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Milia chin

Farmers embrace livestreams, high-tech advances for better quality, productivity

February 14, 2021 by en.vietnamplus.vn

Farmers embrace livestreams, high-tech advances for better quality, productivity hinh anh 1 An organic red-flesh dragon fruit orchard in Long An province’s Chau Thanh district. (Photo: VNA)

HCM City (VNS/VNA) – Farmer Le Van Chin from the southern province of Long An recently livestreamed an advert about his cooperative’s red-flesh dragon fruit on his Facebook page.

“Hi everyone! Here is the dragon fruit garden of Que My Thanh Cooperative. After 25 days of harvest, it has a thin peel and red flesh. Rest assured we never use any harmful chemicals to spray the fruit. We guarantee that it is healthy and tasty,” he told viewers.

“I livestream various stages such as farming, harvesting and packaging to create consumer confidence about my product,” he said.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Chin was one of thousands of farmers who decided to sell directly on social network sites such as Facebook, Zalo and others.

No official statistics about the number of farmers using livestreaming exist, but it has become increasingly common. Livestreams on social networks and e-commerce platforms in Vietnam have attracted hundreds of thousands of views a day.

Nguyen Duc Tung, general secretary of the Vietnam Digital Agricultural Association, said that more farmers were selling online directly to consumers without intermediaries, which has helped lower prices.

To do business online, farmers had learned more about photography, sales and communication skills to engender trust among consumers, he said.

According to Nguyen Manh Tan, marketing director of Haravan, which provides e-commerce and retail solutions, farmers only need a smartphone and Facebook account to conduct a livestream.

Selling on Facebook or Zalo is easier than on e-commerce platforms, which have more requirements such as packaging specifications and legal conditions.

Since packaging, storage and transport can be done better by distributors, farmers often livestream their products directly from their fields or gardens to distributors.

Despite online trends, a number of high-quality, affordable agricultural products that meet export standards are still absent on major e-commerce platforms such as Tiki, Sendo and Voso.

One of the main reasons for the low consumption of “clean” agricultural products on e-commerce platforms is the life cycle of the product.

Vu Kim Hanh, chairwoman of the High Quality Vietnamese Product Business Association, said that fresh agricultural products were less popular on e-commerce sites because the life cycle was too short.

Nguyen Dac Viet Dung, chairman of the board of directors of Sen Do Joint-Stock Company, said if the life cycles could be extended, buyers would feel more secure about purchasing organic or clean products on e-commerce sites.

Digital transformation

Farmer Chin, who is the director of the Que My Thanh Dragon Fruit Cooperative in Long An Province’s Tan Tru District, decided to shift his family’s four-hectare red-flesh dragon fruit garden to a natural direction without using chemicals, and embrace digital technology.

“I have gradually shifted to organic fertiliser and bio-products to grow quality dragon fruit and use efficient irrigation methods like automatic spraying and drip irrigation to save water.”

Chin is one of the partner farmers of Food Connect, a project of the Food Network Joint-Stock Company, that aims to link farmers with consumers through technology platforms.

Under the project, training sessions on e-commerce and transparent production processes are provided to farmers to help them save costs by avoiding a middleman, thereby reducing prices for consumers.

The cooperative, which has 22 hectares of cultivated dragon fruit, sells its products to fruit chains across the country.

“Despite their somewhat ugly appearance and shape, the fruit is popular with local consumers because of the quality. Also the first batch of dragon fruit was exported to Dubai,” Chin said. “Consumers can scan the QR code on the product to know the exact origin.”

Dr Tu Minh Thien, rector at Van Hien University in Ho Chi Minh City, said the use of advanced technology had contributed to nearly 35 percent of the growth value of agriculture in Vietnam in the last five years.

In the field of irrigation, drip, sprinkler and underground irrigation systems are being used on different terrains, making watering more accessible. Such systems are typically attached to a flow controller which provides fertiliser for crops.

Techniques from the biotechnology field are also being used in farming, such as gene mapping of plants. Advanced techniques such as ELISA and PCR are used in the diagnosis and identification of viral diseases of plants.

In wet-rice production, biotechnology is also being used to breed rice varieties, with slow-soluble fertilisers and saltwater warning systems in Soc Trang, Dong Thap, and Tra Vinh provinces.

“Biotechnology applications are an effective solution for sustainable agriculture and for limiting the impact of climate change,” Dr Thien said.

Blockchain is another technology that is being used in product traceability and supply chain management in Long An, Tien Giang, Dong Thap and other provinces.

In Dong Thap and Ben Tre provinces, technological advances have improved the monitoring of automatic irrigation systems by quickly identifying the watering level of a tree, for example, and alerting farmers to the exact location of the water shortage area.

The systems, which use GPS and automatic routing to cover an entire plantation, are mounted on drones that fly 20-30 metres above crop fields, such as banana or fruit tree plantations.

Despite these advances, high-tech applications in Vietnam’s agriculture have not been widely implemented on a household scale, and most are being used at large enterprises and cooperatives due to the high investment costs and unstable market prices of fruits and vegetables.

Large enterprises that have invested in these applications include Vingroup, PAN Group, Hoang Anh Gia Lai, and Loc Troi Group, among others.

They offer farmers and cooperatives guidance on production processes, train farmers who want to produce clean products, and provide technical and seed support.

The enterprises also aim to improve quality control during processing and before harvesting, and to support product brand development.

Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuc, a member of the executive committee of the Vietnam Digital Agriculture Association, said that digital transformation in agriculture must begin with farmers.

In supply chains, each farmer must be a “trader” who understands the market. The stakeholders of the chains should regularly communicate with each other to maintain sustainable and long-term cooperation.

Thực has been working with farmers to develop an agricultural e-Journal, create QR codes, and promote the use of traceability of origin and geographical indication (GIs).

Dr. Nguyen Quoc Toan, director of the Agro Processing and Market Development Authority, said that digital transformation would ensure transparency in the market.

“Farmers must be the key players to ensure the success of digital transformation in agriculture,” he said.

Benefits will include lower production costs, less waste, less water consumption and better quality, according to the director.

Advances in machinery in recent years have helped to expand the scale, speed and productivity of farm equipment, leading to more efficient cultivation of more land. Seeds, irrigation and fertilisers have vastly improved as well, helping farmers increase yields.

Artificial intelligence (AI), analytics, connected sensors and other emerging technologies further increase yields, improve the efficiency of water and other inputs, and build sustainability and resilience.

Automation technology, drones, spectral imagery and the use of robots and unmanned aerial vehicles also help to reduce operational expenditures and labour costs.

In addition, increased use of livestock biometrics ensures maintenance of livestock health and has a direct impact on the increase in yield of dairy products.

Challenges

In coming years, the agricultural sector is set to face serious challenges. Growing populations, rising affluence and urbanisation, for example, have increased the threat to global food security.

The world population is expected to increase by 2.2 billion by 2050 and demand for food will rise by 50 percent, according to reports from global organisations.

During this period, climate change is expected to reduce harvests by 17 percent, while arable land will shrink by 20 percent.

A more resilient food future will rely on agricultural research and development, and better alignment of government finance and incentives for farmers who use sustainable and climate-smart production processes.

