Vietnam Insider - Page 1262 of 1523

111 killed on roads over four-day New Year holiday in Vietnam

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136 traffic accidents were recorded, killing 111 people and injuring another 54 across Vietnam during the four-day New Year holiday, National Traffic Police Department reports.

This new year’s holiday saw a significant increase in fatalities compared to previous year with about 28 deaths per day, which saw 124 accidents with 67 fatalities over three days.

Most of the accidents this year were road crashes caused by drunk driving, driving in the wrong lane, speeding, changing direction without watching the traffic.

The police handled 15,200 traffic violations, suspended more than 3,300 driving licenses and fined violators a total of US$595,000 during the weekend holiday.

According to the World Health Organization, approximately 1.35 million people die each year worldwide as a result of road traffic crashes. Road traffic crashes cost most countries 3% of their gross domestic product.
More than half of all road traffic deaths are among vulnerable road users: pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists. 93% of the world’s fatalities on the roads occur in low- and middle-income countries, even though these countries have approximately 60% of the world’s vehicles. Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 5-29 years.

Vietnam’s cyber-security law comes into effect

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A law requiring Internet companies in Vietnam to remove content that the communist authorities deem to be against the state came into effect yesterday, in a move critics called “a totalitarian model of information control”.

The law comes into force a week after the Vietnam Journalists Association announced a new code of conduct on the use of social media by its members, forbidding reporters to post news, pictures and comments that “run counter to” the state.

According to a report on Straits Times, the new cyber-security law has received sharp criticism from the United States, the European Union and Internet freedom advocates who say it mimics China’s repressive censorship of the Internet.

The legislation requires Internet companies to remove content the government regards as “toxic”.

VNExpress, a local media reports, Tech giants such as Facebook and Google will also have to hand over user data if asked by the government, and open representative offices in Vietnam.

Read full article on Straits Times

Vietnam freezes Vietjet flight expansion after safety incidents

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Vietnam probe of faulty and emergency landings comes ahead of busy Tet holiday

Vietnamese authorities have halted Vietjet Aviation’s planned increase in flights following a series of aircraft safety incidents, putting the country’s largest budget airline under supervision as the Tet holiday season nears.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam said this week it will stop adding new flights to Vietjet’s operational schedule. CAAV also will re-evaluate Vietjet’s operations at four airports: Noi Bai in Hanoi, Danang International in central Vietnam, Tan Son Nhat in Ho Chi Minh City and Cam Ranh in the south-central region.

The authority did not specify the time needed for this supervision, but sources say it could last for a month since CAAV made the announcement on Tuesday.

CAAV’s move likely will affect Vietjet’s capacity expansion ahead of the Tet holiday in February, when many Vietnamese workers return to their hometown from big cities for a week around the Lunar New Year.

The agency also will suspend Vietjet executives in charge of operations, CAAV director Dinh Viet Thang said. The recent incidents constitute a “serious threat” to aviation safety, the authority said.

A Vietjet flight landed on an incorrect runway Tuesday at Cam Ranh International Airport. The aircraft reportedly departed at 11:14 a.m., then faced a “technical error” minutes later. It returned to Cam Ranh, but landed on a runway that was not ready for operations.

The incident represents a serious threat to flight safety, second only to aviation accidents in Vietnam’s classification of errors, CAAV says.

Earlier on Tuesday, another Vietjet flight headed to Ho Chi Minh City from Incheon, South Korea, made an emergency landing in Taipei because of “a technical warning in the cargo section.” The flight resumed after an examination reported no risk. The incident resulted from a false alarm, CAAV said.

A flight from Hanoi to Danang on Wednesday was forced to abort takeoff after accelerating on the runway. Passengers waited two hours before departing again.

On Nov. 29, the nose wheels of a Vietjet aircraft fell off minutes before it landed at Buon Ma Thuot Airport in Vietnam’s Central Highlands region. The aircraft was put into service two weeks before the incident. Results of an investigation into the incident are pending.

