Showing posts with label VNA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label VNA. Show all posts

Sunday, December 21, 2014

President confident in prospect for Vietnam-Cambodia ties — Talk Vietnam

President confident in prospect for Vietnam-Cambodia ties — Talk Vietnam



Vietnam and Cambodia have plenty of rooms to further their ties, President Truong Tan Sang told Rasmei Kampuchea, the largest daily in Khmer language in Cambodia ahead of his visit to the country on December 23-24.

The front page of the daily published on December 21 covered an interview with the President by its Editor-In-Chief Pen Samitthy.

The Vietnamese President said his visit aims to further deepen the traditional friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Cambodia, meeting aspirations of the two peoples.

In the coming time, he expressed wish for facilitating visits at all levels to raise mutual understanding.

Both countries should strengthen cooperation across tourism, telecommunications, banking, oil and gas, industry and agriculture, towards achieving a trade value of 5 billion USD in 2015 as agreed, he said.

He added that science-technology, education, health care and culture also need due attention.

Vietnam will provide more scholarships for Cambodian graduates and post-graduates studying in the country, he promised.

He suggested raising awareness of younger generations about the tradition of bilateral ties and working on land border demarcation for a borderline of peace, friendship, cooperation and development.

On regional and international arena, the two countries should offer mutual support within the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam development triangle, the Ayeywady – Chao Praya – Mekong economic cooperation strategy, the Greater Mekong Sub-region, ASEAN, and the United Nations, he said.

He noted that history recorded all difficulties that had been jointly surmounted by the two countries and sacrifices they had made for each other for their national independence and freedom, saying these are invaluable pride that need to be handed down to next generations.

The President said the political and diplomatic ties between the two countries have been deepened basing on the mutual trust and understanding.

Economic, trade and investment cooperation was given top priority in the bilateral connection while that in security and defence received a lot of attention.

Affiliation in education, training, healthcare and culture has been unceasingly boosted, the President told the paper.

He noted that the two countries’ cooperation within multilateral mechanisms has been strengthened over the past times.

In the end of the interview, the State leader expressed his full belief that the bilateral friendship and coordination across the board will go forward with great strides.-VNA

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Hon Khoai Island to become eco-tourism site | Look At Vietnam

Hon Khoai Island to become eco-tourism site

June 20, 2012
LookAtVietnam – The southernmost province of Ca Mau is currently planning to turn Hon Khoai Island into an eco-tourism site, using an estimated capital of over VND3 trillion.
The Hon Khoai Island Tourism Center seen from a distance. (Photo: dangcongsan.vn)
As part of the initiative, a 20 km bridge linking the island to the mainland will be built at a cost of more than VND1 trillion, besides restaurants, hotels and entertainment centres.
Pham Thanh Tuoi, Chairman of the Ca Mau People’s Committee, said that at the moment the local authority is selecting suitable investors for the project with the aim of starting work on some items by the end of this year.
Hon Khoai is actually a group of five small islands, including Hon Sao, Hon Doi Moi, Hon Da Le and Hon Tuong.
Located southwest of Ngoc Hien District, the island is uninhabited and is completely covered with primeval forests, which are home to hundreds of rare species of fauna and flora.
VietNamNet/VNA

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Vietnam, China discuss cooperation in 'less sensitive' maritime issues  | Look At Vietnam

Vietnam, China discuss cooperation in 'less sensitive' maritime issues 

June 1, 2012
 
Vietnam and China held the first round of talks on cooperation in “less sensitive" maritime issues in Beijing on May 29-30, Vietnam News Agency reported.
The two sides discussed cooperation in fields like marine environmental protection, maritime science research, search and rescue at sea, and preventing and limiting impacts of natural disasters.
They reached high consensus on adhering to the principles of mutual respect, equality, and mutual benefit, according to VNA.
The two sides also agreed to hold the second round in Vietnam in the second half of this year.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Luong Thanh Nghi told Thanh Nien Wednesday that the two countries would cooperate based on the principle that issues involving Vietnam and China would be settled bilaterally.
Issues involving other countries would be settled through discussions among all involved parties, he added.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Travel agencies cancel tours due to high costs | Look At Vietnam

Travel agencies cancel tours due to high costs

May 3, 2012
LookAtVietnam – While the long holiday, which ended yesterday, May 1, was
expected to be a bonanza for local tour organizers, many of them in fact had to
cancel their offered tours at the last minute due to the exorbitant
accommodation and service costs in tourism spots around the country.


