Day: February 5, 2022

UNESCO has recognised Kon Ha Nung Plateau in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai as a world biosphere reserve at the 33rd session of its International Coordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB-ICC) in Nigeria.

The recognition affirms efforts of Vietnam and Gia Lai province in particular in protecting biodiversity and ecosystem and promoting sustainable development.

It also helps boost eco-tourism and community livelihoods as well as attract international scientific research.

Biodiversity

Covering an area of 413,512 hectares, the Kon Ha Nung Biosphere Reserve comprises two core zones – 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.

Kon Ha Nung 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 importance of the Kon Ha Nung Biosphere Reserve is reflected in the fact that it is home to many rare species, and a relatively large area of upper land rainforest in the Central Highlands.

The two core areas of the Kon Ha Nung Biosphere Reserve have relatively intact ecosystems with high biodiversity, which are typical for the area’s forest ecosystem, flora and fauna of the Central Highlands region.

This biosphere reserve plays an important role in socio-economic development and maintaining the ecological balance of not only the Central Highlands region but also the central and southeast regions of Vietnam.

The Biosphere Reserve is a title awarded by UNESCO for nature reserves with unique and diverse flora and fauna. Biosphere reserves must meet seven criteria: having ecosystems representing biogeographic regions, significance for biodiversity conservation, opportunities for sustainable development, and a large enough area. They are also required to fulfil three functions as prescribed by UNESCO, namely conservation, sustainable development and logistic support.

Meeting strict criteria, the Kon Ha Nung Biosphere Reserve affirms its core value. The Kon Ha Nung Biosphere 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.

According to Nguyen Hong Quan – Deputy Director of Kon Chu Rang Nature Reserve, the results of field investigations and surveys to 2018 identified 881 species and subspecies belonging to 547 genera, 162 plant families of 5 phylum of vascular plants.

Not only boasting diverse flora, fauna and ecosystem, the Kon Ha Nung Biosphere Reserve also contains a treasure of unique cultural heritage with many outstanding characters of tangible and intangible culture values of ethnic minority communities living here.

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.

The linking corridor between the two core zones will expand the conservation scope of natural forest ecosystems and biodiversity values.

At the regional scale, the biosphere reserve will create a biodiversity corridor that maintains the integrity and overall integrity of remaining tropical ecosystems of the Central Highlands in particular and the country in general.

Biodiversity conservation associated with economic development and environmental protection

According to Ambassador Le Thi Hong Van, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to UNESCO, the recognition offers opportunities to Vietnam to access, apply initiatives and share experience on natural resource management, sustainable socio-economic development. It also demonstrates Vietnam’s commitment to preserving nature and biodiversity, restoring ecosystems and responding to climate change, contributing to the expansion of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves, and promoting Vietnam’s image of country, people, nature and culture of Vietnam.

The biosphere reserve is managed in line with the traditional knowledge of local communities including indigenous and folk knowledge about production and social organisation. The provincial People’s Committee formulates policies concerning land and forest allocations to households, payment for forest ecosystem services and the development of sustainable ecotourism.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

But Thap Pagoda, courtesy name Ninh Phuc Tu, is one of the most beautiful of its kind in the Red River Delta region and home to four groups of national treasures that have been kept almost intact.

The pagoda, located in But Thap hamlet of Dinh To commune in Thuan Thanh district, the northern province of Bac Ninh, was built in the 14th century on an area of about 10,000 square metres. It boasts unique architecture and harmony with the surrounding environment.

Aside from its historical and architectural values, But Thap also boasts four groups of national treasures, including the thousand-hands and thousand-eyes Avalokitesvara statue that was recognised in 2012. The statues of the Buddhas of the three times, the nine-story lotus tower, and the altar earned the recognition in 2020.

All the objects were made from wood in the 17th century.

Nguyen Huu Chien, a guide from the relic management board of Bac Ninh province, said each national treasure has its own unique values, but the most special one is the thousand-hands and thousand-eyes Avalokitesvara statue.

This statue, 3.7 metres in height and 2.1 metres in width, features 46 big arms and more than 900 small hands. It is assessed as a sculptural masterpiece.

Positioned near this statute are the statutes of the Buddhas of the three times: Amitabha – the Buddha of the past, Shakyamuni – the Buddha of the present, and Maitreya – the Buddha of the future. All have kind, serene, and also noble faces.

