Week long holidays

The first Saturday in August, when Europe's July holidaymakers head homewards and its August sunseekers head south, is the busiest day of the year at the continent's busiest filling station. And even surging global fuel prices did not deter thousands of motorists and truckers from filling their tanks at Shell's Berchem station in southern Luxembourg, on the busy A3 motorway. The Grand Duchy may be small, but it is a crossroads between Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands and the route south to the holiday beaches of France, Italy and Spain. And -- crucially in a summer of soaring prices -- it has famously cheap fuel, making it a prime spot for long-distance truckers and cost-conscious travelling families alike. Even outside of the holiday rush, French and German motorists and cross-border workers often fill up in Luxembourg. When a family's final destination is on the Med and a full tank of fuel costs more than 100 euros (dollars), the savings add up. On Saturday, two … [Read more...] about Holiday rush drives demand at Europe’s busiest fuel station

Australian magazine Traveller has listed Vietnam among the eight "best places to go in Asia for a holiday." FLC Luxury Hotel Quy Nhon. (Photo: flc.vn) It recommended December-March, when the weather is "pleasant," as the ideal time to visit the long, sandy beaches of Vietnam. It particularly recommended Quy Nhon, the beach resort town on the south-central coast. "Long a staid domestic destination, beautiful beach-flanked Quy Nhon has acquired hipster mojo and is tipped as the next Da Nang." The magazine also advised tourists to explore Ninh Binh, famous for paddleboat tours through limestone karsts and paddy rice fields. In the Central Highlands, Da Lat, a summer retreat of the French during the colonial period, is well known for adventure sports such as trekking, mountain biking and rafting, it said. A lesser-known destination in the northwest not to be missed is Dien Bien Phu, which used to be a major battlefield during the war, it said. "The … [Read more...] about Vietnam among Asia’s best places for holiday: Australian travel magazine

It recommended December-March, when the weather is "pleasant," as the ideal time to visit the long, sandy beaches of Vietnam. It particularly recommended Quy Nhon, the beach resort town on the south-central coast. "Long a staid domestic destination, beautiful beach-flanked Quy Nhon has acquired hipster mojo and is tipped as the next Da Nang." The magazine also advised tourists to explore Ninh Binh, famous for paddleboat tours through limestone karsts and paddy rice fields. In the Central Highlands, Da Lat, a summer retreat of the French during the colonial period, is well known for adventure sports such as trekking, mountain biking and rafting, it said. A lesser-known destination in the northwest not to be missed is Dien Bien Phu , which used to be a major battlefield during the war, it said. "The province is developing eco-tourism and offering indigenous village homestays amid stunning forested landscapes and Hmong culture." Other destinations on the list are … [Read more...] about Vietnam among Asia’s best places for holiday: Travel magazine

It recommended December-March, when the weather is "pleasant," as the ideal time to visit the long, sandy beaches of Vietnam. It particularly recommended Quy Nhon, the beach resort town on the south-central coast. "Long a staid domestic destination, beautiful beach-flanked Quy Nhon has acquired hipster mojo and is tipped as the next Da Nang." Quy Nhon used to be the former seat of the Cham Kingdom and is now an emerging tourist destination with upscale resorts. The magazine also urged tourists to explore Ninh Binh, famous for paddleboat tours through limestone karsts and paddy rice fields. In the Central Highlands, Da Lat , a summer retreat of the French during the colonial period, is well known for adventure sports such as trekking, mountain biking and rafting, it said. A lesser-known destination in the northwest not to be missed is Dien Bien Phu, which used to be a major battlefield during the war, it said. "The province is developing eco-tourism and offering … [Read more...] about Vietnam among Asia’s best places ‘for holiday’: Australian travel publication

A trader observing the market's movements on his computer. — Photo baodautu.vn After hitting a bottom of around 1,140 points in early July, the stock market had recovered for four straight sessions, with the benchmark VN-Index surpassing the threshold of 1,250 points. Notably, liquidity improved significantly last week and has now exceeded the recent 20-week average. This marked the second week of such an increase, showing that investors' interest is improving. On the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE), the VN-Index ended the week at 1,252.74 points, down 0.11 per cent. Meanwhile, the HNX-Index on the Ha Noi Stock Exchange (HNX) closed higher, up 0.73 per cent to 299.9 points. For the week, the VN-Index rose by 3.85 per cent and the HNX-Index was up 3.91 per cent. Trading value on HOSE increased by 39.2 per cent from the previous week to VND83.1 trillion (US$3.5 billion), equivalent to a gain of 47 per cent in volume to more than 3.5 billion shares. On the northern bourse, … [Read more...] about Investors’ risk appetite continues to improve this week

