The central city aims to accelerate economic growth from 7.68 per cent to 12 per cent, while more drastic measures and administrative reforms are needed to turn the city into an as a destination to investment and tourism. The city’s Party Secretary, Truong Quang Nghia, spoke at the Spring Dialogue 2019 on Friday, stating that this year will be a benchmark for the socio-economic Master Plan in 2030. Despite the existence of 27,000 businesses with total investment of VND193 trillion (US$8.5 billion), Da Nang contributed just 1.55 per cent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). “The city will focus on five key industries, including tourism and service and real estate; sea port and logistics; hi-tech industries and innovation; information technology and digital economy and hi-tech agriculture,” Nghia said at the dialogue. “Da Nang will dismantle barriers in administrative procedures to support local residents and the business community as well as … [Read more...] about Huge investment to touch down in Da Nang
Vietnamese need visa to singapore
Southeast Asia, local resort towns top New Year travel destinations for Vietnamese
The Lunar New Year holiday runs from February 2 to 10, and during the period, based on tour bookings, Cambodia and Myanmar are popular destinations, Bui Luu Thu Mai, director of Blue Sky Travel company, told VnExpress. Bangkok (Thailand), Singapore and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) are also among the top 10 destinations, according to Agoda, a leading online travel booking platform. Thailand’s popularity among Vietnamese is due to its close proximity, low cost and the fact they do not need a visa, Nguyen Cong Hoan, deputy general director of Hanoi Redtours company, told VnExpress International. "Thailand has a warm climate and a lot of religious and recreational places. It is suitable for many families." More distant places like Japan, South Korea, Dubai, and Europe are also popular choices this year. Many people have booked tours to Japan since the holidays coincide with the plum blossom season there, Mai said. There have been some changes in outbound travel choices for this year. … [Read more...] about Southeast Asia, local resort towns top New Year travel destinations for Vietnamese
Tourism sector seizes opportunities to foster development
Vietnam’s tourism sector continued to witness impressive growth in 2018 as the number of foreign arrivals hit a new record of more than 15 million and the total revenue from tourist services is expected to reach more than VND600 trillion. Although there are still many difficulties and challenges, the sector has grasped opportunities to advance further. Delegates at a ceremony held in Ha Long City, Quang Ninh province, on December 19 to welcome the 15 millionth foreign tourist to Vietnam. Advancing impressive growth A welcome ceremony for the 15 millionth foreign tourist to visit Vietnam was held in Ha Long City, in the northern province of Quang Ninh, on December 19, marking the first time that Vietnam’s hospitality sector has exceeded the target of welcoming 15 million international visitors a year. According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, the number of domestic tourists in 2018 is expected to reach over 80 million and the total revenue from … [Read more...] about Tourism sector seizes opportunities to foster development
Experts discuss ways to ensure tourism flows in the right way
Deputy culture minister Le Quang Tung speaks at a two-day Travel & Tourism Summit which started in Ha Noi yesterday. — Photo vnexpress.net Various problems in Viet Nam’s tourism sector were discussed by experts at the two-day Travel & Tourism Summit that began in Ha Noi on Wednesday. The event gathers some 1,500 participants including CEOs from leading groups in the world, domestic and foreign tourism experts and nearly 1,000 enterprises. Participants will hear reports and analyses by leaders in domestic and foreign tourism. At the first session yesterday afternoon, deputy culture minister Le Quang Tung admitted Viet Nam needs to re-structure the sector. “In 1990, the country received 250,000 foreign tourists while in 2017, it welcomed more than 13 million foreign visitors and 73 million domestic tourists,” he said. “So from 1990 to 2017, the number of foreign tourists increased 52 times while domestic tourists increased 72 times.” However, … [Read more...] about Experts discuss ways to ensure tourism flows in the right way
Overseas Vietnamese talents find fulfillment back home
Travelling around the world to find our way back home "We travel overseas to find our way back home," said Nguyen Le Tung. The 37-year-old market development manager at Boston Scientific, a leading manufacturer of medical devices with offices across 100 countries, studied and worked abroad for many years. He got his Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology from Webster University, Thailand, and got a scholarship from Arizona State University, the U.S., where he got a Master’s in Biomedical Engineering. He spent eight years in the U.S. After returning to Vietnam, he moved to Singapore to work for four years. He gained valuable insights into different working environments and cultures, and this experience has helped excel no matter where he goes. But, "each time I returned, I deeply felt that I was miles away from where I originally started. Since 2009, Vietnam has gone through significant changes in working environment and quality of life, which … [Read more...] about Overseas Vietnamese talents find fulfillment back home
