Month: January 2022

Nhat Tao Bell, housed at Nhat Tao temple in Hanoi, is the sole antique made in the 10th century whose unique shape is different from others in pagodas and temples in Vietnam.

The bell is housed at Nhat Tao temple in Dong Ngac ward, Bac Tu Liem district of Hanoi. It is considered as a valuable antique of Thang Long-Hanoi in particular and Vietnam at large.

The antique has been mentioned in a number of studies in culture and history of Vietnam, given that it is the sole antique made in the 10th century whose unique shape is different from others in pagodas and temples in Vietnam.

Decorative patterns on the bell demonstrate the quintessence of sculpture and cooper casting in the past. The poem carved on the bell is viewed as among the earliest historical documents in the form of writing made during the country’s independence time.

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Nhat Tao bell remains intact even though it was made thousands years ago (Photo: VNA)

The bell measures 6kg in weight and 32cm in height. The diameter of its mouth is 19cm and of its canons, 7cm. It remains relatively intact through thousands of years.

A pair of mythical creatures was cast on the bell’s canons, with their backs turning against each other. The creatures have large heads, googled eyes and mane, and scales all over their bodies.

The top of the canons is a flat and round piece instead of the shape of gourd like that of other bells made in later periods.

The cup-shaped bell has a flat crown. Its core has eight areas, with the upper part containing four trapeziums and the lower part four rectangles.

Ancient Chinese characters were inscribed on the outer wall of the bell. The 211 characters were presented in 27 columns.

The bell was described in an official document dated in 948, which serves as a historical resource of great importance for studies on the Vietnamese society in early independent period. It also gives an insight into culture and social and political situations in Vietnam during the Ngo dynasty (939 to 965). The dynasty was founded by Ngo Quyen, who led Vietnamese forces in the Battle of Bach Dang River against invaders in 938.

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Nhat Tao described as the only bell dated in the 10th century found in Vietnam (Photo: VNA)

Late Professor Ha Van Tan translated the characters inscribed onto the bell to modern Vietnamese language as: Lower Tu Liem village, Giao Chi district, the 29th day of the fourth lunar month in the Year of the Monkey (June 9, 948 in Gregorian calendar).

Protégées of two sects in Taoism and Confucianism, in the Year of the Dragon (944) raised money to draw a painting of a dignitary. Then together they bought a valuable bell weighing 15kg to honour the predecessor.

The document mentions the Year of Dragon (944), which was the time Ngo Quyen passed away. This showed that although Ngo Quyen proclaimed independence and ascended to the throne, he had yet to decide on an era name.

The document also gives an insight into the history of villages and religions, especially Taoism in the spiritual life of Vietnamese in the 10th century. It is also the first and only document to date that reflects the relations between Taoism and Buddhism in the spiritual life of Vietnamese during the Ly dynasty (1009-1225) and the Tran dynasty (1225-1400).

The characters on the bell help researchers understand that the local administrative system of communes, villages and districts was set up early in Vietnam, along with titles of Taoism, in the 10th century. Communes could be a religious organisation and an administrative unit at the same time.

Nhat Tao temple is home to 26 ordinances of Vietnamese kings, together with the ancient bell. Of these, 21 were officially recognised, with the first dated in 634.

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The bell’s canons bear the shape of mythical creatures (Photo: VNA)

Nhat Tao villagers annually hold a celebration to mark the death of the temple’s head in the ninth lunar month of the year, its festival on the 11th and 12th day of the second lunar month.

On such occasions, Nhat Tao bell is on display to honour tutelary god of the village, which also helps people and tourists understand more about Nhat Tao, an ancient land of more than a thousand years./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Vietnamese expatriates in Australia, the UK, China, and Japan have organised gatherings at different scales to mark the Lunar New Year (Tet), the longest and important festival of their home country.

In Australia, many Vietnamese expats, businesspeople, and students met at a Tet celebration held by the Vietnamese Consulate General in New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia on January 30.

Delivering his remark, Consul General Nguyen Dang Thang highlighted the growth of Vietnam – Australia ties, especially in economy-trade, and the contributions of the Consulate General and the expatriates to Vietnam’s COVID-19 prevention and control last year.

The agency has mobilised the Australian Government to support Vietnam with 7.8 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine and so far raised more than 41,000 AUD from the Vietnamese communities in New South Wales, Queensland, Nam Australia, and New Caledonia for Vietnam’s response to the pandemic.