These statues are considered typical examples of the Buddhist sculpture in the Red River Delta region. They enable viewers to both become closer to the world of Buddhism and admire the beauty of the Buddhist art, which is the uniqueness that cannot be found in any other statutes of the Buddhas of the three times, Chien noted. In particular, visitors to But Thap Pagoda will be surprised at the beauty of the nine-story lotus tower, which is in an octagonal shape and 7.8 metres tall. The nine stories of this tower, with lotus patterns engraved, reflect the nine religious lives of Lord Buddha and contain hundreds of high relief sculptures of the Buddha, monks, as well as plants and animals, aiming to encourage people to do good actions and steer clear of evil.

Chien said the nine-story lotus tower demonstrates typical features of the Vietnamese Buddhism, which closely combines Zen Buddhism, Pure Land Buddhism, and Tantric Buddhism, in the 17th century.

In addition, a number of ancient altars are also kept at But Thap, with the most outstanding being the one placed in the upper hall.

Showing the skills of the artisans who made it, the uniqueness of this altar lies in not only its large size or sophisticated engravings but also the topics of decorations, especially dragon patterns.

But Thap Pagoda is also home to nearly 100 wooden statues in various postures and with vivid facial expressions, along with more than 50 stone relief sculptures depicting animals, flowers, and plants.

With its special values, the pagoda was listed as a national relic site by the Ministry of Culture and Information in 1962 and a special national relic site by the Prime Minister in 2013.

Nguyen Van Dap, head of the cultural heritage management division of the Bac Ninh provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said But Thap holds significant values and can be described as a museum of antiquities, most of which remain intact.

The But Thap Pagoda festival takes place on the 23rd and 24th of the third lunar month every year with many traditional cultural activities, which also add to the specialness of this Buddhist relic site.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) actively assisted localities in performing sci-tech tasks that had great impacts on socio-economic development last year, contributing to easing difficulties caused by COVID-19 pandemic.

The results showed that sci-tech research results and innovations are contributing to the common development of the economy, each sector and each locality.

The MoST pledged to enhance coordination with localities in directing and managing sci-tech activities, thus helping improve efficiency and effectiveness of State management, propelling socio-economic development of the country and localities in particular.

Last year, the MoST launched, approved and granted funding for tasks under the programme for rural and mountainous areas. It also helped over 25 cities and provinces study and perform tasks of assessing technological capacity of their several key sectors while holding more than 320 supply-demand matching events between localities and firms from the Republic of Korea, Israel and Germany in the fields of support industry, agriculture, energy and environment.

At the same time, it continued stepping up the intellectual property (IP) strategy and the intellectual property development programme till 2030; helped with Vietnam’s registration and protection of brands and geographical indications abroad, especially in key markets. The MoST successfully protected the geographical indication of Luc Ngan lychee and Binh Thuan dragon fruit in Japan, paving the way for geographical indication protection for other farm produce, thus gradually looking toward the European markets.

Together with localities, the ministry provided assistance in establishing, tapping and protecting IP rights to meet requirements for global integration, turning IP an effective tool to improve national competitiveness.

Minister of Science and Technology Huynh Thanh Dat urged sci-tech establishments to renew their mechanisms and policies in activities, promote start-ups and innovation, access scientific ans technological solutions and innovations in service of key local products, improve goods quality and productivity, and accelerate digital transformation in sectors.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Non Nuoc Cao Bang Global Geopark is an exceptional area in which it is possible to explore the history of the Earth for more than 500 million years. It’s also a land of tangible and intangible cultural heritage sites.

“Nang ve nuoi cai cung con

De anh di tray Nuoc non Cao Bang”

(Go back home and take care of our children and our mother

Let me go and have a venture in the majestic nature of Cao Bang)

This popular Vietnamese folk song explains that Cao Bang is a magnificent land filled with attractions. One such mystical place is Non Nuoc Cao Bang Global Geopark, one of the most impressive attractions of the province, which has been recognised as a UNESCO global geopark, the second of its kind in Vietnam.

Located in the north of Vietnam, 300km from Hanoi, Non Nuoc Cao Bang UNESCO Global Geopark covers 3,000sq.km. It covers six districts of Ha Quang, Tra Linh, Quang Yen, Trung Khanh, Ha Lang, Phuc Hoa, and part of Hoa An, Nguyen Binh and Thach An districts. The geopark is home to nine ethnic groups including Tay, Nung, Mong, Dao and San Chay.

The geopark is an exceptional territory which offers insights into the history of our planet across more than 500 million years through protected sites. Fossils, marine sediment, volcanic and plutonic rocks and minerals are witness to the remarkable evolution and changes of our planet, and they constitute an exceptional geological heritage.

