Vietnam News Highlights for June 21, 2023
Check out the latest events around the country.
Vietnamese director wins prize at Cannes Film Festival
| Vietnamese director Pham Thien An wins the Caméra d'Or award for his film. Photo: JKFilm |
Vietnamese director Pham Thien An's "Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell" wins the Caméra d'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival. The movie will be screened in Vietnam from August to September. JKFilm CEO Thi Tran said the film's success in Cannes would help it gain wider recognition. After a week-long premiere in Paris, the film will be released in cinemas across France on September 13.
This is Thien An's first feature-length film, telling the story of a man's journey to return his sister-in-law's body to her hometown.
Vietnam's tourism grows faster than Thailand and Japan
Online travel company Agoda estimates that tourism in Vietnam is growing faster than in Thailand and Japan, according to Nikkei Asia. Vietnam ranked third among Asian destinations, behind Japan and Thailand, regarding its share of inbound travel in the first five months of 2023. It jumped from fifth place in the year before the Covid-19 pandemic in 2019.
An increasing number of South Koreans are visiting Vietnam thanks to the presence of South Korean factories in Vietnam over the past two decades, which has led to the community of expatriates in Vietnam.
Top 10 banks in Vietnam unveiled
Vietnam Report on June 20 announced the 10 best banks in 2023, based on their latest financial statements and reputation in the media. The top three banks in the 12th edition were Vietcombank, Vietinbank, and Techcombank, and their rankings remained unchanged. BIDV rose from seventh to fourth place, and Agribank from tenth to eighth place.
Despite adversities in the domestic and global economies, Vietnamese banks earned VND246 trillion (US$10.5 billion) in pre-tax profits in 2022, up a third from the previous year.
HSBC expects Vietnam to rebound in Q4
| Vietnam's economic growth may expand by 4.0% in 2023, HSBC forecast. Photo: Hai Linh/The Hanoi Times |
The global financial institution HSBC has forecast that Vietnam's economy will recover from the fourth quarter of 2023, warranting further monetary support. HSBC lowers Vietnam's 2023 growth forecast to 5.0% from the previous 5.2%.
HSBC also sees headline inflation growing at 2.6% in 2023, down from its previous estimate of 4.0% for the full year, while the policy rate is expected to be 4.0%, down from its previous expectation of 5.0%.
Japanese destroyer returns to Vietnam after four years
JS Izumo, the largest Japanese destroyer, a member of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), arrived in Cam Ranh Bay, the southern province of Khanh Hoa, on June 20 to begin its official visit to Vietnam. According to Rear Admiral Nishiyama Takahiro, the JMSDF hopes to strengthen relations with the Vietnamese Navy, and the East Sea (South China Sea) means a lot to Japan.
This is the first visit of the destroyer JS Izumo to Vietnam since June 2019. It is accompanied by destroyer Samidare and had joined a drill with the US Navy from June 10-14.
Vietnam wins only gold medal at the European Physics Contest
Dang Bao Quan, a student from Phan Boi Chau Specialized High School in the central province of Nghe An, won the only gold medal for Vietnam at the 2023 European Physics Olympiad in Germany. In its fifth participation, Vietnam also won three silver medals and one bronze. At last year's event, Vietnam won two silver medals and one bronze. This year's international competition was held from June 16-20, with 181 students from 38 countries worldwide participating.
