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| At the conference on April 19 (Photo: baoquangninh.vn) |
One of the two projects is a plastics molding plant invested by Tenma Vietnam Co., Ltd. at a total cost of 56 million USD. It will become operational in the second quarter of 2025.
The other is an electro-mechanical system project invested by Yaskawa Electric Vietnam Co. Ltd., which has total registered capital of nearly 59 million USD, and will be put into operation in April 2026.
Quang Ninh province wants to lure at least 3 billion USD in FDI capital into local IPs and 55 trillion VND (2.16 billion USD) in domestic capital, while targeting wastewater treatment and monitoring systems installed at all of the IPs.
The province urged FDI firms to work towards the target of 3 billion USD in revenue and 850 billion VND in state budget contribution, and job generation for more than 3,000 workers.
The conference also helped the QEZA to gain a better insight into their difficulties, and better grasp the opportunity to ride the FDI capital wave.
At the event, participants discussed and responded to inquiries from investors, including the value added tax refund, support mechanism for enterprises to install solar panels, job demands of local people, and fire prevention and control procedures.
Southern tourism on right track
Impressive results in the tourist number and revenue in many southern localities in the first quarter of this year showed that the growth of sector of the region has remained stable, signaling a good summer season in the second quarter, reported Vietnam News Agency.
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| Tourists in Phu Quoc (Photo: VNA) |
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism reported that the southern hub welcomed 1.38 million international tourists and 8 million domestic ones in the period, representing year-on-year increases of 32% and 6.6%, respectively. Total revenue from tourism activities reached 44.7 trillion VND (nearly 1.79 billion USD), surging by nearly 24% from the same period last year.
In the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang, travel firms have offered many tours to ecological areas, beaches, and islands, which are popular choices for many tourists. The locality served over 2.7 million holiday-makers in the period, up over 22% year-on-year.
Its neighbour Dong Thap province, known for tourism products associated with agricultural production experience, craft village, ecotourism, and culture, attracted 1.15 million tourists in the last quarter, earning 480 billion VND in revenue.
According to Vice Director of the HCM City Department of Tourism Le Truong Hien Hoa, the 20th Tourism Festival of HCM City from April 4 – 7 was eagerly awaited by many tourists looking to purchase packages with many incentives.
At the event, accommodation, travel agencies, and culinary businesses introduced 400 tour programmes, accommodation and culinary services, and health care services combined with tourism.
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| Tourists in Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: TTO) |
The Saigontourist Travel Service Company said it offered many domestic and international tour packages with well-connected itineraries and diverse experiences, including those to domestic attractive destinations such as Phan Thiet, Da Lat, Nha Trang, Phu Yen, Con Dao, Vung Tau, and the Mekong Delta region, with flexible transportation options.
Similarly, the Vietnam Travel and Marketing Transports Joint Stock Company (Vietravel) offered various experiential tour packages with discounts, aiming to stimulate the demand in the summer tourism season.
To attract more visitors, Kien Giang’s tourism industry will continue to develop new products and focus on promoting and connecting more international flight routes to make it more convenient for the visitors, and providing products associated with environmental protection and community-based tourism towards ensuring a sustainable development for the sector.
Central bank plans to auction gold bars on April 22
The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) will auction SJC-branded gold bars on April 22, a representative of the central bank said on April 19, according to Vietnam News Agency.
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| The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) will auction SJC-branded gold bars on April 22. (Photo: VNA) |
Speaking at a press conference on the SBV’s operations in the first quarter of this year, Deputy Director of the SBV's Foreign Exchange Management Department Dao Xuan Tuan said the central bank will send a notice to 15 businesses which as eligible to buy gold bars on April 19 afternoon.
Preparations for the auction have been completed, the official said, noting that the sale is expected to boost the supply of the precious metals amid record high prices, thus ensuring the safe, stable, healthy, transparent and effective operation of the domestic market as requested by the Prime Minister.
A minimum price will be set and bidders will have 30 minutes to determine the price and volume they want. The winning bids will be announced one hour after the auction closes.
Prospective buyers need to place a deposit to join the auction no later than 5:00pm on the day they receive the official notice.
The last time the central bank sold gold bars was in 2013 when over 1.8 million taels were offloaded, with a total of 76 auctions. A tael equals 37.5 grams or 1.2 ounces.
Gold bullion was traded at 81.8 million VND (3,213 USD) for buying and 83.82 million VND for selling on April 19, a drop of about 300,000 VND as compared with the previous section.
The central bank has sent documents to ministries and agencies, asking for their coordination in implementing the Prime Minister’s instructions in gold market management.
It also asked its branches in cities and provinces to work together with competent agencies in localities to intensify inspection and supervision over gold business, and handle any violation of regulations.
Kenny G’s MV Going Home popularizes Vietnam’s tourism
Vietnamese People’s Daily Nhan Dan on April 19 released saxophone legend Kenny G’s Going Home – a special music video that popularizes Vietnamese tourism.
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| World-famous saxophonist Kenny G have visited some famous historical landmarks of Hanoi to make the MV Going Home. (Photo: MV screenshot) |
Through lovely, sweet melodies, Kenny G takes viewers to famous historical landmarks of Hanoi such as Long Bien Bridge, Returned Sword Lake, Turtle Tower, The Huc Bridge, Thang Long Imperial Citadel, and Temple of Literature, among others.
According to Le Quoc Minh, member of the Party Central Committee and editor-in-chief of Nhan Dan, the idea of producing the MV comes from Kenny G’s concert “Good Morning Vietnam” organized by Nhan Dan Newspaper and IB Group in November 2023, and all the proceeds were used for charity purposes.
“The saxophone legend highly appreciated the significance of the show and he enthusiastically participated in the MV that promotes Hanoi’s tourism - a product that we believe will attract more attention than traditional tourism promotion clips,” said Minh at the press briefing in Hanoi on April 19.
He also revealed that the saxophonist even donated a trumpet to contribute to the charity fund.
Organisers of the concert presented the MV “Going Home” to the Hanoi administration, travel agencies, hotels, airlines, and television stations, expecting to further promote Vietnamese culture and tourism to domestic and international tourists./.