Now in its third year, the forum is the country’s biggest e-payment event.
World famous billionaire and Alibaba chairman Jack Ma is expected to visit Hanoi next month to attend a forum on e-payment services.
Now in its third year, the annual Vietnam E-Payment Forum (VEPF), co-hosted by VnExpress and the National Payment Corporation of Vietnam, provides an opportunity for the government, experts and businesses to sit down together and discuss the latest trends in e-payment services and the best ways to apply them in Vietnam.
This year, mobile payment will be in the spotlight.
As a speaker at the event, Jack Ma, founder and executive chairman of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, will talk about his experiences of developing e-commerce and mobile payment services in China.
E-payment has gradually replaced cash in Vietnam’s northern neighbor, and these days, most Chinese people pay for products and services using their smartphones.
According to iResearch, the leading provider of online audience measurement and consumer insights in China, the mobile payment market was valued at $5.5 trillion last year in China, nearly 50 times greater than that of the U.S., and Ant Financial Service, a subsidiary of Alibaba, contributed a lion’s share of 54 percent.
Idemitsu Kosan has opened its first 100 percent foreign owned filling station in the country.
The Japanese oil & gas group on October 5 announced that the first Idemitsu Q8 filling station opened in Hanoi.
This is the first time a 100 percent foreign invested enterprise has joined the local petroleum retail market. Decree 83 on petroleum trading covers Vietnamese businesses only.
Idemitsu Kosan more than one year ago decided to cooperate with KPI, the oil & gas from Kuwait to establish a joint venture – Idemitsu Q8 – with a 50/50 capital contribution structure. The joint venture has plans to distribute (retail and wholesale) petrol products through the network to be built throughout the country.
Hiroaki Honjo, general director of Idemitsu Q8, said its joining the retail market would help improve the sources of supply for Vietnam.
He said after the filling station opens in Thang Long Industrial Zone in Hanoi, the company is considering expanding its network in the north and south of the country.
For a long time, petroleum retailing has been the privilege of Vietnamese businesses. There are 29 retailers in the market, but the market is being controlled by a few big players, namely Petrolimex, PV Oil and Saigon Petro.
Therefore, analysts commented that the presence of Idemitsu Q8 would remap the market and create a real competition in the market.
“It is quite understandable that foreign energy giants want to join the petroleum retail market. The more retailers there are, the bigger benefits consumers can get,” Ngo Tri Long, a pricing expert, said.
The Japanese conglomerate contributes 35.1 percent of capital to the Nghi Son Oil Refinery in Thanh Hoa province. Therefore, its retail network will help consume Nghi Son’s products once the oil refinery enters commercial development, slated for the end of the year.
Some experts, anticipating that more foreign investors would jump into the petroleum retail market, have proposed to amend Decree 83 to fit the new circumstances.
However, Long said that there was no need to amend the legal document, though it only covers Vietnamese petroleum retailers.
“The decree has a provision that foreign businesses who trade petroleum products in Vietnam under the international treaties of which Vietnam is a member must comply with regulations stipulated in the decree,” he explained.
“This means that when joining the market, Idemitsu Q8 will also be covered by Decree 83. And if it holds more than 30 percent of the market, share, the State will intervene in pricing,” Long said.
Most commercial banks responding to a survey by the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) said their business performance had seen considerable improvement in the third quarter, and they expect high profits this year.
Eighty-nine percent of banks think their pre-tax profit would have positive growth this year compared with 2016. The expected growth rate in the latest survey was 13.63 percent, a bit higher than the rate in June’s survey (13.22 percent).
Banks have a positive outlook about clients’ financial health levels: 79.1 percent of banks said the general risk is at ‘normal level’, while 13.2 percent said at ‘low level’ and only 7.7 percent said ‘high level’.
Banks were optimistic about the liquidity of the banking system with 85 percent of banks saying their liquidity is ‘good’ for both Vietnam dong and foreign currencies and 12 percent saying their liquidity is ‘stable’.
Nearly 90 percent of credit institutions said their ratio of bad debt on outstanding loans in the third quarter ‘did not increase’ or ‘slightly decreased’ compared with the second quarter.
The survey found that capital mobilization in the banking system is expected to see higher growth rate – 5.32 percent – in the fourth quarter.
Nguyen Quoc Hung, director of SBV’s Credit Department, told the local press recently that the 20 percent credit growth rate in 2017 was ‘attainable’.
