Day: September 26, 2021

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has tasked the Foreign Ministry with joining the Health Ministry and other relevant ministries and authorities in working with authorities of countries of ASEAN, the EU, the US, China, Japan, Republic of Korea and other countries in the world for the mutual recognition of the “vaccine passport”.

In a document, the Government office conveyed the leader’s guidance on the matter. It said many countries are applying the “vaccine passport” to open their economies and bring their socio-economic activities back to the new normal.

The mutual recognition of the “vaccine passport” between Vietnam and other countries in the region and the world is very important and of special need in the current context.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Two Vietnamese airlines that have been granted slots by the US airport for hourly takeoffs and landings are Vietnam Airlines and Bamboo Airways, showing their determination to launch plans to open regular direct flights to the US.

However, this does not mean that Vietnamese airlines can fly directly to the US because there are still many procedures to complete.

On May 7, Bamboo Airways announced that it had just been granted a slot to fly to Los Angeles and San Francisco airports starting from September 1. The airline aims to launch commercial non-stop flights between Ho Chi Minh City and San Francisco from September 2021, with an initial frequency of about 4 flights per week. The frequency will be gradually increased to 7 flights per week, based on the actual situation. Bamboo Airways is also asking the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam to license a charter flight to the US.

Meanwhile, Vietnam Airlines has had flight slots at US airports since 2 years ago. In early September 2020, Vietnam Airlines was granted a license by the US Department of Transportation to conduct commercial flights to the US, becoming the first Vietnamese airline to have this license. Currently, the airline has moved to the next steps, including submitting an application for permission to the US Air Transport Security Administration (TSA) and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The national flag carrier is also urgently training personnel, preparing aircraft, selling network, aiming to be the first airline to fly regularly and directly to the US. Most recently, in April 2021, Vietnam Airlines was approved by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam to issue an Airbus A350 operating certificate on its route to the US (before that, it could only operate Boeing 787).

In 2020, Vietnam Airlines has performed more than 20 charter flights between Vietnam and the US to repatriate citizens, goods and experts. Up to now, Vietnam Airlines is the airline that has made the most strides in meeting the conditions for direct flights to the US.

Vietnam Airlines and Bamboo Airways both aim to become the first Vietnamese airline to fly directly to the US on a regular basis.

Currently, passengers from Vietnam to the US usually have to transit in Hong Kong, Taiwan (China) or the Republic of Korea …, with a flying duration of about 20 hours, including transit. If there is a direct flight, flight time will be shortened to about 15-16 hours.

Currently, flights to the US face big competition as many other airlines also operate the route from Vietnam to the US, according to a Vietnam Airlines representative.

Therefore, right from the 2010s, Vietnam Airlines has cooperated with Delta Airlines to fly to the US under the codeshare form, in order to explore the Vietnam-US market and at the same time create habits for passengers to fly to the US on Vietnam Airlines flights, aiming to conduct commercial flights to the US in 2022.

An aviation expert recognizes that operating a direct Vietnam-US route is not easy because according to a previous calculation, it takes 5-10 years for airlines to break even on this route. It is estimated that the loss in the first years is at least 30-50 million USD per year.

On the other hand, the current period depends on the situation of the COVID-19 epidemic in the world, travel demand is limited, airlines are facing difficulties and financial losses… Therefore, experts say that it is very unlikely that Vietnamese airlines will fly directly to the US in 2021.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Two Vietnamese sites were recognised as new biosphere reserves by UNESCO at the 33rd session of its International Coordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB-ICC) last week.

Nui Chua Biosphere Reserve in the coastal south-central province of Ninh Thuan and Kon Ha Nung Biosphere Reserve in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai were added to the list of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves, which now has 727 names. UNESCO Biosphere reserves now cover more than 5 percent of the Earth’s landmass, in which biodiversity conservation, environmental education, research and sustainable development are combined.

The two new sites take the number of global biosphere reserves in Vietnam to 11, the second highest in Southeast Asia, only after Indonesia with 19.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Dang Hoang Giang, President of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO, said the recognition attests to Vietnam’s efforts in protecting biodiversity and ecosystem and responding to climate change, as well as its commitment to fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

It also helps promote Vietnam’s nature, people and culture globally, he said, adding that it will bring people, both Vietnamese and foreigners, closer to Ninh Thuan and Gia Lai and have a better understanding of Vietnam as a dynamic country that sets its sight on green and sustainable development.

Giang urged the two provinces to better preserve and promote the values of Nui Chua and Kon Ha Nung Biosphere Reserves in the coming time, and asked them to incorporate the preservation and promotion of the two reserves into their socio-economic development plans to make the conservation efforts sustainable.

The 33rd session of its International Coordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB-ICC) was held in Abuja, Nigeria from September 13 – 17, during which a total of 20 new sites were designated as global biosphere reserves.

The 106.6-ha Nui Chua Biosphere Reserve encompasses the terrestrial and marine areas of Ninh Thuan and is located at the end of the Truong Son Mountain Range where the climate is harsh with sunny, hot and arid weather and minimal rainfall, according to UNESCO. The biosphere reserve is a representative area in terms of biodiversity with a rich and diverse mosaic of ecosystems characteristic of the south-central region of Vietnam, including unique semi-arid vegetation, sea turtle nesting beaches and coral reefs.

A total of 447,162 people live in the site including the main ethnic groups of Kinh, Cham, Raglai, Hoa, Tay, Nung and Muong, all of whom have diverse cultures, artistic, religious and architectural traditions as well as numerous rituals and large festivals.

Kon Ha Nung Biosphere Reserve is home to rare species such as the Gray-shanked douc (Pygathrix cinerea) – a rare and endemic primate species of Vietnam and classified as critically endangered, with only about 1,000 individuals in the wild.

The biosphere reserve is managed in line with the traditional knowledge of local communities including indigenous and folk knowledge about production and social organisation. The Gia Lai Province People’s Committee formulates policies concerning land and forest allocations to households, payment for forest ecosystem services and the development of sustainable ecotourism.

Source: Vietnam News Agency