The national flag wants to buy 50 Airbus A3210/321 or Boeing 737 MAX 8/9/10 aircraft in 2021-2025 at a cost of VND88.13 trillion ($3.83 billion). It seeks to replace its 26 existing aircraft and expand the fleet by 24, with four or five airplanes delivered every year. But the ministry said the airline needs to furnish information about the routes it plans to use the new aircraft on and detailed plans about hiring more staff to operate them. It warned against the purchase of Boeing 737 MAX 8 saying it is still unclear whether the grounding of the model would be reversed. The carrier also needs to consider that technical issues have been reported in some Pratt Whitney engines used in Airbus A320/321 NEO by some airlines, the ministry said. Vietnam’s surging travel demand has caused airlines to expand their fleets. Bamboo Airways has inked a deal with Airbus to buy 50 aircraft, while Vietjet last month signed a $140 million loan with foreign banks to finance its Airbus … [Read more...] about Vietnam Airlines asked to spell out details of plan to buy 50 jets
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AEON hosts grand opening of largest shopping mall in Vietnam to date
The grand opening ceremony of the largest AEON MALL in Vietnam On December 5, AEONMALL VIETNAM organised the grand opening ceremony for AEON MALL Hadong. Ahead of this event, the mall’s anchor tenant, general merchandise store, and supermarket AEON – Hadong (1F-3F) opened on November 26. Covering a total area of 150,000 square metres in Duong Noi ward of Hadong district, it is the largest mall of AEONMALL Vietnam so far. It is a new shopping centre that is packed with 221 stores, containing an array of domestic and foreign items. Among them are 14 brands debuting in Vietnam for the first time, 23 new brands to Hanoi, and 78 brands appearing for the first time on the shelves of AEONMALL Vietnam. Besides, it offers the largest entertainment area with a number of famous attractions such as Tini Park, Kidzoona, Timezone, and a CGV Cinema, which are expected to create excellent experiences to customers. Furthermore, 80 restaurants such as Thai Pattaya, Hongkong Town Grill … [Read more...] about AEON hosts grand opening of largest shopping mall in Vietnam to date
33 kg of drugs wash ashore in central Vietnam
The drugs, 33kg of them, were in plastic barrels and tea packages with Chinese writing on top, and were found by locals over a 220 km stretch of coast in Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue and Quang Nam provinces between November 30 and December 3. The Ministry of Public Security is investigating the origin of the drugs. Colonel Hoang Van Man, head of the Quang Nam Province Border Guard Department, is concerned since such a large amount of drugs had never been found in the province before. With smuggling by land becoming difficult, drug traffickers have turned to sea routes, he reckoned. "It must have been deliberately dropped into the water when confronted by Vietnamese forces." A bag of heroin washed ashore and handed over to police in Quang Nam Province on December 4, 2019. Photo by VnExpress/Dac Thanh. Colonel Nguyen Van Hien, his Thua Thien-Hue counterpart, thought the cargo possibly fell into the sea when traffickers' boats were struck by a storm. "It is possible more packages are … [Read more...] about 33 kg of drugs wash ashore in central Vietnam
Weekly roundup: Vietnam’s trade, tourism imbalance, exploited Mekong, best of travel and more
Vietnam tourism’s overwhelming reliance on Chinese, S Koreans worrying: experts Vietnam is in the process of making tourism an economy spearhead, and its dependence on two Asian markets is worrying experts. Vietnam offers to help Laos after dam collapse disaster Vietnamese leaders have offered assistance to Laos after a partly-constructed hydropower dam collapsed leaving at least 70 dead and hundreds missing. Vietnam road along ocean named among Asia’s most spectacular The route from Nha Trang to Quy Nhon is one of the five most beautiful roads in Asia. How Saigon's feared drug lord was trapped It took years of observation and several months of careful planning before the final operation to capture a very careful drug lord in Vietnam. For a cheap, peach of a beach, Vietnam’s the place Three of the most affordable beaches on earth are in Vietnam, according to TravelBird, a Netherlands-based travel site. Economists urge Vietnam to prevent deluge of … [Read more...] about Weekly roundup: Vietnam’s trade, tourism imbalance, exploited Mekong, best of travel and more
Conquering Po Ma Lung proves peak feat
Ascending 2,967 m high Po Ma Lung in Lang Village, Phong Tho District in Vietnam’s northern mountainous region is infamous for its length and roughness, the first pitstop only accessible after an 8-9 hour trek. Bearing this in mind, our group stayed over in Lai Chau Town before setting out the next morning, when we were joined by fellow adventurers from Hanoi. Two 16-seaters from Lai Chau Town dropped us in Lang Village at 8 a.m following a two-hour drive. After registering with border police as the peak is near the border with China, our group of 24 passed our luggage to local porters and commenced our journey. The first step is the deepest. From Lang Village, we walked approximately 5 km along the hillside before reaching the foot of Po Ma Lung, from which we would climb 20 km before descending. This leg of our journey provided stunning jungle greenery and magical terraced fields, a few small houses dotting the valley below. The road hugged local … [Read more...] about Conquering Po Ma Lung proves peak feat