• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

VietNam Breaking News

Update latest news from Vietnam

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Disclaimers
  • DMCA
  • Privacy Policy
  • Submit your story

Hai van pass where to stop

VIETNAM BUSINESS NEWS APRIL 1

April 1, 2021 by vietnamnet.vn

Gov’t needs to provide more support for SMEs in taking advantage of the EVFTA

VIETNAM BUSINESS NEWS APRIL 1

Workers at Trung Dung Co Ltd, a manufacturer of elastic threads and yarn in Tan Trieu Commune in Ha Noi’s suburban district Thanh Tri. The company employs around 200 people. SMEs now have more opportunities for development with the signing of free trade agreements (FTAs), Industry 4.0 and new business models.

Trần Duy Đông, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment, said the EVFTA offers opportunities but also challenges, so Vietnamese businesses need to mobilise all resources to seize the opportunities. EU enterprises need to associate with Vietnamese enterprises while Vietnamese enterprises need to fulfill their commitments to become reliable partners for EU enterprises.

The Government’s mission is to perfect an equal business environment and create favourable conditions for enterprises in production and business, Đông said.

Ambassador and Head of the EU delegation to Vietnam Pier Giorgio Aliberti urged the Vietnamese government to provide mechanisms and tools for local SMEs that could help them become stronger.

He also expected the deal to continue improving Việt Nam’s business environment, in turn making it easier for both Vietnamese and European companies operating in Việt Nam.

According to Nguyễn Minh Thảo, Head of the Department of Business Environment and Competitiveness Research under the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM), SMEs now account for nearly 98 per cent of total enterprises in Việt Nam and contribute 40 per cent of the country’s GDP.

With a significant contribution, SMEs now have more opportunities for development with the presence of free trade agreements (FTAs), Industry 4.0 and new business models.

However, small and micro scale operations have hindered enterprises from improving productivity and business efficiency.

In addition, Bùi Thu Thủy, Deputy Director of the Department of Enterprise Development under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, said if Việt Nam’s SMEs could not export their goods via global value chains, they could not really benefit from the EVFTA yet.

Thủy said the Government needed to promote institutional reform, remove barriers in policies and give more support for the SME community to meet the requirements of the EU market.

Nguyễn Văn Thân, Chairman of the Việt Nam Small and Medium sized Enterprise Association (Vinasme), said there were many opportunities from the EVFTA for Vietnamese enterprises, but they must have innovation, creativity and cooperation in production and business to succeed, reported the Thời báo Kinh doanh (Business Times) newspaper.

Việt Nam was implementing 14 FTAs ​​but had limitations in taking opportunities from those FTAs due to complicated issues in non-tariff barriers and administrative procedures, Thân said.

Accordingly, he proposed that the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development accelerate the reform of administrative procedures, implement the national one-window mechanism, creating a favourable business environment for enterprises.

At the same time, the MoIT needed to handle tax evasion, use trade remedies and prevent goods of unknown origin, he said.

A cooperation programme to help businesses optimise advantages from the EVFTA through the Việt Nam-EU e-commerce platform debuted in Hà Nội on March 26.

The programme was signed among the MoIT’s Department of E-Commerce and Digital Economy, the Việt Nam Institute of Business Management Science and Digital Economy (VIDEM), the Association of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, and the Kim Nam Group.

Addressing the signing ceremony, MoIT Deputy Minister Cao Quốc Hưng hailed efforts of all parties in putting the Vietnam-EU e-commerce floor into operation as soon as possible, thus helping Vietnamese firms to grasp opportunities from the EVFTA.

He underlined that amid the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the improvement of competitiveness and the development of infrastructure might create breakthroughs.

Hưng noted that last year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, e-commerce in Việt Nam grew 18 per cent to over US$11 billion, enabling people to shop for almost everything online.

The Deputy Minister said e-commerce platforms such as Alibaba and Amazon had helped micro-sized enterprises and business households export their products, which seemed to be impossible in the past.

The official affirmed that the programme was expected to be the first step in the roadmap of designing fundamental technology solutions to assist enterprises, especially SMEs and business households, in improving their capacity and opportunities to reach international markets, thus optimising opportunities offered by the EVFTA.

Đặng Hoàng Hải, Director of the Department of E-Commerce and Digital Economy, said that along with difficulties, COVID-19 had also brought in opportunities for Việt Nam in speeding up transition.

The department had cooperated with agencies representing the SME community of Việt Nam to help them grasp chances from the deal, he said.

Hải added that the Việt Nam-EU e-commerce floor was expected to realise the goal of connecting relevant digital solutions to build a complete digital ecosystem, helping businesses trade on a single platform.

According to VIDEM Director Nguyễn Kim Hùng the floor is a national-scale project that aims to create a B2B Marketplace, while building an “expressway” connecting Vietnamese firms with international partners, especially those from Europe.

Hùng said that the floor is connected with the existing trading floors of cities and provinces, helping to build a national database facilitating the transparency in origin of products, and providing information to the business community of Việt Nam and other countries on trade deals and relevant policies.

The trading floor is also expected to contribute to bolstering the partnership between Việt Nam and the EU, especially in economy and trade.

Nguyễn Văn Thân, Vinasme Chairman, proposed that the VIDEM seek solutions to facilitate Vietnamese firms’ integration and protect them from risks and challenges while the trading floor becomes officially operational.

Statistics showed that the EU is one of the leading trade partners of Việt Nam with two-way trade reaching $56.45 billion in 2019, including $41.5 billion worth of Vietnamese exports.

Solutions introduced to help MSMEs in digital transformation

The NextTech Group organised a ceremony in Hanoi on March 31 to debut its comprehensive digital transformation solutions for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

A study conducted recently by NextTech revealed that MSMEs make up 96.7 percent of all businesses in Vietnam, contribute 40 percent of GDP, and generate 60 percent of jobs.

They have yet to benefit very much from digital transformation due to limited funding, the study found.

The NextTech Group of Technopreneurs is a group of companies pioneering the emerging digitised commerce industry across Southeast Asia.

Its digital transformation solutions are designed based on the essential needs of MSMEs and called Next360.vn, which provide comprehensive cooperation in all steps, from goods importation to capital allocation, sales management, financial and accounting administration, and personnel.

For a maximum monthly fee of 560,000 VND (24.3 USD), businesses can access nearly 20 digital transformation products.

NextTech has also launched NextAcademy, which aims to train consultants and conduct digital transformation to prepare the resources needed to help startups succeed in the process./.

Workshop seeks ways to overcome COVID-19 impacts

Assisting people who lost their jobs in both formal and informal sectors should be the top priority in helping the nation to overcome COVID-19 impacts, experts said at a workshop held in Hanoi on March 31 to discuss solutions to post-pandemic recovery.

They said cost assistance to affected firms should come next, while incompatible support policies should be redesigned.

According to the experts, it is cautious to take a loosening monetary policy in terms of scale and duration, especially when economic activities are bustling again, while the fiscal policy should be efficient and support those in need.

They recommended Vietnam to persevere with its long-term reforms to improve the foundation of its macro-economy, in addition to the current short-term policies to mitigate COVID-19 impacts.

Jacques Morisset, World Bank Lead Economist and Program Leader for Vietnam, said the country has so far placed the COVID-19 pandemic under control and turned it into opportunities.

The country has increased its presence in the global trade, pushed for faster digital transformation, and better pursued green technologies, among others.

However, he noted the pandemic has caused new risks of damage for the nation.

Associate Prof. Dr. To Trung Thanh, from the Vietnam Economics University (NEU), said although the Government has promptly issued policies in launching its first support package to rescue some economic sectors and those most severely affected, recent complicated developments of the pandemic will have a comprehensive and severe impact on the economy.

It requires the Government to consider a new package with a larger scale and broader coverage this year and even beyond to sustain economic development and prepare for the recovery phase, he added.

The workshop was co-organised by the NEU, the National Assembly’s Economic Committee, and the Vietnamese-based startup and innovation network V-startup. It offered an overall review of the Vietnamese economy last year, assessed the Government’s policies in response to the pandemic, and recommended suitable solutions for post-pandemic recovery.

On the occasion, the NEU introduced its publication on the annual economic assessment for Vietnam in 2020./.

Many banks to pay dividends in shares

Many banks have announced their dividend payout plan in shares to raise capital and improve competitiveness amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

The shareholders of Vietnam International Bank (VIB) have approved the proposal to issue 40 bonus shares at the rate of 40 per cent at its 2021 Annual General Meeting late last month.

According to VIB, by the end of 2020, the bank had more than VND4.8 trillion (US$207.8 million) of remaining profit after the provision for funds. It plans to distribute bonus shares to increase capital from VND11.09 trillion currently to over VND15.53 trillion.

The distribution is expected to be completed before September 30 this year.

“The bank is in a good growth period so it needs capital to invest in technology, networks, credit extension, meeting capital adequacy ratios as prescribed,” said a representative of VIB.

Viet Nam Maritime Commercial Joint Stock Bank (MSB) recently approved a plan to pay dividend in shares at a rate of 30 per cent. It is expected that after completing the plan, MSB’s chartered capital will reach VND15.2 trillion.

A representative of the bank said: “In addition to supplementing the bank’s medium and long-term capital, paying in shares can ensure financial safety ratios following international standards such as Basel II.”

Asia Commercial Bank (ACB) plans to issue more than 540 million shares to pay 2020 dividends at the rate of 25 per cent. Accordingly, the bank’s charter capital is expected to increase by more than VND5.4 trillion.

Sai Gon-Ha Noi Bank (SHB) will pay dividends at the rate of 20.5 per cent by shares, of which 10 per cent for 2019 and 10.5 per cent for 2020.

Orient Commercial Bank (OCB) plans to pay dividend at a rate of 25 per cent.

Nam A Bank plans to increase its charter capital to VND7 trillion. This includes a plan to issue 57 million shares to pay dividends at a rate of 12.5 per cent and offer 143 million shares in private placement.

Bank for Investment and Development of Viet Nam (BIDV)’s shareholders have approved a plan to increase its charter capital by VND8.3 trillion to VND48.52 trillion, up 20.6 per cent, in the form of dividend payment in shares and additional issuance.

Under the plan, BIDV plans to issue 207.3 million shares to pay dividends for 2019 at the rate of 5.2 per cent, issuing 281.5 million shares to pay dividends for 2020 at a ratio of 7 per cent.

Some financial and banking experts said banks’ plans to increase capital in 2021 was necessary to ensure credit supply. Currently, the income of many banks still came from credit. At 12-13 per cent, the equity of banks will increase at least by 7-8 per cent.

According to the policy of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV), this year, banks will only be allowed to pay dividends in shares, instead of cash as before.

Banking is a conditional business sector so credit institutions must comply with the regulations of the State Bank, including the policy of dividend payout.

Along with other cost reduction solutions, the non-cash dividend payment will help credit institutions have more resources to reduce lending rates, supporting millions of customers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, in order to have a source of money set aside for bad debt handling, restructuring and especially to support businesses affected by the pandemic, some banks decided not to pay dividends in 2020 such as VPBank, Techcombank, Sacombank, Eximbank, SCB and ABBank.

New decree promotes sustainable maritime economic development

Decree No. 11/2021/ND-CP officially replaced Decree No. 51/2014/ND-CP dated May 21, 2014 of the Government regulating the allocation of certain marine areas to organisations and individuals exploiting and using marine resources from March 30, 2021.

Ta Dinh Thi, Director General of the Vietnam Administration of Seas and Islands (VASI) under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, said this is an important document that institutionalises the Party’s guidelines and the State’s policies and laws on marine economic development associated with ensuring national defence and security and the protection of environmental and marine and island ecosystems in line with the Strategy for the Sustainable Development of Vietnam’s Marine Economy by 2030 and vision to 2045.

It is expected to contribute to realising the goal of turning Vietnam into a powerful marine nation, in which the marine economic sectors’ contribution to GDP will represent 10 percent.

The new decree regulates that all activities of organisations and individuals exploiting and using marine resources must be implemented in marine areas they have been allocated, except the use of marine areas for defence and security purposes.

It states that sea areas allocated to organisations and individuals will be considered and decided upon on a case-by-case basis. The time frame for using allocated marine areas will not exceed 30 years, and while this can be extended many times, the total duration of such extensions must not exceed 20 years.

Cases that are not required to allocate marine areas include scientific research by Vietnamese organisations and individuals (except for scientific research using fixed marine areas and those conducted by foreign organisations and individuals in Vietnam’s territorial waters), the measurement, observation, investigation, survey, and assessment of marine resources, and activities to resolve the direct consequences of natural disasters or environmental incidents at sea.

Thi said marine areas for the construction, installation, and operation of works serving the national and public interest and those for exploration and exploitation of oil and gas, transport oil, and gas resources taken ashore by pipelines under the Prime Minister’s decision are not required to pay fees for the use of marine areas.

The Prime Minister will decide on exemptions of fees for using marine areas in other cases submitted by the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment.

Apart from the above-mentioned cases, activities using maritime areas allocated by relevant State management agencies must pay fees for the use of marine areas in the regulated price bracket and level.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will coordinate with the Ministry of Finance to propose the Government make adjustments to the price bracket for using maritime areas in each period, to suit the socio-economic conditions./.

E-commerce opportunities for Vietnamese retailers

The Vietnam E-Commerce Association (VECOM) in partnership with Google and partners announced a series of Retail University activities to promote e-commerce for retailers this year.

The programme aims to support small- and medium-sized enterprises and individual business households in e-commerce.

VECOM Chairman Nguyen Thanh Hung said Vietnam’s e-commerce expanded by nearly 15 percent last year, reaching nearly 13.2 billion USD, and will keep growing this year and till 2025.

According to the Vietnam Internet Statistic 2020, Vietnam is home to over 68 million social media users, ranking sixth among 30 countries. It is a “golden opportunity” for retailers, online sellers and traditional enterprises to improve digital business and marketing skills.

Hung added that the Retail University 2020 activities attracted nearly 1,400 trainees from businesses nationwide and over 700 participating firms. Following the programme, retailers offered positive feedback, saying that their orders surged by over 57 percent and consumer base up 60 percent.

Director of VISA for Vietnam and Laos Dang Tuyet Dung said amid the COVID-19 pandemic, small- and medium-sized enterprises need to quickly switch to digital transformation and set up multi-channel trade while ensuring that payment channels are protected.

At the event, the VNPost Express JSC also pledged to introduce and help online sellers launch the “order completion” service to bring benefits to both sellers and buyers, thus helping consumers minimise operating cost, increase delivery speed and deal with post-sale contingencies./.

Two SOEs given financial support for employment of ethnic minority workers

Two State-owned enterprises will receive a total of nearly 62.92 billion VND (2.72 million USD) in funding for their employment of ethnic minority workers from mountainous and extremely disadvantaged regions in 2018 under a decision of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

The Vietnam Rubber Group (VRG) will be given close to 60.64 trillion VND and the Vietnam National Coffee Corporation (VinaCafe) will get nearly 2.28 billion VND from the 2021 central budget in pursuant to Decision 42/2021/QD-TTg dated October 8, 2012 on provision of support for employers of ethnic minority people from mountainous and extremely disadvantaged areas.

The Ministry of Finance was assigned to manage and disburse the funding in line with current regulations.

The move forms part of the government’s efforts to improve livelihoods of ethnic minorities in remote and disadvantaged regions.

Rubber and coffee have been among Vietnam’s key currency earners for years. Last year, the country’s rubber and coffee export value hit 2.4 billion USD and 2.7 billion USD, respectively.

The two agricultural products are largely grown in the northern mountainous, Central Highlands and Southeast regions which are endowed with nutrient-rich red basalt soil. The regions are mainly inhabited by ethnic minority people, a majority of whom have been struggling with many difficulties.

According to a 2019 survey by the Committee on Ethnic Minority Affairs, Vietnam is home to 14.1 million ethnic minority people, accounting for 14.7 percent of the total population. It also revealed that the percentage of poor and near-poor households in ethnic minority inhabited areas is 3.5 times higher than the country’s average./.

German newspaper highlights Vietnamese market’s prospects

German’s DVZ e-newspaper has run a story by Claudius Semmann highlighting Vietnam’s success in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic and secure economic development, maintaining its bright outlook amid the global crisis.

The article noted that Vietnam has been very successful in dealing with the pandemic and has already developed into a popular production base.

By the end of 2020, the nearly 100 million-strong country had only reported 1,465 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases and 35 deaths, it said.

It cited data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) showing that the economy grew by 2.9 percent, one of the highest rates in the world. However, this was its lowest growth in 30 years, according to the report on the Agility Emerging Markets Logistics Index. Domestic activity had recovered early. There was also a robust export trend, especially in the high-tech area, it added.

According to the Transport Intelligence (TI) market researchers, Vietnam benefits from the free trade agreements with the EU and the UK as well as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which has provided Vietnamese goods with better access to the Canadian and Mexican markets. Both before and during the pandemic, the country attracted investments, including those from manufacturers who wanted to relocate their production from pandemic-hit areas.

In recent years, Vietnam has moved the value chain from textiles and clothing to microchips, smartphones and other electronics. Apple and its suppliers Foxconn and Pegatron as well as Panasonic were among the companies that started manufacturing in Vietnam, expanded production or announced new production plans there in 2021, it said.

According to TI data, around 40 percent of exports go to the US and the EU. It pointed out that Vietnam may face problems in infrastructure system such as roads and ports.

The article also cited current analysis by the international credit insurer Atradius indicating that Vietnam is also one of the markets in which German exporters have good prospects of generating additional sales in the second coronavirus year.

Thanks to low wage costs and favourable conditions for foreign direct investment, many companies are relocating simple production steps from China to Vietnam, Atradius expert Thomas Langen was quoted as saying.

According to the article, companies in the transport and logistics as well as textiles sectors will benefit from the increasing global demand. Domestically, agriculture, construction and infrastructure as well as retail and durable consumer goods manufacturers benefit from expanding domestic demand, it added./.

Q1 exports rise as Vietnam takes advantage of FTAs: Official

Vietnam has been making good use of advantages of the international economic integration process, helping to increase the country’s exports by 22 percent year-on-year and imports by 26 percent in the first quarter of 2021, said Tran Thanh Hai, Deputy Director of the Agency of Foreign Trade under the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Talking to the press, Hai said the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), the UK-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) have become effective, and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is about to come into effect.

For the EU market, several Vietnamese commodities have enjoyed incentives of the EU’s Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) for years.

However, for the long term, taking advantage of opportunities brought about by the EVFTA is a sustainable and equal preference. Specially, for the commodities that Vietnam has advantage, they can enjoy preferences on origins combined in the EVFTA, Hai said.

He advised enterprises to bring into full play advantages of the agreement by understanding the advantages for their commodities and then change their production process and material supply to meet requirements of origin.

Looking back on the import-export figures in the first quarter, Hai said, electronic products, electric appliances and furniture are the most benefitted as increasing demand from the European and North American markets.

However, such products as garment and textiles and footwear are facing difficulties caused by the disruption of the supply chains.

Hai also proposed businesses take the initiative and make good preparations to deal with any possible instable factors.

During January – March, Vietnam’s import-export turnover is estimated at 152.65 billion USD, up 24.1 percent year-on-year./.

Trade surplus in Q1 reaches more than 2 billion USD

The country’s export turnover increased 22 percent to reach 77.34 billion USD in the first quarter, while the trade surplus was estimated at 2.03 billion USD.

The General Statistics Office (GSO)’s representative said on March 29 that: “Vietnam has recorded a strong recovery of import and export activities.”

He said the total merchandise import-export turnover in Q1 reached 152.65 billion USD, up 24.1 percent over the same period last year. While the export turnover reached 77.34 billion USD, the import turnover also reached 75.31 billion USD, up 26.3 percent.

GSO said goods export turnover in February reached 20.196 billion USD, 196 million USD higher than planned, adding that export turnover was estimated to reach 28.6 billion USD in March, marking an increase of 41.6 percent over February and 19.2 percent over the same period last year.

In Q1, there were 11 items with an export turnover of more than 1 billion USD, accounting for 76.6 percent of the total export turnover. They included four items with an export turnover of over 5 billion USD, accounting for 54.7 percent.

Import turnover reached 20.656 billion USD in February, 144 million USD lower than planned, said the GSO, estimating the import turnover to reach 28.2 billion USD in March, up 36.5 percent over February and 27.7 percent over the same period last year. In imports, materials for production were estimated at 70.58 billion USD, up 26.8 percent over the same period last year and accounting for 93.7 percent of the total import turnover.

GSO said the production expectation in Q2 was more positive with an increase of 27.5 percent in registered capital at 447.8 trillion VND (19.46 billion USD) in Q1. A survey on business trends of enterprises in the manufacturing and processing industries showed enterprises expect their production and business in Q2 to be better than Q1.

At the same time, demand for consumption increased again in March with better domestic trade and freight transportation. The total retail sales of consumer goods and services in March increased 9.2 percent over February and decreased 5.4 percent from the same period last year. Though the cargo transportation increased by 5.3 percent from the previous month, the transportation of passengers still faced difficulties due to the effects of the pandemic.

Total retail sales of consumer goods and services reached 1.291 quadrillion VND, up 5.1 percent over the same period last year. Of which, the sales in March were estimated at 405.1 trillion VND, down 3.8 percent from the previous month and up 9.2 percent over the same period last year.

In the first quarter, international visitors were estimated at 48,100 arrivals, down 98.7 percent from the same period last year. In March, there are 19,400 arrivals, up 77.3 percent over February and down 95.7 percent from last March, said the GSO.

The office also considered positive signals in mobilising and using capital, saying realised investment capital was estimated at 507.6 trillion VND in Q1, an increase of 6.3 percent over the same period last year. The office said the increase was an important driving force for the mobilisation and use of social investment capital to grow strongly in the coming quarters of the year./.

Binh Phuoc targets becoming industrialised province

The southern province of Binh Phuoc recorded economic growth of 7.51 percent in 2020 thanks to its outstanding efforts in containing COVID-19 and promoting economic development, according to a local official.

Tran Tue Hien, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, reported that the locality’s industrial production value expanded 10.3 percent last year, while construction increased 12.5 percent.

The province’s budget collection totalled 11.6 trillion VND (502.28 million USD), with export revenue rising 7.33 percent and imports increasing 6.25 percent year-on-year.

It attracted 35 projects with total registered investment of 252 million USD, raising the total in the province to 273 projects worth 2.65 billion USD.

Domestic investors also registered 7 trillion VND to develop 110 projects, bringing the total amount to 1,081 projects valued at 90.7 trillion VND.

During the 2020-2025 tenure, the resolution adopted at the 11th provincial Party Congress set the target of turning Binh Phuoc into an industrialised province and being included in the group of provinces with rapid, sustainable development.

It expects to maintain its average economic growth, attract more investment, increase export-import turnover, and raise budget collections to 18-18.5 trillion VND by 2025.

Binh Phuoc will strive to improve people’s living standards and narrow the development gap between urban and rural, ethnic minority, remote, and border areas.

To that end, it has embarked on e-administraion and smart urban area building towards a digital administration, in order to offer better public services to people and businesses.

It has also sped up infrastructure building to be better connected with the Central Highlands and logistics centres in the southern region, while promoting its production and business environment among domestic and foreign investors.

Speaking at an investment promotion event in late 2020, Hien said Binh Phuoc has developed 13 industrial parks, of which eight have come into operation.

The province proposed on March 12 that Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc allow the expansion and adjustment of industrial parks in the locality.

Accordingly, it plans to add 1,000 ha to the Minh Hung Sikio Industrial Park and 1,500 ha to the Nac and Nam Dong Phu Industrial Parks./.

Vietnamese poultry find way onto more foreign plates

Apart from maintaining the domestic market, Vietnamese poultry businesses are seeking ways to expand their reach to foreign markets like Myanmar, Japan, Hong Kong and Russia, heard a recent meeting of the Vietnam Poultry Association (VIPA).

Nguyen Song Thao, Deputy Director of the Personnel Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said at the VIPA meeting on March 28 that the national poultry flocks increased from 100 million in 2010 to 530 million last year.

Poultry meat production also rose from 600,000 to 1.4 million tonnes over the past decade, and the output of eggs reached 14 billion in 2020, up from 6 billion ten years ago, he said.

Poultry meat and eggs have not only met the demand of the nearly 100 million population at home, but also been used for exports.

Notably, modern, large-scale poultry farms have been formed and equipped with cutting-edge technologies, Thao said.

Nguyen Thanh Son, VIPA President, said despite the adverse impact of COVID-19 last year that cut into firms’ profit, the sector invested in some chicken farms and slaughterhouses that are among the most modern in Southeast Asia.

Progress has also been made in the production of poultry feed, medicines and vaccines, he added.

He said the VIPA will support businesses in exporting poultry breeds, processed meat, eggs, medicines and feed this year, while staying updated on price and market to inform its members.

The association will also draw up a project on granting certificates to VIPA members that have good products, according to Son./.

Ministry sets up team to study virtual assets, money

The Finance Ministry on March 30 announced that it has set up a team to study virtual assets and money to design management policies and mechanisms according to its tasks and functions in the field.

The ministry said Vietnam has yet any legal regulations on the issuance, trade and exchange of virtual money and assets. Therefore, the trade of cryptocurrencies by several individuals in Vietnam on international trade floors such as Binance and Coinbase or via direct transactions poses many risks.

At present, the ministry’s State Securities Commission (SSC) is embarking on the ministry-level study on building legal framework on the management of crypto assets on Vietnam’s securities market.

In the near future, the ministry will continue proposing mechanisms to the Government to oversee activities related to virtual assets and money to ensure the security and safety of the financial market as well as protect legitimate rights and interests of investors and others in the market.

Earlier, the SSC warned investors to stay cautious when investing in virtual assets and money to minimise possible risks. It also asked listed, securities, fund management companies and securities investment funds to stay away from the issuance, trade and mortgage of virtual money against the law.

The establishment of the team is in line with the Prime Minister’s Decision No.1255/QD-TTg approving a project on perfecting legal framework on the management of virtual and electronic money and the Government Office’s Dispatch No.11633/VPCP-KTTH on comprehensive review of legal regulations related to virtual assets and money./.

HCM City’s CPI down 0.33 percent in March

The CPI in the southern economic hub of Ho Chi Minh City inched down 0.33 percent in March against February, according to the city’s Statistics Office.

The first-quarter figure rose 0.84 percent compared to last year’s average.

Among 11 groups of products and services in the CPI basket, increases were seen in transportation fees, of 2.04 percent, education 0.004 percent, and the group of culture, entertainment, and tourism 0.4 percent.

Affected by petrol price adjustments on February 25 and March 12, fuel prices rose 5.76 percent.

Meanwhile, restaurant and catering services saw the strongest decline, of 1.46 percent, while foodstuff was up 0.25 percent against February.

The strongest slumps in this group were seen in vegetables (4.76 percent), beef (3.47 percent), and poultry (2.64 percent), as consumer demand returned to normal after the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday in February, the largest traditional festival of the Vietnamese people.

Also falling were beverages and tobacco (0.36 percent), and garments, hats, and footwear (0.02 percent).

The group of housing, electricity, water, and construction materials were down 0.09 percent against February. This included falls of 0.56 percent in the power price, 0.1 percent in the water price, and 1.43 percent in gas and fuel prices due to increases in petrol prices.

The price of household devices and appliances fell 0.13 percent against February.

The Statistics Office also reported that the gold price was down 1.79 percent in March but up 25.89 percent year-on-year in the first quarter. The US dollar exchange rate expanded 0.11 percent in March compared to February, but was down 0.91 percent year-on-year in the first quarter./.

Kien Giang province eyes 12.7 percent export growth in Q2

The Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang is aiming at 218 million USD in export revenue in Quarter 2, a year-on-year surge of 12.7 percent.

With this figure, total earnings from exports in the first half will likely top more than 355 million USD, accounting for 47.3 percent of the annual plan and up 2.3 percent year-on-year.

According to the provincial Department of Industry and Trade, the locality pocketed more than 136 million USD from exports in Quarter 1, down 15.5 percent year-on-year.

Of the total, rice brought home 42 million USD, seafood over 45 million USD, leather shoes 27 million USD, fruit and vegetables 5.66 million USD, and other products 15.17 million USD.

COVID-19 made it difficult for local firms to ship products to traditional markets, and processors also faced a shortage of raw materials due to climate change and diseases, the department said.

However, with sound business strategies, many companies were successful in fulfilling contracts and were able to ship products to markets on the road to recovery.

Local companies also received legal documents on the application of the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) of WTO member states, which could affect the shipment of Vietnamese agricultural products.

The department also provided support and worked to remove bottlenecks in capital, materials, workers, trade promotion, and market development for local producers./.

State budget collections down 1.2 percent in Q1

State budget collections managed by tax agencies were estimated at 347.34 trillion VND (15.02 billion USD) in the first quarter of this year, equal to 31.1 percent of the estimate and down 1.2 percent year-on-year, according to the General Department of Taxation.

Collections from crude oil reached 8.02 trillion VND, or 34.6 percent of the estimate, while the remainder came from domestic revenue, equal to 31 percent of the estimate and up 1 percent against the same period last year.

The production and business sector, covering State-owned, foreign-invested, and private enterprises, contributed 191.25 trillion VND, a year-on-year increase of 12.5 percent.

During the opening quarter, debt collections hit 9.07 trillion VND, or 30.1 percent of the target.

To fulfil budget collection tasks set for 2021, the department said it will focus on removing difficulties facing enterprises, improving the business environment, and attracting investment./.

New tourism products to be introduced at Hanoi festival 2021

The administration of Hanoi is poised to host a festival between April 16-18 aimed at stimulating tourism and introducing a wide range culinary culture, following the containment of the latest coronavirus outbreak.

A fresh range of tourism products will be introduced to visitors during the event set to be held at King Ly Thai To flower garden, according to Dang Huong Giang, director of Hanoi’s Department of Tourism.

Ahead of the event, major Vietnamese airlines such as Vietnam Airlines, VietJet Air, Bamboo Airways, and local travel agencies plan to offer major discounts in an effort to attract tourists.

Most notably, travel agency Vietravel intend to launch a three-day and two-night tour of the Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi route at a cost of VND990,000, whilst VietFoot agency will debut a night tour of the historic Hoa Lo prison.

The festival is anticipated to draw the participation of over 200 businesses from across the country. Alongside firms from Hanoi, businesses from other cities and provinces will also be taking part in the event with the primary goal of introducing tourism products, destinations, and tours, as well as other special offers on tours, hotels, and air tickets.

A culinary space will be established to popularize some outstanding dishes and specialties from the capital, including pho, a type of noodle soup, cha ca, a type of grilled fish, and coffee.

This year’s festival will be designed in an open space. National airlines and tour operators are set to have their own space decorated with an array of eye-catching models to attract tourists.

Vietnam joins Apple’s Independent Repair Provider programme

Teach giant Apple of the United States has named Vietnam in its Independent Repair Provider programme which aims to offer repair providers access to genuine parts, tools, repair manuals, and diagnostics in order to conduct out-of-warranty repairs.

Originally launched in 2019, the scheme enables repair providers of all sizes to gain access to genuine Apple parts, tools, repair manuals, and diagnostics, offering safe and reliable repairs for various Apple products.

At present, there are now over 1,500 Independent Repair Provider locations serving customers throughout the US, Canada, and Europe.

All repair service providers operating within the programme will enjoy access to free training from Apple, along with the same genuine parts as both Apple Authorized Service Providers (AASPs) and Apple Store locations.

To qualify for the scheme, the providers must commit to having an Apple-certified technician perform the repairs.

“Qualifying repair providers can purchase genuine Apple parts and tools at the same price as AASPs and receive free access to training, repair manuals, and diagnostics”, says Apple.

Besides Vietnam, Apple has stated that Italy, Cambodia, Japan, Laos, and plenty of other Asian and African countries also made the list of countries that will be able to apply to become an Independent Repair Provider.

Newly-established firms down in Q1

Viet Nam had 29,300 newly-established enterprises with total registered capital of VND447.8 trillion in the first quarter of this year, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).

These figures were down 1.4 per cent in the number of newly registered enterprises but up 27.5 per cent in the registered capital year on year. The higher capital was due to an increase of 36.8 per cent in the number of enterprises with registered capital at over VND100 billion.

During the first quarter, 40,300 enterprises stopped business, a year-on-year increase of 15.6 per cent. Of which, 23,800 were temporarily closed, up 28.2 per cent, and 5,200 have permanently ceased to do business, a surge of 26.4 per cent, while 11,300 others are completing dissolution procedures.

The majority of enterprises temporarily suspending their business and dissolving were small-scale and vulnerable businesses due to negative impacts, according to the GSO.

Meanwhile, 44,000 enterprises resumed their operation in the first three months of this year.

The GSO’s survey on business trends of the manufacturing and processing industry showed that many enterprises expected their production and business in the second quarter of 2021 to be better than the first quarter. Of which, 51 per cent of surveyed businesses said that the business situation would be better than the first quarter while 34.1 per cent of them said the business situation would be stable. About 14.9 per cent of enterprises forecast more difficulties in doing business than the first quarter.

Foreign-invested enterprises in this industry are the most optimistic with 86.2 per cent forecasting stable and better business performance in the second quarter. The ratios in non-State owned enterprises and State-owned enterprises are 84.8 per cent and 83.4 per cent, respectively.

The survey also reported that 55.1 per cent of enterprises believed that high competitiveness of domestic goods was the main factor affecting their production and business activities in the first quarter.

Other factors included low domestic market demand, difficulties in finance, lack of raw materials and human resources, high interest rates of loans, and outdated technology and equipment.

About 29.6 per cent of enterprises said the business situation in the first quarter of 2021 was better than that in the fourth quarter of 2020 while 39 per cent of them saw stable business situation. About 31.4 per cent of businesses faced difficulties in production and business.

Hanoi to use QR Codes to boost tourism

About 38 tourist sites in Hanoi’s Tay Ho District has been given QR codes that permits users to quickly search for its information.

This is the idea of Bui The Cuong, party secretary of Tay Ho District, who was given Ly Tu Trong Award on the 90th anniversary of Ho Chi Minh Youth Union.

The project was started last year and divided into three phases. The first phase was carried out from March to July 2020. During this period, the member unions were asked to collect information to create a database about tourist sites in the district. In the second phase, articles about these sites have been posted on the website of Tay Ho District. The third phase is when the authorities manage, maintain and secure the QR codes and their information.

On August 1, 2020, the first QR code was put up at Tran Quoc Pagoda. As of now, up to 38 tourist sites have been given a QR code.

Visitors can easily access the information about the attraction by scanning the code with their mobile phones. The project was also praised by Hanoi Fatherland Front Committee.

Bui The Cuong has been a party secretary of Tay Ho District for four years. In 2020, Tay Ho Youth Union has collaborated with many parties to make 70 automatic hand sanitisers. The team was praised and given a certificate of merit by the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and Hanoi Youth Union.

“I feel proud and honoured. I’ll work harder so that there will be more practical and meaningful activities,” he said.

He went on to say that the union should be pro-active in leading young people into the new industrial revolution while preventing fake news and spreading goodness to the community.

Newly-established firms down in Q1

Vietnam had 29,300 newly-established enterprises with total registered capital of 447.8 trillion VND (19.37 billion USD) in the first quarter of this year, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).

These figures were down 1.4 percent in the number of newly registered enterprises but up 27.5 percent in the registered capital year on year. The higher capital was due to an increase of 36.8 percent in the number of enterprises with registered capital at over 100 billion VND.

During the first quarter, 40,300 enterprises stopped business, a year-on-year increase of 15.6 percent. Of which, 23,800 were temporarily closed, up 28.2 percent, and 5,200 have permanently ceased to do business, a surge of 26.4 percent, while 11,300 others are completing dissolution procedures.

The majority of enterprises temporarily suspending their business and dissolving were small-scale and vulnerable businesses due to negative impacts, according to the GSO.

Meanwhile, 44,000 enterprises resumed their operation in the first three months of this year.

The GSO’s survey on business trends of the manufacturing and processing industry showed that many enterprises expected their production and business in the second quarter of 2021 to be better than the first quarter. Of which, 51 percent of surveyed businesses said that the business situation would be better than the first quarter while 34.1 percent of them said the business situation would be stable. About 14.9 percent of enterprises forecast more difficulties in doing business than the first quarter.

Foreign-invested enterprises in this industry are the most optimistic with 86.2 percent forecasting stable and better business performance in the second quarter. The ratios in non-State owned enterprises and State-owned enterprises are 84.8 percent and 83.4 percent, respectively.

The survey also reported that 55.1 percent of enterprises believed that high competitiveness of domestic goods was the main factor affecting their production and business activities in the first quarter.

Other factors included low domestic market demand, difficulties in finance, lack of raw materials and human resources, high interest rates of loans, and outdated technology and equipment.

About 29.6 percent of enterprises said the business situation in the first quarter of 2021 was better than that in the fourth quarter of 2020 while 39 percent of them saw stable business situation. About 31.4 percent of businesses faced difficulties in production and business./.

Public firms key to help Vietnam stock market upgrade to emerging status

A transparent manner fully complied with the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) will boost the development of the stock market.

Upgrading Vietnam’s stock market to emerging status not only depends on the efforts of the securities industry or market authorities, but also public firms who are key to realize such goal.

Director of Stock Market Development Department under the State Securities Commission of Vietnam (SSC) Ta Thanh Binh shared her view at a conference discussing measures to boost Vietnam’s equity market on March 30.

“Only when local enterprises operate in a transparent manner and fully comply with the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), they would be the core to boost the development of the stock market and eventually leading to market upgrade,” said Binh.

Vietnam is currently listed in the Frontier Market group by two major providers of financial services FTSE Russell and MSCI.

In September 2018, FTSE Russell added Vietnam into its watchlist for possible upgrade to Secondary Emerging Market. However, in the agency’s latest review last September, Vietnam only met seven out of the nine criteria.

In this regard, the country does not meet the “Settlement Cycle (DvP)” criterion which is currently rated as “Restricted”. This is due to the market practice of conducting a pre-trading check to ensure the availability of funds prior to trade execution.

Meanwhile, since by default, the market does not experience failed trades, the “Settlement – Rare incidence of failed trades” criterion is unrated.

Referring to MSCI criteria, Vietnam is required to improve seven out of 17.

Binh, however, noted that as Kuwait was upgraded to the Emerging Market status, Vietnam has seen its weight increase in the Frontier Markets Index and become the most important market in this category.

“Investment funds tracking frontier markets, such as Schroder ISF Frontier Markets Fund, Coeli Frontier Markets Fund, and T.Rowe Price Frontier Markets Fund are increasing their weight of Vietnamese stocks,” Binh informed, adding higher credibility is seen as a favorable factor for Vietnam’s upgrade.

Among key measures to boost the country’s upgrade prospect, Binh pointed out a number of laws  being enforced since January 1, 2021, that ensure a more transparent investment environment, including the revised Securities Law, the Law on Investment and the Law on Enterprises.

The SSC representative stressed the necessity to soon put new amendments of these laws into practice to ensure the healthy development of the stock market, saying this is key to better protect lawful rights of investors.

“The SSC is in the process of submitting to the prime minister strategy for the development of the stock market in the 2021-30 period, which would serve as the basis for its long-term development,” Binh added.

Binh also expected stronger efforts from government agencies in enhancing the freedom on the foreign exchange market, reducing state intervention into enterprises’ operation, and further opening the market for foreign investors.

SSC Chairman Tran Van Dung in a conference last December said the local stock market is in favorable position to get upgraded to emerging status before 2025, a target set by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

HoSE to launch temporary transaction system in next 3-4 months

The move is seen as a short-term solution to address the issue of surging orders on the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange (HoSE) that force the stock exchange to halt market trading.

The HoSE has been working with leading tech firm FPT on a temporary transaction system capable of processing up to five million transaction orders per day, and scheduled to launch in the next three to four months, stated the stock exchange in an announcement.

The new system would adopt transaction software system from the Hanoi Stock Exchange (HNX), seen as a short-term solution to address the issue of surging orders on the HoSE that force the stock exchange to halt market trading, stated the HoSE.

Addressing the issue of some investors still being able to place transaction orders despite system overload, HoSE said every securities firm is allocated with around 3,000 transaction orders since the start of a trading session.

“The fact that they can still make transaction means some securities firms have not used up their transaction orders,” said the HoSE.

Data from the HoSE revealed in the past three months, the average transaction orders from Vietnam’s top 20 securities firms rose by five to six folds, even 13-18 folds in some cases,  causing the system to overload.

Meanwhile, the stock exchange’s decision to raise the minimum trading lot from 10 to 100 shares since January 4 helped improve liquidity by 15-18%.

“However, the overload continues to occur whenever liquidity hit VND15-16 trillion (US$648.2-691.4 million),” it added.

The stock exchange authority also gave permission for public firms to switch their stocks from the HoSE to the HNX until the situation is completely resolved.

However, the move is not applicable for stocks under the VN30 Index, comprised of the 30 largest stocks on the HoSE.

Casino investment to boost Vietnam GDP growth by 2%, says businessperson

Global uncertainties are forcing financial centers around the world to redefine their activities, as such, Vietnam should grasp this opportunity to build a continental-level finance center to attract investment capital.

President of the Imex Pan Pacific Group (IPPG) Jonathan Hanh Nguyen at the meeting. Photo: Quang Hai

President of the Imex Pan Pacific Group (IPPG) Jonathan Hanh Nguyen gave the assessments as saying he is in partnership with some US businesspeople, who are specialized in the fields of finance, casino and financial legal regulations, during a press conference on March 29 announcing the master planning for Danang until 2030, with vision to 2045.

“CEO of GGAM William Weidner is calling for investment funds for casino projects in Asia. In Vietnam, the US corporation is seeking authority’s permission for the investment in a financial center and a resort complex in Danang,” he added.

“We have been planning for a financial center in Vietnam over the past five years. My friends are placing their trust on me and Vietnam,” Hanh Nguyen said.

Hanh Nguyen, William Weidner and Paul Steelman, CEO of Steelman Partners, put forth the idea of a Singaporean-style financial center integrated with a resort complex in Danang.

The three expected the building would have the best quality in the world and totally transform investment and tourism landscapes in Vietnam.

According to Hanh Nguyen, global uncertainties are forcing financial centers around the world to redefine their activities.

In this regard, “Vietnam and Danang in particular should grasp this opportunity to build a continental-level financial center to attract investment capital inflow,” Hanh Nguyen suggested.

Hanh Nguyen expected the upcoming financial center should be the focal point to attract funds from billionaires and multinationals, in turn laying the foundation for further investment activities from smaller investors.

On the same day, Danang People’s Committee signed a financing agreement with the IPPG for the study project of turning the city into an Asian finance hub.

Da Nang restarts 1.5 billion USD resort mega-project

The Da Nang People’s Committee announced on March 30 that a Vingroup mega-project in Lien Chau district worth 35 trillion VND (1.51 billion USD) has been restarted after years of delay.

The Lang Van resort and entertainment project will span nearly 1,000 ha at the foot of Hai Van Pass in the northern reaches of the central coastal city and is expected to further boost local tourism.

An in principle agreement was signed in 2011 between the Da Nang city People’s Committee and developer Vinpearl JSC, a member of conglomerate VinGroup, on the construction of the project, which was then delayed for multiple reasons.

Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Le Trung Chinh said the Lang Van complex is situated at a location significant in terms of natural resources, culture, and security and defence.

He urged the developer to pay great attention to these elements to ensure the harmonious and sustainable development of not only Lien Chieu district but also the city as a whole./.

Hanoi: March CPI down 0.21 percent against February

The March CPI in Hanoi fell 0.21 percent month-on-month but rose 1.12 percent year-on-year, according to the municipal Statistics Office.

Seven out of 11 groups of commodities posted price declines in March compared to February, with food and catering services experiencing a fall of 1.54 percent, driven by declines in the price of food (2.24 percent) and fruit and vegetables (8.97 percent). Many types of fruit and vegetables saw a bumper harvest, which provided the market with an abundant supply and eased the pressure on prices.

Others witnessing month-on-month falls included beverages and tobacco (0.41 percent), post and telecommunications (0.22 percent), and culture, entertainment, and tourism (0.11 percent).

Growth was seen in three groups, with the largest rise of 2.36 percent recorded in transport as a result of petrol and oil prices being revised upwards twice during the month, by a total of 6.87 percent and 7.9 percent, respectively.

Housing, electricity, and construction materials fell 0.35 percent while education services eased 0.01 percent.

The index rose 0.04 percent year-on-year in the first quarter on the back of rising prices in education services (2.72 percent), beverages and tobacco (1.4 percent), housing, electricity, water, fuel, and construction materials (0.8 percent), and home appliances (0.78 percent).

Three groups posted weakening prices, with the largest fall of 5.13 percent seen in transport as people refrained from travelling during the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday following a resurgence of COVID-19 in late January.

Gold prices in March were down 3.51 percent month-on-month but up 15.45 percent year-on-year. They grew by an average of 22.33 percent from January to March./.

Germany’s Bremen state – Gateway to the EU for Vietnamese firms

The German state of Bremen can serve as an important gateway for Vietnamese businesses to penetrate into the German market and the EU in general, a workshop in Ho Chi Minh City on March 31 heard.

According to Tran Phu Lu, Deputy Director of the Investment and Trade Promotion Centre (ITPC), Germany is Vietnam’s largest European partner, accounting for nearly one-fifth of its export value to the EU.

Trade between the two countries has doubled since 2010 and increased over 10 percent annually to more than 10 billion USD. The figure topped 1.5 billion USD as of February, up 5 percent year-on-year.

Germany now ranks 18th among countries and territories investing in Vietnam, with 361 projects from more than 300 enterprises worth over 2 billion USD, primarily in mechanics, machinery, logistics, chemicals, and renewable energy.

Vietnam, meanwhile, has invested in 35 projects in Germany valued at around 250 million USD, focusing on finance-banking, computers, and restaurants and hotels.

Notably, Germany has poured investments into key projects in HCM City such as Metro Line No 2 and Viet-Duc University.

Hoang Thi Huong, Chief Representative of the Economic Development Agency of the State of Bremen in Vietnam (BremenInvest), highlighted the significant geographical location of Bremen and its cities.

Bremen is a leading industrial hub in Germany and Europe at large, possessing strengths in such sectors as auto and automation, maritime transportation, logistics, aviation, wind power and renewable energy, seafood processing, and startups, she added.

Delegates at the workshop agreed that Bremen holds substantial potential for Vietnamese enterprises.

Experts also reminded enterprises to take into account the high-tech content of products and services, as well as environmental and health issues./.

Source: VNA/VNS/VOV/VIR/SGT/Nhan Dan/Hanoitimes

Filed Under: business vietnam economy, Vietnam business news, business news, vietnamnet bridge, english news, Vietnam news, vietnamnet news, Vietnam latest news, Vietnam breaking..., vietnam dong news, cnn business news, philippines business news, recent business news, regional business news, business to business news, vietnam china news, vietnam yahoo news, vietnam business culture, vietnam finance news, vietnam india news, harvard business review april 2012

VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES MARCH 19

March 19, 2021 by vietnamnet.vn

Work on HCMC’s metro line 2 to start in mid-2022

VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES MARCH 19
A road section is cleared to make room for HCMC’s second metro line project. Work on the project is expected to start next year – PHOTO: NLDO

In a report on the project’s progress sent to the Ministry of Planning and Investment, Binh stated that the site clearance work for the project would be completed in the first months of this year, while the relocation of technical infrastructure facilities would start in August, the local media reported.

The Management Authority for Urban Railways of HCMC is completing procedures to invite tenders for the project this year.

According to the municipal government, the project is facing some obstacles, such as reappraising loan conditions, extending a loan contract with the German development bank KfW that expired on December 31, 2020, and signing an appendix with the consulting firm of the project, Implementation Consultant, which stopped work on the project in October 2018.

Therefore, the city proposed the Ministry of Planning and Investment support the removal of these obstacles, so that the project can be completed as scheduled.

The second metro line project in HCMC, which requires an estimated investment of more than VND47.8 trillion, was designed to be over 11 kilometers long, including a 9.2-kilometer underground section, an elevated section and an approaching road section to the Tham Luong Depot. The metro line will include nine underground stations and an elevated station.

The cleared sites have been handed over for four stations—S9-Ba Queo in Tan Binh District, S10-Pham Van Bach, S11-Tan Binh and S5-Le Thi Rieng. In addition, the office building and auxiliary facilities at the Tham Luong Depot have been built.

As planned, the route will be constructed for four years and put into operation in 2026. Once in place, it will connect the first metro line at the Ben Thanh Station in District 1 and metro lines No. 5, 3b, 4 and 6.

HCM City searching for foreigner who fled quarantine centre

Relevant agencies in Ho Chi Minh City are searching for a foreigner who failed to observe quarantine regulations after entering Vietnam illegally, the city’s Centre for Disease Control (HCDC) announced on March 18.

Police in Cu Chi district announced the search for Yang Gui Bin, a Chinese national born in 1986, who had previously been quarantined at the Cu Chi Hospital for COVID-19 Treatment after being caught by police for illegal entry.

Yang tested negative twice for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 on March 6 and 11, and then fled on March 15.

According to the HCDC, 824 health workers at the city’s Hospital for Tropical Diseases had received shots against COVID-19 as of March 16.

Some of those vaccinated displayed predicted symptoms such as pain at the site of injection, muscle pain, headache and fever, but all are now in a stable condition.

The municipal Department of Health has asked the HCDC to hold training courses at vaccination sites on the implementation of the COVID-19 inoculation drive./.

15th NA election: Presidium of VFF Central Committee holds second consultative conference

The Presidium of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee held the second consultative conference on March 18 to reach agreement on a preliminary list of candidates nominated by central agencies for the upcoming election of deputies to the 15th National Assembly.

In opening the conference, Tran Thanh Man, President of the VFF Central Committee and Vice Chairman of the National Election Council, noted that according to election regulations, consultative conferences will be held three times to select worthy candidates for the election in a democratic manner.

The Presidium of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee held the first consultative conference on February 4, and the third one will be completed before 5pm April 19.

After the first consultative conference, agencies, organisations and units held meetings to nominate candidates for the NA election, and to collect voters’ opinions on their nominees.

According to Man, by March 17 the VFF had received dossiers of 205 nominated candidates, and preparations for the election are going according to schedule and in compliance with regulations.

At the conference, 100 percent of delegates approved the preliminary list of 205 candidates nominate by central agencies, organisations and units.

As of March 17, the number of nominated candidates nationwide stood at 1,161, which is 2.3 times the number of deputies to be elected to the NA.

It is noteworthy that 24 provinces and cities reported 77 self-nominated candidates, including 30 in Hanoi, and 16 in Ho Chi Minh City.

The elections of deputies to the 15th-tenure National Assembly and all-level People’s Councils for the 2021-2026 tenure are scheduled to take place on May 23.

Critically ill infected patient recovers in biggest coronavirus hotspot

A critically ill infected patient has been discharged from hospital in Hai Duong province, the epicenter of Vietnam’s latest coronavirus outbreak, after making a full recovery from the virus.

The man was admitted to field hospital No. 2 on February 17, suffering from severe respiratory failure, rapid shallow breathing, and extremely low oxygen levels in the blood. CT scan results show his lungs were seriously damaged.

His deteriorating health forced doctors to put him on a ventilator and a dialysis machine the following morning.

After 3 days of receiving intensive care and treatment, the patient displayed signs of recovery. He did not need an ECMO intervention – a therapy that is used to support critically ill patients.

The patient was able to breathe himself on February 23 and walk with support from medical workers the following day.

“I am very happy to be released for home. I would like to thank doctors for saving my life,” the man said after receiving intensive care and treatment for nearly a month in the hospital.

Field hospital No2 has been established after the virus recurred in Hai Duong in late January 2021. It has since given treatment to 376 patients, of whom 234 have recovered and have been discharged from hospital.

Scholarships for Vietnamese students in India announced

The Embassy of Vietnam in India, with support from the Centre for Indian Studies at the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and the Centre for Vietnamese Studies in New Delhi, held a ceremony on March 17 to announce the Ambassador Scholarships for Vietnamese Students in 2021.

Some 113 scholarships will be granted to Vietnamese students in undergraduate and postgraduate studies at four Indian institutions: the Integral University in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh; the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology in Bhubaneswar, Odisha; Rishihood University in Haryana; and Sharda University in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.

Priority will be given to disadvantaged students from ethnic minority and vulnerable groups. Recommended majors include medical and pharmaceutical technology, engineering, and management, among others.

Speaking at the ceremony, Vietnamese Ambassador to India Pham Sanh Chau expressed his hope that, through the scholarships, more Vietnamese students will study in India and experience the local culture. They will also help promote India as an educational destination of potential, he added./.

Vietnam listed among countries with cheapest Internet service in Asia

The average monthly cost of broadband Internet in Vietnam was US$12.4, much cheaper than in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.

Vietnam is among the countries with the cheapest internet service in the world, accornding to a report by Cable.co.uk, a private company researching cable television services, Internet and telecommunications of the UK.

Cable.co.uk collects data from 3,288 fixed network service providers in 211 countries in the world, from October to December 2020. The average amount that users in the world have to spend a month on Internet connection is US$78.14.

Accordingly, Vietnam ranks 12th in the world, 6th in Asia and 1st in Southeast Asia in terms of low internet service rates. Average users in Vietnam spend US$11.27 (equivalent to VND260,000) for a month on Internet connection.

The average monthly cost of broadband Internet in Vietnam was US$12.4, much cheaper than in Thailand (US$25.9), Indonesia (US$32.5), Malaysia (US$34.9), and the Philippines (US$51.1).

Around 64 million Vietnamese, or over half the country’s population, are online.

In contrast, African countries with poor telecommunications infrastructure, lack of competition among service providers and low average income are the ones with the highest internet cost in the world.

Particularly, Internet users in Eritrea have to spend an average of US$2,666 per month. The next one is Mauritania, with US$ 712.46 for a month of internet connection.

Ukraine is the country with the cheapest internet rates in the world, with an average price of only US$6.41 per month. It is followed by Syria, with an average Internet rate of US$6.49 per month.

Mekong Delta needs to urgently protect underground water resource

Water supply companies in Soc Trang, Ca Mau, Bac Lieu, Kien Giang, An Giang and Hau Giang provinces expressed their concern over exploited water reserve and the quality of groundwater water source through a seminar titled “Protecting and efficiently exploiting underground water resources in the South of Hau River” on March 17.

Similarly, General Director of Kien Giang Water Supply and Sewerage Limited Company (Kiwaco) Mr. Au Van Tam shared that Kiwaco put 80 to 110- meter deep wells into operation at Ca Mau Peninsula with a capacity of 50 meters cubic per hour; however, the high salinity and iron concentrations significantly impact on quality of water resource.

Speaking at the seminar, a representative of Ca Mau Water Supply Joint Stock Company (Cawaco) said that Cawaco has a water supply factory in Ca Mau City and seven branches in districts in addition to 63 wells in a depth of 180 to 240 meters. Last year, Ca Mau Province had reports about the reserve depletion as well as abnormal water quality.

General Director of Soc Trang Water Supply Joint Stock Company Mr. Dang Van Ngo also worried about outdated wells affecting underground water quality.

Dr. Anke Steinel, who is geoscientist and hydrologist of the German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources, said that the Mekong Delta is facing with challenges for underground water resource under the impact of climate change, sea level rise and water resource exploitation. As this reason, the Mekong Delta needs to urgently have solutions for protecting and managing underground water resources.

