Red streaks extending away from the blister

The vision is for Hanoi to become a vibrant, green, and serene metropolis with the Red River landscape axis. "For a long time, people often say that Hanoi has turned its back on the Red River," Nguyen Van Loc, a 60-year-old resident of Phuc Tan Ward, Hoan Kiem District, told The Hanoi Times as he gazed out at the vast expanse of lush green land ahead, with thriving banana plantations growing on the fertile alluvial plains known as the Red River Alluvial Island (or Bai giua song Hong in Vietnamese). The Middle Island of the Red River. Photo: Chien Cong/The Hanoi Times Spanning around 18 hectares and stretching 3.8 kilometers in length, the area is under the jurisdiction of Chuong Duong and Phuc Tan wards, Hoan Kiem District. For many years, a significant portion of the alluvial island has been tilled by over 30 households for vegetable production. However, there is still a portion of the land that remains vacant and covered with overgrown reeds. "It is … [Read more...] about Red River – a centerpiece in Hanoi’s green development

Asian markets wobbled Tuesday after a two-day rally as profit-takers stepped in and traders weighed the chances of the Federal Reserve skipping an interest rate hike this month. The tepid performance came after a global advance stumbled in New York and Europe on Monday, with a below-par read on US services sector activity hinting at weakness in a key area of the economy. Analysts also warned that with the US borrowing ceiling now lifted, the Treasury is expected to unleash a flood of debt onto the market as it looks to restock its coffers, sucking cash from the financial system and putting pressure on liquidity. Sylvia Jablonski, at Defiance ETF, told Bloomberg Television that such a move that soaks up money "is something that will probably keep us in a range-bound mode until we see where it all lands, including the Fed’s final decision on rates". Traders have been broadly upbeat after a "Goldilocks" jobs report Friday that was neither too good nor too bad suggested the economy … [Read more...] about Asian markets struggle to kick on after rally, with eyes on Fed

The fifth plenary session of the 15th National Assembly has discussed and approved a number of important draft bills, including three new amendments to regulations that have significant impacts on the tourism industry in Vietnam. These policies are expected to boost the recovery and development of the tourism sector. Martin Koerner - Chairman EuroCham Vietnam’s Tourism and Hospitality Sector Committee The first law is to extend the visa exemption duration from the current 15 days to 45 days for citizens of countries that currently can travel to Vietnam visa exempt, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, Japan, South Korea, Norway, Finland, Denmark, and Sweden. This law aims to attract more tourists from these key markets and encourage them to stay longer and spend more here. The second law is to expand the list of countries eligible for e-visa from 46 to 80, including markets such as India, Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina. The e-visa allows visitors to apply … [Read more...] about The future of tourism in Vietnam new visa policies and beyond

At the meeting between Deputy Minister of Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien (second, left) and General Robert Brieger, Chairman of the EU Military Committee. (Photo: qdnd.vn) Singapore (VNA) – The Vietnamese delegation to the 20th Shangri-La Dialogue, led by Deputy Minister of Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien, attended plenary sessions, the official banquet and bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the event, which took place in Singapore from June 2-4. At the meeting between Chien and General Robert Brieger, Chairman of the EU Military Committee, the two sides shared delight at the bilateral defence cooperation over the years on the foundation of the EU-Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation Framework Agreement (PCA) and the EU-Vietnam Framework Participation Agreement (FPA). Brieger thanked Vietnam for sending two officers to work as lecturers at the EU training mission in the Central African Republic, and affirmed that the EU will continue to … [Read more...] about Vietnamese delegation active at 20th Shangri-La Dialogue

Difficulties on way out for Vietnam’s Visa policy The short duration of stay, along with complicated factors related to the visa application procedure, have been causing headaches for foreign tourists. However, the Minister of Public Security has submitted to the National Assembly a draft amendment and supplement to a number of articles of the Law on Entry, Exit, Transit, and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam at the end of May. The new draft has proposed to increase the duration of e-visas from no more than 30 days to a maximum of three months, valid for one time or multiple times. At the same time, the scope of e-visa issuance would be expanded to more than 80 countries and temporary residence would rise from 15 to 45 days. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism also proposed to consider supplementing the pilot regulation of issuing visas at border gates for international tourists. This proposal also requires a clearer regulation of the extension of visa-free entry for … [Read more...] about Difficulties on way out for Vietnam’s Visa policy

Passenger and freight trains were running again on Monday at the site of India's deadliest train disaster in decades, which officials said was caused by failures linked to signal systems. Workers inspect the newly restored tracks at the accident site of a recent three-train collision near Balasore, about 200 km (125 miles) from the state capital Bhubaneswar in the eastern state of Odisha, on June 5, 2023. Trains rumbled past the debris of smashed carriages from Friday night's crash near Balasore in the eastern state of Odisha, where at least 275 people were killed and hundreds injured. Officials had initially reported 288 deaths, but the Odisha state government has since revised the toll to 275 after some bodies were mistakenly counted twice. Of the 1,175 injured, 382 were still being treated in hospital, authorities said on Sunday. However, many fear the death toll could still rise with medical centres overwhelmed by the number of casualties, many in … [Read more...] about Trains resume service 51 hours after deadly India crash

The Management Board of Ben En National Park in the north central province of Thanh Hoa has been working on plans on preserving and developing a number of rare animals with high-economic values in the park in the 2022 – 2024 period, towards conserving rodent species. A view of the Ben En National Park (Source: https://cand.com.vn/) According to Vice Director of the Ben En National Park Management Board Nguyen Dinh Hieu, forest rangers of the unit have focused on conducting surveys and assessments related to the distribution and the habitat of, and identifying threats to rodent species within local forests. They have also collaborated with relevant units to take photographs and collect samples of rare species to serve the investigation and monitoring work. Training courses and conferences to improve capacity and awareness of biodiversity conservation for officials and residents have been organised, he said. Forest rangers distributed 1,500 leaflets introducing … [Read more...] about Efforts to preserve rare animals in Ben En National Park

Rhonda Nichols from Far North Queensland said he loved Vietnam and had been to the country six times before. Nichols, who usually stays for about two to six weeks, said the government should improve its e-visa system, and remove the $25 fee to apply for a visa on arrival. "Thailand and Indonesia do not charge visa-on-arrival fees and that clearly creates a good impression for tourists," Nichols added. He said that Vietnam should consider extending the duration of stays for tourists because a 30-day e-visa is too short. Vietnam currently offers 30-day e-visa for tourists from 80 countries and territories, including Australia. Grant Wilson, an Australian tourist who has lived in Vietnam for six years, said Australia was in the grips of the worst cost of living crisis on record and were looking to travel to affordable countries in Southeast Asia. He said affordable could be understood as the price of a hotel room of under $100 per night, meals costing $10 and round-trip … [Read more...] about Australian tourists await loosened Vietnam’s visa policies

Many landslides have been reported in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam, causing heavy losses for local residents, although the region has just entered the rainy season for this year. A serious landslide happened in Song Phung Commune, Long Phu District, Soc Trang Province, said Pham Tan Dao, head of the provincial Irrigation Department. The incident occurred at 9:30 pm on Thursday last week when a 70-meter section of the bank of the Rach Mop River was encroached on by some 23 meters. As a result, a riverside road as well as water and power supply systems were damaged, affecting locals’ travel and production activities. Dao said the rainy season has just come and many cracks have been seen in the area, while the water flow in the river is strong, posing a high risk of more landslides. An Giang Province in southern Vietnam has experienced 22 landslides along small canals since early this year. Photo : Minh Khang / Tuoi Tre Similarly, landslides are complicated in … [Read more...] about Landslides rampant in southern Vietnam