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Vietnam Airlines began offering its passengers an in-town check-in service beginning October 10.
The service is provided by Vietnam Airport Ground Services Co Ltd, a subsidiary of national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines.
It is available for passengers on domestic flights departing from airports in the capital city of Hanoi and the central coastal city of Danang, and is only available for flights of the same day and at least two hours prior to its departure time.
Passengers can check in, arrange baggage drops, and receive boarding passes in advance at the airline’s offices. The service began October 12 in Hanoi and starts early next month in Danang.
This service allows passengers to continue their sightseeing, shopping and business meetings before arriving at the airports.
This service allows passengers to not only shorten the queuing and waiting time spent at airports, but also to plan and control their itineraries more effectively.
Le Hong Ha, deputy general director of Vietnam Airlines, said that in a bid to satisfy customers’ demands, the in-town check-in service is one of the available ground services now meeting international four-star standards, bringing customers more convenient, safer and faster services.
In addition to the new service, the national flag carrier has made check-in easier than ever with five other forms of check-in services, including at airport counters, with their kiosks, on its website at www.vietnamairlines.com, by mobile phone, and via a phone application.
Vietnam Airlines, a member of the SkyTeam alliance, is the major carrier of the Mekong subregion, operating 90 routes to 20 domestic and 29 international destinations with an average of 400 flights per day, connecting the world’s major cities to destinations in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.
As many as 520 scholarships, each worth VND1 million (US$43), were presented to poor gifted students in the central province of Quang Binh on October 10.
The granting ceremony in Dong Hoi city was jointly held by the military-run telecommunications group Viettel’s branch in Quang Binh (Viettel Quang Binh), the provincial Study Encouragement Association, the Department of Education and Training, and the Department of Information and Communications.
This is the fifth year Viettel has joined the scholarship programme in Quang Binh province. The company has so far granted more than 3,000 scholarships to local poor students with outstanding academic achievements.
Major Pham Thanh Nam, Director of Viettel Quang Binh, said joining the programme, the company wants to give more strength to poor students in order to help them overcome difficulties to continue pursuing their study.
Viettel pledges to spend at least VND26 billion (US$1.1 million) each year on scholarships to poor gifted pupils, he said, hoping that many other benefactors will join hands with the company in this effort.
Hailing Viettel Quang Binh’s contributions to the local socio-economic development over the past time, especially in education, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Tien Hoang said the company’s support has helped disadvantaged students to pursue their schooling dreams towards a better life, thus contributing to nurturing talents for the province.
A historic railway line built by the French will be revived and pressed into service again in central Vietnam.
The line, virtually given up for dead, will be restored over a period of 10 years.
Tran Quoc Nam, vice chairman of Ninh Thuan Province on the south central coast, said the province was working with a private investor on a plan to restore the Thap Cham – Da Lat Railway, running from the former coastal Champa Kingdom in Ninh Thuan to Da Lat, dubbed as “Little Paris” in the Central Highlands.
The plan will be carried out in 2020-2030, he said at a meeting with Transport Ministry officials on October 9.
Minister Nguyen Van The said the ministry endorsed the plan and believed it would boost tourism and contribute to socio-economic development in the region.
Stretching 84 kilometers (52 miles), the Thap Cham – Da Lat line was built by the French from 1908 to 1932.
The route, boasting 12 stations, five tunnels and a 14 kilometer section over a pass, was the second in the world to use a rack rail to traverse steep terrain, after the Jungfraujoch that runs across the Alps.
But after the French troops withdrew from Vietnam in 1954, passengers left and the tracks were dismantled by people looking to sell scrap metal.
Part of the track, a short distance of seven kilometers, has already been revived and is operated by Da Lat City as a tourism attraction.
Vietnam has recently stepped up efforts to shore up the flagging railway sector, which has been mostly neglected by policy makers who preferred to focus on the car and aviation industries.
In August 2015, the government approved an overall plan to develop railway transport in Vietnam by 2020 until 2030.
