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After considering several solutions to expand its headquarters, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has decided to take up a proposal by U.S. architecture firm Gensler, which will not demolish a 130-year-building in downtown Saigon, but build on it. The city's Department of Planning and Architecture will work with the American firm to come up with the most feasible plan, the administration recently announced. This 130-year-old French colonial structure adjacent to the iconic Ben Thanh Market is the second oldest building in Saigon. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran. The department had proposed earlier that the city’s People's Committee invites international experts to make detailed plans on preserving the old building, which faced the threat of demolition as part of a proposed expansion plan for the city’s People’s Committee headquarters. In their petition, experts and other signatories had dismissed the argument that the building not being part of an official … [Read more...] about 130-year-old building to serve as ‘tradition house’ for HCMC administration

The Government's Advisory Council for Administrative Procedure Reform and the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham) on December 12 held a high-profile dialogue conference on improving investment and trade environment in Vietnam. At the conference, Minister and Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung emphasized that in order to create favorable condition for enterprises to invest and do business in Vietnam, the Government has been drastic in instruction and administration of socio-economic development of the country, of which, it has strongly promoted reform of administrative procedures, improved business environment, fortified national competitiveness and timely solved difficulties and entanglements for enterprises. Mr. Nicolas Audier, chairman of EuroCham, said that Vietnamese Government has been serious in building attractive and open investment and trade environment. This dialogue is a positive signal at crucial moment in the process of ratifying the EU-Vietnam … [Read more...] about Vietnam aims to build attractive, open investment environment

NEC will design, manufacture and train Vietnamese staff at a satellite making facility in Japan, then transfer the technology to Vietnam, officials said at the contract signing ceremony Friday. The earth observation satellite LOTUSat-1, set to be launched in 2023, is estimated to cost $184 million, with the majority of funding coming from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Weighing 600 kilograms, the satellite will be able to detect objects with widths of a meter wide on earth. It will gather information expected to help minimize the impacts of natural disasters such as storms that hit Vietnam every year. The satellite is part of the Vietnam National Space Center, the country's largest science project approved by the government in 2009. … [Read more...] about Japanese firms to build Vietnam’s weather satellite

The National Election Committee of Cambodia on August 15 announced the results of the general election held on July 29. The CPP won all 125 parliamentary seats. Sok Eysan said relations between Vietnam and Cambodia are traditional and have gone through ups and downs over the years. Meanwhile, opposition and reactionary forces with insular nationalism are still seeking ways to rekindle some issues between the two countries. Such acts won’t drive a wedge between the nations, he stressed. He added the CPP defines the Vietnam-Cambodia friendship as strategic relations with long-standing fraternity. It will continue enhancing these ties to make them long-term and sustainable relations. Spokesman of the Cambodian People’s Party Sok Eysan Regarding the election, the spokesman said the CPP won a big victory after overcoming all difficulties, obstacles and sabotage of overseas opposition forces. It considered the win a great triumph of the Cambodian people. The … [Read more...] about New Cambodian gov’t to keep building ties with Vietnam: CPP spokesman

A bird’s eye view of Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province. Khanh Hoa People’s Committee is seeking more rigorous inspections of hotel ratings. Accordingly, the provincial Department of Tourism will carry out inspections and find a way to deal with hotels which advertise star ratings despite not yet being officially rated. The Department of Finance will check ratings and price listings to ensure service quality matches the prices offered to customers. The department said its initial inspection of ten hotels advertised to have from two to five star standards found that only half of them actually hold the advertised rating. Hotels found to be misleading customers would be named on the websites of the provincial Department of Tourism and the Nha Trang-Khanh Hoa Tourism Association. Statistics showed tourist arrivals to Khanh Hoa Province totalled more than 5.8 million from January to November, an increase of 114 per cent over the same period last year. Foreign tourist arrivals saw … [Read more...] about Khanh Hoa tightens hotel rating