Vietnam second largest tourist market for Cambodia

With more than one million tourists visiting Cambodia in 2023, Vietnam was the second largest source of tourists to Cambodia. Thailand topped the list with 1.8 million travellers, while China came in third with around 547,000 arrivals.

In 2022, more than 400,000 Vietnamese travelers arrived in Cambodia, an increase of 176% compared to 2019 or before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Vietnamese airlines have recently opened more direct routes connecting Vietnamese cities and provinces to popular destinations in Cambodia.

Central coastal cities win ASEAN Clean Destination Award

The old Bao Vinh street in Hue city, Thua Thien Hue province. Photo: Nguyen Phong/The Hanoi Times

Three provincial cities in the central coastal region, namely Vung Tau, Hue and Quy Nhon, received the ASEAN Clean Tourist City Awards at the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2024 held in Laos' capital Vientiane from 22-27 January. While this was Vung Tau's third award, it was the first for Hue and Quy Nhon.

To qualify for the awards, the three cities had to meet a set of 108 criteria in the areas of environmental management, waste management, cleanliness status, urban development, healthcare and hospitality.

Vietnam largest foreign labor community in Japan

According to the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, more than 518,000 Vietnamese were working in Japan as of October 2023, marking the largest foreign worker community in Japan, accounting for a quarter of the total.

This was followed by China (with almost 400,000 people) and the Philippines (with nearly 227,000 people). The total number of foreign workers in Japan reached two million.

The Gioi Di Dong opens 50 stores in Indonesia

Vietnam's largest electronics and digital retailer The Gioi Di Dong (Mobile World Group) has opened its 50th Erablue store in Indonesia. The retail chain is being developed through the company's partnership with local company Erajaya Digital.

According to The Gioi Di Dong, each Erablue store earns between VND2.5 billion and VND4.5 billion (US$101,600-183,000) per month, depending on the size of the store. The company expects to increase the number of stores to 75 this year and break even.

European chipmaker Infineon seeks talent in southern and southeastern Asia

German chipmaker Infineon is looking for highly skilled engineers in India and Vietnam, Nikkei Asia reported, citing the company's Asia-Pacific president and managing director Chua Chee Seong. The executive praised South and Southeast Asia for its high-quality workforce, neutral political stance and suitable environment for business investment.

In Vietnam, Infineon opened an R&D centre in May 2023 to test and tune digital circuit products. Starting with just 25 engineers, the center is looking to hire more as it expands its operations.