Day: August 3, 2021

Export revenue from the EU market reached 22.5 billion USD in the first seven months of 2021, a year on year rise of 15.5 percent, reported the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

According to the ministry, Vietnam mostly exported telephones and accessories, computers, electronics, footwear, garment and textile products, seafood, and handbags and wallets to the EU.

Meanwhile, the country imported 9.7 billion USD worth of goods from the EU, a rise of 19.6 percent over the same period in 2020. Major imports were accessories, automobile spare parts, completely-built-up cars and household appliances.

The EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement took effect for one year on July 31, benefiting Vietnam’s exports to the market.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Consulate General of Vietnam in Osaka, Japan on August 3 said it is working with relevant agencies of the host country to clarify information stating that a Vietnamese in Osaka died after being assaulted and pushed into a river by another man.

According to the Consulate General, there was a video recorded by a Vietnamese on social network on August 2 which showed a young man was assaulted and died after being pushed into a river in the Namba area of the Japanese city.

Upon receiving the news, the Consulate General contacted Osaka police and sought information from the Vietnamese community in the Kansai region to verify the incident.

Local police said they will inform the Vietnamese side after investigation. In addition, the Consulate General sent a diplomatic note asking the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and Osaka police to help verify the case and provide information for the implementation of citizen protection measures.

It had also contacted the person who was believed to record and upload the video to the fanpage “Osaka Baito” on Facebook. However, that person denied being the recorder and claimed that he only uploaded the video to attract views.

Initial information revealed that the victim was a student who had completed a Japanese language course at a school under the Ashiya International Academy and was applying for temporary visa to stay in Japan.

However, accurate information on his identity still awaits confirmation by Japanese police.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The police in Japan’s Osaka prefecture on August 3 confirmed the identity of a young Vietnamese man who was killed in the prefecture a day earlier.

In a document sent to the Vietnamese Consulate General in Osaka, the police identify the victim as T.T.A, 22, holding the passport number C6798205. He was assaulted and pushed into the river at 8:20pm on August 2 in the pedestrian area near Ebisu bridge in Chuo district, Osaka city. Though the rescue team rushed him to hospital, he died at 9:21pm the same day.

The Vietnamese Consulate General in Osaka said it had worked with the Japanese Foreign Ministry and the Osaka police, requesting prompt investigation to soon bring the criminal to justice.

The Consulate General will also work closely with Japanese agencies and Vietnamese associations in Kansai region to collect more information and conduct timely and necessary citizen protection measures.

According to the Consulate General, a video believed to be recorded by a Vietnamese was posted on social networks on August 2 which showed the young man was assaulted and pushed into the river.

The Consulate General had contacted the person who was believed to record and upload the video to the fanpage “Osaka Baito” on Facebook. However, the person denied being the recorder and claimed that he only uploaded the video to attract views.

Initial information revealed that the victim was a student who had completed a Japanese language course at a school under the Ashiya International Academy and was applying for a temporary visa to stay in Japan.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Vietnam has surpassed Bangladesh as the world’s second largest exporter of ready-made garments (RMG), Fashion United, an international B2B fashion platform, quoted the World Trade Statistical Review 2021 released by World Trade Organization (WTO).

Bangladesh is now in third position, with China remaining the largest exporter accounting for 31.6 market share despite a 7 percent decrease in 2020, valuing its exports at 142 billion USD, said the report.

Vietnam’s clothing exports increased by 6.4 percent in 2020 with a market value of 29 billion USD. Over the past decade, Vietnam’s share in the global apparel export market surged, while Bangladesh’s export growth dropped from 6.8 percent to 6.3 percent in 2020.

Bangladesh output declined during the pandemic, with factories closed as many western brands cancelled orders or delaying payments. Ongoing compliance issues have also forced closures while Vietnam managed to diversify its production making not just low-end, fast fashion garments but also mid and high-end clothing and accessories.

In 2019 Vietnam and the European Union signed a free trade agreement which significantly boosted trading to the world’s largest bloc.

Politically Vietnam is stable, and its citizens have access to better education infrastructure and healthcare, according to the article.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Vietnam welcomes a proposal to upgrade the ASEAN-China relationship, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son said at the ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held via videoconference on August 3 as part of the 54th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM-54) and Related Meetings.