“The carrier has been in close coordination with related authorities to assess the incident and promptly support all affected passengers,” Vietjet said two days after the event.

Other incidents during Vietjet flights over the past few months caused planes to return to their airport shortly after takeoff. Initial reports typically cited false alarms tied to software installed in new aircraft delivered this year. Vietjet could not be reached for comment.

CAAV is working with Vietnamese airlines, whose fleets include the Airbus A321, for further examination of the new model. Airbus declined to comment. Vietjet’s fleet includes 60 Airbus A320 and A321 craft as of Sunday, part of the carrier’s total order of 371 aircraft from both Airbus and Boeing makers.

Vietnamese aviation has grown rapidly in the past decade, with passengers rising 12.9% this year to 106 million. This double-digit growth is expected to continue in 2019.

Local competition is intensifying, as startup Bamboo Airways recently secured an aviation license and a joint venture between AirAsia and Hanoi-based tourism business Thien Minh Group appears likely to enter the market next year, a Viet Capital Securities report says. Vietnamese airlines might face lower profits in the short and medium term.

Vietjet was granted a tax exemption for 2014 and 2015 when the company first made a profit. The carrier received a 50% tax reduction for the 2016-18 period, implying a tax rate of 10%. Its corporate tax rate will be 20% starting in 2019.

Failing to capitalize on the upcoming busy season could hamper Vietjet, which has snared 45% of the domestic market after just seven years in operation.

Vietjet shares closed at 122,000 dong on Wednesday, down 8% from Nov. 29, when Vietjet faced one of the most serious incidents this year as the nose wheels of an A321 fell off. Shares are trading at 122,000 dong in the morning session on Thursday.

(Nikkei)

Sweden to support Vietnam in training English

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The Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training and The Embassy of Sweden in Hanoi, Vietnam have signed an agreement to boost cooperation in teaching and learning English in higher education in the 2018-2020 period.

The agreement fouses on encouraging the cooperation and exchange of experiences in training English, promoting English proficiency evaluation and English improvement for teachers and students.

As per agreement, the Swedish Embassy will provide free practice tests in reading, listening and grammar; and free online training courses for local teachers as well as support the Ministry of Education and Training to develop English Training Skills Clubs at schools nationwide.

Since 2016, Educational institutions in Vietnam have been directed to implement English as a second language on campus, it has been announced, which could increase student mobility and international collaborations with the country.

The Minister of Education and Training, Phung Xuan Nha, has initially aimed this regulation at 61 universities, academies and colleges under the Ministry.

The regulation will ensure that lecturers at universities hold their meetings in English, with students also required to give presentations and discussions in English.

What is your plan for New Year’s Eve?

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There’s no law in Vietnam or any other country that says you have to go out, dress up or drink Champagne for the occasion. Here are tips by Nancy Dunham for a sweet celebration at home for both locals and expats.

Holiday shopping, wrapping, parties and more leave some of us too pooped to pop the cork on an extravagant New Year’s Eve celebration.

But that doesn’t mean your holiday has to be flat as yesterday’s bubbly. Consider these 10 ideas to make your holiday sparkle:

1. Dress down

While the partygoers often need to wear their evening best for New Year’s celebrations, you can dress way down. Some families and friends even turn New Year’s Eve into pajama parties. Think that sounds a bit too casual? Take a look at the past tips from Vogue magazine to spruce up your nightclothes so you enjoy the best of both fashion worlds. Or, if you aren’t entirely shopped out, maybe your family needs new matching pajamas for the occasion.

2. Unearth classic board games

Sure we have an array of technology at our fingertips, but what about giving a nod to the past this New Year’s Eve by breaking out board games such as Monopoly, Clue and other classics? Invite your guests to bring any board games they have, including long-time favorites such as Masterpiece or Parcheesi. Very old games such as Mystery Date are particularly fun to resurrect.