Sport tournament marks ties between Vietnamese, Lao public security forces

The Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security’s representative agency in Laos, together with the Embassy of Vietnam and the Lao Ministry of Public Security, held a friendly sport tournament in Vientiane on March 17.

The event was part of activities to commemorate 60 years since the first group of public security experts from Vietnam was sent to Laos on March 22, 1961 to assist the Lao public security force at the request of the Parties and Governments of the two countries, marking the start of official cooperation between the two forces.

It was also aimed to mark the 60th founding anniversary of the Lao public security force on April 5.

Addressing the opening ceremony, head of the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security’s representative agency in Laos Maj. Gen. Hoang Quang Huong affirmed that the cooperation between the two public security forces has played a key role in the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos in the past six decades.

The sport tournament, taking place from March 12-17, was to express gratefulness to officers and soldiers of the public security forces and offered chances for staff of the countries’ agencies to enhance understanding and further strengthen solidarity and friendship. It saw 18 teams playing in men’s football and badminton.

At the closing ceremony later on the same day, Lao Deputy Minister of Public Security Lieut. Gen. Kongthong Phongvichith spoke highly of the role and significant contributions by Vietnamese public security experts to the development of the Lao public security force over the years, thereby contributing to the achievements and successes of the Lao revolution and maintain order and stability in the country during its national construction process./.

Four trains for first metro line to arrive in HCMC before July

The next four trains for the first metro line project in HCMC are expected to be transported from Japan to Vietnam between April and July this year if the Covid-19 pandemic is brought under control, said Huynh Hong Thanh, deputy head of the Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR) of HCMC.

During an inspection by a team led by HCMC Chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong on March 16 into the construction site of the Ba Son underground station, part of the first metro line project, Thanh said two trains were scheduled arrive in Vietnam in April or May. Two months later, the next two trains would be handed over to Vietnam, news site VnExpress reported.

After arriving in HCMC, the four trains, together with the first one which was transported to Long Binh Depot in Thu Duc City in October last year, will be operated on a trial basis.

MAUR had earlier planned to run the trains on a trial basis in the last quarter of this year. They will run on an elevated section from Binh Thai Intersection to Long Binh Depot before the entire system is put into trial operation.

At the same time, other works serving the metro line’s operation will also be conducted, such as training laborers, transferring technology, checking and handing over the project.

The first metro line in HCMC was designed to have 17 three-carriage trains. Each train is capable of carrying 930 passengers and can move at a maximum speed of 110 kilometers an hour on elevated sections and 80 kilometers an hour on underground sections.

The average distance between every two stations is over one kilometer, so trains will run at a speed of some 40 kilometers per hour.

According to Thanh, the project is facing some obstacles. However, the progress of some packages has been ensured, such as the CP1b package to build an underground section from the Opera House station to the Ba Son station, which is expected to be 99% complete by the middle of this year.

He added that the project was still expected to be completed by the end of this year as planned. Due to the pandemic, MAUR will come up with another detailed plan on the project’s progress, assess the impact of Covid-19 on its execution and propose new solutions.

HCMC Chairman Phong said the city had directed MAUR to determine when the project would be put into commercial operation, which will be a foundation to work out difficulties.

The first metro line project requires an investment of VND43.7 trillion. It was designed to be nearly 20 kilometers long with three underground stations and 11 elevated stations.

The project is some 83% complete and is expected to be put into operation next year.

NA Chairwoman works with An Giang on election preparations

National Assembly (NA) Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan on March 18 asked the Mekong Delta province of An Giang to pay more heed to safeguarding security and order as well as COVID-19 prevention and control at border areas, thus ensuring the safety of elections of deputies to the 15th NA and all-level People’s Councils for the 2021-2026 tenure, which are slated for May 23.

At a working session with the provincial steering committee for elections, Ngan, who is also head of the National Election Council, urged An Giang to continue with information and communications tasks to raise public awareness about the elections.

Channels seeking public opinions on the elections should be set up, she said, adding that conferences collecting constituents’ votes of confidence on candidates need to be held as scheduled.

The Chairwoman called for the training of personnel in charge of election work, especially members of election groups.

Lauding An Giang’s preparations, the top legislator said it has seriously observed guidelines on reducing both constituencies and deputies.

Nguyen Thanh Binh, Deputy Secretary of the provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, and head of the steering committee for elections of An Giang, said the province will elect nine deputies to the 15th NA and 62 others to the provincial People’s Council.

As of 5pm on March 14, the steering committee had received dossiers from 125 candidates, including 15 for candidacy for the NA, he said.

District-level steering committees for elections have also announced lists of constituencies and the number of deputies to be elected in each constituency, as scheduled, according to Binh./.

Belgium’s Ixelles mayor appreciates contribution of Vietnamese to local COVID-19 response

Christos Doulkeridis, Mayor of Ixelles, a district of the Belgian capital Brussels, expressed his sincere appreciation on March 17 of the Vietnamese community’s contribution to the local COVID-19 response.

Vietnamese people are truly part of the local community, Doulkeridis said when accepting 1,200 face masks donated to the district by the Vietnamese Association in Belgium.

Everyone must engage in the fight against this deadly pandemic, he continued, and the symbolic gesture made by the Vietnamese community shows that everyone can play a part in the fight with a very important tool, face masks, being an expression of mutual protection.

He also spoke highly of the sense of responsibility among Vietnamese people in Belgium, saying they have fully integrated into the local community.

President of the Vietnamese Association in Belgium, Huynh Cong My, who handed over the donated face masks, said Vietnamese people appreciate how the administrations of Ixelles and Brussels at large have supported their integration efforts.

Data from 2019 indicates that about 14,000 Vietnamese were living in Belgium at that time./.

Campaign to promote public exercise, sport activities

A campaign “All people take exercises following the example of great Uncle Ho” in 2021-2030 will be launched at a ceremony in Ho Chi Minh City on March 28, according to the Vietnam Sports Administration (VSA) under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

An annual Olympic Run Day for Public Health 2021 will take place on the same day, the VSA said.

The VSA set to lift the total of people participating in regular exercise and sport activities to over 38 percent by 2025 and over 42 percent by 2030. Meanwhile, the rate of families joining sport activities is expected to reach over 28 percent, and 32 percent in 2025 and 2030, respectively.

The department also aims to have all communes and wards nationwide having grassroots cultural and sports establishments meeting the standards prescribed by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Up to 98 percent of communes and wards, and 100 percent of districts, provinces and central-run cities are expected to organise sport festivals at all levels, the VSA said./.

Ministry eyes over 9,000 km of expressway by 2050

The Ministry of Transport is striving to have 5,000 km of expressway by 2030 and over 9,000 km by 2050, according to Minister Nguyen Van The.

According to the ministry’s statistics released at a working session on road infrastructure planning on March 17, Vietnam is currently operating1,046 km of expressways and building an additional 900 km, equal to 90 percent of the planning scheme.

Experts said that the linkage between the national road system and other means of transportation has yet to meet requirements. Several seaports, railways and airports, for example, do not connect with expressways yet.

Speaking at the event, The emphasised the policy of reducing the market share of road transportation, and increasing the market shares of waterway, railway, aviation and seaway transportation.

Accordingly, he requested reducing public investments in roads and increasing in public investments in other means of transportation.

The minister also stressed the need to look back on shortcomings that make the ministry fail to reach 2,500km of expressways by 2020, including slow public investment disbursement and slow site clearance.

To achieve the goal of 5,000 km of expressways by 2030, it is necessary to have breakthrough policies to develop expressway infrastructure and gain the Prime Minister’s allowance to complete all site clearance before building investment projects./.

Group exhibitions open at Galerie Quynh

A group exhibition featuring works of Vietnamese and French artists has opened at Galerie Quynh.

The exhibition showcases paintings, installation works and video installations by French artist Nadège David, Vietnamese-American multi-disciplinary artist Trọng Gia Nguyên, and the Đà Nẵng-based visual and multimedia artist Xuân Hạ.

Through the works, the artists reflect bodily experiences in mediating and expressing perception, memory and culture.

The exhibition will be on view until April 10. The gallery is at 118 Nguyễn Văn Thủ Street in District 1.

HCM City accelerates completion of urban planning project

Ho Chi Minh City is eyeing to become a centrally- run special urban area, the nation’s biggest economic hub of tourism, industrial services, industry and high-tech agriculture.

To this end, it is working to complete a series of urban planning projects, including an overall urban planning scheme by 2040 and a planning scheme of Thu Duc city.

For the overall planning scheme with a vision to 2060, the city will cover a total of 2,123.7 sq. km, including 28.7 sq. km of Can Gio sea encroachment urban area.

Its urban development is associated with orientations to adapt to climate change and sea-level rise as well as a multipolar structure.

It will have new urban areas, with key locations including Thu Duc city – a creative high-interactive urban model, Hiep Phuoc port urban area, Tay Bac urban area, Binh Quoi-Thanh Da urban area, and Can Gio sea encroachment urban area.

Notably, HCM City will build Thu Duc into a city of a knowledge-based economy and artificial intelligence, serving as a driving force behind the growth toward the 4th Industrial Revolution of HCM City and the region.

The planning of Thu Duc is the central task in the southern economic hub’s overall planning.

As the eastern gateway of HCM City, Thu Duc city is set to span 21,156.9 ha and be developed into a centre of innovation and connectivity to assist the growth of other urban areas in the HCM City metropolitan area, which consists of HCM City and seven key economic hubs in the South./.

Craig Thomas Gallery presents new works by Vietnamese artists

Craig Thomas Gallery is displaying new works by contemporary Vietnamese artists this month.

The showcase includes a preview of paintings and sculptures from artists Phạm Thanh Toàn, Nguyễn Trọng Minh, Lim Khim Katy and Phạm Đinh Tiến. These works will be displayed at exhibitions this year and in 2022.

The artists, most of whom are graduates from the HCM City Fine Arts University, have had works displayed at the Việt Nam Fine Arts Museum, the HCM City Fine Arts Museum, and galleries in the city and Hà Nội.

The gallery is open for visitors from 1-6pm between Tuesday and Saturday. The venue is located at 27i Trần Nhật Duật Street in District 1.

Opening ceremony and festivities of Hoa Lư Festival to be halted

The annual festival of Hoa Lư in the northern province of Ninh Bình will be held without festivities this year, according to the Provincial People’s Committee.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival will be celebrated on a small scale but its respectful spirit will still be retained to ensure both locals and tourists’ safety, the organisers said.

Instead of holding the opening ceremony of Hoa Lư Festival as usual, Ninh Bình Province will exclude its opening ceremony and all other festivities.

Only some traditional ceremonies will be organised by Hoa Lư District People’s Committee and the Department of Culture and Sports of Ninh Bình Province, such as the temple-opening ceremony, water procession, the ceremony of Buddha bathing and the thanksgiving ceremony.

The Department of Culture and Sports of Ninh Bình Province will preside over the incense offering ceremony.

Earlier, Ninh Bình Provincial People’s Committee drew up a plan for the organisation of Hoa Lư Festival 2021 in November 2020.

The annual festival is one of 100 national intangible cultural heritages. Together with the ancient capital of Hoa Lư, the Hoa Lư Festival is an important part of the World Natural and Cultural Heritage Site of Tràng An scenic complex. It aims to commemorate the national heroes Lê Đại Hành and King Đinh Tiên Hoàng who built and protected the country.

Over the years, the traditional festival has had almost all of its traditional rituals restored, honouring the cultural values of the Đinh-Tiền Lê dynasty (968-1010).

Held from the 9th to the 11th day of the third lunar month, which falls on April 20-22 this year, Hoa Lư Festival typically attracts thousands of attendees.

Quang Ninh Province announces plans to resume classes for students affected by pandemic

The Department of Education of Training in the northern province of Quảng Ninh has proposed two options for students from pandemic-stricken areas to resume classes.

The proposal, which was submitted to the provincial People’s Committee for approval, aims to bring them back to school as soon as possible.

According to the department, as many as 534 high school students weren’t able to return to school due to the COVID-19 pandemic as of March 13. Of which, 94 students were isolated in Quảng Ninh Province while the rest were quarantined in Hải Dương and other provinces.

In the first option, the students would return to Quảng Ninh Province and undergo safety requirements. Specifically, those from locked down areas or those under social distancing in Hải Dương Province will be quarantined at centralised quarantine centres.

Students who live in Hải Dương Province but are not in locked down areas or those with social distancing requirements will be tested for SARS-CoV-2 and self-quarantine at home for 14 days.

Regarding students who live in other provinces and cities, if they are under quarantine, they will return to school after completing the mandatory period, the department said.

Those who aren’t in quarantine can return to school but they will have to make a health declaration to local health authorities.

Students who are under quarantine in Quảng Ninh Province will resume classes after the quarantine period ends and they test negative for the novel coronavirus.

In the second option, the province will isolate students who are subject to quarantine at centralised quarantine zones before returning to school.

Hạ Long City plans to waive all costs for quarantine and COVID-19 tests for students and their relatives when they return to the city to study.

To ensure the quality of education, the provincial Department of Education and Training also directed educational establishments to maintain online learning and other forms of learning to consolidate knowledge for students who have not yet returned to school as they are in quarantine.

Hanoi’s ten most outstanding young faces of 2020 announced

Ten outstanding young Hanoians will be honoured at a ceremony to be held by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union’s Hanoi chapter on March 20.

The outstanding individuals include Nguyen Manh Quan (born in 2003, 12th grader from the Hanoi-Amsterdam High School for the Gifted; Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Chien Thang (born in 1987, lecturer in the Faculty of Chemistry, Hanoi University of Natural Sciences under the Vietnam National University); Dr. Luu The Loi (born in 1991, CEO and co-founder of Kyber Network), Nguyen Thi Thu (born in 1988, Director of Tam An Cooperative in Thuong Tin District, Hanoi; Lieutenant Vu Ngoc Hoang (born in 1992, Dong Da District Police); football player Do Hung Dung (born in 1993);

Other excellent young people are Master, Doctor Pham Van Phuc (born in 1990, the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases); Master, Doctor Tran Anh Duc (born in 1989, Department of Obstetrics, Hanoi Obstetrics and Gynaecology Hospital); Engineer Tran Trung Hieu (born in 1992, Founder and Executive Director of TopCV Joint Stock Company); Master, Researcher Ung Thi Hong Trang (born in 1987, the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology).

The youngs people are being acknowledged for their marked achievements in such areas as study, scientific research, economic development, national defence-security, culture, arts, sports and voluntary activities.

Air ticket prices on Reunification Day-May Day holiday increase

Prices of air tickets on Reunification Day (April 30) and May Day holiday have increased, particularly for beach tours.

The pandemic has been basically controlled in Vietnam, so many people have flocked to book tours.

Budget carrier VietJet Air’s cheapest one-way air ticket on Hanoi-Nha Trang route on April 30 is VND1.7 million (USD73.91), including surcharges. Meanwhile, national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines’ return tickets on the route is VND5.36 million.

Hanoi-Phu Quoc flights have the highest prices with VND2.9 million for Vietnam Airlines’ one-way ticket, including surcharges. For Bamboo Airways, the ticket is VND2-3.1 million.

VietJet Air’s one-way tickets for flights from Hanoi to Quy Nhon and Danang is less than VND1 million, excluding surcharges. For Vietnam Airlines, the tickets range between VND1.5-2.5 million, including surcharges.

Air tickets on HCM City-Phu Quoc route are also on the rise, ranging from VND1.7-3.5 million; while the tickets for flights from Hanoi, HCM City to other tourist sites on the Renunciation Day and May Day occasion have considerably increased.

According to travel companies, the number of customers who book air tickets and hotel rooms for their tours on the occasion has increased.

HCMC tourism sector to digitalize tourist attractions

The tourism sector in Ho Chi Minh City is planning to implement digitalization on tourist attractions in the city this year, said Director of the Department of Tourism Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa yesterday.

The city tourism sector is facing severe economic hardship in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis. Digital technologies, such as immersive, virtual and augmented reality and 3D, are an increasingly important factor for success when it comes to attracting tourists to a destination.

The city will digitalize tourist destinations with 360° photo platform, virtual 3D pictures, flycam, and virtual reality technology and implement QR Codes to provide area information of 100 tourist attractions, museums and cultural heritage sites.

Presently, the Department of Tourism is preparing for a program “100 interesting tourist attractions in HCMC” which will be for promoting domestic and international tourism. The sector will focus on applying online media as well as other approaches to identify the city’s designed tourism brand name.

Moreover, the sector will also make short movies about the city’s culture, cuisine and lifestyle as well as multimedia “ Vibrant Ho Chi Minh City” to increase brand awareness and lure visitors.

Vietnam to tighten cyber security for digital transformation, e-government

In the last 5 years, both the central Government, the local authorities, and the community have wholeheartedly supported the establishment of an e-government in Vietnam, leading to such impressive success in only 2 years adopting Resolution No. 17/NQ-CP.

The only unfulfilled targets are those related to online public service use of citizens and digital identification, authentication.

Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung shared that the Vietnamese digital government will be officially launched in 2025, letting it enter the global Top-50.

At that time, all governmental services will be automatically offered 24/7 with customizable features. New public services will be developed based on the existing open databases, which is the cooperation between the Government, businesses, IT experts, and the community.

Along with the digital economy and society, this digital government is the key in the national digital transformation process. Considered as the leader, the digital government is the top priority for development at the moment.

The transformation from an e-government to a digital one, or from online public services to digital ones, is the foundation. In that process, there will be a shift from IT systems to digital platforms, from service access to database access, and from the participation of governmental agencies to contribution of both the Government, citizens, and related businesses.

If the challenge in the e-government is inter-connection, the trial in the digital government is change management.

In 2020, certain critical national-leveled databases in the fields of business, social welfare, healthcare, education, and civil status were completed. They have significantly reduced paperwork in administrative procedures.

Praising the above results, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc insisted that it is vital to ensure cyber security and protect the national sovereign on the cyber space while carrying out the digital transformation process.

He added that the national databases must be more effectively exploited to create a sustainable digital government, economy, and society.

At the moment, the suitable legal environment for the development of an e-government in Vietnam is still not perfect, and certain necessary decrees regarding personal data as well as identity protection have not been released yet.

Therefore, in the upcoming time, the Government and related state agencies must prepare these legal documents as soon as possible so that the establishment of an electronic and then digital government can be further facilitated.

Over VND21.5 trillion to be poured into six traffic projects linking HCMC, Long An

The HCMC Department of Transport has written to the municipal government proposing prioritizing six traffic projects with total investment of over VND21.5 trillion connecting HCMC with the Mekong Delta province of Long An from now until 2025.

As many as 23 roads connecting HCMC with Long An Province need investment, with 12 existing roads in dire need of expansion, nine road projects having been approved and the remaining two needing to be added to the general plan, according to the municipal department.

The six projects proposed for the 2021-2025 period include building the Tay Bac road project with a length of some 19.8 kilometers that will start at National Highway 1A in Binh Tan District and end at Ring Road 4 near Hau Nghia Town in Long An Province, and investing in Nguyen Van Bua Street linking Hoc Mon District and Long An Province’s Duc Hoa District.

The municipal department also proposed expanding the Vo Van Kiet Avenue in HCMC’s outlying district of Binh Chanh to connect the city with the Hai Son-Tan Do industrial park in Duc Hoa District in the Mekong Delta province. The projected road that will start at Ring Road 3 is set to cost VND3.3 trillion.

Besides, National Highway 50 running through Binh Chanh District and Long An Province’s Can Giuoc District needs upgrading and expanding with total investment of VND2.15 trillion, the local media reported.

Another traffic project comprises building a 3-kilometer-long road and the 409-meter-long Rach Doi bridge to connect Le Van Khuong Street in the city’s outlying district of Nha Be with Provincial Road 826C in Can Giuoc District.

The sixth project is to build a road running parallel to National Highway 50 in Binh Chanh District to connect it to Can Giuoc District that had been approved by the prime minister. The project is set to require VND4.3 trillion.

PM fixes deadline for submission of new regulations on environmental protection

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has ordered the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to draft a new Decree on administrative sanctions against violations in the field of environmental protection.

This is part of the Government’s plan which figures out measures to implement the revised Law on Environmental Protection adopted by the National Assembly in November last year.

The administrative sanctions includes application of sanction forms, remedial measures with respect to individuals, organizations committing acts of administrative violations according to provisions of law on administrative sanctions which are implemented by the competent persons.

At present, administrative sanctions for violations in environmental protection are specified in the Government’s Decree No. 55/2016/ND-CP dated November 18, 2016.

The Government chief also tasked the ministry to develop a decision on a list of domains and establishments subject to greenhouse gas emission inventory and another decision approving a plan for environmental improvement and restoration of areas where pollution of soil environment is especially serious in accordance with Point C, Clause 1, Article 19 of the 2020 Law on Environmental Protection.

It will also be responsible for drafting a decision prescribing criteria for environmental protection in the field of construction and rural development.

The aforesaid draft documents shall be submitted to the Prime Minister for consideration in the first half of 2021./.

Hanoi, HCM City named top places for local delicacies

Both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have been voted as the leading destinations to enjoy traditional cuisine or street food, as well as being top places for food shopping among local travelers, according to a survey conducted by renowned travel website Booking.com.

Hanoi tops the list in terms of best destinations for traditional Vietnamese food, with Booking.com stating that the top dishes in Hanoi are typically inexpensive. Despite their cheapness, an array of tasty treats can be found within the Old Quarter’s narrow alleyways and the bustling street markets situated throughout the capital.

“This is where you can find the familiar and world renowned ‘pho’ noodles served with bagel twists or the original ‘bun cha’ that was once enjoyed by President Obama during his 2016 visit in Vietnam. ‘Bun dau mam tom’, a stinky yet tasty and crispy delicacy originated in Hanoi, is a definite must for daredevils undisturbed by the idea of pungent shrimp paste,” the website explains.

Furthermore, Ho Chi Minh City was named as best city for street food. The survey states that the southern metropolis is the city that never sleeps and appeals to the taste buds of travelers due to its countless food stalls and markets that are open around the clock.

“A city trip to Saigon is incomplete without indulging in all-time favourites such as bot chien fried in a large flat pan with whipped eggs, the legendary Vietnamese pizza or quesadilla grilled on the coal stove, duck embryo in tamarind sauce and beef offal steamed in coconut milk served with local banh mi,” the website highlights.

“With all the finger-licking and creative dishes the city has to offer, it is no surprise that travellers have pinned Ho Chi Minh City as one of the top endorsed destinations for street food on Booking.com.”

Van Quyet among 10 outstanding young Vietnamese faces of 2020

Famous footballer Nguyen Van Quyet of Hanoi FC has been listed among the outstanding young Vietnamese faces of 2020, with the annual national award held to honour young local people who have excelled in their respective fields.

The 30-year-old striker first rose to prominence after captaining the Vietnamese U19 men’s football team which went on to record a victory over Thailand’s U21 side to win the International U21 Thanh Nien (Youth) Newspaper Cup in 2010.

Last year saw the forward make a number of great contributions to Hanoi FC as they lifted the National Cup and went on to finish as runners-up in the V.League 1.

As captain of Hanoi FC, Van Quyet also won both the Golden Ball Award and claimed the title of outstanding athlete in the same year.

The award to honour outstanding young Vietnamese faces is a highly-esteemed event organised by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Central Committee with the purpose of recognizing the various achievements of people aged under 35 from across the nation.

This year the awards ceremony is set to get underway on March 21 in Hanoi.

Tourism sector seeks solution to stimulate tourism demand

The Vietnam Tourism Association and Hanoi Department of Tourism are set to co-ordinate efforts to organise the national tourism forum in April which will be held in Hanoi in an effort to seek solutions and attract greater tourist numbers in the near future.

Vu The Binh, vice chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association, said during the ongoing wait for borders to open for international tourism, the local tourism industry should primarily focus on developing domestic tourism and organising a diverse range of activities that can stimulate tourism demand.

Binh noted that the upcoming event is anticipated to offer an ideal venue for travel firms and localities nationwide  to strengthen connectivity for the purpose of domestic tourism development.

Following the national tourism forum, the Vietnam Tourism Association and other agencies in the tourism sector are expected to host the Vietnam International Travel Mart (VITM 2021) which is scheduled to take place between May 5 and May 8.

Furthermore, Hanoi tourism firms have recently organised a number of affiliate schemes aimed at creating new domestic tourism products that can meet the needs of customers, such as the VGreen Caravan tourism programme which will encourage travelers to visit northwest localities.

Former heroin user helps others fight drug addiction

Nguyễn Minh Hiếu’s life used to be spent in and out of rehab centres in HCM City to fight his drug addiction. After seven times in rehab, he finally kicked his addiction.

As well as rebuilding his own life, Hiếu has set up a volunteer group to help local drug addicts get back to normal life.

“I set up the Nụ Cười (Smile) Group to help those who have lost their way just like I did get rid of drugs and become a good person,” he told the online newspaper baochinhphu.vn.

Located in an apartment in HCM City’s District 8, the group focuses on helping intravenous drug users as these people face a high risk of HIV transmission. These addicts are given new needles and HIV tests, as well as support to access methadone maintenance therapy and antiretroviral (ARV) therapy.

Several times per week, the group goes to hotspots for drug addicts to collect used needles to help curb the transmission of HIV/AIDS.

Hiếu and the group have been doing this job for eight years. Seeing and talking to hundreds of drug addicts, Hiếu said what they needed most was positive energy to get close to drug users.

“Drug addicts have only one goal: how to get money to satisfy their addiction. What I need to do is to let them trust me, but not by giving them money,” he said.

“They might not understand our good intentions, but they will later on,” he said.

Hiếu said some people in his group were drug addicts and still under methadone treatment and were in the group to try and give up their drug habit and help others, too.

When asked about his family, Hiếu said proudly that they had supported everything he had done.

“My family used to lose faith in me after many broken promises to give up drugs. They were desperate about me being an addict father, husband and son. Whenever I rushed out of the house, they were hopeless,” he said.

“But now they care and support me, even when I’m out all day. How proud!” he said.

Soc Trang border guards use loudspeakers in COVID-19 communication campaign

Over the last year, people living in border areas of the southern province of Sóc Trăng have gotten used to seeing border guards carry a loudspeaker on their motorbikes telling them how to protect themselves from COVID-19.

Colonel Lê Văn Anh, head of the Province Border Guard Command’s COVID-19 Prevention and Control Committee, said that during the complex development of the COVID-19 pandemic, local border guards strengthened preventive measures, especially communication.

Many initiatives had been launched and proved effective, Anh said, noting that using loudspeakers in communication campaigns was most effective and economical.

During the pandemic, public communication events to attract crowds were not allowed, but the loudspeaker systems of communes and wards were unable to reach remote areas, Anh said.

With a portable loudspeaker, a USB with recorded information and a motorbike, a border guard could access people in all corners of the province, he said.

Major Lê Văn Băng of An Thạnh Ba Border Station in Cù Lao Dung District said they also drew posters and slogans on COVID-19 prevention and control and stuck them on the loudspeakers.

In the morning and the afternoon, border guards drove motorbikes with loudspeakers turned on, Băng said.

“When reaching busy areas, we slow down or park there so people can hear the information clearly,” Băng said.

During the pandemic, they have explained the Ministry of Health’s 5 K message: Khẩu trang (face mask) – Khử khuẩn (disinfection) – Khoảng cách (distance) – Không tụ tập (no gathering) – Khai báo y tế (health declaration), and called on people to install the Bluezone contact tracing application.

Ngô Châu, head of Âu Thọ A Residential Group in Vĩnh Hải Commune, Vĩnh Châu District, said border guards and their loudspeakers helped people learn a lot about COVID-19 prevention and control.

“Knowing and understanding the Government’s policies and recommendations on disease prevention and control, local people strictly implement preventive measures,” Châu said.