In his remarks at the event, Minister Son suggested that the two sides work to fully tap the great potential of bilateral cooperation, promote economic collaboration, facilitate trade and investment, and bolster investment in infrastructure development in the region and within sub-regional cooperation frameworks, including the Mekong-Lancang Cooperation.

He expressed a hope that China will continue to provide COVID-19 vaccines to ASEAN countries and help them improve medical response capacity.

The Vietnamese FM underlined the need for all parties to show goodwill in cooperation, take responsible actions and work together for an East Sea of peace, stability, security, safety and environmental protection.

All parties should uphold the rule of law and settle disputes and differences through peaceful measures, he stressed, affirming that Vietnam is committed to working with other ASEAN countries and China to continue to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and welcomes the resumption of negotiations on a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC). Vietnam will do its best to push forward the negotiation process for the finalization of a practical, effective COC that is in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which is supported by international community, he said.

At the meeting, ASEAN and China agreed to continue to give priority to coordination in effectively controlling COVID-19 and mutual support in sustainable recovery.

ASEAN foreign ministers suggested stronger cooperation in facilitating bilateral trade and investment exchange, making full use of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA), and hastening the ratification of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP in order to create a new driving force for growth.

Meanwhile, China proposed making sustainable development as the theme for cooperation in 2022, with focus on green growth and carbon emission reduction, while pledging to consider raising its contribution to the ASEAN-China Cooperation Fund.

Regarding regional and international issues of shared concern, participants agreed that maintaining an environment of peace, security and stability in the region, including the East Sea, is the common concern and interest of both ASEAN and China.

The ministers welcomed efforts for the early resumption of negotiations on the COC, and pledged to continue to efficiently and fully implement the DOC and promote negotiations for an effective and practical COC in line with international law, including the UNCLOS 1982.

China expressed its support of the ASEAN’s role in encouraging dialogue and reconciliation in Myanmar and in helping Myanmar seek solutions to stabilize the country’s situation.

Both sides agreed to work closely to organise a summit commemorating the 30th anniversary of the ASEAN-China relations.

Following the event, Myanmar will officially take up the role as the coordinator of the ASEAN-China relations in the 2021-2024 period.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Container freight trains from Vietnam to Belgium will open up a new cooperation direction to increase benefits of railway logistics services, Deputy General Director of the Rail Transport and Trade Joint Stock Company (Ratraco) Nguyen Hoang Thanh told the Vietnam News Agency (VNA).

The first train departed from Hanoi’s Yen Vien station on July 20 for Liege city of Belgium, where the goods continued to be transported to Rotterdam of the Netherlands by lorries.

The second train left the Yen Vien station on July 27, while the third and fourth are expected to set off on August 5 and August 10.

This is the result of cooperation between the Vietnamese railway sector and Maersk Lines of Denmark, Thanh said, adding that the Vietnamese side is in charge of packing goods into containers at warehouses and transporting them to the Yen Vien station and then to the country’s border with China.

Regarding the issue that Vietnamese railways cannot operate a train on its own to provide direct freight transport services to Europe instead of just serving as an intermediary to supply logistics services, Thanh said that at this time, it is very difficult for the sector to organise a rail transport route from Vietnam to Europe.

At present, Vietnam’s railway infrastructure remains limited, as it can only set up a 23-carrriage train while the Asia-Europe freight train must have a minimum of 41 carriages.

Therefore, Vietnam’s railways must cooperate with other partners to ensure the necessary conditions, he said.

However, Thanh said that cooperation with major businesses such as Maersk Lines – the world’s largest container shipping company – will open up more opportunities for Vietnam’s railway industry.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Farmers in the Mekong Delta are increasingly growing fruits out of season and more efficiently.

In 2013 the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development had unveiled plans for growing five key fruits – dragon fruit, mango, rambutan, durian, and longan – during their off-season in the delta’s 12 provinces and Can Tho City and the south – central province of Binh Thuan, the country’s largest dragon fruit grower.

This is meant to help avoid oversupply during the regular season, thus ensuring prices never fall too low.

Le Thanh Tung, deputy head of the ministry’s plant cultivation department, said the delta and Binh Thuan grow the five fruits off-season on up to 73,800ha of their 132,200ha under them.

Of the 73,800ha, dragon fruit accounts for 45,100ha, durian for 6,300ha, mango for 11,200ha, rambutan for 3,100ha, and longan for 8,100ha. This accounts for about 51 per cent of their total output.

