To enhance consumer protection effectiveness in technology ride-hailing transactions, the National Competition Commission (Ministry of Industry and Trade) advises consumers to carefully read all the information displayed on the app when making ride bookings and to choose services that meet their needs. Additionally, consumers should pay attention to clarifying whether the opt-in mechanism applies individually to each ride or universally to all future bookings.
Grab and Uber applications on mobile phones. Photo: AFP/TTXVN
In cases where consumers identify signs of consumer rights violations on technology ride-hailing apps, they can report these issues to government agencies and civil society organizations dedicated to safeguarding consumer rights. Alternatively, they can contact the consumer support and advisory hotline at 1800.6838 provided by the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
According to the National Competition Commission, they have recently received reports related to additional charges within technology ride-hailing apps. Specifically, some technology ride-hailing apps offer optional fee-based services such as trip insurance and carbon offset fees. These services are not mandatory, and consumers only incur extra charges if they choose to use them.
However, some apps automatically enable the opt-in feature for these services when customers make bookings. If customers do not deselect this feature, additional charges will be incurred when booking a ride.
Upon review, the National Competition Commission has observed that the automatic opt-in for service agreement features within these apps can lead to consumers not being fully aware of their right to choose when using these services, especially in situations requiring a quick ride booking. It is essential to note that the insurance and carbon offset fees within technology ride-hailing apps are not obligatory, and consumers have the right to decline them.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reports that global passenger aircraft traffic continues to recover after the COVID-19 pandemic in July this year.
According to a press release, global air traffic increased by 26.2% in July on a year-over-year basis when measured by passenger revenue (the number of passengers multiplied by the distance traveled). IATA reports that globally, air traffic access is currently at 95.6% compared to pre-COVID-19 levels.
Domestic air transportation in July increased by 21.5% compared to July 2022 and is up by 8.3% compared to July 2019 due to the surging demand in the Chinese market.
The global airline industry’s passenger load factor (seat occupancy rate) reached 85.7%, the highest monthly international figure ever recorded.
“In July, airplanes were full as people continue to travel in increasing numbers. Importantly, advance ticket sales show that traveler confidence remains high. There are many reasons to be optimistic about the ongoing recovery,” said Willie Walsh, Director General of IATA.
Airlines in the Asia-Pacific region witnessed a 105.8% increase in air traffic access in July 2023 compared to July 2022, continuing to lead the regions. Following them are airlines in Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East, as well as North American and European airlines, as reported.
Xuất thân từ tập đoàn tài chính hàng đầu có lịch sử phát triển 175 năm tại Vương Quốc Anh, Prudential Việt Nam tích cực hưởng ứng các hoạt động nhằm đồng hành cùng Ban tổ chức đưa sự kiện tới gần hơn với công chúng Việt Nam.
Lễ hội Vương quốc Anh được tổ chức trong tháng 9 năm nay nằm trong chuỗi các hoạt động kỷ niệm 50 năm quan hệ ngoại giao giữa Vương quốc Anh và Việt Nam với nhiều thành tựu trên tất cả các lĩnh vực.
Lễ hội Vương quốc Anh diễn ra vào ngày 9, 10/9 tại quảng trường Đông Kinh Nghĩa Thục, Hà Nội và ngày 16/9 tại đường Lê Lợi, Quận 1, TP. Hồ Chí Minh được mở cửa hoàn toàn miễn phí để chào đón người dân. Tại đây, công chúng có thể tham gia và thưởng thức các hoạt động mang đậm nét văn hóa Anh quốc, cũng như hòa mình vào những giai điệu âm nhạc tới từ nhóm nhạc đình đám một thời 911, hay trải nghiệm “nhà ga đặc biệt” gắn liền với tác phẩm văn học “Harry Potter” lừng danh.
