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Vietnam’s tours to South Korea, Japan bustling

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Many Vietnamese tourists have booked tours to Japan and South Korea in the autumn-winter travel season as the two countries have eased immigration requirements since this month.

On September 30, South Korea announced the removal of the on-arrival COVID-19 test requirement for international tourists.

Travelers are required to register Q-codes on South Korea’s Q-code website prior to their entry into the East Asian country.

Moreover, South Korea does not ask travelers to report the number of COVID-19 vaccine doses they have got.

Meanwhile, Japan will relax entry regulations and lift its cap on daily arrivals from October 11 to attract more tourists in autumn. 

In addition, Japan will reinstate its visa waiver policy as in the pre-pandemic period.

The country will also accept travelers who have any COVID-19 vaccine approved by the World Health Organization (WHO).

At present, Japan allows anyone who received all COVID-19 vaccines on the WHO’s emergency use list, except for those made in China, to enter the country.

According to some travel firms, South Korea reopened its door to foreign visitors from April, while Japan did the job at the beginning of autumn, so many Vietnamese tourists have booked tours to these two destinations.

With relaxed immigration regulations, traveling to these two countries will be easier.

Japan and South Korea, with fine weather and stunning landscapes in autumn, also pin high hopes on the high number of Vietnamese guests.

At present, Vietnamese customers of tours to these two East Asian countries are mainly families or groups of four to six friends.

A survey on some travel companies shows that the number of applications for visas to Japan and South Korea is high but the visa issuance processes of these two countries remain complicated, with many procedures and a 20-25 percent higher fee.

As a result, the number of tours to Japan and South Korea remains modest.

Nguyen Nguyet Van Khanh, director of marketing at local travel firm Vietravel told Nguoi Lao Dong (Laborer) newspaper that the firm had received more than 1,500 bookings for tours to Japan and South Korea. 

The travelers’ favorite products are tours in autumn costing each person VND28-37 million (US$1,173-1,550), up 10-20 percent over the pre-pandemic period, news site VnExpress reported.

A representative of Saigontourist Travel Service Company said the company had relaunched most of its outbound tours, except for those to mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

Saigontourist expected to serve 20,000 customers of outbound tours until the end of the year.

Tours to Japan in autumn are put up for sale, the representative added.

Meanwhile, Tran Thi Bao Thu, director of communications at Fiditour – Vietluxtour, said “in the high-end segment with tours worth VND20-40 million [$838-1,676] each person, many tourists prefer tours to South Korea and Japan at the end of the year and during the Tet [Lunar New Year] holiday.

“Fiditour – Vietluxtour has received many bookings of tourists for these tours,” Thu said, as cited by Nguoi Lao Dong.

At present, South Korea has limited the number of travel companies which are designated to complete visa procedures on behalf of their customers, so domestic tourists should take notice of these travel companies.

According to the South Korea Tourism Organization in Vietnam, in the January-August period of this year, South Korea welcomed some 80,000 Vietnamese visitors. 

It set a target of 150,000 Vietnamese tourists this year. The figure was 550,000 in 2019, news site The Saigon Times reported. 

Meanwhile, 33,000 Vietnamese tourists visited Japan in August, sending the total number of Vietnamese people coming to the country in the eight-month period to 160,600.

Vietnam has taken the lead in the number of tourists entering Japan over the past few months.

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Source: https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/business/20221003/vietnams-tours-to-south-korea-japan-bustling/69374.html

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Vietnam’s political security makes the country more attractive to Australian investors

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Many Australian firms have tapped into the Vietnamese market due to Vietnam’s strengthened political security, apart from an efficient anti-corruption crackdown, heard a seminar on Vietnam-Australia education, culture, and cuisine promotion in Hanoi on Monday.

The Australian side strongly believes that Vietnam will further improve transparency and the investment climate.

The event, jointly organized by the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade), Hanoi authorities, and many enterprises, acted as a start for a series of similar seminars to be held in five cities and provinces this year, which marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Australia.

