"With the approaching summer holidays and potential easing of visa restrictions, which are under considerations by the National Assembly, Vietnam will likely see a punchier boost from international tourism, a much-needed support for its sharply slowing economy," HSBC said in a report. Vietnam has received 4.6 million international tourists so far this year, around 60% of this year’s target of 8 million. In May alone, it received over 916,000 foreign tourist arrivals. Despite falling slightly from April’s figure, Vietnam has seen its inbound tourism recovery reach around 70% of pre-pandemic levels. Tourists from China, the biggest feeder market of Vietnam’s tourism before the pandemic, have recovered to 35% of pre-pandemic levels. Legislators will vote on new bill on June 24 that seeks to extend the validity of e-visas from 30 days to a maximum of three months and allow multiple entries, and triple to 45 days the duration of visa-free stays for tourists from certain … [Read more...] about Vietnam tourism forecast to see robust growth as visa restrictions relaxed: HSBC
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Internet speeds up as four of five undersea cables repaired
Illustrative photo (Photo: businessinsider.com) Hanoi (VNA) – Four out of the five international undersea cables that were damaged last year and early this year have been repaired, the Department of Telecommunications under the Ministry of Information and Communications announced on June 1. Up to now, only the Asia Pacific Gateway (APG) internet cable that connects Vietnam with the rest of Asia is still experiencing errors. The APG, with 10,400 km of cable under the Pacific Ocean, is the cable with the largest bandwidth connecting to Vietnam. It provides a maximum bandwidth of 54 terabytes per second and opened in 2016. In late December 2022 and mid-January this year, the cable had an problem with its connection to Hong Kong and another cable 151 km offshore. The two errors affected the entire line. The errors on APG route are expected to be fixed in June. With the completed repair and restoration of normal operation by four undersea cable routes - IA , SMW3, AAE-1 … [Read more...] about Internet speeds up as four of five undersea cables repaired
Vietnam to consider downgrading COVID-19 to flu-like status
Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan has said that Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh would chair a meeting of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control this weekend to deliberate the downgrading of COVID-19 from its current placement in Class A infectious diseases down to Class B. Lan told the National Assembly that on May 29 that the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced that COVID-19 no longer constituted a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, the designation that was attached to the viral disease more than three years ago, but the pandemic is not over yet. In accordance with the guidance of the Government leader, the Ministry of Health was also coordinating with other ministries and agencies to review the legal regulations, consult the experience of other countries, and review practical measures for the prevention and control of COVID-19 in Vietnam, Lan noted. The Ministry … [Read more...] about Vietnam to consider downgrading COVID-19 to flu-like status