HCM City (VNA) –The Hoa Binh Construction & Real Estate Corporation (HBC) signed a cooperation agreement with HOT Engineering & Construction Company of Kuwait in Hanoi on May 19, as part of its strategy to expand into the Middle East. Accordingly, HOT Engineering & Construction will exclusively sponsor HBC in civil construction and infrastructure in Kuwait. The two companies will join biddings for the government and private sector’s projects in Kuwait as well as others that HOT won contracts. Following the signing ceremony, they will continue with detailed plans on procedures for concrete projects between now and the next five years and join the Kuwait government’s construction projects to materialise the 2035 Vision “Turning Kuwait into a financial and commercial centre in the region”. The Kuwait firm also stands ready to help HBC become a major bidder for its construction works. HOT Engineering & Construction is currently one of the … [Read more...]

HCM City - Financial inclusion has been an accelerating global phenomenon recently, with financial services being provided at affordable costs to disadvantaged and low-income segments to increase earnings, alternate social capital flow and promote economic growth, a conference heard on May 19 in HCM City. Speaking at 'Digital technology - the great engine of accelerating financial inclusion in Việt Nam,' Assoc Prof Nguyễn Kim Anh, deputy governor of the State Bank of Việt Nam, said: "Financial inclusion will contribute to implementing 7 out of 17 sustainable development goals by 2030 and poor countries might achieve breakthroughs in financial inclusion. "Digital technology will help banks accelerate financial inclusion, expanding their financial services to remote and rural areas, saving expenditure and developing sustainably." Nguyễn Thị Hòa, deputy head of the central bank's Banking Strategy Institute, said: "Good financial inclusion is able to promote economic growth, create … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News HCM CITY - The Vietnamese Government should intervene to reduce the rate of caesarean section deliveries, which has seen an upward trend globally, including in this country, an International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) official has said. Professor Gerard H.A.Visser, chairman of FIGO's Committee for Safe Motherhood and Newborn Health, said world-wide there has been an explosion in caesarean deliveries, ranging from 50 per cent in south-eastern Europe to 60 per cent in some Latin American countries. In Việt Nam, the rate was 33 per cent in 2008, he told an annual Việt Nam-France-Asia-Pacific Conference that ended yesterday. According to the Ministry of Health, the rate was only 12.4 per cent in 2003. Visser said the incidence of C-section has nothing to do with evidence-based medicine. "It has more to do with the doctor's salary, the lazy doctor who does not want to work at night, the doctor who has lost his/her skills to attend a vaginal … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI - The National Junior Volleyball Tournament will kick off today in the central province of Quảng Trị. The tournament will see 10 men's teams competing, including HCM City, Thể Công and Bình Dương, along with five women's teams, such as Thanh Hoá, Vĩnh Long and Bình Điền Long An. To prepare for the tourney, teams had training sessions with each other to hone their skills. Khánh Hoà and Bình Điền Long An are the favorites to win in the men's and women's category. The best volleyballers will be chosen for the national teams to compete at the upcoming international tournament. It will end on June 2. - VNS … [Read more...]

Ho Chi Minh City will start work on a slew of necessary traffic infrastructure projects to meet residents’ travel demand from now until the end of this year. Of them is Vam Sat 2 bridge linking Ly Nhon commune up to the center of Can Gio district and downtown HCMC. The project will contribute in meeting surging traffic demand in the area, facilitating seafood farming, exploiting tourist potentials and boosting socio-economic development in the commune and the island district. Urban Traffic Management Board Zone 4 is preparing for a groundbreaking ceremony in the third quarter this year. In the northwest gateway to the city, Urban Traffic Management Board Zone 3 will start building two works to improve urban planning and gradually develop the city traffic system as per plan in the same quarter. The first project will expand To Ky street to improve traffic capacity and reduce flooding in the route and part of Dang Thuc Vinh street and build technical infrastructure works … [Read more...]

Workers attend the Excellent Skills Competition held by Gia Định Textile & Garment Corporation. -VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Vũ Viet Nam News Gia Lộc HCM CITY - Nguyễn Thị Lương, 34, of Cầu Tre Export Goods Processing Joint-Stock Company has shown creative skills in her work to help raise labour productivity for her company. Lương, a graduate of Food Industry College's two-year training course in chemistry, has helped improve molds for compressed tea and knives for cutting bitter melons. The molds for compressed tea, which have been used since April 2012, have raised productivity from an average of eight tea bricks made per hour to 13 per hour. Lương's initiative helped save VNĐ100 million (US$4,385) in a five-month period. In 2012, Lương also conducted research on knives to cut bitter melons, but initially her results weren't successful. Nevertheless, her company's managers encouraged her to continue. Named one of "60 excellent young workers" in the country this year, she was … [Read more...]

The Toyota Junior Football Clinic & Camp 2017 is scheduled to kick off from June 4 to August 30 in four big cities. - Photo tuoitre.vn Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI - The Toyota Junior Football Clinic & Camp 2017 is scheduled to run from June 4 to August 30 in four cities: HCM City, Đà Nẵng, Thanh Hóa and Hà Nội, the event's organising board has announced. This is the programme's third year, thanks to the support from the Ministry of Education and Training, to train students with passion for football in the age from nine to 12. Nguyễn Hồng Sơn, former famous footballer, continues to be head coach this season. The event has three main activities: selection rounds in big cities; seven days training camp in HCM City from July 30 to August 6 for the best 30 participants. The seven days of touring and friendly matches in Japan will be held on August 23-30 for the best 18 participants selected from training camp. Especially, the organisers will give a special award for the best five young … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News ĐÀ NĂNG - After 18 months of construction, Đà Nẵng International Airport officially launched its new terminal at a ceremony held yesterday. The project is a key part of preparations for the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) Summit, which will be hosted in the city this November. The new terminal, which covers an area of 21,000sq.m, with total investment of VNĐ3.5 trillion (US$155 million), offers 82 counters for check-in, check-out, migration and immigration, as well as 10 boarding gates that will accommodate six million passengers per year, and serve 1,600 passengers at peak hours. General Director of the Đà Nẵng International Terminal Investment and Operation, Lê Khắc Hồng said the introduction of the new terminal would help ease the overloading that occurred at the old terminal. He said that Đà Nẵng Airport is already overloaded with an estimated 6.5 million arrivals per year. "The new terminal will have seven more hangars bringing the total to 21, an … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News LÂM ĐỒNG - Three years ago, Lê Quốc Đức, a 30-year-old man in Đà Lạt City of Lâm Đồng Province, decided to quit his white-collar job at a State-owned company to become a farmer. With only basic knowledge of gardening, the master-degree holder put all of his efforts into learning how to grow organic vegetables. By late 2016, he had his own organic vegetable farm. The hydroponic farm located in front of Love Valley in the city's District 8, has become a tourism hot-spot due to its modernity and cleanliness. Standing in the middle of his 1,500 square metre farm in heat of nearly 40 degrees Celsius at noon, Đức patiently and carefully catches insects on his lettuces. "I spend most of my time here, everyday from dawn to dust. Gardening is much harder than working in offices, but I'm satisfied with it," he said to the Lâm Đồng newspaper. Several years ago, Đức visited hydroponic vegetable farms, which became popular among farmers in Đà Lạt, and quickly fell in … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News HCM CITY - Sustainable productivity is the only way for the world to deal with changing business models driven by fast changing technologies, according to the Asian Productivity Organisation. Dr Santhi Kanoktanaporn, APO's secretary-general, said the world has experienced an unprecedented rate of change in every field, including the internet, mobile phones and knowledge. The fast changing and newly emerging technologies today not only attempt to make current products better, but "also disrupt or kill current products or organisations. This kind of innovation we called disruptive innovation." In an interaction with the media in HCM City recently, he said: "One of the technologies coming very fast and that is very important is artificial intelligence. "If you put this box - an artificial intelligence -- into a car then you do not need to drive a car, it will take you to the destination you want. That's why we call it disruptive because if you have a car you drive … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI - Shares rose on both local exchanges on Friday, boosted by big gains for brokerage and energy companies. The benchmark VN Index on the HCM Stock Exchange gained 0.94 per cent to close at 733.82 points, setting a fresh nine-year high. The HNX Index on the Hà Nội Stock Exchange advanced 0.78 per cent to end at 92.18 points. The northern market index bounced back from Thursday's 0.5 per cent loss. The VN Index has posted a weekly gain of 1.2 per cent compared to the previous trading week, and the HNX Index has gained 2 per cent. More than 281.6 million shares were traded on both local bourses, worth VNĐ6.11 trillion (US$271.58 million). The stock market was driven up by strong gains of brokerages and energy companies, which saw their sector indices up 5.4 per cent and 0.8 per cent, respectively, according to vietstock.vn. Among securities companies, HCM City Securities (HCM), Sài Gòn Securities (SSI), Sài Gòn-Hà Nội Securities (SHS) and VNDirect Securities … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI - Việt NamAirlines has launched a special offer on HCM City-Hong Kong flights, with a round-trip ticket costing only VNĐ2.35 million (US$104). Tickets are being sold and valid from now until December 31. The route is operated by Airbus A321 with international four-star service quality, and is completed in 2 hours and 45 minutes. Being one of the Asia's leading financial and shopping hubs, Hong Kong is known for its dynamism and popular attractions such as the Disneyland, Sky Tower, the Peak and Star Avenue. - VNS … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI - National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines (VNA) will work with the Việt Nam Air Service Company (VASCO) to operate two daily flights connecting Hà Nội and Quảng Bình Province from May 29, the carrier announced on Thursday. The VNA flights, using Airbus A321s, will take off at 6:30am from Hà Nội and 8:30am from Đồng Hới City. Meanwhile, passengers on ATR72 aircraft, operated by VASCO, will leave Hà Nội at 2:30pm and Đồng Hới at 4:30pm. Promotional air fares on the route, priced from VNĐ299,000 (US$13.2), are available for flights departing between May 29, 2017 and March 31, 2018. Earlier in March, Vietnam Airlines transferred the Hà Nội-Đồng Hới air route to VASCO to operate seven round trips per week, using the 68-seat ATR72 aircraft. The move is part of Vietnam Airlines Corporation's plan to improve operational efficiency of its subordinate airlines -- Vietnam Airlines, VASCO and Jetstar Pacific Airlines -- and expand VASCO's business to meet increasing … [Read more...]

