Vietnam Breaking News

Hanoi unable to afford to repave all Old Quarter streets with sett stones

Hanoi unable to afford to repave all Old Quarter streets with sett stones
Customers crowd plastic stool restaurants on the repaved part of Ta Hien Street in Hanoi downtown. Photo: Ngoc Thang
Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem District has postponed its plan to repave its old streets with granite setts after local Party officials condemned the project as too costly.
Under the plan, 11 walking streets of the Old Quarter will be given sett paving in an attempt to “increase the value” of the already famous neighborhood.
The district also wanted to repave the sidewalks, install new street lights and upgrade underground water pipelines.
But after reviewing the plan, the Party unit of Hoan Kiem concluded that the district will not be able to afford the costly project, considering its limited resources.
It asked local officials to come up with a more feasible plan to give the Old Quarter a facelift.
Hoan Kiem District had been lobbying for the plan the past few weeks, even after critics warned that it’s not really necessary for the quarter to have expensive pavers.
The district argued that more tourists have visited Ta Hien Street since it was repaved in 2011. The repaving of only 55 meters of the street cost VND1.5 billion, or US$66,670.
The combined length of all 11 walking streets is 2.2 kilometers, which means the whole project in theory could cost up to $2.7 million.
 
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Hanoi unable to afford to repave all Old Quarter streets with sett stones Customers crowd plastic stool restaurants on the repaved part of T...

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Chinese tourists head to Thailand despite bombing fears

Chinese tourists head to Thailand despite bombing fears
Busloads of visitors from China flocked to Bangkok’s glittering Grand Palace on Friday but, days after a bomb at another of the city’s popular attractions killed five Chinese tourists, Thailand’s biggest spending holidaymakers are rattled.
Tourists pose for photos at the Grand Palace in Bangkok on March 18, 2014
Monday’s attack on a Hindu shrine, particularly popular with Chinese devotees, did not prevent Jay Chou and his family from travelling to the kingdom, though it has left them on edge.
“We are closely following the news, we shouldn’t go to any place which is dangerous,” said the 18-year-old engineering student from Shanghai outside the palace where an already heavy security presence was boosted in response to the bombing.
The attack on the shrine, apparently by a still-unidentified young man who placed a backpack with explosives under a bench, killed 20 people and injured more than 100 others.
Most of the victims were ethnic Chinese tourists from around Asia, with five of the dead from mainland China and two from Hong Kong.
While Thai authorities have yet to make an arrest or say which group was behind it, they have repeatedly said it was clearly aimed at damaging the tourism industry.
Though in the midst of confusing and sometimes contradictory information on the investigation, one message from authorities has been clear — Chinese tourists were not the target.
For the country’s ruling generals, losing their biggest spending group of visitors is a hit the kingdom cannot afford as it struggles to revive a sclerotic economy.
Tourism accounts for around 10 percent of Thailand’s economy.
Chinese holidaymakers spend far more than any other group of visitor — 190 billion baht ($5.3 billion) in the first half of this year, according to Thailand’s tourism authority.
This is more than five times the spending of Malaysians and Brits, the next two largest spenders.
And the number of Chinese visitors soared by 138 percent in the first six months of this year compared with the same period in 2014, when Bangkok was paralysed by often violent protests before May’s military coup.
Thailand is counting on a surge in Chinese visitors in October for the annual National Day holiday, a week-long break in China when hundreds of millions travel domestically and abroad.
- Mixed response -
So soon after the attack in politically volatile Thailand, which before the coup experienced repeated outbreaks of deadly street violence in a decade-long power struggle, it is difficult to gauge the long-term impact of the blast on tourism.
At a hotel popular with Chinese tourists in Bangkok’s Chinatown, assistant manager Praparat Boonsai said some guests had been frightened away.
“We are worried because our customers are cancelling from China,” she told AFP, saying that six checked out early after Monday’s blast and several had cancelled upcoming trips by phone.
Woranut Srisamboon, a spokesman for the Thai Chinese Tourist Association, said some tour groups had cancelled trips while holiday agents in China were constantly calling to check on security.
Woranut’s VLC Travel company, catering to mainland Chinese tourists, reported 20 groups of up to 40 people strong had pulled out since Monday.
But Woranut said the impact so far had been limited, putting it down to a “special relationship” between China and Thailand.
“Thailand and China are like brother and sister,” he said with a smile, saying tourism authorities in both countries were in constant touch.
While Hong Kong warned its residents after the attack to avoid travelling to Bangkok, China’s national tourism body only cautioned its nationals to “be aware, pay attention to travel safety, and choose reasonable travel routes”.
In Bangkok’s historic quarter on Friday, long lines of Chinese tourists followed tour guides, many dressed in identical hats and holding up umbrellas to block the midday sun.
Happily chattering in Mandarin, these groups of travellers had stuck to their long-planned holiday itineraries.
At the entrance of the sprawling palace compound, Chinese tourist Lily Chu said she had continued with her holiday plans despite being worried about safety.
The 33-year-old Buddhist even went to pray at the bombed shrine on Wednesday, believing it was important to pay respects to the dead.
“I prayed for people who died… (so they can) rest in peace,” she said.
 
