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The Centralized Administration Center and Convention and Exhibition Center of Binh Duong province (Photo: baobinhduong.vn)
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This is the second time Binh Duong has been honoured as one of the seven global communities worldwide, said the Voice of Vietnam.
The ceremony is expected to attract 100 foreign guests, including leaders of the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF), representatives from international organisations, and multinational corporations, along with scientists from across the world.
They will discuss issues such as digital transformation, tools to help the local community overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, Industry 4.0 technology, opportunities and challenges faced by developing countries, and connecting smart communities.
Mai Hung Dung, vice chairman of the Binh Duong provincial People's Committee, said that this marks the second time Binh Duong has been honoured as one of the seven global communities worldwide boasting an outstanding smart city development strategy.
This is the fourth consecutive year when Binh Duong has been named in the ICF’s Smart 21 list, along with cities in Canada, Brazil, and Australia.
Addressing the press conference on June 19, Louis Zacharilla, co-founder of the ICF, noted that in order to be selected in the Top 7, Binh Duong has fully met six intelligent community indicators, including broadband connectivity, knowledge workforce, innovation, sustainable development, digital inclusion, and community engagement.
Gaining a place within this year's Top 7 list is widely considered to be recognition from the international community for the competent strategies and firm development implemented by Binh Duong over recent years.
The event also represents a golden chance for businesses, institutes, and schools to exchange and connect with a network of global smart communities, thereby helping them to improve their ability to find fresh opportunities and partners. This will help to jointly develop governance capacity, boost the overall science and technology level, and promote trade and investment attraction.
It will also help to contribute to Binh Duong's socio-economic breakthrough programme and the development of the "Binh Duong Smart City” project.
Vietnam ranks second in Globalbeauties’ ranking “Country of the Year 2021”
Vietnam surpassed Venezuela and the Philippines to come second in the "Country of the Year 2021" ranking as announced by international beauty site Globalbeauties which assesses the success of each country in the field of beauty over the past year.
According to the Voice of Vietnam, the "Country of the Year 2021" ranking is the first of its kind and is based on the various achievements of national representatives at major beauty contests, including Miss World, Miss Universe, Miss Supranational, and Miss Grand International.
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Vietnam ranks second in Globalbeauties’ ranking “Country of the Year 2021”. (Photo: VOV)
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Last year saw several Vietnamese beauties contribute to Vietnam’s overall success, marking several milestones in international beauty. They were Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien who won Miss Grand International 2021, Do Thi Ha who was in the Top 13 of Miss World 2021, and Kim Duyen who was in the Top 16 of Miss Universe 2021.
As a result, Vietnam earned 3,750 points for such achievements, according to Globalbeauties.
India topped the list with a total of 4,450 points mostly contributed by Harnaaz Sandhu winning Miss Universe 2021, Manasa Varanasi who was in the Top 13 of Miss World 2021, Aavriti Choudhary who was in the Top 12 of Miss Supranational 2021, and Manika Sheokand who was in the Top 20 of Miss Grand International.
Elsewhere, the other leading countries in the global rankings were Poland, South Africa, and Puerto Rico.
Traditionally, strong nations in terms of beauty such as Venezuela and the Philippines came seventh and eighth in the "Country of the Year 2021" ranking, respectively.
Vietnamese pangasius widely consumed in Nordic market
Vietnam’s tra fish (pangasius) fillets are mostly consumed in the Nordic market, according to the Vietnamese Trade Office in Sweden, concurrently in Denmark, Norway, Iceland, and Latvia.
After enduring two consecutive years of a decline, pangasius exports to the Nordic region in the first two months of the year surged by 76% to reach US$28 million, of which shrimp exports soared by 66% to US$159 million compared to the same period from last year, reported by the Voice of Vietnam.
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Photo for illustration (Source: cand.com.vn)
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Most notably, pangasius exports to the three major markets, including the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium inched up 77%, 59%, and 82%, respectively.
The majority of pangasius exports which go to the European market in general and Nordic market consist of frozen fillets.
According to a representative of the Vietnamese Trade Office in Sweden, the neutral taste of the product makes it ideal to be served with various dishes. In addition, another important segment in the demanding market is thawing and value-added products.
Statistics indicate that Vietnamese seafood export turnover during the opening three months of the year surged by 40% to US$2.4 billion against last year’s corresponding period.
COVID-19 infections fall to 12-month low in Vietnam
Vietnam recorded just 533 fresh coronavirus infections on June 19, the lowest in the past 12 months, the Voice of Vietnam quoted the figure of the Ministry of Health.
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Photo for illustration (Source: baochinhphu.vn)
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The June 19 figure saw a decrease of 166 cases compared to the previous day, with 434 cases documented in the community.
The fresh cases were mostly detected in the north, with Hanoi capital taking the lead as it registered 140 cases.
Except for Hanoi, none of other localities recorded more than 100 cases.
Ho Chi Minh City, the most populous locality in Vietnam, detected 24 cases, topping southern localities.
Apart from Ho Chi Minh City, three other southern localities - Binh Phuoc, Ba Ria – Vung Tau and Ben Tre – recorded only one case each.
Vietnam has documented 10,737,640 million COVID-19 infections since the start of the first outbreak in January 2020, ranking 12th out of 227 counties and territories worldwide.
The fourth wave that started in summer 2021 was the hardest, with 10,729,874 cases logged nationwide.
Of the total, more than 9.6 million cases have recovered from the virus, according to data unveiled by the Ministry of Health.
To date, as many as 43,083 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported in Vietnam, making up 0.4% of the total number of infections and ranking 24th out of 227 countries and territories worldwide.
More than 225 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered nationwide.
THACO plant to export more car boots to Malaysia
The car body component plant of THACO Industries, a member of Truong Hai Group, is planning to export more than 25,000 sets of KIA Carnival boots to Malaysia between 2022 and 2026.
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Inside the car body component plant of THACO Industries (Source: VNA)
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Recently, it exported more than 700 similar sets to this market, marking a stride in the factory’s development as the KIA Carnival boot is its first product to be sold to a foreign market, THACO said.
The boots are manufactured on a modern line transferred from the Republic of Korea’s KIA Group - one of the world’s leading automakers, according to the Vietnam News Agency.
Apart from the boots, the plant also produces and supplies many other car body parts like front doors, rear doors, and hoods for different series, including KIA Cerato, KIA Soluto, KIA Seltos, KIA Carnival, and MAZDA 3 All New, MAZDA CX-5 and MAZDA CX-8.
THACO noted in the time ahead, its plant will be equipped with a more automated and digitalised production line, step up research and development to diversify products, boost component supply for domestic car manufacturers, and partner with trading companies to increase exports to other ASEAN countries, thus helping realise the goal of becoming the leading car body component producer in Vietnam./.