Bai hat viet nam

The French Institute in HCM City will host a series of activities to celebrate International Women’s Day, held at the Institute of Cultural Exchange with France (IDECAF) on March 8. Photo from the organiser’s Facebook event page

HCM CITY The French Institute in HCM City will host a series of activities to celebrate International Women’s Day held at the Institute of Cultural Exchange with France (IDECAF) on March 8.

The celebration will open with a photo exhibition featuring portraits of Vietnamese women taken by 15 young artists who participated in a photography workshop hosted by the French Institute in Huế and Đà Nẵng in January. The photos can be seen until April 9.

A talk show about gender equality will be organised featuring speakers of Julia Levivier, head of the French NGO organisation Planète Enfants & Développement (PE&D) in Việt Nam, psychologist Lý Thị Mai, and Lê Thị Hồng Ánh, head of Human Resources of Sanofi Vietnam.

The show will be hosted by Trần Anh Đào, economist, lecturer and researcher at the University of Rouen in France, and the Research Institute on Contemporary Southeast Asia. It will be presented in both Vietnamese and French.

The event will end with a screening of French documentary Des Femmes Et Des Hommes (Women And Men) by female director Frédérique Bedos with Vietnamese subtitles.

The celebration will begin at  5:45pm at 31 Thái Văn Lung Street in District 1. VNS

New Zealand and Vietnam today signed an Agriculture Cooperation Arrangement at an dialogue held virtually by New Zealand Chief Executive of the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries, Ray Smith, and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), Le Quoc Doanh.

At the dialogue, the two sides voiced their commitment to the two countries’ deepening agriculture and trade relationship. Smith and Doanh affirmed that the Strategic Partnership, which was jointly announced by Prime Ministers in July last year, has created a solid foundation for increasing bilateral agricultural cooperation and connections between the two countries.

Speaking at the dialogue, Chief Executive of the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries, Mr Ray Smith, emphasized that this is a valuable opportunity to consider what both sides can do together as they build resilience and vitality back into their agriculture economies following COVID-19.

The Agriculture Cooperation Arrangement will enable both sides to advance their key agricultural interests in enhancing bilateral trade, reducing agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, promoting food safety, utilising agriculture research and technology, and in rural development.

Speaking at the ceremony, Vice Minister Le Quoc Doanh of MARD said: “Agriculture is critical to the economic wellbeing of our countries. Both nations are strong agriculture producers and exporters, with complementary products. The establishment of the New Zealand – Viet Nam Agricultural Dialogue and the signing of the Agriculture Cooperation Arrangement today will boost our connections, cooperation and two-way trade, in line with what our two Prime Ministers highlighted during last years’ Strategic Partnership dialogue.”

The New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries is already supporting agriculture cooperation with MARD with activities in plant health, veterinary epidemiology and electronic certification. These activities complement New Zealand’s ongoing development programme, which has a number of agriculture projects including the premium fruit development project in Tien Giang, the rural dam safety project in Central Viet Nam, and the safe vegetables project in Binh Dinh.

Ray Smith, Chief Executive of the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries said that New Zealand has developed one of the most efficient agriculture sectors in the world, with a reputation for cutting edge research and technology, robust and safe agricultural practices, and delicious and high-quality products. He expressed his hope that the newly signed cooperation arrangement will help build value and expand investment opportunities between the two countries: “We recognise that increased trade is not just about exporting more products, it’s about an exchange of knowledge, expertise, technology, services, and investment. This two-way exchange benefits both of us.”

He added, “We also look forward to doing more to assist MARD’s greenhouse gas inventory capability through the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases.”

The two leaders confirmed their shared commitment to finalising new fruit access for each other this year so consumers can enjoy New Zealand strawberries and squash in Viet Nam and Viet Nam’s limes and pomelos in New Zealand.

Viet Nam is New Zealands’s 14th largest trading partner, with two-way trade valued at NZD$ 2 billion, at year end September 2020. While COVID-19 has posed some challenges, Viet Nam remains a promising market for New Zealand and vice versa due to robust demand for key agricultural products.

A medical worker checks the body temperature of a person at the gate of Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi

As a result, the number of COVID-19 cases in Vietnam had reached 194 as of 6am of March 30.

Case 189 is a 46-year-old woman who stayed at the same house with two other Truong Sinh employees who have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.

The five other infected women were born in 1971, 1984, 1997, 1999 and 1978. However, detailed information on those cases is not yet available. The Ministry of Health said it will announce the details later.

Meanwhile, the ministry also corrected information about the 184th and 185th patients, who were confirmed on late March 29.

Accordingly, Case 184 is a 42-year-old woman who works for the Truong Sinh company. She stayed at the same house with two other colleagues previously found positive for SARS-CoV-2.

Case 185 is a 38-year-old man living in Hoai Duc district of Hanoi. He cared for his brother-in-law under treatment at the neurology department of Bach Mai Hospital on March 15-16 and March 18-19.

Case 180 is a 27-year-old female student returning from France. She transited Thailand before arriving at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on Flight TG564 on March 20.

Case 181, a 33-year-old man, boarded the same flight to return to Vietnam from Thailand.

The next patient is a 19-year-old female student who headed home from Switzerland. She arrived at Noi Bai airport on Flight VN618 on March 20 after transiting Thailand.

The three are receiving treatment at the General Hospital of Ninh Binh province and in stable health condition.

Case 183 is a 43-year-old woman living in Trung Hoa ward of Hanoi’s Cau Giay district. She is a reporter and had an interview with Case 148 on March 12.

The 184th patient is also a 43-year-old woman who returned from Russia to Vietnam on Flight SU290 and landed at Noi Bai airport on March 25.

Case 185, a 38-year-old man in Hoai Duc district of Hanoi, received treatment at the neurology department of Bach Mai Hospital for eight days. He was discharged from hospital on March 19 but showed cough on March 24, then his specimens were taken for coronavirus testing.

Case 186 is a 52-year-old French woman who is the wife of Case 76. She reached Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City on March 10 on Flight TK162. She travelled to HCM City, Can Tho, Hoi An and Hue from March 10 to 16.

Case 187, a 30-year-old US citizen, arrived at Noi Bai airport on Flight VN0054 on March 13. He made self-quarantine from March 13 to 19 but still had close contact with nine people, including four Vietnamese and five foreigners, living in the same building in Tay Ho district of Hanoi.

The last is a 44-year-old woman living in Hanoi’s My Duc district. She is an employee of the Truong Sinh Company, which provides services for Bach Mai Hospital. She also had close contact with Case 169.

The six abovementioned cases are undergoing treatment at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases No. 2 in Hanoi’s Dong Anh district. They are also in stable health condition.

On March 29 afternoon, four patients treated at the COVID-19 hospital in Cu Chi district of HCM City were discharged from hospital. All of them are Vietnamese women who returned from other countries and were kept in quarantine since their arrival at Tan Son Nhat airport.

They have tested negative for the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 for three to four times and no longer show any symptoms of the disease.

Doctor Tran Nguyen Hoang Tu said after leaving the hospital, they will continue to be quarantined at home for 14 days, adding that three other patients are expected to leave the hospital on March 30.

65 patients negative for SARS-CoV-2

As of March 29 afternoon, 65 out of 188 COVID-19 patients in Vietnam tested negative for the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 after treatment, of whom 53 had negative results for two to four times.