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Chinese tourists head to Thailand despite bombing fears

Chinese tourists head to Thailand despite bombing fears Busloads of visitors from China flocked to Bangkok’s glittering Grand Palace on Frid...

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Vietjet offers 400,000 low-cost tickets

Vietjet offers 400,000 low-cost tickets
Vietjet has announced that it will give away more than 400,000 promotional tickets, starting from US$0, in a special week-long campaign entitled “Enjoy flying – It’s time to Vietjet.”
Foreign passengers use a Vietjet automatic check-in kiosk at Tan Son Nhat International Airport. VNS Photo
The promotion programme aims to celebrate the launch of the airline’s newest routes from HCM City to Seoul (South Korea) and Yangon (Myanmar), and HCM City and Ha Noi to Pleiku.
The tickets can be bought from August 25 to September 1 at noon, for domestic flights between September 1 and December 31, and for flights to Bangkok, Singapore, Taipei and Seoul, besides Yangon, from September 1 to March 31, 2016. The low-cost fares do not include taxes, fees and charges, and some terms and conditions will be applicable.
“As the festival season approaches, we hope the promotion programme “Enjoy flying – It’s time to Vietjet” will bring travellers thousands of flying opportunities across Viet Nam and to other incredible international destinations,” Desmond Lin, Vietjet’s director of business development, said.
Source VNS
 
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Vietjet offers 400,000 low-cost tickets

Vietjet offers 400,000 low-cost tickets Vietjet has announced that it will give away more than 400,000 promotional tickets, starting from US...

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Quang Ninh closes Bai Chay Tourist Wharf

Quang Ninh closes Bai Chay Tourist Wharf
VietNamNet Bridge – Visitors to Ha Long Bay now must board tourist boats at the international pier of Tuan Chau inside the Tuan Chau Tourist Zone instead of the pier at Bai Chay port.
The Tuan Chau tourist wharf opened on August 19 and by September 30, all tourist boats operating at the Bai Chay tourist wharf will have been moved to the new pier. The Bai Chay wharf will be closed in 2015.
Located in the southeast of Tuan Chau Island, the port included two wharves, the first being 4,441 meters in length and the other 1,443 meters. It falls within the detailed planning for northern ports. The wharf was built by Au Lac Quang Ninh Co. Ltd.
According to a decision by the Vietnam Maritime Administration, the management board of the port is permitted to collect fees in accordance with law.
The Quang Ninh Provincial People’s Committee noted that the port can cut fees to attract cruise ships and other vessels to the port.
The Tuan Chau tourism area is located on an area of 1,200 ha and is 2 km away from the center of Ha Long city. It includes a complex of 50 five-star villas, 300 hotel rooms, restaurants and other entertainment facilities, such as performances by dolphins, seals and sea lions, martial arts, and a musical fountain park.
Thu Ly
 
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Quang Ninh closes Bai Chay Tourist Wharf

Quang Ninh closes Bai Chay Tourist Wharf VietNamNet Bridge – Visitors to Ha Long Bay now must board tourist boats at the international pier ...

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Tourist boats to Ha Long Bay moving to new wharf: report

Tourist boats to Ha Long Bay moving to new wharf: report
Tourists board a ferry at Bai Chay, Quang Ninh Province. Photo credit: baoquangninh
Tourists who want to take a boat trip to Ha Long Bay will soon have to head to a new wharf, as the popular Bai Chay Wharf will be closed in the next few months, local media reported.
The relocation of all the boats and ferries to Tuan Chau Wharf, which is about 5.5 kilometers away, is slated to complete by the end of this year, news website Saigon Times Online quoted authorities in the northern province of Quang Ninh as saying on Thursday.
Opened at the end of July, the new wharf can handle about 2,000 boats, including large vessels that are longer than 70 meters.
The first and the main boat station to the world famous bay, Bai Chay has become overcrowded in recent years. Up to 500 boats dock at the wharf in the evening, while it is capable of accommodating only 300.
It has also been criticized for environment and safety issues.
Waste and oil from boats and ferries have allegedly contaminated the water, while the wharf itself, without sufficient facilities, have failed to protect boats from storms.
Many boats have been battered or sunk by unexpected storms when docking there since 2007.
More than 1.6 million tourists visited Ha Long Bay over the first seven months, over 93.7 percent of whom foreigners, according to Quang Ninh’s news website. It said that the arrival number increased “slightly” from the same period last year.
 
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Tourist boats to Ha Long Bay moving to new wharf: report Tourists board a ferry at Bai Chay, Quang Ninh Province. Photo credit: baoquangninh...

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Photos: Mu Cang Chai terraced fields acclaimed by foreign newspaper

Photos: Mu Cang Chai terraced fields acclaimed by foreign newspaper
VietNamNet Bridge – “The magnificent scenery and breathtaking beauty of the Mu Cang Chai District in Vietnam may very well and truly be the most heart-stoppingly exquisite beauty our incredible world has to offer,” wrote When On Earth in an article entitled “The Heart-Stopping Beauty of The Mu Cang Chai District in Vietnam”.
The magnificent scenery and breathtaking beauty of the Mu Cang Chai District may very well and truly be the most heart-stoppingly exquisite beauty our incredible world has to offer.
Mu Cang Chai District, located in the northeastern part of Vietnam and some 1000 meters above sea level, is perhaps more unique than any other destination in the world because of its terraced rice field treasures.
That, along with its beautiful, humble, and authentic culture, make it a destination that will forever live in the heart of the traveler.
Mu Cang Chai is mainly composed of terraced rice fields that travel down the mountainside. The natives created this ingenious way to grow and harvest rice, and thus create a way of life for themselves and families, when normally rice is grown more easily on plateaus.
The natives found that by growing their rice in these terraced ways, it prevented water from trickling down the mountain, which would have resulted in their rice crops not receiving enough water. The result is astonishing.
These awe-inspiring terraced fields have drawn tourists and photographers alike to witness its sublime beauty in person.
No matter what time of year one chooses to travel, there is always enchanting scenery to witness as the rice is first planted, and as it thrives, but it is most recommended to visit the Mu Cang Chai
District during the time of harvesting the rice, which is in September and October of every year, just as Autumn is ending.
At that time, you can see rows and rows of staggering gold all around, as if a beautiful silk scarf has been draped on the mountain, exquisite and majestic against the bright cerulean sky.
It is sometimes hard to believe that there truly is so much beauty in this world.
When seeing the terraced rice fields from afar, it is a picture-perfect view of resplendent beauty, with sharp and lovely colors that shift and change as the seasons change.
Not only is the environment and scenery likely to leave you stunned and breathless, but the people that populate Vietnam’s Mu Cang Chai District, who are mostly comprised people of the H’Mong and Thai ethnicities, are a kind, humble, gracious, and hard-working people who only add to the unique beauty of the Mu Cang Chai District. Their humble way of life is so startlingly different than most in our world, and it is endearing and lovely to visit such a beautiful, majestic landscape with just as beautiful and kind people.
Making Vietnam’s astonishing Mu Cang Chai District your next vacation destination will not disappoint, as it is something that one has likely never seen before, or ever will again, as it is one of the most uniquely magnificent places in our lovely world, and it’s thrilling and heart-stirring beauty will remain with one for a long time, reminding us that there is always beauty in the world, if we only choose to seek it out and find it.
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When On Earth
 
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Photos: Mu Cang Chai terraced fields acclaimed by foreign newspaper

Photos: Mu Cang Chai terraced fields acclaimed by foreign newspaper VietNamNet Bridge – “The magnificent scenery and breathtaking beauty of ...

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Danang airport to have capacity improved

Danang airport to have capacity improved
Danang International Airport, one of Vietnam’s three major airports, has asked the government for permission to upgrade its capacity to 20 million passengers a year by 2020 under a revised development blueprint.
Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has assigned the Ministry of Transport to verify and approve the revised blueprint for the airport, which also aims to raise its cargo handling capacity to 200,000 tonnes each year.
Part of a new terminal at Da Nang International Airport. Photo: VNA
In addition, the airport will be expanded to cover about 855.57 hectares, accommodating a maximum of 41 planes.
Danang airport caters to travel demand to and from the central Danang city and neighbouring areas. It also serves as a domestic transit destination.
Currently, more than 100 flights with approximately 10,000 passengers take off from and land at the airport every day.
 
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Danang airport to have capacity improved

Danang airport to have capacity improved Danang International Airport, one of Vietnam’s three major airports, has asked the government for p...

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