The plan has various targets, including speeding up trains from 50-60 kph to 90 kph by 2020, and starting work on a dual gauge track for high-speed trains that will run at 200 kph.
The railway sector served 9.4 million passengers last year, down 3.5% against 2017, according to the official government data.
Various activities to mark Vietnamese Women's Day
Various activities will be held across the nation in the upcoming days to celebrate the 88th anniversary of the Vietnam Women's Union (VWU) and Vietnam Women's Day (October 20).
The most prominent events are the 88th anniversary celebration of the VWU and the awarding of the Vietnam Women's Award 2018 for five collectives and 10 individuals with outstanding achievements and contributions to the nation’s development, VWU Vice Chairwoman, Nguyen Thi Tuyet said at a press brief held by the VWU in Hanoi on October 10.
Founded in 2002, the Vietnam Women's Award is one of the largest annual events dedicated to Vietnamese women, aimed at recognising the contributions, talents and creativity of Vietnamese women to national development and defence. The ceremony for this year’s awards will be held in Hanoi on October 15.
Another meaningful activity will be held for the first time at the national level is the Women's Start-up Day, aiming to unlock potential and creativity of women in economic development and start-up, contributing to raising the public awareness about the role of women in economic development and encouraging enterprises/cooperatives to improve product quality and brand building in Vietnam. The event will honour 20 excellent projects, expressing the spirit of passion and innovation in start-up.
In addition, an exchange between female scientists and outstanding female students from the University of Natural Sciences, Vietnam National University - Hanoi, will take place on October 13.
The eighth annual meeting of the Asia and Pacific Nations Network (APNN) will be jointly held by the VWU and the Vietnam Association for Intellectual Women in Hanoi from October 18-20, gathering some 200 female scientists in the Asia Pacific.
In addition, the Mottainai Programme will enter its sixth season in 2018 to raise funds to support children who are victims of traffic accidents, among other meaningful activities.
Vietnam, Germany foster friendship, multifaceted cooperation
A community of more than 100,000 German-speaking Vietnamese people and nearly 130,000 Vietnamese nationals living in Germany serve as an important bridge to deepen the ties of friendship and cooperation between the two countries.
The statement was made by the Minister of Planning and Investment and Chairman of Vietnam-Germany Friendship Association (VGFA), Nguyen Chi Dung, at a friendship exchange programme in Hanoi on October 11th to mark the 28th anniversary of German Unity Day (October 3rd).
The annual event of the VGFA aims to meet the desire of its members and build closer bonds with Germany and is seen as the perfect platform for Germany loving people to exchange information, seek cooperation opportunities and actively contribute to promoting friendship and cooperation between people from the two countries, Dung said at the same time commending’s the VGFA’s significant contributions to the development of all- around ties through diversifying people-to-people exchanges.
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Germany is the largest trade partner of Vietnam in both the European Union and in Europe at large. Since the beginning of the year, the bilateral trade value has reached the US$3.5 billion mark so far.
The European powerhouse has invested in 286 projects based in Vietnam with a total registered capital of more than US$1.4 billion, ranking 20th out of 116 countries investing in Vietnam. As a result, there will be plentiful opportunities for both nations to further enhance bilateral cooperation in economics, trade and investment in the years ahead, said Minister Dung.
For his part, German Ambassador Christian Berger pledged his embassy’s possible support for the VGFA in organizing people-to-people diplomacy activities in order to reinforce the time-honoured friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries’ people.
The collapse of a coal mine in Quang Ninh province on October 12 has left one dead and two more injured.
According to the initial information, the accident occurred on the morning of the 12th at 9:30 a.m. at a mine operated by Uong Bi Coal Company. The mine shaft that the victims were in completely collapsed and buried the workers.
Upon receiving reports of the collapse, rescue forces rushed to the scene and were able to bring the three trapped workers out of the mine. Unfortunately one miner, Vu Van Tuan, 24, from Phuong Nam district, Uong Bi City, passed away. The other two workers suffered injuries and no details of their identity have been released.
