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WebCRS company from Kerala signs memoranda of understanding on cooperation with several travel agencies and hotels in Phu Yen. (Photo: VNA)

Phu Yen, India's Kerala state boost tourism cooperation

The Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of the south-central coastal province of Phu Yen in collaboration with the Consulate General of India in Ho Chi Minh City, organized a tourism promotion program on June 1 with the participation of many travel agencies from the province and Kerala state of India.

The event aims to promote bilateral cooperation between the two localities and stimulate tourism demand to Phu Yen this summer, cited VNA.

Deputy Director of the department Nguyen Le Vu said he hopes the event will lay a foundation for promoting tourism cooperation and cultural exchange between the two localities.

Indian partners and businesses can collaborate, exchange experiences, and establish partnerships to develop tourism and promote the image of Phu Yen, thus creating a bridge to attract more international tourists and Indian visitors in particular to Phu Yen, and Vietnamese tourists to Kerala, he stressed.

According to the department, India is one of Phu Yen's traditional partners. In recent times, the cooperation between Phu Yen and India has recorded significant results in investment, culture, sports, and tourism. With the participation of local tourism businesses and the nearly 30 tourism firms from Kerala, this event will open up opportunities for multifaceted cooperation between the two localities.

As part of the program, WebCRS company from Kerala signed memoranda of understanding on cooperation with several travel agencies and hotels in Phu Yen.

Vietnam eyes golden opportunities for rice exports

Amid the world facing a shortage of seven million tonnes of rice, Vietnam has seized a "golden" opportunity to increase exports, according to industry insiders.

With regard to the country’s potential to export rice this year, Nguyen Nhu Cuong, director of the Department of Crop Production under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that although the world has a high demand for rice, Vietnam is unable to increase its rice cultivation area.

Cuong underlined the need to increase the overall production area, adjust crops to reap good yields, and harvest at a time when countries globally are facing a scarcity of rice, thereby increasing rice product value.

This year has seen the Vietnamese rice cultivation area stand at about 7.1 million hectares and is expected to meet the export demand of more than 7.5 million tonnes if there are no weather abnormalities, natural disasters, and epidemics, he said.

The country has been proactively producing and exporting rice according to the global demand but the Vietnamese rice industry is required to ensure domestic food security, Cuong added.

Photo: VOV

Cuong stressed that the Department of Crop Production needs to grasp market information, particularly relating to the global and domestic demand for rice as a way of adjusting the proper crop schedule in order to ensure the best supply source of Vietnamese rice.

Moreover, he underlined the need to take drastic solutions aimed at minimizing production costs and damages caused by climate change.

The Department is also required to coordinate efforts alongside relevant agencies and local authorities to reorganize production activities and to strengthen linkages among businesses, cooperatives, and farmers, according to VOV.

In addition, the Northern Food Corporation and the Southern Food Corporation, along with rice export traders, are requested to maintain food reserves and purchases in line with the State regulations to ensure national food security.

In relation to the goal of promoting rice exports and avoiding domestic food shortage crisis, Professor. Vo Tong Xuan said that people are advised to not worry about the shortage of food as the management agencies have already learnt about domestic demand to request for storage.

Furthermore, a new harvest season will begin in the next 3.5 months, meaning there are no widespread concerns over the shortage of rice, even though the country increases rice exports moving forward, Prof. Xuan added.

Despite positive signs about Vietnamese rice export potential, experts pointed out that the rice industry is facing a number of challenges, including salinity intrusion in the Mekong Delta.

Therefore, Vietnam must ensure a quality and safe rice growing process according to the standards set by importing countries.

Pham Thai Binh, chairman of the Board of Directors of Trung An High-Tech Agriculture Joint Stock Company, said Vietnam has huge potential for rice production, adding that local firms are duly advised to seize upon these opportunities to increase exports.

It is essential to strengthen connectivity among businesses and farmers, develop sustainably by reorganizing the rice production value chain, while also paying greater attention to the quality to both meet the export market and enhance the brand and value of Vietnamese rice, Binh added.

Int'l cruise ship brings over 2,000 tourists to Vung Tau

In about 10 hours of stay in Con Dao, passengers visited local ecological and spiritual tourist attractions where they explored the turtle egg hatchery and mangrove forests, and enjoyed coral and kayaking.

This is the second international cruise ship that the popular tourist destination has received since the beginning of the year.

