Namaste Vietnam Festival 2023 kicks off this weekend

Indian dancers perform the Pallavi dance at the Namaste Vietnam Festival 2022 in Khanh Hoa province. Photo: Lao Dong Newspaper

Namaste Vietnam Festival 2023, or Hello Vietnam Festival 2023, will be held from August 12 to 17 in Ho Chi Minh City, Dalat City (Lam Dong Province) and Tuy Hoa City (Phu Yen Province) to promote cultural understanding and people-to-people exchanges between Vietnam and India.

The event's opening ceremony will be held in Ho Chi Minh City on August 12. Other activities include the Indian Film Festival 2023, a seminar on "India-Vietnam Film Cooperation", a tourism promotion seminar, a conference on railway development, and various artistic performances by Indian artists.

Saigon Railway Transport launches ticket discount program

Saigon Railway Transport JSC has launched 9,000 tickets with a 30% discount to promote rail travel from August 1 to 30 and September 5 to 30. The promotional program applies to those who purchase tickets at least three days before departure. The discounted tickets will be available for sale from 8 a.m. on August 15 until September 27.

After the discount, ticket prices for routes connecting Ho Chi Minh City with Nha Trang, Danang and Hanoi will range from VND180,000 (US$7.58) to VND615,000 (US$25.90).

Supporting B2B event to be held in late August

Some 200 companies, half of them foreign buyers, will attend a three-day B2B networking event in Hanoi on August 23-25 to find suppliers in the Vietnamese market. Sectors of focus include mechanical processing, molds, stampings, castings, heat treatment, electronic components, and raw materials.

The event will feature 10 trading sessions per company each day during the three-day event, which will continue online via Zoom Meeting in September. Those interested can register to meet buyers online from Japan and Thailand.

Binh Dinh eyes US$33.7 million from land auctions

The southern central coastal province of Binh Dinh plans to auction land use rights for 172 plots with a total area of 15.74 hectares in 2023, expecting to earn about VND800 billion (US$33.7 million). Another more than 160 plots with a total area of 21,600 m2 will be auctioned for the construction of residential areas, with an expected revenue of VND400.6 billion (US$16.7 million).

The land use rights of another eleven plots, covering an area of 13.5 hectares, will be sold for VND400 billion (US$16.7 million). The province plans to develop commercial projects on these plots, including a five-star hotel, an office building, and a shopping center.

National tourism congress to kick off in September

Combined photo shows the most attractive destinations in Vietnam. Photo: Doan Thao Nguyen/The Hanoi Times

The National Tourism Industry Congress will be held in September 2023 at the National Convention Center in Hanoi to discuss the challenges and solutions for Vietnam's tourism sector, introduce the domestic market to foreign companies, and match local companies with foreign peers.

Vietnam has won numerous regional and global travel awards. In 2023, the country's tourism sector aims to serve 110 million visitors, including eight million foreigners. Total revenue from tourism activities is expected to reach VND650 trillion (US$27.4 billion).

Vietnam to operate three new bauxite mining projects by 2030

Vietnam will invest in the construction of three new bauxite mining projects in the northern provinces of Lang Son and Cao Bang, with an estimated total output of up to 2.2 million tons per year, the Ministry of Industry and Trade announced on August 9.

The move is part of the approved Master Plan for Exploration, Exploitation, Processing and Utilization of Mineral Resources for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, bauxite exploration and mining activities must be associated with deep processing. The mines in the northern region with low quality ores will be mined in such a way as to maximize mineral recovery and improve the quality of agricultural land for domestic consumption and export.

Sidewalks not for rent, at least for now: Hanoi Party chief

Hanoi's sidewalks cannot be leased at the moment due to lack of people's consent and legal background, said Hanoi Party Secretary Dinh Tien Dung on August 9. According to the city Party chief, the sidewalk is part of society and local culture, so it needs a legal framework to improve management.

Dung said the city is collecting opinions from district authorities and people, and leasing some streets will be tested before official implementation.

Vietnam's ICT revenue down 7.1% y-o-y in Jan-Jul

The total revenue of the information and communications technology (ICT) industry in the first seven months of 2023 decreased by 7.1% year-on-year, reaching VND1.71 trillion ($72.9 billion). The Ministry of Information and Communications said the industry's decline was due to global economic challenges, which resulted in lower demand for Vietnam's information technology.

German firms continue to expand production in Vietnam

About 91% of German enterprises will continue to invest or expand their production in Vietnam and more than 40% expect to hire more staff in the next 12 months, according to the AHK World Business Outlook Spring 2023 - Vietnam Focus. German businesses are more confident about their business development and have positive expectations for economic growth than in fall 2022.