Vietnam News Today (Apr. 25): Vietnam - Argentina Cooperation Deal to Boost Parliamentary Ties

Photo: VOV

Vietnam- Argentina cooperation deal to boost parliamentary ties

The National Assembly (NA) of Vietnam and the Chamber of Deputies of Argentina are set to sign a co-operation agreement during NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue’s official visit to the South American nation with a view to propelling parliamentary relations and the countries’ comprehensive partnership forward, has said Vu Hai Ha, head of the NA’s Committee for External Relations.

NA Chairman Hue and his delegation arrived at Ministro Pistarini International Airport in Buenos Aires on the afternoon of April 23 (local time), starting an official visit to Argentina following an invitation from Cecilia Moreau, president of the Chamber of Deputies.

The trip is taking place amid the 50th founding anniversary of the countries’ diplomatic ties which were first established on October 25, 1973, with the aim of boosting the traditional friendship and solidarity between Vietnam and Argentina, as well as other Latin American nations. It also aims affirm that the Argentinean side is one of the nation’s leading partners in the region whilst promoting the possibility of launching negotiations on a free trade agreement between the country and the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR).

During previous discussions and meetings, leaders of both side expressed their strong desire to further bolster bilateral ties, cited VOV.

The Vietnamese side underscored that it places great importance on its long-standing friendship and comprehensive partnership with Argentina, expressing hope at the prospect of developing the partnership for the sake of the two peoples, as well as for the cause of peace, stability, and development in their respective regions and the world as a whole.

Furthermore, Argentina also greatly values the Vietnamese side’s growing role and stature in both regional and international arenas, voicing its willingness to lift the comprehensive partnership to a new level.

Over recent years, relations between the two legislatures have also been flourishing as demonstrated by mutual visits and meetings which have occurred at multilateral parliamentary forums.

On the basis of the traditional friendship, Chairman Hue’s visit is expected to elevate and further reinforce parliamentary co-operation.

Talking to the media ahead of the visit, head of the NA’s Committee for External Ha stated that both sides will discuss measures to promote the comprehensive partnership, especially in the fields that Argentina is strong in such as agriculture, the industry serving agricultural production, renewable energy, and the material industry.

They will sign a co-operation deal in a bid to strengthen linkages between the two legislative bodies as a contribution to the comprehensive partnership, he noted.

Ha went on to say that the NA Chairman will also deliver a policy speech at the Argentinan Foreign Ministry. The speech will provide information about the Vietnamese external policy and its policy towards Latin America in general, with a focus on Argentina in particular.

Argentinian Ambassador to Vietnam Luis Pablo Maria Beltramino told the press that his country has high expectations of the visit and regards it as a milestone in the enhancement of bilateral diplomatic ties.

Can Tho, Sweden boost trade cooperation

Vice Chairman of the Can Tho municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Thuc Hien held a working session with Swedish Ambassador to Vietnam Ann Måwe in the Mekong Delta city on April 24 to discuss enhancing bilateral cooperation in trade, investment and education-training.

Speaking at the event, Hien said last year, Can Tho’s exports to Sweden hit 1.43 million USD, mostly rice, aquatic products, apparel, farm produce and processed agricultural products. In the first half of this year, the figure hit 410,000 USD.

Can Tho wishes to tap opportunities from the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) to propel bilateral trade ties, particularly in fields of strength such as rice, fruits and aquatic products, he said.

He expressed his expectation that following the visit, Swedish partners will develop cooperation and investment with Can Tho city in fields of shared interest, especially in climate change response and green growth.

As an agriculture-strong area, Can Tho hopes for Sweden’s support in the application of digital transformation and advanced technology to achieve efficient agricultural production, popularise the city's potential, advantages, and investment attraction policies to Business Sweden while providing information on Sweden's strengths, markets, and trade policies for Can Tho.

At the working session (Photo: VNA)

Hien also proposed Ambassador Måwe help with online or direct supply-demand connections between Swedish importers and Can Tho's producers and exporters of rice, seafood, farm produce and processed food.