As the commune is home to many people of the ethnic Khmer group, border guards also used the Khmer language, Châu said.

Border guards also visited residents’ houses to advise them on personal hygiene and food safety.

“The border guards told us to sanitise hands, use cooked foods and boiled water, keep away from wild animals and wear face masks,” Châu said.

According to the province’s Border Guard Command, in the last year, border guards gave people in border areas about 18,000 medical face masks, more than 500 bottles of hand sanitiser and some 10,000 leaflets with disease prevention and control information.

Student research projects focus on pollution, waste reduction solutions

Six projects by university students that were displayed today at the eProjects Innovation Showcase contest at the Cao Thắng Technical College in HCM City mostly focused on environmental pollution and waste management solutions.

A team from the HCM City University of Technology and Education presented a solution for discarded chewing gum while students from Lạc Hồng University in Đồng Nai Province had one for packaging in the e-commerce industry.

Sorting plastic was the focus of students from Cần Thơ University, while a team from the Đà Nẵng University of Technology had a platform for plastic waste management.

Students from the HCM City University of Technology, who showed how to reuse construction materials, won the prize for the most effective solution.

Students from the Industrial University of HCM City displayed technology to modernise Dow Vietnam Company’s customer order and tracking systems.

The team from the HCM City University of Technology and Education won the prize for the best presentation and the Đà Nẵng University of Technology won for teamwork.

The event enabled students to demonstrate their industry-mentored prototypes to peers and professionals from across the country.

Over the last semester, eProjects teams developed their prototypes through regular consultation with professional mentors, who set out a vision for each project, shared their technical expertise and regularly met with the students.

Since September the teams worked online, on campus and even at Dow’s plant to build and test their prototypes.

The showcase was a part of USAID BUILD-IT and the Dow Vietnam Stem Programme which has been carried out for four years.

Speaking to showcase attendees, USAID Vietnam’s acting mission director, Bradley Bessire, said: “These applied  projects demonstrate  how  the  BUILD-IT  Alliance  links  industry  expertise with universities’ teaching capacity to give students experiences that develop both the technical and soft skills they’ll need to succeed in Việt Nam’s ever more advanced workforce.”

USAID sponsors BUILD-IT Project which is carried out by Arizona State University.

Concert features works by 20th-century’s lesser-known composers

A concert introducing works from composers that have not been performed much in Việt Nam will take place at Goethe Institut next Monday.

The concert, the first of the ’20th Century Music Concert Series’, will present a repertoire featuring works by composers from Japan to Eastern and Western Europe and America, including Benjamin Britten, György Ligeti, Toru Takemitsu, Nikolai Kapustin, Friedrich Gulda, and Frederic Rzewski.

Artists and lecturers of Inspirito School of Music, including oboist Hoàng Mạnh Lâm, trumpeter Yuki Urushihara, pianists Ngô Phương Vi, Lưu Đức Anh, Dương Hồng Thạch, and Phó Đức Hoàng, will perform in the concert.

The concert will start at 7pm. The Goethe Institut is at 56-58-60 Nguyễn Thái Học Street. Recommended donation: VNĐ100,000.

Thousands of counterfeit fashion products seized in Nam Dinh

Market management authorities have seized thousands of Chanel, LV, and Hermes counterfeit products in Nam Dinh Province.

On March 17, Vietnam Directorate of Market Surveillance worked with the Department of Market Surveillance and the police in Nam Dinh to raid a 500-square-metre warehouse in Dai Lai Village, Vu Ban District and found a large number of counterfeit products. The owner was unable to provide any necessary papers.

Nguyen Ky Minh from the Vietnam Directorate of Market Surveillance said the sellers advertised and sold their products via social media. They created various accounts with different names and used them alternatively to avoid attention from the authorities.

An empty shop on Ho Tung Mau Street in Hanoi was used as a decoy to promote their products. Minh said it had caused some difficulties during the investigation.

It is estimated that 20,000-30,000 products were kept at the warehouse worth about VND6bn (USD259,000).

A representative of Hermes said Tam Son International Company is their sole distributor in Vietnam. There are also only two Hermes stores in Vietnam besides the products sold at Lotte shopping centres and some duty-free shops.

Private investment proposed for HCMC-Can Tho express railway project

The Southern Institute of Science and Technology has proposed executing the HCMC-Can Tho high-speed railway project under the public-private-partnership (PPP) model, and the total required investment of some US$10 billion will be sourced from private enterprises.

Under the proposal sent to the Ministry of Transport, the institute also mentioned the adjustment of the railway’s direction and the development of nine stations in satellite urban areas, Dan Tri news site reported.

The main route from HCMC to Can Tho will need an estimated investment of more than US$4.4 billion, while a branch from the Thanh Phu station in Long An Province to the Hiep Phuoc Port in HCMC will require US$791.35 million. The remaining US$4.6 billion will be spent on stations and other facilities.

The express railway will have a total length of 134.9 kilometers, passing through five localities, comprising HCMC, Long An, Tien Giang, Vinh Long and Can Tho. The railway will stop at nine stations, beginning at Tan Kien Station in HCMC and ending at Can Tho Station in Can Tho City.

In addition, the Thanh Phu-Hiep Phuoc branch will be 44 kilometers long, running through HCMC and Long An.

The Southern Institute of Science and Technology has also proposed adjusting the direction of the railway to the right of the HCMC-Trung Luong-My Thuan Expressway, completely different from the previous plan.

According to the institute, with the adjustment, the railway will share a corridor with the expressway, reducing the separation between residential areas and industrial parks. Moreover, the land bank for the satellite urban area development will be larger.

The adjustment will also help shorten the length of the railway by five kilometers, saving nearly US$200 million.

A leader of the Vietnam Railway Authority said the HCMC-Can Tho express railway is an important traffic route which will help ease the traffic on roads.

The authority assigned the project’s management board to choose a consulting firm to conduct a prefeasibility report for the project using the State budget.

As for the financial plan proposed by the Southern Institute of Science and Technology, the authority asked the institute to make it more specific. The institute should clarify the investment method and financial plan in case foreign investors want to get involved in the project.

HCMC set to rename hospitals in Thu Duc City

District 2 Hospital, District 9 Hospital and Thu Duc District Hospital will be renamed as Le Van Thinh Hospital, Le Van Viet General Hospital and Thu Duc City Hospital, respectively.

The HCMC government has approved a plan to re-organize ward- or district-level healthcare centers and hospitals under the HCMC Department of Health after the rearrangement of administrative units at the district and commune levels of Thu Duc City.

Among the three renamed hospitals, Le Van Thinh Hospital, located at 130 Le Van Thinh Street in Thu Duc City’s Binh Trung Tay Ward, is a Grade-1 non-business unit and has a capacity of 500 in-patient beds, Nguoi Lao Dong Online reported.

Le Van Viet General Hospital, headquartered at 387 Le Van Viet Street in Tang Nhon Phu A Ward, is a Grade-2 health non-business unit, with a capacity of 100 beds, while Thu Duc City Hospital at 29 Phu Chau Street in Tam Phu Ward is a Grade-1 health non-business unit and has a capacity of 800 beds.

Besides, the city also re-organized the District 2 Healthcare Center, the District 9 Healthcare Center and the Thu Duc District Healthcare Center into the Thu Duc City Healthcare Center under the HCMC Department of Health.

Construction process of nationwide expressway system reaches 90 percent

The Ministry of Transport informed that the 1,046-kilometer expressway system nationwide has been put into operation so far and currently there are more than 900 kilometers being under construction, reaching over 90 percent as planned.

Accordingly, the North-South Expressway to the East, the Eastern Expressway of Ho Chi Minh Road, Bien Hoa – Vung Tau Expressway, Expressway connecting to Huu Nghi Border Gate in Lang Son Province and Ring Roads of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have not been implemented.

According to Minister of Transport Mr. Nguyen Van The, the delay was due to the slow site clearance progress.

Based on the actual situation, the transport sector set the target up to 2030 concentrating on construction of inter-regional expressway projects connecting to sea ports, air-ports, striving to complete 5,000 kilometers of expressway in 2030 and more than 9,000 kilometers in 2050.

To speed up the progress, Minister Nguyen Van The said that there should be a breakthrough mechanism for expressway infrastructure development in the coming time, a breakthrough in the way of implementing, selecting a portfolio, and submitting to the Government for approval of the whole site clearance to form the entire investment project of 5,000 kilometers of the expressway.

EVNHCMC’s youth launches energy-saving activities to respond Earth Hour 2021

The Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Unions of HCMC, Thu Duc City and the Electricity Corporation of HCMC (EVNHCMC) have co-organized many activities in response to the 2021 Youth Month program and Earth Hour 2021 campaign.

Accordingly, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Unions of EVNHCMC and Thu Duc City have kicked of the “Joining hands to build Thu Duc New City” program.

In March, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Unions of EVNHCMC has implemented a series of activities to mark the 90th anniversary of the establishment of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and the 45th anniversary of the founding of EVNHCMC, such as installing safe electrical systems in three alleys and 50 households, implementing the programs of “Civilized, safe and clean apartment” and “Using electricity safely and economically in school”.

HCMC asks for ODA loan for Water Environment Improvement Project

Ho Chi Minh City authorities have asked for an Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan from Japanese government for its Water Environment Improvement Project.

The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee has proposed the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to value the Water Environment Improvement Project and have official document on provision of the loan to improve water environment in Ben Nghe- Tau Hu – Doi – Te canals for the third phase, said the office of the committee yesterday.

Presently, the city has been implementing the anti-flooding project and the wastewater treatment project for the 2020 – 2045 period as well as for the 2020 – 2030 period including the Water Environment Improvement Project in Ben Nghe- Tau Hu – Doi – Te canals.

The project includes dredging and building a complete canal system with total length of 13.5 kilometers as well as building a wastewater collection system Nam Sai Gon comprising 43-km culvert system and one wastewater treatment plant with capacity of 100,000 cubic meters a day for the first phase and 170,000 cubic meters a day for the second phase.

Source: VNA/VNS/VOV/VIR/SGT/Nhan Dan/Hanoitimes

Filed Under: Uncategorized Vietnam breaking news, Vietnam news, Vietnam latest news, last week news headlines, almeria news headlines, english news headline, aaj tak english news headlines, ethiopian news headlines, the nation news headlines, state news headlines, georgia state news headlines, news headlines news headlines, news headlines breaking news, cnn news headline news, cnn world news headlines and breaking news

VIETNAM BUSINESS NEWS MARCH 20

March 20, 2021 by vietnamnet.vn

Animal feed prices rise sharply, farmers hit hard

VIETNAM BUSINESS NEWS MARCH 20
Poultry farmers have been hit hard by skyrocketing feed prices.

Tran Quang Trung, a pig farmer in Dong Nai Province’s Thong Nhat District, said a 25kg bag of bran has increased from VND250,000 to VND290,000 (US$11-12.6) since October last year.

Prices of raw materials used for feed such as corn, rice bran, and fish flour are also continuing to rise.

But farmers cannot hike prices of poultry or cattle since they compete with cheap imported products.

In Dong Nai Province, the country’s largest chicken producer, the price of chicken has fallen below production cost since feed prices have increased from VND20,000 per kilogramme to VND26,000, causing farmers an average loss of VND3,500 per kilogramme of meat.

Poultry and livestock farmers are suffering big losses, especially those with bank loans. Big farms that typically sell 10,000-20,000 chicken of Tam Hoang variety a day are losing VND30-40 million ($1300-1740) daily, according to the Dong Nai Animal Husbandry Association.

Pham Duc Binh, deputy chairman of the Viet Nam Animal Feed Association, said animal feed production is controlled by importers and foreign businesses, while all the maize used for the production of animal feed is imported.

Viet Nam only produces rice bran and cassava, and has failed to develop areas to grow feed inputs because of poor productivity, and the animal feed supply chain is not comprehensive, he added.

The dependence on imports, and the sharp increase in global prices of raw materials due to crop failures and China buying record quantities, means input prices have increased sharply.

The lack of empty containers, which are stuck in various ports around the world, to transport goods has increased the prices of imported raw materials further.

To minimise the monopoly of foreign enterprises and create competition, Binh said the State should plan raw material areas and offer preferential policies to domestic companies in terms of borrowing.

Moody’s changes Vietnam’s outlook to positive

Moody’s Investors Service (Moody’s) has maintained the Government of Vietnam’s long-term issuer and senior unsecured ratings at Ba3 and changed the outlook to positive from negative.

The drivers of the positive outlook include signs of improvements in fiscal strength and potential improvements in economic strength that may strengthen Vietnam’s credit profile over time. Sustained fiscal consolidation has led to improvements in fiscal and debt metrics, which Moody’s expects to be only briefly interrupted by the pandemic.

Moreover, Vietnam’s economic strength may benefit from global shifts in production, trade and consumption following the coronavirus pandemic. Over time, indications of higher fiscal and economic strength may point to improving policy effectiveness, also putting upward pressure on Vietnam’s credit profile.

The affirmation of the Ba3 rating is underpinned by ongoing credit strengths and weaknesses, including a large, diversified economy with high growth potential offering resilience to shocks, and increasing capacity in the domestic financial system to finance government borrowing at low costs.

Vietnam’s local- and foreign-currency ceilings are unchanged at Baa3 and Ba2, respectively.

In its evaluation, Moody’s also considered other factors such as the environment, society, air pollution, extreme weather conditions, which it held that Vietnam should give greater attention to.

Moody’s raising of two positions in outlook prospect is an unprecedented move in its ranking globally since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is a considerable recognition for Vietnam./.

Moody’s upgrades unsecured ratings of 15 Vietnamese banks

Moody’s Investors Service has affirmed the long-term local and foreign currency deposit ratings and senior unsecured ratings of 15 Vietnamese banks at Ba3 positive.

At the same time, Moody’s also revised the outlook for the long-term local and foreign currency deposit and issuer ratings of  five banks to positive from negative, four banks to positive from stable and six banks to stable from negative.

The rating actions followed Moody’s affirmation of Vietnam’s Ba3 issuer rating and the change in the outlook to positive from negative.

The 15 banks are An Binh Bank, ACB, HDBank, Vietcombank, BIDV, Lien Viet Post Bank, MB, OCB, SeABank, TPBank, Agribank, VIB, VietinBank, VPBank and Techcombank.

With the exception of An Binh Bank, the Baseline Credit Assessments (BCAs), adjusted BCAs, Counterparty Risk Assessments (CRA) and counterparty risk ratings (CRR) assigned to the banks stated above are unaffected by the rating actions.

It downgraded An Binh Bank’s BCA and adjusted BCA to B2 from B1, while the long-term CRA and CRR have been downgraded to B1 and B1 from Ba3 and Ba3, respectively.

Vietnam’s sovereign credit strength is a key input in Moody’s assessment of the deposit and issuer ratings of Vietnamese banks, because the country’s credit strength affects the government’s capacity to provide support to the banks in times of stress.

Assuming all other factors remain constant, Moody’s will likely upgrade the long-term ratings of the nine Vietnamese banks whose ratings are on a positive outlook if the Vietnamese government’s rating is upgraded./.

Series of events to match woodworking businesses with foreign buyers

Business in the wood industry will have a chance to seek buyers and boost export during the Vietnam Furniture Matching Week 2021, scheduled to take place in Ho Chi Minh City from April 12 to 19.

The Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of HCM City (HAWA) said on March 17 that March and April are usually the peak order season, but the COVID-19 pandemic has forced cancellation of many face-to-face business matching activities since 2020.

To help domestic enterprises connect with international buyers, the association will organise the Vietnam Furniture Matching Week 2021 on the HAWA Online Platform for Exhibition (HOPE).

It noted that the week will feature a wide range of activities, a highlight of which is the Furniture Sourcing Day with the participation of more than 300 guests who are local manufacturers and representative offices of the world’s major businesses to help form and enhance their long-term links.

The online exhibition and B2B matching event will introduce 100 Vietnamese producers with 10,000 products on the HOPE platform, via which HAWA will record buyers’ demand and connect them with suitable manufacturers.

The organiser will also carry out a marketing campaign to access tens of thousands of global buyers via international communication partners like Furniture Today, Furniture News, Mobelmarkt, and Vietnam’s overseas trade offices.

A series of webinars will also take place, providing in-depth analysis on Vietnam’s main and potential markets such as the US, the UK, the Republic of Korea, Germany, and Canada, according to HAWA./.

Autotech & Accessories 2021 to be held both offline, online

The 17th Saigon International Autotech & Accessories Show (Autotech & Accessories 2021) is scheduled to take place in Ho Chi Minh City from May 20 to 23 with both offline and online activities.

The event, which will feature more than 300 booths, is organised by the Asia Trade Fair and Business Promotion JSC with the support of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the Vietnam Association for Supporting Industry.

Organisers said as the COVID-19 pandemic has been affecting almost all aspects, including business matching and trade promotion activities, they decided to hold the Autotech & Accessories 2021 in both offline and online formats, which will concurrently help enhance cooperation among enterprises, prevent coronavirus transmission, and promote green practices towards sustainable development.

The online show will be held in three phases: from Mary 20 to 23 (at the same time with the offline one), from June 30 to July 2, and from October 27 to 31 at www.virtualautotech.com.vn and www.autotechonline.com.vn.

The virtual exhibition applies modern technologies to simulate businesses’ factories, showrooms, and products and enable visitors to connect with exhibitors, according to organisers./.

Two more dairy firms licensed to export to China

The Chinese General Administration of Customs (GAC) has recently announced to grant transaction codes to two Vietnamese companies to ship dairy products to China, said the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Department of Asia-Africa Markets.

Accordingly, FrieslandCampina Hanam Company Limited was allowed to ship pasteurised and fermented milk to China, while FrieslandCampina Vietnam Company Limited could export pasteurised and fermented milk, sweetened condensed milk, and other dairy products to the Chinese market.

China has so far granted transaction codes to nine Vietnamese companies and plants. Others include TH True milk with sterilised and modified milk, Hanoimilk with fermented milk, Bel Vietnam with other cheeses, Nutifood with sterilised, modified and flavoured fermented milk, Vinamilk’s three plants with condensed milk, flavoured fermented milk, sterilised and modified milk, sweetened condensed milk, and many other kinds of condensed milk products.

China is currently the biggest milk importer in the world./.

Vietnam ships 638,000 tonnes of rice abroad in Jan-Feb

Vietnam exported 638,000 tonnes of rice worth 352 million USD in the first two months of 2021, down 31.4 percent in volume and 18.3 percent in value year-on-year.

The average export price of rice in the period was 551.7 USD per tonne, up 13.5 percent compared to the same period last year.

The Philippines remains the largest importer of Vietnamese rice, with a 47.6 percent market share. Rice exports to this market reached nearly 170,000 tonnes valuing at 91.4 million USD in the period, increasing by 25.6 percent in volume and 48.9 percent in value.

Vietnam also witnessed significant export growths in others markets, including Ghana (up 3.13 times), China (up 2.8 times), and Australia (up 2.6 times).

The country exported 6.15 million tonnes of rice for 3.07 billion USD last year.

Amid the difficulties posed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, rice exporters quickly made appropriate adjustments and actively sought new markets while fully tapping into the advantages brought about by free trade agreements (FTA) that Vietnam joined.

FTAs had created a major opportunity for Vietnamese rice to make inroads into choosy markets in the world./.

HCM City to focus on revival of businesses in 2021

Helping businesses revive production and trading is one of the important tasks that the Department of Industry and Trade of Ho Chi Minh City will focus on in 2021.

According to the Department of Industry and Trade, the city’s index of industrial production (IIP) grew by 6 percent in the first two months of the year, despite a fall of 24.6 percent in February as business establishments closed for the Lunar New Year.

The recovery in industrial production, retail sales and import-export activities has been due to the Government’s effective control of the COVID-19 pandemic and programmes to revive the economy, said Bui Ta Hoang Vu, the department’s director.

The department has also implemented programmes to support enterprises, stimulate consumption, connect producers and distributors, stabilise the market, and ensure consumer demand is fully met, he said.

To ensure the revival continues, the department will organise more trade promotion programmes, make efforts to connect suppliers and distributors of goods and enhance supply chain linkages in supporting industries.

It will continue a programme that connects businesses with banks and enables them to get preferential loans.

It will recommend measures to support firms involved in the city’s key industrial products in 2021-2025 and those whose products have won the HCM City Gold Brand Awards.

Implementing the annual market stabilisation programme and trade promotions to help businesses expand their share of the domestic market is also in the department’s plans this year, as is working closely with business groups to promptly mitigate difficulties faced by their members.

This month the department organised a meeting between businesses and the city administration to discuss the former’s problems and solutions.

It is implementing a programme to promote rapid growth of the city’s key economic sectors that have high added-value, supporting industries and four key industrial sectors in 2021-2025.

The programme also seeks to help develop the city into the country and region’s main shopping hub, and improve its services infrastructure to ensure it retains its position as the main centre for port operations, logistics and export services in the south.

It has urged the People’s Committee to help expand a centre for displaying the city’s major supporting industrial products so that small and medium-sized enterprises can introduce their products and production capacity to local and foreign partners.

It said the expansion of the centre would facilitate regular interaction between sellers and buyers of supporting industry products, making it easier for foreign investors to access the Vietnamese supply chain, helping promote the country’s supporting industries.

It also urged the People’s Committee to seek approval from the People’s Council and pass regulations on loan interest support for the investment stimulus programme.

Businesses are very keen to participate in the city’s investment stimulus programme, especially those in the supporting sectors, according to the department./.

Visa to expand digital platform for educating small business owners

Visa has announced plans to expand its global digital platform for delivering free education resources to small and micro businesses (SMBs).

Dang Tuyet Dung, the payment company’s country manager for Vietnam and Laos, said: “SMBs are the backbone of our economy. It is crucial to empower SMB-owners with knowledge, skills, and access to services that support them in rebuilding or starting stronger, digitally enabled businesses.”

The platform, Practical Business Skills, is available in English for Vietnamese SMBs to expand their global accessibility.

SMBs account for more than 90 percent of global businesses and 50-60 percent of jobs.

It is built on Visa’s global expertise in financial education and offers growth-minded entrepreneurs tools to start, manage and expand a business.

With more than 50 online learning modules, it addresses the needs at various stages of a business’ life cycle./.

Japan’s food giant Meiji to establish subsidiary in Hanoi

Japanese food giant Meiji Co. will set up a wholly owned subsidiary in Hanoi on April 1 to ramp up sales in Vietnam of powdered infant formula milk imported from Japan.

Meiji Food Vietnam has a total capital of about 200 million JPY (1.8 million USD).

According to Meiji, Vietnam has about 1.5 million births a year, 70 percent more than in Japan, and the number is projected to keep growing.

However, the Japanese dairy and confectionery company will continue to ship formula from Japan for sale in Vietnam, with no plans to construct a local factory.

Southeast Asia is a potential market for Meiji. The food segment of parent Meiji Holdings posted sales of 6.4 billion JPY in the region in the 2019 fiscal year ended March 2020, up 12 percent from the previous year.

In Vietnam, Meiji’s nutritionists have provided dietary advice to workers at Japanese-owned factories since 2018. The company also sells fortified milk for adults there. It aims to provide nutrition education to 650,000 people in Vietnam by 2030./.

Interest rates remain at lowest levels

Though some banks increased their deposit interest rates early this month, it is not a common trend and the rate currently is still at the lowest level it has been in many years.

With the liquidity of the banking system abundant and interest rates on the interbank market still at a low level, some banks unexpectedly increased their rates at the beginning of March.

Techcombank has applied higher savings interest rates of 0.5-0.6 percentage points for many terms since March 1. Specifically, the rates for six-month and 12-month deposits rose to 4.4-4.7 per cent and 5.1-5.4 per cent per year, respectively.

VPBank also listed new deposit rates for individual customers from March 2, with rises from 0.2 percentage points for terms less than six months.

At ACB, the two- and three-month deposit rates were also increased by 0.1 percentage point.

Despite these movies, in general, the deposit interest rates at most other banks haven’t changed much compared to last month and remain at a low level.

The rates were kept unchanged from the previous month among State-owned commercial banks including Vietcombank, Vietinbank, BIDV and Agribank, and in the group of joint-stock commercial banks such as LienVietPostBank, SeABank and TPBank.

Several other banks even decreased their rates. At BacABank, for example, the rates for one-month to five-month deposits fell by 0.2 percentage points to 3.6 per cent per year while six-month to 12-month deposits also saw declining rates of 0.3 percentage points.

SCB also reduced the rate by 0.5 percentage points for 12-month deposits to 6.8 per cent per year.

According to experts, there is not much room to further reduce savings interest rates as banks must ensure real positive interest rates compared to inflation to attract depositors.

They explained while the inflation rate has been increasing since the first months of this year, demand for credit is also forecast to surge rapidly this year when the economy recovers. Interest rates will likely increase as a result.

KB Vietnam Securities Company said the interbank interest rate and Government bond yields are hitting the bottom while the deposit interest rate is also dropping to the lowest level in the past 15 years. The company forecast the interest rate level is likely to bottom out in the first half of 2021 and increase slightly again in the second half of 2021.

Vo Tri Thanh, a member of the National Financial and Monetary Policy Advisory Council, said it was very difficult to further lower interest rates because economic recovery will lead to an increase in demand for credit.

The management of monetary policy this year must be very flexible, Thanh noted, adding if the monetary policy was too tight, it could hamper the economic recovery; but vice versa, if the policy is too loose, the country would face financial risks and high inflation.

Financial risks have been seen in recent months when many investors spent on securities and real estate instead of depositing at banks due to low interest rates, Thanh said, adding it was best to maintain the interest rate level.

Though there were no signs of a bubble currently, Thanh warned it could occur if interest rates were cut further.

Brokers seek way to borrow from investors with high interest rates

As banks are offering low interest rates, many securities companies are seeking way to mobilise capital from investors by offering higher interest rates.

Securities companies, via a new form of co-operation with their customers, will mobilise capital from customers if they do not use the capital to conduct transactions.

To supplement capital for business, securities companies often borrow from credit institutions. However, this takes time and is not always feasible.

By borrowing from investors while they do not use capital to conduct transactions, securities company can quickly ultilise idle money of investors to significantly improve profit margins. Meanwhile, investors can enjoy profits from the interest rates offered by the securities companies.

When investors need to conduct securities transactions, they can quickly perform transactions without transferring external money from the bank.

Some companies such as Tri Viet Asset Management Company (TVC), MB Securities (MBS) and VNDirect Securities Corporation (VND) have offered relatively attractive interest rates to customers.

Interest rates for a six-month term are usually 7-8.5 per cent per year. For some prioritised customers, the rates can even reach up to 10 per cent per year, much higher than the interest rates offered by banks at the moment.

Not only high interest rates, securities companies also offer many terms for investors to easily join, even 1-week terms with a relatively attractive interest rate of 2-3 per cent per year.

Banks usually offer interest rates of below 0.3 per cent per year for this term length.

For many budding investors, the idle time for money in their account is quite short, most of which last only one to two weeks. If they lend the money to a securities company, they can enjoy high interest rates of 2.5 per cent per year for a short term from one to two weeks.

However, this form of co-operation also poses a risk for both sides if the securities company cannot afford to pay interest to investors. So far, the market has not recorded any controversies.

Recently, there has been an explosion of new investors entering the stock market, also known as “F0” investors. Data from the depository center (VSD) shows that in 2020, there were nearly 394,000 securities accounts opened by domestic investors, doubling the previous year.

In the first month of 2020, the market received more than 86,000 newly opened securities accounts and this was also the month with the largest number of new accounts in history.

The entry of a new class of investors has led to a sharp increase in the demand for margin services in the market. By the end of 2020, outstanding loans at securities companies totaled about VND90 trillion, an increase of about VND30 trillion compared to the end of Q3 of 2019, most of which are margin loans. This is an all-time record number.

