News: 30 August 2023

An unexpected hello from Chiang Mai. I was ready to go to Vietnam last week, but my visa wasn’t processed in time. The good news is that Vietnam has reinstated the 3-month visa. The bad news is they launched a new visa website that is still buggy. This unwieldy online process has caused problems for other visa applicants as well.

I applied online, but my visa returned saying that my name was incorrect. It asked for “Given Name” but maybe they wanted given and middle name, so I tried that combination. That was also rejected. Each rejection puts you back in the 3-day queue time, so I was going to miss my flight at this point. I considered a same-day visa agent, but they weren’t clear on if they were using the same visa application, and I would have paid more money to still be sweating it out waiting for an answer.

I took the easier option of booking a flight to Thailand. Luckily I had nothing else booked in Vietnam, though my cheap non-refundable CGK-SGN ticket turned into a donation to VietJet Air (you’re welcome, Nguyễn Thị Phương Thảo).

My Vietnam visa was approved today with the original name combination (first and last only) so I have no idea why this happened. If you are applying for a Vietnam visa then allow 2 weeks!

I was going to spend the rest of the year between Thailand and Vietnam, so this has just reversed the order somewhat. I will note that being a nomad allowed me to be this flexible. I also note that my Vietnamese and Indonesian friends are put through a far more arduous process of applying for a visa to my homeland in Australia.

The one downside of this rescheduling is that I missed the first full test run of the HCMC Metro Line 1. I can’t believe this line that has taken over 10 years to build is almost ready. I plan to be there during the opening week, but after missing the high-speed rail and light rail openings in Jakarta, I am done with trying to time my travels to openings. I’m still holding out for the opening of the Thailand-Cambodia and Thailand-Laos cross-border railways. If the Nong Khai - Vientiane service opens, I might be able to get back to Vietnam via this new Vientiane - Saigon flight.

I’m now in work mode for the next month as I have a month’s worth of content from Jakarta alone. I have some map ideas to work on, and I will work on the jobs board.

Trip report

• Trip Report: Jakarta construction update 

Part 1: A summary of the big construction projects in the city that, contrary to media reports, is not being abandoned. Update for paid subscribers. Subscribe to support the site.

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News

🇰🇭 Cambodia

• Construction of new lightweight railway in Kandal discussed

• Siem Reap to build light rail line from Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport to Siem Reap city

• New concession in Botum Sakor National Park handed to Cambodia’s Royal Group

🇮🇩 Indonesia

• LRT Jabodebek officially inaugurated, then LRT Jabodebek breaks down, forces passengers to be evacuated

• Jokowi to board the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train in a trial in September

• Mistargeted subsidy”The Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway (HSR) is not the type of project that deserves a subsidy regardless of the government’s concern that it may be difficult to attract enough ridership to keep the business alive and sustainable.”

• Jokowi Urges Jakarta to Expedite EV Transition to Curb Air Pollution

• Agency prescribes spraying water from buildings to curb pollution

• Jakarta’s only regency mulls takeover of artificial islets

• Indonesia is moving its capital from Jakarta to Nusantara. Here’s why it won’t be so easy

• Ministerial houses in Nusantara to become habitable by mid-2024: govt

• You Shall Not Pass: Cars barred from Umalas-Berawa shortcut in bid to tackle congestion

🇱🇦 Laos

• Laos, Malaysia ink deal to enhance cross-railway cooperation

• Laos chairs ASEAN meeting on commitment to tackling transboundary haze

🇲🇾 Malaysia

• Special financial zone to be created in Forest City 

• China’s Country Garden says $100 billion Malaysia project on track 

Also Country Garden: Country Garden's cash flow in focus as troubled firm set to report $7.5 bln loss

• ECRL hits new milestone as tunnel excavation completed from Kelantan to Pahang

• Loke: High development potential for railway land in six states

• Malaysia scraps Tioman island airport plan amid environmental concerns

• Significant progress in Pan Borneo highway project

🇵🇭 Philippines

• Japan to finance more railway projects in the Philippines—DOTr

• Public bidding for NAIA rehabilitation now open

• San Miguel, the P1.5-T conglomerate, moves to solve Bulacan, Pampanga flooding

• Rep. Libanan seeks inclusion of Luzon-Visayas crossing bridge in Mega Bridge Program

🇸🇬 Singapore

• Couchfish: Left Guessing

“The Marina Bay Sands meets sustainability.”

• SLA, URA call new tender to rejuvenate former Bukit Timah Fire Station after consortium pulls out

🇹🇭 Thailand

• There were two conflicting news reports about Chiang Mai airports last week:

AOT launches Chiang Mai airport expansion to serve 20m passengers in a decade

“Airports of Thailand Plc (AOT) on Thursday officially launched its 10-year development project of Chiang Mai International Airport, aiming to improve its capacity to serve 20 million passengers per year by 2033.”

And Pheu Thai touts new airports for Chiang Mai, Phuket

The current airport is going ahead with a massive expansion project, yet the new government also wants to go ahead with the Second Chiang Mai Airport project. I have already written about the madness of second airports and how the money should be put towards a high-speed railway instead.

• Srettha confirms planned Phang Nga airport would be for large aircraft

• Phase 2 of Sino-Thai rail project set for cabinet scrutiny

• Problematic mass transit projects await new government’s solutions

• Pheu Thai’s challenge to reduce electric train fares to 20 baht max

• 1,000 households complain about three condo projects in Bangkok

• Bangkok reports progress on landscape along Phadung Krung Kasem Canal

🇻🇳 Vietnam

• HCM City's metro line No.1 completes full-line trial run for first time

• Entire cleared site handed over for 1st phase of Long Thanh airport project in southern Vietnam

• After 2 decades of construction, Ho Chi Minh City bridge to be opened to traffic next week

• Eight elevated stations of Nhon-Hanoi Station metro line completed

• 17 Singapore-invested industrial parks planned for Vietnam

• Nha Trang environment projects stuck as people reluctant to part with land

• 12 illegal villas to be pulled down in Nha Trang

• Phu Quoc chairman rebuked for land management violations

“The inspectors discovered 2,300 cases of violation including illegal occupation of state and forest lands.”

If you are wondering how there could be 2,300 cases, here is my trip report from 2021.