Record number of 3 pointers in a college game

Three more people have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, raising the total number of patients in the country to 2,475, the Ministry of Health reported on Wednesday morning.

Illustrative photo

According to the ministry’s report, one of the new patients is a Chinese expert who arrived at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City on February 28. He was sent to a local quarantine area upon arrival and tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 on March 1. He is being treated at the Binh Duong Provincial General Hospital.

Two other patients are Vietnamese people who entered the country through Ha Tien Border Gate in the southern province of Kien Giang on February 27/2. They were also sent to a local quarantine area upon arrival and tested positive for the virus on March 1. The two patients are being treated at the Ha Tien City Healthcare Centre.

With these new infection cases, the number of Covid-19 patients in Vietnam has increased to 2,475, including 868 locally-transmitted cases reported since the new outbreak started in Hai Duong on January 28. Hai Duong Province alone has recorded 684 cases.

As of 6 am on March 3, a total of 1,898 Covid-19 patients had recovered and been discharged from hospital. There have been 35 deaths, most of them being the elderly with serious underlying diseases.

At present, as many as 59,081 people who had close contact with Covid-19 patients or returned from virus-hit areas are being monitored at hospitals, quarantine facilities, and at home.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Health confirmed 11 domestically-transmitted COVID-19 infections on Tuesday, with Hai Duong Province being still the country’s largest epicenter.

Seven of the new patients had their samples taken on Sunday, the other four on Monday, the ministry elaborated.

All 11 cases had been in contact with infected patients and had thus been quarantined on Sunday.

They were logged in Hai Duong, located in northern Vietnam, the health ministry noted.

The ministry announced six recoveries on Tuesday, taking the total number of recovered patients to 1,898.

Vietnam had spent nearly two months detecting zero community cases before it found the first one on January 27 and confirmed it one day later, according to the health ministry’s data.

A total of 868 local cases have been confirmed in 13 provinces and cities since then, making it the most serious wave to have struck Vietnam after the first-ever COVID-19 patient was announced in the country on January 23, 2020.

In this latest wave, 684 cases were registered in Hai Duong, 61 in Quang Ninh Province, 27 in Gia Lai Province, 35 in Hanoi, five in Bac Ninh Province, two in Bac Giang Province, 36 in Ho Chi Minh City, two in Hoa Binh Province, one in Ha Giang Province, three in Dien Bien Province, six in Binh Duong Province, four in Hai Phong, and two in Hung Yen Province.

Vietnam has recorded 2,472 coronavirus cases as of Tuesday night, including 1,561 local infections and 35 virus-related fatalities, according to the Ministry of Health’s data.

The dead had suffered from comorbid medical problems, including 31 in Da Nang, three in Quang Nam Province, and one in Quang Tri Province.

The government is quarantining over 58,700 people who had contact with infected patients or made an entry from virus-plagued places.

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Young people donate their blood

In his opening remarks, Director of the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) Bach Quoc Khanh, who is head of the festival’s organizing board, said that the festival has been held annually since 2008 to address blood shortages after the lunar New Year holiday, and gradually changed public awareness of blood donation.

After 13 editions, the festival has collected over 85,000 blood units and become the annual biggest blood donation event.

Khanh took the occasion to express his gratitude for donators nationwide.

The 14th edition is taking place from March 1-7 at the NIHBT headquarters, and three fixed places – 26 Luong Ngoc Quyen in Hoan Kiem district, 132 Quan Nhan in Thanh Xuan district, and Valley 122 of Lang Street in Dong Da district.

The organizing board expects to receive over 4,000 blood units during this year’s festival, which then will be allocated to nearly 180 hospitals and medical establishments of 28 provinces and cities in the northern region.

It has also made thorough preparations to welcome donors so as to ensure COVID-19 prevention and control as recommended by the World Health Organisation and the Health Ministry./.

Fatal coach crash kills three, injures 4 in Dong Thap

A serious traffic accident caused by a passenger coach took place on National Highway 54 in Tan Thanh Commune of Dong Thap Province’s Lai Vung District this morning, March 1, killing three and injuring four people.

The passenger coach with plate number 51B-17273 driven by Tran Van Nam, aged 41, was heading from Vam Cong Bridge to Vinh Long Province when it plowed into a group of 10 bike riders and killed a rider, identified as Tran Van An, aged 59.

The passenger coach continued slamming into two electric poles and a tree on the pavement, damaging the front of the coach. Local residents immediately took some injured passengers onboard the coach to hospitals.

However, two passengers, identified as Nguyen Ngoc Son, aged 38, and Nguyen Huu Ly, aged 46, were reported dead on the way to the hospital. Besides, the driver, the conductor and two other passengers suffered severe injuries.

The police of Dong Thap Province are investigating the deadly accident, the local media reported.

Students in HCM City back in school

Students in HCM City returned to school on Monday after an extended Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday due to the resurgence of COVID-19 in late January.

Schools had to take preventive measures including classroom and hand sterilisation, body temperature checks and health declarations.

Phùng Thị Ngọc Hiền, principal of Tuổi Thơ Kindergarten in District 8, said 90 per cent of surveyed parents wanted their children to return to school.

“The school has sterilised classrooms, equipment and toys and communicated with parents to together help children take preventive measures at home and at school,” she said.

At a young age, parents and teachers have to actively help children take preventive measures. The school, which offers day boarding services, pays attention to food safety and hygiene and has desks in front of the school gate for parents to make health declarations, she told the Vietnam News Agency.

Sương Nguyệt Anh Secondary School in District 8 had 29 absent students on the first day back as parents let them stay at home for further monitoring due to sickness.

According to Nguyễn Hoàng Dũng, the school’s vice-principal, the school followed the curriculum for the new week as planned and reviewed the knowledge of the previous week.

During the holiday, about 900 out of more than 1,200 students of the school attended live online learning sessions. Others who couldn’t attend studied through videos uploaded on the school’s website or other channels.

Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm Primary School in District 1 opened its gates to welcome but did not hold an outdoor morning session at the school yard to ensure safety.

Lê Hồng Sơn, director of HCM City Department of Education and Training, said schools in the city had made preparations to welcome students back. Thanks to experience from previous COVID-19 resurgences, they planned to respond to any scenario with teachers more active in pandemic prevention and control work.

In Ia Pa District, a COVID-19 cluster in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai, more than 11,000 students of 31 schools returned to school on Monday.

All of the schools were sterilised and strictly followed COVID-19 prevention protocols and 83 teachers are currently quarantined at home.

Students living in locked-down areas near the house of Patient No 1696 in Ayun Pa Town who tested positive again will continue to stay home.

Schools in Ia Pa District have prepared one extra room each for quarantining students who have high body temperatures and show symptoms.

Sixty out of 63 cities and provinces nationwide have re-opened schools after the new year holiday.

Hà Nội’s students will return to school on Tuesday. Local authorities said the capital city re-opened schools later than other localities as March 2 will be the 14th day the city has not recorded any new community cases of the virus.

Hải Phòng City has decided to let their students return to school on March 8. Other activities like festivals, religious events, sports, weddings and funerals, entertaining activities, karaoke, massage, bars and theatres are still suspended.

Hải Dương City authorities said they would keep schools shut until March 14.

Vietnam tightens control over illegal immigration

One third of provinces bordering with Cambodia have tightened entry procedures on people coming from this country.

Vietnam has toughened up control over unlawful immigration in the region bordering with Cambodia after people returning from the neighboring country found infected with Covid-19.

A number of southern provinces bordering with Cambodia like Dong Thap, An Giang, and Kien Giang have asked its border guards to keep vigilance on the movements in boundary areas after Dong Thap detected two cases between February 26 and 28.

The southern provinces are under threat of local transmission as Vietnamese nationals attempt to return their home country after the pandemic has broken out in Cambodia since February 20, according to Doan Tan Buu, deputy chairman of the Dong Thap People’s Committee.

It means that the region is in danger of imported coronavirus infections, leaving the localities under high alert and requiring them to closely follow the 5K (in Vietnamese) measures namely masking, disinfection, distance, no gathering, and health declaration.

Following the community transmission, local governments require all returnees from Cambodia to go to concentrated quarantine centers, make health declaration, and be available for testing.

After the local authorities confirmed two people who are Vietnamese nationals returning from Cambodia, Dong Thap has suspended entertainment activities and festivals and closed schools in some districts.

Meanwhile, An Giang has raised its coronavirus alert to the highest level, setting up 176 checkpoints and 11 mobile teams against Covid-19 and intensifying border patrols.

The Military Command in Kien Giang has toughened management in quarantine centers that accommodate Vietnamese people coming from Cambodia.

Given threat of imported Covid infection, different localities across Vietnam have laid a close eye on illegal immigrants. As a result, police in Nghe An, Danang, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Soc Trang, and Tra Vinh have arrested dozens of Chinese outlawed immigrants.

Vietnam’s biggest coronavirus hotpot to end social distancing from March 3

The northern province of Hai Duong, the nation’s biggest coronavirus hotspot, is set to bring social distancing measures to an end on March 3, with efforts being made to return to a “new normal”.

During a virtual conference held on March 1, Pham Xuan Thang, secretary of the Hai Duong provincial Party Committee, said the locality would continue striving to eliminate the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic whilst tackling difficulties in boosting socio-economic development.

Thang noted that the local administration is ready to actively control the spread of COVID-19 pandemic by maintaining approximately 11,000 community-based anti-coronavirus groups.

Various COVID-19 preventive measures will be in place, especially in high-risl areas, in order to keep the virus at bay in the community, Thang added.

He also outlined that the local administration would move to cushion the impact of the fresh outbreak on business production and people’s life.

Hai Duong has recorded 665 community infections since the virus recurred in late January 2021. Of the total, 297 patients have been discharged from hospital after making a full recovery from the virus.

Mekong Delta province quickly tracks down contacts of Covid-19 imported case

The Mekong Delta Province of Dong Thap authority and related agencies have been working to track down close contacts with a woman who illegally entered Vietnam and tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.

Chairman of the People’s Committee in Dong Thap Province Pham Thien Nghia yesterday presided an urgent meeting with responsible agencies upon detection of a positive Covid-19 case who was quarantined in a centralized ward.

The Department of Health in Dong Thap yesterday said 11 people had come into contact with the female patient 2,424 who illegally entered Vietnam. Of 11 close contacts, nine tested negative for the first time.

Responsible forces will continue tracking two other close contacts F1 including a driver meanwhile 52 contacts F2 were asked to self-isolate at homes.

Director of the provincial Center for Disease Control Tran Van Hai said that the patient 2,424 had experienced clinical symptoms of Covid-19; hence, it is highly possible that she had been infected with the coronavirus before entering the Southeast Asian country illicitly; subsequently, community transmission is very high. As a result, the health sector is determined to track down all close contacts to quarantine.

Another case is a 37-year-old sailor hailing from the Mekong Delta Province of Hau Giang who returned to Vietnam from Cambodia with a friend on February 25. In the next day, they completed formalities in Thuong Phuoc international border to enter Vietnam and then they were brought to a collective quarantine facility  in Hong Ngu District.

Chairman Nghia said that the province temporarily stopped all festivals and entertainment events in districts Hong Ngu, Tan Hong and Hong Ngu Town for the fight against Covid-19.

The Department of Education and Training also allowed all students from preschools to continuous education facilities in border districts Hong Ngu, Tan Hong and Hong Ngu Town to stay at home till March 6.

Ho Chi Minh City-based Pasteur Institute yesterday announced test results of a suspected Covid-19 man in Vinh Chau town in Soc Trang Province have shown he was negative for SARS-CoV-2. Before, the man was tested positive when applying for a job in Bac Lieu Town.

The Center for Disease Control in Kien Giang Province said that Covid-19 development in Cambodia has been very complicated after Tet holiday (the Lunar New Year) with more community transmission infections; therefore, more Vietnamese people decided to return to Vietnam through international border gate Ha Tien in these last days.

Statistically, from February 24 to 26, over 150 immigrants completed formalities into Vietnam. All were brought to centralized quarantine facilities undergoing tests.

Science ministry strengthens research to tackle COVID-19 pandemic

The Ministry of Science and Technology will continue strengthening research to serve COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control this year, especially researching and producing vaccines.

The ministry has worked with agencies to provide scientific information relating to the pandemic developments.

The ministry said from the very first days when the virus arrived in Việt Nam, the ministry worked with experts and scientists to research the epidemiology, virology and treatment regimen, including biological products for testing.

Soon, many sets of biological products were mass manufactured to serve pandemic prevention and control, the ministry said.

Next, the real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) kit, used to detect the SAR-CoV-2 virus, was made by Việt Nam Military Medical University in March 2020 and then put into mass production.

Lieutenant-General Đỗ Quyết, director of the university, said the RT-PCR kit was created thanks to efforts and the innovative spirit of both university’s scientists and Việt Á Technology Joint Stock Company.

Following the success, the university linked up with the Pasteur Institute in HCM City to shorten the time spent researching its Nano Covax vaccine. With the support of the institute, the research time was cut from six to three months, he added.

The first phase of the vaccination trial was conducted on December 17, 2020. The results of the first-phase trial of the Nano Covax vaccine showed the vaccine was safe and 90 per cent effective.

Quyết said the first trial vaccination injection of the second phase would be conducted on Friday, with the second trial vaccination injection at the end of March. The results of the second-phase trial would be revealed at the end of April.

The number of volunteers who registered to be given Nano Covax in the second phase of the trial has reached nearly 1,000 so far.

If the results met requirements on safety and immunogenicity, the third phase of the vaccination trial would start in early May, he said.

The vaccine’s third-phase trial needs 10,000-15,000 volunteers and the selection of participants would be expanded to ensure a broad-spectrum target for vaccination, he said.

Tien Giang irrigation projects protect crops in dry season

The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Tiền Giang has invested in 70 in-field irrigation projects on 27,000ha of farming land in the coastal districts of Gò Công Đông and Gò Công Tây during the 2020 – 21 dry season.

The projects, which cost a total of VNĐ15 billion (US$650,000), include building or upgrading in-field irrigation canals and ditches that ensure water and help to prevent saltwater intrusion in the dry season.

The projects have protected more than 18,000ha of rice, 6,000ha of vegetables and 3,000ha of other crops from water shortage and saltwater intrusion in the winter – spring crop.

They have also helped to secure daily-use water for 38,000 households in coastal areas.

In Gò Công Đông, besides investing in in-field irrigation canals and ditches, local authorities have built four new sluices for taking irrigation water since the beginning of the dry season.

The district has organised the collection of rubbish and water hyacinths on in-field irrigation canals and ditches so that irrigation water can flow easily into each field.

The district has taken measures to restructure agricultural production to suit each area, according to local authorities.

In the winter – spring crop, farmers in Gò Công Đông have expanded cultivation of vegetables and other crops on 1,500ha.

Gò Công Đông and Gò Công Tây districts normally face severe saltwater intrusion in the dry season and face shortage of irrigation water at the end of the winter – spring crop.

The two districts have also expanded advocacy activities about the impact of saltwater intrusion to the public.

Local authorities in the two districts have encouraged farmers to dredge irrigation ditches in orchards to preserve fresh water for irrigation.

Ngô Văn Dũng, head of the Gò Công Tây Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the district has invested in irrigation projects and taken measures to cope with saltwater intrusion and drought.

Besides investing in in-field irrigation canals and ditches, the district has built 124 temporary dams to preserve irrigation water for the dry season, he said.

In the ongoing winter – spring crop, the two districts have solved the shortage of irrigation water for growing rice and other crops as more irrigation projects have been built and the winter – spring crop rice was planted earlier than normal.

Farmers are having a bumper harvest of winter – spring rice, getting a yield of 6.5 tonnes per hectares, up 1.2 tonnes against the last winter – spring crop, according to local authorities.

Profits from growing vegetables are two to three times higher than from rice, said local authorities.

HCM City to clean more of its polluted canals, relocate poor people living along them

HCM City plans to clean up more of its canals in 2021-25 and relocate people living in utter poverty along them.

It has set a target of moving out 10,000 families from near canals in Bình Thạnh, Bình Tân, 4, 7, and 8 districts.

Its plans include cleaning the Xuyên Tâm Canal passing through Bình Thạnh and Gò Vấp districts and building an underground drainage system in the Tham Lương and Bến Cát areas.

The works will be funded by both public and private resources.

The canals’ banks will be widened by 20 per cent to attract investment and offer to investors to set up malls and other commercial establishments.

According to the president of the HCM Real Estate Association (HoREA), Lê Hoàng Châu, the investment could be used to develop the banks.

Relocation of the families living along the canals is one of five projects to improve people’s quality of living that the city had drawn up for 2016-20.

It had hoped to move all 21,851 households by 2020 at a cost of VNĐ44 trillion (US$1.9 billion) but only managed to resettle 2,479 of them.

The biggest hurdle was the lack of funds to pay compensation and build resettlement housing.

Lê Trần Kiên, deputy head of the Department of Construction’s urban development department, said the task had required VNĐ10 trillion but only VNĐ2.1 trillion was available.

The canals targeted for a clean-up are minor and so failed to attract investors.

The city has a solid record in cleaning up canals as evidenced by its successful revival of the Nhiêu Lộc – Thị Nghè and Tân Hóa – Lò Gốm canals.

Trần Vĩnh Nam, an architect, is all praise for the present living conditions along the Tân Hóa – Lò Gốm Canal: “This place used to be too polluted and foul-smelling for any creature to live.

“Now [after its clean-up], property prices along it are rising thanks to a complete transformation.”

The city has also completed various sanitation projects such as improving its drainage system, dredging 81.2km of canals, and cleaning up 60km of canals to improve the environment and people’s quality of life.

In the next few years it plans to clean more canals to prevent floods and improve the environment.

Revenues from forest environmental services could reach $121m in 2021

The Việt Nam Administration of Forestry (VNFOREST) aims to collect VNĐ2.8 trillion (US$121.7 million) from forest environmental services this year.

Under this policy, forest service users like tourism businesses or hydropower plants will have to pay according to their use of forest resources to forest owners, who are local individuals, households, organisations or communities.

According to VNFOREST Deputy Director Phạm Văn Điển, forest carbon sequestration and emission reduction services, a new feature of 2021, will add between VNĐ300 to 500 billion to the sector’s annual income from environmental services.

Last year, the revenue from those services stood at VNĐ2.56 trillion, meeting 91 per cent of the yearly target.

The number fell short of expectations due largely to severe water shortages at large hydropower reservoirs in the north like Hoà Bình, Sơn La, and Lai Châu between the fourth quarter of 2019 and the second quarter of 2020, said the Việt Nam Forest Protection and Development Fund (VNFF). The shortage affected the performance of hydropower companies.

In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the production and operations of businesses employing these services.

The fund said revenues from forest environment services supported 226 forest management boards and 138,000 forest owners, while creating incomes for 81 forestry companies and livelihoods for more than 172,000 families in mountainous areas, helping lift their living standards.

Revenues from forest environmental services have become a sustainable source of finance that helps to increase the value of the forestry sector as well as contributes to GDP growth, according to the fund.

Điển said the revenues come from exploiting the forests so the collection of the revenues should be re-invested into the protection and development of forestlands. Some of the revenues are used in efforts to improve forest management, preserve biodiversity, create jobs, sustainable livelihoods and raise public awareness.

He said the current amount still does not reflect the true benefits the forests have brought about.

According to Điển, forest environmental services income is now mainly sourced from hydropower plants and firms producing clean water.

Experts recommended collecting environment service fees from other sources like ecotourism businesses, industrial production establishments, and aquaculture facilities.

Vietnamese prioritise health, finance following pandemic: survey

A year on since the Covid-19 pandemic first began Vietnamese are taking more control of their health and finance, driving greater interest in fitness and well-being along with insurance and retirement planning, as Asia looks to the longer-term impact of the disease, according to new research from Manulife.

The latest version of the ‘Manulife Asia Care Survey’ takes a closer look into customers’ concerns, priorities and aspirations, polling 4,000 people across the region who either own insurance or intend to buy it in the next six months, including around 520 in Việt Nam.

Nearly all (95 per cent) of those who worry most about Covid have made an effort on a personal level to improve their overall health, mostly through more regular exercise (58 per cent) and improved diet (54 per cent).

In Việt Nam, all the respondents said they had taken action to help them manage Covid, with 72 per cent saying this included doing more regular exercise. More people in Hà Nội (85 per cent) do more regular exercise than in HCM City (73 per cent).

