Vietnam Insider

The Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway Management Board (MAUR) has announced that the construction of the Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien Metro Line 1 project is 100% complete, with commercial operations set to begin on December 22 this year.

Metro Line No. 1 in Ho Chi Minh City is expected to be operational from December 22. Photo: Duy Hieu.

At a press conference on Ho Chi Minh City’s socio-economic developments held on November 21, MAUR provided an update on the project’s progress.

According to MAUR, all efforts have been focused on resolving challenges and completing key tasks for the project. With construction fully completed, the unit is now working on regulatory procedures to prepare for the official launch.

Currently, MAUR is collaborating with Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway Company Limited No. 1 (HURC1) to prepare for the operation and exploitation of Metro Line 1. Activities include staff training, testing, acceptance, handover, trial runs, and plans for efficient operation.

In addition, the two entities are consulting on a pilot plan for the utilization of certain urban railway infrastructure assets to ensure the project’s effective and sustainable operation.

On the morning of November 21, the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee officially approved passenger ticket prices for Metro Line 1.

For cash payments, ticket prices range from VND 7,000 to VND 20,000 per ride, depending on the distance traveled. For cashless payments, prices range from VND 6,000 to VND 19,000 per ride.

Daily passes are priced at VND 40,000, allowing unlimited rides within a day. A three-day pass costs VND 90,000, offering unlimited travel within three days.

Monthly passes are available at VND 300,000 for general passengers and VND 150,000 for students.

These ticket prices include personal accident insurance for passengers using Metro Line 1’s public transport services.

For cases eligible for fare exemptions or discounts under Ho Chi Minh City People’s Council resolutions, HURC1 is responsible for publicly listing fare information at metro stations and on public communication platforms before implementation.

The Ho Chi Minh City Public Transport Center will monitor ticket sales revenue, which will serve as a basis for contracting public transport services on Metro Line 1.

@Znews

Culinary site TasteAtlas has released a list of 76 Southeast Asian dishes made mainly from rice (or sticky rice), featuring numerous entries from Vietnam, including broken rice and banh tet.

Broken rice is a popular street food among Vietnamese people and international tourists. Photo: Thuan Kieu broken rice.

Com broken rice, a signature and widely popular dish in Vietnamese cuisine, especially in the southern region, holds the second spot on the list. It is also Vietnam’s most internationally renowned rice dish, so its high ranking in TasteAtlas’s list comes as no surprise.

In its introduction, TasteAtlas describes: “Broken rice is a traditional Vietnamese dish often sold as street food. It’s made from broken rice grains, which were previously discarded during the milling process but are now a defining feature of Ho Chi Minh City’s cuisine.”

The culinary platform further explains that broken rice is typically served with various toppings, such as grilled pork chops, fried eggs, shredded pork skin, or fried fish cakes. It is often paired with sliced ​​tomatoes, cucumbers, pickled vegetables, scallion oil, and fish sauce.

Previously, broken rice was ranked 40th on TasteAtlas’s list of the 100 most enticing street foods in the world, published in May.

Meanwhile, nasi goreng ayam, a traditional Indonesian fried rice dish, claimed the top spot. Besides Indonesia, this dish is also popular in Singapore, Brunei, and Malaysia.

Indonesia’s nasi goreng ayam fried rice took the top spot. Photo: TasteAtlas.

Another Vietnamese rice-based dish, banh beo, ranks 14th on the list. This popular steamed cake is made from finely ground rice flour and topped with shrimp and pork, served with fish sauce. Diners can enhance its flavor with roasted peanuts and fried shallots. In addition to the savory version, TasteAtlas highlights a sweet variant of banh beo, almost exclusively found in Hoi An.

Traditional banh beo is steamed in small porcelain bowls and eaten with bamboo spoons. Some refer to it as a “Vietnamese version of tapas.” It is said that a perfect banh beo should have a small dent in the center to hold the flavorful toppings.

Ranking 17th and 18th are banh tet with mung bean or pork filling—iconic dishes of the Lunar New Year—and fried rice from Ninh Binh. The fried rice dish is usually made with white rice, garlic, salt, and pepper, although diners can add a variety of ingredients to enhance its flavor. Square-shaped banh chung also made the list, securing the 25th position.

Green rice flakes also made the list. Photo: local-insider.

Other Vietnamese dishes featured in the ranking include Com Lam (30), Xoi Ga (31), Com Chay (33), Xoi Muoi Muoi (43), Xoi Gac (44), Xoi Com (46), Banh Te (52), Com Hen (54), Com Nam (58), Com Coi Tom Rang (62), Xoi Ngu Sac (63), Xoi Vo (66), and Com Ga Tam Ky (70).

Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Zagreb, Croatia, TasteAtlas is known as a global culinary map showcasing the best local dishes from around the world. Its rankings are based on reader votes, aiming to promote local delicacies and spark curiosity about cuisines travelers may not yet have tried.

