The famed river bridges of the Iranian city of Isfahan are a beloved tourist draw -- but much of the time their stone arches span just sand and rocks, not water. Women pose for a selfie along the bank of the Zayandeh Rood in Iran's central city of Isfahan on May 15, 2022 Drought and upstream water diversions have seen the Zayandeh Rood, "fertile river" in Persian, run dry since 2000, with only rare exceptions. Sitting on a quay with two friends, 60-year-old Jalal Mirahmadi gazed with melancholy at the riverbed, which became the site of a farmers' protest late last year. "When I was a child, the water flowed under the arches of the bridge and sometimes overflowed to spill into the surrounding streets," he sighed. The river runs nearly 400 kilometres (250 miles) from the Zagros Mountains in the west to Lake Gavkhouni in the east, making it the longest waterway in central Iran. On its way through Isfahan, it meanders under several beautifully crafted … [Read more...] about Iconic Iran river threatened by droughts, diversions
How to make a million dollars in 10 years
Quang Ninh farms turn to tech to grow agriculture sector
Quang Ninh agricultural products are on sale at website dongtrieumart.vn (Photo: baoquangninh.com.vn) Quang Ninh (VNA) – The northern province of Quang Ninh is taking steps to boost high-tech agriculture to cut production costs, increase volumes, and cultivate high-quality farm produce. To realise this goal, farmers are focusing on speeding up the digital transformation, considering it a strategic solution to enhancing the production, quality and competitiveness of agricultural products in domestic and international markets. Dam Ha trade and construction company in Dam Ha district has invested more than 15 billion VND (647,250 USD) to building hydroponic greenhouse vegetable and melon farms, betting on high-tech hydro-growing operations to promote clean agriculture, cut workloads, and standardise quality. Director Nguyen Huu Nhuong said that thanks the newly installed hydroponic systems, the company has enjoyed a production bump of nearly 100 tonnes of melon per year … [Read more...] about Quang Ninh farms turn to tech to grow agriculture sector
France-Vietnam job fair held in Hanoi, HCM City
A candidate is interviewed by a recruiting panel. (Photo courtesy of CCIFV) Hanoi (VNA) - The seventh France -Vietnam Job Fair (FVJF) has been held in Hanoi, serving as a bridge connecting Vietnamese, French and international companies based in Vietnam to graduates with international profiles. The fair will move to HCM City in the next few days. FVJF is an annual event that CCIFV has organised for over 10 years. It is an opportunity for international companies to promote activities in the local market and showcase their recruitment offers to qualified candidates in Hanoi and HCM City. About 40 big names participated in the sixth job fair in 2019, offering nearly 500 jobs. Due to the pandemic it was postponed in the two following years and was rebooted in 2022, thanks to the country's reopening. "Vietnam’s population is young, educated, and eager to succeed. These highly appealing demographics are attractive to a growing number of international companies … [Read more...] about France-Vietnam job fair held in Hanoi, HCM City
Vietnam reports additional 1,323 Covid-19 infections on Tuesday
An additional 1,323 new Covid-19 infections were confirmed on Tuesday, raising the national tally to over 10.71 million, according to the Ministry of Health. According to the ministry's report, most of the new patients are locally-transmitted cases confirmed in 33 out of 63 localities in the country with some localities seeing the highest numbers including Hanoi (321), Vinh Phuc (98), Phu Tho (94), Yen Bai (58), and Quang Ninh (52). As of Tuesday evening, the number of Covid-19 patients in Vietnam has increased to over 10.71 million. The country now stands 12th among 227 countries and territories worldwide in the number of infections. On May 24, an additional 6,495 more patients recovered from the disease, raising the number of recoveries in the country to over 9.41 million. On Tuesday evening, no deaths related to Covid-19 were announced, total fatalities stood at 43,076. By May 23, the country had injected more than 219 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines, including over … [Read more...] about Vietnam reports additional 1,323 Covid-19 infections on Tuesday
Solutions sought to help Vietnam’s aviation industry take off
Vietnam’s aviation industry needs to improve to keep up with the global market as flights resume following the pandemic, Deputy Minister of Transport Le Anh Tuan said on May 24. He made the remark at an international seminar titled “Vietnam aviation in a post-pandemic world” organised by Tap chi Cong San (Communist Review) and the Ministry of Transport. There were 42 million international visitors out of 116 million air passengers in Vietnam in 2019, before the pandemic broke out. About half of them came to Vietnam to invest and seek business opportunities. The volume of goods shipped by air reached 1.5 million tonnes in 2019, which was rather low compared to other modes of transport but accounted for 25 percent of the value of exported goods. With a growth rate of over 15 percent per year in the 2010-2019 period, Vietnam's aviation market is considered to be the fifth fastest-growing market in the world and the fastest in Southeast Asia. Due to the impacts of the COVID-19 … [Read more...] about Solutions sought to help Vietnam’s aviation industry take off
Purchasing power drops, food prices rise in Ho Chi Minh City