It will also rely on a steep change in access to information, innovative technologies, and finance to enhance the resilience of millions of small-scale farming households whose livelihoods are most critically impacted by climate change.

Productivity and a sufficient supply of quality food must increase, while natural resources remain protected.

Nguyen Khac Minh Tri, CEO of Mimosa Technology Ltd., said that new applications in agriculture such as IoT (Internet of Things), blockchain, big data and AI would open up a new era in which new practices would produce more food with fewer resources and without harming the environment.

However, the transformation progress remains slow in Vietnam, according to Tri. Most applications that are now in the pilot phase aim to prove the benefits to farmers and other stakeholders in agricultural supply chains.

Although some farmers are now able to manage irrigation on smartphones with IoT solutions or mark their brand with QR codes for traceability on blockchain platforms, this is only happening with a few early adopters.

Application of technology is in the early stages, and more time is needed to transform technology from “good-to-have” to “must-have”, according to Tri.

Since more than 70 percent of Vietnam’s agricultural products are from 22 million smallholder farmers, local agri-businesses should not depend solely on major corporations to promote innovative solutions.

Solutions must be identified for smallholder farmers to apply technology, but smallholder farmers entering mass markets is not an easy task because farmers have used the same practices for thousands of years. Changing their mindsets will take a long time, according to Tri.

One of the main obstacles is limited capital, because switching to high-tech agriculture requires a considerable up-front investment, experts have said.

Another major problem is market and consumer confidence. Building brands and winning customer confidence are both essential for Vietnamese brands so they can take advantage of major export markets like the EU under the new EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).

Farmer Chin from Long An Province, who embraced technology early, is also aware of the obstacles that must be overcome.

“Farmers are willing to embrace digital transformation and switch to natural farming as long as stable sales are ensured. I will continue to do livestreaming so that everyone can understand how dragon fruit is being grown without chemicals.”/.

VNA

Filed Under: Society Farmer Le Van Chin, Long An, red-flesh dragon fruit, Que My Thanh Cooperative, Facebook, Zalo, Vietnam, VietnamPlus, Vietnam news, Society, ..., high tech products, high quality product, high tech design products, high tech design products ag, advance quality products

Extraordinary temple with nine kneeling oxen in central Vietnam

March 5, 2021 by vietnamnet.vn

Situated at the Vietnam and Lao PDR border is the Chin Gian (9 compartments) Temple dedicated to the discoverers of nine areas in Phu Quy of the central province of Nghe An. Nine stone oxen are in a kneeling position in front of the temple.

The temple is located on the top of a mountain in Chau Kim commune of Que Phong district. , said that it was constructed in the early 14th century.

The Thai people in Phu Quy (consisting of the districts of Quy Hop, Quy Chau, and Que Phong) worshipped Lord Then Pha (Sun), Xida (Sun’s daughter), Tao Muong (Muong King), and Tao Lo Y (Lo Y King).

As per legend, Tao Lo Y had helped the Thai people set up their villages and living areas. He became their first landlord. The first area under his control was called Muong Ton (root village). Later areas were named Muong Quang, Muong Chun, Muong Pan, Muong Puoc, Muong Pha Quen, Muong Mieng, and Muong Chon. The Thai people’s life became better and better under the rule of Tao Lo Y.

Due to frequent natural disasters, the people asked Muong King to build a temple in Muong Ton to perform buffalo sacrifice to the Lord Sun and to pray for good weather and productive harvest. As such, the temple used to be named “Ten Xo Quai” (Buffalo sacrifice temple). It was also called Ten Cau Hoong (or Nine Room Temple) for the number of rooms.

While carefully cleaning each ox statue, he described another legend. Centuries ago, before a buffalo sacrifice, a dragon came to take the white buffalo of Muong Ton. Considering it a bad omen, Tao Muong ordered a buffalo killing to worship deities and pray to relocate the temple. Then, a white-necked crow came to pick up a buffalo bone and drop it on a small hill in the south of Muong Ton, known as Pu Cam (Golden Mountain). The new temple was re-built on Golden Mountain and is still there.

White female buffalo sacrifice in Muong Ton

According to Cuong, Chin Gian festival used to be held every three years in lunar August. It was the chance for people in nine villages in Phu Quy to come to worship deities and pray for favourable weather and fruitful harvest. Buffalo sacrifice was typical and unique in the festival.

A white female buffalo was an essential offer of Muong Ton for Lord and Tao Lo Y. Muong Quang and Muong Puoc sacrificed white male buffaloes. Other areas offered black buffaloes. The sacrificed buffaloes had to be healthy and strong.

Killing buffaloes was done after bathing them in Ta Tao river and cheered by attendants. During the festival, six or eight girls sang worship songs about the journey to Lord while priests performed rituals. Freeing birds was also conducted to show their good will to deities.

Beside the official and holy service, there were other loud and appealing activities. Each area (muong) chose nine players for crossbow shooting. Prizes were hand-woven square cloth, silver box, and leather bag for betel. They also performed traditional dance and music in the hope for peace and prosperity for the nine villages.

However, due to the wars, the temple was severely damaged. Buffalo sacrifice was no longer practiced. “The temple used to be made of ironwood. After being damaged, it was not refurbished. Only its foundation was,” said Cuong.

In 2004, upon the request of the villagers, the temple was restored to preserve the spiritual beauty of the Thai people in the North West.

Since 2006, Chin Gian temple festival has been organized annually on the 13th – 15th of lunar February. In 2008, the temple was named a provincial cultural heritage.

Some photos of the Chin Gian Temple:

Ngôi đền Chín Gian có 9 trâu quỳ gối độc đáo bậc nhất xứ Nghệ

The gate

Ngôi đền Chín Gian có 9 trâu quỳ gối độc đáo bậc nhất xứ Nghệ

Mr. Ngan Van Cuong, the temple custodian, and the nine kneeling oxen

Ngôi đền Chín Gian có 9 trâu quỳ gối độc đáo bậc nhất xứ Nghệ

The stream near the temple

Ngôi đền Chín Gian có 9 trâu quỳ gối độc đáo bậc nhất xứ Nghệ
Ngôi đền Chín Gian có 9 trâu quỳ gối độc đáo bậc nhất xứ Nghệ
Ngôi đền Chín Gian có 9 trâu quỳ gối độc đáo bậc nhất xứ Nghệ

Inside the temple.

Ngôi đền Chín Gian có 9 trâu quỳ gối độc đáo bậc nhất xứ Nghệ

The temple has been repaired.

Ngôi đền Chín Gian có 9 trâu quỳ gối độc đáo bậc nhất xứ Nghệ
Ngôi đền Chín Gian có 9 trâu quỳ gối độc đáo bậc nhất xứ Nghệ

Local people come to pray for good things.

Ngôi đền Chín Gian có 9 trâu quỳ gối độc đáo bậc nhất xứ Nghệ
Ngôi đền Chín Gian có 9 trâu quỳ gối độc đáo bậc nhất xứ Nghệ

Rituals are organized at the temple on the 15th day of the second lunar month.