Outstanding loans of margin lending have increased dramatically, causing many securities companies to fall into a shortage of lending sources.

Show’s almost over for TV brands in popularity contest

Fierce competition in the market is seemingly destroying the prospects of well-known Japanese TV brands like Sharp and Toshiba, as their popularity plunges and availability in some showrooms becomes scarcer.

At a Dien May Xanh store in Hanoi’s Cau Giay district, typical of most electronics stores focused on television sets, a batch of products are shown in cases of various types, sizes, and specifications. However, customers would now find it hard to locate any TV set from leading Japanese electronics brands like Panasonic, Sharp, and Toshiba.

In the Cau Giay store, Tran Son Tung wanted to buy a TV for his new house and shared his memory about his previous Toshiba TV set. “Four years ago I bought a Toshiba fridge, and amazingly I received a 55-inch TV for free after a lucky draw. Today I decided to look for a new Toshiba TV basically as a thank-you but I am failing, as I can’t seem to find any.”

Staff of the Dien May Xanh store said that they had stopped receiving Toshiba sets over the last two years. “We presented them in the showroom to try and sell just like the rest of the TVs that other manufacturers sent,” said one staff member. “But recently, the number we receive is quite low and no-one asks for these brands anymore. So we leave any of the older-model TVs in the warehouse.”

In fact, sales of large-screen TVs remained at two-digit growth (85, 58, and 29 per cent, respectively) in the periods of 2017-2018, 2018-2019, and 2019-2020. According to the German market research institute GfK, in the first three quarters of 2020, Samsung maintained the leading position with 44.7 per cent of market share, rising by 2 per cent on-year. That of Sony reduced by 6.7 per cent on-year to 25.9 per cent, followed by LG with 17.6 per cent of market share (up 3.8 per cent on-year).

“The three largest brands make up 88.2 per cent of the whole market share, while the 11.8 per cent left divides for all small players like TCL and Asanzo, brands that are being neglected such as Sharp, Toshiba, and new names like Casper and Mobell,” said Le Van Tien, an expert working at a leading TV production facility.

“In the 10 per cent of market share, TCL is accounting for 5 per cent, while Asanzo is capturing 3 per cent, focusing on customers in rural areas. Quite simply, the space for Japanese brands which used to be popular is going to get much smaller and shrink away,” added Tien.

In 2015, Toshiba Corporation stopped making and selling TVs in North America, licensing its brand to Taiwanese group Compal after deeming the US market too competitive. This company licensed its TV business in various other markets in an effort to cut costs and launch higher-end televisions, but price competition remains harsh, according to Reuters.

Nguyen Quang Huy, head of sales and marketing at Toshiba Vietnam, said that after decades of Toshiba TVs being manufactured in Vietnam, they were then imported from Indonesia. However, even imports eventually ceased.

Facing the same woes, Panasonic Corporation transferred its unprofitable Sanyo TV unit in the United States to another company, and decided to stop the production of panels for TVs in 2016. The manufacturer blamed the situation on the unprofitable production of TV displays and increased competition from Chinese, Taiwanese, and South Korean counterparts.

In 2019, Panasonic Corporation announced its decision to stop production of LCD panels. This activity is part of the group’s restructuring plan for business operations. All resources of this company such as technology lines and human resources will be optimised to serve other key areas of the Panasonic Group.

In Vietnam, the number of TVs manufactured by Panasonic sharply decreased over the last couple of years, according to distributors. Despite still being showcased in some electronics marts, Dien May Xanh has halted display of the brand altogether.

Panasonic Vietnam declared its new business value proposition: changing from consumer electronics to wellness solutions providing company; and officially launched its total wellness solutions with a commitment of bringing a healthy, safe and convenient life for Vietnamese people.

Although Sharp is focusing on its LCD units, after also selling all its TV business and manufacturing facilities in the US in 2015, in Vietnam its TV sets, which used to be imported from Malaysia and Thailand in small quantities, are causing losses.

The disappearance of such formerly-popular TV brands is not a new phenomenon. People saw the death of traditional TVs along with such brands as National, Viettronic, and Hitachi in the 1980s and 1990s in Vietnam. “Success should be attributed to non-stop innovation and improvement,” said Tien.

E-government sets up success for businesses

Domestic and international businesses are expected to benefit more from Vietnam’s future e-government development, as the completion of the long-awaited legal framework on shared data could be a way to improve the business climate amid stiffening regional competition.

At the meeting to review the two-year development scheme of Vietnam’s e-government on March 10, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc stressed that the upcoming tasks will be the completion of the legal framework, acceleration of public e-services, creating and deploying an effective national database so that paperwork in administrative procedures can be eased.

Important tasks were set out for ministries, agencies, cities, and provinces. Specifically, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has to fast-track the development of a national database on land by July. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Security develops a national database on the population in the same timeframe.

Regarding the e-government platforms, ministries, agencies, cities, and provinces must fully complete IT security measures and propose solutions to effectively use integrated platforms and promote database sharing. Moreover, they have to build and deploy schemes on their digital transformation in the new development period.

The Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) is issuing decrees to complete the legal framework on electronic identification and authentication and personal data protection while also announcing the strategy on e-government development towards digital government development in 2021-2025 with a vision towards 2030.

The MIC will study the revision of the laws on e-transactions and the digital economy, build a decree on the management of digital platforms and the development of the digital economy, and submit a scheme on digital economy development by 2025 with a vision towards 2030, and on supporting and promoting digital transformation in key businesses and sectors.

Vietnam currently ranks 86th among 193 member states in the United Nations’ E-Government Survey 2020, up two ranks from 2018. Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei, and the Philippines scored higher and some regional countries even made great headways (Thailand ranked 57th, up from 73rd, and Indonesia climbed to 88th from 107th).

A country’s higher e-government index also means a higher business environment, competitiveness, and innovation indexes, making it a strong rival to others in investment attraction, trade, and services, which prompts most Southeast Asian nations to take actions and improve.

With the future orientation, domestic and international businesses can expect several positive spillovers. According to the UN and World Bank reports, a good business environment attracts high-quality investors, facilitates technology transfer and exchange of management practices, and enhances transparency and reduces corruption.

The National Digital Transformation Programme aims to promote the development and widespread use of e-commerce platforms in enterprises and the community. It also aims to give greater incentives and support for startup development and encourages large companies to make use of new technologies and commercial activities. Therefore, further investment incentives for science and technology-related firms are expected in the coming years.

E-government development has also been attracting attention from the international business community in Vietnam. Virginia B. Foote, chairwoman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam, said that the digital economy in general, and e-commerce, e-banking, fintech, modern cloud computing, and e-government in particular, come out of the necessity to reduce face-to-face transactions, and can enhance Vietnam’s goal to reduce the use of cash overall.

She attributed that, “We need accelerated use of e-government, e-commerce, e-banking, fintech, hyperscale cloud computing, and the overall reduction of paper and cash for all businesses. Replacing Vietnam’s technical standards in clouds in state agencies with internationally recognised certifications and compliance mechanisms, as well as adopting cloud-first policies, will enable the government to choose the best technologies, strengthen digital resilience, and develop a robust e-government technology ecosystem.”

“Accelerating the implementation of these objectives can permanently reduce administrative costs and burdens for both the government and all businesses, and will attract new investors looking for global standards and ease of doing business. It will provide the foundation for smart city infrastructure and services,” she noted.

Similarly, Tetsu Funayama, a representative from the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Vietnam said the implementation of digital transformation has been determining the rise and fall of companies and businesses.

“Although there is a trade-off with national and corporate security, digital transformation ahead of other countries will bring benefits to Vietnam. We would like to ask for support for foreign companies to contribute to Vietnam in these fields as well,” he recommended.

Vietnam’s e-government development has achieved results in technical infrastructure, database sharing, use and development of platforms, and network security in 2016-2020, especially in the last two years.

Mobile transactions in Vietnam to grow by three times by 2025

Mobile transactions in Vietnam are expected to increase by 300 per cent between 2021 and 2025, led by strong growth in mobile payments, as revealed in the second edition of the Fintech and Digital Banking 2025 (Asia-Pacific) IDC InfoBrief, commissioned by Backbase.

However, we will still see 100 new challengers across the region by 2025, according to IDC. With new challengers presenting stronger post-pandemic propositions, there will be at least two digital banks in every Asia-Pacific market that will pose a significant challenge to incumbents. 30 per cent of the business of Vietnamese banks are predicted to be under threat from new digital challengers.

Some fintechs that had gained sufficient size by 2019 also found success, gaining more market share than expected. Fintech categories that have typically shown success include payments, wealth advisory, alternative data, lending platforms, and account origination.

Meanwhile, traditional banks are increasingly focused on responding to changing consumer behaviour. Digital banks across the Asia-Pacific saw three times the growth in their customer bases compared to traditional banks in 2020/2019.

One result of the economic downturn is a more humanistic type of customer centricity, as banks needed to communicate with customers in empathetic, trustworthy, and reliable ways that are complemented by digital innovations. There has been an increased integration of human agents into customer engagement strategies, as contact centres saw surges in usage.

The latest edition of Fintech and Digital Banking 2025 (APAC) found that 60 per cent of banks in the Asia-Pacific will leverage AI or machine learning technologies for data-driven decisions, compared to 48 per cent from the previous year. In Vietnam, core banking and payments system modernisation are the top 2 priorities among the top 8 banks in Vietnam in anticipation of rising consumer demands by 2025.

A back-to-basics trend has also overtaken the need for new revenue sources. Banks across the Asia-Pacific region will be focusing on digitalising their core business of lending with some focus, subsequently, on deposits. This is particularly evident in Vietnam, with 80 per cent of banks having re-invested in credit risk and asset-liability management, as well as building up capabilities in lending. Vietnam will see double-digit growth for lending every year from 2021. New capabilities will be acquired from fintech partners: IDC predicts by the middle of 2021, 50 per cent of lending decisions in retail banking across the Asia-Pacific will be supported by fintech propositions, underscoring accelerating bank-fintech collaboration.

Riddhi Dutta, regional director for ASEAN and South Asia at Backbase, said that, “COVID-19 has brought about significant changes in Vietnam and the Asia-Pacific’s banking landscape, and banking and fintech players will need to quickly act on their digital strategies to capture market share. The report highlights key areas for Vietnamese banks, including massive growth in mobile as well as opportunities in lending. Backbase is committed to helping Vietnam’s financial institutions stay ahead in the digital race and develop the innovative banking models and experiences that Vietnamese customers now expect.”

Boosting green, sustainable development

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam’s textile and garment exports saw negative growth of 10.5% in 2020 and a decrease in revenue of over US$35 billion compared to US$39 billion in 2019.

Businesses in the field need to focus on production andhave a strategy for sustainable development while increasing product value to enhance competitiveness in the market.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, total textile and garment export turnover reached nearly US$5.96 billion in the first two months of 2021while import revenue was over US$3.16 billion, bringing about a trade surplus of about US$2.8 billion. In particular, added value in the industry was quite high at55.4%, demonstrating signs of prosperity in the market.

Statistics from the textile and garment industry also showthat most businesses have orders to fulfil until June this year while items with large levels of consumption such as knitwear and casual wear have orders until September.

This reflects the recovery of Vietnamese textiles and garments, especially as Vietnam is in a good position on aglobal supply chain restructured after the COVID-19 pandemic crisis.

However, due to the unpredictable development of the pandemic, if it is not controlled soon, enterprises will still face many risks. If the pandemic continues to rage acrossthe world, the supply chain will be interrupted, resulting in a decline in orders. On the contrary, if the pandemicoccurs at garment and textile factories, they must be isolated and will be unable to organise production to fulfil orders.

In addition to financial losses, in the long run, the position of Vietnamese textiles and garments in the global supply chain will also be shaky and may be supplanted by other competitors.

Therefore, disease prevention and control at business establishments needs to be implemented strictly. At the same time, enterprises should focus on promoting production, productivity and product quality in order to fulfil the target of reaching US$39 billion in export revenue this year.

In addition, businesses need to carefully researchinformation and markets to take advantage of new-generation free trade agreements such as the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and others.

It is time to define a development strategy for the 2021-2025 period to effectively implement set goals. The strategy should clearly define technological solutions with a vision for the spinning and dyeing industry in order to create a foundation to adapt to the fast-changing trends of the market after the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the same time, we also need to promote the green trend in the textile and garment industry through the use ofrenewable energy, efficient use of water resources, and sustainable development of factories.

It is also important to focus on in-depth development, increasing the production of high-value products, improve governance, and restructure businesses while boosting the supply chains of raw materials and building a connection strategy to bring Vietnam’s textile and garment brands to the world market.

Furthermore, the Government should soon approve the sector development strategy until 2030, with a vision to 2035 and direct the formation of large textile and garment industrial zones with concentrated wastewater treatmentsystems to attract more investment into weaving and dyeing in order to meet the origin requirements of new-generation free trade agreements.

The government also needs to maintain macroeconomic stability, exchange rates, and interest rates whilecontinuing to reduce interest rates for long-term loans in order to create a “platform” for business development.

Raw export should be prohibited to prevent white marble drain: Experts

White marble is classified as a rare resource of Vietnam, only available in Nghe An and Yen Bai provinces. For several years, Nghe An Province has exported raw white marble with an output of millions of tons. The export of raw white marble creates extremely low profits compared to its real value.

White marble in Nghe An Province is mainly distributed in Quy Hop District with reserves of hundreds of thousands of tons. For many years, white marble products of Nghe An Province, such as white cobblestone, superfine white marble powder, and ashlar stone, have mainly been exported through the ports of Cua Lo, Hai Phong, and Nghi Son.

According to the Import-Export Management Department under the Department of Industry and Trade of Nghe An Province, in 2018, the province exported 1,210 million tons of raw white marble, bringing in more than US$24.18 million, while it exported 383,667 tons of superfine white marble powder, collecting $40.51 million in return. Only about 24 percent of white marble was processed for export, whereas the remaining 76 percent was for raw export.

In 2020, the export of raw white cobblestone was 1,246 million tons, earning nearly $24 million, while that of superfine white marble powder was nearly 590,000 tons, earning $47 million. It means that only about 32 percent of exported white marble had been through processing, the remaining nearly 68 percent was raw export.

According to the above data, on average, the value of one ton of raw white marble is about $20, while that of superfine white marble powder is equivalent to about $90-$100. If more than 1.2 million tons of raw white marble exported in 2020 had been processed into superfine white marble powder before exporting, about $100 million would have been collected. If the amount of raw white marble exported from 2017 to 2020 had been processed into powder before exporting, more than $400 million would have been earned.

According to many experts, this fact shows that the difference in value between the export of raw materials and processed products is too large. Facing the situation of white marble drain, experts recommended that authorities should limit or even prohibit the export of raw white marble to promote deep processing before exporting.

FDI firms enjoy 5.5 billion USD in trade surplus in two months

Foreign direct investment (FDI) firms’ import-export value reached 68.52 billion USD in the first two months of 2021, a surge of 31.5 percent from the same period last year, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs.

In January-February, the FDI sector enjoyed nearly 5.5 billion USD in trade surplus, with exports exceeding 37 billion USD, up 32 percent year on year, while imports totalling 31.51 billion USD, up 30.8 percent.

Among sub-sectors, the machinery, tools and parts posted the largest export growth 77 percent, increasing 2.44 billion USD. It was followed by phones and spare parts (2.2 billion USD, or 29 percent), and electronics and parts (1.85 billion USD, or 34 percent).

As of February 20, 5.46 billion USD worth of FDI was injected into Vietnam, equivalent to 84.4 percent of the figure recorded in the same time last year, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

As many as 126 foreign projects were granted investment licences with total registered capital of 3.31 billion USD, a year-on-year fall of 33.9 percent.

Meanwhile, 115 existing projects adjusted their investment capital with a total additional sum of 1.61 billion USD, or 2.5 times higher than the same time last year.

Capital contributions and shares purchases by foreign investors stood at 543.1 million USD, down 34.4 percent.

Foreign investors pumped capital in 17 sectors, with processing and manufacturing holding the lead with over 3 billion USD or 55.7 percent, followed by power production and distribution with 1.44 billion USD (26.5 percent), real estate 485 million USD, and science-technology nearly 153 million USD./.

Vietnamese goods week in Hanoi features over 100 stalls

A trade fair spotlighting Vietnamese goods and featuring more than 100 stalls is in full swing at the Me Linh Plaza in Hanoi’s Ha Dong district, offering opportunities for firms to stimulus trade, distribution, and consumption demand in the capital city.

On sales at the five-day event, kicked off on March 19, are consumer and industrial products, organic agro-forestry-fishery goods, and those from craft villages or produced under the One Commune, One Product programme.

Cooperatives from eight provinces facing difficulties selling their farm produce including Nghe An, Hai Duong, Ha Giang, and Son La are taking part in the fairs along those from districts of Hanoi.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Tran Thi Phuong Lan, acting director of the municipal department of industry and trade, said participating enterprises have been assisted to conduct their trade promotion and communications activities.

They are also requested to strictly follow COVID-19 prevention and control measures at the fair, she added./.

PM wants Cai Mep – Thi Vai seaport complex to be developed to regional standard

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked relevant ministries, agencies and the southern province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau to develop the seaport and logistics system at Cai Mep – Thi Vai area to meet regional standards by 2030 towards becoming a world-class seaport hub in the world by 2045.

He made the request during a working session with provincial officials on March 20, while highlighting the province’s advantage in seaports, which the PM said could contribute to the development of the country and the southeastern region.

Hailing the province for its achievements in socio-economy, national defence-security and Party building work, he noted that local seaports’ growth of about 2 percent amid the pandemic is good news.

The PM mentioned the Party’s guidelines and the 13th National Party Congress’s Resolution on the upgrade of seaports nationwide, including building logistics and transportation infrastructure in the region and improving service quality. He said as Cai Mep – Thi Vai Port together with Lach Huyen Port in Hai Phong city are among the top deep-water seaports in the world, they create an advantage for the country in development.

At the same time, PM Phuc pointed out problems of the region, including incomplete transport infrastructure and a lack of modern logistics facilities, financial and banking system,  and a strong fleet of ships, which must be addressed promptly.

He told relevant ministries and agencies to improve infrastructure at Cai Mep – Thi Vai Port, early start the construction of the Bien Hoa – Vung Tau expressway and Phuoc An bridge to facilitate the transportation of goods for import and export.

The Government leader directed enhancing logistics infrastructure, including establishing a goods distribution centre linking Long Thanh international airport and Cai Mep – Thi Vai seaport. He assigned the Finance Ministry to set up a centre to facilitate customs clearance at Cai Mep – Thi Vai seaport and attract more vessels and financial brokers to the port.

The leader also suggested building plans to form financial-banking-insurance hubs in Phu My town, Vung Tau city, while developing industrial and processing zones to shape a for-export processing centre in the province. He agreed with a proposal to open a free trade area at Cai Mep area to attract more foreign investors and a project on connecting Con Dao island district with the national grid.

Earlier in the morning, PM Phuc inspected the Cai Mep – Thi Vai deep-water seaport system, including Gemalink – the country’s deepest and largest deep-water seaport.

The Cai Mep – Thi Vai port complex is a group of deep-water seaports with a combined length of over 20km, which account for over 30 percent of the country’s exports by containers, which are expected to be a trade gateway in the south.

Gemalink is the biggest seaport in the Cai Mep-Thi Vai complex and one of the 19 big seaports in the world which is capable of receiving the world’s biggest cruise liners. Built at a total investment of 520 million USD in two phases, the port is equipped with ship-to-shore cranes designed and manufactured in Vietnam. When the first phase of the port is inaugurated in May, it will run at at least 80 percent of its designed capacity this year and at full capacity from next year.

During the trip, the PM also visited Tan Cang – Cai Mep International Terminal – a joint-venture between Saigon New Port Corporation and three foreign partners with a total investment of 100 million USD. Operational in January 2011, the terminal is capable of serving super vessels up to 160,000 DWT.

Over the past years, Ba Ria – Vung Tau has always been one of the five biggest contributors to the State budget. It is home to 69 seaports./.

Ha Nam province facilitates operations of Korean firms

The northern province of Ha Nam has stepped up investment promotion in the Republic of Korea (RoK) and joined many Korean cultural activities in Vietnam, a local official has said.

Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Truong Quoc Huy told Korean Ambassador to Vietnam Park Noh-wan at a working session in Ha Nam on March 19 that the province attaches importance to its friendship and effective cooperation with the RoK Embassy as well as trade promotion organisations of the two countries.

Ha Nam has set up a Korean trade promotion centre, called Korea Desk. Meanwhile, Korean firms in Ha Nam have established an association, aiming to support each other in production and business.

As of March 2021, Ha Nam is home to 148 Korean enterprises, making up 45 percent of FDI firms in the locality, with total investment amounting to 1.6 billion USD, Huy said, adding that such firms have employed 30,000 labourers.

The province highly values the operation capacity of Korean businesses, and has drastically implemented solutions to remove their difficulties in labour shortages, according to the official.

He proposed the Korean Embassy in Vietnam help to promote Ha Nam’s investment climate to Korean firms, organise Korean language traing courses, and train high-quality human resources for Korean enterprises.

Representatives from Korean investment promotion organisations and businesses spoke highly of the local investment environment, especially commitments of the provincial People’s Committee to investors.

They suggested Ha Nam deal with the labour shortages, especially high-quality workforce, and provide housing assistance for Korean experts.

Park said the embassy has cooperated with Vietnamese agencies and organisations to advance the relationship between the two countries to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

The embassy will continue to promote the image of Ha Nam as a friendly and model locality to Korean businesses and groups, he pledged.

HCM City, RoK’s Jeollabuk province eye cooperation in startup, high-tech agriculture

Ho Chi Minh City and Jeollabuk province of the Republic of Korea (RoK) have optimal potential for cooperation in startup, high-tech agriculture, culture and tourism.

The view was shared by leaders of the two localities during their online working session on March 19.

Nguyen Thanh Phong, Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee, briefed the RoK side on the city’s economic development in 2020, with a growth rate of 1.39 percent amidst the COVID-19 spread.

He highlighted the significance of international resources to HCM City’s implementation of the dual goals of containing the pandemic and recovering the economy.

The RoK is one of the countries with the biggest number of localities (seven) that have set up cooperation with HCM City, Phong said, adding that the southern metropolis wishes to soon establish its friendship and cooperation with Jeollabuk.

The East Asian nation ranks third among 110 countries and territories investing in HCM City, according to the official. Nearly 80,000 Koreans and 2,000 Korean firms are living and operating in the city, with such major groups as Samsung, Lotte, Emart and CJ.

For his part, Song Ha-Jin, Governor of Jeollabuk, said a number of startups from Jeollabuk have begun studying investment opportunities in Vietnam.

Vietnam is a key destination of the RoK’s New Southern Policy. Therefore, apart from startup and high-tech agriculture, Jeollabuk wants to join hands with the country and HCM City in particular in tourism and culture, he stressed.

Lauding Jeollabuk’s cooperation proposals and support in the formation of the KORETOVIET exhibition centre, Phong said the centre is expected to create a joint playground for businesses of the two sides, thus promoting the development of startups.

ADB – major partner of HCM City: official

Ho Chi Minh City always regards the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as a major partner that plays an important role in the city’s development, a local official has said.

At a reception for ABD Country Director in Vietnam Andrew Jeffries in the city on March 19, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong said the projects using ADB loans have significantly contributed to local socio-economic development.

HCM City stands ready to cooperate the ADB Country Director as well as the bank’s office to effectively roll out ADB projects in the southern metropolis, he affirmed.

Phong proposed ADB leaders help HCM City speed up the disbursement of loans and as well as the progress of ongoing projects, saying the two sides should continue realising the memorandum of understanding reached last June fruitfully.

He called for ADB support in four development projects in the southern economic hub for the 2020-2025 period with a vision towards 2030.

The bank will become not only a loan supplier of HCM City, but also a technical and policy consultant for the locality, especially in improving the capacity of local officials, Phong believed.

For his part, Jeffries said his visit forms part of the ADB’s Country Programming Mission, aiming to work with Vietnamese ministries, agencies and localities on the bank’s operation programme in the country in the time ahead.

Lauding HCM City’s development potential and position, both regionally and nationally, Jeffries affirmed that the ADB always places importance on HCM City in its cooperation with Vietnam.

The ADB wishes and stands ready to foster collaboration with the city in its construction and development, firstly in activities to improve cooperation efficiency of projects using ADB loans in the locality, he said.

Earlier, the ADB delegation was received by Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee Le Hoa Binh, during which the two sides sought ways to speed up the implementation of such projects./.

Quang Ninh announces 2020 department, district competitiveness index

The People’s Committee of the northern province of Quang Ninh announced its 2020 Department and District Competitiveness Index (DDCI) on March 19.

Among localities, Cam Pha city secured top spot with 72.1 points, followed by Co To district with 71.17 points. Mong Cai city and Quang Yen township were again among the top localities. Tien Yen district moved up to third place from ninth while Co To island district ranked second, up from the sixth.

Van Don and Hai Ha districts were at the bottom, with 24.22 points and 45.74 points, respectively.

In the department category, the Management Board of Economic Zones, the Department of Information and Communications, the provincial branch of the State Bank of Vietnam, the Customs Department, and the Tourism Department topped the list.

The Department of Finance, the Department of Construction, and the Police Department of Fire Prevention, Fighting, and Rescue all underperformed.

The business community in Ha Long city adopted the best corporate governance, with a score of 5.69 points. In Dam Ha district it displayed the best social responsibility, with 6.71 points, and the best innovation management, with 8.14 points.

Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Bui Van Khang described the DDCI as a lodestar to improve the local business environment and an independent information source to compare with the Provincial Competitiveness Index released annually by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI).

He said the DDCI 2020 saw certain improvements on issues of concern for enterprises.

VCCI President Vu Tien Loc said Quang Ninh has affirmed its top priority of improving administrative procedures and the business environment. He also hailed its tireless efforts to maintain its position as one of the top localities nationwide in terms of the PCI and a trustworthy business destination.

The Quang Ninh DDCI 2020 polled nearly 2,080 businesses, cooperatives, and individual business households out of the total of 6,500, with over 12,500 questionnaires sent out. The response rate was 36.2 percent, compared to just over 30 percent in 2018 and 34.65 percent in 2019./.

US popularises farm produce to Vietnam

Vietnam is one of the promising markets of the US’s farm produce, especially high-quality, safe and healthy products, experts said.

They shared the view during a ceremony announcing the United Tastes – a trademark and marketing initiative designed for the Vietnamese market, which was co-organised by the US Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City and the US Department of Agriculture on March 18.

US Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Marie C. Damour said popularisation of food and cuisine culture is an excellent way to bring the two countries together.

She added that the United Tastes marketing campaign will serve as a bridge for the two nations to share cuisine culture, provide support for US farmers, fishermen and food companies, and introduce high-quality US farm produce to Vietnamese consumers.

Agricultural Counsellor at the US Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City Robert Hanson said over the past decade, Vietnam has always posted positive growth and been one of the fastest growing economies in Asia. The US’s farm produce export to Vietnam has increased by 40 percent over the past five years, reaching 3.7 billion USD last year.

Vietnam is now the seven largest agriculture market of the US, with soybeans, corns, pork and beef being main imports. The US is also stepping up the export of apple, blueberry and baking ingredients, he said.

US Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Marie C. Damour and chef Christan Ngo prepare salad from US’s farm produce at the event (Photo: VNA)

According to him, with increasing income, the Vietnamese people increasingly pay attention to safe and healthy products with clear origin. They have also adopted the habit of using social media to follow consumption trend, frequently going shopping at supermarkets and dining at restaurants.

He stressed that apart from diversity, safety is a top priority of the US farm producers. Consumers will also be provided with information about the farming and processing of the US farm produce.

