In group G of the 2022 Asian qualifiers’ second round, Vietnam are grouped with the UAE, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. They were in the second seeding pot, and opponents are cautious about the growing football power. Arch rival Thailand said Vietnam, the current AFF Cup champions, can be quite an obstacle and disrupt their journey to the third round. "Vietnam, our biggest opponent in the region, defeated us in the King’s Cup. They are the ‘toothpicks’ that always ready to poke Thailand in any game," the official Facebook page of the Thai national team said. "This team carry a desire to win in their heart at all times and their fans always want them to win against us. Vietnam is our biggest opponent in ASEAN." Football Association of Thailand Chairman Somyot Poompanmuang said many things need to be changed to beat Vietnam. "We cannot underestimate any team in ASEAN. There is not much of a difference between our level and theirs. They have all made … [Read more...] about World Cup qualifiers: Opponents wary of rapidly improving Vietnam
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Visa exemptions passport to tourism bonanza: expert
Kenneth Atkinson, vice president of Tourism Advisory Board (TAB), told the Vietnam Travel and Tourism Summit held in Hanoi Monday the country has fared poorly compared to its neighbors in providing visa exemptions to attract more visitors. "Many countries have implemented the visa waiver policy due to its huge benefits. If Vietnam does waive visas for Europe tourists who travel longer and spend more, tourism growth could reach 20 percent," said Atkinson, also founder and senior board adviser of consulting firm Grant Thorton Vietnam. The number of foreigners visiting Vietnam in the first 11 months of this year is estimated at 16.3 million, an all-time high which was up 15.3 percent year-on-year, official data shows. Atkinson expressed concern that Vietnam's visa exemption policy for visitors from countries such as Russia, South Korea, Japan, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Sweden will officially expire on December 31, with the government yet to respond to the … [Read more...] about Visa exemptions passport to tourism bonanza: expert
Vietnam among top 10 Asia-Pacific tourist destinations
As of the second quarter of 2019, Vietnam had welcomed 8.48 million foreign tourists, making it a top 10 destination for international arrivals in the Asia-Pacific region, according to a report released Monday by the Pacific Asia Tourism Association (PATA). The Quarterly Tourism Monitor report said the U.S. was most visited country/territory in the region, followed by Hong Kong and Mexico. Macau and Thailand rounded out the top five while the rest of the top 10 included Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Canada. In Southeast Asia, Vietnam was fourth after Thailand (19.7 million), Malaysia (13.3 million) and Singapore (9.3 million). The report also showed Vietnam’s tourism growth experienced a year-on-year surge of 7.5 percent, ranking 12nd in the Asia-Pacific region. PATA’s statistics are based on the number of foreign visitors to 35 destinations in the Asia-Pacific region in the first six months of this year. Accordingly, the region, excluding the Chinese market, received more … [Read more...] about Vietnam among top 10 Asia-Pacific tourist destinations
No rest for Vietnamese football stars
Vietnamese footballers in training in Qatar (Photo: VFF) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - After an incredible 2018, Vietnam’s footballers are set for another busy year with three key international tournaments. The first is the final round of the Asian Cup which will kick off on January 5 in the United Arab Emirates. It will be the second time Vietnam have qualified for the continental tournament after 2007, when as co-hosts they were knocked out in the quarter-finals. This year’s tournament features 24 teams, eight more compared to the last edition in Australian four years ago. Vietnam are in Group D with Iran, Iraq and Yemen. The two top teams of each group and four best third-placed teams will qualify for the next round. Vietnam, the champions of the ASEAN region, have been tipped to advance to the second round. "We target a berth in the knock-out round. To do that, Vietnam need to be at least one of the four best third-placed teams. It is a suitable task for us because rivals in … [Read more...] about No rest for Vietnamese football stars
Fine art and handicraft exports surge in five months
Customers browse handicraft products at a shop in Hanoi. Photo news.lota.vn The latest addition has brought the export turnover of these products to $190 million in the first five months of 2019, up 43 per cent year-on-year, the data shows. These positive figures were attributable to a booming demand of handicraft products, especially those made from bamboo, rattan and leaves, in the global market, online Nguoi Lao Dong (The Labourers) newspaper cited the Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of HCM City (Hawa) as saying. For example, more and more retirees in European countries are decorating their houses, resulting in high demand for handicraft products, Hawa said, adding that the proportion of people who bought handicrafts as gifts has also increased. According to Hawa, there remains huge potential for Vietnamese fine art and handicraft producers to accelerate their exports to overseas markets including major outlets such as the US, the EU and Japan and … [Read more...] about Fine art and handicraft exports surge in five months