Nang dong tuoi tre

Tens of thousands of people crammed a relic site in northern Vietnam to commemorate the death of the nation’s founding fathers, the Hung Kings, on Wednesday despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

By that morning, visitors had arrived at the foot of Nghia Linh Mountain in Phu Tho Province, ready to hike to the top to pay homage at the Hung Kings Temple relic site.

Vietnam designates the tenth day of the third month in the lunar calendar, which is considered the death anniversary of the founding fathers, as a national holiday, which fell on Wednesday this year.

The deluge of visitors was preempted by local authorities, who mobilized approximately 1,000 police officers, soldiers, and volunteers to route traffic and ensure order at the temple.

The force spent the day reminding visitors of COVID-19 safety regulations and advising them against forming big swarms and jostling in queues.

Youth volunteers and police officers put together two human chains to guide the flow of visitors at the main entrance.

After guests of honor offered their incense sticks during an elaborate ceremony in the morning, the tens of thousands of visitors standing behind the gates were allowed to move into the temple.

By 9:00 am, the crowd in the temple had significantly enlarged, leading to long delays stretching down to the main square.

It is estimated that the Hung Kings Temple relic site welcomed some 20,000 visitors in just the morning.

Le Truong Giang, director of the site, said the mangement board had devised plans to ensure order and COVID-19 safety during the national holiday.

“During the ceremony for guests of honor, we cooperated with other forces in guiding visitors to the museum, as well as the Temples of Mother Au Co and Father Lac Long Quan [the legendary ancestors of the Vietnamese people] to avoid congestion,” Giang said.

Visitors wait at the entrance of the Hung Kings Temple relic site, Phu Tho Province, Vietnam, April 21, 2021. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

Police officers line up on the way to the Hung Kings Temple, Phu Tho Province, Vietnam, April 21, 2021. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

Visitors jostle to enter the Hung Kings Temple relic site in Phu Tho Province, Vietnam, April 21, 2021. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

Visitors jostle to enter the Hung Kings Temple relic site in Phu Tho Province, Vietnam, April 21, 2021. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

Visitors jostle to enter the Hung Kings Temple relic site in Phu Tho Province, Vietnam, April 21, 2021. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

A visitor salutes her acquaintance among the crowd at the Hung Kings Temple relic site in Phu Tho Province, Vietnam, April 21, 2021. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

Visitors throng the Hung Kings Temple relic site in Phu Tho Province, Vietnam, April 21, 2021. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

A guard hands out face masks to visitors at the Hung Kings Temple relic site in Phu Tho Province, Vietnam, April 21, 2021. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

A visitor prays outside a temple to avoid the crowd at the Hung Kings Temple relic site in Phu Tho Province, Vietnam, April 21, 2021. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

Visitors picnic at the Hung Kings Temple relic site in Phu Tho Province, Vietnam, April 21, 2021. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

Visitors throng the Hung Kings Temple relic site in Phu Tho Province, Vietnam, April 21, 2021. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

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ST25 , a high-end rice variety produced in Vietnam, is said to have been registered for trademark protection in the U.S., a trade promotion office told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Wednesday evening.

Vu Ba Phu, director of the Trade Promotion Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said that he had heard about the ST25 rice protection registration by some U.S. companies.

But Phu has yet to be able to confirm the accuracy of the information, he added.

Unconfirmed report

If such registration is confirmed to be true, it will be hard for Vietnamese businesses to directly export the ST25 rice to the U.S., Phu claimed.

This case gives a warning to Vietnamese enterprises about protecting their brands abroad, he remarked.

Enterprises should proceed with necessary steps on trademark protection when they ship goods overseas, especially in their key markets, he said.

Nguyen Trung Kien, vice-president of the Vietnam Food Association (VFA), also said he had yet to receive official information about American enterprises having registered for the protection of the ST25 rice trademark in the U.S. market.

The VFA had contacted the group that created the ST25 rice variety as well as some rice businesses for clarification but it has not received any official reply, Kien said.

“We have also kept in touch with the Ministry of Industry and Trade, which is said to be the origin of this information, but the ministry said such information is not clear,” said Phu.

“This issue still needs verification before any response is taken by concerned parties, so it is necessary to avoid causing confusion.”

This striking report has drawn great attention since the Vietnamese premium fragrant rice ST25 was honored as the best rice variety in the world at the 2019 World’s Best Rice contest.

In last year’s contest, the rice was named the world’s runner-up after its Thai rival.