The cause of the collapse is still under investigation.
Fire destroys single storey house in Dien Bien
A single storey house located in Tan Thanh Ward, Dien Bien Phu City, caught fire on October 14th. Despite extensive damage to the property, thankfully no casualties were reported at the scene.
According to eyewitnesses, the fire broke out at 20:00 p.m. at house number 531. At that time, the house was locked as its owner was away on a business trip in Hanoi.
Upon receiving reports of the fire, 30 firefighters and 3 fire engines were mobilised at the scene to battle the flames.
The entire house and all the assets inside were completely destroyed by the blaze.
The cause of the fire was later identified as an electrical short circuit.
Book by VN’s businesswoman to come out in mother tongue
The Vietnamese version of the book “Competing with Giants: How One Family-Owned Company Took on the Multinationals and Won” by Vietnamese businesswoman Tran Uyen Phuong will be released in the coming time.
The information was revealed during an event to introduce the book to readers in Hanoi over the weekend. It was part of activities to celebrate the Vietnam Entrepreneurs’ Day (October 13) and the Vietnamese Women’s Day (October 20).
The book was published by US-based ForbesBooks, a publishing imprint of Forbes Media, in late August. It was the first time the publisher has launched a book by a Vietnamese author.
As many as 20,000 copies of the book were released on its debut. It is also available on Amazon.com.
It is Phuong’s second work, following her first one entitled “Chuyen nha Dr Thanh (The Story of Dr Thanh’s Family)”, which was written in Vietnamese.
The book features valuable business lessons and experiences as well as characters’ efforts to overcome challenges and obtain success.
At the event, representative of ForbesBooks said through the book, the author wants to send empowering messages that will inspire many people worldwide, especially women.
“Competing with Giants” was written in English by Tran Uyen Phuong who serves as Deputy CEO of Tan Hiep Phat (THP) group, Vietnam’s leading beverage company, in partnership with British journalist Jackie Horne and writer John Kador from the US.
THP was founded in 1994 by Phuong’s father, Tran Qui Thanh.
In addition to running Number 1 Chu Lai Plant, Phuong is responsible for THP’s procurement, domestic and international marketing, public relations, and corporate social responsibility programmes. She is an executive of the Beverage Association of Vietnam and also sits on the executive committee of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) Vietnam chapter.
After being asked by Harvard Business Review to write a case study on how her family-owned business walked away from a 2.5 billion-USD offer from Coca – Cola in 2015, Phuong decided to write a book that would teach people exactly how to do it in their own business.
Vietnam has gotten rid of elephantiasis: WHO
The WHO has named Vietnam among countries that have successfully eliminated elephantiasis as a public health problem.
Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien received a certificate for the elimination from the World Health Organization in Manila on October 8.
“Lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis) used to be endemic in several parts of Vietnam, putting millions of people at risk. Thanks to decades of support from WHO and other development partners, we have finally achieved our goal of a ‘Vietnam Free oflymphatic filariasis’,' Tien said.
References to elephantiasis in Vietnam date back more than a century.
With improvements in housing, increased use of bed nets and selective treatment, infections gradually declined.
Thanks to an annual mass treatment campaign carried out between 2002 and 2008 and continuous surveillance, the transmission of the disease was stopped in the remaining endemic areas.
Since last year, Vietnam has established a pioneering training program to ensure sustained care for people with complications from the mosquito-borne disease.
Elephantiasis is painful and often leads to permanent disfigurement and disability, causing people to lose their livelihoods and suffer from stigma, depression and anxiety.
According to WHO Western Pacific Region, it’s one of the 15 neglected tropical diseases that are endemic in the area.
Since the Global Program to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis was launched in 2000, 11 countries and territories have succeeded in eliminating lymphatic filariasis as a public health problem: Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, Niue, the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Korea, Tonga, Vanuatu, Futuna and recently, Palau, Wallis and Vietnam.
