Chairman of the National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue (third, from right), New Zealand Ambassador to Vietnam Tredene Dobson (third from left) and other Vietnamese and New Zealand officials. (Photo: VNA)

NA Chairman receives outgoing New Zealand Ambassador

Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Vuong Dinh Hue received New Zealand Ambassador to Vietnam Tredene Dobson in Hanoi on January 24, lauding the outgoing diplomat’s contributions to relations between the two countries and their parliaments.

On this occasion, Hue thanked the New Zealand Embassy in Vietnam and the ambassador for supporting a high-ranking NA delegation led by him on a visit to New Zealand in June 2022, cited VNA.

She said she is very proud of joint achievements gained by the two nations during her term, praising their close coordination in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

She also emphasized the positive results of people-to-people exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in agriculture, defense, and security.

The ambassador affirmed the importance of tightening parliamentary cooperation between New Zealand and Vietnam, pledging to promote bilateral cooperation in any capacity.

The top legislator praised that Tredene Dobson's contributions during the past three years have helped promote the multifaceted and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries in various fields. Particularly, the two sides facilitated the access of agricultural products to each other's markets.

On this occasion, Hue thanked New Zealand for actively supporting Vietnam with vaccines, ventilators, and resources to control the COVID-19 and recover its economy after the pandemic.

He said he and the NA of Vietnam will continue to create favorable conditions for the New Zealand Embassy and Ambassador Tredene Dobson's successor to work in Vietnam, contributing to fostering cooperation between Vietnam and New Zealand in general and between the two countries' legislative bodies in particular.

RoK Ambassador positive on relations with Vietnam

Despite having been on duty in Vietnam for just over three months, the Republic of Korea (RoK) Ambassador to Vietnam Choi Youngsam is confident about the relationship between the two countries moving forward, saying that the joint relationship has seen constant development in just the past 30 years in a recent interview granted to VOV.

Vietnam and the RoK first established diplomatic relations in December, 1992. Over the past three decades, ties between the two have greatly progressed, reflected in fields such as investment, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges. In 2022, the two countries moved to upgrade their relationship to the level of comprehensive strategic partnership.

According to the diplomat, thanks to the following three factors, the relationship between the two countries have developed well. First is the cultural and historical similarities between the two countries, second is the political-diplomatic similarities and economic complementarity, and finally it is thanks to the best efforts of many generations.

“I think, all of these things combined and led to the incredible growth of our relationship at present,” the Korean diplomat said.

Ambassador Youngsam also expressed joy at seeing Vietnam become the RoK’s third largest trading partner, while the RoK is leading the way in foreign direct investment in Vietnam, with Korean businesses operating effectively throughout 63 Vietnamese provinces and cities.

He also pledged to work harder as part of efforts aimed at moving the RoK to a higher position in terms of trade and investment in Vietnam, according to VOV.

President Vo Van Thuong (R) receives RoK Ambassador Choi Young Sam, who presents his credentials, marking the start of his working term in Vietnam.

Talking about people-to-people and cross-cultural exchanges between the two countries, the Korean diplomat said that as Korean Ambassador to Vietnam, he will make every effort to open more doors through improving the visa system aiming to create optimal conditions for both nations’ women and young people to hold more exchanges.

“It is also important to expand Korean and Vietnamese educational facilities so that the two countries can better understand each other. In Vietnam alone, there are 40,000 teenagers learning Korean in elementary schools, middle schools, high schools and other institutions. We will make further efforts to expand this,” he added.

Ambassador Youngsam also expressed his positive impression of Vietnam by saying that for him the country is a family and his feelings for the nation are getting deeper and deeper.

He said he also loves Vietnamese delicacies such as bun cha (Vietnamese grilled pork with rice vermicelli noodles), com hen (rice served with mussel), and banh xeo (crispy Vietnamese pancake), especially all types of Vietnamese coffee.

Regarding the activities of the Korean Cultural Center in Vietnam, the Ambassador said the most basic purpose of the center is to introduce unique traditional Korean culture to the Vietnamese people, whilst the cultural promotion activities are receiving a lot of positive feedback.

In late November, 2023, the Korean Cultural Center launched a broad array of events aimed at promoting the Korean gaming industry, thereby, demonstrating the cultural co-operation between the two nations.

“We are planning many concerts, performances and joint exhibitions through collaboration with outstanding artists from Vietnam and the RoK. We wish to develop the center into an organization that acts as a bridge between the two nations.

On the occasion of the approaching Lunar New Year, known locally as Tet, the RoK Ambassador extended his best wishes to the Vietnamese people with a new year filled with many good things and happiness.

Vietnam, UAE speed up negotiation for comprehensive economic partnership agreement

Officials from Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) and the UAE Ministry of Economy on January 24 agreed to speed up the negotiation for a comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) between the two countries.

Receiving Minister of State for Foreign Trade at the UAE Ministry of Economy Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Hanoi on January 24, MoIT Minister Nguyen Hong Dien hailed the Vietnam- UAE economic and trade cooperation in recent years.

