Vietnam News Today (Aug. 15): Vietnam, China’s Macau Strengthen Cooperation

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Vietnamese Consul General in China’s Hong Kong and Macau Le Duc Hanh (L) and Chief Executive of the Macau Special Administrative Region Ho Iat Seng (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam, China’s Macau strengthen cooperation

Vietnamese Consul General in China’s Hong Kong and Macau Le Duc Hanh paid a courtesy visit to Chief Executive of the Macau Special Administrative Region Ho Iat Seng on August 13 as part of her first working trip to the region.

At the event, Ho held that there are rosy signals in the ties between Vietnam and Macau, with positive figures in trade, investment, tourism, labor and student exchanges, and expressed his belief that the two sides could strengthen collaboration, given that daily direct flights will continue making contributions to the exchanges between them in the coming time.

Hanh said she hopes to work closely with the Macau administration, and resolves to renew the relations between Vietnam and Macau.

Both sides have enjoyed positive post-pandemic recovery, she said, highlighting this is the right time to promote relations across the potential areas of trade, investment, tourism, labor and people-to-people exchange, cited VNA.

Regarding the visa issue, Hanh said though bilateral relations are recovering, they have yet to reach pre-COVID-19 levels or fully live up to potential.

After the pandemic, Vietnamese people’s tourism and job demands have bounced back, but Vietnam is still one of the six countries whose citizens haven’t been granted visas upon arrival in Macau, which has considerably limited the number of its visitors to this special administrative region. Given this, she suggested promoting package tours and the pilot permission of Vietnamese tourists, especially those already gaining Hong Kong visas, to be granted visas upon arrival in Macau.

Welcoming the proposal, Ho said he will actively consider it, which is a good measure for encouraging Vietnamese tourists and workers to come to Macau.

Hanh also suggested the Macau administration receive more Vietnamese workers and simplify reception procedures, particularly for those previously working in Macau and already finishing their labor contracts.

The Vietnamese Consulate General is ready to coordinate with the Macau administration to properly resolve labor-related issues, she affirmed, considering Vietnamese workers a trustworthy supplement to help address the labor shortage in Macau.

Host and guest concurred on the need to increase the exchange of delegations at various levels.

As many Vietnamese products, such as rice and pork, are highly favored by Macau residents, Ho welcomed Vietnam's attendance at upcoming major trade events in Macau, such as the Macao International Trade and Investment Fair (MIF), to popularize Vietnamese quality products.

He also invited Vietnamese art troupes to art exhibitions in Macau and welcomed Vietnamese students to study there.

In response, Hanh extended an invitation to the host and a Macau business delegation to visit Vietnam at the earliest to foster bilateral cooperation across various fields.

As part of their visit, the Vietnamese delegation met with leaders of Macau's Labour Affairs Bureau to explore the situation of Vietnamese workers living there. They discussed solutions to challenges faced by the workers and proposed mechanisms for future cooperation.

Australian senator rejoices over flourishing ties with Vietnam

Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Pham Hung Tam on August 14 paid a courtesy visit to Senator Simon Birmingham, the opposition's Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs.

At the meeting, Simon Birmingham said he is glad to note that the cooperative relationship between Vietnam and Australia has grown steadily, especially since both nations established a comprehensive strategic partnership.

The two countries have strengthened dialogue mechanisms, shared common interests in maintaining peace, security and stability in the region, ensured a reliable supply of commercial goods, and supplemented each other's markets, reported VOV.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Pham Hung Tam (L) and Senator Simon Birmingham.

Australia has abundant investment funds, capable of intensifying related activities in Vietnam. Increased tourism cooperation between the two countries has helped deepen people-to-people exchanges, the Australian senator said.

For his part, Ambassador Pham Hung Tam shared with Simon Birmingham the new developments in the cooperative relationship between Vietnam and Australia since the two countries upgraded their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership during Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's official visit to Australia in March 2024.

Both countries have strengthened the exchange of visits and dialogue mechanisms at all levels. Bilateral trade has also grown again, paving the way for two-way investment opportunities especially in the fields of energy transition and green transition. Tourism cooperation and people-to-people exchanges are growing and flourishing, Tam said.

The Vietnamese diplomat asked Simon Birmingham to provide continued support for the development of cooperative relations between the two countries, including expanding markets for each other's agricultural products and proposed the early removal of temporary restrictions imposed by South Australia – the Senator's home state – on students from the central region of Vietnam studying there.

Vietnam festival helps tighten friendship with Japan

The 8th Vietnam Festival will be held in Japan’s Kanagawa prefecture on September 7 - 8 to help strengthen bonds between the two nations, according to a press conference on August 14.

Governor of the Japanese locality Kuroiwa Yuji stressed that the festival will be an opportunity for local residents to get better insights into a beautiful Vietnam, thus promoting people-to-people ties. An exchange event will also be held from August to September to introduce Vietnamese cuisine standout features to local people and tourists.

Besides, there will be investment and tourism promotion events, as well as activities boosting economic and trade cooperation between localities of both sides, he added, saying this demonstrates the festival's substantive contributions to bilateral ties, which are developing sustainably.

Vietnamese Ambassador Pham Quang Hieu, for his part, spoke highly of the local administration's efforts to organize the annual festival, which he described as typical for locality-to-locality connections and also a model for similar events to be arranged in other localities of Japan.

