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President To Lam (right) and US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Evans Knapper. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam always considers US as strategic partner: President

Vietnam always considers the US as a partner of strategic importance and is ready to work closely with the US to develop the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership in a more effective and practical manner on the basis of respecting each other's independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and political institutions, thus bringing benefits to their people and contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world, said President To Lam.

While receiving US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Evans Knapper in Hanoi on June 13, President Lam asked the diplomat to convey his thanks to US President Joe Biden for his congratulations on Lam's election as the State President of Vietnam.

The leader lauded the ambassador's great contributions to the Vietnam-US relations and asked him to continue paying due attention to and promoting the good relationship.

Congratulating Lam on being elected as the State President of Vietnam, Knapper reaffirmed the US’s commitment to supporting a strong, independent, self-reliant and prosperous Vietnam.

He said that after nearly 30 years of establishing diplomatic relations, the Vietnam-US relations have achieved practical important progress in all fields, including politics - diplomacy, economy - trade - investment, security - defense, science - technology, innovation, education - training, health - humanitarian issues, and settlement of war consequences.

Knapper expressed his belief that the relationship between the two countries will continue to reap more achievements in the coming time, cited VNA.

Agreeing with the ambassador's opinions, Lam said that to maintain the momentum of cooperation and effectively implement the comprehensive strategic partnership framework, the two sides need to increase meetings and delegation exchanges at all levels and channels, especially the high-level ones.

The two nations should promote cooperation, especially in economy - trade - investment to make it a bright spot and driving force of the bilateral relations, he said, adding that Vietnam and the US also need to gradually expand cooperation in security and defense, including cooperation in the fight against terrorism and transnational crimes, and cyber security.

The President called on the US to continue supporting Vietnam in overcoming the war consequences, responding to climate change, and developing high-quality human resources.

He also suggested the two sides to continue to cooperate closely and effectively at multilateral and regional mechanisms such as the United Nations, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and jointly plan commemorations for the 30th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations in 2025.

Knapper said that he and US representative agencies in Vietnam will coordinate closely with ministries, agencies and localities of the host country to effectively implement the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries in the coming time.

He affirmed that the US highly evaluates and supports the central role of ASEAN in the regional structure and will continue to promote the ASEAN-US comprehensive strategic partnership and the Mekong - US partnership.

The US will continue to coordinate with Vietnam in solving regional and international issues of mutual concern, thus actively contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region, the ambassador stressed.

Airlines propose further easing visa rules to attract foreign visitors

Some airlines have proposed that the government continue to ease visa rules to attract more foreign visitors, especially those from key markets such as Australia, the United States, Japan, India and China, to Vietnam.

Tourism and aviation industries teaming up

Speaking at a recent workshop held by Nhan Dan (People Daily), Nguyen Cong Hoan, CEO of Flamingo Redtour emphasized the close and inseparable bond between the aviation and tourism industries, likening them to two wings of an airplane.

In his opinion, the tourism industry cannot develop without air transportation services, and vice versa tourists play an important role in determining the existence of many flight routes.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Huu Y Yen, chairman of the Board of Members of Saigontourist Travel Service Company, pointed out that flight-related travel products often account for more than 60% of the total number of travel products and services.

Indeed, many new air routes have been launched by airlines recently, greatly contributing to the recovery of tourism services, and improving destination competitiveness by opening and enhancing international flight routes, not only to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City but also to other localities such as Da Nang, Cam Ranh, Phu Quoc, and Da Lat.

Luong Thi Hoang Lan, sales director at Sun Group, proposed that the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism work alongside embassies in many key and potential markets overseas to seek to open more international flights to important Vietnamese destinations such as Phu Quoc, Da Nang, Quang Ninh, and Nha Trang to diversify and increase new customer markets, while limiting the dependence on some large traditional international markets such as China and the Republic of Korea.

This is a viable solution for Vietnam to seek new international markets that are big enough to compensate when there are fluctuations, because the growth of any customer market at present, Korea for instance, may be saturated in the future, she said.

More open visa policy on the cards

To facilitate tourism-aviation linkages, Vietnam Airlines proposed that the Government consider formulating a long-term and detailed overall aviation-tourism cooperation strategy. It said, the government, in addition to increasing the budget for promotion activities, should encourage the engagement and contributions of relevant stakeholders such as airlines, travel companies, and accommodation establishments.

“Management agencies need to continue to further relax immigration policies, by for instance adding countries to the current list of countries from which their citizens are exempt from visa entry, especially large potential markets such as the United States, Australia, India, and China,” suggested a Vietnam Airlines representative.

A representative of Vietjet, one of the most active airlines in reopening domestic and foreign routes in the post-pandemic period, said in order for the aviation and tourism industries to develop together and attract more tourists, the Government, ministries and localities continue to promote bilateral and multilateral negotiations and agreements with countries to have more favorable policies on visas and issuance of visas, along with supporting the opening of new flight routes, to stimulate demand of people and tourists, according to VOV.

Foreign tourists try pounding rice in the northern mountainous area of Vietnam.

Speaking at the seventh National Assembly session recently, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung affirmed that the visa waiving policy is considered to be an important tool for attracting travelers. He pointed to the fact that the National Assembly has revised relevant laws aimed at further opening the tourism market and spurring forward tourism development. He also revealed that his ministry has asked the Government to evaluate the overall visa policy, whilst also devising priority solutions on the basis of the principle of reciprocity.

“We will also consider the openness of our visa policy, but this must be done cautiously, carefully and effectively,” he stressed.

Last year, the National Assembly passed a bill featuring new and open policies on immigration procedures. Accordingly, as of August 15, Vietnam allowed foreigners to extend their e-visas validity to 90 days, as opposed to the previous period of 30 days. During their approved duration, foreigners are able to enter and exit the nation multiple times, without having to go through new visa procedures.

