Vietnam starts building its first submarine rescue shipA keel laying ceremony was held on May 24 in the northeastern port city of Hai Phong to mark the building of Vietnam’s first submarine search and rescue ship. A model image of the MSSARS 9316, Vietnam’s first submarine search and rescue ship, which begins construction on Thursday in Hai Phong. (Photo: VTV)The vessel will not only serve the Vietnamese navy force in its waters, but also engage in international submarine rescue operations when the situation demands. The vessel, numbered MSSARS 9316, measures 94m long, 16m wide, and 5.85m high, with a displacement measurement reaching 4,000 tonnes. Aside from its main duty as a submarine rescue vessel, the MSSARS 9316 is also capable of underwater surveying, seafloor mapping, and serving as an ocean research vessel.

Singaporean cuisine tabled in HCM CityResidents in Ho Chi Minh City are being treated to a weekend of good food at the Singapore Food Festival that opened in the city on May 26. The two-day festival is jointly held by the Singaporean Consulate General in HCM City and the municipal Department of External Affairs to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Vietnam-Singapore diplomatic ties. Currently, Singapore is the third largest investor in Vietnam and the biggest one in HCM City, she said. The ambassador expressed her hope that through the first-ever food festival in HCM City, local residents will get a taste of special Singaporean dishes and explore the country’s “hawker” culture. Singapore has invested in more than 1,000 projects worth some 10 billion USD in HCM City, he said.

28 Hanoi students honoured as ‘Ambassadors of Reading Culture’Twenty eight students in Hanoi were honoured as being ‘Ambassadors of Reading Culture’ during the 2017-2018 school year at an awards ceremony for a writing and presentation contest held on Hanoi Book street on May 26. Hanoi students honoured as ‘Ambassadors of Reading Culture’ (Photo: thethaovanhoa.vn)The contest, the second of its kind, was launched by the city’s departments of Education and Training, Communication and Education, and Culture and Sports with an aim to promote the habit of reading among students. Nearly 60,000 students from 277 primary and secondary schools in the capital took part in the contest, for which they wrote an essay in Vietnamese or English describing their favourite books and suggesting ways to encourage others to read more. The organising board also presented 18 consolation prizes and five prizes for the five schools with the largest number of entrants. Addressing the event, the Deputy Director of Hanoi city Department of Education and Training said that the ambassadors will take part in activities to promote a love for reading at their schools and in their communities.

Poor workers burdened with expensive power ratesVietNamNet Bridge – Overwhelming heat since early May seemed to signal a harsh and long summer this year. Even on the hot days industrial zone workers staying at Hau Duong Commune, Dong Anh District only use fans to save on their electric bills. She rented a room adjacent to her company, and was irritated by the electricity price quoted by her landlord. “We have a small child, so the demand for power usage is quite big. “Companies should raise the workers’ salary to help them, and the Government should stop charging the landlords at business rates to make the power and water price for the workers cheaper,” he said.

As a result, the State budget collection in 2016-2017 far exceeded estimates by 9.3 percent and 6.3 percent respectively. Budget revenues at central level accounted for 55-56 percent of the total revenues while localities contributed 44-45 percent. The State budget spending in 2016-2017 was strictly controlled with regular expenditures reaching about 62-63 percent. Relating to the execution of financial disciplines, Dung said the National Assembly has promulgated some laws stipulating responsibilities of each budget management units. The Minister said stronger measures should be taken to tighten financial disciplines while inspection work should be intensified and wrongdoings in financial, budget and State property management strictly punished to curb the above-mentioned problems.

Minister stresses support for businesses to join supply chainsMinister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh has emphasised the need to change policies and mechanisms to encourage businesses to participate in national, regional and global supply chains. However, he said, there are only more than 1,800 businesses operating in the support industry, of which 0.32 percent of them are involved in the manufacturing and processing sector. Assistance should also be offered to domestic firms in joining supply chains, he said, adding that the quality of human resources needs to be improved to spur the support industry. Speaking on ineffective investment projects, Minister Anh said the steering committee for dealing with those projects have built plans to handle the 12 key projects. Minister Anh stressed that besides the economic aspect, another important issue is to handle law violations of individuals and units in those projects.

Sugar industry needs reformsThe sugar industry needs to restructure to compete with rivals in other countries such as Thailand, according to the Viet Nam Sugar and Sugarcane Association. Pham Hong Duong, deputy chairman of the Viet Nam Sugar and Sugarcane Association, speaks at a meeting in HCM City on Friday. Duong said the association would call on the Government to make development plans for the sugar industry. Cheap sugar smuggled in from Thailand has caused difficulties for Viet Nam’s sugar and sugarcane industry in recent years. Talking about the prospects for the sugar industry this year, he said global sugar prices have increased significantly compared to a year ago, which is a positive signal.

