How to conduct a tree planting activity

Bach Ma National Park, which covers nearly 37,500 hectares, is about 40 kilometers northwest of Hue. It has a diverse ecosystem with over 1,700 animal species and 2,400 plant species, which accounts for nearly 17% of the total number of plant species in Vietnam. Admission to Bach Ma National Park is VND60,000 ($2.54). Early in March, 20-year-old Le Uyen Vy from Hue went on a tour with several friends to see Bach Ma National Park. The party left Do Quyen Villa, which is about 8 kilometers from the National Park, and proceeded down a path with slick rocks to reach Ngu Ho, a collection of five lakes that are near to one another. To make it simpler for tourists to hike around Ngu Ho, the national park management unit created iron and wooden staircases in several places. Visitors are advised to bring water, fruit, and snacks in ecologically-friendly packaging. The path is slippery and steep, so shoes with a good grip are … [Read more...] about Exploring magnificent waterfalls in Bach Ma National Park

The energy transition in Vietnam is tied to the rapid growth of the economy, urbanisation, and industrialisation. We have seen the strong aspiration of the government to speed up the energy transition while meeting the requirements of economic development and the goal of becoming a high-income country by 2045. Energy transition is more seen as a potential engine for employment, and this trend will likely grow, helping to build support for renewables. John Rockhold, head of the Power and Energy Working Group under the Vietnam Business Forum Fossil energy sources are gradually being replaced by green and clean energy sources, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and combating climate change, while Vietnam is one of the first countries to renew its nationally determined contribution to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2020. The roadmap for the country’s transition process towards green and sustainable development will not only need to ensure … [Read more...] about Displaying readiness for the energy transition in Vietnam

A group of solar power ventures that did not make the 2021 feed-in tariff deadline remain idle and developers want fresh solutions Nearly 40 renewable power investors last week asked the prime minister to consider addressing pricing-related inadequacies in renewables development. The joint letter said that the impact of the pandemic and expiry of the country’s previous feed-in tariffs (FiTs) has resulted in 84 renewable power projects, with total capacity of some 4,600MW, falling behind schedule and failing to achieve commercial operation. Among these, 28 wind farms and six solar farms with the combined capacity of more than 2,000MW, which have cost an estimated $3.6 billion are eligible to connect to the national power grid, are still waiting for a suitable pricing mechanism. Six solar power ventures have been waiting for such a mechanism for over two years. The developers last week expressed concerns that they may go bankrupt as the government’s latest pricing band fix are … [Read more...] about Pricing structure not enough to clinch nation’s energy goals

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council (USABC) delegation at the Government Headquarters on March 22. The attendees were leaders of the Government Office and the ministries of Planning and Investment, Industry and Trade, Foreign Affairs, Finance, Transport, Information and Communication, Health, Agriculture and Rural Development, Culture - Sports and Tourism. Also in attendance were the State Bank of Vietnam, the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council President and CEO Ted Osius, the U.S. Ambassador in Vietnam Marc E. Knapper. The leaders of more than 50 leading enterprises in the U.S. and the world were there too, including AES, Netflix, Boeing, Apple, Coca-Cola, Pfizer, Abbott, Visa, Citibank, Meta, Ford, and FedEx Express. The Prime Minister welcomed the USABC and the U.S. business delegation to Vietnam, and the delegation members joined a frank, sincere and effective working session with Vietnamese agencies. This is a continuation of previous … [Read more...] about Vietnamese Prime Minister receives delegation of the US-ASEAN Business Council

Over the past 35 years of development, the Vietnam Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, better known as Agribank, always proves its position and role as a leading commercial bank in Vietnam. It has pioneered monetary policies, contributing to stabilizing the macro-economy, curbing inflation and supporting the country’s economic growth. The bank has cemented its key role in developing the agriculture sector and rural areas and offering credit and services to serve the country’s socio-economic development. Agribank was proud to receive the Vietnam National Brand award for the third consecutive year in 2022 and was among the top 10 Vietnamese strong banking and financial brands the same year. The lender has obtained impressive achievements in digital and green transformation and made substantial contributions to community development. Despite the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Agribank, with its initiative and flexibility, has employed multiple … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s Agribank wins many local prestigious prizes

