Deadliest catch season 10

Coral is seriously damaged by crown-of-thorns starfish. — Photo provided by Nguyễn Văn Giởi

Gia Lộc

BÌNH THUẬN — During a dive on a small island off the coast of Bình Thuận Province, Nguyễn Văn Giởi and other tour guides were able to see hundreds of poisonous crown-of-thorns starfish, which are coral predators.

“When diving to look at coral reefs on Hòn Tranh isle, we saw crown-of-thorns starfish seriously devastate the coral reefs,” said Giởi, a tour guide on Phú Quý Island in the south-central coastal province.

He and other tour guides on the larger island of Phú Quý decided to set up a team “to catch these poisonous crown-of-thorns starfish to save coral.”

According to the Australian Institute of Marine Science, crown-of-thorns starfish are marine invertebrates that feed on coral and occur naturally on reefs throughout the Indo-Pacific region, and when conditions are right, they can reach plague proportions and devastate hard coral communities.

The institute’s research has revealed that crown-of-thorns starfish are a major cause of coral loss on the Great Barrier Reef.

These starfish can grow to over 50 centimetres in diametre, and one individual can consume over 13 square metres of coral reef per year, according to the New Heaven Reef Conservation Programme’s team in Thailand.

When Giởi and other members of the team have free time, they go to Hòn Tranh isle to catch crown-of-thorns starfish.

“In one day, we can catch nearly 500-700 starfish. We often catch them in summer because the water is warm for diving,” Giởi said.

A member of a tour guide team catches crown-of-thorns starfish. Photo provided by Nguyễn Văn Giởi

Compared to the past, more and more crown-of-thorns starfish are appearing because of an imbalance in the marine ecosystem, he said, adding that starfish predators such as giant triton snail and sea urchins are overfished on the island to serve tourism.

Sea urchins play a critical role in maintaining the balance between coral and algae.

Nguyễn Trọng Tấn, another member of the team, said: “Diving to see coral reefs on Hòn Tranh isle appeals to tourists. So when coral is lost by crown-of-thorns starfish, tourists will no longer like to come to the island. His job as a tour guide also will be affected.”

Tấn has called on other tour guides to join his team to catch crown-of-thorns starfish when they have free time.

Crown-of-thorns starfish are coral predators. Photo provided by Nguyễn Văn Giởi

Crown-of-thorns starfish are very poisonous and dangerous for divers, he said. When their spines accidentally hit a diver, it causes swelling and severe inflammation which could be life-threatening.

Giởi said: “We’re very careful when catching starfish. We are working for sustainable tourism development on the island.”

The Bình Thuận Province’s Fisheries Division estimates that each 100 square metres contains 50-60 crown-of-thorns starfish.

Bình Thuận Province has two marine reserves in Cù Lao Câu and Phú Quý islands.

Phú Quý Island is surrounded by a thick ring of coral reefs. Its deepest point is 42 metres. The island has 72 species of seaweed, 134 species of stony coral and 15 species of mollusks.

According to the Fisheries Division, 10 years ago, the sea surrounding the island was recognised as having the most beautiful coral reefs in the country. However, over the last several years, coral reefs have been devastated or lost.

That is why the province set up the marine reserve on the island.

The division has been working with the island’s People’s Committee to carry out a crown-of-thorns starfish monitor programme. Their staff dive to catch and find them.

It has also asked for help from the Directorate of Fisheries and Institute of Oceanography in Khánh Hòa Province’s Nha Trang city to provide the optimal methods to kill them. — VNS

At the opening ceremony of the 13th Party Congress, Mr. Trong presented the report of 12th Party Central Committee on documents submitted to the 13th Party Congress, which emphasized the goals: improving leadership, ruling capacity and fighting strength of the Party; building a clean, strong, Party and political system; strengthening people’s trust in the Party, State, and socialist regime; arousing aspirations for developing a prosperous and happy country, promoting the will and strength of great national solidarity combined with the power of the times; promoting comprehensively and synchronously the cause of innovation, industrialization and modernization; building and firmly defending the Fatherland, maintaining a peaceful and stable environment; and striving for the goal of turning Vietnam into a socialist-oriented developed country by mid-21st century.