Almost everyone is self-monitoring health, and Vietnamese pay the most attention to the number of steps walked (44 per cent) among the four emerging markets covered in the survey, against a regional average of 38 per cent.

Three out of five (60 per cent) of Vietnamese also own fitness wearables, well above the regional average of 46 per cent.

A large majority of Vietnamese (79 per cent) also said retirement planning has become more important since Covid-19 started, below the Philippines (90 per cent), Indonesia (88 per cent) and Malaysia (83 per cent) but higher than all the developed markets.

The regional average is 73 per cent.

This high level of interest in retirement ties in with their concerns about personal wealth.

In Việt Nam, more than half (52 per cent) thought their personal wealth would decline as a result of Covid-19. The rate was only higher in Hong Kong (58 per cent) and Singapore (55 per cent).

Aligned with taking better control of health and finance is an interest to buy new insurance.

In Việt Nam, a remarkable nine out of ten (91 per cent) said they intend to buy new insurance in the next six months, higher than anywhere else in the region. The regional average is 71 per cent.

The Vietnamese respondents were most interested in life, hospitalisation, accident and critical illness cover.

Three quarters (75 per cent) of Vietnamese respondents, again more than anywhere else in the region, said they prefer to manage their policies through digital means such as mobile apps, including for claims and payment.

The survey found that 71 per cent of them had spoken to an agent about purchasing insurance, well above the regional average of 64 per cent, with only Hong Kong (77 per cent) and mainland China (76 per cent) scoring higher.

“Vietnamese insurance customers are seeking more digital touchpoints that are safe, simple and convenient,” Sang Lee, CEO of Manulife Vietnam, said.

“While those digital habits are here for the long term, a good many still like to speak to their agents. This underscores the importance of our omnichannel approach, one that fully integrates digital, while maximising our human qualities of empathy, trust and a holistic understanding of our customers’ needs.”

Đồng Tháp adds 14 new community-based tourism areas

The People’s Committee of the Mekong Delta province of Đồng Tháp has approved 14 new community-based tourism areas.

The province has around 100 community-based tourism areas, mostly situated in Cao Lãnh and Sa Đéc cities, and Lai Vung, Tam Nông and Tháp Mười districts.

“The province’s approval aims to turn Đồng Tháp into a popular and attractive destination for tourists and even tourism agencies,” Ngô Quang Tuyên, deputy director of the province’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Department, said.

Tuyên said community-based tourism has been booming in the Mekong Delta. It has helped to promote the value of agricultural products, create more jobs in rural areas, and bring stable sources of income for local households.

Only five households at the Tháp Mười Lotus Tourism Area in Tháp Mười District initially offered tourism services. But now the number has reached dozens of households. They offer different kinds of services like boating on lotus ponds, catching fish, and enjoying local authentic dishes.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the tourism area served an average of 10,000 visitors per month, and even 1,000 visitors a day on national holidays and Tết (Lunar New Year).

The Tam Nông District, where the Tràm Chim National Park is located, established a tourism association to promote local specialties, tourism products and service quality.

The association now has 30 members, offering services such as food and beverages, homestays, tour guides, and community activities.

The tourism areas in the district welcome about 100,000 local and foreign tourists every year.

Tuyên said agriculture was also a strong advantage for Đồng Tháp to develop community-based tourism. It has diverse products such as flowers, fruits and seafood.

Each agritourism spot in the province has an area of 5,000 square metres to over one hectare, attracting 500-1,000 visitors each day, mostly on weekends.

The most-visited spots are the date palm garden in Sa Đéc City, the Tân Thuận strawberry garden in Cao Lãnh City, and Ba Tuấn grape garden in Hồng Ngự District, where tourists can enjoy fresh and clean fruit and take photos.

Võ Minh Tiến, the manager of the date palm garden, said the harvest season of dates in April of the Lunar New Year attracted 300-400 visitors a day.

One of the most-visited tourism destinations in Đồng Tháp is the Sa Đéc Flower Village on an area of 313ha planted with more than 2,000 types of flowers, bonsai trees, and ornamental trees from different regions of Việt Nam.

The village now has dozens of households offering tourism services and homestays like Happy Land Hùng Thy, Bamboo House Homestay, and Ngọc Lan flower observatory tower.

Tuyên said: “Community-based tourism is helping farmers in Đồng Tháp to improve their income.”

Total revenue from community-based tourism areas between 2016 and 2020 was more than VNĐ43 billion (US$1.86 billion).

Community-based tourism also helped Đồng Tháp rank number three in the number of tourists in the Mekong Delta region, Tuyên added.

New rom-com highlights Vietnamese women

The award-winning film producer and director Nhất Trung has announced a new project called 1990 that highlights the career and life of successful Vietnamese women.

1990 is a rom-com work revolving around a group of three close friends with different personalities. When all three women turn 30, they must face challenges in life, marriage, love and career. They learn to help each other to overcome problems.

Trung, who is also the film’s scriptwriter, told local media: “Most Vietnamese films’ leading characters are male, featuring topics about love. Not many films highlight female characters.”

The film stars famous actresses Ninh Dương Lan Ngọc, Nhã Phương and Diễm My 9x, who were born in 1990 and turned 30 during the filming last year.

Trung said all three actresses were best friends in real life. Their lives were the inspiration for making 1990.

“In recent years, my studio has changed to develop topics which have been rarely mentioned in Vietnamese cinema,” Trung said, adding that his future projects may be less attractive to audiences.

Director Trung become known for his rom-com Cua Lại Vợ Bầu (Win My Baby Back) which was released in late January 2019, during the Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday.

The film raked in more than VNĐ191.8 billion (US$8.33 million) in ticket sales, one of the highest-grossing Vietnamese movies of all time. Nearly 2.7 million tickets were sold within two months.

The work features love themes using comedy and exciting action, starring Ninh Dương Lan Ngọc, winner of the Golden Kite award for Best Actress in 2010 and 2015, and famous comic actor Trấn Thành.

The film won the Silver Lotus Award for best movie at the 21st Việt Nam National Film Festival in Bà Ria-Vũng Tàu in late November 2019.

It also brought Trung the prize for best scriptwriter, and Trấn Thành the prize for best leading actor.

Trung’s new movie 1990 is in post-production, and is expected to be released in cinemas on April 30.

Hip hop competition in HCM City

A competition called “Ayyo Hiphop 2021” with professional and amateur dancers from HCM City and neighbouring provinces will be held at the HCM City Labour Cultural House on March 6.

There will be separate sections for men and women. Dancers will have 45 minutes to show their style.

The judges will include top dancers like Snoop Gee from La Difference dance crew, Shunen from XClown Crew, and Libra from Street Ladies, who will also offer a dance workshop at the event.

The event will feature DJ Rufu of XClown Crew and MC Son Clown of Destiny Family.

It will take place from 4-6pm at 55B Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai Street in District 1. Entrance fee is VNĐ100,000.

Hip Hop has become mainstream and well-loved by the youths of HCM City in recent years. To please the savvy clientele, some giants of the nightlife industry have organised weekly Hip Hop night events in the city where every Hip Hop events are guided by resident DJs.

Hip Hop music has also evolved and claimed its dominant position in the most envied nightclubs in the city. The Hip Hop community does not only include break-dance and grafitti lovers, but also branches out to those who have fallen in love with the pumping beats.

Vietnamese tourism clip passes one million views on YouTube

A clip that introduces Vietnamese culture and cuisine has reached 1.1 million views on YouTube after being uploaded on February 11.

The one-minute clip was released as part of a tourism promotion campaign entitled “Vietnam: Di de yeu!”, “Discover Vietnam” in English”, with the purpose of making the country more popular among travelers via the digital-media platform.

Created by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) after receiving support from both Google and VinPearl, the campaign is part of a wider programme launched by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to promote the country as a safe and attractive destination.

The campaign features various clips from famous YouTube creators such as Khoai Lang Thang, Chan La Ca, Fly Around Vietnam, and H’Hen Nie, Miss Universe Vietnam 2017, all of whom enjoy a great influence among young demographics and also boast a large number of subscribers.

The scheme is expected to help stimulate domestic travel demand whilst also providing useful information for tourists.

Ha Giang tourism earns VND12 billion over festive period

The northern province of Ha Giang welcomed 12,000 tourists, including 105 foreigners, during the Lunar New Year, known locally as Tet, raking in an estimated VND12 billion in tourism revenue, according to the Ha Giang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Although several potential visitors canceled their tours to Ha Giang due to the complicated nature of developments relating to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), these achievements can be viewed as positive compared to the general situation of the domestic tourism sector.

The majority of tourists designed independent trips while the number of visitors booking accommodation makes up roughly 30% of the total.

Most visitors came to the province to meet their relatives, travel for spiritual tourism, or check-in at tourist sites in the locality such as Vi Xuyen district and four districts in the Dong Van Plateau Geopark.

The People’s Committees at municipal and district levels, tourism associations, and travel firms strictly followed epidemic prevention regulations while welcoming guests to the province.

In addition, visitors had a heightened sense of awareness about the necessity to take preventive measures, such as wearing facemasks, washing hands with antiseptic, filling in medical declarations, and maintaining a safe distance in public places.

During Tet, a number of localities in Ha Giang province organised a wide range of cultural and sporting activities, along with traditional festivals, as a means of allowing guests to discover and experience the cultural values ​​of the ethnic people who inhabit the local area.

Moreover, the Tourism Association also implemented a scheme aimed at stimulating tourism by offering discounts of between 10% and 20% on the costs of tourism service to mark the occasion.

Northern regions brace for cold spell from March 2

The country’s northern provinces are set to endure a cold snap with foggy and drizzly conditions on March 2, according to the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting.

The cold front is poised to directly impact both northern mountainous localities and north-central provinces.

In line with this forecast, local temperatures will fall to around 16 degrees Celsius to 19 degrees Celsius, with some mountainous areas even seeing temperatures drop to as low as 14 degrees Celsius.

Hanoi is set to see the cold spell cause temperatures to remain at 18 degrees Celsius on March 2, with the chilly period lasting for several days. During the weekend hot weather is set to return to the capital, with temperatures rising to 25 degrees Celsius to 27 degrees Celsius.

Despite these drops in temperature, the cold spell will have little impact on the northwestern region. Provinces such as Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces will likely only see local people feel the cold at night and early in the morning.

