Xam singing is expected to be recognized as a national intangible heritage and inscribed on UNESCO’S Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. For the first time, an advanced training course in the art of Xam (a music genre performed by blind artists) has been held in Hanoi from August 18 to 21. Three little Xam singers of Ha Thi Cau Club from Ninh Binh Province perform at the class. Photos: Tra My The course brings together leading artists and music researchers associated with folk music and Xam singing such as People's Artist Xuan Hoach, People's Artist Thanh Ngoan, and People's Artist Thuy Ngan, artist Mai Tuyet Hoa, and researcher-musician Nguyen Quang Long, among others. Trainees are 40 artists of different ages from 20 Xam clubs and troupes from provinces and cities across the country. This special program is organized by the Thien Tam Foundation in collaboration with the Centre for Conservation and Promotion of Traditional … [Read more...] about Training course opens to preserve traditional Xam singing
Farm produce preservation
International role key for methane emission cuts
Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh on August 1 approved the National Strategy on Climate Change for 2050. According to the plan, by 2025, the total methane emission volume should not exceed 96.4 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent (CO2e), a decrease of 13.34 per cent from 2020. The limits on CO2 emissions will be applicable to such areas as cultivation (42.2 million tonnes) and animal husbandry (16.8 million tonnes). By 2030, Vietnam will develop and implement an action plan to reduce methane emissions by 30 per cent compared to 2020. Methane is the primary contributor to the formation of ground-level ozone, a hazardous air pollutant and greenhouse gas (GHG). Mitigating GHG emissions in agriculture is an urgent requirement because agriculture produces a substantial amount of it, which contributes greatly to global warming and climate change. According to the World Bank’s country report on climate and development for Vietnam, agriculture is the second-largest sector of GHG emissions, … [Read more...] about International role key for methane emission cuts
PVN plans to build US$19-billion oil refinery-storage complex
The move is aimed at ensuring the country's long-term self-sufficiency in oil and oil products. Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group (PVN) is planning to build an oil refinery complex worth up to US$19 billion in the southern province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau. The Nghi Son Oil Refinery plant in Thanh Hoa Province, North Central Coast of Vietnam. File photo In a proposal submitted to the Government, the PVN expected the investment would be conducted in phases, of which around 70% of the capital would be allocated for the first phase. According to the PVN, Vietnam's domestic market is set to face a shortage of 19.5 million tons of petroleum products every year by 2030, and the figure could rise to 49 million tons by 2045. At present, the domestic consumption of petrol products is estimated at 18 million tons per year. PVN forecasts the demand to continue rising to 25 million tons by 2025, and 33 million tons by 2030. However, the combined production capacity of … [Read more...] about PVN plans to build US$19-billion oil refinery-storage complex
Vinamilk brand in top of most valuable global brands
Vinamilk brand in top of most valuable global brands According to the annual report of the ‘Food and beverage’ industry of Brand Finance 2022, the Vinamilk brand has been valued at $2.8 billion, an impressive increase of 18 percent compared to 2021, and ranked in many major rankings in brand value. For this year's report, the UK’s Brand Finance has assessed more than 5,000 brands in 29 industries in 39 countries. With an integrated measurement method from many factors and indicators such as brand impact, brand health, and reputation, brand investment, combined with financial and market survey, the annual 'Food and beverage' report published by Brand Finance has helped provide brand health assessments transparently and fairly. In the field of ‘Food and beverage’, this year Vinamilk continues to “set a new record” when increasing its brand value by 18 percent, reaching US$2.8 billion, rising to the position of a potential brand. in the global dairy industry. This is also a … [Read more...] about Vinamilk brand in top of most valuable global brands
Moon cake brands prepare for upcoming mid-autumn festival
Customers buy moon cakes at a store in HCMC. (Photo Courtesy of KIDO Group) The market this year is forecast to be a special year as last year's festival was affected by the Covid-19 pandemic so sellers could not set up booths to sell moon cakes as usual. Food producer KIDO Group this year plans to sell over 300 tons of moon cakes under KIDO’s Bakery brand. The company said that KIDO’s Bakery moon cakes will hit the market from the beginning of this month. The cakes will be sold in both online and offline channels. Online, the cakes will be available on Lazada, Tiki, and Shoppe, and offline at nearly 600,000 KIDO stores and the Chuk Chuk tea and coffee beverage chain in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. To date, the company has received orders from many companies and organizations who buy the cakes as presents for their staff and partners. Mondelez Kinh Do Vietnam announced that to ensure its moon cakes reach consumers easily, safely, and conveniently, this year, the company … [Read more...] about Moon cake brands prepare for upcoming mid-autumn festival