Quoc Huy – Pham Tam

Filed Under: Uncategorized chin gian temple, Nghe An, Nghe An travel, pagodas, Vietnam breaking news, Vietnam news, Vietnam latest news, ..., kneeling at your temple love was accidental, 12 oxen mormon temple, vietnam pagodas and temples, temples vietnam dress code, vietnam indian temple, cham temple nha trang vietnam, vietnam south central coast

HCM City in top six most preferred markets for investment: CBRE

February 8, 2021 by sggpnews.org.vn

With the diversification of supply chains encouraging more manufacturing investment in the city, industrial and logistics assets are keenly sought after, said the CBRE’s 2021 Asia Pacific Investor Intentions Survey.
“HCM City has already been on the radar of investors in recent years, especially those who are looking to invest in Southeast Asia, as the city is viewed as having the potential for greater appreciation in property values and higher yields,” said Dang Phuong Hang, CBRE Vietnam Managing Director.
The survey outlines top 10 Preferred cities for cross-border investment, with Tokyo (Japan) in the first place, followed by Singapore, Seoul (the Republic of Korea), Shanghai and Beijing (China), HCM City, Shenzhen (China), Sydney (Australia), Osaka (Japan) and Melbourne (Australia).
Investors who expressed interest in investing in Southeast Asia indicated that they are willing to pay more for real estate purchase. 39.4 percent of these investors are comfortable to pay more than 10 percent higher this year than what they are willing to pay in 2020, while 19.7 percent are willing to paying up to 10 percent higher.
In the search for returns, investors looking at Southeast Asia are turning to value-added and core assets, even though there are some who are starting to look at distressed assets. Industrial/logistics and office remain their preferred sectors, while the hospitality sector is gaining favour.
Henry Chin, CBRE’s Global Head of Investor Thought Leadership and Head of Research, Asia Pacific, said “stronger interest in core investment reflects investors’ greater emphasis on tenant credit and stable cash flows.”
“Assets with a solid rent roll of three years or longer typically attract far more bidders than those lacking this type of security,” he added.
Logistics was the most popular sector for investment as the pandemic-driven acceleration of e-commerce consumption boosted demand for this asset class. While interest in the office sector weakened, investors retain an optimistic view towards this sector, expecting a contraction in office purchasing activity of no more than 10 percent over the next three years.

Vietnamplus

Tags:

Ho Chi Minh City CBRE 2021 Asia Pacific Investor Intentions Survey Most Preferred Property Market

Filed Under: Uncategorized Ho Chi Minh City, CBRE, 2021 Asia Pacific Investor Intentions Survey, Most Preferred Property Market, hcm city district map, hcm city postal code, hcm city population, hcm city postcode, hcm city things to do, hcm city vietnam zip code, hcm city weather, hcm city weather forecast, hcm city zipcode, hcm city zoo, hcm city to singapore, hcm city to vung tau

VIETNAM BUSINESS NEWS FEBRUARY 10

October 2, 2021 by vietnamnet.vn

HCM City targets domestic market for tourism recovery

The Ho Chi Minh City tourism sector this year plans to focus on digitalisation of the industry and promotion of domestic tourism amid a downturn in tourism because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The sector will continue its efforts to boost domestic tourism as the main factor driving the recovery of the tourism industry.

The tourism communication and stimulus campaign, ‘Hello Ho Chi Minh City,’ has been implemented to promote the city as a safe, vibrant and friendly destination.

Tourism cooperation and linkages between HCM City and the Northeast, Northwest and the Central regions will also serve to boost domestic travel.

The city aims to receive 33.5 million domestic visitors this year if COVID-19 remains under control in the country./.

Tet sales increase sharply on low prices

With a week to go for Tet (the Lunar New Year) sales of goods bought to celebrate the Lunar New Year have increased by 30-40 percent from normal times, according to market observers.

They attribute it to prices remaining steady and people’s increasing income at the end of the year.

Saigon Co.op’s supermarket chains have managed to meet market demand thanks to early preparation of goods, accurate forecast of demand and discounts, Nguyen Anh Duc, its permanent deputy general director, said.

In January sales increased by 37 percent compared to the same period in the previous month, with growth of fresh and processed foods, cosmetics, kitchen appliances, and garments being high, he said.

There have been no shortages of goods, especially pork, and no price hikes, he said.

Dinh Quang Khoi, head of marketing and customer care at MM Mega Market Vietnam, said customers have bought Tet goods earlier than usual, and retail sales increased by more than 10 percent compare with same periods of last year, while the increase is 5 -6 percent if the wholesale segment is included.

Shopping malls in Ho Chi Minh City like Vincom Central Dong Khoi, Takashimaya and Aeon Celadon Tan Phu are crowded, especially at weekends.

Sales of processed foods are expected to go up by more than 20 percent.

People are switching more and more to poultry meat and eggs instead of pork because the pork price is rising to the delight of companies like San Ha, Ba Huan and Vinh Thanh Dat.

According to experts, the prices of many items have never been so stable as this year as the Covid-19 pandemic caused global demand to shrink.

Many products could not be exported, and so producers and distributors switched their focus to the domestic market, increasing supply.

To sustain demand in this scenario enterprises have had to improve quality and keep prices competitive./.

HCM City in top six most preferred markets for investment: CBRE

There was an increase in interest in Ho Chi Minh City which ranked sixth among Asia Pacific investors’ most preferred property markets for investors, according to a survey by market research firm CBRE polling more than 490 Asia Pacific-based investors in November and December 2020.

With the diversification of supply chains encouraging more manufacturing investment in the city, industrial and logistics assets are keenly sought after, said the CBRE’s 2021 Asia Pacific Investor Intentions Survey.

“HCM City has already been on the radar of investors in recent years, especially those who are looking to invest in Southeast Asia, as the city is viewed as having the potential for greater appreciation in property values and higher yields,” said Dang Phuong Hang, CBRE Vietnam Managing Director.

The survey outlines top 10 Preferred cities for cross-border investment, with Tokyo (Japan) in the first place, followed by Singapore, Seoul (the Republic of Korea), Shanghai and Beijing (China), HCM City, Shenzhen (China), Sydney (Australia), Osaka (Japan) and Melbourne (Australia).

Investors who expressed interest in investing in Southeast Asia indicated that they are willing to pay more for real estate purchase. 39.4 percent of these investors are comfortable to pay more than 10 percent higher this year than what they are willing to pay in 2020, while 19.7 percent are willing to paying up to 10 percent higher.

In the search for returns, investors looking at Southeast Asia are turning to value-added and core assets, even though there are some who are starting to look at distressed assets. Industrial/logistics and office remain their preferred sectors, while the hospitality sector is gaining favour.

Henry Chin, CBRE’s Global Head of Investor Thought Leadership and Head of Research, Asia Pacific, said: “stronger interest in core investment reflects investors’ greater emphasis on tenant credit and stable cash flows.”

“Assets with a solid rent roll of three years or longer typically attract far more bidders than those lacking this type of security,” he added.

Logistics was the most popular sector for investment as the pandemic-driven acceleration of e-commerce consumption boosted demand for this asset class. While interest in the office sector weakened, investors retain an optimistic view towards this sector, expecting a contraction in office purchasing activity of no more than 10 percent over the next three years./.

