Day: August 15, 2021

The People’s Committee of the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang has drafted a plan on tourism recovery and development, along with procedures to welcome foreign tourists while protecting residents’ health.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is collecting opinions from other ministries and sectors on the pilot plan to open the province’s island city of Phu Quoc to foreign visitors from October.

The plan will be carried out on the island upon the issuance of procedures on receiving foreign visitors, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Luu Trung said.

Under the plan, Phu Quoc will receive up to 3,000 travellers per month who will arrive with charter flights and be served in designated locations. The number is set to rise up to 10,000 by the subsequent three months through commercial flights, with additional tourist destinations being opened.

The island may also require a “vaccine passport” from them and tighten preventive measures by collecting their samples for COVID-19 rapid test, among others.

Visitors are advised to install contact tracing and health declaration apps and must test negative to COVID-19 72 hours prior to their arrival.

Phu Quoc is home to 150,436 residents, with 127,607 people aged from 18 and 65. Of them, about 60,000 are working in the tourism industry and eligible for joining the pilot plan.

Local authorities have launched an inoculation drive with an aim to have 95 percent of the eligible fully vaccinated.

Kien Giang greeted 2.3 million tourists in the first seven months of 2021, a year-on-year decline of 32.4 percent. It was estimated to earn 2.64 trillion VND (nearly 115.3 million USD) in the period, down 48.7 percent and hitting 20.8 percent of the year’s plan.

Phu Quoc alone welcomed over 1.6 million visitors and raked in nearly 1.95 trillion VND, contracting 28 percent and about 52 percent against the same period last year, respectively.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on August 15 ordered leaders of sectors and localities to roll out specific goals, solutions and roadmaps, with a target to avoid healthcare and economic crisis.

He did so while presiding over a virtual meeting to review COVID-19 prevention and control efforts with leaders of localities now under social distancing measures following the PM’s directive on strengthened social distancing.

A report of the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control showed that after 26 days of the implementation of the measures in the 19 southern localities, 216,719 infections were detected. Some localities have seen a decline in the number of locally-transmitted cases.

The Government leader spoke highly of the efforts by authorities in the country’s current largest hot spots of Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong and Dong Nai. However, he also pointed out that the situation remains complicated.

PM Chinh asked Party Secretaries of pandemic-hit localities must be heads of the steering board on COVID-19 prevention and control. In addition, each locality has to promptly set up a centre for COVID-19 prevention which operates around the clock.

He urged relevant agencies to speed up testing and contain the spread of the pandemic.

The Ministry of Health is tasked with further sending personnel to pandemic-hit localities, improving the capacity of medical staff at the district level and completing necessary procedures.

The PM also called for the acceleration of vaccination for prioritised groups, including people aged 50 and over, and the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines for children.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on August 14 asked the Management Board of President Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum to continue well preserving the construction and the embalmed body of the late leader.

The PM said the mausoleum is a special historical and cultural work of the capital city, stressing that it is a great honour for the unit to do the work.

On the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the establishment of the management board, he congratulated and hailed the achievements gained by the management board over the past.

He expressed his hope that officers, soldiers and units of the management board will continue promoting the tradition and well fulfill tasks assigned by the Party, State and people.

The mausoleum holds special political, cultural significance for the revolutionary cause of the Party, State and people. It is also a sacred image and special symbol with practical value for educating each Vietnamese citizen about morality and lifestyle.

With such meaning, the task of ensuring the absolute safety of President Ho Chi Minh’s body and upholding the mausoleum’s political-cultural significance is not only the responsibility of the entire Party, people and armed forces, but also demonstrates loyalty and steadfastness to the revolutionary path chosen by the Party and President Ho Chi Minh.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Ho Chi Minh City, the country’s current COVID-19 epicentre, will continue its strict social distancing measures for another month until September 15 given the risk of a resurgence, said Phan Van Mai, vice secretary of the city’s Party Committee, on August 15.

Speaking at a meeting to receive goods and necessities for people affected by the pandemic in Vietnam’s biggest city, the official said the pandemic could become more severe if the city lower its guard.

It is essential that social distancing be applied to reduce the number of new cases and gradually bring the city to a ‘new normal’ state, he said, emphasising that people’s awareness is the most important factor in the work.

The official said the pandemic in the city has been partially controlled but is still very complicated with the number of infections remaining high and the treatment system being overloaded.

He said the Government’s requirement to control the pandemic by September 15 is challenging, but it is a common desire of the people. Leaders of the city affirmed maximum priority towards pandemic prevention, while putting the health and life of the people first and foremost.

The need to continue social distancing for one more month was also noted earlier on August 14 by Secretary of the Committee Nguyen Van Nen at a conference assessing pandemic prevention and control results after two weeks.

The city has been implementing the Prime Minister’s directive on social distancing rules since July 9 and started to impose even more restrictions on July 24 to contain the spread of the virus.

On July 23, the Municipal People’s Committee decided to extend the application of social distancing measures until August 1.

On August 1, the city issued another decision on imposing city-wide social distancing measures for an additional 14 days from 0:00 on August 2.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on August 15 extended his greetings to President of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Moon Jae-in on the country’s 76th National Liberation Day (August 15, 1945 – 2021).

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh also sent his greetings to his RoK counterpart Kim Boo-kyum.

Chairman of the National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue did the same to Speaker of the National Assembly of the RoK Park Byeong-seug.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son also cabled his message of greetings to his RoK counterpart Chung Eui-yong.

Vietnam and the RoK established bilateral diplomatic relations on December 22, 1992. The countries are working to fulfill the goal of lifting two-way trade to 100 billion USD in a balanced, sustainable and effective manner.

Source: Vietnam News Agency