A farmer harvests lychees grown under GlobalGAP standards in Luc Ngan district, Bac Giang province. (Photo: VNA) Bac Giang (VNA) – The northern province of Bac Giang plans to strengthen communication activities for products of the One Commune-One Product (OCOP) programme and promote the consumption of OCOP products associated with tourism activities this year. Launched in 2018, the OCOP programme in Vietnam focuses on developing specialty products and high-quality products in rural areas to increase incomes for locals and boost the sustainability of economic development in rural areas. OCOP products are commercial products and services such as food and beverages, handicrafts, and rural tourism services. They are classified as having one to five stars. Under the programme, activities are conducted to build and promote value chains, which help promote economic restructuring and improve people's income and living standards. Bac Giang province set out the goal that by the … [Read more...] about Bac Giang promotes consumption of OCOP products associated with tourism

Ho Van Duc, CPV's vice president receiving the high-quality Vietnamese goods award Last week, the 2023 High-Quality Vietnamese Goods awards took place in Ho Chi Minh City. At the ceremony, Thai livestock company C.P. Vietnam (CPV) was one of over 500 businesses to pick up an award. The ceremony was attended by Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan, Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Phan Van Mai, and leaders of departments, local trade promotion agencies, business associations, and companies. Ho Van Duc, CPV's vice president, attended the ceremony to receive the certificate. During 30 years of investment and development in the country, CPV has become increasingly familiar to both partners and customers. The animal feed business is the first link in the company's 3F Plus closed production chain, which has received trust over the years and gradually became a pioneer in animal feed, bringing customers high-quality and safe products. In … [Read more...] about C.P. Vietnam honoured for high-quality Vietnamese goods

We are facing a challenging business environment on a global scale. How do you evaluate the support the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) has and the wider Vietnamese business community? Arsjad Rasjid, chairman of ASEAN BAC 2023 In our country we have something called Indonesia Incorporated, where the government and the private sector work together. This is very important and, at the ASEAN level, we should have an ASEAN Incorporated, where the governments and the business community work together. This is because there are multiple challenges. For instance, we have 280 million people in ASEAN. If we didn’t have the public and the private sectors working together, we would not have been able to solve issues like carrying out mass vaccinations during the pandemic. If we work together on ASEAN connectivity, on energy for example, we can maintain our security with this synergy. We are a $3.2 trillion economy. However, with more efforts towards ASEAN … [Read more...] about Vietnam can enhance its role further within ASEAN

Foreign tourists visit Ho Chi Minh City's Post Office. (Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNA) – Travel firms in Ho Chi Minh City have launched tours between Vietnam and China as soon as China decided to include Vietnam in the list of countries to which Chinese group tours can be conducted from March 15. According to the city’s businesses, more Chinese tourist groups will arrive in the city this month and April will be the peak time marking the return of Chinese tourists to Vietnam. On the contrary, the number of Vietnamese tourists booking tours to China will also increase, helping to stimulate demand in the tourism markets of the two countries in the coming time. The forecast is based on the huge tourism demand of Chinese tourists after about three years of disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Vietnam being one of the Chinese tourists’ favourite destinations. In addition, Vietnamese businesses have developed high-quality and oriented products and services for specific tourist … [Read more...] about HCM City’s tourism shows positive signs with return of Chinese visitors

An overview of the conference (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) on March 24 jointly held a consultation conference on Vietnam’s voluntary national review (VNR) on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Vietnam conducted the VNR, a mechanism through which countries assess and present national progress made in implementing the 2030 Agenda, for the first time in 2018. In this second time in 2023, Vietnam will submit the report together with 41 other countries. Addressing the event, head of the MPI’s Department of Science, Education, Natural Resources and Environment Le Viet Anh said that through this mechanism, Vietnam hopes to share its achievements and progresses during the realisation of the 2030 Agenda, which was adopted by the UN in September 2015 with 17 SDGs. At the same time, the country will also present its difficulties, challenges and experience … [Read more...] about Vietnam gathers opinions on building voluntary national review on SDGs