The specific objectives in the coming decades are: By 2025, Vietnam will be a developing country with modern industry, surpassing the low middle-income status. By 2030, Vietnam will be a developing country with modern industry and high average income. By 2045, it will become a developed country with high income.

VietNamNet would like to introduce articles on this topic with the desire to contribute a voice for Vietnam to achieve these goals.

General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong affirmed that in all the work of the Party and State, it is necessary to always thoroughly grasp the viewpoint “people are the roots”. Photo: Pham Hai

Among these issues, there is a core point “Taking people as the roots”. General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong affirmed that in all the work of the Party and State, it is necessary to always thoroughly grasp the viewpoint “people are the roots”; truly believe, respect and promote the people’s mastery, persevere in implementing the motto “people know, people discuss, people do, people check, people supervise, people benefit”.

He said: “The people are the center, the subject of the cause of renovation, construction and defense of the country, all policies must really come from life, aspirations, rights and legitimate interests of the people, taking the happiness and well-being of the people as the target to strive. To tighten the close relationship between the Party and the people, rely on the people to build the Party, and consolidate and strengthen the people’s trust in the Party, the State and the socialist regime”.

There is no need to repeat lessons in distant history, but only see recent proof, when the country took “the people as the roots” and “promoted the people’s mastery”, then the country prospered, made many breakthrough achievements, and mobilized material and spiritual resources of the people for national development.

Great development potential

After the Doi Moi (reform) policy was launched at the 6th Party Congress in 1986, the single-component economy was transformed into a multi-component one which essentially untied the people so that the people could contribute to national construction. The economy became as fresh, vibrant, prosperous and diverse as it is today.

A series of very high development goals that require persistent aspirations have been set at this Congress: By 2025, Vietnam will be a developing country with modern industry, surpassing low middle-income status. By 2030, Vietnam will be a developing country with modern industry and high average income. By 2045, it will become a developed country with high income.

A country with a population of 100 million people with a quarter under the age of 35 and a favorable geostrategic position like Vietnam, has enormous development potential. Setting development goals with these specific milestones is very relevant.

It takes a lot of simultaneous and persistent factors and solutions to fulfill that aspiration, but the most important factor must be the Vietnamese people. Vietnam must take the “people as the roots” to continue promoting human capacity and material resources of the people for national development, for rapid and sustainable economic growth.

Lessons from Korea’s achievements

Looking back at the previous periods, economic growth was not fast enough to narrow the development gap, to catch up with and achieve the set goals. The growth rate tended to decrease, from an average of 7.34% per year in the 1991-2000 period to 6.82% per year in the 2001-2010 period, and about 5.9% in the 2011-2020 period.

If compared with the set target of 7%-8% per year on average of the Socio-Economic Development Strategy for the period 2011-2020, the current average growth rate is relatively low – lower than that of other countries during the first period of industrialization.

Since 1990, Vietnam had only five years reaching an average growth rate of 8.21% per year (the 1991-1995 period).

In 30 years (1960 – 1990), South Korea’s average GDP growth rate was 9.58% per year, including 14 years with over 10%; the highest rate was 14.8% (1973). In the period 1977 – 2007, China’s average growth rate was 10.02% per year, with the highest rate (1984) of 15.14% and 15 years with growth rate of over 10%.

According to the World Bank (WB), Vietnam needs to maintain a growth rate of 7% in the next two decades to reach the high income threshold by 2045. The potential growth rate has slowed to around 6.5% in the past decade.

Moreover, in the coming time, forecasts on Vietnam’s growth show that without reform, Vietnam’s growth potential will continue to decline. As workforce growth slows down, the potential growth rate is estimated to reduce to 6.3% over the next decade and then gradually decrease to 5.5% over the period 2041-2045.

The Central Institute for Economic Management cited the World Bank in a recent report that Korea, after achieving Vietnam’s current level of per capita income in 1972, doubled its per capita income after only 10 years and multiplied it by 5 times after 20 years.

Such rapid achievement is the result of a combination of increased investment in physical and human resources and, above all, improved efficiency, as reflected in the increasing contribution of productivity (measured in total factor productivity – TFP) to GDP, from 16% in the 1970s to 43% in the 1980s and 56% in the 2000s.

Therefore, it can be argued that Korea succeeded in transitioning from a middle-income to high-income economy by more effectively managing existing resources rather than just accumulating more resources.

Making clearer market factors

In the draft political and economic documents of the 13th Party Congress, there are a number of developmental views similar to that argument, especially the economic model – “modern market economy, international integration, operate fully and synchronously in line with the laws of the market economy…”.

The draft political report requires continuing to improve the institution, fully and comprehensively develop market factors and types of markets. Develop a market for factors of production (goods, services; finance, money; science, technology; land; labor) so that the market plays a decisive role in mobilizing, distributing, and using use of resources.

Thus, in the next decade, market factors and types of markets will continue to be clarified and improved so that resources will be allocated and used more effectively.

Instead of the ask-give mechanism in resource allocation, the market will promote a fair, transparent role in resource allocation, so that people and businesses that are the most deserving know how to use them most effectively will have access to resources.

To better implement the mechanism of resource allocation according to the market, the State will not lose money or people, but people and businesses have more resources for development. A more prosperous and developed country can ensure that “no one will be left behind”.

Tu Giang

Many hotels in HCM City cut tariffs dramatically to attract clientele following the COVID resurgence just before Tết, yet only managed an average occupancy rate of 10 per cent. – Photo: nld.com.vn

HCM CITY — The HCM City Tourism Association has asked for a complete or at least a 50 per cent waiver of value-added tax payable by accommodation, catering and travel businesses until the end of this year.

A resurgence of COVID-19 just before the peak Tết (Lunar New Year) tourism season has severely hit HCM City’s services and other consumer sectors, especially tourism.

Many hotels in the city’s bustling central district continue to offer sharp rate cuts to survive.

Room rents at a two-star hotel on Bùi Viện Street in District 1 are 73 per cent down to VNĐ75,000 (US$3.25) per night.

Five-star hotels are not doing any better: Sofitel, Majestic, Nikko, Oakwood, New World, and Lotte are offering rooms at VNĐ1.2-2.2 million ($52-95.4).

Yet, occupancy rates during the seven days (February 10-16) of Tết were only 10 per cent.

The situation is due to the decline in the number of both local and foreign tourists due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Figures from the General Statistics Office (GSO) show there were fewer than 11,000 international visitors to Việt Nam in February, down 38.3 per cent from January and 99.1 per cent from a year ago.

Most of them were experts, business executives, foreign investors, high-tech workers coming to work on important projects in Việt Nam, and drivers transporting goods across borders.

The travel and tourism sector’s revenues in the first two months of the year were down 62.1 per cent year-on-year at VNĐ2.5 trillion ($108.5 million).

HCM City was the third worst hit by the latest wave of the pandemic behind Thừa Thiên-Huế and Hải Dương provinces.

The revenues of accommodation and catering providers fell by 4.3 per cent to VNĐ88.4 trillion ($3.8 billion). The biggest declines were seen in Đà Nẵng (16.1 per cent), Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu Province (15.9 per cent), HCM City (14.1 per cent), Hải Dương Province (7.8 per cent), and Hà Nội (7.6 per cent).

The GSO added that the pandemic has led to cancellations of a number of festivals and a decrease in tourism activities.  VNS

By Khanh Ngan – Translated by Thanh Nha