The outstanding loans provided to manufacturing, mining and supporting industries have seen a growth rate of 18-19 percent compared with the same period last year.
The outstanding loans to agricultural production have increased by 10 percent. Banks have disbursed VND35 trillion under the program on funding hi-tech agriculture projects.
While the number of outstanding loans has been increasing rapidly, the interest rate is expected to decrease. Large and small joint-stock banks hope the average lending interest rate will decrease by 0.09 and 0.03 percentage points, respectively.
While state-owned banks have maintained low deposit interest rates since the end of 2016, some joint stock banks have to offer high deposit interest rates to attract capital.
The group of four state-owned banks, including Vietcombank, VietinBank, Agribank and BIDV, set interest rates at 4.3-4.4 percent for short-term deposit (less than one month), while the other banks offer interest rates of 5.4-5.5 percent.
Unlike previously, when banks set nearly the same interest rate, they now tend to set different rates. Large-scale banks with large networks and good brands offer interest rates much lower than smaller banks. Despite the low deposit interest rates, Vietcombank and BIDV still saw deposits increase by 10 percent in the first six months of the year.
The death toll continues to mount as heavy rains leave a trail of destruction.
Heavy rains have triggered flash floods in northern and central Vietnam over the past two days, leaving 40 dead and 22 missing and causing havoc in many provinces.
A landslide in the early hours on Thursday in Hoa Binh Province has collapsed seven houses, burying 18 people. So far, three people have been rescued and seven are confirmed dead.
The incident has increased Hoa Binh’s death toll to 15, the highest among all provinces. Nghe An and Thanh Hoa have reported eight deaths.
Five deaths have been reported in Son La Province, while three people are missing and hundreds of houses and many hectares of crops have been destroyed.
In Yen Bai Province, four people were killed and 11 people are missing, including a Vietnam News Agency reporter who was swept away when a bridge connecting Highway 32 in Nghia Lo Commune collapsed.
The floods are the result of a tropical depression that is sweeping through northern and central provinces.
Vietnam has already suffered destructive stormy weather this year. Floods in northern Vietnam killed at least 26 people and washed away hundreds of homes in August before Typhoon Doksuri, the strongest to hit the country in years, killed at least eight people in the central region last month.
Last year, tropical storms and flooding killed 264 people in Vietnam and caused damage worth VND40 trillion ($1.75 billion), nearly five times more than in 2015.
It would be delisted from the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange if shareholders approve the resolution.
Board members of Vietnam’s Sacombank STB.HM are seeking shareholder approval to switch the bank’s listing to the Hanoi Stock Exchange .HNXI from the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange .VNI, a bank resolution on Tuesday showed.
Sacombank, or Saigon Thuong Tin Commercial Joint Stock Bank, is among Vietnam’s biggest private-listed banks. It would be delisted from the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange, the country’s main bourse, if shareholders approve the resolution.
The bank, which has had a new chairman since June, did not give a reason or a time frame for the move.
Over the past month, Vietnamese netizens have been eagerly discussing the ‘paradox’ of low wages and ‘wasteful spending’. We’re here to dissect it.
The new school year had already kicked in but a tea house overlooking Hoan Kiem Lake on a Thursday afternoon was still packed with students.
In groups of four or five, the so-called bubble tea generation was either busy discussing trending topics or staring at their phones.
As one pact had just left for a new picture perfect spot in Hanoi, four 19-year olds were busy discussing the recent H&M opening in Saigon and why it hadn’t made it to Hanoi. The conversation then quickly turned to the latest beauty trends, including the pros and cons of microneedling, a procedure which involves using fine needles to create hundreds of tiny puncture wounds in the top layer of skin. It it said to minimize the signs of aging and improve the appearance of acne scars.
“We meet up everyday at cafes, mostly for bubble tea. It’s sweet and tasty,” said second year university student Ha Trang to the approval of her BFFs (best friends forever) from middle school, Phuong Linh, Trung Hieu and Le Hieu. Three of the four are studying business and management at different universities, a major they consider to be “hot” and highly employable, but Le Hieu failed to make the grades to continue his education in Vietnam and is hoping for an opportunity to study in the U.S.
A survey conducted in May of 350 men and women aged from 15 to 39 in Hanoi and Saigon by Vietnamese market research firm Q&Me revealed that 50 percent of them drink the tea at least once a week. Bubble tea fever even increased land lease prices on “teahouse streets” in Saigon by 20-90 percent in August compared to a year ago, according to a report by Gachvang, a city-based property research firm.
