Lao Cai proposes new airport

     

The People’s Committee of the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai have proposed that a new airport be constructed. — Photo divui.com

The People’s Committee of the northern mountain province of Lao Cai has proposed the Ministry of Transport construct an airport in Sapa with total capital investment of nearly VND5.8 trillion (US$252 million).

According to the plan, Sapa Airport will be used for both commercial and military purposes, therefore, it should be built as soon as possible.

The airport will be located in Cam Con Commune, Bao Yen District, Lao Cai Province, with a land use area of 371ha.

The construction of Sapa Airport will be divided into two phases.

In the first phase, expected to begin before 2020, the airport targets a capacity of 560,000 passengers and 600 tonnes of cargo per year. Aircraft, including A320, A321 and equivalent, will be able to land in two locations. Total investment for the first phase is estimated at about VND4.7 trillion (including site clearance cost of the whole project).

In the second phase, the airfield will receive 1.5 million passengers and 2,880 tonnes of cargo per year by 2030. Aircraft would be able to land in five locations. Total investment is set at about VND1 trillion.

The provincial People’s Committee proposed calling for private investments to fund the project.

Specifically, Lao Cai will call for investment of VND160 billion from Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation (VATM) and VND1.724 trillion from Vietnam Aviation Corporation.

Lao Cai is located on the economic corridor of Kunming - Lao Cai - Ha Noi - Hai Phong and an economic belt based on trade development among provinces in Southwest China.

Currently, the province’s transportation system incorporates only roads and railways. Therefore, an airport is considered important in improving the transportation network, contributing to the diversification of modes of transport and creating new motivation for the development of Lao Cai Province in particular and the northwest mountainous provinces in general. — VNS

Cà Mau Cape in the southernmost province of Cà Mau. 

The Cà Mau Province Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism recently organised a familiarisation trip to introduce tourist spots in the province to travellers who love tranquil places and pastoral lifestyles instead of the chaos of modern city life.

The group’s first destination was the Cà Mau Cape National Park in Đất Mũi Commune of Ngọc Hiển District. The park houses community tourism sites and was recognised as a UNESCO world biosphere reserve in 2009. The park is also a Ramsar site, the fifth in Việt Nam and the second in the Mekong Delta.

At the community tourism sites, tourists will be able to enjoy a tranquil atmosphere amid mangrove forests, participate in the daily activities of the locals such as catching crabs and fish. 

Saigontourist launches tours

Visiting Côn Đảo Island off Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu Province by motorbike. 

HCM City-based Saigontourist is offering a wide range of promotional programmes, including budget tours, this summer.

A three-day tour to Buôn Ma Thuột City in Đắk Lắk Province by flight costs VNĐ2.3 million (US$100).

Three-day tours to Nha Trang and Phú Quốc Island cost VNĐ4.229 million and VNĐ4.079 million respectively.

Those interested in exploring the pristine Kỳ Co Beach and seeing the stunning sunset in Eo Gió between the ocean and an imposing cliff can choose a four-day Tuy Hòa-Quy Nhơn tour priced at VNĐ6.129 million.

Five-day tours by air to the central coast covering Đà Nẵng, Hội An, Cù Lao Chàm, Huế, Lý Sơn Island, and Thiên Đường Cave are priced at VNĐ5.179 million, and a four-day Hà Nội-Sa Pa-Fansipan-Lào Cai tour costs VNĐ6.329 million.

Travellers can visit Côn Đảo Island for three days for VNĐ6.35 million, Hồ Tràm for two days with five-star service at The Grand Hồ Tràm Strip for VNĐ2.179 million, and Phan Thiết for VNĐ2.129 million.

A number of budget tours to international destinations, including a four-day tour to Siem Reap and Phnom Penh in Cambodia, are offered at prices starting from VNĐ3.979 million. 

Where bombs once fell, Khe Sanh grows

Over 50 years after the war, the devastated battlefield of Khe Sanh has become an economic hub of the poor central province of Quảng Trị, with average annual income per capita of US$1,400.

According to the People’s Committee of Khe Sanh Town, the town’s living standards have transformed completely since the post-war era.

“The town is growing into a developed urban zone and we hope to reach annual income per capita of $1,900 in 2020, thanks to the focus on the development of trade and tourism,” says Hoàng Văn Quynh, the committee’s chairman.

A report by the committee said the local residents’ education has increased year after year, while the health care system works effectively, with a doctor present in every commune in the town.

Greenery covers all land areas and vestiges of war-time bombing are rarely seen in the town. The return of the green trees, along with the mild weather and the plenty of red basalt soil in the town, have sparked hopes that it could become a tourism destination and clean agriculture.

Hoàng Hữu Cảm, a local who runs a hotel business in the town, says a tourism boom seems in the cards, thanks to the town’s location on the East West Economic Corridor, which runs through five Southeast Asian countries of Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Việt Nam.

“Khe Sanh is the ideal stop for visitors from the countries who go through the nearby Lao Bảo and La Lay border checkpoints,” Cảm says. The border gates sit between the town and Savannakhet Province of Laos. They also facilitate trade to and from the town.

