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saigon

Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh city getting ready to welcome Tet

by Vietnam Insider January 18, 2021

HCMC is busy preparing lighting displays, firework shows and the flower street to brighten up the atmosphere for Tet.

Major downtown streets like Le Duan, Nguyen Hue, Nam Ky Khoi Nghia and Pham Ngoc Thach streets in District 1 will be artistically festooned with lights from now until February 28, VNExpress reported.

From 8 p.m. on February 11 (Lunar New Year’s Eve), residents and visitors can enjoy a lighting show using 3D mapping techniques at the headquarters of Ho Chi Minh City’s People’s Committee at 86 Le Thanh Ton Street, District 1.

The city will set off firecrackers on Lunar New Year’s Eve at seven locations: the Saigon River Tunnel in District 2, Vietnam’s tallest building Landmark 81 in Binh Thanh District, Dam Sen Theme Park in District 11, the Ethnic History-Culture Park in District 9, Ben Duoc Memorial Temple in Cu Chi District, Can Gio Stadium in Can Gio District, and the Nha Be District Administrative Center.

A unique floating flower market on the Binh Dong Wharf in District 8 will feature dozens of boats filled with flowers and plants from the Mekong Delta provinces from January 27 until the afternoon of February 11.

Vietnamese traditionally display vividly red and yellow flower pots in front of their homes to signify their wishes for a lucky and prosperous year, thus fertilizing the “lucky Tet tree” business.

The annual spring flower festival at Tao Dan Park in Saigon’s District 1 will open February 6-17.

One of the most popular features of Tet (Lunar New Year) celebrations in HCMC is the transformation of Nguyen Hue – a popular pedestrian street – into a floral bonanza. This year’s flower street will open to tourists starting 7:00 p.m. February 9 until 9:00 p.m. February 15.

A total of 26 buffalo mascots styled with traditional materials including rattan, bamboo, maleleuca bark and lotus leaves will be featured on the flower street to celebrate the Year of the Buffalo.

A book street at the intersection of Mac Dinh Chi, Nguyen Hue and Ngo Duc Ke streets will open at the same time as the flower street.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has approved a seven-day Lunar New Year break starting February 10.

Tet is the biggest and most important festival in Vietnam. It is a time when millions of migrant workers return to their homes in the countryside from major cities to mark the coming of the Lunar New Year with loved ones. The Lunar New Year is also celebrated by several other Asian communities around the world, according to VNExpress.

January 18, 2021 166 views

Life

How Covid-19 has impacted the economy of Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City

by Vietnam Insider January 4, 2021

The economic growth of Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh city slowed down to 1.39 per cent in 2020 due to the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Huỳnh Văn Hùng, head of the city’s Statistics Office, said further the rate was less than half the country’s GDP growth rate of 2.91 per cent, the first time this has happened in decades.

In 2019 the city had grown at 7.83 per cent.

But considering its economy depends a great deal on services and tourism, the growth is still satisfactory, Hùng said.

Agriculture, forestry and aquaculture grew by 2.06 per cent, services by 2.17 per cent, and industry and construction by 0.43 per cent.

Services grew at the lowest rate in the last 10 years.

Accommodation and dining suffered greatly, falling by 33.94, while real estate sales declined by 4.37 per cent.

Retail sales fell by 1.3 per cent.

Due to the various tax breaks the city offered to mitigate the problems caused by the pandemic to the economy, its revenues declined by 14.2 per cent, Hùng said.

It also had to cut public spending by 10 per cent though demand for investment in infrastructure remained high, he said.

There was a trend of large businesses moving from HCM City to nearby provinces such as Long An, Bình Dương and Đồng Nai, which are competing with it to attract investment, he said.

Its economy would face many more challenges as global economic integration deepens, he warned.

Phan Thị Thắng, deputy chairwoman of the city, said the city has accomplished 16 out of 20 socio-economic targets.

It has helped businesses survive the pandemic, and administrative reforms continued through the year, with the use of information technology in administration increased, she said.

In 2021 the city would continue to have supportive policies with regard to tax and social and unemployment insurance to help sustain businesses and create jobs, she promised.

It would focus on attracting foreign investment, improve its investment climate and encourage new businesses in the fields of electronics, technology, finance, education, and medicine, she said.

It needs to build low-cost and social housing, promote a variety of tourism products and work with partner countries to resume economic activities and tourism, she added.

