Vietnam news in brief - July 30

Head of Hong Kong SAR to visit Vietnam

John Lee Ka-chiu, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (China), will visit Vietnam from July 31 to August 2. In 2023, Hong Kong's foreign direct investment in Vietnam reached US$4.6 billion, ranking third. Cumulatively, Hong Kong is the fifth largest foreign investor in Vietnam, with 2,164 projects and total investment of US$29.5 billion.

Vietnam records trade surplus of over US$14 billion in 7 months

Vietnam recorded a trade surplus of over US$14 billion in the first seven months of 2024, the General Statistics Office announced on July 29. The US is Vietnam's biggest customer at $66.1 billion, while China is the country's No.1 supplier at $79.2 billion.

Information and communication industry revenue reaches over US$80 billion in H1 of 2024
The total revenue of the information and communication industry in the first half of 2024 increased by 27% year-on-year to US$80 billion. Among them, the export revenue of hardware and electronics reached US$73 billion, an increase of 28.1% year on year.

Revenue from telecommunication services reached US$1.3 billion, up 2.27% over the same period last year. Meanwhile, revenue from the postal sector totaled approximately US$1.33 billion, an increase of 22% over the same period last year.

Vietnam welcomes nearly 10 million foreign visitors in Jan-Jul period

Foreign visitors at the Temple of Literature in Hanoi. Photo: Thanh Hai/The Hanoi Times

The number of international tourists visiting Vietnam in the first seven months of 2024 reached nearly 10 million, which is up 51% year-on-year. Asia was a major source of tourists for Vietnam during this period, with over 7.8 million arrivals. This was followed by Europe, the Americas, Oceania, and Africa.

More than 80,000 rare and endemic genes preserved

As of 2023, more than 80,000 valuable genes have been preserved, 2.8 times more than in 2010, according to a conference held by the Ministry of Science and Technology on July 29. Among them, about 7,000 gene sources can be used for medical purposes. The ministry plans to improve policy mechanisms to promote the utilization of rare and valuable gene sources with high economic value in 2025-2030, and set a target of collecting 100,000 genes by 2030.

Savings rate exceeds 6% per annum

Savings interest rates have risen to 6.2% as a result of consecutive rate increases by 14 private banks in the last two weeks, including MBBank, VIB, VPBank, and ABBank.

Vietnam's national ceramic treasures on stamps

Vietnam has issued a set of stamps to honor four ancient ceramic artifacts that are recognized as Vietnamese national treasures. They include the Dau Ram pot, a collection of Long Thanh pottery, the Nhon Thanh pot and a brown flower pot.

Vietnam grabs three gold medals at Int'l Chemistry Olympiad 2

Vietnamese students have won three gold medals and one silver medal at the 56th International Chemistry Olympiad (ICHO 2024) held in Saudi Arabia from July 21 to 30. The result puts Vietnam in second place among 89 participating countries and territories.

Berlin's Vietnamese community celebrates "Living in Berlin" Festival

The "Living in Berlin" festival took place from July 25 to 28 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Dong Xuan Center, the largest Vietnamese shopping center in Berlin. It included live music, art, comedy, dance, Vietnamese cuisine, and discussions about Vietnamese youth in Berlin. The event featured Vietnamese short films and the ARD series "Made in Germany". About 12,500 Vietnamese people live in Berlin.

ASEAN Online Sale Day 2024 set for August 8-10

ASEAN Online Sale Day 2024 will run from August 8 to 10 on http://onlineasean.com. This event features special deals and unique products from 10 ASEAN countries, with major e-commerce platforms such as Lazada, Shopee, TikTok, and Amazon. It promotes domestic and cross-border shopping, enhances opportunities for businesses and consumers, and boosts regional economic cooperation through digital platforms.