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| Viettel is the only Vietnamese brand in the latest Brand Finance Global 500 rankings. (Source: baochinhphu.vn) |
At the 234th position globally, Viettel is the only brand of Vietnam and the only telecoms one of Southeast Asia listed in the 2023 rankings.
Meanwhile, e-commerce company Amazon surpassed Apple to become the world’s most valuable though its brand value fell about 15% to 299.3 billion USD this year from 350.3 billion USD in 2022.
Apple dropped to the second place as its brand value declined 16% to 297.5 billion USD.
Brand Finance, founded in 1996, is the world's leading brand valuation consultancy present in 20 countries and territories.
Vietnam among world’s 10 biggest recipients of remittances
Vietnam remains one of the 10 countries receiving the most remittances in the world, reported Vietnam News Agency according to the recent Migration and Development Brief by the World Bank and the Global Knowledge Partnership on Migration and Development (KNOMAD).
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| Remittance flows into Vietnam approximated 19 billion USD in 2022. (Photo: VNA) |
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic’s major impacts on the global economy over the last two years and growing inflation in many countries, remittance flows into Vietnam remained relatively stable compared to previous years, the report noted.
Total remittances to Vietnam increased by nearly 5% in 2022 and may go up 3.6 - 4.5% in the following years after growing 5% in 2021, according to statistics of WB and KNOMAD.
Last year, the value rose about 1 billion USD to approximate 19 billion USD, making the country one of the three biggest recipients in the Asia-Pacific and among the top 10 globally in terms of remittances.
Some banks perceived that the growing remittance inflows will help them not only gain more profits from services but also boost foreign exchange reserves, serving Vietnam’s foreign currency attraction policy.
Among remittance sources, the US houses the largest number of Vietnamese immigrants, followed by the UK, Australia, and Canada. Meanwhile, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Taiwan (China) post the most number of workers from Vietnam.
Neu pole lowering, seal opening ceremony celebrates new year
A ceremony was held at the Hue Imperial Relic Site in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue’s Hue City on January 28 (the seventh day of the first lunar month) to take down the Neu pole (a tall bamboo pole with red garment strips used to ward off evil spirits during the lunar New Year) and open the New Year seal, reported Vietnam News Agency.
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| Neu pole lowering ceremony (Photo: VNA) |
According to Director of the Hue Relics Preservation Centre Hoang Viet Trung, under the Nguyen Dynasty, the rituals marked the end of the Lunar New Year holiday and the start of work and normal activities.
The Neu pole was erected on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month, marking the beginning of Tet. It coincides with the day when the Kitchen Gods are believed to ride a carp to Heaven to report on events from the past year.
During 143 years of its reign (1802 – 1945), the Nguyen Dynasty held an annual ceremony to plant the Neu at the Imperial Citadel. The pole carried ritual items on its top, like a royal seal, a paper scroll and pen, which implied that the royal court stopped working during Tet. After the royal ceremony, ordinary people would erect their own Neu and start celebrating Tet.
The Neu was intended to ward off ghosts and demons from entering the community during Tet, and guide the spirits of ancestors on the way home for the Lunar New Year festival. The custom is also practiced in some Asian countries besides Vietnam.
It was taken down on the seventh day of the first lunar month to mark the end of the Tet celebration.
Meanwhile, the seal opening marked the start of a new working year of the ancient central administrative system with the hope that the whole year will be smooth and successful and the country will be peaceful and prosperous.
The traditional rituals of the Nguyen Dynasty have been revived for many years at the Hue imperial relic site.
During the seven-day Tet holiday from January 20-26, the Hue imperial relic site welcomed over 66,000 visitors, including 12,848 foreigners, earning nearly 5 billion VND (23,060 USD).
Mekong Delta - An ideal destination for foreign visitors
Boasting a network of canals, immense rice fields and fruit orchards, the Mekong Delta has become a favourite destination for foreign visitors who wish to explore the life on the water and the original culture of the southwestern region, reported Vietnam News Agency.
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| A boat carries tourists on a sightseeing tour of the Tram Chim National Park in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap. (Photo: VNA) |
Located on the lower part of the Mekong River with rich alluvial soil, interlacing canal networks, and temperate climate, the region has the best conditions for growing fruit trees. It is the country’s largest fruit growing area with fruits such as rambutan, mango, durian, longan, guava, orange, and plum.
Many orchards in the Mekong Delta are known nationwide, including Cai Be, Vinh Kim and Cho Gao in Tien Giang province; Cai Mon in Ben Tre; Cu Lao An Binh in Vinh Long; and My Khanh in Can Tho city. These orchards have not only brought in agricultural income, but have become attractive destinations for visitors to the Mekong Delta.
Apart from beautiful orchards, the region lures visitors to an original water lifestyle where people live and trade on boats, forming large floating markets like Cai Be in Tien Giang, Cai Rang in Can Tho, Nga Nam in Soc Trang, and Phung Hiep in Hau Giang.
Above all, the Mekong people’s fervor, hospitality, and generosity make the region a truly worthwhile place to visit.
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| Ba Ngan Floating Market in Nga Bay Town in Hau Giang Province is crowded with boats selling fruits ahead of the Lunar New Year. (Photo: VNA) |
The provinces in the delta have taken all these advantages to develop original tours to Tien Giang, Ben Tre, Can Tho and Long An where visitors can see beautiful fruit-laden orchards and explore the life of southwestern farmers.
From Ho Chi Minh City, visitors can go to My Tho by bus and from there they can take a boat tour to explore Thoi Son, one of the four popular islands in Tien Giang province.
From a beautifully decorated boat traveling the Tien River, people can see Thoi Son Island appearing behind the greenery of immense orchards.
On this tour, tourists can visit orchards to enjoy rambutans, bananas and sapodillas fresh from the gardens and drink honey tea. They can also go to craft villages in the area and learned the process of making coconut candy, girdle cakes and chocolate - the region’s known specialties.
The tour also offers a chance for travellers to join such activities such as rowing a three-plank boat, bailing out water to catch fish in a pond, walking on a monkey bridge, which is a very popular type of bridge in the Mekong Delta. It is a simple, handmade bamboo or wooden bridge over a stream or channel.
Besides, tourists can also enjoy performances of “don ca tai tu”, a genre of traditional music in southern Vietnam./.