Illustrative image. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - The World Bank (WB) on May 31 approved a 176-million-USD loan to fund a fisheries project that aims to improve fisheries management, enhance the value of fisheries production , and raise income s for coastal communities in the Philippines. The project is expected to benefit more than 1.5 million fisherfolk, small-to-medium businesses, and residents in coastal communities, the multilateral lender said in a statement. According to the WB, the fisheries sector contributes 1.3% to the Southeast Asian country's gross domestic product. It provides approximately 1.6 million jobs, or around 4% of the labour force, including for low-income families engaged in subsistence fishing. However, the sector has faced challenges, with fish stocks declining by an average of 20% over the past decade due to over-exploitation, destructive fishing methods, habitat degradation, and negative impacts from land-based activities. This … [Read more...] about World Bank approves 176-million-USD fisheries project in Philippines
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Symposium urges youths to quit smoking
Illustrative image (Photo: AFP) Hanoi (VNA) - The Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCYU), the Health Ministry’s Fund for Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms and the Global Public Health Organisation Vital Strategies held a symposium in Hanoi on May 31 to discuss the harmful effects of e-cigarettes in schools. The event attracted the participation of over 600 students from the Hanoi University of Industry. They had a chance to join a mini-game to learn about the detrimental effects of e-cigarettes. Nguyen Tuan Lam, an expert in non-communicable disease prevention at the World Health Organisation (WHO)'s office in Vietnam cited data from the WHO as saying that there are currently about 20,000 flavorings in e-cigarettes, many of which are yet to be fully evaluated for health hazards. Nguyen Thi Thu Huong from the fund also warned that e-cigarettes could contain drugs that cause addiction, especially among young people. She said the … [Read more...] about Symposium urges youths to quit smoking
Vietnamese PM orders emergency measures to ease farm produce congestion border with China
Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in a recently-signed dispatch ordered the adoption of urgent measures to alleviate goods congestion and facilitate the export of agro-products along the border with China. The dispatch was issued at a time when border gates in the northern border province of Lang Son have seen an upsurge in the number of container trucks carrying farm produce for export, resulting in a prolonged customs clearance process and limited clearance capacity. Several fruits, meanwhile, are now ready to harvest in the country. This could pose a higher risk of congestion at the border gates as more container trucks transporting fruits for export to China will head to these areas. Therefore, PM Chinh urged the authorities in northern border provinces and relevant agencies to review regulations on the import and export of farm produce between Vietnam and China. They were told to work with the Chinese side to streamline the customs clearance process, extend … [Read more...] about Vietnamese PM orders emergency measures to ease farm produce congestion border with China
Vietnam PM holds phone talk with Russian counterpart, focusing on oil cooperation
PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc said Vietnam will facilitate Russian-invested oil and gas projects. Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on December 24 held a phone talk with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev to keep a close watch of cooperation activities, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc holds talks with Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev on Dec 24. Photo: Baodansinh The talk, which is described as of “openness and trust”, focused on results of the implementation of agreements signed in PM Phuc’s Russia visit in May 2019, and measures to boost the efficiency of bilateral coordination in different fields. The two leaders hailed joint work to lift barriers for agro-aquatic and seafood products, helping to fully tap advantages of Vietnam – Eurasian Economic Union Free Trade Agreement (Vietnam-EAEU FTA) amid global economic uncertainties. PM Phuc emphasized that Vietnam always … [Read more...] about Vietnam PM holds phone talk with Russian counterpart, focusing on oil cooperation
Vietnamese Government urged to ban e-cigarettes
Vietnam has the 15th largest population of smokers in the world, and approximately 40,000 people die each year from diseases caused by smoking. National lawmakers have called on the Government to ban all e-cigarette products in Vietnam soon, citing health concerns. A no-smoking sign is labeled at a bookstore in Hanoi. Photo: Văn Sinh/The Hanoi Times The Government should amend the Law on Tobacco Harm Prevention and related regulations to stop the trade, circulation and use of e-cigarettes in Vietnam, Hanoi deputy Nguyen Anh Tri said on June 1. All these actions should be dealt with under the Penal Code, he said. Tri said new generations of cigarette products, including e-cigarettes, may contain illegal drugs and cause severe damage to people's health. However, he said, hardly anything was done to prevent these products from adversely affecting society. He called on the government to reduce the smoking rate to 30% by 2030. "The Government needs … [Read more...] about Vietnamese Government urged to ban e-cigarettes
