Vietnam’s aviation industry is targeting 42-43 million passengers in 2022, including 8 million international tourists, or around 50 percent of pre-pandemic numbers, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam.

Bamboo Airways this month launched new routes from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Melbourne, and Hanoi to Frankfurt. The budget carrier plans to expand its international routes to 40 in the time ahead.

It will also launch the Hanoi-London and the HCM City-Sydney routes from March 22 with two weekly flights.

In Northeast Asia, Bamboo Airways increased its frequency to two weekly flights on each of the Hanoi-Tokyo, Hanoi-Taipei (Taiwan, China), and Hanoi-Incheon (The Republic of Korea) routes.

It will soon open flights between HCM City and Japan, Taipei and the RoK and has begun selling tickets for the HCM City-Bangkok and HCM City-Singapore flights that will take off this month.

Vietnam Airlines said it will operate 97 flights each week from late March, adding it will resume regular services from Singapore to Da Nang with three weekly flights and one weekly flight from tourist beach cities of Phu Quoc and Nha Trang to Singapore each from April 15.

Early July, the carrier will resume its services to China with six flights a week and Indonesia with three. It also plans to reopen commercial flights connecting Da Nang and Nha Trang, and Japan and the RoK, raising the number of international flights to 160.

Number of passengers using Cat Linh-Ha Dong urban metrol line up 30 percent

The number of passengers using the Cat Linh-Ha Dong urban elevated rail line has surged by 30 percent compared to the previous months, according to Hanoi Metro One Member Limited Company (Hanoi Metro) – a State-owned enterprise specialising in the operation and maintenance of urban railway in Hanoi.

The line carries more than 10,000 passengers per day on average and 15,000 at weekends. The company attributed the increase to the fact that people has found the service convenient after it has been put into operation for several months.

The resumption of business activities and the switch to a flexible adaption to the COVID-19 pandemic, along with the rising cost of fuel price are also reasons for the surge in passengers.

“The ratio of passengers using monthly tickets on the route during rush hour accounts for 70 percent,” said a representative of Hanoi Metro.

Currently, there are 54 bus routes connecting to the Cat Linh-Ha Dong urban elevated rail line, of which Cat Linh and Yen Nghia stations have 16 bus lines and intermediate stations have 8-9 bus routes.

Vietnam mango exports triple in 2021

Vietnam exported more than 600,000 tonnes of mangoes worth 310 million USD to 53 countries and territories last year, up by almost half from 2020.

They went to Russia, the US, the Republic of Korea, the EU, Australia, and China among others, with shipments to difficult markets like Japan tripling to 640 tonnes.

Vietnam has around 87,000 hectares under mango, with the Mekong Delta accounting for nearly half.

Dong Thap province in the delta has identified the fruit as a key crop in its agricultural restructuring plan.

The largest mango producer in the delta uses advanced farming techniques and processes fresh mangoes for both domestic consumption and export.

MoIT tells coal producers to maintain production capacity

Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) has said the Viet Nam Coal and Mineral Industries Group (Vinacomin) and Dong Bac Corporation must immediately implement measures to ensure coal production capacity for thermal power plants.

MoIT said in its Document No 1225/BCT-DK that in accordance with signed coal sale and supply contracts, especially BOT thermal power plants using domestic coal to avoid compensation for stopping thermal plants, the groups must keep production as committed in the signed contracts.

The MoIT also requested Viet Nam Electricity (EVN) to direct the National Load Dispatch Centre (A0) to have a dispatch solution, notify the monthly updated mobilisation plan to the owner, and invest in coal-fired power plants to promptly arrange coal sources for electricity production.

Previously, the ministry received several documents from coal-fired power plant investors reporting that Vinacomin and Dong Bac Corporation did not supply enough coal in the first two months of 2022 as per the purchase contracts.

Ho Chi Minh City ready to welcome foreign tourists back

Ho Chi Minh City has made thorough preparations to welcome international tourists back after a two-year closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At present, authorities, travel agents and accommodation facilities are all ready to make the city a vibrant and safe destination.

The eighth Ho Chi Minh City Ao Dai festival is being held across the metropolis to honour the beauty of the Vietnamese traditional dress. This cultural event also marks the start of a series of activities to promote the city’s image to foreign visitors.

Earlier this month, the municipal Tourism Department signed cooperation agreements with the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham) and the Vietnam Airport Ground Services Company Limited (VIAGS) on boosting tourism in the city.

The deals are part of the efforts to sustainably speed up tourism recovery and development in HCM City and the whole nation.

Accordingly, HCM City and the EuroCham will work together in promoting MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and events) and cuisine tourism in the city in the 2022-2024 period.

