(Photo: TasteAtlasHanoi (VNA) - Four Vietnamese dishes have made the list of "67 Best Chicken Dishes in Asia" compiled by cuisine magazine TasteAtlas. Lemongrass chicken, chicken curry, shredded chicken salad, and boiled chicken were at the 34th, 40th, 59th, and 61st places, respectively, in the list. Vietnamese chicken curry is an adaptation of the Indian variety, and the meat is cooked with potato, carrot, onion, garlic, coconut milk, chicken broth, and flavoring like lemongrass, fish sauce, bay leaf, and curry powder. Boiled chicken involves cooking a whole chicken with ginger, salt, scallion, and turmeric powder, giving it a golden appearance. The top five chicken dishes in Asia are Korean fried chicken, Indian butter chicken and tikka (boneless chicken roasted over charcoal in the traditional cylindrical clay oven), Indonesian ayam goreng (fried chicken seasoned with spices), and crispy fried chicken of Guangdong (China) which is a traditional dish of the Cantonese cuisine./.

Scanning QR Code for payment (Photo: VNA)Staff at Binh Phuoc province Smart Monitoring and Operations Centre. (Photo: VNA)VNA- Ho Chi Minh City will implement different measures to promote the digital economy , with the goal that it will contribute 20% to the city’s gross regional domestic product (GRDP) by 2025, and 40% by 2030.In 2021, for the first time, Ho Chi Minh City assessed the contribution of the digital economy to its GRDP from a scientific research perspective, at 15.38% (excluding e-commerce and sharing economy). The figure was estimated at 18.66% in 2022, and is expected to reach 22% in 2024.Lam Dinh Thang, Director of the municipal Department of Information and Communications, said that the Politburo’s Resolution 31/2022 assigned the city the task of becoming the flagship center to lead the nation into a digital economy by 2030.The city has proactively carried out measures to promote the digital economy. It has also integrated solutions into digital economic development targets in the municipal Party Committee's resolutions and the city's annual socioeconomic development programme, said Thang.Currently, Ho Chi Minh City is developing digital infrastructure, promoting non-cash payments in many fields, especially administrative procedures, education, health care, and transportation.However, awareness in many places, many levels, and many sectors is still insufficient. Measurement methods and tools are not consistent, and policies and resources to support small and medium-sized enterprises are lacking, Thang pointed out.Ha Than, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Computer Association, proposed the city consider choosing priority economic sectors to focus on digital transformation, and have a roadmap for digital transformation to help the public gain more experience on digital economic and digital administration.Meanwhile, Professor-Dr. Tran Minh Tuan, Director of the Department of Digital Economy and Digital Society under the Ministry of Information and Communications, advised the city to promote digital economic development in key areas such as processing, manufacturing, garment and textiles, logistics, agriculture and services.According to the Director of the municipal Department of Information and Communications, to promote the digital economy, since the beginning of 2024, the city has implemented measures and policies to support small- and medium-sized enterprises, business households and individuals through training and consulting activities, and assisting the use of digital platforms at low prices.The city focuses on supporting and encouraging digital technology businesses to develop further, creating motivation to promote enterprises in different economic sectors to speed up digital transformation, developing new production and business models based on digital technology platforms, and improving the investment environment and operations at the hi-tech park, added Thang./.

ASEAN School GamesĐÀ NẴNG — The 13th ASEAN Schools Games will be held from May 31 to June 9 in Đà Nẵng. It will be the second time that the Games is taking place in Đà Nẵng. At a Chef de Mission Meeting was held recently, the organising board reported on the preparations for the Games, checked competition venues and hotels along with discussing and approving regulations. Trần Chí Cường, deputy chairman of the Đà Nẵng People's Committee, said: "Đà Nẵng is one of the leading cultural, tourism and sports centres in Việt Nam. It is an honour for the city and local residents to be chosen as the venue for the Games.

