Maine coasts

Innovation in Vietnam’s e-commerce industry this year will focus primarily on payments, logistics, and digital technology. A delivery man on a street in Ho Chi Minh City. (Photo: Hai Dang) In 2020, major online shopping platforms in Vietnam added games and livestream services. Tran Tuan Anh, managing director at Shopee Vietnam, said during the time of social distancing, Vietnamese consumers began to switch to online platforms for both essential goods and entertainment purposes. E-commerce applications, therefore, must integrate many interactive elements such as games and livestream to increase connections with users. In 2021, Shopee predicts three main development trends in the e-commerce industry, including the development of digital payments, logistic services, and changing of selling methods. As noted by Shopee, the total number of orders paid through Airpay e-wallet across Southeast Asia grew by four times. In particular, the strongest growth rate was for buyers over 50 years old, which demonstrates the easy accessibility of Airpay wallet. As the government is moving towards a cashless society, epidemics have become a driving force behind this process in some areas where most consumer transactions are done in cash. In addition to increasing wallet usage in online shopping, traditional stores are also accepting more payments via e-wallets. The number of stores in Vietnam using AirPay wallet payments doubled in 2020. In the year 2021, Shopee said, consumers expect more efficient deliveries. Businesses and sellers need to use technology effectively to ensure that goods are delivered quickly and at cost savings. To do this, it is necessary to monitor the entire process from moderation to delivery, including improvement of logistics networks and warehouse capacity. In 2020, many businesses transported goods from warehouses at a rate that was three times higher. In Vietnam, goods related to food, health and home transported from …

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Market leader Hoa Phat Group last month exported over 12,000 tonnes of products, mostly cold-galvanized steel, to North and South America. This followed an export of 10,000 tonnes in January to Belgium and Spain. The company targets producing 300,000-400,000 tonnes of steel products this year, 30-40 percent of which are likely to be exported. Its competitor Hoa Sen Group last month set a new export record of 121,000 tonnes of galvanized steel worth more than $100 million. The group has a network of over 85 countries and territories, with main markets being the U.S, Mexico, Europe and Southeast Asia. Vietnam’s steel industry is expected to see growth of 5-6 percent this year, with global demand set to rise by 4.1 percent thanks to recovery in developed markets, according to the Vietnam Steel Association (VSA). Other drivers for growth include expectations of rising public investment in infrastructure, the recovery of the real estate market and more foreign direct investment, said VSA deputy chairman Trinh Khoi Nguyen. The industry started 2021 strongly, with a 61 percent year-on-year rise in production volume to 2.65 million tonnes. Domestic sales in the period rose 55 percent to 2.12 million tonnes, while exports rose 53 percent in value to $553 million. These figures indicate robust recovery prospects this year after VSA saw half of its members reporting plunging revenues last year, especially in the first and second quarter, due to Covid-19 impacts. However, trade officials have warned that rising safeguard measures could hurt the industry. Last month, Indonesia imposed an anti-dumping duty of 3.01-49.2 percent on Vietnam cold steel sheets. In January, Malaysia revised duties on cold-rolled coils of alloy and non-alloy steel from Vietnam to 7.42-33.7 percent for the period between January 24 and May 23. The U.S. and Canada have also slapped anti-dumping duties on Vietnam’s steel products in recent years. The Trade Remedies Authorities …

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Forests in Gia Lai province’s Mang Yang district (Photo: VNA) Lam Dong (VNS/VNA) - Local authorities in the Central Highlands region have taken measures to prevent forest fires in the ongoing dry season. Forests in the region, which includes the provinces of Lam Dong, Dak Lak, Gia Lai, Kon Tum and Dak Nong, face a high fire risk because of hot weather. At the beginning of the dry season , the provinces instructed localities to establish fire-prevention plans and strictly implement them in the dry season. In Dak Nong province, the Forest Protection Sub-department in September last year instructed localities and forest owners to set up prevention plans. The sub-department has organised forest fire prevention drills and more inspections. Dak Nong has 125,000ha of forests, including 78,300ha of natural forest and 46,700ha of manmade forests in danger of high fire risk, according to the province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. In the dry season, which lasts between November and April, local farmers clear their fields by burning, which can cause fires to break out in forests near the fields. Le Quang Dan, deputy director of the department, said the province’s forests have a thick layer of vegetation covering the ground and many forests are pine and bamboo forests, which easily catch fire in the dry season. At the beginning of the dry season, localities and forest owners cleared dry vegetation and set up fire breaks in forests. In Gia Lai province, localities set up forest protection stations in fire-prone forests to monitor fires and protect forests around the clock before and after Tet (Lunar New Year). In Gia Lai’s Krong Pa district, the district’s Forest Protection Bureau, forest owners and the district’s communes have monitored forests around the clock to prevent fires and other activities that violate regulations. Nguyen Van Hoan, Deputy Director of the Gia Lai Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said …

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