"Taste of Britain Festival” kicks off in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City

An Annam Gourmet store. Photo: Annam Gourmet

The Taste of Britain Festival, a series of activities to promote British food and drink in Vietnam, is underway from December 14 to 31 at ten Annam Gourmet stores in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The event will introduce over 200 products from the UK, including chocolates, biscuits, gin and whisky, tea and more from leading British brands such as Cadbury's, Walkers and English Tea Shop.

Prime Minister requests review of stock trading accounts

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has asked the Ministries of Finance and Public Security to review the stock market and remove all clone accounts to keep the market healthy and safe. The review will be linked to the development of the national population database to ensure that no one is able to manipulate the market.

As of October 31, Vietnam had more than 7.4 million stock trading accounts, of which 99.7% were owned by individuals. The number of new trading accounts fell by 377,000 in October.

Ministry of Transport to launch express railway project by 2030

A high-speed train in the EU. Photo: VNA

The Ministry of Transport will start construction of two priority lines of the North-South Express Railway Project by 2030. One of the two projects will connect Hanoi with Vinh City in Nghe An Province, and the other will run from Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang City in Khanh Hoa Province.

According to the National Development Plan for 2021-2030 with a vision to 2050, the North-South Express Railway is designed with a track gauge of 1.435m and a length of 1,545km with a speed of 350km per hour.

Vietnam among 33 countries to benefit from Iran's visa waiver policy

Vietnam is among the list of 33 countries benefiting from Iran's visa waiver policy. The list includes Cambodia, Malaysia, Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, and Bahrain, Iran's official news agency ISNA announced on December 14. The decision is aimed at attracting more international tourists.

Vietnam among advanced countries and territories in Asia

Vietnam ranks among the 15 most advanced countries and territories in Asia based on two criteria: the Global Innovation Index (GII) and research and development (R&D) expenditure as a percentage of GDP. Israel topped the list, followed by South Korea and Taiwan (China), according to financial news website Insider Monkey.