In an interviewed with the Vietnamese News Agency, many Vietnamese expats in Australia shared their plans to return home given better controlled COVID-19 situations in the two nations over the past two months and the resumption of commercial flights between them.

In the UK, a similar celebration featuring traditional folk games and food took place on the same day with the participation of more than 1,000 Vietnamese expatriates.

Co-organised by the Vietnamese Family Partnership (VFP) and the Vietnam Business Association in the UK (VBUK) and supported by the Vietnamese Embassy, the event was the biggest of its kind of the community so far.

Also gathering a large number of overseas Vietnamese, a festive event to mark Tet was held in Kunming, China by the Vietnamese Consulate General here.

In Japan, Tet celebrations took place among Vietnamese families who could not come back home on the occasion. They made traditional dishes and decorations to enjoy the festival together.

Lam Xuan Thanh, a Vietnamese living in Tokyo, said preparing for Tet is the way for the expats to help their children better understanding about Vietnamese culture./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Vietnam’s industrial production index (IPI) in January rose by 2.4 percent year-on-year, the General Statistics Office (GSO) reported.

The processing and manufacturing industry, which accounted for over 70 percent of total industrial output, witnessed a yearly IPI increase of 2.8 percent, contributing 2.6 percentage points to the industrial sector’s overall growth.

Many industries also enjoyed a surge in IPI, such as metal ore mining (21.9 percent); production of prefabricated metal products (16.8 percent); leather and related products (12.3 percent); electrical equipment (11.5 percent); clothing production (11.4 percent); textiles (8.8 percent); and rubber and plastic products (8.1 percent).

Meanwhile, industrial products with drops in the index included beverage production (2.7 percent); production of drugs, pharmaceutical chemicals and medicinal herbs (3.6 percent); electronics, computers and optical products (5 percent); wood processing and products from wood and bamboo (5.1 percent); and crude oil and natural gas (9.7 percent).

Among key industrial products that posted high IPI increases in January were alumina (35.7 percent); bar and angle steel (30.3 percent); powdered milk (16.2 percent); NPK fertiliser (15.6 percent); monosodium glutamate (15.4 percent); processed seafood (13.8 percent), automobiles (11.7 percent) and fabric (8.7 percent).

According to GSO General Director Nguyen Thi Huong, the national economy has recorded positive signs of recovery.

In order to promote production growth, the GSO suggested ministries, sectors and localities proactively develop plans for safe production and business in adaptation to the COVID-19 pandemic developments and in accordance with conditions of each locality and enterprise, especially at concentrated industrial zones, Huong said.

The State Bank of Vietnam needs to have an appropriate credit policy so that credit institutions can support pandemic-hit businesses in resuming their production and business, she added./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Complicated developments of COVID-19 over the past two years have fueled investment in startups operating in the sectors of medical technology, medicine, and health care in Vietnam.

Doctor Anywhere, a startup run in Vietnam since 2019, has freshly announced it raised 65.7 million USD from a funding round coordinated by Asia Partners with the participation of such investors as Novo Holdings, Philips and OSK-SBI Venture Partners. The number of health checkups via the Doctor Anywhere application has increased to 300-400, even over 500, per day from 200 in its beginning stage.

Medigo, an application for drug delivery and consultations from pharmacists and doctors, also raised 1 million USD from the Touchstone Partners recently.

Meanwhile, medical start-up Medici received seed funding from Insignia Ventures. Storing over 100,000 electronic medical records, it is cooperating with more than 50 clinics and hospitals across over 30 provinces and cities. Medici has seen its quarterly revenue growing 100 percent and monthly user growth reaching 20 percent.

AiHealth – an application that help users find doctors, book appointments and buy drugs online – has obtained investment from Singapore. Medical technology start-up Docosan Vietnam’s scheduling software that helps doctors easily manage appointment bookings at medical facilities has raised more than 1 million USD in a funding round from the AppWorks Venture Fund.

Ngo Thanh Son, deputy director of VMED Group, said given the economy bearing negative impacts from the pandemic, health startups can still maintain hope for growth, even strong breakthroughs. Le Ngoc Hai, CEO of Doctor Anywhere Vietnam, said COVID-19 turns the healthcare sector in Vietnam ‘golden land’ for investors in the nation and abroad.

Hai said Vietnam, whose population nears 97 million, houses over 1,000 hospitals, boasting great potentials for the application of technologies in the sector.