According to the sub-department of treating COVID-19 patients under the Ministry of Health, three critically ill cases being treated at the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases No. 2 in Hanoi’s Dong Anh district are getting better.

One of them had mechanical ventilation removed on March 28 night. Meanwhile, the British patient is considered to be gradually reduce the use of mechanical ventilation, and the remainder is likely to get out of the Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine soon.

Regarding the COVID-19 prevention and control work, the ministry has warned all patients, their family members and those who came to Bach Mai Hospital from March 12 to 27 to contact health workers for consultations.

The Hanoi-based hospital is considered the biggest and most complex hotbed of COVID-19 in Vietnam at present, after at least 15 confirmed cases are linked with it.

Residents are advised to limit outings, wear face masks when going out and keep social distance, wash hands and clean houses regularly, and complete health declaration forms.

By March 30 morning, Vietnam recorded a total of 194 COVID-19 cases, with 25 fully recovering and discharged from hospital./.

Hanoi, HCM City issue rules for citizens to fight COVID-19

Two of the country’s biggest cities, Hanoi and HCM City, on March 27 issued a number of recommendations on social distancing for its citizens to follow amid growing concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, effective March 28 until at least April 15.

All meetings or congregations with attendance of over 20 people in a room will be halted, and no gatherings of more than 10 people outside the workplace or schools will be allowed. For those meetings with fewer participants than these limits, measures such as sterilisation, face masks and temperature checks must be implemented.

Face masks will be mandatory and maintaining a distance of two metres between people is recommended in all public places.

Frequent hand washing is also recommended.

The two cities’ authorities have also urged for a “complete halt” to all religious gatherings, cultural or sports and other entertainment activities in public places.

Citizens are told to stay inside and refrain from going outside unless truly necessary.

Hanoi will stop all bus operations until April 15. Taxies will be ordered to lower the windowpanes, while both drivers and passengers must wear face masks at all times, and the vehicles must be sterilised after each trip.

Hanoi will order the closing of all businesses, except for these cases: supermarkets (but not ones that provide entertainment or ones that provide on-site meals), malls, traditional markets (only food, vegetable and fruit stalls), convenience stores, grocery stores, flower and fruit shops, agricultural produce chain stores, pharmacies; health care services centres; banking services, and gas and petrol stations.

Citizens are also urged to conduct their shopping online with delivery at home services.

The same will also apply in HCM City.

Schools and vocational training centres in Hanoi are told to stop until further notice.

HCM City will issue five million pamphlets that list 12 dos and don’ts to all households to “mobilise the whole city” to join in efforts in containing the outbreak within the next two weeks, considered to be the critical golden window that determines the scope of the outbreak in Vietnam.

The southern city even told its citizens to not have contact or do business with those not wearing face masks.

Starting March 28, HCM City will issue fines for anyone who fails to wear masks in public or maintain the two-metre distancing.

High-rise buildings and apartment buildings that are using air conditioners are told to switch to fan and ventilator systems and open the windows as much as possible. If air-conditioning is necessary, the temperature should be set at a minimum of 27 degrees Celsius.

Companies and businesses with offices in high-rise buildings are advised to organise remote working for its workers.

Most of COVID-19 patients in stable condition

Health workers at a medical facility in Vietnam

Most of the 158 COVID-19 cases being treated in 20 health facilities nationwide are in stable condition, according to the sub-department of treating COVID-19 patients under the Ministry of Health.

Three critically ill cases are getting better thanks to the caring efforts of doctors and nurses at the National Hospital Of Tropical Diseases No. 2.

Another good news is that 33 patients have tested negative for the coronavirus for the first time, while 27 other had negative results twice.

Seven patients are expected to be discharged from hospital on March 29-30, then transferred to other facilities for further health monitoring.

As of March 29 morning, Vietnam reported 179 cases positive for SARS-CoV-2, of which 21 have recovered and left hospital.

Regarding the COVID-19 prevention work, the Ministry of Health has asked health departments across the country to seriously implement the directions of the Prime Minister and National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control in the spirit of “fighting the pandemic is like fighting the enemy.”

The ministry advised residents to limit outings, wear face masks when going out and keep social distance, wash hands and clean houses regularly, and complete health declaration forms.

On March 29, the ministry warned all patients, their family members and those who came to Bach Mai Hospital from March 12 to 27 to contact health workers for consultations. The Hanoi-based hospital is considered the biggest and most complex hotbed of COVID-19 in Vietnam at present, after more than 10 cases linked with it have been recorded./.

Embassy supports Vietnamese stranded in Singapore due to COVID-19

The Vietnamese Embassy in Singapore has liaised with relevant agencies of the host country to ask for help in visa extension and residence procedures for Vietnamese citizens who have been stranded in the country and wish to return home.

The embassy noted that as of the end of March 27, about 130 Vietnamese citizens, including mostly short-term labourers, aside from students and some coming to Singapore for medical treatment, had contacted the embassy to express their aspirations to return to the home country.

The embassy said it has been reporting the citizens’ aspirations to Vietnamese authorities and updating information about airlines’ flight cancellation, adding that it will notify the citizens of solutions as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, the Singaporean side has affirmed that its Immigration and Checkpoints Authority will assist the consideration of extending short-term visas for the Vietnamese nationals.

The embassy also called on the citizens to sympathise with domestic efforts in the fight against COVID-19, noting concentrated quarantine facilities in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have become overloaded.

It also asked the Vietnamese in Singapore to stay calm, refrain from travelling, stay away from crowded places, practice personal hygiene, and comply with the host country’s regulations on epidemic prevention and control.

In efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19, since March 23, the Singaporean Government has banned short-term visitors from entering or transiting this nation and cancelled a number of flights to countries that had issued similar entry bans.

The embassy has also informed Vietnamese people about Singapore’s tightening of such disease control measures so that they can make preparations./.

COVID-19: Samsung experts finish 14-day quarantine in Bac Ninh with no positive cases

The Health Department of northern Bac Ninh province announced on March 28 that 172 experts of Samsung Display, who flew into Vietnam from the Republic of Korea on March 13, have completed their 14-day quarantine period and all have tested negative for the SARS-CoV-2 for the second time.

Four medical workers and six policemen involved in the experts’ quarantine process and 53 staff members at the hotel where they were quarantined also tested negative for the coronavirus.

After the experts on March 27 moved out to other accommodations, the hotel was disinfected before welcoming other experts of the Samsung Display.

As schedule, 179 more experts of Samsung will travel to Vietnam to work on March 28. After receiving them at Quang Ninh province’s Van Don airport, Vietnam’s relevant agencies will update their personal information and travel history during the 14 days before their arrival, and check the SARS-CoV-2 test document given by the Kangbuk Samsung Hospital. The experts will then be taken to the hotel in Bac Ninh’s Yen Phong district for concentrated quarantine.

As of March 28 morning, Vietnam recorded 169 confirmed infections and no fatality.

Health condition of 42 COVID-19 patients in HCM City sees improvement

The health condition of 42 COVID-19 patients under treatment in Ho Chi Minh City has showed positive progress, Director of the municipal Health Department Nguyen Tan Binh told a press conference on March 28.

