Flight connecting Cambodia to Khanh Hoa via China debutsCam Ranh International Airport in Khanh Hoa province, central Vietnam, on December 29 welcomed the first flight conducted by Cambodia Airways, transiting China. The second edition is jointly organised by the Hanoi People's Committee, Vietnam Athletics Federation (VAF) and Vietcontent under the sponsorship of Herbalife. The main event of the countdown will be the Vietnam International Half Marathon 2024 (VIHM) on January 1 at the Thien Quang Lake. She is currently practicing hard with the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra for the concert that will feature famous symphonies from Italy, France, Germany, and Austria. Tourism authority orders to throw the book on violatorsThe Vietnam National Authority of Tourism ordered to throw the book on those who committed violating deeds to the country’s tourism.

HÀ NỘI — The Vietnam News Agency has selected the top ten noteworthy events that shaped the country's economic landscape in the year 2023. Factors contributing to the country's economic recovery include record-breaking exports, public investment disbursement efforts, the highest FDI since 2020, and a rebound in domestic services. Major media outlets have acknowledged Việt Nam's growth efforts, positioning it as an attractive trade partner and investment destination. Record public investment disbursementThe country's public investment disbursement is estimated to reach an unprecedented value of over VNĐ461 trillion (US$19 billion), the highest to date. At the peak of the crisis, 106 out of 281 motor vehicle registration centres across the country were forced to suspend operations.

HÀ NỘI Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính on December 30 chaired an annual dialogue with farmers nationwide, with its theme highlighting farmers’ central role in the development of agriculture, rural economy, and green, sustainable new-style rural areas. He noted that agricultural development still follows a production-oriented mindset rather than transitioning to an economic mindset. There are also shortcomings in rural development planning, environmental pollution issues, and new challenges in rural security and order. PM Chính called for the enhancement of the patriotic spirit, self-reliance, and political position of Vietnamese farmers regarding innovation and international integration. He urged sectors and localities to fully understand the role of farmers, improve the quality of training and consultancy services offered to farmers and rural labourers in production and business, and step up digital transformation in agriculture.

Fruit is one of the key currency earners of Thailand. (Photo: VNA)Bangkok (VNA) – Thai Deputy Minister of Commerce Napintorn Srisunpang has said Thai fruit exports will face more challenges in the future, especially in China’s market, due to greater competition. In the first 10 months of this year, Thailand exported 1.74 million tonnes of fruits, up 12.7% year on year. The top five exported fruits were durian (965,284 tonnes), longan (274,064 tonnes), mangosteen (245,049 tonnes), mango (104,154 tonnes) and pineapple (36,618 tonnes). The General Administration of Customs China has allowed Thailand to export 22 fruits, including tamarind, custard apple, papaya, star fruit, guava, rambutan, longkong, sapodilla, passion fruit, mandarin orange, orange, pomelo, pineapple, banana, coconut, jackfruit, longan, durian, mango, lychee, mangosteen and rose apple./.

Speaking to the Vietnam News Agency about the role of cultural diplomacy in Malaysia, the ambassador said that cultural diplomacy is one of the three pillars of Vietnam's comprehensive diplomacy during the integration period. “Cultural diplomacy is an effective measure in enhancing Vietnamese cultural values, promoting the national image, thereby expanding Vietnam's soft power”, the ambassador said. Cultural diplomacy creates a premise to promote trade and economic development, and in return economic and trade are important resources to strongly deploy cultural diplomacy abroad, he said. Directions by the Party leader has served as a loadstar for the Vietnamese diplomacy to implement tasks in the current tenure, said the FM. He made the suggestion at a reception on December 29 for Lao Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ting Souksanh, who led a LCOL delegation to visit Vietnam.

By Thúy HằngLeaving Hà Nội on a winter day for a short trip to Quảng Nam, I never imagined a working trip would be so busy with an agenda filled with… leisure and eating. It's no exaggeration to say that Hoiana Resort & Golf is a foodies’ paradise. However, the massive colonial-styled clubhouse at the Hoiana Shores Golf Club and the 1552 Bistro with its classic wood and leather furnishings, were a real hit. Named after the year of establishment of the world’s oldest golf course, the Old Course at St Andrews in Scotland, the 1552 Bistro features the regal yet distinct style of a Scottish clubhouse. For the main course, we were served mỳ Quảng, a widely popular noodle dish originating from Quảng Nam Province.

HÀ NỘI The central bank has warned people to take caution when trading gold amid the strong fluctuations of the precious metal. Đào Xuân Tuấn, Director of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV)’s Department of Foreign Exchange Management, noted that the bank has prepared measures to stabilise the domestic gold market, referring to the increase of SJC-branded gold bullion supply. It will continue coordinating with the Ministry of Public Security and other relevant ministries and agencies to intensify inspections over gold business, Tuấn continued. Given this, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính has issued a dispatch asking for measures to strengthen the management of the domestic gold market. He ordered relevant agencies to work with the SBV to immediately roll out measures to strictly handle violations, especially smuggling, manipulation and speculation, ensuring a stable, transparent, safe, healthy and effective domestic gold market.

It forecasts that Vietnam will move swiftly up the WELT rankings, from 34th position in 2023 to 24th in 2033 and 21st in 2038 while the Philippines will reach 23rd place by 2038. It emphasised that both countries have demonstrated significant progress and are expected to climb 10 and 13 positions, respectively, by 2038, with full opportunities to join the top 25 economies in the world. CEBR also forecast a positive outlook for Vietnam over the next 15 years. With its population advantage, the country can likely achieve its goal of becoming a high-income country by 2045. With a large and relatively young population, Vietnam has a chance to surpass most countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), behind only Indonesia, to be among the world’s top 25 economies by 2038./.