Vietnamese telecoms giants grappling with chip shortfall
At present, leaders of Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT), the top provider of telecommunications services and digital solutions in Vietnam, are attempting to shelter from the storm of semiconductor chip shortfall and the ongoing negative pandemic impacts. MobiFone knows that just sticking to traditional business strategies will not cut it going forward, Le Toan General director Huynh Quang Liem explained that while COVID-19’s direct impact on the group’s performance has not been as serious as in 2021, many of its business activities still face difficulties that will possibly affect the company’s revenue and profit targets for 2022 as a whole. Together with interruptions in the global supply chains, shortages of semiconductor chips, and a rise in input material prices, service fees have fallen, which are also affecting business results for VNPT. The group reported that its consolidated profit rose 17 per cent on-year in the first six months of 2022, … [Read more...] about Vietnamese telecoms giants grappling with chip shortfall
Copyright cases rise in face of integration
Earlier this year, renowned Vietnamese animation studio Sconnect was the target of a lawsuit by US-based Entertainment One (EO), in which Sconnect’s Wolfoo franchise was sued for allegedly breaching EO’s Peppa Pig character set. Prior to the lawsuit, Wolfoo, a popular multi-language YouTube series based on a family of wolves, gained Sconnect international recognition along with a burgeoning merchandise business. Copyright cases rise in face of integration, illustration photo/ freepik.com The Court of Moscow in Russia on August 3 officially terminated the civil proceedings of the lawsuit, affirming that no breach of intellectual property rights has been linked to Sconnect’s Wolfoo character set against EO’s Peppa Pig character. However, the quickly-resolved lawsuit has nevertheless caused negative impacts on Sconnect’s reputation and business activities in the content creation industry. Talking with VIR, Sconnect’s head of Legal Pham Van Anh shared that the company had … [Read more...] about Copyright cases rise in face of integration
Partnerships key to green transition
While 2020 was one of the warmest years on record globally, Vietnam has just gone through another historical year of climate extremes. Last November was also decisive for the future of the planet as countries officially submitted their climate pledges at the COP26 climate summit. Dao Xuan Lai, head of Climate Change and the Environment at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Vietnam We see a skyrocketing demand for natural resources while witnessing the collapse of functioning ecosystems. You only need to drive a couple of hours outside of Hanoi towards Ninh Binh province with its iconic limestone clasts, synonymous with the beauty of northern Vietnam, to see these emblematic features being devoured by machinery to be used for stone mining and cement production. By 2050, global demand for materials such as plastics, steel, or cement is projected to increase by a factor of 2-4. More than 50 per cent of the world’s emissions can be traced back to our … [Read more...] about Partnerships key to green transition
Denmark and Vietnam strengthen co-operation in the agri-food sector
A delegation of Danish firms in agriculture and food sector is paying a visit to Hanoi & Ho Chi Minh City from August 16-19 to exchange opportunities for cooperation with their Vietnamese potential partners. The delegation comprises 13 companies who are leading in Solutions for Livestock & Food Production, Food Processing Technologies, Ingredients and Climate Control Solutions. The main purpose of the delegation is to share experiences and introduce world leading and well-proven Danish solutions in agri-food production and to look for opportunities to cooperate with Vietnamese agri-food companies. Speaking at a seminar themed 'Danish experiences and solutions in sustainable agri-food production' held on August 19 in Hanoi, Trade Counsellor of the Embassy of Denmark, Troels Jakobsen, said that Danish agri-food industry for many years had continuously invested in new production equipment and solutions that boost production yield and improve product quality but at the same … [Read more...] about Denmark and Vietnam strengthen co-operation in the agri-food sector
Changing minds helps farmers change lives
Shan Tuyet tea is a precious specialty of the local Mong ethnic minority people, who call it “green gold”. (Photo: Vietnam+) Hanoi (VNA) - Changing minds with a coherent way of thinking, those who engage in the agricultural sector, have gradually reaped initial successes after boldly investing in sustainable production. Shanam green tea is ranked in the Top One of the world's green tea by the US’s Tea Epicure with a score of 94/100 (Photo: Vietnam+) Mua Thi Tong, Be village, Ta Xua commune said she helped her parents pick tea from the age of 6. Tong said, before each kg of fresh tea sold for 10,000-15,000 VND, and the dried tea sold for 50,000 VND/kg. Now thanks to new technology applied in tea production, the price of fresh tea has increased to 60,000-70,000 VND/kg and even 120,000-150,000 VND/kg. Nguyen Thi Tham, Director of the Northwest Tea and Special Products Company Limited, said after recognizing the value of Shan Tuyet tea, she and her husband decided to … [Read more...] about Changing minds helps farmers change lives