the app provides users with their own view of an updated list of 37 signature coffee shops, 33 lodging facilities, 15 tourist destinations and several eateries. It also has a road direction function to help users save time when navigating to their desired places in the region.

Travel+Leisure: Phu Quoc named among 23 best destinations in 2023

US magazine Travel+Leisure has listed Phu Quoc Island among the 23 best destinations to visit in 2023.

Ranking third in the list, the magazine called Phu Quoc the “new star of Vietnamese tourism”.

According to Travel+Leisure, improvements in air connections have helped foreign tourists, especially from India, have greater opportunity to explore many destinations in Vietnam.

"Vietnam's largest island Phu Quoc is an enchanting place of white sand beaches, emerald forests dotted with waterfalls, rock pools and caves," it said.

Dubbed the "pearl island", more than half of Phu Quoc's area has been preserved as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

Travel+Leisure suggested that tourists buy fish sauce at traditional fishing villages like Ham Ninh where they can enjoy the fresh seafood.

In addition to Phu Quoc, the list consists of many other famous destinations with unspoiled ecosystems, scenic beauty or rich cuisine such as Alberta (Canada), AlUla (Saudi Arabia), Fukuoka (Japan) and Malta.

Expanded road in Tan Son Nhat airport area completed

The expansion of a section of Cong Hoa Street from 10-15 meters to 14-19 meters at Lang Cha Ca intersection in Tan Binh District to ease traffic congestion at the gateway to Tan Son Nhat International Airport has been completed.

The 130-meter section from Alley 2 of Tran Quoc Hoan Street to Thang Long Street underwent expansion at a total cost of VND168 billion.

The project, albeit small in scale, helps remove a traffic bottleneck for the Lang Cha Ca intersection, one of the gateways to the airport, where traffic congestion has been a common sight.

According to the Transportation Works Construction Investment Project Management Authority of HCMC, the project’s investor, the project was approved in 2017 but could not be carried out until the end of 2022 due to site clearance obstacles.

The completion of this traffic project ahead of the Lunar New Year will facilitate traffic in the area of Cong Hoa, Hoang Van Thu, Phan Thuc Duyet streets.

Russian Ambassador applauds Vietnam’s impressive economic development

Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Gennady Bezdetko has praised Vietnam for its efforts in economic development amid numerous difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and concerns over a global economic recession.

The nation recorded good economic growth in 2022 although many countries across the world found it hard to go through the year, the diplomat said in a recent media interview on the occasion of the lunar New Year (Tet).

Due to some negative factors, including the pandemic and soaring energy prices, the global economy faced a host of challenges, he continued.

In Vietnam, thanks to flexible and effective actions taken by competent agencies in a bid to restore business activities after the pandemic was controlled, the country's GDP growth reached US$ 8.02%, surpassing the target of 6-6.5% set by the Government, which is surely a positive sign, the ambassador stressed.

The country’s total export-import turnover was estimated at around US$750 billion in 2022, up around US$50 billion from the previous year, with a trade surplus of more than US$11 billion.

The figures showed the right path Vietnam has selected, Bezdetko said, noting his hope that such favourable trends will continue this year.

The ambassador also lauded Vietnam’s impressive strides over the past more than 35 years of Doi moi (renewal), saying the national economy has been developing rapidly amid global challenges.

The country has kept foreign investment inflows, and integrated more intensively and extensively into the global economy, with production and technology potential intensified, he explained.

With these achievements, the targets of maintaining the annual GDP growth at 7% and elevating per capital income at US$7,500 by 2030 are reachable, the ambassador said.

Bezdetko pointed to the optimistic prospects for Vietnam in the implementation of sustainable development goals (SDGs) despite the present global economic and political situation, particularly the food and energy crises.

Regarding the fight against corruption, the ambassador described it as a key for Vietnam to ensure the stability and efficiency of political institutions and dynamic economic development.

He recalled the establishment of steering committees for anti-corruption in Vietnamese provinces and centrally-run cities, which, he said, would help the country make progress in the fight.

