Vietnam Morning News For January 14

Bamboo Airways Finally Takes To The Skies
Vietnam’s new private airline, Bamboo Airways, will commence commercial flights on January 16 after repeated delays, the company said in a statement to news agencies. Initially, the carrier will operate 37 domestic routes and also start international flights to Asian countries this year, starting with Japan, South Korea and Singapore, it said.
— Investvine

Vietnam announces 13 national key agricultural products
Accordingly, the list includes rice, coffee, rubber, cashew nuts, pepper, tea, vegetable – fruit, cassava and cassava products, pork, meat and eggs, tra fish, shrimp, wood and wood products.
— Nhan Dan

Hoi An among world’s most wallet-friendly destinations
Hoi An ancient town in the central province of Quang Nam has been given the 11th place among the 19 cheapest holiday destinations in the world in 2019 in the annual Holiday Money report compiled by Post Office Travel Money.
— VNA NET

Vietnam’s internet service to slow down after undersea cable rupture
Internet connections in Vietnam are expected to drag for weeks as an international submarine internet cable undergoes repairs.
— VN Express

Cashew sector to focus on adding value this year
Việt Nam’s cashew sector targets exports of 350,000 tonnes this year, 10 per cent lower than last year, according to the Việt Nam Cashew Association (Vinacas).
— Vietnam News

Central bank issues roadmap for ATM card upgrades
Under a new regulation, commercial banks will have to switch 30 percent of their current magnetic strip ATM cards – more than 25 million in total – to chip cards by the end of this year to enhance safety and service quality.
— VNA NET

HCM City seeks cheaper logistics
Logistics fees in Việt Nam account for nearly 21 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), with transport making up 60 percent of the figure, twice as much as some developed economies.
— Vietnam News

Vietnam seeks suitable environmental technologies from Japan
The first Vietnam-Japan Environmental Week has provided the opportunity for Vietnamese environmental service providers to access suitable technologies in the field, said Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Vo Tuan Nhan.
— VNA NET

Anti-dumping investigation launched against Chinese aluminium products
The Ministry of Industry and Trade has decided to conduct an anti-dumping investigation into aluminium, alloy or non-alloy rods, bars and products of other shapes imported from China.
— Vietnam+

Credit institutions expect better performance in 2019: survey
Most of credit organisations expect their business performance will keep improving in 2019, according to the central bank’s Monetary Forecasting and Statistics Department.
— VNA NET

23-year-old student wins Vietnam’s transgender beauty pageant
A student in Ho Chi Minh City was declared on Friday winner of Tiffany Vietnam 2018, the first ever transgender beauty pageant in the Southeast Asian country.
— Vietnam Insider

2018 a banner year for local equity market
The net value of foreign capital flowing into Vietnam’s equity market in 2018 hit 2.8 billion USD, according to State Securities Commission Vice Chairman Pham Hong Son.
— VNA NET

Leaders deliver Tet gifts to beneficiaries and the disadvantaged
On January 12, in Vinh Long province, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh presented gifts and houses of gratitude to heroic Vietnamese mothers and policy beneficiary families, gave bicycles to students who have overcome difficulties to study well and presented desktop computers to districts of Long Ho, Tra On, Vung Liem and Binh Tan, with the total value of VND 800 million.
— Nhan Dan

The four Bình islands, paradise on earth
Nha Trang is gearing up for the 2019 National Touridm Year themed “Nha Trang — Colour of the Sea”. Bùi Quỳnh Hoa shares her trip to Tứ Bình, four wild and amazing islands (including Bình Ba, Bình Hưng, Bình Tiên and Bình Lập) in the southern central province of Khánh Hòa.
— Vietnam News

Scrap imports through road, railway border gates to be banned
The import of scrap to use as material for production through road and railway border gates will be banned in Vietnam from February 22, according to a circular freshly issued by the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
— VNA NET

Polish MasterChef triumphs with Vietnamese cuisine
Ola Nguyen, whose Vietnamese name is Nguy�…n Hoàng Minh Tâm, became the first Polish citizen of Vietnamese descent to win MasterChef Poland last December.
— Vietnam News

Quang Ngai: unique stone instrument found on Bui Hui grassland
A stone wind instrument initially believed to date back about a thousand years ago was recently discovered on the Bui Hui grassland of Ba To district, the central province of Quang Ngai.
— VNA NET

Asean should prioritise quality tourism
The ASEAN Tourism Forum 2019 is due to kick off on January 16 in the heritage city of Hạ Long in the northern province of Quảng Ninh. The event will gather top tourism leaders and experts, as well as hospitality businesses and investors.
— Vietnam News

Activities held to bring warm Tet to policy beneficiaries, the poor
Many activities have been organised nationwide to support disadvantaged people and policy beneficiaries on the threshold of the upcoming lunar New Year (Tet) holidays which fall in early February.
— VNA NET

Strong growth needed in 2019
For Việt Nam to reach its goals set out in its 2016-2020 plan, robust economic growth will be needed for the next two years, experts have said.
— Vietnam News

Craft villages shine in Hoi An’s Tet programme
Craft villages are at the centre of a series of lunar New Year (Tet) activities, which are taking place at the Hoi An Impression Theme Park in Hoi An city, a World Heritage site in the central province of Quang Nam, from January 11 to February 11.
— VNA NET

Mid-end segment to dominate property market
Việt Nam’s real estate market will see strong development in the middle-end apartment segment, according to experts.
— Vietnam News

Phu Yen: Rare sea turtle returned to nature
A rare turtle was released back into the ocean in the south-central coastal province of Phu Yen on January 11 by the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Xuan Thinh Border Post.
— VNA NET

