Vietnam news in brief - April 5

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue to visit China this weekend

Chairman of Vietnam's National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue will lead a delegation to visit China from April 7 to 12, according to the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs Committee. The visit comes at the invitation of Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) of China.

Vietnam and China have been exchanging high-level visits in recent years. In October 2022, Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong visited China, and a year later, China's General Secretary and President Xi Jinping toured Vietnam.

Vatican Secretary for Relations with States to make first visit to Vietnam

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Vietnam announced on April 3 that Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican's Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, will visit Vietnam from April 9-14. This will be the first visit to Vietnam by a Vatican Secretary for Relations with States.

Archbishop Gallagher is expected to meet with senior Vietnamese officials, including Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son, heads of the Ministry of Interior and the Vietnamese Government Committee for Religious Affairs. He will also visit the Vietnam National Children's Hospital in Hanoi, which has had medical cooperation with the Bambino Gesù Hospital in Rome since 2005.

Evaluation of national public administration platform launched

A citizen scans QR codes in the Dong Tam Ward People's Committee to complete administrative processes. Photo: The Hanoi Times

The Ministry of Information and Communications today (April 5) launched a campaign to evaluate the public administration platform operated by ministries, sectors and provincial governments. The campaign, which will run until the end of June, aims to assess the performance of these government bodies in adopting technology and improving the quality of public administration for citizens and businesses.

In 2024, the government aims to process 50% of requests for administrative procedures via the online administrative platform. The government expects citizen satisfaction to reach 90%.

Vietnam and Mongolia boost tourism cooperation

As part of the Ho Chi Minh City 2024 Tourism Festival from April 4 to 7, the Mongolian Ministry of Environment and Tourism organized the "Go Mongolia Roadshow 2024" program to showcase Mongolian culture and tourism, the potential and opportunities for tourism cooperation between Mongolia and Vietnam, and Mongolian cuisine and drinks.

This activity is one of the events commemorating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries (November 17, 1954-2024).

Mongolian Airlines plans to open the Ulaanbaatar-Ho Chi Minh City route in November, expecting an increase in the number of Mongolian tourists visiting Vietnam and vice versa.

Ho Chi Minh City to host 7-10 day tourism events every month

Ho Chi Minh City will hold major tourism events of one week to 10 days every month to attract tourists to the city, said Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Phan Van Mai at a press conference on the first quarter held on April 2.

The city will host the City Tourism Festival from April 4 to 7, with 200 food and tourism stalls and activities to link businesses from 45 provinces and cities. The first Ho Chi Minh City Film Festival will also be held from 6 to April 13. May will see activities such as the International Ginseng and Medicinal Herbs Festival, a food and beverage industry exhibition and a Vietnamese export goods fair.

Extended opening hours for visitors to Dien Bien Phu Historical Victory Museum

The Dien Bien Phu Victory Museum in Dien Bien Province. Photo: dienbientv

Travellers can visit  the Dien Bien Phu Historical Victory Museum in the northern mountain province of Dien Bien on Friday and Saturday evenings from 7.30pm to 9pm from April 1 to  May 31 and May 6-7.

In March, the museum welcomed over 50,400 visitors, including many groups of veterans, officials, soldiers and students from all over the country. Underlining the province's efforts to develop historical tourism as a key economic sector, the museum has become an attractive tourist destination.

VietJet Air CEO still richest businesswoman on Vietnam's stock market

Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, CEO and President of local airline VietJet Air, remains the richest businessperson on the Vietnamese stock market and the third richest in Southeast Asia, according to Forbes. Thao is ranked 1,187th on the Forbes Billionaires 2024 list, which was released earlier this week, with a net worth of US$2.8 billion.

In Southeast Asia, the VietJet Air president is behind Indonesia's Dewi Kam, who has a net worth of $4.5 billion, and Thailand's Somurai Jaruphnit, who has a net worth of $3.1 billion.

Vietnam a favorite tourist destination for Indonesians

The number of Indonesian tourists coming to Vietnam increased by 188% in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the period before the Covid-19 pandemic, the Indonesian newspaper Tempo reported on April 3.

The number of foreign tourists coming to Vietnam in January-March reached 4.6 million people, an increase of 3.2% compared to the period before the Covid-19 pandemic.