January sees largest capital injection into stock market since early 2020: SSI

January saw the largest amount of investment capital poured into Vietnam’s stock market since the beginning of 2020 on the back of strong exchange traded fund (ETF) inflows, according to a report by SSI Securities Corporation.

Vietnam is Asia’s only stock market with non-stop capital injection over the last four week as it attracted more than 100 million USD last month thanks to massive ETF inflows, outweighing the net capital withdrawal of around 23.5 million USD, said SSI’s February strategic stock market report entitled “Co hoi trong bien dong” (Opportunity in volatility).

ETFs have also raked in about 129 million USD, or two third of the total inflows in 2020, mostly into VFM Diamond ETF (1.31 trillion VND or 57.15 million USD) and VFM VN30 ETF (860 billion VND).

The market also experienced strong foreign buying in the last three days of the month, raising foreign players’ net purchases of shares in January to about 127 billion VND.

SSI stated that Vietnam has become a quite attractive market largely owing to the country’s successful containment of COVID-19, positive economic growth and the fact that it remains a destination of the ongoing global production shift.

Though the pandemic has been a key contributor to the market volatility during this period of time, capital injection from ETFs into Vietnam remains a positive driver of the stock market, SSI said, adding that this also means increasing level of volatility.

According to the report, more than 81 billion USD was poured into stocks in both developed and emerging markets across the worrld last month, also with the domination of the ETFs./.

Vietnam increases pork imports to cool off rising domestic prices

Vietnam imported more than 141,000 tonnes of pork worth 334.4 million USD in 2020, representing a rise of 382 percent and 500 percent over the previous year, respectively, customs statistics showed.

The increase in imports was to make up for the shortage in pork supply caused by African swine fever which pushed up domestic prices in the first months of 2020.

The pork was mainly imported from Brazil, Russia, Poland, the US and Canada. Brazil was the largest exporter of pork to Vietnam last year, accounting for 24.5 percent of the import volume.

The average pork import price was 2.2 USD per kilo.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam approved 25 countries to export livestock and poultry meat to Vietnam, including more than 800 enterprises from 19 countries allowed to export pork to Vietnam.

Vietnam imported more than 43,300 pigs for breeding, mainly from Thailand, Canada, the US, Denmark and Taiwan (China).

Live hog prices tended to increase in many provinces across the country from early January due to increases in consumption demand ahead of Tet (Lunar New Year) to around 80,000 – 84,000 VND (4 USD) per kilo, around 5,000 VND higher than the end of December.

However, in recent days, pork prices decreased by around 1,000-5,000 VND per kilo.

Nguyen Van Trong, Deputy Director of the ministry’s Department of Livestock Production, said pork prices dropped in recent days because processing companies reduced their purchases as they had enough goods for consumption during Tet.

The enhanced prevention against smuggling of pork to China together with the increase in supply also helped lower pork prices.

Now Vietnam had 27.3 million pigs, an increase of 21 percent over a year ago and equivalent to 88.7 percent of the time before the disease occurred.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade said that early preparations were made to ensure enough supply of pork for Tet with many enterprises launching price stabilisation programmes./.

Australian expert highlights Southeast Asia’s trade prospects

Richard Maude, Senior Fellow at Australia’s Asia Society Policy Institute, has spoken highly of trade prospects of Southeast Asian nations against the backdrop of COVID-19.

In an article, he said that global trends in trade, foreign investment and production offer a mix of peril and opportunity for the Southeast Asian governments as they try to steer their damaged economies towards recovery.

“Beset by lockdowns, disrupted supply chains and travel restrictions, world trade volumes fell by historically steep levels in the first half of 2020. Southeast Asia was no exception – the region’s economies rely heavily on external demand and many play increasingly significant roles in East Asian supply chains,” he continued.

In the second quarter of 2020, for example, the value of goods exported from the ten members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) fell by 15 percent on a year-on-year basis and imports fell by 27 percent.

Foreign direct investment flows to Southeast Asia also declined sharply early in 2020.

The vertiginous plunge in world goods trade, at least, may now be bottoming out, but the International Monetary Fund (IMF) remains decidedly gloomy about prospects for a trade-led recovery in Asia.

Even so, amid all the uncertainty and downside risk, Southeast Asia may yet find itself better placed than other regions to trade itself out of trouble, the expert said, citing that East Asian economic regionalism will strengthen as one of the reasons.

Most major East Asian economies – China, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Taiwan – have managed to re-open their economies. China’s giant economy in particular is once again growing and helping keep Southeast Asian trade afloat.

Domestic consumption in Southeast Asia could double to 4 trillion USD over the next ten years.

Within the region, there are also signs the deep economic slump of the first half of 2020 is easing, at least in those parts of the region where the pandemic has been tamed. The decline in ASEAN global goods exports and imports, for example, slowed in the third quarter of 2020 on a quarter-on-quarter basis.

Vietnam, one of the best performing ASEAN economies, managed to eke out a small increase in economic growth in 2020, he cited.

Once it enters into force, the newly signed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade deal will give intra-Asian trading another boost. It is an incentive for large corporations to locate as much of their supply chains as possible within the bloc.

“ASEAN is also well placed to benefit from supply chain diversification within East Asia. Some manufacturing was already shifting to Southeast Asia before the pandemic.”

The pandemic has now reinforced interest from companies from around the world in regionalisation and supply chain diversification. Some governments, Japan, for example, is offering financial incentives to some of its companies to build production sites in Southeast Asia.

Like the rest of the world, the region faces headwinds and uncertainties, Maude noted, putting forth some suggestions for regional countries to use trade to help drive economic recovery./.

Tet sales increase sharply on low prices

With a week to go for Tet (the Lunar New Year) sales of goods bought to celebrate the Lunar New Year have increased by 30-40 per from normal times, according to market observers.

They attribute it to prices remaining steady and people’s increasing income at the end of the year.

Saigon Co.op’s supermarket chains have managed to meet market demand thanks to early preparation of goods, accurate forecast of demand and discounts, Nguyen Anh Duc, its permanent deputy general director, said.

In January sales increased by 37 per cent compared to the same period in the previous month, with growth of fresh and processed foods, cosmetics, kitchen appliances, and garments being high, he said.

There has been no shortages of goods, especially pork, and no price hikes, he said.

Dinh Quang Khoi, head of marketing and customer care at MM Mega Market Viet Nam, said customers have bought Tet goods earlier than usual, and retail sales increased by more than 10 per cent compare with same periods of last year, while the increase is 5 -6 per cent if the wholesale segment is included.

Shopping malls in HCM City like Vincom Central Dong Khoi, Takashimaya and Aeon Celadon Tan Phu are crowded, especially at weekends.

Sales of processed foods are expected to go up by more than 20 per cent.

People are switching more and more to poultry meat and eggs instead of pork because the pork price is rising to the delight of companies like San Ha, Ba Huan and Vinh Thanh Dat.

According to experts, the prices of many items have never been so stable as this year as the Covid-19 pandemic caused global demand to shrink.

Many products could not be exported, and so producers and distributors switched their focus to the domestic market, increasing supply.