By Vietnam News Agency, the title changed by Vietnam Insider

January 4, 2021 267 views

Travel

Where to catch New Year’s Eve fireworks in Saigon for free

by Ashley Pham December 29, 2020

People in Ho Chi Minh City will have the chance to contemplate fireworks displays near the Saigon River Tunnel in District 2, Landmark 81 skyscraper in Binh Thanh District, and Dam Sen Cultural Park in District 11 at midnight on New Year’s Eve.

Local authorities have submitted the proposal on the 2021 New Year celebration to the prime minister for approval.

The pyrotechnic displays will be organized at the three mentioned spots at around 12:00 – 12:15 am on January 1, 2021, following a New Year concert on the evening of December 31 at the Nguyen Hue promenade in District 1.

Saigon River Tunnel, District 1

Vinhome Central Park, Binh Thanh District

One low-range show will be organized at Dam Sen Theme Park in District 11.

Dam Sen Park in District 11

Artistic performances to welcome the new year will also be held in District 9, District 12, Tan Phu District, Binh Tan District, Binh Chanh District, Hoc Mon District, Cu Chi District, Nha Be District, Can Gio District, at the Youth Culture House, on university and college campuses, and at industrial parks.

A light projection performance onto the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee building will also take place, provided that officials can mobilize enough private funding.

Meanwhile, the city’s Department of Culture and Sports is preparing for a bicycle race in celebration of the new year on Mai Chi Tho Bouelvard and near the Sala urban area in District 2.

The municipal government has required the Department of Culture and Sports to ensure COVID-19 prevention during these events.

Relevant agencies are also told to cease all outdoor celebrations upon detection of any community transmission threats.

By Xuan Tung – Thao Le / Tuoi Tre News

December 29, 2020 414 views

Trending

COVID-19: 72 apartments in Vietnam’s Saigon city under lockdown after man tests positive

by Linka Nguyen December 28, 2020

72 apartments in Saigon’s District 5 have been locked down after a man in the area tested positive for the novel coronavirus Sunday.

Hundreds of police officers and militia members have been dispatched Monday noon to barricade four apartment blocks on Su Van Hanh Street. People in the blocks were advised against going out. Several others delivered food to those stuck inside the blocks, VNExpress reported.

The 23-year-old Vietnamese man has been with “Patient 1440,” a Covid-19 case who illegally entered Vietnam on December 24, during their time in Myanmar earlier this month. They both illegally entered Vietnam, a source told VnExpress Monday.

The men had traveled from Myanmar to Thailand on December 15, then from Bangkok to Cambodia on December 23, and then Vietnam.

An apartment block on Su Van Hanh Street of Saigon’s District 5 is locked down, December 28, 2020. Photo by VnExpress.

On Sunday, the 23-year-old was quarantined at a quarantine zone in District 5, before testing positive for the novel coronavirus the same day. He’s being treated at the Cu Chi field hospital, showing symptoms like coughing and congested nose.

“Authorities are rechecking the case and the Ministry of Health is considering confirming it as a Covid-19 case,” the source said, adding that contact tracing is underway.

“Patient 1440,” 32-year-old man Le Thuc Tri, was driven to a Cambodia border gate with Vietnam on Dec. 24, then to HCMC, then got on a different bus to Vinh Long in the Mekong Delta. Throughout his journey, he had made contact with several other people.

Also read: A man tested positive for Covid-19 after illegally entering Vietnam

After disembarking at Vinh Long, Tri traveled to his mother’s house. His mother reported him to authorities so he could be quarantined on Dec. 24. He was confirmed as a Covid-19 case on Saturday. He’s being treated at the Vinh Long Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases Hospital in the Mekong Delta’s Vinh Long Province.

Vietnam has recorded 1,441 Covid-19 cases so far, with 100 still active and 35 dead. No community transmission has been recorded nationally in nearly a month, according to VNExpress.

By Huu Cong, Dinh Van

December 28, 2020 431 views

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Saigon’s Turtle Lake area will be transformed into art street

by Vietnam Insider December 24, 2020

An architectural expert has offered a suggestion to transform the area surrounding Ho Con Rua (Turtle Lake) in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 3 into an art street.

Nguyen Ngoc Uyen, a lecturer from the Ho Chi Minh City Open University’s Faculty of Construction, made the proposal at a workshop collecting suggestions for giving the city’s iconic lake and its surroundings a facelift, organized by the People’s Committee of District 3, on Tuesday morning.

Uyen’s idea focuses on preserving the main architecture of Ho Con Rua while promoting local trade and tourism.