Under the agreement, the two sides will strengthen activities on market research, tourism statistics and human resources training, while sharing experience in tourism management and operation. They will expand the direct channel of promotion to popularise the image of the city to more European firms and citizens in Vietnam as well as those in foreign countries.

Binh Dinh attracts slew of major projects

The southern central province of Binh Dinh licensed 11 new investment projects in the first two months of this year worth a total capital of VND1.15 trillion (USD49.56 million).

According to Nguyen Bay, director of the provincial Department of Planning and Investment, all of the projects, which are locally invested, are located in economic zones, industrial parks and complexes.

Among the projects, nine are in the industrial sector, one in tourism and the remainder in the real estate industry.

The largest project is Thi Nai Lagoon eco-tourist site worth VND800 billion, followed by a VND147-billion urban area project in Nhon Hoi Economic Zone and a VND146-billion furniture project.

The province is home now to 86 foreign-invested projects capitalised at USD1 billion in total. Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong are the biggest foreign investors in the province.

In the January-February period, Binh Dinh licensed 196 new enterprises with a combined capital of VND1.68 trillion, up 46 percent in terms of businesses and 70 percent in capital value on-year.

Attractive railway discounts offered

Hanoi Railway Transportation JS Company (Haraco) has offered attractive discounts for passenger groups on different routes.

According to the company, groups of 5-10 passengers can enjoy a 2 percent discount when buying tickets on services SE5/6 and SE11/12 between 1 and 4 days before departure. The promotion will be 4 percent when the tickets are booked between 5-19 days and 6 percent more than 20 days before the departure time respectively.

Groups of 11-42 people will receive a 4 percent discount when buying tickets 1-4 days before the SE5/6 and SE11/12 service departure time. The discounts depend on the number of passengers and when the tickets are bought.

For Hanoi-Haiphong trains, the discount will be 9 percent for groups of 11-42 members and the rate will be up to 15 percent for groups of more than 101 people. However, tickets must be bought 24 hours before the departure time.

Da Nang to welcome foreign visitors in late March

Two flights from Singapore and Bangkok (Thailand) are scheduled to bring international visitors to Da Nang city on March 27 to kick-start the resumption of international air routes after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Da Nang will receive two first international flights on March 27, bringing visitors to the locality, after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Da Nang Department of Tourism reported that there will be more flights from Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Bangkok (Thailand), Incheon (the Republic of Korea) and Singapore to Da Nang in April. A new route connecting Da Nang and New Delhi (India) is set to be launched in September this year.

This year Da Nang expects to resume 31 international routes – a pre-pandemic figure. The municipal administration is working with Qatar Airways to bring the Doha (Qatar) - Da Nang route back to operation. It is also seeking to launch potential new routes connecting Da Nang and regional financial, commercial and tourism hubs such as Jakarta (Indonesia) and Cebu (the Philippines).

Unspoiled nature in Dong Van Karst Plateau

The HCMC government has written to the Ministry of Planning and Investment proposing extending the implementation of six projects whose investment capital is listed in the 2021 State budget.

Capital for the six projects involved in traffic and flood control worth VND1,900 billion should be transferred to the 2022 State budget investment plan, according to Thanh Nien newspaper.

HCMC experienced a severe fourth Covid-19 pandemic wave, heavily impacting many projects.

Meanwhile, the projects using ODA capital allocated from the State budget have also met obstacles.

Work on the metro line 1 project (Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien) has been impacted by the undersupply of raw materials and labor.

As for the project of improving the urban water environment in the Tau Hu – Ben Nghe – Doi – Te canal basin (the second phase), due to Covid-19, it is difficult to invite enough foreign experts to implement the bidding packages. Similarly, the city’s environmental sanitation project’s second phase has also been affected as it could not invite experts.

New industrial parks in Long An, Thanh Hoa approved

Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh has passed a plan to develop an industrial park in the Mekong Delta province of Long An and another in the northern province of Thanh Hoa.

The two industrial parks require a total infrastructure development investment of over VND12.3 trillion, the local media reported.

The Long An-based Tan Lap industrial park project will cover 654 hectares of land in Can Giuoc District’s Tan Lap Commune and need more than VND9.9 trillion for infrastructure development. Long An Development Invest JSC is the investor of the project.

The Dong Vang industrial park project in Thanh Hoa Province will cover an area of some 492 hectares in Tan Truong, Phu Lam and Tung Lam communes and Nghi Son Town.

CAAV proposes to close Con Dao Airport for renovation

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) proposed the Ministry of Transport come into agreement with the People’s Committee of Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province on the temporary closure of Con Dao Airport from April to December of 2023 serving for renovation.

As planned, the Con Dao Airport will be implemented the construction of a new parallel taxiway and three taxiways connecting from the runway to the parallel taxiway and a new apron.