To sustain demand in this scenario enterprises have had to improve quality and keep prices competitive.

One Commune One Product attracts Tet shoppers

Many products made under a programme called ‘One Commune One Product’ have become a big hit with consumers seeking to buy gift hampers for Tet (Lunar New Year).

Sticky rice grown by the Khau Nua Lech Thuong Quan Rice Cooperative in Bac Kan Province’s Ngan Son District is one such.

The co-operative has had to mobilise a lot of manpower to fulfil the mountain of orders it got.

Its rice is renowned for its plasticity and aroma, and is well known to consumers across the country.

According to a co-operative spokesperson, 100 additional workers were hired for packaging and delivery but demand still not be met.

In the last month or so it supplied more than 10 tonnes of rice to markets such as HCM City and Ha Noi.

Phan Thanh Hieu, director of the Phuong Nam Food Joint Stock Company, said this year, due to the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, businesses had prepared for low demand, but two high-end products, organic ST 25 and ST 25 rice varieties, grown together with shrimp in Soc Trang Province, are out of stock.

“We have had to turn down many orders or deliver less than the ordered quantity though the rice prices are four to five times higher than that of other rice. ST 25 grown together with shrimp has a price of VND285,000(US$12.4) for 5kg, VND15,000 higher than ST 25.”

Le Kieu Phuong, director of Phuc Thinh Production and Commerce Co. Ltd, said her company recently got a One Commune One Product (OCOP) certificate for its three prawn cracker production lines in Ca Mau Province.

It is now working on selling the products to major supermarket chains before Lunar New Year with the aid of the certificate, she said.

In Dong Nai Province, where more and more people are becoming interested in regional specialties, seven OCOP producers have signed contracts with Central Retail Viet Nam to sell 21 items.

Nguyen Thi Bich Van, media director of Central, said the two supermarkets would design their display shelves to ensure OCOP products easily catch the eye of shoppers as part of a commitment to support them.

MM Mega Market is also selling 56 OCOP confectionery and jam products for Tet at discounts of up to 50 per cent to introduce them to customers.

Do Quoc Huy, marketing director of Saigon Co.op, said the company is helping develop OCOP goods, but their limited production means they could only be sold locally and not across its retail chains.

The two-year-old OCOP programme has helped a number of localities develop a wide variety of agricultural and non-agricultural products, providing steady incomes to many locals.

COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage travel industry

A resurgence of Covid-19 just before the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday has hugely impacted travelling, again demonstrating its impact on the tourism industry.

“There has been an immediate impact on the hospitality business with several cancellations across the country, not only in the affected destinations but anywhere with access via an airport,” Mauro Gasparotti, director of Savills Hotels Asia Pacific, said.

“Prior to these local transmissions, the industry was anticipating increased travel demand during and after the Tet holiday, which would have been a good start to the year,” Gasparotti said.

Travel interest is diminishing amid a mist of uncertainty with air travel demand dropping 15 per cent immediately after the news release.

Online flight search demand to Da Nang and HCM City during this peak period of the year dropped 35 per cent and 34 per cent week-on-week respectively, according to OTA Insight.

Some companies immediately enforced travel restrictions, with requests to limit attending events and large gatherings.

This has directly affected MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) business in city hotels, where several conferences have been put on hold or delayed.

Drive-to destinations have also been affected by weekend cancellations.

Last year international arrivals to the country numbered just 3.8 million, a 78 per cent decline from 2019.

Domestic traveller numbers fell 34 per cent to 56 million.

Hotels and resorts suffered badly, with many being forced into temporary closure.

Last year occupancy and average daily rates (ADR) both dropped, while revenues fell 70 per cent.

In Ha Noi, the average occupancy was 32 per cent compared to 80 per cent in 2019 while it dropped to 23 percent in HCM City from 72 per cent.

The national average of 62 per cent in 2019 plummeted to just 24 per cent last year.

January started on a positive note, with hotels in key destinations seeing increased MICE and event bookings while at some resorts corporate bookings started to return, Gasparotti said.

“The market in 2021 is expected to be broadly similar to most of 2020, at least until borders reopen to leisure and business trade. Hotels have adapted by considerably reducing operating costs to establish lower breakeven points.

“The good news is that several destinations are still performing at acceptable levels.”

The performance in December and January was positive for destinations like Phu Quoc and Vung Tau, which appeal to both local leisure travellers and year-end company trips.

Some hotels have used promotions, such as ‘staycation’ packages and F&B deals to nurture local demand, which have propped up their numbers.

Fruit and vegetable exports decline by 7.6% in January

Vietnamese fruit and vegetable exports in January endured a drop of 7.6% to US$260 million compared to the same period from last year, largely due to unpredictable developments relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

The MARD’s Agro-Processing and Market Development Authority stated that China was the leading importer of local fruit and vegetables last year, making up 56.3% of the total market share, although fruit and vegetable exports to this market fell by 25.7% to US$1.84 billion compared to 2019.

Elsewhere, the United States market ranked second with US$168.8 million, followed by Thailand with US$157.2 million, the Republic of Korea with US$143 million, and Japan with US$127.7 million.

Furthermore, January saw the country’s import value of fruit and vegetables enjoy an annual increase of 22.3% to US$140 million, with China, the US, and Australia representing the three largest suppliers to the Vietnamese market.

Moreover, the import value of fruit and vegetables from China in 2020 decreased by 21% compared to 2019’s figures, while imports from the US and Australia witnessed respective increases of 2.3% and 1%.

Due to complicated developments relating to COVID-19, the nation’s fruit and vegetable export activities have been significantly impacted as consumers have changed their shopping habits with several countries also moving to tighten import procedures as a way of securing their borders.

Experts have therefore advised local firms to strive to strengthen their supervision over product quality to avoid violating quarantine regulations, and ensure that food and safety rules are followed as a means of facilitating relevant customs clearance processes.

Acceleration opportunity for Vietnamese AI startups

The AI Accelerator Challenge 2021, organised by VSV Foundation under the auspices of the Ministry of Science and Technology and funded by the Australian Embassy, is officially open for registration.

The AI Accelerator Challenge 2021(AAC 2021) is an acceleration programme specifically designed for Vietnamese AI startups with innovative ideas and products that address the practical needs of the market.

AAC 2021, themed “AI in pandemic – Adapting to the new normal”, has been organised with the goal of identifying, incubating, promoting, and developing potential AI-powered applications in numerous fields such as finance, commerce, electronics, telecommunications, manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, education, transportation, and smart city development. Participants will have the opportunity to undertake a 4-week online training course, after which the top five teams will be awarded prizes including a service support package worth VND500 million($21,740), a business promotion and mentoring course worth VND200 million ($8,700) and up to VND200 million in seed investment with no equity required.

The programme will assist Vietnam’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as help to foster the development of a vibrant AI startup environment. “Vietnam should be very proud of its successes in tackling COVID-19,” said Andrew Barnes, Australian Chargé d’Affaires to Vietnam. “Through sponsoring programmes to promote innovative applications using AI, Australia is demonstrating its strong commitment to assisting Vietnam in overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting economic recovery, and strengthening its innovation system.”

