Vietnam News Today (September 2): Tourism Advisory Council Proposes Digital Pass to Revive Domestic Travel

	Vietnam News Today (September 1): Over 100,000 Covid Patients in HCM City Discharged from Hospitals
	Vietnam News Today (August 31): Largest Field Hospital in Hanoi to be Inaugurated on September 1
	Vietnam News Today (August 30): Vietnam Wins Silver at Army Games 2021 Sea Cup

A medical staff takes samples of a shipper in Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City on August 31, 2021. Photo: VnExpress

Vietnam confirms 11,429 new Covid-19 cases

Health authorities confirmed 11,429 new Covid-19 cases Wednesday, down 1,162 from Tuesday.

Ho Chi Minh City led with 5,368 cases, followed by Binh Duong (3,440) and Dong Nai (759).

433 deaths were recorded Tuesday and 364 Wednesday, mostly in Ho Chi Minh City.

The Covid-19 death tally in the country is now at 11,868, accounting for 2.5 percent of infections. The global ratio is 2.1 percent.

Vietnam has recorded 473,530 Covid-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic.

9,862 people were discharged Wednesday, bringing the total to date to 248,722.

The country has vaccinated 20.2 million people, in which 2.7 million have received two doses.

The Health Ministry has urged localities to quickly give the second dose to people that have received the first one, cited VnExpress.

Starting Wednesday evening, Hanoi started evacuating 1,200 residents in the city’s biggest cluster in Thanh Xuan District to FPT University in the outskirt.

Hanoi evacuates residents from Covid-19 cluster

Hanoi started moving 1,200 residents from its biggest Covid-19 cluster to an isolated facility in the outskirts from Wednesday evening, officials said.

The city will move residents in alleys 328 and 330 of Nguyen Trai Road in Thanh Xuan District to FPT University, 33 kilometers to the west.

Residents of at alleys 328 and 330 of Nguyen Trai Road wait to be taken to an isolated area on September 1, 2021. Photo: VnExpress

As the two alleys have old buildings with high population density, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had ordered the evacuation Tuesday.

Residents have been asked to prepare for the evacuation in letters sent by the Thanh Xuan District administration, according to VnExpress.

Thanh Xuan Trung Ward, where the alleys are located, has increased the number of officials at checkpoints by 50 and established mobile medical stations to assist Covid-19 patients.

Over 1,300 people reside in the two alleys where 379 Covid-19 cases have been confirmed since Aug. 23. Officials have said that the number of infections is expected to rise.

Hanoi has recorded 3,564 Covid-19 cases in the fourth Covid-19 wave starting April 27, including 51 confirmed Wednesday.

Flexible plans for the new school year depending on pandemic situation

The Minister of Education and Training has sent a dispatch to leaders of provinces and cities on preparations for the new school year amid the complicated pandemic situation.

The education ministry said that for localities suffering from outbreaks of Covid-19, chairpersons of provincial people's committees must decide to postpone the start of the new school year until the pandemic situation is under control and encourage teachers to both participate in the fight against the pandemic and to prepare well to begin the new school year when conditions permit.

In the dispatch, Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son asked the leaders of provinces and cities to urgently direct local departments of education and training to prepare plans for organising teaching and learning as well as strengthening anti-pandemic measures in schools. Opening of the schools should be carried out flexibly in the form of on-site or online depending on the local pandemic situation, ensuring safety for the people.

Students at a primary school in Quang Ninh province. Photo: kinhtedothi.vn

In the event that safety can not be guaranteed, schools can organise online opening ceremonies so that students who are locked down can also join the ceremony in spirit.

The Minister of Education and Training also suggested that localities mobilise resources to help strengthen schools’ information technology infrastructure and necessary conditions for effective organisation of online teaching and learning, reported VNA.

In particular, localities need to pay special attention to strengthening coordination with students' families to organise educational activities suitable to the conditions at homes, localities and schools so that online learning for students in grades 1 and 2 can be effective. Localities also need to take practical measures to support disadvantaged students who lack learning facilities.

Regarding tuition fees, Minister Nguyen Kim Son has asked chairpersons of people's committees of provinces to direct the implementation of tuition fee exemptions and reduction for students according to the provisions of Decree No. 81/2021 /ND-CP. In particular, special attention should be paid to preschool children, high school students, students in areas heavily affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

In addition, the Minister of Education and Training also suggested that local leaders continue to direct and create favourable conditions for the supply of textbooks to students while supporting students from families who fall into difficult circumstances because of the pandemic and students who are children of frontline workers in pandemic prevention and control.

Tourism advisory council proposes digital pass to revive domestic travel

The Tourism Advisory Board proposed piloting the use of a green travel pass to enable fully vaccinated tourists or those recovering from Covid to easily travel within the country.

Vietnam Green Travel Pass, a digital app that incorporates a person's test results, Covid recovery and vaccine certificates, would create conditions for people to conveniently travel within the country and help revive economic and tourism activities.

The travel pass would be issued for those having received two doses of the Covid vaccine, or Covid patients who have been granted recovery certificates and people who have tested negative for the virus within the previous 72 hours.

Tourists take cyclo rides in Hoi An ancient town, 2019. Photo: VnExpress

Hoang Nhan Chinh, chief general secretary of Vietnam Tourism Advisory Board, told Tuoi Tre newspaper many countries around the world have started applying digital travel passes that allow their citizens to use vaccination certificates for travel and domestic activities.

While the green travel pass is piloted, the government should prioritize negotiations of mutual recognition agreements with ASEAN countries, the EU and International Air Transport Association's Travel Pass, reported VnExpress.

According to tourism experts, not until 2022 could Vietnam consider opening up to foreign tourists.

Vietnam closed its borders and canceled all international flights in March last year, and has since allowed only certain categories of visitors with strict Covid-19 quarantine requirements.

As Vietnam struggles with its most challenging outbreak triggered by the highly transmissible Delta variant, most localities across the country imposed strict lockdowns that restricted arrivals and suspended tourism activities.

So far in the fourth wave that hit Vietnam in late April, the nation has recorded 457,882 Covid cases. The country has vaccinated around 20 million people, including over 2.16 million who have received two shots.

Vietnam wins silver in shooting at Army Games 2021

The chemistry team of the Vietnam People’s Army on September 1 were awarded a silver medal in shooting of the “Safe Environment” category at the International Army Games 2021 which is being held at Korla military base in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The Chemistry team win silver in shooting at Army Games 2021. Photo: qdnd.vn

Thanks to their impressive performances, the Vietnamese chemistry team also claimed seven individual titles, including “Best Gunner”, “Best Driver”, “Typical Referee”, and “Excellent Marksman”.

The organising board also announced the results of the “Safe Environment” category, with hosts China winning first prize, Uzbekistan and Russia clinching second and third runners-up titles respectively, cited VOV.

The awards ceremony is scheduled to be held in China on September 4.

Vietnam News Today (August 29): HCMC Shippers to Resume Operations in 8 High-risk Districts Vietnam News Today (August 29): Vietnam records 12,097 new local Covid cases; Vietnam considers granting registration certificate for conditional circulation to Nano Covax;

Vietnam News Today (August 28): Soldiers Will be Sent to Support Binh Duong with Covid Prevention Vietnam News Today (August 28): Vietnam calls for UN, international community’s support for Ethiopia; Soldiers will be sent to support Binh Duong with Covid prevention

Vietnam News Today (August 27): HCM City Covid-19 Infection Rate Dropping Vietnam News Today (August 27): HCM City Covid-19 infection rate dropping; Soldiers go grocery shopping for residents of epicenter HCMC;