Medics take Covid-19 test sample from a woman in Dong Thap Province, southern Vietnam, on Nov. 7, 2021. Photo: VnExpress

Vietnam records 8,603 new local Covid cases

The Health Ministry confirmed 8,603 new local Covid-19 cases Monday, up 440 cases from the previous day, pushing the ongoing wave's tally to 1,029,183.

The three localities with the highest number of new cases were Ho Chi Minh City with 1,165 cases, An Giang with 660 cases and Binh Duong with 616 cases.

Of the day's tally, 3,950 cases were detected in the community.

The Health Ministry also confirmed 1,205 recoveries the same day, bringing the total number of recovered cases so far to 864,516, cited VnExpress.

The Covid-19 death toll in Vietnam rose to 23,183 with the confirmation of 101 deaths Monday, including 45 in HCMC and 10 in An Giang.

The average number of new cases in the country for the past seven days has been 8,341 a day while the national death rate has been 84 a day on average.

Over 64.5 million people have been vaccinated, with more than 35.3 million receiving two doses.

All AFF Cup matches to be broadcast live in Vietnam

Vietnam Television (VTV) has signed an agreement with Next Media Solutions JSC to air every match of the AFF Cup 2020 live.

Next Media earlier secured exclusive ownership of the broadcast rights of the AFF Cup in Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia.

In Vietnam, domestic fans will be able to watch live broadcasts of all matches on VTV5 and VTV6.

To meet the needs of TV viewers from across the country, the two channels have been granted the broadcast rights to TV stations nationwide if required, according to VOV.

Vietnamese fans can watch live broadcasts of all AFF Cup's matches on VTV5 and VTV6. Photo: VOV

Singapore will play host to the AFF Cup 2020 after it has met all requirements set by the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF). The island state duly fulfilled all of the criteria, including receiving the Government’s permission, having a detailed pandemic response plan, convenience of travel, and risk insurance if the event is canceled.

First established in 1996, the largest Southeast Asian football tournament was supposed to take place last year but was pushed back to later this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It is scheduled to last from December 5, 2021 to January 1, 2022.

Defending champions Vietnam have been drawn in Group B along with Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Laos. Meanwhile, Group A consists of Thailand, the Philippines, Myanmar, Singapore, and Timor-Leste.

Vietnam to expand inbound tourism in early 2022

Vietnam has planned to expand locations in its pilot scheme to welcome back vaccinated visitors from overseas in early 2022, according to Nguyen Trung Khanh, director general of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).

Destinations will be expanded in early 2022, and localities that meet conditions will be considered for allowing international tourists, Khanh said at a recent roundtable discussion to examine localities’ preparations for receiving holiday-makers.

Khanh said the tourism sector is actively implementing the Government’s Resolution 128 on safe and flexible adaptation to and effective control of Covid-19.

“Besides receiving domestic holiday-makers, Vietnam is reopening the door to international visitors to some localities, and moving towards fully reopening international tourism market,” said the official.

According to Khanh, safety will be given top priority and localities have been required to have plans to “handle incidents so that any problems that arise can be quickly resolved”.

Vietnam is welcoming back foreign visitors in November 2021 on a trial basis after months of closing its inbound tourism services. Photo: VNA

Vo Huy Cuong, deputy director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, affirmed that the recovery of the tourism sector is closely linked to the recovery of the aviation sector.

He cited information from airlines, saying there will be incoming flights from international markets such as the Republic of Korea, Japan, Taiwan (China) and Thailand to selected pilot destinations in Vietnam in the near future.

These are very encouraging signals, helping Vietnam’s aviation sector to resume international commercial flights and facilitate the reception of international passengers as well as overseas Vietnamese wishing to return home, said Cuong.

Amid concerns about Covid-19 threats when Vietnam reopens its international tourism market, Vu The Binh, vice president of the Vietnam Tourism Association, said Vietnam cannot close its borders forever and localities Covid-19 must flexibly and safely adapt to Covid-19, reported VOV.

In his opinion, vaccination is the most important factor in Covid-19 prevention, and safe tourism development must go hand in hand with economic development.