For illustration purposes only. (Photo: Tuoi Tre)
The Ho Chi Minh Tourism Association (HTA) and national carrier Vietnam Airlines
(VNA) last week unveiled a promotional tourism program targeting domestic tour
packages which was expected to bear sweet fruits from the first holiday it was
applied to — the four-day holiday to mark the national Reunification Day and
International Labor Day between April 28 and May 1.
However, though airfares were slashed by 40 percent for certain services as
part of the program, local travel agencies still had to cancel their discounted
travel packages as accommodation and services costs skyrocketed.
In the central city of Da Nang,
tour organizers had to seek intervention from the municipal Department of
Culture, Sport, and Tourism, as hotels offered exorbitant prices for rooms and
other services when it was still a week ahead of the international fireworks festival set to take place there.
A three-day-two-night tour package to Da Nang to
attend the fireworks festival costs VND6 million per tourist, 30 percent higher
than the rate last year, and 15 percent more than a tour to Thailand, travel agencies said.
Tour organizers thus demanded the cancellation of 1,400 rooms they had booked
due to the expensive fees.
“Customers for domestic tour packages dropped by 40 percent compared to the
normal rate,” said HTA deputy chairwoman Nguyen Thi Khanh.
Tran Van Dong, director of Phu Quoc-based Huong Bien travel agency, said room
prices of 3- or 4-star hotels and resorts account for as much as 40-50 percent
of the total cost of a tour package.
“Hence, if these expenses are increased, tour organizers have nothing left to
earn profits, and it’s understandable that they cancel the tours,” he
explained.
“VNA and travel agencies’ bid to boost domestic tourism has become fruitless
due to the unreasonably high prices,” said Tran The Dung, deputy director of
The He Tre Travel Co.
“This occurs whenever holidays arrive, but relevant authorities seem unable to
control it.”
Thousands of air tickets returned
Khanh, of HTA, said that on April 25 many travel agencies announced that they
had returned thousands of air tickets to VNA as they failed to sell their
packages.
The organizers accepted losing the deposits and paid fines to return on average
of 60 – 100 tickets each, while some even gave back nearly 1,000, said Khanh.
“We had to return 600 tickets for tours to the central part of Vietnam, and 300 for package to Hanoi,” said L., director of a HCMC-based
travel agency.
“The room price in Da Nang
on April 30 was VND1.4 million per night, while the normal rate is only
VND500,000.”
Dung, of The He Tre Co, also said he had to return 70 air tickets for a similar
reason.
“We also lost the deposits at some resorts in Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, and Phan Thiet,”
he added.
VietNamNet/Tuoi Tre

Saturday, September 3, 2011

China ready to remove obstacles to Vietnam ties

September 4, 2011  about News, Politics
China is ready to remove obstacles and join efforts with Vietnam to step up
friendly exchanges and deepen bilateral cooperation to keep bilateral relations
on track.


Chinese Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Ma Zhaoxu
Photo: AFP
This statement was made by Chinese Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Ma Zhaoxu at a
press briefing in Beijing on Thursday.
State Councillor Dai Bingguo will visit Vietnam from September 5 to 9 as the
guest of Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan, he said, adding that Dai and
Nhan will co-chair the fifth meeting of the China-Vietnam cooperation steering
committee.
According to the spokesman, the meeting will review progress in Vietnam-China
relations since the previous meeting, discuss the countries’ shared vision and
specific measures for cooperation in various fields.
He said Dai’s visit was expected to play a positive role in boosting
China-Vietnam all-round strategic cooperative partnership.
China-Vietnam ties have seen strong development, with close exchanges at all
levels and fruitful achievements in cooperation in economic trade and military
affairs, law enforcement, security, education, science and technology, culture
and health, according to the diplomat.
A healthy and stable China-Vietnam relationship served the fundamental interests
of both countries and their peoples and provided regional stability and
prosperity, the spokesman reaffirmed.
Source: VNA/Tuoi tre

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

240 international photographers group up in Vietnam

 A new photo exhibition called Ha Noi – Trai Tim To Quoc (Ha Noi – The Heart of Country) is offering visitors an opportunity to use 100 images as a portal to journey through the city's history.
 