It is also a land of tangible and intangible cultural heritage sites and special historical monuments. The area is also well-known for its high biological diversity with abundant endemic plant and animal species and ecosystems.

There are three main routes to explore the geopark, including going to the east to experience traditional cultures, north to see history and freedom, and west to experience Phia Oac, the mountain of transformations.

Wonderland to the east

The path to the route east is winding with one side green limestone mountains, and the other an abyss covered by white mist. Little wild flowers in many colours in the wind, fresh cool air, yellow sunlight, imposing scenes, and ethnic Tay girls in black costumes working happily in the rice fields created a painting of a peaceful rural life, harmoniously blended with nature. Ma Phuc Pass was the first site on the route.

Located in Cao Xuyen cillage, Quoc Toan commune, Tra Linh district, more than 3.5km long at an altitude of 700m above sea level, the pass is one of the most beautiful in Cao Bang.

Tran Van Tan, Director of the Institute of Geosciences and Natural Resources under the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, said the pass winds between two high limestone mountain ranges and constitutes, at its bottom, an exceptional geosite. Here, in contact with limestone (white rock) can be seen a blackish green rock with rounded shape – the so-called pillow basalt.

“Besides the exceptional geological interest, Ma Phuc is also a place of intangible heritage,” said Chu Thi Vinh, Vice Chairwoman of the Tra Linh District People’s Committee.

“According to legend, in the 11th century, a leader of the Nung people named Nung Tri Cao led local people to fight against the Chinese Song army from the north. Once returning from a patrol along the border, at Quoc Toan commune of present day Tra Linh district, he faced this high, winding and steep pass, and his horse was crippled and could not continue. The mountain was since named An Lai, literally meaning to stop, and the pass was named Ma Phuc, literally meaning a kneeling horse,” Vinh said.

Leaving Ma Phuc Pass, visitors can travel to Angel Eye Mountain in Quoc Toan commune, Tra Linh district.

Angel Eye Mountain or Phia Piot in Tay language means a mountain with a through-going hole, which is 50m in diameter and 50m above the lake.

After a walk of about 15 minutes, we saw Tay people in Ban Danh hamlet with stilt houses, yin and yang tiled roofs, stone fences, paddy fields of rice and maize, water buffaloes and cows, and the surrounding green and mature karst landscape. This helped us relax and recover from our daily stresses.

At the end of the route going to the east, we reached Ban Gioc Waterfall, a must-see place in Cao Bang.

Located on the Quay Son River at Dam Thuy commune, Trung Khanh district, Ban Gioc Waterfall is the fourth largest waterfall in the world at an international border, after Iguazu Falls between Brazil and Argentina, Victoria Falls between Zambia and Zimbabwe, and Niagara Falls between the US and Canada.

Tran Thi Xuan Quynh, member of the management board of the Non Nuoc Cao Bang UNESCO Global Geopark, said Ban Gioc Fall is approximately 300 wide and 35m high, with three cascades. It runs between Vietnam and China.

Historical experience to the north

From Cao Bang city, heading to the north, passing vast fragrant paddy rice fields which were in harvest time, tourists can visit historical sites that tell of the revolutionary life of President Ho Chi Minh after he came back to Vietnam on January 28, 1941.

The jade tranquil Lenin Stream which softly and peacefully meanders at the foot of the rampart – like Karl Marx Mountain, is worth a visit.

Crossing a small bridge, walking 15 minutes and then climbing up for about 50 steps, both natural and artificial, we reached Coc Bo Cave, President Ho Chi Minh’s shelter during his time in Pac Bo.

The small, almost dry and quiet reserve, though still having a second entrance, was badly damaged during the border war with China and has been partly restored. The stone bed where President Ho Chi Minh used to sleep is still there.

Mountain of transformations to the west

After recovering with some local food and a good sleep, tourists should head west on the next day to experience Phia Oac, the mountain of transformations.

The route was a highlight, with many attractive sights including Phai Khat Post, beewax brocade by Dao Tien people, Phia Den salmon farm, Ban O and Lung Muoi tungsten mines, Phia Oac-Phia Den National Park and Tran Hung Dao Forest Special National Monument.

The three experience routes give visitors a chance to explore the geopark, as well as local people here. Each of these routes can be visited, with a guide, and will leave a unique and unforgettable experience.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Viglacera Corporation JSC, the largest real estate and building materials group in Vietnam, has developed 11 industrial parks in Vietnam and one economic zone in Cuba, attracting nearly 15 billion USD worth of foreign direct investment from more than 300 enterprises.

The corporation’s IPs offer clean land and modern infrastructure, meeting enterprises’ needs and diverse options for investors.

