The Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control (HCDC) announced on Wednesday that the city had just discovered a cluster of H1N1 cases in District 10, leading 20 students at an elementary school to take unscheduled sick leave. A report from the Medical Center of District 10 to the HCDC on March 16 showed an abnormal increase in the number of students taking sick leave at Vo Truong Toan Elementary School on the same day and the day before. A total of 20 students of the school became ill with symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, fatigue, and vomiting during the two days. Some students had a fever of up to 39 degrees Celsius. Doctors initially determined that the children suffered from a flu and randomly took six samples of them and sent them to the Pasteur Institute in the city to test for influenza. On March 17, the results showed that all of the samples returned positive for H1N1 influenza, also known as swine flu. Since March 17, the school has not recorded any … [Read more...] about Ho Chi Minh City detects cluster of 20 H1N1 cases
New city chicago newspaper
Quang Ninh announces many new tourism products
The northern province of Quang Ninh has launched 38 new tourism products this year. Among those, there will be eight events for Ha Long City, including night and pedestrian streets, the tour to climb Bai Tho Mountain and a yacht race on Ha Long Bay. The tour to climb Bai Tho Mountain is among the most anticipated. The mountain has been closed since late 2017 after a fire. Despite the ban, many visitors, including foreigners, climbed over the iron fence to the mountain peak to view Ha Long Bay. The mountain is scheduled to be reopened in May 2023. The yacht race is slated to be held on Ha Long Bay in April, which is expected to attract international yacht clubs. Five other tourism products will be for Mong Cai City, consisting of a Chinese-Vietnamese food festival scheduled to take place this month. At the event, visitors have a chance to enjoy special Chinese and Quang Ninh dishes. Co To Island District will have three new tourism products, including diving tours to … [Read more...] about Quang Ninh announces many new tourism products
4 Vietnam Airlines flight attendants released after being caught transporting drugs
Four flight attendants of national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines who were taken into custody last week for transporting 11.4 kilograms of ecstasy and meth from France to Vietnam were released on Wednesday afternoon. According to Ho Chi Minh City investigators, there is no ground to file criminal charges against them. However, the case is still under investigation. Police said the flight attendants -- Vo Tu Quynh, Tran Thi Thu Ngan, Nguyen Thanh Thuy, and Dang Phuong Van -- did not know that they were carrying drugs. Last Thursday, customs officials at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City detected 8.4 kilograms of grey tablets and 3.080 kilograms of white powder, which are ecstasy and methamphetamine, in the four flight attendants’ carry-on luggage. The drugs were found in toothpaste tubes. Lieutenant General To An Xo, spokesperson of the Ministry of Public Security, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that based on investigation results, relevant agencies … [Read more...] about 4 Vietnam Airlines flight attendants released after being caught transporting drugs
Lotte switches focus after cancellation of warehouse development in Dong Nai
Property arm Lotte Land last month said it would cease plans for the Lotte Eco Logis Dong Nai, which was granted an investment certificate only in November 2022. illustration photo/source baodautu.vn In a document dated March 2, Dong Nai Industrial Zones Management Board stated that Lotte Land had sent an official document on cancelling the project in Nhon Trach Industrial Zone VI from February 17. The board requested the investor to liquidate the project and fulfill all obligations related to the operation of the enterprise in accordance with the law. Younggun Ko, a director of Lotte Land, told VIR that various circumstances and investment plans related to this project had been changed, leading to the cancellation. Ko added that the move would not make much of an impact on the business of Lotte Land, and its general business strategy would remain the same. Lotte Mall Hanoi, a $600 million facility, is still expected to open in August and will include a hotel, … [Read more...] about Lotte switches focus after cancellation of warehouse development in Dong Nai
Chickenpox outbreak spreads in Hanoi
Hanoi has logged 548 new cases of chickenpox so far this year, with the most recent 70 infections recorded just this week, according to statistics from the Hanoi Center for Disease Control (CDC). There have been no deaths linked to the ongoing outbreak. Chickenpox is on the rise compared to last year, and many of the patients are preschool and elementary school students, which respectively account for 36.5 percent and 38 percent of the total infections. So far, 18 out of Hanoi’s 30 districts have been affected by the outbreak, with Chuong My, Me Linh, Ba Vi, and Nam Tu Liem Districts having each detected over 30 cases. In the outlying district of Chuong My, the local medical center had reported five clusters of 237 chickenpox cases as of March 21. In Ho Chi Minh City, children's hospitals citywide said that they have recorded normal rates of hospital admissions and treatment linked to chickenpox. However, as chickenpox cases tend to surge between February and June, parents … [Read more...] about Chickenpox outbreak spreads in Hanoi
Multimedia installation exhibition celebrates Vietnam-Australia diplomatic ties
The remarkable work invites visitors to enter a space of immersive light projections, following in the footsteps of the Seven Sisters as they traverse the Western and Central deserts of Australia. Songlines (or Dreaming) are central to the existence of Australia’s First Nations’ (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) peoples, mapping the routes of Ancestral beings as they traveled across Australia, creating the land and its people. They are a way of holding and passing on knowledge to new generations. Australian Consul-General Sarah Hooper said that the exhibition is an opportunity to learn about and celebrate the cultures of Australia’s First Nations people. An explanatory video featuring Margo Neale, Senior Indigenous Curator and Head of Indigenous Knowledges at the National Museum, can be viewed on the Australian Embassy Facebook page. The exhibition is free to enter and is opened to the public at The Factory Contemporary Arts Centre, 15 Nguyen U Di in Thu Duc city every … [Read more...] about Multimedia installation exhibition celebrates Vietnam-Australia diplomatic ties
Flight attendants could face dismissal in drug probe
A representative of the Authority said the attendants had abused their positions to smuggle goods and thus would not be able to work in any other aviation businesses in Vietnam. The Authority also ordered the airline to perform more comprehensive internal inspections within itself, and make sure that all crew luggage is inspected before and after flights. A representative of Vietnam Airlines said the national carrier would discipline the attendants in line with the results of the official investigation released by police. On March 16, a security inspection at Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City found hundreds of toothpaste tubes containing a total of 11.4 kg of drugs hidden within the carry-on luggage of the four flight attendants. The attendants were promptly arrested after their shift aboard flight VN10 from France to Vietnam. The suspects told police they had agreed to transport the 60 kilograms of toothpaste tubes on the request of a person in France who indirectly … [Read more...] about Flight attendants could face dismissal in drug probe
Foreign experts urge Vietnam to relax visa policies, improve tourism services
Martin Koerner, chairman of EuroCham Vietnam's Tourism and Hospitality Sector Committee, told at a tourism conference Wednesday that Vietnam's visa policy remains complicated and restrictive compared to regional neighbors such as Thailand and Singapore. Thailand already extended its tourist visas to a maximum stay of 45 days for over 50 countries while Vietnam currently exempts only citizens of 25 countries from requiring visas with maximum stays of 15 days. EuroCham has proposed the government expand visa exemptions for more countries, including all European countries, the United States, Australia and New Zealand and prolong the duration of visa-free stays to 30 days. "However, we have seen slow progress in achieving this," Koerner said. "The country needs to implement a tourism development strategy quickly to compete with its regional competitors." Nuno F. Ribeiro, a Portuguese lecturer in hospitality and tourism at RMIT University, also proposed Vietnam waive visas for more … [Read more...] about Foreign experts urge Vietnam to relax visa policies, improve tourism services