“The government is trying to implement many activities to cope with disruptions caused by COVID-19, in which innovation and the application of advanced science and technology have been defined as the key to increase the resilience of businesses and the recovery of the economy. AI is one of the core technologies that promise to revolutionise many of Vietnam’s key socioeconomic sectors such as health, education, business, commerce, finance, and agriculture,” Deputy Minister Bui The Duy from the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) added.

“We are proud to be a part of this programme,” said Thach Le Anh, founder of VSV Foundation. “AAC 2021 will not only allow Vietnamese AI startups to receive mentoring from top AI technology experts but also support them with business development and fund-raising, including by raising capital from angel investors and leading domestic and foreign venture capital funds. The startups will be able to raise up to VND2 billion ($86,960) after the programme ends.”

This programme is funded by Australia’s flagship Aus4Innovation programme which will disburse AUD11 million ($8.44 million) over four years (2018-2022) to strengthen the Vietnamese innovation system and prepare for Vietnam’s economic and digital future. It is funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and managed by the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation in strategic collaboration with the MoST.

Investors give EVN Genco 2 cold shoulder at IPO

Despite Power Generation Corporation 2 (EVN Genco 2) owning substantial interests in several thermal and hydropower plants, 99.97 per cent of the stake it offered at its initial public offering (IPO) was unmarketable.

The Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange (HSX) has published the results of the auction registration for the stake of EVN Genco 2.

The company offered 580 million shares or 48.9 per cent of its charter capital to investors with the initial price of VND24,520 ($1.06) per share and expected to acquire VND14.225 trillion ($618.5 million) from the sale.

However, only 14 investors registered to join the auction, registering 262,500 shares, including 200,000 shares from a single foreign investor, 10,500 shares by five Vietnamese people, and 52,000 shares by eight domestic investors.

At present, EVN Genco 2 owns a 100 per cent stake in Trung Son Hydropower One Member LLC, which operates Trung Son hydropower plant with the designed capacity of 1 billion kWh per year.

It also owns a series of thermal power companies including Pha Lai, Haiphong, and Thac Mo, among others.

According to its financial statement, the company generated 17.8 million kWh, equaling 97 per cent of its plan for the whole year and 7 per cent of the power coursing through the whole national power grid.

The unmarketable IPOs of EVN Genco had precedent because they own too many member companies and subsidiaries. Buying stakes in the plants one by one will help investors limit risks.

Previously, EVN Genco 3 failed in its IPO in February 2018 when only 2.8 per cent of the offered shares was sold.

Vietnam targets 60 – 62 bln USD from agro-forestry-fisheries export by 2030

Vietnam has set a goal of earning around 60-62 billion USD from agro-forestry-fisheries export by 2030 under a project recently approved by the Prime Minister.

The project looks to fully and sustainably join the global supply chain of agro-forestry-fisheries, improve the quality and value of their export to meet regulations of importers, and develop their trademarks in international markets.

Of the figure, 25 billion USD will be from major farm produce, 16-17 billion USD from forestry products, 15 billion USD from aquatic products, 3-4 billion USD from animal husbandry products, and nearly 2 billion USD from others.

Agro-forestry-fisheries export is expected to grow by some 6-8 percent annually. About 40 percent of export will be national brands, 70 percent have their origins traced, and around 60 percent of exports are processed and deeply processed ones.

To such end, the project targets fine-tuning mechanisms and policies to ensure food safety and develop support industry, assisting firms in protecting intellectual property right in export markets, popularising trademarks on domestic and foreign media./.

Central localities seek new development routes amid COVID-19

Central provinces must adjust their socio-economic development goals and strategies to minimise the adverse effects brought by the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters in 2020, officials have said.

Nguyen Tan Tuan, Chairman of the People Committee of Khanh Hoa province, said while the province’s tourism industry was hit especially hard, growth in the industrial sector managed to stay positive.

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have made it our highest priority to keep the virus in check. Our effort has allowed us to attract a number of foreign investors as they moved from regions hard-hit by COVID-19,” Tuan said.

He said the province has been making use of the downtime to upgrade and invest in its tourism infrastructure, waiting for international tourists to return. In the meantime, Khanh Hoa has started several promotion campaigns to attract domestic travellers.

Meanwhile, Quang Nam made significant gains in developing modern agriculture in 2020 despite being one of the central provinces severely hit by natural disasters last year.

“Agriculture has always been a key priority in our province’s development scheme. During the pandemic, it has become Quang Nam’s economic driver,” said Le Van Dung, Deputy Secretary of the provincial Party Committee.

Dung said with tourism and commerce disrupted because of the pandemic and natural disasters Quang Nam chose to make large investments in industrial projects to mitigate the economic damage to the province in the long run.

Quang Ngai, a traditionally strong economic performer in the region thanks to being home to the country’s largest oil complex the Dung Quat Refinery, has been looking for ways to become less reliant on the oil industry.

Dang Van Minh, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said the province has been working with its partners to set up numerous large-scale industrial parks.

“We want to become one of the country’s best destinations for investments and industrial development. The province aims to build a transparent and healthy business environment to win over potential investors,” said Minh.

Meanwhile, Da Nang, the central region’s main economic hub and the city most affected by the pandemic with nearly 200,000 jobs lost during 2020, said it has set a new course to push for greater digitalisation of commerce, smart city technologies and star ups culture.

“The city aims to diversify its economy. While we still identify tourism and services as major industries we want to see strong development on the fronts of information technology and digitalisation in the near future,” said Nguyen Dinh Vinh, head of the municiapal Party Committee’s Board for Information and Education./.

Cambodia to resume farmed fish import from Vietnam

The Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries on February 8 issued a press release on the resumption of the import of aquatic products, including farmed fish, from neighbouring countries, including Vietnam.

The import suspension was announced by the Cambodian side one month ago.

On January 19, Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh sent a letter to Cambodian Minister of Commerce Pan Sorasak, saying Vietnam’s shipments of farmed fish failed to pass through customs and were returned.

The import ban showed signs of running counter to the trade liberalisation spirit of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the ASEAN Economic Community, of which both countries are members, he said.

In the press release, the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said it will continue to collect feedback from the Cambodian Aquaculture Association, importers and exporters, and concerned agencies that are Cambodia’s trade partners to build and recognise technical standards.

Le Bien Cuong, head of the Vietnamese trade affairs office in Cambodia, told the Vietnam News Agency on February 8 that the Cambodian side has shown its goodwill and active response.

Cambodia would consider imposing additional non-tariff technical measures in farmed fish import, including certificates of product origin and quality, he said.

According to the Vietnamese ministry, in recent years, Vietnam has exported about 60 million USD worth of aquatic products to Cambodia annually. Although Cambodia is not a major market of Vietnamese aquatic products, its stable import demand has contributed significantly to cross-border trade development, as well as job creation and income generation for local residents./.

VinFast acquires licence to test self-driving electric vehicles in California

VinFast has just become the 57th automaker to receive a licence to test self-driving electric vehicles in California, the US.

The company said its three SUV models VF31, VF32 and VF33 met the highest global safety standards including five-star ratings from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the European New Car Assessment Programme.

VinFast has just become the 57th automaker to receive a licence to test self-driving electric vehicles in California, the US.

