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Survival challenge The Covid-19 pandemic has become a severe challenge for most industries and businesses. Since early this year, about 59,800 businesses have stopped operation, an increase of 23 percent over the same period in 2020. Despite this gloomy picture, Vietnam’s startup ecosystem is still developing and becoming more vibrant than ever. Many startups in Vietnam have announced successful fundraising of millions of US dollars in 2021. In January, MoMo announced completion of the fourth round of fundraising (series D) from world investors, including new investors and investments from Goodwater Capital, Kora Management and Macquarie Capital, as well as existing shareholders Warburg Pincus, Affima Capital and Tybourne Capital Management. In the series D round, according to the agreement between the parties, MoMo does not announce the amount of investment received. However, a source told Bloomberg that the total value of investment in this round was more than US$100 …

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Ho Chi Minh City led the day's tally with 4,046 new cases, followed by Binh Duong (3,629) and Dong Nai (996). 180 deaths were recorded on Saturday, including 123 in HCMC, 34 in its neighbor Binh Duong and seven in Dong Nai. Other deaths were recorded in An Giang, Tien Giang and Tay Ninh (three each), Ben Tre and Da Nang ( two each), Binh Thuan, Kien Giang and Can Tho (one each). The national death rate over the past week has been 220 a day on average. The coronavirus death toll in Vietnam so far is 18,400. Also on Saturday, 10,590 Covid-19 patients were announced recovered, bringing the total tally of recovered cases so far to 516,449. The country has vaccinated over 37 million people with at least one Covid-19 vaccine shot. Over 7.5 million have been fully vaccinated. …

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The resumption of domestic flights would be divided into four phases, according to a draft on the plan to resume transportation across localities with relaxed Covid-19 restrictions discussed Saturday. In the first phase, to be carried out in no more than 10 days, airlines would be allowed to resume air routes with a flight frequency not exceeding half that in the first 10 days of April, the time before the fourth coronavirus wave hit Vietnam. Seats on the planes must be distanced as well. In the second phase, also to be carried out in no more than 10 days, the frequency would be increased to not exceed 70 percent. The third phase would see flight frequency return to the level as seen in the first week of April (but not exceeding it), with no seat distancing required. The final phase would see airlines resume activities as normal. Air routes that had only one flight a day even pre-pandemic can resume operations as normal in all phases, with seat distancing required. …

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Bidoup Nui Ba National Park was established in 2004 and is named after the two highest peaks on the Langbiang plateau: Bidoup (2,287 meters) and Nui Ba (2,167 meters). In 2019, it was added to the list of ASEAN heritage parks. Around 50 kilometers from downtown Da Lat, the park boasts a rich biodiversity, green pine forests and lots of fresh air. Guest accommodation inside the national park includes 60 airy rooms. With a capacity of more than 100 people, it regularly hosts scientific expeditions. Green-backed tit (Parus monticolus) perches on a branch. The species has a black head with white cheeks and pale yellow underparts. The female has yellower underparts with a smaller black stripe. In Vietnam, it always appears on the Da Lat plateau. The plumbeous water redstart (Phoenicurus fuliginosus) is easily captured on the way from Highway 27C leading to the national park. The …

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However, Covid checkpoints at gateways leading to HCMC would be still maintained, Tran Hoang Ngan, director of the HCMC Institute for Development Studies, and also a member of the prime minister's advisory group, said at an online meeting on Saturday about the city's economic recovery plan in the "new normalcy" period. "We would remove barriers installed in the inner area by September 30 to enter the new normalcy period from October 1 while Covid checkpoints would be installed at gateways to ensure the safety of the entire southern economic zone," Ngan said, adding that top city leaders have agreed on this issue at a meeting on Friday. "This would be a positive sign," Ngan said. Bui Ta Hoang Vu, head of the city's Department of Trade, said in the coming time the city plans to check people's departure and destination points, instead of inspecting travel documents on the road as previously. Road barriers would be removed; instead, functional forces would carry out random rapid …

[Read more...] about HCMC plans to remove barriers, travel permits by end-September

