HÀ NỘI The Vietnamese Trade Office in Australia reported that bilateral trade between Việt Nam and Australia decreased by 12 per cent in 2023 from the previous year. Trade amounts totalled US$13.75 billion, with Việt Nam shipping $5.22 billion worth of exports and importing $8.53 billion worth of goods from Australia. This rebound holds promising signs for the coming year, said the trade office. Looking ahead, the trade office remarked it had a positive outlook for bilateral relations with Australia. According to the trade office, the Australian government has outlined four priority areas for cooperation with Việt Nam: agriculture and food, clean energy, mineral resources, and education and training.

Tourists watch a rocket launch at Qishui Bay, Longlou Town, Wenchang. B&Bs along the coast of Qishui Bay, Longlou Town, Wenchang, where people can watch a rocket launch on the balcony of their accommodation or on the beach. Facilities such as seaside B&Bs and local featured farmhouses have been built in response to the trend, and an aerospace tourism town is now taking shape. The "Wenchang Rocket Chasing Tour" has become the company's best product. Over 9,000 jobs have been created, and the aerospace tourism industry has achieved an increase in annual income of 15 percent.

China and Việt Nam should intensify cooperation and contribute their efforts to addressing common challenges facing the international community. For the construction of other railway lines in Việt Nam, China is also willing to actively cooperate and provide support in line with Việt Nam's demands. Furthermore, we are ready to strengthen cooperation with Việt Nam in the field of new energy vehicle (NEV), and assist Việt Nam in releasing its net-zero emissions goal by 2050. Mutual understanding and cultural exchanges between the two peoples form an indispensable foundation for the development of China-Việt Nam relations. The Lunar New Year is a common traditional festival for the people of China and Việt Nam.

Illustrative image (Photo: https://www.bangkokpost.com/)Bangkok (VNA) - The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) of Thailand is seeking help from shrines and worshippers to promote the use of electric incense during the Lunar New Year, as the capital grapples with air pollution caused by micro dust. It also asked people to reduce or entirely refrain from burning paper offerings and joss paper for their ancestors during the traditional festivities. BMA spokesman Ekwaranyu Amrapan said on February 8 that the city administration seeks collaboration from all religious places and people to switch from traditional incense to electric ones, adding that burning papers for deceased individuals should be limited or eliminated. Bangkok and other provinces have been plagued by tiny dust particles since the Southeast Asian nation entered the cold season. As of February 8, ultrafine dust continued to affect 48 provinces and cities of the country./.

Cái Răng Floating Market is one of the most popular rural tourism destinations in Cần Thơ’s Cái Răng District. In addition to traditional agricultural tourism, the plan also seeks to develop urban agricultural tourism and high-tech agricultural tourism to keep tourists longer. It focuses on creating high-quality, diverse tourism products that align with the city’s identity, create high added value and meet tourists’ expectations. It also aims to create a skilled tourism workforce and pilot models for rural tourism development that are environmentally conscious and sustainable. Agricultural co-operatives have linked up with companies in various provinces to secure stable prices and outlets for their members.

Peach blossoms symbolise renovation and strong growth. (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – As a common habit, Vietnamese people often decorate their houses with peach blossoms, apricot blossoms, and kumquat trees during the Lunar New Year (Tet) Festival in the hopes for luck, wealth, and happiness to their family. Peach blossoms – Prosperity and developmentFor Vietnamese people, especially in the north, peach blossoms are the flower of Tet and an indispensable part of every Vietnamese family in this occasion. Apricot blossoms are the symbol of Tet for southerners (Photo: VNA)Yellow apricot blossoms - Wealth and nobilityWhile people in the north decorate their home with peach blossoms, yellow apricot blossoms (Ochna integerrima) are the symbol of Tet for southerners. Kumquat trees symbolise the prosperity (Photo: VNA)Kumquat – Diversity and happinessApart from peach blossoms and apricot blossoms, Vietnamese people also decorate their houses and offices with kumquat trees in Tet.

Wealth Reach Finance Limited ( 二線財務公司 ) has introduced a cutting-edge integrated customer communication system that leverages artificial intelligence across major social communication platforms, including WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram. This initiative aims to improve the loan service and customer experience across various communication channels, allowing for enhanced marketing and sales automation. It is equipped with a powerful AI algorithm capable of translating, adjusting, or expanding content to ensure brand consistency, enhance the quality of customer service, and decrease the rate of customer complaints. About Wealth Reach Finance LimitedWealth Reach Finance Limited is committed to providing "quality" loan services to everyone in Hong Kong. Wealth Reach Finance Limited is proud to hold a Qualified Money Lender License.Find out more: https://wealthreach.com.hk/

The renownedstar rating service and online travel guide bestowed Melco a total of 16 Five-Star awards across the Company's properties which include City of Dreams, Studio City, Altira Macau and City of Dreams Manila. The recognition underlines Melco's ongoing commitment to providing guests with the most memorable world-class hospitality experiences across our global portfolio of integrated resorts. About Melco Resorts & Entertainment LimitedMelco Resorts & Entertainment, with its American depositary shares listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market (NASDAQ: MLCO), is a developer, owner and operator of integrated resort facilities in Asia and Europe. The Company currently operates Altira Macau (www.altiramacau.com), an integrated resort located at Taipa, Macau and City of Dreams (www.cityofdreamsmacau.com), an integrated resort located in Cotai, Macau. The Company also majority owns and operates Studio City ( www.studiocity-macau.com), a cinematically-themed integrated resort in Cotai, Macau.

