Vietnam news in briefs - August 28

Ho Chi Minh City Hall to open its doors to tourists

The city hall of Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: The Hanoi Times

The 114-year-old Ho Chi Minh City Hall or the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Office will be open for tours on the upcoming Independence Day celebration on September 2. The city plans to make the tours monthly from September to raise public awareness of the city's history.

The tours were first launched on April 30 and May 1 and attracted nearly 1,500 visitors.

Last founding comrade of the Vietnamese army passes away

Colonel Hoang Long Xuyen, the last member of the Armed Propaganda Brigade for the Liberation of Vietnam, died on August 27 at 107. He was among the first to found the Armed Forces of Vietnam on December 22, 1944. The colonel, born in 1917, was then appointed platoon commander of the brigade and took charge of military activities in the northern province of Lang Son.

After the liberation of the South on April 30, he was appointed Chief of Criminal Investigation under the Border Guard High Command. He retired in May 1984.

Vietnam U23 national team rewarded $75,000 for winning regional cup

The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) on August 27 rewarded the Vietnam Under-23 National Team with a cash prize of VND1.8 billion (US$75,000) for winning the AFF Under-23 Championship. The team became the first in Southeast Asia to defend their title and win back-to-back championships.

Following the Southeast Asian tournament, U23 Vietnam will play in the qualifiers for the 2024 Asian U23 Cup. The team is in Group C and the matches will be played in Vietnam's Phu Tho Province on September 6-8.

Summer camp for young overseas Vietnamese ends successfully

The 9th summer camp for young Vietnamese in Europe ended in France on August 27. The four-day activity attracted nearly 200 Vietnamese students and youth from 10 European countries and the US, among others, with a wide range of activities such as folk games, sports events, exchanges and seminars on innovation, and tours of Paris.

The annual summer camp was first held in 2007 to enhance interactions between young Vietnamese and people of Vietnamese origin living abroad.

During National Day, Vietnamese tourists prefer to visit Bangkok

Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, is among the top 10 overseas destinations for Vietnamese to travel to during the National Day holiday [September 1-4], according to Booking, a global online travel agency.

The other cities in the top 10 include Singapore, Seoul (South Korea), Taipei (Taiwan), Hong Kong (China), Tokyo (Japan), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Sydney (Australia), Ubud (Indonesia), and Chiang Mai (Thailand).

Vietnam and Saudi Arabia promote tourism 

Vietnam wants more support from Saudi Arabia in developing suitable halal tourism products and services and welcomes Saudi businesses to operate in Vietnam's hospitality and tourism sectors, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung told Ahmed Agil F Alkhateeb, Saudi Arabia's Minister of Tourism, on August 27.

The two nations are in talks to sign a memorandum of understanding to increase tourist exchanges between businesses of the two sides.

"Vietnam's Coastal and Island Cultural Heritage" exhibition to open

The exhibition "Vietnam's Coastal and Island Cultural Heritage", featuring 270 photos and artifacts, will run until September 3 in Phan Thiet City, the southern province of Binh Thuan. The cultural event aims to raise awareness among the younger generation about sovereignty protection and maritime and island regions.

There will be various performances of traditional folk arts showcasing intangible cultural heritage and street performances to help people and tourists gain a deeper understanding of the beauty of each region in Vietnam.

Famous children's science book from Singapore arrives in Vietnam

The Young Scientist, a children's science comic book from Singapore, was introduced to Vietnamese children for the first time at Ho Chi Minh City's Book Street over the weekend, according to the publisher Seednet Books Co., Ltd.

The Young Scientists, which has been popular with young readers in Singapore for more than 20 years, has been distributed in many other Asian countries, including Malaysia, India, and China.