An overview of the 12th political consultation between Vietnam and India. Photo: WVR

India, Vietnam boost multifaceted cooperation

India and Vietnam examined measures to ramp up all-round cooperation during their 12th political consultation and ninth strategic dialogue between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam and the Ministry of External Affairs of India, held in Hanoi on May 30.

The meetings were co-hosted by Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Vu and Secretary (East) of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs Saurabh Kumar.

The two sides reviewed recent developments in the Vietnam – India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership guided by the Joint Vision Statement for Peace, Prosperity and People adopted by the two Prime Ministers during their online summit in December 2020 and the 2021-2023 Action Plan signed by the two Foreign Ministers.

They expressed satisfaction at the positive development of the multifaceted bilateral relationship, despite disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, through regular high-level exchanges, including a recent phone call between Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India and Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong of Vietnam, as well as the Vietnam visit by Speaker of the Indian House of Representatives Om Birla.

The two sides were pleased to see that bilateral trade turnover rose 36% in 2021 compared to 2020 to reach US$13.2 billion and is on track towards the target of US$15 billion, cited VOV.

Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Vu highly appreciated India’s support in medical equipment as well as vaccine production technology transfer, helping Vietnam overcome the pandemic.

He suggested that India continue to create favorable conditions for bilateral trade and increase investment in Vietnam in various fields such as oil and gas, auto supporting industries, information technology, renewable energy, and agriculture, high-technology and innovation.

Secretary Kumar reaffirmed India’s view that Vietnam is a key partner in New Delhi’s Act East policy and Indo-Pacific Vision.

He also noted that India is ready to continue to reinforce development assistance and capacity building outreach in Vietnam by expanding the Mekong - Ganga Quick Impact Projects and the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Program (ITEC) and e-ITEC programs in diverse sectors, as well as increasing PhD scholarships, digital connectivity and heritage preservation.

The two sides agreed to enhance physical and digital connectivity, and promote tourism and people-to-people exchanges, along with taking advantage of the common links about Buddhism and the popularity of Yoga in Vietnam.

They vowed to coordinate closely to jointly carry out activities to mark 50 years bilateral diplomatic relations, including erecting statues of famous leaders, launching a common logo and opening direct flights between major cities of the two countries to enhance post-pandemic tourism cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

The two sides exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual concern, especially in the context of the global impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. They examined new opportunities to support each other in economic development and ensure national security.

They acknowledged their close coordination at regional and multilateral forums, and agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in line with India's Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) and the ASEAN Outlook Vision on Indo-Pacific (AOIP) to achieve common security, prosperity and growth for all countries in the region.

With regard to the East Sea, they agreed on the necessity of maintaining peace, stability, cooperation, development and respect for international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, as well as respecting sovereignty, sovereign rights of nations and freedom of aviation and navigation.

Vietnam Airlines makes online check-in services available at two more airports

Vietnam Airlines launched online check-in services for passengers departing from Pleiku Airport (Gia Lai province) on May 31 and plans to offer the services at Phu Cat Airport (Binh Dinh province) from June 8, raising the number of airports where its self-services are available to 16.

The national flag carrier is seeking to provide online check-in services at all domestic airports where it operates flights to/from as part of an effort to promote itself as a digital airline and improve customers’ experiences and convenience.

Vietnam Airlines' online check-in counters. Photo: VNA

To save time and avoid long queues at airports, those flying with Vietnam Airlines can self check-in for their flights using either the carrier’s website (www.vietnamairlines.com) or mobile app 1-24 hours prior to departure, according to VNA.

About 55 percent of passengers opt for the self-services at major airports like Noi Bai, Tan Son Nhat and Da Nang, according to Vietnam Airlines. The figure is over 30 percent at small airports.

Foreign tourism rises, Vietnam is top searched destination

Vietnam received 365,300 foreign travelers in the first five months of the year, or 4.5 times higher than the same period last year, but 95 percent lower compared with the same period in 2019.

The latest figures released by the General Statistics Office (GSO) showed a sharp rise in the number of foreign travelers. As many as 172,900 foreign travelers came in May, up by 70.6 percent over April and 12.8 percent over May 2021. Analysts say this is a positive sign after Vietnam announced full tourism reopening on March 15, international air routes resumed, and international delegations came to Vietnam to attend SEA Games 31.

