2017 easter orthodox

The latest draft of the country’s power development plan puts focus on renewable energy development – however, the Mekong Delta should see more attention in the development of renewables to protect its assets in the long run.

Mekong Delta long-term future relying on renewables, illustration photo

The latest draft of the National Power Development Plan 8 (PDP8) calculates with an expected commercial power capacity estimated at 491 billion kWh by 2030, and 877 billion kWh by 2045. To develop power capacity, the total installed power generation is planned to hit 137.2GW, contributed by 27 per cent coal-fired power, 21 per cent thermal gas, 18 per cent hydropower, and 29 per cent renewable energies, as well as 4 per cent imported energy by 2030.

By 2045, the capacity of installed power is planned to be around 276.7GW, supplied by 18 per cent coal thermal power, 24 per cent thermal gas, 9 per cent hydropower, and 44 per cent of renewable energies, as well as 2 per cent of imported energy.

“The PDP8 highlights the evolvement of renewables, in addition to hydropower, with a significant increase from 13 per cent in 2020 to nearly 30 per cent in 2030 and 44 per cent in 2045, while most other sources will be reduced,” said Le Anh Tuan, deputy director of Can Tho University’s Research Institute for Climate Change.

In the view of Tuan, the draft PDP8 is different in many ways to its predecessor, removing 5,000MW of coal thermal power and significantly raising the contribution ratio of renewable energies. However, Tuan also raised some issues like capital sources, the suitability of green finance solutions, and banking that are all also mentioned in the Politburo’s Resolution No.55-NQ/TW dated October 2, 2020 on the orientation of Vietnam’s National Energy Development Strategy until 2030 and outlook to 2045. It will be tough for coal power projects to mobilise capital in the future, because numerous global financial institutions are divesting from this sector.

Tuan also assessed that the draft PDP8 is more focused on environmental troubles and sustainable development. However, the plan still relies heavily on an old thinking focusing on coal-fired power, with new projects mainly expected to use imported coal.

Under the plan, three coal thermal power plants will be developed in the Mekong River Delta. A project in Hau Giang province and two in Soc Trang province are expected to generate around 5,000MW, which will significantly impact the environment of the region – one that is crucial for rice cultivation and aquaculture.

“Why don’t we focus on other energies that can replace coal? Vietnam is a promising land for wind and solar energy. We can even export power instead of importing from Laos and China as mentioned in the PDP8’s draft,” Tuan argued.

He explained that developing coal-fired power plants in this region stands in contrast to Resolution No.120/NQ-CP issued in 2017 on sustainable and climate-resilient development of the delta. “In this region, in addition to solar and wind power, biomass at small scale is quite suitable to develop, which would help the use of eco-friendly technologies and the reliance on coal thermal power,” Tuan suggested.

Tran Huu Hiep, former director of the Economics Department of the National Steering Committee for the Southwest Region, noted the role of the competitive power market and asked to remove the monopoly in this sector. “Developing coal thermal power is risky. Raising dependence on imported fuel like coal and gas will also bring risks for national energy security,” said Hiep. “Meanwhile, we have yet to make use of renewable energy potentials, and capital for this energy will be from many sources, including local and foreign investors.”

Hiep added that while the PDP8 should consider developing coal thermal power projects, especially in the next 10 years, there should also be a stronger focus on renewables like solar, wind, and biomass in the Mekong Delta.

Nguyen Ngoc Huy, senior consultant at Oxfam Vietnam, said that developing renewable energy in this region would pay attention to its characteristics. “Around 75 per cent of the region’s total power output serves aquaculture, while the remainder is spent for factories and consumption. Therefore, developing renewables in the delta will offer doubled benefits for both the energy sector and the region’s aquaculture and husbandry,” Huy said.

South Korean singer Han Sara will perform at the Korean Culture Day in the central province of Quang Nam. Photo courtesy of Korean Cultural Centre

The event will be held at the An Hoi Sculpture Garden, featuring an array of cultural performances, cuisine, and traditional arts of Korea and Hoi An.

“Vietnam and Korea are making our ‘family relationship’ better,” said South Korean ambassador Park Noh-wan.

“I’m glad to introduce Korean culture to people in Quang Nam. I hope this year’s event will bring the people of the two countries closer over the barriers of culture and language.”