Viglacera is continuing to expand investment in industrial real estate to strengthen its position as one of the leading operators of industrial property and workers’ housing.

The corporation said in 2022, it will also invest in social housing, housing for workers as well as resort property while improving service quality.

Real estate contributed 1.03 trillion VND (45.61 million USD) in pre-tax profit to the corporation’s business result in 2021, surpassing target by 22 percent and up 326 billion VND from 2020.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The 5G services are projected to contribute 7.34 percent to Vietnam’s GDP growth in 2025, according to a research by the National Institute of Information and Communications Strategy.

At the recent high-level forum on the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said that the revolution and innovation form a new driving force for socio-economic development.

He noted that in order to recover and develop the economy post pandemic, it is necessary to have an infrastructure development strategy, including digital transformation infrastructure, and telecommunications services that reach low-lying and border areas, and islands. Vietnam’s next wave of socio-economic development will come from innovation, science and technology, driven by the digital economy, said Denis Brunetti, President of Ericsson Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos.

According to him, Ericsson’s studies show that manufacturing, energy/utilities, health care and security are the sectors that have the best opportunities to take advantage of the 5G-induced benefits in Vietnam. Businesses’ digitalisation capability through 5G network will significantly improve labour productivity and redefine the entire digital ecosystem.

In Vietnam, the Viettel Military Industry and Telecoms Group (Viettel) has identified the 5G network as the infrastructure foundation for digital transformation and the 4th Industrial Revolution. As such, the company is promoting the research and creation of applications on the 5G platform.

Viettel’s main goal is to put Vietnam on par with the world in digital transformation as well as RandD for the high-tech industry, emphasised Le Dang Dung, Viettel’s Acting Chairman and General Director.

Huynh Quang Liem, General Director of the Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT), said the 5G technology is helping VNPT gradually making applications using artificial intelligence, internet of things, and robotics, among others, for smart city building, health care, education, and smart factories.

Vaibhav Saxena, former co-chair of the Indian Business Chamber in Vietnam, noted the nation has an outstanding vision as it is the second fastest growing Internet economy in Southeast Asia. Such growth rate will help it achieve greater goals and transform itself into a technology hub in the region, he affirmed.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

As part of the national intangible cultural heritage, the Tu Linh boat racing festival in Ly Son island district in the central province of Quang Ngai is organised annually to pay tribute to national ancestors.

The tribute is also paid to soldiers who fought for the country’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos.

The Tu Linh boat racing festival is associated with a long history of the country when Vietnamese residents from the mainland settled in Ly Son island between the late 16th century and the early 17th century, under the Le Trung Hung Dynasty and Nguyen Lords.

According to old documents, the Tu Linh boat racing festival on Ly Son Island was first held in 1826. It takes place around the Lunar New Year festival to pray for good weather, bumper crops, and peace. It is also meant to pay tribute to ancestors who explored this land, as well as the then Hoang Sa flotilla that planted sovereignty markers on the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos.

The festival is called Tu Linh because the racing boats are decorated with symbolic shapes of the quartet of mythological creatures in Vietnam’s traditions and beliefs, which are dragon, qilin, tortoise, and phoenix.

Long (Dragon) symbolising robust crop, fertility and royal power, Lan (Quilin) and Phuong (Phoenix) embodying talented people and Quy (Tortoise) – the emblem of strength and longevity must be the most outstanding sacred animals in Vietnam.

This is the largest-scale cultural and ritual activity on the island, attracting the participation of a huge number of local people.

Visiting Ly Son in the days ahead of the festival, every corner of the island district is teeming with excitement.

In the yards of the temples in An Vinh and An Hai communes, islanders gather to finalize the preparations for the beginning of the boat race.

Traditionally, there are eight boats participating in the event.

The participants should be healthy and skillful men. Boats must be firm and slim so that they can move very fast through the water.

In the past, the boats were designed for only 14 people; however, in recent years, the boats have been built for 24 people. Each team has its own uniform with red scarves on the participants’ heads. The shouts of encouragement, along with the determination of racers, always makes the festival very exciting.

To preserve and bring into play this festival, the Ly Son district People’s Committee conducted surveys and studies over the past years to compile a dossier seeking the inclusion of this activity on the list of national intangible cultural heritage.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism made the recognition in September 2020.

Thanks to this move, Ly Son district is currently home to two festivals named national intangible cultural heritages, with the other being “Le khao le the linh Hoang Sa” (Feast and Commemoration Festival for Hoang Sa Soldiers).

According to Vietnam’s feudal state history, the Hoang Sa Flotilla was set up when the Nguyen Lords began their reign in the south of the country. Thousands of sailors overcame roaring waves and storms to survey sea routes, plant milestones and erect steles affirming national territory in the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos, and exploit marine resources ordered by Nguyen Lords. Their missions were full of dangers, and many of them never returned to land.

To pay tribute to the men enlisted in the flotilla, “Le khao le the linh Hoang Sa” has been observed through hundreds of years by families in Ly Son island and many coastal areas in Quang Ngai.

The festival, which is held every April on the island, was recognised as part of the national intangible cultural heritage by the State in 2016. It reflects Vietnam’s history of protecting the national sovereignty in the East Sea, especially over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos.

Ly Son island covers an area of less than 10 sq.km but it has nearly 100 relics, most of which are related to the Hoang Sa Flotilla, such as the empty graves built for Hoang Sa soldiers who never returned to land, the temples dedicated to Pham Quang Anh and Vo Van Khiet who were captains of the Hoang Sa Flotilla, and a showroom displaying the items of the Hoang Sa Flotilla sailors who also controlled Bac Hai and Ba Ri Lagoon.

A monument and memorial house dedicated to the Hoang Sa Flotilla stand near the main road of the island.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

For a long time, silver jewellery has been thought to possess talismanic qualities in the spiritual life of the Mong people. They believe it can protect health, exorcise evil spirits and bring in happiness.

Silver carving requires meticulous technique

Silver carving requires ingenuity, meticulousness and a strong aesthetic sense. Mong artisans must go through many stages of increasing sophistication to create a silver jewelry piece with specific characteristics to be deemed worthy enough by the community.

To create a piece of silver jewellery, the Mong use many tools including blower, kiln, crucible, casting mould, hammer, iron pliers, anvil, and chisel for the patter.

In the past, the source of the silver used to craft the jewellery was usually silver Indochinese coins that were handed down from generation to generation in Mong families, as well as in other ethnic minority groups.

Nowadays, this type of silver is very rare and expensive. Families seeking silver to commission a piece can buy or exchange livestock for silver with other families in the community.

To make valuable silver products that meet the demands of customers, artisans must have experience in selecting and distinguishing raw materials.

Impure silver is unsuitable for carving as it often breaks and lacks the pure white metallic lustre of its unalloyed variant. This results in a poor-quality product, low price and limited appeal for consumers.

Carved silver jewellery made in Lao Xa, Dong Van of Ha Giang province has unique cultural characteristics. Silver jewellery from Lao Xa is not only delicately crafted but is available in a diverse range of types and styles, including rings, bracelets and necklaces.

Bracelets have two types: flat rings and round rings. The faces of the rings are carved with flowers, leaves or butterflies.

Jewellery meant to protect children and adults when they are sick include anklets, necklaces and bracelets.

The Mong people believe that everything has a soul and the kitchen is overseen by a ‘kitchen god’. Therefore, during the process of carving, artisans usually carry out several rituals to worship for no accidents and risks.

Silver carving of Mong people in Sa Pa, Dong Van

Silver carving represents the development of metalworking techniques of the Mong people in Sa Pa, the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai and contributes significantly to the preservation of traditional culture and spiritual life of the local community.

Silver carvers in Sa Pa use only pure silver to create their distinctive, beautiful products.

With its unique historical, cultural and scientific process, the traditional Mong craft of silver carving in Sa Pa was named on the list of ‘national intangible culture heritage’ in 2013.

Meanwhile, Lao Xa village in Sung La commune is another cradle of traditional Mong silver carving in the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang.

Silver carving is a traditional craft that plays a very important role in the cultural life of ethnic people on the Dong Van plateau. Silver jewellery is a popular dowry item that Mong parents offer when their children get married. For that reason, silver carving has been maintained and developed by the Mong.

For centuries, when local people wanted to order a piece of silver jewellery, they would go straight to Lao Xa. They still do so this day.

Silver carving has been preserved for generations by many families. In order to preserve the tradition of their ancestors, silver carving skills are only taught to children and grandchildren within the family.

High-quality silver-carving products created in Lao Xa are made using a multi-stage process. From silver burning, casting, manipulating shapes on the anvil to patterning and polishing, silver carving requires craftsmen to be gifted, skillful and meticulous. Silver craftsmen must also be persistent for many years to pursue a successful career and achieve the quintessential skills needed to be a master carver.

Along with traditional colourful dress and costumes, silver jewellery from Lao Xa has long adorned the colourful life of the ethnic minority people in Dong Van plateau.

Source: Vietnam News Agency