Currently, Việt Nam is Canada's largest trading partner in ASEAN and this country's seventh largest import partner after the US, mainland China, South Korea, Japan, the Netherlands and Hong Kong. Statistics compiled by the Việt Nam Customs and the Việt Nam Trade Office in Canada indicated that Vietnamese exports to Canada dropped by 11.3 per cent to over US$5.6 billion compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, Canada exported goods worth $620 million to the Vietnamese market last year, down 12.7 per cent on-year. According to the office, Vietnamese items that would see good export growth included footwear, leather products and hats. In addition, it would also concentrate on supporting Vietnamese micro and small food producers to participate in trade fairs in Canada while promoting their cooperation with overseas Vietnamese businesses.

Hà underscored that 2023 marked the first year the Politburo’s Resolution No. According to Hà, Việt Nam also made significant contributions to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the 14th AIPA Caucus Meeting and the 9th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians. These efforts contributed to elevating diplomatic activities as a highlight in the overall achievements of the country. Looking ahead to 2024, it is imperative for the Party and the State, particularly the NA, to actively and proactively implement the frameworks of relations established in 2023, Hà said. This approach, he said, is vital for fostering an environment of peace and stability conducive to national development and the fulfilment of objectives set forth by the 13th National Party Congress.

This is the first unit of the mobile police force tasked with training for counter-terrorism and armed rebellion tasks. Colonel Triệu Văn Minh, director of the Centre, said that the three female soldiers all enlisted in February 2022, having previously served in special police units. The female soldiers were hit by the AK rifles on their backs, slipped from trees due to the slick oil on fresh leaves, and fell and got tangled in barbed wire. The hobbies of the three women after training hours are martial arts, karate, volleyball, and soccer with male teammates. Mơ said: "Female counter-terrorism soldiers have to be sun-tanned, strong and fit.

Vietnam – active UNESCO member of enormous potentials, valuable experiencesUNESCO Representative to Vietnam Jonathan Wallace Baker has highlighted Vietnam’s remarkable achievements at the organisation last year as evidence of its active participation, enormous potentials, and valuable experiences. On the occasion of the New Year 2024 and Vietnamese traditional Lunar New Year celebration, he wished Vietnamese people good health, peace and prosperity. Because they have chosen a future career related to the Vietnamese language, learning about Vietnamese culture is something that Russian students are very interested in. The show depicts beautiful stories and images of the Dragon symbol in Vietnamese culture and the famous scenic spots of the capital city Hanoi. All passengers were given Tet gifts including conical hats and some local traditional Tet foods.

In Thailand (Photo: VNA)Bangkok (VNA) – Thailand's tourism industry saw a strong start to 2024 with nearly 4 million foreign arrivals in January, the government’s spokesperson Chai Wacharonke said on February 10. Thailand welcomed 128,969 foreign visitors on February 8, two days ahead of the Lunar New Year. As of the same day, visitors from China topped the list with 730,747, followed by travellers from Malaysia (419,116), Russia (275,641), India (209,431) and Laos (130,551). Factors contributing to the huge increase in Thailand’s travel could be the need to travel after outbreak restrictions have been lifted in China, and the Thai Government’s free visa policy, said Chai. Apart from attracting visitors from China, the Thai Government has been building positive relations with ASEAN members to promote mutual tourism in the region.

HÀ NỘI — Traditional industrial zones are gradually losing their competitive edge and being replaced by industrial zones that prioritise green and sustainable elements, making them more appealing to investors, said experts. The development of green industrial zones involves participating in cleaner production practices and minimising negative environmental impacts, with the aim of achieving zero carbon emissions by 2050. Building green industrial zones to attract investment in the green industry is a prevailing global trend. With 403 operational industrial zones, promoting the development of eco-industrial zones will mobilise significant resources from the private sector to implement green industrial solutions, ensure energy security, and make a substantial contribution to Việt Nam’s climate change mitigation efforts. The simultaneous focus on constructing new eco-industrial zones and transforming traditional industrial zones into eco-industrial zones is evident.

