Covid-19 vaccination. Photo: VNA

Vietnam reports 546 new Covid-19 cases on November 23

The national Covid-19 caseload rose to 11,512,684 with 546 new cases recorded on November 23, according to the Ministry of Health.

With 179 patients given the all clear during the day, the number of recoveries rose to 10,607,345.

Meanwhile, there are 55 patients needing breathing support, cited VNA.

No death from Covid-19 was recorded in the past 24 hours. The total fatalities stood at 43,169.

With 127,869 doses administered on November 22, the total number of doses of Covid-19 vaccines injected rose to 263,498,238.

Hanoi’s new walking space to offer visitors unique culinary and cultural experience

The area aims to bolster cultural and architectural values and enhance urban aesthetics.

The Hanoi People's Committee has agreed to open another pedestrian zone on weekends, offering communal space where visitors could enjoy culinary arts.

The project aims to raise awareness of the monuments' historical and cultural significance while preserving a venue for locals to practice culinary skills.

The pedestrian zone, which covers four streets on the shore of Thien Quang Lake in Hai Ba Trung District and its surroundings, including Thong Nhat Park, will form a large walking area on about 1.1 ha of land, including 0.48 ha of water surface.

The area aims to bolster cultural and architectural values, enhance urban aesthetics, and develop tourism in the area.

To carry out the project, Hai Ba Trung District's authorities are tasked with consulting the community to obtain their consensus. In addition, the district must develop a plan to reorganize traffic and parking.

Over the past weeks, the district authorities have been studying a new pedestrian street, including Thong Nhat Park, to boost the night-time economy.

Green space in the campus of Thien Quang Lake, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi. Photo: Tien Tuan/Hanoi Times

The pedestrian zone around Thien Quang Lake would be the fourth in Hanoi. Hanoi unveiled its first walking street in Hoan Kiem District in 2004. By 2021, Hoan Kiem walking streets were expanded to cover a much larger area, including 20 streets near the iconic Hoan Kiem Lake and the Old Quarter.

The second is Trinh Cong Son walking street in Tay Ho District. The street, a tribute to the late musician Trinh Cong Son, a celebrated Vietnamese musician, songwriter, painter, and poet, has been closed to traffic on weekends for pedestrians and night activities since 2018.

Hanoi's third pedestrian zone around Son Tay Citadel was opened in May 2022, according to Hanoi Times.

In 2016, Thanh Xuan District drew up a plan for a pedestrian zone on Nguyen Quy Duc Street for the night and commercial services. Although the street was planned to be opened to the public in 2017, the date has been postponed, and little progress has been made on this plan.

Hanoi has planned to open another walking space around Ngoc Khanh Lake in Ba Dinh District.

Top Vietnamese legislator arrives in Manila for official visit to Philippines

National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue led a delegation to Manila on the morning of November 23, beginning an official visit to the Philippines at the invitation of President of the Philippine Senate Juan Miguel Zubiri.

The trip will last from November 23 to November 25 and comes following an invitation made by President of the Philippine Senate Juan Miguel Zubiri, with this being the first official visit to the country made by a key Vietnamese leader this year and by a Vietnamese NA chairperson for 16 years.

NA Chairman Hue is also one of the first foreign parliamentary leaders to visit the Philippines after general elections were successfully held in May and new leaders were elected to its House of Representatives and Senate in July.

A welcome ceremony for the top Vietnamese legislator.

This visit to the Philippines by the top Vietnamese legislator and the high-ranking Vietnamese NA delegation will contribute to promoting and deepening the joint strategic partnership. This is along with stepping up bilateral and multilateral ties between the two legislatures amid complicated regional and international developments.

Immediately after his arrival at the airport, NA Chairman Hue is scheduled to hold talks with the Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives, cited VOV.

The welcoming ceremony of Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue takes place at Villamor military airport, Manila, the Philippines.

The Philippine House of Representatives will duly announce its newly-signed Resolution 571 on promoting mutual relations, including a decision to establish the Philippines-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Group.

This resolution will therefore help to strengthen the exchange of high-level delegations between the two countries, especially the parliamentary exchange, whilst simultaneously reinforcing ties between the two nations, including the appointment of leaders and members of the Friendship Parliamentary Group.

