reader Posted January 4, 2021 Posted January 4, 2021 From Bangkok Post HANOI: Vietnam will start building the first phase of what will become its largest airport near its economic hub Ho Chi Minh City on Tuesday, as it seeks to speed up public investment to shore up economic growth amid the coronavirus pandemic. The first phase of the Long Thanh airport in Dong Nai province will cost US$4.66 billion and will be operational from 2025, the government said in a statement on its website. It will include a 4 kilometre runway, a terminal and related facilities capable of serving 25 million passengers and handling 1.2 million tonnes of cargo a year, it said. The entire project, when fully operational, would be able to serve 100 million passengers a year and would cost $16 billion to build, according to the government. It would become a key transit hub for international passengers, the government said, adding that the existing Tan Son Nhat airport nearby in Ho Chi Minh City, which has been overloaded since 2015, will be used as a domestic airport. ======================================================= From Channel News Asia Vietnam to buy AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, in talks with other producers HANOI: Vietnam has agreed to buy 30 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by AstraZeneca, the government said on Monday (Jan 4), adding that authorities are also seeking to purchase vaccines from other sources, including Pfizer. The Southeast Asian country has previously agreed to get a Russian vaccine though also said it would not rush to secure vaccine deals, citing the potential for high financial costs and after managing to contain its coronavirus outbreaks to only 1,494 cases, with 35 deaths. The AstraZeneca and Oxford University COVID-19 vaccine is cheaper than some others and can be stored at fridge temperature, which makes it easier to transport and use, particularly in developing countries. "We've already signed an agreement to guarantee the AstraZeneca vaccine for 15 million people, which is equivalent to 30 million doses," deputy health minister Truong Quoc Cuong told a government meeting. Vietnam is also in talks to purchase vaccines from Pfizer, Russia's Sputnik V and China, the deputy minister said. Cuong did not name the Chinese vaccine candidate. Cuong also said Vietnam would be eligible to buy vaccines from the World Health Organization's COVAX programme to cover 16 per cent, or 15.6 million of its almost 98 million population, but said more information would be available in the first quarter. Vietnam, which has yet to give formal regulatory approval to any vaccine, is also developing vaccines domestically. ======================================================================== From Bangkok Post Vietnam buys Indian rice for first time in decades MUMBAI/HANOI: Vietnam, the world's third biggest exporter of rice, has started buying the grain from rival India for the first time in decades after local prices jumped to their highest in nine years amid limited domestic supplies, four industry officials told Reuters. The purchases underscore tightening supplies in Asia, which could lift rice prices in 2021 and even force traditional buyers of rice from Thailand and Vietnam to switch to India - the world's biggest exporter of the grain. Indian traders have contracted to export 70,000 tonnes of 100% broken rice for January and February shipments at around $310 per tonne on a free-on-board (FOB) basis, the industry officials say. Vietnam's 5% broken rice is offered around $500-$505 per tonne, significantly higher compared to Indian prices of $381-$387. "Rice imported from India is mainly used for producing animal feeds and for breweries," said a rice trader based in Ho Chi Minh City. Dwindling supplies and continued Philippine buying lifted Vietnamese rice export prices to a fresh nine-year high. vinapu 1 Quote
vinapu Posted January 4, 2021 Posted January 4, 2021 2 hours ago, reader said: Vietnam will start building the first phase of what will become its largest airport I'm glad to learn that Vietnamese government is sharing my optimism about tourism resurrection after pandemic splinter1949 and reader 2 Quote