From an investor’s perspective, Philipp Breschan, CEO Siemens Healthineers in Vietnam, said COVID-19 has forced many nations to change and update healthcare trends, particularly the provision of remote services, in the digital age.

Vietnamese Government’s promotion of capitalising on telecommunications services and smart solutions in the medical sector as well as the nation’s growing telecommunications infrastructure are advantages for it to develop healthcare technologies, he noted./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Two Vietnamese sites – Kon Ha Nung Plateau in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai and Nui Chua Biosphere Reserve in the central province of Ninh Thuan – were recognised as new world biosphere reserves by UNESCO at the 33rd session of its International Coordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB-ICC) in Nigeria.

The two new sites take the number of global biosphere reserves in Vietnam to 11, ranking it the second in Southeast Asia, only after Indonesia with 19. The 106.6-ha Nui Chua Biosphere Reserve encompasses the terrestrial and marine areas of Ninh Thuan and is located at the end of the Truong Son Mountain Range where the climate is harsh with sunny, hot and arid weather and minimal rainfall, according to UNESCO.

The biosphere reserve is a representative area in terms of biodiversity with a rich and diverse mosaic of ecosystems characteristic of the south-central region of Vietnam, including unique semi-arid vegetation, sea turtle nesting beaches and coral reefs.

The Nui Chua Biosphere Reserve is endowed with 1,511 species of flora, of which 54 are recorded in the Vietnam Red Data Book and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

Kon Ha Nung Biosphere Reserve

Covering an area of 413,512ha, the Kon Ha Nung Biosphere Reserve includes two core zones of Kon Ka Kinh National Park and Kon Chu Rang natural reserve on 57,493ha, and a 152,693ha buffer zone covering districts and communes of Dak Doa, Mang Yang, Kbang, Chu Pah, Dak Po and An Khe town.

The reserve is home to rare species such as the Gray-shanked douc (Pygathrix cinerea) – a rare and endemic primate species of Vietnam and classified as critically endangered, with only about 1,000 individuals in the wild.

The Kon Ha Nung Biosphere Reserve plays a crucial role in preserving the landscape, ecosystem, species and genetic resources of Gia Lai through many programmes to preserve biodiversity in the two core zones.

Liangbiang Biosphere ReserveLangbiang is the first World Biosphere in the Central Highlands that was recognized by UNESCO on June 9, 2015. Langbiang is truly an attractive and special destination for nature lovers.

Located in the north of Lam Dong province, it covers 275,439 hectares of land and boasts a large primeval forest whose core is the Bidoup – Nui Ba National Park. It is assessed as one of the four biodiversity centres in Vietnam.

Langbiang is home to a great diversity of natural ecosystems, including terrestrial and aquatic ones. It also harbours all the natural forest biotopes which are the habitat for wild animals.

Cu Lao Cham Biosphere ReserveWith diverse flora and fauna and historical relics dating back hundreds years ago, Cu Lao Cham (Cham Island) in the central coastal province of Quang Nam was recognized by UNESCO as a World Biosphere Reserve in 2009.

The cluster of 8 small islands has 1,500ha of tropical forests and 6,700ha of waters.

Mangrove ecosystems in the Cu Lao Cham Biosphere Reserve contribute significantly to coastal protection, climate change resilience, and local economic development.

Mui Ca Mau (Ca Mau Cape) Biosphere ReserveCajuput and mangrove forests in the southernmost province of Ca Mau were recognised by UNESCO as a World Biosphere Reserve.

The Ca Mau Cape Biosphere Reserve has main ecological characteristics: primary succession system on alluvial soil, and transition system of typical ecosystems from mangroves to Melaleuca forests in seasonally inundated freshwater flood. It is also a spawning ground of aquatic species.

The biosphere reserve also houses Mui Ca Mau National Park and U Minh Ha National Park, widely known for their peat swamp forests, along with a vast diversity of rare animals and plant species.

Western Nghe An Biosphere Reserve

Located in the central province of Nghe An on the border with Laos, Western Nghe An was recognized as a world biosphere reserve in 2007. Its climate is strongly influenced by a north-east and south-west monsoon.

Covering nearly 1.3 million hectares, it is the largest biosphere reserve in Southeast Asia. Its core zone consists of three nationally protected areas: Pu Mat National Park, Pu Huong Nature Reserve, and Pu Hoat Nature Reserve.