HÀ NỘI — Several car manufacturers in the Việt Nam market have issued recalls to address various issues in their vehicles in 2023. The recall included 1,256 Everest vehicles manufactured between November 24, 2021, and February 3, 2023, which were equipped with faulty engine control module software. Additionally, 1,967 Explorer vehicles were recalled due to an error with the 360-degree camera display screen. Ford dealers offered free repairs for the affected vehicles, with the recall starting on August 31 for Everest vehicles and September 5 for Explorer vehicles. The second recall involved 651 Mercedes-Benz GLC (X254) cars manufactured in Việt Nam between November 2022 and May 2023, with 517 vehicles already delivered.

According to the ministry, the 2023’s national digital transformation campaign with the dual goal of developing the digital government, digital economy, and digital society, as well as fostering the growth of strong digital technology enterprises in Việt Nam has achieved positive results. In the postal sector, Việt Nam witnessed the explosion of e-commerce, contributing to driving the digital economy. Digital technology revenue reached $142 billion, with Việt Nam accounting for 28.7 per cent of the total value. The Deputy Prime Minister emphasised that bridging the gap with developed countries could only be achieved through science, technology, digital transformation, and innovation. However, he also pointed out that one of the biggest obstacles to digital transformation was the institutional and policy framework.

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam’s stock market concluded the last session of 2023 in a quiet atmosphere without a clear direction for 2024. On the Hồ Chí Minh Stock Exchange, the VN-Index increased by just one point, or 0.1 per cent, to close at 1,130 points. Thus, from the starting point of 1,007 points, the southern bourse’s index leapt 12.3 per cent. Meanwhile, HNX-Index on the Hà Nội Stock Exchange decreased slightly by 0.13 per cent to end at 231 points. Despite recording an impressive increase, for many investors, 2023 continues to be a difficult year, with many investors even suffering heavy losses.

"We're going to use the flowers and bonsai trees to decorate a flower street near the Binh Dong Wharf. In particular, the number of foreign visitors to Da Lat city this year increased sharply, of which Korean visitors accounted for 80%. With more than VNĐ12 trillion (US$493.8 million) allocated from the State budget, the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) has funded the operations of the National Foundation for Science and Technology and the National Technology Innovation Fund. Science and technology development funds at the local level also garnered more attention, nurturing an important resource for technology research and development among companies for their business and production activities. In 2023, the sector achieved breakthroughs in the development of transportation infrastructure with 26 projects initiated and 20 projects completed.

Poverty rate in impoverished districts went down by over 5.6 percentage points to approximately 33%, and that in ethnic minority areas dropped to nearly 18%, meeting targets set by the National Assembly and the Government. According to the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, 2024 is a crucial year in striving towards targets set by the National Target Program on Poverty Reduction, for the 2021-2025 period. It is also the time to propose medium-term public investment plans, and poverty standards and poverty reduction directions, for the 2026-2030 period. To further reduce the rate of poverty, the ministry asked the national office for poverty reduction to take concerted measures to mobilize resources for the work in the coming time./.

About 12.6 million international tourists have visited Vietnam this year, a 3.4-fold rise from 2022, surpassing the target of 8 million set earlier, the General Statistics Office ( GSO ) reported on December 29.The yearly figure, however, is equivalent to only 70% of the pre-pandemic level in 2019, the agency said, adding that in December alone, it stood at nearly 1.4 million, up 11.2% month-on-month, and 93.9% year-on-year.Meanwhile, some 5 million Vietnamese travelled abroad in the year, two times that in 2022. During the final month of 2023, the number was estimated at 352,100, a rise of 23.2% from the same period last year. Vietnam has won the World’s Leading Heritage Destination 2023 title of the World Travel Awards. (Photo: VNA)Revenue from lodging and catering services this year reached 673.5 trillion VND (27.77 billion USD), accounting for 10.8% of the total value and expanding by 14.7% compared to the previous year.The agency attributed the hikes to efforts by localities in developing tourism products, and cultural and sport activities, with Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Hai Phong, and Can Tho among those reporting increases in tourism revenue.The Vietnam National Authority of Tourism said the 2023 National Tourism Year , hosted by the central coastal province of Binh Thuan under the theme of “Green convergence”, has wrapped up successfully, featuring more than 200 national and international events.Binh Thuan welcomed a record number of 8.5 million holidaymakers in the year, and raked in 23 trillion VND from the sector, doubling that in 2022. It has been among the nine localities nationwide posting the highest tourism revenue, contributing to boosting the country’s tourism recovery and promoting the land and people of Vietnam to international friends.The 2024 National Tourism Year will be hosted by the northern province of Dien Bien, marking the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu victory which played a decisive role in ending the resistance war against French colonialists.With nine UNESCO-recognised heritage sites, including five cultural, three natural, and one complex heritage, Vietnam has won the World’s Leading Heritage Destination 2023 title of the World Travel Awards.This is the 4th time that Vietnam has obtained the title, as it did in 2019, 2020, and 2022./.

Beaches in Con Dao see the largest number of sea turtles come to nest and lay eggs in Vietnam, accounting for about 80%. The eighth National Congress of the Vietnam Farmers' Union yesterday held a closing session and introduced the Central Executive Committee of the Vietnam Farmers' Union for the term 2023-2028 at the Hanoi-based National Convention Center. Vietnam was among the top 10 countries in terms of the number of new mobile application downloads for two consecutive years 2022 and 2023. Vietnam ranks 46th among 132 economies featured in the Global Innovation Index 2023 rankings, up two positions from last year. In 2016, Saigon Co.op proposed the acquisition of the Big C Vietnam chain, a project approved by the HCM City People's Committee.