Latest news with #HaiPhong
The Star
26-05-2025
- The Star
As summer travel season heats up in Vietnam, experts issue warnings against online scams
HANOI: As Vietnam enters its golden summer travel season, domestic tourism is ramping up with an array of new experiences and enticing promotions. Alongside the excitement, however, experts are urging travellers to remain vigilant against increasingly sophisticated online scams targeting holidaymakers. While travel goals and preferences have evolved, Vietnam's summer holiday hotspots remain familiar. According to which analysed domestic search data from June 1 to July 31, 2025, up to 61 per cent of Vietnamese families are choosing beach destinations, followed by 59 per cent seeking nature experiences, and 45 per cent opting for city explorations. Top domestic destinations include Danang, Nha Trang, Dalat, Phu Quoc and Vung Tau. For outbound travel, Singapore, Tokyo and Bangkok continue to be the most searched international cities, marking their second consecutive year on the list. Major travel agencies are rolling out flexible and proactive strategies to meet seasonal demand. Meanwhile, the travel sector is embracing digital transformation, incorporating smart maps, QR-based tour guides, virtual assistants and AI-personalised itineraries—designed to give tourists more autonomy and a seamless, emotionally rich travel experience. Provinces and cities are also working to refresh their tourism offerings. Hanoi has introduced night food and art tours; Hanam opened a Sun World water park with evening hours; Hai Phong launched the 'Green Island Symphony' art show and high-end Hoa Phuong Do cruise service; Quang Ninh is hosting the 'Ocean Dance' night performance; Sa Pa continues its Rose Festival; Hue celebrates its Summer Festival, and Danang returns with the International Fireworks Festival. A survey by the Mastercard Economics Institute ranks tourism among the sectors most vulnerable to scams, with fraud cases rising 18 per cent in summer and 28 per cent in winter of 2024. The cities where travellers faced the highest risk included Cancun (Mexico), Hanoi, Dhaka (Bangladesh), and Bangkok (Thailand). In contrast, destinations rated safest by tourists were San Francisco (USA), Dublin (Ireland), Seoul (South Korea), Budapest (Hungary) and Edinburgh (Scotland). According to the report, scams typically involved tour companies and travel agents, with travellers paying for trips that were later altered or cancelled without warning. Other common traps included rental car fraud, overpriced or rigged taxi services, fake airline or train tickets, hotel booking scams and being ripped off at souvenir shops. Online fraud schemes have become increasingly complex and widespread. A marketing executive from a leading global resort brand operating six properties in Vietnam revealed that the company had dealt with around 170 fake fanpages impersonating their brand. Alarmingly, these fraudulent pages continue to emerge even after takedowns. Some are so sophisticated that they even bear verified checkmarks, making them nearly indistinguishable from the official pages and easily deceiving unsuspecting users. According to the Vietnam Cybersecurity Association, online scams caused an estimated VNĐ18.9 trillion (approximately $760 million) in losses across Vietnam in 2024 alone. A significant portion of this involved scammers creating fake travel brand fanpages, impersonating hotels, airlines and tour operators, often pushing heavily discounted tours, airfares, or hotel packages to lure victims. The scams typically operate via Facebook, Zalo and sometimes TikTok, where fraudsters ask customers to transfer deposits, then disappear—often by blocking communication or deleting the page. Others use phishing links to steal personal data and OTP codes, enabling unauthorised bank withdrawals. These schemes exploit users' desire for cheap deals, lack of travel experience and overconfidence. Scammers are increasingly adept at mimicking legitimate marketing tactics. Experts recommend several ways to differentiate real from fake fanpages, even those with verification checkmarks. Authentic pages have an accurate brand name, a long post history, polished content and contact information matching the official website. Fake pages are often newly created, contain poor grammar, and lack detailed contact info. They may also have recently changed names or repurposed from unrelated pages. Search via official websites, not by typing the page name on Facebook. Fake fanpages often pay for ads to appear at the top of search results. Scammers may run Google Ads to place fake websites at the top of search rankings, increasing the likelihood of users clicking into scam pages. Travellers are encouraged to stay alert, verify every detail and report suspicious activity to help protect themselves and others during the peak travel season. — Vietnam News/ANN
Malay Mail
16-05-2025
- Automotive
- Malay Mail
Vietnam's VinFast Rides the Green Wave into the Gulf
VinFast, Vietnam's electric vehicle champion, is steering into the Gulf with ambition and pride, transforming the nation's global image from factory floor to innovation force. VinFast EV manufacturing complex in Hai Phong, Vietnam HANOI, VIETNAM- Media OutReach Newswire - 16 May 2025 - Ford means America. Toyota means Japan. And now VinFast - a name unfamiliar to most Westerners just 8 years ago - is becoming synonymous with Vietnam. The automaker, born from the Vingroup conglomerate, isn't just selling cars. It's selling a new image of a nation long associated with rice farmers, poverty, and its start as a gasoline car manufacturer primarily serving Vietnam, VinFast has quickly evolved into a global electric vehicle (EV) brand. Its journey from domestic assembly lines to international presence unfolded at remarkable speed, establishing footholds in North America, Europe, and Asia within just a few a recent day in May, VinFast signed new dealer agreements with ASTRADA SIMVA in France and Schachtschneider Automobile in Germany, respectively. While the news are are not big per se, the significance runs deeper than business headlines suggest. Each VinFast dealership opening represents Vietnam planting a flag in markets once exclusively dominated by German engineering, American muscle, and Japanese reliability."We are proud to partner with VinFast, standing alongside this Vietnamese brand in driving the global green revolution," said Renzo Schachtschneider, owner of Schachtschneider Automobile, which will operate three new dealerships[1].VinFast's European push follows similar moves across North America and Asia, but it doesn't merely want to be a passive participant in the EV transition. Increasingly, developing countries, particularly in Southeast Asia, where the VinFast dream was born, want to embed themselves deep into the EV supply chain. This audacity signals a shift in how Vietnam positions itself in the international order, from manufacturing hub to innovation have long used commercial brands as extensions of national identity. South Korea leveraged Samsung to reshape global perceptions. Japan did the same with Sony decades earlier. Vietnam's strategy through VinFast follows this playbook while writing its own road isn't smooth. EV demand fluctuates. Competition is fierce. Yet the company's willingness to adapt, shifting toward a dealership sales model globally and entering untapped markets like the Middle East and India, reflects a distinctly Vietnamese Middle East entry is particularly telling. These are markets with deep pockets and high standards, where luxury European brands have long dominated. VinFast's move into this territory shows confidence not just in its vehicles but in the "Made in Vietnam" identity they even more than that, governments in the region are increasingly paying attention to clean mobility solutions and green industrial partnerships, with initiatives to bring about a sustainable future like Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 or the UAE's Net Zero 2050 Strategy. These national agendas create fertile ground for a new player like VinFast, one that offers not just electric vehicles, but also the chance for diversification beyond traditional Western and Chinese stores from Germany to Dubai, VinFast is reshaping perceptions one test drive at a time. Vietnam is no longer just a vacation destination or manufacturing location; rather, it's the home of a company bold enough to challenge automotive giants on their home turf. The vehicles carry passengers, but they also carry Vietnam's story into the #vinfast The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
