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The event is co-organized by the Department of Performing Arts under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Vietnam Theater Artist Association, Vietnam Circus Federation and Vietnam Circus Arts and Vaudeville Secondary School.

Circus artists of units, including Vietnam Circus Federation, Vietnam Circus Arts and Vaudeville Secondary School, Hanoi Circus Arts and Vaudeville Theater, Phuong Nam Art Theater, the circus troupe of Long An Province’s Cultural and Art Center will gather to compete in this competition.

The jury encourages performances showing the creativity, performing skill, complicated technique, performing style and artistry that could leave strong impression on audience.

According to PNJ chairwoman Cao Thi Ngoc Dung, these targets mean a 20 and 15 per cent increase in revenue and net profit against last year.

At its annual general meeting of shareholders on April 17 in Ho Chi Minh City, Dung said that 2020 was a remarkable year for PNJ with stronger business recovery after a long time of being suppressed by COVID-19.

“While many companies are forced to reduce their business, PNJ is on a path of steady development and growth,” Dung said.

PNJ targets higher revenue and expanded to the international market this year

The digital transformation in manufacturing and marketing and promotion activities has helped PNJ maintain stable growth.

Dung said that many investors had shown doubts about PNJ’s targets, but the company’s management board confirmed that business prospects this year are much brighter as the pandemic is easing up and the economy has been recovered step by step.

“We have been carefully preparing for the next step of development in the next two years, then we do believe that we can reach that target,” Dung said.

In order to cope with the market turmoil, PNJ has actively restructured its retail outlets. In 2020, the company opened 29 new outlets but closed 36 ones in order to have better rental and locations. This year, PNJ plans to open 40-45 new outlets and invest more in production technologies and product design.

“When global logistics broke down, we have refreshed our entire network. When the first social distancing order from the government was sounded, we have right away implemented online and digital marketing and promotion. These timely reactions have helped maintain our business.”

At the meeting, shareholders also approved plans for 2021, including a private placement of 15 million shares – equivalent to 6.6 per cent of its outstanding shares, to raise its charter capital from VND2.276 trillion ($98.96 million) to VND2.426 trillion ($105.5 million) .

The funds raised will be used to strengthen jewellery production, improve production technologies and product designs, expand the retail network, and speed up digital transformation.

It also approved the issuance of more than 3.4 million shares at VND10,000 per share to employees who have made outstanding contributions.

In order to take advantage of FTAs ​​and increase the Vietnamese rice export market share at more competitive prices, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will continue to co-ordinate with ministries, branches and the Viet Nam Food Association to help businesses effectively implement the deals and make the most of markets such as South Korea and the EU.

The ministry would implement solutions on mechanisms and policies to remove technical and trade barriers, internalise international commitments, customs procedures, logistics and credit as well as building and developing brands to create a premise for rice export enterprises to exploit the markets, said Tran Quoc Toan, deputy director of the Import and Export Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

For rice exporters as well as farmers, Toan noted the need to be more proactive in improving the competitiveness of products through quality and price as well as building and protecting trade to diversify markets towards sustainable exports.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development reported the volume of rice exported reached 450,000 tonnes with a value of US$246 million last month.

The cumulative amount of rice exported in the first three months of this year rose 1.1 million tonnes, while the value hit $606 million, down 30.4 per cent in volume and 17.4 per cent in value over the same period last year.

Nguyen Van Don, director of Viet Hung Co., Ltd in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Tien Giang, said that the reason for the decline in rice exports was partly as the first quarter of this year coincided with the Lunar New Year holiday.

In addition, the first two months of the year were between-crop periods when the rice supply was limited while the price was high, so it was difficult for businesses to negotiate export contracts.

Although the company’s rice export volume declined by more than 30 per cent over the same period for the first three months of the year, the export rice price rose by about 20 per cent. The two largest import markets are still the Philippines and China.

Meanwhile, Pham Thai Binh, general director of Trung An High-Tech Farming JSC in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta city of Can Tho, said that the first quarter’s rice export dropped significantly in volume due to a shortage of empty containers and soaring freight rates.

“Customers still need to import, but enterprises cannot order containers to pack their goods, the shortage of empty containers has pushed freight rates up 600-700 per cent, from $1,000 to $6,000-7,000 per container. With this rate, not only rice exporters but also other firms are facing difficulties. This situation means the importer had to consider delaying the time of receiving the goods or looking for closer sources to reduce costs,” said Binh.

Commenting on this issue, Toan said that although the amount of rice exported in the first quarter of this year declined compared to the same period last year, the price of rice for export grew due to high demand for food reserves around the world, which has pushed up the general level of world rice prices.

Thai and Indian rice prices have also hit record highs in recent years.

Viet Nam’s rice price continued to remain at a high level of $547 per tonne by the end of the first quarter of this year, up 18.6 per cent, equivalent to an increase of $86 per ton compared to the same period last year. The current price of rice has been and is benefiting the rice farmers.

Vietnamese rice was being purchased by importers at high prices due to the improved quality of Vietnamese rice, said Toan.

Vietnamese rice exporters were increasingly focusing on improving quality and traceability to meet the strict standards of export markets such as the EU, South Korea, and the US, Toan said.

In addition, Viet Nam has entered into many trade agreements with many strategic countries and regions such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and more recently the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the UK-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA). — VNS