Cities must go cashless to go smart
Cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City could see billions added to their budgets through cashless payments, Photo: Le Toan When wearable digital payments company Tappy Technologies Ltd. showcased its new contactless payment solution for everyday expenses at the Visa Asia-Pacific Security Summit in May, it mesmerised attendants with how digital payment functionality can now be embedded into traditional timepieces and jewellery. Money is now literally sitting on the wrist or a finger of a consumer, readily available on the go. “We embed a very flexible chip, which is waterproof and certified by all the payment card schemes, inside the form factors that you can see here [there was a plethora of watches, wristbands, and bracelets on display] – everything here is a payment device. So when you go to the store for a coffee and you’re wearing this nice watch – not a smart watch, it’s a regular watch – you’d just need a tap and that’s it, … [Read more...] about Cities must go cashless to go smart
Foreign arrivals to Việt Nam top 6.7m in five months
Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI — Foreign arrivals to Việt Nam surpassed 6.7 million in the first five months of this year, up 27.6 per cent annually, the General Statistics Office announced on Tuesday. In May alone, the figure topped 1.16 million, down 13.5 per cent month-on-month. The number of Asian tourists hit over five million in five months, up 33.3 per cent while those from China was up 37 per cent, South Korea (62.1 per cent), Japan (6.6 per cent), Malaysia (12.5 per cent), Thailand (9.1 per cent) and Singapore (5.4 per cent). Meanwhile, the number of European visitors rose by 11.8 per cent year-on-year, including those from Russia (up 9.2 per cent), France (13.1 per cent), the UK (9.6 per cent), Germany (8.5 per cent) and Italy (18.3 per cent). Visitors from America and Oceania were up 13.8 per cent and 12.1 per cent, respectively. Major tourist localities saw a surge in tourist arrivals. The central city of Đà Nẵng … [Read more...] about Foreign arrivals to Việt Nam top 6.7m in five months
Visa policy is keeping tourists at bay
Visa policy is keeping tourists at bay, illustration photo With globalisation encouraging visa-free travel all over the world, only 24 countries have visa exemptions in Vietnam, while other countries in the region have much higher numbers: 168 in Indonesia, 162 in Malaysia, 159 and Singapore and the Philippines, and 57 in Thailand. In order to attract more foreign tourists, the Tourism Advisory Board (TAB) sent a letter to the Vietnamese prime minister recently, asking for more visa exemptions for international tourists, especially ones from developed countries, who might indulge in long stays and luxury spending. According to TAB, since mid-2015, the visa waiver for tourists has helped raise the number of foreign visitor arrivals by 20 per cent, but difficulties have been caused by a lack of clarity regarding the visa waiver programme for five European countries – the UK, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy – which will expire at the end of June. Talking to VIR, a … [Read more...] about Visa policy is keeping tourists at bay
BUSINESS IN BRIEF 29/3
Vietnamese firms urged to deeply explore Cuban market Vietnamese, French firms urged to foster partnerships Domestic pharmaceuticals stocks send good vibes to Abbott and Taisho Since the beginning of the fourth quarter of 2018, pharmaceutical stocks have been forecast to thrive as bustling activities such as state divestitures, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and notable investments from foreign healthcare firms are being announced left and right. Speaking about the investment and divestment activities between Vietnam-based pharmaceuticals and foreign investors, a representative of State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC) disclosed that 34.71 per cent capital at Domesco Medical Import Export Joint Stock Corporation (HSX: DMC) is on its divestment agenda in April. US-based multinational healthcare firm Abbott has already expressed a wish to participate in the divestment. In late 2017, Latin American CFR International SpA, DMC’s former largest shareholder, transferred its … [Read more...] about BUSINESS IN BRIEF 29/3
BUSINESS IN BRIEF 24/3
SMEs benefit from State’s business support policies Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will benefit from many support policies of the State, especially those in information support; consultation; human resources development; startup and innovation; and value chain participation. Under Decree 39/2018/ND-CP recently issued by the Government, SMEs will be free to access information in the national information portal for supporting SMEs managed by the Ministry of Planning and Investment, and other information portals managed by ministries, ministry-level agencies, municipal and provincial-level People’s Committees. To help SMEs develop their human resources, the State budget will support at least 50 percent of the total cost of a business start-up and business administration training course for SMEs. Meanwhile, SMEs in advantaged areas and those owned by women will be exempted from tuition fees for training. Business households, which register to … [Read more...] about BUSINESS IN BRIEF 24/3