The disease remains endemic in 13 countries and areas in the region: American Samoa, Brunei, Darussalam, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Laos, Malaysia, Federated States of Micronesia, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Tuvalu.
On October 12, 30 speakers from 10 nations and territories around the world attended an international seminar in Hanoi themed ‘English language education in the Industrial Revolution 4.0: Meeting the needs of the dynamic labour market’.
The two-day event was co-hosted by Hanoi University of Industry and Vietnam Association of English Language Teaching and Research (VietTESOL Associaiton).
A variety of different kinds of sessions are planned for the event. There will be a focus on three major topics, firstly in training foreign languages including modern technologies in English Language Teaching (ELT). Secondly, English teaching and assessment methods and third and finally specialized English training with career orientations.
Dr. Bui Thi Ngan, Vice Principal of Hanoi University of Industry (HaUI) emphasized that the event has offered a good opportunity for the University’s staff and lecturers to raise their awareness about the role of foreign languages.
The hope is that by sharing methods and from lecturers with international experience they can improve the quality of training English for lecturers here.
The university has implemented a project to train foreign languages for students in the 2015-2018 period with a primary focus on improving professional skills and teaching methods for lecturers. This is so that students once graduate and enter the working world, can meet their businesses’ increasing demands.
Spanish film week opens in HCMC
A Spanish film week is taking place in Ho Chi Minh City starting October 13-17.
Movies in various genres, including comedy, drama and thriller shows the creative zest of a country that ranked the 4th in Europe and 8th in the world in terms of cinematic production.
The film week will bring five screenings of Thi Mai by director Patricia Ferreira and producer Larry Levene, Las Ovejas no Pierden el Tren (Sidetracked) by director Álvaro Fernández Armero, Truman by director Cesc Gay, La Caja 507 (Box 507) directed by Enrique Urbizu to Vietnamese movie lovers.
“Thi Mai” is the first Spanish feature shot in Vietnam. Director Patricia Ferreira and producer Larry Levene will share their experience of filming the movie in Hanoi and Ha Long Bay.
The film is a story of Carmen, who, after losing her daughter in an accident. She receives a letter informing her that she has been approved for the adoption of Thi Mai, the young Vietnamese girl of the film’s title.
Accompanied by her two best friends, Elvira and Rosa, who have never set foot outside Spain, Marta travels to Asia to meet her new daughter.
There, the three women encounter a series of increasingly complicated, exotic and outlandish situations that bring out the most eccentric aspects of each of their personalities.
Andrés, a Spaniard actor who upped sticks to Hanoi to live with his partner, and a local tour guide also have their parts to play in the adventure.
“Thi Mai” features Spanish and Vietnamese actors, Carmen Machi, Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, Adriana Ozores, Dani Rovira, Chieu Xuan, Manh Cuong.
Free screenings are scheduled to take place at Cinestar, 271 Nguyen Trai Street , Nguyen Cu Trinh Ward in District 1.
Traditional festivals create impressive Ba Ria–Vung Tau
Ba Ria-Vung Tau province has played an important role in the reclamation and development of the southern region over the past 300 years. Annual festivals reflecting the local culture have been tourist draws for the province.
Nature, history, and culture combine to give Ba Ria-Vung Tau a great tourism potential. Major annual festivals include the Whale Worshipping festival at Thang Tam Temple, the Shrine of the Lady festival, and the death anniversary of Saint Tran Hung Dao.
In addition to traditional festivals, new culture and tourism festivals, kite festivals, and sea festivals are being organized every year to attract more visitors.
Ho Van Loi, former Director of the provincial Culture, Sports, and Tourism Department, said “The province has outlined an overall plan for all of the year’s events and festivals and has set up a program to widely promote them. Provincial communications channels have closely coordinated to support the program.”
Ba Ria-Vung Tau has increased tourism promotion by participating in trade fairs at home and abroad, advertising, and entering joint ventures. It has raised tourism events and festivals to national and international levels.