Góp mặt trong các hoạt động đó, Prudential tham gia tại khu vực Dịch vụ Tài chính với chủ đề “Pioneer for a Sustainable Future together – Cùng tiên phong vì một tương lai bền vững”.Tại khu vực sự kiện, khách tham quan được trải nghiệm các hoạt động tương tác thú vị với cơ hội nhận được nhiều phần quà “đậm chất Prudential”. Trong đó, phải kể tới trò chơi đạp xe có tên gọi “Đồng hành cùng Prudential trên hành trình phát triển bền vững” và đố vui “Prudential 101”. Đây là các hoạt động thử thách người chơi cả về thể chất lẫn khả năng ghi nhớ.
Thông qua các hoạt động này, người chơi sẽ có cơ hội hiểu rõ hơn về các sáng kiến và hành động của Prudential Việt Nam trong định hướng phát triển bền vững, những dự án trách nhiệm cộng đồng nổi bật, và các giải thưởng danh giá mà Prudential Việt Nam đã đạt được trong thời gian gần đây.
Năm 2023 ghi dấu cột mốc 175 năm thành lập của tập đoàn Prudential. Prudential hiện đang phục vụ hơn 18 triệu khách hàng tại khắp các thị trường châu Á và châu Phi. Tại Việt Nam, Prudential cam kết hỗ trợ chính phủ Việt Nam cho mục tiêu hướng tới giảm phát thải ròng bằng 0 tới năm 2050 thông qua việc trở thành một trong những tổ chức tài chính đang hành động theo thỏa thuận Chuyển dịch năng lượng công bằng (JETP).
Ông Phương Tiến Minh – Tổng Giám đốc của Prudential Việt Nam chia sẻ: “Prudential tự hào với lịch sử phát triển lâu đời tại Anh Quốc và là doanh nghiệp bảo hiểm nước ngoài có mặt sớm nhất, đặt nền móng cho sự phát triển của ngành bảo hiểm nhân thọ tại Việt Nam. Prudential luôn ủng hộ mạnh mẽ các hoạt động củng cố mối quan hệ đối tác chiến lược Vương Quốc Anh – Việt Nam. Song hành với phát triển hoạt động kinh doanh, Prudential sẽ nỗ lực trong các hành động thực hiện trách nhiệm xã hội của doanh nghiệp, cam kết đồng hành cùng các tổ chức, cơ quan, ban ngành giải quyết các thách thức của xã hội, xây dựng một tương lai bền vững”.
Trong 24 năm phát triển tại thị trường Việt Nam, Prudential đã và đang cung cấp các giải pháp chăm sóc sức khỏe và bảo vệ an toàn tài chính cho 7 triệu khách hàng, và không ngừng nỗ lực trở thành doanh nghiệp kiểu mẫu của ngành bảo hiểm nhân thọ.
Thực hiện cam kết bảo vệ an toàn tài chính đối với khách hàng, trong 6 tháng đầu năm 2023, Prudential đã chi trả cho khách hàng 5.977 tỷ đồng, tăng 31% so với cùng kỳ năm ngoái, chiếm gần 1/4 tổng chi trả toàn ngành bảo hiểm nhân thọ Việt Nam.
Bên cạnh kinh doanh hiệu quả, Prudential cũng ưu tiên đầu tư cho các hoạt động xã hội với mục tiêu phát triển cộng đồng bền vững, tập trung vào các lĩnh vực Giáo dục, Sống khỏe và An toàn. Trong lĩnh vực Giáo dục, Prudential phát triển dự án “Giáo dục quản lý tài chính Cha-Ching” từ năm học 2019-2020. Tới nay, dự án đã được triển khai tại 210 trường tiểu học, trang bị kiến thức, kỹ năng về quản lý tài chính cho 78.000 học sinh. Ở lĩnh vực An toàn, từ năm 2020 tới nay, dự án “Đến trường an toàn” đã được triển khai tại 11 trường tiểu học, trang bị kiến thức, kỹ năng về an toàn giao thông cho 8.000 học sinh.
