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| Vietnam’s agro-forestry-aquatic product exports rake in some 19.06 billion USD in the first four months of 2024, up 23.7% year-on-year. (Photo: VNA) |
Meanwhile, the country imported 14.32 billion USD worth of these products, resulting in a trade surplus of 4.74 billion USD, a rise of 71.5% year on year.
In April alone, the export value was 5.14 billion USD, an increase of 19.7% from the corresponding time last year, of which main agricultural products made up 2.83 billion USD (up 29.2%); forestry products, 1.39 billion USD (up 18.6%); and aquatic products, 730 million USD (down 1.5%).
In the four months, Vietnam shipped abroad 10.44 billion USD worth of agricultural products, a year-on-year rise of 32.5%; 5.18 billion USD of forestry products, up 22.8%; and 2.68 billion USD of aquatic products, up 4.2%.
Regarding markets, exports to Asia, America, Europe, Oceania and Africa experienced increases ranging from 19.8% to 38.6%. The US, China and Japan remained the three largest buyers of Vietnam's agro-forestry-aquatic products.
To maintain the growth pace, the ministry said it has dealt with market-related issues to facilitate shipments, especially those to China, the US, Japan and the EU, while expanding to new ones like the Middle East, Africa and Islamic countries.
At the same time, it has maximised opportunities generated by free trade agreements, notably the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).
Vietnam posts 271.4 trillion VND in four-month tourism revenue
Vietnam’s tourism sector served over 6.2 million foreign visitors and 40.5 million domestic tourists in the first four months of this year, earning 271.4 trillion VND (nearly 10.7 billion USD) in revenue, the Vietnam News Agency quoted the figures of the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT).
The number of international visitors increased by 68.3% over the same period in 2023, statistics showed.
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| Tourists enjoy sailing in Trang An Landscape Complex in northern Ninh Binh province. (Photo: VNA) |
In April alone, the country welcomed over 1.5 million foreign visitors. In particular, the number of holidaymakers to Vietnam in the four months was 3.9% higher than the pre-COVID-19 period, indicating positive recovery and development of the tourism sector, said the VNAT under the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.
The Republic of Korea remained the largest foreign tourist source with 1.6 million arrivals, accounting for 25.8% of the total international arrivals in Vietnam. It was followed by China, Taiwan (China), the US and Japan.
The number of Asians coming to Vietnam soared 77.2% year on year, making Asia the leading regional source of visitors. In particular, tourists from large markets in Northeast Asia, including China, the RoK, and Japan, were the main growth driver. Besides, positive growth was also recorded in the numbers of visitors from Southeast Asian markets like Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia.
Tourists from Europe continued to rise strongly thanks to the favourable visa policy applied since August 15, 2023, including such main markets as the UK (35.2%), France (41.7%), Germany (36.9%), Italy (77.4%), Spain (48.5%), and Russia (74%).
The national tourism website, https://vietnam.travel, and social networking pages of the VNAT have kept promoting destinations, tourism products, and outstanding events of the country, including green tourism on Co To island of northern Quang Ninh province, cuisine tours in the northernmost province of Ha Giang, small and peaceful villages, or An Bang and My Khe beaches in the central city of Da Nang which are among the 10 most beautiful beaches named by TripAdvisor.
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| Foreign tourists in Hanoi (Photo: VNA) |
In addition, an online exhibition featuring the Trang An Landscape Complex in northern Ninh Binh province was launched on Google Arts & Culture on April 18 by the complex's management board with support from Google Arts & Culture and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, providing viewers with beautiful images on one of the most attractive destinations in Vietnam.
March 2024 data from similarweb.com showed that the website https://vietnam.travel ranked 132,676th in the world, surpassing the travel websites of Thailand (136,108th), the Philippines (808,295th), and Malaysia (881,886th). This result reflected effective tourism marketing and promotion, helping to attract more international visitors to Vietnam, the VNAT added.
Some 51,600 new firms established in four months
As many as 51,600 new enterprises with total registered capital of nearly 508 trillion VND (20 billion USD) were established in the first four months of 2024, representing year-on-year increases of 3.4% in the number of businesses and 9.3% in the capital, the Vietnam News Agency quoted the figures of the General Statistics Office (GSO).
These new businesses registered a total of 353,800 workers, a rise of 6.8% over the same period last year.
The average registered capital of a new enterprise in the first four months of 2024 rose by 5.7% year on year to 9.9 billion VND.
In April, Vietnam had more than 15,300 newly established enterprises with registered capital of 175.8 trillion VND, up by 8.4% in number of businesses and 55% in registered capital month on month.
The average registered capital of a new enterprise in April stood at 11.5 billion VND, up 42.9% over the previous month.
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| Vietnam has more than 15,300 newly established enterprises in April - illustrative image (Photo: VNA) |
In addition, 8,307 businesses returned to operation in April, an increase of 175.1% over the previous month.
Along with 533.4 trillion VND from increasing capital of 14,143 existing enterprises, the total registered capital poured into the economy in the first four months was more than 1 quadrillion VND, down 2.6% compared to the same period last year.
The GSO also said that about 29,700 businesses resumed their operation in the first four months, an increase of 2.4% over the same period in 2023, bringing the total number of newly established businesses and businesses returning to operation during the four months to 81,300 units, an increase of 3% over the same period last year.
Meanwhile, in the first four months, the number of enterprises temporarily suspending operation was 60,900, an increase of 21.9% over the same period last year. About 19,100 businesses stopped their operations to wait for dissolution procedures, down 9%, and 6,400 businesses completed dissolution procedures, an increase of 4.9%.
Of which, 7,618 businesses registered in April to temporarily suspend business, an increase of 84.1% compared to the previous month. About 4,656 businesses stopped operation to wait for dissolution procedures, down 6.5%.
Hai Duong-based station becomes part of international rail route
The first cargo train departing from Cao Xa Station in Cam Giang district in the northern province of Hai Duong to join an international rail route was put into operation on May 2, said the Vietnam News Agency.
This event turned Cao Xa Station, part of the Hanoi - Hai Phong rail route, into a freight hub in the cargo transport railway network in Vietnam as well as international transport.
According to the Vietnam Railways Corporation (VNR), the Hanoi - Hai Phong rail route's section passing through Hai Duong spans 46 km and comprises six stations. With its advantageous geographical location along with close proximity to major industrial parks and the centre of Hai Duong city, Cao Xa Station was upgraded into a facility for international transport. It is the second, after Kep Station in northern Bac Giang province, that the VNR has renovated to bring border gates deeper into the inland.
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| Participants at the inauguration ceremony of the train (Photo: VNA) |
With this move, there will be two railway routes – Cao Xa - Yen Vien (Hanoi) - Dong Dang (the northern border province of Lang Son) and Cao Xa - Yen Vien - Lao Cai (the northern province of Lao Cai), which directly connect with the railway systems of China and other countries along the Asia - Europe railway transport route. They will help logistics service providers reduce costs and transport time.
Chairman of the Hai Duong People’s Committee Trieu The Hung described Cao Xa Station’s involvement in the international transport route as a milestone in the development of the province's railway sector and opens up many new opportunities for businesses.
Addressing the event, VNR General Director Hoang Gia Khanh said the firm will introduce international transport services by train to businesses and partners, both domestically and internationally, thus promoting the transport of goods to and from Hai Duong through Cao Xa Station.
After the inauguration ceremony, a train carrying 12 containers of goods produced in Hai Duong, Hai Phong, and Hung Yen departed for Yen Vien Station in Hanoi's Gia Lam district, where the goods will be loaded onto other trains for export to China./.