He said among them, seven have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 twice and could be discharged from hospitals in coming days, and two were negative once, adding that no patient is on ventilator.

Binh also refuted online rumor about one death from the disease.

The official said on March 28 morning, a new infection case was found in the city, raising the total number of patients to 42. The patients are being treated at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, the Cu Chi Hospital for acute respiratory disease, and the Can Gio Hospital.

According to Binh, investigations showed about 100,000 people from abroad have entered the city since March 8. On March 27, 1,000 of them were tested with one positive case.

Nearly 9,700 people in the city are currently under quarantine in designated facilities or at homes and accommodations.

The city is preparing more facilities to accommodate about 5,000.

The health department also plans to recommend scenarios to the municipal People’s Committee to respond to situations when there are 50-100, or even 500 infection cases, he said.

Vietnam to deal with COVID-19 pandemic effectively: Russian expert

A Russian expert has expressed his belief that Vietnam will deal with the COVID-19 pandemic effectively, thereby helping fulfill its role as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2020-2021.

In an interview with the Vietnam News Agency, Grigory Trofimchuk, Chairman of the Expert Council of the Foundation for Support of Scientific Research “Workshop of Eurasian Ideas”, said the COVID-19 prevention and control efforts by Vietnam recently have proved relatively fruitful, noting that the country can share its experience with other nations.

He described Vietnam as a surprising example when many patients have been cured, and it has publicised adequate statistics about the cases that have been infected, recovered or need medical monitoring.

He applauded the country’s viewpoint in this regard, its readiness to share experience in health care in general and the fight against COVID-19 in particular, with the world, and its participation in security ensuring and epidemic prevention and control, through which Vietnam is performing its role as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council well.

Trofimchuk, who has spent many years on studying Vietnam, said he believes the country will once again overcome the COVID-19 pandemic since its people have weathered a number of challenges over the past decades.

Talking about the post-pandemic recovery prospect in Asia, the expert also voiced his belief that with enough economic, financial and material resources, Asia will remain a growth engine of the world.

He also recommended Asian countries build strategic orientations for economic development in the future while working to combat COVID-19./.

Vietnamese in Algeria urged to strictly follow anti-pandemic regulations

The Vietnamese Embassy in Algeria has asked all Vietnamese citizens to strictly abide by regulations on COVID-19 prevention in the host country since the situation is developing complicatedly.

By March 28 afternoon, Algeria recorded 45 more infection cases and three deaths, raising the nationwide tallies to 454 and 29, respectively.

The embassy requested Vietnamese citizens to refrain from going out but stay at home as much as possible, avoid gatherings of more than two people, and especially obey the curfew issued on March 23 in Algiers capital from 7:00 pm to 7:00 am until there is further notice.

Vietnamese expatriates were advised to proactively take preventive measures such as wearing face masks, washing hands regularly and avoiding close contact to protect themselves and their family members, and update their health status to the embassy for timely support.

The embassy also informed the overseas Vietnamese community and foreigners in Algeria about the Government’s new decision on entry into Vietnam, including the suspension of entry to all foreigners, excluding those entering for diplomatic and official purposes or for participation in major diplomatic events, experts, business managers or highly skilled workers.

However, those allowed to enter Vietnam will be subject to medical checks and mandatory 14-day quarantine.

From 12:00 on March 23, Vietnam has suspended the validity of all visa exemption certificates issued for Vietnamese residing overseas and their spouses and children.

The embassy also suggested Vietnamese citizens not return home at this time since many countries have imposed strict travel restrictions and many transit flights have been cancelled, leaving passengers stranded at airports. There is also a high risk of infection on planes, the embassy explained.

In case of necessity, Vietnamese citizens could contact the embassy via hotlines 213.23485470 and 213.557863076/ 213.553222812.

Prime Minister praises public security, miliary forces in COVID-19 fight

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc especially praises those who are on the frontlines of the battle, adding that the images of military officers and soldiers sleeping outdoors at night and having quick meals to fight COVID-19 have proved the beautiful tradition of the heroic People’s Army of Vietnam.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has praised the military and public security forces for their great efforts in the fight against COVID-19.

In his letters sent to the forces on March 28, the Prime Minister wrote that the pandemic is developing complicatedly and unpredictedly in the country and the world, affecting seriously the national socio-economic development and public health.

With the spirit of “fighting the pandemic is like fighting the enemy”, the Party, Government and National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control have worked out a number of measures to mobilise the whole political system, agencies at all levels, sectors and people to drastically fight against the pandemic.

Realising the Government’s directions, the Ministry of National Defence has been increasing check-points at a number of trails; establishing emergency hospitals and concentrated quarantine areas; spraying disinfectant; receiving, caring and implementing medical quarantine for people entering Vietnam from pandemic-hit countries and territories, he said.

The PM especially praised those who are on the frontlines of the battle, adding that the images of military officers and soldiers sleeping outdoors at night and having quick meals to fight COVID-19 have proved the beautiful tradition of the heroic People’s Army of Vietnam.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Security has taken a raft of preventive measures such as tightening the control of entry-exit and management of foreigners to limit the coronavirus infections in the country; ensuring order and safety at concentrated quarantine areas; strictly handling those spreading false information about COVID-19; and actively preventing pandemic-related frauds.

The two forces have actively coordinated with medical workers to promptly detect infection cases and suspected ones to prevent the spread of the virus in the army and community, Phuc said.

As Vietnam is in critical time to prevent community transmissions, the PM called on the forces to continue heightening vigilance and determination to soon repel the pandemic in the country.

Vietnam Embassy in US supports citizens

The Vietnamese Embassy in the US is taking measures to support Vietnamese citizens amid concern about complicated developments of the COVID-19 epidemic in the US and new regulations of many countries, including Vietnam, regarding entry-exit and aviation transport.

The embassy has coordinated with the general consulates in Houston and San Francisco to help nearly 40 students who were stuck at Dallas airport (Texas) after their flights were cancelled.

The embassy has posted on its website guidance on COVID-19 with regularly updated information on the disease and new pandemic-related policies and rules of Vietnam and the host country, along with warning against possible risks.

The embassy has coordinated with associations of Vietnamese youth and students in the US to help Vietnamese students seek new accommodations when their schools close down, and raise support for the students.

At the same time, the embassy on March 25 published an electronic form for those who want to return to Vietnam to collect information on the need to report to the home country for consideration.

Regarding to reports that a number of crew members on the US’s aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt tested positive for SARS-CoV- 2 after the vessel visited Vietnam, Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Ha Kim Ngoc said when the carrier docked at Da Nang port and during the visit, both the Vietnamese and US sides had worked together to implement disease preventive measures. The visit was a success, contributing to deepening the Vietnam-US comprehensive partnership and maintaining peace, stability and stability in the region.

The ambassador made clear that during and after the Vietnam visit, the US carrier received many flights of US military, therefore the process of investigation is still underway with no conclusion yet on the cause and source of infection of the COVID-19 cases on the carrier.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday told the press that he thinks it would be difficult to tie down these active cases to the Da Nang port visit. “We’ve had aircraft flying to and from the ship, and so we just don’t want to say it was that particular port visit. We took great precautions when that crew came back from that shore period to do enhanced medical screening of the crew,” Gilday told reporters last week./.