Asked about Tet, the biggest and longest festival in Vietnam which is approaching, Bezdetko said this is the time for family gatherings, meetings between friends, visits to teachers, reviewing the previous year and making future plans, and it is associated with interesting customs and rituals.

On this occasion, the ambassador noted his wish that the Vietnam-Russia relationship will grow more broadly and strongly, and his confidence that the all-around cooperation between the two countries will be further strengthened in 2023 in the spirit of the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership.

Homeland Spring programme held in East Africa, Bangladesh
 
The Vietnamese Embassy in Tanzania has held the 2023 Xuan Que Huong (Homeland Spring) programme to welcome the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet) festival.

Speaking at the event last weekend, Vietnamese Ambassador to Tanzania, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda, Comoros, Somalia and Burundi Nguyen Nam Tien affirmed that the Vietnamese community in Tanzania and East African countries are an inseparable part of the nation.

He wished them a New Year of happiness and prosperity.

Participants at the event enjoyed Vietnamese traditional food and music performances staged by members of the Vietnamese community living there.

A similar event was also held by the Vietnamese Embassy in Bangladesh on January 13.

Adding to the joyful atmosphere was folk dances performed by artists of the Turongomi Repertory Dance Theatre.

The event was reported by many Bangladeshi newspapers and television channels.

Cải lương play on fatherhood celebrates Lunar New Year

A new version of the 1969 cải lương (reformed opera) play on fatherhood will be staged to celebrate Tết (Lunar New Year) in HCM City.

The play, called Tuyệt Tình Ca (Love of the Father), features young artists of Trần Hữu Trang Cải Lương Theatre, a leading traditional art troupe in HCM City.

It tells the story of a father who does many things to protect his children in war.

The original version of Tuyệt Tình Ca is written by Hoa Phượng and was staged in HCM City in 1969. It featured late Meritorious Artist Út Trà Ôn as the farther and talented actresses such as People’s Artist Bạch Tuyết and Hồng Nga. The play was performed several times in the city and southern provinces.

In the new version, the play’s director and People’s Artist Trần Ngọc Giàu uses elements of modern drama to attract young audiences.

He also hired young artists Điền Trung, Thanh Thảo and Ngọc Đợi to play lead roles.

Thảo began her love for cải lương and gained lessons from her mother, veteran actress Thanh Loan of Minh Tơ Troupe, one of the region’s leading cải lương theatres in the 1950s-60s.

She has worked to create new styles in singing and dancing to lure young people back to cải lương, a 100-year-old traditional theatre of the South.

Thảo and her peers from Trần Hữu Trang Cải Lương Theatre, one of the region’s leading traditional art troupes, are also preparing a series of new shows to entertain audiences during Tết, which begins January 22.

They will travel to perform in the rural districts of Cần Giờ, Bình Chánh, Nhà Bè and Củ Chi.

Free shows at an outdoor stage located in cultural houses for rural residents will be offered from January 24 to February 5 at the Trần Hữu Trang Cải Lương Theatre, 136Đ Trần Hưng Đạo Street, District 1. Tickets are available at the box office. 

Three die, 20 others injured in Hoa Binh traffic accident

Three people have died and 20 others were injured when a passenger bus collided with three motorbikes in the northern province of Hoa Binh early Wednesday morning.

Three people have died and 20 others were injured when a passenger bus collided with three motorbikes in the northern province of Hoa Binh on January 18.

Police in Mai Chau District said that the tragic accident occurred on National Road 6 when the passenger bus was running from Hanoi to Son La Province.

"Initial investigations showed that the coach suffered brake failure when running through Mai Chau District," the police said. "Driver Nguyen Dinh Luc, 42, failed to stop it and hit three motorbikes carrying six people. The bus only stopped after hitting a barrier and tilted."

Police reports said that three of six people on the three motorbikes had died on the spot. They were travelling home for Tet holiday when the accident happened. Around 20 others on the bus and motorbikes were injured and had been sent to hospital.