Da vinci tour

By staff writers – Translated by Uyen Phuong

Much of Vietnam Airlines’ fleet has been grounded due to the pandemic

According to Le Hong Ha, deputy general director of Vietnam Airlines, the carrier has been fully aware of its responsibility to preserve and develop its products and services to both maintain the economic vein of the country and promote its golden lotus logo to bolster Vietnamese aviation and promote the nation’s culture and tourism across the world.

As a bridge between regions and the world, Vietnam Airlines is committed to maximising its potentials to support domestic businesses in delivering their products to not only customers all over the country but also to numerous international friends.

In 2020, Vietnam Airlines has been reaffirming its position as the top-quality airline of the nation and continuously maintained its 4-star services according to international standards. At the emergence of the pandemic, the carrier immediately applied distinct solutions to ensure safety for passengers, such as limiting reusable items, disinfecting aircraft, and providing sterile towels on flights.

However, Vietnam Airlines has not been able to avoid business risks caused by the pandemic. After successfully reducing the spread of the disease, in the second quarter customers began to again pay for air services, while the company sought to generate crucial revenue from inland services. Hopes were high that the third quarter would be the time to make up for the initial losses of the year, but as the next wave of new infections hit, any expectations of recouping revenue had been diminished.

As a result, half of the 217 aircraft flying under the five brands under Vietnam Airlines’ patronage were grounded as nobody wanted to fly anymore. Ticket prices decreased by more than 50 per cent compared to last year. Dang Ngoc Hoa, chairman of Vietnam Airlines, also noticed that “a lot of complications arose from the airline’s status as a state-owned enterprise and the state’s intervention in the aviation market.”

According to Hoa, methods of managing domestic ticket prices, among others, are outdated and not suitable for Vietnam’s air transport market. Currently, airfares are being adjusted according to the Ministry of Transport’s Circular No. 17/2019/TT-BGTVT on issuing prices for passenger transport services on domestic air routes issued in 2019, with regulations for ceiling prices for domestic routes presenting hurdles and leading to a decreasing diversity of the market and deviations in competition.

This regulation, Hoa said, is affecting the “business efficiency of airlines and reducing their motivation during peak times.” Air services are strongly influenced by seasonal factors, with domestic flights during holidays like the Lunar New Year always seeing low-load flights in one direction. Thus, airlines complain that the application of ceiling prices makes them unable to adjust prices and balance out their revenue.

“Ceiling prices alter the flexibility of the market and lead to additional cost for the airlines,” Hoa said. Vietnam Airlines has invested in new generation aircraft, such as the A350 and Boeing 787, and its 4-star services are aiming to compete in the region and the world. But the governmental price ceilings limit the carrier’s efforts to attract those customers willing to pay higher fares, ultimately affecting service quality – an important factor in the sustainable development of airlines.

“Rarely does a country manage domestic airfares with ceilings like they are applied here in Vietnam,” Hoa explained.

Vietnam has been deeply integrating itself into the global economy, so it may be necessary to minimise the participation of state management in enterprises’ business activities. “The state should only manage flight fares for monopolistic airlines but should not apply these measures for competitive domestic routes. Let the market self-regulate,” Hoa suggested.

“The domestic market is oversupplied, but international airlines are still entering the domestic market,” he said, adding that in his opinion, Vietnamese airlines have not received “equal treatment” in foreign markets, where even technical barriers are imposed to restrict the operation of in- and outbound flights. For instance, Vietnam Airlines has opened flights to Beijing for many years, with a frequency of five flights per week. “We have proposed to increase these by two per week, but the Chinese side only allows flights at midnight, when no passengers are willing to fly,” Hoa added.

In the context of extensive international integration, maintaining an airline’s brand seems vital for the competitive edge of domestic carriers. Vietnam Airlines has been creative and sought new directions to maintain production and business.

As nearly all passenger flights had been suspended during the social distancing period, the airline quickly made full use of its wide-body fleet and removed seats for the first time to increase cargo capacity in both the aircraft’s dedicated cargo and passenger compartments.

Vietnam Airlines has also been coordinating with the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, the Vietnam Tourism Association, and tour operators to build stimulus packages across the country. In a short time, the airline added 22 domestic routes to meet and boost travel local demand and developed new products and services such as the Flight Pass offering customers bundled tickets with discounts to several domestic destinations.

Along with the over 120 other national brands, Vietnam Airlines has not only maintained production and business activities amid difficult circumstances but also participated in community activities.

Up to now, the airline has carried out nearly 150 flights to safely repatriate 50,000 people from other countries, transported more than 60 tonnes of goods to support pandemic prevention measures, and nearly 150 tonnes of cargo to aid people in the central region affected by storms and floods.

By Van Nguyen

In the morning, members of the committee discussed in groups the working agenda of the committee throughout the 13th tenure after listening to a proposal on the agenda, which was presented by Politburo member and permanent member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat Vo Van Thuong.

In the afternoon, they attended a plenary session to listen to the Politburo’s proposal on the completion of the nomination of candidates for a number of leadership positions in State agencies in the 14th tenure of the 2016-2021 term and the 15th tenure of the 2021-2026 term.

The plenum of the Party Central Committee is scheduled to conclude on March 9.

The total support from GCF also includes a US$75 million guarantee. US$8.3 million from the grant will be used to build capacity in the private sector to identify, appraise and execute energy efficiency projects.

It will also provide technical assistance to the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the relevant authorities to further strengthen policy frameworks and regulations and create a helpful environment aimed at accelerating the energy efficiency market in Vietnam.

The remaining grant funds and guarantee will be used to establish a risk-share facility to provide partial credit guarantees to local banks who may risk potential default on loans for energy efficienct projects.