Foreigners who are subject to visa exemption are granted a temporary residence certificate at international border gates which is valid for 45 days, instead of 15 days as previously. In addition, they are considered for visa issuance and temporary residence extension according to regulations.

Statistics show the number of international visitors to Vietnam last year hit 12.6 million, 3.4 times more than in 2022, far exceeding the 8 million target. The first five months of 2024 saw 7.6 million foreigners visit Vietnam, up 64.9% year on year.

Vietnam, RoK strengthen legal, judicial cooperation

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Le Thanh Long held talks with the Minister of Government Legislation of the Republic of Korea, Lee Wan Kyu in Hanoi on June 13.

Deputy PM Long reiterated that Vietnam treasures the comprehensive strategic partnership with the RoK and wants to enhance cooperation effectiveness across the board.

He said as Vietnam is working to build and perfect the socialist law-governed state, the country needs to expand cooperation and experience sharing with legal and judicial agencies of countries with rich experience and good practice, including the Ministry of Government Legislation of the RoK, VNA reported.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Le Thanh Long (front, left) and the Minister of Government Legislation of the Republic of Korea, Lee Wan Kyu, sign a letter of intent on cooperation in building a law information system in Vietnam for 2025-2029. (Photo: VNA)

Long also noted that with the large numbers of Vietnamese residing in the RoK and Koreans in Vietnam, civil matters, marriage-family and trade relations, and more between the two countries are rising in quantity, resulting in the emergence of legal matters. For this reason, the two countries should promote legal and judicial cooperation so as to both ensure the rights and interests of their citizens and the foundation for their common development.

The Deputy PM appreciated the effective implementation of the 2012 MoU on cooperation between the Vietnamese Ministry of Justice and the RoK’s Ministry of Government Legislation. He suggested that the two ministries further increase specific cooperative activities such as law popularization in flexible forms, and coordinate and support each other in international organizations and at multilateral forums on legal matters.

Minister Lee expressed consensus with the proposals of the host, and pledged to promote cooperative activities to ensure the rights and interests of citizens of the two countries as well as meet the expectations of their leaders.

At the end of the talks, the two ministries signed a letter of intent on cooperation in building a law information system in Vietnam for 2025-2029.

Vietnamese blockbuster Face Off 7: One Wish hits US screen

The film crew of Vietnamese blockbuster “Lat mat 7: Mot dieu uoc” (Face off 7: One Wish) held a press conference on June 11 to debut the screening of its film in the United States for the first time.

The press briefing attracted many Vietnamese celebrities such as singer Thanh Thao, model Ngoc Quyen, actress Thuy Nga and a large number of Vietnamese expats in the US. Ly Hai who directed and produced the film was also on hand.

Earlier Hollywood newspaper Deadline revealed that "Lat mat 7" would be shown in North America, Europe and Australia, becoming the first Vietnamese film to premiere in the three continents, cited VOV.

Photo: VOV

Screenings are scheduled in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Germany, France, Norway, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland through 33888 Films distribution company, the media outlet wrote.

The film tells about a 73-year-old single mother who devotes her life to raising her five children.

She breaks her leg in an accident, and her only wish is to have her children by her side. But each of them contrives excuses not to take the responsibility.

It is the second highest-grossing Vietnamese film of all time, with its revenues as of June reaching VND461 billion (US$18.07 million), according to Box Office Vietnam.

Surge in digital payments in Vietnam

The trend towards cashless payments is experiencing rapid growth in Vietnam, driven by both card payments and QR Code transfers. This shift is supported by significant advancements in digital payment infrastructure and services.

During a discussion on the Government's Project 06, Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam, Nguyen Thi Hong, highlighted the substantial progress in the country's digital payment landscape. The interbank payment system in Vietnam now processes over VND830,000 billion daily, while the retail payment system handles 20-25 million transactions each day.

Vietnam has seen a surge in the adoption of innovative and secure payment methods, such as QR Code payments, contactless chip cards, biometric authentication, and data encryption. According to the State Bank, from 2021 to 2023, internet and mobile payment transactions grew by 52% and 103%, respectively. QR Code payment transactions alone increased by more than 170%.

A user integrates a payment card into a digital wallet on a mobile application. Photo: Trong Dat

Currently, over 87% of Vietnamese adults hold bank accounts, with 182 million individual payment accounts and more than 147 million active bank cards in circulation. These statistics underscore the robust development of digital payments in the country.

In Directive 18, the Prime Minister assigned the State Bank two key tasks: to refine the legal framework for cashless payments and to enhance electronic payment utilities. The State Bank has been actively guiding credit institutions to upgrade and perfect the infrastructure for cashless payments, ensuring smooth and secure operations. These efforts have significantly contributed to the digital transformation of Vietnam's payment sector, VNN reported.

The rapid increase in cashless payments has also attracted fraudulent activities. Scammers employ various tactics to deceive users, including psychological manipulation, inducing unauthorized money transfers, hijacking machines, and stealing identity information for illicit purposes.

At a Cyber Fraud Prevention and Control Seminar held by the National Cyber Security Association in mid-May, Deputy Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam, Pham Tien Dung, revealed that 91% of fraud cases are linked to bank accounts.

To bolster security in online and bank card payments, new regulations will take effect on July 1, 2024. These include mandatory facial recognition for transactions over VND10 million, verifying the transactor's face against the account holder's face when opening the account. For transactions exceeding VND20 million in a single day, users will need to re-authenticate their identity.

Decision 2345, effective from July 1, also stipulates that users must authenticate new devices with the old device to prevent device theft by criminals. Additionally, banks must record device information used for online transactions and maintain transaction authentication logs for a minimum of three months.

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