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| Coconut nectar drink of Sokfarm Company officially enters US market for first time (Photo: VOV) |
The lot, including nearly 20,000 250-ml bottles, was also the first exported to the US through an official channel.
Sokfarm CEO Pham Dinh Ngai said that the company owns a 20,000-hectar coconut growing area that meets standards of the US, Europe, Japan, and Canada.
It plans to ship from 20,000-40,000 bottles of coconut nectar drink to the US every month.
Tra Vinh currently ranks second in Vietnam in terms of coconut area, after Ben Tre. It is growing nearly 7 million coconut palms on over 26,000 hectares, with a total output of 370,000 tonnes a year.
Hanoi named world’s Best Golf City Destination 2023
World Golf Awards, the leading authority that recognises and rewards excellence in golf tourism, has named Hanoi “World’s Best Golf City Destination 2023” at its 10th annual Gala Ceremony in Abu Dhabi, the Vietnam News Agency quoted the announcement of the Hanoi Department of Tourism on October 25.
This is the result of a year-long vote among hundreds of experts, media units, golf tour companies, golf course owners, hotels, and golf associations of countries around the world. Nominated cities must pass many strict selection criteria such as golf infrastructure system, auxiliary services for golf activities, and accommodation system.
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| BRG Legend Hill Golf Resort in Hanoi's Soc Son district. (Photo: hanoimoi.com.vn) |
The winning city is the one that receives the most votes. Winning the award, Hanoi surpassed other cities that are famous for golf tourism such as Paris or New York.
Hanoi has an ideal geographical location and flight distance, unique and attractive natural and cultural tourism, rich and special cuisine, and weather conditions that allow golf tourism to operate all year round. Golf tourism is considered a potential tourism product, making an important contribution to attracting international tourists to Vietnam in general and Hanoi in particular, especially those from key markets like the Republic of Korea, Japan, America, and Europe.
Currently, the city has six golf course clusters with 10 courses meeting international standards with diverse natural landscapes and satisfing the diverse needs of players. The infrastructure, technical, and transportation systems have been invested fundamentally to ensure convenient travel. The current accommodation system is very diverse and professional, especially 4-5 star hotels and resorts.
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Representatives from Hanoi receive the award “World’s Best Golf City Destination 2023”.
(Photo: VNA) |
The city’s tourism industry plans to take measures to promote golf tourism with a focus on building golf tourism products and organising tournaments, conferences and seminars.
In November 2023, the Tourism Department coordinates with relevant agencies and 15 provinces and cities in the northern region to organise a programme to connect golf tourism products between Hanoi and northern localities.
Three major cities listed among fastest growing destinations for digital nomads
Da Nang, Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City have been named among the world’s 10 fastest-growing remote work hubs for this year, Radio the Voice of Vietnam quoted the details given by experts at Nomad List, a database of remote workers.
Notably, Da Nang finished second on the list. The central city has witnessed growth of 99% over the last five years and growth of 107% this year in terms of the number of digital nomads.
Citizens of almost 200 countries, including the United States, can easily apply for online tourist visas and stay in Vietnam, including Da Nang, for up to 90 days, Nomad List reported.
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| Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: kinhtevadubao.vn) |
Da Nang is the fifth-largest city in the country and offers free Wi-Fi in the downtown area. The coastal city is known for its sandy beaches and is considered to be one of the most livable cities anywhere in the country, it wrote.
The city also boasts the famous Golden Bridge, a pedestrian bridge which is designed to look like giant stone hands holding it up, the website added.
Elsewhere, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City were placed eighth and ninth in the ranking.
Tokyo of Japan topped the list, seeing a 67% increase in digital nomads from 2018 to 2022, according to Nomad List. Indeed, the Japanese capital saw a 369% increase in remote workers last year alone.
Seoul of the Republic of Korea, which is a hub for major tech companies like Samsung, Hyundai and LG, was named the third fastest-growing destination for digital nomads.
Others to make the list included Kuala Lumpur and Penang of Malaysia, Montevideo of Uruguay, Manila of the Philippines, and New Delhi of India.
Vietnam ranks second among top five suppliers of coffee to Italy
Vietnam has been placed second among the top five suppliers of coffee to the Italian market, with its coffee exports witnessing a rise in both volume and value during the initial nine months of the year, Radio the Voice of Vietnam quoted information of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT).
Statistics show the country exported 117,850 tonnes of coffee worth US$262 million to Italy, up 6.7% in volume and 10.8% in value compared to the same period last year.
The average export price of Vietnamese coffee edged up 3.9% year on year to US$2,224 per tonne.
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| Vietnam ranks second among top five suppliers of coffee to Italy (Photo: baobinhthuan.com.vn) |
Its major coffee products are Robusta, Arabica, and processed coffee varieties. Most notably, the export proportion of Robusta coffee rose from 93.32% in the opening nine months last year to 96.29% this year.
In contrast, the export proportion of Arabica and processed coffee dropped from 5.52% and 1.16% during the nine-month period last year to 2.56% and 1.15% this year, respectively.
According to the statistical office of the EU (EUROSTAT), Italy boosted coffee imports from Vietnam and Tanzania, although it reduced imports from markets such as Brazil, Uganda, and India in the reviewed period.
Italy increased coffee imports significantly from Tanzania, up 156.8% in volume and 154.3% in value against the same period from last year, with 14,300 tonnes worth US$35 million./.