Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son holds telephone talks with his counterpart from the Republic of Korea Cho Tae Yul (Photo: VNA)

RoK, Vietnam pledge to consolidate bilateral trust

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son and his counterpart from the Republic of Korea (RoK) Cho Tae Yul consented to continue consolidating trust between the two nations through delegation exchanges at high and all levels, and enhancing trade partnership during their telephone talks held on January 26.

Both sides agreed to work hand in hand to accelerate the effective implementation of the action program to propel the Vietnam-RoK comprehensive strategic partnership forward.

The two diplomats pledged to incentivize Korean firms to expand investment in Vietnam, build more research and development centers, and transfer core and source technologies to Vietnam, while coordinating in taking full advantage of the RoK's Economic Development Co-operation Fund (EDCF) and the Economic Development Promotion Facility (EDPF).

The RoK will help Vietnam develop cultural industries, expand exchanges among youngsters of the two countries, and provide more scholarships for Vietnamese students to study in the RoK, cited VOV.

The two FMs promised to work for the enhancement of cooperation among localities through practical activities such as the Meet Korea program, while the RoK will continue supporting Vietnam in high quality human resources training and increasing the receiving of Vietnamese workers in the future.

The two sides concurred to continue boosting closer coordination and offering mutual support at regional and international forums.

FM Son proposed the RoK continue to cooperate closely with Vietnam within the ASEAN-RoK partnership while assisting Vietnam in performing the role of the coordinator for the ASEAN-RoK relations in the 2021-2024 tenure and organizing the Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G) Summit in 2025.

He also asked for the RoK's support and vision sharing on ensuring maritime and aviation security, safety and freedom of navigation and overflights in the East Sea, maintaining a peaceful and stable environment as well as a legal order, and settling disputes at sea through peaceful measures in accordance with international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982.

FM Son used the occasion to congratulate Cho for being appointed as the RoK's FM, affirming that he stays ready to work with FM Cho and bolster cooperation between the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs to strengthen the Vietnam-RoK comprehensive strategic partnership.

FM Cho showed his elation at the growth of the ties between the two countries, underscoring that his country places great importance on relations with Vietnam and considers it an important partner in the RoK's external policy in the region.

Tourism contributes significantly to socioeconomic recovery in 2023

Vietnam won 54 prizes at the 2023 World Travel Awards - Asia and Oceania region last year, positioning the country's brand on top of the global tourism map and turning travel to the Southeast Asian nation into a bright spot in terms of socioeconomic recovery.

According to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT), Vietnam served 12.6 million foreign visitors and 108 million domestic tourists, up 57% and 6%, respectively. Total earnings from tourism activities hit VND678 trillion (US$27.5 billion), 4.3% higher than the plan.

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung highlighted tireless efforts made by the Government, ministries, localities, and businesses in reviving the industry, saying that several policies have been issued to help remove barriers and promote tourism recovery and development.

Tourism development is integrated into the overall development of culture diplomacy, in efforts to preserve and promote cultural heritage values, he said.

However, the sector still faces numerous difficulties and challenges. The number of international tourists to Vietnam slowly recovered compared to other countries in the region.

Visitors at Fansipan peak in Lao Cai province (Photo: VNA)

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has proposed numerous tasks and breakthrough solutions to speed up the recovery. These include short-term visa exemption for tourists from certain promising and large-scale markets such as China and India to stimulate tourism demand, and the expansion of unilateral visa exemptions for countries with high tourist spending such as Australia, Canada, the US, and EU member nations.

It emphasized the need to enhance collaboration with countries, territories, and international airlines to open more air routes and increase the frequency of existing direct flights between Vietnam's key tourism areas and major cities of target tourist markets.

The ministry also proposed amending the Law on Overseas Representative Missions to allow the establishment of tourism promotion offices in key markets around the world, according to VNA.

Attention must be paid to strengthening tourism promotion in key international markets, both traditional and emerging. These fresh markets include Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, Western Europe, North America, Australia, India, and the Middle East, Hung said.

In addition, it is also necessary to develop branded tourism products and services with added value and high competitiveness, and focus on promoting digital transformation and developing human resources serving tourism development, he added.

Vietnam’s tourism sector anticipates a breakthrough in 2024, aiming to fully recover to levels not seen since 2019. It is set to welcome 17-18 million foreign arrivals, serve 110 million domestic tourists, and earn VND840 trillion in revenue.

More cold spells to hit northern region in February

The northern region is forecast to endure more strong cold spells in February which are set to cause temperatures to plunge, with northern mountainous areas likely to also face periods of rain and frost.

According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting (NCHMF), the northeast region will be affected by drizzle and fog, while the central region is likely to witness many days of rain.

Photo: VOV

The cold spell is not due to last for long and the number of cold days will be less than the average, according to the NCHMF.

Local people are therefore urged to regularly monitor forecasts and warning information on the NCHMF’s website nchmf.gov.vn or information given by local hydro-meteorological bureaus, VOV reported.

Localities must notify and guide tourists, whilst also increasing warnings on potentially icy and slippery roads to ensure safety for both people and vehicles.

Large commercial complex to be build alongside Vietnam - China border

A complex of commercial, tourism, financial - banking, and advanced technology facilities worth over US$350 million in total is set to be built in the vicinity of Tan Thanh Border Gate, the northern province of Lang Son.

The Thang Long Investment JSC of Vietnam and the Lirui Group of China signed a cooperation contract for this project, expected to be a model of its kind along the two countries’ border, in Lang Son city on January 26.

Chairman of the Lirui Group Liang Zhong said his business is the largest in the border gate operating sector of China. The contract aims to make use of its experience as well as financial and technological advantages to turn the Tan Thanh and Coc Nam border gates of Vietnam into smart and modern ones for distributing farm produce and mechanical - electronic products, and into an important zone of industrial cooperation between the two countries, cited VNA.

The contract signing ceremony between the Thang Long Investment JSC and the Lirui Group in Lang Son province on January 26 (Photo: baolangson.vn)

General Director of the Thang Long Investment JSC Nguyen Xuan Tien voiced his hope that the two businesses will continue receiving assistance from Lang Son authorities so that their project will be carried out quickly and effectively.

He called for a special mechanism to be issued to help capitalize on the special advantages of Tan Thanh Border Gate.

Overseas Vietnamese in Cambodia gather for pre-Tet celebration

The Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia held a get-together for staff of the embassy and Vietnamese representatives and families in Cambodia on January 26 to celebrate the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday.

Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia Nguyen Huy Tang briefed the guests and the Vietnamese community about Vietnam's important achievements in the political, economic, and social fields over the past year.

The Ambassador lauded the staff of the Embassy and Vietnamese representative agencies for their efforts in overcoming difficulties and successfully completing the tasks assigned by the Party and State, NDO reported.

Ambassador Nguyen Huy Tang presents the foreign minister’s certificate of merit to several collectives and individuals for their contributions to the Vietnamese community in Cambodia.

According to the Ambassador, despite numerous difficulties over the past year, the Vietnamese community in Cambodia, has promoted the spirit of solidarity, helping each other to overcome difficulties and stabilize their lives.

On this occasion, on behalf of the Embassy, Ambassador Nguyen Huy Tang presented the foreign minister’s certificate of merit to several collectives and individuals for their contributions to the work of the Vietnamese community in Cambodia.

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