The Thang Long Project Management Board has submitted to the CAAV the outline related to missions, survey quotation and pre-feasibility report of the project; plans of selecting contractors for the project.

According to the plan approved by the Minister of Transport, Con Dao Airport was planned as a domestic airport serving both civil and military purposes with its capacity of two million passengers and 4,400 tons of cargo per year. Besides, there will be eight aprons to receive wide-body aircraft as A321.

Turkey’s $250 million project of baby diaper factory inaugurated in Binh Phuoc

The 100% Turkish-invested project shows the attractiveness of Vietnam as a foreign investment destination.

Hayat Kimya Group's US$250 million baby diaper and tissue factory was inaugurated at the Becamex Binh Phuoc Industrial Park, Chon Thanh District, the southern province of Binh Phuoc.

According to the Turkish company, around 40% of the factory’s output will be exported to overseas markets like Thailand and Malaysia. The fast-moving consumer goods manufacturer from Turkey is expected to capture about 30% of the market share in this category by 2025.

Vietnam’s diaper market is very potential with a scale of about $600 million, of which 73% are pants diapers, 21% are diapers and 6% are pads, according to a recent report by Nielsen IQ.

Hanoi to build up to 20 new industrial clusters in 2022

The city has a total of 70 operational industrial clusters and parks in 17 districts and towns.

Hanoi will establish 15 to 20 new industrial clusters according to the city’s industrial cluster development master plan by 2020 with a vision to 2030.

It is one of the tasks under the plan on the management, and development of industrial clusters in the city this year, issued by the Hanoi People's Committee.

The city will continue to kick start the technical infrastructure construction at 41 industrial clusters in the 2019-2020 period.

As of 2021, Hanoi has a total of 70 operational industrial clusters and parks in 17 districts and towns, covering a total area of 1,686 ha which are contributing significantly to economic development and social welfare.

DHL Express invests in logistics facility in North Vietnam

The new facility will be equipped with warehousing automation, smart building, and energy-efficient solutions.

DHL Express, the international express service provider, announced its investment in Hanoi Gateway, a new logistics facility located near Noi Bai International Airport via a strategic partnership with ALS Warehousing Services Co. Ltd.

The new facility, expected to be fully operational by early 2023, will have a total utilization space of 4,500 sqm and is twice as large as the previous location.

The new DHL Express Hanoi Gateway will be equipped with warehouse automation, smart building and energy-efficient solutions, in line with the company’s commitment to bring all global logistics-related emissions to zero by the year 2050.

Vietnam sets target of removing EC's yellow card on fisheries this year

The European Commission has recognized Vietnam’s progress in combating IUU fishing in terms of legal matters, seafood origin, and boat tracking.

Vietnam has requested the European Union (EU) to remove the “yellow card” on Vietnamese seafood exports for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in 2022, five years after the bloc issued such warning.

To address the issue, Vietnam has actively engaged in the enforcement of the law to tackle illegal fishing. Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has repeatedly requested relevant agencies to take action for the yellow card to be removed.

Over the years, institutional and legal regulations have been refined to be in line with international rules and enormously improved the enforcement capacity of the fisheries management system for fishers to end the situation of fishing vessels engaged in illegal fishing in the waters of Vietnam and other countries, To Van Phuong and Robert S. Pomeroy said in “Combating Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing and Removing Yellow Card From European Commission (EC): Vietnam’s Determined Actions.”

As a result, the EC has recognized Vietnam’s efforts in this drive, appreciating the changes in legal matters and seafood origin which were proved by the small volume of aquatic products returned from the EU markets, Nguyen Quang Hung, Deputy Director of Directorate of Fisheries under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said at a meeting with the EC in October 2021.

Hanoi to pilot agricultural and rural tourism models this year

The models include agriculture, rural areas, community tourism, smart villages, and craft villages.

Hanoi will pilot six green tourism models in the city outskirt districts of Thuong Tin, Dan Phuong, Thanh Tri, My Duc, Thach That and Son Tay town.

This is the plan of the City People's Committee on developing agricultural and rural tourism associated with new rural construction in Hanoi in the 2022-2025 period.

According to the plan, each district or town with potential and strength in developing agricultural and rural tourism in the city should aim to have at least one to three community tourism services and tourist attractions and have at least 50% of these products protected by intellectual property law and recognized by the One Commune One Product program (OCOP) with three stars or higher standards.

They should have at least one model of a typical agricultural and rural tourism chain with the participation of farmers, cooperatives, business households and enterprises.

South Korea still lucrative for Vietnamese workers 

South Korea on March 17 received nearly 100 Vietnamese workers under the Employment Permit System (EPS) program who arrived at Incheon International Airport in Seoul.