COVID-19 patient No.33 discharged from hospital in Thua Thien-Hue

Official of Hue Central Hospital presents test result to patient No.33

Vietnam’s COVID-19 patient No 33, a UK man, was discharged from Hue Central Hospital, the second branch in Phong Dien district, the central province of Thua Thien – Hue, on March 28 after full recovery.

The 58-year-old patient tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in the central province of Quang Nam on March 10. He previously boarded the same flight from the UK to Noi Bai international airport in Hanoi as patient No 17.

This is the first fully recovered COVID-19 case in the hospital.

After being discharged from hospital, he will continue to be put under medical monitoring in line with regulations.

The hospital is still treating three other COVID-19 cases – the 30th, 31st and 49th patients, all are UK citizens.

The 49th patient, husband of the 30th, has tested negative once after being treated since March 7.

As of 5pm on March 27, up to 2,044 Vietnamese citizens returning from abroad were put under concentrated quarantine in the province.

The locality is preparing facilities to be able to receive additional 8,000 – 10,000 people.

As of 06:30 am on March 28, Vietnam recorded 169 infection cases. Until February 26, only 16 cases were reported and all the patients recovered and discharged from hospital. Since the detection of the 17th case on March 6 to present, five more patients have fully recovered./.

Newly issued stamps call for unity in fight against COVID-19

The Vietnam Stamps Company is set to release a new collection of stamps on March 31 based around the theme of joining together in the battle to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic.

The collection has been created by painter Pham Trung Ha in response to calls issued by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Information and Communications for citizens to take action in order to prevent and control the spread of the COVID-19.

The stamps have been created with the aim of sending clear messages of solidarity among all forces, including medical workers and those in the military, in addition to local people, that the COVID-19 epidemic can be pushed back.

Other stamps in the collection feature scientists, physicians, and doctors as they put their best efforts into researching vaccines, preventive medicines, and medical treatment needed to fight the dangerous virus.

The collection comes in two new models, at a cost of VND4,000 and VND15,000.

The stamps will be used in post offices nationwide between March 31 and December 31, 2021.

Vietnam confident of success

Vietnam is fighting some new enemies, who are invisible, elusive, and dangerous. The new virus SARS-CoV-2 and its allies, fear and uncertainty, are making people anxious and mistrustful. But whoever the enemies may be, the Vietnamese people are confident they will ultimately defeat them.

Hanoi is in a fierce fight right now against COVID-19, but it’s confident of winning the battle because the capital city has never been permanently defeated by any enemy.

Strange, difficult days

A world that had been rapidly changing with globalization and the 4th Industrial Revolution has suddenly slowed. Humankind, seemingly capable of conquering anything, now seems small and weak against a microscopic virus.

Vietnam has been able to contain the epidemic better than many richer countries have. Vietnam stands now as a beacon of hope: hope for overseas Vietnamese returning to the safety of home, hope for foreigners who have adopted Vietnam as their second homeland, and hope for humankind that there exists a stronghold against their common enemy.

The people of Vietnam, after an initial instinctive anxiety, have shown the same resilience they have shown for thousands of years. They have responded bravely to the call of their leaders to look after each other’s health and protect each other’s lives and not allow anyone to be left behind. Sneering cynicism has fallen mute before Vietnamese people’s humaneness and kindness.

Patriotism is stirred by seeing their leaders’ tired faces after sleepless nights spent directing the fight against the virus and persuading the public to make people’s lives and health their top priority.

From this fierce fight, stories of good deeds keep emerging: 95-year-old heroic mother Ngo Thi Quyt making facemasks to contribute her small part to the national effort, children donating their lucky money to the fight against COVID-19.

Moving stories shared on social networks recall stories of the last wartime, when students volunteered for combat and aging war veterans said they were ready to return to the front.

This fight is difficult but it carries the benefit of giving humankind a pause to think about their behavior toward nature and toward one another. It is testing every country’s resilience, social cohesion, and the adequacy of its political regime.

It is motivating every person to examine his or her lifestyle. In Vietnam it is recalling a tradition of solidarity in the face of an enemy and a tradition of helping one another in difficult times.

Love and faith

The pandemic is an alert for humankind and a challenge. The Vietnamese people need to remain unified and resilient, because every challenge is always followed by another, and the path to victory is always through danger and difficulty.

Now is the time for every Vietnamese person, family, organization, and business to prepare for the challenges that are coming.

The fight will be long and difficult. National and individual resources are limited. But Vietnamese can feel confident that Vietnam, led by a political regime which always puts the people first, will ultimately win this new war.

Agricultural production has been affected by abnormal weather conditions, climate change, and diseases over recent years. Many farms in southern Dong Nai province have applied high-technology in agricultural production in order to cope with the situation, helping increase quality and output.

High-tech production requires massive investment, not just capital but also technology, equipment, and “grey matter”, to adapt to cutting-edge manufacturing methods.

High-tech manufacturing models have been expanded around Dong Nai, especially in animal husbandry and on poultry farms.

Dong Nai has more than 46,000 hectares of crops using water-saving technology and the province has gradually changed to green breeding in accordance with Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practice (VietGAP) standards.

Agriculture accounts for 8.3 percent of Dong Nai’s economic structure and agro-forestry-fisheries value currently stands at nearly 1.8 billion USD. The results reflect the province’s large-scale manufacturing development investment and high-tech application to adapt to unfavourable conditions and meet market demand.

Vietnam’s growth outlook to depend on authorities’ response to new outbreak: WB

Vietnam’s growth prospects will depend on how well and how quickly the authorities will bring the new coronavirus outbreak under control and how quickly international and national vaccinations will proceed, according to the World Bank (WB).

In its Vietnam Macro Monitoring report issued earlier this month, the WB said January’s industrial production index jumped by 24.5 percent year on year, the highest growth rate since the beginning of 2019. Merchandise exports and imports respectively grew 51.8 percent and 41.8 percent from the same period last year.

The preliminary January goods trade surplus is estimated at 1.1 billion USD. Exports to the US and China continued the robust growth of 2020 while those to the EU, ASEAN, Japan and the Republic of Korea (RoK) bounced back strongly. Similarly, imports from the RoK, ASEAN and the US joined those from China, Japan and the EU to stay in expansionary territory.

In the first month of 2021, the Government spent a total of 99.6 trillion VND, which is slightly, 1 percent, higher than a year ago. Public investment reached 15 trillion VND, making the disbursement rate of 3.25 percent.

However, the WB added, while Vietnam’s economy has been extremely resilient to the COVID-19 crisis, preliminary results from the COVID-19 World Bank high frequency household survey of January show that almost half of households still reported lower household income than the year before. About 9 percent of households took loans and 15 percent reduced their consumption.

If persistent, this prudent behaviour will negatively affect aggregate domestic demand in the future, according to the bank.

It held that growth prospects for 2021 will be affected by how well and how quickly the authorities will bring the new outbreak under control and how quickly international and national vaccinations will proceed.

If the crisis lingers, the authorities may consider further monetary and fiscal support. Yet, special attention will have to be given to the fiscal space, the health of the financial sector and possible social effects as lasting loss of income among some households may create new inequalities and tensions, the report noted.

Jacques Morisset, WB Lead Economist for Vietnam, said the WB expects with many positive signs like the considerable progress in vaccine development and gradually resumed trading activities, the country can obtain growth of 6 percent in 2021./.

