Vietnam News Highlights for August 13, 2023

Vietnam attends the first ASEAN Film Festival 

Yen’s Life directed by Dinh Tuan Vu and Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass directed by Victor Vu, two representatives from Vietnam, are attending the 1st ASEAN Film Festival (AFF), which will run until August 19 in Hong Kong (China).

Two films are among the 14 works from eight ASEAN film industries, including Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore, being screened at this film festival. This event is part of the efforts to promote cultural diplomacy and showcase the country and its people, helping audiences further understand Vietnam and inspiring them to visit and do business in Vietnam.

Son Tay Town, Ba Vi Mountain targeted to become new tourism site 

Suoi Hai Lake at the foothill of Ba Vi Mountain, Hanoi. Photo: Duy Khanh/The Hanoi Times

Hanoi may develop the Son Tay – Ba Vi region into a new city of tourism and travel that could foster the tourism sector of the Red River Delta in the future. To achieve that, a group of advisors has suggested that Hanoi build an urban railway to connect Son Tay Town to Ba Vi District’s Tan Vien Mountain tourism site and explore tourism activities alongside Da and Red rivers. 

According to the Son Tay Town People’s Committee, it is vital to revive the Tich River, improve the environmental conditions at the Xuan Son waste treatment area, and resolve the issues related to three golf courts at Dong Mo.

Binh Duong to host Southeast Trade Connection Exhibition 

The Southeast Trade Connection Exhibition between the Young Entrepreneurs' Association of provinces and cities in the Southeast region and the Young Entrepreneurs' Association nationwide will take place on August 25 at the World Trade Center New City in the southern province of Binh Duong. The program aims to create a favorable environment to promote opportunities for trading goods, supplying services, and investment.

The event will also feature an economic forum on business in the integration period with the participation of delegates from the Netherlands, the US, Hong Kong (China), and Singapore, aiming to expand the import-export market for Vietnamese businesses.

Int’l workshop on the elephant conservation pilot program underway in Dong Nai

An international workshop to evaluate the Elephant Conservation Pilot Program will be held in late August in Bien Hoa City, the southern province of Dong Nai, with the participation of leading international experts on Asian elephants. Participating experts will provide accurate information recorded from this pilot program, aiming to bring hope for the successful conservation of this special species in Vietnam.

The monitoring program has achieved initial success in the identification and formal profiling of individual elephants in Dong Nai, showing that the elephant population is much larger than previously reported in the rapid reports conducted in 2016.

Consultants recommend to turn riversides into services area 

A consortium of seven consultants, led by the National Economics University, have proposed that Hanoi authorities develop Red River's riverside areas into the city’s services center. 

The consultants suggest the two banks be turned into riverside roads that tell the history and popular landscapes of the nation and organize festivals to introduce local cultural values, customs, specialties, and others. Meanwhile, the middle alluvial land will be turned into a place for car-parking, sport events, and service businesses in the dry season. The recommendations aim to facilitate the capital’s master urban development plan in 2021-2050. 

Launch of the Khanh Hoa Fisheries Development Support Fund

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha attended the launch and initiation ceremony of the Khanh Hoa Fisheries Development Support Fund on August 12. 

The fund plays a role in mobilizing additional resources to support the development of the fishing industry, investing in infrastructure such as fishing ports, processing facilities, logistical services, and other essential projects for disaster prevention and serving the livelihood of the residents in Truong Sa Island District, which have not been adequately invested by the state budget.

On this occasion, ministries, departments, localities, organizations, businesses, and individuals contributed over VND26 billion (US$1.09 million) to support the provincial fishing industry.