Nguyen Van Trinh, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, cited the success of the sea festival in early September.
“The province wants to make festival tourism one of its spearhead economic sectors. To develop tourism, a number of solutions have been deployed while strengthening links to other localities, regions, and international partners. We have raised local people’s awareness of their responsibility to show hospitality to visitors,” Trinh said.
The province has branded a number of festivals as specifically Ba Ria Vung Tau festivals, such as its annual kite festival, which attracts artisans from around the world.
One kite festival attendee commented “Vung Tau has done an excellent job of organizing this festival and attracting visitors from other provinces. I like the local festivals and hope that the province will hold them every year so that whenever Vung Tau is mentioned, people will think of the festivals.”
Ba Ria-Vung Tau is becoming a venue for international competitions like the World Chess Championship, the Mrs. World Pageant, the World Food Festival, and the International Women's Volleyball Championship.
Vietnam drops two ranks on Henley Passport Index
The Vietnamese passport has slipped two places to 90th among 200 nations in the Henley Passport Index 2018.
The index, published on October 9, shows that people holding a Vietnamese passport have free access to 51 countries and territories.
In Southeast Asia, the Vietnamese passport is only more powerful than Myanmar.
The Henley Passport Index is based on data from the International Air Transport Association, which maintains the world’s largest and most comprehensive database of travel information.
Singapore is ranked highest in the region and second in the world, having visa-free access to 189 destinations.
Enjoying visa-free access to 190 nations and territories, the Japanese passport has become the strongest in the world after it gained visa-free access to Myanmar earlier this month, according to a Henley press release.
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Passport rankings of countries in Southeast Asia. Graphics by Henley & Partners
Completing this quarter ranking of Top 5 global passports are France, Germany and the Republic of Korea, with citizens of these countries having visa-free access to 188 destinations.
The bottom five passports in the world are Pakistan (33 destinations); Somalia and Syria (32); Afghanistan and Iraq (30).
The US and UK have slid down one spot to sixth place with both having access to 186 destinations.
China, the world’s second largest economy, is among the biggest climbers, getting 14 more visa-free destinations in this year-to-date ranking. The country is ranked 71st with visa-free access to 74 destinations.
HCM City keeps up efforts to fulfil yearly targets
Ho Chi Minh City has basically fulfilled socio-economic targets for the first three quarters of 2018 but efforts must be kept up if the city wants to meet the yearly goals.
According to Director of the city’s Department of Planning and Investment Su Ngoc Anh, the nine-month GDP totalled 903.6 trillion VND, a 7.8 percent growth from the same period last year, while budget collection reached 269.1 trillion VND, up 9.8 percent.
Total retail and service revenues in the period stood at 769.3 trillion VND, an increase of 12.8 percent. Export earnings were 28.2 billion USD, up 7.7 percent while spending on imports were 34.8 billion USD, up 10.5 percent.
The city attracted 5.47 billion USD in foreign investment, and welcomed 5.45 million foreign visitors in the nine months.
In the remaining time of the year, the municipal People’s Committee has instructed the trade and investment promotion centre to continue supporting local businesses in expanding both domestic and export markets. The centre is also asked to intensify promotional efforts to attract investment in projects within the city’s seven breakthrough programmes, four key industries and nine priority services.
Amidst concerns about the impacts of the US-China trade war, local economists said the city should keep close watch of the situation in order to take timely responding measures.
Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong said the city will provide support in the form of policies on land, science-technology, credit access and administrative procedures for local businesses with a view to promoting the private sector to become an important driving force for the city’s economy.
Only people living in Hà Nội have known, crossing to the road will have a lot of things to see
Crossing the roads in Hà Nội is like something out of Mad Max — every man for himself and no prisoners taken — so it’s no surprise locals have started arming themselves for their trips to the shops.
On Trường Chinh Road of Thanh Xuân District, an elderly man holding a bicycle was recently seen walking across a crowded street.