Visitors will have the chance to experience Korean culture and cuisine from 3pm-6pm on April 10 and 11 including handicrafts, games and a lucky draw.

From 7pm to 9pm, music shows will entertain event goers with performances by Korean and Vietnamese artists.

Violinist JMI Ko is popular in Vietnam with her music video Xin Chào Việt Nam (Hello Vietnam) featuring beautiful landscapes including Hoi An.

She has been living and working in HCM City for ten years.

Singer Han Sara participated in Giọng Hát Việt (The Voice of Vietnam)’s season 4. Her songs are popular among young listeners.

The South Korean Embassy in Hanoi has cooperated with the People’s Committee of Quang Nam Province to host the National Taekwondo Clubs Championships – Korean Ambassador Cup 2021 from April 7 to 14.

The tournament is co-hosted by the Korean Cultural Centre in Vietnam with the support of the Vietnam Taekwondo Federation, the provincial Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism, and the People’s Committee of Hoi An with the participation of nearly 1,000 taekwondo athletes, coaches and staff.

The UNESCO-recognised world heritage Hoi An and the International Mask Arts & Culture Organisation and Andong City of South Korea inked an agreement to promote cultural exchanges, exhibitions and friendship visits from 2017.

It aimed to boost diplomatic ties between South Korea and Vietnam, as well as the central province of Quang Nam.

Hoi An is one of the most popular destinations in Vietnam, attracting a large number of visitors, especially South Korean tourists who are the top five sources of foreign visitors to Quang Nam.

VNS

HCM City needs new laws to protect heritage buildings Ho Chi Minh City’s 300-year History HCM City allocates millions for preservation of historic buildings

Speakers at a recent conference on preservation of the city’s built heritage held in HCM City. VNS Photo Bo Xuan Hiep

Speaking at a conference on architectural heritage held by Thanh Niên (Youth) newspaper recently, experts said the master plan must ensure balance between urbanisation and preservation of the city’s remaining heritage.

Nguyen Quang Thong, editor-in-chief of the newspaper, emphasised the great value that architectural heritage can bring to the city’s economy. “Our architectural legacy is a symbol here and around the world. Some of these have become national brands.”

According to Bui Ta Hoang Vu, director of the HCM City Tourism Department, architectural heritage greatly contributes to the city’s tourism industry. However, the number of tourism heritage sites in the city is a relatively modest 258, of which only 111 are potential tourist attractions.

The city has a total of 172 historic relics but only 30 per cent of them can be promoted as tourist attractions. Among the 10 must-see landmarks in the city are all historic buildings.

Economic value

Tran Van Khai, of the HCM City University of Architecture, said that most people were unaware of the economic value of built heritage.

Many foreign tourists believe HCM City today is not considered a city of culture or heritage. For them, the city is just a stopover.

Most city tours today include only a few attractions such as the Post Office, the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Independence Palace, Ben Thanh Market and the War Remnants Museum.

Architectural heritage must be credited for its potential economic value, they said.

In other countries, historic buildings are preserved for aesthetic reasons as well as for the huge economic benefits they offer.

Destruction of historic heritage could result in a drop in the number of cultural tourists who are believed to stay longer, take part in more cultural activities, and spend more money.

The number of tourists to the city has continued to increase annually, reaching 6.4 million in 2017, a rise of nearly 23 per cent over the previous year. However, the average visitor stay is only 2.6 days.

Worse still, only a small number of first-time visitors ever return to the city.

HCM City People’s Committee in District 1. VNA/VNS Photo Manh Linh

Recommendations

Nguyen Thi Hau, an archaeologist who is secretary general of HCM City History Science Association, told Việt Nam News: “The government, property developers, researchers and the entire community all play a decisive role in preserving the city’s architectural heritage.”

Architect Nguyen Hanh Nguyen, of the HCM City University of Architecture, said it was important to help the historic buildings’ owners understand the economic value of their properties so they will be willing to spend money to preserve them.

Architect Cao Thanh Nghiep, a member of the HCM City Architects Association, said that businesses can preserve and promote the value of a land lot where a built heritage is located.

Experts also recommended the city conduct a comprehensive inventory of the city’s historic buildings.

They said legal protection should be extended to all historic and architectural buildings, and that enforcement and punishment of violators should be strengthened.

