VietNamNet Bridge - Adventure travel accounts for example only 10 percent of all types of tourism in Vietnam. Of many different types of tourism, adventure travel is now witnessing the highest growth rate. Meanwhile, Vietnam has great potential to satisfy travelers' demand for exploring unusual, exotic, remote and wilderness destinations. Three quarters of Vietnam territory is made up of mountainous and hilly regions. Vietnam has limestone mountains, karst areas, beautiful caves, tropical primary forests, nature reserves, large national parks and over 3,000 km of coastline. Many areas in Vietnam have favorable conditions for jogging, mountain climbing, car racing, sea diving, rafting, sailing, windsurfing, parachuting and parasailing. However, despite great natural advantages, Vietnam’s adventure tourism still has not developed. Chung said that not many localities and businesses had invested in the segment. Many areas in Vietnam have favorable conditions for jogging, … [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...]

VietNamNet Bridge - Why can’t the private economic sector grow more quickly, even though more policies and resolutions on developing private businesses have been created recently? In 2007, when Vietnam joined WTO, Phu Thai Group, together with Satra, Hapro and Saigon Co-op – all large retail chains – planned to set up VDA, a distribution network development joint stock company. The four distributors wanted to build up a retail chain powerful enough to compete with foreign investors when Vietnam’s commitments open its retail market. However, the project failed because of problems in land access, complicated procedures and other obstacles. “We had been trying to create a ‘Vietnamese pillar’ in the distribution field in the last decade, but it is so difficult to do this. VDA could not do anything,” Doan said at a workshop held recently discussing solutions to promote the private economic sector.The revenue of the 10 biggest private … [Read more...]

Recently, more and more companies have been participating and using salary surveys as a credible source of information in planning their total rewards strategy. However, only a full data remuneration survey used on-time following business plans can help companies stand out from their competitors in the market and set a winning strategy for their people agenda. During these information-driven times, insightful salary survey reports together with a total remuneration strategy are the cornerstone for building sustainable business goals. Why a salary report matters When most businesses decided on the solution of cutting down operation costs to break the barriers of low efficiency, it is a top priority to optimize their human resources (HR), which entails a regular efficiency and compensation budget review. According to the exclusive salary report provider in Vietnam, Talentnet Corporation, the number of companies purchasing its salary report has continually increased in recent years. … [Read more...]

The world’s sole pure limestone-based coniferous (Calocedrus rupestris) forest has been found in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, the north central province of Quang Binh. The over 500 year old limestone coniferous forest was discovered by Professor Leonid Averyanov from Russian Khamarop Plant Institute, Professor Phan Ke Loc from the Vietnam Institute of Ecological and Biological Resources and Phong Nha-Ke Bang Scientific Research and Wildlife Rescue Center in 2004. According to a study by scientists, limestone conifers grow scattered in some areas of the Central Highlands region of Vietnam. However they are not pure. Phong Nha-Ke Bang is the world’s sole home to the pure limestone coniferous species with the total area of 5,000 hectares and the density of 600 trees per hectare. Of the areas, 2,000 hectares are dense with the ancient conifers with the density of 600 trees per hectare. A number which scientists said unable to find elsewhere in the world. Mr. Le Thanh … [Read more...]

Hanoi’s summer is welcomed by not only the songs of cicadas, the calls of koels and the reddish hues of flamboyant flowers, but also the bright purple tones of giant crape-myrtle flowers, known in Vietnamese as bang lang. Giant crape-myrtle flowers add a touch of purple to the summer of Hanoi every May. The purple flowers help to make the atmosphere more pleasant on the city’s frequent scorching hot days. A street section is naturally decorated with giant crape-myrtle flowers. The giant crape-myrtle is a native plant of India, hence its other name, Pride of India. Each flower has six petals 2-3.5 centimetres long. Giant crape-myrtles are densely planted on streets such as Kim Ma, Tran Thai Tong and Tho Nhuom. The purple flowers dotted around the streets make the summer of Hanoi a memorable scene. Bustling life goes on under the trees while the purple flowers flaunt their exquisite beauty above. After fully blooming, the rich colours of … [Read more...]

The public has expressed anger and worry after the head of Mai Dong Primary School in Hanoi confirmed that a young man had broken into the school and tried to harass two girls. Rumours first spread after an internet user posted the photo of the man and warned that he had raped the pupils and might break into other schools in the area too. On May 18, Bui Thi Thu Thanh, head of Mai Dong Primary School, admitted that a young man had broken into the school premises on May 16 and sexually harassed two girls but denied the rape rumour. She said the girls were able to escape before the man could do anything. Thanh said the rumour had badly affected the school environment and the pupils and wanted police to address those spreading false information. However, many parents think the school tried to minimise the issue and were upset. "I only know what happened via the internet. Now I'm worried sick even though my kids are at school. They are still small and don't know much about how to deal … [Read more...]

