Commercial banks now, once again, attempt to collect fees for ATM cash withdrawals after their plan previously faced strong opposition from clients. The expected fee level is VND 1,000 per transaction. The time of application would be set up at a later date, depending on the approval by the State Bank of Vietnam.
A recent decision by the government to lift caps on air fares [on certain routes] provides more price choices and can change the habits of Vietnamese passengers during the Tet holidays, local airlines said.
Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh said solidarity was essential to overcoming challenges, at a festival in Ha Noi yesterday celebrating the Great National Solidarity.
Minimum salary will be increased from VND 540,000 (US $31.70) to VND 650,000 (US $38.20) per month by May 2009, according to the National Assembly session.
“As the petrol price has returned to the level of four months ago, the transport fee will also return to the level of four months ago,” said Nguyen Manh Hung, Chairman of the Vietnam Automobile Transport, right after the news about the VND 1,000 a litre petrol price decrease was announced on November 8.
The National Assembly on November 8 overwhelmingly passed a resolution on State budget estimates for 2009 that calls for reduction in spending amid global financial crisis.
The prolonged rains has caused a total lost of nearly VND 5.3 trillion, or US $331.25 million for Vietnam, including at least VND 3 trillion (US $187.5 million) for Hanoi, reported the Central Steering Board for Flood and Storm Control.
Floods and heavy rains had, by early morning of November 2, left at least 49 people dead in northern and central Vietnam, with the capital Hanoi reporting the highest dead toll at 18.
Prolonged heavy rainfall lasting from the morning of Oct. 30 to Oct. 31 caused deaths and flooding in a number of areas across Vietnam, submerging crops and roads, and resulting in serious traffic jams in northern localities.
A fire at Vietnam"s biggest airport closed its domestic terminal on Monday, the airport authority said. The blaze at Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City broke out early on Monday morning inside the terminal building.
Jetstar Pacific, Vietnam’s low-cost airline, on October 21 announced the changes to a plan to launch daily direct services from Ho Chi Minh City to Bangkok , Thailand and Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Vietnam will further closely monitor the milk market, improve milk testing system and swiftly restore the supply of safe milk products for consumers nationwide, a leading health official said on October 18.