Những nỗ lực và cam kết của Prudential Việt Nam về phát triển bền vững đã được ghi nhận bằng những giải thưởng danh giá trong nước và khu vực. Gần đây nhất, vào tháng 8/2023, trong Lễ trao giải Insurance Asia Awards tại Singapore, Prudential lần thứ 5 được công nhận là “Công ty Bảo hiểm nhân thọ Quốc tế của năm” (International Life Insurer of the Year) và năm thứ 2 nhận giải thưởng “Sáng kiến ESG của năm” (ESG Initiative of the Year) – giải thưởng dành cho những dự án thiết thực đóng góp trực tiếp vào việc giải quyết các vấn đề xã hội và phát triển bền vững.
Bên cạnh đó, trong năm 2022, Hội đồng doanh nghiệp vì sự phát triển bền vững Việt Nam (VBCSD) – Phòng Thương mại và Công nghiệp Việt Nam (VCCI) đã vinh danh Prudential trong Top 10 doanh nghiệp bền vững, nhóm ngành thương mại – dịch vụ, Top 5 Doanh nghiệp thực hiện kinh doanh có trách nhiệm, tôn trọng quyền trẻ em.
Ngày 30/8 vừa qua, Tập đoàn Prudential ra mắt tôn chỉ mục đích mới “Cho mỗi cuộc sống – Cho mỗi tương lai”, thể hiện sứ mệnh trở thành người bạn đồng hành và người bảo vệ đáng tin cậy nhất cho các thế hệ hôm nay và mai sau thông qua việc mang đến các giải pháp bảo vệ tài chính và sức khỏe đơn giản, dễ tiếp cận, cũng như định hướng phát triển bền vững cho tương lai.
The billionaire said he logged in to his crypto wallets after months of inactivity but had likely clicked on a phishing link.
Dallas Maverick owner and billionaire technology investor Mark Cuban lost some $870,000 worth of tokens over the weekend after likely clicking on a phishing link after “months of inactivity.”
Phishing attacks trick users into divulging sensitive data, downloading malware, and exposing their private information. Such attacks are extremely common in the crypto industry, as users may fail to check the source of requests on a crypto wallet, or unknowingly download a fake application that mimics the original – one that exists only to steal holdings.
Cuban’s wallet was drained of U.S.-pegged stablecoins, staked ETH (stETH), SuperRare (RARE) tokens, and some Ethereum Name Service (ENS) domains, blockchain data shows. These movements were first spotted by on-chain sleuth @wazzcrypto.
Later, Cuban was likely alerted of these transactions and managed to save over $2.5 million worth of Polygon’s MATIC tokens by logging into the wallet and transferring the tokens to a Coinbase exchange address.
The phishing attack apparently seemed to stem from a fake MetaMask wallet application downloaded by Cuban, he told DLNews.
This was the second phishing attack to hit a high-profile person in as many weeks. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin’s X account was compromised in a phishing attack in early September. Buterin did not seem to lose his own funds, but users lost a cumulative $700,000 by sending tokens to an illicit link that was seemingly endorsed by Buterin.
Research firm RxR’s blended Metcalfe law-centric valuation model, incorporating active user adoption of layer 2 scaling networks, suggests ether should trade at a market value of $275 billion.
Ether is trading at a 27% discount to its fair value, according to research firm RxR’s blended Metcalfe law-centric valuation model, which incorporates active user adoption of layer 2 scaling networks.
Traditional models that focus exclusively on the active user adoption of the Ethereum layer 1 might be misleading.
Ether (ETH), the native token of the Ethereum blockchain, is trading at a 27% discount to its fair value, according to analysis by RxR, a research-focused joint venture between Republic Crypto and Re7 Capital.
RXR’s fair value projection is based on a blended version of the Metcalfe law, which includes the active user base on the ever-growing Ethereum scaling networks and active users on the Ethereum mainnet to gauge the network’s fair value. Traditional Metcalfe law models tend to focus only on the active user base on the mainnet.
Per the Metcalfe law (ML), the value of the network is directly linked and proportional to the square of the number of users it has. Ether enables users to transact on the Ethereum blockchain, earn interest, and participate in network security through staking, store non-fungible tokens and much more. Thus, ether’s value proposition has long been closely tied to Ethereum’s network usage.
