Ha the breath of life

Nguyễn Thị Thanh Hà has been named the youngest female associate professor of 2020 in Việt Nam. — Photo courtesy of Hanoi University of Science and Technology.

HÀ NỘI — Nguyễn Thị Thanh Hà, a lecturer at the Hanoi University of Science and Technology, was named the youngest female associate professor of 2020 in Việt Nam.

Hà received the title at the age of 34 in early December last year by the State Council for Professorship.

“I spent a lot of time preparing the application and I was thrilled to receive the results. What surprised me most was the title of the youngest female associate professor of the year,” she said.

“This made me very happy and honoured.”

Hà was raised in a family with a tradition of teaching in northern Hoà Bình Province and often stood outside the classroom watching her mother teaching students after school.

During her years at school, Hà showed promise in maths and considered studying economics or banking, which could have led to a high-income job.

However, Hà decided to follow her dream and entered the University of Education under Hà Nội National University.

“My mother burst out with happiness. I had never seen her so joyful like that,” Hà said.

She graduated from the university and decided to continue studying for a master’s degree while working as a lecturer at Hanoi University of Science and Technology.

In more than 10 years of research, Hà has had 28 scientific articles published, of which 16 are in prestigious international journals such as Materials Chemistry and Physics, European Physical Journal, and Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids.

Hà said her career path was very smooth because she got support from many talented and dedicated teachers.

She recalled the day of her thesis defence when she was extremely nervous and got a bad feeling, so she called home to ask if her mother, who had fallen ill recently, was okay.

When she was informed that her mother had passed away, she immediately returned to her hometown, leaving the thesis defence incomplete.

After a week of mourning her mother, she returned and got support from her instructors and peers to complete her thesis defence.

“I’m truly thankful to be so lucky. Without those teachers and partners, I would not have been able to complete my research as smoothly as that,” she said.

Hà also said that she had learned a great deal from her mother in striving for the best in life. — VNS

A Rossiya Airlines Boeing 777 cargo plane made an emergency landing at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport on Friday due to a problem with an engine control sensor, the airline said.

The plane was a 15-year-old 777-300ER, according to flight tracking website FlightRadar24, which means it has General Electric engines.

Those are different from the Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines under scrutiny after an engine fire aboard a United Airlines 777 on Saturday which prompted the suspension of operations involving planes using those engines.

General Electric did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Russian airlines operate Boeing 777-300ER planes equipped with General Electric GE90-115B engines, federal aviation agency Rosaviatsiya said on Wednesday said, adding it was not considering suspending operation of those aircraft.

Rossiya Airlines Flight 4520, travelling from Hong Kong to Madrid, touched down in Moscow at 0444 local time (0144 GMT), data from Flightradar24 showed. Rossiya Airlines, a unit of Russian state carrier Aeroflot, said the crew requested the landing at the airline’s base airport in Moscow.

“The landing took place normally,” Rossiya said in a statement, adding that the flight would continue to Madrid after 0900 GMT on Friday.

One slide from Boeing’s 2020 Commercial Market Outlook (CMO) ranks Việt Nam in the top 5 countries which add the most airlines capacity between 2010-19.

HÀ NỘI — Southeast Asia will need 4,400 new airplanes valued at US$700 billion to support expanding demand for air travel over the next 20 years, said Darren Hulst, Boeing vice president of Commercial Marketing.

In an online conference yesterday, Hulst quoted Boeing’s 2020 Commercial Market Outlook (CMO), saying: “The intra-Southeast Asian market will become the fifth largest in the world by 2039, and the vast domestic and regional air-travel network across the region positions it well for a post-pandemic recovery.”

With low-cost carriers providing affordable service and added capacity, CMO estimated traffic growth in Southeast Asia to grow by 5.7 per cent annually in the next 20 years, making the region the second largest aviation market in the Asia-Pacific region after China.

Boeing, at the same time, projected the region’s commercial airplane fleet to grow 5.3 per cent annually during the period while the demand for aftermarket commercial services could reach US$790 billion.

Hulst said: “Southeast Asia’s fundamental growth drivers remain robust. With an expanding middle-class and growth in private consumption, the region’s economy has grown by nearly 70 per cent over the last decade, which increases propensity to travel,” adding: “Governments in the region continue to recognise the travel and tourism sectors as important drivers of economic growth.”

Boeing’s vice president said: “Indonesia, Thailand, Việt Nam, Malaysia and the Philippines are the markets that most contribute to the growth in the global aviation market. They are also places with more room for expansion because of the emerging middle class, which could be 60 million new passengers in the next 15 years.”

Hulst also considered Việt Nam as the fastest growing market in terms of growth of air travel in the region with the advantage of a strong domestic market and the recent control of the pandemic.

Mentioning the demand for airplanes in the region, he said though the near-term airplane deliveries were impacted as a result of the pandemic, Boeing estimated operators would need more than 3,500 new single-aisle airplanes in the region by 2039 as the low-cost-carriers have the highest market penetration globally.