In education training, Can Tho hopes that Sweden will increase scholarships for local excellent students in the city, full scholarships for lecturers at universities and colleges to improve their knowledge and skills in the country, according to VNA.

Måwe, for her part, congratulated Can Tho on ranking 19th in the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI). She said Sweden wants to learn about business environment in the Mekong Delta and Can Tho city in particular.

According to her, they are interested in the Mekong Delta region and want to learn about projects on collecting wastes and pollutants that cause pollution and affect waterway traffic, in order to reduce pollution and create better waterway transportation conditions for the region.

The Swedish Embassy will continue working with Swedish businesses to tackle difficulties when investing in Can Tho, as well as share information to help the Vietnamese firms facilitate exports to Sweden, she said.

Vietnam draws nearly US$8.88 billion of FDI over four-month period

Vietnam attracted approximately US$8.88 billion of foreign direct investment (FDI) during the opening four months of the year, equivalent to 82.1% of the amount recorded during the same period from last year, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI).

Of the figures, US$4.1 billion came from 750 newly-registered projects, surging by 11.1% and 65.2% on-year.

The agency noted that a total of 386 operating projects have been permitted to raise their capital by US$1.66 billion, marking an increase of 19.5% against the same period from last year.

Photo: VOV

Throughout the reviewed period, capital contributions and share purchases made by foreign investors stood at US$3.1 billion, representing a year-on-year rise of 70.4%.

Foreign investors invested in 18 out of 21 economic sectors, mostly in the processing-manufacturing sector with US$5.1 billion, accounting for 57.8% of total FDI. This was followed by banking and finance with US$1.5 billion, along with real estate with US$972 million, reported VOV.

In the January to April period, Singapore led 77 countries and localities investing in the Vietnamese market with US$2.2 billion, making up 24.7% of the total FDI. Japan came second with nearly US$2 billion, while China was third with around US$752 million.

As of April the country was home to 37,065 valid projects with a total registered capital of approximately US$445.9 billion.

New, quality products offered to tourists during Reunification holiday

Travel agents in Vietnam are making necessary preparations for the upcoming Hung Kings Commemoration Day, National Reunification and May Day holidays from April 29 to May 3, as the travel demand is forecast to surge.

Right from the beginning of this year, travel agents started offering tours for this long holiday and a large number of tourists have booked tours since March end.

Saigontourist, one of the leading travel companies in Vietnam, said it is offering more than 200 inbound and outbound tours for the holidays. The company is estimated to serve about 100,000 visitors this time.

Vietravel expects to serve around 15,000 inbound and outbound tourists. At present, Phu Quoc island, the central and Central Highlands regions, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Quy Nhon and Phan Thiet are favorite destinations.

To serve demand, localities have introduced new and attractive tourism products, cited VNA.

Tourists in Phu Quoc (Photo: VNA)

Ho Chi Minh City’s tourism sector forecasts that the number of holidaymakers will increase by 30-40% compared to that of the same period last year to 200,000, with revenue from tourism services to hit over 1.6 trillion VND (68 million USD).

The city is offering around 30 tour programs, which are renewed continuously, to bring attractive experiences for holidaymakers.

Right from the beginning of this year, travel agents started offering tours for this long holiday and a large number of tourists have booked tours since March end.

Saigontourist, one of the leading travel companies in Vietnam, said it is offering more than 200 inbound and outbound tours for the holidays. The company is estimated to serve about 100,000 visitors this time.

Vietravel expects to serve around 15,000 inbound and outbound tourists. At present, Phu Quoc island, the central and Central Highlands regions, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Quy Nhon and Phan Thiet are favourite destinations.

To serve demand, localities have introduced new and attractive tourism products.

Ho Chi Minh City’s tourism sector forecasts that the number of holidaymakers will increase by 30-40% compared to that of the same period last year to 200,000, with revenue from tourism services to hit over 1.6 trillion VND (68 million USD).