“Travel businesses understand this best, therefore they must ensure safety for their employees and customers. We have to trust businesses. Businesses are allowed to operate as soon as they meet conditions,” said Binh.

Vietnam has closed its borders to combat the Covid-19 pandemic since late April 2020. The move has dealt a heavy blow to economic development, including the tourism sector that makes up approximately 10% of Vietnam’s gross domestic product.

The Government has recently approved the VNAT’s proposal to implement a pilot scheme to allow foreign travelers to destinations in Kien Giang, Khanh Hoa, Quang Nam, Da Nang and Quang Ninh in the first phase in the last two months of 2021.

Kien Giang is scheduled to welcome a flight from the Republic of Korea on November 20 to bring approximately 250 vaccinated visitors to its Phu Quoc island resort.

Quang Nam’s world heritage sites welcome foreign visitors

Two world heritage sites in the central province of Quang Nam – Hoi An ancient town and My Son Sanctuary – began to welcome foreign tourists starting November 15.

The roadmap to welcome foreign visitors will be rolled out in three phases, with the first one running from now until November 30 and the second one between December 1 and January 31, 2022.

A corner of Hoi An ancient city. Photo: VNA

Chairman of the Hoi An People’ Committee Nguyen Van Son said to welcome the visitors, a 50 percent discount is offered for sightseeing tickets to the ancient town and traditional craft villages.

All workers at tourist sites have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, he added.

Director of the My Son Sanctuary’s management board Phan Ho said the site has devised various events and new products to serve tourists. Preventive measures have been in place to ensure visitors’ experience and safety, cited VNA.

Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Le Ngoc Tuong said more than 400 foreign tourists are expected to arrive in the province on November 17-18, signaling the start of the tourism sector's recovery roadmap in the new normal.

Coach Park hopes for first point in Saudi Arabia clash

Park Hang-seo said Vietnam have performed well in the final round of World Cup qualifiers and hoped the team would have a good result against Saudi Arabia.

"It’s quite a tough game tomorrow. We all know Saudi Arabia are topping the group. It will be really difficult for Vietnam, but we have performed well in the past games. Hopefully, we will keep it up tomorrow and earn our first point in the final round of World Cup qualifiers," Park said in the pre-match press conference Monday.

Vietnam are at the bottom of group B after five consecutive defeats. On Tuesday, the team will play Saudi Arabia in Hanoi's My Dinh National Stadium. In September, the two teams clashed in Saudi Arabia, with Vietnam losing 1-3 despite scoring first, VnExpress reported.

"The team have tried their best in the past games, but the results were not as we expected. In this game, Vietnam will continue putting in more efforts to get a better result, which is at least getting a point," Park added.

Five losses in a row have affected the players mentally and Park knows it.

"I have talked to the players. They said playing Southeast Asian teams is totally different from teams in the final World Cup qualification round. It’s obvious the players are under pressure. During the game, they also face great pressure from the opponents. Therefore, we are practicing counterattacking to make the players feel more confident. Throughout training sessions and meetings, we are adjusting our style of play and improving on the offense. I told the players to be comfortable," he said.

Coach Park Hang-seo in the press conference before the World Cup qualifier between Vietnam and Saudi Arabia, Hanoi, November 15, 2021. Photo: VnExpress

Park also explained why it's hard to keep a clean sheet facing stronger opponents.

"The opponents are really strong. Even though we are the weaker team, we cannot defend forever. We still have to attack. When we attack, our defense gets thinner and when they strike back, it's hard for us to stand still. These teams have excellent individuals that's why it’s difficult to keep a clean sheet."

The gap in level was mentioned multiple times by Park in the past games and he emphasized it again.

"It’s arduous to find a way to level up the players right away because that cannot be done in a day or two. If we could do that, Vietnam wouldn’t have had to wait until now to be here," Park said.

The Vietnam head coach ended the interview by giving his analysis on Saudi Arabia.

"In the first leg, they played flexibly and switched positions constantly. But we have rewatched and analyzed the match. I hope the players will remember our analysis. The wingers of Saudi Arabia often play really high, which means the space behind them is big. When they attack, they do it with big numbers. If we can counter that, we will have a big space to attack."

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