Haiphong reopens cafes and restaurants

The northern city of Haiphong has reopened local cafes and restaurants from today, March 1.Under the municipal people’s committee’s decision issued on February 28, from today, all local cafes and restaurants in the city are allowed to be reopened. The other services, including hairdressers, casinos, golf courses and bus stops are also permitted to be resumed.

Events such as festivals and religious ceremonies, sports tournaments, wedding parties and gatherings with more than 20 people are not allowed to be reopened.

Non-essential services such as karaoke parlours, bars, cinemas and dental clinics will remain suspended until further notice.

Only 70% of cars of the city’s taxi firms are permitted to operate again, and only serve no more than 50% of customers.

Schools in Haiphong will be reopened from March 8.

Labourers who come to Haiphong from Covid-19-affected areas have to take.

Covid-19 tests and only those with negative results can enter Haiphong to work. Those from Hai Duong must test negative for the virus before coming to Haiphong. They will be also quarantined for 14 days in Haiphong before being permitted to work.

The “connection” between traditional and modern music

In recent years, Vietnamese music lovers have witnessed the birth of many works combining traditional and modern music.

The video “Xam Hanoi”, which shows young singer Nguyen Thi Ngoc Ha (Ha Myo)’s love for the capital city through Xam (ballads sung by wandering blind musicians), was one outstanding example.

This is the first time the traditional Xam art of song was perfectly combined with rap and electronic music and modern choreography, creating a new music product bearing the charm and beauty of folk culture while featuring the freshness of the modern arts.

The video “Xam Hanoi” has rapidly received a warm response from a large number of young music listeners after arrived in the digital environment. This is on example highlighting the “connection” between modern and traditional music.

Young artist Ngo Hong Quang is also a remarkable face possessesing many works that exploit the rich traditions of music from around the country. He has finished an album entitled “Tinh dan” featuring many indigenous music styles of Vietnam.

Earlier, singers such as Hoang Thuy Linh and Bich Phuong also made their marks with pop songs imbued with folk music or inspired by traditional culture.

It can be seen that this feature of traditional music in composition has become a trend for many young artists over recent years, contributing to a new wind affecting contemporary musical life.

This composition trend is considered a rope connecting modern music lovers with traditional music. It has not only brought about a new style but also highlighted Vietnamese identities in contemporary music.

On the contrary, many traditional art works now feature modern musical elements to conquer young audiences. One highlight is the Cai Luong (reformed opera) and circus play entitled “Cay gay than” (Magic stick) by the Vietnam Cai Luong Theatre and Vietnam Circus Federation.

The play was an audacious experience as the familiar Cai Luong ancient songs were added to a background of jazz music and featured the appearance of rap music in some scenes. All have created an interesting “opening” for Cai Luong that is not only admired young people but has also surprised veteran artists.

The newly released play “Son Hau – Beyond The Mountain” by young directors Nguyen Quoc Hoang Anh and Ha Nguyen Long has also rejuvenated the ancient art of Tuong (classical drama) through attractive performances of hip hop dance on a background of electronic sounds.

This exploitation of modern music is a way to bring traditional arts and music closer to young audiences as well as preserving and promoting traditional music values that are at risk of degradation over times.

Obviously, the reciprocal combination of modern and traditional elements in music has not only made both art forms newer and more impressive but also opened potential trends for the future, towards a new world of contemporary arts imbued with national identities. This is also a way for Vietnamese music to define itself among international friends.

This mission belongs to both traditional and modern artists. However, it is not an easy “path” for artists who have a great passion for the arts and who also dare to deviate. Because, in fact, not any old combination creates the right “fit”. An inappropriate mix of modern and traditional elements can make art works rude and objectionable.

The unreasonable exploitation of ancient materials can also easily cause distortions of tradition. Creators must thus have a deep understanding of each art form so that they will not blur one another. The successes of various art works using this combination in recent years was in part due to the participation of experts having strengths in each form.

With an in-depth understanding of each field, they support and adjust together, helping the works avoid crossing the delicate line between creativity and objection. Thereby, they will enhance the value of the country’s music in particular and the arts in general.

Ca Mau seeks approval for airport expansion

The government of the Mekong Delta province of Ca Mau has written to the Ministry of Transport proposing expanding the capacity of Ca Mau Airport to two million passengers per year for the 2021-2030 period.

Accordingly, the airport will meet the 4C standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization and Vietnam’s level-two standards for military airports.

In the 2030-2050 period, the airport will remain at level 4C, but its capacity will be expanded to three million passengers per year.

The province’s proposal is aimed at meeting the rising demand from passengers for travel from/to Hanoi, Danang and Con Dao, contributing to the province’s socioeconomic development, the local media reported.

In 2019, Ca Mau Province welcomed some two million tourists, while the province had only one daily flight. As such, the airport’s expansion is necessary, according to the provincial government.

Ca Mau Airport has one runway which is 1.5 kilometers long and meets the 3C standards and the level-two standards for military airports. It can handle small aircraft such as ATR-72, AN-2 and MIA-17.

If the airport is upgraded to meet the 4C standards, it will accommodate larger planes such as the A320, the A321 or others.

The province’s proposal will be considered by the ministry to add it to the national general airport development plan in the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050.

Nearly 19,000 hectares of public land encroached on

Of the total area of public land that the Vietnam Rubber Group (VRG), the Vietnam Forestry Corporation (Vinafor) and the Vietnam National Tea Corporation (Vinatea) were assigned to manage, 18,500 hectares was encroached upon.

Of this, 10,700 hectares of VRG’s land was encorached on, nearly 7,400 hectares of Vinafor’s land and 500 hectares of Vinatea’s land, according to the Government Inspectorate’s conclusion on an inspection into the compliance with Vietnam’s regulations on the management and use of land at the three units between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2017.

Also, these units allegedly committed wrongdoings in changing the purpose of agricultural land-use and offered parts of the headquarters for lease, reported Tuoi Tre Online.

More than 10,700 hectares of VRG’s encroached land was mainly in the southeastern region and the Central Highlands. Over 1,700 hectares of land also overlapped with that of the local residents.

In addition, VRG was tasked with managing and using 759 land and housing facilities meant for restructuring programs under the prime minister’s decision. However, by the end of 2017, it submitted a list of 43 facilities to the authorities for approving the handling and restructuring, while the remainder just had their conditions checked. VRG also leased part of its office space, which was not in compliance with the Land Law.

As for Vinafor, the Government Inspectorate said that the corporation had yet to reclaim over 7,300 hectares of encroached land, accounting for some 15% of the land area it was assigned or rented to manage and use. The encroachment mainly happened from 2005.

Vinafor was also allocated 83 land and housing facilities for management and use. To date, seven facilities were handled and restructured in line with prevailing regulations.

As for Vinatea, it has yet to address the encroachment facing its over 497 hectares of land in the northern province of Phu Tho.

Vinatea alone used 12 plots of land to contribute to the establishment of joint ventures and leased land to businesses without following prevailing regulations and carried out divesment without bidding.

Le Thanh Hung, deputy general director of VRG, told the paper that the firm has adopted measures to cope with the land encroachment for years, but faced many obstacles due to historical issues.

Airlines make it difficult for lockdown refund cases

According to carriers’ ticket agents, many passengers who wanted to travel to Hai Duong Province bought tickets for routes from HCMC to Hanoi and Hai Phong City because the province has no airport. They planned to take coaches to Hai Duong after arriving. Hai Duong then was locked down, their trips could not be carried out thought flights were operated. Passengers can not ask airlines to refund air fares because it is not easy to meet the carriers’ requirements on explaining the reason and purpose of traveling to Hai Duong.

Passengers have accepted vouchers for cancellations. Airlines should not make it difficult and cause more loss for customers by asking complicated procedures and responding late, said Ms. Nguyen Thi Mai, a ticket agent in Hanoi.

Carriers, including Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air, Bamboo Airways said that passengers must display the necessary paperworks, such as confrimations of their workplaces and local authority of the affected areas where they come or return, tickets purchased before the lockdown and having a validity.

According to economic expert Vu Dinh Anh and other specialists, State’s functional agencies and the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) should launch ways of solving problems to ensure the rights of the two sides.

Vietnam Airlines plans to resume flights between Van Don, HCMC

The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines (VNA) has announced that it will resume routes connecting Van Don in Quang Ninh Province and HCMC that were previously suspended amid coronavirus outbreak, starting March 3.

Accordingly, the carrier will operate one daily flight on Wednesday from March 3-17; and three weekly flights on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday from March 18-December 31. The flight will depart from Ho Chi Minh City at 13:00 and Van Don at 15:45.

On this occasion, VNA will offer tickets at VND33, 000 (US$1.4) each one-way for the first three flights. The promotional program will be apllied for passengers who buy tickets with the mobile app, on the website www.vietnamairlines.com, and at the box offices and official agents of VNA from now until March 17 on flights departing from March 3-17.

Ha Tinh to upgrade Dong Loc T- Junction historical site

SGGPSunday, February 28, 2021 07:12

The grave area of 10 female martyrs

The project which aims to pay tribute to martyrs who laid down their lives for the fatherland’s independence and freedom is expected to complete this year.

Vietnam targets 70% of statistical products and services be provided on time by 2025

By 2030, Vietnam’s statistics sector is expected to reach the level of development of regional most advanced countries and by 2045 to become among the modern statistics systems globally.

Vietnam targets 70% of statistical products and services be provided on time for users by 2025, the rate would raise to 100% by 2030.

The goal is part of the draft strategy for the development of Vietnam’s statistics sector in the 2021-30 period, with vision to 2045.

Meanwhile, the sector would enhance its capabilities in providing micro data per request for users, aiming to triple the amount of data provided by 2025 compared to that of 2020 and 10 times by 2030.

The satisfaction rate of users using statistics data, as a result, would reach 60% by 2025 and 75% by 2030.

By 2030, Vietnam’s statistics sector is expected to reach the development level of advanced regional countries and by 2045 to become among modern statistics systems globally.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), which is in charge of drafting the strategy, stressed the necessity to provide statistics data in a transparent, accurate, timely and easily accessible manner.

“Such data would help government leaders to map out socio-economic development plans, while meeting demand for information from organizations and individuals according to local legislation and international practices,” added the ministry.