Quach Van Hoa, Business Deputy Director of The Alaska Guys Vietnam Co.Ltd, said domestic importers and distributors hope for more reasonable tax and licensing policies to facilitate bilateral trade, thus making it easier for Vietnamese consumers to access a diverse source of quality products./.

Vietnam calls for early establishment of new government in Lebanon

Vietnam called upon sides involved to soon reach agreement for the establishment of a new government in Lebanon at an UN Security Council (UNSC) briefing held on March 18 regarding Lebanon situation and the implementation of the UNSC’s Resolution 1701.

Addressing the meeting, Nguyen Phuong Tra, Deputy Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations, spoke highly of and expressed her support for efforts made by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in maintaining stability and preventing tensions from escalating in the Blue Line area.

She said Vietnam is concerned over current affairs in Lebanon, particularly regarding economic and humanitarian areas, and calls on the international community to sustain humanitarian aid commitments for Lebanese people.

Vietnam urges all parties involved in Lebanon to agree to establish a new government soon, comply with their obligations under Resolution 1701, restrain from and avoid provocative actions that could lead to an escalation of tension, respect UNIFIL’s right to freedom of movement, and increase the use of relevant mechanisms to ease tension, Tra stated.

Concerned about activities that violated Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, Vietnam urges the sides involved to put an end to the activities and withdraw their troops from their occupied positions in the north of the Blue Line, she said.

At the event, briefings on the Lebanon situation, the operation of the UNIFIL and the implementation of Resolution 1701 were delivered by UN Deputy Special Coordinator for Lebanon Najat Rochdi and Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix.

Participating UNSC members expressed their concerns over challenges facing Lebanon and praised the works of the UNIFIL.

Adopted in 2006, Resolution 1701 called for a cessation of hostilities between Israel and the Shi’a militant group Hezbollah in South Lebanon./.

Source: VNA/VNS/VOV/VIR/SGT/Nhan Dan/Hanoitimes

Filed Under: Uncategorized vietnam economy, Vietnam business news, business news, vietnamnet bridge, english news, Vietnam news, vietnamnet news, Vietnam latest news, Vietnam breaking..., top business news today, small businesses news, the hindu business news, yesterday business news, top business news websites, top business news sites, top 10 business news, top 5 business news, top trending business news, top business news stories, business news worldwide, news business news

VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES MARCH 28

March 28, 2021 by vietnamnet.vn

Critically ill coronavirus patient recovers from disease

VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES MARCH 28

The 79-year-old patient leaves Da Nang hospital for Ho Chi Minh City where doctors will treat her underlying illnesses.

A Vietnamese coronavirus patient described as the most critically ill in Vietnam has been discharged from hospital after making a full recovery from the disease, doctors said on March 27.

The patient who returned from the United States was admitted to the hospital on January 15 following positive tests for the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

She was diagnosed with severe pneumonia due to the novel coronavirus plus other underlying illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes (type II), heart failure, and blood clotting disorders.

During treatment, the patient suffered from respiratory failure, forcing doctors to put her on a ventilator and prescribe her ECMO intervention in order save her life.

Leading Vietnamese specialists have held a total of seven national consultations to examine the best treatment therapy for the patient.

To doctors’ surprise, the patient recovered day by day and stopped using the ECMO therapy after 26-day extensive treatment.

The patient was on March 27 transferred to Cho Ray hospital in Ho Chi Minh City for treating the underlying illnesses at her family’s request.

COVID-19: Four imported cases reported on March 28 morning

VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES MARCH 28
A medical worker gets health check before vaccination

Two of the new patients entered through the Moc Bai international border gate and are being quarantined in the southwestern province of Tay Ninh. The other two were Filipino specialists who arrived at Noi Bai international airport in Hanoi.

The national count increased to 2,590, of which 1,603 cases were domestic infections.

Meanwhile, 2,308 COVID-19 patients have been given the all clear by now, and the death toll remains at 35.

Among those still under treatment, 30 have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 once, 38 twice and 57 thrice.

A total of 44,833 people are being quarantined nationwide, with 483 at hospitals, 18,412 at concentrated facilities and 25,938 at their accommodations.

According to the National Expanded Immunisation Programme, an additional 278 people received COVID-19 vaccine shots, bringing the total number of people having got the shots to 44,278. Vaccination work is underway from March 8 to 27 in 19 provinces and centrally-run cities./.

Ethnic culture upheld through traditional craft

Van Ho district in Son La province is home to five ethnic groups: the H’Mong, Thai, Muong, Kinh, and Dao. It has been working to preserve their diverse and exotic cultures, including their traditional outfits.

83% of the population in Long Luong commune, Van Ho district in the mountainous province of Son La belongs to the H’Mong ethnic group. As they wear their traditional outfits in daily life, each household has a sewing machine.

As community tourism has become popular in Van Ho district, making traditional clothing is not only for personal use but also a cool experience for visitors. Some buy the clothes as souvenirs, while others just rent them to take photos.

Upholding the traditional crafts of ethnic minority communities in Van Ho district not only contributes to preserving and promoting their cultural traits but also opens up opportunities for tourism development./.

Better control of illegal immigration to prevent COVID-19

It is crucial to strengthen the management of immigration activities in border localities, while increasing support measures and cooperation with the localities, heard a meeting of the standing board of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control in Hanoi on March 26.

According to representative from the Ministry of Health, after six consecutive days with no new domestically-transmitted COVID-19 infections, on March 25, Vietnam saw two new cases who entered illegally the country.

The ministry asked localities related to the new cases to promptly trace people having close contacts with the patients and give them testing.

Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long underlined the need for border localities to work hader to supervise entry activities and draw out scenarios for COVID-19 testing, quarantine and treatment, minimising impacts on socio-economic situation and locals.

Along with following the Ministry’s Health’s 5K message, people were advised to actively report cases of people returning from pandemic-hit areas or foreign countries who fail to make health declarations.

The board asked ministries, sectors and localities to create conditions for those who wish to enter Vietnam after receiving COVID-19 vaccine shots, with the strict implementation of preventive measures.

Amid the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic, border guards of the northern province of Lao Cai have coordinated with their Chinese counterpart to strengthening patrol along the shared border.

Vietnamese and Chinese patrolling forces have set up nine joint teams to prevent and combat cross-border crimes and end illegal immigration activities.

Also on March 26, the northern province of Hai Duong – the largest hotspot of the recent COVID-19 outbreak, removed the lockdown for its last location – the Van Xa resident area in Nguyen Ai Quoc ward of Hai Duong city./.

71st anniversary of Vietnam-China diplomatic relations celebrated in Beijing

The Vietnamese Embassy in China on March 26 held a ceremony to mark the 71st anniversary of Vietnam-China diplomatic relations.

The event drew Chinese Assistant to Foreign Minister Wu Jianghao, representatives of the host country’s ministries, sectors, agencies and localities, as well as the Vietnamese community and businesses in China.

Addressing the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to China Pham Sao Mai reviewed the 71 years of the diplomatic ties as well as major cooperation outcomes between the two countries in recent years.

He noted that since the beginning of 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, senior leaders of the two Parties and States have maintained regular meetings with flexible forms, while bilateral partnership in all fields have been promoted, including collaboration in economy, trade and investment.

Vietnam has been the largest trade partner of China among ASEAN member countries with two-way trade hitting 19.2 billion USD in 2020, up 18.7 percent year on year, according to statistics from China’s Customs. Meanwhile, China was the third biggest investor of Vietnam last year.

Ambassador Mai underlined that 2021 is a year of significant importance to both side as this is the first year that Vietnam implements the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress, the socio-economic development plan for the 2021-2025 period, and the socio-economic development strategy for the 2021-2030 period. Meanwhile, this year, China celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China and begins the implementation of the 14th socio-economic planning for the next five years with a vision to 2035, he added.

The diplomat recalled that on February 8, few days before the Lunar New Year, Vietnamese Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong and General Secretary of the Communist Party of China and Chinese President Xi Jinping held an phone talk to sketch out major orientations for the development of the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic partnership in the future.

Ambassador Mai proposed that both sides fully and effectively implement the common perspectives reached by senior leaders of both countries, strengthen political trust, expand and enhance the efficiency of cooperation in fields, promote people-to-people exchange, control and satifactorily address disagreements on the basis of respecting each other’s legitimate interest in line with international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), thus further boosting the growth of the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic partnership in a healthy, stable and in-depth manner, contributing to maintaining peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

During the ceremony, participants had a chance to enjoy Vietnamese traditional dishes./.

Youngsters’ trust helps promote Vietnam-Russia ties: Saint Petersburg Governor

Governor of Russia’s Saint Petersburg Alexander Beglov has stressed the common task of helping youngsters build the realiable partnership between Vietnam and Russia, saying that stronger trust among Vietnamese and Russian youngsters will ensure the development of friendship between the two countries.

Beglov made the statement at an online conference to mark the 90th founding anniversary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCMYU) held in Saint Petersburg on March 26.

He said that youth projects are important part of the working programmes of the city. In 2018, Saint Petersburg gave the initiative of organising the first Vietnam-Russia Youth Forum, which was lauded by leaders of both sides.

Recently, an online conference was held between the Ho Chi Minh City’s HCMYU and the Committee for External Relations of Saint Petersburg, he noted.

According to Beglov, he has asked Saint Petersburg’s Committee for Youth Policies to strengthen cooperation with Vietnamese youth, including the signing of cooperation agreement with Ho Chi Minh City’s HCMYU.

For his part, Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Ngo Duc Manh affirmed that the partnership among localities of Vietnam and Russia is growing strongly, with Saint Petersburg being the pioneer in setting up twin relations with Ho Chi Minh City and Khanh Hoa province.

Saint Petersburg has coordinated with Vietnamese partners to organise various activities on special occasions such as the 95th anniversary of the first trip of President Ho Chi Minh to Russia, the ceremony to place a stone in the location defined to erect President Ho Chi Minh in the city, he noted.

The diplomat underlined the special meaning of the conference which was held on the founding anniversary of the HCMYU, stressing that many generations of both sides have stood side by side and provided mutual support, contributing to fostering the traditional friendship between people of the two countries over the past more than seven decades.

Within the conference’s framework, a book by Ambassador Ngo Duc Manh on the glorious 70-year path of the Vietnam-Russia ties was introduced. The book comprises of more than 700 photos and documents featuring the Vietnam-Russia cooperation over the past 70 years.

Earlier, Ambassador Manh had a working session with Saint Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov, during which they sides highly valued the sound relationship between Vietnam and Russia in general and between Vietnam and Saint Petersburg in particular. They affirmed that local collaboration is a bright spot in the relations between the two countries over the years.

Both sides shared delight at effective joint projects, especially Saint Petersburg’s plan to erect President Ho Chi Minh’s statue in the city.

Governor Beglov thanked Ambassador Manh and staff of the embassy for making contributions to elevating the ties between Veitanm and Saint Petersburg to a new height. He said he and a business delegation of the city plan to visit Vietnam in the fourth quarter of this year.

Both sides showed their hope that in the future, the project to build Ho Chi Minh City’s culture-trade centre in Saint Petersburg will be conducted after COVID-19 pandemic is thoroughly controlled./.

Over 1,500 people take part in running day in Da Nang

Over 1,500 runners joined the Olympic Run Day for Public Health 2021 in the central city of Da Nang on March 27, which was held by the municipal Department of Culture and Sports.

The runners were from local governmental bodies, armed forces, associations, societies and agencies in the city.

The event was organised to mark the 46th anniversary of Da Nang city’s Liberation (March 29) and the 75 years of the Vietnam Sports Day.

Director of the municipal Department of Culture and Sports Pham Tan Xu said the event is part of activities to respond to and promote the “All people take exercises following the example of great Uncle Ho” campaign.

It becomes an annual activity, attracting more and more people from all walks of life, contributing to promote movements of physical training and sports in the local community, he added.

Conferences to promote conservation of UNESCO-recognised intangible culture heritages

A chain of conferences to assess the management, protection and promotion of the value of Vietnam’s intangible cultural heritage recognised by UNESCO, is scheduled to take place in April 2021, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

These events aims to review the State management in protecting and promoting the values of the three heritages: the cultural space of gong in the Central Highlands, the “don ca tai tu” art form (southern amateur singing) in the southern region, and Vietnam’s traditional practice of “Tho Mau Tam Phu” (the Worship of Mother Goddesses).

Ways to improve personel capacity and management efficiency for Vietnam’s UNESCO-recognised heritages, and enhance coordination among agencies, localities in protecting heritages, will be under discussion.

Participants to the conferences will focus on assessing the current situation of heritage management, and the building of projects to protect heritages.

They will also share experience in heritage management and preservation and difficulties facing localities in the works, as well as proposed solutions to those issues.

As planned, representatives from localities boasting the heritages, experts, cultural researchers and those from relevant departments and sectors will gather together at the conferences.

Adopting green lifestyles through short getaways

Green tourism has become increasingly popular over recent times given that protecting the environment has become an urgent issue within society.

Apart from enjoying the tranquil atmosphere of Hoi An ancient town, visitors can also enjoy fun activities such as growing vegetables, riding buffaloes, and rowing coracles, among others.

Local tourism service providers have also taken a step forward in promoting environmental protection by collecting bio-waste from restaurants and hotels to make compost. Many have invested in technology to save energy and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Forty local tourism companies have undertaken to apply the circular economic model, which aims at eliminating waste and the continual use of resources. Local green community tourism models, with no plastic use, have also been developed.

Green tourism is not just a cash cow but also brings sustainable benefits to local residents. Indeed, many farmers in Hoi An have earned handsome profits from providing agro-tourism services.

Green tourism not only benefits tourists by providing exotic experiences, it also inspires them in environmental protection and green lifestyles./.

National conference popularising resolution of 13th National Party Congress

The Party Central Committee’s Secretariat opened an online national conference to popularise the Resolution adopted at the 13th National Party Congress on March 27, with the participation of the 67 Party Committees of centrally-run cities, provinces and central agencies, and more than 7,300 committees at local levels.

Addressing the event, Vo Van Thuong, Poliburo member and Standing member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat, stressed the significance of in-depth study and popularisation, and implementation of the Resolution, which should become a regular activity throughout the tenure and one of the major tasks for 2021.

He said that the proper and creative implementation of the Resolution from State officials and Party members will create consensus among the people, thus promoting patriotism, self-reliance and the great national solidarity strength and the desire for national development, contributing to successfully implementing the Resolution.

Participants at the event heard a number of reports on different topics related to major documents of the 13th National Party Congress.

The conference will run until March 28./.

Ninh Thuan moves to promote community-based tourism

With advantages of natural beauty, history, and rich culture, the south-central province of Ninh Thuan is striving to promote tourism development, especially community-based tourism, towards becoming an attractive destination with diverse tourism products.

It has recently seen strong development in community-based tourism, and strong investment has been landed in agricultural land areas, turning them into new tourist destinations.

According to the Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Nguyen Van Hoa, the province boasts substantial potential for developing community-based tourism.

Besides its diverse natural landscapes, with mountains, sea, plains, semi-desert terrain, and popular destinations such as the Nui Chua and Phuoc Binh National Parks, Ninh Thuan is also a land of rich history and culture gathering the customs and traditions of the Cham and Raglai ethnic people.

It is focusing on developing local agricultural products and specialties to serve the development of community tourism.

Many community-based models have proven effective, benefiting the local community and contributing to promoting the consumption of local farm produce and handicrafts, creating more jobs and improving incomes for local residents.

The provincial People’s Committee has launched a project to support community-based tourism development in 2019-2022, with a total budget of over 20.4 billion VND (884,000 USD).

The project has been implemented in 13 areas, including Raglai eco-tourism, grape-planting, ceramic and brocade-weaving villages of the Cham people.

Rural transport infrastructure has been upgraded and developed in project areas.

The training of local people serving tourism development has been focused, while attention has also been paid to ensuring safety and strengthening tourism promotion activities.

Ninh Thuan has targeted welcoming 2.5 million visitors this year, including 200,000 foreigners, raking in 1.25 trillion VND (over 54.1 million USD).

To that end, local authorities will continue to improve the quality of tourism products and services.

They have also mobilised resources from organisations, individuals and economic sectors in implementing tourism development projects, and organised field trips with the participation of travel agencies to help localities develop new tourism products.

Argentine national news agency wishes to boost cooperation with VNA

Vietnamese Ambassador to Argentina Duong Quoc Thanh had a working session with President of the Argentine National News Agency (Telam) Bernada Llorente on March 26 to discuss measures to promote information on all areas of each country to both Vietnamese and Argentine readers.

At the meeting at the embassy, Ambassador Thanh highly valued the role of Telam, as a national news agency, in providing readers with official and timely information on Argentina’s political, economic, social and cultural aspects.

He expressed his belief that Telam will play an important role in providing information on land and people of Vietnam, as well as the country’s achievements on socio-economic development to the Argentine people.

According to the diplomat, based on agreements signed between the VNA and Telam, the two agencies can continue to strengthen the exchange of information, and coordination in producing programmes to introduce culture, economic, investment and trade potential of each country on their press products.

Telam President Llorente said expressed her impression on the land and people of Vietnam as well as the country’s economic achievements after her two visits to the Southeast Asian nation.

She affirmed that Vietnam is always a priority partner of Argentine in Asia. As a national news agency, Telam has proactively provided information on Vietnam for readers in Argentine.

Particularly, Telam has introduced Vietnam’s experience in dealing with the COVID-19 epidemic as the country became a bright spot in the fight against COVID-19 in 2020.

She reaffirmed Telam will further promote its relationship with the VNA in order to move towards the signing of a more practical and effective cooperation agreement between the two sides.

National conference popularising resolution of 13th National Party Congress

The Party Central Committee’s Secretariat opened an online national conference to popularise the Resolution adopted at the 13th National Party Congress on March 27, with the participation of the 67 Party Committees of centrally-run cities, provinces and central agencies, and more than 7,300 committees at local levels.

Addressing the event, Vo Van Thuong, Poliburo member and Standing member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat, stressed the significance of in-depth study and popularisation, and implementation of the Resolution, which should become a regular activity throughout the tenure and one of the major tasks for 2021.

He said that the proper and creative implementation of the Resolution from State officials and Party members will create consensus among the people, thus promoting patriotism, self-reliance and the great national solidarity strength and the desire for national development, contributing to successfully implementing the Resolution.

This will also help combat degradation in political ideology as well as signs of “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” among Party members, while protecting Party ideological foundation and fighting wrongful and hostile arguments.

Highlighting the need to roll out strict and high-quality popularisation of the Resolution, Thuong asked participants to clarify major contents and new policies in documents of the 13th National Party Congress, thus pointing out advantages and difficulties as well as challenges facing the national revolution in the future, while applying the policies to suit specific conditions of each locality, and successfully realising political tasks in the 2021-2025 period.

He underlined that during the popularisation of the Resolution, it is necessary to have timely reply to questions from officials, Party members and people regarding contents of the Resolution, thus orienting public opinion and creating consensus in society.

Meanwhile, it is crucial to soon apply the Resolution into life, he stated, asking Party Committees and organisations to soon build their action plans to specify the Resolution.

He also asked for the strengthening of inspection and supervision as well as evaluation of activities to popularise the document, as well as the building of action plans to implement it in each locality and agency.

Participants at the event heard a number of reports on different topics related to major documents of the 13th National Party Congress, focusing on core issues, new features and mindset shown in the documents, affirming achievements and lessons drawn from the 35 years of national reform, especially five years of implementing the Resolution of the 12th National Party Congress.

The conference will run until March 28.

Everygolf launched to improve golf quality in Viet Nam

Everygolf Studio, an advanced golf training centre, has opened in Hà Nội aiming to increase the number of golfers in Việt Nam as well as improve the quality of the current players.

Launching in the capital city on Friday, Everygolf is one of few locations with advanced golf training and learning technology in the country. Golfers and people who love the sport will have the chance to use the 3D training rooms with modern and advanced systems such as Trackman, Foresight and Putview.

Experts led by PGA Australia coach Phạm Minh Đức will be on hand to offer guidance.

The centre will hold events and tournaments, game shows and reality shows focusing on golf. It also provides an application, Everygolf Swing, that connects coaches and athletes.

“People will have the chance to access high-performance training and practising golf at Everygolf. The advanced technology will be updated regularly to bring the best experience to golfers, improve their strength and reduce the risk of injuries as well as lift up their technology,” said Nguyễn Thị Thảo Nguyên, general director of Everygolf Việt Nam.

Speaking at the opening, coach Phạm Minh Đức said he really wanted to have such a project like Everygolf in Việt Nam since his return home from Australia several years ago.

Việt Nam needs more such centres to speed up the golf industry development to reach the international level, he said.

Meanwhile, Nguyễn Huy Tiến, head coach of Hà Nội Golf Team, said the technology at Everygolf will help not only new golfers but also fix technical mistakes for veteran players.

In the coming months, Everygolf plans to be the training venue to the national team ahead of the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hà Nội this winter.

VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES MARCH 28

Decade-long master plan to tackle climate change gets go-ahead

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has recently granted approval to a master plan aimed at developing Vietnamese cities towards the year 2030 in response to climate change challenges.

The scheme will be divided into three phases, with the first set to be implemented from 2021 to 2025 in five centrally-run cities, namely Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Can Tho, Hai Phong, and Da Nang, as well as cities in seven northern, central, and Mekong Delta provinces and seven northern mountainous and Central Highland provinces.

In the period between 2026 and 2030, the plan will be implemented in coastal urban areas and deltas which are prone to flooding and flash floods, as well as landslides in northern mountainous, central coastal, southeastern, and Central Highland regions.

Other localities will see similar schemes put in place beyond 2030.

In order to meet the goal, there is an urgent need to investigate and assess the impact of climate change on the development of the existing urban system, whilst also competently planning new urban areas likely to be formed over the next 10 years. This is necessary in order to calculate self-adaptive capacity, propose response solutions, and to draw up an adequate risk warning mapping system.

Relevant agencies will also be required to integrate climate change adaptation into urban development planning and other programmes, while also completing legal frameworks regarding urban and housing management and development, taking into account increased risk caused climate change.

The scheme underlines the importance of forming a flooding control system within urban areas, building dykes, embankments, and large-scale underground water storage works, and finding solutions to resettle and relocate residents in risky areas. Indeed, the plan will see the development of houses that are highly resistant to flooding, strong winds, and storms.

According to the plan, it is imperative to enhance the overall building capacity of local authorities with regard to urban management and development in response to climate change.

In addition, it is necessary to accelerate scientific and technological research cooperation, pilot green and smart urban development, build energy saving and emission reduction models, and develop environmentally friendly materials.

Cyclists to race at HTV Cycling cup to mark Reunification Day

The annual HCM City Television Cycling Tournament will be held in April with VNĐ2 billion (US$86,600) up for grab.

In its 33rd edition, the race has attracted more than 100 participants from 15 teams. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organisers have not invited international teams as in the past, but local teams are allowed one foreign member each.

The Việt Nam national team will join the race as they are preparing for the 31st Southeast Asian Games later this year.

The tournament is part of activities to celebrate the 46th anniversary of Southern Việt Nam’s liberation and Reunification Day on April 30.

Running from April 6 to 30, cyclists will race across 22 stages covering 2,450km from Cao Bằng Province to HCM City.

The first stage will be a 45km lap around Cao Bằng City on April 6.

Among the stages, the route from Nghệ An Province through Hà Tĩnh to Quảng Bình Province will be the longest one at 199km on April 15.

Earlier, the team time trial stage will be in Cửa Lò Beach of Nghệ An while athletes will take part in the individual time trial event at the 14th stage in Tam Kỳ City, Quảng Ngãi Province.

The race will end on April 30 when cyclists reach the Independence Palace in HCM City.

The winner of the tournament will take the yellow jersey and a purse of VNĐ200 million ($8,660) while the winning team will bank VNĐ100 million ($4,330)

The organisers will also deliver prizes for athletes who win stages and take the green, red polka dot, and white jerseys.

All stages will be live aired on HTV9, HTV Thể thao and other platforms.

About VNĐ1.5 billion ($65,000) will be used for charity activities in localities that the race passes by.

Last year, Javier Sarda Perez of HCM City took double titles winning both the yellow and red polka dot jersey while his crew took the team title.

Photo exhibition marks 60 years of Vietnam-Morocco diplomacy

The Moroccan Embassy in Hanoi and the Vietnam News Agency are co-hosting an online photo exhibition in celebration of the 60th founding anniversary of the diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Morocco.

Vietnam and Morocco established diplomatic ties on March 27, 1961. Bilateral relations have since been strengthen in various areas, especially in economics, trade, investment, culture and tourism.

The two countries have maintained high-level visits to promote their cooperation. In 2006 they decided to open their embassies in each other’s capitals, marking a milestone in bilateral cooperation.

The photos can be seen on the website of the Moroccan Embassy at http://moroccoembassy.vn from March 27 to April 30.

HCM City residents cycle in response to Earth Hour

The Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union hosted a bicycle parade on March 27 in response to Earth Hour 2021 with the event attracting the participation of over 300 volunteers, Youth Union members, and residents from the southern city.

Le Hoang Minh, head of the organising board of Earth Hour 2021, says 2021 is the 13th year in which Ho Chi Minh City has participated in the event alongside 7,000 cities in more than 200 countries globally.

Along with the ongoing activities in Ho Chi Minh City, the campaign has also received support from a large number of online volunteers who are helping to spread the message across 63 provinces and cities nationwide.

All of these activities are primarily aimed at responding to the “10th Anniversary of Earth Hour in Vietnam – Join Global Lights Off” event on the evening of March 27 which will take place in the city at the Youth Cultural House, AEON Mall Binh Tan, and Hoan Cau Hotel.

The function is anticipated to attract the participation of more than 2,000 teenagers and residents from Ho Chi Minh City.

Nat’l futsal championship to kick off today

The National Futsal HDBank Championship 2021 is scheduled to kick off on Sunday in Buôn Ma Thuột City in Đắk Lắk Province.

At a press meeting on Wednesday, the organisers of the tournament, Việt Nam Football Federation (VFF) and Radio the Voice of Việt Nam (VOV), said the tournament would be divided into two stages with the participation of 12 teams.

The first stage of qualifying rounds will take place from March 28 to April 5 at Đắk Lắk gymnasium in Buôn Ma Thuột City.

Audiences will see competition among six teams Cao Bằng, Hưng Gia Khang Đắk Lắk, Tân Hiệp Hưng, Quảng Nam, Việt Football and Luxury Hạ Long. They will compete in a round robin format that will decide the four teams to join the second stage.

The second stage will include participation of the four winners in the first stage and the top six teams from last year’s National Futsal HDBank Championships, which include Thái Sơn Nam, Sahako, Sanvinest Sanatech Khánh Hòa, Zetbit Sài Gòn FC, Hiếu Hoa Đà Nẵng, and Thái Sơn Bắc.

The first leg of the second stage will be held at Đắk Lắk gymnasium from April 4 to April 30, while the second leg is expected to take place from July 5 to 26 in Cần Thơ city.

The winner of the tournament will represent Việt Nam at the AFC Futsal Championships 2021.

Last year, Thái Sơn Nam took the trophy, and the runner-up was Sanvinest Sanatech Khánh Hòa.

The organiser has also announced that the National Futsal HDBank Cup will kick off in the Central Highlands province of Lâm Đồng from September 5 to 16.

Both tournaments are sponsored by HDBank. The winner of the National Futsal HDBank Championship will receive a VNĐ500 million (US$21,400) prize.

This is the fifth time that VFF has worked with VOV to organise the tournament.

Trần Anh Tú, head of the organising board, said at the press meeting that the tournament is expected to offer exciting, highly professional matches.

Children’s awards open for entries

Compositions, art performances and entertainment programmes created by children or for children have the chance to compete at the Dế Mèn Awards.