3. Wander down memory lane

Even the most hard-core tech lovers among us likely have a stash of honest-to-goodness photos, slides and other memorabilia. New Year’s Eve is a great time to gather all of those photos, yearbooks and keepsakes and go through them. Share them with family and friends, too. They are natural conversation starters and a lovely way to honor the past while looking toward the future.

4. Binge on TV shows

Always wanted to watch “Anarchy” but never found the time? Miss those old “Twilight Zone” episodes? Splurge and buy yourself the DVDs or an online television subscription (ask about free trials!) and enjoy. New Year’s Eve is a great night to take the plunge.

5. Skype with friends and family

Chances are you have plenty of friends you’d like to reconnect with but just haven’t had the time. Ask about their New Year’s Eve schedules. At least a few will be home and ready to chat online with you. It’s a great way to catch up with those you only stay in contact with by way of holiday cards.

6. Start the new year fresh

What better time to take down the holiday decorations, clean out the closets and do those other household tasks that you just never get around to starting? This might sound like drudgery to some — if that’s you, move right along — but to those who like organization and cleanliness, it’s a terrific way to literally get your house in order for the new year.

7. Take a course

Wouldn’t it be nice to start 2019 by launching into a new skill? There are plenty of fascinating online courses ranging from foreign language instruction to how to create the perfect apple pie. You’ll find many free courses on YouTube, including a series from Yale University. If you want more, peruse the selections at The Great Courses website or edX.org. Save money by looking at free videos on topics before you buy.

8. Enjoy your favorite comfort food

Most of us have a favorite comfort food in which we rarely indulge — macaroni and cheese, noodle soup, even cocoa with marshmallows. That’s because many of us dine out frequently, are watching our weight or just don’t want to go to the trouble. New Year’s Eve is a great time to get out that recipe and indulge in your favorite forgotten treat.

9. Take a run

Most of us believe we’ll start running or other activities after the holiday season has ended. Why wait? Put on your winter running attire and start now. If it’s too snowy or icy for you to venture out, watch exercise DVDs or stream free exercise programs — there are plenty out there!

10. Baby-sit

You may not be in the mood to go out, but what about your friends and family members? Some of them would love to have a night on the town but don’t have the energy or means to hire a baby,sitter. Offer to pitch in. Not only will you enjoy watching the holiday through a child’s eyes but lending a hand is a great way to start the new year.

What is your plan for New Year’s Eve? Thinking of changing it up? Share with us on our Facebook page.

Prediction for the future of 4.0 jobs in Vietnam

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As Industry 4.0 takes hold, one leading labour expert has predicted how the workforce of the future will be divided.

Employment expert Lê Quang Trung, believes the highest proportion of people in the workforce will be in personal services and sales (31.62 per cent) followed by workers in manual job (26.5 per cent) then skilled craftsmen (12.47 per cent) and technical workers (12.42 per cent next year.

Trung, Deputy Director of the Employment Department, at the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) was speaking at an online discussion organised by the Government Portal (chinhphu.vn) in Hanoi on Friday.

He said recruitment plan for 2019 would continue to increase.

Answering online questions, Trung said with the positive shift of the economy, Việt Nam’s was forecast to continue growing in 2019. The labour market would be shifted with high-skilled workers replacing simple labourers, meaning quality would improve.

According to the trend of Industry 4.0, some industries with great demand, (including technology) are developing at high speed, increasing the demand for staff.

But jobs such as printing technician, machinery assemblers and operators, irrigation engineers, construction engineers, food processors will be difficult to fill.

At the discussion “Labour and employment in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution”, Trung said with the general development of the country’s economy, the labour market had been developing towards modernisation and market orientation.

“The legal framework, and labour market policies have been gradually improved,” he said.

“As a result, labourers’ income and wages improved, labour productivity and competitiveness of the workforce also increased.”

Thanks to the implementation of new policies and mechanisms promoting job creation and market development, the MoLISA reported as of September 2018, the unemployment rate at urban areas was 3.1 per cent (against the target of below 4 per cent proposed by socio-economic development plan).