@Znews

Recently, the renowned culinary site TasteAtlas included Vietnam’s vermicelli noodles and stir-fried vermicelli with crab in its list of the “100 Best Dishes Featuring Crustaceans in the World.”

With a rating of 4.1/5 stars, bun rieu secured the 44th spot, according to experts and readers of TasteAtlas.

The site describes bun rieu as a dish with numerous regional variations, though the most common version features a tomato-based broth with crab paste, offering a balance of sweet and tangy flavors.

Common accompaniments include crab meat, pork sausage, tofu, tomatoes, congealed blood, and fresh herbs. The harmonious combination of sweet and sour flavors makes bun rieu one of Vietnam’s most beloved noodle soups.

Photo: Kim Ngan

Meanwhile, fried vermicelli with crab ranked 76th. This Vietnamese stir-fried vermicelli with crab is a favorite among locals and visitors for its rich, savory taste.

The main ingredients include mung bean vermicelli, crab meat, wood ear mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, carrots, and bean sprouts. Depending on personal preference, additional ingredients such as eggs, onions, or chili can be added for enhanced flavor.

Stir-fried vermicelli with crab is typically garnished with chopped scallions and cilantro, resulting in a visually appealing and delicious dish.

This versatile dish can serve as a main course, appetizer, or light snack. Its delectable taste and simple preparation make it a dish that never disappoints travelers.

Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Zagreb, Croatia, TasteAtlas is known as a comprehensive map of traditional dishes from around the world.

According to Matija Babić, the founder of TasteAtlas, their rankings of dishes and beverages are based on opinions and evaluations from culinary experts and critics to ensure the credibility of the awards.

@Vietnamnet

Several familiar Vietnamese dishes were highlighted in TasteAtlas’s recent list of the world’s best pancakes.

Banh xeo. Photo: Buffet Poseidon

With a rating of 4.2/5 stars, banh xeo from Vietnam ranked 31st on the list. This savory pancake is made from rice flour, with its golden-yellow hue derived from turmeric and a fragrant touch of coconut milk. The filling typically includes shrimp, minced or diced pork, and bean sprouts.

The name banh xeo is inspired by the sizzling sound made when the batter hits the hot pan. It is commonly served with lettuce, mustard greens, herbs, and sweet-and-sour fish sauce for dipping.

Banh khoai. Photo: Taste Atlas

Another Vietnamese dish, banh nhieu, originating from Hue, impresses the experts and readers of TasteAtlas with its harmonious blend of local ingredients.

What makes this dish stand out is its unique dipping sauce, made from sesame, peanut butter, and pork liver.

Banh khot. Photo: Taste Atlas

From Central Vietnam, banh khot also made the list. According to TasteAtlas, this crispy pancake is often mistaken by tourists for banh can, another famous Vietnamese dish.

However, banh khot is fried in oil until crispy, unlike the softer banh can. Its golden color is achieved by adding turmeric to the batter.

Wet rice cake. Photo: dulichvietnam

Nha Trang wet cake ranked 79th. This dish features a thin, almost translucent rice pancake made from rice flour mixed with tapioca or potato starch. It is usually served with dipping sauce, Vietnamese pork sausage, pork slices, and fried shallots.

Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Zagreb, Croatia, TasteAtlas is known as a comprehensive map of traditional dishes from around the world.

According to Matija Babić, the founder of TasteAtlas, their rankings of dishes and beverages are based on opinions and evaluations from culinary experts and critics to ensure the credibility of their awards.

@Vietnamnet

The Ho Chi Minh City Digital Citizen application is a two-way communication channel between the city government and its citizens through easy and convenient ‘one-touch’ interaction.

On the afternoon of November 14, the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee launched the Ho Chi Minh City Digital Citizen application (abbreviated as Digital Citizen app), with the aim of connecting citizens and the government.

The highlight of the Digital Citizen app is that people can grasp the results of the city’s functional agencies resolving the issues and incidents they report through the app directly and as quickly as possible.

Citizens log in only once through their Vietnamese citizen electronic identification account ( VNeID account ).

People can look up administrative procedures, look up administrative records and grasp the status of administrative record settlement in various fields. 

At the same time, people can evaluate and give feedback on the services of the administrative procedure settlement agency. This feature continues to be updated so that people can submit documents online in all fields.

For the convenience of citizens to grasp and observe, the Digital Citizen app will display notifications whenever there are results of handling feedback, resolving records, or new developments in the handling process; there are urgent “hot” notifications from authorities.

In the immediate future, in the first phase (from now until December 31, 2024), the Digital Citizen app provides 12 main groups of features, displayed in the Digital Citizen section, including: Reflection and recommendations; Education; Healthcare; Tourism – News; Traffic; Construction; State agencies; Public services – Profile lookup; Maps; General accounts; Interacting with notifications – News – Getting people’s opinions.

