Flower growers look to online sales amid COVID-19 resurgence Workers at a flower farm in Da Lat City. Traditionally, city dwellers shop for flowers and botanicals at flower markets to fill their home with the most cheerful blooms to celebrate the new year. But many flower growers said that flower markets were not busy this year, leaving them with an oversupply. Nguyen Duy, a flower farm owner in Da Lat City, said that COVID-19 outbreaks in many localities would likely affect people's purchasing power for flowers ahead of Tet festival. Thuy Vu, director of the The Gioi Hoa Tuoi JSC, a wholesale supplier of flowers, said it would not focus on retail sales for the Tet festival this year due to market uncertainty. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Lan, a flower vendor at Ho Thi Ky flower market in HCM City, said flowers stockpiled for the Tet market this year were not as numerous as last year due to concerns over weak purchasing power. Purchasing orders with flower farms are expected to change in the next few days depending on the control of COVID-19, Lan said. Flower farms in Da Lat City have seen a 55 per cent drop in orders from wholesale markets in other cities and provinces, according to a survey of the Da Lat City People’s Committee. The committee, however, has reported a boom in online sales of agricultural produce, flowers and botanicals ahead of Tet. It advised farms to use bank transfer payments for retail orders and to sign contracts with merchants for wholesale orders to ensure the success of online deals. Livestreams Shoppers can find various types of flowers from flower farms and merchants on online shopping platforms. Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy from Biofresh Company in Da Lat City has hosted livestreams via Facebook to guide viewers through different types of flowers and plants available on the farm. Amid the pandemic, live commerce has helped promote and sell products, and engaged potential shoppers, Thuy said. Tran Van Tam, a flower grower in Da Lat …
Vietnam in january
VIETNAM NEWS FEBRUARY 8
HCM City to relocate water supply sources amid worsening water pollution HCM City authorities plan to gradually relocate its water supply sources further upstream of the Sài Gòn and Đồng Nai rivers as part of its effort to ensure clean water for local use. Experts have warned that the current main source of water has become seriously polluted due to the impact of socio-economic development along the Sài Gòn – Đồng Nai river system. The city currently draws some 94 per cent of the water for treatment at a spot downstream of where the Sài Gòn River meets the Đồng Nai River, at the Hòa Phú pumping station in its Củ Chi District, and at Hóa An in Đồng Nai Province. Under the city’s 2020-30 water supply plan, the city will relocate the Hòa Phú pumping station to a new location, about 20 km from the existing pumping station and 15 km upstream from the junction of Thị Tính and Sài Gòn rivers. According to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, water in downstream Sài Gòn River is suffering from severe microbiological pollution and slight oil contamination. Pollution indicators like ammonia, microorganisms and manganese have all increased, exceeding the permitted standards of Việt Nam and the World Health Organization. Dr. Hồ Long Phi, director of the Centre for Water Management and Climate Change under the National University of HCM City, said that pollution in the Saigon River remains ‘serious’. He said it was vital to develop hi-tech water treatment plants if the city continues to draw this water for local use. “The water upstream in the Sài Gòn and Đồng Nai rivers is in the safe zone, which is less impacted by climate change and sea level rise in the next 50-100 …
Vietnam records four new COVID-19 infections on February 8 morning
Medical workers takes blood sample for SARS-CoV-2 testing. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam logged four locally-transmitted COVID-19 infections in Ho Chi Minh City in the past 12 hours as of 6am on February 8, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control. All the new patients are men who work as baggage handlers at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, and belong to the same team with Patient 1,979 that was confirmed positive with the coronavirus over the weekend. The patients are now put under quarantine and treated at Cu Chi COVID-19 treatment hospital. Vietnam has recorded 2,005 SARS-CoV-2 infections so far. Of the total, 1,115 are locally-transmitted cases, with 422 detected since the latest coronavirus outbreak hit the nation on January 27. According to the Treatment Sub-committee under the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, 1,472 COVID-19 patients have recovered. Among the patients still under treatment, 17 have tested negative for the virus one, six twice, and three thrice. Thirty- five died from complications related to the disease. There are 83,104 people who had close contact with confirmed cases or coming from pandemic-hit regions are under quarantine at present, including 759 at hospitals, 24,098 at other quarantine sites and 58,247 at home. In a bid to live safely with the pandemic, people should strictly follow the Ministry of Health’s 5K message: khau trang (facemask), khu khuan (disinfection), khoang cach (distance), khong tu tap (no gathering) and khai bao y te (health declaration)./. VNA …
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