The awards launched by the Vietnam News Agency’s Thể Thao Văn Hóa (Culture & Sport) newspaper aims to honour the best works by and for children.

Entitled Dế Mèn (Cricket), the award is named after the character in one of the most popular stories for children in Việt Nam, Dế Mèn Phiêu Lưu Ký (Diary of a Cricket) by Tô Hoài.

The awards will include one grand prize named Hiệp Sĩ Dế Mèn (Cricket Knight) and several other awards called Khát Vọng Dế Mèn (Cricket Desire).

The Cricket Knight award will honour the lifetime achievements of authors who have contributed to work for children.

The awards will be presented for works that meet either of these two criteria: compositions, art performances and entertainment programmes by children or composers, or art performances and entertainment programmes for children.

International authors with works created for Vietnamese children are also eligible.

Eligible works must be announced or discovered from May 15 of last year to May 15 of 2021. Literature drafts created within this period can be sent to the contest.

The entries can be in one of several forms like literature, cinema, music, arts, theatre, photography, comic, traditional games or electronic games.

The judges will receive all entries by photo, video clip and book at 11 Trần Hưng Đạo Street in Ha Noi or via email to [email protected]

At the first Dế Mèn Awards last year, writer Nguyễn Nhật Ánh won Cricket Knight for his book Làm Bạn Với Bầu Trời (Being Friends with the Sky) and four Cricket Desire awards were given to primary school students Nguyễn Đới Chung Anh and Cao Khải An, teacher Nguyễn Chí Ngoãn, and musician Nguyễn Văn Chung.

The awards ceremony will be held on Children’s Day on June 1.

Mekong Delta has excellent winter – spring rice crop

The Mekong Delta has harvested the 2020 – 21 winter – spring rice crop with farmers successfully avoiding the impacts of saltwater intrusion and managing high yields and getting high prices, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

More than one million of the 1.59 million hectares planted have been harvested so far, with an average yield of seven tonnes per hectare, 214kg higher than the last winter – spring rice and the highest in the last five years.

The country’s rice granary reduced the area under the grain by 27,210ha this season, fearful of possible saltwater intrusion in rivers.

Fragrant and speciality varieties accounted for more than 21 per cent and high-quality varieties for 60 per cent, a slight increase from last year.

On the instructions of local authorities, farmers started sowing the crop in October last year, 20 – 30 days earlier than normal, hoping to avoid the saltwater intrusion that often occurs at the end of the crop.

This and prompt forecasts of saltwater intrusion have helped farmers get high yields, according to the ministry’s plant cultivation department.

Speaking at a seminar in Cần Thơ City on Wednesday, Lê Thanh Tùng, deputy head of the department, said saltwater intrusion is still severe but the winter – spring crop was not affected, and farmers earned 45 per cent profits.

Nguyễn Ngọc Hè, deputy chairman of Cần Thơ City, said the harvest was basically complete and the average yield had been 7.6 tonnes per hectare, the highest in a long time.

The city’s farmers planted mostly speciality, fragrant and high-quality varieties, he added.

Delta farmers adopted various effective farming models like large-scale rice fields and organic rice farming models and grew rice to Vietnamese and global good agricultural practice standards.

Large-scale rice fields accounted for 160,000ha with the land owners linking up with food companies to grow rice to their requirements but with purchase guaranteed.

The delta plans to plant rice on 1.52 million hectares in the summer – autumn and 725,000ha in the autumn – winter crops this year, according to the ministry.

The former is more than 3,700ha down from last year due to restructuring and fears of saltwater intrusion.

Farmers have already sown more than 300,000ha.

They expect a yield of 5.6 tonnes, up 740kg from last year.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Lê Quốc Doanh said the crop would be very important and farmers should be focused on growing area, yield and output.

They and local authorities should comply with approved sowing schedules and stick to varieties suitable for their respective areas to escape the impacts of saltwater intrusion and diseases, he warned.

The latter should foster advanced rice farming techniques to reduce the use of seeds and water and prevent diseases, he added.

Source: VNA/VNS/VOV/VIR/SGT/Nhan Dan/Hanoitimes

Filed Under: Uncategorized Vietnam news, vietnamnet news, Vietnam latest news, Vietnam breaking news, last week news headlines, almeria news headlines, english news headline, aaj tak english news headlines, ethiopian news headlines, the nation news headlines, state news headlines, georgia state news headlines, news headlines news headlines, news headlines breaking news, cnn news headline news, cnn world news headlines and breaking news

VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES APRIL 1

April 1, 2021 by vietnamnet.vn

Hai Phong to build 67 parks to improve city

VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES APRIL 1
A photo of Hai Phong City.

Hai Phong Party Committee has asked Hai Phong People’s Committee to speed up the process to complete procedures and disburse funds to build 67 parks during the 2021-2022 period.

This is part of a project to improve the urban area landscape and boost the new village model.

The city authorities have asked related parties to research and have detailed planning for the project. If necessary, the administrative boundaries can be adjusted or the park premise can be expanded to 10,000 square metres, set up resettlement and rearrange the residential areas.

Hai Phong will continue replacing and improving the pavements in the city centre and put all the power lines and cable lines underground. An urban embellishment management board was set up to help manage projects and call for funds from the private sector.

In regards to the project to build Dong Khe 2 Road, Hai Phong Party Committee said this was a key project for the city and they hoped to be able to finish the first phase of the Dong Khe 2 Road Project by December 31. Compensation would be paid and resettlement issues settled in April.

Foreign parliament leaders congratulate new NA Chairman

Leaders of the parliaments of Laos, China and Japan on March 31 sent congratulatory letters to newly-elected Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) and the National Election Council (NEC) Vuong Dinh Hue.

In his letter, Chairman of the Lao NA Saysomphone Phomvihane expressed his belief that with his capability and rich working experience, Hue will lead the NA, the highest organ of State power of Vietnam, to successfully perform its important legislative right and contribute to the cause of national defence and construction, raising Vietnam’s role and position at regional and international forums.

“I hope that the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two Parties, States and peoples of Laos and Vietnam in general, and between the two legislative bodies in particular, will be further deepened and continuously reap fruitful results,” the Lao NA leader wrote.

Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China Li Zhanshu said in his message that he stands ready to work with the new Vietnamese NA Chairman to make the implementation of the common political perception obtained by senior leaders of the two Parties and two countries as the orientation to bolster exchange and cooperation between the two legislative bodies and promote the China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperation partnership.

The same day, President of the House of Councillors of Japan Santo Akiko and Speaker of the House of Representatives Oshima Tadamori also cabled messages of congratulations to the newly-elected NA Chairman of Vietnam.

On March 31 morning, Vuong Dinh Hue, Politburo member and Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee, was elected as Chairman of the National Assembly and the National Election Council.

No new COVID-19 infections reported on April 1 morning

Vietnam recorded no new COVID-19 cases in the past 12 hours to 6am on April 1, keeping the total number of infections in the country at 2,603, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH).

Of the total, 1,603 are domestically-transmitted cases, including 910 infections since the third wave of outbreaks hit the country on January 27.

The MoH’s Medical Service Administration reported that as many as 2,359 have been given the all-clear from the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 so far.

The death toll from the disease was still kept at 35, the administration said.

Among active patients undergoing treatment at medical establishments across the country, 18 tested negative for the virus once, 15 twice and 37 thrice.

A total of 37,008 people who had close contact with COVID-19 patients or entered Vietnam from pandemic-hit regions are being quarantined nationwide, including 506 in hospitals, 19,093 at concentrated facilities and 17,409 at their residences.

According to the National Expanded Immunisation Programme, an additional 1,487 people received COVID-19 vaccine shots on March 31, bringing the total number of vaccinated people to 49,743.

To live safely with the pandemic, the MoH advised people to remain proactive in pandemic prevention and control by continuing to wear face masks when going out, disinfecting frequently, maintaining a safe distance, refraining from mass gatherings, and making medical declarations./.

Vietnam-Australia diplomatic ties marked in HCM City

The Australian Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City on March 31 held a ceremony to celebrate the 48th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Australia.

In her speech, Australian Consul General Julianne Cowley said the event offers a chance for the two sides to review and further strengthen the bilateral partnership, which plays an increasingly important role in the current world context.

Cowley highlighted the Australia-Vietnam cooperation over the past 48 years, saying that the relationship is built on the foundation of mutual respect and trust, with common interests and close cohesion, demonstrated through the effective cooperation between the two countries in politics, economy, defence – security, education, and people-to-people diplomacy, and especially in supporting each other in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Affirming the important role and position of Ho Chi Minh City in the relationship with Australia, Cowley emphasised that the two countries have a lot of potential and opportunities to make their bilateral ties more successful and prosperous.

Tran Phuoc Anh, acting director of the municipal Department of Foreign Affairs, highlighted the flourishing development of the Vietnam – Australia relations across various fields, saying that the bilateral relationship was built on the basis of sincerity, trust and for the goal of bringing prosperity to the two countries’ people, as well as contributing to promoting peace and development in the Asia-Pacific region and the world.

In 2020, the Australian government helped Vietnam in overcoming the consequences of floods, and accessing vaccines against COVID-19 through the Indo-Pacific Health Security and Vaccine Initiative, he said, adding Australia also promoted the Aus4Innovation Partnership between the two countries towards post-pandemic economic recovery solutions.

Anh said there is room for HCM City and Australia to expand their cooperation in such fields as trade, smart city development, education-training, finance –banking, and sustainable urban development.

Dynamic development in the relationship between the city and Australia will contribute to realising the action programme implementing the Vietnam – Australia Strategic Partnership in the period 2020-2023, he added./.

Experts seek measures to promote Mekong Delta’s sustainable growth

Vietnamese and foreign experts and scientists gathered at a conference in Can Tho city on March 31 to seek solutions to boost sustainable development in the Mekong Delta region amid climate change.

Participants agreed that the Mekong Delta is vulnerable to climate change and rising sea levels, which are developing faster than previously forecast.

The exploitation of the Mekong River’s upstream water resources, especially the building of hydropower dams, has caused changes in flow and reductions of alluvium deposits, harming fisheries resources and worsening saltwater intrusion. The over-exploitation of mud and sand has also increased the risk of erosion.

Meanwhile, experts pointed out that resources for investment development have remained limited, while high-quality human resources are moving to other localities.

They held that it is necessary to ensure greater investment in science and technology development and application to boost sustainable development and maintain the cultural identity of the region.

Associate Professor Nguyen Ly Binh, from Can Tho University, proposed the formation of ecological areas for agricultural development, along with agricultural expansion in association with the development of economic sub-regions and the switching of rice fields to fruit orchards and breeding farms.

Meanwhile, according to Professor Ishimatsu Atsushi, Academic Advisor at the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), it is necessary to conduct a detailed assessment of climate change in the future, thus seeking suitable models for the changing conditions in a spirit of following the will of nature.

He also underlined the need to evaluate the socio-economic efficiency and environmental impact of land-use models, while designing policies to adapt to climate change and technology development.

Professor Tran Ngoc Hai from the Can Tho University, said it is crucial to build a more suitable agricultural structure, ensuring the connectivity of production chains and deeper participation in global value chains, while focusing more on processing and agricultural supporting industries./.

22nd Vietnam Film Festival slated for Sept. in Thua Thien-Hue

The 22nd Vietnam Film Festival will take place in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue from September 12-16, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has announced.

The festival will promote the creativity of the cinematic art and its professionalism and humanitarian values towards developing the film market amid global integration.

Major events during the festival include the screening of films, a seminar, and the opening, closing, and awards ceremonies.

Sideline events include a film week in Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City celebrating the festival, an exchange programme, an exhibition entitled “Thua Thien-Hue – Destination of Filmmakers”, and outdoor film screenings in combination with an “ao dai” (traditional dress) show and an exchange with artists.

The biennial event is also to honour movies and artists during the development of the film industry.

It also provides a chance for artists and industry players to promote the trademark “Vietnam Film Festival” in 2021-2030./.

Vietnam well positioned to play more energetic role on global stage: The Diplomat

After its COVID-19 successes, Vietnam is well positioned to play a more energetic role on the global stage, according to the international online news magazine The Diplomat.

In an article published on March 30, The Diplomat said as an emergent and rising power in international affairs, Vietnam is potentially well positioned to help rebuild the global governance system that has been paralysed by increasing superpower tensions and the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is imperative that Vietnam play a stronger role in global governance in the years to come, for several reasons, it stated.

Engaging in global governance activities dovetails with Vietnam’s avowed foreign policy goals, it said, noting that the political report presented at the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) in January asserts that Vietnam will remain a responsible and proactive member of the international community, as well as a trustworthy partner for other countries.

According to the article, Vietnam stands to gain from being more proactive in global governance.

The existing global governance system has deteriorated due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the increasing strategic tension between China and the US, and this offers Vietnam a chance to contribute to the reform of the international system.

The article said thanks to its impressive response to the pandemic, Vietnam ranked second among 98 countries in terms of performance in managing COVID-19. More importantly, the country has also witnessed a relatively high growth rate compared to its neighbours, and is forecast to recover quickly from the pandemic. To this extent, Vietnam has become the role model in terms of governance.

These achievements have laid a solid foundation for Vietnam to contribute more to the governance of the post-pandemic world, and if the country takes this chance, it will be able to both enhance its international image and play a more active role in world affairs, the article said.

Being proactive in global governance will also help Vietnam soften the impact of key global challenges, including human security, water security, climate change, and future pandemics.

On December 27 last year, Vietnam proposed an International Day of Epidemic Preparedness during its non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council. This is a good example of how the country can gradually contribute to the revival of global governance, turning it into a “responsible member” of the international community, as it desires to become.

Vietnam’s proliferation of free-trade agreements (FTAs) that the country has signed in recent years testifies to its desire to integrate itself further into the global economy. To fully reap the benefits from these FTAs, it is crucial for Vietnam to be more proactive on governance issues, both domestic and global, the article said.

It noted that in recent years, Vietnam has performed well in a number of international and regional organisations, especially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the UN, thus consolidating its international position. The country’s active engagement with the UN, especially in the realm of peacekeeping, is also evident for Vietnam’s emergence.

If Vietnam can foster its recent successes, it will be more institutionally capable, paving the way for the country to contribute more substantively to global governance.

Given what its government has achieved so far, Vietnam has the potential to become a more confident and respected actor on the world stage, the article stressed./.

Three foreigners entering Vietnam illegally quarantined

Three foreigners who entered Vietnam illegally were brought to a concentrated quarantine facility in Moc Chau district of the northern border province of Son La, the provincial Department of Public Security announced on March 31.

Accordingly, on March 25, while patrolling in Phat hamlet, Long Sap commune of Moc Chau district, a working team of Long Sap Border Guard Post, the provincial Department of Public Security’s Entry-Exit Management Desk, and Moc Chau district’s police detected three foreigners entering Vietnam illegally.

During the investigation, the trio, residing in Guangdong and Guangxi provinces of China, failed to show sufficient documents as regulated.

Then they were brought to the quarantine facility. All are currently in stable health conditions./.

Rabies deaths a concern for Dak Lak residents

Two people have died in the last three weeks in the Central Highlands province of Đắk Lắk after being bitten by rabid dogs.

On March 22, N.Đ.H, 20, living in Ea Wy Commune, Ea H’leo District was admitted to the Central Highlands General Hospital after suffering fatigue, poor appetite and fear of wind, water and lights after being bitten by a neighbour’s dog.

A family member said he was bitten by a dog on the right finger about a month ago. Two days later, the dog died, but N.Đ.H did not get vaccinated against rabies.

Doctors diagnosed him with rabies and he died on March 23 while on the way to the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in HCM City.

The other victim was a 39-year-old man, from Cư Êbur Commune, Buôn Ma Thuột City, who was admitted to the hospital with dog bite injuries on March 11.

“The patient was hospitalised in a state of fatigue, fear of wind, water and light, and diagnosed with rabies by doctors,” a representative from the hospital said. He died a day later.

Neither victim received a rabies vaccination after the bites as they didn’t take the danger seriously.

In 2019 and 2020, the province recorded 12 rabies deaths, all people who were not vaccinated and were bitten by dogs.

Enforce punishment

According to the provincial Centre for Disease Control’s officials, the main cause of deaths from rabies was dogs and cats being allowed to roam residential areas freely.

In addition, a majority of dogs have not been vaccinated against rabies.

Statistics from the provincial authorities indicate the province has more than 400,000 dogs, but an average of only 50,000 doses of vaccine are injected every year.

The provincial Centre for Disease Control reported there are about 4,000 dog bites recorded each year where the victims come for a rabies shot.

Despite the regulation being in place for four years, no fines for failure to muzzle dogs in public have been levied in the province.

Decree 90 issued in 2017 stipulated fines from VNĐ600,000 to VNĐ800,000 for not muzzling a dog in public.

Nguyễn Trọng Văn in Cư Êbur Commune, Buôn Ma Thuột City said: “Although the Government has imposed punishment against owners of dogs without muzzles, for a long time, no cases have been reported.”

“Therefore, in order to limit the risk of dog bites, I suggest that it should be strictly forbidden to let dogs out in public without leashes and muzzles,” said Văn.

“Every year, the local veterinary sector needs to have a plan to vaccinate dogs.”

After the two rabies deaths, the provincial Department of Health directed local medical centres to step up rabies prevention and control work.

Family dogs should be vaccinated and all districts, towns and cities will soon widely vaccinate, an official from the provincial Centre for Disease Control said.

Hanoi, St Petersburg look to bolster cooperation

Hanoi’s Department of External Affairs and the Committee for External Relations of St. Petersburg held an online meeting on March 31 to discuss ways to enhance their cooperation.

He also took the occasion to mention favourable conditions and preferential treatments that St Petersburg offers to foreign investors.

The Hanoi side suggested organizing a Hanoi Cultural Day in St Petersburg and a St Petersburg Cultural Day in Hanoi, and showed interest in boosting collaboration in tourism, infrastructure, health care, clean water supply, information technology smart city building and cyber security.

Hanoi also wants to learn from the Russian city’s experience in urban management, planning and development, and cultural heritage conservation.

The Russian city proposed organizing an IT form at the end of April, fostering partnerships between the two cities’ universities and medical establishments, and participating in the 4th Russia-Vietnam Youth forum to be held in St Petersburg.

11th International Photo Contest in Vietnam launched

Domestic and foreign photographers will compete at 11th International Photo Contest in Vietnam (VN-21) that was launched in Hanoi on March 31.

The event is conducted by the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists (VAPA), under the sponsorship of the International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP), the Image Sans Frontiere (ISF) and Photographic Society of America (PSA).

It features the four sections of open colour, open monochrome, travel and portrait, the organisers said.

Each entrant may participate in any one or all sections, and can submit a maximum of four photos per section and a total 16 photos for all sections.

Entries must originate as photographs (image-captures of objects via light sensitivity) made by the entrant on photographic emulsion or acquired digitally.

There will be 97 awards, including one FIAP/PSA/ISF/VAPA gold medals, one FIAP/PSA/ ISF/VAPA silver medals, one FIAP/PSA/ ISF/VAPA bronze medals and three FIAP/PSA/ ISF/VAPA honourable mentions.

Entries should be sent to the organisers by the end of July 31, at www.contestvn.com.

A ceremony to award winners and open an exhibition showcasing the winning photos is slated for October./.

HCM City district doctors perform difficult surgeries thanks to training by elite public hospitals

Doctors at many district-level hospitals in HCM City have begun to perform complex surgeries thanks to training they are receiving from counterparts in top public hospitals.

Doctors from the trauma and orthopaedics department at Gia Định People’s Hospital and Gò Vấp District Hospital, for instance, successfully performed a hip replacement surgery on March 24 for a 53-year-old patient who had osteonecrosis of the femoral head.

After the one-hour surgery, the patient was expected to walk with a walker after just one day.

His mobility is likely to be nearly 90 per cent restored.

He had been suffering from hip pain for a year, and doctors at the Gò Vấp District Hospital prescribed the surgery.

In the past they would send such patients to higher-level hospitals since they could not perform such surgeries.

Dr Vũ Hoàng Hà, the hospital’s deputy head, said 30 patients requiring hip replacement used to come every month and be sent to larger hospitals.

Such patients would no longer be sent elsewhere, and this would help reduce the crowding at the apex hospitals, he said.

According to Dr Nguyễn Việt Trung, head of the department of trauma and orthopaedics at Gia Định People’s Hospital, said hip replacement is a difficult surgery that requires “professional” anaesthetists and well-trained and experienced surgeons.

“If the surgery is not performed well, there will be complications such as bleeding and infection which will affect the patient’s mobility and even life.”

Doctors from Gia Định will continue to go to the Gò Vấp District Hospital to perform hip replacement surgeries until it can do without them.

This is a part of the city Department of Health’s programme for improving the skills of doctors at many district-level hospitals that are categorised as second level. Gia Định and several other major public hospitals are categorised as level one.

Chợ Rẫy Hospital is a central-run facility that is categorised as ‘special.’

Bình Chánh District Hospital, District 7 Hospital and others are also assisted by Gia Định, People’s Hospital 115, Lê Văn Thịnh General Hospital, and Thủ Đức City Hospital.

This had improved the skills of the doctors in those hospitals, earning the trust of patients, the department said.

In July last year doctors at the District 7 Hospital admitted a nine-year-old patient who had been pierced by a sharp object and whose heart had stopped beating.

Doctors persisted with tracheal intubation and resuscitated him, and, along with their counterparts from Children’s Hospital 2, managed to save the boy.

Thanh Hoa records rapid rise in lumpy skin disease cases

As of March 28 more than 1,337 cows and buffaloes across 11 districts in Thanh Hoa province have contracted lumpy skin disease (LSD), according to the provincial Department of Livestock And Animal Health on March 30.

To slow the spread of LSD, the locality has been forced to destroy a total of 21 infected animals, whilst warning that infection risk is likely to be widely spread in the near future.

LSD is a double-stranded DNA virus that is a member of the capripoxvirus genus of the Poxviridae family, although it is not transmissible to humans. It is therefore believed that arthropod vectors, direct contact, contaminated feed or water, along with iatrogenic means, such as the repeated use of needles on different animals, is likely to cause the spread of the disease.

Local farmers and traders have been asked not to sell, trade, or slaughter any cattle that shows any symptoms of the illness. Indeed, suspected cases should be swiftly reported to the authorities as the locality battles to get to grips with the rise in case numbers.

Ho Chi Minh City to host Miss Charm International 2021

The Miss Charm 2021 beauty pageant is scheduled to be held on October 11 in Ho Chi Minh City following several previous cancellations.

Beauty Quynh Nga will represent Vietnam at the competition.

The 26-year-old girl stands at a height of 1.67 metres tall and measures 77-61-94.

She has plenty of previous experience competing in numerous beauty pageants, most notably finishing as the runner-up in Miss Student 2017 and securing a Top 10 finish during Miss World Vietnam 2019.

Nga will join the pageant’s other beauties in competing in categories such as traditional costumes, swimsuits, question-and-answer sessions, and the evening gown segment.

Competitors will also take part in further competitions to show their various talents and charity work.

The pageant aims to honour the beauty of the soul, intelligence, talent, as well as the physical beauty of women worldwide. The event marks a chance for contestants to popularise their land, people, cuisine, and promote tourism among international friends through the range of activities which will take place throughout the duration of the competition.

International terminal at Noi Bai Airport set for expansion

The international terminal T2 of Noi Bai International Airport is set to be upgraded to meet passengers’ increasing travel demand in the coming years.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) is due to submit plans for the expansion project to the Ministry of Transport for approval in August, said a CAAV representative.

Under the proposal, Terminal T2 is able to accommodate 15 million passengers each year as opposed to 10 million at present.

The authorities are also keen on widening the airport apron by adding an additional 12 places to the current 24 places.

Terminal T2 was first put into operation in 2015 and has a designed capacity of 10 million passengers per year.

2019 witnessed the number of foreign arrivals to Terminal T2 exceed 11.4 million, meaning that the site was running over capacity.

The CAAV and ADPi Company of France signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Hanoi in 2019 detailing plans to expand Noi Bai Airport. Under the MoU, the airport, the biggest of its kind in northern Vietnam, will be upgraded to serve between 80 – 100 million domestic and international passengers by 2050.

Vietnamese silk embroideries stun international media

Foreign website Oddity Central has published an article which showcases a range of amazing hand-made silk embroidery items which are a long-standing tradition of Vietnam.

The website also gives their impressions on XQ Dalat which was founded by Hoang Le Xuan, a talented local artisan who inherited embroidery techniques from her family, along with her husband, painter Vo Van Quan. The couple devised the concept of embroidered paintings and came up with fresh techniques in order to make it a reality.

Most notably, the unprecedented level of realism and detail which is on display throughout the embroidered masterpieces of XQ Dalat have served to bring international success to the small family business. At present the Vietnamese company employs over 3,000 talented embroiders whilst catering for orders from clients globally.

Since its establishment in 1996, XQ Dalat has been dedicated to taking traditional Vietnamese silk embroidery to a higher level whilst simultaneously bringing it to new audiences, the website describes.

Whether customers are keen on traditional flower motifs, picturesque landscapes, or portraits which are highly detailed, XQ’s artisans are able to bring them to life by making use of silk thread, along with plenty of patience for the craft.

These days XQ faces lots of competition from other Vietnamese embroidery studios, although the majority are simply imitators, meaning that the business remains the premiere embroidery studio in the country. Indeed, it is not uncommon for artisans from all over the world to come to Vietnam in order to learn the various secrets and techniques which can create painting-like results with the use of thread and a needle.

The website concludes that the only way to truly appreciate the exquisite embroidery produced by the artisans of XQ Dalat is to view their stunning work.

Quang Tri to kick off sea-island tourism programme in April

As local tourism starts to get busier thanks to COVID-19 being largely brought under control and warmer temperatures arriving, the central province of Quang Tri is planning to begin its season of sea-island tourism with a festival starting on April 30.

Taking place at the Cua Viet tourism site and Gio Hai Beach, the six-day festival will feature myriad enticing activities, including an arts programme, a conference on tourism cooperation promotion, a display of local specialties, and a food fair.

Local tourist destinations welcomed higher numbers of visitors in the closing days of March, with motorboats beginning to ferry passengers to Con Co Island and the food street on Cua Viet Beach in Gio Linh district opening to visitors.

Authorities are now rushing to improve related infrastructure and environmental sanitation standards, as well as promote local tourist destinations.

Most recently, the provincial People’s Committee directed the development of transport infrastructure for tourism activities at Ba Voi Waterfall in Dak Rong district and Ta Puong Waterfall in Huong Hoa district. People must currently walk along forest trails and cross streams to reach the two destinations.

National Chess Championships crowns latest winners

Tran Tuan Minh and Pham Le Thao Nguyen emerged as the newest winners of the National Chess Championships after the tournament recently concluded in Ho Chi Minh City.

He was followed by Nguyen Duc Hoa of the Military team and Hoang Canh Huan of Da Nang team who both finished on 6.5 points each.

In terms of the women’s version of the competition, number one seed Pham Le Thao Nguyen of Can Tho city came first in the standard chess category, during which she obtained 7.5 points after playing nine games unbeaten.

The southern girl also won a gold medal competing in the rapid chess category.

Elsewhere, Hoang Thi Bao Tram of Ho Chi Minh City and Le Thanh Tu of Hanoi shared second place after both finishing with 6.5 points.

The fifth version of the tournament was sponsored by LienVietPostBank and featured three categories, including standard chess, blitz, and rapid chess.

Moving forward, the Vietnam Chess Federation will select the best players to participate in the national team via the tournament as they compete in international tournaments, including the 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, set to take place in Vietnam later this year.

65 prizes to be presented at National Press Awards on Party Building 2021

A total of 65 prizes will be presented at the sixth National Press Awards on Party Building, called “Bua Liem Vang” (Golden Hammer & Sickle), as announced by the organisers.