Workers entering South Korea will be paid an advance by the employer to cover the entire cost of isolation with three levels of support (100%, 50%, and no support).

South Korea is currently one of the key labor export markets for Vietnam. It is expected that from April 1, when this country adopts new entry regulations (medical quarantine is not required for double-dosed people as prescribed by the World Health Organization), the number of Vietnamese workers under the EPS Program arriving in South Korea will keep increasing.

South Korea continues to be a promising job market for Vietnamese after the government of this country re-launched in 2016 the EPS program which allows 15 countries including Vietnam to send workers to South Korea. The EPS is valid for two years and renewable on expiration.

Fed rate hike to have limited impacts on Vietnam

Large foreign reserves, prospects of trade surplus, and positive remittance inflows could be factors to ensure the stable USD/VND exchange rate in 2022.

As Vietnam’s inflation continues to stay under control and the Fed’s decision to raise its interest rates for the first time since 2018 is expected to have limited impacts on the former’s economy.

The Fed’s latest move, however, did not come as a surprise to the market, as many had anticipated a rise in interest rates due to the record inflation in the US during the past months.

Inflation, as gauged by the Fed’s preferred core PCE (personal consumption expenditures) measure, rose by 6.1% in January, more than triple the annual target of 2%.

Against the backdrop of high inflationary pressure in the US or Europe, Vietnam’s inflation remains under control, so experts suggested impacts from Fed’s decision would not be significant to the foreign exchange rate or the average interest rate in the domestic market.

Vietnamese exports to CPTPP markets enjoy positive growth

The initial three years of enforcing the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) Agreement has been a challenging period for the global economy and trade, although Vietnamese exports to this market continued to see positive growth.

According to figures compiled by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the nation’s import-export turnover with the CPTPP market reached US$1.4 billion last year. The country primarily shipped agricultural products, machinery equipment, phones and components, garments and textiles, footwear, and seafood to 10 CPTPP members with a value of US$46 billion, whilst its imports from this market hit US$45.4 billion.

The export markets with the highest value include Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Australia, Canada, Mexico, and Chile. In terms of the remaining three markets, Peru, Brunei, and New Zealand, despite enjoying strong growth, the absolute value of commercial transactions remained low.

Trade between the nation and its CPTPP partners has been still maintained seamlessly and smoothly. In the opening year, the country's export turnover to the bloc reached US$39.5 billion. In the second year in 2020, due to the impact of COVID-19 export turnover fell slightly to hit US$38.75 billion. Following this, the third year saw the nation regain its growth momentum, with export value reaching US$336.3 billion, thereby contributing significantly to the entire country’s good export growth. This demonstrates the great efforts of local enterprises to overcome difficulties.

MICE tours upsurge augurs well for tourism recovery

A sharp pick up in the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and events) tours is a positive recovery sign for the tourism industry this year, industry insiders say.

MICE tourism in Việt Nam has developed rapidly in recent years, making the country an emerging destination of note in the Asia-Pacific region.

However, since 2020, when COVID-19 brought all face-to-face meetings to a halt, digital technology took over and changed the character of MICE products.

As the country enters the new normal period, MICE tourism is expected to be in the vanguard of tourism recovery.

Egyptian businesses kick-start tourism programmes to Vietnam

Egyptian travel firms have restarted tours to Vietnam following the nation reopening to international tourism from March 15 due to rising demand for travel.

Several Middle Eastern media outlets have provided updates on the Vietnamese reopening to international tourism over recent days, with many stories capturing the attention of tourists, especially Egyptian travel firms.

Accordingly, many Egyptian travelers and investors have devised plans to travel to Vietnam to seek greater investment opportunities and look for additional sources of goods.

Mohamed Gad, director of "Hello Egypt Tours”, revealed that his company and other Egyptian travel firms have suspended their operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic over the past two years, adding that the enterprise is restarting travel schemes from Egypt and the Middle East to Vietnam and vice versa.

Foreign businesses keen to survey tourism in Da Nang

Several foreign business delegations are set to visit the central city of Da Nang to conduct a survey on tourism in the city, as well as Quang Nam and Thua Thien Hue.

Accordingly, a delegation of Informa Routes Company of the United Kingdom led by senior business development manager Thomas Atkinson will survey the infrastructure for the Asian route development forum 2022 (Routes Asia 2022) on March 27.

As scheduled, the Routes Asia 2022 development forum is scheduled to take place in Da Nang from June 6 to June 8, attracting more than 500 delegates from 110 airlines and 30 travel firms.

Meanwhile, additional delegations from Thailand will conduct a survey on tourism in Da Nang, Quang Nam, and Thua Thien Hue.

Source: VNA/VOV/VNS/VIR/Dtinews/SGT/SGGP

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