Vietjet to link HCMC with historic battle site Dien Bien
Budget carrier Vietjet will launch on December 2 its first direct flight from Ho Chi Minh City to the northern highlands province of Dien Bien, where the historic 1954 Dien Bien Phu Battle ended France's colonial rule in Indochina.
The new service, launched after the local airport reopens after months of upgrade work, will have three flights a week on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, the carrier said in a release.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam had earlier announced that the Dien Bien Airport would reopen December 2 after being closed for upgrade and expansion work.
The VND1.5 trillion ($61 million) expansion project, begun in January 2022, aimed to increase the airport’s annual capacity to 500,000 passengers from the previous 300,000. The upgrade will enable the airport to handle bigger aircraft like the Airbus A320 and A321, authorities said.
Of the six provinces in Vietnam’s northern mountainous region, Dien Bien is the only one accessible by air.
Before the Dien Bien Airport was closed for upgrades, only Vietnam Airlines and Bamboo Airways operated flights to and from Dien Bien, around 500 kilometers to the west of Hanoi.
Dien Bien is home to the Dien Bien Phu battle which raged for 56 days in 1954 before Vietnam's decisive victory spelt the end of France's colonial rule in Indochina and paved the way for Vietnam's independence.
Besides its history, Dien Bien possesses several scenic spots including the Pa Khoang Reservoir, Tham Bang Cave, Ban Phu Citadel, and Museum of Dien Bien Phu Victory.
It is also the only province that shares the border line with both Laos and China with a total length of 455.57 km - 414.71 km with the former and 40.86 km with the latter.
Dien Bien plans to develop tourism into a spearhead economic sector for the province and expects this will boost other industries in the locality.
The northern province welcomed more than 790,000 tourists in the first nine months of this year, up 230% over the same period last year. It earned tourism revenues of nearly VND1.4 trillion ($56.98 million), up 65% year-on-year.
Budget airline VietJet Air, owned by Vietnam’s first woman billionaire Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, was named "Asia's Leading Airline for Customer Experience 2023" at this year’s World Travel Awards for the Asia and Oceania regions.
Vietjet Air has announced it will open new routes connecting Vietnam’s top tourist destinations with global economic hubs from this month as tourism shows strong recovery signs.
- Read More
Former Government Office chairman receives $7,900 bribe from property project
Mai Tien Dung, former Minister-Government Office Chairman, received a bribe worth VND200 million ($7,900) from Nguyen Cao Tri, owner of the Dai Ninh eco-resort and urban area project in Lam Dong province.
Society - Sat, November 2, 2024 | 9:13 pm GMT+7
Thai food giant CP enters public-private partnership to promote food system transformation
Thai-invested C.P. Vietnam Livestock JSC and the Partnership for Sustainable Agriculture Vietnam (PSAV) signed a memorandum of understanding Friday on working together to advance sustainable agriculture in the country.
Companies - Sat, November 2, 2024 | 7:16 pm GMT+7
Central Vietnam province Quang Ngai to begin work on new VSIP industrial park next year
Vietnam’s central province of Quang Ngai will work with the investor to have construction of VSIP II Quang Ngai, a facility based on the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) model, begin in August 2025.
Industrial real estate - Sat, November 2, 2024 | 3:47 pm GMT+7
Vietnam likely to grow 6.5% in 2024-2025: VinaCapital
VinaCapital, among the biggest foreign-run asset managers in Vietnam, has forecast the country’s economy to achieve 6.5% growth in both 2024 and 2025, with the composition of the expansion to change to more domestically driven factors next year.
Economy - Sat, November 2, 2024 | 2:00 pm GMT+7
Major Vietnamese developer Novaland appoints new CEO
Duong Van Bac, who joined Novaland as chief financial officer in August 2023, has been appointed general director, starting Friday.
Companies - Sat, November 2, 2024 | 10:24 am GMT+7
Vietnamese conglomerate Bamboo Capital posts 36-fold profit growth in Q3
Ho Chi Minh City-based Bamboo Capital Group recorded an after-tax profit of VND331.2 billion ($13.1 million) in the third quarter of 2024, an astounding 36-fold expansion year-on-year.
