A woman carries her belongings as she walks through floodwaters following heavy rain in Thailand's southern province of Narathiwat on Dec. 25, 2023. (Photo: AFP/Madaree Tohlala)Bangkok (VNA) - Floods in southern Thailand have killed at least six people and affected tens of thousands of households, authorities said on December 27. The floods, which began on December 22, have hit more than 70,000 homes across the provinces of Satun, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, regional officials said. Relief teams worked by night to hand out bottled water and snacks and check buildings for damage or casualties. Some rail services in Narathiwat province, which borders Malaysia, had resumed following days of closure due to track subsidence, according to Preecha.

HÀ NỘI — The domestic SJC gold price on Tuesday morning continued its upward trajectory, reaching VNĐ80.22 million (US$3,280.05) per tael and surpassing all previous records. Currently, the price of SJC gold is nearly VNĐ19.6 million per tael higher than the global gold price. As of 11:15 a.m. in HCM City, SJC gold in HCM City was quoted at VNĐ78.9 million per tael for buying and VNĐ80 million per tael for selling. In response to the rising prices, gold trading businesses adjusted the prices of 9999 gold rings, raising them by VNĐ300,000 to VNĐ500,000 compared to earlier in the day. Notably, this price is lower than the domestic SJC gold price by approximately VNĐ19.6 million per tael and also lower than 9999 gold by VNĐ3.65 million per tael.

In particular, the 2013 Constitution can be considered the pinnacle of constitutional activities on protecting human rights in Việt Nam, affirming consistency in the issue of human rights and citizen rights mentioned in the Constitutions of 1946, 1959, 1980 and 1992. The 2013 Constitution has 120 articles, with as many as 36 articles stipulating human rights, and basic rights and obligations of citizens. Contents related to human rights are also included in other chapters of the Constitution to create the highest legal basis for all citizens to enjoy, exercise and protect their human rights. Ensuring human rights in all fieldsWith efforts to make and enforce human rights-related laws, Việt Nam has gained a lot of remarkable achievements in ensuring human rights in all aspects of social life. Actively participating in promoting human rights around the worldNot only has Việt Nam gained many achievements in ensuring human rights, it also actively and proactively contributes to promoting and protecting human rights in the region and the world.

Vietnam was one of the first 30 countries to join this important international convention on September 5, 2005. ASEAN countries cooperate to promote regional festival tourismThe Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT) under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on December 26 organised a workshop on ASEAN festival tourism. As a coordinator of the project, the VNAT proposed solutions to effectively develop festival tourism for ASEAN, including Vietnam. Recommendations were suggested for relevant parties to effectively manage and exploit festival tourism, ensuring tourism development in line with preserving and promoting cultural and heritage values. Both sides expressed their satisfaction with the coming organisation of a specific skills exam for apprentices in Vietnam.

Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnamese auto maker VinFast has announced its participation in Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2024, one of the biggest tech events in the world, taking place from January 9 - 12, 2024 in Las Vegas city, the US. At CES 2024, for the first time, VinFast will introduce its latest electric vehicle (EV) concept and the mini eSUV VF 3 to global customers. VinFast will also display its all-electric VF 9 full-size SUV which incorporates a new streaming service into the vehicle, providing CES 2024 attendees with a unique firsthand in-car experience of the new technology. Tran Mai Hoa, VinFast Global Deputy CEO of Sales and Marketing said CES is a highly influential consumer technology exhibition in technology and particularly in the EV industry. VinFast's presence at CES 2024 with new products and technology is expected to bring unique and impressive experiences to the public, affirming its commitment to a green future for everyone, she continued./.

ISCA intends to build a stronger candidate community and network by providing facilitated study sessions, mentoring sessions, candidate and alumni events. ISCA President, Mr Teo Ser Luck said: “We will support students with more enhancements to make the SCAQ programme accessible and attractive.”Why become a Chartered Accountant of Singapore (CA Singapore)? The SCAQ programme comes with a curriculum that imparts cutting-edge technical skills and weaves together elements that meet the needs of Singapore and the Asian market. These students can focus on their studies and qualification journey and pay back the SCAQ programme fees after they have started working. [2] ACRA, ‘The Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA) to administer the Singapore Chartered Accountant Qualification Programme (SCAQ) from 1 January 2024’ (19 December 2023, [1] ACRA, 'Serving the Accountancy Sector as One Entity' (1 April 2023, https://www.acra.gov.sg/announcements/serving-the-accountancy-sector-as-one-entity [2] ACRA, ‘The Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA) to administer the Singapore Chartered Accountant Qualification Programme (SCAQ) from 1 January 2024’ (19 December 2023, https://www.acra.gov.sg/news-events/news-details/id/773ISCA is looking to provide more scholarships for aspiring Chartered Accountants in universities and polytechnics, for both accountancy and non-accountancy graduates.

Some of them signalled readiness to sign memoranda of understanding with the province, committing to invest in major projects. These include onshore, nearshore, and offshore wind farms with a planned capacity of 2,000 MW and an estimated capital outlay of around 4.8 billion USD. At present, Binh Dinh province is prioritising projects aimed at bolstering key pillars of economic growth in the foreseeable future, including industries, tourism services, seaports-logistics, hi-tech agriculture and urbanisation. According to the provincial Department of Planning and Investment, the entire province has attracted 76 domestic projects valued at more than 15.2 trillion VND, and six foreign-invested ventures valued at 46.2 million USD since the beginning of this year. The province is now home to a total of 91 FDI projects, with total registered capital surpassing 1.187 billion USD./.