), and("") announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding ("") that aims at fostering the advancement of Dubai's renewable energy infrastructure. Our vision aligns seamlessly with the objectives of Raffles Family Office and National Cooperation New Energy. This approach underscores the office's role in fostering economic development and contributing to global sustainability and investment conversations. About National Cooperation New Energy LtdNational Cooperation New Energy Ltd is a leading technology company specializing in new energy infrastructure construction. About Raffles Family OfficeRaffles Family Office is a multi-family office that offers a full suite of wealth management services for ultra-high net worth individuals.

The article was written on the occasion of the 94th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) (February 3, 1930 - 2024). Other members included former Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh, former President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and former NA Chairpersons Nguyen Van An and Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, among others. Trong also hailed cooperation and support of international organisations and friends for national construction and defence in Vietnam. She was a co-founder and coordinator of the Vietnam Agent Orange Relief & Responsibility Campaign (VAORRC) in the New York area. The Lao PM thanked the Vietnamese Party and State leaders for their letters, flowers, and gifts, considering them a testament to the enduring bonds of the bilateral ties.

– The Thai government will urgently move a bill to ban the recreational use of cannabis , which was taken off the list of banned narcotics in June 2022.Minister of Public Health Cholnan Srikaew said the new bill, which bans the recreational use of cannabis, will be proposed at the Cabinet meeting next week.The bill will be amended from the existing one to only allow the use of cannabis for health and medicinal purposes, he said, adding that the use for entertainment is considered wrong.Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, who took office last August, has frequently voiced his opposition to the recreational use of the drug and said it should be allowed only for medicinal use./.

Merle Ratner , a left-wing and anti-war activist in the US and a close friend of Vietnam (Photo: VNA)– On behalf of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, Le Hoai Trung , Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Chairman of the committee’s Commission for External Relations, has sent condolences to the family of Merle Ratner, a left-wing and anti-war activist in the US and a close friend of Vietnam, over her death.Ratner passed away in a traffic accident in New York on February 5 evening.Merle Evelyn Ratner, born in 1956 in New York City, had a special love for Vietnam. She took to the streets to protest against the Vietnam War when she was 13 years old and became famous for hanging anti-war slogans on the Statue of Liberty. She was a co-founder and coordinator of the Vietnam Agent Orange Relief & Responsibility Campaign (VAORRC) in the New York area.She actively participated in protests against the US war in Vietnam since the late 1960s, the anti-imperialist movement in the 1970s and 1980s, and anti-racism campaigns in the US today.After 1975, Ratner campaigned for the normalisation of the Vietnam - US relations and supported Vietnam’s international activities. She visited the Southeast Asian country for many times and engaged in joint work with mass organisations, the Vietnam Fatherland Front, and the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics.Ratner was awarded the "For the Development of Vietnamese Women" insignia in 2010 and the “For Vietnamese Victims of Agent Orange” insignia in 2013./.

HÀ NỘI — Blue-chip stocks drove market gains as shares rose for the third consecutive day ahead of Lunar New Year. The benchmark VN-Index on the Hồ Chí Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE) gained 0.85 per cent to close at 1,198.53 points. More than 685 million shares were traded on the southern exchange on Thursday, worth VNĐ15.5 trillion (US$634.3 million). The VN30 Index, which tracks the performance of the 30 largest stocks by market capitalisation and liquidity on HoSE, rose 1.13 per cent to end at 1,212.70 points. On the Hà Nội Stock Exchange, the HNX-Index gained 0.18 per cent to 231.04 points.

Leaders from foreign-invested companies shared their insights with Việt Nam News reporters, discussing their expectations for Việt Nam's economic growth in 2024 and outlining their key focuses for the year ahead. Last year, the US and Việt Nam raised their diplomatic relationship to a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” further cementing Việt Nam’s position in the US “friendshoring” orbit. The main caveat to all the positive points above is that Việt Nam needs to accelerate infrastructure development to maximise high quality FDI inflows. Its transportation and logistics infrastructure urgently needs to be upgraded, and foreign companies have concerns about Việt Nam’s ability to reliably supply electricity to industrial users. Well-positioned in the region with robust GDP growth, Việt Nam's economy thrived in 2023, setting the stage for future advancements.

HÀ NỘI — The settlement of bad debts will face many difficulties this year as there are no legal regulations related to repossessing collateral assets, industry insiders said. According to Nguyễn Quốc Hùng, General Secretary of the Vietnam Banking Association, it will be tough for credit institutions to handle and recover bad debts, as Resolution 42/2017/NQ-QH14, which piloted handling of bad debt of credit institutions and allowed the institutions to repossess collateral assets on bad debts, expired at the end of last year. Under the amended Law on Credit Institutions recently passed by the National Assembly, credit institutions do not have the right to repossess collateral. Value and origin of collateral assets must be appraised, verified, evaluated and closely monitored. In the long term, experts suggest that a new and more consistent legal framework is needed to resolve bad debts.