“The immediate task at the moment is to assess the realization of Vietnam’s 10-year socio-economic plan [2021-30], and the development strategy for each sector, provinces and cities in 2021-30,” stated the MPI.

The strategy would propose specific measures to standardize Vietnam’s statistics procedures based on international practices; modernizing data collection and analyzing; enhancing capabilities in analyzing and forecasting; adopting digital transformation on statistics works.

Statistical products are, generally, information dissemination products that are published or otherwise made available for public use that describe, estimate, forecast, or analyse the characteristics of groups, customarily without identifying the persons, organizations, or individual data observations that comprise such groups.

Main products and services of Vietnam’s General Statistics Office include monthly socio-economic report, “Today Price’s Index”, “Statistical Information” pamphlet, statistical handbook and year book, among others.

“In Progress” to bridge art and education

The “In Progress” aims to contribute to enriching the cultural life of Vietnamese people by bringing diverse art and cultural events to the public.

“In Progress”, a pastime program, is slated to take place in Hanoi from March to May, will introduce a series of art and cultural events to local people.

Cutting across multiple disciplines, the “In Progress” will introduce 12 interesting events ranging from exhibition, multisensory puppet show, film screenings to a workshop bridging art and education, new engagement with an old art form, and many more.

In the context that Covid-19 is still complicated, there is likely a change in time and organization for each event. During the time of the program, the organizers will take necessary measures as well as cooperate with the municipal government to put in place the anti-pandemic protocols.

With an aim of contributing to the enrichment of the cultural life of Vietnamese people by bringing diverse art and cultural events to the public, 12 event proposals have been selected to to be included the “In Progress”.

One of the challenges that “In Progress” posed to all participating artists was to reach out to the hard to reach groups, and to thrive to create tangible values for those who might not have previously been benefiting from independent artistic and cultural practices.

“In Progress is truly an unprecedented opportunity for creative hubs and cultural practitioners to connect with artists across the country and thereby stepping out of their areas to reach new groups of audiences,” said Vu Thi Thanh Binh, a manager of “A week of culture and creativity” project.

The 12 wonderful art and cultural projects are expected to help audiences discover the “In Progress” as an opportunity for the young generation of Vietnamese artists to demonstrate how the arts and culture can make a positive change to the society and the world today.

Poor people prioritized in Vietnam’s Covid-19 vaccination plan

The country has approximately nine million of people or around 9% population living in poverty.

Poor people are listed among priority groups in Vietnam’s vaccination against Covid-19, which is planned to take place in March.

According to the United Nations, around 9% of Vietnam’s population or roughly nine million people living in poverty in 2019, a drastic reduction from 57% in 1990.

Factors that characterized the poor include large size of household, low education and skills, dependency on agriculture, remoteness in rural mountainous areas, lack of supporting infrastructure. The poor nowadays is also specifically associated with ethnic minorities in mountainous area rather than urban migrants.

Under the government’s resolution dated February 26, the poor and social beneficiaries belong to nine groups of people prioritized for the inoculation in the country of nearly 100 million population.

Groups in the priority list include:

– Health workers and frontline forces (members of the steering committee for Covid prevention at all levels, people working in quarantine centers, contact tracers, volunteers, reporters, among others); army officers; policemen.

– Vietnamese diplomats abroad; customs and state officials working in immigration service.

– Essential providers in aviation, transportation, tourism, clean water, electricity, among others.

– Teachers and employees in education sector; people working in administration agencies having frequent contact with others.

– People with underlying diseases and those above 65 years of age.

– People in the pandemic-hit areas.

– The poor and social beneficiaries.

– People in overseas mission.

– And other people decided by the Ministry of Health basing on the requirements of the pandemic control.

People, who are subject to the first shots (the first phase) of the 117,000 doses, are health workers and frontline forces.

The first batch of vaccine arrived in Vietnam on February 24 from British–Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.

Vietnam is under the fresh Covid-19 outbreak that resurged in late January, recording more than 800 locally-transmitted infections so far.

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

The country’s trade turnover during January-February topped some 95.81 billion USD, a year-on-year surge of 25.4 percent.

Vietnam’s trade balance posted positive, 1.29 billion USD, in the first two months of the year, the General Department of Customs said on December 28.

The country’s trade turnover during January-February topped some 95.81 billion USD, a year-on-year surge of 25.4 percent. Of the total, exports amounted to 48.55 billion USD, a yearly hike of 23.2 percent, while imports were estimated at 47.26 billion USD, or 25.9 percent higher than the same time last year.

Foreign-invested companies accounted for 76.4 percent, or 37.07 billion USD, of Vietnam’s total export turnover. Meanwhile, the domestic sector shipped abroad 11.48 billion USD worth of products.

There were nine commodities joining the billion-USD export club, including telephones and parts (9.3 billion USD, up 22.8 percent year-on-year); electronics, computers and parts (6.9 billion USD, up 27.3 percent); equipment, machines and parts (5.5 billion USD, up 72.6 percent); footwear (3.2 billion USD, up 15.4 percent); and wood and wooden products (2.4 billion USD, up 51 percent). They made up 73 percent of the country’s export turnover.

The US was Vietnam’s biggest importer as it splashed out 14.2 billion USD on Vietnamese products, or 38.2 percent higher than the amount it spent the same time last year. China came second with 8.5 billion USD, followed by the EU with 6.3 billion USD, ASEAN 4.2 billion USD, the Republic of Korea 3.4 billion USD, and Japan 3.2 billion USD.

Meanwhile, the country spent big (47.26 billion USD) on imports, with foreign-invested sector purchasing 31.64 billion USD worth of products from abroad for production, up 31.4 percent, while that of the domestic sector surged 16 percent to 15.62 billion USD.

In the two-month period, China was the largest exporter of Vietnam, with revenue estimated at 17.3 billion USD, up 85.7 percent year-on-year, followed by the Republic of Korea with 8.4 billion USD, ASEAN 5.6 billion USD, Japan 3.1 billion USD, EU 2.3 billion USD, and the US 2.1 billion USD.

In a bid to support local firms in promoting production and exports, the Ministry of Industry and Trade said that it will work to capitalise on opportunities from the signed free trade agreements to seek measures for market development. Additionally, it will keep close watch on the global market to identify key export products, while paying due heed to penning measures for market development./.

Switzerland-Vietnam business group debuts

The Vietnamese Embassy in Switzerland has recently held a ceremony to launch the non-profit Switzerland-Vietnam business group (SVBG), which aims at promoting exchanges and investment and trade cooperation between enterprises of the two nations.

Based in Lausanne, the SVBG, the first of its kind founded by Vietnamese expatriates in Switzerland, has been set to focus on offering trade information via workshops, forums, and internal bulletins; providing legal consultations and guidance; developing links for technological transfers and improvement; and introducing quality human resources. It will also make recommendations for more favourable business climate to competent agencies of both nations, while organising socio-cultural activities serving its goals.

Speaking at the debut ceremony, Vietnamese Ambassador Le Linh Lan stressed the group came into being at a special time as Vietnam has placed the COVID-19 pandemic under control and prepared best conditions possible to welcome Swiss investors.

In 2020, Vietnam’s economy grew 2.91 percent, making it one of the few countries that have maintained positive GDP growth while many others in the world fell into severe recession. Also in August last year, the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement took effect, opening up huge trade and investment opportunities for both sides. In last November, as the Chair of the ASEAN, Vietnam successfully pushed the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), establishing the biggest free trade area worldwide.

According to the diplomat, Switzerland is the 6th largest European investor in Vietnam, with its investment totaling 2 billion USD, mostly in manufacturing – processing and electricity. Currently, close to 100 Swiss firms are operating in Vietnam.

Meanwhile, Vietnam is the four biggest trade partner of Switzerland in ASEAN, with bilateral trade exceeding 3.6 billion USD in 2019. Since 2012, Vietnam and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) – the intergovernmental organisation of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland – began negotiations for a FTA, which is expected to be signed this year.

As scheduled, the SVBG will make debut to its Swiss partners at the Webinar Market Focus Vietnam that the group co-hosts with the embassy and the Geneva Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services./.

Shopping online, a new trend amid COVID-19 pandemic

Online shopping has been increasingly welcomed by Vietnamese consumers since the outbreak of COVID-19. Even though the pandemic has now been largely brought under control, many have continued with this way of shopping due to its convenience.

Many online shopping apps were introduced during the COVID-19 outbreak, creating fierce competition between e-commerce platforms despite the market being relatively new.

Online shopping platforms are forecast to redefine Vietnamese people’s shopping habits even after the pandemic. Experts, however, have recommended that people follow prestigious brands to avoid counterfeit goods./.

Kien Giang keen to become sea-based economic powerhouse by 2025

Boasting 200 km of coastline and 143 islands, the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang is striving to branch out its maritime sector and become a sea-based economic powerhouse by 2025.

The move aims to contribute to realising the “Strategy for Sustainable Development of Vietnam’s Marine Economy by 2030 with a Vision to 2045”.

According to Standing Deputy Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Mai Van Huynh, the province is prioritising building its maritime sector to boost economic development while protecting the environment and strengthening national defence at sea and on islands.

Major investments have been made in several spearhead industries, such as seafood, tourism-marine services, energy, and maritime industry, among others, helping the province rank second among the 13 Mekong Delta localities in terms of maritime economic development in 2020.

The sea-based economy accounted for 79.75 percent of the local gross regional domestic product (GRDP) during the year, he added.

High-capacity fishing vessels have been built to bolster off-shore fishing, contributing to sustainable fisheries and the protection of the nation’s sovereignty over sea and islands.

With vast fishing grounds and a strong fleet, the province’s annual seafood output tops 500,000 tonnes and its aquaculture yield was estimated at more than 264,100 tonnes in 2020.

Kien Giang is working to secure a total seafood catch and aquaculture output of 800,000 tonnes by 2025.

According to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, farming areas in Phu Quoc city, Kien Hai island district, the island commune of Tien Hai in Ha Tien city, and Son Hai and Hon Nghe in Kien Luong district will focus on farming groupers, cobias, yellow-fin pompanos, and seabass, as well as blue lobster, mantis shrimp, crab, and oysters for pearl farming.

Meanwhile, coastal areas in Ha Tien city and the districts of Kien Luong, Hon Dat, An Minh, and An Bien will develop zones for farming molluscs such as blood cockles, saltwater mussels, green mussels, and oysters.

