The Institute for Management Development (IMD) in collaboration with the World Smart Sustainable Cities Organisation (WeGO) in April released rankings of the world’s leading smart cities for 2024. Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City both found their way on to the list this year.

As of April 20, total registered foreign investment in Vietnam had reached 9.27 billion USD, an increase of 4.4% compared to the same period of 2023.

The average Satisfaction Index of Public Administration Services (SIPAS) for Vietnam as a whole in 2023 was 82.66%, an increase of 2.58 percentage points compared to 2022 (80.08%). The province with the highest satisfaction rate was Quang Ninh, with 90.61%.

Pho tron (mixed pho), nom (traditional Vietnamese salad), and goi ga (Vietnamese shredded chicken salad) have all appeared on TasteAtlas’s list of the 100 best salads in the world.

A high-speed ferry service linking Ho Chi Minh City and Con Dao Island off the coast of the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau came into operation on May 13.

Vietnam’s total registered foreign investment reached nearly 9.27 billion USD in the first four months of the year, up 4.5% compared to the same period last year. The total import-export turnover of goods reached 238.88 billion USD, up 15.2%.

Facilitative visa policies and attractive tourism stimulus programmes have proven effective in attracting a high number of international visitors to Vietnam compared to the same period last year.

Some 51,600 new enterprises with total registered capital of nearly 508 trillion VND (20 billion USD) were established in the first four months of 2024.

May 8, 2024, marks the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Brazil. Since then, cooperation between the two countries has continually developed in all regards, including politics, defence, diplomacy, economy, culture, and people-to-people exchanges, and relations were then upgraded to a Comprehensive Partnership in 2007. Vietnam and Brazil boast substantial potential in bilateral trade and aim to raise turnover to 10 billion USD by 2023.

The Information and Communication Infrastructure Plan for 2021-2030 with a Vision towards 2050 sets the goal of Vietnam becoming one of the leading centres in cybersecurity and network information safety in Asia by 2030.

Having identified the strategic resolve to advance and annihilate the enemy at Dien Bien Phu, a major concern of the Party Central Committee was the provision of food and ammunition and ensuring logistical routes remained open for the tens of thousands of frontline troops fighting in rear areas for a long period of time.

Banh bot loc (Vietnamese tapioca dumpling), a specialty originating from the former imperial capital of Hue, has been selected as one of the world’s 35 tastiest dumplings by CNN.

As of April 30, 10 Vietnamese athletes have officially secured slots at the Paris Olympics 2024.

Vietnam aims to post export turnover of 14-16 billion USD from six key industrial crops by 2030.

The National Tourism Year-Dien Bien 2024 is scheduled to take place in Dien Bien soon, which is expected to serve as a catalyst to transform the northern province into an appealing destination for both domestic and foreign visitors.

Forty-nine years since Reunification Day (April 30, 1975 - 2024), Vietnam has recorded significant progress in its socio-economic development and quality of life for its citizens has continually improved. The scale of its GDP has consistently expanded, reaching approximately 430 billion USD in 2023, making it the fifth-largest economy in ASEAN and 35th among the world’s largest 40 economies.