Accordingly, the administration of District 3 is advised to collaborate with the University of Architecture Ho Chi Minh City and the Youth Culture House to organize artistic and cultural performances and exhibitions in the lake’s surrounding area.

Uyen also emphasized the necessity of establishing parking lots on the streets adjacent to the lake, such as Hai Ba Trung, Pasteur, and Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, to make it convenient for visitors to the venue.

Earlier, the District 3 administration had announced plans to turn the environs surrounding Ho Con Rua into a pedestrian zone.

Speaking at Tuesday’s workshop, Vu Viet Anh, an architect, highlighted the importance of sharing infrastructures in the area and arranging suitable usage time between pedestrians and vehicles.

Meanwhile, Vo Van Hoan, the city’s deputy chairman, foregrounded the typical values of architecture in urban planning at the landmark, the harmony between modern works and the preservation of culture and history, and the balance between new high-rise facilities and underground space exploitation.

It is necessary to pay attention to environmental protection, climate change, civil works, and clean energy, Hoan added.

The deputy chairman suggested that the District 3 administration choose a suitable economic development model for the proposed pedestrian zone around Ho Con Rua, as well as considering urban planning ideas that will not only make use of existing features of the local culture, architecture, and traffic, but also provide people with more social amenities.

Ho Con Rua is an informal name given to an artificial lake that lies at the heart of a traffic circle bounded by three streets in District 3, namely Vo Van Tan, Pham Ngoc Thach, and Tran Cao Van.

The area is a popular destination in the southern metropolis, well known for its 24-hour food stalls and coffee shops.

By Tuoi Tre News

December 24, 2020 332 views

Travel

Saigon launching public bicycle sharing scheme to limit private vehicles

by Vietnam Insider December 20, 2020

Vietnam’s southern metropolis will trial a public bicycle sharing scheme in an effort to limit private vehicles.

Called Mobike, the project will see 388 bicycles parked at 43 stations in Districts 1 and 3, the heart of HCMC.

Each will be rented out at a proposed cost of VND10,000 ($0.43) per hour and half for 30 minutes, with the one-year pilot scheme expected to boost public transportation development.

The 43 bicycle stations will go up along sidewalks and bus stations around District 1, and along Dien Bien Phu and Vo Thi Sau streets in District 3, where the city is studying priority public bus lanes.

The municipal Department of Transport said Friday the city administration had last week agreed in principle to pilot the project.

As planned, all bicycles in use would be equipped with smart, GPS-equipped locks operated via 3G, 4G and 5G connections, or Bluetooth. Users will have to install the Mobike app on their phones before scanning and searching for the nearest station.

Users must top up their bank accounts linked with the Mobike app to pay for the service and provide certain personal information on registration. This would enable authorities to easily track down culprits in the event of theft or vandalism.

The investor, Hanoi-based Tri Nam that specializes in high quality information-communications technology solutions, said in future it would add more time frame options, depending on actual demand as determined by the trial run.

Do Ba Dan, the company’s chairman, said the project aims to serve short-haul travel, connect bus and metro stops, as well as serve tourists. The first metro line in HCMC is expected to start operation within next year.

Users can return their bicycles to any Mobike station, he noted. Gia Minh @ VNExpress

In 2019, Vietnam’s former imperial capital Hue also piloted a public bicycle service that will provide hundreds of tourists with an option to ride bikes on its downtown streets.

Some 400 bikes will be provided in the inner-city areas and some 2,000 in suburban areas. The project is to be completed before the Hue Festival 2020 in April, which is one of the biggest tourism events in the country.

Visitors need to install an app on their smartphone to access the service by using QR codes to unlock the bikes as well as utilize GPS to locate them. The service will provide visitors an alternative way to travel along the Huong (Perfume) River in the town’s center and other local tourist spots.

The Vietnam’s ancient town of Hoi An in the central Quang Nam Province launched a pilot bicycle sharing program in 2019 to encourage residents and tourists to move from petrol power to pedal power.

Discovering Hue by bicycle is a new tourism trend favored by both domestic and foreign visitors, according to a survey conducted by the Hue People’s Committee. The new service provides them with more options in addition to electric buses or boat rides along the river.

It also aims to help reduce emissions from motor vehicles and create a green and smart image for the town, local authorities said.

December 20, 2020 382 views

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192 people in Vietnam at risk after contact with new community case of COVID-19

by Linka Nguyen December 1, 2020

Authorities are concerned about the implications of a coronavirus-infected Vietnamese patient meeting with a lot of people.

