About enjoying summer holidays

Although the summer holiday has just started, travel firms and agents have already completed 60-70 percent of their business plan while air carriers have also increased their flights to meet high travel demand. However, travel firms and agents are facing new difficulties: increasing tour prices because of rising fuel prices and a shortage of human resources. Millions of tourists ready for their trips Tran Quoc Bao, deputy director of Saigontourist Travel Company, said the company has expected to serve more than 280,000 tourists this summer. The number of tourists will be higher as tourist demand at home and abroad is surging. Three-to-eight-day domestic tours offered by Saigontourist are available nationwide. The most popular ones are tours of beaches, tours of northeastern and northwestern regions, 'green' tours, and community tours. “As summer is the peak season, we have prepared financial and human resources to diversify and better our services to meet market … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s travel firms see explosion of summer tours

Once a cost-cutting and outsourcing target for aviation, ground handlers are now being offered raises, as frazzled passengers take to social media to complain about missing baggage. The hiring can't come fast enough as a rebound in travel and badly-needed airline revenue this summer is being weighed by congestion, rising costs and labor strife, after a two-year pandemic vacuum. Air Canada said late on Wednesday it would cut flights in July and August to reduce passenger flows to a level that the air transport system can accommodate. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW), which represents ground handlers, including baggage and cargo handlers, for Air Canada among other carriers, said some Canadian workers are being offered raises and double pay to work beyond eight-hour shifts, a union official said. "It's created a bit of a bidding war," said Dave Flowers, an IAMAW national president in Canada specializing in air transportation. Flowers … [Read more...] about Luggage piles join long airport lines in fresh woes for summer travel

Illustration. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam enjoyed a trade surplus of 710 million USD in the first six months of 2022, the General Statistics Office (GSO) reported on June 29. According to the office, in the first half of this year, total import-export revenue is estimated to reach 371.17 billion USD, up 16.4% year on year, with imports of 185.94 billion USD, a rise of 17.3% over the same period last year. In the period, the domestic economic sector suffered trade deficit of 15.97 billion USD, while the foreign-invested sector saw trade surplus of 16.68 billion USD. In June, import-export turnover is estimated at 32.65 billion USD, up 5.6% over the previous month. In the second quarter of 2022, export revenue reached 96.8 billion USD, a rise of 21% year on year and 8.7% over the previous quarter. In the January-June period, 28 products recorded export revenue of over 1 billion USD, and five earning revenue exceeding 10 billion USD. The GSO reported that the … [Read more...] about Vietnam enjoys trade surplus of 710 million USD in six months

The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, in a message on Twitter late on Tuesday, lodged a "strong objection over the unlawful live fire drills" to be carried out by Taiwan this week around the island, known internationally as Itu Aba, or Ba Binh in Vietnam. "This illegal activity raises tensions and complicates the situation in the South China Sea," it said. Taiwan's foreign ministry said in a statement the island was part of the territory of the Republic of China - Taiwan's formal name - and that it enjoyed all relevant rights accorded by international law. "Our country has the right to conduct routine exercises on Taiping Island and related maritime areas. In order to ensure the safety of maritime traffic and fishing boats operating in adjacent maritime areas, we notify the relevant regional countries in advance before each live-fire drill," it said. Itu Aba is the biggest feature in the Spratly Islands. The Philippines normally complains most vociferously about … [Read more...] about Taiwan rebuffs Philippines complaint about S.China Sea live fire drills

"This ultra-luxury resort captivates what's so special about this beautiful island with its untouched shores and tropical landscapes. Its proximity to the beach means it's easier than ever to escape into nature," the newspaper said. The resort, around 15 minutes from Phu Quoc International Airport in the southern island, opened its in April. It features 302 suites and villas, six restaurants and bars, swimming pools overlooking Long Beach, one of the most beautiful on Phu Quoc, next to a UNESCO-recognized world biosphere reserve. It recommended tourists to try Japanese-French cuisine inside Oku, the resort's signature restaurant, or enjoy Vietnamese and Chinese gastronomy at Rice Market. The resort also has a fitness center, reset meditation studio and rooftop yoga pavilions. Phu Quoc, Vietnam's largest island, has become internationally popular after the government allowed 30-day visa-free entry in 2014. The other five hotels included by the British newspaper were Crowne … [Read more...] about Regent Phu Quoc among world’s 6 best seaside hotels: Independent

