Foreign tourists take a photo on Nguyen Hue pedestrian street in downtown HCMCVietnam came 9th in a new ranking of the 2018 annual Expat Insider survey conducted by InterNations, jumping three spots against last year. The survey was carried out based on interviews of more than 13,000 expats from 188 countries and territories around the globe. More than four in five expats, or 81%, agreed Vietnam is undoubtedly a friendly and welcoming country with open arms while 73% found it easy to settle down in the country. Data from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) shows the number of international tourists to Vietnam during the first two months of 2018 leaped a strong 29.7% year-on-year to more than 2.8 million. The country is ranked seventh among the world’s 20 fastest-growing travel destinations, according to a report by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

Consumer confidence remains highConsumer confidence down slightly in Q3 2017 but Vietnam remains seventh most-optimistic country in the world. Despite falling 1 point to 115 points compared to the previous quarter, consumer confidence in Vietnam closed 2017 on a high note, helping the country again be ranked as the seventh most optimistic in the world, according to the latest issue of The Conference Board Global Consumer Confidence Survey, conducted in collaboration with Nielsen. And high levels of consumer confidence could be one of these advantages too.”However, Vietnamese consumers still had a strong affinity for saving. In this quarter, the top five concerns among Vietnamese consumers remained the same as in the previous quarter. Confidence scores in 2017 were consistently high in Southeast Asia region, with three out of six countries recording the highest confidence score in the world: the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam.

Carina Plaza developer escapes to hospital to evade investigationThe Carina Plaza fire brought grave difficulties to the developer Hung Thanh Co., Ltd., even the threat of bankruptcy, and the leader of the company has gone to hospital after being summoned by the police. What will these two giants do to take responsibility for the Carina Plaza fire, which killed 13 people, injured a hundred, and burnt over 150 vehicles? “We want to meet and work with Nguyen Van Tung, director of Hung Thanh, but he has been in hospital since March 25. The Ho Chi Minh City Fire Prevention Department has checked the building 22 times since it was put into operation in 2012. Policeman suspended over Carina Plaza blazeThe HCMC Fire Fighting and Prevention Department has asked its District 8 division to suspend a lieutenant from duty to facilitate an ongoing investigation of last Friday’s inferno at a Carina Plaza residential block in the district.

Danang to launch one million food safety stamps this yearDanang City authorities will distribute one million stamps at no charge for food vendors at Han market in Danang City this year in a bid to control the origin and quality of food. Chinese tourists buy dried food at Han market in DanangSpeaking to the Daily on March 28, Danang Department of Industry and Trade director Phan Van Kha said this is part of a scheme for using quick response code (QR code) stamps for improving food safety and hygiene control in Danang. Buyers can use QR scanning apps to trace the origin of products with QR code stamps. Tong Thi Kim Sen, owner of a dried food stand at Han market, said she supports the scheme and hopes it will be implemented properly and transparently. According to the Management Board of Danang Markets and Fair Exhibitions, there are 70 markets across the city at present.

Seafood export faces numerous barriersDespite strong outbound sales so far this year, Vietnam’s target of earning US$9-10 billion from seafood exports in 2018 may prove tough due to numerous technical barriers being set up in major markets, Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper reports. According to the General Department of Vietnam Customs, seafood export revenue as of mid-March 2018 reached US$1.37 billion, up 17% versus the year-ago period, making seafood one of the eight products with export revenue of over US$1 billion. Truong Dinh Hoe, secretary general of Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), said the preventively-high antidumping tariffs slapped on Vietnam’s tra fish stateside have cast a shadow on the country’s seafood exports. In addition, the European Union (EU), which overtook the U.S. as Vietnam’s largest seafood buyer in 2017 with US$1.48 billion, has also turned more reserved towards Vietnam’s seafood by issuing the yellow card. The secretary general of VASEP said it is difficult to control the quality of seafood in border trade, which may affect Vietnam’s seafood exports to this market in the future.

Illegal Vietnamese workers in Thailand in danger of arrestJust 12 Vietnamese workers have so far registered to work legally in Thailand, according to the Thai Ministry of Labour (MoL). Following the signing of an agreement on labour recruitment between the two countries, Thailand began recruiting a number of Vietnamese workers for construction and fishing jobs from September 2016 but Vietnamese workers have shown little interest in either of the fields. Sombat Nivesra, deputy director general of the MoL’s Employment Department, says that according to unofficial statistics, around 50,000 Vietnamese people are currently working in Thailand, with most of them being illegal workers who run the risk of being fined under the law of Thailand. At present, most Vietnamese workers arrive in Thailand with tourism visas and then illegally remain in the country. After that date, illegal workers will be fined in accordance with Thai regulations.

HCM City to launch smartphone tourism appHCM City plans to launch a smartphone app for tourists this June. Foreign tourists in HCM CityThe HCM City Department of Tourism and the branch of the Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) in the city on March 28 signed a co-cooperation agreement on the joint development a smartphone tourism app. The department thinks it is necessary for the city to build a smartphone app for tourists, particularly backpackers, through providing them accurate information about places, shopping centres, food services as well as hotlines of management agencies. HCM City launched a new bilingual magazine in Vietnamese and English for tourists. The city has also put into operation two information and support centres for tourists on Bach Dang Wharf and 23/9 Park.

