Solutions for climate change

At the meeting, the city leader expressed his pleasure at good friendly and cooperative relations between Vietnam and the Netherlands, especially since the establishment of the diplomatic ties in 1973 and strategic partnership relations in water management and climate change adaptation in 2010. The Netherlands is currently the major trading partner and the eighth largest foreign investor of Ho Chi Minh City with 153 projects having the total investment capital of nearly US$2 billion. On the base of the desire to strengthen the mutual cooperation in the fields of climate change adaptation and sustainable agricultural development, HCMC has made efforts to materialize the potential cooperation, notably the public-private partnerships (PPP) initiative for the Sustainable Greater Ho Chi Minh City Flood Protection Scheme. As for Mr. Elsbeth Akkerman, she highly appreciated achievements of Ho Chi Minh City in the fields of urban infrastructure and public transport development.  … [Read more...] about Netherlands ready to support HCMC in projects against flooding

SEA of Solutions is an annual event covering the debate on plastic pollution, convened by the United Nations Environment Programme and the Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia, through the SEA Circular project supported by the Swedish government. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused new and extraordinary challenges, threatening public health, the economy, and the environment. Efforts to preserve life and prevent contagion, such as wearing masks and maintaining physical distancing remain important measures. However, repercussions are all being felt in the increased use of hand sanitisers and protective equipment; a resurgence in the use of plastics including single-use bags; extensive use of food delivery services and e-commerce; and delays or reversals in plastic bag bans. … [Read more...] about Drastic measures urged to curb rise in plastic usage

HCM City (VNA) – The export of coffee declined in both volume and value last year due to certain difficulties that are forecast to linger on for the time to come, insiders have said. Nguyen Viet Hai, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Coffee - Cocoa Association (Vicofa), told a meeting in Ho Chi Minh City on January 15 that in the 2019 - 2020 crop, 1.61 million tonnes of the bean was shipped abroad at the average price of 1,740 USD per tonne, bringing home 2.8 billion USD. The figures respectively fell 5 percent, 0.4 percent, and 5.3 percent from the previous crop. The export volume of processed coffee (roasted and ground coffee, instant coffee) dropped by over 17 percent to 110,000 tonnes, resulting a fall of 8.7 percent in value to more than 443 million USD, he pointed out. Hai noted coffee prices remain unstable, leading to a plunge in the purchase of the produce from farmers in the 2020 - 2021 crop. Fresh coffee is currently priced at 6.7 million - 6.9 million VND (about 289 - … [Read more...] about Difficulties still ahead for coffee sector: insiders

Until Jan 23, 2021 Mo Art Space, B3, Apricot Hotel, 136 Hang Trong Street Featuring 27 artworks from 22 Vietnamese and foreign artists. The artworks were created with various perspectives and stories, providing a panoramic view of landscape painting, a long history in Western and Eastern art. Hanoi-Online exhibition featuring shared culture of Vietnam, Australia … [Read more...] about What’s on January 18-24 (Daily updated)

In Hanoi, in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic, in the first three months of this year, more than 6,300 new businesses were established with total capital of VND103 trillion ($4.5 billion). It was an increase of one per cent in terms of the number of new businesses compared to the same period last year but a surge of 98 per cent of registered capital. … [Read more...] about Supporting start-ups to adapt to new normal