Binh Duong sees high trade growth

The southern province of Binh Duong achieved impressive growth in exports in January.

They grew 61.7 percent year-on-year to 2.98 billion USD.

Many of its main export items such as computers, electronics and components (75 percent) and wooden products (89 percent) saw high growth.

The textile-garment and footwear sectors, which struggled last year due to COVID-19, picked up pace as businesses began receiving more orders.

Exports to the US, which accounted for 65.2 percent of the province’s total exports in January, grew by 68.9 percent.

Exports to other markets such as Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan also saw growth.

Notably, Hai Duong province achieved 37 percent growth despite being severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic./.

Hotel occupancy rates in HCM City at less than 10 per cent

More independent trips, “free & easy” tours and guided small group tours will be high on travellers’ agendas for 2021, the HCM City Department of Tourism has said.

Staycations and luxury leisure vacations have been popular this year, the department said in a report. Short-distance itineraries to the southeastern region and Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta, following health and safety protocols, have been favoured by travellers.

Independent trips, including self-drive itineraries located near the city such as Vũng Tàu, Đà Lạt and Phan Thiết, saw a rise in visitors during the Tết holiday.

Lại Minh Duy, general director of TST Tourist, said domestic tours could be customised for each group or family, with socially-distanced and mask-wearing guidelines.

Many Tết tours had been delayed until the Reunification Day holiday on April 30, when COVID-19 outbreaks were expected to be contained by that time, Duy said.

Travellers scrambled to cancel trips and get refunds for tours during the Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday due to COVID-19 outbreaks in late January, just a few days ahead of Tết.

Around 500 customers cancelled Tết tours worth a total of VNĐ 6 billion (US$260,400) at leading travel firms in the city. Most of them required full refunds and refused to delay trips, firms said.

Travel demand during Tết was nearly at a standstill. During the holiday, popular tourist and entertainment sites in the city such as Đầm Sen Park, Suối Tiên Theme Park, Văn Thánh and Bình Quới tourist sites were closed to contain the spread of the virus.

Hotels in HCM City are now operating at occupancy rates of less than 10 per cent, according to the department. Many hotels prepared special F&B programmes and offered promotions to meet rising demand during the Tết season but were then affected by the new outbreaks.

As many as 29 hotels with a total of 2,053 rooms have been approved to serve as hotel quarantine areas, and four more, with a total of more than 440 rooms, are waiting for approval from city authorities.

Investor begins building ICT service chain in Đà Nẵng

Trung Nam Group has started construction of five factories at the Information Technology and Communication (ICT) Service Zone in Đà Nẵng to host the moves of global supply chains.

The general director of Trung Nam Group, Nguyễn Tâm Tiến said the factory chain would be built on 9.3ha at Đà Nẵng Information Technology Park with an investment of VNĐ1.5 trillion (US$65.2 million).

The group would also develop an apartment and villa zone for expert and engineers and an eco-park project on 26ha with a total of VNĐ2.1 trillion ($91.3 million) for accommodation facilities for investors and their families in the near future, he said.

Tiến said the group planned to build 23 more ICT factories and R&D zones to meet increasing demand from global partners

“We debuted the first surface-mount technology (SMT) factory with a capacity of 6.2 million electronic products per year at the Đà Nẵng Hi-tech Park last year after three months of research,” he said.

He said the operation of the SMT factories chain will be a key step in building the Đà Nẵng IT Park as central Việt Nam’s ‘Silicon Valley’, and call for investors from Silicon Valley and the US to invest in high-tech industries, artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation.

Trung Nam completed the first investment phase on 131ha at Đà Nẵng IT Park with an investment of $47 million. It plans to develop the second phase on another 210ha with estimated funds of $74 million.

Universal Alloy Corporation – a leading global manufacturer of aircraft components for aerospace companies – from the US launched its factory for aircraft components worth $170 million, at the city’s Hi-Tech Park last March.

Alton Industry from the US also plans to build a robot manufacturing project in the city’s Hi-tech Park.

In 2019, two of the first Silicon Valley-based businesses – Meritronics AMT Inc and Ai20X Silicon Valley – agreed with Trung Nam Group to develop the Đà Nẵng IT Park.

Last year, South Korea’s LG Electronics and Trung Nam Land JSC inked an agreement with a vision to transform Đà Nẵng into the centre of technology and R&D in Việt Nam.

Kien Giang expands lucrative shrimp-breeding models

The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Kiên Giang plans to expand its brackish-water shrimp farming areas this year in an aim to increase farmers’ incomes and adjust to soil, water and climatic conditions.

Quảng Trọng Thao, deputy director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that intensive industrial shrimp breeding with advanced techniques would be done in areas that have sufficient infrastructure and investment capacity, primarily in the Long Xuyên Quadrangle.

The province will also review and turn unproductive rice fields into rice – shrimp farming fields that rotate the cultivation of shrimp and rice on the same fields, he added.

The province is encouraging farmers to breed shrimp using advanced two-stage and three-stage industrial farming models, and apply Vietnamese good agricultural practice (VietGAP) standards and other international farming standards to meet export requirements.

The province is developing rice – shrimp farming areas in the districts An Biên, An Minh, Vĩnh Thuận, U Minh Thượng, Gò Quao, Hòn Đất, Kiên Lương and Giang Thành.

Kiên Giang, which is the country’s largest rice producing province, has turned thousands of hectares of unproductive rice fields in coastal areas into rice-and-shrimp rotation models in recent years.

With a coastline of more than 200 kilometres, the province has advantages to develop rice – shrimp farming models in coastal areas.

Hòn Đất District alone has conditions to develop its rice – shrimp farming area to 20,000ha. The district plans to expand the area to 16,000ha by 2030.

Under the rice – shrimp farming model, farmers rotate growing rice in the rainy season and breeding shrimp in the dry season in the same fields, or intercrop breeding shrimp in ditches around rice fields and growing rice at the same time.

The rice – shrimp farming model offers farmers an average profit of VNĐ70 – 100 million (US$3,000 – 4,400) per hectare a year, two to three times higher than only rice cultivation, according to farmers.

Farmer Huỳnh Văn Bạc has intercropped cultivating mùa rice and giant river prawn on 3ha in Châu Thành District’s Vĩnh Hòa Phú Commune since 2017.

He has earned an average profit of more than VNĐ160 million ($7,000) a crop.

Mùa rice is planted only in the rainy season and lasts about six months each crop.

“The cultivation of mùa rice helps farmers reduce production costs and get high prices. I also earn additional income from harvesting giant river prawn,” Bạc said.

He said that farmers need help from local agencies to access soft loans and advanced farming techniques.

Since early this year, farmers have received high prices for shrimp varieties because of high export demand.

The price of white-legged shrimp, for instance, increased to VNĐ150,000 – 198,000 ($6.5 – 8.6) a kilogramme early this year, up VNĐ10,000 – 15,000 against the end of last year.

Farmers who breed giant river prawn had a bumper harvest of shrimp before and after Tết (Lunar New Year). Traders are buying giant river prawn at a high price of VNĐ130,000 – 180,000 ($5.7 – 7.8) a kilogramme, depending on their size.

