"As the monsoon rains fall in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, savvy travelers in Vietnam head to the central coast where the weather is dry and warm," the magazine said. Hoi An, a 400-year-old town that used to be the busiest trading port in Southeast Asia in the 16th century, is an ideal place where tourists are able to step back in time, it said. "In Hoi An, lantern-strewn streets reveal Chinese temples and ancient tea-houses." Once a convergence point for Chinese traders, it's not difficult to see ancient temples and assembly halls with a touch of Chinese architecture that worship red-faced General Quan Cong (Guan Yu), an eminent figure in the Three Kingdoms legend and China’s ancient civil war. Time Out also suggested visitors leave Hoi An and laze on the stretches of white sandy beaches around Da Nang before conquering Hai Van Pass on a motorbike tour, and visit Hue’s Imperial Citadel that used to witness the ups and downs of Nguyen Dynasty, Vietnam’s last royal family. In … [Read more...] about Hoi An among world’s best places to visit in July
Visit family visa
China halves quarantine time for overseas travellers
China on Tuesday reduced the length of mandatory quarantine for inbound travellers, in the biggest relaxation of entry restrictions after sticking to a rigid zero Covid policy throughout the pandemic. The new guideline cuts the length of mandatory quarantine for overseas travellers to seven days plus three more of home monitoring -- a drastic drop from about 21 days of quarantine and home monitoring combined. China closed off its international borders in March 2020 and the number of international flights is still tightly restricted in an effort to tamp down "imported" virus cases as the pandemic rages elsewhere. Overseas arrivals have faced weeks of strict monitoring and costly quarantine in hotels and designated centres, as well as soaring ticket prices for the slashed number of flights. Under the latest Covid prevention and control policy guidelines announced by the National Heath Commission and the State Council, inbound travellers entering China will now be required to … [Read more...] about China halves quarantine time for overseas travellers
Australia pledges to beef up strategic partnership with Vietnam
Visiting Australia's Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong has affirmed that her nation will continue promoting its strategic partnership with Vietnam and always attaches importance to the Southeast Asian country's role in the region. She was speaking at her talks with her Vietnamese counterpart Bui Thanh Son in Hanoi on Monday as part of her three-day official visit to Vietnam from June 26 to 28 at Son’s invitation. Wong told her host that Australia highly values Vietnam’s role and position in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the region and the world, and that the new Australian government in which she is a member will continue strengthening the strategic partnership with Vietnam to boost the bilateral ties to a new height. The diplomat also stated that her country highly values cooperation with ASEAN, appreciates its central role, and will continue to promote cooperation with the bloc for the sustainable development of the Mekong sub-region. … [Read more...] about Australia pledges to beef up strategic partnership with Vietnam
HCM City’s Nguyễn Tri Phương Hospital offers screening for kids’ growth
A child receives height screening in HCM City. — VNA/VNS Photo HCM City — Nguyễn Tri Phương Hospital's Endocrinology department is offering free screening for delayed growth in children from June 25 to July 17. To participate in the screening, parents need to provide their children's birth history, medical history, family history and growth rate. The children will have clinical examinations and also get hand X-rays if bone evaluation is needed. Suspected cases of delayed growth will get blood tests to check growth hormones and several other related hormones in the body. According to Dr. Duy, deputy director of the hospital in District 5, the average height of newborn babies is 48 – 52 centimetres, and in the first four years, their height grows on average about 46 – 54 centimetres. And from the age of four to 11, children grow on average by four to six centimetres a year. Although a child's height development can be affected by hereditary factors, a lack of growth hormone … [Read more...] about HCM City’s Nguyễn Tri Phương Hospital offers screening for kids’ growth