In addition, the city should provide economic incentives for the conservation of privately owned historic buildings, to ensure owners have benefits when protecting the buildings.

HCM City has about 3,000 valuable old houses and villas that could be preserved properly, but are likely to be demolished, according to the Architecture Research Centre at the city’s Department of Planning and Architecture.

Of that number, nearly 1,300 houses were built before 1975. About 168 of them are under State management and receive funds from the city’s budget for repair and preservation.

However, only eight buildings remain in good conditions, according to the Urban Research and Development Centre.

Valuable old buildings, mostly built during the French colonial period, include the HCM City People’s Court (built in 1881), King’s Palace or Revolutionary Museum (1885), Majestic Hotel and Notre Dame Cathedral (1887), Sài Gòn Post Office (1886-1891), HCM City’s People’s Committee (1907), Opera House (1900) and Bến Thành Market (1912-1914).

Many colonial villas have been renovated and now house schools, restaurants and coffee shops, most of which are located in District 3 on Tu Xuong, Vo Van Tan, Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Le Quy Don and Tran Quoc Thao streets.

In recent years, however, many old houses and villas have been demolished or have fallen into disrepair.

A large number that are private properties have not been taken care of properly. Some of the villas are so dilapidated they are no longer habitable.

It is estimated that more than a third of the city’s historic buildings have been destroyed over the past two decades.

HCM City authorities are putting some 1,000 historic buildings into three classifications: class one (must be protected); class two (owner can build on the lot but cannot destroy the old building); and class three (can be demolished).

Experts say that people are not aware that when they destroy historic buildings they are in fact losing a potential economic value.

VNS

The traditional costumes have always contributed to honouring the country’s cultural identities. The men’s Ao Dai had once sunk into oblivion. However, today, Ao Dai for men is in the process of a renaissance, with the attention of the whole community.

An arduous journey

People who love traditional culture must not forget the image of Vietnamese Ambassador to the United Kingdom (UK) Tran Ngoc An presenting a letter of credentials to UK Queen Elizabeth II. He wore a blue Ao Dai with traditional patterns. That was a beautiful moment as Ambassador Tran Ngoc An selecteda Ao Dai to express Vietnamese traditional culture. Vietnamese Ambassador to India, Bhutan and Nepal Pham Sanh chau wore Ao Dai not only during diplomatic ceremonies but also at festivals and cultural events. He also mobilised the Embassy’s staff to wear Ao Dai regularly. Now all staff at the Vietnamese Embassy in India wear Ao Dai on three occasions each year including at Tet (Lunar New Year), National Holidays and the Vu Lan (a Buddhist holiday held annually on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month to express gratitude to mothers). Ambassador Chau has been called “The Ambassador of Ao Dai ”. The appearance of Ao Dai for men at diplomatic events has surprised many people because previously, few people thought this kind of traditional long dress could bring such elegance and honour to the national culture.

These beautiful images make us feel the revival of Ao Dai for men seems to have started. However, the return of men’s Ao Dai was not as easy as it seems. Writer and researcher Hoang Quoc Hai still remembers the time nearly 30 years ago when the Ministry of Culture and Information (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) invited experts to discuss national clothing. He said that none of the many invited cultural managers and experts could answer the question of what was the national uniform for men. For him, it is a cultural pain. He said the meeting between leaders of the Ministry of Culture and Information and experts did not bring about results as expected but it did create a start.

Many people started talking about a national dress that expresses the national identity firstly. Certainly, traditional Vietnamese clothing comes in a variety of styles for men and women. However, the traditional Ao Dai dress was considered the “prime candidate” for the national clothing of Vietnamese men. In the past, Ao Dai for men often appeared only on the stage or at festivals. But then, the Ao Dai for men gradually appeared more at weddings, fashion shows and cultural events. Images of the Ao Dai for men in use have been more frequent over the past ten years. There are more and more young people confidently wearing Ao Dai in their activities. Thua Thien Hue province has become the first locality encouraging male civil servants in the cultural sector to wear Ao Dai each Monday.

