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Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi Hotel. (Photo: sofitel-legend-metropole-hanoi.com)
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Vietnam has had more than 5,000 sustainable accommodation establishments recognized by the website.
According to booking.com, it has offered the badge to 550,000 accommodations worldwide in recognition of their sustainable tourism practices.
To be eligible for the badge, accommodations must ensure 29 practices that focus on energy and water resources savings, environmental protection, green tourism, and the participation of local people. Specifically, it is necessary for establishments to provide reusable towels; allow the option of not cleaning the room every day and having water-efficient bathrooms; use environmentally friendly LED lights; have green space and use local ingredients; have tours and activities organised by local guides and businesses.
Other leading sustainable factors that are adopted globally include the elimination of plastic straws and cups as well as the installation of double-glazed windows.
Other destinations with the highest number of sustainable accommodations in Vietnam include Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, Vung Tau, Da Lat, Nha Trang, Hoi An, Quy Nhon, Phu Quoc and Ha Long.
Booking.com's Sustainable Tourism Report 2023 shows that more than 79% of Vietnamese travelers said that they feel more satisfied when staying in accommodations with a sustainability certification or badge.
Varun Grover, country director of booking.com in Vietnam, said that Vietnamese tourists are more interested in sustainable travel. In fact, 97% of them expressed their desire to travel more sustainably over the next 12 months, he added.
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JW Marriott (Photo: VOV)
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Through the travel sustainable badge on booking.com, they can help these travelers find sustainable accommodations and gain insight into their sustainable activities, Grover said.
It’s not only making it easier for tourists to experience the world but also encouraging them to make smarter and more sustainable choices, he noted, elaborating that the website also provides visitors with a list of inspirational destinations in Vietnam with sustainable stay to boost their passion for travel this year.
Vietnamese gymnast takes Asian silver, qualifies for world gymnastics championship
Vietnam’s Nguyen Van Khanh Phong won a silver medal at the Asian Gymnastics Championships, which came to an end in Singapore on June 18, said the Vietnam News Agency.
The SEA Games champion made a big step in his career after finishing second wth 14,366 points in the men's rings, his favourite apparatus, and secured Vietnam's second spot at the World Gymnastics Championship later this year.
The gold medal went to Chinese Lan Xingyu with 15,200 points while the bronze was won by Ng Kiu Chung of Hong Kong with 14,100 points.
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Vietnamese gymnast Nguyen Van Khanh Phong (Photo: sggp.org.vn)
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Phong's medal was the only one of Vietnam at this continental championship.
He will join his teammate Van Vi Luong in the world tournament, which will take place from September 30 to October 8 in Belgium.
Luong earlier secured his place after being one of six qualifiers from the men's all-round event.
The Belgian competition is the 2024 Paris Olympic Games qualifier. The top three highest-ranked teams in the team final will automatically qualify a full team of five gymnasts for the Games.
Vietnam sent a squad of five men and four women to the Singapore competition, which attracted athletes from 25 countries and territories.
Vietnamese film joins Palm Springs International ShortFest
“Supermarket Affairs” by Vietnamese director Nguyen Luong Hang is one of the four candidates from Southeast Asia competing at the ongoing Palm Springs International ShortFest, the largest film festival for short films in the US, the Vietnam News Agency reported.
The film revolves around conflicts between a middle-aged Vietnamese immigrant woman and her Americanised adult daughter over the best way to honour her late husband in his second death anniversary.
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A scene from “Supermarket Affairs” (Credit: Nguyen Luong Hang)
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The comedic and lusty narrative work previously joined the Spokane International Film Fest, Osaka Asian Film Festival, Seattle Asian American Film Festival, and CAAMFest.
The 2023 Palm Springs film fest lasts from June 20 to 26, with the organiser selecting 299 candidates out of the over 6,000 submissions from 129 countries worldwide.
Awards and cash prizes worth 25,000 USD, including five Academy Award-qualifying awards, will be announced on June 25. The Best of the Fest shorts will be screened on the final day, June 26.
Foreign suppliers pay taxes of over 300 million USD online
Foreign suppliers have paid more than 7.36 trillion VND (312.8 million USD) worth of taxes through an electronic portal dedicated to them from March 21, 2022, the Vietnam News Agency quoted the figures of the General Department of Taxation (GDT).
Of the total, over 3.9 trillion VND has been collected since the beginning of this year.
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The General Department of Taxation's Information Technology System Monitoring Centre
(Photo: VNA)
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According to Director of the GDT’s Large Taxpayers Division Nguyen Bang Thang, with the operation of the portal over the past more than one year, Vietnam has affirmed to be one of the four countries leading ASEAN in terms of applying cross-border tax collection through one portal.
Tax authorities will continue to create maximum favourable conditions for foreign suppliers and domestic organisations so that they can expand operations in Vietnam.
On the other hand, they will apply strict sanctions and handle organisations that intentionally commit tax violations in accordance with law, Thang added./.