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In the five years that he has lived and worked in Vietnam, Daniel Woollacott has developed a tradition of "escaping" Tet , when shops and services are normally shut down and major cities become deserted for a few days. But this year, he has decided to stay behind in Hanoi, dropping plans to go to Phu Quoc Island in the south. His decision is influenced by the latest Covid-19 outbreak in Vietnam. "No one can be in the mood for vacationing now, so I will try to enjoy my first Tet in Hanoi," Woollacott said, adding that it would be exciting to see the capital become quiet on the first day of the Lunar New Year. The 31-year-old Brit is among a host of expats getting to celebrate the traditional Vietnamese holiday differently this year. Many have canceled or postponed their travel plans, not wanting to risk contracting the novel coronavirus. Foreigners celebrate Lunar New Year in HCMC. Photo by VnExpress/Tam Linh. "I had planned to go to Hue, but seeing the surging number of Covid-19 cases, especially in airports, I decided to stay in Hanoi," said Ashley Jones, English teacher at an international school in Hanoi’s Long Bien District. "It is a pandemic, not a holiday," she said, adding she does not want to be infected by the virus and stay in hospitals for weeks instead of going to school and seeing her students. In a 140,000-member Facebook group of expats living in Hanoi, many netizens who have had an earlier than scheduled start to their Tet outbreak are calling on others to be responsible with their planned trips. Several have chosen to stay behind, meet friends in town or just stay at home and minimize infection risks. Expats in Hanoi and Saigon know that the two cities become "ghost towns" for the festival as stores and services are shut, so they have stocked up on food. Just three days before Tet , Monday evening, HCMC recorded 25 new Covid-19 cases, prompting authorities to close bars, karaoke parlors, cinemas and …

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The successful signing of the agreement on November 15 following eight years of tough negotiations received a great deal of attention as RCEP is expected to be an important driving force in the promotion of free trade and economic recovery in the region after the pandemic, as well as contributing to helping shape global trade flows. In their joint statement on the RCEP, leaders stated this was the largest trade pact in the world with the diversity of economies involved. It involves 15 countries, including ASEAN's 10 member states, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Australia, and New Zealand. With a population of 2.2 billion people, accounting for about 30% of the world's population and nearly 30% of global GDP, the signing of the RCEP sent a positive message to the world in favour of the multilateral trade among 15 countries. The signing of the RCEP took place in the context of economies in the region having been severely damaged by the COVID-19 pandemic. In ASEAN, most economies have fallen into recession with an unprecedented level of decline. Meanwhile, from 2018, protectionism has increased, causing many difficulties in economies in the region. The US-China trade war has persisted while confidence in the multilateral trading system has been at an all-time low. Assessing the context of the signing of the RCEP, Cambodian scholars have said that the fact that the COVID-19 crisis has disrupted the global supply chain became an “impetus” for countries to quickly sign the RCEP. After many “missed appointments”, the signing of the RCEP by the ASEAN countries and their five partners is expected to act as a "lever" to promote the region's economic recovery in the coming years. During the past week, leaders and experts from RCEP member countries have highly lauded the expected driving force effect it will have on economic growth and the benefits this will bring about. In reply to the Bernama news agency, Malaysia’s Senior Minister cum International Trade …

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The first leg of Arsenal's tie against Benfica, which was due to be played at the Estadio Da Luz on Feb. 18, has been moved to Rome while the second leg will be played in Athens at Olympiakos Piraeus' ground a week later. Spurs said their first leg away to Austrian side Wolfsberger will now take place in Budapest, Hungary next week. * Double Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso said he was well and looking forward to the start of the season after fracturing his jaw in a road accident while cycling in Switzerland. The Spaniard's Alpine (Renault) team said he will remain under observation for 48 hours after an operation on Friday (Feb 12) and expected him "to be fully operational to undertake preparation for the season". * Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone believes his side's sensational La Liga form will be tough to maintain in the second half of the season. Leaders Atleti are on course for a 100-point season after picking up 51 points from their opening 20 games of the campaign, losing just once and shipping only 12 goals as they raced away at the top of the table. * Krasnodar have been fined 15,000 euros (US$18,187) for a late kickoff in their Champions League group match at Chelsea in December, UEFA said in a statement on Friday. * Argentina’s Hernan Crespo signed a two-year contract to coach Sao Paulo on Friday, giving a late boost to their faltering league title hopes, the Brazilian club announced. * Manchester United need their midfielders to score more goals and Scott McTominay has the characteristics to get into double figures despite being deployed as a defensive midfielder, manager ole Gunnar Solskjaer said on Friday. McTominay, 24, has scored seven times in all competitions this season, including in United's last three fixtures with Tuesday's extra-time winner against West Ham United sending them through to an FA Cup quarter-final against Leicester City. * Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel would love to bring more academy players into the …

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