Many tourists to Ha Long City are struggling with summer hot weather as the city has experienced power cuts over the past few days due to power shortages. People flock to Bai Chay Bridge in Ha Long City to enjoy cool air during the power cut in their area A tourist from Hanoi, Nguyen Van Tra, said that he arrived in the coastal city on the early afternoon of June 3 and experienced a power cut just an hour after checking into his hotel. "We found this no problem at first as we had planned to go to the beach that afternoon," he said. "However, the electricity was still off when we returned to our room in the evening and the hotel said that their generator had broken down. We could not stay in our hot, dark room and had to wander around until 4 am the next day when the hotel called to inform us that their generator had been fixed. According to some hotels and restaurants around the Ha Long Bay, they had seen many customers cancel bookings due to the long power cuts … [Read more...] about Ha Long tourists struggle due to power cuts
Snap streak how long
Southern province wants 1,800 Long Thanh airport relocation slots for expressway project
The proposal was sent by the Dong Nai People’s Committee to the government regarding the relocation for people affected by the expressway. The Loc An-Binh Son relocation area for people affected by Long Thanh, slated to be Vietnam's largest airport, spans over 280 ha and has over 7,000 slots. A total of 4,900 slots are for those affected by the airport’s construction, and 350 are for those affected by the construction of two roads that connect with the airport. Now Dong Nai wants the other 1,800 slots to be used for the relocation of people affected by the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau expressway project, whose main investor will be responsible for refunding investment costs to the national budget, provincial authorities said. The first phase of the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau expressway, spanning 53.7 km and having four to six lanes, costs over VND17.8 trillion ($757.4 million). For its construction, Dong Nai authorities have reclaimed around 400 ha of land in Bien Hoa City and Long Thanh District, … [Read more...] about Southern province wants 1,800 Long Thanh airport relocation slots for expressway project
Ha Long tourists, hotels suffer massive power outages
Nguyen Thanh Dan from HCMC booked a five-star hotel room in Ha Long City for two weeks starting Sunday, but on the first night of her stay the power went out immediately. It was an extremely hot night, and her baby could not stand the heat, so she had to cancel her room and rent another at a nearby three-star hotel. "I had not received any announcements in advance about power outages. Seventy rooms at my hotel were filled on Sunday," said a representative from Green Suites Hotel. Because of the power cuts, guests canceled their rooms. In addition to a refund of VND600,000 (US$25.53) per room, the hotel also lost paying additional compensation to guests. By Monday morning, the hotel had rented a large generator to prevent unexpected power outages. Many parts of Ha Long, a top tourist attraction in the northern region, have been suffering sudden power cuts over the past several days, affecting tourism activities as it’s now the peak summer travel season. Many hotels, motels … [Read more...] about Ha Long tourists, hotels suffer massive power outages
Hundred-kilometer-long expy sections in Vietnam have no gas stations, rest stops
Many drivers and commuters have complained about the absence of gas stations and rest stops along different expressway sections in central, south-central, and southern Vietnam. The reported sections include the Da Nang-Quang Ngai Expressway in the central region, the Vinh Hao-Phan Thiet and Phan Thiet-Dau Giay Expressways in south-central, and the Ho Chi Minh City-Trung Luong Expressway and the Trung Luong-My Thuan Expressway in the south. All of them are subprojects of the mammoth North-to-South expressway project in Vietnam that is projected to feature a total of 39 rest stops, according to the Vietnam Expressway Administration under the Ministry of Transport. Among them, five rest stops are already operational, two others are currently under investment, and the remaining 32 stations are undergoing evaluation. No rest stops Nguyen Van Phuoc, who is residing in Lien Chieu District, Da Nang City and works as a driver, said he often drives passengers on the Da Nang-Quang … [Read more...] about Hundred-kilometer-long expy sections in Vietnam have no gas stations, rest stops
Singapore, US agree to enhance defence cooperation
Singapore’s Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen (R) and his US counterpart Lloyd Austin on the sidelines of the 20th Shangri-La Dialogue. (Photo source:mindef.gov.sg) Singapore - Singapore’s Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen had a meeting with his US counterpart Lloyd Austin at the Shangri-La Singapore hotel on June 2, during which the two sides affirmed their commitment to continue seeking opportunities to promote bilateral defence cooperation. The Singaporean Ministry of Defence’s press release stated that Minister Ng Eng Hen expressed appreciation for the US' long-standing support for the Singapore Armed Forces' training in the US, including the basing of the Republic of Singapore Air Force's (RSAF) training detachments there. By VNA … [Read more...] about Singapore, US agree to enhance defence cooperation