Awards presented to best entries of caricature contest
The nine best entries of the fifth Vietnam Press Caricature Contest were awarded at a ceremony in Hanoi on January 11.
— VNA NET

PetroVietnam affirmed its leading role in the economy: PM
The Việt Nam National Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) has continued to affirm its role as one of leading economic groups in the country.
— Vietnam News

Cashew sector seeks ways to navigate through difficulties
Vietnam sustained its position as the world’s leading cashew processor and exporter in 2018, yet the country still suffered from certain losses, so the sector must strive to regain what it lost in 2018 and improve its export value in 2019, according to insiders.
— VNA NET

Unmissable street food in Hanoi this winter
Hanoi is famous for its wide range of delicious street food that is widely hailed by foreign media. Therefore readers should not miss the chance to taste some of them while visiting the capital city, especially during the cold winter.
— Vietnam Insider

HCM City Marathon 2019 draws over 9,000 runners
More than 9,000 runners from 50 countries and territories joined the Ho Chi Minh City Marathon 2019 on January 13 which was jointly held by the city’s Athletics Federation and the company Pulse Active.
— VNA NET

Golf tourism has a fair way to go to break par in Vietnam
Việt Nam won the “Asia’s Best Golf Destination 2018” award at the World Golf Awards last November. This is the second time Việt Nam has won. In addition, The Grand Ho Tram Strip won for “Asia’s Best Golf Hotel” and Ba Na Hill Golf Club in Đà Nẵng won the title of “Asia’s Best Golf Course”.
— Vietnam News

Banks post high profits in 2018
Despite the central bank’s tightened monetary policy, many banks reported good business performance last year thanks to improved bad debt resolution and rising income from services.
— VNA NET

Can Tho targets to provide agricultural training for 1,400 rural people
The Mekong Delta city of Can Tho plans to provide training in agriculture for at least 1,400 people in rural areas this year, focusing mostly on crop cultivation and animal husbandry.
— VNA NET

Team set up to salvage sunken fishing ship offshore Ba Ria-Vung Tau
A team has been set up by the central province of Khanh Hoa to verify information and organize the salvage of a fishing ship from the province which was reported to have sunk offshore Ba Ria-Vung Tau province.
— VNA NET

HSBC wins a clutch of prestigious prizes
HSBC Vietnam has won a series of honours from FinanceAsia and The Asset, two influential publications in the world of corporate finance and investment banking.
— Vietnam News

Major pagoda in Hai Duong province gets upgrade
The first phase of the rehabilitation and expansion of Vinh Quang Pagoda in Hung Son commune of Thanh Mien district, the northern province of Hai Duong, has completed, making it one of the biggest Buddhist temples in the locality.
— VNA NET

Profit prospects help VN stocks
Vietnamese shares gained ground on Friday as investors continued looking for opportunities in firms with high chance of better-than-expected earnings reports while improved sentiment on global markets provided some support.
— Vietnam News

Quang Nam province attracts 5.8 billion USD in FDI
The central province of Quang Nam licensed 26 new foreign direct investment (FDI) projects with total capital of nearly 300 million USD in 2018, bringing the total number of FDI projects in the province to 169, worth 5.8 billion USD.
— VNA NET

100 years of cai luong celebrated in HCM City
A three-hour gala featuring cai luong (reformed opera) will be held on Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street in Ho Chi Minh City on January 13.
— VNA NET

ACV proposes $487m to build new terminal at HCMC airport
The Airports Corporation of Việt Nam (ACV) has sent a proposal to the Ministry of Transport (MoT) to build the passenger terminal (T3) at Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport with a total investment of VNĐ11.4 trillion (US$487.2 million).
— Vietnam News

Vietnam Int’l Arbitration Centre receives 180 disputes in 2018
The Vietnam International Arbitration Centre (VIAC) received 180 disputes in 2018, with total dispute value amounting to 9.4 trillion VND (404.2 million USD), heard a workshop in Ho Chi Minh City on January 11.
— VNA NET

Brokers lead Vietnamese workers into exile in foreign lands
On Taiwan’s Shifen Old Street, famous for its sky lanterns, I came across the sign “Viet Nam Quan,” meaning a Vietnamese shop. The saleswoman there was from Ninh Binh, a province in the Red River Delta in northern Vietnam. She said she had come to Taiwan several years ago as a guest worker.
— VN Express

Motorcycle sales reach record in 2018
Motorcycle sales in 2018 broke the record set seven years ago (3.3 million) with nearly 3.4 million vehicles sold in the domestic market during the year.
— VNA NET

No Vietnamese hurt in Paris gas-leak explosion
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs said there are no Vietnamese citizens recorded among victims of the January 12 gas-leak blast in Paris.
— VNA NET

Doctors infuse five liters of beer to save man from alcohol poisoning death
Doctors had to perfuse a man’s stomach with 15 cans of beer to prevent him from dying of alcohol poisoning.
— Vietnam Insider

Animals Asia funds elephant conservation project in Dak Lak
Animals Asia will provide a funding of 60,000 USD for the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak to carry out the elephant conservation project from November 2019 to February 2021.
— VNA NET

UN programme benefits over 6,000 locals in Lao Cai
The second stage of the United Nations Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (UN-REDD) has benefited over 6,000 residents in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai.
— VNA NET

Why are so many South Korean tourists visiting Vietnam?
VIETNAM HAS LONG been known as a backpackers’ paradise. Its vibrant street-food culture, a host of colourful heritage sites and breathtaking scenery offer plenty to adventure-seekers on a budget.
— South China Morning Post

Dien Bien: Pa Khoang hosts second cherry blossom festival
Thousands of visitors flocked to the northwestern mountainous province of Dien Bien for the second cherry blossom festival that kicked off in Pa Khoang commune, Dien Bien district, on January 12.
— VNA NET

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