Vietnam news in brief - September 17

Ha Long Bay – Cat Ba Island area becomes world natural heritage

The main road that runs through Cat Ba Islands. Photo: Xuan Thuy/The Hanoi Times

UNESCO has recognized the Ha Long Bay – Cat Ba Islands area as the world's natural heritage. According to the 45^th UNESCO meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on September 16, the area is known for its natural landscapes, with more than 1,100 karsts rising from the sea and a wide range of species, creating a chessboard lookalike on the sea.

Cat Ba Islands was announced as the national special heritage in 2013. Ha Long Bay was recognized a world natural heritage in 2000 and 2020. This is the first inter-province area to be recognized by the UNESCO.

“Around the rice terraces” annual festival kicks off in Hoang Su Phi District

Hoang Su Phi District of northern mountainous Ha Giang Province on September 16 opened the week-long festival titled “Around the rice terraces 2023”. During the event, visitors will have various opportunities to learn about local traditions and cultures, and local specialties, experience a traditional market day, enjoy the shows on making of metal and craft items, tour around the rice terraces, and partake in traditional folk games and dances.

The festival is an annual event, with its first edition launched in 2012.

Ho Chi Minh City mulls two new international terminals to receive more visitors

Ho Chi Minh City will build two new international waterway terminals at the Mui Den Do Park in District 7 and the Can Gio coastal tourism area in Can Gio District to enhance the city’s capacity to welcome more international visitors. The city will also develop the Nha Rong – Khanh Hoi port terminal in District 4 into an international terminal.

For years, international cruises have been unable to access the city because of Phu My Bridge’s height limit, which is designed at 45m. Traveling cruises now have to stop by Sai Gon Port, and other local container ports.

Chinese tech giant Huawei interested in Vietnam’s digital infrastructure development

Simon Lin, President of Huawei Asia-Pacific Region, told Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on September 16 that the Chinese tech company wants to assist the nation in its digital infrastructure development, digitalization and digital transformation, carbon emission cut, and energy transition.

The Chinese tech giant has expanded its operations to more than 170 countries and territories. In Vietnam, the company has partnered with domestic firms to develop the telecommunication network and trained more than 18,000 engineers for Vietnam.

Semiconductor producer Hana Micro Vina opens the first plant in the North

The first semiconductor plant of the northern region was officially put into operation at the Van Trung Industrial Park in Bac Giang Province’s Viet Yen District. The plant, operated by the South Korea-invested firm Hana Micro Vina, has a total registered capital of nearly US$600 million.

Hana Micro Vina specializes in producing and processing semiconductor parts for smartphones and other electronic items. By 2025, the company plans to pour some $1 billion into Vietnam by 2025, create 4,000 jobs and earn $800 million in revenue.

Some 120 Vietnamese enterprises partake in the CAEXPO 2023

According to the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency, more than 120 Vietnamese businesses have signed up for the China-ASEAN Expo 2023 (CAEXPO 2023) held in Nanning City of Guangxi Province. During the four-day event, which ends on September 19, the Vietnamese companies will display a wide range of products in agriculture, processed foods, tourism and investment, and handmade and wooden crafts.

The event also offers Vietnamese companies a chance to work and collaborate with 50,000 representatives of Chinese, ASEAN and international brands.

Five localities with highest digital economy results announced

The five localities in Vietnam with the highest ratio of digital economy over gross regional domestic product (GRDP) are Bac Ninh, Thai Nguyen, Bac Giang, Haiphong, and Vinh Phuc, according to the Vietnam Digital Economy Annual Report 2022. The ratios achieved by these five localities range from 22.87% to 56.83%. The three followers are Danang, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, whose ratios are from 17.15% to 19.76%.

The report was announced at the first National conference on the development of the digital economy and society hosted in Nam Dinh Province on September 15.

Boats traveling on Nho Que River temporarily unavailable

Boats traveling on Nho Que River to Tu San Canyon in northern mountainous Ha Giang Province are temporarily unavailable due to a disagreement in waterway management, according to the Tu San Agriculture and Tourism Services Cooperative. The suspension began on September 15 until further notice.

Boats traveling on the Nho Que River is a popular tourist activity for visitors, taking them around the amazing Tu San Canyon and Ma Pi Leng Pass, one of the four greatest mountain passes in the North of Vietnam.