The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Cambodia has announced a reduction in the number of international entry points for electronic visa holders. Tourists who pre-apply for Cambodia e-visas online can now only use them to enter at five official immigration points.
Ho Chi Minh City’s début river ferry service departed on its maiden voyage on Monday morning. With a party of VIPS on board, the yellow liveried Saigon Waterbus sailed from Bach Dang Wharf on its 11km journey to the Thu Duc District area of the city.
Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport has staged an official ceremony to inaugurate the facility’s first automatic arrival gates for international passengers. The gates are being operated on a trial basis for Singaporean nationals only, but may be extended to include other nationalities in the future.
Ho Chi Minh City’s new pedestrian street market officially opened on Sunday evening. Bui Vien Street in the city’s Pham Ngu Lao tourist zone is now closed off to vehicular traffic every weekend evening from 19:00 to 02:00.
Budget carrier THAI Smile has confirmed flights from Bangkok to Luang Prabang will launch on the 1 October. The flights will operate four days a week in each direction and provide a seamless connection between the Thai capital and the UNESCO listed Lao heritage town.
Volunteer rescue and aid workers in Pranburi say holidaymakers should avoid swimming in the sea for the time being. Workers attached to the Sawang Phaepaisan Thammasathan Foundation say they treated eight people for jellyfish stings on Sunday.
Tickets for Bangkok’s very first craft beer festival have gone on sale. The three-day extravaganza for connoisseurs of fine beers will be staged at the city’s Oasis Creative Market on the first three evenings of September.
Malaysia’s civil aviation bureau says plans are afoot to increase and adjust the taxes passengers pay at public airports in the country. MAVCOM’s (Malaysia Aviation Commission) proposals are being finalised and are due to be debated in parliament in two months time.
Travelling in the State Railway of Thailand’s recently introduced VIP train carriages is going to cost more next week. The SRT’s deputy-governor, Thanongsak Pongprasert, said fares for travel in the state-of-the-art carriages would rise by up to 20 per cent effective on Monday 21 August.
The commander of Thailand’s Immigration Bureau says retired foreign nationals can now apply for 10-year visas. Natthathorn Prohsunthorn told media resources earlier this week retirees could now apply for the new visas-visa extensions at in-country immigration offices.
Last week saw the inauguration of a new flight route connecting central Vietnam and the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai. Vietnamese budget carrier Jetstar Pacific launched a twice weekly service last Friday which links the nation’s Quang Binh Province to the Rose of Thailand’s North.
Delegates from Thailand and Myanmar have marked the auspicious 20th birthday of a river bridge linking the two ASEAN nations. The ceremonies on Tuesday marked the official anniversary of the Moei River Friendship Bridge’s opening on 15 August 1997.
A heritage bridge spanning the Perfume River in Hue is to get a makeover to make it more conducive to 21st century tourism. The original Truong Tien Bridge dates from the French colonial era in the 1890s and is a 400-metre-long structure.
The Germany based Bombardier Transportation has won the contract to supply rolling stock for two new Bangkok monorail lines. The four-carriage trains will be utilised on the city’s Pink and Yellow lines when they are inaugurated in a few years time.
Last week saw the inauguration of a new AirAsia flight route which links Kuala Lumpur with a popular seaside town in Cambodia. Authorities at Sihanoukville Airport laid on a ceremony to welcome the début flight from the Malaysian capital.
The Immigration Department of Thailand has draughted in 200 extra officers to help out at Bangkok’s two airports. A department spokesperson says the additional officers should help cut queuing times for passengers at Don Mueang Airport and Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Thailand’s prime-minister presided over ceremonies to open a rail line in Bangkok which has been dubbed the missing link. Prayut Chan-o-cha looked on as the first official service connecting the city’s elevated Purple Line and the underground Blue Line departed from Taopoon Station.
Pattaya’s Khao Kheow Open Zoo has just inaugurated a brand new attraction zone. The Forest of Asia brings the woodlands and creatures of Asia together into one exciting and educational precinct.
Tomorrow is the 85th birthday of Thailand’s Queen Sirikit. Several ceremonies have been scheduled to take place on the Royal Plaza outside Dusit Palace so that Thais are able to pay homage to the queen.
Thailand’s Land Transport Department has announced trials on a long-term programme which will see Bangkok’s bus routes revamped and simplified. The month-long trial runs will begin on the 25 August and will see eight routes inaugurated.