by Nguyễn Mỹ HàTucked away on the small street of Bát Đàn in the Old Quarter, VeJo grew from a tiny fine dining option to address health-conscious diners. Even the nuts, cashew nuts in particular, have been sourced from the orchards with the oldest trees in Bình Phước Province, which bring the world's best cashew nuts. "At VeJo, our team works towards convincing meat eaters that going veggie is not that hard," Thái Thanh Thủy, the owner of Vejo, told Việt Nam News. When you try VeJo for the first time, it's wise to try the set menu, as it has all the best-selling options, but bite-size. Well-located in the heart of the Old Quarter, VeJo offers the best dishes made with fresh ingredients from certified local farms.

It's not difficult nowadays to find fidelity testing services, typically costing up to several million đồng, for lovers or spouses on social media. Interestingly, Thanh once used a fidelity test and, fortunately, her boyfriend did not respond to the service provider who had persistently sent messages for a week. I once saw a particularly famous and somewhat notorious case where the service provider even had to help the customer set up a rendezvous with her husband at a hotel for a face-off. According to A.Q., a “fidelity test” service provider, most customers are women aged between 16 and 28 who want to test their male partners. In my opinion, the popularity of fidelity testing services on platforms like TikTok reflects a deeper societal trend, one of increasing doubt and insecurity in modern relationships.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in the first eight months of this year, Vietnam’s revenue from vegetable and fruit exports reached 3.45 billion USD, up nearly 60% year-on-year. China continues to be Vietnam’s primary destination for vegetable and fruit exports, accounting for 65% of the total revenue. The Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association highlights the significant potential for Vietnamese fruits, such as durian and jackfruit, to enter the Chinese market, as these tropical fruits cannot be cultivated to the same quality standards within China. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development projects that if the current growth trajectory is sustained, Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable exports could reach a remarkable 5 billion USD in 2023, surpassing the target two years ahead of schedule./.

Typical tourism products vary from resort, swimming combined with MICE (Meeting Incentive Conference Event), sports and mountain climbing, water sports to eco-tourism. For tourism products, there are currently 27 investment projects on a total area of 631.46 hectares. Attention has also been paid to upgrading infrastructure, developing high-quality products with competitive prices, building new tours and tourism products, and diversifying tourism activities. Attention has also been paid to upgrading infrastructure, developing high-quality products with competitive prices, building new tours and tourism products, and diversifying tourism activities. Over one million international tourists visited the country by road, making up 11.8% of the total and up 4.9-fold on-year.

The special customer who took the 6 millionth ride is Mr. Nguyen Thai Duong in Ho Chi Minh City. Sharing her joy, the 6 millionth customer, Mr. Nguyen Thai Duong said: “I am a frequent customer of Green SM because it provides not only a nice and clean vehicle but also professional and well-trained drivers. The difference of Green SM is not only in its "5-star" service standards but also in its practical contribution to the environment. Additionally, Green SM is also proud to contribute 1,000 VND per electric taxi trip and 100 VND per electric motorbike trip to the “For Green Future” Foundation, established by Vingroup. To date, Green SM has contributed nearly 4 billion VND to the Foundation for environmental protection activities and creating a sustainable future in Vietnam.

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Health has submitted to the Government a proposal to declare the end of the COVID-19 pandemic as a group A disease and abolish a number of pandemic prevention measures. According to the ministry, for more than three years of COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control, the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, the National Assembly, the Government and the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Health and other ministries, branches and localities have issued several regulations guiding pandemic prevention and control activities. The ministry said that it has carried out procedures to adjust acute respiratory infections caused by a new strain of coronavirus from a Group A infectious disease to a Group B infectious disease. The ministry has also developed a plan for control, supervision and treatment instructions related to the COVID-19 pandemic for localities to implement when declaring the end of the COVID-19 group A pandemic. The ministry also proposed abolishing a number of measures on COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control issued by the National Steering Committee for Pandemic Prevention and Control and the Prime Minister.

Foreign tourists visit Hoa Lo Prison relic site in Hanoi. (Photo: VNA)Foreigners visit Ho Chi Minh City's Post Office. (Photo: VNA)– Around 8.9 million foreign tourists travelled to Vietnam in the first nine months of this year, a 4.7-fold increase compared to the figure of the same period last year, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).However, the figure was equal to 69% of the number in the same period of 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out.In September alone, the country welcomed more than 1 million foreign visitors, down 13.4% month-on-month.In the January-September period, 87.5% of foreign tourists chose to travel to Vietnam by air, 11.8% by road, and the remainders by sea.Revenue from accommodation and catering services in this period rose by 16%, and earnings from travel and tourism services surged by 47.7% year-on-year.Australia’s Micenet Magazine recently assessed the central region of Vietnam as a new "hot" spot for MICE tourism.In its article, the magazine wrote: “Central Vietnam is coming into its own as more international and domestic flights serve Da Nang, which is growing as a destination for conferences, meetings and incentive events. Its location between two UNESCO world heritage sites – Hoi An, 30km southeast, and Hue, 100km northwest – also helps”.There is a wide choice of luxury and five-star international and local brand hotels in the city and along a 60km stretch of beach, it added./.

In the Vietnamese market, the VinFast VF 6 comes with 2 trims: Base and Plus. The base trim starts at 675 million VND (excluding battery) or 765 million VND (including battery), while the plus trim starts at 765 million VND (excluding battery) or 855 million VND (including battery). The delivery of the VinFast VF 6 models to Vietnamese customers is expected to commence by the end of 2023. VF 6 is the next strategic model in VinFast's electric vehicle lineup, after VF e34, VF 8, VF 9, and VF 5. VinFast VF 6 has a length of 4,238mm, a width of 1,820mm, a height of 1,594mm, and a wheelbase of 2,730mm.