Hồ Xuân Hiếu, a businessman who owns a cassava starch brand, says the fertile soil in the town yields a pure flour. Cassava grown in the town produces 70 tonnes of starch each year, which is supplied to Japan and South Korea.    

The return of greenery to the town cost the blood and tears of local soldiers who fought in the battle of Khe Sanh for five months from January 14 to July 9, 1968.

Hồ Mơ left his soldier’s life to return the town in 1980, when the remnants of the war were everywhere and the town was in disarray. Mơ started to clear a valley five kilometres from the centre to take soil for cultivation.

Thanks to his efforts, rice began to grow well in the soil within a month. By 2005, Mơ became one of the top farmers in the town. He had rice paddies, a plantation of rubber trees and a big herd of cows and water buffalos.

Since 2005, Mơ has earned around US$13,000 a year. Besides cultivating his seven hectares of farm land and his husbandry work feeding 50 cows and buffalos, the 80-year-old man has volunteered to protect 53 hectares of community forest from illegal hunters and loggers.

“At my 18, I joined the North Việt Nam military volunteer and worked as a porter carrying necessities and weapons to assist the battles in Làng Vây and Tà Cơn airport,” says Mơ.

Hồ Ta Chê, another veteran, says joining the liberation force in the past and working for the greenery of the town today are all part of his responsibility to his hometown.

Younger than Mơ, Chê worked as a liaison boy for the troops and later dug secret tunnels that led army tanks into Làng Vây battlefield.

Chê lost his right hand in 1967 after a bombardment by American airforce. However, losing one hand did not mean losing all his power. After the war, Chê fertilised the soil for rice cultivation and became one of the bigest rice producers in the town.

The veterans have determined that once their hometown grows to be a tourism hub of the province, they will be the best tour guides for itineraries related to the famed Battle of Khe Sanh, where over 100,000 tonnes of bombs were dropped by US aircraft and over 158,000 artillery rounds were fired in defence of the base. 

Da Nang to develop new urban project     

A plan of PGT City, an urban project in Lien Chieu District in Da Nang. The project will be developed by PGT Group on an area of 10ha with total investment of US$50 million. 

The property developer PGT Group plans to develop PGT City, an urban project in Lien Chieu District, later this year on a total area of 10ha with total investment of US$50 million.

The project is the latest urban development included in the city’s Master Plan 2030.

The project will be designed as a green city in connection with a new planned railway station, Lien Chieu sea port, Nguyen Tat Thanh beach tourism, Ba Na Hills resort and Da Nang hi-tech park in the western region.

Da Nang plans for Lien Chieu District to become a key logistics urban area, to be linked with the East-West Economic Corridors that connect Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Viet Nam, and north-south road and railway systems, cargo sea ports, major logistics centres and industrial parks for the future development.

Da Nang has planned nine urban projects by 2050.

Last month, PGT and the Viet Nam Public Commercial Joint Stock Bank (PVcom Bank) inked a financial agreement for tourism property projects and hi-tech farming in the central region.

As planned, PGT Group will launch its initial public offering (IPO) on the stock exchange in 2022.

The central city is also seen as a favourite destination for foreign investment with 546 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects, worth $3 billion.

Young Spikes marketing, communications contest returns to Viet Nam

     

Contestants in the 2017 Vietnam Young Spikes. 

Vietnam Young Spikes, a marketing and communication competition for companies and students, returns to Viet Nam with the theme "Glorify Vietnam" this year.

Six winners in three categories -- digital, integrated and media – will go on to compete in the Young Spikes Competition at the Spikes Asia Festival to be held in Singapore next September.

The organiser said the briefs would be given out online via live stream on the AIM Academy Youtube channel.

After that, each team of two people has 48 hours to complete their submissions.

This year the jury members are from the most prestigious names in the marketing and communication industries such as Ogilvy, Le Media, Leo Burnett, Buzzmetrics, Google, and Mindshare.

There will be separate contests for industry practitioners and students with a gold, silver, and bronze on offer in each of the three categories. But there will be no media category for students.

AIM Academy will also give away the Most Winning University and the Most Winning Agency awards to those with the most winning contestants across five seasons.

Spikes Asia is the oldest and most prestigious event in marketing and communications in the Asia-Pacific.

Every year it attracts more than 1,800 contestants from 35 countries.

Last year, for the very first time in a regional competition, Vietnamese representatives won a silver medal in the digital category.

Vietnam Young Spikes is open for registration from now until August 10. 

Deal to help offline to online businesses discover latest retail trends     

The Viet Nam E-Commerce Association (VECOM) and Thailand-based Reed Tradex Co., Ltd on July 5 signed an agreement to organise offline to online events at “OnlineBiz Vietnam” to be held next year.

“OnlineBiz Vietnam 2019” is a special feature of “Shop & Store Vietnam 2019,” which will showcase advanced e-commerce platforms and solutions for retail and consumer goods.

Nguyen Ngoc Dung, vice president of VECOM, said Viet Nam’s e-commerce revenue is expected to grow by 35 per cent this year.

