Vietnam news in brief - April 14

Prime Minister launches national program to rehabilitate homes

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (grey shirt) kicks off the construction of a new house in Da Bac district, Hoa Binh province. Photo: VGP

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh launched a nationwide housing rehabilitation and renovation program for 170,000 underprivileged families in 2024-2025 in Hoa Binh province on April 13. The government aims to rebuild all dilapidated houses in the country by 2030.

According to the Prime Minister, there are now 315,000 poor and underprivileged families in Vietnam who need support to rebuild their homes. Of these, about 170,000 families live in deteriorated houses.

Eight new national treasures announced, two in Hanoi

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has announced a list of eight new national treasures, including two in Hanoi: the traditional festivals of Van Giang and Nam Duong villages in My Duc District, and the Trach Xa sewing village in Ung Hoa District.

Other six national treasures include two in the northern mountainous province of Dien Bien, two in the coastal province of Ninh Binh, and other two in the central coastal provinces of Thanh Hoa and Binh Dinh.

Fishing culture preservation center in Ha Long Bay closed for renovation

The Cua Van Floating Village Cultural Preservation Center will be temporarily closed on April 25 for renovation, according to the Ha Long Bay Management Board. The center was opened to the public in 2006 to display visual materials and artefacts about the local fishermen's culture in Ha Long Bay.

Tourists are able to still visit the floating village of Cua Van, where they can watch local fishermen and their families raise aquatic species and experience kayaking and other tourism services.

Vietnam Fisheries Surveillance celebrates 10 years of operation

The government of the central coastal city of Danang held a ceremony on April 13 to mark the 10th anniversary of the Vietnam Fisheries Surveillance (April 15, 2014-April 15, 2024). The unit has been one of the most important units protecting the rights of Vietnamese fishermen at sea, communicating with them about legal fishing, and contributing to national defence.

Since its inception, the agency has conducted more than 1,500 sea patrols to monitor legal fishing, inspected and fined some 12,000 fishing boats for violations, and assisted in rescue operations.

Vietnamese tourists to South Korea up 39% y-o-y in Q1

The number of Vietnamese tourists traveling to the Republic of Korea (South Korea) increased by nearly 39% on-year to 120,000 people in the first quarter of 2024, according to the Korea Tourism Organization. The figure also rose by 8.5% when compared to the same period in 2019, before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

A total of 420,000 Vietnamese travellers visited South Korea in 2023.