society

Covering jujube orchards with nets is helping farmers in Ninh Thuận Province improve the quality and yield of the fruit. — VNA/VNS Photo Nguyễn ThànhViet Nam News NINH THUẬN — Many jujube farmers in Ninh Thuận Province, the country’s largest producer of the fruit, are improving yields and quality by using nets to cover their orchards and protect them from pests. Đỗ Văn Thảo of Ninh Phước District’s Phước Dân Town, one of first farmers to use the method, said in previous years the Mediterranean fruit fly and other pests had caused severe damage to the jujube trees and reduced yields. Since last year, when he began to use a net to cover his 1ha orchard, the damage had been significantly less, he said. Since then the spoilage rate had been only around a few dozen kilogrammes per tonne of harvested jujube, he said. In the past, the rate used to be 300-400 kilogrammes, he said. The … [Read more...] about Ninh Thuận farmers use nets to protect jujube trees from pests

Farmers harvest the 2018 summer- autumn rice in Kiên Giang Province’s Giang Thành District. — VNA/VNS PhotoViet Nam News KIÊN GIANG — Kiên Giang Province, the country’s largest rice producer, has grown more than 4.34 million tonnes of paddy so far this year, 900,000 tonnes more than the full-year target. The Mekong Delta province grew the grain on a combined 728,400ha this year, with high-quality rice varieties accounting for 80 per cent, according to its Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Thus, if a hectare of land yielded two crops, the department counted it as two hectares of production. The 2017-18 winter-spring rice crop had the highest yield of seven tonnes per hectare compared to 5.3 tonnes for the summer-autumn crop, five tonnes for the autumn-winter crop, and 4.5ha for the mùa crop. The mùa crop is planted in the rainy season and the varieties grown have a maturity period of up to six months compared to … [Read more...] about Kiên Giang rice output exceeds full-year target

The number of Vietnamese students in the US has increased for 17 straight years. — Photo Courtesy of the US Consulate General in HCM City Viet Nam News HCM CITY— The number of Vietnamese students in the US has increased for 17 straight years, according to the Institute of International Education’s annual “Open Doors” report.  The report for the 2017-18 academic year shows Việt Nam remained the sixth leading country of origin for international students in the US, sending more than 24,300 students, nearly 1,900 students more than the previous year. The report shows 1.09 million international students came in the 2017-18, a 1.5 per cent increase.  They made up 5.5 per cent of all higher education students, up slightly from 5.3 per cent in the previous year.  Vietnamese students contributed $881 million to the US economy. Of the more than 24,300 coming during the year, 69.6 per cent were undergraduates, 15.2 per cent were … [Read more...] about 17 years and counting: number of VN students going to US continues to rise

A corner of Vân Đồn International Airport in the northeastern Quảng Ninh Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Văn ĐứcViet Nam News QUẢNG NINH — The northeastern province of Quảng Ninh will put three major transport projects into operation at the end of December. The projects are Vân Đồn International Airport, Hòn Gai International Cruise Port and the Hạ Long-Vân Đồn Expressway. The three projects, with a total investment of up to VNĐ25 trillion (US$1.07 billion), were funded by private companies, said the province’s Party Committee Secretary Nguyễn Văn Đọc. Đọc said the Vân Đồn International Airport was designed to receive the largest and most modern airplanes such as the A350 and B777. The airport covers more than 288ha with a capacity of five million passengers each year by 2030. In the meantime, the Hòn Gai International … [Read more...] about Quảng Ninh to put three major transport projects into operation in December

A pine tree seen in September in Bảo Lâm District after being poisoned by a chemical substance. — VNA/VNS Photo Nguyễn DũngViet Nam News LÂM ĐỒNG — Hundreds of pine trees in Lâm Hà District in the Central Highlands province of Lâm Đồng were allegedly poisoned to death, according to local authorities. A Vietnam News Agency (VNA) correspondent reported a vast swath of pine forest in Hamlet 6, Gia Lâm Commune had turned red. All the trees, with diameters ranging from 25 to 40cm, had numerous holes on their trunks. A plastic bottle containing pesticides was found in the area. Lê Khắc Phúc, deputy chairman of Gia Lâm Commune People’s Committee, told VNA that 647 pine trees covering a 16,800sq.m area were poisoned. All the trees are under the management of Nam Ban Protective Forest Management Board. “The saboteurs dug holes in the trunks and poured pesticide into them, making … [Read more...] about Hundreds of pine trees poisoned in Lâm Đồng