With a young, tech-savvy population with high consumption demand, e-commerce in Viet Nam has plenty of potential to grow, he said.

Suttisak Wilanan, deputy managing director of Reed Tradex, said the launch of OnlineBiz Vietnam would complement Shop&Store Vietnam to serve both online and offline retail.

This annual event will be a unique B2B platform for retailers who look for omni-channel solutions to maximise their customer experiences, he said.

“I have no doubt that all Vietnamese entrepreneurs will use tomorrow’s technologies, networks and services to boost success to a higher level.

“With co-operation from the Viet Nam E-Commerce Association, all the participants at the event can discover the latest retail trends and innovations, build networks, and get insights and tips from specialists at an e-commerce seminar held concurrently.”

Lieu Hung Tien, sales director of Haravan, said the relationship between sellers and buyers had changed with time, so businesses must adopt new and modern technologies to suit the changes.

He advised businesses to adopt “omni-channel commerce” since customers interact with businesses via multiple channels, he said.

Dung said that many traditional businesses have also gradually brought their products to trade on e-commerce channels.

In March, Reed Tradex held the first Shop & Store Vietnam, a conference and exhibition on the retail and franchise industry, in HCM City.

The event attracted over 70 brands from 18 countries and regions, and three international group pavilions from Thailand, Singapore and Japan, and more than 3,294 trade buyers from 24 countries and territories.

The Online-Biz Viet Nam 2019 and Shop&Store Vietnam 2019 will be held at Sai Gon Exhibition and Convention Centre from March 27 to 29 next year, and are expected to have a 20 per cent larger scale compared to this year’s.

According to the Global Retail Development Index, released by the US management consulting firm A. T. Kearney, Việt Nam jumped five places from 2016 to rank sixth in 2017.

Hanoi staff learn from German street cleaning experiences

Hanoi uses German street cleaning machines (photo by Lao Dong Thu Do)

Hanoi’s authorities have sent staff to Germany to learn about how to control street cleaning machines properly.

The information was given by the city people’s committee chairman Nguyen Duc Chung at a meeting with people in Hoan Kiem District on July 11. 

At the meeting, Tran Ngoc Toan from Trang Tien Ward mentioned the limited effectiveness of street cleaning machines in Hanoi.

According to Toan, he often saw the machines discharge litter on streets when they are full of waste. They can’t operate on narrow streets or those which have many trees.

Meanwhile, in many streets where these machines can’t operate on, there are also no environmental workers else. It is mainly owners of business services there who often clean streets.

“Whether is it wasteful to use street cleaning machines in this way?” Toan asked.

Chairman Chung admitted limited results of street cleaning over the past year by using these machines which can only operate in wide streets. 

Chung said that while controlling the machines, some drivers were found not to adjust brooms properly and if the machines are operated too fast, they also fail to ensure street to be clean. So, the city sent them to Germany for further training to help improve their skills.

Hanoi has received 12 street cleaning machines from Germany’s Hako Group. The machines are among the most advanced in the world.

Early next month, Hako Group will open a representative office in Vietnam, which should make machine repair and maintenance easier.

Each machine can gather around 1.5 cubic metres of litter and dust per day. Each machine can clean 12 kilometres of street every shift, equal to the work by 12 street cleaners, offering potential savings of VND70 billion annually (USD3.18 million).

Scandal over park land lent for free to private golf investor

Deputy PM Truong Hoa Binh has asked authorities in Bac Giang Province to report on the free lending of a large area of a public park for a golf course project.   

In 2015, Bac Giang City People's Committee sought permission from the Department of Planning and Investment, Department of Construction, Department of Natural Resources and Environment and Bac Giang Province People's Committee about lending out 17,472 square metres of land to Nguyen Huu Phai to build a golf course in Hoang Hoa Tham Park.

The provincial chairman approved the proposal and asked the Department of Planning and Investment to consult on the proposal. The department approved it 20 days later. On December 3, 2015, Trinh Huu Thang, director of the Department of Planning and Investment officially signed the approval to the VND50bn (USD2.2m) golf course project with capacity to serve 10,000 players a year. The land, which is in a prime location, was lent out for 48 years and the investor would not have to pay taxes.

When the case was reported on the media, the Government Office asked Bac Giang Province People's Committee to explain and provide a report to the prime minister by August 1. Deputy PM Truong Hoa Binh also asked the authorities in Bac Giang Province to report about the case. According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Bac Giang authorities had violated the Land Law.

Meanwhile, investor Nguyen Huu Phai said he had acquired all the legal documents to start the project. Phai said he loved golf and decided to build the golf course at the request of the leaders of Bac Giang Province. The golf course was intended to serve international investors when they work in Bac Giang.

Phai said he wanted to follow the legal procedures and pay full taxes but the official documents stated that the land had been lent to him. Phai emphasised that he was only an investor and state agencies should take responsibility for the procedures. If the procedures were wrong, Bac Giang authorities should advise him to switch from borrowing to renting and he would pay taxes.

"If our project is forcibly removed, we should be compensated. I want this case to be made transparent with clear responsibilities," he said.

Bac Giang authorities haven't commented on the case.