Students in Hanoi take Covid-19 vaccine shots, November 23, 2021. Photo: VnExpress

Vietnam confirms 13,661 new Covid cases

The Health Ministry reported 13,661 new Covid-19 cases Friday, pushing the ongoing wave's tally to 1,280,780 cases.

The three localities with the highest number of new cases were Ho Chi Minh City with 1,311 cases, Can Tho with 982 cases, and Thua Thien Hue with 980 cases, including 822 cases that have been detected in previous days but yet to be confirmed on the national Covid-19 patient database.

The Covid-19 death toll in Vietnam rose to 25,858 with the confirmation of 200 deaths on Friday, cited VnExpress.

Health authorities also confirmed 1,149 recoveries on the same day, bringing the total tally of recovered cases so far to 1,006,459.

Almost 53.2 million people of the nation's 96-million population have been fully vaccinated.

Vietnam Economic Forum scheduled for December 5

The Vietnam Economic Forum 2021 is scheduled to take place at the International Convention Centre on December 5, the National Assembly’s Office announced at a press conference on December 2.

The event will be co-organized by the NA’s Committee for Economic Affairs, the Party Central Committee’s Economic Commission and the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences.

According to Nguyen Minh Son, deputy head of the NA’s Committee for Economic Affairs, the forum will review Vietnam’s economic development in 2020-2021, and policies adopted to cope with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Photo: VNA

Specifically, it will give insight into the trend of economic restructuring and changes in production and business models due to pandemic impacts, along with policies that have been rolled out in the world to tackle Covid-19, thus withdrawing lessons for Vietnam in this regard.

Delegates are expected to propose solutions, focusing on both short and long-term economic policies, he said, stressing that apart from economic matters, the forum will touch upon social and environmental issues, according to VNA.

The forum is set to contribute to institutionalizing the Resolution issued at the 13th National Party Congress, the 2021-2030 socio-economic development strategy, and other resolutions of the legislature.

On this occasion, the organizers launched the official website of the forum, at diendankinhte.quochoi.vn, in Vietnamese and English languages.

Vietnam Airlines promotes national image in US market

National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has launched a short video aimed at popularizing the image of Vietnam, its land and people, as well as major attractive destinations on a giant LED screen outside the Thompson Reuters building at Times Square of New York City, the USA.

A host of famous local tourist attractions have been introduced, including the mysterious Son Doong cave, vibrant Ho Chi Minh City, the unique Golden Bridge in Da Nang, Ha Long Bay, boat rowing in Ninh Binh. In addition, Vietnam’s culinary art has also bene introduced, including Pho, a traditional noodle soup of Hanoi capital.

The screening of the clip captured great public attention at Times Square, elevating Vietnam as a peaceful country with a diverse range of nature and fascinating experiences on offer.

Vietnam's famous destinations are introduced on a giant LED screen at Times Square in the US. Photo: Vietnam Airlines

The video also unveiled regular non-stop flights between Vietnam and the US which have been launched by Vietnam Airlines since November 28. At present, Vietnam Airlines is the only Vietnamese airline operating such a route between the two countries.

By operating these regular direct flights, Vietnam Airlines expects to penetrate deep into the US market which has great potential for air transport development, reported VOV.

Currently, the airlines is operating two flights per week between Ho Chi Minh City and San Francisco. It plans to increase the number of flights to seven per week as soon as the Covid-19 pandemic is fully brought under control and the reopening of regular international air routes is once again permitted.

It also intends to launch additional routes connecting Los Angeles with Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City.

Vietnam Airlines on November 4 received a permit from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in order to operate non-stop commercial flight services between Vietnam and the US.

This is widely considered a historic milestone in the Vietnamese aviation industry as it opens up bright prospects to ramp up economic and cultural exchanges between the two countries.

Vietnam cautious about resuming international flights amid Omicron threats

The appearance of Omicron – a mutated variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus – in many countries globally has forced Vietnam to thoroughly reconsider its plan to resume commercial international flights, said an official of the Ministry of Transport.

The Ministry of Transport in November submitted to the Prime Minister a three-phase plan to resume international commercial flights starting in early 2022. However, the global spread of Omicron has made countries, including Vietnam, more cautious about reopening their borders to air travel.

“With Omicron detected in many countries, we are reviewing and working with other countries on a plan to resume flights as soon as possible,” said Nguyen Ngoc Dong, Deputy Minister of Transport at a Government press briefing on December 2.

Major Vietnamese airlines have developed plans to resume international commercial flights as soon as the Ministry of Transport's plan is approved by the Prime Minister. Photo: VOV

Vietnam is set to resume flights to more than 10 countries worldwide, including Japan, the Republic of Korea, China, Australia, France and the United Kingdom, on a trial basis and to expand destinations later depending on Covid-19 control.

“We are working alongside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Health, and Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to complete the plan and submit it to the Prime Minister,” Dong said.

All countries want to reopen international flights to facilitate air travel and trade exchanges, stressed the official, adding this is the actual and objective demand of not only Vietnam but many other countries in the world.

According to the Deputy Minister of Transport, the resumption of international air routes must be dependent on the capacity to prevent Covid-19 and the vaccination coverage in countries, More importantly, he said the plan is realized only when it receives agreement from the countries concerned, cited VOV.

As of December 1, cases of the highly mutated Omicron Covid-19 variant have been detected in 23 counties and territories worldwide.

Vietnam coordinates rescue of 18 foreign sailors from sinking boat

The Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre for Zone 3 has coordinated a rescue of 18 crew members of a sinking ship offshore the south central province of Binh Thuan.

NARIMOTO MARU, a Belize-flagged cargo ship, was en route from Malaysia to Taiwan (China) with 18 sailors and 9,310 tonnes of clay on board.

NARIMOTO MARU, a Belize-flagged cargo ship. Photo: VNA

The vessel began to tilt so heavily that it faced the risk of sinking when it was crossing the waters of Binh Thuan, about 262 km east-northeast of Vung Tau Cape, on December 1, forcing all the sailors to leave the ship amid high waves of up to 4 – 5m.

Upon receiving reports about the situation, the centre, without delay, contacted competent authorities in the region, asking for help to save the seafarers, according to VNA.

Thanks to the concerted efforts, a nearby Denmark-flagged vessel called MATHILDE MAERSK came to the site to rescue the sailors on the same day’s night and bring them ashore safely two days later.

The crew members were then taken to The Coast Hotel in Vung Tau City, the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau to go under quarantine in accordance with Covid-19 preventive rules.

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