“Ethereum’s network valuation tracks the updated ML index better when the active user base of Ethereum’s scaling networks is factored into the model than when omitted,” Lewis Harland, analyst at RXR, said in the research note published last week.
“The updated model, which does factor in these networks, puts ETH’s valuation at $275 billion (current MCAP trading at a 27% discount), assuming no further user growth in perpetuity,” Harland added.
Ether’s market cap looks undervalued compared to the RxR’s ML Blended Model, represented by the red.
It’s more reliable than the while line, representing the traditional ML model, which ignores the increasing activity on the layer 2 networks or offchain solutions built on the top of the mainnet to reduce bottlenecks with scaling and data. In other words, ether is not necessarily overvalued, as the traditional ML Model suggests.
Layer 2 has become one of the most exciting areas in the market, with key protocols finding their niche. Per IntoTheBlock, Coinbase’s BASE has the most unique addresses and transactions, while Arbitrum dominates transaction volume and Optimism is focused on its superchain vision.
In two years, the total value locked in the layer 2 protocols has increased more than tripled to over $9 billion, according to data source L2Beat.
“A key change in April 2021 was when scaling networks started contributing to Ethereum’s blockspace at scale. For example, Curve, Sushiswap, Decentraland, and Aave launched on Polygon (PoS) between April and May 2021 – these collectively drove the total value-bridged to Polygon to $10 billion.” Harland said.
“Fast forward to today and over 250 applications on Ethereum have a total value-locked of >$1m. Nearly 30 layer 2 networks have an aggregate TVL of $10 billion due to the advent of rollup-centric solutions.” Harland added, stressing the importance of incorporating the layer 2 activity in the ML fair value models.
Many traditional Mid-Autumn Festival lantern models have been restored and will be exhibited at the central heritage area of Hoang Thanh Thang Long – Hanoi during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
With the theme “Sparkling Autumn Lanterns,” the 2023 Mid-Autumn Festival celebration offers various experiential activities.
Starting from September 15th, children and visitors to the Hoang Thanh Thang Long heritage area in Hanoi will have the opportunity to explore the exhibition space showcasing various traditional Mid-Autumn Festival lanterns in the form of stalls along the ancient streets.
Many restored traditional Mid-Autumn lantern models will be displayed at the Thang Long – Hanoi Imperial Citadel heritage site during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Drawing from valuable sources from foreign researchers such as Henri Oger, Albert Kant, and the Quai Branly Museum in France, Hoang Thanh Thang Long collaborates with cultural researcher Trinh Bach and artisans from villages known for producing traditional Mid-Autumn Festival lanterns in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, Thanh Oai (Hanoi), Bao Dap (Nam Dinh), Dong Ho (Bac Ninh), to revive ancient lantern models made from traditional materials such as paper, silk, glassine paper, bamboo, rattan, lacquer, and clay.
Highlights include lanterns shaped like carp turning into dragons, carp-shaped lanterns with moon motifs, living crab lanterns, ripe crab lanterns, rabbit lanterns, butterfly lanterns, shrimp lanterns, cherry blossom lanterns, pomegranate lanterns, and drum lanterns.
During this occasion, Hoang Thanh Thang Long also features stalls displaying traditional Mid-Autumn Festival toys, such as paper scholar figurines, moon-viewing stick beaters, paper masks, lion heads, frog drums, clamshell drums, Western-style iron boats, drumming rabbits, dough figurines, and stuffed swans.
After 3 years of toll suspension, the Tan Phu toll booth on National Highway 20 is officially being dismantled and road repairs are underway to enhance its operational capacity.
On September 15th, the Road Management Zone IV (Ministry of Transport) announced that they are in the process of preparing for the dismantling of the Tan Phu toll booth on National Highway 20 (located in Tan Phu District, Dong Nai Province).
Preparing to dismantle Tan Phu toll station. Photo: Tan Phu District People’s Committee.
According to the plan, the dismantling and road repairs are expected to last for 2 months. After the dismantling, the construction unit will repair the road section passing through the toll booth to ensure safety and increase the road’s operational capacity.
The Tan Phu toll booth is located at Km 74+760 as part of the project to repair, upgrade, and expand certain sections through the town on National Highway 20, which was invested in through a BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) contract. Toll collection at the booth ceased on October 20, 2020.
Previously, the voters in Dong Nai Province had stated that the Tan Phu toll booth had suspended road toll collection for a long time but had not been dismantled to date. This has hindered the transportation of the local residents, resulting in several traffic accidents and fatalities. The voters urged the Ministry of Transport to promptly instruct the dismantling of this toll booth.
Starting from September 15th, the railway is implementing a trial of QR code scanning for purchasing products and services on the North-South trains SE1/SE2, SE19/SE20 on the Hanoi – Danang route, and other trains on the Hanoi – Hai Phong route.
From September 15, train passengers can scan QR codes to buy local specialties. Illustration photo: Le Anh
According to information from the Government’s electronic newspaper, QR codes will be affixed to seats or sleeping compartments. Passengers can use their smartphones to scan the QR codes, which will link them to the online sales page.
On this webpage, passengers can choose to purchase food and beverages for immediate consumption on the train by selecting the items they want to buy. The system records and notifies the train attendants, who will come to confirm the order with the passenger and inform the food service staff to deliver the products to the passenger.
If passengers choose to order regional specialties, the staff will also confirm the items and quantity with the passenger. However, these specialties must be associated with specific locations, such as “be thui Cau Mong” from Quang Nam or “banh bot loc” from Hue. Therefore, before the train arrives at a location with a stop, which is at least about 20 minutes, the staff must confirm the order with the passenger.
Beyond this time, the system will no longer display specialties from that location and will only show specialties from the next location on the train’s route.
Once the passenger’s order is confirmed, the items will be delivered to the station. When the train stops, the onboard staff will receive the items and deliver them to the passenger. Passengers can choose various payment methods, such as cash or bank transfer.
Regarding pricing, the railway authorities have also committed to working with suppliers to ensure quality products at reasonable prices through their transport branch offices.
Mr. Avaneesh Gupta, the Executive Vice President of Walmart Group, is the one who paid a visit to Vietnam. Walmart recognizes Vietnam as an essential supply source for them.
To become part of Walmart’s billion-dollar value chain in the global market, local businesses should focus on developing strategies with long-term goals, addressing supply chain and logistics issues, and enhancing product design and development capabilities.
Additionally, when evaluating potential suppliers in Vietnam, Walmart considers factors such as capacity and supply capacity, financial stability, commitment to sustainable development, and compliance with environmental regulations. Vietnam has great potential to become a significant player in Walmart’s global supply chain.
In a recent interview, the Vice President of Walmart Group, Avaneesh Gupta, shared his enthusiasm for the company’s diverse business and the promising potential for forging new supplier connections. Mr. Gupta noted that Walmart has engaged in productive discussions with numerous suppliers from various industries, many of whom offer products that align with their criteria. The company has thoughtfully categorized these suppliers for further exploration, with the expectation that these connections will unlock new sources of supply for Walmart Group.
Celsius had previously claimed hundreds of millions in damages in a squabble over unpaid dues that led to its mining rigs being powered down.
Crypto mining providers Celsius and Core Scientific (CORZ) have reached a tentative $45 million deal to resolve a long-standing legal dispute, according to Thursday court filings.
The deal, which involves Celsius paying $14 million in cash and the remainder in adjusted claims, must be approved by judges in Texas and New York, jurisdictions where Core and Celsius have respectively filed for bankruptcy.
The settlement “resolves the protracted and expensive litigation with Core, and cuts off the significant costs that would have been incurred if the parties were to fully litigate their claims,” a filing by Celsius’ lawyers said, describing the deal – under which Celsius also acquires Cedarvale, an 85-acre Texas mining site – as a “fair, equitable, and a carefully negotiated resolution.”
Celsius had previously filed claims of $312 million after Core powered down Celsius mining rigs in January, citing unpaid dues, and had previously filed motions saying Core should be held in contempt of court.
