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| Thien is named among top 50 successful women: Hungarian magazine (Photo: VOV) |
This comes after the publication released an article about Thien, hailing not only her success in business, but also her contributions to connecting Asian and European culture.
Along with her various business successes, Thien, who is head of the Association of Vietnamese women in Hungary, also actively participates in social activities. As a chairwoman of the Vietnam-Hungary Relationship Foundation, Thien has made great efforts to mobilise and build a Vietnam - Hungary friendship monument in Paks city of Tona province. The monument was inaugurated back in 2010 to mark the occasion of the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long - Hanoi.
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| Successful Women magazine releases an article about Thien (Photo: VOV) |
Thien, 56, was born in Hanoi before moving to Russia in 1986 to study for a Ph.D. in economics. She then went to Hungary with her husband in 1998 after a financial crisis hit her wholesale Asian food trading business in Russia.
Things started to change for the better in 2002 when Thien and her husband decided to buy the Fried Castle, which had been built by Imre Fried, a leather footwear magnate.
Situated in the town of Simontornya, located 120 km from the capital Budapest, it is a restored old castle which boasts 50 rooms and its 19 hectares of grounds include a park, a zoo, vineyards, and a wine cellar.
Since making the purchase, her hotel has attracted a huge number of foreign tourists.
This comes after Thien has also appeared on the cover of the Hungarian magazine in 2020 for leading her business out of a COVID-induced slump.
A couple of years ago she had also been named as one of the 50 most successful women entrepreneurs by Hungarian Businesswomen magazine.
Hanoi honoured in two categories of TripAdvisor’s leading awards
Hanoi has been honoured in two categories of the Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best 2023 by TripAdvisor – the world's largest travel guidance platform, according to the Vietnam News Agency.
Specifically, the capital city is ranked third among the 20 Best Food Destinations, and 17th in the 25 Popular Destinations.
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| Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi (Photo: dulich.petrotimes.vn) |
In its description of Hanoi, the site said that “the charming Vietnamese capital has aged well, preserving the Old Quarter, monuments and colonial architecture, while making room for modern developments alongside. Hanoi may have shrugged off several former names, including Thang Long, or ‘ascending dragon,’ but it hasn't forgotten its past, as sites such as Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum and Hoa Lo Prison attest. Lakes, parks, shady boulevards and more than 600 temples and pagodas add to the appeal of this city, which is easily explored by taxi”.
Some renowned dishes of Hanoi include “pho” (noodle soup), bun cha (grilled pork with vermicelli), banh cuon (rolled rice pancakes), banh mi (Vietnamese baguettes), and ca phe trung (egg coffee).
Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best is the annual award by Tripadvisor. The award is meant to be given to destinations whose hotels, restaurants and things-to-do received a high volume of above-and-beyond reviews and opinions from the community over a 12-month period.
Fewer than 1% of Tripadvisor’s 8 million listings are awarded Best of the Best, signifying the highest level of excellence in travel.
Rice export soars to record high in 2023
2023 is a successful year for Vietnam’s rice shipment as export volume and prices hit an all-time high of 8.3 million tonnes and 4.78 billion USD, said the Vietnam News Agency.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the total rice output in the country increased 1.9% to 43.5 million tonnes, meeting both domestic demand and export.
Export prices averaged 663 USD per tonne as a result of high demand.
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| Total total rice output in the country increases 1.9% to 43.5 million tonnes. (Photo: VNA) |
The year was full of difficulties for rice export as geo-political conflicts in the world disrupted food and input material supply. The El Nino phenomenon, which posed a risk of contraction in food production, has triggered some countries’ concern over supply for domestic demand. The suspension of grain export by countries such as India, the UAE, and Russia also caused big supply pressure, thus mounting concern in the global food market.
However, as a leading exporter of farm produce, particularly rice, Vietnam still managed to guarantee national food security and export growth.
Under the strategy on developing rice export markets of Vietnam until 2030, agricultural authorities are ordering localities and key rice farming zones to conduct restructuring to produce more quality grain for export and raise the added value.
The quality of Vietnamese rice in the global market has also been further affirmed after the ST25 variety once again obtained the “World’s Best Rice” title recently.
Rice exporters said as global supply is still low, demand for Vietnamese rice will surge in 2024, especially from the Philippines and China.
VinFast to build electric vehicle facility in India
Vietnam’s leading electric vehicle manufacturer VinFast and the government of Tamil Nadu State in India recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at establishing the first integrated electric vehicle (EV) facility in India, Radio the Voice of Vietnam reported.
This marks a significant step in VinFast's ongoing expansion plan into the world’s third largest vehicle market.
Under the terms of the MoU, VinFast and the government of Tamil Nadu State have agreed on an investment of up to US$2 billion, including an intended commitment of US$500 million for the first phase of the project, spanning a total of five years from the initial commencement date.
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VinFast to build electric vehicle facility in India (Photo: VOV)
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The construction of the battery and EV factories is due to begin this year with the project expected to create between 3,000 to 3,500 local jobs.
The VinFast Tamil Nadu project aims to evolve into a first-class electric vehicle production hub in the region, with an annual capacity of up to 150,000 units.
Along with various economic benefits, the project will also pave the way for green transportation development, targeting 30% of newly registered private cars to be electric, fully aligning with the state governments initiatives to minimize carbon emissions in the transportation sector.
Tran Mai Hoa, deputy CEO of Sales and Marketing of VinFast Global, said, “The MoU demonstrates VinFast's strong commitment to the sustainable development and vision of a zero-emission transportation future. We believe that investing in Tamil Nadu will not only bring considerable economic benefits to both parties, but will also help accelerate the green energy transition in India and the region.”
Dr. TRB Rajaa, Minister of Industries of the Government of Tamil Nadu, emphasized that, “EV manufacturing companies are not only important economic drivers but also powerful accelerators to the State’s green vision. We are delighted that VinFast has chosen to invest in Tamil Nadu to establish its integrated EV facility."
"Possessing robust capabilities and unwavering commitment to a sustainable future, I believe that VinFast will emerge as a reliable economic partner and substantial contributor to Tamil Nadu’s long-term development”, he noted./.