Vietnam News Today (Feb. 11): Vietnam Considers Visa Exemption for 24 Countries to Open Tourism Doors Wider

Photo: VOV

Covid-19: Daily count hits record high of more than 26,000 in Vietnam

Official data from the MoH also show nearly 10,000 more patients recovered from the disease and an additional 74 people infected with the virus died during February 10.

Of the newly detected infections, as many as 8,264 were diagnosed in the community, nine people tested positive upon returning from overseas, and the remainder were documented in the lockdown or quarantine areas.

Hanoi capital in the north continued to top localities in infection numbers, registering 2,887 new cases. Other northern localities that saw their daily count surpass the 1,000 case mark, include Hai Phong, Hai Duong, Nam Dinh, Bac Ninh and Hoa Binh.

Except for Nghe An province in the central region that registered 1,748 cases, other localities in the central and southern regions recorded dozens to hundreds of new cases each.

As of 06pm on February 10, Vietnam has detected 2,430,683 Covid-19 cases since the start of the outbreak, ranking 34th out of 225 countries and territories worldwide.

Of the infected patients, 2,206,594 have been discharged from hospital after making a full recovery from the disease, and 38,688 patients have died of the virus, cited VOV.

The number of Omicron infections remains unchanged at 192 in 16 localities, including 92 cases confirmed in Ho Chi Minh City, 27 in Quang Nam, 20 in Quang Ninh, 14 in Hanoi, and 11 in Khanh Hoa.

More than 184 million vaccine doses have been administered nationwide, with over 74 million people getting their second shot and more than 30 million people receiving their additional shot/booster jab.

Vietnam - Russia trade hits US$6.3 billion in 11 months of 2021

The two-way trade between Vietnam and Russia hit US$6.3 billion in the first 11 months of 2021, up 21.7 percent year-on-year, according to Vietnamese Trade Counselor in Russia Duong Hoang Minh who cited statistics from the Federal Customs Service of Russia.

During the period, Vietnam exported US$4.5 billion worth of goods to Russia, posting a yearly rise of 20.4 percent.

Vietnam's plant-based exports to Russia fetched US$282 million, up 21.6 percent over the same period last year, according to VNA.

Among the key agricultural exports to Russia that posted strong values in January – November last year were coffee with 153 million USD (up 20 percent) Photo: VNA

Among the key agricultural exports to Russia that posted strong values in January – November last year were coffee with US$153 million (up 20 percent); fruit and nuts, US$75.5 million (up 38 percent).

Dried mango is a noteworthy export as it raked in US$9.1 million, 10 percent higher than that reported in the same period of 2020, and accounting for over 92 percent of Russia’s total import value of this commodity.

Vietnam considers visa exemption for 24 countries to open tourism doors wider

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has asked the government to consider resuming unilateral visa exemptions for 24 countries that had enjoyed the policy prior to the Covid-19 outbreak.

The proposal has been made even as the ministry seeks approval for fully reopening borders to foreign tourists from March 31 onwards in a bid to revive the nation's beleaguered tourism industry, according to the ministry's portal.

Before the pandemic, the country had offered visa waivers to visitors from 24 countries and territories including ASEAN co-members. After the pandemic broke out in 2020, Vietnam suspended visa-free entry for many countries.

Foreign tourists with a hotel guide in Hoi An, March 18, 2020. Photo: VnExpress

Earlier, visitors from Belarus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, and the U.K. had been allowed to stay in Vietnam for no longer than 15 days without a visa.

While tourists from nine ASEAN countries could enjoy a visa-free stay of up to 30 days, (21 days for the Philippines and 14 days for Brunei and Myanmar), Kyrgyztan citizens had a visa exemption for no more than 30 days and that of Chile had one for no more than 90 days.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had assigned the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Tuesday to work with relevant agencies to announce a roadmap for full tourism resumption soon.

Earlier this month, the PM asked authorities to prepare for reopening the borders to foreign tourists no later than the end of April and ideally at the end of March, reported VnExpress.

With borders closed, the number of foreign arrivals had plunged by 96 percent last year.

The government started allowing foreign tourists in under a vaccine passport program last November. So far, nearly 9,000 foreign arrivals have been welcomed under the program with several pre-set conditions and constraints, half of them Vietnamese overseas coming to see their relatives.

Under the program, Khanh Hoa, Kien Giang, Quang Nam, Quang Ninh, and Binh Dinh provinces, along with Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang City are the only localities foreign tourists can visit.

CNN names Hoi An among leading romantic places worldwide

Cable News Network (CNN) has listed Hoi An Ancient Town in the central province of Quang Nam as one of the world's top 13 most romantic destinations.

According to the US media outlet, the central Vietnamese coastal town, a former trading port, boasts an undeniably quaint and romantic feel for visitors to enjoy.

“The old town is a warren of ancient temples, houses and stores built around a number of canals. Gently humped pedestrian bridges let you wander hand in hand, with hundreds of multicolored lanterns above you swaying in the coastal breezes,” says CNN.

“Paper lanterns of another kind can also be lit and sent soaring skyward, along with a special message written with your valentine,” the article notes.

Cau (Bridge) pagoda - a amjor tourist attraction in Hoi An. Photo: VOV

The media channel also suggests that after taking a stroll, visitors should enjoy some of the town's rightly famous foods, such as the banh mi (baguette sandwiches) that counted Anthony Bourdain as one of their biggest fans.

Rounding off the list of top 13 are destinations such as the Maldives, Quebec City (Canada), Tuscany (Italy), Hawaii and Charleston of South Carolina (USA), Botswana, Paris (France), Istanbul (Turkey), Bora Bora (French Polynesia), Venice (Italy), Buenos Aires (Argentina), and Kyoto (Japan).

Vietnamese food companies join Russia's PRODEXPO 2022

Veteran Vietnamese firms in the Russian market are attending the 29th International Exhibition For Food, Beverages and Food Raw Materials (PRODEXPO 2022), which runs in Moscow from February 7 to 11.

Among them is the Nafoods group, which sells dried tropical fruit, particularly mango. The company’s current sales are estimated at 200 – 250 tonnes of the products per month.

A screenshot of the site of PRODEXPO 2022.

Trade Counsellor of Vietnam in Russia Duong Hoang Minh said the export value of dried mango products from Vietnam to Russia hit US$9.1 million between January and November last year, up 10 percent on-year and accounting for more than 92 percent of Russia’s total import value of such products, cited VNA.

He noted that only US$202,000 worth of dried mango was exported to Russia in 2017, adding that dried fruit is a good option when Vietnamese fresh fruit is yet to access the Russian market.

Another Vietnamese enterprise participating in the exhibition is the Sostra group, which has operated for 20 years in the market with hundreds of food brands, notably regarding chili sauce, soy sauce and instant noodles.

The event, featuring stalls from nearly 2,700 firms across 73 countries, has attracted tens of thousands of visitors.

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