Core business key as companies pull out of real estate
In early April, the Board of Directors at Nam Viet JSC, a seafood producer in the southern region, gave the nod to the decision on dissolving Nam Viet Real Estate Co., Ltd. This company, based in Long Xuyen city in the Mekong delta province of An Giang, was founded in March 2022 to operate in real estate. Real estate might not always prove a fertile venture At the inception, the company had $3.5 million in chartered capital, which was scaled down to around $391,300 in mid-June 2022 before terminating operation in the recent past. At the company’s 2022 general annual shareholders meeting in June, CEO Doan Toi told shareholders that the company owned land, and that they would unveil two real estate projects later in the year, and another two in 2023. Last year, Nam Viet set an ambitious pre-tax profit target of VND1 trillion ($43.4 million) compared to a mere $6.5 million pre-tax profit posted in 2021, and committed to maintaining its profit in the range of a … [Read more...] about Core business key as companies pull out of real estate
The future of tourism in Vietnam new visa policies and beyond
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
Duanwu festival at Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers
Duanwu festival at Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers Its pyramid-shaped dumplings are composed of five different fillings wrapped in aromatic bamboo leaves, with each dumpling hand-crafted by skilled chefs from Li Bai Cantonese restaurant. The dragon boat dumplings can be purchased individually or in gift sets, and a tasting booth is set up at the hotel lobby from 9am to 7pm daily. Held annually on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, the Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated widely in other nearby markets. The festivities vary from region to region, but share several distinctive features with ceremonies such as dragon boat races, folk entertainments, and feasts lavished with rice dumplings. A notable part of celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival is spending time with family members and friends. This year, the Dragon Boat Festival falls on June 22. Gastronomes can savour the freshly cooked dragon boat dumplings at Li Bai restaurant or indulge in the convenience of … [Read more...] about Duanwu festival at Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers
Banks to promote online lending through national population database access
Access to this huge amount of customer data is a golden opportunity for banks to promote digital services and products, especially online lending. — Photo baodautu.vn Through a series of newly-issued regulations and access to the national population database, banks are planning to expand their online money-lending services. Deputy Governor of the State Bank of Viet Nam (SBV) Pham Tien Dung said accessing the national population database will help banks to check and authenticate new customer information more easily. Commercial banks will promote lending services on their electronic platforms based on this database. The draft amending the Law on Credit Institutions has many regulations specifying banking services via electronic devices. Besides that, several provisions supplemented by Civil Law and the Law on Electronic Transactions are necessary to complete the legal framework for online lending. Online lending, mostly small loans, has been implemented by many banks for a … [Read more...] about Banks to promote online lending through national population database access
Eco-industrial park development targets net zero emissions
A view of Nam Cau Kien Eco-Industrial Park in Hai Phong. — VNA/VNS Photo Tran Viet The development of eco-industrial parks is considered an effective solution to contribute to completing the net zero emission target by 2050 in Viet Nam. However, there are still many problems with the mechanism. In a report on the development of industrial parks and economic zones conducted by the Ministry of Planning and Investment, by 2030, 40-50 per cent of localities will have plans to convert existing industrial parks to eco-industrial parks, and 8-10 per cent of localities have orientations to build new ecological industrial parks. This will contribute to the concretisation of the net zero commitment by 2050. However, many experts and businesses believe that it is necessary to have the determination of the businesses to achieve this goal, along with preferential policies and mechanisms. Now, Viet Nam has more than 400 industrial parks, but few of those industrial parks have strategies to … [Read more...] about Eco-industrial park development targets net zero emissions