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| GS25 plans to develop more than 500 establishments in Vietnam by 2025. (Photo: pulsenews.co.kr) |
The 393-square-metre mega store in Ho Chi Minh City, called “GS25 Dien Bien Phu”, sells a variety of Korean food such as ramyeon (instant noodle) and Kkwabaegi (twisted doughnuts), and Vietnamese snacks.
GS25 plans to focus on strengthening its operational know-how and multipurpose infrastructure functions accumulated in Vietnam, and to develop more than 500 establishments by 2025 to become the No.1 convenience store in the country.
It also targets to open its 500th store in Mongolia next year and operate 1,500 overseas ones by 2027.
Since setting foot on Vietnam in January 2018 with the first store in Ho Chi Minh City, GS25 has provided products and services through a localisation strategy that properly combines local food culture and Hallyu and K-food craze. It has quickly gained popularity in Vietnam thanks to convenient location, sound shopping environment and friendly services.
According to Jeong Chae-oh, head of GS25’s overseas business operation team, its 300th store in Vietnam is a tangible achievement that reflects the success of brand competitiveness and localisation strategy.
GS25 will continue efforts to grow into Vietnam’s leading convenience store in both reputation and reality, and become a global brand, he added.
Vietnamese processed tuna exports see upswing
Vietnam raked in roughly US$302 million from exporting tuna during the past four months of the year, up 22% on-year with exports of processed and canned tuna witnessing an upturn, reported the Voice of Vietnam according to statistics released by the General Department of Vietnam Customs.
Specifically, processed and canned tuna export turnover increased from US$91 million in 2020 to US$154 million this year, equivalent to a 70% rise.
Insiders assessed that Vietnamese canned tuna exports are gradually recovering and are at a higher figure than the same period from 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
April alone saw Vietnamese exports of processed and canned tuna enjoy a rise of 29% to reach nearly US$87 million on-year.
Vietnamese tuna products were exported to more than 90 markets, of which major markets such as the United States, the EU, Israel, Canada, Japan, and Mexico all experienced rapid growth.
Most notably, exports to the US, EU, Russia, the Republic of Korea, Japan, and Mexico all posted sharp rises of 37%, 71%, 32%, 158%, 33%, and 43%, respectively.
Meanwhile, exports of fresh and frozen tuna were unstable. After reaching a peak in 2022, exports of this product group saw a downward trajectory. During the four-month period, the export of these products edged up by only 6% against the same period from last year.
Experts revealed that the tuna industry continues to face a number of challenges, including a shortage of raw materials and the EU’s new market regulations.
However, convenience is a key factor for consumers, meaning the demand for processed and canned tuna products will increase in the near future, they emphasized.
Hanoi meeting marks World No Tobacco Day 2024
The Ministry of Health held a meeting in Hanoi on May 26 to mark World No Tobacco Day 2024 (May 31), reported the Voice of Vietnam.
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| Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan speaks at the meeting. (Photo: MoH) |
Addressing the meeting, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan noted that many communication campaigns have been launched nationwide to raise public awareness about the harmful effects of using tobacco products and to build a smoke-free environment.
She cited the World Health Organization saying there are more than 8 million deaths globally related to tobacco use every year.
In Vietnam, she said total costs related to medical examination and treatment, illness and premature death due to tobacco use – related diseases amount to VND108 trillion a year.
After 10 years of implementing the Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms, the rate of regular cigarette use among adult men has decreased by an average of 0.5% per year, from 47.4% in 2010 to 38.9% in 2023. The smoking rate among adolescents has also decreased, from 5.36% in 2013 to 2.78% in 2019 in the 13-17 year old group, and from 2.5% in 2014 to 1.9% in 2022 in the 13-15 year old group.
At the same time, the rate of exposure to secondhand smoke has also significantly decreased in public places, workplaces and households.
However, these achievements are at risk of being undone by a rapid increase in the rate of new tobacco use, mainly electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco, especially among young people, warned the minister.
She cited studies saying the rate has doubled from 3.5% in 2022 to 8% in 2023 in the 13-15 year old group.
To protect public health, she said the Prime Minister on May 24, 2023 approved the National Strategy on Tobacco Control until 2030, considering reducing the rate of tobacco use in the community an important target.
On May 13, 2024 the Prime Minister issued a telegram directing relevant ministries and agencies to strengthen measures to promptly prevent e-cigarette products and heated tobacco products nationwide.
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| Dr. Angela Pratt, WHO Chief Representative in Vietnam, underscores the need to protect young people against the harmful effects of cigarettes of all types (Photo: VOV) |
At the meeting, Dr. Angela Pratt, WHO Chief Representative in Vietnam, underscored the importance of protecting children from the impacts of the tobacco industry. She shared her family story, saying her job is to do everything to give her daughter the best possible chance to live a long, healthy, and happy life.
She vowed to work closely alongside the Ministry of Health and other organizations to ensure that every child in Vietnam can live a long, healthy and happy life.
To do this, she called on the community to protect children against the harmful effects of conventional cigarettes, e-cigarettes and new tobacco products and against the tobacco industry’s advertising tactics, aimed at enticing and addicting people to use these products when they are young.
After the meeting, Minister Lan and WHO chief representative Pratt and other delegates cycled through major streets in Hanoi in response to World No Tobacco Day 2024.
Painting contest about Vietnam attracts numerous international students
A painting contest with the theme "Vietnam through the eyes of children" for junior high school age group has attracted hundreds of works from more than 50 schools across Hungary, reported the Voice of Vietnam.
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| At the award ceremony |
The Vietnamese Women's Association in Hungary and the Vietnamese Embassy in Budapest have jointly organised an award ceremony for the contest which lasted from March, 2023, to April 30 to coincide with the 49th anniversary of national reunification.
With a desire to widely popularize Vietnam's culture, land, and people to international friends, as well as the second and third generations of Vietnamese people in Hungary, the Organizing Board initiated the idea about the painting contest which in turn received a positive response from the community.
The contest was even more successful when recording impressive numbers with 364 entries, 87,867 post updates on the contest's Facebook page, and many Hungarian newspapers reporting on it.
Surprisingly, the first prize in the contest went to two Hungarian students, with Szabó Zétény winning first prize for ages one to four and Sebok Lilla notching up the first prize for ages five to eight.
Speaking at the award ceremony, Vietnamese Ambassador to Hungary Nguyen Thi Bich Thao hailed the Vietnamese Women's Association in Hungary’s initiative of organizing the drawing contest about Vietnam.
“This is a new, very effective direction in popularizing Vietnam. We not only introduce the nation to Hungarian friends, but also inspire and encourage students, teachers, and parents to actively learn about the land, people, traditions, landscapes and development of Vietnam,” Bich said.
At the award ceremony, Ambassador Thao awarded Certificates of Merit to six prize winners. In addition to the two first prizes, whilst the second and third prizes went to contestants from Vietnam, China, and Denmark. In particular, the Organizing Board also received a certificate of merit for its creative ideas and successful organisation of the competition.
The contest has served to truly bring the nation closer to the Hungarian people as a means of contributing to further cultivating the relationship between the two sides moving forward./.