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| Thang Long Imperial Citadel at night (Photo: Thang Long Heritage Conservation Center - Hanoi) |
The award presentation ceremony recently took place in Dubai.
Together with the title obtained in 2019, 2020, and 2022, this time’s award shows the globally outstanding values and attractiveness of the country’s cultural heritage to the international community, the authority said.
Several destinations of Vietnam were also granted different awards this year.
Among them, Hanoi won the World’s Leading City Break Destination title while Phu Quoc in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang was named the World’s Leading Nature Island Destination. Moc Chau in the northwestern province of Son La was listed as the World’s Leading Regional Nature Destination, Ha Nam province the World’s Leading Regional Cultural Destination, and Tam Dao in the northern province of Vinh Phuc the World’s Leading Town Destination.
The World’s Leading Heritage Destination title will continue to affirm Vietnam’s potential and attractiveness in terms of natural resources and long-standing cultural heritage values. It will help further popularise the country’s tourism images to the international community and also demonstrate local people’s efforts in preserving and promoting heritage values, according to the VNAT.
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| The Temple of Literature in Hanoi (Photo: vanmieu.gov.vn) |
VNAT Deputy Director Ha Van Sieu said cultural heritage is a tourism resource with great attractiveness to travelers, especially international ones. The tourism sector views cultural heritage as an important pillar of tourism development and the building of Vietnam’s tourism brand.
Heritage-based tourism in many places like Hue, Hoi An, Ha Long, Trang An, and Hanoi has created jobs and income for many locals while promoting mutual understanding, respect for cultural diversity, and cultural confluence. Part of the revenue from this type of tourism has been used for heritage preservation, restoration, honouring, and management.
Heritage tourism has substantially contributed to the preservation and sustainable exploitation of cultural heritage, he added.
11-month import-export turnover exceeds US$600 billion mark
Vietnam’s total import-export turnover surpassed the US$600 billion mark in the Jan.-Nov. period, reaching US$619.17 billion, with a trade surplus of US$25.83 billion, said Radio the Voice of Vietnam.
Of the total value, exports brought in US$322.5 billion, representing a fall of 5.9% year on year.
Notably, the decreasing rate of the export value has slowed down significantly in recent months compared to the average rate of 11.6% recorded in the first six months of the year.
There were 33 export items with turnover of more than US$1 billion each, accounting for 93.1% of the total export turnover. There were 07 export items with turnover of over US$10 billion each, accounting for 66%.
Farm products continued making a significant contribution to the overall export growth of the national economy in November.
Many agricultural products saw positive export growth in both value and quantity compared to the previous month, with rice fetching US$462 million, up 13.5%, rubber earning US$343 million, up 16.6%, and coffee raking in US$252 million, up 59.9%.
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Vietnam’s total import-export turnover hits more than US$600 billion in the Jan.-Nov. period
(Photo: congthuong.vn) |
In November, agro-fishery exports stood at US$3 billion, up 26.7% over the same period last year. This was the only group of products to record positive growth in the first 11 months of the year, with export turnover estimated at US$29.5 billion, an increase of 8.6%.
Overall, the past 11 months saw Vietnam export nearly 7.8 million tonnes of rice, 2.7 million tonnes of cassava and cassava products, 1.9 million tonnes of rubber, and 1.4 million tonnes of coffee.
Meanwhile, 11-month import turnover was US$296.67 billion, down 10.7% year on year. Particularly, materials for production accounted for 93.8% of the total import turnover.
With a sharp fall in imports, Vietnam enjoyed a trade surplus of US$25.83 billion in 11 months.
The United States was Vietnam’s largest export market in the reviewed period, with an estimated turnover of US$88 billion. China is Vietnam’s largest import market with an estimated turnover of US$99.6 billion.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade is completing procedures to soon enforce the recently signed free trade agreement (FTA) between Vietnam and Israel. It is speeding up negotiations towards signing FTAs with potential markets such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) that comprises Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, in an effort to diversify markets, products, and supply chains.
The ministry has pledged to assist businesses to take advantage of commitments in FTAs, especially Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), EU – Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), and UK-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKFTA), to promote exports.
First Vietnamese artist invited to show works at Biennale Venice
Artist Le Huu Hieu (Henry Le) will become the first Vietnamese representative at the 60th Biennale Venice in Italy, scheduled from April 20 to November 24, the Vietnam News Agency said.
Paolo De Grandis, president of PDG Arte Communications, a representative of the 60th Biennale Venice organisation, sent a letter to Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung to invite Hieu to take part in the event.
"We have jointly organised 127 exhibitions at the Venice Biennal with the presence of numerous countries for the first time, including Andorra, Azerbaijan, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Jamaica, Morocco, Monaco, Estonia, Latvia, Ukraine, Singapore and Ecuador,” Grandis wrote in the invitation letter.
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Solo exhibition Soul Energy by Le Huu Hieu in Arsenale Nord, Venice, in 2021.
(Photo: courtesy of the artist) |
"With more than 30 years of experience collaborating with the Venice Biennale, we believe it will be an important milestone to have Vietnam's first presence after the event’s 129 years of history, represented by talented artist Henry Le."
The letter also confirms that Hieu was the first Vietnamese and Asian artist to organise a solo exhibition in Arsenale Nord, Venice in 2021.
Entitled Soul Energy, it was curated by Chiara Canali and promoted by MoCA and Arte Laguna Studio, presenting 40 large-scale pictorial works and an installation of human-sized iron sculptures.
"I'm waiting for official reply from the ministry of culture," said Hieu. "I think it is a good chance to bring and introduce Vietnamese history and culture to the world."
Hieu was born in 1982 in the central province of Ha Tinh. He lives and works in Hanoi. Having been an architect in the past, for more than 10 years Hieu has chosen artistic research as a priority experience of his life, placing it at the centre of every reflection, idea and visual practice.
He had a solo exhibition at the Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum in 2014. He also took part in the Art Basel Miami and Contemporary Art Projects USA in the US in 2016, and the 11th Florence Biennale da Basso in Florence, Italy in 2017.
Two Russian warships dock at Cam Ranh port for Vietnam visit
Two ships from Russia’s Pacific Navy Fleet - anti-submarine guided-missile destroyer Admiral Panteleyev and medium-sized oil tanker Pechenga – have docked at Cam Ranh port in central Khanh Hoa province, beginning a working visit to Vietnam.
During their stay from December 2 - 4, officers and sailors will participate in sports exchanges with officers and sailors of the Vietnam People’s Navy. They will also visit a number of historical and cultural sites in Nha Trang city, a major tourist destination in central Vietnam.
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| Russian anti-submarine guided-missile destroyer Admiral Panteleyev and medium-sized oil tanker Pechenga dock at Cam Ranh port on December 2. (Photo: PANO) |
"Cam Ranh is a very important port for our country. For more than two decades, it faithfully served as a naval base for ships of the Pacific Fleet,” said Timur Sadykov, Russian Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City.
He went on to say that the regular visits of Russian naval personnel to Vietnamese ports in recent years have “made a significant contribution to strengthening friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership between the two nations in the interests of peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region and around the world.”
The two Russian warships are scheduled to leave Cam Ranh port on December 4./.