End near

Illustration by Trịnh Lập by Nguyễn Mỹ Hà Local residents and environmentalists have been spreading the news that UNESCO Việt Nam has opposed an official letter from the Đồng Nai People's Committee consulting on a contractor's proposal to build a 40km highway with a bridge across the core zone of the Đồng Nai Biosphere Reserve. VnExpress news website reported that UNESCO Việt Nam, in response to the letter, strongly suggested not building a road across the world biosphere for fear the damage would impact flora and fauna in reserve. It added that the full biodiverse ecological corridor would be affected. Vehicles moving on the road could accidentally kill animals crossing it, and the construction process would pollute the soil, air and groundwater. If this happens, the criteria for a world biosphere would not be met, and Đồng Nai Reserve could be crossed off the list of world biospheres. It also cited that building a bridge and a national highway failed to meet Việt Nam's … [Read more...] about Đồng Nai Biosphere Reserve must not be spoilt

MARKET OF BEAUTY: Đông Ba Market is a large trading centre imbued with the tradition of the ancient capital Huế. Photo from the market's Facebook page Mai Trang Linh Returning to the central province of Thừa Thiên Huế after more than two years of lockdown due to the pandemic, Lưu Hoàng Long and his wife, a Vietnamese Australian, chose first to visit Đông Ba Market, the biggest traditional local shopping centre in the ancient royal city of Huế. The couple and a group of overseas Vietnamese who started their trip through the country early this month from their native home in the northern coastal city of Hải Phòng could not help but be surprised at the changes in the market. Besides the usual crowded and busy atmosphere and familiar hospitality of sellers, the visitors were amazed at the changes, particularly the trade promotion programmes for traditional handicrafts -- one of the most attractions of the market. Looking at the pop-up booths displaying different kinds … [Read more...] about Huế’s Đông Ba Market revamped to lure tourists

Thanh Hoa Province’s power grid currently has 21 110-kV substations, more than 8,348 distribution substations with a total capacity of 2,738,340 kVA, and a system of medium and low voltage lines which can supply power to 810,637 users in the province (up 14,292 over the same period in 2021). With a synchronous and modern electricity system, which is also regularly upgraded, PC Thanh Hoa has fully met the electricity demand for production and daily use of local residents. However, the power supply is expected to throw up challenges due to the shortage of peak capacity in the summer months and load regulation is required. The constantly growing demand will also significantly affect the stability and safety of the power grid, and possibly cause local overloads in some areas. Following directions of the EVNNPC, from early this year, PC Thanh Hoa has been devising solutions for these challenges. The company has monitored full loads or overloads, drawing up plans to rotate transformers … [Read more...] about Thanh Hoa Power Company prepares for peak heat

At the meeting According to general statistics from the General Department of Vietnam Customs, in the first five months of 2022, approximately 206,110 tons of cashew kernels of all kinds were exported earning over US$1.19 billion in export turnover, down 7.81 percent in volume and 6.81 percent in value. However, the average export price was about $5,792 a ton, up 1.45 percent from the same period last year. Regarding imports in the first five months, enterprises imported about 968,000 tons of raw cashew nuts from abroad with a value of nearly $1.4 billion, down 35.24 percent in volume and down 37.84 percent in value over the same period in 2021. However, prices of imports from Africa increased by 15 percent-20 percent since the beginning of the season. More importantly, importers are tending to be slow to purchase raw materials due to many reasons but the most common is the price difference between imported raw cashew nuts and export kernel prices. The price of raw cashew … [Read more...] about Cashew exports down due to rising oil prices, epidemics, Russia Ukraine conflict

The US, China, and the EU remain the three largest markets for Vietnamese cashew, accounting for 26.8 percent, 17.7 percent, and 20.5 percent of the total export value of the cashew industry of Vietnam, respectively. Cashew nut exports to the US market declined by 10.1 percent in volume and 30.5 percent in value over the same period last year. Cashew nut exports to the EU market surged by 14 percent in volume but dropped by 21.2 percent in value. Cashew nut exports to China jumped by 136.4 percent in volume and 140.2 percent in value. Meanwhile, Vietnamese cashew processing enterprises imported 480,000 tons of raw cashew in April, spending up to $772 million, a sharp increase of 375 percent in volume and 470.5 percent in value compared to that in April last year. In the first four months of this year, Vietnam imported a total of 1.19 million tons of raw cashew, with a value of up to $1.88 billion, up 300 percent in volume and 323.5 percent in value over the same period last year. … [Read more...] about Vietnamese cashew industry sees trade deficit for the first time