Vietnam documented one domestic COVID-19 case on Monday, ending a streak of nearly three months of zero locally-transmitted infections, Ministry of Health reported.

“Patient 1347”, a 32-year-old English teacher, is a resident of Ho Chi Minh City’s District 6. He was a friend of a flight attendant who was confirmed on Saturday as “patient 1342”.

The flight attendant returned to Vietnam on November 14 and was sent to a quarantine facility managed by Vietnam Airlines in HCMC from November 14-18. After two negative coronavirus tests, he was self-quarantined at home in Bach Dang Street, Ward 2, HCMC’s Tan Binh District. During his self-quarantine, he had close contacts with his mother and two friends, including the English teacher who lived in the same house with him and is now “patient 1347”.

Health workers have identified and quarantined at least 192 people, including 38 F1 cases and 154 F2, who had direct and indirect contact with patient 1,347.

The new patient had visited a karaoke bar and a cafe over the past few days. Those businesses have been closed, and the authority has sent officers to spray the premises with disinfectant. The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health says it is conducting contact tracing.

Ministry of Health has directed the health department to isolate and fumigate the places the patient had visited, they also warned the public to stay on high alert at a time when the coronavirus has re-emerged in many parts of the world and Vietnam is still granting entry to certain groups of people who are subject to mandatory quarantine.

The one domestic and three imported cases raised Vietnam’s active case count to 130.

Vietnam has recorded 1,347 Covid-19 cases so far, with 35 deaths. Three others died after they had been confirmed Covid-19 free, and thus were not counted in either the recoveries or the deaths. Over 16,000 are quarantined nationwide at present.

The Vietnamese government has deployed various measures to combat the virus, including halting all international flights and quarantining people returning to Vietnam from other countries.

December 1, 2020 964 views

Life

An English woman denounced being sexually assaulted and robbed in Saigon

by Helen Huynh October 21, 2020

HCMC police are investigating claims by an Englishwoman that she was sexually attacked and robbed by a man who she thought was a motorbike taxi driver.

The 29-year-old woman, who’s an English teacher at a HCMC school and wishes to stay anonymous, says the attack happened near 4 a.m. on October 11.

She has claimed that the man was wearing a GrabBike uniform, the Phap Luat TPHCM reported Tuesday, citing city police.

The woman had booked a Grab ride from Nguyen Hue Street in District 1 to an apartment in District 2’s Mai Chi Tho Street. After a while, a man aged 22-30 and wearing a Grab helmet, arrived to pick her up. While he spoke no English, he appeared to confirm the Englishwoman’s booking.

As he drove through a field with tall grasses, he stopped. The woman thought there was some trouble with the motorbike, so she tried to ask what happened. But the man grabbed and sexually attacked her. When she resisted, he beat her and snatched her phone, ignoring her pleas. She then ran away and he pursued her, but she managed to escape. She did not get raped, the woman said.

Despite not knowing where she was or where she was attacked, the woman managed to get back to the place she came from after an hour of walking.

She reported the incident to Grab and tracked down her phone through GPS to a location in District 7, but the clue led nowhere.

In an exchange with the press, a Grab representative said the company is aware of the incident and has verified that whoever attacked the Englishwoman was not a GrabBike driver.

A HCMC police source has said that the woman did book a ride through the Grab application that night, but the actual driver could not find her at her location, and canceled the ride.

Reported by Phan Anh, @Vnexpress

October 21, 2020 653 views

Life

Best cities where you should relocate in Vietnam as a foreigner

by Guillaume Rondan October 15, 2020

Vietnam is a country that is officially known by the name of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. This country is present in the Asia continent and is located in the southeastern part of the Asia continent.

Location wise, this country is the easternmost country in the Indochinese peninsula. The country has an estimated population of around 97 million and is still rising.

The country is one of the most populated countries in the world and stands in the 15th position in the world’s most populated country. The country has its capital at Hanoi and the country is widely known for its beautiful cities and Buddhist pagodas.