The city is offering around 30 tour programs, which are renewed continuously, to bring attractive experiences for holidaymakers.

Cultural tourism has the potential to be multi-million-dollar industry

Vietnam has cultural tours and multimedia shows which touch tourists’ emotions. However, with its rich cultural resources, the country needs to create more original cultural products to tap what could become a multi-million-dollar industry.

Welcoming guests aboard recently on the Heritage Binh Chuan cruise ship were drum sounds, echoing amid the quiet of Lan Ha Bay. About 30 foreign travelers from the US, Germany, UK, Singapore, Myanmar and Israel were excited to participate in the tour.

Everything on the ship, every picture, book and object, has its own story which has relations with culture and history that tour guides can talk about for hours.

Every time the captain wanted to convey a message, he would come to every room and knock at the door with a bamboo tocsin. Travelers visited heritage sites in the day and enjoyed local specialties in the evening to the sound of the dan tranh (zither).

“The tourism products rich in cultural value like these will attract more foreign travelers,” said Frances Barnett Brookner, a traveler from the US.

Pham Ha, chair of Lux Group, said she was inspired by the ship of Bach Thai Buoi and the designers of the tour wanted to show cultural features so that travelers can feel Vietnamese culture in a more sophisticated manner.

This makes their experiences more memorable.

Vietnam has pride in being one of the world’s leading heritage destinations. Foreign travelers show interest in cultural tours and experiences, traditional customs, festivals, cuisine and architecture. If these features can be combined in tourism products, they will be even more attractive.

At Heritage Binh Chuan, the number of foreign travelers has gone up by 60-70 percent. Instead of one night, some groups now stay for 3-4 nights. The cruise ship expects to serve a group of Russian billionaires who plan to stay for seven nights.

Also focusing on cultural tours, Le Thi Thu Trang, director of SGO Travel, noted that the tourists now tend to be more demanding. They want trips that are more interesting, and not just beautiful landscapes.

Vietnam can satisfy their demands. But if the country cannot make the best use of cultural and historical materials, it would be a waste of resources.

She believes the work of cultural tourism is relating stories about destinations and connecting this with the itineraries of travelers to create real experiences and bring the performing arts into travel products.

SGO Travel, for example, has launched a new tour, departing at Thang Long Imperial Citadel. Travelers visit Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, Tay Yen Tu and destinations associated with King Tran Nhan Tong. At the end of the tour, travelers print woodblocks themselves, a very enjoyable experience.

Photo: VNN

In Hanoi, travelers can also have wonderful experiences thanks to original cultural tours. According to Nguyen Thi Dinh from the National Historical Museum, the ‘Tro ve coi nguon’ (reversion to the original point) tours have gained success.

‘Bac Co – Mua hoa gao’ (Bac Co – the rice flower season) tour, launched on March 14, is one of the tours. At first, the museum planned to provide one tour a week in one month. However, as the tour enjoyed large sales, the tour designers have provided two tours a week in the last two weeks.

Hue City, which was the cultural and political center of Vietnam in the 16th century, also attracts many travelers. Phan Thanh Hai, director of the Thua Thien - Hue Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said Hue received 4.9 million travelers in 2019, which made up 12 percent of the locality’s GDP.

About 85 percent of Hue tourism is cultural and heritage tourism. Hai believes that if just 20 travelers to Hue ordered ao dai (long dress) at the price of VND1 million per person, Hue would earn revenue of VND 900 million, VNN reported.

Head of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) Nguyen Trung Khanh said that Vietnam’s cultural tourism brand is positioned based on original cultural value, focused on heritage values and cultural culinary values, thereby forming a system of destination points and typical tourism products with high value.

It is expected that by 2030, cultural tourism would make up 20-25 percent of the total tourism revenue of $130 billion.

However, Khanh stressed that cultural tourism development in Vietnam remains modest if compared with the potentials, advantages and cultural values.

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