Urban Vietnamese, especially young people in large cities, have recently found themselves at the center of online criticism over their “wasteful spending habits.”
It all started with an article on the Vietnamese edition of VnExpress written by Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen, a recent PhD graduate who found city life too expensive for her level of income.
She compared it to her lifestyle when she was still studying in the U.K. Working three hours per week earned her GBP26, which was enough to buy food for an entire week. In contrast, her full time job as a lecturer in Saigon paid only VND5 million, the equivalent of GBP165 or $220 per month, just enough to pay for meals which she made sure never exceeded VND100,000 each.
Checking in on Instagram is “customary” for millennials when they go for bubble tea. Photo by linhchimm on Instagram
This left Huyen baffled because she had no idea how fancy restaurants and cafes in HCMC were always packed, especially tea houses selling bubble tea to students, many of whom still depend on their parents.
The article garnered dozens of follow up pieces and comments, each with its own reasoning. Those who agreed with the author said spending so much on bubble tea was shallow and inconsiderate, while the other side of the debate stressed on freedom of choice.
“What we see here is an interesting generational gap, but not the the gap between parents/grandparents and their children” said Phan Tuong Yen, a psychology lecturer at Hoa Sen University in Saigon. “It’s much closer than that and it’s clearly a conflict of personal values.”
The majority of comments criticizing the wasteful spending came from young people who had been working for quite a while, aged from 28-40. Those who defended these habits were mostly aged from 18-25 or young people with high incomes.
The former, born from the late 1970s to the early 1990s, grew up in a transitionary period when traditional Confucian values still largely shaped lifestyles and moral standards. These were tough times economically and tightening your belt became part of life, even a worthy “trait”. This generation was also the first to access the internet and western cultures and ideals.
But it’s those born from the mid 1990s onward who have welcomed a strong cultural wave that carried the concepts of freedom, individuality and right to indulge along with an economic boom.
While the average Vietnamese worker earned only $2,200 last year, according to the World Bank, around 450,000 people now make more than $100,000 per year, three times the current number of tea houses.
The so-called “middle and affluent class” earning $714 a month or more in Vietnam willdouble to 33 million people, about a third of the population, between 2014 and 2020, according to Boston Consulting Group.
The bubble tea generation, globally referred to as millennials, “feel they are part of this booming wealth, more so than in the earlier days of austerity,” said Yen. “Therefore, the notion of freedom between these two generations somewhat differs, and so does the concept of cautious spending.”
While Huyen, the lecturer, argues that $2 for a cup of bubble tea is too much — twice the cost of a typical office lunch — the millennials see it differently.
“Our time together is more valuable than a cup of bubble tea,” said student Trang. “Bubble tea shouldn’t be a reason for us not to meet. Just a short walk together is already tiring and we have to drink something. I can’t think of anywhere else we could go.”
Her group has already tried everything in Hanoi, a city notorious for lacking public space. In March, the Administration of Technical Infrastructure under the Ministry of Construction warned that Vietnam’s biggest cities have only two to three square meters of green area per person. That is less than a third of what the World Health Organization has recommended for a healthy urban life.
Trung Hieu, the quiet one in the group, added his own two cents on the economics of bubble tea.
“I don’t think bubble tea is expensive. I only need to work for two hours to pay for it.”
Three members of the gang work part-time in cafes, fast food chains or cinemas in the evenings, which pays them on average VND15,000 per hour. In a day, the young Hanoians who still largely depend on their parents but don’t want to ask for extra pocket money can make from VND100,000 to VND250,000.
“He [Le Hieu] is the exception,” they laughed, pointing at the “joker” of the group and the only one without a job. “He’s rich.”
It’s now quite common for students, especially those in their third or fourth years at university, to work part time or even run small online businesses.
“The money they earn during their studies helps prove themselves and opens opportunities for them to live freely and ‘enjoy life’ as they wish, going beyond the enclaves of family or other financial barriers,” Yen, the psychologist, told VnExpress International.
And so the bubble tea group shrugged off the notion that their long chit-chats reflect they’re lazy and waste money.