“Rescuing” Pork Prices, Supporting Farmers Hog prices have plunged for many consecutive months. By early May, the downward spiral was stopped, but hog prices still hovered at just VND20,000 per kilo, the lowest in more than 20 years. It is imperative to take urgent and long-term solutions to tackle pig consumption deadlock and price drop. Oversupply crisis Mr Tong Xuan Chinh, Deputy General Director of Livestock Production Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, acknowledged that the price of live hogs dropped sharply on supply-demand imbalance. Farmers were unable to predict market movements to control outputs and they depended too much on the Chinese market. Therefore, when China ended buying and tightened imports, Vietnam could not sell pigs, resulting in a sharp decline in prices. The core reason to pig consumption deadlock came from inflated farming scale in a bid to boost exports to the Chinese market, despite risk warnings from the … [Read more...]

A Danish Film Week is scheduled to take place in the central cities of Hue and Da Nang for the first time ever from May 26 to June 4. According to the Danish Embassy in Vietnam, the film week will introduce films of various genres such as ‘A Royal Affair’, ‘The Hunt’, ‘A Hijacking’, and ‘Silent Heart’, ‘Mini and the Mozzies’, and ‘Freddy Frogface’. All films of the Danish Film Week were made in recent years and have won numerous international awards and important nominations in various film festivals, including the Oscar and Cannes Film Festival. Danish Ambassador to Vietnam Charlotte Laursen said “In this Danish Film Weeks 2017, we introduce the Danish contemporary film industry, which has created a vast amount of talented actors and filmmakers with worldwide reputation. Through six films, we hope to give you a glimpse of the Danish modern society and the contemporary life of the Danish people; but … [Read more...]

