Sepak TakrawHÀ NỘI — Việt Nam successfully defended its gold medal at the 2023 King's Cup Sepak Takraw World Championship on July 15 in Korat, Thailand. The team topped the women's quad (team of four) event after beating powerful Indonesia 2-0 in the final match. Last year, Việt Nam won the title after 16 years of waiting, defeating hosts Thailand in the final match. The 36th world championship was organised from July 9-16 bringing 36 teams from around the world. Việt Nam sent a team of 33 athletes to compete in all eight categories for both men and women.

The competition is open for Vietnamese individuals and organizations, and foreigners who are living and working in Vietnam. At a meeting with Sri Lankan FM Ali Sabry, the two ministers affirmed they treasure the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and Sri Lanka. Sabry urged Vietnam to support Sri Lanka to join regional economic cooperation frameworks, including the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). The minister suggested that the NYCEDC continue to support Vietnam in the socio-economic development. Minister Dung and Patrick Santillo, Vice President/CEO of BCIU, chaired the Roundtable on orientation and investment cooperation opportunities between Vietnam and the US.

By Thanh NgaThe upcoming 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup to be held in New Zealand/Australia proves that women's football is growing strongly and is loved worldwide. This highlights the rapid development and wide appeal of women's football, attracting fans from all over the world. “I think everyone is now aware that this is not just about cheering for the Women’s World Cup because it’s the right thing to do. The first FIFA Women’s World Cup was held in 1991, 61 years after the first men’s tournament in 1930. Proud of Vietnamese Women's FootballOvercoming many challenges, the Vietnamese women's football team have finally secured a place in the world’s largest sporting event in a proud and memorable way.

She is one of Việt Nam's 23 "diamond girls" to compete at the Australia/New Zealand 2023 FIFA World Cup that could change her life forever. It was also the reason that he picked the young player for the nation's historic World Cup campaign. I want to give her a chance at the World Cup as part of a plan to strengthen her abilities. I want to save her for the future of the national team. As the world governing body FIFA has promised to deliver each World Cup player at least US$30,000, Hoa will have enough cash to build her new home as she wishes.

The UNHRC also completed the procedural adoption of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) reports of 13 countries in Cycle IV. Along with Bangladesh and the Philippines, Vietnam also co-organised a thematic panel discussion on the adverse impact of climate change on the full realisation of the right to food. Earlier, the UNHRC ratified the 2023 Resolution on Climate Change and Human Rights with the theme of the adverse impact of climate change on livelihoods and its implications on human rights, which were co-sponsored by 80 countries as of July 14. It has been actively introduced by Vietnam, Bangladesh and the Philippines each year since 2014. Vietnam also affirmed its guiding principle of dialogue and cooperation, respect and understanding and human rights for all during its UNHRC membership term for 2023-2025./.

In the past a majority of Cambodian tourists visited Vietnam for medical treatment, but the pandemic has upended travel trends. Vietnam’s convenient geographical location, beautiful coastlines and attractive cuisine are among the factors that make the country appealing to Cambodian tourists. To capitalise on the potential of Cambodian tourists, the company plans to develop combined tours in Tay Ninh, a province located near the border. While there are opportunities to attract more Cambodian tourists, there are some challenges that need to be addressed, according to experts. To address these challenges and attract more Cambodian tourists, Thinh said promotion programmes had been organised in Tay Ninh province./.

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính presided over a meeting of the national COP26 Steering Committee on Friday afternoon, emphasising that green growth, energy transformation and emission reduction are inevitable, especially as Việt Nam is among the five countries most vulnerable to climate change. The national COP26 Steering Committee convened three times last year. Việt Nam also joined the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC), initiated by Japan to promote the reduction of carbon emissions and cooperation in energy transition. JETP was approved and announced by the Group of Seven (G7) and other countries, including Việt Nam, at a meeting in Belgium on December 14 last year. PM Chính added that communication activities must also be enhanced to foster determination and unified action, maintaining the momentum in implementing the country’s commitments at COP26 and in just energy transition.

Liquidity increased sharply, with more than one billion shares worth nearly VNĐ21 trillion (US$886 million) being traded, up 29 per cent in volume and 25 per cent in value compared to the previous session. Market breadth was positive as 18 out of 25 stock groups gained value as per data tracked by vietstock.vn. On the Hà Nội Stock Exchange, the HNX-Index edged up 0.1 per cent to end at 230.19 points. Nearly 110 million shares worth VNĐ1.6 trillion were traded here, up 6 per cent in volume but down 6 per cent in value compared to Thursday’s levels. Foreign traders concluded the session as net sellers in HCM City for a net value of VNĐ310 billion but they were net buyers in Hà Nội for a smaller value of VNĐ34 billion.

