Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has approved a master plan on use of information technology in promoting tourism from 2018 – 2020, with a vision to 2025.
The plan aims to create a digital database of tour guides, travel agencies, hotels and lodging providers nationwide as well as of tourist complexes and destinations and tourists by 2020. A range of mobile applications will be developed to provide tourists with all they need to know about the tourist destinations and tourist services and products there while audio guides will also be available in popular languages.
Better connection will be established among central and local tourism authorities and tourism service providers.
By 2025, Vietnam will develop a smart eco-tourism environment in tandem with smart cities and foster the use of artificial intelligence, virtual assistant and other advanced technology to better serve tourists and support operation of tour operators and tourism authorities.
All are set to take the country to the Top 4 countries in Southeast Asia in terms of competitiveness in tourism.
According to the Vietnam Tourism Association (VNTA), the smart travel segment has plenty of room for growth.
Last year, the VNTA reported that online travel sales volume in Vietnam would maintain a yearly growth rate of 12% for the next three years, and 50 million Vietnamese people or 53% of the population, had Internet access and 78% of them had regular access to the Internet. All travel agents use the Internet to advertise their products and services.
Vietnam’s tourism industry is booming and is fast becoming the driving force behind economic growth. The “smoke-free” industry has witnessed spectacular success in the past few years with higher growth rate every year.
Last year, nearly 13 million foreign visitors came to Vietnam, earning the country more than VND500 trillion (US$22 billion). That was up 30% and 20% year on year, respectively.
Vietnam’s tourism ranked sixth in the top 10 fastest growing tourism destinations globally and was crowned the best performer in Asia in 2017. The industry last year contributed 7.5 per cent to the nation’s GDP.
The nation hopes to welcome 17-20 million foreign arrivals and 82 million domestic tourists by 2020. Tourism revenue is expected to reach US$35 billion, contributing 10% to the country’s GDP by then, and the industry may create four million jobs, including 1.6 million direct jobs.
The Supreme People’s Court’s appellate panel had been scheduled to deliver its verdict on September 30 afternoon. However, before the verdict, defence lawyers and defendants asked the panel to postpone the hearing to allow them more time to prepare additional payments.
The International Day of Older Persons 2026, themed “The Age of Longevity: Rethinking Systems for Longer Lives,” highlights the need to develop healthcare, social security, labour-market and social-service systems in response to increasing life expectancy. For Vietnam, rapid population ageing is not only a demographic issue but also a development challenge.
The Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre on September 29 safely brought ashore an unconscious sailor from the Liberian-flagged MSC HERMES III, who was suspected of inhaling toxic gas, for further medical treatment.
This year, lessons will weave Vietnamese culture, history and everyday life into the curriculum, tailored to each age group.
Among the key transport and conference projects, the runway expansion at Phu Quoc International Airport has been completed, while the VIP terminal is 96% complete and Terminal 2 is 72% complete.
Both sides agreed to keep educating officials, Party members, youth union groups and the broader public, especially young people in both provinces, on the great friendship, special solidarity, comprehensive cooperation and strategic cohesion between Vietnam and Laos.
Standing Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Tuc on September 27 inspected Huu Nghi – Chi Lang and Dong Dang – Tra Linh expressway projects, urging local authorities, investors and contractors to speed up construction to connect the two routes before the Lunar New Year (Tet) 2027.
General Secretary and President Lam stressed that bilateral friendship and cooperation have been nurtured by people living and working in both countries, with the Vietnamese community in Canada playing an important bridging role.
Of the total, 631 were individual sets of remains, while 33 were recovered from eight mass graves. Personal artifacts were found with 298 sets of remains.
Vietnam plans to connect its national digital identification application VNeID with the electronic identification systems of Singapore and Laos, with a view to expanding the connection to other ASEAN countries.
Such assessments, however, need to be viewed in the context of Vietnam’s starting point in 1986 and the broader trajectory of its development. A country emerging from prolonged wars, facing severe socio-economic difficulties and economic embargo has undergone profound changes over the past four decades.
The floods have left three people dead, destroyed eight houses and damaged 111 others, while nearly 20,000 houses have been inundated, with more than 5,000 in riverside and low-lying areas of Hanoi and Ninh Binh currently remaining flooded.
The captain discovered water entering ballast tanks No. 4, 5 and 6 on the port side, causing the vessel to list slightly. Initial assessments indicated that the vessel may have struck an underwater rock formation while underway.
Publishing copyright is entering an entirely new phase. As AI becomes increasingly capable of generating text, summarising books, mimicking writing styles and producing content at enormous speed, ensuring copyright protection is becoming more difficult.
Authorities urged residents in the eight provinces and cities - Son La, Phu Tho, Lao Cai, Tuyen Quang, Thai Nguyen, Quang Ninh, Thanh Hoa and Nghe An - to remain alert for a high risk of flash floods and landslides on September 17.
Prolonged heavy rains from September 13–17 have caused flooding and landslides, damaging homes, crops, roads and infrastructure in Phu Tho and Thanh Hoa provinces, with local authorities mobilising forces for emergency response.
Quang Ninh city's Public Security Department warned individuals, agencies and businesses not to publicly disclose or provide personal information or bank account details on social media, and urged organisations and businesses to strictly comply with regulations on protecting customers’ personal data.
From a weekend support activity, the “Zero-dong stall” has grown into a widely recognised community initiative, helping ease living costs while fostering solidarity and compassion among local residents.
The continued recovery of martyrs’ remains provides valuable information and further evidence of those who fought and sacrificed their lives for national independence and freedom. It also encourages search teams to persist in locating fallen soldiers still lying on former battlefields, contributing to the effective implementation of the 500-day campaign and reflecting Vietnam’s long-standing tradition of gratitude.
Vietnam will launch nationwide screening for five groups of school-related diseases and health conditions among students from preschool through high school from 2028, including overweight and obesity, refractive errors, spinal curvature, oral diseases and mental health disorders.