By reducing lending risks, the facility is expected to mobilize around US$250 million of commercial financing, to be provided to industrial enterprises and energy service companies at competitive terms and with low collateral requirements.

Scaling up energy efficiency is the single best and lowest cost option to achieve multiple goals at once: meeting energy demand, preventing pollution and reducing greenhouse gas emissions while also increasing industry competitiveness, Carolyn Turk, Country Director for Vietnam said.

In a context of limited public financing for energy, the risk-share facility is an innovative financial instrument in private sector investment financing for a greater uptake of industry-wide energy efficiency measures, she added.

The grant and guarantee are to be executed under the Vietnam Scaling up Energy Efficiency Project which aims to support Vietnam in achieving the energy efficiency targets set out in the Green Growth Strategy as well as emission reduction objectives pledged under the National Determined Contributions.

The World Bank’s Low Carbon Study estimates that Vietnam could save up to 11 GW of new generation capacity by 2030 if comprehensive demand-side energy efficiency investment takes place. The energy efficiency investment need for key industries in Vietnam has been estimated at around US$3.6 billion.

Apitong tree dates back to Hung Kings

Vietnam’s oldest tree has been carefully taken care of by authorities.

Topping the list of longevity is the apitong tree, which holds the record for the oldest tree in Vietnam and is related to the sacred tale of Thien Co temple (Trung Vuong commune, Viet Tri city, Phu Tho province).

According to scientists, the tree is more than 2,100 years old. Legend has it that the temple is located on the capital land of the ancient Van Lang country. This apitong tree, over the two millennia, has been a witness to the natural and social history of the locality with invaluable cultural and spiritual values.

It was recognized as a Heritage Tree by Vietnam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment (VACNE) on May 28, 2012.

Thien Co temple worships the wedded couple, teacher Vu The Lang and Nguyen Thi Thuc, who raised Princesses Tien Dung and Ngoc Hoa, the offspring of 18th Hung Vuong King, as noted in ancient book entitled “Ngoc Pha Hung Vuong”. The pair was buried by the locals in the village, the temple was later built, and the tree was planted alongside at from that time.

This is the oldest tree in Vietnam.

The largest Cinnamomum camphora nationwide

This tree was named a Vietnamese Heritage Tree on November 26, 2013.

Giua villagers (Tien Luc commune, Lang Giang district, Bac Giang province) take great pride in the 1000-year-old Camphor tree which has a diameter of 2.59 meters, and is almost 30 meters high.

Essential oils are present in all parts of the plant, making it an exceedingly rare breed. In addition, the tree roots contains safrol which is a valuable ingredient in food processing and cosmetic technology. This massive tree is recognized as one of the two largest Cinnamomum camphoras on the globe.

According to historians, the tree was considered by King Le Canh Hung as the nationwide largest camphorwood. It was named in the French Larausse encyclopedia, and ranked as a rare and precious tree in Vietnam by the French school of the Far East (now the National Museum of Vietnamese History). Photos of this tree were displayed at the fair in Marseille (France) in 1932.

Thousand-year-old Diospyros decandra tree

Situated at the shrine worshipping Duc Thanh Tan Vien, the thousand-year-old tree has been known as the guardian of the people in Di Nau commune, Tam Nong district, Phu Tho province.

The tree has a diameter of about 2.45 meters, a total height of virtually 18.45 meters. Time has left its 7.96 meter circumference stump markedly rough. It could fit in an embrace of 5 humans. On May 22, 2012, this Diospyros decandra tree was recognized as a Vietnam Heritage Tree.

Rumor has it that ‘the guardian’ was from the reign of King Dinh Bo Linh (970 – 979). When the temple was built to worship Duc Thanh Tan Vien (258 BC) and the great generals of the 18th Hung King, villagers planted the tree not only for shade, but for guarding the shrine, as a spiritual belief.

The guardian majestically stands in front of the shrine

The ancient ‘Buddha’s hand’

The Streblus asper over a thousand years of age is located in Thung Nham bird garden tourist area (Hoa Lu district, Ninh Binh province). The tree shaped like “Buddha’s hand” carries has historical values associated with King Dinh Tien Hoang.

It is said that King Dinh Tien Hoang, whilst patrolling Hoa Lu capital, sent soldiers to plant this tree on a rock in Thung Nham. The tree has a quirky shape. The main trunk and three branches grow vertically alongside one another and one other branch is oblique and tilted in a different direction, quite similar to Buddhist Mudras.

Experts assess that this Streblus asper tree is 1,000 years old, yet magically remains verdant…on a rock.

Trees in folklore are believed to bring luck and fortune

The lonely tree

It looks like a forlorn figure standing in the fields of Binh Minh commune (Thanh Oai district, Hanoi). The old tree belonging to Cashew family is shady, playfully dubbed as a “lonely tree”. It is shaped like an umbrella spreading out from afar.

The tree is estimated to be over 1000 years old and is about 15 meters in diameter with a stump of about 8 meters in circumference taking a 5-7 humans to embrace.

It is also called the yin-yang by the locals since it possesses feng-shui characteristics. The lonely tree biennially fruits in December in the lunar calendar.

The year, the Eastern half of the tree sprouts beautifully young buds and verdant leaves, while the western half will in contrast produce fewer buds and thin pale-yellow leaves, and vice versa the next year.

Legend has it that the tree was planted by Ambassador Do Canh Thac, Dinh Bo Linh’s time as a landmark boundary between Binh Da village and Sinh Qua village, Binh Minh commune. Over a millennium has passed and the old tree is still as leafy and a witness to the history of the people in the village.

The ancient bosky tree was recognized as a Vietnamese Heritage Tree in 2016

Nguyen Son