Cities of Vietnam to expatriate or retire

The country of Vietnam has over 87 cities and it is widely known for its beaches and beautiful surrounding. The capital of Vietnam is Hanoi and the country has a dense population. Guillaume from Movetoasia shares his feedback and perspective on this article about the best cities to live in Vietnam as an expatriate :

Broadly speaking Vietnam has 2 cities which inhabit more than one million people, 33 cities with a population between 100000 and 1 million and 52 cities having a population between 10000 and 100000 people. Some of the famous cities if Vietnam is mentioned below.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) : the vibrant city in Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh city is popularly known by its ancient name of Saigon. It is the largest city in Vietnam and it has a population of around 8.9 million people. The city is located near the southeastern part of Vietnam and it is been surrounded by the Saigon River. The country is around 2061 sure kilometer in the area and is one of the most densely populated cities of Vietnam. Earlier this city was scarcely populated and did not have many people living in them, however after the Vietnamese settlement, the population of the city rose rapidly and now it is one of the most populous cities of the Vietnam country.

Da Lat : mountain, waterfall and nature

Da Lat is another beautiful city in Vietnam. It is the capital of the Lam Dong province of Vietnam. Da Lat is the largest city in the central highlands in Vietnam. The city is located on the Langhian plate which is at least 1500m above the sea level. The city has a large number of pine woods which has made this city popular worldwide. Apart from that, the city also has many twisted roads that are full of marigold in the winter.

“Early Mist” by Le Nguyen Huy, taken in the Central Highlands resort town of Da Lat.
The aerial photo shows the Pedagogical College of Da Lat and its surroundings bathed in sunrays drenched mist. The building, designed by French architect Paul Moncet, was built in 1927.

The city attracts several tourists in winter due to the beautiful landscape that is created here. Da let is not only popular for these two things. Apart from these, the city is popular for housing the nuclear physics research that is going in Vietnam. The city is the only place in Vietnam where nuclear physics study takes place. Apart from nuclear physics, a lot of biotechnology study is also going on in this part of the city.

Nha Trang: a famous costal city for foreigners

Nha Trang is the capital of Khanh Hoa Province and it is a coastal city of Vietnam. The city is present in the southern coastal area of Vietnam. The city is one of the most densely populated cities in Vietnam. It has around 392000 inhabitants living in it and the area of this city is around 12.96 sq. km.

The city is a popular amount of tourists who come here to spend their time and enjoy life. The Nha Trang bay is the pride of this city and it is popular all around the world. It is also counted as the most beautiful bay in the world.

Phu Quoc: living on an island in Vietnam

Phu Quoc is an island in Vietnam and it is popular for its beaches and popular water landscape. It is a part of the Kien Giang province and it has an area of about 574 sq. km. The city has a relatively low population of about 103,000 people. The city is located in the Gulf of Thailand and it is one of the islands that is part of the 21 islets of Vietnam.

Phu Quoc island

The city has several hotels and restaurants to house the tourist to come to this city to spend their time and holiday. The country is the fastest-growing Vietnam country in terms of fishing, agriculture, and tourism. Thousands of people visit this city every year to see its beaches.

Hanoi: capital, culture and food

Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam and it is the second-largest city of Vietnam. The city has an area of 1297 sq. miles and it houses around 8 million people as of 2019 census. The city is located in the center of the red river delta and it is also known as the culture, commercial and educational center of Vietnam.

Hanoi by night. Photo: @ the_prabster

The city comes after the Ho Chi Minh city in terms of productivity and GDP. The city has a GDP of 3.8US billion dollars and it is the second most contributing city towards the growth of Vietnam. Earlier the city was known as the Thang Long which translates to the “Ascending Dragon”.

Find a city fitting your expectations in Vietnam

We could not cover all the cities in which expatriates would like to live to find work or spend their retirement. Some people will look for a quiet area while others will expect dynamic and vibrant cities.

Here are other cities that expats also consider while moving to :

Vung Tau: a coastal city in the south located less than 100 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City with a decent expatriate community.
Hoi An: the charming lantern city very popular among tourists
Da Nang: dynamic and costal city in central Vietnam with plenty of work opportunities with the low cost of living
Ha Giang: very rural city in northern Vietnam for mountain lovers thanks to green landscapes and great hiking paths.

Whatever your tastes, there is a city that can meet your expectations in Vietnam : chaotic and bustling cities with plenty of opportunities, seaside destinations where the cost of living is affordable to spend your retirement or other destinations behind the crowds for lovers of quietness, landscapes in lush forests.

What about you, in which city would you like to move to Vietnam?

October 15, 2020 1411 views

Travel

Vietnam’s HCMC puts another 14 hotels as paid quarantine facilities, price from $52

by Vietnam Insider October 14, 2020

Ho Chi Minh City has allowed another 14 hotels to serve as paid quarantine facilities to meet the growing demand, taking its total count to 24.

