Vietnam wins the 2023 Asian Women’s Club Volleyball Championship
Vietnam won the match against Diamond Food Fine Chef Club from Thailand 3-2 to become the first Vietnamese volleyball team to win the Asian Women's Club Volleyball Championship on the night of May 2. The team made an amazing comeback after losing the first two sets. With this championship, Vietnam will represent Asia in the FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championship in December 2023.
The Asian Club Championship was hosted by Vietnam in Vinh Phuc Province with nine clubs from Vietnam, Japan, China, Thailand, Taiwan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Hong Kong.
Vietnam secure the first gold medal at 32nd SEA Games
| Vietnamese chess player Pham Thanh Phuong Thao (red shirt) in a match at the 32nd SEA Games. Photo: Vietnam News Agency |
Chess players Pham Thanh Phuong Thao and Ton Nu Hong An won Vietnam's first gold medal at the 32nd SEA Games after winning the women's doubles Ouk Chaktrang on May 2. Traditional Cambodian chess was one of the first sports to be contested at the Games, which were hosted by Cambodia from May 5-17. The Vietnamese ouk chaktrang team consists of 11 players.
The 32nd SEA Games will be held in Cambodia. Some 12,400 athletes, coaches and officials will take part in the sports festival. Vietnam will compete in 30 out of 36 sports at the Games, aiming to finish in the top three in the medals table with 90-120 gold medals.
VNeID apps accepted for flight check-in
The Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam on May 2 asked local airports and airlines to accept the VNeID smartphone application for passengers to check in their flights. Other personal identification documents such as ID cards and driver's licenses are still valid for passengers to complete their check-in.
The decision is in line with the Ministry of Public Security's Decree 59/2022 on electronic personal identification, which aims to ease conditions for domestic tourists and boost tourism. Accordingly, Vietnamese citizens are allowed to show personal data on the VNeID application for check-in and boarding.
First lunar eclipse of the year visible on May 5
People in Vietnam can see the first full lunar eclipse of the year from 10:14 pm on the night of May 5 to 2:31 am the next morning. The eclipse is expected to reach its peak at around 0.22am on the morning of May 6. Other regions that will be able to see the eclipse include Asia, eastern and central Africa, and Australia and its neighboring countries.
According to NASA, lunar eclipses occur during the full moon phase. When the Earth is precisely positioned between the Moon and the Sun, its shadow falls on the Moon's surface, dimming it and sometimes turning the lunar surface a striking red for a few hours.
12-month low for foreign purchases of local assets
Foreign investors bought more than VND17.8 trillion (US$758.6 million) in Vietnamese assets on the HCM Stock Exchange in April, the lowest in 12 months. They sold about VND20.6 trillion (US$877.9 million) in local assets, for a net sale of VND2.8 trillion (US$119.3 million) last month.
They sold the most shares of Sacombank (STB) with a net sales value of VND1.1 trillion (nearly US$47 million), followed by VNDirect Securities (VND), dairy producer Vinamilk (VNM), and chemical company Duc Giang JSC (DGC). Shares of steel producer Hoa Phat (HPG) were the most attractive to foreign investors, luring a net buy of VND700 billion (US$29.8 million).
Strong ties in tourism between Vietnam and South Africa
Ha Van Sieu, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), recently told delegates from South Africa's Northern Cape Province that a direct flight between Vietnam and South Africa will boost bilateral relations in tourism. According to the national tourism agency, Sieu suggested that the two nations improve communication and that South Africa make it easier for Vietnamese travelers to come.
Riaan Warie, Senior Manager of the Northern Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism, agreed with the suggestions and said that a group of artists will arrive in Vietnam in September. He promised to organize meetings for both sides to discuss tourism development opportunities.
