Nguyen Thi Thu Hien, 34 and her friends had their tickets from Singapore to Jeju Island canceled on August 9 because they did not have visas. The island, however, has a visa exemption policy for tourists. Hien, from Hanoi, said she'd already visited Jeju back in 2018 under the visa exemption policy and wasn't aware that it had changed when she booked the tickets for her and her friends to fly there from Singapore. "When we got to the Changi Airport for check-in procedures, an employee told us to discuss the issue with the airline. A representative of Scoot Airlines said Vietnamese, Thai, Mongolians and people from certain other countries would no longer be able to enter Jeju Island under the visa exemption policy. The airline said it would refund our tickets," Hien said. Vu Quoc Hung, 31, who had booked tickets with 11 other Vietnamese to fly from Ho Chi Minh City to Jeju on August 11 via Singapore, had the same experience. Hung's group reached the Changi Airport and did some … [Read more...] about Airline cancels Vietnamese tourists’ tickets to South Korea’s Jeju Island
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Vietnam logs 1,815 new coronavirus cases on August 13
Ilustrative image (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam logged an additional 1,815 COVID-19 cases on August 13, according to the Ministry of Health. The new infections raised the country’s total caseload since the pandemic broke out to 11,364,355. A total 5,186 COVID-19 patients were given the all clear on the day, bringing the number of recoveries so far to 10,014,637. There are 137 patients in serious conditions needing breathing support. One death from COVID-19 was recorded in the past 24 hours. The total fatalities stood at 43,097. On August 12, 582,931 doses of COVID-19 vaccine s were administered, raising the total number of shots given out to 250,992,746. The ministry said its advisory council is yet to give recommendations regarding the vaccination against COVID-19 for children under 5./. VNA … [Read more...] about Vietnam logs 1,815 new coronavirus cases on August 13
NextTech and Ngan Luong fund BOXME to expand its operations
NextTech Chairman and BOXME Director General shake hands at the signing ceremony. — Photo courtesy of NextTech NextTech Group and Ngan Luong Intermediate Payment Gateway JSC have invested over VND150 billion (US$6.4 million) in BOXME to expand its operations in Viet Nam. NextTech is a multi-platform ecosystem operating in e-commerce, fintech, logistics and education with annual online tractions of $5 billion whereas Ngan Luong is a popular online payment gateway with 35 million transactions carried out daily. BOXME is a pioneer in e-commerce logistics that owns three giant centres of 12,000sq.m each in the country. It offers fulfillment services to e-commerce platforms with a capacity to process 50,000 orders per day. Given the pandemic has caused a boom in e-commerce, the investment is expected to help BOXME scale up to meet the mounting demand for e-logistics and become the leading e-logistics firm in Southeast Asia. "During two years of the pandemic, we had to run at full … [Read more...] about NextTech and Ngan Luong fund BOXME to expand its operations
Politburo to review US$59-billion North-South express railway in September
Construction priorities are for sections Hanoi – Vinh and Nha Trang – Ho Chi Minh City. The Politburo, the country’s supreme decision-making body, is set to discuss the investment plan for the North-South express railway project in September. The project is set to be completed by 2050. Photo: Lam Anh A feasibility study conducted by the Ministry of Transport (MoT) suggested constructing a new electrified 1,435mm double-track express railway on the North-South axis with a total length of 1,545 kilometers. The high-speed rail route will be operated by an electric multiple units (EMU) train with an average speed of 320 kilometers per hour. The MoT estimated the total investment capital to be around US$58.71 billion, in which $1.98 billion would be allocated for site clearance, $31.58 billion for construction cost, $15 billion for equipment and project management, and nearly $10 billion for contingency and other expenses. To ensure the effective … [Read more...] about Politburo to review US$59-billion North-South express railway in September