The reserve is home to 130 species of mammals, 295 bird species, 54 species of amphibians and reptiles, 84 species of fish and 39 species of bats.

As many as 70 species of plants and 80 species of animals in the biosphere reserve were listed in the Vietnam Red Data Book, including many rare and endemic species.

Kien Giang Biosphere Reserve

The Kien Giang Biosphere Reserve, which received UNESCO status in 2006, is in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang. It comprises 105 islands, the biggest of which is Phu Quoc, a popular tourist hotspot famous for long, sandy beaches and five-star resorts.

The reserve consists of three parts – Phu Quoc National Park, U Minh Thuong National Park and Kien Luong-Kien Hai coastal forest. Covering an area of over 1.1 million hectares, the biosphere reserve has six ecosystems with 22 different habitat types. It is also home to 1,480 floral species and 860 fauna species.

Red River Delta Biosphere Reserve

The Red River Delta Biosphere Reserve, spanning the three northern provinces of Thai Binh, Nam Dinh and Ninh Binh, got UNESCO recognition in 2004 as a haven for over 200 bird species, including 9 species listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

The Biosphere Reserve contains geological tectonic activities and biodiversity with outstanding global values. Major habitat types in the area are mudflats, intertidal sandbanks, grasslands, reeds, mangroves and casuarina sand dunes.

It is also home to more than 100 aquatic animal species – around 80 fish and 20 crustacean species.

Cat Ba Biosphere Reserve

The Cat Ba Biosphere Reserve in Hai Phong city’s Cat Ba Island was recognized by UNESCO in 2004.

Covering an area of more than 26,000 ha, the biosphere reserve consists of two core zones that are strictly conserved without human impacts, two buffer zones that allow limited economic development combined with conservation, and two transition zones for economic development.

There are 2,026 species found in the biosphere reserve including rare ones. Especially, Cat Ba is home to the critically endangered Cat Ba langur, one of the rarest primate species in the world.

Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve

Recognized as a world biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 2001, the Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve is the new name of the former Cat Tien biosphere reserve.

Covering 977,000 hectares in the five provinces of Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Lam Dong, and Dak Nong provinces, the reserve boasts abundant natural resources and biodiversity.

Its core zone includes Cat Tien National Park, Vinh Cuu Nature Reserve, Inland Wetland Protected Area of Tri An- Dong Nai, and Bau Sau Ramsar Site.

The natural environment in the Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve is considered rare and extremely valuable. According to the Vietnam Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), the biosphere reserve is a place where many natural forests and rare and precious wildlife species of Vietnam and the world are preserved, including elephants, gaurs, sun bears, java rhinos, sorrel roosters.

Can Gio Mangrove Forest Biosphere ReserveIn 2000, the Can Gio Mangrove Forest, or Sac Forest was recognized as a world biosphere reserve. It is the first world biosphere reserve in Vietnam.

The reserve is a population of terrestrial and aquatic fauna and flora, formed in the large delta of the Dong Nai, Sai Gon and Vam Co river mouths.

Covering over 75,000 ha, the reserve is home to 20,000 ha of mangrove forests and the kingdom of over 1,500 wild monkeys, 150 species of plants, 700 species of aquatic invertebrates, 130 fish species, 9 species of amphibians, 44 vertebrates, and 130 species of birds.

Not only being an ideal place for scientific research and eco-tourism, the Can Gio Biosphere Reserve also has great significance for environmental protection./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Gennady Bezdetko highlighted milestones in Vietnam – Russia ties in 2021 and Vietnam’s changes after nearly four decades of renewal in an interview recently granted to Vietnam News Agency.

Bezdetko said the Russia visit by a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation led by President Nguyen Xuan Phuc was one of the important events in bilateral agenda last year. The Russia – Vietnam traditional ties were also fostered via visits by Secretary of the Security Council of Russia Nikolai Patrushev and Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son, during which both sides reached agreements to enhance links across economy-investment, national defence and security, science and technology, culture and education.

Last year, the two countries celebrated the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Joint Statement on Vietnam – Russia strategic partnership, the 40th anniversary of oil and gas joint-venture Vietsovpetro, and the 15th anniversary of the Vietnam – Russia Joint Venture Bank.

The ambassador stressed that since the Free Trade Agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union and Vietnam took effect in October 2016, two-way trade has increased considerably. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam remains the biggest trade partner of Russia in ASEAN.