An Austrade representative presents the performance of the Vietnam-Australia partnership in 2022. Photo: Duy Linh/ Tuoi Tre

An Austrade representative delivers a presentation on the performance of the Vietnam-Australia partnership in 2022. Photo: Duy Linh / Tuoi Tre

Australia picks Vietnam as an investment destination thanks to political security

Eliza Chui, a representative of Austrade, said that many factors had encouraged Australian firms to do business in Vietnam, including the country’s political security, rapid post-COVID-19 recovery, golden population, anti-corruption efforts, and transparency.

“Vietnam is Southeast Asia’s sixth-largest economy, while the nation is home to 291 industrial parks, making it more attractive to foreign investors,” said Chui.

“After the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnamese people tend to pay attention to their health, so they are willing to seek high-quality products, smoothing the path for Australian exports.”

Bilateral trade between Vietnam and Australia totaled some 23.5 billion Australian dollars (US$15.6 billion) in 2022, making Australia Vietnam’s seventh-largest trade partner.

Meanwhile, Vietnam became Australia’s 10th-biggest trade partner.

Furthermore, Vietnam is Australia’s fifth-largest education partner, sending 27,000 Vietnamese students to Australia and seeing over 8,000 students pursuing degrees at Australia-invested universities in the Southeast Asian country.

Two-way trade in the agro-forestry-fishery sector reached a new record of six billion Australian dollars (US$3.9 billion) last year.

Tony Harman, Australian Agriculture Counselor at the Australian Embassy in Vietnam, delivers a speech at the seminar. Photo: Duy Linh/ Tuoi Tre

Tony Harman, Australian agriculture counselor at the Australian Embassy in Vietnam, delivers a speech at the seminar. Photo: Duy Linh / Tuoi Tre

Australia set to import Vietnamese grapefruit, passion fruit

Tony Harman, Australian agriculture counselor at the Australian Embassy in Vietnam, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on the sidelines of the seminar that the event was not only aimed at introducing Australian products to Vietnamese customers, but also at creating a chance for Australian firms to learn more about and buy Vietnamese farm produce.

Many Vietnamese agricultural products are being shipped to Australia, including dried, frozen, and fresh produce.

The Vietnamese shrimp is a much sought-after product in Australia and has gained a dominant position on the market, said Harman.

“We are working to import grapefruit and passion fruit from Vietnam to diversify fresh fruits on the Australian market and provide Australian customers with Vietnam’s high-quality products,” he revealed. 

Australia is focusing on marketing honey products, kangaroo meat, deer meat, peaches, cranberries, and baby formulas to the Vietnamese market. In addition, Australia will make life easier for the import of Vietnamese shrimp, passion fruit, and grapefruit, while issuing certificates to Vietnam’s food irradiation and disinfection facilities.

In response to a topic about the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the two countries last year on sending Vietnamese workers to Australia for work in agriculture, Harman said that both sides were stepping up efforts to implement the memo, and will issue further notice in the near future.

As per the MOU signed in March last year, Australia will issue agricultural visas and receive nearly 1,000 farm workers from Vietnam each year.

However, in September last year, Australia announced the suspension of agricultural visas. Instead, the Australian government shifted to a program with a focus on workers from Pacific island nations and Timor Leste.

Representatives of Australian firms have a discussion with their partners on the sidelines of the seminar. Photo: Duy Linh/ Tuoi Tre

Representatives of Australian firms have a discussion with their partners on the sidelines of the seminar. Photo: Duy Linh / Tuoi Tre

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been committed to continuing to follow all agreements with Vietnam, while the two countries are in the process of discussing the implementation of these deals.

The series of seminars on Vietnam-Australia education, culture, and cuisine promotion is part of the activities to celebrate 50 years of the two countries’ relations.

After the event in Hanoi, other seminars will kick off in Hue and Da Nang in March, and in Ho Chi Minh, Nha Trang, and Can Tho in September.

Like us on Facebook or  follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Many Australian firms have tapped into the Vietnamese market due to Vietnam’s strengthened political security, apart from an efficient anti-corruption crackdown, heard a seminar on Vietnam-Australia education, culture, and cuisine promotion in Hanoi on Monday.

