Day: July 16, 2021

An autobiography has been co-published by two Italians, recalling their humane and professional journey as voluntary surgeons, and telling an inspiring story on how they met Vietnamese boy Thien Nhan who was abandoned in a deserted plantation for three days after birth.

The book entitled “Il bimbo e le belve” (The child and the beasts) was written by Roberto De Castro and William Amighetti to look back on their years of humanitarian mission across Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Syria and Vietnam.

Doctor De Castro has performed pioneering surgical techniques for effective treatment of malformations and genital mutilation of boys and girls in these countries to allow them to live and lead a full life. He has also trained local medical workers on these techniques.

Doctor Amighetti, meanwhile, has brought artificial limbs to Vietnamese children with disabilities.

“The book tells stories about Roberto De Castro taking humanitarian journey over 15 years in Vietnam,” Amighetti told Vietnam News Agency correspondents in Italy. “It is also my journey during the years of helping unfortunate children disabled by birth defects or accidents in Vietnam and all over the world.”

One of De Castro’s success stories is “Miracle Boy” Phung Thien Nhan, who was abandoned by his biological mother at birth in the central province of Quang Nam. When Nhan was found three days later, he was barely alive and suffered a total loss of genitals and one leg due to a brutal attack by wild animals. The baby infant resiliently survived the incident and was subsequently adopted by Tran Mai Anh, coming to live happily with his new family in Hanoi. With the support of the Italian surgeon, Thien Nhan received a successful reconstructive surgery in January 2011.

Nhan’s story is an inspiration for the two surgeons to pen the autobiography.

His foster mother Mai Anh later became the founder of the Thien Nhan and Friends programme, and together with Greig Craft, president of the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation, the programme raises funds for surgeries for poor Vietnamese children suffering from genital defects or loss of genitals and related diseases./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Japanese-based retail giant AEON is planning to use its commercial network to export Vietnamese longan to neighbouring Asian nations, according to Yuichiro Shiotani, General Director of the AEON TOPVALU Vietnam Co. Ltd.

Shiotani said the group wants to promote the fruit, particularly from the northern province of Hung Yen, among Vietnamese consumers and foreigners in Vietnam.

AEON hopes for relaxer regulations on farm produce trade between Vietnam and Japan so that Hung Yen longan will be exported to Japan in the near future just like lychee, he added.

In 2020, AEON was the first Japanese firm to put Vietnamese lychees on shelves at its stores in Japan. In the 2021 crop, the amount of Vietnamese lychees exported to Japan increased by 750 percent compared to last year.

Japan officially approved the import of Vietnamese fresh lychee in December 2019. Similar decision is yet to be made for longan from Vietnam./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The central province of Quang Nam has built a plan to conserve the grey-shanked douc langurs in Tam My Tay commune of Nui Thanh district by 2030, with a vision to 2050.

Six herds with nearly 70 grey-shanked douc langurs are residing in about 30ha of natural forest on Hon Do, Hon Ong, Duong Bong, and Duong Ban Lau mountains in Tam My Tay commune, a survey found.

Under its plan, Quang Nam aims to conserve and sustainably develop the local grey-shanked douc langur population and also help with socio-economic development.

In the short term, the province looks to protect and recover 60ha of special-use forest to guarantee habitat for the primates.

There are about 1,500 – 2,000 grey-shanked douc langurs, a species endemic to Vietnam, in five provinces in the central and Central Highlands regions.

The grey-shanked douc langur is listed in Group 1B, which covers forest animals in danger of extinction that are banned from being exploited or used for commercial purposes, in the 2007 Vietnam Red Data Book./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Phu Quoc island in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang is an ideal destination for tourists to explore after it becomes the first tourist site in Vietnam to re-open for visitors soon.

Recently, local authorities have proposed to receive foreign visitors who have COVID-19 vaccination certificates from October. Visitors, mostly come to the island via charter flights, are restricted from visiting the mainland.

Phu Quoc is a tropical island resort off the southern coast of Vietnam.

Travel website TheTravel.com suggested that Phu Quoc is a good choice for those who are looking for a stunning island paradise in Southeast Asia.

The website noted that the island is serviced by an international airport that hosts direct flights all the way from Europe, and SIM cards are sold at the airport.

It also gives recommendations for visitors on where to visit during a 7-10-day trip in the island.

Starfish Beach

On the north side of the island is Starfish Beach. This is a must-see for every visitor on the island and is quite possibly the most beautiful beach on the island, it said. “Here you can order food and enjoy all manner of alcohol and tropical fruit juices, but be sure to start your day here with a coconut,” TheTravel advised.

Truc Lam Ho Quoc Zen Monastery

There are a number of Buddhist temples and monasteries on the island, but one of the must-sees on the island is the Truc Lam Ho Quoc Zen Monastery on the southern end of the island, the website noted, adding that this is a stunning monastery and a great day trip. It is perched upon a hill overlooking the sea and a great place to relax.

Phu Quoc prison

According to the website, the historical relic site will be a less joyous visit but it is highly educational and interesting. Built in the 1950s, the site gives an insight on the horrors of war.

Duong Dong Market

Another destination on the island that TheTravel recommended is Duong Dong Market, which is busy at night. It is full of souvenirs and restaurants, it said, commenting that the atmosphere is very chill and quiet./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The central province of Quang Nam has asked the government to approve a plan to export 2.5 million carbon credits for an amount of 110 billion VND (4.7 million USD) to 130 billion VND (5.6 million USD).

Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Le Tri Thanh has said it is part of a larger plan to establish a carbon market to help protect forests and conservation areas, while reducing greenhouse gas emission.

This would help Vietnam to meet the requirements of the global Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD ) agreement.

If implemented, the plan would see the province export 800,000 carbon credits, the equivalent of 0.8 million tonnes of carbon emission each year. This figure would increase to 1.2 million carbon credits by 2026.

The province said at least 1.2 million tonnes of carbon, or 1.2 million carbon credits, had been saved from 2018-20.

It said the carbon credit export plan would help the province boost protection of over 460,000 hectares of forest with a goal to growing that area by an estimated of 20 percent over ten years.

Quang Nam plans to replant just over 50,000 hectares reducing 14 million tonnes of carbon emissions which will then provide seven million cubic metres of timber in 2030.

Last year, Quang Nam promoted the Song Thanh Nature Reserve to a National Park to conserve its rich biodiversity. It covers nearly 77,000 hectares, of which more than 58,000 are tropical, evergreen primary forest in the districts of Nam Giang and Phuoc Son.

The park area is one of the region’s biggest carbon stores and home to 831 species of flora and fauna, including the critically endangered grey-shanked douc langurs and the endangered red-shanked douc langurs.

Up to 19,000ha of critical habitat in Nong Son district is also planned as a protection area for groups of the endangered Asian elephant. This would be funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Green Annamites Project.

The province also plans to allocate funds of 4.4 million USD to restore a 100 hectares of forest as a safe habitat for a herd of grey-shanked douc langurs (pygathrix cinerea) living in Tam My Tay commune of Nui Thanh district./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency