Vietnam News Highlights for April 18, 2023

Vietnam Airlines to set up second direct flight to India

The national flag carrier Vietnam Airline on May 20 will open new direct flights connecting Hanoi and HCM City to Indian city of Mumbai. The flights are expected to strengthen bilateral ties and meet the growing demand of the two peoples.

There will be four flights from Hanoi to Mumbai every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and three flights from HCM City on the remaining days of the week. Mumbai is the second Indian destination where Vietnam Airlines will launch direct flights, after the capital New Delhi in June 2022.

Vietnamese IT firms partake in Hannover Messe International fair

A booth of Vietnamese companies at the international IT fair Hannover Messe 2023. Photo: moit.gov.vn

Twelve Vietnamese companies, including NTQ Solutions, MISA JSC, Hanel JSC, and Tuong Minh Software,  are participating in the Hannover Messe 2023 international industrial exhibition in Germany. The exhibition, to be held from April 17 to 23, will provide Vietnamese businesses with an opportunity to showcase their products, explore potential markets, and establish new partnerships.

With a total revenue of less than US$2 billion in 2022, Vietnamese ICT companies are below the global average of US$148 billion. Vietnam hopes to reach $50 billion in ICT revenue in 10 years, and $150 billion in 20 years.

More than 1,400 affordable houses will be built in Quang Tri

Hanoi-based real estate developer Hacom Holdings plans to build 1,500 new houses in the Nam Dong Ha urban area of Dong Ha City, Quang Tri Province, in April with a total investment of VND1.4 trillion (US$59.5 million). Of the total, the company plans to build about 1,440 affordable houses for workers, government officials, and low-income families.

The houses will range in size from 60 to 75 square meters. The project is expected to be completed in 36 months, once the company receives approval from the authorities. According to Vo Van Hung, Chairman of the Quang Tri Provincial People's Committee, the authorities will provide the best conditions for the developer to complete the project on time.

Jobless headcounts jump 20% on-year to 146,000 people in Q1

Some 146,000 people applied for unemployment benefits in the first quarter of the year, up by a fifth from a year earlier, as global uncertainties continued to weigh on local businesses, leading to shrinking payrolls. Thanh Hoa, Binh Duong, and HCM City were among the localities with the highest number of applications for unemployment benefits.

More than 55% of the unemployed had worked in the textile and garment, footwear, and electronics and components industries, most of them in factories located in southern industrial parks. In 2022, a total of nearly 984,000 people applied for unemployment benefits in the country, up 22.7% from the previous year.