Businesses across Ho Chi Minh City have increased prices of essentials due to higher production costs despite consumer purchasing power having decreased by up to 25 percent, a survey of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper has shown. Enterprises in Vietnam have issued warnings that food prices will continue to rise unless solutions are found to restrain surging food input costs, including raw materials, gasoline, and animal feed. As a case in point, cooking oil is now being sold 15-20 percent more expensive at supermarkets in Ho Chi Minh City than at the beginning of the year, and 70-90 percent higher than the price of 2020. Notably, Tuong An cooking oil now sells for VND60,000-160,000 (US$2.6-$6.9) per liter, depending on the type, while a set of 10 chicken or duck eggs is offered at VND33,000-VND38,000 ($1.4-$1.64) at traditional markets. The rates are about 20 percent higher than earlier this year, and nearly double those of last year, mostly owing to higher production costs and … [Read more...] about Purchasing power drops, food prices rise in Ho Chi Minh City
CAAV proposes delay in construction of runway, taxiway at Con Dao Airport
Con Dao Airport According to the plan, the project will upgrade a runway and taxiway, air traffic management and control works, apron, fuel storage facilities, passenger terminal and auxiliary works. Currently, runway and taxiway upgrade has been implemented on schedule. However, there are no detailed plan for the remaining items of the upgrading project. The CAAV has proposed the Ministry of Transport work with the Commission for the Management of State Capital at Enterprises (CMCS) to approve the investment project as soon as possible, including items such as the passenger terminal, apron and technology infrastructures at the airport. After being upgraded to serve both military and civil purposes, Con Dao Airport will have a capacity of two million passengers and 4,400 tons of cargo per year, and eight parking places. By Minh Anh – Translated by Kim Khanh … [Read more...] about CAAV proposes delay in construction of runway, taxiway at Con Dao Airport
Developing Party membership in universities – important task
Recruiting members for the Party among the young generations is an important task in Party affairs, especially in universities. (Photo: VietnamPlus) Hanoi (VNA) – Recruiting members for the Party among the young generations is an important task in Party affairs , especially in universities. The Party Committee of the bloc of universities and colleges, therefore, has paid attention to attracting outstanding students to the Party. To be admitted to the Party, students must have good academic achievements, actively participate in social activities, show firm political ideology , and have the wish to join the Party. Higher education institutions have created optimal conditions for students to improve themselves, thus fostering eminent human resources for the Party. However, after graduation, many young Party members face difficulties in maintaining their Party membership, due to many reasons. Many cannot quickly find a stable job, some work in establishments where … [Read more...] about Developing Party membership in universities – important task
MM Mega Market Vietnam expands its footprint in the North with opening Sapa Depot
This is recognised as a significant step forward in the sustainable development and expansion of MM Vietnam in distribution network system for the 5-year period from 2020 to 2025 to better serve its professional customers especially HoReCa channel. The delegates cut the ribbon in the opening ceremony of new MM’s Depot in Sapa Located on the main crossroad about two kilometers from the town center, Sapa Depot spreads over a land area of 480 square meters, in which the total area of the warehouse is 394 square meters. Its target customers comprise business or professional customers who have been providing their products and services in the hospitality industry in Sapa. As an important part of MM Mega Market Vietnam’s supply chain and sourcing management, Sapa Depot aims to provide a wide range of leading-edge products to better support its customers’ evolving demands in a timely manner, while enabling it to offer further solutions within 38 kilometers from Lao Cai City … [Read more...] about MM Mega Market Vietnam expands its footprint in the North with opening Sapa Depot
HSBC optimistic about Vietnam stock market despite plunge
Though the benchmark VN-Index has lost nearly 19 percent this year, the bank said it was confident about the long-term prospects of the market as companies have been "on a roll" in terms of growth and profits in recent years. The average earnings per share of listed companies had grown by 35 percent last year, and while trading had dipped in the last few months, the Vietnamese market had surpassed Singapore and Indonesia to become the second largest in Southeast Asia behind only Thailand. Local retail investors accounted for around 87 percent of trading. Though foreigners had been mostly withdrawing from the market for nearly three years, they "have started to dip their toes into this market again" in the past few weeks. This was because only seven of the 30 biggest stocks on the main bourse, the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange, had reached their foreign ownership limit. Overall the VN-Index had a foreign ownership limit of 44 percent, and current foreign holdings were at less … [Read more...] about HSBC optimistic about Vietnam stock market despite plunge