Ta Hien Street, a usually crowded location with many beer shops in Hanoi, is left deserted, December 2021. Photo: VnExpress

Vietnam records 15,658 new Covid cases

The Health Ministry confirmed 15,658 new local Covid-19 cases Saturday in 61 cities and provinces, pushing the ongoing wave's tally to 2,097,415.

The three localities with the highest number of new cases were Hanoi with 2,945 cases, Da Nang with 973 cases, and Hai Phong with 745 cases.

Vietnam has recorded 135 cases infected with the Omicron variant, including three community cases in HCMC. 68 of them are in HCMC, 27 in Quang Nam, 14 in Hanoi, 11 in Khanh Hoa, eight in Da Nang, two each in Thanh Hoa, and Quang Ninh, and one each in Hai Duong, Hai Phong and Long An.

The Covid-19 death toll in Vietnam rose to 36,599 with the confirmation of 153 deaths Saturday, including 16 in Hanoi and 10 in HCMC, cited VnExpress.

In the latest wave that hit the country last April, over 1.8 million Covid patients have recovered.

73.7 million people of Vietnams 96 million population have been vaccinated with two doses, and more than 22.3 million have received the third dose.

No Covid-19 testing required for air passengers on domestic routes

Passengers, including children, wishing to fly on domestic routes are no longer required to undergo a Covid-19 test at the airport even when they have not received a single vaccine dose.

The new rule laid down by the Ministry of Transport took effect as of January 22 which helps ease travel restrictions for passengers on domestic air routes.

Passengers on domestic air routes no longer need a Covid-19 test at the airport under new rules by the Ministry of Transport. Photo: VOV

The rule does not apply to passengers coming from the red zones or lockdown areas which are at a high risk of virus infection. Passengers coming from these areas are still required to undergo Covid-19 testing with the result coming back negative 72 hours before their departure.

For children living in the red zones or lockdown areas and wishing to fly on domestic routes, the Ministry of Transport has requested the Ministry of Health to give detailed guidance, according to VOV.

Under the new rule, the Ministry of Transport also no longer requires Covid-19 testing for domestic flight crew every seven days.

However, all passengers are still required to make a medical declaration on the PC-COVID application before their trip, and are responsible for their declared information.

Passengers are not allowed to board the plane when they have symptoms of a cough, a fever, shortness of breath, muscle aches, a sore throat, or loss of taste.

Special books introduced ahead of Tet festival

Domestic publishers have introduced many special books in various types to provide readers with plenty of choices to enjoy during the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday that will last for nine days.

Dong A Books Joint Stock Company, one of Vietnam’s leading book publishers and distributors, has published a book titled Sach Tet Nham Dan 2022 (Book for the Year of the Tiger 2022).

Colourful books feature traditional Tet have been published ahead of the festival. Photo: VNA

The book features a collection of stories, poems, songs, paintings and illustrations about spring and the Tet festival by 60 writers and painters, divided into six parts: Ky uc mua xuan (Memories of Spring), Van (Essays), Tho (Poems), Nhac (Songs), Hoa (Paintings), and Vi thanh (Conclusion).

Dong A has partnered with Tiem Mot - a bookshop chain available in 10 countries around the world -to deliver the book to Vietnamese people abroad.

For children, “Nham nhi Tet Nham Dan” (Tasting Tet of the Year of the Tiger) by renowned Kim Dong publishing house would be a good choice. It contains poems, paintings, comic stories and tips for cooking during Tet, reported VNA.

Meanwhile, Nha Nam Publishing and Communication JSC offers another choice for readers with its publication “Chuyen tra-Lich su mot thuc uong lau doi cua nguoi Viet” (Tea story-The history of a long-lasting drinking of Vietnamese people).

The book, the latest research by Tran Quang Duc, is a combination of historical documents about tea and the author’s thoughts about the past and present, along with interesting stories and poems about tea, and the techniques of making and enjoying tea.

National football squad arrive in Australia for FIFA World Cup qualifier

Coach Park Hang-seo and other members of the Vietnam national squad arrived in Australia on January 21 for their upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifying clash with Australia.

Vietnamese players arrive in Melbourne for a World Cup qualifier against hosts Australia scheduled for January 27. Photo: Vietnam Football Federation

After more than an hour of completing immigration procedures, the Vietnamese team were transferred to Clement Melbourne hotel, about 30 minutes by bus from the airport. Park and the payers had their first warm-up exercise on the same day.

The Vietnamese players will spend five days getting used to local weather and completing final preparations for their away match against hosts Australia on January 27. In their first leg, Australia won Vietnam 1-0 at My Dinh Stadium, cited VOV.

After the match, the Vietnamese team will quickly return home to prepare for another World Cup qualifying match against China at My Dinh Stadium, slated for February 1, Lunar New Year’s Day.

Spring Fair 2022 offers consumer goods for Tet

The Spring Fair 2022 kicked off on January 22 in Hanoi, exhibiting and selling products from nearly 20 provinces and cities across the country.

There are 50 booths at the fair, introducing farm produce, local specialities, handicrafts, consumer goods, and gift products from 50 enterprises, production and processing facilities.

The Spring Fair 2022 kicks off on January 22 in Hanoi. Photo: VNA

All products on sale have clear and reputable origins and geographical indication (GI) certification, with many meeting standards of food safety in accordance with VietGAP and Global GAP standards, VNA reported.

Flowers, ornamental plants and goods serving the demand in the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival are also available at the fair.

Dao Van Ho, Director of the Centre for Agricultural Trade Promotion of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said the fair aims to contribute to promoting trade promotion activities and stimulating consumption in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The fair will last until January 29.

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