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| Vietnamese weightlifter Trinh Van Vinh (Photo: VNA) |
Competing in Group B on April 2, Vinh registered a combined weight of 298kg – the highest in his group, which included eight other competitors. This impressive showing ultimately translated to a top-nine global ranking on the Olympic qualification leaderboard, with a final result of 294kg.
Vinh's qualification extended Vietnam's remarkable streak of securing weightlifting berths at the Olympics for six consecutive Games, from 2004 to 2024.
His triumph added to the growing roster of Vietnamese athletes who have secured their places at the prestigious Paris Games, joining Nguyen Thi That (cycling), Le Thi Mong Tuyen (shooting), Nguyen Huy Hoang (swimming), and Vo Thi Kim Anh (boxing).
Vietnam’s beaches appeal to Korean tourists: Agoda
Tourists from the Republic of Korea (RoK) are falling for Vietnam’s beaches with stark soft sand and crystal azure water, online travel platform Agoda said on April 2, reported Vietnam News Agency.
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| At Kem beach, Phu Quoc island (Photo: Sun Group) |
Da Nang, Hoi An, Nha Trang and Phu Quoc, boasting stunning beaches, high-end resorts and a kaleidoscope of tourism activities, are the most favourite destinations of Korean visitors.
According to Agoda’s country director for Vietnam Vu Ngoc Lam, international tourists have found Vietnamese beaches attractive since they meet the global tourism trend.
From ancient city of Hoi An to tropical Phu Quoc island or dynamic Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam has a lot to offer its visitors, he stressed.
Statistics from the General Statistics Office showed the RoK remained the largest source of foreign visitors to Vietnam in the first three months of this year with more than 1.2 million arrivals, up 10% from the same time in 2019 – the time before the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the two countries upgraded their ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2022, the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organisation signed a Memorandum of Understanding on bolstering bilateral tourism for the 2023-2024 period.
15 Vietnam banks listed in Brand Finance Banking 500 2024 ranking
Fifteen Vietnamese banks are named among the world’s top 500 most valuable banking brands this year according to the Brand Finance Banking 500 2024 ranking. In the recently released ranking, Vietcombank is the Vietnamese bank with the highest brand value in 2024. Globally, Vietcombank ranks 133rd, up 4 positions compared to 2023, reported Vietnam News Agency.
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| Customers make transactions at a Vietcombank office. Vietcombank is the Vietnamese bank with the highest brand value in 2024 based on the world's brand valuation consultancy Brand Finance. (Photo: VCB) |
In the recently released ranking, Vietcombank is the Vietnamese bank with the highest brand value in 2024. Globally, Vietcombank ranks 133rd, up 4 positions compared to 2023.
BIDV is the next Vietnamese bank listed in the ranking with 151st position, up 10 positions compared to 2023.
VietinBank and Techcombank follow at 157th and 160th, up 14 and 3 positions, respectively, compared to last year.
Two other banks also ranked in the list are Agribank (162nd) and VPBank (175th). However, the rankings of these two banks decreased slightly compared to 2023.
Among the 15 banks in the top 500 most valuable banking brands in 2024 TPBank, LPBank and MSB are new faces compared to the Brand Finance Banking 500 Ranking 2023, ranked at 326th, 424th and 458th.
Meanwhile, VIB is the bank with the highest ranking increase. From 491st in 2023, this bank rises to 425th this year.
Three other banks, ACB, Sacombank and HDBank, also have impressive improvement in rankings in 2024, with an increase of more than 30 positions.
In general, most Vietnamese banks, excluding Agribank, VPBank and SHB, recorded an increase in brand value rankings against last year.
According to Brand Finance, the combined value of the world’s top 500 most valuable banking brands has reached a record level of 1.44 trillion USD, almost double what it was a decade ago.
Brand Finance’s research indicates that local and regional banks are performing as well as – and, in many cases, outperforming – global banks in terms of positioning their brands in the hearts and minds of customers.
According to David Haigh, Chairman & CEO of Brand Finance, local banks increasingly outshine their larger counterparts in brand strength. Dominant brands thrive in singular markets with limited competition, while banks expanding into multiple markets may successfully augment their brand value but risk diluting brand strength.
Vietnamese weightlifter wins International Weightlifting Federation World Cup
Lai Gia Thanh won the first title for Vietnam at the International Weightlifting Federation World Cup on April 1 in Phuket, Thailand, reported Vietnam News Agency.
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| Lai Gia Thanh (third, right) and Vietnamese coaches and staff pose for a photo after he wins the World Cup gold medal on April 1 in Thailand. (Photo: VNA) |
The world champion topped the men's 55kg in the snatch event with a lift of 120kg, leaving behind two powerful ChomChuen Nathawat of Thailand (119kg) and Pang Un Chol of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (118kg).
"Snatch is Thanh's strong point. Our coaches worked out a suitable plan to help him vie for gold in this event against strong opponents from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the hosts," said Nguyen Huy Hung of the Sports Authority of Vietnam.
In the clean & jerk, Thanh made 148kg after three attempts and took the bronze.
Pang topped the podium with 152kg, followed by Nathawat with 150kg.
In the total, his combined lift of 268kg gave Thanh a second bronze.
Pang and Nathawat were again first and second with 270kg and 269kg, respectively.
Earlier, Vietnam had one silver and two bronzes by Khong My Phuong in the women's 45kg class.
Although they are World Cup's top three both Thanh and Phuong will not qualify for Olympics as their categories are not included in the short list.
On April 2, two Vietnamese Trinh Van Vinh and Nguyen Tran Anh Tuan will compete in the men's 61kg. The duo is expected to bring home an Olympic slot from this tournament, the final Paris Games' qualification.
Dong Nai logs trade surplus of over 1.6 bln USD in Q1
The southern province of Dong Nai logged a trade surplus of over 1.6 billion USD in the first quarter of this year, reflecting a surge in export activity reported Vietnam News Agency.
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| Production at an FDI firm in Dong Nai province (Photo: VNA) |
The provincial Statistics Office reported a positive trend, with export turnover in March reaching nearly 1.8 billion USD, an increase of 28.6% compared to February. This contributed to a cumulative export value of 5.26 billion USD for the first quarter, representing a year-on-year growth of 7.8%.
Growth was observed across all economic sectors, with the State-owned sector annually expanding by 3%, the non-State sector by 6.4%, and the foreign-invested sector by 8.5%.
The US remained the top export destination for Dong Nai, accounting for 27.97% of the total with a value of 1.47 billion USD. Japan followed closely at 10.38% (546 million USD), with China (10.3%, 542 million USD) and the Republic of Korea (5.82%, 306.6 million USD) rounding out the top four markets.
While exports experienced a strong upswing, import turnover also surged by 29.2% in March compared to February, reaching 1.3 billion USD. However, the first quarter import figure of 3.6 billion USD reflected a slight 2% decrease year-on-year. China remained the largest import source with a value exceeding 1 billion USD, followed by the Republic of Korea (578 million USD), Japan (471 million USD), and the US (188.5 million USD).
Several export commodity groups witnessed significant annual growth in the first quarter, including cashew nuts, up 45.7%; coffee 95.6%; wood products over 10%; footwear 10.6%; machinery, equipment, and tools over 4%; and fiber 11.5%.
Others experienced declines, including rubber down 6.5%; apparel 1.4%; computers and electronic products 9.3%; and plastic products 1.7%.
Looking ahead, Dong Nai is actively rolling out numerous trade promotion programmes, with a focus on both traditional and emerging export markets, on the back of new-generation free trade agreements such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA)./.