The move comes as Vietnam prepares to resume routine inbound flights. Authorities are finalizing a unified quarantine protocol on a nationwide scale, which will be submitted to the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control for approval before inbound commercial flights are allowed to resume.

With the latest addition, the total number of paid quarantine rooms in the city will double to over 2,000.

The decision was just signed by HCMC Vice Chairman Le Thanh Liem after the city’s health and tourism departments made on-field inspections of the 14 two to five-star hotels.

Eleven of the newly-chosen hotels are in District 1: Huong Sen 3, Alagon City, AEM Signature, two branches of Diamond Blue Hotel, Riverside, Sky Gem Central, Sen Viet Boutique, AEM, Cititel Parkview Saigon, and Saigon Hanoi Hotel.

The remaining three are: Sunshine and Sabina in District 7, and Muong Thanh Luxury Saigon in Phu Nhuan District.

These hotels will offer rooms at VND1.2-5 million ($52 -$216).

Also read: Inside Out: Quarantine hotel rooms in Saigon are more expensive than normal ones. Here’s why

Guests in quarantine will have temperatures checked twice a day and tested for the novel coronavirus four times during the 14-day quarantine, said Dr Phan Thanh Tam, deputy director of the HCMC Center for Disease Control.

Generally, people fly into the country on either humanitarian or commercial flights. The former will be quarantined at military-run centralized facilities for VND120,000 ($5) a day; and the latter have to register specific addresses and bookings in designated hotels before boarding flights to Vietnam.

Though the government has allowed the resumption of some international commercial flights, foreign tourists have yet to be allowed back into the country. The only foreigners currently allowed entry are those carrying diplomatic or official passports, experts, managers, highly-skilled workers, and investors, their family members, international students, and family members of Vietnamese citizens.

In case you missed it: Over 100 passengers returning from S.Korea protest high quarantine fees

Apart from two pilot flights carrying passengers from South Korea to Hanoi on September 25 and Ho Chi Minh City on September 30, operated by Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Air respectively, domestic carriers are not allowed to operate other inbound flights. They have to wait for specific quarantine regulations and other instructions from the government.

HCMC has now gone over two months without any community transmission of the coronavirus.

Vietnam has had a 40-day streak without new domestic infections. Of its current Covid-19 tally of 1,110, 47 are active.

By Huu Cong @ VNExpress

October 14, 2020 1876 views

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Saigon proposes trying out a public bicycle system in downtown areas

by Vietnam Insider October 5, 2020

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport has proposed trying out a public bicycle system that includes 43 stations along major streets in downtown areas.

The transport department said on Saturday it had drawn up a plan and collected feedback from competent agencies and citizens on a public bicycle system named Mobike.

The agency is asking the municipal People’s Committee to approve the execution of the bicycle network.

The plan will be funded by the private sector and aimed at creating a diverse selection of means of transportation in the inner city, as well as alleviating traffic jams and pollution.

Tri Nam Group JSC, investor of the project, is planning to carry out a pilot phase in 12 months, during which it will provide 388 bicycles at 43 stations along major streets in District 1, as well as Dien Bien Phu and Vo Thi Sau Streets in District 3, where bus-only lanes are expected to be established in the coming time.

Each station will have 10 to 20 bikes, each of which will be installed with smart locks and a GPS system.

In order to use the service, residents will need to download the Mobike app on their smartphones.

Proposed prices are VND5,000 (US$0.22) per 30 minutes. Tri Nam will provide tickets for 15-minute, 30-minute, and 60-minute sessions as well as daily, monthly, quarterly, and annually tickets.

During the first one to three months, people will be able to use the service free of charge for the first 15 minutes.

To prevent the bicycles from being stolen, users will be required to provide and verify their personal information.

Each bicycle will have a unique ID card, so that operators can monitor where each vehicle is and who is using it through a central software system.

The smart locks will also send an alarm signal when they are being forced open.

The bicycles will be designed with distinctive and irreplaceable features to reduce the risk of being sold in the market.

By Tuoi Tre News

October 5, 2020 664 views

Life

Quarantine fees and regulations in HCMC announced after passengers protesting over unaffordable charges

by Vietnam Insider October 3, 2020

Authorities from HCM City, Vietjet and the Southern Airport Authority have announced quarantine fees and regulations on anyone entering the city during the COVID-pandemic, following disagreement from some airline passengers who did not want to be quarantined at a hotel as they had previously committed to do.

