Singapore outbound travel agents association

Tourists at Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia (Photo: khmertimeskh.com) Phnom Penh (VNA) - Tourists who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 will not be exempted from quarantine when entering Cambodia, according to the national press agency of Cambodia AKP . AKP quoted Prime Minister Hun Sen as saying at a meeting on May 17 with the Samdech Techo Young Volunteer Doctors Association (TYDA) that Cambodia welcomes all visitors, but people who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 must still be quarantined for seven days. The PM emphasised that Cambodia has overcome the epidemic waves caused by variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus such as Alpha, Delta and Omicron, but has not yet conquered COVID-19. Cambodia is devoting all of its efforts to pushing the COVID-19 vaccination programme, so unvaccinated travellers cannot enter without quarantine. Travellers who have been immunized against COVID-19 do not need to be quarantined and are not required to take rapid or … [Read more...] about Unvaccinated tourists not exempted from quarantine upon arrival in Cambodia

The deal value in Vietnam by Japanese investors last year was more than triple the figure of 2020. Why has there been a sharp increase in Japanese mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deals? Masataka “Sam” Yoshida, head of the Cross-border Division of RECOF Corporation and CEO of RECOF Vietnam Co., Ltd This rise was due to an exceptional deal done by SMBC Consumer Finance, in the amount of nearly $1.38 billion, which acquired FE Credit from VP Bank. In fact, there have been several relatively big deals by Japanese investors ranging from $50-100 million every two years during the last 10 years – however, this one was by far the largest. Apart from this one, we recognise that most of the Japanese-related deals were around $5-30 million in size, which did not show any big difference from before 2020. What is M&A activity like so far in 2022 for Japanese groups here? Despite the aforementioned mega deal by SMBC, most Japanese investors had to wait until travel … [Read more...] about Japanese M&A in Vietnam on a steady track to bigger deals

Ben Tre-born swimmer Pham Thanh Bao wins a gold medal in the men's 50m breaststroke event (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam’s national swimming team surpassed the gold medal target set for the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) after winning two more gold medals on May 18. Ben Tre-born swimmer Pham Thanh Bao opened an impressive competition day of Vietnamese athletes with his an ecstatic performance in the men's 50m breaststroke event. The 21-year-old swimmer won a gold medal with a time of 28.28 seconds, beating strong rivals from Indonesia and Singapore. It was also his second gold at this year’s Games. Meanwhile, Tran Hung Nguyen pocketed a gold medal after his surprising performance in the men’s 200m medley event with a time of 2 minutes and 1.22 seconds. The 19-year-old swimmer competed with their strong rivals Kaewsriyoung Dulyawat of Thailand and Maximillian Wei Ang of Singapore in this event. The silver and bronze medalists in the day were Vo Thi My Tien … [Read more...] about Vietnamese swimming team exceeds gold medal target at SEA Games 31

Developers clamour for legal clarity, Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) Nguyen Manh Ha, vice chairman of the Vietnam Real Estate Association, said that tourism real estate needs to break down barriers to development as soon as possible, in order to move alongside the general economic recovery. “Currently, mechanisms and policies for resort real estate are unclear, especially in terms of new types of real estate such as condotels, officetels, and second-home villas in resorts,” Ha said. The legal framework has not kept pace with the reality of hospitality and resort real estate development, thus partly hindering the growth momentum of these types of property, Ha added. They are not given a right use certificate, known as a red book in Vietnam, because they are built on land plots permitted for developing tourism property only, and not for residential projects. Doan Van Binh, chairman of CEO Group, said that supply is scarce not only in Vietnam but worldwide due to the impact of … [Read more...] about Developers clamour for legal clarity

The trip has contributed to promoting the relations between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the U.S., and between Vietnam and the U.N. and the U.S., while affirming Vietnam’s role and prestige in the international arena. During his week-long stay in the U.S., the PM visited the four cities of Washington D.C, Boston, New York, and San Francisco, with more than 50 activities. He attended and delivered speeches at the summit, and met with ASEAN leaders, including his counterparts from Laos, Cambodia and Singapore, and the Indonesian President. Chinh also had meetings with U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russel, President of the U.N. General Assembly Abdulla Shahid and Administrator of the U.N. Development Program (UNDP) Achim Steiner. He met President Joe Biden, and received senior officials of the U.S. government such as Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, Secretary of … [Read more...] about Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh concludes U.S. trip

Gold is yet again becoming a safe haven asset, and some customers want more ways to get involved, Le Toan The World Gold Council (WGC) believes that the appetite for gold is often hampered by the interest rate, as when interest rates rise, gold loses its appeal. However, inflation is also a tailwind to gold demand as a common safe-haven asset. The USD tends to weaken when the Fed raises interest rates, which enhances gold’s demand. “Furthermore, what happens in China’s consumer market has had a big impact as it’s the world’s largest consumer market for gold. We expect China to start to emerge from the worst of the pandemic and that will support consumer demand,” the WGC noted last week. “It is difficult to predict how the geopolitical situation will play out. It depends on where inflation goes, but inflation is certainly the biggest driver at the moment, which will probably support institutional investment demand in the next quarter.” Meanwhile, the demand for gold in Vietnam … [Read more...] about Gold appeal sparkles amid rise of inflation

A visitor uses a remote guide app on her mobile at the National Fine Arts Museum. —VNS Photo Le Huong The tourism sector must apply digital transformation to secure sustainable development, according to dozens of participants at a forum on the topic held in Ha Noi on May 18. Titled "Green Light for Tourism to Take Off Part 2: Digital Transformation: Diving Force for Sustainable Development", the forum gathered dozens of experts from State management agencies, tourism authorities, localities, and IT. The first part of the forum held in March focused on opening doors to international tourists. Hoang Quang Phong, deputy chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce Industry, said at the end of 2018, the Prime Minister issued Decision No 1671/QD-TTg approving the “Master plan on applying informatics technology in the tourism field for 2018-2020, with orientation to 2025.” “Informatics technology has been applied in various tourism companies, especially hotels, resorts and big … [Read more...] about Forum held on digital transformation for sustainable tourism