The proportion of workers in the agriculture-forestry-fishery sector decreased from 50 per cent in 2010 to 38.3 per cent in 2018.

However, labour market in Vietnam still has challenges, according to Lê Quang Trung.

Labourers mainly work in agricultural areas with low productivity. Basically, Việt Nam is still a market with a surplus of agricultural and rural labourers.

The low job quality has reflected on the low productivity, the high rate of labourers working in vulnerable areas (56.5 per cent of labourers in the country is working in informal jobs).

With low income from employment, a large proportion of labourers do not have access to social insurance, unemployment insurance and occupational safety policy.

At present, only 29 per cent of the labour force in working-age is covered with compulsory social insurance.

The country has nearly 600,000 enterprises, of which 90 per cent are small-and-medium enterprises.

About 96 per cent of small-and medium enterprises are employing under 30 employees, 88 per cent employing less than 10 employees.

The production size of an enterprise was small and it was certain that its capacity was limited, as a result, the labour productivity, workers’ income was low, and their jobs were hardly sustainable, Trung said.

– VNS

Flights to Vietnam from Autralia for just $271

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Explore the Southeast Asian country during the dry season and avoid summer crowds.

As part of Flight Centre’s End of Year sale, fares to Vietnam have been cut all the way down to as low as $271 return.

This price is available on AirAsia flights from Perth, but you can also fly from Melbourne for $352 return, Gold Coast for $455 return or Sydney from $468.

By comparison, these flights to Ho Chi Minh City from Perth are less than it would cost to fly between Perth and Sydney during this time of year by about $50 a pop.

These fares are available for departures between 20 April and 10 June 2019, which is one of the best times to visit Vietnam because it’s before the hot and sticky summer months kick in and the opposite time of year to Vietnam’s rainy season meaning better chances for sunny days.

Checked bags, in-flight meals and entertainment aren’t included in the price but can be added on when booking.

To book: head over to Flight Centre – International.

3 dead, 79 missing after gas explosion rocks Russia high-rise

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At least three people have died after a suspected gas explosion caused a section of a high-rise apartment to collapse in the Russian city of Magnitogorsk in the southern Urals, local news agencies report. Russia news agencies, citing the Emergency Situations Ministry, early on December 31 reported that 48 apartments were damaged in the building where some 110 people lived.

Three people were killed and another 79 were unaccounted for after a gas explosion rocked a residential building in Russia on Monday, leaving hundreds without a home in freezing temperatures on New Year’s Eve.

An entire section of the 12-storey residential building collapsed when a gas explosion tore through the high-rise in the industrial city of Magnitogorsk nearly 1,700km east of Moscow in the Ural mountains.

“Three people have been pulled alive from the rubble and three are dead,” Boris Dubrovsky, governor of the Chelyabinsk region where the city is located, said in a statement.

Officials said that the fate of 79 people was unclear, with police working to locate their whereabouts.

National television broadcast footage of the mangled heaps of concrete as hundreds of rescue workers combed the debris in temperatures of minus 18 Celsius (minus 0.4 F).

In a sign of the seriousness of the situation, President Vladimir Putin ordered emergencies minister Yevgeny Zinichev and health minister Veronika Skvortsova to travel to Magnitogorsk to personally oversee the rescue operation.

The Soviet-era high-rise was built in 1973 and was home to around 1,100 people. The residents have been evacuated.

A total of 110 people were registered as residents of the affected section of the building, regional authorities said. Sixteen of them have been evacuated, and another 15 were not home at the time of the blast.

Source: AFP

Stable development predicted for property market in 2019

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Experts believe that following a stable year, the real estate market will continue to develop well, with no bubbles, in 2019.

Vu Van Phan, deputy director of the Housing and Real Estate Market Management Agency under the Ministry of Construction (MOC), said the real estate market in 2018 witnessed stable development with no major fluctuations. This could be seen in the stable number of transactions, decreased inventory levels, and stable prices.

The total value of real estate inventory by November 2018 had dropped to VND22.98 trillion, a decrease of VND105.57 trillion from the high peak in the first quarter of 2013.

