Vietnam news in brief - September 22

Japan's Crown Prince Akishino speaks highly of Vietnam-Japan relations

Japanese Crown Prince Akishino (2nd right), Crown Princess Kiko (3rd right), and Truong Thi Mai (4th right), chairwoman of the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Parliamentarians Group, visit a photo exhibition at the ceremony on September 21. Photo: VNA

Japan's Crown Prince Akishino praised the bilateral relations between Vietnam and Japan on September 21 - the day marking the 50th anniversary of establishing Vietnam-Japan diplomatic relations, hoping to contribute to strengthening the ties. Speaking at the celebration ceremony in Hanoi, the Crown Prince expressed pride in the 1,000-year friendship between the two nations and appreciated the affection felt by the peoples of the two countries towards each other.

Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko are on a week-long visit starting September 20. They visited the Temple of Literature, Vietnam's first university, on September 21 and visited UNESCO-recognized Hoi An ancient town, which is home to Chua Cau or Temple Bridge - a place marked by the footprints of Japanese traders in the 117th century. 

First-ever paragliding show "Explore Muong Lo Valley" held in Yen Bai 

Muong Lo Valley from above. Photo: Lao Dong Newspaper

The Muong Lo Culture and Tourism Festival and the Yen Bai Ethnic Culture Day in 2023 will be held with cultural performances, sports competitions, discovery and experience tourism, fashion shows, traditional cooking competitions among ethnic groups, and paragliding in Muong Lo Valley, among some 30 activities. The festival will run from the beginning of September to the end of October.

As part of the festival, the paragliding activity "Explore Muong Lo Valley" will be held for the first time from September 28 to October 1 in the APEC Urban Area, Pu Trang Ward, Nghia Lo Town, northern Yen Bai Province.

Agreement signed for Vietnam-Thailand-Lao tourism linkage 

Many memoranda of understanding (MoUs) on promoting and linking tours were signed by representatives of Vietnam's Central province of Quang Tri, Northeastern Thailand, and Lao's Savannakhet Province under the Caravan Tourism 2023 themed "Colors of Quang Tri". The event attracted more than 80 units, including half from Laos and Thailand.

Promoting tourism in the Mekong Delta and Northwest provinces

Tourism experts have proposed promoting regional linkage and product chains and developing unique tourism products for each region as one of the critical solutions to upgrade the region and each locality. 

The proposals were given at the Mekong Delta and Northwest Provinces Tourism Promotion and Advertising Conference held in Lao Cai Province on September 21, in which provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta and Northwest region need to enhance investment attraction, create diversified tourism, improve quality and competitiveness, and promote digital transformation in tourism.

Luxury cruise ship brings 4,000 international tourists to Nha Trang

Spectrum of the Seas arrives in Nha Trang Bay. Photo: Phuc Hau/The Hanoi Times

The luxury cruise ship Spectrum of the Seas on September 21 brought 4,000 passengers from Germany, France, Spain, Hong Kong (China), Singapore, and other countries to Nha Trang Bay in the central province of Khanh Hoa. The province will welcome three more sea cruises in October, bringing thousands of tourists for sightseeing. Since the beginning of 2023, Nha Trang has received 13 sea cruises with a total of 17,642 visitors.

Northern provinces receive 250,000 trees for a greener future

Unilever Vietnam, in cooperation with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE), on September 21, donated 250,000 trees to the northern provinces of Yen Bai and Lao Cai. This shows Unilever's ongoing commitment to plant 1 million trees "For a Green Vietnam" by 2025. By 2023, the multinational firm has planted nearly 700,000 trees in various localities nationwide.

Foreign online platforms pay $382.2 million in taxes in March 2022-July 2023

Foreign online service providers paid about VND9.3 trillion (US$382.2 million) in taxes from March 2022 to July 2023. According to the General Department of Taxation, more than 60 foreign social platforms have registered their operations in Vietnam, including popular brands such as Meta, Google, Apple, and Samsung. The department will continue tightening regulations on these enterprises' tax payment process and take measures to combat tax evasion among e-commerce businesses.

Vietnam loses to Iran, faces elimination from ASIAD 19 Football Tournament

Vietnam lost 4-0 to Iran in the second match of the football tournament of the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games on September 21. The loss left Vietnam third in Group B behind Iran and Saudi Arabia, who beat Mongolia 3-0. Vietnam will face Saudi Arabia in the last match of the group stage of the ASIAD 19 football competition. The Vietnamese players will have to be at their best and lucky to beat the stronger opponent.

Social networking platforms account for half of communications revenue

About half of the total US$4 billion in revenue in the communications sector comes from online and social platforms. According to delegates and experts at the conference, the Vietnamese press is losing market share to social networking platforms, which have experienced rapid development and expansion in recent years. They said media agencies need to adopt digital transformation solutions to modernize their news production methods and create more value for readers and viewers.