Automakers, including big names such as Apple, Tesla, BMW, and Volkswagen according to California’s Department of Motor Vehicles website, have also secured their licences to test run their vehicles in the Golden State, the world’s largest technology and innovation hub.

All three of the company’s models are to be equipped with level 2-3 autonomous features, which include 30 smart features divided into seven groups: intelligent steering assist system, lane control system, active journey control system, multi-point collision warning system, comprehensive collision mitigation system, intelligent automated parking system and driver monitoring system.

Models VF32 and VF33 will be sold in the US, Canada and Europe markets from 2022. The launch of high-tech electric vehicles, including electric scooters, electric buses and personal electric cars, is part of VinFast’s pre-defined roadmap since entering the automotive market three years ago.

Customers can start ordering the cars in May this year in Vietnam and in November in the US, Canada and the EU.

In Vietnam, Vietnamese automakers also started to install electric vehicle charging stations at commercial centres at Vinhomes Ocean Park, Vincom Long Bien in Hanoi to serve the first electric cars produced, expected to be available this year.

VinFast sold 31,500 cars in Vietnam last year, with its VinFast sedan and SUV models among the bestsellers in their respective segments./.

Agricultural, forestry, fisheries exports up sharply in January

Vietnam’s exports of agricultural, forestry, and fisheries products grew 27.1 percent year-on-year to 3.49 billion USD in January.

Rubber was the best performer in the opening month of the year, following on from its uptrend last year and totalling 200,000 tonnes worth 321 million USD, increases of 2.2-fold and 2.4-fold, respectively, year-on-year.

Shipments of key forestry products totalled 1.33 billion USD, up 47.8 percent year-on-year. Exports of wood and timber products alone reached 1.25 billion USD, up 48.4 percent.

Fisheries exports rose 19.6 percent to about 600 million USD, following repeated declines last year, especially after the outset of COVID-19.

Prawn exports experienced the highest growth last year among all fisheries items, up 11 percent to 3.7 billion USD.

Several major export earners, meanwhile, declined in January, including rice, fruit and vegetables, coffee, and pepper.

The country exported around 280,000 tonnes of rice for 154 million USD in the month, down 29.5 percent and 20.2 percent, respectively, from a year earlier.

A similar trend was seen in fruit and vegetables, with shipments reaching just 260 million USD, a year-on-year decline of 7.6 percent./.

Da Nang developing supporting industries

The central city of Da Nang has set a goal of developing supporting industries in tandem with high-tech industry to create products with high added value for export.

Under action programme No 01-Ctr/TU issued by the municipal Party Committee on December 10, 2020, the industry-construction sector is to grow by 11-11.5 percent annually between 2020 and 2025.

The municipal Department of Industry and Trade has reported that several large-scale projects in supporting industries have gradually joined the global supply chain.

Since 2016, Da Nang has attracted 24 new supporting industry projects worth over 9 trillion VND, two of which are foreign-invested, with 240 million USD, specialising in manufacturing aviation and automobile spare parts.

Da Nang is now home to around 110 supporting industry firms, accounting for 6.3 percent of all industrial enterprises in the city.

However, the number of domestic companies in the field remains limited, and most are of small scale with average technological capabilities. Meanwhile, foreign firms mostly process and assemble imported materials because the rate of domestically-made items remains low. Links between foreign and domestic businesses, meanwhile, are still less than needed.

General Director of the Long Hau Company, Tran Hong Son, said a number of local companies have yet to meet requirements for being recognised as supporting industry enterprises or manufacturers under Vietnam’s regulations.

He suggested quickly completing planning for an area devoted to supporting industry enterprises inside the Da Nang Hi-tech Park (DHTP) and putting it into operation to attract capable investors.

Head of the management board of the DHTP and industrial parks in Da Nang, Pham Truong Son, said the municipal People’s Committee has completed the planning for a supporting industrial park in the DHTP, which has been submitted to the Prime Minister for approval.

Once approved, Da Nang will outline a list of sectors in need of investment and then set up the park, the first of its kind in supporting industries in the city. Investors in the park would work with those at DHTP to create an industrial ecosystem.

If Da Nang develops supporting industries, investment will also pour into nearby localities, he said.

Under Politburo Resolution No 43/NQ-TW, Da Nang is to be a nucleus of the central key economic region and will develop hi-tech industries and information technology. To this end, Son suggested making the best use of its geographical location, infrastructure, human resources, and supporting industry.

Under the pending plan, the supporting industrial park is to cover an area of over 102 ha in Hoa Vang district, adjacent to the DHTP and the city’s information technology park.

In line with Resolution No 01-NQ/TU from the standing board of the municipal Party Committee, supporting industry enterprises will increase in number by 2030 and be capable of producing highly-competitive products, focusing on spare parts, software, and key services in support of priority industries. The city will also attract multi-national groups to guide and facilitate technology transfer.

By 2025, the city expects to have over 150 supporting enterprises, with at least 10 percent of domestic supporting enterprises being able to supply products to manufacturers. The value of the supporting industry will make up around 30 percent of added valued in the manufacturing and processing sector. At least one multi-national group or company is to invest in manufacturing end products.

Of the more than 300 supporting enterprises to be in business by 2030, at least 15 percent are to be able to directly supply products to manufacturers and assemblers. The value of the supporting industry will account for nearly 40 percent of added value in the manufacturing and processing sector and at least one multi-national group or company will invest in manufacturing end products./.

Source: VNA/VNN/VNS/SGGP/VOV/NDO/Dtinews/SGT/VIR

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Many beautiful flowers available for decoration during Tet

February 10, 2021 by english.thesaigontimes.vn

Culture
Many beautiful flowers available for decoration during Tet
The Saigon Times
Wednesday,  Feb 10, 2021,19:39 (GMT+7)

Many beautiful flowers available for decoration during Tet

The Saigon Times

At the flower market of Hai Ba Thang Chin Park in District 1, many beautiful flowers at low prices are still available. PHOTO: DUC NHAN

HCMC – People in HCMC now can buy beautiful but low-cost flowers at markets around town for decoration at upcoming Tet (Vietnamese traditional New Year festival – from February 12 to 14, 2021 this year).

Reportedly, the selling prices of Tet flowers this year are lower than last year. In details, at the flower market of Hai Ba Thang Chin Park in District 1, prices of flowers decreased by about 10-15% over the previous year. For example, a pair of periwinkle flowers is sold at VND250,000 (from last year’s price of VND300,000) while  ruby chrysanthemum is priced at VND250,000/pair against VND270,000 – 290,000/pair last year.

As usual, buyers must pay for delivery fees. However, this year it is different. Free delivery will be offered for every buying from VND1 million.

An owner of a flower shop on Thanh Thai Street in District 10 said that in order to have an amicable sale, he will pay for inner-district deliveries.

Meanwhile, in some flower markets, free or 50%-discount delivery charge will be offered for buying big kinds of flowers such as chrysanthemum, bougainvillea and yellow apricot flowers.

At the flower market of Hai Ba Thang Chin, a flower vendor said the purchasing power this year decreases by about 20% year-on-year.