However, he said land price increases may occur in some areas which have been programmed to develop into special economic zones or new urban areas with well developed infrastructure systems.

According to Stephen Wyatt from Jones Lang LaSalle, 150,000 apartments were completed in the first nine months of 2018 in HCM City, while the selling price increased by 4 percent only compared with the same period last year.

He predicted that the supply would be plentiful in 2019, with 40,000 apartments and 4,500 villas and houses to be launched into the market.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Vu Thien Diem, chair of Thien Minh Group, thinks the real estate market in 2019 will be flat. There are difficulties ahead, including the lack of land and the few medium-tier housing products.

Nguyen Tri Hieu, an economist, noted the foreign investment into the sector has increased in the last three years.

Investors from Singapore, Japan and South Korea have shown special interest in properties in central areas of the city and near subway stations. They partner with Vietnamese to develop projects to improve management.

Since many ‘bottlenecks’ in the legal framework have been cleared, Hieu believes that the real estate market will receive new investment flows in the time to come.

The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has tightened commercial banks’ lending to fund real estate projects. However, this will not affect the development of projects as investors now are seeking capital from many sources.

“Real estate developers are now undergoing restructuring to list their shares on the bourse and join hands with foreign investment funds to develop projects. So, there is no need to worry that the capital flow to the real estate sector will get stuck once commercial banks cut loans,” Hieu said.

Source: VNN

Three die in landslide in south-central Vietnam

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Three members of the same family died following a downpour-prompted landslide in the south-central Vietnamese province of Khanh Hoa, home to the beach resort city of Nha Trang, in the early hours of Sunday.

Two landslides occurred in Khanh Thanh Nam Village in Suoi Cat Commune, Cam Lam District, when a mass of earth and rock came rushing down the mountainside on early Sunday, burying a newly-built house and its next-door neighbor.

The owner of the first house had sensed some unusual sounds just before the disaster took place and managed to timely ask his wife and children to flee to safety, whereas the next-door house with all three members inside were buried in earth and rubble.

When neighbors were rushing to rescue the three victims from their collapsed house, another huge batch of earth continued to fall down from the same mountain, according to Suoi Cat police.

The rescuers were quick enough to run away but the three family members under the rubble continued to be buried.

The victims were all female, one of them an 11-month-old. Their bodies were plucked from the mud later on Sunday, police said.

Suoi Cat is some 26km southwest of Nha Trang.

Khanh Thanh Nam has faced no landslides for several decades, and Sunday’s disaster struck even though no intrusive construction had been done in the village, according to Le Duc Vinh, chairman of the Khanh Hoa administration.

This is the second time a deadly landslide has hit the province in just over a month, following the one that killed 18 in Nha Trang in late November.

Source: Tuoitrenews

16 Vietnamese, 3 Taiwanese arrested for telecom scam in Taiwan

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Sixteen Vietnamese and three Taiwanese were allegedly running a telecommunication scam, Taiwan’s Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said Friday.
The Taiwan News reported Saturday that of the 16 Vietnamese, 14 were runaway immigrant workers while two were fake tourists.

A Wednesday raid on two locations in Taiping and Shalu districts in Taichung City, suspected to be the base of the scam, found computers, mobile phones and victims’ information, among other evidence, the CIB said. The evidence has been seized.

According to the bureau, the ring, which targeted people in Vietnam, had swindled approximately $490,700 from 200 victims over the past three months. The Vietnamese scammers, who masqueraded as government officials, made Internet calls to random people in Vietnam and tricked them into giving up their money, which would be collected by accomplices residing in Vietnam.

This is the first cross-border fraud case involving runaway Vietnamese workers in Taiwan, the CIB said.

Earlier this week, news of 152 Vietnamese tourists suddenly going ‘missing’ in Taiwan made global headlines. Seventeen have been found and a hunt is on for others, who reportedly used a tourism facilitating program to gain entry to Taiwan and work there illegally.