The brackish-water shrimp farming area will be expanded to 136,000 ha with an annual output of 98,000 tonnes this year, according to the province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Of the figure, industrial and semi-industrial farming models will cover 4,000ha, shrimp – rice farming 104,500ha, and advanced extensive farming 27,500ha.

Last year, the province bred 134,235ha of brackish-water shrimp with an annual output of 92,490 tonnes.

HCM City to fill 30,000 job vacancies after Tet

There will be some 30,000 job vacancies in Ho Chi Minh City after the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, according to the city’s Human Resources Forecast and Labour Market Information (Falmi) Centre.

Most recruitment will be in business-trade, services, garment-leather footwear, food processing, chemical-plastic-rubber, customer service, transport-warehouse-port services, IT, and tourism-restaurant-hostels.

Falmi Centre Vice Director Do Thanh Van said that 85.8 percent of the total vacancies are for trained and skilled employees.

According to head of the Ho Chi Minh City Export Processing and Industrial Zones Authority Hua Quoc Hung, businesses at local export processing and industrial parks need to employ some 12,000 workers to satisfy their production plans, 2,540 of whom must hold university degrees and 4,700 secondary education certificates or college degrees.

Vacancies are seen in the garment and leather footwear sector and from enterprises at Tan Binh, Linh Trung 1 and 2, and Tan Tao processing and industrial zones, to cover for workers who left their jobs last year.

The Falmi Centre said that the city will have around 70,000-75,000 job vacancies in the first quarter, mostly in business-trade, services, garment-leather footwear, food processing, chemical-plastic-rubber, customer service, and IT, among others./.

Vietcombank offers interest reduction on COVID-19-affected customers

The Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam (Vietcombank) – one of the major banks in Vietnam – on February 22 announced that it will reduce the interest rate on all existing loans for three months until May 22.

The decision is part of the bank’s effort to support its customers amid impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Specifically, Vietcombank will lower interest rate for COVID-19-hit enterprises by 10 percent, and 5 percent for remaining customer groups that suffer negative impacts from the pandemic.

For individual customers, Vietnambank will reduce interest rate by 0.2 percent per year for those who take loans for production and business.

According to the bank, 105,000 customers will benefit from the programme with total credit of 350 trillion VND (15.18 billion USD), accounting for 40 percent of the total outstanding debt balance of the bank.

In 2020, Vietcombank offered five interest reduction programmes to support enterprises and people affected by COVID-19 and flooding, becoming the credit institution to offer largest reduction in many years, and bringing the loan interest to the lowest level in the banking system.

The total amount of loans covered by interest reduction programmes was 441.7 trillion VND, while the total value of interest reduction in 2020 was nearly 4 trillion VND.

Alongside, Vietnambank has restructured the payment date and maintained the debt group classification on over 5.15 trillion VND worth of loans.

Sustainability the goal for agricultural goods

The consumption of agricultural products will move towards diversity and sustainability, according to a newly-approved plan.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc recently approved a plan to change agricultural product consumption in 2021 – 2025, with a vision to 2030.

The plan, designed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, aims to reorganise agricultural production on a large scale in accordance with the planning and requirements of the market, accelerating the use of science and technology, and applying traceability of agricultural products.

Along with that, trade and services cooperatives will be consolidated and developed as a necessary intermediary between farmers, businesses and banks to organise consumption for farmers.

The plan will build a binding mechanism linking the main parties in the agricultural product consumption channel and supportive policies to encourage all parties to link organically from material supply, production to the consumption of agricultural products.

The plan is also set to promote communication and raise awareness of organisations and individuals about innovating methods of trading and consuming agricultural products.

In addition, the management of safe production processes and product quality control will be strictly enhanced before selling to the market, ensuring agro-products meet not only domestic standards but also standards of importing countries.

The plan states the modernisation of production and business will focus on trade promotion, agricultural branding activities gradually, domestic and international market expansion to limit dependence on certain markets to reduce risks and improve the values of agricultural products; research, and science and technology application enhancement./.

Public investment disbursement must be sped up: minister

Speeding up the disbursement of public investment from the start of this year was an important solution to accelerate economic recovery amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Minister of Finance Dinh Tien Dung has said.

The global economy was expected to embark on the recovery process after a deep downturn in 2020 due to the pandemic. However, the recovery would be different from country to country, depending on the developments of the pandemic and efforts to contain the virus.

“It is necessary to drastically implement measures to accelerate the disbursement of public investment in 2021, right from the first months of the year to create the impetus for economic growth to meet and even exceed targets,” the minister said.

Accountability must be enhanced, he stressed.

To make public investment a pillar for economic growth, the finance ministry is developing a programme with a focus on removing legal bottlenecks to disbursement of public investment.

Inspections would also be enhanced to ensure the allocation and use of public investment to follow National Assembly and Government plans while close watch would be kept on the process to tackle problems.

Regarding the disbursement of public investment from foreign loans, Dung said the progress remained stagnant, partly due to the pandemic.

There were also subjective reasons for the stagnation, including slow site clearance, a lack of accountability and poor preparation which required adjustments and slowed disbursement, he said.

He said that to fulfil the public investment plan for 2021-25, it was important to enhance the accountability of all parties relevant to the use of public investment in all stages, from preparation to implementation and settlement.

Projects which failed to meet planned progress should have their capital revoked, he stressed.

Statistics of the Ministry of Planning and Investment showed the disbursement of public investment was estimated at 398 trillion VND (17.3 billion USD) as of the end of December, meeting 82.8 percent of the Government’s plan – the highest rate in the 2016-20, thanks to the Government’s determination to speed up the disbursement of public investment as a major driver for economic growth.

According to the General Statistics Office, every increase by 1 percent in public investment disbursement would push GDP by 0.06 percentage points.

The Vietnamese economy expanded at 2.91 percent in 2020, the lowest rate in the past decade but this was considered a big success in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic./.

Binh Duong sees high export and import growth in January

Binh Duong Province achieved impressive growth in exports in January to rank third in the country behind only HCM City and Bac Ninh Province.

They grew 61.7 per cent year-on-year to US$2.98 billion.

Many of its main export items such as computers, electronics and components (75 per cent) and wooden products (89 per cent) saw high growth.

The textile-garment and footwear sectors, which struggled last year due to COVID-19, picked up pace as businesses began receiving more orders.

Exports to the US, which accounted for 65.2 per cent of the province’s total exports in January, grew by 68.9 per cent.

Exports to other markets such as Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan also saw growth.

HCM City led the country with exports of $8.9 billion, and Bac Ninh followed with $7.7 billion.

Notably, Hai Duong Province achieved 37 per cent growth despite being severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sustainability the goal for agricultural product consumption

The consumption of agricultural products will move towards diversity and sustainability, according to a newly-approved plan.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc recently approved a plan to change agricultural product consumption in 2021 – 2025, with a vision to 2030.

The plan, designed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, aims to reorganise agricultural production on a large scale in accordance with the planning and requirements of the market, accelerating the use of science and technology, and applying traceability of agricultural products.

Along with that, trade and services co-operatives will be consolidated and developed as a necessary intermediary between farmers, businesses and banks to organise consumption for farmers.

The plan will build a binding mechanism linking the main parties in the agricultural product consumption channel and supportive policies to encourage all parties to link organically from material supply, production to the consumption of agricultural products.

The plan is also set to promote communication and raise awareness of organisations and individuals about innovating methods of trading and consuming agricultural products.

