Food fest

Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam has continued to make gains in agro-forestry-fishery production , and seen increases in agricultural exports thanks to its successful COVID-19 containment. As of mid-May, about 2.67 million ha out of 4.28 million ha of rice from the winter-spring crop had been harvested, up 3.6% over the same period last year, with total output of about 17.7 million tonnes. In the first five months, Vietnam shipped 2.86 million tonnes of rice overseas, a year-on-year rise of 10.3%, raking in 1.39 billion USD. According to Nguyen Nhu Cuong, head of the Department of Crop Production under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam has about 7.3 million ha of rice and 1 million ha of vegetables. Basically, the country faces no risk of food security. In husbandry, cattle farms have grown by 1.6% compared with May 2021, while pig populations rose 5.7% and poultry by 1.9%. Only buffalo numbers decreased by 1.5%. … [Read more...] about Agricultural sector ensures food security, exports

The Hanoi housewife of four years knows however they will not be as fresh as earlier in the day. "Since the prices of everything have gone up, I have to change my shopping habits and doing so helps me able to buy produce at lower prices," the 28-year-old says. She and her husband, Tinh, had their first son more than a year ago before having a pair of twins. Tinh is the sole breadwinner and he had to stay at home for three months when Covid-19 broke out last year. "We even had to sell our gold wedding rings to stay afloat," she says. After Covid subsided he reopened his store distributing beverages, but barely makes a profit since gasoline prices have been soaring since April. Besides, many of his customers have greatly reduced their purchases. Some grocery stores only order a few five-liter bottles of water, but he still must travel dozens of kilometers by truck to deliver them. "If you do not keep prices low, customers will leave," he explained once to his wife when she … [Read more...] about Vietnamese turn frugal as prices soar

Hue Festival 2022 kicked off on Saturday evening in the eponymous city in central Vietnam, after a two-year halt due to COVID-19, centered around the ‘Cultural Heritage with Integration and Development’ theme. The opening ceremony at Ngo Mon Square, which attracted thousands of visitors, began with a unique art program along with an ao dai (Vietnam’s traditional gown) show, depicting cultural values and identities of Hue City, an ancient capital, as well as Thua Thien-Hue Province in general. After over 20 years of organization, Festival Hue has become a national cultural and artistic event to promote Vietnam’s cultural quintessence and the ancient royal city of Hue as a safe, friendly, and beautiful destination, said deputy chairman of the provincial administration Nguyen Thanh Binh, who is also head of the festival organizing committee. This year’s festival, scheduled to last from June 25 to 30, includes eight main festive programs, along with 29 accompanying exhibitions and … [Read more...] about Hue Festival 2022 opens, features attractive art, cultural activities