In recent years, Taiwan has emerged as a promising destination for Vietnamese workers looking for jobs overseas. As of 2017, there were around 164,000 Vietnamese working under official contracts in Taiwan, accounting for nearly 30 percent of the country’s overseas workforce, according to official statistics.

Source: Vnexpress

Where to watch fireworks performances in Saigon tonight?

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High and low-altitude fireworks displays will be held from midnight on New Year’s Eve in the center of Saigon.

Head to the following locations to watch dazzling fireworks displays from midnight of January 1, to welcome 2019.

Over the Saigon River, at Thu Thiem Tunnel that links Districts 1 and District 2. You can find this place on Google map at: https://goo.gl/maps/axh2hzLoRdr

2) Dam Sen Park in District 1. You can find this place on Google map at: https://goo.gl/maps/UsQWwRRXZhD2

According to a report by VNExpress, the Saigon’s Authorities have approved a plan for another six for Tet, on the Lunar New Year’s Eve with high-altitude fireworks near the tunnel under the Saigon River in District 2 and low-altitude displays at Dam Sen Cultural Park (District 11), Cu Chi Tunnels (Cu Chi district), Sac Forest Square (Can Gio district), Lang Le – Bau Co Historic Site (Binh Chanh district), and Nga Ba Giong (a memorial area for heroic martyrs in Hoc Mon district).

In Hanoi, the authorities have decided to spare firework displays for New Year’s Eve, reserving them for Tet. With the Gregorian New Year just a month away from the week-long Tet Lunar New Year holiday, which starts February 2, the Hanoi administration has decided that the fireworks display will be reserved for the latter, which is Vietnam’s biggest and most important holiday. VNExpress International reports.

Asian Cup 2019: Iraq coach believes Vietnam is most ‘difficult match’

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Iraq coach Srecko Katanec is confident that his players are fully committed and will give their everything in the upcoming AFC Asian Cup 2019 in the United Arab Emirates.

The coach also opened up on his group stage opponents and believes Vietnam and Yemen will be their biggest threats. The Slovenian was appointed at the helm of affairs four months ago and has since built up the squad to come into the tournament as one of the favorites. Fox Sport Asia reports.

“I don’t talk about chances because football is a very strange game. It has been just four months since I have been with them. But what I know is that they are a very happy group and they are fully committed,” he said in an interview with AFC’s official website.

When quizzed who would be the most difficult opponents for Iraq, who have been drawn alongside Iran, Yemen and Vietnam in one of the hardest groups in the tournament, he named the latter two sides as ‘difficult matches’.

“Look, these days every match is difficult. Why? Because you can have a bad day and lose what on paper should have been an easy match. That is why I respect all teams. For me, as a coach, the more difficult matches are against Yemen and Vietnam. They are also here to show they belong. They will fight. We will fight. Nothing is easy.”

He was then asked what does he think of Iraq’s chances in the continental showpiece, he said, “Many people and even journalists ask me if Iraq will win the Cup. All I can say is that I am here to do my best. About the results?

“Well, it depends on a lot of things. Also luck is very important. You never know how some young players will react to certain situations. It’s a game of pressure. Sometimes players from the bench prove more important than players who start the game.”

First privately owned airport opens for business in Vietnam

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The first privately owned airport in Vietnam opened on Sunday, underscoring efforts by the debt-strapped government to tap private sources to fund key infrastructure projects.

Van Don International Airport, which is located in the northeastern coastal province of Quang Ninh and is about 120 km from the border with China.

The 290-hectare facility is capable of accommodating large commercial jets, including Boeing 777s and Airbus A350s.

Total investment is about $300 million, facility of the airport is wholly owned by Sun Group, a Danang-based company that specializes in tourism-, leisure- and entertainment-focused properties and projects. Sun Group is Vietnam’s biggest cable-car operator, with facilities at many popular tourist destinations. Sun Group is said to have raised all of the $300 million in funding costs by itself.