Southeast Asia - Sat, November 2, 2024 | 9:41 am GMT+7
ThaiBev to bag $54 mln from Sabeco’s upcoming dividend payout
Vietnam Beverage, wholly owned by Thai Beverage (ThaiBev) will rake in VND1,374 billion ($54.26 million) worth of dividend from Ho Chi Minh City-based top brewer Sabeco.
Companies - Sat, November 2, 2024 | 9:13 am GMT+7
Steel heavyweight Hoa Phat pours over $2 bln into central Vietnam complex
Leading Vietnamese steelmaker Hoa Phat had invested more than VND52.5 trillion ($2.08 billion) in its Dung Quat Iron and Steel Integrated Complex (Dung Quat 2) in the central province of Quang Ngai as of Q3/2024.
Industries - Sat, November 2, 2024 | 8:00 am GMT+7
Vietnam becomes Australia’s fastest-growing inbound market
The number of Vietnamese tourists to Australia has grown significantly after the Covid-19 pandemic, with nearly 178,000 reported in the 12 months to August 2024, according to a Friday press release by the Australian Minister for Trade and Tourism’s Office.
Southeast Asia - Fri, November 1, 2024 | 10:02 pm GMT+7
Study finds shift in Thai consumers’ spending patterns
Consumers in Thailand are shifting their spending focus to experiences and investments, according to the latest ASEAN Consumer Sentiment Study (ACSS) by United Overseas Bank (UOB).
Southeast Asia - Fri, November 1, 2024 | 10:00 pm GMT+7
Energy security, digitalization key to Indonesia's economic growth
The Indonesian government is prioritizing long-term economic growth through energy security, digitalization, and natural resource industrialization, according to Deputy Minister of Finance Thomas Djiwandono.
Southeast Asia - Fri, November 1, 2024 | 9:58 pm GMT+7
Vietnam PM's Middle East tour creates breakthroughs in economic, trade, investment cooperation: FM
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s freshly ended six-day trip to the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar has produced important outcomes, demonstrating the growing relations between Vietnam and the three Middle-East countries, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son told the Vietnam News Agency.
Politics - Fri, November 1, 2024 | 9:25 pm GMT+7
Vietnam, Qatar look to tap potential for energy, oil & gas collaboration
Vietnam and Qatar have recognized the significant potential for further collaboration in multiple sectors such as energy, oil and gas, especially LNG, agriculture, Halal industry, and banking.
Politics - Fri, November 1, 2024 | 9:02 pm GMT+7
Thailand bans export of raw palm oil until December
Thailand's Department of Internal Trade has temporarily banned the export of raw palm oil due to reduced production caused by drought and plant diseases.
Southeast Asia - Fri, November 1, 2024 | 8:31 pm GMT+7
Envision Energy to build $420 mln wind power plant in Vietnam from June 2025
Envision Energy Singapore Pte Ltd, under China-based Envision Energy, aims to kick off construction of the 300-MW Envision Nam Po wind power plant in Vietnam’s northern mountainous province of Dien Bien in June 2025.
Energy - Fri, November 1, 2024 | 8:30 pm GMT+7
Indonesia to ban plastic waste imports from 2025
The Indonesian government will start imposing a ban on the import of plastic waste from the beginning of next year, according to Minister of Environment Hanif Faisol Nurrofiq.
Southeast Asia - Fri, November 1, 2024 | 8:29 pm GMT+7
- Opinion
-
Vietnam's economy: positive changes but concerns persist
-
Slow administrative procedures hinder Korean investments in Vietnam: KoCham chair
-
Abundant real estate opportunities surround HCMC
-
Chinese e-commerce giant Temu's Vietnam entry: unfair competition or market economy norm?
-
Vietnam needs to modify FDI incentives to stay competitive amid global minimum tax application: expert
-
Bonds essential capital source for real estate market