Celsius creditors are voting on whether to approve a sale to crypto consortium Fahrenheit Holdings, a consortium that includes mining company US Bitcoin Corp.
To preserve the environment of Co To Island, starting from September 15th, residents and tourists are not allowed to bring single-use plastic items to Co To Island (Quang Ninh).
On September 13th, information from the People’s Committee of Co To District (Quang Ninh) stated that, beginning on September 15th, the local authorities will prohibit residents and tourists from bringing single-use plastic items to the island district.
Visitors are not allowed to bring disposable plastic items to Co To Island
Furthermore, the People’s Committee of Co To District also mandates that 100% of governmental agencies, organizations, schools, markets, service businesses, passenger transport vessels, cargo vessels, seafood fishing activities, etc., within the territory of Co To District, are not permitted to use nylon bags, single-use plastic items (plastic bags, plastic cups, single-use plastic straws, etc.), and materials that pose a risk of marine environmental pollution from the aforementioned date.
According to the People’s Committee of Co To District, these regulations are part of Phase 2 of Project No. 175-QD/HU, dated June 4, 2021, regarding the management of plastic waste in Co To Island.
Many sea turtles returned to live on Co To island
Previously, from September 1, 2022, until now, Co To District has implemented Phase 1 of Project 175 by conducting public awareness campaigns and restricting residents and tourists from bringing nylon bags and single-use plastic items to Co To Island.
After a year of experimental implementation, the awareness, habits, and behaviors of the local population and tourists in protecting the marine environment have undergone significant changes and positive developments, with a noticeable increase in environmental consciousness. Particularly, the marine environment has begun to recover, and certain species such as turtles, seahorses, and dolphins have returned to inhabit the island.
To effectively implement Phase 2, Co To District requests that passenger transport vessel owners commit to not allowing tourists to bring single-use plastic items to the island. Additionally, vessels anchoring at Co To Port are required to refrain from using nylon bags, single-use plastic items, and to avoid discharging waste into the sea.
The Hanoi People’s Committee has just sent a document to the Ministry of Transport (MoT) to agree on selecting Ngoc Hoi station as the starting point for the North-South high-speed railway line.
Furthermore, Hanoi also agrees to expand the Ngoc Hoi station complex to integrate railway stations, depots, maintenance stations, etc., for urban railway lines, national railway lines, and high-speed railway lines. This location will also serve as a place to relocate and resettle the railway infrastructure facilities within the inner city area.
However, regarding the option of sharing infrastructure with urban railway line No. 1 (Yen Vien – Ngoc Hoi) to organize transportation to Hanoi station, the city asserts that it does not align with the approved planning direction of the railway network by the Prime Minister.
Illustration
Therefore, the Hanoi People’s Committee requests the Ministry of Transport to expedite the research and project preparation for the East Ring Railway Line, transfer land funds, and infrastructure of the Yen Vien – Ngoc Hoi central railway line to the locality for the construction of urban railway line No. 1.
Additionally, Hanoi also proposes that the Ministry of Transport allocate another high-speed railway station in the satellite urban area of Phu Xuyen, south of Hanoi, as in the future, a second airport for the Capital Region of Hanoi will be constructed there, along with satellite urban areas accommodating 127,000 residents.
Regarding the North-South high-speed railway line, in early August, the Ministry of Transport sought the opinions of the Hanoi People’s Committee regarding the route direction, station locations, and maintenance facilities of the North-South high-speed railway project that passes through Hanoi.
According to the plan, the North-South high-speed railway passing through Hanoi starts at the Ngoc Hoi station complex, traverses the western beltway and western peripheral railway, passes through Thuong Tin and Phu Xuyen districts to the west of the Phap Van – Cau Gie Expressway.
After crossing the Northwest Expressway with National Highway 5B, the high-speed railway turns left, crosses the Phap Van Expressway, heads eastward along the expressway corridor, and enters the territory of Ha Nam province.
Starting from 10 a.m. today (September 14th), Vietnamese tourists using South Korean and Japanese advanced visas to apply for e-visas to enter Taiwan (China) will not be accepted.