Hanoi People's Council has pointed out the lack of classrooms and fund for equipment after the inspection at several schools in the city for education development and planning to 2020, with vision to 2030. According to the inspection team, population growth is causing overcrowding at schools. Dong Da District, with 41,000 inhabitants, still lacks two primary schools and five secondary schools. The allocated land for education facilities are insufficient. Meanwhile the existing schools are small and located next to the residential areas so they can't expand. Ha Dong District also faces the same problem with Bac Thang Long Industrial Zone alone needs one more primary and one secondary schools. According to the report, the capacity and abilities among the schools are not equal. Many schools can't make effective long-term educational development plans. Even the suburbs also lack land for schools because of rapid population growth. Both educational quality and study time in Ba Vi … [Read more...]

It has been proposed that companies which produce and import alcohol and beer products should pay VND360 billion (USD16.36 million) annually for health services. This is among contents mentioned in a draft law on alcohol that the Ministry of Health is finalising for submission to the National Assembly. Under the draft law, the Ministry of Health considers the establishment of the public health improvement fund. The fund would be based on compulsory financial contributions from alcohol and tobacco importers and producers as well as voluntary donations from individuals and organisations inside and outside the country. According to the Ministry of Health, the fund would partially help to save the state budget in public health care activities and is also expected to reduce the alcohol and tobacco consumption as well as to raise the public awareness about the harm caused by alcohol and tobacco. The ministry added that to date more than 20 countries, including Austria, Australia, … [Read more...]

Minister of Public Security To Lam urged agencies and localities to take tougher measures to prevent and control cyber attacks following the on-going WannaCry virus attack. The instruction was made at the ministry’s meeting on Thursday to review its activities in May and implement tasks in June. Police at localities nationwide are required to report problems related to network security and anti-state information to management agencies, particularly in the context of Vietnam hosting APEC Vietnam. Minister To Lam also asked for solutions to control the WannaCry ransomware infection as well as deal with the consequences. By May 17, up to around 1,900 computers in Vietnam had been attacked by WannaCry virus – one of the largest-ever cyber-attacks affecting computers across the globe. The affected computers included 1,600 computers in agencies and businesses and 300 private computers. The ministry has also proposed agencies, localities and press agencies actively propaganda … [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...]

A month after launching 4G services Viettel is offering a 4G wifi router, D6606, at a price of VND1.3 million (US$56). The lightweight equipment allows a link-up with high-speed internet wherever a user is, and is especially useful for people who travel abroad a lot. Customers will get a Dcom Viettel sim and 20GB of free 4G data valid for a month. The router’s price is believed to be 30 per cent cheaper than similar equipment in the market. Viettel has rolled our 4G services nation-wide with 36,000 modern base transceiver stations that offer connection speeds that are 7 – 10 times faster than 3G. VNS … [Read more...]

In light of recent widely reported cases of banking fraud related to automatic teller machine (ATM) transactions, the State Bank of Viet Nam (SBV) has advised the public to remain calm and adhere to banks’ regulations, while urging the banks to plug security holes. The State Bank of Viet Nam (SBV) has advised the public to remain calm and adhere to banks’ regulations, while urging the banks to plug security holes. The Payment Department under the SBV reported early this week that in 2016, out of the total 70 million transactions at 100 million ATMs, the number of fraud cases was not significant. Nonetheless, Government agencies and institutions in the financial and banking sector have been authorised by the SBV to increase security levels within the banking system. Nguyen Toan Thang, Secretary General of the Viet Nam Banks Association, said that commercial banks are cooperating with public security departments to fix these security breeches, while the SBV frequently … [Read more...]

The ten members of the ASEAN Council on Petroleum (ASCOPE) agreed this week to boost cooperation. ASCOPE’s members made the commitment at their 83rd national committee meeting in Viet Nam held from May 15 to 17 in the central city of Da Nang. The participants agreed to promote the reuse of waste catalysts in refineries, upgrade and expand refineries, optimise the model of heat exchanger cleaning and rank the optimal level of operating capacity. In addition, ASCOPE negotiated to enhance an emergency response system for gas shortages to address possible energy security emergencies among ASEAN countries. Nguyen Quynh Lam, deputy general director of Viet Nam’s National Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) and chairman of ASCOPE National Committee for Viet Nam, said Viet Nam had provided initiatives on the provision of facilities and logistics within member countries and other ideas in order to implement ASCOPE goals and ensure members’ interests. The Council also agreed … [Read more...]

VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnam’s coffee productivity is three times higher than the average level globally, but the profit that coffee growers pocket is low because of poor competitiveness and unstable output. However, experts have pointed out that Vietnam’s coffee industry is facing big challenges which make development unsustainable. There are 645,380 hectares of coffee growing area, which is 7.57 percent higher than the area planned for 2020. In the Central Highlands alone, there are 581,000 hectares. While the coffee growing area has been increasing rapidly, the quality remains questionable.With export volume of 1.8 million tons and export turnover of $3.35 billion, coffee was the biggest farm export item in 2016. The Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development (MARD) said it is necessary to find solutions to keep the coffee cultivation area stable at 600,000 hectares. What Vietnam needs to do now is not to expand the cultivation area, but to improve quality. … [Read more...]

Head coach Hidehiro Irisawa of the Vietnamese national women’s volleyball team has invited veteran player Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hoa to be his assistant, according to the Viet Nam Volleyball Federation. Hoa currently plays for Thailand’s Bangkok Glass Volleyball Club under an on-loan contract. It is the fourth year that Hoa has played for Bangkok Glass, who championed the Thai league in the 2015-16 season. According to Viet Nam Volleyball Federation, Hoa’s presence will help coach Irisawa to prepare for the Southeast Asian Games in Malaysia in August. VNS … [Read more...]

A conference on innovative business models in the context of the fourth industrial revolution was held in Ho Chi Minh City on May 18, with experts from Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK) attending. Kim Eung Jin, an adviser at Nemo Partners Innovation Consulting Group, said the RoK firms had focused on technology advancement to welcome the fourth industrial revolution since 2010. He said the country will have 4,000 smart manufacturing plants this year and 10,000 in 2020, adding that the Korean Government has built 18 innovative centres to support start-ups. Nguyen Tuan Thanh, who oversees the fund for sci-tech development of the Saigon Transportation Mechanical Corporation, noted innovation relies on businesses, but requires State assistance. Firms discussed collaboration between their community and research institutes/universities, but stressed that cooperation outcomes fall short of potential. They attributed part of the problem to impractical studies, which are incompatible … [Read more...]

VietNamNet Bridge - Vegetarianism is not about religion or something complicated, vegetarianism is about keeping fit and staying healthy. These days vegetarian meals can be a fine culinary art. Hoang Ho finds out After getting tired of constantly eating meat, I decided to try something new. On a whim, I decided to give vegetarian food a try, so opening my computer I found that Minh Chay was a highly rated vegetarian restaurant in Ha Noi. On Tripadvisor, a number of foreign diners had already left glowing compliments about Minh Chay, like "Awesome restaurant, I love everything about this place, the decorations, the staff and especially the food was amazing", "Fantastic cafe for a vegan", or "Not a vegan but I enjoyed it". Those reviews gave me a really positive impression of Minh Chay and I was eager to try out the food. Furthermore, this restaurant received a certificate from Happy Cow - the leading association for vegetarians around the world. Impressive! Minh Chay has two … [Read more...]

VietNamNet Bridge - Well-known Vietnamese names in the food industry have fallen into the hands of the world’s largest conglomerates. The Vietnam food sector is attractive to investors because of its annual growth rate of 12 percent. CJ, an investor from South Korea, has step by step been taking over Vietnamese food companies, one after the other. Korea Herald reported that CJ CheilJedang, a subsidiary of CJ Group, has spent $13.44 million to acquire a 64.9 percent stake of Minh Dat Food, considered the biggest Vietnamese private meatball company with revenue of VND270 billion in 2016. The deal reportedly was made in secret in late 2016 and was only wrapped up officially in May 2017. The company has changed its name to Minh Dat CJ Food and it is recruiting workers for the new development stage. CJ buys Minh Dat because it believes that fish and meatballs are popular dishes in SE Asia in general and Vietnam in particular, and that Vietnam is a market with stable growth rate. The … [Read more...]

VietNamNet Bridge - Though officetels and condotels are selling in the market, they still do not have positions in legal documents. Officetels is a working office incorporated with a residence. Each office is designed to be self-contained, ensuring both office and residential functions (eating, sleeping and resting). They can be owned by private owners. When developing real estate projects in large cities, investors usually reserve area for officetels. Though officetels and condotels are selling in the market, they still do not have positions in legal documents. In HCMC alone, since 2008, when the first project with officetels – The Manor in Binh Thanh district - was implemented, tens of thousands of officetels have been sold. However, ownership of them has not been recognized. Condotels exist in many of the resorts in Da Nang, Phu Quoc and Nha Trang. The projects with condotels are in high demand with investors in CocoBay (Da Nang), Aloha (Phan Thiet) and Panorama (Nha … [Read more...]