Thai Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya presented the SEA Write Award to writer Vinh Quyen. — Photo laodong.vnPrior to the SEA Write Award, Inside Infinity won the second prize in the Novel Competition 2016-19 of the Việt Nam Writers Association. "Thai Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya, on behalf of her father, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, awarded The SEA Write Award to me. The SEA Write Award. The SEA Write Award, also known as the Southeast Asian Writers Award, is an annual literary prize that recognises outstanding works of literature by Southeast Asian writers.

From 29 September 2023, customers in Ho Chi Minh City can conveniently book and use the Green SM Bike’s electric scooter ride-hailing service through the Green SM mobile application. The VinFast Feliz S model will be used for the Green SM Bike’s electric scooter fleet, showcasing the distinctive Cyan Blue paint. Echoing Green SM’s core values, Green SM Bike also commits to providing its passengers with an outstanding service experience through a team of friendly, well-trained, and professional drivers. Specifically, for every completed ride, Green SM Bike will contribute VND100, while Green SM’s taxi will allocate VND1,000 to the Foundation. For more information about Green SM Bike, Green SM, and Green SM Luxury Taxi services, customers can visit Green SM’s official website or download the Green SM mobile application from App Store and Google Play.

A foreign-invested footwear material factory in Thuan An city, Binh Duong province (Photo: VNA)– Many foreign press agencies have run articles featuring Vietnam’s economic growth , pointing to rosy signs in its recovery.French wire service AFP cited statistics by the General Statistics Office (GSO) showing the economy grew 5.33% in the July-September period from a year earlier, and that loan interest rate reductions, an extension of tax payments and increased public investment had a positive impact.Nikkei Asia also said the growth was accelerated thanks to tourism, noting “the services sector helped boost economic output during the three months through September, driven mainly by retail and tourism. The sector is estimated to account for about 40% of Vietnam's GDP.”“Travelers returned to popular destinations like the central city of Da Nang, with the number of foreign visitors entering the country from July to August reaching 2.25 million, already exceeding 1.27 million in July-September last year.”Recent official economic data shows that the manufacturing sector is recovering, it said, adding that the monthly industrial production index turned positive in May and marked the fifth consecutive month of expansion in September.China’s Xinhua News Agency also cited official data showing Vietnam attracted nearly 20.21 billion USD in foreign direct investment (FDI) from the start of this year to September 20, a year-on-year growth of 7.7%.The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said in its Asian Development Outlook (ADO) September 2023 that Vietnam’s economic growth is expected to slow down to 5.8% in 2023 mainly due to “the weak external environment.”However, its Country Director for Vietnam Shantanu Chakraborty said the economy remains resilient, and recovery is expected to pick up in the near term, driven by strong domestic consumption, which is supported by moderate inflation, an acceleration of public investment, and improved trade activities./.

- On the back of the newly-signed Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and the US, American exporters are setting their sights on delivering a wider range of agricultural products to Vietnamese consumers. Other products such as grapes and cherries were also gaining popularity among Vietnamese consumers.He expected that the upgraded relationship would facilitate the entry of more American fruits into Vietnam in the years to come. Vietnam ese consumers purchase sorghum mostly in the form of mixed ingredients. There is no data about sorghum import as a single ingredient, but what is known is that sorghum products were gaining favour in the country. "Sorghum is what Vietnamese consumers need for their healthy eating pattern," said Giang.Le Van Anh Tu, a representative of the US Meat Export Federation, said Vietnamese consumers had a great appetite for American tri-tip beef.

A street in Vientiane capital of Laos. (Photo: AFP/VNA)– The Asian Development Bank ADB ) has revised down its growth forecast for the Lao economy in 2023 to 3.7%, from a 4.0% projection released in April.According to the Asian Development Outlook (ADO) September 2023, economic growth in Laos is forecast to be slower than expected due to weaker growth prospects in China, and macroeconomic pressures arising from unsustainable public debt and a weak Lao currency, the kip.The 2024 growth forecast was kept at 4.0%.Curbing inflation is among the main challenges to Laos . Though inflation decelerated in August to stand at 25.88%, down from 28.64% in June and 27.8% in July, the rate is still among the highest in the region. The Lao Statistics Bureau said the weak kip is one of the main drivers of inflation.Lao media cited ADB Country Director for Laos Sonomi Tanaka as saying that sound macro-economic management, including stronger coordination across fiscal and monetary policies, is urgently needed to address the country’s economic and financial challenges./.

Two more State-run commercial banks - Vietinbank and BIDV - lowered their deposit rates on September 19 to match the lowest level during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both cut their rates by 0.2 or 0.3 percentage point on deposits with a term of three months or longer. The rate for deposits with a 12-month term was also lowered by 0.3 percentage point to 5.5% per annum. For one-month and two-month deposits, the rate remains at 3%. These rates are similar to those of Vietcombank and Agribank, which were revised downwards on September 14./.

Military medical workers practice resuscitating injured engineers while performing the task of clearing bombs, mines and explosives at refugee camps. (Photo: qdnd.vn)Sen. Lieut. Gen Phung Si Tan (first, left), Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army, chairs the programme. (Photo: VNA)– The hosting of the Competency Evaluation Programme for Prospective United Nations Peacekeepers (CEPPP), an activity under the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) Experts’ Working Group on Peacekeeping Operations (PKO-EWG) Cycle 4, aimed to continue affirming the role and responsibility of Vietnam in preparing for and joining UN peacekeeping missions, according to Sen. Lieut. Vietnam’s efforts and performance in preparing for and organising the event have been hailed by the co-host Japan and the ADMM-Plus member countries, he added./.