HA NOI — Major cities across the country are well stocked with goods ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year Holiday which begins later this month. Authorities in Ha Noi have signed agreements with nine neighbouring provinces to ensure enough agriculture products are available for the biggest festival of the year. In addition, the city's Industry and Trade Depart-ment has proposed the People's Committee to allow 95 trucks to carry Tet goods all day in the lead up to the holiday. These measures will help the city avoid any sudden shortages and will assist in stabilising prices during the Tet holiday, the department said. To date, Ha Noi Trade Corporation (Hapro), the largest company to have joined the price-stabilisation programme, has stockpiled 2,430 tonnes of processed food, 575 tonnes of vegetables, 1,061 tonnes of rice and 542 tonnes of meat specifically for Tet. In HCM City, prepar-ations for the festival are in full swing, as the city's Industry and Trade Dep-=artment has … [Read more...] about Major cities are well stocked for Tet
Tet
HCM City plans to offer happy Tet for everyone
Local authorities, agencies and organisations in HCM City have been implementing several programmes to ensure that poor and disadvantaged people enjoy the Tet (Lunar New Year) festival. Le Thi Bich Khanh, deputy chairwoman of the Binh Thanh People's Committee, said her district has made plans to organise Tet entertainment activities to ensure that Tet festivities are enjoyed by every family and every individual. "Binh Thanh will present 200 gifts, each worth VND500,000 (US$24), to disadvantaged households who are beneficiaries of the State's preferential policies, 1,200 gifts for poor children and 120 gifts for poor teachers," she said. Poor households with an annual average income of below VND12 million ($570) per person will each receive gifts worth VND300,000 and those who have an annual average income below VND8 million ($380) per person will receive gifts worth VND500,000. Nguyen Thi Nam, who lives in Binh Thanh's Ward 21, said: "My family is listed as one of the … [Read more...] about HCM City plans to offer happy Tet for everyone
Ha Noi suburbs face Tet water shortages
The Ha Noi Water Company will not be able to ensure all suburban households have running tap water during the Tet (lunar New Year), according to the company's director Nguyen Nhu Hai. A lack of capital to complete work on upgrading and connecting water supply networks had been blamed on disruptions to tap water supplies in the district of Me Linh and suburbs in western Ha Noi, said Hai. According to a survey recently carried out by the company, some residents in Tien Phong Commune, Me Linh District, have to use substandard underground water polluted by the waste-water system from nearby Quang Minh Industrial Park. Statistics taken by the company showed that 6,662 of 18,351 underground water samples in 174 communes of 12 city districts did not meet hygiene standards. Luu Thi Thinh, a resident of Tien Phong Commune, said local people had to buy bottled water to drink and for cooking. However, not every household could afford it. The Ha Noi People's Committee has invested in … [Read more...] about Ha Noi suburbs face Tet water shortages
Peach flowers bloom for Tet
With only less than three weeks to go to the Tet holiday, gardeners in Hanoi's Nhat Tan and Phu Thuong flower villages are doing the final pruning on their peach blossom trees as this year's favourable weather conditions have ensured blossoms at just the right time. "The weather so far this year has been much better than last year, more humid, slightly more rain and less sunshine," said 55-year-old Do Thi Mai, who has been growing peach blossom trees in Phu Thuong Village, Tay Ho District for the past 15 years. Phu Thuong is just one of the capital's flower villages that has been affected by urbanisation and the construction of new villas and urban areas. Years ago, there were thousands of households growing peach blossom trees, according to many elders. Now, that number has dwindled significantly. Despite the changes, there are still households that depend on growing peach blossom trees for their entire year's income, such as Mai whose garden covers more than 2,000 square … [Read more...] about Peach flowers bloom for Tet
City schedules more buses for Tet holiday
HCM CITY — Bus services for inner HCM City will be available throughout Tet (Lunar New Year), the year's biggest holiday season, with additional trips scheduled to take people to several amusement venues. Like inter-city buses, inner-city public transport will be provided before, during and after Tet, the busiest transportation time of the year. The buses, which will run on subsidised fares, are scheduled to operate during the entire Tet season, which begins on January 13 and ends on February 1. They will not be in service on the afternoon of Lunar New Year's Eve on January 22. Most of the buses will stop operating at 12pm on January 22 and will resume their operation at 8am the next day, the first day of the lunar year. On some of the special routes, including one of the busiest, the Ben Thanh-Cho Lon route, service will be provided until 5pm on January 22. During the first 10 days of the lunar new year, from January 23 to February 1, the buses will run fewer trips. They will … [Read more...] about City schedules more buses for Tet holiday