In addition, the management of safe production processes and product quality control will be strictly enhanced before selling to the market, ensuring agro-products meet not only domestic standards but also standards of importing countries.

The plan states the modernisation of production and business will focus on trade promotion, agricultural branding activities gradually, domestic and international market expansion to limit dependence on certain markets to reduce risks and improve the values of agricultural products; research, and science and technology application enhancement.

HCM City developers move to provinces on cheaper prices, improving transport infrastructure

While the HCM City housing market has gone quiet after the renewed outbreak of COVID-19, the market in neighbouring provinces like Dong Nai, Long An and Binh Duong has seen robust growth this year, experts said.

Distance is no longer a problem for developers in and around HCM City thanks to improved transport infrastructure, and they are increasingly looking at neighbouring provinces where prices are more reasonable and have potential for property development.

A recent report by the Viet Nam Association of Realtors (VARS) said the development of Long Thanh International Airport in Dong Nai and Thu Duc City and the construction of new roads and bridges connecting the south-eastern region with HCM City have led to increased activity in the real estate market.

This is creating a wave of investment in emerging markets while traditional markets are reaching saturation point, general director of real estate services firm DKRA Viet Nam, Pham Lam, said.

In Binh Duong Province, land in areas adjacent to HCM City which have potential for economic development, such as Thuan An and Di An cities, have become ideal for affordable apartment projects, a product the city lacks.

VARS said apartment prices in Binh Duong increased sharply last year despite Covid-19 — from VND25-30 million (US$1,080-1,300) per square meter to VND30-35 million (US$1,300-1,500) — but remain much lower than in the city.

In Dong Nai, land prices in areas close to the eastern part of HCM City have also increased, especially thanks to the construction of the airport in Long Thanh.

In 2019 the average land price was VND12-14 million per square metre, and rose to VND22 million last year. In Long Thanh Town, the price has surged to VND100 million in some areas.

The real estate market in Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province is also hot since it is adjacent to HCM City and has great potential for tourism development.

Investors also are keen on Long An Province, which too borders HCM City. Some projects with high potential go for VND21-26 million per square metre while in other areas is VND13-15 million.

No land is available in recent projects at less than VND15 million.

Covid-19 causes insolvency of real estate enterprises

The real estate industry has accounted for about 4.42% of Vietnam’s total gross domestic product in 2020.

Nearly 1,000 real estate enterprises have completed dissolution procedures in 2020 in Vietnam due to the impact of Covid-19, according to the Ministry of Construction.

A number of real estate enterprises had to go bankrupt due to Covid-19 in 2020. Photo: Doan Thanh

Last year, many real estate enterprises had to improve their capacity and increase adaptability to the pandemic. The number of the newly-established enterprises in the sector in 2020 was 6,694, down 15.5% compared to 2019.

In the last quarter of 2020, the sector slightly expanded compared to growth in the first quarter mainly thanks to the rapid recovery of the housing and industrial segments. This led to a positive growth for the whole year of 2020.

According to the Ministry of Construction, the real estate credit kept expanding in the whole year of 2020, except for the first quarter because of the Covid-19 outbreak.

In addition to bank credit, which was the main source of capital, the real estate market lured inflows from other sources such as individuals, remittances and capital from the issuance of stocks, bonds of listed companies and foreign-invested enterprises.

Bình Dương sees high export and import growth in January

Bình Dương Province achieved impressive growth in exports in January to rank third in the country behind only HCM City and Bắc Ninh Province.

They grew 61.7 per cent year-on-year to US$2.98 billion.

Many of its main export items such as computers, electronics and components (75 per cent) and wooden products (89 per cent) saw high growth.

The textile-garment and footwear sectors, which struggled last year due to COVID-19, picked up pace as businesses began receiving more orders.

Exports to the US, which accounted for 65.2 per cent of the province’s total exports in January, grew by 68.9 per cent.

Exports to other markets such as Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan also saw growth.

HCM City led the country with exports of $8.9 billion, and Bắc Ninh followed with $7.7 billion.

Notably, Hải Dương Province achieved 37 per cent growth despite being severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

HCM City developers move to provinces on cheaper prices, improving transport infrastructure

While the HCM City housing market has gone quiet after the renewed outbreak of Covid-19, the market in neighbouring provinces like Đồng Nai, Long An and Bình Dương has seen robust growth this year, experts said.

Distance is no longer a problem for developers in and around HCM City thanks to improved transport infrastructure, and they are increasingly looking at neighbouring provinces where prices are more reasonable and have potential for property development.

A recent report by the Việt Nam Association of Realtors (VARS) said the development of Long Thành International Airport in Đồng Nai and Thủ Đức City and the construction of new roads and bridges connecting the south-eastern region with HCM City have led to increased activity in the real estate market.

This is creating a wave of investment in emerging markets while traditional markets are reaching saturation point, general director of real estate services firm DKRA Việt Nam, Phạm Lâm, said.

In Bình Dương Province, land in areas adjacent to HCM City which have potential for economic development, such as Thuận An and Dĩ An cities, have become ideal for affordable apartment projects, a product the city lacks.

VARS said apartment prices in Bình Dương increased sharply last year despite Covid-19 — from VNĐ25-30 million (US$1,080-1,300) per square meter to VNĐ30-35 million (US$1,300-1,500) — but remain much lower than in the city.

In Đồng Nai, land prices in areas close to the eastern part of HCM City have also increased, especially thanks to the construction of the airport in Long Thành.

In 2019 the average land price was VNĐ12-14 million per square metre, and rose to VNĐ22 million last year. In Long Thành Town, the price has surged to VNĐ100 million in some areas.

The real estate market in Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu Province is also hot since it is adjacent to HCM City and has great potential for tourism development.

Investors also are keen on Long An Province, which too borders HCM City. Some projects with high potential go for VNĐ21-26 million per square metre while in other areas is VNĐ13-15 million.

No land is available in recent projects at less than VNĐ15 million.

Enhancing added value for rice industry

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has just approved a project on restructuring the Vietnam’s rice industry until 2025 with a vision to 2030.

Accordingly, Vietnam will continue to restructure the rice industry in the direction of improving efficiency and sustainable development towards the objectives of fully meeting domestic consumption demand, being the core in ensuring national food security, and enhancing the efficiency of the rice value chain.

Under the project, Vietnam also expects to adapt to climate change and mitigate the impacts of climate change, make efficient use of natural resources and protect the ecological environment, and increase income for farmers and benefits for consumers, in addition to exporting high quality and high value rice.

The country also plans to keep its rice area at 3.6 to 3.7 million hectares by 2025, with rice production of 40 to 41 million tonnes per year.

The rice industry also aims at exporting 5 million tonnes of rice each year by 2025, including 40% fragrant rice, specialty rice and japonica rice, 20% sticky rice, 20% high quality rice, 15% medium and low-grade rice, and 5% products processed from rice. The percentage of branded rice exports is over 20%.

The country sets the target of exporting 4 million tonnes of rice by 2030, including 45% fragrant rice, specialty rice and japonica rice, 20% sticky rice, 15% high quality rice, 10% medium and low-grade rice, and 10% products processed from rice, with over 40% branded rice exports.