Representatives of the city’s Department of Health, Department of Tourism and Department of Information and Communications, as well as Vietjet Airlines and the Southern Airport Authority, spoke during a press conference in the city on Friday afternoon about the incident.

Nguyễn Thúy Bình, deputy general director of Vietjet Airlines, said that on September 30 Vietjet flight VJ963 carried 158 passengers from Incheon, South Korea to Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport in HCM City.

However, upon arrival, some passengers did not agree to be quarantined at the hotel. Before the flight, the airline representative had informed the passengers about quarantine regulations and necessary COVID tests, as well as the prices of hotels selected to be quarantine areas in HCM City.

“We informed them about the US$100 price per room for each night, and all the passengers agreed to the price before the flight. But when they arrived at Tân Sơn Nhất airport, some customers did not agree to the price,” Bình said.

Đòan Quốc Bình, deputy director of the Southern Airport Authority, said that, after flight VJ963 landed, only three passengers agreed to the initial commitment they had made with Vietjet Airlines.

After the authorities intervened, 17 of the 158 passengers agreed to quarantine at designated hotels for VNĐ1.2 million (US$51) per day, and another 140 passengers were taken to a quarantine hospital in Cần Giờ District. One person with signs of chronic kidney failure was transferred to Nguyễn Tri Phương Hospital.

The city has two hotels used for cabin crews to quarantine and 940 rooms at eight hotels as paid quarantine places for people entering the city, according to Nguyễn Thị Ánh Hoa, deputy director of the city’s department of Tourism.

About 700 rooms at these hotels are being used and the remaining 240 rooms are vacant. Most of them are 2-5 star hotels, with an average price of VNĐ1.2 to VNĐ5 million ($51 to $215) per room per night, which does not include fees for shuttle services, laundry or other services.

Phan Thanh Tâm, deputy director of the city Centre for Disease Control, said that arrivals could stay in one room for up to two persons at paid quarantine hotels.

To prepare for upcoming international flights to Việt Nam, city departments and agencies have proposed adding 16 hotels with a total of 1,025 rooms, which will be used for commercial flights. The rooms, which have been assessed, meet the regulations of quarantine areas and staff training.

This story was first posted on Vietnam News

October 3, 2020 950 views

Life

Insider story: Unfinished Buildings in Saigon

by Vietnam Insider September 17, 2020

Ho Chi Minh City, the commercial and financial center of Vietnam, is a bustling, rapidly modernizing megacity. Still colloquially known as Saigon, its former name from prior to the reunification of the country in 1975, it is the largest city in a country that features one of the fastest growing economies on the planet, and is thus constantly undergoing massive changes to its landscape and infrastructure.

One of the side effects of the huge growth that the city has seen — the official population of the city proper has almost doubled in the last 20 years from about 5 million to nearly 9 million, but some estimates place the real population at over 12 million — is that some projects get left behind before they can be finished.

In some instances, overly ambitious ideas prove to be more costly than first expected. In other cases, investments suddenly dry up before construction can finish, or legal battles get tied up for years while half-finished projects sit exposed to the elements. None of these cases are necessarily exclusive to Vietnam or Ho Chi Minh City, but Vietnam’s unique political and economic framework, with investors and project planners needing to navigate the complex bureaucracy that defines present-day Vietnam’s socialist-oriented market economy, has resulted in Ho Chi Minh City’s urban landscape being like none other.

Quite often, the initial impression given by these seemingly abandoned structures is negative, with many taking the view that they are blights on the otherwise stunning cityscape that Saigon is known for. Even if they are striking and interesting, a lot of people will not find them appealing.

Another view, though, is that these structures are beautiful and symbolic in their own meaningful way. They are only temporary features of the landscape, of course, as they will eventually be either torn down and replaced, or possibly repaired and finished. However, in a city where the only constant is change, they seem to be frozen in time; remaining unchanged for years, they act as an anchor of familiarity for people to hold onto as the city evolves and grows from one moment to the next.

If nothing else, however, they certainly make for interesting and unique locations for taking photos in this wonderful city.

Saigon One Tower

The long-unfinished Saigon One Tower viewed from the base of the iconic Bitexco Tower. (Christopher Otis, September 2020)

Saigon One Tower, informally referred to as the Ghost Tower, was slated to be Ho Chi Minh City’s second tallest skyscraper, after Bitexco Tower, at the start of construction in 2007. Mismanaged from the beginning, the 2011 financial crisis would prove to be the final nail in the coffin of the project, leaving this 641-foot skeleton to haunt the Ho Chi Minh City skyline ever since.