“We put a lot of effort into work so we deserve time to rest and enjoy the fruits of our labor. I can go out, but when I’m home, I still have to do chores like cooking and washing the dishes,” said Linh. “Whatever I earn, I spend so we can all have a good time. I’ll start saving once I start work,” she added, referring to a full-time job after graduating, preferably as a manager of a big company.
With “a lot of free time at university”, as Linh put it, they can divide their time among things that matter to them. Studying for a better future, going to the gym to stay healthy, family, shopping, holidays and of course, meeting up with friends.
When their pockets are half empty, they go for cheaper alternatives like iced tea.
“It’s not just today’s youth but people aged from 13-23 in any generation want to prove themselves,” said Yen, referring to psychological research that shows in this period each individual tries to define him or herself through talent, character or social status.
“What’s important is that society accepts this and gives them a sense of direction instead of criticizing them,” said the psychologist who’s been working with Vietnam’s urban youth for six years. “The question is whether they take responsibility for how they spend, not what they buy.”
The bubble tea group tries not to take the online criticism personally, saying every story has two sides to it.
“They wrote these articles from a point of view of an older person. Our parents don’t like bubble tea; they like tea and coffee,” said Trang. “You can’t compare two generations. […] Living standards are increasing, we just want to perfect ourselves.”
Or as Le Hieu said: “Today’s parents do as their children say” – a way of twisting a saying to describe the previous generations – “Children do as their parents say” (Cha me dat dau con ngoi day).
The group quickly jumped to dismiss it as a joke, saying young people today have simply more freedom to do what they want, and that parents are more ready to trust their decisions.
An exhibition of artifacts, entitled “The Vietnam War: 1945 – 1975”, is underway at the New-York Historical Society Museum, New York, the US until April 22, 2018, giving museum goers an insight into conflict.
The exhibition’s opening ceremony took place on October 10 with Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga alongside more than 400 historic scholars, anti-war activists and veterans in attendance.
Speaking at the event, Ambassador Nga said she believes the exhibition will give people a better understanding of the value of peace.
This event will provide visitors a closer look at history, enhancing mutual understanding between people of Vietnam and the US, Nga stated.
(Photo: Dantri)
Vietnam and the US established a comprehensive partnership four decades after the war ended, she stressed, adding that the robust development of bilateral relations largely owes to the two countries’ efforts to leave the past behind, overcome disagreements and look to the future.
More than 300 artifacts, photographs, artworks, documents, films, and interactive digital media on display at the exhibition convey the story of the war since the end of the World War II.
The items include a lacquer graving named “Spring in Tay Nguyen”, created by northern Vietnamese painter Tran Huu Chat in 1962. The 84-year-old artist made an exact reproduction for the exhibition.
It is the first time the New-York Historical Society has held an exhibition on the Vietnam War and it took the museum three years to collect exhibited materials, according to the museum’s CEO Louise Mirrer.
Vietnam’s Pho and Goi cuon (fresh spring rolls) have been named in the list of the best 30 dishes of the world under a survey by CNN (Cable News Network).
Pho was ranked 28th while Goi cuon stood at the 30th place in the list. As a symbol of Vietnamese cuisine culture, Pho is present anywhere around the world where Vietnamese people live. In addition to rice noodle, a few herbs, thinly-sliced beef or chicken meat and broth as the main ingredients, a slice of fresh lemon and a splash of chilli sauce are indispensable to a delicious bowl of Pho.
A dish of Goi Cuon (fresh spring roll) – Photo: CNN
Meanwhile, the main ingredients for making Goi cuon dish consist of boiled pork, shrimp, herbs, rice vermicelli and rice paper. It is served at room temperature with the erupting flavours of refreshing herbs.
The sauce for Goi cuon is made from a variety of ingredients, such as a dash of fish sauce, coconut milk, a squeeze of tamarind, chopped garlic, hot pepper, onions, ground peanuts, fried sesame seeds and cooking oil.
In the CNN’s list, the top 10 dishes of the world are chicken muamba of Gabon, ice cream, tom yum goong of Thailand, Penang assam laksa of Malaysia, hamburger of Germany, Peking duck of China, sushi of Japan, chocolate of Mexico, Neapolitan pizza of Italy and Massaman curry of Thailand.
Chinese e-commerce group, Alibaba, on Thursday authorised Viet Nam’s Novaon Internet Corporation to be its reseller in the Viet Nam market.
Under the authorised dealer agreement, Novaon will become the official distributor of Alibaba.com’s export-import support services packages, helping Vietnamese enterprises to access, exploit and master this online business platform.
