Community services places

Google offers support for Vietnam business community

July 23, 2020 by hanoitimes.vn

US-tech giant Google looks to build long-term cooperation with Vietnam.

Google, with its experience, is willing to support the development of Vietnamese enterprises and looks to build long-term cooperation with Vietnam, according to Scott Beaumont, president of Google in Asia Pacific.

President of Google in Asia Pacific Scott Beaumont. Photo: VGP.

Enterprises with high level of digitalization would grow twice as fast as others, and Google wants to help local firms master online business skills, said Scott in an online meeting with Minister – Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung on July 22.

Scott said Vietnam has been successful in mitigating negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, and this shows the world how to efficiently tackle the health crisis.

According to Scott, during the outbreak, Google had supported the Ministry of Health in providing official information and instructions to the people and businesses via YouTube.

Based on this experience, Scott said Google could cooperate with the Government Office in developing the national public service portal.

The successful implementation of the portal has been one of Vietnam’s achievements in the post-Covid-19 period, Scott added.

Under the framework of the “Vietnam Digital 4.0” program, Google is collaborating with the Ministry of Industry and Trade in providing online training for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), while assisting large scale enterprises to find new export markets.

Meanwhile, Google is working with Vietnam National Administration of Tourism to promote domestic tourism, one of the key solutions to boost Vietnam’s economic growth, Scott informed.

Minister of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung at the meeting. Photo: VGP.

At the meeting, Minister Dung said 96 days have passed without new Covid-19 cases in the community in Vietnam.

Dung said with the GDP growth of 1.81% in the first six months of 2020, Vietnam targets to reach a growth rate of 3 – 4% for this year.

Since its launch on December 9, 2019, the national public service portal has integrated 800 public services with nearly 200,000 accounts, 51 million visitors and 201,000 applications under processing.

Dung, however, said this is just a first step towards the building of e-government and is looking forward to cooperating with Google in promoting the portal.

Dung asked Google to set up a channel for the portal on YouTube for spreading the benefits of public online services for citizens and businesses.

The minister stressed the US is Vietnam’s key partner and the Vietnamese government is willing to support US firms in doing business in the country.

Local authorities are maintaining frequent communication with US companies to address their issues for more balanced trade relations, Dung informed.

Hoi An bursts with weekend visitors after Covid-19 contained

April 11, 2021 by e.vnexpress.net

During weekends, from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m, many streets of the central town are crowded with groups of visitors. On average, Hoi An attracts more than 1,000 visitors over weekends, three times more than on normal days.

The surge in tourist numbers has been credited to the country’s good handling of its latest Covid-19 outbreak that began on Jan. 28. All 13 affected localities including hotspot Hai Duong Province have passed many days without new community transmissions.

Hundreds of tourists stroll along Tran Phu Street.

Visitors cycle along Le Loi Street.

Motorbikes and cars are banned from the town center for large parts of the day – from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., making bicycles the most ideal choice for town explorations.

Hoi An has pioneered pedestrian-friendly streets since 2004, with most hotels, restaurants and homestay facilities offering bike rental services.

Many visitors prefer the tranquility of biking through narrow alleys and past yellow houses decorated with old red-tiled roofs. Rental prices range from VND20,000 to VND40,000 ($0.87 – 1.73) a day.

Pagoda Bridge is an iconic symbol of Hoi An. The bridge, built by Japanese traders in the 17th century, is a national relic that appears on VND20,000 bills.

Lan, the owner of a sweet shop on Bach Dang Street, said it has been a long time since she has served such a large number of weekend customers. In January and February, there were no customers, so she only opened her shop on weekends, though selling little.

“From March 8 till now, the number of customers has tripled, so I now keep my shop open every day to increase my income,” she said.

The ancient town is seen from above, with throngs of tourists gathering on a bridge across Hoai River where many restaurants, street food stalls and coffee shops have sprouted like mushroom along the banks.