The airplane maker said twin-aisle airplanes such as the 777X and 787 Dreamliner still remain foundational to Southeast Asia’s air travel industry, adding one in four twin-aisle airplanes delivered to the broader Asia-Pacific region would go to a carrier operating in Southeast Asia. It forecast the region would need 760 new widebodies by 2039.

As the region’s commercial aviation services growth remained promising in the long term, said the CMO, Southeast Asia commercial services were valued at $790 billion over the next 20 years, a slight increase from last year’s projection, driven largely by growth in freighter conversions and digital solutions and analytics. With such estimation, Southeast Asia expected to require 183,000 more commercial pilots, cabin crew members and aviation technicians.

Globally, Boeing forecast the demand for 43,110 new commercial airplanes and the demand for aftermarket services to be equivalent to US$9 trillion over the next two decades when world air cargo traffic was projected to grow 4 per cent annually due to solid industrial production and world trade. The CMO said freighters would remain the backbone of the cargo industry with the need for 930 new and 1,500 converted freighters during the same span. — VNS

A view of Bắc Giang City. — Photo baodautu.vn

BẮC GIANG — The northern province of Bắc Giang is improving a master plan on the development of industrial parks (IPs) and complexes, as well as land use planning, according to it its provincial Party Committee.

The province is also refining a master plan on urban areas for the 2021-30 period to attract investment.

It built a project on supporting start-ups in the locality, towards strongly developing the private economy, and issued a list of projects in need of investment in the fields of agriculture and rural development.

The locality considered building mechanisms to support investment in hotel construction projects and high-end services.

In particular, Bắc Giang will step up administrative reform, improve the provincial competitiveness index, pool resources to build key socio-economic infrastructure while enhancing the quality of human resources and State management on projects.

The province will actively assist investors and businesses in tackling difficulties and accelerating projects, especially those regarding infrastructure construction and business in IPs.

From 2016 to the end of 2020, the province drew 909 projects worth over US$5.88 billion, marking a 3.5-fold rise from 2011-2015, 616 of them were domestic ones with total registered capital of over VNĐ55.7 trillion, and $3.84 billion were foreign direct investment.

It is now home to 1,786 valid projects, including 1,311 domestic ones worth more than VNĐ92.2 trillion and 475 foreign-invested ones valued at over $6.2 billion. Projects are mostly in industry with 54.3 per cent, trade and services with 40.5 per cent, and agriculture with 5.6 per cent.

Since 2016, Bắc Giang has granted licences to over 6,000 enterprises and 705 branches and representative offices, with a combined registered capital of more than VNĐ64.3 trillion. Its gross regional domestic product has expanded by 14 per cent annually.

Cumulatively, there are 10,837 businesses so far in the province, including 466 foreign ones with a registered capital of $3.542 billion and more than 10,300 others with over VNĐ84.9 trillion. — VNS

The majority of Vietnamese-owned upscale hotels are managed by the international chains who offer them great marketing potential and operational solutions. So how does this unique luxury boutique hotel on Phu Quoc Island run by a Vietnamese family manage to raise the bar of hospitality not only on a national level, but also on a global scale?

‘Designed by us, Vietnamese’

From the very inception, Salinda Resort was conceptualized to showcase the power of Vietnamese potential that is often overlooked by the attractiveness of foreign expertise in hotel management.

To make a solid foundation for this cause, the owners selected both the architecture and interior design teams from Vietnam who were able to create a resort that combines contemporary comforts with local touches yet respects the natural surroundings of Phu Quoc.

Le Thanh Hai from HAIA Architects & Associates was fascinated with the combination of Scandinavian functionality and Japanese rustic minimalism, also referred to as ‘Japandi’ design.

This fusion creates the perfect blend of function and form, focusing on clean lines and light colors to create a feeling of art and simplicity.

As the design philosophy focuses on the importance of nature, the architect incorporated natural materials throughout the resort, such as the most sustainable wood in the world – Accoya; tropical landscapes covering over 75 percent of the land; and thermoregulating stone walls covered with ivies that ‘cool down’ the air.

Yet to give a homey feeling to this serene concept, Aline Ho from Asiatique Design added a local touch to the interior design honoring Phu Quoc landscapes and culture with carefully chosen ceramic ornaments, local fisherman crafts, shell textures, and exotic patterns.

But one of the most outstanding design features of the resort is the elaborate decorative murals offering a space of narrative to the viewer.

From Vertical Zen Garden stretching through three stories to tropical broken ceramic wall art in Premium Deluxe Rooms to sterling-silver wallpapers by de Gournay in Pakka Indian Restaurant, one can truly listen to all the Stories on the Walls at Salinda Resort.

Building the culture

A successful hotel is always born from the culture of its top management, and the culture of top management is always born from the owner. Salinda Resort is no exception.

Dedicated to the names of two sisters ‘Sandra & Linda,’ Salinda Resort embraced the sentiments of the sisterhood – trust, encouragement, and kindness to each other.