A notable aspect of the project is that the rice export volume has decreased gradually in each period, but the criteria for specialty rice, high quality rice, processed products from rice, and percentage of branded rice exports sees increases year by year.

This shows that the future direction of the rice industry is to reduce the area and output for export towards a focus on improving rice quality and selling prices.

This is the right target which is suitable to the current situation of rice production and export, particularly in the context that Vietnam has signed many free trade agreements (FTAs) with international partners, such as the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and the UK-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA).

To make the best use of the advantages from FTAs, the rice industry has to constantly improve product quality to meet the increasingly strict requirements of importing countries.

Rice is a strategic commodity of our country, not only contributing to the economic development but also playing an important role in ensuring national food security. Therefore, promoting the restructuring of this industry is essential to better boost the achieved results while igniting untapped potential.

The solution for the coming time is to develop concentrated rice production areas with identified varieties and the links between production, consumption and export. It is also important to strictly control the production process, obey the limit of pesticide residue, and ensure traceability.

The rice industry also needs to apply advanced technology in terms of post-harvest preservation and processing to reduce losses, ensure uniform quality of rice products, and fully satisfy food hygiene and safety regulations.

EVN gets nod to develop major thermal power plant in Quang Binh

The estimated investment for the project, which was designed to have a capacity of 1,200 megawatts, will include EVN’s equity of more than VND9.6 trillion and loans of over VND38.5 trillion, the local media reported.

The first generator of the plant is expected to be put into commercial operation in 2028 and the second generator in the following year.

The prime minister has urged the government of Quang Binh Province to accelerate the issuance of the investment registration certificate, the handover of land for EVN and the conversion of the land use purpose as well as to supervise the execution of the project. The Government leader has also asked the province to coordinate with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and EVN to assess the possible impacts of the project on the environment.

Meanwhile, EVN must be responsible for capital mobilization solutions of the project. It must also ensure the effectiveness of the State capital poured into the project.

Vietnam urged to increase added value for rice industry

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has granted approval to a project aimed at restructuring the Vietnamese rice sector by 2025 and 2030, with a primary focus on improving the sector’s added value.

Under the scheme, the local rice sector will boost restructuring, meet domestic consumption demand, constantly ensure national food security, improve the quality and nutritional value of products, and establish.

Furthermore, restructuring operations will aim to adapt to and mitigate climate change, whilst making use of natural resources in an effective manner, protecting the environment, increasing farmer income, and exporting high-quality rice.

With regards to rice exports, the sector has set the aim of exporting five million tonnes of rice by 2025 and four million tonnes by 2030, of which fragrant, specialty and japonica rice will account for the largest proportion with 40% and 45%, respectively.

Most notably, despite the rice export volume enduring a downward trajectory, the quality and price of rice has significantly improved in recent times.

According to experts, to take full advantage of free trade agreements (FTAs) such as the EU-Vietnam FTA (EVFTA), the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and the UK-Vietnam FTA (UKVFTA), the rice sector will be required to improve product quality to meet the stringent requirements of importers.

They also emphasised the necessity of developing rice farming areas that grow high-quality rice varieties, with a specific focus on boosting connectivity among production, consumption, and export, whilst strictly controlling the maximum limit of pesticide residue and origin traceability.

The sector has been advised to apply preservation and processing technologies in the post-harvest period to churn out high-quality products that are in line with food hygiene and safety regulations.

HCM City: Korean bank proposes investment study for Metro Line No. 5

The Export-Import Bank of the Republic of Korea (KEXIM) has asked Ho Chi Minh City’s authorities for permission to conduct an investment study for Phase 2 of Metro Line No. 5, set to be carried out in the public-private partnership (PPP) format.

In its letter sent to the Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee and the city’s Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR), KEXIM said it will soon provide funding for the update of the project’s pre-feasibility study, which covers technical, financial, and legal aspects, according to the MAUR.

The bank noted that members of the research group and participating investors have experience in building and operating urban railway routes, including Metro Line No. 9 of the RoK’s Seoul capital, in the PPP format.

The MAUR said it had a working session on January 19 with some investors and consultancies from the RoK to discuss the study and related orientations for the project.

The Korean side, including KEXIM and some businesses and consultancies, presented the plan to update the pre-feasibility study, whose final version is expected to be submitted by the end of 2021.

The pre-feasibility study for Phase 2 of Metro Line No. 5 was previously financed by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). However, due to certain objective reasons, the project was unable to be funded through official development assistance (ODA) loans, but the PPP format.

The 23.39km-long Metro Line No. 5 is developed in two phases.

The first one, from the Bay Hien intersection to Sai Gon Bridge, is about 8.8km long and invested with around 1.66 billion USD. It is funded with ODA capital from the Spanish Government, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the European Investment Bank (EIB), and the German development bank KfW.

Meanwhile, Phase 2 is about 14.5km long./.

Aquatic product exports forecast to reach 9.4 billion USD in 2021

Vietnam’s aquatic product exports are expected to rake in 9.4 billion USD this year, a surge from 8.5 billion USD in 2020, driven by a strong rebound in demand of export markets and the support of free trade agreements, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Producers and Exporters (VASEP).

Analysts of FPT Securities JSC (FPTS) predicted Vietnam to continue increasing shrimp output in 2021, reaching 730,000 tonnes, up 4 percent year-on-year.

Stable supply will be an advantage for Vietnamese shrimp exporters to expand their market shares in export markets.

The prices of exported shrimps are also forecast to rise slightly by 5 percent to an average of 9.6 USD per kg, according to an FPTS report.

Meanwhile, experts from BIDV Securities Company said that it is difficult for Vietnam’s shrimp sector to enjoy high export growth in 2021, as the production of competitive countries such as India and Ecuador begin strong recovery, especially when the two countries’ shrimp prices are 10-15 percent lower than that of Vietnam.

However, the shipment of shrimps to the EU, which accounts for 21 percent of Vietnam’s total shrimp export turnover, is expected to be supported by the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).

The tariffs imposed on frozen shrimps were slashed to zero percent immediately after the EVFTA became effective on August 1, 2020, while those on processed shrimps will reduce to zero percent from January 1, 2027.

The output of Vietnam’s tra fish is also forecast to maintain uptrend this year.

FPTS expects that the export will bounce back thanks to increasing demand of Vietnam’s main importers such as China, the US, and the EU.

Vietnamese businesses’ efforts to focus on value added processed products which meet all requirements on food safety and origin traceability of products will be paid off, with the export value of processed tra fish to surge in 2021./.

Source: VNA/VNS/VOV/VIR/SGT/Nhan Dan/Hanoitimes

Hải Dương Province started to conduct large-scale testing for the novel coronavirus, using realtime-PCR technology from Wednesday. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Nine community cases of COVID-19 were reported on Wednesday evening, all in the northern province of Hải Dương.

Six cases are in Kim Liên Commune, Kim Thành District which is under lockdown.

Two are in Cẩm Giàng District and were previously quarantined.

One case in Thanh Hà District was detected through mass screening.

All of the new patients are being treated at the second field hospital of the province.

An additional 30 COVID-19 patients were given the all-clear on Wednesday evening, raising the total recoveries to 1,790. The death toll remains at 35.

There have been 1,504 community infections so far, of which 820 have been reported since January 27.

Among patients still under treatment, 97 have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 once, 26 twice and 68 three times. — VNS