According to the awards’ steering committee, one special prize, six A prizes, 12 B prizes, 16 C prizes, and 30 consolation prizes will be granted to most outstanding entries across all forms of media, including newspapers, radio, TV, and multimedia.

Open to Vietnamese citizens at home and abroad, the annual awards aim to popularise information and promote public understanding of the Party’s policies and Party building.

Awards will also be given to best entries on specific topics, including the implementation of the Party’s resolutions; the elections of deputies to the 15th National Assembly and all-level People’s Councils for the 2021-2026 tenure; and exemplary models in studying and following President Ho Chi Minh’s thought, morality and lifestyle; among others.

In addition, prizes for senior citizens, young participants, and overseas Vietnamese will be added together with 15 collective prizes for 15 outstanding organisations.

The entries for the awards must be submitted prior to November 10, 2021.

Over 10,000 train tickets discounted by 50% in two months

The Sai Gon Railway Passenger Transport Company has announced discounts of 50% on over 10,000 tickets applied in April and May this yearin a bid to stimulate travel demand.

Trains with discounted tickets must have departure time from April 5 to 28 and from May 4-26. Discounted tickets can be purchased between 8:00am on April 1 and the end of May 23 and should be bought at least three days before the departure date.

According to Sai Gon Railway Passenger Transport Company, soft seats and air-conditioned sleepers (6-berth) are subject to discounted tickets.

Passengers can buy discounted fares on trains coded SE3/SE4 and SE7/SE8 running on weekends with a distance from 500km, SE7/SE8 running at the beginning of the week, and SE21/SE22 with a distance from 400km.

Trains coded SNT1/SNT2 with a distance from 250km and SPT1/SPT2 with a distance from 150km are also offering discounted fares.

If passengers wish to change or return the discounted tickets they have bought, they will be charged 50% of the price printed on the ticket. People can buy tickets at the electronic train ticket system at dsvn.vn or at railway stations and railway agents.

Upcoming financial center in Danang to attract billions of dollars in investment

Johnathan Hanh Nguyen, founder of Imex Pan Pacific Group (IPPG), signed a memorandum of understanding to support Danang City with implementing a research project to develop a regional financial center in the central city, at a function held on March 29 on Danang City’s Liberation Day.

Previously, the Prime Minister had agreed in principle for the city to study the master plan to build a regional financial center in Danang City.

The city was assigned to cooperate with other relevant ministries and agencies to gather ideas as well as map out the agenda to undertake the project efficiently.

In his speech at the function, Nguyen said a thriving city cannot do without strong financial resources. He has worked with his partners around the world, including the United States, to carry out a survey, research and content outlines, paving the way to advise the Government of Vietnam to implement the financial hub in Vietnam, including an international financial center in HCMC and a regional financial center in Danang City.

At a press conference on the afternoon of March 29 on the master zoning plan of Danang City, he said, “Whether Danang will have a regional financial center depends on the financial policy openness of the Government.” He added that IPPG and its partners can support the city to develop a financial center in the future.

According to him, the regional financial center is not only about banks and financial institutions establishing their headquarters, but it is about being able to attract the giants of the world.

VND1.98 trillion proposed for flooding control at TSN airport

The HCMC Management Board of Urban Infrastructure Construction and Investment has proposed spending VND1.98 trillion sourced from the city’s budget to upgrade the Hy Vong Canal to reduce flooding at  Tan Son Nhat International Airport.

The management board said in its dispatch recently sent to the HCMC Department of Construction that if the canal in Tan Binh District’s Ward 15 is not upgraded, the Tan Son Nhat airport area would continue to suffer from serious flooding, affecting flight safety.

Besides, the upgrade is expected to reduce environmental pollution and help improve the quality of life of residents living along the canal.

The 1.1-kilometer section of the canal in need of the upgrade will start at Pham Van Bach Street and end at the Tham Luong Canal.

The management board proposed developing the project in the 2021-2025 period. Of the total investment, site clearance compensation will cost over VND1.59 trillion. Over 21,209 square meters of land for the project, which will comprise nine sluice gates, two culverts and light systems, will be cleared.

In May 2016, the municipal government approved a project funded by an official development assistance loan from the World Bank to control flooding in the city, including a subproject to upgrade the Hy Vong Canal.

However, in June 2017, the HCMC government announced the end of the investment for flood control in the city sourced from loans from the World Bank, resulting in the proposal.

There are three canals responsible for rainwater drainage in the Tan Son Nhat airport area— the Hy Vong –Tham Luong Canal in Tan Binh District north of the airport, the A41 Canal in the south and the Nhat Ban Canal from the airport fence to Gia Dinh Park in the southeast.

Polluted space turned into community space in Hanoi

The Embassy of Denmark is supporting the For A Livable Hanoi Coalition to transform a polluted space into a nicely decorated multi-functional space for the local community in Hanoi City.

The community space in Phuc Tan Ward, Hoan Kiem District, a neighborhood near the Red River bank, opened last weekend, attracting many local residents.

The women, many of them migrant workers, and the children in this local community are particularly delighted with the new community space as they now have a clean area for outdoor activities for the first time.

This activity is part of the Danish-supported project, “Inclusive city: making Hanoi livable for the most marginalized groups of migrant workers”, carried out by the Center for Community Empowerment in collaboration with a number of organizations and individuals who have voluntarily contributed to making Hanoi a more livable city.

This is not the first time that a polluted area in Phuc Tan Ward has been transformed into a public space.

Last year, a 500-meter-long waste dumpsite stretching along the Red River bank in the ward was transformed into a beautiful art space. The garbage has been replaced by 16 creative and environmentally friendly artworks, which were made from recycled materials such as tires, cans and barrels.

App-based taxi drivers likely to pay personal income tax

Income that drivers receive from business cooperation contracts with app-based taxi services will be subject to personal income tax with the tax rate of 1.5 percent, according to a draft circular from the Ministry of Finance.

In particular, in case the drivers are rewarded for service quality that was previously subject to 10 percent tax, they are now paid only 1.5 percent.

Accordingly, the ministry has been collecting comments about the draft circular guiding the implementation of several articles of Tax Administration Law and Decree 126/2020/ND-CP detailing some articles of the Law on Tax Administration.

Tan Son Nhat airport to perform automatic management system for warehouses

The Tan Son Nhat International Airport Customs Branch will carry out automatic aviation management and monitoring system for warehouses including warehouse services of Tan Son Nhat Cargo Services Company Limited (TCS) and Sai Gon Cargo Service Corporation (SCSC) from April 1.

Accordingly, leaders of the Tan Son Nhat International Airport Customs Branch will directly instruct and give their opinions about building policies on coordination and problem-solving process.

Besides, they will also work with representatives of Tan Son Nhat Cargo Services Company Limited and Sai Gon Cargo Service Corporation to adopt the plan of management and monitoring.

This information was announced by Mr. Bui Le Hung, Head of Tan Son Nhat International Airport Customs Branch.

HCMC proposes policy to pilot electric bus project

Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee has just proposed the Prime Minister for consideration and approval of the policy to pilot electric bus exploitation in the city within two years.

Additionally, the Municipal People’s Committee would like to apply economic-technical norms and promulgation of unit cost, for buses using compressed natural gas (CNG) in Ho Chi Minh City, on electric buses providing public passenger transport services.

The People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City is responsible for directing relevant agencies and units to order electric buses according to the above norms and costs.

Once the technical and economic norms are available and the official unit costs are granted, competent agencies will perform the bidding process or order.

The Prime Minister has assigned the Municipal People’s Committee to build a set of economic and technical norms and the unit cost for electric buses towards the approval and application according to regulation.

HCMC facing overloaded traffic gateways

In the last few years, HCMC has continuously pour capital into construction project to improve traffic facilities at its four main gateways. Road expansion, new overpasses and tunnels have been introduced in hope of easing the gridlocks; however, congestions still happen, particularly at weekends and on national holidays.

Each day, thousands of vehicles use the overpass on Nguyen Van Linh Street to either enter National Way No.1 or HCMC – Trung Luong Expressway heading to the Mekong Delta. Due to the small surface area, the street is not able to fulfill its duty, and traffic jams have become a familiar picture to the local here.

Sharing a similar fate is Truong Chinh Street and National Way No.22 to link between HCMC’s downtown and the Northwest urban area, the neighboring provinces of Tay Ninh, Long An, and Binh Duong. As this is the key route, the traffic volume each day is especially high.

Thanks to the recent introduction of 3-level An Suong Intersection (tunnel – regular street – overpass), traffic seem better. Yet the 200-meter core area still faces congestions.

Traffic jams at the eastern gateway have been liken to a specialty of the area, forcing HCMC to request expansion work for HCMC – Long Thanh – Dau Giay Expressway. Major routes leading to Cat Lai Port like Hanoi Highway, Mai Chi Tho Street, Dong Van Cong Street, Nguyen Thi Dinh Street, and Ring Road No.2 are always full of vehicles.

The situation is so severe and tiresome that it takes a few hours for cargo trucks from Amata Industrial Park (in Bien Hoa City of Dong Nai Province) to reach HCMC, which is only 20kilometers away.

The case is not at all better for vehicles from HCMC to Binh Duong Province via National Way No.13, passing so many bottlenecks due to narrow roads.

According to the HCMC Department of Transport, traffic congestions at the city’s main gateways occur because the land reserve for traffic infrastructure is too low compared to the so fast-paced urbanization here.

Therefore, this department have initialized several traffic projects from now until 2030 at all 4 gateways. The city will prioritize any projects at traffic hot spots and on streets with high traffic volume to alleviate congestions, said Deputy Director of the HCMC Transport Department Phan Cong Bang.

In the western gateway, road expansion will take place in National Way No.1 while Nguyen Van Linh Street will be upgraded to accommodate more vehicles heading to HCMC – Trung Luong Expressway. Another focused project is the expansion of National Way No.50 from HCMC to the provinces of Long An and Tien Giang.

In the northwest gateway, the project to build HCMC – Moc Bai Expressway has been proposed to erase traffic jams from the city to Tay Ninh Province.

In the eastern gateway (Thu Duc City), detailed plans to build Cat Lai Bridge and a new connection road between Long Phuoc Street to HCMC – Long Thanh – Dau Giay Expressway are prepared. Road expansion will be done on Hanoi Highway, Luong Dinh Cua Street, Dong Van Cong Street. New construction works will begin to prolong Ring Road No.2 (from Pham Van Dong Street to Go Dua Intersection), to create My Thuy Intersection, An Phu Intersection, Tang Long Bridge, Nam Ly Bridge.

Obviously, the building workload to improve traffic infrastructure in HCMC is extremely enormous. Most of these projects need doing urgently and synchronously.

However, owing to a serious lack of land reserve as well as finance resources, experts in the field suggest that the municipal authorities must first try to finish the land clearance and compensation task before commencing any real construction, minimizing overhead cost.

The HCMC Transport Department has just proposed to HCMC People’s Committee to assign the department to adjust investment policies for any projects that are carried out as the total investment and land compensation amounts have increased.

In the absence of the Prime Minister’s announcement on middle-term capital plan from 2021-2025, the department suggested allowing investors to research and then propose projects to run under the Public – Private Partnership (PPP model according to regulations.

Vietnam enhances safety measures in Covid-19 vaccination drive

Vietnamese Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long yesterday required the enhancement of safety measures in the Covid-19 vaccination drive by issuing the instruction No. 05.

According to the Minister’s direction, more people will receive the Covid-19 vaccine in the coming time. Therefore, Health Minister Long required departments of health in cities and provinces to review and update the list of priority groups to receive the vaccine under the Government’s Resolution No. 21/NQ-CP issued on February 26, 2021 on purchasing and using Covid-19 vaccine.

Additionally, the Health Minister called for the participation of local health centers and medical staff in the Covid-19 immunization drive.

The Ministry of Health’s sub-divisions, the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, the Pasteur Institute and health centers nationwide were assigned to carry out the Covid-19 vaccination plan in the period of 2021-2022. These above-mentioned divisions, institutes and centers must ensure the quality of vaccine as well as carry out safe vaccination; provide timely treatment of post-vaccination allergic reactions and complications.

On the same day, Director of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology Professor Dang Duc Anh said that the first shipment including 811,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine supplied by Covax Facility will arrive in Vietnam in April. The vaccine will be preserved by the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology before it is distributed.

According to the plan, the Covax Facility will supply 4,8 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine to Vietnam in 2021.

The National Steering Board for Covid-19 Prevention and Control said that Vietnam reported no new Covid-19 cases on the day. The number of Covid-19 patients in Vietnam is still 2,594.

An additional 51 Covid-19 patients also recovered bringing a total number of recoveries to 2,359. An additional 1,276 people were vaccinated the day before yesterday. Therefore, 46,416 people have been inoculated.

Reading Culture Ambassador Contest launched to nurture reading culture

For years, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has been launching the Reading Culture Ambassador Contest, aiming to spread reading movement aims to bring books to people especially student as well as promote cultural values.

Reading Culture Ambassadors Contest has reached initial achievements when receiving advocacy from localities, departments, and students.

In 2021, the Ministry continued to launch the Reading Culture Ambassador Contest as it wishes to seek “reading ambassadors” , book lovers and to inspire the community. However, it is not simple to make reading movement to develop and sustain a reading culture in our society as well as become a good habit.

Sharing about this issue, the Editorial Director of Phu Nu Publishing House Khuc Thi Hoa Phuong said that presently, people take more heed of reading books but they don’t really go into the essence of the matter. Each person must consider reading book as having daily meals. reading habits should be inculcated in children at an early age. Parents and children can spend time every night reading a book at home and teachers also instruct them to read good ones at schools. It takes a long time to acquire the habit of reading, said the Editorial Director Hoa Phuong.

For years, the average number of books a Vietnamese reads a year is much lower than that in other countries in the world though many books have been published. The culprit of this is that many schools do not have reading sessions and reading is just an extracurricular activity. Worse, university students are lazy at reading books and research materials gradually losing interest in reading.

Additionally, parents don’t really pay much attention to encouraging their children’s to read book by purchasing books. Instead, they choose an easier way by letting their children use smartphones and tablets. Cultivation of book reading habit is not merely a slogan but it takes a lot of persistent efforts to improve awareness of families and the society.

In related news, the Library Department this month issued documents about administrative formalities of private library establishment to satisfy the community’s demand in a bid to promote reading culture. Currently, as some local authorities do not fully comprehend administrative formalities; as a result, they created barriers for the establishment and operation of private libraries and public libraries.

Encouraging measures are needed for the development of private libraries which will also positively contribute to promotion of reading culture.

Vietnamese film industry looking to make its own cinematic universe

Cinematic Universe, also known as Fictional shared Universe has been developed a long time ago in Hollywood whose name is synonymous with the American film industry. The term “Cinematic Universe” is currently forming as an oriented strategy in the country, presenting the professionalization of the Vietnamese movie industry.

Fictional shared Universe or shared universe is a fictional universe to which more than one writer contributes a work that can stand alone but fits into the joint development of the storyline, characters, or world of the overall project. Works set in a shared universe share characters and other elements with varying degrees of consistency. A fictional universe can be contained in a single work or in serialized fiction.

Beside long-standing cinematic universes, such as a series of American superhero films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Star Wars Cinematic Universe, there is also the DC Cinematic Universe that is well-known for movies, including Batman v Superman, Justice League, Aquaman, Shazam, Joker, Wonder Woman 1984.

The list also includes the Conjuring film series, MonsterVerse – a series of monster films featuring Godzilla and King Kong of Warner Bros.

In Vietnam, the chick-flick series called Gai Gia Lam Chieu (The Tricky Ladies) by director Bao Nhan and Namcito is regarded as the first pioneer in creating the idea of a cinematic universe.

Gai Gia Lam Chieu (The Tricky Ladies) with the fifth edition titled Nhung Cuoc Doi Vuong Gia (Luxurious Lives) debut nationwide in the beginning of March focuses on the women’s empowerment.

Director Namcito believed that many cinematic universes will be created in coming time if the strategy for the development and production of shared-world anthologies is built methodically. A film series that share the same fictional universe must present the joint development of the storyline and characters.

The local movie producers have ability to build a strong brand identity for their businesses, establish the position in the market and win the hearts of the audience, he said.

The Vietnamese movie industry has started to capture the term of Fictional shared universe. It means that production units and directors have set their own development paths. A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting will help movie lovers understand the storyline, characters, and world of the overall project as well as make audience to await for the next editions, said director Tran Huu Tan who is nursing a shared horror movie universe.

Meanwhile producer and actress Ngo Thanh Van released her ambition to create the magical universe of Vietnamese traditional tales.

None movies that have extended editions are called cinematic universe. The remarkable consistency and creativity of the storyline and characters throughout the entire project are most important factors to attract filmgoers, said director Namcito.

Director Ly Hai also agreed with Namcito’s opinion. He said that his action comedy movie series, Lat Mat (Face off) is not a cinematic universe because the its sequels featuring new contents and characters are not the continuation of the previous parts.

The shared fictional universe centers on requiring an enormous investment of time and energy to write a script to expand the storyline and characters in the continuations. Therefore, the first edition of the series must have its own specific elements to attract audience and make fans eagerly awaited the sequel, added director Tran Huu Tan.

Police detect nearly 10,000 drivers violating blood alcohol, drug content

Traffic police in coordination with local functional forces detected and handled around 9,648 drivers for blood alcohol and drug content violations during two recent weeks since a nationwide intensive campaign for handling drug and alcohol concentration violations has begun.

The Traffic Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security informed that around 9,534 drivers out of 9,648 violated alcohol levels exceeding the permitted level and 114 cases were positive for the drug. The violators were fined up to VND32 billion (US$1.4 million).

The police forces seized more than 9,000 vehicles and revoked more than 5,000 driver’s licenses for traffic violations.

During the upcoming holidays of the 46th anniversary of the Liberation of Southern Vietnam and National Reunification Day (April 30, 1975-2021) and May Day (May 1), traffic police nationwide will mobilize their forces to strictly handle the traffic violations, especially overloaded vehicles, to ensure traffic order and safety.

Danang to pilot new model of urban administration

Danang’s master plan to 2030, with a vision to 2045 aims to build the central city into one of the major socio-economic centers in the country and in Southeast Asia.

A master plan was set to make the central city of Danang to become a global center of finance, tourism and supply chain network of Vietnam and the region.

The information was released by Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung at a meeting celebrating the 46th anniversary of Danang’s Liberation Day on March 29, in which a set of legal documents has been issued to build up the central city’s urban administration, creating premises and drivers for the central city to mobilize resources at home and abroad for its development.

Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung believes that Danang will have a big growth spurt. Photo: Nhat Bac

He said Danang will play roles of a hub for start-ups, innovation, tourism, commerce, finance, logistics, high-tech, information technology, and supporting industries. “It will also become a national center of culture – sport, education – training, high-quality healthcare, science and technology able to host major regional and international events.”

The master plan projects the administrative boundary of Danang city with a total area of ​​about 129,000 ha, and a population of about 1.79 million people by 2030, and 2.56 million people by 2045.

“Especially, it contemplates Danang to become a regional financial center, being able to attract domestic and foreign capital flows and become a new important driving force to promote economic growth and attract investment to the whole central region of Vietnam,” said the deputy prime minister.

He requested Danang’s authorities to give priority to complete the city’s infrastructure, building it into a civilized and modern city, maintaining the leading role of the region and a new driving force for Vietnam’s development.

Speaking at the meeting, Chairman of Danang city People’s Committee Le Trung Chinh pledged that the city’s government would strive to make Danang a destination for investors.

Particularly, in the time ahead, the Danang city’s authorities will immediately undertake the upgrading project of Lien Chieu seaport, Chinh said, adding that the key work is expected to meet cargo transport and socio-economic development demand in the city and the central region as per requirement by the prime minister.

The seaport, with the total investment of VND3.43 trillion (US$149.13 million), would become a multimodal distribution hub serving as an international gateway in the central region, the chairman affirmed.

COVID-19: nine imported cases reported on March 31

Nine new cases of COVID-19, all Vietnamese citizens returning from abroad, were detected in the past 12 hours to 6pm March 31, according to the Health Minister.

Among the new cases, three entered the country via the Moc Bai international border gate in the southern province of Tay Ninh. They tested positive while in quarantine.

Three others were among passengers on a flight from the Philippines that landed in Can Tho airport, while the remaining three returned from Japan on a flight landing in Da Nang.

The national count now reaches 2,603, with 1,603 domestic infections.

The number of recovered patients is 2,359, while the death toll remains at 35.

Among patients still under treatment, 18 have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 once, 15 twice and 37 thrice.

A total 37,008 people are being quarantined nationwide, with 506 at hospitals, 19,093 in concentrated facilities and 17,409 at their accommodation./.

Can Tho University looks to be among top regional, global education establishments

Can Tho University (CTU) is expected to be among top universities in Asia and the world in some fields by 2025, and become a local pioneer in innovation, training, scientific research and technology transfer, according to Rector of the university Prof. Ha Thanh Toan.

Toan made the statement at a ceremony to mark the 55th anniversary of the university on March 31.

Toan noted that trends in higher education have been focusing on training quality, internationalisation in training, scientific research and technology transfer cooperation, community development, and digitalisation.

He highlighted the CTU’s connection with the socio-economic development of the Mekong Delta over the past 50 years and strength on international cooperation as one of the university’s advantages to realise this orientation.

Can Tho University, for many years, has been among in the group of five best universities in Vietnam under the Webometrics rankings, and the top 500 in Asia under the QS Asia University Rankings by the British education company Quacquarelli Symonds.

In particular, in 2020, for the first time in terms of agriculture, the university was ranked in the 251-300 group of the QS World University Rankings by Subject by the Quacquarelli Symonds. This is also the highest place in the field for Vietnamese universities.

Can Tho University has been cooperating with over 130 institutes, education institutions and organisations across the world. It has implemented a number of foreign-funded projects.

Founded on March 31, 1966, the CTU now is an education establishment with many areas of training and research in the Mekong Delta./.

VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES APRIL 1

Source: VNA/VNS/VOV/VIR/SGT/Nhan Dan/Hanoitimes

Filed Under: Uncategorized Vietnam breaking news, Vietnam news, Vietnam latest news, winnipeg news headlines, buffalo news headlines, sahara reporters latest news headlines today, saharareporters news headlines, sahara reporters today's news headlines, wkyt news headlines, 3 june news headlines 2018, 3 june news headlines in english, news headlines of 3 june 2018, yahoo u.s. news headlines, goupstate.com news headlines, vietnam news headlines

Travel diary: Two well-spent days in Kien Giang, the land of sea and islands

October 30, 2020 by en.nhandan.org.vn

The survey trip aims to introduce travel businesses to new places with potential for tourism development such that they will launch tours to these places, and collect their opinions in order to stimulate the province’s hospitality sector.

On the first day, we visited several sites in Kien Luong District, including the islands of Hon Nghe and Ba Hon Dam in Kien Luong District. The participants showed much appreciation and interest in the beautiful and pristine natural landscapes of the two sites.

It takes 45 minutes to travel by speed boat from Ba Hon in Kien Luong District to Hon Nghe Island.

Arriving at Hon Nghe Wharf, we toured Lien Ton Co Tu Pagoda and admired the 20-metre tall statue of Quan The Am (Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva), which was built in 1974 on the top of Lau Chuong Mountain.

The 20-metre tall statue of Quan The Am (Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva).

Lau Chuong Mountain is home to many magnificent and splendid limestone caves. From the top of Lau Chuong, we climbed down along the northern side and then scaled a vertical cliff to reach Gia Long cave. The seal of Emperor Gia Long (1762-1820), who founded the Nguyen Dynasty – the last in the history of Vietnamese feudalism, can be seen clearly on the cliff in the cave.

Known as the “kingdom” of cage fish farming, Hon Nghe Island has the largest number and greatest productivity of caged fish of the islands in Kien Giang.

Cages for fish farming at Hon Nghe Island

Leaving Hon Nghe Island, we headed to Ba Hon Dam, which is a group of three islands, namely Dam Duong, Dam Duoc and Dam Gieng. The three islands form a triangle when they are seen from above. Due to the shallow waters in the area, tourists can just paddle to hop from one island to the other without using boats.

Covering an area of about six hectares, Dam Duong island is surrounded by white sand strips. A part of the island has been designated for planting fruit trees such as sapodilla, longan, mango, jackfruit, and coconut. Visitors to Dam Duong are treated with fresh seafood while admiring the sea.

Hon Dam Duoc has an area of about 12 hectares and is covered by mangroves. An accommodation painted with glittering colours and equipped with spacious interior was recently established on the island, offering vacationers savoury dishes such as sour fish soup, fish porridge, and grilled crab.

An accommodation painted with glittering colours and equipped with spacious interior was recently established on Hon Dam Duoc island.

Meanwhile, Dam Gieng Island attracted us with its pristine nature and long sand beaches. There is a natural well in the island, which is full of water all year round.

On the morning of the second day, we took a 30-minute speed boat from Ha Tien City to Hai Tac (Pirates) Archipelago, which boasts more than 18 islands with a total area of 250 hectares.

There are many mysterious stories telling that the archipelago was once a shelter for pirates, with the most infamous gang having been ‘Canh Buom Den’ (Black Sail), after they robbed merchant ships passing Ha Tien – Rach Gia Bay.

Although tourism services have not yet fully developed in the archipelago, there are budget and comfortable facilities for visitors to stay, where they can join local fishermen to go fishing, cook, and learn about indigenous culture.

Hai Tac is also an ideal place for holiday-makers to sunbath amid the pure and fresh atmosphere of the sea.

Dong Ho lagoon faces To Chau Mountain to the right.

In the afternoon, we headed to Dong Ho Lagoon, which covers an area of nearly 1,400 hectares in the south of Ha Tien Town. The lagoon faces Ngu Ho Mountain to the right and To Chau Mountain to the right. It is a famous tourist attraction in Ha Tien, particularly in full-moon night when the moon casts its sparkling shadow on the water surface.

We then moved to Lam Cuong Ecological Tourist Site in Dong Ho Ward, where we rested in thatched tents and chilled in the green space of trees.

Birds flew back to their nests in the evening.

The next stop was the stork garden with a natural area of about 20 hectares, which is the habitat of a variety of birds such as stork, cauldron, and heron. There, we admired the exciting moment when birds flew back to their nests in the evening.

Our day ended up with a cosy diner at Canh Buom (Sail) Restaurant, where its owner Nguyen Van Hanh treated us with his most-rated dishes including jellyfish and shrimp salad, fish paste, pickled papaya, fried octopus, braised fish, and fish hotpot.

Filed Under: Uncategorized vietnam news, vietnam business, vietnam travel, vietnam culture, vietnam sports, vietnam politics, hanoi, saigon, ho chi minh city, apec, da nang, hue, hoi an, ..., tinh uy kien giang, bien kien giang, xo so so kien giang, bao kien giang moi, cdcd kien giang, xs kien giang 02/12, xs kien giang 04/11, trung doan 20 ha tien kien giang, xs kien giang 06 01, cdsp kien giang, kienlongbank kien giang fc, so xo kien giang

Primary Sidebar

RSS Recent Stories

  • How to manage your pain efficiently
  • Superstition should be wiped out in civilised age: expert
  • New species of plants found in Lâm Đồng Province
  • Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu economy grows in 1st quarter
  • Must-try grilled-fish rice crepe in Quy Nhơn town
  • Composer Chung releases music book marking his 20-year career

Sponsored Links

  • Google Home Mini at Rs 499: Here’s how to get discount
  • LG may deliver displays for Apple’s foldable iPhones: Report
  • Flipkart quiz February 19, 2021: Get answers to these five questions to win gifts, discount coupons and Flipkart Super coins
  • Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War to get new zombies mode ‘Outbreak’
  • Why Amazon Echo is the AirPods of smart speakers in India
Copyright © 2021 VietNam Breaking News. Power by Wordpress.