Improved healthcare services, especially for emergency treatments, have helped attract more foreign patients, including expatriates living and working in Việt Nam, travellers and visitors.— Photo soyte.hanoi.gov.vn HCM CITY — Improved healthcare services, especially for emergency treatments, have helped attract more foreign patients, including expatriates living and working in Việt Nam, travellers and visitors. In a recent case, a patient from Australia who collapsed at Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport on March 30 in HCM City because of sudden heart attack after the flight was brought to the City International Hospital in HCM City’s Bình Tân District for emergency treatment. His symptoms included dizziness, excessive sweating, fatigue and low blood pressure. After an examination and laboratory tests, the results showed that he had a complete heart block, right bundle-branch block, and other health problems. Much of his … [Read more...] about Improved healthcare services attract more foreign patients
Foreign travel health insurance
Travel insurance – the globetrotters’ amulet
Vietnam’s tourism and people in general suffered shocking news at the end of 2018 as a roadside bomb detonated near a bus as it crossed Al-Haram district, close to the well-known pyramids in Giza. The explosion killed three Vietnamese people and their Egyptian guide, while another 12 inflicted severe injuries. Shortly after the incident, Saigontourist Travel Service Company, the agency operating the Egypt tour, immediately worked with Bao Viet Insurance Corporation on the insurance benefits of the tourists. As announced by Bao Viet, those killed in the bomb attack will receive the maximum life insurance coverage amount of VND2.4 billion ($104,350), while the company will also support expenditure to complete procedures to take the bodies of the three victims home and organise funeral services. For the injured people receiving treatment in the North African country, the company will continue working with Egyptian hospitals to return them home as soon as possible. Each will be … [Read more...] about Travel insurance – the globetrotters’ amulet
Brokers lead Vietnamese workers into exile in foreign lands
Le Giang Lam On Taiwan’s Shifen Old Street, famous for its sky lanterns, I came across the sign "Viet Nam Quan," meaning a Vietnamese shop. The saleswoman there was from Ninh Binh, a province in the Red River Delta in northern Vietnam. She said she had come to Taiwan several years ago as a guest worker. She asked me about how much I had paid for a visa and the visa application procedure. "It was easy. I got my tourist visa for free through an online application and am allowed to stay for two weeks. The plane ticket and accommodation costs the same as a trip from Hanoi to Saigon," I told her. "Then you can come, find a job and then overstay, right?" she asked, but clammed up soon after. I didn't want to tell her that a Taiwanese tourist visa is only easy to get for someone who has got a U.S. or European visa before. After speaking to about 10 other Vietnamese workers in Taiwan, I understood more about why the conversation at the lantern street had been a bit awkward. For … [Read more...] about Brokers lead Vietnamese workers into exile in foreign lands
Tourism sector continues to grapple with swine flu – Tours – Travel
The Hanoitimes - With swine flu fears hitting tourism, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced a clutch of measures to address the problem at a press conference in Hanoi. Vu The Binh, head of the VNAT’s travel department, said they include flu-prevention measures by the Ministry of Health and exchange of information between tourist operators and their foreign counterparts about the status of the disease in Vietnam. The VNAT is encouraging companies to adopt initiatives like insurance for travelers. It will help tourism operators by updating its website with information about the pandemic and treatment in a manner that does not cause alarm. A VNAT official said only 2.2 million foreign travellers arrived in Vietnam in the first seven months, 18.7 percent lower than last year. But thanks to tourism stimulus policies and the “Impressive Vietnam” campaign, the number of domestic visitors has seen … [Read more...] about Tourism sector continues to grapple with swine flu – Tours – Travel
TRAVEL IN BRIEF 24/6
Students take part in Eco Learning programme Secondary school students from Hoi An and Duy Xuyen in Quang Nam Province will take part in an Eco Learning programme today at the My Son Sanctuary, recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. They will visit the site and learn about the variety of architectural designs of monuments built between the 7th and 13th centuries, also look at the cultural remains of the Cham Pa Kingdom and conservation efforts being made to preserve the site. An Eco Picture Diary Contest will also be organised for students to describe their learning experiences in pictures, aiming to stimulate their imaginations and creativity. Co-organised by Panasonic Vietnam and the UNESCO Office in Ha Noi, the programme aims to raise local residents' awareness of protecting their treasured heritage site that has been recognised as having Outstanding Universal Value on the World Heritage List since 1999. Additional flights will increase tourism in Mekong Delta In … [Read more...] about TRAVEL IN BRIEF 24/6