New honda city variants

Vietnam confirmed six new COVID-19 cases on Friday, including four local infections and two imported cases, raising the national patient tally to 2,426.

The four domestic infections were detected in the now COVID-19 epicenter of northern Hai Duong Province, while the two imported cases were documented in the southern provinces of Tay Ninh and Dong Thap.

The same day, 35 patients were declared free of the virus, taking the total recoveries to 1,839.

Vietnam had gone nearly two months logging zero domestic cases before it detected the first one on January 27 and confirmed it one day later, according to the health ministry’s data.

A total of 831 community-based cases have been confirmed in 13 provinces and cities since then, making it the most serious wave to have struck Vietnam after the first-ever COVID-19 patient was announced in the country on January 23, 2020.

In this latest wave, 643 cases were recorded in Hai Duong, 61 in Quang Ninh Province, 27 in Gia Lai Province, 35 in Hanoi, five in Bac Ninh Province, two in Bac Giang Province, 36 in Ho Chi Minh City, two in Hoa Binh Province, one in Ha Giang Province, three in Dien Bien Province, six in Binh Duong Province, four in Hai Phong, and two in Hung Yen Province.

Noticeably, zero new case has been reported over the past 14 days in Hoa Binh, Dien Bien, Ha Giang, Binh Duong, Hung Yen, Bac Giang, Gia Lai, Bac Ninh, Quang Ninh, and Ho Chi Minh City.

There have been 35 virus-related fatalities since January 23, 2020, according to the Ministry of Health’s data.

The dead had suffered from comorbid medical problems, including 31 in Da Nang, three in Quang Nam Province, and one in Quang Tri Province.

Nearly 76,500 people who had contact with infected patients or made an entry from virus-plagued places are being quarantined in the country.

The government is considering COVID-19 vaccine purchase as a foremost priority.

In its resolution issued Friday, the government expects to have 150 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines this year, according to the Vietnam Government Portal .

Front liners, including healthcare workers will be among the first vaccinated against COVID-19.

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“Patients 2422, 2423, 2425 and 2426” from Hai Duong were already in quarantine. They are being treated at field hospitals in the northern province.

“Patient 2424” is a 24-year-old woman from Thoi Lai District, Can Tho City, who entered Vietnam illegally through the border at Hong Ngu District, Dong Thap Province on February 23 and was quarantined soon after. Her test results returned positive for the novel coronavirus on February 25.

In the past 29 days, Vietnam has recorded 831 community transmissions in 13 localities. Hai Duong is the biggest hotspot with 647 cases, following by Quang Ninh with 61 and HCMC with 36. Ten of these localities haven’t recorded new community transmissions for the past 14 days.

With the latest cases, the nation’s Covid-19 tally has increased to 2,426 with 1,839 recoveries and 35 deaths.

In his opening remarks, Vietnamese Ambassador to South Africa Hoang Van Loi reviewed the positive achievements Vietnam achieved in 2020 amid the COVID-19 epidemic making a serious impact around the world.

The diplomat affirmed that Vietnam’s proud achievements have always been accompanied and contributed to by the more than five million expatriates, including the Vietnamese community in South Africa.

He highly lauded the continuous development of the Vietnamese community in South Africa in the context of difficulties in their host country, while expressing his wish that Vietnamese expatriates continue to preserve their national identity, keeping hearts in the homeland and building a united and strong Vietnamese community in South Africa, contributing to promoting the traditional friendship between the two countries.

Representing the Vietnamese community in South Africa, Ms. Ngo Thi Tuyet Trinh said the Vietnamese community is proud of Vietnam’s great socio-economic achievements over recent years as well as the increasingly strong developments in bilateral relations. She affirmed that she would always play a nuclear role in enhancing solidarity in the community, as is the eternal tradition of the Vietnamese people.

At the event, overseas Vietnamese joined international friends in a traditional Vietnamese atmosphere to make a toast to welcoming a new spring of peace and happiness. They enjoyed traditional lunar new year dishes in a unique art space organised by diplomats and representatives from the Vietnamese community.

The blooming season of chrysanthemums in Sa Đéc Flower Village attracts hundreds of visitors. VNA/VNS Photo by Chương Đài

ĐỒNG THÁP — The People’s Committee of the Mekong Delta province of Đồng Tháp has approved 14 new community-based tourism areas.

The province has around 100 community-based tourism areas, mostly situated in Cao Lãnh and Sa Đéc cities, and Lai Vung, Tam Nông and Tháp Mười districts.

“The province’s approval aims to turn Đồng Tháp into a popular and attractive destination for tourists and even tourism agencies,” Ngô Quang Tuyên, deputy director of the province’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Department, said.

Tuyên said community-based tourism has been booming in the Mekong Delta. It has helped to promote the value of agricultural products, create more jobs in rural areas, and bring stable sources of income for local households.

Only five households at the Tháp Mười Lotus Tourism Area in Tháp Mười District initially offered tourism services. But now the number has reached dozens of households. They offer different kinds of services like boating on lotus ponds, catching fish, and enjoying local authentic dishes.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the tourism area served an average of 10,000 visitors per month, and even 1,000 visitors a day on national holidays and Tết (Lunar New Year).

Visitors take part in a community activity at Tràm Chim National Park in Đồng Tháp Province. — VNA/VNS Photo by Chương Đài

The Tam Nông District, where the Tràm Chim National Park is located, established a tourism association to promote local specialties, tourism products and service quality.

The association now has 30 members, offering services such as food and beverages, homestays, tour guides, and community activities.

The tourism areas in the district welcome about 100,000 local and foreign tourists every year.

Tuyên said agriculture was also a strong advantage for Đồng Tháp to develop community-based tourism. It has diverse products such as flowers, fruits and seafood.

Each agritourism spot in the province has an area of 5,000 square metres to over one hectare, attracting 500-1,000 visitors each day, mostly on weekends.

The most-visited spots are the date palm garden in Sa Đéc City, the Tân Thuận strawberry garden in Cao Lãnh City, and Ba Tuấn grape garden in Hồng Ngự District, where tourists can enjoy fresh and clean fruit and take photos.

Võ Minh Tiến, the manager of the date palm garden, said the harvest season of dates in April of the Lunar New Year attracted 300-400 visitors a day.

One of the most-visited tourism destinations in Đồng Tháp is the Sa Đéc Flower Village on an area of 313ha planted with more than 2,000 types of flowers, bonsai trees, and ornamental trees from different regions of Việt Nam.

The village now has dozens of households offering tourism services and homestays like Happy Land Hùng Thy, Bamboo House Homestay, and Ngọc Lan flower observatory tower.

Visitors take a tour to a calabash garden in Đồng Tháp Province. — VNA/VNS Photo by Nguyễn Văn Trí

Tuyên said: “Community-based tourism is helping farmers in Đồng Tháp to improve their income.”

Total revenue from community-based tourism areas between 2016 and 2020 was more than VNĐ43 billion (US$1.86 billion).

Community-based tourism also helped Đồng Tháp rank number three in the number of tourists in the Mekong Delta region, Tuyên added. — VNS