At night, a series of boats on Hoai River are lit by lanterns, attracting many tourists to enjoy Hoi An from the water.

“Every weekend I serve a few passengers and earn more than VND200,000 ($8.8),” said Hung, a boatman, who wished for more tourists to come to Hoi An in the coming time so the local tourism industry could thrive.

Many shops in the old town remain closed in the absence of foreign tourists.

Artists perform in front of Pagoda Bridge on March 28.

The Hoai River area has become more crowded, but by mainly domestic tourists.

The number of foreign visitors to Vietnam in the first quarter fell 98.7 percent year-on-year to 48,000 with travel restrictions in place to mitigate the impacts of Covid-19.

The government has closed its borders and canceled all international flights since March 25 last year except for special cases like f oreign experts and highly-skilled workers and repatriation purposes under stringent conditions.

Japan donates medical equipment to help Hue hospital combat Covid-19

April 10, 2021 by english.thesaigontimes.vn

Japan donates medical equipment to help Hue hospital combat Covid-19

The Saigon Times

A healthcare technician checks medical equipment, which is part of a donation made by JICA worth more than US$456,000 to the Hue Central Hospital yesterday, April 9 – PHOTO: VNA

HCMC – The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) donated medical equipment to the Hue Central Hospital in the central province of Thua Thien Hue on April 9 to support the hospital combat the Covid-19 pandemic.

The equipment included an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine, a mobile digital X-ray machine and a color Doppler ultrasound machine, which have a combined value of 50 million yen (over US$456,000), according to the Vietnam News Agency.

Addressing the handover ceremony, Yakabe Yoshinori, Head of the Japanese Consulate Office in Danang City, spoke highly of the Hue Central Hospital’s efforts in providing sufficient and quality healthcare services to residents in the central region, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Yoshinori expressed his hope that the equipment donated by JICA will help the hospital effectively respond to the Covid-19 pandemic and improve the quality of its medical services.

Professor Doctor Pham Nhu Hiep, director of the Hue Central Hospital, thanked the Japanese Government and JICA for supporting the hospital over the years and their contributions to Covid-19 infection prevention and control in Vietnam as well as Hue and the central region in particular.

JICA has carried out many programs to support the Hue Central Hospital over the past 17 years, including a US$27,243 project to upgrade the infrastructure of the hospital and another project to improve the quality of human resources for the healthcare system in the 2010-2015 period.

On the same day, the Hue Central Hospital signed a cooperation agreement with Vinbrain, an Artificial Intelligence software supplier in the healthcare sector, to enhance the application of information technology in the services offered by the hospital.

Politburo member Truong Thi Mai presents gifts to policy beneficiaries in Tuyen Quang

April 10, 2021 by en.nhandan.org.vn

Joining the delegation were Secretary of the PCC, Head of the PCC’s Commission for Mass Mobilisation Bui Thi Minh Hoai, and Secretary of the Tuyen Quang Provincial Party Committee, Chau Van Lam, along with the provincial leaders and leaders of departments and branches.

Head of the PCC’s Organisation Commission Truong Thi Mai and Head of the PCC’s Commission for Mass Mobilisation Bui Thi Minh Hoai presented 20 gifts to people with meritorious services to the revolution and ethnic minorities in difficult circumstances in Xuan Quang Commune, Chiem Hoa District.

Speaking at the visit, Head of the PCC’s Organisation Commission Truong Thi Mai congratulated the results in socio-economic development of Xuan Quang Commune, especially the effective implementation of the National Target Programme on new-style rural area building.

She expressed her hope that the people of Xuan Quang Commune and ethnic minority people in Chiem Hoa District will promote the fine traditions of a revolutionary land and effectively implement patriotic emulation movements, thus contributing to promoting the country’s development. The PCC’s Commission for Mass Mobilisation and Tuyen Quang Province will create the best conditions for communes to complete the National Target Programme on new-style rural area building.