Vietnamese travelers making more trips to Japan, South KoreaVietNamNet Bridge - Vietnam has become the fastest-growing market for Japan and South Korea’s tourism. The Japanese tourism promotion agency has not released a report about the number of Vietnamese travelers coming in April. In early 2017, the Japan Tourism Promotion Agency and the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) signed an MOU on cooperation in tourism promotion. But the final figure may be even higher,” Ha said, adding that Vietnamese mostly go to South Korea in summer. In 2017, South Korea received 323,000 Vietnamese travelers, an increase of 28.8 percent over 2016.

High schools take advantage of application seasonIn just two weeks, 9th grade students all over the country will take part in the high school entrance exam, which is considered by many to be as important as the university entrance exam. For Vũ Thị Hoa, a resident in Thanh Xuân District, studying at a public high school is the only option for her son. On top of private classes, the total cost of a high school exam can reach extortionate amounts. Such schools include those for gifted students such as the high schools for gifted students under the Hà Nội Foreign Language College and the Hà Nội University of Science. Meanwhile, many other schools set up mock high school exams which cost between VNĐ60,000-120,000 for each subject.

Firms must know global trade policyFirms are potentially missing out on key opportunities available beyond their immediate borders by focusing on trade policy developments on a regional scale, and showing lack of awareness when it comes to the broader global trade policy environment, according to an HSBC report. For companies in Viet Nam, only 31 per cent said the EU policy environment has had a positive impact on their business, while 66 per cent saw no impact. Similarly, 74 per cent of respondents said the North-American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has had no impact on their business. The positive impact of initiatives that are ‘closer to home’, however, were more broadly recognised by the survey’s respondents. Meanwhile, 46 per cent of firms in Asia-Pacific said the CPTPP trade deal was relevant for them and 48 per cent expected it to have a positive impact on their business.

Forest products surpasses seafood in export valueThe export value of forest products from early this year until May 24 surpassed that of seafood products to become the leader in the agro, forests and seafood export group. In May, the export value stood at $663 million, reported Thoi bao Tai chinh Viet Nam (Vietnam Financial Times) newspaper. MARD also confirmed that forest product exports accounted for 22 per cent of the agricultural sector’s total export value. The forestry industry had high export value but low import value, which resulted in a trade surplus. To promote the export of forest products, MARD is currently promoting a programme of development and protection forestry.

NAPAS completes set for domestic cardsThe National Payment Corporation of Viet Nam (NAPAS) recently completed the building of a standard set for domestic cards, according to State Bank of Viet Nam (SBV). The new set is compatible with EMV standards as well as standards of international card organisations such as Visa, MasterCard, JCB and UnionPay. With the new set, SBV expects 70 million bank cards in Viet Nam, which are magnetic stripe ATM cards and can be easily hacked due to weak security features, to be replaced by chip cards with EMV standards by 2020 as planned. Earlier, international card-issuing organisations had recommended Vietnamese banks to use chip cards meeting EMV standards to increase safety amidst growing card information thefts. As a chip card costs some US$1.5-2.5, Viet Nam’s leading card-issuing banks, such as Vietcombank with 14 million cards, VietinBank (13.7 million cards), Agribank (11 million cards) and BIDV (10.4 million cards), will have to spend nearly $50 million to shift to chip cards.

Audio-visual performance 4DOORS in Hanoi tonightHeritage Space and DomDom will present “4DOORS”, the second concert of the experimental musical performance series “Beyond Sound 2018” on May 25. This time will be an audio-visual performance, a product of collaboration between Autonomicon - an international group represented by Denis Trusov, and new age artists from DomDom. The project tells about the gloomy borderline states of the human psyche, desperate situations, unbearable and existential loneliness inherent in every human being. A Hub for Experimental Music and Art, DomDom was created in 2012 as the first independent interdisciplinary center dedicated to Vietnamese experimental music and its collaboration with other art forms. Run by artist Kim Ngoc and her husband Xuan Son, DomDom has been playing an essential role in Vietnamese arts and music scenes.

New show for tourists to open in Da LatVietNamNet Bridge – The first ever entertainment show for tourists will open soon in the Central Highland city of Da Lat. Stage design of "Da Lat – A Miracle Night" show. — Photo thanhnien.vnThe new show, called “Da Lat – A Miracle Night”, is run by the CNT Company and can accommodate up to 400 people. It will be performed at the present location of April 3 Cinema, in Hoa Binh area, in downtown Da Lat. Da Lat, the capital of Lam Dong Province, is located 1,500m above sea level on the Langbian Plateau in the southern part of the Central Highlands region.

Heritage, spiritual tour of central province launchedVietNamNet Bridge – Saigontourist has launched a tour called Heritage and Spiritual Journey to the central province of Quang Tri. Con Co Island in Quang Tri Province. — VNS File PhotoThe province is renowned for its breathtaking landscapes, exotic culture, spiritual values, and friendly people. Travellers from HCM City will land in Hue City, visit the Imperial Citadel and enjoy Hue specialties before going to the neighbouring Quang Tri Province. On the first day in Quang Tri they will visit the ancient citadel built in 1827 by King Minh Mang.