Public and private sectors work together to establish a circular business economy in Vietnam, aiming towards the country's 2050 objective of net zero emissions. Photo by: Duc Thanh The conference saw the participation of representatives from the MoNRE, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP), SCG Vietnam and BeerCo Limited, the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), and other international organisations and businesses, as well as the press. During the plenary session, the panellists examined the feasibility of building CE in Vietnam to achieve the net zero emission objective by 2050. They also discussed factors to be considered when implementing a circular approach in the country, taking into account lessons learnt from foreign partners and proposals for the transition to circularity. Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha emphasised the importance of revamping the current linear economy in … [Read more...] about Vietnam primed for circular and sustainable advancement

The final design of Tran Hung Dao bridge is a combination of an ancient and modern Hanoi. (Photo from the organiser) Hanoi (VNA) - The Hanoi’s People’s Committee has chosen the final design for Tran Hung Dao bridge , which will cross Hong (Red) River and connect three urban districts of the capital city, after three months of consideration. The final design was the one that won the first prize in a design contest held by the city’s Transport Construction Investment Project Management Board and the Vietnam Association of Architects last October. According to the design, the main bridge will be 900m long with six spans. The project will have a total length of about 5.5km, connecting the districts of Hoan Kiem and Hai Ba Trung to Long Bien district on the northern bank of the Red River. The bridge's starting point will be at Tran Hung Dao-Tran Thanh Tong intersection in Hoan Kiem district, where it will extend to Nguyen Van Linh road in Long Bien district. The design is a … [Read more...] about Hanoi finalises design of Tran Hung Dao bridge

Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Duong Hai Hung (L) presents his credentials to IFAD President Gilbert F. Houngbo . (Photo: VNA) Rome (VNA) – Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Duong Hai Hung has presented his credentials to IFAD President Gilbert F. Houngbo. Houngbo highly valued Vietnam’s effective cooperation with the IFAD, saying that the partnership is a model of cooperation between the agency and its member countries. He thanked the Vietnamese Government for supporting the IFAD representative office in Hanoi and creating optimal conditions for the office to upgrade itself to an IFAD coordination centre in the Mekong region (Mekong Hub). The official also lauded the role of Vietnam in the common work of the IFAD through financial and technical contributions as well as activities of the country’s representative office in Rome. He pledged … [Read more...] about IFAD hails Vietnam’s effective cooperation

TOKYO -- Japan's electricity grid creaked on Thursday under the strain of Tokyo's hottest June since records began, with the unexpected shutdown of a power plant raising fears that tens of millions of people could be deprived of power on another scorching day. Temperatures of around 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) were expected in some parts of greater Tokyo, home to 37 million people, on the sixth day of a heatwave that began after the earliest end to the capital's rainy season in decades. Maximum highs are not forecast to drop to 30C (86F) before Tuesday. With power producers scrambling to bring nearly 50-year-old turbines out of mothballs, the closure of a 600-megawatt (MW) plant in northern Japan that sends supplies to Tokyo came with reserve power capacity hovering around 3% - the level below which blackouts can occur. Operator Joban Kyodo Thermal Power Company cited unexplained technical issues for the closure but said that parts of the plant had been restarted as of 1 p.m., … [Read more...] about Japan power plant shutdown raises fear of shortage in sweltering heat

Agoda launches Eco Deals programme, offering a wide range of properties where travellers can give back to communities. — Photo Courtesy Agoda Global digital travel platform, Agoda, has recently launched its Eco Deals programme, which offers a wide range of properties where travellers can give back to communities and environmental initiatives. Agoda’s Sustainable Travel Trends Survey (2021) found consumers want to travel more sustainably, and that polluted beaches and waterways ranked as the top concern of tourists. Accordingly, the company has partnered with World Wide Fund for Nature Singapore to provide funds for, and to raise awareness of, marine habitat restoration initiatives in Southeast Asia and flood relief efforts in Australia. Eco Deals, which kicks off from 8 June 2022 to 8 December 2022, offers travellers the opportunity to select from a variety of holiday accommodation deals with a discount up to 15 per cent, and in turn, Agoda will make a donation of US$1 for … [Read more...] about Agoda’s Eco Deal initiative offers travellers exclusive deals that ‘give back’