Prime Minister: Mekong – River of cooperation and developmentPrime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has written an article entitled “Mekong – the River of cooperation and development” ahead of the sixth Greater Mekong Sub-Region Summit (GMS-6) and the 10th Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Summit (CLV-10) scheduled for March 29-31 in Hanoi. Within GMS cooperation framework, countries and development partners raised nearly 21 billion USD for socio-economic development projects in six member nations. Mekong cooperation frameworks have created dialogue channels with Mekong river basin countries and attracted financial and technical support in the use and sustainable management of Mekong River water resources from development partners. Recognizing the importance of the Mekong region, Vietnam has been participating proactively and actively in all Mekong cooperation frameworks. The country has made contributions to GMS development cooperation via holding conferences and seminars, devising important documents, and promoting initiatives and financial support.

Netherlands to help Vietnam with smart city developmentVietnam is pushing on ambitious plans to develop smart cities towards green and sustainable growth with the assistance of the Netherlands, heard a seminar jointly held by the Ministry of Construction and the Dutch Embassy in Vietnam in Hanoi on March 29. Vietnam is pushing on ambitious plans to develop smart cities towards green and sustainable growth with the assistance of the Netherlands. The Netherlands will share its successful stories in the development of smart city, airport city and living conditions with Vietnam. Meanwhile, Dutch Ambassador to Vietnam Nienke Trooster said that a smart city will experience significant changes, like the shift from fossil energy to renewable energy and self-driving cars. The urban areas contribute 70 percent of the nation’s gross domestic products (GDP).-VNA

Vietnam posts highest first-quarter GDP growth in decadeVietnam’s gross domestic product (GDP) in the first quarter of 2018 rose 7.38 percent, the highest growth rate over the past ten years, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO). In terms of economic structure, the agro-forestry-fishery sector makes up 10.34 percent of the GDP; industry and construction, 35.26 percent; and services, 43.77 percent. The processing and manufacturing industry became a spotlight of the economy in the period, with a growth rate of 13.56 percent, the highest level over the past seven years. The mining sector also posted a growth rate of 0.4 percent after sliding for two consecutive years. By March 20, 2018, credit growth hit 2.23 percent, while total payment means, up 3.23 percent, and capital mobilisation, up 2.2 percent, Lam said.

Vietnam, Belarus ink business cooperation dealsBusiness cooperation between Vietnam and Belarus will be further developed following trade deals inked between the two sides in the northern province of Hung Yen on March 29 in the presence of Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Semashko. Trucks assembled in MAZ Asia joint venture. Currently, the province is home to 11 industrial parks, accommodating over 1,700 domestic and foreign projects, he said. Hung Yen will create optimal conditions and adopt preferential policies so that Belarusian projects can become operational soon, he stressed. On the occasion, Deputy PM Semashko and his working delegation visited the factory of MAZ Asia joint venture, which is under construction in Kim Dong district.-VNA

Vietnam attracts $5.8 billion in FDI in first quarterThe flow of foreign direct investment (FDI) into Vietnam in the first quarter of 2018 witnessed a significant yearly decline of 25 percent to 5.8 billion USD, but disbursement rose by 7.2 percent year-on-year to 3.88 billion USD. The flow of foreign direct investment (FDI) into Vietnam in the first quarter of 2018 ​experiences a significant yearly decline of 25 percent. Businesses from Hong Kong registered to pour 689 million into Vietnam, making up 11.9 percent of the country’s total FDI, while those from Singapore injected 649 million USD, equivalent to 11.2 percent of the total FDI. The third largest recipient of FDI was the southern province of Binh Duong with investment worth 565 million USD. To fully capitalise on the FDI capital source in the new stage, the MoPI is drafting a FDI strategy for 2018-2023.

Prime Minister receives RoK’s former Minister of Policy CoordinationPrime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc highlighted the importance of cooperation in the fields of knowledge, technical assistance and technology transfer via the Republic of Korea’s investments in Vietnam while receiving former Minister of Policy Coordination of the RoK Yoon Dae-hee in Hanoi on March 29. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) and Minister of Policy Coordination of the RoK Yoon Dae-heeThe PM said he is glad to see the former minister again and told him that the RoK has become one of the largest and most important investment and trade partner of Vietnam. He spoke highly of the RoK guest’s activities pertaining to technical assistance and the sharing of knowledge and experience. The former minister, for his part, said the Korean people are very keen to learn about bilateral cooperation with Vietnam, especially high-level meetings of the countries’ leaders. He spoke of his special attention to the knowledge-sharing programme between the two countries given it will contribute to Vietnam’s socio-economic growth.

Tourism see strong start in Q1, grows 30 percentThe tourism industry saw a strong start in 2018 as the international tourist arrivals to Vietnam reached over 4.2 million people in the first quarter of the year, an increase of 30.9 percent year on year. Foreign visitors to Vietnam reach 4.2 million people in the first quarter of 2018, up 30.9 percent year on year. According to the General Statistics Office (GSO), Vietnam welcomed more than 1.3 million visitors in March, the third consecutive month the foreign tourist arrivals exceeded a million. The continuous expansion of the tourism can be partly attributed to Vietnam’s active tourism promotion overseas since the beginning of the year. The country expects to welcome 1 million Russian guests by 2020.

Shares end three-day rally on fears of volatilityShares declined for the first time in the last four trades as investors still kept a cautious view on the market outlook amid global volatility following the US-China trade tension. The southern market index has expanded more than 4 per cent this month. On the Hà Nội Stock Exchange, the HNX-Index closed off 0.51 per cent at 131.88 points. Liquidity here also dropped to about 42 million shares worth VNĐ707 billion being traded, down 5.3 per cent in volume and 15.5 per cent in value compared with Wednesday’s figures. Asian and US stocks declined for a second day on Thursday over fears China could target a broad range of US businesses if trade spat worsens.