Extremely cheap cruises

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

Hundreds of rescue workers try to help at the bank of Danube River at Budapest downtown. (GERGELY BESENYEI/AFP) The boat reportedly collided with another tourist vessel near the Hungarian parliament building, before turning over on the river, which has been flooding, with very strong currents, while a rainstorm enveloped Budapest. In Seoul, the foreign ministry said the South Koreans aboard the vessel when it sank were 30 tourists and three tour guides, in addition to the crew of two Hungarians. Seven of the South Koreans were rescued, seven died and 19 were missing, it added. "President Moon Jae-in issued an urgent order to work with the Hungarian government for rescue efforts," his spokeswoman, Ko Min-jung, told reporters. An emergency rescue team is among the 18 officials South Korea is sending to Budapest, the foreign ministry added, and it will provide counseling to victims' families. A Hungarian ambulance spokesman told state television that 14 people were pulled … [Read more...] about 7 killed as Hungarian boat carrying South Korean tourists capsizes on Danube

Hanoi motorbike tour and Hoi An cooking class have been selected by readers of US travel site Tripadvisor as two of the 25 best travel experiences in Asia. The Hanoi motorbike tour takes more than four hours. (Photo: Tripadvisor) The half-day guided motorbike tour in Hanoi allows tourists to explore Vietnam’s capital city’s famous landmarks like Long Bien Bridge, Hai Ba Trung Temple, the Presidential Palace Historical Site and try some of the city's best street foods. As part of the tour, visitors will have an opportunity to explore "Train Street", formed by railway tracks running alongside Dien Bien Phu and Phung Hung streets in the heart of Hanoi's Old Quarter, with residential buildings just a few feet away on either side. Meanwhile, the five-hour cooking class, organised by Hoi An Eco Tours Discovery, is considered a fun and interesting way to experience the rural life in Hoi An, a popular tourist destination in Vietnam’s central Quang Nam … [Read more...] about Hanoi motorbike tour, Hoi An cooking class among top travel experiences in Asia

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

Overhead view of a project under the North-South Highway Project. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Nearly 18 months since the introduction of the 2021 Law on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in Vietnam, it's still difficult to get investors to warm up to PPP projects despite the huge potential for growth, as the country ramps up efforts to build modern infrastructure, said industry experts and policymakers in a meeting in Hanoi on June 21. The Law on Public-Private Partnership was supposed to, in theory, address three major problems endemic in Vietnam’s infrastructure projects; slow progression, overbudget and poor quality. However, according to many in the field, the law has failed to tackle a number of fundamental issues, which has discouraged and hindered investors to commit to infrastructure projects. Dr Tran Chung, President of the Vietnam Association of Road Traffic Investors (VARSI) President, said the relationship between the State and investors, as of right now, was … [Read more...] about Lopsided relationship scares investors off PPP