Prompted by floods triggered by heavy rains for days, the Phu Quoc International Airport was closed temporarily from 9 a.m. on Friday. The airport, which connects Vietnam's largest island with major cities Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and several Asian destinations, saw its runway submerged by 0.3 meters on Friday. "The airport could not receive arriving flights. The weather conditions did not ensure safety so we had to suspend all flight services," said Nguyen Minh Dong, director of the airport. Dong said right after the airport resumed operation at 8:30 p.m., five flights took off, carrying around 1,000 passengers out of the island off Kien Giang Province. However, a number of flights scheduled for Friday evening and night were canceled, leaving 1,560 passengers stuck on the island. Vietjet Air suspended two flights on Friday evening to Hanoi and two others to HCMC. Vietnam Airlines and Vasco canceled all flights to and from the island on Friday while Jetstar Pacific called off four … [Read more...] about Over 1,500 stuck on flooded Phu Quoc island as airlines cancel service
Cleaning flood damaged photos
Following the tracks laid by Hanoi’s Train Street
Among other things, it was once a quiet, dark, dangerous neighborhood. Its story began soon after the trans-national railway stopped serving colonial functions in 1954, following the defeat of the French in the famous battle at Dien Bien Phu. In 1956, the Vietnam Railway Authority built a dormitory just a few feet away on either side of the tracks to house employees working in the sector. Starting from Tran Phu Street, the dormitory ran parallel to Phung Hung Street on a section of some two kilometers (1.24 miles) long. It consisted of mud houses just high enough that people would not bump their heads going in. An afternoon in late 1967, Bui Thi Loan, a railway worker, took her children who were around five and three back then, to one of such house on Tran Phu Street. The house measured around eight square meters looked onto the tracks where wild grass had almost reached her height. The most valuable asset Loan had along with her, aside from a bed, was a vacuum flask, which was a … [Read more...] about Following the tracks laid by Hanoi’s Train Street
Court announces sentences for land violations in Thanh Oai District
Hanoi People’s Court on Tuesday handed sentences to nine officials of Bich Hoa Commune for violations in land management. Hanoi revokes 16 delayed projects for violating land law Four senior HCM City officials charged with land management violations Former officials of Bich Hoa Commune at the first instance trial on Tuesday. Photo vietnamplus.vn They have been charged with abusing their position and power while on duty in line with Article 356 of the Penal Code. Former chairman of Bich Hoa Commune People’s Committee Bui Ngoc Han received a 3-year suspended sentence while Nguyen Van Tinh, a former commune official in charge of land registration was sentenced to 30 months’ probation. Luu Ba Minh, former head of Bich Hoa Commune’s Thanh Luong Village, was sentenced to three years in jail. Bui Van Tang, former head of Thanh Luong Village and former Party Committee Secretary, Bui Van Duyet, Nguyen Van Dang, Nguyen Van Thanh and Pham Van Vinh, former heads of … [Read more...] about Court announces sentences for land violations in Thanh Oai District