Wins international

"Logistic costs accounts for 30 percent of product price, which is an unreasonably high proportion. In Thailand the figure is 12.5 percent, and the average global figure, 14 percent. This hinders Mekong Delta agriculture products from competing with equivalents from Thailand and China," said Pham Tien Hoai, chairman of Hau Giang Business Association. Ngo Tuong Vy, deputy director of Chanh Thu Import-Export Limited Company, specializing in agriculture products, said: "Air transport fees for fresh Vietnamese dragon fruit to Japan is $6 per kilogram." She said fresh fruit need to be well-preserved after harvest so it could be exported by sea to reduce costs. Mekong Delta contributes 90 percent of the country’s rice exports, 65 percent of seafood exports, and 70 percent of fruit exports. It has a total seven ports, of which the largest is Long An International Port in southern Long An Province. The latter can accommodate cargo ships with a capacity of 70,000 tons. The second largest is Cai Cui Port in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho, which can handle 20,000 ton cargo vessels. It also has 57 inland waterway ports. Experts say the Mekong Delta waterway traffic system is of low quality, limiting the capacity of cargo ships operating in the area. There are only two ways to reach Hau River ports via either Dinh An and Quan Chan Bo estuaries. However, the Dinh An estuary has not been dredged for years and can only handle cargo ships of 3,000 tons. The Quan Chanh Bo estuary can handle cargo ships from 7,000-10,000 tons, but does not have breakwaters, meaning vessels can only operate at low speed to prevent waves from affecting nearby aquaculture projects. Thus, ships normally take a day to pass through the 26-kilometer Quan Chanh Bo estuary. Heads of export firms said Mekong Delta lacks deep-water ports for container ships serving export, besides logistic centers, warehouses and irradiation facilities. Agriculture products from Mekong Delta have to be shipped …

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All the patients, in their 20s, crossed the Ha Tien International Bordergate in Kine Giang province southern Vietnam, on April 8, and were placed in quarantine upon their arrivals. They all tested positive the following day and were transferred to Ha Tien City Polyclinic for medical observation and treatment. On April 9 Vietnam confirmed 15 imported cases returning from various countries abroad. So far Vietnam has recorded a total of 2,692 coronavirus infections since the first case was detected in January 2020. As many as 2429 patients have been discharged from hospital after making a full recovery from the disease. Of the active cases given treatment in health facilities nationwide, 81 have tested negative at least once. The number of deaths caused by COVID-19 and related illnesses remains at 35, including 31 in Da Nang city in central Vietnam. …

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During weekends, from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m, many streets of the central town are crowded with groups of visitors. On average, Hoi An attracts more than 1,000 visitors over weekends, three times more than on normal days. The surge in tourist numbers has been credited to the country's good handling of its latest Covid-19 outbreak that began on Jan. 28. All 13 affected localities including hotspot Hai Duong Province have passed many days without new community transmissions. Hundreds of tourists stroll along Tran Phu Street. Visitors cycle along Le Loi Street. Motorbikes and cars are banned from the town center for large parts of the day - from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., making bicycles the most ideal choice for town explorations. Hoi An has pioneered pedestrian-friendly streets since 2004, with most hotels, restaurants and homestay facilities offering bike rental services. Many visitors prefer the tranquility of biking through narrow alleys and past yellow houses decorated with old red-tiled roofs. Rental prices range from VND20,000 to VND40,000 ($0.87 - 1.73) a day. Pagoda Bridge is an iconic symbol of Hoi An. The bridge, built by Japanese traders in the 17th century, is a national relic that appears on VND20,000 bills. Lan, the owner of a sweet shop on Bach Dang Street, said it has been a long time since she has served such a large number of weekend customers. In January and February, there were no customers, so she only opened her shop on weekends, though selling little. "From March 8 till now, the number of customers has tripled, so I now keep my shop open every day to increase my income,” she said. The ancient town is seen from …

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