Tourists at a spiritual tourism site in Fansipan, Lao Cai (Photo: VNA)Seoul (VNA) – Vietnam is the most popular destination among Korean tourists this summer, according to Hana Tour, the largest travel company in the Republic of Korea. According to the data released by Hana Tour on June 12, the percentage of its customers choosing Vietnam as their preferred vacation spot is the highest at 19.9%. Last year, the booking rate for tours to Vietnam by Hana Tour accounted for 26.2%. This means that for every four Koreans who wished to travel abroad in July and August, one person chose Vietnam. Following Vietnam were Guam 10.9%, Western Europe 9%, the Philippines 8.9%, and Japan 8%./.

In the upcoming second session, the NA will focus on voting on the approval of various draft laws and resolutions. The committee is expected to give opinions on eight draft laws, including six draft laws that had been reviewed by the NA during the fourth session and two more draft laws to be passed. According to the Law on Promulgation of Legal Documents, the committee will take responsibility during the process of reviewing and amending draft laws. Also on Monday, Chairman of the Finance-Budget Committee Lê Quang Mạnh reported on several major issues regarding the amended Law on Procurement and Law on Prices. During Monday’s session, the committee also provided opinions on several major issues regarding the amended Law on Prices.

HÀ NỘI – The development of the circular economy aims to create impetus for innovation and improve labour productivity, contributing to achieving economic development, environmental sustainability and social equality, according to economic experts. This was one of the many messages raised at the forum of Regulatory Sandbox for Circular Economy Development. Accordingly, an important task to soon concretise these orientations is to issue a decree on a pilot mechanism for circular economy development. The formation of a solid legal basis for circular economy development will also help concretise contents of international cooperation related to the circular economy including green energy transformation and agriculture. Along with that, international cooperation plays a very important role in accessing, applying and mastering science-technology and innovation in circular economy development, Dương said.

HCM CITY — Việt Nam and Malaysia, one of Việt Nam’s most important trading partners, have set a bilateral trade target of US$18 billion by 2025. Việt Nam and Malaysia have vowed to strengthen cooperation in tourism, culture, and science and technology, among other sectors, he said. The visit by the Malaysian Prime Minister to Việt Nam last year confirmed the strategic relationship between the two countries, he added. Bilateral trade reached nearly $14.8 billion last year with Vietnamese exports to Malaysia worth $5.57 billion and imports $9.1 billion. The two countries are also members of a number of new-generation free trade agreements, which help boost bilateral trade.

Addressing the event, former Malaysian Ambassador to Vietnam Azmil Zabidi emphasised that the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Malaysia is a great chance for the two countries to organise cultural exchange activities. A concert will be broadcast live on VTV1 channel of the Vietnam Television, with the participation of Vietnam’s renowned singers. Caddies to vie for golf championship next monthThe Vietnam Caddies Championship 2023 will be organised in all three regions of Việt Nam. Son spoke highly of the strong and intensive development of the enhanced strategic partnership between Vietnam and Thailand, especially in politics, diplomacy, trade and investment. Cuba prioritises cooperation with Vietnam, and facilitates the operations of Vietnamese businesses in the country, he said.

HÀ NỘI — Brazil is Việt Nam's largest trading partner in Latin America and one of the three largest markets of Việt Nam in the Americas market, according to the Việt Nam Trade Office in Brazil. Of which, Việt Nam's exports to Brazil reached more than $855 million, up 14 per cent, while Việt Nam's imports from Brazil reached $1.4 billion, down 10 per cent over the same period in 2022. The Việt Nam Trade Office in Brazil is working with partners in Santa Cruz, Bolivia's largest economic centre, to boost exports to Bolivia. Those factors have affected the production of Việt Nam and also the trade activities between Việt Nam and other countries, including Brazil. In 2022, the bilateral trade turnover between Việt Nam and Brazil reached $6.78 billion, up 6.6 per cent compared to 2021.

The volume of Vietnamese holidaymakers traveling around the country has been on the rise in conjunction with the annual peak of domestic tourism. On the opposite end, the peak time in domestic tourism is also when international tourism hits its low-season travel period. This year, Vietnam set a target to earn some 650 trillion VND from 110 million visitors, including 8 million foreigners. According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, the 4.6 million international arrivals recorded between January and May fulfill 57% of the yearly target. This coupled with a growth in the peak season of international tourism at the end of the year and policies to facilitate tourism in the near future means a possibility for the 2023 number to meet and even surpass the 8 million goal./.

HCM CITY — Yeah1 Group Corporation (YEG) is targeting revenue growth of over 35 per cent to reach VNĐ425 billion (US$18.2 million) in 2023. To reach the target, Yeah1 will continue to invest and expand their core business segment. In 2023 and the following years, Yeah1 will introduce large, attractive and impressive TV shows to Vietnamese audiences. This business is forecast to further develop in the coming time as the company has diversified digital content across platforms. Following the initial successes of its shoppertainment business, the Corporation continues to make robust investments to enhance its capabilities in the realm of shoppertainment.