Binh Thuan unlocks agricultural tourism potential

April 10, 2021 by dtinews.vn

Binh Thuan province on the south-central coast of Vietnam, has long been a popular destination for its seaside resorts and its cultural and historical relic sites. The province is now seeking to unlock its agricultural tourism potential to add the value of local products.

Tourists watch dragon fruit trees. Photo: VOV

Binh Thuan has the largest acreage of dragon fruit tree cultivation in Vietnam. It also grows many other fruit trees, including apple, grape, and durian.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Truc’s family in Ham Minh commune, Ham Thuan Nam district, considered Binh Thuan’s dragon fruit capital, grows dragon fruit on 4 ha of land. In between the dragon fruit trees, he grows grapefruit, coconut, jackfruit, and mango. His orchard is frequented by his friends and relatives on weekends. As the word has spread, an increasing number of tourists also visit the orchard, giving Truc the idea of offering hospitality services. He renovated his lotus pond, opened a fishing service, and created photo zones.

Truc said, “Because of the COVID-19 epidemic, the number of visitors decreased over the past year. People from the city used to visit my coconut and grapefruit operation, usually on Saturday or Sunday.”

In Ham Thuan Nam district, orchard visitors can observe the tending, harvesting and processing of dragon fruit and enjoy juice and dishes made from dragon fruit. Nguyen Thi Kim Thoa is excited to pick grapefruits and coconuts at Nguyen Thanh Truc’s orchard.
“This is the first time I have visited an orchard. I like the fresh, cool air and the fruit is delicious. The orchard owner is very hospitable and friendly. I’ve toured the orchard, I think it will attract many tourists,” said Thoa.

Other districts in Binh Thuan province also grow a lot of fruit trees. Ho Cong Tien, head of Tuy Phong district’s Culture and Information Department, said, “In recent years, Tuy Phong has focused on growing yellow grapefruits, yellow apples, chili, lemon, and banana to sell to tourists.”

Vo Xuan Nghia, Director of the Binh Thuan Tourism Promotion Information Center, is optimistic about orchard tourism.

“Agricultural tourism is becoming popular. We have introduced it through media outlets and travel companies. Hopefully, when the COVID-19 epidemic subsides, the Binh Thuan tourism market will revive. Fruit orchards are a new attraction that helps to diversify tourism in our province,” said Nghia.

Binh Thuan now has about 44,300 ha of fruit trees of all kinds in orchards that both produce fruit and offer tourism services.

Digitising long-distance transportation in Vietnam

April 10, 2021 by www.vir.com.vn

An Vui – smart transportation management software solution

The Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) on April 9 introducedAn Vui, a smart transportation management software solution, making it the first digital platform of the Vietnam Digital Technology Forum.

The forum is the continuation of the activities to introduce “Make in Vietnam” digital products and platforms launched in 2020 to implement the prime minister’s recently-approved National Digital Transformation Programme by 2025 with a vision to 2030.

Vietnam’s long-distance passenger transport market remains fragmented and fiercely competitive, and reluctant to change. The market is dominated by 2,000 large-scale businesses, accounting for 90 per cent of the market, while the rest are small-scale household operators.

ietnam Digital Technology Forum

Phan Ba Manh, director of An Vui Technology JSC, said the software solution aims to digitise the long-distance transportation industry, helping operators manage their businesses more efficiently. The An Vui software solution includes backend management tools for ticket sales, parcel shipments, and fuel usage management.

Addressing the event, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Huy Dung said that the An Vui software solution facilitates workers and students working and studying away from home in buying tickets. It is also a solution to meet the transport demand of firms and passengers.

Interbuslines, one of the famous passenger car operators on Hanoi-Sapa-Hanoi, is one of the first customers of An Vui. Only six months after operating on the An Vui platform, the profit of Interbuslines rose by 300 per cent.

Thus far, more than 1,000 bus operators use An Vui’s services and products. In 2019, Vietnam-based venture capital (VC) firm VinaCapital Ventures made an investment into An Vui for an undisclosed sum.

By Bich Thuy