Selected from the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) photo archives, the images not only depict the glorious history of our nation from the very first days of its foundation, but also the achievements that have been created during the industrialisation and modernisation process and a glimpse into the daily lives of regular Hanoians.
"The exhibition aims to present different images of the capital to locals and foreigners alike. The photos were taken by VNA photographers over the past 65 years," said VNA deputy general director Nguyen Duc Loi.
Black-and-white images of historical moments, such as President Ho Chi Minh reading the Declaration of Independence in Ba Dinh Square on September 2, 1945, and the first resistance troops on their way to liberate the capital on October 10, 1954, can be seen at the exhibition.
City life: Two among more than 100 photos that are on display at the Ha Noi – The Heart of Country. (Photos: VNS)
City life: Two among more than 100 photos that are on display at the Ha Noi – The Heart of Country. (Photos: VNS)
The simple life of Hanoians during the American war of destruction, including photos of a night class for illiterate students and a group of kids at play next to a bomb shelter, is also on display.
Veteran photographer Pham Nho Nghia, 83, said the old photos reminded him of the tough and glorious period in the past. "The black-and-white photos have a special meaning for our generation, who have experienced many such memorable moments."
Along with old images of the capital, the exhibit is also showcasing photos of present day Ha Noi, including images of the "ceramic road" – a mosaic project to decorate the 6km cement dike which protects the city from Hong (Red) river floods, the new My Dinh residential complex and the Old Quarter's night market.
The endless vitality of this historic city has also been expressed with a photo of its first-ever mass wedding and another of young people gathered near the calligraphy stalls next to the walls of the Temple of Literature to watch the artisans display their skills during the Lunar New Year Festival.
Former VNA general director Do Phuong said he was impressed by the black-and-white photos at the exhibition, but still wished "to see more old photos that have never been published before".
Le Hong Trang, a young visitor, said the exhibition brought her a glimpse of Ha Noi as it used to be, so she was able to see the difference between the past and the present.
Opened to the public yesterday, August 23, the Ha Noi – The Heart of Country exhibition will run until next Sunday at the Exhibition House, 29 Hang Bai Street.
VietNamNet/Viet Nam New

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Vietnam Airlines halts selling domestic low-cost air tickets | Look At Vietnam - Vietnam news daily update

Vietnam Airlines announced it would temporarily cease applying its special airfare scheme for agencies participating in a domestic tourism stimulus
LookAtVietnam - Vietnam Airlines (VNA) suddenly announced it would temporarily cease applying its special airfare scheme for agencies participating in a domestic tourism stimulus program between July 1 and August 15, 2010
Grenade joke costs Vietnam Airlines passenger $500, lifetime ban
Tran The Dung, vice deputy head of the HCM City Tourism Stimulus Group, also director of the Young Generation Tourist said the decision will negatively impact tourist companies and the tourism stimulus program “Vietnam – your destination’’ launched by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.

Participating in the stimulus program, VNA had pledged to cut airfares for domestic tours provided by travel agents that join the program until the end of this year, excepting specific holidays.

Travel agents speculated that perhaps so many customers have exploited the low-cost air tickets that VNA had to adjust its program.

Under the Vietnam Airlines’ special airfare program, the HCMC Tourism Stimulus Group attracted 4,052 tourists to central and northern provinces in all-inclusive tours packaged together with low-cost airfares this June.

Tours were offered at rates discounted by 30-35 percent. The number of tourists soared by three times compared to that of May, and ten times over the same period last year when the first tourism stimulus campaign, “Impressive Vietnam,” launched.
After the launch of the first tourism stimulus campaign, authorities and businesses of Vietnam’s tourism industry announced the second tourism stimulus campaign of 2010, “Vietnam – Your destination,” with the hope of attracting more domestic travelers as well as foreign tourists. The program’s goal is to welcome 4.2 million International arrivals and 27-28 million of domestic tourists.
Realizing the opportunity to boost revenues, many businesses within the tourism industry have come to support the new campaign. Hotels, restaurants and other businesses related to tourism have dedicated a variety of discounts to customers participating in the program.
Source: Sai Gon Giai Phong