A Covid-19 patient is treated at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi, December 2021. Photo: VnExpress

Vietnam records 16,700 new local Covid cases

Vietnam recorded 16,700 new local Covid-19 cases on Thursday, bringing the infection tally in the new wave to 1,946,855.

The three localities with the highest numbers of new cases are Hanoi with 2,968 cases, Binh Phuoc with 726 cases and Binh Dinh with 709 cases.

Vietnam has recorded 50 cases infected with the Omicron variant so far, all imported. There are 27 cases in Quang Nam, 12 in Ho Chi Minh City, three in Da Nang, two each in Thanh Hoa and Khanh Hoa, and one each in Hanoi, Hai Duong and Long An.

206 deaths were added to the national database on Thursday, with 30 cases in Dong Thap, 19 in HCMC, 14 in Vinh Long, 13 in Hanoi, 11 each in An Giang and Tien Giang, 10 each in Binh Duong, Long An and Can Tho, eight each in Tay Ninh and Ba Ria-Vung Tau, seven each in Tra Vinh and Ben Tre, six each in Soc Trang and Kien Giang, four in Ca Mau, three each in Bac Ninh, Khanh Hoa, Lam Dong and Binh Thuan, two each in Hue, Binh Dinh, Ha Giang, Phu Tho, Hau Giang, Bac Lieu and Hoa Binh, and one each in Quang Tri, Hai Phong, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Da Nang and Gia Lai.

The total number of deaths so far is 35,170 cases, or 1.8 percent of all infections, cited VnExpress.

26,031 Covid-19 patients were announced recovered on Thursday, bringing the number of recovered cases to 1,661,930.

78.4 million people have received their first Covid-19 vaccine doses, 71.7 million have received their second doses and 14.3 million have received their third doses.

Vietnam, RoK enjoy extensive exchange in culture: Korean minister

Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK) have seen extensive cultural exchange, and the combination of the RoK’s development and technology and Vietnam’s values will definitely create great influence, not only in Asia, said RoK Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hwang Hee.

The official said during a recent meeting, he and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Van Hung discussed issues related to the celebration of the 30th founding anniversary of the countries’ diplomatic ties and signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation.

He said as both countries love sports, the two sides have considered exchanges in different sports such as female football and golf to mark the 30th anniversary of their diplomatic relations. Notably, they agreed to organize festivals, including a Korean lantern festival in Vietnam and a Vietnamese culture and tourism week in the RoK, on this occasion.

RoK Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hwang Hee. Photo: koreajoongangdaily

The minister expressed his hope that the 30th anniversary will be a chance for the countries to learn more about each other’s history and culture, thereby creating an environment in which they can explore new cooperation fields such as sports and music.

Both Vietnam and the RoK hold great potential and enthusiasm, so the prospect of bilateral cooperation is considerable, Hwang Hee went on, noting that cultural exchange has an important role to play in helping create the foundation and momentum for sustainable development, according to VNA.

According to him, the two sides share many cultural similarities, with the Vietnamese and Korean peoples familiar to each other’s cultures. The Korean Cultural Centre in Vietnam, established in November 2006, is the first in Southeast Asia and has been acting as a cultural ambassador between the two countries.

The RoK will also exert efforts to introduce the Vietnamese culture to its people, the minister added.

Hanoi capital named among most popular destinations globally

Despite tourism services being heavily impacted by Covid-19, many international tourism organizations and press agencies have still listed Hanoi among the group of the most attractive cities globally.

TripAdvisor ranks Hanoi in second place in the list of the top 25 most popular destinations in Asia, and sixth among 25 most popular destinations in the world.

Elsewhere, prestigious travel website World Packers named Hanoi among its top 10 cheapest cities to live in the world, reported VOV.

Hoan Kiem Lake is one of the famous tourist attractions in Hanoi. Photo: VOV

The capital also made it onto the global list of 100 greatest places to explore on Earth, as voted by Time magazine.

Furthermore, UK travel website Holidu selected Hanoi in its list of “The Best Cities for a Workation”, while London-based analytical agency Deep Knowledge Analytics (DKA) listed the Vietnamese capital among its top 50 cities in the world to have the best response to dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Moreover, Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi was awarded a five-star rating, the top level of recognition, from Forbes Travel Guide in its independent assessment of luxury hotels, restaurants, and spas.

Hanoi La Siesta Diamond Hotel in Hanoi also finished first on Tripadvisor World’s Top Rooftop Hotels list thanks to its jaw-dropping skyline view.

Dang Huong Giang, director of the Hanoi Department of Tourism, said that the Department always directs travel service businesses and destinations in the capital to prepare to launch tourism products focusing on new and upgraded service quality. This should be done alongside implementing measures to ensure safety against the Covid-19 pandemic.

Vietnam gives all adults 1st Covid shot, 93 percent get 2nd

The entire adult population has received at least one Covid-19 vaccine 10 months after the immunization campaign began.

As of January 12 some 163.5 million shots had been administered, with 78.4 million people getting one jab and 71.5 million and 13.6 million getting their second and third, according to the Ministry of Health.

It means 93 percent of the population has received at least two shots.

In the case of children under 18, eight million have got one shots and six million have got a second, with 90 percent of those aged 12-17 getting one and 68 percent being fully vaccinated.

A pregnant woman receives a Covid-19 vaccine shot in Hanoi, September 2021. Photo: VnExpress

The government plans to fully vaccinate everyone aged 12-17 this month, and give adults booster shots within the first quarter of the year.

Vietnam is among the top six countries in the world in terms of vaccination rate, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh said on January 5.

Despite the high vaccination rate, Vietnam has seen a surge in the number of infections, around 17,000 a day, compared to around 3,700 daily cases three months prior, cited VnExpress.

Around 213 deaths a day on average were recorded in the past seven days, compared to around 101 three months prior.

Experts have attributed the rise in the number of new cases to the fact that Vietnam has reopened to adapt to the coronavirus, while the majority of deaths are those who are either unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated.

Airlines to increase flights as passengers skyrocket in numbers for Tet

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has made a proposal to the Ministry of Transport in an effort to increase the number of flights available during the peak time for the upcoming Lunar New Year, known locally as Tet, to meet passengers’ demand.

Statistics indicate that up to 4,480 flights were operated, carrying a total of 547,000 passengers from December 29, 2021, to January 10, 2022, with the seat occupancy rate reaching 64%.

Passengers’ demand on the Ho Chi Minh City-Hanoi route and from the southern city to the Central Highlands, as well as to central and northern provinces, during the reviewed period rose sharply with a seat occupancy of over 70%.

Photo: VOV

The booking rate on the airlines’ system is now at over 50%, with the figure occasionally rising to 90%. Most notably, the booking rate was at 91% on Vietjet Air’s system on January 18 and 92% on Vietnam Airlines’ system on January 22 on the HCM City-Vinh route.

Furthermore, February 6 flights on the Ho Chi Minh City-Hue route of Vietnam Airlines recorded the highest booking rate of 100%, VOV reported.

According to the CAAV, the rates show that the travel demand of passengers from Ho Chi Minh City to other localities nationwide during the Tet period is increasing significantly.

The authority therefore proposed that the Ministry of Transport consider increasing flights to meet travel demand during the festive season from January 14.

The previously-approved plan will see approximately 14,000 flights with 2.7 million seats between January 19 and February 16, equivalent to 70% to 75% compared to Tet in 2021.

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