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| Visitors to the Tet book street festival 2024 of HCM City (Photo: VNA) |
With dragon-themed decorations, the annual festival is held on Le Loi street and covers 11,200 sq.m, more than 3,000 sq.m larger than last year’s event. It sees the participation of more than 30 publishers and distributors who introduce about 65,000 books to visitors.
Among the three main zones, Zone A (from Nguyen Hue street to Pasteur street) displays unique publications and photos, rare and valuable books. Zone B (from Pasteur to Nam Ky Khoi Nghia street) is reserved for technology in the book industry like audio and electronic books. Meanwhile, Zone C (from Nam Ky Khoi Nghia to the Quach Thi Trang roundabout) includes book pavilions, an entertainment area for children, and a rest area for visitors.
Lam Dinh Thang, Director of the municipal Department of Information and Communications, said a new and interesting thing at this year’s festival is that more than 16,000 books will be presented as gifts for visitors. Organisers hope that presenting books as gifts will become a popular practice of the local political system, people, and businesses.
For the last more than 10 years, the book street festival has become a unique and typical cultural event of HCM City every Tet, giving domestic and foreign visitors a springtime destination and helping promote the reading habit in the local community.
The Tet book street festival 2024 is scheduled to last through February 14 (the fifth day of the Year of the Dragon).
Vinfast to introduce right-hand drive EV models to Indonesian market
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| (Photo: VNA) |
Vietnamese electric vehicle (EV) maker VinFast will introduce right-hand drive EV models to the international market for the first time as part of its upcoming participation at the Indonesia International Motor Show (IIMS) 2024 slated for February 15 – 25, reported Vietnam News Agency.
In a press release on February 7, the company said the move shows its strong dedication to making EVs accessible to everyone.
"VinFast is delighted to formally launch its brand in the Indonesian market at IIMS 2024. We aim to provide local customers with more eco-friendly transportation offerings, along with a commitment to accompany them throughout the electric vehicle ownership journey. We look forward to inspiring the market to explore the limitless potential of a modern and sustainable mobility future," Tran Quoc Huy, VinFast Indonesia CEO, said as quoted by the release.
With a population of 250 million people, Indonesia is the largest economy in Southeast Asia and one of the largest automotive markets in the region. It represents the next key market for the company and a strategic link in its global electric vehicle supply chain. VinFast previously announced an investment in the construction of a manufacturing plant in the country with an annual capacity of up to 50,000 EVs.
Vietnamese businesses attend Prodexpo 2024
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| Russian customers are interested in Vietnamese food products. (Photo: VNA) |
Vietnamese firms are participating in the 31st International Exhibition for Food, Beverage and Food Raw Materials (Prodexpro 2024), which is being held in Moscow, Russia, from February 5-9, reported Vietnam News Agency.
Among them is Vietfood DV Co. Ltd. which has been the official agent for Vietnam’s Trung Nguyen coffee brand in Russia for five years. It imported about 700 tonnes of coffee for consumption in the Russian market last year, according to Do Van Phuong, the company’s director, elaborating that Trung Nguyen is the brand with the largest consumption in this country.
Pham Van An, director of Foodzone company, which specialises in importing products from Asia to the Russian Federation and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries, said her company has shipped soft drinks and noodles to Russia for six years, adding that basically, Asian products still have attracted due attention from Russians, especially in the current context that many Russians are traveling to Asia so they are more familiar with Asian cuisine.
Prodexpo, an annual trade fair for the food industry held every February, saw the participation of more than 2,100 companies from 40 countries and territories.
It features foodstuffs from across the globe, from essential food and beverages to exquisite specialties as well as organic, sport and healthy food, halal, kosher, and exotic products.
Khanh Hoa seeks green light for high-tech marine farming project
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| Fish cages on Tri Nguyen Island in Nha Trang Bay, Khanh Hoa province. (Photo: VNA) |
The People’s Committee of south central Khanh Hoa province has submitted a request to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to approve the project of “Piloting high-tech marine farming”, worth 1 trillion VND (41.1 million USD), reported Vietnam News Agency.
It will focus on developing high-tech farming from three to six nautical miles in Van Ninh district, Ninh Hoa town and Nha Trang Bay.
In the waters off Van Ninh district, the province plans to establish high-tech farming areas in the south of Dai Lanh, the south of Mui Doi, the southwest of Lach Cua Be, the northwest of Lach Cua Be, the south of Hon Me, Vung Ke, Mui Co Co, Cum Meo, the north of Cum Meo, and Ran Trao.
In Ninh Hoa town, the province will develop high-tech farming areas in the southwest of Hon Cha La, Bai Giong, Hon Thi, southwest of Hon Lang – Hon Giua.
In Nha Trang Bay, the farming will be done on an area of 13 hectares and to a depth of eight to 15 metres, with blue and cotton lobsters, cobia, seabass and pomfret being raised.
A number of technologies will be used such as movable HDPE floating cages, automatic feeding and automatic monitoring of the environment and solar energy.
The budget for the project until 2029 was 1 trillion VND (41.1 million USD), including 300 billion VND (12.3 million USD) from the provincial budget and 400 billion VND (16.4 million USD) from farmers’ contribution.
It targets increasing the productivity and value of the aquaculture industry, raising marine farmers and others’ incomes through creating jobs, improving socio-economic conditions, exporting high-quality fisheries products, ensuring food safety and generally meeting market demand.
The province aims to protect the marine environment through sustainable development, gradually forming a marine farming area three to six miles from shore, reducing near-shore farming and minimising conflicts over space on the coast.
Vietnamese students compete at 19th ICC int’l commercial mediation competition
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| Three students of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV) attends the 19th ICC International Commercial Mediation Competition (ICCMC-19) in Paris, France. (Photo: VNA) |
Three students of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV) are attending the 19th ICC International Commercial Mediation Competition (ICCMC-19) at the headquarters of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Paris, France from February 5-10, reported Vietnam News Agency.
The Vietnamese competitors have diligently researched and taken advantage of every moment to improve their knowledge to be able to pass tough competition rounds in a field that is still quite new to Vietnam.
ICCMC is one of the largest educational competitions globally dedicated to international commercial mediation. This year’s event sees the participation of more than 350 contestants and mediation trainers from more than 30 countries, 160 professional international commercial mediators, and many volunteers, sponsors, and observers.
Contestants representing 48 teams from universities around the world will compete by resolving international trade dispute issues through conciliation methods based on the ICC Arbitration Rules.
The performance of contestants will be evaluated by top experts in dispute resolution worldwide. The teams will go through five qualifying rounds and a final round to determine the champion team.
The competition is also an opportunity for mediation professionals to engage with experienced professionals from around the world while guiding 48 teams in the role of a mediator or judge.
Commercial mediation is a dispute resolution method currently used by many countries. In Vietnam, this method has received increasing attention after the Government issued Decree 22 on Commercial Mediation in 2017./.