A doctor is seen inside an intensive care unit of a hospital in Hanoi, December 8, 2021. Photo: VnExpress

Vietnam records 14,966 new Covid cases

The Health Ministry confirmed 14,966 new local Covid-19 cases Monday, down 1,127 cases from the previous day, pushing the ongoing wave's tally to 1,549,032.

The three localities with the highest number of new cases were Hanoi with 1,612 cases, Ben Tre with 985 cases, and Ca Mau with 967 cases. HCMC recorded 687 cases.

Of the day's tally, 9,000 cases were detected in the community.

The Health Ministry also confirmed 1,937 recoveries the same day, bringing the total number of recovered cases so far to 1,109,899.

The Covid-19 death toll in Vietnam rose to 29,791 with the confirmation of 225 deaths Monday, cited VnExpress.

The average number of new cases in the country for the past seven days has been 15,450 a day while the national death rate has been 244 a day on average.

Vietnam has vaccinated 75.8 million people with at least one vaccine shot. 62.2 million have received two shots, and 1.3 million have received three shots.

Vietnam Airlines proposes restoring flights to Europe, Australia from early next year

Vietnam Airlines has proposed resuming regular flights to Europe and Australia from January 1, 2022.

The national flag carrier has prepared resources to serve the markets, with the initial weekly frequency of about two flights on each route, according to a representative from Vietnam Airlines.

The restoration would help the corporation bring into full play its aircraft fleet, cut operational costs and consolidate its position, while preventing the risk of domination by international airlines at gateways.

Under a plan mapped out by the Ministry of Transport, regular international flights from/to Vietnam will be resumed in two phases, with air travel with nine foreign destinations to be available again in the first phase and fifteen in the second phase.

Vietnam Airlines has proposed resuming regular flights to Europe and Australia from January 1, 2022. Photo: VNA

Vietnam will restore regular international air routes with Beijing/Guangxi (China), Tokyo (Japan), Seoul (the Republic of Korea), Taipei (Taiwan, China), Bangkok (Thailand), Singapore, Vientiane (Laos), Phnom Penh (Cambodia), and San Francisco/Los Angeles (the US), according to VNA.

During the second phase, flights will be likely to reconnect Vietnam with six more other foreign destinations, including Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Hong Kong (China), Paris (France), Frankfurt (Germany), Sydney (Australia) and Moscow (Russia).

Concerned authorities will evaluate the implementation of the plan before allowing regular international flights to reach the pre-pandemic level.

According to a new guidance issued by the Ministry of Health, fully vaccinated foreign arrivals with negative Covid-19 test results will only need to self-quarantine at home or places of accommodation for three days upon entry into Vietnam by air.

The new regulations will be effective from January 1, 2022, the day Vietnam is set to resume regular international flights on a pilot basis.

Typhoon Rai weakens into tropical depression

Typhoon Rai, the ninth storm to hit the nation in the East Sea this year, changed direction to move northeast at speeds of between 15km and 20km per hour over the next 24 hours, according to the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting.

The Standing Office of the National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control stated that at 5:00 p.m. on December 19, Typhoon Rai caused strong winds and rough seas in Ly Son island in the central province of Quang Ngai and Cu Lao Cham in the central province of Quang Nam.

Photo: VOV

Most notably, the typhoon left one dead in Binh Thuan due to a boat capsizing as he tried to move to anchor in order to shelter from the storm.

Furthermore, five fishing vessels sunk and three other ships in the locality were damaged while anchoring close to the shore, reported VOV.

At present, Quang Ngai has been able to evacuate roughly 1,500 people in Binh Son district, while simultaneously bringing 2,100 residents in the islands of Ly Son, Cu Lao Cham, Con Co, and Phu Quy to safe areas.

Authorities warned about the dangers of 11 landslide spots in the three provinces of Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, and Phu Yen, adding that these localities must rapidly devise plans in order to evacuate residents to safe shelters.

This comes after Typhoon Rai swept across the Philippine archipelago late last week, causing widespread flooding and leaving at least 208 people dead in the process.

Da Nang's Golden Bridge wins top honors at World Travel Awards

The Golden Bridge in Da Nang City has won the 2021 World Travel Award in the 'world's leading iconic tourist bridge' category.

The bridge at the Ba Na Hills Resort in the Truong Son mountain range beat 11 other rivals, including some iconic ones such as the Henderson Waves Bridge in Singapore, Panorama Langkawi in Malaysia and Mishima Skywalk in Japan.

The result was based on votes cast by travel industry professionals and the public.

Designed by architect Vu Viet Anh and his team, the Golden Bridge, 150 meters long and 12.8 meters wide, was designed as a giant hands made of fiberglass and mesh wire.

Tourists visit the Golden Bridge on Ba Na Hills in Da Nang, 2019. Photo: Shutterstock

It acquired global fame soon after it opened in June 2018, attracting extensive media coverage and drawing visitors from all over the world, cited VnExpress.

Sun World Ba Na Hills, a complex of restaurants and entertainment facilities, became the winner in the 'world's leading iconic tourist attraction' category this year. It is situated at an altitude of nearly 1,500 meters on top of Chua Mountain.

The only way to reach Ba Na Hills is by cable car.

The World Travel Awards, launched in 1993, acknowledge excellence in the travel and tourism industry, and have been described as the "travel industry's equivalent of the Oscars."

Vietnamese Goods Exhibition 2021 opens

The Vietnamese Goods 2021 exhibition kicked off in Ho Chi Minh City on December 20 to introduce an array of high-quality products and services to consumers, whilst simultaneously elevating the profile of domestically-produced brands.

Nguyen Phuoc Hung, vice president of HCM City Business Association (HUBA), said the event has been held via both direct and online platforms, featuring high-quality firms from the southern city in fields such as food, beverages, rubber, plastics, household appliances, mechanics, electricity, information technology, pharmaceuticals, and real estate.

The exhibition has also been an activity to support local businesses in strengthening linkages of production chains whilst seeking partners to conduct transactions.

Delegates visit booths at the exhibition. Photo: VNA

In his opening speech, Bui Ta Hoang Vu, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade, emphasized that despite challenges relating to Covid-19, businesses have redouble efforts to maintain production and supply chains, as well as ensuring people’s demand for food.

Most notably, the city’s import-export turnover witnessed impressive growth this year, while domestic manufacturing enterprises have been actively applying advanced technologies in production line to launch high-quality products which are capable of meeting the demand for domestic consumption and export, VOV reported.

During the opening ceremony, the HCM City Business Association, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of External Relations, and the Vietnam Entrepreneurs Association in Australia signed a co-operation agreement to promote Vietnamese goods in the Australian market.

There will be several business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-customer (B2C) schemes held during the event to provide an ideal venue for firms to meet and promote the consumption of products.

The exhibition, which has been organized by the HCM City Business Association, will run until the end of December 21.

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