☕ Afternoon briefing on April 8

Hanoi (VNA) - The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency on April 8.

– The northern province of Hai Duong is giving the finishing touches to facilities serving the upcoming 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31). According to Nguyen Truong Thang, Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, up to 95 percent of the upgrade work to the Hai Duong Gymnasium - the venue of the table tennis event of the Games from May 13 to 20 - has been completed. Read full story

– The People’s Committee of Phu Tho on April 8 met a delegation of 30 outstanding overseas Vietnamese paying tribute to Hung Kings - the legendary founders of the nation, at Hung Kings Temple in the northern province. The delegation was led by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the State Committee on Overseas Vietnamese Affairs Pham Quang Hieu. Read full story

A street fruit vendor in Hong Kong (China). (Photo: VNA)

– Hong Kong (China) is viewed as a promising market for Vietnamese exporters as bilateral trade experienced growth of 64.6 percent, from over 8.28 billion USD in 2015 to nearly 13.63 billion USD in 2021. Last year, Vietnam’s export of agricultural and aquatic products alone advanced 3.08 percent to near 310 million USD. Vegetables and fruits recorded the highest growth of 32.94 percent, followed by aquatic products (7.71 percent), cashew nut (7.32 percent), and rice (0.53 percent), according to the Vietnamese trade office in Hong Kong and Macau. Read full story

– The overall punctuality of the local aviation industry was 95.5 percent in the first quarter of this year, according to statistics from the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV). In the period, Vietnam's six airlines operated 58,302 flights, a reduction of nearly 25 percent compared to last year’s figure. Bamboo Airways took the lead with 96.6 percent of its flights on time; Vietnam Airlines and Pacific Airlines ranked second and third with on-time performance (OTP) of 96 percent and 95.7 percent, respectively; and the OTP rate of Vietjet Air was 94.4 percent. Read full story

– Ho Chi Minh City welcomed nearly 130 tourists from the US on April 8 under a tour organised by Citslinc International Inc in collaboration with Asia Life and Beauty Travel and Tour Services Co., Ltd. As scheduled, the visitors, who came to HCM City for the first time, stay at Muong Thanh hotel in Phu Nhuan district, enjoy food at Rex Hotel Restaurants and Bars and Indochina Queen Rivercruiser. Read full story

Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)

– The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Environment and Natural Resources has proposed other municipal departments and agencies cooperate with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in addressing land subsidence. The proposal was sent to the HCM City People’s Committee after JICA showed an interest in join hands with the city to implement a project for technical cooperation in comprehensively assessing and tackling land subsidence. Read full story

– The Vietnam-Canada Investment Forum was held online on April 7 (Canada time), offering a good opportunity for the Southeast Asian nation to promote and attract investment, and to intensify the supply chain between the two sides at a time when both economies are showing signs of good recovery. The forum was among activities organised by the Vietnamese Embassy in Canada to promote the economic diplomacy so as to serve the national development cause. Read full story

– Traders at wet markets in the central city of Da Nang are now able to go cashless as they can use e-wallet mobile app Viettel Money under a 4.0 wet market model introduced on April 8. The new model was launched by the municipal Department of Industry and Trade and the Da Nang branch of military-run telecom group Viettel, aiming to accelerate digital transformation and use of the non-cash payment method at the city’s wet markets and provide more opportunities for local residents to experience modern payment services./. Read full story