Furthermore, due attention will be paid to high-tech aquaculture, the development of quality staples with high economic value, and measures to prevent illegal fishing.

Local maritime tourism has become a locomotive for growth of the tourism sector, with renowned destinations like Phu Quoc Island. A huge amount of capital has been injected into Phu Quoc city for years, most of which comes from strategic investors like Vingroup, Sun Group, BIM Group, and CEO Group.

According to the provincial Department of Tourism, the province welcomed over 5.2 million visitors in 2020, accounting for 55.8 percent of the plan but down 40.7 percent year-on-year. Revenue from tourism services was put at more than 7.8 trillion VND (339.8 million USD), or 39.3 percent of the target, and down 57.7 percent compared to 2019.

Local tourism is seeing a sound recovery thanks to supportive stimulus measures.

The province will sharpen its focus on tourism infrastructure at key attractions, including Phu Quoc Island, which is to become a world-class marine eco-tourism services hub.

Vice Director of the Department of Tourism Bui Quoc Thai said the province encourages all economic sectors to build and diversify local tourism products, as well as join in efforts to form a major tourism centre.

Regarding energy development, the province prioritises investment in wind power, electrification, solar power, and many other sources of renewable energy.

In the meantime, it has plans to build coastal roads and improve logistics services, while working to preserve ocean biodiversity and restore ocean ecosystems, in particular protecting mangrove forest in tandem with the effective and sustainable exploitation of marine resources./.

Cargo throughput at sea ports posts positive growth in January

More than 62 million tonnes of goods were handled at Vietnam’s sea ports in the first month of 2021, up 17 percent on year despite COVID-19.

Of the total figure, container throughput exceeded 2.2 million TEU, an annual increase of 27 percent.

The Cai Mep – Thi Vai port in Ba Ria – Vung Tau province recorded the highest growth in cargo throughput, at 29 percent, followed by the Hai Phong and Ho Chi Minh City ports, at 26 and 27 percent, respectively.

According to a representative from the Vietnam Logistics Business Association, the volume of goods shipped by sea was affected by not only the pandemic, but also the shortage of ship space and empty containers, and a slowdown in the Vietnamese export market and the global supply chains./.

High-tech farming needs investment and proper policies

Vietnam’s agriculture sector is aiming to be among the 15 most developed countries in the world, in which the agricultural processing sector ranks among the top 10 countries by 2030.

To realise the goal, the Government issued a resolution in 2019 on measures to encourage businesses to invest in effective, safe and sustainable agriculture as part of efforts to help the sector integrate globally.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) recently submitted to the Government a project of export promotion of agro-fishery products by 2030.

The export turnover is expected to reach 50-51 billion USD by 2025 and 60-62 billion USD in 2030.

To implement the target, the MARD will review and propose policies for investment attraction from private and foreign investors into the agro-fishery product processing industry.

For the last five years, there has been a wave of investment into agricultural production with 52,000 businesses, of which the firms directly participating in production hit 13,300, triple the figure of 2015.

The businesses’ participation not only contributed improve the value of agricultural products but also helped farmers access international standards.

In 2020 alone, 18 new factories for agro-product processing opened, a positive signal in improving Vietnam’s agricultural sector.

However, according to experts, although investment in agriculture has flourished in recent years with the participation of many new tycoons, it has not become a strong wave.

Notably, the majority of agricultural enterprises are still small, of which 90 percent are small and super small with capital of less than 10 billion VND (430,000 USD) while the number of enterprises investing in high-tech agriculture is even more modest.

Tran Van Tan, Chairman of Safe and Organic Businesses’ Association of Thanh Hoá Province in central Vietnam, said: “Agricultural businesses had many difficulties in accessing preferential policies leading to difficulties in seeking assistance.”

“Capital was also a big problem. To have the capital to buy agricultural land from farmers was a difficult problem,” said Tan.

“Access to capital from banks was not easy due to many procedures that agricultural enterprises struggled to meet,” he said.

“The accumulation of land to invest in setting up high-tech agricultural zones was also difficult so it required the help from local governments,” he added.

Similarly, Nguyen Thi Diem Hang, Director of the Vietnam Organic Farm Company, said initial expenses for high-tech farming were always higher than traditional farming while high-tech production did not bring immediate economic benefits.

Access to capital and land were also tough problems for agricultural enterprises, Hang said.

“It is necessary to increase the number of businesses taking part in the processing industry to become a kernel for 8.6 million farmers nationwide,” the director said.

“On the other hand, promoting science and technology to produce hi-tech agro-product is an inevitable trend,” she said.

Meanwhile, Ha Van Thang, Chairman of the Vietnam Agriculture Businesses’ Association, said the thing most businesses needed was a legal framework for high-tech farming development.

There was a need for incentive policies such as simplifying loan procedures and completing criteria of high-tech agricultural enterprises to easily access bank loans.

Policies on land accumulation and granting land use right certificates, houses and properties attached with land ownership must be improved, according to Thang.

According to experts, to attract investment in agriculture it was necessary to cut 40-50 per cent of current administrative procedures, improve the business environment and develop businesses substantially.

At the same time, reviews are needed to avoid overlaps in management and inspection and not let one product be subject to the management of too many units. Management methods should change to post-check from pre-check.

Besides, there must be clear planning of material zones connecting with businesses as well as support for the training of human resources for high-tech farming./.

Viet Nam aviation is among fastest growing markets

Southeast Asia will need 4,400 new airplanes valued at US$700 billion to support expanding demand for air travel over the next 20 years, said Darren Hulst, Boeing vice president of Commercial Marketing.

In an online conference yesterday, Hulst quoted Boeing’s 2020 Commercial Market Outlook (CMO), saying: “The intra-Southeast Asian market will become the fifth largest in the world by 2039, and the vast domestic and regional air-travel network across the region positions it well for a post-pandemic recovery.”

With low-cost carriers providing affordable service and added capacity, CMO estimated traffic growth in Southeast Asia to grow by 5.7 per cent annually in the next 20 years, making the region the second largest aviation market in the Asia-Pacific region after China.

Boeing, at the same time, projected the region’s commercial airplane fleet to grow 5.3 per cent annually during the period while the demand for aftermarket commercial services could reach US$790 billion.

Hulst said: “Southeast Asia’s fundamental growth drivers remain robust. With an expanding middle-class and growth in private consumption, the region’s economy has grown by nearly 70 per cent over the last decade, which increases propensity to travel,” adding: “Governments in the region continue to recognise the travel and tourism sectors as important drivers of economic growth.”

Boeing’s vice president said: “Indonesia, Thailand, Viet Nam, Malaysia and the Philippines are the markets that most contribute to the growth in the global aviation market. They are also places with more room for expansion because of the emerging middle class, which could be 60 million new passengers in the next 15 years.”

Hulst also considered Viet Nam as the fastest growing market in terms of growth of air travel in the region with the advantage of a strong domestic market and the recent control of the pandemic.

Mentioning the demand for airplanes in the region, he said though the near-term airplane deliveries were impacted as a result of the pandemic, Boeing estimated operators would need more than 3,500 new single-aisle airplanes in the region by 2039 as the low-cost-carriers have the highest market penetration globally.

The airplane maker said twin-aisle airplanes such as the 777X and 787 Dreamliner still remain foundational to Southeast Asia’s air travel industry, adding one in four twin-aisle airplanes delivered to the broader Asia-Pacific region would go to a carrier operating in Southeast Asia. It forecast the region would need 760 new widebodies by 2039.

As the region’s commercial aviation services growth remained promising in the long term, said the CMO, Southeast Asia commercial services were valued at $790 billion over the next 20 years, a slight increase from last year’s projection, driven largely by growth in freighter conversions and digital solutions and analytics. With such estimation, Southeast Asia expected to require 183,000 more commercial pilots, cabin crew members and aviation technicians.

Globally, Boeing forecast the demand for 43,110 new commercial airplanes and the demand for aftermarket services to be equivalent to US$9 trillion over the next two decades when world air cargo traffic was projected to grow 4 per cent annually due to solid industrial production and world trade. The CMO said freighters would remain the backbone of the cargo industry with the need for 930 new and 1,500 converted freighters during the same span.

High-tech farming needs investment and proper policies

Viet Nam’s agriculture sector is aiming to be among the 15 most developed countries in the world, in which the agricultural processing sector ranks among the top 10 countries by 2030.

To realise the goal, the Government issued a resolution in 2019 on measures to encourage businesses to invest in effective, safe and sustainable agriculture as part of efforts to help the sector integrate globally.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) recently submitted to the Government a project of export promotion of agro-fishery products by 2030.

The export turnover is expected to reach US$50-51 billion by 2025 and $60-62 billion in 2030.

To implement the target, the MARD will review and propose policies for investment attraction from private and foreign investors into the agro-fishery product processing industry.

For the last five years, there has been a wave of investment into agricultural production with 52,000 businesses, of which the firms directly participating in production hit 13,300, triple the figure of 2015.

The businesses’ participation not only contributed improve the value of agricultural products but also helped farmers access international standards.

In 2020 alone, 18 new factories for agro-product processing opened, a positive signal in improving Viet Nam’s agricultural sector.

However, according to experts, although investment in agriculture has flourished in recent years with the participation of many new tycoons, it has not become a strong wave.

Notably, the majority of agricultural enterprises are still small, of which 90 per cent are small and super small with capital of less than VND10 billion (US$430,000) while the number of enterprises investing in high-tech agriculture is even more modest.

Tran Van Tan, chairman of Safe and Organic Businesses’ Association of Thanh Hoa Province in central Viet Nam, said: “Agricultural businesses had many difficulties in accessing preferential policies leading to difficulties in seeking assistance.”

“Capital was also a big problem. To have the capital to buy agricultural land from farmers was a difficult problem,” said Tan.

“Access to capital from banks was not easy due to many procedures that agricultural enterprises struggled to meet,” he said.

“The accumulation of land to invest in setting up high-tech agricultural zones was also difficult so it required the help from local governments,” he added.

Similarly, Nguyen Thi Diem Hang, director of the Viet Nam Organic Farm Company, said initial expenses for high-tech farming were always higher than traditional farming while high-tech production did not bring immediate economic benefits.

Access to capital and land were also tough problems for agricultural enterprises, Hang said.

“It is necessary to increase the number of businesses taking part in the processing industry to become a kernel for 8.6 million farmers nationwide,” the director said.