Tran Thanh Hai, deputy director of the Import-Export Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said export-import activities require interactions between e-commerce and traditional trade; therefore, enterprises need partners and policies to promote the use of e-commerce.
Novaon is Alibaba’s third authorised dealer in Việt Nam, after OSB Investment and Technology Joint Stock Company and Clever Advertising Corporation (Cleverads).
The global platform is a relatively comprehensive concept applied at a high level in dynamic and developing economies, encompassing large interactive online platforms on a global scale.
The world’s leading online business platforms include Alibaba, Google, Facebook, eBay and Amazon.
However, in Viet Nam, most of the enterprises still rely on traditional export channels or exploit online business channels on a very basic level, such as website or email.
Therefore, Novaon has built a comprehensive solution for online export; of which, Alibaba.com, the well-known business to business (B2B) online website for export-import, is considered one of the most significant parts of the overall package.
Novaon also launched the programme “1000 online pioneer export enterprises” on this occasion.
The programme is designed to create 1,000 exporters who are capable of applying and exploiting global online trading platforms on an advanced level, and then diffusing and motivating the export community.
The abrupt resignation of Tong Quoc Truong, CEO of Vietnam Lottery Co., Ltd. (Vietlott) is rumoured to be related to the violations at PetroVietnam Finance Corporation (PVFC) that took place during his time in office as CEO at PVFC and are currently under investigation.
According to newswire Dantri, Truong officially left the CEO position of Vietlott on October 1 due to personal reasons, which was accepted by the Ministry of Finance (MoF).
MoF has assigned his deputy Nguyen Thanh Dam to hold the fort until a new CEO can be picked next week.
Truong had been Vietlott’s CEO since the company’s foundation in August 2012.
Before moving to the lottery firm, Truong was the general director of state-owned oil and gas group PetroVietnam’s subsidiary PVFC between June 2007 and March 2010.
PetroVietnam and its subsidiaries, including PVFC, have been under legal scrutiny for economic mismanagement by former executives that had resulted in enormous financial losses.
In a statement on September 29, the People’s Court of Hanoi sentenced former PetroVietnam chairman Nguyen Xuan Son to death for his misdeeds causing serious economic damage and abuse of power to misappropriate company assets.
Regarding PVFC, in the 2006-2011 period, including the time that Truong was in office, PetroVietnam poured capital into PVFC and permitted it (at the time under Truong’s lead) to conduct illegal investment activities, causing massive losses for the state budget.
Vietnam Airlines and Air France have inked a joint venture deal, which is due to start from November 1, to bring more benefits to passengers on their air routes between Vietnam, France and Europe.
Speaking at the signing ceremony in Hanoi on October 10, Director General of Vietnam Airlines Duong Tri Thanh said the historical agreement will help tighten the comprehensive cooperative ties between the two airlines
It will not only make it easier for air travel between the two countries but also promote trade, investment, and cultural exchanges between Vietnam, France and Europe, bringing huge benefits for people and businesses, he added.
The agreement also demonstrates the commitment and determination of Vietnam Airlines to increase investment in the global arena, especially the French and European markets via the key route between Vietnam and France, he noted.
For his part, Director General of Air France Franck Terner said the join venture deal with Vietnam Airlines is one of the strategic development plans of Air France, namely “Trust Together”.
At the signing ceremony (Credits: dtinews)
This agreement will bring long-term benefits to the two airlines as well as their customers, he said, adding that the ultimate goal of Air France is to maintain and develop its position in the promising region.
Over the past 20 years, Vietnam Airlines and Air France have established sustainable cooperative relations in various fields. In 2010, the two airlines signed a code share deal for air routes between Paris and Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City as well as provided mutual support in maintaining airplanes and human resources training.
France has been one of the most important markets of Vietnam Airlines in Europe since it launched the first direct air route to Paris in 2003. The two airlines carry more than 400,000 passengers every year.
The door is wide open for Vietnam to the 2019 Asian Cup finals as the team trounced Cambodia 5-0 during their clash under the 2019 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup qualification in Hanoi on October 10.
Thanh Trung (No. 18) and his teammate celebrate the opener for Vietnam during the clash with Cambodia at the home turf on Tuesday evening. (Credit: vietnamnet.vn)
Prior to Tuesday’s rematch at My Dinh Stadium, Vietnam temporarily ranked second in Group C with five points after three games, followed by Cambodia, who lost 1-2 to their neighbouring in Phnom Penh in the previous round last month, with a two point gap. Jordan top the table with seven points.
