Day: February 13, 2022

The southern province of Kien Giang has basically finalised a plan on sustainable protection and management of forests in Phu Quoc National Park by 2030 and another to promote eco-tourism in local forests.

At present, Phu Quoc National Park is managing 37,000 hectares of forests, including over 29,00 hectares of special-use forests, and nearly 8,000 hectares of protection ones.

This is one of the national parks in the southern region whose primeval forests are still kept intact. In 2022, Phu Quoc National Park will continue focusing on forest protection, support tree planting with a goal of planting additional 20,000 scattered trees, and taking proactive measures to prevent forest fires.

According to the provincial Forest Protection Sub-Department, about 16,000 hectares of local forests are at risks of fires during the 2022 dry season. The province has allocated 4 billion VND (176,000 USD) to Phu Quoc National Park for forest fire prevention and fighting.

The southern province will also maintain efforts to detect and handle forestry-related violations.

Last year, over 150 violation cases involved in deforestation, forest encroachment, animal protection, illegal transportation of forest products, and illegal forest exploitation were uncovered and handled.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

A new cold snap hit several northern mountainous areas in the early morning of February 13, and will spread to other places in the north and then some areas of the central region.

Due to the impact of the cold spell and high-altitude wind convergence, the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting predicted showers of 20-50 mm, even over 70 mm, across the northern region on February 13.

The region is experiencing the lowest temperatures of 11 – 14 degrees Celsius, even 8 – 11 degrees or lower in mountainous areas where rains with snow may appear.

In the central region, areas from Thanh Hoa to Thua Thien-Hue provinces are likely to record heavy showers, lightning, and hail. The mercury will also drop to 14 – 17 degrees from February 13 night.

Elderly are advised to stay indoor to avoid risks of stroke and residents of mountainous regions refrain from engaging in outdoor activities and burning coal in closed rooms for heat.

Measures need to be taken to protect and keep crops, cattle and aquatic farms warm, especially in mountainous localities.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on February 12 signed a dispatch urging the drastic and effective implementation of the socio-economic recovery and development programme as well as the acceleration of the disbursement of public investment.

Accordingly, the Prime Minister requested the synchronous and effective implementation of the COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control programme for 2022-2023 and working to ensure safe production and business.

Ministries, sectors, and localities are required to develop specific action programmes and plans to carry out the tasks and solutions assigned in Resolution No.11 of the Government, with the focus on synchronous coordination of monetary, fiscal and other policy tools to maintain macroeconomic stability, curb inflation, and ensure major balances of the economy and the safety of credit institutions as well as active support for socio-economic recovery and development.

Ministries, sectors and localities must strictly manage revenue sources and exert efforts to increase state budget revenue, save state budget expenditures, and take back recurrent expenditures that are slow to be allocated. Heads of agencies and sectors are responsible for slow disbursement because the acceleration of the disbursement is one of the key political tasks in 2022-2023 of each ministry, sector and locality.

All sectors and localities should strive to disburse all of the public investment plans in 2022 in line with ensuring the quality of the works and the effective use of public investment. Strict and timely sanctions for acts of corruption to cause a delay in capital allocation, implementation, and disbursement must be imposed.

In the first quarter, the Government leader asked ministries, agencies and localities to complete a number of tasks to immediately implement and promote the effectiveness of the socio-economic development and recovery programme, including developing a plan to flexibly adjust public investment capital in the Medium-term Public Investment Plan for the 2021-2025 period and the programme’s public investment in 2022-2023.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Early spring is the time when the E De ethnic minority group in the Central Highlands region enjoy the festive time with the cau mua (Praying for fertile crops) ritual.

This is one of the important rituals of the E De people, which takes place when a new crop planting season begins. They believe that the ritual will bring them good weather and a bumper crop.

During the days of the ritual, people in the village do not work in the fields or travel far. They only stay in the village to focus on this activity.

They also prepare models, often made from wood, to perform the ritual, such as the rice warehouse, which symbolises the wish to be full; and the shield and sword, to ward off evil spirits.

In addition, they also bring production tools such as grass rakes, hole punching sticks, rice seed canisters and some offerings to the gods like roosters and ruou can (wine stored in a big jar and drunk with long bamboo straws).

The host of the ceremony will pray to heaven and earth for good weather and grain. After that, the village sends people to perform the tria lua ritual (put the seeds in the hole and fill it with soil) around the ceremonial pillar.

The host then splashes water to bless and pray for rain against drought. At the end of the worshiping ceremony, the E De people go home and drink ruou can to celebrate a new farming season.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

A magnitude 5.4 earthquake was recorded offshore Cagayan province, the Philippines, on February 13 afternoon, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.

The institute said aftershocks will ensue.

According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the quake’s epicentre was 39.74 km deep.

The Philippines lies along the “Pacific Ring of Fire” which is surrounded by numerous active faults and trenches on both sides of the archipelago. The country has frequent seismic activities.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Vietnamese aviation industry is currently ready in all aspects to operate the entire international flight network like before the COVID-19 outbreak, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has told Deputy Transport Minister Le Anh Tuan.

Deputy Minister Tuan assigned the CAAV to discuss with aviation management agencies of partner countries on the resumption of regular international flights to markets that had already opened direct flights to Vietnam before the COVID-19 outbreak, in addition to those launched in January.

The frequency of these routes will increase gradually to ensure the principles of safe and flexible adaptation to and effective control of the pandemic.

The CAAV must report to the Ministry of Transport on the results of the resumption of international routes in February so that the ministry can summarise and report it to the Prime Minister, the official requested.

Regarding this issue, a CAAV leading official said that the authority has just worked with the Thai aviation authorities, and this country has also agreed to reopen air routes and with no limit of the number of flights.

Thus, to date, except for China, all countries that Vietnam proposed to restore air routes have shown their agreement.

Notably, in the near future, international flights to new markets such as the Middle East, Turkey will be opened, the CAAV leader added.

He cited the direction of the Prime Minister as saying that the reopening of international routes as normal is not later than March 30.

Source: Vietnam News Agency