“Despite the cuts, the real interest rate still remains positive. Not to mention, it is a safe investment channel and a widely used means of payment for everyone,” Hiếu said. Real estate to recover in H2The real estate market is also an appealing investment channel for many investors. New investment channelsNon-traditional alternative investment channels like digital currencies and investment apps have been growing popular in the last few years. This serves as a warning to everyone engaging with such apps and investing through unofficial channels,” Hiếu added.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), Phùng Đức Tiến, underscored the need for the coffee sector to invest in deep processing to increase the added value of Vietnamese coffee. This strategic move was seen as crucial to realising the ambitious target of a $6 billion export value in the coming years. This necessitated substantial investments in deep processing plants and the continuous adoption of cutting-edge processing technologies. The seafood export sector also recognised the importance of deep processing to enhance competitiveness, said industry insiders. As the Southeast Asian country aims for higher export values and sets new records in trade volume for key agricultural products in 2024, industry experts and insiders have called for greater commitment to deep processing.

Vietnamese students at the Pushkin State Russian Language Institute in Moscow have held an event to celebrate the Vietnamese Tet festival. International students eager for Vietnam's traditional Lunar New Year festivalInternational students are eager for the celebration of Vietnam's traditional Lunar New Year festival. Therefore, he really likes the Vietnamese traditional Tet holiday, with many unique traditional cultural features similar to Tet in his own country. Some four railway projects that the WB is paying attention to include the eastern belt railway project in Hanoi, the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau railway project, the Ho Chi Minh City - Can Tho railway project, and the railway traffic safety project. Currently, the Vietnam Railway Project Management Board is planning the progress and specific implementation time of each project.

HCM CITY — While Government expenditure was the main driver for the economy in 2023, local consumption will regain the spotlight in 2024, experts predicted. In a strategy report for 2024, Maybank Investment Bank forecasts steady economic recovery throughout 2024 with consumption regaining the spotlight thanks to a re-strengthening of exports, heathier household balance sheets and gradual revival of the real estate sector. “We forecast corporate earnings to grow 19.8 per cent year-on-year in fiscal year 2024 from a 3.4 per cent year-on-year drop in fiscal year 2023. Given recovery in the economy and the broader stock market, Maybank is bullish on cyclical sectors, especially consumption-related ones. “Under our base-case scenario, we like companies that can deliver solid and/or outstanding earnings growth.

Ambassador Bui Van Nghi (R) presents his credentials to Peruvian President Dina Boluarte on February 8. Expressing his honour to be the Vietnamese Ambassador to Peru, Nghi affirmed he will do his utmost to continue developing the bilateral ties between the two countries. After 10 years of operating in Peru, Bitel has accounted for 19% of the market share in the South American country. Besides providing telecommunications services, Bitel has also diversified products such as providing e-wallet services (Bipay), free OTT TV (TV360), electronic lottery (Tusami), and customer retention, especially in remote areas where travel is difficult. Bitel is committed to providing free internet services to more than 4,000 schools in Peru and universalising telecommunications services.

With the current upward trend, domestic coffee prices are likely to exceed 80,000 VND per kg soon. A surge in domestic coffee prices was attributed to the fact that traders actively purchased coffee before the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday while exporters were afraid of supply shortages like last year so they tended to buy more. The coffee output of the 2023-2034 crop in Dak Lak province is forecast to reach 580,000 tonnes, thus the coffee export volume is estimated at 330,000 tonnes. If prices stay as high as they are now and fluctuate slightly in the near future, the province's coffee export turnover could hit 900 million USD. According to the Vietnam Coffee-Cocoa Association (Vicofa), Vietnam’s coffee production in the 2023-2024 crop will be 1.6-1.7 million tonnes, lower than 1.78 million tonnes in 2022-2023./.