In addition, the app also provides users with a number of other features in the “My Services” section, such as: medical information , education, and transportation. This is where users can add the features they want. The Digital Citizen app will save them so that users can conveniently experience the services they save.

The city said that in the coming time, it will continue to listen to feedback and suggestions from departments, agencies, sectors and users to update, upgrade and improve the services, features and utilities of the Digital Citizen app, ensuring the application operates stably and smoothly, bringing the most benefits to the city’s people.

How to download the Ho Chi Minh City Digital Citizen application

To install the Ho Chi Minh City Digital Citizen app, connect with the city government quickly and conveniently, people can search and download the app on Google Play (for Android operating system) and App Store (for IOS operating system) with the app name “Ho Chi Minh City Digital Citizen”.

 

Source: tuoitre.vn

According to the Ministry of Health, the absolute tax rate should increase from VND5,000/pack of cigarettes to VND15,000/pack by 2030, in addition to the 75% tax rate. This will help reduce the rate of tobacco use among men to 36% by 2030.

Tobacco consumption in Vietnam tends to increase

Speaking to the press on the morning of November 21 at a conference on tobacco harm prevention organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications in Hanoi, MSc. Phan Thi Hai – Deputy Director in charge of the Tobacco Harm Prevention Fund, Ministry of Health – said that in Vietnam, tobacco use causes 85,500 deaths each year. Passive smoking causes 18,800 deaths. A total of 104,300 deaths per year are due to tobacco-related diseases.

“Tobacco use creates a burden of disease and reduces the quality of the labor force. Of these, more than 15 million Vietnamese smokers and tens of millions of passive smokers are at risk of tobacco-related diseases and premature death.

The burden of disease caused by tobacco use will be more evident in the next 10-20 years when current smokers face the health impacts of tobacco use,” said Ms. Hai.

Master Nguyen Tuan Lam, WHO Office in Vietnam, added that in 2010, the rate of adults smoking was 47%, by 2015 it was 45%, and by 2021 it was 41%. However, it is estimated that this rate will start to increase if there are no tax interventions.

Accordingly, this figure could increase to 43% by 2030, which is reflected in increased production and consumption output.

Control measures (such as graphic warnings, media, tax increases, smoke-free environments, etc.) have been effective to a certain extent but not enough.

“An important factor leading to the current high rate of tobacco use is low tobacco taxes and prices in Vietnam.

Tobacco taxes and retail prices in Vietnam are extremely low compared to other middle-income countries in the world as well as within the ASEAN region.

The increase in tax and price of cigarettes in Vietnam in recent times is too low compared to the growth in per capita income, making cigarettes increasingly cheaper and easier to buy over time,” said Mr. Lam.

Similarly, the tax share of the retail price of cigarettes in Vietnam is about 36% compared to 59% in middle-income countries and 62% globally, and is much lower than the WHO recommendation of 75% of the retail price.

Tobacco taxes, when used effectively, are the fastest and most cost-effective way to reduce tobacco use. WHO estimates that taxing tobacco products to increase retail prices by 10% could reduce consumption by 4–5%.

Ministry of Health proposes higher tax on cigarettes

The draft Law on Special Consumption Tax (amended) will be submitted to the National Assembly for comments at this session and approved in May 2025. Regarding tobacco products, according to the proposal of the Ministry of Finance, with 2 options, the absolute tax rate by 2030 will be 10,000 VND/pack, accounting for about 59.38% of the retail price.

However, the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO) propose a higher absolute tax rate.

The Ministry of Health proposes to add absolute tax along with proportional tax to switch to a mixed tax calculation method and the total tax rate must be large enough to impact changes in consumption levels. At the same time, tax should be increased in a regular manner so that cigarette prices keep up with income growth and gradually move towards the optimal tax rate of 70-75% of retail prices as recommended by WHO.

Specifically, the absolute tax rate should increase from VND5,000/pack in 2026 to VND15,000/pack (20 cigarettes/pack) in 2030, in addition to the 75% tax rate. This option will help achieve a tax rate of 65% of the retail price, close to the WHO recommendation, and help reduce the rate of tobacco use among men to 36% by 2030.

According to WHO, an average 10% increase in tobacco prices would reduce tobacco use by about 4% in high-income countries and 5% in low- and middle-income countries.

Tax measures are particularly effective among youth, with estimates that a 10% increase in cigarette prices would reduce tobacco use by 10% or more among young people.

Source: tuoitre.vn (Willow)

Coffee chain Starbucks is tightening its office work policy for employees.

The Ministry of Transport has explained the opinion that with 23 North-South high-speed railway stations, each station stops for 5 minutes, it takes 7 hours to go from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, not 5.5 hours.

In addition to reducing the use of pesticides, rice farmers in the West who follow agricultural weather reports also reduce the amount of fertilizer, reduce damage caused by weather risks, and contribute to increasing crop yields.