At the meeting between Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Pham Hung Tam (R) and a delegation from the Australia Vietnam Business Council. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam, Australia work toward sustainable development of trade

Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Pham Hung Tam has received a delegation from the Australia Vietnam Business Council (AVBC), discussing ways to step up bilateral cooperation.

AVBC President Dinh Kiem said the recent upgrade of the countries’ relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership is a basis for both sides to further enhance joint work across various fields, including trade and investment, education, tourism, innovation, and high technology, cited VOV.

Accompanying the delegation were Australian businesses from many sectors such as education, technology, mergers and acquisitions, tourism, packaging, and recycling, some of which have already established representative offices in Vietnam. They told the diplomat their wish to contribute to strengthening bilateral trade relations and people-to-people exchanges.

They said they are willing to collaborate with the embassy to support Vietnamese delegations visiting Australia for work and investment promotion.

In reply, the ambassador proposed that the council further enhance the sides’ business connections, and assist Vietnamese provincial delegations in promoting trade and investment in areas of mutual interest and expertise, such as semiconductor engineer training and clean energy transition.

He suggested the AVBC join Australian states in creating favorable conditions for Vietnamese students studying in Australia.

Vietnam gets various nominations at World Travel Awards 2024

Vietnam has made the shortlist in many accolades at the prestigious 31st World Travel Award, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) said on May 11.

The country has been nominated for Asia’s Leading Beach Destination, Asia's Leading Culture Destination, Asia's Leading Destination, Asia's Leading Heritage Destination, Asia's Leading Natural Destination, and Asia's Leading Youth Travel Destination in 2024.

The VNAT makes it to the list of nominees for the Asia’s Leading Tourism Board while the Hanoi and HCM City’s Departments of Tourism were nominated for the Asia’s Leading City Tourist Board and Quang Nam province’s Department of Tourism for the Asia’s Leading Regional City Tourist Board.

Ho Chi Minh City is a nominee for Asia's Leading Business Travel Destination, and Hanoi for Asia's Leading City Break Destination and Asia's Leading City Destination 2024, according to VNA.

Hoi An is a nominee for the Asia's Leading Culture City Destination award. (Photo: VNA)

Other localities getting nominations include Hoi An and Hue for the Asia's Leading Culture City Destination, Ha Giang and Ha Nam for the Asia's Leading Emerging Tourism Destination, Phu Quoc for the Asia’s Leading Luxury Island Destination, and Moc Chau for the Asia’s Leading Regional Natural Destination. Da Nang and HCM City are nominated for the Asia's Festival and Event Destination 2024.

The country also receives nominations for many other categories in the areas of aviation, hotel and travel.

Voting is open until July 23 at www.worldtravelawards.com.

Established in 1993, World Travel Awards aims to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all key sectors of the travel, tourism and hospitality industries. The awards have been recognised globally as the ultimate hallmark of industry excellence and dubbed as the Oscars of Travel and Tourism by The Wall Street Journal.

Vietnam was honored in 45 categories of the 2023 event.

Vietnam’s human rights report passed at UPR Working Session

The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHCR) approved Vietnam’s National Report at its 46th session (fourth cycle) in Geneva, Switzerland, on May 10 (local time).

The working group’s report noted Vietnam's National Report, the content of the session on May 7, and 320 recommendations made by 133 countries.

The recommendations cover many areas such as improving the legal system and human rights policies; promoting socio-economic development and poverty reduction programs; and ensuring rights for vulnerable groups, including ethnic minorities and children.

The recommendations also revolve around freedom of belief and religion, freedom of speech, human rights and businesses, human rights and climate change, as well as joining a number of international human rights conventions, and cooperating with the mechanisms of the Human Rights Council.

Addressing the session, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet affirmed the importance of the UPR mechanism, saying that the implementation of UPR recommendations through cycles complements Vietnam’s efforts to promote and protect human rights.

He said Vietnam will carefully examine the recommendations and announce its stance on these recommendations at the 57th session of the UN Human Rights Council in October 2024, VOV reported.

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet (second from right) speaks at the 46th session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group in Geneva, Switzerland.

The diplomat emphasized that Vietnam wishes to strengthen cooperation with other countries and stakeholders in accordance with its motto during the 2023-2025 UNHCR membership term that is respect, understanding, dialogue and cooperation, for the sake of human rights for all.

The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a unique mechanism of the Human Rights Council that calls for each UN Member State to undergo a peer review of its human rights records every 4.5 years (a cycle).

According to the Human Rights Council’s “institution-building package”, the Universal Periodic Review Working Group will hold three two-week sessions per year. During each session, 14 countries will be reviewed, therefore 42 countries per year and 193 countries, i.e. the entire UN membership, by the end of each UPR cycle.

Vietnam was among 13 UN member states to present human rights records at the 46th session of the UPR Working Group in Geneva from May 7 – 10. 12 other states were New Zealand, Afghanistan, Chile, Uruguay, Yemen, Vanuatu, North Macedonia, Comoros, Slovakia, Eritrea, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, and Cambodia.

Since the first periodic review in 2008, all 193 UN Member States have been reviewed three times. The fourth cycle of review began in November 2022, and is scheduled to last till 2027.

Vietnam, China localities join hands to clean up border river

The authorities of Hoanh Mo commune of Binh Lieu district, the northeastern province of Quang Ninh, coordinated with their Chinese counterparts from Fangchenggang city’s Dong Zhong town to clean up the environment along the shared border river from May 9 to 11.

The cleanup at the Hoanh Mo border gate was part of the twinning activities between the two localities, contributing to keeping the border area clean and facilitating two-way trade.

Around tens of tonnes of waste were collected for treatment, cited VNA.

The cleanup is part of the twinning activities between the two localities. (Photo: VNA)

Besides, cultural and sport exchange activities were also held on the occasion.

Binh Lieu district shares a border line of more than 43 kilometers with China. Thanks to its sound people-to-people diplomacy, the district has been able to ensure stable security and order in the border area, helping promote local socio-economic development.

HCM City among cities with wealth growth potential over next decade

The southern metropolis Ho Chi Minh City is named among three cities with wealth growth potential over the next decade by Henley & Partners, cited VGP.

The above finding was highlighted in 2024 World's Wealthiest Cities Report, published annually by the leading international residence and citizenship by investment advisory firm Henley & Partners in collaboration with global data intelligence firm New World Wealth.

The report noted that Bengaluru (India), Scottsdale (U.S.), and Ho Chi Minh City have enjoyed exceptional growth rates of over 100 percent in their resident millionaire populations over the past ten years.

Photo: VNN

According to Henley & Partners, Ho Chi Minh City is among 10 major cities worldwide that have experienced especially strong wealth growth over the past decade (from 2012-2022).

The number of high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) in HCMC increased 82 percent to 7,700, including 15 centi-millionaires and three billionaires.

"This city is emerging as Asia's next big millionaire hotspot. Rapidly expanding sectors include financial services, textiles, technology, electronics, telecoms, chemicals, and tourism," the report said.

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