Bird flu

Vinamilk, the largest dairy producer of Vietnam, has recently exported the first batch of high-end products “Pasteurised fresh milk containing oats” to Singapore.

Products in this high-end segment, which was officially launched in Vietnam in 2020, have received positive feedback from the domestic market.

Breakthrough products in the Singaporean market

According to the assessment of the Vinamilk’s product distribution partner in Singapore, the potential of oat milk is huge because there is currently no similar product in the Singaporean market, in addition to the very special taste of fresh milk combined with swallow nest, marking a great advantage in competition with other products in Singapore.

Products of fresh milk containing bird’s nest have been shipped to Singapore since early this month.

Ivan Tan, a representative of Vinamilk’s partner in Singapore, said people in Singapore Lion Island have a high living standard so they are willing to pay for quality products, especially when the global pandemic has not been controlled.

“Singaporeans are moving toward healthier lifestyles with the trend of using imported products when they are more restricted from travelling than before,” Tan said.

He said Singaporean customers have high demand, but he is quite confident that we will successfully introduce this new milk product of Vinamilk to them. “The product has a luxurious packaging so it is very suitable for gifts.”

The product has a luxurious packaging so it is very suitable for gifts.

The Vinamilk’s pasteurised fresh milk containing oats is supplemented with essential vitamins such as Vitamin K2 helping bones absorb calcium better and maintain a strong bone system for babies during their growth age and adults, Vitamin A, D3 and Selenium building people’s resistance, especially during seasonal transition or disease.

Conquering demanding market with high-end segment

Vinamilk in 2019 successfully exported Organic fresh milk products to Singapore, a market that is considered as the most ‘difficult’ market in Southeast Asia in terms of import standards, regulations and tastes of consumers. That favourable opening was followed by the success of the premium milk trio, including three types of walnuts, almonds and red beans.

Other products of Vinamilk including fresh milk with walnuts, almonds and red beans are being on shelves at many supermarkets of Singapore.

Vinamilk introduces its products in community to promote its branding.

Vinamilk products are promoted via distribution channels such as large supermarkets and convenience stores, in addition to e-commerce channels to match the trend of online consumption, especially when Singapore is applying social distancing strictly. At this time, people stay at home and limit to go out, but they can shop online thanks to convenience and attractive offers from e-commerce channels.

The new product, being introduced on Vinamilk website, is expected to match the trend of online consumption in Singapore, especially when the country is applying social distancing strictly.

Singapore is a market with a high standard of living, people’s spending is somewhat affected by the pandemic but it is still optimistic because the consumption of healthy products tends to increase. Singapore is the first market Vinamilk exports fresh milk products containing swallow nests, targeting the high-end segment with outstanding product lines.

International Business Manager at Vinamilk Vo Trung Hieu said fresh milk containing swallow nest is researched and developed with many outstanding benefits. “The highlight of this product is the combination of fresh milk and nutritious swallow nest. The nest is quite familiar and is favored by Asian people as it is a health-promoting food.”

Hieu said Singapore will also be an open door for Vinamilk to develop high-end product lines to ASEAN countries and many other countries in Asia.

Starting to export from 1997, Vinamilk products have been present in 56 countries and territories, including all ASEAN countries. Total export turnover has so far reached US$2.4 billion. In 2020, despite the common difficulties caused by Covid-19, Vinamilk’s export revenue still reached nearly VND5.6 trillion, marking a progress in the context of global economic uncertainties and positively contributing to the country’s dairy industry.

A Bamboo Airways flight bound for Con Dao Islands off the southern province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau from northern Hai Phong City had to make an emergency landing in Hanoi after hitting a bird in the air on Wednesday.

Flight QH 1055, operated by the Vietnamese hybrid airline using the Embraer 195 jet, made a request to the command station at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi to prioritize its landing at 1:04 pm on the same day as the captain believed that the plane had hit a bird.

The Embraer 195 jet safely touched down at Noi Bai at 2:05 pm and passengers deplaned on the same afternoon.

After that, mechanics examined and noted a dent and a trace of bird blood on the plane’s engine No. 1.

The Noi Bai flight zone operation center coordinated with relevant units to track the route from the runway where the plane touched down to its parking position, but did not detect any dead bird or an unusual foreign object.

According to a source, in addition to the indentation in the engine cover, the fan blades in the engine of the Embraer 195 aircraft were also bent.

The mechanics continued to carefully check the engine to fix it on Thursday.

Previously, flight VN 1441, operated by Vietnam Airlines from central Da Nang City to the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho, had also hit a bird on the runway at Da Nang International Airport at 10:59 am on March 24.

The Da Nang flight zone operation center later detected a swallow’s body on the 35R/17L runway and removed it to ensure flight operations.

Meanwhile, the plane that performed flight VN 1441 continued normal operations.

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By the end of March 31, over 5,000 runners have registered for the run, 75 percent for the two longest distances, 42 km and 21 km.

The tickets are now sold at Early Bird prices. The Early Bird phase will last until April 22.

Distance	Super Early Bird (Feb 14 – Mar 31)	Early Bird (Apr 1 – Apr 22)	Regular (Apr 23 – Oct 11)	Late (Oct 12 – Oct 28)
5 km	270,000 (in VND)	325,000	430,000	540,000
10 km	540,000	700,000	865,000	1,080,000
21 km	650,000	810,000	1,025,000	1,295,000
42 km	810,000	975,000	1,190,000	1,405,000

This year, VnExpress Marathon Hanoi Midnight has added the Team Awards category for runners. By the end of March, 15 groups have registered to compete in this category. Among them, many teams have good reputation such as Hoa Binh Park Runners, Hai Phong Runners, Times Runners, Halong Runners Club, and Ultrain.

Nam Tran, a representative of Hai Phong Runner, said: “The Team Awards is a special addition of VM Hanoi Midnight. This is the motivation for runners to practice to improve their achievements.”

Athletes warm up at VnExpress Marathon Hanoi Midnight on November 28, 2020. Photo by VnExpress.

VnExpress Hanoi Midnight Marathon continues to attract a series of elite runners such as Nguyen Do Hung, Do Quoc Luat, Hoang Huu Hanh, Thai Thu Trang, Hua Thanh Giang, Hoang Hai Nam, Nguyen Thi Thanh Binh, Nguyen Dong Dinh, Trinh Quoc Luong, Le Van Tuan, Nguyen Thi Tieu Phuong, and Huynh Thai Loc.

The run, co-organized by VnExpress and Hanoi People’s Committee, will commence on Nov. 20. Similar to the first edition in 2020, the second edition will take place in the chilly weather of early winter. The course runs from Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square by the Hoan Kiem Lake, past attractions like the Hanoi Opera, St. Joseph’s Cathedral, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, and the West Lake.

Register here .

A store selling edible bird’s nests in Binh Tay Market in District 6. (Photo: SGGP)

Chaos in the price of edible bird’s nests

Here, there are two popular types of swiftlets, farmed and natural swiftlets, with prices ranging from VND30 million-VND40 million per kilogram for farmed swiftlets, and more than VND100 million per kilogram for natural ones.

The production of natural swiftlets is not much and expensive, so the livelihood of farming swiftlets has sprung up like mushrooms all over the provinces.

The points of sale of edible bird’s nest are countless. In Nha Trang City of Khanh Hoa Province alone, there are hundreds of points of sale of edible bird’s nests.

During the peak before the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, when Chinese tourists still flocked to the province, prompting the appearance of several edible bird’s nest outlets.

Many enterprises had built outlets with an area of thousands of square meters to serve Chinese visitors only. At present, these points of sale have almost disappeared.

The seller guaranteed that the products were real, and the price was competitive. However, when comparing the above price with the selling prices from some reputable enterprises in Khanh Hoa, it is easy to notice that this price is only half.

The selling price of quality red edible bird’s nests in the market right in Khanh Hoa is up to VND24 million per 100 grams.

Mr. Nguyen Hung Anh, living in District 12 in Ho Chi Minh City, urgently recounted that because he trusted advertisements on social networks, he bought 50 grams of Khanh Hoa red edible bird’s nests for VND10 million.

However, when he soaked red edible bird’s nests in cold water, he saw that the nests swelled loosely and were much bigger and their color faded from dark to light.

Suspected that he had bought fake edible bird’s nests, he called the seller, but no one answered. Later, he found that the seller’s account on Facebook had been locked.

In Binh Tay Market in District 6, edible bird’s nests of all kinds are also sold at prices ranging from VND1.4 million to VND1.9 million per 100 grams for crumbs, from VND3.5 million to VND5 million per 100 grams for regular nests, and from VND10 million per 100 grams upwards for high-grade nests, depending on the type.

At the time we visited the market, many small traders laid bird’s nests in front of them to pick out feathers and clean the dried nests, then put them in plastic bags.

However, these nests mostly have no labels or brands. Some small traders showed discomfort and were highly alert to people who took photos while shopping.

Unclear quality

Quick statistics by some specialized agencies, currently the South Central Coast and the Central Highlands regions have about 3,500 swiftlet houses. Because farmed swiftlets are numerous, the prices of farmed swiftlets are also much cheaper than 5-10 years ago, but the prices hardly decline to only VND1 million-VND2 million per 100 grams.

Edible bird’s nests displayed at a store in Binh Tay Market. (Photo: SGGP)

The Director of an enterprise specializing in raising and trading edible bird’s nests in Can Gio District pointed out that, raw bird’s nests which include feathers, dirt, and wood, had a price of about VND3 million per 100 grams.

Therefore, bird’s nest crumbs and refined bird’s nests, which are sold at only VND1 million-VND2 million per 100 grams in the market, are probably counterfeit goods.

To clarify this information, we bought two types of dark bird’s nest crumbs whose price was VND1.6 million per 100 grams and bright-colored bird’s nests whose price was VND1.9 million per 100 grams at Binh Tay Market. Strangely, both types of bird’s nests do not smell like swiftlet nests.

After soaking in cold water for about 5 minutes, the nests swell and smell like sterculia foetida gum and agar, totally different from edible bird’s nests bought from reputable brands.

Many businesses revealed that the prices of edible bird’s nests imported from Malaysia and Indonesia into Vietnam are only half or one-third of those of domestic ones.

Previously, the Vietnam Farms and Agricultural Enterprises Association took random samples of some types of red edible bird’s nests sold in the market for testing and detected high levels of nitrates, which potentially cause poisoning to long-term users of those products.

Ms. Dang Thi Anh Tuyet, Production Director of Phu Hong Thanh Company with the Hong Tuyet Linh’s bird’s nest brand, analyzed further that the rate of loss after preliminary processing per kilogram of raw bird’s nest ranges from 30 percent to 40 percent. Hence, the retail prices of edible bird’s nests could not be lower than VND5 million-VND6 million per 100 grams.

This issue needs to be resolved soon so that Vietnamese people will have the opportunity to use and consume domestic edible bird’s nests with ensured quality and food safety.

SGGP