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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”. 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.

Source: VIETNAMNET Bridge

It is Ban Gioc waterfall that Vietnam and its neighbor-China share together. Ban Gioc waterfall sits in Quay Son River in Cao Bang province in the international border between Vietnam and China. The Eastern belongs to China and the Western of Ban Gioc waterfall is a valuable possession of Vietnam.

Ban Gioc waterfall is 53 meters in height and 300 meters in width, stratified with many high and small waterfalls. The water falls down from the top of waterfall, through many limestone blocks, which produces a lot of white spume at the foot. Despite of standing far from the waterfall, travelers can hear the deafening sound of the waterfall, which is the sound of northeast forest in Vietnam. At the middle of the waterfall is a very huge block of stone, which divides water stream into three flowing directions. When the water falls and touches stones, immediately it bounces. Stunningly, the sunlight goes through it to create the beautiful rainbow.

Go closer to this waterfall. Hold your head up. You are surprised with the gorgeous beauty of this waterfall. So strongly the water falls that the nature seems to be extremely angry with someone. However, when reaching downstream and flowing far from the foot of the waterfall, the water stream turns into so sweet girl and flows steadily. Remember to touch this water stream to see a relax and fresh thing spreading the whole body. At this time, you seem to immerse yourself into the pristine beauty of mountains and forests.

Local people say by word that the best times to have a journey to Ban Gioc waterfall are all the months. In Ban Gioc waterfall, there are two seasons: dry and rainy season. In each season, Ban Gioc shows off the specific beauty. In the dry season from October to May next year, it has a girl-like beauty: gentle and smooth with the golden rice fields. While in the rainy season from June to September, the waterfall immediately become cascading. It is the spectacular beauty is that attracts more tourists in this season. However, take care of the waterfall stream, which can make your trip more difficult.

When visiting Ban Gioc, beside Ban Gioc waterfall, travelers are more likely to be impressive by other places here. The first one is Le-nin stream with the clear emerald water and it is seen as a huge mirror. Nguom Ngao cave is another which attracts more adventure-loving travelers by stunning limestones and stalactites with the different and weird shapes and colors. Or do not forget to visit romatic Thang Hen River to have memorable experience by boat.

When going on a short trip to Ban Gioc, try tasting some delicious regional specialities. Tofu in Cao Bang – a natural food and having a different taste surprises many vistors. If you come here, do not hesitate enjoying it. Besides tofu, Tram Huong fish and Trung Khanh chestnut, Trung Khanh cake or roast duck leaves many travelers with a strong impression. Chestnut in Trung Khanh is cooked in many different ways by skillful local people such as boiled, dried or simmered with other foods; therefore, it remains its nice taste. A special feature of Trung Kien cake is the ingredient- the eggs of ants, so to taste this food, travelers should go there in about April or May when local people can go into the forest to look for ant’s eggs.

Source: SonDoong explore

Holding strong the solemn dedication to best serve our clients, Golden Emperor is delighted to announce that we won 2 awards at the “GoHome Awards 2017” ceremony. The“Best Overseas Property Agency (Thailand) Award” and “Best Overseas Property Agency (Vietnam) Award” have granted us the acknowledged recognition from the market, in a way that made us successfully win the awards three times in a row. We wholeheartedly extend our gratitude to clients who voted for us, to distinguish us from fellow agencies to showcase our auspicious stand and let our expertise take the lead in the competitive market.

Mr. Terence Chan, Managing Director of Golden Emperor, said when accepting the awards, “Thank you for GoHome Awards and the public, for all your great support; in the future, we will keep bearing the mission to be the best overseas property agency to deliver only outstanding properties through our professional service.”

The ceremony took place at the Four Seasons Hotel (Hong Kong), presented a total of 22 awards, covering 3 major categories in the property market: “Best Property Projects,” “Best Property Services,” and “Best Lifestyle Brands.” Golden Emperor won 2 awards in the “Best Property Services” category while our business partners, Sansiri, leading land developer in Thailand, and CapitaLand Vietnam, one of the biggest land developers in Asia, respectively won the “Best Overseas Property Developer (Thailand)” and “Best Overseas Property Developer (Vietnam) Award.” We are very excited to learn the news and being able to collaborate with such renowned business partners, it once again, has courageously proven our prestigious status in the market.

Above: Ms. Rachel Teo, Strategic Planning Manager, CapitaLand Vietnam.

Above: Mr. Cobby Leathers, Head of International Business, Sansiri PLC.

The World Economic Forum’s latest global competitiveness list, released on September 27, ranked Vietnam 55th overall, up five places from last year and 20 from five years ago.

The Global Competitiveness Report 2017-18 said the country had made notable improvements in all sectors, notably among the basic requirement factors (75th out of 137), including institutions, infrastructure, macroeconomic environment, health and primary education.

Higher education and training also advanced (84th), as firms perceive that the lack of an educated workforce constitute a significant hurdle to doing business. Vietnam’s competitiveness is significantly driven by its market size (31st).

Trade also propelled Vietnam upward, with the country seventh in terms of the ratio of imports to gross domestic product, the Geneva-based WEF noted in the report. The US withdrawal from the Trans Pacific Partnership may have hurt some future trade opportunities for Vietnam, but the report stated that “the country’s growth is nonetheless projected to remain robust from strong exports”.

The report suggested Vietnam also boost its competitiveness by closing gaps in innovation and sophistication factors with countries at a similar stage of development, such as the Philippines.

Source：Vietnam+

Vietnam attracted $25.4 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) in the first nine months of 2017, up 34.3 percent year on year, reported the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI).

Of the total, 14.5 billion USD went to 1,844 new projects, while 6.75 billion USD was added to 878 underway ones, and 4.16 billion USD was worth company shared bought by foreign investors. The MPI revealed that as of September 20, 12.5 billion USD of FDI was disbursed, a rise of 13.4 percent over the same period last year.

Exports of the FDI sector (including crude oil) reached 110.8 billion USD, up 21 percent year on year, and accounting for 71.9 percent of the country’s total export revenue. Meanwhile, the sector’s exports (excluding crude oil) hit 108.5 billion USD, an increase of 20.8 percent over the same time in 2016.

So far this year, foreign investors invested in 18 areas, mostly in the processing and manufacturing sector with 12.64 billion USD, or 49.6 percent of total FDI. Production and distribution of power was the second most attractive sector, which lured 5.37 billion USD (21 percent), followed by the wholesale and retail sector with 1.58 billion USD (6.2 percent).

Ho Chi Minh City was the most attractive destination for foreign investors, luring 3.74 billion USD in the first nine months of this year, accounting for 14.6 percent of the country’s total 25.4 billion USD.

According to the Foreign Investment Agency under the Ministry of planning and Investment, the north central province of Thanh Hoa came second with 3.15 billion USD, accounting for 12.4 percent of total FDI.

Meanwhile, the northern province of Bac Ninh ranked third with 3.14 billion USD, or 12.3 percent of total figure, the agency reported.

Source： VIETNAMNET Bridge , Vietnam+