New year

India on Tuesday declared a new coronavirus variant to be of concern, and said nearly two dozen cases had been detected in three states. The variant, identified locally as "Delta plus", was found in 16 cases in the state of Maharashtra, Federal Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan told a news conference. The ministry said Delta plus showed increased transmissibility and advised states to increase testing. On Monday, India vaccinated a record 8.6 million people as it began offering free shots to all adults, but experts doubted it could maintain that pace. "This is clearly not sustainable," Chandrakant Lahariya, an expert in public policy and health systems, told Reuters. "With such one-day drives, many states have consumed most of their current vaccine stocks, which will affect the vaccination in days to follow." With the currently projected vaccine supply for the next few months, the maximum daily achievable rate is 4 to 5 million doses, Lahariya added. The effort has so … [Read more...] about India says new COVID variant is a concern

Vietnam has 85 new Covid-19 cases The Saigon Times Medical workers conduct Covid-19 tests. The Ministry of Health this evening, June 23 reported 85 fresh Covid-19 cases, including three imported cases in Tay Ninh and Kien Giang and 82 domestic ones - PHOTO: VNA HCMC - The Ministry of Health this evening, June 23 reported 85 fresh Covid-19 cases, including three imported cases in Tay Ninh and Kien Giang and 82 domestic ones, taking the country’s tally to 13,947. Among the latest locally-infected cases, HCMC accounted for the most, 61, followed by Danang City with six, Nghe An with five, Bac Ninh with four, Long An with three, Kien Giang with two and Bac Giang with one. Since the fourth wave of the coronavirus, which began on April 27, the country has reported 10,657 domestic cases, with 2,910 patients having recovered from the disease. In another development, the Tien Giang Center for Disease Control this afternoon reported six suspected Covid-19 cases in Tan … [Read more...] about Vietnam has 85 new Covid-19 cases

An exhibition on the national archive on Lunar New Year (Tet) Festival held during Tet in 2021 (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - The Southeast Asia-Pacific Audiovisual Archive Association (SEAPAVAA) convened its 25th conference in both in-person and virtual forms in Hanoi on June 23 under the host of the Vietnam Film Institution . Opening the event, Karen Chan, President of the SEAPAVAA said that 2020-2021 is a tough period for archiving and heritage agencies due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She noted that the current unprecedented challenges have posed impacts on all fields in the global scale, with archiving collections becoming a source of inspiration and drawing more attention. The changing environment has forced people working in archiving sector to work harder to keep memories for future generations and create an important resource as well as a source of hope to overcome the current hard time, she added. Addressing the event, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism … [Read more...] about Vietnam hosts regional audiovisual archive association’s 25th conference

Night tour to Thang Long Imperial Citadel (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The number of tourists to Hanoi in the first half of 2021 is estimated at 2.9 million, down 25 percent year-on-year, according to the municipal Tourism Department. The city has earned only 8.1 trillion VND (352.6 million USD) from tourism services, a year-on-year decrease of 57 percent. Currently, Vietnam has not yet opened its doors to international tourists. The number of foreigners coming to Hanoi during this time is modest, mainly experts and workers staying in Vietnam. Therefore, the capital city’s tourism industry has actively restructured new tourism products with a view to better serving domestic tourists , such as a night tour to decipher Thang Long Imperial Citadel – a UNESCO-recognised world cultural heritage site, a folk experience tour to the Museum of Ethnology, or a night tour to the Hoa Lo prison relic site. The city is designing and making a system of tourist signs, logos … [Read more...] about Hanoi welcomes 2.9 million visitors in first half 2021

Tax authorities said they would review the roadmap of taxation collection and pilot tax withholding at some e-commerce sites. A new circular released by the Vietnamese Ministry of Finance has been criticized for affecting the operation of e-commerce platforms and their hundreds of thousands of sellers. Under Circular No. 40, which will take effect on August 1, e-commerce platforms are required to declare and pay tax on behalf of third-party sellers on the platforms. Sendo said the application of the Circular will require a team of tax professionals to classify taxable revenue and tax rates applied. Photo: Grab The circular on value-added tax, personal income tax, and tax administration for business households and individuals are expected to collect tax from some people who obtain income on electronic commerce platforms but for years have not paid taxes. The tax authorities have asked e-commerce and delivery companies to take responsibility for the tax … [Read more...] about Would withholding tax on e-commerce be possible?

Phu Quoc Island is a popular tourist destination in summer. It has the most beautiful beaches in Vietnam. There you can also sample delicious seafood. Phu Quoc Island in Kien Giang province is Vietnam’s largest island. It is blessed with beautiful scenery and rich natural resources. Visitors to Phu Quoc love its peaceful sea and long sandy beaches which distinguish it from other seaside resorts like Nha Trang and Da Nang. Bella, a tourist from Switzerland said that shelike Phu Quoc very much because people are very friendly and the island is beautiful. Beautiful pristine beach Most hotels and resorts in Phu Quoc are located along Bai Dai, or Long Beach, where the sea is as blue as sapphire and nature is unspoiled. The ABC News selected Bai Dai beach in Phu Quoc as one of the world’s 5 most beautiful and clean beaches. Its “Hidden beaches” list called Bai Dai a heaven of sun, water, and peaceful nature. Bai Sao, or Star Beach on the island’s southeast … [Read more...] about Phu Quoc Island: a popular destination in summer