Philippines

* China and India should firmly follow the right path of mutual trust and cooperation between neighboring major countries, and not go astray with suspicion and distrust nor fall back on a road of negative retrogression, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Thursday. Wang made the remarks in a telephone conversation with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, stressing that the two sides should maintain the strategic consensuses reached by their leaders. * As COVID-19 transmission rates seemingly decline across the European Region, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge expressed health concerns over "long-COVID" or "post-COVID" symptoms at a virtual press conference on Thursday. * Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the situation in Armenia in a telephone conversation with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Thursday, the Kremlin said. * The Pentagon confirmed on Thursday that the US … [Read more...] about World News in Brief: February 26

The Consular Department under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed there may be two flights from Japan and Taiwan on March 5, with each carrying 343 passengers, Giao Thong newspaper reported. On March 6, two flights from the Philippines and Malaysia are expected to carry 240 passengers home each. A day later, one flight from Singapore with 360 passengers is scheduled to arrive in Vietnam. On March 8, there will be two flights from the U.S. and France, returning a total of over 700 passengers. From March 9 to 14, a total six flights will bring over 2,000 Vietnamese from UAE, Germany, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and Russia home. Vietnam has suspended all inbound international commercial flights since March 2020, though the government has been operating repatriation flights to bring home Vietnamese citizens stuck abroad amid the pandemic, and has allowed special flights to carry foreign experts and investors to the country. The government in late January limited inbound … [Read more...] about Vietnam plans 13 repatriation flights for next month

Shopping on Shopee e-commerce platform. — Photo congthuong.vn HÀ NỘI — The Vietnamese e-commerce market is forecast to continue to boom in 2021, with revenue surpassing last year's figure. A report by the Việt Nam e-Commerce and Digital Economy Agency (iDEA) under the Ministry of Industry and Trade showed that with 53 per cent of the population participating in online shopping, the e-commerce market in Việt Nam grew 18 per cent, reaching $11.8 billion last year, accounting for 5.5 per cent of total retail sales of consumer goods and services nationwide. Nguyễn Thế Quang, the agency’s deputy director, said e-commerce had had an impressive year of growth and would continue to explode this year and beyond. According to the national master plan on e-commerce development in 2021-2025, by 2025, up to 55 per cent of the population will participate in online shopping, with the average value of online purchases of goods and services reaching US$600 per person annually. … [Read more...] about E-commerce to continue booming in 2021

One slide from Boeing’s 2020 Commercial Market Outlook (CMO) ranks Việt Nam in the top 5 countries which add the most airlines capacity between 2010-19. HÀ NỘI — Southeast Asia will need 4,400 new airplanes valued at US$700 billion to support expanding demand for air travel over the next 20 years, said Darren Hulst, Boeing vice president of Commercial Marketing. In an online conference yesterday, Hulst quoted Boeing’s 2020 Commercial Market Outlook (CMO), saying: “The intra-Southeast Asian market will become the fifth largest in the world by 2039, and the vast domestic and regional air-travel network across the region positions it well for a post-pandemic recovery.” With low-cost carriers providing affordable service and added capacity, CMO estimated traffic growth in Southeast Asia to grow by 5.7 per cent annually in the next 20 years, making the region the second largest aviation market in the Asia-Pacific region after China. Boeing, at the same time, projected the … [Read more...] about Việt Nam aviation is among fastest growing markets

The majority of Vietnamese-owned upscale hotels are managed by the international chains who offer them great marketing potential and operational solutions. So how does this unique luxury boutique hotel on Phu Quoc Island run by a Vietnamese family manage to raise the bar of hospitality not only on a national level, but also on a global scale? ‘Designed by us, Vietnamese’ From the very inception, Salinda Resort was conceptualized to showcase the power of Vietnamese potential that is often overlooked by the attractiveness of foreign expertise in hotel management. To make a solid foundation for this cause, the owners selected both the architecture and interior design teams from Vietnam who were able to create a resort that combines contemporary comforts with local touches yet respects the natural surroundings of Phu Quoc. Tropical landscapes cover over 75 percent of Salinda Resort on Phu Quoc Island. Le Thanh Hai from HAIA Architects & Associates was … [Read more...] about Inside a Vietnamese-managed luxury boutique resort on Phu Quoc Island