Sun Group was founded by its chairman, Le Viet Lam, who studied in Russia before investing in a company called Technocom in Ukraine with Pham Nhat Vuong, chairman of Vingroup, Vietnam’s largest private company.

Van Don airport was constructed with assistance from Netherlands Airport Consultants, one of the world’s leading airport consultancies and engineering companies. The airport is operated based on the build, operate and transfer model, and the investment costs are expected to be recouped in 45 years.

“Except for the costs needed to clear the land, all of the capital came from Sun Group, with the lending provided by the Vietnam Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Industry and Trade,” according a source at Sun Group.

The project was delayed by a year after the initial investors, including Korea Airports Corp., pulled out in 2015 after it was decided that the facility would mainly focus on domestic flights.

Sun Group, which already operates tourism facilities in Quang Ninh Province, stepped in as the new investor, and the project began in earnest in March 2016.

It was subsequently decided that Van Don would be an international airport, in line with the government’s plan to have 13 international and 15 domestic airports by 2023. There are currently 21 airports across Vietnam.

“The airport serves as a model for how private investment, rather than state-owned entities, can be used to develop infrastructure,” Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister of Vietnam said in a speech at the opening ceremony.

Vietnam plans to invest at least $3 billion to build six new airports following Van Don in the next five years. The government will also upgrade existing airports.

To fund all of that, the government hopes to attract investment from local and foreign players, in addition to using money from the Airports Corporation of Vietnam, the state-owned airport operator.

“With the government suffering from funding shortfalls, Hanoi is exploring the use of private funds to press ahead with key infrastructure projects,” said Vo Tri Thanh, former vice president of the Central Institute for Economic Management. Hanoi’s deficit swelled to $9 billion in 2018, and the figure is projected to be the same for 2019.

Vietnamese Transport Minister Nguyen Van The said that the private-sector investment model used for Van Don airport would be used to help develop the country’s infrastructure going forward as a way to reduce public debt and public spending.

Vietnam’s public debt equaled roughly 63% of the country’s gross domestic product in 2018.

Sun Group has been busy. On the same day that the airport opened, the company officially launched two other major infrastructure projects in Quang Ninh Province: the Ha Long-Van Don expressway and Ha Long International Cruise Port. The projects, worth a total of 13.1 trillion dong ($563 million), are expected to connect Vietnam’s tourism and economic hubs in the north to other parts of the country — as well as to other countries — by land, sea and air.

After bus attack, Vietnam calls on int’l unity in fighting terrorism

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Vietnam has condemned the terrorist attack that killed four people, including three Vietnamese tourists, and injured many more in Cairo on Friday, according to Vietnam News.

The Vietnamese website identified one of the victims as as 46-year-old Nguyễn Thúy Quỳnh who was travelling with her husband Lê Đức Minh. He suffered injuries to his hand, the website quoted Thanh Niên newspaper.

Meanwhile Lê Thị Thu Hằng, a spokeperson of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is calling on the Egyptian government to act fast and find and punish those responsible for the terror attack.

The Egyptian government said it has been communicating with the Vietnamese embassy in Egypt to keep it updated with all the needed information about the attack. The tourist bus drove away of the police forces that were supposed to secure its path, according to Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly on Friday.

The scene of an attack on a tourist bus in Giza province, Egypt, on Dec. 28, 2018.

President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi is closely following all of Marioteya bus terrorist attack updates along with the ministers and security bodies. Top prosecutor ordered investigations into the attack, and a police hunt was launched to arrest the perpetrators.

For its part, Vietnam has called on all governments and their people “to stand united in the fight against terrorism in an uncompromising way to build a peaceful life and to ensure safe travel for people around the world,” according to the Vietnamese website.

Hằng added that Vietnam appreciates the efforts of the Government and the people of Egypt in supporting the treatment and protection of Vietnamese citizens attacked in this incident.

Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc had sent his deepest condolences to the families of the victims.

The Prime Minister instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to immediately implement necessary measures to protect Vietnamese citizens in Egypt.