“On the other hand, promoting science and technology to produce hi-tech agro-product is an inevitable trend,” she said.

Meanwhile, Ha Van Thang, chairman of the Viet Nam Agriculture Businesses’ Association, said the thing most businesses needed was a legal framework for high-tech farming development.

There was a need for incentive policies such as simplifying loan procedures and completing criteria of high-tech agricultural enterprises to easily access bank loans.

Policies on land accumulation and granting land use right certificates, houses and properties attached with land ownership must be improved, according to Thang.

According to experts, to attract investment in agriculture it was necessary to cut 40-50 per cent of current administrative procedures, improve the business environment and develop businesses substantially.

At the same time, reviews are needed to avoid overlaps in management and inspection and not let one product be subject to the management of too many units. Management methods should change to post-check from pre-check.

Besides, there must be clear planning of material zones connecting with businesses as well as support for the training of human resources for high-tech farming.

Thai conglomerate SCG now dominates Viet Nam’s plastic production industry

Under the contract signed on February 9 via a virtual conference, Duy Tan will sell 70 per cent of its shares in five of total twenty-two subsidiary companies, including Duy Tan Plastic Manufacturing Corporation and Duy Tan Long An Corporation, to SCG’s SCG Packaging, Duy Tan said.

Duy Tan Plastic is a leading company in the plastic goods market in Viet Nam with revenue of VND4.7 trillion in 2020. It has nearly 1,000 commodities units and 16,000 distribution agents across the country. The company’s annual capacity reaches 116,000 tonnes of hard plastic packaging and plastic goods.

SCG, Thailand’s largest cement producer, will buy the stakes over three years, starting from 2021. The deal takes a long time as it is based on business results, Duy Tan Plastic said.

Through the deal, SCG and Duy Tan Plastic want to create a solid foundation for a completed supply chain.

Duy Tan Plastic aims at developing hard plastic packaging products, plastic goods and expanding export markets, while the investments help SCG Packaging broaden its hard plastic packaging businesses in ASEAN, especially strengthen capacity to serve FMCG producers and consumers in Viet Nam.

The deal is a part of SCG’s investment plan worth 10 billion baht (US$334 million) to extend its businesses in Viet Nam that has big and growing demands in plastic packaging products.

Wichan Jitpukdee, CEO of SCG Packaging, said that the company will keep investing in Viet Nam, resulting in revenue growth of over 10 per cent each year.

Dominating Viet Nam’s plastic production industry

The plastic production industry in Viet Nam has around 3,300 enterprises with total value of approximately US$18 billion.

The upstream sector of this industry includes petrochemical refineries and chemical enterprises whose main activities are to convert fossil materials into raw plastic beads.

Meanwhile the downstream sector is turning raw plastic beads into plastic products. The downstream can be divided into four main segments, including plastic packaging products, plastic building materials, plastic goods and engineering plastics.

With the deal for Duy Tan Plastic’s shares, SCG is dominating Viet Nam’s plastic industry, especially in plastic packaging products and plastic building materials. These two segments account around 61 per cent of the total market value.

In 2019, SCG Packaging founded Vina Kraft Paper in Binh Duong Province to produce paper packaging products with total capacity of 500,000 tonnes/year.

The company continued to invest in Tin Thanh Packing JSC (BATICO) in 2015. And recently SGC bought 94 per cent of Bien Hoa Packaging JSC’s stakes, with the deal worth of VND2.07 billion (US$89 million).

SCG also owns stakes in many plastic companies including Binh Minh Plastics JSC, Vietnam Construction Materials JSC, Prime Group, Viet Thai Plastchem Joint Venture Company Ltd, TPC Vina Plastic and Chemical Corporation Ltd, Viet Nam Chemtech Company Ltd and Minh Thai Plastic Material Company Ltd.

In 2018 June, SCG signed a contract to buy 29 per cent of Viet Nam Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam)’s shares in Long Son Petrochemical Complex Project, raising its equity from 71 per cent to 100 per cent with total investment value of 8.5 billion baht per year.

HCM City to ensure transparent, fair and competitive environment for property market

The chairman of the HCM City People Committee has pledged to review all housing projects in the city and work out solutions to create a “more transparent, fair and competitive business environment”.

Speaking at an annual meeting with the HCM City Real Estate Association (HoREA) last weekend (Feb 27), Nguyen Thanh Phong said the city would work with agencies to address delays in “the issuance of investment policy approval for developers and ownership certificates for homebuyers”.

Le Hoang Chau, chairman of HoREA, said over the past years, the association has submitted numerous petitions and proposals to the Government and local authorities to resolve problems related to investment and construction.

Businesses have frquently petitioned the People’s Committee to speed up procedures for investment approval for commercial housing projects, he added.

In 2020 alone, 61 commercial housing projects were delayed because the land they were allotted was a mix of plots with various purposes and uses, he said.

“A number of projects being built on public lands were halted and are being reviewed for compliance,” Chau added.

According to a report from the Department of Construction, procedures for investment approval of commercial housing projects take up to 247 working days, or 50 weeks, excluding 14 public holidays, which is too long.

The association has also urged city authorities to speed up the issuance of home ownership certificates for more than 30,402 housing units in 163 projects in the city.

“The Department of Natural Resources and Environment needs to work with the Department of Finance, the City Land Price Appraisal Council and other agencies to determine land-use fees for the housing projects to speed up the process,” he noted.

“Priority should be given to home-ownership certificates for homebuyers who have fulfilled their obligations under the housing purchase contract,” he added.

A number of apartment buildings have been built in violation of approved plans and designs in the city, delaying the issuance of land-use and home ownership certificates, according to the Department of Construction.

Many developers have even mortgaged their buildings to get loans for other projects, meaning buyers have been unable to get ownership certificates, it said.

New guidelines

Recently, city authorities issued guidelines to speed up the issuance of land-use and home ownership certificates to buyers to prevent disputes with housing developers.

They divided apartment projects into two categories related to collection of land-use fees and issuance of ownership certificates.

For apartments within a compound, the entire project area is identified as “residential land” and is subject to fees for issuance of certificates for land-use rights, house ownership and other land-related assets.

For those without compounds that come with public areas such as parks, schools, hospitals, and main roads connecting to public roads outside the apartment building, only the area of ​​land used for apartment construction is considered “residential land”.

For the public areas, the city will organise bids to select investors.

The construction of technical works such as electricity and water supply, drainage, lighting, and telecommunications systems must be done by the developer and handed over to the city. No land-use fees will be collected.

The Department of Natural Resources and Environment has been assigned to work with the departments of planning and architecture, construction, and other agencies to classify land areas in each project (both already completed and upcoming) subject to fees for issuance of ownership certificates.

The Department of Construction will be responsible for monitoring compliance with construction norms and penalising violators.

The city has ordered agencies to carefully review investors’ financial capacity before licensing projects. Investors found to have committed violations must be severely sanctioned.

There are 15,000 real estate firms operating in the city.

Experts attributed the challenges facing businesses to inconsistent regulations on housing and land investment. Hundreds of housing projects are under inspection for legal procedures, delaying their progress.

Modern trade channels, e-commerce to be further thrive: experts

Modern and online shopping channels recorded strong growth last year and will continue to thrive this year, according to experts.

Nielsen Vietnam’s retail chain consulting said the COVID-19 pandemic has boosted online shopping and more consumers would choose to shop online even after the pandemic ends.

As of December there were around 8,500 stores nation-wide, including 453 supermarkets and 5,566 minimarts with the rest being convenience, health and beauty, drug, and cash & carry stores.

There is a fierce competition in the retail market, and so each chain has to identify its strengths to retain competitiveness.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, average retail sales and consumer services revenue per capita increased from 19.3 million VND in 2010 to 51.2 million VND in 2019, accounting for 8 percent of GDP.

E-commerce, supported by electronic payment, has grown especially strongly in recent years, averaging over 27 percent growth, it said./.

Cargo throughput at sea ports posts positive growth in January

More than 62 million tonnes of goods were handled at Vietnam’s sea ports in the first month of 2021, up 17 percent on year despite COVID-19.

Of the total figure, container throughput exceeded 2.2 million TEU, an annual increase of 27 percent.

The Cai Mep – Thi Vai port in Ba Ria – Vung Tau province recorded the highest growth in cargo throughput, at 29 percent, followed by the Hai Phong and Ho Chi Minh City ports, at 26 and 27 percent, respectively.

According to a representative from the Vietnam Logistics Business Association, the volume of goods shipped by sea was affected by not only the pandemic, but also the shortage of ship space and empty containers, and a slowdown in the Vietnamese export market and the global supply chains./.

HCM City’s CPI inches up 1.19 percent in February

The consumer price index (CPI) in the southern largest economic hub of Ho Chi Minh City increased 1.19 percent in February from the previous month, according to the city’s Statistics Office.

Among 11 groups of products and services in the CPI basket, the group of housing, electricity, water and construction materials had the highest price increase of 2.06 percent. This included a 13 percent hike in power price, 2.65 percent rise in water price, and 0.14 percent fall in housing rent due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The prices of restaurant and catering services showed a big jump of 1.35 percent, with those of foodstuff growing 1.79 percent from January. The strongest surges in this group were seen in the prices of pork (5.28 percent), beef (2.36 percent), poultry (3.99 percent) and aquatic products (3.12 percent) due to high demand during the traditional Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday – the biggest traditional festival of Vietnamese people.

Moving in the same trend were groups of beverage and tobacco (0.41 percent), and garment, hats and footwear (0.35 percent).

Affected by the petrol price hikes on January 26 and February 25, transportation fees increased by 1.68 percent.

In contrast, the prices of medicine and medical services dropped by 0.05 percent, and those of the education group decreased by 0.01 percent.

The Statistics Office also said that the gold price went up by 1.1 percent while the price of US dollar expanded 0.02 percent as compared to January./.

Over 18,000 new firms set up in first two months

More than 18,000 new businesses were established in the first two months of 2021, a year-on-year decline of 4 percent, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

The number of employees registered by the newly-established enterprises rose 9.7 percent to 173,000.

The months saw an addition of over 720.4 trillion VND (32.24 billion USD), in total registered capital, up 12.4 percent. Average level in registered capital per enterprise surged 46.4 percent to reach 18.5 billion VND in the period.