(Photo: VNA)– Vietnam has recorded many encouraging results amid complex and unexpected developments in the world situation in 2023. Many experts and international organisations perceived that the country remains a bright spot in the global panorama.This year, Vietnamese leaders have paid tens of visits to other countries, attended many regional and international events, and engaged in a number of bilateral meetings with important partners. In September, during US President Joe Biden ’s visit, the two countries’ relations were lifted to a comprehensive strategic partnership for peace, cooperation, and sustainable development. In November, Vietnam and Japan elevated their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia and the world during President Vo Van Thuong’s visit to the Northeast Asian country.Dr. The US is a major export market of Vietnam, and new cooperation opportunities will be opened up in various fields like education, health, climate change, security, and defence.

Videos HCM City, northwestern region welcome over 69 million visitors Ho Chi Minh City and eight provinces in the expanded northwestern region hosted 69.2 million visitors in 2023, accounting for 105% of the set target and up nearly 28% year-on-year, heard a conference held in Lao Cai province recently to review their tourism cooperation programme. Videos Deputy PM orders greater efforts in IUU fishing fight Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang has requested ministers, heads of relevant agencies, and chairpersons of the People's Committees of coastal localities to implement strategic and long-term solutions, and realise urgent tasks and priorities to have the European Commission (EC)’s "yellow card" warning against Vietnamese seafood removed as soon as possible. Videos Tra fish markets expected to recover next year It is expected that tra fish production will see a year-on-year increase of 2.8% and the harvested output in the first and second quarters of 2024 will meet demand for processing and export, insiders have said.

Tran Phu Thuan - Vice Chairman of the Vietnamese Association in Russia said the community is an inseparable part of the great national unity bloc of Vietnam. Bilateral border inspection activities between Ha Giang and Yunnan provinces aim to concretise the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Vietnam and China. Most notably, Vietnam has surpassed New Zealand and Thailand to be among the tourist destinations most visited by Australians. He subsequently served as an assistant to various foreign coaches across multiple generations of the Vietnamese national football team. Vietnam, along with Japan and Thailand, was the top choice for French vacationers during Christmas holiday, according to French daily Le Figaro.

HÀ NỘI - Investors are becoming increasingly concerned and hesitant in making investment decisions due to the current low level of market liquidity, which is at its lowest point in the past two months. Both domestic and foreign investors are exhibiting hesitancy in investing, with foreign investors gradually withdrawing capital over an extended period. The low liquidity effect becomes concerning only if stock prices experience significant declines, indicating a clear shortage of buyers. It is also anticipated to be a key factor in attracting foreign investors in the future, Phương said. The January Effect refers to a phenomenon observed in the stock market where there tends to be an upswing in stock prices during the month of January.

The experts made the recommendation because, while existing bad debts have not been resolved yet, new bad debts are estimated to surge when Circular 02/2023/TT-NHNN on debt restructuring and debt repayment postponement expires in June 2024. If including bad debts sold to the Việt Nam Asset Management Company (VAMC), the bad debt ratio of the entire banking system was 6.16 per cent. It meant, despite support, banks' bad debts were still increasing. According to Thức, many people predict that bad debt will increase in early 2024 when corporate bonds come to maturity. Economist Nguyễn Minh Phong believes that bad debts will still be under great pressure in 2024 as the debts are continuously increasing and create an overall quite large bad debt amount.

HÀ NỘI — The President's Office announced on December 25 the seven laws passed during the sixth session of the 15th National Assembly. Law on Citizen IdentityLê Quốc Hùng, Deputy Minister of Public Security, said the Law on Citizen Identity, which was passed at the NA session, has a broader scope than the Law on Citizen Identity Card introduced in 2014. The law's main objective is to improve Việt Nam's water security level, putting it on par with those of developed countries. Revised Law on Real Estate TradingThe Law on Real Estate Trading was passed to enhance the legal framework for the real estate market and legally link it with other markets, including the land rights market and the labour market. Revised Law on HousingThe Revised Law on Housing was passed to make houses and apartments more affordable for low-income people and fix the inconsistencies between the Law on Housing and other relevant legal documents.

A girl watches Christmas decorations at a community in San Carlos, California, the US. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam is one of the countries that exports the most Christmas decoration products to the US. Among its export products to the US, candles used at Christmas achieved impressive export turnover. Candles are one of the Christmas decorations that countries export to the US market, besides Christmas trees, lights and other decorations. China, Mexico and Cambodia are also on the list of countries that "dominate" the global market and supply chain for Christmas decorative items, in which shipment to the US is worth billions of dollars./.

Prof. Xuân told Việt Nam News readers about his journey to enhance the value of Vietnamese rice varieties. You have spent your whole life researching new rice varieties, creating an agricultural revolution and contributing to stabilising food security. Therefore, I focused on the IR36 rice variety, variety 5404. I asked the IRRI for the 4th-5th generation rice variety so I could breed new rice varieties myself. When we tried combining Yellow Flower Sticky rice with short-term genetic rice varieties, we found it feasible.