Vietnam

Vietnam: Floods Wreak Havoc in Central Vietnam

Date: November 15th, 2007 |

Floods in central Vietnam killed at least 29 people and trapped some 3,000 tourists in the city of Hue, 2,500 of them foreign visitors. The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hoi An was inundated, with some 150 historic houses submerged. Rains let up and floodwaters began to recede, but more rain was forecast. Health officials [read more]

Vietnam: Volunteers to Protect Tourists; Ostrich Rides

Date: February 14th, 2006 |

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Tourism managers for Ho Chi Minh City have assigned a volunteer force of young people to protect tourists in key areas of the city. The youths, who must be high school graduates, able to speak English, and adept at martial arts, will work to protect tourists from theft and harassment from beggars and vendors. The [read more]

Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia

Date: May 17th, 2005 |

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Thailand and Vietnam have agreed to permit cars from each country to drive freely within their borders in a move both hope will increase tourism. Driving is done on the left side of the road in Thailand, and the right side in Vietnam. Cambodia closed its northern border with Thailand near the ancient temple site [read more]

Vietnam

Date: April 13th, 2004 |

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The Central Highlands have been sealed off by security officials following protests by ethnic minority Christians reminiscent of demonstrations in 2001 that produced similar actions. Some 1,000 people took to the streets in Buon Ma Thuot, the capital of Daklak province, to protest religious repression April 10, and dozens were injured and arrested in scuffles [read more]

Vietnam

Date: January 20th, 2004 |

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Bird flu has killed five people here, the only country where human infection has occurred despite infection in chickens in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. Authorities believe the disease is contracted through contact with droppings from infected birds. There have been no cases of human-to-human transmission. Millions of chickens have died of the disease or [read more]

Pacific Rim: Taiwan Earthquake Damages Undersea Cables

Date: January 3rd, 2007 |

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A 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck near Taiwan Dec. 26 and damaged undersea telecommunications cables, affecting internet, banking and telephone services around the Pacific Rim. Much of the service has been restored but repairs to the cables are expected to take as long as a month. Internet access may be slow or unavailable in so [read more]

Vietnam: Backpacker Street Now a Tourist Attraction

Date: July 23rd, 2005 |

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The Pham Ngu Lao backpacker street in district one of Ho Chi Minh City has long been a haven for young travelers, and now city officials are going to deem it a tourist attraction. The city tourism department is producing a map of the tourist quarter, and will include on it the street where travelers [read more]

Vietnam

Date: August 31st, 2004 |

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Three people died from bird flu in the past month, raising fears that a pandemic may be in the making. Last spring the disease resurfaced in Thailand, Malaysia and China as well as Vietnam, and the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control worry that the virus could mutate and spread from person [read more]

Vietnam

Date: March 3rd, 2004 |

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To avoid immigration hassles it�’s always better to get a visa in advance, but visas can now be obtained on arrival at two overland border crossings, Vinh Xuong (near Chau Doc) and Lao Cai. Visitors who choose to travel by river from Phnom Penh, Cambodia to Chau Doc can now get their visas o [read more]

Vietnam

Date: April 29th, 2003 |

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The World Health Organization (WHO) removed Vietnam from the list of SARS-affected areas April 28, the first country to successfully contain the SARS outbreak. WHO made the announcement after 20 consecutive days without a new case being diagnosed, twice the SARS incubation period. Both WHO and Vietnamese officials recognize that the country must remain vigilant [read more]