Chinese teen starves herself to death after crush chooses thinner girl
The girl, identified by the pseudonym Xiaoling, had been diagnosed with severe anorexia nervosa and passed away after more than 20 days in a deep coma, South China Morning Post reported Wednesday. She was trying to gain the attention and affection of a boy she had a crush on, who had reportedly fallen for a girl thinner than her. A girl drinking water. Illustration photo by Unsplash After going for 50 days from January to mid-March consuming nothing but water, Xiaoling fell into unconsciousness and was hospitalized. "She is as light as a quilt. We are not sure if she can regain consciousness," an unnamed doctor said in the video documenting Xiaoling’s treatment, which went viral on social media. The situation lasted for 20 days before her parents came to the heartbreaking decision to stop the treatment and let her go. Chinese netizens were left questioning the country’s rigorous beauty standards. … [Read more...] about Chinese teen starves herself to death after crush chooses thinner girl
Celebs favor crop tops this summer
Crop top is one of the trends loved by celebrities around the world in summer because of its design, which is suitable for hot weather and holidays. The 2018 Miss Vietnam Tran Tieu Vy is just one of many Vietnamese celebs who have embraced crop tops. When Vy went on vacation in early May, she wore an all-white outfit with a crop top, summer suit jacket and shorts. When Vy attended a concert of famous K-pop girlgroup Blackpink in Thailand on May 29, she wore a Y2K outfit with a super short skirt and a purple crop top. Also wearing a Y2K outfit, model Hoang Thuy posed with a darker look with a cropped T-shirt, cargo pants and chunky boots. Influencer Huyen Baby showed off a sexy fit in New York with a purple crop top, shorts and cardigan, all from Balmain. The 2019 Miss World Vietnam Luong Thuy Linh wore a typical summer fit with a baby blue open-waist dress. The 2021 Miss Grand … [Read more...] about Celebs favor crop tops this summer
People struggle to find jobs amid tanking economy
The government's Private Economic Development Research Board did a survey along with VnExpress on the situation of employees this year at the end of April, polling 8,343 people. It found 31% unemployed, and of them, 53% had worked in real estate, 44% in construction and 43% in hospitality. The highest unemployment rates were reported in Ho Chi Minh City, its neighboring provinces of Dong Nai and Binh Duong and the central city of Da Nang (all over 30%). As for reasons for joblessness, 15% suffer because of lack of foreign language skills and 12% because they lack qualifications. But the main reason is the unfavorable economic situation, which has hit businesses hard. More than 32% said they are jobless because their employer closed down temporarily or for good or went bankrupt, and 27% said they were laid off because their company had no orders and had to downsize. The survey was done in late April 2023 on various aspects like employment, underemployment, housing status, … [Read more...] about People struggle to find jobs amid tanking economy
Contributions of foreign direct investment cannot be denied
Contributions of foreign direct investment cannot be denied, illustration photo In recent years, there has been a viewpoint that foreign direct investment (FDI) is a foreign element rather than an organic part of Vietnam’s economy. It is also sometimes believed that the domestic economy is weak due to the low spillover effects of FDI without a clear recognition of the need to promote the development of the domestic economy. However, if we assume something that did not happen in reality – that Vietnam never did have access to FDI – then we would see a vastly different nation today. The increasing proportion of FDI indicates that the economic growth rate of this area is usually higher than that of the domestic economy. Without, it would take many more years for Vietnam to reach the GDP scale of 2022 with $409 billion and average GDP per capita of $4,110, and with the economic growth rate at over 7 per cent annually, as seen in 1991-1997 and 2002-2007. In 2022, the realised … [Read more...] about Contributions of foreign direct investment cannot be denied
FPT IS and SAP introduce new ERP cloud solution
FPT IS teamed up with SAP to introduce the brand-new ERP cloud solution at a seminar last week centred around growing a business with cloud-based solutions. The seminar attracted more than 100 senior leaders from enterprises in various fields such as manufacturing, trade and services, retail, technology, finance and banking, among others, indicating great interest from the market towards the solution. The seminar "Business growth with SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud" was jointly organised by FPT IS and SAP Speaking at the event, Phan Thanh Son, chief business development officer, FPT IS , noted that the uncertainty and constant fluctuations in the market require firms to equip a solid and flexible management system that can adapt to increasingly rapid and diverse systematic changes. In Son's words, “SAP's new ERP cloud solution delivers an open approach for enterprises of all sizes and from different industries to quickly adopt management processes compliant with … [Read more...] about FPT IS and SAP introduce new ERP cloud solution