Vietnam news in brief - March 22

Aquabike competition begins in Quy Nhon’s Thi Nai lagoon

An Aquabike team makes a final check of their vehicle before the race. Photo: sggp.org.vn

The UIM-ABP Aquabike World Championship 2024 will be held from today (March 22nd) to March 24th at the Thi Nai Lagoon in Quy Nhon City, central coastal Binh Dinh Province. The tournament gathers 70 riders from all over the world, including some world class names such as Jessica Chavanne, world champion of Ski Ladies GP1, and Mickael Poret, world champion of Ski GP1 2023.

The competition will be an opportunity for Binh Dinh Province to show off its local landscapes and cultural values to international visitors and to boost the tourism sector in the province.

Airbus to assist Vietnam in telecom satellite development

French aeronautics and space company Airbus intends to hold an international workshop to help Vietnam work out a program for the development of telecommunications satellites, Bruno Parenti, vice president of Airbus Defense and Space, said at a meeting with Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Huy Dung on March 21.

According to the Airbus executive, the French aerospace company has been working with the Vietnamese telecommunications group VNPT to find solutions to replace the VinaSat-1 and VinaSat-2 satellites in the near future.

Vietnam Startup World Cup 2024 open for applications

The Vietnam Startup World Cup 2024 is now open for applications until June, according to Ho Chi Minh City-based visual technology company Synapse Studio. Candidates will compete for the national final, which is scheduled for July 21. The winner will receive a $10,000 prize and qualify for the 7th World Cup, which will be held in San Francisco, USA, in October 2024. The World Cup winner will secure the $1 million prize.

In 2019,  AI-based logistic tech developer Abivin became the first Vietnamese company to win the Startup World Cup, raising a total of $1.7 million from investors.

Vietnam is one of the best performing markets in Southeast Asia: US news site

The Vietnamese stock market is one of the best performing markets in Southeast Asia  since the beginning of 2024, according to US news site etftrends.com. In its article published earlier this week, the news site argued that banks and brokerage firms believe the Vietnamese market is on a recovery path in Q1/2024 thanks to increasing market liquidity and expectations of the market's upgrade to emerging market status.

Draft Personal Data Protection Law to be submitted in Q2

The draft of the Personal Data Protection Law will be submitted to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly in the second quarter, following the implementation plan of Directive 04 to advance Project 06. The project aims to develop data applications on population, identification and electronic authentication for the national digital transformation phase 2022-2025, with a vision until 2030.

The draft proposal includes a report that assesses the current situation of social relations related to the protection of personal data and another report that assesses the impact of policies in the proposed construction of the Law on the Protection of Personal Data. Currently, the Ministry of Public Security is seeking feedback from organizations and individuals on these reports.

Fruit and vegetable exports reach nearly $1.3 billion in Q1

Increasing purchases from China and Thailand helped Vietnam's fruit and vegetable exports reach $1.3 billion in the first quarter of this year, up 27% from the same period last year, the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association reported. Durian, dragon fruit, and lychee continue to be major contributors to agricultural and fruit exports.

China leads Vietnam's fruit and vegetable imports, with production increasing 1.5 times more than in 2023. Thailand and Germany recorded a significant increase in imports, up 120% from last year.

Vinh Phuc province to have 47 industrial clusters by 2030

By 2030, the northern province of Vinh Phuc aims to have 24 industrial zones and plans to develop 31 new industrial clusters, bringing the total number in the area to 47. The demand for industrial zone development after 2030 is 7,000 hectares, and 10,000 hectares by 2050. Priority will be given to developing new industrial zones along major transportation routes such as the Hanoi-Lao Cai Expressway, Ring Road No. 4, and Ring Road No. 5.

The provincial planning targets for 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, were approved by the Prime Minister on February 6, 2024.