Growing area

But every day, even in the cold of the northern winter, he stands by the front door of his house to gaze at the forest with pride and happiness. The trees were all planted by him and his family over 50 years, and his life has been dedicated to growing and protecting them. Cao belongs to the Dao ethnic group, and lives in Tan Dan Commune in Ha Long Town of Quang Ninh Province, home to the world-famous bay. Trieu Tai Cao at his home in Ha Long in Quang Ninh Province. Photo by VnExpress/Minh Cuong. The Dao used to be nomadic, felling forests to meet their temporary land needs for cattle and crops before moving on. It was not until 1968 that they started to settle. By then Cao had started thinking about growing trees. He began to look around for seedlings of valuable timber trees such as ironwood, shorea and apitong. Between 1970 and 1980 he and his family planted those and other trees on 32 hectares (80 acres). They faced a lot of challenges in protecting the forest initially because there were no regulations for transferring forest lands to local residents, meaning his family had no authority to manage the forest. In 1992 the government announced a policy of handing over forests for people to maintain and exploit sustainably. "I love our family’s forest," Cao says. "Thanks to that policy, I could continue growing timber while many people around us opted for growing wattle, also known as acacia." Growing acacia takes less time and effort and starts providing an income sooner than timber. Now the forest has around 600 ironwood trees aged 40-70 years besides hundreds of other timber trees. Trieu Tien Loc in his family’s forest in Ha Long in Quang Ninh Province. Photo by VnExpress/Minh Cuong. "I am close to death now and have fulfilled my wish to leave the future generations a forest with such valuable trees. "Forests are humans’ lungs and should not be treated as public property. So I also wish my children and …

[Read more...] about Man spends decades growing trees, says bequest to future generations

The Hanoitimes - One of Hanoi’s priorities is to improve efficiency in master planning to ensure the city’s rapid and sustainable development, said Hanoi’s Party chief. Since the expansion of Hanoi’s administrative boundaries in 2008, the zoning plan of the spacious riparian areas of the Red and Day rivers remains unfinished, therefore, a zoning plan of the rivers would help further develop the city’s urban areas and improve living conditions for local people, according to Vuong Dinh Hue, Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee. Secretary of Hanoi Party Committee Vuong Dinh Hue. Photo: Thanh Hai. Drastic action is needed to put the plan into motion, said Mr. Hue in a meeting with the Party Committee of the Ministry of Construction on August 21. Close cooperation between Hanoi and the ministry to speed up the zoning process is expected. According to Mr. Hue, one of the city’s priorities is to improve efficiency in master planning to ensure Hanoi’s rapid and sustainable development. For Hanoi, the task is particularly important, given the city’s rapid urbanization pace. In the next five years, five districts are expected to be included in the planning for urban development, Mr. Hue suggested. Minister of Construction Pham Hong Ha at the meeting. Photo: Thanh Hai. On this issue, Minister of Construction Pham Hong Ha advised Hanoi to focus on urban planning at the riparian areas of both sides of the Red river and along the Lang – Hoa Lac avenue. A delay in this process and rampant illegal construction in the area would make it difficult for local authorities to put the situation under control, Mr. Ha added. The minister also pointed to the fact that Hanoi is currently ranked 30 th among the world’s top 40 populous cities, which is posing major challenges for local authorities, especially in housing development to meet growing demand. Moreover, land resources for traffic in Hanoi remain limited while …

[Read more...] about Red river zoning plan to serve further development of Hanoi urban area

Vietnam needs over US$128 billion for power investment next 10 years A drone is used to inspect a power transmission system in Vietnam. The country will need an estimated US$128.3 billion for developing the power system in the next decade The Institute of Energy, under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, on February 22 continued to collect feedback over the plan from the relevant agencies. According to the plan, during the 10-year period, Vietnam will need to pour some US$12.8 billion on average into the power sector per year. The total investment for the following 15 years from 2031 to 2045 will be some US$192 billion, including some US$140 billion for power sources and US$52 billion for the grid. The draft zoning plan also revealed that Vietnam will continue to import electricity from China, Laos and Cambodia in the next 10 years. The State-run Vietnam Electricity Group is purchasing electricity from China through two 220kV power lines, with 1.5 billion kWh of power being bought annually during the 2016-2020 period. This northern neighboring market can sell up to 3,000 MW of electricity or more to Vietnam from now until 2030. Petrol prices rise under latest adjustment The Ministries of Industry and Trade and Finance revised petrol prices upwards as of 3pm on February 25, marking the first increase since the traditional Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday. The retail price of E5RON92 bio-fuel rose nearly 700 VND to 17,031 VND (0.74 USD) per litre at a maximum, while that of RON 95 increased over 700 VND to 18,084 VND per litre. Diesel 0.05S and kerosene, meanwhile, are now no more than 13,843 VND and 12,610 VND per litre, up by around 800 VND and 700 VND, respectively. According to the two ministries, the prices of petrol and oil in the global market have been rising strongly for 15 days, hence the adjustment. The two review fuel prices every 15 days to ensure domestic prices are in keeping with the global market./. Aquatic product …

[Read more...] about VIETNAM BUSINESS NEWS FEB. 26