Commenting on this matter, a director of a company specializing in exporting farm produce to the U.S. said that it is not uncommon for Vietnamese products to be registered by foreign enterprises for trademark protection in the U.S..

In the U.S., there are companies or importers that specialize in identifying the best-selling or promising brands of goods exported to the U.S. from other countries, the director said, adding that they will then carry out procedures to register for the protection of such trademarks in the U.S. market to gain a advantage in trade.

“Such registration is not unlawful but it must satisfy many relevant regulations before it is approved,” the director said.

“So there are still ways for Vietnamese businesses involved to struggle to reclaim their brands.”

“Businesses should register their trademarks in their potential export markets to avoid possible disadvantages or disputes.”

ST24 on the horizon

Meanwhile, Lao Dong (Labor) online newspaper reported on Wednesday that both Vietnamese varieties of ST25 and ST24 have been filed for trademark protection in the U.S by four American enterprises.

That means the exportation of these rice varieties from Vietnam to the U.S. would have to be subject to the approval of the American owners of ST25 and ST24 brands; otherwise, Vietnamese exporters would violate intellectual property (IP) rights over the two products, Lao Dong claimed.

“When exporting any products to any markets, Vietnamese enterprises must register for IP protection of their goods in those markets,” Lao Dong quoted Hoang Minh Chien, deputy director of the Trade Promotion Agency, as saying in an interview.

Currently, the ST24 and ST25 have been registered for IP protection in Vietnam only, Chien said.

In the event that the four U.S. businesses are granted protection over the two rice varieties, Vietnamese exporters must get a nod from these foreign enterprises for shipping such rice to the American market, the official told Lao Dong .

“Or Vietnamese exporters must change the names of such rice,” he said.

“Foreign enterprises act very fast.

“When we still focus on exporting new goods, they may have proceeded with registration of such commodities.”

Speaking to Lao Dong about whether a Vietnamese company may be the fifth registrant for IP protection for the two rice varieties, Chien said this requires a careful review of the records and the relevant provisions of the Law on Intellectual Property.

“Currently, the enterprise that owns the ST24 and ST25 rice brands in Vietnam has yet to contact us, so the progress of the IP registration by the American enterprises remains unknown,” Chien said.

“If they contact us, we may give them more specific consultancy.”

Local agricultural engineer Ho Quang Cua has bred and improved Vietnam’s ST rice varieties for over 20 years.

In 2017, the ST24 rice won second prize at the World’s Best Rice contest in Macau, China.

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Police in Ho Chi Minh City have completed an investigation and requested prosecution against a company director for appropriating money from 104 people in a Japan labor export scam.

The man in question is Doan Duy Binh, 37, director of Hajime Import Export Service Trading Co. Ltd., who was a migrant worker in Japan and a Japanese teacher in Vietnam between 2008 and 2011, a source told to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Tuesday.

In 2014, Binh established Hajime Import Export Service Trading Co. Ltd. but huge debts inhibited his ability to maintain the business.

During that time, Binh took money from 104 Vietnamese workers after promising to find them a job in Japan.

He used the money to pay his debts.

In return for the fees ranging from VND30 million (US$1,300) to VND115 million ($4,986), Binh advised his customers on procedures, records, and expenses for securing work visas in Japan.

The fees also included tuition for Japanese classes.

At the end of the Japanese courses, the victims asked Binh to sign the committed labor contracts.

The conman then offered them skilled internship contracts and collected their passports.

He also requested an additional VND20-40 million ($1,867-1,734).

In total, Binh’s scam earned him VND11.2 billion ($485,000) and $11,200, much of which was used to pay his debt and bet on football.

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The one-kilometer pedestrian zone spanning Phan Boi Chau to Dong Hai streets will open from 6 p.m. to midnight on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays as well as holidays, according to the provincial People’s Committee.

The launch of the pedestrian zone is part of authorities’ efforts to diversify tourist services and develop the local night-time economy.

From April 23 to May 2, the central province will host a tourism week with a range of activities including a street carnival, street music shows and traditional boat racing on Nhat Le River to attract tourists and improve revenues after more than a year of Covid-19 impacts.

Quang Binh, a popular tourist attraction, is home to UNESCO heritage site Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park and often referred to as the “Kingdom of Caves” as it boasts many limestone caves including Son Doong, the world’s largest.

In July 2020, the government approved a master plan for night-time economy development in the country, allowing major cities like Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang as well as other tourist destinations like Hoi An, Hue, Da Lat and Phu Quoc to pilot night-time services from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Hanoi, HCMC, Quang Ninh, Hue and Hoi An are among those now piloting night-time services.