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is finalizing the draft code of conduct for Vietnamese artists. On September 10, the General Administration of State Administration of Radio, Television and Movies of China issued new rules for artists who perform advertising activities and act as the face of brands. According to the new regulations, Chinese artists who commit wrong behaviors are subject to administrative fines and banned from being involved in advertising activities for three years. That’s in China. How about Vietnam? Two months ago, several Vietnamese celebrities were criticized by the public for exaggerating the functions and effectiveness of products they advertised, mainly cosmetics, dietary supplements to support fat loss and treatment of stomach cancer, fibroids, cysts, sore throats. Only after the media raised its voice did some of the celebrities such as actor and event host Quyen Linh, People’s Artist Hong Van, Miss Vietnam Mai Phuong Thuy, …

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A health worker collects swab samples from a man for COVID-19 testing in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Health reported 9,706 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday evening, in 34 provinces and cities. These include 9,682 domestic infections with 4,377 detected in the community. The number of locally transmitted cases increased by 1,152 compared to yesterday. A further 180 deaths were also reported in HCM City (123), Bình Dương (34), Đồng Nai (7), An Giang (3), Tiền Giang (3), Tây Ninh (3), Bến Tre (2), Đà Nẵng (2), Bình Thuận (1), Kiên Giang (1) and Cần Thơ (1). The total death toll from COVID-19 in Việt Nam now stands at 18,400. Hà Nội recorded only four cases in quarantined in facilities. HCM City reported the highest number of domestic cases today with 4,046, followed by the southern provinces of Bình Dương (3,629), Đồng Nai (996) and Long An (193). Other cases were found in Bình Phước (147), An Giang (117), Kiên Giang …

[Read more...] about 9,706 new COVID-19 cases recorded in Việt Nam on Saturday

Việt Nam reports 9,706 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, including 24 imported cases and 9,682 local cases. The local cases are in HCM City (4,046), Bình Dương (3,629), Đồng Nai (996), Long An (193), Bình Phước (147), An Giang (117), Kiên Giang (91), Tiền Giang (81), Hà Nam (66), Cần Thơ (48), Sóc Trăng (42), Tây Ninh (41), Bình Định (39), Khánh Hòa (25), Bến Tre (13), Ninh Thuận (13), Đà Nẵng (11), Phú Yên (10), Đắk Lắk (9), Bình Thuận (9), Quảng Bình (8 ), Quảng Trị (7), Đồng Tháp (6), Đắk Nông (6), Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu (4), Nghệ An (4), Bạc Liêu (4), Cà Mau (4), Hà Nội (4), Vĩnh Long (3), Quảng Ngãi (2), Thanh Hóa (2), Trà Vinh (1), Thừa Thiên Huế (1). Among these, there are 4,377 cases detected in the community. …

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Ashley Griffith, an English teacher from Manchester, England, who currently works in Vietnam, runs a Tik Tok channel showcasing what he truly loves about living in Vietnam. Griffith first began documenting his life in Vietnam after a student shared that he wanted to move to England. “[My student] said ‘I want to move there because everything is better in England and people say Vietnam isn’t a good country’,” he said. “Hearing those words made me upset because I’m an Englishman who wholeheartedly loves Vietnam. After that, I decided to dedicate my Tik Tok to showcasing everything that I love about Vietnam, including the food, landscape, people, and even fashion. The list is endless. “Now, I hope that student can see how magnificent Vietnam truly is, and how many amazing opportunities there are on offer here,” he added. In the year since he’s launched his @ashlongvn on Tik Tok, Ashley Griffith has earned a fandom of more than 223,000 followers. 97 percent of his views come …

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Experts believe that electrified vehicles will be a trend in the world’s automobile industry, including Vietnam. But they warn that there are still many obstacles, including high prices, the lack of fast charging station networks, and the longer time needed to charge electricity compared to fuel. Most Vietnamese are still reluctant to use electric cars, partially because of the narrow coverage of charging stations. In Vietnam, VinFast is the only automobile manufacturer developing charging stations. It plans to develop 2,000 charging stations with 40,000 chargers in 2021. According to a representative of VinFast, there would be many types of charging posts, including 11kW AC car charger, 30kW and 60kW DC rapid car charger, 250kW super-fast DC car charger and 1.2kW AC motorcycle charger. Analysts say that the prerequisite for electric cars is the development of infrastructure such as charging stations. This needs to be ‘one step ahead’ to clear the way for electric cars. …

[Read more...] about Investment in charging stations needed for electric car industry