The off-season fruits have 1.5 – 2 times higher economic efficiency than seasonal ones, according to the ministry.

In recent years more and more farmers are adopting good agricultural practices (GAP) standards to grow fruits out of season.

For instance, during the main season durian is sold at orchards at 35,000 – 40,000 VND (1.5 – 1.7 USD) per kilogramme while off-season fruits fetch 60,000 VND (2.6 USD).

Durian is one of the delta’s key fruits, and has seen high prices and demand in recent years.

Tien Giang province, the delta’s largest fruit producer, has more than 130,000ha under durian with an average yield of 25 tonnes per year.

Dao Ngoc Thoai, who owns a 1ha orchard in Cai Lay district, said during the off-season the fruit fetches 1.7 times the main-season income.

He has been harvesting around 20 tonnes during the former each year, earning profits of more than 1 billion VND (43,400 USD), he said.

Production efficiency

To improve efficiency, research institutes, universities and relevant agencies have transferred techniques for growing fruits during the off-season to farmers, the ministry said.

The Southern Fruit Research Institute would continue to do research, it said.

The ministry has instructed provinces producing off-season fruits to help farmers develop links with companies to secure outlets for their output.

In the delta, Dong Thap and Vinh Long provinces and a part of Long An and Tien Giang provinces grow dragon fruit, durian, rambutan, and longan during the off-season.

The ministry said the provinces of Ben Tre and Tra Vinh and a part of Vinh Long, Tien Giang and Long An provinces should ensure there is sufficient irrigation water for fruits this year and to address problems like drought and saltwater intrusion into water bodies.

In the 2020-21 dry season, which usually lasts between last December and April, farmers took several measures to mitigate the impacts of saltwater intrusion on fruit cultivation like storing water in ponds, using rice straws, leaves and plastic sheets to cover tree roots to reduce water evaporation.

They also increased the use of organic fertilisers, lime and bio-products to tend trees, pruned branches, discarded a part of the flowers and young fruits their trees produced to enhance their ability to resist drought and saltwater.

In Tien Giang, saltwater intrusion caused little damage to durian trees as farmers took effective measures to mitigate it, according to the province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The province has also recovered nearly 1,000ha of durian plants and replanted nearly 2,000ha that were damaged by drought and saltwater in 2019 – 20.

During that dry season nearly 4,500ha of orchards were severely damaged, with 3,500ha being a write-off.

The delta, the country’s largest fruit producer, gradually increased its total area under fruits from 287,300ha in 2010 to 377,700ha last year, or 33.3 per cent of the country’s total, according to the ministry.

The increase focused on dragon fruit, durian, pineapple, mango, grapefruit, banana, rambutan, jackfruit, and orange.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ho Chi Minh City on August 2 handed over medical supplies and equipment donated by enterprises to local hospitals and medical centres to support the city’s COVID-19 prevention and control.

The Phu Long Real Estate JSC presented five high-performance ventilators MV2000 EVO5 worth 2.5 billion VND (108,755 USD) to An Binh COVID-19 treatment hospital, and donated 1.7 billion VND (74,000 USD) to the city’s Oriental Medicine Association.

Since the fourth wave of COVID-19 hitting the country in late April, the Phu Long JSC and member companies of the SOVICO Group have donated hundreds of billions of Vietnamese dong to the national vaccine fund, and COVID-19 prevention and control activities in Hanoi, HCM City, Hai Duong, Bac Giang, Lang Son, and Can Tho.

Chairman of the Saigon Football Development JSC Ho Quoc Minh presented a Ford Ranger car and 600 1000-Ul tips with sterile filter worth 835 million VND in total to the 115 Emergency Centre and the municipal Centre for Disease Control, respectively, on the same day afternoon.

Vietnamese expatriates in Thailand and the US also gave 100,000 TS95 masks to the municipal People’s Council to support the city’s frontline forces in the fight against COVID-19.

From July 1 to August 2, more than 103 organisations, businesses and individuals registered to donate medical supplies and modern equipment worth more than 1.4 trillion VND in response to the call by the VFF Committee of HCM City.

In the coming time, the Standing Committee of the VFF Committee of HCM City will continue to coordinate with the municipal Department of Health and its member organisations to call for donations from businesses and individuals for the city’s COVID-19 prevention and control activities.

Source: Vietnam News Agency