For example, blood group "A+" has the D antigen, and blood group "A-" doesn’t have the D antigen. According to the Việt Nam National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion, in Việt Nam, blood group O consists of about 45 per cent of the population, blood group B about 30 per cent, blood group A about 20 per cent, and blood group AB about 5 per cent. However, despite the importance of blood donation, there is a shortage of blood supply in many countries. Do not suffer from chronic illnesses such as chronic lung disease, heart disease, hematopoietic disease, autoimmune disease, kidney disease, neurological disease, mental disease, etc. The demand for blood products in Việt Nam is increasing, and it is critical to encourage people to donate blood.

HÀ NỘI — People living or working in apartment and office buildings in Hà Nội say they feel very anxious when using elevators due to recent power outages. If the elevator door is open, people should not exit if the position does not match the floor. While waiting for outside people to come for rescue, it is possible to use hard objects such as keys to squeeze into the elevator door slot to create a gap, then using larger objects to insert into the elevator door slot, fresh air will enter into the elevator to prevent suffocation. Or the trapped person can call the police force of Fire Prevention, Fighting and Rescue at 114 to come and use special vehicles to rescue. The trapped person can contact the outside person by calling loudly, knocking on the elevator wall to signal.

Read full story - Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang has hailed Hungary for considering Vietnam a priority partner in its policy of strengthening and expanding ties with Southeast Asian nations.She made the praise while co-chairing a political consultation with Deputy State Secretary for External Economic Affairs of Hungary Bihari Katalin and holding a working session with Minister of State at the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Sztaray Péter on June 8. Read full story - A conference themed “East Sea and the Sovereignty of Vietnam” was held in Paris on June 10, attracting the participation of many Vietnamese and foreign scholars.Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang said this event is of great significance for overseas Vietnamese, especially those living in Europe, showing their affection and attachment to their homeland and their concern with major national issues. Read full story - By all means, enough vaccines must be provided to children as soon as possible, asked Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha at a working session with leaders of some ministries, sectors and localities on the purchase of vaccines for children within the expanded immunisation programme, held on June 10.He made the order amid a number of emerging problems in vaccine purchasing activities. Read full story - Teams from France and Canada on June 10 evening competed at the ongoing Da Nang International Fireworks Festival (DIFF) 2023, conquering thousands of viewers with performances under the theme “ Love without Distance”. Read full story ./.

The visit will be made at the invitation of Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, according to the document. Later, he held a working session with ministries, agencies, Vietnam Electricity (EVN), and the Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group (Vinacomin) to discuss the electricity production and supply, and coal mining and supply for electricity production. In the final match, a sole goal by Alex Bui helped the Vietnamese team successfully defend their championship title. Vietnam Festival held in OsakaThe Consulate General of Vietnam in Osaka and the Japan’s festival organisation committee on June 10 held a ceremony to launch the Vietnam Festival 2023, an activity marking the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Japan. The second Vietnamese world champion was Lê Thái Hoàng Ánh in the girls' U12 rapid chess.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Slovakia Nguyen Tuan and representatives of the Vietnamese community in Slovakia (Photo: VNA)Vietnamese Ambassador to Slovakia Nguyen Tuan (Photo: VNA)– The Slovak Government’s recognition of the Vietnamese community as the 14th ethnic minority group is of great significance, helping them have more power and act well as a bridge connecting the two countries, according to Vietnam ese Ambassador to Slovakia Nguyen Tuan.Tuan said that this is a result of continuous advocacy by the embassy and the Executive Board of the Vietnamese Association in Slovakia with the host country’s National Council, Government and relevant ministries and sectors.According to the diplomat, the Vietnamese community in Slovakia was formed more than 50 years ago when students, trainees and apprentices went to Czechoslovakia under the agreement between the two countries.When Czechoslovakia was split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1992, the Vietnamese community has maintained their contributions to Slovakia ’s development.In the coming time, the embassy will roll out plans to support the organisation of many activities such as the Vietnam Day, the ethnic minority group’s traditional festival, and festivals with other ethnic minority groups, stated Tuan.It will coordinate with the Union of Vietnamese People Associations in Europe in holding activities to unite the two Vietnamese communities in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic has also been recognised as an ethnic minority group by the host country./.

Hundreds of families living around Mount Mayon in central Albay province have been evacuated to safer areas after the Philippine Institute of Volcano logy and Seismology raised a "hazardous eruption" alarm. (Photo: AFP)Hanoi (VNA) – Philippine authorities on June 11 gave “health concern” warnings due to ash cloud and toxic gases spewing from Mayon volcano. Five years ago, the volcano displaced tens of thousands of people after spewing millions of tonnes of ash, rocks and lava. The Philippines is located in the so-called Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a region prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The country’s most powerful eruption in recent decades was Mount Pinatubo, which killed more than 800 people in 1991./.

During the period, the country's total export-import value was estimated at $262.54 billion, down 14.7 per cent year-on-year. Of which, the export turnover reached $136.17 billion while the import value was $126.37 billion, down 11.6 per cent and 17.9 per cent, respectively. In May, the customs sector only collected more than VNĐ30 trillion, marking a month-on-month decrease of 6.23 per cent. The ministry said 17 out of the 63 provinces and centrally-run cities recorded State budget revenue topping 48 per cent of this year’s targets. Meanwhile, VNĐ653.1 trillion from the State budget was spent in the period, representing 31.5 per cent of this year’s plan, and rising by 10.9 per cent year-on-year, statistics show.