As an ASEAN member, the Philippines greatly appreciates the importance of maintaining links with other member states, especially those with Vietnam. Indeed, long-term friendship, solidarity, and co-operation with East Asian nations is an important component to achieving peace and prosperity in the region.

During the official visit to the Philippines, NA Chairman Hue will hold meetings with senior Philippine leaders, business representatives, and those of the Vietnamese Community in the Philippines, as well as attending the Economic Cooperation Forum and visiting the Vietnamese Embassy.

Workshop spotlights business chances in Vietnam for Belgian firms

Chances for business partnerships with Vietnam were spotlighted at a workshop held in Vilvoorde city of Belgium on November 22 as part of an international business week of Flanders region.

Addressing the event, Andries Gryffroy, First Vice President of the Belgian Senate and President of the Belgian - Vietnamese Alliance, gave a presentation of the Vietnamese economy’s development and business trends in the Southeast Asian country.

He told the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) that reasons for making investment and doing business in Vietnam include a stable and prosperous economy, the country’s strategic position, and young and educated workforce, competitive labour costs, and continuously developing infrastructure.

Besides, the Government’s support policies for foreign investment, and free trade agreements like the EU - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the EU - Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) are creating optimal conditions for European investors in Vietnam and Vietnamese investors in Europe.

Harvesting coffee in Vietnam. Photo: VNA

Vietnam is also a “golden gate” to Southeast Asia, he affirmed.

Daniel Vandenberghe, an international advisor to the Flanders' Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VOKA), perceived that the economy of Vietnam is showing highly impressive development and establishing itself as an attractive destination for European investors, especially amid mounting inflation in Europe.

At the workshop, some insiders also shared experience in investing and doing business in Vietnam, including Karine De Vleeshouwer from Flanders Investment & Trade and Gert Lambrecht from insurance firm Credenco.

Indian travelers on the rise in Vietnam

With a population of 1.4 billion, India has emerged as a market for Vietnam’s tourism after the absence of Chinese travelers.

Since July, the number of Indian travelers to Vietnam monthly has exceeded the average level of 2019. The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) has cited statistics from the General Statistics Office (GSO) reporting 20,681 Indian travelers in October, an increase of 38 percent over September and 25.8 percent over the same period in 2019. In the first 10 months of 2022, the total number of Indian travelers to Vietnam reached 82,066, with a monthly average growth rate of 51 percent.

This is a positive sign, noting that the number of foreign travelers to Vietnam in the first 10 months of the year was only 2.3 million, or less than 50 percent of the target set by VNAT (5 million) for 2022. China and Russia, the traditional markets for Vietnam’s tourism, were nearly frozen with the numbers of travelers falling by 98 percent and 92 percent, respectively. Tourists from Taiwan (China) also dropped by 82 percent and from Japan 73 percent.

Vietnam has organized events to promote tourism in India. Many non-stop air routes between the large cities of the two countries have been opened. Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet and Indigo are exploiting dozens of air routes. With 21 non-stop air routes and over 60 flights a week, transport between Vietnam and India has become more convenient.

On VNAT’s website that advertises Vietnam’s tourism, the number of hits from international markets account for 88.3 percent. Of these, hits from India rank second with 16.6 percent, just after the US (23.9 percent). This shows increasingly high attention from the world's second most populous country.

Photo: VNN

India also belongs to the group of top 10 countries with the highest number of searches about Vietnam’s tourism, according to Google Destination Insights. The searches from India increased rapidly, with the figure in October tripling that of July 2022 and doubling that of August 2022.

The destinations in Vietnam that Indian travelers search for the most are Hanoi, HCM City, Phu Quoc, Da Nang and Quy Nhon, VNN reported.

India has about 200-300 million people in the middle class who have high demand for shopping and entertainment services. They like beautiful resorts and are willing to spend big money on food and parties. However, Indians can be difficult to please as they attach much importance to culture and religion.

According to UNWTO, in January 2020, in 2019, Indians spent $22.9 billion traveling abroad, while the figure is expected to rise to $42 billion by 2024.

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