He held his bicycle, blew his whistle and waved a cane to get drivers out of his way, which may seem like enough to cross a street with, but he clearly felt it was better to be safe than sorry.
A few steps into his journey, he took out a large, sharp meat cleaver from the basket of his bike and began brandishing it at incoming traffic.
A video of the incident quickly spread across social networks, with most of the thousands of viewers stunned by the man’s actions.
Many people expressed concerns about the danger he put those around him in.
“The method is extremely bold and unique, ensuring no vehicle dares to block the road. However, it is clear that such waving should not be done. You shouldn’t repeat this method,” one Facebook user commented.
Whether you agree or disagree with what this man did, if you’ve ever used the roads in Hà Nội, you’ll partly understand his desire to arm himself to the teeth.
Only people living in Hà Nội have known, crossing to the road will have a lot of things to see
Crossing the roads in Hà Nội is like something out of Mad Max — every man for himself and no prisoners taken — so it’s no surprise locals have started arming themselves for their trips to the shops.
On Trường Chinh Road of Thanh Xuân District, an elderly man holding a bicycle was recently seen walking across a crowded street.
He held his bicycle, blew his whistle and waved a cane to get drivers out of his way, which may seem like enough to cross a street with, but he clearly felt it was better to be safe than sorry.
A few steps into his journey, he took out a large, sharp meat cleaver from the basket of his bike and began brandishing it at incoming traffic.
A video of the incident quickly spread across social networks, with most of the thousands of viewers stunned by the man’s actions.
Many people expressed concerns about the danger he put those around him in.
“The method is extremely bold and unique, ensuring no vehicle dares to block the road. However, it is clear that such waving should not be done. You shouldn’t repeat this method,” one Facebook user commented.
Whether you agree or disagree with what this man did, if you’ve ever used the roads in Hà Nội, you’ll partly understand his desire to arm himself to the teeth.
A woman driving a luxury car steals two flower pots worth just $22 at midnight
Having money doesn’t mean you’re civilised, and some rich people are like a school in summer: no class.
One woman in Hà Nội City proved this point recently, stopping in front of a shop in the city at 1:00 am on October 14.
Spying two beautiful flower pots outside, she drove close to the shop, popped out of the car, grabbed the two pots with bonsai trees in them, put them in her car and drove off.
As her luck would have it, the whole thing was all recorded by the shop’s security cameras.
The shop owner who got the pots stolen quickly posted the clip on Facebook, with the caption "You are so strange, you have VNĐ700 million to buy the car, VNĐ15 million to get driving license, why do you steal two flower pots worth VNĐ500,000 of mine?”
“I don’t miss the few hundred thousand đồng, but the bonsai tree pots I put in front of the shop are the lucky charms for my business.”
Hopefully justice will be served and the thief is prosecuted, but while money doesn’t buy you class, in some places it does buy you a get out of jail free card.
Art exhibition highlighting Vietnam-France friendship opens
Visitors at the exhibition
A fine art exhibition highlighting Vietnam – France friendship opened in Ho Chi Minh City on October 15 by the HCM City’s Union of Friendship Oganisations (HUFO) and the Vietnam-France Friendship Association.
On the display themed ‘Rencontre 2018’, 42 art works, including paintings in oil, acrylic and lacquer, and sculptures in ceramic, by five French and 14 Vietnamese painters and artists. The works feature images of people, landscape and still life.
Addressing the opening ceremony, Huynh Van Muoi, Chairman of the HCM City Fine Arts Association, said this is the fourth joint Vietnam – France art exhibition to be held in HCM City. Through the event, Vietnamese and French artist have a chance to share experience in paintings, thus contributing to further tightening friendship and cooperation between the two countries.
Earlier, three joint art exhibitions between Vietnamese and French artists were held in HCM City.
The Rencontre 2018 exhibition, part of activities to mark the 45th anniversary of the diplomatic ties and five-year Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and France, will run through October 25 at the HCM City Fine Arts Association.
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