Extremely cheap airfare

HCMC resident Hanh was trying to book round-trip tickets to Phu Quoc a month earlier, but the travel agent quoted new prices every time she called. She said airfares for three people and one child rise from VND11 million ($473) to VND12 million in 10 minutes, and to VND13 million a few hours later. Hoa of Da Nang City said the cost of a round-trip to HCMC tripled to VND2.3 trillion within two months. She said that the longer she waited for the price to drop, it did the opposite. The most expensive domestic route, Hanoi-Phu Quoc, has seen round-trip ticket prices rise 20-30 percent to VND5-7.5 million from last month. Airfares from Hanoi and HCMC to Da Nang, Nha Trang and Quy Nhon have risen by over 25 percent in the last several months. International airfares have also risen by 25-30 percent, with the HCMC-South Korea and HCMC-San Francisco route recording prices of VND10-13 million and VND41-45 million, respectively. Vietnam Airlines head of communications Dang Anh Tuan … [Read more...] about Hourly rise in airfares as summer demand surges

As more Vietnamese are seeking air travel services this summer, air ticket prices have increased as airlines are grappling with surging fuel costs and staffing challenges. Prices for flight tickets on many domestic routes operated by Vietnam’s five major carriers went up 20-40 percent for the last week of June compared to two months ago, according to an analysis by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper. Airfares for international flights to and from Vietnam also soared 20-35 percent compared to pre-pandemic rates, according to a representative of Transportation Services Company (Worldtrans), a Vietnamese air charter provider. Dang Anh Tuan - head of communications of Vietnam Airlines, Vu Duc Bien - general director of Vietravel Airlines and other airline representatives all blamed rising fuel prices for the airfare spike. Fuel costs account for 30-40 percent of an airline’s total expenses, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). As fuel prices rise, airlines … [Read more...] about Airfares surge as domestic and int’l travel rebounds, fuel prices skyrocket

And it is not just breakfast. The 40-year-old Hanoian has specific menus for every meal of the day, typically containing a vegetable soup and two dishes. Eggs, tofu, peanuts, dried fish, and meat are part of them, but Tien insists that a meal for his family of four must not cost more than VND50,000 (US$2.15). The food is so monotonous that their youngest son, who is in third grade, frequently complains, "The meal at school is better than at home." Tien’s standard response is that he had to eat rice with corn and potatoes when he was a teenager, and so his children should be grateful for having "an affluent life." The family members cannot buy more than two new clothes in a year. When Minh asked to buy a new dress to wear on a company trip, he complained for a week because "there are four dresses hanging in the closet." Neither of their families faces any financial hardship and they themselves earn around VND40 million a month, which is much higher than the VND7.2-million … [Read more...] about When people go to extreme lengths to save money

The Hanoi housewife of four years knows however they will not be as fresh as earlier in the day. "Since the prices of everything have gone up, I have to change my shopping habits and doing so helps me able to buy produce at lower prices," the 28-year-old says. She and her husband, Tinh, had their first son more than a year ago before having a pair of twins. Tinh is the sole breadwinner and he had to stay at home for three months when Covid-19 broke out last year. "We even had to sell our gold wedding rings to stay afloat," she says. After Covid subsided he reopened his store distributing beverages, but barely makes a profit since gasoline prices have been soaring since April. Besides, many of his customers have greatly reduced their purchases. Some grocery stores only order a few five-liter bottles of water, but he still must travel dozens of kilometers by truck to deliver them. "If you do not keep prices low, customers will leave," he explained once to his wife when she … [Read more...] about Vietnamese turn frugal as prices soar

Photo taken yesterday shows ambulances on the road in Paktika province, Afghanistan. The death toll from an earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan early yesterday has reached 920, while more than 600 people were injured, a disaster official said, adding the number of casualties might rise further. — XINHUA/VNA Photo KABUL — A powerful earthquake struck a remote border region of Afghanistan overnight killing at least 1,000 people and injuring hundreds more, officials said yesterday, with the toll expected to rise as desperate rescuers dig through collapsed dwellings. The 5.9 magnitude quake struck hardest in the rugged east, where people already lead hardscrabble lives in a country in the grip of a humanitarian disaster made worse by the Taliban takeover in August. "People are digging grave after grave," said Mohammad Amin Huzaifa, head of the Information and Culture Department in hard-hit Paktika, adding that at least 1,000 people had died in that province alone. … [Read more...] about At least 1,000 killed in Afghan quake as rescuers scramble for survivors

The speech with a message of peace, promoting trust, cooperation and development attracted much attention. The People’s Army Newspaper would like to introduce the following opinions to clarify the message. “ Self-strengthening, self-help ” - basic principle to uphold national independence Talking with the reporter of the People's Army Newspaper, Assoc. Prof., Dr., Major General Vu Cuong Quyet, Director of the Institute for Defense Strategy under the Ministry of National Defense, affirmed that the defense minister’s speech showed the strategic vision towards regional and international security issues, associated with reality and defense and security challenges facing Vietnam. The speech confirmed that the trend of peace, cooperation and development is always a common desire of mankind. However, traditional security issues still remain complicated, particularly strategic competition, disagreements, conflicts of interest, and disputes over territorial sovereignty between … [Read more...] about Part 1: The comprehensive all people’s defense posture