The two countries have been expanding cooperation in many fields, notably the launch of their negotiation for Vietnam-UAE CEPA, he said.

Appreciating the efforts and results that the negotiation delegations of the two countries have made, the two officials discussed measures to address issues in which the two sides have different points of view, VNA reported.

Representatives from Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) and the UAE Ministry of Economy at the meeting in Hanoi on January 24. (Photo: VNA)

Regarding bilateral cooperation, Minister Dien called on the UAE side to consider and facilitate business delegation exchanges and coordinate to organize trade promotion activities. He also proposed the UAE businesses to invest in Vietnam in some areas of mutual interest.

In the coming time, the two sides agreed to cooperate more closely to speed up the Vietnam - UAE CEPA negotiation process and conclude it soon.

Currently, the UAE is the largest export market and the second-largest trade partner of Vietnam in West Asia (after Kuwait).

In 2023, Vietnam's exports to the UAE reached over US$4 billion and its imports from this market hit over US$676 million, marking a year-on-year increase of 4.3% and 16% respectively.

Vietnam's main exports to the UAE include mobile phones, computers and components, electrical products, household electronics, pepper, seafood, footwear, textiles, grain products, plastic, and wooden furniture. Its imports are raw plastics, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), petroleum products, animal feed materials, metals, and chemicals.

Investment in HCM City-based industrial parks hit record high

The total investment capital in Ho Chi Minh City's export processing and industrial zones last year reached over US$1 billion, representing the highest figure recorded in more than 30 years, according to Tran Viet Ha, deputy board of management of Ho Chi Minh City's Industrial and Export Processing Zones (Hepza).

This information was released at a press conference held on the morning of January 24.

Specifically, more than 30 years on since its establishment, the southern city’s industrial parks have attracted between US$480 million and US$500 million in investment capital, even up to US$800 million.

Last year, total investment capital, including newly and adjusted-capital in industrial parks hit US$1.012 billion, representing an increase of 84% against the same period from 2022.

Photo: VOV

Of this, FDI capital was recorded at nearly US$223 million with 16 new projects and 34 adjusted-capital projects, cited VOV.

Domestic investors also poured more than US$789 million into industrial parks, including 46 new projects and 20 increased-capital projects.

According to Hepza leaders, the sharp rise in investment capital in the southern metropolis is attributable to the fact that the existing businesses have moved to adjust and increase capital, with a specific focus on areas such as high technology, mechanical engineering, and telecommunications.

Moreover, many firms also injected money into improving technology, optimizing production lines and machinery as a means of meeting the city's requirements for digital transformation.

Ho Chi Minh City, currently boasts 17 valid industrial and export processing zones, attracting nearly 1,700 projects and employing over 252,000 workers.

Businesses in the IPs contributed over VND23,000 billion to the budget, accounting for 5.25% of the city's total budget revenue. This year, Hepza aims to attract US$550 million in investment capital with each hectare luring an average of US$8.5 million.

Travel+Leisure reveals best time to visit Vietnam

Magazine Travel+Leisure of the United States has published an article revealing the best and worst time to visit Vietnam.

According to the website, for those hoping to see Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and everything in between, it’s best to go during the dry season.

Melissa Matthews, regional director for Southeast Asia and North America at luxury travel company Red Savannah, shared in the article that February and March are therefore the best months to see the entire country from north to south as guests can do it in relatively dry weather.

She noted that Tet, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, falls during this time and can last for up to 10 days.

“During this time, most of the key sights in the cities are closed, as everyone goes back to their family villages to celebrate,” she says.

Sa Pa is renowned for its breathtaking landscapes, including terraced rice fields, lush valleys, and rugged mountain peaks.

The regional director recommended that visitors should head to the beach during the festival and finish their trip with time in the country’s major cities.

Matthews also revealed that if visitors want to explore Sa Pa, then they should head there from September to November, or in March and April.

She went on to share that a sunny beach visit to Hoi An or Nha Trang in the central region is best from April to August, while the Mekong Delta and Phu Quoc Island in the south are warmest from October to April.

Vietnam is a relatively affordable destination all year round, with an abundance of street food at good prices and comfortable hotels suitable for all budgets.

“For your best chance at scoring low-cost flights and accommodations, consider traveling outside the peak tourist season. April, May, October, and November are excellent times, as you’ll still find warm weather throughout the country, but will have fewer tourists to contend with,” Travel+Leisure recommended.

However, according to Matthews, while the varied local climate means there’s never really a bad time to visit, visitors may want to avoid traveling to the country during the monsoon season.

“When the monsoon hits, it is hard and heavy and very humid,” says Matthews, who suggested sightseeing in cities during the wet season, where travelers can still visit museums and historic temples between rainstorms.

The website also shared the opinions of Benjamin Kreuz, general manager of Six Senses Ninh Van Bay, as saying that if holiday goers do decide to travel during the rainy season, then it’s best to remain flexible in their planning.

“Consider not booking everything in advance due to unpredictable weather,” Kreuz says, adding that staying open-minded may help them to take advantage of potential low-season discounts.

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