According to GSO, the number of travelers from Oceania and America saw the sharpest increases, by 17,806 and 49,675, respectively, which means up by 2,918 percent and 2,192 percent, followed by the travelers from Europe (65,253, up by 975 percent). Meanwhile, 231,000 travelers were from Asia, up by 222 percent and Africa 1,583 travelers, up by 168 percent.

Of these, 320,700 travelers came to Vietnam by air, which accounted for 87.8percent of total foreign travelers to Vietnam, or 6.3 times higher than the same period last year. The remaining travelers came by land and a very small proportion by sea.

Google’s market analyses show a rapid increase in the number of searches on Vietnam after tourism reopening on March 15.

Photo: VNN

Vietnam is one of a few countries with the highest growth rate of searches – 75 percent. The markets with the highest number of searches on Vietnam’s tourism are the US, Australia, Singapore, France, Japan, Germany, Canada, India, the UK and Thailand.

The number of searches for flights to Vietnam has been surging since early March. As of March 1, the number of searches had increased by 283 percent over the same period last year, while the figure had reached 386 percent as of March 15, 600 percent as of early April and 800 percent as of mid-April.

The number of international searches for accommodations in Vietnam is also on the rise. As of March 1, the number of searches had increased by 27 percent, while the figures had surged to 40 percent as of mid-March, and 114 percent as of early April compared with the same periods last year, reported VNN.

Statistics also show considerable improvement of domestic tourism. The revenue from accommodations and food services of the first five months of the year increased by 15.7 percent over the same period last year.

The high demand, plus SEA Games 31, helped increase the revenue of the sector by 69.3 percent in May. The revenue of some localities saw sharp increases, such as Can Tho (39.7 percent), Hanoi (34.2 percent), Dong Nai (22.6 percent) and Quang Ninh (17.3 percent).

Northern, central regions set for hot weather this week

After enduring a spell of heavy downpours, both northern and central regions of Vietnam will brace for a heat wave starting from June 1 to June 6, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

It is anticipated that the heat wave with daytime temperatures reaching up to 37°C will hit localities from Thanh Hoa to Phu Yen on June 1. This extreme weather will cause temperatures to stay above 35°C for between 12 and 16 hours per day, and humidity to fall to lows of between 50% and 65%.

Photo: VNA

The heat wave is set to reach its peak between June 2 and June 6 when temperatures are forecast to reach up to 38°C , with highs of over 39°C in some places.

From June 3 to June 5, hot weather is likely to spread across northwestern and midland regions, with the highest temperatures reaching between 35 - 36°C and even higher. The lowest humidity of the day will be from 50% and 60%, cited VOV.

However, the heat will gradually abate over the following days, weather experts said.

The foehn effect causes heat to last longer during the day and lowers humidity, thereby posing a high risk of fire. The hot weather will affect the daily activities of people and threaten the health of local residents.

Medical experts have warned of the risk of dehydration, exhaustion, and heat stroke if people are exposed to high temperatures for a long time.

Outstanding SEA Games 31 athletes to be honored with Labour Order

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on May 31 signed a decision to confer the Labour Order to athletes who made outstanding achievements at the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31).

Under the decision, the second-class Labour Order will be awarded to swimmer Nguyen Huy Hoang who won five golds and broke two records at the Games, swimmer Tran Hung Nguyen with four golds and two records, Nguyen Thi Huong with five golds in canoeing, and runner Nguyen Thi Oanh with three golds and one record.

The U23 men’s and women’s football teams will be awarded the third-class Labour Order. Photo: VNA

The U23 men’s and women’s football teams and 19 athletes in aerobic, swimming, canoeing, athletics, dance-sport, finswimming, rowing, gymnastics and weightlifting will be awarded the third-class Labour Order, VNA reported.

The SEA Games 31 took place in Hanoi and 11 nearby localities from May 12-23. The biennial event was initially slated for late 2021 but delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Vietnam ranked first in the medal standings with 205 gold, 125 silver and 116 bronze medals. Thailand came second with 92 golds, 103 silvers and 136 bronzes, while Indonesia finished third with 69 golds, 91 silvers and 81 bronzes.

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