In the first Group C match on Tuesday between Afghanistan and group leaders Jordan, the two tied 3-3, meaning that a win for Vietnam against Cambodia would help Coach Mai Duc Chung’s players on par with Jordan, thus opening the door to win the ticket to the 2019 Asian Cup finals in the UEA.
The clash at My Dinh was not in a favourable weather as it was raining heavily and influenced the match’s quality. However, Vietnam, with best-form lineups, quickly took home advantage to strengthen attacks on their guests.
The opener arrived soon for the hosts in a rather lucky manner in the 12th minute as Dinh Thanh Trung’s kick hit a Cambodian defender and deflected into the goal, which keeper Sou Yaty was unable to save.
Inspired by the opening goal, Vietnam continued to overwhelm and created consecutive threats to Sou Yaty’s goal. However, due to the heavy rain and slippery ground, Vietnamese players could not convert any opportunities into goals during the last minutes of the first half.
Contrary to the first half, Vietnam showed off their skills in the second session. In the 56th minute, Thanh Trung proved his effectiveness since the beginning of the match with a skilled cross on the right. The ball found Van Quyet and Vietnam’s captain punished the Cambodian defensive line with a superb header, doubling the scoring for Vietnam.
The 2-0 lead helped Vietnamese players to alleviate the pressure and play more confidently. The team only needed four minutes to score the third goal. Midfielder Thanh Trung continued to print his mark with a free kick to drop a favourable ball to veteran striker Anh Duc to break Cambodian line and score an easy goal.
The 5-0 win against Cambodia is a farewell gift to interim Coach Mai Duc Chung, who will transfer his management position to new Korean Head Coach Park Hang Seo after Tuesday’s match. (Credit: vietnamnet.vn)
The goals by strikers Van Quyet and Anh Duc inspired Cong Phuong, the remaining spearhead on Vietnamese trio attack line, to find his goal. However, the Hoang Anh Gia Lai striker had to wait until the 76th minute, after many opportunities missed, to celebrate with the fourth goal for Vietnam.
In the remainder of the match, Cambodia advanced to find their goal. However, all they could do was simply stop at a free kick hitting the post from Bin Chanthacheary in the 87th minute. Not only that but, Cambodia also conceded a goal in the crucial time as the substitute Mac Hong Quan made it 5-0 for Vietnam.
The 5-0 win helps Vietnam earn eight points, on par with Jordan, but still temporarily rank behind the group leaders for a lower goal difference. The victory yet helps Vietnam set a foot in the 2019 Asian Cup finals. In the next match against Afghanistan, Vietnam only needs one point, while Cambodia would not be defeated by Jordan, to officially earn a berth in the UAE’s tournament next year.
The win is also a farewell gift to interim Coach Mai Duc Chung, who will transfer his management position to new Korean Head Coach Park Hang Seo after Tuesday’s match. Park will officially sign a contract with the Vietnam football team later this month.
Starting line-ups
Vietnam: Tuan Manh, Van Hoan, Ngoc Thinh, Tien Dung, Van Hau, Xuan Truong, Hoang Thinh (Huu Dung 86’), Thanh Trung, Van Quyet, Anh Duc (Hong Quan 75’), Cong Phuong.
Cambodia: Sou Yaty, Rous Samoeun, Sor Piseth, Soeuy Visal, Khuon Laboravy, Keo Sokpheng, Chan Vathanaka (Brak Thiva 77’), In Sodavid, Tit Dina, Chhn Chhoeun, Bin Chanthacheary.
With that, Vietnam’s ancient port city has beaten the likes of Phuket, Bali and Penang to top Southeast Asia’s most affordable places.
Post Office’s Holiday Money, a database of travel costs, has just revealed 30 cheapest cities for British travelers.
To little surprise, Hoi An has been named among the most affordable.
Rankings are based on the minimum required budget for 10 holiday items U.K. tourists are likely to purchase, including a cup of coffee, a pint of beer, a bottle of water, sun cream, insect repellent, and a three-course dinner for two with a bottle of wine.
At total cost of $102.86, this year the UNESCO-listed town in central Vietnam has jumped six spots from the previous year to fifth place worldwide and became the most affordable destination in Southeast Asia, according to Post Office’s Holiday Money.
