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Delegates cut red ribbon to open the exhibition (Photo: kinhtedothi.vn)
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Nguyen Thi Thu Sac, Chairwoman of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) - the event's organiser, highlighted that Vietnam is one of the top three seafood exporters globally, accounting for over 7% of the world market share, only behind China and Norway. Despite facing new challenges in both domestic and export markets, Vietnam's seafood industry continues to thrive.
According to Sac, Vietfish 2024 aims to provide a comprehensive view of the industry’s supply capacity, showcasing a diverse range of products that meet global quality standards and traceability requirements.
In its 25th edition, Vietfish has grown into the largest and most prestigious seafood trade fair in Southeast Asia, serving as a significant platform for showcasing Vietnamese seafood to the world.
This year’s exhibition covers 14,000 square meters, featuring over 280 exhibitors and nearly 500 booths from Vietnam and 15 other countries, including the US, Indonesia, India, Russia, Japan, and China.
Phung Duc Tien, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, emphasised the importance of the seafood industry as a key economic sector for Vietnam, with products exported to over 170 countries.
However, he noted that global economic challenges, rising logistics costs, and the European Commission's (EC) continued "yellow card" warning on Vietnamese seafood have put pressure on the industry. Nevertheless, Vietnam’s seafood production and export activities have continued to yield encouraging results.
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| Vietnam fisheries int’l exhibition kicks off in HCM City (Photo: VNA) |
With the theme "Asia’s Home Seafood," Vietfish 2024 reaffirms the quality and value of Vietnamese seafood on the global market, focusing on enhancing the proportion of deeply processed and convenient products.
The exhibition features a wide range of activities, including a cooking demonstration area showcasing seafood dishes and value-added products. It also focuses on promoting high-quality seafood products to Vietnamese consumers, aiming to balance supply and demand and reduce reliance on export markets.
A series of industry-specific seminars will be held under the framework of the exhibition to help businesses and managers stay informed on market trends and develop effective growth strategies.
Vietfish 2024 runs from August 21-23, 2024, and is expected to attract around 17,000 visitors from both domestic and international markets.
Hanoi launches culinary tourism app
Standout features of the Hanoi Old Quarter’s cuisine could be discovered through a cuisine app recently launched by the People’s Committee of Hoan Kiem district, according to the Vietnam News Agency.
The app, available for iOS and Android, has a friendly interface, providing a comprehensive directory of eateries with detailed information, pictures, and reviews, making it easy for visitors to locate their favourite dishes.
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| At the launching ceremony (Photo: hanoimoi.vn) |
It allows users to explore a wide range of categories, including pho (noodle), porridge, hotpot, coffee, snacks, and late-night options, or search by restaurant category like European and Asian ones, and eateries with Michelin honour.
Orders could be made directly through the app.
Dr Le Thi Minh Ly, member of the National Cultural Heritage Council, praised the district’s initiative, saying it helps promote the connections between local artisans who have preserved the culinary values and visitors, thus boosting the development of the capital city’s tourism, and its cultural industry as a whole.
Asia-Pacific destinations popular for National Day holiday
Asia-Pacific destinations are the top choices for Vietnamese tourists in the coming National Day holiday which marks the last long holiday in the domestic tourism season this year, the Vietnam News Agency reported.
The booking platform Booking.com has released a list of 10 domestic and 10 international destinations most favoured by Vietnamese tourists during the four-day holiday. The data is based on searches, bookings, and check-ins from August 31 to September 3.
Varun Grover, Country Director for Vietnam at Booking.com, noted that the September 2 holiday is an opportunity for families to enjoy memorable time together before the new school year begins.
This year’s travel trends show that Vietnamese tourists are looking for vacations that combine various experiences, from cultural exploration to relaxation at mountain resorts or sunny beaches.
Given the four-day holiday is not long enough for distant travel, Bangkok (Thailand) is the most selected city, followed by Tokyo (Japan), Seoul (the Republic of Korea), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Singapore, Hong Kong (China), Taipei (Taiwan - China), Sydney (Australia), Bali (Indonesia), and Chiang Mai (Thailand).
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| Sun World Ba Na Hill tourist area in the central city of Da Nang. (Photo: VNA) |
These destinations are all vibrant cities with diverse experiences, rich cuisine, and convenient shopping opportunities.
Besides, China is also a popular destination because of competitive tour prices when compared with those of other international destinations and even domestic ones.
A representative of a tour operator based in Hanoi’s Dong Da district that specialises in Asian tours said that it saw an increase in the number of Vietnamese tourists traveling to China on September 2 compared to last year.
Due to high domestic airfares and service fees during the holiday, many tourists tend to choose tours to China by air or land.
Many tourists completed the booking as early as mid-July to enjoy promotional programmes.
Meanwhile, Da Lat tops the list of domestic destinations, favoured for its beautiful landscapes, cool weather, romantic and peaceful atmosphere, and delicious cuisine. Da Lat has maintained its position as the most visited destination by Vietnamese tourists during the National Day holiday for five consecutive years.
Other destinations in the top 10 include Da Nang, Vung Tau, Nha Trang, Phan Thiet, Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An, Hanoi, Sa Pa, and Hue.
Phan Thiet makes its debut in the rankings, partly due to the operation of the Dau Giay - Phan Thiet expressway, which has made travel more convenient and reduced travel time.
Data shows that many resorts and hotels in Hue, Mui Ne, Nha Trang, Vung Tau, Tuy Hoa, and Da Lat recorded high room occupancy rates during the upcoming holiday.
Amidst a sharp increase in tourist number during the National Day holiday, the inspectorate agency under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has issued an official dispatch on strengthening the inspection and examination of tourism activities.
Accordingly, it is recommended that people and tourists be vigilant against scams that can affected their rights and safety.
Specifically, tourists need to carefully research information about travel packages, especially those with unusual cheap prices, choose service providers with sufficient legal documents. They are recommended to verify information in the tourism contracts such as confirmation of room reservation, service quality, tour programmes, and tour guide.
Vietnamese exports to Singapore skyrocket by over 27%
Two-way trade turnover between Vietnam and Singapore during the seven months of the year reached more than SGD18.32 billion, of which exports and imports increased sharply by 27.03% and 3.93% to more than SGD4.7 billion and SGD13.61 billion, respectively, Radio the Voice of Vietnam quoted the figures of the Vietnam Trade Office in Singapore.
July alone saw the total import-export turnover between the two counties surge by 20.91% on-year to reach more than SGD3.1 billion.
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| Vietnamese exports to Singapore skyrocket by over 27% (Photo: VOV) |
Most notably, the country’s exports to Singapore continued to achieve high growth of 36.25%, with a value of SGD763.9 million, while import turnover also rose by 16.7% to more than SGD2.38 billion.
Vietnam’s three main export commodity groups to Singapore experienced an upward trajectory, including machinery, equipment, mobile phones, components, and spare parts of all kinds, up 22.86%; reactors, boilers, machine tools, and equipment and spare parts of these machines, up 68.21%; and glass and glass products, up 94.61%.
Strong growth was also recorded in other export commodity groups such as iron and steel, representing a more than 12-fold rise, while optical machines, measuring instruments, medical equipment, watches, musical instruments, and accessories of all kinds also saw a three-fold increase.
Vietnam is currently Singapore's ninth largest export market with a turnover of more than SGD 13.61 billion, up 3.93%.
As a means of better supporting Vietnamese enterprises, the Vietnam Trade Office in Singapore will continue to update the latest policies in Singapore, provide assistance to Vietnamese firms in trade promotion activities, and develop their product brands in the coming time./.