Sustainable productivity is the only way for the world to deal with changing business models driven by fast changing technologies, according to the Asian Productivity Organisation. Dr Santhi Kanoktanaporn, APO's secretary-general, said the world has experienced an unprecedented rate of change in every field, including the internet, mobile phones and knowledge. The fast changing and newly emerging technologies today not only attempt to make current products better, but "also disrupt or kill current products or organisations. This kind of innovation we called disruptive innovation." In an interaction with the media in HCM City last week, he said: "One of the technologies coming very fast and that is very important is artificial intelligence. "If you put this box - an artificial intelligence -- into a car then you do not need to drive a car, it will take you to the destination you want. That's why we call it disruptive because if you have a car you drive yourself, in future you … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI - Phong Phú Hà Nam defeated Hà Nội 2 3-0 in the third round of the second leg of the National Women's Football Championships at HCM City's Thống Nhất Stadium on May 18. Hà Nam played attack from the first minutes of the match on May 18. However, they missed several chances to score during the first half. The team, meanwhile, only faced one close call in the 27th minute when the ball from Hà Nội 2 hit the vertical bar. Phạm Thị Tươi opened the block for Hà Nam in the 49th minute. Nguyễn Thị Liễu doubled the score for Hà Nam with a kick on the left corner of the goal. In the extra time of the second half, Liễu made the score 3-0 for her team. In the other match, Hà Nội 1 crushed Thái Nguyên 4-0. Hà Nội 1 met stiff challenge despite facing a weaker rival, Thái Nguyên, in the first half, and no goals were scored in this half. Following the break, Hà Nội 1 played a sharp attacking game, with Biện Thị Hằng scoring a hat trick for her team in the 49th, 60th and … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI - Deputy Prime Minister Trịnh Đình Dũng has ordered the Ministry of Transport and concerned agencies to raise domestic capital for the construction of the North-South Expressway. The agencies were told to attract more capital from investors under the public-private-partnership model, Dũng said. As per plan, the North-South Expressway, which is being built to meet the increasing demand of commuters, will be a high-speed road that stretches from Hà Nội to HCM City, running through 20 localities and connecting various socio-economic centres. The 1,372-km expressway is expected to reduce the burden on National Highway No. 1 once it opens to the public by 2028 as schedule. Initial estimates put the cost of constructing the expressway at around VNĐ300 trillion (US$13.2 billion). - VNS … [Read more...]

HCM City, May 19 (VNA) – A southern cuisine festival will be held from May 24-28 at Dam Sen Cultural Park, District 11 in Ho Chi Minh City with various activities. Highlighting the event will be a Sai Gon street food corner featuring traditional cuisine of the city along with food of other countries, representing the modernity of the city, said the organising board at a press conference on May 18. Visitors can also enjoy photos of southern culinary art, “Don ca tai tu” (Southern folk music) performances and cooking performances. The event will allow exhibitors to show their skills and creativity in cooking and decorating. Disadvantaged children and kids who join the festival will be given free health check-ups and health care and food safety advice on May 27 and 28. To date, some 50 businesses have registered for the event, said Du Huu Danh, General Director the Dam Sen Cultural Park. This year’s event aims to welcome 100,000 visitors. VNA/VNP … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News HCM CITY - Young singers Bích Ngọc Idols and Sơn Tùng M-TP will represent Việt Nam at the Viral Fest Asia 2017 in Bangkok on June 2 and 3. Ngọc, who was the runner-up of Vietnam Idol 2015, a Vietnamese version of the US reality show American Idol, will perform on opening night on June 2 to celebrate musicians, filmmakers, directors and social media influencers from Asia. "I'm lucky to be participating in Viral Fest Asia. I'm proud of being a representative for Việt Nam and having a chance to introduce Vietnamese music to Asia and the world," said the 24-year-old. Ngọc has worked with the world's leading musicians, such as American producer David "DQ" Quiñones of the US, who has produced music for Beyoncé, Enrique Iglesias and Jason Derulo, Canadian pop singer Athésia, and British singer and songwriter Rukhsana Merrise. Another Vietnamese representative, pop idol Sơn Tùng M-TP, will be on stage in the main concert called "Everybody's Going Viral" on June 3. The … [Read more...]