AirAsia causes concern for Vietnam Airlines

AirAsia’s plan for a joint venture with a local Vietnam carrier has jolted a nervous Vietnam Airlines into action, urging the government this week to stop the move.

Last month, the Malaysian budget carrier purchased a 30 percent stake in Vietnam’s local VietJet Air. The carriers announced soon after joint venture plans for a new budget airline which was approved by the Ministry of Transport.
According to Thanh Nien Daily, VietJetAirAsia will operate both international and domestic flights starting May.

However, in a letter to Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Vietnam Airlines asked the government to prevent the venture from materialising.

The carrier said AirAsia’s stake in VietJet was only a ploy to enter the domestic market.

Vietnam Airlines said foreign carriers such as AirAsia and Jetstar were taking advantage of the government’s 30 percent cap on foreign ownership in a local airline.

It said the trend of foreign airlines coming into the country to purchase stakes in local carriers was bound to harm the local industry.

If the venture goes ahead, Vietjet AirAsia will compete directly with Jetstar Pacific, who has not raised any objection to the planned venture. Source ETB

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South Korea to fund Angkor road

PHNOM PENH (Cambodia) - South Korea has provided US$9.2 million (S$12.9 million) to Cambodia to build a new road that will circle the famed Angkor temple complex and reduce traffic in the area, officials said Monday.

The 21-kilometer road will be closed to trucks to reduce pollution, noise and vibrations that could damage the ancient ruins, said Soeung Kong, vice secretary-general of the Apsara Authority, the government agency that oversees the temples.

Construction will start this year and take three years to complete, he said. It will be the second road in the Angkor area funded by South Korea, connecting with existing roads to the north and northwest of the temples, said South Korean Embassy official Son Sungil. The first road extended south from the temple complex.

Tourism is a major foreign currency earner for cash-strapped Cambodia, which hosts nearly 1.5 million foreign tourists each year, mostly from South Korea, Japan and the United States. More than half of the tourists visit Angkor, a UNESCO World Heritage site in northwestern Siem Reap province.

The temples were built when Angkorian kings ruled over much of Southeast Asia between the 9th and 14th centuries.

Conservationists have long expressed concerns about tourism's impact. They say uncontrolled pumping of underground water to meet the rising demand of hotels and residents in the nearby town of Siem Reap may be destabilizing the earth beneath the temples. -- AP

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Mountain cycling along the Mekong Trail: a Carbon Free Travel Experience

Are you eco-traveler and want a friendly travel? If so, then try a carbon free travel experience along the Mekong Discovery Trail. Without harming the environment and gaining green house gas to the atmosphere, you can ride the mountain bike to see a magnificent landscape of the Mekong River. Along the way, you will immerse remote local livelihood lifestyle and also help improve their livelihood.

The unique experience and specialty of the mountain bike trail is that you will drive yourself through one of the Mekong Biodiversity Hot Spots where local people and non-government organization pay much attention on biological richness preservation. When you are on Mountain bike trail, be alerted to bring plenty of water (difficult to find at remote village), spare parts, first aid kid and sun protection lotion.

This mountain bike trail along Mekong Discovery Trail can be done at Kratie or Steung Treng Province. The mountain bike can be rented or purchased in Phnom Penh. Find the one that suit you and go on with a carbon-free travel experience that serves the environment and help improve remote livelihood where you reach.

More about Mountain cycling along the Mekong Trail: http://www.tourismindochina.com/cambodia/news/Mountain-cycling-along-the-Mekong-Trail:-a-Carbon-Free-Travel-Experience.html

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