On the afternoon of September 13th, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Ho Chi Minh City announced changes to the electronic visa (e-visa) for Southeast Asian citizens traveling to Taiwan (China).
As of 10 a.m. on September 14th, tourists using South Korean and Japanese advanced visas to apply for e-visas to enter Taiwan will not be accepted. Previously accepted visas can still be used until they expire.
These changes only apply to Vietnamese tourists; other Southeast Asian countries will continue to follow the previous policy.
New regulations on Taiwan’s e-visa policy for Vietnamese citizens (Screenshot)
As a result, travelers and families with South Korean and Japanese advanced visas who wish to visit Taiwan will no longer be able to apply for instant e-visas for immediate entry. They will be required to submit and have their visa applications processed, which can take up to 8 days to receive results.
Taiwan’s tightening of e-visa issuance conditions may be aimed at preventing cases where travelers obtain South Korean or Japanese visas and then enter Taiwan for a “different purpose,” according to travel companies’ assessments.
Vietnamese travel companies are concerned that this development could have a negative impact on Vietnamese tourism businesses and the market in the last months of the year and in the long term.
Customers who have registered for tours to certain markets like Japan and Korea may be significantly affected, as some travelers only obtained advanced visas for the purpose of entering Taiwan. This will not be allowed from September 14th when the new e-visa regulations take effect.
However, the Group Visa, which is for groups of 5 or more people from Vietnamese travel companies designated by Taiwan, will continue to be implemented as usual.
Travelers who already have a valid U.S. visa (not canceled) or an Australian visa (still valid), they can still apply for e-visas to enter Taiwan as before.
HP is looking to withdraw a significant portion of its laptop manufacturing operations from China and shift them to Thailand, Mexico, and Vietnam.
According to insider sources cited by Nikkei, this is just one of the measures being taken by HP in its goal to diversify production and reduce reliance on China due to issues related to Covid-19 restrictions and geopolitical concerns.
HP is the second-largest PC manufacturer in the world
Furthermore, HP’s management has also assessed the rising production costs in China, labor recruitment challenges, and increasing wage expenses. Therefore, they need to relocate at least some of their production to other countries with lower costs and less vulnerability to geopolitical issues.
HP plans to move some of its business laptop product manufacturing to Mexico, while consumer market products will be produced in Thailand. Additionally, they intend to shift another portion of production to Vietnam starting in 2024. Even this year, HP’s PC production outside of China could reach 5 million units, a significant figure when considering the global PC sales estimate for 2023 of approximately 55 million units.
Thailand has a strong infrastructure in terms of PC suppliers, which is expected to facilitate HP’s transition. Regarding HP’s future equipment manufacturing in Mexico, it aligns with the company’s strategy to provide better services to its main market, North America.
This doesn’t mean HP will cease manufacturing activities in China, as the company has made significant investments in manufacturing plants there. However, similar to what companies like Dell and Apple have done, shifting some production to countries like Vietnam will help them reduce their dependence on China for assembly in the future.
On September 14th, Hanoi People’s Committee Chairman, Tran Sy Thanh requested the directors, heads of departments, branches, unions, agencies, and units of the city to temporarily halt cultural, sports, and entertainment activities and events organized by the city, district, town, and commune. This suspension will be in effect from September 14th to September 17th.
Moreover, at 8:00 a.m. on September 18th, agencies and units in the political system from the city to the grassroots will observe a minute of silence for the victims who died in the mini apartment fire in Thanh Xuan District. Many leaders and officials of departments and localities in Hanoi have confirmed that they received these instructions through the Hanoi People’s Committee office and will implement them seriously.
On September 12th, a tragic incident happened at a mini apartment building situated in alley 29/70 Khuong Ha, Thanh Xuan District. Sadly, 56 people lost their lives, while 37 others sustained injuries from the fire. The apartment building had a license for six floors, but the owner, Mr. Nghiem Quang Minh (44 years old, Hanoi), invested and constructed the building into nine floors. After the severe fire, the Hanoi City Police took action and arrested Mr. Minh for violating regulations on fire prevention and fighting.
