Nashville canceled

Nguyen Tieu Festival cancelled due to Covid-19

February 26, 2021 by sggpnews.org.vn

The event was previously expected to take place on February 25-26 (on the 14th-15th days of the first lunar month) at the District 5’s Cultural Center.

Nguyen Tieu Festival was recognised as a national intangible cultural heritage in last January. The festival is considered the biggest and most important cultural event of a year of the Chinese-Vietnamese community in Vietnam. Nguyen Tieu festival featuring Chinese specialties, historical relics and cuisine culture is the occasion for them to preserve their cultural identity.

The lanter festival is usually celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Many interesting cultural activities like musical performances, the kylin and dragon dances, folk games, an exhibition of calligraphy paintings and a Chinese food fair will take place during the festival.

By Ho Son – Translated by Kim Khanh

Destinations across country see sharp fall in number of tourists on Tet holidays

February 18, 2021 by sggpnews.org.vn

Da Nang City received more than 30,000 visitors, mainly domestic tourists, on the lunar New Year from February 10-16, just reaching 40 percent compared to last year.

Meanwhile the Dong Loc T-junction historical site in Ha Tinh Province’s Can Loc District welcomed about 6,000-7,000 people since the first day of the first lunar month, accounting for 60 percent of the number in the previous year.

According to Head of the Management Board of the Huong Tich Pagoda in the province, Nguyen Duy Vy said that the national historic site saw a sharp drop in tourist arrivals and greeted around 7,000 pilgrims. In addition, Huong Tich pagoda festival which is annually organized from the early first lunar month has been canceled to prevent the spread of the pandemic.

Huong Tich Pagoda was built during the Tran Dynasty in the 13th century at 1,000 meters above sea level. The pagoda was heavily damaged by fire in 1885 and was rebuilt in 1901. The pagoda was recognized as national historical and cultural relics in 1990.

Similarly, attractions in the flower city of Da Lat in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong which were traditionally crowded with tourists saw very low number of visitors in these days. The room capacity is below 30 percent.

According to the Tourist Supporting Center of Vung Tau City in the southern coastal province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau, more than 100,000 visitors came to the city in seven days on Tet, presenting a decrease of 72 percent compared to the last period. While the Cam Mountain Tourist Area in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang received about 40,000-50,000 travelers, down 50 percent compared to the same period last year.

In another hand, Ca Mau Province saw a mass cancellation of tours, the numbers of visitors and tourism revenue decline over 56 and 71 percent respectively, said Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Tran Hieu Hung.

By staff writers – Translated by Kim Khanh

Pre-Tet Covid wave takes heavy toll on bus companies

February 26, 2021 by e.vnexpress.net

These days Sao Viet Company’s from Hanoi to Lao Cai Province on the China border carry only 5-10 passengers per trip.

Since the Covid reemerged in late January people who had booked tickets have been canceling them en masse, Do Van Bang, the company director, said.

Sao Viet has reduced its services by half to around 20 a day, but still gets few passengers.

“We hoped for an increase in the number of passengers during the peak Lunar New Year (Tet) season (in February), but all hopes were dashed by the latest outbreak,” Bang said.

“We are facing increasing losses, and the pressure to pay off debts after two consecutive years of suffering due to Covid-19 made me want to sell all my buses but no one dares buy at this time.”

Other transport companies face the same dilemma.

Dat Cang Transport and Service Joint Stock Company of Hai Phong City has 65 buses plying on the route to Hanoi.

Though it has cut down the number of trips by 80 percent, some buses still carry only two or three passengers, Khuc Huu Thanh, its director, said, adding if the situation lasts much longer, the company has to suspend operations.

Transport firms said they had managed to hold on last year despite the pandemic thanks to Tet revenues.

But this year Tet revenues took a huge hit due to the travel restrictions, lockdowns and quarantine requirements, and many transport companies have been unable to cope.

Nguyen Cong Hung, vice chairman of the Vietnam Automobile Transport Association, said the revenues of many transport firms are down 70 percent.

The association plans to ask the government for a 50 percent cut in taxes and delaying repayment of debts.

Since January 28, there have been 827 cases of Covid in 13 localities, including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.