Vietnam news in brief - May 16

Nha Trang Sea Tourism Festival 2024 to be held in June

The Nha Trang Sea Tourism Festival 2024, themed "Nha Trang Bay - Sparkling Pearl", will run from June 13 to 16 in the coastal city of Nha Trang in the southern province of Khanh Hoa. The festival is expected to welcome over 400,000 domestic and international visitors, foreign diplomatic missions in Vietnam, and world art delegations.  

Above view of Nha Trang beach. Photo: Trung Nhan/ The Hanoi Times

Danang to host second Asian Film Festival in July

The second Danang Asian Film Festival (DANAFF) will be held from July 2 to 6 in the central city of Danang, bringing together many leading filmmakers from across Asia.

Co-hosted by the Vietnam Association for Film Promotion and Development, Danang authorities and the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC), the event aims to select and honor excellent productions, promote new talents in Vietnamese and Asian cinema, and introduce new cinematic works to the public.

For this year's event, films will be screened at three cinema complexes, including Le Do, Galaxy, CGV, and two outdoor venues, including Nhu Nguyet Street (July 3 and 4) and the park in front of the Lien Chieu District Administration Center (July 5). 

Vietnam sees impressive growth in Taiwanese tourists

About 418,000 visitors from Taiwan (China) came to Vietnam in the first 4 months of the year, an increase of 116.3% over the same period last year, according to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism. With this result, Taiwan ranked third among the top 10 largest sources of foreign travelers to Vietnam during this period.

Hanoi's electricity consumption capacity estimated to reach 5,675MW in 2024

Hanoi City Electricity Corporation (EVNHANOI) forecasts that the city's maximum electricity consumption capacity will reach 5,675MW in 2024, with electricity demand increasing by 8% - 13% compared to last year. Statistics show that Hanoi's average electricity output in the first 4 months of 2024 exceeded 63 million kWh, an increase of 10% compared to the same period in 2023 (over 56 million kWh).

ST Telemedia Global Data Centres, VNG to build data centers in Vietnam
ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (STT GDC) announced on May 15 a joint venture partnership with VNG Corporation (VNG) to build and operate international standard data center projects in Ho Chi Minh City. The partnership includes the continuation of operations at the STT VNG Ho Chi Minh City 1 data center and the establishment of a new data center, STT VNG Ho Chi Minh City 2, which is expected to be operational in the first half of 2026. Both are located in the Tan Thuan Export Processing Zone.

Vietnam approves dengue and shingles vaccines

Vietnam has granted licenses for three vaccines, Qdenga for the prevention of dengue fever, Shingrix for the prevention of shingles and Pneumovax 23 for the prevention of 23 types of pneumococcal disease, according to recent decisions by the Ministry of Health.

These vaccines, along with 37 other inocculants and biological products, were officially approved in Vietnam on May 15, paving the way for Vietnam Vaccine Joint Stock Company to import them into Vietnam. All three vaccines are produced by major global pharmaceutical companies, namely Takeda of Japan, GSK of Belgium and MSD of the US.

Ministries and sectors simplify 765 administrative procedures

The ministries and sectors have simplified 765 administrative procedures out of 1,084 assigned in the Government's specialized resolutions, according to the reports of the Government Office on the implementation of administrative procedures in the electronic environment and the management and operation of the National Public Service Portal.

To date, the portal has connected and integrated with 150 information systems and databases of agencies and units, and has published a total of 6,287 administrative procedures, including over 4,500 online public services. It has more than 14.3 million accounts, more than 309 million synchronized records, and enabled more than 26.4 million online payment transactions.

Vietnam to promote tourism with TikTok

TikTok Vietnam will collaborate with the Vietnam Tourism Association to implement the reality TV program "Vietnamese Beauty Season 2" to enhance communication on Vietnam's tourism. The program aims to show viewers the beauty of Vietnam, including cuisine, scenery, famous destinations, culture and others, celebrating the beauty and charm of the country and providing informative content on the TikTok platform. The program will take place in three provinces: Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa and Lam Dong, from May 20 to 26.

Vietnam DPM calls on Huawei to increase investment in the country
At a meeting on May 15 with Zhengjun Zhang, Huawei's Deputy Chairman for Asia Pacific, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang highly appreciated Huawei's presence and contributions in Vietnam over the past years and expressed his wish for Huawei to continue investing in Vietnam in areas where Huawei has advantages, such as telecommunications, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, and green transformation.
Huawei has been investing in Vietnam since 1998, and has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Information and Communications to cooperate in supporting small and medium-sized enterprises in information technology, especially in researching and setting up the first 5G innovation center.