The export value of aquatic products hit nearly 4.2 billion USD in the first half of 2023, down over 27% year-on-year. The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers attributed the decrease to weak market demand and hikes in the prices of feed, fries and other input expenses, leading to higher production costs. Despite lower selling prices, it remains difficult to find buyers, resulting in increased inventory and escalating costs. Several markets like Japan, the Republic of Korea and Australia are still considered promising for Vietnam's products of strength. Some Southeast Asian markets are also seen as potential due to their stable economic situation, lower inflation, and geographical advantages, along with tariff benefits from free trade agreements.

Patrol boat near Da Thi island. (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam's consistent position is that the disputes in the East Sea between the parties involved need to be resolved through peaceful means in accordance with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), respecting diplomatic and legal processes, and contributing to peace and cooperation in the waters, Spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang affirmed on July 15. Hang made the remarks regarding Vietnam's standpoint on the occasion of the 7th anniversary of the Arbitral Tribunal Ruling on the East Sea. The official stated Vietnam once again reaffirms its sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) in compliance with international law, and its legitimate rights over its maritime zones established in accordance with the UNCLOS./.

“Bụi Ở Sài Gòn is part of the art book project called Em Yêu Việt Nam (I Love Việt Nam) launched by Lionbooks. The fire broke out at 8.20 am on July 13 at a forest on the Hang Den Mountain in Tam Diem City, local authorities reported. International Food Festival – Quang Nam 2023 to kick off in late AugustThe International Food Festival - Quang Nam 2023 is scheduled to take place from August 31 to September 3 in the ancient town of Hoi An in the central province of Quang Nam, according to details given by the Quang Nam provincial People's Committee. Most notably, 26 famous artisans and culinary experts from the country are expected to deliver impressive demonstration of 26 typical traditional dishes of Quang Nam at the event. Thua Thien-Hue is the only province in Vietnam and Southeast Asia to be home to five UNESCO-recognised cultural heritages.

These form the backbone of Việt Nam's electronics supporting industry. In 2021, the country reported a trade surplus of $4 billion, with the electronics industry contributing a substantial surplus of $11.5 billion. Hương said that the COVID-19 pandemic and conflicts between major economies were reshaping the global supply chain. Although there were significant improvements in recent years, such as more than 200 Vietnamese firms becoming suppliers for Samsung, the electronics supporting industry was facing considerable challenges. According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the digital transformation at Vietnamese enterprises operating in the electronics industry was happening at a low speed.

HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese producers still have a lot of work to do to gain ground in the global Halal industry, which is expanding rapidly and is expected to reach US$10 trillion in value by 2028. Specifically, merely 50 Vietnamese producers get Halal-certified annually, indicating ample room for improvement. It was also worth noting that Halal marks were not permanent and not the same across countries. Vietnamese producers would have to apply for different marks when entering different markets and re-apply for the marks when they expire. The main obstacle in the way of Vietnamese producers trying to enter Halal markets is that not many specialists in Việt Nam are trained in Halal certification.

Zing News, a popular Vietnamese online magazine owned by one of Vietnam’s foremost digital organizations VNG Corporation, announced Thursday that it will be suspending publications for three months starting on July 14. This comes after an investigation by the inspector of the Ministry of Information and Communications. Zing News stated that it will focus on rectifying its shortcomings in aligning its platform with the provisions stipulated in Decision No. This is not the first time that the Vietnamese government has imposed harsh sentences on news platforms or their personnel. In 2021, Vietnam sentenced journalist and human rights defender Pham Doan Trang to nine years in prison.

Vietnam News in Brief: Weekly Roundup July 14Vietnam Briefing keeps track of what’s happening in Vietnam’s business and economic news so that you don’t have to. A total of 48 percent of respondents to the survey said they expected their firm’s investment in Vietnam to increase. See also: Global Minimum Tax Vietnam: Progress ReportF&B newsJapan’s Shogun Burger looking to enter Vietnam marketShogun Burger, a popular burger chain headquartered in Japan, has opened its first store in Vietnam, in Ho Chi Minh City. EdTech in Vietnam is becoming increasingly popular as Vietnam’s economy grows and demands more high-skilled labor alongside growing internet penetration. See also: EdTech in Vietnam: Understanding Foreign Investment Trends in 2023To keep informed of all of the latest developments in Vietnam’s business environment, remember to subscribe to the Vietnam Briefing.