Speaking highly of the coordinating role of the Russia – Vietnam Inter-Governmental Committee on Trade, Economic and Scientific-Technological Cooperation led by the two Deputy Prime Ministers, he said two-way trade hit record last year, reaching 4.97 billion USD as of November, up 12.07 percent annually.

According to him, Russia’s leading natural gas producer PAO Novatek is exploring the possibility of launching liquefied natural gas projects in Vietnam. Meanwhile, GAZ Group and Vietnam is also cooperating in vehicle assembling, with its factory in Da Nang to be put into operation. The Rosatom State Corporation specialising in nuclear energy for peaceful purpose is pushing forward the construction of a nuclear sci-tech centre in Vietnam. In the fight against COVID-19 pandemic, Bezdetko said apart from donating “Sputnik V” và “Sputnik Light” vaccines, Russia also transferred vaccine production technology and medicines to Vietnam. Both sides shared experience in COVID-19 diagnosis, treatment and prevention, as well as sanitary and epidemiological measures. Bezdetko, who has lived in Vietnam for many years, also hailed Vietnam’s achievements in improving its position on international arena and people’s lives in recent years.

He said the Vietnamese people always maintain their long-standing customs and traditions, considering it the biggest success of the Asian nation./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Losing to China 1-3 in the quarterfinals of the Women’s Asian Cup, the Vietnamese national women’s football team, with their confidence kept, will join Thailand and Chinese Taipei in the play-off round to compete for tickets to the 2023 World Cup.

Coach Mai Duc Chung said after the defeat that he is completely pleased with efforts made by the entire squad.

He noted the team was heavily affected by the COVID-19 epidemic, but they knew how to overcome difficulties and maintain the competitive spirit to get to their current place.

Had Vietnam won the match with China they would have directly qualified for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand next year, however, all hope is not lost as they have a second chance of qualification through winning the repechage round.

As scheduled, the team will enter the first play-off match against Thailand on February 2, and join the last against Chinese Taipei on February 6.

Mentioning the February 2 match, Chung said Vietnamese players are ready for obtaining the best results./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Ministry of Finance has coordinated with relevant agencies to complete a report on the development the National Credit Rating Improvement Project for the 2021-2030 period to submit to the Prime Minister for approval.

International credit institutions remain optimistic about Vietnam’s prospects for 2022. They said that by improving the credit rating, Vietnam may attract more and more international capital inflows.

The roadmap to improve Vietnam’s credit ratings to reach investment grade in the next 10 years will include a combination of quantitative and qualitative objectives, along with maintaining credit health in the process of realising growth potential and strengthening external financial position as recognised by credit rating agencies. Karby Leggett, Global Head, Public Sector and Development Organizations at Standard Chartered Bank, said he believes that transforming the current positive credit outlook into credit rating events would be Vietnam’s next step in its progress towards an investment rating.

International credit institutions said factors that will support Vietnam in improving its national credit rating include maintaining a high and sustainable growth rate through increasing investment capital and strengthening external financial position, improving the public financial situation through stabilising medium-term debt, increasing budget revenue and reducing the risk of contingent liability from the banking system.

Ngo Dang Khoa, country director of Foreign Exchange at Capital Markets and Securities Services at HSBC Vietnam, said since Vietnam joined the group of lower-middle-income countries, official development assistance (ODA) sources and concessional loans have gradually decreased and are expected to end in the near future.

If Vietnam fulfills the goals set for the 5-year socio-economic development plan in the 2021-2025 period, the country can join the group of upper-middle-income countries in the next 4 -5 years, Khoa said.

To be able to achieve the prospect of Vietnam’s “investment” credit rating in the period of 2021-2030, Vietnam needs to pay attention to expanding access to international capital markets and international commercial loans, and attracting foreign investors, he noted.

Raising Vietnam’s credit rating is of strategic significance, helping improve the efficiency of foreign capital mobilization or issuance of bonds to the international market.

Khoa expressed his belief that Vietnam’s economic growth may reach 6.8 percent in 2022, when the vaccine coverage rate is high and the booster vaccination plan is being implemented urgently.

According to Khoa, to achieve its goal of credit rating improvement, Vietnam’s macroeconomic management policies need more tools to forecast and minimise external negative impacts in order to ensure growth of the economy, while per capita income needs to be improved as the plan set by the Government./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency