Thirsty airlines need urgent capital support to enhance liquidity The government's new Resolution No.105/NQ-CP on supporting businesses, co-operatives and trading households in the context of the pandemic, directs the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) to work with relevant agencies to soon put forth mechanisms on credit support, helping local airlines to boost liquidity, ensuring resources for continued operation and development. According to Bui Doan Ne, general secretary of the Vietnam Aviation Business Association (VABA), albeit the airlines’ revenue halved in 2020, the situation was even more critical this year, with international passenger transportation taking a plunge of 98 per cent. Amid plummeting revenue streams, the airlines have to fork out more than VND100 billion ($4.35 million) a day on aircraft leasing and maintenance, and wages for crew members and associated staff. This has made many airlines face negative money streams with dwindling liquidity. The …
Telcos ready to cover depressed areas, but still waiting for authorities to clear the way
All of the three largest mobile network operators have affirmed that they are ready to cover depressed areas with broadband as per the Prime Minister’s request to serve online teaching. But they are still waiting for licenses to install equipment in localities. PM Pham Minh Chinh has assigned the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) to implement the program ‘broadband wave and computer for students’ to serve online learning amid Covid-19 and to acclerate the development of digital society. MIC Minister Nguyen Manh Hung, in an article on the new academic year, wrote that to carry out digital transformation in the educational sector, it’s necessary to provide broadband to every person and household. There are still nearly 2,000 depressed areas nationwide, but MIC has decided that all these areas will have access to the internet by the end of the year. Tao Duc Thang, Deputy CEO of Viettel, said since the first days of the pandemic, Viettel has satisfied the urgent …
NA Committee turns spotlight on financial support for COVID-19 affected businesses and people
The National Assembly Standing Committee met on Thursday to discuss ways to support companies and people disrupted by the pandemic. VNA/VNS Photo HÀ NỘI – The National Assembly Standing Committee yesterday continued discussions about the best ways to support businesses and people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Minister of Finance Hồ Đức Phớc said many solutions have already been implemented. The total amount of tax and budget revenue that had been extended, exempted and reduced according to the policies issued in 2020, has reached about VNĐ129 trillion (US$5.64 billion). In 2021, the Government submitted to the National Assembly Standing Committee plans to continue the implementation of four solutions for those affected by the pandemic. It includes continuously extending the deadline for paying tax and land rent in 2021; reducing environmental protection tax on jet fuel in 2021; reducing import tax rates for many groups of goods; and decreasing the collection of 30 types of …
Dien Bien kicks off defensive area exercise in 2021
The event drew the attendance of Major General Pham Hong Chuong, Commanding Officer of Military Region 2 (MR2) and head of the Steering Board of the military region’s exercise and Nguyen Van Thang, Secretary of the provincial Party Committee and Head of the organizing panel of the exercise. This year’s exercise consisted of three stages, namely units shifting to higher combat readiness postures, localities shifting to the defensive posture, preparing for and conducting defensive operations. General Chuong, speaking at the event, emphasized that the Party Committee, authorities, armed forces, and people of Dien Bien province have successfully completed two strategic tasks of national construction and defense and local socio-economic development which are closely linked with strong Party and government building at all levels, contributing to consolidating and enhancing defense and security. Since the beginning of 2021, the whole locality has wholeheartedly made thorough …
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Hanoi allows resumption of some services
People in Chuong Duong ward of Hanoi 's Hoan Kiem district have gradually resumed daily activities after nearly one month under quanratine (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The Hanoi People’s Committee has permitted 19 district-level localities to resume certain services starting 12:00 noon on September 16, given the progress in the COVID-19 fight. The municipal Department of Health said there are 19 district-level localities free of community infection cases between 6am on September 6, when the capital started applying Directive No. 20/CT-UBND of the municipal People’s Committee, and 6pm on September 15. They consist of Ba Dinh, Ba Vi, Bac Tu Liem, Cau Giay, Dan Phuong, Gia Lam, Hoai Duc, Long Bien, Me Linh, My Duc, Nam Tu Liem, Phu Xuyen, Phuc Tho, Quoc Oai, Soc Son, Son Tay, Thanh Oai, Tay Ho, and Ung Hoa. These localities are permitted to reopen some business and service establishments, starting 12:00 noon on September 16, including book and stationery stores; …
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Viettel’s 5G speed reaches nearly 5Gb a second
With this remarkable speed which is 40 times higher than the 4G speed and two times higher than the current 5G speed, Viettel has become one of the fastest 5G telecommunications networks in Asia. This achievement confirms the outstanding capacity of mmWave technology used for 5G network that Viettel has been carrying out in Vietnam. A 5G network with super high speed lays the foundations for building smart factories, smart agriculture, smart urban areas, smart cities, smart healthcare, and smart education, and more. To achieve this record data transmission speed of 4.7Gb a second, the research team with members from Viettel, Ericsson, and Qualcomm Technologies Inc. used the E-UTRA New Radio Dual Connectivity (EN-DC), the world’s most advanced technology, on the 800Mhz band to help speed up and extend 5G coverage. While implementing technical solutions at the lab, Viettel used Ericsson’s radio equipment and mobile devices using Qualcomm’s Snapdragon® X60 Modem-RF System. …
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New tactics in tow for sticky solar situation
New tactics in tow for sticky solar situation - Illustration photo The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) is drafting a new regulation on a mechanism to develop renewable energies, including rooftop solar power. The new policy for this type of energy will no longer have feed-in tariffs and fixed preferential prices for the next 20 years. This was stated by Pham Nguyen Hung, deputy director of the MoIT’s Electricity and Renewable Energy Authority at an online talk on August 30, on removing difficulties for rooftop solar in industrial zones. “We are discussing the tariff of electricity,” Hung said, “and its selling price will follow the annual solar price bracket issued by the MoIT to ensure market closeness, the coverage of costs, and the recovery of investors’ capital, while also harmonising electricity purchases from Electricity of Vietnam (EVN).” One of the new points of this draft is that rooftop solar power projects are not limited to a capacity below one megawatt peak …
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No more delays in construction schedule of Eastern Cluster of North-South Expressway
Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh ordered no more delays in the construction of the Eastern Cluster of the North-South Expressway The Deputy PM made the order at an online meeting on September 14 on the development of the Eastern Cluster of North-South Expressway with contractors, relevant ministries, the State Bank of Vietnam, as well as the 13 cities and provinces the project goes through. He noted that more delays in the project construction would be acceptable. He asked local authorities to complete the site clearance in October 2021. Contractors will have to address sluggish construction while abiding by the rules on COVID-19 prevention and fight. Cities and provinces, and relevant ministries are asked to create more favourable conditions for mining licensing procedures to ensure enough building materials for the project. The meeting focused on solving the problems related to site clearance and lack of building materials facing the project The Eastern …
October: The golden time for Phu Quoc tourism
The success in welcoming the first international visitors to Phu Quoc Island is expected to have a huge media impact. In late May 2020, tourism experts proposed opening some islands in Vietnam such as Phu Quoc and Con Dao to international tourists but the proposal never launched. This time, the plan to welcome international visitors with vaccine passports to Phu Quoc Island in Kien Giang Province has been approved by the Prime Minister. The island is expected to have the first guests in October. Duong Mai Lan, Director of Ascend Travel, says that this is a very good direction to quickly restore the tourism industry of Vietnam in general and Phu Quoc in particular. Opening the door for guests with a vaccine passport has been done by many countries and this is considered the only solution for the tourism industry at the moment. Tran Quoc Vu, CEO of Vtravel Vietnam, General Secretary of the Tourism Association of Kien Giang Province, said that accepting the vaccine …
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Kind-hearted monk contributes to Khmer community
Monk Ha Van Phung, the abbot of Khmer Xa Xiem Cu Pagoda in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang, always wanted to do something to help people in his hometown. Monk Ha Van Phung (first, left) walks on the bridge he and Buddhist followers designed and built in Xa Xiem Hamlet, Binh An Commune in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang. — VNA/VNS Photos Witnessing children and adults in Binh An Commune travelling bumpy roads covered in wild grass and passing over slippery footbridges to schools, Phung decided to make the roads easier to traverse. “Traffic was not convenient at all while the primary school was more than 4km and the secondary school was 5km away from the centre of the commune. It took them a lot of time to travel around,” he said. Phung started building the first bridge connecting the two sides of a canal in Xa Xiem Hamlet in 2005. He learnt to design the bridge and called upon Buddhist followers to help with building it, meaning construction costs …
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