Day: December 8, 2021

The value of agro-forestry-fishery exports reached over 4.1 billion USD in November alone, which was conducive to a hope for the exports to obtain over 47 billion USD for the entire year.

According to Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien, the value was estimated at nearly 43.5 billion USD in the January – November period, up 14.2 percent on-year.

Of the sum, the crop cultivation sector contributed 19.3 billion USD, an annual increase of 13.7 percent, with high export value growth posted for rubber, coffee, cashew, pepper, rice, cassava and cassava products.

The forestry sector also exceeded its target spectacularly, with its export turnover reaching 14.3 billion USD to date and expected to soon exceed over 15 billion USD. Meanwhile, fishery exports are likely to reach 8.6 billion USD.

Tien said the ministry has so far directed localities, farms, and cooperatives, and businesses to build material areas meeting the set criteria, while promoting trade and further negotiating to expand the market, particularly the US and China.

Although export turnover increased, the sector’s trade surplus decreased sharply by 56.5 percent from the same period last year to be at nearly 4.3 billion USD. In this regard, the official attributed the reduction to an increase in the scale of imported materials and breeds over the past time, adding that this, however, will be a growth premise for the following period.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

A marathon race titled “Hanh trinh ve cuc Bac” (journey to the North) held in the northwestern mountainous province of Ha Giang drew the participation of more than 50 runners nationwide during its three-day course, which concluded on December 7.

The 21km race, starting from the Lung Cu flagpole to the Dong Van ancient town, took place in line with COVID-19 prevention and control measures.

It also featured tourism and social activities, with all proceeds donated to a green growth project initiated by the provincial tourism association. The project aims to plant 10,000 trees across local border tourism routes in five years.

Ha Giang, home to more than 20 ethnic minority groups with unique cultural identities and festivals, has long been an attractive destination for tourists and explorers.

The land is loved by visitors for its untouched, majestic and poetic landscapes with rocky massive mountains, terraced rice fields that paint the valleys with yellow colour in harvest season and mirror the sky colours in the sowing season.

This year, tourist arrivals to Ha Giang slipped by half compared to the year’s plan of about 900,000 due to the complex developments of COVID-19.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Danish toy production company LEGO Group on December 8 signed a memorandum of understanding with the Vietnam–Singapore Industrial Park Joint Stock Company (VSIP) on the building of a new plant in southern Binh Duong province.

Addressing the signing ceremony, Danish Ambassador to Vietnam Kim Højlund Christensen said this is the largest investment in Vietnam made by a Danish company, showing the confidence and optimism of Danish investors in the future of the important Denmark-Vietnam partnership.

The LEGO Group will invest more than 1 million USD in the construction of its first ever carbon neutral factory, including investment in solar energy on a 44-ha site in Binh Duong, with a hope to generate 4,000 jobs in the next 15 years.

The construction is scheduled for the second half of 2022 and the plant will go into operation by two years later. According to LEGO, the factory will be its sixth manufacturing site in the world and the second in Asia.

LEGO’s decision to build its plant in Vietnam was attributed to the Vietnamese Government’s plans to invest in expanding renewable energy production infrastructure and a collaborative approach to working with foreign companies who are seeking to make high quality investments, said Chief Operations Officer of Lego Group Carsten Rasmussen.

VSIP General Director Nguyen Phu Thinh pledged that VSIP is committed to offering international companies high quality investments and sustainable solutions to create attractive long-term development opportunities.

The new factory will feature solar panels on its roof and VSIP will build a nearby solar project on behalf of the LEGO Group. They will together plant 50,000 trees in Vietnam to compensate for vegetation removed during construction.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son and his New Zealand counterpart Nanaia Mahuta on

December 8 signed a Vietnam – New Zealand Action Plan for the 2021-2024 period to deploy the bilateral strategic partnership.

Speaking at the virtual signing ceremony, Son said he believed that the plan will help further promote the strategic partnership between the two countries in all areas in the near future.

He expressed his delight at the fact that the two sides have maintained cooperation mechanisms in the fields of politics, defence, agriculture, and health in the past year amid the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Vietnamese minister congratulated New Zealand on its successful hosting of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week, which helped the country improve its role and position in the international arena.

For her part, Mahuta emphasised that New Zealand attaches great importance to its strategic partnership with Vietnam and that it is ready to cooperate with the Southeast Asian nation in promoting economic recovery.

New Zealand wishes to further strengthen cooperation with Vietnam in the areas of trade – investment, education, digital economy and climate change, she said, noting that the two countries are striving to lift their two-way trade to 2 billion USD by 2024.

Regarding cooperation at regional and international forums, Mahuta thanked Vietnam for its strong support to New Zealand when the nation took over the role as the APEC Chair in 2021, stressing that New Zealand is one of ASEAN’s earliest dialogue partners.

Son took the occasion to invite Mahuta to visit Vietnam at an appropriate time and the New Zealand minister accepted the invitation with pleasure.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Authorities of the northern province of Quang Ninh have implemented a series of policies to support and improve the lives of people with disabilities, and ensure social security in the locality.

Typically, there is a policy to cover the cost of orthopedic surgery and vocational rehabilitation for local people with motor disabilities. Local disabled people are supported with all costs of orthopedic surgery and orthopedic equipment.

Since 2013, more than 1,924 people with motor disabilities have received health screening, while 238 others have had orthopedic surgery and been equipped with orthopedic equipment with a total value of 3.2 billion VND.

The locality has approved a project to support inclusive education for children with disabilities and autism in educational institutions. Local students with disabilities have been exempted from fees and enjoy local policies.

In the 2020 – 2021 academic year, the number of children with disabilities who can participate in inclusive education programmes at educational establishments reached at least 70 percent.

To encourage people with disabilities joining vocational training programmes, the province approved a list of 45 occupations and occupational groups for primary level training, training costs and support levels for each occupation with special regulations on training costs and vocational training support levels for people with disabilities.

The locality allocates a budget of 10-15 billion VND every year to support vocational training for disabled people.

So far, as many as 844 people with disabilities who have the ability to work have been provided with vocational training. Fourteen production and business establishments have been set up with at least 30 percent of their total employee being disabled people. Enterprises employing people with disabilities have been supported with capital from the provincial fund for people with disabilities.

Lanh The Vinh, chairman of the provincial sponsoring association for people with disabilities and orphans, said the locality has always paid special attention to disabled people with specific and practical policies, thus giving them equal opportunities to promote their capacity and contribute to society.

Source: Vietnam News Agency