Vietnam news in brief - June 19

Winners of the 2024 Accessibility Design Competition awarded

The Great Musica from the Fulbright University is the winner of the competition. Photo: VNA

On June 18, the Accessibility Design Competition to create assistive tools for people with disabilities awarded the top competing teams. Among the winners were a music library website for the blind from Fulbright University and a reading assistance application for people with dyslexia from RMIT University Vietnam. The competition, themed "A World for Everyone," attracted 126 students from 25 universities across the country.

US cloud computing firms seek to set up data centers in Vietnam

American cloud computing firms are considering setting up large regional data centers in Ho Chi Minh City and Danang, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Phan Tam told a meeting with a delegation from the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) on June 18.

He expressed the hope that the ITI can serve as a bridge between its member tech companies and Vietnam's IT industry enterprises. The ITI represents 80 global technology companies aiming to promote competition, innovation, and help businesses address public policy and technology standards issues.

Vietnam and Australia boost tourism cooperation

Vietnam and Australia  continue to strengthen tourism cooperation by supporting each other's tourism promotion activities, as discussed at the bilateral tourism working sessions between the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism and Australian tourism agencies and businesses on June 18 at the Australia-Vietnam Travel Symposium 2024 in Melbourne from June 16-21. Vietnam plans to host a tourism promotion program in Australia in September 2024.

Health insurance covers over US$2.6 billion in medical expenses

As of June 2024, health insurance in Vietnam covered more than 89.5 million medical visits, with benefits totaling more than VND66.9 trillion (US$2.6 billion), according to Vietnam Social Security. In the first half of 2024, about 18.3 million people, or 39% of the working-age population, were enrolled, an increase of 1.1 million people year-on-year. Of these, more than 1.6 million people were enrolled in voluntary social insurance, about 202,000 more than a year earlier.

University of Sydney Vietnam Institute launched

The University of Sydney Vietnam Institute (SVI), part of the University of Sydney in Australia, was launched in Ho Chi Minh City on June 18. The institute brings together nearly 100 local and international researchers to conduct studies in healthcare, agriculture, sustainable development, and arts and culture. These efforts aim to address Vietnam's healthcare needs and improve the quality of life for its citizens. SVI's not-for-profit social enterprise model will secure funding from research funds in Australia, USA, Canada and Vietnam, as well as collaborative R&D projects with businesses.

Ministry of Finance to evaluate proposal to tax gold transactions

The Ministry of Finance will study and evaluate the impact of taxing gold transactions to cool demand from certain groups of investors and the market, especially to discourage speculation and price manipulation, Deputy Minister of Finance Nguyen Duc Chi said at the ministry's regular press conference on June 18.