According to data from Coin98 insights, the total value of funding rounds announced last week amounted to more than $1.5 billion. Lightspeed Venture Partners, a mid-sized global venture fund, has raised its largest fund dedicated to India and Southeast Asia at $500 million. These are two areas that are attracting the attention of investors with many outstanding projects and ideas. Many entrepreneurs would prefer strategic investment rather than a boat-load of cash straight up, Chi Cuong Vietnam, which is known as one of the five leading countries and a potential market for blockchain technology development, could benefit from this shift of investment capital. “The amount of capital invested in blockchain startups in Vietnam in the coming time could reach billions of dollars or more. A huge source of capital will come from Vietnamese investors because the young generation is very passionate about technology,” commented Johnny McCamley, CEO of crypto asset investing … [Read more...] about Blockchain projects preferring long-term partnerships

The event themed "Shades of Do" will display exhibits made of Do paper by young artists of the 8x and 9x generations, including Vu Kim Thu, Nguyen Cam Anh, Jeet Zdung, Nguyen Kim Long, Dao Huy Hoang and Huynh Lan. The art show will tell the story of the formation of the Do paper over time, the production process; and bring the old, present, and future story of Do paper from the work ethic perspective of young people who directly inherit the beauty from thought to practice of the previous generations. In addition, a talk show titled “A quire of paper – A walk to remember” introducing ingredients, tools, and process for making Do paper, guiding and practicing to make sheets of paper, water press, peel, and dry handmade paper is scheduled to take place on August 12. Workshop “Application of Do paper in cyanotype printing technique” presenting the history of cyanotype method, materials and tools to make cyanotype, basic making steps and practice will be organized on August 13-14. … [Read more...] about Exhibition on Vietnamese traditional Do paper to open next week

Five years ago, the integrated resort was established in Lang Co Bay, a destination known for its untouched natural beauty and unique culture. Lang Co was first discovered by King Khai Dinh, the 12 th King of the Nguyen dynasty, and the destination retains its original charm, nestled in a rural setting with picturesque countryside and the natural elements of Feng Shui. Laguna Lang Co has been operating two luxury hotels branded Banyan Tree and Angsana, an 18-hole par-71 championship golf course designed by six-time Major winner Sir Nick Faldo, luxury private villas and residences, convention facilities, and recreational activities. “As we turn five years old with many significant achievements under our belt, we now look forward to the next exciting phase of our development. It is our time! It is also the time for Hue and the province of Thua Thien-Hue to have its moment in the sunshine,” shared Gavin Herholdt, managing director of Laguna Lang Co. “In 2018 we have gone from … [Read more...] about Laguna Lang Co marks five-year anniversary in Vietnam

The island in the South China Sea recorded just two positive symptomatic Covid-19 cases in the whole of last year. Fast forward to this month, however, and the number of cases has suddenly soared, prompting a lockdown in the city of Sanya and leaving tens of thousands of tourists like Yang stuck on the island. Sanya, the island's main tourist hub, imposed a lockdown on Saturday and restricted transport links to try to stem the outbreak, even as some 80,000 visitors were enjoying its beaches at peak season. Many are now stuck inside hotels until next Saturday, if not longer. Yang, along with her husband and child, are staying at a four-star hotel paid out of their own pocket. The family is eating pot noodles every day to avoid spending more on food. "This is the worst holiday of my life," Yang, who is in her 40s and lives in Jiangxi province in southern China, told Reuters on Sunday. Sanya reported 689 symptomatic and 282 asymptomatic cases between Aug. 1 and Aug. 7. Other … [Read more...] about Covid lockdown turns Chinese tourist hotspot Sanya into nightmare for stranded tourists

Illustrative photo. In a pattern that seems to have prevailed for years, a transport project is usually put into operation soon after its inauguration, but then within a short time there is a need for its expansion or upgrade. What is more surprising is that even projects that are still under construction are being reconsidered for expansion or an upgrade. Such as in the case of the Hanoi Highway which has been expanded four times and still not complete. It may be that this Highway may even be further expanded. The Ho Chi Minh City to Long Thanh to Dau Giay Expressway was started in 2009 with an original design plan of four lanes, then soon after increased to six lanes and now being considered for eight lanes. For all we know it may also be extended to twelve lanes soon. The 17 km long metro line 1 has not yet been put into a trial operation but is being considered for an extension to include the route to Binh Duong and Dong Nai provinces. More recently, the 51 km long Trung Luong … [Read more...] about Constant re-planning of transport projects in Vietnam