The journey of preserving and promoting the value of Ao Dai for men also featured the participation of many researchers, cultural experts and especially young people. Dinh Lang Viet (Vietnamese Communal House) Club is one group active in restoring the tradition of the men’s Ao Dai . Its members have always worn Ao Dai at cultural events. In 2017, the Ao Dai Ngu Than (five-flap long dress) Development Support Centre under the Dinh Lang Viet Club was formed. The club’s head Nguyen Duc Binh said that “Lord Nguyen Phuc Khoat laid the foundation for the birth and development of Ao Dai Ngu Than in 1744. The image of Ao Dai for men had faded since 1940s due to the influence of western culture. After 1954, Ao Dai for men only appeared on stage. Wars persisted continuously, so the image of Ao Dai was forgotten. In fact, in cultural and fashion festivals, many variations of Ao Dai sometimes lost the male visage of strength, sometimes looking like the traditional long dresses of other countries in the South Asia. Many people began to confuse the men’s Ao Dai with other outfits. This is the reason why the Dinh Lang Viet Club and many research groups and art experts started to rediscover the beauty of the men’s Ao Dai . Fortunately, there are still many documents and images related to the Ao Dai Ngu Than .

In addition to Dinh Lang Viet Club, many researchers and other traditional cultural clubs have conducted their own studies. Up to this point, the traditional Ao Dai for men has been “positioned” onspecial criteria. In addition to its distinguishing factors compared to the long dresses of other nations, Ao Dai for men has a distinctly profound significance. For example, the five flaps represent the four mothers and fathers as well as himself. Five buttons represent the five virtues of a gentleman.

Efforts to make Ao Dai closer to life

As a witness of the ups and downs of the men’s Ao Dai , writer Hoang Quoc Hai is happy to see its “renaissance”. He said that he has firm faith because there are many young people among the researchers and those who like wearing Ao Dai ngu than . In fact, in addition to Dinh Lang Viet Club, the Y Van Hien Club was a group of 9x young people who have made efforts to find a way back for the nation’s traditional costumes. Y Van Hien has become a reputable enterprise that specialises in providing traditional costumes for collectives and individuals including many cultural and diplomatic activists. Director of the Y Van Hien Company Nguyen Duc Loc said: “Looking back at the photos of Hanoians in the early twentieth century, we see that many Hanoi families wore traditional Ao Dai . The traditional Ao Dai for men overcomes many physical weaknesses while exuding an elegant elegance and demonstrating the strong poise of a man”.

However, the traditional Ao Dai for men has also certain disadvantages. The preservation and promotion of value of this traditional outfit is necessary; however, the problem is how to apply it to the modern social context.

According to Master Nguyen Kim Huong, a lecture from the Hanoi University of Architecture, the renovation of Ao Dai is a trend to suit today’s life, so that it can be used while going to work and going out”.

Many other researchers believe the renovation must pay attention to convenience and comfort. Head of Dinh Lang Viet Club Nguyen Duc Binh also noted that Ao Dai must be adjusted to keep its traditional beauty as well as apply it to today’s lifestyle.

Although there is no official document recognising the men’s Ao Dai ngu than as a national costume, in the minds of many people, it is most certainly a representative image of Vietnamese costume culture.

Authorities in Quang Ngai Province are considering ending the Ly Son-Sa Huynh Geopark Project after five years with an investment of over VND20bn (USD863,000).

Ly Son-Sa Huynh Geopark Project

“The result of the project are unclear so I personally agree to end it,” he said.

After five years, the project has consumed over VND20bn. According to Minh, everything had been done legally.

Ly Son-Sa Huynh Geopark Project was started in 2015 under the name of Binh Chau-Ly Son Geopark. Quang Ngai wanted to seek recognition for Ly Son-Sa Huynh Geopark as a member of the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network, which was hoped to help develop sustainable tourism for the province. It was a key project in the provincial socio-economic development plan.

In 2017, the Management Board of Ly Son-Sa Huynh Geopark was set up. For over three years, it has collaborated with the Vietnam Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources and foreign experts to conduct field surveys to evaluate the area’s geological heritages. Many conferences were held about the park, attracting hundreds of experts from inside and outside of Vietnam.

In 2019, the management board concluded that Ly Son and nearby areas were too small to be a geopark. They proposed to increase the geopark’s area to 4,600 square kilometres, including 2,000 km2 on land and 2,600 km2 of water surface.

The geopark dossier was submitted to UNESCO in the same year and passed the preliminary round. A ballot was supposed to be held in South Korea in 2020 but had to be postponed due to Covid-19.