According to Le Dinh Quyet, Deputy Head of the Office of the Southern Region’s Hydrology Meteorology Forecasting Station, the downpour lasted for over three hours causing traffic chaos and submerged streets under the influences of a low-pressure trough connecting with a low cyclone in the eastern Philippines along with intensifying of the southwest monsoon. It is expected that Ho Chi Minh City will continue to suffer from showers, and moderate to heavy rains from this evening throughout August 21. At nearly 5 p.m., many streets including Quoc Huong, Le Van Viet and Do Xuan Hop in Thu Duc City were submerged after rain. Vehicles lined up through the areas. By 5:30 p.m., districts of Tan Binh and Binh Thanh recorded intensive rainfalls between 85 mm and 102 mm. Currently, Ho Chi Minh City has 30 rain-induced submerged areas. Some photos feature traffic chaos and submerged streets in HCMC. By SGGP- Translated by Huyen Huong … [Read more...] about Torrential rain causes traffic chaos, flooding in HCMC
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Saigon traffic descends into chaos after year’s heaviest downpour
It began to rain around 3 p.m., and roads in several districts were inundated soon after. The heavy rain knocked open a manhole cover at the intersection of Tran Hung Dao and Huynh Minh Dat streets in District 5, causing floodwaters to form a whirlpool . A motorcyclist who inadvertently drove through the flooded manhole was knocked over but people in the area rushed to help. Thu Phuong, a 56-year-old woman selling refreshments near the intersection, said it wasn’t the first time that the manhole had been lifted up by heavy rain. "Many people from the drainage company have come to fix it. However, it still gets pushed open by the force of water pressure and becomes extremely dangerous for people driving by," she said. Pedestrians cross a flooded section of Bui Vien Street in District 1. Cars turned on their headlights after it became dark and visibility became poor. … [Read more...] about Saigon traffic descends into chaos after year’s heaviest downpour
Vietnam, Qatar mutually waive visas for diplomatic, official passport holders
Vietnam and Qatar yesterday signed an agreement on visa exemption for their diplomatic and official passport holders. Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bùi Thanh Sơn and his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani sign the agreement on August 14. Photo baoquocte.vn The agreement was signed during talks yesterday between Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bùi Thanh Sơn and his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani during the latter’s visit to Vietnam. Minister Sơn emphasised that the visit, the first of its kind by the Qatari minister, is an important milestone in the bilateral relations between the two countries, especially as the two have recently successfully organised the second political consultation between the two foreign ministries and will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2023. The two ministers highlighted the need to … [Read more...] about Vietnam, Qatar mutually waive visas for diplomatic, official passport holders
Hospitals run out of beds as respiratory diseases spike among children in Hanoi, Saigon
Many hospitals in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have run out of beds as an increasing number of children have been infected with various respiratory diseases like COVID-19, influenza, bronchitis, and pneumonia. Nguyen Thanh Nam, director of the Pediatric Center of Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi, said that the facility has been providing treatment for about 130 young patients with respiratory diseases such as flu, nasopharyngitis, pharyngitis, bronchitis, and pneumonia over the past month. The same situation was recorded at the Vietnam National Children's Hospital and National Hospital of Tropical Diseases in the capital city. On Saturday, P.V.Q. took his one-year-old son to a private hospital, where the boy was diagnosed with pneumonia. The young patient needed hospital admission but the infirmary had already run out of beds. Q. then brought the boy to the Vietnam National Children's Hospital, but the facility was also full of patients. In Ho Chi Minh City, Children’s Hospital 1, … [Read more...] about Hospitals run out of beds as respiratory diseases spike among children in Hanoi, Saigon
China Homelife exhibition to open in Viet Nam for the first time
Nguyen Ba Vinh, director of Minh Vi Exhibition and Advertisement Services Co., Ltd, introduces China Homelife Vietnam 2022 at a press briefing in HCM City last Friday. — VNS Photo China Homelife, a specialised trade show for Chinese products, will be held for the first time in Viet Nam at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre from August 29 to 31. Nguyen Ba Vinh, director of Minh Vi Exhibition and Advertisement Services Co, Ltd (VEAS), said China Homelife Vietnam 2022 has attracted the participation of more than 160 leading Chinese manufacturers and suppliers in over 200 booths, displaying products in four main categories: household appliances, consumer electronics, textiles and garments, and building materials-interior. Vinh said currently China is implementing a ‘zero COVID policy’, so the exhibition will be held in a hybrid format. Chinese exhibitors will still showcase their latest products onsite for customers to experience and feel the new trends, and at the same … [Read more...] about China Homelife exhibition to open in Viet Nam for the first time
QR payments help small vendors
A customer pays at a coffee shop using a QR code. — VNS Photo Doan Tung Despite having no small cash in his pocket, Hoang Duong can still pay for his cup of tea to a vendor in Quan Thanh street, Ha Noi, by scanning a QR code from his smartphone even though the cost is only VND3,000 (US$0.13). The vendor Nguyen Thuy Hang, 44, said: “I allow all payment of cash, transfer or scanning QR code.” Hang told Viet Nam News: “It helps me a lot in collecting small money. Sometimes, customers don’t have small money, and I also don’t have enough money to return their big cash. I often tell them to pay next time, but both of us forget about it, and I lose money as a result.” “Now, I select from VND1,000 with the code. I just print it on the coffee box, and customers just need to scan it easily. They don’t need to ask my bank account or anything.” Meanwhile, Hoang Duong, the payer, said: “I am so lucky, my wife helped me install an e-wallet recently. If not, I would need to go to another … [Read more...] about QR payments help small vendors