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Each week, we digest the most important stories from the capital, the rest of Vietnam and beyond, and summarise them in short paragraphs so you can easily keep up with current affairs.
Hanoi’s Worsening Air Pollution
IQAir AirVisual ranked Hanoi seventh in their 2019 World Air Quality Report. For the first time, Hanoi ranked worse than Beijing, while New Delhi had the worst average AQI among major cities in 2019. The Vietnamese capital’s average PM2.5 level hit 46.9 micrograms per cubic meter of air, a jump from 40.8 in 2018.
Covid-19 Latest
Vietnam Airlines and VietJet Air have suspended all flights between Vietnam and South Korea indefinitely as the Covid-19 outbreak worsens in the Northeast Asian country.
Vietnam hasn’t detected any new infections in nearly three weeks. Earlier this week, a Japanese man who transited through Tan Son Nhat International Airport on his way from Siem Reap to Nagoya tested positive for the virus upon returning to Japan. Six passengers from the flight left the airport, and officials in Saigon scrambled to find them. Five traveled on to other countries, while a Vietnamese national has been quarantined.
Also in Saigon, officials have proposed tax breaks for businesses working in tourism, as tourist arrivals have fallen dramatically amid the outbreak. In response to this development, Vinpearl has closed several of its resorts indefinitely due to low demand.
While organizers of the first Vietnam Formula One Grand Prix continue to say that the race will take place in Hanoi in early April, the country’s quarantine rules for Italian visitors will cause problems if the race happens. Ferrari, the most prestigious F1 team, is based in Italy, and its members would have to be quarantined for 14 days upon arrival.
Samsung Invests Even More
The South Korean electronics behemoth announced that it will build a research and development center in Hanoi. The US$220 million facility will be the company’s largest in Southeast Asia and is expected to open by the end of 2022 and eventually employ up to 3,000 people. Samsung is Vietnam’s largest single foreign investor, with over US$17 billion invested in the country.
New Flights to Germany
Bamboo Airways is launching direct flights from Hanoi and Saigon to Munich, Germany in July. The FLC Group-backed airline will fly twice a week from the southern city to Munich, and once weekly from the capital to Germany. Bamboo aims to operate 85 domestic and international routes by the end of 2020, up from 40.
Extra links:
[Video] Rescued Pangolin Gives Birth in Vietnamese Sanctuary. [Urbanist Hanoi]
Quarantine Cooking: Finding Relief From Coronavirus Anxiety in the Kitchen [New Yorker]
Dams, Sand, Rice: The Life and Possible Death of the Mekong Delta [Saigoneer]
Video of the Week:
