#Vietnam - Southeast Asia's longest cross-sea bridge to open shortly

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The 5.4-km long bridge in Hai Phong to undergo tests on May 14. 

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 The Tan Vu - Lach Huyen Bridge, the longest cross-sea bridge in Southeast Asia, will undergo a test run to check loading capacity on May 14, according to a report from local media.
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The 5.4-km long bridge is part of the Tan Vu - Lach Huyen Highway project, which connects developing areas in the east of the northern port city of Hai Phong with Lach Huyen Port in the island district of Cat Hai and the Hanoi - Hai Phong Highway.
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A source from the management board was quoted by the Vietnam News Agency as saying that 99.8 per cent of the work has been completed on the bridge section built by Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Construction Co. and Vietnam’s Civil Engineering Construction Corporation No.4 (Cienco 4). 

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Once the bridge is operational, traveling from Hai Phong city to Cat Hai Island will take about five minutes, compared to hours on ferries.
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The Tan Vu - Lach Huyen Highway project has total investment of almost VND11.85 trillion ($525.3 million), the majority of which comes from Japanese official development assistance. Construction began in May 2014 and was scheduled to be completed this month.
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The project is expected to form a complete transport network facilitating transportation to Lach Huyen International Port, thereby attracting investment to Hai Phong. 

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Source - http://vneconomictimes.com/

Cambodia - Uber gears up to enter market

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Representatives from global ride-hailing behemoth Uber confirmed the company’s interest in starting operations in Cambodia during a meeting this week with Transportation Minister Sun Chanthol, according to one of the minister’s aides.

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Ken Ratha, deputy director of cabinet of the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation (MPWT), told The Post yesterday that Uber executives visited the ministry on Tuesday to explain their business model to the minister and Phnom Penh municipal officials.

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“They are interested in our market so they came to seek the minister’s support by explaining Uber’s business model to him,” he said. “The minister showed his strong support for the company’s project and encouraged more discussions to elaborate on its operating plan.”

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Ratha confirmed that no agreement has been signed yet between the government and Uber, and that discussions are still at an early stage. He added that officials are now giving thought on how to regulate the ride-sharing model in Cambodia.

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“Uber’s business model is new so the minister and relevant stakeholders are currently thinking about which laws and regulations would apply to the company as well as how to best help their activity in Cambodia,” he said. 

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“There are no details right now on how Uber’s entrance to the market will affect the current taxi and transport industries. But so far those involved in the discussion have shown their interest to implement this smart business concept, with the hope that it will help to reduce traffic congestion and accidents.”

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Uber representatives did not respond to press inquiries yesterday, though have previously confirmed to The Post that the company is actively exploring the possibility of entering the Cambodian market.

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US-based Uber operates ride-hailing services in over 570 cities worldwide, pairing passengers and drivers using the company’s smartphone app. The company has faced regulatory hurdles in many markets, including Thailand, where the company’s services were banned and drivers are liable to be fined.

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In some markets it has also faced a backlash from metered taxi drivers, who accuse it of unfairly stealing their business.

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Sambath Sothea, director of local taxi operator Taxi Rouge, which operates a fleet of 110 taxis, said Uber’s entrance into the Cambodian market could ratchet up the level of competition in the sector. 

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However, he said he welcomed new market entrants and the increased competition, though he held some concerns that Uber’s as-yet unregulated ride-hailing model could lead to unfair competition due to its lower operational costs. 

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“We are a fully regulated operator and we will welcome any newcomers who are also fully compliant with regulation,” he said. 

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“We urge the authorities to maintain solid control over who can enter the market and make sure that Uber fully complies with the law in order to create fair competition. In that scenario we would be happy to welcome them in the country.”

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Sothea also took aim at the capital’s existing taxi companies, pointing out that many operate without licences and do not pay taxes, unfairly lowering their operation costs compared to legitimate operators. He added that unlicensed companies sometimes engage in price-gouging practices to gain a greater market share, creating a negative image that affects the entire industry.

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Uber’s absence from Cambodia has created room for home-grown ride-hailing services to blossom. The largest of these, Exnet Taxi, has enjoyed strong growth since its launch in June. Within two months, the company reported it had registered 60 freelance drivers to the application. That number has now grown to 600 drivers who undertake around 2,000 rides a month, according to Hor Daluch, the company’s owner.

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“Now it is much more convenient to use the app than before because the passengers can get a ride in around five minutes, while before it took a lot more time due to the lower number of drivers,” he said.

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Daluch said he was not concerned with Uber’s potential entrance in Cambodia, suggesting the company might end up judging Phnom Penh to be too small of a market for its business.

“Because Uber is a big company, maybe the demand in Phnom Penh might not be enough for them here compared to other cities in Vietnam or Thailand,” he said.

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Authors: Matthieu de Gaudemar and Hor Kimsay

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Thai man travels 500,000km across Thailand to create Google Street View

Google has mapped out 150 new places of interest in Thailand with the help of Thai triathlete Panupong Luangsa-ard.  

Panupong travelled an estimated 500,000 km using various transportation methods, and walked about 500 km of it.

"While collecting just the tea plantations and strawberry fields, he burned through four pairs of shoes," a Google rep said.

The new places include the Sukhothai Historical Park and ancient temples at Ayutthaya.

Nestled in northern Thailand, Sukhothai Historical Park was once the capital of ancient Siam. Sukhothai means “dawn of happiness”, and now you too can explore this happy place from the palm of your hand with Google Maps. Today, the park joins over 150 new places and national treasures that are now available in 360-degree panoramic imagery on Google Street View.

From ancient temples, to tropical beaches, to strawberry plantations and rice terraces, this new Street View collection showcases the beauty and diversity of The Kingdom. Our intrepid trekker walked 500 kilometers with a heavy backpack across the length and breadth of the country to capture images of places like this:

Temple visits are a must for any visitor to Thailand.
Now you can wander virtually through the ruins of the Chai Watthanaram Temple and pay your virtual respects to Buddha peaking out from behind ancient tree roots at the Ayutthaya Historical Park. See ancient Khmer ruins at Phanom Rung National Park, or get up close to the intricate Buddhist and Hindu sculptures at the The Sanctuary of Truth — a temple made entirely of wood, just outside Bangkok.

Or take a whirlwind tour around Thailand’s most famous monuments and architectural attractions all in one place at Ancient Siam. Dubbed the world's largest outdoor museum, the park is shaped like Thailand and is home to monuments of The Old Market Town and The Pavilion of the Enlightened. 

Source: Coconuts & GoogleBlog

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Bangkok - All-in-one BTS, MRT ‘Spider card’ to launch in August

The dream of zipping in and out of the BTS and MRT with one single travelcard will soon come true for Bangkokians as officials plan to launch a common ticketing system in August.

Introduced under the name "mangmoom” card or "spider” card in English, the universal ticket can be used as payment for several public transportation systems including the BTS, MRT, Airport Rail Link, buses and also for the expressways and motorway.

Why mangmoom? Just like spiders that spin webs to go everywhere, this ticket can be used to travel anywhere.

 

The THB338 million project will be submitted to the cabinet for approval this month, according to Padej Praditpetch, director of Thai Common Ticket Office.

“In the next six months, we will test the new common ticketing system,” Padej said. “The service will be launched in August.”

While the ticketing systems for the operating train stations and tollways will need to be replaced, the new batch of NGV buses and the future BTS Purple Line will be launched ready to use the mangmoom card.

Padej expects the ticketing system to be fully operational by the end of this year, Prachachart reported. 

The integrated ticketing system that will let you zip in and out of the BTS and MRT with ease will be called the Mangmoom (Spider) Card.

The Transport Ministry’s Thai Common Ticket Office revealed the winning design by Wanthicha Aneksittisan yesterday and to be he honest it looks like the calcified tentacles of a spider -- but whatever, as long as it’s convenient, we’ll use it.

Why Mangmoom, you ask? Just like spiders that spin webs to go everywhere, this uni-ticket can be used to go anywhere in Bangkok using the BTS and MRT by August and, soon, the Airport Link, buses, expressways, boats, vans and taxis.

The Spider Card also be used at shops and services.

Source: Coconuts 

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