 Hanoi allows people to do outdoor exercises after two months of lockdown. (photo: qdnd.vn) |
B: On Tuesday new infections fell to 4,600, less than half of Monday’s figure. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s worst epidemic hotspot, confirmed a record low of 787 cases.
A: Because the number of new cases and deaths has begun to drop, Ho Chi Minh City will gradually ease its lockdown in some areas. More than 95 per cent of adults aged 18 and above in Ho Chi Minh City have received at least one vaccine dose and 33 per cent are fully vaccinated.
B: Reopening of businesses is being piloted in District 7, Cu Chi, and Can Gio district, which are considered “safe areas”. General hospitals, which were transformed into COVID-19 treatment hospitals, have gone back to normal functioning and are receiving patients with other diseases.
A: The Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Diseases has resumed outpatient services, and Children’s Hospital has reopened its surgery and vaccination departments. The Go Vap District Health Centerhas resumed immunization of children.
 People scan QR code when visiting a place. (photo: VOV) |
B: In Hanoi, people can go out for physical exercise after two months of lockdown. Outdoor activities, shopping malls, and retail outlets have been allowed to reopen as the COVID-19 situation in the capital is brought under control. Gatherings of less than 10 people are permitted.
A: However, restaurants and other food and drink establishments can only offer take-away services. People are advised to continueto follow pandemic preventive measures set by the Ministry of Health.
B: The streets are crowded again. Social activities have resumed. We feel quite relieved that the pandemic has been brought under control.
A: 14 provinces and cities have reported no coronavirus infections for two weeks. Ha Long city has reopened public beaches, sport clubs, gyms, billiard halls, and yoga and fitness facilities, and permitted activities to celebratethe Mid-Autumn Festival last week.
B: Laotian listener Davon Chanthabun says he heard that Phu Quoc island will welcome domestic and foreign tourists starting in October. He asked: “What are the rulesfor foreign tourists?”
 A corner of Phu Quoc island (photo: viettourist) |
A: The Vietnamese Prime Minister has agreed to pilot visits to Phu Quoc by foreign tourists with vaccine passports. Phu Quoc, one of eight "green zones" in Kien Giang province, is scheduled to complete 2-dose vaccination of all island residents 18 or older by the end of October.
B: Under the plan that will take effect once the vaccination program is complete, tourists must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have a certificate of recovery from COVID-19 validated by an authorised agency in Vietnam.
A: They must have received their second vaccine dose at least 14 days, but no more than 12 months, prior to their date of arrival. For those who have recovered from COVID-19, the date of their hospital discharge must be no more than 12 months prior to their date of arrival. Travelers must take an RT-PCR test for COVID-19 no more than 72 hours prior to their departure, and a negative test result must be certified in English by authorities in the country that conducted the test.
B: Phu Quoc will only receive tourists who have registered to join a package tour offered by a travel agency. Arriving visitors will be transported by pre-arranged transportation from the airport to wherever they will be staying on the island. Two high-end resorts have registered to host foreign tourists – the Grand World near the north end of the island and the Sun Grand City near the south end.
 Grand World complex on Phu Quoc island |
A: We hope the pandemic will be completely contained soon and we can travel again after months of being cooped up at home. VOV will be introducing some interesting places for you to visit when you finally have a chance to come to Vietnam.
B: Fachri of Pekan Baru, Indonesia, asked: “How many national parks are there in Vietnam and which are the most famous?”
A: Vietnam has 34 national parks, from itsnorthern border to its southernmost island. They were established to protect the flora and fauna and diverse natural ecosystems of Vietnam’s subtropical rain forests, sub-alpine subtropical forests, evergreen tropical forests, and coastal mangrove forests.
B: Cuc Phuong was Vietnam’s first national park. It was established in 1966 spanning three northern provinces – Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, and Hoa Binh. The latest national park to be established is Song Thanh, which was established in December, 2020, in Quang Nam province.
 Cuc Phuong national park |
A: Phong Nha-Ke Bang is Vietnam’s largest national park, while the mangrove forests of Xuan Thuy National Park cover the smallest area.
B: Phong Nha-Ke Bang is the only national park in Vietnam recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site (since 2003), but part of Bai Tu Long National Park is included in the World Heritage Site of Ha Long Bay.
A: Cat Tien National Park, one of the outstanding natural treasures of southern Vietnam, covers 72,000hectares. It comprises an amazingly biodiverse region of lowland tropical rainforests. The hiking, mountain-biking, and bird-watching here are some of the best in Vietnam.
B: Visitors rarely see the park's larger animals, like elephants and leopards, which live deep in the jungle, but you have a good chance of spotting primates. There’s also a wide varietyof bird life to see.
A: Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is a spectacular complex of jagged hills shrouded in rainforest,with rivers coursing through deep ravines. If you’re lucky enough to get authorization, you can explore the cathedral-like chambers of Son Doong cave, considered to be the world's largest cave. There are also multi-day tours of other caves in the park, including the vast Hang En, which has its own underground beach.
B: Phu Quoc National Park, which was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2010, covers more than half of Phu Quoc island. It spans 310,000 square metres ofmountains, evergreen forests, and unique flora and fauna.
A: While most of Phu Quoc National Park is strictly protected by the Vietnamese government for research purposes, travelers can visit the Primitive Forest Reserve which is accessible for camping, hiking, bird-watching, and photography. It’s easy to spot rare wildlife, such as long-tailed macaques, silver langurs, slow lories, otters, and hornbills.
 Inside Phu Quoc national park |
B: The last national park we’ll mention is Bach Ma, which contains the 1,450m peak of Bach Ma mountain. Bach Ma’scool climate attracted the French, who built over a hundred villas here, many of which were destroyed in later wars.
A: Bach Ma park stretches from the coast to the Annamite mountain range onthe border of Laos, and is easily explored as a day trip from the popular tourist towns of Hue andDa Nang.
B: More than 1400 species of plants, including rare ferns and orchids, have been discovered in Bach Ma, representing one-fifth of Vietnam’s flora. There are 130kinds of mammals and nine species of primates, including small numbers of the incrediblyrare red-shanked Douc langur.
A: All of Vietnam’s national parks are open to visitors. But you should always stick to the marked trails to avoid losing your way or disturbing the wild life.
B: If you have any questions about Vietnam before you come visit, VOV has the best answers.
A: Last week, we received reception reports from Shivendu Paul for 6 programs between September 19 and September25 on the frequency of 7220 khz. He listened to us on a Grundig YB 80 receiver inMurshidabad, West Bengal, India.His SINPO rating was 44344.
B: Siddhartha Bhattacharjee of India tuned in to VOV’s English program on September 23 on 7220 khz. He rated SIO at all 4s.
A: Zarif Khan of Pakistan told us that the frequency of 7220 khz was good, with a SINPO rating ofall 4s. He used a SONY ICF SW receiver.
B: Christer Brunström of Sweden said he tuned in to VOV on September 17 at 1600 UTC on 11885 khz. Signal strength, he said, was strong but the audio quality was still poor, although slightly better than in some previous broadcasts.
A: Thank you all for your feedback. We’ll forward your remarks to our technicians to see if they can improve the transmission.
B: We always welcome your feedback at: English Service, VOVWorld, the Voice of Vietnam, 45 Ba Trieu street, Hanoi, Vietnam. Or you can email us at: englishsection@vov.vn. You can also leave your comments on our website at www.vovworld.vnor on our Facebook fanpage at VOV5 English Service. Thank you all. Stay safe and healthy. Goodbye!