He stressed that the annual festival has bridged the Vietnamese community and Kanagawa people, helping strengthen the friendship and mutual trust between the two countries’ people, cited VNA.

Vietnamese Ambassador Pham Quang Hieu (left) and Governor of Kanagawa prefecture Kuroiwa Yuji at the press conference on August 14 (Photo: VNA)

According to the organizing board, the festival will also feature performances of Vietnamese water puppetry and Vovinam (Vietnamese traditional martial art), folk games, a music exchange, and a Japanese speaking contest for international students in Kanagawa.

Another highlight is the introduction of the script of “Princess Anio”, a special opera premiered last year to mark the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam - Japan diplomatic ties. The opera is based on the love story between Sotaro Araki, a merchant from Nagasaki of Japan, and Princess Ngoc Hoa (called Princess Anio by Japanese) in Hoi An of Vietnam during the trading era of the Shuinsen in the early 17th century.

Vietnam, with more than 34,000 nationals in Kanagawa, becomes the second largest foreign community there. The Japanese prefecture is located just south of Tokyo and boasts a population of over 9.2 million.

Thousands of flights added for National Day holiday, airfares ease

In anticipation of the high travel demand during Vietnam's National Day holiday on September 2nd, airlines have ramped up their flight schedules, offering millions of seats to travelers.

This increase in capacity is expected to ease ticket prices, providing more options for those planning their holiday getaways.

A representative from Vietnam Airlines announced on August 13th that the airline would increase the number of flights during the peak National Day holiday period from August 30th to September 4th. It plans to offer nearly half a million seats across its domestic and international networks, corresponding to nearly 2,500 flights.

It will primarily focus on boosting frequencies on domestic routes between Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and popular destinations such as Da Nang, Da Lat, and Cam Ranh, as well as routes between Ho Chi Minh City and Hue, Phu Quoc, among others. The total number of domestic seats will reach 330,000, equivalent to more than 1,700 flights, representing a 19% increase compared to the same period in 2023.

"The international routes with the most increased flights are between Vietnam and India, China, Thailand, and Australia. The total number of international seats will exceed 150,000, corresponding to more than 650 flights, a slight increase from last year," the Vietnam Airlines representative added.

Similarly, from August 30th to September 4th, Vietravel Airlines will offer nearly 28,000 seats. The airline representative noted that as of August 13th, the most popular routes are Ho Chi Minh City - Da Nang/Quy Nhon and Hanoi - Da Nang, as well as Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City - Bangkok.

Vietnam Airlines reported that nearly 50% of key domestic tourist routes are already booked, with demand expected to rise quickly in the coming days. International routes to India, China, Thailand, and Australia have also shown positive results, with occupancy rates ranging from 50% to 70%.

Ensuring smooth travel during the National Day holiday is a significant effort by airlines, especially amid a global aircraft shortage caused by manufacturers recalling engines for inspection.

In recent months, Vietnam Airlines has added an Airbus A320neo and a Boeing 787-10 to its fleet to better serve the peak travel demand, VNN reported.

Key domestic tourist routes for the National Day holiday are already nearly 50% booked. Photo: N. Huyen

Similarly, from August through the end of 2024, Vietjet plans to receive 10 new-generation aircraft to serve passengers on domestic and international routes.

Bamboo Airways is also expected to add more aircraft in the fourth quarter of 2024. Additionally, the airline is working to increase the average daily flight hours per aircraft to around 12.5 and add more night flights to maximize capacity during the National Day peak period.

In a related development, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam recently issued a directive to domestic airlines, urging them to collaborate with travel agencies to create comprehensive travel programs and plans for key domestic and international tourism destinations.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has also requested that airlines report on their fleet operation plans, demand forecasts, additional flights, and ticket sales for flights to/from major tourist destinations during the National Day holiday.

According to ticket sales platforms, there is an abundant supply of tickets for most routes, and prices have cooled compared to the beginning of the year.

To ensure a smooth journey, experts recommend that passengers book their tickets well in advance of their intended departure date to secure a wider selection of flights and potentially lower fares.

Additionally, passengers are encouraged to use self-check-in options to save time, such as online check-in via websites, mobile apps, telephone check-in, or self-service kiosks at the airport.

Nha Trang fourth preferred destination for Korean tourists

Nha Trang city in the south central coastal province of Khanh Hoa ranked fourth in the list of the most popular overseas destinations for Korean travelers on their Liberation Day holiday, which falls on August 15.

According to a report conducted by digital travel platform Agoda, a 36% increase in outbound travel from the Republic of Korea was recorded this Liberation Day in comparison to the same period from last year.

Japan stood out as the most popular overseas destination for Korean tourists, occupying the top three spots, with Fukuoka leading Tokyo in second and Osaka in third. The Japanese destinations are followed Nha Trang in Vietnam and Bangkok of Thailand.

This comes after Nha Trang city and Phu Quoc island city in the southern province of Kien Giang were also listed among the three most popular international destinations for Korean tourists, according to a survey unveiled by Korean news outlet Rankify Korea, cited VOV.

Nha Trang city is among most popular overseas destinations for Korean travelers.

Known for the friendliness of its people, Nha Trang city is flanked by nearly 10km of white-sand coastline, with clear waters being warm all year round for visitors to enjoy.

Along with offering beautiful beaches, the city attracts visitors with its pagodas, temple towers, and marine world display.

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