Photo for illustration (Source: vietnamairlines.com)
From February 8, the national flag carrier will operate one flight a week every Tuesday on the Hanoi-London route, using wide-body Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 aircraft, said the Vietnam News Agency.
The UK is the 9th international market to which Vietnam Airlines has resumed its regular flights, following the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea (RoK), Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Taiwan (China) and Australia.
Head of Vietnam Airlines’ branch in the UK Phan The Thang said after the Government gave the green light, the carrier has quickly launched regular flights to the UK and Europe to meet the demand of Vietnamese there to return home for family reunions on the occasion of the Tet (Lunar New Year) festival.
Flight VN18 from London to Hanoi, which transited through Paris with nearly 300 passengers aboard, is scheduled to landed at Noi Bai International Airport on January 26 morning.
The flight is included in the airline’s plan to restore international flights starting from January 1, as approved by the Government.
Nguyen Hoang Viet, a passenger on the flight, said the Government’s policy on resuming international flights is timely and it serves as a great source of encouragement for Vietnamese abroad who want to return home for Tet.
Nguyen The Hung, who has lived in the UK for over 20 years, expressed his delight at the Vietnamese Government’s approval of the resumption of flights between Hanoi and London.
Information on requirements for entry into Vietnam is available on website www.vietnamairlines.com.
Vietnam’s first ABO-incompatible living-donor kidney transplant done at Cho Ray Hospital
Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City has successfully conducted the country’s first ABO-incompatible living-donor kidney transplant, according to the Vietnam News Agency.
Tran Thi Hanh, 51, of Ben Tre province volunteered to donate one of her kidneys to her husband, Vi Van Biet, 54, who had end-stage renal disease and has been on dialysis for more than a year.
Her blood type is A and his is B.
Doctors at Cho Ray Hospital in HCM City perform the country’s first ABO-incompatible living-donor kidney transplant (Photo courtesy of the hospital)
The surgery was done on December 29 and the couple are now in stable condition.
To prepare for the transplant, the patient received treatment to lower antibody levels in his blood and reduce the risk of his antibodies rejecting the donor kidney, doctors said.
Assoc Prof Thai Minh Sam, head of the hospital’s department of urology, said around 300 patients register for a kidney transplant at the hospital every year, but only a third of them undergo surgery due to various reasons, including having a living donor with a different blood type.
ABO-incompatible kidney transplant is performed in many countries, and the hospital has sent doctors and surgeons to leading hospitals abroad to learn the procedure in recent years, Sam said.
Given the severe shortage of deceased donors, the ABO-incompatible living donor kidney transplant would help more patients who are on dialysis to get a transplant, he added.
RoK firm invests 200 million USD in solar power in Vietnam
Nami Solar, a subsidiary of Vietnam’s Nami Energy company, and SK Ecoplant, a member of the Republic of Korea’s conglomerate SK Group, sealed a joint venture deal on January 24 to pump 200 million USD into solar energy development in Vietnam.
The money is earmarked for building a 250 MWp rooftop solar power project in Vietnam.
Photo for illustration (Source: Nami Solar)
According to a representative from Nami Energy, both the Vietnamese and RoK Governments highly value programmes in response to climate change, recovery, and green growth. Vietnam has pledged to be carbon neutral by 2050, while the RoK has vowed to cut carbon emissions by 40 percent by 2030.
The joint venture expected that solar power development will help concretise high-level commitments of the two governments. At the same time, it will assist SK Ecoplant in realising its goal of becoming a major renewable energy investor in the world, and Nami Solar in becoming a leading company in distributed solar power in Vietnam.
Nami Energy Founder and Chairman Luu Hoang Ha said distributed solar power solutions provided by the joint venture between SK Ecoplant and Nami Energy will support businesses in Vietnam, including Korean investors, in meeting their green energy needs and saving energy costs./.
Phu Quoc becomes most attractive tourist destination during Tet
The island city of Phu Quoc located in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang is anticipated to welcome tens of thousands of visitors during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday (Tet), thanks to nice weather, no travel restrictions, numerous luxury resorts, and good services.
Phu Quoc Island from above (Photo: toquoc.vn)
According to a recent survey conducted by travel agencies, Phu Quoc is currently the most popular destination among tourists for Tet.
Nguyen Nguyet Van Khanh, deputy director of Marketing Department of tour operator Vietravel, said the company plans to serve 2,000 visitors to Phu Quoc during the festive season, accounting for 40% of the total number of visitors registering for Tet tours.
Tran Thi Bao Thu, marketing and communications director of Fiditour, also revealed that tourists tend to choose maritime areas close to Phu Quoc to relax and to avoid destinations in the north due to the complicated nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Voice of Vietnam.
According to a representative of Fiditour, popular destinations for visitors include Phu Quoc, Nha Trang, and those situated in the east and northwestern regions.
Nguyen Duc Viet, CEO of WE Travel, outlined that the number of visitors booking tours to Phu Quoc make up 60% of the company's total during Tet.
Most notably, four and five-star luxury resorts such as InterContinental, Fusion, Movenpick, Crowne Plaza, Pullman, La Veranda, New World, and Salinda have been fully booked, while the Vinpearl complex with thousands of rooms and luxury villas are also being reserved in advance.
A beach on Phu Quoc Island (Photo: phuquoctv.vn)
Nguyen Vu Khac Huy, vice chairman of the Tourism Association of Kien Giang province, says service prices have increased by about 10% compared to weekdays, while accommodation with two to three stars or homestays in the city are still vacant.
Phu Quoc Airport is currently welcoming more than 20 domestic flights each day, with the number of flights expected to increase considerably during Tet.
A representative of national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines revealed that air routes to tourist attractions such as Phu Quoc and Cam Ranh have reopened with ticket prices ranging between VND4 - 6 million per person, representing a three-fold rise compared to normal days.
Currently, Phu Quoc has roughly 25,000 accommodation rooms, of which more than 10,000 are of five-star standard. All residents and workers in the city have been fully vaccinated, and the booster shot campaign is underway./.