On Friday afternoon, crowds of people could be seen along a beach in Thanh Hoa's Sam Son Town. Central Vietnam's Thanh Hoa Province, like other localities in the region, is experiencing a severe heatwave. Students who've just finished their exams often go to the beach with their family. Lifeguards stand on the shore to warn people not to go too far into the water. Besides Sam Son, other beaches in Thanh Hoa like Hai Tien, Hai Hoa and Quang Xuong, are also packed. Towards the end of this month, Sam Son has received around four million visitors, tripling the numbers recorded in the same period last year. Revenues reached VND3.45 trillion ($148.3 million), about 2.5 times the amount recorded in 2021. Along a beach in Nghe An's Cua Lo Town, many people could be seen playing in the water and with sand amid the early dusk. Nguyen Van Quan, 40, along with … [Read more...] about Heatwave forces thousands to central beaches

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Nguyen Anh Duong, Director of the Hanoi Promotion Agency (HPA) – the organizer of the event, said that the festival is an opportunity for businesses to popularize their brands, products, and agricultural models associated with ecotourism to visitors and consumers in the capital city, thus contributing to improving brand value, preserving traditional craft villages, and diversifying OCOP products associated with local tourism. The festival comprises 73 booths, including 20 of businesses from other localities across the country. Many activities held on the sidelines of the festival such as art performances and folk games are expected to draw more visitors to the event, which will last until the end of June 26. Source: VNA … [Read more...] about Festival on OCOP products associated with tourism underway in Hanoi

Van Don - Mong Cai Highway under construction (Source: baoquangninh.com.vn) Quang Ninh (VNA) – The Van Don - Mong Cai highway, which is scheduled for completion and operation on June 30, aims to create favourable conditions for the northeastern province of Quang Ninh to make breakthrough developments and promote economic links in the region. Nguyen Tien Oanh, Director of the Executive Board of the highway project (the Tien Yen - Mong Cai section), said it has taken time to complete this section – which extends from Bach Dang bridge to the Mong Cai international border gate , because of difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and other reasons. However, the foundation of the sector has been basically completed and is entering the finishing stages, he said. According to representatives from the Ministry of Transport, the Van Don - Mong Cai highway, which is part of the Hanoi - Quang Ninh highway, plays a strategic role for the socio-economic development of Quang … [Read more...] about Van Don – Mong Cai highway: new launch pad for Quang Ninh’s economic growth

Long An has huge potential for agricultural development, including development of produce for export. In recent years, the province has formed a number of commodity-oriented agricultural production areas. There are more than 200 agricultural product processing enterprises in the province, most of which provide preliminarily processed produce with low added value. Only a few foreign-invested enterprises are capable of intensive processing, and they mainly use imported materials. In 2022, the provincial industry promotion sector will continue to prioritize support for agricultural product processing enterprises Long An has acknowledged the need to develop produce processing and is mobilizing resources to that end. Through a key national industry promotion project, the Industry and Trade Promotion Center of Long An Province has provided practical assistance for agricultural product processors in the region. The HG Food Vietnam Joint Stock Company has invested in a new … [Read more...] about Produce processors receive major help

She said that Vietnam and Hungary have shared a 72-year partnership and traditional cooperation in all fields including education-training, law and justice, culture, sports, and people-to-people exchanges. The diplomat noted that Hungary considers Vietnam an important partner in Southeast Asia, and the two countries lifted their ties to a comprehensive partnership in September 2018. The parliaments of the two countries have also kept a good relationship with regular meetings and exchanges at all levels, while showing close and effective cooperation and mutual support at multilateral parliamentarian forums, she said. According to Ambassador Thao, the Vietnamese top legislator's visit will be a chance for senior leaders of Vietnam and Hungary to reaffirm their political commitments in continuing to promote the bilateral partnership, contributing to the economic recovery and sustainable development after COVID-19 in each country, while strengthening collaboration in global issues … [Read more...] about N.A. Chairman’s visit to deepen ties with Hungary in post-pandemic period: Ambassador