In Hoi An, for just $3.54, travelers can have a taste of beer or they can pay $2.52 for a cup of coffee.
Affordable romantic dinner for two also makes Hoi An as a budget-friendly city where tourists can enjoy a date night for less than $70.
Leading the pack, to many people’s surprise, is the notoriously expensive Tokyo, where total cost for 10 mentioned items is $65.55.
Cape Town (South Africa), Mombasa (Kenya), Colombo (Sri Lanka) round out the top five cheapest travel destinations.
Other famous destinations in Southeast Asia including Penang (Malaysia), Phu Ket (Thailand) and Bali (Indonesia) all witnessed a rise in the costs.
Hoi An has repeatedly been featured in best-value destination lists. The city has been named the cheapest travel destination by budget tourism site Price of Travel, with daily expenses for a backpacker estimated at $22.29.
MobiFone has officially begun selling authentic Galaxy Note 8 at its shops throughout the country. Those who buy Galaxy Note 8 associated with MobiFone’s service package for 12-18 months will be able to enjoy the discount of 65 percent, with prices from VND7.49 million.
Nguyen Vu Dat, photographer
I felt comfortable when using Galaxy Note 8 over the last week. Though the screen is large 6.3”, it is not too difficult to do most operations daily. About the camera, I think there is a big step forward. The camera quality is good which allows snapshots in all lighting conditions. Note series’ fans won’t miss Note 8 because of very significant improvements.
Huynh Kim Thuy, admin Samsungvn.com
I don’t think Galaxy Note 8 has too many breakthroughs, but the dual camera and S-Pen really make big differences. S-Pen helps Samsung remain a big gap with its rivals in the large-screen market segment.
I still cannot find any inconvenience when using Note 8. It makes me feel comfortable as it can satisfy all my requirements. The number of customers booking Note 8 is very high in Vietnam.
Tang Thien Hai from Techrum.vn
I think Note 8 is the best product of Samsung so far with beautiful design useful features as well as additional services. However, there is one thing with the battery. The usage time is not considerably longer than Galaxy S8+.
Lam Nhat Hung, photographer
Being a reporter, I find S-Pen very convenient. With the pen, it’s easy to make notes, edit pictures or make annotations. It helps me a lot in my work. Though it is expensive, it will succeed thanks to associated services like Galaxy Gift.
Le Bao Long from VOZ forum
I still cannot find any defect. In general, flagships have no problems except the high price. I like the dual camera of Note 8, while the screen seems to be more beautiful than the old Notes. I think the manufacturer will succeed with Note 8 despite the failure of Note 7 because there are still many Note fans.
Analysts predict that the competition between iPhone X and Galaxy Note 8, the flagships of the two technology giants, will be the ‘real duel of the year’. Their excellent features explain why they have the sky high prices of $1,000.
Galaxy Note 8 and iPhone X have amazingly similar designs. Both of them are made of metal and glass and both have infinity display screen and dual camera. The difference is that while Galaxy Note 8 has kept the fingerprint sensor, and iPhone X has a face detection feature to unlock the phone.
A total of 11 films from 11 APEC member economies will be screened during the film week to be held in Hanoi from October 11 to 16 and Da Nang city from October 12 to 16 as an event to celebrate the APEC Vietnam 2017.
Following the APEC Year 2017 theme of “Creating New Dynamism, Fostering a Shared Future”, the event is held jointly by the National Committee on APEC 2017, Vietnam’s Ministry of Cutlure, Sports and Tourism, APEC Secretariat.
The film week aims to connect the cultures and foster mutual understanding among APEC member economies through their outstanding movies, thus contributing to fostering an Asia-Pacific community of peace, stability, dynamic development and prosperity.
It also seeks to raise the role of the APEC forum and Vietnam’s position among member economies whilst publicising the culture and people of Vietnam to international friends.
Free tickets to the event can be collected at the National Cinema Centre in Hanoi from October 8 and at Le Do Cinema in Hanoi a day later.
Vietnamese film ‘My nhan’ (The Beautiful Woman) by director Dinh Thai Thuy is selected to be screened at the opening of the week.
The movie tells the life story of Nguyen Phuc Tan, the fourth ruler of the Nguyen Lords, who is viewed as a good lord and a military genius, and his tragic love with Thi Thua, a beautiful concubine with a pure soul whom he loves, but whom his courtiers disdain.
