January 2012 headlines

The city's tourism department is urging travel agencies and destinations to build attractive and unique tourism products. In the first seven months of this year, the number of visitors to Hanoi increased by 3.6 times to touch 10.62 million, over the same period in 2021. Hanoi's tourism industry sees positive growth in the January-July period. Photo: Hai Linh According to the Hanoi Department of Tourism, the city welcomed over 425,000 international arrivals and 10.2 million domestic visitors, an interannual increase of 3.5 times. Total revenue of the sector was estimated at VND31.9 trillion (US$1.36 billion), up 3.9 times year on year. Thus, in comparison to the plan set by the city earlier this year, the capital’s tourism industry has completed the goal of welcoming 9-10 million tourists, including 1.2-2 million international visitors and earning total revenue of VND27.8-35.8 trillion ($1.2-1.5 billion). In terms of accommodation, the average occupancy … [Read more...] about Hanoi’s tourism industry sees positive growth during January-July

Tourists wear masks to prevent COVID-19 infection while visiting a temple in Bangkok, Thailand. (Photo: AFP/VNA) Bangkok (VNA) - Thailand recorded 3.12 million foreign tourist arrivals in the first seven months of 2022  as the country has removed most travel restrictions imposed earlier to curb the spread of COVID-19. At a press briefing on August 2, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said the number of foreign tourists visiting the country is expected to reach 6 million this year, up from the earlier estimated 5.6 million. The number is forecast to rise to 19 million next year. Earlier, PM Prayut approved a tourism revenue target of 2.38 trillion THB (about 65 billion USD) set by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) along with strategies to revive tourism in 2023. The PM also supported the TAT’s plan to promote domestic travel with its campaign theme of “365 Days of Amazing Thailand – Everyday Travel”. Last year, only 400,000 foreign tourists visited Thailand, … [Read more...] about Thailand welcomes 3.12 million foreign tourist arrivals during January-July

The depot area in Bac Tu Liem District, spanning 15 ha, has structures like operation centers and facilities for train storage, maintenance and electric works. Construction work on various facilities in the depot began in January 2013. It was supposed to be completed in 2018, but has been postponed until the end of this year. The administrative area is still under construction. It is said that construction of the depot is 77 percent complete. Le Tran Tuan, operations director of the Depot CP05 bidding package being implemented by the Hanoi Construction Corporation (Hancorp), said the most important factor in the delay was money. The package was supposed to cost around VND600 billion ($25.67 million), but this estimate has since ballooned to VND950 billion ($40.65 million). One floor of an administrative building stands partially complete with exposed electrical and ventilation systems. Hanoi had aimed to put the … [Read more...] about Hanoi second metro depot unfinished after 9 years

Mr. Jerome Powell, Chairman of FED Many readers are now wondering how and why the US Federal Reserve Bank (FED) miscalculated on forecasting the current global inflation. In a talk with Saigon Investment, Prof. Dr. Tran Ngoc Tho discussed this issue further. JOURNALIST: - Sir, you are one person who has studied very carefully the inflation in many countries in general and the United States in particular. Please can you give Saigon Investment readers a basic sketch as to how this situation is prevailing and to its effect on other economies. Dr. Tran Ngoc Tho: - There are many factors explaining the current rising global inflation such as broken global supply chains, warming of the jobs market, loose monetary and fiscal stimulus packages, and the recent Russia-Ukraine conflict. It is not just the FED but almost all investors and financial institutions, not only in the US but also in most economies are wrong in believing that high inflation is a thing of the past. However, if … [Read more...] about US Federal Bank caught off guard by global inflation

Illustrative image (Photo: SGGP) More than 327,000 jobs were provided for labourers in Hanoi and HCMC – Vietnam’s two largest cities – in the first seven months of 2022. According to Hanoi’s Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, 137,300 labourers were offered jobs in the capital city in the period, equal to 85.8 percent of the yearly target, and up 23.2 percent year-on-year. In July alone, the city provided jobs for 18,400 people, a y-o-y surge of 35.4% compared to the same period last year. During January-July, more than 35,500 people enjoyed unemployment insurance allowances, with a total capital of VND932.7 billion (US$39.9 million). Meanwhile, HCMC provided jobs to 26,790 labourers in July, raising the total number in the first seven months of this year to over 189,700, up 11.1 percent y-o-y, according to the municipal Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs. Vietnamplus … [Read more...] about Hanoi, HCMC provide jobs for over 327,000 labourers during Jan-Jul

Customers use Mobile Money service of Viettel. — Photo courtesy of Viettel The Ministry of Information and Communications reported that the number of Mobile Money subscribers has quadrupled since the service was launched in January this year, 67 per cent of whom were from rural, mountainous, border, island and remote areas. Subscribers with at least a Mobile Money transaction by the end of June exceeded 1.72 million, accounting for 97.3 per cent of the total. Additionally, the number of households with fiber optic connections in the first half of this year increased 9 per cent compared to the same period of 2021, and 17 per cent against that of 2020. The ministry said the goal of having 75 per cent of households using fiber optic services this year is achievable. Viet Nam is aiming to have more than 50 per cent of the population owning digital payment accounts, it said. — VNS … [Read more...] about Mobile Money subscribers quadruple in six months