Perhaps it will be finished at some point, or maybe make way for another development. It’s in a prime location, so the current situation won’t last forever. But as things stand, it will continue looming over the rest of downtown for the foreseeable future.

Saigon One Tower from the riverfront along Tôn Đức Thắng Street. (Christopher Otis, September 2020)

The under-development Thu Thiem New Urban Area is home to a small water buffalo population, which makes for an interesting juxtaposition with Saigon One and the rest of the Saigon skyline. (Christopher Otis, September 2020)

Saigon Planning Exhibition Center

The Saigon Planning Exhibition Center (SPEC) is located right across the Saigon River from downtown District 1. (Christopher Otis, August 2020)

New construction projects are well underway all around the Thu Thiem New Urban Area, despite the SPEC falling into disrepair. (Christopher Otis, August 2020)

The SPEC’s unique, austere design is made even more striking after years of abandonment. (Christopher Otis, August 2020)

Thu Thiem Resettlement Apartments

Almost entirely finished but left without owners, the Thu Thiem Resettlement Apartment blocks are both eerie and fascinating. (Christopher Otis, April 2020)

One of the more fascinating and complicated stalled projects in the city is a cluster of large, vacant apartment blocks that were meant to be used for the resettlement of residents that were relocated from the Thu Thiem New Urban Area project. However, the buildings have been sitting unoccupied since their completion about 10 years ago, and the city has been unable to unload the nearly 3800 units to investors despite making several attempts to auction them off.

As a result, the towers are almost completely vacant, giving the area a quiet, dystopian atmosphere that seems completely out of place in Ho Chi Minh City.

The central intersection of one of the clusters, which is unfortunately fenced off. (Christopher Otis, April 2020)

Some of the resettlement apartment towers in the early morning, with Landmark 81 looming in the distance. (Christopher Otis, August 2020)

An aerial view of The Thu Thiem Resettlement Apartments, from Landmark 81. (Christopher Otis, May 2020)

Words and Photos by Christopher Otis, American living in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Photographer, teacher, geographer, writer. This story was first posted on Medium

September 17, 2020 786 views

Enterprise

Insider’s view: Why the smart investors eyeing Vietnam’s HCMC?

by Vietnam Insider September 14, 2020

For an expat, Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh city can be a bridge between simpler times and the modern business world. This is equally captivating and frustrating, depending on one’s line of work.

But the metropolis is set to make a major leap into the future. And foreign investors are taking note. Harry Hodge, an expat in Vietnam reported on the Inside Out.

In recent months, the Vietnamese Ministry of Information and Communications confirmed the city has laid the groundwork for four main pillars of a smart city: A shared database and open data ecosystem, a smart city operating center, a center for socioeconomic forecasts and simulation, and a center for information safety.

To a transient visitor or a casual observer, these moves may not have significance. But for HCMC’s standing as a business and information hub, these are notable moves for a major urban center with its eye on becoming a global player.

According to the government release, shared database of the city has been put into operation at Quang Trung Software City in District 12. The database integrates data from the city’s agencies and departments, which cover multiple sectors, from foreign investment to public investment, education, healthcare and cadastre. The city has also launched a shared database portal at https://data.hochiminhcity.gov.vn.

How does this benefit the average citizen? Or a resident from a foreign nation? These could be game-changers both in terms of day-to-day life as well as the city’s attractiveness as a commercial center.

“Everyone in Saigon is more or less confronted with the paper trail that goes everywhere, in some folder somewhere… means a loss of time,” said Marco Sollie, COO of multinational player Joon Solutions, boasting offices offering data solutions in Europe, North America and Vietnam. “They want to take a step into the future.”

Essentially, mining data from all departments will help centralize information to improve the efficiency of the city in virtually all areas. Anything that touches data, or analytics, can make the city a more attractive proposition not only for residents, but domestic and foreign ventures. Joon Solutions is one such group that sees the benefits of such a major center becoming a major player for its clients that are not only based in Vietnam, but also cities and countries worldwide.

According to the government release, the city has worked through its initial phase and is preparing for the second phase of the smart city plan, which will run from 2021 to 2025. It has approved five smart city projects under the plan, with total investment of more than VND2.76 trillion. Notably, the city plans to establish a smart medical center using artificial intelligence to connect doctors and experts at local hospitals with their counterparts at over 100 hospitals in 12 countries.

By Harry Hodge, an expat in Vietnam

This story was first seen on the Inside Out

September 14, 2020 746 views

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