“And not just the kindness that is generous in material items, but a heart that wants to give the best and be the best in character for every relationship,” shares Sandra Nguyen Si, the eldest daughter and the CEO of the company.

While the owners may not directly interact with their guests, their attitude filters down through their executive management, right to their line staff.

So, when it came to building the greatest team, Salinda was looking for managers with character, not just a set of skills; role models who would take care of their employees on a deeper level; and leaders who truly loved to create soulful experiences for their guests.

What is also quite noticeable is the diversity of the team with people coming from all over the country and also from India, Thailand, the Philippines, and Italy, who worked in leading hotel brands like Six Senses, Raffles, and Como. This diverse trait stimulates tolerance, experience exchange, and even healthy competitiveness among Salinda Family members – people who are united in the passion of bringing happiness to others.

After years of working and living abroad, Nguyen Dang Thanh, Director of Rooms, shares, “I decided to settle on this peaceful island at a place where I can touch people’s hearts. Salinda has become my family where every day I can transfer my love of hospitality to my team and share my international experience. This is the place where smiles are the main currency which the solidarity, harmony, and empathy of our team are based on.”

With these core values in mind, the team brought Salinda to the top and won both guest reviews and industry awards such as Haute Grandeur for Asia’s Best Boutique Honeymoon Hotel, Condé Nast Traveler Asia’s Top 30 Resorts, TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Vietnam’s #2 Luxury Hotels, and many more.

Connecting with guests emotionally

“It goes without saying that someone who wants to be a hotel owner has to have the mindset of a business person, but to be a successful one requires something extra: a desire to be of service. And this trait defined the environment in which everyone at Salinda Resort works,” says Madame Huyen, co-founder of Salinda Resort.

The emotional connection – and creating that ‘home-from-home’ feeling – is linked to the product, the service, and the people.

When done right, when genuine, authentic, and meaningful – however big or small that emotional connection might be – this is what luxury hospitality is today.

What sets a great luxury hotel apart from a standard five-star one is the attention to detail from the first moment of guest interaction until the very last one.

And being boutique allows Salinda to be extremely flexible and creative with how the hotel reinvents the wheel of hospitality: from handwritten welcome letters from the management with sweet treats prepared by three specialty chefs down to the activity team personally laying towels for each guest in sun lounges with special flags they can put up, so the pool bar team can provide dining service yet still give the guest privacy to enjoy the beach.

Being visible throughout guests’ stay allows Salinda not only to control every rendezvous to ensure it lives up to its promise, but also to build an incredibly trustworthy relationship with its guests. For Salinda, it doesn’t even stop when its guests have already boarded the plane – its resort manager Jeevan Thomas sends them a personal email to ensure they are back home safely.

“Because the last thing we see or hear when we depart from a place tends to be the most powerful memories that come back to us when we think about it again. And that may be one of the determining factors (if not the major one) whether our guests will want to pay Phu Quoc a second visit in the future,” concludes Sandra.

The first impression always counts, but the emotional aftertaste is forever.

A swift’s-nest farming place in Kiên Giang Province. — VNS Photo Văn Châu

HCM CITY — Việt Nam’s bird-nest exports are expected to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars when the world’s largest market, China, opens up this year.

Chinese demand for bird’s nest is growing, but Vietnamese firms need to take new measures to officially export to that country rather than involve in informal border trade, the Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development (MARD) said.

Đỗ Tú Quân, head of the Việt Nam Swiftlet Farming Association, said Vietnamese exporters hope the two countries would quickly reach agreement and the first order to China could be delivered this quarter.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phùng Đức Tiến said the industry has been developing rapidly in the country, mostly in the south, but the unofficial border trade has been resulting in low value and profits.

There are 20,000 nests farmed in 42 of the country’s 63 provinces and cities with approximately 120 tonnes worth US$450 million harvested annually, according to Tiến.

But exports to China account for only 8 per cent.

China banned import of bird’s nests of unclear origin from Việt Nam in 2011 following a fake products scandal.

It lifted the ban in 2015 and replaced it with tough rules aimed at improving safety and traceability.

Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand have all completed legal procedures to export bird’s nest to China, but Việt Nam cannot export officially due to several reasons, including the lack of quality standards for the product and export standards.

In recent years MARD has sought to promote exports to foreign markets, including China.

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, negotiations to export the product to China have mainly been conducted through online meetings but are almost complete, deputy director of MARD’s department of livestock breeding, Nguyễn Văn Trọng, said.

Many swift breeding places are unhygienic, leading to a very high nitrate content in the nest, which does not meet export quality standards, but the association would help farmers overcome this, she said.

Việt Nam needs to build a brand name for its bird’s nest and develop production chains for it, she said.

Its bird’s nests eligible for exports could meet a third of the demand in China, opening up huge opportunities, she said.

The Vietnamese swift-breeding industry began to thrive in 2010, with its production accounting for 3 per cent of the global output.

While bird’s nests are a speciality with high economic value and one of the 10 most expensive dishes in the world, their production in the country remains far below traditional agricultural products, and they have yet to be classified as a key national product. — VNS