About 11,030 enterprises resumed operations in the first two months, down 7.6 percent while 33,611 others were dissolved, an increase of 18.6 percent.

In February alone, as many as 8,038 new businesses were set up with a combined registered capital of nearly 179.74 trillion VND.

The number of new firms represented a year-on-year drop of 12.3 percent while the amount of capital surged 85.6 percent.

The number of workers registered by these businesses reached almost 57,000, down 22.1 percent./.

Udmurtia keen on boosting bilateral trade with Vietnam

First Deputy Prime Minister of the Udmurt Republic of the Russian Federation Konstantin Suntsov has expressed his belief that its bilateral relations and trade with Vietnam will be enhanced in the coming time.

Talking with a Moscow-based Vietnam News Agency reporter, Suntsov said that two-way trade hit 165 million USD in 2019, which was estimated at 200 million USD last year despite impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.

He noted that Udmurtia is running a trade surplus with Vietnam, with its exports accounting for up to 70 percent of the total value, mostly metal and forestry products, cellulose and papers. Meanwhile, Vietnam has mainly shipped consumer goods to Udmurtia.

While expressing his interest in Vietnamese coffee, Suntsov said Udmurtia’s Tasty Coffee company accounts for about one-third of Russia’s coffee market share.

According to the official, Udmurtia already exported military technical products, metal and wooden products and medical equipment to Vietnam, and plans to ship more farm produce, light chemical industry products and IT services.

At an online trade promotion forum held in late 2020, Udmurtia introduced unmanned aerial vehicles, medical equipment, food colouring products, bleaches used in agriculture and farm produce to Vietnamese partners.

Mentioning important points in the Russia-Vietnam comprehensive strategic partnership, he said the two nations already signed a free trade agreement, thereby raising two-way trade to 6 billion USD in 2018.

He also praised Vietnam for its natural, art and cultural beauty which he felt during his visits to Hanoi, Sa Pa and Ha Long Bay in 2015.

On its capacity as rotating ASEAN Chair in 2020, Vietnam well performed its role in assisting other regional member states in coping with the COVID-19 pandemic, Suntsov said.

In his opinion, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement, signed in 2020, will become a bridge between Russia and Southeast Asia.

As Vietnam is really a bridge between Russia and ASEAN, Udmurtia will also take advantage of that, he said.

Udmurtia is a federal subject of the Russian Federation within the Volga Federal District. Industry now accounts for over 45 percent of Udmurtia’s economic structure. Its enterprises also manufacture equipment for nuclear power plants, medical and oil-gas equipment, metal and plastic products. Agriculture is also an important priority of its development./.

Vietnamese and Japanese firms receive support to expand operations

The Japan Trade Promotion Organisation (JETRO) will host an online scheme on March 3 in Hanoi aimed at connecting Japanese businesses in the field of manufacturing and production, known as Monozukuri in Japanese to facilitate co-operation amid the negative impacts caused the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a representative from the JETRO, the business matching programme will see the participation of 40 Japanese companies for the purpose of accelerating the development of the country’s supporting industry.

At present, the scheme has received registration for 50 negotiations from enterprises from Japan, Vietnam, and Taiwan (China), whilst it is still receiving registration from businesses wishing to purchase and seek Japanese suppliers in the Monozukuri field until March 1.

A recent survey conducted by the JETRO unveiled that Japanese businesses remain keen on the Vietnamese market as the country is viewed as an alternative investment destinations for Japanese enterprises looking to move away from China due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The survey indicates that approximately half of Japanese enterprises in the nation plan to expand their production activities, while roughly 70% of them seek opportunities to increase revenue in the local market.

Most notably, 46.8% of Japanese enterprises unveiled that they have initiated plans to expand their business in the nation over the course of the next two years, with the expansion rate ranking fourth, the highest in the Asia-Pacific region.

Japanese enterprises have therefore attributed their expansion to an increase in revenue in the domestic market and high growth potential.

Furthermore, Japanese firms are also considering re-establishing some supply chains which have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with Vietnam able to capture the attention of suppliers and buyers of materials globally.

Air service on HCMC-Van Don route set to resume

Vietnam Airlines will resume flight operations on the HCMC-Van Don route starting from March 3, as the Covid-19 outbreak in Quang Ninh Province, where the Van Don International Airport is located, has been brought under control.

This is the first local carrier to announce its plan to resume flights to Van Don since the outbreak hit Quang Ninh, reported Nguoi Lao Dong Online.

The national flag carrier will operate one weekly flight on the route on Wednesdays between March 3 and 17 and plans to increase it to three flights per week on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays from March 18 to December 31 this year.

The flights will depart from HCMC at 1 p.m. and from Van Don at 3:45 p.m.

The carrier is offering special ticket prices starting from VND33,000 per leg (equivalent to VND507,000 per leg including taxes and fees) for the first three flights on the route between March 3 and 17.

From the fourth flight onward, which will be operated from March 18 to the end of the year, the airfare will start from VND109,000 (or VND590,000 including taxes and fees) for trips taken from March 18 to June 30.

Earlier, the Ministry of Transport decided to shut down the Van Don airport in 15 days from January 29 to February 13 to combat Covid-19, as an airport security staff member tested positive for the coronavirus.

The ministry later extended the airport’s closure to February 21 and then to March 3.

During the recent Lunar New Year holiday, the Vietnam Airlines Group operated 6,050 flights carrying nearly 800,000 passengers, while all of the local airlines operated a total number of 14,400 flights with over 1.7 million passengers.

Construction of US$115 million high-tech dairy farm starts in An Giang

Construction of a large-scale project of high-tech dairy cow farming and milk processing has been kicked off in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang.

Speaking at the kick-start ceremony, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister, Truong Hoa Binh highly appreciated the provincial government that has created advantages for the implementation of the project, towards the sustainable development associated with benefits of business and the community.

He hoped the project will become a typical dairy farm in the region and asked ministries and State units to support An Giang and the investor, TH Group to complete the project on time.

The project costing VND2,655 billion (US$115 million) will have a herd of around 10,000 cows that are expected to produce 135 tons of milk per day.

Besides, the investor plans to build an eco-accommodation site and focus on organic farming and growing to provide agricultural products meeting Global GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) standards.

Gas price increases for the third time in 2021

A statement of the Ho Chi Minh City One-Member Limited Liability Oil & Gas Company (Saigon Petro) said that gas price has edged up VND417 per kilogram, equaling to VND5,000 a 12-kilogram cylinder as from March 1.

With the price spike, a 12-kilogram cylinder costs VND400,500 (US$17.31). The gas prics of Pacific Petro, City Petro, ESGas also surge VND5,000 a 12-kilogram cylinder.

According local gas companies, on March 1, the world gas price is estimated at US$610 per ton, an increase of US$15 per ton in comparison with February. As this reason, they adjusted the domestic gas price.

This has been the third hike of domestic gas price in 2021.

Indonesian Consulate General works to promote investment in Dong Nai

The Indonesian Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City said it will work as a bridge helping Indonesian firms to invest in the southern province of Dong Nai.

Hanif Salim, Indonesian Consul General, on March 1 visited Dong Nai to explore investment projects in the locality.

Speaking at a working session with local leaders, Hanif Salim said Indonesia’s investment in the province remains limited and is yet to match potential of both sides.

Located in the southern key economic region, Dong Nai has posted high, stable economic growth over the past year.

The province has established 32 industrial parks, of which 31 are operational, attracting 1,533 FDI projects from 45 countries and territories, with total registered capital amounting to 31.8 billion USD.

Indonesia contributes two projects worth 12 million USD./.

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

Actors perform in costumes by fashion designer Si Hoang of HCM City. Hoang is working with actors of the Hoang Yen Drama Club to produce Khóc Giữa Trời Xanh (Crying under the Blue Sky), a new play on Vietnamese history, in an aim to lure audiences back to the theatre. — Photo courtesy of the producer

Hoang is working as a stage costume designer for Khóc Giữa Trời Xanh (Crying under the Blue Sky), a tragic work featuring the life of Le Van Thinh, a famous official of the royal court of the Ly Dynasty in 1084.

He was also invited to play the lead role Thinh after casting. He has worked with skilled actors of the Hoang Yen Drama Club to perfect his performance.

Khóc Giữa Trời Xanh is directed by Nguyen Phung. The play depicts the themes of patriotism and honesty.

“Khóc Giữa Trời Xanh features historical events. The play should be staged in a realistic style,” said fashion designer Hoang, in an interview with Thanh Niên (Young People) newspaper last week.

“Director Phung asked actors to read documents and books about the history of Ly Dynasty, its culture and people. This helped to breathe life into the play.

“I hope our performance will leave a new impression on audiences,” he said.

Fashion designer Si Hoang (second from right) has many years in stage costumes design. — Photo courtesy of the producer

Hoang has been working as a stage costume designer for many years with a large number of his products used in large-scale plays, including two produced by the Vietnam Cheo Theatre and the Hanoi Drama Theatre, to celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

He has tried his hand at acting, and achieved his first success winning a silver prize for his role in Yêu là thoát tội at the National Drama Festival 2018 in Hanoi.

Hoang has worked with experts such as Professor Duong Trung Quoc in Hanoi and Professor Nguyen Khac Thuan in HCM City for his latest drama. “This helps me understand the national and local tradition from the period in which the drama is set,” said Hoang.

Graduating from HCM City Fine Arts College, Hoang has worked hard to make his dream come true. He designed his first ao dai in 1989 when the country’s first beauty contest Miss Áo Dài was held in HCM City.

He painted flowers on ao dai which were worn by the competition’s winners. His designs impressed judges and audiences. The trend of painting on ao dai was born.

In 2002, he opened Điểm Một Thời, a tea shop offering fashion shows and Vietnamese tea served in traditional style. The luxury shop quickly became an essential part of life in HCM City for many residents.

Điểm Một Thời served Queen Sylvia of Sweden and her husband King Carl Gustaf XVI during their tour to Vietnam in 2004. They revealed their musical side when they played the parts of “cup clickers” during a performance of traditional Vietnamese music at the shop. They also watched beautiful girls in ao dai at a fashion show.

“In Khóc Giữa Trời Xanh, we will offer Vietnamese drama in the style of the South,” said Hoang.

The play Khóc Giữa Trời Xanh will make its debut on May 12 at the city’s Opera House at 7 Lam Son Square in District 1.  VNS