The Australian side strongly believes that Vietnam will further improve transparency and the investment climate.

The event, jointly organized by the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade), Hanoi authorities, and many enterprises, acted as a start for a series of similar seminars to be held in five cities and provinces this year, which marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Australia.

An Austrade representative presents the performance of the Vietnam-Australia partnership in 2022. Photo: Duy Linh/ Tuoi Tre

An Austrade representative delivers a presentation on the performance of the Vietnam-Australia partnership in 2022. Photo: Duy Linh / Tuoi Tre

Australia picks Vietnam as an investment destination thanks to political security

Eliza Chui, a representative of Austrade, said that many factors had encouraged Australian firms to do business in Vietnam, including the country’s political security, rapid post-COVID-19 recovery, golden population, anti-corruption efforts, and transparency.

“Vietnam is Southeast Asia’s sixth-largest economy, while the nation is home to 291 industrial parks, making it more attractive to foreign investors,” said Chui.

“After the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnamese people tend to pay attention to their health, so they are willing to seek high-quality products, smoothing the path for Australian exports.”

Bilateral trade between Vietnam and Australia totaled some 23.5 billion Australian dollars (US$15.6 billion) in 2022, making Australia Vietnam’s seventh-largest trade partner.

Meanwhile, Vietnam became Australia’s 10th-biggest trade partner.

Furthermore, Vietnam is Australia’s fifth-largest education partner, sending 27,000 Vietnamese students to Australia and seeing over 8,000 students pursuing degrees at Australia-invested universities in the Southeast Asian country.

Two-way trade in the agro-forestry-fishery sector reached a new record of six billion Australian dollars (US$3.9 billion) last year.

Tony Harman, Australian Agriculture Counselor at the Australian Embassy in Vietnam, delivers a speech at the seminar. Photo: Duy Linh/ Tuoi Tre

Tony Harman, Australian agriculture counselor at the Australian Embassy in Vietnam, delivers a speech at the seminar. Photo: Duy Linh / Tuoi Tre

Australia set to import Vietnamese grapefruit, passion fruit

Tony Harman, Australian agriculture counselor at the Australian Embassy in Vietnam, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on the sidelines of the seminar that the event was not only aimed at introducing Australian products to Vietnamese customers, but also at creating a chance for Australian firms to learn more about and buy Vietnamese farm produce.

Many Vietnamese agricultural products are being shipped to Australia, including dried, frozen, and fresh produce.

The Vietnamese shrimp is a much sought-after product in Australia and has gained a dominant position on the market, said Harman.

“We are working to import grapefruit and passion fruit from Vietnam to diversify fresh fruits on the Australian market and provide Australian customers with Vietnam’s high-quality products,” he revealed. 

Australia is focusing on marketing honey products, kangaroo meat, deer meat, peaches, cranberries, and baby formulas to the Vietnamese market. In addition, Australia will make life easier for the import of Vietnamese shrimp, passion fruit, and grapefruit, while issuing certificates to Vietnam’s food irradiation and disinfection facilities.

In response to a topic about the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the two countries last year on sending Vietnamese workers to Australia for work in agriculture, Harman said that both sides were stepping up efforts to implement the memo, and will issue further notice in the near future.

As per the MOU signed in March last year, Australia will issue agricultural visas and receive nearly 1,000 farm workers from Vietnam each year.

However, in September last year, Australia announced the suspension of agricultural visas. Instead, the Australian government shifted to a program with a focus on workers from Pacific island nations and Timor Leste.

Representatives of Australian firms have a discussion with their partners on the sidelines of the seminar. Photo: Duy Linh/ Tuoi Tre

Representatives of Australian firms have a discussion with their partners on the sidelines of the seminar. Photo: Duy Linh / Tuoi Tre

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been committed to continuing to follow all agreements with Vietnam, while the two countries are in the process of discussing the implementation of these deals.

The series of seminars on Vietnam-Australia education, culture, and cuisine promotion is part of the activities to celebrate 50 years of the two countries’ relations.

After the event in Hanoi, other seminars will kick off in Hue and Da Nang in March, and in Ho Chi Minh, Nha Trang, and Can Tho in September.

