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The return of the bicycle By Nguyen An Nam Bicycles have returned during the time of Covid-19 - PHOTO: THANH HOA Bicycles now suit well the diverse demand of urbanites during the time of the pandemic, speeding up changes in lifestyles and cultural practices. Needless to say, it is impossible for the bike to replace other transport means as long as life becomes normal again. However, as far as the benefits a bike can do to physical and mental health are concerned, the return of the bike is so meaningful right at this moment. Before the outbreak of Covid-19 in Vietnam, Mr. Tan’s wife gave birth to the couple’s second child. Mr. Tan then took a driving test. He had to repeat it three times to get the driver’s license. The whole family went together to car showrooms to buy a Mazda 3. But hardly had he driven the brand-new car for only a few months while still unfamiliar with the streets in Saigon being on the wheel than the city experienced social distancing, one time … [Read more...] about The return of the bicycle

Monetary policies: highlights of early 2021 By Pham Minh Consistently low interbank interest rates since the start of 2020 (except on a few days, when an unexpected drop in liquidity pushes up interest rates) have enabled banks to keep deposit and lending interest rates manageable to boost production and investment - PHOTO: TRAN NGOC LINH The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has loosened monetary policies since the start of this year to fuel growth as macroeconomic fundamentals remain favorable. Maintaining the values of key interest rates and sustaining policies aimed at supporting enterprises battered by Covid-19 are among the highlights of monetary policies in 2021. Monetary policy management is inextricably tied with macroeconomic fundamentals. It is therefore important to review these factors as a necessary condition for policymaking of the SVB, the central bank. Two key variables, inflation and the exchange rate, were rather encouraging in the first four months of … [Read more...] about Monetary policies: highlights of early 2021

An eroded site (Illustrative photo: VNA) Ca Mau (VNA) - Erosion was recently detected in three sections measuring about 1,700m of the embankment in Tran Van Thoi and U Minh districts in the southernmost province of Ca Mau. The damage was caused by Storm Koguma , the second one hitting the East Sea this year, according to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. The Department has instructed the irrigation division to arrange personnel to keep watch on the eroded parts and proposed the provincial People’s Committee strengthen the dykes before the stormy season arrives. Projects to strengthen the current sections of the dyke and build new parts as well as residential areas, are lagging behind due to high prices of building materials, labour shortages and land clearance issues. After inspecting erosion that recently occurred, Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Thanh Trieu ordered the acceleration of the … [Read more...] about Erosion detected in Ca Mau’s coastal embankment

Rice – shrimp farming fields in Bac Lieu province’s Hong Dan district. (Photo: VNA) Bac Lieu (VNS/VNA) - The Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu plans to expand large-scale production and the use of advanced techniques to improve agricultural yield and quality and raise farmers' incomes from now to 2025. The provincial People’s Committee targets production of 1.17 million tonnes of paddy, including 190,240 tonnes of organic paddy, a year by 2025. It plans to expand large-scale rice fields to 100,000ha, or about half of the province’s total rice area. Farmers participating in large-scale rice fields will have contracts with rice companies that will ensure stable prices. It also plans to produce 600,000 tonnes of seafood a year by 2025, with half of that being shrimp. About 20,500 tonnes of organic shrimp will be produced a year by 2025. It targets breeding more pigs, buffalo, cows and goats, and 3.5 million poultry a year by 2025. The province, which is the delta’s … [Read more...] about Bac Lieu to expand large-scale agricultural production

The COVID-19 vaccine produced by AstraZeneca (Photo: AFP/VNA) Accordingly, the Government agreed to buy 30 million doses of the AZD1222 vaccine that the VNVC had bought from AstraZeneca, including the doses that the Ministry of Health already received to carry out vaccination before the signing of the purchase contract with the VNVC. It accepted the vaccine price set under the not-for-profit principle as reported by the Health Ministry about the result of the purchase negotiation with the VNVC. Vietnam is stepping up the COVID-19 vaccination campaign as well as efforts to secure 150 million vaccine doses this year with a view to inoculating 70 percent of its population to achieve herd immunity in 2021. As of June 20 morning, nearly 2.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine had been administered in the country, with 115,315 people having received full two doses, according to the Ministry of Health. Vietnamplus … [Read more...] about Gov’t buys 30 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses from VNVC