Living in rural areas

Photo taken yesterday shows ambulances on the road in Paktika province, Afghanistan. The death toll from an earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan early yesterday has reached 920, while more than 600 people were injured, a disaster official said, adding the number of casualties might rise further. — XINHUA/VNA Photo KABUL — A powerful earthquake struck a remote border region of Afghanistan overnight killing at least 1,000 people and injuring hundreds more, officials said yesterday, with the toll expected to rise as desperate rescuers dig through collapsed dwellings. The 5.9 magnitude quake struck hardest in the rugged east, where people already lead hardscrabble lives in a country in the grip of a humanitarian disaster made worse by the Taliban takeover in August. "People are digging grave after grave," said Mohammad Amin Huzaifa, head of the Information and Culture Department in hard-hit Paktika, adding that at least 1,000 people had died in that province alone. … [Read more...] about At least 1,000 killed in Afghan quake as rescuers scramble for survivors

Authorities plant mangrove forests in Trà Vinh Province’s Cầu Ngang District. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Hòa TRÀ VINH — The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Trà Vinh is growing more forests and strengthening conservation of existing ones. This is meant to protect the environment, adapt to climate change and improve people’s livelihoods, according to the coastal province’s Forest Protection Sub-department. The province plans to plant 2.1 million trees in the 2021-25 period, 1.1 million in urban and rural areas and the rest in 372ha of forests. Nguyễn Vũ Phương, head of the sub-department, said 200,000 trees would be planted in forests every year. Trà Vinh is one of the delta’s provinces hardest hit by climate change, especially rising sea levels, which have impacted the environment and the lives of people living in coastal areas. To mitigate the impacts, it has implemented various forest growing programmes in recent years. For instance, it launched a mangrove reforesting … [Read more...] about Trà Vinh Province grows forests to protect coasts, improve environment

Authorities plant mangrove forests in Tra Vinh province’s Cau Ngang district. (Photo: VNA) Tra Vinh (VNS/VNA) - The Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh is growing more forests and strengthening conservation of existing ones. This is meant to protect the environment, adapt to climate change and improve people’s livelihoods, according to the coastal province’s Forest Protection Sub-department. The province plans to plant 2.1 million trees in the 2021-25 period, 1.1 million in urban and rural areas and the rest in 372ha of forests. Nguyen Vu Phuong, head of the sub-department, said 200,000 trees would be planted in forests every year. Tra Vinh is one of the delta’s provinces hardest hit by climate change , especially rising sea levels, which have impacted the environment and the lives of people living in coastal areas. To mitigate the impacts, it has implemented various forest growing programmes in recent years. For instance, it launched a mangrove … [Read more...] about Tra Vinh province plants forests to protect coasts, improve environment

Mekong Delta farmers (Photo: sggp.org.vn) Can Tho (VNA) – The “Securing the Food Systems of Asian Mega-Deltas for Climate and Livelihood Resilience ” Initiative (AMD) was launched at a conference in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on June 28. Home to 177 million people, of whom 36% are poor, the densely populated Asian mega-deltas are biodiverse, fertile and productive food baskets dominated by rice, fisheries and aquaculture that support millions of people beyond the delta dwellers themselves. However, tens of millions of small-scale producers living in Asian mega-deltas face risks to food and nutrition security and livelihoods from impacts of climate change. The deltas are also severely affected by more frequent and more intense floods, sea-level rise and salinisation of freshwater and soil. Therefore, this initiative aims to create resilient, inclusive and productive deltas - which maintain socio-ecological integrity, adapt to climatic and other stressors, and … [Read more...] about Initiative to protect food systems in Asian mega delta launched in Can Tho

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, at his meetings with Vietnamese farmers and agricultural businesses a few weeks ago, cited the success of TH Group as a fine example of high-tech agricultural development, and the circular economic model being pursued by the government. Famous for its TH true MILK brand, TH Group has been operating a $1.2 billion farm cluster project in the central province of Nghe An, featuring a state-of-the-art dairy cow farm and fresh milk production plant. The facility, which has a total annual capacity of 500,000 tonnes, hopes to quadruple the number of cattle to around 200,000 by 2025. To save production costs, TH Group has been operating a state-of-the-art system of solar power panels on the roofs of the farm cluster, and the system has been connected with the national power grid. As of last year, power produced from the panels has met one-fifth of the farm’s electricity demand. In 2019, TH Group began to use straws made from advanced bioplastics. This … [Read more...] about Businesses get set for circular economy

Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính on June 27 receives Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong, who has been on a three-day official visit to Việt Nam. VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang HÀ NỘI – Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc on Monday received Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong, who has been on a three-day official visit to Việt Nam. Praising Australia’s successes in the federal election, COVID-19 vaccination and economic recovery, PM Chính thanked the nation for its provision of COVID-19 vaccines, medical equipment and supplies for Việt Nam during the fight against the pandemic, particularly 14.4 million doses of vaccine for Vietnamese children. The PM also lauded the strong growth of the Việt Nam-Australia strategic partnership. The exchange of high-level delegations and meetings have been held regularly between the countries; bilateral trade hit US$12.4 billion in 2021;  Việt Nam began investing directly in Australia; and the two … [Read more...] about Leaders receive Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs

Rapid economic development often results in serious impacts on forests, evidenced by the alarming deforestation in Phu Quoc City in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang having plunged the city’s forests into a state of emergency. Forests are regarded as the living soul of residents on the 'pearl island.' However, the woods full of stone stakes and steel wires are disappointing tourists. The situation is becoming truly alarming. Forests seem empty after one unguarded night Deforestation and land encroachment in Phu Quoc City in mid-June 2022 were no longer overt and rampant, but it did not mean that forests stopped 'bleeding.' On the main path from Ham Ninh Commune to Thom Beach, people could easily see excavated mountainsides and forest land areas occupied with concrete stakes, zinc-coated barbed wire fences, and even well-built constructions. “Some gangs secretly encroached and built fences," complained N.X.T., a forest ranger. “During the forest land invasion … [Read more...] about Phu Quoc forests in state of emergency