Like us on Facebook or  follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Source: https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/business/20230327/vietnams-political-security-makes-the-country-more-attractive-to-australian-investors/72297.html

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Vietnam – Australia agro-forestry-fishery trade exceeds $4bln in 2022

Two-way trade turnover between Vietnam and Australia hit A$23.5 billion ($16 billion) in 2022, a year-on-year rise of 27 per cent.

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In particular, the trade of agriculture, forestry and fishery products topped A$6 billion ($4 billion) for the first time, or more than double the figure in 2021.

The figures were revealed at a workshop on agricultural food held in Hanoi on March 27, as part of series of activities marking the 50th anniversary of Vietnam-Australia diplomatic ties. The workshop drew the participation of 400 businesses, organizations, and associations in the two countries.

Vietnam has been one of the fastest-developing trade partners of Australia in recent years, with two-way trade turnover surging 27 per cent in 2022 against 2021, to A$23.5 billion ($16 billion), according to Ms. Tran Huong, Marketing Director of Austrade.

Vietnam is currently Australia’s tenth-largest trading partner while Australia is Vietnam’s seventh-largest.

Source: VnEconomy

Source: https://e.nhipcaudautu.vn/economy/vietnam–australia-agro-forestry-fishery-trade-exceeds-4bln-in-2022-3351574/

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Japanese retailer Muji to expand in Vietnam, targeting affluent

Japanese retailer Muji plans to open more stores in Hanoi in the second quarter of this year to meet increasing demand for high-value products.

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Muji has been present in Vietnam for three years, with five stores, three in Ho Chi Minh City and two in Hanoi.

The news site quoted Tetsuya Nagaiwa, general director of Muji Vietnam, as saying: “Its stores in Vietnam are the largest at around 2,000 square meters on average. The size in Vietnam is almost double the average in other countries, including Japan.”

Muji’s latest 2,000-square meter store in HCMC’s Thu Duc city sells everything from food, home appliances and clothing to furniture, stationery and accessories.

Earlier, Nagaiwa said his company would cooperate more with local producers to sell more products specifically designed for the Vietnamese market, at better prices. The shift would reduce the firm’s expenses and provide more work for local manufacturers.

“We see strong demand for high-value products,” he said, adding that Muji’s sales remained good because young consumers prefer its stationery, cosmetics and furniture.

Muji has steadily increased the local content rate and looked for local suppliers, Nagaiwa said, citing goods made in Vietnam account for 30% of its products and 97-98% in the case of products like T-shirts, backpacks and messenger bags. “We hope these numbers will increase in future,” he said.

After discovering that the Vietnamese stationery market only had the popular and high-end segments and not the mid-range one, Muji started selling ballpoint pens for VND19,000 ($0.8), attracting students, who liked Japanese goods with minimalist designs, he added.

Not only Muji, many other Japanese retailers are opening more stores in Vietnam, targeting consumers that are not much affected by the difficult economic situation, said the news site.

Uniqlo, which has 15 stores in Vietnam after entering three years ago, last month announced plans to expand its network to the southern province of Binh Duong, with the first store to be opened this spring or summer.

In February, Aeon started building its seventh outlet in Vietnam in the central town of Hue at a cost of $169.67 million. Once inaugurated in April 2025, the 86,216-square-meter mall, located in the An Van Duong new urban area in An Dong ward, will be the largest mall in the central region.

Last December, Aeon signed a memorandum of understanding with Hai Duong authorities to build a mall in the northern province. The mall will be located in the southern urban area of Hai Duong town near Vo Nguyen Giap boulevard.

The Japanese retailer is now operating six malls in Vietnam, including two in Hanoi, one in Hai Phong, two in HCMC and one in nearby Binh Duong.

A recent business survey by the Japan External Trade Promotion Organization found that 100% of Japanese retail businesses in Vietnam expect profits to increase this year. Of them, 80% said they would expand in the next one to two years.

Source: The Investor

Source: https://e.nhipcaudautu.vn/companies/japanese-retailer-muji-to-expand-in-vietnam-targeting-affluent-3351568/

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