At the flower selling area at the Nga Bay area linking District 1 and District 5, in addition to traditional flowers, this year, bonsai fruit trees are also available.

At the traditional Ho Thi Ky Flower Market in District 10, a large number of flowers from the Central Highlands City of Dalat are available for sale.

At the Thu Duc Agricultural & Food wholesale market in Thu Duc City, bloomed lilies are sold at only VND40,000 – 50,000/dozen, and beautiful lilies at VND70,000/dozen. Chrysanthemum costs only 20,000-25,000 VND/dozen.

A vendor selling marigolds at the market said the purchasing power is low, so the price is down. The retail price is only VND40,000 a bunch of 10 beautiful marigolds.

Bonsai dragon fruit trees are sold for decoration at Tet apart from traditional flowers
Many small flowers
Yellow apricot flowers. Although Tet is coming soon, a large number of beautiful flowers are available.

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Filed Under: Uncategorized SaiGon Times Daily, SaiGon Times tieng anh, thời báo kinh tế sài gòn, báo kinh tế việt nam bằng tiếng anh, tin kinh te, kinh te viet..., red most beautiful flowers, picture most beautiful flower, beautiful flowers how to draw, boonville flower and decor, images most beautiful flowers, flower how decoration, flower pot decoration, flower pot decorate, brilliance flower e decor, where will fenty beauty be available, gaikwad bandu flower merchant & decorator pune maharashtra, lotus flower for decoration

Traditional costumes reveal diversity among Dao ethnic groups

February 13, 2021 by e.vnexpress.net

The Dao are a major ethnic group with a population of 891,151 according to the 2019 census. They consist of several sub-groups and live mostly in the northern region. They have a diverse and rich culture and speak a number of different languages.

Lensman Nguyen Son Tung, also known as Tung “Dao” for his particular interest in the ethnic group, recently shot pictures of their traditional costumes.

Traditional costumes reveal diversity among Dao ethnic groups

Dao Lu Gang in Lang Son Province

A couple in wedding outfits accompanied by two pi le (a traditional wind instrument) players in Ai Quoc Commune, Loc Binh District.

The pi le is played on special occasions such as weddings, Tet (Lunar New Year) and sacred rituals.

Traditional costumes reveal diversity among Dao ethnic groups - 2

Two Dao Lu Gang girls pose in front of a cherry blossom tree on Mau Son Mountain, Lang Son Province, which borders China.

Their dress is adorned with a V-shaped scarf , four colorful patches from the hip and a white fabric sash around the wait. The undershirt is embroidered with silver star patterns and beads.

Red Dao in Lang Son Province

Traditional costumes reveal diversity among Dao ethnic groups - 4

A newly wedded Red Dao couple behind mustard flowers in Lung Slang Village, Tri Phuong Commune, Trang Dinh District.

Lung Slang Village has 35 households, all of Dao ethnicity, who live in an isolated area on the far side of a mountain range with only one road for access.

“As a guest at Dao weddings, I notice the ceremony tradition is well maintained for many generations,” Tung said. “The bride and groom and the entire procession coming to fetch the bride look proud in their traditional costumes.”

Dao Thanh Y in Lang Son Province

Traditional costumes reveal diversity among Dao ethnic groups - 6

Trieu Thuy Them of Dinh Lap District in her traditional dress.

In the past dresses used to be made of self-dyed fabric but since they are hard to wash, nowadays modern cloth is used instead. The solid black dress is embellished with hand-sewn beads in a fixed pattern.

Dao Quan Chet in Hanoi

Traditional costumes reveal diversity among Dao ethnic groups - 8

A Dao Quan Chet (Dao with strapped pants) woman in Ba Vi Commune, Ba Vi District, Hanoi.

In Ba Vi Commune, 98 percent of the population of around 2,000 are of Dao Quan Chet origin. “Their lifestyle is simple, but they generally have an optimistic view of life,” Tung said.

Nowadays though many young Dao people prefer to wear modern clothes in daily life, traditional costumes and customs are still treasured and preserved.

Dao Do in Yen Bai Province

Traditional costumes reveal diversity among Dao ethnic groups - 10

There are four main groups of Dao in mountainous Yen Bai Province, namely Red Dao, Dao Quan Chet, Dao Quan Trang (Dao with white trousers), and Dao Lan Tuyen.

The Red Dao wear the most flamboyant clothes of the four groups. In a palette of five colors from head to toe, red is predominant since they believe it represents happiness, strength and positive energy.

Red Dao in Ha Giang Province

Traditional costumes reveal diversity among Dao ethnic groups - 12

Hoang Su Phi District in Ha Giang is famed for its terraced rice fields, recognized as a national relic, and untouched lush green landscapes. It is also home to over 13,000 Dao people including the Red Dao, Dao Tien, Dao Ao Dai (Dao with long tunic), and Dao Quan Trang, who account for 22 percent of the district’s population.

The Red Dao here boast of a rich culture going back over 300 years. Most of them live in the southern parts of Hoang Su Phi District such as Ho Thau, Nam Ty and Thong Nguyen communes.

Dao Cham in Ha Giang Province

Traditional costumes reveal diversity among Dao ethnic groups - 14

A family of Dao Cham or Dao Ao Dai in Nam Dam communal cultural village, Quan Ba Commune, Quan Ba District.

The Dao Cham people in Nam Dam Village have preserved many of their daily customs and traditions. The village recently started providing homestay services for visitors.

Dao Tien in Tuyen Quang Province

Traditional costumes reveal diversity among Dao ethnic groups - 16

Dang Hong Ngan, an ethnic Dao Tien woman living in Tuyen Quang, poses for a Dao community event at the Hanoi Museum in June 2020.

In Tuyen Quang, each Dao group lives in certain areas, for instance, the Red Dao in Na Hang, Lam Binh and Chiem Hoa districts, and the Dao Tien in Chiem Hoa, Na Hang and Ham Yen districts.

Unlike the Red Dao, their garments have a toned down palette comprised of indigo and white.

Dao Tien in Cao Bang Province

Traditional costumes reveal diversity among Dao ethnic groups - 18

A majority of the Dao Tien in Cao Bang live in Na Chan Village, Hoa Tham Commune, Nguyen Binh District.

Their outfits are hand-spun and hand-embroidered. Their traditional techniques and hard-working nature ensure they have a steady livelihood from selling products such as dresses, tablecloth, headbands, and wall decorations.

Red Dao in Lao Cai Province

Traditional costumes reveal diversity among Dao ethnic groups - 20

A Red Dao woman in Khoang Village, Sa Pa Town.

The highlight of this costume is a long sash wrapped three or four times around the waist with a knot at the back.

Dao Thanh Phan in Quang Ninh Province

Traditional costumes reveal diversity among Dao ethnic groups - 22

A graceful Dao Thanh Phan woman with a dog in Binh Lieu District.

The traditional garments usually go with a box-like red hat held in place by a fabric string tied at the chin.

The motifs on their clothes represent images of ordinary things such as rakes used on farms, asparagus bean flowers and terraced rice fields.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Vietnam, ethnic Dao, traditional costume, Traditional costumes reveal diversity among Dao ethnic groups - VnExpress International

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