In about 10 hours of stay in Con Dao, passengers visited local ecological and spiritual tourist attractions where they explored the turtle egg hatchery and mangrove forests, and enjoyed coral and kayaking, reported VNS.

Cruise ship Resorts World One. Photo: VNS

Michael Goh, the President of Resorts World Cruises based in Singapore, said that Con Dao is one of the few places that has managed to preserve its enchanting and abundant natural beauty, along with its captivating museums, historical sites, and warm-hearted locals. He further mentioned that by selecting Con Dao as a fresh addition to Resorts World One's itinerary, the company intends to provide international tourists with unparalleled experiences and the chance to discover the most untouched destinations in Vietnam.

Nguyen Thanh Nam, General Director of Saigontourist which served passengers of the cruise ship in Con Dao, said that his firm is seeking to increase the exploitation of the international luxury cruise tourist market to Vietnam.

The successful hosting of cruise ship Resorts World One to Vietnam in general and Con Dao in particular opens up opportunities to promote the image and affirm the attractiveness of the destination and Vietnam's ability to attract international visitors, he held.

Resorts World One departed from Singapore on May 30 to start its five-day journey across Southeast Asia. On Saturday, it arrived in Cai Mep-Thi Vai Port and brought passengers to explore Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province and HCM City. It will return to Singapore on Tuesday.

Lao Cai eyes to strengthen relations with ​France's Nouvelle Aquitaine region

Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai Hoang Giang paid a working visit to the Nouvelle-Aquitaine, the largest administrative region in France, from May 26 - June 1, as part of the activities marking 20 years of cooperation between the two localities.

During working sessions, the two sides reviewed the past cooperation and identified new orientations for the upcoming period.

Nouvelle-Aquitaine has helped Lao Cai research and develop various temperate fruit trees that are suitable for the province's soil, assisted the province in urban planning for eco-tourism development and building the Sa Pa tourism urban regulations in 2004, among others. The two sides especially valued their cooperation projects on planning and tourism development.

According to Giang, the cooperation results between Lao Cai and Nouvelle-Aquitaine have significantly contributed to further strengthening the relationship between Vietnam and France.

The two sides agreed on solutions, mechanisms, and resources, and signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation to improve and promote the effectiveness of the cooperation model in the future, cited VNA.

Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the northern moutainous province of Lao Cai Hoang Giang (second, R) presents souvenirs to a leader of the Nouvelle Aquitaine region. (Photo: VNA)

On this occasion, the Regional Council of Nouvelle-Aquitaine hosted a ceremony to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its cooperation with Lao Cai.

Addressing the event, Alain Rousset, President of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Regional Council, proposed that the two sides agree on specific areas of cooperation, focusing on such fields as protecting and promoting the value of cultural and natural heritage, and training and developing human resources.

Giang thanked the French government and the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in particular for their support and cooperation, expressing his desire to further strengthen partnership between the two localities in the future.

Union shows strong performance in connecting Vietnamese firms in Europe

From initial four members, the Union of Vietnamese Business Associations in Europe (UVBAE) has now gathered 19 members and become a venue for Vietnamese businesses in Europe to meet and share experiences through business forums, stated President of the union Hoang Manh Hue at its congress for the 2024-2028 tenure held in Prague on June 1.

In the time to come, the union will continue to complete its organization and add more members from Western Europe, while maintaining and developing annual business forums, increasing activities to connect Vietnamese firms in Europe, strengthening their linkage with their peers at home, and sponsoring young entrepreneurs’ association, Hue said.

At the congress, delegates elected a 36-member standing board for the 2024-2028 tenure, with Nguyen Thai Ngoc being the new President, VNS reported.

An overview of the congress of the Union of Vietnamese Business Associations in Europe for the 2024-2028 tenure held in Prague on June 1 (Photo: VNA)

Addressing the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to the Czech Republic Duong Hoai Nam affirmed that Vietnamese representative offices in Europe in general and the Czech Republic in particular will always accompany Vietnamese business associations and support them in making investment at home, thus promoting economic diplomacy.

The diplomat advised businesses to carefully study trade deals between Vietnam and the EU, including the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), in order to seek new opportunities and strengthen economic collaboration between Vietnam and European countries.

At the event, the UVBAE handed over relief aid to people who suffered damage in the recent Marywilska shopping center fire in Poland.

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